RTHK: US says all Russian combat forces now inside Ukraine

The United States is sending 500 more troops to Europe to boost Nato security, an official said on Monday as the Pentagon determined Russia has committed nearly all its combat power stationed along the border into Ukraine.

With President Vladimir Putin intensifying operations, a senior US defence official also warned that Russian strikes on civilians were mounting and that Moscow was seeking to recruit foreign fighters, notably Syrians, for the war.

The United States has already deployed 12,000 additional soldiers to Europe this year, but President Joe Biden has stressed that US troops will not engage in a conflict with Russian forces in Ukraine.

Over the weekend, Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin ordered an extra "500 US military personnel to locations in Europe to augment existing forces," the defence official told reporters.

"These additional forces are going to be positioned to respond to the current security environment in light of Russia's renewed aggression against Ukraine, and to reinforce deterrence and defensive capabilities of Nato."

The Defence Department has assessed that of the Russian forces built up along the border  estimated by Western nations at over 150,000 troops  Putin "has committed nearly 100 percent of his combat power into Ukraine," the official said.

"He's got almost all of them in."

With Ukrainians trying to hold the assault at bay, Russia has engaged in more long-range attacks  a mix of bombardments, rocket launches, artillery strikes and more than 625 missiles  to make up for their lack of movement on the ground, the official said.

Bombardments have increased around the capital Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv in the north, and Mykolaiv and Mariupol in the south, and "we do assess that these strikes are hitting civilian targets, civil infrastructure, residential areas," he said.

It remained unclear whether the strikes on civilians were deliberate, but the official stressed that "it's happening at a greater rate and on a greater scale, and (is) all the more evidence of the reckless nature with which the Russians are propagating this assault."

Meanwhile concern has grown that Odessa, the country's main port, is in Russia's sights.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned on Sunday that Moscow was "preparing to bomb Odessa."

But the defence official said the Pentagon has "not seen any evidence of a movement on Odessa" yet.

"We believe the Russians want to take Odessa," and the Pentagon was not ruling out the potential for a Russian amphibious assault supported by ground troops, he said. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2022-03-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Indonesia issues visa on arrival for tourists from 23 countries

The Indonesian Law and Human Rights Ministry Directorate General of Immigration has reintroduced the visa on arrival option for tourists from 23 countries, including Vietnam, arriving in Bali as of March 7.









Passengers at the international airport in Tuban on the island of Bali, Indonesia on October 14, 2021. (Photo: AFP/VNA)



This policy can only be obtained by tourists who enter Indonesia through Balis airport I Gusti Ngurah Rai immigration facility. International tourists arriving through this airport are permitted to travel to other Indonesian regions.



In a written statement on March 6, spokesperson of the directorate general Achmad Nur Saleh announced requirements to obtain the special visa include a six-month minimum valid passport, a return flight ticket or to continue to another country, and health documents required under the COVID-19 task force policy.



The tariff for this special tourist visa on arrival is 500,000 IDR (about 35 USD) and is valid for a maximum of 30 days of stay and can be extended only once.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (Gaca), have signed an executive program in the field of civil aviation with the government of the Kingdom of Bahrain.



The deal was sealed on the sidelines of the World Defense Show, organized by the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) from March 6 to 9 in Riyadh, reported Bahrain News Agency (BNA), citing Saudi Press Agency (SPA).



The program was signed on behalf of the Kingdom by President of Gaca Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Duailej, while it was signed on behalf of the Kingdom of Bahrain by Minister of Transport and Communications Eng. Kamal bin Ahmed.



The program aims to develop aspects of cooperation in several fields of civil aviation that includes air transport, aviation security and safety, air traffic management and airports.



The World Defense Show 2022 is a unique platform that brings together all those concerned with the defence industry from around the world.



This is in an effort to enhance the bonds of cooperation between them and pave the way for building partnerships, exchanging knowledge, exploring the latest innovations and capabilities across all defence systems.



Furthermore, bringing together the pioneers of the international defence and security sector under one roof to review solutions for joint integration and the future of operational compatibility between defence systems across land, sea, air, information security and aerospace.


Its no secret that the Normal-raised, top 10 American Idol contestant Leah Marlene had set her heart on musical ambitions early on in life. In fact, its long been public record.

The Pantagraphs Flying Horse page got a glimpse of Marlene's dream in the making about ten years ago. Check out the story below to hear what she had to say about a career in music when she was in fifth grade.
DECATUR  A Decatur man is jailed on a preliminary charge of arson after the State Fire Marshal said he torched the home of his brother in the 2800 block of East Harrison Avenue.

A sworn affidavit said the 48-year-old suspect was arrested by a law enforcement officer with the fire marshals office on the morning of the fire, March 4.

The affidavit said a neighbor heard screaming at 5 a.m. and described the man, who lives nearby and across the street from his brother, as crisscrossing the road between his own house and his brothers residence.

(The neighbor) said he heard (the suspect) tell his brother that he was going to light his house on fire, and he went back into his residence for one to two minutes before returning to his brothers, the affidavit said.

(The neighbor) said he opened his door and stepped out on his porch to observe the curtains on fire at (the victims ) residence. He said he looked across the street and observed (the brothers) on the ground fighting and heard (the suspect) say I told you I was going to light it, I need a (expletive) fire extinguisher.

The neighbor said the house appeared engulfed in fire and reports from the Decatur Fire Department said the home was badly damaged. The bill for repairs and replacement to the structure and contents was estimated at a total of $18,000.

It burned the living room and the kitchen up pretty good from what I could tell, Deputy Fire Chief Jim Ohl told the Herald & Review on Monday. The home was not habitable.

A check of Macon County Jail records Monday showed the arrested brother remained held in custody in lieu of bail set at $50,000, requiring a bond payment of $5,000 for him to be released.

All preliminary charges are subject to review by the state's attorneys office.

Contact Tony Reid at (217) 421-7977. Follow him on Twitter: @TonyJReid

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BULL VALLEY, Ill.  A millionaire businessman convicted of trying to kill his wife during a 2004 attack in their suburban Chicago mansion has been released from prison.

Billy J. Cox, 80, was released on Feb. 25 after serving the required 85% of his 20-year sentence, according to a notice from the Illinois Department of Corrections, The (Crystal Lake) Northwest Herald reported.

A jury found Cox guilty in 2007 of attempted murder and aggravated domestic battery for trying to kill his then 65-year-old wife, Carolyn Cox, in September 2004 in their 15,000-square-foot Bull Valley mansion.

He struck her with a blunt object and dragged her through their home before locking her in the garage, where he left two vehicles idling so carbon monoxide fumes would kill her, court records state.

Carolyn Cox was found alive by police who went to the couple's home after concerned relatives were unable to reach her on the day of a planned trip to Paris.

She divorced Billy Cox in 2008 and remarried, changing her name to Carolyn Mahoney and later speaking out against domestic violence, saying it affects everyone, no matter how rich or poor. She died in 2019.

Cox and his late former wife had become wealthy by building Exacto Inc., a chemical company based in Sharon, Wisconsin.

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Until Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine last week, the standoff between Russia and a U.S.-led Western alliance had produced, on balance, a net strategic benefit for China. Now that Putin has pulled the trigger, the geopolitical game has completely changed.

The months of tension had distracted the U.S. from China, which Washington sees as its most formidable long-term threat. And looking ahead, Putins full tilt toward China, driven by his grievances against the West, would significantly improve Chinese security by expanding the countrys access to advanced weaponry and energy resources.

The optimal situation for China would have been prolonged tensions short of war, because such an ambiguous situation allowed China to avoid taking a firm stand while maintaining friendly ties with some of the key stakeholders  Russia, the European Union and also Ukraine, which had been a major supplier of grains to China.

To be sure, even though war has broken out, China may still end up gaining some geopolitical benefits. In the short term, the U.S. will be forced to focus on confronting Russia and devote less energy to implement its newly announced Indo-Pacific Strategy. In the event of a quick Russian military victory, the U.S. would find itself fighting a new cold war on two fronts.

However, any benefits for China could be outweighed by the costs of being seen as Russias supporter. And China, like the rest of the world, will face inevitable economic and geopolitical fallout, including from Western sanctions against Russia and a spike in energy prices.

In the short term, the war in Ukraine could not have come at a worse time for President Xi Jinping. His top priority this year is to hold a trouble-free national congress of the ruling Chinese Communist Party that will grant him a third five-year term. For this, he needs all the good news he can get. Dealing with the worst geopolitical crisis since the end of the Cold War will undoubtedly distract Xi from managing Chinas internal challenges.

These short-term inconveniences pale in comparison with potential long-term risks and costs if China fails to strike a delicate balance between supporting Russia, its strategic partner of convenience, and preventing ties with the West from collapsing completely.

Aside from discrediting its long-held principle of inviolable sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations, Chinas support for Russia in the coming years could incur huge costs.

As the worlds second-largest economy, with more than $3 trillion in hard currency reserves, China has the capacity to help Russia soften the blow of Western sanctions. But Xi faces a real quandary: If he helps his friend Putin, he will endanger Chinas commercial ties with the West. If he doesnt help, Putins debacle in Ukraine could further encourage Washington to bolster its support for Taiwan  the issue that concerns China the most  and embolden the pro-independence forces on the island. However unwelcome Putins war in Ukraine may be for Xi, a Russian defeat would be Chinas worst nightmare.

Even more worrying to China would be a more united Western alliance. Chinas long-term strategy to compete with the U.S. rests on the critical assumption that Americas European allies will stay neutral in the U.S.-China rivalry. But Western solidarity in responding to Russias invasion of Ukraine has called this assumption into question.

The inevitable fallout of the solidifying Western alliance for China is accelerated economic decoupling. Rising opposition to globalization, the U.S.-China trade war, and the pandemic have already persuaded many in the West to relocate China-based supply chains. Russias invasion of Ukraine will only speed up implementation.

Now that Ukraine is engulfed in war, we will see whether China can avoid becoming collateral damage itself.

Minxin Pei is professor of government at Claremont McKenna College.

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This war is for all the world, a haggard Volodymyr Zelenskyy told CNN from an underground bunker, surrounded by sandbags. The incredibly brave Ukrainian president is correct.

Ukrainians are fighting for us, for the United States, for Europe, for you, for me. To say, as Zelenskyy did, that his countrymen are fighting for democracy and freedom is absolutely right but may be too abstract for many Americans to grasp.

Let me put it in more concrete terms:

If Russias Vladimir Putin can take over a peaceful country by brute force in the 21st century, and deliberately slaughter civilians to achieve his goals, then we are all at risk. He will not stop with Ukraine.

If Putin can openly threaten nuclear war to scare off NATO from halting his aggression, then much of Europe is in danger. If this deranged killer can play dangerous games with cyberattacks and nuclear weapons, then the threat extends across the Atlantic to the United States.

The Third World War has already started, former Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, told me via a WhatsApp call this week. Only three weeks ago, I was meeting with her in her office at the Ukrainian parliament, whose members are now on Putins hit list. The Russian war criminal has already sent vicious Chechen hit teams into Ukraine to assassinate its leaders.

How many states must be destroyed before the West wakes up? Klympush-Tsintsadze asked, her voice rising.

The nuclear threat is here already. The Russians have already taken over Chernobyl [the site of the 1986 nuclear disaster]. Their fighter jets are hanging over Chernobyl as they fire at our cities and we cannot fire back because they are in a nuclear zone.

There are other, still active nuclear reactors in Ukraine, she said, that are also at risk.

Klympush-Tsintsadze is convinced that the West still doesnt understand the magnitude of the threat posed by Putin, who wants to redraw Europes boundaries by force and uses the methods of Adolf Hitler.

But what disturbs this political activist most deeply is that her country lacks air defenses. Yes, the United States and Europe are now delivering thousands more shoulder-fired Stinger anti-aircraft missiles. But Ukraine lacks a surface-to-air system that can defend against Russian missile bombardments meant to destroy cities and wipe out civilians.

For us every minute means lives, she said. Right now we are begging for a no-fly zone. This is a plea made repeatedly by Zelenskyy. It means that Western aircraft would patrol Ukrainian skies and prevent Russian planes from attack.

That, however, would mean direct confrontation with Russia, which the United States and NATO understandably want to avoid at this moment.

Yet, as Russia proceeds in its efforts to hurt Ukraine so badly that its government will resign, President Joe Biden and the European allies are going to have to think unthinkable thoughts. They must strategize about how to deter a leader who thinks his nukes make him impervious to Western pushback against his aggression. This is a question President Biden and European leaders must confront not tomorrow, but today.

Thats because this ugly, unprovoked war is only going to get grimmer, as Putin tries  literally  to destroy the Ukrainian army and government by pulverizing cities to make Ukraine surrender.

But Ukrainians wont bend.

The courage of Ukrainian leaders and ordinary citizens presents Biden and our European allies with an urgent dilemma that has not yet been fully faced.

Biden must prepare Americans, more than he has, for a long-running conflict that will inevitably hurt Americans economically as gas supplies and international trade are disrupted. And he must explain why this is Americas battle, too.

Americans have no choice but to help the Ukrainian resistance  to deter Putin from further threatening the world.

Trudy Rubin is a columnist for the The Philadelphia Inquirer. trubin@phillynews.com.

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As I write this letter, I hesitate, because I know Ill upset some people and they will think the letter is un-American, but I feel I need to write it.

I am 82 years old. I was born during the Depression. It was a very difficult time in more ways than you can thing of for many families. In my life time I have seen a lot of things, good and bad. What I am seeing now is mind boggling as far as Politics go. I have never seen it this bad since the days of McCarthyism. When the Republican Senator McCarthy accused people of being communist in the 1950s, he ruined a lot of peoples lives. There was also Watergate.

We are going through a time, right now, of a former U.S. President saying the election was stolen from him. We have a lot of people who believe him. We have some states changing their laws for voting to make sure that some people cannot vote.

I would just like to say a couple of things:

Be careful. The roads some of the states, their senators and representatives are taking are going to lead this country to a one-party system. Ill give two countries as examples, Russia and China. Be careful that we do not have another January 6.

As far as the former U.S. Presidents claim of the election being stolen from him. I believe him as far as I can spit a wet cotton ball, and believe the moon is made of green cheese.

Jan Martinie, Decatur

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After a little more than three years on the job, the president of Northeast State Community College has resigned.

Dr. Bethany Bullock, who was selected as president in January 2019, announced her resignation on Tuesday, the school said in a news release, stating Bullock plans to spend more time with family and return as a business professor this fall.

Bullock, who holds degrees from UVa-Wise, Tusculum University and Virginia Tech, said in the release that being president was a rewarding gift and that the college has shown grit, growth, and grace.

Under Bullocks direction, Northeast States milestones included the opening of a $35 million Technical Education Complex and the relocation of the Aviation Technology program to Tri-Cities Airport.

Dr. Connie Marshall, vice president for Academic Affairs, will take over as interim president, at the request of Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor Flora W. Tydings, who said in the release that the search process will begin immediately.

We are certainly sad to see Dr. Bullock step down as president, but we respect her decision, and we look forward to having her back in the classroom, Tydings said in the release.

Regent Miles Burdine of Kingsport will serve as chair of the search advisory committee, which will include Regents Emily J. Reynolds and Danni Varlan and other members to be announced, the release said.

Bob Carpenter, director of marketing and community relations at Northeast State, said Tuesday that, according to the Tennessee Board of Regents, selecting a new president takes three to four months, and a search committee usually consists of around 18 members.

Carpenter said the committee will be tasked with reviewing and interviewing applicants before finalists have on-campus, question-and-answer sessions with faculty and staff prior to the chancellor making a recommendation to the Board of Regents, which governs The College System of Tennessee.

Northeast State, which has campuses in Elizabethton, Gray, Johnson City and Kingsport, enrolls 5,200 students and offers more than 135 programs of study, Carpenter said.
BRISTOL, Va.  As City Council begins work tonight on the fiscal 2022-23 operating budget, they unanimously agree resolving issues with the landfill is the top priority but have no idea what it might cost.

The landfill is not scheduled to be part of the discussion of either tonights budget workshop or regular council meeting.

Conversations with City Council members showed resolving ongoing odor and emission concerns with the city landfill tops everyones list, but its too early to estimate what that might cost. The city has already spent more than $3 million and is awaiting a long-term plan from contracted engineers and input from a state-appointed panel of experts.

First and foremost is the landfill, Mayor Anthony Farnum said in regards to priorities. We spent a lot of money in the past year, and we anticipate spending more money in the next year. Its a big subject, a big unknown still.

Vice Mayor Neal Osborne wants to streamline the funding process.

Weve had to do (landfill) supplemental appropriations with some regularity. I think it would be better if we had extra money in the budget for it, so we dont have to do supplemental appropriations, which I think will make it go faster, which is important in this case, Osborne said.

Councilman Kevin Wingard says a key is having the right people to guide the process.

Weve got to get the right people in the conversation. We dont know how much were looking at in terms of money, but weve got to find the right group that has dealt with this before, Wingard said. Were still searching. Surely were not the first landfill that has dealt with these chimneys before. We need to find out who, and how did they fix it?

Councilman Bill Hartley said they also need to look beyond the odors.

Once that is done, we need to look at monitoring, and what is the long-term plan for that? Consultants coming in from DEQ [Department of Environmental Quality] may have some thoughts, Hartley said. It may not all fall in one budget cycle, but we need to start thinking ahead.

In other areas, Hartley said the city should develop its spending plan carefully, given previous history of a few years ago when the city was ranked the most financially distressed in Virginia. In recent years, the city has improved its credit rating, refinanced debt, expanded its cash reserves and put money aside for emergencies.

We need to remember what has gotten us to where were at, which is good financial management, structurally balanced budgets, conservative budget estimates, following our policies as much as we can, Hartley said. Over the uncertainty of the past few years, its helped us turn a corner financially. We need to maintain that good financial health because, if you dont do that, its hard to do any of the other things you want.

Several council members said salary increases, specifically for public safety and solid waste employees, will be a priority.

I hope this year we can focus on salaries for first responders  police, fire and EMS. Whatever we can do to help in attracting and retaining employees in those areas  bonus or pay increase overall  I hope is a priority, Farnum said.

Wingard said landfill employees should also be included in that discussion.

We have vacancies at the landfill and nobody applying. We have to fix that, Wingard said. If we have to raise salaries at the landfill to get people interested in coming back to work up there, then weve got to look at that. I feel like were underpaying people at the landfill, underpaying our police department. But until more revenues start flowing and we get our heads around the expenses, its hard to make decisions. But I would like to see a few departments in the city get some raises.

Osborne said he favors paying public safety employees higher wages, and he wants to look into restoring some funding cut in recent years to outside community agencies.

The agenda for tonights council meeting includes presentations from five such agencies: Believe in Bristol, Birthplace of Country Music, Discover Bristol, Communities in Schools of Southwest Virginia and Brain Injury Services of Southwest Virginia.

We cut Believe in Bristol, Discover Bristol, BCM, quite a bit, so it will take more than one budget cycle to get them back where they should be, but we need to start that process, Osborne said.

The mayor also plans to advocate for lowering the real estate tax rate.

Last year we voted to lower the tax rate on real estate from $1.17 per $100 down to $1.12, but more money came in because of the reassessment. I would love it if we could continue to lower that real estate tax rate. Maybe its not five cents this year, but I would love to get into that routine, Farnum said. New growth and economic development, like with Hard Rock, will help make that easier.

Hartley also advocates for taking a long-range look at how best to use the additional revenues expected from the resort hotel casino project and related growth.

A budget workshop dealing with the budget schedule, debt service, road and infrastructure projects, fleet rotation and facilities maintenance starts at 5 p.m., followed by the regular meeting at 6 p.m., at 300 Lee St.

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BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn.  Some much needed relief is on the way at the Sullivan County Jail.

County leaders participated in a ceremonial dirt shoveling in Blountville Monday, marking the official start to a long anticipated jail expansion project.

The need for this new jail is obvious, from the aging building design to the overcrowding issue we have faced for several years, Sullivan County Sheriff Jeff Cassidy said during Mondays groundbreaking.

The jails inmate capacity will increase by more than 600 inmates once the expansion project is complete, according to Cassidy, who said his office has been only slightly successful in reducing the inmate population at the jail which had three inmates escape just last month.

This jail project is also about working conditions, efficiency and safety for all involved, Cassidy said. Today we not only celebrate the start of a new jail build, but a fulfilled responsibility by providing a safe and secure jail facility.

The new facility, set to be constructed behind the existing jail, will add 564 inmate beds to the complex, according to Cassidy, who said there are currently 930 inmates at the facility for only 619 certified beds.

The expansion project, totaling more than $90 million, is also aimed at limiting the number of repeat offenders in the facility and better preparing inmates for their release, Cassidy said.

With this addition, my main goal and objective is to have that extra space for rehabilitative efforts and reentry for these inmates, Cassidy said.

According to Sullivan County Mayor Richard Venable, the new jail will cost about $96 million, which he said will be paid by future generations.

Its all local funding, Venable said. This jail is funded by the citizens of Sullivan County. Its funded over a long period of time where the burden doesnt fall totally on our taxpayers today. It will fall on taxpayers 10 years, 20 years and 30 years from now.

Construction will take about three years to complete, according to Venable. Notable improvements in the new facility will include higher ceilings and no blind spots, Cassidy said.

Its going to be a podular style where we can separate and segregate the inmates two to four at a time rather than the dormitory style we have now, where we have 35 to 40, Cassidy said. We can keep a better direct line of sight, [and] there will be a less likelihood of inmate-on-inmate assaults and inmate-on-staff assaults.

Three Sullivan County Jail inmates escaped through a ceiling HVAC vent Feb. 4, an escape Cassidy has partly contributed to facility failure.

Two inmates from the jailbreak  Tobias Carr, 38, of Kingsport, and Timothy Sarver, 45, of Pulaski, Virginia  robbed an Eastern North Carolina gas station before leading law enforcement on a chase that stopped near Wilmington. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation later said the two were deceased.

The third escapee  Johnny Shane Brown, 50, of Rogersville, Tennessee  was later arrested by U.S. Marshals in Wilmington, North Carolina.
The Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) is partnering with UAE-based dnata Travel to unveil new experiences and tailor-made offers to Mauritius for UAE holiday makers in 2022.

Experts at dnata Travel, the UAEs longest-standing travel provider, reveal that travel bookings to the Indian Ocean island have doubled in 2022 so far, in comparison to booking figures in Q4 2021, when Mauritius fully-reopened for tourism post the pandemic, following a partial re-opening in the summer.

As demand for travel continues to increase, representatives from the official tourism authority of Mauritius have identified UAE as an important market.

Arvind Bundhun, Director at MTPA, commented: We have always seen strong demand for travel to Mauritius from the UAE and it remains one of the most important source markets for us globally, while our countries share strong cultural ties. In 2022, we are partnering with dnata Travel to bring our experiences closer to UAE travellers.

Emily Jenkins, General Manager of dnata Travel Leisure, added: Traveller demand from the UAE to Mauritius continues to increase, and the country has quickly climbed back in to our top ten most sought-after international destinations in terms of search and bookings since its full reopening, with bookings approaching close to pre-pandemic levels in 2022.

Our travellers are keen to get back to nature and Mauritius offers all of the beauty that the Indian Ocean islands are known for, alongside some of the worlds most unique natural landscapes. From the dramatic peak of Le Morne, to the seven-coloured earth of Chamarel, our travel experts are ready to take travellers from the UAE on a tour of the most unique hotspots across the country.

Working in partnership with the MTPA, dnata Travel has sourced holiday offers with up to 50% savings on hotel stays for Family Breaks, Romantic Escapes and All-Inclusive Offers, all now available for bookings.

Bundhun concluded: Mauritius is synonymous with pristine beaches but we have an amazing variety of outdoor tourism options yet to be discovered and we want to take you there.-- TradeArabia News Service
As Russian troops invade Ukraine, the employees of Klingspor Abrasives Inc. USA in Hickory wanted to help.

Klingspor, an abrasives manufacturer that was founded in Germany in 1893 and opened its U.S. company in 1980, is situated to do just that. The company has 34 locations worldwide, including a manufacturing plant outside of Lviv, Ukraine. Starting the first week of March, employees in Hickory are able to send money to help their Klingspor counterparts in Ukraine, Klingspor USA President Christoph Klingspor said.

The company is offering to match any salary donations employees in the U.S. want to contribute to help Ukrainian people. The company has about 400 employees in the U.S. There are sales employees all over the U.S. and production employees in Hickory, who largely work to cut sheets of sandpaper into disks and bands and fill orders, Klingspor said.

U.S. employees can elect to send any of their regular pay each week, or can work overtime and contribute that money for the company to match and send, Klingspor said.

We are taking action here to support our people, he said. A lot of our people here wanted to support our people in Ukraine.  Theres a lot more interest than we anticipated.

Some employees are choosing to work their days off to donate that money.

Jakob Dreisbach, vice president of manufacturing and supply chain for Klingspor USA, said those direct donations are the best way to help.

He was involved in bringing diamond tool and blade production to Ukraine in 2013. Dreisbach has visited Ukraine a dozen times and is in contact with friends and colleagues there.

Dreisbach said he is not worried today about the supply of those products because the company has supplies in the U.S. and Europe.

There wont be any immediate issues, its just how long will this take to be resolved, Dreisbach said.

Instead, when he heard about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Dreisbach thought of his friends there.

My first thought was to be worried about colleagues there, he said.

For now, those at the Klingspor plant are safe, Dreisbach said. The plant is about an hour from the Polish border in the western part of the country.

Some of the 300 Klingspor workers in Ukraine and their families have chosen to leave, and they are able to work at one of the companys Polish or German manufacturing plants, Klingspor said. The Ukrainian arm of the company is overseen by the Polish location.

The money donated by the U.S employees will go to the Polish branch of Klingspor, which will disburse the funds to help those who have escaped Ukraine find housing and get food, as well as offering aid to those still in Ukraine, Klingspor said.

Though the Klingspor plant in Ukraine did initially shut down for a few days, and some families chose to flee, the manufacturing plant is back up and running with the limited staff who chose to stay, Klingspor said.

Dreisbach has gotten a sense of the situation from friends there.

Many men will stay and fight, Dreisbach said. They will not give up.

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TC Energy Corp.s Keystone XL crude pipeline could be built by the first quarter of next year if the Biden administration were to reverse its decision to cancel the project.

Construction of the controversial pipeline, which would have raised Canadas oil-sands export capacity to the U.S. by almost 900,000 barrels a day, had already begun when the project was scrapped last year by the U.S., Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said during a news conference. U.S. President Joe Biden canceled a key permit for Keystone XL on his first day in office, citing environmental concerns.

We could turn this around in less than a year, Kenney said on Monday.

Kenneys comments come as crude prices surged to almost $140 a barrel after the U.S. said it was looking at a potential ban on Russian oil imports. Keystone XL has been controversial since it was proposed more than a decade ago because it would allow production to grow in carbon-intensive oil sands.

The U.S. government has been reaching out to major oil producers including Venezuela, which is under sanctions, to find replacements for Russian oil after that countrys invasion of Ukraine. It has also been working to restore a nuclear pact with Iran that would allow that countrys oil to return to the market. The U.S. would be better off turning to its northern neighbor for crude than seeking out dictator oil, Kenney said.

The Keystone XL Pipeline Project was terminated in June 2021, TC Energy said in an email. The existing Keystone pipeline system, which was built before the XL expansion was proposed, will continue to provide unique, stable and safe source of energy to meet increasing U.S. energy demands.

The U.S. government would first need to financially de-risk the project before TC Energy would commit money to building the line after two previous cancellations, Kenney said. The project was terminated by U.S. President Barack Obama only to be revived by his successor Donald Trump before Biden killed the project again.

During a disaster like this, national security and the interest of the economy must prevail, the premier said. I think there is a lot of creative ways that this could be addressed.

Alberta will produce and export record volumes of oil this year and the province can boost shipments abroad by about 10% by using existing pipeline and crude-by-rail facilities more efficiently, Kenney said. Enbridge Inc.s new Line 3 pipeline and a so-called diluent recovery unit that allows heavier crude to be railed down to U.S. refineries will also help boost exports, he said.

***

2022 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A few years ago, a friend challenged me to list all of the famous people Ive ever seen in person.

Listing such sightings is the sort of thing you might think about, but never do. Ill admit I ran out of gas before I got the list project past the on-ramp.

The first star I remember meeting was a local childrens TV personality called Sheriff Sid. Most Baby Boomers can relate. Any TV station worth its salt hosted a local childrens show in the 1950s and 60s.

In my case, Sid and his TV sidekicks Captain Eddie and Ruffles the Clown appeared each day on WCIA TV in Champaign, Illinois. When they turned up at the local airport one Saturday morning, I was thrilled to be in the crowd that turned out to see them. A year or so later, Sid turned up at an area toy store and drew my caricature. At least I think he did. I dont think I dreamed it, but childhood memories can be sketchy.

Fast forward to 1965. My family was on a road trip and came across a crowd gathered one evening at a motel restaurant. This I remember for sure.

We settled into a booth when we noticed a middle-aged man with a graying moustache drawing attention across the room.

Whos that? my brother wanted to know.

I dont know, but he must be famous, my mother said. She urged us both to get his autograph.

My brother, who was a teenager, rolled his eyes, so she handed me a pen. Youll be sorry if you dont go over there.

I was shy at 10, but after some hem hawing, I got up and stepped over to the mans table. By then, he was starting to eat his meal, but he paused and said hello. I mumbled something about getting his autograph. I think I gave him a folded white card. Or maybe he had the card. I cant remember.

He asked my name and gave me a surprised look. It so happened that he was going to play the grandfather of Tammy a new TV series on ABC.

Tammy was a knockoff of the successful movies of the same name, starring Debbie Reynolds.

If the actor doubted that my name was Tammy, it was obvious my reticence couldnt be faked. He graciously signed the card Best Wishes, Denver Pyle.

I still had no idea who Denver Pyle was. If hed said he was Briscoe Darling on The Andy Griffith Show, I would have been instantly impressed. The Darlings, of course, were the mountaineers who descended upon Mayberry with the family bluegrass band. I believe Briscoe played the jug.

All said, my mother was correct. I would have been sorry if Id passed up that opportunity to meet the character actor. His autograph has followed me through several moves over the past 57 years.

Recently I Googled the Tammy series. It ran for two seasons, beginning in 1965, the summer we made the cross-country trip. After that chance encounter, we spotted Pyle on several shows and movies including Gomer Pyle (no relation), The Great Race, The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, The Dukes of Hazzard, Return to Mayberry and more.

My celebrity list includes several famous people whove breezed through Catawba County at one time or another.

Astronaut James Lovell showed up at the division headquarters of Centel in Hickory, back in 1983 or so. Lovell was on Centels board of directors, and it was a thrill to see him in person. Lovell, you may remember, was on Apollo 8, one of the first three astronauts to orbit the moon. He later successfully flew the command module of Apollo 13 back to Earth after an oxygen tank mishap mid-flight. He was a true national hero.

Back when Western Piedmont Symphony sponsored celebrity concerts, I had the good fortune to see Judy Collins and the Fifth Dimension.

Then there are the many notable writers encountered through the Lenoir-Rhyne Visiting Writers Series: Joyce Carol Oates, John Updike, Tim OBrien, Geraldine Brooks and Erik Larsen, to name a few.

I saw two famous politicians on campus. One was then-Vice President George Bush in 1986, and former presidential candidate, Sen. George McGovern, who appeared on campus years later.

Airports attract famous people. I would say that I saw President Trump at Hickory Airport in 2020, except it would generate hate mail. But Ill say it anyway. Hes pretty famous, and I regret I left early and missed his guest, Rev. Franklin Graham, whos pretty famous too.

In the late 80s, L-R hosted John Rosemond, who came up from Gastonia. Hes the psychologist who has penned a popular parenting advice column for decades. His straightforward approach to child-rearing has sparked its own range of hate mail.

And then theres Captain Kangaroo Bob Keeshan. I dont remember why he was speaking at PE Monroe Auditorium, but there he was, my for-sure preschool hero. Maybe more so than Sheriff Sid.

Tammy Wilson is a writer who lives near Newton. Her latest book is Going Plaid in a Solid Gray World: Collected Columns, published by Red Hawk Publications. Contact her at tamra@tamrawilson.com
" " President Ronald Reagan made his famous Berlin Wall speech at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin June 12, 1987. National Archives

Historians who believe that the U.S. won the Cold War largely agree that American victory was guaranteed through finances. The United States bled Soviets coffers dry through proxy wars and the nuclear arms race. But this financial drain may not have been possible without the unprecedented stockpiling of nuclear weapons.

The world came as close as it ever has to the brink of nuclear war between Oct. 18 and 29, 1962, during the Cuban missile crisis. The showdown over the presence of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles south of the tip of Florida in the U.S., culminated in the USSR's withdrawal. In a flurry of communications, Russia agreed to remove the missiles in Cuba if the U.S. agreed not to invade the island. The U.S. also agreed to withdraw its missiles from Turkey. The situation was tense enough to inspire the creation of the hotline between Washington and Moscow to head off any future nuclear tensions.

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But the USSR still resolved to outpace the U.S. in nuclear capabilities. This intense nuclear research and development didn't come cheap, as the U.S. matched the Soviets' nuclear strides. In 1963, the United States spent 9 percent of the nation's gross domestic product on defense  nearly $53.5 billion (that's around $458 billion in 2022 dollars) [source: UPI].

Throughout the 1960s, the U.S. continued to bolster its nuclear arsenal. However, during the '70s, the Ford and Carter administrations favored sharp criticism of Soviet policies over stockpiling nuclear arms. When President Ronald Reagan took office in 1981, he reinvigorated defense spending, increasing the defense budget by 35 percent.

Many historians credit Reagan with dealing the death blows that ultimately brought down the Soviet Union. Perhaps the one that signaled the end for the USSR was Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). This uncompleted project, popularly called Star Wars, would have cost hundreds of billions of dollars. It called for the weaponization of outer space  a shield comprised of a network of nuclear missiles and lasers that would intercept a Soviet nuclear first strike. The SDI initiative was the pinnacle of both the space race and the arms race between the U.S. and the USSR.

Star Wars was criticized as fantasy by defense observers on both sides of the Iron Curtain (the term coined by Winston Churchill that describes the boundary in Europe between communism and the rest of the world). But Reagan was committed to the project, and the Soviet's flagging, state-owned economy simply couldn't match this escalation in defense spending.

Part of the USSR's monetary woes came from pouring funds into Afghanistan. In 1979, the Soviets invaded and occupied the country. The Truman Doctrine had clearly stipulated that American policy was to contain the spread of communism throughout the world, so the U.S. responded by secretly supporting and training the Mujahedeen (Arabic for "strugglers"), insurgent rebels who rallied against Soviets in Afghanistan. The U.S. overwhelmingly showed support for the Mujahedeen, and the Soviet invasion grew protracted and expensive. Ultimately, the Afghanis defeated the USSR, and the Soviets withdrew in 1989.

But not everyone agrees the end of communism was the result of the United States' deep pockets. Some historians assert that the USSR had lived its natural life span and the U.S. was merely a witness to its death.
CONCORD  Cabarrus College of Health Sciences, in partnership with Cabarrus County School System and Atrium Health, will launch the Cabarrus Health Sciences Institute (CHSI), an early college high school, in August.

CHSI, which is pending budget approval from the N.C. General Assembly, will expand students opportunities for educational and career success and create a pipeline of highly qualified health care professionals who mirror the diverse population of Cabarrus County. The early college will emphasize enrolling first-generation college students, underrepresented families, students of color, students from diverse backgrounds, students who are at-risk of dropping out before attaining a high school diploma and students who would benefit from accelerated academic instruction.

We are excited to partner with Cabarrus County Schools and Atrium Health to offer an educational pathway for students in Cabarrus County who are interested in a healthcare career. The Cabarrus Health Sciences Institute will provide students from underserved and underrepresented communities with an opportunity to obtain the training and the required skills to pursue a career in healthcare and to help build stronger and healthier communities, said Cam Cruickshank, president of Cabarrus College of Health Sciences.

This is an opportunity for us to create a pipeline of highly skilled and well qualified health care professionals who wish to make an impact in their community. We are honored to have the opportunity to provide so many students with a pathway to a healthier future.

Tuition for students who are enrolled in CHSI will be subsidized by the state through the cooperative innovative high school program, making the early college tuition free for all students.

Cabarrus County Schools is excited to announce the opening of the Cabarrus Health Sciences Institute in partnership with Cabarrus College of Health Sciences. This partnership, beginning in the fall of 2022, will provide more opportunities for our students to engage in additional college and career pathways, said John Kopicki, superintendent of Cabarrus County Schools. The Cabarrus Health Sciences Institute helps ensure a diverse workforce in the future of Cabarrus County healthcare.

All students who attend CHSI will enroll in college courses while in high school and will graduate from high school with a minimum of a nurse aide certificate and coursework toward a college degree. Based on their program of interest, students may also earn a Cabarrus College diploma or degree, making them fully prepared for entry into the Atrium Health workforce.

With customized course pathways, including medical assisting, occupational therapy, nursing, surgical technology and life sciences, students have maximum flexibility to choose their academic journey based on their needs, interests and abilities. Regardless of their pathway, students will graduate as certified nurse assistants and will have gained the skills and knowledge to transfer into multiple health care fields.

This program will help prepare more students interested in health care careers by providing the training they need to get a job at Atrium Health and help us serve our community. We are helping individuals in underserved areas become job ready with skills and competencies to become the next generation of healthcare workers, said Gerard Camacho, assistant vice president of learning and career development at Atrium Health. Programs like these help members of our community, who may need to start working right after high school or who are interested in the field, get hands-on experience at an early age and help propel them into healthcare careers.

Students who enroll in the medical assistant track will graduate with a college diploma after four years and will be eligible to sit for the American Association of Medical Assistants certification exam.

The surgical technology track includes five years of coursework with students graduating with an associate degree in surgical technology. Graduates will also be eligible to sit for the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting certification exam.

Students who choose the occupational therapy assistant and nursing tracks will have completed general education coursework and the first year of major coursework toward an associate and bachelors degree after five years at CHSI, giving them an opportunity to pursue advanced degrees.

The final track offered is for students who are interested in health care careers outside of the clinical programs offered at Cabarrus College. Students in the life sciences track will earn an Associate of Science in life sciences by the end of twelfth grade and will have the opportunity to enter a four-year program at Cabarrus College or another institution, based on their career goals and interests.

Located on the Atrium Health Cabarrus/Cabarrus College campus, CHSI students will take college classes and participate in labs alongside their traditional college student counterparts. They will also engage in seminars to foster team building, interprofessional education, problem solving, college readiness, personal growth and exploration of health science careers.
Dubai-based Emirates has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau to cooperate on joint activities that will help enhance trade and tourism.

The agreement reaffirms the airlines commitment to Sri Lanka and outlines mutually beneficial initiatives that will help revive the countrys trade and tourism industry.

Under the agreement, Emirates and Sri Lanka Tourism will benefit from joint activities that will help enhance trade and tourism, including trade shows, trade familiarisation trips, exhibitions, and workshops.

The MoU was signed at the Emirates Group Headquarters in Dubai by Ahmed Khoory, Emirates Senior Vice President, Commercial West Asia & Indian Ocean, and Kimarli Fernando, Chairperson of Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Prasanna Ranatunga, Minister of Tourism, Sri Lanka; Malraj De Silva, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the UAE; Nalinda Wijerathna, Consul General for Sri Lanka in Dubai; and Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, International Affairs.

Khoory said: "Sri Lanka remains a very key market in Emirates global network and the agreement signed today underscores our unwavering commitment to the country. We launched operations to Colombo more than 35 years ago, and our partnership continues to grow from strength to strength. We look forward to exploring mutually beneficial initiatives that will help revive the nations trade and tourism sectors, and provide Emirates with an opportunity to serve market demand."

Fernando said: "Sri Lanka is a beautiful island destination with esteemed strategic partners such as Emirates, this is a vital aspect to steer Sri Lankas travel and tourism industry. Therefore, this partnership is crucial for us to explore and capitalize opportunities that emerge and to open up many beautiful avenues to establish brand awareness and perceived quality in the global tourism market. Thus, we are excited about this partnership and also grateful for all the support Emirates has extended us during the three decades of long relationship and especially during the pandemic time. We are hopeful that together we can effectively promote and serve the market."

Since the nation safely re-opened to international tourists in February 2021, Emirates has carried more than 80,000 passengers to Colombo. The top inbound markets include UAE, Italy, U.K. and Germany. The airline currently operates 28 weekly flights to Colombo and is the only international carrier to serve the country with First Class services  offering passengers world-class products and superior comfort in air and on-ground.

Emirates has safely restarted operations to more than 120 destinations within its global network, via Dubai.
RALEIGH  Over the past couple of weeks, North Carolina politicos have focused intently on the outcome of the states latest redistricting saga. After the GOP-majority General Assembly saw its original set of electoral districts thrown out by the courts, lawmakers tried again. Their new legislative maps were accepted. A three-judge panel rejected the Republicans newly crafted congressional districts, however, and enacted a remedial map for the 2022 cycle.

As all this was going on, however, average North Carolinians were paying closer attention to events unfolding thousands of miles away. Russias invasion of Ukraine is a tragedy, an outrage and a wake-up call about the continued threat to liberty and order posed by dictators pursuing 19th-century aims with 21st-century arms. Here in North Carolina, it also represents a potential inflection point in our midterm elections.

This became clear Feb. 26 when three Republican candidates  former Gov. Pat McCrory, former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker and Marjorie Eastman, an Army veteran and businesswoman  faced off in the first televised debate of the U.S. Senate primary. Held at the John Locke Foundations Carolina Liberty Conference in Raleigh, the debate made statewide headlines not only because of what the participants said, but also because of the identity of their frequent target, U.S. Rep. Ted Budd.

He wasnt there. He declined the invitation, saying he wouldnt agree even to discuss a GOP debate until the candidate-filing period closed. Event organizers put a lectern on the stage to underline his absence.

With the Russian invasion occurring in real time, Budds decision not to participate proved costly. The congressman is vulnerable on the issue. In the past, he sometimes voted against bills to sanction Russia for its conduct in Ukraine. More recently, Budd was in the audience when former President Donald Trump, who endorsed Budd, called Vladimir Putin pretty smart for launching his current invasion of Russias southern neighbor.

The day before the Senate debate, McCrory formally filed for the office and told reporters that Budd had been defending Russia and defending Putin when its indefensible. During the debate, McCrory and the other participants doubled down on the subject. Eastman called the dictator a thug and his invasion unprovoked and unjustified. Walker argued that the U.S. and its allies ought to go after Putin directly.

Asked later to respond, Budd told CBS-17 that Putin was evil and an international thug but also that he was intelligent, so we have to treat him as such. Not surprisingly, both the McCrory campaign and the Democratic Party spent the next 24 hours making hay of Budds foolish choice of words. Hed been better off showing up for the debate and defending his record, which is actually more mixed on Russia than his critics suggest. The Senate primary isnt the only race where the issue is likely to bite. Last week, GOP congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene spoke to a white-nationalist organization in Orlando where the organizer asked the audience to give a round of applause for Russia and got chants of Putin! Putin! in response. Greene tried to pretend later she didnt know what shed gotten herself into, but no one believed her. Some GOP candidates here in North Carolina have sought her endorsement or been on stage with her. Youre going to hear a lot more about that in the coming weeks.

On the Democratic side, President Bidens disastrous first year in office has set up his party for a disastrous midterm election. Now Democrats are hoping his efforts to organize an anti-Putin coalition will not only get results in Ukraine but also bring voters around to the Democratic ticket. North Carolinians do care. In a pre-invasion High Point University poll, 47% said Russias military build-up on the Ukraine border was a major threat to U.S. interests, with another 27% calling it a minor threat.

Most voters dont favor direct American military invention, of course, which isnt in the cards anyway. They do favor tough talk and tougher sanctions. And theyre right.

John Hood is a John Locke Foundation board member.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he would appeal directly to the peoples of the world if the leaders do not do everything possible to end the war.

"I will speak directly to the people of the world if the leaders of the world do not make every effort to stop this war. This is genocide," he said in a video message on Tuesday morning.

According to the president, he will continue to talk with partners.

"We have a very busy negotiating day. I spoke with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda. The people of Lithuania stand side by side with the Ukrainians in this struggle. We feel help. And we appreciate it. I spoke with the President of the European Council, our friend Charles Michel. I also spoke with the Prime Minister of India, Mr. Modi," he said.

However, Zelensky said there are things that are not decided in negotiations, "that do not directly depend on us, but only on humanity, which should win in the leading capitals, it must conquer fear, must win any benefits."

"And then we will see that the Ukrainian sky is safe. Ukrainian cities are unblocked. We can do it as people with peace. And if the world is on the sidelines, it will lose itself. Forever. For there are unconditional values. They are the same for everyone. First of all, this is life. Everyone has the right to life," the president said.
As a result of missile and bomb attacks by the Russian army in Mariupol, the building that housed the Consulate General of Greece and the office of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) was damaged, as well as the premises of the honorary consulates of Slovenia, Azerbaijan and Albania in Kharkiv, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine strongly condemns the shelling by the armed forces of the Russian Federation of the premises of foreign diplomatic institutions in Ukraine. As a result of missile and bomb attacks by the Russian army in Mariupol, the building that housed the Consulate General of Greece and the office of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission was damaged, and the premises of honorary consulates of Slovenia, Azerbaijan and Albania in Kharkiv were destroyed," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The department said that Russia's armed attack on the premises of diplomatic missions is a gross violation of international humanitarian law, the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic and Consular Relations.

"We call on the international community to condemn Russia for the barbaric shelling of civilian targets in Ukraine, which resulted in the death and injury of civilians, including children."

The Ukrainian side will add the facts of the destruction of the premises of foreign diplomatic institutions on the territory of Ukraine to the claims against Russia in international courts in order to bring Russia to maximum responsibility for its crimes.
Australian telecommunications company Vocus says the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has no impact on the deal it signed in January which announced it would be the first distribution partner for the London-based global satellite Internet broadband company OneWeb in Australia.

Questions have been raised about a possible impact, given that OneWeb was using Russian rockets and the Russian launch site at Baikonur in Kazakhstan.

But on 3 March, OneWeb said its board had decided to suspend all launches from Baikonur. OneWeb appears to have found a new partner to launch its satellites, announcing successful deployment of 34 satellites by Arianespace from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, on 10 February.

A Vocus spokesperson told iTWire in response to a query: "Vocus remains supportive of OneWeb as it navigates the situation, and as we continue to play a key role in the delivery of low-earth orbit satellite services in Australia."

Roscosmos covering up flags on the fairing. The OneWeb launch scheduled for Friday is not now going to fly even though the launch was paid for. Russia demanded the UK remove its stake in OneWeb before it would launch, which obviously was a non-starter. pic.twitter.com/veELGfCoTT  Justin Davenport (@Bubbinski) March 6, 2022

The Indian website OpIndiathat Russian space agency Roscosmos chief Dimitry Rogozin had put up a video showing workers at the Baikonur launch pad covering up the flags of the US, Japan and UK on a OneWeb rocket which was scheduled to be launched on Friday. The Indian flag was left intact.

However, the launch did not eventuate, with Roscosmos cancelling all OneWeb launches and removing the Soyuz-2.1B rocket from its launch complex.

In March, Telstra signed a deal with OneWeb, while two months earlier Field Solutions Holdings also reached an agreement with OneWeb.

Well-known independent telecommunications analyst Paul Budde said under the deal, Telstra had agreed to host two OneWeb gateway earth stations in Australia in the west and the north. This would also cover the APAC region, with a third earth station under discussion for the east coast.

The Telstra deal was announced on 3 March, with Nikos Katinakis, group executive, Networks & IT, saying: "Were teaming up with OneWeb  a leading satellite provider  to get more connectivity into hard-to-reach locations using low earth orbit satellites.

"Weve been connecting regional Australia for more than a hundred years, but that doesnt mean we stop looking for new ways to improve connectivity."

Statement:



The Board of OneWeb has voted to suspend all launches from Baikonur. pic.twitter.com/p8l80FGxId  OneWeb (@OneWeb) March 3, 2022

Said Budde: "To unravel the complexity of the current situation we need to go back in history a bit. In October 2020, the by that time bankrupt OneWeb company  which was owned by the SES satellite company in Luxembourg  was acquired by the UK Government and India's Bharti Group.

"OneWeb evolved from an initiative taken in 2013  called the Other 3 billion (O3B) aimed at using satellites to bring services to Africa and elsewhere. OneWeb is using Russian rockets and the Russian launch site at Baikonur in Kazakhstan."

Budde said Russia had demanded the UK Government give up its shareholding in OneWeb due to London's boycotts against Moscow.

"The company still has to launch 220 satellites to complete its service. The Russian boycott indicates that at least some of these are at their base in Kazakhstan. It is unclear when and how the company can reschedule these launches form alternative launch sites," he said.

The conflict between the two former Soviet states demonstrated the vulnerability of satellites in general, Budde added.

Russias space agency Roscosmos has canceled all launches for the British company OneWeb, and removed Soyuz-2.1B from its launch complex. pic.twitter.com/L1gt0L9C8k  Banele (@Gentlements) March 5, 2022

"Russia has already warned against interfering with its satellite systems. It is clear that in a situation of war, satellites could become targets," he explained.

"Uptil now, satellites were seen as an important element to the overall telecoms strategy of both the industry and the countries involved. Whether this war ends without shooting down satellites or not, there needs to be a rethink of satellite strategies once it ends."

iTWire has also contacted Telstra and Field Solutions Holdings for comment. The latter company was contacted late, due to an oversight by this reporter, and, accordingly, given extra time to respond.
Candidates for state and federal offices and their supporters braved chilly temperatures and overnight snow flurries Monday to file their petitions for the June 28 primary, signaling the official start of the 2022 election season.

By the time the state Board of Elections opened the doors of its nondescript strip mall offices at 8 a.m., several hundred people were waiting, among them Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker and four of his five potential Republican opponents.

Being first in line for the weeklong filing period gives candidates a chance to be in the lottery for the top ballot position in their race. Candidates who are in line in the closing minutes of the filing period next Monday take part in a lottery to appear last on the ballot.

Political lore holds that candidates whose names appear first or last in a crowded field might gain a slight advantage.

The GOP candidates for governor who filed petitions Monday were Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, Bull Valley businessman Gary Rabine, state Sen. Darren Bailey of Xenia and former state Sen. Paul Schimpf of Waterloo.

Not among the early filers was cryptocurrency venture capitalist Jesse Sullivan of Petersburg, who was the last announced GOP contender for governor to select a running mate  candidates for governor and lieutenant governor must run as a team. A Sullivan spokesman did not reply when asked if hes hoping to secure the last ballot spot next week.

Irvin filed as part of a slate of candidates for statewide office that is backed by Illinois wealthiest resident, billionaire Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel investments. Irvin, who has made limited media appearances since announcing his candidacy, took questions from reporters and made his case for taking the state back from Pritzker.

Under J.B. Pritzker, crime is out of control, taxes and wasteful spending is out of control, corruptions out of control, Irvin said.

Irvin has hewed to the Republican tough-on-crime message, emphasizing his time as a prosecutor even though he spent many more years in private practice, mostly as a criminal defense attorney. On Monday, he brushed off questions about why he has downplayed his time as a defense lawyer.

Theres a saying we have, once a prosecutor always a prosecutor, Irvin said.

I think voters are aware of my history. And I think what theyll focus on is what I can bring to this position as governor of the state of Illinois, he said.

Also filing Monday as part of the Griffin slate John Milhiser of Springfield, a former federal prosecutor running for secretary of state, Steve Kim of Deerfield for attorney general, Shannon Teresi of Crystal Lake for comptroller and state Rep. Tom Demmer of Dixon for state treasurer.

Democratic Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Comptroller Susana Mendoza and Treasurer Michael Frerichs all filed their petitions as well.

Another Republican running for attorney general, David Shestokas of Orland Park, also filed. Republican candidate for the office, downstate attorney Tom DeVore, who has brought repeated legal challenges to Pritzkers pandemic restrictions, was not among the early filers.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth filed in her reelection bid. Two Republicans who lost 2020 bids to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin  Peggy Hubbard of Belleville and Casey Chlbek of Lake Forest  filed to compete for their partys U.S. Senate nomination.

Hubbard said she was the first in line, arriving about 4 p.m. Friday. Sitting in a folding chair and bundled up in a sleeping bag, she said, I think Ive done every spectrum of the Weather Channel in the last few days.

Also filing bids to replace retiring secretary of state Jesse White were three Democrats, former state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia and Chicago Ald. David Moore, 17th, and Republican state Rep. Dan Brady of Bloomington.

This is an office Ive aspired to, Brady, who was once McLean County coroner, said. Its an office where Ive done a lot of work in the area of organ-and-tissue donation. Ive done a lot of work in legislation of insurance. Ive done a lot of work in distracted driving.

Pritzker recently announced hes backing Valencia. Asked Monday whether hes worried about the billionaire governors bankroll tilting the race, Giannoulias, who was state treasurer from 2007 to 2011, touted the many endorsements hes received.

I am very proud of the over 250 elected officials and organizations that have endorsed our campaign. Grassroots support. Support throughout the state. A coalition of support, African Americans, Latinos, downstate, Giannoulias said.

Valencia spoke of the challenges of campaigning and collecting petitions this election season.

It took a lot of grit to get through petitions in dead winter during COVID in the surge, she said. So, I think today is just about coming together for democracy and really just excited to make the ballot and kick off whats going to be the next sprint of the race.

Interest in the open seat being created by U.S. Rep. Bobby Rushs retirement was evident with nine people filing for the Democratic nomination for the newly drawn South Side and southwest suburban and exurban 1st Congressional District.

Among the early filers for the seat were Chicago Ald. Pat Dowell, 3rd, state Sen. Jacqueline Collins, workforce development coordinator Karin Norington-Reaves, who has Rushs endorsement, community activist Jahmal Cole and Jonathan Jackson, civil rights activist and son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

In the new open seat 3rd Congressional District in the south and west suburbs, state Rep. Delia Ramirez and Chicago Ald. Gil Villegas, 36th, filed for the Democratic nomination while Justin Burau of Winfield filed for the GOP nomination.

In the central and southern Illinois 16th Congressional District, Republican U.S. Reps. Rodney Davis of Taylorville and Mary Miller of Oakland, backed by former President Donald Trump, filed to challenge each other.

After the filing period ends, candidates can have their petitions challenged for a variety of reasons, including the number of legitimate signatures they presented.

Pearson reported from Chicago.

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Funeral Services will be held Thursday, March 10, 2022, at 11:00 AM, with visitation one hour before, in the Swengel - O'Dell Funeral Home in Neoga, IL. Visitation will be Wednesday, March 9, 2022, from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM also in the funeral home.
A New Jersey investment firm has paid a combined $72.53 million to purchase three older Winston-Salem apartment complexes.

The purchases were made separately by three affiliates of Schweb Partners LLC of Jackson Township, N.J., according to Forsyth County Register of Deeds filings Monday.

Schweb officials could not be immediately reached for comment on the purchases of The Arlington, The Arcadian and The Charleston complexes.

Schweb said on its LinkedIn page that its mission is to acquire, manage and re-position multifamily real-estate investments with a focus on value-add and core-plus strategies that maximize investor returns on a risk-adjusted basis.

The largest of the three transactions involved The Arlington apartments at 3411 Old Vineyard Road, which contains 294 units on a 15.87-acre campus. The complex, built in 1983, sold for $26.75 million.

The next largest involved The Arcadian apartments at 1710 Franciscan Drive, which contains 285 units on a 26.83-acre campus. The complex, built in 1970, sold for $24.84 million.

The third transaction involved The Charleston apartments at 1010 Oak Grove Road, which contains 234 units on a 16.03-acre campus. The complex, built in 1962, sold for $22.94 million.

The sellers of the apartment complexes are affiliates of The Arch Cos. of New York City.

When combined, the transaction is the second largest in Forsyth County since the apartment-complex buying spree began in 2018. It has been primarily fueled by out-of-state groups.

The largest was in March 2021 by Harbor Group International of Norfolk, Va., whose affiliates paid a combined $82.5 million for three Forsyth properties: $35.7 million for Braehill Apartments,; $25.7 million for The Corners at Crystal Lake and; $21.1 million for Mill Creek Flats.

Since 2018, at least 88 apartment complexes have sold in Forsyth for a combined $990.07 million.

In December, the Brandemere apartment campus in northwest Winston-Salem was sold for $43.72 million. It has 356 one- and two-bedroom units.

The most expensive sale since early 2018 came in December 2019 when the luxury 229-unit West End Station apartment complex near downtown Winston-Salem sold for $52.5 million to an affiliate of EBSCO Income Properties LLC of Alabama.

In December 2019, Arch Cos. affiliates spent a combined $44.06 million on three Winston-Salem apartment complexes it viewed as viable fixer-uppers: $15.94 million for the 189-unit Chesterfield Apartments; $15.45 million for the 312-unit Twin City Apartments and $12.67 million for the 228-unit Silas Creek Apartments.

Mark Vitner, a senior economist for Wells Fargo Securities, has said investors are trying to find what few pockets of value there are left in the apartment market.

Prices have been bid up so much in larger markets, such as Charlotte, Raleigh and Nashville, that investors are increasingly looking to markets that have been overlooked and show great potential for growth.

Winston-Salem and Greensboro are at the top of the list of overlooked markets.

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International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced the opening of nominations for the 2022 IATA Diversity and Inclusion Awards.

IATA member airlines and organisations from across the aviation value chain can put themselves forward or nominate others within the aviation industry until 18h00 CET on April 24.

The awards recognise three categories of leadership in the area of diversity and inclusion:

 Inspirational Role Model Award recognises a woman holding a senior position within the air transport industry who has had a significant impact on the aviation agenda through her strong contribution to business delivery, as well as her ongoing support of the diversity and inclusion agenda. Nominees are welcome from across the aviation industry.

 High Flyer Award recognises a female aviation professional under the age of 40 who has demonstrated leadership through concrete action in favor of diversity and inclusion, making a positive impact on the industry. Open to all female professionals in the aviation industry.

 Diversity & Inclusion Team Award recognises an airline that has seen measurable change in diversity and inclusion as a result of the work it has been doing in this area. This is open to all IATA member airlines.

Despite the challenges faced by the aviation industry over the last two years, the focus on diversity and inclusion continues to gain momentum. The Diversity and Inclusion Awards are an important recognition of the inspiring progress that is being made. I invite our industry partners and IATA member airlines to submit their nominations, said Willie Walsh, IATAs Director General.

Awardees will receive $25,000 (payable to the awardee or their nominated charity for diversity and inclusion activities) under the sponsorship of Qatar Airways.

Our international aviation industry benefits hugely from the experiences and behaviors of a truly diverse, worldwide workforce. Without our people, we simply could not do what we do. It is therefore so important to recognize how central the principles of diversity and inclusion are in modern business. Qatar Airways is proud to support these important awards, said Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive.

This years nominations will be evaluated by an independent panel chaired by Karen Walker, Editor-in-Chief, Air Transport World, and consisting of the 2021 Awards recipients: Harpreet A de Singh, Executive Director, Air India; Lalitya Dhavala, Aviation Engineering Consultant, McLarens Aviation; and Jun Taneie, Director of D&I Promotion, All Nippon Airways (ANA).

Details for the submission of nominations are available on the IATA website. The winners of the 2022 IATA Diversity & Inclusion Awards will be announced at IATAs 78th Annual General Meeting & World Air Transport Summit in Shanghai, China, from June 19 to 21.  TradeArabia News Service
One of Winston-Salems most well-known chefs is back in action with his own place.

Travis Myers and partner Allan Coats opened Six Hundred at 450 Patterson Ave. on March 8 after about three years of planning and construction.

The restaurant occupies more than 5,000 square feet of the ground floor of the Bailey South building in Innovation Quarter. The restaurant can seat about 120 people indoors and 100 outside on the patio.

Myers, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, was the chef of Willows Bistro from late 2015 to fall 2019. Before that, he was the chef of River Birch Lodge for 10 years. While at Willows in 2018, he was named Chef of the Year for the state of North Carolina by the N.C. Restaurant and Lodging Association.

Since 2015, Coats has owned Davie Tavern in Advance. He also owns an insurance agency, but grew up with a lot of restaurant families in Atwood Acres in Winston-Salem and always wanted his own.

Coats and Myers met when Myers was eating at Davie Tavern. Mack Parker (now at Diamondback Grill) was my chef back then, and he told me one night, Travis Myers is coming in to eat. I was like, So?... I didnt know who he was, and Mack was saying he just got named Chef of the Year for North Carolina.

Myers said: My wife and I would go to Davie Tavern and take the kids. We just loved it. And thats how we got to know each other.

Six Hundred Address: 450 N. Patterson Ave., Winston-Salem, N.C. 27101 Phone: 336- 306-9658 Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday Website: www.sixhundreddegrees.com Facebook: @600Degrees.wsnc

Myers ended up cooking for Coats at Davie Tavern for six or more months during the pandemic as construction of Six Hundred dragged on. This is the third restaurant Ive opened, and Ive never seen anything like it, Coats said, referring to pandemic-related problems of getting equipment delivered and work completed.

The delays have given Myers plenty of time to think about his vision for the restaurant. The name Six Hundred, pronounced 600 degrees, comes from the Celsius temperature at which combustion turns wood into charcoal and ashes, and the centerpiece of the restaurant, visible as customers enter, is a large, wood-fired grill.

Not everything on the menu at Six Hundred is grilled. But most of the dishes incorporate something that was cooked on the grill. Were prepping a lot of ingredients on the grill, Myers said.

As former patrons of Willows know, Myers also is a big fan of local and artisan foods. The concept of the restaurant, he said, is tied to local, seasonal foods; live fire; and an open kitchen. About a dozen tall seats put customers within a few feet of the grill, stoves and the chefs.

Opposite the kitchen is a long bar that seats about 15. Small tables line a long hallway that leads to two dining rooms, one private and one that features a water vapor (non-heated) fireplace that can be set to change colors. Along the way is a farm table for six set up next to a tall, glassed-in wine cellar.

The hallway wall features a list of local farmers or producers  Joyce Farms, Harmony Ridge Farms, Fair Share Farms and others.

Everywhere are the exposed, thick concrete walls of the original R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. power plant. The restaurants design, by STITCH Design Shop of Winston-Salem, mixes this vintage, industrial look with a sleek, contemporary feel. Thats how our cooking is, too, Myers said. Were using old ingredients and old recipes, but then were putting our modern twist on them.

Sunnyside Millworks of Winston-Salem made the bars countertop of recycled pressed paper. The floors are made of bamboo.

The entryway showcases four panels of preserved moss by local artist Mona King that includes wood from a local former tobacco farm.

Helping Myers plan Six Hundred for the past couple of years is general manager Ryan Oberle, who also worked with Myers at Willows and River Birch. Oberle has helped to see the construction and design, as well as the bar program.

Other core staff members are chef de cuisine Brian Gebhard, sous chef Sean Warfield, pastry chef Sue Peele, bar manager Adam Rishak and assistant general manager Taylor Ridge.

Myers credited Gebhard with helping develop a lot of the menu. Im relying a lot on Brian. He has a lot of great ideas, Myers said.

Gebhard, 33, graduated from West Forsyth High School in 2007, then went to UNC-Asheville, thinking he would become a teacher. But along the way, he fell in love with cooking. He worked a bit at Ashevilles famed Curate but also at the former Nightbell, another restaurant by Curates Katie Buttons. In the Triad, he worked at Greensboros Machete before starting his own pop-up business B! Yakitori. (Button and Machete were recently named semifinalists of this years James Beard Awards.)

There are some definite Asian, in particular Japanese, touches to the eclectic menu. Ive never studied with a Japanese chef, but Ive always loved Japanese techniques and the layers of flavors.

Tonkotsu broth traditionally used in Japanese ramen dishes here shows up as part of a sauce for pork belly and clams with charred bread off the grill for dipping.

Furikake, a Japanese seasoning blend, shows up in an avocado salad and seared ahi tuna.

The restaurant has separate menus for lunch, brunch and dinner, with some overlap in each case.

Several appetizers appear on all three menus, including chowder fries ($15); bacon-wrapped venison ($18), spicy cucumbers ($10) and coconut fried shrimp ($18).

The same goes for the kale minestrone ($10) and such salads as little gem ($12, buttermilk Caesar, shiitake cracklins, celery and Parmesan).

Brunch will not start for about a month but will feature such items as omelets, biscuits and gravy, chicken and waffles, and several variations on eggs Benedict.

Both the brunch and lunch menus include a good selection of sandwiches ($12 to 18). They include beer-batter fried chicken, fried bologna, smoked pork ribs, a fried-green-tomato BLT, black-bean burger, and a smash burger with wings.

Sandwiches come with choice of shoestring fries, sweet-potato haystacks, house chips, spicy cucumbers, salad or fruit.

Lunch also has a handful of small plates ($14 to $18), including shrimp & grits, seared ahi tuna and coal-roasted carrots.

All of those small plates are also available at dinner, along with a few entrees (called house plates) and several a la carte main dishes.

House plates ($27 to 32) include duck gnocchi, salmon and risotto, cast-iron venison and Korean-style pork ribs. A la carte items include several Certified Angus Beef steaks, bone-in pork chop and pressed Poulet Rouge chicken. The restaurant also offers a few cuts of domestic Wagyu beef.

Desserts include such items as a cast-iron skillet cookie with ice cream and vanilla cheesecake with burnt honey orange.

A lot of the dishes get flavor boosts from ingredients cooked over the live fire. The trout dip, which itself includes house-smoked trout, also comes with charred bread. The shrimp and grits plate includes smoked mushrooms and charred tomato.

The house salad has onions cooked over the hearth. The avocado salad has smoked peanuts.

Were also going to use the grill for our cocktails, Oberle said. That will include grilling pineapple to turn into a syrup, and toasting coconut over the coals to flavor some tropical rum cocktails.

And though Asian seasonings flavor a lot of dishes on the menu, it also has touches of Mexican (mole), Italian (burrata) and Southern (Myers grandmothers pull-apart yeast rolls).

To Myers, the culinary sources are generally subservient to the fresh ingredients and cooking methods. This is local foods, open kitchen, live fire, he said. It takes us back to our roots. This is the way people cooked originally, and it gives food so much flavor.

336-727-7394 @mhastingswsj

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Morgan Wallen won album of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards on Monday night for Dangerous: The Double Album, a year after he was removed from the ACMs ballot after he was caught on camera using a racial slur.

Wallen made no direct reference to the incident or his absence from recent awards shows while accepting the trophy at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, but may have dropped a hint about it.

Miranda Lambert took home the night's top prize, entertainer of the year, for the first time after losing out in five previous years, but was not in Las Vegas to accept it. Read the full story here:

***

THE WINNERS

Complete list of winners from Monday night's ACM Awards:

Entertainer of the Year: Miranda Lambert

Female Artist of the Year: Carly Pearce

Male Artist of the Year: Chris Stapleton

Album of the Year: Morgan Wallen - "Dangerous: The Double Album"

Single of the Year: "If I Didn't Love You" - Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood

Song of the Year: "Things a Man Oughta Know" - Lainey Wilson

New Female Artist of the Year: Lainey Wilson

New Male Artist of the Year: Parker McCollum

Duo of the Year: Brothers Osborne

Group of the Year: Old Dominion

Video of the Year: "Drunk (And I Don't Wanna Go Home)" - Elle King and Miranda Lambert

Songwriter of the Year: Michael Hardy

Music Event of the Year: "Never Wanted to Be That Girl" - Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde

***

PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS

***

ACM ARRIVALS
A 3-year-old girl died Friday, two days after she was found injured in a Lexington apartment where two men were killed.

We can confirm that the minor passed away on Friday, March 4, from injuries sustained during the incident on March 2, Lexington Police said in a news release. Lexington Police Department is continuing to investigate, and further charges are pending.

Brian Keith Moses, 54, of Old Greensboro Road, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm by a felon and first-degree arson. Moses is accused of killing Lionel Coker, 56, of Lexington, and Robert Lee Stowe, 61, of Winston-Salem. The two men were found dead inside an apartment on Burgess Street after officers were called on a report of smoke on Wednesday, March 2. Officers also found the girl inside with life-threatening injuries.

Moses has not been charged in the girls death, and Lexington police have not described the girls injuries or said how she died.

According to a GoFundMe page, the girls name was JaSel Orr. It appears, based on the GoFundMe page, that JaSel and Lionel Coker were related. JaSel was a very outgoing three-year-old that lived life to the fullest, Lucretia Wilson, a member of Cokers family, wrote on the page.

Close friends and family knew her as Butt-Butt, and her joyful smile and laughter will remain in our hearts and minds every single day.

Lionel Coker was a loving father, brother, grandfather, uncle, Wilson wrote. She described him as a generous man who would cook the last bit of food that he had if you needed it.

On March 2, officers were called to the apartment on a report of smoke from the home and signs of violence outside the complex. A caller told 911 dispatchers that there was blood on the steps and a gun in the parking lot.

Officers forced their way into the apartment, where they encountered smoke. Stowe and Croker were pronounced dead at the scene.

Lexington firefighters determined that the smoke was coming from a stove and that the apartment was not on fire.

Investigators linked Moses to the incident and went to his home in Winston-Salem, police said. They saw a vehicle matching the description given by Lexington residents who saw a car at the apartment where the homicides happened, police said.

Lexington and Winston-Salem police monitored the home as investigators obtained a search warrant, police said. Investigators executed the search warrant and said they obtained additional evidence. Then Lexington police arrested Moses without incident.

Arrest warrants allege that Moses used a .38-caliber revolver to rob Coker of $551 and that he killed Coker and Stowe. Then, arrest warrants allege, Moses tried to burn the apartment.

Robby Rummage, the police chief, told WGHP/Fox 8, the Winston-Salem Journals newsgathering partner, that it is too soon to say what the cause of death is because Coker and Stowe sustained more injuries than just gunshot wounds.

Moses was being held in the Davidson County Jail with no bond allowed.

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A Forsyth County judge granted a request from a prosecutor to pursue the death penalty against a Winston-Salem man accused of kidnapping and killing a 69-year-old man in his apartment in 2018.

Nathan Carlos Gilmore, 31, of the 1400 block of East 23rd Street, is charged with first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping and armed robbery in the death of James Herbert McCormick. Lessie Denise Graves, 44, of the 1500 block of Woods Road, is facing the same charges.

Winston-Salem police found McCormick, who lived in the 3900 block of Sugar Creek Drive, on Dec. 30, 2018. McCormicks body was on the floor of his bedroom, covered with a sheet, according to an autopsy report. An electrical cord bound his wrists behind his back, and his feet were bound with another cord. McCormick had one sock in his mouth, compressing his tongue against the roof of his mouth, and blocking his airway. A second sock around his face helped secure the first one. The sock restricted his airflow and McCormick asphyxiated, the autopsy report said.

Assistant District Attorney Matt Breeding had requested what is called a Rule 24 hearing for Tuesday. A Rule 24 hearing is when a prosecutor requests permission to pursue the death penalty based on at least one of 11 aggravating circumstances.

In this case, Breeding said there were two aggravating circumstances  that McCormick was killed for financial gain and that McCormicks murder was especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel.

Judge Eric Morgan of Forsyth Superior Court granted Breedings request.

According to Breeding, a friend last talked to McCormick on Dec. 21, 2018. The friend called McCormick every day after Dec. 21 but got no answer, Breeding said. Then on Dec. 30, 2018, someone answered McCormicks phone and said they had found the cellphone in a dumpster.

The friend called Winston-Salem police, which sent officers to do a welfare check at McCormicks apartment. Thats when the officers found McCormicks body.

Breeding said that a woman later identified as Graves called First Citizens Bank, where McCormick had an account, and asked for McCormicks credit card and debit card information. Winston-Salem police later found multiple items belonging to McCormick at Graves home, including keys to McCormicks apartment.

Breeding said Graves and McCormick knew each other and that Graves once had keys to McCormicks apartment. But in October 2018, McCormick filed a police report, accusing Graves of stealing his credit cards and fleeing to Ohio. McCormick changed the keys to his apartment and his mailbox. But police found that Graves had McCormicks new keys.

Graves told someone else that she had tied McCormick up and gagged him with a sock. Gilmore told police that Graves invited him over to McCormicks apartment under the false pretense of helping her move out. When he got there, Breeding said, he told police he saw McCormick tied up and immediately left.

But Gilmore had an ankle bracelet that traced his movements, and the data from the bracelet showed that Gilmore stayed in the apartment for at least 20 minutes on Dec. 23, 2018.

Breeding has filed a notice of intent to pursue the death penalty against Graves, according to court documents. A Rule 24 hearing has not yet been held for Graves.

Gilmore and Graves are being held in the Forsyth County Jail without any bond on the murder charge.

A trial date has not yet been set.

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For Triad motorists, regular unleaded gasoline prices approached and in some cases even passed the all-time record for the region after a surge in the past week.

The record before the recent surge was $4.11 per gallon on Sept. 15, 2008, according to AAA Carolinas.

In Forsyth County on Monday, several convenience stores and gas stations were selling regular unleaded in the $4.20 per-gallon range.

AAA Carolinas had reported Monday morning that Triad prices averaged $3.92, compared with averages of $3.55 on Feb. 28, $3.21 on Feb. 7 and $2.57 in March 2021. But it appeared that the morning number quickly became outdated.

According to GasBuddy.com, the lowest prices for regular unleaded in Forsyth County is $3.75 at the Mini Food Mart in Tobaccoville.

Americans have never seen gasoline prices this high, nor have we seen the pace of increases so fast and furious, Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.com, said Monday.

That combination makes this situation all the more remarkable and intense, with crippling sanctions on Russia curbing their flow of oil, leading to the massive spike in the price of all fuels: gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and more.

De Haan said its possible that high prices are likely to stick around for not days or weeks, like they did in 2008, but months.

Tiffany Wright, a spokeswoman for AAA, agreed that residents likely havent seen the end of the price increases.

Motorists could continue to see record high prices at the pump because of the high oil prices that are surging due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Sanctions and regulations against Russia has limited its ability to sell its oil on the global market, which has intensified global supply concerns in what was already a tight market due to the pandemic, Wright said.

Meanwhile, the national average for a gallon of gas is $4.06, a staggering 45 cents more than a week ago, 62 cents more than a month ago and $1.30 more than a year ago.

Zagros Madjd-Sadjadi, an economics professor at Winston-Salem State University, said Triad motorists could face regular unleaded gasoline prices of $5 a gallon depending on how long the active warfare in the Ukraine lasts, said.

A lot depends on whether we are willing and able to ease sanctions against Venezuela and Iran, Madjd-Sadjadi said.

Usually in these circumstances, we can count on Saudi Arabia to boost output, but It is unlikely to do so because Russia helped them stabilize prices during the pandemic.

If the war continues into the summer and geopolitical factors do not change, we could see $5/gallon gasoline come to the Triad.

Madjd-Sadjadi said even with regular unleaded gasoline prices at potential historic levels, I do not see it a surge in demand for electric vehicles.on the immediate horizon because supply of such vehicles is still constrained due to supply-chain issues.

It also usually takes at least a year of high gas prices to significantly change car purchasing behavior.

More likely consumers in the Triad will opt for fuel-efficient hybrids, at least in the near to medium term, even if we are stuck with high gas prices, until these issues are resolved.

Michael Walden, an economics professor at N.C. State University, said his current forecast is a top of $4.30 to $4.40 a gallon.

But he also doesnt expect the spike in gasoline prices to stir strong demand for electric vehicles from those driving heavy-duty trucks and gas guzzlers.

With the strong possibility of a slowdown in the economy as a result of the Federal Reserves interest-rate hike, I dont foresee a run on EVs, Walden said.

EVs are still pricey for the average driver.

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A combined $38.84 million in state grant funding has been provided to 23 Triad and Northwest North Carolina local governments and community organizations, the governors office disclosed Friday.

The Office of State Budget and Management distributed more than $330 million in directed grants statewide in its first round of grant disbursements for 2022.

These grant funds will help local communities invest in projects that can improve the lives of those they serve, Gov. Roy Cooper said in a statement.

I expect to see great work from our partners in local government and the nonprofit sector as these projects move forward.

There was only one project affecting Forsyth County, and that was a $1 million grant shared with the city of King for unspecified capital improvements.

The five largest grants to the 14-county region were: $16 million to Randolph County for its Farm, Food and Family Education Center; $7 million to Sparta for capital improvements; $3.5 million to Madison in Rockingham County for the Lindsey Bridge River Park; $2 million to Alleghany County to assist with repairs and renovations to its courthouse; $2 million to Guilford County Community College toward its aviation training center.

The largest grant statewide was $29.8 million provided to Fayetteville and the N.C. Civil War & Reconstruction History Center Foundation toward the cost of establishing the N.C. Civil War History Center.

The 2022-23 state budget contained more than 900 directed grants, of which more than 640 are being administered by the Office of State Budget and Management.

The agency projects distributing more than $1.4 billion in directed grants over the next 12 months.

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The documentary Writing With Fire narrates the story of gutsy women in Indias heartland.

Musheera Ashraf | TwoCircles.net

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UTTAR PRADESH  Nominated for best documentary feature at this years Oscars and winner of the Audience Award and Special Jury Award at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, the Indian documentary film Writing With Fire is a story of Dalit women journalists at Khabar Lahariya (News Wave) as it transitions from a print-only newspaper to a hybrid print and digital platform reporting on marginalized communities in India.

Khabar Lahariya is distributed in 600 villages of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and has a readership of about 80,000 per week.

Launched in 2002 by the Nirantar Trust and co-founded by Kavita Devi from Uttar Pradesh, the paper, then a fortnightly publication, was run by a team of six women who wrote in Bundeli and Hindi. The paper with editions from Chitrakoot and Banda has been able to carve out a niche for itself over the past years by the efforts of Meera Devi, Bureau Cheif and her colleaguesa band of Dalit and Muslim women.

The film has garnered international fame and brought focus on the issues of media representation of women in India.

Calling it a watershed moment that could blaze the new trail of factual cinema in India, Rintu Thomas, one of the makers of Writing With Fire along with Sushmit Ghosh expresses her happiness for nomination for Oscar with The News Minute. Rintu and Sushmit were classmates during their Masters course at the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre in Jamia Milia University, New Delhi.

The Oscar awards will be given out on March 27 at the famous Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, United States.

The movie follows three women, Meera, Suneeta, and Shyamkali, on the eve of Khabar Laharyias launch from print to digital. This transition is further complicated by the fact that many of the women journalists are not only illiterate but have never used a cell phone before. The women quickly master not only the learning curve of technology but the art of reporting, while also juggling the wifely demands of maintaining a traditional household. Meeras husband struggles with her choice in the film, saying, When theres a man at home, how can a wife work? Meeras father astutely notes in the movie, Everyone wants to marry an educated girl, but wont let her work after marriage, so why marry her?

The women who report the stories also edit, produce, distribute and market the newspaper. Meera Jatav is the Editor-in-Chief and has been working from Karwi (a place in Chitrakoot) since the newspaper was started. I am so happy, but I cant express it well, Meera Devi told Reuters on the telephone, while she was reporting on the Uttar Pradesh elections.

Praise for the film

The womens grit in the face of palpable hostility is impressive, and it becomes more so when you learn that theyre in Uttar Pradesh, an Indian province known for crimes against women and that they are Dalits or members of the countrys so-called untouchable caste, noted the film review in The New York Times.

Jason Rezaian of the Washington Post described the movie as, The most inspiring journalism moviemaybe ever.

The Chicago Reader described the documentary as capturing truly amazing moments of the journalists confronting intense story subjects and sometimes downright hostile situations, including one scene where the tenacious Meera confronts the local police department about neglecting a rape case.

Ghosh, the filmmaker remarks, They have found their way to work within a system thats designed to exclude them.

In an interview with Vogue, talking about the systematic disparity prevalent in Indian journalism, Ghosh, the filmmaker said , Its important to remember that these writers are working in an industry dominated by upper-caste men and a space that is known for endemic levels of corruption as well as a culture of violence against women and Dalits.

International Womens Media Foundation described Khabar Lahariya as an Independent, hyper-local news outlet, a feminist voice that disrupts and interrogates the status quo, where newsmakers have long been male, upper-caste, and politically connected.

Musheera Ashraf is a special correspondent with TwoCircles.net. She tweets at @Musheera_Ashraf
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Anyone who thought "1883" was going to have a happy ending wasn't paying attention.

Let's back up. "1883" is a prequel series to the smash hit "Yellowstone" that wrapped its first season last month. Make that it's only season: the story has been put to bed, although not necessarily for a good night's sleep, after getting its main characters where they needed to go. In that sense, mission accomplished, but nothing else about it can be considered happy.

Let's back up even more: why does "Yellowstone" need a prequel series? That's because the show is a last of its kind, a cable series that pulls exceptionally large viewership, and it keeps getting bigger. The Western series  it's like "Succession" by way of "Dallas," with Kevin Costner in the Logan Roy/J.R. Ewing role  nabbed 10.3 million viewers for its recent fourth season finale, up a whopping 81% over its Season 3 closer.

That made it the most-watched cable program since "The Walking Dead's" third season premiere in October 2017, not to mention more popular than last year's Academy Awards telecast.

If you're the Paramount Network (and the rest of your programming consists of "Bar Rescue" and "NCIS" reruns), you capitalize on that. And that means expanding "Yellowstone" even further, and handing over the keys to the kingdom to "Yellowstone" creator Taylor Sheridan, the modern king of the American frontier.

Sheridan is the actor turned writer turned creative force whose Sheridanverse is only growing more powerful. The 51-year-old Texas native made his acting debut, fittingly, in an episode of "Walker, Texas Ranger" in 1995, and eventually landed recurring parts on "Veronica Mars" and "Sons of Anarchy."

In 2015 his screenplay for the hard boiled cop tale "Sicario" made him a hot pen in Hollywood, and he followed it up with "Hell or High Water" and "Wind River," the latter of which he also directed. These modern Westerns are tough and gritty, stories that have been kicked through the dirt about people who have also been kicked through the dirt, and are several steps removed from the high-gloss churn of Hollywood.

In 2018 he launched "Yellowstone," which started slow but continues to catch on with viewers, after exploding in popularity when people discovered its soapy pleasures during the pandemic. Now its world has ballooned to include several spinoffs, including the forthcoming "6666," as well as the just-wrapped "1883."

"1883" dialed the story of "Yellowstone's" Dutton clan back several generations, to show how the family came to settle in Montana. The series was bleak from the outset: it begins with a bloody battle where Elsa Dutton (Isabel May), who narrates the series, is wounded by a group of Native Americans, and shows Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott) burning down the home where both his wife and daughter have just died after a smallpox infection.

That pall hangs over the entire series, and it immediately established that no one is safe in a land where everyone and everything is trying to kill you at all times. Its only-the-strong-survive theme carries over from "Yellowstone."

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill lead the cast as James and Margaret Dutton, the eventual great-grandparents to Costner's "Yellowstone" character, John Dutton. It's a tough, hard-fought series, and also a neatly contained narrative that exists on its own apart from "Yellowstone." It drew some pretty big names, as well  Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson and Billy Bob Thornton all showed up in cameo roles  showing Sheridan's flourishing clout as a showrunner.

"1883" wrapped last month and won't return for a second season. Instead, Sheridan will pick up the story of the Duttons with the forthcoming "1932," which will take place, appropriately enough, during the Great Depression.

And Sheridan has several other irons in the fire: in addition to "Mayor of Kingstown," his modern Michigan-set series about the prison industrial complex which was recently renewed for a second season, he has "Bass Reeves," starring David Oyelowo, the story of the real-life 1800s law enforcement officer; the Sly Stallone-starring "Tulsa King," about a just-out-of-prison gangster who is forced to start over; the espionage series "Lioness," starring Zoe Saldana; and "Land Man," about the 1800s oil boom in West Texas. All are in the early stages of development.

That's a lot to juggle  in addition to "Yellowstone," which is due to return for its fifth season  but Sheridan shows no signs of burning out. He's created his own lane of programming for an audience that was being otherwise underserved. Just don't expect him to rely on happy endings.

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Four men  three from Columbus and one from Lincoln  have submitted applications to be considered for an open judgeship in the Fifth Judicial District after the retirement of Platte County District Judge Robert Steinke.

They are: Nebraska Statewide Child Support Referee Theodore "Ted" Arndt, Deputy Platte County Attorney Darin Knepper, Platte County Public Defender Timothy Matas, all of Columbus, and Assistant Nebraska Attorney General Jason Bergevin of Lincoln.

The judicial district consists of Boone, Butler, Colfax, Hamilton, Merrick, Nance, Platte, Polk, Saunders, Seward and York counties, with the primary place of office for the vacancy in Columbus.

The Judicial Nominating Commission will hold a public hearing at the Platte County Courthouse on March 24 at 10 a.m. The commission will interview all applicants for the office at that time. The public is welcome to attend the hearing and present information concerning candidates for the judicial opening.

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Bond has been set at $2 million for a 45-year-old Lincoln man accused of enticing a child and child abuse.

Anthony Labrillo made his first court appearance Friday on the charges.

In court records, Lincoln Police Officer Tyler Nitz said Labrillo was contacted at 12:40 a.m. Feb. 26 in the parking lot of a north Lincoln fast-food restaurant off Cornhusker Highway with a 15-year-old girl.

Police arrested him for violating a protection order barring him from contacting the girl, as well as for allegedly possessing methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of knives.

Nitz said a search of the girl's phone turned up sexually explicit messages and photos from Labrillo and messages suggesting they had been smoking narcotics together.

On March 2, police contacted him at the Lancaster County Jail, where he has been since his arrest Feb. 26, to inform him of the new charges.

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COLUMBUS  The defense quickly made clear that it will be arguing degrees at Felipe Vazquez's murder trial for the fatal shooting of Lincoln Police Investigator Mario Herrera in 2020.

"A terrible thing has happened in this case, but it will be up to you to determine whether the state charged him properly," one of Vazquez's attorneys, Candice Wooster, said in opening statements Tuesday morning.

Vazquez, 19, is charged with first-degree murder, which requires premeditation and intent to kill, plus six other felonies.

Wooster told jurors they'll be allowed to consider second-degree murder, an intentional act without premeditation or planning, and manslaughter, a death caused unintentionally during an unlawful act, which she argued is the proper charge.

On the other side, Lancaster County Attorney Pat Condon says when Vazquez, then 17, barricaded himself in a bedroom at his parents' house at 33rd and Vine streets in Lincoln on Aug. 26, 2020, and broke through a front window, shooting to escape law enforcement officers there to arrest him, it was first-degree murder.

A single shot struck Herrera, causing devastating damage to his liver.

He died at an Omaha hospital Sept. 7.

Condon told jurors the words, consequences and actions of Vazquez would be important for them to remember during trial.

Carrie Herrera, the slain officer's widow, testified that on Aug. 26, 2020, Mario came home at about 7:30 a.m. because he'd forgotten his backpack.

"And he gave me a kiss and he told me he loved me and he left," she said in emotional testimony.

She said Wednesday would've been their 26th anniversary.

Instead, Carrie Herrera was in a courtroom, identifying photos of her husband's shoes and the St. Michael medal, a symbol of the battle of good against evil, he wore around his neck and never took off.

Lincoln Police Investigator Matt Franken then took the stand to talk about how an arrest warrant had come down for Vazquez for assault and surveillance had linked him to the home at 33rd and Vine, so he and Herrera headed there.

Herrera helped interpret when Vazquez's stepmother answered the door. She didn't know if he was there but said police could search the house, Franken said.

Franken whistled to round up the rest of the team waiting outside. And officers started their search, eventually finding a locked door.

"I started to push on it, and I feel resistance right away," he said.

It started to become clear to them that someone was inside, Franken said. Worst case, he said, they had a wanted person barricaded in the room with Vazquez's stepmom and another woman and child still in the house.

Herrera started to move the two women and the child outside.

"The last thing he ever said to me is: 'There's someone in there. He's in there,'" Franken said.

Franken started negotiating with Vazquez, who at first had a slow, calm tone, then started asking more probing questions, such as how many officers were outside. He seemed to be trying to buy time.

"It became very apparent to everyone in the room that he was sizing us up," Franken said.

They had brought a ramming device but didn't want to use it because it puts them in a precarious position, he said. It was nice weather. They had all the time in the world to wait.

Then, Franken said, he noticed stress in Vazquez's voice. He said, repeatedly, he was coming out, then seemed to issue a challenge: "Are you ready?"

Franken said he then heard Vazquez say something like, "Oh, my God. I can't believe I'm doing this."

Next came the sound of glass breaking. Then shots fired.

Police say it was the sound of Vazquez and Orion Ross smashing through a window to escape and Vazquez firing a gun.

His voice straining, LPD Sgt. Jeff Sorensen said in short succession he heard on the police radio that an officer was down.

He came around the corner of the house and saw Herrera on the ground. A bullet had hit him in the torso. Sorensen saw a bullet hole in Herrera's shirt.

Herrera, who had been in plain clothes, wasn't wearing a bulletproof vest.

Sorensen said he saw two people running from the scene, with officers in pursuit.

"Did you join the pursuit?" Deputy County Attorney Bruce Prenda asked him.

"I went to Investigator Herrera," Sorensen said.

The trial was moved to Columbus because of pretrial publicity.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7237 or lpilger@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSpilger

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A Lincoln man Monday was sentenced to 25 to 30 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.

Jermaine Brown, 29, pleaded no contest to first-degree sexual assault.

Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Chris Reid said this wasn't a case where Brown was 20 and the victim was 14. He was twice her age.

Brown met the girl on a dating app where she said she was 20. But when they met in person, she said she was born in 2006 so he should've realized her age and stayed away. Instead, he kept harboring the girl, who had been reported missing, even after being shown the details on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's website.

Brown was arrested last July.

According to Lancaster County Sheriff's investigators, the girl's foster parents reported her missing July 2.

When searching the girl's Snapchat account, law enforcement found conversations between her and Brown that included talk of previous sexual encounters and a sexually explicit photo.

On July 13, investigators tracked Brown and the girl down to an apartment in Lincoln, arrested him and found the girl hiding in a closet.

During questioning at the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office, Brown admitted to having sex with the girl about 20 times, according to court records.

Brown said the girl said in her profile she was 20 and when they met she said she was 17. Then she said she was born in 2006, but denied it when he questioned her age.

By law, it is a crime to have sex with anyone 15 or younger, regardless if the person says they're older.

Lancaster County District Judge Ryan Post told Brown he knew that Brown essentially was saying that he had been lied to and didn't seek out a child for sex. But when the victim said she was born in 2006, at that point nothing else should've happened, but it did, the judge said.

In addition to the prison time, Brown also will have to register as a sex offender for 25 years.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7237 or lpilger@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSpilger

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The Lancaster County Attorney's Office has charged a 19-year-old Lincoln man with misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide for a fatal crash in January.

Edward Watters is accused of failing to yield, driving carelessly or negligently the morning of Jan. 28, resulting in the death of Austin Kinser, 18, of Lincoln.

Police said Kinser was riding his motorcycle south on Antelope Valley Parkway at about 9:30 a.m. when Watters turned his Chevy Suburban left onto Salt Creek Roadway in front of Kinser, colliding with him.

Kinser died three days later.

He was a 2020 graduate of Lincoln Southwest High School and a sophomore engineering student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Watters is set to make his first court appearance on the charge later this week. If convicted, he could get up to a year in prison.

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Kanchan Sharma, a retired lecturer, has been running a school for the slum children for over a decade now.

Mubashir Naik and Irshad Hussain | TwoCircles.net

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JAMMU  Kanchan Sharma, 62-year-old retired lecturer, has earned the nickname of super teacher for uplifting underprivileged slum children through education in Maratha Nagar town of Jammu.

Talking to TwoCircles.net, Sharma, who has worked in the education sector for over three decades, said that seeing slum children chewing tobacco and begging on the streets moved her. I wanted to improve their condition through education, she said.

In 2009, she started Sangarh Vidya Kendra, a school for primary students from underprivileged communities.

It was while passing through the slum area of Maratha Basti, near Jammu Railway station, that Sharma got the idea of starting a school for slum children. She said she broke down after seeing the deplorable conditions of slum children.

I started to raise awareness about their education and motivated them to join the school classes. In the first phase, 40 students enrolled themselves in the school. It was a pleasing moment for me, she said.

During her posting at Gandhi Nagar High School, Jammu as a lecturer, several children from these slum areas came to her to get enrolled.

I was delighted to see them and asked whether other children want to join a school and get an education, she said.

However, when Sharma was transferred from the girls high school Gandhinagar, to Miran Sahib, R.S Pora Jammu in 2004, 40 children dropped out. It was then that she decided to open a makeshift school at Maratha Basti to provide free of cost education to the slum children.

Presently, there are around 110 slum children enrolled in her makeshift tin-roofed school made with plastic sheets and wooden walls.

Sharma said that she feels happy that many of her students have now got government jobs.

A daring challenge

It was an uphill task for Sharma to motivate parents of slum children to get enrolled in her makeshift primary school.

I told them that nothing will be charged and it will be free. They will be getting free education and books, etc. The challenge to motivate these children and educate them not to indulge in the dirty habits of smoking, chewing tobacco etc., was not an easy task to handle, she said, and added, But I thank God that we have been successful to the extent of changing their habits.

Although some students started begging again, Sharma didnt lose hope and visited their parents to motivate them not to ruin their future for a few pennies.

Schooling during Covid-19 pandemic

The poverty-stricken parents of these slum children could not afford to purchase smartphones for their children to avail online education during the Covid-19 pandemic. Some children were missing the online classes and had started begging again, Sharma said.

Sharma arranged a few smartphones to run online classes for them.

During the lockdown, Sharma decided to organize a two-hour open class once a week to keep the students focused on their studies.

Madam is a messiah for our children. Before opening this school, our children were involved in rag picking or begging. We are glad and feel lucky that someone has come forward to look after our children also, Pawan Kumar, who has lived in the slum for the last 40 years, told TwoCircles.net.

During the lockdown, Sharma taught with two other female teachers. She manages the expenses for the books, notebooks, pens, pencils, and bags for these children.

Samuel, a 7th standard student at Sharmas school told TwoCircles.net that he was thankful to madam for changing his life.

I was begging in the streets and carrying loads of Kawad (rags) on my back. Chewing tobacco and roaming on the dirty heaps for picking up rags. I consider myself the most fortunate kid of the time to see a bag on my back, instead of kawad (rags), Samuel said.

At present, there are more than 100 students enrolled at the school. The number of students changes from time to time, as the migrant labourers keep moving in search of livelihood.

Sharma said she has always been adamant to keep the parents of the slum children motivated for education. The mothers are very fond of seeing their children getting an education, she said.

The school for slum children does not have support from the government or any NGO. Sharma said she has managed to run the school from her expenses so far.

In September 2021, our project was selected for an award, which monitors slum children and their education throughout India. Through this project, these slum children will get financially benefited, said.

Sharma has won accolades for her work. In 2009, she was conferred an award by the Red Cross Society. In the same year, the Jammu and Kashmir government gave her a state on the eve of Abdul Kalam Azads birthday.

On the occasion of International Womens Day 2022 today, Sharma has been awarded Women of Steel award for her work by Gujjar Charitable Trust in Jammu.

Mubashir Naik and Irshad Hussain are Kashmir based independent journalists. They tweet at @sule_khaak and @Irshad55hussain.
A 19-year-old Lincoln man died after police say he crashed his Nissan Maxima into a Ford F-150 at 70th and Holdrege streets Monday evening.

Kolby Elliott was pronounced dead at a local hospital at 10:37 p.m. Monday  about two hours after he crashed into the pickup, Lincoln Police Sgt. Chris Vigil said.

Elliott was driving north on 70th Street when he entered the intersection with Holdrege at a high rate of speed, Vigil said.

Elliott veered his car into the southbound turn lane, where 82-year-old George Skorohod was sitting in his pickup, waiting to turn left onto Holdrege.

Elliott was transported to a local hospital and later died. Skorohod suffered minor injuries but wasn't taken to a hospital for treatment.

Police haven't yet determined if drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash. An investigation is ongoing.

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Opening statements are expected Tuesday in Columbus, where the trial has been moved for a Lincoln teenager facing murder charges for the fatal shooting of a longtime Lincoln Police officer in 2020.

Felipe Vazquez, 19, is accused of first-degree murder of Police Investigator Mario Herrera, attempted assault on an officer, escape and gun charges.

Pretrial publicity in the case led to moving the trial to Platte County District Court, where 100 people were called to begin appearing Monday at the courthouse in Columbus, about 75 miles northwest of Lincoln.

The selection process initially was expected to take a day and a half but went more quickly than anticipated.

On Aug. 26, 2020, law enforcement went to Vazquez's family's home at 33rd and Vine streets looking for him on a second-degree assault charge in connection with Edward Varejcka's stabbing death five months earlier.

In court records, police said as members of the Metro Area Fugitive Task Force gathered outside, Vazquez, then 17, and Orion Ross, then 19, broke out a window in an escape attempt, with Vazquez allegedly firing shots at Herrera and other officers.

Herrera  who had been in plain clothes, not wearing a bulletproof vest and there, in part, to serve as a translator  was struck in the torso.

He underwent numerous surgeries but died of his injuries at a hospital in Omaha on Sept. 7, 2020.

After, the Lancaster County Attorney's Office upgraded Vazquez's charge from first-degree assault to murder.

His attorney, Nancy Peterson, filed a motion seeking a change of venue, pointing to pretrial publicity that she argued would make it impossible to get a fair and impartial jury here.

She pointed to prayer vigils, the escort of Herrera's body to Lincoln, his funeral at Pinnacle Bank Arena and the recent unveiling of the "Fallen Officer Memorial," which honors Herrera and others who have died in the line of duty, a short distance from the entrance of the courthouse in Lincoln as evidence Vazquez couldn't get a fair trial here.

Lancaster County District Judge Andrew Jacobsen agreed to move the trial to Platte County, finding "that the pervasive publicity makes it impossible for Vazquez to receive a fair trial in Lancaster County, or even Southeast Nebraska," under the U.S. Supreme Court standard.

Platte County District Judge Robert Steinke, who retired in February, made his courtroom available for the trial.

Lancaster County will have to pay the costs associated with the trial, but the jurors will come from Platte County.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7237 or lpilger@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSpilger

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To help fend off another wave of Covid-19, people will need a fourth dose of vaccine, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told CBS on Sunday.

"Many variants are coming, and Omicron was the first one that was able to evade -- in a skillful way -- the immune protection that we're giving," Bourla told CBS' "Face the Nation."

"The protection we are getting from the third (dose) it is good enough -- actually quite good for hospitalizations and deaths," Bourla said.

But protection after three doses is "not that good against infections" and "doesn't last very long" when faced with a variant like Omicron.

"It is necessary, a fourth (dose) for right now," Bourla told CBS.

Currently, anyone ages 12 and up who got a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine at least five months ago can get a third dose.

Anyone ages 18 and up who got the two-dose Moderna vaccine should get a booster shot six months after the second dose, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

And anyone who got the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine should get a booster shot after two months, the CDC said.

Some moderately or severely immunocompromised people who have had three doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna Covid-19 vaccines can already get a fourth dose of vaccine, according to the CDC.

But it's not clear if or when the US Food and Drug Administration might authorize a fourth dose of Covid-19 vaccine for healthy teens and adults.

"We are just submitting those data to the FDA, and then we'll see what the experts also would say outside Pfizer," Bourla told CBS.

Kids under 5 might soon be able to get vaccinated

Currently, children ages 5 to 11 are eligible for two pediatric doses of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine but are not yet eligible for a booster. Pfizer is testing a third dose in that age group now.

And kids under age 5 are not yet eligible for a Covid-19 vaccine -- though that could change this spring, Bourla said.

Initial trial data in children ages 2 to 5 showed two doses of a smaller, child-sized vaccine didn't give the expected immunity in the 2- to 5-year-olds -- though it did for babies ages 6 months to 2 years.

So Pfizer decided to add a third child-sized dose for children under age 5 in its ongoing trial.

Pfizer should have data on its three-dose vaccine trial for children ages 6 months to 5 years by April, Bourla told CBS on Sunday.

If authorized by the FDA and recommended by the CDC, Covid-19 vaccines for children ages 6 months to 5 years might start as early as May, Bourla said.

A shot at a longer-lasting vaccine against all variants

Pfizer and Moderna have said they are working on a vaccine that would specifically protect against the Omicron variant. It's not clear yet if one is needed.

Bourla said Pfizer is also hoping to make a vaccine that will protect against Omicron and all other variants of SARS-CoV-2 -- the virus that causes Covid-19.

The goal is to create "something that can protect for at least a year," Bourla told CBS on Sunday.

"And if we are able to achieve that, then I think it is very easy to follow and remember so that we can go back to really the way (we) used to live," he said.

The-CNN-Wire

 &  2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.

CNN's Jacqueline Howard contributed to this report.

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Three people are dead after a semi veered into oncoming traffic on Interstate 80 early Tuesday morning, sparking a collision with two other tractor-trailers.

The crash closed the intestate west of Lincoln for more than two hours.

The Seward County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene, on I-80 between the Milford and Seward interchanges, at about 5:45 a.m. Tuesday after a semi that had been traveling east crossed the median and struck a westbound semi head-on, according to a sheriff's office news release.

A third semi that had been heading west swerved to avoid the collision, crossed the median and overturned in the eastbound lanes, according to the release.

Three people  none of whom have been identified  were pronounced dead at the scene. A fourth person was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Lincoln in critical condition.

It's unclear how many vehicles were ultimately involved in the crash.

The eastbound lanes reopened shortly after 9 a.m., but fans headed for early games in the state high school basketball tournaments were forced to take detour routes. Westbound lanes reopened at about 10:30 a.m.

An investigation into the crash is ongoing.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7223 or awegley@journalstar.com. On Twitter @andrewwegley

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Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol found 25,000 suspected fentanyl pills during a traffic stop on Interstate 80 in Dawson County on Monday, according to a Patrol news release.

Law enforcement also found roughly two pounds of suspected cocaine during the stop, which happened at about 3:40 p.m. Monday near Lexington.

Troopers searched an Acura TSX, which they had pulled over for speeding, after smelling marijuana, according to the release. Authorities found six grams of marijuana, along with the suspected cocaine and thousands of fentanyl pills.

Two Los Angeles men  24-year-old Alejandro Leon and 28-year-old Orlando Gutierrez  were arrested on suspicion of a slew of drug charges, including possession with intent to deliver an exceptionally hazardous drug, according to the State Patrol.

Both men were taken to the Dawson County Jail.

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Charles W. Herbster has used Jim Pillens record on critical race theory as ammunition in attacks against his chief rival in the Republican primary for Nebraska governor. But the critiques of Pillen, a University of Nebraska regent since 2013, arent backed by much substance.

The questionable claims are part of the latest back-and-forth as the two contenders seek to differentiate themselves based on what one longtime political observer described as a wedge issue  one being leveraged by conservative politicians across the U.S.

Critical race theory has existed for decades within academia, but it has become a key talking point in the last year or so for Republican politicians, including Gov. Pete Ricketts. Its an academic framework that views racism as systemic, embedded in systems and policies, rather than as an individual issue. Its generally taught at the graduate level, but opponents often call it un-American and use the term to cover a broad range of anti-racism and diversity curriculum and initiatives.

Herbster, a Falls City businessman, launched an ad last month asserting Pillen approved a whole new department focused on CRT  an apparent reference to the University of Nebraska-Lincolns Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion was created in 2018, Herbster campaign spokesperson Emily Novotny said in an email, with the chancellor position created that December.

Regents voted 7-0 on Dec. 4, with Hal Daub abstaining, to approve the chancellors recommendation to hire Marco Barker as vice chancellor of diversity and inclusion and as an associate professor, according to meeting minutes.

The office was created to coordinate and advance diversity efforts, and its aims mostly seem focused on campus culture.

The Herbster ad also asserts that Pillen chose a leader for that office who praised violent race riots on university letterhead. It uses the name and photo of Barker, who is Black. Barker declined the Omaha World-Heralds request for an interview.

Novotny sent the World-Herald a link to the letter cited in the ad, which Barker released in early June 2020 amid racial justice protests, according to The Daily Nebraskan. Barker wrote about the calls for change and offered resources on campus for those seeking out conversations, counseling or information. He did not reference violent race riots.

The series of events that we are seeing today and the civil rights moments in our history point to an echoing call for systemic change, Barker wrote. If we were listening and watching closely, we would see and hear a call for justice that has been shouted throughout our countrys history.

When asked multiple times via email where in the letter Barker praised violent race riots, Novotny did not respond.

The ad also claims that Pillen tripled the offices budget. But regents dont vote on department-level spending. According to spokesperson Melissa Lee, they approve an overall operating budget for the university system and every chancellor has authority over their campus budget.

In UNLs 2019-20 budget, the only spending item for the newly formed Diversity and Inclusion Office was Barkers salary of $250,000. The offices next budget did more than triple, as the department grew to include more employees (multiple were already working for the university) and operating expenses.

While it doesnt appear in the ad, Herbsters campaign routinely alleges that critical race theory first entered the University of Nebraska under Pillens watch, in 2014. That claim came up at a recent campaign event at an Omaha VFW post.

Jim Pillen is a regent at University of Nebraska, and in 2014, 2015, critical race theory seeped and creeped into the curriculum at the University of Nebraska, Kellyanne Conway, an adviser to former President Donald Trump, said to the crowd of about 45 people.

The campaign is not pointing to a particular class, professor or curriculum shift in 2014  its referencing a specific speaker.

Herbsters campaign did not mention the content of the speech. Rather, Novotny pointed out that scholar Shireen Roshanravan, then an assistant professor of womens studies at Kansas State University, gave a keynote address at a gender studies conference at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

Novotny cited a news report that included the title of Roshanravans presentation (Intersectionality, Integrity and Coalitional Becomings) and noted Roshanravans research interests include critical race theory.

Pillen, who has touted his opposition to critical race theory, has tried to deflect the attacks by referencing his attempt last year to pass a resolution banning the imposition of critical race theory as a regent and his support for an anti-critical race theory bill in the Nebraska Legislature. Regents rejected his resolution on a 5-3 vote.

Alongside Governor Ricketts, (Pillens) been a leading critic of the University of Nebraskas so-called anti-racism and racial equity initiatives, Pillens campaign manager said in a news release. Nebraskans know where Jim stands, and theyve watched him take action to defend our values. Herbsters attacks are pure hogwash.

Spokespeople for the university system and UNL declined to offer any statements on particular claims.

Why has critical race theory played a prominent role in the Republican race for governor?

In the big picture, Randall Adkins, a political scientist at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, said social issues are often used as wedge issues that drive divisions between Republican candidates.

Primaries tend to be lower turnout, and in Nebraska its likely that the winner of the Republican primary will ultimately serve as governor.

The Herbster campaign is doing this because there are consultants telling them its going to work, Adkins said.

Unlike Herbster, Pillen has a voting record to point to since hes held elected office. Voting records are often used in campaigning, Adkins said, and historically theyre easy to misrepresent because the issues are complex.

This particular issue can be especially fraught.

From Trump to elected leaders in states from Virginia to Arizona, conservative politicians have condemned critical race theory, often in the broader context of education. Many Republicans view the concepts underlying critical race theory as an effort to rewrite American history and persuade white people that they are inherently racist.

Jeannette Jones, a UNL history and ethnic studies professor, told the World-Herald that critical race theory is being used as a straw man to basically oppose any discussion of the United States history and present as it deals with the history of race and racism, gender, gender identity, sexism, sexuality and other issues.

The idea that it came into the university in 2014 is untrue, she said. The opponents are conflating critical race theory as an approach, she said, with any kind of approach that looks critically at race.

Richard Moberly, dean of the University of Nebraska College of Law, testified against the anti-CRT bill recently on behalf of the University of Nebraska system. Among objections, his written testimony states that it undermines constitutional and educational values by prohibiting speech related to certain ideas  ideas that deserve more discussion and debate rather than less. If the Legislature passed a bill to ban ideas and speech protected by the First Amendment, he wrote, it would likely be overturned in court.

Regardless of who wins the governors race, its unclear what, if anything, the next governor would plan to do to address the perceived issue.

As governor, there will be zero critical race theory in this state. Period, Herbster said at the recent VFW campaign event, to applause. People say, Well, how you gonna do that? I dont know, Ill figure it out. I will get it done, OK?

This report includes material from the Associated Press.

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An initial look at congressional and legislative redistricting figures points to little change in the narrow Republican voter registration advantage in the competitive 2nd Congressional District and some potential Republican advantages in nonpartisan legislative races.

Changes enacted during a special legislative session last September included flipping Sen. Anna Wishart's 27th District in Lincoln from majority Democratic to majority Republican, while turning Lincoln Sen. Eliot Bostar's 29th District from majority Republican into majority Democratic.

Wishart, a Democrat, was reelected to her second term in 2020 and will be term-limited out of office at the end of 2024.

Bostar, also a Democrat, was elected to his first term in 2020.

Wishart's District 27 moved from an 897-Democratic registration edge to a 251-Republican registration advantage.

Bostar's District 29 changed from a 566-Republican advantage to a 1,570-Democratic margin.

Seventeen Democrats now hold seats in the state's 49-member, nonpartisan Legislature and six of them represent districts with majority Republican registration figures.

While the 32 Republicans are now just one senator short of a filibuster-proof GOP majority, that calculus doesn't add up in Nebraska's unique legislative body.

Senators do not vote in party unison or in response to party leaders since there is no party structure in the Legislature and lawmakers are elected on a nonpartisan ballot.

Congressional redistricting, which kept Douglas County intact in the 2nd District while adding rural Saunders County and its largely Republican vote to the metropolitan Omaha Democratic core, was enacted on a 35-11 vote in September, with four Democrats voting for the bill.

The legislative redistricting plan that subtracted one senator from rural Nebraska while adding an urban senator in metropolitan Omaha sailed through on a 37-7, vote with eight Democrats supporting the plan.

Republicans held a 4,400-voter registration advantage in the 2nd District before redistricting and now have a slightly smaller 4,074 margin.

Even with what has been just a narrow registration edge, Republicans have won that House seat consistently since 1994, with the sole exception of a single term won by Democratic Rep. Brad Ashford in 2014.

Republican Rep. Don Bacon is seeking a fourth term this year.

The 2nd District also is a competitive battleground for one of Nebraska's presidential electoral votes. Democratic President Joe Biden won that vote in 2020, following in the footsteps of former Democratic President Barack Obama, who won the district in 2008.

The 1st District, which includes Lincoln, absorbed an 8,080-voter decline in its Republican majority, but still held a healthy 62,260 GOP edge over Democrats following redistricting.

Western and central Nebraska's vast 3rd District remains overwhelmingly Republican: 260,008 Republicans; 84,508 Democrats.

Redistricting figures are posted now on the secretary of state's website but are still subject to change.

"Counties are still double-checking, triple-checking things, but those are reflective of the new redistricting changes for the entire state barring any errors made by counties," Cindi Allen, spokeswoman for the secretary of state's office, said Monday.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7248 or dwalton@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSdon

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I agree with President Biden, Americas best days are ahead of us, especially for rural Nebraskans.

Farm to Family Grocery Store in Hay Springs is filled with fresh produce and meat from local and regional producers. It boasts an energy efficient deli and coolers and is supported by a cooperative of local community members.

Farm to Family is an example of the resiliency and commitment to community found all across rural Nebraska and supported wholeheartedly by the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development Agency. I believe it is a community role model for rural communities everywhere, demonstrating the strength and capabilities we have when we pull together to do what is right.

As Nebraskas USDA RD state director, Im proud of Farm to Family and the role that our organization has played in providing grant funding to improve energy efficiency and free up capital for this local grocery store.

Promoting energy efficiency, finding new approaches to our food supply chain challenges and increasing affordability for essential items for Nebraska families are all top priorities for the Biden-Harris Administration, as outlined by the president last week.

Our job at USDA RD is to bring big goals and visions for our country to life in rural Nebraska. The country has faced deep challenges over the past year, and the people of rural America know this better than anyone.

Rural communities are resilient, and as the success of rural America goes, so goes the rest of the country.

Thats why the progress we have made in rural Nebraska over the past year is a good sign for everyone. By investing in water infrastructure and broadband, rural business opportunities and the American food supply chain, USDA RD is helping communities build a foundation for sustained economic growth.

Through the Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program and the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program, were answering the presidents call to create more resilient, diverse and secure supply chains. Promoting competition in the processing sector will lead to fairer prices for farmers, greater value for workers and more affordable and healthier food produced closer to home for families.

These investments create jobs and economic opportunities in rural areas. They help grow the economy from the bottom up and middle out like the president talked about, and they contribute to a circular economy where the resources and wealth we build in rural Nebraska stay right here in Nebraska.

This is just the beginning. In the State of the Union, President Biden committed to provide affordable high-speed internet for every American  urban, suburban, rural and tribal communities, to growing our energy production through wind and solar and continuing to grow manufacturing in rural America.

Our team at USDA Rural Development is committed to giving everyone a fair shot and providing equitable access to federal resources to build rural prosperity. That means making more things here at home, buying made-in-America merchandise, strengthening our supply chains and lowering costs for working families. It means giving people support in the communities they know and love, right here in Nebraska, from Hay Springs to Pawnee City and everywhere in between.

Im optimistic about our future because I see the great work weve done, I know the great work were doing, and I know the people of Nebraska are smart, resilient and proud Americans who make up the very fiber of this nation.

I know weve been through tough times, and I know were getting through them. Americans have been through tough times before and the result will be a stronger, more resilient nation, united in love for country and one another. Thats why I believe our best days are ahead.

Kate Bolz lives in Lincoln, is a native Otoe County and is Nebraska state director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Agency.

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Morgan Wallen won album of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards on Monday night for Dangerous: The Double Album, a year after he was removed from the ACMs ballot after he was caught on camera using a racial slur.

Wallen made no direct reference to the incident or his absence from recent awards shows while accepting the trophy at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, but may have dropped a hint about it.

Miranda Lambert took home the night's top prize, entertainer of the year, for the first time after losing out in five previous years, but was not in Las Vegas to accept it. Read the full story here:

***

THE WINNERS

Complete list of winners from Monday night's ACM Awards:

Entertainer of the Year: Miranda Lambert

Female Artist of the Year: Carly Pearce

Male Artist of the Year: Chris Stapleton

Album of the Year: Morgan Wallen - "Dangerous: The Double Album"

Single of the Year: "If I Didn't Love You" - Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood

Song of the Year: "Things a Man Oughta Know" - Lainey Wilson

New Female Artist of the Year: Lainey Wilson

New Male Artist of the Year: Parker McCollum

Duo of the Year: Brothers Osborne

Group of the Year: Old Dominion

Video of the Year: "Drunk (And I Don't Wanna Go Home)" - Elle King and Miranda Lambert

Songwriter of the Year: Michael Hardy

Music Event of the Year: "Never Wanted to Be That Girl" - Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde

***

PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS

***

ACM ARRIVALS

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DOVER  Gov. Tony Evers visited the Wisconsin Veterans Home here Tuesday to sign two bills designed to help military members and their families land jobs.

Officials said Assembly Bill 720 helps military medical personnel transfer their skills to health care jobs, while Senate Bill 602 guarantees in-state college tuition discounts for military members and their families who are relocated out of state.

Joined by state Veterans Affairs Secretary Mary Kolar, Evers signed both measures into law before a cheering crowd of staff and others at the Racine County veterans home near Union Grove.

Our service members and their families give so much in service to our country, the governor said. And they exemplify some of the best of what Wisconsin has to offer.

Evers and Kolar both said the new laws would help veterans and their families to advance their education and find jobs, while also addressing a shortage of workers in Wisconsin, especially in the health care industry.

This is a win for all of us, Kolar said. This is a win for Wisconsin.

Joining in the bill-signing ceremony was Niko Ruud, a U.S. Air Force captain who is transitioning out of the service and looking ahead to his life as a veteran.

Ruud told those in attendance that finding work after getting out of the military is a common challenge that leaves him and other veterans scratching their heads.

Theres a lot of challenges, he said.

Assembly Bill 720, now known as Wisconsin Act 158, is designed to provide a pathway for military medical personnel to use their skills and training in healthcare jobs. Officials said it builds off a $100,000 effort to develop a program making military training and credentials transferrable to civilian job credentials.

Senate Bill 605, now Wisconsin Act 159, guarantees in-state tuition for military members, spouses or children at either the University of Wisconsin System or the Wisconsin Technical College System, regardless of whether the military has transferred them out of state.

Kolar said helping medical veterans to find healthcare jobs will stem the loss of such talented people, who often end up finding jobs in neighboring states instead.

It can happen now in Wisconsin, the secretary said.

After the bill-signing ceremony in Boland Hall, Evers told reporters that it was his decision to sign the bills in the Racine County facility.

Evers called the Dover home an appropriate setting to call attention to the needs of veterans.

Its an opportunity for us to raise this issue up, he said, and its an opportunity to visit this facility.

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Michael Gableman, the head of the taxpayer-funded Wisconsin election probe ordered by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight, Fox News Channels top-rated show, on Monday night.

In under 4 minutes, Gableman and Carlson stated multiple inaccuracies and unsubstantiated claims about the 2020 presidential election.

Heres a rundown of three of them:

Carlson: 100 percent voting rates in many nursing homes in Brown, Dane, Kenosha, Milwaukee and Racine counties.

Carlson was quoting from the Second Interim Investigative Report released last week by the Office of the Special Counsel, which is led by Gableman.

The quote is misleading at best.

A fuller reading of the report shows that the OSC is only claiming there was 100% voting in 30 Milwaukee County nursing homes, 12 Racine County nursing homes and 24 Dane County nursing homes. The report alleges 97% turnout in nine Kenosha County nursing homes and 95% turnout in 16 Brown County nursing homes, not 100%.

Additionally, those claims were wholly unsubstantiated in the interim report itself. No evidence was provided to support those claims of 100% turnout, other than stating the supposed 100% turnouts themselves.

The report also fails to directly state how the OSC is defining nursing home. The report does not list the nursing homes for which the investigators claim to have turnout data, nor does it cite where the Office of Special Counsel is getting its turnout rates from.

Milwaukee officials have already countered the nursing home claims with data of their own, indicating the reports assertions are wholly inaccurate.

In Milwaukee County, Gablemans report claims there were 1,084 votes cast out of 1,084 registered voters in 30 nursing homes.

But Milwaukee elections officials disclosed data that contradicts this. In an email Thursday morning, Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Claire Woodall-Vogg said that in the November 2020 election, there were 579 ballots issued to SVD (special voting deputy) voters; 389 ballots returned; 67.2% return rate, in the City of Milwaukee.

Asked about the discrepancy between Gablemans numbers and Milwaukees election data, Woodall-Vogg said: It is not clear if Mr. Gableman understands this, but SVD voters are those who have requested an absentee ballot and are in nursing or assisted living. Voters in independent living  which comprises quite a large number  can vote via mail or with the SVDs. It is their preference.

Its also impossible for the public to pin down what nursing homes Gablemans assertions are based on.

Depending on your definition, Racine County has six nursing homes, or somewhere between 14 and 17, or dozens, or more than 200. But not 12.

The report does not deny this, saying that its assertion of 100% voter turnout (reportedly 348 votes cast out of 348 registered voters in 12 unidentified Racine County nursing homes) reflects voting at the nursing homes that the OSC has been able to vet to this juncture. There are more facilities in these counties, and after auditing the votes from other facilities, the above percentages may change.

Gableman noted last week, regarding turnout rates at nursing homes, I havent fully investigated that yet.

Gableman: We had a wave of massive election bribery.

Several Wisconsinites have alleged that cities taking money from Center for Tech and Civil Life, the nonprofit heavily funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, amounted to bribery.

No courts have agreed with this assessment. Multiple courts found the acceptance of the donations was legal prior to Election Day 2020, as no laws prohibit these donations. It is not uncommon, and often encouraged, for municipalities to seek out private grants.

City leaders in Racine and elsewhere have asserted that accepting these donations was necessary to prevent budget crises, since the state Legislature did not provide extra money to communities ahead of the presidential election even though their election budgets had been largely spent because of the unexpected costs that came with running elections in the early days of the pandemic in spring 2020.

One complaint, filed with the Wisconsin Elections Commission by former Racine alderman Sandy Weidner, alleged that the City of Racine accepting a grant from CTCL constituted an election bribery scheme, in part because CTCL provided money to Racine in order to apply for their own grant. Weidner claimed That just does not happen.

Regardless, there is no law against it.

Gableman called Green Bay one of the five cities to receive Zuckerberg money.

This is not true.

More than 200 Wisconsin communities took money from CTCL to help fund their 2020 presidential election efforts. Five cities, Wisconsins five most-populous including Green Bay, received the lions share of the money  but they were far from being the only five to receive money via CTCL.

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MILWAUKEE  A second Wisconsin prosecutor has declined to file charges against Wisconsin elections commissioners following requests from Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling.

The first, Racine County District Attorney Tricia Hanson, said it was not within her jurisdiction to charge the commissioners who waived a set of election laws regarding those in long-term care facilities amid the COVID-19 pandemic leading up to the 2020 presidential election. None of their actions occurred within Racine County, even if their decisions did have effects statewide.

The second to decline to press charges was the Milwaukee County District Attorneys Office.

In a Monday letter to Schmaling and RCSO Lt. Michael Luell, Assistant District Attorney Matthew Westphal said: The Milwaukee County District Attorneys Offices statutory mandate is limited to prosecuting crime. Upon a review of the facts and law, it has been determined that there is insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime was committed.

At this time, this office has no basis to issue criminal charges in this matter.

Background

The RSCO requested charges against five of the six appointees to the Wisconsin Elections Commission for their votes to waive the laws that say Special Voting Deputies shall be sent into nursing homes and other similar facilities to carry out absentee voting. Another law waived was a ban on nursing home staff members assisting residents with absentee voting.

Republican elections commissioner says 2020 election was both 'legal' and 'rigged' Wisconsin Elections Commissioner Bob Spindell believes Biden defeated Trump in a legally rigged election because of the legality of things like mail-in voting, ballot collection events and Kanye West's name not being on ballots.

The WEC does not have the authority to waive laws, leading to Schmaling and Luell requesting that charges be filed against five of the six commissioners.

Those the RCSO requested charges against were three Democratic appointees  Julie M. Glancey, Ann S. Jacobs and Mark L. Thomsen  and two Republican appointees  Dean Knudson and Marge Bostelmann.

Quote "Allowing seniors to vote is not a crime." Mark L. Thomsen, a Democrat appointed to the Wisconsin Elections Commission

One commissioner, Republican-appointee Bob Spindell, initially voted to waive the laws, but in subsequent balloting voted against the waiver. As such, the RCSO did not request charges against him.

The WEC has argued that in 2020, SVDs would likely have not been given access to nursing homes in order to carry out the vote due to COVID-19 protocols. As such, the measures they took were necessary, the commissioners argued.

Schmaling and Hanson are Republicans. Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm is a Democrat.

Six DAs now involved

After Hanson declined to file charges, the RCSO contacted the district attorneys of the home counties of each of those five commissioners, seeking the charges including misconduct in public office and election fraud as a party to a crime to be filed.

The Milwaukee County DAs decision to not file charges against those who live in Milwaukee County (Jacobs and Thomsen) is the first such decision made public.

Three other district attorneys  those of Sheboygan, Green Lake and St. Croix counties  have yet to publicly announce their decisions, if any have been made.

In a Tuesday morning email, St. Croix DA Karl Anderson, a Republican, said: I have not quite finished my review of everything.

Sheriff accepts, criticizes decision

The RCSO accepted the decision of the Milwaukee County DAs office to not press charges against the two WEC commissioners who reside in that county, but criticized the decision and the Milwaukee DAs office in a lengthy Facebook post and news release Monday evening.

The Milwaukee DAs decision, as the RCSO put it, found that ... the words shall and not are not mandatory and/or controlling in the interpretation of the statute, but merely directory and not mandatory. It should be noted that the first three cases cited in the support of the (Milwaukee) DAs Office are from rarely referenced cases from 1955, 1966, and 1974.

Those were not the only cases cited by the Milwaukee DAs Office. At least three other cases also were referenced, from from 2001, 2004 and 2010.

Despite the long history of the Milwaukee DAs Office no-charging or under charging criminal cases, the RCSOs statement continued, the Sheriffs Office is appreciative that they had an ADA review the reports.

The post continued by taking a written swipe at Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat who has declined to launch a statewide investigation at the request of the RCSO following the investigation in Mount Pleasant. The Racine County Sheriffs Office further appreciates the review of the Milwaukee DAs Office, at least, unlike AG Kaul/the Department of Justice/and the Division of Criminal Investigation (which includes the Elder Abuse Unit), that Milwaukee DAs Office accepted Racines investigative reports, reviewed the reports and rendered a decision.

Kaul previously called the RCSO investigation a publicity stunt ... a transparently political effort and an abuse of authority.

Reasoning

It  seems clear that, in providing guidance regarding SVDs, the WEC was exercising a discretionary power of office, as the WEC is statutorily authorized to provide guidance and advisory opinions in the administration of elections, the letter from the Milwaukee DA stated.

Among the reasons cited in the letter Monday for charges to not be filed was that it must be noted that the overarching purpose of the election laws is to give effect to the will of the electors. The letter described the laws surrounding SVDs as directory statutes that do not require mandatory compliance.

Westphal later quoted from a 2001 court decision, which said (the courts have) consistently sought to preserve the will of the electors by construing election provisions as directory if there has been substantial compliance with their terms.

As such, Westphal argued, the RCSOs strict reading of the law is inappropriate when faced with how it may have been impossible or at least more difficult for those in nursing homes to vote had the SVD law not been ignored.

Allowing seniors to vote is not a crime, Thomsen said in a tweet Monday.

The letter continued, calling into question the thoroughness of Luells investigative work, which Schmaling has repeatedly defended, at the Ridgewood Care Center in Mount Pleasant.

RCSO did not directly interview Ridgewood residents whom Luell and Schmaling asserted did not have the mental capacity to vote. Rather, the investigation relied on testimony from loved ones of those living in the nursing home. Schmaling repeatedly asserted it would be disrespectful to interview those who were reported to not be able to recognize their loved ones and were hallucinating.

The Milwaukee DAs letter said: Claims have been made that residents who did not request a ballot voted because someone requested a ballot on their behalf and voted on their behalf. There has been no evidence submitted that any of the individuals who received ballots did not request them.

There has been no evidence that someone voted on the behalf of one of the residents. There were interviews done with family members, where the family questioned the ability of their loved one to request a ballot and vote. The familys belief about the residents competency to vote is not the same as a competency determination by a court that the person is disqualified from voting.

The assessment of a layperson, even where that person is close family, is not the equivalent of an adjudication by a court that a person is incompetent. Absent such a court adjudication, a familys concerns about an individuals ability to vote would not disqualify that person from requesting a ballot and voting.

Further, none of the individual electors were interviewed to determine whether they did request a ballot or request someone do so on their behalf. Regardless, the WEC had no role in requesting ballots or voting on behalf of residents. The specific WEC guidance to clerk (sic) was that ballots should only issue to those who request one. There is no evidence they conspired or encouraged anyone to improperly request or submit a ballot.

Reacting to the news Monday, Jacobs tweeted that the Milwaukee DAs letter is an incredibly thorough analysis and debunks the false claims of the Racine Sheriff & (Michael) Gableman. Simply put  there was no crime whatsoever.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman have signed a new contract through April 30 for their ongoing partisan review of the 2020 election, though it does not include additional funding except to cover any remaining court battles.

Gableman, who was hired by Vos, R-Rochester, last summer at a cost of $676,000 in taxpayer funds, had been operating under a previous contract that expired at the end of last year.

The new contract maintains Gablemans existing budget, but does allow for the possibility of added funds to cover the costs of multiple lawsuits related to the probe, according to the agreement filed with the court. The contract also stipulates that Gableman consult with Vos after the lawsuits are concluded to determine if the review should end or if additional investigation is warranted.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Vos said under the extended contract Gableman was not necessarily looking for additional things to investigate.

I dont want to make it seem like were going to keep this going for another year, he said.

Gablemans effort was originally planned to be completed last fall but failed to meet several deadlines, which Republican leaders attributed to ongoing court battles over the multiple subpoenas Gableman has issued to several mayors and election officials.

Vos issued a statement Tuesday praising Gableman for doing an outstanding job looking into the election concerns people all across Wisconsin had, adding that several of the issues raised by the ongoing probe were drafted and passed by legislative Republicans before Gablemans most recent report was released last week. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is expected to veto most, if not all, of the measures.

Meanwhile, Justice Gableman continues to face unwarranted resistance, Vos said. We will continue to fight the obstruction and myriad of lawsuits filed by Democrats and out-of-state liberal activists, questioning the legislatures subpoena power and ultimately keeping this matter from concluding in the time frame we expected.

Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer, D-Racine, described the contract extension as prolonging the life of this embarrassing exercise.

The longer Mr. Gableman is allowed to continue his anti-democratic rhetoric, the more dangerous it becomes, Neubauer said in a statement. Speaker Vos has the power to hold Mr. Gableman accountable. On behalf of Wisconsinites across the state, we are asking Speaker Vos to do just that. This must end.

Public records

The new agreement was signed the same day Dane County Circuit Court Judge Frank Remington affirmed a ruling he made last week ordering for the release of hundreds of pages of documents related to Gablemans review requested by liberal watchdog group American Oversight. Remington said he has no intention to undermine the review, but added the documents in question are much to-do about nothing and Gableman is bound by the states public records law.

Remington ruled that Vos and Gableman arbitrarily and capriciously denied or delayed access to more than 700 pages of records and ordered those documents to be released, but he put the order on hold until after Tuesdays hearing. The records were originally filed with the court at the end of January.

Upon my careful review, I can find no documents in this pile of papers that, if released, would undermine the investigation, Remington said. These documents do not support the argument that there has been an investigation, much less the conclusions that have been made by the Office of Special Counsel.

James Bopp, Gablemans attorney, argued on Tuesday that releasing those documents can reveal the direction and focus of the investigation and would make it easy for the public to identify those involved in the probe.

When a quarterback passes to a wide receiver he doesnt telegraph the pass, Bopp said. Thats exactly what were talking about here.

Remington ruled that Gableman had no basis for withholding the public records, which the former state Supreme Court justice requested be kept secret as they pertained to strategic information to our investigation, according to court documents.

Remington also ordered Vos, Gableman and the Assembly to each pay $1,000 in damages to American Oversight and cover the groups legal fees  costs that could very well fall on taxpayers. Remingtons ruling is likely to be appealed.

The case is one of three public records lawsuits filed by American Oversight against Gableman, Vos, his attorney Steve Fawcett and Assembly Chief Clerk Ted Blazel.

The records, which have also been requested by several news outlets including the Wisconsin State Journal, pertain to Gablemans ongoing review of the 2020 election, which focuses on a number of things including election administration, guidance from the Wisconsin Elections Commission and private election grants provided to cities to administer the presidential election during the COVID-19 pandemic.

These are the publics records, American Oversight attorney Christa Westerberg said. The public is paying for them and the public is paying for this investigation.

Gablemans review

Westerberg also questioned why the records were being withheld after Gableman made public comments on his review at a Wisconsin Republican Party meeting and in a Monday night interview on Fox News Tucker Carlson Tonight.

In a roughly four-minute discussion on Fox News, Gableman and Carlson shared multiple inaccuracies and unsubstantiated claims about the 2020 presidential election, including unfounded claims of 100% voter turnout at several Wisconsin nursing homes and that cities taking money from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, the nonprofit heavily funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, to administer the election amounted to bribery.

Court rulings have found nothing illegal about the more than $10 million in grants CTCL distributed to about 214 municipalities in 39 of Wisconsins 72 counties, including many solidly won by former President Donald Trump. Nor did CTCL turn down grant requests from any of the Wisconsin municipalities that made them.

Gablemans ongoing review has drawn bipartisan criticism with a growing number of lawmakers, including a handful of Republicans, calling for the probe to be shut down.

A recount and court decisions have affirmed that President Joe Biden defeated Trump in Wisconsin by almost 21,000 votes. A review by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau found no evidence of widespread fraud and multiple court rulings have also found no evidence of irregularities.

Gableman last week presented to the Assembly committee on elections the second interim report from his review. He also suggested the Legislature decertify the results of the 2020 election, which experts and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have described as a legal and constitutional impossibility  and something Vos has staunchly opposed, despite growing pressure from far-right conservatives.

Gableman also called for the elimination and dismantling of the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission, based largely on guidance the agency provided in 2020 to not send poll workers to nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Vos has also opposed dismantling the agency he was a key player in creating less than seven years ago.

Trump weighs in

That didnt stop Trump from doubling down on his call to decertify the results of the 2020 election in a statement issued Tuesday praising Vos and Gableman for the election review.

I feel confident that Robin will exercise his moral duty to follow up on Justice Gablemans findings, Trump said.

Trump also falsely claimed the Assembly, which held its final floor votes of the year last month, will stay in session to get rid of the state elections commission and the nonprofit Electronic Registration Information Center, or ERIC, which flags potential movers and provides that information to multiple states.

Based on the Gableman report, I would imagine that there can only be a Decertification of Electors, Trump said.

Racine Journal Times reporter Adam Rogan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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A Wisconsin judge says an embattled member of the states Natural Resources Board is a public official and communications about his refusal to relinquish his seat are subject to public records law.

Former NRB Chair Fred Prehn sought to dismiss a lawsuit brought against him and the Department of Natural Resources by Midwest Environmental Advocates, which accused him of violating the states open records law by withholding text messages.

Dane County Judge Everett Mitchell declined to dismiss the case, ruling that Prehn is in fact a government authority and his communications are subject to public records law.

In an order released Tuesday, Mitchell wrote that Prehns tenure on the board has a relationship to state natural resource policy decisions, the decision-making process, and the Governors ability to appoint new members to the NRB.

Mitchell went on to note the records sought were not purely personal, as Prehn argued, because they clearly have some connection to the affairs of the NRB.

Mitchells ruling stopped short of ordering Prehn to turn over the texts, which MEA attorneys now hope to get through the court discovery process. But the group praised the ruling as a victory for transparency and accountability.

Dr. Prehn is accountable to the law, just like any other public official, MEA staff attorney Adam Voskuil said. We are pleased that the court affirmed his obligation to comply with the law and to turn over records about his decision to hold over past the expiration of his term.

Prehns attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ruling.

A Wausau dentist appointed by former Gov. Scott Walker in 2015, Prehn has refused to step down since his term expired May 1, denying Gov. Tony Evers appointee Sandra Naas a seat.

Prehn argues he can continue serving until the Senate confirms Naas, but the Republican-led Senate has made no moves to do that, ensuring Walker appointees majority control over the board.

He was replaced in January as chair but has remained on the board, where he voted last month to reject regulations of toxic PFAS compounds in groundwater and to weaken the agencys proposed drinking water standards for the so-called forever chemicals.

Later this week the state Supreme Court will hear arguments in a separate case brought by Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul in an effort to unseat him.

According to MEAs complaint, the environmental group requested all communications  including emails, texts and other written messages  Prehn sent and received between Jan. 1 and June 29.

The DNR released dozens of email messages  most from citizens demanding Prehn step down  but no text messages.

In response to a second request, the DNR produced a string of text messages between Prehn and another board member in which he wrote: Ive got to decide if Im going to stay on until the next appointee is confirmed. Evers notified me hes not going to reappoint me I guess he thinks theres some pretty big agenda items that I might not agree with LOL.

MEA contends that indicates the existence of additional text messages relevant to the request and by withholding them Prehn not only violated the law but is doing great damage to Wisconsins tradition of limiting the influence of politics in natural resources and conservation decision making.

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The GOP-led Legislature on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up Wisconsins redistricting case after the states high court last week selected 10-year congressional and legislative maps drawn by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers  boundaries Republicans say are redrawn based on racial criteria in violation of the U.S. Constitutions equal protection guarantees.

Whats more, state Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, said Monday she also plans to file a legal challenge to the governors maps, which she said violate the federal Voting Rights Act by diluting the Black vote in Milwaukee districts.

Republican lawmakers also asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block the Wisconsin Supreme Courts Thursday ruling. Republicans on Friday asked the state Supreme Court to put its ruling on hold pending the appeal to the federal court.

If the U.S. Supreme Court doesnt take the case, the states ruling will remain in place. Justice Amy Coney Barrett requested all parties in the case file a response to the lawmakers request for an appeal by 5 p.m. Friday.

The nations highest court takes between 100 and 150 of the over 7,000 cases its asked to review each year. But this case is likelier than most to get reviewed, UW-Madison Law School associate professor Robert Yablon said.

This is a high-profile case, he said. Its an election law case. And I think in that category of cases, there is a much higher likelihood that its going to get taken up.

Yablon pointed out that that the U.S. Supreme Court took up a case from Alabama in early February that centers on how much race should be a factor in drawing boundaries. The high court, in accepting the case, also stayed a lower courts order for the Alabama Legislature to create a second majority-Black congressional district.

It may be that the Supreme Court is actually right now constituted in a way that is going to make it somewhat sympathetic to the claims that the (Wisconsin) Legislature is making here, Yablon said.

The Legislature in its request for appellate review filed Monday focuses on Evers decision to add a seventh majority-Black Assembly district in Milwaukee with the effect of reducing the Black majority in the existing districts. The states high court, the Legislature argues, never decided whether the seventh district was required by the Voting Rights Act, referencing the majority opinion Thursday that the justices had good reasons to believe the district may be required.

There can no good reasons for maximizing the number of minority-majority districts by dialing down the Black populations in the current districts to 50%, attorney Kevin St. John said Friday in a motion requesting a stay on the state Supreme Courts decision Thursday.

Republicans write in court filings with the U.S. Supreme Court that, with the adoption of Evers maps, the state is now home to the 21st-century racial gerrymander.

Attorneys also ask that current districts remain in place pending the federal courts review.

The lawmakers claim Evers used the federal Voting Rights Act as a shield for open and obvious violations of the Constitution in order to move people around in Milwaukee to create the seventh Assembly district with a majority of Black voters.

Race dominated the drawing and adoption of this plan, the product of an untheorized and deeply wrong re-writing of the Voting Rights Act, attorneys for Republicans wrote.

Didnt do their job

The issue is confusing because Evers is being accused of watering down Black representation even though his maps potentially give Black voters more representation in the Legislature. Some Black lawmakers are objecting because their own districts would have populations with a slightly reduced Black majority.

Evers maps create a total of nine Black majority districts, with two in the Senate and seven in the Assembly. All districts have Black majorities of between 50.09% and 51.39%, according to court filings. Previously, the state had six majority-Black Assembly districts and two in the Senate, all with a majority range between 51% and 62%.

Taylor, whose district sees its majority drop from 58.4% to 50.62% under Evers boundaries, said adding a seventh majority-Black Assembly district looks good on paper, but doing so waters down the Black vote in all the districts.

Youre threatening all of them ... you have to take into account the totality of the circumstances, Taylor said, pointing to voter registration, age and turnout, as well as disproportionate mass incarceration among Black residents as factors that could result in a Black majority district not electing a Black lawmaker.

(Evers) maps may have been the least-change maps, but theyre not the least-change maps that protect the Voting Rights Act and thats my gripe with the Supreme Court in that they didnt do their job in protecting our interests, so I need to go to the federal court, Taylor said.

Taylor said she plans to file her challenge in the coming days.

Courts ruling

The state Supreme Courts majority concluded in its ruling that selecting a map with seven districts is within the leeway states have to take actions reasonably judged necessary to prevent vote dilution under the VRA.

With regard to Republican lawmakers request for a stay in the state Supreme Courts ruling, the court issued an order on Monday allowing all parties in the case to respond until 11 a.m. Wednesday. The court also ordered that requests for additional briefing or extensions will be viewed with disfavor, according to court filings.

The appeal to the nations highest court is the latest development in the battle over the states next decennial maps that began when Evers vetoed GOP-drawn boundaries in mid-November. The governor had championed boundaries drawn by the Peoples Maps Commission, but those maps failed to get universal support among legislative Democrats, with some criticizing the boundaries for potentially diminishing Black and Hispanic representation in the Legislature.

Evers ultimately submitted new maps to the court, which reduce but maintain Republican majorities in the Legislature while likely preventing them from claiming a veto-proof supermajority. Those maps were drawn after the state Supreme Court in November ruled it would follow a least change approach from the current maps, which are considered some of the most gerrymandered in the nation.

The states high court issued a 4-3 ruling last week in favor of Evers maps.

Overall, its a step forward, Evers said of his maps after a bill signing Monday. Overall, its not where we need to be.

Theres also a separate pending federal lawsuit that was filed by Democrats. Parties in the case have until March 18 to state their position on whether the case should be dismissed now that the state Supreme Court has ruled.

Republicans currently hold a 61-38 majority in the Assembly and a 21-12 majority in the Senate. Five of the states eight congressional districts are held by Republicans.

Evers office has said the governors maps would elect 44 Democrats and 55 Republicans in the Assembly, and 13 Democrats and 20 Republicans in the Senate. In Congress, Republicans would maintain five seats to Democrats three.

The Legislature must redraw political lines every decade based on the latest population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. In 2011, Republicans, working in secretive conditions, drew maps that packed Democratic voters into lopsided districts and spread out rural and suburban Republicans into districts with solid, but narrower, majorities. The maps allowed the GOP to hold more than 60% of legislative seats, even when Democrats won all statewide elections in 2018.

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A bill that would fund a new juvenile prison in Milwaukee County to replace the states embattled Lincoln Hills facility is headed to the governors desk after receiving approval in the Senate on Tuesday.

The Senate also approved education bills focusing on expanding private school vouchers and parental rights over students education.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has signaled that he would sign the Lincoln Hills bill into law, though he would almost certainly veto most if not all of the many education-related bills the Senate approved Tuesday.

Before the Senate session began, both legislative bodies quickly ended a special session to address the states $3.8 billion projected surplus. Evers asked the Republican-led Legislature to provide a $150 tax rebate for every Wisconsin taxpayer and each of their dependents.

The 10 a.m. Senate special session lasted around 10 seconds; the Assembly special session later Tuesday lasted about 20 seconds. While Evers required lawmakers to gavel into the session, he could not require them to hold debate or take action.

After the lawmakers ended the special session, Evers said in a statement, Republicans are selfishly playing politics by sitting on a projected $3.8 billion surplus until next year while the people of this state watch prices on everyday items go up and gas is almost $4 a gallon.

Lincoln Hills

The Senate approved on a voice vote an amended bill, SB 520, that would authorize nearly $42 million in borrowing to build a juvenile correctional facility to replace the Lincoln Hills facility, which in the last decade has faced reports of child neglect, violent outbursts from inmates, use of pepper spray to cause bodily harm and intimidation of witnesses.

The original bill passed the Senate unanimously, but the Assembly since amended it  adding language to allow for local site approval and to convert the Irma facility to an adult prison  before passing it, so the Senate had to approve it again.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, had indicated in February that the Lincoln Hills bill was unlikely to come before the Assembly before it adjourned for the session. He changed his plan after former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, who is running for governor, urged him to take it up.

For years, Republicans playing politics have stood in the way of our work to close Lincoln Hills and get our kids closer to home safely and responsibly, Evers tweeted after the Assembly changed course. This bipartisan bill is a step in the right direction  lets find common ground and do whats right. Lets get this done.

Education bills

Among the education bills the Senate approved Tuesday is a Republican bill, AB 963, that proposes a Parental Bill of Rights that would allow a parent or guardian to sue a school district or school official if they dont allow parents to:

Determine the names and pronouns used for the child while at school;

Review instructional materials and outlines used by the childs school;

Access any education-related information regarding the child;

Receive advance notice of any polls or surveys conducted in the childs classroom;

Request notice of when certain subjects will be taught or discussed; and,

Opt out of a class or instructional materials for reasons based on either religious or personal conviction.

The Senate passed the bill 19-12 with Sen. Robert Cowles, R-Green Bay, voting against it; the Assembly passed the bill 60-34 along party lines in late February. The measure now heads to Evers, where its likely to be vetoed.

The Senate also approved AB 970, a measure that would vastly expand private school vouchers by eliminating the income limits in the statewide, Milwaukee County and Racine County private school voucher programs, as well as create a temporary education expense reimbursement program for public school students. The bill passed 20-11 along party lines, and is headed to Evers.

That bill, which a fiscal report stated could raise property taxes as much as $577 million, passed the Assembly on a 59-34 vote, with Rep. Joel Kitchens, R-Sturgeon Bay, voting against it.

The Senate approved another bill, AB 966, that would dissolve the Milwaukee Public School System, which Republican lawmakers have long said is failing, replacing it with four to eight school districts. The bill passed 19-11 with Sen. Dale Kooyenga, R-Brookfield, voting against it, and is now headed to Evers for a likely veto.

(I) havent seen it in the final form yet, but it seems illogical, Evers said about the bill Monday. Theres no data to support that thats going to help any children in the Milwaukee area, so its likely to be vetoed.

Additionally, the Senate approved and sent to Evers a measure, AB 984, that would require the University of Wisconsin System to use objective criteria for admissions and publish that criteria online. The bill passed 18-13 with Sen. Kathleen Bernier, R-Chippewa Falls, and Sen. Mary Felzkowski, R-Irma, siding with Democrats against the bill.

The bill would prohibit tests based upon race, national origin and religion from being admissions factors, though a UW-Madison spokesperson pointed out in a statement before a committee that no such tests exist.

Other proposals sent to Evers after Senate approval Tuesday would create a statewide Charter School Authorizing Board and allow the board to authorize independent charter schools (Republicans previously created such a board under the University of Wisconsin System); authorize a parental opt-out from face-covering requirements in school buildings; and loosen requirements to become a substitute teacher.

Funding police

The Senate also approved two bills that would use federal COVID-19 relief money to recruit, train and retain law enforcement officers.

The bills the Senate approved Tuesday are AB 832, which would reimburse people training to be officers and law enforcement agencies whose officers recertify each year, and AB 831, which would lead to the creation of a marketing campaign focused on recruiting and retaining officers in Wisconsin.

The bills already received Assembly approval and are now headed to Evers, who has rejected similar measures by lawmakers to direct federal spending in the past.

In January, Vos said workforce shortages combined with negative Democratic messaging about police have exacerbated law enforcement challenges.

Probably the toughest job right now, where it seems like a whole bunch of forces are coming down on folks, is in law enforcement, Vos said.

Federal funds

The Senate also approved on a 20-11 party-line vote a constitutional amendment, SJR 84, that would prohibit the governor from allocating any federal dollars without first securing legislative approval.

The Senate had initially passed the measure in January, but the Assembly since passed an amended version that needed Senate approval.

Such measures would need to pass the Senate and Assembly in two successive sessions before going to voters in a referendum. The governor cannot veto a constitutional amendment.

Currently, the governor has sole discretion over how federal funds are spent, but there has been a growing push among legislative Republicans seeking more control over how the executive office doles out federal funds primarily in recent years as the federal government pumped billions of stimulus dollars into the state to help address the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

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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

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KEARNEY  A Kearney man is accused of kicking a man in the head causing him to be hospitalized.

Kamaunte McFarland, 22, of Kearney is charged in Buffalo County Court with felony first-degree assault of the man in the early morning hours of Feb. 22 in the 500 block of Fourth Street.

Around 12:20 a.m. Kearney Police Department officers and paramedics from CHI Health Good Samaritan were called to the Big Apple Fun Center where records say police saw a man lying on the floor. The man had obvious injuries, records say, and was bleeding from his ears, but breathing.

A witness told police the victim had tried to break up a fight between two women when he was rendered unconscious, records say.

McFarland then alleged kicked the man in the head. The man was transported to the hospital where he was initially listed in critical condition. When he became conscious, records say he had ringing in his ears and could communicate only by writing.

The man was treated for his injuries and later released. McFarland was interviewed by police and arrested.

Today, McFarland remained at the Buffalo County Jail on a $100,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court later this month.
COLUMBUS -- The defense quickly made clear that they'll be arguing degrees at Felipe Vazquez's murder trial for the fatal shooting of Lincoln Police Investigator Mario Herrera in 2020.

"A terrible thing has happened in this case, but it will be up to you to determine whether the state charged him properly," one of Vazquez's attorneys, Candice Wooster, said in opening statements in Columbus on Tuesday morning.

Vazquez, 19, is charged with first-degree murder, which requires premeditation and intent to kill, plus six other felonies.

Wooster told jurors they'll also be allowed to consider second-degree murder, an intentional act without premeditation or planning, and manslaughter, a death caused unintentionally during an unlawful act, which she argued is the proper charge.

On the other side, Lancaster County Attorney Pat Condon says when Vazquez, then 17, barricaded himself in a bedroom at his parent's house at 33rd and Vine streets in Lincoln on Aug. 26, 2020, and broke through a front window, shooting to escape law enforcement officers there to arrest him, it was first-degree murder.

A single shot struck Herrera causing devastating damage to his liver.

He died at an Omaha hospital on Sept. 7.

Condon told the jury the words, consequences and actions of Vazquez would be important for them to remember during trial.

Carrie Herrera, the slain officer's widow, testified that on Aug. 26, 2020, a Wednesday, Mario came home around 7:30 a.m. because he'd forgotten his backpack.

"And he gave me a kiss and he told me he loved me and he left," she said in emotional testimony.

She said March 9 would've been their 26th anniversary.

Instead, Carrie Herrera was in a courtroom, identifying photos of her husband's shoes and the St. Michael medal, a symbol of the battle of good against evil, he wore around his neck and never took off.

Lincoln Police Investigator Matt Franken then took the stand to talk about how an arrest warrant had come down for Vazquez and surveillance had linked him to the home at 33rd and Vine, so he and Herrera headed there.

Herrera helped interpret when Vazquez's stepmother answered the door. She didn't know if he was there but said they could search the house, Franken said.

Franken whistled to round up the rest of the team waiting outside. And they started their search, eventually finding a locked door.

"I started to push on it, and I feel resistance right away," he said.

It started to become clear to them that someone was inside, Franken said. Worst case, he said, they had a wanted person barricaded in the room with Vazquez's stepmom and another woman and child still in the house.

Herrera started to move the two women and the child outside.

"The last thing he ever said to me is: 'There's someone in there. He's in there,'" Franken said.

Franken started negotiating with Vazquez, who at first had a slow, calm tone, then started asking more probing questions, like how many officers were out there. He seemed to be trying to buy time.

"It became very apparent to everyone in the room that he was sizing us up," Franken said.

They had brought a ramming device inside but didn't want to use it because it puts them in a precarious position, he said. It was nice weather. They had all the time in the world to wait.

Then, Franken said, he noticed stress in Vazquez's voice. He said, repeatedly, he was coming out, then seemed to issue a challenge: "Are you ready?"

Franken said he then heard him say something like, "Oh my God. I can't believe I'm doing this."

Next came the sound of glass breaking. Then shots fired.

Police say it was the sound of Vazquez and Orion Ross smashing through a window to escape and Vazquez firing.

A bullet hit Herrera  who had been in plain clothes and not wearing a bulletproof vest.

This is a developing story. Stay with JournalStar.com for updates.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7237 or lpilger@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSpilger
Wisconsin Department of Children and Families Secretary Emilie Amundson visited Viroqua, Thursday, March 3, to learn about the Viroqua Area School Districts plans for its new childhood development center.

Amundson also shared how DCFs new grant program, Project Growth, can support innovative solutions to help solve the challenges facing Wisconsins child care system and bolster the states economy.

District Administrator Tom Burkhalter said child care is an issue not only in Viroqua and the surrounding community, but also across the country.

Burkhalter said when he was hired two years ago, there was discussion about ways the school district could tackle the issue of child care. We have an obligation to help with what we can. We can help with child care.

He said when Vernon Memorial Healthcare closed Fairhaven Assisted Living at 601 Arena Drive a year-and-a-half ago, it was an unfortunate blow to the community.

Burkhalter said the district entered talks with VMH about purchasing the property for an early childhood development center. They wanted to select a group that would serve the community; they could have sold to a private party. The district administrator said during the process he reached out to DCF to see if they could walk through the facility with him to determine if an early childhood development center was a good idea.

Burkhalter said DCF helped him present the idea to the school board.

The (school) board saw it as a need and a unique tool (and made the decision) to pull the trigger, Burkhalter said, to purchase the building and its surrounding property.

The deal was voted upon and announced at the school districts annual meeting on Sept. 20, 2021 Closing on the property happened before the end of 2021.

The building is 11,000 square-feet, and Burkhalter said it includes 21 restrooms, a sprinkler system, laundry facilities, a sink in each room, and cabinetry in each room, among other amenities.

Burkhalter said Sharon Engh has been hired as the centers director. He said the school district is still in the planning stages of what the building will look like in the future. It will be a community resource. He said the building is best suited to serve 100 children. The target for occupancy of the building is by the end of this year.

Project Growth

DCF opened applications Feb. 28 for Project Growth, a $20 million grant program designed to help solve the challenges facing Wisconsins child care system and bolster the states economy.

Strengthening Wisconsins child care system is critical to supporting families and boosting our economy, Amundson said in a press release. When parents cant find care that meets their familys needs, they are unable to remain in the workforce. By bringing together businesses and child care programs, we can begin to build strong, sustainable partnerships that benefit everyone.

Project Growth is offering two unique grants aimed at making high-quality, affordable child care more accessible and sustainable across Wisconsin.

The Partner Up! grant program focuses on supporting partnerships between businesses and child care providers by offering funding to businesses who purchase slots at existing regulated child care providers. Funding under this program will be awarded based on existing community child care needs throughout Wisconsin.

The Dream Up! Child Care Supply-Building grant program focuses on building child care supply through a collaborative community approach. Funding under this program will be awarded to 30 communities around the state to help create new child care businesses and enhance existing providers through expansion, new programs, and other offerings.

Businesses are encouraged to apply for Partner Up! grants, while child care providers, community organizations, businesses, and local government agencies or school districts are encouraged to apply for the Dream Up! grants. Applications for both grants are open through April 4, and available on DCFs Project Growth page.

To help design a grant program that meets the needs of Wisconsin employers and communities, DCF, surveyed nearly 1,000 employers from every county in the state, across a wide range of industries. The results highlighted the importance of child care to the states economy and workforce with 73% of respondents agreeing that providing employees with resources to support their child care needs is a strategy that all employers should consider to address workforce/labor shortages. However, many respondents cited barriers in providing such benefits, with a majority stating federal or state government incentives would increase the likelihood that their company could implement or expand child care resources.

Project Growth is primarily funded through the states $30 million Preschool Development Grant  Birth to 5 (PDG B-5) award, which is designed to provide states with the funding necessary to plan changes to their early care and education systems. To increase program capacity, DCF is also using federal funding from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act.

To learn more about DCF, visit www.dcf.wisconsin.gov

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La Crosse police are asking for the publics help to apprehend two suspects in the Jan. 8 homicide of Ernest Knox.

Nelson D. Brown, 25, Rockford, Illinois, and Karvel T. Freeman, 35, Madison, were charged Monday in La Crosse County Circuit Court with first-degree intentional homicide and second-degree recklessly endangering safety. Brown also faces charges of felon in possession of a firearm and bail jumping.

Warrants for their arrests have been issued by La Crosse County Circuit Court Judge Scott Horne.

The suspects are considered armed and dangerous, and police are warning citizens not to approach or attempt to contact them.

Anyone with information is asked to call the La Crosse Police Department at 608-782-7575. Tips can be anonymously provided to La Crosse Area Crime Stoppers at 608-784-TIPS (8477) or online at lacrossecrimestoppers.com. Citizens can also download the Crime Stoppers App P3 to submit a tip via cell phone.

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La Crosse County prosecutors have identified two people as suspects in the fatal Jan. 8 shooting of 36-year-old Ernest Knox.

Nelson D. Brown, 25, Rockford, Illinois, and Karvel T. Freeman, 35, Madison, were charged Monday in La Crosse County Circuit Court with first-degree intentional homicide and second-degree recklessly endangering safety. Warrants for their arrest were issued Friday by Judge Scott Horne.

Brown was also charged with felon in possession of a firearm and felony bail jumping.

According to the criminal complaint, witnesses told La Crosse police that Brown, Freeman and Knox were among those who went to an upstairs apartment at 719 Rose Street for an after-bar party. One of the witnesses said a dispute began after Freeman knocked a box of wine on the floor and refused to pick it up.

Several witnesses said efforts were made to get Freeman and Brown to leave. One witness said the two were walking down a stairway when Knox attempted to calm the situation. The witness said Freeman was walking the last few steps backward and was facing Knox when he tapped Brown on the hip. The witness interpreted the tap as Freeman giving Brown the go-ahead to shoot Knox.

The witness said Brown pulled a pistol from his right jacket pocket and shot at Knox, who was 3-4 feet away. The witness said he heard several more gunshots and that both Brown and Freeman were holding guns.

Police interviewed four other witnesses. One said Freeman was drunk and acting crazy prior to the shooting. Another confirmed Knoxs role as an attempted peacemaker. The witness said Knox put his arm around Freeman and said, Dont worry, cousin, I got this.

The complaint says a police officer in the area heard the gunshots and immediately responded to the scene. The officer observed a black SUV drive away from The Verse and turn eastbound on St. Cloud Street. The officer later noticed three males running northbound from the rear of The Verse.

Knox sustained a single gunshot wound to the chest. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

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After a quick and quiet auction Tuesday, the lone bid of $13.2 million was accepted to purchase the Valley View Mall, which is about half of its estimated value.

A crowd of about a dozen gathered in the hallway outside of the La Crosse County Sheriffs Department during the sale, though only one official bid was made on behalf of Wells Fargo Bank, the listed plaintiff.

The lawyer for the plaintiff, Max Meckstroth of Foley & Lardner LLP, was present to place the bid but declined to comment after the sale.

A judge ordered a foreclosure sale on the mall in the fall of 2020, which has seen a steady decline in business over the past decade. The mall has been owned by Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, or PREIT, since 2003, and managed by Spinoso Real Estate Group of Syracuse, N.Y., since 2020.

Although its still unknown what the future of the mall will be after this sale, typically a lender may try to sell the property on its own after acquiring it through a foreclosure sale.

The section of the mall that is soon to be a Hy-Vee supermarket, and the former Macys and Herbergers department stores were not included in the sale.

The remainder of the mall that was up for sale Tuesday, which includes the wooded area to the south of the mall along the La Crosse River and the JCPenney, was last valued at a combined $27,130,100.

On Tuesday, 10% of the winning $13.2 million bid was required to be paid, and the remaining balance will be due no later than 10 days after the courts confirmation of the sale or the sale is forfeited.

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MILWAUKEE  A second Wisconsin prosecutor has declined to file charges against Wisconsin elections commissioners following requests from Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling.

The first, Racine County District Attorney Tricia Hanson, said it was not within her jurisdiction to charge the commissioners who waived a set of election laws regarding those in long-term care facilities amid the COVID-19 pandemic leading up to the 2020 presidential election. None of their actions occurred within Racine County, even if their decisions did have effects statewide.

The second to decline to press charges was the Milwaukee County District Attorneys Office.

In a Monday letter to Schmaling and RCSO Lt. Michael Luell, Assistant District Attorney Matthew Westphal said: The Milwaukee County District Attorneys Offices statutory mandate is limited to prosecuting crime. Upon a review of the facts and law, it has been determined that there is insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime was committed.

At this time, this office has no basis to issue criminal charges in this matter.

Background

The RSCO requested charges against five of the six appointees to the Wisconsin Elections Commission for their votes to waive the laws that say Special Voting Deputies shall be sent into nursing homes and other similar facilities to carry out absentee voting. Another law waived was a ban on nursing home staff members assisting residents with absentee voting.

Republican elections commissioner says 2020 election was both 'legal' and 'rigged' Wisconsin Elections Commissioner Bob Spindell believes Biden defeated Trump in a legally rigged election because of the legality of things like mail-in voting, ballot collection events and Kanye West's name not being on ballots.

The WEC does not have the authority to waive laws, leading to Schmaling and Luell requesting that charges be filed against five of the six commissioners.

Those the RCSO requested charges against were three Democratic appointees  Julie M. Glancey, Ann S. Jacobs and Mark L. Thomsen  and two Republican appointees  Dean Knudson and Marge Bostelmann.

Quote "Allowing seniors to vote is not a crime." Mark L. Thomsen, a Democrat appointed to the Wisconsin Elections Commission

One commissioner, Republican-appointee Bob Spindell, initially voted to waive the laws, but in subsequent balloting voted against the waiver. As such, the RCSO did not request charges against him.

The WEC has argued that in 2020, SVDs would likely have not been given access to nursing homes in order to carry out the vote due to COVID-19 protocols. As such, the measures they took were necessary, the commissioners argued.

Schmaling and Hanson are Republicans. Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm is a Democrat.

Six DAs now involved

After Hanson declined to file charges, the RCSO contacted the district attorneys of the home counties of each of those five commissioners, seeking the charges including misconduct in public office and election fraud as a party to a crime to be filed.

The Milwaukee County DAs decision to not file charges against those who live in Milwaukee County (Jacobs and Thomsen) is the first such decision made public.

Three other district attorneys  those of Sheboygan, Green Lake and St. Croix counties  have yet to publicly announce their decisions, if any have been made.

In a Tuesday morning email, St. Croix DA Karl Anderson, a Republican, said: I have not quite finished my review of everything.

Sheriff accepts, criticizes decision

The RCSO accepted the decision of the Milwaukee County DAs office to not press charges against the two WEC commissioners who reside in that county, but criticized the decision and the Milwaukee DAs office in a lengthy Facebook post and news release Monday evening.

The Milwaukee DAs decision, as the RCSO put it, found that ... the words shall and not are not mandatory and/or controlling in the interpretation of the statute, but merely directory and not mandatory. It should be noted that the first three cases cited in the support of the (Milwaukee) DAs Office are from rarely referenced cases from 1955, 1966, and 1974.

Those were not the only cases cited by the Milwaukee DAs Office. At least three other cases also were referenced, from from 2001, 2004 and 2010.

Despite the long history of the Milwaukee DAs Office no-charging or under charging criminal cases, the RCSOs statement continued, the Sheriffs Office is appreciative that they had an ADA review the reports.

The post continued by taking a written swipe at Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat who has declined to launch a statewide investigation at the request of the RCSO following the investigation in Mount Pleasant. The Racine County Sheriffs Office further appreciates the review of the Milwaukee DAs Office, at least, unlike AG Kaul/the Department of Justice/and the Division of Criminal Investigation (which includes the Elder Abuse Unit), that Milwaukee DAs Office accepted Racines investigative reports, reviewed the reports and rendered a decision.

Kaul previously called the RCSO investigation a publicity stunt ... a transparently political effort and an abuse of authority.

Reasoning

It  seems clear that, in providing guidance regarding SVDs, the WEC was exercising a discretionary power of office, as the WEC is statutorily authorized to provide guidance and advisory opinions in the administration of elections, the letter from the Milwaukee DA stated.

Among the reasons cited in the letter Monday for charges to not be filed was that it must be noted that the overarching purpose of the election laws is to give effect to the will of the electors. The letter described the laws surrounding SVDs as directory statutes that do not require mandatory compliance.

Westphal later quoted from a 2001 court decision, which said (the courts have) consistently sought to preserve the will of the electors by construing election provisions as directory if there has been substantial compliance with their terms.

As such, Westphal argued, the RCSOs strict reading of the law is inappropriate when faced with how it may have been impossible or at least more difficult for those in nursing homes to vote had the SVD law not been ignored.

Allowing seniors to vote is not a crime, Thomsen said in a tweet Monday.

The letter continued, calling into question the thoroughness of Luells investigative work, which Schmaling has repeatedly defended, at the Ridgewood Care Center in Mount Pleasant.

RCSO did not directly interview Ridgewood residents whom Luell and Schmaling asserted did not have the mental capacity to vote. Rather, the investigation relied on testimony from loved ones of those living in the nursing home. Schmaling repeatedly asserted it would be disrespectful to interview those who were reported to not be able to recognize their loved ones and were hallucinating.

The Milwaukee DAs letter said: Claims have been made that residents who did not request a ballot voted because someone requested a ballot on their behalf and voted on their behalf. There has been no evidence submitted that any of the individuals who received ballots did not request them.

There has been no evidence that someone voted on the behalf of one of the residents. There were interviews done with family members, where the family questioned the ability of their loved one to request a ballot and vote. The familys belief about the residents competency to vote is not the same as a competency determination by a court that the person is disqualified from voting.

The assessment of a layperson, even where that person is close family, is not the equivalent of an adjudication by a court that a person is incompetent. Absent such a court adjudication, a familys concerns about an individuals ability to vote would not disqualify that person from requesting a ballot and voting.

Further, none of the individual electors were interviewed to determine whether they did request a ballot or request someone do so on their behalf. Regardless, the WEC had no role in requesting ballots or voting on behalf of residents. The specific WEC guidance to clerk (sic) was that ballots should only issue to those who request one. There is no evidence they conspired or encouraged anyone to improperly request or submit a ballot.

Reacting to the news Monday, Jacobs tweeted that the Milwaukee DAs letter is an incredibly thorough analysis and debunks the false claims of the Racine Sheriff & (Michael) Gableman. Simply put  there was no crime whatsoever.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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The University of Wisconsin System is conducting a facilities review to ensure all dorms are up to code after a gas leak in a UW-Milwaukee dorm that lacked carbon monoxide detectors sent 17 students to the hospital last week.

The lack of alarms didnt violate building code, System and UW-Milwaukee officials said, because the faulty boiler believed to have caused the gas leak is not a furnace that forces air through the building. Rather, it heats water that is used to heat the building through a piped hot water heating system.

State law carves out an exemption from the detector requirement in buildings with more than two units that are heated through steam  a loophole that Milwaukee personal injury attorney Randy Rozek said the Legislature should fix because even with a steam-heating method, gas leaks can occur if the building has a fuel-burning appliance, such as a boiler.

UW-Milwaukee last week began installing detectors in all dorms.

UW-Madison has no plans to do widespread installation of detectors in its dorms, some of which also lack alarms in residential areas. But university spokesperson John Lucas said thats because most campus buildings, including dorms, are heated via steam generated off-site at campus heating plants, not through fuel-burning appliances. He said UW-Madison has detectors in areas where there is gas usage, which is generally isolated to laundry rooms and commercial kitchen spaces.

Rozek, who has worked on many carbon monoxide poisoning cases, said he was less concerned about UW-Madison after hearing how its campus buildings are heated and about the detectors the university said are already in place where gas is used. He encouraged all students to buy their own detectors, which typically cost $20, last several years and dont require batteries.

In light of last weeks incident, System President Tommy Thompson directed chancellors to conduct thorough building-code reviews and to expand detector usage beyond state and local requirements, spokesperson Mark Pitsch said.

UW-Milwaukee Police arrived at Cambridge Commons on the evening of Feb. 28 after a parent reported their student being treated at a hospital for carbon monoxide exposure and asked officials to check on the students roommate. Around that same time, students started complaining to the buildings front desk about headaches, dizziness and other symptoms.

Firefighters who arrived on scene detected elevated levels of carbon monoxide and ordered the roughly 400 residents to evacuate, according to the university. The fire department determined a faulty boiler in the basement of the buildings north end likely caused carbon monoxide, an odorless and poisonous gas, to leak into the dorm rooms, though the investigation is still ongoing.

Two students described struggling to stand as they made their way to the front desk. The students, Morgan Bateman and Lauren Draeger, didnt return emails from the Wisconsin State Journal but told WISN-TV that they were rushed to a hyperbaric chamber after hospital staff discovered high levels of carbon monoxide in their blood.

The nurse, they were all telling us, like, Oh, if you had fallen back to sleep, which I totally was going to just go back to sleep, because when I was sleeping I felt better, Bateman said. They said if we went back to sleep, we probably wouldve died in our sleep.

Cambridge Commons undergoes annual fire inspections and carbon monoxide detectors were not recommended, UW-Milwaukee officials said. The university hadnt had any carbon monoxide incidents on campus before last week.

This incident has shaken our students trust, and we are deeply sorry for that, Kelly Haag, the universitys vice chancellor for student affairs, wrote in a Monday email to the campus community. We are reviewing all potential carbon monoxide sources across campus and installing appropriate monitoring, regardless of whether it is legally required.

The students who went to the hospital with symptoms have since been released. Most Cambridge Commons residents have returned to the building, UW-Milwaukee officials said, though those with safety concerns were given the option to relocate. About 14 students with rooms in the north end of the building were moved to other dorms in anticipation of boiler repairs that are expected to take about a month.

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When Kris Kaufman and his business partner Dan Gotwalt invested in an East King Street build
An East Lampeter Township man impersonated a social worker in order to stalk and harass an Ephrata woman, according to Ephrata police.

Angel Jesus Colon Quiroz, 23, sent texts to the woman the morning of Dec. 5 asking for her personal information, claiming to be a caseworker from the Lancaster County Children & Youth Agency who was conducting an investigation into her, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

The woman suspected the texts were written by Colon Quiroz after he asked her for her address, being familiar with his writing and texting patterns, police said.

Colon Quiroz is not allowed to contact the woman due to her previously having placed a restraining order against him, according to the affidavit. Colon Quiroz has previously violated the restraining order at least once before, having been found guilty Dec. 1 of three counts of indirect criminal contempt.

The messages put (the woman) in fear of harm from Colon Quiroz, police said.

Children & Youth Agency workers told investigators the texts had not been sent by any of their caseworkers.

Investigators traced the IP address used to send the texts to the Salisbury Township distribution center where Colon Quiroz was temporarily employed at the time.

Colon Quiroz admitted to investigators that the texts were sent through his cell phone, but claimed the messages had been written by a coworker.

Police charged Colon Quiroz on Monday with felony stalking as well as impersonating a public servant and harassment, both misdemeanor offenses. He had not been arrested as of Monday evening, according to court records.

An attorney was not listed for Colon Quiroz in court documents.

A preliminary hearing has not been scheduled.

Court records show Colon Quiroz has previously pleaded guilty to charges of harassment in 2020 and 2021. Information on sentencing for those charges was not available.
The National Weather Service in State College issued a severe thunderstorm warning in Lancaster County in anticipation of powerful storms tonight.

Severe thunderstorms with wind gusts of up to 60 mph were detected moving east at 55 mph along a line extending from Steelton to Bonneauville at 7:33 p.m., NWS said. The storms could damage roofs, siding and trees.

Areas in Lancaster County expected to be impacted include Lancaster, Ephrata, Elizabethtown, Columbia, Lititz, Millersville, Mount Joy, New Holland, Manheim and Akron.

Portions of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and routes 83 and 283 will also be affected.

People in the area are urged to move to interior rooms on the lowest floor of a building.

The warning will expire at 8:30 p.m.

The severe thunderstorm warning was also issued in Adams, York, Dauphin and Lebanon counties.
Editor's note: This article has been updated with sentencing information provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

A York County woman who used money she obtained through various illegal ways  including taking nearly $80,000 from a Lancaster County woman  to purchase a house has reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

Melinda Bixler, 49, of York, agreed to pay a total of $147,882 to three former clients from whom she misappropriated funds as well as forfeiting property and a $129,357.01 balance in a bank account belonging to her business, Adult Care Advocates, after pleading guilty Monday at U.S. District Court in Harrisburg. She also agreed to resign her positions with both Elder Healthcare Solutions and Adult Care Advocates, according to a news release by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

Bixler had been charged March 4 with one count of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from unlawful activity.

Bixler purchased the home in York for $685,000 using the Lancaster County woman's money and other money she got illegally, according to U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus.

Bixler obtained a mortgage loan for the home by giving "multiple false statements" to York Traditions Bank, including a forged letter from owners of a business property Bixler previously bought. The letter, according to the U.S. attorney, stated she no longer owed money to prior owners; in fact, she was still making monthly payments on it, the prosecutor said.

Bixler also obtained a gift letter from her son that stated he was giving her $350,000 from his personal fund, according to Gurganus. Officials allege Bixler funneled the money to her son using transactions that disguised the true sources of the money.

"One source of these funds was $78,000 that Bixler took from the bank account of ... a 94-year-old woman residing at a nursing home in Lancaster County," according to a news release. Bixler was the woman's power of attorney and had access to her bank account.

As part of the plea agreement, Bixler agreed to forfeit nearly $150,000 as restitution.

York Daily Record reports Bixler started Elder Healthcare Solutions LLC in 2010 and a nonprofit organization Adult Care Advocates LLC. The businesses worked to clean out homes for people who moved into nursing homes or assisted-living facilities, as well as manage their finances.

A bequest left Adult Care Advocates with $813,000 in 2017  Bixler then purchased a home in West Manchester Township, York County, which contained offices for both businesses, according to the report. She agreed to pay the former owners monthly for 10 years after making an initial down payment.

Bixler started the process of obtaining a mortgage on a home in Spring Garden Township, York County, in 2018, which is when prosecutors say Bixler made the false claims about where the money came from.

In York County, Bixler is charged with three counts of corrupt organizations and other offenses. Those charges stem from accusations from York County prosecutors that she embezzled nearly $800,000 from Adult Care Advocates and used the money on personal expenses.

She is currently free on $200,000 bail. Kyle King, a spokesperson for the York County District Attorneys Office, told YDR that prosecutors intend to dismiss the state charges once the federal charges have been settled.
When: Akron Borough Council meeting, Feb. 28.

What happened: Akron officials discussed a proposal to replace rail trail crossing signals but made no decision. Currently, the blinking yellow light signals at the crossings on Main and Fulton streets are reportedly working intermittently. They are supposed to sense anyone approaching them and trigger the blinking lights. The bill to replace four new sensors, two at each crossing, will be about $3,200.

Safety discussion: Council member Ryan Cochran suggested the borough install stop signs on the trail for walkers and bike riders to make them aware of vehicular traffic on the streets. However, it is motorists who are required to stop for pedestrians on both Main and Fulton Streets. Only on high speed roads with speed limits at or exceeding 45 mph, like Rothsville and Newport Roads in Warwick Township, are vehicles not required to stop. Cochran also suggested a button be installed so walkers could manually trigger the yellow blinkers to alert motorists. Council President Nathan Imhoff suggested adding gates to partially block the trail at crossings to create a bottleneck and slow down bike riders on the trail at crossings.

A word of caution: Assistant Borough Manager Sean Molchany said, Before you do anything you might want to check with your engineer because the difference between here and whats in Warwick is state roadways. And some of their crossings are mid-block and ours is not. Mayor John McBeth suggested adding stop signs for motorists at the crossings. Councilman Paul Swangren said there is no pressing need to change systems.

Quotable: I would think youd want to work on this quickly because it is a safety issue, Molchany said.

Engineers advice: Borough Engineer Jeffrey Shue of C.S. Davidson pointed out that any changes other than maintenance in signalization could require Pennsylvania Department of Transportation approval. That process he said can be costly and prolonged because it would involve lengthy reviews. He suggested the borough maintain what it has.
THE ISSUE

A former Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health nurse fired for refusing to get a flu shot lost her religious discrimination lawsuit, LNP | LancasterOnlines Dan Nephin reported Saturday. In dismissing Shyanne Aukamp-Corcorans suit last month, a federal judge rejected her claim that her Christianity led to her opposition and said no reasonable jury would find she had a sincere religious objection. Aukamp-Corcorans attorney is asking for a reconsideration, arguing the case should go to a jury because its not for a judge to assess witness credibility.

The phenomenon of people doing their own research on vaccination has proven to be a scourge in recent years.

Decision-making based on internet misinformation has led to the terrible resurgence of childhood diseases such as measles. To the tragedy of unvaccinated people dying of COVID-19. And to the decline in the belief that we must fight vaccine-preventable diseases by protecting not only ourselves but one another.

Unbelievably, in this case, a licensed practical nurse placed her own misguided research before the health of the patients with whom she was likely to come into contact. In firing her for refusing to get immunized against the flu, Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health was acting out of concern for those patients and this licensed practical nurses co-workers.

Weve stated this before, and well continue to make this point: If you want to be employed as a health care worker in a medical facility  a place thats full of sick people who cannot afford to get sicker  you need to get vaccinated against infectious diseases. This is just a matter of common sense. Of what use is a health care worker who cannot safely be in the same room as a medically fragile patient?

We would believe this no matter the circumstances of a particular lawsuit. But in this instance, the judges call wasnt even a difficult one.

Aukamp-Corcoran had contended that she believes her religion requires her to keep her body pure from everything that contaminates the body and spirit, including vaccines.

But the lead pastor at the church she attended told LNP | LancasterOnline in a 2019 email that the Brethren in Christ denomination, of which the church is part, does not have an official position or statement on flu shots.

Except for a few Christian faith-healing denominations, most religions have no theological objection to vaccination, according to research from Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Aukamp-Corcoran had gotten flu shots in the years 2012 through 2016, as her employer required. But she said she began in 2017 to research vaccination from a medical perspective after miscarrying and becoming pregnant again.

She asked her midwife and her physician to sign a medical exemption for her; they both refused, likely because they know that, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website explains, changes to the immune system, heart, and lungs during pregnancy make people more susceptible to influenza severe enough to cause hospitalization throughout pregnancy and up to two weeks postpartum. Influenza also may be harmful for the developing baby.

So Aukamp-Corcoran posted about her vaccine situation on a sketchy vaccine re-education forum that since has been shut down by Facebook. She was advised by members of that group to seek a religious exemption.

No wonder that in his Feb. 17 opinion, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Schmehl found the timing and circumstances of the plaintiffs request for a religious exemption to Lancaster General Healths vaccine requirement to be suspicious and indicative of a lack of sincerity in her religious beliefs.

He noted that she did not request a religious exemption until after she unsuccessfully petitioned her midwife and her medical doctor for a medical-based exemption from the vaccination requirement.

In finding Aukamp-Corcorans religious claims to be insincere, Schmehl agreed with Lancaster General Healths assertion that her tattoos and piercings didnt align with her claim that the Bible compelled her to keep her blood pure. And the judge rightly rejected Aukamp-Corcorans argument that granting her an exemption would not be an undue hardship for the health system.

Schmehl's opinion cited vaccine expert Daniel Salmon of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who stated that any exemption, for whatever reason granted, weakens the health systems ability to protect patients from influenza. Because some medical exemptions are necessary, Lancaster General Health needs to limit religious exemptions only to those who demonstrate an actual established right to one. Otherwise, Salmon noted, immunity is lowered within the health system, and this can lead to a spread of influenza at the health systems facilities.

According to an article published in 2010 in a U.S. government health journal, health care workers who have direct contact with patients present the primary source of infectious disease outbreaks in health care facilities. (The italics are ours.)

The article continued: Patients are at increased risk for disease when they are treated by (health care workers) who have been exposed to influenza.

And it noted that vaccination against the flu can reduce morbidity by 70% to 90%, making it the most effective method to prevent transmission of the virus.

People ages 65 and older are at particular risk of dying from influenza. As Schmehl noted, Aukamp-Corcorans primary duties as a licensed practical nurse at Lancaster General Healths outpatient facility at Willow Lakes involved providing direct care to geriatric patients.

The judge also noted that on average, influenza causes approximately 200,000 hospitalizations each year. According to the CDC, approximately 90% of influenza-related deaths and 50% to 70% of influenza-related hospitalizations occur among people ages 65 and older.

In our view, only health care workers with documented medical reasons should be exempted from mandatory vaccinations, whether flu or COVID-19. And those medical exemptions ought to be stingily granted, to ensure the health of patients.

We appreciate Judge Schmehls decision to grant Lancaster General Healths request for a summary judgment in this case, shutting down this lawsuit relatively quickly. He injected some common sense into the often-ridiculous and dangerous debate over vaccination and we laud him for it.
Tuesday, March 8, 2022

The Connecticut Supreme Court rejected claims of judicial bias in a divorce trial that were raised for the first time on appeal.

The court found isolated "intemperate" comments of the judge did not establish bias

At the outset, it is important to note that the claim of judicial bias is a serious matter, which we do not take lightly. We do not, however, review such allegations in a vacuum, divorced from the context in which the events took place. In order to understand that context, it is important to understand the following background. During the course of the pretrial period, the plaintiff had at least three different attorneys. In addition, the plaintiff, who is an attorney, also entered an appearance as a self-represented party. The trial court allowed the plaintiff to argue on her own behalf when she was in between attorneys and did not have counsel for a particular hearing or conference. This was not a case of hybrid representation, however. Once represented by counsel, the trial court repeatedly reminded the plaintiff, during multiple hearings and conferences, that she could not interrupt the proceedings and must speak through her counsel. Despite the courts repeated reminders about not interrupting and speaking through her counsel, the plaintiff continued to interrupt the proceedings.

When a zoom-held hearing had a glitch

As a result, one can hear the trial court whispering during the recess. The plaintiff points to one of the statements made during this recess in support of her plain error claimnamely, the trial court said, I just am not gonna have that stupid woman talk. Thereafter, the plaintiffs attorney returned to the call and said [h]ello. The defendants attorney also said [h]ello. The trial court then said, [w]e are returning on to the record then. The conference then continued for more than one hour.

The plaintiff then interrupted again, and the court offered another recess. At that point, the trial court clearly said, [t]ake a recess. The plaintiff points to statements made during this recess that can be heard on the audio recording. First, while conversing with the court clerk, off the record, regarding the plaintiffs late disclosure of an expert witness, the trial court commented that, [a]t least shell pay for an expedited [report]. One can then hear laughter, and the trial court said, I know, its horrible. A few seconds later, the trial court said: Its because of Marianna . . . . Shes not sick. The trial court also said, [s]hes gonna be a mess until we get it done. After the plaintiff finished consulting with her attorney, the plaintiffs attorney and the defendants attorney returned to the call, and the trial court clearly stated: Were back on the record in the matter of Ponns Cohen.

A review of the audio recording reveals that these comments were made by the trial court in frustration during recesses from a telephonic conference, in which the plaintiff repeatedly interrupted the proceedings and ignored the trial courts repeated instructions that she must speak through her counsel. The trial court granted multiple recesses in order to accommodate the plaintiff and to allow the plaintiff to confer with her attorney, but the interruptions continued. Significantly, there is no indication that the trial courts annoyance with the plaintiffs ongoing misbehavior had any effect on the courts rulings; to the contrary, at the end of this conference, the trial court allowed the plaintiff to disclose her expert, despite her failure to comply with the trial management orders regarding the expert disclosure. Furthermore, a review of the entire record demonstrates that the trial court treated the plaintiff fairly and with consideration throughout the lengthy proceedings. Indeed, the trial court granted many of the plaintiffs numerous requests for continuances, over the objections of the defendants attorney. In doing so, the trial court acknowledged and sympathized with the plaintiffs health issues and family emergencies. Therefore, although the trial courts comments were ill-advised, we cannot conclude that they constitute[d] an error that was so obvious that it affect[ed] the fairness and integrity of and public confidence in the judicial proceedings, and an error of such monumental proportion that [it] threaten[ed] to erode our system of justice and work a serious and manifest injustice on the aggrieved party. (Internal quotation marks omitted.) State v. Silva, 339 Conn. 598, 62021, 262 A.3d 113 (2021).

Result

In light of the isolated nature of the comments, the fact that they did not reflect an opinion derived from an extrajudicial source, and the trial courts ultimate award to the plaintiff of approximately 50 percent of the marital assetshardly an outcome bespeaking bias on the part of the decision makerwe cannot conclude that there was an obvious error that resulted in manifest injustice. These isolated comments would not lead a reasonable person to question the judges impartiality in this case. Instead, a review of the record reveals that, despite these comments, the trial court repeatedly accommodated the plaintiff and patiently sought to unravel the morass of discovery and procedural issues that occurred during this litigation, without declaring a second mistrial. Accordingly, we cannot conclude that the doctrine of plain error requires reversal in the present case.

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2022/03/the-connecticut-supreme-court-rejected-claims-of-judicial-bias-in-a-divorce-trial-that-were-raised-for-the-first-time-on-appe.html
Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny has again called for protests against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Navalny is currently serving a prison sentence of over two years on what his supporters and Western legal experts call a false fraud charge.

The opposition leader urged his supporters to act through social media from a prison outside of Moscow. He wrote on Twitter on March 8 that anger against the war was building inside Russia. He said the anti-war feelings will keep growing across the society, so the anti-war protests should not be halted.

Navalny also said Russians reactions to the war "will largely define Russia's place in the history of the 21st century."

And he said it was important to show that Russian citizens do not support the policy of President Vladimir Putin.

"Its one thing if Putin killed Ukrainian civilians and destroyed life-critical infrastructure with full approval from the Russian citizens. However, its a whole different story if Putins bloody venture is not supported by the society," he added in a series of messages.

Last week, Navalny urged daily demonstrations against the war in the countrys cities.

OVD-Info is a nonprofit organization that observes police arrests nationwide. It reported that police have detained more than 13,500 people for protesting against the war since Russia began its invasion on February 24.

Navalny said his aides and associates carried out a series of computer-based opinion studies. Each of the studies asked for the opinion of 700 people from Moscow. The results showed quick changes in the way people understand Russia's actions in the war.

While admitting the study was limited, the 45-year-old lawyer said it was still clear that "it took a few days of war to bring about radical mood changes among Russians."

He added that people are willing to change their opinion, but only if they are involved in a discussion and they are able to get true information about the war."

At first, research by government-controlled groups carrying out public opinion studies in Russia suggested that Putin had majority support.

Studies by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center and the Public Opinion Fund said more than 60 percent of Russians support the war.

But some opinion experts suggest the studies are not correct. They said there would be less reported support if the firms had asked people whether they agree with the invasion of Ukraine. Instead, it was called a special military operation. The Russian government is calling its actions in Ukraine: a special military operation.

Navalny added that the leadership in Russia can see there has been a change in public opinion. He said that explains their "nervousness, and the desperate attempts to end the war campaign as soon as possible."

Im Ashley Thompson.

Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty staff reported on this story for RFE/RL and Jamie Detmer reported on it for VOA News. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English.

____________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

fraud  n. the crime of getting money by tricking or lying to people

infrastructure  n. the basic systems, such as transport and communication, that a country or organization uses in order to work effectively

venture  n. a new activity that may not be successful

mood  n. the way someone feels at a particular time

desperate  adj. feeling that you have no hope and are ready to do anything to change the situation you are in

What do you think of the protests in Russia against the invasion of Ukraine? Are there such protests where you live? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.
The competition between South Korea's two leading presidential candidates has been marked by insults, attacks and legal action.

Just days before early voting started, Lee Jae-myung from the ruling Democratic Party and Yoon Suk Yeol from the main opposition People Power Party were in a tense campaign. A record number of voters, nearly 37 percent, took part in two days of early voting by mail that ended on Saturday

Hong Joon-pyo is a senior leader in the People Power Party. He wrote on Facebook that "It's a dreadful presidential election because the loser may go to prison. He compared the campaign to a fight between dogs.

There has even been a physical attack. On Monday, a man attacked Song Young-gil, the leader of South Korea's ruling Democratic Party. Song was attending an event for the party's presidential candidate, Lee Jae-myung. Song had to go to the hospital after a stranger hit him on the head with a metal object. He left the hospital after treatment.

The attacker was reported to be a man in his 70s. Reuters, which published video of the incident, said it could not confirm the video which came from YouTube. It showed the attacker wearing traditional clothing. He struck Song on the back of the head. Party officials said Song was in good condition and police arrested the man.

More critics than supporters

Opinion studies show that both candidates have more critics than supporters. It is a time of economic weakness for South Korea after the COVID-19 pandemic and also of fears because of North Koreas missile tests.

Yoon has accused Lee of wrongdoing related to a land development. Lee has denied any connection to it and has tried to link Yoon to the same investigation. There have also been attacks on the candidates' wives. The candidates wives have both apologized over separate scandals.

Their campaign teams and supporters have taken several legal actions. They are charging each other with spreading false information, among other issues.

Choi Jin is the director of the Institute of Presidential Leadership which is based in Seoul. Choi is afraid that "the mutual hatred won't easily die down after the election."

Voters in South Korea have differing political opinions based on where they live in the country. They also have different ideas about North Korea. Political opinions also show disagreement between generations, economic groups and on women's rights issues.

The People Power Party candidate Yoon is more popular with older voters and those in the southeastern area of Gyeongsang Province. His supporters want a stronger military alliance with the United States and a strong policy on North Korea. They believe past authoritarian rulers quickly developed the economy after the Korean War.

The Democratic Party candidate Lee enjoys support from younger people and those from Jeolla Province in the southwest. His supporters want an equal status in relations with the United States and better relations with North Korea. They are critical of the human rights records of past leaders.

Youth have not experienced dictatorships

A surprising result of opinion studies suggests that Yoon has received greater approval ratings than Lee from voters aged 18 to 29. That voting group was born after South Korea became a developed country.

Park Sung-min is head of MIN Consulting, a political advising firm based in Seoul. "They didn't experience poverty and dictatorships. Park added, They are very critical of China and North Korea, and they have rather friendly feelings toward the U.S. and Japan."

Last month, Yoon told a newspaper that if elected, his government would investigate possible wrongdoing by the current government of President Moon Jae-in.

Lee supported Moons investigations of past conservative governments. He said they were necessary to remove "deep-rooted evils and injustice."

The disputes are so strong that some have even called the campaign "The Squid Game Election." That comes from the popular television show called The Squid Game in which people die if they lose at children's games.

Cho Jinman is a professor at Seoul's Duksung Women's University. He said a new president must hold back and quiet demands to punish political opponents.

"We now have an election race like 'Squid Game,' but it will be a new president's responsibility to pull us out of it," he said.

Im Jill Robbins.

Hyung-Jin Kim reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English.

____________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

dreadful  adj. extremely bad or unpleasant

scandal n. an occurrence in which people are shocked and upset because of behavior that is morally or legally wrong

mutual adj. shared between two or more people or groups

authoritarian  adj. very strict and not allowing people freedom to do what they want

What do you think of the way the South Korean presidential candidates are campaigning? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.
United Nations climate experts say the warming of the planet is endangering the Gulf of Mexico, and all the life and business it supports.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, known as IPCC, recently released a report on the health of the Earth. It says even if humans work together to limit global warming, sea levels will rise, fish populations will decrease and harmful algae blooms called toxic tides will become more frequent.

South Louisiana is probably the most vulnerable place to climate change in the United States, says Barry Keim, a climate scientist for the state of Louisiana. He agreed with the IPCC finding that hurricanes, floods and other extreme weather will increase in number and power.

Keim said the usual hurricanes in the area can bloom up into major hurricanes.

The report notes U.S. efforts in some cities to build sea walls, high roads and take other measures to meet rising waters. But, the report says officials in the southeastern U.S. have not ordered limits on industrial pollution.

Just last week, leaders in Florida chose not to add clean energy plans to a bill that is supposed to protect the state from increased flooding.

Ben Diamond is a state lawmaker in St. Petersburg, Florida. He is running for a position in the U.S. Congress. He said it is good lawmakers want to work on ways to deal with violent weather. But, he said they also need to stop the causes of those problems, like reducing greenhouse gas and carbon emissions.

The IPCC report says that people in Florida are now looking to move homes far from the coast. That is different than in the past. The report noted that the area around Miami already has floods even when there is no rain, and the area around the large Florida city of Tampa has a flood risk due to high water levels when there are storms in other parts of the Gulf.

Keim, in Louisiana, said the area where the Mississippi River meets the Gulf is also at risk. He said building related to the oil and gas businesses in the area has hurt the areas ability to manage floods.

The IPCC also says that parts of the Gulf with economies based on tourism will be in trouble due to warming water. For example, visitors like to explore the ocean waters on the Gulf side of Florida and the resorts of Mexicos Yucatan peninsula. However, the coral reefs that keep the sea life healthy in those areas are dying because of warming water. If the reefs are not able to survive, it would cost Floridas economy tens of billions of dollars by the year 2100.

The IPCC report notes what some cities are doing to adapt to climate change. For example, the city of Miami Beach already spent $500 million on pumps that can move water off the island.

Alex Kolker studies the coastline for a group of Louisiana universities. Kolker noted that the state recently announced a plan to reduce polluting gases by 2050. The U.N. said the state has projects in place to deal with flooding and rising sea levels.

Throughout the southeastern U.S., states are reporting a rise in the number of red tides. Red tides happen when warmer water allows dangerous organisms to grow. The tides kill fish and other sea life, and cause bad smells that keep people away from popular beaches.

A study by the University of Florida showed that between 2017 and 2019, the states economy lost over $180 million because of red tides. The warmer water also hurts large sea animals called manatees. Manatees eat seagrass, which can be overtaken by algae which grows easily in warm water. One group started feeding manatees lettuce instead.

Im Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based a report by The Associated Press.

What do you think the U.S. and Mexico can do to help the waters of the Gulf of Mexico become healthier? Write to us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page.

Words in This Story

bloom  n. a mass of planktonic algae in lakes, ponds, or the sea, as in the development of red tides

toxic  adj. containing poisonous substances

tide n. the regular upward and downward movement of ocean levels due to the pull of the sun and moon on the Earth

vulnerable  adj. easily hurt or harmed

greenhouse gas  n. gases like carbon dioxide and methane that trap heat in the atmosphere and warm the planet

emissions  n. something being sent out or given off

coral reef  n. the material formed on the bottom of the sea from the skeletons of small creatures that is home to many living things, such as sea plants and fish

algae n. simple plants that grow in water and can overtake other sea life
Language teachers are always looking for new ways to get their students to practice speaking in class. One way to get students to talk is to show them photographs and ask them to talk about what they see.

Many teachers may already have a collection of interesting pictures to use in class. If you are a new teacher, you can find excellent photos in our Day in Photos section. The daily collection includes images from around the world.

Newspaper photos

You can also use newspaper photos.

In 2013, The New York Times free Learning Network website began publishing a special photo each Monday. The photo does not include any description or information. The Times invited teachers to use the weekly photo to start discussions with students. The Times calls the section Whats Going on in This Picture? It suggests that educators ask these questions:

What is going on in this picture?

What do you see that makes you say that?

What more can you find?

Readers can post comments that say what they think is happening in the photo. Later in the week, the Times prints the description of the photo.

Ask at your students level

Teachers can use photographs to help students practice new grammar points. You can choose to ask questions that they must answer using a verb tense you are studying or using certain grammatical forms.

Here are two examples.

Our first photo is from the January 20 Day in Photos. It shows people at a festival in Nicaragua. If you are studying prepositions, you might ask,

What do you see on their heads?

If you want your students to use the past tense, you can ask,

What did they do before someone took this photo?

After a discussion, you can ask your students to begin a story with a statement related to the photo. For example:

Yesterday, I was walking to school and I saw



Our next photo is from the January 6 The Day in Photos. We see Japanese firemen showing firefighting methods. They are on long ladders high in the air. Questions about this photo might include:

What are these people doing?

How do you feel about what they are doing?

What do you notice about how they are dressed?

Teacher ideas

In a recent class with teachers, my coworker Anna Matteo and I learned how some English teachers in Bolivia use pictures. Here are their ideas:

Have students write a caption or description for the picture. If this photo was in a news story, what would the headline be?

or description for the picture. If this photo was in a news story, what would the headline be? Show only part of a picture and ask, What do you think this photo is about? Slowly show more and more of the picture, until all of it is seen. Ask students to write about it and read their stories to each other.

Use a photo of a popular place for travelers. Ask students to make it the center of a tourism marketing campaign. They may make an Instagram post with a few words or a magazine advertisement with words or expressions to help sell the place.

marketing campaign. They may make an Instagram post with a few words or a magazine advertisement with words or expressions to help sell the place. Use a picture of a local art or craft and ask students to write about its cultural importance and their own experience with making or using it.

Now you try it

Our final photo today is an historical image taken in the United States during the 1940s. Some men are carrying covered cans. Their clothing and faces are marked with dirt. They are wearing a special hat with a light on the front.

Look at the photo. Choose to be a teacher or student and answer the questions in the comments.

For the Teacher: What questions would you ask about this picture? Tell about two or more activities you would do with your students after viewing the picture.

For the Student: What is happening in this picture? What do you think is in the cans? Where are the men going? Write about the picture.

If you try this activity, you will find the old expression is true in more ways than one:

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Im Jill Robbins.

Jill Robbins and Anna Matteo wrote this lesson for Learning English.

____________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

practice  v. to do something again and again in order to become better at it

photograph (photo)  n. a picture made by a camera

sentence  n. a group of words that expresses a statement, question, command, or wish

caption  n. a sentence or group of words that is written on or next to a picture to explain what is being shown

ladder  n. a device used for climbing that has two long pieces of wood, metal, or rope with a series of steps or rungs between them

tourism  n. the activity of traveling to a place for pleasure

Do you use pictures in your classes? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.
Former Wahoo Police Chief Bruce Ferrell abruptly resigned in November after he was caught having sex with a Wahoo resident, two law enforcement officials say.

The way he was caught, according to the sources? His body camera was recording.

Now Ferrell, who became Wahoos police chief after retiring from the Omaha Police Department, is under investigation by the Nebraska State Patrol, the sources said.

Asked a series of questions Friday  including why he resigned and whether he attempted to have the body camera footage deleted  Ferrell said: Im not gonna comment. He gave the same response when asked if he had an attorney.

Ferrell abruptly resigned Nov. 11 without giving notice. In an interview less than a week later, he told the Lincoln Journal Star it was just time.

"Nothing nefarious," Ferrell said. "No smoke, no mirrors  nothing at all."

Turns out, there was a mirror, of sorts.

The body camera footage showed Ferrell, partially clothed in his Wahoo police uniform, having sex with the woman who had called police about an estranged boyfriend, the sources told the Omaha World-Herald.

The patrol investigation is looking into whether the woman consented to the sexual activity or felt that she had the choice of whether she could consent. One of the sources said the woman has suggested that the sex with Ferrell was consensual.

Patrol spokesman Cody Thomas confirmed that an investigation of Ferrell is "ongoing" but declined to specify the nature of the investigation. He said results will be forwarded to Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson's office to determine whether charges will be filed.

Other states have laws that make it illegal for an officer to have sex with a person while on duty, regardless of consent. The closest thing Nebraska has to such a law is a statute that makes it a felony for a jailer or prison guard to have sex with an inmate.

That prison ban and the other states bans on officers having sex while on duty operate under a simple principle: that a person may not think they have a choice of whether they can consent to an officer wearing a badge and/or a gun.

Nebraska prosecutors have charged officers before under normal first-degree sexual assault statutes. In a 2005 case, an Omaha police officer was convicted of first-degree sexual assault after he made a prostitute perform oral sex on him in his cruiser.

Absent a sexual assault charge in this case, Ferrell could face a felony charge of tampering with evidence, one of the sources said. A source alleged Ferrell deleted or attempted to delete the body camera footage.

Authorities were able to preserve it. Under state law, any agency that has body cameras is required to keep the footage for at least 90 days.

Ferrell also is being investigated over his activity following up on the Wahoo womans claims that she was abused. A source said he hounded the man accused of the abuse.

Wahoo City Administrator Melissa Harrell said Friday that she didn't have "anything to share at this point." At the time of Ferrell's resignation, she told the Journal Star that officials didn't have any indication Ferrell planned to resign before he did so, effective the same day, Nov. 11. In fact, she said, the city didn't receive his letter of resignation until the day after his departure because of the Veterans Day holiday.

The investigation into Ferrell is the second in a year involving a member of the Wahoo Police Departments leadership. Wahoo, a city of about 4,800 people 40 miles west of Omaha, has a police force of about a half-dozen officers.

Last year, Sean Vilmont, 51, was charged with two felony counts of sexual assault by touching and one felony count of unlawful intrusion after allegations were made of ongoing abuse of a preteen girl. Vilmont has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting a hearing.

Ferrell had promoted Vilmont to lieutenant in the summer of 2019.

Before Ferrell became police chief in Wahoo in February 2018, he worked for 23 years as an Omaha police officer. At OPD, he was one of the leading gang-unit investigators and led national and regional coalitions of gang detectives. He later served as an investigator for Bellevue police and as a part-time officer in Valley.

Wahoo suspended its use of body cameras in January 2017 because then-Police Chief Ken Jackson said it was too expensive to meet the state's requirements for storing the footage.

After Ferrell took over, Wahoo applied for and received a federal grant in 2020 to fund body cameras for he and his officers.
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Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and 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United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. 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


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Vietnamese tuna exports impacted by Russia-Ukraine conflict

The ongoing armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine has significantly affected Vietnamese tuna exports to these markets, according to Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).









Vietnamese tuna exports to the Russian market hit over US$14 million in 2021 (Photo: tapchicongthuong.vn)





As shown in the statistics compiled by the General Department of Vietnam Customs, as of the end of 2021 both Eastern European countries were among the 20 largest markets in terms of tuna import value from Vietnam.



At present, Russia represents the 13th largest importer of Vietnamese tuna. Last year saw Vietnamese tuna exports to the Russian market reach over US$14 million, accounting for 2% of the countrys total export value. In particular, tuna exports to Russia in January enjoyed an annual increase of 427%.



Furthermore, Ukraine is also currently the countrys 19th largest tuna import market. Over the past five years, the export value of tuna has continuously increased, with last year witnessing tuna export value soar by 106% on year.



According to the VASEP, some exported orders were returned back due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Currently, local tuna exports to the two countries must be halted due to the risks of banking transactions, coupled with supply chain disruption on production and imports and exports.



Moreover, both Ukraine and Russia are the most important suppliers of sunflower oil to the global market, including Vietnam. Therefore, if the conflict continues to escalate, the price of most of the vegetable oils used in tuna processing will jump to all-time highs, thereby pushing up the production cost of canned and bagged tuna in the to come.
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A longtime Madison protester and one-time candidate for the U.S. House who most recently was living in Portland, Oregon, pleaded guilty Monday to three misdemeanors in connection with threats he made against former Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney and his family in 2020.

Jeremy Ryan, 33, was sentenced to 90 days in jail for disorderly conduct, sending a threatening message by computer and unlawful use of a telephone, but the sentence was considered served because of time he had spent in the Dane County Jail after his arrest. One felony charge, for stalking, was dismissed as part of the agreement. He had originally been charged with felony stalking and making terrorist threats, but only the stalking charge was included in an updated criminal complaint filed Monday.

The Dane County case was prosecuted in Rock County by the Milwaukee County District Attorneys Office to avoid any conflicts of interest.

On June 24, 2020, Ryan threatened to release personal information on Mahoney and his family unless an inmate in the Dane County Jail was moved from segregation, according to a criminal complaint filed two days later. Ryan later alleged on Facebook that Mahoney abused the use of segregation at the jail.

Ryan also called on hundreds of protesters to harass Mahoneys family home, the original complaint states, and sent text and Facebook messages to Mahoney in addition to calling his work, cell and home phones. According to the complaint, he posted on Facebook a message directed at Mahoney that read: But youve left me no choice and Im a man of my word. ... Tick Tick Tick ... Kaboom ... Doxx target hit!!! Sincerely, your favorite nuclear terrorist!

In a victim impact statement filed with the court Monday, Mahoney, who retired from the sheriffs office in May, said that as a public official, he always knew he could be subject to threats from people who disagreed with him.

However, when someone threatens your family, that is a different situation, he wrote. In order to calm his familys fears, police were stationed for a time outside their homes, he said, and he called for Ryan to get prison time.

Ryan was known as Segway Jeremy for often using a Segway scooter around the Capitol Square during mass protests in 2011 against an ultimately successful bid by Republicans to gut public sector unions. In 2018, he finished fifth in a six-way Republican primary to replace then-U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan.

He was later arrested for ordering online what he believed was radioactive material from an undercover FBI agent. Prosecutors alleged Ryan had planned to use it to kill someone, while he said he intended to use the polonium-210 to commit suicide. He pleaded guilty in the case in January 2020 and was placed on supervision, with six months to be served in a halfway house.

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JUNEAU  A 47-year-old Horicon man was placed on a $25,000 cash bond on Monday for multiple charges including vehicular homicide stemming from a crash on Highway 33 last summer.

Daniel Bryfczynski faces additional felony charges of injury by use of a vehicle while under the influence of a controlled substance, causing injury while operating a motor vehicle under the influence of a controlled substance and his second offense of possession of marijuana. Bryfczynski also faces two misdemeanor counts of possession of drug paraphernalia. He could face up to 62 years in prison if convicted of all charges.

Bryfczynski appeared before Dodge County Court Commissioner Steven Seim. Seim set several conditions for the bond. Bryfczynski may not use, possess or control any controlled substance without a valid prescription nor be in the presence of anyone who does. He must maintain absolute sobriety and shall not go upon the premises of any establishment whose primary business involves the sale or distribution of alcoholic beverages. He shall not operate a motor vehicle without permission of the court. .

A 50-year-old woman was killed in the crash near Grove Road west of Horicon that happened at 12:52 p.m. on June 16. The name of the crash victim has been withheld by authorities based upon their interpretation of Marsys Law, an amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution meant to protect victims that was passed by voters in 2021.

According to the criminal complaint, Bryfczynski said he was coming home after fishing and had fallen asleep while driving.

The initial investigation showed that a Buick sedan was traveling west on Highway 33 and Bryfczynskis Ford truck traveling east crossed the center line striking the Buick.

The Lake Mills woman who was driving the Buick was pronounced dead at the scene by the Dodge County Medical Examiner. A 12-year-old passenger in the Buick, also of Lake Mills, sustained life threatening injuries and was transported to Childrens Hospital Madison via LifeNet Air Methods.

Bryfczynski was the driver of the Ford and sustained serious injuries and was transported to Aurora Summit Hospital in Oconomowoc by Flight For Life helicopter. A 44-year-old passenger in the Ford, also from Horicon, was transported to Marshfield Medical CenterBeaver Dam with minor injuries.

Bryfczynski allegedly admitted to smoking marijuana earlier in the day while fishing but said he believed the effects of the drug wore off. According to the criminal complaint, tackleboxes that were in the boat that Bryfczyski was driving had marijuana and drug paraphernalia in it.

The Wisconsin Crime Lab report also listed cocaine metabolites, ketamine and opiates in Bryfczynski system.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 14.

Follow Terri Pederson on Twitter @tlp53916 or contact her at 920-356-6760.
GREEN BAY  A defendant accused of fatally shooting a man because he didn't want to pay him for a drug deal pleaded not guilty in Brown County Circuit Court Monday.

Pedro Santiago-Marquez is charged with first-degree intentional homicide and being party to mutilating a corpse in connection with the Sept. 27 murder of Jason Mendez-Ramos.

Prosecutors say Mendez-Ramos was angry that he had not been paid $80,000 for a cocaine deal. A criminal complaint says rather than pay for the cocaine, Santiago-Marquez shot him in the head with a pistol. The victim's burned body was found at the edge of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay campus, WLUK-TV reported.

Security videos, cell phone tracking information, and DNA tie Rodriguez-Garcia to that scene, according to the criminal complaint.

Another man, 47-year-old Alexander Burgos-Mojica, is charged with harboring or aiding a felon in connection with the case. He returns to court March 18 for a balance of initial appearance. Rodriguez-Garcia returns to court March 21 for a status conference on the charge of mutilating a corpse.
A South Wayne man died when a semi-tractor trailer crashed into his vehicle on a slippery Green County highway early Monday morning, authorities reported.

Investigators determined that David M. Schutt, 70, of Darien, was operating a 1999 Freightliner towing a 2001 Trailstar trailer westbound on Highway 11 in the town of Cadez about 3:30 a.m. Monday when he crossed into the eastbound lanes and collided with an eastbound 1997 Buick Riviera operated by Mark D. Brummel, 57, the Sheriffs Office said.

Brummel was pronounced dead at the scene due to injuries he suffered in the crash, while Schutt was not injured, the Sheriffs Office said.

Weather  multiple inches of snow fell across southern Wisconsin overnight into Monday morning  and road conditions appeared to be a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation, the Sheriffs Office said.

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Responsibility for the abrupt halt of a contract for on-site COVID-19 testing at Madison schools is in question after the service, provided by a third-party vendor, ended in late February.

COVID Clinic, a third-party vendor used to conduct on-site COVID-19 testing at dozens of Madisons schools, told its employees on Feb. 24 not to return to work the next day, effectively putting more than 100 people out of work. But the state Department of Health Services and the Madison School District were unable to determine which government entity was responsible for the dissolution of the contract with the California-based vendor as of Monday.

District spokesperson Tim LeMonds said the decision to switch testing vendors was not made by the district because the vendors were chosen and contracted solely by the state Department of Health Services.

But both DHS and COVID Clinic said the district halted the testing services, and as of Thursday, DHS was still gathering information regarding the decision.

We are aware of (Madison School District) discontinuing services with COVID Clinic, and are gathering information about the situation, DHS spokesperson Elizabeth Goodsitt said. Testing remains a critical tool in our efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19, and maintaining the quality and integrity of our testing activities across the state is key.

COVID Clinic board representative Thomas Shaffer said the school district told the company to halt testing services at Madison school sites on Thursday, Feb. 24.

Were unclear about the circumstances that led to this decision and continue to work towards finding answers and a resolution for all, Shaffer said.

Michelle Trehey, who was hired by COVID Clinic in early February to conduct testing at Wright Middle School, said she and her co-workers were also told by the clinics supervisors that the vendors contract with the district was in limbo on that Thursday.

We were just told not to come to work the next day, not to show up but also not to ask any questions, she said. On March 1, COVID Clinic told its employees that the school district dropped its contract with the vendor.

If there were 50 schools with a COVID Clinic site and there were four people at each site, that left a whole crew of people abruptly unemployed, Trehey said. We have a signed contract that was supposed to go until December 2022. Its very nerve-wracking.

Its a big blow financially, its a big blow to invest that much time and effort into a position, she said. I was at a great school and I was so looking forward to building relationships with wonderful staff at the school.

Switching vendors

Madison School Board member Nicki Vander Meulen said the board was told by the districts chief of staff, Richard McGregory, that the district would be switching vendors, though no reason was given.

LeMonds said the district will pause its on-site COVID-19 testing services to accommodate the transition to a new vendor. He did not say when school-based testing would be up and running again.

COVID Clinic, a California company hired as part of a state program to provide COVID-19 testing at Wisconsin schools, experienced a bumpy rollout of its testing services across the state in September. Some of the people it hired said they were hired for jobs that didnt exist. The company blamed hiring pressures and state computer glitches.

As of September, DHS had assigned about 40 school districts across the state to receive testing services from Huntington Beach-based COVID Clinic. The company told the State Journal in September that it provides rapid antigen and lab-based PCR tests five days per week in 26 school districts, including Madison.

DHS uses a survey filled out by the district to match the district with a company to support the districts testing needs. If a district expresses concern regarding the services provided by the testing company, DHS works with the district to make adjustments, discontinue service, or switch to a different vendor.

The statewide program was free for school families, students and staff and was being funded with federal money. Districts that opted into the program were assigned one of 10 providers by DHS. There are 421 public school districts in Wisconsin, but private and independent charter schools were also eligible for the help.

COVID Clinic said it signed its contract with the state in August and began rolling out services in the last week of that month. With the compressed timeline and the challenges endemic to setting up a new statewide program, at least four of COVID Clinics assigned districts dropped the company and some of its 80 Wisconsin hires found themselves without a school to work at.

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Michael Gableman, the head of the taxpayer-funded Wisconsin election probe ordered by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight, Fox News' top-rated show, on Monday night.

In under four minutes, Gableman and Carlson shared multiple inaccuracies and unsubstantiated claims about the 2020 presidential election.

Here's a rundown of three of them:

Carlson: "100 percent voting rates in many nursing homes in Brown, Dane, Kenosha, Milwaukee and Racine counties."

Carlson was quoting from the "Second Interim Investigative Report" released last week by the Office of the Special Counsel, which is led by Gableman.

A fuller reading of the report shows that the OSC is only claiming there was 100% voting in 30 Milwaukee County nursing homes, 12 Racine County nursing homes and 24 Dane County nursing homes. The report alleges 97% turnout in nine Kenosha County nursing homes and 95% turnout in 16 Brown County nursing homes, not 100%.

And those claims were wholly unsubstantiated in the interim report itself. No evidence was provided to support those claims of 100% turnout, other than stating the supposed 100% turnouts themselves.

The report also fails to directly state how the OSC is defining "nursing home." The report does not list the nursing homes for which the investigators claim to have turnout data, nor does it cite where the Office of Special Counsel is getting its turnout rates from.

Milwaukee officials have already countered the nursing home claims with data of their own, indicating the reports assertions are wholly inaccurate.

In Milwaukee County, Gablemans report claims there were 1,084 votes cast out of 1,084 registered voters in 30 nursing homes.

But Milwaukee elections officials disclosed data that contradicts this. In an email Thursday morning, Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Claire Woodall-Vogg said that in the November 2020 election, there were 579 ballots issued to SVD (special voting deputy) voters; 389 ballots returned; 67.2% return rate, in the City of Milwaukee.

Asked about the discrepancy between Gablemans numbers and Milwaukees election data, Woodall-Vogg said: It is not clear if Mr. Gableman understands this, but SVD voters are those who have requested an absentee ballot and are in nursing or assisted living. Voters in independent living  which comprises quite a large number  can vote via mail or with the SVDs. It is their preference.

It's also impossible for the public to pin down what nursing homes Gableman's assertions are based on.

Depending on your definition, Racine County has six nursing homes, or somewhere between 14 and 17, or dozens, or more than 200. But not 12.

The report does not deny this, saying that its assertion of 100% voter turnout (reportedly 348 votes cast out of 348 registered voters in 12 unidentified Racine County nursing homes) reflects voting at the nursing homes that the OSC has been able to vet to this juncture. There are more facilities in these counties, and after auditing the votes from other facilities, the above percentages may change.

Gableman noted last week, regarding turnout rates at nursing homes, I havent fully investigated that yet.

Gableman: We had a wave of massive election bribery.

Several Wisconsinites have alleged that cities taking money from Center for Tech and Civil Life, the nonprofit heavily funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, amounted to bribery.

No courts have seen it that way. Multiple courts found the acceptance of the donations was legal prior to Election Day 2020, as no laws prohibit these donations. It is not uncommon, and often encouraged, for municipalities to seek out private grants.

City leaders in Racine and elsewhere have asserted that accepting these donations was necessary to prevent budget crises, since the state Legislature did not provide extra money to communities ahead of the presidential election even though their election budgets had been largely spent because of the unexpected costs that came with running elections in the early days of the pandemic in spring 2020.

One complaint, filed with the Wisconsin Elections Commission by former Racine alderman Sandy Weidner, alleged that the City of Racine accepting a grant from CTCL constituted an "election bribery scheme," in part because CTCL provided money to Racine in order to apply for their own grant." Weidner claimed "That just does not happen."

Regardless, there is no law against it.

Gableman called Green Bay one of the five cities to receive Zuckerberg money.

This is not true.

More than 200 Wisconsin communities took money from CTCL to help fund their 2020 presidential election efforts. Five cities, Wisconsin's five most-populous including Green Bay, received the lion's share of the money  but they were far from being the only five to receive money via CTCL.

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Storm sirens did not go off in Stoughton as winds over 80 mph caused significant damage in the city on Saturday and a tornado left a 5-mile path of debris, Stoughton Mayor Tim Swadley said Monday.

The city planned to speak with the National Weather Service to understand why the sirens were not activated, Swadley said in a statement, adding some unanswered questions remain after the tornado touched down and damaged a farm in the nearby town of Dunkirk.

Swadley, who has declared a state of emergency, also spoke with Dane County Emergency Management about the sirens, which were tested for the first time this year on Wednesday.

Swadley said in an email he would have more information on Tuesday about his call with the National Weather Service. Dane County Emergency Management did not immediately respond to further questions.

The National Weather Service confirmed that the tornado that touched down Saturday night was an EF-1, the second-weakest on a scale of 0 to 5. The high winds snapped power poles and blew out windows just before 10 p.m. No one was injured.

A citywide brush collection will be conducted next Monday, March 14. The city asked residents to leave brush out by 7 a.m. that day and stressed that cleanup crews will only come by once. The citys yard waste site will also be available for residents to take only brush from Tuesday through Sunday, between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.

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We are Madison School District educators committed to doing everything in our power to make Madisons schools nurturing and life-affirming institutions, places where physical safety is a prerequisite for the kind of intellectual and social-emotional growth that are hallmarks of a well-rounded education.

We do not discount or minimize the harm experienced by our students and coworkers when we say that physical conflict in our schools is nothing new. News of these incidents has only recently spread with such intensity, however, on account of the School Districts June 2020 decision to remove cops from the citys four main high schools.

In the wake of recent fights, opportunistic critics have called for a reversal of that decision. Their misguided proposal rests on a mistaken belief that police work will prevent or deescalate (potentially) violent situations in our schools. No clear evidence ties police presence to school safety. This was implicitly acknowledged by Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes when he dismissed calls to look at [the] numbers in an interview with WMTV-TV (Ch. 15) recently.

In fact, according to Police in Schools Are Not the Answer to School Shootings, an issue brief published jointly by organizations including The Advancement Project and NAACP, research indicates police tend to undermine school climate, increasing distrust and disorder. To those who claim that Madisons school resource officers developed helpful relationships with our students, we say that mentorship can and should be provided by those who dont carry guns and badges and who dont facilitate the path from school to prison.

Police not only fail to promote school safety, their presence increases the likelihood our young people will be brutalized. Accounts of officers unjustifiably tackling, beating, restraining, and arresting Black and Brown students are widespread. While Madison School District officials often profess their anti-racism, walking the walk requires a continued refusal to rely on one of white supremacys foundational pillars  the police.

Police-free environments are a necessary but insufficient step toward genuine safety. Unfortunately, our school communities continue to be deprived of the resources that do indeed help prevent, address and resolve conflict in a healthy, educational way. Hence the multitude of local and national press headlines attesting to a crisis in K-12 education, conditions the authorities at every administrative level are responsible for creating.

Not only should we center the experience of our Black and Brown students, we should refuse entry to anyone who would criminalize them while providing for safe staffing. Keep the cops out and bring in more social workers, counselors, nurses, educational assistants, teachers and security team members to provide our buildings with the stability they desperately need. Lets prioritize anti-racist public education in Madison and beyond.

Kovanda is a special education teacher, and Oppenheimer teaches English, both at East High School in Madison.
The storm that unleashed damaging winds in Stoughton over the weekend came on too quickly for storm sirens to go off, the National Weather Service said.

There were no warnings of the Saturday night storm and no earlier reports of damage, factors that make it harder for the Weather Service to put out a warning that automatically sets off the countys storm sirens, said Tim Halbach, a warning coordination meteorologist with the Weather Service.

Some situations are easier than others to identify these radar signatures, but this was one that wasnt clear until we started getting reports, Halbach said.

The 80-mph winds snapped power poles, blew out windows and flipped a camper in Stoughton while a tornado touched down in nearby town of Dunkirk and damaged two farms just before 10 p.m. Saturday. No one was injured.

Stoughton Mayor Tim Swadley said the city is still calculating the extent of damage caused by the storm. On Monday, he said there were unanswered questions about the sirens not going off and declared a state of emergency. The mayor did not immediately respond to further questions on Tuesday about the Weather Services explanations.

Carrie Meier, the assistant director of Dane County Emergency Management, seconded the difficulty weather spotters have when trying to set off a warning during evening storms.

They werent seeing on radar what they needed, Meier said.

Its finding that perfect balance of timing to get people where they need to be, but not have it be too soon, she said.

Though the county had tested its storm sirens for the first time this year last Wednesday, Meier stressed that the sirens are automatically triggered by warnings from the Weather Service and that they are meant to alert people who are outside instead of inside.

A brush collection in Stoughton will be conducted Monday. The city asked residents to leave brush out by 7 a.m. that day and said that cleanup crews will only come by once. The citys yard waste site will also be available for residents to take only brush from Tuesday through Sunday, between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Also on Saturday, a powerful storm system spawned several tornadoes in central Iowa, killing seven people, including two children. The storm destroyed homes, toppled trees and knocked down power lines in the states deadliest storm in more than a decade, authorities said.

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BOISE  The board of Albertsons Companies says it has undertaken a strategic review to enhance the Boise companys growth and maximize shareholder value.

The review comes less than two years after Albertsons began offering shares of its stock to the public.

The board believes the continuing strength of our business and the scale of our portfolio of assets warrants a deep and considered review of all possible paths toward maximizing value creation, Chan Galbato, the boards co-chair. said in a news release.

Albertsons, which operates 2,278 stores in 34 states under banners for Albertsons, Safeway, Haggan, Jewel-Osco and 16 other brands, retained bankers from Goldman Sachs Group and Credit Suisse Group to advise it. Albertsons said it has not set a timetable for completing the review.

The Idaho company gave no indication of what direction Albertsons might go following the review. It said it would not comment further.

There can be no assurance that the review will result in any transaction or other strategic change or outcome, it said.

Albertsons has seen sales and profits rise during the past two years as the coronavirus pandemic led families to cook meals more at home. The chain is the nations second-largest grocer behind Kroger Co., the Cincinnati-based parent of Portlands Fred Meyer.

Albertsons shareholders seemed to like news of the review, announced late Monday afternoon. The companys stocks were up 7.7% Tuesday, closing at $31.40.

The stock has doubled since the Albertsons went public in June 2020, three months after the pandemic began. The price has risen 89% over the past year.

Besides seeing sales rise, Albertsons has also administered more than 11 million COVID-19 vaccinations since early 2021, adding millions of dollars to its coffers.

Last month, Albertsons partnered with DoorDash to offer grocery deliveries in less than 30 minutes. The service, available initially at more than 300 stores, has a selection of more than 6,000 products, including milk, eggs, fruits and vegetables and snack.

Todays Albertsons Companies is a descendant of Albertsons Inc., a publicly traded company that broke up in 2006 after years of losses.

An investment consortium led by Cerberus Capital Management, a New York private-equity firm, bought some of its stores. Supervalu, a Minnesota company grocery wholesaler, bought the rest, including the Albertsons stores in Idaho. Both sold or closed some stores, but Supervalu still couldnt make a go of it, so it sold its remaining stores to the Cerberus consortium in 2013, reuniting what remained of the two Albertsons chains.

Albertsons more than doubled in size in 2015 when it merged with Safeway.

Cerberus still owns about 31% of Albertsons, the Wall Street Journal reported.

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HEYBURN  New Police Chief Ryan Bertalotto spent his first weeks on duty going over the systems and procedures in place at the station and making plans for improvements along with working weekend graveyard patrol shifts with his officers to get to know them and the community.

I think hes the man for the job, and we really got a good one when we hired him, Heyburn Mayor Dick Galbraith said. He came into a bad situation and I told him it will be a challenge, but hes up to that challenge.

The city removed the former police chief from his position after he was investigated by the Idaho State Police, even though no charges were filed against him.

The department was without its top leadership for months.

The seven officer team, which includes the chief, is still down one officer. The department also has one non-sworn-in employee who handles records and code enforcement.

Bertalotto said the officers were lacking essential equipment and other gear, like body cameras, needs to be replaced soon.

Body cams are essential, he said. They keep officers and the public accountable and honest.

On Thursday afternoon, Bertalotto unloaded surplus laptops for patrol cars, duty belts, flashlights and traffic cones from his pickup and took them into the station. He picked up the items on his days off after they were donated by Idaho State Police, Emmett Police Department and Idaho Transportation Department.

He will pick up another load of items that include filing cabinets soon.

Bertalotto came to Heyburn from the Emmett Police Department, where he had worked since 2011.

He began his career while a high school student as a part-time jail tech in Payette County. He worked for the University of Idaho in campus safety and risk management and later in Emmett as a patrol officer, school resource officer, detective and administrative sergeant.

Raised in a family with members in law enforcement, he became interested in the profession at age 11 after a positive encounter with an Oregon State Police trooper with fish and game.

Emmett, with 6,770 people, has slightly more than twice the population of Heyburn, at 3,320.

The challenges at the two smaller-sized city departments are very similar, Bertalotto said. Some of the challenges include keeping up-to-date equipment and maintaining a vehicle fleet along with adopting Idahos best practices that span administrative procedures to communicating with the public and recruiting and retaining officers  all on a modest budget.

Bertalotto has problem-solving experience in all those areas.

In his former job as an administrative sergeant, he tackled upgrading a vehicle fleet that was in a shambles, he said.

They had old Ford Crown Victoria patrol cars with peeling paint and yellowed light bars, he said.

There was a real problem with public perception, people saw us as not being professional. They thought we were a Barney Fife organization and yet we had good people with education and experience, Bertalotto said.

He researched options used by other departments and presented Emmett with a leasing proposal that solved the problem. He intends to see if a similar solution for an aging vehicle fleet will be viable for Heyburn.

Bertalotto also spent time last week touring the Ada County Sheriffs Offices evidence room to research how they operate it.

One challenge will be overcoming an attitude of this is how we have always done things, Bertalotto said.

Bertalotto, a history buff, said the Heyburn police department was established in 1972. Art McGill was the first village marshal for the town and he started working in the citys street department in 1963.

You have to know where you came from to know where youre going, he said.

Im excited about moving forward and getting good things accomplished, Heyburn Officer Noah Shiner said.

Bertalotto said he would like to host training opportunities for other agencies, which would provide opportunities to showcase the city and the department to potential recruits.

Recruitment and retention of officers is always challenging, especially in small cities, but Mini-Cassia offers a quality of life that can be a selling point, he said.

Bertalotto plans to put hiring standards in place and assemble a promotion board with people from across the valley, to reward employee hard work and increase retention, which saves money.

The City of Heyburn is growing, he said, and it will a necessary for the police department to grow along with it.

I have a solid team here, Bertalotto said. And there are a lot of things that Heyburn is doing well. I want to take this team and build on it.

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BOISE  The Legislatures budget committee on Monday approved spending $3.4 billion to teach Idahos 310,000 K-12 students, money that includes $1,000 bonuses for teachers, administrators and support staff.

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee voted to approve seven budgets relating to public schools that add up to an 8% increase over last year. The money includes federal, state and dedicated funds.

About $2.3 billion is coming from general funds supplied by Idaho taxpayers, a record 11% increase over last year as promised by Republican Gov. Brad Little in his State of the State address in January.

The public school budget represents the largest amount coming from the states general fund, roughly 50%. The state will receive nearly $1 billion in federal money to teach kids.

The public school support budget has seven divisions, with the largest of those budgets being $1.2 billion for teachers.

The committee also approved $46 million for early literacy programs that could be used for full-day kindergarten in areas that want it.

The legislation still has to clear the House and Senate.

Idahos overall budget for fiscal year 2023, which starts July 1, is just under $13 billion. Almost $6 billion of that is federal money.

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Yellowstone National Park turns 150 years old this month  a milestone truly worth celebrating.

When Westerners think of Yellowstone, probably what comes to mind are its grizzlies, exploding geysers, wolf packs and bison traffic jams, not to mention bubbling, iridescent hot pools that attract swarms of visitors from all over the world. The park is a jewel of the Northern Rockies, but to this journalist who has covered its stories for 35 years, the real miracle of Yellowstone is its intricate world of wildlife.

Yet any discussion of wildlife here comes wrapped in a paradox. Despite Covid-19, or perhaps because of it, in 2021 Yellowstone smashed monthly, seasonal and annual visitation records, notching nearly 4.9 million visits. That is 860,000 more than in 2019, the year before the pandemic struck. This year, given social media and marketing aimed at the parks 150th anniversary, its possible that Yellowstone could surpass the 5 million mark.

Even if it doesnt hit that milestone, many locals who have visited the park for decades say its roads and its capacity for serving visitors are already overwhelmed, as are many public facilities in the gateway towns of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. Although the crushing visitation happens on a tiny percent of parkland, all these curious tourists create waves of troubling ripple effects.

Yellowstone is neither a standalone island nor a drive-through zoo. It is unique, the last ecosystem in the Lower 48 to contain all of the original mammal species that were on the landscape before Europeans arrived on the continent.

Now, based on the diversity and health of its wildlife populations, Yellowstone is wilder than it was in 1872, when poachers, bounty, and market hunters nearly wiped out all wildlife in the country.

Grizzly bears have been rescued from a population free fall. Wolves were brought back by the Interior Department under Bruce Babbitt in the mid-1990s, and the parks bison population, which numbered just 23 at one point in the late 19th century, is at 5,000.

Had Yellowstone not been created, had winter range beyond Yellowstone not existed, and had environmental protection laws not been put in place, its doubtful that those original species would have survived. Many biologists think most would have been lost.

Not all are celebrating Yellowstones birth. Some have portrayed the park as an emblem of injustice that resulted in the removal of Indigenous people from native homelands. These critics see a park which non-white citizens say they have never felt invited to embrace as part of their heritage. This needs to be addressed by the National Park Service and remedied.

What cannot be repaired, once broken, are the fragile threads of biological connections holding the ecosystem together. And those connections extend for miles outside the park boundaries, through migration trails and rivers.

These days, the boom in outdoor recreation in the West has been crowding the parks adjacent national forests. The high numbers rival public-land use levels around Moab, Utahs Wasatch, and the Front Range of the Colorado Rockies, places that dont have Yellowstones diversity of wildlife. Another threat is that neighboring states like Montana have promoted the killing of park wolves and bison when they cross Yellowstones invisible boundary.

Private lands surrounding Yellowstone are also getting built up, transformed by mostly unplanned development. Such development is the biggest threat to the survival of grizzlies and other park species, warns Chris Servheen, who served as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services national director of grizzly bear recovery for 35 years. Wild animals always suffer when roads, houses and people move into their territories, Servheen says. Coexistence may be the goal, but humans always win any dispute with wildlife trying to survive.

Five years ago, Dave Hallac, who managed the science division at the park, told me he was worried not just about the Yellowstone ecosystem suffering death by 1,000 cuts, but death by 10,000 scratches, as more people scramble for their piece of paradise. The trend has only accelerated.

What is the most enduring value of Yellowstone? The park reveals that humans deeply appreciate this special place of wildness. But the park also has an urgent message to those same humans: Our consumption of wild places means we must deliberately decide to accept limits. This is a good thingand an increasingly rare thing.

Todd Wilkinson is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, a nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. He is a writer and founder of Mountain Journal in Montana, mountainjournal.org.

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The Henry County Public School system is in jeopardy of losing its JROTC program due to a lack of participants and qualified instructors.

School board members learned of the news at a regular meeting on Thursday when former Henry County School Board Chair Curtis Millner walked slowly, aided with a cane, to the podium.

I was the third instructor of the program here, said Millner. With everything going on in Ukraine and Russia, we need this program. Its very necessary.

Millner said he was 80 years old and had just recently had back surgery, but he was willing to volunteer to help keep the program alive.

The number of students in the program at Magna Vista has fallen off and I couldnt even get a definitive number of students in the program at Bassett High School. I think they were afraid I would repeat it, said Millner. Through the American Legion we have scholarships to give out to these students, but we dont get enough applications for what we have to give.

Not only are the number of students enrolling in JROTC declining, but three of the four JROTC instructors in Henry County Schools have retired and despite an active search, replacements have not been found.

Weve had the same four for many years, but weve lost three of the four and were looking and trying to find qualified applicants to fill the positions, said Superintendent Sandy Strayer. If there are any retired military out there, we would love for them to apply and come teach in Henry County schools.

Ridgeway District Board Member Francis Zehr said he has seen the benefits of the program in Henry County.

I taught eighth grade at Axton Middle School for many years and many students there were well on their way to prison, but because of the JROTC program, they ended up well on their way to success, said Zehr. Now we have these instructors retiring and weve got to pay them and our administrators more money because were losing them.

In other matters the board:

Learned masking has become optional for staff in the schools and on the buses due to a change in Centers for Disease Control guidelines and the decline of new cases of COVID-19 in Henry County. We reviewing social distancing and hope to get lunch back in the cafeterias soon, said Strayer.

Recognized a proclamation by the Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA) naming the month of March 2022 as VSBA Equity in Education Month, with the intention that educational equity, best practices, and programming be discussed in Virginias schools, communities and classrooms during that time.

Recognized March as Music in Our Schools Month, March 6-12 as School Social Work Week and March 7-11 as National School Breakfast Week.

Recognized some of the local recipients of a Virginia Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development award.

Approved the spending of $750,000 for student iPads and cases, $100,000 in additional accessories and $58,000 for iPad Pencils for teachers.

Approved the spending of $150,000 for interactive ActivPanels boards for classrooms.

Approved continuing health coverage from employees through Anthem covering 100% of the premium at a cost to the school system of $13.7 million in the upcoming year, unchanged from the current year.

Approved continuing dental coverage for employees.

Approved a $300,000 grant by the Virginia Department of Health for expenses related to testing and ensuring the communication of public health, recommended isolation, quarantine protocols, responding to school needs and assisting with the facilitation of answers to parents and school communities regarding COVID-19.

Heard a report from Strayer who indicated the average daily student enrollment in February was 6,579 students, down from 6,597 in January and down from 6,673 a year ago.

Agreed to keeping the date of March 17 as the intended date to approve the new school budget, but acknowledged it may have to change due to uncertainties with the state budget.

The board were reminded of the following dates:

March 17, special meeting at 6 p.m. in the Summerlin Meeting Room of the Henry County Administration Building.

March 26, All-Area Band at 4 p.m. at the Martinsville High School.

April 7, regular monthly meeting at 9 a.m. in the Summerlin Meeting Room.

Bill Wyatt is a reporter for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at 276-638-8801, Ext. 2360. Follow him @billdwyatt.

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Students at the University of Virginia voted overwhelmingly last week to change the punishment for an honor violation - expulsion - reversing a policy known as the "single sanction" that has been in place for 180 years.

"This vote is truly historic and shows that together, anything is possible," law student Christopher Benos told the student newspaper The Cavalier Daily.

The new punishment, a two-semester suspension, represents "the largest change ever made to the Honor system" according to the student paper.

For the past 180 years, if a UVA student was found guilty of lying, cheating or stealing, there was only one punishment, expelling the student. The origin of the policy dates back to 1842, according to university's honor code website. The first expulsion for a violation occurred in 1851.

Doubts about the single sanction arose in 1972, when students voted in a referendum two-to-one to keep the punishment. Between 1972 and 2013, students voted on referenda regarding the punishment 12 times.

In 2013, students passed the "informed retraction," in which a student can admit guilt before a trial occurs and return to the university after a two-semester suspension. In 2016, a vote to change the single sanction received 59% approval, one percent short of passing.

Last week, about 6,000 students voted, or 24% of the student population. Eighty percent were in favor of the change.

A Washington Post article in 1999 reported that Black, Asian and Latino students were expelled at a disproportionate rate to white students. In 1987, Black students were accused of violating the honor code at a rate three times their representation on campus.

The severity of the punishment deters students from reporting each other, Benos told the student paper.

Support for the honor system has flagged over the past 50 years, according a poll conducted by the school's alumni association. In the Class of 1970, 96% of graduates reported remembering the honor system favorably. For the Class of 2020, only half felt the same way.
On Monday, March 7, 2022, the French military announced that it had neutralized a jihadist leader in Mali. On the night of February 25-26, 2022, the Barkhane force conducted an operation targeting a senior member of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb about 100 km north of Timbuktu. This operation led to the neutralization of Yahia Djouadi, alias Abou Ammar al-Jazairi, an Algerian jihadist figure.

The French soldiers did everything in their power to catch him alive, which was their objective, according to the French army, but Yahia Djouadi did not allow himself to be caught. He was therefore neutralized.

According to the French military statement, Yahia Djouadi was located in an area known to be a haven for groups belonging to Aqmi and the Support group for Islam and Muslims. He was eliminated by a ground operation, supported by a helicopter and two French drones, the statement said.

For Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, this is a real setback, because Djouadi, alias Abu Ammar, was a historical figure in the jihadist sphere, a very experienced fighter, a major relay in northern Mali.

Yahia Djouadi joined the Islamist Group for Preaching and Combat as early as 1994 in an Algerian maquis of the armed Islamic group. In 2015, he became Aqmis emir in Libya. In 2019, he appears in the Timbuktu region as the financial and logistical coordinator of the terrorist group.
The Egyptian Electricity Transmission Co., EETC, will sign a purchase deal with Saudi Arabias ACWA Power for wind energy of 1,100 megawatts, Zawya reports.

EETC, the media notes citing sources, the project would cost over $1.2 billion and would be implemented in stages. The EETC will pay 2.85 cents per kilowatt-hour added.

The Egyptian Cabinet had agreed to proceed with talks for the Saudi company to replace the Hanadi village, Luxor governorate project that has a current total capacity of 2,250 megawatts.

The Arab republic aims to increase the power produced from renewable energy projects on the electricity grid to 42 percent by 2035, from the current 20 percent.

Per the deal, ACWA Power would purchase the land for the implementation of the project from the New and Renewable Energy Authority under the usufruct system for wind-power plants.

The Saudi company has already completed three solar power plants as part of Egypts Solar Energy Feed Tariff Program in Benban, Aswan governorate, and is competing for several other such projects.
United States Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman renewed, on Tuesday during her visit to Morocco, her countrys support to the autonomy plan, proposed by Morocco in 2007, as a final solution to the artificial conflict over the Moroccan Sahara.

The United States continues to consider the Moroccan autonomy plan as serious, credible and realistic, and as an approach that can meet the aspirations of the people of the region, said the U.S. official.

Sherman held political consultations with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, Nasser Bourita, and co-chaired with him the session of the Moroccan-U.S. strategic dialogue on regional political issues.

On this occasion, the two parties expressed their firm support to the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary General, Staffan de Mistura, in the political process on the Sahara, conducted under the aegis of the United Nations, said a joint statement issued at the end of this session of Strategic Dialogue.

Bourita and Sherman also referred to the Joint Declaration, signed on December 22, 2020 by the Kingdom of Morocco, the United States of America and the State of Israel, enshrining the U.S. recognition of the full sovereignty of the Kingdom over its Sahara. They also discussed ways to strengthen this cooperation.

The U.S. official welcomed, in this regard, the continued deepening of relations between Morocco and Israel.

The Moroccan-US strategic dialogue on regional political issues was an opportunity for the U.S. and Moroccan diplomacy to review a series of issues of common interest, including cooperation in the field of security and human rights, and to discuss regional issues related to the Sahel, Libya and Ukraine.

This dialogue is part of the regular strategic consultations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the United States of America.
U.S. vaccine maker Moderna announced Monday that it will build its first African vaccine plant in Kenya, after signing a preliminary agreement with that country to produce 500 million doses a year.

The company intends to invest $500 million (460 million) in the facility, which will produce messenger RNA vaccines for the entire African continent, which is still largely short of doses to fight Covid-19.

The fight against the Covid-19 pandemic over the past two years has been a reminder of the work needed to ensure equitable access to health. Moderna is determined to be part of the solution, Stephane Bancel, its chief executive, said in a statement.

Moderna says it hopes to begin distributing its Covid-19 vaccine in Africa next year, with the goal of increasing immunization coverage in countries with the least protection against the virus.

More than a year after the worlds first dose of Covid vaccine was administered, only 12.7% of Africas 1.3 billion people are fully vaccinated.

The pandemic has highlighted the continents immense dependence on imported vaccines.

Last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the creation of a vaccine hub in South Africa, with the aim of providing technology transfer to other countries, including Kenya.

Currently, only 1% of vaccines used in Africa are produced on the continent.
Two peacekeepers from the United Nations Mission in Mali (Minusma) and two Malian soldiers were killed Monday morning in two separate incidents in Mali, the UN and the Malian army announced.

This morning, a (Minusma) logistics convoy hit an improvised explosive device north of Mopti (center). According to an initial assessment, the explosion caused the death of two peacekeepers, four others were injured, wrote in a tweet the spokesman for the Minusma Olivier Salgado. According to a security source, the victims are Egyptian soldiers.

The head of the UN Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), El-Ghassim Wane, strongly condemned this attack in a statement on Monday, calling on the Malian authorities to spare no effort to identify the perpetrators of these attacks.

UN Peacekeeping chief, Jean Pierre Lacroix, tweeted his most sincere condolences to the Egyptian Government, and people, and the families of the two who lost their lives, in service of peace. These crimes must not go unpunished, he said

With some 13,000 troops, Minusma, created in 2013 to support Malis political process, is the UNs deadliest peacekeeping mission. A total of 171 Minusma peacekeepers have died in hostile acts, according to the mission.

Mali, a poor, landlocked country in the heart of the Sahel, has seen two military coups in August 2020 and May 2021. The political crisis is coupled with a serious security crisis that has been ongoing since 2012 and the outbreak of independence and jihadist insurgencies in the north.
On Monday, March 7, Rwanda reopened all its land borders, which were officially closed with the appearance of the first cases of Covid-19 in the country. That was two years ago, in March 2020, except for two of its neighbors whose borders were closed due to political-security crises, namely Burundi in late 2015 and Uganda in 2018.

Thus, on Monday, all the borders reopened to ordinary citizens, whether in Uganda, Tanzania or the DRC, officially because of the progress made in the fight against the coronavirus. Everywhere this reopening was celebrated, according to the media of these different countries, with the only exception of Burundi which seemed to have barricaded itself.

Installation of new computers, cleaning of offices and their surroundings On the Rwandan side, the services concerned had prepared for the reopening of the borders with Burundi, at the border post of Kanyaru-Haut, according to witnesses on the spot.

Rwandan officials even let local people through, eager to see their relatives and friends on the other side of the border. They went forward to the Burundian side where the barrier was down. It was therefore impossible for them to go any further.
Wendy Sherman, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, reiterated, on Tuesday during her visit to Morocco, her countrys support to the autonomy plan, proposed by Morocco in 2007, as a final solution to the artificial conflict over the Moroccan Sahara.

The United States continues to consider the Moroccan autonomy plan as serious, credible and realistic, and as an approach that can meet the aspirations of the people of the region, said the U.S. official.

Sherman held political consultations with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, Nasser Bourita, and co-chaired with him the session of the Moroccan-U.S. strategic dialogue on regional political issues.

On this occasion, the two parties expressed their firm support to the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary General, Staffan de Mistura, in the political process on the Sahara, conducted under the aegis of the United Nations, said a joint statement issued at the end of this session of Strategic Dialogue.

Bourita and Sherman also referred to the Joint Declaration, signed on December 22, 2020 by the Kingdom of Morocco, the United States of America and the State of Israel, enshrining the U.S. recognition of the full sovereignty of the Kingdom over its Sahara. They also discussed ways to strengthen this cooperation.

The U.S. official welcomed, in this regard, the continued deepening of relations between Morocco and Israel.

The Moroccan-US strategic dialogue on regional political issues was an opportunity for the U.S. and Moroccan diplomacy to review a series of issues of common interest, including cooperation in the field of security and human rights, and to discuss regional issues related to the Sahel, Libya and Ukraine.

This dialogue is part of the regular strategic consultations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the United States of America.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Slovakia's health ministry on Tuesday opened registration for the new COVID jab from Novavax, which experts hope will win over vaccine sceptics as it is made from a more conventional technology.

The country of 5.4 million people has one of the EU's lowest vaccination rates. Only 51 percent of Slovaks are fully vaccinated, according to the health ministry.

"Registration will start on February 15, and the vaccination process itself at the end of the month," ministry spokeswoman Zuzana Eliasova told AFP.

The European Commission authorised the US company's vaccine as its fifth official jab for use across the European Union in late December 2021.

Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said at the time that she hoped the vaccine, which is called Nuvaxovid, would "offer a strong encouragement to everyone who has not yet been vaccinated or boosted, that now is the time to do so".

Slovak immunologists have also welcomed the new vaccine.

"I look forward to using Nuvaxovid, as it could increase the willingness of Slovaks to get vaccinated," said Peter Visolajsky, chairman of the Doctors Trade Union Association.

The Novavax offering is a vaccine based on so-called protein subunit technology, which is tried and tested. It has been used for decades to vaccinate people against diseases such as hepatitis B and whooping cough.

Visolajsky said the fact that previous COVID vaccines were tested on stems cells from aborted foetuses may have discouraged religious Slovaks from getting the jab.

"Using a proven and more conventional technology can be an important argument in Slovakia," he told AFP.

Slovakia has ordered 600,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from Novavax. The first 34,000 vaccines are due to arrive next week, Eliasova said.

Other EU countries have also ordered the vaccine, including Germany, and it has been approved in Britain as well.

Explore further EU authorises Novavax as fifth COVID vaccine

 2022 AFP
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, as a scholar of ancient Greek literature, I have returned again and again to the Greek historian Thucydides to try understand the historical parallels to the American response to the health crisis.

Thucydidesa onetime general and historian of the Peloponnesian War, a generation-long struggle between Athens and Spartapresents one of the most famous accounts of a plague from antiquity.

Then, as now, the story forms the backdrop for tragedy and conflict as Thucydides focuses on the emotional impact of living through a plague.

Parallels with plague

At the beginning of its conflict with its historical adversary, Sparta, Athens pulled its people and forces within the long walls that protected the central city's access to the sea. With Athens' maritime and economic supremacy, its leader Pericles believed that with such a strategy, the city-state would be impossible to conquer.

An unintended consequence of this strategy, however, was that the crowded confines of the city made it a fertile ground for a novel pathogen. The emergence of plague led to a temporary suspension of Athenian life, but it did not change the policy on the war or its strategy, despite the death toll.

Thucydides' account records vividly the onset and progress of the disease as it fell on Athens. Some of what he wrote might sound familiar today: The symptoms of what was then an unidentified disease included chest pain, a cough, fever and diarrhea; if the disease was not fatal, it often left scars and a loss of memory.

Just as the spread of COVID-19 across the world led to a heightened focus on its origins, Thucydides tracked how the plague allegedly moved from Egypt through the Persian Empire and into Greece.

Thucydides also noted another falloutdespair. He described despair as the "most terrible feature of the sickness" and recorded that depression and fear were common. Like today, families lost their loved ones to the disease, and any kind of social order dissipated.

The despair of disease

I have also been deeply affected by Thucydides' ability to talk about the plague from his own experience. As he notes at the beginning of his narrative of the disease, he became sick himself and watched others suffer.

Few people I know made it through 2020 and 2021 without anxiety about their own or their loved ones' health. But the despair of actually contracting the disease and the feeling of utter powerlessness of watching one's family getting it as well was something I personally evaded until January 2022.

Even though my spouse, my two older children and I were all vaccinated, we all contracted the virus. Our "mild" COVID experience left me winded going up stairs for weeks. And over a month later there is no one who can say what the long-term effects will be for us or our children.

Thucydides describes not just the despair of getting sick but the danger faced in "caring for one another." My wife and I considered ourselves lucky that our fevers peaked at different times, leaving one of us to comfort our 9-month-old through four days of fever and a worrisome cough.

While we were sick, an average of 3,000 people died a day in the United States. Local and federal officials in many areas have pushed for a return to normal by planning to drop mask mandates and other restrictions. Experts have cautioned about the risk of new variants emerging as a large number of people in low-income countries remain unvaccinated.

Plague and leadership

The stories we tell and don't tell about COVID-19 follow a pattern familiar to those who have spent time with ancient literature. Greek plague narratives take little interest in the nameless suffering masses and instead focus on the leaders who allow it to happen.

In Homer's "Iliad," the Greeks suffer a plague because their leader Agamemnon refuses the divinely sanctioned custom of accepting a ransom in exchange for a prisoner; the plague is sent as a punishment. Sophocles' famous tragedy puts an Oedipus on stage. He wants to save his people but can't see that he is the main cause for the spread of the disease.

Faulty public policies in the U.S., the U.K., Brazil and elsewhere have led to a large number of deaths that many experts considered preventable. The virus is only the beginning of the problem.

Plague stories provide settings in which fate pushes human organization to the limit. Leaders almost always play a pivotal role, as Zeus observes in Homer's "Odyssey," saying, "Humans are always blaming the gods for their suffering / but they experience pain beyond their fate because of their own recklessness."

Leading for the public good

The Athenians lost the war with Sparta not because of the plague, but the plague did reveal the fault lines beneath the surface of Athenian culture. As Katherine Kelaidis, a scholar at the National Hellenic Museum, frames it, the disease was a moral test of the physical and political structures of Athens.

The Athenians lost tens of thousands of their citizens and soldiers and uncounted numbers of enslaved peoples and resident aliens, but they continued to fight for another 20 years. In the end, political factions and civil strife undermined their efforts to defend their state.

COVID-19 has shown the deep divisions among Americans, the lack of concern many of our neighbors show for one another, the fragility of the public health system and the limits of the leadership to meet collective challenges. But it has also shown the remarkable speed and creativity of scientists and the benefits of collaboration across international boundaries in helping us meet the unexpected.

Ancient Greek history and literature can help us understand the long-term social impacts of disease. They also show how fractious politics can undermine even heroic responses to public health challenges.

Explore further Congo sees increase in plague, at least 10 deaths this year

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Network of astrocytes in the hippocampus of a mouse under the fluorescence microscope. Credit: Ladina Hosli, University of Zurich

Astrocytes form large networks of interconnected cells in the central nervous system. When these cell-to-cell couplings are disrupted in the brain of adult mice, the animals are no longer able to store spatial information. The astrocytes network is thus essential for spatial learning and memory formation, as neuroscientists of the University of Zurich now show.

In the brain, neurons and astrocytes work together to process information and enable complex behavior and cognitive abilities. Astrocytes have many functions like controlling the blood-brain barrier, providing nutrients to the nervous tissue, and supporting its repair. An interesting feature of astrocytes is that they form large networks of connected cells. These couplings are made of specific membrane pores that are formed by a group of proteins called connexins. And through these connections, astrocytes can communicate with each other by exchanging various ions and small molecules.

Switching off astrocyte coupling disrupts spatial memory formation

A team of neuroscientists led by Aiman Saab and Bruno Weber at the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology of the University of Zurich (UZH), has revealed that in the adult brain of mice astrocyte coupling contributes to neural functioning in the hippocampus, a brain region that is involved in spatial memory formation. "We found that in adulthood an intact astrocyte network is essential for neural homeostasis, synaptic plasticity and spatial cognitive abilities of this brain region," says Aiman Saab, last author of the study.

To elucidate the functional relevance of the astrocyte network, the researchers generated a mouse model in which the two key connexins responsible for linking astrocytes together can be selectively inactivated. Once the corresponding genes were turned off, the astrocytes lost their ability to maintain intercellular networks and astrocyte-to-astrocyte coupling was disrupted within a few weeks.

Confocal fluorescence microscope image of astrocytes (magenta) and their cell nuclei (yellow) in the mouse brain. Credit: Ladina Hosli, University of Zurich

Intact astrocytic network is key for brain functioning of adult mice

Disruption of the astrocyte network altered the excitability of the neurons in the hippocampus and their signal transmission at the synapses. Moreover, the strengthening of these specialized neuronal connections needed to store synaptic information was also compromised. This was accompanied by significant deficits in spatial learning and memory of the animals. "Astrocyte functions are known to be involved in shaping cognitive abilities. Our study now shows that an intact astrocyte network is critical for spatial memory formation in adult mice," says Ladina Hosli, first author of the study.

Striking similarities to neurodegenerative diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders

Furthermore, the primary immune cells of the brain are also affected by the loss of astrocyte coupling. The activation of these so-called microglia observed in the mice are similar to changes documented in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and neuropsychiatric disorders like depressions. "Astrocytes and microglia not only changed their morphology, we also found alterations in specific markers that are characteristic to disease-associated microglia," says Hosli.

Since normal brain aging is also associated with changes in astrocytic coupling, these glial changes might contribute to the age-related decline in learning and memory. "Our study shows that in the adult brain the functioning of astrocytic connexins and an intact glial network may be important for the way astrocytes and microglia work together to maintain neural homeostasis," says Aiman Saab. In a next step, the researchers aim to understand how microglial functions are altered when astrocyte coupling is perturbed.

The research was published in Cell Reports.

Explore further Astrocytes help orchestrate synaptic activity in learning and memory

More information: Aiman S. Saab, Decoupling astrocytes in adult mice impairs synaptic plasticity and spatial learning, Cell Reports (2022). www.cell.com/cell-reports/full  2211-1247(22)00217-0 Journal information: Cell Reports Aiman S. Saab, Decoupling astrocytes in adult mice impairs synaptic plasticity and spatial learning,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110484
The authors reconstituted the biosynthesis of rumbrins, identified a new starter unit of PKS, and obtained 9 rumbrin analogues. Guided by rumB, rumbrins were predicted and pharmacologically demonstrated as anti-HIV agents. Credit: Compuscript Ltd

In a new article from Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, authors Beifen Zhong, Jun Wan and colleagues from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China, discuss biosynthesis of rumbrins and inspiration for discovery of HIV inhibitors.

Investigation on how nature produces natural compounds with chemical and biological diversity at the genetic level offers inspiration for the discovery of new natural products and even their biological targets.

The polyketide rumbrin is a lipid peroxide production and calcium accumulation inhibitor, which contains a chlorinated pyrrole moiety that is a rare chemical feature in fungal natural products.

The authors of this article identify the biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) rum of rumbrin and its isomer 12E-rumbrin from Auxarthron umbrinum DSM3193, and elucidate their biosynthetic pathway based on heterologous expression, chemical complementation, and isotopic labeling. It is demonstrated that rumbrins are assembled by a highly reducing polyketide synthase (HRPKS) that uniquely incorporate a proline-derived pyrrolyl-CoA starer unit and followed by methylation and chlorination. Sequent precursor-directed biosynthesis was able to yield a group of rumbrin analogs.

Inspired by the presence of a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-Nef-associated gene in the rum cluster, the authors predicted and pharmacologically demonstrated rumbrins as potent inhibitors of HIV at the nanomolar level. This work enriches the recognition of unconventional starter units of fungal PKSs and provides a new strategy for genome mining-guided drug discovery.

Explore further Researchers report biosynthetic pathway of mechercharmycin A

More information: Beifen Zhong et al, Biosynthesis of rumbrins and inspiration for discovery of HIV inhibitors, Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B (2022). Beifen Zhong et al, Biosynthesis of rumbrins and inspiration for discovery of HIV inhibitors,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2022.02.005

Provided by Compuscript Ltd
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

There are serious mental harms and high financial costs associated with so-called conversion therapy for LGBTQ people, researchers report.

Conversion therapy attempts to make lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people "straight." Its safety and effectiveness has been discredited in multiple prior studies.

In the new analysis, researchers looked at data from 28 published studies focused on conversion therapy. The review found that people subjected to it suffered significant psychological distress, had much higher rates of depression and substance abuse, and showed an increase in suicide attempts.

Over a lifetime, the estimated cost of this therapy was nearly $100,000 per person through direct costs such as treatment and indirect costs such as loss of productivity, according to the review published March 7 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

Based on reported rates, the authors estimated that more than half a million LGBTQ youth in the United States are at risk of undergoing conversion therapy, CNN reported.

Overall, conversion therapy costs in this country are over $650 million a year, and associated costs are more than $8.6 billion, for a total financial impact of $9.2 billion, the researchers estimated.

On the other hand, they found that "affirmative" therapywhich validates the positive expression of sexual and gender identityyielded cost savings of more than $40,000 per person.

The use of affirmative therapy would save $1.8 billion compared to no intervention and nearly $6.2 billion compared to conversion therapy over the lifetimes of LGBTQ youth, the researchers added.

"It is incumbent on policy makers to act to protect youths fromand stop all funding forthis unacceptable practice," they wrote. "Likewise, increasing access to affirmative therapy may promote health by empowering LGBTQ youths with skills and strategies to counteract minority stress."

While conversion therapy is banned in at least 20 states and several cities in the U.S., several bills have also been introduced to preserve the practice or repeal the bans, CNN reported.

The latest study was funded by The Trevor Project, a nonprofit suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization that supports LGBTQ youth.

"I think we have long said that conversion therapy efforts are damaging, on top of being in vain. But the study is asking a different kind of question and shows not only is this damaging to the individual, it ends up costing society money, too," Mike Parent, director of the Gender, Sexuality and Behavioral Health Lab at the University of Texas at Austin, told CNN.

Sean Cahill, director of health policy research at the Fenway Institute, which advocates for and delivers health care and research focused on LGBTQIA+ people in Boston, said the study adds to a growing body of evidence that conversion therapy harms everyone.

"I think often parents, they're not trying to hurt their kids, or they think they're trying to help them," said Cahill. "I think it's really important for parents to know that if they have their child do conversion therapy, their child has a greater odds of experiencing serious psychological distress, depression, substance use and suicide. I would think that a lot of parents would not be happy to learn that."

Explore further Physicians call for an end to conversion therapy

More information: Anna Forsythe et al, Humanistic and Economic Burden of Conversion Therapy Among LGBTQ Youths in the United States, JAMA Pediatrics (2022). Anna Forsythe et al, Humanistic and Economic Burden of Conversion Therapy Among LGBTQ Youths in the United States,(2022). DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.0042 Visit the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry for more on conversion therapy. Journal information: JAMA Pediatrics

 2022 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
A healthcare worker administers an AstraZeneca booster shot for COVID 19 at a vaccination center in Guatemala City, Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Credit: AP Photo/Moises Castillo

An expert group convened by the World Health Organization said Tuesday it "strongly supports urgent and broad access" to booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine amid the global spread of omicron, capping a reversal of the U.N. agency's repeated insistence last year that boosters weren't necessary for healthy people and contributed to vaccine inequity.

In a statement, WHO said its expert group concluded that immunization with authorized COVID-19 vaccines provide high levels of protection against severe disease and death amid the continuing spread of the hugely contagious omicron variant. WHO eased back on its earlier position in January by saying boosters were recommended once countries had adequate supplies and after protecting their most vulnerable.

It said vaccination, including the use of boosters, was especially important for people at risk of severe disease.

Last year, WHO's director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for a moratorium on booster doses while dozens of countries embarked on administering the doses, saying rich countries should immediately donate those vaccines to poor countries instead. WHO scientists said at the time they would continue to evaluate incoming data.

The updated recommendations came from an 18-member advisory group that focuses on the impact of "variants of concern"the most worrying variants, like omicronand assesses the vaccines' effectiveness against them.

Numerous scientific studies have proven that booster doses of authorized vaccines help restore waning immunity and protect against serious COVID-19. Booster programs in rich countries including Britain, Canada and the U.S. have been credited with preventing the surge in omicron infections from spilling over into hospitals and cemeteries.

WHO said it is continuing to monitor the global spread of omicron, including a "stealth" version known as BA.2, which has been documented to have re-infected some people after an initial case of omicron. There's mixed research on whether it causes more severe disease, but vaccines appear just as effective against it.

WHO noted that the current authorized COVID-19 vaccines are all based on the strain that was first detected in Wuhan, China more than three years ago.

"Since then, there has been continuous and substantial virus evolution and it is likely that this evolution will continue, resulting in the emergence of new variants," the agency said. It added that coronavirus vaccines would likely need to be updated.

Explore further WHO: COVID boosters should start with most vulnerable

 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The researchers use a process known as whole exome sequencing to map out a patient's genes. Credit: Unsplash.

Movement disorders include a range of conditions affecting the nervous system, with more rare disorders increasingly found to be caused by genetic mutations.

Genetic diagnosis is an important element for patients seeking treatment for movement disorders. However, Luca Marsili, MD, Ph.D., said the majority of genetic testing and knowledge about movement disorders has focused on European populations.

"There is a need to expand the knowledge to other populations from other ethnicities and ethnic groups," said Marsili, adjunct instructor in the Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine in the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. "It's very helpful because we learn from the differences, particularly in the genetics."

In search of more information for varying ethnic and racial populations, researchers at UC have been operating a study called the Genetics of Unusual and Familial Movement Disorders since 2017.

"This endeavor is responsive to the ideals of inclusivity and equity, offering advanced genetic analyses for non-European populations, especially those with a minority ethnic background," Marsili said. "The output will contribute toward mitigating the lack of diversity in genetic research."

Through a partnership with the University of Chile, the study has recently grown to offer comprehensive genetic testing for selected Chilean patients with rare movement disorders of presumed genetic nature.

"We think having representation of different populations will help in getting more information about genetics of movement disorders in general," said Marsili. "Because these are very rare cases, at least for now, we need to expand this study."

Study origins

Alberto Espay, MD, said the study began out of necessity when patients seeking treatment for neurogenetic conditions had no insurance-covered process to determine their genetic diagnosis.

Ancestry-related DNA tests available to the general public are relatively inexpensive, but Espay said full genetic testing is costly, so it is important to have research funding to cover the testing that may not be affordable for individual patients.

"Testing serves to uncover genetic mutations that are either already documented to be what we call pathogenic or could be established as such," said Espay, professor of neurology in the UC College of Medicine, director and endowed chair of the James J. and Joan A. Gardner Family Center for Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders at the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute and a UC Health physician.

The thorough testing also allows researchers to begin uncovering new genetic causes for other disorders that have not been identified, helping increase the knowledge base surrounding the diagnosis and treatment of neurogenetic disorders, Espay said.

"Part of the reason we want to do this, of course, is we want to open therapeutic avenues, and we couldn't if we don't know what the genetic abnormality is," he said. "The final result is that the slice of the pie of neurogenetic disorders about which a diagnosis becomes known is beginning to increase.

"We have been able to bring diagnostic closure to many patients and families after many years of searching," Espay continued. "Through this effort, we have also helped connect the affected individuals to scientists working anywhere in the world to advance the knowledge of and treatment options against the respective genetic mutations."

Serving underrepresented populations

Marsili said the UC researchers are connected to Latin American researchers and populations through a collaboration with geneticist Marcelo Kauffman, Ph.D. Kauffman is an honorary visiting scholar in the UC College of Medicine from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Espay said UC has become known as a consultation hub for Latin American countries in neurology in part through a partnership with Kauffman.

The specific expansion to enroll Chilean patients came when collaborators noticed a "reasonably high" number of patients in Chile with neurogenetic disorders but did not have the resources to do the intensive work of genetic testing. The ongoing partnership will now integrate the transfer of information and DNA analysis between all parties.

"It took a while to set this up, but now that it's established, this will allow us to provide a service to an underserved, often overlooked community," Espay said. "It serves to understand what the spectrum of genetic disorders may be in ethnicities that are not necessarily as prevalent here in the U.S."

Espay said the study expansion is particularly rewarding to him, as he was born in Chile.

Study methodology

Marsili said the study is designed to be quick and easy for patients, with the heavy lifting taking place outside of the clinical setting. Patients will be enrolled based on clinical examinations of their symptoms and family history of movement disorders.

Once patients are enrolled and give consent, they fill out a standardized questionnaire and undergo a full neurologic exam. Two small vials of blood are collected for the genetic testing. The patient's role in the study is completed after a few hours, Marsili said.

The patient's DNA is then extracted from the blood and is processed through a technique called whole exome sequencing. From there, Kauffman analyzes the DNA results and compares them to those of previous samples and of international repositories in order to interpret the data.

If a specific mutation known to be tied to movement disorders is found in the research setting, the patient can then take a more affordable test for that specific genetic mutation in a clinical setting to confirm the diagnosis. The mutation can then be added to their medical charts and help inform the treatment options and then connect the patient to experts around the world who specialize in the specific genetic disorder.

"It's giving hope and it's opening new possibilities for the genetics of many movement disorders and for patients from all over the world, of different ethnicities and every presentation of these rare diseases," Marsili said of the study.

Marsili noted the study can also enroll family members of patients when a specific mutation is identified to learn about the presence of the genetic mutation in a family.

"That expands the knowledge about the transmission of this condition," he said. "The most frequent question we receive from our patients is, "Am I going to transmit this condition to someone else in the next generation?" We need to answer that."

Espay said since the conditions are so rare, a specific mutation and diagnosis will be identified in only about 20% of patients the first time their genes are analyzed. But since the knowledge in the field is constantly growing, every patient's data can be reanalyzed every one to two years.

"Returning after two years to negative baseline data increases the odds further by another 20%," Espay said. "We are able to say to patients, "Well, we so far don't have an answer for you. However, we've kept your data and plan to reanalyze it periodically.'"

Espay said the study is an example of the importance of philanthropy from the community helping to increase the reach of care. The study is supported by the Parkinson's Patient Diagnostic Genetic Assistance Fund and the Precision Medicine Neurodegenerative Disease Fund, connected to the Cincinnati Cohort Biomarker Program (ccbpstudy.com), which received major funding from the Gardner Family Foundation.

"This is one of the benefits of putting philanthropy work for research. This would not be possible if it weren't for the generosity of the community in which we live," Espay said. "So many of the things we do would not be happening otherwise. We're very grateful for the support of the community, precisely because of all the things we can do on behalf of our patients."

Explore further Cerebral palsy has genetic cause in up to one quarter of patients
A significant percentage of Carroll Countys workforce is expected to retire within the next five years, so officials are working to find new ways to attract and retain employees.

In 2021, 14% of Carrolls workforce was at or above the average age of retirement (62.5 years old), according to a study by Segal, a consulting firm the county hired. In 2026, that percentage is expected to jump to 30%.

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Thats a lot of impact that the county is going to be experiencing, said Scott Nostaja, project leader at Segal. Over the next five years, the county will lose a significant portion of its workforce to retirement and it is not well positioned to manage the looming staffing shortage and attract or promote talent to fill these roles.

Nostaja added that these factors will make it difficult to maintain operations and services in the county at current levels.

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During the last five fiscal years, Carroll County government staff has average turnover rates of about 10% per year, including both voluntary and involuntary departures.

In September, the Board of Carroll County Commissioners approved a $300,000 contract for a compensation, classification and organizational design study with Segal, a consulting firm, after recognizing a declining number of qualified job applicants paired with an aging county workforce.

Last week, commissioners were briefed on the studys results. Ted Zaleski, director of the Department of Management and Budget, reminded the commissioners that the goal of the study was to be sure the county could attract and retain employees it needs and protect its ability to provide services.

We are losing competitive ground to others, Zaleski said. Historically, boards of commissioners have been largely content knowing their pay was lagging behind our competitors.  We cant afford for that to be OK anymore.

Nostaja said the study showed the countys workforce is deeply committed to serving county residents and many employees have served long careers in county government.

He spoke about broader workforce trends that have emerged nationally since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nationally retirements have accelerated, employee turnover is high, and there is a critical labor shortage.

In the study, several factors were noted to have contributed to trouble attracting and retaining employees. They included a lack of competitive compensation and limited remote and flexible work options.

He said county government would have to develop a comprehensive strategy and plan to address these factors.

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According to the report, people in the millennial (born 1981-1996) and Gen Z (born 1997-2012) generations will represent 75% of the U.S. workforce by 2025, as more and more members of the baby boomer generation (born 1946-1964) retire.

Although Carroll County government has many strengths, such as the quality of existing talent, a generous benefits package, tuition benefits to support professional growth and ample paid time off, an assessment found it does not have a clear and commonly shared vision or strategic plan to guide priorities and investments, which will be critical for making transformational changes that are needed, Nostaja said.

He said having a government with a five-commissioner structure may make it difficult to establish a shared long-term vision because of the regular turnover among board members.

Half of the countys departments are experiencing higher than 10% turnover per year, including public works, comprehensive planning, citizen services, economic development, public safety, recreation and parks, and management and budget.

Segals assessment also revealed that overall morale among county employees is low, Nostaja said, and employee engagement is low in parts of the county.

Many employees feel unappreciated for their contributions and there is no robust employee recognition program or dedicated funding to support such efforts, Nostaja said.

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While opportunities exist to realign the structure within the government, staffing challenges will need to be addressed first, he said.

Moving forward, commissioners agreed to review the information and decide how and when to implement improved workforce practices.

I appreciate the work youve done so far  this is great information, said Commissioner President Ed Rothstein, a Republican representing District 5. I just ask folks who are listening not to jump to a conclusion because of one bullet point.

Commissioner Stephen Wantz, a District 1 Republican, said the board will work to improve as much as they can.

I wish we would have done this three years ago because its hard to set strategic goals and plans when there are new people coming in in a short period of time, he said.

Commissioner Richard Weaver, a Republican representing District 2, said he was impressed with the report.

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Sometimes we forget about the changing workforce, he said. The biggest factor here is we have to act on it.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Take a seat, chin to the sky. Insert the swab, rotate slowly and switch nostrilswe know the drill. Only this time, it's not a COVID-19 test. And the nose is attached to a monkey.

Three years ago, researchers in Davis swabbed the nasal cavities of 22 captive rhesus macaque monkeys that were born just before and after the horrific 2008 wildfire season. Alterations in their DNA showed, for the first time, that exposure to wildfire smoke can create long-term changes in the way that genes are expressed in primates, they reported in January.

It's unknown whether the same results will be found in humans, and follow-up studies are underway. But the DNA modifications suggest that like the monkeys, young people breathing in orange skies may be more susceptible to respiratory illness and brain development issues later in life. Such studies of the long-term health effects could also open the door for future treatments to mitigate the damage of smoke, which poses a growing threat as the state experiences more frequent and toxic wildfires.

For years, scientists have associated the particulate matter from smoke with respiratory health complications such as COPD and asthmaparticularly in children.

"We know air pollution is bad, but we don't know the specific regions (of the DNA) that it's targeting," said Juan Aguilera, a physician-scientist at Stanford University who was not affiliated with the research. "There's been, also, a need to know more about the long-term effects of the exposure."

The new study out of Davis addresses both of these gapsidentifying individual pathways by which smoke exposure impacts the body, and following those changes over time. To do so, researchers are looking to the epigenome: the layer of molecules on top of genetic code that dictates how DNA is interpreted, helping turn specific genes on and off.

"We're talking about a genetic component that basically tells the cells how to act and what to do," Aguilera explains. "Epigenetics studies how the environment and external exposures change our bodies and how our bodies work."

When Hong Ji and her colleagues from the California National Primate Research Center at UC Davis looked at the monkeys' nasal DNA, they were surprised to find that over 3,000 regions in the epigenome were different for monkeys that were exposed to the 2008 wildfires and those that weren't.

"I thought we'd be lucky to see something, but wow. ... There's these unappreciated, huge, massive changes across the genome that people did not realize," Ji said.

Some of the impacted regions deal with genes typically involved in immune response and neural development, meaning that smoke exposure could impact breathing and cognition in the long run. In fact, the researchers already showed that the monkeys born after the wildfires had reduced lung capacity and impaired lung function. The team is currently looking for signs of brain damage in the exposed monkeys, but previous studies have linked air pollution to autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

"Your body actually has the memory of previous exposures stored in the epigenomethe mark is always there," Ji said. "That memory could change the way you respond to infections or allergens or viruses."

These findings add to growing concerns for the dangers of inhaling wildfire smokeparticularly at a young age, when individuals haven't yet developed sufficient protection.

The researchers said they expect to see similar epigenetic effects in people. Ji is teaming up with Rebecca Schmidt at UC Davis to repeat the study in pregnant mothers and young children, and they're in the process of recruiting participants now.

This time, however, the scientists are focusing on more recent fires. Most studies investigating the health effects of wildfires have been set at or before the 2008 wildfire season, which followed three year extremely dry conditions and burned more nearly 1.6 million acres. Still, "The exposure that year is pretty smalla blip compared to these more recent years," Schmidt said.

Keith Bauer, another researcher at UC Davis, has tracked the chemical composition of wildfires over time with a rapid-response mobile research unit he built to vacuum smoke from the air and analyze the particulate matter. As humans have developed more of the rural landscape, fires have begun to consume structures and electronics, releasing new and unknown chemicals into the air, he said.

"There's a new generation of wildfires we're seeing," Bauer said. "The composition looks radically different in some of these wildfires where the built environment is involved in the fuel."

The fact that wildfires are getting worse over time makes the newly identified long-term epigenetic effects even more daunting. Scientists recommend evacuating polluted areas, wearing protective N-95 masks and using air filters whenever possible, but they recognize that not everyone has the financial means to do so.

"We need to do a better job protecting ourselvesnot only on a personal level, but also through policy and inter-community behaviors," Aguilera said.

The new research into epigenetic smoke effects may provide a beacon of hope, though a distant one.

"Knowing where the specific changes occur at the genetic level might be the way to look into therapies, or even some sort of medication," Aguilera said. "I think they're going in a great direction."

Explore further West coast wildfires, COVID a double whammy to lung health

2022 The Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Ball-and-stick model of the testosterone molecule, C 19 H 28 O 2 , as found in the crystal structure of testosterone monohydrate. Credit: Ben Mills/Wikipedia

Dear Healthy Men: My teenage boy isn't maturing as quickly as his peers. His voice has barely changed, he's hardly got any facial or body hair, and at 14, he's one of the shortest boys in his class (my wife and I are both above average in height). He's also tired a lot of the time and is more than a little pudgy. Lately he's become obsessed with the idea that his problem is low testosterone. He's constantly forwarding me YouTube videos and screenshots internet ads and is trying to convince me that he needs testosterone supplements. Could he be right? I thought low testosterone was only something that affects older men.

A: The answer to your question is yes and no. Yes, he could indeed have low testosterone (frequently referred to as Low-T). But no (no, no, no), he should absolutely not start taking supplements or doing anything to "treat" the problem until he's been properly diagnosed by a professional. And by professional, I mean a trained health care provider who will run the proper clinical tests to measure testosterone levels and other biomarkers, who's committed to identifying the underlying issues and how to overcome them rather than to selling you a bunch of pills or other treatments. Stay far, far away from anyone (including advice columnists) who claims to be able to diagnose and treat low testosterone or other medical conditions without actually having some actual contact (in person or, in some cases, virtually) with the patient.

Testosterone is a naturally occurring hormone that in boys helps regulate many of the markers of sexual maturity, including hair growth, muscle mass and voice changes. (Girls also produce testosterone and it influences their sexual maturity as well, but to a far lesser extent.) Testosterone also plays a role in mood, fat distribution and energy levels.

The symptoms you've described may or may not be caused by low testosterone. For example, several studies have found that testosterone levels in obese teenage boys are half of what they are in normal-weight boys. But is obesity causing the low testosterone or is it the other way 'round?

As far as your son's energy levels, if he's got a weight problem, chances are he's not getting enough exercise. Lack of exercise contributes to lack of energy. But low energy can have many other causes, including vitamin D deficiency. Body hair, height and voice changes? Could be testosteroneor it could be that your son is just maturing slowly. Puberty is hitting kids at younger ages these days, but not everyone is fully mature by 14.

If it turns out that your son's testosterone is low, the biggest concern is to find out why. In boys, testosterone is produced in the testicles (hence the similar names), and an abnormality could affect levels. A number of genetic conditions and prescription medications can lower testosterone. And then there's antibacterial soap. Yep, soap.

In 2016, the Food and Drug Administration banned an antibacterial/antimicrobial chemical called triclosan, which, according to Dr. Stephen Giorgianni, an adviser to Mens Health Network, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, was an ingredient in a wide variety of personal care products, including soap, shampoo, dishwashing liquids, deodorants and even some toothpastes.

"The problem with triclosan is that, chemically, it looks like testosterone and functions as a sort of Trojan horse," says Giorgianni. "When the faux-testosterone gets into the bloodstream, our body thinks it's the real thing and stops producing natural testosterone. As a result, the boy or man can develop a true decline in testosterone levels and start showing symptoms."

However, despite the FDA ban, triclosan may still be used in consumer products, including toys, bedding, fabrics and other products that aren't regulated by the FDA. While it's not clear whether the levels of triclosan in those products are OK, the safest thing to do if you see it on the ingredient panel is to buy something else.

Explore further Low testosterone levels in women associated with doubled risk of cardiac events

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At the 142-year-old Shiloh Baptist Church in Trenton, New Jersey, the 1,500-member congregation has learned that tending only to spiritual needs is not enough.

So, the predominantly Black church works together through its nonprofit Shiloh Community Development Corporation to address spiritual, physical and mental health, said the Rev. Darrell Armstrong, who leads the church and is executive director of the corporation.

"You don't find in most schools of religion an intense focus on bridging religion and mental health," said Armstrong, who arrived at Shiloh in 2000 and has a particular interest in strengthening family health. His mother was addicted to cocaine, and he spent most of his childhood in foster care or living with relatives in Los Angeles.

Armstrong, mindful of the effects of family disruption and dysfunction, is pursuing a doctorate in social work with a focus on developing trauma-informed, resilient houses of worship.

"If you don't focus on this need, you can get caught up in the business of running the church and not healing the church."

Family health programs are run through the Shiloh Community Development Corporation, which was a finalist for the American Heart Association's Empowered to Serve Business Accelerator Faith-Based program that helps to fund faith institutions working to address social influences on health such as race bias, education, housing and access to healthy foods and health care.

Shiloh's Healthy Women, Healthy Families program, for example, works in conjunction with a statewide initiative to improve maternal and infant health. It's directed at women of childbearing age and their families and aims to also reduce racial, ethnic and economic disparities.

Tracie Daves, a fourth-generation member of Shiloh, an assistant minister and longtime youth leader, hosts the gatherings and encourages women to attend. The first topic, discussed last year during five separate workshops, was about sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were about 1,250 deaths caused by SIDS in 2019. Another 960 infant deaths were caused by accidental suffocation in bed, and 1,180 deaths were from an unknown cause. Sudden unexpected infant deaths were disproportionately higher among Black infants. The American Academy of Pediatrics offers guidance to reduce the rate of SIDS and other sleep-related infant deaths.

"The first thing I did was get up in front of the congregation and explain what SIDS was, because it's a term that people don't always understand," Daves said. "Many people in the African American community don't believe it happens to our people. Part of that is because it isn't discussed. Some people might not even know that they had people in their family who had passed from it. But, yes, this actually does happen to our children."

Daves also hosts lactation and breastfeeding seminars.

One of the church's favorite rituals is the Baby Blessing service, not only to celebrate new arrivals into the nearly 600-family congregation, but to show parents best practices in child development, said Armstrong, who has expertise in the field.

From 2006 to 2009, he was director of Family and Community Partnerships for the New Jersey Department of Children & Families, which promotes the health, well-being and personal safety of children and families.

"I saw the strength of the home-visiting movement, going into homes of newborns to help guide the child's health," Armstrong said. "That's also what congregational home visits are. It starts with the Baby Blessing, and then we have a peer-to-peer program with experienced parents helping new parents."

Armstrong often visits the family at their home before performing a Baby Blessing.

"I want to see where people live, their living conditions, how many generations are together, etc., so I can better serve the child," he said.

He briefly discusses with parents their own childhoods and talks about such things as the negative effect of corporal punishment.

Shiloh also has hosted several COVID-19 vaccination clinics conducted by the New Jersey Department of Health. The congregation, which has lost members to COVID, hasn't met in person since the pandemic started.

"We have so many initiatives we want to get back to," including a community and jobs resource center they hope to break ground on soon, Armstrong said. "I can't wait to get going again."

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With as much turmoil and negativity as the COVID-19 pandemic has supplied, there may be a silver lining when it comes to a new vaccine study for those suffering with HIV.

The first study participant has been enrolled in a new Phase 1 clinical trial using the messenger ribonucleic acid, or mRNA, vaccine technology developed by Moderna to evaluate the safety and immune responses of three different experimental vaccines against HIV. This randomized, open-label trial represents one of the first clinical studies of the use of mRNA vaccine technology against HIV.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham enrolled the trial's second participant and has enrolled several others since.

Paul Goepfert, M.D., director of the Alabama Vaccine Research Clinic in the Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine, says the emergence of mRNA vaccines to combat COVID-19 certainly helped move this mRNA HIV vaccine trial along.

"Despite tremendous advancements in treatment and prevention of HIV, we still do not have an effective vaccine and thousands of Americans continue to be infected every year," Goepfert said. "mRNA technology enables a much more rapid development of vaccines that was not previously possible. This new technology will certainly decrease the time it will take to develop an effective HIV vaccine."

The study, HVTN 302, will enroll up to 108 HIV-negative adults. The primary study hypothesis is that the mRNA vaccines will be safe and well-tolerated among HIV-negative people and will elicit neutralizing antibodies.

The experimental vaccines carry mRNA, a piece of genetic code, delivered with instructions for making proteins in the same way that the mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 instruct the body's cells to make the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. These instructions show human muscle cells how to make small portions of proteins that resemble parts of HIV but are not the actual virus. People cannot contract HIV from the vaccines. Once immune cells have used the instructions, the mRNA is quickly broken down, and does not stay in the body.

The investigational vaccines are not expected to provide protection from HIV infection, yet the knowledge gained from this study will aid in the future development of an HIV vaccine regimen. Researchers hope to learn whether the immune system will respond to the experimental vaccines by making antibodies and T cells that could fight HIV if a person is ever exposed to the virus in the future. The trial will also clarify whether the immune response to an mRNA vaccine is equal to or better than the response to a protein-based vaccine, while helping define the potentials of using mRNA to increase the pace of developing an HIV vaccine.

Explore further COVID Queries: Altered DNA and microchips
A graphic of a patient using telemedicine considering antibiotics. Credit: Justine Ross, Michigan Medicine

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for telemedicine boomedincreasing 63-fold among Medicare users alone from approximately 840,000 telehealth visits in 2019 to 52.7 million in 2020.

As more people flocked to telemedicine, health systems and increasingly implemented direct-to-consumer telehealth to provide convenient, safe options for acute care. But it was unknown how these services varied in quality of care.

A new study found that for telemedicine visits related to acute respiratory infection, contractor-supplied physicians prescribed antibiotics to patients nearly twice as often as emergency physicians employed by the hospital system.

"The vast majority of acute respiratory infections are viral and antibiotics just don't help," said Kathleen Li, M.D., M.S., lead author of the paper and emergency physician at Michigan Medicine. "On top of that, antibiotics have side effects for patients, including gastrointestinal issues and allergic reactions, and from a broad public health standpoint there is growing concern for antibiotic resistance. Even if it doesn't harm that individual patient, it can eventually impact everyone's vulnerability to resistant strains."

Acute respiratory infection covers an array of conditions, including the common cold, flu and bronchitis. They are one of the most common reasons patients seek virtual care, making up around one-third of all direct-to-consumer telehealth visits.

The research team analyzed more than 250 on-demand telemedicine visits available to employees at a large academic health system from March 2018 to July 2019. The visits were either staffed by system-affiliated emergency physicians or mixed-specialty physicians employed by a third-party contractor.

Of all encounters related to acute respiratory infection, contracted physicians prescribed antibiotics in 37% of visits, compared to 18% for hospital-affiliated clinicians. After adjusting for other factors, the researchers predicted a 15% difference between the two groups.

"One reason third-party telemedicine providers in our study may have prescribed more antibiotics is if they were practicing more conservatively because they didn't have access to the patient's record for additional context and were basing treatment decisions all on one interaction with the patient," Li said.

While the affiliated physicians in this study demonstrated improved antibiotic stewardship, she says, the prescription rates are likely still too high.

In June of 2020, the American College of Emergency Physicians called antimicrobial resistance a "critical threat to the public health and health of patients in emergency departments throughout the United States and the world." The organization stressed the importance of avoiding antibiotics for nonresponsive conditions and educating patients and guardians about why a prescription may not be effective.

"This is not even an issue specific to telemedicine or emergency medicine: urgent cares, clinics and primary care providers have all historically overprescribed antibiotics," she said. "Societally, patients often expect something tangible like a prescription after paying for a visit to a doctor."

Determining whether an infection is viral or bacterial is not always straightforward, especially through a virtual visit. So, Li says, a lot of doctors may prescribe antibiotics to be "safe" or because they feel a need to satisfy the patient.

She cautioned that antibiotics are likely ineffective, however, because more than 90% of patients coming to providers with an acute cough have a condition caused by a virus.

The study took place before the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent telehealth explosion. As more providers consider paying third party telemedicine companies to cover virtual urgent care services, Li's team has concerns it would further fragment care.

"In contrast, if telemedicine services are offered through the patient's usual context of care, the doctor providing the service would have access to all their past information and know how likely a patient will be able to follow up and they might be less inclined to prescribe antibiotics when they are not necessary," she said. "Going forward, I hope health system leaders factor in these quality-versus-cost tradeoffs in terms of continuity of care and antibiotic stewardship when deciding how to structure their telemedicine services."

The research was published in theJournal of Telemedicine and Telecare.

Explore further Telemedicine RTI visits shorter when antibiotic prescribed

More information: Kathleen Y Li et al, Differences in antibiotic prescribing rates for telemedicine encounters for acute respiratory infections, Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare (2022). Kathleen Y Li et al, Differences in antibiotic prescribing rates for telemedicine encounters for acute respiratory infections,(2022). DOI: 10.1177/1357633X221074503
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Sexual partnerships between individuals from different communities may help explain why some community-based HIV prevention efforts were moderately effective, shows a study published in eLife.

The findings may help explain the results of some community-based prevention studies and help scientists develop better ways to track and prevent the spread of HIV.

Early identification and treatment of HIV can help prevent transmission of the virus. However, large studies of community-based universal HIV testing and treatment in sub-Saharan Africa have not been as effective as mathematical models predicted at curbing new infections.

"To stem the spread of new HIV infections, we need to better understand patterns of HIV transmission in the region," says first author Lerato Magosi, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, US.

Magosi and colleagues set out to learn more about HIV transmission patterns in Botswana, Africa. The team genetically sequenced HIV samples collected from 5,114 individuals in 30 communities who participated in an HIV prevention trial. This trial, called the Botswana Combination Prevention Project or Ya Tsie trial, compared HIV transmission in communities that were randomized to receive universal HIV testing and linkage to treatment with communities that did not receive such an intervention.

By identifying samples of HIV that were closely related genetically, the team was able to track how the virus spread within and between these communities. They found that most HIV transmission occurred between individuals who were about the same age and among individuals living in the same community or neighboring communities, rather than distant communities. Viral spread from communities that did not receive the universal HIV testing and treatment intervention into communities that received the intervention was more likely to occur than vice versa.

"Our results suggest that community-based HIV testing and treatment initiatives are powerful tools to reduce HIV transmission, but will need to be supported by targeted studies aimed at closing age and sex gaps in uptake of testing and treatment," Magosi explains.

The authors suggest that genetic sequencing may be a valuable tool to help identify geographic HIV transmission patterns. They also recommend widely distributing HIV testing and treatment interventions in communities that are likely to intermingle. "Population mobility patterns are central to understanding HIV transmission dynamics and should be considered when designing and testing HIV control strategies," concludes senior author Marc Lipsitch, Professor of Epidemiology and Director of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics.

Explore further New HIV program increased viral suppression, decreased new infections in Botswana

More information: Lerato E Magosi et al, Deep-sequence phylogenetics to quantify patterns of HIV transmission in the context of a universal testing and treatment trial - BCPP/ Ya Tsie trial, eLife (2022). Journal information: eLife Lerato E Magosi et al, Deep-sequence phylogenetics to quantify patterns of HIV transmission in the context of a universal testing and treatment trial - BCPP/ Ya Tsie trial,(2022). DOI: 10.7554/eLife.72657
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The American College of Rheumatology (ACR), in partnership with the Vasculitis Foundation (VF), released a new guideline for the management of Kawasaki disease that addresses diagnostic issues relating to Kawasaki disease, the treatment of high-risk patients, and the management of convalescent patients.

Kawasaki disease is a vasculitis that is most common in children under 5 years old. It makes blood vessels in the body (particularly those that supply blood to the heart) become inflamed. This guideline is the final companion to three other ACR/VF vasculitis guidelines released in July 2021.

"Kawasaki disease continues to be an area of evolving understanding in clinical treatment," said Mark Gorelik, MD, an Assistant Professor at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, and the lead investigator of the guideline. "There are various degrees of severity in this disease and a set of complications and therapies that rheumatologists should be aware of. These guidelines will help clinicians better treat patients by augmenting existing guidelines from the American Heart Association, especially for complex patients seen by rheumatologists."

The guideline provides eleven treatment recommendations, a good practice statement that all Kawasaki disease patients should be initially treated with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), and an ungraded position statement on the use of either non-glucocorticoid immunosuppressive therapy or glucocorticoids for patients with acute Kawasaki disease and persistent fevers after repeated treatment with IVIG. The strong recommendations include prompt treatment of incomplete Kawasaki disease, aspirin therapy, and obtaining an echocardiogram in the setting of shock. The conditional recommendations include use of IVIG with other adjuvant agents for patients with high-risk features for IVIG resistance and/or coronary artery aneurysms.

"IVIG is the central therapy for patients with Kawasaki disease and should be administered as soon as the diagnosis of Kawasaki disease is made. IVIG significantly reduces the rate of coronary artery aneurysms," said Dr. Gorelik.

Two recommendations in the new guideline differ from current standards. Currently, all patients with Kawasaki disease are treated essentially identically. The guideline recommends higher risk patients be treated with short courses of corticosteroids at time of first diagnosis. The guidelines also recommend that physicians can choose to use either low or high dose aspirin for therapy, since there is no evidence that either higher or lower doses are more effective for preventing vascular complications.

"Kawasaki disease is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children," said Joyce Kullman, Executive Director of the Vasculitis Foundation. "This guideline will hopefully take the guesswork out of determining which treatments might work best for newly diagnosed patients, or patients who have been under treatment for a while without success. "

While the guideline was being developed, the COVID-19 pandemic began. A novel multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19 emerged with some features suggestive of Kawasaki disease. The ACR has published a separate clinical guidance on MIS-C, but further study is needed to understand the relationship between MIS-C and Kawasaki disease.

"Based on clinical experience with many MIS-C patients, recognition and differentiation of MIS-C from classic Kawasaki disease is important. Patients who meet criteria for Kawasaki disease should be treated using the therapies discussed in this guideline. Additional study is needed to determine optimal treatment for MIS-C with and without Kawasaki disease features," said Dr. Gorelik.

Like many other ACR guidelines, the guideline for Kawasaki disease was developed using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology, which creates rigorous standards for judging the quality of the literature available and assigns strengths to the recommendations.

Explore further Antibody treatment for MIS-C works by depleting inflammatory immune cells

More information: The guideline details are available The guideline details are available here Lauren A. Henderson et al, American College of Rheumatology Clinical Guidance for Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children Associated With SARSCoV2 and Hyperinflammation in Pediatric COVID19: Version 3, Arthritis & Rheumatology (2022). DOI: 10.1002/art.42062
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Now that Chicago and Illinois no longer require masks in many places, you may be wondering how to re-enter the world again.

We wanted to share some helpful guidance from Michael Lin, MD, MPH, an infectious disease specialist and associate professor at Rush, on making smart choices as COVID-19 cases in Illinois are the lowest they have been in months.

Why did the mask mandate end?

COVID-19 levels are low enough that public health is no longer under threat, and the U.S. health care system is no longer at risk for being overwhelmed, Lin says.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated its guidance on masking based on whether COVID-19 levels in a community are low, medium or high. If you're in a county with a low COVID-19 community level (like Cook and all neighboring counties), you may choose to wear a mask based on your personal preference, informed by your personal level of risk.

"So if you feel like you are vulnerable because of a medical illness or because of an immunocompromised state, then you can certainly elect to wear a mask, and that would protect you," Lin says.

The CDC still recommends wearing a mask if you or a family member is at high risk for severe COVID-19 and you are in an area with a high COVID-19 community level. If your COVID-19 community level is medium, you can talk with your health care provider about wearing a mask.

Am I still protecting myself and others if I choose to wear a mask and no one else does?

Even if people around you aren't masked, opting to wear a mask yourself still provides protection against COVID-19for you and others.

"Masks still play an important role in both preventing the mask wearer from spreading infections to people who are vulnerable to severe COVID-19 as well as preventing the mask wearer from potentially becoming infected if they're susceptible," Lin says.

Is it safe to go to a restaurant or bar without a mask?

Chicago recently changed its rules so you don't have to show proof of vaccination before going to restaurants, bars and gyms, nor do you have to wear a mask. If you decide to go to one of these places without a mask, the risk for getting COVID-19 is the lowest it has been in months.

"As COVID-19 levels drop, our risk is lowered as well," Lin says. "So the things that we enjoyed in the past without face masks, we can start to do those again."

This includes getting together with friends, which is becoming safer given our low COVID-19 community levels around Chicago. But it's also important to consider your personal situation and remember that low COVID-19 community levels do not mean there are zero risks, Lin says.

Can I run errands now without a mask?

If COVID-19 transmission levels in and around Chicago remain low or drop even further, then it becomes less important to use layers of protection, which include face masking and social distancing, Lin says.

Staying informed about local levels of COVID-19 transmission can help you make the right decision about which protective measures are right for your family. Still, Lin recommends this important layer of protection for everyone who is eligible: being up-to-date on your vaccines.

Can my family travel safely for spring break?

When choosing to travel, recognize that many U.S. counties still have medium or high COVID-19 community levels.

"Your risk will depend on how much transmission is happening in the place that you're traveling to," Lin says. You can use the CDC's tool to understand COVID-19 risks at your potential destination and inform your personal decisions.

Your risk on vacation also depends on the types of activities that you choose to do, Lin says. For example, going to an indoor waterpark with a lot of strangers carries a higher risk than taking a hike outdoors with your family.

And when you're ready to travel, it's important to continue to follow current public health advice. Right now, masks are still required for public transportation, including air travel.

Does the end of the mask mandate mean we're at the end of the pandemic?

"We hope that we're getting to the end of the pandemic, but unfortunately, we won't know right away because it does take time to know whether or not there are new variants coming and if they are going to impact us," Lin says. "But we are cautiously optimistic that the COVID-19 pandemic is moving toward the endemic phase." That means COVID-19 would become more like a seasonal flu or cold virus.

How should we handle this awkward period when some people are masked and others are not?

Lin recommends being respectful of others during this time, whether or not they choose to wear a mask.

"We have to understand that it's going to be a personal choice, and it's OK to wear a mask, and in some situations, it's OK not to wear a mask," Lin says. "Everyone will have their own feel for what is right for them."

Explore further Video: How to decide what mask is best for you
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Nearly two million Americans have type 1 diabetes, a condition in which the body does not produce enough insulin to effectively manage blood sugar, leading to high blood sugar levels, or hyperglycemia. Persistent hyperglycemia puts people with diabetes at increased risk for heart disease, nerve damage, loss of sight, kidney disease and premature death. Controlling blood sugar through the use of insulin can prevent and delay these side effects of diabetes.

Now, scientists led by George King, MD, chief scientific officer and section head of vascular cell biology at Joslin Diabetes Center, have shed new light on exactly how hyperglycemia contributes to kidney disease and have also uncovered a potential therapeutic target. Their work, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, rests on a unique, long-running observational study of more than 1,000 people living with type 1 diabetes, known as the Medalist Study.

Since 2003, King and colleagues at Joslin have been studying people who have been living with the disease for 50 years or morea feat that would have been considered highly unlikely at time of their diagnosis in the 1950s or earlier. The Medalist project has revealed surprising details about this remarkable cohort of participants. For example, while as many as 30 percent of people with diabetes experience kidney disease, just 13 percent of Medalistspeople given the moniker because they have received a medal from Joslin Diabetes Center to acknowledge their grit in managing diabetes for half a century or longerdo.

Prior studies of Medalists by King revealed that individuals who were protected from diabetic kidney disease showed elevated levels of glucose metabolizing enzymes compared to people with diabetes who developed diabetic kidney disease. King and colleagues suspected these enzymessuch as pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2may play a protective role, neutralizing some of the damage hyperglycemia typically causes to the kidney.

"There is intense interest in identifying the mechanisms underlying the toxic effects of hyperglycemia," said King, who is also a professor of medicine and ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School (HMS). "We have demonstrated at the molecular level that activation of PKM2 can increase an important protective factor for the kidney called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to normalize and maintain kidney function to prevent the dysfunction induced by chronic diabetes."

Inspired by their previous findings, King and colleaguesincluding first author Jialin Fu, MD, Ph.D., senior postdoctoral fellow at Joslinused mice genetically engineered to over-produce PKM2 to uncover its role in protecting the kidney from diabetes. After seven months, the researchers compared the kidneys of the engineered mice to those of wild type (non-engineered) mice with and without induced diabetes. The mice engineered to produce high levels of PKM2 demonstrated healthier kidneys than their wild type counterparts with diabetes.

"In this experiment, we made the surprising finding that overexpression of one enzyme in a subset of kidney cells can normalize kidney function and metabolism, even after seven months of elevated blood sugar levels," said Fu, who is also a postdoctoral researcher at HMS. "These improvements of metabolism could benefit diabetic kidney disease, even in the presence of systemic inflammation, a common feature of diabetes."

Specifically, the scientists demonstrated that the overexpression of PKM2 prevented multiple pathological changes to the cells of the kidney's filtration system frequently seen in diabetes. The enzyme's action preserved cell function and prevented disease progression. While further research is necessary, the findings support PKM2 as a potential therapeutic target for the prevention of diabetes-related kidney disease. The results also suggest that monitoring PKM2 levels in the blood could also serve as a biomarker, allowing physicians to keep tabs on and predict the progression of diabetic kidney disease in patients with diabetes.

Co-authors included Takanori Shinjo, Qian Li, Ronald St-Louis, Kyoungmin Park, Marc Gregory Yu, Hisashi Yokomizo, Fabricio Simao, Qian Huang, I-Hsien Wu of Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School.

Explore further Obesity may increase end-stage kidney disease risk in women with type 2 diabetes

More information: Jialin Fu et al, Regeneration of glomerular metabolism and function by podocyte pyruvate kinase M2 in diabetic nephropathy, JCI Insight (2022). Journal information: Journal of Clinical Investigation Jialin Fu et al, Regeneration of glomerular metabolism and function by podocyte pyruvate kinase M2 in diabetic nephropathy,(2022). DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.155260
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Flaring of natural gas from oil wells appeared to cause an increase of around 11,000 hospital visits for respiratory reasons in North Dakota up to 60 miles away from oil drilling sites, according to new research.

The paper, recently published in the Journal of Public Economics, examines the environmental health costs of flaring, or burning natural gas by-products during crude oil extraction, in North Dakota between 2007 and 2015, the early days of the state's oil boom.

Researchers found evidence of a causal link between natural gas flaring and increases in hospital visits for respiratory health. They estimate that a 1% increase in flared natural gas increases the hospitalization rate by 0.73%

"The shale oil boom in North Dakota happened so quickly, and the area is so far from other oil drilling locations, they didn't have the infrastructure to process and clean the natural gas," said lead author Wesley Blundell, an assistant professor in Washington State University's School of Economic Sciences. "The data shows a rapid increase in flaring and a significant impact on human health with the increase in hospital visits."

The researchers looked at drilling and GPS data to map where flaring occurred, then reviewed hospitalization records, using anonymous hospital data of health codes for external respiratory reasons for the visits.

Blundell and co-author Anatolii Kokoza also investigated whether the increase in hospital visits was caused by the flaring, or merely correlated with the issue. They eliminated many other potential causes, including the increase from more vehicles being driven due to the oil boom or from more people moving into the area.

The biggest surprise for Blundell wasn't that the flaring caused more people to require hospital visits. It was that people affected by the dirtier air aren't necessarily the ones benefiting from the oil production.

"We were shocked by how unfair wind is," Blundell said. "We found that 50% of the pollution from flaring went to areas that extracted less than 20% of the oil wealth. The people paying the health costs aren't necessarily the same people getting the benefits of drilling."

Natural gas is often thought of as a "clean" energy, but that's because it is captured and processed when used for electricity or to fuel vehicles. The raw gas released from drilling is contaminated with a wide variety of pollutants. Burning spreads those contaminants far and wide, hurting the health of people that may have nothing to do with oil, the researchers found.

The North Dakota example allowed the researchers to look at data for hospital visits from before the shale oil boom, during those unrestricted years, and after that period when flaring was more regulated and restricted. Having that specific window showed the impact flaring has on human health.

"If those regulations had been in place from the start of the boom, the state would have likely seen 11,000 fewer respiratory hospital visits," said Blundell, the lead author on the paper. "And that's in a relatively low population density state. We imagine the impact would be higher in a more populated area."

That cost to human health, added to the cost of greenhouse gas emission costs, make flaring even more expensive for the areas surrounding oil extraction.

During the time when North Dakota had few restrictions on flaring, the state accounted for 3% of worldwide flaring, more than all but 10 countries on its own. That also means flaring is a continuing issue around the world that is potentially causing millions of people to breathe air polluted by often-years-long flames.

Up to now, the focus on flaring has been the environmental climate cost, releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, Blundell said. There have been lawsuits in Texas over health impacts, and the World Bank has been fighting to reduce flaring around the world for this reason.

Explore further Gas flares tied to premature deaths

More information: Wesley Blundell et al, Natural gas flaring, respiratory health, and distributional effects, Journal of Public Economics (2022). Journal information: Journal of Public Economics Wesley Blundell et al, Natural gas flaring, respiratory health, and distributional effects,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2022.104601
Del. Talmadge Branch comforts his daughter, Chanel Branch, before they spoke in support of a bill in March 2018. They shared personal testimony before the House Appropriation Committee about their ongoing grief after Chanel's son was killed in 2017. (Amy Davis / Baltimore Sun)

After losing her son to Baltimore gun violence in 2017, Maryland House Del. Chanel Branch experienced some closure when police announced two arrests in the case. But then more questions troubled her: Who were these young men, and why did they turn to violence?

One of them, Raekwon Thornton, had pleaded guilty to a handgun charge several months before the deadly Labor Day shooting that unfolded outside a 7-Eleven in Northeast Baltimores Belair-Edison neighborhood. He had been released from home supervision just three weeks earlier.

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Branch wonders whether a different outcome in that case might have saved her sons life.

So shes pursuing legislation that would establish a specialized gun court in Baltimore to expedite some firearm cases and, when appropriate, offer resources and support services instead of incarceration.

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As with drug courts, the goal would be court-ordered intervention to push defendants toward a different path and break the cycle of escalating violence before tragedy occurs, Branch said. But the expedited docket also would mean faster accountability for repeat offenders and others the court believes pose a risk to public safety.

I want to make sure my son didnt die in vain. Thats why I do this work, Branch said. And thats why I want to keep the conversation going and work really hard on getting this right.

A handful of other cities have implemented gun courts, though the structure remains relatively rare. And while both local and statewide officials have engaged in recent discussions about starting one in Baltimore, the proposal probably wont become reality anytime soon.

Branch, who recently filed a House bill outlining the proposal, said she expects discussions to continue into the 2023 state legislative session.

Meanwhile, the Baltimore City Councils Public Safety Committee discussed the idea at a hearing last week. The hearing came several months after Councilman Robert Stokes introduced a similar resolution before the full council, which he said failed to garner much interest among his colleagues.

He said expediting gun cases has become especially important during the pandemic because of court closures resulting in widespread delays. With court dates repeatedly getting pushed back, Stokes said, those persons are still out on the street robbing, shooting and killing people.

In addition to moving cases along more quickly, he said, a gun court would yield more sophisticated data on gun crimes, make sentencing more consistent and  if implemented correctly  deter defendants from committing similar crimes in the future.

While officials seemed to agree on the goals, some raised concerns about the challenges to establishing a system that would make sense and run smoothly.

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Jan Bledsoe, chief deputy in the Baltimore City States Attorneys Office, said one complicating factor would be weeding out which cases get routed through gun court  for example, would an alleged armed robber be sent there if his crime involved a firearm?

One of the nuances about gun cases is: How does the gun charge fit in with the entire case? Bledsoe said, noting that officials could choose to focus a specialized docket on lower-level firearm offenses rather than more serious violent crimes.

Regardless of the decision, she said, officials would have to establish clearly defined boundaries to avoid confusion.

Several Baltimore Police Department leaders spoke during the council hearing, offering information about how the department currently handles gun cases and tracks data about such defendants. But they didnt express support or opposition for the proposal itself.

Michelle Wirzberger, the departments director of government affairs, thanked Stokes for thinking outside the box to address Baltimore gun violence.

According to a memo from the mayors office to the Public Safety Committee, local officials have met with gun court administrators in New York and Philadelphia  conversations that highlighted both the great promise and challenges of establishing and operating a gun court. The memo says discussions will continue among members of the Baltimore Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, a panel Mayor Brandon Scott restarted last year that includes city, state and federal agencies and seeks to address systemic problems affecting criminal justice in the city.

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Meanwhile, a work group focused on backlogs in the courts is exploring the feasibility of establishing a gun court in hopes of increasing the swiftness and certainty of holding gun offenders accountable, according to the memo.

In Philadelphia, city leaders established a gun court in 2005 that focused on nonviolent cases involving illegal gun possession. The program included 20 probation officers tasked with providing intensive supervision of gun court defendants.

When it was disbanded in 2011 for lack of funding, no data existed to demonstrate whether the program had a quantifiable impact on gun violence, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, though a limited study after the first 18 months showed gun court defendants were less likely to get rearrested than their counterparts prosecuted in other courtrooms.

The program was relaunched last year  partly in response to COVID delays throughout the court system  and this time with an expanded docket that includes more serious charges such as burglaries and robberies involving guns.

In New York, leaders launched a gun court pilot program in Brooklyn in 2016. That program has drawn criticism from some who argue it disproportionately punishes young Black men, many with minimal criminal records, by imposing harsher sentences for illegal gun possession.

An initiative that sounded like a targeted attack on Americas gun problem looked up-close more like stop-and-frisk or the war on drugs, wrote Emily Bazelon, a journalist and senior research fellow at Yale Law School whose book Charged focuses on the Brooklyn gun court.

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But Daniel Webster, who directs the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Prevention and Policy, said hes generally been impressed with the Brooklyn program, which provides intensive support services to participants, including mentorship and job opportunities. However, he said, researchers are still collecting data to shed more light on its impacts over the past several years.

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Webster said he believes a Baltimore gun court would be a positive addition to the local criminal justice landscape. He emphasized the importance of doing it right  including making sure police are being focused and thorough in their investigations, not indiscriminately stopping and searching people for guns. The goal of a gun court should not be more convictions, he said.

But one significant benefit could be more scrutiny given to gun possession cases in Baltimore since specialized prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges would handle and track them, he said. Ideally, that oversight would correct sloppy police work and unconstitutional law enforcement practices.

More than ever in Baltimore, the public needs to be able to trust the system, Webster said. If you have a court and a process that really act as a quality control mechanism with appropriate transparency and accountability, I think we will have better outcomes all around.

Some supporters of the proposal compared it to drug court, a more common system that typically offers rehab instead of incarceration for people arrested on drug possession or other minor charges.

Gun possession is a serious offense, but in general, we probably overuse prison and underuse other kinds of interventions in these cases, Webster said. I think we need to do more than just have an open jail cell for people caught with a gun.

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Marlo Hargrove Sr., founder and CEO of the Baltimore-based prisoner reentry program FACE, said an opportunity to choose drug treatment over jail changed the course of his life. He said a similar program for gun crimes could make a real difference, as long as the resources being offered to people are structured, reliable and effective.

Its a matter of rehabilitating people, helping them get their life on track, he said. The accountability piece is big  if you get caught with a gun, there will be penalties. But absolutely, its possible to intervene early on and break these vicious cycles.
Pain neuron-derived Reg3 protects brain metabolism of LPS challenged mice. Credit: Kenta Maruyama

A research team led by the National Institute for Physiological Sciences and joined by Hokkaido University explored the role of pain neurons in the regulation of endotoxic death. They found that peptide named Reg3 acts as a pain neuron-enriched brain-targeted hormone that protects the host from endotoxic death.

Sepsis is a high-mortality disease that arises when the body's immune reaction to pathogens causes multi-organ defects. Although infection-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines are indispensable for pathogen elimination, dysregulated production of these factors can lead to endotoxic shock. Despite the extensive use of anti-TNF- antibody administration or glucocorticoids in patients undergoing endotoxic shock, mortality rates remain high at 30%. These disappointing results suggest that the mechanism of endotoxic death is only partially explained by uncontrolled inflammation.

Studies of pain neurons have traditionally focused on the ion channels. Natural pain sensors such as the transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 (TRPV1), and TRP ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) are expressed in afferent pain neurons and trigger pain to protect the organism from further harm. Emerging reports suggest that organ-innervated pain neurons and TRP channels also regulate dermal innate immunity, psoriasis, islet function, candidiasis, and osteomyelitis. Mechanistically, these phenomena are thought to be evoked by the paracrine secretion of nociceptor-derived peptides such as Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and VIP, which modulate immune signals and endocrine pathways. These findings have also raised the question of whether pain neuron-derived "hormones" exist.

In this new study, Dr. Kenta Maruyama at NIPS, Assistant Professor Takeshi Kondo at Hokkaido University, and colleagues revealed that pain neuron-derived peptide Reg3 penetrates the inflamed brain and suppresses the expression of microglial IDO1, a key enzyme of the kynurenine pathway. Endotoxin-administered pain neuron-null mice and pain neuron-specific Reg3 deficient mice exhibit a high-mortality rate accompanied by decreased brain HK1 phosphorylation and ATP production despite normal inflammation. This metabolic arrest is only observed in the brain, and aberrant production of brain quinolinic acid, a neurotoxic metabolite of the kynurenine pathway, causes HK1 suppression. Notably, brain administration of Reg3 protects mice from endotoxic death by enhancing brain ATP production. By identifying pain neuron-derived Reg3 as a microglia-targeted hormone, this discovery provides novel insights into the understanding of tolerance to endotoxic death.

The study is published in Cell Reports.

Explore further Pain neuron may protect fungal inflammation and bone destruction

More information: Kenta Maruyama, Nociceptor-derived Reg3g prevents endotoxic death by targeting kynurenine pathway in microglia, Cell Reports (2022). Journal information: Cell Reports Kenta Maruyama, Nociceptor-derived Reg3g prevents endotoxic death by targeting kynurenine pathway in microglia,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110462
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

As the pandemic wore on, Kayode Martin felt stuck.

He'd graduated virtually, a high school senior when COVID-19 arrived in Chicago. A year later, in 2021, he was working at a store but struggling to find a routine that felt on good footing.

When his grandfather told him about a construction training program at the Inner-City Muslim Action Network, he applied. During the intake process, a social worker there also suggested counseling, and the 19-year-old was connected with therapy. A year later, he looks forward to the weekly Monday morning appointments.

"I actually never really thought about going to a therapist," he said. "I kept a lot of my emotions bottled up inside." Now, he said, "I feel more relaxed. I feel more in touch with myself."

Martin is one of the Illinois residents who reached out for help during the pandemic with an immediate needhousing help, groceriesand were also connected with a therapist. During the pandemic, many Chicago organizations began rethinking how to provide mental health help as the virus swept into the city and many were left for the first time feeling in need amid the psychological rubble of upended lives.

"We've seen a lot of people seeming overwhelmed," said Jennie Hull, chief program officer for Lakeview Pantry services such as food distribution and mental health programs. "Especially if you're going through that for the first timeI don't even know where to turn, what services are available to me?"

People seek help for many reasons. A single mom goes to a food pantry for groceries but might need counseling after domestic violence. A single 30-something who recently lost his job and part of his identity, reaches out for employment assistance. A family seeks a child care subsidy and while in line, the children hit each other. All these are examples of people with an immediate need who may also need mental health support.

And many might not even realize these needs.

The pandemic created a mental health crisis in the U.S. By fall 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had released findings showing Americans were facing increased symptoms of anxiety and depression; nearly half reported at least one adverse mental or behavioral health condition. Already destroying normalcy everywhereschools, child care, travel, family reunionsCOVID-19 added excruciating hardships, shuttering businesses and heightening unemployment. In December, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said young people were facing "devastating" mental health challenges; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracked and offered tips on stress and coping regarding COVID-19.

People who are in crisis might know they need food, or housingtangible needsbut not realize they are also struggling mentally. This posed a challenge for agencies that try to help them. When people are in crisis, how do you carve out space for them to evaluate and address their well being?

During the fiscal year ending March 31, , Lakeview Pantry served 8,742 people new to the organization. As the group received people for short-term needs such as groceries, employees ramped up efforts to connect people to longer-term needs such as counseling. Similarly, other organizations offering temporary housing, rent relief and food assistance began rethinking how to reach and help people during the pandemic.

How do you assess mental health?

One main question is how to assess if someone needs mental support. This can be a delicate process, involving sensitive questions or careful conversations. Different groups approach this in different ways.

"The majority of people aren't coming in asking for counseling," said Joan Liautaud, chief clinical officer at Heartland Alliance Health.

Instead, people arrive for immediate needs such as housing, or workers encounter them at places such as homeless encampments. Initial conversations deal with basic needs, but Liautaud said they assume everyone they encounter has some level of trauma.

"If you live outside you're more likely to be exposed to violence, a victim of violence, probably using substances to cope, exposed to the elements, loss of family, loss of home, loss of identity," she said, "all that sort of stuff which we know causes trauma."

Heartland and other groups have extensive intake processes, often done by social workers, including questions such as asking about poor appetite, or thoughts they would be better off dead. They also employ people from the community with experiences that reflect those of the people they'll be reaching out to.

"When you meet someone who's more like you, and they've walked this road of recovery, it also communicates hope," Liautaud said. "It's personification of hope that this person's done it. This person's real. I can do it too."

At the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, people arrive for multiple reasons, from programs to child care subsidy. Because of this, said Peggy McGuire, director of child and family development, the staffers are cognizant of translating both various needs and meeting them beyond what they arrived for.

"When you're in chaos or crisis, you don't see everything around you, you only see, 'I need food today,' " McGuire said.

Recently a mom called the YWCA, worried about her daughter smoking marijuana. The mother was connected with a parent-mentor specialist in Bensenville, and they were able to also refer the family to mental health services after hearing more about their situation.

Dominique Moore, 25, came to the YWCA after hearing about the job-training programs. It was May 2020, and she was feeling shaken by seeing jobs evaporate.

"I felt very hopeless when the pandemic started, because I had seen a decrease in employment," she said.

Moore was also pregnant and through the job-training program she was connected to a program for new moms. While there, after several conversations included the possibility of therapists, she began seeing one. But it took multiple instances of someone she knew bringing it up.

"If you don't have trust, you don't have anything," Moore said. "I said, 'OK yes, I'm going to do it.' Sometimes people need to be at their own pace." Now, she finds the weekly therapy sessions "so wholesome, and so healing." The program she's in offers seven free sessions.

Challenges are often interconnected. A lack of safe and affordable housing can be a barrier to substance abuse recovery, for example, or someone seeking work experiences anxiety. "How do you manage your stress and anxiety while you're looking for work, while you're feeling like, I have to get this job?" Hull said.

In fall 2020, Lakeview Pantry received a city health department grant to hire more full-time therapists. The $240,000 they receive each year for three years goes to pay the salaries of three full-time therapists and part of two other salaries for employees who offer counseling. The grants are part of the city's Building a Network of Trauma-Informed Centers of Care project, which was launched in October 2020 and funded 32 community-based mental health organizations to expand services regardless of people's ability to pay.

Employees know to look for signs of mental distress.

"Someone might start talking to a case manager and say, 'I'm really stressed about my relationship,' or, 'I have trouble sleeping,'" Hull said. "Or they may even come out and say, 'I need a therapist. I'm depressed.' "

Illinois faces 'crisis' in shortage of behavioral health workers

But even if people want to help, they can't always help immediately.

Illinois is facing a shortage of behavioral care workers that even before the pandemic, legislators were trying to address.

In a December 2019 report, the Illinois Behavioral Health Workforce Education Center noted Kaiser Family Foundation data showing only 23% of Illinoisans' mental health needs could be met with the workforce in place at that time; wait times were as long as six months. It cited accounts from Illinois counseling centers having trouble finding applicants or filling vacancies.

The Illinois Department of Human Services calls the shortage a "crisis." Although the Kaiser Family Foundation data remains similar, showing 24% of mental health needs can be met, advocates and officials say the pandemic made it more difficult for people to access therapy because of shortages and by adding pressure to safety net services.

"We are losing staff and people are fried. We can refer to systems all day long, but if there's nobody working there, it's all just a pipe dream," McGuire said. "I have never seen a disappearance of people in the helping profession like we do now."

Advocates note that communities of color are disproportionately affected by both COVID-19 and the mental impact of events such as the George Floyd protests.

"It's kind of like all the issues we saw before, but on steroids," Hull said. "If you had anxiety before, your anxiety's worse. If you had depression before, your depression's worse. Relationship issues, you're stuck at home with your partner."

Although the state requires Medicaid to pay for mental health services, people who have private insurance or the ability to pay out of pocket have an easier time accessing help. This might leave people with the option of waiting months or seeking help in extreme cases such as hospitalization. People who do not have Medicaid, or do not have availability to meet a counselor when one is available, face much longer waits.

A bill in the state legislature would increase payments to mental health providers, which its supporters say would help with retention. Advocates say that if the state reimbursed providers more under Medicaid than they do now, it would help retain more therapists, reduce turnover and offer incentive for more behavioral health providers to see more clients.

Emily Moen, vice president for marketing at Thresholds, which offers substance abuse treatment and youth services, said community providers have sliding scales available, for example for those who are in the country illegally or don't meet income requirements for Medicaid. "The real problem is staffing shortages and inadequate rates that mean expanding services is almost impossible to meet demand," she said.

To assess the workforce issues, the Illinois Department of Human Services announced a student loan repayment program with applications opening in summer for community-based mental health servicesincluding psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and professional counselorsin rural and underserved areas. The department and the Illinois Board of Higher Education are also investing $6 million to develop an Illinois Behavioral Health Workforce Center, which will be housed at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and the University of Illinois at Chicago to research shortages and boosting the workforce.

Getting innovative about meeting people where they are

In the meantime, groups are getting creative about how to help people.

At the Inner-City Muslim Action Network, which offers health services, housing and job training, they started what director of behavioral health Natali Rehman calls "brief therapy"a four-session series with the first as assessment and the next three to stabilize someone. The network also offers group therapy on topics such as grief or stress management for those unable to immediately connect with a therapist. The wait list is now at four months; it was nine months in previous months of the pandemic, Rehman said.

"We figured if you're having housing insecurity, I'm pretty sure there's other things you need assistance with," Rehman said. "You can imagine an individual who's on the verge of being evicted or on the verge of not being able to put food on the table, what does that do to your social, emotional well-being?"

Group therapy is something that many organizations are expanding. Before the pandemic, the YWCA offered about 15 workshops, now it has nearly 40. It's a way to reach more people at once, and may be a setting some people are more comfortable in.

"We have to be creative and innovative," Rehman added. "The need is just so high within the community that to just sit back and do nothing, it's a huge disservice."

During the pandemic, hearing about changing needs, the Inner-City Muslim Action Network created new programs its Food and Wellness Center in Englewood offers essentials from food to face masks. All employees there are trained to look for signs of trauma; clinicians and interns are from diverse backgrounds and provide services in Spanish and Arabic. Signs of mental health challenges can include someone seeming down or hopeless, saying they've had trouble sleeping, that they've felt like a failure or have let themselves or their family down. All of these are things that could prompt someone to suggest meeting with a therapist. Many providers use a questionnaire that asks people to rank how often they may feel this way.

"We don't want to put a Band-Aid by saying, 'Here's a box of food and go about your way,' " Rehman said.

Martin is part of the Green ReEntry program, which helps people learn skills such as construction. Through this, he attends group sessions that approach topics, including substance abuse or how to handle difficult situations, in addition to his weekly meetings with a therapist.

"It's a blessing, it really is," he said. "A lot of people don't actually get therapy for free, and I get mine every Monday."

Martin and his therapist discuss school and emotions. "I was never really used to talking about how I felt, things of that nature," he said. "They really like cracked the shell."

At Turning Point, to provide an immediate place other than emergency rooms for adults in crisis, there is a Living Room and Resource Center, which offers in-person, walk-in and remote services. Last January, Turning Point expanded services to 365 days a year. Therapists are available from noon to 8 p.m. during the day and through the crisis team 24/7 at 847-933-0051.

The Living Room is staffed by therapists and peer counselors, called recovery support specialists, who complete Illinois Department of Human Services trainings.

"They're taught to look for different signs like depression, anxiety, things like loss of appetite," said Noy Frial-Lopez, chief clinical officer at Turning Point.

Heartland operates drop-in centers where people can come and grab a cup of coffee. With a sometimes transient population, Liautaud said they try to keep tabs on people as they wait, either visiting where they last were or getting in touch with people who may know them. She emphasized that however people are finding help, being open to it is in itself something to laud. It's brave to trust a stranger offering assistance, she said.

"I think the fact that people come through the door is amazing," Liautaud said.

Not everyone wants to meet with a counselor

Of course, not everyone says yes. For anyone, therapy can seem overwhelming. People feel intimidated by the thought of telling their life story to a stranger. What if they don't like the person? What if they can't spare the time to go? Telehealth offers flexibility, but many remain hesitant. For some, stigma remains; others are simply too overwhelmed to consider an appointment.

On the flip side, many said the pandemic has normalized mental health struggles.

"People feel like, yeah this is a really stressful time, it would make sense that I should talk to someone during this time," Hull said.

Word-of-mouth can sometimes be most effective.

During the pandemic, a 58-year-old Chicago woman who did not want her name used discussing previous trauma, told friends and even people she encountered on the CTA about Lakeview Pantry. Having gone there since a traumatic event affected her ability to work years ago, she often tells strangers about the groceries. She also posted messages in her neighborhood social media group about their free counseling.

Many she talked to said they weren't "bad enough off" to need any help, she said.

"People would have never thought they needed a food pantry," she said. "People say, 'Oh no, we don't need it that bad, we need to leave it for the other people who need it more than we do.' "

She tells people "it's self care, it's family care" to ask for help. And that goes for counseling too. She knew that for people like her, already experiencing things such as anxiety, the pandemic created extra grief and stress.

"It turns up the volume on whatever's already there," she said.

For Martin, several months of therapy helped him open up to others in his life, like his mother. He feels stable, not so stuck.

"I feel like I'm evolving now," he said.

Explore further Biden plan will tackle mental health crisis in America

2022 Chicago Tribune.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
In the cell culture experiment: Disrupted motor neurons of ALS patients are stimulated with magnetic pulses (coil top left) and regain their original performance with regard to the transport speed of the mitochondria as well as the growth rate of the appendices. Credit: HZDR/Sahneweiss

In motor neuron diseases of the nervous system, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commands can no longer be sent to the muscles. This gradually leads to paralysis. Physicist Dr. Thomas Herrmannsdorfer from the German national lab Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and physician Prof. Richard Funk from the TU Dresden formulated the idea to selectively revive the motor neurons using magnetic fields. Initial laboratory research results have proven them right and are encouraging them to further pursue their project and plan a prototype therapy facility.

In healthy people, the so-called motor neuronsspecial nerve cells in the cerebral cortex, brain stem and spinal cordgive the skeletal muscles the signal to move. With ALS, these neurons are heavily damaged and no longer transmit signals. As a result, the muscles gradually wither away because they fail to receive instructions and can no longer function. Initial symptoms are usually problems with the arms and legs and in some patients, the disease also manifests itself in speech disorders or difficulties swallowing.

Although ALS has been known for approximately a hundred years, there has not yet been any prospect for a cure. Only drug therapies exist to relieve symptoms and slow the progression of the disease. The two Dresden scientists, Richard Funk and Thomas Herrmannsdorfer, are now pursuing a completely novel approach with their team. They want to reactivate the motor neurons using magnetic field pulses.

Every human cell as well as all its components, the cell organelles, have an electrical charge, an electrical potential. Research has meanwhile advanced to the point where changes in the membrane potential can be imaged under the microscope using electrosensitive dyes. This enables the researchers to observe how cells as well as cell organelles communicate with each other based on their different electrical potentials. When the electrical fields and hence the associated communication are defective, this leads to abnormal developments and, in the worst cases, to defective function. "Because we know that electrical currents flow, we also know that it must be possible to selectively intervene," explains Richard Funk. And so, the idea was born to intervene electromagnetically.

Studies in the petri dish

In order to test their approach, the two scientists have meanwhile formed a team of experienced cell biologists at the HZDR to reprogram human skin cells into motor neurons. The researchers use cells from healthy individuals as well as from ALS patients. They also examined cell samples from different stages of the disease in the cell cultures taken from the ALS patients. The prepared cells were placed in petri dishes and exposed to different magnetic fields. "We could show in our experiments that certain pulse and frequency parameters improve the transport in the nerve processes that is disrupted in ALS," Herrmannsdorfer is pleased to say. For example, the stimulation of mitochondrial transport was observed, which is of crucial importance for neuronal function. Mitochondria are considered the powerhouses of the cells and are responsible for the organism's energy supply. Furthermore, the scientists could demonstrate that an accelerated outgrowth of nerve processes is achieved by the magnetic fields.

At least as astounding, however, is the result that although the ALS patient cells can be increased to the level of those in healthy individuals, the performance of cells from healthy people does not change significantly in the experiment. In short, healthy cells remain constant. Diseased cells experience a performance increase up to their former level before they were afflicted by the disease.

Funk and Herrmannsdorfer know there is a long road ahead despite these experimental results. "You have to take a deep breath and then think carefully about how to proceed. If this activation were to work not only with cells in the petri dish, but also in living individuals, better quality of life would truly be conceivable for ALS patients. Until then, there's a lot of work for us to do," says Funk.

Constructing a magnetic pulse prototype therapy facility

After their initial successes in laboratory experiments, the two scientists together with their interdisciplinary team of the Dresden High Magnetic Field Laboratory at the HZDR are now constructing a magnetic pulse prototype therapy facility with which they aim to test the method they developed under realistic conditions. Funds were provided by the Free State of Saxony and by the European Union, which supports the project with approximately 1.1 million euros from its Regional Development Fund (ERDF). In addition, a working title has already been selected: NeuroMaX.

Funk's and Herrmannsdorfer's idea is meanwhile receiving broad support. In addition to the project team consisting of scientists from Germany, Thailand, India and Japan, several other institutes and departments at the HZDR, the Dresden International University and the TU Dresden are involved in NeuroMaX. The aim is to develop a prototype and, in a subsequent step, to carry out studies that will ultimately gain approval for use on patients.

For the first time, this raises the prospect that regeneration of disease-related nerve damage in humans could be possible. The insights so far provide hope that perhaps other neurodegenerative diseases beyond ALS will also respond to pulsed magnetic field therapy. It sounds like a distant dream, but perhaps this new therapeutic approach holds further fields of application in medical science.

Explore further Stem cell technology offers new insight into motor neuron disease
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

A protein found in tick saliva could be turned into a drug that eases itching and chronic pain in people.

New research has shown that the proteincalled Votucalisprovided pain and itch relief in research involving mice.

The findings from Durham and Newcastle Universities, in collaboration with pharmaceutical company Akari Therapeutics Plc, could lead to a replacement for traditional painkillers, for example opioids, that can be ineffective, can have serious side-effects and can be addictive.

The research is published in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology.

Votucalis is derived from the saliva of ticksin this case the brown-ear tick Rhipicephalus appendiculatuswho secrete the protein into their host when feeding so the host is unaware that they have been bitten.

Votucalis is a biologic drug that works by binding histamine, produced in the body, with high-affinity and thereby prevents histamine activating its four cell surface receptors resulting in reduced itch or chronic pain responses.

Conditions that cause chronic pain or itching include atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, arthritis, diabetes, sciatica, back injuries.

Study co-author Dr. Paul Chazot, in the Department of Biosciences, Durham University, UK, said: "Persistent or chronic pain is a huge global health challenge, which affects over 20 percent of the population.

"It is the single biggest reason that people in the UK visit their doctor and it is recognized as a priority disease by the World Health Organization.

"The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended that current opioid and gabapentinoid pain medications should not be prescribed to patients newly diagnosed with chronic pain, apart from cancer sufferers, so there is an urgent need to develop a new, long-lasting medication that is both effective and safe to use.

"Our study is the first to show evidence of the anti-itch and pain relief potential of Votucalis, which is very exciting. We could be on the brink of discovering a viable alternative to opioid and gabapentinoid drugs."

Unlike opioidswhich are morphine-basedthe research shows that Votucalis does not enter the brain, which means it is not addictive and less likely to cause side-effects. It can be manufactured in large amounts using recombinant methods.

Study co-author Dr. Ilona Obara, began the research with Dr. Chazot while at Durham and continued the work after moving to the School of Pharmacy, Newcastle University, UK.

Dr. Obara said: "It is amazing that a protein found in the saliva of this tiny creature could prevent chronic pain and itching in people.

"These are conditions that bring a huge amount of misery, and current medication displays limited efficacy, and can also often be detrimental to patients.

"Votucalis has already been tested in humans with other conditions, including conjunctivitis, without major side-effects, so the potential for this to be developed into a drug to tackle chronic pain and itching is definitely there."

The researchers say the next step towards clinical testing is to develop a delivery system to effectively administer the drug at the site of itch and pain.

Votucalis is a pipeline drug for Akari Therapeutics Plc (UK), and Drs Chazot and Obara are co-authors on its patent for neuropathic and inflammatory pain.

Mr Clive Richardson, Chief Executive Officer of Akari Therapeutics Plc (UK), said: "We are delighted to be working with Drs Chazot and Obara on the pipeline drug Votucalis. The exciting new data in pain and itch supports the potential that the unique mode of action of Votucalis, inhibiting all four histamine receptors, opens exciting therapeutic opportunities in pain management and dermatology."

Explore further Various strategies used by U.S. adults to manage chronic pain

More information: Ibrahim Alrashdi et al, Votucalis, a Novel Centrally Sparing Histamine-Binding Protein, Attenuates Histaminergic Itch and Neuropathic Pain in Mice, Frontiers in Pharmacology (2022). Ibrahim Alrashdi et al, Votucalis, a Novel Centrally Sparing Histamine-Binding Protein, Attenuates Histaminergic Itch and Neuropathic Pain in Mice,(2022). DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.846683
Town hall co-hosted by FIU-RCMI and UHI CommunityCare Clinic to share COVID-19 vaccine information with South Floridas communities. From top left to bottom right: Melissa Ward, Mohsin Jaffer, Mary Jo Trepka, Nana Aisha Garba. Credit: Florida International University

Building trust with minority communities through virtual town halls and community partnerships can help reduce vaccine hesitancy, suggests a recent study published by FIU researchers.

Vaccine hesitancy poses a challenge for global vaccine initiatives. Social media can be a breeding ground for misinformation, and public health experts have needed to get creative to break through the noise to disseminate facts.

In the study published in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, researchers from the Research Center in a Minority Institution at FIU (FIU-RCMI) shared preliminary findings from a year-long investigation on how virtual town halls can help build COVID-19 vaccine confidence among medically underserved and vulnerable communities in South Florida.

Together with six community partners, the researchers hosted a series of town halls that invited South Floridians from predominantly Black, Hispanic and Haitian-Creole communities to hear directly from public health and medical experts about the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine and to ask questions.

In total, 442 participants attended and were invited to complete live polls at the beginning and end of town halls. Among those who completed both polls, 69 were unvaccinated at the time they attended the town hall. The percent of unvaccinated poll participants indicating they were likely to get vaccinated rose from 58% to 72.5%a significant increase that provides a glimpse at the impact town halls can have on helping to sway vaccine-hesitant people.

"The town halls helped the people who were hesitant and just needed opportunities for more information from people they trusted," says Michelle Hospital, a leader at FIU-RCMI and associate professor of biostatistics at the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work. "Our community partners played a big role in helping us connect with these individuals."

Best practices for producing virtual COVID-19 town halls

Town halls are known to be a great way to connect and answer questions from diverse audiences. With the COVID-19 pandemic, public health and medical experts have leveraged the tool to combat misinformation and boost vaccine confidence. So, what are the best practices for a successful town hall? The study revealed a few insights.

First things first, know your target audiences

The researchers knew they needed to reach out to medically underserved and vulnerable communities as they are at higher risk of acquiring COVID-19 and face poorer outcomes like morbidity, hospitalization and death. So the researchers zeroed in on South Florida due to FIU-RCMI's network of community partners, as well as the region's existing health disparities and dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases at the time.

Identifying target audiences helped FIU-RCMI's researchers tailor the town halls' content to meet the audience's needs.

The researchers knew they needed to reach out to medically underserved and vulnerable communities as they are at higher risk of acquiring COVID-19 and face poorer outcomes like morbidity, hospitalization and death. So the researchers zeroed in on South Florida due to FIU-RCMI's network of community partners, as well as the region's existing health disparities and dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases at the time. Identifying target audiences helped FIU-RCMI's researchers tailor the town halls' content to meet the audience's needs. Partner with trusted community leaders

Community leaders can help reach a diverse population, advise on content, support marketing promotions and be a trusted voice for each target audience. For example, for the FIU-RCMI town halls, researchers teamed up with leaders of programs, institutions and health organizations to review town hall materials, help promote the event and recruit town hall participants.

"The development of the town hall from start to finish was a very community-engaged process," said Hospital says. "Our Community Advisory Board is made up of representatives from diverse community organizations and they gave us feedback every step of the way."

Community leaders can help reach a diverse population, advise on content, support marketing promotions and be a trusted voice for each target audience. For example, for the FIU-RCMI town halls, researchers teamed up with leaders of programs, institutions and health organizations to review town hall materials, help promote the event and recruit town hall participants. "The development of the town hall from start to finish was a very community-engaged process," said Hospital says. "Our Community Advisory Board is made up of representatives from diverse community organizations and they gave us feedback every step of the way." Build a diverse speaker panel of trusted sources

Community leaders and medical professionals can help open dialog, build trust and rapport, and inform target audiences how to best protect themselves during the pandemic.

"It was important to us to have a co-host for each of our town halls who was a known person within the community that we were speaking with," Hospital says. "It helped us build trust with the people we were trying to reach."

Having medical professionals participate in the panel is just as important7 out of 10 vaccine-hesitant town hall participants reported trusting doctors and health care providers.

Community leaders and medical professionals can help open dialog, build trust and rapport, and inform target audiences how to best protect themselves during the pandemic. "It was important to us to have a co-host for each of our town halls who was a known person within the community that we were speaking with," Hospital says. "It helped us build trust with the people we were trying to reach." Having medical professionals participate in the panel is just as important7 out of 10 vaccine-hesitant town hall participants reported trusting doctors and health care providers. Disseminate information in different formats and languages

Communication between the community and clinical providers is key. In the United States, nearly 25 million people speak little to no English. In the context of COVID-19, accurate and timely information in the community's native language is paramount.

"The feedback we were receiving from our community advisory board was that their constituents were seeking accurate information about COVID-19 from reliable sources in their native languages, which was not easily available," Hospital adds. "One of the action items from our discussions was to host a Spanish-language town hall to open access to Hispanic participants who did not speak English."

Through the support of community partners, FIU-RCMI researchers also developed FAQs in English, Spanish and Haitian-Creole that were used to disseminate scientific information to minority communities. First, partners helped the researchers review materials and advised on linguistic and cultural appropriateness and community accessibility, relevance and appeal. Then, when new information came out about the virus and the vaccine, the researchers and partners got to work to ensure materials were updated with the latest news.

Explore further Trust in science at root of vaccine acceptance

More information: Eric F. Wagner et al, Virtual town halls addressing vaccine hesitancy among racial and ethnic minorities: Preliminary findings, Journal of the American Pharmacists Association (2021). Eric F. Wagner et al, Virtual town halls addressing vaccine hesitancy among racial and ethnic minorities: Preliminary findings,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.japh.2021.11.005
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

"Polina came to our bedroom awakened by the sound of explosions. I didn't know and still don't know what to tell her. Her eyes today are full of fear and terror; eyes of all of us."

Alina, a family friend who is a marketer and mother of two children from the Ukrainian capital of Kyivwhich is under siege by Russian forcesshared this reflection on her Instagram story. Her daughter Polina is 7 years old.

The unprovoked assault by Russian President Vladimir Putin's army on the sovereign nation of Ukraine has left the world in disbelief. While it is painful to see the direct impact of this war on human lives and livelihoods, this invasion will also produce less invisible psychological wounds that could linger for generations.

I am a psychiatrist with expertise in post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and stress. I research trauma and treat trauma-exposed civilians, refugees, survivors of torture and first responders and veterans.

Civilians, the defenseless

Until very recently, Ukrainians lived a normal life. But that changed abruptly when, over the course of a few weeks, they witnessed their country being circled by Russia, armed by one of the world's most lethal armies, directed by an unpredictable authoritarian leader.

This fear and uncertainty was followed by direct threats to their lives and their loved ones when the full invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022. As Ukrainian cities came under attack, civilians saw explosions and death firsthand and began experiencing immediate disruptions to basic resources like electricity, food and water, and problems with reliable communication with loved ones.

Ukrainians are also experiencing agonizing feelings of injustice and unfairness as their hard-earned democracy and freedom are being unjustifiably threatened, leaving some feeling insufficiently supported by their allies.

There is abundant research that such difficult experiences can lead to severe consequences including PTSD, depression and anxiety. PTSD symptoms include terrifying and realistic flashbacks of war scenes, intrusive memories of the trauma, panic, inability to sleep and nightmares, as well as avoidance of anything that resembles the trauma. Prevalence of these conditions is higher in human-caused catastrophes than, for example, natural disasters. For example, a third of U.S. civilians exposed to a single incident of a mass shooting can develop full-blown PTSD.

As of now, about 1 million Ukrainians have fled their homes, cities and jobs for safety to Poland and other Eastern European countries. A larger number of people have been internally displaced. They have limited resources as refugees and are uncertain about the futurechronic stresses that are detrimental to their mental health.

The Russian invasion has torn apart thousands of Ukrainian families.

Research from our group and others shows that PTSD affects between a third to one half of adult refugees. In one study I led, published in 2019, more than 40% of adult Syrian refugees resettling in the United States experienced high anxiety, and nearly half had depression. Another study in 2019 found a high prevalence of PTSD27%and depression21%among the 1.5 million internally displaced Ukrainians due to the last invasion of Russia and rebels in east Ukraine in 2014.

Children are specifically vulnerable. Imagine the terror that a child faces in a dark basement, watching the faces of their parents praying that the next missile will not hit their building. Parents can shield their children against trauma to some extent, but they can only do so much. In my team's research on Syrian and Iraqi refugees resettled in Michigan, we found that about half of the children experienced high anxiety. Up to 70% of refugee children that our team surveyed experienced separation anxiety after arrival in the U.S. These children often are so scared that they cannot leave their parents' sides even when they are no longer in direct danger.

Trauma can also be transferred from parents to their current and future children via subtle but heritable shifts to the genome and by way of exposure to their parents' continuous anxiety caused by the war experience. In this way, the suffering can be passed along for generations. Childhood trauma also increases the likelihood of many mental and physical health problems in adulthood like depression, PTSD, chronic pain, heart disease and diabetes.

Importantly, unpublished data from our research shows that especially for war trauma, many people do not recover for up to three years after the trauma unless adequate support and mental health care are available.

Not all of those who endure trauma will develop PTSD, of course. Individual genetic differences and environmental support, as well as personal past experiences and proximity and severity of a trauma, all factor into who is most affected. Some people do recover, and some come out stronger and more resilient psychologically. But human tolerance for horrific experiences is limited.

Those who go headlong into danger to save others

Police, firefighters, dispatchers and paramedics face firsthand the ugliest results of wars. They endure long hours of physically and emotionally intense work and frequently see scenes of death and suffering, while having the same concerns of other civilians about their own families. Research shows that PTSD affects between 15% to 20% of firefighters and other first responders during peacetime. For the Ukrainian first responders, who still have to attend to the injured civilians and extinguish burning buildings, it is much harder to go through their highly challenging job while being under fire themselves.

Combat veterans also face unthinkable traumas; in the U.S., some 12% to 30% of combat veterans experience PTSD. In Ukraine, the disproportionate lack of protection and firepower of Ukrainian forces against the aggressor increases the risk of harm and casualties, and can exacerbate mental health consequences of their trauma exposure.

Putting human suffering into numbers as I've done here is not in any way meant to convert a human tragedy into a cold statistical concept. The purpose is to show the enormous impact of such calamity. Each life or livelihood lost is a tragedy in and of itself.

"The most difficult for me is to accept that I am a refugee," wrote a Ukrainian woman on Instagram. "My apartment is in Kyiv, and my family is in Kyiv. All my life and my work is there,  I left for vacation with my daughter. I left without anything. All documents of my child except her passport and birth certificate are in Ukraine, and this is hard to accept."

But the resilience and determination of the Ukrainian people are formidable. She wrote of her focus, and that of many others who had fled, on returning home to clean up and rebuild. "I want very much to go home."

Explore further Veterans, refugees and victims of war crimes are all vulnerable to PTSD

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
A recent report from West Virginia University economists identified six ways to address the healthcare shortage exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with one of those alternatives being changing the pathways to medical education in the U.S. Credit: WVU Illustration/Aira Burkhart

Since 2020, COVID-19 has squeezed the healthcare industry into a stranglehold that's caused staffing shortages and restricted access to quality patient care. This forced some policymakers to enact temporary waivers of licensing restrictions to ease up those burdens.

Researchers at the John Chambers College of Business and Economics at West Virginia University recognized these events and decided to offer their own expertise on how to address the primary care shortage stemming from the pandemic.

In a new study, economists Ed Timmons and Conor Norris found six alternatives (ranked from most to least effective) for consideration: 1) Changing medical education, 2) Expanding physician assistant and nurse practitioner independence, 3) Federal regulation of telemedicine, 4) Expanding the interstate medical licensing compact, 5) Special telemedicine licensing and 6) National licensure.

"COVID-19 has been very costly, but if there is one silver lining, it has prompted some rethinking of the many healthcare regulations," Timmons said of the study. "If it made sense to eliminate the regulation during the pandemic, it is worth considering if the regulation will be necessary moving forward."

Timmons and Norris are part of the Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation, which focuses on occupational licensing laws and work regulations, in the Chambers College. Their study was published in Health Policy Open.

They argued that occupational licensing reduces the supply of professionals in a regulated field and restricts geographic mobility, factors leading to the healthcare shortage

"Occupational licensing laws make it a crime to work in a profession without meeting minimum levels of education and training, paying fees to the state and passing exams," said Timmons, director of the Knee Center. "More than one in five workers are licensed in the United States. Although they set minimum levels of entry, they also discourage entry and disproportionately impact the disadvantaged. Research documents that occupational licensing raises prices and increases unemployment."

In their first proposed reform, the economists explained that the pathway to a medical degree in the United States takes longer and is costlier than in other countries. To become a medical doctor in the U.S., one must obtain a bachelor's degree before completing four years in medical school, in addition to a few years in residency. Medical students in countries such as Australia, Ireland and South Korea have the choice of earning a six-year consolidated medical degree.

"It would be great if interested students could complete a three-year credential for medical school," Timmons said. "Of course, all of this would hinge upon medical schools changing their admissions criteria and accepting the new three-year credential. Medical schools, however, must comply with accreditation standards. Moving towards a three-year credential that better prepares students for medical school would not be unheard ofseveral countries already do this as we note in the paper."

Timmons noted that the typical medical school graduate in the U.S. can accumulate more than $200,000 in debt, a deterrent for physicians becoming general practitioners.

The researchers' second proposal advocates for physician assistants and nurse practitioners to be able to practice independently of physician oversight. Regulatory requirements in many states prevent them from practicing to their full training and ability; often, physician involvement and oversight must be present in treating patients, researchers said.

Currently, 24 states and Washington, D.C. grant nurse practitioners full practice authority, Timmons said. West Virginia is not one of those states.

Access to primary care in rural and underserved areas would improve with greater practice independence, Timmons said.

Timmons referenced one study, by The Robert Graham Center for Policy Studies in Family Medicine and Primary Care, that showed the primary care shortage being "particularly pronounced" in the Eastern Panhandle and northwestern counties of West Virginia.

"Redesigning medical education and allowing PAs and NPs to practice independently consistent with their training will alleviate their shortage," Timmons and Norris concluded. "Other reforms that encourage telemedicine or make migration between states easier will help underserved populations receive care."

Explore further Successful Medicare initiative increases the supply of nurse practitioners to address primary care shortages

More information: Edward Timmons et al, Potential licensing reforms in light of COVID-19, Health Policy OPEN (2021). Edward Timmons et al, Potential licensing reforms in light of COVID-19,(2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.hpopen.2021.100062
Several years ago, Amin Nawabi sat for a series of interviews with friend and filmmaker Jonas Poher Rasmussen with a caveat: in telling his story, his identity would remain private to the world, freeing him to speak openly about his harrowing experiences as a child refugee escaping war-torn Afghanistan in the 1990s.

Now playing "Flee" opens at the Roxy Theater on Friday, March 11.

His stories were powerful, humorous, painful and complex, and in the course of confronting the past Nawabi revealed a secret he'd held close for decades. Rendering interview footage and his subject's memories in animated form, Rasmussen transformed Nawabi's gripping personal saga into the critically acclaimed film "Flee," a historic triple nominee at the 94th Academy Awards, where it is the first feature to vie in documentary, animation and international categories.

But despite putting a face to the often abstract refugee experience, Nawabi  who appears in the film under a pseudonym  has maintained his identity and his privacy, forgoing media appearances and interviews about the film. Until now.

Appearing in his sole interview, in conversation with Academy Award nominee and executive producer Riz Ahmed, the subject and star of "Flee" shared why he chose to open up to Rasmussen, his own emotional reaction to seeing the film in a movie theater with an audience and the only complaint his now-husband had after watching it.

"I really wanted my story to be seen by people because the stories that we've seen about refugees don't often open avenues for people to identify with refugees in general," Nawabi told Ahmed. "I was hoping that my story would bring some kind of nuance to that picture."

Acquired out of Sundance and released nationwide by Participant and Neon earlier this year, the film connected with critics and audiences across the world with its empathetic telling of Nawabi's escape from Kabul as a young boy with his mother and siblings. Along the way, the now grown Nawabi grapples with the invisible scars left behind by the lasting traumas of his years of survival and hiding.

Ahmed  a 2021 acting Oscar nominee for "Sound of Metal" and this year up for his second career nomination for the live action short "The Long Goodbye"  was brought onto the project in 2020 by Suroosh Alvi of Vice Studios. For him, watching the film was an emotional experience. Its message aligned with the mission of his company Left Handed Films. "And on top of that, it's so rare for a film to be so creatively innovative," he said.

It also felt extraordinarily timely, coinciding with the U.S.'s withdrawal from Afghanistan and the 20-year mark since the beginning of the war on terror, and offered viewers a way into thinking about the escalating refugee crisis in Europe. Since its release the film has only grown in relevance to current events and how refugee experiences are humanized, or not, in media narratives.

"There's something really startling about what's been happening with Ukraine, just as there was something for many of us so startling happening during the war on terror as well," said Ahmed. "And I think some people have picked up on the dissonance between the two responses around refugees who come from different countries."

More than anything, Ahmed says, "Flee" itself felt like an act of bravery. Before meeting Nawabi, he wondered if the process of sharing his story brought the Denmark-based academic, who is credited as co-writer, some catharsis.

"I feel that the act of telling a story itself is a hopeful act. It's an attempt to find meaning," said Ahmed. "And the sharing of your experience is a hopeful act because you're putting it out there in the hope that people will connect to it."

When the two met via video chat in December  Ahmed with his camera on from London, Nawabi appearing offscreen from Denmark  the two spoke for more than an hour. Copenhagen-based Sun Creature Studio, one of the film's producers, then animated Nawabi's side of the conversation.

Ahmed didn't even mind not seeing Nawabi's face during their meeting: "He shared so much of himself already, it feels right we allow him the dignity of privacy."

A film like "Flee" that brings viewers into Nawabi's lived experience  and the joy, pain and humanity layered within his story  is now even more important for the ways in which it obliterates stereotypes and harmful narratives around refugee communities, said Ahmed. "It's a reminder of our common humanity."

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I know what Bob Bruninga would say about Vladimir Putins barbaric war on Ukraine and the calls for the U.S. and its allies to ban the import of Russian oil as a major sanction: The future is electric vehicles. The more we build them, the more people drive them, the less dependent America will be on foreign oil. We will lick our addiction to fossil fuels.

As an electrical engineer, Bruninga was bullish on electricity and using the sun to make more of it to power our homes and cars.

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He was an ingenious and energetic man who, until his death last month, contributed thousands of watts of brain power and voluminous volts of enthusiasm to electrical systems, radio technology, solar power arrays, small satellites and hybrid and electric vehicles.

Bruninga, who was 73, had lived with advanced sarcoma for two years and his family said his death in February was precipitated by the long-term effects of COVID-19. I wish I had spent more time with him. He was certainly one of the most interesting men I ever met.

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People in Anne Arundel County saw him driving around in his customized woody Toyota Prius adorned with rooftop solar panels and signs promoting hybrid vehicles. Boaters who cruised into a certain part of Marley Creek might have seen his amazing solar pier jutting out from Bruningas waterfront property.

Some might have called him eccentric, especially when he drove his solarized FrankenVolt between his home in Glen Burnie and his job at the U.S. Naval Academy.

But Bruninga was a serious, forward-thinking citizen of Planet Earth, distressed by climate change and doing everything possible to reduce his carbon footprint and encourage others to do the same.

My first contact with him was by email. He chided me for a column opposing the construction of a third Chesapeake Bay Bridge on the grounds that it would encourage more driving. I agree that we have too many cars, Bruninga wrote, but your argument that more cars means more emissions is a disjointed comparison. He then did what he did in numerous emails that followed  flooded me with facts about the robust development of EVs and battery technology and the positive effects renewable energy will have on the environment.

His message was this: The future is here, and if we embrace it now, we might save the planet.

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, he was the son of Ervin Bruninga, an FBI agent, and Maybelle Cornelius Bruninga, a homemaker and community leader. As a boy, Bob Bruninga developed a lifelong interest in electronics and ham radio. He also learned to love nature, joining the Boy Scouts and exploring the waterways and caves of northern Alabama with his siblings. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout and graduated from Coffee High School in Florence, Alabama in 1966.

From there, he undertook studies in electrical engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology on a Navy ROTC scholarship. His senior project foreshadowed his interest in EVs: Bruninga electrified an old Volkswagen for the first MIT/Caltech cross-country Clean Air Car Race in 1970.

He earned a masters degree in electrical engineering at the Naval Postgraduate School in California, spent 20 years in the Navy, reaching the rank of commander, and landed at the Naval Academy as a senior research engineer in the Aerospace Engineering Department, assisting students with capstone projects.

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In 2001, Bruninga founded the academys Small Satellite Program, helping midshipmen design and build microsatellites and take them to launch. One of the 11 academy satellites in orbit, PCSAT, is considered the oldest surviving student-built satellite in space, according to the academy.

Through all these years, Bruninga maintained a keen interest in the world of ham radio. He was considered a pioneer in the field, having developed the Automatic Position Reporting System (APRS) to use amateur radio to transmit messages and the real-time location of a person or vessel. Thousands of people have used it, according to a biography provided by Bruningas family.

Bob [enabled] school groups to talk with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station via ham radio, says the biography. Bob founded the annual Appalachian Trail Golden Packet event during which APRS users send messages along Appalachian Trail summits from Georgia to Maine each July.

While at the Naval Academy in 1985, Bruninga met his wife, astronomer and professor Elise Albert, when he wanted to build a radio antenna next to the observatory on the Physics Department roof. Bob often quipped that he didnt get the antenna but did get a wife.

The Bruningas, who were married 37 years, had a daughter, Bethanne, and a son, A.J. Their century-old waterfront home became a solar power showplace, with panels to catch the sun on the roof of the house and garage, on the lawn below their rear deck and along a floating pier. A geothermal system heats and cools the house.

There will be a memorial at the Annapolis Friends Meeting at a date to be announced.

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His family had two suggestions for those who wanted to honor Bob Bruninga in some way. The first was to make a donation to an educational program related to the International Space Station called Space Telerobotics using Amateur Radio. The second suggestion requires a bit more effort but strikes me as perfect: Take a special action of your choice, whether large or small, in his memory that contributes to conserving and sustaining our planet.
" " Restaurants don't usually allow amateurs inside the kitchen for liability reasons. James Braund/Getty Images

Imagine the embarrassment ... You're out on a date at a fancy restaurant. The food was scrumptious and the service superb, but when you hand your credit card to the server to pay the (pricy) bill, it's declined. Your date, expecting you to pay, didn't bring a wallet and you have zero cash. What now?

In the old days, you might have been forced to work off your debt in the kitchen washing dishes or dragging trash to the dumpster (it's not clear if this ever really happened or is just a movie/TV trope). But for sure, it wouldn't happen today. In modern restaurant kitchens, an untrained worker is more of a liability (a literal insurance liability) than a help.

If washing dishes is out, then how do restaurants deal with customers who simply can't pay their bill? We spoke with a pair of restaurant industry veterans to get the inside scoop on how owners and managers handle this uncommon situation.

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How Restaurants Really Handle This

Matthew Britt is a professor at Johnson & Wales University with years of experience as an executive chef and part owner of high-end restaurants in Washington, D.C. He says that 99.9 percent of the time, another diner in the party will step up and cover the bill, but in the rare case when a customer truly can't pay, managers assume the best intentions. (If a customer really planned to "dine and dash," they would have dashed before the bill arrived.)

"As hospitality professionals, we do our best to make sure the person who cannot pay feels like it's OK and that we'll work with them to make this situation go away," says Britt, who admits that it can still be "a very awkward conversation."

Britt knows what it's like to be on the other side of that awkward conversation. One time he was traveling for work in Denmark and forgot to tell his bank that he was out of the country. When the bill came at an expensive restaurant, his card was declined and he was thousands of miles from home.

"I had no intention of not paying my bill; in fact, I was proactively losing my mind," says Britt. "I had to pay. Luckily I got hold of my bank and they unblocked the card."

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If It's Cheap Enough, They'll 'Comp' the Meal

Shawn Bucher is a chef and cookbook author with experience as both a manager and restaurant owner, most recently of a "fast casual" burrito joint. He says that while it isn't a "frequent occurrence" to have a customer who can't pay, it definitely does happen, and in most cases the restaurant simply "eats it," meaning it swallows the cost.

"The management team is more concerned about saving face and doing the 'right thing' by writing it off and voiding the transaction," says Bucher. "It's more economical for us to pay for the meal and move people along than to get into a drawn-out conversation or try to mail the customer a bill."

Britt agrees, especially when the unpaid bill is relatively small.

"Every restaurant has 'comps' built into the budget that can be used for staff, friends or VIPS," says Britt. "The goal of any successful restaurant is to not use these comps, but if someone orders a $20 meal and can't pay, the manager will probably just comp that. At the end of the day, it's not worth going through a longer process."

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No Cash? How About Collateral?

Comping a $20 meal every once in a while won't hurt a restaurant's bottom line, but when there's a $75 porterhouse steak and a top-shelf bourbon on the unpaid bill, "the conversation can definitely change," says Britt.

If the servers or staff recognize the customer as someone who's dined there before, the manager will probably just send the embarrassed customer off with a friendly "IOU" and the expectation that they will settle up ASAP.

If a first-time customer can't pay for a substantial bill, some managers will ask them to leave collateral until the bill is paid.

"People carry a lot more collateral on themselves nowadays  iPhones, Apple Watches  which are probably worth more than they can eat in one sitting," says Britt, and that provides a strong incentive to come back and pay up.

Calling the police for an unpaid check is "the nuclear option," says Britt, meaning it should be avoided at nearly any cost. "When law enforcement gets involved, now you have uniformed officers in the restaurant disrupting what's supposed to be a relaxing environment."

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Why You Can't Pay Off Your Debt Washing Dishes

For starters, because the FDA says so. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: "PERSONS unnecessary to the FOOD ESTABLISHMENT operation are not allowed in the FOOD preparation, FOOD storage, or WAREWASHING areas," which is an overly complicated (and capitalized) way of saying, if you don't work at the restaurant, you're not allowed in the kitchen, and that includes washing dishes.

Also, modern restaurant kitchens are tightly choreographed spaces full of knives, flames and scalding hot liquids. Inviting an untrained "volunteer" into a restaurant kitchen is inviting an accident and a lawsuit.

"That would never happen for liability issues," says Bucher. "There are way too many ways they could hurt themselves."

The only people covered by a restaurant's insurance are employees or a customer who gets sick from bad food, not a customer who gets his hand caught in the industrial dishwashing machine.

Now That's Not Cool You can absolutely get arrested for failure to pay a restaurant bill. Just ask the Illinois man who was sentenced to three years in prison for skipping out on a $70 tab. It wasn't his first offense.
" " For some goods, the high price makes it more attractive than otherwise. HowStuffWorks

Let's say you're on a first date and anxious to make a good impression. The waiter arrives with the wine list and your date asks you to order a bottle for the two of you. You know virtually nothing about wine, but you don't want to look like an idiot or a cheapskate, so you quickly scan the list and point to the most expensive bottle on the menu.

"Ah, the Chateau Merlot," booms the waiter, with a big smile. "Very good, sir."

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Yes, it's ridiculous to spend $100 on wine that's only marginally more tasty than a $20 bottle, but it's actually standard human behavior. More than 100 years ago, an American economist named Thorstein Veblen coined the phrase "conspicuous consumption" to describe this very thing. You pick the expensive bottle of wine not because it's five times better than the cheaper bottle, but because you want to send a signal to your date: "I have good taste and I can afford it."

Wine is just one example of what's known as a "Veblen good," named for any good or service that defies the standard relationship between price and demand. When price goes up, demand is supposed to go down," explains Ori Heffetz, an economics professor at Cornell University's SC Johnson Graduate School of Management. But for Veblen goods like wine, fine art, jewelry and cars, the rules change.

"The high price is actually part of the attractiveness," says Heffetz.

In Veblen's classic 1899 book, "The Theory of the Leisure Class," he says that high prices have two functions. The first is basically marketing. Since winemakers and clothing designers know that most consumers don't have the knowledge or interest to figure out which products are objectively better than others, they use price as a shorthand for quality. Consumers assume  correctly or not  that a higher sticker price corresponds to a higher value.

The second function of high prices is what Veblen called conspicuous consumption. In this case, the consumer's decision to buy the more expensive option has little to nothing to do with actual quality and functionality of the product. The whole point is for others to see you drinking the expensive wine, wearing the expensive clothes or driving the fancy car.

"When other people see me driving an expensive car, that's a benefit in itself," says Heffetz. "They might think that I'm more successful or that I'm more desirable as a mate."

And, of course, those two functions of high prices often work together. Just look at the recent college admissions scandal, in which wealthy celebrities were caught trying to buy admission for their children into elite colleges. One of the ways that schools market themselves as elite is through their high tuition costs. If the University of Southern California (USC) costs more than $77,000 a year (tuition plus room and board), it must be an amazing education, right?

And because schools like USC use their high cost as a signifier of quality, so do parents. The wealthy celebrities caught up in the college admissions scandals were willing to go to great expense to win brand-name status for their kids. In their social circles, admission to USC is shorthand that their kids are smart and successful, which in turn means that they're smart and successful parents. Call it the virtuous circle of conspicuous consumption. (Unless you get caught cheating.)

" " A giant 18-litre Melchior wine bottle measuring 75 centimeters (29 inches) and weighing 25 kilograms (55 pounds) goes on display at Sotheby's. John Phillips/UK Press via Getty Images

Veblen first identified conspicuous consumption among the American upper classes in the late 19th century, but it wasn't until the 1970s that economists figured out exactly how it worked as a market force. In 1973, the economist Michael Spence wrote a landmark paper on signaling in which he showed how our consumer choices send important signals that have real economic repercussions.

Spence won the 2001 Nobel Prize in Economics by explaining how education is used as a signal for productivity in the labor market. The logic is pretty simple: If an employer is looking to hire a new worker, he or she will use the status of the applicant's college (in which tuition cost is a variable) as a shorthand signal of applicant's relative productivity as a worker.

Heffetz cites the classic example of someone looking to hire a lawyer. The assumption is that a good lawyer wins cases and therefore has a lot of money. So, if one lawyer shows up driving a 2004 Honda Civic and the other arrives in a brand-new Mercedes, they are sending two very different signals. If the client defines a good lawyer by how rich he or she is, then the Mercedes lawyer benefits from conspicuous consumption.

Of course, a lousy lawyer could still drive a fancy car, but there's a far higher cost for an unsuccessful lawyer to buy a Mercedes. "For the good lawyer who actually makes a lot of money, the Mercedes is pocket change," says Heffetz. "It's cheaper and therefore more likely for a successful lawyer to send the same signal."

The larger question is, why do we bother with all of these signals anyway? Heffetz says that there's a much more efficient economic solution. Instead of buying a fancy car to show how rich you are, you could just walk around with copies of your most recent tax returns, or introduce yourself to potential clients saying, "Hi, I'm a very wealthy and successful person!"

But, of course, that's not socially acceptable. Instead, people who spend money on flashy cars or clothing can hide behind what economists call a "functional alibi." If you buy a very expensive car, for example, you can claim that you didn't do it to send the signal that you're rich and successful, but simply because expensive cars run better and are more reliable.

"But are they so much better that it's worth spending 20 times the cost of a good standard car?" asks Heffetz. "Probably not."

Now That's Interesting "Giffen goods" are a separate category of products in which demand also increases with price. People are willing to pay more for non-luxury Giffen goods like bread, wheat and rice because they have no cheaper substitutes.
Health news for this week: Social media use may be worsening tics in teens, the best exercise for sleep, and more.

What's the best exercise to help you fall asleep?

Folks tussling with lousy sleep often turn to the sidewalk or the treadmill or the bike, figuring that aerobic exercise will earn them a few more minutes of solid snoozing.

They might be better off hefting some weights, a new study argues.

Resistance exercise appears to be better than aerobic workouts as a way to improve your 40 winks if you're having problems sleeping, researchers reported Thursday at an American Heart Association meeting in Chicago.

Read more here:

Social media use may be worsening tic disorders in children

For reasons that remain murky, new research warns that a spike in social media use during the pandemic might have worsened tic disorders in children.

Tics are sudden twitches, movements or sounds that people do repeatedly because they can't control their body.

In the study, 90% of 20 tic patients aged 11 to 21 said they increased their use of social media during the pandemic. While tic frequency did not appear to rise with social media use, the scientists found that more time spent on social media was associated with the onset of more severe tic behaviors.

Read on:

Suicides decrease after rising for almost 20 years

Suicide mortality increased from 2000 to 2018, then decreased from 2018 to 2020, according to a February data brief published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics.

Matthew F. Garnett, M.P.H., from the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Maryland, and colleagues used mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System to describe the final suicide rates from 2000 to 2020.

The researchers found that the age-adjusted suicide rate decreased from 2018 to 2020 (14.2 to 13.5 per 100,000) after increasing from 2000 to 2018.

More here:

Vaping may be worse than smoking for your nose and throat

E-cigarette and hookah water pipe users may be at greater risk than tobacco cigarette smokers for cancers of the nose, sinuses and throat, according to a new study.

That's because vapers and hookah users are more than twice as likely to exhale smoke through their nose as cigarette smokers, who typically exhale smoke through the mouth, the researchers explained.

"Our findings suggest that the unique way vapers and hookah smokers use their devices may expose the nose and sinuses to far more emissions than cigarettes," said study lead author Emma Karey, a postdoctoral research fellow at NYU Langone Health in New York City.

More here:

Does your height affect your odds for colon cancer?

Taller people have a higher risk of colon cancer than shorter folks, and researchers say height should be considered when it comes to screening for the disease.

For the new study, the research team at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore analyzed data from 47 international studies that included more than 280,000 cases of colorectal cancer and more than 14,000 cases of precancerous colon polyps (adenomas). Data from a Johns Hopkins' study of more than 1,400 adults who had colonoscopies was also included.

Read more here:

Fitbit recalls watches over burn hazard

Nearly 1 million Fitbit Ionic smartwatches sold in the United States have been recalled because they pose a burn hazard, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said Wednesday.

About 693,000 of the smartwatches were also sold in other countries.

The lithium-ion battery in the Ionic smartwatch can overheat and cause burns, and consumers should immediately stop using them, the CPSC said in a statement.

Read on:

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Even though Burke Countys COVID-19 positivity rate is below 5% now and all but one school has been removed from the states cluster list, new cases are still being reported.

The Burke County Health Department reported that 36 new virus cases were added from Friday through Tuesday with 215 current active cases and a positivity rate of 4.1%. Thats down from 260 active cases and a positivity rate of 7.05% on Friday.

The county has reported a total of 333 deaths since the first case of the virus was reported on March 24, 2020.

UNC Health Blue Ridge reported it has 10 COVID-19 patients. Six of the 10 are unvaccinated and three of them  two unvaccinated  are in the intensive care unit. It also has 10 patients in its virtual hospital.

Statewide, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported 894 new virus cases on Tuesday with a daily percent positive rate of 5.3% and 1,157 people hospitalized. It also reported a total of 22,817 deaths due to the virus, up from 22,763 total deaths as of Friday.

The Burke County Health Department said NCDHHS updated its mask recommendations for schools and local governments on Monday to move to voluntary masking, as long as COVID-19 trends continue to improve.

The health department said its staff, which has continuous face-to-face interaction with patients and/or clients, will continue to wear a face covering. It is asking those coming in for appointments to wear a mask/covering as well.

We appreciate your continued cooperation, the department said in its update release on Tuesday.

The health department resumed COVID-19 testing on Monday, with hours from 8-11 a.m. and 1-3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8-11 a.m. on Friday, and as need in the afternoon, according to the department.

The health department is encouraging people to remember the COVID-19 protocols they have learned over the past two years. It said people should stay home when they do not feel well, practice good hand hygiene, keep a safe distance from others in crowded spaces, start better managing any chronic health conditions as soon as possible, and get a COVID vaccine and booster when eligible.

Appointments are needed and can be made by calling the department at 828-764-9150.

Clusters and outbreaks

The Department of Health and Human Services updated its list of outbreaks and clusters on Tuesday. Only one school remains on the list with four schools in Burke County removed from the cluster list since last week. Those schools are Mountain View, George Hildebran and Salem elementary schools and Heritage Middle School.

The clusters and outbreaks remaining in Burke County include:

Glen Alpine Elementary School remains at a total of 13 cases, with eight students and five staff members infected.

Autumn Care of Drexel remains at a total of 37 virus cases, with 16 residents and 21 staff members infected.

Carolina Rehab Center of Burke remains at a total of 40 virus cases, with 38 residents and two staff members.

College Pines Health and Rehabilitation remains a total of six positive virus cases, all among staff.

Grace Heights Health and Rehabilitation has 63 total cases, with 36 residents and 27 staff members infected. The facility has reported two resident deaths from the virus.

Grace Ridge Retirement Community remains at a total of two positive virus cases, all among staff members.

J. Iverson Riddle Development Center remains at a total of 100 positive virus cases, with eight residents and 92 staff members infected.

The Berkeley remains at a total of seven positive virus cases, with four residents and three staff members infected.

The health department, located at 700 E. Parker Road, Morganton, offers COVID vaccines from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Fridays. The department offers Pfizer, Moderna and J&J COVID-19 vaccines. Appointments are needed and can be made by the health department.

For general questions about COVID-19, call the county health department public information line at 828-764-9150 or visit the COVID-19 webpage at burkenc.org/COVID-19.
For the past five years, advocates of physician-assisted suicide (PAS) have tried and failed to pass legislation that legalizes the practice in Maryland. Proponents of PAS are back again with the same dangerous, unethical, discriminatory, unnecessary and hopelessly flawed bill. As a physician who has been in practice for almost 20 years and has treated thousands of patients in all conditions of life, I urge the legislature and the citizens of Maryland to continue to reject it for many reasons.

PAS, also euphemistically termed aid-in-dying, refers to the prescribing of a non-FDA approved lethal overdose of a drug or combination of drugs to a person believed to have a terminal illness. PAS is unethical. It is specifically prohibited by the Hippocratic Oath and opposed by the American Medical Association, the American College of Physicians, the American Nurses Association, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and the World Medical Association.

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PAS is not medical care. It has no basis in medical science or medical tradition. It is not taught in medical schools or residency training programs. The drug concoctions used to end patients lives with PAS come from the euthanasia movement and not from the medical profession or medical research.

PAS is dangerous. The supposed safeguards in the bill are an illusion. There is still no requirement for formal psychiatric evaluation of patients, minimal informed consent, no witnesses to consumption of drugs required, no routine audits or impartial 3rd party oversight. In addition, physicians and other participants are given broad legal immunity and records are excluded from legal discovery or subpoena. There is no accountability. For 80 percent of patients, it is unknown if complications occurred (because of a lack of medical witnesses). Doctors experimenting with novel PAS drug cocktails in Washington state caused some patients to scream in pain before dying.

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PAS is based on false ideas about prognosis. Doctors cannot determine a six-month prognosis in a terminal patient with sufficient reliability to ensure that some patients would not die needlessly. Some patients in Oregon have lived for as long as three years after receiving a PAS prescription.

PAS is discriminatory. PAS laws create a new class of human beings denied the protection of the law and of health professionals who are committed to preserving rather than taking life. Suicidal impulses of everyone else in society are treated with crisis intervention. Patients defined under PAS laws are denied such crisis intervention and instead tacitly or explicitly encouraged to take their own lives. Also, almost all disability rights organizations in the United States oppose PAS.

The vast majority of doctors will not practice PAS. In Oregon and other states that have legalized PAS, almost all prescriptions are written by a small handful of doctors who may know little about the patients requesting it. In Washington, D.C., a year after legalization of PAS in 2017, only 2 out of 11,000 licensed physicians signed up to prescribe. This less than 0.1 percent support reflects the reality of low acceptance in the medical community. Doctors know that patients will not trust physicians who prescribe death. And no one goes into medicine aspiring to be the next Dr. Kervorkian.

PAS will affect everyone. If we allow this form of euthanasia into our health care system, it will inevitably corrode and destroy the values that define the health professions and lead to public trust in them. PAS has led to wider forms of euthanasia in every country that has adopted it. No one will be immune to its long term corrosive and destructive effects on the health care system.

Maryland has been recognized as having some of the best palliative and hospice care programs in the country. The Maryland legislature should be recognizing and supporting these programs, not legalizing assisted suicide.

Dr. Joseph Marine (marinejoseph@hotmail.com) is an associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and a member of the Maryland Against Physician Assisted Suicide coalition.
Going blind. Is there any way it could be a good thing?

Frank Bruni asks this question in his new book, The Beauty of Dusk.

Bruni, one of the great writers to move to North Carolina recently, is an opinion writer for The New York Times, author of bestselling books, and is now a professor of public policy at Duke University.

One day in 2017, Bruni woke up to find something wrong with an eye. He could barely see anything in that eye. Reading and driving became problematic. Doctors told him a stroke had destroyed the nerves that connected the eye and the brain.

The damage was permanent, and there was a 40% chance something similar would happen to the other eye. If it did, he would be, for all practical purposes, totally blind.

How Bruni dealt with life afterwards, is the story of his book.

He sought out people who have been similarly handicapped: blind, deaf, injured limbs, crippling diseases. He found that many have learned to live with their situations and have refused to be defeated.

As he told me recently, I decided to put on my journalist hat and interviewed to try to learn from people who had been confronted with serious physical and medical challenges and learn how they navigated those, and what they learned from them.

He wanted to avail himself of that wisdom. So, he said, Thats the story of the book.

The stories he collected are impressive and inspirational.

He wrote about an English travel writer, James Holman, who notwithstanding his blindness, Bruni told me, was perhaps the most famous travel writer of his day.

When he wrote about the places, to the extent that he described them visually, it was through other peoples accounts.

But, there was still so much available to him, the smells of a place, the sounds of a place, the legends of a place. And its a really interesting lesson in how much is still available to us when a portion of our lives is taken away. There are still many portions of our lives, many, many perspectives and aspects left.

Bruni writes about David Tatel, a blind U.S. Court of Appeals judge who, rather than focusing on all the negatives of his blindness, celebrates his luck at having gone blind at a point in human progress when technology was so sophisticated and could come to the rescue in many situations.

When Bruni told the judge that he was impressed with him and our species unfathomable nimbleness, the judge smiled and with his whole face, then said something that echoed in my thoughts for the rest of that evening and echoes there still. Starfish can regrow limbs, he said. But thats nothing compared to what human beings can do.

Bruni was inspired by others, such as a blind dancer, a blind painter, a blind gallerist, a blind architect, all showing the powerful ability of humans to adapt even better than the starfish.

From these many other people facing up to lost physical abilities Bruni learned that there were upsides to these downsides and the struggles that go with them.

Instead of asking, Why me? Bruni asks, Why not me?

Why should any of us be spared struggle, when struggle is a condition more universal than comfort, than satiation, than peace, maybe than love? Should we even be calling or thinking of it as struggle, which connotes an exertion beyond the usual, a deviation from the norm?

He told me that we are dealt a set of cards in this life. Some are really good, some not. You have no control over what that hand of cards is going to be, but you have enormous control over how you play them. Thats a lesson that was really hammered home to me as I dealt with vision loss.

That lesson, Bruni thinks, is one all of us should learn.

D.G. Martin hosted North Carolina Bookwatch, for more than 20 years. To view archived programs go to video.pbsnc.org/show/nc-bookwatch/episodes.
Whether Kyle Rittenhouse is your idea of a steely eyed patriot or a cold-blooded killer, one things for sure: the kid is awfully thin-skinned.

The teenager acquitted of murder charges in the fatal shootings of two protesters during civil unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, is out to settle some scores. He told Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson hes on a mission to sue news outlets and celebrities who criticized his conduct.

Me and my team have decided to launch the Media Accountability Project as a tool to help fundraise and hold the media accountable for the lies they said and deal with them in court, Rittenhouse said on the Feb. 21 edition of Tucker Carlson Tonight.

He called out Whoopi Goldberg and The Young Turks Cenk Uygur by name. His beef? They labeled him a murderer after jurors found him not guilty.

Rittenhouse said hes also training his legal fire on everybody who lied about me by calling him a white supremacist.

Those sharp words may sting, but neither pejorative actually constitutes defamation, libel or slander, torts that require false factual claims likely to damage someones reputation. Statements of opinion, unlike claims of fact, simply arent actionable.

Two days after a Kenosha County jury acquitted Rittenhouse, law professor Eugene Volokh addressed the murderer question in a blog post. Using the word to denounce Rittenhouse cant be defamatory if its merely expressing the speakers opinion about the facts that had been publicly discussed, Volokh explained.

The only way murderer could constitute defamation, he concludes, is if its used to imply that the speaker knows undisclosed, unpublicized facts that implicate the target.

No pundit or celebrity on Rittenhouses legal hit list made such allegations. His critics use the word to express their view that the Kenosha killings were unjustified, and the jury reached the wrong verdict. The First Amendment shields such opinions, no matter how much they upset, irritate and annoy Rittenhouse and his supporters.

In October 2017, the Tennessee Court of Appeals ruled a parent didnt defame a school board speaker by calling him a white supremacist in a Facebook post. And in January 2021, a New York federal judge dismissed an anti-immigration activists suit contending the New York Times defamed him by referring to the self-described civic nationalist as a white nationalist.

The Times story, U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla wrote, presents only non-actionable opinion.

Rittenhouse hasnt identified a plausible defamation claim, and any competent lawyer advising him would admit as much. But convincing a jury to award seven-figure damages isnt the only way to win. The endgame could be a sue-and-settle scheme to wring smaller sums from dozens of defendants.

Fox News reports that Rittenhouse has compared notes with Nicholas Sandmann, the Catholic high school student pictured seemingly smirking at Native American elder Nathan Phillips during an anti-abortion rally.

Initial media accounts mischaracterized the confrontation between abortion opponents and Indigenous Peoples March participants, and Sandmann has since collected settlements from The Washington Post, CNN and NBC News.

Its often cheaper to pay a libel trolls toll than to see a case through to its inevitable result. Yet Sandmann and his supporters point to the payouts as vindication. Taking the easy way out could set a backdoor precedent that equates defamation with mere hurt feelings or sour grapes.

News outlets should mount a vigorous defense, First Amendment lawyer Ari Cohn argues.

Media companies that give nuisance settlements to meritless defamation plaintiffs are only slightly less of a threat to free speech than the plaintiffs themselves, Cohn wrote in a Nov. 24 tweet. We need widespread anti-SLAPP laws, but we also need the deep pocket defendants to suck it up and take a stand.

Anti-SLAPP statutes put strategic lawsuits against public participation  which often take the form of flimsy libel and defamation complaints  on the fast track to dismissal and sometimes allow defendants to recover legal fees. This essential protection is currently lacking in 19 states, according to the Washington-based Institute for Free Speech.

Rittenhouse says he wants to hold the media accountable. If he sues over speech the First Amendment clearly protects, the media ought to return the favor. Tell Kyle youll see him in court.

Corey Friedman writes on political conflicts from an independent perspective. Follow him on Twitter @coreywrites.
Voters will decide on June 7 if recreational and medical marijuana sales are taxed in Butte-Silver Bow County and whether residents should pay about $75,000 in property taxes each year to the 15-90 Search and Rescue team.

Commissioners had indicated support for putting the measures on the June primary ballot and made it official last week, approving resolutions with the precise wording of each question.

One asks if Butte-Silver Bow should impose a 3% tax on recreational marijuana sales, one asks if medical marijuana sales should be taxed at 3% and the other asks if an annual one-mill levy raising about $75,000 should go to search and rescue.

The latter question notes to voters that one mill will add $1.35 to tax bills on houses valued at $100,000 and $2.70 for homes worth $200,000. The higher the tax value, the higher the cost to taxpayers.

J.P. Gallagher, Butte-Silver Bows chief executive, wanted the marijuana tax measures on the ballot. They might bring in about $200,000 a year in Butte-Silver Bow based on estimates Missoula County made for its marijuana taxes.

Thats not huge revenue for a county with a $142 million budget but Gallagher says it could at least help Butte-Silver Bow address societal costs and issues regarding marijuana and addictions.

If voters OK the taxes, county officials and commissioners would still have to decide how the revenue is spent. They can spend it on most anything but Gallagher has clearly signaled his general preferences.

This is a way that we can bring in some money to help with programs that are impacted by substance abuse, and Im not just saying marijuana  its all kinds of different things we see, Gallagher said Monday.

Montana voters approved a pair of ballot initiatives in November 2020 that legalized sales of marijuana for recreational purposes. Anyone 21 or older can already possess up to an ounce with no criminal penalties, but driving while high is still against the law.

Fifty-seven percent of voters statewide approved the initiative that sets up the regulatory framework for selling recreational marijuana, and in Butte-Silver Bow, 65% supported it. It established a 20% state tax and the law now allows a local tax of up to 3%.

The state has also imposed a 4% tax on medical marijuana sales and allows local taxes on it up to 3%.

Voters in Missoula, Park and Yellowstone counties approved local taxes on pot in November. Missoula County residents said yes to taxing recreational sales but rejected a tax on medical sales.

Gallagher said marijuana businesses in Butte-Silver Bow have generally indicated support for taxing recreational sales but have questioned the other, saying, Its medicine and now you guys are taxing it.

The taxpayers and the voters can weigh in on that and theyre going to be voted on separately, he said.

If voters OK the third local measure on the primary ballot, a one-mill tax will be imposed to support 15-90 Search and Rescue. A mill is currently worth about $75,000.

The group asked commissioners to put the measure on the ballot, citing a lack of sufficient, sustained funding for its efforts. The non-profit was organized in 1963 and is run by volunteers who respond to emergencies, many deep in the woods and mountains, at all times of the day and night.

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Many Montanans fume when federal or state agencies make fish and game decisions without what they consider to be adequate public input.

And theres a stir now in some quarters about a change in fishing regulations by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks for kokanee salmon at Georgetown Lake.

After decades of no daily limit on how many kokanee an angler could keep, new fishing regs for the popular lake set a daily cap of 20 salmon, with 40 fish in possession. Theres been no limit in the past because the kokanee population has been seen as well beyond robust. Because theres no specific mention of kokanee in the new Georgetown Lake regulations, the fishing limit defaults to the Western District Standard Daily and Possession Limits.

The fishing regulations took effect March 1.

Too many mouths to feed meant Georgetown Lakes kokanee stayed small. Thats been the conventional wisdom, anyway.

Pat Saffel, regional fisheries manager for Fish, Wildlife and Parks, said the decision to set a limit on the kokanee catch followed evidence that the average size of the fish was increasing dramatically.

We have a lot of gill netting data and creel data, he said, demonstrating that trend.

Saffel said he felt setting a standard limit for kokanee was a conservative response to an apparent increase in fish size that could mean the salmon population was declining.

On Monday, he acknowledged public input had been limited.

I wish there would have been more, Saffel said.

The Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission considered the change at its August meeting: Kokanee Salmon size and catch rates have improved in recent years, which has been confirmed in population monitoring surveys. FWP staff believes the Western Fishing District Standard Kokanee Salmon limits of 20 daily and 40 in possession is appropriate based on current population trends.

Without naming names, Saffel said hes received negative feedback about the new limit on kokanee.

It hasnt been a lot, but its been heated, Saffel said. I think there are a few people who are really good at catching salmon.

One person was especially good. A Facebook photo showed the man with hundreds of fish, Saffel said.

That photo of an angler who had caught hundreds of fish but was still not in violation of existing regs was a consideration when the new limit was recommended and adopted, he said.

Meanwhile, two avid kokanee anglers are Lon Dale, who has a place at Georgetown and lives in Missoula, and Ben Krakowa, who is county attorney for Anaconda-Deer Lodge County.

Both men are unabashed when describing their affinity for ice fishing for kokanee at Georgetown Lake.

And they are similarly unrestrained when describing their unhappiness with the new regulation and the lack of public comment solicited by Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Fish and game has created a firestorm here, Dale said.

Saffel didnt check with any of us, he said. If he had checked with us, hed have found something else. We are catching smaller fish. Theres a huge salmon population.

He said the biggest fish caught this winter was probably 11 inches.

Krakowa said the kokanee might have been larger in preceding years because an over-full lake in 2019 had caused erosion, washing nutrients into the lake that boosted food sources favored by kokanee.

Dale said fishing in a serious way for the salmon requires experience and expertise. He said he once caught 96 of the fish in one day. He said he uses the kokanee he catches.

But how many anglers will have the skills to catch more than 20 kokanee in one day? And if they catch 20 or fewer, will that have a noticeable effect on the salmons population?

Krakowa said these questions and others could have been addressed if Saffel had reached out.

He said Georgetown Lake ice fishing brings a lot of visitors to Anaconda and Philipsburg. Fish, Wildlife and Parks still needs to reach out to sportsmen and regional residents even if the regulation is already in effect, he said.

I think they should gather a lot of public comment from people about what the regulations should be, Krakowa said.

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Butte police report

Indecent exposure

A woman called 911 late Friday morning to report that a man was walking around exposing himself in the parking lot at Walmart, 3901 Harrison Ave. He then got into an older truck and drove away.

Taken to jail

Late Friday night, an officer saw Daniel Levi Hammond, 41, of Butte walk into the Town Pump, 1370 Harrison Ave., and knew he had three warrants out for his arrest. He was jailed for two felony offenses for criminal contempt, a felony violation of release condition, and the misdemeanor offense of possessing drug paraphernalia (syringes).

At about 11:38 a.m. Sunday, police were called to the Town Pump, 531 S. Montana St. Apparently, Scott Henning Lindeblad, 44, of Butte entered the establishment, and got a fountain drink he didnt pay for and headed for the casino, where he left his backpack at the front counter. Lindeblad then reportedly insisted on getting his backpack returned, but refused to pay for his drink and allegedly pushed a female clerk before walking out. He was picked up and brought to jail.

Just after 9 p.m. Sunday, Dennis Elvin Sullivan, 28, of Butte was at Walmart when he called police dispatch to report that a man was taking photos of a vehicle in the parking lot. Turns out Sullivan had a $5,000 warrant for his arrest out of Butte District Court and was taken to jail. As for the unknown photographer, he was not around when police arrived.

Advice not taken

Shane Raymond Moore, 46, of Butte was warned earlier Saturday not to return to the 1800 block of Silver Bow Homes. If he did, he would be arrested.

Well, at 10:30 p.m., Moore decided to try his luck again. His luck didnt hold and he was jailed for a felony out-of-jurisdiction warrant and the misdemeanor offenses of failure to disperse and criminal trespass to property.

Second offense

Late Saturday afternoon, a trooper with the Montana Highway Patrol arrested Melissa Nicole Ramey, 33, of Butte for misdemeanor driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol (second offense).

Fight over truck

It was after 2 a.m. Saturday when police were called to the 100 block of North Henry St. to investigate an ongoing argument between two men.

Reportedly, the argument was over a truck and Timothy James Atkins, 43, of Butte was alleged to have pushed the other man up against a building.

Atkins was jailed for the misdemeanor offenses of simple assault, a Butte City Court warrant for criminal contempt and a Montana Highway Patrol warrant.

Felony offense

Police were called to the 400 block of South Main Street at 1:52 a.m. Saturday to investigate an argument between a man and woman.

The woman alleged that Ryan Kendall Lewis, 34, of Butte put his hands over her mouth and nose, and also put a pillow over her face.

He was jailed for felony partner or family member assault (strangulation) and the misdemeanor offense of violating a no-contact order.

Arrested twice

Richard Paul Girard Jr., 42, of Butte was arrested twice on Thursday.

Just after 3 p.m. Girard got upset with Silver House staff and kicked the glass out of one of the facilitys doors. He was jailed for the misdemeanor offenses of criminal mischief and disorderly conduct.

Girard bonded out late Thursday night and once he made it down to the jails lobby he reportedly began yelling and screaming. An officer tried to talk to him, but he allegedly started throwing stuff and stomping around. Back to jail he went.

Other incidents

Someone entered a vacant home Friday afternoon in the 800 W. Quartz Street and took two security cameras

It was 2 a.m. Saturday and loud music was upsetting those living in the 500 block of North Franklin. An officer arrived at the door at told the inhabitants to turn it down.

Early Saturday afternoon, a cars passenger side mirror was broken off while it was parked at the Silver Bow Homes.

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Before the Butte-Silver Bow commissioners got down to business at their last meeting, Council Chairwoman Cindi Shaw said she just had to say something.

Im not trying to get involved in politics or anything but I just want to say that everyone needs to pray really, really hard for Ukraine. Ive decided Im wearing this little blue and yellow necklace until they are free, Shaw told fellow commissioners Wednesday night.

The Ukrainian flag has two horizontal bands of blue and yellow and the country in Eastern Europe has been under a full-scale invasion by Russia since Feb. 24.

Just remember that freedom does not come without a price, Shaw said to fellow commissioners at their meeting last Wednesday night. These people are valiantly protecting their country and it just doesnt look very good. Thats the bad side of it.

Shaw has gone a step further in a gesture of support and hope.

At her request and with help from several others, the globe lamps outside the main entrance of the Butte-Silver Bow Courthouse were lit in blue and yellow. One set drapes the center of the building in blue and both colors reflect brightly off of Granite Street.

Shaw said she got a call from former Commissioner Charlie OLeary last week asking if there was anything the county could do to show support for Ukraine.

He suggested a flag but four fly outside the courthouse already. Theres an American flag, a Montana flag, an Irish flag since St. Patrick Day is coming and a MIA-POW flag. Shaw was afraid a fifth flag would get lost among the others.

OLeary mentioned that Bozeman had its courthouse lit up in blue and yellow so Shaw took a look at those beautiful, vintage globe lamps outside the courthouse and had an ah-ha thought that they could do the job.

With a thumbs up from Chief Executive J.P. Gallagher and help from his chief of staff, Jim Kambich, and Buildings Manager John Sullivan, the bulbs were changed out and the colors took off Monday night.

It was a complete team effort, Shaw said. I really wanted to light up the courthouse to show support for Ukraine in this war. Its heartbreaking. Thats all I can say about it. Its just heartbreaking.

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WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden has decided to ban Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia's economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The move follows pleas by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to U.S. and Western officials to cut off the imports, which had been a glaring omission in the massive sanctions put in place on Russia over the invasion. Energy exports have kept a steady influx of cash flowing to Russia despite otherwise severe restrictions on its financial sector.

Biden was set to announce the move as soon as Tuesday, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter before his remarks. The White House said Biden would announce "actions to continue to hold Russia accountable for its unprovoked and unjustified war on Ukraine."

The U.S. will be acting alone, but in close consultation with European allies, who are more dependent on Russian energy supplies. European nations have said they plan to reduce their reliance on Russia for their energy needs, but filling the void without crippling their economies will likely take some time. Natural gas from Russia accounts for one-third of Europe's consumption of the fossil fuel. The U.S. does not import Russian natural gas.

Biden had explained his reluctance to impose energy sanctions at the outset of the conflict two weeks ago, saying that he was trying "to limit the pain the American people are feeling at the gas pump." Full story here:

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BOZEMAN  The Gianforte Family Foundation is donating $50 million to Montana State University for a building to house the Gianforte School of Computing, the university announced.

Over the years, the foundation created by now-Gov. Greg Gianforte and his family has provided significant support to the computer science program at MSU, allowing it to increase its enrollment and hire new faculty members, officials said. In 2016, the foundation donated $8 million to establish the Gianforte School of Computing.

"The school's staff and leadership have grown it to the point where a building is the logical next step, and we couldn't be happier to help make that happen," Susan Gianforte, trustee of the Gianforte Family Foundation said in a statement.

John Paxton, director of the School of Computing, said the new building will have state-of-the-art classrooms and computer labs and will help attract more students. It was also consolidate computing faculty that are dispersed across five buildings, he said.

In recognition of the gift, Montana State University will ask the state Board of Regents for permission to name the new building Gianforte Hall.

Greg and Susan Gianforte founded the software company Right Now Technologies. It was sold to Oracle for $1.5 billion in 2011.

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Billings Republican Rep. Frank Fleming died Sunday at age 68, state legislative leaders announced Monday.

The GOP leadership of the Montana House of Representatives issued a joint statement on Fleming's passing from House Speaker Wylie Galt, Majority Leader Sue Vinton and Speaker Pro Tempore Casey Knudsen:

"We are sad to report the passing of Rep. Frank Fleming following a long and difficult health battle. From his work as chief federal probation officer and manager at the Job Service to being an integral member of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Fleming was dedicated to serving the Billings community and the state of Montana. He will be missed and our prayers are with his family during this difficult time."

Fleming had initially planned to run for another term in the state House, but announced on Facebook in late January he would not be seeking re-election to House District 51 due to medical reasons. In the post Fleming added that he planned to continue serving the rest of his two-year term.

"It has been an honor and privilege to serve the citizens of my home state of Montana," Fleming wrote in the Jan. 26 post.

Gov. Greg Gianforte announced on social media he has ordered the flags at the state Capitol to fly at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Tuesday in Fleming's honor.

"Susan and I are saddened to learn of the passing of Rep. Frank Fleming," Gianforte said. " We are praying for his family and loved ones."

Fleming was born in Great Falls in 1953, graduated from Great Falls High School and earned education degrees from Eastern Montana College, known today as Montana State University Billings. He retired after careers as a chief federal probation officer and a manager at the State of Montana Job Service.

He was appointed to House District 51 covering Billings' South Side in 2017 to fill out the remaining term for Adam Rosendale and was then elected to the office in 2018.

Vinton said Monday that the House Speaker can appoint another representative to fill his spot on any interim committees of which Fleming was a member. He was assigned to the Law and Justice Interim Committee during this interim session.

The Yellowstone County Republican Central Committee will begin the process of advancing three nominees to the county commission, which will appoint one to carry out the remainder of Fleming's term, Vinton said. Two Republicans have already filed with the Montana Secretary of State's Office to run for House District 51: Curtis Schomer and Mike Yakawich, both of whom filed after Fleming announced on social media he would not be seeking another term.

The exact cause of death was not included in Monday's announcement. Vinton said Fleming was "very private" about his health challenges and did not seek out attention or sympathy on the matter.

"Rep. Fleming was a very modest, unassuming man that went about his work quietly but very efficiently and did a terrific job," Vinton said in a phone interview Monday. "He cared very much not only for the people in his district but everyone in Montana. We're certainly very sad to lose him."

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Baltimore States attorney candidate Roya Hanna announced Tuesday that shes dropping out of the Democratic primary and running as an independent in the general election.

A defense attorney and former prosecutor, Hanna said party affiliation hinders elected prosecutors and declared that shes running as an independent because the business of prosecution is too important for politics.

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Under my administration, justice will be for all and public safety will be my everything, Hanna said at a news conference. We have to use creative solutions to crime and creativity and solutions are not the purview of any one political party or group.

Her decision creates a one-on-one race for the Democratic primary in deep-blue Baltimore between defense attorney Ivan Bates and incumbent States Attorney Marilyn Mosby, and shakes up an already atypical election that may be defined by the federal charges against Mosby. Hannas absence also could open the door for another candidate to enter the race.

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The June primary is the second time Bates is challenging Mosby, and he could fair better this time around with Hanna out of the race, said Roger Hartley, dean of the University of Baltimores College of Public Affairs.

Former deputy attorney general Thiru Vignarajah ran against Mosby and Bates in the 2018 Democratic primary. Mosby won handily with roughly 49% of the vote that primary, while about 28% of ballots were cast for Bates and 22.5% for Vignarajah.

Several challengers can essentially dilute the non-Mosby vote, Hartley said. Now its a clear one-on-one race.

Mosby still has not officially entered her name into the race; only Bates and Hanna had filed as of Tuesday, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections.

In January, Vignarajah said he had no plans to enter the race. But Vignarajah, who has kept himself in the public eye, told The Sun in an interview Friday hes keeping his options open.

This is an unprecedented situation where the elected States attorney may be constitutionally ineligible to serve and I havent ruled anything out, he said.

Bates outraised Mosby by more than $43,000 in the year leading up to the election. Hannas fundraising efforts brought in $39,000, roughly $150,000 less than Mosby. Both challengers have focused their campaigns on bringing down crime and battling prosecutor attrition in the States attorneys office.

Mosbys campaign website and social media accounts have been disabled for about a month and her few public comments over that time have focused on her indictment.

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Maryland Policy & Politics Weekdays Keep up to date with Maryland politics, elections and important decisions made by federal, state and local government officials. >

Made public Jan. 13, the federal indictment charged Mosby with two counts of perjury and two counts of making false statements on loan applications to buy a pair of properties in Florida. Mosby maintains she is innocent and has accused federal prosecutors of pursuing the case because they harbor animosity toward her. A trial is set for May 2.

Candidates have until March 22 to file for the election.

Hartley said independents generally havent faired well in Baltimore.

In our city, the Democrat usually wins the general election, he said. Its because of Democrat registration totals, party loyalty, strong party preference. Its an uphill battle for a non-Democrat to win a citywide race in the City of Baltimore.

But it remains to be seen how Mosbys case plays out and influences voters.

If theres something that happens in this indictment that really challenges voter trust, then Hanna could portray herself as an alternative, Hartley said.

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Defense attorney Russell A. Neverdon Sr. tried to run for Baltimore States attorney as an independent in the 2014 election. He failed to get enough signatures to place his name on the ballot before earning votes as a write-in candidate. Mosby upset incumbent Gregg Bernstein in that primary and cruised to victory in the general election.
Montana is the only state in the U.S. to see an increase in COVID cases over the last two weeks, trailing only Idaho in highest daily case counts.

In the last seven days, 4,612 new cases were added to the state dashboard. On average, there are about 740 daily COVID cases in Montana with the active case count coming to 1,061 on Monday.

Yellowstone, Missoula and Gallatin counties have the highest active COVID case counts in the state with 250, 162 and 108 respectively.

Though cases are still high, hospitalizations are the lowest since July 2021. On Monday, there were 87 people hospitalized for COVID in the state.

In total, 11,700 people have been hospitalized for COVID-19.

There are now 36 counties that are free to go without masks indoors, compared to 16 last week.

The number of counties with masking recommendations still in place decreased from 44 counties last week to 20 this week.

Yellowstone, Flathead, Glacier, Cascade, Valley and Custer are among the counties where masking recommendations are still in place.

Three more Yellowstone County residents died of illness related to COVID-19, bringing the total to 541 deaths in the county, according to a RiverStone Health press release.

All three people had underlying conditions that put them at higher risk for severe illness. Two were unvaccinated and one was fully vaccinated and had received a booster.

In the last seven days, 21 more Montanans died from COVID-related illness, bringing the total to 3,208 deaths.

On Feb. 28, 15 deaths were reported, the highest since early December 2021. Over the last seven days, Montana averaged 4.6 COVID related deaths per day.

For the week ending Feb. 25, 2022, deaths increased 21% from the previous week.

Of the states 221 ICU-level beds, 113 are filled by non-COVID patients and 22 are filled by COVID patients.

Last week, Billings hospitals had an average of 21 COVID inpatients daily with an average of 16 unvaccinated inpatients per day, four fully vaccinated and one fully vaccinated patient with a booster.

Hospitalization data from RiverStone Health will now be shared once weekly due to the dramatic decrease in COVID-19 hospitalizations, according to a press release.

Since April 2021, 80% of Montanans who were hospitalized and 77% of those who died were unvaccinated at the time of infection, according to the most recent state data.

From Jan. 1, 2022 to Feb. 25, 66% of COVID-related hospitalizations and 71% of deaths occurred in unvaccinated people.

Last week brought the first statewide increase in vaccination since January. Of the eligible population, 55% of Montanans are fully vaccinated. Over the last seven days, 3,703 doses were administered.

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ARCHIVED - Brexit deals blow to Gibraltar ambulances travelling to Spain



GHA ambulance drivers will now need to be resident in Spain or another EU country

Officials in Gibraltar announced on Friday March 4 that from now on, ambulances will only be allowed to transfer routine patients to Spanish hospitals if they are staffed by Gibraltar Health Authority (GHA) personnel who have residency in Spain or are EU nationals.

Gibraltar authorities said that they were extremely concerned by the news, which first came to light when their ambulance crews were reportedly stopped at the Spanish border. Given that the issue at stake is the health of citizens, a government official said, the matter has already been escalated to a higher level, both with the United Kingdom and with Spain.

According to the local government, there will be an exception made for emergency patients in life or death situations; GHA ambulance staff will be allowed to transfer the patient to mainland Spain once prior warning is given and the patients condition can be evidenced.

See also: Mounds of trash stranded on Gibraltar because of Brexit

The same rules have been applied to St John Ambulance even though this is a charity largely manned by volunteers not by employees and evidently also not a commercial operation, the authorities confirmed. They will also require a Spanish work contract.

For the time being, Spanish ambulances carrying out routine transfers to and from Spain wont be affected.

Another urgent issue created by the regulations affects the transfer of platelets from Spain. The new measure means that the courier service will have to be carried out by Gibraltar ambulance staff who reside in Spain.

In addition to this, they will need a Spanish contract of employment and this will also apply to everyone within the ambulance with the exception of the patient, the Government added.

Also of interest: Spain complains to UK about maritime incidents off coast of Gibraltar

Image: GHA
WEST LIBERTY  A West Liberty School District guidance counselor has been charged with sexually abusing a minor student.

Emily Erin Resendiz, 27, of West Liberty, allegedly sexually abused a boy under the age of 14, on at least two occasions, according to a news release from West Liberty Police.

Resendiz was arrested Monday morning and has been charged with two counts of second-degree sexual abuse; sexual exploitation by a counselor, therapist or school employee; criminal trespass; and violation of a no-contact order.

Police say they received a report on Jan. 24 of Resendiz having an inappropriate relationship with a student. The investigation found Resendiz had allegedly sexually abused the student at least twice while she worked as a guidance counselor at the middle school.

The charges allege the abuse took place in her home, and photos of her kissing the victim were found on his phone.

The student allegedly told officers he had sexual intercourse with Resendiz on Dec. 6, 2021, and Dec. 25, 2021.

Resendiz had been told verbally by police and in writing by the school district that she was not to be on any school property without prior permission, according to the charges. But at 12:25 p.m. Feb. 22, an eye-witness saw her in her vehicle at West Liberty High School, where a juvenile got into her vehicle and they drove off. The juvenile was identified as an immediate family member of a girl who has a no-contact order against Resendiz related to an investigation of sexual exploitation.

The booking sheet said Resendiz had not received permission to be on school property.

In Iowa, second-degree sexual abuse is a Class B felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison. Sexual exploitation by a counselor, therapist or school employee is a Class D felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Resendiz is scheduled to be arraigned March 11 on earlier charges of witness tampering, contempt of court and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She was arrested Feb. 6 and waived an initial appearance and preliminary hearing and had been freed on a $2,300 bond prior to the new charges.

The earlier charges stemmed from January, when West Liberty police interviewed a witness in an ongoing investigation regarding sexual exploitation by a counselor, therapist or school employee. The girl showed police messages from Resendiz, who asked her to contact the alleged victim to find out what he had told officers about the investigation.

In the messages, Resendiz allegedly also mentioned the victims father is undocumented, which police say is not relevant to the investigation. Resendiz also allegedly acknowledged officers told her to cease all contact with the boy.

The girl talked to the victim at a sporting event later and inquired of him what he told police, the charging document says. The girl claims she questioned him out of her own curiosity, not because she was asked to do so. The girl's mother requested the no-contact order and told police she worried Resendiz would continue to manipulate the girl to learn more about the investigation.

Resendiz listed jobs at The Childrens Place, a childrens clothing store in Coralville, and West Liberty Middle School in her application for a public defender.

Police documents list Resendiz as a former West Liberty School District employee; however, her name was still listed on the district's website as an employee as of Tuesday morning. A school district official on Tuesday said Resendiz was still employed by the district and had been placed on leave.

Muscatine County Sheriffs Office and the JFACT Lab in Johnson County assisted in the investigation.

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MUSCATINE  For firefighters, often it's not the smoke and flames but the more hidden dangers that can be just as devastating.

Heart disease and sudden cardiac arrest consistently rank as the leading cause of on-duty firefighter deaths in the United State, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.

The stress of working in and constantly being exposed to extreme heat increases the risk of suffering a heart attack, according to researchers. The constant strain on the heart leads to increased blood clotting and hinders the function of blood vessels. Heat stress and fluid loss can also result in decreases in cardiac output, according to medical studies.

Nearly two-thirds of firefighters over age 45 who died in 2020 died of heart attacks or other cardiac events, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

"When you hear about statistics like these, it hits close to home when youre in that job and are trying to promote healthy living and a healthy lifestyle," said Muscatine firefighter and paramedic Colton Pauls.

Pauls is leading the departments efforts in raising money for the American Heart Association's Corridor Heart Walk, May 7 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City.

The annual supports the heart association's efforts to educate the public about cardiovascular disease as well as raise money for research and support services to combat heart disease and promote and advance heart and vascular health.

Pauls said the department hopes to raise $2,500 for the AHA.

"We work hand-in-hand with AHA as well. A lot of our CPR training and heart attack/stroke knowledge comes from them," Pauls said.

Pauls, who has been with Muscatines Fire Department since 2020, said participating in the heat walk is part personal as well as professional.

His grandfather has survived heart disease.

Assistant Fire Chief Mike Hartman praised Pauls for leading the department's fundraising effort.

"We have a firefighter who hasnt been here very long but who cares about his fellow firefighters and who wants to help take care of an issue that has been identified, and I think thats great," Hartman said. "It shows the quality of the people we have working here at the fire department, and it shows the quality of the people we hire and how much they care not only about the community as a whole but also their fellow firefighters."

Paul hopes to make the Corridor Heart Walk an annual event for the department.

To make a donation to the Muscatine Fire Departments fundraiser, visit www2.heart.org/goto/mfdwalk. For more information, visit the Muscatine Fire Departments Facebook page.

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MUSCATINE  A new committee will now serve Muscatine County by helping keep the community informed during emergency situations.

On Monday, the Muscatine County Board of Supervisors approved the creation of the Muscatine County Emergency Planning Committee. MUSCOM Manager Chris Jasper said the county emergency Management Commission had discussed getting the committee going in October 2021. It will be responsible for the implementation of the Emergency Community Right to Know Act.

Since much of that has been inactive for many years, we are basically starting over from scratch, Jasper said. The state requires a resolution to start the committee again.

He said industries that worked with certain chemicals had to submit a annual report to the state regarding hazardous chemicals on-site. The act covers suppliers and not individual operators.

The committee would look at the reports and determine the countys response in the event of a hazardous chemical emergency. They would also update the plan annually.

Once the committee is formed, Jasper said it would have to meet monthly for a few months to work out such things as bylaws and emergency plans.

Jasper said 11 groups would submit reports and each would have a representative on the committee. He has already spoken with several of the groups about that.

This is our voting membership  someone from these 11 different categories, he said. If we need to expand on that in a year or so and add voting members we certainly could do that.

Supervisor Jeff Sorenson was named to represent the board on the committee, with Supervisor Santos Saucedo as his back-up.

The supervisors also approved two projects from the Muscatine County Historical Society. The first project is receiving an Iowa Department of Natural Affairs grant to explore putting the Benjamin F and Susan M. Nichols House on the National Register of Historic Places. The total project is $4,200 with a $500 match required, which the owners of the house have paid.

The other project addresses issues with structural problems at the amphitheater on the Muscatine County Fairgrounds in West Liberty. Society President Lynn Pruitt said there was a need for investigation before an overall plan for improvement could be done, and this project would cover that. A grant for $9,600 was received, and $6,400 was pledged by the Muscatine County Fair Board. The project will cover investigation and structural engineering, and the society will be soliciting a consultant.

Pruitt also told the supervisors the society had been given a $1,970 grant to add a historic marker at the historic Muscatine County Jail to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the State of Iowa.

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As a boy in one-room Maple Grove school, future Iowa Supreme Court Justice Robert Allbee never heard of the Muscatine man who became the ambassador to Liberia. Attending Muscatine High School, he never learned about Susie Clark, Class of 1871, the ambassadors daughter and first Black high school graduate in Iowa.

It was a long time before he would learn about the court case called Clark v. Board of School Directors in which the states highest court ruled in the Clarks favor and ended separate but equal public education in Iowa.

The 1955 Drake Law graduate would serve judgeships at three levelsdistrict, appeals, state1978-1982 as a Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court. He was a trial lawyer and long-time partner in a Des Moines law firm as well.

Justice Allbees first cousin, Harvey Allbee, Jr., was Muscatines longtime city attorney who advised the council in the 1970s during the threatened demolition and litigious relocation of the historic 1878 Clark house, which made way for construction of the Clark House high-rise apartments.

The Allbee ancestors settled in Muscatine County in 1856. (My Clark ancestors did, too. A story for another time.)

Their great-grandfather was Elbert Allbee, whose biography in a 1911 county history begins this way: For more than 30 years the name of Allbee has been associated with the educational development and progress of Muscatine county.

From the Muscatine Journal and News-Tribune (Apr. 5, 1935): Prominently associated with the educational development of the community in various ways, as county superintendent of schools, director and teacher, Mr. [Elbert] Allbee received his early education in the schools of the county and at the Wilton academy.  While residing in Fulton township, he acted as secretary of the township school board for a long period of years, retiring from the post when he moved to Muscatine in 1929.

At age 90, Robert, the long retired great-grandson, wrote a carefully researched biography of Alexander Clark for publication in the Drake Law Review. That year, 2018, he took part in a series of Clark 150 sesquicentennial events at Drake University. The law review published the resulting papers analyzing and celebrating the trail-blazing significance of the case, the pioneering equal-rights leadership of the Clarks, andget this!the singular role of their schools founder, Chester C. Cole. Justice Cole wrote the Clark opinion.

In his authors note, Allbee said he was proud of the Iowa Supreme Courts historic record and leadership in guaranteeing civil rights and equal protection under the law to all Iowa citizens.

Symposium organizer Russell Lovell, emeritus professor, wrote: Some might characterize Clark as a flower blooming in the judicial desert of its time. I prefer to see it as the bright radical star in the night time sky, whose brilliance was too distant to perceive until Chief Justice Earl Warren forged the unanimous opinion in Brown. May Clarks courage and leadership continue to shine on and guide the Iowa Supreme Courtnay, all courts and all Americansas the United States continues to strive for an inclusive society where justice and equality are enjoyed by all.

The late Chief Justice Mark Cady wrote in the same collection: Remarkably  Iowa became the first state in the nation to reject segregated schools86 years before the United States Supreme Court did so for all states.  If we can celebrate Clark in a way that highlights the celebration of a process of fairness and equity, the time required to give justice for all will be shortened, and our institutions of government will shine for all.

Shortly before he died, Justice Cady spoke to students at Muscatine High School in 2019. "It took 86 years later before the United States Supreme Court finally did it, and it took some time after when the country actually applied that law, but it started with Susan Clark, he said. Thats the significance of that case and your community is at the center of what now is one of our proudest judicial movements in creating integrated places in our country.

Two days earlier, the modern Muscatine school board renamed combined middle schools as Susan Clark Junior High. It was 152 years since their predecessors refused to let her enroll at the school near her home.

I celebrated Alexander Clark Day 2022 by writing another column in this seriesmy fourth in four weeks, thanks to Muscatine Journal editor David Hotle. When Dave proposed a guest opinion for Black History Month, I agreed reluctantly. Now I am finding I have more to say. This is No. 5, and Im on a roll.

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South Africas energy minister is adamant that the nation must forge ahead with offshore oil and gas exploration, despite recent legal setbacks to the development of the resources.

Environmental and community organisations have sued companies including Shell Plc over recent months, winning temporary interdicts that caused the searches to be called off.

Theyve argued that seismic surveys are harmful to marine life and criticized the process used to consult those who potentially could be affected by the work.

Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe, who accuses the groups of deterring investment, said he has been meeting with traditional leaders and residents of the Eastern Cape province to discuss the hunt for the oil and gas hunt  which has to continue.

Exploration and development cannot be the end, he said in a video released by his department on Monday. We must pursue it until it happens.

Mantashes pro-fossil-fuels stance runs counter to that of other top government officials, who are pressing for a quicker move toward cleaner sources of energy. The planned transition includes the use of gas, which along with oil is primarily imported by the nation.

Oil discoveries have been made in recent weeks just over the maritime border shared with Namibia, while some exploration work is still planned in nearby South African waters.

The recent oil discoveries in Namibia are a massively welcome impetus for development in that country, but also for us on the tip of the continent, and the region, Mantashe said in a Twitter posting last week.
South Africas speed limits are relatively high compared to other countries, and road deaths are excessive in proportion to its population.

This is according to a MyBroadband analysis which compared South Africas speed limits and road fatality statistics to six other nations to understand how possible changes to speed limits could reduce traffic-related deaths in the country.

The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) recently proposed a reduction to the countrys speed limits to reduce fatal road accidents.

We compared South Africas speed limits and road deaths to the UK, US, Germany, New Zealand, Japan, and Nigeria.

The US and Germany were the only countries with higher motorway speed limits than South Africa. New Zealands main road speed limits are higher than South Africas as they are equal to the speed limits on its motorways.

Speed limits in the US are based on jurisdiction, like many of its laws, meaning they can vary by state. For instance, the motorway limit in Texas ranges from 121 km/h to 137 km/h, depending on the route.

At the same time, motorists in Vermont have to adhere to a 105 km/h speed limit on motorways.

Germanys speed limit in built-up and residential areas is 50 km/h  which is less than South Africas. However, the German motorway system, the autobahn, is famous for having no federally mandated speed limits.

Despite its higher speed limits on motorways, Germanys traffic-related deaths were significantly less than South Africas in 2018, 2019, and 2020.

The nations with the lowest speed limits are Nigeria and Japan. Both countries limit speeds to 100 km/h on their motorways.

Each countrys national speed limits and road fatalities are summarised in the table below.

Speed limits by country Country Built-up areas Main roads Motorways South Africa 60 km/h 100 km/h 120 km/h New Zealand 50 km/h 110 km/h 110 km/h UK 48 km/h 97 km/h 113 km/h US* 32 to 90 km/h 90 to 121 km/h 90 to 130 km/h Germany** 50 km/h 100 km/h  Japan 30 to 40 km/h 60 km/h 100 km/h Nigeria 50 km/h 80 km/h 100 km/h *Speed limits in the US vary by state. The figures provided represent the lowest and highest state speed limits. **Germanys autobahns have no federally mandated speed limits

When looking at traffic-related fatalities as a percentage of the countrys population, South Africa is the worst of the countries compared.

During 2018, 2019, and 2020, the number of traffic-related deaths in South Africa worked out to 0.02% of the population each year on average. Comparatively, the second-worst was the US, with 0.011%.

The most closely-related country to South Africa, in terms of population size, is the UK. However, the UKs road fatalities as a percentage of its population averaged 0.0036% over the three years.

Notably, in the only other African country compared, Nigeria, road fatalities made up only 0.0026% and 0.0027% of its population in 2018 and 2019  the lowest of all nations in the comparison over the period.

The RTMC proposed several interventions in February 2022, including reducing South Africas speed limits by 10 km/h as per the UN roads councils recommendations.

If implemented, the 60 km/h residential speed limit would drop to 50 km/h, and its 120 km/h limits would be reduced to 110 km/h.

RTMC chief communications officer Simon Zwane said the proposed speed limit adjustments are in line with recommendations made by the United Nations to reduce speed by 10km/h to bring down the number of fatalities.

Zwane explained that this decision was binding for South Africa as a member of the UNs roads council, and the government is favouring the lower speed limits.

The population and road fatalities for each country are summarised below. The table also includes fatal accidents as a percentage of the population for each nation.
Low-cost carrier FlySafairs inaugural flight from Johannesburg to Mauritius landed on 8 March 2022.

Initially set to begin operating on 11 December 2021, the opening of FlySafairs route to Mauritius was delayed following South African scientists discovery of the omicron variant.

The Mauritian government announced on 7 January 2022 that it was re-opening the island.

FlySafairs twice-weekly service to Mauritius will operate out of OR Tambo International Airport every Tuesday and Saturday.

On Tuesdays and Saturdays, FA850 departs OR Tambo at 09h00 and arrives in Mauritius at 15h15. On return, FA851 departs at 16h15 and lands at 18h30 in Johannesburg.

Airfares on the new route start from R3,950.

We couldnt be more thrilled about landing in Mauritius for the first time, said FlySafair CEO Elmar Conradie.

This is a significant moment for us as an airline as weve patiently waited to get our first regional service underway.

Conradie said the decision to introduce a regional service between Johannesburg and Mauritius was carefully considered when they were looking at FlySafairs growth plan.

Our own market research has shown that there is a lot of pent-up demand for the route, and we can offer passengers more choice when it comes to travelling to the island, Conradie said.

While Covid-19 remains a challenge, Conradie said South Africans are ready to travel.

With school holidays fast approaching, we believe lots of families will be looking to enjoy a late summer getaway before the winter chill sets in.
A 68-year-old American Canyon resident faces charges that he sexually abused two of his granddaughters.

The man, whom the Napa Valley Register is not identifying to protect the identities of the accusers, was arrested at his home Feb. 24 by the Napa County Sheriffs Office on suspicion of two counts of forcible rape, two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, and one count of continuous sexual abuse. The abuse took place between approximately August 2016 and August 2018, according to Paul Gero, Napa County assistant district attorney.

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The suspect was arraigned Feb. 28 in Napa County Superior Court and pleaded not guilty to the charges Friday, according to court documents. His next court hearing is scheduled for March 16, and he remained held in the Napa County jail on $250,000 bail Monday afternoon.

The two granddaughters said the abuse began when they were about 8 years old, and took place twice a week over a three-month period in American Canyon, according to the complaint filed by the sheriffs office. One such incident also took place when the suspect and one of the girls were in the Philippines, the complaint added.

Conviction on the rape charges may result in a 15-years-to-life prison term on each count, along with possible terms of six to 16 years for continuous sexual assault and three to eight years on each sex assault charge.
Alex Slarve has just about finished up a city of Napa home that will operate entirely with solar power and batteries, and has no connection to
Facing potential lifetime imprisonment, the man accused of shooting a driver on a Napa County highway is seeking to represent himself at his upcoming trial for attempted murder.

Tuong Nguyen, 42, pleaded not guilty to attempted murder, carjacking and other charges Tuesday morning in Napa County Superior Court. Nguyen was arrested Feb. 18 after a vehicle-to-vehicle shooting that morning in south Napa wounded Robert Abreu, a 58-year-old American Canyon man who was commuting north to Napa.

Immediately after entering his plea, Nguyen declared to Judge Mark Boessenecker his wish to go to trial without a lawyer, despite the judges warning about the consequences of failing to beat the charges  including a possible sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole for an attempted murder conviction.

Your maximum sentence is life, Boessenecker told Nguyen during the plea hearing at the Napa County courthouse. Representing yourself would be tantamount to suicide; it would be extremely foolish.  The idea that you would go into trial representing yourself, foolish wouldnt even begin to describe it.

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Boessenecker scheduled a session, known as a Faretta hearing, for 8:30 a.m. Friday to consider Nguyens request to act as his own attorney.

Nguyen was arraigned Feb. 23 on eight felony counts  attempted murder, carjacking, and six firearm-related offenses, including firing into an occupied vehicle and illegal gun possession by a convicted felon. He also faces special allegations that include causing great bodily injury and committing a crime after his release from prison.

Nguyen, who has no listed address, has been held without bail in the Napa County jail since his arrest.

The attempted murder and firearm charges stem from the shooting of Abreu, who the Napa County Sheriffs Office says was driving his work truck on northbound Highway 29 near Highway 221 when Nguyen fired a gunshot to the right side of Abreus head before fleeing.

Suspect in Napa highway shooting arraigned on attempted murder and gun charges A conviction on an attempted murder count could result in a maximum of life in state prison with parole.

Several minutes after reports of the shooting at 6:40 a.m., dispatchers were called by a woman who said a man pointed a handgun at her and demanded the keys to her vehicle on First Street in Napa, according to an arrest document. Sheriffs deputies then found Nguyens car at Highway 221 and Magnolia Lane and detained him, recovering a 9mm handgun and a magazine with ammunition matching a shell casing found at the scene of the shooting, according to the criminal complaint.

After the shooting, Abreu was able to call law enforcement before being taken to an out-of-county hospital, according to authorities.

Abreu and Nguyen did not know each other and had no interaction immediately before the shooting, Abreus niece Nina OBrien previously told the Napa Valley Register.

Family and friends of Abreu, a father of three and grandfather of six, opened a GoFundMe page to raise money for his medical care. The campaign had raised more than $65,000 toward a $100,000 goal as of noon Tuesday.

You can reach Howard Yune at 530-763-2266 or hyune@napanews.com

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As the Napa school systems student count continues to shrink, so too will its staff, for another year.

Three weeks after approving a reduction of teaching positions after the current school year, board members with the Napa Valley Unified School District on Thursday gave the go-ahead to eliminate or cut back work hours among office, foodservice and other staff.

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The resolution passed by NVUSD trustees allows jobs to be eliminated or hours to be reduced for up to 58 part-time and full-time non-teaching positions. However, many of the positions already were vacant, and the school district was able to find new positions for all but eight of the people currently holding those jobs, according to Dana Page, assistant superintendent for human resources.

Nineteen of the affected jobs are full-time posts, including jobs for a school administrative assistant, secretary, two administrative specialists, a campus safety specialist, a parent and community liaison, child development teacher, and 11 campus supervisors.

Other positions that were slated for paring back include the jobs of five administrative clerks at schools, as well as various instructional assistants, according to the resolution approved by the NVUSD board.

The staff cutback follows NVUSDs decision to allow as many as 34 cuts to teaching positions before the new school year begins in August. The final number of layoffs will be decided no later than March 14, and is expected to be less than the maximum after the district offers retirement and resignation benefits to its current staff. (More than 20 teachers already had accepted such offers by late February, the district announced earlier.)

The Napa districts latest round of job cuts will continue a trend that has continued in recent years, as student counts have steadily declined since the middle of last decade, squeezing the per-student funding NVUSD receives through the states attendance-based formula.

From more than 18,300 children and teenagers in the 2014-15 year, enrollment has slipped below 16,500 this year and is forecasted to slide further to 14,316 by 2027-28.

Two local middle schools, Harvest on Old Sonoma Road and River on Salvador Avenue, will close in June. A new English-Spanish immersion academy, Unidos Middle School, will take over Rivers campus starting in August, while NVUSD is soliciting ideas for the sale and reuse of the Harvest property.

Also Thursday, the NVUSD board approved a contract with teachers that assures more instruction time for younger students outside the core classes.

The three-year collective bargaining agreement with the Napa Valley Educators Association, which runs through 2025, provides physical education and music classes for all pupils in elementary school. Teachers will receive an extra preparation period during the school day while specialist teachers lead enrichment programs, according to district spokesperson Stacy Rollo.

Teacher salaries through 2025 will be determined in the fall, Rollo added.

Thursday nights meeting was the Napa school boards last session to be conducted exclusively by online video during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led elected agencies across California to abandon in-person meetings starting in March 2020 as a public health measure.

NVUSD announced it will reopen its boardroom to audiences starting March 17, when it will begin holding board meetings with a hybrid of in-person and online commenting. The move follows the states relaxation of most remaining COVID-19 safety measures over the past month, including the lifting of mask-wearing mandates for indoor public areas last month and for school buildings effective March 12. (In an announcement on NVUSDs website, officials confirmed the district will end its on-campus mask requirement when schools open Monday, March 14.)

You can reach Howard Yune at 530-763-2266 or hyune@napanews.com

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Napa Countys chapter of the Sierra Club is asking the county to investigate a new potential threat to local wildlife  poison bait stations outside of industrial parks.

Sierra Club volunteer Yvonne Baginski has spotted some unsettling ecological hazards like litter and retention pond spillovers during her strolls through Napas Greenwood Business Park on Airport Boulevard in the past few months, but most recently, she noticed an alarming amount of rodent control stations wrapping around the outer walls of the buildings.

I started walking around and looking at these properties, and I saw rat stations everywhere, said Baginski. These are on the outside walls of the building, and it's not just one property  It is almost every office building in that corporate park.

Responding to Baginski's observations, members of the local Sierra Club checked out the area and have requested an investigation through the Napa County Agricultural Commissioners office.

If our observations are correct, the bait stations are a possible disaster to the wildlife ecology of Napa County, said chair of the Sierra Clubs Napa chapter Nick Cheranich. We can only imagine how many more of these stations are located throughout the county.

What makes this so shocking is the sheer numbers of poison bait stations that are placed where there are creeks and fields, an area known for supporting our threatened hawks and other wildlife, Cheranich added. It is a well-established fact that these rodenticides move up the food chain to kill more wildlife, [and] with nesting season coming up, these poison bait stations must be removed immediately.

The Napa County Agricultural Commissioners office has initiated its own investigation but has not completed its report.

We are continuing to do our field research, and we are also making connections with different partners to get an understanding of what other counties might be seeing and what next steps may be for us, said commissioner Tracy Cleveland. So for us, it is just gathering data, and we will go from there and see what this turns into.

Rodents are very difficult to control, so it's not unusual to see traps and bait stations around all kinds of commercial buildings, including grocery stores, homes, commercial parks, but there are very specific laws and regulations that limit the kind of bait that can be available in those boxes depending on the setting, said Cleveland.

The topic of rodenticides has been on the minds of California lawmakers since the passage of the Ecosystems Protection Act of 2020, which effectively prohibited the use of products classified as second generation anticoagulant rodenticides. Containing compounds such as brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difenacoum and difethialone, these second generation anticoagulants have been linked to harming non-target wildlife like mountain lions, bobcats, Pacific fishers and northern spotted owls.

However, compounds bromethalin and cholecalciferol  which are listed as ingredients in the traps that were found by the Sierra Club and in follow-up searches by the Napa Valley Register  do not have conclusive data to confirm or deny such associated negative ecological impacts.

These non-anticoagulants work slightly differently than their more dangerous alternatives, though, with those using bromethalin causing neurological dysfunction and respiratory arrest within two days and those with cholecalciferol weakening bones through hypercalcemia and killing the rodent within four days.

It's not totally banned, but there are definitely much more restrictions in place and it is actually still being evaluated by the Department of Pesticide Regulation as far as what the ultimate outcome will be, said Cleveland. The initial review by DPR evaluating some of these products is because of concerns over non-target impacts on other wildlife, so there is a lot of stuff happening behind the scenes to make sure these things are being used responsibly.

The concern is that since a poisoned rodent doesn't die immediately, it will move away from the bait box to die. In the process, a predator, such as a hawk, could snatch the dying, slow-moving prey as a food source  therein ingesting the poison themselves. In this case, the non-target species is also likely to die.

So while the commissioners office continues its investigation, Baginski will be out on her walks, writing down the addresses and snapping pictures of the bait boxes she sees.

I don't think people realize how dependent wildlife are on those creekside corridors, she said. That area is a wetland. People dont realize that because it is a designated industrial park, but you have to pay attention to what you are doing to the homes of these animals because they don't have any other place to go.

You can reach Sam Jones at 707-256-2221 and sjones@napanews.com.

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US ex-President Donald Trump proposed a kind of solution to the crisis in Ukraine, Independent reported.

In his lengthy speech, Trump calls on US to putin Chinese flags on American fighter jets and bomb the s*** out of Russia.'

And then we say, China did it, we didnt do it, China did it, and then they start fighting with each other and we sit back and watch, the former president said.

He also noted that if he were still president, Putin would never have dared to invade Ukraine.

No one has ever been tougher on Russia than me, Trump said.
EU: Poland fines in rule of law dispute now top $170 million

Putin and Lukashenko discuss ongoing situation

Greece and Bulgaria say new LNG terminal will help reduce dependence on Russia

German vice chancellor calls for rapid construction of LNG terminals

Rally of Resistance Movement takes place in France Square

Robert Kocharyan takes part in opposition march

Mario Draghi calls on EU to abandon requirement of unanimity in making foreign policy decisions

Finland and Sweden not yet decided whether to join NATO

Croatian president uses veto power to block Finland and Sweden from joining NATO

Slovakia will seek exemption from the EU embargo on Russian oil imports

NEWS.am digest: Blinken meets Mirzoyan in US, people detained during protests in Yerevan

Turkish Foreign Ministry on meeting of special envoys in Vienna

Opposition rally in central Yerevan starts with Sirusho's performance

Italy to face serious issues in winter if Russian gas supplies are cut off now

Johnson announces new military aid to Ukraine in amount of 300 million euros

Resistance Movement rally on France Square in Yerevan

EU hopes to adopt sixth round of sanctions against Russia at next EU Council meeting

Peaceful rallies of disobedience held in Spitak

Spain extends OVID-19 entry restrictions

Vayk joins demand for Nikol Pashinyan's resignation

Putin and Macron discuss Ukraine

Citizens demanding Pashinyan's resignation block road from Vayots Dzor to Yerevan

Peaceful rallies of disobedience held in Vanadzor demanding PM's resignation

Citizens demanding Pashinyan's resignation block Gyumri-Yerevan highway

Sirusho: Today I will join our compatriots in France Square

Third meeting of Armenia and Turkey special representatives held in Vienna

Dollar rises slightly after long decline, euro also goes up in Armenia

Civil disobedience actions in regions: Yerevan-Goris highway blocked

Azerbaijan settling occupied Armenian Hadrut, Shushi cities of Artsakh

New colors and new services: Team Telecom Armenia completes rebranding

Armenia legislature speaker receives France-Armenia Friendship Group delegation

France senator: We are leaving for Armenia with Senate group

Putin signs decree on economic measures against unfriendly countries

Armenia legislature speaker: Authorities have repeatedly proposed dialogue to opposition

Backpack action of protest being held outside Armenia parliament (PHOTOS)

Armenia defense ministry: Azerbaijan MOD statement does not correspond to reality

Armenia defense minister receives Kansas National Guard delegation

Armenia Police: Yerevan-Sevan motorway reopened

Ned Price: Mirzoyan-Blinken meeting will launch US-Armenia strategic dialogue

Mirzoyan, Nuland discuss Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement process

Civil disobedience actions are carried out in some Armenia cities

Armenia 2nd-President Kocharyan, ex-deputy PM and now lawmaker Gevorgyan trial to resume

Pashinyan to Morawiecki: This year we mark 30th anniversary of Armenia-Poland diplomatic relations

No new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia Central Bank leaves refinancing rate unchanged at 9.25%

Demonstrators demanding PM Pashinyan's resignation block Sevan-Yerevan motorway

Police: 117 demonstrators apprehended in Yerevan

Kansas National Guard leadership visiting Armenia

Bloomberg: EU new gas partners

Armenian member of Turkey legislature says he was thrown at table of wolves

Italian PM slams Lavrov for his 'Hitler' statements in interview with local television

South Korea and US plan to start air force exercises on May 9

Police special forces apprehend Armenia ex-president Robert Kocharyans son

Police: 70 people apprehended from Yerevan streets

World Press Freedom Index 2022: Journalism as a profession is humiliated in Armenia

Newspaper: Armenia ruling party MPs are worried

Borrell speaks on possible disconnection from SWIFT of new Russian banks

Cyprus becomes first EU country with full 5G coverage

Police apprehending participants of civil disobedience actions in Yerevan

State Department: Deepening US-Armenia cooperation in nuclear energy will strengthen bilateral relations

Peaceful disobedience actions resume in Yerevan early morning

Mirzoyan: Armenia appreciates US support for developing energy sector

Blinken underscores US commitment to help Armenia, Azerbaijan find sustainable peace, prosperity

Eurozone economic sentiment falls much more than expected in April

Apple faces big fine

Armenia ex-president joins discussion in France Square

Poland wants the EU to set a clear date for stopping Russian oil imports

Armenia FM meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken

Armenia FM meets with Director of USAID Samantha Power

Ann Linde says Finland will almost certainly apply for NATO membership

Police beat reporters, obstruct their work in Yerevan

European Commission may relieve Hungary, Slovakia of embargo on Russian oil purchase

Resistance Movement to continue large-scale civil disobedience actions on 3 May in Yerevan and regions

EU countries to continue to pay in euros or dollars for Russian gas

Resistance Movement participants return to France Square

Russian and Turkish defense ministers discuss current situation in Ukraine

Ukrainian intelligence accuses Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan of helping Russia evade Western sanctions

NEWS.am digest: Turkey says they have agreements with Armenia on border clarification

Toivo Klaar informs about meeting of Armen Grigoryan and Hikmet Hajiyev in Brussels

PACE initiates resolution on threats to journalists and human rights defenders in Azerbaijan

Diplomat kidnapped in Haiti

Hungarian president asks Orban to form new government

Georgia PM hands over first part of questionnaire answers for accession to EU

Resistance Movement participants march in central Yerevan

Half of Japanese oppose change of peaceful constitution

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
Nearly 300 Vietnamese return from Ukraine

A repatriation flight carrying 287 Vietnamese people from Ukraine landed safely in Hanoi's Noi Bai Airport on Tuesday morning.













Vietnamese people return from Ukraine on March 8

The flight which was operated by national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines was the first repatriation flight the government has conducted to bring home Vietnamese evacuees from Bucharest (Romania).







The evacuees including many children were warmly welcomed by their relatives and friends at the airport.



Pham Quang Son, 61, came to pick up his children and grandchildren who boarded this flight. Son said that his family has lived in Odessa City in Ukraine for many years. He returned to Hanoi two years ago but had not been able to fly back to Ukraine due to the pandemic.







Pham Quang Son came to pick up his children and grandchildren at the airport



"I could not imagine we would have to flee Ukraine someday," he said. "The war was so sudden and we were very worried. But now I'm happy that they are brought home safely today.



Nguyen Thi Nhan in Thanh Xuan District arrived at the airport to pick up her husband and daughter who had run a shop in Ukraine since 2004.



"When the war occurred, my husband and daughter had to leave their place and could only carry some clothes with them," Nhan said. "They've lost everything in the war there. But luckily they returned home safely and we were reunited."



After this flight, Bamboo Airways is expected to repatriate 270 evacuees from Warsaw (Poland) on March 10.



Vietnam is carrying out a repatriation campaign for its citizens stranded in war zones in Ukraine following an armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine that began nearly two weeks ago.



So far half of approximately 7,000 Vietnamese nationals residing, working and studying in Ukraine have been evacuated to neighbouring countries such as Romania, Poland, Moldova and Hungary to wait for repatriation flights or to move on to a third country.
The fourth round of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations will be held in Belarus in the near future, member of the Russian delegation, head of the Duma Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky told journalists after the third round of negotiations, TASS reported.

According to him, it would be naive to suppose that anything will be signed today. "There is no doubt that work on these documents will continue in the very near future. So, the next, fourth round will take place in Belarus in the very near future," said Slutsky. He added that he can't tell the exact date, but "it will be determined in the near future.

"Let's not indulge in illusions that in the next step, there will be a final result. It will be quite a hard and consistent work," the parliamentarian added. He noted that the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are seriously progressing.

The Russian and Ukrainian delegations discussed the possibility of withdrawing people from the war zone through humanitarian corridors.

"We discussed today specific destinations with geographical names and detailed waste. We hope that the next attempts to evacuate people will be made as soon as possible and will be successful," Slutsky said.
The US ambassador to NATO said Monday that the alliance will not move forward with a no-fly zone in Ukraine as it stands, CNN reported.

Our goal right now is to actually stop the war. We don't want to expand this conflict beyond Ukraine, and so right now, the signal from NATO collectively is that NATO is not prepared to move forward with a no-fly zone, Julianne Smith told CNN.

Smith did, however, say that members of NATO were taking steps to provide lethal support to Ukraine and assess their security needs in real time.

The ambassador said that US officials are discussing with the Polish government the potential for Poland to send MiG-29 Soviet-era fighter jets in support of the Ukrainians.

That is a sovereign decision for Poland to take. The US has noted that it is willing to sit down and talk through some of the challenges of that. There are a lot of open-ended questions about the number of Ukrainian pilots that are available, how these jets would actually move from Poland to Ukraine. That's all being worked right now, Julianne Smith said.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that he does not expect a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine for weeks, AP reported.

Macron said that he has told the Russian leader that a ceasefire must come before any real dialogue, but that President Vladimir Putin has refused, making their regular talks difficult.

I dont think that in the days and weeks to come there will be a true negotiated solution, Macron said at a forum in Poissy, a southwest suburb of Paris, while campaigning for the first time to renew his mandate in April presidential elections.

He said that Putin is making a historic fault with his war pitted against Ukrainians, brothers. Macron stressed the need to respect the people of all countries ... and ensure that no nation, no people be humiliated.

Macron said that Russia, too, must be respected as a country and people because There is no durable peace if Russia is not (part of) a ... grand architecture of peace on our continent. Because history and geography are stubborn.
Iraqs commerce minister announced that the country will set aside $100 million to help bolster its strategic wheat reserves by an additional 110 million bushels in the coming months in an effort to bolster food security and address rising global prices, Farm Progress reported.

The Iraqi government will provide $100 million to buy wheat abroad in Ukraine, which is one of the main suppliers of wheat equal to Russia in the country, due to the escalation of the situation. This was stated by the head of the Iraqi Ministry of Trade Alla Ahmed Hassan.

At the same time, the Council of Ministers has decided to provide incentive payments to farmers for the 2021 crops within ten days, as well as to provide them with benefits for the current year until the beginning of June.
Japan has frozen the assets of an additional 32 Russian and Belarusian officials and oligarchs following the invasion of Ukraine, the Ministry of Finance announced on Tuesday, Channel News Asia reported.

The newly added sanctions target 20 Russians including deputy chiefs of staff for President Vladimir Putin's administration, deputy chairmen of the state parliament, the head of the Chechen Republic, and executives of companies with close ties to the government such as Volga Group, Transneft, and Wagner.

Payment and capital transactions with those on the list must require government permits from now on, the ministry said in a statement.

Japan is also banning exports of Russia-bound oil refinery equipment, the ministry said.
Ukraine calls on Russia to immediately agree on the humanitarian corridors for Kyiv, Kharkiv, the Kyiv and Kharkiv regions, as well as for Volnovakha and Mariupol. This was stated at a press briefing Tuesday morning by Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, Ukrinform reported.

Also, Vereshchuk asked not to trust unofficial sources of information, as well as reports of the Russian defense ministry.

"Trust the Ukrainian authorities, listen, read the official media," she added.

According to her, any other routes of humanitarian corridors have not been agreed on.
The Chinese government calls on the United States to immediately disclose information about the military biological laboratories located in Ukraine and the viruses that were being researched there, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian noted.

As he noted, 26 American laboratories and other such facilities operated on the territory of Ukraine.

The United States, as the party that has the most information about laboratories, should disclose relevant data as soon as possible, including about the viruses that were there and the nature of the research on them, he said.

For the sake of the health of the people of Ukraine, neighboring regions and beyond, we call on the relevant parties to ensure the safety of these laboratories, Zhao Lijian noted.

The United States, as the party that has the most information about laboratories, should disclose relevant data as soon as possible, including about the viruses that were there and the nature of the research on them, he said.
More than 2 million refugees from Ukraine have arrived in its neighboring countries, Safa Mseli, a spokeswoman for the International Organization for Migration, said on Twitter.

She clarified that 103,000 people out of the mentioned number are foreigners.

The main flow of refugees from this country goes to Poland, Hungary, Moldova, Slovakia, Romania. According to the UN, about half of the migrants are children.
Ural Airlines suspends flights to Azerbaijan from March 8 to March 26, according to the carrier's Telegram channel on Tuesday.

Due to the current geopolitical situation, Ural Airlines suspends flights to Azerbaijan (Baku, Ganja, Lankaran) from 03/08/22 to 03/26/22 inclusive, the report says.

On March 5, the company announced the cancellation of flights to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Armenia, Azerbaijan and Israel.

As the press service of the carrier explained to TASS on Tuesday, flights to Azerbaijan have been briefly restored since that time, but now they had to be canceled again.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, discussed the situation in Ukraine, saying that it was a matter of concern, and also expressed regret over the hostilities, Xinhua reports.

The Chinese leader told his Western colleagues about the need to respect the sovereignty of all states and take into account their security concerns. In addition, during the talks with his colleagues, the head of China stressed that preventing the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine and preventing the situation from getting out of control remain priorities.

Xi Jinping called on the leaders of France and Germany to jointly support the peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv, as well as to exercise maximum restraint and prevent a humanitarian crisis. He added that Beijing has already put forward a humanitarian initiative and is ready to provide the Ukrainian side with the necessary humanitarian assistance.
European countries must should relying on Russian energy, especially with the ongoing war in Ukraine, to ensure that supplies are widely available, said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, CNN reported.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Tallinn with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, Blinken said that at the moment there is a significant, not only opportunity, but also the need to finally get rid of the dependence of many European countries on Russian energy.

Kallas called for the complete exclusion of Russia and Belarus from the SWIFT network and restrict its access to cryptocurrencies. According to her, countries should focus on complete isolation of Russia from the free world.

The deteriorating security situation requires rapid changes in European security, she noted, adding that the world must be prepared for the worst that is yet to come. Kallas also urged NATO to work on an updated defense strategy in our region.
The Grand Chamber of the ECHR will not consider the complaints of Armenia and Azerbaijan against the decision of 2021 on the cases of Tavush residents Mamikon Khojoyan and Karen Petrosyan tortured in Azerbaijani captivity in 2014, 1lurer reported.

The complaints have not been admitted to proceedings. Judgments in these cases are to be executed. Earlier the ECHR obliged Azerbaijan to reimburse 40 thousand euros to each of the relatives of the victims, as well as to conduct a preliminary investigation involving the legal successors of the victims.

According to the ruling, the perpetrators must be identified and brought to justice. On 4 November, the court ruled against Azerbaijan, satisfying the Armenian side's complaint, finding violations of Khojoyan and Petrosyan's right to life, to freedom from torture. The Armenian side filed a complaint to the Grand Chamber to challenge the violation of the right to freedom from discrimination.

77-year-old Mamikon Khojoyan died a few days after his return from captivity. In captivity, he was subjected to violence.

Karen Petrosyan died in an Azerbaijani prison. The Azerbaijani authorities' version is that he died of heart failure. However, the facts speak of violent death.
Tehran is ready to contribute to any process of ending the crisis in Ukraine by political means, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said.

His remarks came during a conversation with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, Tasnim reported.

The two sides discussed recent developments in Tehran-Ankara relations as well as some regional and international issues, including the Ukraine crisis.

Wishing Turkey success for the meeting at the Diplomatic Assembly in Antalya and the trilateral talks between the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia and Ukraine, Abdollahian said Iranian Foreign Ministry delegation would also attend the Diplomatic Assembly.

"We support the political solution in Ukraine and the political initiative to end the war and focus on a diplomatic settlement, and we are ready to help promote this process," the Iranian minister said.

For his part, Cavusoglu stressed the need for effective and tangible steps in advancing bilateral relations between Tehran and Ankara with the support of the two presidents. He also expressed Ankara's opposition to sanctions against countries, saying sanctions are not the solution to every problem.

The Turkish foreign minister also expressed concern about the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis, the possibility of a humanitarian disaster and the growing flow of refugees and migrants in the country. He said that the purpose of the trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey and Ukraine is to establish a ceasefire in the region and lasting peace, the Iranian Foreign Ministry's website said.
Ukrainian border guards are demanding bribes of up to $5,000 from evacuees for unhindered border crossing, the head of Russian National Defence Management Centre, Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev said, TASS reports.

According to him, various permit restrictions have been introduced. "In particular, men aged 18 to 60 are not allowed on the territory of Poland without a permit from the Ukrainian military registration and enlistment offices. But corrupt border guards offer a bribe of up to $5,000 to cross the border unhindered," he said.

Additionally, numerous cases of physical abuse, robbery and looting of Ukrainian refugees and foreign nationals by criminals have been recorded. People are demanded up to $1,500 for arranging unimpeded passage to the territory of other countries that are on the border with Ukraine.
Ukraine is ready to have a dialogue with Russia on security guarantees, but is not ready to capitulate, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

His remarks came during an interview with ABC News, which was published on the Ukrainian president's website.

"I have spoken many times about NATO and publicly conveyed messages to both Russia and President Putin: we are ready for any guarantees of our country's security from the respective states that must guarantee. And Russia is also among these states, because Russia is our neighbor," he said.

He said that in the future Ukraine should have a collective security treaty with all its neighbors and with the participation of the world's leading states - the USA, France, Germany, as well as Turkey, with which the country borders across the Black Sea.

"We cannot recognize that Crimea is the territory of Russia. I think it will be difficult for Russia to recognize that this is the territory of Ukraine. I think we are smart enough to ensure that the decision on these two issues does not cause any revolutions within societies, so that people are satisfied with this decision: both those who live in those territories and those who live in Ukraine," Zelenskyy said, adding that to solve all these issues, Russian President Vladimir Putin needs to start a direct dialogue. "The people who elected me are not ready to surrender, we are not ready for ultimatums. But we can discuss with Russia the future of Crimea and Donbas," he added.
Buffalo, WY (82834)

Today

Windy with a steady light rain this evening. Showers continuing overnight. Low 43F. Winds NNW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised a "Marshall Plan" to restore Ukraine.

There was also an agreement to show the people of Ukraine now that no matter what happens, when a free, sovereign, independent Ukraine is defended and restored, we will rebuild everything and we will have a Marshall Plan to restore Ukraine, Johnson said.

Johnson assured that Britain was ready to accept "thousands" of Ukrainian refugees, noting that figures could run into the hundreds of thousands.

"People in this country are incredibly generous towards people fleeing persecution or war zones. Believe me, we are going to be very, very generous," he said.

Yet despite the generosity, Britain has no intention of introducing an easier visa regime for Ukrainians to enter.
Story Highlights Nearly 2 billion women globally think domestic violence is widespread in their country

There are significant gaps in how men and women perceive domestic violence

Largest gender gaps on this issue are in former Eastern bloc, Soviet states

Since the start of the pandemic, gender-based violence has increased, with its victims finding themselves trapped at home with their abusers, respecting lockdown measures at risk of being mistreated and unable to escape.

This phenomenon, dubbed the "shadow pandemic , " puts additional pressure on health resources and essential services such as domestic violence shelters. According to UN estimates, 47,000 women and girls were killed in 2020 by an intimate partner or family member, or one woman and girl every 11 minutes.

But how widespread is it? The lack of global sunlight on the problem is one reason why, as part of Hologic's study on global women's health, we asked women and men about the scope of the problem in their countries.

The question is framed indirectly, allowing respondents to express their view of domestic violence without having to discuss their own victimization or that of loved ones.

"Domestic violence can be physical, psychological, or involve sexual acts done to someone against their will by a person they live with. In your opinion, is domestic violence a widespread problem in [country name], or not?"

Majorities of Women and Men See Domestic Violence as a Widespread Problem

During our first year of data collection in 2020, the first full year of the pandemic, two in three women aged 15 and older worldwide -- representing about 1.7 billion women -- said domestic violence is a widespread problem in their country. And nearly six in 10 men agreed, pointing to the issue's prevalence.

Although women around the globe consider domestic violence a widespread issue in their country, the perception tends to be generally higher, with more than eight in 10 women stating so across Northern America, Latin America, and Australia and New Zealand.

Regional Breakdown of Women's Perceptions of Domestic Violence Domestic violence can be physical, psychological, or involve sexual acts done to someone against their will by a person they live with. In your opinion, is domestic violence a widespread problem in [country name], or not?" % Yes, among women Northern America 89 Australia and New Zealand 87 Latin America and Caribbean 85 Sub-Saharan Africa 79 Europe 76 Middle East and North Africa 72 Former Soviet states 67 Asia 57 Regional averages, data collection in 115 countries Hologic Global Women's Health Index, 2020

The data from the survey show that the perception of domestic violence as an issue tends to cut across age groups, educational levels and socio-economic classes, with some regional differences. This aligns with the finding that some cultural norms may contribute to the normalization of violence and the continuation of these crimes.

In societies characterized by traditional gender roles and a power imbalance between men and women, violence is often tolerated and justified in households. This might partially explain the lower levels of agreement in some regions that the problem is widespread.

Women in Peru, Turkey Almost Universally Agree the Problem Is Widespread

Countries such as Turkey and Peru lead the world on this measure, with 94% of women agreeing that domestic violence is widespread.

Even in pre-pandemic times, Peru saw some of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the region, despite protests and public campaigns against such abuses in recent years.

But the stress from the pandemic and the economic hardship it created have exacerbated the problem. According to the United Nations, one in three women in Peru will likely suffer violence, physical or sexual, from an intimate partner in her lifetime.

Countries With the Highest Female Perception of Domestic Violence as a Widespread Issue % Yes, among women Peru 94 Turkey 94 South Africa 93 Bolivia 92 Mauritius 91 Namibia 91 Uganda 90 Iraq 90 United States 90 Colombia 90 Hologic Global Women's Health Index, 2020

Women See the Problem as More Acute Than Men

In most countries studied, women are more likely than men to consider domestic violence a widespread issue. In fact, in 54 out of the 115 countries and territories surveyed, there is a gap of more than 10 percentage points between female and male perspectives.

The difference is especially steep in countries in the former Eastern bloc: Poland (30 points), Georgia (27 points), Latvia (27 points), the Czech Republic (25 points), Slovakia (24 points), Estonia (23 points) and Russia (21 points) are among the 10 countries that present the largest gaps.

Countries With the Most Significant Gap Between Women and Men Male Female Difference % % pct. pt. Poland 44 74 30 Georgia 55 82 27 Latvia 41 68 27 Czech Republic 51 76 25 Portugal 64 87 24 Slovakia 59 82 24 Canada 58 81 24 Estonia 44 67 23 Russia 51 72 21 Montenegro 51 72 21 Netherlands 55 75 20 Slovenia 53 72 19 Hungary 61 79 18 Tanzania 59 77 18 Sweden 57 75 18 Pakistan 49 67 18 South Korea 44 62 18 Bulgaria 58 76 18 Serbia 66 83 17 Vietnam 47 64 17 Hologic Global Women's Health Index, 2020

These gender gaps point to social norms such as marital obedience, female subservience and a culture of silence persist across the former Soviet Union and Slavic countries.

At least 155 countries have passed laws criminalizing domestic violence, but Russia is the only member of the Council of Europe with no specific domestic violence legislation. In 2017, Russia explicitly decriminalized certain forms of domestic violence, making the prosecution of abusers more difficult. Part of the population believes that it's not the place of the state to intervene in private, family matters. And because domestic violence is considered a family affair, women who speak out are often disparaged.

Implications

If domestic violence remains a taboo topic in many settings, often relegated to social invisibility, the pandemic has created a new sense of urgency around making violence against women and girls a global public health and policy priority. In response, more than 120 countries have strengthened services for female survivors of violence during the COVID-19 crisis.

Yet, many countries still lack the right resources and services -- like shelters, hotlines and stronger legal frameworks -- to help survivors and establish greater safety for women and girls overall.

Until recently, there have been no easily transferable metrics from country to country that help us understand the comparative extent of the problem. Unlike other data collection efforts that rely on national administrative statistics and vary between and within states, the Hologic Global Women's Health survey is the first study of its kind to provide a globally comparable dataset based on the direct feedback of women. Gallup and Hologic will continue to monitor and study results on this question in future survey administrations.

Read more about the Hologic Global Women's Health Index report.
Guided by businesswomen who have facedand overcomethe challenges they expect to encounter, the first cohort of The Latina Project recently completed the five-week intensive coursework portion for the new program in the University of Miami Patti and Allan Herbert Business School.

The speakers were all amazing and so inspirational and all of them were women, and many Hispaniclike me. Im very grateful for that experience, said Angelica Peralta, a senior majoring in public relations and minoring in entrepreneurship, and one of the 29 students in the cohort.

Hearing these womens stories and knowing that they were once students like me and to hear that they made it and that I can make it, toothat really boosted my confidence, added Peralta, the incoming president of the University chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America and selected as an awardee for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund at the Entrepreneurship Summit.

Fernanda Salas Hormazabal, a sophomore majoring in marketing and pursuing a minor in studio art/graphic design, also participated and highlighted the unique personality of the instruction.

There were so many little lessons that I took to heart from the presenters, and I definitely feel more confident now, she said.

Born in Miami, Salas Hormazabal moved with her family to Chile when she was just a week old. She lived and was schooled there until she started at the University. She was very involved in Hispanic Heritage Month activities when a friend told her about the project, noting that she would be an ideal candidate.

I joined The Latina Project because I wanted mentorship. I had just started at the business school and was from a different major and feeling a little lost, but now I have more direction, she said.

All except one of the speakers were women and they gave us a perspective that you dont ordinarily getrecognizing that its oftentimes harder for a woman if theyre negotiating with a man and that were sometimes treated as less and so you have to go in there knowing what you want and having the confidence to ask for what you want, Salas Hormazabal added.

The difficulties that Salas Hormazabal identified are specifically those that International Womens Day, celebrated on March 8, strives to address. The global celebration, themed this year BreaktheBias, focuses on advocating for a world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.

The Latina Project was launched in mid-October, with selections announced in January and the first cohort completing the instruction phase of the program in late February. The up-and-coming entrepreneurs are all now provided at least one mentor, a businesswoman with experience in a facet of the industry they are most interested in.

These young women are more capable now and ready and eager to make substantial contributions to society because we have prepared them, said Susy Alvarez-Diaz, senior lecturer of entrepreneurship and The Latina Project program director.

Participants started by creating a personal brand and learning networking skills and then branched into negotiating, interviewing, understanding financial statements, raising capital, and creating career mapping strategies and goals. They attended instruction every Friday and worked in teams and individually to demonstrate their learning, whether geared toward a career in corporate or launching a startup.

Alvarez-Diaz, a double alumna, emphasized that the modules were taught by top women faculty in the business school and that a strong cadre of female professionals together with faculty provided the critical mentoring component of the project.

Most of these young women in the program dont have the connections needed and we want to share with them the work weve already done and the connections weve made, she said.

Participants range from first year to graduate students and hail from many different academic areas.

First years want contacts and to get internships, while a grad student is looking for employment, Alvarez-Diaz explained. We customize it based on where the woman is in her career and what shes looking to get out of the program trajectorythats the beauty of it.

Alvarez-Diaz noted that The Latina Project donors, Ana Teresa Rodriguez and Luis Garcia, encouraged the school to follow the model of Girls Who Invest, launched at the University of Pennsylvania in 2015.

Seema Hingorani, that programs founder and chair, was eager to share best practices and to provide whatever mentoring was requested.

She really highlighted how important it is, especially for women, to acquire hard skills in business, for anything in STEM, and to have same-gender role models to guide them through, Alvarez-Diaz said. Its amazing to have them as our mentor and to ensure that we have success in our program.

Alvarez-Diaz pointed out that she and the other faculty and professional mentors are fortunate to be on the other side from what the students are facing. In reflecting on their own experience, they hope to ease the burden and reduce the challenges these new entrepreneurs face.

We worked really hard and did our best to get noticed, but with no contacts many of us bounced around, she added. Imagine if wed had someone who was our mentor, someone who told us to interview for this or that job, that this is what you need to do to level up, instead of letting it organically happen, she continued. We want to help these young women by lending our experience and sharing the work, efforts, and the connections that weve made.

Ileana Musa, who is a managing director at Morgan Stanley and one of the mentors for the program, concurred, We want them to be able to get there in half the time that it took us.
Steven West receives Presidents Volunteer Service Award

Media Contact: Terry Tush | Director, Marketing and Communications | 405-744-2703 | terry.tush@okstate.edu

Oklahoma State University faculty member Steven West was recently awarded the Presidents Volunteer Service Award for his work with the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation. The instructor of professional practice in the OSU School of Hospitality and Tourism Management was recognized at the foundations national conference in Salt Lake City.

The award was created in 2003 to recognize the important role of volunteers throughout America. It honors people whose service positively impacts communities throughout the nation and inspires others. The Presidents Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) has continued under each administration, honoring volunteers who are using their time and talents to solve the challenges facing our nation.

The award was a surprise for me, said West, who volunteers in several roles with the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation. I do what I do to help other families, not to get a medal. It certainly feels good to get recognized, but it feels better to know that you are helping someone navigate through an unfamiliar area in their life and to give them hope when perhaps they felt there was no hope.

West was diagnosed with the rare form of cholangiocarcinoma, fighting and winning the battle against the cancer three times in seven years, including twice in the last 18 months. He was cancer free for five-plus years before it returned in 2020-21. Around 200 forms of cancer are defined as rare, according to the Rare Cancers Research Program, and those cancers form around 25 percent of all U.S. cancers diagnosed. The survival rate for cholangiocarcinoma is about 10%, West said.

Wests research and experience advocating for his own care over the years gave him first-hand knowledge about what patients and their families face when confronting cancer. His struggle led to him being invited to volunteer on a research advocacy committee made up of patients and caregivers that are focused on the research of cholangiocarcinoma. On the committee, he works with doctors and researchers on patient advisory boards to design clinical trials and participates on advisory boards with industry companies and pharmaceutical companies.

He also volunteers through the foundation to be a mentor to newly diagnosed patients. With cholangiocarcinoma being such a rare disease, new patients may never meet another person who has the disease. As a mentor, West reaches out to newly diagnosed patients and shares his knowledge while providing hope through his battle with cancer.

This could be discussing new drugs or trials that their doctors may not be aware of, to encouraging them to acquire next generation sequencing (NGS) of their tumor tissue to explore possible immunotherapies, or targeted therapies specific to their genomic makeup, said West, who has more than 20 years of experience working in the hospitality industry and teaching in colleges and universities around the world. The mentorship can be anything from an email or two, to a life-long partnership depending on what the newly diagnosed patient feels they need.

West says receiving the award is meaningful but does not compare to the joy he receives from helping others during the most trying time of their life.

I just had an email earlier today from a person I mentor, and she recently had a clean scan with no evidence of disease, he said. Just reading that and knowing maybe I had a hand in helping her navigate through the complexities of this disease is better than any medal.

Steven West with the OSU School of Hopsitality and Tourism Management (fifth from left) was one of several people honored with the President's Volunteer Service Award.
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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday held talks with the Canadian and Dutch prime ministers here, as Western powers prepare to agree further sanctions on Russia. The UK government's refugee policy, however, has come under scrutiny after it was confirmed over the weekend that about 50 Ukrainians had been granted visas, the BBC reported. Johnson said the UK would be "very generous" to refugees but would not let people in without any checks. It comes amid calls to do more as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues. Johnson will discuss further sanctions against Russia with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte during their talks. Later, he is expected to join a call with US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. During a visit to an RAF station with his fellow leaders, Johnson said he was not sure about the accuracy of the 50 visas figure but said the UK was "processing thousands". The government has so far announced two main schemes for people fleeing Ukraine to come to the UK -- one which allows family members of people settled in the UK to join them and the other which allows organisations to sponsor a Ukrainian's entry. He said the schemes were "very generous" but said Putin was "doubling down on his aggression" and was attacking "in a pretty indiscriminate way" which would displace huge waves of people - adding that "we're going to have to respond to that". Asked whether the government was considering a third option for refugees, Johnson did not answer directly but said the UK would not create a system "without any checks or any controls at all". Home Office sources have said they are in the early stages of exploring a scheme to provide humanitarian access to people fleeing the conflict. --IANS int/pgh ( 319 Words) 2022-03-07-21:10:03 (IANS)
Within the scope of the visa exemption agreement between Ukraine and Turkey, Ukrainian citizens can enter Turkey with a passport or ID, and stay legally for up to 90 days, Turkish Deputy Interior Minister Ismail Catakli said in a statement, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Interior Ministry instructed the governors to provide necessary convenience in residence permit applications for Ukrainian citizens who entered Turkey legally but could not leave due to the conflict, Catakli said.

Turkey has sent 10 trucks of humanitarian aid for Ukraine, and another 10 will be dispatched to the conflict region this week, he said.

The members of the Turkish National Medical Rescue Team and the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency were conducting humanitarian relief operations on the Romania-Ukraine border, he added.

Turkish Red Crescent teams arrived at the border last week to contribute to humanitarian efforts.

Meanwhile, Turkey has evacuated 12,000 Turkish citizens from Ukraine, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday.

The Russian armed forces announced a ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors in four Ukrainian cities starting at 10 a.m. Moscow time (0700 GMT) on Monday, according to the Russian Defence Ministry.

--IANS int/pgh

( 233 Words)

2022-03-07-21:18:05 (IANS)
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The Russian armed forces announced a ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors in four Ukrainian cities starting 10 a.m. (Moscow time) on Monday, according to the Russian Defence Ministry. Taking into account the "catastrophic humanitarian situation and its sharp aggravation in Kiev, Kharkov, Sumy and Mariupol", the decision was made at the personal request of French President Emmanuel Macron to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the ministry said in a statement, Xinhua news agency reported. Russia has published evacuation routes from the four Ukrainian cities, and reported the information to the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, according to the ministry. Moscow demands that the Ukrainian side establish all the conditions for the creation of humanitarian corridors and ensure an organised withdrawal of civilians and foreign citizens, it said. Since Russia announced a special military operation against Ukraine 12 days ago, the two sides have had two rounds of negotiations in neighbouring Belarus in search of a solution to the crisis, with no clear breakthrough in the first one and an agreement to open a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians during the second one on Thursday. --IANS int/pgh ( 215 Words) 2022-03-07-22:22:05 (IANS)
Russia's ruling party has come up with the idea of nationaliSing the production of companies who announced their departure from the Russian market during the military offensive in Ukraine. Since the launch of the military operation, dozens of international enterprises have revealed their intention to cease operations in Russia, and the list is constantly growing. The secretary of United Russia's general council, Andrey Turchak, called these actions "stabs in the back", and warned of "tough retaliatory measures", RT reported. "United Russia proposes to nationaliSe the production of those companies which announce their departure and the closure of production in Russia during a special operation in Ukraine. This is an extreme measure, but we will not tolerate stabs in the back, and we will protect our people," Turchak said in a statement. He called the companies' decision to leave Russia "a premeditated bankruptcy", "a purely political decision", and part of a "sanction war against Russia". Therefore, he argued, the main task of the Russian authorities is to "to preserve jobs" and not let the economy "be destroyed from within". "This is a real war, and not against Russia as a whole, but against citizens. We will not look at it indifferently. We will take tough retaliatory measures, acting in accordance with the laws of war," Turchak said, RT reported. On Monday, the government issued a decree saying Russian citizens and companies, the state itself, and its regions and municipalities would have to pay for obligations to foreign creditors from "unfriendly" countries in rubles. Russian companies that want to work with firms from these countries will have to apply for government permission. Earlier this month, officials from Russia's Transport Ministry reportedly discussed the possibility of nationalising Airbus and Boeing planes. This measure could be used as a way of combating the EU's ban on selling and leasing aircraft to Russian airlines. --IANS san/vd ( 326 Words) 2022-03-07-23:22:03 (IANS)
Chinas Foreign Ministry has called on the US to disclose information on Pentagons alleged biological laboratories in Ukraine "as soon as possible". On Monday, the Russian military said Ukrainian authorities had been destroying pathogens studied at its laboratories. Moscow claimed that 30 US-financed Ukrainian biolabs have been actively cooperating with the American military, RT reported. Kiev has denied developing bioweapons. According to the website of the US Embassy in Kiev, the US Department of Defense's Biological Threat Reduction Program only "collaborates with partner countries to counter the threat of outbreaks" of infectious diseases. In 2020, the Embassy had termed such theories about US-funded biolabs in Ukraine as "disinformation". Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian claimed that, according to his country's information, the laboratories in Ukraine are just "a tip of an iceberg" and that the US Department of Defense "controls 336 biological laboratories in 30 countries around the world". This is done under the pretext of "cooperating to reduce biosecurity risks" and "strengthening global public health", Zhao said, RT reported. It is the first time that Beijing has disclosed the alleged figures. Zhao said that according to data "released by the United States itself", there are 26 US laboratories in Ukraine. In light of Russia's military offensive in the country, he urged "all parties concerned" to ensure the safety of the labs. --IANS san/arm ( 249 Words) 2022-03-08-20:28:03 (IANS)
Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) on Tuesday said it has signed an agreement with Indian Oil Corporation Limited for augmenting crude oil volumes of the government-run firm at Mundra port. As part of the deal, Indian Oil Corporation Limited will expand its existing Crude Oil Tank Farm at APSEZ's Mundra Port, thus enabling it to handle and blend additional 10 mmtpa crude oil at Mundra. This will support IOCL's expansion of its Panipat Refinery (Haryana). IOCL is raising the capacity at its Panipat Refinery by 66 per cent to 25 MMPTA to meet India's rapidly growing energy requirements. "Mundra Port is a major economic gateway that serves the northern hinterland of India by providing multimodal connectivity. It gives us immense pride to strengthen our partnership further and support IOCL, which plays a vital role in ensuring the energy security of the nation," Karan Adani, CEO and Whole Time Director of APSEZ, said in a statement. "As IOCL's trusted long-term partner, APSEZ is well equipped to handle the additional 10 MMTPA crude oil at our existing single buoy mooring (SBM) at Mundra," he said. IOCL, which accounts for nearly half of India's petroleum products' market share, has a refining capacity of 80.55 MMTPA and over 15,000 KM of pipeline network. Part of IOCL's current crude oil requirement of 15 MMTPA for its Panipat Refinery is handled at the SBM at Mundra Port. The Mundra SBM is located 3-4 km off the coast where Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) unload crude oil. An undersea pipeline then transports this crude oil from SBM to the Crude Oil Tank Farm and thereafter to the refinery at Panipatvia the Mundra Panipat Pipeline (MPPL). IOCL is currently operating a crude oil tank farm in an exclusive area in Adani's Mundra Special Economic Zone, consisting of 12 tanks with a total capacity of 720,000 KL. The addition of 9 new tanks will augment the storage capacity to 1,260,000 KL, thus making Mundra Port by far the largest port-based crude oil storage facility for IOCL. This shall be accompanied by augmentation of the MPPL pipeline capacity by IOCL to 17.5 mmtpa. IOCL Board had approved a capital expenditure of Rs 9000 crore for the crude oil tanks and MPPL augmentation in December 2021. This expansion project at Mundra Port underlines the trust of state-run IOCL in APSEZ, earned through its strategic approach of modernising its ports, improving turnaround time, and thus creating value for its customers. (ANI)
New Delhi [India], March 8 (ANI/NewsVoir): After re-defining fashion for over a decade, India's largest fusion wear brand - W, expands its offerings to own the complete Head-to-Toe fashion space. The expansion is being announced with W's first influencer-led digital forward campaign - 'W is More'. It is a simple expression of going beyond - beyond traditional styles, beyond apparel, beyond regular sizes, beyond all expectations. The campaign, under the umbrella thought of 'W is More' brings all of this together in an impactful way. Talking about the campaign, Anant Daga, Managing Director, TCNS Clothing Co. Ltd. said, "W has always been a step ahead of the fashion curve, thoughtfully curating products, keeping the Indian and western sensibilities in mind. The same thought has been extended to our newer categories. With the addition of these categories, now our consumer will be able to get complete head-to-toe looks under one roof." Keeping the contemporary Indian woman at the core, W has always positioned itself as a fusion wear brand that creates distinctive designs and styles that are more than just traditional wear. W's recently launched Spring Summer'22 collection is a testimony to this as it highlights W's signature range of fusion fashion, including the newly launched Angrakha Jumpsuits, Indie Dresses, and Drape Sets. As an inclusive fashion brand, W has also added plus sizes, an extension to their existing size chart - 20 and 22; ensuring the newly launched fusion wear styles are available across size range for the consumers. W added new categories like Footwear, Cosmetics and Jewellery. With these additions, the consumer will be able to get more than just apparel; they can now put an entire look together at a W store. W Foot Apparel is a fusion of classic western silhouettes with Indian motifs & patterns, balancing fashion and functionality. The footwear range is created to ensure all day comfort, while keeping the fashion quotient high for the contemporary Indian woman, who is stylish and constantly on the move. W Beauty, a vegan and cruelty-free make-up range that lasts long and has the benefits of skincare. The VITA enriched make-up line comes with the goodness of Vitamin A, E, and C, which locks the moisture for comfortable all-day wear. W Jewel wear is a range of fashion jewellery that goes well with Indian as well as western attires. It completes the look with minimal, contemporary styles across earrings, neck pieces, bracelets & rings. Watch the video film at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhzjX18rTcc. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
Actor Sonakshi Sinha, on Tuesday, issued an official statement rebutting the ongoing rumours of a non-bailable warrant issued against her in a fraud case. As per several reports, the 'Dabangg' actor landed in legal trouble after a non-bailable warrant was issued against her. It was reported that Sonakshi charged a huge amount of money for attending an event, but failed to attend it, following which the event organizer asked for their money back. However, calling the allegations baseless and fake, Sonakshi issued an official statement on Tuesday. "There have been rumours of a non-bailable warrant issued against me floating in the media, without any verification from any authorities since a few days now. This is pure fiction and the work of a rogue individual trying to harass me. I request all media houses, journalists and news reporters not to carry this fake news as it is playing into this individual's agenda to gain publicity," she said. The actor added that the man "is purely trying to gain some publicity and extort money from me by attacking my reputation which I have very proudly built over the years, by planting these malicious articles in the media. Kindly do not participate in this harassment charade." "This matter is subjudice before the Muradabad court and has been stayed by the Allahabad High Court. My legal team will be taking all the necessary action against him for contempt of court," she noted. The 34-year-old actor also said that this statement would be her only comment on the matter until the Muradabad Court has passed its verdict. "So please do not approach me for the same. I am home and I can assure you there are no warrants issued against me," the actor concluded her statement. The actor shared the statement on her Instagram Story too. Meanwhile, on the work front, Sonakshi will be seen sharing screen space with Huma Qureshi in 'Double XL', which revolves around bodyweight stereotypes. (ANI)
Actor Anupam Kher, who turned 67 on Monday, had a working birthday as he was shooting for his film 'Uunchai'. However, the film's team tried their best to make his special day memorable. On Tuesday, Anupam took to his Instagram handle and shared a string of glimpses in which he can be seen celebrating his birthday with the film's cast and crew. "BEST and dream birthday celebrations on the sets of #Uunchai. Thank you #SoorajBarjatya @amitabhbachchan ji #DannySaab @boman_irani @rajshrifilms and everybody on the sets for making it memorable day for me. I feel blessed. #blessed #Celebration #Uunchai," he captioned the post. In the video, we can also see Anupam hugging his co-actors Danny Denzongpa, Boman Irani and Amitabh Bachchan. Earlier, Boman had shared a photograph that features Big B, Anupam, Danny and himself. In the picture, the four actors can be seen striking a pose as they stand close to each other and smile warmly at the camera. They were also seen donning traditional Nepalese caps with their suits. For the unversed, 'Uunchai' is being directed by Sooraj Barjatya. The film also stars Parineeti Chopra, Neena Gupta and Sarika in lead roles. Apart from this, Anupam is awaiting the release of his film 'The Kashmir Files', which revolves around the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990. It will hit the theatres on March 11. (ANI)
Filmmaker's hit web series 'Made In Heaven' has completed 3 years today. Marking the special day, Zoya took a stroll down memory lane and reminisced filming the show in Delhi. "I can't believe it has been 3 years since the release of Made In Heaven. It seems like only yesterday we were in New Delhi shooting with the incredible cast and crew. Creating a show like this takes a village. We all came from such different backgrounds and mindsets, but through the course of the making, found a beautiful confluence. I am so proud to have created a show that has left an impact on so many," Zoya shared. Set in Delhi, 'Made In Heaven' revolves around Tara Khanna, played by Sobhita Dhulipala and Karan Mehra played by Arjun Mathur, their wedding planning business and their thoroughly messed up lives. One of the creators, Reema Kagti, too, recalled working on the Amazon Prime Video show. "I still remember when Zoya and I first discussed the germ of the idea, it instantly became apparent to us that a theme like this could lend itself into a delicious drama through which we could make a larger social critique. While writing Made In Heaven, we were only reacting as individuals, but it has been so heartwarming to see how in the last 3 years, people have been able to relate to the show across the world," Kagti shared. For the unversed, 'Made In Heaven 2' is in pipeline. (ANI)
American actor Idina Menzel has responded to viral footage of a young girl from a bomb shelter in Ukraine who warmed the hearts of people around the world by belting out the hit 'Frozen' soundtrack 'Let It Go'. Menzel had shared her response on Twitter. The actor had portrayed the role of Elsa, who sings the song in the Disney movie. "'We see you. We really, really see you," Menzel wrote, along with blue and yellow heart emojis symbolizing the colors of the Ukrainian flag. The viral video shows the unidentified young girl standing on top of a chair while singing the song in front of other children and adults in the bunker who are watching and filming in awe.' According to Fox News, Michael McFaul, who was Barack Obama's former Ambassador to Moscow and now teaches at Stanford University, also seemed delighted by the video and pointed out that she was singing the song in Russian. "Awesome! (And please note, she is singing in Russian, only underscoring the horrors of Putin's war.)," he tweeted. Back in 2016, Menzel had reflected on the iconic soundtrack and called 'Frozen' "the gift that keeps on giving." "I had no idea it would have the success that it has. The song is, people think you know, you'd get sick of a song like that, but you don't," the Tony winner told Fox News. (ANI)
Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav on Monday said his ministry wants regulation and not closure of polluting units to ensure citizens in the Delhi-NCR get clean air. "There is a common misconception among the general public that 'environment' means the closure of everything impacting Mother Nature. We don't want closure, we want regulation," he said after inaugurating a 'Dialogue Towards Clean Air' here. The Dialogue, an interactive session, was organized by the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR & Adjoining Areas (CAQM) in association with the Ministry to deliberate upon the various factors impacting the air quality in the entire NCR. "Our team, including the Members of the Commission, is committed to working towards providing a healthy and pollution-free atmosphere to the citizens of the entire NCR," the Minister said, adding, "PM2.5 and PM10 dust particles present in the air go into our lungs. So, if we, as citizens of India, don't work towards enhancement of the environment, who else will?" Yadav appreciated the concerted efforts of CAQM towards the abatement of the air pollution menace in the entire NCR. "Persistent efforts of the Commission supplemented with close monitoring and inspection drives in various sectors contributing to air pollution has shown remarkable improvement in air quality in the NCR," he claimed. The two-day interactive session involved stakeholders from the Central government, state governments, Pollution Control Boards, municipal bodies, NGOs, private sector, academia, and industry associations. About 20 NGOs working in the field of air pollution participated in the dialogue. The Commission and the Ministry assured continued support and cooperation to all the stakeholders in a joint fight against the air pollution menace in the NCR. --IANS niv/vd ( 293 Words) 2022-03-07-21:18:03 (IANS)
Danny is a writer and a Calaveras County native. He studied creative writing and marketing at San Francisco State University and has previously done work as an automotive journalist. He is happy to be back and writing about the local community.

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Mohammad Azad owned the house in which the blast took place in the forenoon of March 3, leaving 15 persons, including co-accused Leelawati Devi, dead.

Bhagalpur's Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Babu Lal said Azad is the person responsible for supplying explosives to Leelawati to manufacture crackers.

In a confessional statement, the prime accused claimed that he obtained explosives from a handler in Jharkhand's Sahibganj district and supplied it to Leelawati in Kajwali village under Tatarpur police station in Bhagalpur district.

"Leelawati and Mohammad Azad are jointly involved in illegal manufacturing of crackers. Besides them, Mukesh Mandal is the other accused," Babu Lal said.

The police officer said the Bihar Anti-Terrorism Squad is also investigating this incident to find out any terror link related to the explosion and Azad is being questioned about it.

A massive explosion took place in Bhagalpur on Thursday evening in which 15 persons died and 10 others were injured.

The injured persons are currently admitted in the Mayaganj medical college and hospital, and some of them are reportedly in critical condition.

The intensity of the explosion was such that four buildings were completely destroyed.

--IANS ajk/khz/vd

( 219 Words)

2022-03-07-20:10:03 (IANS)
The ABP C-Voter Exit Poll indicates that the Congress is likely to form the next government in Uttarakhand. According to the Exit Poll, Congress is likely to win 35 seats in the 70-member Uttarakhand Assembly, while the ruling BJP is projected to win 29 seats in Uttarakhand. The Congress is falling short of the halfway mark of 36 by just one seat. Debutant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is likely to win one seat. The key of the government is likely to be in the hands of Independents and others who are projected to win five seats. Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is likely to win three seats. The Exit Poll projected a seat range of 32 to 38 for the Congress, and 26 to 32 for the BJP. Others are projected to win three to seven seats in Uttarakhand, while the AAP is likely to win zero to two seats. In the 2017 Assembly polls, the BJP had won 57 seats in Uttarakhand, the Congress managed only 11 seats, while two seats went to Independents. The Exit Poll also indicates a decline in BJP's vote share by 5.7 per cent from 46.5 per cent in 2017 to 40.8 per cent in 2022. The Congress' vote share is projected to increase by 5.8 per cent to 39.3 per cent in 2022 from 33.5 per cent in 2017. AAP is likely to get 8.7 per cent votes in Uttarakhand, while others are projected to get 11.2 per cent votes. Thre current survey findings and projections are based on C-Voter Exit Poll/Post Poll personal interviews conducted on pollling day and after polling day among 18+ adults statewide. The sample size for for Uttarakhand was 17,480. The projection comes with 95 per cent Confidence interval. --IANS ams/arm ( 304 Words) 2022-03-07-20:22:03 (IANS)
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was in Jaipur on Monday where she answered various queries of the media. She did not rule out the possibility of extending support to the Samajwadi Party in UP after the poll results. When asked about the Rajasthan budget which is getting laurels across the nation, she said, "I have not seen the budget. I have been busy in the UP elections. So I can't say anything about it." Priyanka said, "In the Uttar Pradesh (UP) assembly elections, the public must have given a lot of thought before voting. Hope people have made the right decision." However, she added that the decision to extend support to the SP will be taken based on the emerging situation. "Let the results of the election come first. Only then can something be said." Will Congress bring new MLAs to Rajasthan to stop poaching? To this, Priyanka Gandhi said, "It is a question of the future. The conditions will get clear only after the results are out." Priyanka Gandhi, accompanied with senior leader Rajeev Shukla, reached Sanganer airport on Monday afternoon. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, PCC Chief Govind Singh Dotasara, Gujarat in-charge Raghu Sharma also reached the airport to receive Priyanka. From here Priyanka proceeded to the Chief Minister's residence. According to sources, Priyanka Gandhi is here to discuss the issue of poaching of MLAs of the five states which went to the polls. The results will be announced on March 10. Priyanka Gandhi will participate in a private event related to an NGO in a hotel in Jaipur and shall return to Lucknow on Tuesday morning at 8.30 a.m. On International Women's Day, on March 8, Priyanka Gandhi will take out a women's march in Lucknow. Apart from women leaders of the Congress, many film personalities will also participate in this march. Women MLAs and ministers of Rajasthan have also been invited. --IANS arc/skp/ ( 331 Words) 2022-03-07-20:24:01 (IANS)
Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant on Monday issued prohibitory orders in and around schools and colleges in the city till March 22. The order says that any gathering, agitation or protest of any type within the 200 metre area of schools, PU colleges, degree colleges or other similar education institutions in Bengaluru city has been extended for another two weeks. Noting that in certain parts of the state, in the last few weeks, protests and agitations have been held in connection with the strict enforcement of uniform rules at schools and colleges, he said that since at many places, the protests have disturbed public peace and order, it is considered very essential to initiate proper security measures to maintain public peace and order in Bengaluru city. The issue is still alive and possibility of holding protests far and against over the issue can not be ruled out and hence the order has been issued, the Commissioner of Police said. Hijab row has surfaced in colleges of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, and Shivamogga districts. Girl students have objected to college authorities' decision to turn them away from attending exams for wearing hijab. The hijab row started as a small protest in the Udupi Government Girl's Pre-University College by six girls has turned out be a major crisis in the state. Presently, the High Court has completed hearing of arguments and reserved its verdict. --IANS mka/vd ( 244 Words) 2022-03-07-20:38:06 (IANS)
Union Jal Shakti Minister, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat's statement to facilitate talks between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over the Mekedatu dam, has led to a war of words among the BJP, Congress and the JD(S) in Karnataka. The BJP, which announced Rs 1,000 crore for the project, has not only suffered a setback but has come under attack by the opposition parties. BJP sources have said that Shekhawat's comment would prove detrimental to the interest of the party in the state. The Congress has recently ended a 'padayatra', demanding immediate start of the project. Karnataka Congress President, D.K. Shivakumar on Monday said Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai must show his commitment to the implementation of the Mekedatu project along with Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. "Why did you bring the Union Minister (Shekhawat) on board on the Mekedatu issue? The Chief Minister should have told Shekhawat that receiving water from the Mekedatu dam is our right and it is our water. As you have allocated Rs 1,000 crore for the Mekedatu project, start the work immediately," Shivakumar asked. "Bommai should break his silence on Shekhawat's statement to intervene on the Mekedatu project between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, or he should resign," he said. "Let Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have a face-to-face dialogue, we do not have any problem," the Karnataka Congress Chief added. Former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said both the BJP and Congress are doing politics over the project. The consent for the Mekedatu project should be taken by putting pressure on the Central government, Kumaraswamy said. The opposition parties like Congress and JD(S) are saying that granting consent to the Mekedatu project falls under the jurisdiction of the Union government and it is not right for Shekhawat to say that he would mediate between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. They also say it is detrimental to the interests of the state. The BJP government has said barring environment clearance, there is no impediment from any corner for the implementation of the Mekedatu project and it will utilise the state's portion of water which is flowing into the sea. The ruling BJP, though, welcomed Gajendra Singh Shekhawat's statement and has come under criticism to make its stand clear on implementation of the Mekedatu project. The BJP government claims that Tamil Nadu will also benefit from the project implemented by Karnataka. --IANS mka/khz/ ( 406 Words) 2022-03-07-20:46:04 (IANS)
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday described medical service as an important pillar for any military, saying that in addition to their own combat-related duties, they are the most valuable second responders in times of natural, man-made calamities and crises, and are in a perpetual state of readiness. Singh was inaugurating a four-day Indo-Pacific Military Health Exchange conference co-hosted by Armed Forces Medical Services and the US Indo-Pacific Command. He also stressed the importance of military medicine and the need for increased cooperation among countries for improvement in medical research and training keeping with the present scenario, saying that the deliberations on these during the conference will be beneficial to all. "If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old. Therefore, new creations and innovations are necessary for the advancement in any field. I am glad to know that the session will showcase in-house innovations by our young and able medical officers," he added. Lauding the significant role played by the military medical teams in addressing the challenges posed by Covid-19, the Union Minister said despite limitations such as short warning period, pressure on existing infrastructure and disparity in resources, the last two years have brought out the very best among the medical fraternity, civil society volunteer groups and governments which went out of the way to help those in need during the pandemic. He said the idea of Indo-Pacific reflects the sentiment of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" (the world is one family). He recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address at the Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore in 2018 where he said, "The Indo-Pacific stands for a free, open and inclusive region which embraces all in a common pursuit of progress and prosperity. It includes all nations in this geography as also others beyond, who have a stake in it." This sentiment, Rajnath Singh said, is best exemplified by the contribution of the medical profession that has universally been considered noble. Sharing his views on the important role played by women in the Armed Forces across the world, the Union Minister said the government believes in providing enhanced responsibilities to women at par with their male counterparts. "Different countries have different terms of engagement and employment for women in uniform. In India, women have distinguished themselves in the field of combat medical care, not only as healthcare providers but also through their leadership at the highest level of the profession," he added. --IANS jw/khz/ ( 419 Words) 2022-03-07-21:48:04 (IANS)
In his interaction with the students, the Chief Minister said, "It is a huge sigh of relief that our children have returned safely from war zone after spending harrowing time in the Russian and Ukraine war zone."

The State Government has made extensive arrangements to rescue children from war-torn Ukraine and will continue its efforts to help rest of the students to return home safely and all other assistance in this regard.

Students also thanked State Government & Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for all arrangements for the students and the issue he raised regarding the continuation of their Study in Medical Colleges in India. (ANI)
Despite fractured predictions by most of the exit polls on Monday, the two dominant political parties in Manipur the ruling BJP and the main opposition Congress are confident of forming the government in the northeastern state after the declaration of Assembly election results on March 10. Manipur witnessed a hung Assembly in the previous polls in 2017, and this time too most of the exit polls' predictions indicate another hung house. Claiming that his party is confident to form the government in Manipur, state Congress spokesman K.H. Debabrata said that the ruling BJP has used militants and other unethical methods to retain power, but the people of the state have given their verdict against the ruling party. "The BJP government and its leaders turned Manipur into 'Moneypur'. During the elections, the BJP leaders utilised underground militants, goons and muscle power. The BJP government at the Centre and in the state gave Rs 16 crore to the militants just before the polls to influence the voters," the Congress leader told IANS. Union Minister and BJP's Manipur election in-charge Pratima Bhowmik said there is no doubt that the BJP is coming to power in Manipur for a second term with absolute majority. "People of Manipur have become fed up with the Congress. Their mis-governance for many years encouraged the militant outfits to grow. Blockades and bandhs (shut down) were regular affairs during the Congress regime. Hence, the people of the state this time rejected the party whole-heartedly," Bhowmik said. Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh had earlier told iANS that the BJP would get at least 40 seats in the 60-member house. Another Manipur in-charge of the BJP and the party's national spokesperson, Sambit Patra, tweeted: "The BJP is set to come back with a firm majority in the states we were in the govt - Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. Our focus area was majorly empowerment - of women, youth, poor and needy and farmers among other sectors." The leaders of the National People's Party (NPP), BJP's estranged ally, and Janata Dal (United), are also claiming that they would play a vital role in government formation. The two parties fielded 38 candidates each this time. NPP general secretary for Manipur, Sheikh Noorul Hassan, said that in the previous Assembly elections, the party had secured four seats, but this time it will bag more than 20 seats to become a formidable political force in Manipur. The BJP had secured 21 seats in the 60-member Assembly in the last polls in 2017 and wrested power for the first time after stitching together a coalition government with the support of four NPP MLAs, four Naga People's Front (NPF) members, the lone Trinamool Congress MLA and an Independent member. However, this time the BJP, NPP and NPF are contesting separately and have fielded candidates against each other. Congress, which governed the state for 15 consecutive years (2002-2017) and emerged as the single largest party by securing 28 seats in 2017, this time formed a Manipur Progressive Secular Alliance (MPSA) after forging a pre-poll alliance with four Left parties and Janata Dal-Secular. Political observers said the outcome of the Assembly elections would have important ramifications for Meghalaya and Nagaland, the two northeastern states which along with Tripura would go to the polls early next year. --IANS sc/arm ( 567 Words) 2022-03-07-23:00:03 (IANS)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has charged that the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) as part of a pre-planned strategy ensured suspension of its three MLAs within two minutes on the inaugural day of the Budget session of the state Assembly, which began without the customary Governor's address. The state unit BJP chief Bandi Sanjay on Monday reacted sharply to the suspension of three party MLAs, asking if the move to suspend within two minutes of the start of the Assembly session is a conspiracy on the part of the TRS?. "The ruling TRS has strategically pre-planned and suspended three BJP MLAs from the Assembly for the rest of the Budget session," said Sanjay, demanding that the decision be immediately revoked. Sanjay also questioned the move to do away with the customary inaugural address of the Governor to the Assembly for the Budget session. "Traditionally Budget session begins with the Governor's address to the Hous. But they (TRS) started the session without the customary speech," added Sanjay. The BJP leader stepped up attack on the state Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR), alleging that he's imposing "the Kalvakuntla Constitution (Kalvakuntla is the first name of CM)" in the state. "If you look at the events that took place in the Legislative Assembly today, it is clear once again that the Kalvakuntla Constitution is being implemented in Telangana," Sanjay said on Monday. He added that KCR is not following the Indian Constitution. Telangana Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy announced the suspension of three BJP MLAs, namely Raja Singh, Raghunandan Rao, and Eatala Rajender, for the rest of the Budget session. The three suspended BJP MLAs were apparently objecting to the proceedings in the House. Meanwhile, Telangana Finance Minister Harish Rao presented the state Budget for 2022-2023 with a proposed total expenditure of Rs 2.56 lakh crore. (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Home Secretary to file an affidavit on extradited gangster Abu Salem's plea raising the issue that as per the extradition treaty between India and Portugal, his jail terms cannot extend beyond 25 years. A bench of justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and MM Sundresh asked Home Secretary to file an affidavit mentioning whether the Centre is committed to abiding by the assurance given by the then Deputy Prime Minister to Portugal authorities. The court said that the government has to take a stand on Salem's plea. The top court asked Home Secretary to file an affidavit in this regard within three weeks and adjourned the matter for April 10. Meanwhile, CBI has filed an affidavit in this matter stating that the Indian court is not bound by the assurance given in 2002 by the then deputy prime minister that gangster Abu Salem would neither be given death sentence nor imprisoned beyond 25 years. "This Court while deciding Criminal Appeal no.415/416/2012 filed by Abu Salem Abdul Qayyum Ansari has held that "both India and Portugal are two sovereign unequivocal terms, the verdict by the Constitutional Court of Portugal is not binding on this Court but only has persuasive value". That the argument of the appellant (Salem) that imprisonment term cannot extend beyond 25 years as per the assurance given is legally unsustainable, " the CBI said in its affidavit. CBI said that there is no merit in the contention of the appellant and the life sentence awarded by the trial court is legally correct and needs no interference. Salem has raised issues that the 2017 judgment of a Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) Court sentencing him to life imprisonment was against the terms of the extradition treaty. Salem's advocate Rishi Malhotra said that On December 17, 2002, the Government of India gave a Solemn Sovereign assurance to the Government of Portugal that if the Appellant Salem is extradited for Trials in India he would neither be conferred with the Death penalty nor be subjected to imprisonment for a term beyond 25 years. He also said that the TADA Court were not according to the Extradition Order. He further added that the Government can exercise its powers under section 432, 433 CrPC to commute the sentence of Life imprisonment in order to bring down within the ambit of assurance of sentence of not more than 25 years as the execution of the sentence was purely in the domain of Government. The petitioner also said that the government should ensure to bring down punishment consistent and commensurate with the assurances but it cannot be said that the Court's hands were tied in not awarding punishment to the Appellant Salem for more than 25 years. He also mentioned the issue of 'Set Off'. According to the Appellant Salem, though he was in custody for some offences of passport violation in Portugal since September 18, 2002, and was undergoing a sentence of 4 1/2 years, yet, the Appellant was detained also on September 18 2002 in pursuance to the Red Corner Notice issued by the Designated Courts, Mumbai. "Even if the said date is not to be taken into consideration for the purposes of Set-Off, the Ministerial Order dated March 28, 2003, of the Ministry of Justice Portugal by which it had admitted the Extradition request of the Appellant of the Government of India to be tried for various offences ought to have been taken into consideration," the lawyer said. The TADA Court, however, held that since the Appellant was released in the Portugal case on October 12, 2005, therefore, the custody for the purposes of Set-Off would be counted from October 12, 2005. The Appellant Salem as per the imprisonment certificate has undergone around 17 years of sentence by counting his Set Off period from November 2005 whereas his Set Off period should be counted from March 28, 2003, the lawyer said. (ANI)
A Special PMLA court had sentenced the NCP leader Nawab Malik to 14-day judicial custody till March 21 in connection with the money laundering case.

Earlier in February, the ED had also conducted raids at the residence of Dawood Ibrahim's sister Haseena Parkar in Mumbai in connection with the case.

Searches were carried out by the ED at several places linked to people associated with the underworld in Mumbai, informed sources said. (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought the Centre's response on a petition seeking direction to prepare the layout and execute the work of construction of "Judicial Vista" over the land adjoining the present premises of the apex court. A bench of Justices Vineet Saran and Aniruddha Bose asked the Centre to file a reply on the petition. The court was hearing a petition filed by Ardhendumauli Kumar Prasad seeking to prepare the layout and execute the work of construction of "Judicial Vista" over the land adjoining the present premises of this Court enabling access to better and dignified working conditions for the Judges, the members of the Bar and the officials of the registry of this Hon'ble Court as well as to provide better facilities to the litigants visiting the premises of this Hon'ble Court for hearing of their cases. The petition also sought to direct the Government of India to Constitute an independent Central Authority for the sole purposes of judicial infrastructure exclusively funded by the Consolidated Funds of India, for the purpose of ensuring that the infrastructure in the Courts/Tribunals in India is adequate for the Judges, Advocates and the Litigants, so as to ensure that the quality of dispensation of justice is further improved. The present matter is being filed in the public interest, raising several important issues that are faced by the Court, the registry and the Advocates primarily practising at the Supreme Court of India. The petitioner said that he is seeking the realisation of the rights guaranteed under Article 14/19(1)(g)/21 of the Advocates, the staff and the litigants at large. "The present writ petition in the public interest is being filed in view of the infrastructural deficit in this Hon'ble Court in terms of the space and other infrastructure for the smooth functioning of this Hon'ble Court, keeping in mind the needs of the Judges, the Registry and its staff, the Senior Advocates, Advocates on Record and the Advocates, their staff, and most importantly the Litigants, and seeks a direction for the construction and development of a "Judicial Vista", " the court said. The petition has sought to issue direction to the Centre to redevelop and construct a "Judicial Vista" and to constitute a Central Authority, fully funded by the Consolidated Fund of India, to cater to the peculiar and specific needs of judicial infrastructure at the Subordinate Judiciary, Statutory Tribunal, High Courts and this Court, under the Administrative Control of the Chief Justice of India. The petitioner said that there is a grave need for a Central Authority dedicated to the infrastructural needs of the Judiciary at the Apex level, the High Court level, the Subordinate Judiciary level, the Statutory Tribunal level etc. He said that the Judicial Vista and other projects ought to be undertaken by such authority, in furtherance of the peculiar and specific need for judicial infrastructure. (ANI)
The cabinet meeting comes amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and evacuations of Indian citizens via neighbouring countries.

According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation on Monday, more than 17,400 Indians have been brought back under 'Operation Ganga' since special flights began on February 22 this year. The number of Indians airlifted by 73 special civilian flights have gone up to 15,206. (ANI)
"We are completely excited. Some channels are showing Congress ahead while others are showing the BJP in lead. But I am completely sure that Congress is going to form the government in Uttarakhand with the blessings of the people," Godiyal told ANI.

"I want to say that Congress will form the government by winning approximately 43 to 45 seats," he added.

The exit polls on Monday predicted a close race in Uttarakhand, with many of them giving an edge to the BJP to form the government.

Some exit polls also predicted that Congress would finish ahead and could cross the halfway mark in the 70-member Assembly.

Polling in Uttrakhand took place on February 14 and the counting of votes will take place on March 10. (ANI)
The 1962 war soldier has approached the Delhi High court seeking direction for the renewal of his canteen facility card. The petitioner is 81-years-old and was using a canteen card for the last ten years which was expired in 2021 and was not renewed due to a change in policy. Justice V Kameswar Rao issued notice to Central Government, and the counsel for Integrated HQ of Ministry of Defence (Army) and District Sainik welfare office Raipur, Chhattisgarh to accept notice on the petition moved by ex-serviceman Gaya Prasad Mishra. The bench sought the response within four weeks and listed the petition for hearing on May 10, 2022. A resident of Raipur Chhattisgarh, Mishra has moved a petition through advocate Mamta Sharma seeking renewal of his canteen smart card. The counsel for the petitioner submitted that he was issued a smart card for canteen services in 2010. Since then he was using this card. It was expired in 2021 but was not renewed despite the application and representation by the petitioner. The court said, " It is really surprising that a person who was enjoying the facility for 10 years, you change the policy and he is excluded". The petition stated that the petitioner had joined the Army in 1961 as Sepoy. He was posted at the 1962 war zone between November 29, 1962, and July 20, 1963. He was retired from the service with a very good track record on extreme compassionate grounds due to a medical condition in 1965. The petition stated that the petitioner was issued a smart card for canteen services along with liquor service for a period of ten years. It was expired in 2021. The petitioner filed an application for renewal of canteen card on April 8, 2021, which was rejected through a letter of April 16, 2021, the petition stated. The petition stated that the representation of August 27, 2021, was rejected by Colonel, OiC Smart card cell through a letter of September 16, 2021, stating reasons that the individual who completed the five years of physical service and has been honourably discharged/resigned from service or getting pension/disability pension from Defence Services Estimate are entitled for canteen facilities. It was also mentioned that the individuals who have neither completed five years of service nor a pensioner, are not entitled to canteen facilities. On December 17, 2021, Captain Anurag Tiwari (rest.), District Sainik Welfare Officer wrote a letter to Integrated HQ to MoD (Army) requesting for direction to the concerned officials for renewal of canteen smart card. He informed that the petitioner was seeking a renewal of the existing card, using the canteen services for the past ten years and had not applied for issuance of a fresh card. The issue has not been decided till date. (ANI)
A Made in India Petascale Supercomputer "PARAM Ganga" has been installed at IIT Roorkee on Monday by B.V.R. Mohan Reddy, Chairman, Board of Governors, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee. The establishment of 1.66 PFLOPS (Peta Floating-Point Operations Per Second) supercomputing at IIT Roorkee by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) has been built under the approach of the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM). The focus is to provide computational power to the user community of IIT Roorkee and neighbouring academic institutions. It is a joint initiative of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). IIT Roorkee had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the CDAC earlier to establish a state-of-the-art Supercomputing facility involving critical components such as motherboards for servers, direct contact liquid cooling data centres are manufactured in India progressing towards the Government of India initiative of "Atmanirbhar Bharat." While addressing the event, Reddy said, "IIT Roorkee will carry out advanced research and capacity building using this supercomputing infrastructure developed under NSM. I am happy to see that the critical components of PARAM Ganga, such as motherboards for compute nodes and direct contact liquid cooling data centres, are manufactured in India as per the Government of India initiative of Atmanirbhar Bharat." Dr Darbari highlighted, "The basic idea behind building a Petascale Supercomputer with manufactured in India components is to lead the path towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat and accelerate the problem-solving capacity in multidisciplinary domains simultaneously. To this effect, "PARAM Ganga", the new high-performance computational (HPC) facility would aid researchers to solve complex problems of national importance and global significance. The new HPC infrastructure will serve as an essential compute environment for the modern-day research along with their theoretical and experimental work." (ANI)
The petition had sought to prevent the release of the movie claiming that it is a "propaganda movie" to hurt the religious sentiments.

'The Kashmir Files' stars Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty, Darshan Kumar and Pallavi Joshi.Helmed by Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, the film revolves around the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990.

It was earlier slated to release in January but got delayed due to the COVID pandemic. The movie will now hit the theatres on March 11. (ANI)
Rejecting the predictions made by the exit polls, Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda on Tuesday stated that Congress will form the government on its own in Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa after the election results are out on March 10. He also asserted that Congress will play a significant role in the formation of the Government in Uttar Pradesh. "We're sure that in all five states, people have voted against an arrogant (central) govt in Delhi. Congress will form the government on its own in Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa", said Hooda. Hooda said that Uttar Pradesh exit poll results will also change and a Congress-supported government will be formed in the state. "There'll be a change in UP and Congress will play a significant role in it." The exit polls on Monday predicted a tight race in Uttarakhand with many of them giving an edge to the BJP in forming the government. Some exit polls also predicted that Congress could manage the cross the halfway mark in the 70-member assembly. Exit polls predicted a clear victory for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. In the 403-member Uttar Pradesh assembly, the majority mark is 202 and the exit polls predicted BJP getting a comfortable majority with its allies. The exit polls in Manipur gave a clear edge to the ruling BJP in forming the next government with many of them predicting that it may fall short of the halfway mark. The multi-cornered contest in Goa could lead to a hung assembly verdict, exit polls predicted on Monday with some of them putting the BJP ahead but some also stating that Congress would the single-largest party close to the half-way mark. Exit polls predicted a clear victory for Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab with several surveys predicting AAP, which is in power in Delhi, getting a landslide victory. The exit polls were released after the seventh and last phase of the election in Uttar Pradesh. The counting of votes will take place on March 10. (ANI)
On the occasion of international women's day, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday promised that all women taking admission in institutions of national importance will get a 3 per cent interest waiver on loans from the Central Government. He was speaking at the occasion of the foundation stone laying ceremony of National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), Agartala Campus and the launch of various women welfare schemes in Tripura. Shah also performed 'bhoomi pujan' on laying the foundation stone of NFSU. "This is the first campus of such a science university in the whole of North-East, which includes Under Graduate and Post Graduate courses like narcotic forensics," he said. The Home Minister said that the Tripura government has decided to give a reservation of 33 per cent to all women for any state government job, or for higher educational institutions. "Women will get reservations in higher educational institutions. The Government of India will also give a rebate of 3 per cent interest if the women getting admission in the Institutions of National Importance has to take a loan," he added. Shah further said that women will also get 50 per cent reservation to operate shops in government shopping complexes or markets. "50 per cent venture capital fund reserved to promote startups by women... this initiation of women welfare by Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb shall benefit everyone in Tripura," he said. Shah also praised Deb saying that in the tenure of just four years, the work of changing the history of 50 years of Tripura has been done by the Chief Minister under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "At the time when we are fighting the problem of extremism, infiltration, narcotics in the North East, the laying foundation stone for National Forensic Science University is very important," he added. Attacking the previous CPI-M government in Tripura, Shah said that the BJP government has completely stopped political killings in Tripura "Wherever there is a Communist government, Holi is played with the blood of political opponents. But after the formation of the BJP government, political killings in Tripura have completely stopped," the Home Minister said. "After four years of the formation of the BJP government, I can see that Tripura, which was earlier plagued with drugs and addiction, moving towards becoming self-reliant," he added. Earlier, he visited Kathalachari Border Out Post in Tripura and inspected the progress of single row fencing work being done by the Government of India on the India-Bangladesh border. He had a detailed discussion with the officials of the Border Security Forces regarding the security arrangements. (ANI)
Air Marshal B Chandra Sekhar, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) took over as Commandant, Air Force Academy, Indian Air Force on Tuesday. The Air Marshal hails from Telangana and underwent his schooling in Hyderabad prior to joining National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla. He is an alumnus of Defence Services Staff College Wellington, Flying Instructors' School, College of Defence Management and National Defence College New Delhi, Air Marshal B Chandra Sekhar, AVSM was commissioned in the Indian Air Force on December 21, 1984. The Air Marshal has more than 5400 hours of accident/incident free flying on various aircraft. He also holds the distinction of landing the first MLH class of helicopter in the Siachen Glacier and he is also a Qualified Flying Instructor. In his illustrious career spanning close to four decades, he has held important staff appointments such as Ops IIB in the Eastern Sector, Principal Director (Administration) in Strategic Forces Command and Senior Officer in charge Administration, Southern Air Command and Eastern Air Command. He has steered the works services and other administrative issues to facilitate the induction of Chinook Helicopters and Rafale aircraft in the Eastern Sector. Prior to assuming charge of Commandant AFA, he was Senior Air Staff Officer, Training Command. For his distinguished service and professionalism of a very high order, the Air Marshal has been awarded Presidential award of Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in the year 2020 by the President of India. The Air Officer is married to Mrs B Komala, who is an experienced banker and they are blessed with a daughter and a son, who are both commissioned officers in the Indian Air Force. (ANI)
Starbucks baristas in the Baltimore area have joined a fast-growing national movement to unionize the giant coffee chain shop by shop amid working conditions that they say have worsened during the coronavirus pandemic.

The retailer, meanwhile, has objected to petitions filed by individual stores around the United States and taken steps to convince workers theyll be worse off with a union between us.

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Workers at Starbucks on North Charles Street in Mount Vernon and in Linthicum in Anne Arundel County want to unionize, joining workers at more than 120 U.S. Starbucks that have filed to hold elections.

In the North Charles Street cafe, business has steadily picked up, and workers say they find themselves too often running out of supplies, short-staffed on shifts and feeling pressured to stay late or come in when sick. Worse, many say, is the perception that the company dismisses their concerns, seeming to spend money to fight organizing workers instead of fixing problems they encounter day to day.

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The people making the decisions dont know what its like to work as a barista at a store, said Kieren Levy, 21, a Bolton Hill resident who works both at Starbucks and as a tattoo artist. Its just difficult, and we deserve to have better working conditions and better pay.

Kieren Levy, a barista at the Mount Vernon Starbucks on North Charles Street, joined a fast-growing national movement to unionize Starbucks shops. Levy is pictured here Thursday. (Karl Merton Ferron/The Baltimore Sun)

Starbucks touts its benefits, such as Bean Stock, shares of company stock employees can earn, and said it will raise wages to at least $15 per hour by this summer. Pay for hourly employees, called partners, will average $17 an hour.

From the beginning, weve been clear in our belief that we are better together as partners, without a union between us, and that conviction has not changed, a Starbucks spokesperson said in an email. Starbucks success  past, present, and future  is built on how we partner together, always with our mission and values at our core.

The friction between Starbucks and its workers is not out of the ordinary for such labor-management disputes. But workers in general are feeling they have more bargaining power given the labor shortages and wave of resignations that emerged during the pandemic, said Jeremy Schwartz, associate professor of economics at Loyola University Maryland.

Workers feel empowered to take the step now, especially as employers during the health crisis raised wages and boosted benefits to attract talent, he said. If there is a time when workers had more bargaining power, its probably now.

Still, its an uphill battle for workers. Labor unions have been weakening for decades  just under 11% of U.S. workers were represented by a union in 2020, down from about 20% in 1983, federal data shows. And bargaining might prove even more difficult once more people decide to return to the workforce.

Unions in the U.S. have been completely decimated in the private sector, Schwartz said. It is hard to believe thats going to reverse course.

In the Baltimore area, baristas and shift supervisors said they were inspired by Starbucks workers in Buffalo, New York, where the unionization movement started last year. Since then, Starbucks has not voluntarily recognized a union at any store where workers made a request.

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Workers United, an affiliate of SEIU, has consequently filed petitions on behalf of workers at various stores with the National Labor Relations Board to pave the way for votes on whether to create bargaining units.

Starbucks has objected, filing requests for review with the labor board, and arguing its inappropriate to place bargaining units at single stores rather than a collection of stores in a district. The NLRB generally has disagreed, allowing elections to proceed.

But so far, only three corporately owned stores have unionized, two in Buffalo in early December and one in Mesa, Arizona, on Feb. 25. Thats out of about 9,000 corporate stores in the U.S.

Baltimore-area employees carefully watched the outcome of the Arizona vote, which had been scheduled for earlier in February but was delayed after Starbucks requested a review. NLRB denied Starbucks request, allowing the workers to vote. The Mount Vernon store workers now are awaiting a decision on their own election after attending an NLRB hearing where Starbucks raised objections.

The vote outcomes will not change our shared purpose or how we will show up for each other, a Starbucks executive recently told its employees in a letter.

We will keep listening, we will keep connecting, and we will keep being in service of one another because thats what weve always done, said Rossann Williams, president of Starbucks North America, after the Buffalo union vote.

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Even the few victories for Starbucks workers have been enough to spur local employees to take action. The movement has spread organically, often through social media, and workers from numerous Maryland stores have sought guidance, said Stephanie Hernandez, a local organizer for Workers United.

Stephanie Hernandez, organizer with Workers United, left, and Kieren Levy, a barista at the Mount Vernon Starbucks, pose outside the establishment Thursday. (Karl Merton Ferron/The Baltimore Sun)

Violet Sovine, a barista in the Mount Vernon store, said she sees union representation as an expression of democracy in the workplace.

For me personally, its ideological, rather than about specific issues, Sovine said. It would allow us to hash out disagreements we have between ourselves then speak to Starbucks with one unified voice.

Sovine believes unions are key to solving broader problems in the food service industry, such as the fact that we arent paid enough to live comfortable lives.

The coffee shop workplace environment is fast-paced, Levy said, much more so than in a previous retail job at Target. The barista whips up coffee drinks as well as working the register and washing dishes in a given shift.

For the work that me and my co-workers do, we are underappreciated and underpaid and also understaffed, and its something thats been frustrating to me since I started, Levy said. Its high-stress. People need breaks, and people work through breaks to get things done.

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Levy and more than a dozen co-workers notified the company of plans to unionize in a letter sent to Starbucks President and CEO Kevin Johnson. It said the stores majority LGBTQ staff is united on most fronts and works well with the store manager but that conditions during the past couple of years have taken a toll mentally and physically.

[ Starbucks nixes vaccine mandate after Supreme Court ruling ]

We make Starbucks products for less than living wages and receive none of the profit, all the while being offered benefits that in no way equal our efforts, the letter said. We experience abuse from customers, malfunctioning equipment, unsafe working conditions, chronic understaffing and a complete lack of agency within our workplace.

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After the letter was sent, district managers held meetings to try to persuade workers to back down, saying that nothing they want will come from a union.

The company has been terrorizing workers who dare to organize, said Rebecca Hess, organizing director for the mid-Atlantic regional joint board of Workers United.

The anti-union campaign has been really aggressive and frightening if people are not prepared for it, she said.

[ As teachers unions push for remote schooling, parents scramble  and Democrats worry ]

Employees in the Linthicum store used their union notification letter to Starbucks to call on the CEO to end the campaign of union busting.

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Workers said they have been disappointed with the companys treatment of Buffalo employees as they sought to unionize. Since that vote, workers in Buffalo have reported being told they must increase schedule availability or risk losing their jobs.

Resources have been used to stop the unionizing of our fellow partners, instead of shifting those resources to provide the relief weve been asking for, said the letter signed by 18 of the Linthicum store workers.

It urged the company to allow your partners to advocate for a better working environment without fear of retaliation.
Luizinho Faleiro, Trinamool Congress National Vice President on Tuesday, while speaking on the Goa exit poll results said that the party has taken a vertical jump in the political scenario of the state. "Nobody can predict what will happen in Goa. Let's wait for the election results. Within three months, the party has taken a vertical jump in the Goan political scenario. We will soon fight the Panchayat Elections," said Luizinho Faleiro. The multi-cornered contest in Goa could lead to a hung assembly verdict, exit polls predicted on Monday with some of them putting the BJP ahead but some also stating that Congress would the single-largest party close to the halfway mark. Jan Ki Baat exit poll predicted BJP to win 13-19 seats, Congress 14-19, AAP 3-5, MGP 1-2 and others 1-3. Congress had won 19 seats out of the 40 seats in the 2017 Assembly elections in the state, while the BJP had managed to win 14 seats. Congress could not form government in the state. Assembly elections in Goa were held on February 14. The counting of votes will take place on March 10. Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday that her party could have done better in Goa with some more time. "I am happy that we were able to reach out to every family in Goa with our logo. We really started late. Had we got more time, we could have done better," she said. (ANI)
Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana said on Tuesday that International Womens Day should not be limited to being just a specific day in the year, rather it should be observed every day in order to foster the values of dignity and equality towards women. "We cannot imagine wholesome progress of the society without the active participation of women, who constitute 50 per cent of the population," Asthana said while interacting with around 50,000 women from 1,784 police beats across the city on the occasion of International Women Day through a hybrid platform titled 'Tarangini'. Asthana informed that Delhi Police have launched various schemes and initiatives to strengthen the safety and security of women in the city and also threw light on measures like SPUWAC and Pink Booths. Women police officers are deployed in all the Pink Booths which function from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Emphasising that public cooperation is essential for effective policing, the officer said, "It is a matter of satisfaction that a large number of citizens are connecting and supporting the police in maintaining peace and harmony and controlling crime." He also shared that the police department is actively contemplating to set up integrated booths where staff from traffic and local police shall be available to address the concerns of the distressed. While responding to questions, Asthana said that while those involved in cases of crime against women are being arrested, they often have to be released on bail within the provisions of the criminal justice system. "Delhi Police have a strong integrated set up to deal with cyber bullying cases and victims can also approach us through www.cybercrime.gov.in. The identity of the complainant will be kept secret and strict legal action will be taken against the perpetrator," the Commissioner added. --IANS uj/arm ( 312 Words) 2022-03-08-19:14:01 (IANS)
Hours after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that electronic voting machine (EVM) is being tampered and Varanasi district magistrate is transporting it without informing local candidates, UP State Election Commission has denied the allegation and said the EVMs shown in a video were for "training purpose". Earlier, Yadav had alleged that the state election commission officials are tampering with EVMs and Varanasi district magistrate is transporting them without informing the local candidates. Replying to this allegations, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), in a press release, said, "Some political parties have brought to our attention that a few EVMs were being transported in a vehicle in Varanasi district. On investigation, it was found that these EVMs were for training purpose. These EVMs were being taken to training locations at a college in the state on March 9, 2022 and were kept at a foodgrains warehouse. " The CEO further said, "During the transportation of these EVMs, some members of a political party stopped the vehicle and started spreading rumours that vehicle contains EVMs meant for counting of votes." Following the allegations, Varanasi District Magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma held a meeting with representatives of several political parties on Tuesday. Sharma said, "About 20 EVMs were being taken to UP College for training. Some political people stopped the vehicle and spread rumours by saying that these EVMs were used in elections. Whereas the strong room is different and this EVM machine caught is different. Tomorrow is the second training of the employees deputed for counting duty and these machines are always used in training for hands-on training."He said the above-mentioned 20 EVMs were not used in polling and were being sent for training purposes. (ANI)
"[Des Moines Police and Fire Departments] on scene at East HS. Multiple Shooting victims outside of school," the Des Moines Police Department said in a statement posted on Twitter.

Sergeant Paul Parizek told local media that three victims who appear to be teenagers have been taken to a hospital.

Fire department spokesperson Ahman Douglass told CNN the victims at East High School included two boys and one girl. All three were taken to area hospitals, where there are in critical condition.

The incident resulted in the closure of nearby roadways, the police said. The school was also placed on lockdown and potential suspects have been detained, it added.

The school went under lockdown, but students were later dismissed.

"Des Moines Police and DMPS public safety have given East High School the all clear. Students are dismissing on time," the school district tweeted. (ANI)
Amid the escalating Ukraine-Russia conflict, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has confirmed his plans to meet with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on March 10. Kuleba said if Lavrov is ready for a serious substantive conversation, then he is ready as well. Kuleba also said that he would talk to anyone so that peace could be established between the two countries, according to American broadcaster CNN. This statement comes amid the failure of the third round of peace talks between the two countries held in Belarus on Monday. Mykhailo Podolyak, a member of the Ukraine delegation, said that there was small progress in the logistics of humanitarian corridors in Ukraine. He also said that the intensive consultation continued on the main political block of the settlement along with a ceasefire and security guarantees. Meanwhile, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation said, "The discussion continued on political and military aspects. However, it remains difficult. It is too to talk about something positive." Russian negotiators have bought large documents including specific agreements but Ukrainian negotiators opt to take the document back at home to study instead of signing them on spot. "To be honest, our expectations from the talks were not met. But we hope that next time we will be able to take a more significant step forward," Medinsky said after the meeting. In this meeting, both sides addressed the issues of civilian evacuation and the Ukrainian side assured Russia that the humanitarian corridor will start working from Tuesday. (ANI)
Amidst the gravity of bitter fighting in Ukraine as President Vladimir Putin prosecutes his invasion, China announced its defence budget for 2022 on the opening day of its fifth annual session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC). Usually these annual announcements of Chinese military spending grab headlines, but in 2022 the 7.1 per cent rise in Beijing's defence expenditure is overshadowed by war in Europe. In monetary terms, China's 2022 defence spending is CNY1.45045 trillion (USD229.39 billion). Indeed, the budget revealed on 5 March confirms a continuing rebound in expenditure. Last year, China increased spending by 6.8 per cent to CNY1.355 trillion (USD209.4 billion). The overall increase of approximately USD20 billion this year is actually the largest ever (the second largest was USD13.4 billion in 2021, and the largest was USD13.6 billion in 2014). Two years ago, China approved just a 6.6 per cent increase in defence spending, which represented a dip due to the onset of COVID-19. In preceding years, the budget had risen 7.5 per cent (2019) and 8.1 per cent (2018) annually. Furthermore, this is the seventh year in a row where the defence budget has risen in only single-digit percentages, underscoring that the halcyon days of double-digit growth are long gone. The pretty consistent year-to-year gains for defence expenditure also underscore that the PLA is at heart a political entity. Threat perceptions may change over time, but China continues to prioritize spending on the People's Liberation Army (PLA) no matter what reason it ascribes to the growth. Typically it paints a narrative that China is merely reacting to events around it, rather than the fact that Chinese spending isringing alarm bells across the world. Anonymous "analysts" quoted by China's parochial Global Times said the budget was "steady and reasonable at a time when China needs to modernize its military capabilities to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity amid severe external threats and an unstable security environment". Chinese commentators also quoted "provocative" US actions such as sailing warships - entirely legally, it must be added - through the Taiwan Strait or South China Sea. The border stand-off with India has not been solved either, even after nearly two years, and this requires money to sustain. Chinese analysts asserted that, despite "military threats posed by the US and others, China is not interested in joining an arms race, and the country's defence policy is defensive in nature". Such an argument is not sustainable, however. Putting it in perspective, this year's USD20 billion lump-sum increase eclipses Taiwan's total defence budget of USD15.4 billion. To compare further, current Chinese spending is greater than that of India (USD64.8 billion), Japan (USD55 billion), Russia (USD66.8 billion), South Korea (USD48 billion) and Taiwan combined. In future, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will expect more from the PLA in terms of military capabilities, so it can maintain pressure on neighbours like India, South China Sea claimants and the USA. Chinese leaders affirm they are willing to use violence to maintain (i.e. extend) their territory, so the PLA must be a credible tool and deterrent. The PLA must be ready to achieve the CCP's political objectives,plus it will demand ever greater political loyalty and commitment.There is a stark difference between the PLA and the quality of confused Russian conscripts who now find themselves in Ukraine. It is drummed into the PLA that they must serve Xi Jinping, the CCP and nation. With such strong ideological indoctrination, there will be no hesitation among Chinese soldiers if ordered to attackTaiwan, for example. Incidentally, Chinese central government spending on public security will increase 4.7 per cent to CNY194.993 billion in 2022. However, this figure does not incorporate considerable provincial spending on public security and policing. If regional spending is included, the internal-security budget would overtake total PLA spending.The defence budget is yet to be approved by Chinese lawmakers, but this will be a mere formality for a rubber-stamp Congress that has no real power. China possesses the second-highest defence budget in the world behind the USA, though Beijing still spends less than a third of what the USA does. President Joe Biden is seeking a budget of some USD770 billion for the forthcoming fiscal year. In fact, the USA spends more than the rest of the ten highest countries combined, which is a sign that the USA remains the only true superpower. Of course, it is difficult to directly compare China and the USA. The PLA benefits from a non-market economy, where equipment is cheaper and the military has greater purchasing power than in competitive markets like the USA. Consider that the USA also deploys troops and assets globally, whereas China's primarily remain at home. Shrouded in secrecy, China gave no details as to how money will be allocated. It is estimated that approximately 40 per cent goes on equipment, both new material and to sustain existing inventories. Total secrecy makes it impossible to accurately guess what China's actual defence budget is. Many areas such as China's space program, extra-budgetary revenues from military-owned commercial enterprises, defence mobilization funds and provincial military base operating costs are not reported in its defence budget. Supplemental funding like military pensions and benefits, civilian/dual-use research and development, and Central Military Commission responsibilities like the People's Armed Police and China Coast Guard are not part of the defence budget either. Both the latter paramilitary organizations would support the PLA in time of war. Foreign analysts agree that the true budget is much higher than the declared amount, though there is debate as to how much. Some estimate the real budget is 25 per cent more than claimed, while others argue it could be nearly 40 per cent. Undoubtedly, the difference between Chinese and American spending is a lot less than appears on paper. The Russia-Ukraine conflict had no bearing on China's budget, for it was drafted before Putin invaded Ukraine. In fact, China's financial year starts on 1 January, so the defence budget was decided well in advance of the NPC session. Beijing stated in its Government Work Report: "In 2021, China made major strides in strengthening national defence and the armed forces, getting off to a good start in this endeavor in the 14th Five-Year Plan period, and in 2022, China will work toward the goals for the centenary of the PLA in 2027, enhance military training and combat readiness, stay firm and flexible in carrying out military struggle, and safeguardChina's sovereignty, security and development interests." That work report added that the PLA would move faster to modernize military logistics and asset management systems; build a modern weaponry and equipment management system; continue to reform national defence and the military; step up innovations in defence science and technology; implement a strategy of strengthening the military by training competent personnel in the new era; run the military inaccordance with the law and strict discipline; promote high-quality development of the military; and improve the layout of defence science, technology and industry. Fruit to be seen this year will be the launch of the PLA Navy's next-generation aircraft carrier, the Type 003, currently under construction. It differs from two in- service carriers in that it dispenses with a ski jump ramp and instead uses catapults to launch aircraft. Other 2022 priorities are increased production of J-20 stealth fighters and modernization of the PLA Rocket Force's nuclear arsenal. The PLA and its political masters will be watching the war in Ukraine with acute attention. Just as China carefully studied lessons from two US-led wars against Iraq in 1990-91 and 2003, so too for years it will be combing over the results of this bitter war between two near-peer adversaries. Xi already looked down on Russia for the way communism succumbed and crumbled there. The CCP will probably view with disdain the Russian military and how it has atrophied through low morale, lack of political purpose and under investment. On paper, the Russian armed forces look strong, but in fact the military's capability has been somewhat hollowed out. CCP buzzwords are mechanization, informationization and intelligentization, three prongs of the PLA's modernization as it seeks to dominate the digital, cyber and networked world of military operations. These are some of the areas where Russia is falling down, particularly in terms of joint warfare. The latter is a priority for the PLA, even if it still has a long way to go to coordinate land, sea and air forces into a coherent and integrated force. In other lessons, Russian logistics have performed poorly, with vehicles bogging down off main roads, supply columns ambushed and vehicles running out of fuel. This is despite the fact that the Russian Army was able to launch its invasion by simply driving across land borders. This is far different for China in any operation against Taiwan, where the 180km-wide Taiwan Strait must first be crossed by air or water. Poor use of Russian airborne troops has ended in ignominious defeats, which will be another lesson closely observed by the PLA. Russia is yet to launch a concerted amphibious invasion, something that China will be keen to observe, even if it comes at steep Russian expense. Putin's choice of strategy will also be questioned. He did not set the prerequisite political and social conditions for an invasion of Ukraine, as evinced by mass protests by the Russian populace. China certainly will not make that mistake, as for years it has been warmongering and shaping Chinese people's acceptance of the need to subjugate Taiwan militarily if necessary. Nor did Russia kick off its campaign with "shock and awe" operations, which means Ukrainian aircraft and air defences are still active days into the war. Inadequate stocks of cruise missiles and air-to-ground precision-guided munitions are also evident, along with a need for airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Ukraine is 16 times Taiwan's size, yet Russia fired only 600 or so cruise or short-range ballistic missiles in the first ten days. China would be able to concentrate against Taiwan this amount of missiles in a first attack wave alone. The PLA has prioritized airborne command and control over the past couple of decades with platforms like the KJ-500 aircraft, plus it is introducing electronic warfare aircraft like the J-16D and various Y-8/Y-9 types. The PLA Air Force has more than 700 modern fighters in service already. China has many air-launched cruise missiles and ballistic missiles but, significantly, its stocks of precision-guided munitions are limited. It has only one type of 500kg laser-guided bomb in service, for example. For many tasks, a 500kg bomb is overkill, and China is yet to commit to a line of 250kg and 100kg precision-guided munitions so it would have to rely on dumb bombs and unguided rockets. Therefore, smaller bombs mounted on racks are a desirable package for Chinese strike aircraft, with advantages that more individual bombs can be carried per sortie, and leaving larger and expensive missiles for more important targets. Perhaps we will see China boost its precision-guided munitions stocks in the wake of Russian failings, especially since Chinese industry already has smaller precision-guided munitionsavailable for export. The PLA has plenty of strike aircraft to carry such precision-guided weapons, including nearly 100 J-20, 200 J-16, 250+ J-10B/C and 300+ J-10A fighters; 200+ JH-7A fighter-bombers; and 120 H-6J/K/N bombers, many with targeting pods. Add to this, drones like the WZ-7 and Wing Loong 1/ 2 family, and one can see that China could deliver a deluge of weapons on Taiwan early on in a future conflict. Another surprise for Russia and China is the severity of international opprobrium at an unprovoked war, and how NATO and Europe have closed ranks in support of Ukraine. This goes somewhat against the Chinese and Russian narrative that the West is in decline, and that the East is inexorably rising. (ANI)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday, "Following the sanctions against Russia taken effect since March 1, Korea has decided to join additional sanctions such as banning transactions with Russian central bank in consideration of the international community's level of economic sanctions on Russia."

The Korean government has previously banned transactions with seven Russian major banks such as Sberbank as a part of sanctions against Russia following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Foreign Ministry said, "We will announce the details related to additional sanctions against Russia after discussing with related ministries."

The ministry is also planning to inform the decision to related countries, including the US. (ANI/Global Economic)
As per an official statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), India strongly condemned the attack that took place on March 4, 2022, at Mondoro in the central region of Mopti in Mali.

"India extends its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families of the lost ones, and wish speedy recovery of those injured in the terrorist attack," said the statement.

Earlier on March 4, as many as 27 soldiers were killed in a terrorist attack against the Malian Armed Forces security post in Mondoro, according to a press release of the Malian government.

According to the press release, the attack, which involved the use of vehicle bombs, also left 33 soldiers injured.

Mali has been facing multifaceted security, political and economic crises since 2012, Xinhua reported adding that the independence insurrections, the jihadist incursions and the inter-communal violence have caused thousands of deaths and left hundreds of thousands of people displaced, despite the presence of UN and European forces. (ANI)
In 2021, Afghanistan was the least peaceful country in the world as it was most affected by terrorism, Tolo News reported citing IEP.

The country witnessed as many as 1,426 deaths from terrorism in 2021, which account for 20 per cent of the world's total, according to the IEP report, which added that at least 2,199 people were injured in terror incidents in Afghanistan while 91 cases of hostages were registered.

Over half of these victims were civilians, said the report, which included the 2021 attack that occurred in Kabul when Daesh detonated two suicide bombs near Kabul International Airport, killing 170 people and injuring over 200, reported the media outlet.

Notably, after Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan reported the most terrorist attacks in 2021.

Meanwhile, the Taliban's swift ascension to power in Afghanistan in mid-August has triggered economic disarray and a dire humanitarian crisis in the country.

According to the United Nations, more than 24 million people in Afghanistan require humanitarian assistance. (ANI)
On the occasion of International Women's Day, an article in the Global Strat view argued that the US should recognize the Bangladeshi genocide and organised rape committed by the Pakistani Army in 1971, and impose sanctions on Pakistan for gross human rights violations. The stories of Bengali women being tied to trees and gang-raped, organs hacked off, dumped in mass graves, and held in Pakistani rape camps are all testimony to the atrocities committed by the Pakistan Army, said Priya Saha, Executive Director of Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM) writing in Global Strat View. The Pakistani Army initiated a choreographed annihilation of Bengalis when the Awami League party of East Pakistan led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman decisively won the 1970 elections and pressed ahead to form the government in erstwhile united Pakistan. The then military regime of Yahya Khan annulled the election results, fearing the prospect of handing over the reins to what they perceived as inferior Bengalis, the article said. In March 1971, the Pakistani Army launched 'Operation Searchlight', which kickstarted a series of targeted killings, massacres, and organised rape of women in the then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Archer Blood, the then US Counsel General in Dhaka, sent a telegram on April 6, 1971, to his superiors in Washington, which came to be known as "The Blood Telegram". The telegram denounced the inaction of the then US administration on the brutal genocide taking place in then East Pakistan. The Pakistani Army committed mass rape of Bengali women with intent to destroy their faith, social position, and self-esteem, the article said, adding that one of the reasons for the mass rapes was to undermine Bengali society through "dishonouring" of Bengali women and that some of the victims were raped until they died, citing Adam Jones, a political scientist. Jenneke Arens, a Dutch author, who lived in Bangladesh from 1973 to 1975 for her research work, described the rape of Hindu minority women by the Pakistani military as a deliberate attempt to destroy an ethnic group since many of those assaulted were raped, murdered, and then bayoneted in the genitalia, the article cited. "The Pakistan Army is an Islamic institution, its soldiers are warriors of God and ...they rape in God's name. Therefore the raping of girls and women, the forced bodily transgressions, and the mutilations are considered to be a triumph for good," the article said quoting a 2012 Case Study by Jessica Lee Rehman of California University. Bengalis were deemed to have inherited Hindu features which were reasons enough to brand them as heretical targets for savage activities, the article further said. The editorial went on to describe several more gory details of the Bangladeshi genocide and rape citing scholarly works of journalists who were present in Bangladesh in 1971. It further referred to the estimations of the number of women raped based on the number of abortions and suicides in the immediate aftermath of the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. The official figure that the Bangladesh government recognizes states that around 200,000 women were raped, while the estimates of Bangladeshis killed during the time stand up to 3 million. (ANI)
UPPER MARLBORO  A Maryland man was shot and killed last weekend, and police are offering a $25,000 reward for leads that result in an arrest.

On Saturday, Prince Georges Police patrol officers were called to a location in Chillum at around 8 a.m. for a report of a shooting, a news release said Monday. They found the victim, Efrain Huerta Moran of Chillum with multiple gunshot wounds. Moran was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

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Detectives are trying to identify a suspect and a motive for the shooting, according to a news release Monday. Their investigation into the shooting is continuing, the department said.
"As a result of two air-strikes, oil depots in Zhytomyr and Chernyakhiv were hit," tweeted Ukraine MFA.

Earlier, Head of Sumy Regional State Administration Dmitry Zhivitsky had said that at least 10 people, including children, were killed as a result of targeted bombings by Russia on Sumy.

"Children among dead after the Russian air raid on residential buildings in Sumy. Head of Sumy Regional State Administration Dmitry Zhivitsky said in a video message on Facebook on March 7 that at least 10 people were killed as a result of targeted bombings by Russia on Sumy," tweeted The Kyiv Independent, a Ukrainian media outlet.

Meanwhile, Russia on Tuesday declared a ceasefire amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine from 10 am (Moscow time) to provide humanitarian corridors in the cities of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia said in a statement.

The development comes following the third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine in Belarus on Monday, which apparently ended up in failure. In the meeting, both sides addressed the issues of civilian evacuation and the Ukrainian side assured Russia that the humanitarian corridor will start working from Tuesday.

Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Moscow recognized Ukraine's breakaway regions, Donetsk and Luhansk as independent entities. (ANI)
Tokyo [Japan], March 8 (ANI/Sputnik): Japan intends to closely follow the course of the meeting between Foreign Ministers of Russia and Ukraine, Sergey Lavrov and Dmytro Kuleba, scheduled for March 10 in the Turkish city of Antalya, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Tuesday. "We are aware of the reports about the meeting scheduled for March 10. We intend to monitor the progress of the talks very closely," Matsuno said. On February 24, Russia began a special operation to demilitarize and "denazify" Ukraine, responding to calls for help from the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics in countering the aggression of Ukrainian troops. The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger. Moscow has repeatedly stressed that it has no plans to occupy Ukraine. (ANI/Sputnik)
The 'Awami march' of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) against Prime Minister Imran Khan's 'misgovernance' is scheduled to reach Islamabad today, local media reported. The 'Awami march' which began on February 27 from Mazar-e-Quaid, Karachi in the southern Sindh province will reach Islamabad on its 10th day. PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari addressed the march participants in several cities as the march progressed. "We will reach Rawat around midnight. The route of the march was changed from Murree Road to Islamabad Expressway due to the Test match being played in Rawalpindi. We are committed to reaching D-Chowk by 4 pm on Tuesday (today)," PPP Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar was quoted by The Dawn. The PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday gave Prime Minister Imran Khan a 24-hour ultimatum to resign and dissolve the Assembly or be prepared to be ousted through a no-trust motion while addressing the Awami March participants in Lalamusa, Punjab, The News International reported. The 'selected' (referring to Imran Khan) has become so scared that he has started abusing his political opponents and calling them names, said the PPP leader. He was referring to Imran Khan's comments while addressing a public gathering in Mailsi on Sunday. In his address, the Pakistan PM used derogatory nicknames for his rivals. He said that a 'clique of looters' has now united to protect their vested interests by creating hype about a no-trust motion against the government. The Opposition parties in Pakistan have ramped up their activities ahead of the planned no-confidence motion against the Imran Khan government for "misgovernance and bad economic handling". Ahead of the no-confidence motion against the Imran Khan government, principal Opposition parties, Pakistan Mulsim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and PPP, have asked MNAs to cancel their foreign visits and stay put in Islamabad for the next few days, media reports said. On Monday, Aleem Khan, a former senior minister of Punjab announced joining Jahangir Khan Tareen's group of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) legislators. Jahangir Khan Tareen is an estranged leader of PTI and along with his group of PTI legislators and members will be a key figure when the no-confidence motion is brought by the Opposition. (ANI)
Amid the looming no-confidence motion against his government, Imran Khan's woes multiplied as he faces another rebellion in his party from a former senior minister of Punjab Aleem Khan, a media report said on Tuesday. Aleem Khan announced joining Jahangir Khan Tareen's group of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) legislators on Monday, saying he wants to reorganise the former loyalists of Imran Khan and protect the party and its public popularity, The News International reported. Jahangir Khan Tareen is an estranged leader of PTI. He along with his group of PTI legislators and members may play a crucial role when the no-confidence motion is brought by the Opposition. The development comes at a time when the Opposition led by Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) have ramped up activity to oust the Imran Khan regime. In February, Pakistan's Opposition leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif held a secret meeting with Tareen and discussed the ouster of the Imran Khan government as per local media reports. Earlier today, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari gave Prime Minister Imran Khan a 24-hour ultimatum to resign and dissolve the assembly or be prepared to be ousted through a no-trust motion while addressing the Awami March participants in Lalamusa, Punjab. Given the developments, Khan held a series of meetings with his ministers about the fast-changing political situation and also presided over the ruling PTI's core committee meeting, and made some important decisions, The News International further reported. Last Saturday, Imran Khan had exuded confidence that his party has sufficient numbers in the National Assembly in case a no-confidence motion is brought. Talking to party members in the National Assembly on Saturday, Imran Khan reportedly said that the Opposition should go ahead with its plan of the no-confidence motion since all coalition partners are with him. He maintained that the government has done its homework. While addressing a public gathering in Mailsi on Sunday, Imran Khan used derogatory nicknames for his rivals. He said that a 'clique of looters' has now united to protect their vested interests by creating hype about a no-trust motion against the government. (ANI)
India and China have been holding talks on the Line of Actual Control in the Eastern Ladakh area to resolve the standoff and 14 rounds have been held so far.

The talks held till now have resulted in the resolution of the North and South Bank of Pangong Tso, Galwan and Gogra Hot Spring areas.

According to the sources, both sides will now focus to achieve a resolution of balance friction areas. Recent statements by both sides to find a mutually acceptable solution have been encouraging and positive in nature. (ANI)
Notably, Viktor Yanukovych now lives in Russia since being ousted in 2014. In his letter which was published by Russian local media, Yanukovych asked Zelenskyy 'to stop the war at any cost', reported The Kyiv Independent.

The Kyiv Independent tweeted, citing a report by the Ukrayinska Pravda, an online newspaper, that the former president was being prepared by the Kremlin for a special occasion.

Moreover, amid the ongoing tensions Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the head of Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office in a tweet slammed Russia for 'killing civilians'.

In a Tweet, Podolyak wrote, "There is a modern civilization, which includes Ukraine, where freedom, competition and humanism dominate. And there is the "world" of Russian high-ranking officials, in which they kill civilians of other countries because they are still at war with ghostly "Nazism"

On Monday, after the third round of talks ended between Russian and Ukrainian delegations, Podolyak tweeted, "The third round of negotiations has ended. There are small positive subductions in improving the logistics of humanitarian corridors... Intensive consultations have continued on the basic political block of the regulations, along with a ceasefire and security guarantees."Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Moscow recognized Ukraine's breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - as independent entities. (ANI)
A report titled 'Human Rights Observer 2022' prepared by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has revealed that every second accused of blasphemy happened to be a Muslim. According to the report, in the year 2021, Muslims made up the largest chunk of people accused of blasphemy, followed by Ahmadis, Hindus and Christians. The study says that a total of 84 persons had been booked under blasphemy out of which 42 people accused of blasphemy were Muslims, 25 Ahmadis, seven Hindus and three Christians, reported The Express Tribune. The report not only covered the data for blasphemy but also mentioned the cases of lynching. The study includes three cases of lynching, including the notorious lynching of Sri Lankan national Priyanka Kumara in Sialkot, reported in 2021. In the Kumara lynching case, the accused persons included one transgender person and six women. Out of them, the transgender and two women happened to be Muslims by faith whereas four were Christians. The study suggests that the issues of 'unverified and speculative accusations' of blasphemy have increased over the years. Because of these issues, the incidents of lynching and extrajudicial settlements have deepened. The misuse of the draconian blasphemy laws against minorities and even members of the Muslim community to settle personal grudges is rampant in Pakistan. Many people have been lynched to death in Pakistan on the mere accusation of blasphemy. Countless others languish in jails for years on end with no hope of getting justice as the lawyers, fearing for their own lives, refuse to defend them, reported The Express Tribune. Judges in the lower courts routinely hand the accused the ultimate penalty of death without examining the evidence. Recently, a counsel for an accused was murdered in Multan; and before that, a Lahore High Court justice was shot dead in his chambers for acquitting a wrongly accused Christian man. (ANI)
As per Puneet Singh Chandhok, President of Indian World Forum, an Indian convoy consisting of 12 buses has left from Sumy earlier today and all Indians from Sumy has been evacuated.

The Indian convoy is escorted by the officials of the Indian Embassy and Red Cross. The convoy also consists of Bangladeshi and Nepali citizens.

"They are currently en route to Poltava, praying for their safe journey," said Chandhok.

As per the latest development, the convoy has reached the Poltava region.

Earlier, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday said that all 694 Indian students stranded in Ukraine's Sumy have left for Poltava today.

Answering queries of reporters about Indians stranded in Ukraine, he said, "Last night, I checked with the control room, 694 Indian students remain stranded in Sumy. Today, they have all left in buses for Poltava."

Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Kyiv evacuated 75 Indian sailors stranded in Mykolaiv Port.

"Mission intervened to evacuate 75 Indian sailors stranded in Mykolaiv Port. Yesterday buses arranged by Mission evacuated a total of 57 sailors including 2 Lebanese & 3 Syrians. Route constraints precluded the evacuation of balance 23 sailors. The mission is attempting their evacuation today," tweeted the Embassy of India in Kyiv, Ukraine. (ANI)
The Embassy Of India in Brussels, Belgium is promoting tourism to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh here and the campaign is being carried out on multiple buses and tram lines, running on major routes of the city for a fortnight. The promotion campaign is being run in French and Dutch languages for effective and wider outreach. While Kashmir posters highlighted its very existence as the literal "Paradise on Earth" with picturesque views of Dal Lake and its mystic sceneries, Ladakh was promoted as an opportunity to "Discover Yourself" by exploring the varied and vibrant culture and traditions there. With the approaching summer season in India, the Embassy said that it expects more visitors from Belgium, where these beautiful terrains cover two seasons in the upcoming months, ie Spring (March to early May) and Summer (early May to late August). "Beauty of J-K and Ladakh vibrating in the heart of Europe!!! Embassy Of India Brussels promoting tourism to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in Brussels," the Embassy tweeted along with pictures from the initiative. (ANI)
Three providers - VodafoneZiggo, T-Mobile and KPN - have enacted the blocking today, reported Sputnik.

The NOS broadcaster reported that the websites of Sputnik and RT are among the six Russian media outlets blocked by the Netherlands.

On 2 March, the EU banned the operation of Sputnik news websites and the broadcasting of the RT TV channel.

Prior to that, Instagram and Meta restricted access to Sputnik and RT across the EU. Also, Google said it blocked YouTube channels related to RT and Sputnik.

All these measures have been taken in response to Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, which was started by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24. (ANI)
Frances was a living saint, and I dont often say that about people, and she never said anything unkind about anyone, the Rev. J. Joseph Hart said.

Frances H. Vitale, a familiar figure in Little Italy and Patterson Park, died Feb. 28 at Stella Maris Hospice of complications from a fall. Her kindness and care for her community were motivated by her deep and abiding Roman Catholic faith. The Lutherville resident was 91.

Frances was a living saint, and I dont often say that about people, and she never said anything unkind about anyone, said the Rev. J. Joseph Hart, who is chaplain and director of spiritual services at Greater Baltimore Medical Center, where he is also executive director of GBMCs Center for Spiritual Support Training.

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She was a woman of constant prayer and was devoted to her community. She was abundant, very gracious, and ever-responsive to everyones needs, Father Hart said. Everything she did [arose] from her faith and God.

The former Frances Helene Ranieri was the daughter of Francesco Paolo Paul Ranieri, an immigrant from Davoli, a village in the Calabria region of Southern Italy, and his wife, Natalizia Natalie Ranieri, a homemaker.

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She was born at home in a house in the 200 block of North Luzerne Avenue. A midwife delivered her, said a daughter, Donna Dix, of Lutherville, and [she] later moved to a house at 20 S. Madeira St.

Mom always talked about the boarders who lived with them, Ms. Dix wrote in a lengthy biographical profile of her mother, men who came from Italy to work and send money back to their families. There was always music because someone always played a mandolin or guitar.

Mrs. Vitales love of music began when she was a child, influenced no doubt by the Italian boarders.

Mom loved to sing, and one of her claims to fame was that she sang on the radio program called The Childrens Hour. She also sang at the Hippodrome, which was a very big deal, and even got paid for it, her daughter wrote.

After graduating from St. Leo the Great Roman Catholic Churchs parochial school in Little Italy at the conclusion of eighth grade, she studied business for two years at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic churchs business school.

After graduating in 1946, she worked for one year doing secretarial work for the state Motor Vehicle Administration.

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 could type 90 words a minute and was just as fast on a calculator, her daughter wrote. Mrs. Vitale later did office work for Tongue, Brooks and Co., an insurance company, and Bond Clothes.

In the summer of 1953, then-Frances H. Ranieri returned to Calabria with her family to visit relatives and met her future husband, Domenico Carlo Dominic Vitale, with whom she fell in love.

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After their marriage in 1954 in Italy, the couple enjoyed six months in the country before boarding a steamer for New York.

They sailed back to New York with Mom being sick the entire 17-day journey because she was four months pregnant, Ms. Dix wrote. The ship landed in New York at Ellis Island on Oct. 27, 1954, Daddys 27th birthday.

The couple then came to Baltimore in 1955, and Mr. Vitale, a master cabinetmaker, found work and became a U.S. citizen in 1958.

In 1961, Mrs. Vitale and her husband moved their family into a home at 139 N. Luzerne Ave., near Patterson Park, and she found work as a bookkeeper for Janitors Supply, an Eddies supermarket and the YWCA.

Mrs. Vitale decided to get a drivers license in the mid-1960s.

We were thrilled because now, she could take us swimming in the summertime or once in a while to Taco Bell on Highland Avenue, Ms. Dix wrote.

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Mrs. Vitale was a bookkeeper for St. Elizabeth School in the 1990s and was responsible for payroll and accounts receivable.

Starting in the 1970s and continuing through the 1990s, Mrs. Vitale worked one day a week at the Colombo Savings & Loan in Little Italy.

They were only open Tuesday evenings, and she got the job because she could speak Italian because many of their customers only spoke Italian, Ms. Dix said in a telephone interview. She wrote all money orders by hand, as well in the passbooks for deposits and withdrawals. They were all done in her beautiful handwriting.

[ Ann Moulden Ingram, retired office manager and a competitive bridge player, dies ]

Mrs. Vitales social life centered on family members from Italy who stayed in her home until they got settled and found their own accommodations.

Sundays were family time. We always had music from The Italian Hour playing on the radio while the sauce was being made. Daddy would grab Mommy to dance if a song they liked was played, Ms. Dix wrote. There were lots of Italians nearby, and we became especially friendly with the Commodari family directly across from our house. A block away were the Anoias, who were relatives of the Commodaris.

Father Hart was assigned to St. Elizabeth of Hungary Roman Catholic Church, where he became close friends with the Vitale family, who were parishioners of the church.

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I was 29 years old and an associate priest at St. Elizabeth, Father Hart recalled. Their home was barely a block from church, and after church, Id go there for pasta. Weve had a very special relationship for almost 35 years.

At St. Elizabeth Roman Catholic Church, Mrs. Vitale was a founder of the St. Elizabeths Immaculate Heart of Mary Prayer Group, which has met for decades. She also retained her membership at St. Leo the Great Roman Catholic Church, which she never wanted to give up because it dated back to her childhood, her daughter 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)

Mrs. Vitale had lived with her daughter, Ms. Dix, in Lutherville for the past 21 years and continued her love of music there.

She played the piano by ear and loved to sing Italian songs, and she liked to sing karaoke and Frank Sinatra songs, Ms. Dix said.

Mrs. Vitale and her husband, who died in 2011, loved dancing. She also enjoyed taking several bus trips per year that had a religious focus and visiting a daughters home near Cape May during the summer.

A funeral Mass was offered Saturday at St. Leos.

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In addition to Ms. Dix, she is survived by three other daughters, Maria C. Vitale and Lucia Sperato, both of Highlandtown, and Anna Lybrook of Ellicott City; seven grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.
Hafeez Rind, a senior official of the Counter-Terrorism Department Sibi noted that the blast appeared to be a suicide blast adding that the investigation is still underway.

The blast occurred near Thandi Sarak, close to an open area where the annual Sibi Mela was being held.

"The blast took place 30 minutes after President Arif Alvi attended the festival in Sibi," Rind said. According to him, four security forces personnel were killed and 27 others were injured in the attack.

Coordinator Balochistan Health Department Dr Wasim Baig said at least 28 injured were brought to the Civil Hospital, while five of them were in critical condition, reported Dawn.

Moreover, Medical Superintendent Civil Hospital Dr Sarwar Hashmi told that most of the injured were security personnel, adding that five of the critically injured were moved to Quetta.

Following the blast that left several dead, Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo, the Balochistan Chief Minister condemned the blast and directed authorities to provide the best medical assistance to the injured. He vowed to thwart "all conspiracies against the province".

Last week, a suicide bomber had struck inside a Shia mosque in Peshawar's Kocha Risaldar area during Friday prayers, killing at least 56 worshippers and wounding 190 others, reported Dawn. (ANI)
China waded into the political debate in Kathmandu whether Nepal should accept the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) grant, a USD 500 million developmental assistance from the USA and made loaded comments to suggest that Nepal should reject the offer from the USA however these plans by China went awry. China is pursuing coercive wolf warrior diplomacy under the leadership of President Xi Jinping. However, with the Parliament of Nepal ratifying the Millennium Challenge Corporation deal, the Chinese persuasion to stop Kathmandu from availing of USD 500 million developmental assistance from the USA has failed. The strategy of China to browbeat Nepal into submission has been of no avail. In 2017, Nepal and the USA signed the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) deal, meant for building infrastructure in Nepal such as electricity transmission lines and improvements in the national highways. Protests believed to have been engineered by China, however, delayed the ratification of the project in the Parliament of Nepal indefinitely. The USA had set a deadline of February 28, 2022, for Nepal to accept the project. Former Nepal Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli's party Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) opposed tooth and nail to block the passage of the project in Parliament, but all other political parties of Nepal united to defeat the opposition of CPN (UML) and ratified the project on February 27 in a session of Parliament that continued till late in the evening. In his tenure as Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli is known to have pursued blatantly pro-China policies, to the detriment of the interest of the people of Nepal. "Beijing is glad to see international assistance to Nepal but it should come without any political strings attached. We oppose coercive diplomacy and an agenda based on selfish interests at the expense of the sovereignty of other countries," spokesman of Chinese Foreign Ministry Wang Wenbin said in Beijing on February 18; ironically, in a blatant exhibition of coercive diplomacy by China itself. Some of the political parties in Nepal had raised the objection that that MCC grant was a part of the Indo - Pacific strategy; under which the USA wants to ensure freedom of navigation under international rules of navigation, and break the hegemony that China wants to establish in the South China Sea, Taiwan Straits and other channels of navigation in the region. Significantly, two of the main communist parties in Nepal, the CPN (Maoist Centre), led by Prachanda, and CPN(Unified Socialist), led by Madhab Kumar Nepal, had decided to withdraw their protests against the MCC grant before it was tabled in Parliament; but CPN (UML) continued to protest till the passage of the grant in the floor of Parliament. The U. S. authorities have, however, clarified that MCC is not a part of the American government but an independent U. S. foreign aid agency that helps developing countries to fight against poverty through economic development. MCC forms partnerships with some of the world's poorest countries, but only those committed to good governance, economic freedom and investments in their citizens. Nepal was selected for assistance under MCC because of its commitment to these attributes. In 2013-14, MCC concluded that energy and transport sectors were the two major binding constraints for higher economic growth in Nepal. The "Compact Program" was signed in Washington between Nepal and MCC in September 2017. The USD 500 million grant would go to construct about 300 kilometres of 400 KV transmission lines along with three sub-stations and maintenance of about 300 kilometres of roads in various alignments. The U. S. has also repeatedly clarified that the MCC project had no military component, it predated the evolution of the Indo - Pacific strategy; and was initiated at the request of the Nepal government, with the support of all the political parties of Nepal. The United States also believed that China had encouraged a disinformation campaign against the USD 500 grant from the USA for Nepal. (ANI)
The human rights violations in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan is the brainchild of neighbouring Pakistan which played a key role in shaping both the radical ideas of the Taliban in religious seminaries and the fate of the terrorist group through steadfast support to its violent ways, European think-tank told the United Nations on Monday. In her virtual intervention during the 49th Session of UN Human Rights Council, Yoana Barakova, a senior research analyst at European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS) said, "Amidst the debate and speculation over whether the new Taliban dispensation will be more moderate than the last destructive one that ruled Afghanistan, the role that Pakistan played in shaping both the radical ideas of the Taliban in religious seminaries and the fate of the terrorist group through steadfast support to its violent ways, is being swept under the carpet". She added, "As the dark shadow of a brutal Taliban regime looms over Afghanistan along with the ensuing humanitarian crisis, the UN would do well to take a moment to imagine what Afghanistan could have looked like had Pakistan not kept the Taliban afloat, well oiled, and well-armed". Simply put, without Pakistan, there would be no Taliban, Yoana said while adding "Pakistan did all that it did to support, sponsor and sustain terrorism only because it was allowed to do so". "If terrorists holding guns are vile, those egging them on to kill and be killed can certainly be no better or no less damaging. The recognition that the bigger problem than the Taliban was its benefactor, Pakistan, ought to have come and been acted upon in the past two decades. It sadly never did", said Yoana. The research analyst said, "It is about time that countries supporting terrorism, especially those that are members of this august Council, are made to face tangible, punitive consequences, and are designated as State Sponsors of Terrorism". (ANI)
After the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) retained Pakistan on its"grey list", the US is tightening screws on Pakistan financially for terror funding. Policy research group Poreg said that the US has fined two of Pakistan's major banking regulators the National Bank of Pakistan over USD 50 million for not complying with anti-money laundering laws. The move has come as a major blow to Pakistan which has been trying for the last few years to wriggle out of growing accusations of keeping its banking laws lax to help terrorist groups to move funds. Pakistan's lame-duck efforts would be called out with the US Federal Reserve Board coming out heavily against the National Bank of Pakistan for anti-money laundering violations. The Pakistani bank which operates in the US as a foreign bank has been slapped with a penalty of USD 20.4 million on February 24 this year, reported Poreg. The New York Department of Financial Services, in its investigations, found that the Pakistani bank had failed to meet mandated oversight requirements and had serious issues with its transaction monitoring system. This is not the first time that Pakistani banks have come under close international scrutiny for anti-money laundering violations. In 2007, Habib Bank was sued by the widow of assassinated US journalist Daniel Pearl for running the financial pipeline for Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. In 2017, the Habib Bank Limited (HBL) of Pakistan was forced to close its New York Branch, the most severe penalty imposed by the New York Department of Financial Services on any bank in its history. In 2019, South Africa's central bank sanctioned Durban-headquartered HBZ Bank, with roots in Pakistan, for violating the country's Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Control Regulations, reported Poreg. In 2020, six Pakistani banks were found to be involved in money laundering in 29 suspicious transactions of close to USD 2.5 million. The banks named in the investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists are Allied Bank, United Bank (UBL), Habib Metropolitan Bank, Bank Alfalah, Standard Chartered Bank Pakistan, and Habib Bank (HBL). These suspicious transactions took place in 2011 and 2012. In February 2020, the UAE central bank launched an investigation into Pakistan's largest bank, Habib Bank Ltd, for possible violation of anti-money laundering and terrorism-financing laws. These gross violations of international banking norms have raised serious doubts about Pakistan's intentions and capability to rein in terrorist financing. (ANI)
To realise the full potential of trade and people to people connectivity between the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) countries two-day meetings of BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement (BBIN MVA) concluded on Tuesday in New Delhi. It will foster greater sub-regional cooperation. During the meeting, an enabling MOU to be signed by India, Bangladesh and Nepal for implementation of the BBIN MVA by the three countries, pending ratification of the MVA by Bhutan was finalised. Recalling the commitments made at the highest level for implementation of the BBIN MVA, the delegations expressed their desire to sign the MoU at the earliest to give momentum to the implementation. Bhutan participated in the meeting as an observer. The Indian delegation was led by Smita Pant, Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs. Bangladesh delegation was led by A.T.M. Rokebul Haque, Director General (South Asia), Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Nepalese delegation was led by Keshab Kumar Sharma, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport. The Bhutanese observer team was led by Thinley Norbu, First Secretary, Royal Bhutanese Embassy in New Delhi. The meeting was held to discuss the Passenger and Cargo Protocols that are essential to operationalise the BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA) for the Regulation of Passenger, Personal and Cargo Vehicular Traffic between Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal, signed on June 15, 2015. This is the first meeting of the group since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. The last meeting was held in February 2020 in New Delhi. The countries emphasized the importance of operationalising the BBIN MVA expeditiously to enable seamless movement between them for facilitating trade and people-to-people contact. Operationalising the MVA by concluding the Passenger and the Cargo Protocol will help realise the full potential of trade and people to people connectivity between the BBIN countries by fostering greater sub-regional cooperation. The delegates agreed on specific steps and timelines to expeditiously finalise the Passenger and Cargo Protocols for the implementation of the BBIN MVA. Asian Development Bank provided technical and knowledge support to the meeting. (ANI)
The two leaders discussed the ongoing situation in Ukraine and shared their concerns over the continuing humanitarian situation in Ukraine, read Prime Minister's Office press release.

PM Modi reiterated India's consistent appeal for cessation of hostilities and a return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy. He also welcomed the ongoing talks between Russia and Ukraine and hoped for an early resolution.

Meanwhile, PM Modi informed Rutte about the progress in the evacuation of Indian citizens from conflict areas, and India's assistance in form of urgent relief supplies, including medicines for the affected populations, added the release.

PM Modi also recalled his Virtual Summit with Rutte in April 2021 and expressed his desire to receive him in India at an early date. (ANI)
He also warned the second wave of refugees is likely to be more vulnerable than the first. "If the war continues we will start seeing people that have no resources and no connections," he said at a press conference in Oslo.

"That will be a more complex situation to manage for European countries going forward," he said adding that "even more solidarity" will be needed in Europe and beyond.

On Sunday, the UN refugee agency commissioner Filippo Grandi said more than 1.5 million refugees from Ukraine had crossed into neighbouring countries in 10 days, describing the situation as "the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II."

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell earlier said the European Union should be ready for five million people fleeing Ukraine amid ongoing conflict with Russia.

On February 24, Russia launched a special operation in Ukraine in response to calls from the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics to defend themselves against intensifying attacks by Ukrainian troops. (ANI)
US President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced the banning of Russian oil, natural gas and coal imports to the US in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. "Today I am announcing the United States is targeting the main artery of Russia's economy. We're banning all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy," Biden said in remarks from the White House. "That means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable at US ports and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putin's war machine." The move made by the US is unilateral, without its European allies. Notably, there were some disagreements among European nations about whether to ban Russian energy imports. Notably, EU countries have significantly more dependent on Russian energy than the US. US imports from Russia make up a small slice of the American energy portfolio -- roughly 8 per cent in 2021, of which only about 3 per cent as crude oil. The Department of Energy reported that in the last two weeks of February, Russian oil imports dropped to zero as US companies cut ties with Russia, effectively implementing their own ban, reported CNN. The leaders of Germany, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands on Monday said Europe was too dependent on Russian energy supplies to stop imports overnight as part of any eventual sanctions package in response to the invasion of Ukraine. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that although Berlin supported tough measures against Moscow, Russian energy supplies remained "essential" for daily life in Europe. "Europe's supply with energy for heating, for mobility, power supply and for the industry cannot at the moment be secured otherwise," Scholz said in a statement. Russia is the largest supplier of natural gas to Germany, currently accounting for 38 per cent of imports, according to government statistics. Gas accounts for around a fifth of German power production reported DW. (ANI)
China said that the UK and some of its politicians should refrain from engaging in anti-China manipulation or interfering in China's internal affairs on the Taiwan question. The warning comes after the Grand Committee of the House of Lords of the UK held a debate on "support for democracy in Taiwan" on March 3, during which some members referred to China's Taiwan region as "the Ukraine of the Far East" and advocated stronger "support" for and "protection" of Taiwan from the UK government, reported CGTN. The Chinese embassy spokesperson in the United Kingdom on Saturday in a statement firmly opposed and strongly condemned the move and said, "Stop playing with fire on the Taiwan question. Making such a comparison between the Taiwan question and the Ukraine issue, and advocating stronger support for and protection of Taiwan lay bare the total ignorance of certain UK politicians on history and the current situation as well as their presumptuous and sinister intention to undermine China's unity." Noting that there is but one China in the world and Taiwan is an inseparable part of it, the spokesperson said the one-China principle is the extensive consensus of the international community and a widely recognized norm governing international relations, reported CGTN. "No one should underestimate the strong determination, resolve and capability of the Chinese people in safeguarding the nation's sovereignty and territorial integrity," said the spokesperson. "We also urge the UK to abide by the one-China principle, avoid sending any wrong signal to the secessionist forces clamouring for 'Taiwan independence, and handle Taiwan-related issues in a discreet and appropriate manner." Since 1949, Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China. But the communist regime views the island as its province, while Taiwan -- a territory with its own democratically-elected government -- maintains that it is an autonomous country but stops short of declaring independence. (ANI)
After Beijing announced drills in the East Sea (known internationally as the South China Sea) Vietnam urged China not to violate its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf. "Part of the above-mentioned maritime area belongs to Vietnam's exclusive economic zone and continental shelf as determined under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). We ask China to respect Vietnam's sovereignty and not take actions to complicate the situation, thereby contributing to maintaining peace, security and stability in the East Sea area," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said on Monday, reported VNExpress International. Hang said that Vietnam always closely follows developments in the East Sea and exercises its sovereign rights and jurisdiction in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 UNCLOS. As per VNExpress International, the Hainan Maritime Safety Administration announced on March 4 the establishment of a no-go zone for military drills in the East Sea, the southwest of Hainan Island, saying the drills would start from the same day and last until March 15. China has held several drills in the East Sea recently, stoking regional tensions. In mid-February, the Chinese navy sent a Type 903 replenishment ship and a hospital ship to conduct search and rescue drills, maritime logistics and live ammunition firing in the East Sea, but did not disclose the specific location, reported VNExpress International. Tensions in the South China Sea area have continued to rise in the context of China's naval expansion and the establishment of military outposts on illegally built artificial islands. Meanwhile, the US and other Western nations such as Britain, France and Germany are increasing their military presence in the region. The US has also conducted many Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs) in the South China Sea to challenge China's illegal sovereignty claims. The "nine-dash line" claim that China has unilaterally and illegally made, covering almost the entire South China Sea area, has been clearly rejected by the international community. China has also illegally built seven rocks on Vietnam's Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago and turned them into artificial islands and militarized outposts. (ANI)
PM Chinh affirms strong partnership with US at business summit

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed the burgeoning development of the Vietnam  US relations over the past years at a business summit on March 8, noting Vietnam considers the US as one of its leading partners.









PM Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the US-Vietnam Business Summit 2022 on March 8.



Bilateral co-operation has been deepened substantively in various fields, especially in economy-investment-trade since the two countries established their comprehensive partnership back in 2013, PM Chinh told delegates attending the US-Vietnam business summit.



He thanked both the US Government and American businesses for their valuable support and assistance provided over the years. He also shared the difficulties and losses faced by firms due to the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic both globally and locally,



The PM went on to outline how the country is implementing a post-pandemic comprehensive socio-economic recovery programme which focusing on three breakthroughs in institutionalisation, infrastructure, and human resources. It is also ramping up the fight against corruption and strongly improving the local business-investment climate in a bid to reduce inconvenience for residents and businesses.



Most notably, Vietnam will not sacrifice social justice progress in exchange for economic growth, the PM stressed.



The Vietnamese Government is fully committed to creating favourable conditions for US firms to invest and conduct business effectively in the Vietnamese market, especially in areas where the US boasts strengths and Vietnam desires to develop, such as renewable energy, clean and sustainable energy, infrastructure, finance and banking, education and training, tourism, high technology, and hi-tech agriculture, he said.



PM Chinh proposed that US enterprises and other foreign-invested firms help further to strengthen the training of high-quality human resources, apply advanced management models, and promote research-development and innovation, in order to make Vietnam a more integral part of regional and global value chains.



For nearly three decades, the US has represented one of Vietnams top trading partners. Two-way trade between both sides has increased from US$450 million in 1995 when the two countries normalised relations, to more than US$110 billion last year, despite the prolonged impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.



Currently, the US makes up Vietnams second largest trading partner and largest export market, while Vietnam has risen to become the ninth largest trading partner of the US.



Vietnam is widely considered to be an important link in the global supply chain and this role is expected to continue to be promoted moving forward. Simultaneously, US companies and investors have contributed significantly to the transformation and growth of the Vietnamese economy.



During the event, speakers and participants discussed a variety of issues, including driving growth and innovation through the digital and creative economy, meeting energy development needs to fuel growth in the future, alongside ways to promote sustainable economic recovery.



The US-Vietnam Business Summit 2022 was jointly held by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), the US Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AmCham), and the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington DC (US Chamber).



Among the delegates on hand were US Presidential Envoy for Climate Change John Kerry, US Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Marisa Lago, and US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper.
Charles Barkley once called him the best fan in the NBA.

Robin Ficker, the then Washington Bullets die-hard known for his incessant taunting, was so good at getting in other peoples heads from his spot behind the visiting bench, teams would move their huddles to the court just to get away.

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No longer a super-fan, Ficker has become a perpetual political candidate, running for offices on libertarian, anti-tax platforms only to lose each time.

As a lawyer, the courts accused him in 1998 of running his firm like a taxi-cab company, picking up cases as indiscriminately as a yellow cab picks up riders.

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Forty years ago, when he was a Maryland Delegate, the Washington Post ran a story under the headline Robin Ficker: Attention Getter devoted to how annoying and ineffective his legislative colleagues found him, even if they liked him personally.

The Maryland Court of Appeals unanimously ruled last week to disbar Robin Ficker for professional incompetence and misconduct. (Jed Kirschbaum)

Now, Ficker, who is also a Republican gubernatorial candidate, is getting attention again, this time for getting banned from practicing law in Maryland.

The Maryland Court of Appeals unanimously ruled last week to disbar Ficker for professional incompetence and misconduct.

Representing a Prince Georges County man in a traffic case, Ficker in 2019 failed to properly file a continuance motion with the court, causing headaches for the judge and prosecutors while leaving his client on the ropes, according to the Court of Appeals ruling. When Ficker showed up in court, he showed up late and without his client.

My clients havent complained, Ficker said. Its always judges or lawyers who complain and they have an ax to grind.

Normally, a missed court date by an over-scheduled attorney or an accidental filing fumble would not result in disbarment, recently retired appellate Judge Robert McDonald wrote in the order to disbar. But this was different. This was Ficker.

McDonald, quoting William Shakespeare, wrote in the opinion that whats past is prologue, and Fickers most recent example of professional incompetence cant be viewed in a vacuum.

His lengthy disciplinary history since his admission may be unique in the annals of the bar, McDonald wrote.

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A member of the Maryland Bar since 1973, Ficker has been disciplined for professional misconduct eight times under three iterations of Marylands rules of conduct for lawyers, according to the courts opinion.

Ficker sees it differently, convinced the powers that be are out to make him look bad.

This case and my candidacy are inexplicably intertwined and its very political, Ficker told The Sun. And thats fine with me.

For the most recent episode of misconduct, the one that led to his disbarring, Ficker said everything was an honest misunderstanding, if only the court could have understood.

Fickers office assistant, Jason Kobin, who himself was disbarred in 2013, was supposed to file a motion to continue the traffic case in February 2019. Ficker had given Kobin authority to sign motions on his behalf, according to the Court of Appeals ruling, and Kobin signed and filed the motion on his behalf.

Typically, prosecutors are given a heads up when the defense plans to seek a continuance, and Fickers motion said it had the states attorneys blessing, even naming the assistant states attorney who agreed to it.

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There was only one problem: The attorney he named, Michael Palisano, had not worked in the states attorneys office since 2018 and was never involved in the case at hand.

According to the Court of Appeals ruling, Kobin said he filed the continuance motion after leaving the hospital against the advice of a doctor who wanted him to undergo emergency amputation surgery. Attempts to reach Kobin were unsuccessful.

He was in the hospital having part of his foot cut off and he made a mistake in how he filed that, Ficker said.

Afternoon Update Weekdays Updating you on the day's biggest news before the evening commute. >

Despite concerns, a judge granted the motion to continue and the case is still active, according to online court records.

Asked if losing the ability to practice law dampened his spirits or his finances, Ficker, who is also a licensed real estate broker, seemed unconcerned.

Its a hot market, he said.

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More pressing, Ficker said, is his bid to be Marylands next governor. Ficker had a TV interview Monday evening and is speaking Tuesday and Wednesday at gubernatorial climate forums sponsored by Maryland Matters. Hes the only Republican candidate slated to attend the forums.

Ficker is competing for the Republican nomination against Gov. Larry Hogans former commerce secretary Kelly Schulz and Del. Dan Cox, who is endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

A perennial losing candidate and supporter of anti-tax ballot initiatives, Ficker is certain this is the year Marylanders put him in Annapolis.

Im just getting warmed up.
More than 650 Indian students were evacuated from the war-torn Ukrainian city of Sumy on Tuesday. Sumy is a hub of educational institutions and is home to a large number of international students. Ever since the war broke out, it has become a theatre of intense battle. For the last several days, Sumy has been witnessing heavy shelling and intense exchange of fire between Russians and Ukrainian forces. Stuck in the quagmire, Indians and other international students had made several desperate pleas for evacuation via social media but the Indian mission and its teams on the ground were helpless as there was no safe passage in the war zone. Even at one stage supply of food and water became a difficult task. Moreover, both Russia and Ukraine failed to honour the ceasefire and bombings in and around the city continued unabated. An official familiar with developments told ANI, "It was a complicated and dangerous situation." The first attempt to evacuate students on March 7 failed, despite ceasefire and planning. Safe passage for students could not be secured as there was shelling and a lot of risks were involved, an official told ANI. The evacuation was then aborted. However, channels of communication and efforts to secure the safe exit of students continued. Subsequently, the matter was dealt with at the highest levels. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to both Russian President Vladamir Putin and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, during which both leaders assured the safe evacuation of students. On the other hand, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was in constant touch with counterparts from Russia, Ukraine and their neighbouring countries. Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla was holding meetings with ambassadors of Russia and Ukraine and their neighbouring countries in New Delhi. India also engaged with Red Cross both in Geneva and Ukraine seeking assistance in evacuation. Indian ambassador to Ukraine and his team were also constantly engaged with local authorities. Moreover, the defence ministry was also roped in. ANI has learnt that arrangements for the evacuation of stranded Indian students were made on both sides of Ukraine as well as the Russian border. Hiring buses in the war-torn region was also a daunting challenge, said one official. Ukrainian drivers were not willing to drive towards the Russian side. However, finally, local arrangements for buses were made. ANI has learnt from sources that India demanded escort from Ukraine and it was provided after some delay. Red Cross also helped and humanitarian passage for all international students was indeed created and students were finally evacuated. They were asked to maintain radio silence until they crossed the danger zone. Students boarded the buses and reached Poltava. They will be boarding a special train to cross the border and are expected to reach India tomorrow by special flights. India has brought back nearly 20,000 stranded citizens from the war-torn country. (ANI)
Passengers experienced an unsettling situation aboard an Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to Orlando on Sunday evening.

But the drama wasnt caused over mask-wearing or a drunken brawler. The trouble on Flight 16 came from a precocious, tech-savvy boy, who likely got a good talking-to later.

According to widespread media reports, shortly before the flight pulled into the terminal at Orlando International Airport, a message came over the intercom about a problem.

Were taxiing in and all of a sudden the plane gets interrupted with a peculiar notice that were going to park on an active runway for a moment, an unnamed passenger told WKMG. After that, they said there was a threat to the plane and that we are not going to be approaching any terminal for anytime soon.

Police boarded and soon realized that a 10-year-old had airdropped an ominous message to another traveler, who notified a crew member.

According to a statement from the Seattle-based carrier: After Alaska Airlines flight 16 from Seattle landed in Orlando, it parked remotely because of a potential threat that was later deemed non-credible. Police boarded and cleared the aircraft. The plane continued to its gate and passengers deplaned as normal. We take safety seriously and we apologize for the inconvenience for our guests.

The mom and jokester were escorted off. No charges were filed.
D'IBERVILLE, Miss.  A 120-mph (193-kilometer) chase in Mississippi ended with the arrest of a man accused of murder and sexual assault in Louisiana and of bank robbery in Mississippi, authorities said.

David Rester Jr., 51, was being held on $150,000 bond on a charge of failure to stop for police, the Harrison County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. Charges in Waveland, Mississippi, included armed robbery and three counts of kidnapping, according to the sheriff's office online inmate search page.

In Louisiana, Rester is accused of killing Bogalusa bar owner Marl Wayne Smith on March 3 and of robbing and physically and sexually battering a convenience store clerk Feb. 27 near Pearl River.

We are charging Rester with first degree murder and will be seeking the death penalty upon conviction in Smith's death, Sheriff Randy Seal of Washington Parish, Louisiana, said in a news release.

Rester was arrested Friday after a chase that started with an 11 a.m. bank robbery in Waveland, Mississippi, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southeast of Bogalusa. It reached 120 mph before ending in DIberville, about 30 miles further west, news outlets reported.

Seal said Rester's driver's license showed an address in the central Louisiana city of Vidalia, but he had been living in Bogalusa, about 110 miles (180 kilometers) east-southeast.

Detectives with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriffs Major Crime Unit and the Washington Parish Sheriffs Office developed information that led them to believe that the Pearl River-area and Bogalusa crimes were committed by the same person, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith said in a news release.

This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: 120-mph police chase nabs man accused in Louisiana and Mississippi
Two Florida State University students have been swept up in a years-long undercover FBI investigation into child pornography that spanned the state of Florida and involved a group of 50 people.

Sergio Romero, a 20-year-old former FSU student, was arrested in December on federal charges involving the distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography, according to a criminal complaint filed in the Southern District of Florida.

In early March, Ethan Grzywacz, an 18-year-old FSU freshman, was arrested on federal charges involving the attempted receipt and possession of child pornography with intent to view, according to a criminal complaint filed in the Northern District of Florida.

Group chats, encrypted messages and a web of child porn viewers untangled

The ongoing investigation, which has led to other arrests, began in September 2020, when an undercover FBI agent infiltrated an unnamed group chat on the Kik messaging application.

"The group members are like minded-individuals who post and/or share videos and images of a pornographic nature including child pornography," wrote an FBI agent in a probable cause affidavit, adding, there were "approximately 50 members" in the group chat.

An investigation into the group led to the arrest of Kevin Rebolledo of Miami-Dade County. After his arrest, he told investigators that he received child pornography through the Telegram messaging service before allowing them to "assume his online identity through Telegram," court records say.

That led investigators to Romero, who was arrested in December.

"In a post-Miranda interview, Romero admitted to possessing, sending, and receiving child pornography videos and images on Telegram," court records say. Investigators said that he was receiving and sharing the videos, many involving infants. They also said that he met and engaged in sexual activity with a 15-year-old.

Romero enrolled at Florida State University in the summer of 2020 and was last enrolled in the fall of 2021, said university spokesperson Amy Farnum-Patronis. He was seeking dual degrees in social work and family and child sciences.

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Florida State University moves up to No. 18 best public university in the country by U.S. News and World Report. Sept. 9, 2019

Another FSU student arrested: Florida State student arrested on his birthday for possession of child porn

FSU students trade fantasies, child pornography; one was in a dorm

Romero, following his arrest, allowed FBI agents to assume his online social media identities. They soon began to focus on the conversations Romero had with a user later identified as 18-year-old Grzywacz.

The two reportedly messaged each other between September and December about their fantasies involving sexual acts with young children and babies, according to investigators.

At one point, Grzywacz sent Romero a video of himself "naked on a couch in a large unoccupied common area," court records said.

Romero asked if the video was taken on the third-floor common area of Bryan Hall, a dormitory on FSU's campus. Grzywacz replied, "yes," according to court documents.

In the two months that the pair were communicating over Telegram, Romero sent Grzywacz 15 videos of child pornography, federal prosecutors allege.

Undercover FBI agent orchestrates sting operation on unsuspecting FSU student

On New Year's Day, an undercover agent began messaging Grzywacz on Telegram using Romero's account. About a month later, the agent said he recently purchased child pornography and was willing to sell it for $15 through the Venmo payment service.

Grzywacz sent the money to Romero's account the same day and, in exchange, investigators sent him a link that said there was a 1.13 GB folder containing 31 files. But, whenever he would click on them, nothing showed up.

"How do I play them? None of the videos play even after downloading the whole folder," he wrote the FBI agent on the other end. "All 31 of them, there is no play option just a black screen with a name."

Investigators concluded that Grzywacz sent these messages while in Tallahassee after the FSU Police Department provided agents with records from Splunk, "a centralized logs analysis tool ... (with) the capability of logging activity each time students access Florida State University's internet network," according to investigators.

In early March, he was arrested and subsequently placed on home detention, meaning he can't leave his home except for medical visits, religious services or employment.

He also can't speak with any minor unless his or her guardian is present. His computer access is restricted only to an "online school program through Florida State University," an affidavit read.

Grzywacz first enrolled at FSU, studying pre-chemical engineering, in the fall of 2021. He is still enrolled.

FILE -- The Florida State University campus in Tallahassee, Fla., May 26, 2018.

FSU pushes back on FBI characterization, says it doesn't track internet activities

In court records, an FBI agent wrote, "Florida State University uses Splunk to track the activity of its students and faculty on its network."

However, Farnum-Patronis denied that, saying, "To be clear, FSU does not actively monitor any individual users or track their activities on campus networks via Splunk Enterprise software or any other software. Splunk Enterprise can be used to confirm a specific users login credentials were used on the universitys networks at a given date and time."

She described Splunk Enterprise as a software product that enables license-holders to search and analyze data "gathered from the components of their IT infrastructure,"

"Licensees like FSU employ it for many purposes, including system performance monitoring, resource availability, and system health checks," she said in an email to the Democrat. "It can also be used to assess network security threats and vulnerabilities."

Contact Christopher Cann at ccann@tallahassee.com and follow @ChrisCannFL on Twitter.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Two Florida State University students face child pornography charges
Healthcare workers intubating a COVID patient

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The COVID-19 global death toll has surpassed 6 million as the pandemic enters its third year, according to data released by Johns Hopkins University.

On its own, the United States is nearing 1 million reported deaths.

The milestones come after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dropped their nationwide mask recommendation last month and is instead leaving the decision up to local governments, advising only those with high COVID-19 transmission levels to retain their mask mandates.

RELATED: CDC Dropping Nationwide Mask Recommendation with Most of the U.S. at 'Low or Medium' COVID Spread

"The idea we would get to 6 million is really inconceivable when I think back to two years ago," Mitchell Warren, executive director of AVAC, told The Washington Post. "Everything that has happened in the last 12 months, though, is a marker of our inability of translating the remarkable scientific progress, the remarkable product development into impact."

Experts note the 6 million total is likely an undercount, the Associated Press reports.

"Confirmed deaths represent a fraction of the true number of deaths due to COVID, mostly because of limited testing, and challenges in the attribution of the cause of death," Edouard Mathieu, head of data for Our World in Data, told the AP.

RELATED: Queen Elizabeth Meets with Justin Trudeau for First In-Person Engagement Since COVID Recovery

He added, "In some, mostly rich, countries, that fraction is high and the official tally can be considered to be fairly accurate, but in others it is highly underestimated."

Currently, Asia and Eastern Europe are being hit hardest as the omicron variant's impact arrived later in those areas, according to Jennifer Nuzzo, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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She added that Hong Kong's health care system is being overwhelmed by the current COVID wave.

"I think there's a real danger in getting complacent about it, and there's a risk that as the numbers pile up, you begin to see them as just numbers as opposed to human lives lost," Nuzzo told The Washington Post.

RELATED: New York to Lift Statewide Mask Mandate for Schools amid Declining COVID Cases, New CDC Guidelines

Global vaccine equity continues to be a factor in the death toll. Only 13.6 percent of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose, according to Our World in Data.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 76.5 percent of the U.S. population had received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and 65 percent had received a full course of the vaccine.

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from the CDC, WHO and local public health departments. PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMe to raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, click here.




More than 70 percent of Americans surveyed in a new poll say the Biden administration should ban Russian oil over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, even if it leads to higher gas prices in the U.S.

The Quinnipiac poll found that 71 percent of respondents supported a ban on Russian oil, including 66 percent of Republicans and 82 percent of Democrats.

Slightly more than 1 in 5 respondents - 22 percent - were opposed and 7 percent did not know or did not answer.

Congress could vote on legislation banning Russian oil within days, as support for the initiative appears to be growing.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), for example, has said she is "all for it."

President Biden's administration had initially been opposed to a ban on imports from the world's third-largest oil producer amid soaring domestic gas prices. But as Russia's invasion of Ukraine intensifies, administration officials have softened their position.

The president is expected to announce Tuesday that the U.S. will ban Russian oil, natural gas and coal imports in response to the invasion.

Western nations have slapped Russia with numerous sanctions that have punished the country's economy; however, most Americans in the new poll say the measures imposed by the U.S. have not been strong enough.

According to the survey, 56 percent of Americans say the U.S. has not been tough enough, while 30 percent say the Biden administration's measures have been about right.

When asked if Biden is responding to Russia's invasion well, Americans are more split, with 42 percent of those surveyed approving and 45 percent disapproving, including 76 percent of Republicans disapproving and 77 percent of Democrats approving.

The poll also shows that most Americans surveyed - 78 percent - support accepting Ukrainian refugees into the U.S.

And most Americans support fighting back against Russia should its forces attack a member of NATO, a security alliance that ensures an attack against one country is an attack against all.

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About 79 percent of respondents support fighting Russia were it to attack a NATO ally.

The poll of 1,374 adults, conducted between March 4 and 6, has a sampling error of 2.6 percentage points.

--Updated at 9:29 a.m.
The Daily Beast

Claudio Peri/Pool/ReutersROMESince the beginning of Russias invasion of Ukraine, Pope Francis has floated the idea that he wants to take a trip to Kyiv to try to broker a ceasefire. But now he says he would prefer to go to Moscow to try to talk some sense into Vladimir Putin, who he has not outwardly condemned in the now nearly three-month-old war and only did so lightly in a lengthy interview with an Italian newspaper.I feel that before going to Kyiv, I must go to Moscow, he told Corriere D
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson on Tuesday rejected opposition calls to consider joining NATO following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, saying an application now would destabilize security in Europe.

Sweden has not been in a war since 1814 and has built its foreign policy on non-participation in military alliances, but it has forged ever closer ties to NATO in recent years as tensions with Russia in the Baltic region have risen.

Russia's invasion, which it calls a "special military operation", has renewed calls for Sweden to join NATO, alongside Finland, which has also remained outside the bloc.

"If Sweden were to choose to send in an application to join NATO in the current situation, it would further destabilize this area of Europe and increase tensions," Andersson told reporters.

"I have been clear during this whole time in saying that what is best for Sweden's security and for the security of this region of Europe is that the government has a long-term, consistent and predictable policy and that is my continued belief."

Russia does not want Finland or Sweden to join NATO and late last month, Moscow made its latest warning of "serious military-political consequences" if they did.

Andersson was speaking after meeting opposition party leaders to discuss the worsening security situation.

A poll on Friday by Demoskop and commissioned by Aftonbladet newspaper showed 51% of Swedes were in favour of NATO membership, up from 42% in January. People against joining fell to 27% from 37%. It's the first time such a poll has shown a majority in favour.

Ulf Kristersson, the leader of the Moderates, called on the government to begin broad domestic political discussions about NATO membership, a debate that has already started in Finland.

Finland and Sweden have close military ties and a move by one to join NATO would put added pressure on the other to apply.

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"It is urgent," Kristersson told news agency TT.

"We can't get behind a wind-break and hope that it all blows over and then be surprised by a Finnish decision in a month or two."

(Reporting by Simon Johnson, editing by Anna Ringstrom and Nick Macfie)
A line of cars waits to enter Andrews Joint Base near the main gate after reports of an armed intruder entering the base caused a lockdown Sunday. (Alex Brandon/AP)

Two intruders, at least one of them armed, entered Joint Base Andrews on Sunday night, apparently after the return there of Vice President Kamala Harris, according to several accounts.

Early Monday, officials said the facilitys main gate had reopened after a full sweep of the base was completed. Officials said they confirmed that one of the intruders who was on the loose had departed the base.

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The other intruder, a 17-year-old boy, was arrested Sunday night and remains in custody, base officials said. He was carrying a firearm at the time of his arrest, according to base officials.

No shots were fired, and there were no reports of injuries.

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The intruders drove a stolen vehicle through a security checkpoint at the main gate about 9 p.m. and failed to heed guards orders, base officials said late Sunday in a statement.

Cars wait to exit Andrews Joint Base near the Virginia gate Sunday night. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

Barriers were deployed, according to the statement. The vehicle was stopped, but two people fled, the base said.

Units from Prince Georges County police, Maryland State Police and D.C. police, along with Air Force personnel, responded to the breach. They worked alongside base authorities to fully clear the installation, according to the statement. Prince Georges Police said Monday that the vehicle involved was taken in a carjacking in the county on Feb. 26 on Southern Avenue in Oxon Hill.

The incident Sunday, which is under investigation, appeared to be one of the most serious breaches of security in memory at Andrews, which is a few miles outside Washington, in the Camp Springs area of suburban Prince Georges County.

Afternoon Update Weekdays Updating you on the day's biggest news before the evening commute. >

It was unclear late Sunday what motivated the incident and why the intruders entered the base.

Harris and several Cabinet members had traveled to Selma, Alabama, to commemorate the anniversary of Bloody Sunday, in which police attacked peaceful protesters in 1965. They left Alabama on Air Force Two about 6:45 p.m. Sunday and landed in Maryland about 9 p.m.

Cars wait to exit Andrews Joint Base near the Virginia gate. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

A White House official confirmed by about 9:40 p.m. that all four Cabinet secretaries  Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan  left the base safely.

A report of the armed individual on base was sent at 9:06 p.m. via NPRs Scott Detrow, who was traveling with the group. The president was not at Joint Base Andrews on Sunday because he traveled directly from Delaware to the White House via a helicopter.

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Harris departed via Marine Two before the report was made public, according to reports from journalists traveling with Harris that were confirmed by the vice presidents office.

Col. Tyler Schaff, the commander of Joint Base Andrews, commended responders who raised the installations barriers and captured the suspect. Safeguarding the base and its personnel is a top priority, Schaff said.

The Washington Posts Dana Hedgpeth, Clarence Williams and Katie Mettler contributed to this article.
The 16-year-old shooter wanted for gunning down a teen worker at an Arizona McDonalds has turned himself into authorities.

Gunfire broke out inside the popular fast food chain in Phoenix on Wednesday around 10 a.m. Police said an altercation unfolded in the bathroom between the two teen boys in the moments leading up to the shooting.

Prince Nedd, 16, was fatally struck amid the violence and pronounced dead on the scene, according to a statement from authorities.

On Wednesday, police identified the alleged gunman as Christopher Track, who fled on foot before law enforcement officers arrived at the McDonalds.

Track turned himself in on Monday to the Phoenix Police Department.

Authorities believe the teens knew each other, but their exact relationship was unclear.

An investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
WARSAW (Reuters) -Around 1.2 million people have fled to Poland since Russia sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what Moscow calls a "special operation", the Polish Border Guard said on Tuesday.

A total of 141,500 people crossed from Ukraine into Poland on Monday, fewer than on Sunday.

On Tuesday, 35,300 people entered Poland by 7 a.m. (0600 GMT), 16% fewer than during the first seven hours of Monday.

(Reporting by Pawel Florkiewicz; Writing by Alicja Ptak; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Ed Osmond)
ASHBURN, VA  Several restaurants around Ashburn, Dulles, and Sterling recorded violations during recent inspections from the Loudoun County Health Department. The inspections occurred between Feb. 23 and March 1.

COVID-19 restrictions have relaxed around the state, so health inspectors are returning to conduct some restaurant inspections in person. However, some visits, such as those for training purposes, can be conducted virtually.

Violations at restaurants typically focus on factors that can contribute to food contamination. The local health department can also perform a re-inspection to ensure that possible violations have been corrected.

Read more: Ashburn Restaurant Inspections: Okada, Matchbox, Chipotle

For every observed violation, the inspector provides a specific corrective action that can be completed to rectify the violation. Sometimes these are simple, and violations can be corrected during the course of the inspection.

Here are the most recent inspections from around Ashburn, Dulles, and Sterling, as they were written by the Loudoun County Health Department.

Samurai Sushi Restaurant, 43150 Broadlands Center Plaza #162 Ashburn, VA 20148 Date inspected: Feb. 23 Total violations: 2 Handwashing facilities in the restroom observed without hot running water. Ventilation hood observed with heavy accumulation of dust.

Yens Kitchen & Sushi Bar, 44640 Waxpool Rd #100 Ashburn, VA 20147

Date inspected: Feb. 23 Total violations: 4 Two out of the three hand sinks in the back kitchen are filled with employee personal belongings such as coats and sweaters. Hand sinks appear to not be in use. Raw animal proteins were observed stored over ready to eat foods in the following places: - a container of raw ground pork stored on top of a container of noodles in the walk in cooler. - bag of raw diced chicken over cooked tofu in the walk in cooler - raw salmon and beef stored over lettuce leaves and basil leaves in the open air cooler next to the cook line. Facility does not have established date marking procedures in place for prepared ready to eat TCS (time/temperature control for safety) foods. A bulk of the menu items are prepared daily however during today's inspection EHS observed several RTE TCS foods that were prepared on Monday (2/21) according to the PIC without date markings. The restaurant is closed on Tuesdays. Fried tofu, fried chicken, cooked lo mein noodles, cooked pork belly all observed without a date mark. There is an sticky fly trap hanging from the ceiling over the cook line above exposed food and food preparation areas. There is also one hanging in the ware washing area.

Subway, 43150 Broadlands Center Plaza #116 Ashburn, VA 20148

Date inspected: Feb. 23 Total violations: 2 Person in charge (PIC) unable to provide the signed copies of Form 1B (food employee reporting agreement). Handwashing facility near the three compartment sink observed without paper towels.

Sheetz- #666, 21304 Windmill Parc Dr Sterling, VA 20166

Date inspected: Feb. 24 Total violations: 1 Observed quat sanitizer at 3 compartment sink recording concentration of less than 100 ppm.

Burger 21, 21305 Windmill Parc Dr #160 Dulles, VA 20166

Date inspected: Feb. 24 Total violations: 1 A sign or poster that notifies food employees to wash their hands is not provided at all lavatories used by food employees

Bawarchi Biryanis, 44640 Waxpool Rd, #150 Ashburn, VA 20147

Date inspected: Feb. 24 Total violations: 4 Food items in the refrigeration unit across from the cook line second from the right are cold holding at improper temperatures. Food items cooling in large buckets and large containers, preventing proper cooling. Food, including containers of sugar and spices, are uncovered in the dry storage areas. Food items stored less than 6" from floor in dry storage areas and in refrigeration unit. No sanitizer testing devices provided for the QAC solution at the 3 compartment sink.

International House of Pancakes, 44030 Pipeline Plaza Ashburn, VA 20147

Date inspected: Feb. 24 Total violations: 1 Hollandaise sauce was observed hot holding at 130F.

Golden Path Academy, 21631 Ridgetop Circle #150 Sterling, VA 20166

Date inspected: Feb. 25 Total violations: 1 Receiving temperature for cooked rice and beans in a plastic container and cooked corn registered at 86F and 110F respectively.

Eddie Merlots, 20350 Minot Dr Ashburn, VA 20147

Date inspected: Feb. 25 Total violations: 5 Improper date marking in that several food items such as soups and dressings in the walk in refrigerator observed with no dates or improper date marking. Sliced tomatoes, leafy micro greens, sour cream and dressings in two of the one door reach in refrigerator in kitchen registered at between 47F to 50F. As per the PIC said food were held in said unit overnight. Cheese and dressings registered at 46F in top and rear section of the eight drawer low boy refrigerator. Said unit observed not circulating cold air adequately to evenly cool the unit. Two handwashing facilities in the kitchen observed without paper towels. Establishment is unable to provide procedures for employees to follow when responding to vomiting or diarrheal events.

Farmwell Station Middle School, 44281 Gloucester Pkwy Ashburn, VA 20147

Date inspected: Feb. 25 Total violations: 1 Several old glue traps in dry storage area- located in the corner to the immediate right and under the rack on the immediate left of the door.

Super Chicken Dulles Inc., 45591 Dulles Eastern Plaza #194 Sterling, VA 20166

Date inspected: Feb. 25 Total violations: 3 Food debris observed around the outside rim of the large white containers used to marinate whole chickens. Containers were in the clean stack by the back door. Three prepared salads (TCS- time temperature control for safety foods) observed cold holding at improper temperatures in the serve line cold holding unit. Cole slaw 44F, pasta salad 45F, sliced tomato salad 44F. Cooked yuca (51F) cold holding at improper temperatures next to the fryer. The person in charge (pic) stated that it sits at room temperature next to the fryer during the lunch rush. Bags of rice observed stored directly on the ground in the dry storage closet.

Sterling Middle School, 201 West Holly Avenue Sterling, VA 20164

Date inspected: Feb. 25 Total violations: 1 Employee restroom observed without covered trash receptacle.

Pizza 360, 21760 Beaumeade Circle #130 Ashburn, VA 20147

Date inspected: Feb. 28 Total violations: 3 No person in charge present at time of inspection Test device for chlorine sanitizer expired 2019 Hand sink in kitchen is slow to drain.

A Plus 40066H / Laredo Taquerea, 44950 Rudder Road Dulles, VA 20166

Date inspected: Feb. 28 Total violations: 1 An irreversible registering temperature indicator was not provided for the hot water mechanical ware washing operation.

Sense Of Thai, 20413 Exchange St Ashburn, VA 20147

Date inspected: Feb. 28 Total violations: 15 The person in charge is not able to relate information on the primary symptoms of illnesses/diseases that are transmissible through food. Person in charge (PIC) observed drinking from open cup in kitchen. Cook observed garnishing the ready to eat food with sprouts using bare hands. Handwashing sink next to the oven in the kitchen observed without paper towels. Handwashing facility close to the three compartment sink observed without hot running water. Raw animal food stored over ready-to-eat food in the refrigeration unit in that raw shell eggs observed stored above vegetables (carrots and celeries) in walk in refrigerator. Improper cooling in that three containers of green curry registered at 48F in the walk in refrigerator. As per the PIC, said food were prepared a day prior and placed in the walk in refrigerator. Cooked pork registered at 45F in low boy refrigerator in kitchen. The prepared ready-to-eat (RTE) food in the low boy refrigerator in kitchen were held beyond the marked disposition date (past 7 days). Containers of bleach and soap observed placed next to containers of vinegar in the shelf in kitchen Several wet wiping clothes improperly stored between use in that wet wiping clothes observed left on prep tables throughout the kitchen. In-use utensils improperly stored between use. Cutting boards observed deeply stained and discolored Floor tiles observed broken with water accumulation in gaps. Ventilation hood observed with heavy accumulation of grease and dust.

Koyla Bar B Q Lounge, 45965 Regal Plaza Sterling, VA 20165

Date inspected: March 1 Total violations: 4 A spray bottle of orange tinted liquid was observed at the three basin sink by the back door A container of Chick Peas that had been cooked on 2/25/22 was observed without a date. Both handwashing sinks in the kitchen do not have hand drying provisions. One has no soap. One is being used for dumping, evident by food debris within the sink (rice). The facility does have an employee health reporting policy, but it is not onsite to be verified.

Mediterranean Breeze Restaurant, 20693 Ashburn Rd #100 Ashburn, VA 20147

Date inspected: March 1 Total violations: 11 There was no verifiable employee health policy available. There was an extension cord in the hand sink at bar. Hand sink in kitchen the hot water was turn off. Multiple gallons of milk with an expiration date of 1/27/2022. Observed raw lamb chops store next to raw ground beef in walk in cooler. Observed cut tomatoes 50F, diced tomatoes 46F, raw chicken 46F in prep cooler. Mouska, pastitsis, and stuffed grape leaves with no date make for disposition. Observed no asterisk on the menu to indicate what food item are raw or undercooked for Greek burger and house balsamic vinaigrette is made with raw eggs. Observed in walk in cooler bottles water, raw chicken, and bottled beer stored on the floor. Observed both prep coolers with build up dirt and grime. Observed BBQ in kitchen/storage area not for restaurant use.

Rupa Viras Catering Services, LLC, 21760 Beaumeade Circle Ste 120 Ashburn, VA 20147

Date inspected: March 1 Total violations: 2 A time control for safety plan is needed for the small refrigeration unit across from the cook line, as well as the rice steamer by the entrance to the kitchen, to ensure that no food remains in the temperature danger zone for more than 4 hours. No testing devices for the QAC sanitizer at the 3 compartment sink, chlorine test strips for the dish machine expired.

Reggios Treehouse, 19455 Deerfield Ave, Suite 101 Lansdowne, VA 20176

Date inspected: March 1 Total violations: 1 A spray bottle with clear liquid and no identifying information was found in the kitchen. (Diluted bleach solution for sanitizing)



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Here are the restaurants that recorded flawless violations:



This article originally appeared on the Ashburn Patch
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)  A high-profile Oklahoma attorney is asking the state Supreme Court to stop the special election for Oklahomas open U.S. Senate seat, arguing the U.S. Constitution does not allow a special election to fill the post until it's vacant.

Enid attorney Stephen Jones, who gained national prominence as the attorney for convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, filed the lawsuit late Monday.

Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, 87, the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced last month that he plans to resign in January, just two years into his six-year term. He submitted an irrevocable pledge" to the Oklahoma Secretary of State's Office on Feb. 28, triggering a new state law that allows the governor to set special election dates that coincide with Oklahoma's regularly scheduled primary, runoff and general election dates. Gov. Kevin Stitt set the special election dates on March 1.

But Jones argues in his lawsuit that the governor lacked the authority to do so because Inhofe hasn't vacated the office yet. He wants the state Supreme Court to direct the Oklahoma Election Board not to accept declarations of candidacy for the office or print ballots for the contest. The lawsuit contends the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits such an election until there is a vacancy and that the governor should appoint a replacement for Inhofe after he officially vacates the office next year.

Oklahoma Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax, who is the defendant in the lawsuit, declined to comment, citing the pending litigation. Ziriax will be represented by the Office of the Attorney General. A spokeswoman for Oklahoma Attorney General John O'Connor said the office will respond in a brief once the court sets a briefing schedule.

Inhofe's announcement has already triggered a series of political dominoes as politicians eyed a potential move to higher office. U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin already announced he's leaving his 2nd Congressional District seat to run. Other Republican candidates include state Sen. Nathan Dahm and Inhofe's former chief of staff, Luke Holland. Among potential Democratic candidates are former U.S. Rep. Kendra Horn, who won the 5th Congressional District seat in one of the biggest upsets of the 2018 midterm elections, before Republicans captured the seat back in 2020.

Mullin's decision also led to a flurry of announcements by Republicans for his seat that covers most of eastern Oklahoma, including Oklahoma Republican Party Chairman and former state Rep. John Bennett; state Sen. Marty Quinn, of Claremore; Muskogee pharmacist Chris Schiller; and Army veteran Erick Wyatt.
(Reuters) - Australian refiner Viva Energy said on Tuesday it would stop buying Russian crude oil, joining a growing number of companies to sever trade ties with the country over its invasion of Ukraine.

Viva joins a spate of companies limiting, putting on hold, or exiting business activities in Russia following a wave of sanctions imposed on Moscow after the invasion - the biggest on a European state since World War Two.

A spokesperson for Ampol, Australia's only other refiner, said the company has not bought Russian crude oil or products since the conflict started.

Viva, which operates in Australia under the Shell brand, said it was "appalled" by the events in Ukraine, while Ampol said it condemned Russia's actions and supported international sanctions against the country.

Both companies said that they source crude from many different countries, and that they would be able to maintain supplies as the Australian transport energy market was not overly reliant on Russian crude.

"Product supply chains in Australia also typically operate without any Russian oil products," Ampol said.

However, Ampol acknowledged that the events in Ukraine and current international sanctions were putting pressure on global oil prices and this was impacting Australian retail fuel prices.

Reports that the United States and European allies were considering banning Russian oil imports drove oil prices to their highest levels since 2008 on Monday.

Shares of both fuel suppliers fell more than 3%, in a muted broader market.

(Reporting by Sameer Manekar and Arundhati Dutta in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu AND mICHAEL pERRY)
Lionel Messi departed Barcelona and joined Paris Saint-Germain last summer (PA Archive)

Barcelona president Joan Laporta says that he does not regret the decision to allow Lionel Messi to leave the Camp Nou for Paris Saint-Germain last summer.

Messi had spent more than 20 years at the Catalan club, but after Barcelona fell into financial difficulties the terms of a new deal could not be realised, and the forward was able to leave as a free agent.

The Argentina captain has since secured a seventh Ballon dOr despite enduring an injury-disrupted first season in the French capital.

Laporta admits that Messis departure was the hardest decision that he has ever had to make but the 59-year-old says he put the club first.

It was the hardest decision I made, Laporta told BarcaTV+ of Messis departure.

I didnt want to make the decision. Messi is the best player in history, but that was our situation.

I had to make a big decision about Messi, but I do not regret it. No-one is above the club. With Messi the reality hit us. Theres nothing else to it.

But Barcelonas history continues, and with hard work and correct decisions we can return to the path of success. Thats what were doing.

Messi has scored only twice in 17 Ligue 1 games for his new club.

Barcelona have had their own struggles adjusting to the end of the 34-year-olds time at the club, moving on from Ronald Koeman as manager in October.

The Dutchman was replaced by Messis former teammate Xavi, who has guided the club to third in La Liga, 15 points behind leaders Real Madrid.
Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz arrive for a screening of





The Asian-American community has expressed criticism over a scene in the new "The Batman" film that depicts an Asian man being followed in the New York City subway, NBC News reported.

The scene, which occurs during the first 10 minutes of the movie, shows Batman, played by actor Robert Pattinson, stopping a group of assailants from attacking the man, with the superhero calling it "vengeance."

NBC News cited critics on Twitter who called the scene "triggering" and insensitive to their community. Some tweeted warnings to those in the Asian American community about the scene.

Criticism of the scene in the latest Batman film comes amid the death of Michelle Go, an Asian-American woman, who was killed after being pushed in front of a New York City subway train earlier this year.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, violence toward Asian Americans has become more rampant.

President Biden signed into law the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act last May, aimed to combat the rise of anti-Asian attacks that occurred during the last two years.

The Batman movie was filmed between January 2020 to March 2021, amid the ongoing pandemic and during the spike of Anti-Asian crime.
The Biden administration urged a circuit court panel Tuesday to revive the Covid-19 vaccination mandate for federal employees put on hold by a lower court judge earlier this year.

This is not something thats outside the mainstream, Justice Department attorney Charles Scarborough told members of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The hearing details: Scarborough told the New Orleans-based court that the presidents directive was issued in his capacity as the head of the government workforce, and that the job market acts as an appropriate check on his actions.

The president is acting as an employer competing with other employers, Scarborough said. That is a significant limiting principle.

He also argued that the need for the mandate has only intensified as more employees are transitioning back to working in offices as opposed to their homes.

Widespread vaccination is really the foundation for all the plans to return to physical workspaces, which are now underway, he said.

However, attorney Trent McCotter, arguing on behalf of the group of federal workers who brought the legal challenge, said that Bidens actions lack precedent and are beyond his unilateral authority.

Theyre hanging on the thinnest of reeds, he said.

What we really have is a general health regulation. Its not regulating federal employees as federal employees, McCotter said at another point.

The three-judge panel  comprised of two jurists appointed by President Bill Clinton and one by George H.W. Bush  did not offer much indication about which way they were leaning, and a substantial portion of the oral arguments was devoted to granular questions about the applicability of the Civil Service Reform Act, the 1978 law that serves as a bedrock of the federal workforce system.

Whats at stake: The president announced in September that the more than 3.5 million federal workers would be required to get vaccinated. Unlike other mandates, federal workers were not given the option to get regularly tested in lieu of vaccination unless they received a qualifying medical or religious exemption.

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Those who did not comply with the policy would have faced professional repercussions, including possible termination.

Background: A federal judge in Texas blocked implementation of the Biden administrations mandate on federal employees in January and a different panel of 5th Circuit judges voted 2-1 last month against allowing it to go into effect while the appeals process plays out.

The case is one of several that has hamstrung the Biden administrations attempts to implement pandemic policies via executive action. The onslaught of challenges have been brought by business groups, Republican-led states, some unions and individuals averse to the vaccines.

Earlier this year the Supreme Court stymied enforcement of a requirement issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that workers at businesses with more than 100 employees get vaccinated against Covid-19 or undergo weekly testing, a mandate that would have applied to roughly 84 million workers.

The high courts ruling prompted OSHA to withdraw the emergency standard shortly thereafter, though the Labor Department has said it would explore other ways to regulate Covid-19 in the workplace.

However, the Supreme Court did permit a similar rule applying to health care workers issued by a separate federal agency to move forward.

Whats next: The appellate did not give a timeline for when it would hand down its ruling on the case.
People watch from an overpass as trucks and other vehicles with the "People's Convoy," protesting mandates and other issues, head south on Interstate I-270 on Sunday in Frederick toward the Capital Beltway. (Jon Elswick/AP)

Hundreds of trucks, cars and SUVs protesting the governments response to the coronavirus pandemic circled the Capital Beltway on Monday for a second day as the group announced that it secured a meeting in Washington with two senators.

Organizer Brian Brase said that the group, which began its demonstration Sunday with two loops around the Beltway, has no plans to take the protest beyond the highway but acknowledged that theres a faction of the convoy that wants to head into the nations capital. Authorities said traffic disruptions Monday were minimal and there were no reports of convoy-related incidents during the groups single loop of the 64-mile Beltway.

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A lot of people want me to say certain things and put this convoy into a certain direction, Brase said Monday during a meeting with drivers. Im not going to listen to all of them. Im going to listen to the people.

The group says it wants to hold lawmakers accountable for the governments pandemic responses, describing frustrations with workplace vaccination mandates and other measures intended to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Members of the convoy will meet Tuesday with Sens. Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Republican, and Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, although it wasnt clear whether that would alter the convoys plans for the rest of the week.

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An advisory from Johnsons office indicated that the senators would meet on Capitol Hill with convoy members to discuss the harmful effects of President Bidens vaccine mandates.

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democratic from the District of Columbia, said she spoke Monday with U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger, who said he wasnt expecting security threats as a result of the convoy and that traffic disruptions were minimal. Citing reports that convoy members wanted to meet with members of Congress, Norton said she hopes the group will be satisfied and go home.

It looks like they understand that blocking traffic doesnt help their cause, whatever their cause is, Norton said. It seems their cause has dissolved with masks coming down, and COVID no longer quite the problem it has been nationwide.

Joel Valdez, a spokesman for Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican, said the congressman and two other House members planned to host an invitation-only roundtable discussion with truckers Tuesday, although it wasnt clear whether the group was the same as those involved in the convoy.

The Peoples Convoy rolled out of its base at the Hagerstown Speedway onto Route 40 on Monday morning, making its way from Interstates 81 to 70, then to I-270 before merging onto the Beltway. It took about 25 minutes for the convoy to pass, with several breaks in between. The convoy was made up of about 130 large trucks, as well as hundreds of smaller vehicles.

It included a teal bobtail flying American flags pulling a sign that read Farmers and Truckers for Freedom. Hundreds of pickup trucks and cars trailed, carrying various flags with slogans including Dont Tread On Me.

The trucks traveled at speeds between 20 and 50 mph, mostly in the right lane as they tried to stay together, while leaving enough space for other traffic to weave between trucks. Construction workers stopped in the median to wave and cheer. On almost every overpass between Hagerstown and the Beltway, people waved flags and signs. Convoy drivers honked in response.

Brase, a 37-year-old truck driver from northwest Ohio, said a Monday morning delay in returning to Washington was the result of security concerns. The group merged onto the Beltway about 12:40 p.m., hours after lengthy discussions began in Hagerstown about the days plans.

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There were concerns about people trying to come in here who didnt belong, he told supporters, warning that those who intend to cause harm, violence and disruption were not welcome.

Authorities across the D.C. region have monitored the group and warned drivers about potential traffic problems.

Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corrine Geller said that the agency will continue to follow the plan it had in place over the weekend. She said there were no serious problems reported Monday.

Theyre moving, she said, adding that the convoy didnt cause major traffic issues. Its Northern Virginia, so its bad on a good day, but weve had no complaints from other motorists.

D.C. Police Chief Robert J. Contee III told reporters at a Monday briefing that officials continue to monitor the convoy. While peaceful demonstrations are welcome, he said, Contee warned that there are certain things in the District we are not going to tolerate. He did not elaborate.

Shortly after the convoy crossed the Potomac on Monday, the parade of hundreds of big rigs, pickup trucks, motor homes, at least one charter bus and scores of cars streamed past, taking up two middle lanes and moving at normal speeds. The procession was broken into about five rolling segments, each typically led by two semis, parallel with one another, as cars and trucks trailed.

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Big trucks blasted their horns and occasionally belched diesel fumes as they passed.

American flags were draped across truck grilles or shot up from door frames and pickup beds, many accompanied by the Canadian flag or the yellow Gadsden flag. Trucks carried both hand-drawn and professionally printed banners that read Freedom Convoy 2022.

On the Lewinsville Road overpass in Fairfax County, a woman in workout attire yelled Lets go Brandon! as she waved to the convoy below. The phrase is code for a profane expression against President Joe Biden.

The convoy didnt appear to cause significant slowdowns for other travelers, who moved in and out of the procession.

Brase told the drivers and supporters gathered by the makeshift stage in the Hagerstown Speedway parking lot that they would be looping the Beltway again on Tuesday. Another organizer will announce the timing of the convoys departure to the Beltway at the daily 8 a.m. drivers meeting, Brase said.

Today was an extreme success, Brase told the cheering crowd on Monday night after rain delayed their smaller nighttime rally. Tomorrow will be the exact same thing, but the best part is this time some of us are going to be sitting in D.C., so that they know that we got you right out on the Beltway doing a lap.

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The group plans to stay at the Hagerstown Speedway at least through Saturday, Brase said in an interview Sunday, adding that he hopes this is all over by Wednesday. Crowds at the speedway have shown support for former President Donald Trump and disdain for Biden.

At times during Mondays pre-departure briefing, people cheered to show their support, shouting, Were with you! and calling out Brian! Brian! in hopes of getting his attention and answers to questions about the groups future.

Afternoon Update Weekdays Updating you on the day's biggest news before the evening commute. >

He reiterated that he did not want to go into D.C. at this time or block the Beltway.

If we shut down the Beltway, we lose our public support, Brase said. We do not want to shut down the Beltway. We just want them to hear us roar.

Brase said drivers had to meet a minimum speed of 55 mph. It was difficult to distinguish which vehicles were part of the demonstration on Sunday after the group merged with regular Beltway traffic.

The largest Peoples Convoy group left Adelanto, California, on Feb. 23 for a cross-country trip and arrived in Hagerstown on Friday night. Many made the 2,500-mile journey from Southern California, while others joined along the way.

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Im hopeful that we have successful dialogue with congressmen and women and senators that help get what were looking for pushed through in a timely fashion, Brase said in an interview Sunday. If they dont come to the table to meet with us or they ignore us, then every day it will escalate.

Brase said Sunday that the group is coordinating with law enforcement to avoid impeding traffic and acknowledged that obviously theres a natural disturbance. Were hoping one lap by two lanes, so we get back here sooner before rush hour or anything like that.

The Washington Posts Paul Duggan, Meagan Flynn, Peter Hermann, Marianna Sotomayor and Eugene Scott contributed to this article.
President Biden heads toward Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House for a trip home to Delaware for the weekend on Friday, March 4, 2022.





President Biden will request $2.6 billion for foreign assistance programs that promote general equality worldwide, he announced on International Women's Day on Tuesday.

The funds will be part of his fiscal 2023 budget request to Congress and will double the amount requested for gender programs last year.

"On this day and every day, let us recognize that all of us have a better future when women and girls can reach their full potential - and together, let's renew our efforts to advance dignity, equality, and limitless possibilities for all," Biden said in a statement.

The president said International Women's Day is a time to recognize the achievements of women and girls, celebrate progress, and recommit to work that needs to be done.

"Ensuring that every woman and girl has that chance isn't just the right thing to do - it's also a strategic imperative that advances the prosperity, stability, and security of our nation and the world. Yet too often, in too many places, women and girls face obstacles that limit their possibilities and undermine their participation in economic, political, and social life," Biden said.

He noted that barriers women face were exposed and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which impacted women's labor force participation, showed the burden on caregivers, and increased gender-based violence.

Tuesday also marks the one-year anniversary of Biden creating the White House Gender Policy Council through executive order, which is responsible for leading a government-wide effort to advance gender equity and equality in the U.S. and globally.
With tears streaming down her face, Brittany Griffin locked the door of her beauty salon. She knew Queen B Dynasty was closed for good.

Owner Brittany Griffin helps customer Pia Singleton at Bee Unique Beauty Supply next to Queen B Dynasty on South Main Street in Boiling Springs Thursday afternoon, March 3, 2022.

It was heartbreaking, said Griffin. When I closed the doors, I didnt think I was coming back. I gave up on it.

When the pandemic tore through Cleveland County, Griffin was ordered to close her doors. She was just one year into entrepreneurship, having opened her salon in 2019.

But the pandemic could not take away her calling and Feb. 19, Griffin added Bee Unique Beauty Supply to her hair salon on 433 S. Main St. in Boiling Springs.

Im a hair stylist, said Griffin. If I ran out of something, I had to stop what I was doing and drive 15-30 minutes out to get what I needed. That was a problem. We needed a hair store, so I opened one up.

Griffin, who grew up in Cleveland County and graduated from Crest High School, pointed out the lack of hair supply stores for Black women. Even though she grew up in the area, her new business has attracted customers she never met before.

There are African Americans who live here but I dont feel like there is anything here for us, said Griffin. Before, it seemed as though there were no other Black people that live here. Everyone is excited about having a hair store.

Griffin worked as an ingredient handler for Nestle Frozen Food Co. before following her passion. She grew up watching her father run a hair store and knew she wanted to follow in his footsteps.

Ive always had a background in doing hair but having kids kind of quick and early made me have to work and work quickly, said Griffin. I had two kids and then I got married and had two more kids. I knew I needed to find something that would allow me to have a more flexible schedule.

The interior of Bee Unique Beauty Supply next to Queen B Dynasty on South Main Street in Boiling Springs Thursday afternoon, March 3, 2022.

Griffin was emotional as she reflected on the fear that grappled her when she was forced to close her doors at the height of the pandemic in 2020. For two months, Griffin found ways to make ends meet. She started selling wigs and T-shirts  whatever it took to stay busy.

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It was stressful, said Griffin. I didnt know if I was going to get unemployment. I knew other things were closing down, but I figured since I was working for myself, I wouldnt have to close it down. And although I have a husband that works, I wanted to bring my own to the table.

Griffin said the community needs her business. Black college students to working adults in Boiling Springs did not have the luxury of driving around the corner for their hair care needs  until now.

It has the potential of being so amazing, said Griffin. Im starting something new but its something we needed for the area. There are hair stores in Gaffney, South Carolina, but that is still over the state line. I have college kids that go to Gardner-Webb and they are from Florida. They are used to taking a short drive in their hometown to get their hair braided. I just want the hair store to help a little bit of everyone and prevent unnecessary travel.

The exterior of Bee Unique Beauty Supply next to Queen B Dynasty on South Main Street in Boiling Springs Thursday afternoon, March 3, 2022.

Griffin was able to reopen her salon two months after the country was shutdown, but more problems ensued. Catching up on the rent and limiting clients to decrease the risk of exposure to COVID-19 meant Griffin had to stay prayerful that things would get back to normal quickly.

I couldnt breathe a sigh of relief just yet, said Griffin. You kick into survival mode. It was still sketchy at first, but I refused to give up.

The time spent away from her business made her realize she wanted to continue doing what she loves most. It is surreal for Griffin to see how things have changed in a positive way.

Its most definitely a passion, said Griffin. Its a blessing. Im happy to have this business.

Latrice Williams can be reached at 704-669-3339 and lwilliams6@gannett.com.

Latrice Williams can be reached at 704-669-3339 and lwilliams6@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: boiling springs woman opens hair store for african american women
VIENNA (Reuters) - The European parties negotiating the revival of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal warned Russia on Tuesday not to add conditions that would complicate reaching an accord, they said in a joint statement to the U.N. nuclear watchdog's 35-nation Board of Governors.

"The window of opportunity is closing. We call on all sides to make the decisions necessary to close this deal now, and on Russia not to add extraneous conditions to its conclusion," Britain, France and Germany said after Russia announced extra demands that stalled negotiations.

(Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Benoit Van Overstraeten)
A group of children evacuated from an orphanage in Zaporizhzhia wait to board a bus for their transfer to Poland after fleeing the ongoing Russian invasion at the main train station in Lviv, Ukraine - KAI PFAFFENBACH/ REUTERS

The European Union has taken a significant step towards integration with plans to jointly issue bonds to raise funds for defence and energy.

The plans, which may be presented after an emergency summit of EU leaders in Versailles on Thursday, will be aimed at helping the bloc grapple with the shockwaves from Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Details of the proposals, reported by Bloomberg, are scarce, with officials still determining how much money could be raised, but it could be on a potentially massive scale.

Paolo Gentiloni, the economy commissioner, told MEPs on Monday night: We have to find new tools to address new issues this crisis raises in front of us.

Officials said the plan was likely to involve the European Commission issuing bonds and then lending funds to member states to finance spending on defence and energy.

The radical move would mark a second major expansion in EU-wide spending after the EUs 1.8bn emergency package to tackle the fallout from the pandemic.

Several EU members, including Germany and Denmark, have pledged to increase their defence spending following the Russia invasion of Ukraine, reversing a long period of falling short of their Nato commitments.

The conflict has also prompted countries to look at accelerating efforts to wean themselves off fossil fuels, with oil and gas prices spiking as the continent braces for a shortfall in supply from Russia.
Cameron Diaz poses at SiriusXM's Town Hall after her appearance on Andy Cohen's exclusive SiriusXM channel Radio Andy on April 5, 2016 in New York City. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for SiriusXM

Cameron Diaz said that she laughed off misogyny in Hollywood to get by in the industry.

The former actor said that the 1990s and early 2000s were full of "heavy misogyny" in Hollywood.

Diaz said that she took certain roles, like in "Shrek," that subverted typical female narratives.

Cameron Diaz said that she would laugh through "heavy, heavy misogyny" in Hollywood, particularly in the 1990s and early aughts, when she said there were stricter "parameters" about the amount of what could be done regarding sexism in the industry.

On Tuesday's episode of the BBC podcast "Michelle Visage's Rule Breakers," Diaz said that she took roles in films such as "Charlie's Angels" and "Shrek" that subverted typical narratives for women in film. That included the "anti-fairytale" message in "Shrek," or the desire she and costars Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu had to be "badass women" in "Charlie's Angels," Diaz told Visage.

"I certainly didn't do as much as could be done now because of the awareness of everybody, you know, sort of like the #MeToo," Diaz said. "The 1990s, the early aughts, there was still heavy, heavy misogyny. Just the level of exploitation of powers, it just laid on the entire industry."

"It was the normal thing to do sort of like"  she lets out a superficial laugh  "and just be able to get through unscathed," she continued. "Be the one who participated enough to make everybody feel taken care of, but not be a victim. Be in that position, but to know how to navigate the whole thing because it was happening all day every day."

Diaz, as she recounted to Visage, made the jump into acting from modeling with the 1994 film "The Mask," where she starred opposite Jim Carrey. She later retired from acting in 2018, telling Gwyneth Paltrow in a 2020 interview that she had found "peace" in her "soul" since, saying that she felt like she had "handed off parts of her life" to other people and citing the pressures of working as an actor. She reiterated the same sentiments about quitting acting in an August 2021 interview with Kevin Hart.

"Fame is very infantilizing. It's very much about keeping somebody coddled in a state of like, we see a little child and think, 'It's so cute, I want it to always be cute, and if I keep it cute by always treating it cute, maybe it'll stay cute forever.' And that's how people treat you,'" she told Visage on the podcast.

Read the original article on Insider
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday his country was sending 150 additional troops to Latvia and extending its military operations in eastern Europe, known as Operation Reassurance, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Canadian forces were first sent to Europe in response to Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and extended to Latvia in 2016. He did not go into details.

During the visit to Latvia with Trudeau, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that Russia's President Vladimir Putin had "seriously underestimated" Ukraine as well as that of NATO's resolve.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, also in Latvia, said Putin was "alone" and that the world was with Ukraine.

(Reporting by Robin Emmott and Sabine Siebold)
Federal health officials are advising U.S. travelers to avoid New Zealand, Thailand and Hong Kong due to COVID-19.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moved the three destinations to its level 4 COVID-19 risk category Monday due to their "very high" COVID-19 levels. The CDC advises all travelers, regardless of vaccination status, to avoid travel to level 4 destinations.

If you must travel to these destinations, make sure you are fully vaccinated before travel, the federal agency says on its website.

New Zealand and Thailand have eased entry requirements in recent weeks, while Hong Kong prohibits entry from outside Greater China among nonresidents.

People take in the view at Picton Harbour in Picton, New Zealand, on July 14, 2020.

CDC TRAVEL GUIDANCE: The CDC warns US travelers to avoid more than 100 destinations. Do people care?

The three join more than 130 other destinations on the CDCs list of areas with very high rates of COVID-19.

Larger countries are considered to have very high COVID-19 levels when they report more than 500 new cases per 100,000 people over the past 28 days. Destinations with a population of 100,000 or fewer must report more than 500 cumulative new cases over the past 28 days.

Other changes to the CDCs travel guidance on Monday include:

Anguilla, Cape Verde, Fiji, Mexico, the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates moved from level 4 to level 3. The CDC says unvaccinated travelers should avoid nonessential travel to these areas.

Angola, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, the Gambia, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia and Senegal moved from level 3 to level 2. The CDC says unvaccinated travelers who are at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 should avoid nonessential travel to these destinations.

Niger moved from level 4 to level 1. The CDC says travelers should make sure they are fully vaccinated before traveling to level 1 destinations.

The Republic of the Congo, Cote dIvoire, Kenya, Lesotho, Rwanda, Togo and Uganda moved from level 2 to level 1.

Follow USA TODAY reporter Bailey Schulz on Twitter: @bailey_schulz.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID: CDC urges US travelers against New Zealand, Thailand, Hong Kong
Emma Eckert, 20, dreams of landing a job as a teacher in the Howard County Public School System after graduating with her bachelors degree in elementary education from Salisbury University.

Looking to gain hands-on classroom experience before entering the workforce, the Mount Airy resident took jobs as a substitute teacher in the school system during her summer and winter breaks. Since the school system announced that it is providing its substitute teachers with a 25% pay increase, Eckert said she will be able to save the money she needs to start her career as a teacher more quickly.

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On Jan. 13, the school system announced that it would implement a pay increase to substitute teachers who work on a daily rate as part of its fiscal 2022 operating budget.

[The pay increase] will help me as a college student just to have some extra spending money, Eckert said. It will help me to save up and eventually, hopefully, have enough money to move out of my parents house before getting my full-time teaching job.

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Michael Littlejohn, 71, of Ellicott City, a substitute teacher in the county for more than a decade, agreed.

[The pay increase] means that youre showing that the county has a true commitment to looking at the problem and coming up with solutions that include training, paying higher wages and the kind of things that make [teaching] the kind of profession that you can recruit and retain good people, he said.

Mr. Michael Littlejohn is a permanent substitute teacher at Long Reach High School, here, teaching a 4th period environmental science class. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Baltimore Sun Media)

The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated a higher number of substitute teachers in schools while staff are required to isolate or quarantine, creating a shortage of available substitutes, according to the school system website.

Currently, the daily pay rate for substitute teachers is $125 for non-degree teachers, $138 for degree teachers and $157 for retired teachers. For long-term substitute teachers, the rate is $157 for non-degree teachers and $169 for degree and retired teachers.

The high demand for substitute teachers is not unique to Howard County.

The new pay increase puts the school system among the highest paying districts in the state for substitute teachers, roughly in line with Carroll County, which pays $145.29 per day to substitute teachers who are certified or have degrees, $123.80 per day to substitutes without degrees, and between $145.29 to $176.91 per day to long-term substitutes, according to Carroll County Public Schools.

Afternoon Update Weekdays Updating you on the day's biggest news before the evening commute. >

In Montgomery County, short-term substitute teachers are paid between $136.45-$150 per day and long-term substitute teachers are paid between $192.65-$236.50 per day, according to Montgomery County Public Schools.

Natalie Kelly, 55, of Ellicott City, retired in June after teaching at Atholton High School for 31 years. Looking to transition from full-time teaching into retirement, she said she wanted to substitute teach to have a more flexible work schedule.

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She said the pay increase shows that the school system values both its students and teachers.

I think [the pay increase] shows that they realize how important it is to have the support in the schools for the students and for the faculty, she said. Its been very challenging this year for the schools to find coverage, especially with dealing with the pandemic, so I think they see the importance of making sure they are trying to attract qualified substitutes to the school system.

So far, Eckert has served as a substitute teacher at Manor Woods Elementary School, Marriotts Ridge High School, Patapsco Middle School, Phelps Luck Elementary School and Triadelphia Ridge Elementary School and plans to return to substitute teaching after graduating in December.

She said it is comforting to know that the school system is investing in its substitute teachers.

As someone whos getting into the education profession, that is something that deters a lot of people from pursuing teaching is the salary rate, Eckert said. To see [the school system] put more money into paying our teachers is very reassuring.
An inmate at New York's Rikers Island juvenile detention facility on July 31, 2014.

Last month, a 15-year-old Illinois student was arrested and locked up for a shooting that he had nothing to do with. The high schooler confessed to the crime after police told him that if he did so, he would be released. His parents weren't there during the interrogation and neither was his lawyer, according to a Washington Post report.

Earlier this year, New York City Mayor Eric Adams introduced a plan to address gun violence that included a deeply troubling proposal that allows prosecutors to charge 16- and 17-year-old children in criminal court (versus family court) if they are arrested for carrying a gun and refuse to tell police where they got it.

These are among the latest examples of law enforcement officials using coercion and threats against juveniles  a dangerous practice that often leads to false confessions and puts the United States at odds with international human rights standards.

High rate of false confessions

Handcuffing, shackling, lying, threatening, cajoling and hours of questioning often yield false confessions from adults. History and data tell us that these practices are even more dangerous when used against children.

Harsh interrogation was used in New York's Central Park Five case, which involved Black and brown teens who were incarcerated in a 1989 rape. The group was exonerated years later. The same thing happened to Chicago's Englewood Four (erroneously incarcerated as teens in the 1990s on rape and murder) and Baltimore's Harlem Park Three (given life sentences in the 1980s for allegedly killing another teen for his jacket). It took 36 years for the last group to get exonerated. The men were released in 2019.

COLUMN: I was incarcerated under failed law. Now I push for consequences for bad prosecutors.

In these cases, officers threatened the falsely accused teens, coerced witnesses (who were also teenagers), promised the accused that they could go home if they cooperated, lied about the existence of additional evidence, denied the teenagers access to their parents and questioned them aggressively for hours.

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Sadly, these aren't isolated incidents but rather representative of the failure to recognize  and account for  the developmental starting point of children throughout the criminal legal system. Even the Supreme Court has recognized in some contexts that children and teens are "more vulnerable or susceptible to negative influences and outside pressures.

Among people exonerated for crimes that they were accused of as teens, 36% under 18 falsely confessed. The proportion is even more shocking for teens under 14 at 86%.

False confessions dont just harm the young people who have been accused and their loved ones. Every wrongful conviction represents a failure to hold the right person accountable and protect the public from harm. This sends the message that police and prosecutors care more about securing convictions than achieving justice.

Given the disproportionate rate at which people of color are falsely convicted, wrongful convictions also reveal the extent to which justice too often is unequal and fractures public trust.

This distrust produces sentiments reflected in a study published in January, in which around half of Black respondents indicated they'd rather be victims of a robbery than have an "unprovoked" police encounter. This starting point speaks to a dysfunctional system that cannot adequately promote public safety.

COLUMN: A rookie cop mistook my sons for gang members and searched them at gunpoint. Where's our justice?

Commonsense reforms protect kids

But more than 30 years after the Central Park Five case, few states have implemented laws to address the risk of false confessions by juveniles, and the United States stands alone among peer nations in allowing children to be interrogated by police without counsel present.

Unlike other democratic countries, local jurisdictions in America legally authorize police to use deception in interrogations.

In May, under the leadership of former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan Mendez, international experts published a report establishing international norms on interrogation standards, including the use of "rapport-based, non-coercive methods" that avoid deception and the absolute right to a lawyer for children, among other protections.

Many of these reforms are common sense: Children need a lawyer and a guardian present during questioning and should have their rights explained to them in language they understand. Law enforcement should be banned from using deception and from threatening or promising benefits in exchange for a statement, and interrogations should be recorded on video and audio. There should be limits on the duration of interrogation. And the use of confessions by children under 14 as evidence should be prohibited given the heightened risk of false confessions by young children.

Until policymakers act, prosecutors can and should implement these requirements themselves. While prosecutors are limited in their ability to dictate police interrogation practices, they can decide which evidence they will or will not accept for purposes of charging and trial  and they should review the reliability and voluntariness of confessions and decline to use evidence flowing from coercive interrogations.

POLICING THE USA: A look at race, justice, media

Admittedly, restrictions on interrogations create added burdens. But history has clearly demonstrated that the harms of unrestricted juvenile interrogations outweigh any costs of systemic protections. Our children deserve to be treated like children. And our communities deserve protections that embrace international human rights standards. Flawed processes that produce false confessions must be reformed.

Miriam Aroni Krinsky is the executive director of Fair and Just Prosecution and a former federal prosecutor. Norman L. Reimer is the global CEO of Fair Trials and a former criminal defense lawyer.

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: Police tactics: Change rules that leave kids open to deception, threats
China has offered to play a "constructive role" in mediating the conflict in Ukraine but continues to refuse to condemn the Russian invasion is it tries to maintain its delicate balancing act.

During a carefully choreographed press conference on the sidelines of the National People's Congress on Monday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Russia was China's "most important strategic partner" and criticised the United States for trying to suppress and encircle China.

Wang also described Beijing as a benign "responsible" power in response to growing pressure from Washington and its allies to rein in Russia.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

With their relations with Washington and its allies becoming increasingly estranged, China and Russia have edged closer and aligned on many foreign policy issues in recent months. Last month Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin declared there were "no limits" to the countries' strategic partnership.

Beijing's refusal to call out Putin's aggression, its repeated references to Moscow's "legitimate security concerns" and its pro-Russian media coverage of the war have been widely perceived as its tacit support for Russia. But Beijing has said it respects Ukraine's sovereignty, and on Monday Wang insisted "China has remained objective and impartial".

He repeated Beijing's opposition to any moves that could add "fuel to the flames" - a veiled swipe at Western sanctions on Moscow - and said the priority should instead be to promote direct talks between Ukraine and Russia while preventing a massive humanitarian crisis.

"China is prepared to continue playing a constructive role to facilitate dialogue for peace and work alongside the international communications when needed to carry out necessary mediation," he said, falling short of clarifying if China would act as an intermediary in the conflict.

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says China has remained objective and impartial over Ukraine. Photo: Xinhua alt=Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says China has remained objective and impartial over Ukraine. Photo: Xinhua>

Wang also said China would soon offer humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, but in the same breath he sought to reassure Moscow that their ties "were not subject to interference or provocation by third parties".

"The friendship between the two peoples is rock-solid, and the prospects for bilateral cooperation are very broad," he said. "No matter how precarious and challenging the international situation may become, China and Russia will maintain their strategic focus and steadily promote the development of a comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era."

In response to a question from Russian media straight after a question about Ukraine, Wang offered assurances over China-Russia ties, saying they would not change.

Wang also called on Europe - which is also suspicious of Beijing's relations with Moscow because of the Ukraine crisis - to maintain autonomy and independence in its strategy with China, and said China's relations with Russia and with Europe "are two totally different questions".

Shi Yinhong, an international relations professor with Renmin University in Beijing, said Wang's remarks did not represent a change in Beijing's stance.

"China's stance is unlikely to change, since Western pressure on China is after all limited, though it is rising," he said.

"China's position is that it will act with the international community in promoting peace instead of taking the lead itself. But Russia is unlikely to listen even if Beijing tried in this case, so a more proactive role for Beijing might backfire and hurt its image."

According to Shi, China would at most express reservations about Russia's invasion indirectly.

Wang Yiwei, another international relations professor at Renmin University, also said China was unlikely to get directly involved with mediating at an early stage of the conflict, considering there may not be much it could do to achieve a ceasefire.

"Putin won't simply listen to Beijing and give up his strategic goals and ambitions. But in the longer run, if talks need to be arranged for security arrangements in the region, China could play a positive role as it has good ties with Ukraine, Moscow and Europe," he said.

Hours after Wang's remarks, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on a visit to the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius that China's actions were at odds with its avowed support for stability and "respecting sovereignty".

"From its coercion of Vilnius to its failure thus far to condemn Moscow's flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine today and in 2014, Beijing's actions are speaking much louder than its words," he said, referring to Russia's earlier annexation of Crimea.

Blinken voiced support for Lithuania, which has come under severe economic pressure from Beijing after it agreed to allow Taiwan to open a de-facto embassy in Vilnius.

During a phone call with Wang on Saturday, Blinken urged China to act on the Ukraine war and said the world was watching to see which nations stood up for freedom and sovereignty.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also called on China to play a mediating role in an interview with Spanish newspaper El Mundo last week, saying Beijing was the only option for the role and "there is no alternative".

For a second year in a row, Wang launched another fierce attack on the US at his televised annual press event, singling it out as the biggest threat to international peace and regional stability. His sharp criticism of the US stood in contrast to his generally modest tone throughout the 100-minute event.

He accused Washington of confronting China with a new cold war and supporting pro-independence forces in Taiwan, which Beijing sees as a part of its own territory.

Wang appeared particularly unhappy with comparisons between Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China's threat to use force to seek unification with Taiwan.

He insisted Taiwan was a "fundamentally different" issue from Ukraine because the island is "an inalienable part of China's territory".

"Some people, while being vocal about the principle of sovereignty on the Ukraine issue, have kept undermining China's sovereignty and territorial integrity on the Taiwan question. This is a blatant double standard," Wang said.

Vladimir Portyakov, deputy director of the Institute of Far Eastern Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said it remained to be seen how far the Ukraine crisis would affect the relationship between Moscow and Beijing.

"The history shows that Russia and China are able to reach a satisfactory mutual understanding even in very difficult situations," he said.

"[However], it is too early to give any final assessment as we need to wait for at least an interim conclusion of the situation, such as the cessation of hostilities, the achievement of certain agreements between Moscow and Kyiv," he said.

Danil Bochkov, from the Russian International Affairs Council, also said China's stance was unlikely to undergo major changes.

"I see no practical benefit for Beijing to distance itself from Moscow. This escalation with Ukraine doesn't directly affect China, because so far it has been extremely cautious in all its official statements. And most likely it will continue to do so," he said.

Additional reporting by Jun Mai

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2022 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2022. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
CIA Director William Burns, left, and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, right, testify before a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on worldwide threats on March 8, 2022. Susan Walsh/AP

Vladimir Putin made a series of faulty assumptions when planning his invasion of Ukraine, the CIA director said.

CIA Director Bill Burns said Putin believed his military was better prepared and Ukraine would be easier to conquer.

Russia planned to swiftly seize the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, but the aggressor has not been successful.

Russian President Vladimir Putin made a series of faulty assumptions in executing his invasion of Ukraine, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency said.

Putin believed "Russia faced a favorable landscape for the use of force against Ukraine," CIA Director William Burns told the House Select Intelligence Committee on Tuesday.

"He's been proven wrong on every count," Burns said. "Those assumptions have proven to be profoundly flawed over the last 12 days of conflict."

Russian forces attacked in the early morning hours of February 24, targeting key cities throughout the country with military strikes in an attempt to capture the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

According to the CIA director, Putin believed that Ukraine "was weak and easily intimidated," which was his first mistake. Burns said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has "demonstrated courageous and remarkable leadership, and Ukrainians have resisted fiercely."

Second, Putin thought French and German neighbors would be risk-averse and preoccupied with their own politics. To the contrary, Burns said, "Europeans have demonstrated remarkable resolve."

Putin also believed he had "sanctions-proofed his economy" with foreign currency reserves, but Burns said Western sanctions have been devastating to Russia, "depriving Putin of the ability he assumed he would have to defend the ruble."

The US and other Western countries have imposed a series of economic sanctions on Russia and blocked the country from international banking systems. Putin has blasted the sanctions, saying they are "akin to a declaration of war."

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Fourth, Burns said Putin "was confident that he modernized his military and they were capable of a quick, decisive victory at minimal cost." In reality, morale among Russian troops is low, and some have said they were misled about the purpose of the invasion.

"Instead of seizing Kyiv within the first two days... after nearly two weeks, they still have not been able to fully encircle the city," Burns said. "Putin has commented privately and publically over the years that he doe snt believe Ukraine is a real country. He's dead wrong about that. Real countries fight back, and that's what the Ukrainians have done quite heroically over the last 12 days."

Despite Russia's setbacks and an excess of casualties, Burns said he believes Putin's personal convictions to dominate Ukraine will cause him to "double down" on the invasion.

"I think Putin is angry and frustrated right now. He's likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties," Burns said. "He has no sustainable political end game in the face of what is going to continue to be fierce resistance from Ukrainians."

Putin initially said that his invasion of Ukraine would not target any civilians, but the offensive has since bombed multiple towns and cities, hitting hospitals, apartment buildings, and an orphanage.

Ukrainian officials and human rights groups have accused Russia of war crimes, as have top US officials. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US has seen "very credible reports of deliberate attacks on civilians which would constitute a war crime."

Looking forward, Burns cast doubt that Putin could "sustain a puppet regime or pro-Russian leadership" in Ukraine in the face of strong resistance from Ukrainian citizens.

"I fail to see how he can produce that kind of an end game, and where that leads, I think, is for an ugly next few weeks," Burns said. "The Ukrainians are going to continue to resist fiercely and effectively."

Read the original article on Business Insider
By Julia Symmes Cobb and Luis Jaime Acosta

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian presidential hopeful Sergio Fajardo told Reuters on Tuesday that if elected his government would seek to raise income taxes on the country's highest earners to expand social spending.

Fajardo, a mathematics professor who narrowly missed making the runoff in Colombia's 2018 presidential election, looks set to win his coalition's primary in a Sunday vote, setting him up to represent the grouping of centrist and center-left parties in May elections.

The former governor of Antioquia province and mayor of Medellin has proposed an $8.65 billion tax reform to fund more spending on education, jobs, and security while combating tax evasion and requiring more contributions from the wealthy via income taxes.

"We want individuals to pay more, those who have the most. There are a very few people who have a lot and many who have nothing," said Fajardo, 65, at his campaign headquarters in Bogota.

Fajardo, a long-time university professor and father of two adult children, said however he would lower the tax rate on businesses from the current 35%, although he said it was too early to give a new figure.

"Companies that generate employment will have a lower tax rate," he said.

The government of President Ivan Duque has struggled to push through its own tax measures, which included a failed effort to raise a value added tax. The proposals were met with street protests that occasionally turned violent.

Nonetheless, Congress passed a modified $4 billion tax reform last year, which included a corporate tax rise and public spending cuts.

But investors have called for more. Colombia is grappling with rising debt and wavering investor confidence after ratings agencies Fitch and S&P downgraded its credit rating to junk.

The next government will also need to deal with continued violence by illegal armed groups involved in drug production and trafficking.

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Fajardo supports the 2016 peace deal signed between the then-government and the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels, and said he would be willing to hold peace talks with the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group if they show commitment to the process.

"We need to see what is the real willingness from the ELN to enter into a peace process," Fajardo said. "Because what we've seen is destruction and terror."

Dissident members of the FARC who have rejected their former group's peace deal will not get another shot at talks, he added.

"They are groups associated with narco-trafficking. There's no negotiation there."

Fajardo ruled out restarting aerial spraying of herbicide glyphosate to combat coca cultivation, which Duque has tried unsuccessfully to reinstate amid judicial blockages on public health and environmental concerns.

Although Fajardo supports continued exploration for oil, Colombia's top export and source of foreign currency, he said he would not allow fracking.

The country's top administrative tribunal is weighing whether to approve commercial use of the technique, amid protests from communities afraid it will damage water sources.

"No, fracking no. And that's a decision from an environmental perspective, about what our biodiversity means for development," Fajardo said. "I have no problem if there is more oil exploration, always with major environmental and social conditions."

(Reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb and Luis Jaime Acosta, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
The Conemaugh School of Nursing and Allied Health will host an open house from 6 to 8 p.m. March 21, in the education building across from Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center (1086 Franklin Street). The event is open to anyone aspiring to be a future healthcare hero.

Traditional high school students as well as individuals looking to make career transitions are welcome to attend to learn more about the programs. Students who wish to be considered for instant admission decisions must apply in advance and submit standardized test scores, high school, and college transcripts for review by March 15, 2022. Instant decision applicants who commit to attend will be entered into a drawing to win a variety of prizes and have the application fee waived for this day only.

Conemaugh School of Nursing offers a two-year curriculum approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing and accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). Each academic year begins in August and consists of two 16-week semesters and one 8-week semester. Upon graduation, students will have logged 990 clinical hours and earned 25 college credits and 50 nursing credits. The 2021 graduating class recently achieved a 97.67 percent pass rate on the NCLEX exam for state boards, ranking among the highest pass rates in school history with 100 percent of graduates immediately gaining full-time employment as Registered Nurses.

The Allied Health programs provide rigorous educational and clinical training in emergency medical services (EMS), medical laboratory science, histotechnology, radiologic technology, and surgical technology. These programs offer excellent academic and clinical training with nearly all graduates passing their certification exams and gaining full-time employment immediately upon graduation. Several programs have been recognized nationally for their outstanding results.

At a time when students are carefully considering the cost of their education and the career trajectory for their profession, diploma nursing programs and allied health programs like ours are a very attractive option for both high school students and adults looking to make a career transition, said Bonnie Mazurak-Riga, DNP, MBA, RN and Director of Conemaugh School of Nursing and Allied Health Programs. Across our country, there is  and will continue to be  a critical need for nurses and healthcare professionals to serve our communities. Our unique program fast tracks a persons path to employment through strong academic and clinical training, as well as opportunities to work part-time in support roles while gaining valuable healthcare experience.

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Conemaugh Health System has a long history of hiring a significant number of nursing and Allied Health graduates annually, and students benefit from the advanced, integrated clinical experiences offered at hospitals across the system.

To RSVP or to learn more about this event, please call Dawn Lookhart at 814-534-9477 or email dlookhar@conemaugh.org. All participants are required to wear masks. Parking is available behind the education building.

The Conemaugh Valley Memorial Hospital School of Nursing was founded in 1896 following the establishment of Conemaugh Valley Memorial Hospital in 1892. The school has long been accredited by the Pennsylvania Board of Nursing and was recently recognized as the fifth best nursing program in the state. The program has graduated more than 4,165 students since its founding and is actively recruiting the next generation of nurses. To learn more, visit Conemaugh.org/education.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Conemaugh School of Nursing and Allied Health hosting open house
Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Miss.) speaks on rising energy prices during a post-luncheon press conference on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, February 15, 2022.





Lawmakers say they are close to an agreement to provide billions in new coronavirus relief, set to be tied to a massive government funding bill.

Congress is expected to include at least $15 billion in response to the Biden administration's request for new funding for COVID-19 vaccines, treatments and testing.

Getting a deal on the funds would remove a significant hurdle for passing a government funding bill by Friday night, when lawmakers have to pass legislation or spark a shutdown.

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), who has been involved in drafting the bill, said that they were drafting it to include $15 billion.

But that number isn't locked in, with leadership debating adding more money.

Sen. John Thune (S.D.), the No. 2 Senate Republican, appeared skeptical that it would balloon to $22.5 billion, noting that it wasn't currently "trending" in that direction.

"I don't think the number is going to get that high, but then it could," he said.

Republicans had balked last week over the administration's request for $22.5 billion, which Democrats had wanted to be emergency spending, meaning it wouldn't have to be paid for.

"I think that we ought to determine - and we've asked the administration - how much unspent money is there. There are billions of dollars unspent," Sen. Richard Shelby (Ala.), the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee said last week.

But lawmakers and two leadership aides told The Hill on Monday that they had reached an agreement for the coronavirus funding to be paid for.

Thune pointed to unspent state and local government funds that were included in previous coronavirus relief measures as a source for much of the new money in the omnibus bill.

"I think a lot of it will come from there," he said while noting that the bill was still being finalized.
Last year a combination of extreme drought and unusual warmth pushed water temperatures near Redding well above the threshold that is considered safe for salmon eggs to thrive. So to make up for the losses, scientists brought in double the usual number of female salmon to boost spawning numbers. The result was a release of about 500,000 juvenile salmon last week. The pressure is on those salmon to reach the ocean so they can help grow the population over the next couple of years. But as Northern California wades into the third consecutive year of drought, the fishes' journey is not expected to be an easy one. KCRA 3's Heather Waldman reports.
The first day for candidates in Cook Countys 2022 elections to officially sign up for the ballot saw heavyweights such as Board President Toni Preckwinkle  as well as multiple primary challengers to four-term incumbent Sheriff Tom Dart  waiting in line with signatures in hand.

Preckwinkle, who has led the Cook County Board since 2010, was the only candidate for her seat who turned in nominating petitions Monday, though former 1st District Commissioner Richard Boykin of Oak Park has announced that he will challenge in her in the primary. Candidates also have until next Monday to submit their signatures.

This has been a petition season unlike any other with our delayed primary, cold weather, and pandemic safety concerns, but Im so proud of how the party came together to support our slate and get our candidates on the ballot, Preckwinkle tweeted Monday.

Three Democratic candidates so far have filed for sheriff. Dart, who has held the seat since 2006 and received the Cook County Democratic Party endorsement, made the 9 a.m. deadline to enter the lottery for the top of the ballot in the June 28 primary.

But so did his opponents Carmen Navarro Gercone, an official with the circuit court clerks office and the former first assistant executive director at the sheriffs office, and Noland Rivera, a veteran sergeant of the Chicago Police Department whose late wife worked as a Cook County correctional officer. Sheila Rivera died of COVID-19 in April 2020.

Rivera said his wife had given him her blessing to run for sheriff, and his motivation to win only strengthened after her death. He criticized Dart for what he described as a weak approach to tackling crime as well as his lack of policing or correctional officer bona fides compared to the agencys rank-and-file staff.

Hes an absentee sheriff, and now hes a paper cop as far as Im concerned, Rivera said in a phone interview, nodding to Dart receiving a law enforcement certification late last year. He feels threatened. He knows hes got more than a fair chance of losing this race.

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Darts campaign responded in a statement brushing off Riveras criticism.

Voters are tired of these kind of unsubstantiated, self-interested attacks in todays politics, as they should be, the statement said. Sheriff Dart will continue to focus on aggressively confronting crime in Chicago and the suburbs while developing innovative ways to tackle the significant challenges our communities face.

Navarro Gercone has been trying to fight a recent change to state law that requires sheriff candidates to hold a law enforcement certification, which is distinct from her own correctional officer qualifications. It remains to be seen whether that law will cause her to be knocked off the ballot if an objection to her petitions is filed.

Sign up for The Spin to get the top stories in politics delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons.

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi, a first-term incumbent who ousted longtime Democratic insider Joseph Berrios in 2018, also has an announced primary challenger in Metropolitan Water Reclamation District President Kari Steele, but as of Monday only Kaegi had filed his nominating papers. Kaegi was slated by the Cook County Democrats for reelection, though business groups have hit him hard over what they said were overvaluations of commercial properties.

Incumbent Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas and Clerk Karen Yarbrough both filed for reelection as well Monday. So far, no one has emerged as challengers.

The Cook County Board stands to see a shake-up this year, with three commissioners retiring and at least two incumbents facing primary challenges.

In the 5th District, Commissioner Deborah Sims is retiring, and has said she wants a Black woman to replace her and hopes to cede her post to Democratic candidate Monica Gordon. Sims is stepping down amid a complaint alleging retaliation against a subordinate who reported sexual harassment in her office.

Gordon is director of government affairs and community relations at Chicago State University. Based on Mondays filings, Gordon will go up against fellow Democrats Kierra Williams, Hazel Crest Mayor Vernard Alsberry Jr. and Jaylin McClinton in the primary.

Eighth District Commissioner Luis Arroyo Jr. also has two primary opponents as of now: Rory McHale, the current general counsel for the Chicago Office of the Inspector General, and Edwin Reyes, a former commissioner who held Arroyos seat from 2009 to 2014 before losing reelection.

Another potential shake-up of the county board may come from the 9th District in the northwest suburbs, where Republican incumbent Peter Silvestri is stepping down this year after holding the seat since 1994. In the running to replace him are Democrats Sam Kukadia and Maggie Trevor, a former contender for state representative of the 54th District, as well as Republican Matt Podgorski. Podgorski is founder of the Northwest Side GOP Club and has the support of the partys township committeemen.

Lastly, the 17th District race is expected to see a Republican primary race between incumbent Sean Morrison and Elizabeth Liz Gorman, a former commissioner from Orland Park. Gorman filed her nominating petitions Monday, though Morrison as yet had not. Two Democratic hopefuls also filed for the seat: Lou Gale, a La Grange village trustee, and Daniel Calandriello, a former Orland Park trustee.

ayin@chicagotribune.com
Mar. 8Miss America had yet to make her grand entrance at a gala in her honor when a couple yawns escaped.

Emma Broyles of Anchorage, who won the title in December, peeked into the Hotel Captain Cook ballroom from the adjacent kitchen. With a few minutes to spare, she sat on a luggage rack out of view for a fleeting moment's rest.

It had already been a long day and there were hours to go on a Saturday filled with appearances and recognition for Broyles, the first woman from Alaska named Miss America in the 100-year history of the pageant. A full house waited to celebrate, including her family, grandparents, aunts and uncles, some of whom flew in for the black-tie occasion.

"At this point, I just gotta make sure that I keep my brain running," Broyles said as she wrapped up a photo shoot and television interview before the event. Being Miss America was an honor, she said. It's also work.

Starting that morning, Broyles had rehearsed and performed songs multiple times, rode a float in the Fur Rendezvous parade and emceed an event for dozens of her co-contestants from other states. She greeted, signed autographs and posed for pictures much of the day, with her security director and Anchorage police on the periphery. Between each stop, people tugged at her attention near-constantly.

It was one busy day in what will be a whirlwind year for the 20-year-old. Caroline Hunter, one of Miss America's tour managers, said the title-holder can typically expect to be "on" three or four days a week, and traveling much of the rest of the time. "We travel usually every 48 to 72 hours," Hunter said. At least once this year, Broyles expects to be on the road for an entire month.

Broyles said she is still growing accustomed to a job she never expected to land. And it's a job in a literal way. During her Miss America year, she is paid a $120,000 salary, she said. That's in addition to the $100,000 scholarship money she was awarded at the national contest in Uncasville, Connecticut.

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Duties include traveling the country for speaking engagements, serving as national spokesperson for the Miss America Organization, and pushing her chosen "social impact initiative." Broyles champions the Special Olympics and advocates inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities. And she adds her own style to the role with blunt talk about her mental health and other personal issues.

To make room in her life, she's temporarily dialing back her workload as a student at Arizona State University, where she's majoring in biomedical sciences with an eye toward being a dermatologist.

Being Miss Alaska during the pandemic offered no glimpse into what winning the national title would be like. "It was really hard to find events because nobody wanted Miss Alaska," Broyles said. "And then after I won Miss America, everybody wanted to book me."

Eleven hours after her workday began, a sparking gold curtain parted and Broyles entered the room on a red carpet, arm-in-arm with her father to a standing ovation.

Modern-day Miss America

Broyles entered her first pageant in 2017, drawn by the scholarship prize. She said the contest seemed like a good fit for a 15-year-old who liked to sing onstage and had volunteer work experience to discuss.

"I had never worn a gown before. I had never worn heels before. I had never done my own makeup. I had never really worn makeup before," she said.

Broyles won Miss Anchorage Outstanding Teen, "and then I was thrown into this world of pageantry." In July, she won the Miss Alaska competition, which propelled her to the Miss America stage.

Broyles dons the crown while a yearslong effort is underway to change what it means to wear it. These days, participants tend to bristle at the term "beauty pageant" and are quick to point out that physical appearance is no longer a judging criterion. The organization prefers descriptors like "competition" and "candidate" nowadays, rather than "pageant" and "contestant," Hunter said.

In 2018, the Miss America Organization announced changes it said aligned with an ongoing "cultural revolution." Gone was the swimsuit competition that had been elemental since the pageant's founding days. A statement announcing the changes concluded with a suggested hashtag: #byebyebikini.

Broyles, who said she has never competed in a pageant that included a swimsuit competition, is reluctant to criticize those who have. But she thinks the organization made the right call. She prefers more opportunities to speak.

"I think that the second that somebody sees a girl in a swimsuit, the second they see her embrace her femininity, I think that they automatically assume that there's no chance that she could ever be intelligent," Broyles said.

[Previously: Q&A with Emma Broyles on Alaska representation, Korean heritage and empowering young women]

The changes didn't satisfy all of Miss America's critics.

"No matter how much it might like to rebrand itself for the 21st century, it cannot escape the ideas of womanhood it was founded on," wrote essayist B.D. McClay for New York Times Magazine in January.

"As of 2018, Miss America claims not to judge participants by their appearances at all  it is only by happy accident that its participants are willowy and symmetrical," McClay wrote.

Broyles said she hopes to change minds about what Miss America embodies now.

"That is one of the hardest things that I feel like I'm fighting, and I feel like I can sense it with other women sometimes. I can kind of tell that they don't trust me and they feel like I can't be a feminist because I compete in Miss America," Broyles said.

"But I do my best to really show them that I can embrace my femininity, and yes, I am a part of an organization that at one point used to be a beauty pageant, but see how much we've changed."

An open book

While Broyles' stated mission is to boost the impact of Special Olympics, she has also found that candid discussion of her personal struggles is a powerful way she can impact lives.

"Especially being in a role like Miss America, there's so many young people who look up to me. And I don't want to give them a false image of who I am and make them think that to be like that, they have to be absolutely perfect," she said.

Broyles, who often shares intimate details of her lived experiences including identity issues and mental health challenges, hasn't always been so comfortable in her own skin. Middle school years in Anchorage were particularly tough, she said, not because she was intentionally treated badly, but because of her desire to "fit in" in a mostly white school.

"I never really felt like I saw anybody who looked like me, and I hated the fact that I was Korean. I did everything that I could to look more white," Broyles said. "I even bleached my hair at one point."

"I would see the most popular girls at the school with their pretty blond hair and their blue eyes and all the boys would be chasing after them. I was just so embarrassed because I thought that I was completely unlovable and unwanted because I looked different," she said.

It's an uncomfortable topic, Broyles said, but she suspects that many young people can relate. She hopes that by hearing her discuss it, they'll feel less alone and ashamed.

"It's embarrassing to talk about, right? It's a hard thing to admit, right? Nobody wants to say that they wished they were white, especially in this day and age. That just sounds stupid. It's totally true though," she said.

Things changed for the better at her high school, which was more diverse. There, she grew close to other Korean students who spoke Korean and ate Korean food. She enjoyed hearing her grandparents, Myung "Sarah" Kim and Boo Yul "Paul" Kim, who moved to Anchorage from South Korea in 1970, share stories about their lives.

"I remember feeling at that point like I could really embrace my culture and be myself," she said.

There were other hints of Broyles' frank nature before she first wore the Miss America sash. In an interview segment of the contest, she was asked a question about being open and vulnerable. She decided the time was right to speak about her experiences with dermatillomania and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Broyles said acne triggered dermatillomania, a compulsive skin picking disorder classified as a type of obsessive compulsive disorder. She would pick imperfections until her face was bloody, then pick the scabs, which would prevent healing. The repetitive behavior could cause hours to disappear. Sometimes she would lock herself in the bathroom and turn on the shower to hide her behavior.

"It's a disorder that comes with a lot of shame," she said.

It wasn't until 2021 that she was diagnosed with inattentive ADHD. She suspected she might fit the description prior to the pandemic, but her struggles during remote learning last year led her to finally seek help.

"I had no motivation. I laid in bed all day, and that was when my dermatillomania was really bad, too. I kind of fell into a bit of a depression ...," she said. "I flunked test after test after test, which is very unlike me, but not going to class in person kind of took a toll on my ability to focus."

Broyles compares her treatment to what it might be like for a person with poor vision to get glasses. That Saturday morning as she prepared for the day's events, Broyles unzipped the black makeup bag she carries often. Inside was her bedazzled Miss America crown. Tucked next to it was her prescription medication.

Being Miss America doesn't compel her to discuss such personal aspects of her life, Broyles said, but she hopes discussion can help dissolve stigma and boost confidence for people with similar stories.

"I feel like back in the day, it was this time when you really had to put on this facade because you would be so shamed by society," Broyles said. "And I feel like now, I spoke about my mental health issues on the Miss America stage and I was applauded for it."

She's not declaring her own battles won. Learning how best to care for her mental health while juggling her responsibilities is a work in progress.

"I do my absolute best, but ... I still have not quite nailed it," she said.

The weight of the crown

It was 11:15 p.m. before Broyles made it back to her hotel room after her ball. It was the first moment she had to herself since the day began, she said. She would later write that she would cherish her whole homecoming experience. But the day had lots of things  joyous and stressful, fun and frustrating, exhilarating and exhausting.

"I got back to my room and I was still in my gown, and I laid down on my bed, and I was too tired to like, get up and take off my makeup and take off my crown even ...," Broyles said. "And I just started crying."

"I felt like I had so much stress building up through the entirety of that day, that I just needed a way to release it," she said. "And that's honestly the best way for me to release my stress, is to cry."

It helped her feel better, but she had to sleep fast. Broyles woke at 5 a.m. to prepare for Sunday's itinerary. The following night she slept for 11 hours, she said.

The job is glamorous and fun, she said. Appearing at the Super Bowl was one highlight so far. But she can't say there haven't been moments when she wondered what she's gotten herself into. Perhaps the first time was shortly after she won and she perused Miss America coverage online.

"I did the thing that nobody should ever do. I couldn't help myself, but I read the comments," she said.

Some said there was no way she'll make it through medical school. Others said pageants are demeaning to women. "I saw also so many comments that say, 'If this is a beauty pageant, why is she so ugly?' " she said.

The payoff comes with experiences like she had days after the homecoming ball. Last Tuesday, she stepped into the gym at Service High School, her alma mater, to a pep-rally reception. Anchorage School District superintendent Deena Bishop called it "absolutely appropriate" that Miss America be held up as an example to students.

"Pageants are changing as times do ...," Bishop said. "And this is about their abilities, their discussions, their interviews, their poise and really speaking about their hopes and dreams."

"This is pretty surreal to be back," Broyles told the students.

Then she launched into her message, encouraging them to carry on the school's spirit of inclusivity with students who experience intellectual disabilities.

Her own efforts had been formative when she was a Service student, she said. Julie Broyles, Emma's mother and a Service High School special education teacher, said all three of her children have long been involved with Special Olympics and Partners Club, which pairs students with and without intellectual disabilities for educational goals, life skills and fun activities.

"I got to see my brother, who has Down syndrome, walk down the hall hand-in-hand with a varsity football player," Broyles told the students in the full gym. "I think you probably wouldn't see that at any other school if you went down to the Lower 48 maybe."

Broyles encouraged students to consider joining Partners Club.

"Who knows, you end up being best friends with one of the students in the life skills class," Broyles said. "And that's something that you can carry with you for the rest of your life."

Watching from the audience was Sue Perles, CEO for Special Olympics Alaska, and Adam Ahonen, a Service special education teacher and Partners Club sponsor. Both said Broyles is having an impact, not just for their organizations but for their underlying principles.

"She's been a part of the Special Olympics program since she was in elementary school. And to have her now have a national or international platform to talk about the things we hold dear, it's just fabulous," Perles said.

"I can talk till I'm blue in the face, but being an old teacher, I don't carry the same weight ...," Ahonen said. "Just seeing the connection and that draw that she has, and also spreading that we should be nice to everybody and include everybody, just makes our school a better place the next day."

Broyles called it a full circle moment. Service students are interested in improving their community, she said, and contributing to their enthusiasm was "absolutely fulfilling."

"It feels like my work here is done," Broyles said.

When the hourlong event ended, students swarmed around Broyles for selfies until Anchorage police officers escorted her toward an exit. One student looked around from the balcony once the gym emptied out.

"I want to ask Miss America to prom," he said. "Where is she?"
Silhouette Stages will open its doors Saturday night for the first time since spring 2020, not with a play or musical, but with a film.

The Maryland premiere of the film, I Am Shakespeare: The Henry Green Story, is scheduled for Saturday at Slayton House Theatre, followed by a discussion with the films director, Stephen Dest, and Robin Dumont, co-leader of the Howard County chapter of Moms Demand Action.

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It is not like any other film Ive seen before, said Jeremy Goldman, president of the nonprofit Silhouette. It touches on so many critical issues.

Green was a 19-year-old gang member and an actor. In 2009, after performing as Tybalt in Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet, he was shot and left for dead. Green survived and he tells his story in the movie. Green died in 2018 of complications from his injuries.

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He had so many internal injuries, its fantastic he was able to walk away at all, Goldman said. Those few extra years he spent talking to people about gun safety, mental health and support for people living in poverty.

Howard County is not immune to gun violence, Goldman said, noting that there have been several recent shootings in Columbia, including one not far from Slayton House Theatre.

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I think a lot of people in Howard County think it is an issue up in Baltimore County, Goldman said. I think in Howard County, it is something to talk about.

Moms Demand Action is a national volunteer network with the goal of ending gun violence. Moms Demand Action Maryland and a Howard County chapter were formed in 2013. The group campaigns for new and stronger solutions to lax gun laws and loopholes, according to Nicole Berger of the Maryland chapter. The group is working on new legislation to ban ghost guns, or do-it-yourself homemade guns.

Communities across the country are experiencing an uptick in gun violence and Howard County is not immune. Educating the public about the many forms of gun violence and amplifying the voices of those directly impacted by it, like Henry Green, is fundamental to Moms Demand Actions mission to end gun violence, Dumont said. We hope the panel discussion following the screening will create more dialogue around how gun violence affects communities while also highlighting the essential work community partners are doing to support survivors.

Goldman believes that both the film and the discussion on Saturday could be fascinating.

We are not going to solve any major issues that night, Goldman said. But people may be more comfortable talking about these major issues. We accomplished something.

He hopes to offer more programs like the film screening to bring new people to Silhouette Stages. The group will return to its roots on March 18 with the opening of the play Calendar Girls.

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Silhouette Stages presents the Maryland premiere of I Am Shakespeare: The Henry Green Story will take place at 7 p.m., March 12, at Slayton House Theatre, 10400 Cross Fox Lane, Columbia. Tickets are $12.
A Florida Highway Patrol trooper is home and recovering on Monday after she used her vehicle to block a rogue driver that was speeding towards a pedestrian event taking place on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, the agency said in a news release.

The driver, 52-year-old Kristen Kay Watts of Sarasota, bypassed an Interstate 275 closure and failed to stop for multiple law enforcement officers before the crash took place just after 8:45 a.m. Sunday.

Watts was later arrested on charges of DUI, two counts of DUI with property damage and two counts of reckless driving involving injury and property damage.

The Florida Highway Patrol applauds the actions of Trooper Toni Schuck, a 26 year veteran of the patrol who, as the last line of defense to the Skyway 10K runners, placed herself in harms way to protect others, the agency said in a news release Monday.

Dashcam footage released by the agency on Monday shows the moment when Watts BMW sped past one FHP cruiser attempting to block her passage on northbound I-275. Her sedan then crashed nearly head-on into Schucks patrol SUV.

Both Schuck and Watts were seriously injured in the crash, FHP said.

This years Skyway 10K had 8,000 racers participating, organizers of the charity event said on Facebook. On Monday, organizers also shared a public thank you to Schuck.

On behalf of the Skyway 10K, we are beyond thankful for our law enforcement partners and the trooper who risked her life to keep our race participants safe, the post says.

Watts was listed as in custody at the Manatee County Jail on Monday afternoon. She was held in lieu of $52,000 bail.

Schuck continues to recover from her injuries with her family at home, FHP said, and anyone wanting to send her well wishes can send mail to Florida Highway Patrol, 11305 North McKinley Drive, Tampa, FL 33612 or contact the agency on social media.

A Sarasota woman has been arrested for DUI after Florida Highway Patrol says she went through an interstate closure for a pedestrian event and crashed into an FHP vehicle on March 6, 2022.
Jane Campion

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty

Jane Campion, who is currently up for three honors at the 94th annual Academy Awards, is looking back at her last Oscars experience  and the personal grief that she was going through at the time.

The award-winning writer and director, 67, is nominated for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture for Netflix's acclaimed The Power of the Dog at this year's ceremony  but she is no stranger to the Oscars, having took home the Best Original Screenplay award for the Holly Hunter-starring The Piano in 1994.

She was also nominated that year for Best Director. With her directing nomination for Power of the Dog, Campion becomes the first female director to be nominated twice in that category.

In a cover story for Vanity Fair, published online Monday, the New Zealand-born director opened up about her first Oscars. Ten months before she took home the coveted trophy, her son Jasper died at only 2 weeks old. And when she accepted the Oscar, she was pregnant with her daughter Alice, now 27 years old.

RELATED: Jane Campion Becomes First Woman Nominated for Best Director Oscar Twice with Power of the Dog Nod

"I just couldn't do anything; I was stunned by the grief experience, and I just couldn't work," she said of losing her son shortly after taking The Piano to the Cannes Film Festival.

"It's the most humanizing experience I've had," Campion told the publication. "You feel solidarity with everybody else that's expressing grief. You can never turn your head away from somebody who's suffering because you really know that it's a club."

The filmmaker then reflected on her cinematic work and how her experience has informed it.

RELATED VIDEO: Kodi Smit-McPhee Admits to Sharing Some Laughs with Benedict Cumberbatch on Power of the Dog Set

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"I think most of my work comes from that part of me, which is, I'm not really in control of emotion or anything else. It's a sort of psyche truth," she said.

According to The New York Times, Campion gave birth to Jasper via an emergency Caesarean section in 1993, and was told almost immediately thereafter that he could not live outside an incubator. He died less than two weeks later.

Campion took some time away from her film work  her next project as a director was 1996's Portrait of a Lady with Nicole Kidman (Oscar-nominated for its costume design and for supporting actress Barbara Hershey), and her next screenplay was 1999's Holy Smoke.

RELATED: Kirsten Dunst Says an Oscar Win for Power of the Dog Would Be 'Awesome': 'Do It for My Mother'

Campion was also the only female director to have won the Palme d'Or, up until last year, when Julia Ducournau won the award for Titane.

A directing win for Campion at this year's Oscars would make her the third woman ever to nab the Oscar for Best Director, after Kathryn Bigelow in 2010 for The Hurt Locker and Chloe Zhao last year for Nomadland.

With her 2021 win, Zhao, 39, also became the first Asian woman to take home the prize.

The Power of the Dog is one of the frontrunners in this year's Oscar race, with all four principal cast members nominated as well: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee.
On March 8, President Joe Biden announced that the United States will ban all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy.

That means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable at U.S. ports and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putins war machine, Biden said.

Today, Im announcing that the United States is targeting a main artery of Russias economy.



We are banning all imports of Russian oil and gas.  President Biden (@POTUS) March 8, 2022

Biden said the decision was made in close consultations with U.S. allies in Europe, because a united response to Putins aggression has been my overriding focus. However, he added that many European countries may not be in a position to join us.

What happens now as the U.S. bans Russian oil?

The first direct consequence will be a rise in prices, experts say.

It is absolutely clear that a rejection of Russian oil would lead to catastrophic consequences for the global market, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on March 7 in an address on state television, according to CNBC.

The surge in prices would be unpredictable. It would be $300 per barrel if not more.

By removing the Russian imports and not having an immediate adequate replacement, then obviously prices are going to go up, Max Pyziur, director at the Energy Policy Research Foundation, told McClatchy News.

These price rises would come at a time when many U.S. consumers are already seeing record highs at the pump.

The extent of the price increase will depend on whether other countries join in on a Russian oil ban, Dr. Brenda Shaffer, a foreign policy and international energy specialist, told McClatchy News.

If its just the United States, its not as serious a rise as if it was all consumers banning imports of Russian oil. But still, it will increase prices, Shaffer said.

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So in the short term, high price impact, volatility, consumers are going to expect higher prices at the pump until you have an adequate substitute, Pyziur said.

The ban could also mean a big risk of a global recession, Shaffer warns.

What weve done is actually we fired the economic nukes and we might be in some sort of economic mutual destruction, she added.

In a March 7 press briefing, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the U.S. will continue to have conversations with large oil producers and suppliers around the world about how to mitigate the impact and consider domestic options as well.

I would note that what the President is most focused on is ensuring we are continuing to take steps to deliver punishing economic consequences on Putin while taking all action necessary to limit the impact to prices at the gas pump, Psaki added.

How will the ban impact Russia?

Russia is going to need to find markets in order to find revenues for its treasury, Pyziur said.

And thats the point of it, he said of the ban. It is to try to find non-military ways of dealing with Russias aggression without resorting to things like actual military action, invasions, and things like that.

But as of now, Russia found a loyal customer for its oil in China, Shaffer explained.

China doesnt care about the sanctions so theyre buying oil on the cheap while Europe and the U.S. are buying at a much higher price, she said. It doesnt fundamentally affect the revenue to Russia because if the price rises, even if theyre selling less barrels, theyre selling at a very high price.

What other alternative for oil does the U.S. have?

About 8% of U.S. imports of oil and refined products came from Russia in 2021, The Wall Street Journal reported.

For now, there arent any other immediate alternatives for the U.S. to get that amount of oil from, experts say.

Shaffer warned that the Biden administration considering turning to countries like Venezuela or Iran to substitute Russian oil could be dangerous.

Neither Venezuela nor Iran currently can produce enough oil to supplant the Russian supplies, Shaffer added.

If you, in order to sort of stop Russia, you empower Venezuela and Iran, what have we achieved here in terms of international security? she said.

In short, we really cant just ban Russian oil, its like 10% of the global oil supply, Shaffer said.

Its almost impossible to take down 10% of the production without prices going so high that they trigger a global recession and you have all-out shortages, she added.

How long will it affect U.S. consumers?

This looks as though its going to be a problem for months to come, Pyziur said.

So even a week ago, you saw huge discounts on Russian oil, he said. Companies like BP, Shell and others that have established trading operations to procure Russian oil for export to other countries began feeling the pressure of not doing so.

So that was the implicit threat  now you have the explicit threat, Pyziur said. There was already the foreshadowing that this was going to come and we already know what the effects are going to be.

But, for now, Shaffer said U.S. consumers shouldnt worry about shortages.

Why doesnt the U.S. use its own oil?

The Biden administration has long advocated for lowering the U.S. crude oil and petroleum production, Pyziur explained, encouraging renewable energy alternatives as a way to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Experts say one of the main reasons that American oil production hasnt bounced back to the pre-COVID levels is because of the administrations policies and anti-fossil fuel sentiment.

For so-called, you know, climate reasons to substitute American oil with Venezuelan oil, beyond all the geopolitical reasons, it actually is a poor climate and environmental decision as well, Shaffer said.

If there was some real effort to boost U.S. production, it could make a difference in six to nine months, Shaffer said, but it wouldnt help in the short run.

We are in a situation of war. This isnt just an isolated event in Eastern Europe. This is something that affects the world, Pyziur said. Its going to impact living standards. Its going to impact national security, its going to impact food security, its going to impact energy security  all these things.

Want to save on gas? Here are five apps to help you do that as prices soar

How will Russias invasion of Ukraine affect Americans? It starts with your wallet

Whats led up to Russias invasion of Ukraine? Heres a brief look at their history
By Francesco Guarascio

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Parliament is set to approve on Wednesday a report urging the EU to ban golden passport schemes by 2025 and immediately stop the issuance of visas and passports to rich Russians in exchange for investments.

The move follows Russia's invasion of Ukraine which has triggered global sanctions of unprecedented severity against Moscow, with targets including a number of powerful and wealthy Russians seen as close to President Vladimir Putin.

The golden passport industry, which between 2011 and 2019 generated investments in EU countries of over 20 billion euros ($21.8 billion), is currently almost entirely unregulated in the EU, despite many countries having run these schemes for years.

EU states such as Malta and Cyprus have made huge profits with their schemes and the European Commission's vice president overseeing financial policy, Valdis Dombrovskis, set up a successful residence investment programme in Latvia when he was prime minister there at the beginning of the last decade.

EU lawmakers say in their report that ending such schemes could have a significant economic impact in some countries. They are therefore proposing the gradual phaseout of golden passport schemes and tight rules for residence arrangements, including much more rigorous checks on applicants.

Companies developing and promoting these programmes, such as Henley & Partners, would face strict requirements. Under the proposal, which is backed by a majority of legislators, revenues generated by these schemes would be taxed to fund the EU budget.

In an amendment to the original proposal prompted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the parliament urges an immediate halt to sales of visa and residence permits to Russians, among the biggest beneficiaries of these schemes.

Once approved, the report will go to the European Commission, which has the power to propose legislation.

EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders told lawmakers that the EU executive disagreed with the need for new rules on sales of citizenship because it was already pushing through legal proceedings to shut down existing golden passport schemes in Malta, Cyprus and Bulgaria.

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But the Commission has said it will assess the need for new laws to tighten golden visa schemes, and also issue shortly a non-binding recommendation on EU member states' issuance of golden passports and residence permits to Russians.

Last month, Britain scrapped golden visas for wealthy investors amid concerns about the inflow of illicit Russian money at a time when Russia was massing forces along the border with Ukraine, a week before launching its invasion.

($1 = 0.9177 euros)

(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Ukrainian refugees take shelter at the Ukrainian House in Przemysl, Poland. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Global condemnation of Russias war against Ukraine intensified Tuesday as a trickle of trapped civilians from one city made their way toward relative safety, but another agreed-upon pathway, from a battered and encircled seaport, came under Moscow's bombardment.

Ukraine welcomed the toughening of Western sanctions against Moscow, including President Biden's announcement Tuesday of a U.S. ban on importing Russian oil. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continued to plead for more forceful intervention in a 13-day-old conflict that has produced more than 2 million refugees and shaken world markets.

Please increase the pressure of sanctions against this country, and please recognize this country as a terrorist state, Zelensky said, blasting Russia in a video speech Tuesday to Britain's Parliament  a rare honor accorded to a foreign leader.

Zelensky reminded Britain of its own struggle against Nazi conquest in World War II and, in a deliberate echo of Winston Churchill, said Ukraine would never give in.

We will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost. We will fight in the forests, in the fields, on the shores, in the streets, he told a packed House of Commons, which gave him a standing ovation.

Britain announced Tuesday that it would join the U.S. in taking action against Russian oil, with plans to phase out such imports by year's end. And adding to the list of mega-corporations abandoning Russia, McDonald's announced it was temporarily closing its more than 800 stores in the country.

In announcing the U.S. oil ban, Biden castigated Russian President Vladimir Putin for his "murderous path" in Ukraine and insisted Ukrainians would defend "their freedom, their democracy, their lives."

Poland, meanwhile, stunned U.S. officials by declaring it would send about two dozen of its Soviet-era MIG-29 fighter jets to the U.S. air base at Ramstein, Germany  instead of to Ukraine. Zelensky has sought the planes and U.S. officials supported the idea. But then Putin said supplying Ukraine with jets was an act of war.

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Viewing both the complicated logistics of moving the aircraft into a battle zone and especially the potential Russian retaliation, Poland decided to extricate itself from the transaction  without first alerting the Americans.

Saying the planes would be sent to Ramstein "was a surprise move by the Poles," Victoria Nuland, the undersecretary of State for political affairs, said in testimony before Congress late Tuesday.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement: "We do not believe Poland's proposal is a tenable one."

In northeastern Ukraine, residents of the besieged city of Sumy began evacuating through a designated safe corridor Tuesday despite fears that Russian bombing could resume without warning. But another supposedly safe route, from the southern port of Mariupol, came under further shelling that prevented people from leaving the embattled city, Ukrainian authorities said.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, visiting Latvia, cited credible reports that civilians who were attempting to flee fighting were coming under deliberate fire by Russian forces.

Targeting civilians is a war crime, and its totally unacceptable, he said.

Also Tuesday, the German federal prosecutors office said it had launched a preliminary investigation into possible war crimes carried out by Russian forces in Ukraine. Germany applies the principle of universal jurisdiction to war crimes cases.

And in jarringly sobering and frank testimony, CIA Director William Burns and other senior U.S. intelligence officials told Congress that, far from being deterred by the setbacks his army is experiencing, Putin is likely to escalate.

Hes likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties, Burns said. He has no sustainable political endgame in the face of what is going to continue to be fierce resistance from Ukrainians.

Burns, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia, said Putin calculated that Ukraine was weak and easily intimidated, that his own army would roll in to quick victory and that he had managed to "sanctions-proof" his economy, and he got it wrong on each score.

He has been stewing in a combustible combination of grievance and ambition for many years, Burns said.

The civilians trying to leave their homes in Sumy and Mariupol are part of a startling exodus from Ukraine that has now surpassed 2 million people in less than two weeks, the United Nations said. Relentless Russian assaults have led to snowballing humanitarian crises and a rush to flee Europes biggest land war in 75 years.

It remains to be seen whether the shelling and airstrikes will pause long enough to allow the exit of all those who want to leave. Two previous cease-fires quickly collapsed, forcing thousands of people to scurry back to their homes or shelters in cities where drinking water, power, communications and the supply of food and medicine have been disrupted.

And there was no relief for beleaguered areas not covered by the deal to set up so-called humanitarian corridors. The city of Mykolaiv reported new attacks from Russian forces trying to conquer Ukraines southern coast, to choke off crucial access to the Black and Azov seas.

People flee the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which has been pounded by invading Russian forces. (Associated Press)

The evacuations from Sumy and Mariupol were to begin Tuesday morning after Russian and Ukrainian negotiators agreed on exit routes. Video showed refugees boarding buses in Sumy, a city near the Russian border with a significant population of foreign students; residents could choose to head south, to the town of Poltava, or to Russia.

From Mariupol, a city of 430,000 people that has been surrounded and pounded for days by Russian troops, buses were given the green light to travel northwest to Zaporizhzhia or to Russia. But Ukrainian officials accused Russian forces of violating the cease-fire with more shelling.

"Russian forces are now shelling the humanitarian corridor from Zaporizhzhia to Mariupol," Oleg Nikolenko, a spokesman for Ukraine's Foreign Ministry, said on Twitter. "Pressure on Russia MUST step up to make it uphold its commitments."

The setback frustrated the estimated 200,000 Mariupol residents  almost half the city's population  who are desperate to flee dire conditions that have included accounts of doctors performing emergency procedures without painkillers or antibiotics in hospitals struggling to source basic drugs.

Its seven days without any utility, without water, heat, Mariupols deputy mayor, Sergei Orlov, told the BBC. People want to find something to eat, and its difficult.

Orlov said the constant Russian shelling and rocket fire had destroyed schools, blood-donation stations and other civilian infrastructure, and made it impossible for people even to collect and count the dead.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that 30 buses had been dispatched from Zaporizhzhia to deliver water, food staples and medicines to Mariupol. The buses will be used to evacuate residents who wish to leave, if conditions allow.

Kyiv and Moscow were reportedly negotiating other safe passageways in Ukraine, including out of Kharkiv, the country's second-largest city, which, like Mariupol, has come under sustained attack as a prized Russian target. Both Ukrainian and Western leaders had lambasted Moscows offer Monday of evacuation corridors leading to Russia or its ally Belarus, calling it a cynical move that would deliver refugees to the countries that drove them from their homes in the first place. Belarus served as a launchpad for Russias invasion of Ukraine from the north.

In Kyiv, Zelensky insisted that he was staying put to lead his people and try to secure their safety.

"I'm staying here in Kyiv ... as long as needed to win this war, our national war," he said Tuesday in one of his frequent video addresses, adding: Right to life for everyone  that is what we are fighting for in Ukraine.

Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said more than 400 civilian deaths have been recorded so far in the war, including 38 children, although these data are definitely incomplete. He also said that Russian attacks have destroyed 34 hospitals, more than 200 Ukrainian schools and 1,500 residential buildings.

The figures could not be independently verified.

Here in Kyiv, residents and soldiers are bracing for an onslaught by the huge column of Russian tanks and armored vehicles that has apparently stalled just north of the capital. Western officials believe that the convoy has been beset by logistical problems, including a shortage of fuel, but that it is trying to regroup to either lay siege to or mount a huge offensive against the capital.

The Ukrainian military said a Russian general was killed in an attack on the convoy. Moscow has not commented on the claim.

In Irpin, a suburb northwest of Kyiv, the opposing forces traded artillery and mortar fire even as civilians continued to evacuate from the area. Russian troops have taken over part of the town, which lies on a vital pathway into Kyiv.

The mayor, Oleksandr Markushyn, said on his official Facebook page that the Russian occupiers had delivered a message threatening him and telling him to surrender. I'm surprised that these monsters still haven't understood  Irpin doesn't give up, he wrote.

Diplomatic efforts have continued even as the fighting rages. The Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers are expected to hold the highest-level meeting between the two sides Thursday in Turkey. Three rounds of talks by lower-level representatives, the most recent one on Monday, have seen some progress on humanitarian concerns, but there has been no indication of any political retreat on either side that would end the armed hostilities.

Putin has vowed to carry out his special military operation to the end, saying only complete Ukrainian capitulation to his demands would stop the fighting. He says Ukraine must de-militarize, root out the alleged neo-Nazis in its leadership  though Zelensky is Jewish  and pledge never to try to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or the European Union.

Kyiv, along with its Western supporters, dismisses those demands as rooted either in fantasy or in an unacceptable denial of Ukraine as a sovereign nation that enjoys the right to decide its own fate and its relationships.

"Every country should have its sovereignty respected," U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said Tuesday during a visit to Estonia on a quick tour through the Baltics to reassure nervous countries sitting in Russia's shadow. "Every country deserves to be able to make its own choices about its future, policies, with whom it will associate. And that's what's at stake when it comes to Russia's aggression against Ukraine."

Later, Blinken flew to Paris and met with French President Emmanuel Macron. They "compared notes on ongoing diplomacy" over the Ukraine crisis, the State Department said.

Bulos reported from Kyiv and Chu from London. Times staff writers Laura King, Tracy Wilkinson and Sarah D. Wire in Washington contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Former UFC champion Cain Velasquez was denied bail Monday in his attempted murder case in California, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

Velasquez was arrested last week after he allegedly tried to shoot and kill a man who has been accused of molesting his young relative.

Judge Shelyna Brown denied bail after a contentious hearing in a packed courtroom, saying that Velasquezs alleged actions were reckless by any standard and that the risk is too great to release him. Velasquez is due in court next on April 12.

Prosecutors said that Velasquez allegedly followed Harry Goulartes parents on their way to pick him up on Monday afternoon in the Bay Area. Just three days before, Goularte was charged in a separate molestation case after he allegedly molested one of Velasquezs underage relatives.

After following them for some time, prosecutors said, Velasquez allegedly shot once at their car. Then, after a more aggressive chase, Velasquez rammed into their vehicle and shot several more times, prosecutors said. Goulartes stepfather was shot in the arm and torso.

Velasquez, after a nearly 11-mile chase, then reportedly fled the scene.

Goularte, 43, was charged with a single count of lewd and lascivious act with a child under the age of 14 late last month. Velasquezs relative, who is younger than 10, told police that Goularte took him into a bathroom at a home daycare center that Goulartes mother runs and touched his genitals, according to ESPN. This apparently happened 100 times, and allegedly happened with other children, too.

Goularte has denied any wrongdoing, and was granted supervised release after his arrest.

The fact that Goularte was released, Velasquezs attorney, Mark Geragos, argued, is why Velasquez should have been offered at least a high bail  as their cases are connected.

The idea of keeping him in jail while Goularte runs free is the ultimate [example] of the criminal-justice system gone mad, Geragos said, via The Mercury News. You can set a high bail, but this is not a no-bail case.

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Prosecutors argued that it was just pure luck that others were not killed in the incident.

Is there anybody out there who would say to a father that this is not what you should do? Is there anybody out there who finds it to be beyond the pale that a father is not consulted with a release of the perpetrator back into the public with zero-dollar bail, yet theyre holding Cain on no bail? Geragos said, via The Mercury News. This is why people are disgusted, and rightfully so, with the criminal-justice system.

We plan on vindicating Cain. We plan on getting Cain back with his family.
SEOUL (Reuters) - Yoon Suk-yeol served as prosecutor-general under outgoing President Moon Jae-in until clashing with him over corruption probes and was picked by conservatives hoping to ride to victory on voter anger over rising home prices and scandals.

Here are some of the policy pledges he has made during the campaign.

ECONOMY

Yoon says he supports market-led approaches, including job creation led by the private sector rather than government projects. He says he plans to cut red tape for companies and to deregulate the virtual asset industry.

Yoon has proposed allotting 50 trillion won ($40 billion) to help small merchants and the self-employed hit by the pandemic, including cash handouts totalling 43 trillion won.

TAXES

Yoon has said he will lower capital gains and property ownership taxes to increase housing transactions.

He has proposed raising the tax threshold for cryptocurrency investments from the current 2.5 million won to 50 million won.

Yoon has said he will abolish a planned new tax for people who earned 50 million won from stock investments, to be effective next year, and cut real estate holding taxes to increase housing transactions.

HOUSING

Yoon says current property regulations must be eased and guided by "market principles."

Yoon has vowed to create at least 2.5 million homes in the next five years, including 500,000 in the capital Seoul.

NORTH KOREA

Yoon's team said he will seek to restart talks with North Korea, and purse a roadmap with significant and swift benefits for Pyongyang if it takes concrete actions to denuclearise.

He has called for boosting military deterrence, including by strengthening ties with the United States. He has also said that preventive strikes may be the only way to counter North Korea's new hypersonic missiles if they appear ready for an imminent attack.

Yoon says he would seek to establish a permanent three-way dialogue channel between South Korea, North Korea and the United States.

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FOREIGN POLICY

Yoon wants to buy an additional THAAD U.S. missile system to counter North Korea, despite risks that it could invite new economic retaliation from China, which complained that the system's powerful radar can penetrate its territory.

Taking such a step could in fact provide a chance to "reset" testy diplomatic ties with China, Yoon's top foreign policy aide has said.

Yoon would ditch the current administration's "strategic ambiguity" between Washington and Beijing, while promoting more regular security dialogue to reassure the THAAD radar is not directed at China.

Yoon would want to expand alliance consultations over extended nuclear deterrence with the United States, bolster a trilateral partnership with Washington and Tokyo, and also join the "Quad" gathering of the United States, Australia, Japan and India.

GENDER ISSUES

Yoon has pledged to abolish the gender and family ministry, underscoring how gender politics have played an outsized roll in the conservatives resurgence, riding, in part, a backlash among young South Korean men against what they see as feminism run amok.

($1 = 1,238.1000 won)

(Reporting by Josh Smith; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
Baltimore States attorney candidate Roya Hanna announced Tuesday that shes dropping out of the Democratic primary and running as an independent in the general election.

A defense attorney and former prosecutor, Hanna said party affiliation hinders elected prosecutors and declared that shes running as an independent because the business of prosecution is too important for politics.

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Under my administration, justice will be for all and public safety will be my everything, Hanna said at a news conference. We have to use creative solutions to crime and creativity and solutions are not the purview of any one political party or group.

Her decision creates a one-on-one race for the Democratic primary in deep-blue Baltimore between defense attorney Ivan Bates and incumbent States Attorney Marilyn Mosby, and shakes up an already atypical election that may be defined by the federal charges against Mosby. Hannas absence also could open the door for another candidate to enter the race.

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The June primary is the second time Bates is challenging Mosby, and he could fair better this time around with Hanna out of the race, said Roger Hartley, dean of the University of Baltimores College of Public Affairs.

Former deputy attorney general Thiru Vignarajah ran against Mosby and Bates in the 2018 Democratic primary. Mosby won handily with roughly 49% of the vote that primary, while about 28% of ballots were cast for Bates and 22.5% for Vignarajah.

Several challengers can essentially dilute the non-Mosby vote, Hartley said. Now its a clear one-on-one race.

Mosby still has not officially entered her name into the race; only Bates and Hanna had filed as of Tuesday, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections.

In January, Vignarajah said he had no plans to enter the race. But Vignarajah, who has kept himself in the public eye, told The Sun in an interview Friday hes keeping his options open.

This is an unprecedented situation where the elected States attorney may be constitutionally ineligible to serve and I havent ruled anything out, he said.

Bates outraised Mosby by more than $43,000 in the year leading up to the election. Hannas fundraising efforts brought in $39,000, roughly $150,000 less than Mosby. Both challengers have focused their campaigns on bringing down crime and battling prosecutor attrition in the States attorneys office.

Mosbys campaign website and social media accounts have been disabled for about a month and her few public comments over that time have focused on her indictment.

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Made public Jan. 13, the federal indictment charged Mosby with two counts of perjury and two counts of making false statements on loan applications to buy a pair of properties in Florida. Mosby maintains she is innocent and has accused federal prosecutors of pursuing the case because they harbor animosity toward her. A trial is set for May 2.

Candidates have until March 22 to file for the election.

Hartley said independents generally havent faired well in Baltimore.

In our city, the Democrat usually wins the general election, he said. Its because of Democrat registration totals, party loyalty, strong party preference. Its an uphill battle for a non-Democrat to win a citywide race in the City of Baltimore.

But it remains to be seen how Mosbys case plays out and influences voters.

If theres something that happens in this indictment that really challenges voter trust, then Hanna could portray herself as an alternative, Hartley said.

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Defense attorney Russell A. Neverdon Sr. tried to run for Baltimore States attorney as an independent in the 2014 election. He failed to get enough signatures to place his name on the ballot before earning votes as a write-in candidate. Mosby upset incumbent Gregg Bernstein in that primary and cruised to victory in the general election.
Covid memorial

Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty

Nearly a million Americans have died of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, and calls are growing for the U.S. government to establish a day in honor of victims and survivors.

On Monday, a coalition of groups including Marked By COVID, COVID Grief Network, Reimagine, and the Rose River Memorial, are hosting the virtual gathering for those affected by the virus. The event will feature a slideshow of COVID-19 victims and the reading of personal letters to elected officials.

But the groups will also voice their support for designating an annual COVID Memorial Day in remembrance of those lost during the pandemic, and the many others who made countless sacrifices to help in the fight.

"As we mark two years of living with  or dying from  COVID, individuals around the world are collectively grieving almost six million deaths," said a description on the COVID Memorial Day Virtual Vigil page. "The scale of this loss, particularly in communities of color, is unprecedented."

"We deserve an annual COVID Memorial Day to honor those who have died and recognize the tremendous sacrifices  both voluntary and involuntary  of people working on the front lines, who face chronic health issues or disabilities due to long COVID, and who are grieving the loss of partners, children, parents, friends and other loved ones," it continued.

RELATED: Child Dies from Rare Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome After Contracting COVID-19

covid memorial

PATRICK T. FALLON/Getty Images COVID Memorial

The event will feature speakers including U.S. Representative Greg Stanton of Arizona, Reimagine Co-Founder and Executive Director Brad Wolfe, musician Marque Cass, and Marked By COVID Co-Founder Kristin Urquiza.

Urquiza helped start the group after the death of her father, 65-year-old Mark Anthony Urquiza, in June 2020, according to NBC News.

Urquiza told the outlet that creating a national memorial day for COVID-19 victims would hold politicians accountable for policies that may have exacerbated the pandemic.

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RELATED: Runner, 29, with Long COVID Went from Half Marathons to Months in a Wheelchair: 'It Was So Scary'

"Our elected officials are holding two truths at the same time. One, they do recognize something like memorializing our lost loved ones as a no-brainer, as necessary," Urquiza told NBC News. "But it also helps solidify that this was real, that it had a really big impact on our lives, and that their leadership, their policies, played a role in getting us to where we're at right now."

"This is an opportunity for learning and for codifying those lessons learned," she later added, "and thinking about it as gifting the wisdom of our lived experience to future generations."

Urquiza said Marked By COVID is working on launching a permanent memorial for victims and is collecting designs from artists.

RELATED VIDEO: Here are Some Myth-Busting Facts About Covid-19 Vaccines

In February 2021, President Joe Biden led a candlelight vigil at the White House alongside Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses that included a moment of silence as the U.S. passed 500,000 dead from COVID-19.

"We have to resist viewing each life as a statistic, or a blur, or on the news. We must do so to honor the dead, but equally important, care for the living," Biden said at the time. "As a nation, we cannot and we must not let this go on."

According to the New York Times, 957,427 Americans have died from COVID-19 as of Monday.

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from the CDC, WHO and local public health departments. PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMe to raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, click here.
Crime scene investigators at the home where Trevor McKinley was killed in a confrontation with Rankin County Sheriff's deputies. WAPT

Trevor McKinley, 28, died in a shootout with Rankin County Sheriff's deputies in August.

Seven months later, his family is waiting for answers from the investigation into his death.

Insider tried to get more information on McKinley's death but has met resistance from local officials.

Charlene Quarles was getting ready to spend a hot day at the lake with her family on August 21 when two sheriff's deputies showed up at her home, barged in uninvited, and shot her grandson dead.

Six months later, Quarles is still waiting for answers about who shot her grandson  and why.

The shooting death of 28-year-old Trevor McKinley is complicated. He had a warrant out for his arrest, and his grandfather, Sonny Quarles, admits complaining about his angry behavior on a 911 call before deputies arrived at their home.

But Trevor's family are largely in agreement that he was not a danger and that deputies should have tried to deescalate the situation to prevent the confrontation turning deadly.

"I'm not saying that my son was an angel by any means," Trevor's mother, Jackie McKinley, told Insider. "But it could have been avoided."

Trevor McKinley. Courtesy of Jackie McKinley





Trevor is one of at least four people who died after confrontations with sheriff's deputies in Rankin County, Mississippi, last year. Insider previously reported on the death of Damien Cameron, a Black man who died in police custody in July. Two months prior to that, a man named Cory Jackson died in police custody as well. Most recently, officers responding to a call of a drug overdose in December shot and killed Robert Rushton, who they say was armed with two knives. No charges have been brought in any of these cases, which remain under investigation.

"I don't understand how they can kill somebody and then keep the case open and active so they don't have to release any information. And it's not like this is a one-time incident," Trevor's former fiancee, Ashton Durr, said. Durr said the sheriff's office has "given no explanation and proven nothing about why any of these killings were valid or necessary."

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The sheriff's office did not respond to Insider's request for comment on this story, and resisted our efforts to get more information on the McKinley shooting.

Trying to get clean

The story of Trevor's death begins on June 1, when he and his fiancee got into a fight that turned physical.



Durr told Insider that the fight was about drugs. She said Trevor had been clean for several years, but that she found a stash of pills and confronted him about relapsing. She says he responded by chasing her around the house, hitting her. At one point, she stabbed him.

Police weren't called to the fight, but learned about it later through one of her friends, Durr said. She said police showed up at their house about two days later but she refused to talk to them. After that, she decided to go stay with her parents to get some space from Trevor.

"I left because I figured me staying, he wouldn't go and get the help he needed," she said.

Within a week, she said Trevor had checked himself into rehab.

After completing the program, Trevor went to stay with his mother in Tennessee and it was there that he first learned that there was a warrant out for his arrest. Jackie McKinley says her son planned to turn himself in when he returned to Mississippi.

McKinley with his fiancee and one of their sons. Courtesy of Jackie McKinley

Trevor returned to Mississippi on August 7, after his mother got COVID. His father, Shannon McKinley, says that his son tried to turn himself in after returning, but was told that he would have to get two negative COVID-19 tests first. The sheriff's department did not respond to questions about this policy.

Trevor's lawyer, William Andy Sumrall, told Insider that he left a message at the Rankin County Sheriff's Office before the weekend Trevor was killed, telling them that his client planned to turn himself in on the following Monday, but he isn't sure whether they received the message.

One last get-together as a family

On the morning of August 21, Charlene Quarles said the plan was to take Trevor and his kids to a lake where Trevor had spent a lot of time as a child. Durr would join them and stay the night with Trevor in a hotel at the lake.

The couple was realistic. They expected Trevor would go to jail "for awhile," Durr said, so this was one last opportunity to be together as a family.

The morning got off to a rough start though when Trevor and his grandfather got into an argument.

Sonny Quarles told Insider that his grandson was looking for some documents in his bedroom that morning, and took out some drawers in the process. Quarles said when he asked his grandson to put the drawers back when he was done, Trevor snapped.

"He started one of them cussing fits," Quarles said. "He throwed me down, hit me in the back of the head, and kind of dazed me."

The heated exchange caused his wife to start having chest pain, and she asked him to call 911.

"I couldn't seem to get my breath that morning, and it scared me, and I told him, I said, 'Sonny you might better just call the paramedics,'" Charlene Quarles recalled.

But while her husband called 911, Quarles said she recovered and told her husband to tell them not to come.

What happened next is somewhat unclear. Sonny Quarles said he made a second call to 911, but was vague about what he told the 911 operator.

He said while he was on the call, Trevor started "cussing again."

"I said, I just can't put up with this today. And I called 911 again and asked them to come down here," Quarles said.

When asked whether he told the 911 operator that Trevor had hit him or was being abusive in any way, he said that he couldn't recall exactly what he said.

Charlene and Sonny Quarles were outside the house when police arrived on the scene. Charlene said her husband was holding the baby while she fetched a diaper bag for their trip to the lake when the two deputies rushed into the home uninvited.

"They just come flying up in the yard, two of them," Charlene said. "They jumped out of the car, didn't say one word, show nothing. One went for the front door, one went for the kitchen door."

Within minutes, the couple said they heard four shots and their grandson was dead.

Durr said she was on the phone with Trevor just before he was killed.

"He sounded like he was crouched down in a corner, hiding almost. He was like, 'I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry  I love you, I'm so sorry.' And then I heard some man come in, he sounded like he was right beside him and he was like, 'Don't fucking move Trevor, don't fucking run.'"

"Then I just heard scrambling and the phone dropped and it hung up," Durr said.

Ten minutes later, she said she received a call from Trevor's aunt, saying he was dead.

Law enforcement agents outside the Quarles' home after the shooting of Trevor McKinley. WAPT

In its press release after the incident, the Rankin County Sheriff's Office said that deputies were dispatched to the home for a "medical call," but before arriving on the scene, a "caller" indicated there was a "domestic disturbance."

The press release goes on to say that deputies learned that Trevor had a felony warrant for domestic violence, and that he refused multiple commands to come out of the home's attic.

"McKinley then attempted to climb down and flee deputies," the press release said. "McKinley then displayed a handgun and fired at the deputies who then returned fire, striking the suspect. The suspect was pronounced deceased at the scene."

Insider was only able to obtain scant pieces of additional information in relation to McKinley's shooting, mostly from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.

Insider obtained an MBI incident report, which includes information one of its special agents gleaned about the shooting after being called to the scene.

The special agent recounts what the sheriff told him about the shooting, an account which largely echoes what the sheriff's office said in its press release.

However, the MBI agent was told that the two officers involved first tried to use a Taser on McKinley but that "it did not have any effect on the subject."

McKinley then "turned around and fired multiple rounds at the officers" before one of the officers returned fire, striking McKinley in the head.

Threats of violence

The Quarleses believe their grandson hid in the attic because he had been warned that officers would beat him up if he didn't turn himself in.

Trevor McKinley and his two sons. Courtesy of Jackie McKinley

Charlene Quarles said someone in the department told Trevor's father that "if they had to come pick him up they was gonna rough him up real bad."

"Trevor knows how they work up there. He's been up there many times in his life, and he knows they do that. They're famous for roughing people up when they go to get 'em," she said. The sheriff's department did not respond to questions about this.

Quarles believes her grandson fled to the attic because of the fear of being beaten up, and wasn't trying to resist arrest.

"He has never, in the five or six times he's been arrested in his life, has never resisted or done anything," Quarles said.

Both Quarles and Trevor's father suggested that Trevor may have accidentally pulled the trigger after officers tased him.

"Did he only fire because he was getting jolted from some electricity  is that what caused his muscles to tense and squeeze the trigger?" Trevor's father said.

But Trevor's father also admits that it's possible his son relapsed, or had finally reached the end of his tether with law enforcement.

"He's been in trouble now most of his life. Maybe he had had enough. I don't know if he had gotten a hold of some drugs and was out of his normal thinking or just reached a point where he'd just snapped."

Did officers have a right to enter the home?

The Quarleses question whether the sheriff's deputies had a right to enter their home that day.

"The very idea that they can go bust in your house, not say one word to you. I mean where's my rights?" Charlene Quarles said of Rankin County Sheriff's deputies.

But Sumrall, Trevor's attorney, told Insider that if cops had reason to believe that a person with a warrant out for their arrest was inside, cops had a right to enter the home.

Even if they did have the right to enter the home, the family believes the police should have tried to deescalate the situation first, before bursting into the house guns-blazing.

"There was no one else in the house. What's the purpose of going in and trying to flush him out?" Shannon McKinley asked.

Waiting for answers

In the more than six months since Trevor's death, his family say the only information they've received from Rankin County is the information in the initial press release.

"I want some answers," Charlene Quarles said. "If it was all upfront and done by the law, why would nobody tell you anything? It's been six months."

"We don't have a toxicology report, we don't have any information whatsoever," Jackie McKinley said. "They've released nothing to us. They wouldn't even release his body to us. We weren't able to have a funeral for three weeks."

Trevor's mother said she's concerned that her son is just one of multiple people who were killed in confrontations with Rankin County Sheriff's deputies.

Jackie McKinley said Rankin County has gotten "a bit of a reputation of killing people lately" and "it's really becoming an issue."

Soon after her son's death, McKinley said she called up Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey to discuss the recent deaths with him, but says he "basically hung up on me."

"I wanted to speak with him about his officers and maybe them being trained better," she said.

Insider requested the incident report, arrest warrant, 911 call log, call audio, and a call transcript from Rankin County. We were met with resistance from officials, who turned down most of our request, save for the arrest warrant and a heavily-redacted 911 dispatch call log.

Under Mississippi law, incident reports are public information. Rankin County, however, declined to release the report because, it alleges, the incident report in this case is an investigative report and therefore exempt from public review.

Since an officer was involved in the shooting, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is handling the investigation. As of March 3, the agency said the investigation was ongoing.

Trevor's father is trying to reserve judgment until he's heard all the facts.

"I've been trying not to pass judgment till the facts come out and are made public ... then I can make my determination as to whether I think it was justifiable or not," he said.

Charlene Quarles said she's considered suing the county, but hasn't been able to find a lawyer. She said she doesn't like the idea of suing, but believes "drastic" change is needed at the sheriff's office.

"I've lived here my whole life  the sheriffs, they still act like it's 1950," she said. "They act like I got a badge and a gun and I can kill you and ain't nothing you can do about it."

"My son had a lot of issues, he wasn't perfect. But he didn't deserve to die," Jackie McKinley said. "Now my son's life is gone and his children don't have a father. It just could have been handled differently."

Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the race of Cory Jackson, who was white, not Black.

Read the original article on Insider
Mar. 8VIAN  A national symbol occupying a spot at the top of the food chain, bald eagles were known to inhabit Oklahoma for many years, but as late as 1980, the bird of prey could not be found.

However, thanks to conservation groups and federal protection laws, the southern bald eagle is making a comeback in the Sooner state, along with the rest of the lower 48 states. Avian aficionados will find proof of their return at the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, situated in the Vian hills near the Arkansas River.

Several factors played a role in the drop in eagle populations, including lead poisoning and poor land-use practices. Among the most detrimental of influences was the application of DDT, or dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane. Its use in fields has been linked to the thinning of eggshells, which causes reproductive failure.

"DDT interferes with the deposition of calcium in their eggs," said Leann Bunn, naturalist at Tenkiller State Park. "So when they would go to sit on their eggs, they would crush their eggs. They only have two, sometimes three, chicks in a year."

The George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center (Sutton Center), a nonprofit organization in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, has worked over the years to reintroduce and monitor bald eagles within the U.S. The organization brought eggs from nests in Florida, only taking one to avoid harming the population.

"Sutton brought those eggs back to Oklahoma and they incubated them with chickens. The chickens would hatch off the young eaglets, and they'd take the young eaglets and raise them with puppets that looked like eagles' heads," said Bunn.

Between 1984 and 1992, the Sutton Center raised and released 275 bald eagles in the southeastern U.S. Slowly, the population of the nation's emblem increased, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the bald eagle from the Endangered Species List in 2007.

"They've made such a recovery now," said Chad Ford, outdoor recreation planner at the Sequoyah Wildlife Refuge. "I think there were three nests when they started looking for them 20 years ago. There's five or six on the tour road that we look at regularly, but there's way more than that."

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The Sequoyah Refuge is home to many species. Staff regularly find snow geese, loons, ducks, coots, harriers, vultures and more  some of which end up as dinner for the eagles. The nearby river, Sally Jones Lake and other bodies of water provide fish for the eagles, too.

"This is such a rich ecosystem here," Bunn said. "A lot of the eagles fledge two chicks out of the nest. You'll notice that because it's such a wonderful habitat; the eagles like it. Oklahoma is responsible for the return of the southern bald eagle to the lower 48 states. That is an amazing conservation story and we need to tell it."

Geese, coots and fish are the main food source for the raptors. They're also smart enough to choose their dinner wisely. Ford said eagles will sit and watch a flock of geese, before choosing one of the weakest.

"They pick their target," he said. "There will be one in the group that's limping, it's moving slower, or maybe it's been wounded during migration or from hunters. They'll pick out that one to conserve energy. If you get on some of the fields where the snow geese like to hang out, you'll find areas where there are white feathers everywhere. That's where one met its demise."

Efforts to provide high-quality habitats for the bald eagle have helped increase their numbers. They still have natural elements they must overcome, though. During periods of rain, young eaglets whose down feathers haven't turned dark  providing a thermal barrier against the cold  will succumb to hypothermia. When a young eagle dies, though, it's still utilized.

"In nature, that's just biologically smart," Bunn said. "Don't waste a resource if you have it available to you."
LONDON (Reuters) -John Bercow, the former speaker of Britain's House of Commons lower house of parliament, will be banned for life from holding a parliamentary pass after an independent panel found he was a "serial bully" of his employees.

Bercow, whose shouts of "order, order" won him fame around the globe during years of parliamentary struggles over Brexit, was found to have repeatedly bullied his staff with "behaviour which had no place in any workplace", the Independent Expert Panel said on Tuesday.

The panel, which adjudicates on complaints against lawmakers in parliament, also said his evidence showed he was "a serial liar".

"His behaviour fell very far below that which the public has a right to expect from any member of parliament," the panel said in a statement.

"The respondent's conduct was so serious that, had he still been a Member of Parliament, we would have determined that he should be expelled by resolution of the House (of Commons). As it is, we recommend that he should never be permitted a pass to the Parliamentary estate."

Bercow stepped down in October 2019 after 10 years in the Speaker's chair, from which he refereed debates, ruled on procedural disputes and made sure lawmakers followed parliamentary rules.

In response, Bercow said the ruling was a "travesty of justice" and that the investigation was "amateurish" that relied on "tittle tattle and malicious gossip".

"At the end of it, the panel has simply said that I should be denied a parliamentary pass which I have never applied for and do not want. That is the absurdity of its position," he said in a statement.

"It is a travesty of justice and brings shame on the House of Commons."

(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan and Elizabeth Piper; editing by William James)
Fox News host Tucker Carlson accused the Biden administration of inserting itself "with force" into the middle of a "hot war." Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Tucker Carlson has accused US lawmakers of intentionally seeking war with Russia.

Carlson called Lindsey Graham "hysterical," and accused him of acting out "war fantasies."

Carlson also said the US is currently "at war with Russia" because of the Biden administration's aid of Ukraine.

On Monday night, Fox News host Tucker Carlson accused US lawmakers on both sides of the aisle  from Vice President Kamala Harris to Sen. Lindsey Graham  of intentionally seeking war with Russia.

During the Monday night episode of "Tucker Carlson Tonight," Carlson said that Harris' acknowledgment of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's intent to join NATO was equivalent to saying: "Up yours, Vladimir Putin, go and invade Ukraine."

"And of course, Vladimir Putin did that just days later. So the invasion was no surprise to the Biden administration. They knew that would happen. That was the point of the exercise. We watched all this happen. We missed it. How? Honestly, because it was insane, and therefore very hard to take seriously," Carlson said.

"Why in the world would the United States intentionally seek war with Russia? How could we possibly benefit from that war? We still don't know the answer to that question," Carlson said, adding that Washington has been "fixated on war with Russia for a very long time."

Carlson also slammed GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham. During the episode, he played a tape of Graham's visit to Ukraine in 2016, where the senator assured Ukrainian troops of Washington's support for Ukraine's fight against Russian aggression.

Opinion: Fox News pundits are using white supremacist language

"As far back as 2016, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, hysterical little Lindsey Graham, was jumping around acting out his war fantasies in front of foreign soldiers in Ukraine," Carlson said. "'Your fight is our fight'  that's a very strange thing for the American lawmaker to say to a foreign military."

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Carlson also alleged that the Biden administration had "inserted itself with force" into the middle of a "hot war."

"That means the United States is now an active participant in a war. We are at war with Russia. Whether or not that war has been officially declared, whether or not Congress has authorized that war. All of that is irrelevant," Carlson said.

The US is providing weapons to Ukraine as part of a $350 million military aid package, and announced a series of sanctions against Russia, but an official declaration of war has not been made.

On Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken appeared on "Meet the Press" and said the US was not considering implementing a "no-fly zone" over Ukraine  which would allow US forces to shoot down any plane that flew in Ukrainian airspace.

"The president ... has a responsibility to not get us into a direct conflict, a direct war with Russia, a nuclear power, and risk a war that expands even beyond Ukraine to Europe. That's clearly not our interest. What we're trying to do is end this war in Ukraine, not start a larger one," he said.

Insider's live blog of the Russian invasion is covering developments as they happen.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Avelo Airlines, a new low-cost carrier, will begin flying between Midway and Tweed New Haven Airport in Connecticut. Avelo aircraft are pictured at Tweed-New Haven Airport. (Kenneth R. Gosselin/Hartford Courant/) (Kenneth R. Gosselin/Hartford Courant)

Midway Airport is adding another new airline.

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Avelo Airlines, a new low-cost carrier that began operating in April 2021, will begin flying between Midway and Tweed New Haven Airport in Connecticut, the carrier said Tuesday. Chicago will become the first Midwest city Avelo will serve.

The announcement comes months after another low-cost airline, Frontier, announced it would begin service from Midway in April. The expansions at Midway International Airport come as airlines have been battered for two years during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The smaller of Chicagos two airports has long been a major hub for Southwest Airlines, and the addition of Frontier and Avelo will bring the number of carriers operating there to seven.

Avelo will begin flights between New Haven and Chicago in late May. One round trip flight will be offered five days a week until mid-June, when Avelo plans to add a sixth day.

Avelo flies to 18 U.S. cities, including hubs in New Haven and at Hollywood Burbank Airport outside Los Angeles. The airline plans to also expand service in May to the Baltimore-Washington area, cities in North and South Carolina, Nashville and Savannah, Georgia, the carrier said.

sfreishtat@chicagotribune.com
PARIS (Reuters) - A French far-right presidential contender, on the back foot over past support for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Ukrainians with family links to France should be given visas, unlike those fleeing conflicts in Arab Muslim nations.

Zemmour warned an "emotional response" risked unleashing a flood of refugees across Europe after the European Union agreed to give Ukrainians who flee the war the right to stay and work in the 27-nation bloc for up to three years.

The United Nations says more than 2 million Ukrainians have already fled the country.

Zemmour applauded Britain's more stringent approach. Britain on Monday rejected calls to ease visa requirements for Ukrainian refugees.

"If they have ties to France, if they have family in France...let's give them visas," Zemmour told BFM TV.

A writer and polemicist who has previous convictions for inciting racial hate, said it was acceptable to have different rules for would-be asylum seekers from Europe and those from Arab Muslim nations.

He describes France as a once-great nation now in decline, its Christian civilisation hollowed out by the growing influence of Islam and immigration.

"It's a question of assimilation," Zemmour said. "There are people who are like us and people who unlike us. Everybody now understands that Arab or Muslim immigrants are too unlike us and that it is harder and harder to integrate them."

"We are closer to Christian Europeans."

In September 2020, Zemmour tweeted that he favoured a "Russian alliance" and that Moscow was "the most reliable ally, even more than the United States, Germany or Britain." He has condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Russia's assault on Ukraine -- which Moscow describes as a 'special operation to de-Nazify its neighbour -- and public disgust over the cross-border exodus of Ukrainian citizens has hurt Zemmour in the polls.

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Zemmour's support has fallen by 3 to 4 points to about 12% in voter surveys taken since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Europe's open-arm welcome to fleeing Ukrainians contrasts with the reluctance to accept large numbers of refugees from conflicts in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, with some Arab refugees complaining of double standards.

(Reporting by Richard Lough in Paris and Alexandre Minguez in Perpignan; Editing by Jon Boyle)
Gas prices at the Get-n-Go on East Arrowhead Parkway and Highline Avenue.

Gas prices have continued to rise across South Dakota, according to a recent analysis by AAA.

The average gas price in the state is $3.791 per gallon, compared to $3.314 a month ago, according to AAA.

The current average price of regular gas in Sioux Falls is $3.776 per gallon, as of Tuesday according to AAA. But compared to a month ago, when gas was $3.326, the price has risen 13%. Gas has risen nearly 26% in Sioux Falls compared to this time last year as well when it was $2.779.

Across the nation, gas prices have gone up with the average price on Tuesday being $4.173, breaking the record for highest cost of gas since 2008.

The reason for the skyrocketing gas prices: the war in Ukraine.

More: Sioux Falls community gathers at vigil to show support for Ukraine: 'It's everyone's pain right now'

Because of the Biden Administration's decision to place sanctions on Russia, which includes hindering the former Soviet country's ability to sell crude oil, prices for crude oil have gone up, according to USA Today.

International crude oil hit $126 a barrel while U.S. crude oil was sitting at $121 a barrel on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.

President Biden also announced Tuesday that the U.S. would be banning Russian imports of oil, gas and coal.

Gas Buddy, a tech company that finds real-time fuel prices across the nation, forecasted that gas prices will peak in May at $4.25 a gallon before slowly coming down.

Current average gas prices in South Dakota, according to AAA:

Sioux Falls Regular: $3.776 Mid: $3.929 Premium: $4.317 Diesel: $4.304

Rapid City Regular: $3.905 Mid: $3.973 Premium: $4.366 Diesel: $4.310



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: Gas prices continuing to rise across South Dakota, AAA says
The bot has caused an uproar on Twitter (@GenderPayGapBot/Twitter)

A genius Twitter account is holding businesses accountable as they take to social media to celebrate the women who work for them this International Womens Day (IWD).

IWD, which takes place on 8 March every year, is both a celebration of womens achievements and an opportunity to highlight pressing issues, such as gender inequality in the workplace.

Companies across the UK have been taking to Twitter to raise their own profiles by highlighting the achievements of the women who work for them and how they are supporting them. Many are also hosting events, competitions and panel discussions.

But any attempts of performative activism have been thwarted by the Gender Pay Gap Bot, an account dedicated to highlighting pay disparities between men and women.

Every time an organisation tweets about their IWD initiatives, the account is responding by publishing the companys pay gap.

As per the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, men earned 7.9 per cent more than women in 2021.

The Twitter account is gathering its data from the governments free, online tool which allows the public to search and compare the gender pay gap of any companies that employ more than 250 people.

The Gender Pay Gap Bot has caused an uproar on Twitter, with some organisations even deleting their original tweets after being called out.

In this organisation, women's median hourly pay is 73.2% lower than men's. https://t.co/JkecLgo79P  Gender Pay Gap Bot (@PayGapApp) March 8, 2022

The account revealed that British pub chain company Youngs Pubs pays its male employees 73.2 per cent more than women after the business tweeted that it was very privileged to have some incredible women working for it.

Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust deleted its original IWD post after the account tweeted that it pays men 19.5 per cent more than women.

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In this organisation, women's median hourly pay is 21.5% lower than men's. https://t.co/MkUdfCqNC7  Gender Pay Gap Bot (@PayGapApp) March 8, 2022

It also highlighted a pay disparity in the police force, with Surrey Police paying women 21.5 per cent less than men.

Separately, the account has also been highlighting the organisations which either pay women more, or pay men and women equally.

Women who work for the London Fire Brigade are paid 2.7 per cent more than men, while the Dover District Council pays women 6.1 per cent more.

In this organisation, women's median hourly pay is 2.7% higher than men's. https://t.co/3zAqrmchRp  Gender Pay Gap Bot (@PayGapApp) March 8, 2022

The Gender Pay Gap Bot is being hailed as genius by social media users.

Gender Pay Gap Bot is seriously doing the best work calling out hypocritical corporate fauxminism on #IWD2022  Id be fuming if I wasnt so tickled pink, one person wrote.

Another said: This Gender Pay Gap Bot is giving me LIFE today! Stop your posturing and sort your pay out.

Today I am mostly obsessed with the [Gender Pay Gap Bot]. A bot that [retweets] any company tweeting about #IWD2022 highlighting their gender pay gap. It is hilarious and depressing in equal measures, a third person wrote.
BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany on Tuesday poured cold water on extending the life-span of its nuclear plants to help cut its reliance on Russian gas, saying it needed instead to build up alternative energy sources at "Tesla speed".

Economy Minister Robert Habeck said the country's first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, announced last weekend, should be ready within two years.

In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Europe's largest economy late last month floated the idea of keeping nuclear plants as part of its energy mix to diversify away from Russia, which delivers most of Germany's natural gas.

But the economy and environment ministries said on Tuesday that after looking at both short-term and mid-term scenarios, they had decided that the costs and risks of keeping nuclear facilities open outweighed limited benefits. Germany's last remaining nuclear plants are due to close this year.

"As a result of weighing up the benefits and risks, an extension of the operating lives of the three remaining nuclear power plants is not recommended, also in view of the current gas crisis," the ministries said in a joint statement.

Germany's remaining three nuclear plants are operated by energy firms EnBW, RWE and E.ON.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Germany has mapped out changes to its energy system to cut dependence on Russian gas, which accounts for two thirds of Germany's natural gas imports.

After talks with the energy ministers of Germany's 16 states, Habeck said the country must diversify its energy sources, including by building an LNG terminal in the north, as fast as possible.

"We totally agree that the construction of electricity networks, LNG terminals and renewable energy must be done at 'Tesla speed'," Habeck told a news conference.

Asked how long it would take before the planned LNG terminal can replace Russian gas, Habeck referred to the two years it took Tesla to complete construction of its megafactory outside Berlin.

Other alternatives under consideration include more solar and wind power and keeping coal-fired power plants that are due to shut down on standby for emergencies.

(Reporting by Maria Sheahan, Christoph Steitz and Joseph Nasr; Editing by Zuzanna SzymanskaEditing by Paul Carrel and Susan Fenton)
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany will host a virtual meeting of agricultural ministers from G7 countries on Friday to discuss the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on global food security and how to best stabilize food markets, the government said.

"The provision of foodstuffs in Germany and the European Union is safe but greater shortages can be expected in some countries outside the EU - especially where scarcity already reigns today due to issues like drought," German Agriculture Minister Cem Oezdemir said in statement.

"Price hikes for agricultural products cannot be excluded in industrialized nations either."

Germany holds the rotating presidency of the Group of Seven most advanced economies this year.

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a special operation that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its southern neighbour's military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists.

(Reporting by Holger Hansen in Berlin; Writing by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
One of the jurors who helped convict the British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell of sex trafficking said Tuesday his failure to disclose before the trial that he was abused as child was one of the biggest mistakes Ive ever made in my life.

I didnt lie in order to get on this jury, the juror, identified during the hearing only as No. 50, answered as U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan for the Southern District of New York peppered him with questions about why he didnt reveal the abuse on a questionnaire during the jury selection process.

If I could have gone back and gone slower, I would have in a heartbeat, it wasnt on purpose or intentional, he said.

The lawyers for Maxwell, who was in the Manhattan courtroom and has been behind bars while awaiting sentencing, said that they would have objected to having him serve on the jury and that the verdict should be thrown out.

Nathan has given both sides until March 15 to file legal briefs on whether the verdict should be set aside.

Questions about the juror's impartiality were raised after Jeffrey Epsteins longtime confidant was convicted in December and after the juror divulged in media interviews that he had been sexually abused as a child.

Identified in the interviews with British media by his first and middle names, Scotty David, the juror said he told other members of the panel about his experience after some voiced doubt about the credibility of witnesses Jane and Carolyn.

Those are pseudonyms for two of the four women who testified that Maxwell groomed them for sex with Epstein when they were teenagers.

When I shared that, they were able to sort of come around on, they were able to come around on the memory aspect of the sexual abuse, he said in the interviews with Reuters and The Independent.

The juror, who agreed to appear before Nathan only after being assured he would not be prosecuted, is under fire for failing to answer yes to question 48 on the jury form, which asks potential panelists if they or a friend or a family member had ever been sexually harassed or abused.

The juror said he should have disclosed that he was abused as a child by a stepbrother when he was 9 and 10. He said he didnt tell anyone until he was in high school when he told his mother who contacted the police, but no charges were ever filed.
(AP)

A Guantanamo Bay detainee held for 20 years for allegedly trying to take part in the 9/11 hijacking plot has been sent home to Saudi Arabia.

The Pentagon says that Mohammad Mani Ahmad al-Qahtani, 46, will receive treatment at a psychiatric facility when he arrives back in the country.

He had been held at the US base in Cuba since 2002, with US officials determining last year that keeping him detained was no longer necessary to protect against a continuing significant threat to the national security of the United States.

His lawyers say that he has shown symptoms of schizophrenia since a young age, and in 2002 an FBI official reported seeing him talking to non-existent people in his cell.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin informed Congress in February that al-Qahtani would be sent home.

After two decades without trial in US custody, Mohammed will now receive the psychiatric care he has long needed in Saudi Arabia, with the support of his family, said Ramzi Kassem, a law professor at the City University of New York who represented al-Qahtani.

Keeping him at Guantanamo, where he was tortured, and then repeatedly attempted suicide, would have been a likely death sentence.

Mohammad Mani Ahmad al-Qahtani (JTF-GTMO)

Before the 9/11 attacks, immigration officials in Florida refused to allow al-Qahtani into the US, preventing his participation in the terror plot.

He was later captured in Afghanistan and sent to Guantanamo.

The United States appreciates the willingness of Saudi Arabia and other partners to support ongoing US efforts toward a deliberate and thorough process focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing of the Guantanamo Bay facility, the Pentagon said in a statement.

Since 2002, around 800 detainees have been held at Guantanamo, with 38 still remaining.

Of those, 10 face trial by military commission and five have alleged links to the 9/11 attacks, while nine detainees are waiting to be repatriated or resettled out of the US.
By Garba Muhammad

KADUNA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Gunmen ambushed and killed at least 62 members of a volunteer vigilante group in Nigeria's northwestern Kebbi state, the head of the group and a police spokesman said, in the worst violence to hit the state since mid-January.

Many northwestern states in Nigeria have groups of volunteers who help defend villages and towns from armed gangs as the security forces are stretched fighting Islamist militants and the gangs, known as bandits.

Usman Sani, the head of the "Yan Sa Kai" vigilante group in Kebbi, told Reuters that his group had planned to attack bandits in the Sakaba area on Sunday night but someone tipped them off.

"They lay in ambush, hid their motorcycles in the shrubs, circled us and opened fire from different directions," Sani, a retired soldier, said on Tuesday. He said 62 people had been killed.

Kebbi police spokesman Nafiu Abubakar confirmed the ambush but said he did not have details on how many people had been killed.

In January, dozens of gunmen on motorbikes ransacked a village and killed more than 50 people in Kebbi.

Gunmen have spread terror across the northwest, where they have kidnapped hundreds of school children and villagers for ransom.

The violence has compounded the problems in northern states, which are typically poorer than those in the south.

(Editing by MacDonald Dzirutwe and Robert Birsel)
The Herkimer County Sheriffs Office is warning residents about scammers posing as law enforcement after a man was threatened with arrest by a caller if he didn't pay cash.

The caller identified himself as "Sgt. Kartar" from the Herkimer County Sheriff's Office and told the man a warrant was issued for his arrest and that he owed $100, according to a statement from the sheriff's office Friday.

The caller threatened to go to the man's home to arrest him if he failed to pay using a VISA gift card over the phone, the statement said. The man also was texted a form claiming to be a warrant.

Scam alerts: No, the Oneida County Sheriff's Office is not selling T-shirts

Public safety: Utica man killed following collision with utility pole

"The Sheriff's Office or any other law enforcement agency does not collect money over the phone," the statement said. "Any calls like this should be reported to your local police and the NYS Attorney General's Office."

Posing as law enforcement and threatening arrest is a known tactic of scammers, according to the New York State Office of the Attorney General. The caller will demand money be sent in an untraceable manner such as gift cards, prepaid debit cards or wire services  threatening that if someone doesn't comply, bad things will happen, such as an arrest.

The state Office of the Attorney General offers the following best practices for phone scams:

Never give out personal or financial information to someone who calls you.

Don't engage the caller.

Remember government agencies usually reach out in writing.

Remember a demand for payment through wire services or gift cards is a sure sign of a scam.

Secure social media with strong passwords and only interacting with people you know personally, to prevent scammers from mining for information.

Verify if a call is legitimate independently, such as by looking up the official contact information for government agencies.

H. Rose Schneider covers public safety, breaking and trending news for the Observer-Dispatch. Email Rose at hschneider@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Herkimer County Sheriff's Office warns of phone scam
In the world of social media, if youre looking for an uplifting post or a laugh, the feeds of chefs arent typically where youd go first. A cool new plating technique or a drool-worthy dish, sure. But giggle-inducing images and mental health tips? Not so much.

Try telling that to chef Lamar Moore, who has been doing just that for 12 years. Look at his Instagram feed (@chef_ljm), and youll see reels and post after post of inspirational quotes and funny memes, including many with Baby Yoda (more on that below).

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Of course, there are food posts too. He is the executive chef at Eleven Eleven in the West Loop, and previously was the opening head chef at the $10 million restaurant, Bugsy & Meyers Steakhouse at the Las Vegas Flamingo Hotel and Casino, his prize for winning Food Networks Vegas Chef Prizefight in 2020. But even many of those posts cant help but poke fun at todays goofy food fads. (For the record, Moore wants nothing to do with chicken and waffles on his pizza, thank you very much.)

And his 224,000 followers are there for all of it, with likes often exceeding a thousand on a post.

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Lamar Moore, executive chef of Eleven Eleven restaurant, has come to be known as someone who is feeding the souls of those who flock to his Instagram feed, with memes and inspirational quotes. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)

For Moore, the inspiration for his unique social media perspective was personal. It started in 2009, when the South Side native and Cordon Bleu graduate returned to Chicago after spending seven years working in a steak and seafood restaurant in northern California.

I looked in the mirror one day and noticed I gained a lot of weight, he said. I realized I had used alcohol as an opportunity to bypass a lot of things I should have been doing to take care of myself.

As a result, he challenged himself not to drink for a year. Moore quickly realized he needed something to fill the inevitable extra time hed have. When you take away something, you have to replace it with something, and hopefully its something that is fruitful for you, he said. Reading, in particular inspirational-focused items, filled that void.

Chef Lamar Moore shows part of his Instagram story. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)

Thats when Moore started posting positive quotes on Facebook once or twice a week, eventually focusing on Instagram a few years later. When you wake up in the morning, you will probably see something negative, so why not have some positivity? he said. Its important for me, and in my posts I try to convey that. Im posting because I feel someone else could feel the same way and use that love, encouragement and understanding, too.

Moore frequently shares  with credit  Instagram posts from Kareem Biggs Burke (who cofounded Roc-A-Fella Records and the Rocawear clothing line with business partners Jay-Z and Damon Dash) as well as Humble the Poet, a Canadian YouTube artist. Both are known for their uplifting social media posts.

Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. >

From a young age, Moore always knew he wanted to have a job that helped people. The day after he found out he passed the Bolingbrook police officer test, he received the job offer for that restaurant in Northern California, he said.

I really was good to do either one, he said. But growing up in a large family and feeling the love that came from meals eaten together at the kitchen table resonated deeply with Moore, who credits his Southern-born grandmother with instilling in him the importance of cooking from the soul.

For Moore, its the ongoing work to stay connected in a thoughtful way that drives his social media. Ill look for motivational posts and posts that glorify great relationships and success, he said. Im continuously telling myself what I need and what I need to work on, and I feed that through my posts.

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What you wont find on his feed, however, are gossip or negative news, and he rarely posts about his family. Posts of Baby Yoda, however, are front and center.

A Star Wars fan for more than 30 years, Moore has a deep connection to Baby Yoda and the humorous memes that have been created with him.

What I like about Baby Yoda is hes cute, quirky and funny, he said. Hes my doppelganger and reminds me of myself. Sometimes we forget that even though were adults, we can still be kids at heart.

Lisa Shames is a freelance writer.
NORMAN  Jocelyn Alos home run record chase is heading to Hawaii.

Alo walked in all three of her plate appearances in Mondays 9-1, five-inning win over Minnesota in OUs home opener at Marita Hynes Field.

The sold-out crowd of 1,531 booed every time the Golden Gophers put Alo on base, especially when Alo was intentionally walked in the second.

Two of Minnesota pitcher Autumn Peases offerings came close to the outside corner, but Alo was content to take the base.

As Pease delivered the fourth and final pitch, Alo was already flinging her bat toward the dugout.

Alo has now walked 13 times in the past six games since she tied Lauren Chamberlains record with her 95th career home run on Feb. 20.

More: Get to know the 2022 Oklahoma Sooners softball team and schedule

Its frustrating because a hitter wants to hit, Sooners coach Patty Gasso said. Shes had a good attitude with it. Shes doing what she needs to do for the team, but theres frustration because shes been waiting to swing for a while.

On the second pitch of her third at-bat, Alo finally got a pitch close to the zone, taking a hard cut on a pitch on the inside part of the zone.

She took one big hack today that made everybody go, Woah, Gasso said. Shes not going to let you make her chase. Shes not that desperate. When you see her do that, then she is not the hitter she is.

Putting Alo on base continues to open things up for the rest of the lineup.

Alo scored the games opening run on Taylon Snows infield single in the first, then scored again on Jana Johns two-run double in the second.

In between, Rylie Boone delivered a tie-breaking triple into the right field corner to put the Sooners up 2-1 after Minnesota tied it in the top of the second.

On a chilly day with the wind knocking down some balls early  especially Johns double  the Sooners had to manufacture runs.

It was cold, Gasso said. Its been awhile since weve played in something like that.

She Said, He Said: Jocelyn Alo will soon top HR record, but where does she rank among OU greats?

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OU's Jocelyn Alo scored two runs and walked in all three of her plate appearances Monday.

Making her home debut, Sooners freshman Jordy Bahl struggled a bit, walking one, throwing two wild pitches and hitting a batter in the second as Minnesota tied it.

Then in the third, the Gophers loaded the bases with one out before Bahl got back-to-back hitters to fly out on the infield to escape the threat.

Jordy was just not her normal, dominant, get-ahead-of-the-count self, Gasso said. She was very honest with us.

Nicole May pitched the final two innings to put the game away.

OU (16-0) won on a run-rule for the 12th time this season.

The Sooners next five games will be played in Honolulu, beginning against Baylor at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. OU will play Cal and Hawaii on Friday before ending the Rainbow Wahine Classic against Hawaii on Saturday.

Alo is from Hauula, about 30 miles from Honolulu.

I think it means the world to her, Gasso said of Alo having a chance to break the record in her home state. And that is even more reason why (we wonder), What are the other teams feeling about it? Its so out of our hands. It could be a special moment or she may not get the opportunity, I dont know.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU softball routs Minnesota, but Gophers pitch around Jocelyn Alo
As the prospect of a Russian invasion into Ukraine was inching closer to reality, the U.S. took proactive steps with its allies to coordinate more concentrated sanctions against Moscow. And when the war erupted, the U.S. announced it was ready to impose stiffer sanctions, including freezing U.S. assets held by Russian banks, enforcing restrictions on high-tech imports and seizing oligarchs homes, planes and yachts.

The tough rhetoric and swift reprisals have been embraced by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, who have called for sanctions to decimate Russias economy. To some longtime advocates of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement meant to target Israels economy amid bloody conflicts with Palestinians, those calls sound eerily familiar.

We are watching at this moment a really horrific set of violations of international law and human rights in Ukraine, and were seeing an international response that is unified, robust and also completely hypocritical, said Yousef Munayyer, a nonresident senior fellow at the Arab Center in Washington, D.C. So it really shows that the issue is not that the tactics are illegitimate, [rather] a time-honored tactic that allows people in all parts of society to take a stance on issues of grave importance when it comes to human rights.

The BDS movement, which Munayyer supports, is a Palestinian solidarity campaign aimed at putting international economic and political pressure on Israel, similar to the success that anti-apartheid activists achieved in South Africa.

But while U.S. politicians have jumped over themselves to sanction Russia back to the Stone Age, widespread anti-BDS sentiment among politicians has advocates iced out of public debate. An overwhelming majority of Congress voted in favor of a 2019 House resolution condemning BDS; only Reps. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) remain among a handful of supporters in federal office. Representatives for Bush and Tlaib did not return requests for comment, and Omar's team said "no comment."

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Detractors of the BDS movement, like Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), insist that the protest is rooted not in peace, but in destroying Israel.

The anti-Semitic BDS movements goal is to eliminate any Jewish state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea," a Rubio spokesperson said in an email. "To compare that, in any way, to the actions taken by the international community against Putin is either naive or willfully misleading.

About 35 states have laws, resolutions and executive orders restricting or banning any boycott against Israel. On March 3, Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) introduced the Israel Anti-Boycott Act a day after tweeting that Americans should cut all oil imports from Russia.

Theres absolutely no equivalence at all between the United States and our allies around the world sanctioning an authoritarian nation that has illegitimately and illegally invaded its sovereign neighbor and launched attacks against innocent civilians and the antisemitic BDS movement, Zeldin said about whether boycotts and divestments are a legitimate tool. [Russian President] Vladimir Putin is a war criminal and we must use all of the diplomatic, economic and informational tools of national power at our disposal to combat Russias aggression and help the Ukrainian people defend themselves.

The push to punish Putin has also been championed by Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Rubio and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who have called for a boycott of Russian energy and oil.

The senators also are co-sponsors of the Anti-BDS Labeling Act, a measure introduced in the Senate in 2021 that was meant to deter and prohibit a boycott of Israeli goods, months after demonstrations over the possible expulsions of residents from East Jerusalem turned violent.

When escalated hostilities turned into a lopsided war, more than 25 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank and at least another 240 Palestinians were killed by Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip. Hamas also fired thousands of rockets into Israel during the same period, killing at least 12 people. The Biden administration did not issue sanctions after the attacks.

The difference is that Russia is invading Ukraine, Cottons spokesperson said in an email. And according to our latest intelligence, Israel is not.

Like Russia, however, both Israel and the Palestinians are facing an investigation by the International Criminal Court into possible war crimes. A month ago, Amnesty International issued a major report calling Israels treatment of Palestinians apartheid.

Still, some experts stop short of making the connection between Russia and Israel.

The rules of war would say that Israel's continued occupation and continuing settlements in those [Palestinian] territories is illegal, said Eileen Babbitt, a professor of international conflict resolution at Tufts University. But I think there is something qualitatively different about amassing 150,000 or 200,000 troops on the border of a sovereign country and then crossing into that country with the intention of decapitating the government.

Advocates for the BDS movement say that sanctions are often applied for a wide array of violations, and that could include a military occupation.

The U.S. has sanctions against many countries that havent invaded their neighbors, said Khaled Elgindy, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. But whereas the international community mobilized swiftly to confront Russias occupation of Ukraine, it has done very little to roll back Israels occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, [and the] Golan Heights. Its exactly this lack of any real accountability or constraint on Israel, that ultimately led to the BDS movement.

As the outrage against the invasion of Ukraine intensifies, sanctions and boycotts against Russia continue to mount, even on the state level. Governors from Texas, Ohio, New Hampshire, Iowa and North Carolina, most of which have anti-BDS legislation in place, have told retailers to pull Russian alcohol from their stores. In New York, legislators introduced a bill that would divest from Russian companies.

Its not complicated," a spokesperson for Cruz said in an email. "Sen. Cruz stands with our allies and against our enemies.

Supporters of the BDS movement say its heartening to see real sanctions, boycotts and divestments meant to hold the Kremlin responsible for waging war against its less powerful neighbor. But on Israel, they say, sanctions seem further away than ever.

Lets be perfectly clear: Russia should be held accountable, Munayyer said. Members of Congress have shown their hypocrisy on this issue by supporting anti-BDS legislation when it comes to demanding accountability for Israels human rights violations, but now they are all for these kinds of efforts.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this report misspelled Khaled Elgindy's first name.
VIENNA (Reuters) - Systems monitoring nuclear material at the radioactive waste facilities at Chernobyl in Ukraine, which were taken over by Russian forces last month, have stopped transmitting data to the U.N. nuclear watchdog, it said on Tuesday.

"The Director General ... indicated that remote data transmission from safeguards monitoring systems installed at the Chornobyl NPP had been lost," the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement.

Safeguards refers to the field of IAEA work aimed at keeping track of nuclear material.

(Reporting by Francois Murphy; Editing by Chris Reese)
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents obtained millions of peoples financial records as part of a surveillance program that fed the information to a database accessed by local and federal law enforcement agencies, according to a letter sent Tuesday by Sen. Ron Wyden to the Department of Homeland Security inspector general requesting an investigation into whether the practice violated the US Constitution.

The mass collection of financial data  in this case money transfer records  is sure to place more scrutiny on law enforcement practices at an agency thats best known, and often criticized, for arresting and deporting immigrants. Wyden and one privacy expert who spoke to BuzzFeed News raised concerns about the government surveilling people not because they were suspected of a particular crime, but simply because they used money transfers, which are popular in low-income and immigrant communities that are less likely to have access to banks. And if the program was in fact unconstitutional, it could also jeopardize criminal cases that used its data as evidence.

Wyden, the Oregon Democrat who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, wrote in Tuesdays letter that ICEs Homeland Security Investigations officials briefed his staff in February on the program and informed them that they had been using a type of administrative subpoena to obtain approximately 6 million records about money transfers above $500 to or from Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico since 2019. ICE officials said the records, according to a Wyden aide, included the senders and recipients names and addresses.

Wydens staff had contacted DHS in January requesting the briefing, and the information provided was the first time anyone in Congress had been told about the effort, he wrote. ICE stopped the practice earlier this year after Wydens office inquired about it, he said.

HSI officials informed Wydens staff that they had sent eight custom summonses  the administrative subpoena used by the agency  to Western Union and Maxitransfers Corporation to demand records for a six-month period after the subpoena. Six of the subpoenas were sent to Western Union while two were sent to Maxitransfers.

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HSI directed the companies to send the data to an organization, Transaction Record Analysis Center (TRAC), that facilitates local, federal, and state law enforcement access to bulk data. Law enforcement officials with access to the database are able to use it without any kind of court supervision, Wyden wrote in the letter, which was obtained by BuzzFeed News.

Once officials within ICE and DHS headquarters heard of the summonses  and the lack of policy and privacy safeguards  they directed HSI to terminate the existing summons and begin a legal analysis and policy guidance, said one DHS official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to comment freely. (Wyden also noted that no one in the local field office in Phoenix that issued the summonses sought legal guidance from HSI or DHS headquarters in Washington, DC.)

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is committed to ensuring that our criminal investigative methods are not only effective in combatting transnational criminal actors and other security threats, but also consistent with the law and best practices," a DHS spokesperson said. "HSI has paused its use of customs summonses while it works to ensure that policy properly guides the agencys use of these and other administrative subpoenas and accounts for the appropriate role of such summonses in supporting criminal investigations." The pause in summonses is specifically for the program involving money transfers.

A Western Union spokesperson said that the production to TRAC, which they described as once an agency of the Arizona attorney generals office, came as a requirement of an anti-money laundering agreement that was enforced through a court order. Wyden wrote in his letter that the company provided the information as part of a settlement agreement with Arizona in 2010. The letter says that in 2019 the settlement expired and ICE stepped in and issued the summonses to Western Union, each directing the company to transmit records of money transfers directly to TRAC for the next six months. In 2021, HSI started issuing similar customs summonses to Maxi.

For its part, Western Union said that it works with law enforcement to comply with valid subpoenas and other legitimate requests. We are also committed to protecting the personal data of our customers and take our obligations regarding privacy very seriously. We are unable to comment further on law enforcement investigations, the spokesperson said.

Wydens claims are just the latest to raise questions about the agencys use of administrative subpoenas to obtain records. ICE issued an administrative subpoena to BuzzFeed News demanding that the news organization identify its sources. The effort was later dropped after BuzzFeed News published a story exposing the subpoena. The DHS inspector general had also reported in 2017 that Customs and Border Protection had misused the customs summons authority in violation of agency policy.

Nathan Freed Wessler, an attorney with the ACLU who specializes in privacy issues, believes Wydens discovery could raise a whole set of problems, including with any criminal cases that relied on the records.

This dragnet surveillance program from the Department of Homeland Security is illegal, and it is stunning that it was allowed to run for even a single day. Despite a total lack of individualized suspicion, and based only on the happenstance of living in a southwestern state, details of a huge number of peoples private financial transactions with family members and others were funneled straight to the government, he said. Courts have made clear that narrow subpoena authorities like the one DHS relied on cannot be stretched to enable indiscriminate bulk collection of Americans personal transactional data.

Wessler said that if evidence in local or federal criminal cases was connected to this program, it could be tossed by judges.

Meanwhile, Wyden believes that the program showed that ICE had abused its customs summons authority to engage in bulk surveillance and should have known that it did not have the authority to conduct this type of surveillance. The fact that ICE funneled the information to TRAC meant that it had outsourced hosting of a bulk surveillance database to an entity outside of the federal government, he said.

Maxi and TRAC didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.

Wyden also wrote that ICE officials had told him that dozens of money transfer companies have been sharing their data with TRAC voluntarily and that Western Union had asked for the subpoena of the records. A Wyden aide also said that the data from ICE represented about 3% of the records in the TRAC database.

If this characterization is true, these companies utterly failed to protect the privacy of their already at-risk customer base. These money transfer businesses are disproportionately used by low-income, minority, and immigrant communities. Many users of these services are unbanked, and therefore unable to send money using electronic checking or international bank wire transfers, which are often cheaper, Wyden wrote.

Wyden said he supported federal law enforcement investigating drug smuggling and money laundering but wanted such work to be done in a targeted way.

Instead of squandering resources collecting millions of transactions from people merely because they live or transact with individuals in a handful of Southwestern states or have relatives in Mexico, HSI and other agencies should focus their resources on individuals actually suspected of breaking the law, he wrote.

More on this
International Womens Day has gone from a day socialists proposed to advance womens suffrage and equal rights in the 1900s to an event formally recognised by the UN (The Independent )

International Womens Day offers up a chance to reflect on womens achievements and consider the battles that still need to be won.

And when you live in a country where two to three women are murdered each week by their partners or ex-partners and there are no female Supreme Court justices, metro mayors, FTSE 100 chief execs or police and crime commissioners, it is clear there is still progress to be made.

The Independent has therefore compiled a list of seven key issues which still need to be overhauled on International Womens Day.

Make period products free

Period products are as vital to women as soap and toilet roll, but yet are not freely accessible in the UK. A previous study found the average lifetime cost of forking out on period products and other items to make your period more bearable is estimated to be over 18,000. As such, period poverty is a major problem across the UK, with the issue surging in the wake of the pandemic.

For this reason, campaigners have long been calling for period products to be free in England and Wales. Scotland became the first country in the world to provide free period products in November 2020. In a similar vein, in 2019, the government announced girls at primary and secondary schools in England and Wales would be given free sanitary products from early 2020. But why not take it a step further and ensure period products are free in public institutions, such as restaurants, shops, bars, clubs, museums, public toilets, universities, religious settings, community centres and workplaces?

Make telemedicine for abortion permanent

Last month the government provoked consternation and anger among healthcare providers after announcing measures allowing abortion pills to be taken at home will be axed in September. Before the pandemic, getting the first abortion tablet, mifepristone, required a visit to an abortion clinic, but the government allowed early medical abortion medication to be sent via post to be taken at home after Covid hit.

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The rules permitting at-home care were due to run out imminently, on 25 March, with the government long delaying announcing whether the provision would be made permanent despite repeated requests for clarification from abortion providers. While the government has said telemedicine  which sees consultation carried out via phone and abortion pills posted  will be withdrawn, ministers have also pledged to keep the issue under review.

The move to revoke telemedicine was fiercely criticised by abortion providers and healthcare professionals. Clare Murphy, who is chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, the UKs largest abortion provider, said revoking telemedicine for medical abortions would be a shameful betrayal of women and a decision devoid of both evidence or justice.

The UKs largest study into abortions found at-home early medical abortions pose no greater risk and allow women to have the procedure much earlier on. Englands decision is at loggerheads with Wales, who is making the provision to take abortion pills at home permanent.

Online harm bill must bolster protection internet regulators provide

Online abuse is often downplayed as being less harmful than in-person harassment, but its repercussions can be no less destructive and distressing for victims. Social medias 24/7 nature and ability to transcend geographical boundaries means perpetrators can harangue and threaten their victims at all times of the day and night.

Campaigners warn if the online harm bill referenced violence against women and girls, internet regulators would be better held to account and forced to take online abuse more seriously. The End Violence Against Women and Girls Coalition, a leading organisation, is calling for the government to alter the legislation.

If the bills wording is changed, internet providers and platforms would be legally required to tackle violence against women and girls on their platforms, such as addressing men who groom girls online, far-right incel online activity, revenge porn, cyber abuse, online domestic abuse and stalking. It is particularly pressing that we tackle this problem, given many of these issues have skyrocketed in the wake of the pandemic as more people spend time online.

More protections for migrant women suffering domestic abuse

If you are a migrant woman whose partner is abusing you psychologically or physically, it is far trickier to seek help in the UK. Many migrants do not have access to public funds, which means they are refused help by the authorities. Migrant victims of domestic abuse are thus denied support to leave their partners and refused refuge space. Furthermore, campaigners have long warned migrant womens immigration status is routinely wielded as a weapon to abuse them by their partners.

Frontline service providers say women with unsettled immigration status who are suffering domestic violence are often too fearful to report the abuse due to fears police will share their data with the Home Office and they will face deportation. Migrant women were excluded from the governments landmark domestic abuse bill last year despite frontline services calling for them to be included. While the apparent sharing of data between the Home Office and the police must stop, measures must be enacted to ensure migrant domestic abuse victims are provided with refuge space and supported.

Bolstered paternity leave and pay for fathers

While studies show new fathers are very keen to spend time off work with their babies, the pitiful amount of money provided for paternity leave means many men are simply not able to do so.

The current system gives fathers only two weeks off work for paternity leave, for which they are only paid 300. Recent research discovered the number of fathers taking paternity leave has plummeted to a 10-year low, with only around a quarter of eligible fathers taking time off work after their child is born.

But the coalition governments flagship policy of shared parental leave has faced criticism, with campaigners and economists last year warning it is a deeply flawed and chronically failing policy that must be axed and replaced with different measures. Parents in Britain can choose to take shared parental leave of up to 50 weeks, while paternity leave is currently 14 days, and fathers are given either 151.20 per week, or 90 per cent of their average weekly earnings  whichever sum is lower.

Irrespective of the exact details of what the new provision would look like for fathers, it is clear paternity leave provision must be profoundly bolstered so new fathers are in a better position to take time off.

Buffer zones must be introduced outside abortion clinics to stop women being harassed

Having an abortion can already be a tough enough process for some women but being harassed, abused and threatened by anti-abortion protesters makes this far worse. Unfortunately, it is not an isolated issue, with more than 100,000 women attending clinics seeking a pregnancy termination targeted by anti-abortion demonstrations in 2019.

Common forms of abuse include protesters shouting mum or murderer, chasing women down the street and sharing pamphlets containing wholly false medical information. This sometimes even involves disseminating material that features incorrect claims that abortions cause breast cancer.

Abortion providers and campaigners have long been calling for the government to roll out buffer zones outside clinics nationally to stop anti-abortion protesters or any other types of demonstrators standing outside clinics or in their vicinity. Local councils are able to introduce such measures under legislation rolled out in 2014, with Ealing Council in west London introducing the UKs first-ever buffer zone around an abortion clinic in 2018.

Register for serial perpetrators of domestic abuse and stalking should be rolled out

In a country in which women are frequently murdered by former and current partners and one in four women will suffer domestic abuse at some point during their lives, it is not surprising campaigners are adamant something needs to shift in how the scourge of domestic abuse is tackled. Many in the sector have been demanding the government place serial domestic abuse and stalking perpetrators on the existing violent and sexual offenders register and monitor them in the same way as serious sex offenders.

Laura Richards, a former top Metropolitan Police violent crime analyst, has been calling for a serial offenders register since 2004, while Labour MP Yvette Cooper has also more recently lent her backing to the proposal. Ms Richards, who helped develop the domestic homicide review process in the early 2000s and who is a former adviser to the National Police Chiefs Council, argues this must be rolled out as many offenders have a track record of domestic abuse.
DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran will send a series of military satellites into orbit over the coming years, Space Commander of the Revolutionary Guards' Aerospace Force Ali Jafarabadi said on Tuesday, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has successfully put a second military satellite, the Noor 2, into orbit, the semi-official news agency Tasnim said earlier on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Michael Georgy)
JERUSALEM  Israel has used F-35i Adir fighter jets to shoot down two Iranian drones, the Israel Defense Forces revealed this week. Although the interceptions took place last year, Israel only revealed the full story on Monday.

In March 2021, the Iranian regime launched two UAVs toward Israeli territory. The UAVs were successfully intercepted by the Israeli Air Forces F-35i Adir aircraft. This was the first operational interception of a UAV by an F-35i aircraft in the world, the IDF said. The interception was carried out successfully by F-35i Adir aircraft (from the 116th and 140th Squadrons). The F-35i Adir has demonstrated the ability to quickly and precisely detect, identify and engage a target.

Israel says the interception took place before the UAVs could enter Israeli airspace. This means they were shot down over the airspace of at least one other country, although Israel did not identify which one that might be. Notably, Iran has flown drones from Syria into Israeli airspace before, in February 2018 and May 2021.

The interception of the UAVs was carried out prior to them entering Israeli airspace, in coordination with neighboring countries. The UAVs were detected and tracked throughout their flight by ground control units, the IDF said.

According to the forensic investigation of the shrapnel, the [March 2021] UAVs were identified as the Iranian Shahad 197 on the way to transfer munition to the Hamas terrorist organization. According to the UAVs flight paths, we estimate that the intended destinations for the munition transfer were Hamas terrorist operatives situated in Judea and Samaria and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, the IDF said.

In the March 7 briefing, the IDF provided more details on the use of the F-35 to take out the drones, with a senior official saying the interceptions came amid a series of escalations by Iran using drones against Israel and other regional countries. This includes the February 2018 incident in which Iran used a Shahed 141 drone flown from Syria, and the May 2021 use of a drone flown from Iraq into Israeli airspace.

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Israel had said in 2018 that the Iranian drone was armed. And in November 2021, Israels defense minister claimed the 2018 incident included a UAV attempting to smuggle munitions into the West Bank.

In the March 2021 incidents now publicly known, the UAVs were tracked by ground control units in cooperation with intelligence units, the IDF said. The UAVs were intercepted at the optimal operational point, it added.

Drones fly low and slow, making them harder to detect. Their smaller size also gives them a low radar signature. An Israeli IDF official pointed to this issue as one reason the F-35 radar was well suited to the mission. Previous reports have indicated the F-35s AN/APG-81 radar can detect low-altitude threats, such as cruise missiles.

The IDF also pointed to the technology used by the F-35 pilots helmet in discussing the interception. The helmet includes forward-looking infrared technology and an electro-optical targeting system.

Israel continues to receive F-35s as part of its order of 50 of the advanced aircraft. Reports last year said Israel would seek to purchase another 25 of the aircraft.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan has frozen the assets of an additional 32 Russian and Belarusian officials and oligarchs following the invasion of Ukraine, the Ministry of Finance announced on Tuesday.

The newly added sanctions target 20 Russians including deputy chiefs of staff for President Vladamir Putin's administration, deputy chairmen of the state parliament, the head of the Chechen Republic and executives of companies with close ties to the government such as Volga Group, Transneft and Wagner.

It also includes 12 Belarusian government officials and business people, as well as 12 organisations in Russia and Belarus.

Payment and capital transactions with those on the list must require government permits from now on, the ministry said in a statement.

Japan is also banning exports of Russia-bound oil refinery equipment and Belarus-bound general-purpose items that could be used by its military, the ministry said.

It will ban exports to the Belarusian defense ministry, armed forces and police organisations, and a Minsk-based company JSC Integral.

(Reporting by Kantaro Komiya; Editing by Kim Coghill and Edwina Gibbs)
By Suleiman Al-Khalidi

AMMAN (Reuters) - Jordan's King Abdullah received a letter of apology from former Crown Prince Hamza, who was accused last year of trying to replace the monarch, pledging he would never again act against the country's rulers, the royal palace said in a statement on Tuesday.

The palace, which released the text of the letter, said it follows a meeting last Sunday at Prince Hamza's request with his half-brother King Abdullah to ask for "forgiveness". He was accused last April of conspiring to destabilise the monarchy in a foreign-inspired plot.

"I have erred, Your Majesty, and to err is human. I, therefore, bear responsibility for the stances I have taken and the offences I have committed against Your Majesty and our country over the past years," Hamza said in the letter.

"I apologise to Your Majesty, to the people of Jordan, and to our family, for my actions which, God willing, will not be repeated," he added.

The intrigue exposed the first serious rift within the ruling Hashemite family in many years and shook the image of the country as an island of stability in an unpredictable region.

It prompted major Western and regional powers to rally behind King Abdullah in rare public support for a staunch U.S. ally that plays a pivotal role in regional security.

The estranged prince, who had been placed under house arrest after accusing the country's rulers of corruption, had avoided punishment by pledging allegiance to the king shortly after mediation by royal family elders.

A former royal chief adviser, Bassem Awadallah, and a minor royal were sentenced last July to 15 years in jail for their involvement in the alleged plot.

King Abdullah described the crisis as "the most painful" during his 22 years of rule because it came from both inside the royal family and outside it.

"I hope that we can turn the page on this chapter in our country's and our family's history," Hamza said.

Hamza's public apology paved the way for rehabilitating the estranged prince and regaining public duties after being removed from the royal succession, the palace said.

(Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Alex Richardson)
Chicagos Gift Theatre on Wednesday announced a new season of shows for 2022, which starts this spring with a return to live performances. The company recently left its longtime home at 4802 N. Milwaukee Ave. and is working to open a new performance space in the Jefferson Park neighborhood.

We believe it is a season that is provocative, hopeful and full of new poetry, said the Gifts new trio of co-artistic directors Brittany Burch, Emjoy Gavino and Jennifer Glasse.

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At the Vanishing Point (April 28 to May 2): This is the Chicago premiere of the show, which paints a portrait of a community by weaving historical fact, myth and memory to give voice to people who would otherwise be forgotten. Written by Naomi Iizuka and directed by Lavina Jadhwani. Performed at Filament Theatre.

Mud City (spring 2022): This 10-episode streaming radio drama is set in 1940 and follows Lacey McGill, who was once a journalist but is now a down-on-her-luck private detective. She makes progress on the case about the disappearance of her daughter four years ago but Mud City is a crooked city of mob bosses, business tycoons and secret clubs. Written by founding artistic director Michael Patrick Thornton.

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The Gift Theatres 2022 season playwrights and directors include Naomi Iizuka, Lavina Jadhwani, Michael Patrick Thornton, Jennifer Rumberger and John Gawlik. (Gift Theatre photo/HANDOUT)

The Locusts (Oct. 20 to Nov. 19): This world premiere follows Ella, who has a busy career in the Miami police force but is called back to her small hometown of Vero Beach, Florida, to help catch a serial killer. As the murders continue, Ella realizes she must confront the events of her dark past in order to stop the killer. Written by Jennifer Rumberger and directed by ensemble member John Gawlik. Performed at Theater Wit.

There is also a new play reading series called In the Works.

At the Vanishing Point will be performed at Filament Theatre, 4040 N. Milwaukee Ave., while The Locusts will be performed at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. Early Bird season subscriptions are on sale for $99 through March 17 and are available at 773-283-7071 and thegifttheatre.org
Kim Kardashian has hired two of the worlds most celebrated Japanese architects to design vacation homes for her family, including a lakeside retreat she says shell use exclusively for Fourth of July celebrations. Imagine. In a recent interview with Vogue, Kardashian revealed that Tadao Ando is crafting a two-story mansion in California, and Kengo Kuma is working on a glass and wood lake house in an undisclosed location. Its all part of Kardashians divorce from Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), in which the former couple is divvying up or selling their many co-owned properties.

$6.3 million plot of land upon which Kim Kardashian's Tadao Ando-designed Palm Springs mansion is being built.

The floor plan has already been revealed for the Ando-designed mansion in a private gated community south of Palm Springs. Kardashian and Ye bought the $6.3 million plot of land together before their split, and in November 2021, Kardashian filed for a permit to build a new single-family residence with a pool and spa. Architectural drawings reveal an unusual, futuristic-looking home with a large central courtyard and a triangular roof shaped sort of like a Ouija planchette. Others have compared it to a spaceship.

The home will be located just down the street from properties owned by Kardashians mother Kris and sister Kourtney, and Kardashian says it will be concrete, gray-toned, and really zen. Ye recently acquired a Tadao Ando-designed home of his own in Malibu, custom-built for investment manager Richard Sachs in 2013.

Overhead plot for Kim Kardashian's futuristic Tadao Ando-designed mansion in Palm Springs.

Less is known about Kardashians Kengo Kuma project, which shes hoping to keep under wraps because no one knows I have a place there. Kuma is known for beautiful wooden creations that bridge the gap between architecture and nature, typically utilizing natural materials and the labor of local craftspeople.

Kardashian told Vogue that designing her ultra-minimalist Hidden Hills, California mansion with Ye and interior designer Axel Vervoordt led to a love affair with architecture, specifically Japanese (she got to keep that one in the divorce). The nearly all-white home features highly curated furnishings, little in the way of decor, and a focus on clean lines and amorphous shapes. Kardashian has described it as a 15,000-square-foot minimalist monastery with eight bedrooms and ten bathrooms.

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3D rendering of Kim Kardashian's futuristic Tadao Ando-designed mansion in Palm Springs.

In fact, Kardashian loves Japanese architects so much, she incorporated a real samurai house into the Hidden Hills property. Our guest house is actually a samurais old home that my art dealer, Axel Vervoordt, used to own, she told I-D Magazine. We got the bones of this old house from Japan and built it into our house, because it had such a different energy. The aesthetic of Japan fascinates her, she says. I love how everything is designed, I find it super inspiring, whether its the pottery, dishes, or packaging design. Its equally really fun, aspirational, and inspirational.

Ye is currently looking to offload one of his ranches in Wyoming. The $11 million, 3,888-acre estate in the town of Cody was listed in October 2021, just two years after he bought it. It appears that the rapper has changed his plans to build a mansion and two underground garages on the property, which already has two spring-fed trout lakes, an equine facility, livestock corrals, and a go-kart track.

The post Kim Kardashian is Working with Tadao Ando and Kengo Kuma on Two New Homes first appeared on Dornob.
The Lexington man charged with shooting a Kentucky State Police trooper earlier this year was about to be detained over drug paraphernalia when the shooting happened, state police announced Tuesday.

On Jan. 28 just after 4 p.m., trooper Michael Sanguigni II was on patrol duty in Cynthiana when he saw suspicious activity at an apartment complex near Delta Court, state police said. Sanguigni learned that the involved vehicles registered owner, later identified as Leequan Taylor, 22, of Lexington, had a suspended drivers license.

Sanguigni confirmed Taylor was the driver of the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop, according to state police. During the stop, Sanguigni saw drug paraphernalia and attempted to detain Taylor.

Taylor responded by brandishing a gun and shooting at Sanguigni six times, state police said. Three of the shots hit his ballistic vest, one hit his taser, one hit his body-worn radio and the sixth shot actually struck him.

Updated: Ballistic vest stopped 3 shots fired at a KY trooper. Lexington man charged

State police said Sanguigni suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries as a result of the shooting. State police also said he is still recovering from his injuries.

Sanguigni returned fire but Taylor was uninjured, state police said. Taylor fled the scene in his vehicle but was later located in Lexington and taken into custody.

Sanguigni is a two-year veteran with state police and remains on administrative leave while recovering, state police said.

Taylor was still in custody Tuesday on a $1.5 million bond, according to court records.
The Dr. Karen M. Trujillo Administration Complex has new signage in time for the special ceremony to rename the Las Cruces Public Schools administration building.

LAS CRUCES  The sessions to inform families and community members about Las Cruces Public Schools two calendar options for the 2022-23 school year will now be in one combined English and Spanish session on Wednesday.

LCPS had previously scheduled a Spanish-only session on Thursday, but through coordinating with Information Technology and the Translation Interpretation and Community Outreach divisions, there was no need to schedule separate sessions and the Thursday option was canceled so that all community members have access to the information at the same time.

Read more: School starting July 21 with longer fall, winter and spring breaks? Here are the Las Cruces Public Schools calendar proposals.

Community members who wish to submit questions can join the Zoom link https://lcps.zoom.us/j/83968556873#success at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

For those who plan to just listen and now ask questions, the session will be livestreamed at https://livestream.com/lcpstv.

After Wednesday's session, the district will produce a frequently asked questions document to share with the community before the board meeting on Tuesday, March 15.

The goal of these virtual information sessions is to ensure that our LCPS staff and the Las Cruces community understand the details of the opportunity for calendar changes funded by the state of New Mexico, said LCPS Chief of Staff Dr. Timothy Hand. Transparency is an important element in every decision that impacts the community. We want to ensure that our community has the exact same information that will be presented to the Board of Education for consideration next week.

There are two calendar options being presented to the board, which could be voted on as early at March 15.

The "traditional" calendar has an eight-week summer break, with the first day of school being Aug. 3 or 4 and the last day of school being May 25 or 26.

The "balanced" calendar provides for a six-week summer break, with the first day of school being July 20 or 21 and the last day of school being June 1 or 2.

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But the balanced calendar will have more one-week or two-week breaks staggered throughout the school year, including an extended fall break, winter break and spring break.

Both calendars include "enriched learning days," which are often considered nontraditional learning days for students.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Las Cruces Public Schools to host one combined community session on proposed calendar
By Andrius Sytas

VILNIUS (Reuters) - Latvian member of parliament Juris Jurass has joined the fight against Russian forces in Ukraine, his party said on Tuesday.

Jurass, 46, heads parliament's Legal Affairs Committee.

"He is in Ukraine. He has joined the fighters for freedom in Ukraine. That was his personal decision, and I fully respect it," Janis Bordans, justice minister and chairman of the New Conservative Party, part of the governing coalition, told Reuters.

Bordans declined to provide more information for safety reasons.

Ukraine has established an "international" legion for people from abroad and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has publicly urged foreigners to fight side-by-side with Ukrainians to show support for his country.

Last week, Zelenskiy said that more than 16,000 foreigners had volunteered, without specifying how many had arrived.

(Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius; Editing by Alison Williams)
South Dakota lawmakers rejected for a third time in recent weeks a $5 million shooting range being proposed by Gov. Kristi Noem and the state's Game, Fish and Parks Department.

The 175-bay shooting range on 400 acres of state-owned land near Rapid City has faced steep opposition in the state Legislature since its first unveiling earlier this winter in the governor's budget address. And two separate Legislative committees have balked at the plan after nearby landowners and property rights advocates rallied lawmaker opposition.

That didn't stop a contingent of Noem's allies in the Legislature from using a procedural maneuver to force a vote Monday on Senate Bill 175 in the House of Representatives though. But with a two-thirds threshold to get the special spending bill to the governor's desk, a third run at getting the shooting range through the Legislative process also came up short.

More: South Dakota's next budget will be $92 million more than Gov. Kristi Noem anticipated in budget address

"How many times this session does a bill have to die before it actually dies?" Rep. Chris Karr, the chairman of the fiscally frugal House Appropriations Committee, said from the House floor before a subsequent push to reconsider the SB175 vote also fell short.

Proponents of the project say it's necessary to safely support a growing demand for shooting sports facilities in the Black Hills region, while providing a place for regional law enforcement organizations to train. Opponents, though, say the project will come with noise and safety dangers for nearby property owners who do not want a shooting range in their rural neighborhoods.

The State House also proved too much to overcome for a bill calling for $38 million to fund a women's prison in Pennington County, another hot-button initiative coming from the governor's office.

However, other measures seemingly killed in committee did find success Monday after being revived on the House floor.

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A $30-million ask from Noem for a cyber-security campus in Sioux Falls to be operated by Dakota State University saw its funding restored when 56 House members voted in support of the project, which didn't have support of the chamber's budget-setting committee.

The project was championed as means for DSU to double its cyber security-tract graduates in the years ahead, while luring permanent private sector tenants from the tech industry to the Sioux Falls campus.

"Now that SB54 and SB130 have passed the House of Representatives, we at Dakota State are certainly excited to take the steps necessary to make this vision a reality," DSU President Jose-Marie Griffiths told the Argus Leader in a statement Monday afternoon.

Previously: DSU's planned cyber campus in Sioux Falls hits snag as funding bill gutted in Legislature

"Bringing this new industry to the state will benefit the states economy, and the issue of brain drain by providing opportunities for our brightest and best to remain in the state," she added.

House Appropriates remain insistence though the DSU programming expansion and cyber-security expansion is outside of the scope of state government.

That sentiment has also led to resistance to a $150 million workforce housing initiative that remains in limbo. The House and Senate are expected to negotiate funds for the program that would be administered through the South Dakota Housing Development Authority via a conference committee ahead of Thursday's final Legislative Day.

House Minority Leader Jamie Smith, D- Sioux Falls, anticipates the Legislature needing at least that much time to hash out the House and Senate's differences on workforce housing as well as pending bills on a food sales tax repeal as well as the general budget bill.

"Thursday, at some point, and it might actually be into Friday, we will vote on a budget," he said.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota lawmakers reject Gov. Kristi Noem's shooting range again
ADRIAN  Local chemical companies will show how they are working together to expand their talent pipeline at an event later this month.

Elements of Collaboration will take place from 5 to 7:30 p.m. March 21 at the Adrian Armory Events Center, 230 W. Maumee St. The in-person event is hosted by Lenawee Now. Business leaders, government officials, and the public are invited, a news release said.

Leaders in the chemistry industry and local experts have joined together to solve a shared problem: growing their talent pipeline, the release said. Event goers can learn about this unique collaboration and how this could be adapted across other industries from an expert panel and a presentation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

You dont often hear about companies coming together to collaborate like this, Michael Ayre, director of human resources at the Wacker Chemical Co., said. But those of us involved in this project recognized an opportunity. Working together to promote careers in our industry would strengthen employee attraction and retention while strengthening our industry as a whole.

Networking will start at 5 p.m., with the program beginning at 5:30 p.m. The program will illustrate how these businesses came together, the successes they have experienced, and how the collaboration has benefited all the companies exponentially, the release said.

It is quite exciting what is happening in Lenawee County, state Sen. Dale Zorn R-Ida, who will moderate the events panel discussion, said in the release. The leaders in this industry, as well as workforce development partners, recognized the need for collaboration, and they are proactively working together to solve problems in our tightening labor market. Im looking forward to moderating the expert panel and learning how this could be applied to other industries and in other regions in our great state of Michigan.

To learn more about this event or to RSVP, visit LenaweeNow.org/Elements-Of-Collaboration. RSVP by emailing Info@LenaweeNow.org or by calling 517-265-5141.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Chemical companies to discuss talent pipeline efforts
LOS GATOS, CA  The Los Gatos branch of Rotary Internationals Rotary District will take part in hosting an International Womens Day event on Sunday.

The event, hosted by Rotary District 5170 in San Jose, will celebrate womens achievements in leadership roles. Speakers will include Aparna Bawa, the chief operating officer of Zoom, and Ahmad Thomas, the CEO of Silicon Valley Leadership Group.

The schedule includes a reception, program, wine and appetizers and a rotary project fair.

All attendees must either provide proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within the last 72 hours.

The event takes place at the Rotary Summit Center at 88 South 4th Street in San Jose from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tickets cost $50 each.

Click here for more information and to register for the event.

This article originally appeared on the Los Gatos Patch
An Avelo Airlines Boeing 737-800. Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Avelo Air

Low-cost carrier Avelo Airlines is adding three new routes out of its New Haven base in Southern Connecticut.

The new routes, none of which are to Florida, make Avelo the carrier with the most nonstops from the state.

The announcement further fuels the competition with rival Breeze Airways, which is establishing a base in Hartford.

Newcomer Avelo Airlines is adding more nonstop flights out of Connecticut, further fueling the low-cost battle in the state.

On Tuesday, Avelo announced it will begin flying to Baltimore, Chicago Midway, and Raleigh, North Carolina, from Tweed-New Haven Airport in May. The move brings the carrier's Connecticut network to 13 routes, making it the airline with the most nonstop flights out of the state.

"It's abundantly clear that Tweed's unmatched convenience is making travel easier, smoother, and more affordable than ever before," CEO Andrew Levy said in a press release. "We believe these three new destinations will be a big hit with leisure and business travelers alike."

Avelo Airlines route map. Avelo Airlines

Prior to Avelo's Tuesday announcement, the carrier served 10 nonstop flights from Connecticut, tying with Southwest and JetBlue, both of which operate out of Hartford.

Since Avelo opened its East Coast base in New Haven, Connecticut has turned into a low-cost battlefield between the airline and competitor Breeze Airways.

In February, Breeze announced its fifth base at Hartford's Bradley International Airport, just north of the state's capital. The new base complements the carrier's operations in Norfolk, Tampa, New Orleans, and Charleston.

Currently, Breeze flies to four destinations out of Hartford, including Charleston, South Carolina; Columbus, Ohio; Norfolk, Virginia; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

However, the airline announced on Tuesday that the city would be getting six new routes in June, including Nashville, Savannah, Richmond, Jacksonville, Sarasota, and Akron/Canton, Ohio.

According to the Hartford Courant, Breeze initially planned to add eight new routes in Hartford this summer, but rising fuel prices amid the crisis in Ukraine has forced the airline to hold off.

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"Let's see where fuel goes, and we'll add the other two as soon as we can," a company spokesperson told the newspaper

Breeze Airways' route map as of March 8. Breeze Airways

Breeze's route expansion comes three weeks after Avelo revealed its first non-Florida routes out of New Haven, including Myrtle Beach, Nashville, Charleston, and Savannah. Avelo is the sole operator out of New Haven and faces no direct competition.

Take a closer look at Avelo's three new routes out of New Haven.

Between New Haven and Baltimore

Baltimore, Maryland. Jose Luis Stephens/Shutterstock

Avelo will fly five times weekly between New Haven and Baltimore on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays beginning May 26. Fares start at $49 one-way.

Between New Haven and Raleigh

Raleigh, North Carolina. Kevin Ruck/Shutterstock

Avelo will fly five times weekly between New Haven and Raleigh on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays beginning May 26. Fares start at $59 one-way.

Between New Haven and Chicago Midway

Chicago, Illinois. Luis Boucault/Shutterstock

Avelo will fly five times weekly between New Haven and Chicago Midway on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays beginning May 26. Fares start at $69 one-way.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Turning Red asserts the value of a metaphor signifying more than one thing. With any story centered on a 13-year-olds multidirectional hormones in the sweaty grip of puberty, anything less than one would be a cruel lie.

This is the latest feature from Pixar, quicksilver in its pacing and clear-eyed in its conflicts between parents and children. Its set in 2002 Toronto, with a Chinese-Canadian protagonist blessed with toothy grin reminiscent of Wallace of Wallace & Gromit fame.

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Turning Red is also the first Pixar feature on which a female filmmaker  co-writer and director Domee Shi  ran the show and receives sole directorial credit. Well, these things take a while. Thirty-six years, in this case.

The travails of puberty or puberty-adjacent growing pains have made a few oblique appearances in the Pixar realm before, but Turning Red marks the first animated film within the Disney corporate kingdom to feature a sight gag centered on tampons. This is moments after the mother in the story asks her daughter, breathlessly, on the other side of a bedroom door: Did the red peony bloom? At this point, young Meilis hormonal surge has turned her into a giant red panda. So, yes. Somethings blooming, all right.

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With that, Shis sprightly, inventive film, co-written by Julia Cho, takes its first metaphoric leap. When Mei Lee (voiced by Rosalie Chiang) feels her emotions taking over, not to mention her swoony thoughts about certain members of certain boy bands, the panda comes out to play. She feels like a monster, and does not know why this change overtakes her. How can she learn manage these feelings, this messy, unruly stage of development? And with her exacting, controlling mothers behavioral expectations, can Mei ever be allowed to let it go, whatever the it is at the moment?

A 13-year-old Toronto girl (voiced by Rosalie Chiang) takes center stage, along with her inner giant panda, in Pixar's "Turning Red." (AP)

In deft strokes Turning Red introduces the highly verbal, high-achieving, authority-pleasing Mei and her three best friends, voiced by Ava Morse, Hyein Park and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan. Theyre a wonderful group of varying personalities. When Mei lets them in on the panda problem, the film takes off. The girls yearn to catch an upcoming concert featuring their favorite crushworthy boy band, 4-Town (inexplicably, there are five of them). Doing so requires significant deception, along with dubious fundraising methods, with Meili busting out her inner panda at a frenemys birthday party for cash. Those concert tickets are not cheap!

The larger plot development here relates to the ancient Chinese family curse causing the present-tense problems for Mei. Sandra Oh voices the role of Meis mother, who knows more than she initially tells. She manages the ancestral temple, open to visitors; Orion Lee, co-star of the exquisite First Cow, does a lot with very little dialogue as Meis taciturn father.

The movie accommodates all sorts of visual and narrative ideas, from a climactic kaiju-style battle of monsters to the zingy repartee of a good coming-of-age comedy. It doesnt all work; the destructo-climax feels rote. But the movie glides along without the knotty world-building and expository detours of Soul, for example, or the ruthless pathos of Inside Out. I liked both, for different reasons, but the genial frankness and genuine freshness of Turning Red is more my speed. At a time when pubertys hitting millions of kids thwarted in so many ways by the last two years, it feels welcome indeed.

Director Shi made the Oscar-winning Pixar short Bao, which deployed its own wild, rewarding metaphor  a steamed dumpling becomes a forlorn mothers second child  in a story of parental ties that bind, until theyre loosened with love. Turning Red is pure Pixar in its imaginative clash of genres and impulses. Yet its something new, too, its own cultural- and gender-specific creation. Im eager to see what Shi does next, metaphorically and every other way.

Turning Red  3.5 stars (out of 4)

MPAA rating: PG (for thematic material, suggestive content and language)

Running time: 1:40

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How to watch: Premieres March 11 on Disney+

Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.

mjphillips@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @phillipstribune

Big screen or home stream, takeout or dine-in, Tribune writers are here to steer you toward your next great experience. Sign up for your free weekly Eat. Watch. Do. newsletter here.
BELLEVUE, Neb. (AP)  A man pleaded guilty Monday to killing two workers and wounded two others at a Nebraska fast-food restaurant.

Roberto Silva Jr. pleaded guilty to all 15 charges related to the Nov. 21, 2020, shooting at a Sonic Drive-in restaurant in the Omaha suburb of Bellevue, the Sarpy County attorney said in a news release.

The plea means Silva's case won't go to trial but Sarpy County Attorney Lee Polikov said he still plans to seek the death penalty.

Silva faced numerous charges, including two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder and arson.

He was accused of setting fire to a U-Haul truck that he had driven to the Sonic Drive-in and then entered the restaurant and shot the workers. When officers arrived at the restaurant, they found the U-Haul ablaze and four victims in the business.

Silva was unarmed when he was arrested nearby a short time later and cooperated with officers.

The shooting came days after police arrested Silva outside the restaurant on charges he had used another person's Sonic app account to buy $57 worth of hamburgers and corn dogs in four separate purchases at the location. Silva paid 10% of his $1,500 bail and was released from jail.

___

This story was first published March 7, 2022. It was updated March 8, 2022 to correct the date of the shooting to Nov. 21, 2020.
A screenshot from the Ex. 6 video, shows Adam Fox posing with weapons in the basement of the vacuum shop in Wyoming, near Grand Rapids, where he lived.

Getting people to agree on anything these days is difficult, much less decide the fate of four men accused of plotting to kidnap a governor out of anger over mask mandates.

That's precisely what the defense and prosecution are up against Tuesday as they begin picking a jury in the Gov. Gretchen Whitmer kidnap trial, which is loaded with polarizing issues that have divided Michiganders in recent years.

Mask mandates. Government authority. Whitmer's pandemic orders. Militias. Free speech. Gun rights.

These issues are part of a historic case that sheds light on the growth of extremism in America, where anti-government and right-wing violence has escalated in recent years, crescendoing during the 2020 presidential election. The Whitmer trial coincides with the Jan. 6 insurrection trial, which got underway last week in Washington D.C. as prosecutors seek to punish those who stormed the Capitol over the 2020 presidential election results.

If Facebook wars are any indication, legal experts say, the Whitmer case is going to need a jury that  above everything else  can get along.

"They're going to want someone who is willing to work with others, and whose beliefs aren't so strongly held that they aren't going to refuse to consider others' points of view during deliberations," said Mark Chutkow, a former federal prosecutor in Detroit who has tried multiple high-profile trials, including the 2013 prosecution of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

Chutkow knows all too well the grueling task of picking the right jurors in a high- profile case that has generated much public attention. As in the Kilpatrick case, most people have heard about the Whitmer kidnap case, he noted.

But that doesn't mean an impartial jury can't be seated, Chutkow said, noting the key is to find out how much prospective jurors know about the case, what their opinions are, and whether they can set them aside.

The case centers around a Michigan-based self-styled militia group called the Wolverine Watchmen, whose members allegedly plotted to kidnap Whitmer from her vacation home and blow up a bridge to slow down law enforcement. But their every move was being watched as the FBI had infiltrated the group, and arrested them in a sting in October 2020.

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According to experts, the defense in the Whitmer case will want people who are skeptical of the government, suspicious about undercover informants and FBI agents  key figures in this case  and skeptical about law enforcement. On the flip side, prosecutors will want law-and-order-type jurors who support police and have faith in the government.

Neither side wants zealots or extremists of any kind, whether on the left or the right, experts say.

So if a prospective juror expresses a strong opinion about Whitmer, or about having to wear face masks, they will likely get bounced out of the jury pool.

"Thats really the goal  to get rid of people who cant be fair and impartial, who have prejudged the case. Those people have to go," said longtime criminal defense attorney Mike Rataj, who defended one of the suspects in the failed prosecution of the Hutaree militia.

Rataj said he expects the defense in the Whitmer case will also be looking for jurors who are President Donald Trump supporters, and subscribe to what he described as Trump's "false" beliefs that the election was stolen. He believes those types of jurors would be sympathetic to the defendants, who maintain that they were never part of any plot to kidnap the governor, but were entrapped by undercover FBI agents and informants who infiltrated their group and egged them on. The defendants also have argued that they were merely engaged in puffery, tough talk, and that this case has been blown out of proportion.

Rataj believes Trump supporters will sympathize with that defense argument, though it's unlikely someone with staunch views will get seated on the trial.

"Thats something I think theyre concerned about  heavy sympathy one way or the other," said former U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider, the former top federal prosecutor in Detroit who is paying close attention to the Whitmer case.

Schneider noted that the internet makes seating an impartial jury especially difficult, given how easy it is to access information about any case..

"Both sides will want to find out what do you already know. And whatever you have read, can you set that aside and focus on whats going on here," said Schneider. who added: "The chances of them finding a jury pool that doesnt know about this case  its impossible."

But that doesn't mean an impartial jury can't be seated, Schneider said, noting just because someone has heard about the case doesn't mean they know all the details.

Top, from left: Adam Fox and Barry Croft Bottom, from left: Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta

Schneider anticipates prospective jurors will be asked how they feel about gun rights as this case is also about four militia members who expressed concerns about losing their Second Amendment rights.

The jury will see numerous videos and images of the defendants running around with guns. Schneider noted that some jurors may have no issue with that, while others may have strong feelings about people owning guns.

"I think they'll be looking for government skeptics, and not just about this issue, but people who have a healthy distrust  or more than healthy distrust  of the government's claims," said longtime criminal attorney Bill Swor, who also worked on the Hutaree case. "They'll want people who listen to the nuances, who can think clearly or think for themselves."

As for folks who have strong opinions about Whitmer, guns or face masks:

"Those people probably wont be on the jury, " Swor said. "They will almost always self-disqualify."

When it comes to jury selection, Swor said, you get two types of people: those who say they can be fair, and those who will automatically disqualify themselves because they don't want to sit on the jury, or they voice a sympathy toward one side or the other.

"The lawyers have to be very careful with their questions, and they have to listen to the answers the jurors give to the judges questions," Swor said. "It is more art than science."

The federal case initially started with six defendants, though two of them previously cut deals, pleaded guilty to their roles and plan to testify against the others. One of them is Ty Garbin, 25, of Hartland, who is serving a six-year prison sentence. The other is Kaleb Franks, 27, of Waterford Township, who is awaiting sentencing.

On trial are Adam Fox, 38, of Potterville, the alleged ringleader; Daniel Harris, 24, of Lake Orion; Brandon Caserta, 33, of Canton Township, and Barry Croft, 46, of Delaware.

Jury selection begins at 8:30 a.m. in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids.

Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jury selection begins in Gov. Whitmer kidnap trial
EAST VILLAGE, NY  Mayor Eric Adams went restaurant hopping in the East Village on Monday, ending his tour by eating vegan Borscht soup at the popular Ukrainian restaurant Veselka.

Adams was joined at his fourth East Village restaurant of the day by Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, Councilmember Carlina Rivera, and other elected officials and small business leaders.

Adams was welcomed into the restaurant at 144 2nd Avenue by third-generation owner Jason Birchard, reported AMNY.

Read More: Veselka Keeps Making Pierogis As Bombs Fall In Ukraine

In the last two weeks, Veselka has raised around $25,000 for Ukrainian relief efforts through its "Eat Borscht, Stand with Ukraine" campaign, AMNY added.

Veselka is asking people who are looking to help with Ukrainian relief to drop off the following items at its East 9th Street entrance:

Yellow heavy-duty tape

AA/AAA batteries

Headlamps

Sterile saline wipes/antibacterial wipes

Band-aids/gauze for wounds

Elastic bandages and regular bandages

Occlusive dressing (for wounds)

Betadine

Quick meals

Energy bars

Water purification tablets

Small canned foods that can be easily opened

Individually packed nuts or cookies

Cotton socks

Men's underwear and t-shirts

Men's heavy-duty gloves

Baby diapers

Baby formula

Adams was also conducting the East Village restaurant tour on Monday to celebrate the end of the indoor vaccine mandate in New York City.

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We may have to do this again with COVID, but in the meantime, we cant sit at home hoping that it doesnt come while our city is not prospering, Adams said outside Veselka when asked if hes concerned that his removal of the indoor vaccine mandate could trigger a coronavirus resurgence, reported the Daily News.



You can read more about Adams' trip to Veselka on AMNY's website.

This article originally appeared on the East Village Patch
MIAMI (AP)  A Miami businessman has pleaded guilty to receiving payments from Venezuela's government and servicing the country's fleet of Russian fighter jets in violation of U.S. sanctions.

A visibly nervous Jorge Nobrega admitted in federal court Tuesday that as part of the conspiracy to violate the U.S. sanctions he was paid the equivalent of around $3.5 million by state-run oil giant PDVSA into an account he opened at a bank in Portugal.

As part of his guilty plea, he said the payments were wired from accounts belonging to Tipco , a major Thai asphalt company that is a longtime customer of PDVSA. The publicly traded Tipco, whose role helping Venezuela skirt U.S. sanctions was the subject of an Associated Press investigation in 2020, has not been charged.

The case against the Venezuelan-American dual national stands out from a bevy of other ongoing criminal investigations focused on the South American country because its one of the first to look into the dealings of Venezuelas military, a key plank of support for President Nicolas Maduro.

In announcing charges last year, prosecutors said that the 52-year-old Nobrega had been on several Venezuelan air bases, flown in military aircraft and had friends inside the military. His Florida-registered company, Achabal Technologies, sold Venezuela's military a suppressant foam to insulate fuel tanks on its fleet of Sukhoi combat aircraft to prevent them from exploding under enemy gunfire.

In a recorded meeting with an unidentified informant, Nobrega allegedly bragged about meeting with Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez and likened the technique to a form of dialysis that would save Venezuela the expense of sending the fleet in Russia for servicing.

Nobrega was owed money by PDVSA for work he did for the oil giant before the U.S. imposed sanctions in January 2019 seeking to force Maduro's removal. But the payments were conditioned upon him providing new services to the Venezuelan military.

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At the direction of co-conspirators, he opened a bank account in Portugal from which he received the payments from Tipco on PDVSA's behalf between March 2019 in March 2020. About half of the amount received he later transferred to Achabal's bank accounts in Miami. Documents obtained by the AP show that two other U.S.- registered vendors not affiliated with Nobrega received an additional $4.1 million in the same manner.

U.S. sanctions against Venezuela make it illegal for U.S. firms  and those who assist them  from doing business with PDVSA except with a license from the U.S. Treasury Department. Additionally, any export of military equipment or services requires the approval of the State Department, which Achabal didnt have.

Nobrega faces a maximum of five years in prison.
APPLETON - A 20-year-old man has been charged in connection with a Feb. 13 shooting in the 1300 block of West College Avenue.

Jonathan Yang, of St. Paul, Minnesota, was arrested more than two weeks after Appleton police found a 28-year-old man had been shot while responding to reports that roughly 20 people were fighting outside.

Yang, who appeared in court Monday, faces one count of first-degree reckless injury. He is being held on a $250,000 cash bond, according to court records.

Police responded to the area of Core's Lounge shortly after 2 a.m. for reports of the fight, but as officers were on their way, additional callers reported gunshots in the area. When the first officers arrived, there were "miscellaneous items scattered outside in the parking lot, including outdoor clothing and shoes," according to a criminal complaint.

Officers found a man with a gunshot wound behind the building, the complaint says.

The brother of the man who was shot told police he arrived at Core's about 1:20 a.m. for karaoke, but ran outside after he heard his friend was being beaten up, the complaint says.

"He described the situation as chaos," the complaint says.

After a few minutes, the victim's brother heard shots and took cover behind his car. He estimated there were four or five gunshots, including three that struck his car.

RELATED: Minnesota man arrested in connection with Feb. 13 shooting on Appleton's West College Avenue

RELATED: Oshkosh man charged after womans vehicle shot with BB gun on Interstate 41 near Appleton

A review of footage recorded by a security camera outside Core's shows a man retrieving something from a vehicle during an altercation in the parking lot, the complaint says. The man eventually gets back in the vehicle and, with one other person, drives away.

Police were able to get a license plate number of the vehicle using footage from traffic cameras in the area, the complaint says. The vehicle was registered to Yang and one other person.

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A handgun was later found "sitting in the snow" in the parking lot outside of Core's, the complaint says. The weapon contained four cartridges that were the same caliber as shell casings found at the scene.

The man who was shot was taken to a local hospital, where he was interviewed by police. He was still inside the bar when, about 2 a.m., there was a commotion about a fight outside, the complaint says.

He was standing in front of Core's when he saw a man in the parking lot raise his arm while holding a handgun, so he started to run, the complaint says.

"He took several steps and felt something sharp strike him," the complaint says. "He noticed blood on his left hand and continued running."

He fled toward a nearby house because "he didn't want the shooter to find him," the called 911 before he "passed out on the sidewalk," the complaint says. He had gunshot wounds to his left arm and chest.

Yang's next court appearance had not been scheduled as of Tuesday afternoon.

Contact Chris Mueller at 920-996-7267 or cmueller@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AtChrisMueller.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Man charged in Feb. 13 shooting in Appleton on West College Avenue
Xi stresses running military in accordance with law

Xinhua) 08:06, March 08, 2022

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attends a plenary meeting of the delegation of the People's Liberation Army and People's Armed Police Force, at the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. Xi delivered an important speech at the meeting. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday stressed running the military in accordance with the law and enhancing the rule of law in national defense and military building.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while attending a plenary meeting of the delegation of the People's Liberation Army and People's Armed Police Force, at the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress, China's top legislature.

Xi lauded the major progress achieved in the practice of running the military in accordance with the law after years of unremitting efforts since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012.

Calling for a comprehensive understanding of the strategy of running the military in accordance with the law, Xi said focus should be placed on fully building revolutionary, modernized and standardized armed forces, and building a Chinese system for law-based administration of military affairs.

Xi stressed upholding the Party's absolute leadership over the military, taking combat effectiveness as the criterion, governing the military with strict discipline, and upholding the principal position of officers and soldiers.

He underlined advancing military legislation, stepping up enforcement of laws and regulations, strengthening the management of troops in strict accordance with the law, and enhancing the oversight of the enforcement.

Xi said foreign-related laws and regulations in the military field should be improved to better safeguard national interests with legal means.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Both sides of the abortion debate anticipate that come July, the Supreme Court will have overturned Roe v. Wade and with it the constitutional right to abortion, handing anti-abortion activists a victory they have sought for five decades. But from Florida to Idaho, Republican-led state legislatures are not waiting. They are operating as if Roe has already been struck down, advancing new restrictions that aim to make abortion illegal in as many circumstances as possible.

Under Roe, states cannot prohibit abortion before a fetus is viable outside the womb  around 23 weeks into pregnancy. But bills moving through legislatures are outlawing abortion entirely, or at six, 12 or 15 weeks of gestation. On Thursday, Florida passed a 15-week ban even as opponents warned it was unconstitutional so long as Roe stands. In Oklahoma, a Senate committee approved a bill that would prohibit abortion starting 30 days after the probable start of a womans last monthly period.

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Some states are trying to ban or limit pills that induce abortion, which supporters of abortion rights had hoped would provide a safe and legal workaround. Several states have advanced laws like the one the Supreme Court allowed to take effect in Texas that puts enforcement in the hands of private citizens. Texas allows lawsuits against anyone  from an Uber driver to a doctor  who knowingly aids or abets a woman getting an abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy, rewarding $10,000 plus legal fees for successful suits. On Thursday, the Idaho Senate passed a bill that would award a minimum of $20,000 to family members who sue, including a sibling of the preborn child.

The frenzy of activity in state legislative sessions over the past two months offers a glimpse of a post-Roe America, when the Supreme Court would return the question of abortion rights to the states. While some states closer to the coasts  California, Vermont, New Jersey among them  have moved to enshrine a right to abortion, far more are trying to restrict it.

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All gloves are off, and everybodys trying different things, said Sue Liebel, the state policy director for the Susan B. Anthony List, which helps elect anti-abortion lawmakers. Its an epitome of the American spirit and American creativity, trying to get around unsettled law. I think well see more of that. I think thats what states are looking for.

Abortion opponents were encouraged enough by the arguments before the Supreme Court in December that the general counsel for Americans United for Life told states that they should not hesitate to pass the strongest abortion limits possible. The Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights, counts at least 531 anti-abortion restrictions introduced in 40 states this year. Last year, states passed more than 100 laws restricting abortion, the most of any year since the court decided Roe in 1973.

On the newest frontier are bills to restrict access to medication abortion, which Americans United for Life identified as first among the most pressing priorities for 2022 legislative sessions. In December, the Food and Drug Administration permanently lifted a requirement that the medication be obtained in person, allowing it to be delivered by mail. Guttmacher reports that more than half of all abortions in 2020 were done with pills. But many states are attempting to ban delivery of the pills, or require them to be picked up on a second or third visit.

The case before the Supreme Court, Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, concerns a Mississippi law that bans abortion if the probable gestational age of the unborn human is more than 15 weeks. The state has asked the court not only to uphold that law but to overturn Roe v. Wade. That landmark ruling prohibits states from banning abortion before the fetus can survive outside the womb.

Anti-abortion activists demonstrate outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington during oral arguments for Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization on Dec. 1, 2021. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times)

The courts 1992 decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey affirmed Roe, and said that states could not impose an undue burden on women seeking abortions before viability. For nearly two decades after Casey, state legislators who opposed abortion avoided passing gestational age bans anywhere short of 23 weeks. They recognized that a majority of justices supported Roe, and worried that the court might even expand abortion access.

Now, given the anti-abortion leanings of three justices appointed by President Donald Trump, and the questions the justices posed, both sides believe that the court will say there is no constitutional right to abortion.

That would leave supporters of abortion rights with little legal recourse to fight the new state bans, unless Congress passed a bill establishing a right to abortion. Last week, Republicans in the Senate declined to consider such a bill.

Still, anti-abortion legislators are taking a belt-and-suspenders approach, hoping that one or another new law will effectively outlaw abortion when the court rules.

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Twelve states already have so-called trigger bans, which would prohibit abortion if the court overturned or struck the central ruling of Roe. But those states are advancing other restrictions in case the court stops short of that.

Oklahoma, for example, already has a trigger ban. But the new proposal for a ban after 30 days would effectively rule out abortion, given that the state requires women to wait 72 hours after consulting with a medical provider, and the average menstrual cycle is 28 days.

The same state Senate committee that passed that measure also approved three others: a Texas-style enforcement of a ban at six weeks that would take effect as soon as the governor signs it; an amendment to the state Constitution saying it does not provide a right to abortion; and an expanded trigger law that would ban abortion even if the Supreme Court overturns Roe in part.

While Missouri and Tennessee have trigger bans, they also have cascading bans anticipating what gestational age limit the court might allow. Tennessees ban blocks abortion at six, eight, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20 and 22 weeks after the start of a womans last monthly period.

Its like having a reserve price on eBay, said Carrie Severino, president of the Judicial Crisis Network, which opposes Roe. If the court says 15 weeks is an appropriate limit, but not six weeks, then the states say, Great, we have one of those.

Most bills have provisions to allow abortion to save the life of the mother. But even on that, states are cracking down. An Oklahoma proposal says that providers should not be allowed to terminate a womans pregnancy based on a claim that she intends to kill herself if she cannot get an abortion. That bill also classifies abortion as homicide.

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And states with trigger bans are still passing restrictions that would make it harder to get an abortion if the court declines to overturn Roe. An omnibus bill heading toward passage in Kentucky would require abortion clinics to individually cremate the remains of each fetus, which costs thousands of dollars. Planned Parenthood, which runs one of two remaining abortion clinics in the state, has said that the expense would force it to stop providing the procedure.

The Supreme Court could strike a compromise, upholding Mississippis 15-week limit but stopping short of overturning Roe. Neither side considers that likely. Dozens of state bans are working their way through federal courts, so the justices would soon face new cases asking what earlier time limits were allowed.

Wed just get dragged into another cycle of unending abortion litigation, Severino said. Supporters of abortion rights, too, told the justices during oral arguments that upholding the Mississippi law equates to overturning Roe.

Even if the court attempts some middle path, many trigger bans leave it to the governor or the state attorney general to determine whether Roe had been repealed in whole or in part.

Polls show that about two-thirds of Americans do not think Roe v. Wade should be overturned. A Gallup poll in January found that two-thirds of Americans were dissatisfied with abortion laws, and that most of those people said it was because the laws were too strict. It was a reversal from the previous two decades, when more Americans said they were dissatisfied because the laws were not strict enough.

Abortion rights supporters say public opinion might give pause to some lawmakers who have supported restrictions in the past, now that stricter laws seem likely to take effect rather than be stymied in court. Legislatures in at least four states have rejected a six-week ban with Texas-style enforcement. Lawmakers in two of those states, South Dakota and Arkansas, argued to wait and see what happened with Roe. Florida legislators pursued the 15-week ban instead, casting it as a compromise, and Arizona is expected to follow suit.

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c.2021 The New York Times Company
By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of more than 140 U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday urged leaders in Congress to approve $52 billion in government subsidies for semiconductor chips production and research.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 4 narrowly passed a bill aimed at increasing American competitiveness with China in part by allocating $52 billion to boost U.S. semiconductor manufacturing.

The funding will "help prevent future shortages that cause GDP drag, job losses, more expensive consumer goods, and national security vulnerabilities," said a letter https://matsui.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/matsui.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/20220308%20-%20CHIPS%20letter_0.pdf signed by lawmakers, including Representative Doris Matsui and Senator Mark Warner, both Democrats, and Republican Representative Michael McCaul and Senator John Cornyn.

The lawmakers urged Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to "immediately begin negotiations to allow votes in the House and Senate as soon as possible."

President Joe Biden is set to hold an event on semiconductor chips on Wednesday to meet with business leaders and again push for quick passage.

Last month, 22 governors also urged quick action on chips funding.

A persistent industry-wide shortage of chips has disrupted production in the automotive and electronics industries, forcing some firms to scale back production.

The Senate voted 68-32 to pass its own bill in June, which includes $52 billion for chips and authorizes $190 billion for U.S. technology and research to compete with China.

The funding includes $2 billion to incentivize production of "mature node" semiconductors used by the auto industry and in medical devices, agricultural machinery and some national defense applications.

There are key differences on China provisions in both bills.

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The House bill includes a number of trade provisions and would impose additional sanctions on China for its treatment of Uyghurs and offer refugee status for qualifying Hong Kongers.

The House measure reauthorizes and revises Trade Adjustment Assistance programs, which help workers whose jobs or pay is hurt by imports, and reforms the Generalized System of Preferences, a preferential tariff system for imports.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chris Reese and Aurora Ellis)
Country singer Morgan Wallen returned to the 2022 ACM Awards Monday night after being banned from attending the show last year in the wake of his N-word controversy.

In case you missed it, in February of 2021, video of Wallen using the N-word after a night out surfaced and, shortly after, Wallen was dropped from the airwaves and had his contract with his label suspended. However, Wallen's fans came back stronger and the singer's streams and sales skyrocketed.

At the ACMs Monday, Wallen was all smiles as he won the award for Album of the Year, which, as you could imagine, had Twitter divided. Some fans were angry and disappointed by his win. One person tweeted: "They let Morgan Wallen win album of the year? The man who very publicly said the n word? And you give him an award?! I hate it here I really do," (@charles_buckel), while another shared their strong opinion, stating, "Morgan Wallen winning anything goes to show you country music has no issues with racists and celebrates then. He's trash and those that like him are too." (@strummerthecat)

On the other hand, some viewers took to the social media platform to congratulate him and slam cancel culture. One fan tweeted: "Morgan Wallen with a wayy overdue Album of the Year. Cancel culture can kiss his ass," (@RickR415) while another posted: "Give that man his gosh damn award! Thankfully the #ACMawards didnt succumb to the cancel culture pressures like other award shows have. Every artist in Nashville knows he deserved that award, like him or not. So happy for the kid." (@TheDiddyBop)

And it's because of that support that Wallen dedicated the end of his acceptance speech to his fans, as Wallen shared, "Most importantly, I have to address my fans personally and directly. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm blown away by you guys. God bless."

Video Transcript

- And the ACM Album of the Year goes to "Dangerous, The Double Album," Morgan Wallen.

KYLIE MAR: Country singer Morgan Wallen returned to the 2022 ACM Awards on Monday night after being banned from attending the show last year in the wake of his n-word controversy. In case you need a refresh, in February of 2021, video of Wallen using the n-word after a night out surfaced. And shortly after, Wallen was dropped from the airwaves and had his contract with his label suspended.

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However, Wallen's fans came back stronger and the singer's streams and sales skyrocketed. And on Monday, Wallen was all smiles as he won the award for Album of the Year.

MORGAN WALLEN: To my son, this album and this award will signify that his daddy was a fighter, and that he chased his dreams and worked hard to make them a reality.

KYLIE MAR: As you can imagine, Twitter was divided following Wallen's win while some fans were saddened and offended by his win, like this viewer who tweeted, "They let Morgan Wallen win album of the year? The man who very publicly said the n word? And you give him an award? I hate it here. I really do."

Others took to social media to congratulate him and slam cancel culture, like this person who said that "Cancel culture can kiss his ass." So of course, Wallen wanted to take some time out of his acceptance speech to thank those supporters.

MORGAN WALLEN: Most importantly, I have to address my fans personally and directly. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm blown away by you guys. God bless.
A 3-year-old boy is in critical condition after what appears to be a self-inflicted, accidental shooting, Nashville police said.

The boy was initially brought to TriStar Summit Medical Center by his mother and her boyfriend from their apartment on Smith Springs Road around 12:20 p.m., according to the Metro Nashville Police Department. He was then taken by helicopter to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital and rushed into surgery.

Police said it appears the child took a 9 mm pistol from his mother's purse in her bedroom as she slept and pulled the trigger. The mother's boyfriend said he was in the living room when the shot was fired and quickly joined the mother in giving aid to the boy, according to MNPD.

MNPD Youth Services detectives are investigating the shooting. No charges had been made as of Tuesday evening, police said.

Find reporter Rachel Wegner at rawegner@tennessean.com or on Twitter @rachelannwegner.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville police: 3-year-old critically hurt in accidental shooting
WASHINGTON  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on NATO to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine to limit attacks from Russian warplanes  a request the West has firmly rejected even as the death and destruction mounts.

Top leaders of NATO  the alliance of 30 nations, including the U.S.  have repeatedly ruled it out, saying that imposing a no-fly zone over key parts of Ukraine could drag the alliance directly into Moscows war against its neighbor. They're unlikely to budge on the issue for that reason, experts said, since a no-fly zone would essentially require NATO to take over the air war that Ukraine is currently waging against Russian attacks.

As recently as Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated NATO's position, saying on NBC News' "Meet the Press" that President Joe Biden has been "very clear about one thing all along, as well, which is we're not going to put the United States in direct conflict with Russia."

What is a no-fly zone, and what would enforcing one take?

No-fly zones prevent a country from using warplanes to attack military targets or civilians on the ground, but simply declaring airspace off-limits is not enough.

Once declared, NATO would be responsible for patrolling the area with its own planes and would have to be prepared to fire at enemy ones to ensure the safety of civilians on the ground.

"Theres tremendous reluctancy on the part of the Pentagon and the political establishment," Mark Cancian, senior adviser to the Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in an interview. "The president and NATO have been very emphatic, and the reason is that its a combat mission."

"We'd be flying dozens of aircraft, maybe hundreds of aircraft, over Ukraine and shooting at the Russians, and theyd be shooting at us," Cancian said.

It would mean war! Michael OHanlon, the director of foreign policy research at the left-leaning think tank the Brookings Institution, said in an emailed statement, adding that imposing a no-fly zone could involve NATO using force to ensure its own planes are safe, allowing them to patrol and enforce.

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One would need to incapacitate the adversarys air defense network, meaning not just planes but radars and communications sites  all the people manning them  and unless you can do it all by jamming, that requires bombs that will in turn kill people, OHanlon said.

Countries within the NATO alliance, which does not include Ukraine, have so far sent arms to Kyiv while levying harsh economic sanctions against Russia, but they have resisted engaging in any action that might bring them into direct conflict with Russia.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said last week that while the Russian invasion was horrific, it was NATOs responsibility to keep its member states safe.

The only way to implement a no-fly zone is "to send NATO planes, fighter planes into Ukrainian airspace, and then impose that no-fly zone by shooting down Russian planes. And our assessment is that we understand the desperation," Stoltenberg said during a news conference. "But we also believe that if we did that, well end up with something that could end in a full-fledged war in Europe, involving many more countries, and causing much more human suffering."

Over the weekend, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that any move to create a no-fly zone above Ukraine would be viewed as "participation" in the conflict.

"That very second, we will view them as participants of the military conflict, and it would not matter what members they are," Putin said.

Calls for and against

While most U.S. lawmakers are opposed to a no-fly zone, a few have said they are willing to consider it or have even called for it.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., tweeted late last month: The fate of #Ukraine is being decided tonight, but also the fate of the west. Declare a #NoFlyZone over Ukraine at the invitation of their sovereign govt.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said on Meet the Press on Sunday that he wouldnt take a no-fly zone off the table yet.

In an emotional address last week, Zelenskyy slammed NATO for rejecting his pleas for a no-fly zone, arguing the decision was giving Russia a green light to continue shelling Ukraine.

Ilan Berman, senior vice president of the conservative-leaning, Washington-based think tank the American Foreign Policy Council, said as long as Russia continues to impede the ability of civilians to safely flee conflict zones, calls for a no-fly zone are unlikely to cease.

You can do so if youre sort of piercing the veil of sovereignty to protect innocence, Berman said. So the dynamic I see evolving here is the longer the Russians set and then violate cease-fires, dont allow humanitarian corridors  all of that strengthens the argument for a no-fly zone.

Jim Townsend, a senior fellow with the Washington-based think tank Center for a New American Security's transatlantic security program, said Zelenskyy is desperate for anything that he can get his hands on, and were desperate to get it to him.

But a no-fly zone  it would be an air campaign, and as soon as we started that air campaign, wed be at war with Russia, and Im sure that would escalate to places we dont want it to be pretty quickly, Townsend said.

When has a no-fly zone been enacted in recent years?

No-fly zones were enacted over Iraq to protect civilians after the Gulf War, over Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Balkans conflict and over Libya during a NATO coalition-led intervention in the country's civil war in 2011.

The U.S., United Kingdom and France launched Operation Provide Comfort in 1991 to establish and enforce a no-fly zone over northern Iraq, protecting the Kurds from Saddam Hussein's air forces. Another no-fly zone was later established to protect Shiite Muslims in the south.

The no-fly zones continued until the 2003 war in Iraq.

NATO enforced a no-fly zone over Bosnia from April 1993 to December 1995.

The United Nations Security Council authorized a no-fly zone, enforced by NATO, over Libya in 2011 to protect civilians under threat of attack in the country.
Jessie and Jacob Boeckmann, with their two daughters, 4-day-old Vivian, and 2-year-old Mary at their home in Costa Mesa. Their Ukrainian surrogate, Lilya, gave birth to Vivian on Valentine's Day 2022. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Jessie and Jacob Boeckmann felt relieved when they set foot in their Costa Mesa home last Tuesday. After a harrowing escape from Ukraine during last week's Russian invasion, they'd finally made it to safety with their newborn daughter, Vivian.

Their other daughter, 2-year-old Mary, greeted "Mama" and "Daddy" by jumping up and down with excitement. Grandparents who'd flown in from across the country took turns fawning over little Vivian. There was cooing, laughter and bubbly sipped in celebration.

Two year-old Mary Boeckmann holds her new baby sister Vivian. The Boeckmanns are back home in Costa Mesa after escaping Ukraine. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

But at one point, Jessie looked around. She paused and thought, "I live in this safe house. I have food to eat. I'm going to go to sleep in a warm bed and not be worried about being woken up in the middle of the night by bombs."

Despite the joyous reunion, the Boeckmanns say they have "survivor's guilt." They can't stop thinking of the people left behind in Ukraine  especially the surrogate mother who gave birth to Vivian, Lilya, who lives about 150 miles southwest of Kyiv. (Lilya did not want her last name published for security reasons.)

About the same time on Feb. 24 that the Boeckmanns and Vivian left the hospital in Kyiv to start their journey back home, Lilya was discharged from the hospital to an apartment she was sharing with other surrogate mothers.

That night, a section of her apartment building, several blocks long, was bombed by Russian forces advancing upon the city. Her unit wasn't hit. She made it out unscathed. By Saturday, she was at home with her two daughters, ages 7 and 14.

Since then, Russian forces have heavily shelled Lilya's village, said Jessie, who texts with her and others in Ukraine nearly every day.

In an interview last Thursday, Lilya told The Times that food prices were five times higher than usual. If the war doesn't end soon, she said, she probably will have to tap into her savings to survive.

"How can we help you?" Jessie texted Lilya last week. "Can we help get you and your girls to the U.S.? You can live with us?"

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Lilya didn't respond. But she told The Times that she doesn't want to leave Ukraine. She doesn't want to leave behind her husband, who has joined the fight, along with thousands of other Ukrainian men defending their land. She loves her country. Lilya said she would've joined the fight, too. But she has nowhere to safely leave her children.

Most days, Lilya texts Jessie, asking about Vivian and Mary. They communicate on Viber  a translation application. Lilya speaks only Russian.

"This is the sweetest child," she texted when Jessie sent her a photo of Vivian wrapped in a fuzzy pink blanket decorated with white stars.

"She is an angel. She had a good home for 9 months," Jessie responds.

It's cold and snowing in Ukraine. Lilya said she cries every day. Her daughters are afraid. Every time a helicopter hovers above their house, her girls cower in fear. But they "wake up every day grateful to God that we are alive."

Lilya said that her 7-year-old daughter is having the hardest time. She's afraid to be alone in her room. She constantly talks about Russia and Putin.

"I do not have love for Putin," she tells her mom. "What did we do to Russia? Why is Russia at war with us?"

Lilya doesn't know how to respond to those questions.

Over the weekend, her 7-year-old put on three sweaters. She packed a bag in case she needs to "run." She packed a small pillow and bedspread. No toys.

"Mom, I'm ready," she told Lilya.

Lilya hugged her hard. The mom knows there is "nowhere to run."

Their house is old, and they can't use their basement. It's closed off because it needs repair, Lilya said.

No matter, her youngest tells her. She'll run to the neighbor's basement or simply "run away when they shoot."

"Everything will be fine," Lilya tells her youngest. "Our Ukraine is strong, and we will soon end the war."

At times, Lilya gets calls from her mother, who now lives in Russia with her Russian boyfriend.

"Putin is trying to save you," her mother told her. Lilya stopped taking her mom's calls.

During the day, Lilya tries to distract herself and her daughters from the war. At first, she and her girls baked buns with cinnamon or cakes. But then they ran out of milk. Now, her eldest daughter weaves or studies English. Lilya reads to her youngest.

They no longer go for walks. Sometimes they step outside into their backyard for fresh air but they don't stay long because, she said, her children are scared.

Jessie said it's difficult to see the situation deteriorate in Ukraine. Other than giving to charities, she doesn't quite know how else to help. Lilya still hasn't responded to Jessie's offer to help.

On Monday, Lilya worried about how long the war would last. She has searched for milk for the last two days without much luck. And the cost of food increases every day.

She fears she and her girls will soon go hungry.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Mar. 7The Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission has been hosting a series of virtual meetings over the past few weeks to provide an update on broadband service specific to the local region.

Executive director John Hemmings said OVRDC got involved in broadband in 2008-09.

"When we went to counties and did a SWOT analysis, broadband came up as a weakness," he said. "We found ourselves with COVID highlighting what we kept saying: We do not have access to broadband in certain areas."

Hemmings said he used to be among the demographic that did not have broadband at home.

"I was the parent who took my kid to Wendy's parking lot to help him with his homework so he'd have access to Wi-Fi to do his homework," Hemmings said.

He said the U.S. Department of Commerce provided OVRDC with funding during the pandemic. Tom Reed, with Reed Consulting Group, said there is still a long way to go to "get to residential and small business folks."

"We don't want to just study it and put it on a shelf, we want to turn it into concrete action," he said.

Peter Voderberg, head of Broadband Ohio, said telecommunications in Appalachia has relied on Twisted Pair Copper.

"The cable companies started installing coaxial cable about 20 years ago and that's how most people get their service," he said. "In terms of reaching out to the future, people are looking toward fiber optic."

He said Ookla Speedtest Intelligence has been a "real big game changer" for mapping service.

"It changed the game in terms of being able to identify where broadband is and where broadband isn't," he said.
Mar. 8NEOSHO, Mo.  A 39-year-old defendant waived a preliminary hearing Monday on a charge that he sexually abused an 11-year-old girl in 2018 in Newton County.

Jess B. Reece, of Afton, Oklahoma, waived the hearing in Newton County Circuit Court and was ordered to stand trial on a count of statutory sodomy of a child under 12 years old. Associate Judge Christine Rhoades set Reece's initial appearance in a trial division of the court for April 12.

The charge was filed in March 2021 after an investigation by the Newton County Sheriff's Department and the Missouri Department of Social Services.

A probable-cause affidavit states that a 13-year-old girl disclosed during an interview in November 2020 at the Children's Center in Joplin that Reece began touching her inappropriately when she was 11 years old.
Joanne Woodward, Mel Brooks and Gene Hackman (Getty Images)

With Oscars 2022 fast approaching, the time is ripe to take a look back at the oldest living winners of those famed golden statuettes. These are actors, producers and songwriters who deserve to have their trailblazing work celebrated.

Here are the 12 oldest living Academy Awards winners, and what they did to secure their Oscars.

Walter Mirisch  100

The only living Oscar-winning centenarian, Mirisch picked up his prize in 1968 for his work as the producer of In The Heat of the Night. The drama about a Black police detective from Philadelphia who becomes involved in a murder case in Mississippi was nominated for a total of seven Academy Awards, winning five. Its star, Sidney Poitier, made history in 1964 when he became the first Black man to ever win an Oscar for his role in Lilies of the Field - but it was his co-star Rod Steiger who won Best Actor for In The Heat of the Night. The film was far from the only high-point in Mirischs long career: he also produced such classics as 1960s The Magnificent Seven and 1979s Dracula.

Eva Marie Saint  97

Saint won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in 1955 for her role as Edie Doyle in Elia Kazans On The Waterfront, playing opposite Marlon Brando. The film won a total of eight Oscars, including Best Picture. It also marked Saints screen debut, and she went on to enjoy a remarkable career over the next 75 years which included a leading role in Alfred Hitchcocks 1959 suspense classic North by Northwest. In 2006 she played Supermans adoptive mother Martha Kent in Superman Returns, a movie which also featured a computer-generated performance from her former co-star Brando.

Alan Bergman  96

Bergman and his wife Marilyn, who died in January this year, were a songwriting duo who collected three Oscars in their career, as well as four Emmys and a couple of Grammys. The couple won their first Oscar in 1969 for writing the English lyrics to French composer Michel Legrands The Windmills of Your Mind, the theme from The Thomas Crown Affair. They won again in 1974 for writing The Way We Were with Marvin Hamlisch, a huge hit for Barbra Streisand which soundtracked the film of the same name. Their third win came in 1983 when they again teamed up with Legrand to write the score to Yentl.

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Alan and Marilyn Bergman arrive at the ASCAP Film and Television music awards in Beverly Hills, California in 2008 (AP2008)

Lee Grant  95

Grant received her first Oscar nomination in 1951 for playing a shoplifter in her film debut Detective Story. A year later she was placed on the Hollywood blacklist as a suspected Communist, and was unable to work for over a decade. She returned to the screen in 1963 and enjoyed acclaimed performances in Valley of the Dolls and In The Heat of the Night, both in 1967. She finally won her Oscar in 1976 for her role in Shampoo, alongside Warren Beatty, Julie Christie and Goldie Hawn.

Mel Brooks  95

Throughout their history the Academy Awards have been known for overlooking comedies in favour of worthy dramas, but comic genius Brooks bucked that trend when he won Best Original Screenplay in 1969 for The Producers, a riotous satire starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder. It was Brooks only win (to date!), although he was nominated twice again in 1975 for both the Young Frankenstein screenplay and Best Original Song for the theme to Blazing Saddles.

Marcel Ophuls  94

Ophuls is a German documentary maker whose family fled the country in 1933, when he was six, after the Nazis rose to power. They lived in hiding in Vichy France for over a year before emigrating to the USA. In 1969 he made The Sorrow and the Pity about the collaboration between the Vichy government and the Nazis. His later film Hotel Terminus is a biography about the life and times of the war criminal Klaus Barbie, covering his childhood, his time in the Gestapo and his eventual deportation from Bolivia to stand trial for crimes against humanity in France. It won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature in 1988.

Estelle Parsons and Gene Hackman in Bonnie and Clyde (Sky)

Estelle Parsons  94

While the historical crime romance Bonnie and Clyde was nominated for nine Oscars in 1967, it won only two - including Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Parsons portrayal of Blanche Barrow. She was nominated again the following year for her role in Rachel, Rachel, but today is probably best known to TV audiences for playing Roseannes mother Beverly in the sitcom Roseanne.

Burt Bacharach  93

Legendary composer, songwriter and pianist Bacharach picked up his first two Oscars in 1970, winning Best Original Score for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as well as sharing Best Original Song with lyricist Hal David for Raindrops Keep Fallin On My Head, from the same movie. In 1981 he won again for co-writing Arthurs Theme (Best That You Can Do), from the Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli film Arthur. Sadly the Academy failed to give him any further recognition for his memorable appearance in 1999s Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.

James Ivory  93

By some margin the most recent winner on this list, Ivory became the oldest Oscar recipient in history when he won Best Adapted Screenplay for Call Me By Your Name in 2018. He collected the prize wearing a hand-painted shirt bearing the likeness of one of the films stars, Timothee Chalamet. Ivory had previously been nominated three times for the Best Director award: for 1986s A Room with a View, 1992s Howards End and 1993s The Remains of the Day. Merchant Ivory Productions, the film company he co-founded with romantic partner Ismail Merchant, who died in 2005, has won a total of seven Oscars.

Richard M Sherman  93

After forming a partnership with his sibling Robert in the late Fifties, the Sherman Brothers went on to be credited with creating more film scores than any other songwriting team in history. They were responsible for many beloved Disney soundtracks, and won both their Oscars in 1965: Best Original Score for Mary Poppins and Best Original Song for Chim Chim Cher-ee. They were nominated several more times for songs from 1968s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and 1971s Bedknobs and Broomsticks, but arguably their most famous composition was written specifically for a Disney theme park attraction: Its a Small World (After All).

Gene Hackman  92

One of the greatest living actors, Hackman has a pair of Oscars - and they arrived over two decades apart: Best Actor for 1971 thriller The French Connection and Best Supporting Actor for 1992 western Unforgiven. He was nominated on three other occasions, for supporting roles in 1967s Bonnie and Clyde and 1970s I Never Sang for My Father and for the leading role in 1988s Mississippi Burning. Those films represent just a fraction of a staggering career which also includes memorable turns in 1978s Superman, 1993s The Firm and 2001s The Royal Tenenbaums. Since the death of Sidney Poitier in January this year, Hackman has become both the oldest living and earliest surviving winner of the Best Actor Oscar.

Joanne Woodward  92

In 1957, in just her third film appearance, Woodward stunned audiences by playing a woman with three distinct personalities in mystery drama The Three Faces of Eve. She took home (just one) Best Actress Oscar for her trouble. She went on to be nominated three further times for the same prize, for 1969s Rachel, Rachel, 1974s Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams and 1991s Mr and Mrs Bridge. Woodwards accolades extend beyond acting: In 1994, she and husband Paul Newman were given the Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged for their philanthropic work.

The Oscars will take place on 27 March.
The Tadeusz Kosciuszko Polish Lancers Society lays a wreath at a ceremony to mark Casimir Pulaski Day at the Polish Museum of America on March 7, 2022. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

International and local leaders used a celebration of Polish-born American Revolutionary War hero Casimir Pulaski to reaffirm Polands longtime relationship with neighboring Ukraine just as hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled across the border between the two countries during the Russian invasion.

Officials including Mayor Lori Lightfoot were on hand Monday for the celebration at the Polish Museum of America in Noble Square for the former Polish nobleman and skilled cavalry commander held at the Polish Museum of America. Polish Ambassador Marek Magierowski and Ukrainian Consul General Serhiy Koledov also attended.

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Since Russia invaded Ukraine late last month, a number of international civic organizations based in Chicago, including some from Lithuania, Poland and Israel have claimed solidarity with Ukraine as their citizens join the fight against Russian troops.

The neighboring nations have become allies in the years since Ukraine broke from the Soviet Union, but the relationship between the two countries have their roots in the former PolishLithuanian Commonwealth starting in the 14th century.

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Magierowski began his remarks by acknowledging his Ukrainian counterpart, Koledov, in the audience. We stand with Ukraine, Mr. Consul, Magierowski told the crowd.

He also drew a comparison between Russias invasion and Germanys invasion of Poland in 1939, an event that has scarred the nation. I believe and Im afraid we are living another 1939 moment in our lives and we have to be determined to stave off that aggression and defend the free will.

Marek Magierowski, Poland's ambassador to the U.S., speaks during a ceremony to mark Casimir Pulaski Day at the Polish Museum of America on March 7, 2022. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

If you looked around, you would probably see many paintings here in this museum which depict our fight against aggressors, and on many on them we would find Russians, Magierowski said. The Ukrainians are now fighting the Russian army on their own soil, defending not only their freedom and their independence, but also ours.

Lightfoot, who spoke after Magierowski, followed up on his words about Ukraines fight, saying it had a particular resonance in this time.

Its important that we not forget our Ukrainian brothers and sisters who are literally in the fight of their lives every moment of every day, the mayor said. Weve been watching for almost two weeks in horror at what the murderous regime of Vladimir Putin is doing to a peaceful freedom-loving people in Ukraine.

In a recorded video for the event, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin compared Pulaskis early fight for Polish independence against Russia, Austria and Prussia to the current Ukraine crisis before praising Polands response in accepting fleeing Ukrainians.

I wish these desperate fights for independence were in the past, but we know what is right now in Ukraine, Durbin said. Speaking of a recent Warsaw meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda, Durbin added, I cant tell you how pride I am of what (Poland has) done to accept the Ukrainians refugees. Its a great show of statesmanship and caring at a time when America and the world is watching closely.

The Academy of Music of the Paderewski Symphony Orchestra and other performers sing together on March 7, 2022, in front of a painting of Casimir Pulaski at the Battle of Savannah during a ceremony to mark Casimir Pulaski Day at the Polish Museum of America. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Meanwhile in Ukraine, officials at the United Nations spoke of the humanitarian crisis brought on by Ukrainians fleeing to bordering nations.

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Filippo Grandi, the U.N. high commissioner for refugees, declared that the number of refugees leaving Ukraine was the fastest-growing humanitarian crisis in Europe since World War II. In just 11 days, 1.5 million people had sought safety in neighboring countries, according to the Associated Press.

Grandi said the humanitarian corridors also were critical to allowing basic goods to arrive to those in need and to evacuate the most vulnerable. But what is needed really is a cease-fire, the end of hostilities, because thats the only way to stop this tragedy, Grandi said.

In his comments, Koledov provided an update on how Poland is aiding Ukraine and steps taken to repel Russia. Memories of Gen. Casimir Pulaski are extremely relevant today, because 200 years ago the struggle against Russian relations is taking place again.

He ended his speech saying Ukraines fight was for more than independence. Ukraine fights not only for Ukraine sovereignty and territorial integrity. We fight for whole Europe and whole of the world.

Associated Press contributed.
A fatal Sunday morning shooting in Accomack County is under investigation.

The Accomack County Sheriff's Office said it received a report of an unresponsive man at a home in the 26000 block of Drummondtown Road in Accomac at about 8:05 a.m.

Deputies arrived to find the man suffering from apparent gunshot wounds, according to a news release.

The victim, identified as 41-year-old Jamar Antwyn Smith of Onancock, was pronounced dead on scene.

The sheriff's office said his body has been taken to the Norfolk Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy.

Cold case arrest: Princess Anne man faces murder charges in 2010 Wicomico County shooting

More: Berlin man's 2016 involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment convictions reversed

Virginia State Police, the Onancock Volunteer Fire Department and the Accomack County Department of Public Safety assisted in responding to this incident.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact the sheriff's office at 757-787-1131 or 757-824-5666 or submit tips online at accomackcountysheriffsoffice.org.

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Onancock man killed in Accomac shooting: sheriff's office
By Liz Hampton and Arathy Somasekhar

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Officials from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) met U.S. shale oil company executives on the sidelines of the CERAWeek conference in Houston on Monday as energy prices soared over supply concerns.

It was at least the fourth time since 2017 that U.S. shale oil producers and OPEC officials have held such meetings to discuss energy concerns.

EQT Corp Chief Executive Officer Toby Rice, Hess Corp CEO John Hess and Chesapeake Energy CEO Domenic Dell'Osso, among others, attended a dinner with OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo at a restaurant adjacent to the CERAWeek conference site.

Oil rose to a 14-year high of $139 a barrel on Monday amid concerns about supplies as the United States and European governments weighed banning imports from Russia, the world's second-largest oil exporter. Earlier, Barkindo said at CERAWeek that OPEC production could not offset a ban on Russian oil.

Barkindo said after the dinner that attendees discussed how shale producers were focused on delivering profits to shareholders instead of pouring more cash into new drilling.

"This massive under-investment requires us to revisit that," Barkindo said. "This is up to the companies themselves and their boards ... but there's this general realization that something needs to be done" to address the new circumstances, he said.

The dinner, billed as the North American Independents Forum, included Equatorial Guinea's energy minister Gabriel Obiang Lima, OPEC research director Ayed Al-Qahtani and the CEOs of Hunt Energy and Vincent Energy.

A Hess spokesperson who accompanied its CEO declined to comment.

"There is no capacity in the world that could replace 7 million barrels per day," Barkindo earlier told reporters at the conference. "We have no control over current events, geopolitics, and this is dictating the pace of the market."

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Russia has been an integral part of the OPEC+ alliance that halted a COVID-19 pandemic-driven crash in oil prices through a 2020 agreement to cut 10 million barrels per day (bpd) from the group's production.

As demand recovered, the alliance has begun returning 400,000 bpd per month to its output. However, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has led to a new oil shock. Some oil buyers have rejected Russian cargoes and producers with operations in the country, including BP, Shell and Exxon Mobil, have withdrawn from Russia.

Monday's dinner reprises meetings at the annual energy conference that began in 2017 following a two-year price war that left both sides hurting. Meetings initially were intended to help OPEC understand shale economics and financing but have expanded the topics, officials have said.

Barkindo, whose tenure as OPEC Secretary General ends this summer, was presented with a bottle of "Genuine Barnett Shale" oil as a memento of his U.S. meetings. Barnett, an area in north Texas, is the shale field that launched the U.S. energy revolution.

(Reporting by Liz Hampton, Arathy Somasekhar and Marcy de Luna in Houston; Writing by Gary McWilliams; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
KOSICE, Slovakia (Reuters) - Sixty-one hospitals in Ukraine are not operational because of attacks by Russian forces, Health Minister Viktor Lyashko said on Tuesday.

"Terrorists from the aggressor country have put 61 hospitals out of action," he said on television, adding that the authorities were unable to deliver critical medical supplies to front-line communities because of a lack of "humanitarian corridors." Russia denies attacking civilian targets.

(Reporting by Max Hunder, Writing by Alessandra Prentice, Editing by Timothy Heritage)




It's Monday, welcome to Overnight Defense & National Security, your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. Subscribe here: thehill.com/newsletter-signup.

The Pentagon will send more U.S. troops and military equipment to Europe as Russia continues its violent and unprovoked attack on Ukraine, now in its 12th day.

We'll have the details of where troops are being sent and an update on the conflict on the ground, plus what's happening to the U.S. military's fuel storage facility that leaked in Hawaii and the status of the Marine detained in Russia.

For The Hill, I'm Ellen Mitchell. Write me with tips at emitchell@thehill.com.

Let's get to it.

500 troops to go to Poland, Germany, Romania

Secretary of Defense L Austin

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin over the weekend ordered roughly 500 additional troops to Poland, Romania and Germany "to respond to the current security environment in light of Russia's renewed aggression against Ukraine" and to bolster NATO's eastern flank, a senior defense official said Monday.

The official stressed President Biden's assertion that no American troops will be sent to Ukraine and that the additional forces are "enablers" going to NATO allies "to shore up capabilities that are already there."

Also going: As part of the new deployment, KC-135 refueling aircraft will be sent to Greece, though it was unclear how many aircraft would be sent or where they would come from.

Additionally, an air support operation center will be deployed to Poland and Romania, and an ordinance company and a maintenance company will be sent to Germany for "additional logistic support to the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division" already deployed there, the official said.

The numbers now: The U.S. military now has about 100,000 personnel stationed in Europe on either a rotational or a permanent basis as Russia's violent incursion into Ukraine comes up on its two-week mark.

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'Enablers': The Biden administration has emphatically rejected the idea of sending U.S. forces to help Ukraine battle the Kremlin, with the thinking that such a move would set off another world war. But as the violence threatens to spill over into neighboring NATO countries, the U.S. has deployed or repositioned more than 15,000 American soldiers and airmen to Germany, Poland, Romania and Lithuania.

Austin decided to send the extra 500 troops and military equipment after conversations he had with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley and U.S. European Command head Gen. Tod Wolters "that these additional enablers would be useful for the forces that are already forward as well as those that were being repositioned inside Europe," the official said.

Read the full story here.

More Russia rocket strikes but no extra troops

The United States has "not seen indications" that Russia is preparing to move additional forces into Ukraine beyond what the Kremlin amassed near the border prior to the invasion, a senior defense official said Monday.

Russia has sent into Ukraine "nearly 100 percent" of the more than 150,000 troops and equipment placed near its borders in Russia and Belarus. But beyond that, Washington has "not seen indications that they are preparing to move additional battalion tactical groups from elsewhere in the country to shore up what they've put into Ukraine," the official told reporters.

"We have not seen any indication that [Russian President Vladimir Putin] is going to go beyond the amassed combat power that he had already developed."

Why it's significant: The findings are noteworthy as they could indicate an unwillingness to sacrifice more Russian troops in the conflict, which has seen the Kremlin bogged down with supply issues and fierce opposition from Ukrainian forces.

That line of thinking is further bolstered by Russia's move to recruit Syrian fighters to help in the fight, a development first reported Sunday by The Wall Street Journal and confirmed by the official on Monday.

The U.S. military is "not seeing a lot of progress" by Russian forces, who "continue to be frustrated by a stiff Ukrainian resistance, as well as their own internal challenges," the official said.

Strikes pick up: Russia is, however, "increasing bombardments" of major Ukrainian cities including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv and the southern port of Mariupol, and has launched more than 625 missiles against Ukraine since the incursion started 12 days ago.

"We certainly have noticed increases in what we call long-range fires ... bombardment, rocket attacks, artillery, as well as missile strikes, and we do assess that these strikes are hitting civilian targets, civilian infrastructure, residential areas," the official said.

The strikes are "happening on a greater rate and a greater scale," likely to "supplement or to make up for the lack of ground movements that they have had and the lack of air superiority that they don't enjoy."

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Putin's attacks raise pressure on US, NATO

P Biden at NATO meeting

Russian President Vladimir Putin's increased aerial bombardment of civilian areas in Ukraine has triggered allegations of war crimes and raised pressure on the West to take more direct action to save lives.

President Biden has yet to publicly reject a no-fly zone, but U.S. officials have said the measure is a non-starter to avoid open military conflict between the West and Russia.

But some experts and lawmakers warn that such declarations might embolden Putin to further carry out atrocities by drawing a line on the steps the U.S. and its allies are willing to take.

Don't take it off the table: Evelyn Farkas, former deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia under the Obama administration, said she is not advocating for a no-fly zone but wouldn't take it off the table.

"I don't want to telegraph to Putin ahead of time what we want to do, especially because we know he's capable of practically anything and we are trying to deter him from further horrific action, from cutting off future options for Ukraine, assistance to Ukraine or our defense of NATO," she said.

Attacks worsening: The Biden administration, Ukrainian officials and NATO have all said there are credible reports that Russia has dropped so-called cluster and vacuum bombs on targets in Ukraine. They say the munitions likely violate international law for causing wide-scale damage and death.

Yet despite the indiscriminate aerial attacks, Biden administration officials and NATO's secretary-general have seemed to explicitly rule out the idea of a no-fly zone with comments over the past week.

Read more here.

Pentagon shuttering fuel tank facility

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday directed the Navy to permanently close a fuel storage facility in Hawaii that leaked petroleum into a drinking water system for 93,000 people late last year.

"After close consultation with senior civilian and military leaders, I have decided to defuel and permanently close the Red Hill bulk fuel storage facility in Hawaii," Austin said in a statement released Monday.

A 'multi-step process': Austin ordered Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command head Admiral John Aquilino "to take all steps necessary" to shutter the facility at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby later told reporters.

Austin said the effort will be a "multi-step process," during which the Defense Department will work closely with the Hawaii Department of Health and with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Some previous tension: The directive caps a somewhat contentious back and forth between defense officials and Hawaii's government leaders after fuel leaked from tanks at the storage facility in November and contaminated Pearl Harbor's drinking water, sickening nearly 6,000 people, most of whom lived in military housing.

The aging tanks had been built during World War II and were used to store fuel for ships and aircraft to be refueled at Pearl Harbor.

Hawaii officials quickly issued an emergency order for the Navy to drain the fuel tanks and not use them again until it can prove it can do so safely. The service initially said it would comply but then in February decided to fight the directive, angering state leaders.

How long will it take?: Austin's decision on Monday is based on a "thorough review of the facility's long-term future," Kirby said, adding the defueling "will probably take somewhere within 12 months or so" to fully drain and close it.

Department of Defense (DOD) leaders "remain very, very focused on this issue and the impact it's had on families, communities, and of course, our responsibilities in both national security and being good stewards of our resources and the environment," Kirby said.

Where will the fuel go?: The Navy will now work to defuel Red Hill and reposition the fuel to locations on land and fueling ships based at sea. Kirby said the move will better disperse fuel which will allow the U.S. military "to meet future challenges in the Pacific region while ensuring environmental stewardship and protecting the population."

An assessment team that had already been sent to Red Hill to figure out how to make the facility operational again will "shift their focus" to figure out how to go about the defueling, Kirby explained. That report is due to Austin by the end of April.

Read the full story here.

Marine's family says Biden declined meeting

Relatives of Trevor Reed, a U.S. Marine detained in Russia, say they plan to stage a demonstration outside the location of President Biden's upcoming address in Fort Worth, Texas on Tuesday after the White House declined a meeting with them during the trip.

Trevor Reed's father, Joey Reed, told The Hill in an interview that the White House cited schedule constraints in declining the meeting. President Biden is slated to travel to Fort Worth to visit the local Veterans Affairs facility and discuss expanding health care access for veterans affected by burn pit exposures.

An 'act of desperation': Reed's parents, Joey and Paula Reed, and his sister, Taylor Reed, are expected to demonstrate to raise awareness about his case on Tuesday morning instead, according to a spokesman for the family.

Joey Reed said the demonstration is an "act of desperation."

"We desperately want to meet with our president who we voted for," he told The Hill in an interview Monday. "Our family are centrists."

"We just think that it would benefit everyone if we could just speak to him for a few minutes," he said.

Some background: Trevor Reed, a Texas native, was detained in Russia in 2019 on charges of assaulting a police officer during a drunken incident. He was sentenced to nine years in prison in July 2020. Reed says he does not remember the incident and his family believes that Russia jailed him in hopes of using him as a pawn in a larger fight with the U.S.

During his service in the Marines, Reed served as a presidential guard at Camp David during the Obama administration.

The U.S. has called Reed's detention unjust and has been working to secure his release, to no avail. His family now has concerns that the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine could negatively impact his case given the break in U.S.-Russian relations.

Read more here.

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By Marco Aquino and Marcelo Rochabrun

LIMA (Reuters) -Peru's Congress confirmed President Pedro Castillo's new cabinet early on Wednesday - his fourth in just seven months in office - shortly after a group of opposition lawmakers launched a new impeachment effort to try to oust the leftist leader.

Lawmakers voted 64-58 in favor following a lengthy session that started on Tuesday but went well after midnight to approve the new government led by Prime Minister Anibal Torres, a lawyer and former justice minister, who is a close ally of Castillo.

The approval comes as Castillo faces a impeachment effort by opposition lawmakers, having already survived one last year.

Some 50 legislators out of a total of 130 in the country's unicameral Congress filed an impeachment motion on Tuesday that alleges Castillo is morally unfit for office, citing 20 supposed violations that include the testimony of a lobbyist who has publicly accused him of corruption.

Public approval of Castillo, who denies the accusations, hovers below 30% in recent polls, though the former rural schoolteacher has gained some ground recently amid unprecedented turnover among his ministers.

Castillo's presidency has been riddled by scandals and political instability. Since taking office in July, he has replaced cabinet members faster than any administration in recent history. His previous prime minister lasted only days before resigning due to allegations of domestic violence.

Those pushing for impeachment face an uphill battle to actually remove Castillo from office and would eventually require 87 votes to do so. While the legislature is controlled by the opposition, an earlier impeachment attempt in December failed to gain enough votes.

A member of a Marxist-Leninist party, Castillo has become more pragmatic over time, appointing some social conservatives to his Cabinet and naming a technocrat to the key finance ministry.

Peru's economy grew 13% in 2021 and exceeded its pre-pandemic levels, while its sol currency has also gained ground this year.

Castillo is Peru's fifth president since 2018, when Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned minutes before an impeachment vote he was sure to lose. His successor Martin Vizcarra was ousted after an impeachment vote in 2020.

(Reporting by Marco Aquino and Marcelo Rochabrun; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Frank Jack Daniel)
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla has claimed that former President Donald Trumps son in law and adviser Jared Kushner wanted to reroute vaccines from Canada, Japan, and Latin America to the US.

In an op-ed in Forbes, Dr Bourla wrote that he had a heated debate with Mr Kushner concerning whether the US would receive the companys vaccines first. The op-ed was adapted from Dr Bourlas book, Moonshot: Inside Pfizers Nine-Month Race to Make the Impossible Possible.

The CEO claimed that he and Mr Kushner found themselves disagreeing on when an additional 100 million doses ordered by the Trump administration would be delivered.

Dr Bourla noted that the Trump administration was ordering another 100 million on top of an initial order of the same size, while other countries were waiting for shipments agreed on earlier.

Jared was asking for a very aggressive delivery plan to the US for the additional 100 million doses. He wanted it all in the second quarter of 2021, Dr Bourla writes. To do that, we would have had to take supplies from Canada, Japan, and Latin American countries, all of which had placed their orders earlier than the US and were expecting the vaccine in the second quarter.

I refused to do that, and the debate between the two of us became heated, he added.

I reminded Jared that I had made very clear to [Operation Warp Speed leader] Moncef Slaoui that we would not take doses from other countries to give to the US, Dr Bourla states, adding that he had almost begged the vaccine leaders in the administration to increase their initial order, but that they had repeatedly refused to do so.

But Jared didnt budge. In his mind, America was coming first no matter what. In my mind, fairness had to come first, Dr Bourla writes in the op-ed. He insisted that the US should take its additional 100 doses before we sent doses to anyone else from our Kalamazoo plant. He reminded me that he represented the government, and they could take measures to enforce their will.

Story continues

Be my guest, Jared, Dr Bourla quotes himself as telling Mr Kushner. I prefer to have Japans prime minister complaining to you about the cancellation of the Olympics rather than to me.

The CEO states that the conflict was resolved as the companys manufacturing team continued to work miracles, and I received an improved manufacturing schedule that would allow us to provide the additional doses to the US from April to July without cutting the supply to the other countries.

It was a good compromise, and eventually the contract was signed. Jared called me two days later from Mar-a-Lago to thank me for the collaboration, and we closed the loop on a happy note, Dr Bourla concludes.

The deal for 100 million doses to vaccinate 50 million Americans was reached for $1.95bn in December 2020.
Phoenix Police are investigating a homicide that occurred near 4438 East Dry Creek Road on Monday night.

Phoenix police are investigating a homicide in Ahwatukee that happened Monday night.

Officers received a 911 call around 6:30 p.m. Monday about gunshots in the 4400 block of East Dry Creek Road. Callers also mentioned a man lying in the roadway.

Officers found Anthony Covarrubias, 18, on the ground. He was taken to a hospital before dying.

Police did not provide information about potential suspects.

If anyone has any information about the shooting, they are asked to call the Phoenix Police Department at 602-262-6141. If tipsters would like to remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash award, they can call Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS or 480-TESTIGO for Spanish.

Reach breaking news reporter Adam Terro at adam.terro@arizonarepublic.com.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Anthony Covarrubias dies after being found in Ahwatukee roadway
The head of Chicago Public Schools said Tuesday he does not anticipate a teacher work stoppage from the upcoming removal of the districtwide mask mandate, even as the Chicago Teachers Union swiftly vowed to fight the decision.

During an online question-and-answer session, CPS CEO Pedro Martinez attempted to tamp down concerns of another heated labor dispute, in response to a question on whether lifting the CPS mask requirement violated the citys COVID-19 safety agreement with the union.

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In his characterization of ongoing CPS-CTU relations, Martinez said: I feel theres more agreement than disagreement.

CPS CEO Pedro Martinez talks to reporters at Mount Greenwood Elementary School in Chicago on March 3, 2022. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Were going to continue to work with CTU; theyre a valuable stakeholder for us, a valuable partner, Martinez said. I dont anticipate more serious consequences in terms of work stoppages, but we will continue to work together.

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But CPS announcement this week that it will make masks optional for students and staff members starting Monday has already spurred not just an unfair labor practice complaint from the teachers union  which has decried it as an unilateral violation of its January COVID-19 safety agreement  but also outcry among some parents and an alderman who called the move racist.

Indicative of the unions distrust of CPS leadership, CTU Vice President Stacy Davis Gates called Martinezs claims that the parties agree more than disagree a big, fat slap in the face when you unilaterally cancel an agreement that you just made.

During Tuesdays online forum, Martinez and public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said the decision to lift the mask mandate in CPS was based on the citys success in beating back the omicron surge and landing at lower COVID-19 transmission risk in recent weeks.

Arwady said if the city returns to a medium level of community spread, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions newest three-tier system, the district will likely recommend masking for unvaccinated students. Should the city move up to the high level of risk, the school mask mandate would return.

Martinez also acknowledged that his reasoning for mask removal partly stems from a lawsuit filed by downstate attorney Thomas DeVore, who has won recent victories in his challenges of Gov. J.B. Pritzkers COVID-19 school policies. Martinez said he feared if the district continued the mask mandate, they could get tangled up in the ongoing litigation and lose broader powers to respond to the pandemic.

We were concerned about some of the legal challenges, that they could take that authority away from us, Martinez said.

During an online event Tuesday morning hosted by the group Activate Chicago Parents, however, Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25th, called the lifting of the mask rule irresponsible.

But more that, he continued, it is racist. When we see the levels of vaccination in our communities  and Ill tell you, as someone who represents the vast majority of residents in Black and brown communities  less than 50% of CPS students are fully vaccinated.

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CTUs governing body  the 600-member House of Delegates  is scheduled to meet Wednesday, a date that was on the books before CPS masking announcement.

Its unclear if the delegates will take action in response to the CPS masking change.

I dont know. They just took action. Why in the hell do we have to keep taking action? Davis Gates said in a phone interview Tuesday. Were not wrong. The only safety policies that weve had in this district are the ones our members sacrificed for. The mayor doesnt have a safety plan. Her doctor doesnt have a safety plan. The CEO doesnt have a safety plan. Hell, the Board of Education just reaffirmed the use of face coverings in schools just two weeks ago. They dont have a plan.

Davis Gates said CTU members are pissed off and exhausted in the wake of the mask announcement.

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Monday, we will struggle. We have immunocompromised students. Are they going to open up the Virtual Academy for those kids? We have immunocompromised workers. Are they going to provide telework accommodations for them? Davis Gates said. People sacrificed for an agreement that they signed, and Thomas DeVore said, Hold on for a minute. And the mayor of Chicago said, Sure, Thomas, while ignoring Black parents and families, while ignoring Latinx parents and families. She did not privilege any community outside of Mount Greenwood.

A minor dust-up during the parent groups news conference Tuesday demonstrated how volatile the topic of masking can be.

Bridgett White, parent of two CPS students, decried the districts decision as prioritizing the economy over public health.

A pandemic does not go away just because you want it to, just because youre tired of it. The numbers were rising just after Christmas break. We were at the highest that we were almost at the beginning of the pandemic, White said. The numbers began to go down, and we are just a few weeks out from that. You dont pull the masks just because people are tired of wearing the masks.

Several parents echoed Whites concerns during the virtual event for Activate Chicago Parents, a group that has been calling on the district to increase COVID-19 safety protocols and to institute a student vaccine requirement for the upcoming school year. But one woman who identified herself as a CPS substitute teacher worried that in light of the change in the masking policy, CTU members would again refuse in-person work, as they did in January, which prompted the district to cancel classes for five days.

We are causing fear in our children thats (misplaced), and the parents are doing it to the kids, and the teachers are doing it to the kids, she said. Its wrong. Theres nothing wrong. If you want to go to school wearing a mask, wear your mask. If you want to have remote learning, you have an option, home-school.

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Dr. Howard Ehrman, a medical professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and former city health official, criticized CPS COVID-19 mitigation strategies, including its weekly testing program that weathered many delays. He said the districts vaccination efforts have been poorly organized.

Dont make this sound bite either the pandemics over or this is a mild disease. This is not a mild disease, Ehrman said.

The substitute teacher interjected as Ehrman spoke, and then she disappeared from the call.

I dont split hairs. Let me be clear, and Im sorry this woman left, parent Jesu Estrada said. We cannot control when the CTU goes on strike. What were calling for are specific days where we have sickouts. This is the only time that the mayor has actually sat with parents, is when we had the one sickout.

As for the CTUs unfair labor complaint, a representative for the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board said an investigator has been assigned to look into it. Its possible the investigation could be completed this week, and the complaint could land on the agenda for the boards monthly meeting, scheduled for March 16.

Meanwhile, DeVore said Thursdays hearing on his request for a temporary restraining order against CPS with regards to masks will no longer be necessary since the district is relaxing its rules. His litigation against scores of Illinois school districts is still pending, and he said he is prepared to take action if the children of his clients are forced to stay home from their CPS schools because they tested positive for the virus or if they are unvaccinated and came in contact with an infected person.

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As soon as they try that, we will absolutely drag them back into court, said DeVore, who represents about half a dozen CPS parents, with 100 to 120 more CPS parents prepared to join his efforts.

Martinez and Mayor Lori Lightfoot defended the districts lifting of the mask mandate Monday by pointing to declining CPS and Chicago case numbers and low test positivity.

The Chicago Board of Education reaffirmed CPS mask mandate just two weeks ago, at its February board meeting, saying the student vaccination rate varies widely between the hundreds of CPS schools. About half of age-eligible CPS students and more than 91% of district staff are fully vaccinated, according to CPS data.

For students who are medically vulnerable, Martinez said the district will find ways for them to learn with accommodations, such as remote learning.

Illinois recently ended its statewide school mask mandate to align with guidance from the CDC, and Chicago lifted the requirement for most public spaces as well.

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During Tuesdays Ask Arwady session, the citys top doctor also chimed in with her views on the relationship between the city and teachers union, delivering a pitch for cooperation and to follow the science. She said she was worried about societys fraying trust in certain professions such as doctors, government officials  and teachers.

Weve also seen trust of teachers drop a lot and that just hurts me, Arwady said. Its so critical that we together are rebuilding the trust that society has in our workforces, in the people who educate our kids.  What does that mean? That means working, I hope, together.

Bob Bruno, a University of Illinois labor professor who wrote a book about the 2012 CTU strike, said the union has a pretty good case before the state labor panel because of the January safety agreement.

The two sides will fight in front of the board, but I think they will continue to figure out how to get into this next phase (of the pandemic) in a way that works for both parties, Bruno said. Now whether or not it contributes to further long-term grudges? Well, I guess that remains to be seen, but I think theyll figure it out.

tswartz@tribpub.com

ayin@chicagotribune.com
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  The Pentagon said Tuesday that Poland's offer to give its MiG-29 fighter jets to the U.S. so they can be passed to Ukraine raises serious concerns for the NATO alliance and the plan is not a tenable one.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said in a statement that the prospect of jets departing from a U.S./NATO base in Germany to fly into airspace contested with Russia in the Ukraine war is concerning. He said it's not clear to the U.S. that there is a substantive rationale for it. The U.S., he said, will continue to talk to Poland about the matter.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. APs earlier story follows below.

WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Poland said Tuesday it would give all of its MiG-29 fighter jets to the U.S., potentially advancing an arrangement that would allow the warplanes to be passed along to Ukraine's military as it confronts invading Russian forces.

The United States did not immediately confirm the deal, although Western nations have been discussing possible ways to answer Ukraine's appeal for warplanes. Any such decision would be a morale booster for Ukraine as Russian attacks on its cities deepen the humanitarian catastrophe. But it also raises the risks of a wider war.

Yahoo Immersive: Where are Russian forces attacking Ukraine?

The Pentagon had no immediate comment on Polands announcement, and a senior U.S. diplomat expressed surprise.

To my knowledge, it wasnt pre-consulted with us that they plan to get these planes to us, said U.S. Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland, who told lawmakers she learned of the proposal as she was driving to testify about the Ukraine crisis before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

I look forward ... to getting back to my desk and seeing how we will respond to this proposal of theirs, to get the planes to us, Nuland said.

Ukraine has been pleading for more warplanes and Washington has been looking at a proposal under which Poland would supply Ukraine with Soviet-era fighters and in turn receive American F-16s to make up for their loss. Ukrainian pilots are trained to fly Soviet-era fighter jets.

Story continues

The Polish Foreign Ministry announced in a statement that Poland was ready to deliver the jets to the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Germany immediately and free of charge.

At the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities, it said.

The Polish government also appealed to other owners of MIG-29 jets to follow suit.

Former Soviet-bloc NATO members Bulgaria and Slovakia also still have Soviet-made fighter jets in their air forces.

The handover of Poland's 28 Soviet-made MiG-29s would signal Western resolve to do more to deter Russia. Militarily, it would be unlikely to be a game-changer. The number of aircraft is relatively small. The MiG-29s also are inferior to more sophisticated Russian aircraft and could be easy prey for Russian pilots and Russian missiles.

Russia has warned that supporting Ukraines air force would be seen in Moscow as participating in the conflict and open up suppliers to possible retaliation.

It would also weaken Poland's own air force at a time of heightened danger in Eastern Europe.

A transfer of the MiGs to Ukraine is fraught with complications as neither NATO nor the European Union want to be seen as directly involved in the transaction, which will significantly raise already extreme tensions with Russia. The U.S. has no plan to directly transfer the planes to Ukraine.

In order to maintain the pretense that NATO and the EU are not direct participants in the Ukraine conflict, U.S. and Polish officials have been considering a variety of options. One begins with the donation of Polands MiGs to the United States, as Poland announced on Tuesday.

Under one scenario that has been floated, Poland would deliver the fighter jets to the U.S. base in Germany, where they would be repainted and flown to a non-NATO, non-European Union country. Ukrainian pilots would then come to fly them to Ukraine, under that proposal.

No country has been publicly identified as a transit point, but Kosovo, a non-aligned country that is very friendly with the United States, has been mentioned as one of several nations that might be willing to serve as a middleman.

Poland had been asking for the U.S. to provide it with F-16 fighter jets to replace the MiGs.

F-16 production is backlogged, however, and the next recipient in line for new deliveries is Taiwan, which is facing renewed threats from China and has strong support from both parties in Congress.

In its statement, the Polish government specifically asked for used planes, a distinction that would allow the Biden administration to bypass congressional opposition to making Taiwan wait to receive its F-16s.

Earlier Tuesday, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said his country would stand by Poland if it handed over the jets, noting that it could face the direct consequence of its decision.

And so we would protect Poland, well help them with anything that they need, Wallace said on Sky News.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said any decision about delivering offensive weapons must be made unanimously by NATO members.

This is why we are able to give all of our fleet of jet fighters to Ramstein, but we are not ready to make any moves on our own because ... we are not a party to this war, he said.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that he believed the aid that Congress hopes to approve later this week for Ukraine will include loan guarantees to help NATO allies replenish their air forces after giving MiGs to Ukraine.

___

Knickmeyer reported from Washington. AP writer Danica Kirka in London and AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.
The Polish government has announced that it is ready to send all its MiG-29 fighter jets to a US military base in Germany, likely to be deployed to Ukraine in the fight against the Russian invasion.

It also urged other Nato countries to also send their fighter jets of a similar type, according to a statement from the foreign ministry.

On Monday, US lawmakers urged President Joe Biden and his administration to streamline the transfer of the fighter jets to Ukraine from Poland as well as other Nato countries and Eastern European allies.

This comes after a plea on Saturday from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The authorities of the Republic of Poland ... are ready to deploy, immediately and free of charge, all their MiG-29 jets to the Ramstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America, the foreign ministry said, according to Reuters.

At the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities. Poland is ready to immediately establish the conditions of purchase of the planes, they added.

On Saturday, Mr Zelensky began a private video call with US lawmakers by telling them that this may be the last time they see him alive.

Appearing in what is now his trademark army-green shirt in front of a white wall with the Ukrainian flag, he told them Ukraine needs to secure its skies, either through a no-fly zone enforced by Nato or through the provision of more warplanes so Ukraine could better defend itself.

Mr Zelensky has been pleading for a no-fly zone, but Nato has refused, saying it could provoke a wider war with Russia.

The hourlong exchange with some 300 members of Congress and their staffs came as Russian troops continued to shell encircled cities.

President Zelensky made a desperate plea, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said at the time, adding that Mr Zelensky wants the US to facilitate the transfer of planes from Eastern European allies, something which now appears to be in motion.

Story continues

The extent of Russias invasion of Ukraine (Press Association Images)

The US has been considering sending American-made F-16s as backfill to former Soviet bloc countries in Eastern Europe that are now members of NATO. They, in turn, can send Ukraine their own Soviet-era MiGs, which Ukrainian pilots are trained to fly.

There appears to be a logistical problem, however, in sending the F-16s to Poland or other East European allies because of a production backlog. These countries would essentially have to give their MiGs to the Ukrainians and accept an IOU from the US for the F-16s. The situation is further complicated because the next shipment of F-16s is set for Taiwan, and Congress would be reluctant to delay those deliveries as it eyes China.

When Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell asked about the types of military support his country needs, Mr Zelensky said drones as well as planes would be the most helpful.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.
Side view of a Glendale police vehicle.

Glendale police identified the victim in a homicide that happened over the weekend.

Demone Wilson, 20, was shot and killed on Saturday near Glendale and 51st avenues. He was taken to a local hospital where he died from his injuries.

Two other 21-year-old men were shot at the same time as Wilson. They were taken to the same hospital with gunshot wounds.

A preliminary investigation shows that the three victims were walking up to a recording studio when the suspect shot all of them, police said.

The suspect fled the scene before police arrived.

Glendale police later received a call that another juvenile boy was located at a different hospital with life-threatening injuries from a gunshot. Detectives believe that the boy is connected to this incident, but are still investigating the connection.

The boy was still in critical condition as of Monday night. One of the men who was shot was in critical condition, and the other man was in stable condition as of Monday night.

Reach breaking news intern Jane Florance at jflorance@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @Florance_Jane.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Police ID man who died after being shot outside recording studio
The Ministry of Defence has offered to step in to rescue the chaos-hit scheme welcoming Ukrainian refugees to Britain, Ben Wallace has revealed.

A total of 300 visas have been granted to date, Home Office figures showed last night, in the wake of 17,000 applications and amid cross-party calls for quicker support.

"Of course we could do more and we are doing more," Mr Wallace, the Defence Secretary, told Sky News.

"The first and foremost duty for all of us is to make sure those people get to safety. Once they've got to safety, making sure we just check their identity before they come to this country, [it's] incredibly important that we do that.

"It shouldn't take time and I've offered, and I will be offering, to the Home Office assistance from the MoD - in the same way we did in Op Pitting - to increase the processing time to help those people.

"The Home Secretary is determined to do that quicker... I will give her all the support I can to make sure it's done as quick as lightning."

Follow the latest updates below.

09:14 AM

Root out the dodgy police officers by making them re-interview, review recommends

All police officers should be re-interviewed for their jobs every five years in order to weed out those who are unsuitable to serve, a major report has recommended.

A two-year review of policing in England and Wales, carried out by the Police Foundation think tank, claims public trust has been so seriously corroded following a series of scandals, that only root and branch reform can now repair the damage.

The strategic review  which was chaired by Sir Michael Barber  warned that unless there was urgent cultural and structural change, the very principle of policing by consent was under threat.

Story continues

Among more than 50 recommendations, aimed at restoring public confidence in policing, was the idea that a new licence to practice be introduced for all serving officers.

Issued by the Home Office, the licences would need to be renewed every five years and would be subject to officers passing a series of professional tests and an interview.

Martin Evans has all the details

09:05 AM

France forced to pick up cost of Priti Patel's 'chaotic' Ukraine refugee scheme

Priti Patel was accused of presiding over a "chaotic" Ukrainian refugee scheme as it emerged that France is being forced to pay for fleeing families to pick up their British visas, write Charles Hymas, Lucy Fisher and Rebecca Rosman.

At least 150 of the 400 Ukrainians who have presented themselves to British border authorities in Calais were told they needed to go to Paris or Brussels to complete their visa applications at centres where they could undergo biometric and security checks.

Priti Patel is presiding over the UK's scheme to welcome Ukrainian refugees - Yui Mok/PA Wire

But French officials, who have criticised the UKs "restrictive" Ukrainian family visa scheme for its "lack of humanity", disclosed their government was having to pay for the refugees to travel to Paris by providing free rail travel.

While the state railway company - SNCF - is letting people with Ukrainian passports travel on trains free of cost, some Ukrainians said they were worried about finding accommodation in Paris as they had no money to pay for it.

Ukrainians who make it to Calais being sent to Brussels or Paris

08:54 AM

UK oil and gas still 'inextricably' linked to Russia

British oil and gas supply is still "inextricably" linked to Russian oil and gas despite not importing much directly, a former Centrica boss has said.

"Now, the UK does not import much Russian gas directly, it's about six per cent of our imports," Iain Conn told the Today programme.

"However, what we do import from Europe comes from Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands, and we can only import this gas because enough gas is coming into eastern Europe from Russia.

"Russia currently supplies 150 billion cubic metres a year of Europe's total imports, so we are very dependent on both Russia and oil and gas as a region, less so in the UK... This is, therefore, for the UK about price, because we are inextricably linked to the prices of these commodities in Europe."

08:30 AM

The 94 sanction-free oligarchs who show Britain is giving Putins cronies an easy ride

A minister insisted sanctioning oligarchs is "not a competition" as it emerged that 94 of Vladimir Putins cronies have not been punished by Britain, writes Camilla Turner.

James Cleverly, a foreign office minister, made the remarks in response to a new analysis by Spotlight on Corruption, a campaign group, which found that 94 Russian individuals and 17 businesses have been sanctioned by the EU or US but not the UK.

Some have been the subject of international sanctions for half a decade, after the US as well as the EU and Canada sanctioned individuals believed to be close to President Vladimir Putin in 2014 when he annexed Ukraines Crimea peninsula.

But several have been enjoying a luxury lifestyle in Britain, according to The Bureau of Investigative Journalism and the Daily Mail.

Read more: UK has failed to punish many targeted by EU and US

08:29 AM

MoD 'will do whatever we can' to speed up visa processing

Asked on BBC Radio 4's Today programme if he thought visa processing should happen at Calais, where there are 600 Ukrainians, Ben Wallace said: "I'm not Home Secretary, alright?"

The Defence Secretary added: "The ins and outs, the detail of how you process the visas, is clearly for the Home Office.

"But what I can say is the Home Secretary is determined to speed this up, how that is done and the ins and outs of the Border Force etc, I think I will leave for the experts to talk about.

"Priti Patel is determined to do that, we'll all lean in to help the Home Office deliver that. First and foremost I'm there to help in defence, we've got military in Poland, we've got military around to help the resilience of those countries. We will do whatever we can to speed up that process."

08:27 AM

Companies will be urged to list salaries on job adverts

Companies will be urged to list salaries on job adverts to help boost wages of women and ethnic minorities, writes Camilla Turner.

The new initiative, which ministers will launch today, is aimed at reducing the pay gap between white males and their co-workers.

The Government also wants businesses to stop asking job applicants to disclose their salary history, as they believe this will help to close the gender pay gap.

Officials say this is because women and those from ethnic minorities are less likely to negotiate a high salary and are also more likely to be turned down if they attempt to.

Stop asking applicants salary history, ministers urge businesses

08:22 AM

Vladimir Putin sets out his key demands to halt Russian invasion of Ukraine

The Kremlin yesterday offered its terms for a peace deal with Ukraine on another day when Vladimir Putin's invasion remained bogged down, Robert Mendick, Ben Riley-Smith and Colin Freeman report.

After 12 days of intense fighting, the Russian president's spokesman claimed the war could be halted "in a moment" if Kyiv agreed to a series of demands from Moscow.

Putin's opponents said the offer represented a climbdown on his call to "de-Nazify" Ukraine and showed that his war had been a "failure".

Vladimir Putin addressed Russians today to celebrate International Women's Day amid his aggressive war on Ukraine - Russian Presidential Press Service/AP

Russian troops continued on Monday to suffer heavy losses and had failed to establish air superiority, while a 40-mile armoured convoy north of Kyiv was stalled and open to counter-attack.

In contrast to Putin's refusal to recognise Ukraine's right to exist, Dmitry Peskov, his spokesman, accepted the country was an "independent state" and laid out the most explicit terms yet for a ceasefire.

This is what would make Putin stop the war

08:21 AM

Ben Wallace: We will 'examine what more we can do' to help Ukraine

Britain will "examine what more we can do" by way of defensive military support for Ukraine, Ben Wallace said as he confirmed he would make a statement in the House of Commons in the coming days.

"We have to tread a very fine line between how we make sure we maximise the defence of Ukraine without triggering a wider war in Europe and without putting the United Kingdom at risk," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"I wish I could even do more at a step change, but I am also acutely aware we have a President Putin who seems to have no limit to the humanitarian grief and murder that we inflict on a country, and we have to make sure we calibrate our response correctly."

Mr Wallace denied a suggestion the British Government was "bottling it", and insisted: "We are not going to be bullied or frightened by Putin in any way."

08:11 AM

Vladimir Putin failing in Ukraine and is a spent force in the world, says Ben Wallace

Asked about his assessment of the conflict on Sky News, Ben Wallace said its "not going particularly well for the Russians".

"Weve also recognised that probably the biggest single casualties so far in the war are Russian military soldiers, who have been let down by appalling leadership, appalling leaders and appalling plans and you now see them at a large scale dying and I think that will be interesting in the Kremlin, whether they will admit to each other the failure of their illegal and aggressive invasion of Ukraine."

He praised Volodymyr Zelensky as "the spirit of Ukraine which is young, which is liberal facing, which is forward thinking, which is European. This is about values and who we are. This is not about the military threat that was made up, manufactured, by Russia, its about values."

On Times Radio, Mr Wallace repeated his claims that a no-fly zone, which he said was tantamount to "triggering a war", would "not be a wise or a necessary thing to do at this moment in time".

"The buck will eventually stop somewhere in the Kremlin and I think that is the reality. Whether that happens next week or next year or next decade is obviously debatable but whatever happens President Putin is a spent force in the world, hes done, his armys done and he needs to recognise that."

He told the Today programme it would be "an impossible task to occupy such a people and a country".

08:03 AM

An Honest answer from the Defence Secretary

Pressed on if he would be ready to boycott Burger King and McDonald's while they continue trading in Russia, Ben Wallace told LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast: "I went to a brilliant place called Honest Burgers last night. It's the best burgers in London. I'm going to do their job for them, all over London. I wish there was one in Lancashire... I'm not a vodka drinker either. And if I do drink vodka, Polish vodka is better than Russian vodka anyhow."

Asked if his comments meant he would support a boycott, he added: "Well I mean I'll try my best to focus. I don't even know... I think what I'd say is go and buy homegrown, home-bred food, keep it local, that's a better way anyhow."

08:00 AM

Ben Wallace: Zelensky visit is a 'Tommy Atkins moment'

Asked by LBC's Nick Ferrari if the prospect of MPs who had voted against increasing military support giving a standing ovation to President Volodymyr Zelensky - who will address Parliament virtually later today - would be hypocritical, Ben Wallace quoted Kipling's poem about Tommy Atkins.

"That is an issue that we all need to address, that our Armed Forces help us keep safe. They're not the bad guys, they're the good guys," he said.

Volodymyr Zelensky will give a virtual address to MPs at 5pm today - Presidential Press Service Handout/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

"We should always give them everything they need. We shouldn't play Top Trumps with them, we shouldn't play armchair-generals. The people being killed in the Russian army right now is because they were long on numbers... short on equipment.

"As the threat changes, we should change and the Prime Minister recognises that. There are obviously people who don't agree with, sometimes, that. Well this is the Tommy Atkins moment when they now know what our soldiers can do and they are keeping them safe right now and I would always want to see them supported."

07:58 AM

Ben Wallace: Ukraine hasn't asked me for a no-fly zone

Ben Wallace said there had been no request from his counterpart in Ukraine for a no-fly zone.

"He may request and I think that the battle will develop and people will ask different times. But at the moment... missiles and artillery will not be affected by a no-fly zone and Russia has an overwhelming number of both."

Mr Wallace added that a no-fly zone would put Ukraine at an "immediate disadvantage", while the West can "help them have better control over the sky" by providing missiles.

07:56 AM

UK 'can and will do much more' on refugees

The UK "can and will do much more" to support Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion, the Defence Secretary said.

"Weve been incredibly generous and we will continue to be so," Ben Wallace told Sky News. "They can come, theres a range of schemes, theres a humanitarian scheme, theres a family scheme. The key here and I understand the frustration is the speed of processing when they get to a safe country.

"Theyve done a pop up processing visa centre but [Priti Patel] recognises theres more to do and they will do that. Ive said we can do more there and we will lean in to do that."

Ukrainian refugees at the train station in Lviv on Monday - Vitaliy Hrabar/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

He added on Times Radio: [A] point which I think is a fair point is the processing of visas, we can do much more on that. We can do more with pop up visa centres, the Home Secretary understands that and is absolutely determined to do that. The key here is to make sure we lean in and speed up that process.

"Yes, only 300 visas have been issued, I suspect that will increase rapidly when we all lean in and support each other. We are going to help over 200,000 people, that is our ambition, both through the humanitarian route and the family route."

07:54 AM

Good morning

The Ministry of Defence will step in to rescue the chaotic scheme welcoming Ukrainian refugees to Britain, Ben Wallace has revealed.

Here is the front page of your Daily Telegraph:
A priest accused of sexually abusing a minor at a Wichita church in the 1990s will return to work, Bishop Carl A. Kemme with the Catholic Diocese of Wichita said Tuesday.

Rev. Michael Schemm will go back to work at Church of the Resurrection, 4910 N. Woodlawn in Bel Aire.

Schemm was placed on administrative leave on Nov. 1 after allegations surfaced about the sexual abuse of a minor. The allegations were from between June 1993 and July 1996, when Schemm worked at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.

The alleged victim was between 12 and 15 years old at the time and is now 40.

The Sedgwick County District Attorneys Office said too much time had passed to prosecute the case under state law. The diocese also did its own investigation. The findings were then presented to the dioceses Charter Review Board, Kemme said in a news release.

The CRB reviewed this entire matter, including investigative materials and other information relating to Rev. Schemms 28 years of service to this diocese, Kemme said. The majority of CRB members, which is composed mostly of lay persons, determined that there was insufficient evidence to corroborate Father Schemms involvement in this matter and therefore, recommended to me that Rev. Michael Schemm should be returned to ministry.

Kemme said based on the CRBs recommendation and his own independent review of the matter that Schemm should be reinstated into ministry.

We are currently working with Father Schemm and staff at Church of the Resurrection to reintegrate him into ministry, Kemme said.

The CRB was created by Catholic leaders nationwide following The Boston Globes 2002 Pulitzer-prize winning stories on the Archdiocese of Boston covering up years of sexual abuse of children.

This isnt the first time a priest in the diocese has been accused of crimes against a child.

In fall 2019, Kemme apologized to victims in a seven-minute YouTube video that was released along with a list of 15 priests with substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of a minor.

Nine of the priests had allegations that occurred in the diocese. The other six served in the diocese but had allegations in other dioceses.

Of the 15 priests in the Wichita diocese, only one had been charged, a diocese spokesperson said at the time. Rev. Robert K. Larson, who died in 2014, pleaded guilty in 2001 in Harvey County District Court to abusing three altar boys and a 19-year-old man while he was pastor at St. Mary Catholic Church in Newton in the mid-1980s. He was sentenced to five years in prison.
Enrique Tarrio, a longtime leader of the extremist western chauvinist Proud Boys group, will face conspiracy charges related to the 6 January riot at the US Capitol.

The indictment against Mr Tarrio was docketed on Tuesday morning in Washington, DC. The indictment accuses Mr Tarrio and other high-ranking figures in the Proud Boys organisation including Joseph Biggs of organising the attendance of many members of their group at the Capitol riot, distributing paramilitary gear and supplies to would-be rioters, and finally directing, mobilizing and leading members of the group into the Capitol itself during the riot.

One particularly revealing bit of information in the indictment was a message apparently sent by Mr Tarrio to Mr Biggs less than a month before the attack on Congress where the two leaders discussed the membership of their organisation and whether it appealed to, in Mr Biggss words, losers.

Lets get radical and get real men, Mr Tarrio responded.

Mr Tarrio will appear in court later Tuesday in Florida, where he was arrested at his home in Miami on Tuesday morning. Video from NBC6 showed him emerging from his home shirtless after officers allegedly dragged him out of bed.

Although Tarrio is not accused of physically taking part in the breach of the Capitol, the indictment alleges that he led the advance planning and remained in contact with other members of the Proud Boys during their breach of the Capitol. Tarrio was arrested on Jan. 4, 2021, on a warrant charging him in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia with destruction of property in the Dec. 12, 2020, burning of a Black Lives Matter banner. He was released at approximately 5 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2021. As a condition of his release, he was ordered by the court to stay out of Washington, explained the Justice Department in a news release.

The press release continued: The indictment alleges that Tarrio nonetheless continued to direct and encourage the Proud Boys prior to and during the events of Jan. 6, 2021, and that he claimed credit for what had happened on social media and in an encrypted chat room during and after the attack.

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Before he became known for his leadership of the Proud Boys, Mr Tarrio previously served as a law enforcement informant in cases ranging from drugs, illicit gambling and human trafficking.

In August 2021, he was sentenced to five months in jail after he pleaded guilty to burning a Black Lives Matter banner at a church in Washington.

The incident occurred during a protest less than a month before the Capitol riot; he was arrested for it when arriving back in the capital on 4 January 2021, at which point he was carrying two empty ammunition magazines bearing the Proud Boys insignia.

(AFP via Getty Images)

Alongside Mr Tarrios group, other extremist organisations are facing criminal action in relation to the events of the insurrection. Chief among them are the Oath Keepers, whose leader, Stewart Rhodes, has been charged with seditious conspiracy  among the most serious charges yet levelled at anyone involved in the riot.

Four other members of Mr Tarrios group were indicted on obstruction charges soon after the riot, and spent much of 2021 fighting against them. In December, a judge ruled against their arguments that the obstruction law is unconstitutionally vague, writing that this alleged conduct is simply not protected by the First Amendment.

The indictment of Mr Tarrio comes as the Justice Department is committing significant resources, through the FBIs Washington DC field office, into identifying and criminally charging participants in the attack on Congress. Hundreds have already been hit with criminal charges and the agencies have sought help from the public in identifying persons from images and videos of the attack.
Pussy Riot star Nadya Tolokonnikova has said greed and stupidity are the two key reasons for why the world has been complacent about Vladimir Putin in recent years.

The Russian artist  who spent two years in a Siberian jail for singing an anti-Putin punk prayer  made the comments in relation to the invasion of Ukraine.

Im in a panic, Im crying every day, she said of the conflict. I dont think it was in any sense necessary, I dont think it was in any sense logical. It wasnt something that had to happen, its a disaster that will end thousands of peoples lives.

Referring to Russian oligarchs and their work in Europe and the US, she told The Guardian: The global community was extremely complacent, and I see two reasons: hypocrisy, based on greed.

People would make statements that they did not support Putins politics, and his oppression of the political opposition, and the wars that he started But at the same time they would continue doing business with him.

She said the second reason is stupidity, adding: People underestimate how dangerous dictators are. In 2014, we spoke to the UK parliament, we spoke at the Senate in the US, we were asked by a lot of people how they should talk to Putin, how they should frame the conversation, and I always advised that they should be as strict as they could.

You cannot play nice with Putin.

Pussy Riot in jail (AFP via Getty Images)

Tolokonnikova founded feminist band Pussy Riot in 2011. She and two other members of the band were prosecuted for singing Punk Prayer: Mother of God, Drive Putin Away in Moscows Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in 2012.

They were sentenced to two years in prison for hooliganism in 2012 and separated from their young children. The musicians went on hunger strike and were named prisoners of conscience by Amnesty International.

Tolokonnikova has now used an NFT of Ukraines flag to raise more than $7.1m for the countrys defences.

The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.
Judy Grimes, 71, has been dealing with limited water supply at her home in Dixmoor on Oct. 18, 2021. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Dixmoor residents are once again under a boil order following repairs to a water main break over the weekend, according to town officials.

The order comes after many residents of the south suburban town went without water for two weeks in October, a crisis that highlighted the poor water infrastructure in the area.

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Crews have repaired a water main break that happened Sunday on Spaulding Avenue, according to a news release. Water pressure has since returned, but residents are under a boil order until 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Village President Fitzgerald Roberts said the boil order will allow the village to conduct water quality tests.

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Fitzgerald and other Dixmoor officials came under fire last year after the village struggled to locate a leak that left residents without water, leading people to flee to homes of relatives or hotels.

Dixmoor pointed the finger at Harvey, which supplies water to the town, while Harvey said the break was in a water line that Dixmoor was responsible for.

Teresa Gerritsen shows her kitchen faucet water pressure at home on Nov. 4, 2021, in Dixmoor. Gerritsen said she went about ten days without running water at her home. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

The leak was eventually fixed and water pressure returned, but many residents said the leak was just one in a long line of problems with their water service over the years. A Tribune report found that town officials had been alerted to leaks in recent years but struggled to identify and fix them, leading to a ballooning water bill for the town.

The town is just one of many in the Chicago area beset with aging water infrastructure, leading to leaky pipes, problems with lead and other issues.

A 2017 Tribune investigation found that cities and towns in the Chicago area lost millions in water that leaked out of a network of aging pipes, a cost disproportionately passed on to low-income and minority communities.
A man looks over the rubble of his home destroyed by a suspected Russian airstrike in Markhalivka, Ukraine, Saturday, March 5, 2022 Marcus Yam/LA Times via Getty Images

Ukrainians are struggling to persuade their relatives in Russia not to believe Putin's propaganda.

One woman told Insider her Ukrainian uncle in Russia threatened to join the invasion.

Another Ukrainian woman has cut ties with her Russian father who said the war "was a lie."

A few days after Russia invaded her home city of Kyiv, Kristina Nikolayeva's grandmother received a call from a family member in Russia.

It was her son, Nikolayeva's uncle, who said he was going to join the Russian army, the same force engaged in invading their home country.

It is a startling example of how effectively authorities in Russia have presented its attack on Ukraine as a just and humane war, in which Russian soldiers are liberating grateful Ukrainians from their Nazi oppressors.

Nikolayeva, 37, fled to western Ukraine from Kyiv with her husband a few days after the outbreak of war. Like so many other Ukrainians, her life has been thrown into disarray by the invasion, and she is now staying with family.

Her uncle, himself a Ukrainian, has lived in Moscow for more than 20 years. Before that he lived in Crimea, where even before Russia's 2014 annexation there was strong Russian influence.

His declaration that he would fight Ukrainians is hot air, Nikolayeva told Insider, because he is not of prime military age and is, as she put it, "a coward."

"It was just bragging or something," she told Insider. "And it was very stupid because his mom is here, his sister is here. So why is he saying something like that?"

He didn't ask how they were doing, she said. Her uncle doesn't fully believe all of Putin's propaganda about Nazis in Ukraine, she said. But after years in Russia, it is clear whose side he is on.

He "was very enthusiastic about what is happening here," she said.

Concerned he didn't fully understand the severity of the situation, she sent him a video of a residential tower in Kyiv being hit by a missile. "He never responded," she said.

Story continues

Her situation is not unique.

Families ripped apart by propaganda and politics

Russians and Ukrainians have mixed for longer than they have been separate nations, from the days of the Russian empire, through the Soviet Union and even after Ukraine declared its independence in 1991.

Families live either side of the border, and many moved relatively freely and established lives in each others' countries.

But the two nations increasingly live in separate realities, brought about by Russia's vast state media apparatus and its hostility to independent reporting.

Since the invasion, the divide has worsened, with Russia formally outlawing reports on its invasion that do not match its official line and restricting access to Western social-media platforms.

Russian official outlets refuse to describe the attacks as a "war" or "invasion," minimise the effects of Russian attacks on civilians, and circulate claims that Ukraine is shelling its own cities and shooting down its own planes.

'Orphaned' by a father who doesn't get it

Tatiana Maligina, who works at a recruitment agency in the eastern city of Dnipro, considers herself orphaned by the war.

Her father, a Russian veteran, didn't die. But a single WhatsApp call with him on February 28, four days after Russia invaded, made her decide to sever all ties.

"I started talking about the horror that is happening in Ukraine," she told Insider. "He said it was a lie. That they are saving us."

He believes Russian troops would never fire on civilians, she told Insider. But on the day they spoke, the Russian shells fell on the civilian areas on the major city of Kharkiv, as The Guardian reported. Dnipro residents prepared for similar treatment if the Russian lines advanced.

He didn't even ask her how she was doing. "My father believes that fascists and drug addicts came to power in Ukraine," she said.

They had had a good relationship for the last three years, and didn't talk about politics much before the war, she said. But that conversation changed things.

"For the first time in my life, I told him to get lost using strong language," she told Insider. "I was very angry, because he ignored all my attempts to tell the truth."

Maligina pointed to the dominance of official narratives in Russian media. "The Russians are not even trying to find the truth in independent sources," she said. "Especially the elderly."

"I'm not the only one who has this problem, many Ukrainians who have relatives in Russia are facing it," she said.

Elena Fil, a 25-year-old from Lviv, said her father and his cousin grew up together and played together as kids. But the cousin cut ties after moving to Moscow and marrying a Russian woman many years ago, she said.

Fil spoke to Insider from Slovakia, where she fled following the outbreak of war. The cousin hasn't reached out since Putin invaded, but that came as no surprise  he and her father "don't speak to each other at all," she said.

The propaganda he is exposed to is "a kind of magic that concerns your brain," she said. "I don't know what operation, what procedure leads you to think like that," she said. "But they believe. They believe."

'My own cousin is about to invade Ukraine.'

Anna Dumanska, a Ukrainian investor relations professional based in the Hague, raised the same issue in a LinkedIn post. She wrote that one her cousins, who is in the Russian military, is preparing to invade.

She did not respond to Insider's request for an interview, and from the post the cousin's nationality wasn't clear. But his willingness to take up arms shocked her.

"I want you to properly understand what I'm saying. My own cousin is about to invade Ukraine. He's ready to kill Ukrainians."

She, too, said that Putin's grip on public information had choked Russians' worldview to the point of no return. She urged Ukrainians to talk to their Russian friends and relatives.

"I don't think I can change my cousin's mind today," she wrote. "He believes he's on a mission. He's going to protect Russian-speaking Ukrainians from Nazis."

The fallout of a bad divorce

For Nikolayeva, whose uncle said he would sign up to invade his own country, it's less about swallowing media lies and more about psychology. She noted that, until recently, it was still possible to find independent news in Russia, albeit with a little effort.

Her theory is more psychological. She described the thousands of Ukrainians who left the country to seek jobs in Russia in the 1990s  a common move at the time, when employment was scarce at home.

"For them it was like that was the only option," she said. "And they want to think they did everything right. Otherwise they have to admit that there are people who stayed and succeeded in this country  and they didn't have to leave for another country."

She pointed out that as of the war's outbreak, she was living more comfortably as a PR professional in Kyiv than her uncle was in Moscow.

"It's like a husband whose wife left him, and this husband just cannot accept that she's going to live without him," she said.

Nikolayeva said that she was initially struck by her uncle's indifference and emotional neglect. But a week later, she said she doesn't care about it any more.

"I don't feel related to him," she said. "It's like minus one relative."

Translations by Oleksandr Vynogradov.

Read the original article on Business Insider
MUNCIE, Ind.  The theft of catalytic converters from vehicles became personal for Adam Brown last November.

The owner of Adam's Auto Repair at 1200 W. McGalliard Road, Brown said his business was targeted by converter thieves over the Thanksgiving break.

"We had several cars sitting here waiting to get worked on or waiting to get picked up," he said.

Thieves cut catalytic converters  exhaust emission control devices  from four of those vehicles.

Adam Brown, owner of Adam's Auto Repair at 1200 W. McGalliard Road, has gone public with an appeal for local thieves to stop stealing catalytic converters from vehicles.

"They just grab (a cordless saw) and cut them off and take them to scrap yards," Brown said, adding that SUVs and pickup trucks might be the most targeted vehicles among those stealing converters.

The incident prompted Brown to place a message on his business sign along heavily traveled McGalliard Road: "Please stop stealing catalytic converters. Thanks, Adam."

"I haven't had anybody mess with any cars since I put it up there," Brown said Monday.

Steve Cox, a Muncie Police Department captain, said this week his department deals with catalytic converter thefts frequently.

"It's just about a daily occurrence," Cox said. "If it's not daily, it's several times a week.

"It just seems there's more and more people engaging in that activity. It's becoming quite a headache for everybody in town. And it's not just local. It's a national issue, actually."

Torrance, Calif., police recovered 87 stolen catalytic converters in a three-week crackdown on the increasingly common crime in June.

Cox said city police were actively investigating converter thefts, to the point of conducting surveillance in some areas.

The MPD captain urged anyone hearing unusual noises associated with metal cutting, especially in the evening hours, to consider calling 911.

He also asked any citizens observing vehicles spending an inordinate amount of time traveling in local parking lots to provide police with descriptions of those vehicles, along with license plate numbers if possible.

The Muncie Police Department's detective division can be reached at 765-747-4867.

Story continues

In January 2021, Jay Paul Bowman, a 56-year-old Muncie man, was charged with theft in a Madison County court after he was accused of stealing catalytic converters from vehicles parked at an Anderson auto repair business.

After being arrested, the Muncie man detailed "numerous other locations where he had stolen converters during the past several weeks," according to an affidavit.

A cordless metal cutting saw, believed used in the thefts, was found in Bowman's truck.

The theft case against Bowman is still pending.

On Monday, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a new law aimed at making it more difficult to sell stolen catalytic converters.

Experts say that a significant increase in the prices of the precious metals housed inside of catalytic converters is driving the spike in thefts.

Under that law, only licensed salvage dealers can purchase or sell the converters. It also places a $25 daily limit for cash payouts to those selling "detached catalytic converters."

In a Tuesday news release, Indiana Secretary of State Holli Sullivan said, "Every day Hoosiers vehicles across our state are targeted by thieves looking to make a quick buck by cutting out catalytic converters.

The metal component can be stolen in a matter of minutes but can set back unsuspecting car owners thousands of dollars for repair and replacement. Through our Auto Dealer Services Division, we are committed to slowing this trend and protecting Hoosiers hard-earned money.

Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Adam's Auto Repair, police concerned with catalytic converter thefts
BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romania will lift all COVID restrictions from Wednesday including requiring a digital pass to access institutions and the obligation to wear protective masks both indoors and outside, Health Minister Alexandru Rafila said on Tuesday.

The decision stems from the coalition government's decision to no longer extend a nation-wide state of alert two years after the pandemic first hit Romania.

The country remains the European Union's second-least vaccinated state, with just under 42% of the population fully inoculated amid distrust in state institutions and poor vaccine education. The pandemic has killed 64,094 people in the EU state of 20 million.

The number of new coronavirus infections in Romania stood at 5,461 on Tuesday, far off a record high 40,018 cases at the start of February.

Other restrictions which will be lifted include curfews for shops, capacity limits for restaurants, theatres and events and mandatory passenger locator forms for travelers. The government will no longer enforce isolating positive cases, Rafila said, adding it will only recommend it.

Rafila had initially recommended lifting restrictions in stages. On Tuesday, he recommended Romanians continue wearing masks indoors and avoid crowds.

(Reporting by Luiza Ilie; Editing by Louise Heavens)
A woman walks in front of burned cars on a bridge in Irpin Ukraine. (Getty)

Russian forces in Ukraine have been hacked after abandoning their own secure encrypted phone system, according to investigative journalism organisation Bellingcat.

The switch to insecure messaging meant that a conversation revealing the death of Major General Vitaly Gerasimov - chief of staff of the 41st Army - was able to be intercepted by Ukrainian intelligence.

Russian soldiers have switched off their encrypted phone system after towers were destroyed and are using normal phones with local sim cards, according to Bellingcat, an open-source investigative journalism organisation.

Bellingcats executive director, Christo Grozev, said in a series of Tweets: The idiots tried to use the Era cryptophones in Kharkiv, after destroying many 3g cell towers and also replacing others with stingrays. Era needs 3g/4g to communicate.

In the phone call in which the FSB officer assigned to the 41st Army reports the death to his boss in Tula, he says they've lost all secure communications. Thus the phone call using a local sim card. Thus the intercept.

Read more: Russia says military action will stop immediately if Ukraine agrees to four conditions

(Twitter)

Bellingcat specialises in uncovering information on events such as the Salisbury poisonings and events in Syria by analysing large data sets.

In the Ukraine conflict, the group has previously debunked staged Russian excuses for war.

Stingrays are eavesdropping devices that are used to replace normal cell towers, so that nearby mobiles connect to the listening device instead.

Watch: Anonymous claims to hacked Russian TV services

Era is an encrypted communication system used by the Russian military: such systems mean that military units can communicate without the risk of eavesdropping.

Grozev said "In the call, you hear the Ukraine-based FSB officer ask his boss if he can talk via the secure Era system. The boss says Era is not working.

A secondary school building seen destroyed by Russian military attack. Russian forces have invaded Ukraine on 24th February (Photo by Mykhaylo Palinchak/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

"Era is a super expensive cryptophone system that they introduced in 2021 with great fanfare. It guaranteed work in all conditions."

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Bellingcat also claims to have identified the officer on the call: Dmitry Shevchenko, a senior officer in the FSB.

The claims have yet to be independently verified.

Throughout the conflict, groups have claimed to have intercepted Russian communications, due to units relying on walkie-talkie radios and smartphones.

British intelligence company Shadowbreak claimed to have intercepted messages which showed that Russian troops were demoralised and had deliberately punched holes in vehicle fuel tanks to avoid reaching the front line, the Telegraph reported.

Read more: Putin isn't insane and won't use nuclear weapons, says ex-Russian foreign minister

Netblocks has warned that broken internet connections mean that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is not being monitored (Twitter)

Some fixed-line internet services have been disconnected in Ukraine during the conflict, with disruption-tracking organisation Netblocks raising concerns over the Zaporizhia nuclear plants disconnection.

Netblocks said: "The disconnection of fixed-line internet and some mobile service in and around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in #Ukraine is raising concerns over public safety, with radiation levels no longer published and the IAEA unable to monitor."

But Russian forces are believed to be generally trying to keep mobile phone connections and internet working.

Speaking to Politico, James Lewis, senior vice president and director of the strategic technologies program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies told Politico: "If they can do localised shutdowns of telecommunications, theyll do it. But in general, theyll want to keep the phones working in Kyiv because they can listen in."

Its also possible that Russian forces have left Ukrainian commercial networks operating as they are relying on them to communicate, Politico suggested.

Watch: Medical supplies, field hospital set up in Lviv
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Remember when gas used to be about a buck a gallon? That's a thing of the past. Gas prices are set to rise to $4 a gallon through November, with the average for 2022 expected to be about $3.99. While there are many ways to save on gas, warehouse club memberships feel like the best kept secret to saving money at the pump. Lucky for you, weve rounded up the best club memberships that can help you save on gas (and so much more) this year.

Theres more where this deal came from. Sign up for Revieweds Perks and Rec newsletter and well keep em coming every Sunday through Friday.

Short of staying home, taking public transit from now on or saving up for a new fuel-efficient Tesla, you might be wondering what you can do to pinch pennies and save on gas. With prices already reaching record highs, according to GasBuddy, members-only fuel stations let you fill up without putting a dent in your wallet. While pricing is still above average, club memberships from Sam's Club, Costco, Walmart+ and Kroger will let you access cheaper gas prices and offer plenty of other perks as well.

Cheaper gas: Sam's Club memberships are virtually free right nowsave on gas, appliances, pantry staples and more

Will soaring gas prices put your job at risk? These occupations may feel the heat

If you're looking for ways to save money on gas beyond keeping your tires filled with air and skipping the premium gas when possible, we found that signing up for a wholesale membership can get you discounted gas and so much more. Check out the best deals on club memberships below.

Sam's Club

Right now, Sam's Club has a promotion offering a $45 e-gift card when you sign up for an annual membership

Sam's Club has fuel stations across the country with discounted rates on regular, premium and diesel gas, accessible only when you show your membership card. The annual fee for a membership is $45 and that affords access to the warehouse deals as well. Better still, right now, Sam's Club has a promotion offering a $45 e-gift card when you sign up for an annual membership that you can use in the warehousethat essentially means the first year is free. As a Sam's Club member you can save $0.05 per gallon at the pump (actual discount will depend on your location and the specific station). For ultimate convenience, pay for your gas and other purchases at Sam's Club using Amex, Visa, Discover and MasterCard.

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Meanwhile, with a membership, you also get access to all Sam's Club has to offer, including pantry staples, toiletries, prescriptions and other household essentials. Other benefits include free shipping on select items, free curbside pick-up, 100% merchandise satisfaction guarantee with free replacements and returns and free tire repairs for any tire that meets USTMA (U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association) guidelines, regardless of where they were purchased. Try it out for a year and you can cancel at any time prior to the renewal, either by phone, live chat online or visiting any Member Services Desk.

Costco

As one of the consistently cheapest places for gas, a Costco membership might be worth it just for the gas alone!

One of the perks of a Costco membership is access to their gas stationsplus youll get member-only savings on tons of items, including bulk orders. As one of the consistently cheapest places for gas, the membership might be worth it just for the gas alone! Memberships start at $60 a year for two cards per household with access to all Costco locations around the world. (Taking a road trip to Canada? You can refuel there as well!) The self-serve stations, which include both regular and diesel fuel, are located next to the warehouses and offer Kirkland Signature gas. As a member, you'll get access to other perks that Costco has to offer including groceries, clothing, toys, tools and, of course, those beloved samples.

Upgrade to the Executive membership, which is twice the price at $120 a year, to get 2% back on all qualifying purchases up to a maximum of $1,000 a year. Depending on how much you spend annually on groceries and other items, this can easily cover the extra $60 for the premium membership. Keep in mind that gas does not count towards the 2% (nor does cigarettes or tobacco-related products, Costco Shop Cards, postage stamps, prescriptions, food court items or alcoholic beverages), but there's more than enough to purchase at Costco to add up to significant cashback savings. Plus, the Executive membership includes savings booked on vacations through Costco Travel.

Walmart+

Walmart+ members get a discount of $0.05 per gallon at Walmart gas stations, Murphy Express and Sam's Club locations.

Did you know that Walmart has a membership tier called Walmart+? For $12.95 a month or $98 annually (even less than Amazon Prime!), you get, among the many other perks, savings on gas. And right now, you can enjoy a 30-day trial to check it out. Members get a discount of $0.05 per gallon at not only Walmart gas stations, but also Murphy Express and Sam's Club locations. That might not sound like a lot, but with gas prices soaring, it adds up. If your car fills up at 15 gallons, for example, you'll save $0.75 each time you fill up. If you get gas weekly, that's about $40 in savings a year.

Other benefits of a Walmart+ membership include free unlimited delivery (including same-day on some items), early access deals and mobile scan-and-go shopping in stores. Walmart offers great prices on groceries, toiletries, fresh meats and produce, pantry staples, electronics, clothing and more.

Kroger

Kroger has a Fuel Points program when you use its Shoppers Card that can save you on gas prices.

Kroger doesn't have a membership, per se, but shopping there does have perks when it comes to gas. The retailer has a Fuel Points program when you use its Shoppers Card. Signing up will allow you to earn 100 Fuel Points for every dollar spent on most groceries, which can be redeemed for $0.10 off per gallon at Krogers fuel centers and participating Shell gas stations in your area. Signing up for a Shoppers card is free: just create an account by entering your name, email address and desired password or sign in using your existing Google credentials. You can then register an existing card you already received using the Plus Card number on the back, or 10-digit Alt ID number, or get a digital one to use on a mobile device.

In addition to the point-per-dollar deal, there are always special bonus Fuel Point promotions where you can save even more. The program excludes purchases like alcohol, tobacco, money orders, postage stamps and promotional tickets but most items you can buy at Kroger, from pantry staples to fresh fruits and veggies, will earn you fuel points that quickly add up.

You will even earn 20 Fuel Points for all non-federally funded prescriptions and a Fuel Point per dollar for anything paid out-of-pocket for federally funded prescriptions. If you have a 90-day prescription, that means you'll get 75 Fuel Points each time you refill.

Additionally, while most shops exclude gift cards from loyalty programs, you will earn two Fuel Points for every $1 spent on these cards, which include Krogers family of stores gift cards, Green Dot prepaid reloadable products, MoneyPaks and preloaded gift cards from American Express, Visa and MasterCard.

Consider that a $200 grocery bill full of qualifying items will earn you 200 Fuel Points that can be redeemed for $0.10 per gallon off your next two tanks (you can only redeem 100 points at a time for up to 35 gallons of unleaded, mid-grade, premium, diesel or E85 gas). To redeem, scan your Shoppers card or enter your alt-id and follow the instructions at the pump.

Keep in mind that the Fuel Points expire one month after they are earned, so you must redeem on a month-to-month basis. Considering most of us fill up multiple times per month, sometimes even per week, you'll be able to make good use of the points. You can check your Fuel Points balance at any time on your receipt, the website or the mobile app.

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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.

This article originally appeared on Reviewed: Save money on gas: Sign up for a membership to Costco, Sams Club, Walmart+ and Kroger
In an "effort at compromise," the Knox County Board of Education and the four families who sued to protect students with disabilities have together asked a federal judge to suspend the mask rule in Knox County Schools.

Lawyers for both parties submitted a request to a federal judge Tuesday asking that the mask rule be lifted while the parties mediate their lawsuit.

"While the parties may not agree on why lifting the mandate is currently appropriate, they do agree it is currently appropriate," says the motion submitted to the judge.

Federal judge J. Ronnie Greer ordered the board and the families to mediate their case, which can take 60 days and may result in settlement. The motion asks for the mask rule to be lifted for 60 days or until mediation ends, whichever comes first.

Now that the motion has been submitted, the judge's decision to grant or deny the request is the next deciding factor in whether the mask rule stays.

The Knox County Board of Education voted in favor of this request during a special meeting Monday night. As a joint filing from both sides of the lawsuit, the request to temporarily lift the mask rule is the first clear sign of compromise in the case.

The families behind the suit had earlier asked Greer to tie his mask rule to CDC guidelines, which no longer recommend masks indoors except in high risk counties. Knox County is currently in the yellow or "medium risk" category.

In the motion, the families said they reserve the right to ask the judge to put the mask rule back in place if Knox County returns to the red "high risk" category.

Mask rule: Knox County Schools mask rule stands as judge orders next steps in both lawsuits

Gary Dupler of the Knox County Law Director's Office told the board in its Monday workshop that the families in the lawsuit were open to a joint proposal asking Greer to suspend the mask rule. This led the board to call an emergency meeting right after the workshop so they could vote on their support, since the board cannot vote during workshop.

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The board voted unanimously in favor of the resolution. The mask rule will not be permanently ended or established until the lawsuit ends overall.

Mediation is not necessarily an end to the lawsuit. The board and the families may reach a settlement, but they are not required to by the judge.

The board must also vote on who will represent them in mediation. Dupler recommended continuing with the two representative who have so far been negotiating with the families in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit began in September when four families filed on behalf of their children with disabilities for protection from severe illness from COVID-19. Greer put the mask rule in place until the lawsuit was resolved. The joint proposal is the most significant step yet towards an end to the mask rule.

Previous coverage: New lawsuit pits two classes of students against each other in mask fight

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knox County Board of Education asks federal judge to suspend mask rule
SEATTLE (AP)  When Seattle University decided 15 years ago to bring its athletic programs back to Division I, it hoped to recapture a piece of its history.

A reminder of that past success hangs inside the Redhawks cozy 1,000-seat gymnasium, a black-and-white photo of its most famous basketball alum, Elgin Baylor.

Nearly 65 years after Seattle was led by Baylor and played for a national championship, and more than 50 years since its last NCAA Tournament appearance, the Redhawks need just two more wins to once again reach the college game's biggest stage.

This team has earned the right to be that close, so we dont need to hide from it, first-year Seattle coach Chris Victor said. Were proud of it. Were excited. We won a WAC championship. That was goal number one. Goal number two was to go to the tournament.

Seattle will be the No. 2 seed for this weeks Western Athletic Conference tournament in Las Vegas after claiming a share of the WAC regular-season title along with New Mexico State and Stephen F. Austin. The coveted top-two seed gave Seattle a bye to the semifinals.

It was the first time Seattle claimed a conference title as a Division I school  its only other regular-season title came as a Division II school in 2007. Seattle finished the regular season with 23 wins, a mark that was last achieved by Baylors team in 1957-58, the same season it lost to Kentucky in the national championship game.

It was a special regular season for the Redhawks that was nearly derailed before it even started.

Were going to have a mark on this thing forever, said Seattle guard Darrion Trammell, a first-team all-WAC selection.

Seattles season began with a coaching shakeup. Former coach Jim Hayford resigned in November after being put on leave following accusations that he used a racial slur during a scrimmage. Victor was installed as the interim coach and tasked with keeping the foundation from crumbling under a team the Redhawks believed could be special.

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Victor did his job and had the interim tag dropped. He was also named the WAC coach of the year.

Every pregame board has the word united across the top. And this teams biggest strength has been their relationships with each other, and theyve gotten closer and closer, Victor said. As the season progressed, whether weve won games, lost games, they continued to grow closer, and thats been our biggest strength.

The Redhawks dropped from Division I to NAIA in 1980, leaving behind a history that included 11 NCAA appearances, although none since 1969. Having a chance of again playing in the NCAAs was part of the dream when the school moved back to Division I beginning in 2008.

The reality of trying to recapture that history has proven more daunting than the Redhawks likely expected. Seattle played three seasons as an independent before landing a spot in the WAC. Before this season, the only other time the Redhawks reached the 20-win mark was in 2017-18.

And when it came to that chance of playing in the NCAAs, Seattle has only once reached the WAC title game, losing to New Mexico State in 2015.

Guard Cameron Tyson knows what its feels like to play in the NCAAs. He did so a season ago as a backup at Houston before transferring back to his hometown to play for the Redhawks.

That experience really helped me grow as a person. It helped me realize what that stage is like and made me hungrier to get back there, Tyson said. Thats my ultimate goal is get back to the NCAA Tournament.

New Mexico State also received a bye to the semifinals as the top seed for the WAC tournament. While Seattle cant potentially see the Aggies  who swept both games in the regular season  until the final, the Redhawks do have streaking Stephen F. Austin as a potential semifinal matchup. Stephen F. Austin closed the regular season with 10 straight wins.

Some teams got to go out in Vegas and win five (games). Weve got to win two, Victor said. So well prepare, well see what it looks like and well take a swing out there.

___

More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
The niece of a high-ranking Chicago police official tells officers that her aunt is probably their boss and not to worry as an officer drives away with a Lexus registered to the womans aunt during a drug arrest last month, as seen in body-camera footage recently released by the Chicago Police Department.

On Feb. 1, a drug arrest was made involving the niece and a Lexus that belonged to internal affairs Chief Yolanda Talley. The incident wasnt immediately publicly disclosed by the department, which also has not detailed what role Talley played in making any report.

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This led to public speculation on the incident that Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Superintendent David Brown have seen fit to comment on.

In the body-worn camera footage  obtained by the Tribune after a Freedom of Information Act request  the woman, Talleys niece, asked for her house keys after her passenger was put into handcuffs.

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The officers told her that they cant hand over the full ring of keys because they need the one for the car. The woman asked if theyre going to leave with the Lexus without letting her retrieve her items inside the car. One officer replied, saying they will drive away.

Dont worry about it cause my aunties probably your boss, the woman said. Dont even worry about it.

I need my stuff. He got my keys! ... Yall taking my auntie car for what? ... My auntie will come get it. My auntie is a police officer too. This is her car!

You playing now, an officer replied.

How am I playing? she said as an officer drives off in the Lexus.

According to police reports, officers patrolling the area near Drake and Chicago avenues saw 34-year-old Kenneth Miles bend down to pick up a multicolored bag near a black Mitsubishi SUV. Miles then walked over to a silver Lexus and got in.

The Lexus drove away, eventually turning into an alley, and an officer activated the squad cars lights and followed, the report said. Miles then allegedly threw the bag out the open passenger window.

Officers found that the bag had 84 pink-tinted baggies with heroin inside, the police report said. Miles was arrested at 11:25 a.m. in the 500 block of North St. Louis Avenue, records show.

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Talleys niece was not arrested.

On Thursday, Brown said at an unrelated news conference that the department reported the matter for an investigation immediately and said there was no evidence of any misconduct by Chief Talley.

Soon as we heard about the incident, we immediately forwarded the circumstances to the inspector general, Brown said.

Civilian Office of Police Accountability, the city agency that tracks and investigates police misconduct, was notified within a day of the arrest, according to public records that were returned to the Tribune on Friday as part of an open records request. The sheet lists Talley as the accused member of the incident under investigation, and it lists Chief Ernest Cato, who heads the counterterrorism bureau and oversees the narcotics division, as the reporting party and third party.

Talley, who was not present at the time of the arrest, remains in her position.

Included in the documents is a letter dated Feb. 2 that COPA officials addressed to the city Inspector Generals office, referring the matter to that office for an investigation.

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The letter sought consideration of the situation and any action you deem appropriate, the complaint and attached materials received by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. The complainant includes alleged misconduct outside of COPAs jurisdiction for OIG review, the letter states.

While COPA is the official body for complaints against officers, it investigates mainly use-of-force incidents involving officers. The office Talley heads, internal affairs, also handles misconduct allegations, but her office would not have been able to investigate this incident.

pfry@chicagotribune.com
WASHINGTON  Sen. Joe Manchin said he plans to meet with Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on Wednesday.

"She has a very credible record," Manchin, D-W.Va., said in an interview, adding that his team is still vetting Jackson but that he has seen "nothing at all" of great concern. "So we hope it goes well."

Manchin, a centrist who sometimes bucks his party, holds a pivotal vote in the Senate, which is split 50-50 between the two parties. Democratic leaders' top priority is to keep the caucus unified to confirm President Joe Biden's first nominee to the high court.

"So far, we have not seen anything of what you would call alarm of concern that that person might be completely out of the mainstream," he said of Jackson, a judge on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for Washington, D.C.

Manchin voted to confirm her to that influential court. She won 53 votes, including those of three Republicans. One of them, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, met with Jackson on Tuesday.

Manchin said he will talk to Jackson on Wednesday, watch the vetting process unfold and make a decision. Her Judiciary Committee hearing is scheduled to begin March 21. It takes a simple majority of senators to confirm a Supreme Court justice.

CORRECTION (March 8, 2022, 11:55 p.m. ET): A photo caption in a previous version of this article misstated when Sen. Joe Manchin was pictured at a congressional hearing. The photo was taken June 10, 2021, not June 10, 2022.
A Socorro man did not cause a motorcycle wreck that killed another man in Clint last month, defense and prosecution lawyers said.

George Gonzalez still is accused of leaving the scene of the accident that killed 37-year-old Victor Abram Minjarez on Feb. 19 when Minjarez crashed into a wooden electrical pole on North Loop Drive.

El Paso County sheriff's investigators arrested Gonzalez on Feb. 22 on a charge of accident involving death for allegedly fleeing after the crash.

Traffic deaths: El Paso motorcyclist, pedestrian killed in separate weekend hit-and-run collisions

New details in the deadly incident were revealed during an online teleconference bond hearing on March 2 when Jail Magistrate Judge Linda Estrada ordered Gonzalez released on a $100,000 public recognizance bond, meaning he was freed that day on a promise to show up to court without having to put up bail.

Public defense lawyer Rene Vargas at the hearing claimed Gonzalez not only didn't cause the accident but that he attempted to return to the scene and called police.

Motorcyclist crashes into electrical pole

The fatal crash occurred about 6:30 p.m. on the Saturday evening of Feb. 19 in the 13200 block of North Loop Drive near Fenter Road, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office said.

Prosecution and defense lawyers said that Minjarez, Gonzalez and a third man were riding on separate motorcycles on North Loop. A previous sheriff's news release was unclear that there was more than one motorcycle involved.

More: El Paso Police Department plans to buy 700 body cameras, equip officers

Minjarez "may have sideswiped" Gonzalez, causing both of them to go off the road, where Minjarez struck a pole and died at the scene, Vargas said.

Gabriel Gonzalez was arrested on a charge of accident involving death in connection with a motorcycle crash that killed Victor Abram Minjarez on Feb. 19 on North Loop Drive in Clint.

"Obviously, he is not at fault," Vargas said, adding that the third motorcyclist remained at the scene and that Gonzalez left, later tried to go back and called police.

Gonzalez told investigators he was "dumbstruck himself at the time" due to the crash, Vargas said at the hearing.

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"There was nothing he could have done at the scene because it looks like the decedent died upon impact," Vargas said.

Alcohol use suspicions

Assistant District Attorney Adam Chevrier said that it appears that Minjarez did cause or contributed to the accident but that Gonzalez might have left to avoid the law.

During the hearing, Chevrier suggested that the case "looks" like an intoxication manslaughter, though investigators couldn't readily prove it.

Gonzalez has five prior arrests for driving while intoxicated, including serving prison time. If convicted again, he could face up to 25 years in prison as a habitual offender, Chevrier said.

When investigators finally talked with Gonzalez, he allegedly was drunk and smelled of alcohol, Chevrier said.

More: Man arrested on murder warrant in connection to fatal September motorcycle crash

Chevrier said Gonzalez told investigators that he only started drinking when he went home after the crash. The time period between the crash and when law enforcement officers spoke with Gonzalez was not disclosed.

Vargas countered there was no evidence Gonzalez was intoxicated at the time of the crash. It does not meet the elements at all" for an intoxication manslaughter charge, Vargas said, adding nothing could have been done to prevent the accident.

More: DWI-related murder or accident? Bond reduced for El Paso driver in Loop 375 fatal crash

Estrada, the magistrate judge, decided Gonzalez could be released on a personal recognizance, or PR, bond. As part of his release, the judge ordered that he must report once a week by phone and install an alcohol monitoring device on his vehicle "out of an abundance of caution."

Daniel Borunda may be reached at 915-546-6102; dborunda@elpasotimes.com; @BorundaDaniel on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Man 'not at fault' in fatal motorcycle crash into pole, lawyer says
Representatives from the Missouri State Public Defender's System say a Springfield man plans to appeal after he was sentenced earlier this month to 159 years in prison for 23 nonviolent felonies and four misdemeanor charges.

Bryan Jones, 32 of Springfield, was found guilty by a jury in December of 12 counts of felony stealing, four counts of tampering with a motor vehicle in the first degree, three counts of forgery, two counts of stealing as a fourth or subsequent offense, two counts of fraudulent use of a credit device, resisting arrest, identity theft, driving while intoxicated, and leaving the scene of an accident, all stemming from incidents that occurred between February and May of 2020.

A news release from the Greene County Prosecutor's Office says Judge Becky Borthwick chose to run Jones' sentences consecutively (one after the other) for each of the different victims of his conduct  totaling 159 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections and 1,090 days in the Greene County Jail.

Prosecutors say before the two-hour sentencing began, Borthwick also denied Jones' motion for a new trial.

More: Republic man sentenced for using toddler to produce child porn

Prosecutors say that during the sentencing hearing they focused on "Jones' extensive criminal history, the effect of his crimes on the community, and the number of individuals who have been victimized by the defendant." They say they also played recordings of phone calls Jones made from the jail that evidently did not cast him in a good light.

The News-Leader did not have a reporter in attendance at the hearing, and Judge Borthwick declined an interview request Monday asking her to expound on her decision.

More: Former Branson performer gets probation in fake foster kid charity scam

Jones was sentenced as a prior and persistent offender since he was previously convicted of similar crimes in 2018 and sentenced to 8 years in prison, although he was released on parole before serving the full term.

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Jones was represented in this case by a court-appointed public defender. Rod Hackathorn, head of the public defender's office in Springfield, said the sentence in this case jumped out to him as severe.

"You almost never see it that high," Hackathorn said.

Hackathorn said Jones plans to file an appeal in this case, which he has until this coming Monday to do.

Jordan Meier covers public safety for the Springfield News-Leader. Contact her at jmeier@news-leader.com, or on Twitter @Jordan_Meier644.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield man sentenced to 159 years in prison for property crimes
Less than two weeks into Russias war in Ukraine, the conflicts geopolitical ripples are heading in some unexpected directions. Some are even being felt by active and retired teachers, through their retirement funds.

Many public employee pensions, including those covering teachers, are significantly exposed to a Russian financial market that has taken a drubbing in response to Western sanctions this month. Within days of the Russian invasion, Colorados state pension fund removed over $7 million held in Sberbank, a substantially state-owned Russian bank. Legislators in Massachusetts, Illinois, and New Jersey have proposed bills that would push state treasurers to liquidate Russian holdings, while governors and other officials in Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, Washington State, California, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut have advocated either for full-scale divestment or reviews of their portfolios. Pension funds in Canada and Sweden are following suit.

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In a letter to his states three largest retirement systems, California Gov. Gavin Newsom asserted that their fiduciary duties to beneficiaries demand that you act to address Russias aggressions and immediately restrict Russian access to Californias capital and investments.

The sudden push has been framed as a blow against military aggression. But disentangling public funds from foreign entities in countries like Russia may also pose further challenges to their short-run health of already stressed retirement systems. Given the rubles precipitous decline in value, states must decide whether to sell off their control over assets at stupefying losses; with the restrictions placed on stock trading of Russian entities, some investors are simply unable to act at the moment. And thats without considering the logistical challenges of identifying and severing ties to foreign investments in the first place.

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Chad Aldeman, the policy director at Georgetown Universitys Edunomics Lab, said that teachers might be surprised to learn that their retirement contributions were mingled with assets overseas.

Related: Aldeman: Teacher Pensions Took a Beating in the Great Recession and Passed the Costs on to New Employees. Its Probably Going to Happen Again

I would say that, through their pension funds, teachers are invested in far more exotic assets and investments than the typical 401(k) investor, Aldeman said. There are all kinds of different financial strategies theyre pursuing, and theyre more aggressive about finding different types of investments, like lumber or coffee or international avenues like Russia.

The dilemma showcases some important recent development in American finance. Increasingly, major American investors  including pensions, but also 401(k) plans and endowments  have tended to favor positions in passive funds that track stock indexes rather than paying managers to pick winners for them. The switch comes in response to the high fees and disappointing performance resulting from active investments in the past, such as the Alabama retirement systems misbegotten outlay of $221 million in a now-defunct chain of movie theaters. By contrast, Nevadas public employee pension went fully passive a few years ago, shrinking its investment office to just one man whose professed strategy was to do as little as possible.

A member of the Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces looks at destruction following a shelling in Kharkiv on March 7. (Getty Images)

But Aldeman observed that many public pensions still have considerable sums tied into such investments, including those in foreign markets.

Theyre stretching to hit an investment target, and to do that, theyre trying to find the absolute best investments out there, he said.

Moving away from that posture, even in response to global condemnation of Russias actions, may come at a price. As a case in point, the Kentucky Teachers Retirement Fund sold its own shares in Sberbank in late February for $12.4 million. That was over $3 million less than it cost to buy them in 2017.

That figure recedes a bit in the context of a $26 billion portfolio. But the system is already dramatically underfunded, and such losses may contribute to the perception of mismanagement. Ted Siedle is a pensions expert and writer who has authored investigations into retirement systems in several states, including a widely circulated report in Rhode Island commissioned by the state teachers union. In an interview, he cited the example of Ohios pension fund, which lost over half a billion dollars over the last decade in a deal with a Texas private equity firm.

Related: Ukrainian-Born Students in the U.S. and Those with Strong Ties to Country Struggle to Balance Studies with News of War

Thats not a whole lot for a $100 billion pension fund to lose, but the people whose money it is didnt look at it that way, Siedle said. The teachers were pissed! Thats money that could have gone to their cost-of-living adjustments. And for some pensions, the Russian holdings could be a significant amount.

A key problem, Siedle argued, is that the boards of pension plans are typically filled with laymen with insignificant financial expertise, like municipal leaders and retired public employees. They are also not governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, the main federal body of regulations over private pensions. As a consequence, the systems are viewed by Wall Street intermediaries like hedge funds as the dumbest investors out there, he said.

Even amid a wave of divestment from Russian industry, it may be difficult for teachers pension funds to distance themselves. For one thing, Aldeman noted, they could face lock up fees from their managers for canceling their investments early; those might come on top of financial losses from selling assets whose market value is plummeting.

Beyond that, Siedle has argued, lower transparency requirements outside ERISA will mean that pension funds may find it difficult to even identify where their money is invested. In other words, not only are teachers unaware of the scope of their exposure to the Russian economy, but so are the pension systems themselves.

Theres no accountability. Whos even going to tell them? The money manager would have to honestly tell the pension fund, and then the pension fund would have to honestly tell the public. The chances of that happening are slim to none.

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The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected emergency applications filed by Republicans in North Carolina and Pennsylvania asking the court to strike down congressional district maps approved by courts in both states.

Republicans in North Carolina had asked the court to strike down a map drawn by state courts after finding that the original map passed by the Republican legislature was an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander under the state constitution. In Pennsylvania, Republicans wanted to strike down a state court-drawn map implemented after Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed the map passed by the Republican-majority legislature.

In doing so, the Supreme Court refused to accept a radical legal theory known as the independent state legislature doctrine that could have upended redistricting and voting rights across the country.

Four conservative justices  Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh  who appeared open to adopting this doctrine in two cases in 2020, however, remain open to it and anticipate a case resolving the issue at some point in the near future.

At issue is whether state courts can continue to play any role in reviewing whether district maps or election laws passed by state legislatures are unlawful under their state constitutions. Supporters of the independent state legislature doctrine believe that the elections clause in the U.S. Constitution gives state legislatures the sole authority to set the time, place, and manner of elections.

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected emergency appeals to overturn court-drawn congressional district maps in North Carolina and Pennsylvania. (Photo: Drew Angerer via Getty Images)

Voting rights and fair districts would be greatly at risk if state legislatures are no longer bound by their state constitutions in setting election laws or drawing district maps.

The Supreme Court ruled in the 2019 Rucho v. Common Cause case that federal courts should not intervene in the congressional redistricting process to police partisan gerrymandering.

Instead, provisions in state statutes and state constitutions can provide standards and guidance for state courts to apply, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the Rucho decision.

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Though the court did not gut its decision in Rucho by cutting state courts out of the redistricting process, the fact that four conservative justices might want to do so presents an ongoing danger to voting rights.

The issue is almost certain to keep arising until the Court definitively resolves it, Kavanaugh wrote in a concurrence to the major decision declining to intervene in the North Carolina case.

We will have to resolve this question sooner or later, and the sooner we do so, the better, Alito wrote in a dissent joined by Thomas and Gorsuch.

The court rejected the application from North Carolina while stating that the Pennsylvania case was before a three-judge panel and could still come before them in the future.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

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Updated Friday, March 11, 2022: The Indianapolis police officer who was shot in the neck in Fountain Square in late February will be discharged from the hospital Friday, police announced.

Original story:

The man accused of shooting a first-year Indianapolis police officer in the neck during a foot chase in Fountain Square late last month is facing attempted murder and resisting law enforcement charges.

Prosecutors on Tuesday formally charged Mylik Hill, 31, with two counts of attempted murder, six counts of resisting law enforcement, a count of criminal mischief and unlawful possession of a firearm by a violent felon. The filing comes more than a week after the Feb. 27 shootout that left both Hill and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Officer Thomas Mangan seriously wounded.

Law enforcement officials on Tuesday said Hill fired on officers first during the exchange. A motive in the shooting remained unclear.

IMPD Officer Thomas Mangan, who was shot in the neck Feb. 27 in Fountain Square.

Mangan, who was in field training at the time, was shot in the throat and suffered "significant damage" to his voice box and Adam's apple, according to police. IMPD Chief Randal Taylor told reporters Mangan was in "great spirits" this week.

"He is truly a man of faith," Taylor said. "He is an incredible example of an officer that is dealing with a traumatic injury that he's going to have to deal with for a while. But his spirit is right.

Hill was shot twice in the chest and once in the thigh by another officer, court records indicate, and remained in custody Tuesday at an Indianapolis hospital.

The shooting

The shooting occurred after officers responded to the 1600 block of Lexington Avenue on a report of a vehicle crash shortly after 10 p.m., investigators said in a probable cause affidavit.

A woman reported that a man driving a red car hit a fence in front of her house, as well as her neighbor's white truck across the street. The man, she said, got out of his car, pulled his pants down and urinated on the street. Police previously told reporters they were told a man in a red car was intoxicated, acting strange and headed south on State Avenue.

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Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department vehicles block the intersection of Prospect Street and State Avenue after an officer was shot in Fountain Square late Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022.

Officers found a man wearing a red jacket in the red Buick in the 1600 block of Woodlawn Avenue, a street two blocks south of Lexington Avenue. When police approached, the man, later identified as Mylik Hill, got out of his car "while keeping his back to the officers with his hands in front of him," according to the affidavit.

Officers yelled: "Stop, police. Show me your hands," investigators said, and the man ran away. Six officers chased him on foot, with Mangan and his field training officer, Daniel Majors, in the lead.

As Mangan gained on Hill and reached out toward Hill's back with both hands, the affidavit indicates, Hill "produced a pistol and fired two shots. One shot hit Mangan's radio, which caught fire, and the other "struck the center of his throat at the base of his neck."

Investigators said Majors, a 7-year veteran of IMPD, shot back at Hill and ordered the man to drop his weapon. Instead, Hill reportedly "did not comply and fired several more times at Officer Majors" before fleeing.

Drones located the man shortly before 11 p.m. in the 900 block of Dawson Street, less than half a mile from where the shootout occurred, and a SWAT team took him into custody. He had been shot in the chest and thigh.

Police found a 9mm handgun next to the man. It had been reported stolen in October 2021.

A handgun recovered from the 1600 block of Woodlawn Avenue in Fountain Square, where an IMPD officer was shot Sunday, February 27, 2022.

Officer pens prayer from hospital

Taylor, the police chief, on Tuesday thanked both first responders and the community for their efforts following the shooting.

More: 'It's just crazy': Suspect in Sunday shootout held on warrants as chief looks for answers

He emphasized Indianapolis Fire Department Engine 3's role in quickly taking Mangan to a hospital in the moments after he was shot.

"That just reaffirms that its not just law enforcement," Taylor told IndyStar last week. "Its IEMS and our fire department people that are all in that same boat. We all look out for one another.

Officials said Mangan also was thankful for the support he's received from the community. They shared a prayer he wrote from his hospital bed:

"Dear God! We are so grateful," Mangan wrote. "Grateful for your unconditional love for us! Father God, you have blessed me beyond my imagination. Each person I have come into contact with or have heard about is seeking to serve me. I was supposed to serve this community but God has greater plans. I am uncertain what they are but am thankful for the people he is using. Thank you Jesus! Amen.

A prayer IMPD Officer Mangan, who was shot Feb. 27 in Fountain Square, wrote from his hospital bed.

Taylor asked the community for its continued support for both Mangan and officers in future investigations.

"Anyone who is willing to shoot an officer is certainly willing to shoot civilians," Taylor said. "If we can continue to make strides in getting involved you see these things and let us know what you see, then we get those kinds of people off the street, which is important to both civilians and our officers.

Hill after the shooting was held on unrelated theft and resisting law enforcement charges connected to a Jan. 31 incident, court records indicate. In that case, he was accused of stealing nearly $1,000 in clothes and electronics from a Walmart. A warrant for his arrest was issued after he failed to appear for a court hearing the morning after he was shot.

Law enforcement officials said Hill also had an outstanding warrant for a parole violation from a conviction for robbery and possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon.

Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police President Rick Snyder after a news conference announcing the charges emphasized Hill's criminal history, repeatedly asking Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears why the man was able to get out on bond after the Jan. 31 incident.

"Why didn't the prosecutor move to revoke the bond when they filed the probable cause?" he asked a group of reporters after the conference concluded.

Mears earlier said Hill had already been bailed out of jail on $500 bond before his office filed the case. "The only thing we could do at that point in time is request a warrant," he said. "And there was a parole warrant active at the time this incident occurred."

According to a timeline provided to IndyStar by the prosecutor's office, Hill bonded out of jail at 1:32 a.m. Feb. 1 after his Jan. 31 arrest. The detective assigned to the case continued to investigate throughout the day Feb. 1, a probable cause affidavit indicates.

"The first document filed in this case was subsequently filed by our office at 6:29 p.m. on Feb. 1," a spokesperson for the prosecutor's office wrote in an email. "Therefore, it would appear Mr. Hill had bonded out prior to the case being presented to our office."

On Tuesday, prosecutors requested a $500,000 bond for Hill in connection to the shooting, the office said. A judge set it at $250,000.

Violence against police

The Feb. 27 shooting was just the latest instance of violence against police in Indianapolis.

Taylor on Tuesday noted the case was "eerily familiar" to the July 17, 2017 killing of Southport police Lt. Aaron Allan as Allan attempted to help a man after a car wreck. The suspect in that case, Jason Dane Brown, was found guilty last month.

In December, a man stabbed two IMPD officers after reportedly luring them to the scene under the guise of a call for help. "I was gonna kill an officer," the man in the case, who is now facing attempted murder charges, said in an interview with investigators.

"Its just crazy," Taylor said of the Fountain Square shooting. "With this one, Ill be curious to find out what the reasoning behind this was. Why that guy decided to run and, of course, why he decided to shoot an officer."

"I dont know if well ever get that answer," he added, "but thats what Im curious about right now.

Police ask anyone with information about the shooting to call Detective Sgt. Leslie Vanbuskirk at 317-327-3475 or email her at Leslie.Vanbuskirk@indy.gov.

Anonymous tips can be given to Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477.

Get-well cards can be sent to Officer Mangan at IMPD's Southeast District at 1150 Shelby Street.

Contact Lawrence Andrea at 317-775-4313 or landrea@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @lawrencegandrea.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Mylik Hill charged after Indianapolis police officer shot
A Joliet-area couple were sentenced Tuesday to probation and community service for entering the U.S. Capitol through a broken window during the Jan. 6 riot and joining a mob trying to break into the congressional chambers.

In sentencing John and Amy Schubert, of Crest Hill, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson said the couple were active participants in an attempt to subvert democracy and replace it with the rule of the mob.

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There here was nothing excusable or understandable about your conduct on Jan. 6, the judge said during the hourlong hearing, which was held via a video link. You were in the thick of it.  It took a large number of people to overcome the police and breach the building. It could not have been accomplished without people like you.

Still, because both defendants have shown remorse and lived otherwise exemplary lives, Jackson rejected a request by prosecutors for a sentence of home confinement. Instead, she sentenced each to 18 months of probation and ordered each to perform 100 hours of community service. They must also pay a total of $4,500 in fines and restitution.

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Federal prosecutors say John Schubert, 71, of Crest Hill, is shown in a photo allegedly taken by his wife, Amy, after breaching the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. (U.S. District Court records)

Both John Schubert, 72, and Amy, 62, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Washington to a misdemeanor charge of unlawful entry of a government building.

Prosecutors said the couple entered the building through a broken window shortly after 2 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021, and were among the first wave of rioters to try to break into the congressional chambers, where then-Vice President Mike Pence was leading a hearing to certify Joe Bidens victory over Donald Trump.

During their nearly 40 minutes in the Capitol, Amy Schubert could be heard on video leading rioters in a chant of We want Trump! according to prosecutors. Later, after police pushed the crowd back, Amy Schubert took photos in a congressional meeting room of another rioter holding up a Stop the Steal sign in a window.

Later that day, Amy Schubert sent texts from her cellphone saying both she and her husband got a little maced and that a woman was shot 20 feet in front of them, according to a recent court filing by prosecutors. She also sent other texts worrying about photos from the incident that theyd posted on Facebook.

I dont want to help government to be able to match up exactly how we looked/what we were wearing that day, she texted two days after the attack. Im thinking maybe we should take them down.

According to a criminal complaint filed last year, the couple were identified by the FBI in part by a Joliet plumbers and pipefitters local union jacket that Amy Schubert was seen wearing in a lengthy video posted to YouTube by an unidentified person.

Federal prosecutors say Amy Schubert, 61, of Crest Hill, is shown in these images from video taken inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Prosecutors alleged Schubert was identified in part by the Joliet plumbers and pipefitters union jacket she was wearing. (U.S. District Court records)

Investigators were able to determine that a phone linked to Amy Schubert was one of only six devices with a Joliet area code being used inside the Capitol at the time, according to the complaint. Photos on Schuberts publicly available Facebook profile were then matched to the images of the woman in the video, according to the charges.

Both Schuberts wrote lengthy letters to the court last month saying they got caught up in the moment and realize now that their actions were wrong.

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Before being sentenced Tuesday, John Schubert said hes willing to pay the price for what he did.

Im guilty and I made a mistake. Thats it, he said.

His wife also issued her own apology to the court.

The Schuberts were among some 27 Illinoisans to be federally charged so far as part of the ongoing investigation into the Capitol attack, which prosecutors have described as one of the largest criminal investigations in American history.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
By Chayut Setboonsarng and Panarat Thepgumpanat

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thousands of tourists from Russia are currently stranded in Thailand, officials said on Tuesday, as unprecedented Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine put a squeeze on Russians struggling to find flights and finances.

Flight cancellations, a rouble currency in free-fall and payment problems from Russian banks being cut off from the global SWIFT system has left more than 7,000 Russians in limbo in locations like Phuket, Koh Samui, Pattaya and Krabi, Thailand's tourism authority chief said.

"We have to be good hosts and take care of everybody," Yuthasak Supasorn told Reuters.

"There are still Russian tourists on their way here," he added.

Russia's embassy in Bangkok did not immediately respond to request for comment on its citizens.

In 2019, Thailand received 1.4 million Russian visitors. In January, it counted about 23,000 Russians, representing about a fifth of the total arrivals.

About half of those stranded were on the island of Phuket.

"We've asked hotels to reduce prices and extend their stays," Phuket's tourism association president Bhummikitti Ruktaengam said.

Video: Thai activists sign up to fight in Ukraine

Some visitors, when able, had used China's UnionPay after cards issued by Russian banks using U.S. payment firms Visa and Mastercard stopped working, he said.

Visa and Mastercard announced on Saturday they were suspending operations in Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Russia has called its actions there a "special operation".

Though Thailand was among 141 countries that backed a United Nations resolution calling for the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops, it has not imposed any sanctions on Moscow.

Bhummikitti said hundreds of people from Ukraine were also stranded, mainly due to airport closures there.

He said efforts were being made to get stranded Russians onto flights to Moscow on Middle Eastern airlines and to arrange repatriation flights.

A proposal was being considered to allow the use of cryptocurrency for payments at hotels, flights and other businesses in Phuket, he said.

(Editing by Martin Petty)
Photo credit: NurPhoto - Getty Images

Amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, Airbnb has announced that it will provide free temporary housing for up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees.

Airbnb's co-foundersBrian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczykrecently sent letters to leaders of various European countries, including Poland, Germany, Hungary, and Romania, offering relief to those impacted by the conflict. The company will work closely with the governments of those nations to provide support for the displaced, including long-term stays.

This is not Airbnb's first time lending a helping hand to refugees. The company has also provided complimentary housing to 21,300 Afghan refugees, and plans to do the same for another 20,000 asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Africa, the Middle East, and Central and South America, as well as other regions.

Over the course of the past five years, Airbnb has provided a safe haven to a total of more than 54,000 refugees and asylees hailing from countries like Syria, Venezuela, and Afghanistan. Additionally, in 2021, Airbnb.org launched its Refugee Fund, which now has over 4,000 donors who continue to support the company's work with refugees across the globe.

Below, find three ways that you can help Ukrainian refugees, through Airbnb.

#1 Support and Share Airbnb's Program That Provides Free Temporary Housing to Ukrainian Refugees

The program link can be found hereand the more it's shared, the more people it will help. You can also make a donation, which will benefit refugees.

#2 Book an Airbnb in Ukraine As a Way to Donate Financial Assistance to Ukrainians (Without Actually Staying There)

Paying for an Airbnb in Ukraine is a direct way to financially support refugees. It provides a source of income to local Airbnb owners unable to rent out their units due to the war.

#3 Make Your Own Airbnb(s) Available to Ukrainian Refugees for Free

Countless Airbnb users are lending their properties to Ukrainians who are in need of a place to stayamong them, Canadian designer Christine Dovey, owner of Cordial House, an oceanside cottage on Prince Edward Island.

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"Creating spaces that people can experience and feel truly at home in has always been my work," Dovey wrote in a recent Instagram post. "To make them available right now to those who are desperately in need of a place to feel that, is something I very much want to do."

Follow House Beautiful on Instagram .

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QUINCY  At one Quincy gas station, a gallon of regular gasoline sold for $3.89 Friday afternoon. Just 72 hours later, the price was $4.26.

Gas prices reached record levels in the state Monday, March 7, hitting an average of $4.16 a gallon, according to AAA. That is an increase of 54 cents a gallon over the past week and 72 cents over a month ago. AAA said the price a year ago was $2.68, reflecting an increase of $1.48.

The Massachusetts price is 10 cents over the national average of $4.06 per gallon, the highest price since July 2008.

On Tuesday, dozens of drivers lined up outside the BJ's gas station in Quincy hoping to snag a gallon for the member price of $4, one of the cheapest places to fill up on the South Shore.

Long lines at the BJ's Club gas station in Quincy, where dozens of drivers have lined up to snag the cheapest gas they can find Tuesday, March 8, 2022.

Experts expect the prices to continue to soar.

Mary Maguire, director of public/government affairs for AAA Northeast, said the 45-cent increase in the national gas price is the highest one-week increase since AAA began tracking domestic gas prices.

"The extraordinary volatility in global oil markets stems from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the question of whether the United States and (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) will impose sanctions on the Russian oil and gas industry," Maguire said.

South Shore support: Ukrainian natives struggle as war rages in homeland

War rages on: State, South Shore politicians condemn Putin and Russia for Ukrainian invasion

While the debate continues, there will be significant upward pressure on prices of petroleum-related commodities, she said.

"The negative impact of these explosive prices on American consumers will only increase in the near term," Maguire said.

Long lines at the BJ's Club gas station in Quincy, where dozens of drivers have lined up to snag the cheapest gas they can find Tuesday, March 8, 2022.

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said gas prices will push closer to a national average of $4.50 per gallon, a dollar more in California.

De Haan said the oil market has never seen this level of uncertainty before.

"As we lose a major global producer (Russia) under the weight of deserving bipartisan sanctions for invading a sovereign country, the cost is high," De Haan said. "Americans will be feeling the pain of the rise in prices for quite some time, with little good news foreseen."

A Mobil station in Pembroke had gas for $3.99 on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. The average price in Massachusetts on Monday, March 7, was $4.16 a gallon, according to AAA.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: AAA reports Mass. gas prices reach record levels over $4 per gallon




A top Department of Justice (DOJ) official was pressed on her position regarding defunding the police during a Senate hearing on Tuesday, one week after President Biden called for funding the police during his first State of the Union.

Republican Sen. John Cornyn (Texas) asked Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general for the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, about her position on "defund the police" - a push to redirect funds from police departments toward other government agencies to target areas such as mental health and homelessness.

Cornyn pressed Clarke on a 2020 op-ed she wrote that was published in Newsweek in which she called for investing less in police and more in social workers, school social supports and mental health aid, among other areas. The op-ed came just weeks after George Floyd, a Black man, died under the knee of a white police officer, reigniting protests around the country over racial injustice and police brutality.

The Texas Republican asked if Clarke regretted the op-ed and if the movement to defund the police contributed to a rise in crime.

"I do not support defunding the police," Clarke replied. "I believe that our law enforcement faces lots of challenges today. You mentioned mental health, that is one example."

"I'm representing the Justice Department today, and we are dispensing ... hundreds of millions in support in grants to support our local and state law enforcement across the country," she said when pressed again. "I know that we need law enforcement equipped with the resources necessary to stand up to violent crime, to hate crime and other kinds of crimes that are carried out across the country."

Clarke was later pressed on her position by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) as well.

"I've never supported defunding the police. I'm here representing the department, which certainly does not support defunding the police," Clarke said.

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Clarke was previously grilled on her position on the matter during her confirmation hearing last year, saying at the time she did not support defunding the police.

Her comments during the hearing come one week after Biden's first State of the Union address, in which he called for funding law enforcement.

"We should all agree: The answer is not to defund the police. The answer is to fund the police with the resources and training they need to protect our communities," the president said.
Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg suggested Monday on Fox News that the US deploy all its ballistic-missile submarines to whether Russian leader Vladimir Putin was "really bluffing." Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg on Monday suggested the US confront Vladimir Putin's nuclear threats.

He said the US could deploy all its ballistic-missile submarines to see whether Putin was bluffing.

The US operates 14 ballistic missile submarines, each of which can carry 20 long-range missiles.

Retired US Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg on Monday suggested what he seemed to tout as a "creative" solution to Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Activate the entire US fleet of ballistic-missile submarines to see whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is "really bluffing" about his nuclear threats.

"You know, we've generally got between five and six ballistic-missile submarines  the boomers  at sea at any one time," Kellogg said on the Fox News show "Jesse Watters Primetime."

"Flush the whole fleet, put every boomer we've got at sea, and we can crew them and put them out there. And you say: 'Look, we're not going to back off from a nuclear concern that you've got,'" the general said.

"You know, go all in, bluff him  you know, he's  let's see if he's really bluffing or not," he continued.

Putin placed Russia's nuclear-deterrence forces on high alert on February 27, three days after his forces invaded Ukraine. He blamed sanctions from the West that had been enacted to punish the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine.

The US operates a fleet of 14 Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarines (also known as boomers), each of which can carry 20 long-range missiles, according to the US Navy.

Kellogg, who served as national security advisor to Vice President Mike Pence and as chief of staff for the National Security Council, said Putin's generals would probably be "a little bit concerned."

"You guys really want to do this, but you've got to become creative and you've got to put him on his back foot," Kellogg said.

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Watters had earlier asked Kellogg what he thought about "distracting the Russians" to make them "a little nervous."

"What if we had the Japanese stir up a little trouble on their eastern flank?" Watters said. "What if we sent some naval assets into the Black Sea? Just say: 'Hey, you know, we're protecting Turkey, our NATO ally.' What if, you know, we scrambled a few jets in the Baltics or something, something to make the Russians maybe think twice and take their eye off the ball a little bit?"

Kellogg didn't directly respond to Watters' ideas but offered his suggestion on submarines as an alternative solution.

But the former national security official's comments on Putin seemed to contradict what he said just days earlier.

On Saturday, Kellogg said Putin "does not bluff" while speaking on the Fox News show "Lawrence Jones Cross Country" about whether the Russian leader might use of heavy artillery bombardment and cluster bombs in Ukraine.

"Putin does not bluff," he said. "When he said he was coming to Ukraine, he's going to go into Ukraine. And we should have been building up armaments back then. We didn't. We waited. And part of the reason, we said, is because we believed if we did, it was going to be escalatory. Well, now we're too late."

Kellogg didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Tucson Airport Authority Police Department and Tucson Police Department were searching for a man wanted for homicide who may now be in Mexico.

Rufino Angelo-Mascareno, 28, was a suspect in the death of 32-year-old Gabriel Orduno.

Orduno was shot and killed, and his body was found on Feb. 11 near Country Club and Old Vail roads south of Tucson International Airport. TAAPD responded to the call after someone found his body in the area, according to one of their Tweets.

TAAPD suspected that Angelo-Mascareno may be in Mexico now. They had a warrant for his arrest with a $5 million bond.

TAAPD in a tweet said he should be considered "armed and dangerous."

Detectives were asking anyone with information to call 88-CRIME. Individuals can remain anonymous.

Reach breaking news intern Jane Florance at jflorance@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @Florance_Jane.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Police looking for homicide suspect who may be Mexico
Mar. 8The operator of Tumbleweed Connection has filed a civil lawsuit against its landlord seeking damages of more than $75,000.

Tumbleweed Connection, located at 454 E. 5th St. and operated by Tanya Atkinson, has been a fixture in the Oregon District for over 40 years. It's been closed since March 1, the lawsuit says, after a dispute with the bar's landlord, Schaney Family Limited Partnership and Michelle Schaney.

They were unable to be reached for comment for this article.

Atkinson filed the lawsuit on Friday afternoon following an alleged incident at the bar March 1. According to court documents filed with the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, a Tumbleweed employee was in the process of opening when Schaney allegedly instructed the employee to get out and said "she was changing the locks immediately."

Atkinson told the court that Schaney refused to give a reason for changing the locks or for the sudden eviction. The lawsuit filed by Atkinson states that Tumbleweed and its employees received no notice before March 1 that they had violated any terms of their lease agreement.

Atkinson said the defendants "covered the windows and signage at the Tumbleweed Connection and posted signs indicating the business was 'Closed for Remodeling.'" Atkinson has since been refused access to the property and records on-site, according to the lawsuit.

Due to the abrupt closure, the lawsuit states that Tumbleweed has suffered damages of more than $25,000. It says Atkinson believes Schaney's decision to evict right before March Madness and St. Patrick's Day without any prior notice or communication was done "with ill will and malicious intent" and entitles Tumbleweed to punitive damages.

The lawsuit also states that the food delivered to the bar on March 1 "presently sits in the middle of the floor of the property, unrefrigerated and spoiling." In total, Atkinson is suing Schaney for $75,000 plus interest.

On March 1, Tumbleweed posted to its Facebook page the following statement:

"Hey locals, with us closed we have 14 employees, bartenders, barbacks and cooks. If anyone knows of positions for any of them we would love to pass it along. We are very upset of the hurt this is causing them. Good people, good workers. Please reach out. Thanks!"
Federal indictments are rarely subtle, but the bombshell racketeering charges filed against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan last week contained an under-the-radar twist that could have big implications for telecommunications giant AT&T.

Eight pages into the 106-page document, a paragraph describing the overarching racketeering scheme stated Madigan allegedly used his various positions in elected office and the Democratic Party to cause various businesses to employ, contract with, and make direct and indirect monetary payments to his allies.

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The payments were meant to reward and promote the loyalty of Madigans selected associates and were made at times in return for little or no legitimate work performed for the benefit of the businesses, the indictment stated.

Though the indictment specifically used the plural, businesses, only one company, Commonwealth Edison, has so far been named as having participated in that alleged conduct.

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Ninety-five pages later, the indictment ends with two forfeiture allegations, representing money prosecutors will seek to collect as ill-gotten gains from Madigan and his co-defendant, Michael McClain, in the event of a conviction.

The first forfeiture seeks funds that include but are not limited to approximately $2,850,337. The second forfeiture is slightly lower, pegged at $2,827,837.

The difference between the numbers? $22,500.

That figure may seem insignificant, but it happens to be the exact amount of a consulting contract that AT&T has acknowledged is under scrutiny by the U.S. attorneys office as part of the investigation into Madigans political operation.

Last month, AT&T disclosed in a regulatory filing that federal prosecutors had notified them they were considering filing criminal charges against its Illinois subsidiary, formally known as Illinois Bell Telephone Co. LLC, involving a single, nine-month consulting contract in 2017 worth $22,500.

State records show the company that year had hired a stable of Madigan-connected lobbyists working for the Illinois subsidiary as AT&T was fighting for a controversial bill to end landline service.

The Tribune reported last week that investigators were specifically looking at thousands of dollars in payments allegedly passed to former state Rep. Edward Acevedo, a onetime member of Madigans leadership team whod recently left the General Assembly.

The payments to Acevedo were made via a lobbying contract between AT&T and Thomas Cullen, a former Madigan staffer and longtime political strategist aligned with the speaker, two sources told the newspaper.

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Acevedo was a registered lobbyist at the time, state records show, but not for AT&T, and the sources said the amount of work Acevedo actually did for AT&T is in question.

Neither Cullen nor Acevedo has been charged with any wrongdoing involving AT&T, and there was no indication in the SEC filing that they might be in legal jeopardy.

A spokesman for AT&T declined to comment Monday on the Madigan indictment, referring instead back to the SEC filing.

A spokesman for U.S. Attorney John Lausch also declined to comment.

AT&Ts filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said the subsidiary has been cooperating since 2019 in the widely reported investigation of certain elected Illinois politicians and related parties for corruption.

Based on our own extensive investigation of the facts and our engagement with the U.S. attorneys office, we have concluded that the contract at issue was legal in all respects and that any charge against Illinois Bell or its personnel would be without merit, the filing stated.

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Madigan, 79, who was dethroned from his role as speaker in January 2021, was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury on racketeering charges alleging his elected office and political operation were a criminal enterprise that provided personal financial rewards for him and his associates.

The 22-count indictment came after a yearslong federal investigation and alleges Madigan participated in an array of bribery and extortion schemes from 2011 to 2019 aimed at using the power of his office for personal gain.

Also charged was McClain, 74, of downstate Quincy, who is a former legislator and lobbyist and was a longtime confidant to Madigan during his record reign as speaker.

Lobbyist Mike McClain, seated, outside House Speaker Michael Madigan's office on the last day of the Illinois General Assembly at the State Capitol in Springfield on May 31, 2016. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)

Both Madigan and McClain have denied wrongdoing. Theyre scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in a telephone hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cole.

Federal investigators first focused on the payments to Acevedo more than two years ago as part of a broader probe into whether AT&T was improperly rewarding those favored by Madigan in exchange for the speakers help with the landline bill, according to the sources familiar with the matter.

Several other contracts AT&T gave to other Madigan-connected lobbyists were also being scrutinized, and investigators have interviewed numerous people involved in the companys lobbying push, sources said.

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That investigation appeared to be on the back burner for months as the U.S. attorneys office focused on similar allegations against utility giant Commonwealth Edison, which has been accused of trying to influence Madigan by funneling money to lobbying and consulting firms headed by the speakers allies.

Five people, including McClain, and former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, have been charged with bribery conspiracy as part of that case, while ComEd entered into a deferred prosecution agreement admitting its conduct in the scheme in exchange for prosecutors dropping the charges in 2023. Madigans former chief of staff, Tim Mapes, was charged last year with lying to a federal grand jury investigating the case.

Also charged as an offshoot of the ComEd investigation was Acevedo, who pleaded guilty in December to evading about $37,000 in taxes owed on income from his consulting business from 2015 to 2017. Though the charges dont specifically mention ComEd, Acevedo previously told the Tribune hed been interviewed by federal investigators as part of that probe.

The federal scrutiny of AT&T was first revealed on the day ComEds deferred prosecution deal was made public in July 2020, when federal prosecutors subpoenaed Madigans office for any and all documents and communications concerning AT&T, including contracts and correspondence related to the hiring of anyone to provide consulting or lobbying services to the public utility.

Later that month, the Tribune reported that AT&T itself had been subpoenaed by federal prosecutors amid the widening criminal probe into Madigans vaunted 13th Ward operations. In a statement to the Tribune at the time, AT&T said only that, in general, it cooperates with any requests from law enforcement.

Like all companies, from time to time we are required by law to provide information to government and law enforcement agencies, the statement read. As always, we cooperate with their fact gathering process.

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Similar to the ComEd case, AT&T had a big legislative goal in 2017: passing a controversial bill to end traditional landline telephone service to the remaining 1.2 million customers in Illinois.

Critics of the landline bill including the AARP Illinois and the Citizens Utility Board watchdog group were pushing back, saying the legislation would leave behind hundreds of thousands of Illinois residents, particularly seniors, who disproportionately rely on traditional landline telephone service for everything from connecting with family to monitoring life-threatening medical conditions.

In the midst of the debate, former Madigan political director Eileen Mitchell returned to AT&T after a brief stint as then-Mayor Rahm Emanuels chief of staff. She is now the head of AT&T Illinois subsidiary.

And, like many companies trying to get legislation passed in Springfield, AT&T employed a long roster of Madigan-connected lobbyists in the run-up to the votes.

After a protracted fight, the landline bill passed during the final hours of the spring legislative session. Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed the legislation, but the Democrat-led General Assembly overrode him.

Among the lobbyists enlisted to get the bill over the hump was Cullen, one of a group of former Madigan staffers whod capitalized on access to the speaker. Cullen lobbies for a string of notable clients, from PepsiCo to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

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A onetime ComEd lobbyist, Cullens major utility client is now Ameren, the dominant power company in downstate Illinois.

Cullen was also one of five current and former utility lobbyists identified by the Tribune in 2019 who had written checks to Kevin Quinn, a one-time ranking Madigan aide who the speaker ousted over alleged sexual harassment of a Democratic campaign worker.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com

rlong@chicagotribune.com
TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian President Kais Saied accepted the resignation of junior minister Aida Hamdi, the secretary of state for international cooperation, the official gazette said on Tuesday.

Hamdi, is the first minister to resign since the appointment of Najla Bouden's government in October following Saied's suspension of parliament, in a move opponents described as coup.

(Reporting by Tarek Amara; Editing by Alison Williams)
Dr. Grant Mussman, Cincinnati's interim health commissioner, speaks during a press conference announcing the removal of mask mandates for city employees on Tuesday.

Seeking to "turn the page" on the pandemic, city officials, health consultants and business leaders convened Tuesday to announce Cincinnati has ended its mask mandate and testing requirements for city employees.

The news comes amid significant drops in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and infection rates in the city, conditions Mayor Aftab Pureval called "very promising." It also comes after the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed its mask guidelines, allowing mandates to drop in cities and counties around the United States.

With the change, city employees, some of whom will return to in-person work, will no longer be required to wear masks even if unvaccinated. Testing requirements for unvaccinated employees have also been removed.

Last week, Hamilton County officials announced overall mask recommendations and mandates for county buildings had been dropped, and Monday night, board members for Cincinnati Public Schools, voted to make masks optional for students.

The lone mandate still in effect is for people riding the streetcar, which follows Transportation Security Administration guidance. Last week, the TSA extended mask mandates for travelers until March 18.

"The City of Cincinnati is in the best place its been since June 2021," the mayor said Tuesday, citing a coronavirus test positivity rate of around 1%.

Pureval called it a "turning point for Cincinnati" but stopped short of saying the pandemic is over, asking residents to continue to get vaccinated and receive booster shots if they haven't yet.

"It is safe to embrace that," he said. "It is safe to go downtown. It is safe to go to your neighborhood town center, to go to a restaurant, to go to a local business, to go to your (recreation) center, to live your life and be part of our community."

Dr. Grant Mussman, who last Friday was named Cincinnati's interim health commissioner, said the virus will still be around locally but the two immediate dangers  hospital capacity and infection rate  are in a good place.

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Jill Meyer, president of Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, called on residents to get out and support local businesses and join the community in "a real way that has intention and impact on our local economy."

"We've had a lot of ups and downs over the past couple of years, this one feels like progress," she said. "... Masks have become emotional for some people, divisive unfortunately in some rooms, but I think we can all agree on this day that they are symbolic. And I am looking at this place where we are and the mask requirement going away as us turning a page."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati ends COVID mask mandates for city employees
By Stephanie Nebehay

GENEVA (Reuters) -The United States urged ally Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to review cases of "prisoners of conscience" and lift travel bans and other restrictions imposed on women's rights activists previously released from jail.

The rare U.S. intervention on the matter came with U.S.-Saudi ties strained over a range of issues including the Yemen war, the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018, and energy markets.

Iceland and Luxembourg also zeroed in on the Saudi human rights record during a debate held on Tuesday at the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.

U.S. Ambassador Michele Taylor called on Riyadh, a pivotal security partner of Washington against Iran in the Gulf region, to resolve cases of "prisoners of conscience" - a term referring to political detainees, though she did not name any.

Saudi authorities have detained senior royals, activists, intellectuals and clerics. Saudi officials deny there are any political prisoners in the kingdom.

"We urge Saudi Arabia to fully resolve cases of prisoners of conscience and to lift travel bans and other restrictions on previously released women's rights activists," Taylor told the Geneva forum in a speech on what was International Women's Day.

Luxembourg Ambassador Marc Bichler said that "repression" of freedom of expression, association and assembly for activists was intensifying in Saudi Arabia. The curtailment of civil and political rights was accompanied by reprisals and unlawful detentions of activists and journalists, he said.

Saudi Arabia's delegation said it regretted what it called "the politicisation" of human rights issues.

"No individuals have been arrested or imprisoned for exercising the right to freedom of speech or defending human rights. These are unfounded allegations," a Saudi diplomat, whose name was not immediately available, told the forum.

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Regarding women's rights, he said: "This is the area of rights where we have seen the most sweeping reform at various levels including legislative, administrative and judicial..., taking steps to ensure the greater empowerment of women and their participation in key sectors of society."

Last June, Riyadh released two women's rights activists detained nearly three years earlier after they had served their time, London-based Saudi rights group ALQST said.

More than a dozen women's rights activists were detained on suspicion of harming Saudi interests, before and after the kingdom in 2018 lifted a ban on women driving as part of social reforms accompanied by a crackdown on dissent that has also netted clerics and intellectuals.

Loujain al-Hathloul, a prominent women's activist, was released in February 2021 after serving half of her custodial sentence on broad cybercrime and counterterrorism charges. She remains subject to a five-year travel ban.

(Reporting and writing by Stephanie Nebehay with additional reporting by Aziz Yaakoubi in RiyadhEditing by Mark Heinrich)
GENEVA (Reuters) - The ability to criticise public policy in Russia, particularly its invasion of Ukraine, is narrowing, with some 12,700 people unlawfully detained in anti-war protests, the top U.N. human rights official Michelle Bachelet said on Tuesday.

"I remain concerned about the use of repressive legislation that impedes the exercise of civil and political rights and criminalising non-violent behaviour," Bachelet told the Human RIghts Council in Geneva, speaking by video message.

She said that 'vague and overly broad definitions' of extremism and incitement to hatred in Russia had led to legal interpretations that were not in line with its human rights obligations. "Further legislation criminalising circumstances of 'discrediting' the armed forces continues down this concerning path," she added.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Catherine Evans)
KAMPALA (Reuters) - The lieutenant general son of Uganda's president said on Tuesday he had retired from the military, in a move widely seen as preparing the ground for a potential run for the presidency in 2026.

Critics of President Yoweri Museveni say Muhoozi Kainerugaba who has been in the military for more than 20 years, was rushed through the ranks by his father. Many Ugandans believe Kainerugaba is being groomed to succeed Museveni.

"After 28 years of service in my glorious military, the greatest military in the world, I am happy to announce my retirement," Kainerugaba said on Twitter on Tuesday, without giving reasons for his retirement.

Museveni,77, who has ruled the east African country since 1986, has repeatedly denied accusations he wanted to hand over power to his son, although Kainerugaba's supporters say he has a right to seek the country's presidency like any other citizen.

Kainerugaba, a prolific Twitter user who expressed his support https://twitter.com/mkainerugaba/status/1498094460580016128 for Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, this year helped mend Uganda's strained relations with neighbouring Rwanda after travelling to Kigali and meeting President Paul Kagame.

Supporters of Kainerugaba, 47, have been pressing a campaign on social media and elsewhere for him to stand in 2026, although he has not publicly declared any intention to run for office. Ugandan law forbids soldiers from participating in politics.

Human rights groups, Ugandan opposition and government critics have long accused his father of using the military to keep himself in power through intimidating and jailing his opponents.

Museveni was re-elected in January last year, beating pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine. Wine rejected the result, alleging widespread irregularities.

(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by George Obulutsa and Alex Richardson)
The UK government said the transition period will give the market, businesses and supply chains more than enough time to replace Russian oil imports, which make up 8% of UK demand. Photo: David Hecker/Getty Images

The UK is set to phase out the import of Russian oil and oil products by the end of 2022, following similar moves by the US.

The government said the transition period will give the market, businesses and supply chains more than enough time to replace Russian imports, which make up 8% of UK demand.

Britain is less reliant on Russian fossil fuels than many European countries. Beyond Russia, the vast majority of UK imports come from partners such as the US, Netherlands and the Gulf.

The ban is not set to apply to Russian gas.

Businesses should use this year to ensure a smooth transition so that consumers will not be affected, Kwasi Kwarteng, secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, said on Twitter.

The government will also work with companies through a new taskforce on oil to support them to make use of this period in finding alternative supplies.

Read more: Shell pledges to stop buying Russian oil and gas

It comes as president Joe Biden confirmed a complete US ban on Russian oil, gas and coal imports in a speech at the White House on Tuesday.

"The American people will deal another powerful blow to Putin's leadership," he said. "Americans have rallied to support the Ukrainian people, and made it clear we will not be part of subsidising Putins war."

He highlighted that the ban on Russian oil imports had bipartisan support in Congress, as well as widespread support nationwide amid skyrocketing gas prices.

This is a step that were taking to inflict further pain on Putin, but there will be further cost as well here in the United States, he added.

I said I would level with the American people form the beginning. When I first spoke of this in the beginning, I said defending freedom is going to cost us as well in the United States. Republicans and Democrats alike understand that. Republicans and Democrats alike have been clear that we must do this.

Read more: European stock markets eke out gains as Russia threatens to cut gas supply

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The European Union also made moves on Tuesday to reduce the continent's reliance on Russian gas, saying it aims to cut its demand by two-thirds by the end of the year. But Germany has so far resisted any prohibition on buying Russian crude.

Oil prices surged in anticipation of the announcements, with the price of Brent crude (BZ=F), the international benchmark, rising more than 7%, to $132 a barrel. On Monday, it had climbed as high as $139  its highest since 2008.

Russia is the worlds largest oil exporter, and shipped almost 8 million barrels a day of crude and petroleum products to global markets at the end of last year, according to the International Energy Agency.

About 60% of Russias oil exports go to Europe, with 2% to the UK, while around 8% goes to the US. China accounts for about 20%.

Driven by headlines, the international oil market continues to create havoc with oil prices. Russian imports make up a tiny amount of USs energy needs, but Joe Bidens bold unilateral ban on imports of Russian oil, LNG, and coal as part of the latest round of sanctions pushed oil prices to pass U$120/barrel," Pratibha Thaker, editorial and regional director for Middle East and Africa at the Economist Intelligence Unit, said.

"Europes move in the same direction is likely to be slower, but the ripple effects from the invasion, oil sanctions against an extremely tight energy market points to elevated triple digit prices remaining for the moment.

Watch: President Biden plans to ban Russian oil imports
Ukraine claims it has killed another Russian general during fighting in the city of Kharkiv.

The embattled countrys Ministry of Defence claimed that its forces had killed Major General Vitaly Gerasimov, first deputy commander of the 41st Army of the Central Military District of Russia.

Another loss among the senior command staff of the occupying army, the department claimed on Monday.

During the fighting near Kharkiv, Vitaly Gerasimov, a Russian military leader, major general, chief of staff and first deputy commander of the 41st Army of the Central Military District of Russia, was killed. A number of senior Russian army officers were also killed and wounded.

Vitaly Gerasimov took part in the second Chechen war and the Russian military operation in Syria. He received a medal for the return of the Crimea, they added.

The data obtained also indicate significant problems with communication in the occupiers army and with the evacuation of their broken units.

The latest high-profile killing, comes after Andrei Sukhovetsky, the commanding general of the Russian 7th Airborne Division and a deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army, was shot and killed by a sniper.

Mr Putin confirmed that a general had been killed in a speech updating the Russian people on the progress of the conflict, eight days into the deadly invasion.

Russia claims 498 of its soldiers have been killed in Ukraine and another 1,597 have been wounded.

However, British officials say the actual number of those killed and wounded will almost certainly be considerably higher and will continue to rise.

The Ukrainian army said on Monday that Russia was preparing to storm the countrys capital.

The general staff of Ukraines armed forces said Russian troops were beginning to accumulate resources for the storming of Kyiv after they had failed to seize the capital for more than a week after the full-scale invasion was launched.
Two weeks after abruptly resigning from office, former state Sen. Thomas Cullerton pleaded guilty Tuesday in a federal embezzlement case alleging he took a do-nothing job with the Teamsters union.

Cullerton, 52, a Democrat from Villa Park, was charged in 2019 in an indictment alleging he pocketed more than a quarter of a million dollars in salary and benefits from the Teamsters union despite doing little or no work.

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His trial had been scheduled for April. But Cullerton instead resigned from office on Feb. 23, hours before his attorney notified U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman that theyd reached a plea deal with prosecutors.

Cullerton pleaded guilty in a telephone hearing Tuesday to one count of embezzlement. He faces up to 18 months in prison under preliminary sentencing guidelines and has agreed to pay back about $250,000 in ill-gotten gains to the Teamsters.

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Before he entered his guilty plea, Cullerton told the judge hes been working part time for the past few months as an overnight shift worker at a warehouse.

I think I know the answer to this question, but before that, were you employed? Gettleman asked.

Yes, your honor, Cullerton answered. Illinois state senator.

Gettleman set sentencing for June 21.

Cullerton was the fourth sitting member of the General Assembly within the last three years to be forced from office due to a federal criminal investigation. The others include state Sen. Martin Sandoval, Sen. Terry Link and Rep. Luis Arroyo. Several former members of the legislature are currently facing separate federal charges.

The indictment against Cullerton alleges 39 counts of embezzlement and one count each of conspiracy and making false statements.

According to the indictment, then-Teamsters boss John Coli conspired with Cullerton in 2013 to give the newly elected senator a do-nothing job with the clout-heavy union. Over the next three years, the two ignored complaints from supervisors when Cullerton failed to even show up for work, according to the charges.

In all, Cullerton was accused of fraudulently obtaining nearly $250,000 in salary, bonuses and other perks from the Teamsters between 2013 and 2016, including cellphone and vehicle allowances as well as health and pension contributions, Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu said.

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Cullerton used the payments to pay personal expenses, including his mortgage, utilities and groceries, according to his plea.

The charges against Cullerton came three days after Coli pleaded guilty to extortion charges and agreed to cooperate with federal authorities. According to his plea agreement, Coli extorted a total of $325,000 from Alex Pissios, president of Cinespace Chicago Film Studios on the West Side, by threatening a union work stoppage.

Colis sentencing has been delayed until after his cooperation against Cullerton was complete.

Cullerton, who previously was village president of Villa Park, is a distant cousin of former Senate President John Cullerton. He was first elected to the state Senate in 2012.

He resigned on Feb. 23 via a letter sent to Tim Anderson, secretary of the Senate, confirming his resignation from the body.

Senate President Don Harmon, an Oak Park Democrat, and Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie of Hawthorn Woods were copied on the letter, which consisted of only two sentences.

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This document shall serve as my letter of resignation as an Illinois State Senator, the letter read.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
BARCELONA, Spain  Two weeks ago, Maryna Bilokin was living comfortably in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Now, one [suitcase] and my daughter  thats my new life, she told Yahoo News at a protest more than 1,500 miles away at Plaza Catalunya where 1,000 people called for the implementation of a no-fly zone to protect Bilokins homeland from Russian planes.

Two weeks ago, Bilokins nail salon business in Kyiv was thriving and she lived in an apartment with her 18-year-old daughter, not far from her mother and aunt. That world collapsed on Feb. 24, when Russian forces rolled into her country, bombarding cities, airstrips, hospitals and orphanages.

After spending that night in a damp bomb shelter, Bilokin and her daughter decided to leave Ukraine behind. We had no choice, said Bilokin, although her mother and aunt refused to flee with them. She feared that staying in Kyiv meant that they would die. [We] choose life. They squeezed into a small automobile with three friends and two cats and headed for Poland. The bulk of the cramped, four-day journey was spent waiting in line to cross the border.

A residential block in Kyiv, Ukraine, hit by an early morning missile strike, Feb. 25, 2022. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Greeted by volunteers offering food, shelter and rides to other countries, she and her daughter decided to make their way to Spain, a country theyd visited once before and where more than 112,000 Ukrainians were residents before Russias most recent invasion began. The next leg of the journey took a day and half.

Seven days after deciding to leave Kyiv, Bilokin and her daughter finally arrived in Barcelona. They were among the first of what Migration Minister Jose Luis Escriva said will be a significant volume of refugees heading to Spain, with 6,000 or more believed currently en route.

Relatively speaking, Bilokin and her daughter were lucky: All it took was a call to the Ukrainian Embassy for them to find a family to stay with. Bilokin regards the Barcelona family who took them in giving them food, shelter and clothes as a gift from God and she said shes happy not to hear the sound of bombs, but she cant relax knowing her mother and aunt remain in Ukraine. I cry every time I watch the news.

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At least 2,000 civilians have been killed so far, and Bilokin and her daughter are two of an estimated 1.7 million Ukrainians who have fled the country.

Ukrainian refugees arrive at a border crossing in Romania, March 7, 2022. (Andreea Campeanu/Getty Images)

Josep Borrell, high representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, on Monday warned that the 27-member bloc needed to rapidly prepare for an influx of some 5 million Ukrainians; other estimates have put the likely number of refugees at twice that. And while many of those fleeing are currently in neighboring countries, particularly Poland, hundreds of thousands are likely heading to Western Europe, which thus far has been welcoming them with open arms.

Ukraine is one of us and we want them in the European Union, said EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen during a recent appearance on CNN.

How many refugees have already arrived in Spain is unclear  those driven in by volunteers in Poland began arriving late last week in Barcelona, and busloads of Ukrainians, offered free transport by Spanish NGOs began arriving this weekend in cities such as Valencia.

As the regional governments in Madrid, Barcelona and Alicante scramble to establish official refugee reception centers and to reserve hotel beds for new arrivals, hundreds if not thousands of Ukrainians have already set themselves up in Spain, renting short-term apartments or staying with friends since mid-February or earlier. This group is mostly comprised of young urban Kyivians in their 20s and 30s, some of whom hold IT jobs with international firms who urged them to leave Ukraine weeks ago. And while many of the refugees who got an early start are relieved to be out of a war zone, many struggle with depression.

Ukrainian refugee Ira Luzina. (Melissa Rossi/Yahoo! News)

We are in shock, Nastia Makarova told Yahoo News Saturday as she sat at a pizzeria with her Ukrainian colleagues near the beach in Alicante in southeast Spain. Its hard to talk about what is happening.

We didnt expect this, added Makarovas colleague Svitlana Tymenko. The Americans warned about it, but we didnt believe it.

Both women traveled to Spain at the urging of their employer. The government here recently announced that in addition to free transportation on all national trains, Ukrainians can stay, work and have health care in the country for at least one year, though it may be extended to three years depending on pending EU legislation.

But not all of the new arrivals feel assured about a future in Spain. We dont know what our status is  how long we can stay, if we can work here and have health insurance, Artur Kandur said.

Still, Makarova and her colleagues are constantly reminded of how good they have it compared to many Ukrainians.

We have money, we have jobs, we have places to stay, we have food, she said. A lot of Ukrainians cant leave  they dont have money, they dont have remote jobs, they dont have relatives in other countries, they have nowhere to go.

Makarovas grandfather, whose wife died two weeks ago, cant walk. So, my family, they are staying in Ukraine to help him, she said, her eyes brimming with tears.

Kandur is upset because he has friends and family in the hard-hit port city of Mariupol, on the Sea of Azov, where the internet, electricity, water, heat and phones have been cut off for a week. I dont know how they are, he said. We cant communicate.

Theres a lot of guilt that we didnt experience the true nightmares of war, Anton, a talent agent who plans to reside in Spain until the war lets up, told Yahoo News. The situation is further complicated, because men arent allowed to leave Ukraine now. Some who escaped before the invasion began are considering returning to fight. Many, however, are figuring out how to fight for Ukrainians from outside of the country.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the largest in Europe, after it was attacked by Russian forces early on March 4, Enerhodar, Ukraine. (Press Service of National Nuclear Energy Generation Company Energoatom via AP)

Like Anton, musician Ira Luzina, who flew to Barcelona at the end of January planning initially to return to Kyiv in early March, has been working to help friends and family find rides out of Ukraine or at least to the western part of the country, which has not yet been pummeled by Russian forces. But nowhere in Ukraine feels safe anymore, she told Yahoo News. She is particularly worried that Russian forces have seized not only the radioactive remnant of the Chernobyl plant, but her southern hometown of Enerhodar, which holds Europes largest nuclear plant, the six-reactor Zaporizhzhia.

When Russian troops began attacking the Zaporizhzhia plant, I started writing emails to all nuclear and atomic energy societies and agencies and organizations around the globe, begging them to do something about the Russian threat, she said.

Of the 48 emails shes sent to official governmental agencies and NGOs, only the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has written back, saying they are closely tracking the situation and the NRC stands in solidarity with our counterparts in Ukraine.

Other Ukrainian refugees in Spain are raising money for Ukrainian fighters, even searching for ammunition for the army. Many are waging an information war  writing and telling people the reports theyre hearing from Ukraine, and pounding home the message that NATO and the U.S. need to enact a no-fly zone. That request has so far been denied over fears it would lead to World War III.

But as displaced Ukrainians wage information and persuasion battles, they long for the day that the war that Russia inflicted upon their country will be over. Even though shes fond of Barcelona, Luzina is waiting for the moment when she can return home. I will fly back to Kyiv and help to restore it, she said.

What happened this week in Ukraine? Check out this explainer from Yahoo Immersive to find out.
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's plans to demolish a building that was once part of Columbia Hospital are on hold following a Monday ruling by the Historic Preservation Commission.

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's plans to demolish a century-old building that was once part of Columbia Hospital are on hold.

The city Historic Preservation Commission on Monday granted temporary historic designation for the building, 3321 N. Maryland Ave.

That unanimous vote halts demolition plans for up to 180 days as the commission considers granting permanent designation  a move that also needs Common Council approval.

Permanent designation would require UWM to obtain commission approval for any exterior work, including demolition.

Plans to raze the building, constructed in 1919, were first reported by the Journal Sentinel in January 2020.

University officials have said the building is in poor condition and would cost $100 million to $200 million to redevelop. That cost variance depends on whether it would be remodeled as classrooms and offices, or research labs

UWM has said the demolition would cost $6 million. That compares to $3 million in work, plus another $232,000 annually, to keep the building intact for possible future use.

Preservationists said the building is a valuable piece of cultural and architectural history.

It exemplifies "a new and modern type of hospital that was directed by science and research," according to a report to the commission by Carlen Hatala, a city historic preservation planner.

It is architecturally significant as an example of Georgian Revival design, the report said.

Also, it is the only Milwaukee building designed by Schmidt, Garden & Martin, a prominent Chicago architectural firm, said Hatala's report.

State officials began working in November 2019 on demolition plans, said Melissa Spadanuda, UWM associate vice chancellor for facilities, planning and management.

Permission to demolish it was granted in February 2020 by the bipartisan State Building Commission, she said.

"This was not an easy decision for us to make as an institution," Spadanuda told the commission.

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Preserving the building isn't feasible due to its poor condition, she said.

Also, UWM has an agreement with nearby residents to not use the building for student housing, Spadanuda said.

Ald. Nik Kovac, whose district includes the site, said it's frustrating that UWM wants to demolish it for green space, and not a new university facility.

"They're demolishing it just because they don't want to be bothered with maintaining it," he said.

UWM bought the former hospital complex in 2010 for $20.2 million. But it has lacked additional funding to redevelop most of the six-building complex, which includes much newer structures.

Preservationists said the building is not a lost cause.

They cited the conversion of Milwaukee's former Soldiers Home from a deteriorating, long-vacant building into apartments for veterans.

"This building can be saved and reused," said Jeremy Ebersole, Milwaukee Preservation Alliance executive director.

Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: UWM plans to demolish century-old former Columbia Hospital are on hold
WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden announced a ban on the U.S. import of all Russian energy products to target "the main artery of Russia's economy" in the latest effort to ratchet up sanctions over President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

"Russian oil will no longer be accepted at U.S. ports," the president said Tuesday at the White House. "We will not be part of subsidizing Putin's war."

Though Biden said the move would deal a "powerful blow to Putin's war machine," he warned the decision would be felt at home, where Americans see prices rising at the gas pump.

The president said he made the decision in consultation with European allies but they may not be in a position to join the ban. He said the United States is working closely with them to develop a "long-term strategy" to reduce their dependence on Russian energy.

The ban extends to purchases of Russian crude oil, certain petroleum products, liquefied natural gas and coal, a senior administration official said on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the action.

The official said the ban takes effect immediately but will allow a 45-day period to wind down purchases under contract.

Shortly after Bidens announcement, Britain announced it will phase out Russian oil imports by the end of the year. That will allow enough time for companies to adjust and consumers to be protected as alternative supplies are found, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement.

The United Kingdom imports 8% of its oil from Russia.

Lawrence Ward, an expert on national security law and trade at the international law firm Dorsey & Whitney, said Bidens move is quite possibly the last step that America can take to inflict harm on Russia without putting boots on the ground in Ukraine. U.S. and European allies had insulated Russian oil from the sweeping economic sanctions placed on Moscow, citing its effect on the global energy markets.

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The ban is expected to devastate the Russian economy, which relies on oil and gas production for more than 40% of the country's revenue.

"In the short term, you're going to see prices definitely go up," energy expert Gianna Bern said. "How much, it remains to be seen, and where and how the void gets filled."

Bern, a finance professor at the University of Notre Dames Mendoza College of Business and author of Investing in Energy," called the ban "the biggest opportunity to make a dent in" Russia's coffers.

"The oil and gas imports that have been coming into the United States needed to be addressed," she said.

Though Russia doesn't export much oil to the USA, Biden acknowledged the American cost. He pointed out the price of gas has gone up 75 cents since Putin began his military buildup at Ukraine's borders. Record-high inflation has also driven up gas prices.

"With this action, it is going to go up further. I'm going to do everything I can to minimize Putin's price hike at home," he said.

The president noted the United States, in coordination with partners, is releasing 60 million barrels of oil from joint reserves; the U.S. commitment is about half of that emergency sale.

A Quinnipiac poll released Monday found that 7 in 10 Americans support a ban on Russian oil, even if it means higher gas prices.

The White House faced mounting pressure in Congress to act on Russian energy. A bipartisan group of lawmakers said Monday it had reached a deal for a legislative path to ban the U.S. import of Russian energy products and suspend trade relations with Russia and Belarus.

Shell reacts: Shell will stop buying Russian oil, natural gas and donate to Ukraine relief efforts

US can ban imports more easily than Europe

Though the United States has closely coordinated with allies in imposing sanctions, it would be more difficult for European countries to ban imports because of their greater dependence on Russian oil and gas.

Russia, the world's third-largest producer of oil and second-largest producer of gas, supplies about 30% of Europe's oil and 40% of its natural gas.

Its going to be headache here. Make no mistake. Maybe more of a migraine, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, which monitors fuel supply and prices. Its not the end of the world for the U.S., but it would be much closer for Europe.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Monday that Europe cannot secure its energy supplies without imports from Russia. Finance Minister Mihaly Varga said Hungary would not support sanctions on Russian energy.

"I would look at it through a different prism than past coordinated efforts," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday when asked about the United States banning Russian oil.

Energy companies, including ExxonMobil and BP, have moved to sever ties with Russia, despite Western reluctance to cut off energy imports. Shell, which apologized for purchasing a cargo of Russia crude oil after the invasion, said it would shut down its operations in the country and no long purchase Russian oil.

Martin Bruinsma, 65, takes pictures of gas prices in Los Angeles. The price of regular gasoline broke $4 per gallon on average across the U.S. on Sunday for the first time since 2008.

Live updates on Ukraine: Civilian evacuation begins in Sumy as Ukraine warns refugees could be forced to Russia: Live updates

In 2021, the United States imported about 700,000 barrels per day of crude oil and petroleum from Russia, according to the White House. The Europeans imported about 4.5 million barrels per day of oil.

Russia accounts for about a third of Europes oil imports, Psaki said Monday.

Even before Bidens announcement, the stock market fell and energy prices jumped Monday as lawmakers and administration officials discussed imposing more sanctions.

How high will gas prices go? Why are gas prices rising so quickly? How high are they expected to get?

Record US gas prices

The Biden administration has released oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to ease prices.

The national average for a regular gallon of gas broke the record Tuesday. The average cost was $4.17, an increase of more than 50 cents from last week, according to AAA.

The administration has talked with large oil producers and suppliers around the world about how to mitigate the impact.

Psaki was pressed Monday about conversations administration officials had with oil-producing Venezuela, Iran and Saudi Arabia  countries accused of committing human rights abuses or other troublesome acts. She said discussions have been on a range of issues.

Its in everyones interest to reduce the impact on the global oil marketplace, she said.

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Monday that the administrations efforts to stop Russia should not be undercut by propping up Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The democratic aspirations of the Venezuelan people, much like the resolve and courage of the people of Ukraine, are worth much more than a few thousand barrels of oil, he said in a statement.

Bern said the United States could fill the gap by increasing imports from Canada and Mexico.

She said pump prices might not fall until the price of crude oil rises so much that the transportation sector and everyday drivers reduce their use in response, decreasing demand.

Were not there yet, she said, but I think it could happen.

De Haan said cutting off Russian oil could send record-high gas prices even higher.

Its difficult to parse out, but I think were headed to $4.50 per gallon, De Haan said. By the summer driving season, by the Memorial Day weekend, its really going to pinch Americans who are living check to check.

Higher prices could remain for months, rather than days or weeks, he warned, affecting all types of fuel, including gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.

If Russia cuts off oil supply to European allies in retaliation, that could affect U.S. consumers, Ward said.

Travel to Europe could become drastically more expensive, and COVID-19-related supply chain problems could be exacerbated as shipping costs rise.

Mixed reaction to the move against Russia

After the president's announcement, the head of the Republican National Committee attacked Biden over high gas prices without saying whether the GOP supports the import ban.

RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement that Bidens agenda is to blame for the pain at the pump.

The American Petroleum Institute  which said it has started to unwind its relationship with Russia  backed the ban, as did the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Both said the United States should produce more oil and gas to lessen dependence on foreign energy sources.

Biden pushed back on the argument that the administration holds back domestic energy production. Biden said oil and gas production approach record levels.

Contributing: Bart Jansen

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine: US bans Russian energy imports
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican's Secretary of State told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in a phone call on Tuesday that the Holy See wants armed attacks in Ukraine to stop and humanitarian corridors to be guaranteed.

A Vatican statement said Cardinal Pietro Parolin also repeated the Vatican's willingness "to do anything" to help bring about peace.

(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Catherine Evans)
(This March 8 story changes description of Avanci from "patent pool" to "independent licensing marketplace" in paragraph 4)

BERLIN (Reuters) - Volkswagen Group has reached a patent agreement over 4G technology which could resolve its dispute with Taiwanese computer maker Acer, sources close to the German automaker said on Tuesday.

Acer in December filed a lawsuit in the U.S. state of Virginia against Volkswagen, German newspaper WirtschaftsWoche reported at the time, alleging that Volkswagen had infringed on its patents for 4G mobile chip technology in its cars.

The carmaker has paid for licences for 2G and 3G patents, but has been using 4G technology in its cars for the past two years without the appropriate licence, Acer claimed.

In order to settle the dispute, Volkswagen struck an agreement for 4G patents with independent licensing marketplace Avanci, which licences patents for cellular technologies from multiple owners at a fixed fee per vehicle, also used by Mercedes-Benz and BMW and Volkswagen's brands Porsche and Audi.

Acer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Victoria Waldersee; editing by Jason Neely)
By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's intelligence office was aware in advance about threats connected to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, but failed to warn other law enforcement offices until it was too late, the department's internal watchdog has found.

The new report from the DHS inspector general paints a critical picture of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A), which it says failed at least three times to disseminate intelligence about the storming of the building by then- President Donald Trump's supporters, who wanted to block Congress' certification of his November 2020 election defeat.

More than 140 police officers were assaulted, as were members of the media. One of the rioters, Ashli Babbitt, died after she was shot by Capitol Police as she climbed through a doorway.

Since the attack, more than 775 people have been criminally charged.

"In the weeks before the events at the U.S. Capitol, I&A identified specific open source threat information related to January 6 but did not issue any intelligence products about these threats until January 8," the report says, adding that some of the missteps came from "inexperienced collectors" who received "inadequate training".

In one example, a field office division tried to share intelligence suggesting the right-wing group the Proud Boys planned to shut down the Washington, D.C. water system at 11:29 a.m. on Jan. 6.

The former chairman of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, was charged on Tuesday, just a few hours after the inspector general's report was released, for conspiring with fellow members to block President Joe Biden's election victory from being certified by lawmakers.

Other cryptic messages uncovered by intelligence-gatherers included people who openly discussed sharing maps of the U.S. Capitol building.

"I found a map of all the exits and entrances to the Capitol building," one person wrote to another on Jan. 2, 2021. "I feel like people are actually going to try and hurt politicians. Jan 6th is gonna be crazy."

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In response to the report, John Cohen, a senior official with the Office of Intelligence and Analysis, said he concurred with the report's findings and recommendations, which call for additional training and more timely reporting on urgent open source threat intelligence.

As Secretary (Alejandro) Mayorkas has said, the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 was a violent assault on our democracy," a DHS spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that the DHS "has strengthened intelligence analysis, information sharing, and operational preparedness" since the attack.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; additional reporting by Ted Hesson; Editing by Alex Richardson and Grant McCool)
WeWork has four offices in Moscow, which CEO Sandeep Mathrani said bring in around $10 million in annual revenue. Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images, Robert Alexander/Getty Images

WeWork says it's leaving Russia, where it has four offices, because of the country's invasion of Ukraine.

The announcement came just a week after its CEO said it had no plans to close its offices there.

Other companies have been scrambling to cut ties with Russia.

WeWork says it's leaving Russia, just a week after its CEO said it had no plans to close its offices in the country despite Moscow's decision to invade Ukraine.

WeWork has four offices in Moscow which, CEO Sandeep Mathrani previously told Bloomberg, collectively bring in around $10 million in revenue a year.

In a statement released on Monday, WeWork said it was finalizing plans to divest from its Russian operations and had suspended its expansion plans in the country.

"We unequivocally condemn the unprovoked and unjust war that is bringing senseless devastation to the people of Ukraine," the coworking-space company said.

Companies have been scrambling to cut ties with Russia since it invaded Ukraine on February 24. Some have shut their Russian offices, closed stores, or ended online services or sales. Many are Western, like Spotify, Paypal, Disney, and the Big Four accounting firms, but TikTok, which is owned by Beijing company ByteDance, is limiting its operations in Russia, too.

The announcement represents a U-turn from when Mathrani told Bloomberg on February 28 that WeWork didn't plan on leaving the Russian market.

When asked whether WeWork would retreat from the Russian market, Mathrani had said: "I don't think so."

"We hope for a resolution of the conflict and hopefully we can continue to do business in Moscow," Mathrani continued. He added that WeWork performed "incredibly well" in Russia but that it was a "small part" of its business. As of late September, WeWork had more than 750 locations globally.

Adam Hug, director of the left-leaning UK think tank, The Foreign Policy Centre, told Insider that he expected more brands to retreat from Russia. The huge sanctions slapped on Russia include barring some international transactions, which will make it difficult for overseas firms to operate there.

"It's not worth people's reputational time to be involved in the Russian market right now and they'll have real trouble getting paid for stuff," Hug said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Legislation to make lynching a federal hate crime and prevent racist killers from evading justice was introduced more than 200 times but never once passed into law, according to Illinois U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush.

That path is clearer now that the Senate unanimously passed a bill Monday that criminalizes lynching and makes it punishable by up to 30 years in prison. The measure passed the House last month and now goes to President Joe Bidens desk.

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Who would have imagined that lynching, that was visited upon literally over 6,000 citizens of our nation, that lynching was not a federal crime until our present day, Rush told the Tribune on Tuesday. Were looking forward to a more perfect union.

The Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act, named for the Chicago teen and authored by Rush, states a crime can be prosecuted as a lynching when a conspiracy to commit a hate crime results in death or serious bodily injury. Emmett Till, the 14-year-old son of Mamie Till-Mobley, was murdered in Mississippi in 1955. The act first passed the House of Representatives in February 2020, but was blocked when Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., objected to clearing it by unanimous consent in the Senate.

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Rush reintroduced the act on the first day of the 117th Congress in January 2022. The previous text of the legislation set the maximum sentence at 10 years and made lynching a crime that could only be prosecuted under specific circumstances, such as if it took place while the victim was engaging in a federally protected activity such as voting.

Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., speaks during a news conference about the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 26, 2020. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP/AP)

Now, the act amends the United States Code to include a maximum sentence of 30 years for a perpetrator convicted under the anti-lynching act, in addition to any other federal criminal charges the perpetrators may face, and the legislation applies to a broader range of circumstances.

Thousands of Americans were lynched between 1865 and 1950, according to a 2020 report from the Equal Justice Initiative.

Rush, who is in communication with Tills remaining relatives, said they were very determined that the bill was going to pass and they did all they could, including praying that President Biden would be able to sign it.

Rush said the prayers have been answered. He wants to see if a formal ceremony can take place to honor the measure. Rush, who will leave his office after this term, doesnt see this as a feather in his cap, but he does see it as a victory for the American people  for Black Americans specifically.

When the Till act was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2020, a boyhood friend of Tills said the law refreshed our memory of what our history looks like, placing value on history, so we dont repeat it.

That was before the Department of Justices Civil Rights Division and the U.S. attorneys office for the Northern District of Mississippi closed their investigation of the Till case in December 2020 after Carolyn Bryant, now Carolyn Donham, the wife of one of the confessed murderers and a witness to events leading up to Tills murder, alleged recantation of events in a 2017 book by Timothy Tyson titled The Blood of Emmett Till.

Per a DOJ statement, the governments re-investigation found no new evidence suggesting any living person was involved in Tills abduction and murder. Tills remaining relatives said the findings came as no surprise.

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Two white men, Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Milam, were tried on murder charges about a month after Till was killed, but an all-white Mississippi jury acquitted them. The trial is the basis of a recent immersive stage adaptation of the 1955 trial transcript performed by Collaboraction, Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till.

WMAQ-Ch. 5. news anchor Marion Brooks found the transcript in her research on Till and wanted to get the information out. The play will also live on screen as part two of Brooks documentary on Till, The Lost Story of Emmett Till: The Universal Child.

Days after Till was killed for allegedly whistling at a white woman, his body was pulled from the Tallahatchie River, where it was tossed after being weighed down with a cotton gin fan. Months later, Bryant and Milam confessed to the killing in a paid interview with Look magazine. Bryant and Milam were not brought to trial again, and they are now both dead. Donham has been living in Raleigh, North Carolina.

G. Riley Mills and Willie Round, co-creators of the play, said the bill was a long time coming.

While were glad it was finally passed by Congress, its hard not to feel anger and disappointment at how long it took, Mills said. We salute Congressman Rush for his tireless efforts championing the cause for Emmett and Mamie.

Christopher Benson, an attorney, Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism associate professor, and co-author with Mamie Till-Mobley of Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime That Changed America, said people have to take encouragement from the new legislation.

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One hundred years and there never was agreement on a way forward to address this horror of racial violence, he said. Its a good start, but now we have to enforce it.

For the past four years, Benson has worked with the Till family. He said Tills family is highly supportive.

Whether this compensates for the lack of justice in Tills case is another matter, he said. We have to ask, what does justice require? Justice would have meant that Emmett Till came home alive. So we can never truly experience justice in this case. We have sought some level of accountability from his killers and the government structure that enabled that lynching. Because the killers of Emmett Till believed that they could get away with the destruction of a Black body, because of the horrible system that exists in this country, particularly in Mississippi at the time.

Rush shares similar sentiments.

Its a victory for Emmett Till, his legacy, his family and the over 6,000 people who were lynched in our nation, all the way up to this moment, he said. This is really an intergenerational, historical victory.

drockett@chicagotribune.com
Ukraine has been asking NATO members Poland, Bulgaria, and Slovakia to donate their Soviet-era MiG-29 and Su fighter aircraft to Ukraine's air force since right after Russia invaded the country Feb. 24. All three countries seem cool to the idea.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told ABC News on Monday that he asked President Biden over the weekend for help protecting Ukrainian skies from Russian rockets, and if a no-fly zone is out, he is sure Biden can get NATO allies to donate their old Soviet jets. Biden's National Security Council staff spent much of the day Saturday trying to figure out a way to facilitate Poland's transfer of MiG-29s, The New York Times reports.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Moldova on Sunday that Poland has the "green light" to give its MiG-29s to Ukraine in return for new U.S. F-16s, which Poland's air force is transitioning to as it modernizes. "We are looking actively now at the question of airplanes that Poland can provide to Ukraine and looking at how we might be able to backfill should Poland decide to supply those planes," he said.

"As far as sending planes, I can only repeat that no decisions have been taken on the subject," Polish government spokesman Piotr Mueller said Sunday.

One of the primary concerns for Poland, Bulgaria, and Slovakia is that they don't draw retaliation from the Kremlin or draw NATO into a direct military conflict with Russia. So the MiGs couldn't be stored on NATO soil, and "it isn't clear if Ukraine would be able to safely house and service them in the long run, given the warfare on its territory," The Associated Press reports. "Another question to resolve would be how to deliver the planes to Ukraine," because Polish pilots can't fly them into the country and having Ukrainian pilots come pick them up would pose similar risks.

"There is also an F-16 production backlog, which means the countries that potentially give away their MiGs and Su fighters to Ukraine would need to wait for the backfill for some time," AP reports. To make things even "more complicated," the Times adds, "many of those fighters are promised to Taiwan  where the United States has greater strategic interests."

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"I can't speak to a timeline, but I can just tell you we're looking at it very, very actively," Blinken said Sunday.

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Madeline Chan, founder of Mad Roaster. (PHOTO: Madeline Chan)

By Darryl Goh

SINGAPORE  When Madeline Chan was a lawyer for refugees in Thailand, she was struck by how her clients struggled to meet their daily needs of money for food and rent. Although helping the refugees fight for asylum status was important, she felt that refugees also needed recurring income to get back on their feet.

Chan, who graduated from the London School of Economics, quit her corporate lawyer job in 2019 and moved moved to Bangkok to work with a legal clinic called Centre for Asylum Protection, which offers legal services to refugees passing through Thailand.

All I could give them in the arena of international law was declaratory judgments. Words on paper that had no tangible effect on their day-to-day life. This made me think that, for refugees at least, the solution might be outside the law, the 28-year-old said in a recent interview with Yahoo Finance Singapore.

Chan returned to Singapore in early 2020 and used used her savings to open Mad Roaster, a cafe which uses a novel approach to help refugees earn a living. Each product from the cafe is branded with a Mad Roaster logo sticker that is coloured by a refugee. For every sticker that is coloured, each refugee will earn 50 Singapore cents.

Chan is currently on no-pay leave at the law firm which she joined after she returned from Bangkok.

In coming up with the idea, Chan looked to selling consumables as they provided a more stable cash flow and are in higher daily demand than non-necessities such as embroidery, which are common products in existing refugee livelihood programs.

People buy a tote bag and dont need another for the next few months, which means the refugee artist behind that tote bag doesnt get work for another few months. But she still needs to eat. I needed to sell something as recurring as their needs, she said.

Mad Roaster first began as a hawker stall at Amoy Street Food Centre, with Chan selling western coffee and brioche toast. In 2021, when the food centre was closed for renovations, Mad Roaster opened an air-conditioned cafe outlet at Bukit Merah, with an expanded menu including cold brews and babka (sweet braided bread).

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On Mad Roasters social media pages, Chan occasionally posts updates on how refugees spend their money earnedone sat for an international English language exam last year and scored well. Refugee stories are also printed as stickers on coffee cups along with their names, to bring attention to their plight.

For refugees who are often overlooked and have few advocates, Chan hopes Mad Roasters business model can bring relief to themsome of whom have fought hard for survival.

Theyve already fought so hard to get to that point (of safety) and I wanted to be able to say, Hey, its cool. Now Ill fight for you, she said.

1. What inspired you to pivot from being a lawyer to a cafe owner?

I think lawyers are essentially problem-solvers. While practising refugee law, my clients would come to me desperate for food, rent or money to buy medicine for their sick children.

Hearing my clients constant pleas for help made me realise that rent is a recurring expense, food is a recurring need, but kindness and charity can only last so long. If I could create livelihoods for refugees, they could meet their recurring needs themselves.

Having worked in the CBD myself, I knew how often people drink coffee here. If I could integrate refugee art into a daily consumable, then as long as people drink coffee, they would inadvertently be buying refugee art and supporting the livelihoods of refugee artists.

Once I came upon the idea, I guess I was just stubborn enough to see it through.

2. What drew you to helping the refugee communities in Thailand?

Refugees go through terrible things in their homeland. They leave with their bones broken, the women violated, their land burned to nothing. They go through the hardest journeys to get somewhere safe. And when they finally get somewhere safe, when they finally think they can breathe for a little bit, no one believes what has happened to them, no one cares or wants them in their country.

I think mentally, anyone would get a bit tired at that point. Theyve already fought so hard to get to that point, I wanted to be able to say, Hey, its cool. Now Ill fight for you.

3. What were the reactions from your family or friends when you decided to make the change?

I think my family and friends were initially sceptical. They wanted to be supportive, but they also knew the realities of starting a business. And they were not wrong. It has been a hard journey; it continues to be.

I think some good advice that helped me was to be stubborn about your goal, and flexible about your methods. I had to take a lot of feedback and criticism, but it didnt change my goal, I just tried to use them to better my methods.

4. What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs?

See a need, fill a need - especially if you can relate to the need, or if you've seen how great the need is in real life. It might not help you be successful in business, but it will help you be purposeful in business.

5. What are your future plans for Mad Roaster?

I hope we can improve sales at our two outlets  Amoy Street Food Centre and Depot Road. The goal will always be to maintain recurring and sustainable livelihoods for the refugees in our program. If were not selling enough cups of coffee, if our food offerings arent selling enough to help cover the cost of operations, then we cant do that.

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore
Firefighters are now battling three wildfires in the Florida Panhandle: a fire that started Friday on the east side of Panama City known as the Adkins Avenue Fire, a massive blaze called the Bertha Swamp Road Fire that crept into Bay County on Saturday afternoon and swelled to cover over 28,000 acres by Tuesday, and a third blaze that popped up south of Tram Road and west of Star Avenue.

Some mandatory evacuation orders were lifted Monday for homes in the areas of the Adkins Avenue and Star Avenue fires.

#ChipolaComplex WILDFIRE UPDATE At this time the Bertha Swamp Rd Fire is 28,109 acres and 10% contained. The Adkins Rd Fire is 875 acres and is 50% contained. The Star Rd fire is 250 acres and is 60% contained. pic.twitter.com/31lMARm2S8  FFS Chipola (@FFS_Chipola) March 8, 2022

Veterans also have been allowed to return to Clifford Chester Sims State Veterans Nursing Home. Nearly 90 residents were evacuated to the Bay County Fairgrounds on Sunday due to the proximity of the Star Avenue Fire.

Evacuations are still in effect for the Bear Creek area due to the Bertha Swamp Road Fire, which grew significantly Monday to 13,000 acres before growing to 28,100 acres overnight.

The latest fire info: Bertha Swamp Road fire explodes to 28,100 acres, only 10% contained

Gov. Ron DeSantis made a second trip to Bay County on Sunday and said in a news conference that the Bertha Swamp Road Fire is "a big boy and is raging very quickly." He also confirmed that several first responders have been injured while tending to the fires.

DeSantis added that two Black Hawk helicopters and two Chinook helicopters with the U.S. National Guard have been deployed to help contain the fires.

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"There are currently 168 wildfires burning 15,300 acres throughout Florida," according to a Sunday news release from Florida Forest Service.

Here's what else we know about the three blazes burning in Bay County as of Tuesday:

Panama City fires Sunday updates: Third fire breaks out, Sims State Veterans Nursing Home evacuated

From Saturday: Adkins Avenue, Bertha Swamp fires force more evacuations; fairgrounds opened for evacuees

What started it all: Two homes destroyed, dozen more damaged in Adkins Road fire. Here's how it started

Where are the wildfires in Bay County and Panama City Florida area?

Can't see the satellite map? Click here.

Have there been any fatalities from the Florida Panhandle fires?

There were early reports of firefighters suffering injuries, but according to a Monday morning tweet from Bay County Emergency Services, there have been no fatalities and no injuries from the local wildfires. "All first responders are safe."

No civilian injuries have been reported as of Monday morning. "We haven't been notified of any," Bay County Emergency Services Chief Brad Monroe said in a WMBB 13 interview. "That is a possibility."

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, however, sent two mental health professionals to his hometown of Bay County to "ensure the mental health needs of fire teams is being properly met," according to a news release from his office Monday.

"Firefighters are currently battling wildfires on a number of front and the members of our fire service community are giving everything they have to put them out," Patronis said in the release.

What and where is the Bertha Swamp Fire?

The Bertha Swamp Road Fire crept into northern Bay County Saturday. By Tuesday morning it had surged to cover about 28,100 acres, doubling in size in 24 hours to become the largest ongoing wildfire in the state. The Florida Fire Service reports it as almost 10% contained. The fire continues to show extreme activity as steady winds push the fire through thick, dry, and dead trees and vegetation left behind from Hurricane Michael.

A strike team of heavy bulldozers is focusing on building firelines and defensible space around the communities near Bear Creek.

Mandatory evacuations remain in place for residents in and around the Bear Creek area south and east of US 231. Motorists and residents are encouraged to remain clear of the area.

The acreage of the Bertha Swamp Road Fire as of Monday evening.

While fire apparatuses and 17 bulldozers were working to contain the Bertha Swamp Road Fire on Sunday, more than a dozen tractors and structure protection units were also on the ground.

The Deer Point Lake Reservoir is closed to boaters from the Deer Point Dam to High Point Park.

Officials on Saturday said they were not aware of any damage in Bay County caused by the Bertha Swamp Road Fire.

Want to help? How to help victims of the Adkins Avenue and Bertha Swamp Road wildfires

What and where is the Adkins Avenue Fire?

The Adkins Avenue Fire, which covered about 1,400 acres in the Springfield and Panama City area on Saturday, was about 50% contained at 875 acres as of Tuesday morning, according to the Florida Fire Service.

As of Monday afternoon, the mandatory evacuation order for homes south of U.S. 231 to U.S. 98 and between Transmitter Road and Star Avenue has been lifted. Residents living in this area were allowed to return home after fire personnel deemed it safe.

But in a Monday evening press conference Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford said, we are not out of the woods yet."

MANDATORY EVACUATION ORDER LIFTED FOR FOLLOWING AREAS



Mandatory evacuation order for homes south of U.S. 231 to U.S. 98 & between Transmitter Rd. & Star Ave has been LIFTED. Fire personnel & law enforcement have deemed it safe for residents living in this area to return home. pic.twitter.com/IyDUNH2B34  Bay County FL EM (@BayCountyEM) March 7, 2022

The Adkins fire is no longer considered an immediate threat to home and structures, but Bay County EMS is urging residents to monitor fire conditions and local media.

Gov. DeSantis announced in a news conference on Sunday that the Adkins Avenue and Bertha Swamp Road fires have caused about 1,100 homes to be evacuated. This is about 100 more than Saturday.

Another home lost: Family had just rebuilt their home after Hurricane Michael. They lost it all again in Adkins fire

Heartbreak in 7 minutes: Wilkies watch their home go up in Adkins fire on security cams

DeSantis on Saturday declared a local state of emergency for Bay County in order to free up more resources for the state and local governments to deal with the fire and its aftermath.

Fire apparatuses and 25 bulldozers were working to contain the blaze Sunday, the Bay County EMS reported on its Facebook page.

At least eight homes were engulfed in the fire, two were confirmed destroyed and about a dozen more were reported damaged.

This map from the Florida Forest Service shows the acreage of the Adkins Avenue and Star Avenue wildfires as of Monday evening, Mar. 7, 2022.

What and where is the Star Avenue Fire?

The Florida Forest Service - Chipola announced Sunday afternoon via Twitter that a new active fire sprang up on Star Avenue. The fire grew from 40 acres to 250 acres as a result of high winds and dry weather conditions. The fire was 60% contained as of Tuesday morning, the Forest Service said.

Officials have warned residents should be alert and be prepared to evacuate if ordered.

Bay County Transit was assisting with the evacuation of the Sims State Veterans Nursing Home and there are seven bulldozers currently working to contain the blaze.

Watch: Aerial video shows just how close Star Avenue Fire came to veterans nursing home

The following road closures have been announced:

Tram Road from Highway 98 to Star Avenue

Star Avenue from Nehi Road to Pittsburgh Avenue

Tram Road from E. 15th to North Star Avenue

The Star Avenue Fire currently poses no threat to the Bay County Jail, according to Bay County Florida Emergency Services.

What is Chipola Complex?

Chipola Complex is the name the Florida Forest Service's Blue Incident Management team is using for the combined efforts to battle both the Adkins Avenue Fire and the Bertha Swamp Road Fire.

When two or more wildfires are burning close together, they are often called a "complex" and firefighters attack them under a unified command.

Will Bay County schools be closed Tuesday due to the fires?

Waller Elementary School will remain closed on Tuesday "due to that school's proximity to the smoke," Bay District Schools announced Monday afternoon in a news release. "All other schools will be open on a usual schedule."

"We do understand that many of our families, and some of our employees, have had to evacuate because of the fires, and we will continue to do all we can to connect them with the resources they need," the release says. "Our mental health teams at our schools are working hard to support our students and staff through this challenge."

Merritt Brown Middle School and Tommy Smith and Waller elementary schools were closed Monday as a result of the raging fires in Bay County.

Rain chances: Is potential relief in the forecast?

Heavy rain rolling in and strong winds dying down later in the week could be good news for those fighting Bay Countys wildfires, though it likely will be only a temporary reprieve.

National Weather Service meteorologist Cameron Young said that by Wednesday, a cold front will begin moving through the Panama City area, which will significantly increase the chances of rain to as high as 90% chance by Thursday.

We definitely have some much-needed rain in the forecast, he said. Were looking at between 3 and 5 inches over the next five to seven days.

Nathan Cobb and Ebonee Burrell of The News Herald and Florida digital producer Hannah Leyva also contributed to this report. Check back for more updates.

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Florida fires: Panama City-area Bertha Swamp Road, Adkins Avenue information
Attorney for the President, Rudy Giuliani speaks to the media at a press conference held in the back parking lot of Four Seasons Total Landscaping on November 7, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Barr called Rudy Giuliani's Four Seasons Total Landscaping press event "a grotesque embarrassment."

Giuliani, Trump's former lawyer, promoted baseless election fraud claims at the event.

Barr detailed his thoughts around the 2020 election in his new memoir released Tuesday.

Former Attorney General William Barr wrote in his new memoir that the infamous November 2020 press conference hosted by President Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani in the parking lot of a small company called Four Seasons Total Landscaping was "a grotesque embarrassment."

Barr shared his thoughts on the failed efforts by Trump's legal team to challenge the 2020 election results in his new book, "One Damn Thing After Another," released on Tuesday.

"His legal team had a difficult case to make, and they made it as badly and unprofessionally as I could have imagined," Barr wrote, pointing to the "bizarre" Four Seasons Total Landscaping press conference on November 7 and the November 19 press event "in which mascara appeared to drip from" Giuliani's sideburns.

"It was all a grotesque embarrassment," Barr added.

Four days after the 2020 presidential election, Giuliani promoted baseless voter fraud claims during a press conference at Four Seasons Total Landscaping, a small landscaping business in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Yet Giuliani's claims were drowned out by critics mocking the event venue, theorizing that Trump's legal team mistakenly booked the landscaping business instead of the luxury Four Seasons hotel.

"A gap soon developed between what Giuliani and his team were saying in public and what they were telling courts. In public, they aired sweeping but unsubstantiated assertions of voter fraud," Barr wrote. "But in their court papersas Giuliani frankly acknowledgedthey were not claiming fraud."

Indeed, as the press briefing took place, major news networks projected then-Democratic nominee Joe Biden as the winner of the election, prompting an outcry from Giuliani.

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"The call for Joe Biden isn't, isn't  who was it called by?" Giuliani asked. A reporter replied that "all" the major cable news networks had announced that Biden was the expected winner.

"All of them! Oh my goodness! Wow, all the networks! We have to forget about the law, judges don't count!" Giuliani responded sarcastically, throwing his arms in the air.

Giuliani and other members of Trump's legal team continued to pursue efforts to overturn the results in several battleground states that Biden won, though they were unsuccessful. Federal, state, and local officials have repeatedly said there was no widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.

Barr made no secret of his disdain for Giuliani in his book, calling the former mayor "an unguided missile." The former AG described his frustration with how Giuliani tried to rope the Department of Justice into his schemes to pressure Ukraine to investigate Biden's son Hunter in 2019 and then to back Trump's false claims of massive fraud in the 2020 election.

"Rudy Giuliani saved New York City after 9/11 and should go down as probably the most consequential mayor of a big city in American history," Barr wrote. "But he will also go down as the man who helped President Trump get himself impeachednot once but, as it turned out, twice."

Read the original article on Business Insider
By David Lawder and Andrea Shalal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The World Bank said its executive board on Monday approved a $723 million package of loans and grants for Ukraine, providing desperately needed government budget support as the country battles a Russian invasion.

The package includes a $350 million loan supplement to a prior World Bank loan, augmented by about $139 million through guarantees from the Netherlands and Sweden, the bank said in a statement.

It also includes $134 million in grants from Britain, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania and Iceland as part of a trust fund that will continue to take in grant contributions on Ukraine's behalf. Japan is providing parallel financing of $100 million.

A World Bank spokesperson said the funds are expected to be transferred to Ukraine's government in the next few days.

The World Bank's budget support loans typically do not carry restrictions on how the funds can be spent, but the bank said the "fast-disbursing" support will help Ukraine's government provide critical services, pay hospital workers, fund pensions and continue social programs.

"The World Bank Group is taking quick action to support Ukraine and its people in the face of the violence and extreme disruption caused by the Russian invasion," World Bank President David Malpass said in a statement. "The World Bank Group stands with the people of Ukraine and the region. This is the first of many steps we are taking to help address the far-reaching human and economic impacts of this crisis."

The bank said it was continuing to work on another $3 billion package of support for Ukraine in coming months and additional support for neighboring countries that are taking in Ukrainian refugees, now exceeding 1.7 million, mostly women, children and the elderly.

(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Kim Coghill and Cynthia Osterman)
New York officials have warned that the state is at an increased risk of Russian cyberattacks in retaliation for US sanctions of Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

City agents have reportedly seen an uptick in attempts to breach as tensions are rising as the Russian assault of Ukraine continues.

On Monday, New York Democratic US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand told reporters at NYPD headquarters that Russias military attack on Ukraines cities and buildings have happened in conjunction with cyberattacks waged on Ukraines critical infrastructure  from its banks, to departments of government.

And theres no guarantee that those attacks will be limited to Ukraine. Following the sanctions that the US and our allies have levied on Russia, theres an increased risk that Russia will carry out retaliatory cyberattacks, particularly against New York state infrastructure and individuals, she added.

NYPD officials have said that they havent found credible cybersecurity threats to the city as of yet, but that attempts have been made.

Ms Gillibrand met with Comptroller Brad Lander, New York City Chief Technology Officer Matthew Fraser, and NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller for a briefing on cybersecurity before speaking to the media.

We see threats pop up periodically, those specifically associated to this heightened sense weve seen an uptick, but were not aware of any campaign thats explicitly targeting the city itself, Mr Fraser said. We deter a significant number of threats per day  But as it stands right now, theres no compromise, or there havent been any compromises worth noting.

Mr Miller said New York City has been scanned thousands of times a day, millions of times a year, as a city entity.

We havent had any compromises, but it hasnt been for a lack of trying or a lack of a very well-built response, he added.

Mr Miller said the NYPD has been working with partners in the city for nine years to expand the citys security apparatus. He added that the threat level to New York City and its vital infrastructure is always high but that it has increased amid escalating tensions.

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The Russian state actor, when tensions rise, increases malicious cyberattacks for both tactical  to disable systems that may be running against them from an adversary  and strategic  to be able to put pressure on other entities, be they allies or people in their interest to disable, he said. So, we get that were in a heightened threat, and we have been gearing up for that heightened threat to come along from our normal high alert to ultra-high alert. And thats where we are.

The extent of Russias invasion of Ukraine (Press Association Images)

The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.
A Forest-based Christian organization is partnering with Ukrainian groups to help aid Ukrainian citizens seeking refuge from the Russian invasion.

World Help has teamed up with organizations in Ukraine to ensure refugees can have access to food and clothing in the midst of a war that has already uprooted over 1.7 million people as of Monday afternoon, according to the United Nations.

World Help, founded in 1991 by Vernon Brewer, provides humanitarian relief for people around the world. According to the organizations website, it has impacted more than 84 million people in 71 countries around the world.

On Monday, World Help President Noel Brewer Yeatts spoke with The News & Advance about what their partners are seeing on the front lines in Ukraine and at the border of Poland, as well as ways people in Central Virginia can help.

The stories that are coming are just so compelling and heartbreaking, Yeatts said.

One of the most touching stories she has heard was about a mother and her five children who were on the run seeking refuge from the war.

She left with her five kids and fled with her sister as well, and left her husband behind. Her husband is a pastor and he needed to stay to care for their church congregation, she said.

According to Yeatts, when the two women and five children arrived at the train station, they spent almost an entire day just on the platform, waiting for a train out of Ukraine.

When they finally got on the train, she said, they ... had to cram into a little section on the train meant for four people. After that, they were on the train for another 24 hours ... then they got to the border, which was another 22 hours before they got to cross the border.

Yeatts said that by the time the women and children met up with World Helps partners at the Poland border, the mother had to stay so strong for her family, and the trauma and exhaustion just caught up with her and she fell to pieces as we can all imagine.

But thats the beauty of what our partners are able to provide  they are there meeting them in that time, their darkest hour, to help meet some of those real needs.

Yeatts also told the story of another mother who had to escape bombings with her 13-year old daughter and had to live in a subway station for a week.

The picture is just heartbreaking and unbelievable ... she said in the subway station that at least her daughter couldnt hear the bombs as loud as they were because it had been so traumatic.

She also told the story of a refugee who showed up at a center with a seven-day old baby, which Yeatts says means that the woman delivered that baby in the midst of a crisis, and on the run.

Some of the biggest needs for refugees in Ukraine, and those already across the border into Poland, are clothing and food, which World Help is striving to provide.

Its still really cold there, its still snowing in parts, so that thermal clothing and food are two of the biggest needs, and we have a very practical way to meet those needs for so many people, Yeatts said.

The organization is imploring people to help now, as it doesnt know how long its team on the ground will be able to assist from the front lines.

I know people have heard about these humanitarian corridors that supposedly they are opening up and already Russia has seemed to violate that, so we dont know how long were going to have access to get supplies into Ukraine, Yeatts said.

On the nonprofit organizations website, worldhelp.net/ukraine, anybody can donate, which goes directly to helping people displaced by the war in the country.

According to Yeatts, one $35 donation can provide a weeks worth of food and water for a refugee. The website also shows they are trying to assist by providing shelter, blankets, Bibles, and more, in addition to the food and clothing.

We really believe, she said, that were called to love these people. My faith compels me to act that way. But our humanity should call us to love these people. Love doesnt sit on the sideline, love doesnt just watch the news and get overwhelmed, love doesnt just wring our hands, it extends our hands. Love does something.

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You can tell a lot about the strength of President Joe Bidens Supreme Court nominee by the weakness and shallowness of the political backlash against her.

When Biden announced on the campaign trail that he intended to nominate the first Black woman justice, everyone knew that conservatives would still control the Supreme Court, regardless of whom Biden picked.

Of the nine justices on the high court, six were appointed by a Republican president and three, including the retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, were appointed by Democrats.

And when Biden on Feb. 25 named Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals to replace Breyer, for whom she used to be a clerk, there was little question that the double graduate of Harvard and former editor of the Harvard Law Review was, at the very least, qualified.

Yet, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell took out his shovel that day and proceeded to dig up what sounded like dirt.

I understand Judge Jackson was the favored choice of far-left, dark-money groups that have spent years attacking the legitimacy and structure of the Court itself, he said in a statement.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat and member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, argued in his own statement, Even before this nominee was named, the right-wing donors who packed the Court under President Trump sought to disparage Justice Breyers replacement, alleging the same dark-money scheme that they, themselves, hatched and executed.

But even before Jacksons nomination was announced, a storm was brewing, aimed particularly at Bidens bold promise on the campaign trail to name the high courts first Black woman justice.

Bidens political sin was to violate a traditional bit of Washington etiquette in matters of race and gender: Pretend as though you havent made up your mind, even though you already have.

President Ronald Reagan, an iconic figure in Republican lore, similarly promised to name the first woman, who turned out to be Sandra Day OConnor. It was about time then, too.

Yet, Bidens similar promise to name a Black woman was called offensive and an insult to Black women, said Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in a podcast.

Why? Black women are what, 6% of the U.S. population? said Cruz. Hes saying to 94% of Americans, I dont give a damn about you, you are ineligible. 

Gee, I had no idea that the number of eligible Americans for the Supreme Court was so high. Cruz appears to subscribe to the zero-sum game that paints even a modest advance for racial or gender diversity as a loss for white people, particularly white men. Americans, at our best, are supposed to be more optimistic than that.

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine told The New York Times: The idea that race and gender should be the No. 1 and No. 2 criteria is not as it should be.

But she also acknowledged that there are many qualified Black women for this post and given that Democrats, regrettably, have had some success in trying to paint Republicans as anti-Black, it may make it more difficult to reject a Black jurist.

Not much more difficult, judging by the right-wing rhetoric that already has been raised.

Cant we all get along? Supreme Court confirmations have been battles waged by both parties at least since President Reagans 1987 nomination of the formidable conservative Robert Bork. His confirmation fight was so ferocious it led to a new word in dictionaries, borking, for obstruction by systematic defaming or vilification.

But I think Judge Jackson will do well in her hearings if she keeps the thick skin she described to a Black student group at the University of Chicago in 2020.

As a professional of color, she said, there will inevitably be times when you will feel singled out, challenged, questioned, undervalued and misinterpreted, and you will very much want to call out or cancel people who say and do discriminatory things.

But doing so takes time and effort, she continued, and if we are going to get to where we belong ... we cant keep stopping and fretting over random ridiculousness!

Right on. Even when the ridiculousness comes from our nations highest officeholders.

Pages column is provided by Tribune Content Agency.
A sign for the new Go Green on Racine Fresh Market is seen on March 7, 2022, in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago. The Inner-City Muslim Action Network "will launch its unique corner store model on the South Side. The new Go Green Community Fresh Market is an alternative business model that focuses on economic investment in Black neighborhoods, health equity through access to fresh food and racial justice through ongoing community partnerships." (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)

Corie Luckett grew up in the Englewood neighborhood  walking distance from the newly opened Go Green Community Fresh Market (1208 W. 63rd St.). Luckett recalls having to walk to a bus stop every day in the 90s and seeing nothing in that area. But now Fresh Market is there to provide fresh produce, meat and groceries in the Englewood corridor of 63rd Street and Racine Avenue.

You would normally have to either go all the way to Halsted or all the way to Ashland to get those things, Luckett said. People can come in and not have any issues or worries about having to travel too far; just thinking about those that have children, being able to get a box of cereal or some milk and not have to go to the gas station and pay (for) an overpriced version of it when you could come to a grocery store that is dedicated to that  thats very important for the community.

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The Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN), a nonprofit, community-led organization, opened its Go Green Community Fresh Market on March 8 as a part of the Go Green On Racine project, a multi-development plan built off of years of neighborhood quality-of-life plans fused into one idea. Green on Racine is meant to revitalize the local economy, increase local resources, and enhance the overall quality of life for local residents. The Racine project is a partnership between IMAN and other grassroots organizations like Teamwork Englewood, Resident Association of Greater Englewood, and E.G. Woode.

Twenty-five years in the making, according to Alia Bilal, IMANs deputy executive director, the Fresh Market is a re-imagined model of the traditional neighborhood corner store that is centered on health, wellness and healing with its inventory of fresh produce, vegan and gluten-free foods. Urban farmers, local food vendors and entrepreneurs can sell their products through the market on the ground level while residents can attend wellness classes on the second story. Bilal and Sana Syed, IMANs senior director of strategic initiatives, said access to healthy food through the Fresh Market is part of a vision that will strengthen the 63rd Street corridor and serve as an anchor in the ecosystem of future developments in the Englewood area.

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The Fresh Market operates in cooperation with IMANs Food & Wellness Center food pantry located across the street from the Fresh Market at 1210-1218 W. 63rd St. Bilal said together the resources will ensure Englewood residents have access to nutritious food, regardless of income.

What we have come to realize is that peoples experiences is vast and many people that need to go to a food pantry, its not like they dont have some funds, they are spending those funds somewhere, Bilal said. Theyre just not spending them where they are because they cant find what they need where they are. We want to be able to leverage the $55 million of grocery funds that are leaving Englewood every year to other peoples neighborhoods so that they can get what they need at the Food and Wellness Center, or they can get what they need here at the Fresh Market.

The Fresh Market is a $5 million project, 54% of it funded by philanthropic giving (the rest is a mixture of grants and loans), Syed said. The concept grew out of IMANs Corner Store Campaign, an initiative that organized South Side corner store owners and community members to commit to improving healthy food access. IMANs campaign and work in the Englewood community helped to foster racial healing among immigrant owners and Black residents, and established an alternative corner store business model that promoted more equitable business practices.

Bilal said having a holistic integrative model that considers the fact that food insecurity is not disconnected from housing insecurity and failed educational systems is necessary. Syed said the Fresh Market will serve as a cultural hub, will feature a robust rewards program for shoppers and house a community bulletin board. Syed said the site already has the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT), an electronic system that allows a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participant to pay for food using benefits, in place. Syed said the site will also serve as a platform for local food entrepreneurs and artists to feature/sell their work. Forty local vendors are connected with the space.

We want to lift up the people that are doing good things in the community; really elevate the people and the projects and the efforts that are taking place in the community here, Syed said. People would often say corner store operators because their spaces were smaller, there was the excuse that they cant carry the things that the household needs because of that small space, but were a 3,700-square-foot market and our inventory is like a typical grocery store. We tried to keep everything a household would need on a weekly basis, but we dont have three different types of coconut milks; we might have one or two different types of coconut milk.

Nine people have been hired to work at the Fresh Market, with another position waiting to be filled.

Were intentional about the health and wellness segment of this, Syed said. Englewood is in the top quartile of heart disease and diabetes related hospitalizations in the city. The Englewood quality of life plan has identified nutrition as the primary contributor to that. For us to make accessible healthy foods that are affordable  thats something were going really hard on. Were a holistic model; we have a federally qualified health center so, for us to have patrons come in, we want to create easy referral systems within our health center, so we cannot only provide people nutritious foods, but begin to help them improve their health outcomes.

Syed said there are 6,000 residents for whom the Fresh Market will be the only store they can walk to. Shes hoping the area will benefit from the ripple effects these types of developments create. She said when construction was being completed, a shop across the street from the Fresh Market started to step up their game, aesthetically.

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We welcome that. We want to see that happen, Syed said about the Fresh Market project. Meeting people where theyre at now and building capacity, building purchasing power and keeping the vision and the dream alive  the community believed that this was going to happen. When all these things have happened and there has been so much consistent disinvestment, we do need to invest wholeheartedly and generously to revive what should have always been there, or what was lost.

Bilal said its important when communities are thinking about how they can do these kinds of things for themselves, its never been enough just to have a service or a thing that you do. In order to foster health, wellness, and healing in the inner city, one has to understand that it takes years and more than just a couple of policies to tear down a neighborhood. Given the sustained assault on Black and brown neighborhoods in a city like Chicago, the approach is going to take an equal amount of effort and time and money, resources to build things back up or to build things to a place that they have never had the opportunity to be in the past.

For us to be able to get to this point, it took having to really focus, to deep dive on the health and wellness aspects of things, the deep dive on the racial tensions, and the kind of racial healing that needed to happen between these Arab-owned corner stores and the predominantly Black neighborhoods that they were situated in, Bilal said. It took time to build the health center and the behavioral health components that connect to each other. We have been focused for the last 25 years on building a model that can be replicable in cities across the country. But in order to do that, I think it takes a community to really understand how holistic that model needs to be in order to make a really successful venture.

Luckett is excited to see some progress. With the Fresh Market in place, Luckett is excited to see what other improvements will be made in the area.

Its truly a breath of fresh air ... makes a very big difference in the community that has been so forgotten, he said. We definitely want to see our community respected as one that takes care of our community. This is music to all of our ears, but its also an opportunity for the community to eat fresh. When you hear about Englewood, you hear negativity, and you dont get to necessarily hear the story about the great things that happen  the Fresh Market is something thats coming from greatness.

More information about the Go Green Community Fresh Market can be found at gogreenonracine.org.

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drockett@chicagotribune.com
Date-rape assaults involving the illicit administration of drugs are on the increase.

In typical cases, a man invites women out to eat or drink, laces their drink with a soporific drug, then sexually abuses them while they are unconscious or unable to resist.

Some victims are unaware they have been assaulted due to the effects of the drug on the memory.

Police are urging people to get in touch if they suspect they may be a victim of this type of crime, as it is possible to detect drugs via hair analysis, among other methods, long after an incident has occurred.

According to the National Police Agency, police registered 60 cases of date rape involving sleep-inducing drugs in 2020.

Yet this number is suspected to be the tip of the iceberg, as some victims do not know they have been assaulted or are hesitant to file a police report due to having hazy memories of the event.

Drugs used for the purpose of sexual assault are known as date-rape drugs. Drinking alcohol can intensify the effects of such drugs and cause confusion. The drugs can also cause temporary amnesia.
Heres a gloomy proposition: Eventually, a nuclear exchange is inevitable.

The atomic genie was released from the bottle at Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945. The city was destroyed, and more than 200,000 civilians were killed, instantly or within a few days, or years later from the effects of radiation.

But the world was not as horrified as we might now imagine. Many were simply relieved that World War II was finally over, and the ghastly carnage at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was quietly folded into the suffering and deaths of millions during the war.

Some, however, recognized that the atomic bomb represented a new order of violence. President Harry Truman called the bomb destructive beyond anything we have ever had.  So we have got to treat this differently from rifles and cannon and ordinary things like that.

Nevertheless, as the Cold War developed in the late 1940s, prominent Americans talked openly about using nuclear weapons against the Soviet Union, and in the early 1950s, Truman declined to take the atomic bomb off the table during the Korean War.

Fortunately, nobody pulled the trigger. Books such as Hiroshima, John Herseys vivid account of the devastation of Aug. 6, fostered a better understanding of the horror of nuclear weapons. And in October 1962, the world was scared straight by the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. came dangerously close to a nuclear exchange.

Thus began three decades of an uneasy nuclear standoff between the two most powerful players, as well as the lesser nuclear powers. Mutually assured destruction  MAD  kept the stopper in the nuclear bottle. And after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, we sort of forgot about the bottle.

Now the threat is back. Russian President Vladimir Putin has not been subtle. He warned other nations against interfering in his brutal, unprovoked attack on Ukraine by threatening such consequences as you have never before experienced in your history.

Lest anyone misunderstand, on Feb. 27 Putin put his nuclear forces on high alert. Its difficult to see why the current level of nuclear tension doesnt approach that of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Unfortunately, humankind is not through with war. Any hopes left over from the 1960s that someday we might evolve beyond the instinct to fight  Suppose they gave a war and nobody came  have been entirely repudiated by the belligerent decades since.

Further, we have never invented a weapon that we have declined to use. We have tried to outlaw some of the most brutal and inhumane weapons  poison gas, biological agents, napalm and even nuclear weapons  but weve never succeeded. Putin is reportedly using cluster bombs in Ukraine.

No, if we create a weapon, sooner or later, we will use it. Nothing indicates that we will make any special exception for nuclear weapons.

Mutually assured destruction depends heavily on the premise that rational leaders will step away from the brink of the nuclear abyss in the interests of their countries and the survival of the world. The flaw in this questionable theory was the possibility that control of nuclear weapons could fall into the hands of an insane leader.

Now the Ukraine crisis has raised the fear that Putin has become unstable and therefore more dangerous. Perhaps. But the distinction between a madman and a putatively rational leader who sees his interests in serious jeopardy is irrelevant. Truman, who ordered the attack on Hiroshima, was one of our most rational presidents. A nuclear war is as likely to be sparked by a desperate, cornered leader as by a madman. We cannot depend on Putins mental health to keep us safe from a nuclear exchange.

The war in Ukraine is a showdown between autocracy and a liberal free world. The outcome is much more likely to be determined by force than by diplomacy and sanctions. It would be wonderful if nuclear weapons could be removed from the calculus of force that will stop Putin. Unfortunately, history suggests otherwise.
Zach Chipman is here to help power the Council Bluffs community.

Chipman, 22, was born in Washington state, but his family moved around a lot during his fathers service in the U.S. Navy. They landed in Nebraska about 12 years ago, and hes been in the La Vista area ever since. He graduated from Papillion-La Vista South High School in 2018 and then went on to take a temporary labor job. He wanted to be an electrician, but his job at the time wouldnt let him advance in his career. He then joined a union, and hes been studying while working as an apprentice electrician for the past two years or so.

Chipman is on the residential team at PowerTech, a residential and commercial electrical and generator service company located in Council Bluffs. He can usually be found roughing in the conduit and feeding wire for new houses being built. Hes also runs power poles that power their jobs sites, and he braved the snow yesterday to keep things flowing for his crew. He said its been a great company to work for as he is learning more about his trade to advance in his career.

Its been great so far, he said. I feel like they really know how to treat their employees right. They give us the tools we need to succeed, and theyre very supportive if we need something.

Chipman said another thing he enjoys is giving back to the community. He said his crew enjoys working with Habitat for Humanity housing projects, and they also helped get downtown Council Bluffs shining bright this holiday season by running all the lights. He said its nice being able to help make the community look good.

Outside of work, Chipman said hes always looking for new experiences in life. He started playing guitar nearly two years ago, and hes been enjoying discovering new styles to play. He also likes keeping fit and often hits the gym in the morning before work.

 Joe Shearer
Council Bluffs public and private schools cancelled classes Monday, while others started late because of an inch or so of snow that fell on a layer of ice Sunday night. And more snow is possible later in the week.

Lewis Central Community School District is on spring break all week.

Around southwest Iowa, Missouri Valley, Logan-Magnolia and Red Oak Community School Districts closed for the day, while others started two hours late.

Students and staff will be wondering whether this will affect when the school year ends  especially since forecasts call for more snow Wednesday night into Thursday.

According to the National Weather Service, theres an 30% chance of snow on Wednesday, 80% chance Wednesday night and 80% chance on Thursday. Theres a 20% chance of snow Thursday night.

The snow chances begin to slowly increase Wednesday afternoon, but really get going Wednesday night, and linger through Thursday. Models today have perhaps come into better agreement on the track of the storm system, and have perhaps shifted just slightly south. The evening commute should be OK Wednesday with flurries mostly just beginning. The snow becomes moderate into the evening and overnight and will definitely have an impact on the morning commute Thursday with a few inches of snow on the ground at that point. Winds during the event will be from the northeast gusting up to 20 mph, so there could be a small chance of blowing an drifting, but it could certainly be worse, the weather service said in its forecast discussion.

Depending on the model, snow totals range from 2 to 6 inches to 1 to 8 inches expected for the area.

The snow will be spread out over a 24 hour period so that will help manage the impacts, despite what could be pretty messy commute Thursday morning, the weather service said.

The serviced added: Highs on Thursday will only reach the 20s. Wind chills for Friday morning could be in the -5 to -15 range, with even colder wind chills approaching -22 Friday night and Saturday morning.

Before that, expect a high around 49 today, with sunny skies to hopefully melt some of the snow and ice. Wind gusts up to 18 mph are possible. The evening low is around 22.

Burn ban lifted

Pottawattamie County Emergency Management announced Monday that a burn ban in effect since early February has been lifted.

The agency said open burning is now allowable throughout the county, except within municipal city limits where there is a standing ordinance prohibiting open burning on a regular basis.

Before burning, check with your local fire department or city clerk to determine whether your community has such an ordinance, the agency said in a release.

The agency encouraged residents to continue to use caution whenever burning, noting the recent rain and snow cover will provide temporary and likely short-term relief of dangerous fire conditions. The county is still significantly below precipitation averages, the agency said, and it wont take long for fuels to become extremely volatile under the right atmospheric conditions as we approach spring and planting season.

Heres a look at the upcoming forecast, according to the weather service:

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 49. South wind 7 to 13 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph.

Tuesday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 22. North wind 6 to 10 mph.

Wednesday: A 30% chance of snow after noon. Increasing clouds, with a high near 35. North northeast wind 7 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.

Wednesday night: Snow. Low around 16. North northeast wind 11 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Thursday: Snow, mainly before noon. High near 24. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Thursday night: A 20% chance of snow before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 6.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 24. Blustery.

Friday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 0.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 28.

Saturday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 18.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 49.

Sunday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 30.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 50.

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When all else fails, conversation wise, we turn to the weather.

Its definitely been a popular topic of conversation lately, with fools spring bringing temps in the 60s or higher lately, tempered by cold snaps and snow, of course (with more likely on the way later this week).

As the Nonpareil continues to work to deliver news and information relevant to our readers, weve expanded our weather offerings. Through our parent company Lee Enterprises, we will will now deliver forecast videos Monday through Friday at NonpareilOnline.com, on our Facebook page and through email alerts.

Were happy to have meteorologist Matt Holiner on the team. Holiner is a veteran meteorologist who joined the Lee local news teams in late 2021. He most recently worked as a television broadcast meteorologist for ABC in the Rio Grande valley in Texas.

Hell provide weekday forecasts that encompass the expected weather for those specific days, and his Friday forecast will include a look ahead at the weekend. Holiner and the weather team will use the latest technology from the IBM subsidiary Weather Company, blending proprietary digital and graphic technology to provide a weather forecast relevant to our region. This is the same software that powers the Weather Channel.

Look for forecasts to hit our website weekdays at 6:50 a.m. With our proximity to Omaha, our forecast will also include parts of Nebraska.

Additionally, Holiner will sometimes break in live on our website  via streaming video and through news articles  to address urgent weather news and patterns and how they affect our readers. And you can expect to see him weigh in on breaking weather news and patterns via columns and as a source of knowledge for the Nonpareil team.

Im excited to make this announcement. Were always looking to better our coverage and provide information that is useful in your daily life. The weather is important, and with the addition of Holiner to our team were excited to provide additional weather coverage to the area.

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A University of Nebraska-Lincoln student is spreading her passion for poetry as Nebraska's first ever youth poet laureate.

Jingming "Mimi" Yu, 18, first discovered she loved to write poetry in elementary school. Since then, her passion for it has grown into more than just a hobby.

The Lincoln East graduate was chosen to be the first Nebraska youth poet laureate last spring based on her creative success, civic and community engagement, social justice initiatives and leadership.

As the youth poet laureate, Yu commissions poems, displays her work and performs at public events.

Yu said she uses her personal life to drive her poetry and has found an emotional outlet through writing.

"I think creative writing in general is a thing to do when youre feeling emotional, which is really interesting" she said. "It helps you look back on your emotions and see something beautiful that came from them."

Yu primarily writes freestyle poems that focus on stories of parents, grandparents and other relationships she has.

Her work can be viewed at Parrish Studios in Lincoln during their First Friday events.

As a freshman sociology major on the pre-law track, it has been harder for Yu to find time to write, but the youth poet laureate program has helped keep her passion alive.

"Because I am still at an age where I am discovering what I enjoy, I think it has helped me realize what I want and what my passions are," she said. Its definitely an experience that I am grateful for and Ive learned a lot through."

The Nebraska youth poet laureate program  run by the Nebraska Writers Collective  is part of Urban Word NYC's National Youth Poet Laureate initiative that promotes and honors creative students.

The program was kickstarted in Nebraska in 2020 after Urban Word NYC reached out to the Nebraska Writers Collective to see if they were interested in having a youth poet laureate.

"It was heartening and hugely affirming to receive that invitation from Urban Word NYC to join their network and reassured me that Nebraska youth poets are most certainly leaving their marks in a big way," said Gina Tranisi, program director at the Nebraska Writers Collective.

Students ages 13-19 can apply to become the next youth poet laureate between early February and late March of each year. Applicants will be considered by seven judges from across the state based on a poetry portfolio, resume and essay.

The youth poet laureate receives $3,000 total  $2,000 of which goes towards a civic engagement project they create  and will perform six public readings throughout their one-year term.

The program is meant to not only shine a spotlight on Nebraska's creative students, but also to find young artists who are talented and active in their communities.

"We say that this program is not just about finding good poets, but about finding good poets who are also doing good in their communities," Tranisi said. "It's about empowering, supporting and sustaining a young leader in the state of Nebraska who can envision a better state for themselves and for others."

Yu will pass on the role in April, when the next youth poet laureate is announced.

Reach the writer at jebbers@journalstar.com
Suppose Russia succeeds in toppling the Ukrainian government or seizing much of the country. Moscows slow start notwithstanding, this could well happen: The balance of combat power is likely to favor Russian President Vladimir Putin as the war rolls on. So what happens then?

One option being debated in Western policy circles is funneling arms, money and other support to a Ukrainian insurgency. The strategic case is compelling, but no one should kid themselves about the costs. Waging insurgency would be a frightful business for the Ukrainians doing the fighting, and supporting it would require the U.S. and its allies to brace themselves for escalation.

The Western allies would have several reasons to get behind a Ukrainian resistance. Doing so would help keep the idea of a sovereign, independent Ukraine alive, even after a Russian military victory. A foreign-backed insurgency could also keep Putins legions bogged down, so they cant quickly pivot to other adventures.

Not least, insurgency can be a powerful tool to impose costs. Sustained resistance could inflict serious casualties on Russian troops, bleed Moscows economic resources and fuel dissatisfaction with the war at home.

Perhaps an insurgency could eventually make an occupation so unprofitable that Russia undertakes a humiliating withdrawal. Even short of that, it would embroil Putin in a draining, persistent conflict.

The obvious parallel is Afghanistan, another case where poorly motivated Russian occupiers lost to determined defenders. The Soviet solider whose father fought heroically at Stalingrad does not have a cause in Afghanistan, but his opponent is fighting a holy war, wrote one U.S. intelligence analyst. A ferocious Afghan insurgency, sustained by foreign arms, training and money, eventually broke the Red Army  and helped finish off a terrible autocratic regime.

But a Ukrainian insurgency wouldnt be a feel-good replay of the film Charlie Wilsons War. The Afghan war was a nasty affair, which took a heavy human toll on the victors as well as the vanquished. Supporting an insurgency required creating a cross-border sanctuary in Pakistan and then withstanding the Soviet threats  and periodic military raids  that followed.

Moscow, unsurprisingly, didnt take kindly to a concerted effort, sponsored by its foremost enemy, to kill and maim its soldiers. Why would Putin tolerate something similar today?

Consider the practicalities. Weapons and other tangible support would first have to reach Ukraine. That country is progressively losing access to its coastline, so those supplies would have to come overland, from Europe.

This vital land bridge is operational right now, and Western countries are using it to rush in military supplies. If the government falls and an insurgency takes root, Ukrainian fighters would also need bases in Eastern Europe where they can train, equip and recuperate free from Russian military pressure.

But Russia, of course, would have every incentive to disrupt such a sanctuary, because history shows that it would be crucial to the fortunes of the insurgency. Moscow could mount military operations in Western Ukraine to interdict supplies and sever the land bridge. It could even strike insurgent bases and staging points in neighboring countries.

If Ukrainian insurgents  or sympathetic freedom fighters from other countries  conducted attacks and then fled into Poland, Romania or Slovakia, Putin might feel justified in following them across the border in hot pursuit. Or, perhaps, he might seek counter-leverage against his enemies by stirring up trouble in a vulnerable Baltic state.

Would the protection the North Atlantic Treaty Organization offers to its members discourage Putin from expanding the war into other countries? Maybe. But it doesnt take a vivid imagination to see how an insurgency in Ukraine could lead to a larger confrontation.

The price of bolstering Ukrainian resistance would thus be a far stronger NATO military posture in Eastern Europe to deter Moscow, as well as explicit guarantees that Washington would support sanctuary states in a crisis. This could create alliance-management challenges: While NATO is united now, it could be a different story if Ukrainian resistance and Russian reprisals created a continual threat of spillover and escalation.

No one should misunderstand what supporting an insurgency means. It means encouraging brave men and women to persist in an uphill fight, one in which Ukrainians would suffer terribly in the hope of eventually, perhaps over a period of years, making life miserable enough that a ruthless invader goes home.

It would be a high-stakes contest in resolve, pitting Russias willingness to crush resistance by any means necessary against Ukrainians willingness to accept death and repression rather than surrender. The initial romance of resistance would quickly give way to an ugly reality.

The consequences of not making Putin pay exorbitantly for his aggression could be uglier still, which is why Washington and its allies should  and probably will  help Ukraine prevent Russia from consolidating any military victory it achieves. But they shouldnt delude themselves about what this would involve, either for Ukraine or for the West.
The flight from Chicago to Connecticut isnt long, but it must have seemed like forever for the flight attendants stuck on board with a passenger who got belligerent when told no alcohol was available.

Even after they allowed him to inspect the beverage cart for confirmation, he continued to remove his face mask and berate the crew. In November, the Federal Aviation Administration fined this man $9,000 for his disruptive behavior. United could decide to ban him from ever flying on the airline again.

Case closed? Not if the government takes the bait being dangled by some airline executives and employees who want a new national no-fly list for travelers guilty of crossing them in the skies.

Led by Delta Air Lines Chief Executive Ed Bastian, a lobbying effort is underway for a comprehensive list of individuals whom the U.S. would ban from air travel, potentially forever.

On the surface, canceling passengers who disrupt flights has an undeniable allure. Who wouldnt enjoy seeing that loudmouth on the United flight banned from ever setting foot in an airport again?

Consider, though, the potential for unintended consequences. For nearly two decades, the federal government has maintained an official no-fly list aimed at grounding terrorists. Seemed reasonable, in the aftermath of 9/11.

In practice, the list uses vague and undisclosed criteria, and several years ago a federal judge declared its process for redress unconstitutional. The list reportedly is packed with Muslims of Arab, Middle Eastern and South Asian heritage, because, as everyone knows, especially after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, terrorists couldnt possibly be white and Christian.

Some allege abuses by law enforcement. A recent lawsuit accused the FBI of using the list to pressure a U.S. citizen of Lebanese descent into becoming an informant. For more than two years, Ahmad Chebli, a Michigan auto engineer, could not travel by air for his work, to see family and friends, or to fulfill his religious pilgrimage obligation. The feds took off his name shortly after the lawsuit was filed.

A new no-fly list would give the airlines a powerful tool for the same kind of overreach, racial profiling and violations of due process  reminding us of the Chicago Police Departments shamefully bloated and inaccurate database of alleged gang members.

These are the same airlines, remember, that periodically melt down, canceling flights while blaming the weather, air traffic control and illnesses among their crews, as opposed to taking responsibility for mechanical problems and unofficial work stoppages. They rely on byzantine conditions of carriage contracts to avoid giving nonelite customers richly deserved refunds and compensation, or rebooking stranded passengers onto rival airlines.

As for dealing with those who fail to comply with instructions from airline employees, the record is problematic. Dr. David Dao was booked and seated on a United flight at Chicago OHare International Airport when he was ordered off the plane to make room for an airline employee. The airline called in security officers who broke his nose and teeth while dragging him away.

Fortunately for the Kentucky physician, viral video of the 2017 incident made it obvious that United had blown it. The airline apologized, promised to change its ways and settled the lawsuit Dao filed. Not everyone who gets on the wrong side of a customer service agent or flight attendant receives such satisfaction.

At the same time, those front-line workers deserve our sympathy and support for the abuse heaped on them, which got worse during the pandemic. Thousands of incidents were reported to the FAA last year, as arguments with anti-mask hard-liners became depressingly routine. The same decline in civility that is showing up in many public settings has flown into the air as well.

We believe strong action is warranted, but that should not mean another federal no-fly list. Airlines already maintain lists of passengers they have decided to ban, which is their right as private businesses.

Deltas Bastian observes that, in some cases, those same passengers can evade a ban by flying on other carriers. Leave it to an airline CEO to overlook how passengers often have few options for getting to their destinations. The airline bans are powerful deterrents on their own, and the FAA can impose fines on top of them.

Further, the law already provides tough penalties for those convicted of serious crimes at airports and aboard aircraft. To the extent stronger enforcement is needed, the Justice Department is best equipped to bring cases while ensuring due process for the accused.

Heres another idea: restrict the booze. As almost every frequent flyer knows, some people cant resist celebrating the wonders of flight by drinking to excess and making everyone around them miserable.

Flight attendants can cut off drunk passengers any time, and they should. For those determined to tank up at airport bars, which should not be serving alcohol at breakfast time, check their boarding passes and make sure they are sober before they head down the jetway. Such simple steps could go a long way toward heading off trouble at the gate and on board, with no Big Brother list required.
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The surge of commodities prices and its impact on subsidized products augurs ill for the Moroccan economy which has to prepare for a deepening budget and trade deficits.

The price of oil has increased from an average of $70 per barrel to $120 while wheat prices tripled, smashing a record high of $375/t as the war in Ukraine chokes trade.

Morocco, a major African wheat and oil importer, expects its trade deficit to widen eating into its foreign currency reserves which cover near 7 months of imports.

The subsidies cost is set to implode as the country continues to control soft wheat and cooking gas oil.

Morocco has imported from Ukraine wheat, corn and plastic products for a total cost of 2.7 bln dirhams and has exported 677 million dirhams of fertilizers, cars and fisheries.

With Russia, the trade deficit was bigger. Morocco sold 654 million dirhams worth of citrus, fruits and sugar while it imported 13 billion dirhams, including mainly gas, gasoline, fuel oil and ammoniac.

Wheat traders say Morocco has wheat stockpiles covering five months of consumptions, other wheat importers urge the government to exceed five months in light of dim prospects for this years domestic wheat harvest.

Morocco suffered this year its worst drought in thirty years that has compromised the wheat harvest.

Amid the geopolitical tensions and its impact on prices in the global market, Morocco is expected to exceed the 16 billion dirhams that it has earmarked to support bread, cooking gas and sugar prices.
Russia, Ukraine end 3rd round of peace talks with no significant results

Xinhua) 08:09, March 08, 2022

Photo taken on March 7, 2022 shows a view of the third round of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations at the Belovezhskaya Pushcha. (Belta news agency via Xinhua)

MOSCOW/MINSK, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Russian and Ukrainian negotiators failed to achieve significant results during their third round of peace talks in Belarus on Monday.

"The discussions continued on political and military aspects. However, it remains difficult. It is too early to talk about something positive," Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, also the head of the Russian delegation, said following the talks.

Russian negotiators brought a large set of documents, including specific agreements, but the Ukrainian side could not sign them on the spot and took all these documents back home for study, he told reporters.

"To be honest, our expectations from the talks were not met. But we hope that next time we will be able to take a more significant step forward," Medinsky said after the meeting, which lasted nearly three hours at the Belovezhskaya Pushcha on the Belarus-Poland border.

Both sides addressed the issue of civilian evacuation, and the Ukrainian side assured Russia that the humanitarian corridors will start working on Tuesday, he said.

"There was some positive progress when it comes to improving the logistics of humanitarian corridors," Mykhailo Podoliak, advisor to the Head of the President's Office of Ukraine, tweeted after the negotiations.

"Today there were no results that would significantly improve the situation. Nevertheless, I emphasize once again that the consultations will continue," Podoliak said in a video message posted on Twitter.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
SPRINGFIELD  Candidates for state and federal offices and their supporters braved chilly temperatures and overnight snow flurries Monday to file their petitions for the June 28 primary, signaling the official start of the 2022 election season.

By the time the state Board of Elections opened the doors of its nondescript strip mall offices at 8 a.m., several hundred people were waiting, among them Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker and four of his five potential Republican opponents.

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Being first in line for the weeklong filing period gives candidates a chance to be in the lottery for the top ballot position in their race. Candidates who are in line in the closing minutes of the filing period next Monday take part in a lottery to appear last on the ballot.

Political lore holds that candidates whose names appear first or last in a crowded field might gain a slight advantage.

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The GOP candidates for governor who filed petitions Monday were Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, Bull Valley businessman Gary Rabine, state Sen. Darren Bailey of Xenia and former state Sen. Paul Schimpf of Waterloo.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker carries thousands of petitions as he arrives with Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton at the State of Illinois Board of Elections to file their campaign petitions in Springfield on March 7, 2022. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Not among the early filers was cryptocurrency venture capitalist Jesse Sullivan of Petersburg, who was the last announced GOP contender for governor to select a running mate  candidates for governor and lieutenant governor must run as a team. A Sullivan spokesman did not reply when asked if hes hoping to secure the last ballot spot next week.

Irvin filed as part of a slate of candidates for statewide office that is backed by Illinois wealthiest resident, billionaire Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel investments. Irvin, who has made limited media appearances since announcing his candidacy, took questions from reporters and made his case for taking the state back from Pritzker.

Under J.B. Pritzker, crime is out of control, taxes and wasteful spending is out of control, corruptions out of control, Irvin said.

Irvin has hewed to the Republican tough-on-crime message, emphasizing his time as a prosecutor even though he spent many more years in private practice, mostly as a criminal defense attorney. On Monday, he brushed off questions about why he has downplayed his time as a defense lawyer.

Theres a saying we have, once a prosecutor always a prosecutor, Irvin said.

I think voters are aware of my history. And I think what theyll focus on is what I can bring to this position as governor of the state of Illinois, he said.

Also filing Monday as part of the Griffin slate John Milhiser of Springfield, a former federal prosecutor running for secretary of state, Steve Kim of Deerfield for attorney general, Shannon Teresi of Crystal Lake for comptroller and state Rep. Tom Demmer of Dixon for state treasurer.

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Democratic Attorney General Kwame Raoul, Comptroller Susana Mendoza and Treasurer Michael Frerichs all filed their petitions as well.

Richard Irvin, mayor of Aurora and Republican candidate for governor, arrives at the State of Illinois Board of Elections to file his campaign petitions in Springfield on March 7, 2022. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Another Republican running for attorney general, David Shestokas of Orland Park, also filed. Republican candidate for the office, downstate attorney Tom DeVore, who has brought repeated legal challenges to Pritzkers pandemic restrictions, was not among the early filers.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth filed in her reelection bid. Two Republicans who lost 2020 bids to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin  Peggy Hubbard of Belleville and Casey Chlbek of Lake Forest  filed to compete for their partys U.S. Senate nomination.

Hubbard said she was the first in line, arriving about 4 p.m. Friday. Sitting in a folding chair and bundled up in a sleeping bag, she said, I think Ive done every spectrum of the Weather Channel in the last few days.

Also filing bids to replace retiring secretary of state Jesse White were three Democrats, former state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia and Chicago Ald. David Moore, 17th, and Republican state Rep. Dan Brady of Bloomington.

This is an office Ive aspired to, Brady, who was once McLean County coroner, said. Its an office where Ive done a lot of work in the area of organ-and-tissue donation. Ive done a lot of work in legislation of insurance. Ive done a lot of work in distracted driving.

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Pritzker recently announced hes backing Valencia. Asked Monday whether hes worried about the billionaire governors bankroll tilting the race, Giannoulias, who was state treasurer from 2007 to 2011, touted the many endorsements hes received.

I am very proud of the over 250 elected officials and organizations that have endorsed our campaign. Grassroots support. Support throughout the state. A coalition of support, African Americans, Latinos, downstate, Giannoulias said.

Peggy Hubbard, a candidate for the U.S. Senate, arrived about 4 a.m. Friday and was first in line at the State of Illinois Board of Elections to file her campaign petitions in Springfield on March 7, 2022. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Valencia spoke of the challenges of campaigning and collecting petitions this election season.

It took a lot of grit to get through petitions in dead winter during COVID in the surge, she said. So, I think today is just about coming together for democracy and really just excited to make the ballot and kick off whats going to be the next sprint of the race.

Interest in the open seat being created by U.S. Rep. Bobby Rushs retirement was evident with nine people filing for the Democratic nomination for the newly drawn South Side and southwest suburban and exurban 1st Congressional District.

Among the early filers for the seat were Chicago Ald. Pat Dowell, 3rd, state Sen. Jacqueline Collins, workforce development coordinator Karin Norington-Reaves, who has Rushs endorsement, community activist Jahmal Cole and Jonathan Jackson, civil rights activist and son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

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In the new open seat 3rd Congressional District in the south and west suburbs, state Rep. Delia Ramirez and Chicago Ald. Gil Villegas, 36th, filed for the Democratic nomination while Justin Burau of Winfield filed for the GOP nomination.

In the central and southern Illinois 16th Congressional District, Republican U.S. Reps. Rodney Davis of Taylorville and Mary Miller of Oakland, backed by former President Donald Trump, filed to challenge each other.

After the filing period ends, candidates can have their petitions challenged for a variety of reasons, including the number of legitimate signatures they presented.

Pearson reported from Chicago.

jgorner@chicagotribune.com

rap30@aol.com
Speaker of Jordans Senate and Head of Perus Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee have voiced strong backing to Moroccos sovereignty over its Sahara in separate meetings held Monday in Rabat with senior Moroccan officials

Speaking to journalists following his talks with Moroccan foreign minister Nasser Bourita, visiting Speaker of Jordanian Senate, Faysal Akef Al Fayez, reaffirmed his countrys unwavering and constant support to Moroccos sovereignty over all of its national territory.

He also said talks focused on Moroccan experience in promoting parliamentary action, vocational training, agriculture, water and other sectors of common concern.

Jordan looks forward to stepping up economic relations with Morocco and exploring joint business opportunities in Africa, added Mr. Al Fayez.

The Palestinian issue and the necessary measures to guarantee the rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to an independent State were also discussed.

For his part, Chairman of Perus Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee Ernesto Bustamante Donayre has renewed firm backing of his countrys Parliament to Moroccos autonomy plan for the Sahara under the Kingdoms sovereignty.

In his press statement made following his meeting with the Speaker of the Moroccan Parliaments upper house, Naama Mayara, Mr. Ernesto said talks also covered cooperation prospects between the two countries, particularly in the fields of aerospace, automotive industry and renewable energy.

For his part, Mr. Mayara said Morocco is determined to move forward in implementing the advanced regionalization project, affirming that the only solution to the Sahara issue is under Moroccan sovereignty.

He stressed the importance of strengthening relations between the two countries legislative bodies which play a key role in boosting Moroccan-Peruvian economic and commercial ties.

Posted by North Africa Post North Africa Post's news desk is composed of journalists and editors, who are constantly working to provide new and accurate stories to NAP readers.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman has reaffirmed Washingtons supportive stand to the autonomy plan offered by Morocco for a lasting resolution to the Sahara regional conflict.

The United States continues to deem the Moroccan autonomy plan as serious, credible and realistic, and as an approach that can meet the aspirations of the people of the region, said in Rabat Mrs. Sherman, who started Tuesday a two-day working visit to the North African Kingdom.

She met the same day Foreign minister Nasser Bourita and co-chaired with him the Moroccan-U.S. strategic dialogue on regional political issues. The two parties voiced, on this occasion, firm support to the UN Sahara envoy Staffan de Mistura in the UN-led political process on the Sahara, said a joint statement.

The Moroccan-US strategic dialogue on regional political issues was an opportunity for the U.S. and Morocco to review a series of issues of common interest, including cooperation in the field of security and human rights, and to discuss regional issues related to the Sahel, Libya and Ukraine.

Bourita and Sherman cited the Joint Declaration, signed in 2020 by Morocco, the U.S. and Israel, enshrining the American recognition of Moroccos full sovereignty over its entire Sahara territory. They also discussed ways to strengthen this cooperation.

The U.S. official welcomed, in this regard, the continued deepening of relations between Morocco and Israel.
Great Plains Health has been awarded disease specification certification for joint replacement and primary stroke.

The certification came after the hospital was surveyed by the Center for Improvement in Healthcare Quality, according to a Great Plains Health media release Monday.

The award reflects the hospitals ability to provide evidence-based best practice for patients in both categories.

CIHQ is arguably the most rigorous accrediting body that exists, Barb Petersen, chief quality officer at Great Plains Health, said in the media release. This was our first opportunity to be surveyed by this organization and we are honored to achieve these certifications.

This accomplishment is the result of teamwork and a daily effort to put our patients first. We are proud to serve this community and constantly work to improve health care quality in the region.

Great Plains Health underwent a rigorous onsite survey at the end of 2021. During the survey, CIHQ surveyors evaluated compliance with evidence-based standards of care developed in consultation with industry health care experts and nationally recognized agencies.

Survey activities included medical record review, patient care observations and interviews with both patients and hospital staff. CIHQs goal is to help health care organizations determine and improve performance through the survey process.

CIHQ commends Great Plains Health on their achievement of this certification, Richard Curtis, the chief executive office of CIHQ, said in the release. This certification recognizes hospitals that demonstrate excellence in care and services provided to their communities,
Eighty years after launching perhaps Americas most far-reaching home-front campaign, the people and communities behind North Plattes World War II Canteen have been nominated for Congress highest civilian honor.

U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., on Monday introduced a bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal collectively to the individuals and communities who volunteered or donated items to feed and support some 6 million U.S. and Allied service members who stopped at the former 1918 Union Pacific Depot.

Their effort began formally on Dec. 25, 1941, with five North Platte women led by 25-year-old Rae Wilson distributing donated apples and Christmas candy to troop-train occupants paused for 10- to 20-minute water stops.

It ended on April 1, 1946, having grown to involve some 55,000 people from 125 Canteen Honor Roll towns across western and central Nebraska, into northeast Colorado and south to the communities along the Nebraska-Kansas line.

Thousands of letters from grateful customers told how North Platte and the Canteen were cherished on every wartime front. Officers and enlisted personnel, servicemen and servicewomen, soldiers, sailors and Marines of every hue and color  all could count on free food, treats, cigarettes, reading matter, smiles and hugs in the depots Canteen Room.

Those ladies deserved the Congressional Medal of Honor for service over and above the line of duty for their country, former Tech. Sgt. Sam Wood of Soderville, Kentucky, wrote then-North Platte Mayor Jim Kirkman on Sept. 8, 1987.

Now the women who started it all, and everyone who helped them keep it going, are being recommended for that military medals civilian equivalent.

In times of great crisis, Nebraskans have always moved quickly to help their neighbors and fellow countrymen. The volunteers and communities who supported the North Platte Canteen during WWII gave our service members a taste of home during the worlds darkest time, said Fischer, of Valentine, whose mother was a Canteen volunteer.

Passing this legislation will honor the patriotic Americans who made the North Platte Canteen a success for almost five years, providing hospitality to millions in Americas heartland, she added in a press release announcing the bills introduction.

If granted, the Congressional Gold Medal would be the Canteens third national accolade, following a resolution passed by the 108th Congress in 2004 and a Meritorious Wartime Service award from the U.S. War Department in December 1943.

Its unclear whether or when that might happen. Fischers press secretary, Nathaniel Sizemore, said Monday that two-thirds of the senators  67 out of 100  will have to co-sponsor her bill for the Senate Banking Committee to consider it.

A companion bill also must be introduced in the House of Representatives, which requires 290 of its 435 members to co-sponsor Gold Medal bills. Passage by both houses would send the bill to President Joe Biden for his signature, Sizemore said.

North Platte Mayor Brandon Kelliher, who approached Fischers office on behalf of community members, said he hopes the medal can be bestowed soon in light of the regions rapidly dwindling numbers of living Canteen volunteers and customers.

The North Platte Canteen provided fond memories and hope for U.S. troops during the dark days of WWII, Kelliher said in Fischers press release. We are honored for the opportunity to recognize our ancestors that gave so willingly to Americas soldiers.

Like the Canteen itself, honoring our friends and family that operated the North Platte Canteen will be a regional effort, the mayor added later Monday.

Beginning in 1776, the year of the Declaration of Independence, the Congressional Gold Medal has been awarded to express public gratitude for distinguished contributions, dramatize the virtues of patriotism and perpetuate the remembrance of great events, according to the Congressional Research Service.

If both the House and Senate agree, a gold medal of appropriate design would be presented collectively to North Platte and the Canteen Honor Roll communities and displayed at the Lincoln County Historical Museum in North Platte.

Museum leaders maintain a compact display honoring the Canteen and its World War I Red Cross predecessor. They unveiled plans in 2019 for an expansion featuring a scale replica of the Canteen Room  the 1918 depots dining room  and a scale-replica trainside false front of the depot that was demolished on Nov. 1, 1973.

I think this is long overdue for those ladies who founded and anchored the Canteen, said Jim Griffin, the museums director-curator. They alone had such an impact on the fighting morale of our troops during World War II that I think they were second only to the ammunition going to the front in importance.

The Canteens customers said so themselves, starting within days of its Christmas Day opening. The letters and telegrams would die down, then flood North Platte anew, occasioned by nationwide reminders like an often-repeated 1977 TV segment by the late CBS newsman Charles Kuralt and former Chicago Tribune columnist Bob Greenes 2002 book Once Upon a Town.

Fischers legislation also would authorize the secretary of the treasury to strike and sell bronze replicas of the gold medal. That and the national publicity should Congress authorize the medal could boost fundraising and hasten completion of the museums addition, Griffin said.

I hope this increases the notoriety of those ladies, and that way it will help us tell their story better, he said.

North Platte historian and genealogist Ruby Coleman, who knew many of North Plattes Canteen stalwarts, cheered the introduction of Fischers bill. I think its wonderful because thats what North Platte is really noted for  our generosity and everything, she said.

Rae Wilson (later Sleight), whose brother Denver commanded a 134th Infantry Regiment battalion in Europe after D-Day, guided the Canteen during its first months but had to withdraw due to ill health. She returned from California after V-J Day and again volunteered during the Canteens seven postwar months.

Wilsons next-door neighbor Helen Christ succeeded her as commander and kept the job the rest of the way. North Platte friends and neighbors like Rose Loncar, Jessie Hutchens and Edna Neid  all prominently featured in Kuralts 1977 special  joined her in scheduling eager regional volunteers from a 200-mile radius and ensuring that every troop train was met and every soldier fed.

Volunteers from Logan County and Stapleton were the first from outside North Platte to staff the Canteen on Jan. 15, 1942. Honor Roll communities, usually packing their own donated supplies, drove or caught trains to North Platte from east of Grand Island to the Wyoming line, from the South Dakota to Kansas lines and from Sedgwick and Phillips counties in Colorado.

More than 100 Honor Roll towns were represented in a North Platte celebration and parade for Canteen volunteers on Aug. 14, 1946, a year after the Japanese surrender. Other notable reunions were held in 1967, 1973, 1986 and 1988.

North Platte plans a fall Canteen Festival celebration in September in its historic downtown, now known as the Canteen District. Itll complement the anniversary festival launched last Dec. 18, the anniversary of Wilsons letter to the original North Platte Daily Bulletin urging the city to emulate its Red Cross Canteen of 1918-19.

Unlike the earlier effort, the World War II Canteen operated independently and depended entirely on local and regional donations. It was the wars largest community-based canteen, Fischer said in her press release.

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Three people are dead after a semi veered into oncoming traffic on Interstate 80 early Tuesday morning, sparking a collision with two other tractor-trailers.

The crash closed the intestate west of Lincoln for more than two hours.

The Seward County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene, on I-80 between the Milford and Seward interchanges, at about 5:45 a.m. Tuesday after a semi that had been traveling east crossed the median and struck a westbound semi head-on, according to a sheriff's office news release.

A third semi that had been heading west swerved to avoid the collision, crossed the median and overturned in the eastbound lanes, according to the release.

Three people  none of whom have been identified  were pronounced dead at the scene. A fourth person was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Lincoln in critical condition.

It's unclear how many vehicles were ultimately involved in the crash.

The eastbound lanes reopened shortly after 9 a.m., but fans headed for early games in the state high school basketball tournaments were forced to take detour routes. Westbound lanes reopened at about 10:30 a.m.

An investigation into the crash is ongoing.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7223 or awegley@journalstar.com. On Twitter @andrewwegley
GIBBON  People in the Platte River's Big Bend region look to the sky in early March when they hear familiar notes sung by a few high-flying sandhill cranes. They know the full-throated chorus isn't far behind.

This year, as the cranes return to central Nebraska, area business and tourism leaders believe American tourists  and their dollars  will return as well. For three straight disappointing years, natural disasters and a pandemic kept them away.

Leaders are buoyed by the half-million dollars in advertising the Nebraska Tourism Commission is spending to attract tourists from cities such as Denver, Kansas City and Minneapolis.

And they are confident because, while pandemics eventually end, the cranes annual trek carries on.

Its certainly a well-known bucket list kind of thing, said Brad Mellema, executive director of the Grand Island Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Every March and early April, nearly 1 million cranes spend their days feeding in grasslands and harvested fields, their nights roosting on river sandbars, primarily between Grand Island and Kearney.

Their mid-migration stop is necessary to rest and rebuild body fat before continuing to breeding grounds in Canada, Alaska and Siberia.

Sandhill cranes came as usual the past three years, but flooding and COVID-19 made it difficult or impossible for Audubon's Rowe Sanctuary southwest of Gibbon and the Crane Trust south of Alda to host crane watchers.

The problems started March 13, 2019, when flooding sparked by a bomb cyclone made Rowe Sanctuary's Iain Nicolson Audubon Center inaccessible for much of crane season.

In 2020 and 2021, COVID-19 forced the two nonprofits to close visitor centers and cancel or severely limit tours to view cranes on river roosts, education programs, fundraising activities and other events.

Crane season visitor numbers  usually 30,000-plus annually at each site  plummeted. Revenues too.

Back in 2019, the main problem: Mud. Thawing of saturated soils after the bomb cyclone turned many of Nebraska's rural gravel roads into bogs, including Elm Island Road along the Platte River  the only access to the Nicolson Center.

Day-to-day, even hour-to-hour, decisions to host or cancel 2019 tours to river blinds were based on road conditions.

One particularly gooey spot was in front of Rowe Sanctuary Director Bill Taddicken's house a mile west of the center. If we got a tenth of an inch of rain, you couldn't get here, he said. It was a total mess.

He assisted drivers with stuck vehicles, including on a night when it rained while guests were in crane viewing blinds. Eight vehicles leaving the parking lot succumbed to the mud.

Taddicken freed seven. One car required professional help. After that, local tow truck operators said they wouldnt come back until the road dried out.

The day-to-day decisions were pretty difficult, he said. How many critical decisions can you make in one day without going crazy?

Crane season revenues, usually about one-third of Rowe's annual $1 million budget, dropped significantly.

Crane Trust roads held up better, but president Brice Krohn said, The visitor appeal wasn't there. Because of the high water, the cranes weren't roosting on the river channel. Some tours were canceled because one river blind was inaccessible.

About half of the trust's $1.8 million annual revenue comes during crane season. In 2019, visitor numbers were down 25%.

In 2020, it got worse.

Rowe Sanctuary opened crane blind tour reservations in January that year, expecting to host 30 guests in each blind for morning and evening tours March 7 through April 11. Four new discovery stations were prepared as blinds and year-round education centers.

But after COVID-19, guests and out-of-state crane season volunteers canceled their travel plans. The Nicolson Center and grounds closed March 16. The Crane Trust, which had more than doubled its crane watching capacity with help from Grand Island Tourism, shut down even earlier, on March 11.

Rowe lost nearly 90% of its annual budget. The Crane Trusts annual revenues fell 70%, though some losses were covered by federal COVID-relief funds.

Everything was shut down through 2020 except the online gift shop, Taddicken said.

In 2021, both sites scaled back their normal operations.

Trust officials had hoped to return to full programming, but lingering COVID-19 dropped that to a third of normal.

Virtual crane watching helped, as new fiber optics enhanced the online viewing experience for people paying a $75 membership fee.

Rowe had severely limited 2021 river blind tours  one a day, with 10 people per blind. The sanctuarys website also has crane-related programs and virtual tours. Access to a live crane cam focused on river roosts is available at explore.org.

Summer youth camps and the Blues on the Banks fundraiser were fully outdoors.

Taddicken and Krohn said donors' contributions allowed Rowe Sanctuary and the Crane Trust to cover operating costs and continue conservation work the past three years.

Cranes are big business in central Nebraska. Crane season has an estimated $14.3 million annual economic impact on the Kearney-Grand Island area, according to a 2017 study led by the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

The areas hotels, restaurants and other businesses that annually rely on crane tourists were wounded by the shutdowns, said Roger Jasnoch and Mellema, the Kearney and Grand Island visitors bureau directors.

And that, in turn, hurt local governments.

One example: Grand Island's March lodging tax collections dropped from $42,000 in 2018 to $20,000 in 2020. Jasnoch and Mellema said 2020 was the worst year because of crane season issues, plus cancellations of conventions and other events, and less travel in general.

Rowe Sanctuary and the Crane Trust plan to host nearly normal 2022 crane season activities.

Rowe's river blinds will be at 75% capacity, with masks required on tours and in the Nicolson Center.

Masks are requested, but not required, at the Crane Trust Nature and Visitor Center.

We overcame a lot of challenges the past three years, Krohn said about his trust staff.

Rowes Taddicken agreed, but said there is one reliable thing, past, present and future.

As long as there is a river, as long as there is open water, the cranes will be here.

The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraskas first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter.

The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraskas first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter.
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Florida surgeon general Joseph Ladapo (left) and Florida governor Ron DeSantis. Photo: Joe Cavaretta/Sun Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Florida surgeon general Dr. Joseph Ladapo announced Monday that the state will soon advise that healthy children should not be vaccinated against COVID-19, defying the guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Ladapo, who has questioned the safety of vaccines in the past, announced the policy change toward the end of a panel featuring Florida governor Ron DeSantis called The Curtain Close on COVID Theater. During the 90-minute conversation, Ladapo suggested that the efficacy of vaccines in children is limited despite studies proving that vaccines protect against severe cases and hospitalization in children over the age of 5. Were kind of scraping at the bottom of the barrel, particularly with healthy kids, Ladapo said. He did not detail which age groups would be included in the states advisory.

In response to the measure  the first state to defy CDC recommendations for COVID shots for kids  White House press secretary Jen Psaki said it is deeply disturbing that there are politicians peddling conspiracy theories out there and casting doubt on vaccination when it is our best tool against the virus and the best tool to prevent even teenagers from being hospitalized. In Florida, where more than 70,000 people have died from COVID, just over 22 percent of kids age 5 to 11 have received the vaccine. While younger people are significantly less likely to die from COVID than older Americans, the CDC notes that the virus is one of the top ten causes of death for children age 5 to 11.

Ladapo, who received an M.D. and Ph.D from Harvard, has defended his support of a group known as Americas Frontline Doctors, which has described the COVID shot as experimental and discouraged people under 50 from opting in to receive it. The groups founder, Simone Gold, was arrested in February 2021 for storming the Capitol on January 6. Ladapo was appointed to the position in September 2021 by DeSantis, who has made vaccine skepticism a major platform of his ascendent political career.
Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Tuesday was a major milestone for the Justice Departments sprawling prosecution of the attack on the Capitol last year. After just a few hours of deliberation, a federal jury in Washington, D.C., handed down the first verdict in a trial stemming from the January 6 riot, convicting Guy Reffitt of Texas, who carried a firearm as a member of the mob and recorded himself saying, I just want to see Nancy Pelosis head hit every fucking stair on the way out. To date, the department has charged nearly 800 people, and more than 200 of them have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanor offenses, though last week the department secured a landmark guilty plea in the sedition case against 11 members of the Oath Keepers militia. The Reffitt case was the departments first demonstration of its strategic and tactical approach to the January 6 trials, and the result should incentivize more defendants to plead out. As the Reffitt trial showed, however, it is far from clear how rational all of these defendants are, since Reffitt himself had no real defense to the charges against him.

The trial was a curious event, bogged down by pandemic protocols such as clear dividers and social distancing that put witnesses in the jury well and the jury in the gallery; a Trump-appointed judge and her occasionally odd handling of the proceedings; and the absence of any coherent defense. The centerpiece was the dramatic testimony of Reffitts 19-year-old son, Jackson, who had turned in his father to the authorities and ultimately doomed him by the time he concluded several hours of testimony on the witness stand, where he provided a captivating depiction of an extraordinary filial chasm that seemed to stand in for the broader national division that led to the events of January 6.

In an opening statement, one of the governments two prosecutors previewed the onslaught of digital evidence that would be introduced over the course of the trial: Telegram chats between Reffitt and fellow members of a militia group called the Three Percenters, text messages between Reffitt and his family, surveillance video from the Capitol, video from a helmet-mounted GoPro camera Reffitt wore on January 6 that was later recovered from a hard drive found in his home when he was arrested, a recording of a Zoom call between Reffitt and the leader of the Texas Three Percenters (also recovered from Reffitt himself), and secret recordings Jackson had made of a conversation with his father in the days following the siege.

The defense offered a three-minute response that seemed perfunctory in the extreme and offered no coherent theme beyond suggesting that Reffitt  who had repeatedly described, in writing and in recordings, exactly what he would do on January 6 and, afterward, exactly what he had done  was simply bragging and that his words should not be taken literally. In another setting, this argument might have had some legs, but the sheer volume of Reffitts admissions made it ridiculous from the start.

The first day of testimony was a slog, featuring a Capitol police officer who told her story in fits and starts, narrating multiple angles of medium-distance video from that day, sometimes in seconds-long increments, in which Reffitt could be spotted in a bright-blue jacket at the front of a mob, egging people on. When the government managed to overcome audio and video problems, its presentation was stilted and oddly lacking in the dramatic potency one would expect. (There is a whole private-sector industry of trial-graphics specialists whose job is to help litigators compile and present evidence for juries, but as far as I could tell, the government opted to keep this work in house, and it showed.) By the end of that first day, Judge Dabney Friedrich was already complaining about how the trial had gone on longer than she had expected. At different points, she questioned the accuracy of the time stamps on the surveillance video (which were immaterial to the case); chastised the government for asking repetitive questions, even though, as far as I saw, they were not particularly repetitive; and complained about the governments suggesting to her in the middle of a witnesss testimony that it might be a good time to take a break  an utterly routine feature of trial practice.

The pace picked up considerably thereafter, and the government wrapped up its case after two and a half more days of testimony. Another member of the Three Percenters testified against Reffitt after receiving immunity from prosecutors and described traveling to Washington with the defendant. We talked about the need for corrupt people to be removed and replaced by people who were not corrupt, the witness said, though he claimed the most incendiary comments he and Reffitt made had been in jest. Crucially, he testified that Reffitt had his handgun on him at the Capitol. (None of the police officers who testified had seen it, since Reffitt carried it in a holster under his jacket and never brandished it, but FBI agents recovered both the gun and the holster when they arrested him, and there was corroborating photographic evidence from the riot.) Other law-enforcement agents filled in discrete but significant pieces of evidence  including the chaos that was unfolding within the Capitol, the search of Reffitts home, and the forensic examination of the digital devices seized from Reffitt that yielded some of the most important pieces of evidence against him.

The totality of that digital evidence was damning in itself. Immediately after Election Day 2020, Reffitt wrote in a group text to his family, Congress has made fatal mistakes this time and This isnt about Trump, its much, much bigger. This is about OUR country. His own GoPro video from January 6, which was shot at the Ellipse before the storming of the Capitol, is replete with incriminating admissions. I didnt come here to play games. Im taking the Capitol with everybody fucking else, Reffitt said at one point. He also said that Pelosis coming out, that he would be dragging that bitch out hard-core, and that Im packing heat, and Im going to get more heat. In a Telegram chat with fellow Three Percenters recounting the days events, Reffitt wrote, We took the Capital of the Untied [sic] States of America. What have you done today? He said he had had to fall back due to pepper spray to the face and was the lead up the Capital stairs. Im not trying to be arrogant, but nobody was moving forward until I took that banister, Reffitt later said on the Zoom call with the head of the Texas Three Percenters. I just kept yelling, Go forward! Go forward! Take the House!

By far the most heavily anticipated witness was Reffitts son, Jackson, who provided several riveting hours of testimony. Jackson took the stand in a shirt and jacket with no tie, his wavy brown hair, which he had apparently straightened for the proceeding, hanging down to his shoulders. He was chewing gum until one of the prosecutors extracted it from him during a brief break and was so soft-spoken he repeatedly had to be re-micd and told by the judge to speak up because everyone was having a hard time hearing him. Jackson was apologetic and unfailingly polite. As he began testifying, his father quietly broke down in tears.

Jackson testified about how, in late 2020, he had become increasingly concerned about his fathers claims of corruption in the federal government and his vague, self-described constitutionalist rhetoric about a popular uprising  views Jackson vaguely ascribed to his father spending more time on the internet than usual. After the election, he said, things got worse: His father wrote to the family at one point that something was going to happen that would shock the world. By Christmas Eve, Jackson said, my paranoia pretty much blew over, and he used his cell phone that night to provide a tip about his father to the FBI through the bureaus website. He described being nervous and feeling both gross and guilty about it. I didnt know what I was doing, he said.

Jackson and the rest of the family learned Reffitt had gone to the Capitol on January 6 on the day itself, when they spotted him in the crowd on television. Jackson said he was terrified, sad, and scared by what he saw, and only later that day did the FBI get back to him in response to the tip he had given weeks earlier. He later met with an agent at a local restaurant and, unbeknownst to his family, began providing information against his father while still living at home. One day, as Reffitt was proudly showing his GoPro video to his family and narrating the events, Jackson decided to download an app on his phone and record him. On that tape, Reffitt says, among other things, that he did bring a weapon and that theyre lucky we didnt shoot them. Jackson said he felt pretty gross recording his father.

Later, Jackson explained, his father told him and his younger sister, If you turn me in, youre a traitor, and you know what happens to traitors: Traitors get shot. This formed the crux of the governments obstruction-of-justice charge against Reffitt  a clear effort to dissuade his children from turning him in  even if it was clear that he was being deliberately hyperbolic. There was no evidence Reffitt had ever abused anyone in the family or that Jackson was seriously worried about his or his sisters physical safety.

Jackson was not at home when FBI agents showed up to arrest his father just weeks later  he learned about the raid through a call from his mother  and afterward, he moved out. His father has been in custody since the arrest, and the family did not know Jackson had turned in his father until he gave an interview to CNNs Chris Cuomo several days later, in which Jackson, still clearly grappling with the reality of what he had done, described what had led him to that decision while repeatedly saying he still loved his father. He testified that, after the interview, his relationship with his mother and two sisters became strained and that they rarely speak, but they have all stressed in interviews that they still love one another. When we do talk, Jackson said quietly on the stand, its nice.

At one point during cross-examination, Reffitts lawyer suggested Jackson might have been motivated to turn on his father for money. Jackson testified that a GoFundMe account he had set up after the CNN interview to fund his education at community college had generated about $158,000. (Since his testimony, that number has continued to climb.) The effort by Reffitts lawyer fell flat, in part because it was nonsensical to believe Jackson could have predicted the full array of consequences, much less any financial benefits that might accrue to him, when he provided his tip to the FBI on Christmas Eve. It also seemed clear to anyone watching that Jackson was motivated by sincerely held concerns about his fathers behavior.

Toward the end of his testimony, Jackson said he does not regret his decision to turn in his father, but its a lot. I dont have words to really describe it, he explained, his voice again difficult to hear. I think this is the best-case scenario.

Trials offer an often elusive promise of clarity about why people do the unfortunate things they do. Reffitts case was unusual in that the basic who, what, and when questions the jury needed to decide  Was that Reffitt in the blue jacket in the videos from the Capitol? Did he bring a gun to the siege?  were either uncontested or easily resolved by the copious, contemporaneous digital evidence the investigators had skillfully amassed.

In many cases, however, and in Reffitts, too, we want to know what drove the defendants, a question that can expose the sometimes tricky distinction between intent and motive in the law. In a financial-fraud case, for instance, the government typically needs to prove the defendant intended to obtain money or property from a third party; establishing the motive for doing so can be extremely helpful in understanding the facts, but it is, strictly speaking, not necessary in the ordinary case.

As a practical matter, the most important thing the government needed to establish in Reffitts case was that he had intended to obstruct Congress on January 6, but the government largely avoided discussing the psychological and ideological radicalization Reffitt clearly had undergone in the years leading up to and through 2020 that had led him to the Capitol that day. Even after the trial, it wasnt entirely clear what his plan had been  what it was he intended to do, what exactly he hoped to achieve, and what role Trumps incendiary rhetoric and the constellation of political, media, and paramilitary sympathizers had played in Reffitts actions, which he does not seem to regret. Ultimately, he appeared to be a lumbering, if still quite dangerous, dimwit.

The opacity of Reffitts psychology appears to have reflected a strategic decision on the governments part to try to avoid overt political and ideological discussions that might have inflamed some jurors or the public. It was the correct strategic decision, but it means that any hope for fully understanding Reffitt himself has gone largely unrealized. Despite all the simultaneously self-pitying and self-important pretrial talk of being a 1/6 political prisoner being pursued for Orwellian thought crimes, Reffitt exercised his right not to testify in his defense, despite this being easily his most valuable opportunity to present his views directly to the public and in a largely costless way, at that, since his odds of beating the case at trial were slim at best.

One thing that seems clear is that Reffitt legitimately believed he was subordinating his personal self-interest for a larger political cause, however hazily defined it might have been in his own mind and however solipsistic it was in reality. This was the case even if, from the outside, it is easy to see that these violent right-wing forces had been nurtured for years by the narcissism and unscrupulousness of Trump and his more sophisticated supporters.

In a superficial sense, Reffitts son did something similar by placing his safety, the stability of his family, and the liberty of his own father on the line because he was worried about the danger his father might pose to others and to our country. In the end, Jackson was the one who made the sacrifice for his country in a truly stunning act of patriotism for which he may never be able to fully forgive himself. The two men, father and son  one large and dangerous, the other slight and reserved; one unrepentant, the other wracked by guilt  seem to perfectly complement each other and to embody an elemental distinction between selfishness and selflessness.

In an ideal world, Guy Reffitt would, at some point, find a way to be very proud of his son.

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After months of rancor and occasional rebellion over a mask mandate on the Illinois House floor, representatives voted Tuesday to lift the requirement, one day after the state Senate announced it was making masks optional.

The moment the 104-1 vote was recorded in favor of making masks optional, several lawmakers on both sides of the aisle took off their masks.

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The amended rules still allow for reinstating COVID-19 protocols as needed and dictated by circumstances by the speaker of the House after consultation with the minority leader, said Rep. Greg Harris, a Chicago Democrat who proposed the resolution. House committee meetings will continue to meet remotely or in a hybrid format, Harris said.

Though in favor of lifting the mask mandate, Springfield Republican Rep. Tim Butler said he would continue to oppose making House rules based on orders from the governor.

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Republican Rep. Tim Butler, front, of Springfield, and others listen to testimony during a hearing of the House Redistricting Committee on Oct. 26 at the Capitol in Springfield. (Peter Hancock / Pioneer Press)

The House previously required masking, temperature checks and social distancing as long as the disaster proclamation from the governor was in effect. Many Republicans have accused Gov. J.B. Pritzker of abusing his emergency powers to impose sweeping COVID-19 protocols.

We are ceding our responsibility as a separate branch of government by relying upon an executive order of the governor to institute anything, Butler said. We as a body can make those decisions on our own.

The debate over masks has been ongoing not only in the legislature but in schools across the state, and heated up as Pritzker announced he would lift the statewide mask mandate Feb. 28 but would still require them in schools.

After a temporary restraining order, appeal and ultimately bringing the issue to the Supreme Court, Pritzker ultimately dropped the school mask mandate the same day it was removed for the rest of the state, following updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

State Senate President Don Harmon greets members during the inauguration of the new Illinois Senate for the 102nd General Assembly on Jan. 13, 2021, at the Capitol in Springfield. Senators were sworn in during separate groups. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

The sole dissenter to Tuesdays rule change in the House, Rep. Lakesia Collins, has ardently opposed lifting the mask mandate.

On Feb. 17, Collins, a Chicago Democrat, requested a motion that representatives either don masks or leave the floor, which ultimately resulted in nine GOP lawmakers being ejected from the House floor.

GOP lawmakers had been asking all week for a vote to change the House rules  even at one point pausing the sessions proceedings for every person on the floor to have their temperature checked to prove a point that the protocols were being arbitrarily enforced  though no such vote was taken prior to Tuesday.

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Several of the lawmakers removed from the floor in February participated virtually over the next few weeks instead of wearing a mask to participate in House proceedings in person.

Senate President Don Harmons office sent an announcement Monday afternoon lifting the mask mandate in Senate areas of the Capitol, adding that wearing a mask is still strongly encouraged. People are still required to show proof of a negative PCR test within the last 72 hours before entering Senate areas.

The move to ditch masks in the chambers of the General Assembly comes as COVID-19 cases in Illinois have continued to decline after reaching all-time highs in January that pushed leaders to cancel several legislative session days.

Over the past week, the state has averaged 1,114 confirmed and probable cases per day, the lowest level since the week ending July 22.

The number of COVID-19 patients in Illinois hospitals reached 791 as of Monday night after dipping to 701 on Saturday, the lowest level in more than seven months. Hospitalizations reached a pandemic high of 7,380 on Jan. 12.

Tribune reporter Dan Petrella contributed.

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Photo: Tony Luong/The New York Times

Today is Taylor Lorenzs first day at the Washington Post, and shes already doing, arguably, exactly what she was hired to do: Shes stirring up trouble on social media. Oh my God, can you stand all the drama? she says, giggling on a phone call with me last night. In case youve been distracted by actually consequential world news, heres a study guide: Lorenz, who writes about internet stuff and until recently worked at the New York Times, has been tweaking her erstwhile employer, setting off a blue-check brawl on Saturday that pitted her against ex-colleague Maggie Haberman.

It began with Lorenzs exit-interview comments to Charlotte Klein in Vanity Fair and later to Insider about journalists need to be free to be brands and about the Times somehow getting in the way of that. (Remember when that word was still so odious that President Obamas social secretary was axed by David Axelrod for referring to the Obama brand?) Lorenzs new classmates at the Post and a few of her old ones at the Times called her out-of-date self-empowerment-via-marketing-lingo cringey and basically labeled her a neo-journalism-maxi-zoom-dweebie. Then Lorenz and Haberman got in a food fight and the media-Twitter lunchroom went crazy.

Lorenz and Haberman are both fiercely intelligent talents who adapted well to the disintermediation of the media while also working at established outlets. Both are known quantities; Lorenz is nearly 40, Haberman a few years older, and both write prolifically but cant stay off Twitter. Both were backed to the hilt by the New York Times. And both have spent the past many years writing about spoiled brats running wild on social media. (Well, in Habermans case, one spoiled brat in particular.)

But only one has accused the other of acting like a psycho who bitched her out, as Lorenz once wrote of Haberman to colleagues in a company Slack room. Journalists are a constitutionally competitive, backbiting bunch, but Lorenz often beefs for no discernible reason  one of the many rules at Sulzberger High that she didnt want to follow.

The crux of her complaining is that the fusty newspaper fenced her in, dimmed her star. Never mind that she is arguably TikTok famous only because she was Times famous; the paper ran her Styles stories on the front page, put her on its television show  right after the Free Britney episode, too  and its flagship podcast, and granted her book leave. Everything youre listing is a Times property! protests Lorenz, who wont be confined to such provincial backwaters.

Of course, there have always been journalistic stars. (In fact, the stars used to be much bigger, back when people, you know, read newspapers. Hollywood made movie after movie after movie about them.) But you no longer need to have some gatekeeper anointing you now that the algorithm does that. Instead, you need to give that internet audience what it wants  conflict. Lorenz does, and together with her savvy sense of what internet people want to talk about (or hate on), she gets massive page views. Is there a difference between promoting ones work and promoting oneself? I dont think there is a difference because your name is on there, says Lorenz, adding, I dont talk about myself. Unless its some sort of profile or something.

She says she has got nothing but love for the Times and hates that anyone might think otherwise. Maybe I should tweet something, she muses. (This phone call is happening hours after she tweeted, Last thing Ill say on this ) Her underbranded editors taught her a lot, she says, but still, the Times and a lot of places can figure out how to work with talent better. Sure, theres a kernel of truth in that. But heres what these people never stop self-promoting long enough to consider: What if their brands are doing more damage to the institution instead of the other way around?

If you think about the Times as a platform, and you think about journalists as people creating for that platform, says Lorenz, again slipping into cliched digital-marketing speak, those two sides are always going to be in tension. There certainly was plenty of tension in how Lorenz approached her beat, and the paper often got dragged into it (and arguably profited from it, since it kept her stories circulating). She says it should have defended her more vigorously in her frequent scraps. (Meanwhile, the papers journalists in Ukraine donning flak jackets to deliver marmalade droppers to the front page arent tweeting about any of this tedium.)

Just as Lorenz was tweeting her way out the door, Times brass was trying to establish  better standards. Cliff Levy, an editor who has worked in Moscow and recently ran the Metro desk, has become the in-house Winston Wolf  a cold, straight-talking mop-up man who gets dispatched to the scene of bloody messes. (Get it straight, Buster: Im not here to say please. Im here to tell you what to do. And if self-preservation is an instinct you possess, youd better fucking do it and do it quick.) He was sent to clean up the audio desk after its big Caliphate podcast blew up. Now hes been stationed to beef-up the Standards desk. Reporters have mostly regarded it as the obstacle to ramming saucy copy into the paper. No longer. Levy has staffed up and is examining the Times ever-expanding empire with a magnifying glass. In the meantime, Rebecca Blumenstein, another masthead editor, is leading a hard charge to overhaul the papers social media guidelines. There are conversations going around the newsroom with people of all ranks about the merits of Twitter and the extent to which the Times and its reporters should be playing on it anymore, and Lorenz has become a cautionary tale. Theres also a sense that the serious and cerebral Joe Kahn is expected to crack down on some of the excesses of experimentation tolerated, as some see it, by Dean Baquet. Journalism is not about creating safe spaces for people, Kahn has said.

As for Lorenz, she says she is psyched to work with her new colleagues at the Post, which, as Ben Smith discussed in one of his Times columns on thenPost editor Marty Baron, has had its own issues trying to balance its institutional voice with the social-media presences of its younger and often more diverse, personal-brand-hungry staff. Some of Lorenzs new colleagues have been anticipating her arrival today like shes the Creature from the Black Lagoon. (Imagine trying to explain her to George Will.) She will remain in Los Angeles but recalls fondly the two years she spent in Washington. I remember trying to explain to D.C. people why they need to know who Jake Paul is and them laughing. Meanwhile, Jake Paul says hes going to run for president in 2032. She adds cheerily, I love that my beat starts conversation!
Photo: Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket via Getty Images

In less than two weeks of war, the Russian military has killed at least 406 Ukrainian civilians. That official United Nations tally is almost certainly a dramatic undercount. And the bloodletting has just begun.

In the first stage of its invasion, Russia sought to swiftly conquer Kyiv at a minimal cost to noncombatant lives. Believing that Ukrainians felt little loyalty to their government or national identity and that their military might therefore fold at the mere prospect of war with a greater power, the Kremlin attempted to conquer territory with small, isolated groups of paratroopers. Now that it understands the depths of Ukrainians resistance to domination, Russia is embracing increasingly brutal forms of warfare. It is shelling civilian infrastructure and besieging major cities. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy told his constituents Monday to expect further rounds of urban bombardment in the hours and days to come.

The West hasnt been a mere spectator to these horrors. To punish Russias aggression, the United States and European Union have waged financial war on Russia. Sanctions have devastated the Russian economy and limited the Putin regimes martial capacities at a substantial cost to western investors and consumers. Nevertheless, neither these economic measures nor the provision of weapons to Ukrainian forces have been sufficient to repel Russias troops or stanch Ukraines bleeding. As Russia ramps up its assault on Kyiv, Ukraines leaders and sympathizers have called on the West to aid the nations resistance more directly  by establishing a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

This request is understandable. But its also deeply unwise.

For many lay observers, the appeal of a no-fly zone derives largely from its euphemistic branding. The term describes a desirable outcome  in which no war planes can enter Ukrainian airspace  rather than the concrete measures NATO would immediately take in pursuit of that objective. Enforcing a no-fly zone would require NATO forces to shoot down any Russian planes that fly over Ukraine. And that is not the full extent of the ideas perils. As retired U.S. Air Force general and no-fly-zone proponent Philip Breedlove acknowledges, enforcement would require neutralizing Russias capacity to fire missiles into Ukrainian airspace from its own territory; in other words, it would require NATO fighters to conduct bombing raids over Russia. Which would mean a hot war between nuclear-armed great powers.

For Ukraines embattled leadership, this broadening of the present conflict is likely the point. As of this writing, the bulk of Ukrainian civilian casualties appears to have come from attacks by Russian artillery, not Russian airstrikes. Given that Russia has yet to establish air superiority in Ukraine but is nevertheless steadily gaining territory, merely neutralizing Russian airpower would likely be insufficient to ensure Ukraines military victory. To deal Putin a decisive defeat, Ukraine needs NATOs full backing. In practice, a no-fly zone would function as a means of easing western powers into a war with Russia.

In an op-ed for the New York Times, Zelenskyys chief-of-staff, Andriy Yermak, acknowledged that a no-fly zone could function as a warm-up for a wider war but insisted that such a conflagration is inevitable in any case. We are calling on the West to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine, Yermak wrote. We recognize that this would be a serious escalation in the war and that it could bring NATO into direct conflict with Russia. But we firmly believe that Russia wont stop at just Ukraine, which would potentially drag NATO into this conflict anyway.

The idea that failure to confront Russia in Ukraine will imperil peace far beyond its borders has become a central pillar of the case for a no-fly zone. Yermak reiterated it at the end of his column, arguing that, if the West fails to stop Putin now, this war could be a prologue to a greater European or even global massacre.

Senator Joe Manchin quoted Zelenskyys rendition of the point on Meet the Press on Sunday while imploring the White House to consider a no-fly zone. Manchin said the free world would be wrong to hesitate in coming to Ukraines aid since if Ukraine falls, then Europe may fall.

A variation on this point has currency among some left-wing thinkers who sympathize with Kyivs plight. John Jay College professor and The Nation contributor Nathan Newman argued Sunday that the slippery-slope argument against confronting Russia in Ukraine risks taking the world down a different slippery slope. The logic of a nuclear power can not intervene to stop an illegal invasion by another nuclear power basically means that the US, Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Britain, France and Israel de facto have the right to invade other countries at will, Newman observed on Twitter.

It is not hard to understand why the no-fly-zone argument has evolved in this way. The hazards of a war between NATO and Russia are vast and undeniable. Great-power conflicts in Eurasia claimed the lives of over 100 million people last century, and nearly all of those deaths came in the preatomic age. Today, war between Russia and Western Europe would jeopardize nothing less than humanitys long-term survival.

Justifying that gamble is not easy. One could argue that the true constraint on the worlds nuclear powers is mutually assured destruction and that a war between NATO and Russia would not erode that fundamental deterrent. In other words, U.S. planes bombing Russian installations in Belarus will not change the fact that Putin cant order a nuclear strike without imperiling all of Moscow.

But historical experience tells us war has an escalatory logic that can lead rational actors into spectacular acts of self-destruction. An exchange of conventional military strikes could give way to tactical nuclear bombings, which could give way to Armageddon. Furthermore, even if the combatants manage to keep themselves off the upper rungs of that escalatory ladder, they could still cause death on a massive scale. Therefore, the imperative to avoid a general European war is so great that Ukraines present suffering alone  though horrifying and abominable  cannot override it.

But if it were true that NATOs abstention from Ukraine would also lead to World War III, then this trade-off between defending Ukrainian sovereignty and safeguarding global security would disappear. In the narrative promoted by Zelenskyy and Manchin, allowing Russia to win a war of aggression against Ukraine would embolden Putin, along with other renegade nuclear-weapons states, to pursue further wars of conquest. According to this argument, forswearing confrontation with Putin today would not avert a world war tomorrow but only enable Russia to enter that war in a more favorable position. This reasoning leans heavily on an analogy between Putins Russia and Nazi Germany, a comparison Zelenskyy has made explicitly.

To the world: what is the point of saying never again for 80 years, if the world stays silent when a bomb drops on the same site of Babyn Yar? At least 5 killed. History repeating    (@ZelenskyyUa) March 1, 2022

This analogy, however, is specious, and the broader argument is weak. Putins invasion still poses a threat to Ukraines sovereignty and citizenry. But it no longer threatens to increase Russias geopolitical strength nor to serve as an encouraging example to other revanchist powers.

Contrary to Putins intentions (and Zelenskyys Nazi allusions), Russia did not take Kyiv in a blitzkrieg that exposed the Wests underestimation of Moscows military might. In reality, Russia has done much the opposite, embroiling itself in a protracted conflict it cannot win on its desired terms while simultaneously exposing and greatly deepening its military weakness in the process.

Nearly two weeks into its invasion, Russia hasnt been able to secure command of Ukraines airspace despite boasting nearly ten times as many planes as the Ukrainian air force. This failure apparently derives from Russias limited stockpile of precision-guided missiles (with which to take out Ukrainian radar installations and airfields) and experienced pilots (with whom to keep embattled planes aloft). And both of those limitations are likely a product of Russias fundamental economic weakness. The Kremlin boasts the nuclear arsenal of a great power but a GDP smaller than Italys. Its military budget amounted to roughly $60 billion in 2020, just $10 billion more than Germanys and less than one-tenth of Americas. Meanwhile, the kleptocratic nature of Putins regime likely prevents that $60 billion from being optimally spent. Corruption has evidently compromised the Russian militarys logistical prowess, leaving infantrymen with substandard equipment and inadequate rations. The Kremlins much-hyped cyberwarfare capacities have proved no match for Microsoft.

If the war in Ukraine has revealed the Russian militarys preexisting defects, it has also exacerbated those liabilities. Already, Russia has lost at least 800 pieces of military hardware including 120 tanks, ten helicopters, and ten planes. Those figures are limited to losses that independent observers have managed to visually confirm. If the Ukranian militarys official tallies are to be believed, Russias losses are vastly higher.

In any case, the immediate depletion of Russias military resources is less significant than the devastation of its economy. Thanks to western sanctions, Russias GDP is poised to shrink by 7 to 15 percent this year depending on which estimate you believe. During Russias last major economic calamity  its 1998 debt crisis  the nations economy contracted by 5.3 percent.

Even before this war, Russia lacked the economic might necessary for posing a conventional military threat to the E.U., U.S., or any other major power. And it is certain to emerge from Ukraine drastically weaker and facing a more unified and militarily robust European Union (Germany has already committed to increasing its defense budget by $100 billion). This would be more true  not less  in the event of a decisive Russian victory, which would burden Putins armed forces with the depleting task of defending a puppet government against a perpetual Ukrainian insurgency.

Russia is increasingly aware of its own weakness. Far from expanding Putins imperial ambitions, the war in Ukraine has narrowed them. On Monday, the Kremlin dropped its demand for regime change in Kyiv, asking instead for recognition of Ukraines breakaway provinces as independent republics and a constitutional amendment that would forbid Ukraine from joining NATO or the E.U. This is a large comedown from the expansive war aims Putin articulated at the conflicts outset and is broadly similar to the concessions Russia sought before it brought military force to bear on Kyiv.

In light of these developments, it is not credible to suggest that the fall of Ukraine would presage the fall of Europe. Nor is there much basis for the claim that failure to confront Russia in Ukraine will inspire aggression from other nuclear-armed states. The West has not risked nuclear war to defend against wars of conquest. But it has sacrificed its own economic best interests toward that aim and established a formidable deterrent against offensive wars in the process. To the extent that Putins Ukraine adventure has influenced Xi Jinpings plans for Taiwan, it has surely made the prospect of war less attractive to Beijing.

All of which is to say: There is no basis for believing that NATOs abstention from direct involvement in Ukraine will imperil the rest of Europe or the international order writ large. By contrast, any attempt to establish a no-fly zone would guarantee a war between Europes great powers. Ironically, the apparent weakness of Russias conventional forces only makes the Kremlin a more dangerous player in any great-power war: If Russia cannot compete with NATO on the strength of its conventional military resources, its incentive to deploy nuclear weapons will be all the greater. To advance the best interests of the Ukrainian people without jeopardizing those of humanity writ large, the West must push for a negotiated settlement, not shoot Russian planes from the sky.
Lee County Sheriffs Investigators arrested 33-year-old Timothy Scott Hall Jr, whom deputies said was involved in two shootings this month.

Hall, of Salem, was arrested on Feb. 24 under a charge of shooting into an occupied vehicle, deputies said.

On Feb. 11, Lee County Sheriffs Office received information about a fight in the parking lot of Springvilla Grocery, which ultimately led to one of the subjects involved firing a weapon into a vehicle that was leaving the scene, according to the release from the sheriffs office.

After looking at video evidence, investigators identified Hall as one of the two men fighting. The other man ran to his vehicle and proceeded to drive away, and investigators said evidence indicates Hall fired into the vehicle as it was leaving, striking the driver side.

On Feb. 24, Lee County Investigators said they found evidence that Hall was involved in another shooting at M&M Grocery located on Ala. 169 in Opelika.

Hall was arrested that day after Lee County Investigators conducted a search warrant at Halls residence. He was released after posting a $50,000 bail.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Lee County Sheriffs Office at 334-749-5651 or Central Alabama Crime Stoppers at 334-215-7867.
To spend a quarter-century at the local United Way, it should take a big heart and the ability to pull up bootstraps when necessary.

To many, Becky Benton does not lack either. Benton has spent 25 years as the executive director at United Way of Lee County.

Benton announced in Februarys board of directors meeting that she will step down in June.

Her tenure has not been short of tumultuous events or times of hardship and uncertainty. Thats where those bootstraps come in.

Just like everybody else, we just pulled up our bootstraps and just kept going, Benton said.

She thought back to the deadly tornado that killed 23 in Beauregard in 2019.

Probably one the most memorable was with our tornado in 2019 and the tragedy of losing so many precious people in our community and having so many people who were impacted by that and at the same time seeing again that outpouring of love and care for the community, Benton said.

We were a part of the long-term recovery committee and got to sit in on the cases of what people needed to be able to restore their lives and their families and to get to be a part of that was such a rewarding thing, she added.

After that, there was the COVID-19 pandemic. Before that, there were other natural disasters, economic downturns, the dot-com crash and the uncertainty of 9-11.

Benton led the local United Way through those milestone moments and plenty more.

This has been such a rewarding experience both personally and professionally, Benton told the board. I have had the opportunity to work with an amazing group of community leaders and volunteers.

Some of the partner agencies that United Way serves include the Lee County Youth Development Center and the Food Bank of East Alabama.

Martha Henk is the executive director at the Food Bank of East Alabama and has known Becky since 1995. Henk recalls when Benton took the position at United Way and has continued to be inspired by Bentons work.

Henk recalls a favorite Maya Angelou quote: I think a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place.

I would put Becky very much into that category as a hero, Henk said. She has worked very hard in the last 25 years and even before that but in her time with United Way to make this a better place and not for just a certain part of the population but for all of us, Henk said.

She has my admiration for that.

Henk also recalled Bentons work through the Beauregard tornado and gained a higher respect for Benton with what she was able to accomplish.

Becky and her staff were very involved in those early days of trying to help people get the help that they needed and coordinating and organizing the communitys response. My respect for Becky was already high but it certainly went even higher during that period, Henk said.

As executive director, Bentons largest task each year was organizing and carrying out United Way of Lee Countys fundraising campaign and reaching a certain goal.

Its kind of a daunting task sometimes when you think of all these agencies that are depending on what you and the volunteers in the community can raise for them, to support their work, their missions, Benton said.

Even though it was daunting, Benton took it on with a positive attitude grateful to those she worked with and the mission that was to be accomplished.

Ive always been really fortunate to have so many great volunteers in the community and a great staff that I work with as well, Benton added.

From 1997 to 2021, United Way of Lee County boasts that Benton oversaw 25 fundraising campaigns for the organization that yielded more than $24.2 million in pledges to allocate to 51 partner agencies, programs, and initiatives.

Twenty-five years is a pretty amazing tenure, thats a long time to serve in a non-profit, Henk said.

Becky has been a steady and a stable presence throughout those 25 years. That continuity has made a huge difference in keeping the strong social service network that Lee County has, keeping that so vital, Henk added.

When Benton took the position in 1997, she did not expect she would have been in it for so long.

Its hard to think back that far and, you know, I guess I didnt really think about it, Benton said with a laugh.

My predecessor was here for over 20 years, so it tends to be the kind of position that people tend to stay in around here.

Benton has worked with United Way of Lee Countys leadership team and board to ensure a smooth transitions and continuity in their programs, agencies, and community work.

They have been preparing for the next executive director to fill her shoes and join the team maybe for another 20-plus years.

Bentons decision to step down and pass the baton to the next executive director was not an easy one but one that was one of those right time moments for Benton.

While it is difficult to step away from this incredible organization, I know that this is the right time, Benton said.

We have a wonderful staff here at United Way that is mission-focused, and I know that they will continue to work hard to accomplish our mission, Benton added.
Prayers for Ukraine

Despite the lighthearted topics on todays show, we know these are not lighthearted times.

Please keep the people of Ukraine in your thoughts and prayers.

Let us encourage world leaders to work to end this aggression and bring it to a close as quickly and as peacefully as possible.

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This Episode. . .

On this Utterly Moderate episode we are joined by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory astronomer Varoujan Gorjian to discuss not only wormholes but aliens, exoplanets, the James Webb Telescope, and more!
Washington, PA (15301)

Today

Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low 57F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low 57F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Saw a tiktok of a gen xer saying they stayed up till 4 am reading fanfic and then finally went to sleep, felt some rumbling and booming and thought they were hallucinating but no, Russia had started invading and man idk that just hit me. I started crying lmao.



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Why'd you have to call out they are a gen x'er?

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Bc thats what they called themselves?



Also Im now realizing I meant gen Z lmao. I dont keep up with these terms.



Edited at 2022-03-08 02:55 am (UTC)

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Putin is king flop. How disgusting. The shit hes doing doesnt belong in any country. Its so damn depressing that there are Ukrainian civilians staying to defend these cities under siege and losing their lives over it. Go to hell you murderous, idiotic, piece of shit bitch.

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Ukrainian Ambassador holds up a tweet from Lavrov and advises Russian diplomats that they can obtain assistance for mental help from the NHS by dialing 111 pic.twitter.com/bFoqyKYJ6Q  Acyn (@Acyn) March 7, 2022

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I'm rocking back and forth with laughter lfmbsbdhsbshdbs this man doesn't miss

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LOL this guy is great.

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I support this absolute overuse of black printer ink.



Man, I saw that tweet from Lavrov too and just wanted to spit on the mans face.



Edited at 2022-03-08 02:58 am (UTC)

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111 is NZ's emergency number

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Jesus, Ukraine just killed Gen. Maj. Vitaly Gerassimov, chief of staff of the 41 Army. At Kharkiv.

Russia, if you're listening: delete your army.  Christo Grozev (@christogrozev) March 7, 2022 Posted in the last thread but it was probably already dead by then so I'll post it again:

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This is not the worst part. In the phone call in which the FSB officer assigned to the 41st Army reports the death to his boss in Tula, he says they've lost all secure communications. Thus the phone call using a local sim card. Thus the intercept. pic.twitter.com/cgHHo7VaRi  Christo Grozev (@christogrozev) March 7, 2022

woof, Russia woof, Russia

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lmao oh my god



how was russian planning to invade and occupy a whole ass country as big as ukraine with this level of unpreparededness???

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And so many innocent people have to die in the meantime with this complete show of incompetence and arrogance. Vile.

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This whole thread was wild, especially how Russia was using a local Sim card to communicate.

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I know hes doing it for a reason, but the video of Zelensky in his office makes me so nervous.

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Strangely enough that transition in the video between the phone camera and the professional one makes me think it's supposed to be a diversion and he's actually somewhere else? Maybe.

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I think hes not there most of the time but was there for that video. I think it was important though because he IS absolutely killing the propaganda war and thats made a huge difference in world support.

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IF god forbid something happens to him, we thought Ukrainians are badass now, forget it, they will pulverize Russia. I trust he knows what hes doing, but I obviously do hope he comes out of this and is able to continue to lead Ukraine once this is over.

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i doubt he's working in his office usually, and ukraine has had years to prepare for a situation like this. I'm sure on top of A B and C plans there are plans for every letter of the alphabet (latin or cyrillic!). But I share that sentiment, I just trust they know what they doing.

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i just wanna say



FCK

PTN



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for those wondering, the officially designated colors are #0057b7 and #ffd700

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Google translates it to "P*tin whirlpool" 

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https://t.co/yRM5P88bGr found the woman who knocked down a Russian drone with a jar of pickled tomatoes. She wants to set the record straight: those were NOT picked cucumbers. The gist of her story is in this thread 1/https://t.co/13txRgttLt  Katya Gorchinskaya (@kgorchinskaya) March 7, 2022

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I love how shes like bitch, it was TOMATOES. i would NEVER waste pickles

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Oh hahaha I should have refreshed the thread before posting. I love that this story is true though!

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Didn't even know you could pickle tomatoes.

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They're tasty, there's not a lot that you can't pickle.

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you can pickle anything

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I was in Hungary one time and they were out there pickling baby watermelons

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I love this woman!

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i love that she feels sorry for the TOMATOES lmaooooo QUEEN.

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https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220307-ukraine-rejects-russian-humanitarian-corridors-offer



In a surprise to absolutely nobody with half a functioning brain, Puto in fact did not have noble intentions towards the humanitarian corridors. In a surprise to absolutely nobody with half a functioning brain, Puto in fact did not have noble intentions towards the humanitarian corridors.

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I saw this clip from a general (?) of Russia's army on Russian state tv and he was asked how people were greeting them and he said oh they give us flowers, they're so grateful!



Even at its best, this would only be a piece of propaganda for Russians :/

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What the actual fuck. Like, I'm not a beacon of love and kindness, but I cannot at all relate to the impulse to lie (or believe the lie to such an extent) about this, knowing full well what would happen to Ukrainian refugees who used these corridors. I hope I never can relate. It makes me sick.

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"they give us flowers" bitch, we have the video of a woman giving them sunflower seeds to carry so when they get killed the flowers grow.

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truly, these posts are so helpful. yall know what you're talking about (the links are much appreciated!), the discourse isn't pretentious, and it's a safe place to commiserate. ive got a lot of repubs in my life so this is really welcome on my end.

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https://t.co/yRM5P88bGr found the woman who knocked down a Russian drone with a jar of pickled tomatoes. She wants to set the record straight: those were NOT picked cucumbers. The gist of her story is in this thread 1/https://t.co/13txRgttLt  Katya Gorchinskaya (@kgorchinskaya) March 7, 2022 Important update on the woman who took out a drone with a jar of what people thought was pickled cucumbers:

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She wanted to make sure the right canning effort got credit. She and Sunflower Seed Grandma are the best.

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In another tweet a bit downthread they say she and her husband made sure to pick up the glass shards from the street so the local dog's paws wouldn't be hurt. That stuck, its such a caring, normal thing to do, but in the middle of a fcking invasion...

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Ukrainian forces have retaken Mykolaiv airport, according to regional governor Vitaliy Kim.  The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 7, 2022

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Good for them! Ukraine's military is putting up a hell of fight- way more than I think Russia expected.

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WAY more. im starting to really believe it'll be enough.

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how are they even finding the time or good places to hook up?? do their commanders just not know when they go awol??

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Probably just pic collecting.

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To be a fly on the wall if someone were to show him this report

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Not even an invasion can stop the gays

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I was gonna say i find this disturbing bc how could they think anyone would want to be around them let alone hook up while theyre engaged in war



But then i remembered the military people ive met and they just lie bc theyre desperate for normalcy and its even more depressing and upsetting

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The gays doing their part for Ukraine. <3

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Don't trust the British tho :D

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I heard about this.



Some are looking for cute local girls to chat with & the the locals are getting intel from the solders who want to impress them with the size & armaments of their army division.

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I was looking at Twitter and a video started playing of a couple who lost a baby while trying to leave the country and I just keep replaying the sound the mother made



The sheer lack of humanity from Putin we already knew he was like this,Syria was the blueprint and I hate feeling like hes going to get away with it again hell die comfortable of old age in the kremlin while doing this shit

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This video was horrific. I couldnt imagine

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Info about the no fly zone topic, which may or may not happen in future but here is context > (his twt numbers get off track)



The concept of a NFZ is such that a nation puts aircraft into a contested area to prevent another nation from using aircraft against an ally.



It seems simple: Put aircraft in the sky, and stop someone else from using their aircraft from doing bad things. 2/  Mark Hertling (@MarkHertling) March 5, 2022



[ Spoiler (click to open) ]

The US instituted a NFZ after Desert Storm in Iraq, and during the uprising in the Balkans.



In both those conflicts, it was understood by both Iraq (against the Kurds or Shia) and Serbia (over Bosnia/Herz) that if they tried to fly aircraft they would be shot down. 4/  Mark Hertling (@MarkHertling) March 5, 2022

The Serb actions over Bosnia & Herzogovina - countries of a combined 21,000 square miles - also had some "sportiness," with Serbia having multiple engagements and a few aircraft (to include US) shot down by Air Defense. Here's a wiki readout on that: https://t.co/5G9NzNExYP 6/  Mark Hertling (@MarkHertling) March 5, 2022

But what Russia also has that neither Iraq nor the former Yugoslav states have is nuclear capabilities. And, unfortunately, Putin has implied he will use them.



Additionally, at every Russian "exercise" I ever attended, the commander always used nukes to "ENDEX." 8/ pic.twitter.com/byEb2Jyl1m  Mark Hertling (@MarkHertling) March 5, 2022

Right now, horrific things are going on between RU & UKR. It remains a regional conflict & Russia has FAILED to achieve any of it's strategic objectives.

Putin has not:

1. Subjugated Ukraine

2. Divided NATO

3. Further divided the US

4. Gained any kind of economic advantage 7/  Mark Hertling (@MarkHertling) March 5, 2022

Additionally, RU air force is no where near reaching Air Supremacy. It's a joke to say they even have Air Superiority, as they've had dozens of jets, helicopters, and a few transports shot down by UKR air and Air Defense Systems. 9/  Mark Hertling (@MarkHertling) March 5, 2022





Contd in reply Lt Gen (3-star) Mark Hertling is retired but one of his posts was Commanding General of US Army Europe. Hes often on CNN as military expert.Info about the no fly zone topic, which may or may not happen in future but here is context > (his twt numbers get off track)Contd in reply

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Best to continue to provide Ukraine technologically superior weapons, intelligence & humanitarian aid.



The Russians are on the verge of culmination & Ukraine continues to have the spirit and will required to maintain their freedom 10/11  Mark Hertling (@MarkHertling) March 5, 2022 Contd

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This is super helpful thank you for sharing i keep having a hard time wrapping my head around the decision but this helps

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/07/so-you-say-you-want-no-fly-zone-over-ukraine/ The Washington Post had an article about no fly zones and why one isnt being implemented, and an additional note they made was the enforcing the no fly zone doesnt just include shooting down planes that violate it. It also potentially includes destroying the home bases of violators. Meaning they would have to destroy bases and air defense systems located in Russia and Belarus.

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I'm guessing the intelligence bit has been a major difference maker considering the deftness and precision with which high-profile targets have been found and taken out. 

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thank you for this

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It's so frustrating that we have to pretend to engage in attempts at diplomacy when it's so obvious that Putin and his lackeys don't give a shit

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they are such assholes, bringing a proposal for humanitarian corridors that went to Russia and Belarus.



THEY'RE TRYING TO ESCAPE RUSSIA, YOU BELLENDS.

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"Oh hello Ukrainian hostages. Oh we mean refugees, of course, of course."



"Humanitarian corridors" my fat ass.

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Agreed. Putin doesn't think that Ukraine should be a sovereign state. Negotiation won't work with someone like that.

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Employer Cited for Exposing Workers to Trench Collapse

Workers can be caught in a trench collapse in mere seconds, a hazard that can cause injury and even death.

Trench collapses remain among one of the deadliest hazards in the construction industry, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. From 2011 to 2018, trench cave-ins resulted in 203 fatal injuriesall of which could have been prevented with required safety measures.

Now, the agency is citing an Ohio employer for exposing its employees to the hazard of collapsing walls by not installing trench safety boxes. An OSHA investigator observed a worker in an unprotected trench while installing sanitation sewer pipes in a 15-foot-deep trench in November of 2021. The investigation also found that the pipe layer had to walk the length of the 75-foot trench to enter or exit because the employer had failed to provide a safe means of egress.

OSHA cited Lanigan Construction LLC for two willful and four serious safety violations and proposed a total of $214,636, according to a press release.

"The company owner and foreman were onsite and allowed the pipelayer to work in hazardous conditions knowingly," explained OSHA Area Director Ken Montgomery in Cincinnati in the press release. "We cannot stress enough how important it is for employers to review and then implement required safety measures."

The employer was also cited for failing to provide personal protective equipment and for placing soil piles closer than two feet from the edge of excavation, creating a hazard for the soil to fall back into the trench.

OSHA has a national emphasis program on trenching and excavations. Find all the information you need for safe work here. In addition, The National Utility Contractors Association has declared June 2022 "Trench Safety Month." OSHA will collaborate with the association for "Trench Safety Stand Down" week, June 20-24, 2022.
Burr Ridge police are seeking two hit-and-run drivers after a teenager was fatally struck while crossing a busy intersection on Saturday night.

According to police, the 16-year-old boy was walking east bound on Route 83 and Central Avenue when he was hit by two different vehicles. He was identified Tuesday as Alex L. Hunt, of Chicago, by the DuPage County Coroners Office.

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The crash happened at 9:20 p.m., police said, and paramedics took the teen to Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove where he died from injuries. The identity of the teenager has not yet been released.

Witnesses described two vehicles possibly involved in the crash as a dark colored SUV (possibly a 2014-2018 Jeep which would have passenger side front end damage) and a dark colored SUV (possibly a 2013-2015 Toyota which may have front and right side damage), police said.

Advertisement

Investigators are also asking for help in identifying a dark colored Acura SUV with Wisconsin license plates that was seen leaving the area, according to a news release.

Anyone with information is asked to call Burr Ridge police at 630-323-8181 or text information anonymously to 888-777. Begin the message with the word TIP followed by BRPDCRASH.

This story has been updated.
Now that the global supply of energy is being called into question, however, many are doubting how much value that message had.

Some readers wont get past the headline before rendering the opinion that I obviously dont care about climate change. That is false. My views on climate change are entirely compatible with the points I am about to make.

In fact, my points are also compatible with the views of the Biden Administration. Just this week at a press briefing, in response to questions about restricting Russian oil imports, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said We dont have a strategic interest in reducing the global supply of energy and that would raise prices at the gas pump for the American people around the world because it would reduce the supply available.

Read that last bit again, and think about what canceling Keystone XL actually does. It reduces the supply available. So lets talk about the strategic interest in ensuring that we get the oil we need from friendly sources  while simultaneously working to reduce the need for that oil.

People often admit to me that the Keystone XL itself wasnt that important. Stopping it was more about what Keystone XL represented. This is a good point. I am going to argue the opposite. The arguments I am going to make here arent specific to Keystone XL but are rather about what it represented  a strategic insurance policy with negligible downside.

First, I dont believe Keystone XL would make a material difference when it comes to global carbon emissions. I have actually quantified this (source). Using the Supplementary Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Keystone XL Pipeline from the US State Department, I calculated that in the worst case, a completed Keystone XL could increase annual global carbon emissions by 0.07% by 2030.

In an alternate scenario where the oil finds its way to market via alternate pipelines, the carbon emission difference was 0.007%. We cant even measure carbon emissions to that level of accuracy, so this is effectively zero.

As I wrote in the previous article, I always thought the win-win scenario was to build the pipeline and then work hard to reduce demand for oil and ensure that the pipeline is never needed. But if it is needed, its there.

Why Canceling Keystone XL was the Wrong Decision

Lets consider four scenarios:

Build the pipeline and we dont need it Build the pipeline and we need it Dont build the pipeline and we need it Dont build the pipeline and we dont need it

The first scenario is that TC Energy (formerly TransCanada) builds the pipeline, but aggressive actions to combat climate change render it unnecessary. This means a private company took a risk, spent billions of dollars, hired a lot of Americans and used a lot of American resources, and the bet ultimately didnt pay off. In this case TC Energy was the loser, but there was a significant economic benefit to the U.S.

The second is that the pipeline is built, and we find that when it is completed that the U.S. is still a net importer of crude oil. In this case, the oil that Keystone would have provided is just going to displace some other oil from somewhere else. We will be getting more oil from a friendly ally (and more domestically as well) and less from the global markets. Based on Jen Psakis comments this week, the Biden Administration should like either of these two scenarios.

The third scenario is that the pipeline isnt built, but we find that demand for oil imports still exists when it would have been completed. Then we have a situation like we have today, where we are importing oil from countries that in many cases have foreign policies that are hostile to the U.S. There was this naive belief that if Keystone XL was blocked, then the oil wouldnt be produced. If the demand is there, the oil still going to be produced. Its just going to come from places like Russia, and some of it will be transported via more carbon-intensive (and more dangerous) methods like truck and rail.

The final scenario is that the pipeline isnt built, but oil demand has declined and it isnt actually needed. The main winner there is TC Energy, who saved billions not building the pipeline. The main losers are the U.S. workers and industries that would have supported building the pipeline.

In none of these scenarios does building Keystone XL dramatically increase U.S. oil consumption, nor does blocking it dramatically decrease U.S. oil consumption. Building could have helped alleviate dependence on overseas oil if that dependence still existed upon completion. Not building it could increase dependence on foreign oil.

It Was Also a Political Mistake

That leads me to the final reason this was a big mistake. The average person isnt going to do a deep dive into the reasons that gasoline prices have spiked. They are going to see that spike, and look for an easy scapegoat. Even though canceling Keystone XL has no bearing on the current gasoline price spike, for many people, it seems like basic common sense that it must have had an impact.

When I am discussing gasoline prices with people, inevitably someone will blame the cancellation of Keystone XL. Thats totally inaccurate, but the appearance is there superficially. I will say that in a few years, the failure to have Keystone XL in place could be a contributor to higher gasoline prices. If the demand is there, and it is more expensive to ship oil from Russia, for example, then gasoline prices are going to be higher.

Many environmentalists will acknowledge that, and say this is just fine with them. Higher gasoline prices should lead to more conservation. Thats true, but it also leads to losing elections, and the loss of the ability to pursue your agenda.

Ultimately, canceling Keystone XL was about sending a message. But when you weigh the actual impact versus the political impact that many got from the message, it was just the wrong decision to cancel it.

Finally, this entire analysis doesnt even consider the $15 billion TC Energy is seeking in damages from the U.S. government for the cancellation of the project under the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement. If they are awarded damages, then the decision changed what would have been a positive for the economy into a significant net negative.

By Robert Rapier

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The members of the International Energy Agency are ready to release more oil from their strategic emergency reserves to tame the surging oil prices, the IEAs Executive Director Fatih Birol told the Financial Times on Tuesday.

We are ready to [release] as much oil as is needed, Birol told FT.

Last week, the IEA agreed that some of its members would release 60 million barrels of crude oil from various countries strategic petroleum reserves. The United States has agreed to release 30 million barrels of crude oil from its SPR. The rest of the IEA members in Europe and Asia will release the remaining 30 million barrels.

Last weeks announcement of the oil release failed to stop rallying oil prices as the market feared a disruption in Russian oil supply. Meanwhile, traders and buyers in Europe shunned Russias crude, eyeing a potential ban on imports of energy commodities from Russia, and Russia is threatening to shut the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline to Germany.

The release of 60 million barrels of oil is just 4 percent of the total strategic reserves of the members of the IEA, Birol told FT today.

The agencys chief also criticized two of OPECs heavyweights, including the worlds largest oil exporter Saudi Arabia, for not ramping up production.

Saudi Arabia, Emirates and some other Middle East producers have [a] significant amount of production capacity and I would have expected from the last Opec+ meeting that those countries would share some comforting messages for the global oil markets in terms of increasing their production prospects, Birol told FT, describing the latest OPEC+ meeting as disappointing.

Last week, OPEC+ decided to rubberstamp another 400,000 bpd increase in its collective oil production in April, despite soaring oil prices after a key member of the pact, Russia, invaded Ukraine.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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$150 could be the next station for oil as Western governments are considering a ban on Russian oil imports.

Oil surged to $130 a barrel at the start of trade on Monday, and now analysts and industry professionals say that prices could soon break above $150 and even soar to $200 a barrel as the U.S. and Europe are considering a ban on Russian oil.

A stalemate in the negotiations about an Iranian nuclear dealthe only bearish factor for oil nowis also supporting oil prices at the beginning of this week.

Analysts have already warned that even if Iran returned to exporting its oil soon, the volumes would not be nearly enough to fill the gap that Russian exports would leave.

Sanctions on oil from Russiawhich exports around 5 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude and 2.8 million bpd of refined productswould have a much more significant effect on market balances than the sanctions on Iran and Venezuela in previous years.

Moreover, a deal on Iranreportedly "imminent" as of last weekis now muddled with the Russian war in Ukraine. As part of the negotiations for reviving the 2015 agreement, Moscow has reportedly made last-minute demands that the sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine do not impede its trade with Iran.

As diplomats scramble to solve this last-minute demand at the final crucial stage of talks, an Iranian deal now looks not as "imminent" as was suggested last week.

Related: Can The World Economy Function Without Russian Oil?

As a result, oil is surging. But the price spike had more to do with the potential ban on Russian oil, after comments on Sunday from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the United States and its European allies are in "very active discussions" about banning the import of Russian oil.

"We are now in very active discussions with our European partners about banning the import of Russian oil to our countries while, of course, at the same time maintaining a steady global supply of oil," Secretary Blinken told Chuck Todd of NBC News.

A ban on Russian oil would eclipse a return of Iranian oil exports, even if the Islamic Republic were to start oil shipments today. So, analysts are already predicting that $150, and even $200 oil, is coming.

Even without sanctions, oil exports from Russia are already being disrupted as buyers have started to "self-sanction" themselves, as analysts say. An official ban from the West would mean much higherpotentially all-time highoil prices.

Bank of America says if most of Russia's oil exports were stopped, the market would be in a 5-million-bpd deficit or bigger, which could trigger an oil price move to $200 per barrel.

Scott Sheffield, chief executive at Pioneer Natural Resources, the biggest oil producer in the Permian, says U.S. producers will not be able to replace Russian oil this year. In the event of a Russian embargowhich Sheffield supportsoil could jump to $150 and even $200 per barrel, the executive said in an interview with the Financial Times.

"The only way to stop Putin is to ban oil and gas exports," Sheffield told FT, but noted that "if the western world announced that we're going to ban Russian oil and gas, oil is going to go to $200 a barrel, probably  $150 to $200 easy."

The U.S. shale patch would need several months to raise production sharply, even if it started drilling many new wells now, Pioneer's CEO noted.

Labor, sand and equipment shortages are already expected to constrain growth in U.S. shale this year, Sheffield and other U.S. oil executives said last month.

With international oil prices soaring, U.S. gasoline prices hit the highest since 2008 at above $4 per gallon. On Sunday, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline was $4.009, per AAA data. That's a massive 40 cents increase from the $3.604/gal average price a week earlier.

At this point, the implied national average is around $4.55/gal, given current oil prices, Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for fuel-savings app GasBuddy, said on Sunday.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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The United States announced a ban on imports of Russian energy products on Tuesday, without the participation of the allies in Europe.

The ban includes not only Russian oil, but also coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG), Bloombergs sources said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Today, Im announcing the United States is targeting the main artery of Russias economy. Were banning all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy. That means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable at U.S. ports and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putins war machine, President Biden said in a White House announcement on Tuesday.

The President stressed that while the decision was made in close consultation with its European allies, he understood not every ally would be in a position to join the United States in sanctioning Russias energy supplies.

On Monday, reports emerged that the United States was considering banning imports of Russian oil without the participation of its European allies, at least at an initial stage of putting further pressure on Putins largest source of revenues. Related: U.S. Shale Cannot Offset Loss Of Russian Crude In The Short Term

The Western allies have refrained so far from imposing sanctions on Russias energy exports amid concerns about creating shortages in the oil market. Europe is much more dependent on Russian oil than the United States.

Europemost notably German Chancellor Olaf Scholzsaid on Monday that it was not on board with banning imports of oil and gas from Russia.

Currently, there is no other way to secure Europes supply of energy for heat generation, mobility, power supply, and industry, Scholz said.

It is therefore our conscious decision to continue doing business with Russian energy, the German chancellor said on Monday.

Meanwhile, also on Monday, Democrats and Republicans at Congress reached a bipartisan deal that would pave the way for a ban on the import of energy products from Russia.

Russia warned on Monday that an energy embargo on Moscow would have catastrophic consequences for the global market, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said, adding that if the Western allies cut off Russian oil, prices could jump to $300 a barrel or even more.

The United States, which imports around 500,000 bpd of Russian crude and products, can afford to ban imports from Russia without severe consequences on its industry and economy, unlike Europe.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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OPEC officials and U.S. shale industry executives met at the CERAWeek conference this week to discuss the situation on global oil markets, and the results of the meeting do not seem particularly encouraging.

According to a Reuters report, several senior executives from U.S. shale had dinner with OPEC's outgoing secretary general, Mohammed Barkindo, including the chief executives of Hess Corp., EQT Corp, and Chesapeake Energy.

The report quoted Barkindo as saying one of the topics of discussion had been U.S. shale majors' decision to continue returning cash to shareholders rather than expanding production in response to higher oil prices.

"This massive under-investment requires us to revisit that," the OPEC head said, as quoted by Reuters. "This is up to the companies themselves and their boards ... but there's this general realization that something needs to be done" about oil prices.

The dinner took place on Monday when Brent briefly touched $139 on talks between the U.S. and Europe about sanctioning Russia's oil exports. These, including both crude and fuels, amount to an average of 7 million bpd and, according to OPEC's Barkindo, "There is no capacity in the world that could replace 7 million barrels per day."

In this context, which has prompted analysts to warn about even higher oil prices coming, it is no wonder that Germany's Chancellor Olaf Sholz took a stance at odds with that of the U.S. and the UK, saying on Monday that it would not impose sanctions on Russian oil and gas as they were essential for Germany's energy supply.

The U.S., meanwhile, might decide to go it alone with the sanctions, according to a Reuters report from earlier today. "We import such a smaller percentage of oil from Russia than the Europeans do ... it is very different circumstance," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told media.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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China has proven with Iran that it has much practice and great skill in working around sanctions, and the U.S. has made it even easier to do so in the case of Russia in several ways, including leaving gaping loopholes in its sanctions that China and Russia can exploit. The current ambiguity surrounding these mechanisms suits China perfectly, as until it believes that it is militarily, technologically, and economically able to directly challenge the U.S. as the worlds number one superpower its strategy will remain to gradually build up its economic power through the multi-generational power-grab project, One Belt One Road (OBOR), as analysed in depth in in my new book on the global oil markets. This project contains within it a corollary colonialist element by dint of its land and sea routes secured through chequebook diplomacy. Given this, China cannot afford at this stage of its strategy to be seen to back Russia fully in President Vladimir Putins apparently ill-considered invasion of Ukraine and this was clearly evidenced in Chinas abstentions  unwanted and unexpected by the Kremlin  in the United Nations Security Councils votes last Friday firstly to condemn the war and secondly on whether to open the special emergency session of the General Assembly the next day. One basic factor that has worked in Chinas favour in circumventing sanctions on continuing to do business, especially oil and gas business, with Iran  and will equally apply to its doing the same with Russia  is the lack of exposure of Chinas firms to the U.S. financial infrastructure  particularly to the U.S. dollar  and the ease with which companies can set up new special purpose vehicles to handle ring-fenced areas of their businesses to allow for special situations, such as sanctions. As a corollary of this operational independence, China made no secret at the time of the pre-2016 sanctions against Iran or the post-2018 sanctions against it that it was going to use its Bank of Kunlun as the main funding and clearing vehicle for its dealings with Iran. The Bank of Kunlun has considerable operational experience in this regard, as it was used to settle tens of billions of dollars worth of oil imports during the U.N. sanctions against Tehran between 2012 and 2015. Most of the banks settlements during that time were in Euros and Chinese renminbi and in 2012 it was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury for conducting business with Iran. Rather like Iran  whose Foreign Minister, Mohammad Zarif, infamously stated back in December 2018 at the Doha Forum, that: If there is an art that we have perfected in Iran, [that] we can teach to others for a price, it is the art of evading sanctions  China has always regarded any U.S. sanctions as a fun puzzle to solve.

Washington learned early on  when it sanctioned Zhuhai Zhenrong Corp, the massive state-owned oil trading firm founded by the man who started oil trading between Beijing and Tehran in 1995 as a means by which Iran could pay for arms supplied by China to be used in the Iran-Iraq War - that Beijing would not be playing the sanctions game according to anyones rules but its own. Indeed, at a time when according to the U.S. there is clear evidence that China did not import any crude oil from Iran in June [2020] for the first time since January 2007, OilPrice.com showed that over a period of only 51 days just before the U.S. statement, China imported at least 8.1 million barrels of crude oil (158,823 barrels per day) from Iran.

In the case of Russian oil and gas exports, though, there is no need for China to go through all the trouble it took to circumvent the sanctions on Iran, for three key reasons. Firstly, there are currently no direct sanctions in place from either the U.S. or the E.U. on Russian oil or gas energy exports. A statement was released over the weekend that both are discussing a ban on Russian oil imports but this has not been approved yet and can still be worked around by China in the same way it did for Iran. In fact, despite several announcements last week of various types of sanctions being placed on a slew of Russian banks, one bank that was notably absent from all of the U.S.s lists was Russias third biggest lender, Gazprombank, which serves Russian state gas giant (with huge oil interests as well) Gazprom. Indeed, Gazprombank and Russian state-owned banking giant, Sberbank, are also not on the list of the seven institutions that the E.U. wants banned from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) messaging and payments system. Related: Canada Says Its Oil Could Replace U.S. Imports Of Russian Crude

The second reason why Russia and China are untroubled that their oil and gas trade will be affected is that, in addition to the de facto exemptions so far granted to the aforementioned institutions, the U.S. issued on 24 February the General License 8A waiver. Although this sounds as sexy to many as a cold haddock, to would-be sanctions evaders it is the waiver equivalent of Scarlett Johansson or Brad Pitt. Just in case any potential sanctions evaders may have missed the signal being given by the U.S., the U.S. Treasury Department went to great trouble to explain the nub of the point: Treasury is reiterating ... that energy payments can and should continue. In its further detailed guidance, just in case any would-be sanctions evader thought that they would have to engage in any tricky manoeuvring to circumvent the wrath of the U.S., the Treasury explained how to use the waiver to continue to deal with a Russian oil or gas company: For example, a company purchasing oil from a Russian company would be able to route the payment through a non-sanctioned third-country financial institution as an intermediary for credit to a sanctioned financial institutions customer in settlement of the transaction. The Treasury concluded: Treasury remains committed to permitting energy-related payments - ranging from production to consumption for a wide array of energy sources - involving specified sanctioned Russian banks.

Even in the unlikely event that this extraordinary free-for-all waiver is stopped, the third reason why China and Russia will continue to go about their oil and gas trade  and all other trades  relatively unhindered is that over the past few years they have been securing their own bilateral infrastructural and financial structures for years, as also analysed in-depth in my new book on the global oil markets. China has long seen increased internationalisation of its renminbi currency as a fitting reflection of its growing status in the world and the chief executive officer of Russias Novatek, Leonid Mikhelson, said in September 2018 that Russia had been discussing switching way from US$-centric trading with its largest trading partners such as India and China, and that even Arab countries were thinking about it. If they [the U.S.] do create difficulties for our Russian banks then all we have to do is replace dollars, he added. At around the same time, China launched its now extremely successful Shanghai Futures Exchange with oil contracts denominated in yuan (the trading unit of the renminbi currency). Such a strategy was tested initially at scale in 2014 when Gazpromneft tried trading cargoes of crude oil in Chinese yuan and roubles with China and Europe.

Infrastructural development for oil and gas trading between China and Russia has also been extremely extensive in recent years, as examined several times in depth by OilPrice.com. The most recent examples of this was, in the oil sector, Rosneft signing an US$80 billion 10-year deal to supply the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) with 100 million metric tonnes of oil over the period (slightly over 200,000 barrels per day). In the gas sector, at almost exactly the same time, Gazprom signed a 10 billion cubic metres per year (bcm/y) deal to supply gas to CNPC, adding to another supply contract between the two companies signed in 2014  a 30-year deal for 38 bcm/y to go from Russia to China. This, in turn, is part of, and augments, the Power of Siberia pipeline project  managed on the Russian side by Gazprom and on the China side by CNPC  that was launched in December 2019. And just in case there were any doubts on where China stands  in practical terms  on Russia in light of its invasion of Ukraine, Beijing's foreign ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, said in a press conference on 28 February: China and Russia will continue to conduct normal trade cooperation in the spirit of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit. For good measure, over the weekend China warned the U.S. against any moves that adds fuel to the flames in Ukraine and its Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, called on the West to take account of Moscow's concerns about NATO expansion.

By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com

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Despite its flexibility to respond to soaring oil prices, the U.S. shale patch cannot come to the rescue of the increasingly tightening global oil market with some Russian crude not making its way to buyers, commodity intelligence firm Kpler said on Tuesday.

U.S. lawmakers passed legislation on Monday to ban the import of energy products from Russia, but it is not clear yet whether President Joe Biden would sign it into law. The United States is reportedly considering going solo on an import ban, while Europemost notably German Chancellor Olaf Scholzis not on board with banning imports of oil and gas from Russia.

Even without sanctions on Russian energy exports, oil flows from Russia are already being disrupted as buyers have started to "self-sanction" themselves and are avoiding Russian cargoes.

Russia exports around 5 million bpd of crude and 2.8 million bpd of refined products.

According to Kpler's estimates, Russian crude oil exports could drop by as much as 1.5 million bpd from April onwards.

But U.S. shale will not be able to fill the gap over the next few months, despite its flexibility and reactivity to market conditions, Alex Andlauer, Senior Global Energy Analyst at Kpler, notes.

A lack of equipment is the key reason why the U.S. shale patch cannot replace the loss of Russian crude, Andlauer added.

"If there had been no shortage in workers, trucks, sand and completions equipment, the upside for June (three months process) would have been small anyway, at around +130 kbd, or less than 10% of what we expect Russian crude exports could lose next month," he wrote.

Shale executives also think the U.S. cannot offset lost Russian barrels.

Scott Sheffield, chief executive at Pioneer Natural Resources, the biggest oil producer in the Permian, says U.S. producers will not be able to replace Russian oil this year. In the event of a Russian embargowhich Sheffield supportsoil could jump to $150 and even $200 per barrel, the executive said in an interview with the Financial Times last week.

The U.S. shale patch would need several months to raise production sharply, even if it started drilling many new wells now, Pioneer's CEO noted.

Labor, sand, and equipment shortages are already expected to constrain growth in U.S. shale this year, Sheffield and other U.S. oil executives said last month.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Now, Europe is racing to reduce its reliance on Russian energy, and the United States is ready and willing to lend a helping hand.

Like their oil counterpart, natural gas markets continue to sizzle thanks to the invasion of Ukraine, Europe's over-reliance on Russian energy, and OPEC and its allies declining to offer relief. U.S. natural gas prices (NG1:COM) pulled back 3.6% on Monday to settle at $4.833/MMBtu, reversing sharp overnight gains from Friday's $5.016 closing price as uncertainty over Russia's war with Ukraine gave way to forecasts for warmer weather in the U.S. European energy prices, as well as natural gas futures on the Dutch TTF, reached as high as $115/MMBtu before pulling back to ~$93.

However, the pullback could be short-lived, with Russia now threatening to retaliate against Western sanctions by shutting down gas exports. Russia supplies 40% of Europe's gas supplies.

For the first time since the invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has threatened to weaponize its energy exports in retaliation for Western sanctions. Alexander Novak, Russia's deputy prime minister, says his government has the "full right" to "impose an embargo" on gas supplies by halting gas supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline with U.S. and European officials mulling a ban on Russian oil and gas imports. The deputy PM has warned that Western countries could face oil prices of over $300 per barrel and the possible closure of the main Russia-Germany gas pipeline if they follow through on threats to cut energy supplies from Russia.

"It is absolutely clear that a rejection of Russian oil would lead to catastrophic consequences for the global market. The surge in prices would be unpredictable. It would be $300 per barrel if not more." Novak has said.

Novak says it would take Europe more than a year to replace the volume of oil it receives from Russia and added that Russia "knows where we could redirect the volumes to."

Meanwhile, OPEC continues to brush off Europe and the world's worst security crisis since WWII and says it will stick to its earlier plan for gradual output hikes. The OPEC+ coalition of oil producers says it will increase oil production by its monthly 400,000 b/d clip in April.

According to Energy Intelligence, Russian oil export flows have fallen by at least one-third--or some 2.5 million barrels per day--despite a discount of $11 per barrel versus dated Brent being offered for distressed cargoes of Russian Urals as traders and refiners continue to adopt self-imposed embargoes. Refiners and banks are unwilling to do business with Russia due to the risk of falling under complex restrictions in different jurisdictions. Market participants are also concerned that measures directly targeting oil exports will soon arrive as fighting in Ukraine escalates.

In the case of OPEC+, the matter is not entirely in its hands. As we earlier reported, only a handful of OPEC+ members are in a position to rapidly ramp up production thanks to years of underinvestment. Back in October, Amrita Sen of Energy Aspects told Reuters that only Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Iraq, and Azerbaijan are in a position to boost their production to meet set OPEC quotas, while the other eight members are likely to struggle due to sharp declines in production and lack of investments.

With uncertainty rife in the gas markets, global gas and LNG demand robust, and U.S. gas prices trading at a fraction of their European counterparts, the natural gas thesis remains strongly bullish. Here are five stocks whose ample free cash flows, stable balance sheets, and impressive capital returns make them enticing.

#1. Chesapeake Energy Corp.

Market Cap: $10.1B

YTD Returns: 35.4%

Commodity price hedging is a popular trading strategy frequently used by oil and gas producers as well as heavy consumers of energy commodities such as airlines to protect themselves against market fluctuations. During times of falling crude prices, oil and gas producers normally use a short hedge to lock in oil prices if they believe prices are likely to go even lower in the future.

Unfortunately, hedging also means that these companies are unable to enjoy the benefits of rising gas prices and can in fact lead to hedging losses. However, some bold producers betting on a commodity rally hedge only minimally or not at all.

Tudor Pickering rates Chesapeake Energy (NYSE:CHK) a Buy, saying the company remains one of the few producers that remain relatively unhedged.

This might come off as an odd pick given Chesapeake's history, but it somehow makes sense at this point.

Widely regarded as a fracking pioneer and the king of unconventional drilling, Chesapeake Energy has been in dire straits after taking on too much debt and expanding too aggressively. For years, Chesapeake borrowed heavily to finance an aggressive expansion of its shale projects. The company only managed to survive through rounds of asset sales (which management is averse to), debt restructuring, and M&A but could not prevent the inevitable--Chesapeake filed for Chapter 11 in January 2020, becoming the largest U.S. oil and gas producer to seek bankruptcy protection in recent years.

Thankfully, Chesapeake successfully emerged from bankruptcy last year with the ongoing commodity rally offering the company a major lifeline.

The new Chesapeake Energy has a strong balance sheet with low leverage and a much more disciplined CAPEX strategy.

The company is targeting <1x long-term leverage in a bid to preserve balance sheet strength, target production is 400+ thousand barrels per day and intends to limit CAPEX to $700-750 million of annual capital expenditures and positive FCF. CHK says it expects to generate >$2 billion of FCF over the next five years, enough to improve its financial position significantly.

CHK shares have nearly doubled since its March comeback.

#2. Antero Resources Corp.

Market Cap: $8.0B

YTD Returns: 50.0%

Colorado-based Antero Resources Corp. (NYSE:AR) is the 3rd largest U.S. natural gas producer, pumping 3.2 bcf/d of natural gas from the Appalachian Basin where it owns 612,000 net acres of oil and gas properties sitting on 18,893 billion cubic feet (535 billion cubic meters) of estimated proved reserves.

The company has been plagued by worries regarding its ballooning long-term debt. Luckily, the company has been able to pay down more than 50% of that debt which currently stands at $2.12B.



Source: Y-Charts

AR has initiated a $1.0B share repurchase program, good for 16% of market cap, and plans to return 25-50% of free cash flow to shareholders going forward (2021 free cash flow of $849m would result in ~5% buyback under the new scheme). Capex, including drilling and completion capital is budgeted at $675-700m, good for a mere 5% Y/Y increase, while 2022 production was guided to 3.3bcfe/d (midpoint), essentially flat with 2021 levels.

Management plans to generate ~$1.6b of free cash flow at strip commodity prices, which would allow the Company to repurchase ~10% of its shares at current prices. Marking its second year of maintenance capital, and having hit debt reduction targets, Antero is yet another E&P shifting its focus to shareholder returns.

#3. EQT Corp.

Market Cap: $9.9B

YTD Returns: 21.6%

Shares of Pennsylvania-based EQT Corp.(NYSE:EQT) are up 75.1% YTD, making the stock a top-performer in the mid-cap oil and gas sector. EQT is a pure-play natural gas company with ~19.8 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas, NGLs, and crude oil reserves across approximately 1.8 million gross acres.

EQT is no longer in growth mode and considers acquisitions as its second act in a bid to gain economies of scale and help it return capital to shareholders, though its high-profile merger with CNX Resources (NYSE:CNX) failed to sail through.

EQT also is considering a path to net-zero status, starting by replacing equipment that runs on fossil fuels with electric-powered devices as well as using real-time sensors and other technologies in a bid to cut drilling time and energy. ESG plays within the fossil fuel sector tend to go down well with investors.

EQT continues to be a leader in the field of advanced horizontal drilling technology, designed to minimize the potential impact of drilling-related activities and reduce the overall environmental footprint.

EQT has recently underperformed its peers due to a poor hedging strategy. Luckily, the company is only 40% hedged for 2023 thus giving it better exposure to higher commodity prices as the energy crisis continues to bite.

#4. Ovintiv Inc.

Market Cap: $12.4B

YTD Returns: 49.6%

A frequently off-the-radar name, Denver, Colorado-based Ovintiv Inc.(NYSE:OVV) has been seeing undeniable positive prospects. Ovintiv, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, development, production, and marketing of natural gas, oil, and natural gas liquids. It operates through USA Operations, Canadian Operations, and Market Optimization segments.

OVV has been on a tear ever since CitiGroup upgraded shares to Buy from Neutral, citing the company's improved balance sheet and leverage ratios, including the likely achievement of its $4.5B debt target by year-end 2021.

Although OVV shares have climbed 75% over the past 12 months, they still have additional upside thanks to higher oil prices and sees the company having attractive free cash flow at its updated price deck.

OVV stock appears ideal for investors seeking mid-cap E&P exposure without going too much further on the risk curve.

#5. Cheniere Energy

Market Cap: $35.5B

YTD Returns: 37.1%

The global energy transition was in full swing well before the Ukraine crisis, yet natural gas markets remained in decent shape thanks to natural gas being increasingly viewed as a bridge that will facilitate the transition from coal to renewable energy, especially in power generation. Even better: Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) managed to continue recording demand growth even during times of high levels of LNG market volatility with both extreme oversupply and extreme tightness during the course of the year.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG), a leading pure-play LNG producer, is perfectly positioned to benefit from these trends.

With the global shift towards cleaner energy sources in full swing, LNG and natural gas bring the benefits of being the cleanest-burning hydrocarbon, producing half the greenhouse gas emissions and less than one-tenth of the air pollutants of coal. Consequently, LNG demand is expected to grow 3.4% per annum through 2035, with some 100 million metric tons of additional capacity required to meet both demand growth and decline from existing projects. Natural gas use in power generation capacity is expected to grow by an additional 300 GW by 2040, equivalent to 300 million tonnes of LNG, with the majority of that demand coming from Asia, especially China, India and other Southeast Asia countries.

That marks natural gas/LNG as the only fossil fuel that will experience any kind of growth over the next two decades. Goldman sees a strong ramp in contracted U.S. LNG export capacity and solid exposure to spot pricing for remaining volume helping Cheniere record free-cash-flow growth of ~50% from 2021 levels.

The 60-year liquefied natural gas industry has a new hierarchy in place, and it's opening up new trading opportunities. For the first time ever, the United States has become the world's largest LNG exporter, establishing itself as a bona fide natural gas superpower.

From a position of relative obscurity just five years ago, the U.S. LNG sector has rapidly risen through the ranks to challenge the heavyweights. U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity has expanded rapidly since the Lower 48 states first began exporting LNG in 2016. In 2020, the United States became the world's third-largest LNG exporter, behind Australia and Qatar.

And now, the United States has become the world's biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter as deliveries surged to energy-starved Europe. According to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg, output from American facilities edged above Qatar in December after a jump in exports from the Sabine Pass and Freeport facilities, with Cheniere Energy saying last month that a new production unit at its Sabine Pass plant in Louisiana produced its first cargo.

In the same vein, China has become the world's biggest LNG importer, managing to overtake Japan for the first time since the latter pioneered the industry in the 1970s.

It's a major tailwind for Cheniere Energy, given its already strong market share.

By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com

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Oil prices are set to average $135 per barrel this year as the world could face the largest energy supply shocks ever with Russian crude struggling to make it to the market, according to Goldman Sachs.

The investment bank significantly hiked its oil price forecasts for 2022 and 2023. Goldman now sees the spot Brent Crude price averaging $135 a barrel this year, up from $98 expected earlier. The forecast for 2023 is now $115 a barrel spot Brent, compared to $105 previously.

Although Russias exports are not under sanctions currently, many buyers, traders, insurers, and tanker owners have started to avoid purchases of Russian crude. This has already started to affect market balances.

More than half of the March loadings from Russia could remain unsold, which could mean 3 million barrels per day of Russian seaborne crude and petroleum products off the market this month. This would represent the fifth-largest disruption in oil supply in one month since World War II, analysts at Goldman Sachs wrote in a noted dated March 7 and cited by Reuters.

In the short term, coping with such a supply shock would require the combined help of global strategic reserves, core-OPEC, Iran, and higher prices to reduce consumption, Goldman Sachs said.

Last week, the bank said that the market hadnt fully priced in the geopolitical risk premium.

The market may be underestimating the risks of tighter supply on oil pricing, which remains a key risk from the ongoing conflict -- so we think the risk premium here should probably be larger, said Goldman Sachs when oil prices traded in the low $100s last week.

A week later, oil had already blown past Goldmans prediction of rising to $115 over the next month. Brent traded up 3.5% early on Tuesday at above $127, while WTI Crude was up 3% at $123, as oil majors withdraw from oil trade with Russia, the U.S. considers an import ban on Russian oil, and the Iranian nuclear deal seems not-so-imminent as it did a week or two ago.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Kazakhstan plans to increase the trafficking of cargo via the Caspian Sea as traders run into growing problems getting their goods through sanctions-battered Russia.

The governments press service said on March 7 that a greater volume of wares would be transported along a route taking in the ports of Aktau and Kuryk, across the Caspian toward Baku in Azerbaijan, and then offloaded again onto ships in the Black Sea ports of Batumi and Poti in Georgia.

This logistical corridor, which is reliant on railroad and sea links, is known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, or TTITR, and was willed into being in 2017, mainly by means of an agreement among Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Kazakhstan, but also in coordination with China, Turkey, and Ukraine. The route notably circumvents Russia. Kazakhstan mainly uses this corridor to export petrochemical products, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, liquefied hydrocarbon gas, coal, grain, oilseeds, and other vegetable items to Europe.

The route, which is also known as the Middle Corridor, has never come even close to fulfilling its potential, however. Industry and Infrastructure Development Minister Kairbek Uskenbayev said workload at Aktau and Kuryk was only 23 percent of capacity.

Traffic along the TTITR has grown steadily since 2017, though. In the year of the routes launch, around 300 containers were sent along the corridor. In the first half of 2021 alone, that had increased to more than 7,000. China, whose exporters sees TTITR as a more profitable and faster transportation option than going across oceans, has been an important contributor to that volume.

Russian media were sniffy about the project to begin with, describing it as little more than a white elephant. Ironically, it is the sanctions triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine that may be the greatest boost to TTITRs fortunes to date.

The most immediate profit that Kazakhstan looks set to yield from its readiness to transport more goods across the Caspian is from its sale of grain to Turkey. A sharp surge in global grain prices since the Ukraine war began  prices have hit record highs of $430 per ton  means those exports have grown only more valuable.

By Eurasianet.org



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Fleetwood Drive residents release balloons during the Elgin neighborhood's National Night Out block party on Aug. 6, 2019, in response to the fatal shooting that occurred in the 1200 block of Fleetwood Drive earlier that day. (Rafael Guerrero / The Courier-News)

Two Elgin brothers who shot a man during a fight over two women and then kicked the injured Elgin man as he lay dying were sentenced to prison Monday.

Xavier L. Butler, 28, of the 200 block of Windsor Court, pleaded guilty to armed violence, a class X felony, in exchange for a 30-year term in the Illinois Department of Corrections for his role in the fatal shooting of Joshua Tyler Bey, 24, on Aug. 6, 2019.

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Isaiah Y. Butler, 24, of the 200 block of Locust Street, received a 15-year term after pleading guilty to second-degree murder, a class 1 felony.

The incident occurred about 10:30 a.m. in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 1200 block of Fleetwood Drive, reports said.

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Bey and a friend met Xavier and Isaiah Butler in the parking lot to continue an argument that had started the previous day over two women, according to the Kane County States Attorneys Office.

Bey had pulled out his gun when Xavier approached, but kept it at his side, a news release said. As the argument escalated, the brothers began to push Bey and Isaiah Butler punched Bey, which triggered a physical fight during which Xavier Butler shot Bey and took Beys gun.

During the struggle, Xavier Butler also shot his brother in the thumb, the report said. While Bey was on the ground fatally wounded, the brothers kicked him and then fled the scene, ultimately heading to Milwaukee.

Isaiah Butler was convicted of second-degree murder because he unreasonably believed that he and his brother faced imminent danger, the release said. Although Xavier Butler also could have been convicted of second-degree murder, he was convicted of armed violence because the accompanying sentence most accurately reflects his criminal actions.

Thirty years is the maximum sentence for armed violence and 20 the maximum for second-degree murder, release said.

Both men will get credit for the 937 days they served in the Kane County jail awaiting the resolution of their cases.
Nickel trading was suspended on the London Metals Exchange (LME) on Tuesday after prices doubled from Monday to $100,000 per ton as short sellers raced to cover bearish bets after Russia's invasion of Ukraine sparked a huge rally in metals and energy and agricultural commodities.

Nickel prices had already soared by over 30 percent on Monday, triggered by a major short squeeze amid fears that supply from Russia would be disrupted by the war in Ukraine and the sanctions against Moscow. Russia supplies around 7 percent of global volumes of nickel, a key metal for EV batteries.

Monday's move was the largest daily percentage surge in nickel prices ever. Fears that supply would be disrupted prompted a massive short squeeze, which sends prices higher.

On Tuesday, the move higher was even steeper after prices doubled in just a few hours. The London Metal Exchange said it was suspending trading in nickel, with immediate effect. The LME cancelled all trades executed on or after 00:00 UK time on March 8, 2022 in the inter-office market and on LME select until further notice.

"There's a very big short and a very big long who've been sparring. And because of their sparring, it's brutalised so many other shorts," Malcolm Freeman of Kingdom Futures told Reuters on Tuesday, commenting on the short squeeze.

The halt of nickel trading today is the biggest crisis on the LME since the 1990s, when the so-called Mr Copper, a trader from Japanese firm Sumitomo, tried to corner the world copper market with aggressive and illegal investment strategies.

Commenting on today's nickel price moves, Ole Hansen, Head of Commodity Strategy at Saxo Bank, told CNBC:

"It is a very dangerous market right now because this is a market that is not driven by supply and demand, it is driven by fear."

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 23, nickel prices have surged the most to date, by 227%, overtaking natural gas, which has jumped by 176%, according to data compiled by Bloomberg and Saxo Group shared by Hansen. The nickel price surge is driven by "driven by focus on margin calls, financial risks and low liquidity," Hansen noted.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree that institutes special economic measures that will be in effect until the end of this year.

Part of those special economic measures will include a ban or restriction on exports outside Russiathe list of products, commodities, and raw materials to be determined later by the Russian government.

The purpose of the decree is to ensure the security of the Russian Federation.

The United States on Tuesday already banned imports of Russian crude oil, gas, and energy. Outside the United States, other Russian crude oil buyers are self-sanctioning, further limiting Russias ability to export its energy products.

When the United States announced the Russian energy ban, President Joe Biden said it did with the full support of Europe, acknowledging that Europe is not as well-positioned to withstand such a ban.

Should Russia decide to add crude oil or natural gas to its list of banned or restricted products, however, it could send Europe into a new level of energy crisis.

The decree goes into effect on the day of its official publication. The government has been given two days to complete a list of which foreign states will be subject to the new restrictions and which items should be restricted or banned.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak already threatened to halt natural gas exports to Germany via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline earlier this week.

Russia is the worlds third-largest crude oil producer and is a major exporter of aluminum, nickel, and palladium.

Oil prices started to rise after news of President Putins decree, despite the vague nature of it.

Brent crude was trading at $128.40 at 4:30 p.m. ET.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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With the US reportedly said to vote as soon as Tuesday on a proposal to ditch trade relations with Russia and Belarus, including suspending oil imports despite repeated objections from Germany which has stated that a collapse in supply threatens "social cohesion", Russian Deputy PM Novak said that a ban on Russian oil would result in catastrophic consequences for global market according to Interfax, warning that Europe is pushing Russia towards an embargo on gas deliveries through Nord Stream 1, which is currently filled to maximum capacity, although Moscow has not taken this decision yet.

Warning that "no one would benefit from an embargo on gas deliveries through Nord Stream 1", Novak said that replacing Russian oil deliveries to Europe would take longer than a year.

he also warned that a global embargo on Russian oil could push prices over USD 300/bbl, although he said that Russia knows where it would re-direct oil to if Europe and US refuse it.

Addressing a potential ban on Russian oil, Goldman's commodities team wrote overnight that Europe's dependence on Russian oil imports, of c. 4.3 mb/d of which 0.8 mb/d comes from pipeline, suggests that such a coordinated response will likely take time, leaving the possibility for only a US ban in short order.

While the headline of potential further US sanctions are likely to support prices, such a move would likely have negligible impacts on global crude and products markets. The US only imports a little over 400 kb/d from Russia at present (Dec-Feb average), already down from a peak of 770 kb/d in May-Jun 2021. As such, volumes this small are well within the market's ability to redirect flows and as such Goldman expects minimal overall impact on crude fundamentals.

Such statements will nonetheless likely continue to severely curtail Russian seaborne oil exports, due to the threat of additional sanctions or of public censure. Case in point, the sole purchase of a cargo on Friday was immediately followed by public reprobration, strongly disincentivizing further Western acquisition, with so far no sign of Chinese purchases either.

This, Goldman concludes, "leaves risk to our $115/bbl short-term oil forecast clearly skewed strongly to the upside."

By Zerohedge.com

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Hackers tried to infiltrate the systems of several U.S. natural gas companies, including LNG exporters Cheniere Energy, Chevron, and Kinder Morgan, Bloomberg has reported, citing research by Resecurity.

According to the research, in late February, a group of hackers gained access to the computers of current and former employees of close to two dozen natural gas producers and exporters in the United States. The attack, according to Resecurity, was the first step in an attempt to infiltrate the energy industry.

The cybersecurity firms chief executive told Bloomberg that one of the hackers had been linked to a wave of cyberattacks against European companies by Microsoft. The attacks themselves Microsoft had attributed to a group called Strontium, it has associated with Russian military intelligence.

According to Resecuritys chief executive, Gene Yoo, the hackers had either directly compromised the computers or had paid for access to them in preparation for an attack on the companies secure networks.

As for the motivation for the attack, Recent tensions around Nord Stream 2, global market changes, as well as conflict in Ukraine are obvious catalysts, Yoo told Bloomberg. The attack began two weeks before Russias incursion into Ukraine on February 24.

Chevron takes the threat of malicious cyber activity very seriously. We have implemented the United States governments recommendations into our cybersecurity safeguards to protect Chevrons computing environment, the supermajor said in response to questions from Bloomberg.

Separately, at an investor conference earlier this month, Chevrons chief executive identified cyberattacks as the biggest risk that the company is facing.

Were in a high-risk environment right now from a cyber standpoint, and were in an industry that is a high profile, high-value target for bad actors. So thats the thing in the short term that I probably would say, in my view is the risk I worry about the most, Mike Wirth said.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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A man who bragged 21 times in two years about murdering a rival gang member who lived in Carpentersville was sentenced Monday to 55 years in prison.

Jesus Lechuga, 38, of Belvidere, was found guilty by a Kane County jury in July 2021 of going to the home of Jose Covarrubias and shooting him in the head through his bedroom window, a states attorney office news release said.

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The incident occurred shortly after midnight March 1, 2004, when Lechuga went to Covarrubias house on Chippewa Drive, knocked on Covarrubias window, waited for him to come over and then shot him with a .357-caliber revolver, prosecutors said in the release.

Lechuga then went to his gang leaders home to take credit for the murder, the release said. Others present overheard Lechuga claim responsibility for the fatal shooting. ... Lechuga bragged about the fatal shooting at least 21 times during the next 2 years.

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Kane County Judge Alice C. Tracy sentenced him to 30 years for first-degree murder and added 25 more years because Lechuga personally fired the gun used in the crime, the release said.

Under Illinois law, Lechuga must serve the full sentence. He will receive credit for 512 days served in the Kane County jail, the release said.

Mr. Lechuga killed Jose Covarrubias without a thought for him and his family. Assistant States Attorney Mark Stajdohar said. He now has decades to sit in prison and think about it.
Long-stressed Nebraska hospitals are seeing more relief as COVID-19 continues its weeks-long retreat.

Sunday, 191 Nebraskans were hospitalized with COVID-19, down 29% from a week before. Sunday also marked the first time that tally has been below 200 since Aug. 8, exactly seven months ago.

Sundays total also was down 75% from the peak of 767 Nebraskans hospitalized on Jan. 28.

Cory Shaw, chief operating officer at Nebraska Medicine, said Monday that the last two weeks have really been a collective sigh of relief among the health systems staff members.

But Jeremy Nordquist, president of the Nebraska Hospital Association, said health systems still face a mountain of backlogged procedures delayed by the pandemic as well as ongoing staffing challenges.

Its going to take months and months to work our way out of that again, he said.

Hospitals are slowly getting back up to speed.

Shaw said Nebraska Medicine is a week away from returning to conventional operations. The health system in January went into the first stage of its crisis plan and the Nebraska Medical Center then was limited by a state directive from performing some nonemergency procedures.

Dr. Cary Ward, chief medical officer for CHI Health, said that health system decreased inpatient procedures, particularly those requiring an overnight stay, by hundreds. At the same time, it increased outpatient procedures by thousands.

Many procedures, such as joint replacements, used to require a hospital stay that could last several days. For the right patient, with the right resources at home and the right health, Ward said, it turns out doing them the same day, getting them home, has been a wonderful evolution from all this.

Because it has 14 hospitals, he said, CHI Health has not had the backlog that some health systems have had. But staffing remains a challenge. CHI continues to rely on traveling nurses, but to a lesser extent. Ward said hes confident nurses will start coming back and wanting to work in a hospital setting.

Dr. John Trapp, chief medical officer for Bryan Health, said the Lincoln-based system had to delay 1,200 procedures between March 2020 and fall 2021.

Some became more urgent and had to be done. Others, like those at CHI, were shifted to outpatient procedures.

I think weve learned a lot about how we can manage patients, Trapp said, particularly for those who are relatively well.

Trapp said he anticipates the health system will return to full operations by the beginning of April. But he said the hospital likely will see an increase in patients accessing the hospital for delayed procedures for weeks, even months.

Both Trapp and Ward said their hospitals now are able to accept patients from smaller hospitals, which they had to limit during the surge.

Shaw said that staff at smaller hospitals have become more comfortable taking care of patients they once would have transferred, allowing patients and families to stay closer to home.

Meanwhile, COVID cases in Nebraska appear to remain in the midst of a steep six-week decline, although last weeks state figures from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were muddled by the delayed reporting of thousands of new cases.

Last week, the CDC added 22,000 new cases to the states total. All but about 200 of them appear to be cases from previous weeks.

Dr. Anne OKeefe, senior epidemiologist with the Douglas County Health Department, said the CDC is adding reinfections to its official case tallies.

Previously, the case counts did not include additional infections for people who have been infected more than once. Reinfections are defined as a new positive test more than 90 days after a previous positive test. After 90 days, OKeefe said, any new positive test is considered a new case rather than lingering virus from a previous infection.

The reinfections being counted are those occurring after Sept. 1, OKeefe said. Many of the cases being added involve the omicron variant.

It gives you a more realistic view of how much disease happened at each point in time, she said.

The state and county eventually will sort the added cases and place them under the dates they occurred, OKeefe said. The state is working to update and clean up its data. The County Health Department probably will announce the changes to its dashboard when they are made.

Getting a booster dose, OKeefe said, can prevent people from getting reinfected.

Without those cases, it appears the state total for the week ending Thursday would have been about 700, down slightly from the 968 the previous week. In a single week in late January, the state saw 29,000 cases.

Nebraskas case rate also appears to remain among the lowest per-capita in the nation, a status it has held for several weeks.

The state reported 57 new COVID-19 deaths last week, bringing the total number of confirmed and probable deaths in the state during the pandemic to 4,013. As of Thursday, more than 476,000 confirmed and probable cases had been reported in Nebraska.

Under the CDCs new community recommendations, most of the eastern third of Nebraska now is considered a medium level, meaning masking indoors no longer widely recommended.

Hospital officials said, however, that they are continuing to require masks for the time being to protect vulnerable patients as well as staff and visitors.

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Julie Anderson Julie Anderson is a medical reporter for The World-Herald. She covers health care and health care trends and developments, including hospitals, research and treatments. Follow her on Twitter @JulieAnderson41. Phone: 402-444-1066. Follow Julie Anderson 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
A winter storm is expected to move across the state midweek, and forecasters are warning of potentially hazardous travel conditions in central and western Nebraska.

A large swath of Interstate 80 across the state could see about 3-5 inches of snow Wednesday evening into Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

Forecasts call for the Omaha metro area to receive 2 to 4 inches of snow. In southern Nebraska, 5 to 9 inches could fall, according to the weather service.

Because of the potential for gusty winds to kick up the snow, the weather service is advising travelers to pay attention to weather conditions.

The heaviest snow is forecast to fall in the two southernmost counties of Nebraska, said Clint Aegerter, a Valley-based meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Becky Kern, another Valley-based meteorologist, said the snow could mess with the Thursday commute.

"This is going to be a long-duration event," she said. "The highest snowfall rates will most likely be from midnight (Wednesday) to noon Thursday."

The storm comes on the heels of Monday's somewhat surprising snowfall that caused some schools to call off classes.

Westside, Papillion La Vista, Bellevue, Ralston and Council Bluffs schools all canceled classes. The Omaha Public Schools switched to a remote learning day. Several other districts, including Millard, delayed their start.

The forecast had called for a trace to an inch of snow Sunday night. Instead, about 1 to 3 inches of snow fell.

Eppley Airfield reported 1.7 inches of snow. Bennington reported 3.5 inches, the Boys Town area reported 3 inches, a spot east of the Elkhorn area reported 2.3 inches and a spot near Chalco reported 2 inches. Council Bluffs reported 1.5 inches.

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They were friends who had grabbed some drinks after work one January day.

Then one had an argument with his wife. After she left, the two friends had an altercation while trying to fix a flat.

William T. Snoddy emerged with marks on his face that Jan. 27 night. His friend, Daron Hunter, 46, got into his car to drive away.

What followed: Snoddy shot into Hunter's car and hit him twice in the chest, causing the car he was driving to veer into the front lawn of a home near 45th Street and Laurel Avenue in northeast Omaha.

Hunter died from his wounds.

Monday, Douglas County Judge Stephanie Hansen ordered Snoddy, 37, to stand trial in district court on charges of first-degree murder and three weapons counts.

Omaha Police Detective David Preston said Snoddy admitted to firing at Hunter during a police interview in the hours after the slaying.

Why did he kill Hunter? Snoddy didnt give a reason, according to Preston.

Snoddys attorney, Assistant Douglas County Public Defender Leslie Cavanaugh, suggested that Snoddy may have been firing to fend off Hunter driving at him. She asked Preston if that was the case.

Preston clarified that Snoddy said Hunter veered his car either at the exact time that Snoddy fired or after Snoddy fired.

Prosecutor Gary Olson, a deputy Douglas County attorney, pointed out that detectives recovered four spent bullet casings, indicating Snoddy fired four times. He also pointed out that officers were able to recover the gun used in the slaying, tucked under the passenger seat of Snoddys car. The gun had both Snoddy's and Hunters DNA on it; Snoddy's was most prevalent.

Hunter was a big man  6-7 and about 300 pounds. More than that, he was a good man and a good dad, said his wife, Tiffany Farmer. Farmer said Hunter had six children, ages 7 months to 18 years.

Farmer and Hunter had two sons together, Daryn, 2 years old, and Truth, 7 months.

Snoddy had just gotten out of jail for a strangulation case in 2020 and had served 14 years in prison for robbery and use of a firearm, with that term ending in 2017. When he was 21, Hunter went to prison for kidnapping and served about eight years.

That life was behind him, Farmer said, and she wanted Hunter to put Snoddy in the past, too. Farmer said she always warned Hunter that Snoddy was too volatile to hang around.

That night, Farmer said she had hoped to just meet her husband at a restaurant for dinner, but they didnt connect by phone. She said she finally saw him about 9 p.m. They were over at Hunters relatives.

Preston said Snoddy got a flat on his car. The two contacted a mutual friend who was bringing a jack to hoist Snoddys car.

The friend didnt arrive before the two fought. Nor before Snoddy fired shots and took off, only to be located by police.

Snoddy was supposed to be a friend, Farmer said. I used to tell (Hunter) their friendship was going to be the end of him. And it happened. He took a good man, for no reason.

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Roberto Silva Jr. pleaded guilty Monday to all charges related to the deadly shooting at a Bellevue Sonic in 2020.

Silvas plea does not change Sarpy County Attorney Lee Polikovs plan to seek the death penalty, according to a statement from the Sarpy County Attorney's Office.

Silva, who is 24, killed Nathan Pastrana, 22, and Ryan Helbert, 28, in the shooting on Nov. 11, 2020, at the Sonic at 1307 Cornhusker Road. He critically injured Zoey Lujan, then 18, and Kenneth Gerner, who was 25 at the time.

Gerner, one of the survivors, recounted how Silva walked into the restaurant and shot one employee after another. Gerner himself was struck 10 times.

Silva, an Omaha man, had a concealed carry permit.

According to information from authorities, Silva apparently was upset because he previously had been detained by police for using someone elses Sonic app to purchase food at the restaurant.

The Wednesday before the Saturday night shooting, police stopped Silvas car because the license plate matched that of a car used by a man buying $57 worth of food at the restaurant with someone elses Sonic account.

When police stopped Silva, he had three guns in his car. Police confiscated the guns and arrested him. He was released the following day after posting cash bail of $150, or 10% of a $1,500 bail.

On the night of the shooting, authorities said, Silva drove a rental truck to the restaurant, where he set it on fire. The 6-foot-5-inch, 315-pound Silva then threw incendiary devices as he walked toward the restaurant.

All four employees were shot inside the restaurant. Three other employees were able to flee without injury.

Silva was put in handcuffs as he lay face down on the ground.

Officers found four firearms near the Sonic but said Silva didnt have any weapons on him when officers handcuffed him.

Silva pleaded guilty to 15 charges, including first-degree murder, attempted murder and arson.

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Like millions of people around the world, Oleh Khalimonchuk has watched Russias invasion of Ukraine unfold with horror and disbelief.

Its just unfathomable, he said. Its ... really hard to comprehend and process. Its just difficult.

For Khalimonchuk, Russias invasion hits close to home. Now a biochemistry professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and director of the Nebraska Redox Biology Center, Khalimonchuk spent the first 20 years of his life in western Ukraine, having grown up in the city of Lviv.

Now, after putting down roots in the United States, Khalimonchuk, 42, is looking to do what he can to help Ukrainians seek refuge from the invasion. On Feb. 27, he went on Twitter to offer fellowships at his lab in the UNL center to Ukrainian refugees trained in biochemistry.

As a (Ukrainian American), I cant just stand aside while this atrocious act of Russian aggression on (Ukraine) unfolds. Happy to offer several short-/long-term lab fellowships for students/postdocs/senior scientists from Ukraine, Khalimonchuk tweeted.

He expects to offer about three or four fellowships to people who could include graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and senior scientists.

Although Khalimonchuk said Tuesday that he wrote his tweet as more of an impulsive move, it has gained traction, with more than 160 retweets and hundreds of likes.

My entire life is here, basically, so Im not looking to go back, he said. But I feel like Im in a position where I can help those people.

Refugees from the conflict reached 2 million Tuesday, the Associated Press reported, marking the fastest exodus Europe has seen since World War II.

Its still premature to measure the impact and interest of Khalimonchuks offer, he said. But Lincoln offers a home away from home for Ukrainians. Lincolns population includes Ukrainians, along with their descendants, who fled from the country when it was part of the Soviet Union.

Accepted candidates also would work in a lab that includes Ukrainian native and senior research associate Iryna Bohovych and is managed by Khalimonchuks wife, Nataliya Zahayko, who also is from Lviv.

Khalimonchuk indicated that the fellowships could be funded by operational cost savings from the COVID-19 pandemic. He estimated that fellowship salaries will range from $27,000 to $48,000.

If we can help people by offering them an opportunity to work here, its a win-win for everybody, he said.

Khalimonchuk said fellows could work on multiple projects related to mitochondria research and diseases linked to mitochondrial dysfunctions.

As Khalimonchuk and his colleagues offer refuge, they also keep in touch with family members directly affected by the conflict.

A UNL press release noted that Khalimonchuks mother was forced to seek cover in a basement when an air raid siren began blaring. The release added that some members of Bohovychs family were living in an area that has been bombarded by Russian airstrikes. They managed to escape to relative safety in the past week.

Despite the imminent dangers their families are facing, Khalimonchuk said he and his Ukrainian colleagues cannot convince their family members who remain in the country to move away.

Our families have spent most of their lives in an area, he said. They dont want to move.

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A trial began Tuesday for a Waukegan man, with attorneys and a witness describing how a fatal shooting outside a 2017 Halloween party was sparked weeks earlier by an incident at another social gathering.

Lake County jurors heard opening statements and the first witnesses in the murder trial of Jasperin Melendez, who was 19 when he shot Fabian Cortez-Milan, 30, of Zion, outside the Grayslake-area party on Oct. 21, 2017. Cortez-Milan had come to the party to confront Melendez, who had exchanged words with the younger sister of Cortez-Milan at a party weeks before.

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Assistant States Attorney Sharmila Manak told jurors they would see phone video of the fatal shooting, and told them to pay attention to people recorded on video telling Melendez to put your poles (guns) down because Cortez-Milan was not armed. Melendez and Cortez-Milan had been arguing loudly when Melendez walked to a car, removed his sweatshirt and then walked suddenly toward Cortez-Milan and shot him, Manak said.

Melendez attorney Lawrence Wade, though, told jurors they would hear testimony that Cortez-Milan was reaching toward his waistband when Melendez shot him. Wade said Melendez knew the victim, and that Cortez-Milan regularly carried a gun.

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Youve got to listen to the entire story, not just put your poles away, Wade told the jury.

The attorneys said the two men had known each other for a number of years; Cortez-Milan had fathered a child with a cousin of Melendez.

The spark for the fatal encounter occurred several weeks before, Jen Milan, the sister of Cortez-Milan, testified.

She and Melendez had been at a party and Melendez cackled loudly into her ear, Milan said, before they traded angry words. Milan said she later told her brother about the incident, and he asked her to let him know the next time she saw Melendez.

The night of the shooting, a friend told Milan that Melendez was at the Grayslake party in the 33300 block of Lone Rock. Milan said she and two friends drove into Waukegan and picked up her brother and another man and drove to the party at about 1:30 a.m.

Milan said she and her brother went to the door, but they were asked to leave. They returned to their car, Milan said, which remained parked outside. Several minutes later, she said, Melendez and two of his friends came outside, and Melendez and Cortez-Milan began arguing.
The 2nd Cultural Week of China kicked off Monday in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) to serve as an opportunity for the Portuguese-speaking public in the SAR to have a close contact with the Chinese culture.

Organized by local newspaper Hoje Macao in collaboration with the publisher Livros do Meio, the event, which runs from Monday to Saturday with a break on Friday, features the launch of new books and a lecture, among others.

The book "Li Bai - The Immortal's Way," by Antonio Izidro, is about the famous Chinese poet from the Tang Dynasty, which was launched on Monday.

Antonio Izidro said at the launching ceremony "I hope this book can serve as a reference book for those studying Chinese-Portuguese translation."

The book "Nine Points in the Mist - texts about China," by Carlos Morais Jose, director of Hoje Macao, will be launched on Wednesday.

The book "Chinese Inquisitions," by Paulo Maia e Carmo, focuses on Chinese landscape paintings, which will be launched on Thursday.

The book "Chinese Quatrains," translated by the Cape Verdean poet Zerbo Freire, marks the first time that a Cape Verdean translates poems from the Tang Dynasty directly from Chinese into Portuguese. The book will be launched on Saturday.

On Tuesday, March 8, the International Women's Day, a lecture will be given on sociopolitical and legal evolution of Chinese women.
The man who has admitted to opening fire at a Bellevue Sonic in 2020, killing two people and injuring two others, wrote a letter to prosecutors in October saying he wants to be executed, the Sarpy County attorney said Tuesday.

Roberto Silva Jr., 24, pleaded guilty Monday to all 15 charges related to the deadly shooting on Nov. 21, 2020, at the Sonic at 1307 Cornhusker Road. Authorities said he killed Nathan Pastrana, 22, and Ryan Helbert, 28, and critically injured Zoey Lujan, then 18, and Kenneth Gerner, then 25.

Sarpy County Attorney Lee Polikov announced in January  long after initial charges had been filed against Silva  that he intended to seek the death penalty in the case. The Silva case is the first time in Polikovs more than two decades as county attorney that he has pursued the execution of someone.

In a letter Polikovs office received Oct. 4, 2021, Silva wrote that he wanted to move forward with capital punishment, Polikov said.

He stated, basically, in my words, that he wants to be executed, Polikov said. He declined to provide a copy of the entire letter because prosecutors did not submit it to the court as evidence and only referenced it.

Polikov said Silvas letter was just one piece that factored into his decision to seek the death penalty.

Polikov said his office still plans to seek the death penalty, despite Silvas wish to die, because he thinks the facts of the case amount to the highest punishment allowed by Nebraska law  more than the required life sentence.

Capital punishment is the law, and my job is to enforce the law, Polikov said. The case, he said, fits the violation of the law, in my mind. ... It has everything to do with a balance of justice. How do I get justice for the state and the victims?

Polikov said his office was aware of Silvas intention to plead guilty only a few hours before Mondays court hearing.

There was no negotiation for a plea, Polikov said. It was solely his decision and his desire to do that.

Silva will next appear in front of a three-judge panel that will weigh aggravating and mitigating circumstances and decide whether to send Silva to death row.

In a court filing Monday, Deputy Sarpy County Attorney Gage Cobb wrote that Silvas criminal actions exhibited five of the nine aggravating circumstances listed under state law. The state alleges that the shooting was done in a way to conceal the commission of a crime; that it was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel; that more than one killing occurred; that it was knowingly committed to disrupt law enforcement; and that Silva knowingly created a great risk of death to others.

Officials said Silva was angry because he had been detained by police days before for using another persons Sonic app to purchase $57 worth of food at the restaurant.

Three days later, Silva, who had a Nebraska concealed-carry permit, drove a U-Haul to the restaurant and fired numerous times  Gerner, one of the survivors, was shot 10 times. Silva also threw incendiary devices into the building and set the U-Haul on fire.

He was put in handcuffs at the scene as he lay face down on the ground.

Cobb, who is handling the case, read two lines from Silvas letter at Mondays hearing.

It is my understanding that you dont have a motive for my actions in (the Sonic shooting case), Silva wrote. My intention and motive was to kill the witnesses involved in (the identity theft case) to conceal the commission of that crime.

Silvas attorney, Deputy Sarpy County Public Defender Christopher Lathrop, said he was aware of Silvas letter to prosecutors but declined to talk more about it or give additional comment on the case and his advice to Silva.

The last time the death sentence was handed down in Sarpy County involved the 1983 slayings of two young boys, Danny Joe Eberle and Christopher Walden. John Joubert, who confessed to the kidnappings and murders, was executed in 1996.

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LINCOLN  Nebraska high school students would be required to learn about computer science and technology under a bill that advanced in the Legislature on Tuesday.

Legislative Bill 1112 would require public schools to include a graduation requirement for students to complete at least one course on computer science or technology by the start of the 2026-27 school year. The bill advanced to the second of three rounds of debate on a 33-0 vote.

LB 1112 aims to address the tech talent workforce crisis that State Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha, who introduced the bill, said is limiting business growth across Nebraska.

Employers, big and small, support this bill, McKinney said.

According to a 2021 report from the Nebraska Tech Collaborative, Nebraska has the third-largest gap of unfilled technology jobs in the U.S., behind Utah and South Dakota. McKinney said many employers have turned to hiring out-of-state applicants due to a lack of qualified applicants within the state.

Coding and other computer science skills are necessary in virtually every industry, McKinney said, including manufacturing and agriculture. Other supporters of the bill said it was long overdue, and even wished the bill required more.

This is a step we should have taken years ago, said Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha.

Although there were no votes against LB 1112s advancement, several senators raised concerns during Tuesdays debate. Some lawmakers questioned how the bill would impact smaller school districts. They debated whether the bill was government overreach.

Several senators, including Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue, referred to the bill as an unfunded mandate. Blood asked McKinney how smaller school districts would be expected to pay for such courses.

McKinney said there are multiple organizations, such as code.org, that offer computer science coursework free of charge to districts. The bills language also allows districts to offer courses online or through blended learning to provide districts some flexibility.

We are not asking school districts to reinvent the wheel, McKinney said.

According to a fiscal analysis, the Nebraska Department of Education estimates LB 1112 would cost about $134,000 in fiscal year 2022-23, and about $87,000 in fiscal year 2023-24 to hire an education specialist to oversee the requirements of the law.

Several senators, including Blood, shared concerns that the bill and similar legislation micromanaged school curriculum. Another bill passed last year will require public schools to add a personal finance or financial literacy course as a graduation requirement starting in the 2023-24 school year.

Were getting pretty deep into the schools, said Sen. John Arch of La Vista.

In response, proponents of the bill reiterated that computer science skills are necessary for most of todays workforce. Sen. Julie Slama of Sterling, who introduced the bill with McKinney, said many school districts already require computer science courses. By not ensuring that all districts follow suit, they are setting students up for failure.

Were talking about serving kids here that dont have access, Slama said.

Speaker of the Legislature Sen. Mike Hilgers of Lincoln also supported the bill. He said while they may not notice the bills impact right away, he believes it is something that lawmakers could look back on 10 to 20 years from now as legislation they are most proud of.

This is something that can take our state to the future, McKinney said.

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BLOOMINGTON  A Pontiac man remains jailed on sexual assault charges.

Geno A. Borrego, 23, is charged with two counts of criminal sexual assault, Class 1 felonies, stemming from December.

Court documents accuse Borrego of committing two sexual acts Dec. 10 in Normal while knowing that (victim) was unable to give consent.

A warrant for his arrest was issued and returned March 4.

Borrego remains jailed in lieu of posting $25,035, and he was ordered to have no contact with the victim and a Normal address.

An arraignment is scheduled for March 25.

Contact Kade Heather at 309-820-3256. Follow him on Twitter: @kadeheather

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MONMOUTH  Monmouth College has announced a Normal Community High School senior will receive a full ride scholarship, as one of two of this year's Admiral's Scholars.

Engst was also selected to be a Don Keift Scholar in the college's chemistry department, giving her a chance to participate in a summer research program, a press release from the college said.

She plans to major in biochemistry before going to dental school.

"All the faculty were so kind when I met with them and really showed that they had a strong passion for Monmouth College," she said in the press release.

Contact Connor Wood at (309)820-3240. Follow Connor on Twitter: @connorkwood

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Im sorry that she couldnt hang on until today, Ashley Judd said of her mother to the crowd while crying. The late Ray Charles also joined the Hall in a ceremony filled with tears, music and laughter.
CHICAGO  Chicago Public Schools will stop requiring face masks for staff and students in the nation's third-largest school district starting March 14, officials announced Monday.

The district said the change applies inside school buildings, on school property and on school buses, though students and employees will still be encouraged to wear masks.

CPS was one of the first to require universal masking in schools, and we would not be moving to a mask-optional model unless the data and our public health experts indicated that it is safe for our school communities, CEO Pedro Martinez said in a statement.

Martinez also pointed to other large school districts' decision to stop requiring face masks in recent weeks, including New York City on Monday.

He said the district will continue to encourage masking in Chicago, especially in schools with lower vaccination rates and among those students and staff who feel most comfortable with a face covering.

According to a letter sent to parents, 91% of staff members are fully vaccinated. Among students, 64% of those between the ages of 12 and 17 have received at least one vaccination dose and 47% between the ages of 5 and 11 years old have received at least one dose.

The district's announcement drew immediate pushback Monday from the Chicago Teachers Union, whose members refused to teach in-person in January, prompting five days of canceled classes during negotiations over COVID-19 protocols.

In a statement, union officials called the change a clear violation of the agreement that ended the standoff and said the union plans to file an unfair labor practice charge with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board.

The charge argues that the districts decision puts the health and safety of the entire CPS community at risk of infection, hospitalization and death and asks that the state board order the district to bargain any changes to safety procedures.

Our city is fortunate that the numbers around the COVID-19 pandemic have shifted, with deaths, hospitalizations and positive cases low, the union's statement said. But CPS buildings are congregate settings where vaccination rates also remain low, especially in schools with majority Black and Brown students on the South and West sides of the city.

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Its quite comical when woke Dems keep complaining about Trump while jittery Joe and clueless Kamala are ruining the country. They support gutless urban mayors, city councils and DAs who defund police, appease criminals with no bail laws or refuse to prosecute at all.

Their open border policy endangers public safety by not allowing ICE agents to deport illegal aliens, drug runners and human smugglers. Texas at its own expense has now started rebuilding the wall just as Democrats are promoting voting rights for non-citizens in California and New York.

Fuel costs have reached record levels after Biden closed the XL and Keystone pipelines from Canada plus restricting domestic drilling permits. We had reached energy independence under Trump. Now old Joe is allowing Iran to speed development of nuclear bomb to threaten Israel as China is taking control of Hong Kong and targeting Taiwan. A real Russian crisis is occurring because of Bidens chaotic, pathetic withdrawal from Afghanistan that projected weakness to our adversaries.

We cannot forget medias overrated bureaucrat Dr. Fauci, who has misled us with contradictory COVID messages while covering for the WHO.

America can at least gratefully thank Senators Manchin and Sinema for courageously stifling Bidens socialist agenda. This President has created more blunders in one year then makes them worse by pretending they dont exist or blaming Trump for his failures.

To suggest that Joe and Kamala are grossly incompetent is actually a compliment.

Mike Helm, Bloomington

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This year candidates will have numerous occasions to solicit our vote, and we must utilize these moments to demand they take a principled stance on ending the triple scourge of 2022 America: income inequality, opportunity inequality, and power inequality; propped up by the Jim Crow Era policies impacting us at each level of government and our economy: the filibuster, gerrymandering, right-to-work, and privatization of the public sector.

These policies were designed to prevent all working people -but particularly Black, brown, immigrant, and indigenous people - from living full lives guaranteed under the Constitution, and we must demand legislators take tangible steps to dismantle them to secure the democracy working people need to lift ourselves up.

In November, all Illinoisians must elect to remand right-to-work (for less) to history books by voting yes on the Workers Rights Amendment, affirming workers right to unionize their workplace; it has popular bipartisan support.

We must organize our families and colleagues on three choices this year: yes to candidates who commit to ending Jim Crow holdovers that keep Americans structurally inequitable; yes on the workers rights amendment; and yes to empathy and restraint when confronted with symptoms of a culture war devised to keep us fighting each other instead of those who benefit from keeping us overworked, underpaid, unhealthy, and unrepresented.

In his welcome to Honorable Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Mayor Mwilambwe noted when we "take a principled stance, things will turn out alright. Only when we relegate these anti-democratic practices to the past will we seat a government that fully represents the majority of us instead of the minority donor class, who rely on keeping working people misinformed and distracted so as to retain their power.

We end American kleptocracy by ending 21st Century Jim Crow. This is our how things turn out all right.

Adam Heenan, President

Bloomington-Normal Trades and Labor Assembly

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Why is President Biden so intent on Ukraine when he should be taking care of the United States? Let NATO take care of Ukraine and Russia. Why doesnt the president and the military to our southern border and stop the hundreds of thousands illegal immigrants from coming in and disappearing into our country? Could one reason be they dont care about we the people?

Once in a while I turn to CNN or MSNBC to see what theyre saying. One of the commentators was talking about the Republicans' plan for our country. He called it the most stupid plan he had ever seen. My thought was maybe had ought to go back to Joe Bidens first day in office when he undid everything President Trump did whether it was good or bad. Why would one group of people hate one person so much? Dont they know hate destroys?

The President and the far left could solve a lot of problems by listening to the people, building the wall and closing the southern border and opening up our oil and gas wells. Of course they wont do that because they want us to be a socialist country and theyll have power to tell us what we can do, where we live, etc.

The American people dont want that  they want to be a free people and theyll fight for that freedom. God help us.

Lois A. Vetter, Gibson City

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Former Finance Minister, Dr Kwesi Botchwey, has said government can't return to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for financial assistance.



According to him, Ghana has borrowed so much money from IMF and government's arrears keep piling up. He furthered that generating revenue domestically will be a challenge for government.



Dr Kwesi Botchwey indicated that Ghana currently is in crisis and it's about time government realizes the problem and faces it squarely.



He pointed out that road contractors have not been paid their due, arrears keep piling up among other bills that government cannot settle.



Speaking at the Independence Day lecture in Accra on Monday, March 7, 2022, the former finance minister accused government of imposing more hardship on already burdened Ghanaians.



"We are in the crisisWe are unable to pay our bills, we are imposing hardship even on the vulnerable, contractors go unpaid, arrears are piling up and we have borrowed so much money that servicing it is going to create a huge problem, especially for younger generations," he said.



"In any case, you have borrowed so much that we cant go to that market anymore and even raising the revenue domestically is going to be a problem," Kwesi Botchwey stated.

Source: ghanaweb.con









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Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang honored a 14-year-old boy Sajed Mohamed for winning the Young Cultural Ambassador to China title, according to a press release by the embassy on Sunday.



Liao awarded the winner certificates recently to Sajed and two other girls Joumana Mohamed Mostafa and Rana Ahmed Abdelwahab, whose works about the Beijing Winter Olympic Games have stood out in an international competition in China.

"We look forward to Egyptian youth and friends continuing to support the Beijing Winter Paralympics," said the Chinese ambassador, noting that in recent years the cultural exchanges between China and Egypt have flourished, and the traditional friendship has become stronger as time goes by.

He expressed hopes that the young generation can play an active role in building Egypt when they grow up and to provide more contribution in promoting the cultural exchange and developing the old civilizations of China and Egypt.

Sajed, who was discovered by the State Prize of the Young Innovator, which is organized by the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, took part in the Young Cultural Ambassador to China Award with a poem in Chinese language and ranked high place after strong competition with 209 children from more than thirty countries.
Oil prices rose on Tuesday, with Brent surging past $126 a barrel, as fears of formal sanctions against Russian oil and fuel exports spurred concerns about supply availability.



Benchmark Brent crude futures for May climbed $3.07, or 2.49%, to $126.28 a barrel at 0756 GMT.



U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for April delivery rose $2.29, or 1.92%, to 121.69 a barrel.



Russia is the world's second-biggest oil exporter and ships out about 7 million barrels per day of crude and oil products combined.



The United States, the world's biggest oil consumer, may move on its own to ban Russian oil imports following Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.



However, Germany, the biggest buyer of Russian crude oil, has rejected plans for an energy embargo. Replacing the vast quantities of Russian fuel and oil in the market if they has raised supply concerns about oil traders, prompting the surge in prices. read more



A "ban of Russian oil exports of (about) 7 million barrels per day of crude and oil products is a big reason for a further expected spike in oil prices...Until then $125 to $130 would be a see-saw range," said N.S. Ramaswamy, head of commodities, Ventura Securities Ltd.



A senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters on Monday that no final decision had been made but "it is likely (to be) just the U.S. if it happens." read more



A Russian halt to its energy exports in response to the sanctions already enacted has also pushed prices higher.



Russia on Monday warned it could stop the flow of natural gas through pipelines from Russia to Germany in response to Berlin's decision last month to halt the opening of the controversial new Nord Stream 2 pipeline. read more



If all of Russia's oil exports were blocked from global markets, analysts have said prices could rise to $200 a barrel, while Russia's deputy prime minister said oil could soar to more than $300.



"There is no capacity in the world in the moment that can replace 7 million barrels of exports," Mohammad Barkindo, the Secretary General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) told reporters at an industry conference in Houston on Monday. read more



Australia's two refiners, Viva Energy (VEA.AX) and Ampol Ltd (ALD.AX), said they had stopped buying Russian crude following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. read more



An apparent slowdown in talks with Iran over its nuclear programme, which would end sanctions against its oil sales, is also adding to price pressures after the European Union envoy on the talks said it was up to Iran and the U.S. to make political decisions to reach a deal.



"Additionally, a delay in lifting sanctions on Iranian oil is leading to a lot of jitters in the market," said Sugandha Sachdeva, vice president, commodity and currency research, Religare Broking.



Oil supply disruptions come as inventories continue to fall worldwide. Five analysts polled by Reuters estimated on average that U.S. crude stockpiles decreased by about 800,000 barrels in the week to March 4.



The poll was conducted ahead of weekly inventory reports from the American Petroleum Institute, an industry group, on Tuesday and the U.S. Energy Information Administration on Wednesday.













Source: REUTERS









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The Aboadzie Volta River Authority (VRA) International School of the Shama District has won the 2022 annual edition of the Western Region Independence Day Inter-District JHS Quiz, which was held for the Fourteen (14) MMDAs at Shama and was spearheaded by some traditional leadership of the region.



The new champions defeated Christ Leading from the Ellembelle District with 47 points to win the competition and receive a brand-new HP laptop, a trophy, a Multipurpose printer, plagues, gold medals, text and exercise books, math sets, three tablets, school bags, and certificates for all contestants, while Christ Leading, the first runner up, received a brand-new HP laptop, silver medals, tablets for the contestants, books, certificates, plagues and school bags all to the contestants.



Goldfields International School from Tarkwa in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipal which placed third also received a brand-new HP laptop, books, tablets, certificates, school bags, bronze medals, and plagues as runners-up.

From fourth to fourteenth place, the contestants received books, certificates, school bags, plagues, and other prizes.

Speaking at the event, the Chairman for the occasion, HRH Tetrete Okuamuah Sekyim II, representing the Western Regional House of Chiefs, and the Paramount Chief of Wassa Amenfi Traditional Area, commended the participants and their teachers for exhibiting their excellent intellectual display in the competition, urging the students to remain focused and disciplined in both their academic and social lives by avoiding all forms of nefarious acts that would impede their bright future endeavors.



He assured that the region's traditional leaders will continue to support education at all levels, and he urged multinational corporations to support the sector in order to make education more appealing in the region. "We, the traditional leaders of the region, will always contribute our quota to support the government's effort to promote and improve education in the country, and we will encourage all to rally behind this wonderful initiative," he added.

Tetrete Okuamuah Sekyim II, the patron of the annual quiz organizing and planning committee, praised the sponsors, which included Goldfields Ghana Ltd, headline sponsors and gold sponsors Karpowership Ghana, Ghana Gas, Takoradi International Company Ltd (TAQA), Mantrac Ghana, BCM Mining, and Civil Construction Group, for their commitment to promoting education in the region.



HRH Obrempong Hima Dekyi XIV, Paramount Chief of Upper Dixcove Traditional Area and Executive Chairman of the annual Organizing and Planning Committee, for his part, thanked all stakeholders who helped to make the event a success, which aimed to commemorate the region's Independence Day, promote healthy academic competition, and foster unity and togetherness among the region's fourteen Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies through a quiz competition.



He urged of Nananom's strong commitment to ensuring that education in the region becomes very appealing and competitive through close collaboration with the government and corporate institutions operating in the region, and he praised other supporting sponsors such as Aker Energy Ghana, Engineers, and Planners (E&P), Westfields, Volta River Authority (VRA), Nezo Oilfield and Suppliers Ltd, Samartex Plywood Company Ltd, Seaweld Engineering Ltd, Wayoe Engineering and Construction Ltd, Seedco Construction, Office of the Members of Parliament for Shama, Ellembelle, Jomoro, Evalue Ajomoro Gwira, Prestea Huni Valley, Tarkwa Nsuaem, the Nzema East Municipal Assembly, Shama District Assembly as well as Kasapreko Company Ltd for their immense support towards a successful event.



Nana Pansor IV, Senior Divisional Chief of Suporm Dunkwa and Ninfahene of the Shama Traditional Council, on behalf of Acting President of the Council Nana Kwamina Wienu II, thanked the organizers and other stakeholders for hosting the district's seventh edition in 2022.

He also urged the students to take their education seriously in order to become useful members of the society in the future.

Mr. Ebenezer Dadzie, the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Shama, expressed his profound gratitude to the traditional leaders for their well-thought-out initiative to promote education in the region and assured of his office's readiness to partner with similar associates who are committed to promoting education in the future.



Mr. Solomon Ocansey, Senior Community Relations Officer of Goldfields Ghana Ltd headline sponsors of the event, assured of his company's commitment and readiness to support the region's traditional leadership in promoting education, saying, "Goldfields is proud to associate itself as lead sponsor with such flagship educational programme since 2020, which is being spearheaded by Nananom of the Western region." He urged the students to persevere in their academic endeavors.

Ms. Sandra Amarquaye, Corporate Communication Assistant Manager of Karpowership Ghana, commended the traditional leaders for organizing such an event to promote education in the region and assured of her company's support for education in the region.



Mrs. Felicia Agyebea Okai, Western Regional Director of Education, whose speech was read on her behalf, commended Nananom and all stakeholders involved in the successful organization of the quiz event, which has been running for the past seven years and encouraged everyone to support the initiative. She reaffirmed her office's commitment to collaborating with groups, agencies, or businesses to advance the region's educational sector.



The competition also recognized Ms. Adwoa Entiwah Ntim of the Volta River Authority (VRA) International School and Ms. Dahlia Nyanzu of the Christ Leading School, Essiama for receiving both the HRH Tetrete Okuamuah Sekyim Special awards as best contestant and best female of the competition, an award initiative sponsored by Tetrete Okuamuah Sekyim and wife, who were both in attendance.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Kasapreko, a leading beverage manufacturer in Ghana has put in place a 'Student Leadership Awards' scheme to honour thriving students in the area Mechanical and Electrical Engineering across various Technical Universities and the Regional Maritime University.



The aim of the awards scheme is to strengthen industry and academic collaboration thus offering students a practical platform through which they can apply skills acquired.



The awards scheme, Kasapreko Student Leadership Awards" kick-started at the Takoradi Technical University last year and over the weekend awarded Mr Kato Maxwell Kumah who was adjudged the Overall Best Engineering Student at the Cape Coast Technical University.



Mr. Kuma received a GHC 2,000.00 cash prize, a laptop, a commemorative plaque, a National Service enrolment with KCL as well as full employment after service.



Speaking at the school's 18th Graduation Ceremony, Mr Solomon Owusu Bonnah, the HR Manager at Kasapreko said that the scheme forms part of Corporate Social Responsibility, as the honour thriving students in the field.



"We are doing this to close the gap that has existed between academia and the industry. Due to the nature of our operations and the standard required, we highly recruit the expertise of Engineers and have over the years trained lots of graduates to fit into the corporate environment after school.



"Going forward, as part of our corporate social responsibility and to strategically position ourselves as an employer of choice, we wish to expand this program to other Universities offering Engineering programmes," he noted.



Mr Bonnah was hopeful that this awards scheme would motivate students as they strive for excellence, a hallmark of KCL.



Dr Charles Emmanuel Oppong, Former Dean of the School of Engineering at the Cape Coast Technical University was grateful to KCL for setting up the awards scheme to motivate students.



He further appealed to the company to make a special presentation for exceptional Female Engineers which according to him will motivate more female students to take up the course which was largely dominated by men.



"I want to thank Kasapreko for this laudable initiative but I will entreat them to also institute an award for the best female engineering student to encourage more women to excel in the field of engineering," he said.



KCL was established in 1989 by Dr Kwabena Adjei to provide quality drinks at an affordable price to all Ghanaians and has been certified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).



It has over the years won numerous awards including the Beverage Company of the Year at the 2021 West African Business Excellence Awards, Top 25 most admired brands in Africa, Product of the Year 2017 for Awake Purified Drinking Water, Best Indigenous Tax Compliance Company for 2018 by the Ghana Revenue Authority, Bitters of the Year 2019, among many others.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Russia has said it may close its main gas pipeline to Germany if the West goes ahead with a ban on Russian oil.



Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said a "rejection of Russian oil would lead to catastrophic consequences for the global market", causing prices to more than double to $300 a barrel.



The US has been exploring a potential ban with allies as a way of punishing Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

But Germany and the Netherlands rejected the plan on Monday.



The EU gets about 40% of its gas and 30% of its oil from Russia and has no easy substitutes if supplies are disrupted.



In an address on Russian state television, Mr Novak said it would be "impossible to quickly find a replacement for Russian oil on the European market".



"It will take years, and it will still be much more expensive for European consumers. Ultimately, they will be hurt the worst by this outcome," he said.



Pointing to Germany's decision last month to freeze certification of Nord Stream 2, a new gas pipeline connecting the two countries, he added that an oil embargo could prompt retaliation.



"We have every right to take a matching decision and impose an embargo on gas pumping through the [existing] Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline," he said.

Source: BBC









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The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, has, on behalf of the Minerals Commission and Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, donated two brand new pickup trucks to the security services in the Savanna Region, as part of activities that marked the 65th Independence Day celebration.



The Member of Parliament for the Damongo Constituency said the pickups will enhance security in the region and also help in the fight against illegal small-scale mining.



He disclosed further that in the next two weeks, a brand new speed boat would be donated to the Savanna Regional Security Council to patrol the Black and the White Volta.



Mr Jinapor assured the people of the Savanna Region that he will join hands with all the agencies in the region to help in the development of the Damongo municipality and the Savanna Region as a whole.



The minister said, as part of measures to push education in the area, which is his priority, he met the Savanna Regional Director of Education for some discussion to that end.



Earlier, the minister, led by the Damongo Forestry Commission, took part in a tree-planting exercise in some selected areas in the municipality.









Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Climate Chance Association, brings local governments, businesses and citizens at the heart of the European transition, the first major on-site climate summit since the COP in Glasgow.



The Summit, bringing together in Nantes all the European and French networks of local and regional authorities, will also provide an opportunity to show support and stand with Ukraine.



The Climate Chance Summit Europe 2022 is been held in synergy with the European Climate Conference organised by the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union (FPEU) at the same place and time, with the support of Nantes Metropole.



European Climate Conference



2,000 participants to attend, 40 speakers over 30 events taking place at the same time with high-level plenary sessions, round tables, workshops, an opportunity to bring together the climate community in its diversity and to mobilise local actors at a key moment for the climate agenda



The year 2022 is an important year for the implementation of the European Green Deal, particularly with regard to its implementation the local level and the public policies to be deployed to achieve the objective of -55% of CO2 emissions by 2030 (Fit for 55). The French Presidency of the Council of the European Union (FPEU) is a key moment to make progress on this important climate agenda.



Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, Alok Sharma, President of the COP26 and Yasmine Fouad, Egyptian Minister of Environment, Ministerial Coordinator and Special Envoy to COP27 will be present in Nantes, as well as Barbara Pompili, Minister for Ecological Transition, and other European ministers and commissioners.



The summit will bring together a large number of experts, well-known climate personalities and provide an opportunity for 2,000 local actors, local and regional authorities, businesses, researchers and citizens, to dialogue with high-level representatives of the Member States of the European Union and the European Commission, who have come to attend the European Climate Conference of the FPEU, and to formulate opinions and proposals.



The meeting will equally balance both mitigation and adaptation agendas



The Summit will also discuss Europes international action on climate change, particularly in terms of Europes cooperation with Africa.



The President of CCLG-Africa, Kofi Don-Agor will have the opportunity to meet with some European climate change activist and Climate Chance Association to exchange ideas of dealing with the effects of climate change in Africa and how to communicate effectively at the local level and also forster partnership and Collaboration with Climate Chance Association.



A unique opportunity to bring to light priorities and common proposals from (local authorities, businesses, NGOs) on the implementation of local climate actions



Interactive workshops and roundtables bring together high-level experts and field actors.



The event will be based on the analyses of the Climate Chance Observatory. The Summit will be an opportunity to highlight the main trends of the Global Synthesis Report on local climate action 2022, including the main cooperation initiatives of cities and regions for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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China on Monday March 7, reiterated its position on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, calling for all parties involved to engage in dialogue.



China's Foreign Minister, Wang Yi said China's "rock-solid" friendship with Russia and said the prospects for cooperation between the two countries are very broad.



At a press conference explaining Beijing's position on the conflict, Wang said the causes of the "Ukraine situation" were "complex" and had not happened overnight.



"Solving complex problems requires calmness and rationality, rather than adding fuel to the fire and intensifying contradictions," he said.



Wang called on both sides to settle disputes by peaceful means, through dialogue and negotiation, and "respect and protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries."



"We must accommodate the legitimate security concerns of the parties involved," he said.



The countries involved should keep in mind the "long-term peace and stability of the region and put in place a balanced, effective, and sustainable European security architecture," Wang said.



Wang said Russia was Beijing's "most important strategic partner" and their bilateral relations were "conducive to world peace, stability, and development."



"No matter how sinister the international situation is, both China and Russia will maintain their strategic determination and continuously push forward the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the new era," he said.



According to customs data revealed on Monday, Chinese trade with Russia saw a surge in the run-up to the war in Ukraine.



Exports to Russia rose 41% in January and February compared to the same period in the previous year.



This was the fastest rate among China's major trading partners in the first two months of the year, outpacing trade with the European Union and the United States.









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Former Head of Monitoring Unit at the Forestry Commission, Charles Owusu, has joined political pundits who are panning the Dean of the University of Ghana Law School, Professor Raymond Atuguba over his comments at a forum held by Solidare Ghana.



Prof Atuguba said; we do not want coup in this country but if we do not act quickly we may have one in our hands. There is one thing to do now, prevent coup in Ghana since the climate and the environment, national and immediate international, are conducive for one. We must compel the government to acknowledge the current economic mess, they mostly, and previous governments, to a larger extent."



Charles Owusu speaking to the issue on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo' wondered why Prof Atuguba is walking free because, "if an ordinary person had made this statement he or she would have been arrested immediately".



" . . but because he is a learned person, it is being explained with big grammar. If there's hardship in the country and you have been called to express your view as an intellectual, this is what you have to say?" he questioned.



Listen to him in the video below





Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Asokwa Constituency 1st Vice Chairman of the ruling NPP, Edmund Kyei has called for calmness in the ongoing party polling station executives election.



In a statement copied to Peacefmonline.com, he said the party will have a divided front ahead of the 2024 election if its issues are not resolved now.



If care is not taken there will be deep cracks within our beloved party immediately after the election of polling station executives so I am pleading with the parties involved to remain calm but use the appropriate channels to address their grievances. A portion of the statement reads



Below is the full statement



Edmund Kyei Calls For Calm In Ongoing NPP Internal Elections



There have been several reports of violence and misunderstanding in some constituencies pertaining to the ongoing NPP'S polling station elections. Per information gathered, if care is not taken there will be deep cracks within our beloved party immediately after the election of polling station executives so I am pleading with the parties involved to remain calm but use the appropriate channels to address their grievances.



We can sight examples from some Constituencies within the Ashanti Region where most polling station and constituency executives have channelled their displeasure to the media, which cannot solve our problem but rather brings our democratic party to public ridicule. I plead with those involved in these issues to be calm and not to take the law into their own hands but rather use the party hierarchy to solve their problem.



We have a huge task ahead of us, which is elections 2024 and the party has to stay united to win this election. If we keep on fighting ourselves, our opponents will dully capitalize on that to defeat us. The NPP has come a long way and we have a nation to govern so let's not take things for granted but rather be focused on how to help His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to Ghana to the promised land.





Edmund Kyei

Asokwa Constituency 1st Vice Chairman NPP

NPP National Communication Member

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana









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Former Major of Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, Kojo Bonsu has raised serious concern about the continuous hijack of the main opposition political party, the Narional Democratic Congress (NDC) by certain group of people in the party who have marginalised the Ashantis.



According to him, the Ashantis also deserve to lead NDC like other people have done looking at the population of the region.



He said the NDC needs a new face to lead the party to the 2024 elections, and that person must come from the Ashanti region.



The Ashantis, he said cannot continue to play a second fiddle to other tribes in the NDC.





Addressing the Akwasidae festival at the Manhyia Palace, on Sunday, March 6, 2022, Kojo Bonsu asked for the blessing and support of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, for him to go and bring the presidency to the Ashanti Region.



Supported by a number of Market Queens and party suppprters, the former Major of Kumasi said that I Nana Kojo Bonsu, I am here today to tell Otumfuo that when the time is due I will also go and contest the flagbearship slot of the NDC.The NDC party has not chosen an Ashanti to lead the party before and that is why, as his grandson, I am here to inform Otumfo of my intention to contest for the flagbearership position, so that whenever he pours libation he will remember me in his prayers.

So that he will support me to go and bring the flagbearership position home to the Ashanti and unite all NDC members so that we win the election and bring the presidency to the Ashanti land, he said in a video.



The announcement by Kojo Bonsu attracted numerous applauds from the gathering.

Kojo Bonsu was sacked as Kumasi mayor following disagreements chiefs in Kumasi who said they can deal with him.



Th former Chief Executive of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) had announced his intentions to contest as flagbearer in the National Democratic Congress ahead of the 2024 elections.



He believes that the NDC must work towards marketing a new flagbearer for the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections.



Kojo Bonsu was of the conviction that the electoral defeat of the NDC in the 2016 and 2020 general elections was not only a defeat but a rejection of John Mahama, hence the party needs a new leader for the 2024 elections.



I dont want us to lose the 2024 election and remain in opposition again, he said.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by   (@utvghana)

Source: UTV/ Daily Guide









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Indigenous peoples of northern Alberta in Canada said that 169 potential tombs were discovered on the grounds of a former residential school, according to a recent report of The Canadian Press.

The school, known as the St. Bernard Mission School and about 370 km northwest of Edmonton, was opened by the Roman Catholic Church in 1894 and operated until 1961.

Previously, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission had heard testimony from survivors about serious sexual and physical abuse, manual labour and the spread of illness at the school, which had a large population of Metis children. The commission, which documented stories from survivors and issued a final report in 2015, has a record of 10 student deaths at St. Bernard.

An estimated 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Metis children attended residential schools in Canada. The commission documented at least 4,100 deaths, the report said.
" " Timothy Biley /Flickr (CC BY 2.0) Street art in Unidad Park, Filipinotown, Los Angeles, depicting Filipino farmworkers Larry Itliong and Philip Vera Cruz, who banded together with Mexican civil rights activists Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta to boycott non-union grape growers in the Delano grape strike.

As anti-Asian hate crimes continue to surge in the U.S., Asian American scholars and activists have responded by speaking out about their authentic stories, which have often been overlooked in textbooks.

"There are so many stereotypes and myths about Asians in America, and [they] really need to be disabused," says Gary Okihiro, professor emeritus of international and public affairs at Columbia University and author of "Margins and Mainstreams: Asians in American History and Culture."

In fact, Asian Americans have been challenging injustice for a long time, but mainstream narratives don't do justice to the complex history of the vast, diverse Asian American community. How vast exactly? Pew Research reported that Asian Americans were the fastest growing racial or ethnic group in the U.S. between 2019 and 2020. Further, 22 million Asian Americans in the U.S. can trace their ancestry to more than 20 countries, and many of these individuals have roots in the U.S. that span decades and even centuries.

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, here are five things about Asian Americans that you likely didn't learn in school, including incredible acts of patriotism and resistance.

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1. The Resistance of the 'No-nos' Was an Act of Patriotism

When Japanese American writer John Okada penned the historical fiction book, "No-No Boy," in 1957, he brought to light the stories of a brave group of Japanese Americans, who spoke up against their subjugation during World War II.

Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the government began to fear that Japanese Americans were enemy agents of Japan, even though two-thirds of Japanese Americans were American citizens, according to Okihiro.

As a result, the government ordered 120,000 Japanese Americans to leave their homes and relocate to internment camps under Executive Order 9066, issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

There was no evidence to support these claims and, decades later, Ronald Reagan declared internment was a "mistake" based solely on race, implicitly recognizing that these fears were rooted in racism.

As the war progressed, the government began seeking Japanese Americans from the camps to serve in the U.S. Army. The government presented residents in the camps with a loyalty questionnaire. Two questions  questions 27 and 28  were particularly controversial, asking Japanese Americans if they would renounce any loyalty to Japan and serve in the U.S. military.

About 6,700 individuals  including a fair number of second-generation Japanese American men, who became known as the "no-no boys"  answered "no" to both questions. By answering "no," they challenged the U.S. government for depriving them of their rights and treating them as enemies.

"The no-nos were responding to this illegal confinement of them  there was no reason given for their mass confinement. There was no justification for holding citizens within those camps," Okihiro says.

For their refusal, the no-no boys were incarcerated in a federal penitentiary at Fort Leavenworth for the duration of the war, according to Okihiro. Okihiro argues that the no-no boys' defiance showed they were "true Americans."

"What they were trying to do was to have the U.S. live up to its constitution and the promises afforded to all citizens. If that's not patriotism, I don't know what is," Okihiro says.

" " The Manzanar War Relocation Center was one of 10 camps where the U.S. government incarcerated Japanese immigrants ineligible for citizenship and Japanese American citizens during World War II. Wikimedia Commons (CC By SA 2.0)

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2. Asian Immigrants Were Denied the Right to Citizenship

While their American-born children were granted citizenship, Asian immigrants could not acquire the same legal status for much of American history.

This lack of citizenship status dates back to the 1790 Nationality Act, which limited citizenship only to "free white persons." But after World War I, many people, including Asian Americans, were seeking citizenship through the courts and demonstrating they were "white."

Two of the most notable were Bhagat Singh Thind, a Sikh immigrant from the Indian subcontinent who served in the U.S. Army, and Takao Ozawa, an immigrant from Japan who had lived in the U.S. for 20 years.

Both appealed to the federal court on racial grounds. Ozawa argued before the Supreme Court in 1922 claiming to be white because he had adopted American culture. Thind argued before SCOTUS in 1923 that he deserved citizenship because he was Caucasian because he grew up in the Caucus Mountains. The court denied both Thind's and Ozawas' citizenship based on race.

"The Supreme Court said, 'No, you're not white, racially, so you don't qualify,'" Okihiro says.

Yet, their challenges show how Asian Americans resisted laws that limited their naturalization, believing they were entitled to their full rights as Americans. "Takao Ozawa and Bhagat Singh Thind challenged that exclusion of Asians [as] 'aliens ineligible for citizenship' from 1790," Okihiro says.

Thind, who had served in the Army, eventually was granted citizenship in 1936 when a bill was passed providing citizenship to anyone who served. But it wasn't until the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 that every Asian immigrant finally became eligible for citizenship under the law of the land.

"Asians were not immigrants like Europeans, and, unlike Europeans, [were] never intended to be citizens of this country by the founders of this nation," Okihiro says. "But despite all that, they stayed, and they made laws for them and their children became American."

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3. Filipino Americans Played a Key Role in the Labor Movement in the U.S.

Even though Filipinos comprise the third largest group of Asian Americans in the U.S., their history has often been overlooked in the history textbooks.

Okihiro describes the Manila galleon trade, which brought Filipino indentured workers to Mexico. From Mexico, the Filipino workers eventually made their way to California, Louisiana and beyond.

Additionally, Filipino indentured workers  along with Japanese and Chinese workers  were brought to work in sugar plantations in Hawaii and on the West Coast to serve as a cheap source of labor.

"Now, these workers who came to Hawaii and to the West Coast, over time, they began to see that they might want to stay here [in the U.S.]. And when they did that, they began to demand rights," Okihiro says.

That led to the formation of unions, with Filipino farmworkers like Larry Itliong and Philip Vera Cruz banding together with Mexican civil rights activists Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta to boycott non-union grape growers in the Delano Grape strike.

Thus, the United Farm Workers movement was born. Leaders like Itliong went up and down the coast, from the fields of California to salmon canning industries in Alaska, to organize workers.

"This is an amazing thing, because agricultural workers were never organized by unions, until Asians and Mexicans got together and formed those agricultural unions," Okihiro says.

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4. The Murder of Vincent Chin Was a Sea Change for Asian Americans

A Chinese American man, Vincent Chin, went out for a night on the town with his friends on June 19, 1982. Chin's friends were hosting a bachelor party in advance of his wedding.

But Chin never got to walk down the aisle. Two white men, fueled by racist hatred blaming Japan for the unemployment of Detroit auto workers, identified anyone who seemingly appeared Japanese as a target for their hatred.

"Chin was a Chinese American who was born in the United States, but it didn't matter to them," Okihiro says.

The two white men murdered Chin on that same night in Detroit. For their heinous crime, the murderers received no prison time and only a $3,000 fine.

The ruling in Chin's death sparked a wave of activism among Asian Americans, and his story remains important for Asian Americans to this day.

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5. There's a Long History of Asian-Black Solidarity in the U.S.

Asian Americans have a long history of speaking up in the face of injustice, but have often been portrayed in the media as the model minority, a trope that depicts Asian Americans as successful, hardworking individuals who don't cause problems or challenge the status quo.

The model minority trope set Asian Americans apart from other minority groups, including African Americans, seemingly driving a wedge between the two communities.

"The model minority, then, arises largely out of the 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement, and African Americans are badass and they're disrupting American society. And the U.S. needed a good, quiet, docile minority," to use as a counterpoint, Okihiro says.

But Okihiro says Asian Americans have long been pushing back against this trope, which ignores their lived history of racism.

Many Asian Americans have recognized the shared struggle between Asians and Black individuals. Asian and Black activists collaborated on the Third World Liberation Front at UC Berkeley, which led to the formation of ethnic studies programs in California. Japanese Amerians also supported African Americans in school desegregation efforts.

"They worked together, the NAACP and the JACL [Japanese American Citizens League], on a discrimination case against Mexican children in California. And from that working together came Brown v. Board of Education," Okihiro says.

However, there is perhaps no one more famous for bridging the divides between the two communities than Japanese American activist, Yuri Kochiyama, who passed away in 2014. Kochiyama was forced to relocate with her family to an internment camp during World War II, which shaped her activism.

As a result of their experiences of "victimization during World War II, many Japanese Americans began to understand that racism against them is allied to racism against black people," says Okihiro.

Kohiyama organized sit-ins to protest civil rights violations and collaborations with the Freedom Riders, who challenged segregation in the South.

Kochiyama also formed a brief friendship with Black activist Malcolm X and was present when he was assassinated.

HowStuffWorks may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article.

Now That's Interesting Portrayals of Asian Americans in mainstream media, like the movie "Crazy Rich Asians," often focus on highly affluent individuals. However, a 2018 Pew report found Asian Americans had the highest income inequality of any racial group in the U.S, due in large part to stark differences in education level and migration patterns between individuals from different regions of Asia.

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Originally Published: May 3, 2021
" " Robert McCracken Peck, curator of art and artifacts and senior fellow of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University in Philadelphia, saved Peter A. Browne's collection from the dustbin and tells its tale in his book "Specimens of Hair: The Curious Collection of Peter A. Browne." Rosamond Purcell, courtesy Blast Books

Collections are by definition kind of weird. Collectors devote days, weeks, months, even years to compiling excessive quantities of stamps they'll never mail, coins they'll never spend, hair they'll never  wait, what? Yes, you read that right: hair. Nineteenth-century lawyer and naturalist Peter A. Browne has the distinction of having cultivated the world's greatest hair collection. Sort of makes your prized record collection seem boring, doesn't it?

In the 1840s and '50s, Browne decided he would try to piece together a scientific portrait of humanity by obtaining as many hair specimens as possible. He wanted strands from famous figures, regular folks, living, dead  basically, if a person had hair, Browne wanted it. He collected samples from a fetus, a 100-year-old man, patients in the Western Virginia Lunatic Asylum, celebrities, conjoined twins, a corpse that had been buried for 32 years, and a convicted murderer (before and after his hanging, of course). Browne even had a few strands of George Washington's hair, courtesy of the late president's barber's son. He actually had samples from 13 of the first 14 U.S. presidents. So, all in all, a pretty terrifyingly thorough collection.

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" " A page from Browne's collection book: Hair from Chang Bunker and Eng Bunker (18111874), Thai-American conjoined twin brothers whose condition and birthplace became the basis for the term 'Siamese twins.'" Rosamond Purcell, courtesy Blast Books

What exactly was the point of all this hair gathering, you might ask? According to the book "Specimens of Hair: The Curious Collection of Peter A. Browne" by Robert McCracken Peck, Browne was on a mission to explain the differences and similarities between humans. Years before Charles Darwin blew the world's collective mind with his theory of evolution, Browne obsessively sought to understand how and why there was so much variance in humans.

"His fellow members of the Academy of Natural Sciences were doing the same things with birds and insects and fish, and trying to figure out what were the distinctive characteristics that separated one from another, and combined one with another," Peck told the arts and culture website Hyperallergic. "With humans, that became a much more fraught political and social issue. Any attempt he made to separate people into separate species, as he called them at the time, was doomed to failure, and rightly so, because we recognize that all humans are from the same origin."

But Browne didn't know that. So, he collected. And perhaps the weirdest part about his weird collection is that for the era, it wasn't considered weird at all. "The collection may seem 'weird' by today's standards, but at the time it was made it was considered very important by scientists around the world," Peck said in an interview with The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University (ANSP), where is he is a senior fellow. "Browne referred to it as a national collection. It contained not just the hair of humans, but the wool of sheep and the fur and hair of many other mammals. It was a collection made for scientific purposes and for the love of country."

And if you don't believe that Browne's hair collecting compulsion wasn't all that odd for the era, consider this news story out of the U.K., where a woman stumbled upon a ring containing Charlotte Bronte's locks. While wading through her late father-in-law's attic, the unidentified woman from Erddig, Wales unlocked a curious metal box and found a single ring inside inscribed with Bronte's name and the date of her death. So the woman did what anyone in sudden unexpected possession of an old trinket might do: She went on "Antiques Roadshow." On the show, she told jewelry expert Geoffrey Munn she suspected she might have accidentally inherited some of Bronte's strands. Munn wasn't fazed. "It was a convention to make jewelry out of hair in the 19th century," he said. "There was a terror of not being able to remember the face and character of the person who had died."

" " Another page from Browne's collection showing hair from the mane of Ajax, a lion exhibited at the "Philadelphia Menagerie." Rosamond Purcell, courtesy Blast Books

Apparently, before selfies and Snapchats pretty much ruined our lives, people often wove bits of hair into just about everything from rings and bracelets to cufflinks and more. "The hair of family and friends was commonly exchanged and retained throughout the 19th century," Peck told the ANSP blog. "It was often framed, kept in albums, or featured in jewelry. Today many parents still retain the hair from their child's first haircut, but it is rarely put on public display as it was during the Victorian era." It's also probably not as valuable as Bronte's; Munn told the lady with the ring that while her newly discovered jewelry was probably only worth about $32, the famous author's strands bumped up the value to about $26,000.

But back to Browne. While he never realized his (flawed and problematic) dream of separating the human race into 'species,' he did make an enduring contribution to modern science. "What is so useful about this collection now is all of that DNA is preserved, and he had no idea he was doing that when he sent out his requests to people for hair," Peck said in Hyperallergic. "He actually asked them to send the roots of the hair, the follicles  many of them did just clip it  but with the follicles attached, that is a goldmine."

And Peck isn't just the expert responsible for immortalizing Browne's legacy in words  he's also the guy who helped save it from total destruction. "In the mid-1970s, before anyone recognized the importance and irreplaceable value of the DNA contained in Browne's collection, a staff member in a position to determine its fate decided that the wool, fur and human hair it contained was of no (current) scientific interest and was taking up too much space and he decided to discard it," Peck told the ANSP blog. "I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time to spot it and save it from oblivion. Who would have guessed it would one day become a collection of such interest and the subject of a book?!"

Now That's Interesting A 2016 study found that DNA isn't the only thing in hair that contain identifying information. It turns out proteins present on strands may actually offer more abundant, stable sources of info.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

After decades of dominance by the United States, a new measure suggests that China edged the U.S. in 2019 on one important measurement of national research success.

Findings showed Chinese research ranked as high as or higher than U.S. work in the top 1% of scientific studies in 2019. This work is considered the most notable published science.

The new analysis, published recently in the journal Scientometrics, was done by three researchers: one from the United States, one from Europe and one from China. The measurement method used by the trio is different from what has traditionally been usedand they say it is more appropriate to the task.

"We feel strongly that we have a better way to measure the impact of research when comparing nation-to-nation output," said study co-author Caroline Wagner, an expert on science policy and R&D investment and faculty member in the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University.

"Using our measurement, China now has a slight lead over the U.S. in terms of scientific impact."

Wagner conducted the study with Lin Zhang of Wuhan University in China and Loet Leydesdorff of the University of Amsterdam in The Netherlands.

While there is no objective way of measuring the quality of research studies, scientists have traditionally used a proxy called citations. The more a study is mentioned (or "cited," as it is called) by other researchers in subsequent papers, the more impact it is seen as having on the field and the more it is assumed to be of high quality.

The gold standard is reaching the top 1%those scientific papers that are cited more often than 99% of others.

"These are the works that are seen as being in the class of Nobel Prize winners, the very leading edge of science," Wagner said. "The U.S. has tended to rank China's work as lower quality. This appears to have changed."

The issue is that papers in some scientific fields are generally cited much more frequently than papers in other fields. For example, the top papers in virology are cited more often than the top papers in sociology.

So what researchers have traditionally done is "field normalization," in which citation data are averaged in such a way as to allow the two fields to be compared side-by-side, taking into account statistically the differences in how citations are used in each of the fields.

When this method of measurement is used, the United States remains in the lead of producing top 1% papers.

But Wagner and her colleagues say weighting papers differently by scientific field makes no sense when you're comparing the research output of nations.

"When you're comparing one scientific field with another, then weighting by field makes sense. But it doesn't make sense when you're measuring the overall impact of one nation's science versus another, and it in fact produces erroneous results," Wagner said.

Instead of weighting citation results differently for papers in separate fields, Wagner and her colleagues simply combined papers in all fields and then calculated how nations compared using the raw citation data.

The researchers used the Web of Science database, which provides comprehensive citation data for studies in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. Using their measurement method, they found that China passed the United States for the top position in 2019, after passing the European Union in 2015.

In 2019, 1.67% of scientific articles with Chinese authors were in the top 1% of the most highly cited articles, compared to 1.62% of articles with U.S. authors. The U.S. was slightly ahead in 2018.

Even measurements using field normalizations have shown China to be improving rapidly in quality, even if they don't show China ahead of the United States. For example, in 2000, 1.77% of U.S articles were in the top 1%, compared to only 0.37% of Chinese articles, according to a report by the National Science Board.

But by 2016, that gap had closed considerably according to the field-normalized statistics: In that year, 1.88% of U.S. articles were in the top 1% and China was closing in with 1.12% in the highest ranks.

Overall, it has been widely recognized that China's total research output has been growing quickly in the past decade or more, Wagner said.

"But many experts had been saying that China was still lagging in quality, so there was no need for Western countries to worry. We don't think that gap exists anymore," she said.

"In an incredibly short time, China has advanced from far behind to producing research at the leading edge of science in some fields."

These new results showing China in the lead should help inform decisions on how the United States funds science, Wagner said.

"In the United States, we rely on science and technology for our national security, for our economy and for our health care," she said. "Being the world leader has been critically important to our economic success. A change in this position needs scrutiny."

More information: Caroline S. Wagner et al, A discussion of measuring the top-1% most-highly cited publications: quality and impact of Chinese papers, Scientometrics (2022). Caroline S. Wagner et al, A discussion of measuring the top-1% most-highly cited publications: quality and impact of Chinese papers,(2022). DOI: 10.1007/s11192-022-04291-z
The Main Plaza at the center of Monte Alban. Credit: Linda Nicholas, Field Museum

Location, location, locationit's the first rule of real estate. For a long time, it's been widely assumed that being close to resources drives settlement patterns, with cities generally founded near water and fertile land for growing crops. But a new paper by a husband-and-wife archaeological team questions that idea, using the example of an ancient city in what's now southern Mexico. The researchers argue that Monte Alban, the largest city in its region for more than a thousand years, wasn't situated near especially good farmland. But what it did have from the city's foundation was a defendable hilltop location and a more collective form of government that attracted people both to the settlement and its surrounding area.

"We wanted to understand why Monte Alban was founded where it was," says Linda Nicholas, the first author of the study in Frontiers in Political Science and an adjunct curator at the Field Museum.

Monte Alban lies in the Valley of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. It was founded in 500 BC, grew rapidly, and endured as the region's main metropolis for 1,300 years, longer than most, if not all, other prehispanic Mesoamerican cities. "We've been working in the Oaxaca Valley for 40 years, and we and our colleagues have wondered what drew so many people to move to Monte Alban and its surrounding area, and what allowed the city to sustain itself for so long," says Gary Feinman, the Field Museum's MacArthur curator of anthropology and co-author of the study. "Over the years, a few competing ideas have been advanced."

One hypothesis to explain the rapid growth at Monte Alban is coercionthe idea that powerful rulers forced people move there. Another possible explanation was that people went there because the land was good for farming. To examine the validity of these possible explanations, Nicholas and Feinman went back over decades of research covering both Monte Alban and the surrounding Valley of Oaxaca.

To evaluate the argument that Monte Alban attracted people because of the quality of its farmland, the researchers drew on studies of modern land use in the valley to map out different land classes based on the availability and permanence of water, the most important factor for crop yields in the valley. Good, well-watered land was patchily distributed across the valley, so that some areas had much higher potential yields than others. While pre-Monte Alban settlements were more heavily concentrated in the most productive parts of the valley, Monte Alban was not. Land quality was less a factor in settlement decisions at the time of Monte Alban's foundation, both for the city and nearby settlements.

Gary Feinman and crew member surveying ridge in southern part of the Valley of Oaxaca in the 1980s. Credit: Linda Nicholas, Field Museum

"Linda's analysis of land use shows very clearly that Monte Alban wasn't located near the richest land. Whether you just look at the land itself, or whether you figure in the labor to work it, agrarian productivity cannot explain the location of Monte Alban," says Feinman.

So the hypothesis about fertile land doesn't hold up for Monte Alban. Feinman and Nicholas also investigated the possibility that people were forced to come to the region. This part of the project relied on decades of archaeological survey work.

"In the 1960s, archaeologists started to ask different questions about ancient societies beyond just collecting and categorizing artifacts," says Nicholas. "When you excavate a site, you only get a picture of a very small part, and also it's both destructive and expensive."

"If you're trying to answer questions about how early cities formed and how long they lasted, excavation with its limited portal into the past doesn't answer them," says Feinman. "If you want to learn about the city of Chicago, excavating one house, a block, or even one neighborhood wouldn't give you information about the growth of downtown in relationship to the Chicago River and Lake Michigan, or how it relates to a broader network of settlements in northern Illinois and beyond. It's the same way with ancient citiesyou need a more macro-level vantage to understand how their growth and decline compared to the areas around them."

To get at this broader picture of where people lived and how their settlement patterns shifted over time, Feinman and Nicholas collaborated with Richard Blanton and Stephen Kowalewski in Oaxaca to survey one of the largest contiguous study regions in the world.

Gary Feinman on survey in the 1980s, holding air photo under his arm as he takes notes on exposed architecture in a prehispanic mound. Credit: Linda Nicholas, Field Museum

"For our systematic survey, we used aerial photographs and maps to guide us as we walked across the entire valley. When we found archaeological sites, we made notes of what we found and where and took collections to determine the periods of occupation," says Nicholas. "We and our colleagues wound up covering thousands of square kilometers in the Oaxaca Valley and adjacent areas." This research over the years has been supplemented with more in-depth excavations by many scholars at key sites.

This wider-ranging look at life in Monte Alban and its surrounding areas, drawn from both surveys and excavations, gave the researchers new insights over the years. "We learned that at Monte Alban and other settlements in prehispanic Oaxaca, the bulk of the residents lived on flattened terraces, which were constructed on the slopes of the hills. From the excavations that we and others conducted, we gained a perspective on terrace life, where people lived in individual houses with multiple rooms around a patio. Domestic units often shared a front retaining wall, and drains generally separated residences," says Feinman. "People not only lived very close together, but they also must have been highly cooperative from one domestic unit to another, because if part of the retaining wall collapsed or the drain got clogged, they'd have to work together to fix it."

The residents of Monte Alban also were economically interdependent, exchanging craft goods and food in the risky environment for agriculture where they lived. Although no large food storage facilities have been found, there are indications that the city's residents participated in marketplace exchanges, which may have buffered the region's unpredictable rainfall. Cooperative defense and economic opportunity drew people from afar to early Monte Alban.

The high degrees of cooperation between households at Monte Alban was echoed to some extent in the political organization of Monte Alban as a whole. "Compared to more autocratic societies, like the Classic-period Maya, Monte Alban seems to have had a more collective form of governance," says Nicholas. Autocratic societiesones ruled by despots, where a small group of people wielded all the powertended to have architecture that reflected their form of rule, with big, fancy palaces and elaborate burial sites for the rich and powerful. Despotic rulers serve as the billboards for their regimes, often marked by aggrandizing and personalized monuments. Monte Alban, however, is characterized by non-residential public buildings, temples, and large, relatively open, shared plazas. Given the longevity of the site, the number of monuments that feature rulers is small.

Although defense was a key factor in the foundation and location of Monte Alban, there is no indication that the early occupants were coerced to move to this dense hilltop location where their agricultural prospects were somewhat risky, interpersonal efforts were needed to sustain their residences, and residential settlement was densely packed. Nevertheless, health measures indicate that the inhabitants of Monte Alban were generally better off than the residents of other prehispanic cities, and the institutions established at Monte Alban contributed to their well-being, drawing people from afar despite these challenges.

Monte Alban from the air; 100s of prehispanic residential terraces descend the slopes below the Main Plaza at the top of the hill. Credit: Linda Nicholas, Field Museum

Since people probably weren't forced to come to Monte Alban, and they didn't come for the productive farmland, that leaves the question: why did Monte Alban grow so quickly and stay large and important for so long?

"We think we have a frame that draws more on cooperation," says Nicholas. Based on the work of other scholars like Margaret Levi and Richard Blanton, Feinman hypothesizes that "it's a kind of mutual relationship between people who have power and people that don't. In this case, the powerful may have coordinated defense, helped organize marketplace exchange, and conducted ritual activities that enhanced community solidarity. On the other hand, the bulk of the city's populace produced food and other goods that sustained the settlement and, through taxes, supported governance. It was a collaborative process that relied on compliance."

Feinman notes that the architecture of the city might include clues about this cooperative relationship between the classes that led people to Monte Alban. "From the very founding of the site, there was a big main plaza where people could get together and express their voice, at least sometimes. People may have been encouraged to move there for defense and economic opportunity," he says. "But on the other hand, in order to underpin and support these new institutions, farmers probably had to give over some of their surplus. So, it's kind of a give and take."

While Feinman and Nicholas note that this study is just one case, about one city, it does have some lessons for us today. "Monte Alban was a city where a new social contract was written at its foundation. It was somewhat more equitable and less elite-centric than what had gone on before," says Feinman. "And with its collective and relatively equitable government, it endured for more than a millennium. Yet when it collapsed, the city's population declined drastically and many of its institutions dissolved, ushering in a period of more autocratic rule."

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More information: The foundation of Monte Alban, intensification, and growth: coactive processes and joint production, Frontiers in Political Science, DOI: 10.3389/fpos.2022.805047 The foundation of Monte Alban, intensification, and growth: coactive processes and joint production,
The scale of the damage to property and wildlife in Australia has been compared to devastating bushfires in 2019 and early 2020.

The death toll from week-long floods battering Australia's east coast rose to 20 on Tuesday, after the bodies of a man and a woman were discovered in floodwaters in Sydney.

Police said the pair were believed to be a missing mother and son whose car was abandoned in a stormwater canal.

Tens of thousands of Sydney residents have been told to evacuate their homes as severe storms and flash flooding inundated swathes of Australia's largest city Tuesday.

The national weather bureau warned of "a tough 48 hours ahead" for Sydney, with 60,000 people subject to evacuation orders and warnings, and the city's Manly Dam beginning to spill.

Intense rainfall across Sydney flooded bridges and homes, swept away cars and even collapsed the roofs of a shopping centre and a supermarket.

In the riverside suburb of Georges Hall vehicles were semi-submerged and police had to rescue people stranded in their cars by rising floodwaters.

A 'watery' Black Summer

State emergency services have been stretched thin as the torrential rain and intense storms continued into a second weekwith flood warnings in place Tuesday for the entire 2,000-kilometre (1,250-mile) coastline of New South Wales.

"It's very much the watery equivalent of the 'Black Summer' bushfires," emergency services spokesperson Phil Campbell told AFP.

In the past week the scale of the damage to property and wildlife has been similar to those devastating bushfires, he said, which ravaged Australia's east for months in late 2019 and early 2020.

"We have also had a similar effect on communities in terms of dislocation with roads closed, infrastructure damaged, power outages," Campbell said.

In the past 24 hours, emergency services have been called to 100 flood rescues across the state, a number that is expected to rise as the full force of the storms bears down on Sydney Tuesday.

In the city's north, flood researchers were evacuated from their lab as water from the nearby Manly Dam began to spill over into suburban areas.

Map of eastern Australia, showing areas that had the most rainfall in the past week.

The University of New South Wales facility uses water from the dam to run large-scale experiments about one-in-100- and one-in-1,000-year flooding scenarios.

"Ironically, the conditions were happening just outside," researcher Mitchell Harley told AFP.

When he arrived at work in the morning, floodwaters were already rising but soon the downpour caused "significant flooding" in the lab.

"We haven't seen impacts of that magnitude in the 60 years of the laboratory," Harley said.

He said the flooding that had inundated Sydney in recent days showed the need to consider the impact of climate change on the coastal city of more than five million people.

"We have a lot of ageing infrastructure in Sydney which were designed for historical flood events," he said.

"A lot of this infrastructure needs to be re-evaluated in the context of climate change."

'No way to rebuild'

In the northern reaches of New South Waleswhere floodwaters this week destroyed homes, washed away cars and stranded hundreds of locals on their roofsa long, slow clean-up is under way.

There are 800 people in emergency accommodation in the state's Northern Rivers region alone, said state emergency services commissioner Charlene York.

According to emergency services, almost half of the 5,000 flood-ravaged homes inspected in the region in the wake of the disaster are uninhabitable.

In Mullumbimby, a town cut off from phone service, internet and outside help for days by the floods, local Casey Whelan told AFP that "lots of people in my street can't get flood insurance".

"They will have no way to rebuild," he said.

Australia has been at the sharp end of climate change, with droughts, deadly bushfires, bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef and floods becoming more common and intense as global weather patterns change.

 2022 AFP
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

One in five people (19%) in Britain say their childcare or other caring responsibilities have prevented them from applying for a job or promotion at work, or have caused them to leave or consider leaving a job, according to a major new international survey.

The research, by Ipsos and the Global Institute for Women's Leadership at King's College London, finds that women in Britain (26%) are twice as likely as men (13%) to say this has been the case for them, underscoring a well-established gender divide in caring duties.

And while there is a recognition among the public that women tend to lose out in terms of progression at work because of these kinds of commitments, there is still a gender divide in views:

2 in 5 Britons (41%) say having childcare responsibilities come up during the working day is more likely to damage the career of a woman, compared with one in ten (9%) who think this is more likely to damage a man's career and one in five (23%) who think it's equally likely to damage the career of both. However, men (26%) are around half as likely as women (56%) to think women's careers will probably suffer more because of this.

Similarly, the public are most inclined to say it's more likely that a woman's career will be negatively impacted by caring responsibilities other than childcare coming up during the working day (35%)but men (22%) are much less likely to think this than women (46%).

There is also a divide in perceptions of how gender-equal employers are: half of men (51%) say that workplaces in Britain treat men and women equally, but this falls to a third among women (32%).

While concerns about the impact on careers were not one of the top reasons for delaying or choosing not to have children in the last two years for Britons under age 50 (5%), financial concerns are the top reason for those under 50 to not have or delay having children (14%).

Financial concerns were the top reason for Millennials (21%), and one in 10 Millennials cited concerns about the impact on their career as a reason for not having children (8%).

One in six people (16%) say that balancing work and caring responsibilities is one of the two or three most important issues facing women in Britain, rising to one in five (20%) among women themselves. This is on par with the global country average of 14%.

Domestic abuse (31%), sexual harassment (27%) and sexual violence (23%) emerge as the top issues affecting British women, according to the public overall.

Beyond the workplace, Britons were more likely to see a range of institutions as treating women worse rather than better than men, although often many felt they were treated equally.

Perceptions of bias against women were particularly high when it comes to media and social media: two in five Britons think women are treated worse than men by the media (43%), and half think the same for social media (49%).

Two in five Britons (42%) think the government treats women worse than women. However, there are some signs of progress toward gender equality at an institutional level, with half of Britons thinking educational institutions (50%) and health services (52%) treat men and women equally.

Families and careers around the world

Looking across the 30 countries included in the survey reveals:

Among 11 European countries surveyed, people in Sweden are least likely (12%) to say their childcare responsibilities have prevented them from applying for a job or promotion, or caused them to leave or consider leaving a job. Meanwhile, Romania is the highest in Europe, with 31% saying this.

Sweden also ranks lowest among European nations polled for the belief that childcare (17%) or other caring responsibilities (21%) are more likely to damage the career of a woman.

In Europe, people in France (32%) and Belgium (33%) are least likely to feel that workplaces in their respective countries treat men and women equally with only a third saying they do.

Globally, being able to choose when to start and finish work is the aspect of flexible working that interests people most, with four in 10 (a global country average of 38%) saying this would be a priority for them if they could work flexibly.

And there is little gender difference globally in terms of types of flexible working preferredfor example, among both women and men, one in seven (a global country average of 14%) say they'd be interested in the ability to have a job share or split a role with another person.

Kelly Beaver, Chief Executive of Ipsos UK, said: "This latest research highlights the fact that for women to become truly equal in the workplace, men need to become truly equal at home, ensuring that caring responsibilities and all they entail are split evenly.

The data also shows the continuing perception gap with men thinking things are more equal in workplaces than womena gap that must be overcome to make progress on workplace gender equality."

Professor Rosie Campbell, Director of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership at King's College London, said: "The COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the fact that childcare is core infrastructure. While access to affordable, high-quality childcare has increased in the UK over recent decades, Britain remains behind many other European nations, and this has a knock-on effect on both individuals and society's ability to reach our full economic potential."

Survey details

These are the results of a 30-country survey conducted by Ipsos on its Global Advisor online platform. Ipsos interviewed a total of 20,524 adults aged 1874 in the United States, Canada, Malaysia, South Africa, and Turkey, aged 2174 in Singapore, and 1674 in 24 other countries between Friday, January 21 and Friday, February 4, 2022.

The sample consists of approximately 1,000 interviews in each of Australia, Brazil, Canada, mainland China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Spain, and the U.S., and 500 individuals in each of Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, India, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, and Turkey.

The samples in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the U.S. can be taken as representative of their general adult population under the age of 75.

The samples in Brazil, Chile, mainland China, Colombia, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, and Turkey are more urban, more educated, and/or more affluent than the general population. The survey results for these countries should be viewed as reflecting the views of the more "connected" segment of their population.

The data is weighted so that each country's sample composition best reflects the demographic profile of the adult population according to the most recent census data.

"The Global Country Average" reflects the average results for all the countries where the survey was conducted. It has not been adjusted to the population size of each country and is not intended to suggest a total result.

Where results do not sum to 100 or the "difference" appears to be +/-1 more/less than the actual, this may be due to rounding, multiple responses, or the exclusion of "don't know" or not stated responses.

The precision of Ipsos online polls is calculated using a credibility interval with a poll of 1,000 accurate to +/-3.5 percentage points and of 500 accurate to +/- 5.0 percentage points. For more information on Ipsos' use of credibility intervals, please visit the Ipsos website.

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A conceptual illustration of the axially resolved detection realized by wavefront engineering for light needle microscopy. Credit: Yuichi Kozawa et al.

A newly proposed technique enables rapid 3D image acquisition. One-scan is a technique involving an elongated light spot that resembles a "needle" which captures three-dimensional (3D) images of a specimen.

The new method, which was developed by researchers from Tohoku University and Osaka University, can rapidly take 3D images without moving the observation planesomething necessary in conventional laser scanning microscopes.

Light microscopy is ubiquitous and vital for various fields including life science and medical diagnosis. As many biological cells or tissues are structurally complex, 3D observation is crucial. Laser scanning microscopy is a representative and well-established approach that enables 3D observation by scanning a focal spot on the sample. One major issue is its time-consuming procedure because it involves repeated 2D image acquisition that requires changing the observation plane.

The researchers used a laser spot elongated along the axial direction, referred to as "light needle," as illumination in laser scanning microscopy. In general, the use of such a light needle is a common approach that produces deep-focus images capturing the extended depth range of specimens without blurring. However, this approach only provides a 2D image, which does not include any depth information of a specimen.

Video-rate acquisition of 1-micron fluorescence bead suspended in water. The 3D region with a depth range of 20 microns was repeatedly recorded by 2D scanning of a light needle with a rate of 31Hz. Credit: Yuichi Kozawa et al.

The solution proposed by the researchers was manipulating fluorescence signals emitted from specimens through a technique based on computer-generated holography (CGH). They devised a hologram to be applied to fluorescence emitted from different depth positions inside the sample. This hologram was designed to produce laterally shifted and spatially separated images at the detector plane depending on the depth position of objects. With this technique, the depth information can be recorded as the lateral information simultaneously, allowing for the construction of 3D images without changing the observation plane.

Using this principle, the researchers developed a microscope system equipped with a spatial light modulator, a computer-controlled apparatus to project the CGH. The developed microscope system constructed a 3D image from a single 2D scanning of a light needle for the depth range of 20 microns. This system recorded 3D movies of dynamical motions of micron-sized beads suspended in water, something rarely achieved by existing laser scanning microscopes.

The researchers also demonstrated the prompt 3D image acquisition for thick biological samples with a speed more than ten times as fast as the conventional technique. The proposed technique will notably speed up image acquisition in various research and industrial fields, where the 3D image observation and evaluation are essential. The researchers are now planning to further extend the applicability of the proposed method to downsized systems, targeting its use in practical applications.

The research was published in Biomedical Optics Express.

Explore further A new microscope allows for high-throughput 3D adaptive optical imaging

More information: Yuichi Kozawa et al, Wavefront engineered light needle microscopy for axially resolved rapid volumetric imaging, Biomedical Optics Express (2022). Journal information: Biomedical Optics Express Yuichi Kozawa et al, Wavefront engineered light needle microscopy for axially resolved rapid volumetric imaging,(2022). DOI: 10.1364/BOE.449329
Modern Chinese domestic geese (Anser cygnoides domesticus). Credit: Masaki Eda/ PNAS

A team of researchers affiliated with multiple institutions in Japan and China has found evidence of goose domestication in China approximately 7,000 years ago. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group describes their study of goose bones found at Tianluoshana dig site in east China.

Over the past several years, scientists have debated the time-line of the domestication of birdsmost have suggested that chickens, which are believed to have once been a type of junglefowl, were the first to be domesticated, though there is still much debate about when it first occurred. Estimates have ranged from five to ten thousand years ago. In this new effort, the researchers have found evidence of the domestication of wild geese, as far back as 7,000 years ago.

The team found goose bones at the Tianluoshan site and used radiocarbon dating to find out how old they are. They have also studied the bones in other ways to learn more about their characteristics, such as the age of the birds at death.

The bones were found at what had once been a settlement of stone age people who were both hunter/gatherers and farmersthey grew rice to supplement their foraging efforts. The researchers found 232 goose bones at the site, four of which were from goslings ranging from 8 to 16 weeks old. They suggest this shows the birds were hatched near the site because it is believed that wild geese did not live in that area at the time the birds were alive. They also found evidence suggesting that the birds had been locally bred based on chemicals in their bones that likely came from a local water source. And all of the adults were approximately the same size, which indicates captive breeding.

Goose bones found at Tianluoshan, China. Credit: Masaki Eda/ PNAS

The researchers suggest that the evidence they found provides strong evidence for domestication of geese in China nearly 7,000 years ago. A finding that could mean that geese were the first birds to be domesticated.

Explore further Fossils from ancient extinct giant flightless goose suggests it was a fighter

More information: Masaki Eda et al, Multiple lines of evidence of early goose domestication in a 7,000-y-old rice cultivation village in the lower Yangtze River, China, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2022). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Masaki Eda et al, Multiple lines of evidence of early goose domestication in a 7,000-y-old rice cultivation village in the lower Yangtze River, China,(2022). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2117064119

 2022 Science X Network
Fig. 1. Examples of study orchards and representative apple pollinator species on apple flowers: (a) Jonagored orchard, (b) Dabinett orchard, (c) hoverfly (Eristalis sp.) resting, (d) solitary bee (Andrena haemorrhoa) resting, (e) honeybee (Apis mellifera) foraging, and (f) bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) foraging. Credit: Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.agee.2022.107911

A healthy bee population would represent a financial boon for Ireland's apple growers suggests new UCD research.

It is well documented that bees, and other insect pollinators such as wasps and hoverflies, are vital in the pollination of several Irish crops, and a new study from the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science puts this in focusshowcasing that insect pollination contributes to 93% of the market value of domestic dessert apples sold in Ireland, and 46% of the market value for apples used in Irish cider production.

This economic activity accounts for over 800,000 per year added value to combined apple production in Ireland, and according to Dr. Dara Anne Stanley, Irish apple producers could see even greater benefits with more successful pollination from wild and managed bees.

"We found that yield of desert apples was limited by the amount of pollination they received. So more pollination by insect pollinators could increase harvests of this crop in Ireland," said the reseacher from the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science.

While all pollinatorsincluding flies and beescontributed to apple pollination, honeybees and bumblebees were found to be the most important pollinators of Jonagored (dessert) apples, while honeybees contribute the most to Dabinett (cider apples) pollination.

Of note, the study stresses the importance of wild insect diversity and suggests that the agricultural sector in Ireland be encouraged to promote general insect pollinator biodiversity to maintain and increase the stability of pollination services over time.

Honeybee visitation rates varied considerably between apple cultivars, the University College Dublin researchers foundnoting the need for a more comprehensive understanding of crop pollination requirements depending on the region

They suggest that hoverflies, known as flower flies, and solitary bees could make good targets for future pollinator management across Ireland as hoverflies exhibited high floral visitation rates, and solitary bees were found to transport large amounts of pollen during their travels.

Although their economic value to apples is currently much smaller than honeybees, the UCD researchers stressed that the activity of wild bees and hoverflies was significantin helping to improve the quality and quantity of a harvest at little to no cost, with some species of flower flies also providing pest control by eating other common insects such as aphids.

"While we already have populations of wild insects on farmland in Ireland providing pollination to crops, we also know that pollinators are declining. Pollinator numbers can be increased and stabilized on farmland by providing more habitat through simple measures such as planting new hedgerows, letting existing hedges and field margins flower, or reducing or eliminating use of pesticide," said Dr. Stanley.

Explore further Decline of bees, other pollinators threatens US crop yields

More information: Katherine L.W. Burns et al, The importance and value of insect pollination to apples: A regional case study of key cultivars, Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment (2022). Katherine L.W. Burns et al, The importance and value of insect pollination to apples: A regional case study of key cultivars,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.agee.2022.107911
Ivy bees (Colletes hederae) visiting creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense). Credit: Allan Burrows

A new study by researchers at the University of Sussex, funded by Rowse Honey Ltd, has demonstrated that weeds are far more valuable in supporting biodiversity than we give them credit for.

Dr. Nicholas Balfour and Professor Francis Ratnieks compared the biodiversity value of plants classified as 'injurious weeds' with those stipulated by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) for pollinator targeted agri-environmental options, such as red clover and wild marjoram.

Their findings, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, show that the abundance and diversity of pollinators visiting weed species are far higher than DEFRA recommended plants.

In the UK, five species of native wildflowers are classified as "injurious" in the 1959 Weeds Act. Three of them are frequently visited by many species of bees and other insectsragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris) and two thistles (Cirsium arvense, C. vulgare). The other two are docks (Rumex crispus and R. obtusifolius), whose flowers are mainly wind-pollinated.

Dr. Balfour and Professor Ratnieks conducted a field study in East Sussex where they quantified and identified insects visiting three of these speciesthe flowers of ragwort, thistles, and other wildflowers, including those recommended by DEFRAgrowing in six pasture or ex-pasture sites.

Their results, which found that pollinators were visiting weed species in higher numbers than DEFRA recommended plants, were mirrored by a subsequent analysis of scientific literature.

In the Database of Pollinator Interactions, four times as many pollinator species and five times more conservation-listed species have been recorded visiting the three insect-pollinated weeds. Of the 387 plant species analysed in the database, in terms of pollinator species recorded, the weeds were ranked 4th (C. arvense), 6th (J. vulgaris), and 13th (C. vulgare). Similarly, the Database of Insects and their Food Plantsshowed that twice as many herbivorous insect species are associated with the five weed species.

Dr. Nicholas Balfour, Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects (LASI) at the University of Sussex, said: "There now exists a substantial body of evidence which shows that weeds are a vitally important resource for pollinators.

"The three insect-pollinated species have open flowers that allow access to a wide variety of pollinator species, and they produce, on average, four times more nectar sugar than the DEFRA recommended plant species.

"Pollinators are crucial to maintaining global biodiversity, ecosystem resilience and agricultural output. However, there are significant concerns about pollinator declines and the long-term decline of flowers in our landscapes is considered a key factor.

"We appreciate that agricultural weeds can cause yield losses in arable and pastureland. However, we've shown that they can also be of great value to both flower-visiting and herbivorous insectsand shouldn't be underestimated when it comes to supporting our natural biodiversity."

Freedom of information requests to public bodies such as councils, Natural England and Highways England indicated that circa 10 million per year is spent controlling injurious weeds.

The majority of local councils indicated that they actively control ragwort, thus classing it in the same bracket as invasive, non-native species such as Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica), likely due to the Ragwort Control Bill 2003.

Dr. Balfour added: "It is alarming that the many public bodies are using tax-payers' money and volunteers to actively remove ragwort. This plant was found to support the most conservation-listed insect species in our study.

"The implementation of the Ragwort Control Bill probably deserves greater scrutiny, especially given that the evidence underpinning it is questionable.

"Our results clearly show that weeds have an underappreciated value in supporting our natural biodiversity. Unfortunately, current UK agricultural policy encourages neither landsparing for, nor landsharing with, weeds."

Francis Ratnieks, Professor of Apiculture at the Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects (LASI) at the University of Sussex said: "Many common native plant species valuable to wildlife conservation are, unfortunately, underappreciated. Here we show the importance of ragwort and thistles to flower-visiting insects. Previously LASI has shown the importance of bramble and ivy, plants which are often referred to in negative terms such as thugs or parasites."

The authors are now calling for policymakers to take another look at how existing policies are implemented and reconsider the role of weeds in future agri-environmental policy. The Environmental Land Management Scheme, which is to be rolled out for English farmers by the end of 2024, will largely replace the schemes currently available under the EU Common Agricultural Policy. The authors are hopeful that this policy will provide sufficient directives and financial incentives to persuade land managers to tolerate injurious weeds, while taking into account the challenges facing different stakeholders and the balance of practicality and cost, as well as the benefits to the natural world of tolerating weeds.

Explore further Sharp drop in flower abundance caused by climate crisis will leave pollinators searching further for food
Shanghai has revised its favorable housing policies as the city strives to expand its talent pool.

In Changning district, apartments and housing subsidies will be available for more students studying abroad and returning to Shanghai for work, according to a policy unveiled recently by the district government. The policy applies to those who gained a master's degree from an overseas university ranked in the top 100 or in a major in the top 20 disciplines based on QS World University Rankings and the Academic Ranking of World Universities.

It stipulates the shortlisted candidates should have worked in China for less than a year, and the individuals and their spouses must not own a home in Shanghai.

According to the policy, each eligible applicant will receive a housing subsidy of up to 4,000 yuan ($630) per month. A hundred new flats are available as well, with each covering 15 to 25 square meters with rents of 3,600 to 5,700 yuan a month.

"The revised policies remove the restriction in previous ones where talent could only apply for talent flats located in regions where they were working, and only their employers could apply. Students who haven't graduated are allowed to apply as well," said Zhang Yuan, director of the district's human resources and social security bureau.

"The policy aims to attract talent with specialized skills and support those trying to fit into the city in the short term. The subsidy is only provided for up to 12 months."

As Shanghai sought to expand its talent pool, based on the city's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), 15,655 individuals settled in the city through special talent introduction policies in the first half of last year, a 20 percent surge from the total for all of 2020, official data showed.

The city is in urgent need of educated individuals with professional skills in core industries, including integrated circuits, artificial intelligence and biomedicine, and has been refining its services to offer a suitable living environment.

"Housing is a critical factor when considering where to move," said Duan Zengyue, a 29-year-old from Shanxi province. Duan has been in Shanghai since 2017 after receiving a master's degree in the United Kingdom.

After securing a job in a foreign-funded bank in the Lujiazui financial area, Duan has lived in Lujiazui talent apartments that were offered by the district government. The 2,300 apartments in six buildings cover an average 25 square meters.

"It's way better than the old flats I lived in with failing amenities and water problems when I arrived in the city," Duan said.

"The apartment rent is affordable for a fresh graduate and the neighborhood is under rigid management, bustling with restaurants and stores. It's safe and convenient.

"Selecting the right flat from a wide range of sources online, negotiating rent with landlords, choosing roommates, and traveling across the city to look at the flats is time-consuming. But the talent apartment resolved my concerns."

In Shanghai, favorable policies have covered more top talent with a diverse range of experiences in recent years.

According to policies in Yangpu district this year, employees from local technology companies can enjoy a housing subsidy worth 30 percent of their total annual rent for up to three years. The district aims to offer 30,727 more flats for talented individuals in the next four years.

Dai Shoulei, from Tianjin, settled in the district in 2020 thanks to talent introduction policies. Dai is able to rent a flat of 127 square meters for his family of four, as he receives 8,000 yuan in rent subsidy every month.

"My children receive quality education as well, thanks to the favorable policies," he said. "I will pursue my career goals in the city."
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

"High-skilled" immigrants from Mexico are major contributors to the United States' so-called "knowledge economy," and fostering that relationship will benefit both countries, according to a new report from Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Elizabeth Salamanca, nonresident scholar at the institute's Center for the United States and Mexico, explains that high-skilled migrants include students, professors, researchers, technicians and CEOs, among others, who specialize in fields such as health care, mathematics, computer science, life science, physical science and engineering, all part of the knowledge economy.

"Between 1990 and 2017, the growth rate of skilled (with an undergraduate degree) and high-skilled (with a graduate degree) migration to the U.S. was more than double the growth rate of low-skilled (less than an undergraduate degree) migration," Salamanca wrote.

These high-skilled migrants help fill the gap between the needs of U.S. employers and the number of Americans in the labor force with the skills they require, particularly for jobs such as software developers and testers, health services managers, financial managers and accountants. This includes specialized areas such as cybersecurity, energy independence and biomedical research.

The impact of low birth rates and an aging workforce in the U.S. has traditionally been largely offset by Hispanic immigrants, allowing the labor force to grow at rates needed for healthy production, Salamanca wrote. These workers also tend to be younger than the native population and more willing to move to areas with better job prospects.

But the flow of immigrants has slowed, a trend that is likely to continue for the next three decades, according to the paper.

"The U.S. nowadays accounts for lower shares of high-skilled migrants and international students than it did in the past," Salamanca wrote. "In fact, skilled labor shortages resulting from a pronounced information technologies and software development shift in innovation led U.S. multinational corporations to search abroad for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workers."

The jobs of the future will mainly be high-skilled or middle-skilled, Salamanca wrote. She argues that the U.S. must find ways to harness the "full diversity of available talent"not only to alleviate the talent shortage but also to propel the knowledge economy forward.

High-skilled Mexican immigrants can also benefit their home country's economy through the sharing of knowledge, such as technical know-how or pricing strategies, which can help fill "deeply ingrained institutional voids" in Mexico's developing industries, Salamanca said.

"In other words, it is not all about monetary incentives or corporate interests, but also about the passion for knowledge generation and diffusion," she wrote.

Explore further Number of high-skilled Mexican entrepreneurs migrating to US has increased

More information: Elizabeth Salamanca Pacheco, Linking Mexican Immigrants' Contributions to the U.S.

Knowledge Economy, Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy (2022). doi.org/10.25613/34HR-DK37 Elizabeth Salamanca Pacheco, Linking Mexican Immigrants' Contributions to the U.S.Knowledge Economy,(2022). DOI: 10.25613/34HR-DK37
Study area showing the PM 2.5 instrument locations at (a) East High and (b) West High. The locations of the inlets for the indoor sensors are denoted by the yellow stars, while the red symbol denotes the location of the outdoor rooftop sensor.

A study of indoor air quality at two Salt Lake City high schools finds that although air filtration diminishes the amount of outdoor pollution, indoor air still reflects trends in outdoor air quality with a delay, depending on pollution type, of about an hour.

The study, conducted in 2018 by the Salt Lake County Health Department and published in the journal Pollutants, comes as the Salt Lake Valley's winter inversion season is winding down and at a time when COVID-19 has spurred discussions on increasing ventilation in schools. The results, says study lead author Daniel Mendoza, are part of a series of studies to better understand the factors impacting indoor air quality and how protective indoor environments are from poor outdoor air quality.

"That's going to give us much more information and a more substantial way to approach and justify the need for improving air quality," Mendoza says.

Unique problems and unique solutions

Atmospheric scientists at the University of Utah are always working to better understand the unique air quality challenges of the Salt Lake Valley. Surrounded by mountains, the residents of the Wasatch Front deal with wildfire smoke and ozone pollution in the summer as well as winter inversions which trap emissions under a lid of stagnant air and the everyday impacts of car, building and industrial emissions.

So, U scientists have found creative ways to analyze pollution sources. They've placed air sensors on a van, on light rail trains, on electric buses, and even on Google StreetView cars. Now Mendoza, a research assistant professor in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences and visiting assistant professor in the Department of City & Metropolitan Planning, is taking those studies indoors to see how changes in outdoor air quality filter into the spaces where most of us spend our time.

In spring 2018, Mendoza, also an adjunct assistant professor in the pulmonary division, School of Medicine, and a senior scientist at the NEXUS interdisciplinary research institute, along with Tabitha Benney, associate professor of political science and Sarah Boll of the State of Utah Division of Facilities Construction and Management installed particulate matter sensors in an office building in Taylorsville, Utah to begin to understand air quality trends over a year. They found that poor outdoor air quality events due to fireworks, wildfires and wintertime inversion events showed up on the indoor sensors. The building's filtration system kept out a lot of the inversion pollution, which is partly dependent on temperature and humidity conditions, but not as much of the bad air due to smoke.

That was only the beginning of what Mendoza and Benney want to learn, though, about indoor air pollution. Generally, an office building is a clean environment with consistent activities throughout the day and used primarily during the day. But things get messier as you think of other environments. What about a school with a kitchen or a gymnasium with students from multiple homes and neighborhoods tracking in the dust?

It's all part of a picture that becomes clearer step by step with each research project. This study focuses on school environments, specifically two schools in Salt Lake City: East High School and West High School. They're located, as you might expect, on the east and west sides of the city. West High is near the I-15 freeway, railway lines and petroleum refineries, and closer to the Great Salt Lake, which can be a source of blowing dust.

"Children spend on average somewhere around 900 hours a year in school," Benney says. "So the school has more consequences for the long-term health of children than some homes."

The team installed two research-grade air quality sensors: one outdoors and one indoors. At West High, the indoor sensor was located on a beam in the student commons area. At East High, it was installed in a gym. The sensors reported hourly readings between February 8 and April 30, 2018, during the end of the winter inversion season and the beginning of spring weather that can include dust storms. The sensors specifically looked for particulate matter in the air.

Over the three-month study period, changes in outdoor air quality showed up indoors, but with a lag time of 35 to 70 minutes, depending on the type of air pollution event. So a peak in airborne particulate matter outside, like the morning rush hour, for example, showed up as a peak in indoor particulate matter around an hour later, with the gap between outdoor and indoor particulate matter peaks varying by the type of pollution.

"This is something that can now be actionable," Mendoza says. "Now we are beginning to understand how long it takes for some types of pollution to percolate inside. Therefore, we can think about potentially reducing airflow during those times, because we know that there's going to be this increase in pollution."

In addition to sharing their results with school officials, the researchers hope to study if, for example, since the morning rush hour pollution peaks indoors at around the same time each day, academic performance during that class period is affected.

Inversions, dust storms . . . and burnt popcorn

There were a few notable events recorded by the sensors during the study. One indoor sensor detected burning microwave popcorn.

Another was a two-day inversion event in March when emissions were trapped in the Salt Lake Valley. During those times, the air pollution spikes from rush hour traffic were particularly clear.

"We were able to see, after rush hour ended, residual and increasing levels of pollution until the inversion washed out the third day."

During the inversion, indoor particulate matter levels didn't reach unhealthy levels and were actually similar indoors at both schools, even though outdoor air pollution was slightly higher at West High. That's probably due to the building's air filters, Mendoza says.

The sensors also recorded the effects of a dust storm that blew through Salt Lake City in mid-April. At the time the outdoor particulate matter sensor at West High School wasn't working, but the East High sensors picked up the additional dust.

"We did see it spike significantly," Mendoza says. "It was scientifically really interesting for us because we could see how that pollution came in and worsened the indoor air quality."

But, again, the building's filtration offered some protection. While outdoor particulate matter soared to nearly 50 micrograms per cubic meter (unhealthy for sensitive groups), levels peaked at around 20 micrograms per cubic meter (moderate air quality) indoors.

Increased filtration or increased ventilation?

In the course of the study, the researchers learned more about the school's air handling systems and found that, in 2018, the schools were using MERV8 filters, which capture about 85% of particles. Since then, the schools have upgraded to MERV13 and MERV14 filters, which is roughly comparable to upgrading from a surgical mask to an N95.

"There's good news," Benney says. "Schools were fairly protective overall." Because of the variability in ventilation and filtration in homes and because of elevated air pollution in some low-income neighborhoods, the air in schools may even be safer than in homes for some kids, she says.

Knowing how indoor and outdoor pollution are related is a starting point for taking action to further protect students. "We saw a pattern," she says, "and we're trying to figure out how regular that pattern is and how these lags perform across different pollution types so we can try different types of filtering. There are a lot of different avenues to go from this. And that's what makes it so exciting."

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, there's an additional dimension to the issue of ventilation in schools that there wasn't before.

"Now there's this push and pull," Mendoza says. "For pollution intrusion, we would want to reduce ventilation, but for COVID precautions, we want to increase ventilation." Mendoza has worked with building managers on the U campus to address that balance, adding that they're working to reduce ventilation during inversions.

Expanding indoor air quality studies

Currently, the researchers are working on another study on the effects of cars idling outside of schools during drop-off and pick-up times. It's part of a growing line of research on air quality in and around schools and the impacts that air can have on education.

Other building types to be studied include homes, with pets, evaporative coolers, vacuuming, hairspray and aerosol use and myriad other human factors affecting indoor air quality.

Another study in the works looks back at climate and air quality data over the past 15 years in Utah and includes a look at the health of schools and the communities that surround them.

"We're trying to frame the research so that instead of just looking at the science, we consider specific groups or vulnerable populations whenever possible to highlight the unique experiences that those people might have," Benney says.

"Outdoor air quality at a school is really representative of the neighborhood, especially for elementary schools," Mendoza says, because most kids live within a couple of blocks of their elementary school. So now we're looking at health at the neighborhood scale."

Explore further How outdoor pollution affects indoor air quality

More information: Daniel Mendoza et al, Investigation of Indoor and Outdoor Fine Particulate Matter Concentrations in Schools in Salt Lake City, Utah, Pollutants (2022). Daniel Mendoza et al, Investigation of Indoor and Outdoor Fine Particulate Matter Concentrations in Schools in Salt Lake City, Utah,(2022). DOI: 10.3390/pollutants2010009
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A review published in Reviews of Geophysics, featuring participation by the UCO, contains much of the knowledge generated about the magnetic and color properties of a mineral that can help to decipher the past climate of Earth and Mars: hematite.

Hematite is a reddish iron oxide that owes its name precisely to its color, being called  ("bloodstone") by classical Greek authors. The formation of hematite is shaped by certain geochemical processes, such that its color and magnetism properties can reveal what the conditions during its formation were like.

The study of the color and magnetism of hematite and its relationship with past climates, agronomic issues, and the information it can provide about Mars occupied part of the research by professors Vidal Barron and Jose Torrent, with the Soil Science Unit of the Maria de Maeztu Unit of Excellence at the Department of Agronomy of the University of Cordoba (DAUCO). After more than 40 years of research on the properties of hematite, they were invited by the journal Reviews of Geophysics, together with researchers from universities in China, Australia and the Netherlands, to review the knowledge generated so far on the properties of this iron oxide, its current applications, and the role it could play in the study of the neighboring planet.

The article features research on the properties and methods to identify and quantify hematite and how this knowledge can be applied to explain the characteristics of current and past environments and climates; and, ultimately, to learn more about climatic evolution.

Life on Mars? The potential of hematite on the red planet

NASA's Curiosity rover found spectral evidence of hematite near Mount Sharp in Mars' Gale Crater, and hematite is one of the most common minerals on the Martian surface. Thus, variations in the content, color and magnetism of hematite on Mars may provide clues about past climatic variations, the presence of water, and, perhaps, life. This is why the article also discusses research aimed at using hematite to obtain information about the neighboring planet.

Martian regions containing hematite are considered key to the search for potential life in the past. Considering that well-dated terrestrial hematite allows for detailed reconstructions of, for example, monsoons, the presence of hematite on Mars tends to be associated with the previous presence of water. Thus, the study raises the questions to be resolved to better understand the geology of Mars and the need to expand our knowledge of the relationship between terrestrial and Martian hematite.

Hematite at the field level: a resource in agronomic management

"From the agronomic point of view, the study of this iron oxide allows for the enhanced use of soils, facilitating better fertilization management," explains Professor Torrent. "A Brazilian team we work with has produced soil fertility maps based on the color and magnetic properties of iron oxides," adds Barron in relation to its agronomic applications, as hematite has a great impact on the behavior of phosphorus in soil, a key nutrient in crop fertilization, and one that it is not always easy to obtain.

After more than 30 papers in collaboration with the authors of the Chinese team involved since 2004, this new review lays the foundations for knowledge of hematite and makes it possible to continue deciphering the clues that this mineral offers about Earth and Mars, as shown in the recent article published in Nature, in which, using methods employed in magnetic studies of hematite to analyze archeological finds, a better understanding of the evolution of Homo sapiens in Asia was achieved.

Explore further Earthly rocks point way to water hidden on Mars

More information: Zhaoxia Jiang et al, The Magnetic and Color Reflectance Properties of Hematite: From Earth to Mars, Reviews of Geophysics (2021). Zhaoxia Jiang et al, The Magnetic and Color Reflectance Properties of Hematite: From Earth to Mars,(2021). DOI: 10.1029/2020RG000698 Fa-Gang Wang et al, Innovative ochre processing and tool use in China 40,000 years ago, Nature (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04445-2 Journal information: Nature
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

What is the significance of the sclera of our eyes? A question which researchers have been interested in for some time now. Recently a research team led by comparative psychologist Dr. Fuhimiro Kano has succeeded in deciphering the mystery: The white of the eye contributes decisively to the visibility of directions of gaze through its basic color properties.

When we talk to other people, we usually maintain eye contact with one another. We know exactly who is looking at whom and which unspoken messages the person is displaying using the "language of their eyes" or which object they are looking at. Whilst communicating this helps us humans to be able to identify the direction of the other person's gaze quickly and clearly. "We owe this to the formation of the whites of the eye. Humans might have evolved this distinguishing eye feature for conspecific communication," says Kano. "In doing so, humans have probably evolved a unique communicative style critical for their hallmark social activities." Kano is a junior group leader at the Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour (CASCB), a cluster of excellence at the University of Konstanz. This study goes back to research he conducted with Yuri Kawaguchi and Hanling Yeow at Kumamoto Sanctuary at the Kyoto University.

Humans and chimpanzees can perceive the human eye better than the chimpanzees eye

But how did the researchers reach these groundbreaking findings? The results are based on experiments Kano's research team conducted with humans and chimpanzeesthe closest relatives of humans. Both study groups were presented with images of humans and chimpanzees in computerized tasks. During the experiment, the task was to distinguish the gaze directions of humans and chimpanzees. Over a period of several months, the chimpanzees were presented with pictures of different perspectives of eyes of both speciestwo with a straight line of eye sight, one viewing to the side. If they pointed to the picture with the shifted eye, they received a reward. Kano explains that they "found that both humans and chimpanzees distinguished eye-gaze directions of humans better than those of chimpanzees, particularly in visually challenging conditions."

The researchers also observed that participants of both species distinguished the eye-gaze directions of chimpanzees better when the contrast polarity of the chimpanzee eye was reversed compared to when it was normal; namely when the chimpanzee eye had human-like white sclera and a darker iris. Whiteness in the sclera thus facilitates the visibility of eye-gaze direction even across species. "Our findings thus support but also critically update the central premises of the gaze-signaling hypothesis" summarizes Kano.

The novel aspect of the study is that the three researchers chose a cross-species design for comparison for the first time. In the experiments, they presented eye images to both chimpanzee and human participants. This is essential for distinguishing between several alternative hypotheses, Kano informs us.

The research was published in eLife.

Explore further Ability to detect directional gaze is not unique to humans

More information: Fumihiro Kano et al, Experimental evidence that uniformly white sclera enhances the visibility of eye-gaze direction in humans and chimpanzees, eLife (2022). Journal information: eLife Fumihiro Kano et al, Experimental evidence that uniformly white sclera enhances the visibility of eye-gaze direction in humans and chimpanzees,(2022). DOI: 10.7554/eLife.74086
Zhurong rover on Mars surface, June 2021. Credit: YunnanGuy/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

A team of researchers affiliated with multiple institutions in China and one each from Canada and Germany, has found data from the Chinese Mars rover Zhurong over its first 60 sols, showing evidence of wind erosion and possibly impacts from water erosion, as well. In their paper published in the journal Nature Geoscience, they discuss what they have found thus far.

China's Mars rover Zhurong has been on the surface of Mars since May of last year. During that time, it has rolled approximately 450 meters over the course of 60 Martian days (sols). Recently, the team working with Zhurong made the data from the rover public. In this new effort, the researchers have been studying the data sent back to learn more about what it has found.

Zhurong was deployed on the planet's Utopia Planitiaa volcanic plain situated in the northern hemisphere. It is a site that some have suggested was likely once covered with water. Data from the rover's cameras showed that the part of the plain where Zhurong has been rolling along is generally quite flat, with very few boulders. And data from the wheels showed that the surface beneath the rover is covered with small, non-round rocks. Zhurong has also been collecting soil samples as it wandersthus far, the composition of the soil in the area is similar to that collected by rovers on other parts of the planet.

Image data has also shown that the small rocks have etched grooves on them that appear to be due to wind erosion. They also found some evidence of flakiness in some of the rocks, possible evidence of water erosion.

The researchers also found evidence of mega-ripples on the surfacefeatures formed by windsimilar to sand dunes on Earth. They found the ripples appeared as bright streaks when viewed from an orbiting craft. They theorize the reason the ripples appear so bright is because they have been covered by a very thin layer of dust. If that turns out to the be case, they note, it would suggest that the wind that had formed the ripples was no longer present.

Explore further A one-way phone call from Mars

More information: L. Ding et al, Surface characteristics of the Zhurong Mars rover traverse at Utopia Planitia, Nature Geoscience (2022). Journal information: Nature Geoscience L. Ding et al, Surface characteristics of the Zhurong Mars rover traverse at Utopia Planitia,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-022-00905-6

 2022 Science X Network
The NASA visualization team created a superposition of an image of the Milky Way, taken by the European Space Agencys Gaia space observatory, and a visualization of the simulations of the eRosita and Fermi bubbles prepared by Karen Yang (lead author of the study and an assistant professor at the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan) in cooperation with the co-authors of the paper Mateusz Ruszkowski (University of Michigan) and Ellen Zweibel (University of Wisconsin). Credit: ESA/Gaia/DPAC, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

In 2020, the X-ray telescope eRosita took images of two enormous bubbles extending far above and below the center of our galaxy.

Since then, astronomers have debated their origin. Now, a study including University of Michigan research suggests the bubbles are a result of a powerful jet of activity from the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. The study, published in Nature Astronomy, also shows the jet began spewing out material about 2.6 million years ago, and lasted about 100,000 years.

The team's results suggest that Fermi bubbles, discovered in 2010, and microwave hazea fog of charged particles roughly at the center of the galaxywere formed by the same jet of energy from the supermassive black hole. The study was led by the National Tsing Hua University in collaboration with U-M and the University of Wisconsin.

"Our findings are important in the sense that we need to understand how black holes interact with the galaxies that they are inside, because this interaction allows these black holes to grow in a controlled fashion as opposed to [growing] uncontrollably," says U-M astronomer Mateusz Ruszkowski, a co-author of the study. "If you believe in the model of these Fermi or eRosita bubbles as being driven by supermassive black holes, you can start answering these profound questions."

There are two competing models that explain these bubbles, called Fermi and eRosita bubbles after the telescopes that named them, says Ruszkowski. The first suggests that the outflow is driven by a nuclear starburst, in which a star explodes in a supernova and expels material. The second model, which the team's findings support, suggests that these outflows are driven by energy thrown out from a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy.

These outflows from black holes occur when material travels toward the black hole, but never crosses the black hole's event horizon, or the mathematical surface below which nothing can escape. Because some of this material is thrown back into space, black holes don't grow uncontrollably. But the energy thrown from the black hole does displace material near the black hole, creating these large bubbles.

The structures themselves are 11 kiloparsecs tall. One parsec is equivalent to 3.26 light-years, or about three times the distance that light travels over the course of a year. The structures, then, are nearly 36,000 light-years tall.

For comparison, the Milky Way galaxy is 30 kiloparsecs in diameter, and our solar system resides about 8 kiloparsecs from the center of the galaxy. The eRosita bubbles are about two times the size of the Fermi bubbles and are expanded by the wave of energy, or a shockwave, pushed out by the Fermi bubbles, according to the researchers.

Astronomers are interested in the observation of these eRosita bubbles in particular because they occur in our own galactic backyard as opposed to objects in a different galaxy or at extreme cosmological distance. Our proximity to the outflows means astronomers can collect an enormous amount of data, Ruszkowski says. This data can tell astronomers the amount of energy in the jet from the black hole, how long this energy was injected and what material comprises the bubbles.

Simulated gas and CR properties. Credit: Nature Astronomy (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41550-022-01618-x

"We not only can rule out the starburst model, but we can also fine tune the parameters that are needed to produce the same images, or something very similar to what's in the sky, within that supermassive black hole model," Ruszkowski says. "We can better constrain certain things, such as how much energy was pumped in, what's inside these bubbles and how long was the energy injected in order to produce these bubbles."

What's inside them? Cosmic rays, a form of high-energy radiation. The eRosita bubbles enclose the Fermi bubbles, the contents of which are unknown. But the researchers' models can predict the amount of cosmic rays inside each of the structures. The energy injection from the black hole inflated the bubbles, and the energy itself was in the form of kinetic, thermal and cosmic ray energy. Of these forms of energy, the Fermi mission could only detect the gamma ray signal of the cosmic rays.

Karen Yang, lead author of the study and an assistant professor at the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, began working on an early version of the code used in the modeling in this paper as a postdoctoral researcher at U-M with Ruszkowski. To arrive at their conclusions, the researchers performed numerical simulations of energy release that take into account hydrodynamics, gravity and cosmic rays.

"Our simulation is unique in that it takes into account the interaction between the cosmic rays and gas within the Milky Way. The cosmic rays, injected with the jets of the black hole, expand and form the Fermi bubbles that shine in gamma rays," Yang says.

"The same explosion pushes gas away from the galactic center and forms a shock wave that is observed as the eRosita bubbles. The new observation of the eRosita bubbles has allowed us to more accurately constrain the duration of the black hole activity, and better understand the past history of our own galaxy."

The researchers' model rules out the nuclear starburst theory because the typical duration of a nuclear starburst, and therefore the length of time into which a starburst would inject the energy that forms the bubbles, is about 10 million years, according to study co-author Ellen Zweibel, professor of astronomy and physics at University of Wisconsin.

"On the other hand, our active black hole model accurately predicts the relative sizes of the eRosita X-ray bubbles and the Fermi gamma ray bubbles, provided the energy injection time is about 1% of that, or one tenth of a million years," Zweibel says.

"Injecting energy over 10 million years would produce bubbles with a completely different appearance. It's the opportunity to compare the X-ray and gamma ray bubbles which provides the crucial previously missing piece."

The researchers used data from the eRosita mission, NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, the Planck Observatory and the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe.

More information: H.-Y. Karen Yang et al, Fermi and eROSITA bubbles as relics of the past activity of the Galaxy's central black hole, Nature Astronomy (2022). Journal information: Nature Astronomy H.-Y. Karen Yang et al, Fermi and eROSITA bubbles as relics of the past activity of the Galaxy's central black hole,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41550-022-01618-x
A total of 74 unique NASA photographs are up for sale, including 26 taken on the Moon during the Apollo missions in the 1960s and 1970s.

The first NASA photographs taken on the Moon, including the first shot of an "Earthrise" and Buzz Aldrin walking on the surface, will be auctioned off in Copenhagen on Wednesday.

"One of my favourite photos from this fantastic collection depicts a photo of Buzz Aldrin taken by Neil Armstrong, and you can actually see Neil Armstrong being reflected in Buzz Aldrin's visor", Kasper Nielsen, the head of the Bruun Rasmussen auction house's valuation team, told AFP.

A total of 74 unique NASA photographs are up for sale, including 26 taken on the Moon during the Apollo missions in the 1960s and 1970s.

"Of course, the highlight is the Apollo mission reaching the Moon for the first time" on July 20, 1969, said Nielsen.

Bruun Rasmussenwhich was contacted by a foreign collector who wanted to sell the photos and who has asked to remain anonymoushas estimated the collection at 1.4 million kroner, or almost 190,000 euros ($205,000).

Each photograph is up for sale individually.

The most valuable item, the first "Earthrise" photographed by US astronaut William Anders while orbiting the Moon in December 1968 on Apollo 8, is valued at between eight and 12,000 euros.

The collection also includes photos from the dramatic Apollo 13 mission, which never landed on the Moon due to a malfunction, instead looping around it before splashing down in the South Pacific Ocean after six days.

Each photograph is up for sale individually.

Several of the photos are on public display for the first time, having previously been part of NASA's archives.

Others have appeared on the cover of US magazines such as National Geographic or Life, illustrating America's success in the space race.

"This collection is very important today", Nielsen said.

"It shows us all the great achievements of mankind, looked upon with a historical view, looking at what mankind actually achieved in the 1960s and the 1970s".

Additionally, "it shows us all that when you put your mind upon a thing, upon a target, almost everything is possible".

The last time man set foot on the Moon was in 1972 during the Apollo 17 mission, but NASA is planning to send astronauts again in 2025-2026.

 2022 AFP
This illustration shows NASAs Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), which will carry tubes containing Martian rock and soil samples into orbit around Mars, where ESAs Earth Return Orbiter spacecraft will enclose them in a highly secure containment capsule and deliver them to Earth. Credit: NASA

Right now, some 182 million miles (293 million kilometers) separate the red clay of Alabama from the dusty red planet Mars. But groundbreaking flight hardware developed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, will soon close that distance.

The new hardware is an integral component of the Mars Sample Return campaign, a historic endeavor that will, for the first time, retrieve and deliver samples of that faraway alien terrain for intensive study in laboratories on Earth. A strategic partnership of NASA and ESA (European Space Agency), Mars Sample Return also will bring us closer to human exploration missions to the Red Planet.

Angie Jackmanwho has spent more than 35 years leading some of the agency's most advanced propulsion and engineering projects, state-of-the-art launch vehicle development programs, and complex space science missionsis the Mars Ascent Vehicle project manager.

Set to be the first rocket ever to launch from the surface of another planet, the Mars Ascent Vehicle will play a key role in the Mars Sample Return mission, launching into orbit around the Red Planet the samples gathered by the Perseverance rover from the ancient crater floor it's now exploring. They'll be transferred there to ESA's Earth Return Orbiter.

Jackman's team includes structural, thermal, mechanical, systems, and propulsion engineers, as well as analysts and technologistsa diverse team of NASA veterans alongside innovative newcomersall of them deeply familiar with the vital intersection between flight hardware and scientific progress.

"Ask any engineer on the team, and they'll tell you the science fascinates them," Jackman said. "Engineers ask, 'How?' Scientists ask, 'Why?' Ultimately, that deeper imperative drives us allthe pride in helping to advance our collective knowledge, to increase our ability to safely navigate our world, and to better understand our place in the cosmos."

Angie Jackman, manager of the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) project, holds a 3D-printed model of the tubes NASAs Perseverance rover is already filling with Martian rock and soil samples. Set to be the first rocket to launch from another planet, the MAV is designed to carry the sealed samples into orbit around Mars. Credit: NASA

The Marshall team is partnering with Lockheed Martin Space of Littleton, Colorado, which is building the integrated Mars Ascent Vehicle system and designing and developing the rocket's ground support equipment, and Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation of Elkton, Maryland, which leads development of the ascent vehicle's propulsion system.

"Together we are working to transform the Mars Ascent Vehicle from a drawing-board concept to an executable project," Jackman said. "We went through exhaustive design iterations to reduce vehicle mass, ensure automated launch capability, and accurately achieve the orbit necessary to rendezvous with the Earth Return Orbiter and transfer samples for flight back to Earth."

Combining launch vehicle reliability with the lightweight mass and storage requirements of a complex science payload taps strengths NASA has exhibited across numerous past science and exploration missions. Engineers and mission managers at Marshall have solved complex, technical spaceflight challenges for more than 70 years, from the groundbreaking Apollo moon missions and the space shuttle program to NASA's Space Launch System, the powerful new rocket set to launch missions that will bring the first woman and first person of color to the moon.

Like most career aerospace managers, Jackman gleans best practices from decades of NASA precedents and lessons learned, but always challenges her team to push against conventional wisdom, to seek fresh alternatives that transcend traditional thinking.

"In this competitive, cost-conscious era, we have to work smarter, faster, and more efficiently," she said. "Anybody can build a big, sturdy bridge, but it takes a disciplined engineering team to build one on schedule and precisely strong enough to do the job. This project taps every aspect of Marshall's expertise as a NASA leader in propulsion, spaceflight systems, and science. I am so proud of our team. We got this."

NASA's Mars Sample Return mission will revolutionize our understanding of Mars by returning samples for study using the most sophisticated instruments around the world. These samples, collected by Perseverance during its exploration of an ancient river delta, are thought to be the best opportunity to reveal the early evolution of Mars, including the potential for life. The mission will fulfill a solar system exploration goal as identified by the National Academy of Sciences.

Explore further Lockheed Martin wins NASA contract to bring Mars samples back to Earth

More information: Learn more about the Mars Sample Return mission Learn more about the Mars Sample Return mission here
Credit: Developmental Cell

A collaborative team led by Geoffrey Schiebinger at the University of British Columbia, Philip Benfey at Duke University and Uwe Ohler at Humboldt Universitat zu Berlin has developed an atlas that maps gene expression patterns in the Arabidopsis root, profiling nearly 100,000 single root cells and combining the information with previously published datasets. The work was recently published in the journal Developmental Cell and provides a community resource that could help researchers track cell development and how they determine identity, as well as the roles played by neighboring cells in these processes.

One of the study's co-authors is Benjamin Cole, a research scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI), a DOE Office of Science User Facility located at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). "This represents the largest integration of single-cell datasets in plants and provides a foundation for still larger efforts in diverse plant species beyond models," he said.

Cole annotated cell types in the plant root atlas, and noted that the approach he developed for this purpose is "particularly applicable for non-model species for which fewer 'marker' genes are known that are hallmarks of different cell types." His contribution to the paper also aligns with his DOE Early Career Research Program (ECRP) award, which is also focused on single-cell and spatial transcriptomics technologies.

JGI Science Programs Deputy Axel Visel provided a broader perspective: "This exciting work is well aligned with the JGI's growing efforts in establishing plant and fungal single-cell and spatial transcriptomic technologies, as described in the JGI Strategic Plan. The present paper provides a foundational data set that is now available through a new single-cell data viewer that was collaboratively developed for this purpose by the JGI plant comparative genomics data portal Phytozome and will be available for future single-cell projects."

The Berkeley Lab Biosciences Area has been leading efforts in developing and applying plant single-cell capabilities for DOE mission questions. One of the first papers ever applying single-transcriptomics to plant tissues, also co-authored by Cole, started with Lab-funded research by then-Biosciences scientist Diane Dickel in 2017. In 2019, plant single-cell methods were officially called out as one of four program development areas for one of the Area divisions. Dickel, and more recently Cole, have been leading these efforts, which included two workshops with resulting reports and a perspective article.

3D UMAP of the atlas with cell type annotations, related to Figure 1. Credit: Developmental Cell

Explore further Breakthrough technique for studying gene expression takes root in plants

More information: Rachel Shahan et al, A single-cell Arabidopsis root atlas reveals developmental trajectories in wild-type and cell identity mutants, Developmental Cell (2022). Journal information: Developmental Cell Rachel Shahan et al, A single-cell Arabidopsis root atlas reveals developmental trajectories in wild-type and cell identity mutants,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2022.01.008
Researcher Saba Mohammed captured root hair images from seedling root samples of cowpea plants at the Rootlab at Pennsylvania State University. The samples were grown on germination papers and imaged with the aid of a camera mounted on a dissecting microscope. Examining roots of cowpea seedlings can help identify root features in mature plants that are beneficial for growth in challenging environments. Credit: Jimmy Burridge

Cowpea is an important crop in many parts of the world, especially sub-Saharan Africa. It is resilient and can grow in areas with little rainfall and low-quality soils. But as hardy as it is, cowpea yields can decrease by drought and low levels of soil phosphorus.

In a recent study, researchers determined cowpea root characteristics that could help the plants grow better in drier, low-phosphorus soils.

"Developing cowpea varieties that can produce optimally under stressful conditions is vital," says Saba Mohammed, lead author of the study at Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Nigeria. "These resilient cowpea varieties can help make more people food and nutrition secure."

The study was published in Crop Science, a publication of the Crop Science Society of America.

Cowpeas are a key source of calories for millions of people across the world. They are rich in protein and other nutrients. Cowpea plants also have a variety of other uses. They can serve as animal fodder and green manure.

Microbes in cowpea root nodules can increase soil fertility. These microbes make atmospheric nitrogen available to plants in the soila process called nitrogen fixation. Nitrogen fixation can be beneficial for farmers who cannot afford nitrogen-based fertilizers.

Most cowpea production is in semi-arid regions. Harsh environmental conditions and poor soils often hamper yields. "Our work established that certain root characteristics increased the yield of cowpea plants under drought or low soil phosphorus conditions," says Mohammed.

A high-resolution root hair image taken from a cowpea seedling root sample. The image was taken after 14 days of growth on germination papers. Root hairs play important roles in cowpea tolerance to drought and poor soils. Credit: Saba Mohammed

These root features include longer primary roots and higher numbers of lateral roots emerging from primary roots. Root hairs also play important roles in cowpea tolerance to drought and poor soils.

For example, cowpea plants with longer, denser root hairs had higher yields when grown in low-phosphorus conditions. "That suggests these root hair features play crucial roles in acquiring phosphorus from sub-optimal soils," says Mohammed.

Scientists have long known that roots are a key part of how plants adapt to difficult environmental conditions. "The root system is half of the whole plant system," says Mohammed. "Yet, it has been relatively under-explored in finding solutions to farming constraints."

Root systems have diverse strategies for extracting resources from soil. "For instance, plants with deeper roots produce better than those with shallow roots under limited-water conditions," he says. "On the other hand, those with shallow roots may be more suited to soils with suboptimal nutrients."

That's because nutrientslike phosphorusare often concentrated in the top layer of soil.

For cowpea plants growing in dry and nutrient-limited soils, roots need to go deeper and spread wide and shallow.

A field experiment on cowpea at the Institute for Agricultural Research in Minjibir Agricultural Research Station, Kano State, Nigeria. Cowpea crops are resilient and can grow in areas with little rainfall and low-quality soils. Credit: Saba Mohammed

"Our study shows that we can focus on cowpea varieties with longer taproots for drought tolerance and higher numbers of shallower basal roots to extract soil nutrients," says Mohammed.

While root architecture can provide valuable information, examining root features of mature plants can be a time-consuming and exhausting process. Mohammed says it is easier and more economical to phenotype roots at the seedling stage.

The study showed that examining roots of cowpea seedlings could help identify root features in mature plants that are beneficial for growth in challenging environments.

"Our goal is to use the study results to breed new cowpea varieties," says Mohammed. "These new varieties would perform optimally under limited water and low soil phosphorus conditions."

Many small-scale and subsistence farmers may be unable to afford phosphate fertilizers. The new cowpea varieties Mohammed describes would benefit these farmers tremendously. However, he explains that developing new varieties with desired root features can also be a valuable resource in systems where intensive irrigation and fertilizers are used. These cowpea varieties can help reduce production costs and minimize environmental pollution from excessive fertilizer use.

Explore further Liming and phosphorus increase cassava yields

More information: Saba B. Mohammed et al, Phenotyping cowpea for seedling root architecture reveals root phenes important for breeding phosphorus efficient varieties, Crop Science (2021). Saba B. Mohammed et al, Phenotyping cowpea for seedling root architecture reveals root phenes important for breeding phosphorus efficient varieties,(2021). DOI: 10.1002/csc2.20635
China's top political advisory body holds 2nd plenary meeting of annual session

Xinhua) 08:11, March 08, 2022

The second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisory body on Monday morning held its second plenary meeting of the annual session.

Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, attended the meeting.

Twelve members of the CPPCC National Committee spoke at the meeting.

Ge Huijun called on political advisors to shoulder their due responsibilities and faithfully practice socialist consultative democracy.

Wang Yiming expressed confidence in China's economy. He said the Chinese economy remained resilient amid pressure, adding that the sound fundamentals remained unchanged in the long run despite short-term downward trend.

Wang Hong said thriving industries are the foundation for rural revitalization and sustainable development in rural areas. She highlighted the importance of local characteristics, the integration of the rural and urban areas as well as entrepreneurial farmers in developing rural industries.

Liu Zhendong underscored the significance of small and medium-sized enterprises in the economy, calling for efforts to tackle the pains and difficulties troubling these enterprises.

When sharing his views on promoting fairness in education, Huang Zhen said that efforts are needed to deepen education reform, and narrow the gap in elementary education between urban and rural areas.

Sun Dongsheng shared his thoughts from his experience as the deputy head of China's delegation to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. He called for carrying forward the Olympic legacy and promoting the Olympic spirit to boost confidence in development and inject momentum into national rejuvenation.

Wang Yang also attended a virtual meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee on Monday afternoon. Another 12 members of the CPPCC National Committee spoke at the meeting.

The second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

The second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Yin Gang)

Members of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) attend the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

The second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

Shao Hong presides over the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

Wang Yiming, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), delivers a speech at the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

Ge Huijun, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), delivers a speech at the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

Gao Peiyong, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), delivers a speech at the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

Wang Hong, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), delivers a speech on behalf of the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang at the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

Liu Zhendong, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), delivers a speech on behalf of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce at the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

The second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Yin Gang)

Chen Mengshan, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), delivers a speech at the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

The second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

Shen Nanpeng, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), delivers a speech at the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xiang)

The second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

Tian Qinxin, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), delivers a speech at the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xiang)

Wei Mingde, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), delivers a speech at the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xiang)

Huang Zhen, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), delivers a speech on behalf of the Central Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy at the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xiang)

Sun Dongsheng, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), delivers a speech at the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xiang)

Zhang Zexi, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), delivers a speech on behalf of the Central Committee of the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League at the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xiang)

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, a major defense contractor, plans to launch a technology demonstration satellite in the coming months, according to a senior researcher overseeing the project.

"The Tiankun 2 satellite is undergoing final tests by our engineers and will be launched by a Long March rocket," said Ma Jie, Party chief of the CASIC Second Academy in Beijing, which is developing the satellite system. "It will be used to demonstrate and verify several advanced space technologies."

She said that compared with its predecessor, Tiankun 1, the new satellite is smaller and cheaper to produce and operate.

Tiankun 1, launched by a Kaituo 2 carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China's Gobi Desert in March 2017, is a small, low-orbiting satellite tasked with testing remote sensing and communications technologies.

In the five years it has been working in orbit, it has obtained and transmitted 80 gigabytes of remote-sensing data back to Earth and made nearly 7,300 interaction tests with ground control, Ma said.

She said the academy has invested heavily in the research, development and manufacturing of satellites and has launched two satellites.

It also built China's first smart manufacturing plant for satellites in Wuhan, Hubei province, which started full operation in May last year.

The CASIC Second Academy will use the plant to design and manufacture small, low-orbit satellites to meet market demand for rapidly deployable space networks, Ma said.

"The plant has made seven satellites," she said. "It is also undertaking research programs for more than 20 advanced space technologies and equipment."

Ma was speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress in Beijing on Sunday.

In another development, sources from CASIC said the company plans to carry out the second flight of its Kuaizhou 11 solid-propellant rocket.

The rocket's debut launch took place at the Jiuquan center in July 2020 but failed due to malfunctions.

A Kuaizhou 11 is 25 meters tall, and has a diameter of 2.2 meters. With a liftoff weight of 78 metric tons, the rocket will be able to place a 1-ton payload into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 700 kilometers, according to designers.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Many people have heard of the circadian rhythms or biological processes that follow a 24-hour cycle. Sleeping at night and being awake during the day is a well-known example of a circadian rhythm. Less well known are the biological functions that follow a 12-hour cycle.

In the current study published in the journal Cell Reports, a research team at Baylor College of Medicine reveals a novel component of the 12-hour clockthe steroid receptor coactivator 3 (SRC-3)  showing that it is key in regulating this clock. The researchers discovered that SRC-3 integrates the mammalian 12-hour clock, lipid and energy metabolism, as an active mechanism in anticipating physiological and energy needs and metabolic stresses. They also provide clinical evidence that alterations in the expression of 12-hour genes linked to lipid or fat metabolism could be associated with metabolic diseases and cancers. The findings support further investigations into connections linking SRC-3, 12-hour metabolic cycles and disease, and potential therapeutic applications.

"Scientific evidence shows that through evolution people have inherited metabolic functions that follow a 12-hour clock from ancestral creatures living in the sea," said co-corresponding author Dr. Bert W. O'Malley, chancellor and professor of molecular and cellular biology at Baylor. "Many marine organisms exhibit biological rhythms corresponding to the 12-hour tidal cycle, also called the circatidal rhythm. Tides heavily influence feeding times in many marine creatures and the 12-hour biological clocks are tied to the tides and the corresponding feedings in the morning and the evening. Regarding people, in the past, they mostly ate twice a day. In time, this has changed. Currently it is more common to eat three or more meals a day; but the 12-hour clocks still play crucial roles in human biology, affecting health and disease."

The 12-hour clock regulates lipid and energy metabolism, which are important in feeding, and also stress responses. "Searching for food triggers stress. Eating also creates stress in the body as it has to activate biological processes to digest and assimilate food," O'Malley explained.

In mammals, including humans, body temperature, cognitive performance, blood pressure, hormone levels and response to therapy seem to follow a 12-hour cycle. Altered 12-hour cycles have been associated with human diseases and hundreds of genes have been identified that are activated in 12-hour cycles. In this study, O'Malley and his colleagues found an important piece of the puzzle of how the 12-hour clock is regulated.

In mammals, 12-hour biological rhythms are regulated by X-box-binding proten-1 (XBP1). SRC-3 is a known coactivator of XBP1. Here, the researchers showed that SRC-3 coactivation of XBP1 is key in regulating the 12-hour rhythms of the expression of hundreds of genes in the mouse liver, many of which are involved in lipid metabolism and the function of mitochondria, which generate energy for the cell. Furthermore, removing SRC-3 in mice disrupted the rhythmic profile of many of those genes.

"These findings are important because they suggests that the 12-hour clock helps anticipate and prepare the body to respond to periodic changes in the environment that may trigger physiological and metabolic stresses," O'Malley said.

The team also looked into human data. They found that SRC-3 coactivation of lipid metabolic genes is associated with metabolic diseases and cancer. Alterations in the expression of 12-hour genes were associated with conditions such as diabetes, obesity, fatty liver disease, cardiovascular diseases and human cancers such as those of the liver, colon/rectum, cervix and kidney.

"We are excited about the implications emerging from our findings," said first and co-corresponding author Dr. Huan Meng, postdoctoral associate in the O'Malley lab. "On one end, 12-hour rhythms may provide a window into human evolution and migration. During the past 100,000 years, modern humans took advantage of 12-hour clocks that favored lipid metabolism, a high-energy source, and fat storage for survival when food was scarce. This may have provided unique energetic advantages that supported ancient migrations out of Africa and tolerance to varying exposure to environmental factors."

Another important implication is that these 12-hour clock-regulated and lipid-favored metabolic features may now adversely predispose humans to metabolic diseases and human cancers in industrialized societies.

"Our present study has linked the 12-hour cycle and its regulation to a number of conditions," Meng said. "This provides new opportunities for treating and/or preventing these diseases, given the availability of selective small molecule stimulators and inhibitors of steroid receptor coactivators such as SRC-3, and stress modulators."

"One of the long-time mysteries of human biology is the question, 'How does the body know when to turn on and turn off processes?' This work extends our labs' initial characterization of a 12-hour clock that governs aspects of energy utilization," said co-author Dr. Clifford C. Dacso, professor of molecular and cellular biology at Baylor and a member of Baylor's Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center. "The 12-hour clock may become useful, for example, to time the administration of medicines, a new discipline called 'chronotherapeutics.'

"Many rhythms exist and are around and in us. Different cultures and ancient civilizations share similar thoughts on this point. For example, the philosophical concept of 'musica universalis' originating in ancient Greece, which I learned from my fellowship mentor Dr. O'Malley," Meng said. "In Chinese philosophical and medical literatures, we call this harmonic point tidal theory and/or harmony of human body and nature."

Other contributors to this work include Naomi M. Gonzales, Sung Yun Jung, Nagireddy Putluri, Bokai Zhu and David M. Lonard, at Baylor College of Medicine, and Yue Lu at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Smithville.

Explore further A 12-hour biological clock coordinates essential bodily functions

More information: Bert W. Malley, et al. Defining the mammalian coactivation of hepatic 12-hour clock and lipid metabolism, Cell Reports (2022). www.cell.com/cell-reports/full  2211-1247(22)00224-8 Journal information: Cell Reports Bert W. Malley, et al. Defining the mammalian coactivation of hepatic 12-hour clock and lipid metabolism,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110491
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Researchers in Oakland University's Department of Biological Sciences have published a study that employs statistical models to analyze host-parasite relationshipsin this case between tadpoles (hosts) and flatworms (parasites). The study, published in The American Naturalist, uses the metabolic theory of ecology (MTE) to describe the role temperature plays in that relationship.

The theory posits that metabolism governs all physiological and ecological rates and that metabolic parameters like temperature can be used as proxies to predict ecological outcomes, such as a parasite infecting a host, or a host resisting infection.

According to the research team, the threat of climate change makes it increasingly important to understand how temperature influences species interactions such as predation and parasitism.

"Changes in temperature have the potential to impact the distribution of many parasites and diseases, such that they may become present in areas historically known to be free of those parasites," said Dr. Jason Sckrabulis, the study's lead author and a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Tom Raffel's lab at OU.

"Being able to predict the ecological response to shifting temperatures will be critical in managing these shifts. Temperature is a major driver especially of human diseases that include an environmental component, particularly those spread by ticks and mosquitoes."

Raffel says, "What's especially groundbreaking about Jason's work is, he showed that we can use MTE-based models to separate out a host's ability to resist infection from the parasite's ability to infect the host, at a given temperature," said Raffel. "Ten years ago, I would have said it's impossible to disentangle these two processes, because parasite infectivity and host resistance are both measured using infection data, and because parasite and host experience the same body temperature simultaneously. Sometimes it's great to be proven wrong."

MTE-based modeling also has the potential to help researchers anticipate the effects of parasite infection on a variety of host species, Sckrabulis said.

"The MTE approach also shows that we should be able to measure a host's respiration rate independently of an infection and predict its response to a hypothetical infection of a parasite. That would make a huge impact on managing concerned or endangered species, or responses to parasites that infect multiple host species."

Sckrabulis described the framework established in the paper as the foundation of ongoing efforts to describe infection dynamics over time within an entire population of hosts, using a thermal mismatch and MTE model approach.

Moreover, the team's approach relied on the thermal mismatch hypothesis, which proposes that parasitic infection is the result of the difference in the temperature-dependent responses of parasite and host.

"The main benefit of using MTE inside of a thermal mismatch is that we can use independent metabolic proxies in place of parasite infectivity and host resistance and still model an infection accurately," Sckrabulis explained.

Using published infection data, along with experiments measuring metabolic responses to temperature in each species, the researchers analyzed interactions between a tadpole and flatworm to show that MTE-based modeling can successfully predict thermal acclimation effects on two stages of parasitic infection.

The researchers used parasite swimming speed as a proxy for parasite infectivity. They recorded 15-second videos of the infective stage of the parasite after it was moved to an experimental temperature. Then, they processed the videos using a software package designed to track moving particles and converted that speed into millimeters per second.

"We were able to calculate the speeds and temperatures at which those speeds are predicted," Sckrabulis said. "These thresholds were critical in developing our model."

The research team estimated that the parasite's infection potential was 0% below a speed of 2 mm/sec, at temperatures below 7 C and above 34 C, and 100% above a speed of 3 mm/sec at a temperature range of 17 C to 32 C, in the absence of host resistance.

Similarly, they examined the host's respiration rate to determine whether it would work as a proxy for host resistance to infection.

"In that experiment, we maintained tadpoles at one of our acclimation temperatures for two weeks," said Sckrabulis. "They were then placed in a sealed jar at one of the experimental temperatures and we quantified respiration rate by taking a before and after measurement of the dissolved oxygen in the jar over about an hour."

The researchers found that the pattern of temperature dependence of tadpole respiration rate was qualitatively similar to that of the parasite clearance rate by the host, suggesting that clearance rate is closely tied to overall metabolism.

However, the group found that this comparison did not hold when comparing the temperature effects of respiration rate to the resistance to parasite encystment, where the host's response occurs within hours and is likely more reliant on defenses that are already present on near the site of infection.

These results show that it is possible to use a metabolic proxy for host resistance, as hypothesized by MTE, but the choice of which metabolic proxy to use is also important.

Explore further Climate change and extreme weather will have complex effects on disease transmission

More information: Jason P Sckrabulis et al, Using metabolic theory to describe temperature and thermal acclimation effects on parasitic infection, The American Naturalist (2022). Journal information: American Naturalist Jason P Sckrabulis et al, Using metabolic theory to describe temperature and thermal acclimation effects on parasitic infection,(2022). DOI: 10.1086/719409
This new-to-science Rose-Veiled Fairy Wrasse is the first Maldivian fish to ever be described by a local researcher. Credit: Yi-Kai Tea

Though there are hundreds of species of fish found off the coast of the Maldives, a mesmerizing new addition is the first-ever to be formally describedthe scientific process an organism goes through to be recognized as a new speciesby a Maldivian researcher. The new-to-science Rose-Veiled Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus finifenmaa), described today in the journal ZooKeys, is also one of the first species to have its name derived from the local Dhivehi language, 'finifenmaa' meaning 'rose', a nod to both its pink hues and the island nation's national flower. Scientists from the California Academy of Sciences, the University of Sydney, the Maldives Marine Research Institute (MMRI), and the Field Museum collaborated on the discovery as part of the Academy's Hope for Reefs initiative aimed at better understanding and protecting coral reefs around the world.

"It has always been foreign scientists who have described species found in the Maldives without much involvement from local scientists, even those that are endemic to the Maldives," says study co-author and Maldives Marine Research Institute biologist Ahmed Najeeb. "This time it is different and getting to be part of something for the first time has been really exciting, especially having the opportunity to work alongside top ichthyologists on such an elegant and beautiful species."

First collected by researchers in the 1990s, C. finifenmaa was originally thought to be the adult version of a different species, Cirrhilabrus rubrisquamis, which had been described based on a single juvenile specimen from the Chagos Archipelago, an island chain 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) south of the Maldives.

In this new study, however, the researchers took a more detailed look at both adults and juveniles of the multicolored marvel, measuring and counting various features, such as the color of adult males, the height of each spine supporting the fin on the fish's back and the number of scales found on various body regions. These data, along with genetic analyses, were then compared to the C. rubrisquamis specimen to confirm that C. finifenmaa is indeed a unique species.

A Rose-Veiled Fairy Wrasse photographed off the coast of the Maldives during a recent Hope for Reefs research expedition. Credit: Luiz Rocha/California Academy of Sciences

Importantly, this revelation greatly reduces the known range of each wrasse, a crucial consideration when setting conservation priorities.

"What we previously thought was one widespread species of fish, is actually two different species, each with a potentially much more restricted distribution," says lead author and University of Sydney doctoral student Yi-Kai Tea. "This exemplifies why describing new species, and taxonomy in general, is important for conservation and biodiversity management."

Despite only just being described, the researchers say that the Rose-Veiled Fairy Wrasse is already being exploited through the aquarium hobbyist trade.

"Though the species is quite abundant and therefore not currently at a high risk of overexploitation, it's still unsettling when a fish is already being commercialized before it even has a scientific name," says senior author and Academy Curator of Ichthyology Luiz Rocha, Ph.D., who co-directs the Hope for Reefs initiative. "It speaks to how much biodiversity there is still left to be described from coral reef ecosystems."

The species name 'finifenmaa' means 'rose' in the local Dhivehi language, a nod to both its pink hues and the Maldives' national flower. Credit: Yi-Kai Tea

Last month, Hope for Reefs researchers continued their collaboration with the MMRI by conducting the first surveys of the Maldives' 'twilight zone' reefsthe virtually unexplored coral ecosystems found between 50- to 150-meters (160- to 500-feet) beneath the ocean's surfacewhere they found new records of C. finifenmaa along with at least eight potentially new-to-science species yet to be described.

For the researchers, this kind of international partnership is pivotal to best understand and ensure a regenerative future for the Maldives' coral reefs.

"Nobody knows these waters better than the Maldivian people," Rocha says. "Our research is stronger when it's done in collaboration with local researchers and divers. I'm excited to continue our relationship with MMRI and the Ministry of Fisheries to learn about and protect the island nation's reefs together."

"Collaborating with organizations such as the Academy helps us build our local capacity to expand knowledge in this field. This is just the start and we are already working together on future projects," Najeeb says. "Our partnership will help us better understand the unexplored depths of our marine ecosystems and their inhabitants. The more we understand and the more compelling scientific evidence we can gather, the better we can protect them."

More information: Yi-Kai Tea et al, Cirrhilabrus finifenmaa (Teleostei, Labridae), a new species of fairy wrasse from the Maldives, with comments on the taxonomic identity of C. rubrisquamis and C. wakanda, ZooKeys (2022). Journal information: ZooKeys Yi-Kai Tea et al, Cirrhilabrus finifenmaa (Teleostei, Labridae), a new species of fairy wrasse from the Maldives, with comments on the taxonomic identity of C. rubrisquamis and C. wakanda,(2022). DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1088.78139
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Florida State University and Florida A&M University researchers are part of an international team that has identified a critical role the equatorial ocean plays in predicting the effects of climate change through a process known as ocean mixing.

The results of the team's three-year study have been published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.

"Accurately predicting the paths of major currents is necessary to predict ocean climate and subsequently, our entire climate," said Xu Chen, a researcher with FSU's Center for Ocean and Atmospheric Prediction Studies and FAMU. "There is such a strong exchange of water near the equator that it should be applicable to all parts of the vast equatorial ocean."

Oceans are fundamental to scientists' understanding of climate change. On a basic level, ocean waters absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide and heat from the atmosphere. But the mixing of ocean waterthe change in properties including salinity, nutrients, gas and temperature that results from the mechanical force generated by winds, tides, cooling and warmingaffects carbon and heat uptake as well as the large-scale ocean climate.

Ocean mixing primarily has been studied at the water's surface because the surface interacts with weather events occurring just above it in the atmosphere, such as tropical cyclones. However, this study, the first of its kind, revealed the existence of key mixing pathways that exist far beyond the ocean's surface and known boundaries.

Chen, along with Pierre Welander Professor of Oceanography and Environmental Science William Dewar and collaborators at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, used instruments such as acoustic Doppler current profilers and conductivity, temperature and depth sensors to record seawater temperatures, salinity levels, velocities and overall motion.

"Other recent studies have proposed pathways in which large-scale currents directly drive ocean mixing, but their results indicated that these pathways are limited to the ocean's surface or topographic boundaries," said Chen, who was a doctoral student under Dewar's advisement when the study began in 2018. "Our study provides the first observational evidence and numerical validation of the existence of key mixing pathways far from the surface and boundaries."

Chen, who continued this research as a postdoctoral researcher at COAPS and currently still researches there on a courtesy appointment, verified the data using Massachusetts Institute of Technology's general circulation model, a numerical code that solves equations of motion occurring in the ocean or atmosphere.

If subsurface ocean mixing is strong, larger currents can dissipate, divide and transition into smaller currents in different directions, while weak mixing allows the current to continue its course. The strength of ocean mixing found in the study is related to the El Nino-Southern Oscillation, a yearly climate pattern that influences atmospheric circulation and dictates temperatures and precipitation across the globe.

The type of mixing seen in this study had been previously observed near the Kuroshio, a strong ocean current offshore from Japan that strongly impacts Asia's climate.

The subsurface mixing observed in the study could occur near the equator because of the naturally different physical properties of the waters on either side of the equator. This area of strong interaction and mixing stretches between 200-400 meters below the ocean's surface. Because the actual mixing of ocean water is extremely difficult, any mechanism that facilitates mixing is useful. Shallower waters can't easily mix with deeper waters, so this vertical mixing is a significant observation.

"There's not as much energy in the mixing below the surface as there is on the surface, but because the equator takes up such a large part of the ocean, something that would have a small effect based on energy has a much larger effect due to the vast area," Dewar said. "Understanding the flow of these larger currents is essential to creating more accurate ocean models."

Among the team's next steps is investigating the mixing in the rest of the equatorial ocean and that specific link to ENSO, a critical index for global weather that indicates whether El Nino or La Nina will return each year. La Nina is the colder counterpart of El Nino, and the pattern between the two tends to shift every two to seven years.

Hui Zhou from the Institute of Oceanology, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, led the study and additional contributors include researchers from Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology in Qingdao, Beijing Institute of Applied Meteorology, State Key Laboratory of Geo-Information Engineering in Xi'an, Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Geophysique de l'Environnement, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Explore further Tides and tidal mixing were stronger during the Last Glacial Maximum

More information: Hui Zhou et al, Observations and modeling of symmetric instability in the ocean interior in the Northwestern Equatorial Pacific, Communications Earth & Environment (2022). Journal information: Communications Earth & Environment Hui Zhou et al, Observations and modeling of symmetric instability in the ocean interior in the Northwestern Equatorial Pacific,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s43247-022-00362-4
Some research institutions are quickly ending scientific collaborations with Russia since its invasion of Ukraine. University Library professor Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe said the actions are a significant shift in policy from a long tradition of scientific diplomacy. Credit: Cindy Brya

Financial, political, commercial and cultural entities quickly cut ties with Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. Some universities also are ending research projects and scientific cooperation with institutions in Russia. Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe, the coordinator for information literacy services and instruction and a professor in the University Library at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, co-wrote an essay on scientific "decoupling" that was published on the Society for Scholarly Publishing's blog, The Scholarly Kitchen. She talked with News Bureau arts and humanities editor Jodi Heckel.

Historically, universities in the U.S. and Europe have followed a policy of openness regarding research and scientific collaboration with other nations, even during times of conflict. How have scientific partnerships and shared projects been used for diplomacy?

Scientific collaborations between and among countries facilitate deepening ties. In times of tension, partnerships serve as a locus of shared interest and common ground that can help counter the tensions and bring things back to a more felicitous state. In times of conflict, continuing collaborations serve as a basis for facilitating the reestablishment of relationships post-conflict.

Examples of scientific diplomacy are numerous, including Cold War-era relationships with the USSR, more recent investments in scientific and educational exchanges with China, and some nascent nongovernmental organization work happening with North Korea. The everyday exchanges that are very common here at Illinois also are part of this fabric of diplomacy, as are headline-making efforts such as the International Space Station and the ITER energy project.

Are you surprised to see the quick move to sever research ties with Russia by some institutions?

There are real concerns about sharing information with adversaries. But the sudden and swift pivot away from scientific diplomacy was definitely notable. We started drafting the Scholarly Kitchen piece as cutting ties was being proposed; over three intense days of researching and writing, we had to update repeatedly from observing something being discussed to it being implemented. By the next day, the piece was somewhat out-of-date as more actions were taken.

So, not only is this a significant shift in policy, but it is happening very quickly. Given that some of these collaborations were years or even decades in the making, the rapidity signals the urgency of the moment. At the same time, one hopes this isn't hasty action with unintended long-term consequences.

Also worth noting is the simultaneous pivot toward supporting and strengthening research ties with Ukraine. There are significant efforts to support immigration of scholars and students through pathways that will enable them to continue their academic work. Granting agencies are exploring "hop on" grant programs for Ukrainian researchers to join existing projects. And publishers have opened their materials to people in Ukraine. We also see mass media dropping paywalls on their coverage of the Russian invasion and global response.

How will this impact ongoing research projects? What about the long-term effect on future collaborations?

Some governments say that although they are ceasing formal relations with Russian institutions and organizations, they are encouraging scientists to continue individual engagement. It is unclear what that really can mean, though. Continuing to work together when the projects are themselves suddenly unfunded seems rather difficult to sustain.

At the same time, some are arguing that severing ties would do more harm than good. The considerations are very complex. Looking ahead to the end of this conflict, we can expect that some projects will never resume. Others may recover, but slowly, even if only because of the logistics and paperwork involved. And even if ties are not cut, there will be the challenge of reestablishing trust.

There are also potential second-order effects on the trust that undergirds other scientific collaborations. Partners in other nations may be less confident of mutual commitment in light of the rapid decoupling from Russia. It is worth noting as well that China is not breaking its formal ties with Russia. As a result, many analysts also are thinking ahead to scenarios of what a tighter China-Russia coupling could mean.

Is this also affecting scientific publishing?

Publishers are already having to align their business practices with various sanctions that have been put in place. They are also under pressure from a variety of sources to cut ties with Russia. One journal editor has said that manuscripts from authors at Russian institutions will be rejected, and others are said to be considering such a policy.

Ukraine's Ministry of Education and Science has called for Clarivate and Elsevier to stop indexing journals published by Russian institutions in Web of Science and Scopus, respectively. Researchers also may see a shift in sentiment about scientific openness and questions about dissemination of information on sensitive and dual-use topics.

Explore further The International Space Station may become a casualty of the Russian war in Ukraine
A fossil of a crustacean claw exoskeleton from the Posidonia Shale in Germany. Credit: Drew Muscente

Climate change can affect life on Earth. According to new research, it can also affect the dead.

A study of exceptionally preserved fossils led by a graduate student at The University of Texas at Austin has found that rising global temperatures and a rapidly changing climate 183 million years ago may have created fossilization conditions in the world's oceans that helped preserve the soft and delicate bodies of deceased marine animals.

The fossils include squid-like vampyropods with ink sacs, ornate crustacean claws, and fish with intact gills and eye tissue.

Despite being from different locations and marine environments, the fossils were all preserved in a similar manner. Geochemical analysis revealed that the conditions needed to preserve such captivating fossils could be connected to Earth's climate.

"When I started the research, I had no idea if they would preserve the same way or a different way," said lead author Sinjini Sinha, a graduate student at the UT Jackson School of Geosciences. "I was curious what led to the exceptional preservation."

The research was published in Scientific Reports.

Going from dead organism to eternal fossil is a complex, chemical process that involves the formation of minerals within biological tissues. The authors examined different parts of fossil specimens under a scanning electron microscope equipped with a tool to detect chemical elements present in the minerals.

Lead author Sinjini Sinha, a graduate student at The University of Texas at Austin's Jackson School of Geosciences, examines images of fossil specimens in the scanning electron microscope lab. Sinha used the microscope to examine exceptionally preserved fossils and learn more about the fossilization process. Credit: The University of Texas at Austin/Jackson School of Geosciences.

The fossils came from the Posidonia Shale in southern Germany, Strawberry Bank in southern England, and Ya Ha Tinda in Alberta, Canada. And in all of them, one element dominated: phosphorus.

"We expected there to be some similarities, but finding that they were so similar was a bit surprising," said co-author Rowan Martindale, an associate professor at the Jackson School.

Phosphorus is common in bones, so finding it in fossilized fish skeletons wasn't unusual. But when it appeared in tissues that don't usually contain phosphorus, such as crustacean exoskeletons and vampyropod soft tissues, it signaled that the environment was the source of the phosphorus minerals.

Phosphorus, however, usually isn't available in high concentrations within marine sediments, said co-author Drew Muscente, an assistant professor at Cornell College and former Jackson School postdoctoral researcher.

"Phosphorus is an element that you don't expect to see in sedimentary rocks," he said. "It generally doesn't get buried in large amounts except in unusual circumstances."

Lead author Sinjini Sinha holds a fossilized ink sac of a vampyropod, a squid-like animal. The black portion is the ink sac. The white portion is the tissue surrounding the sac. The fossil is from the Strawberry Bank fossil deposit in the United Kingdom. Credit: The University of Texas at Austin/ Jackson School of Geosciences

The researchers think a period of extreme and rapid climate change caused by an influx of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere by volcanic eruptions during the Early Jurassic could be just that circumstance, with the rising temperatures causing increased rainfall that stripped large amounts of phosphorus-rich sediment from rocks on land into the world's oceans.

Climate change today is also reducing oxygen in the oceans but it will be millions of years before anyone can say whether there is a boost in exceptional fossils, Martindale said.

The fossil fish Leptolepis from the Strawberry Bank fossil deposit in the United Kingdom. Credit: Sinjini Sinha

Javier Luque, a research associate at Harvard University who was not part of the study, said that the study is important because it suggests that past climate change could have helped enable fossilization in a variety of environments.

"Perhaps one of the biggest takeaways of this work is that global events in the past could have set the stage for the exceptional preservation seen in fossil-rich marine deposits around the world regardless of their location, lithologies, environments, and depositional setting," he said.

The study was also co-authored by researchers at the University of Missouri, the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution, and the Stuttgart State Museum of Natural History.

Explore further Exceptional fossils may need a breath of air to form

More information: Sinjini Sinha et al, Global controls on phosphatization of fossils during the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event, Scientific Reports (2021). Journal information: Scientific Reports Sinjini Sinha et al, Global controls on phosphatization of fossils during the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-03482-7
According to UNHCR, between February 24 and March 8, 2022, an estimated 2,011,312 refugees left Ukraine. The vast majority (1,204,403) fled to Poland, while others went to Hungary (191,348), Slovakia (140,745), the Russian Fedeartion (99,300), Moldova (82,762), Romania (82,062), Belarus (453), and other European counties (210,239). On March 1, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs issued a funding appeal for $1.7 billion in support of humanitarian relief efforts for people in Ukraine and refugees in neighboring countries.

Meanwhile, numerous NGOs are working on the ground in Ukraine and in the region to address the humanitarian needs of those affected by the Russian invasion. Needs range from medical supplies, food, water, hygiene kits, and psychosocial support to mental health assistance for children and families fleeing the region.

Here we highlight just some of the organizations directly assisting and/or supporting efforts to assist internally displaced Ukrainians and refugees and the communities hosting them.

American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee

The New York City-based American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) has operated in Ukraine for three decades and supports nearly 40,000 low-income Jewish people in 1,000 locations across the country. Through its emergency hotlines, volunteer corps, and network of social service centers, the organization provides essentials such as food and medicine. JDC also is preparing to respond to mass displacement and deploy psychosocial support and increased aid to the most vulnerable. JDC has received grants from funders including Genesis Philanthropy Group, the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, and the Jewish Federations of North America.

American Red Cross

According to the American Red Cross headquartered in Washington, D.C., as of March 6, 2022, Red Cross teams have distributed more than 90,000 food and hygiene parcels to families on the move across Ukraine, including Mariupol; provided first aid training to more than 12,000 people in metro stations and bomb shelters; delivered more than 32 tons of food, blankets, medicine, medical supplies, trauma kits, and household items; assisted with the evacuation of people with disabilities; and distributed critical care items to more than 7,000 people seeking safety in bomb shelters from shelling. The American Red Cross also has deployed crisis responders to provide humanitarian relief in Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Moldova, Croatia, Lithuania, and Russia, where Red Cross volunteers are supporting displaced people. ARC has received grants from funders including Bank of America, Key Bank, and Wells Fargo.

The escalating conflict in Ukraine is taking a devastating toll, said International Committee of the Red Cross director general Robert Mardini in a statement. Casualty figures keep rising while health facilities struggle to cope. We already see long-term disruptions in regular water and electricity supplies. People calling our hotline in Ukraine are desperately in need of food and shelter.

Americares

Based in Stamford, Connecticut, Americares has worked in Eastern Europe for decades, delivering $120 million in medicine and supplies to Ukraine to date. To help provide health services for Ukrainian families affected by the current humanitarian crisis, the organization has sent an emergency response team of physicians, nurses, and other medical professionals to Krakow, Poland. The organization will deliver medicine, medical supplies, emergency funding, and relief items to the region and provide primary care services, emergency treatment for injuries, and mental health and psychosocial support services to help survivors cope with stress and trauma. Americares has received commitments from Boeing and United Airlines, among others.

CARE

Atlanta-based CARE works to address global povertywith an emphasis on empowering womenand deliver emergency aid to survivors of war and natural disasters. In Ukraine, the NGO is supporting local partner organizations to provide warm, safe spaces for refugees to rest at border crossings and to send food, sleeping bags, diapers, and other essentials into Ukraine. At the Ukrainian-Romanian border, CARE and its partner, SERA, are training 200 psychologists in emergency psychosocial support to help arriving refugees overcome the trauma of war and leaving their homes and also are supporting social services and child protection services at arrival points and on transit routes for the most vulnerable children. In addition, CARE has warned that [f]or women who have been forced to flee their homes, who are far away from their usual support networks and usual means of income; exploitationincluding sexual exploitationis a real risk and is calling for coordinated protection services to register and accompany those fleeing the conflict.

One of the best ways to ensure a gender-sensitive humanitarian response is to fund womens organizations in Ukraine, and other local organizations led by and serving specific groups, such as people with disabilities, said CARE emergency media manager Ninja Taprogge in a statement. These groups also need to be consulted as the international humanitarian response is planned, because their local knowledge, skills and networks are invaluable.

Center for Disaster Philanthropy

The Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) in Washington, D.C., has created the CDP Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Recovery Fund, which will focus on addressing needs among the most vulnerable, marginalized, and at-risk internally displaced peoples, and refugees. The organization is in contact with and can award grants to Ukrainian and other international organizations that are not 501(c)3 entities. In addition, CDP has a list of suggestions for disaster giving by foundations.

Although it will take a few days before we get a better understanding of the scale and extent of additional humanitarian needs from this rapid escalation and expansion of the conflict, we know that people forced from their homes need shelter, food, clean water and other basic necessities, particularly in the harsh winter climate, the organization said on its website.

Direct Relief

Based in Santa Barbara, California, Direct Relief works to equip health professionals in resource-poor communities to meet the challenges of diagnosing and caring for people in need. As of March 3, 2022, Direct Reliefwhich has supported hospitals in Ukraine for yearshas sent two shipments of medical aid to Poland for transport into Ukraine. The shipments include medicines and supplies requested by Ukraines Ministry of Health, such as medical oxygen concentrators, antibiotics, wound dressings, and respiratory medicine, as well as field medic packs. The organization anticipates a rapid expansion of medical relief to Ukraine in the near term, as dozens of medical manufacturers, including Eli Lilly and Co. and Merck, lend their support. FedEx is also working with Direct Relief to provide in-kind support of a charter flight containing medical aid.

Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres

Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), with U.S. headquarters in New York City, has delivered a shipment of emergency medical suppliesincluding surgical kits, trauma kits, and basic necessities for intensive care units, emergency rooms, and surgical operating theatersto the Ukrainian Ministry of Health in Kyiv. Experienced MSF emergency and specialist medical staff are currently entering Ukraine, with more scheduled to arrive to support teams already working on the ground. MSF teams are assessing medical humanitarian needs at the Polish-Ukrainian border as well as elsewhere in Poland. The organization is also assessing the needs of refugees in Hungary, with a focus on identifying less visible needs for particularly vulnerable people; in southeastern Moldova, with a focus on chronically ill patients or mental health needs; and in border areas in Slovakia. In addition, MSF has an established presence in southern Russia and in Belaruswith its tuberculosis and hepatitis C programswhere it is assessing whether new medical humanitarian needs have emerged.

Global Giving

Global Giving, based in Washington, D.C., works to facilitate donations to reliable, locally led disaster relief and recovery efforts around the world through its online giving platform. The organization has set up a Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund in support of humanitarian assistance in impacted communities in Ukraine and surrounding regions where Ukrainian refugees have fled, including shelter, food, and clean water for refugees; health and psychosocial support; and access to education and economic assistance. As of March 7, the fund has raised $6.47 million toward its $10 million goal. Global Giving also provides a Ukrainian Crisis: Fast Facts page that provides historical context for the war and its impact on humanitarian challenges.

International Medical Corps

The International Medical Corps, based in Pasadena, California, is on the ground in Ukraine, has created a logistics and support hub in Poland, and is working with health agencies and local partners to provide primary and emergency health services; mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS); gender-based violence (GBV) response services and protection services for women, children, and other at-risk people who face risks during conflict; and medicines and medical supplies, including personal protection equipment, to help provide critical care and prevent infectious diseases like COVID-19 among refugees and displaced populations. The organization first delivered essential relief and medicines to Ukrainian healthcare facilities and trained local doctors and medical staff in 1999; since 2014, when the healthcare system in eastern Ukraine collapsed, it has been providing primary health care, MHPSS, GBV, and COVID-related services.

International Rescue Committee

The New York City-based International Rescue Committee (IRC), which helps those whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive and recover, is on the ground in Poland, working with local partners there and in Ukraine. The organization is providing critical information to some of the one million people who have arrived in Poland from Ukraine and are also procuring medical supplies and essential items such as sleeping bags and blankets for distribution at reception centers on the Ukrainian/Polish border. In addition, IRC is also working to quickly mobilize resources and connect with partners in Ukraine to establish a response that will provide life-saving support to civilians forced to flee their homes. The organization has received a grant from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation.

Project HOPE

Project HOPE, based in Omaha, Nebraska, is coordinating with local NGOs, hospitals, and government officials across Poland, Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine, as well as the World Health Organization, Logistics Clusters, ministries of health, and other authorities. The organizations immediate focus is on continuing to source and ship essential medicines and medical supplies for primary health and trauma care to affected areas, including hygiene kits, Interagency Emergency Health Kits, and insulin. In Poland, Project HOPE is procuring vital medical supplies to be delivered to a neonatal hospital in Kyiv, supporting an NGO in Kyiv in purchasing and transporting medicines and medical supplies to civilian hospitals, and assessing health needs in the Dnipro region, including for those who are internally displaced. In Moldova, the organization also is procuring and delivering critical medical supplies to the Ministry of Health to serve refugees. In addition, in Romania, Project HOPE is sourcing hygiene kits, medical supplies, and medicines for transport into Ukraine and for the refugee population.

These refugees have no idea when they will be able to return home or what home they will return to. Many of them only have the few belongings they could grab before fleeing, said Project HOPEs Vlatko Uzevski in a statement. Within these waves of refugees are untold thousands who are pregnant, nursing, elderly, or managing serious medical conditions. The doctors and medicines they rely on are gone. There were already three million people in Ukraine in need of humanitarian assistance before this invasion. They are the ones who will bear the brunt of this war.

Project Kesher

Based in New York, Project Kesher works to build the Jewish community and advance civil society by developing and empowering women leaders. Their work in Ukraine is to mobilize globally to support Ukrainian women and families. Project Kesher Ukraine staff are currently on the ground, either sheltering in place or traveling in search of safety. At the same time, Project Kesher activists are crossing into border countries in Europe, many with children and elderly family members, while those in Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, and Israel are fielding requests from Ukrainian women for help with evacuation, support at the border, immigrating to Israel, and accessing emergency support services. The organization is in daily contact with Jewish relief efforts on the ground and in Europe.

Razom

New York-based Razom works to foster Ukrainian democracy and civil society through a global network of experts and organizations supporting democracy activists and human rights advocates across Ukraine. Razoms emergency response to the crisis is focused on purchasing medical supplies for critical situations like blood loss and other tactical medicine items through an extensive procurement team of volunteers that tracks down and purchases supplies, and a logistics team that then gets them to Ukraine. Razom also is coordinating with several partner organizations worldwide, including Nova Ukraine, United Help Ukraine, Revived Soldiers Ukraine, Sunflower for Peace, and Euromaidan-Warszawa; working with governments and embassies on establishing humanitarian corridors; and arranging for warehouses and points of delivery in Poland and Ukraine. Donated funds will be used to purchase tourniquets, bandages, combat gauzes, sterile pads, and satellite phones.

Save the Children

Connecticut-based Save the Children is supporting humanitarian programs aiming to reach 3.5 million children and their families with immediate aid and recovery through its Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund, which will provide children and families with immediate aid such as food, water, hygiene kits, psychosocial support, and cash assistance. Save the Children is on the ground in Romania, working with migrants and asylum seekers in five reception centers. Teams are currently conducting a needs assessment in four refugee camps in northeastern Romania and preparing to distribute essential items and set up spaces where children have a safe place to play, learn, and cope with grief and loss; it is also urgently assessing needs in Poland and Lithuania. In addition, Save the Children is calling on neighboring countries to provide access to asylum, protection, and assistance to all people fleeing Ukraine, regardless of their nationality or visa status.

Urgent Action Fund for Womens Human Rights

California-based Urgent Action Fund for Womens Human Rights partners with womens movements worldwide to support womens human rights defenders striving to create cultures of justice, equality, and peace. In response to the crisis in Ukraine, the fund supports women, trans, and nonbinary activists on the ground in Ukraine and the surrounding region by providing flexible funding and security support. To that end, the organization is responding to requests from groups and individuals seeking help with emergency evacuations and relocations; legal, financial, and medical support; security and disaster survival training; increasing shelter capacities for children, women, and all other civilians; and access to alternative communication channels, mobile internet, power banks, VPNs, proxy, spare phones, and tablets.

World Central Kitchen

Founded in 2010 by Chef Jose Andres, World Central Kitchen (WCK), based in Washington, D.C., provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises while building resilient food systems with locally led solutions. WCK is on the ground in Ukraine and nearby countries, serving thousands of fresh meals to Ukrainian families fleeing home and those who remain in the country. Within hours of the initial invasion, WCK began working at a 24-hour pedestrian border crossing in southern Poland and now feeds families at eight border crossings across the country. In addition, WCK supports local restaurants preparing meals in eight Ukrainian cities, including Odessa, Lviv, and Kyiv. WCK teams are also on the ground in Romania, Moldova, and Hungary and plan to assist in Slovakia. Andres ,who last year was awarded a $100 million courage and civility award from Jeff Bezos for his humanitarian work, has said via Twitter that he will commit support from that award to Ukraine.

Its hard to know that, even in this moment, there are mainly women with children walking for hours out of Ukraine to safety, to different countries, said Andres s in a recorded message. Every country is welcoming them, and every country is doing their best, but its hard to know there are people walking in the streets or spending the night in a car with no gas, with no way to heat themselves.

The majority of these organizations has earned a Candid Seal of Transparency at the Platinum, Gold, or Silver level.

A Candid Seal of Transparency indicates that an organization has shared publicly information that enables informed funding decisions. Depending on the level (Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum), requirements include information about its mission, grantmaker status, donations, and leadership, programs, brand details, audited financial report or basic financial information, board demographics, strategic plan or strategy and goal highlights, and at least one metric demonstrating progress and results. Learn more about how nonprofits can earn a Seal of Transparency. https://guidestar.candid.org/profile-best-practices/

Find more articles in Philanthropy News Digest about philanthropys response to the war in Ukraine.

Find more updates and resources on Candids special issue page on the philanthropic response to the war in Ukraine.

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Joel Carillet)

Lauren Brathwaite is content editor and Kyoko Uchida is features editor at Philanthropy News Digest.
The first few days after Russia invaded Ukraine, Iryna Voloshyna was in a state of shock.

Born and raised in Ukraine, Voloshyna often cant find the words to describe the vicious attack on her homeland.

Honestly, Ive run out of words to describe all the atrocities, all these crimes against humanity that we see every day on the news, on social media, she said. This is just unheard of. I dont know how to describe it even.

The 34-year-old lived in Ukraine her whole life until five years ago when she studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a Fulbright Scholarship. After graduating with her masters degree from UNC in 2019, she spent a summer as an intern at the Folklife Center at Crandall Public Library in Glens Falls.

She is currently a second-year Ph.D. student and associate instructor at Indiana University.

Voloshynas parents, sister, sisters husband and their two children still live in her home city of Khmelnytskyi, in the western/central portion of Ukraine.

The city is not actively being bombed, but there is a small military airport about an hour away that has been bombed a number of times.

The threat of a Russian attack has been in the air for almost a year, since Russia started deploying troops near the Ukrainian border in April 2021.

Nobody would just imagine that Putin would dare just attack so blatantly a country in the center of Europe in 2022, she said. This is just unheard of. Its just so heartbreaking.

Voloshynas father works as an electrician at the regional hospital. Patients have been evacuated to a shelter and her father is tasked with making sure the shelter is equipped with electricity and generators.

There are a few babies born already in the shelters, she said.

Her sister has been on duty at the center for refugees, which is housed in a public school building. There are thousands of refugees in her city.

It is impossible to find an apartment anywhere, she said. When people arrive sometimes they share an apartment with strangers because they need to be somewhere.

When Ukrainians faced a Russian threat in 2014, the country united in its patriotism, she recalled.

It was just an amazing moment of unity when people just united to help each other, to volunteer hours and hours of their time and money and resources and just everything, Voloshyna said. So now its the same  its much more worse of course  but its the same agenda that everybody that can do anything will do it.

She applauded the leadership of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a leader she neither supported nor voted for.

However, she said, in the situation we have now during the war, he is showing himself as a very brave, very courageous, very loyal and very smart and wise leader.

She said the Russian soldiers invading are either misinformed or lied to about their mission. Russian troops were told through a propaganda campaign that they were there to free the Ukrainians from Nazi rule.

They see that people are not happy to see them there, theyre not meeting them with flowers and smiles on, she said. Theyre just very confused, and many of them surrender.

She said the Russian troops are not stopping, but are losing the fight. Ukrainians have a huge sense of patriotism and love for their motherland.

Ukrainian army, they fight like lions, she said. We are protecting our land. We are not occupying anyone. We are fighting for the truth, for our freedom.

Voloshyna has been trying to help online by collecting information for refugees who are trying to leave Ukraine, mostly women and children. Her cousins wife and two young children left for Poland. But her cousin cant leave because he is between the ages of 18 and 60.

Shes been translating news articles from Ukrainian to English for people and giving interviews to various local media organizations. Indiana University organized three protests and one vigil and sponsored a lecture series about Ukraine. There were also workshops for K-12 educators about how to talk about Ukraine in the classrooms.

If people in Glens Falls believe that this war should not be happening, they should write to their representatives, they should support Ukrainians and their protests, she said. Donations are very important.

Voloshyna also asked everyone to pray.

Soldiers on the front line, they say they feel the support of God, she said. Its very important to ask God for justice and peace.

Gretta Hochsprung writes features and hometown news. She can be reached at 518-742-3206 or ghochsprung@poststar.com.

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QUEENSBURY  Town officials have allocated funds for the Lake George regions Student Connection office, anticipating J-1 student visa workers coming to the area this summer.

Queensbury Town Supervisor John Strough said village of Lake George Mayor Bob Blais is confident the student workers will return this season.

The Town Board recently authorized $3,000 of funding for the Student Connection Office, said Town Board member Tony Metivier, who is also a member on the Student Connection board representing the town.

Strough said the town has previously supported the program before COVID-19 prevented student visa workers from coming to the area.

He said Blais started the program to help support J-1 students and other student visitors.

Strough said restaurants in the village are lacking the employees needed to run their businesses, especially during the busy tourist season.

The programs website provides a handbook and tips for J-1 students as well as a list of housing options and landlord contacts.

The website also lists a slew of sponsors including restaurants and businesses. The program is also funded by the towns of Lake George and Bolton and the village of Lake George.

Strough suggested that in addition to the funds delegated to the Student Connection office, the county could use federal American Rescue Plan Act money to provide the J-1 students with forms of transportation, such as free busing.

Jana DeCamilla is a staff writer who covers Moreau, Queensbury, and Lake George. She can be reached at 518-742-3272 or jdecamilla@poststar.com.

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Appearing a total of 76 times, the word 'stability' is the most notable highlight of this year's government work report submitted on Saturday to the national legislature for deliberation.

"In our work this year, we must make economic stability our top priority and pursue progress while ensuring stability. In the face of new downward pressure, the task of ensuring stable growth needs to occupy an even prominent position," said the report.

Deputies to the 13th National People's Congress shared their insights on this overarching goal and specific measures designed to achieve it.

Ma Yide, a professor at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that putting stable growth at an even prominent position can help form a sensible expectation and pool the wisdom and ingenuity of market entities to promote high-quality development.

Lei Jun, CEO and founder of Xiaomi Corp said he was deeply impressed by the measures to keep the operations of market entities stable. "The government work report promises unprecedentedly strong support for market entities, especially for micro and small enterprises."

According to the report, tax refunds and cuts are expected to total 2.5 trillion yuan (about $395 billion) this year, going straight to enterprises. Lei said the measure would bolster market confidence and significantly improve the development environment for market entities.

"The policies and measures introduced by the government are not just passive responses to pressure. On the contrary, they are concrete actions that follow the trend, eye on the future, and pave the way for the stable implementation of the Vision 2035," he said.

For example, the government will press ahead with the 10-year action plan on basic research to ensure stable support over the long term. Lei said basic research is the cradle of scientific and technological innovation and represents a country's competitiveness in the future.

"This policy sounded a bugle call to scientific research. As a representative of China's technology companies, I feel excited. We will respond to the call and try our best," he added.

According to the government work report, China has set its gross domestic product (GDP) growth target at around 5.5% for 2022 based mainly on maintaining stable employment, meeting basic living needs, and guarding against risks.

Li Dongsheng, CEO of Chinese electronics giant TCL Group, said the target reflects an active and pragmatic attitude. "This medium-high rate of growth given our large economic aggregate demonstrates the resilience and internal impetus of the Chinese economy as well as the commitment and confidence of the Chinese people to realize the Second Centenary Goal," he said.
Events

Wednesday, March 9

JOB SKILLS LAB: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesdays through April 27; receive assistance with job-related tasks, including looking for job openings, creating a resume, writing a cover letter and setting up an email address; Atlantic City Free Public Library, 1 N. Tennessee Ave., Atlantic City; registration required. 609-345-2269 or ACFPL.org.

NOREASTER NICK PRESENTATION: 10:30 a.m. to noon; virtual program presented by the Lynn Kramer Village by the Shore at Jewish Family Service of Atlantic & Cape May Counties. 609-287-8872 or JFSVillageByTheShore.org.

SHARING AND CARING SERIES: 7 to 8:15 p.m. March 9, April 13, May 11; March 9: Receiving Joy; learn practices for cultivating meaning and finding joy; virtual program hosted by Jewish Family Service of Atlantic County. 609-822-1108 or JFSAtlantic.org.

WEEKLY WEDNESDAY OPEN GAMING: 10 a.m. to noon Wednesdays; open gaming; masks required; Public Library, 2305 Atlantic Ave., Longport. 609-487-7403 or LongportPublicLibrary.org.

Thursday, March 10

HAPPY SPRING! HAPPY EVERYTHING!: 6 to 7 p.m.; for adults; fun night of creative rubber stamping; Atlantic County Library System, 201 15th St. S., Brigantine; registration required. 609-266-0110 or AtlanticLibrary.org.

MAKE YOUR OWN BODY BUTTER: 2 to 3 p.m.; for adults; learn how to mix essential oils with carrier oils to make body butter for healthy living; Atlantic County Library System, 33 Martin Luther King Junior Ave., Pleasantville. 609-641-1778 or AtlanticLibrary.org.

Friday, March 11

BEGINNER BEEKEEPING WORKSHOPS: 7 to 10:30 p.m. Fridays through April 1; learn what you need to be a successful beekeeper; classes are a mix of text, lecture, videos and hands on; Rutgers Extension Building, 355 Court House S. Dennis Road, Middle Township. 609-861-0913.

HOLY TRINITY DRIVE THRU WINTER FESTIVAL 2022: 4:30 to 8 p.m. March 11, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. March 12; Greek Food, Gyros, Cheese and Spinach Pies, Shish Kebabs, Salads, Baklava Galaktoboureko; Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 7004 Ridge Ave., Egg Harbor Township. 609-653-8092 or HolyTrinityFestival.com.

HSHS PRESENTS: DISNEYS NEWSIES THE MUSICAL: 7 to 9:30 p.m. March 11, 12, 2 p.m. March 13; Holy Spirit High School, 500 S. New Road, Absecon; $12 adults, $10 students and senior citizens. 609-646-3000 or HolySpiritHighSchool.com.

MEMOIR WORKSHOP: 10:30 a.m. to noon; the Lynn Kramer Village by the Shore at Jewish Family Service of Atlantic & Cape May Counties Virtual Program. 609-287-8872 or JFSVillageByTheShore.org.

SECOND FRIDAY RECEPTION: 6 to 8 p.m. second Fridays; celebrate the opening of newest galleries; The Noyes Arts Garage Stockton University, 2200 Fairmount Ave., Atlantic City. 609-626-3805 or ArtsGarageAC.com.

Saturday, March 12

WEEKLY SATURDAY OPEN GAMING: 2 to 4 p.m. Saturdays; join friends to play mah-jongg, scrabble, canasta or pinochle; masks required; Longport Public Library, 2305 Atlantic Ave., Longport. 609-487-7403 or LongportPublicLibrary.org.

Monday, March 14

ART HOUSE FILM NIGHT: 5 to 7 p.m.; watch Perfumes, one of the many free Kanopy movies available with your library card; Avalon Free Public Library, 235 32nd St., Avalon. AvalonFreeLibrary.org.

SCRABBLE NIGHTLI: 6 to 7:30 p.m. March 14, 21, April 4, 18, May 2, 16; join the Scrabblers for word play; Public Library, 235 32nd St., Avalon. AvalonFreeLibrary.org.

Dining out

Sunday, March 13

GREATER ATLANTIC CITY CHAPTER OF UNICO ANNUAL PASTA DINNER: noon to 5 p.m.; annual pasta dinner; Quaremba Hall, 15 N. Georgia Ave., Atlantic City. UNICOAC.org.

Tuesday, March 15

SOUTH JERSEY PLAYERS DINNER THEATER: 6 to 9 p.m. March 15, 22; South Jersey Players and Aroma Restaurant in Ventnor have collaborated to offer a theater/dining event; buffet followed by five short plays; Aroma restaurant, 5206 Atlantic Ave., Ventnor; $45. 347-920-6399 or SouthJerseyPlayers.org.

For kids

Wednesday, March 9

KIDS CRAFT NIGHT: ST. PATRICKS DAY: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.; for ages 6 to 12; register each child individually; make a fun St. Patricks Day-themed craft; Atlantic County Library System, 40 Farragut Ave., Hamilton. 609-625-2776 or AtlanticLibrary.org.

PLAYDATE AT THE LIBRARY: 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesdays through March 23; for ages 6 to 36 months; enjoy stories, rhymes and songs designed to develop early literacy skills with your little one; Atlantic County Library System, 40 Farragut Ave., Hamilton; registration required. 609-625-2776 or AtlanticLibrary.org.

STORIES AND SONGS: 10 to 10:15 a.m. Wednesdays through May 25; join Miss Linda for stories, songs, and rhymes for children 2 and younger; Public Library, 235 32nd St., Avalon. AvalonFreeLibrary.org.

STORY TIME: 10 to 10:30 a.m. March 9, 16, 23; for ages 5 and younger and their caregivers; Public Library, 1058 E. Landis Ave., Vineland. 856-794-4244 or VinelandLibrary.org.

TEEN GAME NIGHT: 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.; for teens ages 13 to 18 are invited to a Teen Game Program; Vineland Public Library, 1058 E. Landis Ave., Vineland. 856-794-4244 or VinelandLibrary.org.

Thursday, March 10

123 READ & SING: 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. March 3, 10, 31; open to ages 1 1/2 to 5 and their caregivers; books, songs, and play; Atlantic County Library System, 300 E. Jimmie Leeds Road, Galloway Township. 609-652-2352 or AtlanticLibrary.org.

PRESCHOOL STORYTIME: 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. March 3, 10; ages 3 to 5; songs, stories; Atlantic County Library System, 1 Swift Drive, Egg Harbor Township; registration required. 609-927-8664 or AtlanticLibrary.org.

SCIENCE NIGHT FOR KIDS: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.; aged 6 to 10; Avalon Free Public Library, 235 32nd St., Avalon. AvalonFreeLibrary.org.

Saturday, March 12

MOVIE MATINEE: 1 to 3 p.m. March 5, 12, 19, 26; for kids and parents; sit back, enjoy an afternoon movie; Atlantic County Library System, 33 Martin Luther King Junior Ave., Pleasantville. 609-641-1778 or AtlanticLibrary.org.

RAINBOW SUN CATCHERS: 11 a.m. to noon; for ages 5 and older; make a colorful rainbow craft; Atlantic County Library System, 6500 Atlantic Ave., Ventnor; registration required. 609-823-4614 or AtlanticLibrary.org.

STORYTIME FOR TOTS: 10 to 11 a.m. March 5, 12, 19, 26; for ages 3 to 5; Atlantic County Library System, 33 Martin Luther King Junior Ave., Pleasantville; registration required. 609-641-1778 or AtlanticLibrary.org.

Monday, March 14

CRAFT-TO-GO: 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; for kids; stop by and pick up a fun take-home craft; Atlantic County Library System, 801 Shore Road, Somers Point. 609-927-7113 or AtlanticLibrary.org.

PRESCHOOL STORYTIME: 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Mondays; for ages 2 to 4; latest books and some old favorites will help introduce new vocabulary and reinforce learning; Atlantic County Library System, 134 Philadelphia Ave., Egg Harbor City; registration required. 609-804-1063 or AtlanticLibrary.org.

Groups

Wednesday, March 9

ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE VIRTUAL CLASS: 7 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, 10 a.m. Fridays, through April; beginners class for non-native, English speakers; classes include interactive learning activities that focus on increasing the listening, speaking, reading, grammar, and writing skills; Atlantic City Free Public Library, 1 N. Tennessee Ave., Atlantic City. 609-345-2269 or ACFPL.org.

ITALIAN CULTURE: 4:30 to 6 p.m. second Wednesdays through May; meet at the library with others interested in learning more about Italian art, music, architecture, history, and lifestyles; Avalon Free Public Library, 235 32nd St., Avalon. AvalonFreeLibrary.org.

LIFE IN WAVES  ONLINE WORKING WOMENS GROUP: 7 to 8 p.m. second and fourth Wednesdays; support and discussion group for women in the workplace; hosted by Mental Health Association in Atlantic County. 609-652-3800 or MHAAC.info.

Thursday, March 10

AL-ANON FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP: 8 to 9 p.m. Thursdays; Presbyterian Church, 6001 Main St., Mays Landing.

FAMILY MEETING SUPPORT GROUP: 10 a.m. to noon second and fourth Thursdays; support group for family members of individuals who live with a mental health concern. 609-652-3800 or MHAAC.info.

Saturday, March 12

SOUTHERN NJ AFRICAN VIOLET CLUB: 10 a.m. to noon second Saturdays; Elwood Volunteer Fire Dept., 414 Elwood Road, Mullica Township; discuss plant care tips and needs; open to all; no membership fees; masks required and COVID-19 social distancing rules in effect. snjavc.org or email snjavc.violet@gmail.com or Facebook@southernnewjerseyafricanvioletclub.

Health, fitness

Wednesday, March 9

DEALING WITH DEPRESSION SUPPORT GROUP: 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays; hosted by the Mental Health Association in Atlantic County; online support group for those living with depression. 609-652-3800 or MHAAC.info.

EXPLORING SPIRITUALITY ONLINE WELLNESS GROUP: noon to 1 p.m. Wednesdays; hosted by the Mental Health Association in Atlantic County; wellness group exploring themes of faith, hope, sense of purpose, and fulfilment. 609-652-3800 or MHAAC.info.

MIND AND BODY VIRTUAL WORKSHOP: 11 a.m. to noon Wednesdays; workshop is provided to individuals who live with a disability; participants discuss topics such as adapting, goal setting, refocusing and more; offered by the Mental Health Association in Atlantic County. 609-652-3800, ext. 308 or MHAAC.info.

SIBLING MEETING: 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. second Wednesdays; meeting for siblings of adults with serious and persistent mental health concerns; support, education, coping strategies, resources and more; hosted by the Mental Health Association in New Jersey. 973-571-4100 or MHAAC.info.

WELL WEDNESDAY: 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesdays; mix of wellness events and opportunities to socialize; Public Library, 235 32nd St., Avalon. AvalonFreeLibrary.org.

Thursday, March 10

RISING MINDS ONLINE MEETING: 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursdays; offered by the Mental Health Association in Atlantic County; peer-led meeting for individuals age 18 to 30; participants discuss mental health, share experiences, develop tools for self-care and connect to others. 609-652-3800 or MHAAC.info.

Friday, March 11

NICOTINE ANONYMOUS: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Fridays; fellowship of men and women helping each other to live free of nicotine; 351 Cincinnati Ave., Egg Harbor City; free. 609-602-5701, 609-965-4847 or 609-226-4193.

TAI CHI & QIGONG VIRTUAL CLASS  VIRTUAL EVENT: 11 a.m. to noon Fridays; virtual classes; participants will learn ancient mind, body and spirit practices; Atlantic City Free Public Library, 1 N. Tennessee Ave., Atlantic City. 609-345-2269 or ACFPL.org.

Sunday, March 13

MEDITATION  ONLINE GROUP: 7:15 to 8 p.m. Sundays; offered by The Mental Health Association in Atlantic County; staff offer a guided calming meditation or breathing exercise; to receive a link by email and join the group online, email btrendler@mhanj.org. 609-652-3800 or MHAAC.info.

Monday, March 14

GOT STRESS? ONLINE GROUP: 4 to 5:30 p.m. Mondays; online group meets to discuss daily wellness, coping strategies and tools to relieve stress and reduce anxiety; offered by The Mental Health Association in Atlantic County; free. 609-652-3800 or MHAAC.info.

NAMI ATLANTIC/CAPE MAY FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP: 7 to 8:30 p.m. second Mondays; virtual meeting for family members of individuals struggling with mental health illness and co-occurring addiction disorders; free, registration required. 609-741-5125 or NAMIACM.org.

Music</&h1>

Thursday, March 10

VIRTUAL JAM SERIES: 7 p.m. Thursdays; hosted by Absecon Cultural Arts Alliance streaming live via Facebook; features local musicians. AbseconArts.com.

Saturday, March 12

HORNS A PLENTY  JAZZ SAXOPHONES FROM THE 40s: 5 to 7 p.m., presented by South Jersey Jazz Society; Hear, Here! program of social listening and learning with discussion; Maurice Porter shares his playlist; participants also may bring recorded music from personal collections; The Listening Room at The Ocean City Arts Center, 1735 Simpson Ave, Ocean City; free and open to the public. 609-399-7628 or oceancityartscenter.org.

Religion</&h1>

Thursday, March 10

CHRISTIANITY EXPLORED COURSE: Thursdays through March 17; 7-week course that explores the Christian faith, Who Jesus is, why He came and had to die; for anyone who would like to learn more about Christianity, you dont need to know anything about the Bible; free dinner included with each session; Greentree Church, 125 Schoolhouse Road, Egg Harbor Township. 609-927-3838 or Greentree.org/CE. Friday, March 11

BETH ISRAEL CELEBRATES PURIM: 5:30 p.m. to March 11, 11:30 a.m. March 13; Beth Israel celebrates Purim with Whole Megillah Shabbat; 2501 Shore Road, Northfield. 609-641-3600 or BethIsraelNorthfield.org.

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ABSECON  The NAACP and city leaders are continuing to push for an investigation to identify a City Council meeting attendee who used a racial slur while on the meetings Zoom call on Feb. 3.

In a resolution by the city denouncing the racial slur, the city said certain individuals gained access to the Zoom call without legitimate reasons to partake in the behavior. Those managing the Zoom call stopped the racist acts immediately before members of City Council apologized for the disruption, the city said.

The city did not provide the racist acts full nature, such as what was said or if it was directed at a particular person.

However, Debbie Cunningham, a city resident, said her husband, Glenford, who is Black, as well as another Black couple at the meeting, were the targets of the racism.

Debbie Cunningham said her husband was at the meeting to inquire about the citys usage of its American Rescue Plan Funds tied to COVID-19 pandemic recovery. After asking a question during public comment, Debbie Cunningham said a female voice came over the Zoom call from a remote location and said, I didnt know (expletive) were allowed at the meeting.

City Clerk Carie Crone did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

The Absecon Police Department, Atlantic County Prosecutors Office and Federal Bureau of Investigation has been probing the incident to locate the suspects and charge them with hate crimes, the city said in a news release Monday.

I and the governing body want to make it clear that racism has no place in the City of Absecon and will not be tolerated, Mayor Kimberly Horton said in a statement Monday. Moreover, the City of Absecon offers their sincere apology to all residents and to all the attendees of the Feb. 3, 2022, City Council meeting, especially those of Black (descent).

Following the incident, the city said its officials met with members of the NAACP on Feb. 15 to condemn the racist act and call for an investigation into the incident.

Working together with the citys mayor and the governing body clearly demonstrates that the City of Absecon is committed to eliminating all acts of racism during public meetings and the NJSC NAACP is calling for a swift and thorough investigation, said Rick Robinson, the NJSC NAACP chairman of the Criminal Justice Committee, who looks to report this joint effort to the NJSC NAACP, the Mainland-Pleasantville NAACP Branch, and to the National Office of the NAACP.

Contact Eric Conklin: 609-272-7261 econklin@pressofac.com Twitter @ACPressConklin

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PLEASANTVILLE  One of two 13-year-old girls involved in a fight at Pleasantville Middle School was arrested for using a knife during it, police said Tuesday.

Officers were called to the school shortly before 3 p.m. Thursday after the fight was reported. The teens were separated and restrained by school staff when officers arrived, police said.

The knife was confiscated by school staff and handed over to police.

Police said one girl suffered a "laceration" to her left cheek in the fight.

The other was charged with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon.

The arrested teen will remain under electronic monitoring until she appears in juvenile court, police said.

Anyone with additional information about the fight can call Detective Jeffrey Raine at 609-641-6100.

Contact Eric Conklin: 609-272-7261 econklin@pressofac.com Twitter @ACPressConklin

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Inspira Medical Centers in Vineland and Elmer have been recognized by the Womens Choice Awards for their extraordinary performance in the areas of orthopedics and mammography.

The awards identify the best health care facilities, brands and companies based on criteria including relevant clinical performance, patient satisfaction and appropriate accreditations.

We are honored to receive these awards that recognize our staffs commitment to both quality care and an exceptional patient experience, said Elizabeth Sheridan, chief administrative officer for Inspira. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our staff has remained focused on providing safe high-quality health care with compassion, empathy and kindness. Its a privilege to serve our patients as we partner with them to build healthier communities.

Car lands in bay near Wildwood Crest WILDWOOD CREST  Borough firefighters were called to help with an SUV that had landed in the

Inspiras Womens Imaging Center in Vineland earned the 2022 Womens Choice Award for Americas Best Mammogram Imaging Center for the second year in a row.

To earn an award, a mammogram imaging center must be recognized as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology and be accredited for mammograms, distinctions the Imaging Center in Vineland has received for more than a decade.

Inspira Elmer, in Salem County, was named the 2022 Womens Choice Award for Americas best hospital for orthopedics, signifying it is in the top 7% of 4,728 U.S. hospitals offering orthopedic services. This is the fourth consecutive year it has been recognized for orthopedic care, according to the release.

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Atlantic City and Pleasantville will now be in two separate county commissioner districts, after an appointed tie-breaker on the county redistricting commission picked the map proposed by Democrats.

Retired Superior Court Judge Georgina Curio released her decision Monday morning, substantially changing the boundaries of four of the five county voting districts to expand minority influence.

She had heard arguments from each side at a meeting Wednesday night.

Voting districts at all levels are refigured after each U.S. Census, to reflect population and demographic changes.

In her decision, Curio said requirements of the federal Voting Rights Act trumped other considerations, as the Democratic map will give minority voters a greater chance to participate in the political process together with white voters while maintaining a minority-majority district in District 1.

I have every confidence in the willingness and ability of those shifted to different districts to overcome the disruption, confusion, inconvenience and disappointment, Curio said. While I dont for a minute dismiss or diminish the (towns) deeply held and long-standing connections ... those considerations must yield.

Democratic District 1 Commissioner Ernest Coursey, who is African American, will run for reelection in November in a new District 1 that will now include Atlantic City and the Downbeach communities of Ventnor, Margate and Longport, plus a small section of Egg Harbor Township.

Coursey, along with Pleasantville Mayor Judy Ward, Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. and other minority officials, supported the Democratic map this year.

But during the last redistricting process in 2011, Coursey and other African American leaders argued Pleasantville and Atlantic City should be kept in one district to preserve the minority-majority district.

The decision also pairs Pleasantville with the mainland communities of Northfield, Linwood and Somers Point and with Absecon, as well as a section of Egg Harbor Township.

We now have a fair, representative and legal map for all 275,000 residents of Atlantic County, Atlantic County Democratic Chair Michael Suleiman said on Monday. I am particularly grateful for the support we received from minority communities.

Atlantic County GOP Chairman Keith Davis, on the other hand, accused Democrats of embracing a destructive woke ideology that seeks to divide Americans based upon race.

This process has demonstrated how much Atlantic County Democrats are consumed with hate, Davis said Monday. They repeatedly attached the plan we offered as racist and segregationist even though African American leaders endorsed the very same plan 10 years ago and 20 years ago. What has changed?

For decades Atlantic City and Pleasantville were together in District 1 with the West Atlantic City section of Egg Harbor Township; and the Downbeach and Mainland towns were together in District 2.

Curio said she agreed with the Democratic argument that District 1 will remain a majority-minority district under the Democratic plan, and the new District 2 would provide more chance for minority participation.

Under the Democratic map, then, the majority-minority district is maintained and minority voter influence is expanded, satisfying the Voting Rights Act standard, Curio said.

The Republican map maintains the existing majority-minority district so may be seen as technically satisfying that aspect of the VRA standard, Curio said.

But because it packs minority voters into one district it can be accused of diluting their countywide influence, she said.

Currently two of nine county commissioners are African American  Coursey and Republican Andrew Parker of District 3  and no commissioner is Hispanic or from one of the Asian communities that have grown in Atlantic City.

Curio stated in her decision she considered the Democratic and Republican maps to be roughly equal for preserving communities of interest, contiguity and compactness, and municipal boundaries.

She gave a slight edge to the Republican map on population equality and continuity of representation.

Curio also gave a slight advantage to the Democratic map for partisan fairness, which she said allowed for more competitiveness.

But she said those standards were given minimal or moderate weight in her decision, which was largely based on Voting Rights Act considerations.

This is so not only because it is a federal statute ... but because it is supported by significant numbers of the public and because it is the right result, Curio said.

At the Wednesday night hearing, a Republican consultant had argued the Downbeach and mainland communities should stay together, as should Pleasantville and Atlantic City, in part because they share similar income levels and real estate values.

The public reaction to the consultants words was swift, it was intense and it overwhelmingly conveyed a sense of outrage and a desire to move beyond separateness and otherness and social, economic and racial dichotomies  to move toward inclusion, Curio said, although she also said such economic considerations are allowed under the law in redistricting.

Davis predicted the new map will not be as favorable to Democrats as they think.

Republican County Executive Dennis Levinson won in (Commissioner Ernest) Courseys newly approved district by over 500 votes, Davis said. Commissioner Coursey has flown under the radar his entire political career in safe Democrat districts. That ends this year.

Davis said theres a good chance Republicans will have a 9-0 majority on the board soon.

Suleiman, on the other hand, said District 1 will remain a safe district for Coursey.

Murphy lost the county as a whole by 11 points, Suleiman said of the November 2021 election. He won the four towns on Absecon Island by 14 pts. It (the new District 1) is clearly a solid Democratic district.

REPORTER: Michelle Brunetti Post 609-841-2895 mpost@pressofac.com

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BUENA  New Jersey students were able to experience a return to normalcy on Monday morning as the states mask mandate for schools and child care centers ended.

The lifting of the in-school mask mandate finished off a nearly two-year period during which all students in the state learned virtually or while wearing masks.

At John C. Milanesi Elementary School, faculty, staff and students came to class Monday, enjoying a preview of spring weather and celebrating the end of the mandate.

You could literally see the joy on their faces, and thats no pun intended, Principal Moses White said.

Teachers shared in their students enthusiasm for the end of the mandate. Having to teach young children early reading and writing skills, pre-K teacher Amy McMahon said not wearing masks allowed her to communicate with her students better and for students to better express themselves.

Socially, emotionally, I dont think we anticipated the effect that it had, McMahon said. (There are) conversations that were missing that you have at this young age that werent taking place.

White said for many of the students in Milanesi Elementary, it was the first time they learned what their teachers and classmates looked like without a mask, and even pre-K students were recognizing the broader societal significance of the mandates end.

Its a step back toward normalcy, White said. Even at this age, they understand that.

Schools across the state have had a month to prepare for the end of the mandate, which Gov. Phil Murphy announced in early February. School districts retain the right to impose local mask mandates if they so choose  although no South Jersey district contacted by The Press was putting its own mandate in place.

The state is asking schools not implementing local mandates revise their pandemic policies to use masking or other interventions to reduce coronavirus spread in certain conditions. Milanesi, for example, is still requiring students mask in the nurses office.

The state is not permitting schools to ban the use of masks in the classroom. Students who want to continue masking in school or have parents or guardians who want them to continue masking may choose to do so, as can a schools faculty members and staff.

The Murphy administration asked schools be vigilant about the bullying of students who continue masking.

There were 12 students in McMahons pre-K class Monday, of whom two were masked. White, the principal, said the district had a strong anti-bullying program in place before the pandemic, and was confident students would know to respect everyones decisions.

Especially in our classrooms, we make it very much like everybody has a job, this classroom belongs to everybody, we are all a community, we all treat each other with respect, McMahon said.

The end of the in-school mask mandate came the same day as the expiration of New Jerseys public health emergency for COVID-19.

Murphy said at a news briefing Friday, which was billed as his final pandemic briefing on COVID-19, he was lifting the emergency because of the progress the state has made with respect to the pandemic. The number of COVID-19 cases in the state is about as low as it has been since the summer of 2021  before the delta and omicron variants of the coronavirus fueled overwhelming waves of infection in the state.

Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said the relaxation of pandemic-prevention measures was facilitated by falling caseloads, innovative medical treatments for COVID-19 and growing immunity to the coronavirus in the New Jersey population.

The termination of the school mask mandate and the state public health emergency comes just shy of two years since the World Health Organization declared the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 11, 2020. In that time, over 30,000 New Jersey residents, 957,000 Americans and 6 million people worldwide have died of COVID-19.

Back at Milanesi on Monday, Tara Levari, the preschool master teacher for the school and the mother of a pre-K student, said her daughter, Kinsley, was excited and almost in disbelief by the prospect of coming to school without a mask.

(Kinsley) woke up this morning and said Is today maskless Monday? Tara Levari said. She was super excited.

Contact Chris Doyle cdoyle@pressofac.com

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In 2021, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the U.S. imported more than 245 million barrels of Russian crude oil and other petroleum products.

At just $50 per barrel, our purchases supplied Russia  and Putin's Russian war machine  with more than $12 billion. Oil prices are higher now, and at $100 per barrel, the U.S. would provide more than $24 billion to Putin and Russia to slaughter Ukrainian men, women and children.

Putin's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, a peaceful democracy  which has never shown an iota of intent to make war on Russia  is something straight out of Adolf Hitler's playbook.

Hitler started small:

 March 16, 1935, Hitler introduced conscription.

 March 7, 1936, Hitler occupied the Rhineland.

 March 12, 1938, Hitler invaded and annexed Austria.

 October 15, 1938, Hitler seized the Czech Sudetenland.

 March 15, 1939, Hitler invaded and occupied the remainder of Czechoslovakia.

 September 1, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland, and World War II begins.

Hitler's excuse was always the same. He had a duty to protect Germans wherever they lived. He had to annex Austria to protect a small German country. The Czechs were "persecuting" Sudeten Germans. The Poles were mistreating "helpless" Germans in the Polish corridor.

Putin, too, began small. In August 2008, Putin won a short war with Georgia, which lost two of its provinces to Russia. In February, 2014, Russian troops seized the Crimean from Ukraine. Then pro-Russian separatists, with Putins support, staged an uprising in eastern Ukraine to restore the territory to Russia and to give Putin a pretext for invasion.

In February 2022, Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In all cases, his bogus justification was that these were former Russian provinces where Russian minorities were being persecuted.

In case it isn't clear to you yet, Putin is the second-coming of Adolf Hitler. Now hes put his nuclear forces on high alert.

Like Hitler before World War II, Putin threatens anybody who would dare oppose his war crimes, but Putin threatens with nuclear annihilation.

So, what is President Biden's response to Putin's atrocities in Ukraine? Has Biden discontinued the U.S. purchases of Russian oil that are financing Putin's aggression?

Absolutely not.

The argument will be made that the U.S. also purchased oil when Trump was president. True. But if you look at the price of oil during the last year of the Trump presidency, published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, you will find that crude was selling between January 2020, and January 2021 at about $38 per barrel. Now, with oil selling at more than $100 per barrel, the U.S. is providing Russia with the barrels of money it needs to finance its atrocities in Ukraine. If Putin could buy one tank when oil was at $38, he can buy 2.5 tanks now.

Biden boasts that to date, he has imposed crippling sanctions on Russia. He has cut off Russian banks and companies from the west, targeted the Russian defense industry by restricting certain technology exports, frozen the assets of the Russian elite  as well as Putin's personal assets  and cut Russian access to the SWIFT international banking system.

It is a dog-and-pony show, designed to convince gullible American's that he is doing something meaningful that will force Putin to forgo his aggression. But Biden has not imposed the one sanction, if any, that would be truly meaningful. Shut of Putins oil revenues, without which Russia is broke.

Making war is expensive. In 1935, the League of Nations sanctioned Italy for invading Abyssinia. Those sanctions did not include oil. They proved feckless. Benito Mussolini snarled and continued his aggression. Putin will do likewise.

Biden, John Kerry and the other Green New Deal types have insisted on shutting down the Keystone XL pipeline here and curtailing the domestic drilling, production and distribution of oil within the United States that made us self-sufficient in natural gas and oil production, and which had the world price of oil at about $40 per barrel. And what is the result? Rather than burning our own domestic oil in the U.S., we are burning Russian oil. But instead of paying $40 a barrel for oil, Americans now pay more than $100 per barrel. The extra money is going to the likes of Russia, Iran, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia.

Russia uses its revenues to launch ballistic missiles into Ukraines cities to indiscriminately kill women and children. Iran uses its revenues to finance the building of a nuclear arsenal. Venezuela hires mercenaries to keep Nicolas Maduro in power.

So, is the air cleaner in the U.S. because we are using Russian oil? Are Putin's explosions and fires making Ukraine air less polluted there?

If Biden doesn't destroy Putin's oil revenues, Biden is complicit in Putins war crimes.

John Donald O'Shea, of Moline, is a retired circuit judge and regular columnist.

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A representative from Eaton-Cobham Mission Systems confirmed Monday the company was training contract employees to offset the loss of striking members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 388 and Local 1191.

The strike against the Davenport military contractor reached its 18th day Monday.

"We have started training contract employees to help support the Davenport employees who have been going above and beyond to ensure we continue to operate safely and deliver quality product to meet our customer commitments," Katie Kennedy, Eaton Aerospace senior manager of global communications and marketing, responded in an email.

The company was also "taking the necessary steps to hire permanent replacement workers to ensure we can continue to fulfill our customer commitments," Kennedy wrote. "It's not a decision we make lightly, and our goal remains to reach a mutually satisfactory agreement with the union."

John Herrig, directing business representative for District 6 of the IAMAW, said the union had "no comment" on Eaton's decision to train contract workers.

Herrig said the union and Eaton had reached an agreement on meeting on March 15, but "now it appears the company is unwilling to meet face-to-face until March 22."

Last Friday, 97% of the members Machinists Local 388 and Local 1191 voted against the company's latest offer. That vote came just one day after a representative from Eaton Aerospace said replacement workers will be hired at the Davenport facility.

More than 400 Eaton-Cobham union employees represented by IAMAW Local 388 and Machinist Union Local 1191 hit the picket line just after midnight on Friday, Feb. 18 after more than 98% of the membership voted down a proposed three-year contract from the company.

Eaton, a multinational power management company headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, announced June 1 it had completed its purchase of Cobham Mission Systems, described as a leading manufacturer of air-to-air refueling, life-support, fuel inerting, space propulsion and missile actuation systems, primarily for defense markets. Cobham has a workforce of approximately 2,000 people and manufacturing facilities in the United States and United Kingdom.

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A former first lady of Ukraine with deep roots in Chicago called on the international community to take stronger action against Moscow, as Russias invasion threatens her nations independence  and potentially global order and security.

Kateryna Yushchenko, who was born in the Humboldt Park area of Chicago and served as first lady of Ukraine from 2005 to 2010, thanked supporters in Chicago and all over the world for their protests, donations and messages of solidarity with Ukrainians.

But Yushchenko, a former White House and State Department official, has been very distressed the West isnt doing enough, she told the Tribune in a recent telephone interview from an undisclosed location amid security concerns for her and her family.

She urged ally nations to impose more severe sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin and others in power, as well as increase provisions and weapons for Ukrainian troops.

She added that more international companies should fully cut ties with Russia, warning that Ukrainians are not only fighting for their survival but for freedom, peace and democracy in Europe.

The world cannot just stand by and watch, she said. If the world does not stop Putin here, you will have to fight him in your own country.

Her husband, Viktor Yushchenko, served as Ukraines third president, surviving an apparent assassination attempt during a tumultuous campaign against a Russian-backed candidate, which spurred a wave of protests and civil unrest known as the nations Orange Revolution.

Now that hard-earned and often perilous quest for Ukrainian sovereignty is at risk.

Kateryna Yushchenko said millions of Ukrainians were sheltering in basements and subways, fearing for their lives and the future of their nation.

The Russian army is aiming missiles at schools, hospitals, apartment buildings, ambulances, orphanages, she said. The army is shooting at buses and people on the street. These are war crimes  and I truly believe that Putins goal is to destroy the free and democratic world that weve built since World War II and destroy the rule of law that has given us peace and prosperity.

Return to Ukraine

Kateryna Yushchenkos parents came to Chicago as refugees sponsored by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in 1956. She was born here in 1961 and later moved to northwest suburban Mount Prospect, where she graduated from Prospect High School.

In the 1970s, Yushchenko twice visited Ukraine while it was under Soviet rule. Meeting her extended family and seeing her ancestral homeland made a strong impression, she recalled.

It made me dream about coming back to Ukraine, she said.

After earning her masters degree in business administration at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 1986, Yushchenko held a series of positions in Washington, D.C., including serving as an adviser on Eastern European ethnic affairs in the Reagan White House and in the human rights office of the State Department.

She went on to co-found the nonprofit U.S.-Ukraine Foundation and moved to Kyiv as the Soviet Union began to crumble, just before Ukraine declared its independence in August 1991.

I can say that maybe other than giving birth to my children, this was the happiest day of my life, she said. When Ukraine became independent, things changed so quickly and that was earth-shattering for many people. Because suddenly there were opportunities. People could now travel. They could choose their jobs. They could choose where they spent their vacation. They could read anything they wanted. They could watch any kind of films or television that they wanted. It was almost like a century of change that happened in a few years.

Amid this whirlwind of change and breakneck reform, she met her husband, Viktor Yushchenko, who was then head of the central bank. They married in 1998 and have three children together; he has two children from a previous marriage.

Her husband went on to serve as prime minister and then president of Ukraine, winning a turbulent election that nearly proved fatal for him.

Poison, revolution

In his bid for president, Viktor Yushchenko faced a Russian-backed candidate, then-Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.

Following a dinner with Ukrainian officials in Kyiv in September 2004, Viktor Yushchenko fell mysteriously ill.

When they kissed, his wife noticed a strange taste on his lips, something medicinal and unpleasant, the Tribune reported in December 2004.

I asked him what that could be, Kateryna Yushchenko told the Tribune at the time. And he said, Oh, maybe it was a little wine or cognac that I had. I said, No, it had much more a metallic taste to it.

He was transported to Austria for medical treatment, and testing later determined he suffered from dioxin poisoning, indicating he had ingested poison. He suffered severe gastrointestinal problems, and his face was disfigured and jaundiced, but he survived what was widely believed to be an assassination attempt.

In a runoff election between the two candidates, Yanukovych was declared the winner amid accusations of election fraud, igniting mass protests that were known as the nations Orange Revolution.

Ukraines Supreme Court ruled the election invalid and ordered a new runoff, which Yushchenko won. He was sworn in as president in January 2005.

I am particularly happy that the Ukrainian nation has risen from its knees, he told a crowd of Chicago-area supporters during an April 2005 appearance at the Palmer House Hilton. We also rose from our knees because you were by us.

His opponent, Yanukovych, went on to serve as president of Ukraine from 2010 until 2014, when he was ousted from office and exiled to Russia. His refusal to sign a European Union agreement was seen as caving to Russia and ignited a wave of 2013 and 2014 protests at the Maidan, Kyivs Independence Square, which culminated in the nations 2014 Revolution of Dignity.

In 2019, a Ukrainian court found Yanukovych guilty of treason.

But various international media have recently reported that Putin is hoping to reinstate Yanukovych as Ukraines next president.

We will be independent

Ultimately, the former first lady believes that Ukraine will persevere and remain a sovereign nation, in part because every single Ukrainian is going to fight to the death.

I am absolutely certain that Ukraine will win, that we will be independent, Kateryna Yushchenko said. Ukraine will never ever be subservient or subject to Russia again. I just fear that theres going to be a terrible loss of blood  destruction of our cities, of our monuments  and mass murder of our people before that happens.

She described Kyiv as a beautiful city, similar in some ways to Chicago. Both are about the same size in population; and Chicago and Kyiv became sister cities in 1991.

Very often that I thought that Kyiv did remind me of Chicago, she said. Its a beautiful city. Its a warm city. People are very warm and welcoming just the way they are in Chicago.

Russias Feb. 24 full-scale invasion of Ukraine has sparked protests and demonstrations in Chicago. Various local politicians have condemned Putins war. The blue and yellow Ukrainian flag was recently raised over the Illinois State Capitol, in solidarity.

When we win and when Ukraine opens up, I invite everyone from Chicago  from America, from the world  to visit us, our beautiful country and our amazing people, Kateryna Yushchenko said. To see us and help us build our country again.

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A man killed by gunfire Friday near Hamilton Elementary School died from a gunshot wound to the head, according to preliminary autopsy results.

The shooting happened about 8 a.m. at the intersection of 7th Street and 32nd Avenue, according to the Moline Police Department.

The scene was across the street from the school.

Robert E. Rhone, 35, Moline, was killed; and Antwon M. Hayes, 28, of Moline, is accused of the killing, according to authorities.

Rock Island County Coroner Brian Gustafson released the preliminary results of the autopsy Monday.

Gustafson said he could not provide more details because of the ongoing investigation by the Moline Police Department Criminal Investigation Division, Gustafsons office and the Illinois State Police Crime Scene Investigation Division.

Initial investigation indicates the two men knew each other and an argument led to the shooting, the police department said. Witnesses told police that someone possibly involved in the incident ran west along 32nd Avenue. Hayes was arrested about 8:07 a.m. in the area of 4th Street and 32nd Avenue.

Nearby Hamilton Elementary was locked down during the incident, Moline-Coal Valley School District officials said. There was no threat to the school.

Hayes has been charged with first-degree murder, according to Rock Island County court records.

A release from the Rock Island County States Attorneys Office said Rhone had been shot several times.

Hayes has made his first appearance in court and is next scheduled to appear March 22, court records state.

He was in custody Monday afternoon, held on a $2 million bail, according to the Rock Island County Jail.

To be released, he would have to post a $200,000 bond, according to court records.

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 Flash

The foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine will meet in Turkey's southern province of Antalya on Thursday, on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum, said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday.

During a press conference, the diplomat noted that the meeting would be held in a tripartite format, as part of Turkey's "intense effort" to bring both sides together.

"Russian Foreign Minister (Sergei) Lavrov said that he was ready to attend the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. Ukrainian Foreign Minister (Dmytro) Kuleba also announced that he will attend," Cavusoglu said, hoping that the meeting "will be a turning point."

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Monday confirmed that Lavrov and Kuleba are planning "a contact" in Antalya, and the meeting was agreed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin during their recent phone conversation.

Erdogan was quoted in a statement by the Turkish presidency as saying that Turkey is ready to contribute to resolving the Ukraine crisis by peaceful means as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, according to the Ukrainian UNIAN news agency, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said that Kiev is exploring the possibility of such a meeting in Turkey.

Scholars, politicians and representatives of international organizations are expected to join in this year's diplomatic forum from Friday to Sunday, ahead of which Turkey will also host the 8th Istanbul Mediation Conference in Antalya on Thursday.
A Lowrider gang member was sentenced to 20 years and 10 months in federal prison on racketeering and drug conspiracy charges that included four attempted murders and a stabbing at a bar.

Mario Herrera, 31, of Davenport was sentenced on March 4, 2022, after pleading guilty to racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute cocaine, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office Southern District of Iowa.

The U.S. Attorney's office said the purpose of the Lowriders gang "was to distribute drugs, obtain money and maintain respect in the neighborhood."

Members were part of a tiered membership and were expected to retaliate against rival gangs like the Latin Kings and West Side Mafia street gangs, according to court documents. They dealt drugs, participated in robberies, shootings and assaults. Members who violated the rules were beaten by other members, and new members were physically assaulted at gang-related gatherings.

Herrera's sentencing is part of charges announced April 2021 against 15 members and associates of the Lowriders, a Davenport-based street gang. In total, 22 members or associates have been charged.

Already sentenced to federal prison are:

Jacob Trujillo, serving 20 years after pleading guilty to two counts of attempted murder in aid of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy and a firearm charge.

Carmelo Reyes, serving 17 years and 6 months after pleading guilty to attempted murder in aid of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy and a firearm charge.

Adan Herrera, serving 16 years and 8 months after a guilty plea to racketeering conspiracy, assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering and a firearm charge.

Austin Nichols is serving 10 years after a guilty plea to racketeering conspiracy and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering.

Antonio Herrera, serving 8 years, 9 months after a guilty plea to racketeering conspiracy and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering.

Angel Mora, serving 8 years, 4 months after a guilty plea to racketeering conspiracy, a firearms charge and use of someone under age 18 in drug operations.

Cody Herrera, serving 5 years after pleading guilty to racketeering conspiracy and a firearms charge.

Tevin Lira, serving 3 years, 6 months after a guilty plea to racketeering conspiracy and felon in possession of a firearm.

Kerri Joanne Reitz, serving 3 years after pleading guilty to accessory after the fact.

Eduardo Herrera, serving 14 months after pleading guilty to felon in possession of ammunition.

Arnoldo Herrera, sentenced to 1 year and 1 day after pleading guilty to prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

Andres Arriaga, sentenced to time served after a guilty plea to tampering with a witness and false declaration before a grand jury.

Jose Miguel Pena, who will be sentenced May 17 after pleading guilty to racketeering conspiracy, assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering and felon in possession of a firearm.

The U.S. Attorney's office says five other Lowrider members were charged in the Scott County District Court with charges including intimidation with a dangerous weapon, willful injury, criminal gang participation and drug-related offenses. Two other Lowrider members or associates have been sentenced on federal firearms violations.

Zacharia Allen Clark is serving 16 years and 8 months after pleading guilty to being a prohibited person in possession of ammunition related to an incident in which he shot at another person in the parking lot of a Davenport nightclub.

Alejandro Francisco Herrera Jr. was sentenced to 1 year and 4 months after pleading guilty to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm and possession of a controlled substance.

"The amount of work by our investigators that went into putting together this very complex case has been noticeably impactful in Davenport and in the Quad-Cities," Davenport Police Chief Paul Sikorski said in a news release. "The unique and critical partnership we have with our prosecutors from the United States Attorneys Office and our Quad Cities area law enforcement agencies, combined with the pure determination and commitment by everyone involved with this case, has made Davenport a safer place."

The case was investigated by the Davenport Police Department with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations, Bettendorf Police Department, Moline Police Department and the Scott County Sheriffs Office.

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One person was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure Monday after a house fire in Moline.

The Moline Fire Department responded to 428 19th Avenue at 1:04 p.m., after an occupant of the home alerted other residents to a fire in the upper floor of the two-story home.

The residents were able to get out safely, according to a news release from the fire department.

Firefighters extinguished the fire in about 20 minutes and were at the scene for about two hours. The home is uninhabitable, the release said, and residents found their own temporary housing.

Deputy Fire Chief Steve Regenwether said the fire seemed to have originated in a second-floor bedroom, where smoke could be seen billowing out of the windows on the east side of the structure.

The cause remains under investigation.

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TAIPEI, Taiwan  Growing up in Taiwan, Huang Yu-lin has become accustomed to chatter about potential military conflict with mainland China. But it wasn't until Russia invaded Ukraine that she started to seriously consider what she would do in such a scenario.

"Hearing it so often, it was a bit like crying wolf," the 32-year-old energy policy researcher said. Now, with a war raging in Europe and deteriorating cross-strait relations, she's begun looking into medical training and browsing war survival manuals. "I've become more and more worried. This is something that needs to be taken seriously," she said.

The world has been captivated by the invasion of Ukraine, as Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought control of the former Soviet republic's capital, Kyiv, and ordinary citizens have taken up arms to defend their country. In Taiwan, the apprehension comes with added anxiety over its own precarious geopolitical standing, under the shadow of an aggressive neighbor pushing a territorial claim.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is determined to eventually bring the democratically ruled island back into the Communist Party's fold. While Beijing has called for peaceful reunification, record incursions by Chinese warplanes into Taiwan's air defense identification zone are a regular reminder that Xi hasn't ruled out the use of force.

"We feel totally related because of the Chinese Communist Party's threats to Taiwan every day," said Chen Kuan-ting, chief executive of Taiwan NextGen Foundation, a think tank politically aligned with the governing Democratic Progressive Party. "We need to invest more in our own national defense, and that is the only way to deter aggression."

Officials and defense specialists in Taiwan have pointed to Ukraine as a potent warning to step up military training and preparation at home. At the same time, leaders have sought to allay concerns about any imminent threats from China, as well as the island's defense capabilities.

"Our military is committed to defending our homeland and continues to improve its ability to do so, and our global partners are contributing to the security of our region, giving us strong confidence in Taiwan's security," Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said in a statement condemning Russia's attack on Ukraine.

Experts point to several differences that diminish the likelihood of an imminent attack on Taiwan, an island of about 23 million people. One key factor is the Taiwan Strait, which acts as a natural geographical buffer against mainland forces. Strong diplomatic ties with other democratic governments such as Japan and the U.S., along with Taiwan's vital role in the global economy and supply chain in semiconductor production, could also help deter aggression.

To help preserve the status quo, the U.S. does not formally recognize Taiwan as an independent nation and has been intentionally ambiguous about how much military support it might provide if China attacked the island. As younger generations of Taiwanese develop a stronger sense of identity that sets the island apart from China, some worry that a more defiant stance against unification or an explicit declaration of support from the U.S. could provoke Beijing into action.

Beijing has also stressed the differences between Ukraine and Taiwan, in particular arguing that the latter has always been a part of China.

"It is unwise of certain people of the Taiwan authorities to latch on to and exploit the Ukraine issue to their advantage," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a briefing transcript. "'Taiwan independence' only leads to a dead end."

While many have brushed off fears of confrontation, to others the visceral violence in Ukraine has suddenly made China's threats more tangible.

"A lot of scenarios now happening in Ukraine, those were not imaginable for a lot of people," said T.H. Schee, 44, a tech and policy worker who hosts lectures in Taiwan on civil defense.

Schee's events have traditionally focused on natural disaster response, but many recent participants have been drawn to the seminars because of Ukraine. Among the questions he's received from concerned Taiwanese are whether they can learn to hack computers or shoot rifles, Schee said, despite Taiwan's strict laws on gun ownership.

"It's like the Wild West. People have just got no idea what will happen, or what other resources you need," he said.

Chiang Chia-hung, a master's student in international relations at National Taiwan University, was pleasantly surprised to find less politically minded friends and family also closely following the news in Ukraine. Even the local shopkeeper raised the issue with him while he was out buying tofu and sausages, during a weekend trip home to the central city of Taichung.

Chiang, who spent two out of his four months of conscription in the Matsu Islands about 10 miles from China's coast, said he hopes this kind of attention will lead Taiwanese people to take the possibility of outside aggression more seriously.

"There, the risk of China was always present," he said of his time in Matsu. "Add on these developments, and I feel like it's made me more aware that you really can't underestimate the danger of China."

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DECATUR  After filing petitions to secure spots on the June 28 primary ballot, candidates for office in Illinois entered a new phase of the campaign on Monday.

Several candidates, most notably Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Republican Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, marked the day with "kickoff" events, signaling a pivot from the often-tedious task of collecting petition signatures to a full-on sprint towards the primary election in just under four months.

"When Democrats win, Illinois wins, and we've only just begun," Pritzker said at a Monday campaign rally in a Springfield union hall. "This year, our Democratic Party must remain united and ready to fight to put working families first."

Pritzker was joined by Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, House Speaker Chris Welch and Illinois AFL-CIO President Tim Drea along with dozens of union members, a key constituency of the Pritzker's during his successful 2018 Democratic primary victory.

Pritzker touted accomplishments, such as raising the minimum wage and achieving the state's first credit rating upgrades in more than 20 years.

Welch, repeating a common refrain, said "it's a new day in Illinois" under Democratic leadership.

"We have been fiscally and socially responsible," Welch said. "We have budgets that have Illinois on the right financial path, receiving credit upgrade after credit upgrade. What we had with that previous administration was downgrade after downgrade. We're better off today than we were four years ago, because of the leadership of J.B. Pritzker, and Juliana Stratton."

The governor is currently unopposed in the primary.

The same cannot be said of the Republican field, which includes five declared candidates. Of those, four filed their petitions Monday morning.

Irvin, who is leading a Republican slate of candidates for statewide offices with the backing of billionaire Ken Griffin, held his first downstate Illinois media availability since he declared his candidacy in mid-January.

After filing their petitions in Springfield, Irvin and his running mate, state Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Morrisonville, held an afternoon campaign event at The Downtown Cafe in Decatur and an evening meet-and-greet at the State House Inn in Springfield.

There's been minimal public polling in the race, but Irvin is viewed as a frontrunner due to backing from Griffin, who has given him $20 million so far.

Irvin and venture capitalist Jesse Sullivan, who started the race with nearly $11 million in his account, are the only two candidates on television thus far.

However, State Sen. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, has significant grassroots support due to his challenges to Pritzker's emergency orders and the state's mask mandate during the pandemic. Businessman Gary Rabine and state Sen. Paul Schimpf are also running.

In Decatur, Irvin and Bourne were joined by slate-mates Steve Kim, who is running for attorney general; former U.S. Attorney John Milhiser, who is running for secretary of state; and McHenry County Auditor Shannon Teresi, who is running for comptroller. State Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon, joined at the later event in Springfield.

The candidates mixed and mingled with Decatur voters, going table to table before Irvin addressed the restaurant. He pledged to "take back" Illinois, claiming the state to be overrun by crime, corruption and high taxes.

"We need a governor who's going to be tough on crime and criminals, a governor who's going to make sure that that we can reduce our taxes, a governor who's gonna bring jobs and economic prowess to our state," Irvin said. "That's my background, that's my record and that's what we're gonna bring once I'm elected as governor of the state of Illinois."

Macon County Republican Party chairman Bruce Pillsbury said the organization will not endorse in the gubernatorial primary, but will provide a forum to candidates who wish to speak to local Republicans.

"We give everyone an equal chance in the primary," Pillsbury said. "When someone comes to town, we'll announce it and broadcast that they're having a meet-and-greet such as this, and then let the public make their choice in the primary."

Among those still looking to make her choice is Decatur resident Paula Busboom, a retired educator whose top issue is support for law enforcement.

"We need to change the attitude and the mentality that's out there," Busboom said. "But we also have to change what's going on in the legislature and how all of that is impacting what happens."

Asked if she's leaning any way, Busboom said "it's early" and that she'll "be in a better position to make up my mind" as time goes on.

Breaking through with downstate Republican primary voters, who typically make up about half the electorate, will be crucial for candidates hoping to secure the nomination.

Irvin, a suburban mayor who is perceived to be more moderate than some Republican candidates, has faced concerns that he is not conservatives enough. Opponents point to his voting in Democratic primary elections in recent years.

Bailey said Monday morning that Irvin "probably should file as a Democrat."

"He's being backed by the money and they want to keep things status quo," Bailey said prior to filing his petitions. "And everyone that I've talked to here in Illinois is sick and tired of the status quo. And the fact that people are leaving this state every day, that gives credence to that."

Irvin, however, dismissed such criticism, pointing to his experience as a combat veteran and efforts by Democrats to defeat him in local elections in Aurora.

"Listen, my opponents are gonna say a lot of things," Irvin said. "And they have to because what they can't say is that I have a record that doesn't show that I'm the most capable person of being governor of Illinois."

Bourne, a downstate conservative, said she joined the ticket because of Irvin's story and his record of success" while vouching for his conservative bonafides.

"The first time we met, we bonded over the fact that we were both Republican precinct committeemen," Bourne said. "No one does that job unless they're interested in building the party and electing Republicans in Illinois."

Beyond the top of the ticket, Monday was a coming out party of sorts for other members of the GOP "slate," who joined Irvin and Bourne in Decatur and Springfield.

Milhiser, a the former U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois, said he is running to "restore faith in government."

"What maybe used to be healthy skepticism is now a distrust of politicians, a distrust of government," Milhiser said. "And we need to fix that and we need to change it. Most will have contact with Illinois government through the Secretary of State's office. So that's where we can start to make that change."

Kim, who previously ran for attorney general in 2010, said he wanted to focus on crime and corruption, the latter being a hot topic given the indictment of former House Speaker Michael Madigan last week.

"We're the people's lawyer and when corrupt politicians are doing the things that they're doing that's hindering opportunities in this state, I believe that as the chief law enforcement officer of the state of Illinois, you have to go after that," Kim said.

Teresi, who's running for comptroller, said that "if we're getting serious about addressing corruption in the state of Illinois, you need an actual accountant as the chief accountant of the state."

According to the Irvin campaign, the campaign stops Monday will be the first of several that will hit 23 counties in central and southern Illinois.

In addition to talking to voters, Irvin and Bourne were joined by a camera crew, who appeared to be collecting videos for future television ads.

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South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks will have to look elsewhere for funding to build a proposed 175-bay shooting range in Meade County after the House of Representatives was unable to reach a two-thirds majority vote on Monday to appropriate state funds for the range.

SB 175 was seeking $2.5 million from the state's general fund and a $2.5 million authorization for GF&P to use "other funds" to build the range on 400 acres of Meade County ranch land along Elk Vale Road, approximately 10 miles north of Rapid City.

The proposed shooting range would include a long-range bay, an advanced range for competitive shooting and law enforcement training, and a hunter education building. Law enforcement and competition organizations would pay for use of those facilities. The general public would be able to access the shooting ranges with no admission charge.

The original funding bill, HB 1049, was killed by a House committee on Jan. 25 but was resurrected in the Senate as SB 175. After finding support in the Senate, SB 175 later moved to the House Appropriations Committee, where it was killed last week.

However, Rep. Roger Chase, R-Huron, saved the bill again on Thursday by using a legislative tactic known as a smoke out. The smoked-out bill was heard before the full House of Representatives on Monday.

House supporters said West River residents need a safe and secure shooting range and that the proposed location would provide a world-class destination for shooting sports.

"The expected results and benefits will be to provide safe outdoor and indoor shooting facilities. To the public users, the range will include recreational shooters, hunters and other individuals and groups  and especially young people," Chase said Monday. "This is a great opportunity for the state of South Dakota to build something that's state-of-the-art for everybody to use. And especially in western South Dakota, folks, I think this could be something that turns into a tourist destination for not only our state but for people that are coming across the state of South Dakota."

Opponents in the House said the personal property rights of area ranchers were being ignored and that GF&P testified that it would still build the range with or without taxpayer funding. Concerns were also raised because of the nature of the way the bill was handled through the legislative session.

Rep. Dean Wink, R-Howes, represents District 29, which is where the proposed shooting range would be located. He named four concerns  the lack of infrastructure support in Meade County for the range, state government competing against private enterprise, the location of the range being near a Bible camp, and private property rights of area landowners.

"I believe each of these reasons on their own merits separately would be enough to press the red button," Wink said Monday.

Rep. Rhonda Milstead, R-Hartford, voiced concern on overburdening volunteer fire departments in the remote location of the range and the length of time it would take for a Meade County sheriff's deputy to arrive at the scene in the event of an emergency.

Rep. Taffy Howard, R-Rapid City, said she opposed the bill not because she is against the Second Amendment rights of South Dakotans, but because GF&P said they were going to build the shooting range anyway  with or without taxpayer funding.

"So we're having a great debate over the shooting range but sadly the reality is, none of us have any say over that. It's a done deal, and they're breaking ground in a couple of months," Howard said. "We're not debating the shooting range. We're just debating the money... The fact is that there are other options for the $2.5 million in general funds here."

Following approximately 45 minutes of debate on the floor Monday, the House voted 39-30 on the funding bill. Although it received a simple majority vote, the measure failed to garner the two-thirds majority vote needed to pass.

Rep. Tim Goodwin, R-Rapid City, attempted to force the House to reconsider the bill. His effort did not receive enough support to resurrect the bill one final time.

Last week, the GF&P Commission voted to proceed with the purchase of the 400-acres, signifying the shooting range will proceed without the state funding. In testimony, GF&P Secretary Kevin Robling told the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday that without the general fund dollars, GF&P will continue to build the range, but it will take longer to complete.

"So, we would have to take a step back and say, 'Hey, what is the first phase and build it in phases.' Potentially, that would be the case," Robling said. "It really does come down to the range would not look the same. I mean, there would be components of the range, likely that whole north end of the law enforcement bay... those things likely could not occur, and we would still have a lot of money to raise."

Contact Nathan Thompson at nathan.thompson@rapidcityjournal.com.

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PIERRE | A bill that provides immunity for campground owners whose guests encounter the inherent risks of camping is headed for the governor's desk.

Both chambers of the South Dakota Legislature have approved the bill that cuts the risk of lawsuits for campground owners who say they've been sued for acts of nature beyond their control.

The owners say the coronavirus pandemic and South Dakota's open invitation to visit have resulted in an influx of novice campers who don't understand the unpredictability of nature, South Dakota Public Broadcasting reported.

Mary Arlington is executive director of the South Dakota Campground Owners Association. She testified before both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees that the legislation isn't about gross negligence, it's about the unpredictability of woods and meadows that has led to lawsuits over conditions outside a campgrounds control.

We visited with industry insurance carriers, and they confirmed theyve seen lawsuits on such natural situations as bee stings and mosquito bites, she said.

Arlington said many campers are native South Dakotans, but there has been a recent flood of out-of-staters. She said novice campers may have expectations of comfort that the realities of nature just cant provide.

She recalled a camper who was outraged because a songbird woke her on the only morning she could sleep in. Arlington says the camper demanded a campsite refund or she would sue.

The legislation has a long list of inherent risks, including trees and tree stumps, uneven terrain, weather, wild animals, roots, rocks, mud, sand, and the absence of street lights.

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The South Dakota House of Representatives passed a $5.25 million funding bill Monday that will allow South Dakota Mines to purchase a business incubator building located on their campus.

The final vote was 54-15 after Rep. Becky Drury, R-Rapid City, successfully smoked the bill out of committee for a hearing before the full House of Representatives.

SB 97 will appropriate $5.25 million in general funds to the South Dakota Board of Regents to purchase the original Ascent Innovation Center on the Mines campus in Rapid City and a $2 million authorization for the Board of Regents to use their "other fund" for renovations to the building.

The original Ascent Innovation Center was built in 2006 by the forerunner of Elevate Rapid City and is owned by Elevate Rapid City. The land where the building is located is owned by South Dakota Mines, but Elevate Rapid City has a lease on the land until 2054.

By the mid 2010s, the business incubator was at capacity and there was a waiting list for startup companies to become tenants.

In 2019, Elevate Rapid City began building a 40,000-square-foot business incubator at the corner of East Boulevard and Main Street. It opened in 2021 as the David Lust Accelerator Building.

SD Mines President Jim Rankin said research programs for the university are currently renting space in the original Ascent Innovation Center on their campus, as the rest of campus buildings are full. By purchasing the building, the small businesses in the incubator would have the opportunity to transfer to the David Lust Accelerator Building and Mines will use the space to expand their programs.

The funding bill had nearly unanimous support in the Senate, passing with a vote of 34-1. The only vote against it in the Senate came from Sen,. Julie Frye-Mueller, R-Rapid City.

It also met opposition in the House Appropriation Committee last week, when the committee voted 6-3 to send the bill to the 41st legislative day, which would normally kill a bill. Drury successfully smoked out the bill on Thursday with one-third of the House supporting the bill.

During House action on Monday, the full House reconsidered the funding bill, allowing the measure to pass with the two-thirds needed, since it is an appropriation bill.

The bill now heads to the governor's desk.

Contact Nathan Thompson at nathan.thompson@rapidcityjournal.com.

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PIERRE | Republicans in the South Dakota Senate on Monday passed a proposal from Gov. Kristi Noem to ban public universities from using training and orientation material that compels people to feel discomfort based on their race.

The bill's passage on a 27-8 vote was its final major hurdle in the Legislature, showing broad support from Republicans though some voiced opposition to how it could curtail free speech rights on college campuses. The House has already passed the bill, but because senators made minor changes, the two chambers will have to agree on its final language.

Noem has billed the proposal as a repudiation of so-called critical race theory and a way to ensure students are not taught that they are responsible for (the) different actions of our ancestors.

The governor has vilified critical race theory in the last year, following a political rallying cry on the right against the academic framework, which centers on the idea that racism is systemic in the nations institutions.

The bills actual text makes no mention of critical race theory. It lays out seven divisive concepts and bans universities from making students or faculty members adhere to them or promote them in required trainings.

The divisive concepts listed in the bill include that individuals are inherently responsible for historical actions or should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of their race.

The proposal drew sharp criticism that it would put a chill on academic freedom and sanitize the most painful facts of U.S. history. Leaders of South Dakotas minority communities, from Oglala Sioux Tribe President Kevin Killer to Julian Beaudion, the director of the South Dakota African American History Museum, spoke against the bill last week.

Our country needs to acknowledge and reckon with its history of systemic racism  this includes being able to teach and talk about these concepts in our schools," Jett Jonelis, ACLU of South Dakota advocacy manager, said in a statement, adding that the bill encroaches on a professors right to make teaching choices without government interference.

The bill carves out an exception for academic courses in universities, which the governor has insisted allows painful classroom discussions.

The Board of Regents has supported the bill, and its lobbyist has testified that it would not change how universities are already operating.

But several lawmakers decried the bill as a step toward authoritarianism.

What separates us from Russia from China from any of these places, our enemies," said Republican Sen. V.J. Smith. "We have the freedom of speech.

Republican Sen. Jessica Castleberry, an ally of the governor who presented the proposal on the Senate floor, insisted the bill would not infringe on free speech and argued it strengthened those rights because it prevented anyone from being compelled to adopt certain concepts.

They can take Intro to Critical Race Theory. They can have spirited debates, she said. This preserves institutional neutrality by preventing critical race theory and divisive concepts from being adopted at the institutional level.

A GOP-controlled Senate committee last week rejected a companion bill Noem brought that would have banned K-12 public schools from teaching the divisive concepts. Allies of the governor were looking for ways to resurrect that proposal Monday.

But some Republicans have shown reservations about how far to push government policing of classrooms and campuses.

I cannot support the idea that state government should create a list of ideas, write them into statute, and call them divisive, said Republican Sen. David Wheeler said during the Senate debate. Its incredibly difficult to legislate effectively on broad concepts.

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The Rapid City Rush announced Monday that rookie defenseman Elijah Vilio has been acquired from the Atlanta Gladiators, and defenseman Jay Powell has been placed on waivers.

Vilio's acquisition fulfills the future considerations portion of a Nov. 17, 2021 trade in which the Rush traded away forward Kameron Kielly.

Vilio, a 24-year-old from Aldergrove, British Columbia, comes to the Black Hills after appearing in 50 games for Atlanta, where he tallied nine goals and 13 assists. He is in his first professional season out of Trinity Western University in Canada, where he combined for 20 goals and 36 assists over 66 games in his career.

Powell was signed on March 3 and appeared in two games for the Rush, recording two penalty minutes and a plus-2 plus/minus rating.

The Rush will next take the ice on Friday, March 18 for the first of three games in three days against the Kansas City Mavericks at The Monument Ice Arena.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin and European Council President Charles Michel discussed humanitarian issues in Ukraine during a phone conversation on Monday, the Kremlin said in a statement.



Putin stressed in the phone conversation that the Russian military is taking all possible measures to save the lives of civilians, and the main threat comes from Ukraine's nationalists, who "use the tactics of terrorists, hiding behind civilians," the statement said.

Putin said that while Russian forces have declared a ceasefire several times to facilitate the evacuation of civilians along humanitarian corridors, Ukraine's nationalists used violence to prevent civilians from leaving, according to the statement.

He called on the European Union to "make a real contribution to saving people's lives, and to put pressure on the Kiev authorities and force them to respect humanitarian law," the statement added.
When Coloradans turn their clocks ahead one hour March 13, some state lawmakers hope it will be for the last time.

Senate Bill 135 would allow the state to do away with the annual ritual known as daylight saving time and put the matter to the voters in the Nov. 8 general election.

If voters approve, Colorado would revert to yearlong Mountain Standard Time in 2023.

Legislators have been trying to end daylight saving time for decades. One reason to repeal DST is the decrease in workplace productivity in the days following the time change, said Christina Huber, professor of Economics at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

But she also notes that there is no definitive research on the overall economic impact of the time change.

I dont have a strong argument for or against daylight saving time and really believe it comes down to individual preferences, said Huber. From an economic standpoint, the argument has to come down to costs (versus) benefits.

RELATED: 6 steps for spring cleaning success

Proponents of DST argue that the extra daylight and recreation counteract the sedentary lifestyle of modern living. Tourism and other outdoor-related industries profit from brighter evenings, which give people more time for hiking, shopping, dining out and attending cultural events, boosting the local economy.

Public safety also benefits from DST. Studies show that DST contributes to improved road safety, reducing pedestrian fatalities by 13% during dawn and dusk hours. An MIT study found a 7% decrease in robberies following the spring shift to DST.

Sleep matters

No matter where you stand on the issue, most of us dread the inevitable spring forward when we lose an hour of precious sleep, knowing that getting up for the next several mornings will be harder than usual.

Getting enough sleep consistently is critical to our well-being, said Cynthia Erickson, associate professor of Psychological Sciences at MSU Denver. And sleep is also important for memory consolidation.

RELATED: 5 tips for healthier social media use.

Just as you go through your mail every day and sort out the junk from the letter from your grandmother, your brain while you are sleeping is consolidating all the information it received throughout the day  keeping what is important and throwing away the rest, she said.

Erickson also noted that sleep is one of the best study aids for students. If you want to really learn and understand something: Study, take a nap, repeat. It is your best study strategy, she said.

Teens in particular need more sleep, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In fall 2023, Denver Public Schools will push back the start time for classes from 7:40 a.m. to 8:20 a.m.

While there surprisingly have not been a lot of studies on DST, what we do have is a lot of information on the impact of being overtired on a childs ability to learn, said Bethany Fleck Dillen, a professor of Psychological Sciences at MSU Denver.

A lack of sleep is a change in their natural circadian rhythm, she said, adding that DST can affect the light we take in, which changes the release of melatonin in our bodies that helps us sleep.

Dillen said our bodies adjust to DST after a week or so. Personally, she likes the extra daylight hours, which allow her to get outside more with her young children. To adjust to the changes created by DST, she recommends moving a childs schedule up by 15 minutes a day for four days so the change isnt so abrupt.

Snooze button

DST is being debated nationwide. Arizona and Hawaii already stay on standard time year-round. Conversely, 19 states, including Colorado neighbors Utah and Wyoming, have moved to stay on daylight saving time year-round if changes in federal legislation allow.

In 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act to establish the yearly time change, and it has since been adopted nationally. Under the 1966 law, states have to either change the clocks to daylight saving time at the specified time and day or stick with standard time throughout the year.

So will this be the year? It seemed likely until state lawmakers hit the snooze button last week and delayed their consideration of the bill.

The measure still has a chance to get to voters this year, one of the bills sponsors, Sen. Jeff Bridges of Greenwood Village, told Colorado Politics. I just want to stop changing the dang clocks, he said.
A 58-year-old Henrico County man has been identified by Richmond police as the person two officers shot and killed Sunday after responding to reports of an armed man on a Fulton Hill porch.

Lester Carlton Epps was taken to a local hospital, where he died.

The incident unfolded around 10:43 p.m. Sunday, when two Richmond police officers, Richard Redford and Shannon McGarva, responded to the 1200 block of Garber Street and encountered Epps, who had a gun, police said.

The officers told Epps to drop the weapon, but he pointed it at them, Police Chief Gerald Smith said at a news conference on Monday at police headquarters. In response, both officers fired.

It is unclear if Epps tried to fire his weapon. Smith said Monday that the departments crime lab would need to examine the gun to determine if it was operable or misfired.

Police havent said how many times the officers fired or how many times Epps was shot, or in what part of his body. They also havent released the body-worn camera footage of the incident.

Redford has 11 years of experience with RPD; McGarva has been with the department for five years. They were placed on administrative leave.

The department is investigating the shooting internally. Afterward, the investigation is sent to Commonwealths Attorney Colette McEachins office for review.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Major Crimes Detective M. Young (804) 646-3926 or contact Crime Stoppers at 780-1000. The P3 Tips Crime Stoppers app for smartphones also may be used. All Crime Stoppers reporting methods are anonymous.
Two Richmond police officers fatally shot a man who Police Chief Gerald Smith said was pointing a gun at them Sunday night in the Fulton Hill neighborhood.

Authorities say the officers were responding to reports of an armed man on the porch of a home in 1200 block of Garber Street.

It took officers about 20 minutes to arrive after the homeowner called 911 because resources were tied up elsewhere in the East End where two men were shot and killed, Smith said at a news conference at RPD headquarters on Monday.

One resident on Garber Street said he called 911 after hearing gunfire and that the phone rang about 25 times with no answer and no callback.

The woman who lives in the home where the man was shot by police declined on Monday to discuss many details of the incident, which she described as terrifying.

The man who was shot  the woman described him as a stranger before declining to answer more questions  stayed on her porch for the entire 20 minutes until officers arrived at 10:43 p.m., Smith said.

His aggression went up upon the officers arrival, Smith said.

Within a minute of their arrival, he said, the man made a threatening and aggressive move toward the responding officers. Smith said the man pointed his gun at the officers after they commanded him to drop it. In response, both officers fired their weapons.

We believe he attempted to fire his weapon, Smith said at Mondays news conference. He said he cannot confirm whether the mans gun misfired or malfunctioned until after the departments crime lab examines the weapon, which he described as a handgun. He did point it at the officers.

The man was then taken to a hospital, where he later died.

In a news release, police described the man only as white and an adult. His identity is being withheld until police notify his next of kin.

Several residents of Garber Street reported hearing gunshots and seeing police descend on their street on Sunday night.

Tracy Foard, president of the Greater Fulton Civic Association, lives next door to the home where police shot the man.

Foard said she was sitting on her front porch from about 10:20 p.m. until 10:30 and did not hear or see anything out of the ordinary. But she now believes the man was hiding on her next-door neighbors porch during those 10 minutes.

About 15 to 20 minutes later, from inside her house, Foard said she heard an initial gunshot followed by six to seven more shots in rapid succession.

It was like somebody had emptied a magazine, she said.

Police would not say how many shots were fired by the officers, or how many times the man was struck.

Another neighbor, who had just arrived home Sunday night, said she heard a woman yell at someone to get away from her door and then heard a door slam. About three or four minutes later, she said she heard about five gunshots.

Immediately after the gunfire erupted, Foards husband, Chuck DAprix, called 911.

It rang and rang  it probably rang about 25 times and no one called back, DAprix said in an interview Monday. Im very concerned about the lack of response from 911.

The Department of Emergency Communications did not respond to questions on Monday.

As more police arrived and blue lights illuminated Garber Street, Foard said she felt comfortable walking out on her porch again. She saw someone in a white T-shirt lying in the front yard of her next-door neighbors house. Rescue personnel carried the person down the steps to the sidewalk and the person was put on a stretcher and into an ambulance.

Foard said she heard a police officer say: The weapon misfired, thank goodness.

She also heard an officer say that a bullet struck a column on the front of her next-door neighbors house. On Monday, a hole could be seen on one of the columns. Foard said other bullet holes can be found in the roof of the porch and along front windows.

Foards next-door neighbor was inside her home when the bullets struck it, Foard said.

The officers involved in the shooting, Richard Redford, who has been with the department since 2011, and Shannon McGarva, an officer since 2017, have been placed on administrative leave.

The department is conducting an internal investigation and reviewing the officers body-worn camera footage and surveillance video from the home where the shooting occurred. Police declined to release the footage on Monday.

The department hasnt publicly released body-camera footage of an officer-involved shooting since Marcus-David Peters was killed in 2018.

Smith on Monday told reporters that the response to the initial call to Garber Street was delayed because the fatal shootings of two men in the Mosby area had occupied officers in the 1st Precinct, which covers Richmonds East End. So officers were called from the 3rd Precinct, which covers portions of Richmonds west and south sides.

This is the departments first officer-involved shooting since Dec. 31, 2020, when officer Ja-Ontay Wilson shot Orlando Carter three times. Carter was charged with eluding and possession of a firearm by a felon, and he entered a plea deal, which was deferred until later this year.

Earlier that year, Waseem A. Hackett shot and seriously wounded officers Rashad Martin and Jason Scott. Scott returned fire, striking Hackett once. Hackett was recently sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Here are tips offered by engine mechanics, the American Automobile Assn., the EPA and other experts on fuel economy. And one from Shaquille O'Neal, which  let's just say your mileage may vary.
Richmond Public Schools will send William Fox Elementary students to First Baptist Church starting March 21 after a fire devastated the school last month.

The approximately 350 students at the school have been continuing their classwork virtually since the fire. The School Board voted unanimously to support the temporary move to the church.

About a dozen parents in a public hearing before the vote Monday called on the governing board to accept the temporary move to the church until the district can open another school building for the Fox community.

There is no doubt returning to in-person should be our priority, said Holly Blanton, a parent of a fourth-grade student and a rising kindergartner. We are all doing the best we can with an unfortunate circumstance, but virtual is not best for our students. Its a Band-Aid.

The tentative move to First Baptist Church is a slight change of plans, as the school division has been working to open the shuttered Clark Springs Elementary as a new temporary home for Fox.

School Board member Mariah White, who represents the district where Fox is located, and other board members shared their appreciation for the church, which had already been hosting about 64 Fox students for virtual learning since the fire.

They are angel sent, White said.

The church, according to the school division, is requesting a total of $5,000 from RPS if it plans to keep students there through June. Division officials said the money would cover custodial and management costs, but that the church may also ask for additional payments if utility bills rise.

In a statement over the weekend, the schools parent-teacher association called on the school division to send students back to class in-person as soon as possible.

Our children need to be together and they need to be with their teachers, the statement read. Virtual learning is a barrier to day-to-day life that we need the board to correct for.

Parents need to return to work, and our students need a full, in-person school day for their academic advancement. With the fire, established routines have been disrupted, creating instability for our families. We need a return to stability and being back in the classroom provides this.

The association also raised concerns about child care before and after school hours, and called on RPS to work with the city administration to develop transportation and child care solutions.

A recent school division survey found that most Fox parents support returning to in-person instruction before the end of the school year. Out of 173 respondents, 80% said they would prefer moving to a temporary location before Clark Springs is ready.

School division officials also asked Fox staff if they would support staying virtual until Clark Springs is ready, even if it takes more than six weeks to open. The 40 respondents were almost evenly split. A narrow majority answered no.

Superintendent Jason Kamras said Monday that the division is planning to have Clark Springs ready for occupancy by April 19, but that the school system could choose to remain at First Baptist for the remainder of the school year if the Fox community wishes to. Kamras said the division will conduct another survey early next month.
A push to recalibrate the sentences of people incarcerated on marijuana-related crimes wont move forward in Virginia this legislative session, even as the recreational use of the drug continues to be legal in the state.

Senate Bill 745 from Sens. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, and Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, received a final blow from House Republicans on Monday, marking the end of negotiations on the proposal.

We thought, from a common sense standpoint, that there would at least be relief for people sitting in prison on cannabis-only offenses. But no, said Sheba Williams, a criminal justice reform advocate with Nolef Turns, a Richmond-based group. We have the audacity to say, they can wait.

The bill, as it left the Senate, would have allowed circuit judges to re-examine the sentences of people convicted of marijuana-only crimes. People who were convicted of other felonies, and whose sentences may have been exacerbated by a marijuana conviction, would need to petition the Virginia Parole Board for resentencing.

When Democratic lawmakers voted in 2021 to legalize possession of small amounts of marijuana in Virginia, and lay the groundwork for a new legal market, they said the effort would be centered around people harmed by the prohibition of marijuana, in particular people of color, who were more likely to be arrested and convicted on marijuana-related crimes.

Democrats in the House and Senate said last year that they ran out of time to offer sentencing relief, but tried to quell concerns by playing up the prospects for reform in 2022. That was until Republicans election victory last fall, which gave the party control of the House and governors mansion.

As the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported last year, many people incarcerated on marijuana-related offenses and their families think justice is not being applied equally. There are 570 people in state custody on marijuana-related convictions, according to data shared in December by the Virginia Department of Corrections.

On Monday, the House appropriations panel voted down the last standing measure on the issue in a 12-10 party-line vote. The bill before the committee simply asked the state to produce a study on marijuana resentencing, though Republicans had described that version as placeholder text to allow negotiations to continue.

The vice chair of the panel, Del. Terry Austin, R-Botetourt, explained his vote by saying the impact and cost of the bill were unclear. Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle, the highest ranking Republican on criminal justice matters, said in an interview earlier in the session that he thought marijuana resentencing reform should accompany a broader package of marijuana legislation.

Del. Carrie Coyner, R-Chesterfield, had introduced two bills that would also have offered resentencing for marijuana crimes, but GOP leaders in the House never scheduled the bill for a hearing. Coyner voted against Surovells bill on Monday.

Coyner said Tuesday that she voted against Surovells bill because at the moment of the vote, the proposal had been watered down to nothing  a study. She said she continues to support marijuana resentencing.

Unnecessary studies are slowing down agencies from real work. Lets work on passing the real bill next session, she said.

Surovell said Tuesday that his proposal would have ensured that the punishment fit the crime.

The attitude of the majority of Virginians towards marijuana use has changed dramatically since many of these individuals were originally sentenced, and to refuse to acknowledge the draconian nature of these sentences is an injustice, Surovell said.

Williams said she has started to inform incarcerated people and their families about the fate of the proposal. Many have been waiting since last year to see if they will have an opportunity at resentencing.

This whole session has been horrible for anything criminal justice-related. I think they were bracing for impact, Williams said. This is not a priority for the party that is in power in the House.
For her 16th birthday in 1973, Donna Henderson received a brand new, yellow Ford Mustang convertible from her father.

History repeated itself Feb. 28 on her 65th birthday when her older brother, Steve Martin, presented her with the fully restored vehicle at his Amherst body shop. She beamed with laughter as he handed her the keys.

The surprise was just as sweet for Henderson, who now resides on a Nelson County farm, as it was nearly 50 years ago.

Henderson said the gift was a pleasant shock and she had no idea she would be reunited with her first vehicle. She recalled daily trips to Amherst County High School, Central Virginia Community College and special trips to places such as the beach.

Im really excited about it, said Henderson. I wasnt ready for that.

After the heartfelt moment at Martins Paint & Body Shop in Amherst, Martin treated Henderson to lunch for her birthday.

Martin said his father bought the classic 73 Mustang at Amherst Motors and it still has the original motor. After some years, he ended up with the vehicle and owned it for decades.

He was thrilled to give it back and make Hendersons most recent birthday as sweet as her 16th.

The vehicle cost $4,250 in 1973 and the air conditioning was an additional $200 at the time, Martin said. It caught their fathers eye on the lot.

He just worked on them like I do, Martin said of his dads knack for cars.

Henderson recalls her dad asking her if she wanted the vehicle when she was a junior in high school.

I said, Im not going to turn it down, she laughed.

The car also holds much sentimental value to Martins wife, Jerry. He borrowed the car in 1976 for their first date.

Weve been married 43 years, and its time for her to get it back, Jerry Martin said.

Jerry Martin drove the Mustang for many years to Virginia Baptist Hospital where she worked, and its been showcased through the years in local parades and car shows.
As Richmond City officials prepare to form a working group to evaluate legislation that would allow city employees to unionize, workers and labor organizers say they want to be involved in the deliberations.

We certainly respect the council and administrations desire to study the matter further, said Bill Pantele, a lawyer and former council member representing the Richmond Coalition of Police, a police officers interest group thats been lobbying for union rights. That said, we think that it would be important to have the employees and employee groups represented and participating in those conversations.

The Richmond City Council is currently evaluating two collective bargaining ordinances. On Monday, the council voted to form a working group of administration and council officials to continue studying the idea through the next two months. City officials, however, have yet to publicly share details about who exactly will serve on it and whether the meetings will be public.

Mayor Levar Stoney has proposed limiting collective bargaining rights to Public Works and Public Utilities employees as a way to pilot a significant labor policy shift. Councilwoman Reva Trammell, on the other hand, has introduced a broader ordinance that allows police, firefighters, librarians, social workers and other employees to unionize.

The ordinances do not include specific labor agreements. Instead, they would enable the creation of union bargaining units so that they can negotiate labor contracts with the city administration.

Stoney and nearly all council members have expressed support for allowing collective bargaining, but officials and labor advocates are divided over who should be allowed to unionize and whether there should be multiple bargaining units to represent different groups of city employees.

Council members said the working group would allow them and administration officials to continue reviewing the proposals while reaching out to city workers about the legislation.

I have no clue as to collective bargaining. ... When I talk to city employees, they dont know what it is. So that kind of scares me, 3rd District Councilwoman Ann-Frances Lambert said. We need to take the time to look at the issue and make sure were doing it right, because itll be for future generations to come.

Stoney said in a news conference Tuesday that specific questions about the working group should be directed to City Council President Cynthia Newbille.

While Lambert in a tweet early Tuesday morning said the working group will include city workers, Newbille and interim City Council Chief of Staff Joyce Davis did not respond to messages and voicemails Tuesday.

I dont know if weve worked out any of those details, said Lincoln Saunders, the citys chief administrative officer. Ill look to the council president for feedback as to what their expectations are, but we havent gotten that specific about the structure.

Pantele said he first learned about the citys plans to form a working group Monday. While Stoney has proposed significant raises of more than 10% for nearly all public safety employees in his budget proposal for the fiscal year that starts July 1, Pantele said the city should remain committed to allowing collective bargaining.

Felicia Boney, a management analyst in the citys Department of Social Services, also called for the city to include workers in the group.

This is the perfect time for the council to engage with employees like me and my colleagues to talk and really discuss what this ordinance for collective bargaining should look like, she said in a statement sent through a spokesperson for SEIU Virginia 512, a labor union thats helping organize city workers.

We do this work every day. We know what we need and how it should work, Boney said. We know what it means to have collective bargaining rights.

Most council members agreed to form the working group, which will have two months to evaluate the proposals before the two bills return to the councils Organizational Development Standing Committee again on May 2.

Trammell took issue with delaying legislative action, though, noting that city employees had been lobbying for the right to unionize for years, well before state lawmakers in 2020 voted to allow public sector unions at the local government level.

People have been begging for collective bargaining, she said. I cant believe someone would say employees dont understand it. Its [being talked about] on social media, the news and in the newspaper. I think the employees need it now more than ever before.

Lambert in an email Tuesday said she supports collective bargaining, but noted that the mayors budget proposal includes pay raises for city employees.

I feel we need more conversations about collective bargaining, the fiscal impact to the city [and an] implementation plan, Lambert wrote. Some city employees I have spoken with are not familiar with collective bargaining, and some would prefer a pay increase. At the end of the day we need more dialogue and discussion about it.
As many as 352 new jobs are coming to New Kent County. In February, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced AutoZone will invest $185.2 million to build a new warehouse, distribution and import center.

The new 800,000-square-foot center will be the companys East Coast distribution operation that will draw increased freight traffic from the Port of Virginia in addition to workers.

Less than an hour west and north of New Kent is Hanover County, where Walgreens plans to build a $34.2 million micro-fulfillment center for high-value pharmaceuticals at the Atlee Station Logistics Center. That promises to bring another 249 jobs.

These coming facilities will create needed economic development, attracting hundreds who likely will come from across the region, not just central Virginia, but from Hampton Roads and points south. Virginia is ready for more jobs, but our roads, especially sections of Interstate 64, are not ready for the increased traffic.

How can the commonwealth bring jobs to a region without first figuring out the impact to the existing transportation infrastructure?

The Virginia Department of Transportation has spent the better part of the last decade widening I-64. More than $500 million has been poured into the east-west highway, with multiple smaller-phased projects spanning from the city of Richmond and Henrico County, and then throughout Hampton Roads with some stretches adding express toll lanes. The agency proudly announced last fall crews had completed widening in sections of Williamsburg, and York and James City counties.

But the widening comes to an abrupt halt once I-64 approaches the New Kent County corridor. As stated in a September 2021 final I-64/664 corridor improvement plan report, a gap will remain between Exit 234 and Exit 205.

As it stands now, when traveling west, the multilane thoroughfare gradually tapers down to two lanes once past Exit 234, just after Lightfoot in James City County. It stays that way until about Exit 205, at Bottoms Bridge where it fans back out to three lanes.

When motorists enter New Kent County, from either direction, theyre back in the woods, with two lanes and narrow shoulders. A motorist, frankly, is stuck if there is any kind of roadwork, accident or disabled vehicle. That alone leads motorists to hop on navigation apps to find a quicker route around the bottleneck.

The bottleneck spills onto secondary roads, such as state Routes 249 and 30, for example, but there are a few smaller roads. The primary and secondary roads already are affected and that impacts police, fire and rescue arrival times. It causes issues for school buses picking up or dropping off children, or inexperienced drivers who are on the secondary roads.

The area likely will be become more congested once the AutoZone facility opens, or when more workers head to new jobs in Hanover County.

Route 249 is a county and curvy road and (was) never created for that kind of traffic, says New Kent County Board of Supervisor Patricia Paige. Its a safety issue.

She also notes the VCU Health Emergency Center is in New Kent County. If ambulances need to get to Richmond fast and theres a bottleneck, then thats a problem.

New Kent County is one the fastest growing regions, with a population of 22,945, representing a 25% increase from a decade ago, according to 2020 census data.

Paige also serves on various regional transportation boards  the Richmond Regional Transportation Planning Organization, PlanRVA and the Central Virginia Transportation Authority. Asking why VDOT hasnt yet widened this 29-mile stretch of I-64 had become my fight song, she said.

It is a priority for the agency, which is optimistic that the remaining gap of Interstate 64 between exits 205 and 234 will be improved, VDOT spokeswoman Emily Wade said in an email. She added, while VDOT is working on cost estimates, there is no formalized funding or project schedule.

Virginia legislators currently are working on securing some funding. Both the House of Delegates and the state Senate approved amended versions of the budget bill to transfer money to enhance I-64 between exits 205 and 234 to provide long-term traffic flow improvements. The figures are fluid, with varied amounts for different portions along the 29-mile stretch.

Other conversations are happening, as Virginia is working on statewide rail plan and other commuter options to alleviate traffic and enable more people to consider other options than driving.

Its not even about the jobs. Its about how do you get your goods? Its about how do you get home from work? Paige said. Its about ... how do you get to Richmond to (get to) work on time? Sometimes the traffic is slow because of rubbernecking.

In the release from February regarding the AutoZone jobs, Secretary of Transportation Shep Miller stated: The Youngkin administration will actively seek ways to ensure The Port of Virginia and the road and rail freight corridors are positioned to handle increased capacity for years to come.

Sounds like a call to action.

 Lisa Vernon Sparks
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Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a message of condolence to his Pakistani counterpart, Arif Alvi, over a serious terrorist attack in Pakistan.

In his message, Xi said he was shocked to learn of the deadly terrorist attack in Peshawar city, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which had caused heavy casualties.

On behalf of the Chinese government and people, Xi expressed deep condolences to the victims and sincere sympathy to the injured and the bereaved families.

The Chinese side strongly condemns the terrorist attack and firmly supports the efforts of the Pakistani government and people to combat terrorism, maintain national stability and protect people's lives, Xi said.

On the same day, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also sent a message of condolence to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan over the attack.
The Roanoke City Council voted Monday to continue the sister city relationship with Pskov, Russia, despite that nations brutal invasion of Ukraine.

Council members resolved to support the Roanoke Valley Sister Cities organization and endorsed the organization maintaining its partnerships with all seven sister cities.

That wrapped up a period of several days during which the citys nearly 30-year sister city relationship with Pskov appeared to hang in the balance.

After Russia invaded Ukraine late last month, Gov. Glenn Youngkin asked Roanoke to break it off with Pskov, a city of about 200,000 people in northwest Russia. The Roanoke Valley sister cities group, a nonprofit organization, disagreed. Mayor Sherman Lea sent Youngkin a letter describing continued ties as important, but stressed the position that he rejected the invasion as unacceptable and stood with the Ukrainian people.

Lea said the council would take up the matter Monday.

In the meantime, council members received extensive feedback from the public and some heard calls for breaking ties.

Two draft resolutions were placed on the table. One condemned the invasion and declared support for Ukraine with the words, all people of Ukraine no matter their background deserve a chance to live in peace and freedom.

Another resolution called on the local sister city organization to suspend the sister cities partnership with Pskov. Copies were not made available to those in the audience.

Councilman Bill Bestpitch called on the council to adopt the pro-Ukraine resolution with additional language to include support for the local sister cities group maintaining ties with all of Roanokes sister cities. His suggestions carried the day.

A representative of the Pskov government, reached by The Roanoke Times last week, also called for the relationship to continue.
FOREST  A Bedford County Christian organization is partnering with Ukrainian groups to help aid Ukrainian citizens seeking refuge from the Russian invasion.

World Help has teamed up with organizations in Ukraine to ensure refugees can have access to food and clothing in the midst of a war that has already uprooted over 1.7 million people as of Monday afternoon, according to the United Nations.

World Help, founded in 1991 by Vernon Brewer, provides humanitarian relief for people around the world. According to the organizations website, it has impacted more than 84 million people in 71 countries around the world.

On Monday, World Help President Noel Brewer Yeatts spoke with The News & Advance about what their partners are seeing on the front lines in Ukraine and at the border of Poland, as well as ways people in Central Virginia can help.

The stories that are coming are just so compelling and heartbreaking, Yeatts said.

One of the most touching stories she has heard was about a mother and her five children who were on the run seeking refuge from the war.

She left with her five kids and fled with her sister as well, and left her husband behind. Her husband is a pastor and he needed to stay to care for their church congregation, she said.

According to Yeatts, when the two women and five children arrived at the train station, they spent almost an entire day just on the platform, waiting for a train out of Ukraine.

When they finally got on the train, she said, they ... had to cram into a little section on the train meant for four people. After that, they were on the train for another 24 hours ... then they got to the border, which was another 22 hours before they got to cross the border.

Yeatts said that by the time the women and children met up with World Helps partners at the Poland border, the mother had to stay so strong for her family, and the trauma and exhaustion just caught up with her and she fell to pieces as we can all imagine.

But thats the beauty of what our partners are able to provide  they are there meeting them in that time, their darkest hour, to help meet some of those real needs.

Yeatts also told the story of another mother who had to escape bombings with her 13-year old daughter and had to live in a subway station for a week.

The picture is just heartbreaking and unbelievable ... she said in the subway station that at least her daughter couldnt hear the bombs as loud as they were because it had been so traumatic.

She also told the story of a refugee who showed up at a center with a seven-day old baby, which Yeatts says means that the woman delivered that baby in the midst of a crisis, and on the run.

Some of the biggest needs for refugees in Ukraine, and those already across the border into Poland, are clothing and food, which World Help is striving to provide.

Its still really cold there, its still snowing in parts, so that thermal clothing and food are two of the biggest needs, and we have a very practical way to meet those needs for so many people, Yeatts said.

The organization is imploring people to help now, as it doesnt know how long its team on the ground will be able to assist from the front lines.

I know people have heard about these humanitarian corridors that supposedly they are opening up and already Russia has seemed to violate that, so we dont know how long were going to have access to get supplies into Ukraine, Yeatts said.

On the nonprofit organizations website, worldhelp.net/ukraine, anybody can donate, which goes directly to helping people displaced by the war in the country.

According to Yeatts, one $35 donation can provide a weeks worth of food and water for a refugee. The website also shows they are trying to assist by providing shelter, blankets, Bibles, and more, in addition to the food and clothing.

We really believe, she said, that were called to love these people. My faith compels me to act that way. But our humanity should call us to love these people. Love doesnt sit on the sideline, love doesnt just watch the news and get overwhelmed, love doesnt just wring our hands, it extends our hands. Love does something.
RICHMOND  Intention remains to study Catawba Hospital, but as part of a larger examination of behavioral health centers in Virginia, according to state senators who voted last week to defeat a proposed standalone study of the century-old facility in Roanoke County.

Senators on Friday voted to carry into 2023 legislation for a study proposed by Del. Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke, which would reimagine the 1918-built Catawba Hospital as a comprehensive center treating people with substance abuse and mental health ailments.

Though the vote by the Senate Rules Committee effectively killed Rasouls bill for a $1 million study, considerations to revitalize Catawba Hospital will continue as part of the larger discussion on improving mental health facilities statewide, senators assured. Committee member Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath, said Catawba Hospital does not exist in a vacuum.

We have language in the budget to examine what to do about the hospital system, because its clear that weve got crises in different areas, Deeds said Friday. I think this is a good idea, but its one that needs to be part of that.

Deeds on Monday said the state should build a mental health system focused more on providing a full continuum of community services. He said Catawba Hospital will not be ignored, and it will be studied, but he does not want to lose sight of the larger goal by focusing on only one facility.

Catawba right now is an essential part of our system, and I dont see that changing right away, Deeds said Monday. In the long run, I feel very good that the study that Sam [Rasoul] was putting forward is going to be part of the ongoing look at the whole system.

Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Augusta, who sits on the Senate Finance Committee, said in an email Monday that senators are examining funding proposals in the budget related to Rasouls Catawba Hospital bill.

There will be significant funding for Catawba, as it remains an integral part of our mental health delivery system, Hanger said in the email. We will be studying the statewide mental health system and I have met with Delegate Rasoul numerous times to discuss the vision for the Roanoke area.

Rasoul on Monday said he was disappointed by the senators vote, but remains hopeful to see the referenced budget language that will enable Catawba Hospital to be taken to the next level.

Deeds, who is also on the Senate Finance Committee, added that budgeting this year is a Herculean task, owing to vast differences between the Senates and House of Delegates proposed budget documents.

The difference between the House and the Senate budget is so large, Deeds said. This is my 31st session, and Ive never seen such a broad gap between the two budgets.

That gap is created in part by an unprecedented state surplus, which House Republicans want to return to taxpayers through rebates and tax cuts. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats like Deeds contend that the states surplus should be put toward long-delayed investments in mental health and public education.

The two budgets are built on different assumptions  we need to have a major coming together before a budget agreement is reached, Deeds said.

On Catawba Hospital, he said: Until theres an agreement reached on how you bridge that $2.8 billion gap, I dont think anythings really safe. But Im very hopeful that this will be part of the final budget.

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Gov. Glenn Youngkin has demanded he be involved in the hiring of next head of the Virginia Community College System, expressing concern over declining enrollment and jobs going unfilled.

The State Board for Community Colleges will name a new chancellor this summer, replacing Glenn DuBois, who in August announced his retirement. The search committee has begun to interview candidates. Youngkin says his office has been excluded from the hiring process.

In a letter dated Sunday and obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Youngkin asked for a briefing of the boards strategy, a discussion about the search, and a list of candidates and their qualifications.

I am writing to express my concerns about the search process and your unwillingness to collaborate with our administration on our priorities in workforce development, Youngkin wrote to Nathaniel Bishop, chair of the State Board for Community Colleges and the head of the search committee. Our exclusion from this process demonstrates misfeasance, and I would be derelict if I did not express that the next chancellor should be aligned with the governor on issues of workforce development, transparency and expanding educational opportunities.

In a statement, Bishop called the hiring process confidential but said the board shares Youngkins desire to hire a chancellor who collaborates with the administration.

In the past 10 years, enrollment at Virginias 23 community colleges has plunged 27%. The G3 program  Get a skill, get a job, get ahead  covers tuition in full for students in high-demand fields and is aimed at reversing that trend. G3 began in 2021.

At the same time, labor force participation in Virginia remains low. There are 300,000 unfilled jobs in the state, according to the governors office. Since the pandemic, the number of jobs has dropped by 200,000, putting Virginia 43rd for job recovery.

The next chancellor will need to lead VCCS to reverse these troubling indicators, Youngkin wrote. Unfortunately, to say I am concerned about the search process to date is an understatement.

The VCCS has chosen the candidates it will interview, according to its website. A selection will be announced this summer. A spokesperson for the VCCS did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

DuBois, the current chancellor, has held the position for nearly 21 years. Upon announcing his retirement, he said the VCCS system was on the right track and in very good hands. The VCCS announced a strategic plan called Opportunity 2027, which is designed to increase equity and student success.

The next chancellor is expected to broaden educational opportunity through strong leadership, utilizing public policy and public and private investment, according to the systems website. A commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, anti-racism and a passion for serving first-generation, low-income and minority students are listed as minimum qualifications.

The states Department of Education has removed programs and policies related to diversity, equity and inclusion following Youngkins executive order that forbids the teaching of inherently divisive concepts.

The VCCS has hired Greenwood/Asher & Associates, an executive search firm, to assist in the search. The board appointed a 15-person search committee, which includes board members, community college presidents and others.

Youngkin said he isnt attempting to pick the next chancellor, but that the VCCS board has been unwilling to collaborate. The governor has the authority to nominate members of the board, as he does with the boards of all public colleges in the state. A spokesperson for Youngkin declined to comment.

Without more information, I can only assume this board is continuing down the same path in choosing a chancellor that has led to the current state of the system, Youngkin wrote.

Bishop, chair of the VCCS board, indicated that once the hiring process is narrowed down to three finalists, then the committee will consult the governor.

We look forward to meeting with the governor soon to discuss that process, the finalists and their qualifications, he said.

The board wants a chancellor who will collaborate with Youngkin to address issues of workforce training, program planning and transparency and expanding educational opportunities, he added.

Jeff Kraus, spokesperson for the VCCS, declined to say how many candidates were chosen for interviews. Asked if the board was still accepting applications, Kraus said he hadnt heard otherwise.
Over the coming days, Virginias legislature will negotiate a budget agreement between substantially different House and Senate budget plans. This debate isnt just a matter of crunching numbers on how to utilize the budget surplus; its a critical choice for the direction of our commonwealth.

Virginia can choose to make long-overdue investments in our schools and communities along with economic relief for those who need it most. Or, we can choose a risky tax cut package that threatens our long-term fiscal health, and fails to make the investments we need.

A poll last month by Christopher Newport Universitys Wason Center shows that 59% of Virginia voters support using the budget surplus on underfunded government services, and just 38% support using it on tax cuts.

Either way, those decisions should be informed by a clear-headed look at the fiscal choice in front of us. A recent Roanoke Times guest opinion column (Feb. 10, Youngkin should go big on cutting taxes) advocates for an aggressive tax cut package, including doubling the standard deduction on income taxes. However, the column relies on inaccurate math, in an attempt to minimize the budget impact of such a massive tax program.

The column erroneously claims that the standard deduction would have a $681 million impact on the budget. In fact, this is a one-year figure for a two-year budget  and it is out of date.

The Virginia Department of Taxations official analysis on Jan. 23 estimated the biennial cost of doubling the standard deduction to be approximately $2.1 billion.

That massive $2.1 billion cost is included in the House of Delegates budget proposal announced in late February, but not in the Senate proposal. Instead of the standard deduction, the Senate makes substantially larger investments than the House in key needs for the Roanoke Valley and Southwest Virginia: more than $200 million more from the state general fund for school construction, $210 million more for educational support of school divisions with larger shares of their students living in poverty, and $140 million in additional funds for need-based financial aid at public colleges and universities. In fact, the House budget spends three times as much on the standard deduction ($2.09 billion) as it does on increasing teacher pay ($682.6 million).

These plans would prevent Virginia from funding crucial priorities  especially those key to the Roanoke Valley and Southwest Virginia  and would also fail to help our friends and neighbors who are in need of economic relief.

The Senate plan reduces taxes in a much more efficient way, targeted toward those who need it most.

The Senate budget would provide a fully refundable Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a tax cut averaging $500 specifically to support working people with low incomes and help them cover basic necessities like groceries, utility bills, and other basics.

Making the state EITC refundable  as it is in 25 other states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico  would return more than $200 million each year to the pockets of people in the community and spread that money throughout the local economy.

Southwest and Southside Virginia would benefit substantially from the Senate plan. Southwest and Southside localities contain some of the highest percentages of Virginia taxpayers who receive the federal EITC: 25% of Roanoke taxpayers, 27% of Lee County taxpayers, and 33% of Danville taxpayers receive the federal EITC, compared to the state average of about 15%. Many of these residents  especially in Southwest and Southside Virginia  would benefit from improving the state version of the credit.

By contrast, the House plan to double the standard deduction would provide little benefit to the working people and their families with the lowest incomes. About 800,000 taxpayers in Virginia make less than $24,000 and are bearing the brunt of todays economic challenges. The doubled standard deduction would fail to reach about 80% of these 800,000 taxpayers  offering no help to those who need it most.

The House plan would also cost substantially more: $2.1 billion for the doubled standard deduction, compared to $420 million for the refundable EITC.

Budgets are moral documents that highlight who and what we value. We need to rely on real data and make a fiscally responsible decision about how to provide economic relief most efficiently and invest in core priorities. Improving the EITC provides the best way to do that while preserving Virginias fiscal health.

Kenneth is president and CEO of the Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis.
Lompoc Valley Middle School student Melody Hilario on Feb. 27 beat out the competition and was named Teen Star's 2022 during the live contest finale held in Santa Barbara at The Granada Theatre.
Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com. His book, "The Burzynski Breakthrough, The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Governments Campaign to Squelch It" is now available in a soft cover fourth edition. For more Elias columns, visit www.californiafocus.net
" " Entropy describes how disorder happens in a system as large as the universe or as small as a thermos full of coffee. Jose A. Bernat Bacete/Getty Images

You can't easily put the toothpaste back into the tube. You can't expect molecules of steam to spontaneously migrate back together to form a ball of water. If you release a bunch of corgi puppies into a field, it's very unlikely you're going to be able to get them all back together into a crate without doing a ton of work. These are the problems associated with the Second Law of Thermodynamics, also known as the Law of Entropy.

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The Second Law of Thermodynamics

Thermodynamics is important to various scientific disciplines, from engineering to natural sciences to chemistry, physics and even economics. A thermodynamic system is a confined space, which doesn't let energy in or out of it.

The first law of thermodynamics has to do with the conservation of energy  you probably remember hearing before that the energy in a closed system remains constant ("energy can neither be created nor destroyed"), unless it's tampered with from the outside. However, the energy constantly changes forms  a fire can turn chemical energy from a plant into thermal and electromagnetic energy. A battery turns chemical energy into electrical energy. The world turns and energy becomes less organized.

"The second law of thermodynamics is called the entropy law," Marko Popovic, a postdoctoral researcher in Biothermodynamics in the School of Life Sciences at the Technical University of Munich, told us in an email. "It is one of the most important laws in nature."

Entropy is a measure of the disorder in a closed system. According to the second law, entropy in a system almost always increases over time  you can do work to create order in a system, but even the work that's put into reordering increases disorder as a byproduct  usually in the form of heat. Because the measure of entropy is based on probabilities, it is, of course, possible for the entropy to decrease in a system on occasion, but that's statistically very unlikely.

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The Definition of Disorder

It's harder than you'd think to find a system that doesn't let energy out or in  our universe is as good an example of one as we have  but entropy describes how disorder happens in a system as large as the universe or as small as a thermos full of coffee.

However, entropy doesn't have to do with the type of disorder you think of when you lock a bunch of chimpanzees in a kitchen. It has more to do with how many possible permutations of mess can be made in that kitchen rather than how big a mess is possible. Of course, the entropy depends on a lot of factors: how many chimpanzees there are, how much stuff is being stored in the kitchen and how big the kitchen is. So, if you were to look at two kitchens  one very large and stocked to the gills but meticulously clean, and another that's smaller with less stuff in it, but pretty trashed out by chimps already  it's tempting to say the messier room has more entropy, but that's not necessarily the case. Entropy concerns itself more with how many different states are possible than how disordered it is at the moment; a system, therefore, has more entropy if there are more molecules and atoms in it, and if it's larger. And if there are more chimps.

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Entropy is Confusing

Entropy might be the truest scientific concept that the fewest people actually understand. The concept of entropy can be very confusing  partly because there are actually different types. The Hungarian mathematician John von Neumann lamented the situation thusly: "Whoever uses the term 'entropy' in a discussion always wins since no one knows what entropy really is, so in a debate one always has the advantage."

"It is a little hard to define entropy," says Popovic. "Perhaps it is best defined as a non-negative thermodynamic property, which represents a part of energy of a system that cannot be converted into useful work. Thus, any addition of energy to a system implies that a part of the energy will be transformed into entropy, increasing the disorder in the system. Thus, entropy is a measure of disorder of a system."

But don't feel bad if you're confused: the definition can vary depending on which discipline is wielding it at the moment:

In the mid-19th century, a German physicist named Rudolph Clausius, one of the founders of the concept of thermodynamics, was working on a problem concerning efficiency in steam engines and invented the concept of entropy to help measure useless energy that cannot be converted into useful work. A couple decades later, Ludwig Boltzmann (entropy's other "founder") used the concept to explain the behavior of immense numbers of atoms: even though it is impossible to describe behavior of every particle in a glass of water, it is still possible to predict their collective behavior when they are heated using a formula for entropy.

"In the 1960s, the American physicist E.T. Jaynes, interpreted entropy as information that we miss to specify the motion of all particles in a system," says Popovic. "For example, one mole of gas consists of 6 x 1023 particles. Thus, for us, it is impossible to describe the motion of each particle, so instead we do the next best thing, by defining the gas not through the motion of each particle, but through the properties of all the particles combined: temperature, pressure, total energy. The information that we lose when we do this is referred to as entropy."

And the terrifying concept of "the heat death of the universe" wouldn't be possible without entropy. Because our universe most likely started out as a singularity  an infinitesimally small, ordered point of energy  that ballooned out, and continues expanding all the time, entropy is constantly growing in our universe because there's more space and therefore more potential states of disorder for the atoms here to adopt. Scientists have hypothesized that, long after you and I are gone, the universe will eventually reach some point of maximum disorder, at which point everything will be the same temperature, with no pockets of order (like stars and chimpanzees) to be found.

And if it happens, we'll have entropy to thank for it.

Now That's Interesting Twentieth century scientist Sir Arthur Eddington thought the concept of entropy was so important to science that he wrote in The Nature of the Physical World in 1928: "The law that entropy always increases holds, I think, the supreme position among the laws of Nature.... If your theory is found to be against the Second Law of Thermodynamics I can give you no hope; there is nothing for it to collapse in deepest humiliation."
FLORENCE  Lauren Perez, assistant professor of political sciences at Francis Marion University, where she teaches classes in European and legislative politics, spoke to the Florence Rotary Club about the situation with Ukraine and Russia.

Perez gave a brief history of the relationship between the two countries, showed maps of Russian-held areas and troop movement in Ukraine today, NATOs role, the potential impact on the world economy - the price of wheat likely to go as has gas and oil.

Perez showed how Russia and Ukraine got to where they are today and the takeaways so far. She said this is a tragedy for the Ukrainian people. The outcome will not be good for them. So many of them have already become refugees and others have been killed.

She discussed the energy threats, saying Russia has taken over nuclear plants that supply Ukrainians with energy. She said there is concern their energy will be cut off.

Perez also said the Russian people are being arrested for protesting the invasion or even calling it an invasion.

She discussed what a new world order might look like with Europe, Russia and China.

In other Rotary news, Tommy Taylor said, The Florence Rotary Club realizes spring is already here so the Florence Rotary Beauty Trail opens Sunday.

The garden was started in the early 1940s to showcase spring flora in some of the older Florence neighborhoods. It is a 10-mile, narrated beauty trail, maintained by the Florence Rotary Club.

Beauty Trail maps are available the Florence Visitors Center, Florence Library and Taylor Garden Center. Rotarians recently had a workday on the trail pruning Carolina jasmine that was taking over some of the trail signs, Taylor said.

To celebrate St. Patricks Day early, Rick Favaloro wore green and played an Irish tune on his harmonica.

The clubs oyster roast fundraiser is March 17, and there will not be a meeting that Monday.

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Iran's top security official on Monday urged all parties involved in nuclear talks in Austria's capital Vienna to put forward "initiatives" to accelerate the conclusion of the nuke deal.

"Prospect of a deal in Vienna talks remains unclear due to Washington's delay in making a political decision," Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani tweeted.

Shamkhani said that the priority of Iranian negotiators is to resolve the remaining issues that are considered to have crossed the red line of the country.

"Rapid access to a strong deal requires new initiatives from all parties," he noted.

Iran and the remaining parties to the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the JCPOA, are currently involved in negotiations in Vienna seeking ways to settle disputes about the revival of the JCPOA.

Reports from Vienna suggest that the negotiators are "close" to an agreement with a few key issues remaining which require "political decisions" of the parties.
COLUMBIA, S.C.  South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, Attorney General Alan Wilson, South Carolina House Speaker Jay Lucas and 13th Judicial Circuit Solicitor Walt Wilkins are asking the Fourth Circuit Court Appeals to re-examine a ruling made by a three-judge panel in the battle over the states fetal heartbeat law.

McMaster announced Tuesday morning that he and the other defendants in the suit over the law have filed a petition asking for a rehearing in front of the 14 judges on the court over the panels decision to uphold a preliminary injunction that prevents the state from enforcing the law.

The Fourth Judicial Circuit includes South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland.

Weve said we will take this case all the way to the United States Supreme Court, and thats exactly what were going to do if we have to, McMaster said in a news release announcing the petition. There is no right more precious and more fragile than the right to life, and we will do everything in our power to protect it.

The law seeks to ban abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat unless the pregnancy falls under certain exceptions like rape or incest. The heart begins to beat during weeks five or six of a pregnancy.

The most recently available statistics from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control indicate that nearly all of the states abortions occur between 0-13 weeks of gestation with 45% of abortions occurring before six weeks and 55% occurring between seven and 13 weeks.

McMaster signed the bill enacting the law in February 2021 and the law was immediately challenged by Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, the Greenville Womens Clinic and an individual who argued it violated Supreme Court decisions in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.

On March 19, District of South Carolina Judge Mary Geiger Lewis issued an injunction preventing the state from enforcing the new law.

Her injunction was appealed to the Fourth Judicial Circuit which assigned the appeal to a three judge panel that upheld Geigers decision granting the injunction.

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Felicia Frazar contributed to this story. Dalondo Moultrie is the assistant managing editor of the Seguin Gazette. You can e-mail him at dalondo.moultrie@seguingazette.com .
 SCOTUS rules unanimously in favor of defendant in latest Armed Career Criminal Act ruling | Main | A deep dive into federal prison struggles in response to the COVID pandemic 

March 7, 2022

"Plea Bargaining and Mass Incarceration"

The title of this post is the title of this recent paper authored by Albert Alschuler available via SSRN. Here is its abstract:

The United States, which imprisons a higher proportion of its population than any other nation, is also the nation most dependent on plea bargaining. This Article shows that plea bargaining was a major cause of mass incarceration. Bargaining not only increased the number of people sent to prison but also produced harsher sentences than would have existed in its absence. American incarceration rates rose sharply just after the Supreme Court and the American Bar Association declared plea bargaining legitimate and beneficial. This Article shows how courts and legislatures then enhanced the power of prosecutors and how prosecutors used their power to charge more people with crimes, induce more guilty pleas, exact broader waivers of rights, and obtain more severe sentences.

March 7, 2022 at 08:40 PM | Permalink

Comments

I see the paper quotes Bill Otis.

Posted by: Marc Shepherd | Mar 9, 2022 7:47:49 AM

Marc Shepherd --

Thanks for noting that. I didn't see the paper. What am I quoted as saying?

Posted by: Bill Otis | Mar 9, 2022 2:14:35 PM

Post a comment
 5% THE HENLEY II3.8  LYOS23 1088 20 4.18    GDP4% Apple Car 78 550  7150.02  67% 10 13 Twitter  8%  -W443563 136%  18% :    8% 53 2021 :    2.50  7%  A 53  1020 30  4 0.77% 4.5%14% 5.08% 48 2021 
As quickly as cases of COVID-19 have fallen over the past six weeks in Nebraska, it would be easy to conclude that the coronavirus is on its way out.

But weve been here before. Last summer, President Joe Biden declared victory over the virus, only to see it come surging back as variants emerged.

This time, the Biden administration appears to be taking a more measured approach. The administrations new COVID plan, released Wednesday, is aimed at putting measures in place to fight COVID in the future as we begin to get back to our more normal routines.

Dr. Matthew Donahue, Nebraskas state epidemiologist, said he thought that after the delta variant hit last year, the population would have developed enough immunity between infections and immunizations to prevent another surge.

I was wrong then, he said. Omicron came right out of delta and smacked us in the face before delta even went away.

Now Nebraska is heading into year three of the pandemic  the states first case of COVID-19 was announced two years ago, on March 6, 2020. What exactly the future with the coronavirus will look like still isnt entirely clear.

One thing is clear, Donahue and other Nebraska health officials say: COVID-19 is here to stay.

Whether we want to acknowledge it or not, this is a long-term management challenge that were going to have, said Dr. James Lawler, co-executive director of the University of Nebraska Medical Centers Global Center for Health Security.

What happens next, Donahue said, depends on a handful of questions, none of which can yet be answered. The first: How long will infection-induced immunity last? The others: When will the next variant of concern arrive and what can it do? How many more people will choose to get vaccinated and boosted? How many anti-COVID therapies can be stocked in the coming months?

Acknowledging the many uncertainties, Donahue said he can see a way to coexist with COVID-19. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Preventions new community guidelines, which determine risk based on criteria such as a countys COVID cases and hospitalizations, also are geared toward living with the virus.

Many Nebraskans, Donahue said, already have stopped letting the pandemic affect their daily lives. He added that he, too, plans to enjoy the reprieve provided by lower case counts and fewer hospitalizations. He went to dinner and a movie with his wife on Valentines Day. Hes planning a trip to see friends.

When he decides what hes willing to risk and what hes not, Donahue said, hell factor in his own individual risk from the virus  namely his vaccination and health status  and the risks of those close to him. And hell stay flexible, ready to take additional steps, like masking and avoiding crowds, to stay safe if the virus surges again and hospitals fill back up.

Near term

Donahue and Lawler both said immunity from vaccination and from a record-breaking number of infections during the omicron wave should provide some protection from another surge for a time  barring another variant that takes over where omicron left off.

Based on an analysis of blood tests, the CDC estimated last week that 140 million Americans, roughly 43% of the nations population, have been infected with the coronavirus. In Nebraska, an estimated 51.5% of residents have been infected.

But Lawler said immunity both from infections and vaccinations wanes over time.

Some new studies, the New York Times reported, suggest that several parts of the immune system can mount a sustained, potent response to any coronavirus variant and that other parts of the immune system can remember and destroy the virus over many months, if not years.

But Lawler said scientists dont yet know enough about how different antibody or cellular immune responses correlate with true protection.

I think we would expect to have long-lasting memory B and T cell responses, he said. What we dont know is whether these responses are robust enough to avoid infection and more severe disease as we move further away from a third dose. The epidemiological data of actual human vaccine effectiveness studies seems to suggest not.

In fact, Lawler said theres a good chance another epidemic wave could occur this fall. How serious it becomes depends on how many people get up to date on vaccines by then and whether omicron is replaced by another variant.

The reality is if we had everybody up to date on their vaccines, he said, ... we could function relatively normally and still have very low or at least manageable rates of disease in a community, where we would not have widespread deaths and we would not have health systems that were stressed.

Vaccination/boosters

Dr. Mark Rupp, chief of the University of Nebraska Medical Centers infectious diseases division, said its clear boosters protect against severe illness and death.

During December, Nebraskans who were fully vaccinated but not boosted were 11 times less likely than those who had not been vaccinated to require hospital care. Those who had been vaccinated and boosted were 46 times less likely to be hospitalized than those who hadnt gotten any shots.

But only 33.4% of Americans 12 and older have gotten vaccinated and boosted, according to the CDC. In Nebraska, the figure is 36.2%.

Donahue said it increasingly appears that infection-induced immunity might protect people against severe illness for a time. But its not clear how long that protection will last or how protective it will be against new variants. As with other coronaviruses, people who are infected can be infected again.

Lawler noted that the data suggest protection from natural immunity is less robust than that from vaccines. Almost all experts recommend that people who have had COVID get vaccinated as well.

Dr. Maureen Tierney, assistant dean for public health and clinical research at Creightons School of Medicine, said she thinks low levels of COVID transmission and waves of disease will continue around the country as antibody levels from vaccines and infections fall.

To manage it, Tierney said, people likely will need boosters on an annual basis for a few years.

Lawler agreed. Maybe after four or five doses, youll have long-lasting durable immunity, he said. But right now, it seems to be the case that youre probably going to need an annual booster, and maybe more frequently for some, the highly vulnerable, for the foreseeable future.

Variants

Tierney said vaccination not only protects individuals and those around them but also helps prevent new variants. Thats why its important to continue to work to vaccinate people globally as well as in the United States.

The less you give a virus a chance to replicate, Tierney said, especially for long periods, the less chance there is of those variants becoming variants that catch on (and) that are more transmissible or more virulent.

Tierney said she thinks more variants will arise. What will determine their impact  and the measures needed to protect against them  is their transmissibility and virulence. Coronaviruses, in general, have a greater capacity to mutate than influenza viruses.

Rupp said one of his concerns is the fact that the virus already has been found in other mammals, including mink, hamsters and white-tailed deer.

That raises concerns that the animals could become long-term reservoirs for the virus and a source of new variants.

Not yet endemic

Eventually, Lawler said, the world probably will have seasonal variations in COVID-19 and waves with rates on par with those seen with other respiratory illnesses. The hope is that they eventually will become less severe.

For now, he said, the virus remains epidemic rather than endemic. It still is causing large outbreaks, as well as illness and death, around the world. COVID-19 was the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. last year, with more than 952,000 known COVID deaths as of Thursday. That is unprecedented in recent history for an infectious disease, he said.

Lauren Sauer, an associate professor in UNMCs College of Public Health, said reaching endemic status doesnt mean people wont need to worry about COVID anymore.

Both malaria and Lassa fever are serious diseases with a degree of endemicity, she said, and we still put really important and large-scale public health measures toward them.

Donahue said he thinks an endemic COVID will look like more routine, flu-like seasonal surges in cases, hopefully, seasonal surges that our hospitals can handle without coming close to going over capacity.

Other tools

Donahue said it still will be important for Nebraskans to remain flexible and be prepared to change course if cases rise and hospitals fill. That includes being ready to use the tools previously employed with COVID, including masking and distancing. Even with low transmission, he said, he may mask before he sees his grandparents. Hell still mask on a bus or plane.

Tierney said she sees testing continuing to be a part of the equation for travel and gatherings, particularly when immunocompromised people are part of the group.

She also said increased availability of preventive therapies, such as the antiviral pill Paxlovid, will be a game changer for high-risk people.

Sauer said it will be important to not give up on people who havent yet been vaccinated.

Tierney said increasing comfort with the vaccines safety and efficacy also will help change minds. With two years worth of data, she said, They will say, You wore me down, Ill get it when I get my flu shot.

World-Herald Staff Writer Henry J. Cordes contributed to this report.
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The European Union (EU) is looking at ways to reduce its dependency on Russian gas, oil and coal, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said Monday.



To this end, the EU will accelerate its Green Deal, a roadmap for making the EU's economy sustainable, von der Leyen said when meeting with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.

The EU will work on improving its energy efficiency, she said.

As to the protection of consumers from the price spike amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the president said in the long term the EU will also have to look into its energy market composition, especially as renewables are set to represent a bigger share in the future.
SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa -- A Minnesota man has pleaded not guilty of fatally shooting a woman outside her Milford, Iowa, workplace.

Christian Goyne-Yarns, 25, of Jackson, Minnesota, entered his written plea Monday in Dickinson County District Court to first-degree murder. His trial was scheduled for May 3.

Goyne-Yarns is accused of shooting Shelby Woizeschke at least twice in the parking lot at GrapeTree Medical Staffing in Milford on Feb. 3. She died Feb. 6 at a Sioux Falls hospital.

Woizeschke called 911 after being shot and identified Goyne-Yarns as the shooter. He was arrested about an hour and a half after the shooting, court documents said.

Woizeschke, 24, of Spencer, Iowa, had two sons, ages 5 and 3, from a previous relationship with Goyne-Yarns.

If found guilty as charged, Goyne-Yarns would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. He remains in the Dickinson County Jail on a $1 million bond.

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SIOUX CITY  Local pastor Dan Bittinger is running for a Woodbury County Board of Supervisors position.

Bittinger, lead pastor at CrossPointe Church, announced his candidacy as a Republican for the District 2 seat on Monday. The seat is currently held by Sioux City teacher Justin Wright, who will not be re-running.

Bittinger has lived in Sioux City for the past eight years with his wife and three children. He is originally from Wadsworth, Ohio and attended Southeast University in Lakeland, Florida for degrees in communication and pastoral ministry.

He is running because he likes to serve others.

"As a good citizen you can serve and help your local county or government or neighbors," he said.

Bittinger said he wants to focus on is keeping taxes low, encouraging business growth and ensuring Woodbury County is a good place to live, work and raise a family.

"I will ensure Woodbury County stays within its constitutional bounds and authority," he said.

Two seats on the board are up for election; Wright's District 2 position and Matthew Ung's District 4 position. Ung has announced he will seek reelection.

County candidates can file nomination papers through March 25.

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends a press conference on China's foreign policy and foreign relations via video link on the sidelines of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua]

China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday stressed that the Taiwan question differs in nature from the Ukraine issue and the two are not comparable at all.

The biggest difference lies in the fact that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory and the Taiwan question is entirely China's internal affairs while the Ukraine issue arose from contention between two countries, namely Russia and Ukraine, Wang said at a press conference.

It is a blatant act of double standards that some people, while being vocal about the principle of sovereignty on the Ukraine issue, have kept undermining China's sovereignty and territorial integrity on the Taiwan question, he said.

The current cross-Strait tension was caused by Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority who denied the one-China principle and attempted to change the status quo that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same China, he said, warning that these moves will ruin Taiwan's future.

Meanwhile, some forces in the United States have abetted the growth of separatist forces for "Taiwan independence" and tried to challenge and hollow out the one-China principle, he said, adding that such actions will not only push Taiwan into a precarious situation, but also bring unbearable consequences for the U.S. side.

The future of Taiwan lies in the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and the country's reunification, rather than "empty promises" made by external forces, he said.

"Seeking foreign support to gain dependence is a dead end. The scheme to use Taiwan to contain China is doomed to fail," he said.
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Everyone agrees it was crazy.

A 23-year-old content creator from New Jersey decided to travel wherever a dart lands on a map of the United States. He ended up in Staplehurst, Nebraska, population 240.

When he arrived Feb. 25, Adam Boro was adopted by some locals at the towns lone bar and enjoyed the adventures of a lifetime. At least for a kid who grew up on the East Coast.

Boro roped a fake steer head and drove a tractor. He had a whole school of kids pray for him, asking that he stay safe on his trips around the world.

It was the most random and unexpected thing to happen in the tiny Seward County town in a long time, said Harlan Anson, principal of Our Redeemer Lutheran School.

Of all the places in the world, why here? Anson  and everyone else in Staplehurst  wanted to know that day.

Boros full-time job is making travel videos that he shares on Instagram and TikTok, where he has 60,000 and 520,000 followers, respectively. Last year alone, he explored South America, Central America, the Middle East and lots of places across the U.S. Through clothing and travel endorsements, he makes enough money to live on while he roams the globe.

I really love spontaneously traveling, Boro said in a phone interview. I put it out (to his followers) that for the next 24 hours, I want you guys to decide where I spontaneously travel to.

One response in particular resonated with Boro. It was the one that suggested he throw a dart at a map of the U.S. and go where it landed. So that's what Boro did.

It was insane, he said. I was honestly really nervous. I dont know why.

Boro questioned his decision even more when, after flying into Lincoln, he drove through the empty main street of Staplehurst, which is about 8 miles northwest of Seward.

He described Staplehurst as desolate that day.

Anson said they don't call it a town. Its a village, with a school, a church, a bar, a post office that is open only four hours a day, a veterinary clinic and a co-op.

Boro didnt know where to start, so he picked the bar called the Good 'Ol Days because it had the most cars parked out front.

There, after awkwardly talking with the bartender for a while, his luck changed.

Jason Luebbe and his cousin Brandon Luebbe were finishing lunch when they struck up a conversation with Boro. They were as curious about life in New Jersey as he was about rural life in Nebraska.

He was just a real engaging person, and he was easy to talk to, Jason Luebbe said. It just kind of turned into what it was.

Neither Luebbe is on social media, so TikTok videos meant little to them. But Boro had brought along his map, with the area around Staplehurst circled, he was excited about being there and they decided to show him the sights.

They visited the vet clinic and the school, saw the waterfall on the Blue River, visited Jasons parents and stopped at Brandons farm, where Boro got to lead a steer around and drove a tractor. After a stop at their uncles place, they ended up back at the bar, where they listened to a two-person guitar concert and ate fish. They all exchanged phone numbers, too.

It didnt seem like it was going to be that big of a deal, Jason said, surprised when Boros posts about his visit started garnering attention. But its pretty cool.

Boro was amazed about how excited everyone was to see this foreigner from back East. He said it was insane and unforgettable to think of a whole school praying for his safe travels.

I spent, like, 12 hours with these strangers I just met, Boro said. By far, my most favorite thing was just how serendipitous it was. It was just so random.

He said hes never felt so welcomed in any other place hes traveled in the U.S.

The people and the landscape, too, are dramatically different from the highways and suburbs of East Brunswick, where he grew up.

The people in Nebraska were so much more community-oriented, friendly and proud of being from Nebraska, he said. It was really overwhelming how friendly people were. It was awesome.

Everyone, Boro said, liked his posts about the visit, and everyone in Staplehurst liked Boro. Thats the way things are there.

The people in this town are just genuinely good people, Anson said. Everybody was just welcoming. Thats what we want to be known for.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.  Roads leading to Fort Lauderdale beach were jammed with traffic last weekend, and the sand on Fort Lauderdale beach was jammed with college students. That means  you guessed it  spring break is underway, and Fort Lauderdale police and Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue offered reminders to keep everyone safe.

Perhaps the most exciting new feature is the Fort Lauderdale AssisTent, which will be staffed by Community Emergency Response Team members during peak hours on the beach and downtown.

The AssisTent is a 10x10 tent and offers no-questions-asked medical or police assistance for people in uncomfortable or potentially dangerous situations, including being too intoxicated, having a medical issue, or a dead cell phone.

They can come to that tent and these staff, who are medically trained, will assist them in that regard, said Maj. Bill Schultz of the Fort Lauderdale police. But they will also assist them if they have lost their friends, theyre not familiar with the area, which many visitors are not, theyll assist them in getting either to their hotel or their Airbnb by making phone calls for them or locating their friends with them.

Theyll also assist individuals who may have a dead cell phone and need assistance in that regard. Either way, the tent is there to answer our visitors, answer questions and assist them as they continue their celebrations here in Fort Lauderdale.

Traffic will remain jammed and slow, officials said, which is why ride shares such as Uber are encouraged as well as the water taxi and public buses.

Javi Correoso, spokesperson for Uber in Florida, reminds those who use Uber to take trips booked only through the app, and to confirm the make and model of the car, license plate number, and name and picture of the driver before getting in a car.

Uber has designated pick-up and drop-off areas in the city and on the beach to ease the ride-sharing process by not having people run across streets and not disrupting traffic flow.

The downtown rideshare zone is in the 200 block of Southwest Fourth Avenue, south of Southwest Second Street, and the beach rideshare zone is Cortez Street, west of State Road A1A.

Correoso said rideshare patrons must be patient. He said Uber will have enough vehicles to satisfy demand, but he said high demand and traffic will mean rides could take a little more time than usual.

Weve seen our business rebound already to prepandemic levels, he said, so from a driver supply perspective here in South Florida, were at the historic levels weve always seen.

This is the first time since 2019 spring break wont be heavily affected by COVID, and Schultz said police are prepared.

We absolutely expect double, if not triple, what we saw last year as far as attendance, he said, adding theres the potential for tens of thousands of spring breakers during the next few weeks.

Schultz said police will have extra officers working, including plain-clothes officers.

Alex Bagwell, Fort Lauderdale Ocean Rescue chief, suggested being near a lifeguard while on the beach because lifeguards can point out the safest places to swim in the ongoing rip currents.

Lifeguard hours are 9:15 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day until March 12. On March 13, hours change to 9:45 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Bagwell also reminded beachgoers to read the flags on the lifeguard stands (red, yellow, green and/or purple) and the signs on the lifeguard stands, including how to get out of a rip current (swim parallel to shore and then swim inward).

As far as other reminders and regulations, alcohol is prohibited on the beach, tents, tables and similar structures are prohibited on the beach, and music volume should be kept to a limited level.

This year's spring break in Fort Lauderdale, in general, is March 4 through April 3.

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Much has been made about the power of misinformation to undermine public health efforts to contain the coronavirus, to prevent people from getting vaccinated, or to spread baseless conspiracy theories about anything from elected officials to mobile phone technology. But what role does misinformation play in influencing voter behaviors and undermining our nations electoral system? And how does the First Amendment enable such speech while also offering us tools for curtailing this crisis?

Election law professor at University of California, Irvine, Rick Hasen, has documented the myriad threats misinformation poses to election integrity. In this weeks Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick sat down with Hasen to discuss his forthcoming book, Cheap Speech: How Disinformation Poisons Our Politicsand How to Cure It.

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Their conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Dahlia Lithwick: Before we get any deeper on the substance of it, I do want to give you a chance to explain the term cheap speech, which is the title of the book, but you credit Professor Eugene Volokh in the 90s with coining it. Can you just tell us what you put in that category of cheap speech?

Rick Hasen: Eugene Volokh wrote a law review article in 1995 in the Yale Law Journal called Cheap Speech and What it Will Do, and it was a very prescient article in a number of ways. He predicted the rise of things like Spotify and Netflix, and just saw this information revolution and he recognized that it would cause a decline in the value of intermediaries. Think of Walter Cronkite as kind of the ultimate intermediary who can tell you thats the way it is. And Volokh asked, Is this going to be okay for democracy? Are people going to be able to stand up to the times? Im confident they will, but others disagree. Thats what he wrote in 1995.

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By cheap speech he meant the ability to share thoughts, inexpensively. So if you saw an article in the New York Times in the 1980s, and you strongly disagreed with it, aside from handing out pamphlets on a street corner, really your only option would be to write a letter to the editor to the New York Times and hope that it would be published. And your chances of being published, given the volume, were quite small. Now, anybody who has any thought about any New York Times article or about anything else has a free platform. All you have to do is give up your right to privacy and share your data with these companies. And then theyll let you say whatever you want, to whatever audience you can muster. And of course, the more outrageous you are, the more likely it is youre going to attract more eyeballs. And so that creates an incentive to produce more bad speech.

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By cheap speech Volokh meant just cheap, that is inexpensive to produce and disseminate. But I mean it in a double way: It is also cheap in that it is of lower value. Im not calling it lower value speech in the sense of saying it should be censored. But I do think we can draw a distinction between the kind of speech thats produced by thoughtful journalists and the kind of speech thats produced in a troll farm in another country thats just trying to gain some clicks for profit.

Dahlia Lithwick: Its the Cheetos of the speech world, because its, as you said, very attractive, it aligns with preconceived ideas, its inflammatory. It gets our hearts pumping. And so its in a weird sense, its fast food in that its all calories and not one thing thats good for you. So its cheap to consume as well.

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Rick Hasen: I like your Cheetos example because before Cheetos existed, I dont think there was a demand for Cheetos. And once you put it on the market theres, Oh yeah. I want this garbage.

Dahlia: Can you talk for a second about the idea that the first amendment is predicated on a notion, which the founders clearly believed deeply, that more speech will always be better and that good speech will always drown out bad speech. One of the things you lead with is the notion that this isnt a case where the truth, the good ideas, the fact based journalism or reporting rises to the top, because it gets choked out by the cheap speech. You started to talk a little bit about why that happens, why this is not a marketplace that, left to its own devices, will surface the truth. Can you just help take us along in that analysis?

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Rick Hasen: We have to start off with the fact that we are a very polarized society and our polarization began before the rise of cheap speech. It has to do with changes in American political alignments with the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act in the 1960s. As well as us sorting into two political parties: One that represents opinions, but the other side represents facts.

Dahlia Lithwick: Can you describe how this consumption of what Im forever going to call, Cheeto Truth, implicates voting behaviors. This is quite different from how alternative facts or misinformation affects our decisions about whether to get vaccinated, right? Your whole premise is that there are a million ways that bad facts, bad truths affect how we vote.

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Rick Hasen: The rise of cheap speech has had all kinds of implications. Number one, as Ive already mentioned, is in the hands of people who are not acting in good faith. Cheap speech can cause a rapid decline in support for democracy and electoral institutions. Just look at the threats of violence that election officials have faced, which is driving those people out of office. And whos coming into office? Well, some election candidates for office to be the chief election office service data, the secretary of state, and other roles who are parroting the false claim that the election in 2020 was stolen. And those are the people that are going to be running the election next time.

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But thats only one of a number of pathologies related to elections that cheap speech causes. The rise of demagoguery, the decline in political parties is another. So if youre Marjorie Taylor Green or Donald Trump, you dont have to go through the political party to form your capital, to be able to become a political leader. You can go right to people with the most incendiary claims as possible and you are going to attract large campaign contributions. And so weakening of political parties means that there can be a political system in which more extreme ideas are accepted by political parties and come into the mainstream. And that creates conditions for further polarization. So even though this era didnt cause polarization, it exacerbates that polarization.

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I also think that the decline in local journalism is another problem. The model for local journalism has collapsed. Local journalism is among the most trusted kind of journalism for people to get accurate information. But its being replaced by foreign actors and by Democratic and Republican party actors who are pretending to be journalists and put out websites that look like news sites, but are really just political propaganda. And that means that people are less likely to get accurate information, to be able to make voting decisions. And its harder to know whos sending the messages because our campaign finance laws have not caught up.

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And so its very easy to pretend to be, if youre a liberal Democrat in Alabama in 2017, to pretend youre a Baptist group thats supporting Roy Moore and wants to ban all alcohol in the state as Democrats did in a disinformation campaign. Or Russians in 2016 pretending to be Black activists who are convincing them that Hillary Clinton hasnt done enough for the Black community and saying that people need to just stay home.

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So these are just some examples of the kinds of threats to rational decision making by voters, as well as threats to the acceptance and legitimacy of elections. This is a problem that pervades our system right now. And even if Donald Trump left the political stage entirely, I think these problems are going to be with us for some time.

Dahlia Lithwick: Do you want to talk for a little bit about some of your solutions? You have essentially disaggregated in the book, what the law can handle and what the law cant handle. And part of the confounding problem here of course is the First Amendment. So can you give us a little bit of what youre thinking of in terms of legal fixes with the caveat that the First Amendment precludes some fixes. And also, I think you note, the court is really changing in its thinking around the First Amendment right now.

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Rick Hasen: Over the last 20 years, Ive thought of the Supreme Court as kind of libertarian and de-regulationist, at least among its conservative members in thinking about issues of speech. So for example, you have Justice Clarence Thomas whos written that he believes that all campaign finance limits are unconstitutional under the First Amendment. You cant limit how much people or corporations want to spend on elections. He also doesnt even believe you can require much disclosure of those who are spending money on elections. And that itself creates a kind of problem for voters who cant tell whos trying to influence their opinions.

But it turns out that Clarence Thomas is not a full fledged libertarian when it comes to free speech. In a case involving Donald Trumps ability to block people on Twitter, which came to be known as Biden versus First Amendment Institute, Thomas decided to use that opportunity to support a wacky argument that was first floated by Eugene Volokh. (Ultimately, the Supreme Court got rid of it because Trump was no longer president and the issue was moot) Thomas argued that social media companies could be required to carry the speech of candidates that they dont like. Even if those candidates might be fomenting violence or spreading false claims about elections being stolen. This was clearly a response by Justice Thomas to the de-platforming by Twitter and Facebook, that is removing Trump from the platforms in the immediate aftermath of the January 6th insurrection.

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The legal theory that Volokh and Thomas have put forward is, social media companies are really like a telephone company. All they do is connect users and a state can pass a law that says they dont have the ability to discriminate or cant say, Nazis cant use the phone. But its a false analogy because it depends on the idea that social media companies dont curate speech when thats exactly what they do. When they decide to remove pornography or hate speech, when they decide to promote certain posts and to demote others, when they build their algorithms, all of that is a means of promoting speech.

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So heres Justice Thomas, just to give you an example, who would ban laws that I think under the First Amendment that we really need to help voters make decisions like laws that would require those who spend money on online ads to reveal who they are. You spend a million dollars on ads trying to convince people to vote for a particular candidate, you should have to disclose.

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And then on the other side, Justice Thomas has said that states can pass laws that would require the carrying of dangerous speech. This is what I mean by saying that the Supreme Court might stand as an impediment to passing laws that are necessary to promote a free and fair election system. And even so, even given these differences, I dont believe that law alone can solve the problem. We need some political solutions to deal with this because, and its the same thing with the risk of election subversion that we face in the United States today, law is only going to be as strong as peoples willingness to obey it. And we have to start thinking about a broad civil society movement supporting truth and the value of the rule of law if were going to get out of this moment.

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Dahlia Lithwick: And thats where the book ends: Youre saying we need to, even with the legal fixes, even with the technological fixes, even if we ask private companies to police themselves better just doesnt get us to the outcome we need, unless we are very, very seriously thinking about improving civil society, improving discourse, better media trust and faith in institutions. How do we thread this needle of trying to convince folks that the media works when in fact the media is the problem, that voting works when in fact voting is the problem, the government works when in fact government is the problem? How do you foster and foment trust in democratic institutions, including the press, when its so clear that they are so far along the path of being discredited?

Rick Hasen: One thing I mentioned already is supporting local journalism and coming up with new business models for journalism. The other thing I suggest in relation to journalism is the creation of certain standards. So those media outlets that subscribe to certain sets of rules that conform with journalistic norms about truth telling, they would get a kind of seal of approval and they would police themselves. And so, if someone wants to claim that Breitbart, this right wing populous website, is entitled to the seal of approval, let them come before a board of journalists and argue about it. This is all private. This is not a government body Im talking about. And then that seal of approval could then be used by Facebook and others that could appear next to this. And that would serve as a signal to voters as to what is reliable.

I think we need to pressure social media companies. And that includes Google, that runs YouTube and Spotify that runs podcasts to be policing misinformation. Not as a matter of law, not by passing a law saying the government will decide whats true or false, but political pressure on companies.
In February, when the United States and Europe first slammed down economic sanctions on Russia in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine, they carved out a huge exception for the countrys energy sales. Vladimir Putins nation is one of the worlds most important exporters of oil and natural gas, and Western leaders worried that twisting the spigot shut would cause fuel prices to soar, risking political and economic trouble in their own countries.

Now, however, the White House has decided to turn off the tapat least here in the U.S. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden announced the United States would officially ban imports of oil and other fossil fuels from Russia. The United States is targeting the main artery of Russias economy, he said. We will not be part of subsidizing Putins war. The move comes shortly after lawmakers in Congress announced that they had struck their own bipartisan deal to bar Russian energy imports.

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The U.S. is not acting entirely alone: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also said on Tuesday that the U.K. would phase out oil imports from Russia by the end of this year, though not natural gas or coal. Aside from the Brits, however, Europe mostly seems content to sit this new round of sanctions out. That fact makes the whole thing a bit of a symbolic half-measure, since when it comes to oil and energy, Europe is a much, much more important customer than America for the Russians.

Some quick numbers: At the end of 2021, Russia exported about 7.8 million barrels a day of oil, including crude and other related products, according to the International Energy Agency. More than half of that, or a bit over 4 million barrels a day, went to various countries in Europe. Only 8 percent, or about 626,000 barrels a day, were destined for the United States.

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The Europeans are also heavily reliant on Russian natural gas for electricity and home heating fuel, meaning that a full embargo of Russian energy would be vastly more economically damaging for them. Unsurprisingly, their leaders are mostly waving away the possibility.

Europe has deliberately exempted energy supplies from Russia from sanctions, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a statement Monday, adding: At the moment, Europes supply of energy for heat generation, mobility, power supply, and industry cannot be secured in any other way. It is therefore of essential importance for the provision of public services and the daily lives of our citizens.*

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In the U.S., meanwhile, its unclear how much of a practical impact Bidens newly announced ban will have, given that many Western companies were already shunning Russian oil, after concluding that buying it wasnt worth the legal and publicity risk. The European oil giant Shell was a major exception. But after coming under heavy public fire for deciding to purchase Russian crude at a discountit promised to donate its profits from the transaction to Ukrainian humanitarian aidthe company announced on Monday that it would stop purchasing oil from the country and shut down its service stations there.

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Its possible that this sort of self-sanctioning has already halted the flow of most Russian oil into the U.S.and maybe even all of it. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administrations preliminary data, imports from the country fell to zero during the last week of February.* In short, Biden might simply be turning an unofficial embargo into an official one.

What all of this means for Americans who are already dealing with dizzying gasoline prices is a bit unclear. As Morgan Bazilian, a professor at the Colorado School of Mines and former lead energy expert at the World Bank, said to me: Anyone who tells you with certainty an answer to that question doesnt know what theyre talking about, because you have to have considerable humility when it comes to the global oil market.

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With that caveat, Bazilian told me he thought Bidens decision to make the ban official will have a muted impact on oil markets at this point (Texas benchmark crude was up about 3 percent on Tuesday). Prices have already surged thanks to the uncertainty caused by the Ukraine conflict and the decision by many companies to self-sanction, forcing them to buy elsewhere. Many traders already suspected a formal U.S. ban might happen, and likely priced the possibility in before Tuesday.

But in general, going without Russian oil could still cause some headaches for ordinary Americans filling up their gas tanks, as well as for the Biden administration. Although the U.S. doesnt get much of its oil from Russiathe country only accounted for 8 percent of our imports last yearrefiners will still need to find alternatives. With supply tight around the world, that could prove tricky.

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For instance, a large share of Russias U.S. exports were destined for refineries on the Gulf Coast that specialize in processing lower-quality grades of crude, much of which came from Venezuela until the U.S. imposed sanctions on the Maduro regime years ago. The White House recently sent a delegation to Caracas to discuss restarting relations between the two countries and reviving oil sales, but the move has stirred an angry rebuke from some members of Congress, including Senate Foreign Relations Chair Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey.

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The big picture, though, is that a U.S. ban on Russian oil amounts to a relatively mild escalation of the economic war that has broken out because of the Ukraine invasion. Thats why some Russia hawks hoped the U.S. would take stronger unilateral action, by using secondary sanctions to stop any financial institutions from financing Russian oil sales anywhere in the world.

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Such a move would almost certainly be overkill at the moment, though. The U.S. and Europe are trying to pull off a difficult geopolitical balancing act, by freezing Russia out of the world economy as much as possible without tipping themselves into crippling recessionswhich would be a serious risk if they were to fully shut down Russian oil exports to defund Putins war machine. Bidens move might be a half-measure. But for now, a half-measure feels like the right measure.
This story was produced in partnership with the Garrison Project, an independent, nonpartisan organization addressing the crisis of mass incarceration and policing.

It shouldnt come as a surprise that the rise in shootings and homicides that began amid the turmoil of 2020 has undermined support for progressive-leaning criminal legal reform. But the apparent schism within Democratswith many moderate Democratic leaders, including the president, calling for fairly conventional policing responses to the rise in violencemay be more unexpected.

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Notably, the break within the Democrats runs alongside a fault line across institutions. The divide isnt just between moderate and progressive Democrats. Its between moderate mayors and progressive prosecutors. Its Eric Adams vs. Alvin Bragg in New York City, Lori Lightfoot vs. Kim Foxx in Chicago, London Breed vs. Chesa Boudin in San Francisco, LaToya Cantrell vs. Jason Williams in New Orleans.

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Yet this fracture exposes a long-running but underappreciated tension within the movement to address both the scope of and the disparities within the justice system, one that makes political sense but also raises serious policy problems.

At its heart is this: There is no such thing as criminal legal reform, because there is no such thing as the criminal legal system. What we call the criminal legal system is actually a chaotic web of overlapping, often inimical systemsplural.

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Arrests are made by city police who respond to a police chief appointed by a locally elected mayor, or by sheriffs deputies who report to a sheriff elected by county voters. Prosecutions are determined by prosecutors elected by county voters, while the judges who oversee the system are either elected by city or county voters or appointed by various executive officials (and thats without getting to the fact that in some places judges who set bail are chosen differently than those who impose sentences). And the complexities keep growing. Prison sentences are overseen by state-run departments of correction, but shorter jail terms are served in county-funded facilities; parole is determined by a state parole board, but probation is overseen by agencies that are state-run in some places and county-run or locally run in others.

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Conceivably, this melange of institutions could be run in a coherent way, but we fracture political and budgetary responsibility so that any real cohesion across all these groups is essentially impossible. In other words, much of the moderate-progressive schism isnt over criminal legal reform writ large, but rather reflects that the term homogenizes a complex set of systems, one where people hold different views about the different pieces.

For example, over the 2010s, a tenuous bipartisan consensus formed for scaling back prison populations, at least for nonviolent crimes (one that would quickly break down as soon as the conversation so much as shifted to violent offenses); its likely that this consensus still persists, even in the wake of all the upheavals of 2020. And this is an issue that progressive prosecutors are well situated to address.

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But there has always been much less of a clear desire for reducing policing, especially for white voters. White confidence in policing has barely budged over the last three decades, holding fairly steady at around 60 percent. For Black people, confidence in the police rose to 27 percent in 2021 from a contemporary low of 19 percent in 2020 (which is still lower than any other year since 1993, when Gallup started asking the question). A separate Gallup poll in JuneJuly 2020 found that overall only 19 percent of Black people and 12 percent of white people wanted to see less policing in their neighborhoods. Note, though, that when the Gallup poll zoomed in on Black people who saw the police in their neighborhoods often or very often, 34 percent, not 19 percent, said they wanted to see less policing.

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More broadly, polls suggest that Black support for policing is often deeply ambivalent. A Data for Progress poll conducted in 2021 reported that among white respondents, 81 percent said that police patrols made them feel safe, and 72 percent said that most police officers can be trusted. Among Black respondents, however, a somewhat similar 65 percent said that police patrols made them feel safer, but 63 percent also rejected the choice of most police officers can be trusted in favor of you cant be too careful in dealing with police officers (admittedly, the only two choices the question permitted).

These results echo the findings of James Formans Pulitzer Prizewinning 2017 book Locking Up Our Own, which chronicles D.C. from the 1970s to 1990s and the demand for tough-on-crime policing from the majority-Black City Council. While the Councils Black members were aware of the costs of policing, they also understood they needed the police to get the guy with the gun off the street corner today. But their demand for policing was seen as a short-run solution to permit less police-centric social investments to bear fruit (investments that D.C.s congressional overseers ultimately declined to fund), not so much as an optimal way to address the risk of crime over the long haulan attitude that surely persists to this day.

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Mayoral support for policing, then, makes significantly more sense in this context. And, on a policy front, it is even more understandable because the evidence is clear that more policing does reduce crime, even though it often comes with significant opportunity costs: Given the levels of police spending we already have, its likely that an extra dollar of spending has bigger net social gains invested elsewhere, like in drug treatment. In addition, our usual measures of the cost of policing focus just on the budgetary costs (what we spend on police), not the social costs (like the murder of George Floyd, or the costs of routine stops, which are likely much larger). Still, unlike tougher prison sentences, policing does have empirical support.

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But policing is just one component of our sprawling criminal legal system. And there is a real and underappreciated cost of prosecutors, instead of mayors, being the leading proponents of progressive reforms. Progressive prosecutors, by and large, can minimize some criminal legal system harms, but they have no ability to push for solutions that fall outside of the justice system.

Heres a concrete example of this problem and its risks. In 2018, one of the policies Rachael Rollins announced after winning the Democratic primary to be the next Suffolk County (Boston) DA was that she wouldnt prosecute cases of breaking and entering into unoccupied places where no damage was done. Her logic was that she didnt want to effectively criminalize homelessness. These cases often involved people who broke into places like construction sites to seek shelter at night. So Rollins policies meant that she was effectively announcing that the Suffolk County jail was no longer Bostons backup homeless shelter.

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Which, policy-wise, is surely a great idea. As the never-ending crisis at Rikers tells us, jails are terrible places for people to be, and stable housing likely reduces offending and victimization but provides other benefits as well. But the Rollins proposal would have been far better coming from the mayor. Rollins had no ability to expand access to homeless shelters or build affordable housing or shape eviction policies. She could close the door to the county jailbut she couldnt open up any other doors.

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Thats politically risky. Its possible that her position would force the mayor, the City Council, and state officials to adapt by building public housing or shelters or creating vouchers. But its also possible that they would hope Rollins would bear the brunt of voters anger while they dragged their feet, lose her next election, and be replaced by a prosecutor who would embrace the old status quo.

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And its not just housing. Studies show that better lighting leads to less crime. That falls under the control of the mayor. So do school skills programs and summer jobs. Caseworkers for those who are homeless. Civic, noncriminal drug treatment. Lead abatement. Mayor, mayor, mayor (and governor, and president, but not the DA).

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Which means that the all-too-common framingthat the recent electoral success of moderate Democrats is somehow a general referendum against progressivesfundamentally misstates the issue. This is not an either-or situation, but more a both-and: Voters likely want moderate mayors and progressive prosecutors. After all, two prominent progressive prosecutorsLarry Krasner in Philadelphia and Kim Foxx in Chicagowon contested elections amid the rising violence of 2020. And in Manhattan in 2021, Alvin Bragg defeated several more punitive candidates in the primary and rejected his Republican opponent in the general.

The split between progressive prosecutors and more punitive mayors is rooted in real schisms permeating the criminal legal morass, but it comes with real costs for advancing reforms. Those with the greatest ability to put forth empirically supported alternatives to policing appear to be least willing to do so.
The Supreme Court will not overturn a century of pro-democracy precedent and two centuries of historical practice to give state legislatures unlimited power over electionsyet.

Thats the upshot of the courts orders on Monday in two huge redistricting cases out of Pennsylvania and North Carolina. The court refused to block new congressional maps drawn by the high court of each state, decliningfor nowto embrace a radical theory rejecting state courts authority over election law. In the process, however, four justices did endorse this theory, and three attempted to blow up North Carolinas upcoming election in a dissent with terrifying implications for democracy. The court stepped back from the abyss, but the ensuing reprieve may not last for long.

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Both of Mondays orders involve this years redrawing of congressional maps. In Pennsylvania, the Republican-controlled legislature drew a GOP gerrymander, which the Democratic governor vetoed. Because of this impasse, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court stepped in to draw new, fairer districts. In North Carolina, the Republican-controlled legislature drew a GOP gerrymander, which the Democratic governor could not veto under state law. Voters challenged the map under the state constitution, and in February, the state Supreme Court struck it down. The legislature drew a new map, which a trial court rejected and replaced with its own, fairer version.

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Republicans appealed both court-drawn maps to SCOTUS. They claimed that these plans violated the U.S. Constitutions elections clause, which says that the manner of federal elections shall be prescribed by the legislature. For at least a century, SCOTUS has read this language to give other organs of state government a say in election law. But conservative scholars have devised a theory known as the independent state legislature doctrine that would give legislatures complete control over elections, including voting rules and redistricting. Under this theory, state constitutional provisions governing elections would be null and void, and state courts would have no power to intervene in election disputes. The legislature alone would set the rulesand, in extreme versions of the theory, even dictate the outcome of an election.

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The Supreme Court has never endorsed this doctrine, and has explicitly rejected it as recently as 2015. There is a good reason why: It contradicts the original meaning of the elections clause as well as historical practice reaching back to the early days of the republic. A mountain of evidence proves that Framers never intended to give states lone authority over federal elections, and instead expected state constitutions to impose substantive limits on election law. Exhaustive research demonstrates thataside from a few opportunistic arguments raised by congressional partisans in the 19th centurystate legislatures, state courts, federal courts, and Congress have all rejected the doctrine for more than two centuries.

And yet, for nearly two decades, the conservative legal movement, working alongside Republican politicians, has pushed relentlessly to enshrine this theory into law. It nearly succeeded during the 2020 election, when Justices Clarence Thomas, Sam Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh deployed the theory in an effort to void thousands of disproportionately Democratic ballots. They failed, but their stance encouraged Republicans to try again this yearhence Mondays cases.

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Perhaps the most galling aspect of Alitos dissent is its hypocrisy.

The Pennsylvania challenge was always a tougher sell: The plaintiffs demanded at-large congressional districts for the first time since the 18th century because there was no backup map in place and no time for the legislature to draw one. Moreover, the case invoked the most extreme possible version of the independent state legislature doctrine, which excludes even the governor from redistricting. It was no surprise, then, that the court disposed of that challenge with no noted dissent.

By contrast, the North Carolina case teed up the elections clause issue perfectly, and thus divided the court. Because its a shadow docket order, we dont know exactly how each justice voted, but it appears that Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the liberals in turning away the challenge without comment. Kavanaugh wrote that Republicans had advanced serious arguments on the merits but concluded that it was too late for the federal judiciary to intervene, citing the Purcell principle. Alito, joined by Thomas and Gorsuch, dissented, declaring that the North Carolina Supreme Court had likely violated the elections clause by striking down the legislatures congressional map.

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Alitos dissent, which wholeheartedly adopted the independent state legislature doctrine, is a master class in disingenuousness. He omitted more than a century of SCOTUS precedent rejecting the doctrine. He ignored the Purcell principle, which he has consistently used to halt lower court orders protecting voting rights. He disregarded the North Carolina legislatures express approval of judicial supervision over redistricting. And he dismissed the North Carolina Supreme Courts decision as mere legislationeven though the majority engaged in an exhaustive overview of the state constitutions guarantee that all elections shall be free.

This guarantee of free elections dates all the way back to the North Carolina Constitution of 1776, Alito wrote, but for 246 years that language was not found to prohibit partisan gerrymandering. Implying that the courts Democratic majority was motivated by politics rather than law, he fumed: Only this year did the State Supreme Court change course and discern in the State Constitution a judicially enforceable prohibition of partisan gerrymandering. (The long dormancy of a constitutional provision did not stop him from adopting a novel reading of the Second Amendment in 2008.)

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Alito also complained that the North Carolina Supreme Court cited state constitutional guarantees of free speech, assembly, and association, which make no reference to elections. Unmentioned is the glaring fact that the First Amendment does not mention elections either, yet Alito has repeatedly used it to strike down election regulations. (It seems supporting Republican candidates counts as free speech, while supporting Democratic candidates does not.)

Perhaps the most galling aspect of Alitos dissent, though, is its hypocrisy. When the court prohibited federal courts from evaluating partisan redistricting in 2019, it assured the nation that state supreme courts could still strike down such gerrymanders. Our conclusion [does not] condemn complaints about districting to echo into a void, the court insisted. Alito, Thomas, and Gorsuch joined this opinion. Now theyve revealed it was a bait-and-switch.

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It is mildly encouraging that Kavanaugh did not join this flamethrowing dissent and applied his own rule against intervening on the eve of an election. But he also made it clear that he will vote to take up the North Carolina case next term. That makes four votes to consider the independent state legislature doctrineall thats required to put the case on the calendar. It now appears inevitable that, in 2023, the Supreme Court will decide whether state legislatures have unrestricted power to rig federal races for Congress and the presidency. Roberts has already disclaimed the theory, meaning the fate of democracy really is in Barretts hands. Her vote on Monday suggests she is hesitant to go along with this scheme. But then again, she might just be picking her battles, since her vote would not have changed the outcome. If Barrett ultimately sides with the four far-right conservatives, the 2024 elections may be decided before they begin.
In the last six years, confidence in our fragile election system in the United States has been battered by a flood of election misinformation and disinformation spread on social media, cable television stations, podcasts, and videos. Headed into the 2022 elections, now is the time for Congress and states to pass meaningful reforms to shore up that confidence and help preserve American democracy. Although partisan gridlock and fights over the fairness of the 2020 election already make new legislation a longshot, the biggest impediment may well be a supermajority of conservative justices on the Supreme Court, whose part-time libertarian views of the First Amendment could doom meaningful reform.

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As I argue in my new book, Cheap Speech, false claims about the fairness and integrity of the American election system pose a huge risk for American democracy. As millions of Trump supporters continue to believe the false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, and as false and incendiary election-related speech flows anonymously and virally across portions of social media, public confidence in the fairness of our election system has crumbled among Republicans. With purveyors of the Big Lie poised to take over the running of elections in some places before the 2024 elections, we can expect confidence on the left to take a similar beating. A democracy cannot function without fair elections and when losers do not accept election results as legitimate.

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Although law is only part of the answer to how to deal with this crisis in election legitimacy, it is an important piece. Congress or states could do much to assure that voters have good access to fair and truthful information to make decisions about how to vote consistent with their values and interests, and so that they can have confidence that elections are being conducted fairly and results reported accurately. And this can be done while maintaining a strong commitment to robust speech protections during campaigns.

Some of the laws I propose in Cheap Speech could likely pass constitutional muster, such as a ban on false election speech about when, where, and how people are meant to cast their votes. These laws protect the publics compelling interest in assuring voters can meaningfully exercise the franchise. Already the federal government is prosecuting a Trump supporter for social media posts targeted at Black voters falsely telling people they could vote for president by text. The Supreme Court wrote in a 2018 case, Minnesota Voters Alliance v. Mansky, that We do not doubt that the State may prohibit messages intended to mislead voters about voting requirements and procedures.

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Many necessary laws to support election integrity, however, would be at risk of being held unconstitutional by a Supreme Court that often adopts a naive libertarian marketplace of ideas approach to the First Amendment that presumes without evidence that the truth will rise to the top.

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For example, our current laws requiring disclosure of funding of large-scale campaign activity are woefully inadequate. Today, if someone runs a television ad supporting a candidate for president or Congress coming through on a cable television box or DirecTV satellite feed, federal law requires disclosure of the ads funders. But if that same ad comes through Hulu or YouTube TV or appears via Facebook, the ad is not covered unless it explicitly calls for a vote for or against a candidate because our laws have not been updated to deal with technological change.

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For many years, even many conservatives on the Supreme Court such as the late Justice Antonin Scalia recognized the value of campaign finance disclosure in not only ferreting out corruption but also insuring that busy voters have useful information to judge election-related messages they receive. Scalia famously wrote in a 2010 case that a system in which people can hide their identities while engaging in political activity does not resemble the Home of the Brave.

I am sure that moderate Alabama Republicans targeted with Facebook messages from what appeared to be a group of Baptist teetotalers purporting to support a ban on alcohol and back Republican candidate Roy Moore would have viewed the credibility of such messages differently if they knew that the ads actually were the product of a left-leaning independent group that was trying to elect Democrat Doug Jones to office during the 2017 special U.S. Senate election to replace Jeff Sessions.

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But the court has begun backing away from approval of disclosure laws, moving closer to Justice Clarence Thomass position that there is a constitutional right to spend big money on elections anonymously. In Justice Thomass world, big spenders can hide their identities to contribute or spend unlimited sums on elections, opening up not only paths to corrupt candidates but depriving voters of valuable information. In last years Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta, the court signaled it was going to apply much closer scrutiny to disclosure laws than it has in the past, making it ever harder to find out who is trying to influence voters and why.

If the court meaningfully goes after disclosure laws, that could doom more than just laws requiring funders of big campaign ads to reveal themselves. It also could undermine laws that help us determine when foreign governments or other foreign entities are trying to influence our elections and confidence in our election process. And it could prevent Congress and states from passing laws that would mandate that social media companies label deep fake videos and audios as altered. Tricksters could use artificial intelligence technology to create realistic false images or sounds showing a candidate saying or doing something they did not really say or do, such as uttering a racial slur, being found in a sexually compromised position, or having a medical emergency. Requiring the labeling of such videos as altered could help voters make sense of what they see and hear, but Supreme Court doctrine on disclosure and compelled speech could render such laws unconstitutional.

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It would be bad enough if the Supreme Court simply applied outmoded libertarian thinking to todays information cesspool, believing that the truth will inevitably rise to the top and give voters the tools they need for informed decisionmaking. But the courts inconsistent thinking on the First Amendment could make things far worse.

Consider the decision of Facebook and Twitter to deplatform Trump after he helped inspire the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Meta, which owns Facebook, and Twitter are private companies that make decisions all the time about what content to include, exclude, promote, and demote. The First Amendment does not limit these private companies and they can regulate speech in ways the government could not do. These companies remove hate speech, pornography, and other objectionable content from their platforms all the time.

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But Justice Clarence Thomasyes, the same Justice Thomas who believes that virtually all campaign finance laws violate the First Amendmentrecently went out of his way in a case not presenting the issue to raise support for new laws, such as one passed last year in Florida, that would require social media companies to carry the content of politicians they do not like, even if those politicians support election violence or undermine voter confidence in the integrity of the electoral process. Justice Thomas has suggested that social media platforms are like telephone companies that could be subject to must carry provisions and cannot discriminate among customers based upon their political views.

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But social media companies are much closer to newspapers and TV stations than telephone companies. The former but not the latter curate content all the time, and they can decide who appears on the platform and how. Justice Thomas appears to believe in the freedom of FOX News or the Atlantic to create a coherent brand with a message, but not Twitter or Facebook.

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It is hard not to conclude that Justice Thomas was motivated toward this anti-libertarian position requiring private companies to carry speech they would rather not include on their websites because doing so would favor Donald Trump and those like Trump.

And perhaps that affinity for Donald Trump and his ideas explains why Justice Thomas and Justice Neil Gorsuch have expressed a willingness to rethink the Supreme Courts key holding in the 1964 case of New York Times v. Sullivan, a case which launched a line of First Amendment decisions making it very difficult for public officials and public figures to sue for defamation. The actual malice standard set forth in the casewhich requires a defamation plaintiff to prove that a journalist or other speaker made a statement with knowledge of its falsity or with reckless disregard as to its truthfulnesshas protected journalists and assured that the public can get the information it needs to evaluate candidates for office and others involved in the political process.

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These conservative Justices, echoing Trumps calls to open up the libel laws, would chill legitimate journalistic investigations into candidates. This is the opposite of a libertarian faith in the marketplace of ideas. Making it easier to sue for defamation would not be a prime guard against disinformation, as Justice Gorsuch incorrectly suggested in a 2021 statement in Berisha v. Lawson. Although it is true that voting machine company defamation lawsuits against some right-wing cable news outlets probably deterred some false election speech, defamation lawsuits wont help control that much disinformation because much disinformation comes from anonymous sources or does not injure anyones reputation in a way that would allow a defamation suit. And the costs of the chill would be way too high.

In the end, we may find that when it comes to efforts to shore up the legitimacy of our election system and provide voters with the information they need to make informed election decisions, the Supreme Court may become as much of an impediment to reform efforts as it has on voting rights, partisan gerrymandering, and campaign finance reform. More and more the court is looking like no friend of democracy and just another partisan actor.
Wooden v. United States is almost enough to restore ones faith in the Supreme Courts ability to act like a real court. In the opinion, which the court handed down Monday morning, all nine justices ruled in favor of a criminal defendant without a whiff of partisanship or motivated reasoning. They rejected a harsh and ludicrous interpretation of federal statute that would have transformed short prison terms into potential lifetime sentences. And they engaged in an important, cross-ideological debate about draconian yet ambiguous penal laws.

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By Monday afternoon, politics had already crept back into the courts decision-making. And that troublesome trend is likely to continue through the end of the term. But for a brief moment on Monday, the court provided a glimpse of what the institution might look like if all nine justices acted like real judges and not junior varsity politicians.

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Wooden is a cautionary tale about the dangers that arise when overzealous prosecutors get their hands on an underbaked statute. The cases roots go back to 1997, when William Dale Wooden broke into a Georgia storage facility with three friends. After burgling the first unit, they broke through the drywall into the second unit, then the third, working their way across 10 units. This incident was not exactly an Oceans Elevencaliber heist, and law enforcement quickly caught the perpetrators. Wooden pleaded guilty to 10 counts of burglary, receiving an eight-year prison sentence.

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This crime would have disappeared from memory had a police officer not knocked on the door of Woodens mobile home in 2014. The officerwho was not in uniform and did not identify himself as law enforcementstepped into the home, ostensibly to look for a fugitive wanted for misdemeanor theft. Wooden claims he entered without consent, which the officer contests. Either way, when the officer entered (without a warrant), he saw that Wooden had a rifle and arrested him for being a felon in possession in violation of state law.

Imagine if the justices approached every dispute so rationally and impartially.

Although these state charges got dropped, federal prosecutors took an interest in the case. They persuaded a jury to convict Wooden for violating a federal law barring people with felony convictions from owning firearms. The probation office first recommended a sentence of 21 to 27 months. But then prosecutors hatched a plot: They would use the Armed Career Criminal Act, or ACCA, to make Woodens sentence roughly eight times longer.

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A notorious product of the tough on crime era, ACCA requires judges to impose a minimum sentence of 15 years (with a maximum sentence of life) for people with felony convictions in possession of a gun. An individual qualifies for ACCAs enhancement if they have three prior convictions for violent felonies committed on occasions different from one another. Wooden only broke the law on one previous occasion, the 1997 burglary. But prosecutors argued that this crime was actually 10 separate occasionsone for each unit he broke into. The judge agreed, and rather than a two-year stint behind bars, he gave Wooden a term of nearly 16 years in prison. A federal appeals court affirmed the sentence.

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In 2020, Wooden appealed to the Supreme Court in forma pauperis, meaning he did not have to pay the regular fees because he is indigent. He mailed in his typewritten petition from the Arkansas prison where he is currently serving his sixth year. It appears he had little help from a lawyercertainly not from the elite attorneys who typically write petitions that catch the courts eye. Yet SCOTUS plucked Woodens appeal from a pile of thousands, granting his case to decide if a single crime spree counts as multiple occasions under ACCA. And, on Monday, the court emphatically rejected this notion of a one-day career criminal in a 90 ruling. Justice Elena Kagans opinion for the court asked how an ordinary person (a reporter; a police officer; yes, even a lawyer) might describe Woodens ten burglariesand how she would not.

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An observer, Kagan explained, might say: Wooden burglarized ten units in a storage facility. She would not say: On ten occasions, Wooden burglarized a unit in the facility. Anyone using language in its normal way would group all 10 break-ins together, as happening on a single occasion. The justice illustrated this point with a classic Kagan hypothetical. A wedding, she wrote, often includes a ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, and dancing. These activities are part of a single event, but they do not occur at the same moment: The newlyweds would surely take offense if a guest organized a conga line in the middle of their vows. Thats because an occasion may encompass a number of non-simultaneous activitiesas did the occasion of Woodens burglary.

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Kagan cited another reason for this interpretation: Congress already considered and rejected the alternative reading. In 1988, after a man named Samuel Petty was sentenced under ACCA for robbing six people during a single stickup, lawmakers amended the statute to clarify that they meant separate criminal episodes. The governments reading of the law in Wooden would essentially repeal that amendment. This reasoning irked Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who wrote a concurrence rejecting Kagans acknowledgment of the legislative history and purpose of the law. Joined by Justice Clarence Thomas, Barrett complained that Kagans flawed inference was really a bridge too far and not how statutory interpretation is supposed to work. In a classic textualist flourish, she declared that she would impute to Congress only what can fairly be imputed to it: the words of the statute.

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The biggest side-squabble revolved around an issue that Kagan didnt even address: the rule of lenity, which requires courts to interpret ambiguous criminal laws in favor of the defendant. In another concurrence, Justice Neil Gorsuch, joined largely by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, argued for a revival of this rule, which SCOTUS has applied sparingly and inconsistently for decades. When a criminal statute fails to afford ordinary people fair notice of its demands, he wrote, reasonable doubts about its application should be resolved in favor of liberty. This opinion spurred Justice Brett Kavanaugh to write his own concurrence rejecting the rule of lenity while endorsing a requirement of proof that the defendant was aware that his conduct was unlawful.

In his final footnote, Gorsuch also noted that a constitutional question simmers beneath the surface of todays case. Under the Fifth and Sixth Amendments, any fact that increases the penalty for a crime must be found by a jury beyond a reasonable doubt. But ACCA tasks judges with decidingby a mere preponderance of the evidencewhether a defendant committed violent felonies on three previous occasions. It is therefore difficult to see how the laws reliance on judicial fact-finding comports with the Constitution. On Monday, though, there was no need to address this quandary, because the court overturned Woodens sentence on the basis of the text alone.

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Mondays well-reasoned decision throws the Supreme Courts usual dysfunction into sharp relief. Imagine if it approached every dispute as rationally and impartially as it took on ACCA in Wooden. There would be no outcome-driven crusades to sabotage fair elections, no anti-textual assaults on the governments ability to function. Thats not the court we have, and its not the court well get as long as nine people have unlimited authority to spend a lifetime shaping the law. Mondays rare repudiation of a manifestation of injustice should not obscure the deeper sickness in our system. The justices lofty talk of liberty overlooks one fact: Freedom cannot flourish when those with the greatest power face the least accountability.
As Russias invasion of Ukraine rages on, the conflict could end up threatening the decades-long U.S.-Russia cooperation in space. On Wednesday, the head of Russias space agency, Dmitry Rogozin, tweeted a video covering up a U.S. flag on a rocket, saying that (according to Twitters translation function), The launchers at Baikonur decided that without the flags of some countries, our rocket would look more beautiful.

   ,          . pic.twitter.com/jG1ohimNuX   (@Rogozin) March 2, 2022

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Rogozin has also tweeted much more direct threats that Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, might pull out of the International Space Station collaboration. After making said threats, he got into a Twitter fight with former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, including suggesting that Kelly undergo an examination at the Brain Institute of our Federal Medical and Biological Agency for dementia and aggression.

This is not the first time Rogozin has warned that Russia might pull out of the ISS: He did it in 2014 during Russias annexation of Crimea and again in 2020, both in response to sanctions levied against Russia. Still, it raises questions about the future of the ISS and U.S.-Russia collaboration in space. That might not be as immediately important as the suffering of people on the groundbut for those involved with operating the ISS, or those who follow its endeavors, it is concerning.

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Despite the threats, the ISS is still operating normally. According to NASA, the ongoing Expedition 66 currently has two Roscosmos cosmonauts and four NASA astronauts, and there has been no indication that the two Roscosmos cosmonauts will be leaving early. Despite other collaborations with Roscosmos fraying or, in some cases, completely falling through, as CBS News reported, NASA has not expressed concern over the functionality of the ISS.

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Cady Coleman, who was a NASA astronaut for 24 years and is now global explorer in residence at Arizona State University, spent almost six months on the ISS after she launched in 2010. (Disclosure: ASU is a partner with Slate and New America in Future Tense.) In space, she worked closely with her Russian counterparts. In an interview Friday, she told me shes the most concerned she has ever been about U.S.-Russia space cooperation. But shes hopeful.

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She says she likes to picture the ISS partnership as like a ship on the ocean. There are always waves, and the ship weathers the waves.  [S]ometimes the waves are bigger, and sometimes there are storms, but the ship in general, sailed by the people, just forges on. With whats happening now, I just hope that the fact that the ship is designed to sail and that the crew is dedicated to sailing it is going to get [it] through.

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And that crew has always involved a lot of Americans and Russians. As Coleman phrased it, the Russians and the Americans especially share this history of space. In 1993, Russia and the United States agreed to combine their space station plans. The first segment, from Russia, launched in 1998, with the second segment from the United States launching a few weeks later. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the idea was that the station would rely on Russian and American technology and astronauts working together. For example, according to Space.com, the United States handles the electric power of the station, while Russia is responsible for some propulsive elements, like course correcting and maintaining a stable orbit.

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For a time after the space shuttle program ended in 2011, NASA astronauts got to the ISS exclusively by way of Russian rockets. As of 2020, SpaceX is also ferrying U.S. astronauts, and it will transport one Russian cosmonaut in the autumn of 2022.

Coleman had training off and on in Russia in the years leading up to liftoff. Russian and American operators would dine at each others homes and [go] out to the market together. The launch itself happened in Russia by way of Kazakhstan (the area she launched from is leased to Russia) on a Soyuz spacecraft. When she returned to Earth, it too was in Kazakhstan.

English was the primary language on the station, but astronauts were required to have a solid grasp on the Russian language. One of my jobs was actually labeling all the things in the Russian segment that astronauts would need to read in English as well as in Russian, she said.

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During her time with NASA, she said, geopolitics werent as much of a concern, as she did most of her work before Russia annexed Crimea. There were occasional moments of tension between the U.S. and Russia, but that didnt affect them up in space. In my experience, when people keep their eyes on the mission, it helps them sort out the cultural differences that they might have, she told me. Its also worth remembering that doing something like the space station  its actually an amazing example of international diplomacy, where its not just the six astronauts on board.  [I]ts also hundreds and hundreds of people on the ground, making decisions together all the time.

And through all the arguments and conflicts here on Earth, the mission and unity behind the ISS still matter. During her work, Coleman says, it became very clear that exactly what part of this planet you came from was really so much less important than the fact that all of us are connected down here. So what comes next? Again, she is optimistic: Im fairly certain that things will be fine. And that we just need to, you know, keep focused on the mission and do our jobs, so to speak.
There are several factors impacting the pay gap, and not necessarily discrimination.

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Women in Slovakia earn up to one quarter less than their male colleagues.

While women's total average salary amounts to 1,323 gross, men earn 1,751 gross. The difference is 428, i.e. nearly 25 percent. This stems from a recent analysis of the Platy.sk website, which is administered by the recruitment company Profesia.

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As for net salaries, women earn some 928 a month, while their male colleagues receive 1,228 a month. As a result, men have some 300 more monthly in their wallets than women.

Career & Employment Guide Source of contacts and up-to-date content for all who want to learn more about the Slovak HR sector. For more details visit our online shop.

This is not the case of Slovakia only according to the analysis. There are various factors behind this trend  statistics are not necessarily impacted by discrimination, but also work preferences, habits and the focus of the economy, to name a few factors.

Women employed in mostly six sectors

The difference between the hourly wages of men and women amounted to 15.5 percent last year, according to the data presented by the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS), the countrys central bank.

It was 4.3 percentage points lower than in 2015, the SITA newswire reported.

Women in Slovakia are employed particularly in six economic sectors. There are 208,000 of them working in industrial production, which represents 18 percent of all employed women. Altogether 177,000 women (or 15 percent) work in wholesale and retail, and 164,000 (or 14 percent) in health and social care and in education. There are 113,000 women (10 percent) working in public administration and defence, and 67,000 women (6 percent) in accommodation and catering.

In other spheres, the percentage of women working there is lower than 5 percent, according to NBS.

One in 10 Slovaks earned under 800 gross a month in 2021 Read more

More women than men work in health and social care (83 percent), education (82 percent), and accommodation and catering (62 percent).

On the other hand, there are more men than women working in the construction sector (93 percent), supply of electricity and gas (81 percent), supply of water (80 percent), information and communication (75 percent), and transport and warehousing (75 percent). In industrial production, 67 percent are men.

Situation in the V4 region not different

The gender pay gap can be observed in other countries that belong to the Visegrad Group (V4), too.

While in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia the gaps are relatively the same, oscillating around 25 percent, the gap in Poland is much wider, amounting to nearly 33 percent.

The lowest gap in the V4 region is in Hungary  about 22 percent, the Platy.sk analysis showed.

The gender pay gaps in other countries seem to be lower, though. This includes the Balkans, where the focus of the economy is different and the representation of both sexes in the most sought after job positions on the market is more balanced. In Croatia, for example, the pay gap between men and women is about 16 percent, according to Platy.sk.

Pandemic brings lay-offs, but transforms labour market Read more

The gap is even lower in northern Europe, where the representation of women in managerial positions is much higher than in Slovakia. In Finland, for example, women receive about 12 percent less than their male colleagues.

Factors are varied

There can be several factors behind the pay gap. One of them is different work preferences.

In the V4, for example, the sectors with a higher number of women employees usually have lower salaries. This includes health and social care, administration and economy, finances and accountancy.

On the other hand, there are more men in telecommunications, the electrotechnical industry, energy sector and machinery.

Another factor is maternity leave. In many countries, it is mostly women who care for newborns. While women spend time with children at home, their male colleagues obtain new skills and experience, which then impacts their salary, according to Platy.sk.

Extended paid leaves not cheap, only big corporations can afford them Read more

In some regions, customs also play a role  women are not raised and motivated to work on their careers, while men are considered breadwinners. Women are supposed to take care of the home and children.

Last but not least, women generally ask for less money at job interviews. This problem occurs in countries like Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. One of the reasons, according to Platy.sk, might be lower initiative and less self-confidence. Another reason is that women often must negotiate higher salaries with a male manager.

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Poverty has a female face. Sanctions complicate the lives of Russians in Slovakia. Dutch troops' arrival confirmed.

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Good evening. This is the Tuesday, March 8, 2022 edition of Today in Slovakia, your daily news digest by The Slovak Spectator. Read the news of the day in less than five minutes.

Heger and fellow V4 leaders meet Boris Johnson

The prime ministers of the Visegrad Group countries met with British PM Boris Johnson in London on March 8.

"Together we have condemned the aggressive behaviour of Russia towards Ukraine. In the current situation we consider it key to strengthen the eastern border and lower energy dependence on Russia," Slovak PM Eduard Heger stated, adding that the five prime ministers were in "absolute agreement" on this.

Ahead of the meeting, Boris Johnson wrote on Twitter that he applauds the Central European partners "for their vital support to the Ukrainian people fleeing Putins abhorrent invasion and subjugation."

"We are clear in our mission  Putin must fail," Johnson concluded.

Visegrad Group prime ministers met for a summit with British PM Boris Johnson in London on March 8. (Source: Facebook page of PM Eduard Heger)

Russians in Slovakia are more cautious now

"The word 'Russian' being synonymous to 'bad' is alluring. But many of us living in Slovakia are here because we don't agree with what happens in Russia in the long run," a Russian woman living in Bratislava told the Sme daily.

Vladimir Putin's war and the sanctions western countries imposed on Russia subsequently make it hard for Russians living in Slovakia to see their families or send money to their relatives living back in Russia.

The Sme daily tried to speak with several Russians living in Slovakia, but many do not want to talk and say they are worried.

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Parking rules have changed

From 1 March, only bicycles and motorbikes can park on pavements if road signs do not allow otherwise. While municipalities in general welcome this new rule introduced by the amendment to the Road Traffic Act, passed by parliament in late 2021, they complain that the amendment has not given them enough time to prepare for this change.

The new rule means that Bratislava, which has recently started introducing a city-wide parking policy, has lost about 2,500 parking places on first and second-class roads.

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War in Ukraine

The Netherlands will send the Patriot anti-missile system to Slovakia , along with 150 troops operating the system, Dutch Defence Minister Kasja Ollongren confirmed. (De Telegraaf)

, along with 150 troops operating the system, Dutch Defence Minister Kasja Ollongren confirmed. (De Telegraaf) Opposition party Hlas will support the presence of NATO troops in Slovakia if their mission is meant to defend the country and the alliance, said party leader Peter Pellegrini.

in Slovakia if their mission is meant to defend the country and the alliance, said party leader Peter Pellegrini. Czechia has received a request from Slovakia to deploy another 30 police officers to help with refugees at the Slovak-Ukrainian border. Since last week, 50 Czech officers have been working alongside their Slovak colleagues at the border. (ctk)

to help with refugees at the Slovak-Ukrainian border. Since last week, 50 Czech officers have been working alongside their Slovak colleagues at the border. (ctk) Volunteers working at the Slovak-Ukrainian border crossing in Ubla are exhausted and need reinforcements. Volunteers, particularly Ukrainian- and Russian-speaking ones, are welcome to register here. (TASR)

crossing in Ubla are exhausted and need reinforcements. Volunteers, particularly Ukrainian- and Russian-speaking ones, are welcome to register here. (TASR) The Liga za Dusevne Zdravie mental health awareness organisation launched a free helpline in Ukrainian, offering help to people who fled the war in Ukraine, every day between 13:00 and 21:00. The number is 0800 222 450.

offering help to people who fled the war in Ukraine, every day between 13:00 and 21:00. The number is 0800 222 450. The war in neighbouring Ukraine might cost Slovakia up to 2 billion euros , said Finance Minister Igor Matovic on TA3 on Sunday.

, said Finance Minister Igor Matovic on TA3 on Sunday. The eastern-Slovak city of Kosice is facing a humanitarian crisis due to the "rapidly increasing number of war refugees arriving to the city", the spokesperson of the city hall stated.

the spokesperson of the city hall stated. The Mutual Help Fund, which the Government's Office started in April 2020 at the initiative of then PM Matovic to provide relief to people economically hit by the pandemic, will be repurposed to provide aid to refugees from Ukraine. The fund has so far collected 700,000 and distributed 684,953 as of March 8. More information on who can contribute and who can request money here.

Coronavirus in Slovakia

9,819 people were newly diagnosed as Covid positive out of 16,760 PCR tests performed on Monday. The number of people in hospitals is 2,538, while 46 more deaths were reported on Tuesday. The vaccination rate is at 51.23 percent. More stats on Covid-19 in Slovakia here.

In other news

Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party is calling on criminal prosecution bodies to classify the promotion of the letter Z , which Russia has been using as an expression of support for the war in Ukraine, as a crime involving the spread of extremist material. SaS MP Mrislav Ziak said that "Z" is an extremist symbol of war, inhumane treatment and suppression of fundamental human rights and freedoms. (SITA)

, which Russia has been using as an expression of support for the war in Ukraine, involving the spread of extremist material. SaS MP Mrislav Ziak said that "Z" is an extremist symbol of war, inhumane treatment and suppression of fundamental human rights and freedoms. (SITA) Biomethane production has been launched in Slovakia. The production is secured by the PM company, which plans to produce 80-85 MWh of biomethane near Jelsava (Banska Bystrica Region). According to the Slovak Gas and Oil Association, this step means the Slovak gas industry is getting greener.

The production is secured by the PM company, which plans to produce 80-85 MWh of biomethane near Jelsava (Banska Bystrica Region). According to the Slovak Gas and Oil Association, this step means the Slovak gas industry is getting greener. Marian Kotleba is facing more charges , this time for the incitement of hate due to a video he published last year, in which he called for a protest against the pandemic measures and spoke of a "blockade of Bratislava". Kotleba published part of the charges on his Facebook page. He has already been found guilty on extremism charges, pending decision on his appeal.

, this time for the incitement of hate due to a video he published last year, in which he called for a protest against the pandemic measures and spoke of a "blockade of Bratislava". Kotleba published part of the charges on his Facebook page. He has already been found guilty on extremism charges, pending decision on his appeal. The Slovak economy grew by 3 percent after a 4.4-percent drop in the first year of the pandemic. The GDP has not reached pre-pandemic levels. The year-on-year pace of growth has reached 1.4 percent in the last quarter, the Statistics Office reported. The numbers reflect the first estimate of the statisticians.

Featured story for today

Women in Slovakia earn up to one quarter less than their male colleagues.

While women's total average salary amounts to 1,323 gross, men earn 1,751 gross. The difference is 428, nearly 25 percent. This stems from a recent analysis of the Platy.sk website.

Quote of the day

"Poverty has a female face."

President Zuzana Caputova cited that in Slovakia, women are much more threatened by poverty than men. Speaking on International Women's Day, the president said that women earn 18 percent less than men, make up the vast majority of single parents, and two thirds of employees working for minimum wage.

President Zuzana Caputova met with representatives of political parties and NGOs to mark International Women's Day. (Source: TASR)

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It might take years before I see my family in Russia and Ukraine, says Russian native and Bratislava inhabitant.

Presidential Palace lit up in solidarity with Ukraine. (Source: FB Office of the President)

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When people hear his accent, they tend to stop and talk to him. Denis Korolkov is originally from Russia and nowadays works in a bar in Bratislava's Petrzalka district. His customers often ask him about life on the banks of the Black Sea, on which stands his native city of Sochi.

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Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine shortly after the Olympic games in Beijing. In 2014, Russian soldiers occupied Crimea shortly after the Sochi Olympics.

"Customers aged 50 and over tell me how everything works well in Russia, that Putin is a cool guy and that American President Joe Biden is the bad guy," Korolkov said. He feels like those who defend Putin tend to talk to him more.

They do not ask his opinion. They just want to talk and nostalgically recall the Soviet Union, says Korolkov. These customers do not realise that as a Russian, he may not agree with Putin.

"He is guilty," said Korolkov about the Russian president and his invasion of Ukraine. "I'm against the war, I condemn it."

A Russian woman living in Bratislava feels like she needs to be more cautious since the invasion started. Although she has lived in Slovakia with her parents for 17 years now, she is changing her habits.

"I have had people look at me in different ways when I spoke Russian," she said. "I really think twice on whether to use Russian while walking my dog, while talking on the phone with my family. I have family in Ukraine, too, and we typically speak Russian with each other."
https://sputniknews.com/20220308/australian-energy-companies-suspend-purchases-of-russian-crude-1093676222.html

Australian Energy Companies Suspend Purchases of Russian Crude

Australian Energy Companies Suspend Purchases of Russian Crude

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Australian oil corporations Ampol and Viva Energy on Tuesday announced the suspension of purchases of crude oil from Russia due to the... 08.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-08T06:02+0000

2022-03-08T06:02+0000

2022-03-08T06:02+0000

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"Ampol has not purchased Russian crude oil or products since the conflict commenced. However, we have two Russian cargoes in our current planned supply chains. These cargoes were purchased prior to the invasion and will discharge prior to the end of April," Ampol said in a statement.Viva Energy said that the decision to cease purchases of Russian crude oil is set to remain in force while the military operation continues, also adding that the company had purchased two crude cargoes before the conflict, which "are due to arrive in Australia over the next two months."On 24 February, Russia began a special operation to demilitarize and "denazify" Ukraine, responding to calls for help from the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics in countering the aggression of Ukrainian troops. The Russian Defence Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger. Moscow has repeatedly stressed that it has no plans to occupy Ukraine.In response, the United States, the United Kingdom, members of the European Union and several other countries imposed comprehensive sanctions against Russia. Some of them closed their airspace to all Russian flights, sanctioned a number of Russian banks and officials.Russia remains one of the major energy suppliers in the world, accounting for nearly 40% of European natural gas imports only.

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https://sputniknews.com/20220308/biden-to-announce-new-sanctions-against-russia-1093690106.html

Biden to Announce New Sanctions Against Russia

Biden to Announce New Sanctions Against Russia

This comes amid a wave of unprecedented economic sanctions that has already hit Russia over its special military operation in Ukraine. 08.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-08T16:27+0000

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2022-03-08T16:37+0000

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Watch a live broadcast from Washington, DC as US President Joe Biden is expected to announce an embargo on imports of Russian oil, liquified natural gas, and coal. According to the data from the US Energy Information Administration, Russian oil made up about 3 percent of all the crude shipments that arrived in the US last year. Russia has been facing numerous packages of economic sanctions from the US, UK, Canada, EU, Japan, and some other countries over its special military operation in Ukraine that is aimed at protecting the population in the Donbass breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk and demilitarising and "de-Nazifying" the entire Ukrainian territory. *Follow Sputnik's live feed to find out more.

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https://sputniknews.com/20220308/blinken-says-us-nato-mulling-permanent-military-deployment-in-baltics-1093671767.html

Blinken Says US, NATO Mulling Permanent Military Deployment in Baltics

Blinken Says US, NATO Mulling Permanent Military Deployment in Baltics

The Baltic states have requested Washington for a permanent troop deployment, which would be another defense boosting by the alliance close to the Russian... 08.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-08T00:16+0000

2022-03-08T00:16+0000

2022-03-08T00:20+0000

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us

antony blinken

baltics

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his official visit to Lithuania on Monday allowed for the possibility of NATO permanently deploying its troops in the Baltic states amid the situation in Ukraine.The secretary of state reiterated that Americas commitment to Article 5  which states that an attack on one NATO member is an attack against all  is sacrosanct, saying that we will defend every inch of NATO territory.Apart from that, Blinken said the US administration is also currently reviewing its military presence around the world, including permanent deployment. The US has sent an additional 7,000 forces to NATOs eastern territories, including Lithuania.During his visit, Blinken announced that an additional 400 US servicemen would be deployed to Lithuania. The latter has long been requesting the US to deploy troops in the country on a regular basis. Currently, about 500 American servicemen are stationed at Lithuanias Pabrade training ground.This deployment will increase the number of US troops in the country to about 1,000.On Sunday, the US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, who also visited Lithuania, said that the US would increase its military presence in the country, sending armored vehicles, artillery and air defense units.According to General John Kolasheski, commander of the 5th Corps of the US Army, who accompanied Milley, Lithuania will deploy anti-aircraft and anti-missile radars, a battery of M-109 self-propelled artillery systems, and Avenger air defense systems equipped with Stinger short-range missiles.US Air Force F-35 jets were also deployed on Thursday to an air base in Siauliai, where US Special Operations Forces are serving. While in Lithuania, they will be on alert to secure the skies over Baltic Allies, along with jets from the Royal Danish and Polish Air Forces, according to EUtoday.US battalions have regularly rotated in Lithuania since 2019, with the country previously hosting a company-sized contingent.Lets stay in touch no matter what. Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus

https://sputniknews.com/20220307/no-fly-zone-over-ukraine-will-trigger-direct-russia-nato-conflict---warsaw-1093661326.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20220308/bollywood-star-alia-bhatt-to-make-hollywood-debut-with-gal-gadot--jamie-dornan-in-heart-of-stone-1093681623.html

Bollywood Star Alia Bhatt to Make Hollywood Debut With Gal Gadot & Jamie Dornan in Heart of Stone

Bollywood Star Alia Bhatt to Make Hollywood Debut With Gal Gadot & Jamie Dornan in Heart of Stone

The 28-year-old Bollywood star kid Alia Bhatt, daughter of noted filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and actress Soni Razdan, is known for hit Hindi movies including... 08.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-08T12:11+0000

2022-03-08T12:11+0000

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Hollywood is calling actress Alia Bhatt who is set to join the cast of Netflix's spy thriller "Heart of Stone," as she gears up to make her global debut alongside actors Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan. After making her mark in the Indian film industry over the last decade, Alia is ready to make the leap to Hollywood. The spy thriller movie revolves around the story of Rachel Stone (Gal Gadot), an intelligence operative, the only woman who stands between her powerful, global, peacekeeping organisation and the loss of its most valuable -- and dangerous -- asset.Alia took to Instagram and shared a screenshot of a news report about her debut, which went viral and garnered a lot of reactions from Bollywood's bigwigs.While actor Arjun Kapoor wrote, "Mini Meryls at it again...", actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Soni Razdan posted congratulatory messages. Helmed by Tom Harper, "Heart of Stone's" script is written by Greg Rucka and Allison Schroeder. The actress has been making headlines about her recently released movie "Gangubai Kathiawadi."Other films that are in the pipeline include Pan-India production "RRR" led by Jr NTR and Ram Charan, superhero trilogy "Brahmastra" starring Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan and Ranbir Kapoor, "Darlings," and "Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani."

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https://sputniknews.com/20220308/can-washington-bribe-russias-allies-to-condemn-de-nazification-of-ukraine-1093693515.html

Can Washington Bribe Russia's Allies to Condemn De-Nazification of Ukraine?

Can Washington Bribe Russia's Allies to Condemn De-Nazification of Ukraine?

US, UK, and European Union sanctions on Russia over the special operation in Ukraine have sent petroleum prices soaring to levels not seen since just before... 08.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-08T17:52+0000

2022-03-08T17:52+0000

2022-03-08T19:53+0000

situation in ukraine

russia

ukraine

us

iran

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joe biden

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Now Washington has turned to its declared enemies in South America and the Middle East in a bid to increase supplies of the black gold.State Department negotiators in the Austrian capital Vienna are scrambling to finalise a deal for Washingtons return to the 2016 JCPOA agreement. The deal guaranteed Irans right to peaceful atomic energy and lifted the blockade on its oil exports, in return for allowing regular International Atomic Energy Agency inspections of its nuclear sites.US diplomats have also begun meetings with the government of Venezuela, the biggest oil producer in Latin America, to discuss lifting sanctions at their end. Caracas could offer in return to free a handful of US citizens imprisoned in the country  but Washington reportedly wants more.Those sanctions were gradually ratcheted up over the past two decades since the failed Washington-backed military coup attempt against late president Hugo Chavez in 2002. Under the last US president Donald Trump, the economic stranglehold was tightened to an economically-crippling degree.Russia and Iran both came to the rescue, the former sending shipments of grain and the latter tankers full of chemicals for its oil refineries  previously sourced from the US  to ease shortages at filling stations.Venezuela has not exported a single drop of crude oil to the US since June 2019. America imported an average 670,000 barrels of oil and petrochemicals from Russia per day in 2021, which it will have to make up now that President Joe Biden has announced the end of those imports.Paul Dobson is a British independent journalist and political analyst based in Venezuela. I caught up with him when he returned to the UK for a visit this week.Sputnik: There are reports that the US government is negotiating with Venezuela about lifting sanctions and the resumption of oil exports, as the price of Brent crude is now more than $130 per barrel due to the conflict in Ukraine. Is this true? What's really going on?Paul Dobson: It's hard to know the precise details of the talks, but Caracas' agenda has long been focused on a whatever-is-necessary approach to achieve sanction relief.In this context, it's entirely plausible that the government is willing to meet US officials despite historic differences between them, just as they did meet hard right Venezuelan politicians in Mexico recently, to pursue this objective.Sputnik: What effect have the sanctions had on Venezuela?Paul Dobson: The criminal blockade against Venezuela has been devastating in exacerbating pre-existing structural economic problems, such as oil or import dependency, as well as handicapping any efforts to overcome the eight-year recessionary crisis.While generally Venezuelans recognise the negative impact of the blockade, local opinion is divided, however, as to the extent of this impact, with some analysts pointing to government inefficiency in overcoming the external attacks, as well as elements such as corruption, brain drain, and a recent rightward shift in policy as spearheading some of the day-to-day problems people face.Sputnik: How have countries like Russia, China, Iran and Cuba helped Venezuela survive the sanctions?Paul Dobson: International support from countries willing to brave US sanction threats has been a central policy theme of the Maduro government. From Iranian refinery technicians to Middle Eastern credit lines, Chinese infrastructural development, Cuban doctors and Russian geopolitical backing, Venezuela has been arguably successful in reorienting its international backing since the blockade intensified.This, however, has limited local development in some cases, with largely private multinational capital absorbing greater portions of the Venezuelan economy and leaving few competitive openings for domestic capital, not to speak of community- or people-owned means of production.That said, international private capital has played a vital role in what seems to be a recent turnaround for the Venezuelan economy, with growth reported for the first time at the end of 2021 and a slowly increasing oil output. However, wages remain dismal and social roll-backs in place, which means we have to ask who is benefiting from this economic turnaround?Sputnik: There are reports that the US wants Venezuela to denounce the Russian military operation in Ukraine in return for the lifting of sanctions. How likely is the US to get that concession?Paul Dobson: In my opinion it is unlikely. Venezuelan-Russian ties are strong and Caracas has depended on Moscow's backing in the global chess game on more than one occasion. To betray that would be foolish and counterproductive.Sputnik: Does Maduro have enough leverage over the US, now that filling station pump prices are hitting $7 per US gallon ($1.85 per litre) in some places, to reject any conditions?Paul Dobson: Given the estimated 80 per cent contraction in the Venezuelan economy since 2014, and the expected impact of sanctions on Russia's capacity to assist allies abroad, I would say that Caracas has more to win from reopening trade relations with a greater range of countries than the US has in accessing Venezuelan oil.The detained US citizens in Venezuela are not high-profile enough to become powerful bargaining chips for Maduro, and while Venezuelan oil is attractive, low extraction levels reduce its role as any part of any potential Maduro power play to his northern counterparts.Lets stay in touch no matter what. Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus

https://sputniknews.com/20220307/us-officials-reportedly-make-scant-progress-gauging-venezuela-as-alternative-oil-supply-1093661446.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20220308/china-demands-answers-from-us-over-russian-revelations-about-military-biolabs-in-ukraine-1093687778.html

China Demands Answers From US Over Russian Revelations About Military Biolabs in Ukraine

China Demands Answers From US Over Russian Revelations About Military Biolabs in Ukraine

On Monday, the Russian military revealed that the Pentagons Defense Threat Reduction Agency has been involved in the operation of over 30 biological... 08.03.2022, Sputnik International

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2022-03-09T11:57+0000

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China has called on the United States to clarify the extent of its military biological activities across the planet.The diplomat suggested that the information publicised by the Russian Defence Ministry Monday about US military biological activities in Ukraine could be just the tip of the iceberg.The US Department of Defense controls 336 biolabs across 30 countries under the pretext of joint work to reduce biosecurity risks and strengthening global health. You heard right  336, Zhao said. Washington has also unilaterally rejected international inspections of these facilities, including the Maryland-based Fort Detrick biolab, the spokesman added.What are Americas real intentions? What exactly were they doing? the spokesman asked.MoD's RevelationsRussias Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops revealed Monday the existence of a network of over 30 biological laboratories across Ukraine being run by the US military, with some these facilities feared to have engaged in the production of chemical weapons.In a briefing, NBC Troops commander Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov said that the United States spent over $200 million on the programme, which is divided into monitoring, research and sanitary-epidemiological work, including the study of potential biological weapons agents with natural foci that can be transmitted to human beings. The work has reportedly taken place under the purview of the Pentagons Defence Threat Reduction Agency, with private contractor Black & Veatch tasked with helping to implement projects.Citing concrete examples, Kirillov reported on the existence of labs in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv working on infectious agents including plague, anthrax and brucellosis, and labs in the eastern cities of Kharkov and Poltava working with diphtheria, salmonellosis and dysentery. Between 2020 and 2021, he said, the Pentagon spent $11.8 million on a project known as Diagnostics, Surveillance and Prevention of Zoonotic Diseases in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. During the same period, the German Defence Ministry was said to have conducted research into Congo-Crimean hemorrhagic disease pathogens, leptospirosis, meningitis, and hantaviruses in Ukraine within the framework of a German-sponsored initiative to ensure the biological security of countries bordering the European Union.Additionally, the commander said that thousands of serum samples primarily of Slavic ethnicity patients had been sent from Ukrainian labs to the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Maryland under the pretext of testing for COVID-19 treatment methods.On Sunday, the Russian military publicised documents obtained from biolabs from Poltava and Kharkov of instructions by Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Liashko instructing lab workers to destroy a broad range of pathogens including anthrax, plague, tularemia, cholera and other deadly diseases.US Biolabs in UkraineThe United States has been engaged in the construction, modernisation, operation and funding of biolabs on Ukrainian territory since at least 2005. In 2020, Ukrainian opposition lawmakers asked the government to conduct a probe into these facilities, citing a series of inexplicable outbreaks of dangerous diseases between 2009 and 2017. Viktor Medvedchuk, one of the lawmakers demanding the probe, alleged at the time that the creation of a Level 3 lab storing human pathogens may have been an indication of US plans for experimentation on people. The US dismissed these allegations, and Medvedchuk was put under house arrest in 2021, supposedly over an unrelated matter, and accused of high treason. The lawmaker reportedly escaped confinement after the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine in late February.Lets stay in touch no matter what. Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus

https://sputniknews.com/20220307/30-biolabs-whose-activities-were-commissioned-by-pentagon-were-formed-in-ukraine---russian-mod-1093662299.html

https://sputniknews.com/20210906/moscow-bothered-by-uncontrolled-unrestricted-expansion-of-us-military-biolab-network-near-russia-1083808703.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20220308/cia-director-burns-says-chinese-calculus-on-taiwan-altered-but-warns-not-to-underestimate-xi-1093698920.html

CIA Director Burns Says Chinese Calculus on Taiwan Altered But Warns Not to Underestimate Xi

CIA Director Burns Says Chinese Calculus on Taiwan Altered But Warns Not to Underestimate Xi

Several US analysts and commentators, including former US President Donald Trump, have claimed that China could potentially invade Taiwan while Russias... 08.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-08T20:38+0000

2022-03-08T20:38+0000

2022-03-08T21:15+0000

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china

taiwan

cia

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Speaking before the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday, CIA Director William Burns warned that Beijing was drawing lessons from Russias special operation in Ukraine and would be applying them to its plans for Taiwan.The CIA chief said he felt there was little room for a more productive conversation with China over Taiwan, an autonomous island that Beijing claims as a part of China."I would just say analytically, I would not underestimate President Xi and the Chinese leadership's determination with regard to Taiwan," Burns told federal lawmakers at a hearing on worldwide threats.He added that he believed there had been "an impact on the Chinese calculus with regard to Taiwan, and which we obviously are going to continue to pay careful attention to.US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines also told the hearing that "It does seem as if they [China] are potentially paying a price for not criticizing Russia, and that may have an impact on how this trajectory moves forward.However, Defense Intelligence Agency Director Scott Berrier cautioned that Taiwan and Ukraine are "two different things completely.The government in Taipei calls itself the Republic of China, the last remaining outpost of the government that ruled all of China between 1912 and 1949, when the socialist revolution established the Peoples Republic of China on the mainland. Both governments claim to be the sole legitimate ruler of a single united China, and Beijing regards US relations with Taiwan as meddling in Chinese internal affairs.Beijing has remained committed to reunification with Taiwan, but made no threats of attack; however, it has warned that US support for the islands pro-independence factions could drive them toward declaring formal independence, which would mean war. Beijing has laid out a one country, two systems plan for Taiwan if it were to return to Chinese rule, akin to the relationship with Hong Kong after that island was returned to China after 150 years of British colonial rule.Regular Chinese military drills and transits near Taiwan are often reported as challenges or threats to Taiwanese sovereignty, especially in the Western press, even when they involve a handful of aircraft flying hundreds of miles from the island. However, the Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has also dramatically expanded its amphibious capabilities in recent years, which Western analysts say poses a threat to Taiwan.Since Russia launched its special operation aimed at neutralizing and de-Nazifying Ukraine on February 24, China watchers have fretted about Beijings potential connection to the operation, including that it could launch its own parallel effort in Taiwan.Trump has also claimed that China is gonna be next after Russia, using Russias operation as a bludgeon against his political rival, US President Joe Biden, by claiming that Russian President Vladimir Putin would have never done it, and Xi would have never done it if he had won the November 2020 election.Lets stay in touch no matter what! Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus

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https://sputniknews.com/20220308/dangerous-bio-weapons-labs-in-ukraine-1093671549.html

Dangerous Bio-Weapons Labs in Ukraine

Dangerous Bio-Weapons Labs in Ukraine

On todays episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events including the UK refusing to ease visa rules for Ukrainians, and a man... 08.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-08T07:54+0000

2022-03-08T07:54+0000

2022-03-08T07:54+0000

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the backstory

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https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/03/07/1093671641_0:0:1920:1080_1920x0_80_0_0_66d91569e7b01443fc39c45c6ca77e60.jpg

Dangerous Bio-Weapons Labs in Ukraine On todays episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events including the UK refusing to ease visa rules for Ukrainians, and a man arrested for driving a truck through the Russian embassy gate.

GUESTSIan Shilling - Geopolitical Analyst, Researcher, and Blogger | Energy in the United Kingdom, Global Propaganda, and No Fly Zone in UkraineDilyana Gaytandzhieva - Investigative Journalist | Verified Documents, US Funded Biolabs, and Fact-CheckersIn the first hour, Lee and Carmine Sabia spoke with Ian Shilling about WNBA star Brittney Griner being arrested, Colonel Douglas Macgregor, and gas prices in Europe. Ian discussed the awareness of the general public and the Labour party. Ian spoke about Dr. Fauci and the COVID-19 narrative disappearing.In the second hour, Lee and Carmine Sabia spoke with Dilyana Gaytandzhieva about Biolabs in Ukraine, American media, and dangerous viruses. Dilyana discussed her work on US-funded Biolabs in Ukraine and the Russian military discovering these labs. Dilyana talked about the media and how the media is downplaying verifiable documents.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.comThe views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik.

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https://sputniknews.com/20220308/french-president-calls-for-respecting-russia-its-people-1093679911.html

French President Calls for Respecting Russia, Its People

French President Calls for Respecting Russia, Its People

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that Russia and its people should be treated with respect amid the situation in Ukraine... 08.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-08T08:58+0000

2022-03-08T08:58+0000

2022-03-08T08:58+0000

world

emmanuel macron

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https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/02/0b/1092939617_0:296:3072:2024_1920x0_80_0_0_3645b8c5754d79582951fe00bfbbd747.jpg

"We are responsible for maintaining all possible human ties: to continue talking with the Russian and Belarusian peoples with the help of artists, intellectuals, cooperation in the technical sphere, business and NGOs ... this is my task to continue talking with the leaders, even if we have differences ... and always respect Russia as a country and the Russian people," Macron said at a pre-election meeting in the commune of Poissy.The president stressed that it would be impossible to talk about an enduring peace if Russia is not a part of the "great peace architecture" of the European continent.On 24 February, Russia began a special operation to demilitarise and "denazify" Ukraine, responding to calls for help from the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics in countering the aggression of Ukrainian troops. The Russian Defence Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger. Moscow has repeatedly stressed that it has no plans to occupy Ukraine.Amid Russia's ongoing operation, a wave of Russophobic sentiment has passed in the EU countries, including attacks on Russian diplomatic missions, organisations and citizens. On 7 March, the representative office of the Russian Agency for International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo) in Paris was attacked. The same day, a truck crashed at the gates of the Russian Embassy in Dublin.

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https://sputniknews.com/20220308/is-there-a-chance-for-peace-and-diplomacy-to-end-conflict-in-ukraine-1093672398.html

Is There a Chance for Peace and Diplomacy to End Conflict in Ukraine?

Is There a Chance for Peace and Diplomacy to End Conflict in Ukraine?

John Kiriakou talks about a ceasefire and diplomacy in Ukraine, boycotts of Russian oil, women raped by prison staff and the spike in defense spending in the... 08.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-08T07:58+0000

2022-03-08T07:58+0000

2022-03-08T07:58+0000

russia

ukraine

iran

bope

venezuela

lockheed martin

raytheon

general dynamics

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boeing

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Is There a Chance for Peace and Diplomacy to End Conflict in Ukraine? John Kiriakou talks about a ceasefire and diplomacy in Ukraine, boycotts of Russian oil, women raped by prison staff and the spike in defense spending in the US and Europe.

At the top of the show, Dr. Jeremy Kuzmarov, managing editor of Covert Action Magazine and the author of four books, joins John to discuss the latest developments from Ukraine. They talk about whether a ceasefire can hold in the region and the potential for a diplomatic outcome that could end the conflict. Meanwhile, the United States and its allies have provided Ukraine with thousands of anti-tank rockets and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles. The Russian government has been clear with what it wants from Ukraine, which consists of the reunification of Crimea being recognized; Donetsk and Luhansk being recognized as independent republics; and assurances that Ukraine will never join NATO. They then discuss the continuation of talks over the Iran nuclear deal and a delegation of US senators visit to Venezuela over the weekend. The conversations were about Venezuelan oil and the potential release of six Citgo employees accused by the Venezuelans of money laundering.Next, Dr. Robert Hockett, Edward Cornell Professor of Law and of Public Policy at Cornell University, senior counsel at Westwood Capital and fellow at the Century Foundation, calls in to the program to talk about the recent spike in defense spending by the US and Europe. Things are always great for the Military Industrial Complex when a war breaks out. Congress is planning this week to appropriate another $10 billion in emergency aid to Ukraine. When something like this happens, the US doesnt just send cash. It doesnt just go to a warehouse, pull stuff out, and put it on a ship. It buys the equipment and materiel from defense contractors like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, and Boeing. As a result, their stock prices are skyrocketing and a lot of people are getting rich.During the second hour, Paul Wright, Executive Director of the Human Rights Defense Center and the editor-in-chief of Prison Legal News and Criminal Legal News magazines, joins the show to talk about a situation at a womens prison in California called FCI Dublin. It was in the news because of something called a rape club, where staff members were raping prisoners in exchange for things like extra commissary or phone calls home. They talk about how the Bureau of Prisons is the largest and best-funded bureau in the Department of Justice. Why is it that the BOP cant keep a director for more than a couple years? Is there anything that a prisoner can do to protect herself or himself? We have the Prison Rape Elimination Act, but what does a person do when the rapist is a guard or a warden? And is Congress doing anything at all to improve prison conditions? More than half of all rapes in prisons involve prison staff, according to Wright.For the last segment, Morgan Artyukhina, staff writer at Sputnik News, joins John in the studio to talk about President Biden planning a visit to Saudi Arabia. On November 21, 2019, then-presidential candidate Joe Biden said these words related to Saudi Arabia and its Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman Al Saud: Jamal Khashoggi was, in fact, murdered and dismembered, and I believe on the order of the crown prince. And, I would make it very clear we were not going to, in fact, sell more weapons to them, we were going to, in fact, make them pay the price and make them, in fact, the pariah that they are. Theres very little social redeeming value in the present government in Saudi Arabia. And, I would also end the sale of material to the Saudis where theyre going in and murdering children, and theyre murdering innocent people. And, so they have to be held accountable. Today, the White House confirmed that President Biden is planning a trip to Saudi Arabia to meet with the Crown Prince he called a murderer to ask that the Saudis raise production of oil to offset the loss of Russian oil in the marketplace.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.comThe views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik.

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https://sputniknews.com/20220308/israel-might-absorb-500000-ukrainian-refugees-by-the-end-of-the-year-but-does-the-public-like-it-1093675236.html

Israel Might Absorb 500,000 Ukrainian Refugees By The End of The Year But Does The Public Like It?

Israel Might Absorb 500,000 Ukrainian Refugees By The End of The Year But Does The Public Like It?

So far, the Jewish state has received more than 2,000 Ukrainians, most of them non-Jewish. Authorities have already said that if the conflict in the Ukraine... 08.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-08T06:14+0000

2022-03-08T06:14+0000

2022-03-08T06:14+0000

israel

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Since 24 February, when Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine, more than 1.7 million civilians have fled that territory, according to the United Nations.So far, Poland has taken in more than a million refugees. Other East European states, including Russia, have absorbed tens of thousands of others. Few have been seeking refuge overseas.Israel As a RefugeIsrael has become one such destination. Since the beginning of the hostilities more than 2,000 Ukrainians have arrived in the Jewish state, and authorities are now saying they plan on embracing far more.According to estimates, in March Israel is set to get 15,000 Ukrainians. By the end of the year, their numbers could potentially reach half a million people.In the past, Israel has rarely taken in any refugees. Since the establishment of the Jewish state in 1948, it has only opened its doors to Jewish people, those who got married to Jews, or those who could prove their Jewish roots. One exception was made in 1999, during the Yugoslavia war. At the time, Israel absorbed more than a hundred refugees from Kosovo.Now, it seems, Israel is making another exception. 90 percent of those, who have arrived in the country from the Ukraine so far are not Jewish, and the state is mulling over legislation that would enable it to absorb more newcomers.Tzvi Hauser, one of Israel's lawmakers, has already proposed a bill that would determine who could potentially be integrated.One category of Ukrainians, who could be eligible for residence in Israel, is professionals in the sphere of high-tech, technicians, welders, construction workers and caregivers.Another one is Ukrainian employees of Israeli companies, who can find jobs in Israel, and a third one is orphans, sick people or those who have lost their relatives amid the hostilities.Refugees Not WelcomedHauser's proposal has already triggered a lively discourse among various political groups on Telegram. Some have welcomed the "humanitarian" move and reiterated it was "beneficial" for Israel's economy. But a vast majority has condemned it.Others chimed in:"So is this the end of it? No more a Jewish state..."According to official statistics, some 20 percent of Israel's 9 million population is non Jewish, and the country's conservative circles have long battled to preserve the Jewishness of the state by encouraging the immigration of Jews from around the world.The absorption of 500,000 Ukrainians has never been part of their plan. This is why many are lashing out at the government and its policies, which can jeopardise the Jewish state."Every step they make is illegitimate. And the move they take right now is not only endangering our country, but it also negates the basic law of Israel. And I don't really understand how they can just easily scrap it."Another participant responded. "Are you wondering why our politicians distort the core principles of our Jewish state? Well, this is because they are tired of convincing the country's Jews to vote for them. So they are importing gentiles, who will stay here through the order of the High Court, and they will tilt the cup in the favour of the anti-Zionist bloc. And this will eventually lead to the sinking of the Jewish state."The current coalition, led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, has been slammed by the conservative circles of Israel from the very beginning of its creation.Bennett has been criticised for betraying his right-wing voters and establishing a coalition with liberals. He has been rebuked for the way he has handled the coronavirus pandemic and the economic crisis it unkeyed. And now he is also blamed for the mismanagement of the Ukrainian refugee crisis.A recent poll, conducted by Israel's channel 13, revealed that only 23 percent of Israelis thought that Bennett was able to navigate through the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The alternate prime minister Yair Lapid has scored an even lower grade, 13 percent, whereas the country's former premier Benjamin Netanyahu has been leading in that survey, receiving 49 percent of all votes.

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https://sputniknews.com/20220308/kiev-caused-humanitarian-disaster-in-ukrainian-cities---russian-coordination-hq-1093676086.html

Kiev Caused Humanitarian Disaster in Ukrainian Cities - Russian Coordination HQ

Kiev Caused Humanitarian Disaster in Ukrainian Cities - Russian Coordination HQ

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The situation in many localities in Ukraine, primarily in large cities, has become a humanitarian disaster due to Kiev's inability to ensure... 08.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-08T05:57+0000

2022-03-08T05:57+0000

2022-03-08T05:57+0000

situation in ukraine

ukraine

humanitarian disaster

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"Due to the incapacity and inability of the Ukrainian side to ensure the functioning of humanitarian corridors, the situation in a large number of settlements on almost the entire territory of Ukraine, primarily in big cities: Kiev, Chernigov, Sumy, Kharkov and Mariupol, is rapidly deteriorating and has acquired the character of a humanitarian disaster," the headquarters said."The Russian Federation ensured in full... security on the planned routes during previously announced humanitarian operations to evacuate civilians and foreign citizens," it said.The headquarters said that without the participation of Ukraine, Russia has evacuated to its territory more than 170,000 people, including over 44,000 children, from the zones of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine.It said that from 10 a.m. Moscow time (7 a.m. GMT) on 8 March, Russia declares a ceasefire for the exit of civilians from Kiev, Kharkov, Chernigov, Sumy and Mariupol, adding that Ukraine had to notify the population and international organizations about the planned humanitarian operation, as well as to provide written security guarantees for the planned humanitarian routes.According to the statement, Russia has registered over 2 million requests for evacuation from many localities on the part of foreign embassies and Ukrainian citizens on 5-7 March.Russia started a special military operation in Ukraine on 24 February in response to calls from the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics (DPR and LPR) to defend themselves from intensifying attacks by Ukrainian troops. The Russian Defence Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger. Moscow has stressed it has no plans to occupy Ukraine. Western countries have imposed sanctions on Russia.

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ukraine, humanitarian disaster
China's female astronaut sends Int'l Women's Day greetings from space

Xinhua) 08:13, March 08, 2022

"I hope all girls with space dreams guard your vision of going to the sea of stars. One day, before you know it, when you look up, you will see that your dream is already within reach," said Wang Yaping, China's second female astronaut.

GENEVA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Wang Yaping, China's second female astronaut who is now on a six-month mission on board the country's Space Station, has recently recorded a video message for the United Nations (UN) office in Geneva, Switzerland, sending her greetings to women around the world on the occasion of International Women's Day on March 8.

"I hope all girls with space dreams guard your vision of going to the sea of stars. One day, before you know it, when you look up, you will see that your dream is already within reach," Wang said.

Taikonaut Wang Yaping, dressed in festive costumes, wishes children across China "vigorous and healthy growth" while holding a red balloon, in a screenshot obtained from a video. (Xinhua)

She said that space has never changed its environment or lowered its threshold because of the arrival of women, and that ample flight data show that there are no significant differences in the ability of the sexes to adapt and work in space.

Women "can all complete the same training and assessment as male astronauts at a high standard. And many physical and psychological characteristics of women can play an advantage in space, being complementary to male astronauts," she said.

"It is conceivable that more and more women will participate in manned spaceflight missions. It will have a very important impact on the large-scale and long-term human exploration of space in the future," she said.

Screen image taken at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Jan. 8, 2022 shows the Shenzhou-13 astronauts in China's space station core module conducting the manual rendezvous and docking experiment with the Tianzhou-2 cargo craft.(Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng)

"Ladies, although our nationalities, ethnicities and occupations are different, but women all over the world are making the world more vibrant and more harmonious and warmer through their own efforts," she said.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank every female for their selfless dedication, I also wish every female would pick the brightest stars for the lives and careers we love in our own starry sky."

Wang and two other astronauts went into space onboard the Shenzhou-13 spaceship and entered the space station on Oct. 16, 2021, embarking on the six-month space mission.

The trio has been in orbit for more than 130 days, with Wang setting a record for the most days in space by a Chinese astronaut.

In her first space mission, Wang, who once dreamed of being a teacher, delivered a 40-minute open class, China's first live space lecture, in the Shenzhou-10 spaceship on June 20, 2013, to over 60 million schoolchildren nationwide.

"I love to be a space teacher, facing the lovely children in front of the screen, including my daughter," Wang said in the video message.

Eight years later, she delivered another live space lecture in China's space station on Dec. 9, 2021.

Screen image taken at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Nov. 8, 2021 shows Chinese taikonaut Wang Yaping (R) completing extravehicular activities (EVAs). (Photo by Guo Zhongzheng/Xinhua)

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
S&P Global: Events in Ukraine Will Lead to Global Oil Supply Disruption, Possible Biggest in History Since Russia is Irreplaceable as Supplier

The current events in Ukraine will result in the biggest ever global oil supply disruption because Russia is an irreplaceable supplier, S&P Global Executive Director Aaron Brady said at the CERAWEEK conference in Houston, Texas, on Tuesday.



Of course, there is a lot of uncertainty but I think its pretty clear that a supply disruption is coming, Brady said. We just dont know how big it actually will be. But potentially, considering the size of Russia, it could be the biggest physical oil supply in history, you know, comparable to the 1977. Russia is irreplaceable.



US President Joe Biden signed an Executive Order imposing sanctions on the Russian energy sector in response to Russias military operation in Ukraine.



The order bans importing Russian crude oil and certain petroleum products, liquefied natural gas, and coal, into the United States. The order also bans new US investment in Russias energy sector and financing or enabling foreign companies that are making investment to produce energy in Russia.
https://sputniknews.com/20220308/ned-scrubs-ukraine-activities-from-website-amid-renewed-scrutiny-on-cia-cutout-1093672905.html

NED Scrubs Ukraine Activities From Website Amid Renewed Scrutiny on CIA Cutout

NED Scrubs Ukraine Activities From Website Amid Renewed Scrutiny on CIA Cutout

The National Endowment for Democracy, a CIA spinoff organization employed by the US government since 1983 to promote democracy using soft power abroad, has... 08.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-08T02:50+0000

2022-03-08T02:50+0000

2022-03-08T02:50+0000

national endowment for democracy (ned)

ukraine

democracy

cia

us

george soros

coup d'etat

maidan

orange revolution

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If you hear its CEO Damon Wilson tell it, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is nothing like the labels independent and critical journalists have used for years to describe the organization: CIA cutout, Americas meddling machine, or CIA sidekick, to name just a few. Instead, he told a crowd of Ukrainian protesters in Washington on Sunday that the NED is Americas foundation for freedom.And today, he bellows, the fight for freedom is in Ukraine.But as of two weeks ago, just what exactly the group has been doing to fight for freedom in Ukraine is no longer publicly accessible information. All descriptions of the Ukrainian recipients, and the exact quantity of American taxpayers largesse, has since been completely scrubbed from the site. Anyone wishing to understand exactly how the US democratic crusade is being waged in Ukraine must now access an archived version of the site.As detailed by journalist Jeremy Kuzmarov in Covert Action Magazinethe outlet cofounded by famed CIA whistleblower Philip Ageetheir involvement has been considerable: The NED played a pivotal role in helping to trigger the conflict with Russia by supporting two color revolutions.In just 2020 alone, the NED provided $4.6 million to Ukraine for purposes that included raising awareness of alleged human rights abuses by Russia in Crimea and eastern Ukraine, and fomenting opposition and resistance to Russia.According to the NED, Ukraine is the worlds fourth-greatest recipient of its funding and has been a major partner of the organization since 1989.A 2020 article in Counterpunch explained the extent of the NEDs supposedly pro-democracy activities in the unrest following Ukraines 2004 election:Figures like Sharp and Otpor! founder Srdja Popovic are regular fixtures in US-backed regime change operations across the globe. Friends and associates of Sharp and Popovic (described by The Guardian in 2015 as the secret architect of global revolution) have appeared in prominent roles in attempted coups in Venezuela and Bolivia, among others.The organization Popovic heads, the so-called Center for Applied Non-Violent Actions and Strategies, or CANVAS, claims to have trained pro-democracy activists in more than 50 countriesvirtually all of which are current targets of western-backed regime change efforts or home to strategically significant resource reserves. Popovics democratic cabal worked closely with Pora!, a Ukrainian pro-regime change youth group loosely modeled after Otpor! in the 2004 color revolution often referred to in corporate media as the Orange Revolution.Concerns over the organizations practices have dogged it since its inception. As early as 1986, members of US Congress were pushing back against its excessive meddling, with one threatening to "throw the book" at the NED and lambasting officials for getting "involved in a partisan issue" after it emerged that anti-Sandinista groups in Nicaragua received NED cash and spent thousands to propagandize American citizens at home in the pages of the New York Times and the Washington Post."I've had it with NED," fumed Rep. Daniel A. Mica (D-Fla.), chairman of the international operations subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which oversees the group's budget.For the past 40 years, these beneficiaries of the NED have done it all with money from US taxpayers. As the New York Times explained in 1997, the NED was created to do in the open what the Central Intelligence Agency has done surreptitiously for decades. Its an understanding shared by the NED cofounder Allen Weinstein, who bragged to the Washington Post in 1991, A lot of what we do today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA.Just whatif anythinghas changed since then is anyones guess.Lets stay in touch no matter what. Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus

https://sputniknews.com/20220305/us-has-been-sending-weapons-to-ukraine-since-december-2021--media-1093618400.html

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national endowment for democracy (ned), ukraine, democracy, cia, us, george soros, coup d'etat, maidan, orange revolution
https://sputniknews.com/20220308/sanctions-fallout-cause-gas-and-oil-prices-to-explode-pompeos-war-tweets-for-taiwan-recognition-1093672202.html

Sanctions Fallout Cause Gas and Oil Prices to Explode; Pompeo's War Tweets for Taiwan Recognition

Sanctions Fallout Cause Gas and Oil Prices to Explode; Pompeo's War Tweets for Taiwan Recognition

Gas prices in Europe hit $3,600 per 1,000 cubic meters and Oil tops $140 per barrel causing world economic analysts to recoil in horror. 08.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-08T07:56+0000

2022-03-08T07:56+0000

2022-03-08T07:56+0000

volodymyr zelensky

gas

oil

pompeo

mali

covid-19

radio

the critical hour

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https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/03/08/1093676905_41:0:1285:700_1920x0_80_0_0_ba62b1cb9769f316069ffda6cfb12ab6.png

Sanctions Fallout Cause Gas and Oil Prices to Explode; Pompeo's War Tweets for Taiwan Recognition Gas prices in Europe hit $3,600 per 1,000 cubic meters and Oil tops $140 per barrel causing world economic analysts to recoil in horror.

Dr. David Oualaalou, author and international security analyst, joins us to discuss a proposed solution to the Ukraine crisis. The Los Alamos Study Group has proposed a solution to the Ukraine crisis. They argue that any solution must include adequately addressing Russia's security needs.Scott Ritter, former UN weapon inspector in Iraq, joins us to discuss the military operation in Ukraine. The government of Ukraine continues to reject Moscow's proposals for humanitarian corridors to Russia and Belarus. Talks for negotiations are scheduled to resume.Prof. Linwood Tauheed, associate professor of economics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, joins us to discuss economic indicators. Gas prices in Europe hit $3,600 per 1,000 cubic meters and Oil tops $140 per barrel causing world economic analysts to recoil in horror. EU and US sanctions against one of the world's leading producers of food, energy, and industrial commodities are creating blowback that could collapse an already fragile world economy.Dr. Yolandra Hancock, board-certified pediatrician and obesity medicine specialist, joins us to discuss Covid. President Biden's "test to treat" program for covid is being evaluated as an alternative to using the jab only strategy to address the pandemic. Also, there are discussions about the effect of masks on children's ability to learn the language.George Koo, journalist, social activist, and international business consultant, joins us to discuss China. Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is drawing criticism for his war cries against China as he calls for the recognition of an independent Taiwan. Analysts are drawing comparisons to Ukraine as they argue that he is looking to sacrifice the island to US foreign policy.Dan Lazare, investigative journalist and author of "The Velvet Coup: The Constitution, the Supreme Court and the Decline of American Democracy," joins us to discuss Lindsay Graham. US Senator Lindsay Graham has been criticized for another unhinged comment as he calls for the assassination of the president of Russia. We review his history of "over the top" foreign policy comments.Dr. Gerald Horne, professor of history at the University of Houston, author, historian, and researcher, joins us to discuss Africa. Instability continues in Africa's "coup belt" as the military government appoints an interim government. Also, Mali protests resume as citizens call for the president to resign.Investigative Reporter Max Blumenthal joins us to discuss Ukraine President Zelensky. We discuss the dynamics present wherein a Jewish President appears to be the leader of a nation that is riddled with Nazi forces.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.comThe views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik.

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Wilmer Leon https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/02/12/1082114047_0:-1:238:238_100x100_80_0_0_4e3adef3e334e381bffe19d388f4b776.jpg

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volodymyr zelensky, gas, oil, pompeo, mali, covid-19, , radio, the critical hour
https://sputniknews.com/20220308/supreme-court-denies-gop-bid-to-overturn-nc-pennsylvania-rulings-tossing-their-new-electoral-maps-1093675146.html

Supreme Court Denies GOP Bid to Overturn NC, Pennsylvania Rulings, Tossing Their New Electoral Maps

Supreme Court Denies GOP Bid to Overturn NC, Pennsylvania Rulings, Tossing Their New Electoral Maps

In February, Republicans in two states, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, asked the Supreme Court to intervene in redistricting disputes and overturn the... 08.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-08T05:52+0000

2022-03-08T05:52+0000

2022-03-08T05:52+0000

us

supreme court

brett kavanaugh

republicans

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US Supreme Court justices on Monday handed a temporary win to the Democrats as they denied a request from Republicans to block state court rulings tossing out GOP-drawn voting maps in North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Every 10 years, in a process that unfolds over several months in capitals, each US state redraws new congressional and legislative voting districts following the US Census, with the outcomes credited with potentially moulding the balance of power in Congress for the consecutive decade. However, last month, state courts in both North Carolina and Pennsylvania called upon independent experts to draw new congressional district maps, after they determined that their state legislatures had failed to meet state constitutional and statutory requirements. Republican-aligned groups in North Carolina then asked the US Supreme Court to overturn the state court decisions regarding GOP-drawn voting districts, which had been made ostensibly to counter unlawful partisan gerrymanders. In North Carolina, the GOP-crafted map was estimated to have likely given Republicans an unfair advantage in 10 of the states 14 congressional districts. In Pennsylvania, a group of Republican voters had brought the challenge after the states Supreme Court voted to substitute the map drawn by the GOP-controlled legislature with one crafted by a political scientist from Stanford that was purportedly fairer. Fair Congressional Maps Despite the challenge, on Monday, two separate rulings left intact state court decisions whereby judicially imposed maps, drawn by outside experts, were substituted for those drawn by state legislatures.In the North Carolina case, it was ruled 6-3 to block the GOP-conceived maps from going into effect, with conservative justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Clarence Thomas having dissented from the court's decision. Samuel Alito noted that he believed the GOP challengers in the North Carolina case would likely  prevail on the merits if review were granted, underscoring that the issue should be resolved sooner or later. Justice Brett Kavanaugh expressed the view that the issue needed to be considered at a later date, as the 2022 midterm elections were too close. "It is too late for the federal courts to order that the district lines be changed for the 2022 primary and general elections," he said, adding: There were no noted dissents from justices regarding the Pennsylvania case, with it now being referred to a three-judge court. The parties may exercise their right to appeal from an order of that court granting or denying interlocutory injunctive relief, the justices wrote. Both disputes had raised the question of which branch of state government has final say over how federal elections are governed. Republican challengers to the state court rulings had argued that the Constitutions Elections Clause gives state legislatures precedence over state courts and executive branch officials in determining the manner in which federal elections are carried out in their state. The US Constitution's Election Clause actually states that the "Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof." According to Republican state legislatures, the clause implies that only state legislatures may make election rules, unless the federal government passes contrary legislation. The Republicans have argued that by drawing new districts, the state supreme courts overstepped their authority.

https://sputniknews.com/20220220/retirements-for-congressional-democrats-hit-30-year-high-ahead-of-us-midterm-election-1093215526.html

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Svetlana Ekimenko

Svetlana Ekimenko

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Svetlana Ekimenko

us, supreme court, brett kavanaugh, republicans
https://sputniknews.com/20220308/syria-accuses-israeli-air-force-of-coordinating-with-daesh-after-back-to-back-attacks-1093697471.html

Syria Accuses Israeli Air Force of Coordinating With Daesh After Back-to-Back Attacks

Syria Accuses Israeli Air Force of Coordinating With Daesh After Back-to-Back Attacks

Two Syrian civilians were killed in a suspected Israeli attack outside Damascus in the early hours of Monday morning, with a military source telling local... 08.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-08T18:47+0000

2022-03-08T18:47+0000

2022-03-08T18:55+0000

israel

syria

daesh

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https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/106771/04/1067710408_24:0:4003:2238_1920x0_80_0_0_835c49ea67142125df57d8db097ca65d.jpg

Syrias Foreign Ministry has accused the Israeli Air Force of coordinating its attack outside Damascus Monday morning with the Daesh (ISIS)* terrorist group.Damascus suggested that this joint Daesh-Israeli terrorist aggression showed the reality of clear and direct coordination between the two criminal parties.Damascus called on the United Nations Security Council to address Israels disregard for international law and the UN Charter, and to avoid double standards in responding to such behaviour.A Syrian Army source told the Syrian Arab News Agency Monday that Israeli jets attacked multiple targets outside Damascus at around 5 am local time, with the strikes said to have killed two civilians and incurred material damage.The attack came less than 24 hours after Daesh terrorists opened fire on a bus carrying Syrian personnel in a desert area near Palmyra in the Homs countryside, killing at least 13 soldiers and injuring 18 others.Tel Aviv rarely comments on its military operations inside Syria, except to say that its air and missile strikes target suspected Iranian or pro-Iranian forces seeking to make use of Syrian territory to create a bridgehead for attacks inside Israel itself. Damascus has dismissed this logic, pointing to the role of Iranian military advisors and Lebanons Hezbollah militant group in fighting off a broad array of foreign-backed terrorist groups including Daesh and al-Qaeda* since 2012.* A terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries.Let's stay in touch no matter what. Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus

https://sputniknews.com/20220306/syrian-defense-ministry-says-13-syrian-soldiers-dead-18-injured-in-terrorist-attack-near-palmyra-1093638496.html

daesh

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2022

Ilya Tsukanov

Ilya Tsukanov

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Ilya Tsukanov

israel, syria, daesh
https://sputniknews.com/20220308/third-times-not-the-charm-pentagon-sweating-bullets-as-hypersonic-tests-fail-three-times-in-a-row-1093684981.html

Third Times Not the Charm: Pentagon Sweating Bullets as Hypersonic Tests Fail Three Times in a Row

Third Times Not the Charm: Pentagon Sweating Bullets as Hypersonic Tests Fail Three Times in a Row

Russia and China deployed their first hypersonic capabilities in 2017 and 2019, respectively, with other nations, including North and South Korea, France... 08.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-08T11:43+0000

2022-03-08T11:43+0000

2022-03-08T11:51+0000

united states

hypersonic

missile

testing

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Lockheed Martins testing of a new air-launched hypersonic missile for the Air Force suffered three failed tests in a row, leading to concerns in the Pentagon and Congress that it wont meet a deadline to begin production of a combat-ready hypersonic weapons system by 30 September.The Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRO) is a boost glide hypersonic missile thats expected to be fielded aboard B-52H Stratofortress and B-1 Lancer strategic bombers, and its specs include a 1,600 km operational range and a maximum flight speed of about Mach 20. Its also been reported that the ARRO could also be carried by an F-15 fighter jet.Three tests of the system conducted in April, July and December ended in failure, leading to concerns that the missile may not be ready by the September deadline. Representative Jim Cooper, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, also expressed doubts about the programme. The US has a lot of catching up to do with China. It will take much more than a September 30 press release to regain the lead weve squandered since the 1970s, he said.The lawmaker stressed that the USs hypersonics programmes in general need more funding, engineering excellence and rapid testing to begin parity.The Air Force assured in a statement that it is still possible for early operational capability to be reached by the deadline, provided future flight testing concludes as per the current plan. Despite the failure of previous testing, the Air Force maintains that the test programme successfully demonstrated a number of first-time events.The Pentagon froze plans to order the first 12 ARRO missiles in January in light of the test failures, stressing that it would not award a production contract without a Production Readiness Review and a successful All Up Round Test Flight.This is FineThe fourth and fifth tests of the ARRO evaluating its booster motor are expected to take place by the end of June, with at least $1.4 billion expected to be pumped into the project before early operational capability is achieved (up from previous cost estimates of $480 million). More testing is expected between July and September of a fully operational missile.Along with the ARRO, US defence contractors are engaged in the development of at least six other hypersonic systems, including an Army-Navy Common Hypersonic Glide Body (CHGB), a Navy Intermediate Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) weapon, a Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) for the Army, the Hypersonic Conventional Strike Weapon (HCSW) and Hypersonic Air-Breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC), both for the Air Force, and DARPAs Operational Fires programme.The Army made headlines when it announced that it would begin fielding the CHGB last year, receiving the first components of its first CHGB system in October, including a battery, operations center, transporter-erector launchers, trucks and trailers. However, crucially, the hypersonic rounds for the system were not delivered, and are not even expected to be produced until fiscal year 2023.Russia became the first country in the world to field a modern hypersonic weapons system, putting the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal nuclear-capable aero-ballistic air-to-ground missile into service in December 2017. The systems existence was revealed in a presentation by President Vladimir Putin in March 2018.China followed suit by making the DF-ZF hypersonic glide vehicle operational in October 2019.Russia was able to get a head start on its hypersonics programme by dusting off Soviet-era research in the early 2000s, after the United States unilaterally pulled out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of 1972  which placed severe limitations on the creation of anti-ballistic missile defence systems.Russia carried out a dozen test-firings of the 3M22 Zircon (alternatively spelled Tsirkon) scramjet-powered anti-ship hypersonic missile in December 2021, and in February drilled its entire nuclear triad, firing Kinzhal, Yars ICBM, sub-launched Sineva, Kalibr and Zircon missiles at ranges in northern and eastern Russia.

https://sputniknews.com/20220208/dust-defense-us-academics-pitch-21st-century-flak-to-counter-hypersonic-weapons-1092862818.html

https://sputniknews.com/20220205/us-admiral-discloses-americas-sole-means-of-defence-against-hypersonic-missiles-1092780432.html

https://sputniknews.com/20220219/russian-aerospace-force-successfully-launches-kinzhal-hypersonic-missiles-during-drills-1093174539.html

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Ilya Tsukanov

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Ilya Tsukanov

united states, hypersonic, missile, testing
https://sputniknews.com/20220308/those-who-oppose-hijab-will-be-cut-into-pieces---indian-politician-held-for-his-remarks-1093681173.html

'Those Who Oppose Hijab, Will be Cut Into Pieces' - Indian Politician Held For His Remarks

'Those Who Oppose Hijab, Will be Cut Into Pieces' - Indian Politician Held For His Remarks

India has witnessed violent protests in different parts of Karnataka state over a controversy about the hijab after a few Muslim girls were barred from... 08.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-08T13:27+0000

2022-03-08T13:27+0000

2022-03-08T13:27+0000

india

india

bharatiya janata party (bjp)

karnataka state

karnataka

hijab

hijab

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Congress politician Mukarram Khan was arrested on Tuesday, days after police in the Hyderabad region of India's Karnataka state registered complaints against him. Police said he would be soon produced before the local court.The southern Indian state of Karnataka has seen an increase in protests since a group of Muslim girls were prevented from entering their classroom in the state's Udupi District in January while wearing the hijab.In February, protests broke out across the state after more Muslim schoolgirls started wearing the hijab and were consequently forbidden to enter their classrooms. Other educational institutions in the state also banned the hijab on campus.The issue has been brought up in Karnataka's High Court, which has yet to make any ruling on the subject after a few hearings.Meanwhile, many Indian politicians have attracted widespread attention by joining the fray. In February, BJP parliamentarian Pragya Singh Thakur warned Muslim women not to wear the hijab in public, saying "it wouldn't be tolerated".Former Jammu and Kashmir state chief Omar Abdullah recently alleged that hatred for Muslims has been "normalised" in the country, which "no longer celebrates its diversity".On 13 February, Congress lawmaker BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, made the bizarre claim that women get raped in the country for not covering their face or wearing the hijab.

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india, india, bharatiya janata party (bjp), karnataka state, karnataka, hijab, hijab
https://sputniknews.com/20220308/uk-vows-to-support-poland-whatever-choice-it-makes-regarding-transfer-of-jets-to-ukraine-1093681290.html

UK Vows to Support Poland 'Whatever Choice It Makes Regarding Transfer of Jets to Ukraine

UK Vows to Support Poland 'Whatever Choice It Makes Regarding Transfer of Jets to Ukraine

Earlier, Poland officially stated it had no plans to transfer its warplanes to Ukraine, with Prime Minister Andrzej Duda emphasizing that such a move would... 08.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-08T10:33+0000

2022-03-08T10:33+0000

2022-03-08T10:33+0000

situation in ukraine

uk

poland

russia

ukraine

vladimir putin

ben wallace

volodymyr zelensky

andrzej duda

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British defence minister Ben Wallace said on Tuesday that his country, as a fellow NATO member, would support Poland if it changed its stance and opted to provide Ukraine with Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets. "I would support the Poles and whatever choice they make," Wallace was cited as saying by Sky News. He also warned that doing so might have direct consequences for Poland. The UK defence minister reiterated that he would not second-guess Polands choice. Ben Wallace, who promised that MPs would be updated Wednesday on the support being offered by the UK to Ukrainian forces, claimed that his country was in "a good place" to ensure that Kiev has access to "better defence and more defence". In a different Tuesday interview, weighing in on Russias operation to "demilitarise and de-Nazify" Ukraine, announced by Vladimir Putin on 24 February, Ben Wallace referred to the Russian President as a spent force.Ben Wallaces remarks regarding Polands stance on the issue of possibly transferring planes to Ukraine came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky implored American lawmakers on Saturday in a Zoom call to give him planes to resist Russian forces, according to Mike Quigley, the chairman of the House Ukrainian Caucus, cited by CBS News.The Ukrainian President's address to British MPs via video link is slated for later on Tuesday. Despite the Ukrainian leadership's entreaties, the US and NATO have refused to directly intervene in the Ukraine crisis. Poland earlier stated it would not be sending its warplanes to Ukraine. Nevertheless, reports that Washington was considering a deal whereby Poland would deliver Soviet-era aircraft to Ukraine in exchange for American F-16 jet fighters had circulated over the weekend. The move would come as part of an effort to provide Kiev authorities with more lethal weapons  something that Moscow has repeatedly warned the West against. The Russian Foreign Ministry noted earlier that the supply of weapons to Ukraine by other countries would result in an increase in losses and the spread of weapons in European countries. After the reports had gained traction, Washington confirmed it was ready to continue to provide Kiev with military aid, and was, indeed, considering assistance to Poland if it decided to hand over warplanes to Ukraine under a swap deal."I can't speak to a timeline but I can just say we're looking at it very, very actively," Blinken added.The following day, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the US was working with Warsaw and other NATO allies on this issue. this is Poland's sovereign decision to make," Psaki had added.Russia launched a special military operation aimed at demilitarising and denazifying Ukraine on 24 February, undertaken in coordination with Russia's Donbass allies, the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR, LPR). The move came after the two breakaways, earlier officially recognized by Moscow, requested assistance amid escalating shelling, sniper and sabotage attacks by Kiev forces. Only military assets are being targeted, according to Russian authorities, with the Kremlin reiterating that it has no intention of occupying Ukraine. However, in response to Moscows operation, Western countries rolled out a sweeping sanctions campaign that has involved airspace closures and restrictive measures targeting Russian officials, media and financial institutions. They also continue to pump Ukraine with lethal aid. The vast majority of a $350 million military assistance package approved by the White House on 26 February to Ukraine has reached the country, a senior US defense official said on Friday. Another 14 countries have also contributed lethal aid to Kiev since Moscow began its operation to protect the people of Donbass, who have "who have been subjected to abuse, genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years."

https://sputniknews.com/20220306/poland-us-reportedly-considering-supplying-ukraine-with-aircraft-from-soviet-era-1093625902.html

https://sputniknews.com/20220308/kiev-caused-humanitarian-disaster-in-ukrainian-cities---russian-coordination-hq-1093676086.html

https://sputniknews.com/20220307/oil-prices-surge-as-us-pushes-for-global-ban-on-russian-fuel-1093645601.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20220308/us-reveals-plans-for-highway-patrol-into-space-far-beyond-path-trodden-by-satellites-1093688329.html

US Reveals Plans for Highway Patrol Into Space Far Beyond Path Trodden by Satellites

US Reveals Plans for Highway Patrol Into Space Far Beyond Path Trodden by Satellites

Touting the importance of cislunar space, the Air Force Research Laboratory wrote in 2021 that taking into consideration new US public and private sector... 08.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-08T15:33+0000

2022-03-08T15:33+0000

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The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has offered a glimpse into Americas ambitious plans to monitor space beyond the area where satellites traditionally orbit planet Earth.In a recently released YouTube video, which was first reported by Ars Technica, AFRL proudly touted its Cislunar Highway Patrol System (CHPS), hoping to target the space between geostationary orbit and the moons orbit.The term "cislunar" is typically used to refer to the area more than 22,000 miles above Earth, but not much farther than the Moon ( from 225,000 to 252,000 miles away).The video shows a rendering of a rocket launching from Earth and releasing a satellite, which zooms beyond the network of satellites in near-Earth orbit, eventually reaching the moon.AFRL also offers an explanatory commentary to the footage, saying that space traffic to the moon is anticipated to rapidly increase in the coming decades. The lab references NASAs Artemis missions, aiming to not only put US astronauts on the lunar surface, but establish the first long-term presence on the moon.It added that a host of countries, such as China and Russia, are working on programmes aimed at sending expeditions to establish a research base on the moon.Furthermore, the video cites increasing concerns over possible collisions due to the increasing number of satellites and objects, such as space junk, orbiting Earth. About 27,000 such human-made objects are being tracked as they orbit Earth.The video summed up that the US Space Force would ensure the peaceful development of space while keeping its missions safe and secure.The Air Force Research Laboratory could award a contract for developing the Cislunar Highway Patrol System as soon as this summer, defence technology website C4ISRNET reported. It was added that the penciled-in launch date was for 2025.Lets stay in touch no matter what. Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus

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The Century Horse Racing Club has announced its return with a dual breed ownership experience for the 2022 racing seasons at Century Downs and Century Mile.

The Century Horse Racing Club is a modified fractional ownership group with a one-time buy-in fee of just $250 for fans to experience horse ownership for the year. Century Downs was the first track in Canada to launch a harness racing club in 2016. Expanding to both breeds, membership now includes shares in both the Standardbred and Thoroughbred racehorses owned by the club for the duration of the membership period.

The club has revealed the four horses that will comprise its stable including Standardbred pacers Tina La Vida and Military Man.

Tina La Vida is a two-year-old Alberta-bred filly by Santanna Blue Chip out of the Dragon Again mare Tresselette. She is trained by Tyler Redwood, who is looking forward to participating in the club this season.

"I was at the yearling sale and was looking at possibly picking out one for myself, and Joe Gray, Racing Manager at Century Downs, walked by and asked if I had room for one," said Redwood in a recent interview with Century Downs. "In a slight panic, I told him 'yes of course' and then it hit me, I was going to be training one for Racing Club and she was a young one I would have to break and train. It was a huge honour to see my work recognized and ask to take her on."

Trained by Logan Gillis, Military Man is an unraced three-year-old colt by Heston Blue Chip out of the stakes-winning Art Major mare Major Millie.

"Military Man is just a little guy, but is still a stud colt so he does not think hes small," said Gillis. "I call him 'Gunner,' which is fitting for a military man.

"I have high hopes for the colt when he returns but it will take a few weeks of training back to really set a schedule and evaluation of his caliber going forward," he explained. "Everyone would love a derby horse, and maybe this will be mine. Fingers crossed. We have a long way to go from here."

The club's Thoroughbreds include Capital Call, a five-year-old Kentucky-bred gelding by Tonalist that will be joining the Tim Rycroft stable, and Joy In Grace, a four-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Kitten's Joy. Capital Call broke her maiden last June at Golden Gate and has banked $46,873 through 16 career starts. Joy In Grace is a two-time winner -- most recently in her 2022 debut on February 28 at Turf Paradise. She has earned $33,547 in purses from 15 races lifetime.
John Smith (not his real name) is a Gulf War Navy veteran who has been living in a Culpeper motel for the past six months or would otherwise be homeless.

The 68-year-old has two dogs he calls his kids allowed to live with him in the room that has a microwave, small fridge and a bathroom. He said its not a very nice place to live due to frequent visits by police vehicles and ambulances.

I was married 47 years-my wife passed way in March 2019 from diabetes and Ive been alone ever since, said Smith, wearing a ball cap denoting his military service and reciting his enlistment (1986) and end (2000) dates by heart, like all veterans do.

Room funding coming to an endSmith shared his story standing outside of a Virginia Career Works job fair Feb. 24 with Culpeper Housing & Shelter Services (CHASS), held in the nonprofits community room inside new headquarters on East Spencer Street.

For the past two years of the pandemic, CHASS has assisted over 390 families and/or individuals like Smith by paying for their shelter in local motels. But the money from Virginia Housing & Community Development is set to run out later this month.

The local nonprofit, with the pandemic-era state funding, has paid $400/week, a reduced rate, for a single room and $520/week to house families at local motels.

What are we supposed to do? Theyve gotten very comfortable, some of them have been in there the whole two years, said CHASS Director Cheryl Carter, in her office during the job fair. We cant put them back on the street, thats not what DHCD wants to see.

Where are they going to go?

I have no idea, Carter said. Were trying to tell them, see if you can go stay with family, friends on a temporary basis.

Down on luckA semi-retired truck driver and widower who served 14 years in the military, Smith said he moved to Culpeper from West Virginia when his father died and willed him his house. But it was tough to hang onto.

I finally run out of money, had to sell my house, had to sell my vehicle, so I dont have either one nowCourse Im homeless, said the veteran, visibly in poor health. Like I said, Im out of money, trying to find a little part-time job here somewhere to help me out.

Smith said he drove a truck over the road for 10 years and lived in the cab, but when he moved to Virginia CDL inspection requirements were so strict he gave it up. He mentioned his time prior to that living on a ship in the Persian Gulf during the first war with Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

Living in a motel room is not good, Smith said. A high point, he said, are the pretty decent meals delivered nightly by Culpeper Winter Heat Shelter volunteers at St. Lukes Lutheran.

That program used to also provide overnight shelter in the church basement for homeless during the cold months. It shut down two years ago at the start of COVID, shifting local homeless to local motel rooms while still providing dinner every night.

The temporary emergency housing in the motels has been year-round due to the state funding apparently nearing its end.

Smith said he didnt know where he would go when the money ran out for his motel room.

Theres 40 of us over there and I guess theyre going to kick us all out on the street, I reckon I dont know what else they are going to do, he said.

Partners, struggles, need, responseTheres been no no word from the state that the grant for rooms is going to be extended, Carter said at the job fair.

Talking to them the other day it looks like its going to end. So were trying our best to get them jobs, weve got money to put them in housing, she said of prevention and rapid rehousing grant funds they have available.

As of the Feb. 24 job fair, 50 people were currently living in 48 motel rooms in Culpeper and another 11 were in the CHASS emergency shelter. Carter has been with the nonprofit housing group, originally Culpeper Community Development Corporation, for 24 years.

The organization owns 32-apartment Ann Wingfield Commons and 12 townhome units, both of which are full and have a two-year waiting list. CHASS also runs a 15-bed shelter for women and children.

These past two years, Ive worked harder than I have ever worked. Its just Carter trailed off, with no words to describe the level of need shes seen during the pandemic.

Virginia Career Works holding a job fair for the people living in the motels and helping them with resumes was a natural match, she said.

Help wanted: everywhere

Inside the community room, a few homeless people mingled in front of long tables with four different employers seeking workers in retail, manufacturing, landscaping and food services.

The cast iron foundry at Bingham & Taylor, just across the railroad tracks, had two HR reps at the job fair, including Terry Sutton, relocated from Kansas City, where he worked with Ford.

We had trouble recruiting thereso its all over, he said of the workforce shortage.

But business is booming at the local plant and there is new equipment on site, according to Sutton. The number of sales we have, we are opening a second and third shift.

Iron pourers, electricians, mechanics, machinists, cleaning room, grinding and melt positions are all being sought, he said.

We are getting out a lot more melt so we need more people to go pour, Sutton said.

Bingham & Taylor is also hiring two sales positions, 60 employment openings in all. The foundry currently employs over 200 people.

Lee Highway Nursery in Warrenton is looking to hire at least 20 people, said operations manager Chad Smith at the job fair. They currently employ 25, he said.

Our goal was 50 this year. Its hard to grow the business, Smith said of the inability to hire workers. Weve seen growth every year, thats a positive.

But when it comes time for their busy season in spring, theres an eight-week wait time for customers to get on the schedule, when that backup should only be three weeks, he said.

People are understanding especially with COVID and everything, but when youre short of staff it really adds to it, Smith said.

Theyre willing to hire homeless people.

If theyre willing to work and able to get to one of our sites, will give them a chance.

So is Little Caesars in Culpeper.

As long as they willing to work and have reliable transportation, I see no problem with it, said supervisor Linda Diaz. We hire age 14 and upits a good starting job.

She got her start there as a teenager, according to Marty Bywaters-Baldwin with Virginia Career Works. Now, Diaz, in addition to the Culpeper store, Diaz manages five pizza shop locations in Rhode Island.

She said she accomplishes that remotely using her cell phone and with monthly site visits.

Its a nice experience, Diaz said. I get to sleep in a hotel all week.

Fair pay, respect & meaningBywaters-Baldwin noted a lot of synergy from Culpeper Housing clients looking for work.

We thought lets just make it easy, put the businesses together with the folks. We know that employment, sustainable income, housing, childcare are all tied together. We do the employment piece, these guys do the housing piece, he said at the job fair.

The four employers who participated, also Lowes, had 100 job openings they were looking to fill, Bywaters-Baldwin said. The job agency is encouraging folks to also try and earn certifications at community college toward longer-term positions, he said.

What I see is that people are interested in jobs where they are getting paid fairly, where they are treated with respect and where they feel like their work is giving meaning to bigger picture, Bywaters-Baldwin said.

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Eldon Hubbard, the longtime principal of Gering High School, is running to become Gerings next mayor.

As a lifelong Gering resident, I believe I truly can represent the citizens of Gering, having their best interest embedded in all decisions, he said.

This will be Hubbards first time running for political office. He said he entered the mayoral race late when he realized Gering residents might have only one candidate on the ballot. At the time, current city council member Ben Backus was the only person running, though businessman Kent Ewing also filed to run. Current mayor Tony Kaufman chose not to seek a third term in office.

I would like to focus on issues that directly impact the Gering citizens, Hubbard told the Star-Herald in an email. Gering faces issues that impact other Nebraska communities also, specifically affordable housing and economic development that generates well-paying jobs in the community. I have worked with Twin City Development in the past to develop strategies to address these issues.

Hubbard said he would ensure Gering citizens receive quality services for their tax dollars. He said he would build on positive relationships with the citys staff to ensure such services are provided efficiently. He also mentioned taking advantage of any economic development opportunities that might arise.

He said his time as a principal helped him develop skills that could translate well to a political office.

I worked with a large cross section of Gering citizens when I was fortunate to serve as Gering High School Principal. I would look forward to building on these relationships to serve as Gering mayor, Hubbard said. Additionally, as a high school principal, you have many divergent issues and projects to manage at the same time. I believe that this experience in managing varied projects would serve me well as mayor.

With the deadline for candidates to file having recently passed on March 1, Hubbard said he has no campaign events currently planned. The primary election in Nebraska is on May 10, 2022. The general election will take place on Nov. 8.

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The Star-Herald - and its sister Lee Enterprises media companies across Nebraska - now will offer a daily regional weather forecast.

The Star-Herald understands the role weather plays in western Nebraskans lives.

Matt Holiner, Lees meteorologist for the Midwest, will provide video weather forecasts Monday through Friday at starherald.com, the Hubs Facebook page and directly to Star-Herald readers via email alerts. Dont forget to sign up for email alerts at starherald.com.

The forecasts will hit all of the Star-Heralds platforms by 7 a.m. each weekday so you can plan accordingly for that days weather.

Weekday forecasts encompass the expected weather for those specific days. Fridays forecast will be for Friday and a look ahead at the weekend.

Holiner will be using the latest technology from the IBM subsidiary Weather Company, blending proprietary digital and graphic technology available to provide a broadcast-quality weather forecast relevant to the readers local markets. This is the same software that powers the Weather Channel.

Readers also will begin seeing Holiner weighing in on breaking weather news and patterns, via columns he writes and interviews he gives to local reporters.

In the future, Holiner will sometimes break-in live on the digital sites  via streaming video and through news articles  to address urgent weather news and patterns and how they affect the readers.

Holiner is a veteran meteorologist who joined our Midwest news teams in late 2021. He most recently worked as a television broadcast meteorologist for ABC in the Rio Grande valley in Texas.

Rest assured western Nebraskans will have someone - Matt Holiner - watching the skies for weather that affects their lives.

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Applicants can be graduating high school seniors or college students planning to attend college in 2022. The scholarship is paid to the school after completion of the 2022 fall semester. The student must maintain a C average or the scholarship will be forfeited. You can pick up an application at your local school or contact Donna Weitzel, 1543 SC Road, Mitchell, NE 69357 for an application. The application must be postmarked by the April 8, 2022.
Brandon Sanderson has disrupted the literary publishing industry with his latest foray into self publishing.

The bestselling sci-fi/author has set a record for the highest-funded project to come from a crowdfunding platform.

The Year of Sanderson campaign  offering supporters four new novels in multiple formats as well as monthly or quarterly swag boxes  generated more than $20.8 million from 84,600 backers in just three days on Kickstarter.

With 23 more days to go, the total has climbed to over $25 million  surpassing Sandersons initial $1 million goal exponentially.

The previous Kickstarter record-holder was the Pebble Time smartwatch that raised $20.3 million in funds back in 2015.

Fans of Sanderson brought into his innovative self-publishing business model without knowing much about the plot of the four novels  with the working titles of Secret Project 1 through 4  he said were written during the pandemic, and the types of products they would receive.

Intrigue and mystery seem on brand for the 46-year-old Lincoln, Nebraska, native, who was first published in 2005.

Who would have thought that a group of quirky stories could rival  then topple  technological innovations and beloved game projects, Sanderson wrote in a Kickstarter update. Im floored. And you did this all without even knowing what you were getting, save that I promised you it was awesome.

Best known for creating the Cosmere fictional universe, in which most of his novels are set, Sanderson helped finish the final three novels in Robert Jordans The Wheel of Time book series, which was recently turned into an Amazon series produced by Rosemund Pike.

The scribe, who founded the Utah-based Dragonsteel Entertainment in 2012, had over 20 million books in print, according to published reports.

Since the mid-aughts, his works has been published by Macmillan Publishers imprint Tor and Penguin Random Houses Delacorte Press.

Sanderson has a books scheduled for release with each of them later this year.


A young woman and a passenger in the car she was driving were both fatally wounded late Sunday on southbound U.S. 52 when gunmen fired more than a dozen rounds from another moving car, police in Winston-Salem said. Three others in the car that the woman was driving also were injured.

The driver in the car that was hit, identified as Toriyana Marquez Gaskins, managed to exit U.S. 52 after she was shot but lost control of the 2019 Nissan Sentra and collided with another car.

Gaskins, who was 20 years old, died at the scene, police said. A 19-year-old riding in the car, identified as Treshaun Raymond Milton, also had gunshot wounds and died at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist medical center. Passenger Deja Monae Taylor, 19, also was shot, and police said Monday she was hospitalized in critical condition.

Two others riding in the car, Zion Christopher Glenn, 20, and Tamiya Denea Taylor, 20, were treated for injuries they suffered and were eventually released from medical care.

The shooters fired from the passenger side of a dark, four-door car that was in the left lane of southbound U.S. 52 as Gaskins drove south in the right lane, police said. Police said at least two passengers in the four-door car leaned out of the windows and fired on the Sentra.

Police believe the shooting suspects continued south on U.S. 52 as Gaskins exited.

The five people in the Sentra had been at a Cook Out restaurant on nearby Akron Drive at 11:30 p.m. Sunday, police said. Capt. Steven Tollie, who leads criminal investigations for Winston-Salem police, said during a Monday afternoon news conference that it is believed the shooting victims may have encountered the shooters at the Cook Out, although there was apparently no trouble between the groups there.

When police began their investigation about 11:39 p.m. Sunday, they first thought they were responding to a wreck at Liberty and 25th streets. When officers arrived, they discovered there had been a shooting.

The evidence at the scene made it clear to the officers that the female had suffered a gunshot wound, Tollie said. They determined the car had been fired into multiple times.

During their investigation, police closed the southbound lanes of U.S. 52 between Akron Drive and Northwest Boulevard and closed the intersection of Liberty and 25th Streets. As the investigation moved forward, multiple evidence markers could be seen where police had placed them on U.S. 52.

U.S. 52 southbound remained closed until shortly before noon while police investigated. The intersection of 25th and Liberty streets did not reopen until around 1:45 p.m. Monday.

Tollie said police are gathering video surveillance footage as part of their investigation.
Six years of hard work and a performance of a lifetime have led one Lompoc Valley seventh grader a step closer to achieving her dreams of making it big.

Lompoc Valley Middle School student Melody Hilario on Feb. 27 beat out the competition and was named Teen Star 2022 during the contest finale held in Santa Barbara at The Granada Theatre.

Teen Star, which was launched in 2010 to offer local youths an outlet to showcase their talents, benefits performing arts programs for youth in Santa Barbara County.

Hilario, a 13-year-old vocalist who has been performing for small local crowds in her hometown of Lompoc since age 9, recently stepped onto a bigger stage and took a chance despite being the youngest among a total of 10 contestants.

"It was unbelievable, I couldn't believe it," Melody said, recalling the moment the winner was announced.

Melody was joined by nine other teens from six different Santa Barbara County high schools who all were vying for the top spot at the contest finale.

The group of finalists included: Audrey Harmand, Dos Pueblos High School; Bridget DeVine, Santa Barbara High School; Grace Hu, Dos Pueblos High School; Haley Ellis, San Marcos High School; Holly Hadsall, San Marcos High School; Joanne Tudor, Dos Pueblos High School; Rebecca Jamgochian, Olive Grove Charter; and Shelby Kernisant, Cate School.

Alternates who did not perform solos but joined in on the group number included Allison Ray of San Marcos High School and Noelle Hadsall of La Colina Junior High.

All 10 finalists performed two solo songs. Melody sang Linda Ronstadt's "El Toro Relajo" and "El Color de Tus Ojos" by Banda MS.

"It's one of my favorite songs by my favorite artist," Melody said, referring to Ronstadt, who, similar to Melody is not a native Spanish speaker and is known for singing "rancheras," a traditional music from Mexico.

The second song she performed  a slow Spanish ballad  helped to showcase "the softer parts of my voice" to judges during the competition, Melody said.

"I hoped that the judges would feel what I was singing," she added.

Sarah Hilario, Melody's mother, said she remembers her daughter's nerves the evening of the competition and the concern she had about stacking up against a group of high school aged-competitors she believed had more experience than her.

"But we know when she puts her mind to it, she can do anything," Hilario said, adding that Melody managed her own singing ambitions and has gone as far as to memorize new songs and research techniques for warming up and training her voice by watching YouTube videos.

'Don't be afraid'

Prior to self-taught YouTube videos, Melody benefited from years of voice lessons and continues to perform for small and medium-sized crowds at private parties on a regular basis. She also has performed at local sporting events where she sings the national anthem.

After seeing an ad on social media for the Santa Barbara-based singing contest, Hilario encouraged her daughter to go for it, and a four-month process ensued.

In November, Melody submitted a 30-second audition video and Teen Star application, and in December was invited for a callback, alongside 19 others, to audition in person at the Santa Barbara University Club.

According to Hilario, the top 10 finalists were announced one by one via Teen Star's Instagram and Facebook social media platforms, making the suspense unbearable.

"Melody was nervous as we awaited each post, one by one," Hilario recalled. "When we saw her picture finally posted as one of the finalists, we jumped up, hugged and screamed!"

Now as the official Teen Star 2022 ambassador, Melody will have opportunities for radio and television appearances and to record music with songwriter, musician and record producer Alan Parsons. She also received a winner's trophy, a $1,000 college scholarship and a donation for Invisalign by Ferris Orthodontic Group in Santa Barbara.

Looking to the future with a notable win under her belt, Melody said she hopes "to make it big" and perform in front of large crowds all while inspiring others to follow their dreams.

"Just go for it," Melody said, directing a message to anyone hesitant to follow their dreams. "Don't be afraid and don't let anyone hold you back."
RIDGEFIELD  The Cowlitz Indian Tribe donated more than a half a million dollars Monday to nine local nonprofits during its foundation event at the tribes ilani casino in Ridgefield.

A teen camp in Battle Ground called Camp Hope received a check for $85,000 and an animal-assisted therapy organization in Ridgefield called Mtn Peaks Therapy Llamas & Alpacas received a check for $25,000.

The following organizations were also awarded for a total donation of $540,000:

Cowlitz Wahkiakum Legal Aid: $50,000.

Columbia Riverkeeper: $50,000

Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia Willamette: $20,000.

Junior Achievers of SW WA: $50,000.

Innovative Services NW: $150,000.

Partners in Careers: $50,000.

PERIOD. Inc: $60,000.

The tribes foundation has donated more than $18 million to more than 1,000 Washington and Oregon nonprofits since 2018, says the organization.

The Cowlitz Indian Tribe is one of 574 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and villages in the United States. The tribes land is located in Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis and parts of Pierce, Skamania and Wahkiakum counties.

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Nokia flagships to not be made anymore by HMD Global as confirmed by the company. All focus on entry-level and midrange phones.

Nokia flagships are happening no more! In a recent interview with the media, Adam Ferguson, HMDs Global Head of Product Marketing, said that that it does not make any sense for HMD Global to a Nokia flagship that costs $800. Hence, a successor to the Nokia 9 PureView is probably not going to happen. The company instead wants to focus on several low-end and midrange devices.

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In a report from Android Authority, Ferguson says, Making an $800 phone doesnt make sense for us at the moment. He goes on to say that HMD does not want to get too involved in a massive spec war with other players. He also said that Nokia would want to stand for something very different.

No More Nokia Flagships

Nokia has been staying away from the high-end smartphone space for a few years now. The Nokia 9 PureView was the last flagship phone that HMD Global launched in 2019. Ever since then, Nokia has been largely focusing on affordable and midrange models. The most expensive phone ever since then has been the Nokia XR20, which is essentially a midrange Android phone meant for those who seek a rugged smartphone with resistant to drops. The Nokia XR20 costs Rs. 46,999 in India at the moment.

Nokias smartphones havent been the most feature-rich or powerful offerings in any segment. In fact, most of Nokias recent launches have had outdated chipsets and older design. However, Nokia has doubled down on its promise of long Android OS update support.

But this focus on budget phones has helped the company had profitable quarters of late. HMD is now focused on building good feature phones, entry-level smartphones, and midrange smartphones. The focus is on more durable and long-lasting phones that offer long battery life and hit affordable prices.

Ferguson told that Nokia and HMD still have more to do but did not specify about those plans. Hence, it seems we will be seeing more of affordable Android phones with the classic clean Android experience that Nokia has been known for ever since its revival in 2016. But will HMD focus on mor modern-day specifications to make these phones as competitive as its rivals from the Chinese markets?
Huawei Malaysia has today announced that it will be holding a virtual launch for the long-anticipated Huawei nova 9 SE this Friday (11 March 2022) at 3PM. Elegantly designed and distinguished by its unprecedented features, you can catch the virtual event through Huawei Malaysias official Facebook page here.

Its counterpart, the nova 9 was released in Malaysia last November and Huawei has said that for the nova 9 SE, it is designed to support consumers fast-paced lifestyles and express their unique personalities. Moreover, Huawei touts the nova 9 SE as being able to capture the perfect selfie and even take thousands of shots on just a single charge of the phone.

Earlier this month, Huawei announced an early bird pre-order deal for the device which will end this Thursday (10 March 2022). However, the mechanic of the pre-order is a bit odd, considering how Huawei never actually announce the price of the device and that you have to reserve a spot for the pre-order with an RM20 deposit.

The small deposit is for one unit of the nova 9 SE and is available through Huawei Malaysias official website. You then have to complete the balance payment for the device from 11 March (4PM) until 18 March 2022 (11.59PM).

In terms of specs, Huawei Malaysia hasnt disclosed the full list of features just yet. What has been revealed is that the nova 9 SE is powered by a 6nm Qualcomm chipset, a Graphene Heat Dissipation technology and a 4000mAh battery 66W Huawei SuperCharge technology. For the latter, the phone can be fully charged in 40 minutes and up to 60% within just 15 minutes.

If youre interested in the nova 9 SE, make sure to place your pre-order for the device through Huawei Malaysias website here and check out the virtual launch event this Friday here. For all the latest tech deals and news such as this, make sure to follow TechNave on Facebook and Twitter!
Today, Samsung Malaysia just announced something special for Samsung Members. So if you're one yourself and planning to purchase a Galaxy S22 series device, listen up and read on how to get yourself a free Samsung 25W Super-Fast Charger.

Starting from today onwards until 31 March 2022, you will be able to redeem a free 25W charging brick when you purchase a Galaxy S22 5G, Galaxy S22+ 5G or a Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G from the Samsung Online Store. To do this, there are just four simple steps for you to follow.

First, you will just need to head over to your Samsung Members app and tap on "Download Voucher". Afterwards, tap on "Copy to clipboard" to copy the voucher code and tap on the "Where to use this voucher". Select any of the Galaxy S22 series models of your choice and then apply the voucher code. Finally, apply the voucher code for the complimentary Samsung 25W Charger to be reflected in the cart.

If you haven't signed up as a Samsung Member yet, you can do so for free. After all, why not? You will get a free 25W charger by just signing up. However, do note that the promotion applies to one redemption per user only during the promotion period and is on a while stocks last and first-come, first-served basis.

For more details on how the redemption works, you can visit the official web portal here to learn more. Stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com.
A Google sign on the is shown on the company campus in Mountain View, Calif., on Sept. 24, 2019. Google is fortifying its cloud services with a $5.4 billion acquisition of cyber security firm Mandiant, the companies announced Tuesday, March 8, 2022. Credit: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File

Google is fortifying its cloud services with a $5.4 billion acquisition of the cyber security firm Mandiant, the companies announced Tuesday.

The acquisition is the first of many that analysts foresee in the cyber security sector following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Analysts and government officials have said they expect a wave of cyberattacks from Russia and others as geopolitical tensions rise.

"In a massive growth backdrop for cyber security and further tailwinds seen during this Ukraine invasion from Russia bad actors/nation state attacks, we believe today's deal is the tip of the iceberg to a massive phase of consolidation potentially ahead for the cloud space," Wedbush analyst Dan Ives wrote Tuesday.

Google, a subsidiary of Mountain View, California-based Alphabet Inc., will pay $23 per Mandiant share in all-cash deal expected to close this year. The price represents a 57% premium on Mandiant's share price in early February, when speculation about a deal between the companies first surfaced.

Mandiant, based in Reston, Virginia, and its 5,300 employees will join Google Cloud as soon as the transaction closes.

"The Mandiant brand is synonymous with unmatched insights for organizations seeking to keep themselves secure in a constantly changing environment," said Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian. "This is an opportunity to deliver an end-to-end security operations suite and extend one of the best consulting organizations in the world."

On Tuesday, Mandiant reported that hackers working on behalf of the Chinese government broke into the computer networks of at least six state governments in the United States in the last year. Mandiant's report does not identify the compromised states or offer a motive for the intrusions, which began last May and continued through last month. But the Chinese group believed responsible for the breaches, APT41, is known to launch hacking operations both for old-fashioned espionage purposes and for financial gain.

Technology research and advisory firm Gartner estimates that total spending for worldwide information security and risk management reached $155 billion last year and is forecast to grow another 10% this year, to more than $170 billion.

Even before the war, stock analysts have been predicting growth of as much as 20% in the cyber security sector.

Russia has long been accused of disrupting other governments and businesses via online attacks and Western officials have warned that Russia could launch more cyberattacks against Ukraine and its allies.

Just one week before last month's invasion, the U.S. blamed Russia for a series of cyberattacks that knocked the websites of the Ukrainian army, the defense ministry and major banks offline.

Anne Neuberger, the Biden administration's deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, said there was no intelligence indicating that the U.S. would be targeted by a cyberattack, but that remained a concern, giving that the banking system does not have the "cyber resilience" that it should.

Last fall, Microsoft said the same Russia-backed hackers responsible for the 2020 SolarWinds breach continue to attack the global technology supply chain and have been relentlessly targeting cloud service companies and others since summer.

However, the bid to acquire Mandiant will likely get a thorough review from antitrust regulators.

Groups that advocate for stronger antitrust regulation have already said the deal should be stopped.

"The security arguments Google is using to justify its second largest acquisition in history are the very same reasons why antitrust enforcers must block this deal," said Krista Brown of the American Economic Liberties Project. "Regulators must investigate the cybersecurity space more broadly to understand the unknown and dangerous costs of consolidation in such an essential sector."

 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The interface of a facial recognition technology system that has been installed at the entry point to a common space at a public U.S. university. The system automatically scans a user's face, matches facial information with records in the database, and displays the matching results on screen. Credit: Yao Lyu

Many people use facial recognition technology on their personal devices, to quickly and securely enter a password or complete an online transaction. But when that same technology is deployed in public settingssuch as to screen airport passengers or to grant access to a secure locationhow do individuals whose images are captured feel?

According to a new study led by Penn State and the University of Alabama, an organization's decision to publicly deploy facial recognition technologyand whether or not stakeholders are involved and informed in that decision-makingcould not only lead to users' concerns of privacy, data security, mass surveillance and bias toward minority groups, but it could also reveal issues of organizational justice, or perceptions of fairness, within the organization itself.

"Technology is created by humans, and humans can be easily biased, so technology is never neutral," said Yao Lyu, doctoral student at the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology. "The human-computer interaction community has been paying growing attention to justice issues in technology design and development. But as we highlight in our study, besides design and development, the implementation of technology could also engender justice issues, especially in an organizational setting where various stakeholders are involved."

Compared with use of facial recognition technology on a personal device, where the user has full control over the decision to use the tool as a means of authentication, recent implementation of facial recognition technology in public settings captures and uses individuals' images without their consent. This has led to growing controversymost notably surrounding concerns of privacy and disproportionate misidentification of women and people of color, often leading to false arrests due to algorithmic bias in facial recognition tools that law enforcement agencies use to identify suspects and witnesses. Ongoing debates have led U.S. cities and states including San Francisco, Boston and Maine to limit or ban the use of facial recognition technology in public spaces. Yet its deployment is on the rise in certain sectorsincluding public U.S. universitieswhere Yao and his team focused their study.

"I was surprised by the fact that the education sector is among the public settings in which this technology is being implemented at scale, through campus security, attendance monitoring and virtual learning," said Hengyi Fu, assistant professor in the College of Communication & Information Sciences at the University of Alabama and co-author of the study. "In contrast to more contentious discussions about facial recognition technology in other areas of society, there is little sustained opposition to its implementation in schools."

According to Fu, in a higher education setting, where many young people shape their sense of social identity and may be more willing to share personal information, implementation of facial recognition technology could lead to the "normalized elimination of practical obscurity," a pre-internet concept which upholds that private information in publicly-accessible recordssuch as police logsis largely protected due to accessibility limitations.

"Attempting to manage what is known and disclosed about oneself can be seen as a legitimate way of students ensuring that their actions and intentions are correctly interpreted and understood," she said.

The entry point to a common space at a public U.S. university, which requires individuals to use facial recognition technology to access the space. Credit: Yao Lyu

In the study, the first of its kind to investigate how participants respond to facial recognition technology in a university setting, the researchers examined the perspectives of faculty, staff and students who were required to gain access to a public university's shared collaborative workspace using facial recognition, replacing the previous card-swipe system, without advance knowledge or education. They interviewed 19 users of the system at least two weeks after each participant's initial use of the technology, measuring each user's previous experience with and knowledge of facial recognition technology; their initial impressions and reactions; their overall attitudes toward the system and the decision to install it; and if their opinions changed after their initial interactions.

They found that more than half of the users were initially uncomfortable with or confused by the decision to install the system, while a minority of users were curious or even impressed. Over time, all participants with negative perceptions remained steadfast; most who initially were in favor of the installation gradually came to feel less supportive; and most who initially felt neutral came to accept the technology, but with some level of reluctance.

Additionally, most participants complained about the decision-making process and considered it unfair that their consent was assumedregardless of their impression of the technology itself. No users reported that they had received official training on the technology or information on why the system was installed or how the decision to install it was made.

"New technologies are introduced to our lives every day, including facial recognition, oftentimes (with promise) of bringing us more convenience," said Lyu. " It is fancy, fast and especially convenient, but (there are) also people concerned with the potential problems of the technology. The question is: does the convenience outweigh the concerns?"

Through this study and other projects in which the researchers investigate emerging technologies and how people react to them, they hope to arm organizations' management with evidence-based information that could shape how decisions are made when implementing novel or sometimes controversial technology.

"As facial recognition technology deployment continues and public criticism mounts, research is needed to understand how controversial technologies are implemented, what kinds of experiences users have and how users are likely to respond," said Fu. "This study provides empirical and conceptual insights into users' interactions with a facial recognition system encountered in a real-world setting. The qualitative data offer a foundation for design-related quantitative research that will facilitate comparisons between attitudes toward facial recognition technology over time."

The researchers' paper, "Facial Recognition Technology Interaction in a University Setting: Impression, Reaction, and Decision-making," was presented at iConference 2022 this week, where it was a finalist for the Lee Dirks Award for Best Full Research Paper. Yubo Kou, assistant professor of information sciences and technology at Penn State, also contributed early insight to the project.

Explore further New ACM TechBrief spotlights privacy, ethics problems with facial recognition technology
A photograph of the bio-inspired vision sensor array on a diced 2.53.0 cm2 chip (left), and schematic structure and optical microscope image of a single vision sensor (right). Credit: Liao et al.

To monitor and navigate real-world environments, machines and robots should be able to gather images and measurements under different background lighting conditions. In recent years, engineers worldwide have thus been trying to develop increasingly advanced sensors, which could be integrated within robots, surveillance systems, or other technologies that can benefit from sensing their surroundings.

Researchers at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Peking University, Yonsei University and Fudan University have recently created a new sensor that can collect data in various illumination conditions, employing a mechanism that artificially replicates the functioning of the retina in the human eye. This bio-inspired sensor, presented in a paper published in Nature Electronics, was fabricated using phototransistors made of molybdenum disulfide.

"Our research team started the research on optoelectronic memory five years ago," Yang Chai, one of the researchers who developed the sensor, told TechXplore. "This emerging device can output light-dependent and history-dependent signals, which enables image integration, weak signal accumulation, spectrum analysis and other complicated image processing functions, integrating the multifunction of sensing, data storage and data processing in a single device."

In 2018, Chai and his colleagues published their first paper on optoelectronic memories, where they introduced a resistive switching memory device, which could perform both photo-sensing and logic operations. One year later, the team presented a new optoelectronic resistive random-access memory device with three different capabilities. Specifically, this new device could sense the environment, store information in its memory, and perform neuromorphic visual pre-processing operations.

"In 2020, we examined the concept of near-sensor and in-sensor computing paradigms and provided our perspective in this field," Chai said. "Our new study builds on all of our previous efforts."

The intensity of natural light can vary significantly, with an overall range of 280 dB. When perceiving external light signals, the human retina adjusts the photosensitivity of its photoreceptors (i.e., rods and cones) according to the intensity of the signals. This ultimately allows the human eye to gradually adapt to different levels of illumination, to see well in both dark and bright environments, a capability known as "visual adaptation."

"For example, when you enter a darkened movie theater from a bright hall, you can hardly see anything initially, but after a while in the theater, it becomes easier to see," Chai explained. "This phenomenon is called scotopic adaptation. In contrast, if you come out of a dark movie theater on a sunny day, you feel very dazzled at first and it takes a while to see the surrounding scenery. This process is the opposite of scotopic adaptation, which is called photopic adaptation."

The key objective of the recent work by Chai and his colleagues was to build a sensing device inspired by structure and function of the human retina. To do this, they first started researching the retina and then tried to devise strategies that would allow them to artificially replicate its visual adaptation capabilities.

State-of-the-art image sensors based on silicon complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technologies typically have a limited dynamic range of 70 dB. This range is significantly narrower than the lighting range of natural scenes (280 dB).

"To enable vision under a large illumination intensity range, researchers have explored the use of controlled optical apertures, liquid lenses, adjustable exposure times and de-noising algorithms in post-processing," Chai said. "However, these approaches typically require complex hardware and software resources."

Scotopic and photopic adaptation of the bio-inspired vision sensor array. (a) Schematic illustration of an 88 pixel array under a dark background to recognize low-intensity image for scotopic adaptation test. (b) Schematic illustration of an 88 pixel array under a bright background to recognize strong light image for photopic adaptation test. The time-course of (c) scotopic and (d) photopic adaptation for the pattern of 8. Credit: Liao et al.

Optoelectronic devices capable of visual adaptation and with a wide perception range at sensory terminals could have very valuable applications. For instance, they could help to improve the performance of computer vision tools, reduce the complexity of the hardware required to build robots or other sensing systems, and improve the accuracy of image recognition systems.

In the past, other research teams introduced optoelectronic devices that can adapt to different illumination conditions. Nonetheless, most previously proposed devices can only replicate the retina's photopic adaptation mechanism. The scotopic adaptation process, on the other hand, has so far proved to be harder to simulate.

"There is still a long way to go before we can fully replicate the retina's visual adaptation function," Chai explained. "To move towards this goal, we designed a phototransistor-type vision sensor using an ultrathin semiconductor, which can control the degree of scotopic adaptation and photopic adaptation in the same device by applying different gate voltages. In this way, we emulate the functions of photoreceptors and horizontal cells in the retina and successfully realized the bio-inspired in-sensor visual adaptation devices with an expanded perception range of 199 dB."

The bio-inspired vision sensor developed by Chai and his colleagues is based on a phototransistor made of an ultrathin semiconductor material (i.e., molybdenum disulfide). The phototransistors they used have several charge trap states, states that can trap or de-trap electrons within the channel under different gate voltages.

Ultimately, these states allow the researchers to dynamically modulate the conductance of their device. This in turn allows them to artificially replicate both the scotopic and photopic adaptation mechanisms of the human retina, enlarging the perception range of their sensor in response to different lighting conditions.

"Our sensor has several advantages and characteristics," Chai said. "Firstly, the visual adaptation function is realized in a single device, which substantially reduces its footprint. Second, it can achieve multiple functions with a single device, including light sensing, memory and processing. Finally, it can be used to perform scotopic and photopic adaptation to different background light intensities, simply by controlling its gate voltages."

Chai and his colleagues evaluated their bio-inspired sensor in a series of tests and found that it can effectively emulate the function of the human retina, achieving remarkable results in both scotopic and photopic adaptation. In addition, in contrast with previously proposed solutions, it has a significantly higher perception range (i.e., 199 dB).

"Our sensor can enrich machine vision functions, reduce hardware complexity and realize high image recognition efficiency," Chai said. "All of these benefits have great application prospects in the fields of automatic driving, face recognition and industrial manufacturing in complex lighting environments."

In their next studies, the researchers plan to improve the performance of their sensors further, while also using them to fabricate large-scale systems composed of an array of sensors. Ideally, they would like to build this sensor array on a flexible or hemispherical substrate, to achieve a wider field-of-view.

"An area for improvement is our sensor's adaptation time, as it is still not short enough to enable machine vision applications," Chai added. "Our target is to reduce the adaptation time to the microseconds level. The sensor array scale also needs further improvement. Our near-term goal of array scale is greater than 100100. Finally, the heterogeneous integration of vision sensors and the post-processing units with Si-based control circuits is a very important step to move towards practical applications."

Explore further A retina-inspired device that can detect and recognize movements in the environment

Provided by Science X Network

 2022 Science X Network
Former Sen. David Perdue and his wife Bonnie didnt have to wait long in line Monday to cast their ballots for the May 24 primary, which will determine who will receive the Republican nomination for the race to serve as Georgias next governor.
At least seven states have banned the teaching of critical race theory. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

A conservative leader found fault with how respect for our nations heritage had been mostly stripped from the textbooks of public schools.

From kindergarten right through the total school system, it almost seems as if classroom textbooks are designed to negate what philosophies previously had been taught, the conservative leader lamented. [M]any textbooks are actually perverting the minds of literally millions of students.

A teachers organization shot back, saying the underlying motive for some attacks against books has unquestionably been racial.

This might sound like a back-and-forth from recent debates over removing books from school classrooms and libraries. Often, critical race theory  an academic framework for understanding racism  has been at the center of these debates. But in reality, both quotes are more than 40 years old.

Religious influence on politics

The first quote came from a 1981 book by the Rev. Jerry Falwell titled Listen, America! Falwell, founder of the Moral Majority, was one of the leaders of the book-banning efforts of the 1980s. It was during this period  with Ronald Reagan in the White House  that Christian fundamentalists became a growing influence in conservative American politics.

The second quote comes from a 1981 publication of the National Council of Teachers of English, The Students Right to Read. The council was one of the major groups opposing Falwell and other conservatives.

The attacks on books in the 1980s bear similarities to the current attacks. Both object to the critical teaching about race and racism, historical as well as contemporary. Both accuse schools of tearing down America and weakening patriotism. Both object to teaching about gender roles, sexual orientation and alternative models of the family. Conservative institutions like the Heritage Foundation have been involved in both periods.

There are also important differences between the two periods. The 1980s bogeyman was secular humanism, because it argued that human beings can define their own morality without the use of religion. Falwell and others claimed that public schools were anti-Christian because they taught students that they didnt have to use the Bible as a standard for right and wrong. Chaos would result, the Christian fundamentalists asserted, if everyone had to determine their own morality.

In a way reminiscent of the so-called Scopes Monkey Trial in 1925, conservatives objected to the teaching of evolution as a fact, rather than a theory. Instead, they wanted biology textbooks to give equal space to the so-called scientific theory of creationism, which holds that God created the universe.

A new bogeyman

In 2022, of course, the bogeyman is critical race theory. Emerging from critical legal theory taught in law schools, critical race theory argues that white supremacy has been embedded in American legal and educational institutions since the time of slavery.

In fact, these concepts predated critical race theory, which came on the scene in the late 1970s and 1980s. Activist Stokely Carmichael  also known as Kwame Ture  and political scientist Charles V. Hamilton discussed institutional racism in Black Power: The Politics of Liberation in America in 1967. Institutional racism and structural racism are very similar to systemic racism.

White privilege was discussed by W.E.B. Du Bois in the early 20th century and by civil rights activists in the 1950s and 1960s. Another term associated with critical race theory, the social construction of race, was used by anthropologists like Franz Boas back in the 1950s.

New interpretations

Critical race theorists took these and other concepts, reinterpreted them and applied them to the American legal system. Scholars in education have done the same in trying to understand education as an institution. After 40-plus years of teaching and writing about race and diversity, I know that it is impossible to accurately discuss American racial conflict without using these concepts. But thats what many lawmakers would have American educators do.

According to a Pen America report, a nonprofit that advocates for freedom of expression in literature, 156 educational gag order bills in 39 states have been introduced since January 2021. Twelve have become law in 10 states, and 113 are pending in 35 states. As of March 2022, at least seven states specifically ban the teaching of critical race theory. Cumulatively, says the Pen report, they represent a national assault on our education system, censoring both what teachers can say and what students may learn.

Of course, some white students  and other students, too, for that matter  will feel uncomfortable upon learning not only about the history of American racism but also its present manifestations. Reality is sometimes uncomfortable.

Thats where good teaching comes in. Good teaching means taking the students age into account. It also means being supportive of students who may feel uncomfortable or guilty about certain events in American history.

I always tell students: You are not responsible for what happened in the past. You are responsible to decide what you plan to do in the present and the future.

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Science, politics, religion or just plain interesting articles: Check out The Conversations weekly newsletters.

Fred L. Pincus 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.

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The McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship at Texas A&M held its fifth annual Shark Tank style Aggie PITCH competition Monday where 30 current and former students presented their ideas to potential investors.

With ideas ranging from drone technology to feminine hygiene to a cocktail and mocktail mixer, the 20 current and former students who presented full pitches were selected out of about 100 who applied for the event. An additional 10 entrepreneurs were given the chance to present a one-minute elevator pitch to the sold-out crowd at the Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center.

Steve Greer, a retired HP employee and a member of the Aggie Angel Network and Houston Angel Network, said the competition is a good one for entrepreneurs to gain experience getting up in front of a group of people and defending their ideas and answering difficult questions.

Juan Pablo JP Arevalo, a current student who presented their cocktail mixer company Dry County with his team members said he was grateful to have the experience to meet other entrepreneurs and network with students and potential mentors and investors.

It is that networking that made the McFerrin Center decide to bring the event back as quickly as possible in 2021 after the 2020 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The presentations can be made virtually, but the connections and networking do not translate to a virtual setting, said Blake Petty, executive director of the McFerrin Center.

Entrepreneurship is about a mindset, Petty said, and the events the McFerrin Center offers is about giving students real-life experiences that a classroom setting cannot convey.

Our entire mission is behind giving students the experience of thinking differently, whether thats founding a company or not, he said. Whether its starting their own thing or just even working in a large corporation and solving problems uniquely for that corporation, we want to give them an experience where they can flex that muscle, exercise that muscle, get better at it while theyre students, and give them a better leg up.

This was the second year former students were invited to compete, allowing people who did not know while attending A&M that they would be entrepreneurs to have the same experience and practice.

Stephanie Powell credited a friend whose insight guided her to avoid setbacks as an entrepreneur and said she is using that same advice to help young entrepreneurs prevent pitfalls with their new companies.

She said the pitches were a picture of hope, as the entrepreneurs presented their ideas of solutions to improve the quality of human life with technology.

Its just these individuals that refuse to accept the status quo. They refuse to accept This just is the way that it is. Theyre not going to be told no; theyre not going to be deterred, she said. That, to me, is what hope is all about.

Powell said one of her favorite things is hearing people talk about their passions and seeing that turned into intentions.

We all can be passionate about things, but these are people that werent satisfied just being passionate about it or talking about it; these are people that put the resources they had at their disposal to a solution, she said.

Stacie Thompson, who won first place  and a $7,500 prize  in the former student competition for her product called Ovie, said the competition was a validation as she and her co-founders continue fundraising after developing the idea in 2015.

The money, she said, will go toward purchasing prototypes of the product that is an illuminated button to remind people to eat food in their refrigerator before it spoils. Inspired by the green and red overhead lights in parking garages, the app-connected device indicates green when food is still good based on elapsed time in the fridge, yellow when it should be eaten soon and red when it could be spoiled.

Its great acknowledgement from peers and people that I respect in this room to be able to see the idea that weve had and we had so long ago and really believe in it; it was amazing, she said.

Petty said the variety of industries represented and the range of development stages demonstrates the impact Aggie entrepreneurs have.

An event like this truly does showcase that Aggie entrepreneurs are out doing some amazing things, he said.

Results from the Elevator Pitch Competition: Third place, $750: Unravl Hair, Zanbria Asante; second place, $1,000: Imperium, Donald Bowen; first place, $1,500: South Texas Security Gates, Carson Neal.

Former Student Pitch Competition: Third place, $3,500: SageSpectra, Madi Heck and Mark Golla; second place, $5,000: Clara Orlean; first place, $7,500: Ovie, Wide Afternoon LLC, Stacie Thompson.

Current Student Pitch Competition: Third place, $3,500: Flow-Pax, Haley Clark; second place, $5,000: Teale, Narendra Vishnumolakala and Connor Ust; first place, $7,500: Flux Works LLC, Bryton Praslicka and Daniel Zamarron.

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The HERPS Exotic Reptile and Pet Show will be at the Brazos County Expo in Bryan this weekend. The event will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday and includes vendors with reptiles, amphibians, feeders, supplies and small mammals for sale. Adult tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door.

TUESDAY

EVENTS

Russia, Ukraine and the United States, 6 p.m. online lecture hosted by the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs at the Bush School of Government and Public Service. William Taylor, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine will discuss Russias attack on Ukraine. To register, visit go.theeagle.com/taylor.

Carden Circus, 4 and 7 p.m. performances at the Brazos County Expo, 5827 Leonard Road in Bryan. Tickets are available at spectacularcircus.com. General admission is $10 for children ages 3 to 12 and $20 for adults. Children 2 and under are free.

An Officer and a Gentleman, the Musical, 7:30 p.m. at Rudder Auditorium on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station. Tickets are $26 to $100. boxoffice.tamu.edu.

Brazos County Senior Citizens Association activities, 1402 Bristol St. in Bryan. Dominoes at 9 a.m.; rubber bridge at 1 p.m.; Mexican Train dominoes at 1:30 p.m. No registration necessary.

Tuesday Yoga, 6:15 p.m. at The Boathouse at Millican Reserve, 19851 F.M. 2154 in College Station. The session focuses on stability, core building and balance. All experience levels welcome. Free for members and $10 for non-members. millicanreserve.com/calendar.

English Conversation Circle, 2 to 3 p.m. at Larry J. Ringer Library, 1818 Harvey Mitchell Parkway in College Station. Practice speaking English. All levels welcome. For more information, email handerson@bryantx.gov or call 209-6347.

Babies and Books storytime, 9:30 a.m. at Larry J. Ringer Library, 1818 Harvey Mitchell Parkway in College Station. A storytime for babies who are not yet walking. Registration is required by calling 209-6347.

Brazos Church Pantry food distribution, 9:30 to 11 a.m. at 304 W. 26th St. in Bryan. brazoschurchpantry.org.

Business networking lunch, noon at Ozona Grill & Bar, 520 Harvey Road in College Station. Meet local professionals and make new connections. go.theeagle.com/bni.

Pool tournament, 8 p.m. at Wheels Tavern, 2004 Texas 21 in Bryan. $10 entry.

South Brazos County Farmers Market, noon to 5:30 p.m. at the Baylor Scott & White Clinic parking lot off Glenhaven Drive in College Station.

COVID-19 TESTING

St. Teresa Catholic Church, 201 Hall St. in Bryan, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. On-site registration accepted. curative.com.

New Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 1505 Dansby St. in Bryan, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. On-site registration accepted. curative.com.

Kohls parking lot kiosk, 1509 Texas Ave. in College Station, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. On-site registration accepted. curative.com.

Blinn College, 651 Blinn Blvd. in Brenham, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. On-site registration accepted. curative.com.

Rudder Plaza kiosk, 275 Joe Routt Blvd. on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. For Texas A&M students, faculty and staff members. Appointments required.

Mays Plaza kiosk, 210 Olsen Blvd. on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For Texas A&M students, faculty and staff members. Appointments required.

SUPPORT GROUPS

NAMI Brazos Valley Mental Health family support group, 6:30 to 8 p.m., online and in person at 3705 S. College Ave. in Bryan. Free support group for loved ones of someone with mental health issues. Call 774-4713 for more information. Register at go.theeagle.com/namibv.

EXHIBITS

Oceans of Plastic at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station. A collection of art made from plastic pollution acquired from beaches along the Texas coast. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $9 for adults, and tickets must be purchased at bush41.org/visit/admission.

Unexpected Treasures on the Texas A&M campus, through April 22 at the Cushing Memorial Library and Archives. The exhibit includes rare and unique items from campus collections. It is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Astrophotography: Exploring Celestial Mysteries, through March 19 at the Arts Council of Brazos Valley, 4180 Texas 6 in College Station. A collection of work by Randall Light, a photographer and member of the Brazos Valley Astronomy Club. The gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m.

Lovin That Lone Star Flag, through April 2 at the Arts Council of Brazos Valley, 4180 Texas 6 in College Station. A collection of work by E. Joe Deering. The gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m.

Pulped Under Pressure: The Art of Handmade Paper, through March 20 at the J. Wayne Stark Galleries in the Memorial Student Center on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station. The exhibit features art with traditional papermaking at its core. The gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. tx.ag/pulped.

In Actuality: Social Realism and Its Legacy, through April 10 at the Forsyth Galleries in the Memorial Student Center on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station. The exhibit features more than 40 images by nine photographers, highlighting their contribution to the social realism movement. The gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. tx.ag/inactuality.

Taking Shape: Geometry in Art, through Wednesday at the J. Wayne Stark Galleries in the Memorial Student Center on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station. The exhibit features works by artists who expressed themselves and the world around them through geometric forms, optical illusions and abstraction. The gallery is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. tx.ag/geometry.
The late Sammy Catalena of Bryan is being inducted into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame in April, where he will be honored with the Empty Saddles Award after his death in May 2020.

He was known to the community as a Brazos County Commissioner for Precinct 2, and held many community titles while working in numerous rodeo and ag businesses.

He was the owner of Catalena Hatters and the Texas Rose Boutique, and the Sammy Catalena Rodeo and Livestock Company and was a stock contractor. He was a charter member of the Bryan Breakfast Lions Club, produced the Lions Club PRCA Rodeo in the 1970s and founded the Catalena Cowgirls horseback drill team.

He served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam as a medic in the 9th Infantry Division, and was later a sergeant at Ford Hood. He studied agriculture at Texas A&M University and graduated in 1972.

He and his wife, Carolyn, met when she was 16 and he was 21; they married in 1971 and have three sons, Clay, Travis and Scott. Carolyn works at their hat business and was excited to learn her husband was nominated to the hall of fame.

He made friends very easy. He always had a crowd of people around him ... and he seemed to find good people to be friends with, she said. He was a down-to-earth kind of person and loved later in life to [encourage] younger people and guide them with his thoughts and experiences in life. He had an Italian personality where he flies off the handle real quick but comes back down to earth pretty quick after; he didnt have a problem voicing his opinion whether you wanted to hear it or not.

Carolyn said he loved the Bryan community.

He wanted the best thing for this community, for his family as well as other families, she said.

Bobby Kurtan, the board chair for the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame, said the non-profit started in the 1970s and its motto is promoting the future and preserving the past.

We provide scholarships and we get people put in our hall of fame because of what they have done for rodeos in the past, he said. Sammy won the nomination and went into the Empty Saddles category because he passed away, so there is an empty saddle; and for all the things he did for the rodeo.

Kurtan and Catalena grew up together, and said he was a judge for many of the rodeos Catalena put on.

We have known each other always. He was just a great guy. He had a big community kind of heart, he said. He along with all of the other inductees will be put in the hall of fame, and he will be honored real well up there.

Brazos County Judge Duane Peters, a rancher like Catalena, knew him since they both attended Stephen F. Austin High School in Bryan.

He and I go back to high school days and we touched based in college  we knew each other for years and were good friends, Peters said. When he came on the commissioners court we really became even better friends. I was very happy to see he had been inducted into the hall of fame; it is sad that it was the Empty Saddle Award because he is no longer here, but I would love to have him be here to actually receive the award. I miss him.

Current Precinct 2 Commissioner Russ Ford used to be Catalenas neighbor and also knew him well.

I had often heard the term larger than life and believed that there was no such thing. That was before I met my friend, neighbor and County Commissioner Sammy Catalena, Ford said. Everything he did was done with such flair; his life had an exclamation mark upon it. No words can express the humor, kindness and willingness to help others that this man lived every day of his life.

Ford said Catalena told him: Russ, I would not want to move to D.C. If you can hold on a couple of years I do not plan to run again and you can run for this job.

Ford didnt realize Catalena would not make it to the end of his term.

Even when his health was failing, his kindness and sage advice always helped me, he said.

Former Precinct 2 Commissioner Chuck Konderla said he worked with Catalena through city council matters and while he was serving as county commissioner.

Sammy was a good listener, a strong communicator, had a welcome laugh and was a dedicated servant in his role. He made people feel important and respected, while never taking himself too seriously, he said. His love for his service as commissioner inspired me to seek to serve the same role.

The Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame reception will take place April 8 at the Hall of Fame/Cowboy Coliseum in Fort Worth; the induction ceremony will take place the following day at River Ranch in Fort Worth.

To purchase tickets, visit texasrodeocowboy.com/events.

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Clute, TX (77531)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 76F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 76F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph.
Hamlar-Curtis Funeral Home and Crematory is expanding into Rocky Mount. The Roanoke business will be opening a second location at 195 Maple Avenue in the near future.

The Town of Rocky Mount is happy to welcome Hamlar-Curtis Funeral Home to town. As a well-established practice, they have decades of experience of providing quality care to families as they navigate difficult periods of life. We look forward to them providing those services for Rocky Mount families, Daniel Pinard, cultural and economic development director for the town, said.

Michael L. Hamlar, president and owner, said a Rocky Mount location has been on his mind for years. The decision to do so, he said, made sense given that a significant amount of the funeral homes business is generated out of Franklin County.

The search for a Franklin County location wasnt exactly easy for Hamlar. When he first looked at the Maple Avenue location, he passed on it. But the location kept coming back up in his search. He sensed divine inspiration was trying to tell him something.

Its a good central location for us in the county, he said.

The building previously housed a medical practice run by Drs. J. Francis Amos and Jack Bumgardner Jr. It was called Family Physicians, before becoming Carilion Family Medicine.

Hamlar said, Weve serviced Franklin County the last 70 years. Were just now giving people a more convenient option. They wont have to drive 30 minutes or more, depending on what part of the county theyre in.

While the new location will have multiple viewing rooms, Hamlar explained many of the services he handles in Franklin County take place at churches.

The chapel can accommodate a modest crowd. If a larger space is needed, the funeral home has an agreement to use the Pigg River Community Center. Additionally, a nearby building will be renovated for use as the L.H. Hamlar Event Center for funerals, repasts, weddings, conferences and gatherings.

The Rocky Mount location will have its own staff, but staff from Roanoke will provide assistance when needed.

The expansion comes as the business is celebrating its 70th anniversary. Hamlar-Curtis Funeral Home and Crematory has been owned and operated by four generations of the same family.

Trish White-Boyd, Roanoke vice mayor, views the business as being a pillar of the greater Roanoke community.

The staff has always been wonderful to my family and their professionalism is outstanding, she said. One of the things that really stands out to me is their continued involvement in the community. This is much needed and so important. They have carried on the legacy of founders Lawrence Harrison Larry L.H. Hamlar and Harry C. Curtis, Jr. very well.

While based in Roanoke, the business regularly services families throughout the region. Hamlar explained that when the funeral home first opened in 1952, it had more business in Franklin County than in Roanoke.

Hamlar, 40, is the great-nephew of Lawrence L.H. Larry Harrison Hamlar. Larry, who died in 2003, was a prominent Roanoke civic leader and one of the founders of the funeral home.

We are very proud and honored to continue the Hamlar-Curtis legacy. We recognize the sacrifices our founders; Mr. Lawrence H. Hamlar, Mr. Cecil Curtis and Mrs. Marilyn Curtis, made for the community. They taught us that Hamlar-Curtis is more than just a funeral home, Hamlar said.

The Roanoke location at 1002 Moorman Avenue has been expanded twice. In 1972, a 300-seat chapel, three family rooms and an administrative suite were added. In 2019, the interior working space and facilities were updated.

The business is a member of the Roanoke Regional Chamber. Joyce Waugh, president/CEO, thinks of Hamlar-Curtis as being a community leader.

In todays world, businesses often come and go rather quickly. At 70 years, Hamlar-Curtis Funeral Home has stood the test of time. That takes stamina, quality, leadership, strong staffing, excellent customer service and operations, and a number of other factors, she said.

Hamlar describes the industry he has worked in for the past 18 years as being very humbling due to the fact that he normally deals with families during difficult of times. They trust us with their loved ones. Were definitely grateful to the families, he said.

Hamlar knows what it feels like to grieve a loved one. He was a junior at Wake Forest University when his father passed away. Three weeks later, his uncle passed away. Ive been through all these trials and tribulations and understand what people are going through, but everybody grieves differently, he said.

Given the fact that the business has been around for so long, multiple generations of families have been serviced by Hamlar-Curtis. Hamlar describes the relationships he has with some of his clients as being like extended family.

Continuing the family tradition, Hamlars three children  Simone, Michal and Micah  are also involved in the business. Up until the COVID-19 pandemic started, they regularly worked at the Roanoke location. Their work duties ranged from working with flowers to washing vehicles.

Like most businesses, Hamlar-Curtis felt the impacts of the pandemic over the past two years. The biggest challenge the funeral home faced was acquiring personal protective equipment. Hamlar, who is the president of the Virginia Morticians Association, said it was a problem that nearly all funeral homes faced.

The pandemic also changed the way families said goodbye to their loved ones. Many services were either scrapped or sized down. Coincidentally, the business started offering free live steaming for services shortly before the pandemic started.

Fortunately, Hamlar said, services and visitations are now happening like they did before COVID-19. Masks are required at Hamlar-Curtis facilities.

Hamlar said, We believe weve been doing something right for the last 70 years and we look forward to 70 more.

Sherman Lea, Roanoke mayor, agrees that Hamlar-Curtis has been doing something right. Very professional and caring  takes time to explain all details and guides you through the process. In the passing of my wife, they assured our family that all of our wishes would be taken care of, he said. I recommend them highly.

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Samsung on Monday confirmed a security breach that resulted in the exposure of internal company data, including the source code related to its Galaxy smartphones.

"According to our initial analysis, the breach involves some source code relating to the operation of Galaxy devices, but does not include the personal information of our consumers or employees," the electronics giant told Bloomberg.

The South Korean chaebol also confirmed that it doesn't anticipate any impact to its business or its customers as a result of the incident and that it has implemented new security measures to prevent such breaches in the future.

The confirmation comes after the LAPSUS$ hacking group dumped 190GB of Samsung data on its Telegram channel towards the end of last week, allegedly exposing the source code for trusted applets installed within TrustZone, algorithms for biometric authentication, bootloaders for recent devices, and even confidential data from its chip supplier Qualcomm.

The news of the leak was first reported by Bleeping Computer on March 4, 2022.

If the name LAPSUS$ rings familiar, it's the same extortionist gang that made away with a 1TB trove of proprietary data from NVIDIA last month, namely employee credentials, schematics, driver source code, and information pertaining to the latest graphics chips.

The group, which first emerged in late December 2021, also placed an unusual demand urging the company to open-source its GPU drivers forever and remove its Ethereum cryptocurrency mining cap from all NVIDIA 30-series GPUs to prevent more leaks.

It's not immediately clear if LAPSUS$ has made any similar demands to Samsung before publishing the information.

The fallout from the NVIDIA leaks has also led to the release of "over 70,000 employee email addresses and NTLM password hashes, many of which were subsequently cracked and circulated within the hacking community."

That's not all. Two code-signing certificates included in cache dump from NVIDIA have been used to sign malicious Windows drivers and other tools often used by hacking crews, namely Cobalt Strike beacons, Mimikatz, and other remote access trojans.

"Threat actors started on 1st March, a day after torrent [was] posted," security researcher Kevin Beaumont said in a tweet last week.
Spring is right around the corner and that means planting season will be here soon. Are you wanting to try something new on your operation this year?

Participating in on-farm research is a great way for producers to test out different products, practices and equipment on a smaller scale. Most research studies utilize small plots which works great for testing various treatments in a field, but it doesnt really tell the producer anything.

Another common problem with trying out these products or practices is they are often implemented across the entire field without proper randomization and replication, so we really dont know statistically speaking if that product or practice really worked or not. Each field and operation is unique and therefore needs to be treated as such.

Producers are the ones who know their equipment, field history and environmental conditions better than anyone. Therefore, producer involvement in on-farm research is key.

Producers interested in conducting on-farm research will work closely with local Extension professionals to design a study that will help answer their questions.

Producer involvement is essential to ensure their goals and objectives are met. The question many producers ask though is, how much time do I need to delegate towards doing on-farm research? It really depends on how involved they want to be. Other than sitting down prior to planting to discuss the details of the study, the producer uses their own equipment to plant, make in-season applications and harvest.

After that, its up to them if they want to collect any other in-season data, which could include stand counts or other field measurements based on the goals and objectives for the study. If producers dont have time to collect in-season data, Extension professionals are there to help.

If youre at all curious about participating in on-farm research, look at our website: https://on-farm-research.unl.edu/.

Producers can click on the Explore Research Results tab which shares information about results publications and a searchable results database. Under the Get Started tab, you can learn about field protocols, how to conduct on-farm research, and what your role is as a producer.

There are also several videos and articles about studies and the importance of on-farm research.

Contact your local Extension Office or the folks at the On-Farm Research Network, 402-245-2222 or onfarm@unl.edu, if you have questions or would like to participate in on-farm research this year.

Ag Budget Calculator workshop March 16

Nebraska Extension is hosting a series of workshops across the state this month focusing on a new online Agricultural Budget Calculator (ABC) tool.

The Ag Budget Calculator is a free tool that focuses on budgeting and decision making to assist producers to determine cost of production, projected cash and economic returns for their farm or ranch enterprise.

Workshop topics include downloading and using UNL crop budgets, creating customized crop budgets, entering field operations and material inputs to determine costs on a per-field basis, generate enterprise reports that include cash costs, economic costs, and anticipated returns, and using analysis features including risk modules.

The closest workshop is planned for 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 16, in the Phelps County Ag Center at 1308 Second St. in Holdrege. Participants are encouraged to bring their own laptop computer and budgets to work through during class. If participants cant bring their own laptop, computers will be available to use throughout the workshop. The workshop is free to attend, but pre-registration is required to ensure enough materials are provided for the class.

Those interested can register online at5 https://cap.unl.edu/abc) or by contacting the Phelps County Extension Office at 308-995-4222.

More information can be found online at https://cropwatch.unl.edu/2022/unl-offering-training-workshops-new-ag-budget-calculator-tool) or by contacting Glennis McClure, Extension Educator in Agricultural Economics, at 402-472-0661 or gmcclure3@unl.edu.

Sarah Sivits is the Dawson County Extension educator in crops and water, and serves Dawson, Buffalo and Hall counties. Contact her at 308-324-5501 or by email at ssivits@unl.edu.

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CENTRAL CITY  Two Central City women hope to foster positive changes with a new business they have started in their community.

Jamie Wright and Shauna Graham have opened All The Things Boutique at 1613 16th St. in Central City. Their store is a childrens boutique; along with childrens clothing, the store also carries a wide selection of toys and accessories.

Were selling quite a few different things here, said Graham. For lack of a better name, we came up with All The Things.

For Wright, the clothing end of the store is an extension of her successful home online business, which is a franchise of the popular California-based DotDotSmile.

DotDotSmile was founded in 2017, and was designed to empower motivated people to start their own, independent businesses.

Wright is one of the companys top retailers in the country. The company specializes in childrens clothing.

But her success in selling childrens clothing caused her business to outgrow her home.

It essentially took over my house, Wright said. People have been saying for a while that I need to open a store.

She was resistant about starting an actual brick and mortar at first.

Im like, No, I dont want to do that, Wright said. Then Shauna was like, Hey, we should open a store.

After a bit of persuasion, Wright decided to join forces with Graham and open All The Things Boutique.

The store opened over the weekend.

The two had been friends for many years. Between them, they have seven children.

In 2020, Graham started a company called You Are Worth It. The business sells gift boxes during the Christmas and Easter season. She and her husband started it not only as a family activity, but also a learning tool for her daughter, Bailey, who has Down syndrome.

Bailey decides what goes into the gift boxes, which are named Baileys Boxes. The gift boxes are targeted at kids 2-12. The business has quickly caught on with families, and they ship Bailey Boxes across the country.

In a story published last year in the Grand Island Independent, it said that project began after Bailey, a fifth-grader, filled out a questionnaire in her language arts class.

In the questionnaire, Bailey wrote that she wanted to operate a toy store and that she was an expert on toys, candy and ice cream.

Graham said it was Baileys dream job.

With the help of her parents, Baileys dream job became a reality and the family were all pitching in and sending Baileys Boxes across the country. They are preparing to start next week selling the Bailey Boxes for the upcoming Easter season week.

So far, they have shipped more than 1,500 Baileys Boxes nationwide.

With Graham selling childrens toys and goodies, Bailey picking out items for her boxes, and Wrights successful online childrens clothing business, it seemed like a good fit to join forces and start their own store.

It just seemed like a good fit to bring the two businesses together and expand on it, Wright said.

Bailey will also be working at the store, along with preparing her Bailey Boxes for the Easter season.

Part of my wish and hope behind creating the store here is I really want to find meaningful employment for her when shes older and I want her to find her purpose in life, Graham said.

Bailey is 12 years old and is in the sixth grade.

I know we have a ways before shes graduated and out in the world, but I really want her to have a business that she can take pride in, Graham said.

And for Graham, she wants Baileys example to serve as an example of what can be done to help children with special needs successfully meet the prospects and opportunities of an active adult life.

We want her to be engaged with customers as they come in, ringing them up, putting their stuff in a bag and all of those things, Graham said. These are skills that I think will be very helpful for her as she gets older.

Wright said it made sense bringing the two businesses together in one store.

It was one our driving forces to do this, she said.

Also, Wright said, All the Things Boutique brings another layer of diversity to Central Citys business community. She said the store is a one-stop-shop for all things kids, such as clothing, toys, gifts and goodies.

You know, it just seems like its something that theres not a lot of here and that it would be appealing and fill a hole in the community, Wright said.

As a mother of five children, Graham said she knows the appeal of a one-stop-shop when it comes to outfitting her children and getting the necessary supplies and accessories they need. The store also offers screen printing.

We can we can pretty much design and print anything, Graham said.

From the beginning Graham's goal was to create a place where people can shop locally. "But, also, I really want to create this business for Bailey when shes older.

For Wright, it was to expand on an already successful business that had created.

I want to expand on my business in a way that more greatly benefits the community, she said. I feel like weve done a lot of work to make this a fun and welcoming place. We are super excited to have everybody come in here and even just stop and say 'hi' and introduce more people to the things that were offering.

To learn more, visit Jamie Wrights DotDotSmile Facebook page; www.grahampartyof7.com to learn about Baileys Boxes; and All The Things on Facebook.

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YORK -- Every year, schools across the country including York Elementary School celebrate National Read Across America Week created by the National Education Association. The week was originally created to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Seuss on March 2. During the week, the youth were encouraged to pick up a book, newspaper, or magazine of their choice and enjoy the magic of reading.

York Elementary School had a whole week of activities that challenged students to read a variety of books. This years theme for Read Across America was PAWS for Reading.

Elementary instructor Elizabeth Kavan said, Classes took time to pause each day to read silently or for the teacher to do a class read aloud.

Throughout the week, students dressed up in animal print clothing, played a variety of games, put together puzzles, read classic story felt storyboards, and explored a Dr. Seuss themed website.

Even though National Read Across America Week is over, York Elementary School will continue to encourage students to discover new books, authors, and different genres. There are multiple ways reading can be made fun. Kavan said, At York Elementary, we encourage our students to read every day. We talk about all the places they can read like the car, while swinging, with a pet or friend, or in a fort with a flashlight.

In addition to taking the time to pause and read, York Elementary students gave back to their furry friends at York Adopt-A-Pet. Many of our students have volunteered or visited York Adopt-A- Pet and are familiar with their mission for helping animals, Kavan said. It is always fun to see the big hearts of our students when they can do something to give back and help others.

Debbie Sanders from York Adopt A Pet said she and the organization wanted to give a Paws Up to the elementary kids for their donations to YAAP during their Paws For Reading event. A special thank you to Mrs. Kavan for her assistance and delivery of the donations. The dogs and cats are so appreciative of their kindness.
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In other business

 Change in zoning from one-family to multiple-family at 2340 Cherry Street.

Change in zoning from commercial to multiple-family at 1306 Bonham Street and 35 13th NW Street for apartments

 Change in zoning from two-family to multiple family at 912 E. Price Street.

 Preliminary plat approval of the Michaels 195 Addition at 5050 FM 195.

 Preliminary plat approval of the Hill 48 Addition at 1269 Graham Street.

 Final plat of the Stone Ridge Estates Addition phase 10 and 11 off FM 195.
Canned fish and seafood may not sound appetizing. In an overly Instagrammable food world, it isnt a favorite among content creators. It is, however, versatile, nutritious and relatively inexpensive. Canned fish and seafood is also convenient in areas of the U.S. where fresh versions of the same are difficult to obtain. A variety of fish and seafood comes in cans, pouches and tins; anchovies, clams, crab, oysters, salmon, sardines and tuna are a few examples.

Of these, canned tuna may be the most common, as it was a pantry staple in mid-20th century America. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, canned tuna consumption dropped 42% since the 1980s. Even so, Americans still eat 1 billion pounds of canned and pouched tuna annually, according to the National Fisheries Institute.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic caused a spike in canned fish and seafood sales, with canned tuna sales doubling in the first few months of the pandemic. Canned fish and seafood, on the whole, is an inexpensive protein source with added nutritional value and long shelf life. This, at least in part, caused the spike in demand. We were scrambling to stock our pantries in a time when panic shopping was depleting grocery store shelves. Follow this with advertising campaigns from the top canned tuna companies that target younger generations and the demand for canned tuna remains high.

In pre-pandemic pantries, this little can remained a staple among Baby Boomers and my fellow Gen Xers (thanks, Mom). Tuna noodle casserole was one of my moms go-to weeknight meals. It combined convenience foods like canned tuna and canned soup with macaroni, peas and a lot of cheese. Fried onions or crackers gave a little crunch. It was inexpensive and convenient to prepare, yet comforting to the soul. It was also the first meal I made myself when I moved into my first apartment.

Along with tuna salad sandwiches, tuna casserole continues to be a favorite among many families. However, these arent the only ways to use canned tuna  or its other fish and seafood counterparts. Armed with a little inspiration and creativity, you can make delicious meals from small cans and tins of protein packed goodness.

Tinned anchovies are a main ingredient for homemade Caesar salad dressing and a variety of Italian dishes; they melt away almost completely when sauteed in oil. Canned clams are perfect for clam chowder  New England or Manhattan  and linguine with clam sauce. Canned crab meat works well for she-crab soup or crab cakes. Canned whole oysters work in soups, stews, chowders and oyster dressing. They can also be fried. Tinned smoked oysters are delicious made into a cracker spread.

There are myriad things you can do with canned tuna, too. Tuna cakes are a quick and delicious meal and can be reheated for sandwiches the next day. Tuna can be transformed into spreads and pates and served as an appetizer with crackers. Tuna salad on cream puffs or croissants is a step-up from the standard lunch-time sandwich. It can also be stuffed unto hulled tomatoes, topped with cheddar cheese and broiled. Use canned salmon in the same ways, just make sure you check for bones as you are working with the salmon.

With so many ways to use canned tuna, other fish and seafood, it is easy to see why these products remain key items on our grocery shopping lists. Now, head into your kitchen and make some smoked oyster spread.

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Photo taken on March 6, 2022 shows models displayed at the China Defence exhibition area of the first World Defense show, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia inaugurated on Sunday the first edition of the World Defense Show in Riyadh. The four-day show, which includes 15 national pavilions with a total exhibition area of 900,000 square meters, attracts more than 600 exhibitors from 45 countries and regions. (Xinhua/Wang Haizhou)

RIYADH, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia inaugurated on Sunday the first edition of the World Defense Show in Riyadh.

The four-day show, which includes 15 national pavilions with a total exhibition area of 900,000 square meters, attracts more than 600 exhibitors from 45 countries and regions.

Founded by Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), the World Defense Show is set to be held every two years by showcasing the latest technological developments from around the globe.

GAMI Governor Ahmad Al-Ohali said that the show marks an important milestone in the kingdom's journey towards localizing 50 percent of its military expenditure by 2030.

"There has never been a better time to partner with Saudi Arabia's defense and security ecosystem as we continue to transform a nascent industry with immense potential," he added.

Eight Chinese companies joined the exhibition, including China Aerospace Long March International Trading Co. (ALIT), China National Precision Machinery Import & Export Corporation, China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation, China Shipbuilding Trading Co., Ltd(CSTC), China North Industries Corp. (NORINCO), CETC International Co., Ltd, ELINC China Co.,Ltd (ELINC), Poly Technologies Inc.

The Chinese delegation exhibits multi-type UAVs such as YL-2, CH-5, WJ-700, Yun-9E transport aircraft, LY-80 air defense system, 155mm self-propelled gun, SR5 multiple rocket system, JY-27A anti-air warning radar, electronic warfare defense system, multi-purpose unmanned boat, anti-drone system and other high-end equipments.

Shen Yujie, the general representative of NORINCO office in Saudi Arabia, told Xinhua that this defense show provides a platform for exhibitors from all over the world to display cutting-edge equipment in the field of defense and security, and to exchange and learn from each other.

"NORINCO carefully selected products suitable for the Middle East market to participate in the first exhibition. The two actual installations of the 155mm self-propelled gun and the SR5 multiple rocket system on display attracted the attention of many visitors," Shen said.

"We hope the show could further improve the influence and image of Chinese defense industries," he added.

The event is tailored to provide a unique platform for networking, collaboration, knowledge-sharing and discovery of new innovations.

Meanwhile, a Start-Up Zone hosts the latest technologies driven by small and medium companies from around the world, introducing their products to industry decision-makers, investors and venture capital firms.

The show also features themed panel discussions and keynote presentations. 

Photo taken on March 6, 2022 shows models displayed at the China Defence exhibition area of the first World Defense show, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia inaugurated on Sunday the first edition of the World Defense Show in Riyadh. The four-day show, which includes 15 national pavilions with a total exhibition area of 900,000 square meters, attracts more than 600 exhibitors from 45 countries and regions. (Xinhua/Wang Haizhou)

People visit the China Defence exhibition area of the first World Defense show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, March 6, 2022. Saudi Arabia inaugurated on Sunday the first edition of the World Defense Show in Riyadh. The four-day show, which includes 15 national pavilions with a total exhibition area of 900,000 square meters, attracts more than 600 exhibitors from 45 countries and regions. (Xinhua/Wang Haizhou)

Photo taken on March 6, 2022 shows the China Defence exhibition area of the first World Defense show, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia inaugurated on Sunday the first edition of the World Defense Show in Riyadh. The four-day show, which includes 15 national pavilions with a total exhibition area of 900,000 square meters, attracts more than 600 exhibitors from 45 countries and regions. (Xinhua/Wang Haizhou)
JACKSON COUNTY  A Carbondale man has been found guilty following a 2019 shooting.

Antonio Watson, 40, was found guilty on Thursday of armed habitual criminal, which is a Class X felony, according to the Jackson County States Attorneys office.

Watsons charge carries a potential sentence of between six and 30 years in prison, and he is not eligible to receive a sentence of probation or conditional discharge.

Watsons charge arose from an Oct. 20, 2019 incident near the intersection of West Main and North Springer streets in Carbondale.

Watson used a handgun to pistol whip and then shoot victim Rafael Jordan, according to a release from Jackson County States Attorney Joe Cervantez's office.

Jordan survived the shooting but later died in an unrelated automobile accident.

The only eyewitness to the shooting was Jordan.

However, Jackson County Assistant States Attorney Jayson Clark secured a conviction at trial relating to Watsons possession of the firearm.

He did this through the testimony of an 18-year-old woman who saw Watson in possession of the firearm but did not see the shooting.

Cervantez is proud to report that the witness cooperated with the investigation and prosecution despite receiving repeated threats relating to her testimony, according to the release.

Watson will remain in the custody of the Jackson County Jail without bond until his sentencing hearing at 9 a.m. July 14, 2022, in courtroom 2.

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A third individual has been sentenced for her involvement in a three-year identity theft scam.

From 2015 through 2018, Jasmine Davison her fellow conspirators Michael Henderson, Kyetia Hines and Antoinette Davis allegedly used stolen names and social security numbers of real people to set up new cellular service accounts at Sprint stores across Southern Illinois, according to a news release from the Southern District of Illinois prosecutors' office.

The fraud was committed in St. Clair and Madison counties from roughly Oct. 29, 2015, to May 14, 2018, according to Pacer.

The goal of the fraud was to acquire cellular telephones without paying for them to then resell the phones to other cellular retail stores for cash, according to the original indictment document.

Davison was sentenced on Friday, March 4, of this year to 18 months in prison to run consecutively, according to the release.

The court asked that Davison be considered for the Residential Drug Abuse Program or that she receive other substance abuse treatment, documents show.

The Court also recommended her placement at a facility near her home to allow her to be close to her young children, documents state.

Upon release from imprisonment, Davison shall be on supervised release for a term of three years to run consecutively.

Henderson was sentenced on Feb. 18, 2021, to serve 24 months and one day in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to Pacer.

Hines was sentenced on May 5, 2021 to serve 28 months in prison. Four will run concurrently with a prior sentence.

She was sentenced for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to court records

The fourth defendant, Davis, will be sentenced at 10:30 a.m. on March 31, 2020, according to court records.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Cahokia Police Department.

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After more than a year and a half at the helm of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Chancellor Austin A. Lane has released a strategic plan to guide the institutions future, but he is adamant that it is not solely his plan.

Lane said the strategic plan, titled Imagine 2030 is the result of input from a wide range of constituencies including current and former students, faculty and other stakeholders, information gathered during what he called the learning and listening tour of his first few months after becoming chancellor in July 2020.

Imagine 2030 is not the chancellors plan; it belongs to the entire university, Lane said. Being able to get the thoughts, emotions and feelings of our faculty, staff, students, alumni, community members and others who helped to contribute to the plan when I was on the learning and listening tour means a lot. It is the entire universitys plan on how we will be moving forward.

The strategic plan is the first for SIU since 2014 and is based on what Lane called five pillars to guide the university on the prioritization of staffing, funding and execution. He said those areas  Student success and engagement; diversity equity and inclusion; branding and partnerships; research and innovation; and sustainability  will be the focus campus wide in the coming years.

Now that the plan has been released, Lane said next steps are implementation and measurement.

The easy part was getting the feedback and data to set the five pillars. The tough part is now putting it into what we call our annual cycle of effectiveness, Lane said, explaining that university leaders are now setting measures and targets which will be monitored regularly. In each of those pillars, will have embedded a target that we are trying to hit. That will keep the plan alive.

Lane said various metrics, measures and targets within the plan will be used to measure success.

The document is a document that is breathing, is alive, he said.

He added that the strategic plan is designed to look forward, not to the past.

I remember when I arrived, a lot of people talked about what we used to be. They talked about we used to be this, enrollment used to be that and we used to be this and that and the other, but not to dismiss the past, but if we shift toward the future and start imagining what we can become, we can change the culture of the institution he said.

Lane said the word Imagine is a key part of both the plan and SIUs future.

"When you are imagining, you are being positive. When you are imagine youre dreaming, you are not being negative. Youre not thinking of what you cant achieve. In the heart of it, imagine is trying to show that we can start and go anywhere, he said. I am very excited about this. Weve been quite some years without a strategic plan or at least a uniform and collaborative direction where we want to take the university. It is really incumbent upon us to make sure that we are strategically trying to provide access and opportunities.

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SIU Chancellor Austin A. Lane signed Saluki Step Ahead program agreements with St. Louis Community College and Southwestern Illinois College last week, which gives students from those institutions the ability to earn bachelors degrees from SIU remotely and at lower costs.

The two metro colleges are the latest to enter Saluki Step Ahead agreements with SIU. The program covers accounting, business administration, criminology and criminal justice, health care management, psychology and radiologic sciences programs.

Our agreements with SWIC and STLCC fit well with our Imagine 2030 strategic plan, which includes pillars for student success and partnerships, Lane said. We are proud of our beautiful campus and the first-rate education and unique opportunities we provide. But we understand not all students can move to Carbondale to complete their education, so we will bring SIU Carbondale to them."
In the wake of rising healthcare costs, high deductibles and many American workers not qualifying for employer-based health insurance, readers suggest expanding Medicare into Medicare for All.
This article was originally published in Stories@Gilead

Dr. Dwaun Warmack was just miles from the town of Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014 when the police shooting death of teenager Mike Brown ignited unrest and sparked national debate about the relationship between the Black community and law enforcement.

At the time, Warmack was nearly a month into his new role as president of nearby Harris-Stowe State University. He says Browns death was deeply felt by the campus community given that 40% of the students hailed from Ferguson. To help the community heal, learn and move forward, he made sure that all the ensuing conversations with police, municipalities, leaders and legislators were held on campus.

We had a civic and moral responsibility to be the think tank to help the community heal, Warmack said. I dont believe social justice is an activity or event. Its who you are as a university. Its in the DNA.

Today, hes the president of Claflin University, one of the nations top 10 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), where his longstanding commitment to social justice aligns with the universitys foundation. He explains how Claflin, which opened in 1869, was founded on basic social justice principles and became the first institution in the country to award a degree to a woman of any race or background.

Soon after joining Claflin in 2019, the university established the Center for Social Justice, which is supported by Gileads Racial Equity Community Impact Fund. He views the Center for Social Justice as a vehicle for transforming attitudes and thinking about race while also reshaping systems that have historically disadvantaged Black communities. The center currently conducts diversity, equity and inclusion training for police departments, civic governments and corporations around the country. Its also focused on health disparities, conducting research on why Blacks suffer disproportionately from conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and most recently, COVID-19.

Blacks are dying at a higher rate than anyone else of COVID-19, but COVID is not racist, Warmack says. Rather, Blacks are impacted by a range of socioeconomic factors such as lack of access to quality health care, he explains. To help remedy the problem, Claflin is forming a partnership with a major healthcare company to provide telehealth services to rural communities in South Carolina using a home-based technology. The goal is to develop a model that can be adapted for use throughout the state.

Early last year, the center launched a Pathways from Prison education program, in which some 100 incarcerated individuals in South Carolina are working toward their college degrees. Warmack understands the value that education brings as he had to fight against prevailing social forces to become the first member of his family to go to college. His grandmother was a sharecropper and his father was incarcerated when he was a child. His mother, who raised him and four other siblings, had limited schooling but recognized the importance of education and preached that it was the great equalizer.

While he admits he wasnt the best student in high school, Warmack was fortunate to have a guardian angel and mentors who believed in him and showed him the way, even guiding him through the process of applying for college financial aid.

I am unapologetic about mentoring young people, he said. Its our mission to academically, personally, socially and spiritually develop students.

Warmack notes that HBCUs have been fundamental to building a class of Black professionals in the United States. Though HBCUs represent fewer than 3% of colleges and universities in the country, they produce 23% of the countrys Black graduates. Some 40% of Black individuals with STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) degrees were educated at HBCUs, and 70% of Black dentists and doctors practicing today attended HBCUs. He says these colleges and universities succeed by creating a nurturing environment that takes a holistic approach to educating students.

At HBCUs, no matter how you come in, you are much better when you get out, he says. Its important that our students have real impact, to create a more just society for all.

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This story was produced in collaboration with The Kingstree News, an Uncovered partner.

KINGSTREE  A Williamsburg County official is under investigation by the State Law Enforcement Division after giving herself a $30,000 raise last year from a pot of federal money she controls, an Uncovered examination has found.

Sharon Staggers, who has served as Williamsburg Countys clerk of court for the past decade, showered herself and her nine-person staff with payments from a little-known fund that was created to enhance child support enforcement efforts, according to records obtained by The Post and Courier on March 7 through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Staggers annual pay ballooned to more than $92,900 with the payout, nearly surpassing the county sheriffs salary. Fellow officials say the raise reeks of self-service in a county where the median household income is less than $32,500 and more than a quarter of residents live in poverty.

Im just against stuff like that, Williamsburg County Councilman Eddie Woods said. Maybe legally its not wrong, but morally it certainly is. Thats something the citizens need to be aware of.

Staggers, a Democrat first elected in 2012, didnt return messages seeking comment and declined to speak with a Kingstree News reporter who approached her at her office on March 7, referring all questions to county attorney Billy Jenkinson.

But Jenkinson himself could offer no explanation for the raise, even after spending weeks digging into the matter to respond to the newspapers FOIA request.

Jenkinson said the county has asked the state Department of Social Services, which oversees South Carolinas child support program, to weigh in on whether it was appropriate for Staggers to boost her own pay with federal dollars. Key to answering that question is a vague set of federal guidelines outlining how the states 46 clerks of court can spend mounds of tax dollars.

When you find out more, let me know, Jenkinson told a reporter. Im curious to know myself. We dont know the answers.

DSS officials were unavailable for comment late March 7.

The Post and Courier and Kingstree News dug into Staggers spending as part of Uncovered, an effort to partner with local newspapers to investigate questionable conduct by officials in small-town South Carolina.

Questions about Staggers pay have circulated among Williamsburg County leaders for months, ever since County Supervisor Tiffany Cooks learned of the raise and brought it to the attention of County Council.

Councilman Joe Miller said he was shocked. His outrage grew when he learned County Council couldnt stop it since this pot of federal money is controlled exclusively by the clerk of court.

Thats why faith in the government now is eroding because we really dont act like were stewards of the citizens money, Miller said. We just go around spending money, doing what we want to do, saying nothing can happen to us.

Word of the raise reached SLEDs offices in Columbia.

UNCOVERED: Shedding light on questionable government conduct The Post and Courier of Charleston has launched Uncovered, a project to cast new light on questionable government conduct, especially in sma

SLED agents are investigating the Williamsburg County Clerk of Courts Office, SLED spokesman Ryan Alphin confirmed March 7. No additional information is available at this time while agents continue to investigate.

Financial records and emails obtained by the newspaper show county officials struggling to follow the money trail. Payouts came from a fund called Title IV-D  money the federal government sends to states to pay for their child support programs.

Included in the 147 pages of records was a scanned copy of a 1995 opinion from the state Attorney Generals Office about whether counties must follow standard purchasing rules when they spend Title IV-D money.

In January, Jenkinson asked the countys chief of finance, Liz Nelson, for help understanding the flurry of checks and payments.

Is this in addition to regular pay they receive? he asked. Help me get a grip on what is going on with the employees pay please.

I need to get my head wrapped around this, he wrote in a follow-up email.

Records show Staggers provided county officials with a 2015 email from DSS advising the states 46 clerks of court that they could use Title IV-D money to pay salaries for employees in their office, with some exceptions. It did not clearly say whether clerks could boost their own pay with the money.

County emails indicate the payments were distributed in a series of incentive payments to Staggers and her staff. The clerks Christmastime haul? $8,000.

Brandon Alter of The Kingstree News contributed to this report.

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For the past decade, South Carolina has seen one county sheriff after another violate laws they swore to uphold.

And as the train of scandals grew longer, John Crangle, the states gruffest government watchdog, lobbied lawmakers to do something to curb the misconduct  efforts that typically fell on deaf ears.

Then Crangle stumbled on an old South Carolina law. A very old law.

One that had long been ignored.

Dating back to 1837, the law says the attorney general and solicitors should do regular examinations of sheriffs, along with other county offices.

I couldnt believe it, Crangle said. This statute would do two things: provide oversight and deter misconduct.

Or it could be repealed. Legislation slowly working through the General Assembly would strike this long-ignored imperative. The bill is currently in the state Senate.

Some background: The laws official designation is Title 1, Section 1-7-730: Examination of offices of county officers.

And its archaic language hints at its age. Specifically, the law says the attorney general and solicitors should:

 examine into the condition of the offices of the clerk of the court of common pleas and general sessions, of the sheriff and of the register of deeds in the counties of the respective solicitors and ascertain if such officers have discharged the duties which now are, or shall be, required of them.

The attorney general and solicitors are supposed to submit annual reports to the General Assembly and state courts.

After coming across the law, Crangle polled solicitors, circuit courts and clerks with the General Assembly.

No one has done any of the reports as far as I can tell, he said.

A spokesman for Attorney General Alan Wilson confirmed the agency hasnt followed this law  and doesnt intend to in the future.

We are aware of the law but it has never been implemented, at least not in more than a century, said Robert Kittle, communications director. Its one of many outdated laws that are still on the books.

Kittle noted that lawmakers passed it in the 1830s, before they ratified the states current constitution. From a practical standpoint, solicitors simply wouldnt have enough auditors to comply, he said.

He added that the attorney general is a prosecutorial agency, not a regulatory one, and that theres a long list of those elected officials our office has prosecuted.

In fact, since 2010, 15 sheriffs have been charged with crimes and a 16th died before charges could be brought. This includes recent corruption cases against former Chester County Sheriff Alex Underwood, former Colleton County Sheriff Andy Strickland and ex-Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone.

Its a litany of crime that affected one out of three South Carolina counties  so embarrassing that Gov. Henry McMaster earlier this year called for legislation requiring sheriffs undergo annual ethics training.

UNCOVERED: Shedding light on questionable government conduct The Post and Courier of Charleston has launched Uncovered, a project to cast new light on questionable government conduct, especially in sma

Crangle said the sheriffs themselves have demonstrated they cant police themselves. He hopes that old law might be a new tool of deterrence. He said hes spoken with lawmakers, sheriffs and solicitors. Hes asked solicitors to do a demonstration project. Hes thinking about filing a lawsuit if officials continue to ignore the problem.

Nobody is doing what theyre supposed to under the law, he said.

Then-Chester County Sheriff Alex Underwood leveraged his powerful position to benefit himself, a pattern of behavior that would ultimately catch the attention of federal investigators and play out in a high-stakes criminal trial. File/The News and Reporter

First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe, who led the Statehouse corruption probe, said he knows of no one who has used the law, but that doesnt mean it might not still be a valuable tool. The timing on the effort to strike the law is curious, he said, given the number of sheriff scandals and incidents involving other officials mentioned in the statute.

Charleston Countys Register of Deeds, for example, has been embroiled in controversy over sometimes monthslong delays in the recording of property sales and other time-sensitive legal documents. And more than a half-dozen court clerks or their staff have been accused of embezzlement or other misdeeds around the state since 2010, according to The Post and Couriers corruption database.

Why would you repeal it now? Pascoe said of the law. It might be good for the attorney general or solicitors to look at some of these offices.

Jarrod Bruder, executive director of the S.C. Sheriffs Association, said his group has no official position on the law.

He said his group has stepped up ethics training and is trying to find ways to hold each other accountable.

But given the variety of crimes the states sheriffs have committed, he said: I just dont know how you guard against those bad decisions.

Some solicitors are leery about the old laws requirements.

Fourteenth Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone said he was familiar with the statute but has never heard of anyone actually using it.

Part of the reason, he said, is that it is a vague directive that offers no clear guidance as to how such an examination should be done.

Its asking you to try to analyze someones job and how they do it, he said. But I have never been a sheriff or a clerk of court.

Stone oversees prosecutions in Allendale, Hampton, Jasper, Beaufort and Colleton counties. And he also serves as chairman of the state prosecutors coordinating commission, a panel of law enforcement officials that looked at the law in 2018.

The panels members couldnt find any evidence that it had been followed. It found that doing a proper investigation into a county-elected official might take a full year. The agency recommended lawmakers either eliminate the old law or find a way for solicitors to enforce it. And in late 2020, two coastal state representatives  Weston Newton, R-Beaufort, and Jeff Johnson, R-Horry  introduced the bill to repeal it.

Johnson, a member of the Legislative Oversight Committee, said the bill was part of his panels ongoing effort to get rid of antiquated laws. In the 1830s, counties were smaller so it might not have been so expensive to do what the law required, he said. But now it would be very costly to taxpayers.

But Jessica Pishko, a lawyer and former fellow at the University of South Carolina who researched corrupt sheriffs, said she thought the law was still useful.

Its not as though South Carolina sheriffs are known for their upstanding behavior, she said, adding that the law itself dents the often-repeated argument by sheriffs that elections serve as the ultimate form of oversight.

Because the law is from the 1830s, this implies that for almost 200 years legislators have understood that local officials, like sheriffs, need oversight, she said.

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Conventional wisdom has it that if Old Man Winter doesnt hit hard by mid-March, the reality of springtime is at hand. Most people are ready for it.

You might not consider it as such, but disaster officials look at springtime as the mean season. Some of the worst isolated damage from thunderstorms and tornadoes has occurred during March, April and May. Just ask Branchville after the devastating tornado in March 2008. And no one will forget the deadly tornadoes in Neeses and other local sites in April 2020.

During springtime months, the atmosphere is in transition from cold to warm. Air masses often times interact, resulting in turbulent weather conditions. Each year hundreds of communities and lives are shattered as a result of such weather disasters.

Amid the threat of severe weather, disaster officials often issue special warnings via the state emergency-response system. To ensure readiness, the S.C. Emergency Management Division annually designates South Carolina Severe Weather and Flood Safety Week. This years observance began Sunday.

The South Carolina Emergency Management Division, the National Weather Service and the South Carolina Broadcasters Association jointly sponsor the week to remind people that severe storms, tornadoes and flash floods are significant hazards in South Carolina and people need to take proper safety precautions.

SCEMD and the National Weather Service are promoting awareness of procedures that help keep you safe during tornadoes.

A highlight of the week will be the annual statewide tornado drill. The state superintendent of education is encouraging schools statewide to participate in the drill.

South Carolina has received a waiver from the Federal Communications Commission to use the Tornado Warning product on NOAA tone-alert weather radio when the drill is conducted. During the drill, the National Weather Service will use a real-event code, TOR. The TOR code will activate tone-alert weather radios that are set to receive tornado warnings, and those radios will broadcast the exercise message.

The drill will be conducted Wednesday, March 9, at 9 a.m. Public schools, state and local Emergency Management, the S.C. Broadcasters Association and others will participate in the annual event. The purpose of the drill is to test communication systems, safety procedures, mitigation processes, etc.

No emergency plan is any better than its implementation. Thats why, on Wednesday, weeks ahead of the mean season, state emergency personnel will put the system to a test. Citizens are advised to take notice and be informed, both of the dangers and what to do in an emergency.

  

What to do during severe weather: https://scemd.org/prepare/types-of-disasters/thunderstorms/

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The construction of a China-funded sewage treatment plant is nearly complete in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The project, the largest of its kind in South Asia, will chase pollution away and create a refreshing environment for millions of Dhaka residents.

It took HydroChina Corporation, the contractor, less than four years to build the plant.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
The Civics Transparency Act died in the House Education Committee on Monday.

Senate File 62 would have required each school district in Wyoming to annually publish a list of learning materials and activities used for instruction during the preceding school year.

Support for the bill was initially strong.

It passed its introductory vote 24 to 4, and the Senate Education Committee by a 4 to 1 margin.

But the proposed legislation cleared the Senate last week with a closer vote of 18 to 12. On Monday, it failed in the other chambers education committee with 5 nays to 4 ayes.

Senate File 62s sponsor, Sen. Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower, and co-sponsor Senate President Dan Dockstader, R-Afton, have said the bill was meant to provide increased transparency.

Driskill said in previous discussions on the bill that he is not opposed to the teaching of controversial subjects, but that having increased transparency would have ensured that the opposite side of any controversial viewpoint was also shared in classrooms.

Critical race theory, an academic lens for examining how racism is embedded in U.S. institutions and society, may be one such controversial subject that proponents of the bill wished to reign in.

Although the bill does not explicitly mention it, former State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow connected the bill with concerns about the teaching of critical race theory in Wyoming classrooms. The theory, however, is not currently part of official curricula in Wyoming.

Some of Wyomings major educational organizations, including the Wyoming Education Association and the Wyoming School Boards Association, and educators from across the state pushed back against the bill, saying it would have created a burden on teachers that would take away from their instruction time.

Emily Bishop, a kindergarten teacher from Moorcroft, reiterated this perspective.

Were trained professionals, and were here to do whats best for students, she said. Putting a list of thousands of materials online is not whats best for students. As some of the other educators have already stated, we only get a few hours a week for planning. And in that planning time, we have meetings or conferences, so really it takes away, and we dont have much time left in our day.

Wyoming Education Association President Grady Hutcherson also said during the committee meeting and in earlier discussions that the bill was insulting to licensed and certified educators like himself.

This bill has an unintended consequence of being demoralizing for me as an educator, he said.

Opponents of the bill also questioned how far such micro-management of schools curricula would go, a concern that has appeared in other discussions about attempts at government intervention in Wyoming education during the legislative session.

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A bill meant to add upon Wyomings child endangerment statute by imposing punishments for women who use drugs while pregnant died Monday in the Senate.

Under House Bill 85, individuals who knowingly consume methamphetamine or narcotic drugs while pregnant, unless those drugs are prescribed by a doctor, could have been punished by up to five years imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.

House Bill 85 easily cleared the House. But after passing through the Senate judiciary committee with a slim 3-2 vote, the bill failed to pass its first reading in the Senate with 17 nayes and 8 ayes.

The bills main sponsor, Rep. Ember Oakley, R-Riverton, sought to extend the states child endangering statute to protect unborn children from exposure to drugs. Currently, the statute only protects children who are already born.

Oakley shared with legislators a 2005 case in Fremont involving a situation where a woman used drugs while pregnant. The Fremont County prosecutor charged the woman with felony child endangerment after her baby tested positive for methamphetamine, making her the first person in Wyoming charged for endangering a fetus with drugs.

But the judge in that case ruled that a fetus is not considered a child under the statutes language. Oakley said the ruling has subsequently been used as precedent to dismiss other such cases in Wyoming.

Oakleys push for her proposed legislation focused primarily on the problem of children being born addicted to drugs. She said that imposing punitive measures for drug use while pregnant would push individuals to follow through on reversing their addiction while protecting fetuses.

But opponents of the bill argued that, while drug use during pregnancy is a problem, such a policy could have consequences that are antithetical to Oakleys goal of protecting unborn children.

Wyoming Department of Family Services Director Korin Schmidt and Wyoming Department of Health Director Stefan Johansson, among others, said that putting in place these punitive measures could discourage individuals from seeking addiction treatment and prenatal care, and could ultimately harm babies more than help them.

Some were also concerned that it could push mothers to have an abortion rather than carry their child to term.

A similar bill by Sen. Lynn Hutchings, R-Cheyenne, failed to pass the Senate Health and Labor Committee last week. The committee still forwarded the bill to the Senates Committee of the Whole, but the bill didnt make a deadline and is dead.

Senate File 89 would have allowed prosecutors to charge individuals with a felony punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment if they intentionally or recklessly expose their unborn child to drugs.

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The committee investigating the U.S. Capitol insurrection is an abomination that should be disbanded, Sen. Rand Paul said Monday in support of Harriet Hageman, whos seeking to unseat Rep. Liz Cheney.

This isnt sort of a loyalty test. This is about abuse of power, the Republican from Kentucky said at a campaign event for Hageman.

Cheney, Wyomings lone representative in the U.S. House and the elder daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, responded by accusing Paul and Hageman of trying to divert attention from Russias war in Ukraine.

Cheneys vote to impeach then-President Donald Trump for the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, and her role as one of two Republicans on the nine-member House committee investigating it, have made her a target within her own party. A Cheyenne agriculture and natural resources attorney, Hageman is among three Republicans running against Cheney and is the one endorsed by Trump.

Trump and associates engaged in a criminal conspiracy to prevent Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Bidens victory, the commission said in court filings last week.

Talking to reporters after her event, Hageman accused the committee of overreach.

Theyre acting as prosecutor, judge and jury and they are using the full name of the federal government to go against and investigate and attempt to persecute people from all over the United States, Hageman said.

The committee is acting in a nonpartisan manner to investigate the most serious attack on the Capitol in more than 200 years, countered Cheney spokesman Jeremy Adler by email.

It does seem that now that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is committing atrocities against the free people of Ukraine, Mr. Paul and Ms. Hageman are trying to change the subject and put their dangerous isolationism on the back burner, Adler said.

Criticism of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the presidential adviser on the COVID-19 pandemic, dominated the event and drew the most applause from the crowd of about 100 people at a Cheyenne hotel.

Asked by a reporter after the gathering how she would do better than Cheney  a former State Department official who often weighs in on foreign policy  on international affairs, Hageman called for the U.S. to become more energy independent and for Congress to become more involved in military assistance for Ukraine.

This cant just be a unilateral decision by the president, Hageman said.

Wyomings Republican and Democratic primaries will be Aug. 16. Two other Republicans are running against Cheney: state Sen. Anthony Bouchard, of Cheyenne, and retired Army Col. Denton Knapp.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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The Wyoming House of Representatives on Monday rejected the redistricting map approved by the Senate, setting the stage for negotiations between the chambers later this week.

At stake are the legislative districts that lawmakers will serve in for the next decade. The two chambers will have to hammer out multiple differences including the size of the Legislature.

The House was the first chamber to work the bill, and representatives there amended the map some and then it moved to the Senate, where lawmakers there amended it further. In the end, the House did not like the changes the other chamber made, rebuffing them by a vote of 46 to 11 on Monday.

Lawmakers have been working for months on redrawing the states legislative districts in light of population changes over the past decade. The process has been a challenge, especially as lawmakers try to balance population growth in Wyomings larger cities with the states shrinking population in rural areas.

The map that the House delivered to the Senate added three lawmakers  two representatives and one senator  on top of the 90 that already exist. The Senate removed those and reverted a number of the lines back to an older map that the committee responsible with redistricting chose not to advance.

Both the House and the Senate maps were slightly out of deviation, meaning that the ratio of constituents to representatives was not proportional enough.

If districts are out of deviation, they risk being struck down by the courts in violation of the 14th Amendment. Courts have held that if districts are within 10% deviation, they comply with the 14th Amendment.

The Houses map is considered less legally risky than the Senates.

Mondays vote triggered legislative leadership to appoint a committee of three representatives and three senators to hash out of the differences between the chambers.

In the first round of committee meetings, the lawmakers will work within the two bills. For instance, because one chamber has 93 lawmakers on its map and the other chamber has 90, the joint committee can only release a plan between 90 and 93 lawmakers.

After the first round of meetings is complete, however, lawmakers have free reign.

The joint committee consists of Reps. Dan Zwonitzer, R-Cheyenne, Albert Sommers, R-Pinedale, and Speaker of the House Eric Barlow, R-Gillette. The Senate members include Bill Landen, R-Casper, Dave Kinskey, R-Sheridan, and Ed Cooper, R-Ten Sleep.

If the committee comes to an agreement, the panel will present a map for both chambers to vote on.

Multiple lawmakers have labeled the task of redistricting a political process, acknowledging that the map needs keep the majority of sitting lawmakers happy, considering it needs 16 votes on the Senate side and 31 on the House side to pass.

There have been sporadic mentions of a possible special session to complete the redistricting process, but Barlow is confident that the lawmakers will get it done this week.

Follow state politics reporter Victoria Eavis on Twitter @Victoria_Eavis

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A state lawmaker that the New York Times reported was the subject of a spying effort tied to Wyoming Liberty Group founder Susan Gore says she confronted the Gore-Tex heiress Monday at the Wyoming Capitol.

Rep. Karlee Provenza, D-Laramie, said she approached Gore at a meeting of the Senate Minerals Committee.

Susan Gore, who paid over a million dollars to spy on me and members of the legislature for over a year, just testified in Senate Minerals, Provenza wrote in a tweet. When I shook her hand and said You paid over a million dollars to have spies sent to my home. She replied, I know, I made you famous.

Provenza said that interaction was the only time the two have spoken.

In June of last year, The New York Times reported that two conservative operatives, Sofia LaRocca and Beau Maier, posed as progressive donors to infiltrate Wyomings liberal and moderate Republican circles and gather information. The article stated Gore, a wealthy conservative donor, funded the effort.

The Times reported that LaRocca and Maier went on double dates with Provenza and her now-husband, Nate Martin of liberal advocacy group Better Wyoming. While at dinner, the spying couple reportedly floated ideas to target Republicans in the state by digging up damaging materials on them.

State Democratic Party leaders and Wyoming Speaker of the House Eric Barlow, R-Gillette, were also among those who were targeted in the spying operation, the Times reported.

When approached Monday by the Star-Tribune, Gore did not respond directly when asked whether she made the comment to Provenza.

Im a famous name, she said, when asked if her alleged remark to Provenza was an admission of guilt.

Weeks after the New York Times story, Gore denied the report in a statement titled New York Journalists Sow DISINFORMATION in Wyoming.

This is much ado about nothing  like a hamburger that makes your mouth water, but when you pick it up for a bite, you discover that the bun is empty, she wrote in a statement. Its a nothingburger.

On Monday, when asked multiple times whether she maintains her denial of the spying reports, Gore said nothing, but put her finger up to her lips in a shushing motion.

It sounded like an admission of guilt, as in she was well aware that she spent over a million dollars to have trained spies sent to my home under false pretenses, Provenza said later. The manner in which she said it came off as though she was proud and reveled in doing so.

Provenza said she asked Gore a follow-up question, but Gore walked away.

Other than her comments at the Capitol and the statement she released, Gore has remained virtually silent on the topic.

In 2008, Gore founded the Wyoming Liberty Group, a political advocacy organization with conservative and libertarian leanings. In more recent years, she has become a donor to far-right conservative and libertarian candidates and groups.

Provenza said she feels flabbergasted and angry about the interaction Monday.

After she claimed the whole ordeal was a nothing burger it is astonishing that she boldly took claim for my fame (that I didnt know I had), Provenza said in a text message. I am angry that she came to the peoples capitol to participate in the legislative process when she has worked so diligently through dark money and anti-democratic processes.

Follow state politics reporter Victoria Eavis on Twitter @Victoria_Eavis

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MARKING THE OCCASION: Members of the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) display their lit candles and placards at the Woodford Square bandstand, Port of Spain, on Sunday during their event in recognition of International Womens Day today. Second from right is Terry Ince, who received the Medal for the Development of Women (Gold) at yesterdays 2020 National Awards ceremony at Presidents House, St Anns.

Photo: JERMAINE CRUICKSHANK
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Paria's Berth 6 platform, seen in the Gulf of Paria approximately one mile away from Paria Fuel Company Ltd, Pointe-a-Pierre, where the bodies of three underwater welders were removed from a pipeline on Monday night. -Photo: DEXTER PHILIP
People visit the 47th International Food and Beverage Exhibition at the Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall in Chiba, Japan, March 8, 2022. The exhibition is held from March 8 to 11. Nearly 1,500 companies from 44 countries and regions participated in the exhibition. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

Exhibits are seen during the 47th International Food and Beverage Exhibition at the Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall in Chiba, Japan, March 8, 2022. The exhibition is held from March 8 to March 11. Nearly 1,500 companies from 44 countries and regions participated in the exhibition. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

People visit the 47th International Food and Beverage Exhibition at the Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall in Chiba, Japan, March 8, 2022. The exhibition is held from March 8 to March 11. Nearly 1,500 companies from 44 countries and regions participated in the exhibition. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

People visit a stall displaying Chinese liquor during the 47th International Food and Beverage Exhibition at the Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall in Chiba, Japan, March 8, 2022. The exhibition is held from March 8 to March 11. Nearly 1,500 companies from 44 countries and regions participated in the exhibition. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)
Many people are struggling during this Covid-19 pandemic as prices increase, while many are 
Relatives of Fyzal Kurban carry his casket in the shape of a boat during his funeral at the Shore of Peace, South Trunk Road, La Romaine, yesterday. Kurban was the lead diver who shared his oxygen tank with his team and helped one of them out of the 30-inch pipeline he was pulled into at Paria Fuel Trading Company Ltd on February 25. Photo: DEXTER PHILIP
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The German Chancellor and I spoke to the Chinese President this morning about the tragic consequences of the war in Ukraine. President Xi supported our action towards reaching a ceasefire and ensuring the people have access to humanitarian aid.  Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) March 8, 2022

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Xenophobia  the fear or even hatred of those from whom we are different  is all around us these days.

You find it in this country, Europe and in a terrifying conflict In Ukraine perpetrated by Russia.

And it is dealt with head on in The Rogue Theatres compelling production of Christopher Chens Passage.

But no worries  we arent lectured to. We are made to think. Could we ask for anything better?

Chen framed his drama around E.M. Forsters novel Passage to India. Sure, there are parallels to the book  the caves show up in both, and if youve read Passage to India you will see echoes of some of Forsters characters.

But, as our narrator for the evening tells us, if youve read the book, forget it. This isnt his story but our story, she says. And by ours, I mean all of us here in this room, right now.

Chen wasnt pointing fingers at any one country or person; he wanted to keep it as neutral as possible. Hence, characters are given letters rather than names; the same with the countries.

It might get a tad confusing at first, but one quickly gets into the anonymity of it and it forces us to stay neutral, at least for a time, about the countries and characters.

The story takes place in country Y and the play quickly gets into the us-them discussion. Is it possible to be friends with a country Y citizen, asks the wealthy H (Andrea Roberts) of her friends and fellow Xians M (Hunter Hnat), who has joined up with a country Y corporation, and B, a brilliant doctor (Carley Elizabeth Preston).

What follows in that scene and in many others are discussions and assumptions about where people are from, what they think and how good, or bad, they are. And the awful consequences of that kind of mindset.

Its not off-putting. We are easily seduced by the smart and sometimes outrageous conversations.

Christopher Johnson directed this with a sure hand; he made what could be confusing clear.

The ensemble cast helped: Roberts, Hnat and Preston were joined by Jeffrey Baden, Bryn Booth, Matthew Lai, Joseph McGrath and Rosanne Couston. They made sure we never lost sight of the discussions or the characters. Impressive work all around, especially by Couston as G, our narrator, professor and a holy woman. Couston has a voice that exudes warmth  when she invites you to join her, you cant refuse.

The Rogue always effectively incorporates music. The pre-show music for this production was made up of the national anthems of Yemen, North Korea, Belarus, Tibet, Crimea and Ukraine. It was a moving reminder of whats at risk around the world. Music Director Russell Ronnebaum always surprises and delights with what he adds to an experience at The Rogue.

In this production, the costumes are minimal and the stage is almost bare save for a wooden platform in the center. The stage divides the audience  half on one side, half on the other. Sure, there were a few self-conscious elements to the production, but none of them were ever annoying.

What stays with you after youve left the theater is that us vs. them theme  xenophobia and how we might embody that. It makes you think. And that is theater we need.

Freelance writer Kathleen Allen has covered Tucson theater for more than 30 years.

Review What: The Rogue Theatres production of Passage Playwright: Christopher Chen Director: Christopher Johnson When: Through March 13 Where: The Rogue, 300 E. University Blvd. Cost: $42, with discounts available; must be purchased in advance through theroguetheatre.org or by calling 520-551-2053 Runtime: About 100 minutes, with one intermission Covid cautions: Proof of vaccination needed and masks are required.

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Naomi Judd died Saturday at age 76. Here are some of the entertainers, leaders, athletes and other notable people we've lost so far this year.
If you go

What: 16th NAMIWalks Your Way Southern Arizona

When: Check-in begins at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 2. Walk begins at 9 a.m.

Where: The Fiesta Area at John F. Kennedy Park, 3359 S. La Cholla Blvd., on the northwest corner of West Ajo Way and Souith La Cholla Boulevard

Cost: Free; donations by cash, credit card, check or online are encouraged

Register in advance: namiwalks.org/southernarizona.

Notes: Festivities at the family-oriented event include 5K, 3K and 1K walks; music and other entertainment; a kids area featuring face painting, balloon animals and other activities; and a resource area featuring exhibitors with information on mental health resources and services. Honorary Chairpersons are Marana Mayor Ed Honea and Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos. Participants who register and raise at least $100 will receive a free T-shirt.

Additionally, donations to NAMI Southern Arizona (namisa.org) may qualify for the Arizona Tax Credit for Qualifying Charitable Organizations. The tax credit allows a dollar-for-dollar credit of up to $400 for single taxpayers or $800 for married taxpayers filing jointly on 2021 Arizona income taxes if made by April 15.

If you are in crisis, call 520-622-6000 or call 911; you also can contact the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or suicidepreventionlifeline.org. For non-emergency support, call NAMI Southern Arizona at 520-622-5582 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
ANKARA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Turkey plans to pump gas from its natural gas reserves in the Black Sea to its main grid in the first quarter of 2023, state media reported on Tuesday.

The 540-billion cubic meter natural gas reserves, which were found in the Sakarya gas field off the coast of Zonguldak province after 2020, has the potential to meet the needs of Turkish households for 30 years, state-run TRT broadcaster quoted Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez as saying.

Turkey, which has little oil and gas, is heavily reliant on imports from Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran.

In 2021, Turkey supplies around 55 to 60 percent of its electricity needs from domestic sources, according to Donmez.

To reduce its reliance on foreign energy supply, the country is exploring possibilities such as drilling, nuclear power and renewable energy, according to the official.

Turkey has a power generation capacity of 100,000 megawatts, with 54,000 megawatts coming from renewable sources, he noted.

Turkey's annual natural gas consumption varies between 55 billion cubic meters to 60 billion cubic meters. Nearly 40 percent of the country's heating and electricity generation is provided by natural gas.

Turkey has three drillships. Since it first began its drilling activities in 2020, ultra-deep water drillship "Fatih" has discovered 540 billion cubic meters of natural gas reserves in the Sakarya gas field. "Kanuni" and "Yavuz," Turkey's two other drillships, have been continuing their drilling operations in the Black Sea.

Donmez had previously stated that Turkey would add a fourth drilling ship to its fleet. On Monday, the minister tweeted that the new drilling ship was on its way to Turkey. 
A California court has ordered Ashford University, the former for-profit online college the University of Arizona has rebranded as UA Global Campus, and its former parent company Zovio to pay more than $22.37 million in penalties for misleading students about the cost and quality of an Ashford degree. Zovio still provides operation services to UA Global Campus.

The ruling, which California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced in a news release Monday afternoon, stems from a lawsuit the state filed against Ashford and Zovio (formerly known as Bridgepoint Education, Inc.) in 2017.

The suit alleged that the two entities violated the law by providing students false or misleading information about career outcomes, cost and financial aid, pace of degree programs and transfer credits, all in an effort to get them to spend their money at Ashford.

Todays decision is a win for the many Californians whose college dreams turned into nightmares after they enrolled in Ashford University, Bonta said in the news release. Ashford made false promises to students about the value of an Ashford degree, leaving students with mounting debt, broken promises, and searching for a job.

Bonta continued on to say that "the court's findings provide a strong basis for the Department of Education to provide Ashford students with relief from their federal student loans," urging U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona "to act swiftly to provide this relief.

As part of the asset purchase and sale agreement between Zovio, Ashford and the UA, Zovio has agreed to pay any liabilities  including this $22 million  arising from Ashfords operations prior to December 2020.

"UAGC is not a party to the lawsuit and is not liable for the penalties awarded by the court, and the matter is subject to appeal," Linda Robertson, UA Global Campus' spokeswoman, told the Arizona Daily Star in response to the ruling. "There is new leadership in place at both UAGC and Zovio and doing right by our students is our number one priority."

As the for the UA's reaction to the ruling, university spokeswoman Pam Scott told the Star that the "UA is not liable or responsible for the actions of Ashford University or Zovio addressed by the court's decision in the lawsuit brought by the California Attorney General," and that "We are working with the US Department of Education, our accreditation bodies and our governing bodies to bring UAGC into the University of Arizona."

The UA acquired the assets of Ashford in 2020 while this litigation was still pending. Faculty members, education experts and two federal lawmakers panned the deal, in part because of how it could expose the UA to litigation, but it moved forward nonetheless.

Once that happened, the UA rebranded Ashford as the nonprofit UA Global Campus, though the U.S. Department of Education has not formally recognized UA Global Campus as a nonprofit. Then, in January of this year, as the department threatened to strip UA Global Campus of its ability to collect federal education dollars, UA President Robert Robbins announced the UA was fully absorbing UA Global Campus and its 28,000 online students into its operation.

The Arizona Board of Regents publicly endorsed the deal, which Robbins later told the UA Faculty Senate could mean "over $1 billion in liability" for the UA if it fell apart because the UA and the UA Foundation provide the financial backing for UA Global Campus' eligibility to collect Title IV funds, which includes Pell Grants and federal student loans.

According to court documents, the California court that heard arguments in the case against Ashford and Zovio late last year  which included allegations from a former UA Global Campus employee that these practices have not ceased since the UA came in the picture  concluded the defendants created a high pressure culture in admissions that prioritized enrollment numbers over compliance.

While defendants' executives testified that the admissions department did not have a high pressure '"boiler room' environment, San Diego Superior Court Judge Eddie C. Sturgeon's ruling reads, a paper trail shows that company executives were well aware of that department's fear-based culture.

Pat Ogden, former vice president of regulatory affairs at Ashford who worked at UAGC until last spring, characterized UA Global Campus as the same institution under a different name, according to a court transcript. Zovio is providing the same enrollment and marketing services for the newly named University of Arizona Global Campus, Ogden said. And Zovios historically ineffectual compliance department will continue to exercise oversight over the Zovio admissions counselors enrolling students in UAGC.

Ashford, like many for-profit colleges, has historically enrolled more marginalized students than many traditional public, four-year universities like the UA. According to the Department of Education, 31% of Ashfords students identify as Black, 16% identify as Hispanic and 68% received a federal Pell Grant, which is intended for low-income students.

Since announcing the UAs plan to absorb UA Global Campus, Robbins has acknowledged Ashford and Zovios checkered past and the wrongs inflicted on Ashford students. At the same time, however, hes assured critics, including a vocal contingent of UA faculty members, things are changing now that UA is at the helm.

To that point, Sturgeon seemed to agree. The judge declined to issue an injunction against Zovio in this month's ruling after the bench trial, which included Ogden's account, concluded in December 2021. The People have not presented sufficient evidence of ongoing misconduct to support its demand for an injunction, the ruling said. The court does not find the evidence postdating 2017 to be such that an injunction is needed."

Robbins and other top UA administrators have attended two meetings of the UA Faculty Senate over the past month to discuss faculty concerns as the integration of UA Global Campus into the UA moves forward.

In one meeting, Robbins suggested that although UA Global Campus is less than two years into a 15-year contract with Zovio, which serves as the school's online program management provider and receives about 20% of tuition revenue, it may not have to stay that way. Although UAGC would have to agree to terminate its contract with Zovio, I think we would all agree that would be the best course of action, he said.

In those meetings, UA administrators said theres proof that Zovios practices have changed, pointing to a secret shopper investigation into Zovio as it has served UA Global Campus.

Faculty have not seen it, sources told the Star.

When the Star submitted a public records request for it, the UA said it was under UA Global Campus purview. The Star asked UA Global Campus for it, but the online university did not produce it, claiming it is not subject to public records requests as a private entity, and the secret shopper reports are subject to attorney-client privilege regardless.

In light of this months ruling, some faculty members are left further unconvinced that Zovio, which now owes $22 million in restitution, has changed its ways now that it's servicing the UA Global Campus brand.

Given what the court has said, its time for the Board of Regents and the president to bail out and hopefully without golden parachutes, UA Faculty Senator Ted Downing, who is also a former Arizona state legislator, told the Star on Monday. If this had appeared when I was in (the Legislature) there would have been hearings immediately to explain how the hell we got into this.

Kathryn Palmer covers higher education for the Arizona Daily Star. Contact her via e-mail at kpalmer@tucson.com or her new phone number, 520-496-9010.

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For two years now, St. Patricks Day revelers have learned that its not easy being green during a global pandemic.

In March 2020, bars, restaurants and the annual Tucson St. Patricks Day Parade and Festival downtown were stopped in their tracks while preparing for their respective events, amid the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic to Southern Arizona.

Things moved quickly, said John Murphy, president of the group that puts on the fest and parade.

We watched as the Fourth Avenue Street Fair fell, the Festival of Books fell, Murphy said. We were the last major event at that time to cancel.

We had a year to put it on and a day-and-a-half to call it off.

Today, with COVID numbers in steep decline, St. Patricks Day celebrations are back on calendars across Tucson, starting with the parade and festival, which are set to take place Saturday, March 12.

Murphy said after taking two years off, the event will return almost entirely as it was pre-COVID. The parade, which runs along South Stone Avenue starting at East 17th Street from 10:30 a.m. until noon, will have about 30 floats and walking entries, including a couple of bagpipe bands.

The festival, which will takes place at Armory Park, 222 S. Fifth Ave., from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., will have live performances from local favorites, Nancy McCallion and Friends, Puca, and the Maguire Academy of Irish Dance, among them. Katies Randy Cat, a group that Murphy describes as a rowdy, Irish, rock n roll band, from Toledo, Ohio, will serve as one of the headliners.

Dantes Fire will be providing the corned beef and cabbage. The Parish is bringing Irish stew and Mariscos Chihuahua, the fish and chips. Guinness, Guinness Blonde and Harp will all be on tap.

The theme of this years event is Slainte, Tucson, slainte being a traditional Irish toast meaning to your health.

We thought that was a very appropriate theme under the circumstances, Murphy said.

Some bars and taprooms in town are also ready to party, just on a smaller scale.

Canyons Crown Pub, 6958 E. Tanque Verde Road, has always had a popular St. Patricks Day event, said Erin Stockellburg, who started as a server at Canyons Crown back when it was known as Firkin & Friar 14 years ago, and has worked as the general manager of the restaurant since 2009.

Technically, we are really more of an English pub, but we dont tell anybody that on St. Patricks Day, she said.

Stockellburg said the pub has been plagued with staff shortages since the start of the pandemic. That led to significant problems last St. Patricks Day, when what seemed like half the city came calling for corned beef and cabbage.

The kitchen was completely overwhelmed with the amount of take-out we had, Stockellburg said. We had to stop answering phone calls and seating in the restaurant for a while. We had never done that on St. Patricks Day.

Still down in staffing, Stockellburg said the restaurant is going to offer a limited menu for the week leading up to St. Patricks Day, keeping with more traditional items like shepherds pie and fish and chips.

On St. Patricks Day proper, the restaurant will be turning off its phones and focusing efforts on dine-in customers. You can come for take-out, but you have to show up in person to order and your only option will be the corned beef and cabbage.

We produce it in such large quantities, Stockellburg said. If people come to the pub and order a couple of orders of corned beef and cabbage plates to go, we will be able to pack it up real quick for them and get them on their way without bogging down the kitchen quite so much.

Stockellburg said because COVID numbers have dropped and people are looking to celebrate, they are expecting a full house on St. Patricks.

In years past, we have filled up within the first half-hour of opening, she said. Its always very much a party atmosphere.

A few miles south of Canyons Crown, Arizona Beer House, 150 S. Kolb Road, once home to one of the largest St. Patricks Day celebrations on Tucsons east side, is planning a more-scaled back event for the second year in a row.

On the actual day, the taproom will have Culinary Graduate on-site with an all-Irish menu. On Saturday, March 19, it will host an all-day event with beer specials and more Irish-themed cuisine.

Prior to the pandemic, Arizona Beer House worked with Tucson Celtic Festival and Scottish Highland Games organizers to create a Paddy-palooza that extended into the parking lot.

But the pandemic has made planning problematic.

We would have had to get our own license to do that 90 days ago, said Beer House manager Ellen McBride. Who is planning 90 days out right now? Everybody has been idling, cautious of their next move because it is going to cost money.

McBride said Arizona Beer House patrons will still show up and fun will be had by all. And the drop in cases, if it stays that way, will make it easier for more expansive St. Patricks Day events in the future.

Hopefully, next year, she said.

10 fun facts about St. Patricks Day 55 Percent of Americans plan to celebrate Americans will spend over $5.6 billion on St Patrick s Day Of those celebrating, 81 percent will wear green The average person will consume 4.2 drinks on St Patricks Day. 13 million pints of Guinness will be consumed, which is 819 percent more than usual. 30 percent of Americans plan to cook a special St Patricks Day meal. Cabbage shipments increase 70 percent 1962: First year Chicago River was dyed green Massachusetts and New Hampshire have the highest percent Irish ancestry in the United States

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TAIPEI, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Taiwan reported 53 new COVID-19 cases, including eight locally transmitted infections and 45 imported ones, the island's disease monitoring agency said Tuesday.

Of the new local infections, two are linked to a cluster in Yilan County, and the rest are connected to a cluster involving a tour group, the agency added.

To date, Taiwan has reported 20,922 confirmed COVID-19 cases, of which 15,472 were local infections. 
Some of the nation's leading public health experts, including former coronavirus advisers to the Biden administration, detail in a new report when and how the United States can transition out of the Covid-19 pandemic phase and back into "pre-pandemic routines and lives."

Among the recommendations in the report are for the United States to reach at least 85% Covid-19 vaccination by the end of this year, improve indoor air quality, expand research into long Covid, consider shifting focus from Covid-19 alone to major respiratory viral illnesses, and finance the Covid-19 response as well as preparations for future biosecurity threats.

The push for the nation to follow certain public health steps in its transition out of the pandemic phase comes just days after the White House unveiled its own plan for moving the nation out of the Covid-19 crisis, called the National Covid-19 Preparedness Plan.

That plan will require additional funding from Congress and is more focused on spending for Covid-19 treatments, preparing for new variants, keeping schools and businesses open and continuing vaccination efforts.

The new report from public health experts, titled "Getting to and Sustaining the Next Normal: A Roadmap for Living with Covid," focuses on vaccinations and keeping schools open too -- but also goes into further detail when it comes to indoor air quality, the threat of other respiratory illnesses and providing metrics for when the nation can declare that the pandemic phase has ended and that a transition into the "next normal" can begin.

"The United States' pandemic phase -- with restrictive public health measures -- can end when average daily deaths due to Covid and other major respiratory illnesses decline below 0.5 per 1 million Americans, or 165 deaths a day at a national level," the authors wrote in the 136-page report.

"At that point, the United States can transition into the next normal, although individual regions may be able to make earlier transitions, depending on local Covid metrics," they wrote, adding that "the nation is not yet at the next normal."

The United States is now averaging 1,426 new Covid-19 deaths each day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. More than 6 million people have died of Covid-19 globally. Worldwide, an average of more than 6,200 deaths were reported each day over the past week -- about a quarter of them in the United States.

"If you look at the report, I think it's pretty clear we share many of the same policies and proposals as this outside group -- so we're very encouraged by that," Dr. Tom Inglesby, senior adviser to the White House's Covid-19 Response Team, told CNN on Monday. He added that some of the authors of the new report also consulted with the Biden administration in the development of the National Covid-19 Preparedness Plan.

"Not only have we been communicating with outside experts, such as this group that published the report today, but also with governors and businesses and communities as we've been developing our plan for the time ahead," Inglesby said. "We're heartened by all the work that this group has put into their report and in particular by their call for urgently funding this work by Congress. I think that's a very important part of this, and we're we're encouraged to see their their strong support of that."

'COVID will not be eliminated -- but we can live with COVID'

The authors of the new report include six former members of President Biden's coronavirus advisory board: Dr. Luciana Borio, Dr. Zeke Emanuel, Rick Bright, Michael Osterholm, Jill Jim and David Michaels.

Dr. Paul Offit, an adviser to the US Food and Drug Administration; Kizzmekia S. Corbett, scientific lead for coronavirus vaccines at the National Institutes of Health; and R.P. Eddy, former director at the White House National Security Council, also are among the authors of the report.

"COVID will not be eliminated -- but we can live with COVID, just like we do with the flu and other diseases -- if we prepare now," Emanuel wrote on Twitter on Monday in announcing the roadmap.

The report seems to put emphasis on improving indoor air quality as a way to limit the spread of other respiratory illnesses, along with the coronavirus.

"Effectively limiting exposure to respiratory pathogens requires following traditional industrial hygiene principles and applying a hierarchical and layered approach. The emphasis must be on providing clean air generally instead of personal protective equipment such as respirators and face masks," it says.

But when it comes to masks, the report recommends high-quality N95 masks and describes cloth masks as "ineffective."

"Cloth masks are ineffective at preventing person-to-person transmission of viral respiratory disease," it says. "The United States must have stockpiles and production capacity of N95 filtering facepiece or similar respirators to ensure adequate supplies for the public and workers during future surges and pandemics."

'The next year is not predetermined'

A key attribute of the "next normal," according to the report, is that there will no longer be a need to wear masks in grocery stores, schools or places of worship or on domestic airplanes, railways, buses and other public transportation.

But the report also warns that if population immunity against Covid-19 declines and variants become more virulent, mitigation measures will be needed.

Continuing to follow certain measures also can affect the likelihood of certain scenarios.

"The scenario that evolves over the next year is not predetermined, however, and will be influenced by actions taken in response to changes in the virus and population immunity," the report says.

"Effective and rapid reaction to new information can change a potentially pessimistic scenario towards an intermediate outcome or an intermediate scenario to an optimistic outcome. However, the reverse is also true. Inaction or complacency in the setting of an optimistic or intermediate set of variables could lead to more pessimistic outcomes."

The authors wrote that the federal government -- the CDC or another agency -- should develop a public communication program to inform communities about when coronavirus transmission is elevated and when people in those communities should wear well-fitting N95 masks or similar respirators indoors.

Currently, the CDC recommends that people living in areas with "high" Covid-19 community levels should still wear masks indoors.

Regarding schools, the report says, "Pandemic school closures cause such significant and enduring harms to children that far more should be done to avoid them. In Omicron's wake, school-based quarantines should end, masking should soon follow, and a broader appreciation of societal costs should be applied to all infection mitigation measures."

The report also recommends increasing at-home rapid testing, improving global distribution of vaccines, addressing health disparities, improving communications and building trust between the public and US public health agencies.

"The next normal with Covid can be an improvement over life before the virus emerged. There is likely to be a better work-life balance with more teleworking and less commuting, a reimagining of the education system, a platform for rapid development of highly effective vaccines and therapeutics, better indoor air quality, fewer respiratory infections of all kinds, and more effective surveillance to anticipate and respond to new viral threats," it says.

"Getting to this better place by creating some of the tools outlined in this report will require Congressional and state legislation, as well as significant resources," the authors wrote. "Funding is especially critical."

The-CNN-Wire

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WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden has decided to ban Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia's economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The move follows pleas by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to U.S. and Western officials to cut off the imports, which had been a glaring omission in the massive sanctions put in place on Russia over the invasion. Energy exports have kept a steady influx of cash flowing to Russia despite otherwise severe restrictions on its financial sector.

Biden was set to announce the move as soon as Tuesday, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter before his remarks. The White House said Biden would announce "actions to continue to hold Russia accountable for its unprovoked and unjustified war on Ukraine."

The U.S. will be acting alone, but in close consultation with European allies, who are more dependent on Russian energy supplies. European nations have said they plan to reduce their reliance on Russia for their energy needs, but filling the void without crippling their economies will likely take some time. Natural gas from Russia accounts for one-third of Europe's consumption of the fossil fuel. The U.S. does not import Russian natural gas.

Biden had explained his reluctance to impose energy sanctions at the outset of the conflict two weeks ago, saying that he was trying "to limit the pain the American people are feeling at the gas pump." Full story here:

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PHOTO GALLERY
China promotes cooperation, dialogue as global uncertainties ascend

Xinhua) 08:14, March 08, 2022

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends a press conference on China's foreign policy and foreign relations via video link on the sidelines of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

* For the world, the year ahead continues to be full of challenges. At such a critical moment, countries need solidarity, not division; dialogue, not confrontation.

* China called on countries in the world to stay committed to ceasing conflicts through negotiation, resolving disputes through dialogue, and increasing mutual trust through cooperation.

BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- In the face of profound changes unseen in a century, China on Monday called on countries in the world to stay committed to ceasing conflicts through negotiation, resolving disputes through dialogue, and increasing mutual trust through cooperation.

The message was delivered by Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at a press conference on the sidelines of the country's ongoing annual "two sessions."

"The right way forward lies in greater solidarity and cooperation under the banner of multilateralism and joint efforts to build a community with a shared future for mankind," said Wang.

MAJOR-COUNTRY RELATIONS

Responding to China's relationship with Russia, Wang said the two countries will maintain strategic focus and keep deepening China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era.

He noted that the China-Russia relationship is grounded in a clear logic of history and driven by strong internal dynamics, and the friendship between the Chinese and Russian peoples is rock-solid.

On the China-U.S. ties, Wang said the two countries must replace the "competitive-collaborative-adversarial" trichotomy with the three principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.

"Competition between major countries should not be the order of the day and zero-sum game is not the right choice," he said.

Noting that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the "Shanghai Communique," Wang said China and the United States need to re-embrace the conviction that helped the two countries break the ice five decades ago, and set out on a new journey.

However, the United States is still going to great lengths to engage in intense, zero-sum competition with China, keeps provoking China on issues concerning China's core interests, and is taking a string of actions to piece together small blocs to suppress China, which not only harm the overall bilateral relations, but also undermine international peace and stability, Wang noted.

Slamming the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy, Wang said its real goal is to establish an Indo-Pacific version of NATO, and the strategy seeks to maintain the U.S.-led system of hegemony, undermine the ASEAN-centered regional cooperation architecture, and compromise the overall and long-term interests of countries in the region.

Lauding China-Europe fruitful cooperation last year, Wang said dialogue and cooperation between China and Europe on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit will add more stabilizing factors to an unstable world.

Noting that China-Europe cooperation is rooted in solid public support, extensive common interests, and similar strategic needs, Wang said no force can reverse the cooperation.

Photo taken on Sept. 11, 2021 shows the "Belt and Road" International Pavilion at the 18th China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Lu Boan)

COOPERATION IN YEAR OF CHALLENGE

For the world, the year ahead continues to be full of challenges. At such a critical moment, countries need solidarity, not division; dialogue, not confrontation, Wang told the press conference in his opening remarks.

China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have established a model of the most dynamic and promising regional cooperation over the past three decades, Wang said.

"China and ASEAN must be forerunners in international cooperation against COVID-19, pacesetters in regional cooperation, and defenders of stability in the Asia-Pacific region," he said.

On China-Africa cooperation, Wang said China honors its commitment to cooperation with African countries and never makes empty promises.

Over the years, China has built over 10,000 km of railways, up to 100,000 km of highways, nearly 100 ports, and innumerable hospitals and schools in Africa, according to Wang. "These are not 'debt traps,' but monuments of cooperation."

Wang hailed the cooperation between China and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region, saying that LAC is a region of promise and vitality and is not the backyard of anyone.

"What the people in this region need is fairness, justice and mutually beneficial cooperation, not power politics, hegemony or bullying," Wang said, adding that China will continue to deepen friendship, expand cooperation and work with LAC friends for a China-LAC community with a shared future.

The joint construction of the Belt and Road has maintained a sound momentum despite shocks from factors including the COVID-19 pandemic, Wang said, noting that since last year, 10 more countries have signed Belt and Road cooperation documents with China, bringing the Belt and Road family to 180 members.

China will work with the international community to continue advancing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, making the initiative a "belt of development" to the benefit of the world and a "road to happiness" for people of all countries, he added.

UKRAINE &OTHER ISSUES

Calmness and rationality, instead of moves that pour oil on the flame and escalate tensions, are needed to resolve complex problems, Wang said while elaborating on China's position on resolving the Ukraine crisis.

The foreign minister put forth a six-point initiative on preventing a large-scale humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, including ensuring humanitarian operations abide by the principle of neutrality and impartiality, giving full attention to the displaced people in and from Ukraine, and supporting UN's coordinating role in channeling humanitarian aid and the work of the UN crisis coordinator for Ukraine.

China is willing to continue playing a constructive role in facilitating dialogue for peace, and work alongside the international community to carry out necessary mediation, he said.

Wang also answered questions regarding China's stance on other issues, including the situation in the Middle East, the Afghanistan issue, and the Korean Peninsula issue.

On the Afghanistan issue, the immediate priorities are to race against time to provide humanitarian aid, Wang said, urging the United States to immediately lift the freeze on Afghanistan's assets in the United States and various unilateral sanctions.

China is preparing for the third foreign ministers meeting among the neighboring countries of Afghanistan, and is willing to contribute to the durable stability and security of Afghanistan, he said.

Stressing the root cause for the Korean Peninsula issue is that the external security threats facing the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) have remained unaddressed and its legitimate security concerns unresolved for too long, Wang reiterated China's commitment to continuing to play a constructive role in helping promote political settlement of the issue.

"We have noticed that the U.S. side has recently stated that it has no hostile intent toward the DPRK and is willing to solve the issue through diplomatic means, which is worthy of affirmation," Wang said.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
People visit the 18th edition of the international women's fair in Algiers, Algeria, on March 7, 2022. On the occasion of International Women's Day, the fair is held from March 3 to March 8. (Xinhua)

People visit the 18th edition of the international women's fair in Algiers, Algeria, on March 7, 2022. On the occasion of International Women's Day, the fair is held from March 3 to March 8. (Xinhua)

People visit the 18th edition of the international women's fair in Algiers, Algeria, on March 7, 2022. On the occasion of International Women's Day, the fair is held from March 3 to March 8. (Xinhua)




Taikonaut Wang Yaping, dressed in festive costumes, wishes children across China "vigorous and healthy growth" while holding a red balloon, in a screenshot obtained from a video. (Xinhua)

"I hope all girls with space dreams guard your vision of going to the sea of stars. One day, before you know it, when you look up, you will see that your dream is already within reach," said Wang Yaping, China's second female astronaut.

GENEVA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Wang Yaping, China's second female astronaut who is now on a six-month mission on board the country's Space Station, has recently recorded a video message for the United Nations (UN) office in Geneva, Switzerland, sending her greetings to women around the world on the occasion of International Women's Day on March 8.

"I hope all girls with space dreams guard your vision of going to the sea of stars. One day, before you know it, when you look up, you will see that your dream is already within reach," Wang said.

She said that space has never changed its environment or lowered its threshold because of the arrival of women, and that ample flight data show that there are no significant differences in the ability of the sexes to adapt and work in space.

Women "can all complete the same training and assessment as male astronauts at a high standard. And many physical and psychological characteristics of women can play an advantage in space, being complementary to male astronauts," she said.

"It is conceivable that more and more women will participate in manned spaceflight missions. It will have a very important impact on the large-scale and long-term human exploration of space in the future," she said.

Screen image taken at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Jan. 8, 2022 shows the Shenzhou-13 astronauts in China's space station core module conducting the manual rendezvous and docking experiment with the Tianzhou-2 cargo craft.(Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng)

"Ladies, although our nationalities, ethnicities and occupations are different, but women all over the world are making the world more vibrant and more harmonious and warmer through their own efforts," she said.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank every female for their selfless dedication, I also wish every female would pick the brightest stars for the lives and careers we love in our own starry sky."

Wang and two other astronauts went into space onboard the Shenzhou-13 spaceship and entered the space station on Oct. 16, 2021, embarking on the six-month space mission.

The trio has been in orbit for more than 130 days, with Wang setting a record for the most days in space by a Chinese astronaut.

In her first space mission, Wang, who once dreamed of being a teacher, delivered a 40-minute open class, China's first live space lecture, in the Shenzhou-10 spaceship on June 20, 2013, to over 60 million schoolchildren nationwide.

"I love to be a space teacher, facing the lovely children in front of the screen, including my daughter," Wang said in the video message.

Eight years later, she delivered another live space lecture in China's space station on Dec. 9, 2021.

Screen image taken at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Nov. 8, 2021 shows Chinese taikonaut Wang Yaping (R) completing extravehicular activities (EVAs). (Photo by Guo Zhongzheng/Xinhua)
PHOENIX  State lawmakers slapped down a bid to tell banks they cannot consider certain social factors when deciding who gets a loan.

On a 29-29 vote Tuesday the House killed legislation that would have barred financial institutions from considering a companys ESG score when deciding whether to lend it money. The score is an analysis of a firms environmental, social justice and governance practices to determine financial risk.

Rep. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, pushed for the legislation, saying such analysis is becoming an increasing part of credit scores. He argued that lending decisions should be based on a companys books, with everything else irrelevant to financial institutions.

If you are not green enough as a company they will lower your score, effectively denying access to capital, Hoffman said during hearings on the measure.

This is especially bad for a state like us that has lots of mining interests and where we have natural resources that are in abundance because, in many cases, those companies are seen as not green enough, he said.

If youre not woke enough as a company, they will lower your score for that, Hoffman continued. He said lenders are also making decisions based on whether boards of directors are set up in certain ways.

The defeat of House Bill 2656 came as two Republicans, Michelle Udall of Mesa and Joel John of Arlington, lined up with every House Democrat in opposition. Neither explained their decision.

But Rep. Morgan Abraham, D-Tucson, chided other Republicans for supporting the measure. This is telling businesses how to act, what to do, what they can and cannot do, he said. Im blown away by the dynamic Im seeing.

But Hoffman argued that if use of ESG scores is not banned, individuals might also end up with such scores. Then, he said, a bank might, for example, decide to charge a higher mortgage rate to someone solely because the home is not as energy efficient as a lender thinks is appropriate, a difference he said could cost a homeowner hundreds of dollars a month.

Its certainly not going to impact the elites, the megacorporation wokesters who run these companies, the people who are in the top 1%, he said. Its going to affect low-income and middle-income families, the people who cant afford to put solar on their homes, the people who cant afford to drive a Tesla or some other green electric car.

Rep. Joseph Chaplik, R-Scottsdale, said there already are practical effects of the ESG system. He said the National Credit Union Administration is requiring credit unions to evaluate climate risk when making agricultural loans. If the methane footprint of your cattle is too high, you may not get that loan, he said.

Rep. Neal Carter, R-Queen Creek, had a different example. He said McDonalds is moving to improve its ESG score with a pledge to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. McDonalds gets all of its cheese nationwide from Schreiber Foods. And Carter said that company gets much of its dairy from Pinal County farmers.

So, in other words, Schreiber Foods is going to require local dairy producers to reduce their carbon footprint and alter their land use practices, which is going to have an effect on residents of Pinal County like myself, Carter said.

That scenario bothered Rep. Mark Finchem, R-Oro Valley.

This whole program of ESG truly is an evil attempt to force people into doing something that they otherwise might not do, he said.

The defeat of the bill is a victory for the financial sector.

During committee hearings, Jay Kaprosy, lobbyist for the Arizona Bankers Association, said his clients are doing nothing improper.

We see banks that are making business decisions, who are evaluating their customer base, who are looking at the pros and cons of the work that they do, who are evaluating on a number of different factors about who they choose to do business with, he said.

Rep. Diego Espinoza, D-Tolleson, said the issue for him is even simpler. He said theres a sign just inside the door of a bar and grill he owns: We have the right to refuse service.

Government shouldnt be telling me who can and cannot be my business, he said. I should be able to make that determination based on a variety of factors.

Howard Fischer is a veteran journalist who has been reporting since 1970 and covering state politics and the Legislature since 1982. Follow him on Twitter at @azcapmedia or email azcapmedia@gmail.com .

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Traitors in our own backyard

While changing the flat screen I stumbled onto a war movie, Hamburger Hill, a true story of the battle in Vietnam! I got flashbacks of dead bodies, body bags, etc. Then I thought of my three high school friends, Chris Evans, Randolph J. Beylick and Donald Crone. Teenagers who died for our freedoms. Don was a MIA from 1970 to 1994. Please visit them in D.C. on the wall. Then I think of the people I consider traitors, the Kelli Ward, Trump family, Rep. Paul Gosar and too many more to list. Now we have a Trump puppet running for governor. Fraudulent electors here in Arizona, and other states. We didnt serve to see cheating, hear lies, voter oppression and much more. I will vote Blue against the Republican Party from now on. The parents of my three friends died very young, of broken hearts.

David E. Leon

Vail

TSA screening to come home

I am old and was born and raised in this country. Recently, I made a trip to Costa Rica. To return to the United States, I was required to have a COVID test ($38), which if not negative, required me to quarantine in Costa Rica for five days before being allowed to return. I was negative, and when I entered the United States, I was thoroughly examined by Immigration, and my baggage was X-rayed. I then had to go through TSA again before continuing my trip.

As I experienced this, it made me wonder if the 1 million-plus undocumented that have crossed the southern border had faced similar scrutiny. I think not. It was amazing to me that I, as a law-abiding, tax-paying citizen, was considered a greater threat than an undocumented non-citizen with an unknown background who is entering the U.S. Amazing.

Pudge Johnson

Oro Valley

Who deserves treatment?

Re: the Feb. 19 letter Admission ticket to our hospitals.

A letter to the editor prompted me to think. Why stop at barring the maskless and unvaccinated? Why not bar those who smoke and get cancer and those who overeat and are morbidly obese and develop diabetes? How about barring those who accidentally shoot themselves with a firearm? We could bar those who drive too fast and get hurt in a car accident. Bar those who take illicit drugs and those who abuse legal drugs.

This would radically reduce the number of people coming to the hospital and provide a solution to the problem about which the writer is complaining. We could have the writer advise government officials on which categories of people deserve treatment and mark those who do not.

Dale Knight

Oro Valley

Autocracy or Democracy poetry

For us, it is a first, never before, more than a curse, sick, sick, to the core. Hate and division is here, promoting the big lie, our society, now, full of fear, to Democracy, we may say goodbye. As Hitler and Mussolini did, a coup they arranged, now Trump makes his bid, and is, as they were, deranged. The Republican Party has become a cult, with a leader promoting division and hate, heil Trump, heil Trump, to a fault, unless, we the people do not protest and demonstrate. Autocracy or Democracy, take your pick, with a Democracy, we are free, with an Autocracy we will be sick, and for sure, with this poem, to jail I will be. So, speak out, protest, history must not repeat, we all must do our best, or, our Democracy will take a back seat. No heil Trump, no heil Trump!

Mark Adams

Northwest side

Weekly report not enough

Gov. Doug Ducey is probably not 82 years old, probably not bothered by sinusitis, serious allergies, a damaged heart or kept alive by a CPAP sleeping machine at night, so he doesnt feel a need to know when the daily case number gets back below 200 so those of us who do live with such maladies can go outside again after two years hunkered down living off of Schwans and Amazon.

I know, were way too much trouble for Gov. Ducey to pay us any mind, no loss if we have to go to the hospital and face death in the hands of exhausted health workers. I think Gov. Ducey just doesnt want to be bothered anymore by this pandemic thing and the constant ringing in his ears of more Arizonans dying day after day, week after week, year after year.

Lyn Paul Relph

Southwest side

Karrin Taylor Robson

I find it curious that Karrin Taylor Robsons political ads no longer mention her support for Donald Trump. She wants to finish the Wall  is Mexico paying for it again or perhaps a Go-Fund-Me-Page? Whats her position on the 2020 election  fair or fraud? How about public schools  does she support public education or the Republican party-led efforts to destroy it? Does she support the Republican-led efforts to make the voting process more difficult? Shes never held public office; why does that make her qualified to lead this state? Lots of questions to be answered during this upcoming campaign.

Tom Haslag

East side

Republicans and taxpayer funds

We have seen Arizona Republicans seriously challenged by reality even when proven wrong by actual fact. They claim they are the party of financial responsibility, but claims are challenged by stories about money lost on Data Ninjas, violation of electronic voting machines now useless, and now investing more money into the southern border wall.

They want to spend $700 million dollars of taxpayers money for the wall that a recent story in the Washington Post noted had been breached more than 3,000 times. The individuals passing through the barrier find it easier to cut through it than go around it. In fact, they patch previous cuts with tinted putty and use them over and over.

I guess Arizona can regain wasted funds from accused border wall fraudster Steve Bannon through property taxes on his house in Oro Valley.

Alan Barreuther

Foothills

Not setting an example!

On March 2, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had a press conference on Workforce Education: Cybersecurity. There were several teenagers behind the podium. They were all wearing COVID masks.

As DeSantis approached the podium, he scolded the teenagers by saying: You do not have to wear those masks. Take them off! Honestly, its not doing anything, we gotta stop this COVID theater. So, if you wanna wear it, all right, but its ridiculous.

A few takeaways from this glimpse into the behavior of the governor.

These teenagers will always remember the way in which they were treated.

These teenagers were given a glimpse into the character of a man who should have been a role model for them.

Mary Jo Swartzberg

SaddleBrooke

2022 Festival of Books

As co-chairs of the 2022 Tucson Festival of Books, we have heard from dozens of friends, acquaintances and complete strangers expressing excitement about our return to a live, in person event this month. The Festival is truly one of the highlights of our civic life. Its full-scale return is an important step in overcoming the trauma the pandemic has inflicted on our community.

A huge factor in making this happen has been the leadership and operational support of assistant vice president Chris Kopach and the entire staff of University of Arizona Facilities Management. In addition to the enormous burden they have carried responding to COVID for the past two years, every segment of the UA operations team has pitched in to prepare the campus for 100,000 plus visitors over Festival weekend. Its an incredibly complicated process  planning meetings have the feel of preparing for a Mars Launch.

We hope that everyone who attends the Festival will give a thought to the many UA workers who have joined with over 1,000 community volunteers to make this event possible.

Lindy Mullinax and David Nix, Steering Committee co-chairs Tucson Festival of Books

Central

Proud to be a subscriber

One of the reasons that I subscribe to the Arizona Daily Star is that I value the Opinion section, both to see what people in my community are thinking and to get outside professional opinions on the major events in todays world.

The March 3 Opinion pages were particularly enlightening, and I want to recognize the discussions about Ukraine and Nepal in particular for the outstanding background they provided. The choice of articles by Alexander Motyl on Ukraines leader Zelenskyy, Kirk Astroths on the background of Nepals current status, and George Skeltons on Ukraines first independence day, as well as Tom Purcells prayers for Ukraines chief during this tragic time were all educational and thought-provoking, as well as expressing opinions from a depth of understanding.

Thank you for providing us with ideas that can help us be better-informed citizens in Arizona, the United States, and the world.

Delores Keahey

East side

Whos next if Putin not stopped

Before we entered WWII, the USA watched Hitler march through Europe and did little or nothing to stop him. Our country tried to stop Japan expansion into China and other countries by putting an embargo on oil. Japan considered this an act of war and attacked Pearl Harbor.

Putin now states that sanctions are an act of war.

Will the most powerful country in the world and NATO wait to see mushroom clouds appear over their own countries before they act or simply capitulate?

I believe Putin is a bully and will do whatever he wants unless and until someone proves that he cant.

War is ugly, but servitude is worse; and I say that as a former Air Force officer, both of whose brothers and brothers-in-law served in the military.

And, if Putin is not stopped, who do you think will be next, another former Soviet country or Taiwan?

John Cioffi

Northeast side

Trash all over highways

My son-in-law visited Tucson this week and asked why there is all the trash on the highway. I too am amazed. There are first steps the state could take that would help  it has in other states.

A $.05 bottle return would give incentive not to throw bottles/cans out car windows. Those desperate for money seem to help pick up the ones that litter. Plastic bags should not be allowed. The litter that you see attached to everything along the side of the road is plastic. The loud cars we hear everywhere should fail their emissions test if their engine / muffler sound was above the decibel allowed to reduce noise pollution.

Not easy fixes, but better than watching our roads get more and more trashed and vehicles get louder and louder. I remember littering was a governmental concern with the campaign Give a hoot, Dont pollute. I dont think Arizona wants trash to be what visitors take home as their first impression.

Susan Bennett

Southwest side

Censure of Wendy Rogers

It was hard to believe, but the Arizona Senate Republicans finally found something they couldnt stomach, although it was certainly a low bar. They, along with every Democrat, censured Republican Sen. Wendy Rogers for comments she made at a white nationalist conference. It was far from the first time and likely not the last that she will make despicable, racist statements. But she still retains full senatorial privileges, even after threatening other Republicans.

When asked about her comments and his $500,000 donation to her campaign, Doug Duceys response was just as egregious. He said Rogers is better than any Democrat. What an embarrassment.

Maybe Arizona voters have had enough of Republicans passing laws to suppress votes, make it harder to get citizen initiatives on the ballot, give the rich massive tax cuts and underfund education spending. Much of which has made Arizona a laughingstock. If so, perhaps they will elect a Democratic governor and Legislature in November.

Dan Gipple

Southeast side

Common sense, common courtesy

It seems to me that so much of the anger, angst, hate, discord, intolerance, division, suspicion and distrust that is so grievously afflicting our beleaguered nation today could begin to be resolved if we would all go for one day without going on the internet and just talk to each other while practicing what I call the four Cs: Diligently apply common sense, common decency and common courtesy and earnestly strive to find common ground. My dear beloved mother, Lynn, always told me: Nancy, it doesnt cost you anything to be nice! So why not give it a try?

Nancy Silberschlag

Foothills

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The Biden administration filed an emergency application with the Supreme Court on Monday, asking it to freeze a lower-court opinion requiring the Navy to deploy special operations forces even though they have refused to get vaccinated for Covid-19.

"This application seeks relief from a preliminary injunction that usurps the Navy's authority to decide which servicemembers should be deployed to execute some of the military's most sensitive and dangerous missions," Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar told the justices in the administration's application on Monday.

She is not challenging a portion of the injunction that protected the SEALs and other personnel from discipline or discharge for remaining unvaccinated. But she is asking that the ruling forcing the Navy to assign and deploy 35 unvaccinated members of special operations forces be blocked while the appeals process plays out.

The challengers -- including more than two dozen Navy SEALs -- say they have religious objections to the requirement and are seeking an exemption.

A district court ruled against the administration, and a federal appeals court declined to step in, saying that it had not demonstrated "paramount interests" that justify vaccinating the plaintiffs in violation of their religious beliefs.

Lawyers for the First Liberty Institute are representing the challengers and said in a statement on Monday that the lower courts "got it right."

"The U.S. Supreme Court should reject this latest attempt to punish our clients and make clear, once and for all, that our service members do not forfeit their religious freedom because they are in the military," said Mike Berry, senior counsel for First Liberty.

Prelogar told the justices that the Navy has informed her that it has already been forced to send one of the challengers to Hawaii for duty on a submarine "against its military judgment."

Prelogar stressed that SEALs and other members of the Special Warfare community can be called upon to deploy anywhere in the world on short notice to complete high-risk missions under extreme conditions. She noted that in 2009 a team of SEALs flew 8,000 miles to respond to the hijacking of a US-flagged ship by Somali pirates and ultimately played a critical role in rescuing the ship's captain, who was being held hostage.

"The Navy has an extraordinarily compelling interest in ensuring that the servicemembers who perform those missions are as physically and medically prepared as possible," she said, adding: "That includes vaccinating them against COVID-19, which is the least restrictive means of achieving that interest."

She said that the US military has relied on mandatory immunization since 1777 when George Washington directed the inoculation of the Continental Army against smallpox.

The Navy currently requires nine vaccines. It allows two types of exemptions for medical and administrative reasons, which include "religious accommodations." Those exemptions are adjudicated through Navy policies which include a 50-step process to entertain a religious accommodation request.

In the seven months since the Covid vaccine was added as a mandatory immunization, the Navy has received more than 4,000 requests for exemptions. Most remain pending, and Prelogar says the Navy has only granted one religious accommodation.

Under longstanding policy, Special Warfare servicemembers who cannot be vaccinated for religious reasons are deemed not physically qualified and cannot be assigned to an operation unit.

Prelogar said if the Supreme Court were to freeze the lower court opinion, that they would not be entitled to be assigned to or deployed on missions that "their commanding officers have determined would be jeopardized by their lack of vaccination."

The-CNN-Wire

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A global tech company plans to make the MidAmerica Industrial Park in Pryor its new North American headquarters.

The company will invest on 100 acres there and will purchase electricity from the Grand River Dam Authority.

The firm will make the announcement official at two news conferences Wednesday: at 10 a.m. at the state Capitol in Oklahoma City and at 2:30 p.m. at the industrial park.

Gov. Kevin Stitt, other state officials and David Stewart, who heads the park, are expected to speak at the news conferences, officials said.

Officials declined to name the company but said it wasnt related to the huge firm Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said last month he was trying to lure to the state.

Oklahoma reportedly is competing with Kansas for an electric vehicle battery factory, according to the Kansas City Star and Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

Wednesdays announcement will continue the MidAmerica Industrial Parks economic momentum.

Electric vehicle start-up Canoo last year announced plans to build a mega microfactory for its pickup and multipurpose delivery vehicles at the Mayes County park.

That investment is listed as $482.6 million and is scheduled to create 1,500 jobs in Pryor, according to records from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce.

Also, as reported by the Tulsa World last month, the Mayes County Board of Commissioners is examining whether to establish a tax increment financing district on 700 acres of undeveloped MidAmerica Industrial Park land.

TIFs are economic tools used to promote economic development. They allow governmental entities to use a portion of property taxes generated within the district to invest in the districts infrastructure, providing an incentive for private investment.

Stewart projected that private investment in the TIF, if approved, would be $5 billion to $6 billion over the first five years of the TIF, which is capped by state statute at 25 years.

The MidAmerica Industrial Park originated as a U.S. government site that developed black powder during World War II. It now encompasses 9,000 acres and supports about 80 companies, including search engine giant Google.

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The Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation (LTFF) launched a scholarship program and community art installation Tuesday in conjunction with International Womens Day.

Through an interactive floral display on the patio of Mother Road Market, patrons can recognize notable women and contribute to a scholarship program supporting the women of Kitchen 66 and Cocina 66, English and Spanish-speaking incubator programs that provide training and resources for Tulsa food entrepreneurs.

During March, persons can make a suggested donation of $5 for a flower and place it on the wall with a special note to recognize important women in their life. LTFF will match the community donations to support the women entering the 2022 Fall Launch Programs of Kitchen 66 and Cocina 66.

Sami Cooper owns the Big Dipper at Mother Road Market and is a Kitchen 66 graduate.

I discovered the benefits of the Kitchen 66 Launch Program at a time when I was ready for my business to grow, Cooper said in a statement. This education program gave me the knowledge and tools to take my business concept to the next level.

Tuesdays project was unveiled by Cooper and LTFF board member Kathy Taylor, who also serves as Dean of the Collins College of Business at the University of Tulsa and founding member of VEST, a network for expanding the pipeline of women in positions of influence. All women in attendance were invited to place inaugural flowers on the wall to officially dedicate the installation.

Women play a crucial role across industries, sectors and career levels, Elizabeth Frame Ellison, president and CEO of LTFF, said in a statement. Honoring women in the community helps to empower those currently in the workforce and inspires our next generation of daughters, nieces and sisters just as my moms career inspired me.

Since opening LTFFs Mother Road Market in November 2018, women participants in the nonprofits Kitchen 66 and Cocina 66 programs have generated more than $500,000 in sales revenue.

This years International Womens Day theme, Break The Bias, is focused on imagining a gender equal world, free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination.

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HARARE, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Constitutional body the Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) on Tuesday called on the government and relevant stakeholders to break the gender bias that makes women more vulnerable to the vagaries of climate change.

In a statement to mark International Women's Day, ZGC chairperson Margaret Mukahanana-Sangarwe said climate change impacted men and women differently, given their different roles and responsibilities at household and community levels.

"Women and girls face particular vulnerabilities resulting from cultural norms and lower socio-economic status in society. Their domestic roles often make them disproportionate users of natural resources such as water, firewood and forest products," she said.

"With climate change, these tasks are becoming more arduous, adding to the existing unfair labor burden borne by women and girls," she said.

There have been reports of men taking advantage of women and demanding sexual favors in return for access to water.

Women and girls also travel long distances to fetch water and firewood for their households.

Mukahanana-Sangarwe said the preoccupation with household functions had resulted in further loss of control by women over their destiny.

She, therefore, called for the recognition of the gender-disaggregated impacts on climate change, integration of gender perspectives into mitigation, adaptation and response initiatives and inclusion of women's voices and choices into climate change policy discussions.

She added that equal space and resources should be provided for both women and men to participate in climate change decision-making and action at all levels and that early warning information on weather patterns should be given to them across their diversity, including to those with disabilities.

She also said the government and stakeholders should "promote climate-smart technologies that are user-friendly for women and other vulnerable groups, (and) ensure women's equal access to training opportunities on climate change mitigation and adaptation." 
The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. hit a record $4.17 Tuesday as President Joe Biden announced a ban on Russian oil imports after the invasion of Ukraine.

Gas stations in Tulsa, including many area QuikTrips, raised prices by 20 cents per gallon overnight, from $3.59 to $3.79, according to gasbuddy.com, a fuel price-tracking service.

Statewide, the average price went up slightly from $3.646 Monday to $3.719 Tuesday, according to AAA Oklahoma.

However, even with Tuesdays increase, the statewide average price had still not hit the record of $3.954 per gallon, set in July 2008, according to AAA Oklahoma.

Tulsas average price Tuesday was $3.665 per gallon, also shy of the record of $3.927 set in July 2008, the auto club said.

The national average rose by 10 cents per gallon in one day, and its up 55 cents since last week, according to AAA data. The previous high was set 14 years ago when the national average price hit $4.10 per gallon.

The amount of U.S. gasoline in storage fell last week as demand started to tick higher with summer approaching. The increase in gas demand and inventories trending lower are contributing to rising prices at the pump.

The price of benchmark U.S. crude jumped 8% Tuesday to more than $129 per barrel before closing at $123.70, up $4.30 per barrel from Monday.

Americans can expect the current trend at the pump to continue as long as crude prices climb, AAA said.

Rising gas prices come as Biden decided to ban Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russias economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine.

We will not be part of subsidizing Putins war, Biden declared, calling the new action a powerful blow against Russias ability to fund the ongoing offensive.

The U.S. imports about 100,000 barrels a day from Russia, only about 5% of Russias crude oil exports, according to Rystad Energy. Last year, roughly 8% of U.S. imports of oil and petroleum products came from Russia.

Curbs on Russian oil exports likely will send already soaring oil and gasoline prices higher in both the U.S. and Europe and further squeeze consumers, businesses, financial markets and the global economy.

Energy analysts warn that crude oil prices could go as high to $160 or even $200 a barrel due to oil sanctions imposed by the West or if buyers continue shunning Russian crude.

Oil prices that high could send an average gallon of U.S. gasoline past $5 a gallon.

Forget the $4 per gallon mark; the nation will soon set new all-time record highs, and we could push closer to a national average of $4.50, GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan said.

Weve never been in this situation before, with this level of uncertainty.  Americans will be feeling the pain of the rise in prices for quite some time, he said.

Oil companies dont set the market prices; people do, by filling up their tanks, he said.

Normally fuel prices rise in spring and summer, as Americans drive and fly more. Demand could also get a boost as countries continue to shed their COVID-19 restrictions. Those trends suggest that pump prices are heading higher, with demand continuing to outstrip supply.

Its not going to be a good summer for motorists, De Haan said.

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For an evening that had been planned more than a year ago, Saturday evenings concert by the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra was very much of the moment.

It wasnt just that principal guest conductor Daniel Hege requested that the audience stand for a performance of the Ukrainian national anthem as well as The Star-Spangled Banner, or that he and the other musicians of the Tulsa Symphony were all wearing blue or yellow chrysanthemums, reflecting colors of the Ukrainian flag.

These gestures of support for the people of Ukraine as they battle against the invading armies of Russia lent a somber air to the opening moments of the concert. But they provided the audience with a unique way to hear the music that was performed Saturday at the Tulsa PAC.

The three works  one from the early 19th century, one from the late 19th century, one from the mid-20th century  were ostensibly linked by the concerts title, Unfinished.

That incompleteness ranged from a few unorchestrated bars of the finished score to a piece that exists because a fellow composer heard the music played and wrote it down from memory.

Yet each work seemed to embody and express the emotional turmoil and uncertainty so many people are facing in these extremely troubled times.

The evening began with the Overture to Prince Igor by Borodin, which  coincidentally  is the story of a heroic leader from what is now Ukraine who must confront an invasion by barbarians from the east. The music is a blend of ominous foreboding, lyrical yearning and galloping action, highlighted by fine solo work by clarinetist David Carter and principal French horn Bruce Schultz, that seemed to embody solitary human voices raised in hope.

Orion Weiss, making his debut with the orchestra, was the soloist for the Piano Concerto No. 3 by Bela Bartok. Bartok can be a polarizing composer  there are those who cannot stand his music, while others find it enthralling.

Weiss performance of this work, which Bartok wrote while in exile in the United States because of World War II, would have converted even the most Bartok-adverse listener. The speed and precision of his playing, the febrile energy he brought to just about every note of the hyperactive first and third movements, was captivating.

It was in the concertos second movement, headed Adagio religioso, however, where Weiss truly shone. He could fill a phrase with deeply felt, almost prayerful yearning, but when the orchestra might attempt to answer those phrases with an optimistic melody, Weiss would interrupt with savage chords, like cries of anguish or despair.

Only once Weiss and the orchestra had passed through night  the unique soundscapes Bartok created to mimic sounds in nature, and that are known as night music  was that sense of despair relieved.

Weiss responded to the crowds extended standing ovation with a fiery piece by Villa-Lobos.

Perhaps the best-known unfinished work is the Symphony No. 8 by Schubert, which exists as two movements rather than the typical three or four. All sorts of speculations have been advanced as to why Schubert never completed the work, from health problems to uncertainty about where to go with the new musical direction this work represented.

As it stands, it is a somewhat mournful work, the composers facility for bright, tuneful melodies offset by a darkly dramatic quality, a personal element that foreshadows the self-expression of the Romantic era.

But in the context of Saturdays concert, the Tulsa Symphonys performance seemed to distill the sense that life, and all the things within this life that we hold precious, is a tenuous, even fragile thing. And the way Hege handled the dynamics of this work, down to the whispery, questioning tone as the music faded away at the end, imbued this piece with an even greater resonance.

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At Feast and Field, some of our favorite dishes have come from the minds of incredible female pioneers in todays culinary industry. We have been fortunate to travel the country, stepping inside the kitchens of exciting, daring and talented female chefs who are making waves and bringing about change in said industry.

While we are always honored to tell the stories of those behind the food and drink of America, as an all-female staff, we feel especially lucky to be able to give another voice and lift these female chefs weve met along the way.

In honor of Marchs Womens History Month and International Womens Day on March 8, Feast and Field is celebrating the chefs who have not only shared with us delicious recipes, but who have provided top-of-the-line tips and offered cooking inspiration for meals and gatherings big and small.

Here are some of our favorite Feast and Field-featured female chefs who are doing their part in shaping this nations ever-evolving food scene.

Elizabeth Johnson

Sofia Tejeda

Speaking of grapefruits, we also connected with Sofia Tejeda, a Texas-based pastry chef whose formal training at the Culinary Institute of America (and in some of the nations toughest kitchens!) eventually brought her to the Food Network. We have Tejeda to thank for these Grapefruit Honey Scones, Sparkling Grapefruit Granita and Grapefruit Cremes Brulees.

Alekka Sweeney

Robin Davis

Continuing on the sweet train, we headed over to North Carolinas Maxie Bs bakery for Issue No. 9: Traditional Southern Baking. Were not the only ones to recognize the talent oozing out of Maxie Bs: The bakery experienced fame in 2011 when Southern Living touted founder and owner Robin Davis traditional cakes. Years later, Davis blessed us with a few delicious desserts, including her Blueberry Pie and Jam Crumble Bars that you dont have to wait until peak berry season to enjoy. P.S. Want to pipe a cake like a master baker? Check out our tutorial here.

Laurel Burleson

Because we cant ever get enough jam (see: Issue No. 13: Jams and Preserves), we traveled north to Wisconsin to try our hand at homemade jam with chef Laurel Burleson, owner of Ugly Apple Cafe, a food cart that was started as a way to address the (perfectly good) produce deemed to be cast-offs. This ugly fruit goes to waste every day in this country, but personally, we dont think theres anything ugly about these Strawberry Caprese Canapes with Strawberry-Basil Jam.

Mary Goddard

In one of Feast and Fields most ambitious trips yet, we were lucky enough to pull up a seat at Mary Goddards table in Sitka, Alaska. Mary, along with her husband Lucas, is the chef and blogger behind Forest Fresh Alaska, a forest-to-table cooking blog that helps readers unlock the potential of local food and ingredients. We couldnt think of anyone better to teach us a thing or two about cooking salmon for Issue No. 21: Wild Salmon. Be sure to give their Creamy-Coconut Salmon Chowder, Smoked Salmon Sushi Lollipops or their Simply Delicious Grilled Salmon a try.

Lisa Shaw

Lara Lyn Carter

Jaynelle St. Jean

Could this list be complete without killer pie? Jaynelle St. Jean, owner and founder of Pietisserie, boasts over 13,000 Instagram followers and has formed a cult following for her modern take on the beloved dessert. St. Jeans story of graduating from just a single pie window to a bakery with national interest is nothing short of inspiring. She gave us some insider secrets to her (beautiful) top-selling pies in Issue No. 36: Pie, including Ginger & Cardamom Apple and Black-Bottom Walnut  and even gave us a tutorial on how to master a lattice pie crust.

Alexandra Coppinger

Kate Heller

Rounding out our list is Kate Heller, owner of Leos Bread bakery in New Orleans, a somewhat new bakery which often finds itself on best of lists. (For a city so ingrained in cake culture, we think thats quite impressive!) Heller gave us three delicious rum-spiked desserts in Issue No. 49: Rum, including a few innovative ways to always be able to pull off Tiramisu. Thank you, Kate.

And thank you, ladies!
A lawsuit filed in district court on Friday alleges that Tulsas failure to maintain landscaping and proper lighting along a city street was the direct and proximate cause of the death of a pedestrian in October.

Jose Luis Calzada-Gutierrez, 51, was leaving the Tulsa State Fair just after twilight on a Sunday evening, Oct. 3, when a vehicle struck him in a crosswalk on 15th Street at Urbana Avenue just outside Expo Square Gate 8.

Traffic along 15th Street is not controlled at the intersection or at several others that connect the event grounds to adjacent neighborhoods, but crosswalks are denoted by painting on the pavement and brightly-colored pedestrian warning signs with arrows that point to the crosswalks. The speed limit along the four-lane street with a raised median is 40 mph.

The petition, brought by Calzada-Gutierrezs estate, says the driver whose vehicle struck him could not see the pedestrian warning sign at Urbana Avenue because the lighting in the area is poor and the sign was obstructed by overgrown tree branches.

The driver, described in a police report as distraught, told officers he was looking forward through his windshield and driving about 35 mph when he suddenly saw someone walking in front of his vehicle. He said he braked and swerved left to try to avoid hitting the pedestrian but that it was too late.

A witness who was driving behind the vehicle that struck Calzada-Gutierrez told police he saw the pedestrian before the crash and hoped the other driver did, too, according to the report.

Police and city officials investigated a wide range of possible contributing factors but didnt pinpoint any as the sole cause of the collision.

A city official drove down 15th Street the day after the crash and noted that vegetation was blocking some of the pedestrian crossing warning signs for westbound drivers, and city crews trimmed back several branches along the street.

In the petition filed on behalf of Calzada-Gutierrezs two adult daughters, attorney Todd Tucker wrote that the city denied a tort claim in January on the grounds that the city was not aware of a potentially hazardous condition at the crossing and that the pavement markings were clearly visible.

Pursuant to the Oklahoma Governmental Tort Claims Act, a municipality has governmental immunity and is not liable for unknown conditions, according to an interoffice correspondence Tucker provided to the World that denotes the citys legal counsel recommending the claim be denied.

The City was not aware of, and had not received notification of, any problem or improper condition at this location prior to the date and time of the incident alleged, the letter states.

Tucker provided to the World copies of emails from a concerned resident beginning in April 2021 to City Councilor Kara Joy McKee that warn of a perfect storm brewing on 15th Street near the fairgrounds.

In the email, the resident laments a number of traffic accidents and potentially dangerous circumstances created by the roadways design, including the visual barrier of the raised median and the placement of some crosswalks at the apexes of hills along the rolling street. The email does not mention landscaping or poor lighting.

The resident forwarded the email to the councilor again in July reminding her of the problem ahead of the fair.

The only response visible from a city representative in the provided email chain came from a council aide the day after Calzada-Gutierrezs death, when the resident forwarded the email chain to McKees City Council email address a third time. In a reply, the aide promised to present the issue to McKee as soon as possible.

Carson Colvin, a city spokesman, said the city does not comment on pending litigation.

Upon receipt of the Police Departments traffic collision report, the city partnered with Public Service Company of Oklahoma to install street lights on each side of the five crosswalks across 15th at Urbana, Sandusky, Quebec, New Haven and Louisville avenues. Their installation was at no cost to the city, and the city was working to determine the status of that project Monday.

The city also proposed installing rectangular rapid flashing beacons, or RRFBs, at each crosswalk. RRFBs allow pedestrians to push a button to make warning lights flash while theyre crossing the street. They already are installed in several high pedestrian-traffic areas around the city, such as Cherry Street and Brookside.

The city was seeking grants to at least partially fund five RRFBs, which are about $20,000 a set, for the strip in late October. The city was working to determine the status of that funding Monday.

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A man died after being stabbed multiple times in his apartment near 61st Street and Garnett Road on Sunday evening, Tulsa police said in a news release.

The victim, Galen Landrum, 51, was in his home at Sugarberry Apartments when he was attacked about 7:45 p.m., police said.

Two children or teens, one of whom was Landrums daughter, were also in the apartment during the attack and locked themselves in a bathroom, where they called 911, police said. Neither was injured.

Police said they are searching for any information that will lead them to the assailant.

Anyone with information about the homicide is asked to call Tulsa Crime Stoppers at 918-596-COPS. Callers can remain anonymous.
Starting Tuesday, masks are no longer required at Union Public Schools.

Citing the most recent guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and declining COVID-19 case counts in Tulsa County, the districts school board voted unanimously Monday night to suspend Unions mask requirement.

One of the issues thats been pervasive has been: What are the recommendations? What does the science say? board member Dr. Chris McNeil said. According to the CDC, as of March 3, were at a place where we dont have to require masks indoors.

For everyone here and in our community who has put the work in to get to this place where we can safely do this, kudos to you.

Its time.

In other business, the board and district leaders celebrated the newly announced state Teacher of the Year, Rebecka Peterson.

Unions first state Teacher of the Year winner since 2003, Petersons award was announced Thursday in Oklahoma City. A pre-calculus and Advanced Placement calculus teacher at Union High School, Peterson was also recently named one of six state-level finalists for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, the highest recognition a K-12 mathematics or science teacher can receive in the United States.

As state Teacher of the Year, she will not be in the classroom for the 2022-23 school year but will instead be traveling the state as an ambassador for the profession.

Im excited to get to listen to other teachers for a year, as I firmly believe that teachers are at the heart of public education, Peterson said.

Also, the board unanimously approved a new student-designed logo for the districts mascot, drawing a standing ovation for the artist, Union High School junior Caiden Morales.

Prior to Monday nights vote, the new logo was already approved by 72% of the districts students in grades four through 12 via an internal vote and received positive feedback from more than 1,500 Union supporters and community members.

Morales, who said he got his start drawing comic book covers in elementary school, initially emailed an unsolicited animated version of the Redhawks logo to the district that caught Union officials attention.

It means everything to me, Morales said. Its definitely going to help me in the future, as I want to go into a graphic design career.

This is crazy, as I didnt expect them to use my logo at all. It was very surprising for this to happen, and its been a long process, but it has been worth it.

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Oklahoma lawmakers serving on a medical marijuana working group believe their proposals for the 2022 legislative session send a message: If youre an illegal operator, your time is up.

In a news conference Monday, working group member Rep. Scott Fetgatter, R-Okmulgee, said legislation is needed to fix problems across the state that are going on 4 years old.

He cited specific language in the 2018 state question that legalized medical marijuana in Oklahoma as helping bad actors proliferate.

That has been one of the biggest contributors to the straw man, out-of-state, out-of-country ownership in our grow operations in the state of Oklahoma, he said.

But changing the State Question 788 rule  that nonresidents may have an ownership stake under 25%  was not among the priorities listed by the House Republican working group.

Among the bills listed Monday by Rep. T.J. Marti, R-Broken Arrow, was a proposal that would require data reporting from utilities on licensees' electricity and water usage. Other states with legal cannabis have similar systems, said Rep. Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City.

Combined with the upcoming implementation of a seed-to-sale tracking system, information on utility usage could help inspectors identify discrepancies that might indicate diversion from a grower, Marti said.

The electrical and water data is whats going to make seed-to-sale work and allow us to find whos consuming our utilities and who falls outside the standard deviation of what they should be growing based on what theyre using, he said.

Sage Farms founder Ben Neal said it may be challenging to develop such a baseline, noting that every grow operation is different.

If every facility was the exact same  the exact same efficiency, the exact same lights, dehumidifiers, heat and air  then, sure, you could say  It takes this much energy to grow this many plants, Neal said.

Noting that the number of changes being proposed for the industry makes for quite an expensive plan, Marti said one of the proposals would be a revenue-generator by increasing some license fees.

A substitute for House Bill 2179 by Echols would create eight tiers for indoor, greenhouse and outdoor grow operations. The bigger the operation, the greater the license fee, starting at $2,500. The fee for an operator seeking to license a 2.2 million-square-foot outdoor grow would be about $150,000. For a 20,000-square-foot greenhouse grow, it would be about $16,000 for the OMMA license. A similar size indoor grow would have to pay $60,000 for a license.

When you talk to legitimate growers, there is nothing more offensive to them than having to compete against those who are breaking the law right now, Echols said.

Enforcement is at the heart of the issue, he said, so another proposal would add local partners working in tandem with the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority and other state agencies to weed out illegal operators. HB 3530 would carve $5 million per year from state tax revenue on marijuana sales to fund grants for county sheriff's offices.

Were funding the sheriff, so the sheriffs going to be out there. Were going to have at least one inspection annually, so you wont be able to hide from us anymore, Marti said.

Fetgatter, saying he has talked to more than 200 medical marijuana business owners, said legitimate businesses shouldn't be concerned with the proposals.

"They see these bills as a way that they can stop having to compete with the black market, so theyre more than happy to have these bills implemented and follow those rules," he said. The problem in the state of Oklahoma is we legalized marijuana and we still have people who want to break the laws.

Echols, who said the working group had support from the Senate on the slate of proposals, noted that only a fraction of medical marijuana bills were included in the list of priorities. Others are not dead yet, said Rep. Rusty Cornwell, R-Vinita, including some proposals that have drawn concerns.

HB 3208 by Cornwell would impose a moratorium on new business licenses until oversight agencies get everyone in compliance.

Oklahomans for Responsible Cannabis Action founder Jed Green said putting new licenses on hiatus would stifle businesses and possibly also create an unforeseen burden on the state oversight agency.

"A moratorium could create a rush on license applications by speculators and set OMMA back in their efforts to catch up, which they are finally doing, Green said Monday.

From outside the House working group, Rep. Dean Davis, R-Broken Arrow, has proposed HB 4287, which would prohibit dispensaries from having deli-style sales but would require prepackaging of products.

Thats a debacle, Green said of the bill heading to the House floor. Thats a bad one.

Earlier proposals that sought to mandate prepackaged medical marijuana met with patient pushback, he said. Davis bill, as written, would limit patients ability to purchase less than 3.5 grams of cannabis flower at a dispensary.

A greenhouse grower, Neal is in the process of selling his cannabis businesses. He said Monday that hes among an exodus of business owners who are struggling to stay afloat in Oklahoma's medical marijuana industry.

"The price (for cannabis) has come down, and the expense to grow has gone up," Neal said. "And you're thinking, 'Are things going to be better in one year?' And honestly, I don't think so."

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State and local officials would be prohibited from enforcing some federal gun laws under legislation approved Monday by the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

House Bill 2984, by Rep. David Hardin, R-Stilwell, forbids enforcement of new federal laws or interpretations of existing laws that infringes upon, calls in question or prohibits, restricts, or requires individual licensure for or registration of the purchase, ownership, possession, transfer, or use of any firearm, any magazine or other ammunition feeding device, or other firearm accessory.

HB 2982, also by Hardin, asserts the right of Oklahomans to manufacture and own noise suppressors, commonly known as silencers, within states borders without the federal licensing normally required.

A former Oklahoma City police officer and Adair County sheriff, Hardin repeated his belief that the federal government is going to come after our firearms, to which Rep. Forrest Bennett, D-Oklahoma City, replied, Weve been waiting for that to happen almost as long as weve been waiting for trickle down economics to work.

Quizzed by Rep. Andy Fugate, D-Oklahoma City, Hardin said he does not believe federal law on this matter would supersede state law, although both the U.S. and Oklahoma Constitution contain supremacy clauses indicating otherwise.

Hardins arguments rest on the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, although it is unclear who would decide what violates that amendment.

Existing state law, passed last year, says any federal, state, county or municipal act, law, executive order, administrative order, court order, rule, policy or regulation ordering the buy-back, confiscation or surrender of firearms, firearm accessories or ammunition from law-abiding citizens should be considered an infringement of Second Amendment rights.

HB 2982 is patterned after a Texas law passed last year, but Kansas has had a similar law since 2013. In 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court let stand a lower court decision that the state law could not prevent federal prosecution of individuals who violated federal laws restricting the manufacture and sale of guns and suppressors, even if the items did not involve interstate commerce.

Also Monday:

The House passed two education bills by Speaker Pro Tem Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow.

HB 3092 would require school districts to consider age-appropriate community standards when buying new library materials, and HB 3084 would allow school buses to cross district boundaries to pick up transfer students.

The first bill is one of many this session that address parental concerns about reading and multimedia materials; the second is considered an important addition to the bill signed into law last year that facilitates open transfers among public school districts.

HB 2986, by Rep. Steve Bashore, R-Miami, which would be good news for those buying cars but not so good for school districts and others that receive motor vehicle tax revenue, advanced without much opposition.

The bill would base excise tax calculations on a vehicles net sales price  price minus discounts and trade-in value  instead of the purchased vehicles full value. An accompanying fiscal impact statement estimated the state would lose about $47.4 million a year from the change.

HB 3414, by Rep. Daniel Pae, R-Lawton, which authorizes research and clinical trials using psilocybin and psilocin, passed without discussion. The two substances are what make some mushrooms magic, and have also been linked to possible treatments for anxiety and post traumatic stress.

Also passing was HB 3822, by Rep. Carl Newton, R-Fairview, which would legalize  at least to some extent  whats been common practice in rural Oklahoma since the internal combustion engine.

The bill would allow youth as young as 14 to be issued provisional drivers licenses for farm and ranch work or to drive to school, provided they receive certain training.

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OKLAHOMA CITY  University of Oklahoma officials announced plans on Tuesday to dramatically increase enrollment at the schools College of Nursing to reduce a shortage of nurses across the state.

This fall, the college will begin admitting all qualified applicants.

For the incoming 2022 fall class, the university admitted all 555 qualified applicants. In comparison, only 366 students were admitted in the fall of 2021.

That was only 62% of the qualified applicants, said University of Oklahoma President Joseph Harroz Jr.

The cost to increase enrollment will be about $14 million, said OU College of Nursing Dean Julie Hoff.

Our academic standards for admission were not lowered, Hoff said. These were all eligible applicants.

Officials said the increase will be covered by existing resources and donations.

The College of Nursing expects to add about 21 full-time faculty and staff posts to handle the increased enrollment, Huff said.

The cost to educate, the tuition and fees charged brought in, along with the state piece of it, dont cover the full cost to educate students beyond the number we typically take, Harroz said. That has been the limiting factor.

While there are enough hospital beds in the state, there have not been enough nurses to staff them, Harroz noted.

Oklahoma ranks 46th in the nation in terms of nurses per capita, officials said.

There are literally hundreds of qualified applicants that dont have spots in nursing programs, especially ours, the top one in the state, Harroz said.

Annually, 80,000 people seeking a nursing degree nationwide are left at the door, Hoff said.

The situation is a result of a shortage of nursing faculty, inadequate space, lack of equipment and funding, Hoff said.

The expansion in enrollment will help improve access to health care and improve health outcomes, she said.

This is historic, Hoff said. There is probably not a college in the nation that can say they are doing this today.

Oklahomas nursing shortage is of great concern for our state, Gov. Kevin Stitt said. While the COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the health care industry, particularly on the nursing workforce, the tireless work of OU and the Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing will ensure we are addressing the needs of an evolving health care system and that Oklahomans continue receiving quality care.

Correction: This story originally misspelled the dean's name from OU College of Nursing. The story has been corrected.

Featured video: Concerns for health care personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic

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WINDHOEK, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Namibia has called for the fast elimination of violence and harassment against women at the workplace, as the country joined the rest of the world in celebrating International Women's Day Tuesday.

"There is no doubt that this year's campaign, -- The Time is now! To fight against violence and harassment at the workplace -- particularly resonates with all of us as it is geared toward the transformative agenda of empowering women in the society," said Namibia's Deputy Labor Commissioner Kyllikki Sihlahla Tuesday in her key statement at an event held in Windhoek, the Namibian capital.

Sihlahla said women play a significant role in society, however, their role has been downplayed by male dominance in all domains of society since time immemorial.

"As women, we should not let society project its fears unto us. Women should take up space in society, as there is great importance in cementing yourself in society," she said, noting that in the recent past, a number of violence and harassment cases involving or targeted toward women have been witnessed at workplaces.

According to Sihlahla, the challenges women face in the workplace are real and some women even suffer from severe depression, which if not addressed on time can result in constructive dismissal.

"Therefore, there is a need to actively advocate for psychological safety in all organizations. We should use Convention 190 at our disposal to eliminate violence and harassment at the workplace," she added.

Namibia became the first African country and the only third International Labour Organization member state to ratify Convention 190, which is aimed at protecting workers and other persons in the world of work. 
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam  Dh Foods Joint Stock Company (Dh Foods), a leading brand of Vietnamese food products, has announced the signing of a cooperation agreement with Heritage Beverage Company (HB), a U.S. importer of Vietnamese premium products. Accordingly, HB will become the exclusive distributor of Dh Foods in the U.S. market.

Dh Foods will assign HB, a portfolio company of Saigon Asset Management (SAM), to import and distribute more than 150 SKUs of condiment products, consisting of many specialty spices, from Vietnam to the U.S. market.

After nine years of continuous growth and development, Dh Foods is on target to realize the dream of becoming the spice corner in the world's kitchen, said Nguyen Trung Dung, chairman and CEO of Dh Foods.

Our key products, such as Tay Ninh gourmet seasoning, Nha Trang sweet and sour BBQ sauce, Phu Quoc spice fish sauce, and natural marinate for Pho, have been great contributors to our success.

While our products have penetrated the European and Asian markets, our aspiration is for Dh Foods to be available in America.

The ceremony where Dh Foods and Heritage Beverage signed a cooperation agreement to export high quality Vietnamese condiments to the U.S. market on February 22, 2022

We are delighted to partner with Heritage Beverage, a strong importer and distributor of Vietnamese premium products for the U.S. market, and look forward to having our Vietnamese condiments available in America.

Louis Nguyen, chairman of Heritage Beverage, said, Over the past decade, Vietnamese food and culture have experienced a steady increase in influence in mainstream America, which you can see is reflected in media, Hollywood, and Americas knowledge of pho and banh mi.

However, many Vietnamese products arriving in the U.S. have seen their challenges in quality and competitiveness.

Sustainable products from Dh Foods stand above the crowd and we recognize this is driven by commitments from the senior management team of the company.

Heritage Beverage is delighted to be able to bring high quality and sustainable Vietnamese food to the American market.

Dh Foods products are currently sold in all key supermarkets and convenience stores nationwide.

In addition, they have successfully entered competitive markets such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the Netherlands, the UK, Germany, and Australia.

Dh Foods has maintained an average growth rate of 50 percent per year throughout the last six years.

Despite the global pandemic in 2021, the company achieved a growth rate of 61 percent, while its exports were up 32 percent compared to 2020.

Dh Foods products are expected to be available in the U.S. market from the third quarter of 2022.

The firm will leverage HB's import and distribution systems to have its products sold at key Vietnamese restaurants and premises, casinos, and U.S. mainstream supermarkets.

Dh Foods products are currently sold in all key supermarkets and convenience stores nationwide.

Dh Foods was established in 2012 with the mission of bringing specialty condiments in Vietnam to the kitchens of every family at home and abroad.

Its products are available at all supermarkets and convenience stores nationwide and have been exported to many international markets including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and Australia.

Dh Foods wants to be the spice corner in that kitchen. For more information, visit https://dhfoods.com.vn/en.

Established in 1994, HB is a leading U.S. importer and distributor of Vietnamese premium products to the American market.

The companys mission is to source, invest, refine, and market sustainable products in Vietnam and make them available to the world.

HBs products are available in many major stores in the U.S.

The firm is backed by investments from SAM, a private equity firm based in the U.S. and Vietnam. For more information, visit www.heritagebeverage.us and www.saigonam.com.
Vietnam's trade in February fell sharply from January as business activities halted early in the month due to the week-long Lunar New Year holiday.

Exports in February fell 24.1% from January to $23.42 billion, government customs data released on Monday showed.

Imports in February fell 13.8% from the previous month to $25.38 billion, the Customs Department said in a report. This resulted in a trade deficit of $1.96 billion in the month.

For the first two months of this year, Vietnam's exports rose 11.7% from a year earlier to $54.52 billion, while its imports were up 16.7% to $55.10 billion, resulting in a deficit of $580 million.

Its largest export earners in the month include smartphones, electronics and garments, the report said. Key imports included computers, electronics and machinery.

Imports of refined petroleum products in the January-February period rose 2.6% from a year earlier to 1.35 million tonnes, the report said, as local petroleum traders boosted their purchases to compensate for a run cut at the country's largest refinery.
A male teacher in Nghe An Province, north-central Vietnam has been the talk of the town after donning a female ao dai (traditional Vietnamese long gown) in front of his students as a way to celebrate International Womens Day (March 8).

Photos of Ho Phan Ngoc, a 12th-grade homeroom teacher at Quynh Luu 4 High School in Nghe An, giving lessons in a floral ao dai and non la (Vietnamese conical hat) that are usually worn by Vietnamese women to accentuate their grace went viral on social media on Monday.

The photos received mixed comments as a number of Internet users said that it is inappropriate for male teachers to wear female ao dai.

Those people suggested wearing male ao dai as a more suitable way for a man to commemorate International Womens Day.

Meanwhile, others praised Ngoc for his enthusiasm.

The photos of him in ao dai and non la are precious as he did that for his students, an Internet user named Hoai Phuong commented.

The teacher looked very fresh and posed gracefully in every photo even though shyness could be seen in his eyes.

In response to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspapers request, Chu Van Cuong, Quynh Luu 4 High Schools labor union president, explained that Ngoc wore female ao dai as part of his participation in the schools activity to celebrate women throughout March.

In the activity, every class photographed moments of their female teachers at school.

As Ngocs class was so late to ask for a female teacher to join the event that none remained available then, the male teacher became the muse for his students.

Mr. Ngoc is very cheerful, sociable, enthusiastic, and loved by many teachers and students, Cuong said.

Ngoc is among 54 teachers and staff members at Quynh Luu 4 High School, Cuong added.

He has been teaching civics at the school for nearly 20 years, during which he has regularly participated in its many activities in addition to his teaching.

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South Korea approved detailed rules for a law banning dominant app store operators such as Apple Inc and Alphabet's Google from forcing software developers to use their payments systems, the country's telecommunications regulator said on Tuesday.

South Korea passed the law, an amendment to the Telecommunication Business Act, last year.

It was the first such curb by a major economy on Apple and Google, which face global criticism for requiring the use of proprietary payment systems that charge commissions of up to 30%.

The rules, called the enforcement ordinance, will be put into effect on March 15. They specify that the law bars "the act of forcing a specific payment method to a provider of mobile content" by unfairly utilising the app market operator's status, the regulator Korea Communications Commission (KCC) said in a statement.

"In order to prevent indirect regulatory avoidance, prohibited acts' types and standards have been established as tightly-knit as possible within the scope delegated by the law," said KCC Chairman Han Sang-hyuk.

Barred acts include app market operators unfairly delaying the review of mobile content, or refusing, delaying, restricting, deleting, or blocking the registration, renewal, or inspection of mobile content that uses third-party payment methods.

Potential fines for infractions will go as high as 2% of an average annual revenue from related business practices, the rules said.
An unexploded bomb weighing 230 kilograms has been found at a construction site located right next to the largest market in Quang Binh Province, north-central Vietnam.

The Mines Advisory Group (MAG), a humanitarian non-government organization that helps clear explosive remnants of war, confirmed on Monday that their mine clearance team in Quang Binh had successfully removed a 230-kilogram bomb from the construction site of a multi-story building.

The team carried out the work after receiving the information from the Quang Binh Military Command.

The information showed that the bomb was discovered at a construction site located next to Dong Hoi Market in the namesake city earlier the same day.

Dong Hoi is the largest market in Quang Binh Province, which has hundreds of merchants and is visited by thousands of local residents on a daily basis.

The explosive was found as the workers were using an excavator to dig a foundation for the building.

The construction unit has planted about 90 piles filled with reinforced concrete around the location where the bomb was discovered as part of their work over the past days.

None of the piles hit the bomb, however.

The mine clearance team believed that the bomb, which still has the detonator, has been here since the American war in Vietnam.

The team is expected to coordinate the detonation of the explosive in the next few days.

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Here are todays leading news stories:

Politics

-- Vietnam demands that China respect and not violate Vietnam's exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang said on Monday with regard to Chinese authorities statement on a military drill in the East Vietnam Sea.

Society

-- A 51-year-old security guard at the Center for Disease Control in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang was found dead on Monday after allegedly committing suicide by jumping off the rooftop of the agencys headquarters.

-- Authorities in northern Son La and Yen Bai Provinces confirmed on Monday that more than 500 houses had had their roofs damaged by a hailstorm that occurred on Sunday.

-- The mine clearance unit in north-central Quang Binh Province confirmed on Monday they had successfully removed a 230-kilogram bomb from a construction site located next to Dong Hoi Market, the largest market in the province.

-- Three Vietnamese firms are capable of producing up to two million COVID-19 treatment pills per month, a Ho Chi Minh City health official said at a meeting on Monday.

-- Police in northern Bac Giang Province affirmed on Monday they had apprehended a 63-year-old man and his 36-year-old son on murder charges for attacking a man with their knives over a conflict.

-- A representative from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction said the agency will coordinate with relevant units to add a parking lot, restrooms, and more trees to the Bach Dang Wharf Park in District 1.

-- A flower shop stole the limelight on social media on Monday after posting a photo of a bouquet made of gold worth about VND7 billion (US$306,300). The shop owner said his client would give this bouquet to his wife on International Womens Day.

Business

-- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a meeting on Monday with the Vietnam Association for Women Entrepreneurs at the government headquarters on the occasion of International Womens Day.

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A plane of national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines touched down at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on Tuesday, carrying 287 Vietnamese citizens who had fled Ukraine to Romania.

The flight, which landed at 11:27 am, was the first among the planned special flights to bring home Vietnamese citizens in Ukraine, where the Russia - Ukraine military confrontation has been taking place since February 24.

The flight had departed from Henri Coanda International Airport in Bucharest, the capital of Romania, which borders Ukraine, at 7:35 pm on Monday (local time).

Among the 287 people on board were 71 children aged under 12, including 14 babies less than two years old.

Many of them expressed their gratitude to the Party and the government for arranging the flight for them.

Pham Duy Hung, vice-president of the Vietnamese Association in Romania, which plays the key role in evacuating Vietnamese from Ukraine, said the evacuees at the airport were calmer than when they first met him previously in Moldova, a European country where they had arrived before getting to Romania.

This image shows a Vietnam Airlines plane with 287 Vietnamese evacuees from Ukraine aboard landing at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, Vietnam, March 8, 2022. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre

We have done anything we can to support them, Hung said.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Romania Dang Tran Phong went to the airport to greet the evacuated people on the plane before they flew home.

Duong Van Hong, 59, one of the first returnees from Ukraines Odessa, expressed his joy as one of those on board the first repatriation flight.

He extended his gratitude to the Vietnamese community in Ukraine, the Vietnamese Association in Odessa, the Vietnamese Embassy in Ukraine, the Consular Department under the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their support during the evacuation.

Hong said he and his family have lived in Ukraine for 30 years and when leaving Ukraine, they could not bring anything along due to the urgent situation.

Van Anh, 38, who has lived in Odessa for more than 20 years, said she was truly happy when she could safely return to Vietnam, and hoped the Vietnamese government would continue repatriating other Vietnamese citizens in Ukraine.

This image shows Vietnamese citizens aboard a flight taking off on March 7, 2022 from Romania, where they had fled to from conflict-torn Ukraine. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre

Pham Quang Son, 61, a resident of Hanoi, who arrived at the airport to pick up his relatives, said he was so happy seeing his children and grandchildren.

They have been traders and students in Odessa for many years," Son said.

"When the Russian attack began, everyone was extremely worried because they didnt know what would happen to them.

Son added that he had lived in Odessa for years before returning to Vietnam two years ago for family visits, but he could not come back to Ukraine due to the COVID-19 outbreak in Vietnam.

He said his relatives in Odessa evacuated to Romania and were brought home on this special flight arranged by the Vietnamese government.

Son expressed his gratitude to the Party and the government of Vietnam for operating the flight to repatriate his children and grandchildren.

Nguyen Thi Tuyen, a resident in Hanois Thuong Tin District, said she and her family were on a tour in Vinh Phuc Provinces Tam Dao District but they immediately returned to the capital city when hearing that her relatives were on the flight from Ukraine to Vietnam.

It is great to see them safely arrive in Vietnam, Tuyen said.

This image shows some of the 287 Vietnamese citizens reaching Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, Vietnam on March 8, 2022 after leaving Ukraine for Romania. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre

As planned, the second repatriation flight is expected to depart from Romanias capital Bucharest on Thursday.

The Vietnamese government approved the foreign ministrys proposal to arrange special flights to repatriate Vietnamese citizens in Ukraine.

The government has assigned the Ministry of Transport to take the lead charge of flight arrangement, while the Ministry of Finance has been tasked with ensuring expenditure for the flights.

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The Vietnamese Ministry of Health has proposed an end to the publication of daily coronavirus infection data to avoid anxiety among the public, while maintaining the update on severe cases and deaths every day.

In its proposal to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control at a meeting in Hanoi on Saturday, the ministry said announcing daily infection numbers, which has been done day after day by the ministry, should be stopped.

The proposal comes amid daily COVID-19 infections increasing across Vietnam as the central government has adopted a strategy of living safely with the coronavirus by easing previous COVID-19 restrictions and re-opening the economy since October 1 last year.

As a routine, at 6:00 pm almost every day since 2020, the ministry releases a report on new COVID-19 cases, along with the figures of patients under treatment, the death toll, and other information related to vaccination and testing.

In its proposal, the ministry explained that local health authorities still keep a record of daily new infections, together with seven other indicators to show epidemic levels.

For the time being, local health authorities should halt their publication of new infection data every day, the ministry stated.

In response to the ministrys proposal, many people have expressed their contrary opinions on whether the announcement of daily infections should be maintained.

"Based on the number of infections, business owners can come up with their corporate plans," said Duong Van Thanh, a resident of Hanoi.

If the number of infections is high, it means certain restrictions on travel or gatherings may be applied, and such limitations will affect planned business activities.

Thanh also predicted that many people would disagree with the stoppage of such announcements, which have become regular epidemic information for the public and are also necessary for planning business operations.

Meanwhile, Dr. Nguyen Trong An, former deputy head of the Department of Children, under the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs, approved of the ministrys proposal.

Dr. An said that counting daily infections is no longer needed, but it is still necessary to publicly announce the exact numbers of critical patients and deaths every day to prevent complacency and neglect among the public.

Many other opinions also agreed with the proposal as they commented that such data is not accurate.

Many cases were not reported to health authorities, making the announced data incorrect, said Dr. Tran Thanh Tung, from the Hanoi Medical University.

Most of the current infections are mild thanks to high vaccination rates, which has prompted many people not to report their infections, Dr. Tung explained.

Figures that are no longer exact and fail to properly reflect epidemic situations should be removed," Dr. Tung said.

"Health authorities of many other countries have also ceased announcing daily COVID-19 cases.

An epidemiologist told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the ministrys proposition is acceptable, but noted that daily new case data is one of the eight factors for epidemic level assessment, thus health authorities must record them accurately, even if they do not make them public.

An official of the health ministry told Tuoi Tre that the agency is continuing to collect feedback for its proposal.

Vietnam has documented 4,582,058 COVID-19 infections, including 2,718,440 recoveries and 40,891 fatalities, since the pandemic hit the Southeast Asian country in early 2020, the ministry reported on Monday.

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Documentaries are the jewels in the crown at SBS, creating conversations and impact for the public broadcaster.

Speaking yesterday at the Australian International Documentary Conference, SBS Head of Documentaries Joseph Maxwell told producers, One thing we dont get pitched enough of, is that we believe that docs should also entertain. I heard a former SBS (exec) Susie Jones talk about Netflix entertaining. We also do seek to entertain. I think great docs should and can entertain as well.

Essentially, the commissions for us are the jewels in the crown of SBS. We have a huge amount of acquisitions on our network and so what we are looking for are those commissions that are high watermarks of our schedule, he said.

We have huge expectations of what those commissions should deliver, in terms of ratings, in terms of press & publicity, impact. Across the board, we want those shows to be the most talked about shows of our year.

See What You Made Me Do, Who Do You Think You Are? and Michael Mosleys Health Revolution were all amongst the top 10 shows which screened on SBS last year.

Maxwell said a boldness of stories helped SBS docos to cut through.

We as a smaller network, and we acknowledge our our size, need to punch through and so were going to give you, I hope, some quite clear insights into what we mean by punching through and how you can do that. A lot of that . is that idea of being provocative with a purpose, which is something that we really embrace.
by Xinhua writer Chrispinus Omar

NAIROBI March 8 (Xinhua) -- An excavator operator deftly scoops and deposits earth onto a standby truck in a peri-urban settlement some 20 kilometers from the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. After the lorry rumbles away, a dozen men move in with their tools to work the loose soil.

These are the scenes at a section of the Eastern bypass that is being upgraded into a dual carriage by China Communication Construction Company (CCCC).

The road is part of a network of roads constructed to divert traffic away from the city center by allowing navigation around its periphery towns. Its completion in June envisions easing traffic snarl-ups and stimulating economic growth along its corridors and beyond.

Citizens expressed their delight to Xinhua during an interview on Tuesday.

"The traffic experienced around this area has over time made my location unattractive to faraway clients. An upgrade will serve to retain them and even bring in new clients," Benjamin Ndeto, a tire shop owner along the road's corridor told Xinhua in a recent interview in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

The Eastern bypass that stretches for 28 kilometers from Mombasa road to Thika superhighway started to experience an influx of users after the towns surrounding it registered exponential growth. Consequently, its single carriageway design was rendered deficient.

Over the years, the government has invested heavily towards improving road connectivity to maximize social-economic opportunities. Together with its partners such as China, the Kenyan government has been able to rehabilitate, improve and construct roads in cities, towns, and far-flung areas that are historically underserved by such amenities.

"This residential area (Utawala) only started to assume urban status when the roads started coming, initially homes, hospitals and businesses were countable if not completely absent. But once you build roads, important amenities such as hospitals and banks move close to citizens," said Ndeto.

Speaking with unrestrained passion, Ndeto told Xinhua how he has witnessed the uptake of job openings at the construction site.

"When I sit outside my shop and see young men and women working I am filled with such joy because I know how tough times are for these young people. At least twice a week a young man will pass here seeking employment," said Ndeto.

According to the cabinet secretary for Transport Infrastructure and Urban Development, James Macharia, the project has employed at least 660 Kenyans.

Amos Kamanja, a surveyor at the construction site, trudges through the graded road with his face powdered with dust. "I have educated my children by doing this (construction work), I feed them by doing this and I will continue doing it until I am presented with another opportunity," said Kamanja.

"The pay is reasonable and I work beside some very skillful fellows therefore I am always learning every day," he added.

Amos offers that he was part of the workers that brought Kenya's mega railway infrastructure project to successful completion in 2017. He said that through the project he received rudimental training which boosted his skills.

In July 2021, the Chinese built Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) marked 1,500 days of safe operation. The modern railway which runs from Mombasa to Nairobi has been lauded for energizing the movement of goods and people.

Alongside the SGR, a road christened Nairobi expressway running from South to West Nairobi is deepening the transformation of the metropolis. The elevated road built by Chinese contractors is in its final stages and is to be commissioned this year.

Its usage is eagerly awaited as it is set to shorten travel from two hours to just 20 minutes during peak hours.

Mini-van driver Mary Gathoni who plies the Eastern bypass route said she will increase the number of rounds she makes in a day because of the road upgrade.

"I will be doing more than 15 because there will be no traffic, even those passengers who stopped using our route will come back," Gathoni said.

Government statistics show that the construction sector registered an 11 percent growth compared to a growth of 5.6 percent recorded in 2019. 
The US Supreme Court has declined an appeal by Pennsylvania prosecutors in Bill Cosbys overturned sexual assault conviction.

Cosby was convicted of sexual assault in 2018 and sentenced to three to 10 years in prison, but he was released in June 2021 after the Pennsylvania supreme court overturned the ruling in a stunning decision.

The Pennsylvania court determined last year that Cosbys due process rights had been violated during his conviction and that a 2005 agreement with former prosecutor Bruce Castor should have prevented him from being charged again.

The collective weight of these considerations led D.A. Castor to conclude that, unless Cosby confessed, there was insufficient credible and admissible evidence upon which any charge against Mr. Cosby related to the Constand incident could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, read the decision.

Cosbys overturned conviction was for raping Andrea Constand at his Philadelphia home in 2004. The verdict was one of the first major victories of the #MeToo movement after dozens of women came forward with allegations that Cosby had drugged and sexually assaulted them. The decision to overturn the verdict last year was met with outrage and disbelief among many in the Hollywood community.

More recently Cosbys historic actions have been the focus of a documentary We Need to Talk About Cosby.

Source: Variety
Tyler, TX (75702)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.
By Teri Rizvi

As a teenager, Erma Bombeck dreamed of going to college and becoming a foreign correspondent for The New York Times.

Jim Harris, her journalism teacher at Patterson Vocational High School in Dayton, Ohio, believed in me, she wrote in Roses in December: my life story and other memories, a memory book thats now part of the Erma Bombeck Collection in the University of Daytons Archives. Everyone, she wrote, told me I was good at writing.

Her responses to questions about her early years paint a picture of a hardscrabble, blue-collar childhood filled with a mothers love and a childs dreams.

The family lived in a spotless two-bedroom rental home with curtains dividing the living and dining rooms and a washer on the small back porch. The laundry on the clothesline flopped in the wind on Mondays, and the kid next door used to shoot at my panties with a sling shot. I hated him.

She shared a bedroom with her older half-sister, Thelma, whom she later took dance lessons with, and they performed in amateur contests. With the pocket money they earned by turning in glass beverage bottles for deposits, they splurged on shaved ice drenched in sweet syrup at the drug store. For relaxation, the family went fishing on weekends and enjoyed sitting on the front porch every night during the summer.

It was a simple life, by necessity. My dad was out of work (the Depression), and we lived on bare bones, she wrote.

Travels and adventures were few and far between, she scrawled in the book. Celina, Ohio, was as far as we got. Stayed overnight in the car. One morning my eyes were swollen shut with mosquito bites.

Tragedy hit the family when she was 9. Her father, Cassius, then a crane operator for the city of Dayton, died after a cerebral hemorrhage. Bombeck wrote that she learned survival from her mother, Erma, suddenly widowed at 25.

Bombeck described her mom as a woman with lots of energy and the need to be in the middle of creativity. She couldnt watch a parade; she has to be in it. She wrote the book on single mothers.

As a child at Wilbur Wright Elementary School, Bombeck loved wearing embroidered dresses and white high top shoes. She played hopscotch, Red Rover and softball, but she adored her dolls, whose clothes were made by her mother. At Emerson Junior High School, she graduated to wearing short skirts and poodle sweaters. She remembers skating with her friends, being involved in Girl Scouts and enjoying slumber parties and movies. In the memory book, she jotted Van Johnson fan club, alluding to her infatuation with the film heartthrob.

When my friends and I were left to our own devices, we drank a lot of sodas at Charlene Jones store on the way home (from school). It was our big vice, she confessed.

From an early age, Bombeck loved books. I started going to the library and checking out books by the shopping bag. I told the librarian the more adult ones were for my mother, she wrote.

Her favorite classes at Patterson Vocational High School were journalism, shorthand and typing. With earnings from a part-time job as a copy girl at the Dayton Herald, she bought her own clothes during high school.

In describing an event that altered the course of her life, she wrote about meeting Bill Bombeck, who worked as a copy boy at the same time. She knew he was special because I couldnt forget him and get on with my life. Her ideal mate, she wrote would have these traits: kindness, humor, intelligence and (be) a liberal Democrat  a hunk.

At their 1949 wedding at the Church of Resurrection, she remembers that it was hot, Bill was late, everyone looked so grand, Grandma smiled, I was terrified. They spent their honeymoon in a cabin with a bear trap outside the door at Sunny Lake Ranch in Glennie, Michigan, and moved into a duplex across the street from where Bill was born in Dayton. For the first year of their marriage, they lived on her newspaper wages while he finished his education degree at their alma mater, the University of Dayton.

Bombeck saved some of her most descriptive writing in the memory book for the arrival of her three children, who later became fodder for her nationally syndicated column and books.

Betsy, she wrote, could have starred in an Ivory soap ad with her beautiful blue eyes and little fat cheeks. She wasnt into dolls; she was into knobs on TV sets. Andys hair was so yellow at birth, it looked like a wheat field. He put everything in his mouth and could get a bell out of a toy in 10 seconds. Then he was bored. The family called Matt Maple head because of his red hair. She described him as a long-torsoed baby who never seemed to need anything. He was a first-rate crawler. Probably why he wasnt in a hurry to stand up. He didnt have to.

Throughout the book, Bombecks recollections are filled with unpretentiousness and self-deprecating humor, the kind of writing that endeared her to millions of readers.

Her joy for life, her love for family and the fun she brought to us and the world showed in everything she did throughout her life, said her daughter, Betsy.

 Teri Rizvi

Teri Rizvi is the founder and director of the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop at the University of Dayton, where she serves as executive director of strategic communications.
The logo of the Russian Sberbank Europe AG bank is seen on their headquarters in Vienna

By Francois Murphy and Daria Sito-Sucic

VIENNA/SARAJEVO (Reuters) - The European arm of Sberbank, Russia's biggest lender, has been closed by order of the European Central Bank, which had warned it faced failure due to a run on deposits after Russia invaded Ukraine, Austria's Financial Market Authority said.

The European Central Bank's Single Resolution Board (SRB) determined earlier this week that Sberbank Europe, which is based in Vienna, was failing or likely to fail. That prompted Austria's FMA on Monday to impose a moratorium on the bank's activities.

The FMA's announcement late on Tuesday that it was ordering the bank to close came just over an hour before that moratorium was due to expire.

"By order of the European Central Bank (ECB), the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA) issued a decision today banning the licensed credit institution 'Sberbank Europe AG' ... from continuing business operations in their entirety with immediate effect," the FMA said in a statement at 10:45 p.m. (2145 GMT).

The European Union and United States have responded to Russia's invasion of Ukraine with a battery of sanctions including moving to ban big Russian banks from SWIFT, the main global payments system.

As a result, Sberbank Europe said on Monday that several of its banks had "experienced a significant outflow of customer deposits within a very short period of time".

The SRB ordered the moratorium so that it could determine whether the case should be handled under European bank resolution rules and decided it should not, the FMA said.

The FMA said it had appointed an administrator who is tasked with determining whether and when the criteria of an insolvency are met. In the meantime, the closure triggers Austria's deposit guarantee scheme, which covers deposits up to 100,000 euros ($111,240) per customer, the FMA said.

The central banks of Slovenia and Croatia announced that Sberbank's operations in their countries would be taken over respectively by Slovenia's biggest banking group NLB and the Croatian Postal Bank (HPB), which is majority owned by the government.

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Customers will be able to withdraw money as normal from Wednesday after restrictions over the past two days.

Sberbank Europe said in November it had reached a deal to sell its subsidiaries in Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to a group including Serbia's AIK bank and Slovenia's Gorenjska bank.

Serbian regulators gave their consent on Monday but Gorenjska said it was no longer viable to proceed with the acquisition of the Slovenian subsidiary.

Sarajevo-based ASA Banka acquired Sberbank Sarajevo, the banking agency of Bosnias Bosniak-Croat Federation said late on Tuesday, while the the Serb Republic government acquired Sberbank Banja Luka on Monday.

($1 = 0.8990 euros)

(Reporting by Francois Murphy; Additional reporting by Kirsten Donovan in London; Editing by Leslie Adler, Kirsten Donovan)
Residents look at a car stranded in floodwater (AFP via Getty Images)

A mother and son were the latest victims of the Sydney flash floods that forced tens of thousands of people to flee Australias largest city.

A 67-year-old woman and her 34-year-old son were found dead near an abandoned car in a stormwater canal during torrential rains in western Sydney, authorities said.

It came as Sydneys worst flooding in decades saw cars race through flooded tunnels, dams threaten to spill, shopping malls collapse and multiple landslides.

Queensland police also confirmed the death of a man missing in floods since February 27. The death toll stood at 20 on Tuesday.

Most people were found dead either in flooded homes or in cars attempting to cross flooded roads.

Heavy rains lashed Sydney with some suburbs having received up to 200 mm since Monday morning, exceeding Marchs mean rainfall of around 140 mm and triggering snap evacuation orders in the southwest and northeast of the city.

Television footage showed flooded roads and submerged cars in Sydneys northern beaches, with residents in low-lying areas told to evacuate.

We had a guy walking through last night, with water up to his neck, said boat broker Angelo Testa, who used a dinghy to rescue people in Sydneys southwest, according to the Guardian.

We picked him up and took him to the end of the street. Weve had people stuck in their houses, who had initially decided to wait out the flood but found they couldnt.

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Officials said the Manly Dam was starting to spill over and an evacuation was ordered.

Residents in low-lying areas below Manly Dam need to evacuate immediately. LEAVE NOW, the State Emergency Service (SES) said.

New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet said an evacuation order affecting thousands of people was being given out due to the risk from the dam.

The Hawkesbury River is now higher at North Richmond and Windsor than it was last week. This is the same swing set. @abcnews https://t.co/061Dy7qFcg pic.twitter.com/gR9QQXhMJH  Mollie Gorman (@_MollieGorman) March 8, 2022

It comes after the senior meteorologist on Tuesday morning warned that minor to major flooding is expected across the coast from Queensland to the Victorian border.

(Theres a) tough 24 hours or even 48 hours ahead, he said. Even if the rain does stop on Wednesday and Thursday, which it will, theres still a lot of water in these rivers.

Mr Narramore said the amount of rainfall is already greater than last weeks rain bomb and is approaching levels that occurred during the floods in March last year.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who is trailing in polls ahead of a federal election due by May, has ordered more defence force personnel to flood-affected areas.

New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet, on a tour of the flood-hit areas, took responsibility for his governments shortcomings over rescue and relief measures.

From stories and people I have met, the heartbreaking stories over the course of the week where people felt isolated and abandoned, I dont want anyone in my state to ever feel like that, Perrottet told ABC Radio on Tuesday.
Cypriot delegation outside the Glasgow & Clyde Rape Crisis Centre

AUTHORITIES from Cyprus are to receive training in Glasgow on how to handle rape and sexual assault cases.

The government-funded approach to improve the way such cases are dealt with in Cyprus comes after the controversial treatment of a British girl who was allegedly gang-raped.

The 19-year-old was accused of lying about being raped by up to 12 Israeli youths in a hotel in Ayia Napa, and her conviction for this was overturned at the Cyprus Supreme Court earlier this year.

Now Cypriots are determined to improve their response to such cases, and were welcomed by experts from the Glasgow & Clyde Rape Crisis Centre (GCRC) today.

Glasgow Times: British High Commission Vice Consul, Christina Smith; Chief Health Officer at the Ministry of Health of Cyprus, Dr Olga Kalakouta; and Glasgow & Clyde Rape Crisis Centre Director Claudia Macdonald.

British High Commission Vice Consul, Christina Smith; Chief Health Officer at the Ministry of Health of Cyprus, Dr Olga Kalakouta; and Glasgow & Clyde Rape Crisis Centre Director Claudia Macdonald.

British High Commissioner Stephen Lillie said: I am extremely proud of the collaboration between the UK Government and Cyprus authorities in this important area.

We welcome the open approach of our Cypriot partners in sharing experiences around the handling of survivors of rape and sexual assault.

The GCRC has a wealth of practical experience and has pioneered new tools in the development of victim-centred approaches that help survivors gain easier access to justice.

Officials from the Cypriot Police, Law Office, Ministry of Health, Social Welfare Services and the State Healthcare Services Organisation arrived in Glasgow, and the delegation from Cyprus is looking into opening the islands first Sexual Assault Referral Centre.

The Cypriot delegation will meet with Police Scotland, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) to oversee remote facilities for witnesses who do not wish to testify in person.

Dr Olga Kalakouta, Chief Health Officer at the Ministry of Health of Cyprus, added: Cases of rape and sexual assault require sensitive handling and we are in the process of developing victim-centred approaches, with valuable help from our friends in the UK.

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We are looking forward to exchanging knowledge and experiences with our British colleagues to improve how survivors of such hideous crimes are treated fairly and empathetically within the Cypriot system.

GCRC offered training in October 2021 to officers from various Cypriot authorities, the British Bases and the British High Commission, which focussed on developing skills and engagement in relation to cases of rape and sexual assault.

Established in 1976, GCRC was the first Rape Crisis Centre in Scotland and remains the longest operational Rape Crisis Centre in the UK.

Glasgow Times: British High Commission Vice Consul, Christina Smith; Chief Health Officer at the Ministry of Health of Cyprus, Dr Olga Kalakouta; and Glasgow & Clyde Rape Crisis Centre Director Claudia Macdonald.

British High Commission Vice Consul, Christina Smith; Chief Health Officer at the Ministry of Health of Cyprus, Dr Olga Kalakouta; and Glasgow & Clyde Rape Crisis Centre Director Claudia Macdonald.

They support 1700 women and girls every year and receive 15,000-a-year funding from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) to provide its specialist help to British nationals who report cases of sexual violence.

GCRC Director Claudia Macdonald said: Sharing information and experience is important in developing approaches that put survivors at the heart of services, especially those as complex as the criminal justice system.

More important though is the culture in which these services are delivered within. Thats where peoples understanding of trauma and its impact on survivors must be as advanced and as empathetic as possible to truly put survivors' needs first in any service, at home and internationally.

Therefore, we continue to share our learning and experience with international colleagues and welcome discussions like we are having today.
By Toby Sterling and Promit Mukherjee

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch technology investor Prosus will write off its entire 25.9% stake in Moscow-headquartered online platform VK Group, which it says was valued on its books at $700 million.

VK Group Ltd, known until October as Mail.Ru, is one of Russia's largest internet companies, known for the VKontakte social network, Russia's answer to Facebook.

The company has a depository receipt listing on the London Stock Exchange and is registered in Cyprus, with headquarters in Moscow.

The writedown announced on Monday comes after the VK Group's CEO Vladimir Kirienko was added to a U.S. sanctions list after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Trading in the company's London shares were suspended on March 3 after tumbling 92% this year.

"As a consequence of these sanctions, Prosus asked its directors on the VK board to resign their positions," the Dutch company said in a statement.

Prosus is part of a cross-holding entity with Naspers of South Africa, with the two companies sharing a single board.

On a call with investors after the writedown decision was made public, the company's executives said it was not yet clear how the conflict in Ukraine will affect its Russian classified business Avito, Russia's largest online marketplace.

Prosus CEO Bob Van Dijk said analysts had valued Avito at $6 billion before the conflict in Ukraine.

"Obviously there will be an impact on the business, I think it is too early to say exactly what it will be," he said.

CFO Basil Sgourdos said that while VK Group's stock market value is clear there are too many uncertainties around Avito to value the business, especially given the falling value of the Russian rouble.

Avito's costs and operations are in Russia, where it employs 4,000 people.

Prosus shares, which are down 33% this year, were up 3.9% at 49.27 euros in Amsterdam. Naspers shares, down 34% in the year to date, closed little changed at 1,634 rand in Johannesburg.

(Reporting by Toby Sterling and Promit Mukherjee; Editing by Edmund Blair and David Goodman)
Keith Abraham never expected to find himself deep in the Peruvian jungle drinking a powerful hallucinogenic brew from a dirty Coca-Cola bottle.

A former member of the elite British Parachute Regiment, he had enlisted after 9/11 to, as he puts it, hunt down the bad guys. After a relatively uneventful tour of Iraq, in 2008 he was sent to fight in Afghanistans Helmand Province, one of the worlds deadliest battlegrounds. Early on, his unit were ambushed and in the first burst of gunfire he saw two close friends die. Like so many other soldiers, Abraham eventually returned home to Britain wracked with a debilitating cocktail of grief, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

After leaving the Paras he attempted to start a new life with a high-flying city job at JP Morgan, but he knew he was falling apart. He would sit in his office with sweat pouring from his hands and face. His hair fell out in his sleep. He could never escape the feeling that his body was being held in a stress position. Conventional antidepressants just made him feel worse, so when a friend suggested he travel to South America to try ayahuasca - a traditional plant medicine containing the hallucinogen DMT - he figured he had nothing to lose. He flew to Lima in April 2014 and claims he returned a changed man. Psychologically, I knew that Id been healed, he says.

Abrahams story is one more case study to add to the growing mountain of evidence that psychedelic drugs such as DMT, psilocybin and MDMA can provide real and lasting treatment for severe mental-health disorders, including PTSD. The idea is becomingly increasingly mainstream. In 2019, Imperial College London opened the worlds first centre for psychedelic research, and in November last year Oregon became the first US state to legalise psilocybin for therapeutic use.

Evidence suggests that psychedelic therapy works best when a patient is guided through the experience by a trained therapist, but for Abraham, sitting in a tiny wooden hut deep in the rainforest, the drug itself was his guide. After arriving in Lima he flew to the Amazonian city of Tarapoto before travelling upriver by boat. After a few days of almost total isolation he was visited by a local shaman, an ordinary-looking man in jeans and a T-shirt carrying a blackened Coca-Cola bottle. It looked like hed dumped it in a muddy puddle, remembers Abraham. It looked awful.

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At the shamans instruction, Abraham took his first shot of ayahuasca and remembers having a hallucinatory experience that made him feel as if he could see and understand the workings of the universe, and even time itself. A couple of days later he had a second dose, and it was then that his healing really began. This voice came out of the darkness and said: Have you finished playing? he remembers. I recognised it as the voice of authority, because I went there for a purpose. I wasnt there just to have a trippy experience, so I said: Yes, Im ready.

Abraham then saw himself in a room that he describes as looking like a Dickensian classroom. He was the only student, while in front of him was an old lady, who I recognised as the spirit of the plant. She was ayahuasca. Over the course of the next six or seven hours, Abraham relived difficult and traumatic experiences from throughout his life while his teacher guided him as to how he could respond to these incidents in a healthier way. At the beginning of my education that might be as simple as taking a breath before reacting to something, he explains, If I managed to do it, I would pass and go on to the next lesson. I had lifetimes of lessons and tests. I failed many times, but Id just go back and wed rerun it. It was profound, thats the only word.

Because psychedelic drugs have been illegal since the early 1970s, it is only recently that neuroscientists and psychopharmacologists have begun to really understand how they work in the brain. Psychedelic drugs act on receptors for serotonin, a neurotransmitter that affects mood, appetite, sleep regulation and other high-level brain functions. There is evidence to suggest that psychedelics enhance the brains neuroplasticity and help users escape from rigid patterns of thought. The receptive state the drugs confer opens the door to fresh ideas.

As James Bunn from Drug Science, the UKs leading independent scientific body, explains, even recreational users of drugs like MDMA may have experienced some of these effects. If you've ever been on a night out when someone takes maybe too much MDMA, you'll know that theyll start talking to you about everything in their life, really pouring their heart out, he says. So if you've been repressing something for a long time, your brain has learned to switch off anytime it thinks about that certain thing. If you're given a drug that floods your brain with emotion, you're going to have to confront those in a very immediate space of time.

Abrahams life was so transformed by his ayahuasca experience that he now runs the British arm of Heroic Hearts, a charity dedicated to widening access to psychedelic therapy for former soldiers and frontline emergency services workers. The organisation has plans to take a group of British military veterans to an ayahuasca retreat in Peru later this year, although one more established than the local shaman Abraham himself visited. A second group of veterans who suffered traumatic head injuries will travel to the Netherlands for psilocybin therapy to see what effect the drugs can have on the physical brain, alongside the hoped-for mental-health benefits.

The reason its necessary for Heroic Hearts to take veterans overseas to receive this sort of treatment is that psychedelic therapy remains illegal in the UK. Abraham has already made some powerful allies in the fight to change this, including Crispin Blunt MP, a trustee of Heroic Hearts who is also the first Conservative to co-chair the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Drug Policy Reform. The first thing weve got to do is to get the law and the regulations in a better place, and I'm frustrated it hasnt been done already, says Blunt.

Blunt recently submitted a paper to the drugs minister, Kit Malthouse, seeking a change in the scheduling of psychedelic drugs from schedule one to schedule two, which would mean they can be legally prescribed, possessed and supplied by pharmacists and doctors. That would significantly open the path to more research and the prospect of wider trials, Blunt explains. We need to get these daft regulations put in a more sensible place so that we can proceed properly on the evidence. We would be in a much better place if wed done that for the last 40 or 50 years.

Changing the laws around psychedelic therapy could have far-reaching implications for how a whole host of mental health conditions are treated in Britain, from severe PTSD through to more common depressive disorders. After so many years of misinformation and stigma it will be a long, hard journey to legalise and normalise the use of psychedelic drugs as medicine, but - as Abraham can attest - its a trip worth taking.

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TBOUNG KHMUM, Cambodia, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Situated in the eastern province of Tboung Khmum, a huge and modern Chinese-aided public hospital, which was put into use on Monday, would serve as a key life-saving facility for locals in the eastern and northeastern regions of Cambodia.

Built by the China Railway Construction Group Co., Ltd. and funded by the Chinese government, the Tboung Khmum Cambodia-China Friendship Hospital is equipped with modern medical equipment for checkups, treatment and surgery.

Such a modern hospital had never existed in these regions previously when patients with moderate to serious conditions had to travel all the way to the capital Phnom Penh, but now it has changed. China has brought hospital close to their houses.

The five-story hospital has 300 beds and is divided into different units, including outpatient, emergency, imaging, endoscopy, laboratory and medicine, surgery, gynecologic outpatient, pediatric clinic, blood bank, pathology, hospitalization, maternity, oxygen plant, and infectious disease ward.

"Such a huge hospital had never been available in Cambodia's provinces before," Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said during the hospital's inauguration ceremony on Monday. "It is the largest modern hospital in Cambodia's provinces, except in the capital Phnom Penh."

Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian believed that the hospital would serve people better as it was equipped with modern medical technologies.

"This is emblematic of the China-Cambodia friendship," he said. "I'm confident that the hospital will play an important role in protecting people's lives and well-being."

Cambodian Health Minister Mam Bunheng said that developed on the land area of 24,300 square meters, the hospital is employing more than 350 medical workers.

It will also serve as a regional hospital for people in neighboring provinces, he said.

Eng Kheang, director of the Tboung Khmum Cambodia-China Friendship Hospital, said the hospital would make medical care more convenient for people, who previously had to travel to Phnom Penh for medical treatment.

"This hospital is a landmark project in Cambodia-China cooperation in public health and it was born of close cooperation between the two countries, especially under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative," he told Xinhua.

"It's a huge gift for the health sector that China has provided to Cambodia, and this new hospital will serve people better as it is equipped with modern medical technology that has not been available in this region before," he said.

With the assistance of medical supplies and equipment, and technologies from China, he believed that people would enjoy quality medical care services, Kheang said.

Lim Pichthearasy, a 29-year-old doctor at the hospital, said China has helped build the modern hospital, provided advanced medical equipment and held training courses for health staff.

"These have greatly contributed to the development of the health sector and the reduction of poverty in Cambodia," he told Xinhua.

"The hospital will not only help improve the people's health in eastern and northeastern regions of Cambodia, but also contribute to deepening people-to-people exchanges between the two countries toward a community with a shared future," he said.

Chheang Rotha, a resident in Tboung Khmum, said he was really elated to see such a huge and modern hospital here.

Previously, when people got moderately or seriously ill, they were very concerned about their conditions because hospitals were far away from their houses, he said, adding that if they were sick at night, it was even more difficult to travel to hospitals and it was sometimes life-threatening for seriously ill patients.

"But from now on, patients with moderate to serious illness will no longer need to travel in a long distance of more than 100 km to hospitals in Phnom Penh," the 36-year-old father of two children told Xinhua.

"It is now very convenient for people in these regions and this hospital will not only rescue our people's lives, but also save them both time and money," he said.

Resident Sout Seanghay, 32, said she was grateful to China for providing a great deal of assistance to Cambodia for the development in all fields, particularly in the public health sector.

"China, your generous support will be in our heart forever," she said. 
ISLAMABAD, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan on Tuesday reaffirmed its commitment for the protection and promotion of women's rights, both nationally and internationally, on the occasion of the International Women's Day.

"Pakistan pays tribute to the women around the world whose resilience, sacrifices and efforts have made it possible for humankind to progress and build a better future for all. No society or nation can succeed and achieve sustainable development without realization of gender equality and women empowerment," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Women in Pakistan have contributed immensely to national development and progress, the statement said, adding that the country's constitution and legal framework provide guarantees for equal participation by women in all spheres of life, including social, economic and political sectors.

"On this day, we reaffirm our solemn commitment to continue promoting women empowerment and gender equality across the board," said the ministry. 
PRESS RELEASE- The Royal Air Force Museum Cosford is thrilled to announce the acquisition of the legendary RAF Chinook HC6A Bravo November helicopter. The newest addition to the Museums collection has a distinguished career within the Royal Air Force. It was one of the original 30 Chinooks ordered by the RAF in 1978 and has been in service ever since, serving in every major conflict of the last 40 years. As a veteran of the Falklands, Iraq, and Afghanistan, Bravo November has seen four of its pilots awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for actions whilst at the controls of the aircraft.

Bravo November will depart RAF Odiham in Hampshire on 16 March and will travel by road on a low loader lorry. The Chinook will be on public display for the first time ahead of the nations Falklands 40 anniversary celebrations commencing 2 April.

Dr. Peter Johnston, RAF Museum Head of Collections said: The Chinook, and in particular, Bravo November is a significant addition to the RAF Museums collection in the Midlands. As we look ahead to Falklands 40, Museum visitors will be able to appreciate the enormous efforts and sacrifices that were required for the campaign to be successful by seeing this most famous of airframes. Yet having also performed a variety of roles in worldwide operations since 1982, this highly decorated aircraft has been involved in major moments in British and global history and carries further extraordinary stories of service, sacrifice, and heroism at home and abroad. The RAF Museum is delighted to welcome Bravo November into our collection, ensuring an icon of British aviation is secured for future generations to enjoy.

The preparations and transportation of Bavo November are being carried out by the Joint Aircraft Recovery and Transportation Squadron (JARTS), predominantly manned by RAF personnel with a small contingent of Royal Navy personnel dedicated to tasks including the road transportation of complete aircraft or their large assemblies.

RAF Odiham in Hampshire is a front-line support helicopter base working within the Joint Helicopter Command. The Station provides critical, rapid support for UK military operations throughout the world. Home of the UK Chinook Force, RAF Odiham operates three Chinook squadrons.
Hello, dear readers, and welcome back to our ongoing conversation about all things coronavirus. We continue to receive a lot of mail on the topic, and well keep adding bonus columns so we can keep up.

The question of natural immunity versus the vaccine is an ongoing issue in one readers family. Will the vaccine based on the original strain of coronavirus protect you more than your natural antibodies to newer variants? he asked. This is the constant issue in my family, and a proper explanation for the importance of getting vaccinated  even if you still have antibodies  is appreciated.

Its true that having had COVID-19 offers some natural protection; however, this fades over time. Research also shows that it may not be as effective as the vaccine against reinfection. The vaccines offer protection against serious illness both to the original virus and to emerging variants. Because its possible to become reinfected, and because COVID-19 can have serious and lingering health effects, the most robust source of protection is to get vaccinated and to stay current on boosters. This keeps your level of protection as high as possible. Its also important to continue to wear a good mask in public places.

A reader from California wondered if being vaccinated makes someone less contagious if they develop COVID-19. My understanding is that full vaccination protects the vaccinated individual from developing serious medical consequences of COVID-19, she wrote. However, if that vaccinated person develops a breakthrough infection, arent they just as potentially contagious to others than as if they had not been vaccinated?

Youve asked an intriguing question that has yet to be fully resolved. There is some evidence that when people who are fully vaccinated become ill with COVID-19, they have a lower overall viral load, which they shed for a shorter period of time. This would make them less contagious. However, this continues to be a topic of debate. Well continue to update on the issue as new data becomes available.

Well close with thoughts from a reader in Illinois who finds herself exhausted by the ongoing divide over the coronavirus vaccines: The media fills us with the good and bad of the vaccines, the pro- and the anti-vaccine positions, and were left not knowing what to believe, she wrote. It causes us to become skeptical. Wouldnt it be a simple decision to just ask your personal physician and act on his or her recommendation? After all, they are familiar with a persons health issues.

You have echoed the frustrations of many of our readers, and we suspect theyll be glad to see theyre not alone. Yes, we agree that anyone who remains unsure about any aspect of the vaccines should talk to their health care provider. This person understands COVID-19, has a good grasp of your health and your health history, and has your best interests at heart. We have recommended this many times in our columns, and we add our voices to yours: If youre unsure about getting the vaccine or a booster, please talk to your family doctor.

Send questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla.edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o Media Relations, UCLA Health, 924 Westwood Blvd., Suite 350, Los Angeles, CA, 90095.
CEDAR FALLS  Cedar Falls High School student Maya Mallavarapu is a regional finalist for the Iowa Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, which ends today. Mallavarapu will give an oral presentation on her work with CF Schools C.A.R.E., which she started as a student at Holmes Junior High. Since then, the program has expanded to additional schools in the Cedar Falls school district and is now known as CF Schools C.A.R.E.
WATERLOO  A $1,000 educator retention bonus the state is funding with federal COVID-19 relief dollars focuses on those teaching full-time in the classroom.

But that doesnt include everyone working for a school district. It doesnt even necessarily encompass everyone who is part of a school districts bargaining group covering teachers.

Waterloo Community Schools contract with the Waterloo Education Association also covers counselors, librarians, family support workers and a few other positions besides classroom teachers.

We looked at the teachers who would qualify, we believe it would be 730 teachers, Kingsley Botchway, chief officer of human resources and equity, told the Board of Education Monday during a special meeting. However, another 164 district employees are in those other positions. What were proposing to you tonight is to cover the difference.

The Waverly-Shell Rock Community Schools is also addressing this issue. On Monday, its Board of Education considered a proposal to pay bonuses to nearly all district staff who arent eligible for the state funds during its regular monthly meeting.

I believe 169 teachers are eligible for the governors bonus, Waverly-Shell Rock Superintendent Ed Klamfoth said in an emailed response to questions.

A preliminary list shows another 246 employees would receive the district-paid bonus. However, if those staff members dont work full-time or were hired part-way through the year, they will receive a pro-rated portion of $1,000. Those who are not receiving the bonus include athletic coaches, substitutes and the superintendent.

Both school boards unanimously approved the payments.

For Waterloo Schools, it will be a maximum cost of $164,000. Depending on their income tax situation, employees may choose not to receive the state or district payments.

A survey where employees can make their preference known has been sent out and is due at noon Wednesday. As of Tuesday morning, Botchway said 95% of those who had completed the survey wanted to receive the payment.

The total cost for Waverly-Shell Rock Schools will be $209,480, with $14,886 withheld in Social Security taxes. The net bonus for the all the employees will be $194,594.

Were not really giving them an option, said Klamfoth, of whether or not to receive the bonus. We are telling them, however, that they must remain employed with the district through the end of the year in order to qualify.

In January, Gov. Kim Reynolds proposed a one-time $1,000 retention bonus for some Iowa teachers who remain at their school for another year. It applies to full-time, in-person classroom teachers and is being given for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Districts will pay the bonus and then get reimbursed with funds from the states share of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief dollars.

Bonuses for remaining employees who are part of the WEA contract will be paid for out of the same federal ESSER funding stream received by the district. Officials hope to make all of the employee payments on the March 11 payroll, which is why the special meeting was called.

We are not using ESSER funds for this, nor have we used any (federal relief dollars) for an incentive, said Klamfoth. There is a requirement that the state bonus be paid this month, so we are trying to do all of them at the same time.

For Waverly-Shell Rock, there is absolutely a value in providing a bonus to staff who have worked for the district during the pandemic, he said, and for working, and continuing to do so, in this field in general. Were fortunate to be in a position where were able to do this for our staff.

Not all districts are doing this, said Botchway, including some who are part of the Urban Education Network. UEN membership is for the largest school districts in the state.

Michael Coughlin, Waterloo Schools chief financial officer, said what matters is the needs of district staff. Were not responsible for everybody else, he noted, and how others deal with the retention bonus gap.

In talking with our union, I think it would be a great mistake to not do this, said Botchway. We have the money. Many schools didnt get the same amount of ESSER funding we did.

The district has received a total of $52.31 million in the federal funds, some of which are already spent or designated.

Board member Lyle Schmitt noted that getting through the COVID-19 pandemic has been a collective effort. He suggested that it took all school staff members and doesnt matter if some had less student contact than classroom teachers.

I think this is exactly the right thing to do, he said.

The district is taking a narrower approach to this bonus than Waverly-Shell Rock, but these are not the only bonus funds Waterloo Schools has approved for staff using ESSER money.

In January, the district also approved two $550 bonuses for regular full- and part-time staff. The first amount was given out immediately to all 1,700 employees. Staff members will receive another $550 as a retention bonus if they sign a contract this spring to work for the district next school year.

Waterloo Schools also offered a $500 referral bonus to paraeducators who refer someone to a job in the district that they start this school year.

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NEW HARTFORD -- The New Hartford American Legion Post will host a fish fry from 4 to 7 p.m. March 18 at the New Hartford Community Building, 301 Broadway.

Cost is $10 per person. The next fish fry is April 8 from 4 to 7 p.m.

For more information, call John at 319-239-0515 or Jason at 319-429-6582.

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WAUCOMA - Authorities said a generator running inside a home was behind a carbon monoxide incident last week that left one dead and hospitalized others.

Waucoma fire and first responders were sent to 205 First Ave. N.E. around 7:05 p.m. March 3 for a medical emergency. Officials determined four people had been staying at the home, and they were running a generator in the basement without proper ventilation.

One resident was pronounced dead at the scene and two others received medical treatment, according to the Fayette County Sheriffs Office.

While on the scene, firefighters, medics and deputies began feeling light-headed and were taken to nearby hospitals for apparent carbon monoxide exposure.

The incident remains under investigation, and Fayette County Sheriffs Office was assisted by the Iowa State Patrol, Waucoma fire and first responders, Gunderson Air, Gunderson Ambulance Service, SEMS Ambulance Service, Ossian Ambulance Service, Winneshiek Ambulance, Chickasaw County Ambulance and Hawkeye first responders.

Authorities said it is never safe to run a gasoline-powered generator inside an enclosed structure. The Centers for Disease Control recommends they only be used outdoor, far from open windows, door and vents. Residents are also cautioned against using gas ovens to heat homes.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that can be lethal in minutes. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are described as flu-like and include headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain and confusion.

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Passengers walk at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang of Selangor, Malaysia, March 9, 2022. Malaysia will start the transition to an endemic phase of the pandemic and reopen its borders to international travelers from April 1, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Tuesday. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)

KUALA LUMPUR, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia will start the transition to an endemic phase of the pandemic and reopen its borders to international travelers from April 1, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Tuesday.

The decision was made due to the successful national immunization campaign against COVID-19 and represents an exit strategy to enable Malaysians to return almost to normal life after a two-year battle with COVID-19, Ismail Sabri said in a televised speech.

He also announced the easing of several restrictions, including restaurants being allowed to operate past 12:00 a.m. and the 50 percent limit on the capacity for mass events will no longer be implemented.

However, the use of face masks in public places will still be mandated as well as the use of the country's COVID-19 management app being required to access venues.

On the reopening of the borders to international travelers, Ismail Sabri said he is confident that the move will boost the country's economy.

"We believe that our tourism sector, which has been affected by this closure, will be able to operate fully once again," he said.

Under the endemic phase, fully vaccinated travelers do not need to undergo quarantine upon returning to Malaysia but instead, they will only need to get tested prior to their departure and upon arrival.

Malaysia's air vaccinated travel lane (VTL) program with Cambodia and Thailand will begin on March 15, with the same program between Malaysia and Singapore to be expanded to include other points of entry into Malaysia.

Malaysia reported 26,856 new COVID-19 infections as of midnight Monday, bringing the national total to 3,649,463, according to the health ministry, and a further 77 deaths have been reported, bringing the death toll to 33,305. 

Airplanes of Malaysia Airlines are picutured at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang of Selangor, Malaysia, March 9, 2022. Malaysia will start the transition to an endemic phase of the pandemic and reopen its borders to international travelers from April 1, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Tuesday. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)

A passenger walks at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang of Selangor, Malaysia, March 9, 2022. Malaysia will start the transition to an endemic phase of the pandemic and reopen its borders to international travelers from April 1, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Tuesday. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)

An airplane flies above the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang of Selangor, Malaysia, March 9, 2022. Malaysia will start the transition to an endemic phase of the pandemic and reopen its borders to international travelers from April 1, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Tuesday. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)
WATERLOO -- The Quad County Firefighters Association will have the annual fire school in Waterloo this spring.

Classes start at 9 a.m. April 2 for Waterloo Fire-Rescue and the Cedar Valley FOOLS at the Waterloo Fire Hazardous Materials Training Center at 1925 Newell Ave.

For more information call or email 319-610-5251, jvdragonfighter@gmail.com

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WATERLOO  At the height of the pandemic, the lack of social interaction was one of the harshest challenges.

However, people didnt necessarily need a luxury cruise or trip to Disney World to overcome it. They got creative and found simple ways to stay connected and positive with their friends and family.

Eight residents of the 55+ community Landmark Commons have found solace in setting up chairs and tables in the hallway outside their apartments to enjoy snacks, conversation and their choice of evening beverages in a low-stress environment, away from the depressing realities of everyday life in a pandemic.

The hall mates, known in local circles as the Thirsty Thursday group, celebrated their 101st meet-up last week.

They convened for the first time in April 2020, when tape was on the ground to mark six feet of distance between them.

Despite the pandemic, hopefully, becoming a distant memory, its a group that has continued its tradition of congregating to enjoy good laughs and entertaining stories not far from where they sleep.

The time slot from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday is sacred to them. Its off limits for anything else, so dont try to call them or set up another appointment that takes them away from the comforts of their second floor hallway.

We had been neighbors, said Joe Brandt. But after meeting all this time, weve become close friends.

Each session brings new revelations. Often youll hear someone say, Thats something I didnt know.

Weve got a lot of history among us, said Linda Ludwig, Whether it be where you grew up or where you lived, we find things to talk about like our children or grandchildren.

'Ongoing' talks with UNI bring hope historic homes could sidestep wrecking ball In November, UNI made a request to demolish two historical buildings purportedly because of $1.6 million in deferred maintenance. One was the former home of its late president Homer Seerley.

The spark for the weekly meet-ups came from a television news segment on ways people have gone about surviving the challenges of the pandemic.

We could do this was the feeling amongst the instigators. Better put: They chose to do something, rather than rot away in their reclining chairs.

It is how we keep our sanity, said Sharron Haskin. You can share whatever you want to here.

Theyve become the talk of the building, and in some cases people become somewhat jealous they dont live in that sector of the senior community.

Thats because the fun is right here, Sheryl Brandt explained. Not all groups would click like they do, Ginny Svoboda pointed out. But we all came from different places, and weve found we have a lot in common.

One of the apartments sits empty on their floor, meaning whoever moves in may find theyve hit the jackpot.

As the days have gone by, the group has gathered various mementos to commemorate their time spent together, none more special than glasses engraved with the words LMC Thirsty Thursday.

Sometimes, now that they can spend more time outside Landmark Commons, theyll find themselves breaking away from their home and going out to somewhere special like a steakhouse to celebrate a birthday or anniversary.

Like any group of people, well complain about this and well complain about that, but at the end of the day, were just happy to still be here and to be having a good time, Joe Brandt said.

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This backpacking trip in the Grouse Ridge area of Tahoe National Forest is a fairytale landscape of alpine lakes, granite hills, and sugar pine forests. There are two ways to crush this trail: the easy way and the hard way.



Youll reach the ultimate prize the hard way at Glacier Lake, a lovely oblong pool nestled against a granite cliff, a meandering five-and-a-half miles from the trailhead. But if the elevation has you gasping, aim for pretty Island Lake instead, a beautiful expanse of blue dotted with rocky islets on a mostly flat trail just a mile and a half from the parking lot.

(Courtesy of Outdoor Project)

What to Know about Grouse Ridge

There are a variety of hiking and backpacking destinations in Grouse Ridge but this route begins at the Carr Lake Campground off of Bowman Lake Road. Gear up in the parking lot, lace those boots tight, and step out onto the Carr Lake Trail. Youll spend most of the first section of the hike skirting the corner of inviting, impossibly blue waters past Carr Lake and Feeley Lake, then heading uphill to reach Island Lake.

Find a campsite here its dispersed camping, meaning you can camp just about anywhere as long as you are 100 feet from the waters edgeand spend the rest of the day floating in the cool, clean water, or continue on towards Round Lake. About two-and-a-half miles from the trailhead, youll hit a junction. Stick to the Glacier Lake Trail for the way out; the more dramatic scenery of the Sand Ridge Trail makes for an impressive hike back.

Its another four miles through the wilderness to reach Glacier Lake, the final section of which has quite a bit of moderate uphill trudging. Itll all be worth it though when Glacier Lake finally comes into view. You wont be alone up here, this is a popular backpacking spot, but Glacier is just secluded enough that itll feel almost like youve got the lake to yourself. Its dispersed camping here, too, and youll find some already cleared, flat spots along the lakes northwest side.

On your way back, take the Sand Ridge Trail for a view of a huge swath of Grouse Ridge. The mostly flat and downhill path reconnects with the Carr Lake Trail around Round Lake and takes you back to the parking lot.

Destination 2: Glacier Lake, Tahoe National Forest (Shoshi Parks)

When to Visit

Unless you want to test your mettle, youll want to plan your backpacking trip to Grouse Ridge between late spring and early fall, when the snow has melted and the days are long. There is no need to reserve a site in advance or get a permit of any sort (unless you plan to do some fishing).





How to Get There

Its a straight shot up Highway 80 towards Truckee to reach Grouse Ridge in this section of the Tahoe National Forest. Altogether, its about 177 miles and three-and-a-half hours from San Francisco, the last 30 minutes of which requires rolling slowly on an unpaved road.

From Yuba Pass on Highway 80, take Highway 20 for five miles to Bowman Lake Road. From there its a long and bumpy 11-plus miles to the Carr Lake Campground. A low-clearance vehicle will get you there, but youll find the way a little easier if youre behind the wheel of a car or truck with higher clearance.
CANBERRA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Australia's national science agency and the federal government have formed a partnership with Indonesia to address plastic pollution in the Indo-Pacific.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) on Monday announced that, along with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), it has established the Plastics Innovation Hub Indonesia with 1.3 million Australian dollars (950,745 U.S. dollars) in funding.

The hub will bring researchers, investors and the private and public sectors together to collaborate on solutions to plastic waste in waterways in Indonesia and the wider region.

Larry Marshall, chief executive of the CSIRO, said through a collaborative approach plastic pollution could become an environmental and economic benefit.

"Science can turn this environmental challenge into an economic opportunity by changing the way we behave, and how we make, use, recycle or dispose of plastics, but it will take partnerships across research, business, investors, government and the community to turn the best ideas into real-world solutions," he said in a media release.

"Social innovation is just as important as scientific innovation in solving these challenges, so it's exciting to have partners on the ground in the region shaping and scaling behavioural response for their own communities, and drive change."

According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), there are between 75 million and 199 million tons of plastic currently in the world's oceans.

The CSIRO estimates that there are 5 billion to 10 billion individual pieces of plastic on coastlines in the Indo-Pacific alone.

"The health of our oceans and waterways is linked to our nations' economic growth and prosperity. Both Indonesia and Australia are island nations that share concerns about the impact of marine plastic pollution," Penny Williams, Australia's ambassador to Indonesia, said.

"We hope this initiative encourages international partners in the region to work together to develop robust measures to identify effective interventions, fill research gaps, and maximize the impact of our joint investment of resources to address this challenging issue," Williams said. 
Courtesy Gretchen Evans

An unplanned transition to civilian life 

Upon her return to the U.S. from Afghanistan, Evans struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), reintegrating into civilian life and finding a job. As a result of her injuries, Evans does not consider herself disabled but as someone with mixed abilities. Since losing her hearing, she taught herself how to read lips. 

I spent almost my entire adult life in the military, and it is a very different lifestyle than most people encounter. Learning to navigate the civilian lifestyle took some real effort on my part, she said. Again, there were not many examples to follow for transitioning to civilian life.

She credits numerous veteran service organizations for helping her assimilate back to the civilian world, including the Wounded Warrior Project, No Barriers, and Americas VetDogs, from which she received her own service dog.  

Today, Evans is engaged locally with organizations like Vet2Vet Maine and the American Legion. Nationally, she is an ambassador for No Barriers and is involved with the programs offered through the Wounded Warrior Project.

She also founded and formed an adaptive racing team, Team Unbroken, and competed in the Worlds Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji, a long multiday expedition that was filmed and is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

We continue to race. But more importantly, we speak nationwide about our personal and team story. Everyone on the team has a life-altering injury, illness or trauma with which they live, she said. In the telling of our stories and demonstrating through competition, our hope is to inspire people with wounds visible or invisible to not let their injuries, illnesses or traumas define who they are or what they can accomplish.

In recognition of her distinguished military career and advocacy for veterans, Evans was inducted into the U.S. Army Womens Hall of Fame and the U.S. Veterans Hall of Fame in 2019 and 2021, respectively.

The beauty of aging 

The Maine community the retired command sergeant major lives in today consists of people who are primarily 70 or older. They serve as an example for Evans, who is amazed when witnessing their daily yoga, running, walking and pickleball games. 

Communities connected by common interests net vibrant, vital living. I have found mentors in my community, and as I watch them age gracefully, I am attempting to do the same thing, she said.

Evans advice to other older adults is to find ways to stay active  physically, mentally and emotionally. I have had to adjust my own expectations in these areas as I have aged. I am not as fast a runner as I once was, but I still run and enjoy it. It is not about winning races, but the fact that I can still race. My success is measured by how healthy I feel and my energy level, she said.

You are never too old to try something new. I think the beauty of aging is that you have wisdom and know that the world can offer adventure, knowledge and happiness. Find what makes you happy  and do that while staying open to attempting new things to see if they increase your joy of living. Live well and incorporate a way to give back to others.

Aaron Kassraie writes about issues important to military veterans and their families for AARP. He also serves as a general assignment reporter. Kassraie previously covered U.S. foreign policy as a correspondent for the Kuwait News Agencys Washington bureau and worked in news gathering for USA Today and Al Jazeera English.
Jury finds first U.S. Capitol riot defendant to go on trial guilty on all counts


HPA Project Finance Update

Perth, Mar 8, 2022 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Altech Chemicals Limited ( ASX:ATC ) ( FRA:A3Y ) is pleased to provide an update on the proposed ~US$144 million listed green bond offering and additional project equity, which in combination would provide the balance of funds required for the recommencement of construction of its Malaysian high purity alumina (HPA) project.Green BondAltech continues to work with London based structuring agent Bedford Row Capital Plc (Bedford Row) and Perth based Bluemount Capital (WA) Pty Ltd (Bluemount) to finalise its green bond offering. Project financial, legal, environmental, social & governance (ESG) due diligence has successfully concluded, and legal counsel from various jurisdictions have also completed their respective reviews of documentation. An initial bond offering "reach out" phase to potential subscribers was recently completed and more than 80 groups registering interest to receive the offering documents. Access to the project data room has been provided to a number of these groups for detailed due diligence and potential subscriber due diligence is ongoing. Detailed presentations and individual discussions are being scheduled on request, and these are expected to continue for some time.Altech is aiming to raise US$144m from the bond issue (Series 2021-F3 Notes), of which US$100m will be used as secondary debt for construction of its Johor HPA plant with the balance of US$44m to service bond interest during the HPA plant's construction phase. The bonds would be issued by Sustainable Capital Plc, a company incorporated in United Kingdom as a dedicated green bond issuance platform (www.sustainablecapitalplc.com). In terms of security, the bonds will be subordinate to the senior project finance of US$190m that is committed from German government owned KfW IPEX-Bank.Project EquityIn parallel with the bond offering, Altech is progressing the additional equity component of its HPA project funding requirement. US based global investment bank DelMorgan & Co. (Del Morgan) was appointed by Altech in mid-2021 to manage this process for potential North American investors. Del Morgan is a specialised investment bank that has over $300 billion of successful transactions across 75 countries. The Bank has experience over the last 30 years, successfully concluding various project funding transactions around the globe.In late 2021, DelMorgan completed its detailed project familiarisation and due diligence process and it recently commenced a targeted marketing and reach out process to potential equity investors.Distribution of comprehensive corporate presentation packs is now underway, and Altech is conducting detailed briefings to potential subscribers, as requested. Also, as with the green bond offering, project data room access has been provided to a number of interested parties to assist them with their respective due diligence activities. Altech is aiming to identify a 49% equity partner to provide US$100m of equity funding as a project level investment.About Altech Chemicals Ltd

Altech Chemicals Limited (ASX:ATC) (FRA:A3Y) is aiming to become one of the world's leading suppliers of 99.99% (4N) high purity alumina (Al2O3) through the construction and operation of a 4,500tpa high purity alumina (HPA) processing plant at Johor, Malaysia. Feedstock for the plant will be sourced from the Company's 100%-owned kaolin deposit at Meckering, Western Australia and shipped to Malaysia.



HPA is a high-value, high margin and highly demanded product as it is the critical ingredient required for the production of synthetic sapphire. Synthetic sapphire is used in the manufacture of substrates for LED lights, semiconductor wafers used in the electronics industry, and scratch-resistant sapphire glass used for wristwatch faces, optical windows and smartphone components. Increasingly HPA is used by lithium-ion battery manufacturers as the coating on the battery's separator, which improves performance, longevity and safety of the battery. With global HPA demand approximately 19,000t (2018), it is estimated that this demand will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30% (2018-2028); by 2028 HPA market demand will be approximately 272,000t, driven by the increasing adoption of LEDs worldwide as well as the demand for HPA by lithium-ion battery manufacturers to serve the surging electric vehicle market.


London Roadshow Presentation

Perth, Mar 8, 2022 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Wiluna Mining Corporation Ltd ( ASX:WMC ) ( FRA:NZ3 ) ( OTCMKTS:WMXCF ) is located right in the middle of WA and is among the most attractive mining investment jurisdictions in the world.With the most richly gold-endowed land globally, Wiluna owns a vast 1600 km2/618 mi2 of this blue-chip real estate, surrounded by multiple million-ounce mines and excellent infrastructure.To view the presentation, please visit:About Wiluna Mining Corporation Ltd

Wiluna Mining Corporation (ASX:WMC) (OTCMKTS:WMXCF) is a Perth based, ASX listed gold mining company that controls over 1,600 square kilometres of the Yilgarn Craton in the Northern Goldfields of WA. The Yilgarn Craton has a historic and current gold endowment of over 380 million ounces, making it one of most prolific gold regions in the world. The Company owns 100% of the Wiluna Gold Operation which has a defined resource of 8.04M oz at 1.67 g/t au. In May 2019, a new highly skilled management team took control of the Company with a clear plan to leverage the Wiluna Gold Operation's multi-million-ounce potential.
FARMINGTON, N.M.  Navajo Nation officials are seeking anyone who purchased a car from a chain of dealerships on or near the reservation to claim part of a settlement.

The Daily Times in Farmington reports that the Office of Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission is searching for people eligible to receive part of a $450,000 settlement between Tates Auto Group and the Federal Trade Commission.

The owner of Tates Auto Group was accused of manipulating consumer information on financial documents, according to a FTC complaint filed in 2018. The settlement was reached last summer and approved by a federal judge in Arizona.

Its believed as many as 4,000 consumers were impacted.

Tates Auto had locations in Gallup and the Arizona communities of Holbrook, Show Low and Winslow. Tribal officials believe many of the customers were members of the Navajo Nation.

The Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission says their members who bought cars would have been greatly harmed.

Sandi Wilson, an investigator with the commission, says tracking down customers on the Navajo Nation can be hard because some often change mailing addresses. They hope to hear from customers by March 18.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

Wintry weather will persist throughout New Mexico this week, with several storm systems that could bring rain, snow, wind and extremely cold temperatures.

Albuquerque is expected to have a high temperature of 49 on Tuesday.

Clay Anderson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque, said winds will be the major concern on Wednesday.

Because of that, especially across eastern New Mexico, we could see some critical fire weather conditions, Anderson said.

Wednesday in Albuquerque could dip to a low of 29 degrees and reach a high of 55 degrees. Winds of 10-15 mph are likely.

A strong backdoor cold front could bring precipitation to much of the state on Thursday.

If youre in the northern mountains, or along the Continental Divide, or especially the central mountain chain and areas immediately east, those are going to be the areas that could see significant impacts from snow and very cold temperatures, Anderson said.

Albuquerque is expected to have a low of 22 degrees and high of 55 on Thursday.

The city has a 50% chance of precipitation, with snow showers possible after 11 p.m.

Chances for precipitation will dwindle Friday, but the cold temperatures will linger. Much of the state could drop as low as 20 to 30 degrees below normal.

Albuquerques forecast shows a low temperature of 17 degrees on Friday and a high of 42. The wind could make the city feel as cold as 10 degrees.

It will be very, very cold Friday morning, Anderson said. Were talking negative wind chills, with places such as Red River and Angel Fire perhaps seeing -17, -20 in terms of wind chill values.

Temperatures will begin to rebound slightly this weekend.

Albuquerque has a forecast high of 54 degrees on Saturday and 61 on Sunday.

Theresa Davis is a Report for America corps member covering water and the environment for the Albuquerque Journal.
ATHENS, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey, on March 13, said Greek government spokesperson Giannis Oikonomou on Tuesday.

The prime minister will travel to Turkey to meet with the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and was invited to dinner by the Turkish president, Greek national news agency AMNA quoted the spokesperson as saying.

"In this difficult time for the world, the two countries, despite our differences, face common challenges on a number of issues which we must resolve," the official stated, according to an e-mailed press release. 
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  The New Mexico Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling Monday striking down attempts to convene citizen-led grand juries to investigate Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ruling, which was issued without the justices hearing oral arguments, also directs three state judges to deny the rarely used citizen grand jury proceedings in cases assigned to them.

The Supreme Court ruling came after the Governors Office filed a motion in November requesting the citizen grand jury proceedings be halted, arguing the Constitution only allows such grand juries to investigate statewide elected officials for possible criminal activity.

The Supreme Court justices appeared to agree with that argument in their six-page ruling, citing previous court rulings that upheld the legality of Lujan Grishams public health orders in response to the pandemic.

As such, the justices said, the citizen grand jury petitions were invalid because they described lawful, noncriminal activity.

A Lujan Grisham spokeswoman said Monday the ruling speaks for itself.

But Sen. David Gallegos, R-Eunice,who was one of several individuals leading the push for the citizen grand juries to investigate alleged malfeasance on the governors part, expressed frustration at the Supreme Courts ruling.

They never touched on any of the real issues in the case, Gallegos told the Journal. The courts arent willing to listen to New Mexicans.

He also described the citizen grand juries as a last resort for New Mexicans irked by the Lujan Grisham administrations handling of the pandemic, and said those involved in the effort planned to meet in the coming days to discuss possible next steps.

Theres a lot of people who are very irritated about where we are, said Gallegos, a Eunice school board member who said his involvement in the effort was as a citizen, not in his role as state senator.

He also said some of that frustration might be dissipating since Lujan Grisham last month lifted a statewide face mask mandate for indoor public settings.

New Mexico is one of just a few states that allows for citizen grand jury proceedings, which under the state Constitution require a certain number of voter signatures be provided in order for a judge to convene such a grand jury.

Grand juries are typically used by prosecutors in order to indict individuals for alleged criminal wrongdoing.

The petitions to convene citizen grand juries were filed last year in Eddy, Lea and Chaves counties and marked the latest challenges to the governors use of emergency public health orders to slow the spread of the virus.

Efforts to launch similar grand jury petitions in other parts of New Mexico  including Los Alamos  were also pursued, though such proceedings are typically sealed under court rules.

Meanwhile, Lujan Grishams administration has drawn both praise and ire by its use of the public health orders.

Since declaring the COVID-19 pandemic a public health emergency in March 2020, the Democratic governors administration has extended the emergency order more than 30 times and issued multiple related health orders.

While New Mexicos highest court sided with legislators last year in a dispute over which branch of government has authority over spending federal pandemic-relief funds, the Supreme Court has upheld the governors actions in other recent court cases.

That includes a 2020 challenge over barring indoor restaurant dining and a ruling last year that businesses impacted by pandemic-related closures and capacity restrictions were not automatically entitled to compensation from the state to cover their losses.
A suspect is in police custody after a fatal shooting in Santa Fe on Monday.

New Mexico State Police said Monday evening on Twitter that the agency is investigating a homicide near the intersection of Cerrillos Road and St. Michaels. One person was shot and killed and a suspect was detained.

No more information was immediately available.
WASHINGTON  An armed Texas militia member led a vigilante mob that overwhelmed police officers and became the first group of rioters to breach the U.S. Capitol last year, a federal prosecutor said Monday at the close of the first criminal trial over the riot.

A 12-member jury is scheduled to begin deliberating on Tuesday for Guy Wesley Reffitts trial on charges that he stormed the Capitol with a holstered handgun strapped to his waist and interfered with police officers guarding the Senate doors. He also is charged with threatening his teenage children if they reported him to law enforcement after the attack on Jan. 6, 2021.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Risa Berkower told jurors that Reffitt drove to Washington, D.C., intending to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Bidens electoral victory, to overthrow Congress and to drag lawmakers out of the building. Reffitt proudly lit the fire that allowed others in the mob to overwhelm Capitol police officers, the prosecutor said during the trials closing arguments.

They were in an impossible situation  outnumbered and, they feared, outgunned, Berkower said of police.

Reffitt, 49, of Wylie, Texas, didnt testify at his trial, which started last Wednesday. Defense attorney William Welch didnt call any defense witnesses after prosecutors rested their case.

Welch urged jurors to acquit Reffitt of all charges but one. He said they should convict him of a misdemeanor charge that he entered and remained in a restricted area.

That is what proof beyond a reasonable doubt looks like, but it ends there, Welch said.

Reffitt faces five felony counts: obstruction of an official proceeding, being unlawfully present on Capitol grounds while armed with a firearm, transporting firearms during a civil disorder, interfering with law enforcement officers during a civil disorder, and obstructing justice. The obstructing justice charge relates to his alleged threats against his children.

Welch denied that Reffitt had a gun at the Capitol and said there is no evidence that he engaged in any violence or destructive behavior on Jan. 6.

Guy does brag a lot, Welch said. He embellishes and he exaggerates.

Yes, Guy Reffitt brags, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nestler countered. And you know what he brags about? The truth.

Reffitt was arrested less than a week after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. He has remained jailed in Washington, D.C., for months. Reffitt is a member of the Texas Three Percenters and bragged about his involvement in the riot to other members of the group, according to prosecutors. The Three Percenters militia movement refers to the myth that only 3% of American colonists fought against the British in the Revolutionary War.

On Friday, jurors heard testimony from a self-described Texas Three Percenters member who drove from Texas to Washington, D.C., with Reffitt. The witness, Rocky Hardie, said he and Reffitt both had holstered handguns strapped to their bodies when they attended then-President Donald Trumps Stop the Steal rally just before the riot erupted.

On Thursday, Reffitts 19-year-old son, Jackson, testified that his father told him and his sister, then 16, that they would be traitors if they reported him to authorities and said traitors get shot. Jackson Reffitts younger sister, Peyton, was listed as a possible government witness but didnt testify. On Jan. 6, Reffitt had the holstered gun under his jacket, was carrying zip-tie handcuffs and was wearing body armor when he and other rioters advanced on police officers on the west side of the Capitol, according to prosecutors.

Every step he took up the railing, the crowd came with him, Berkhower said. The crowd was energized and cheered him on.

Reffitt is not accused of entering the building. He retreated after an officer pepper-sprayed him in the face, prosecutors said.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

A 62-year-old retired firefighter driving northbound on Interstate 25 near Santa Fe last week managed to avoid being struck by a fleeing suspect, only to get into a head-on crash with the pursuing officer.

Both the retired firefighter, Frank Lovato, and the officer, Robert Duran, were killed.

No one else was seriously injured.

The collision caused a second crash between another uninvolved driver and a Santa Fe Police Department officer.

The suspect they were chasing, identified as 46-year-old Jeannine Jaramillo, then crashed into a white pickup a short distance away before coming to a stop, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed in Santa Fe Magistrate Court.

News of the fatal crash and Jaramillos arrest on murder charges reverberated around northern New Mexico last week, but this was the first time details of the collision were released.

Jaramillo, meanwhile, racked up a new charge after she tried to smuggle what appeared to be methamphetamine into jail, police say.

She had initially been considered the victim  it had been reported that a man kidnapped her at knifepoint and stole her car. After the crash, Jaramillo was taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening,and then released.

Then, on Saturday, New Mexico State Police announced they believe she had made up the kidnapping story and there was never a male suspect involved. According to the affidavit, investigators tested DNA evidence on the drivers side air bag and data from the cars passenger seat sensor, and determined Jaramillo was the driver of the Chevy Malibu and was likely alone when she fled, in a stolen vehicle, and caused the fatal accident on I-25.

The Malibu had been stolen two days earlier from Las Vegas, New Mexico.

Jaramillo has been charged with two counts of felony murder or vehicular homicide, receiving or transferring a stolen motor vehicle, tampering with evidence and aggravated fleeing from law enforcement. Jaramillo was arrested in Albuquerque and brought to the Santa Fe County detention center.

While she was being booked, corrections officers ran her through a scanner and spotted a small object near her private area, according to a criminal complaint filed in Santa Fe Magistrate Court.

The corrections officer said that, when she strip-searched Jaramillo, she found an unopened syringe and a small bag that contained a small amount of white substance. State Police determined the substance was consistent with methamphetamine and it was sent to the lab to be tested.

Jaramillo was charged with possession of a controlled substance. Her attorney did not respond to requests for comment.

Safety of others

Santa Fe Police Department pursuit policies do not say anything about driving against traffic.

But they do say a law enforcement officer shall not initiate or continue a high speed pursuit when the immediate danger to the officer and the public created by the high speed pursuit exceeds the immediate danger to the public if the occupants of the motor vehicle being pursued remain at large.

The policies say that state law allows an emergency vehicle to deviate from the traffic code, but it does not relieve the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle from the duty to drive with the due regard for the safety of others.

In response to questions, an SFPD spokesman said an administrative investigation into the incident will be conducted after State Police completes its investigation. He said the primary officer on the pursuit, Julian Norris, remains on administrative leave.

All motor vehicle pursuits are reviewed by a committee to evaluate adherence to Department policy, said Deputy Chief Ben Valdez. Factors that shall be taken into consideration are provided in the Department Directive, which is consistent with the NM Safe Pursuit Act.

Dennis Kenney, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, was previously research director at the Police Executive Research Forum and is frequently called as an expert witness.

He said that, over the years, he has examined policies from many different agencies and they generally outright prohibit pursuing a suspect on the wrong side of the road.

The fundamental calculation in a pursuit is one of need for immediate apprehension  which, in this case, would be pretty high  versus the risk to others  which is also in this case pretty high, in fact very high, Kenney said. I would say at some point the officers need to make the determination that exposing others to greater risk is not called for.

He said that, in such cases, officers could pursue a suspect on the other side of the road  going with traffic  or call in for backup to block traffic or provide air support.

Valdez said SFPD does not have its own helicopter, but relies on mutual aid from other law enforcement agencies that do.

Car went 90 mph against traffic

The chain of events leading to the crash started after 11 a.m. on Wednesday when a white Chevy Malibu drove into the Vizcaya apartments on Sawmill near St. Francis in Santa Fe.

According to the affidavit, the female driver of the car asked a pedestrian in the parking lot to call 911 because the male in her passenger seat was armed with a knife and would not get out of her vehicle.

The pedestrian called for help and multiple officers were dispatched.

The officers attempted to pull over the Chevy Malibu, but it failed to stop and drove around a residential area before getting onto I-25, heading northbound in the southbound lanes. According to the affidavit, the car was traveling at 90 miles per hour against traffic.

Then, at an emergency turn-around area in the median, the car pulled a U-turn and began heading the opposite way  once again going against traffic, this time southbound in the northbound lanes. The officers continued to follow behind it.

Thats when Lovato, driving a pickup, encountered the pursuit between the Old Pecos Trail exit and the Eldorado exit. According to the affidavit, he was in the left lane and avoided crashing into the suspect vehicle, but then was hit by Durans car.

Duran, 43, was acting as the secondary pursuit vehicle, while Norris was the primary.

A short distance away, a white pickup was not able to avoid the suspect vehicle and the two collided. The suspect vehicle was disabled and Norris said he saw a woman climb out through the drivers window.

Norris put the woman, Jaramillo, in the back of his patrol vehicle and she said a man by the name of Mark Lopez was driving and fled on foot. She said he was armed with a gun, wearing a red shirt and black pants.

Law enforcement launched an extensive manhunt, and several nearby businesses, neighborhoods and a school were put on lockdown.

Jaramillo told officers she and Lopez had been dating for a couple of months, and he had punched her in the head and chest, and knocked her out. She said that, when she regained consciousness, he was pouring gas on her and she was afraid he would light her on fire. Jaramillo said Lopez forced her into her car and made her drive, and thats when she alerted the pedestrian.

However, officers did not smell gasoline and she did not appear to have been punched, according to the affidavit. Jaramillo has a history of similar behavior  fleeing from officers and claiming a man kidnapped her.

Meanwhile, a BOLO (be on the lookout bulletin) that was meant only for law enforcement was released on social media containing a Mark Lopezs personal information. That Mark Lopez was interviewed and cleared as a suspect.

When investigators reviewed Norris lapel camera video footage, they saw that, after Jaramillo was transferred to another patrol vehicle, he found a set of keys had been left in his back seat. Those keys were to the Chevy Malibu.

Memorial set

A public memorial service for Santa Fe Police Department officer Robert Duran, who lived in Rio Rancho, is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at the Rio Rancho Events Center.
SANTA FE  One of the oldest Roman Catholic dioceses in the U.S. is suing four insurance companies over claims that they havent fulfilled contracts to provide liability coverage for sexual abuse complaints.

The Archdiocese of Santa Fe filed the lawsuit this week as it deals with a bankruptcy case involving more than 400 people who allege they were victims of clergy sexual abuse. Some of the claims date back decades.

The archdiocese hopes to raise enough money, including through insurance payouts, to settle the bankruptcy case, which has stretched over more than three years and is on its third mediator.

At least one attorney sees the archdioceses lawsuit as a step toward a resolution in the case, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.

The defendants named in the lawsuit are Great American Insurance Co., Arrowood Indemnity Co., St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Co. and United States Fire Insurance Co. Representatives of three of the companies couldnt be reached for comment, nor could attorneys representing the archdiocese.

A man in the legal department of United States Fire Insurance Co. said his company doesnt comment on pending litigation.

The lawsuit seeks a declaratory judgment from U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David Thuma that would outline the rights and obligations of the parties in a contract. The lawsuit says this would terminate or significantly reduce the existing controversy between the parties.

Aaron Boland, a Santa Fe attorney who represents one of the accusers, said the archdioceses lawsuit pulls back the curtain on the case.

The hope is this will move things toward justice, he said.

Earlier this month, Thuma rejected the archdioceses request to seal court filings involving confidential insurance documents from public view.

The archdiocese has been raising money through property sales, property auctions and contributions to settle with people claiming abuse, though the amount of funding it would need to settle the case has not been specified.

Insurance payouts also are expected to fund a large chunk of the settlement.

According to the lawsuit, the archdiocese in the 1990s sought coverage for sexual abuse claims from insurers that had sold liability to the Catholic organization between February 1953 and April 1986, and they reached a series of agreements.

Some settlements released certain insurers from continuing insurance obligations, the suit says, but agreements with the insurers named as defendants didnt free them of all liability.

The archdiocese claims those insurers have ongoing obligations to provide insurance coverage for present and future sexual abuse claims. Church officials also claim in the lawsuit that the insurance companies actions have impeded and obstructed the archdioceses ability to resolve the bankruptcy case.
LAS CRUCES  A Dona Ana County sheriffs deputy did not wear a required body camera during a shooting incident, prompting the district attorney to warn the sheriff that deputies must comply with the requirement set by state law.

District Attorney Gerald Byers included the warning in a Jan. 31 letter telling Sheriff Kim Stewart that a September nonfatal shooting of a suspect who aimed a rifle at deputies was justified, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.

Byers letter noted that the deputy removed his body camera ahead of the encounter in order to put on body armor, and left it behind.

Lack of video could jeopardize prosecutions, Byers said, pointing out that the law says an officer who doesnt comply with the camera requirement shall be presumed to have acted in bad faith.

Stewart said it was an oversight that the deputy did not put his camera back on after donning body armor.

The deputy was in a crisis scenario and removed his everyday vest to put on his tactical vest, which did not have the camera, she said.

Since September 2020, New Mexico law has required law enforcement officers to wear body cameras on duty, and to record service calls and encounters with the public.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

Three years after passing Albuquerques plastic bag ban, the City Council has thrown it out.

The City Council voted 6-3 late Monday to repeal the Clean & Green Retail Ordinance, which barred grocers and other stores from providing single-use plastic bags at checkout.

The vote came over vocal opposition from members of the public who spoke during the meeting and provided dozens of written comments. Many called it a step backward and questioned why the Council was making a decision before the city completed its ongoing study into the bans impact  or why leaders were reconsidering it at all given the citys other pressing concerns like crime and homelessness.

But Councilor Brook Bassan, who sponsored the repeal bill, said Albuquerque residents should be able to use plastic bags if they want.

People should have the choice of what they want to do; people should have the option to decide whats best for them, she said.

Councilors Renee Grout, Dan Lewis, Trudy Jones, Klarissa Pena and Louie Sanchez voted with Bassan to repeal.

Isaac Benton and Pat Davis  who co-sponsored the original ban  joined Council newcomer Tammy Fiebelkorn to vote against the repeal.

Fiebelkorn apologized to the bag bans supporters, particularly the young people who helped push it through three years ago.

This is not the way government is supposed to work; you worked, you did the work, you put in the excessive amount of time to get this passed, and it should not keep coming back up over and over and over again, she said.

The Council passed the ban in 2019. It took effect in January 2020, but Mayor Tim Keller quickly shelved it due to COVID-19. He suspended enforcement in March 2020, a pause that lasted about 16 months.

The ban returned Aug. 1, 2021 and was strengthened shortly thereafter when the city closed a loophole that had enabled retailers to distribute heavier plastic bags at checkout.

Only two councilors who originally voted for the ban  co-sponsors Isaac Benton and Pat Davis  remain on the Council today, and the legislative body now leans more conservative overall.

Keller has expressed support for the ban, tweeting on Saturday that the Clean & Green ordinance is one step to reducing plastic waste and litter in our city. City Council commissioned an impact study when they originally passed it  lets see the results before Council considers a repeal of this popular policy.

The mayor has veto authority; however, the Council can override his vetoes with six votes.

The original ordinance required the city to convene a multi-departmental committee to study the impacts of the ban after the first two years  specifically how many bags the ordinance diverted from the citys garbage stream  and report the findings by June 30, 2022.

Solid Waste Director Matthew Whelan told the Council Monday the study was underway.
TALLINN, Estonia  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up the last leg Tuesday of a short tour of the three Baltic states aimed at reassuring the former Soviet republics that NATO will guarantee their security as Russias war with Ukraine rolls on unabated.

Blinken met with senior Estonian officials in Tallinn, a day after hearing appeals from both Lithuania and Latvia for more support and greater U.S. and NATO troop presence to deter a feared Russian intervention.

We will defend every inch of NATO territory with the full force of our collective power, Blinken said, noting that the U,S. and other allies were already stepping up their presence in the alliances eastern flank members like the Baltics.

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas urged Blinken to support creating a permanent and meaningful NATO deployment in the Baltics. She called Russia a very aggressive neighbor that we have suffered under and one that needed to be punished for its actions in Ukraine.

She said sanctions should be expanded to cryptocurrency, oil, and sea ports until Putins war machine has been paralyzed and Russia is completely isolated from the free world.

As the war in Ukraine rages, leaders in all three Baltic states have expressed grave concerns about Russian President Vladimir Putins intentions for former Soviet bloc countries that are now allied or otherwise linked to the West.

We have no illusions about Putins Russia anymore, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said Monday in Riga. We dont really see any good reason to assume that Russia might change its policy.

Rinkevics said that the Russian invasion of Ukraine had shown the Baltic countries in particular the need to bolster air and coastal defenses and that Latvia would like its security cooperation with NATO to be more efficient.

Lithuanian President Gitanes Nauseda told Blinken in Vilnius that a policy of deterrence was no longer enough and that forward defense was now needed. He predicted that Putin will not stop in Ukraine if he will not be stopped.

Memories of Soviet rule are still fresh in the Baltics and since the Russian invasion of Ukraine last month, NATO has moved quickly to boost its troop presence in its eastern flank allies while the U.S. has pledged additional support.

Support for Ukraines resistance to the Russian invasion was palpable in all three Baltics as Ukrainian flags and other signs of solidarity were evident in many businesses and on houses, public buildings and buses.

From Tallinn, Blinken travels to Paris later Tuesday for a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss his recent conversations with Putin about Ukraine and efforts to convince the Russian leader to end the conflict.
BERLIN  Emmanuel Oyedeles dream of getting a business degree in Ukraine lies shattered in the rubble of Russias sudden fierce military assault, but right now the 28-year-old Nigerian says he feels blessed.

After hastily escaping Kyiv as Russian forces advanced, Oyedele, his brother and two young female friends spent days trying to flee Ukraine by train and on foot before eventually making it to Berlin, where they were welcomed into a strangers home.

The stress, its all gone, Oyedele said Monday from the lake-side house an hour outside the German capital where the Vollmann family says he and his group can stay until the end of April.

The only stress I have right now is the sympathy, the sadness in me to see my brothers who are stuck in Kyiv or other regions of Ukraine, Oyedele told The Associated Press. Aside from the threat of being caught in the fighting, lack of electricity means those left behind are now sleeping in cold apartments, without warm water or any way to cook, he said.

The U.N. says the number of people who have fled Ukraine since the start of the war has reached 2 million, and many more are still trying to get out. Among them are tens of thousands of foreigners, including many students from Asia and Africa who, like Oyedele, had hoped to get a foothold in Europe with a degree in Ukraine.

Reports of non-white people being turned back at the border as they tried to enter Poland prompted Oyedele and his friends to make a lengthy detour via Hungary, from where they were eventually able to get to Berlin.

Christian Vollmann, a tech entrepreneur in his mid-40s, was among hundreds of Germans waiting at the train station Friday night with a sign saying how many people he could take in and for how long.

I felt helpless and wanted to do something, Vollmann told AP after he and Oyedele had been paired up by volunteers trying to find homes for trainloads of weary refugees, many of whom were carrying little more than a bag each containing their most precious belongings and documents.

We are so privileged here, he said.

Germany took in almost 900,000 refugees in 2015, many of them fleeing wars in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. The influx was accompanied by a deliberate effort on the part of many Germans to help the new arrivals integrate, but also led to social tensions and the rise of a new far-right party in the country.

So far, Berlins welcome to those fleeing the war in Ukraine has been big-hearted, but the sudden strain is beginning to show.

Its very important that people dont just arrive in Berlin, but also are accommodated in other states so that we can manage it, Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffey said Monday.

Of the more than 10,000 people arriving in the German capital each day since Friday, the overwhelming majority have found shelter in private accommodation  with friends or volunteer hosts.

Giffey praised the goodwill of Berliners but warned that it likely wont be a long-term solution.

If someone clears out their childrens room, they can do that for a while, for one or two or perhaps a few weeks, she said, but warned that eventually people might need long-term accommodation elsewhere.

Vollmann is convinced he made the right choice taking in Oyedele and his friends. The Nigerians and their German hosts have already spent a night around a campfire drinking beer and getting to know each other.

It was great to see how grateful they were, how much joy they had and how many plans theyre already making, Vollmann said.

He hopes the wave of support many Europeans are showing toward those fleeing Ukraine will continue.

In my view this sends a very strong signal, Vollmann said. The more aggression there is, the more solidarity has to come from our side.

Oyedele, too, has his hopes pinned on Europe.

I think Germany has a space for me, he said.

___

AP writer Geir Moulson contributed to this report.
BAGHDAD  In a neighborhood of Iraqs capital, a gigantic poster of Vladimir Putin with the words, We support Russia, was up for few hours before a security force arrived and hurriedly took it down. Then came the security directive: All public displays of Putins pictures shall be banned.

In Lebanon, the powerful Hezbollah militia railed against the governments condemnation of Russias attack on Ukraine, calling for neutrality.

Such wrangling shows the deep divisions over the Ukraine war in the Middle East, where Moscow has embedded itself as a key player in recent years, making powerful friends among state and non-state actors while Americas influence waned.

Political elites closely allied with the West are wary of alienating Russia or the U.S. and Europe. But other forces  from Shiite militia factions in Iraq, to Lebanons Hezbollah group and Houthi rebels in Yemen  vocally support Russia against Ukraine.

These groups are considered to be Irans boots on the ground in the so-called anti-U.S. axis of resistance. Putin won their backing largely because of his close ties with Tehran and his military intervention in Syrias civil war in support of President Bashar Assad.

They see Putin as a steady, reliable partner who, unlike the Americans, does not drop his allies. In their circles, they even have an affectionate nickname for Putin  Abu Ali  which is a common name among Shiite Muslims and meant to portray a certain comaraderie.

Meanwhile, governments are walking a tightrope.

Iraq is against the war but has not condemned it nor taken a side, said political analyst Ihsan Alshamary, who heads the Political Thought Think Tank in Baghdad. Iraq needs to remain neutral because it has shared interests with both Russia and the West, he said.

He said Irans allies in the region are outspokenly with Russia because they are anti-American and anti-West and believe that Russia is their ally.

Russia has invested up to $14 billion in Iraq and the northern Kurdish-run region, mainly focusing on the energy sector, Moscows ambassador Elbrus Kutrashev told the Iraqi Kurdish news agency Rudaw in a recent interview.

Among the major oil companies operating in the country are Russias Lukoil, Gazprom Neft and Rosneft.

Iraq also maintains close ties with the U.S., but Western companies have steadily been plotting to exit from Iraqs oil sector.

Iraqs strongest move so far came after its central bank advised the prime minister against signing new contracts with Russian companies or payments in light of U.S. sanctions. The decision will impact new Russian investment in the country, but little else, Russian industry officials said.

Last week, Iraq was among the 35 countries that abstained from a U.N. General Assembly vote to demand that Russia stop its offensive and withdraw troops from Ukraine. Lebanon voted in favor, while Syria, where Russian ties run deep, voted against. Iran also abstained.

In Lebanon, an unusually blunt Foreign Ministry statement denouncing Russias invasion of Ukraine caused an uproar and upset the Russians, forcing the minister to clarify that Lebanon did not intend to take sides and would remain neutral.

They distance themselves and claim neutrality where they want, and they interfere and condemn where they want, Hezbollah lawmaker Ibrahim Moussawi wrote on Twitter, taking aim at the Foreign Ministry. What foreign policy does Lebanon follow, and what is Lebanons interest in that? Please clarify for us, foreign minister.

Hezbollah, which also sent thousands of fighters to neighboring Syria to shore up Assads forces, has seized on Russias invasion of Ukraine to portray it as an inevitable result of U.S. provocations and yet another betrayal by the United States of its allies  in this case, Ukraine.

In Syria, where Russia maintains thousands of troops, billboards proclaiming, Victory for Russia popped up in areas of Damascus this week. In opposition-held areas, which still get hit by Russian airstrikes, residents hope pressure will ease on them if Russia gets bogged down in fighting in Ukraine.

In Iraq, the Ukraine war is highlighting divisions in an already fractured landscape during stalled efforts to form a new government, five months after parliament elections were held.

The huge billboard in support of Putin was briefly put up in a Baghdad neighborhood considered a stronghold of powerful Iranian-backed militias. After it was removed, the Russian Embassy in Baghdad tweeted an image of it.

The poster was provocative, I am against it, said Athir Ghorayeb, who works at a nearby coffee shop. Iraq is only just emerging from decades of war and conflict, he said. Why do they insist on involving us in new problems?

Many Iraqis see in Russias invasion of Ukraine echoes of Saddam Husseins invasion of neighboring Kuwait and subsequent years-long economic sanctions placed on Iraq. It was only a few days ago that Iraq finished paying reparations to Kuwait which totaled more than $52 billion.

On social media, Iraqi pages on Facebook with millions of followers have posted news of what is happening in Ukraine, sharing their views. Our hearts are with the civilians, as those who have tasted war know its catastrophes, posted one user, Zahra Obaidi.

We have tents for refugees and internally displaced people, so youre welcome to come use them, Hafidh Salih posted.

Toby Dodge, a professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics, said Iraqs moves  abstaining from the U.N. vote while limiting economic activity  were prudent, managing the short-term risks without taking an ideological stance.

But the longer the war drags on, the harder it will be to maintain this strategy.

Iraq is deeply divided politically amongst players between pro-Iran and those that are anti-Iran trying to assert autonomy. The Ukraine becomes another performance, another example of where either side can burnish their credentials, he said.

___

Karam reported from Beirut. Associated Press writer Samya Kullab in Kabul, Afghanistan, contributed to this report.
COVID-19 unlikely to be eradicated soon though new cases drop: experts

Xinhua) 08:26, March 08, 2022

People walk on the street on Times Square in New York, the United States, Feb. 14, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

"I think it's really important to state that when people look at community transmission levels as being low, that does not mean that it's zero," said an epidemiologist.

WASHINGTON, March 7 (Xinhua) -- COVID-19 is unlikely to be eradicated any time soon, and people still need to be flexible and put on masks and practice physical distancing again if COVID-19 case levels get high in their area, health experts have warned.

New COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths continue to decline across the United States.

The number of counties with "high" COVID-19 levels dropped from about 1,200 on Feb. 24 to 472 on March 3, said a CNN report, citing updated data of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on COVID-19 community levels.

CDC data showed more than 90 percent of U.S. residents live in a location with low or medium COVID-19 community levels, said the report.

Still, about 35 percent of the U.S. population remains un-fully-vaccinated as of Monday, CDC data showed.

About 3 percent of the U.S. population, around 9 million people, are immunocompromised and vulnerable to severe disease, regardless of where they live, said the CNN report.

"I think it's really important to state that when people look at community transmission levels as being low, that does not mean that it's zero," said epidemiologist Syra Madad, senior director of the system-wide special pathogens program at NYC Health + Hospital.

She said that in areas considered to have high COVID-19 community levels, people need to take the usual pandemic precautions. In areas at low or medium levels, masks and physical distance practices may be safely dropped only for some, not all people.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
KIEV, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine is ready to hold a dialogue with Russia on security guarantees and the future of Donetsk, Lugansk and Crimea, said a press release posted on the official website of the Ukrainian president Tuesday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with ABC News that Ukraine needs to have a collective security agreement with all its neighbors and the United States, France, Germany and Turkey, according to the press release.

"We are ready for any guarantees of our country's security from the respective states that must guarantee. And Russia is also among these states, because Russia is our neighbor," Zelensky said.

"These will be guarantees not only for Ukraine. These will be guarantees for Russia as well, about which it is constantly talking," he said. 
LONDON  Shell said Tuesday that it will stop buying Russian oil after Ukrainian officials criticized the energy giant for buying a shipment of crude from Moscow and demanded that all multinational companies sever ties with Russia over the war.

The move came hours before the U.S. and British governments banned Russian oil imports. The European Union has held back because of heavy reliance on Russian oil and natural gas and concerns about the impact on global energy supplies. The turmoil has rattled global markets, sending oil prices surging to a 14-year high of $139 a barrel overnight.

London-based Shell said it would immediately stop buying Russian oil on the spot market, which is used for one-time deals involving rapid deliveries, and it would not renew longer-term contracts. The company intends to totally withdraw from the Russian market for oil, oil products, natural gas and liquefied natural gas in a phased manner.

We are acutely aware that our decision last week to purchase a cargo of Russian crude oil to be refined into products like petrol and diesel  despite being made with security of supplies at the forefront of our thinking  was not the right one and we are sorry, CEO Ben van Beurden said in a statement.

Shell said any profit it makes on the limited, remaining amounts of Russian oil it processes will go into a fund for humanitarian relief efforts for Ukrainians. It also said it would shut its service stations, aviation fuels and lubricants businesses in Russia.

David Elmes, a professor at Warwick Business School in the United Kingdom and a former energy industry executive, said Shell may find it hard to ensure it isnt buying Russian oil because shipments are often sold multiple times and mixed with products from other sources before they reach a refinery.

The challenge for someone like Shell is how do you detach yourself from a global market  from one participant in that market? Elmes said.

Shell got about 5% of its oil and 4% of its natural gas from Russia in 2020, according to the companys annual report.

Its decision to stop buying Russian energy comes a week after it said it was shocked by the loss of life in Ukraine and would end its joint ventures with Gazprom, the massive oil and gas company controlled by the Russian government.

But soon after, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he had been told Shell discreetly bought a shipment of Russian oil. He put the news on Twitter, forcing Shell to explain its decision.

One question to Shell: doesnt Russian oil smell (like) Ukrainian blood for you? Kuleba said.

Ukraine and its supporters have called on countries to stop buying Russian oil to restrict funding for its military. But there is a tradeoff. Russia is the worlds second-biggest oil producer, so it could have major effects on consumers already facing higher prices for everything from food to electricity bills because of low energy supplies in Europe and elsewhere.

Major companies from Apple to Volkswagen also have pulled out of Russia, with McDonalds the latest Tuesday.

A month ago, oil was selling for about $90 a barrel. Now, prices have surged past $120 a barrel as buyers shun Russian crude, with many refiners fearing that sanctions could be imposed in the future. They worry about being left with inventories they cant resell if sanctions were imposed in the near future.

Van Beurden said Shells actions until now have been guided by discussions with various governments about the need to reduce Western reliance on Russian oil and gas, while maintaining energy supplies for business and consumers.

The company made the decision to stop buying Russian energy after receiving new government guidance, he said. European Union officials unveiled proposals Tuesday to slash reliance on Russian natural gas by two-thirds by the end of the year, including by purchasing natural gas from other suppliers.

These societal challenges highlight the dilemma between putting pressure on the Russian government over its atrocities in Ukraine and ensuring stable, secure energy supplies across Europe, van Beurden said. But ultimately, it is for governments to decide on the incredibly difficult tradeoffs that must be made during the war in Ukraine.
DETROIT  McDonalds, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and General Electric __ ubiquitous global brands and symbols of U.S. corporate might __ all announced Tuesday they were temporarily suspending their business in Russia in response to the countrys invasion of Ukraine.

Our values mean we cannot ignore the needless human suffering unfolding in Ukraine, McDonalds President and CEO Chris Kempczinski said in an open letter to employees.

The Chicago-based burger giant said it will temporarily close 850 stores but continue paying its 62,000 employees in Russia who have poured their heart and soul into our McDonalds brand.

Kempczinski said its impossible to know when the company will be able to reopen its stores.

The situation is extraordinarily challenging for a global brand like ours, and there are many considerations, Kempczinski wrote in the letter. McDonalds works with hundreds of Russian suppliers, for example, and serves millions of customers each day.

Last Friday, Starbucks had said that it was donating profits from its 130 Russian stores __ owned and operated by Kuwait-based franchisee Alshaya Group __ to humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine. But on Tuesday, the company changed course and said it would temporarily close those stores. Alshaya Group will continue to pay Starbucks 2,000 Russian employees, Starbucks President and CEO Kevin Johnson said in an open letter to employees.

Through this dynamic situation, we will continue to make decisions that are true to our mission and values and communicate with transparency, Johnson wrote.

Coca-Cola Co. announced it was suspending its business in Russia, but it offered few details. Cokes partner, Switzerland-based Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Co., owns 10 bottling plants in Russia, which is its largest market. Coke has a 21% stake in Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Co.

PepsiCo and General Electric both announced partial shutdowns of their Russian business.

Pepsi, based in Purchase, New York, said it will suspend sales of beverages in Russia. It will also suspend any capital investments and promotional activities.

But the company said it will continue to produce milk, baby formula and baby food, in part to continue supporting its 20,000 Russian employees and the 40,000 Russian agricultural workers who are part of its supply chain.

Now more than ever we must stay true to the humanitarian aspect of our business, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said in an email to employees.

General Electric also said in a Twitter post that it was partially suspending its operations in Russia. GE said two exceptions would be essential medical equipment and support for existing power services in Russia.

McDonalds is among those to take the biggest financial hit. Unlike Starbucks and other fast food companies like KFC and Pizza Hut, whose Russian locations are owned by franchisees, McDonalds owns 84% of its Russian stores. McDonalds has also temporarily closed 108 restaurants it owns in Ukraine and continues to pay those employees.

In a recent regulatory filing, McDonalds said its restaurants in Russia and Ukraine contribute 9% of its annual revenue, or around $2 billion last year.

Yum Brands, the parent company of KFC and Pizza Hut, said late Tuesday it planned to temporarily close 70 company-owned KFC restaurants in Russia. The company said it was also in talks with a franchisee to close all 50 Pizza Hut restaurants in Russia. It had announced Monday that it was donating all of the profits from its 1,050 restaurants in Russia to humanitarian efforts. It has also suspended new restaurant development in the country.

Burger King said it is redirecting the profits from its 800 Russian stores to relief efforts and donating $2 million in food vouchers to Ukrainian refugees.

McDonalds said Tuesday it has donated more than $5 million to its employee assistance fund and to relief efforts. It has also parked a Ronald McDonald House Charities mobile medical care unit at the Polish border with Ukraine; another mobile care unit is en route to the border in Latvia, the company said. PepsiCo said it is donating food, refrigerators and $4 million to relief organizations.

Some of the companies have a long history operating in Russia. PepsiCo entered the Russian market in the early 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, and helped to create common ground between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

Later, McDonalds was one of the first U.S. fast food companies to open a store in Russia, a sign that the Cold War had thawed. On Jan. 31, 1990, thousands of Russians lined up before dawn to try hamburgers __ many for the first time__ at the first McDonalds in Moscow. By the end of the day, 30,000 meals had been rung up on 27 cash registers, an opening-day record for the company.

But since the Ukraine invasion last month, many corporations have ceased operations in Russia in protest. Among them is consumer goods conglomerate Unilever, which on Tuesday said it has suspended all imports and exports of its products into and out of Russia, and that it will not invest any further capital into the country. In a more limited move, Amazon said Tuesday the companys cloud computing network, Amazon Web Services, will stop allowing new sign-ups in Russia and Belarus.

Pressure had been mounting on companies that remained in the country. Hashtags to boycott companies like McDonalds, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo quickly emerged on social media.

Last week, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli __ a trustee of the states pension fund, which is a McDonalds investor __ sent letters to McDonalds, PepsiCo and eight other companies urging them to consider pausing their operations in Russia.

Companies doing business in Russia need to seriously consider whether its worth the risk. As investors, we want assurances that our holdings are not in harms way, DiNapoli said Tuesday in a statement. I commend the companies that are taking the right steps and suspending their operations in Russia.

In his letter, Kempczinski cited influential former McDonalds Chairman and CEO Fred Turner, whose mantra was, Do the right thing.

There are countless examples over the years of McDonalds Corp. living up to Freds simple ideal. Today is one of those days, Kempczinski said.
WENN/Mario Mitsis Celebrity

The Capt. Danny Walker depicter in 'Pearl Harbor' ties the knot with the blonde British actress in a 'classy ceremony' at The Old Marylebone Town Hall after 10 years of dating.

Mar 8, 2022

AceShowbiz - Josh Hartnett is a married man. The Capt. Danny Walker depicter in "Pearl Harbor" has secretly tied the knot with his longtime partner Tamsin Egerton in an intimate "classy" wedding ceremony in London.

A representative for the 43-year-old actor confirmed to Page Six that the artist and the blonde British actress secretly wed last November. A source close to the newlyweds also told The Sun that they exchanged their vows at The Old Marylebone Town Hall in London, in the venue's Soho room that seats only 12 people.

"They're as smitten as ever and wanted to make it official in a low-key affair. It was a classy ceremony with only a handful of close family and friends," said the source. "They're really happy living a low-key life away from showbiz parties and red-carpets so are happy to fly under the radar."

Though the two never announced their wedding ceremony before, Tamsin once shared a photo of her wearing what appeared to be a wedding ring on that finger. "Anyway, this is me getting some special birthday time with my man sans children and enjoying the last of November's autumnal energy whilst it melts into the new joys of December's festivities," she captioned her post.

Josh and Tamsin are parents to three children. The "Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre" actor confirmed in January 2021 that they welcomed their third child. "The thing I am most proud of is that I'm a father of three and I have a good relationship with my partner and a great family life," he told Mr. Porter at the time, "And I'm still able to do good work and, as I've got older, the characters have become more interesting."

Josh went on to say that he wants to stay away from the glittering Hollywood lifestyle as he feels it's more important to "have a life" than chase fame. "A lot of people get caught in that trap, but I feel very strongly about friends I've known for a long time and my family," he shared.

"I wanted to make sure I wasn't losing those relationships. Those people make me who I am. I put those concerns ahead of chasing a Hollywood dream," Josh elaborated further. He then pointed out, "I decided to have a life. To put that first. That was always my goal. I didn't want to be that person, and I'm never going to be that person."
Instagram Celebrity

During a date night in Beverly Hills, the 'Sunrise in Heaven' actress, who is 23 years younger than the 'Manchester By the Sea' star, is seen wearing a big ring in her left ring finger.

Mar 8, 2022

AceShowbiz - Casey Affleck and his girlfriend Caylee Cowan may be heading for the altar anytime soon. The couple sparked engagement speculations as she was spotted wearing a large ring during a date on Sunday, March 6.

In some pictures obtained by PageSix, the actor and his lady were seen packing on PDA while enjoying their date night in Beverly Hills. They were walking arm-in-arm while exiting their diner together.

For the outing, the "Gone Baby Gone" actor opted for a casual look in jeans, a T-shirt and a red beanie. As for Caylee, she donned jeans with a pink tank top and a Roots of Fight jacket.

One that caught people's attention was the sparkler that the "Sunrise in Heaven" actress, who is 23 years younger than the "Manchester By the Sea" star, wore in her left ring finger. The ring consists of a gold band with a round diamond.

Casey and Caylee were never shy in showing some PDAs after making their relationship public. Back in November, the couple were photographed making out in Los Angeles. They were later seen sharing an open-mouth kiss in an instagram post.

The actor also gushed over his "girl" in a lengthy post celebrating one year since they first met. "My girl, you make me a better man every day," so he raved at the time. "You could push me and you could drag me and you could carry me, but instead you just walk with me and talk with me and make me laugh. You are a deep and tender woman with more girlfriend geem [sic] than anyone I ever met."

"I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I am determined to figure it out and keep doing it forever. While it beats, you have a place in my heart. I hope you stay that long. I love you. Casey," he added.
Instagram Celebrity

In a new social media post, the 'Love and Hip Hop: Hollywood' star claims that she has been reaching out to her baby daddy but he never responds to her call.

Mar 8, 2022

AceShowbiz - Alexis Skyy continued to call out her baby daddy on social media. The "Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood" star, who shares daughter Alaiya with Brandon Medford, recently slammed him on Instagram Story for allegedly neglecting their child.

"It's so sad that @brandonmedford continues to lie and neglect alaiya really is but you take care of your other kids," the 27-year-old argued. "But it's okay you keep speaking on God and your blessings. Your day is coming I been nothing but cordial and cool."

Alexis went on to claim that she has "been calling reaching out and no response." She then fumed, "But you have time to pick up your other daughter & son only reason why I'm even taggin is now days is the only way to get a response."

This was not the first time Alexis accused Brandon of being an absent father. Back in September 2021, she penned in a now-deleted post, "I pray God puts the right 'MAN' in my life & for a GOOD MAN to be a father figure to my daughter I been so calm and quiet but enough is enough you can't force a man to love a child better yet his child."

"There is a lot I blame myself for and I can own up to that but my daughter is pure and innocent she doesn't deserve looking out the window asking daddy come get me," the reality star further lamented. "Daddy call me back & daddy is on IG flexing to the world like he is just this man of GOD living the right way when your not missed her birthday [sic]."

"Never calls when we tell her she's in hospital seen other kids what are you embarrassed of her she didn't ask to go through the pain she went through," she continued. "GOD will remove it all from you. Your kids come first."

The ex-girlfriend of Fetty Wap later wrote in another Story, "It kills me to leave my baby to go work but sometimes as a mother we gotta make sacrifices to make sure our babies are good forever." She then declared, "I won't ever give up on my baby girl idc if I have to continue to be her father and mother but this s**t isn't easy I promise some days I just want to breakdown and cry but I can't."
Instagram Celebrity

While he might be off the hook in the case, the 'ROCKSTAR' rapper still needs to fight DaniLeigh's brother, Brandon Bills, in court following their February 10 altercation.

Mar 8, 2022

AceShowbiz - One of DaBaBy's legal issues has been sorted out. The "Red Light Green Light" spitter is reportedly off the hook in his 2021 gun case after his charges get dismissed.

For the record, the "ROCKSTAR" hitmaker was arrested last January while shopping in Beverly Hills with his crew. He was taken into custody after police allegedly found a handgun inside his car.

However, TMZ reported that the Los Angeles County District Attorney has tossed the case due to a lack of evidence. Speaking about the dismissal, DaBaby's lawyer told the outlet, "We've been 100 [percent] confident in Mr. Kirk's innocence since the day of this incident and are appreciative that the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office has made a similar determination."

While it might be great news for DaBaby, he's still facing another legal issue involving DaniLeigh's brother, Brandon Bills. Brandon, who is also a rapper, has been suing the Grammy nominee for assault, battery, emotional distress and negligence following their massive brawl that took place at Corbin Bowl on Ventura Boulevard in Tarzana on February 10.

In the lawsuit, Brandon claimed he was walking by DaBaby in the bowling alley when the emcee suddenly attacked him. Noting that he didn't fight back, he claimed that he suffered severe injury, pain and "psychological damage" in the wake of the altercation.

In response, DaBaby's lawyer accused Brandon of trying to make easy money with the lawsuit. "It is offensive that this alleged victim threatened and instigated violence and has now used this incident to make a quick money grab," Drew Findling stated.

As for DaBaby, he once again addressed the incident when appearing on "The Breakfast Club". Admitting that that he's "still scared of that situation now," he added, "I heard it was gonna be rough for me, so I don't wanna speak on that. N***a might pop up downstairs."

"I stayed away from L.A. for some months behind that, too," the 30-year-old, who shares a baby daughter with DaniLeigh, went on saying. "I sure hope I don't gotta run into him again."
Licious, Indias largest tech-first, fresh animal protein brand, celebrates Womens Day with 3 of the most prolific women influencers, in India. Licious has collaborated with stand-up comic Mallika Dua, actor Patralekhaa, and actor & artist Nidhi Singh, to create videos in which these uber talented women express their love for meat in their original, quirky style.

A brand made by the meat lovers for the meat lovers, Licious, has actively worked towards democratizing the kitchen by using a bevy of male protagonists in their brand communication. These men are seen cooking, entertaining guests, and engaging in light-hearted banter with family or even strangers. A decadent meat dish is nothing less than a celebration. It brings friends and family together to create unforgettable meals and memories. And in that endeavor, it is love for meat that takes the center-stage instead of gender-led biases or stereotypes! In their true trailblazing style, Licious has driven this point home through integrated brand communications, while highlighting their USPs. Licious meat and seafood comes in a vacuum-seal packaging that that can be transferred directly from pack to cooking pan. Putting male protagonists in the Licious kitchen has helped them effectively communicate the easy, convenient, highly enjoyable, and elevated meaty experience that Licious creates.

This new set of films takes the core messaging of, for the love of meat, a notch higher. The videos portray Mallika, Patralekhaa, and Nidhi confess their unabashed love for meat by cooking up a storm using Licious ready-to-cook range sans any of the complications or stereotypes! The dishes are ready without the typical toil in the kitchen, while the quality, taste, and indulgent experience stays uncompromised. The women also could not be bothered with being dainty or well-behaved around food the way society expects them to. They dig into the kebabs, chicken wings and tikkas delving deep into the magic of good food.

The films are a tribute to #BreakTheBias and enjoying scrumptious, meaty dishes the Licious way!
The queen of emotions, the empress of power, the goddess of love and the deity of beauty- Women are known to embrace the best within themselves. This International Womens Day on 8th March, &flix invites you to spend your day with the awesome women of Hollywood for whom nothing is impossible! Celebrating the awesomeness and wonders of the central role that women play in every persons life, the days binge includes titles such as Life In A Year, Gyul-Baek, Dream Horse, I Know What you Did Last Summer and Zero Dark Thirty. Start the day at 8 AM and enjoy the continuous flow of drama, emotions, love and action on your screens

Start the day with the tender romance drama Life In a Year starring Cara Delevingne and Jaden Smith. The film is a heartfelt story of a teenager who finds out that his girlfriend is dying and sets out to make her life special in a year that is left for her. Next comes the story of mother-daughter love in the Korean film Gyul-Baek starring Hye-Sun Shin, Chong-ok Bae, Joon-ho Huh, Kyung Hong and Hang-ho. It focuses on the story of a young lawyer Ahn Jung-in (Hye-Sun Shin) who uncovers the secrets of an isolated village while defending her estranged mother in a murder trial. Dream Horse is an eye-pleasing spectacle, the story of the life of a Welsh bartender Jan Vokes (Toni Collette). It shows her journey of training her horse to become a racehorse even while she lacked the necessary experience and money. The horror mystery I know What you Did Last Summer is the story of four young friends bound by a tragic accident who make the fatal mistake of dumping their victim's body into the sea. But does this settle the scores? Tune in to &flix to witness the biggest story of revenge. The day ends with the war film Zero Dark Thirty which is a chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy SEAL Team 6 in May 2011.

&PriveHD on Womens Day will dedicate its offerings to all females with a special binge of What Women Love! The channel will telecast a binge of one of the most loved film franchises Twilight. Witness the story of Bella (Kristen Stewart) whose life changes when she moves to a new town and falls in love with her classmate Edward (Robert Pattinson). But what happens when Bella discovers Edward to be a 108-year-old vampire. Watch their mysterious love story unfold in Twilight, The Twilight Saga New Moon, The Twilight Saga Eclipse, The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn- 1 and Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn- 2.

Appreciate the women in your life with a binge full of female-centric films on &flix and a heartfelt binge of Twilight on &PriveHD, this International Womens Day
Republic Media Network celebrates the power of the Indian woman. Indian women are the biggest asset to the countrys workforce and one that leads the charge for Indias future. Making unstoppable strides, Indian women are the backbone of the workforce globally. Their achievements, discipline, work ethic, innovation, resolve, and unmatched performance have made Indian women ultimate examples of strong leadership in sector-after-sector.

On International Womens Day, Republic Media Network proudly celebrates the women within its family and across the world. As a gesture of appreciation and as a symbol of commitment to women empowerment, Republic Media Network takes the pledge to save, seed, and protect our shared future by protecting the environment.

With climate change and shrinking green belts, the onus is on us to protect the world we together build. It is with this intent that Republic Media Network will take the pledge this Womens Day to save, seed, and protect plant life. Flora and fauna form the foundation of the ecosystem of our planet and there is no better day to pledge to protect it than a day marked to celebrate Women, who form the foundation of the ecosystem of our society. It is with this multi-pronged commitment in mind, that Republic Media Network gifted all women employees of the organisation potted plants.

Republic Media Network marked a truly 'Green' International Women's Day. Women force, who are proudly at the core of the Network, celebrated Womens Day by taking this pledge together of nurturing plants and protecting our future.

Commenting on the initiative, Honey Kaur  Vice President & Head- Human Resources, Republic Media Network, said, Women are at the core of Republic Media Network. The women force of this Network are the drivers of the vision that we are all working towards. I am truly blessed and proud to be a part of such an energetic, ambitious, and passionate organisation that is led by powerful women in department after department. The future of our country and Republic will be shouldered by our unstoppable women force.

As an organisation that has pledged to always put Nation First, it is only fitting that on the day that we celebrate the strength and unmatched contribution of our women force, we also do our bit to pledge for the betterment of the future of our great country. That is exactly the thought behind a Green International Womens Day at Republic.

Hersh Bhandari, Group COO, Republic Media Network added Advice from a little sapling: Be bold, be brave, never fear growth. Rise, shine, and spread your seeds of happiness as far as you can. To all the ladies of the Republic Media Network, we thank you for your service, and for reminding us that together, women can achieve anything. At Republic Media Network, we are not empowering women, we are empowered by women.

Happy International Women's Day!
Sirona, homegrown femtech startup leading Indias Menstrual Cup Revolution and makers of Indias First Stand & Pee Device for Women - PeeBuddy, today released its digital campaign #SironaGotYourBack to make tabooed periods and intimate conversation mainstream and offer solutions for unaddressed problems in this category. On the occasion of International Women's Day, it brought together Karishma Mehta (Founder & CEO of Humans of Bombay), Simran Balar Jain (Digital Content Creator), Samyukta Hegde (Actor) & Aakanksha Monga (Travel Content Creator)- women who have always spoken their mind and are never afraid to take a stand.

As a part of the campaign, the brand will be unveiling a digital video with these 4 women from different walks of life talking about their period experiences from leaks, stains, and restricted movement to intimate area rashes, period pain, and PMS issues. As each of them share their stories, they realize that unaddressed period issues are not an individual problem but something every woman in India has to go through. The film then introduces the solution that empowered them to have a comfortable experience during periods- Sirona!

To create on-ground and immediate impact, the brand is also undertaking a one-of-its-kind initiative in collaboration with Redbus.in, called Here for her- a campaign aimed at offering a more comfortable road travel experience for women. In this campaign, the women representatives of redBus will distribute- PeeBuddy Stand and Pee Funnels and PeeBuddy Toilet Seat Cover samples free of cost to women travellers at major bus boarding points and even explain their usage to those who are unfamiliar with such products. RedBus is setting up kiosks at major bus stations in Bengaluru and Pune, between 6th March and 8th March, to facilitate distribution of about 10,000 kits to its women passengers and intends to scale it to other regions subsequently. The aim of this initiative is to make women aware of solutions that can make hygiene during travel possible.

With these initiatives, Sirona is strengthening its commitment to empowering women by breaking the stigma around unaddressed feminine hygiene issues and creating problem solving products. In India, ~23% (Nielsen Report) of girls drop out of school altogether, upon reaching puberty because of menstrual-related reasons including period bullying. There is limited or no awareness about menstrual products or feminine hygiene for millions of women in India. Approximately 60% of women are diagnosed with vaginal and urinary tract diseases and infections every year due to poor menstrual hygiene.

Talking about the initiatives, Deep Bajaj, CEO & Co-Founder, Sirona, said, We truly believe that the world of equal opportunity is possible. But we are also aware that we have miles to go to get there. At Sirona, we are relentlessly working towards empowering women to live the best version of their life. This womens day campaign- #SironaGotYourBack is in line with the same vision and mission. We are glad to partner with entrepreneurs and changemakers like Karishma, Samyukta, Simran and Akansksha who share the same vision as us and further our cause of bringing period and intimate conversations to the forefront.

Karishma Mehta, Founder & CEO of Humans of Bombay, said, Theres no denying that periods are difficult for all of us. But, the hardest part of periods for me personally is PMSing. I think most girls face it. From bloating, mood swings to severe cramps, the symptoms are endless. On the days of my periods, I usually carry a hot water bag with me, which again is not that convenient. Even after that, there have been days where I have had to cancel my important meetings because of my cramps. But, Sirona came to my rescue. Thats the reason I decided to collaborate with them, so that I can share my experience with women who are facing similar issues and make their periods comfortable too.

Sirona is behind many innovative, category-defining, India's first products like PeeBuddy (Indias first stand and pee device for women to pee in dirty toilets), Herbal Feminine Pain Relief Patches for period pain, Anti Chafing Rash Cream for rashes in intimate areas, Period Stain Remover, Oxo-biodegradable Sanitary & Tampon Disposal Bags, and Sirona Menstrual Cup (over 10 lakh menstrual cups sold till now) and its complete ecosystem including Menstrual Cup Steriliser and Cup Wash. On the occasion of Womens Day, the brand is also launching a range of innovative products such as Pain Relief Heat Patch, Headache Relief Patch, Gummies - PMS Gummies and Multivitamin Gummies (nutrition) and Lubricants - in flavours such as strawberry and black current, to diversify their portfolio.

The brand also conducts awareness campaigns and medical expert-led knowledge sessions for different members of society on an ongoing basis. Sirona also donates 1 Re from every Sirona and PeeBuddy product sold towards initiatives that improve the menstrual health of underprivileged women across India.

Last month, Sirona also acquired IMPOWER- a pepper spray brand in an all-cash deal. With this acquisition, Sirona steps into another neglected area - women safety and strengthens its commitment to empowering women.
Chinese Ambassador to Cuba Ma Hui (front) delivers a speech at Fructuoso Rodriguez secondary school in Havana, Cuba, March 7, 2022. (Photo by Joaquin Hernandez/Xinhua)

HAVANA, March 7 (Xinhua)-- Samuel Zayas, a 12-year-old secondary student from the Havana district of Plaza de la Revolucion, was happy to start learning Chinese as an optional subject.

He is among nearly 130 seventh graders from Fructuoso Rodriguez secondary school who will benefit from Chinese classes during the new academic year.

"I am opening the doors to my future," he told Xinhua. "China is a very important economic power in the international arena. Learning Chinese will be difficult in the very beginning, but I feel I have made a wise decision."

Marcelo Rodriguez, 12, said that the course will help him better interact with the world of technology and get insights into the impressive achievements of China over the past decades.

"If I travel to China, I will be able to communicate with native speakers," he said. "No one knows what the future holds for me."

For the first time in this Caribbean nation, Cuban Ministry of Education on Monday introduced a Chinese language course into secondary education.

Chinese Ambassador to Cuba Ma Hui said the two countries have taken a significant step to develop their relations through culture and education.

"Learning a foreign language is very important," he said at the opening ceremony of the course. "I am fully convinced that knowing about Chinese culture and language will bring many opportunities for students in the future."

The Chinese Embassy in Cuba has provided the school with textbooks, dictionaries, handbooks, and traditional toys to be used as teaching aids during the Chinese language lessons.

School principal Carlos Camejo voiced confidence in the success of the course, saying more educational centers across the country would join the initiative in the coming years.

"China and Cuba have a solid brotherhood," he told Xinhua. "I do not doubt that Chinese language classes will be very positive for the intellectual development of our students."

Over the past few years, the interest in studying Chinese has grown in Cuba as Cuba-China relations continued to strengthen.

Chinese language teacher Hou Jiaqi, 26, told Xinhua that she felt honored to be working in Cuba as part of a new professional experience.

"I hope that my pupils can eventually become proficient speakers of Chinese and this course could continue to pave the way toward enhancing the bonds between China and Cuba," she said. 

Chinese language teacher Hou Jiaqi (1st, L) teaches Chinese language course at Fructuoso Rodriguez secondary school in Havana, Cuba, March 7, 2022. (Photo by Joaquin Hernandez/Xinhua)
Twitter is putting all its efforts to investigate and restore its service in Russia amidst reports that its service is not completely accessible in the country, with it facing rising difficulties in getting access to its service. According to sources inside Russia, Twitters website is inaccessible since Saturday, although its mobile application still works. Some reports have also suggested that Russias communications regulator Roskomnadzor has blocked Twitters service in Russia in the midst of Vladimir Putins domination to prevent the free flow of information on account of the seizure of Ukraine. However, Twitter has reported that it has not observed any important change after some Russians protested on the streets in order to oppose the war. Russia is trying its best to strengthen its hold on the free flow of information surrounding the war on Ukraine.

A new law has been passed by Russias parliament, that has targeted freelance journalists for publishing fake reports about the military, with a threat of upto 15 years in jail. The Russian government has also announced about blocking access to Facebook which has pledged to consistently provide relevant and trustworthy information surrounding the war, according to Meta/Facebook president Nick Clegg. However, Cleggs claim about Meta distributing authentic information has come days after it has apparently revealed that it has found out that propaganda by Russia has been unfolding on its platform. It has taken down a wide network of around 40 pages/groups/accounts which have operated out of Russia, targeting people in Ukraine, by serving misinformation on Instagram and Facebook.

Facebook has also made efforts to preach messages about maintaining peace with Russia, one latest example being of the local IT workers, who have exclusively used the platform to publicise an anti-war petition that has obtained signatures from thousands of people living in the tech community of the country. Russias sources have confirmed that the country is able to access and use Facebook through its app and not through the website.

It is a far-reaching action from Russias side to block the internet in Russia from the world and access to VPNs, thereby declaring it legal for Russians to access only .ru domains and nothing else. However, its potential to fully prevent Russians from using social media platforms is irresolute, given the instances of overcoming obstacles to using mobile apps, websites or using Tor, an open source free software, enabling anonymous communication. Russia has made several unsuccessful attempts some years ago in blocking the Telegram app, highlighting its issues in blocking mobile apps.

For most of the citizens, the effect is the same when it comes to discrediting the ability of the Russians to get access to outside sources of information and inundating the airwaves with propaganda controlled by the state.

The Russian parliament also has suspended the ability of the users to post content on Tiktok, using multiple ways to control the information flow and storytelling online.

Since 2015, Russia has been working to create the foundation for a nationalised internet, in a bid to control the online space flooding with information.The Ukraine war can make Russias attempts at creating independent digital space more powerful, although western developments can cause obstacles for the dream of creating an independent digital space in the country, as it has been discussed by Putin in 2019. It's 2022 and Putin wants to have control over the reach and access of the country to the global internet.

EU has also responded to Russian invasion of Ukraine with a distribution ban on Kreamlin-backed state media outlets Sputnik and Russia Today. The ban also involves online social media platforms Facebook and Twitter, besides established broadcast media. The EU has informed that the ban on Sputnik and Russia Today will continue until Russia maintains the war with Ukraine and will not be lifted until and unless propaganda is stopped against EU and its member states by Putin.
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MT. CALVARY, Wisconsin  Farming the same area of land for more than 140 years, Mark Loehr and his family know how important it is to keep the
DONETSK, Ukraine  Workers on a farm near Donetsk in the east of Ukraine were forced to run to the bomb shelter March 15 as missiles fired by 
To make plans for the future, one needs a road map with a starting point. In this case, two years ago that first step was taken. It involved i
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The purple in these maps represent homes in Ahwatukee and Phoenix as a whole that are used as short-term rentals.
LOS ANGELES, March 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Department of Defense on Monday announced it will defuel and permanently close an enormous fuel storage facility in Hawaii over an ongoing water contamination crisis.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement that he made the decision to permanently close the Red Hill underground fuel storage tanks "after close consultation with senior civilian and military leaders."

Located near the Pearl Harbor-Hickam Joint Base, the facility includes 20 massive 250-foot underground steel tanks encased in concrete, each holding more than 12 million gallons of jet and other fuel. It is situated just 30 meters above Hawaii's main aquifer that supplies fresh water to most of Honolulu and much of Oahu County.

Last November, a 14,000-gallon fuel leak at the World War II-era Navy storage facility contaminated the drinking water on the island of Oahu, reportedly sickening thousands of people.

The public outrage and dismay has rapidly spread from community activists in the native-Hawaiian community to the public at large, and all the way up to Hawaii's state and federal leadership.

Local authorities had called for immediate shutdown of the Red Hill tanks. Hawaii's health department issued an order in December to the Navy to suspend operations at the facility.

"No later than May 31, the Secretary of the Navy and Director of the Defense Logistics Agency will provide an action plan for safe and expeditious defueling of the facility, with a completion date target of 12 months. Then, as soon as we have made corrective actions to ensure that defueling will be safe, we will begin refuel," said Austin in Monday's statement.

"Then we will move to permanently close the Red Hill facility, including conducting any and all necessary environmental remediation around the facility," he added.

U.S. Department of Defense said it will complete environmental mitigation efforts for the Red Hill drinking water well and any other impacted areas.

It also vowed to restore safe drinking water to all affected residents and provide best-in-class sampling and testing to ensure continued safety of drinking water.

Members of Hawaii's congressional delegation said closing the Red Hill is the right thing to do, reported Hawaii News Now.

"Pressure on the Department of Defense is why we won this battle," U.S. Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii was quoted as saying by the major local news outlet.

Hawaii governor David Ige also noted "this is great news for the people of Hawaii."

"We look forward to working with the Navy to safely defuel and permanently close the storage facility," said the governor via Twitter. 
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The Fox News website ran this story, asking, If Putin wants to remake the Soviet Union, what country would Russia target next? and then went on to state a list of countries that were once part of the USSR.

But how far does Vladimir Putin wish to go? Why stop with the old Soviet Union?

He said in his famous paper of a couple of years ago that he regards what one could call the East Slavs  Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus  as one people, and properly living together as one, in one nation.

He has historical justification for his view. Russia itself was born, not in Moskva, which didnt exist at the time, but in Kiev, where the first Christian King of Kievan Rus ruled, and extended his realm northward.

Belarus has been ruled from Moskva for centuries. And likewise Ukraine. The last leader of an independent Ukraine before 1991 was Bogdan Chmielnitsky, who ruled there until 1653. Chmielnitsky is honored to this day on Ukrainian currency. He is also notorious in that he oversaw in 1648 what was the largest pogrom of Jews in history until the Nazi Holocaust. 250,000 Jews were slaughtered by his forces.

After that time, the Romanov dynasty took over, and the separation of Ukraine from Mother Russia was unthinkable for centuries. That was why Nikita Khrushchev could so blithely erase a line on a map and deliver control of Crimea from the Russian Soviet Socialist Republic to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, for what difference did it make? It was all just one big happy USSR run from Moskva in any event.

But if East Slavs are brothers, why not ALL Slavs? Why not also the South Slavs who live in what used to be called Yugoslavia? Indeed, Serbia and Russia have always been close. World War I metastasized as it did because Austro-Hungary declared war on Serbia after one of its nationals assassinated the Archduke and his wife in 1914. When Austro-Hungary did that, Tsarist Russia rose to Serbias defense by declaring war on Austro-Hungary, and thus cascaded the series of interlocking treaty obligations which led to WWI. Russia and Serbia are not only both Slavic, but also both are Orthodox, and that played no little role in Russias defense of Serbia. Should not Putin reunite with them too?

And what about the West Slavs  by that, I mean Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic? Historically, a major part of Poland also fell under Tsarist control for centuries, from the time of the 18th century Partitions until 1918. If Poland at one time were controlled from Moskva, why not again?

There is a legend about the unity of all Slavic peoples.

I have in my library an illustrated book of Polish legends intended for Polish children. There is a story therein about three brothers whose names were Lech, Czech, and Rus. They all lived together in one land, but decided that the land was too crowded and they had to separate and spread out, lest there be famine. Rus went to the east and established  Russia. Czech went south and established  Bohemia, more or less. And Lech went to the west, where he encountered a great white eagle at Gnieszno, and went on to establish Poland.

If Putin should reunite Ukraine and Belarus, why not Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and former Yugoslav lands like Serbia too while hes at it?

There is a little-known fact about World War II. In the first days when the Nazis invaded the USSR, as they went through Ukraine, initially everybody greeted them as liberators, offering the soldiers gifts reserved for honored guests, bread and salt. Even the Jews did this, reportedly..

A Nazi war criminal named Erich von dem Bach-Zelewsky commented on this after the war.

I am the only living witness but I must say the truth. Contrary to the opinion of the National Socialists, that the Jews were a highly organized group, the appalling fact was that they had no organization whatsoever. The mass of the Jewish people were taken complete by surprise. They did not know at all what to do; they had no directives or slogans as to how they should act. This is the greatest lie of anti-Semitism because it gives the lie to that old slogan that the Jews are conspiring to dominate the world and that they are so highly organized. In reality, they had no organization of their own at all, not even an information service. If they had had some sort of organization, these people could have been saved by the millions, but instead, they were taken completely by surprise. Never before has a people gone as unsuspectingly to its disaster. Nothing was prepared. Absolutely nothing. It was not so, as the anti-Semites say, that they were friendly to the Soviets. That is the most appalling misconception of all. The Jews in the old Poland, who were never communistic in their sympathies, were, throughout the area of the Bug eastward, more afraid of Bolshevism than of the Nazis. This was insanity. They could have been saved. There were people among them who had much to lose, business people; they didn't want to leave. In addition there was love of home and their experience with pogroms in Russia. After the first anti-Jewish actions of the Germans, they thought now the wave was over and so they walked back to their undoing.

Why would Ukrainians and Jews both regard Germans as liberators? Much of it has to do with the Russian-Communist induced Great Famine of 10-15 years earlier, during which around 10 million Ukrainians starved to death  and millions more subsequently were sent to Siberia and oblivion.

It was a mistake for the Nazis to drive the Ukrainians back into the Russian Communists hands, by being even worse than the Russians were. But the fact that Ukrainians sided with Russia does not at all mean that theyve forgotten what Mother Russia did to them in the Holomodor.

With regard to Putins dream of a great pan-Slavic nation, Im afraid that ship sailed a long time ago. Ukraine does not want Russia. And any chance Putin had of bringing Ukraine over to his side vanished when he started dropping bombs on Ukraine.

In the end, lets say Putin achieves his dream and reunites Ukraine to Mother Russia. This cost of winning the prize grossly exceeds the value of any benefit he might derive from his victory.

Never mind the international opprobrium and sanctions and trade cut-offs. There is the fact that Putins army has already suffered and will continue to suffer massive casualties. There is the fact that modern wars are horribly expensive. Hitler invaded Russia because he thought he needed Russias energy and mineral assets. But even if hed won, hed have lost, because the value of the assets wasnt worth the cost of their acquisition. Hed have done better simply to trade for what he needed.

And if Putin captures Ukraine, he will not have acquired an asset that he can colonize and exploit. He will have captured a ruined wasteland, and will have to spend more Russian treasure to restore it to health.

Image: Victoria Borodinova, Pixabay, Pixabay License.
The insistence on being forced to receive the COVID "vaccine" is a civil rights issue.

Let me unwrap my assertion.

Though receipt of the so-called vaccination is not a law, but only a mandate, there are those who treat it as a sacrosanct law with dire consequences for noncompliance.

I would humbly respond with the seminal words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who, in his "Letter from Birmingham Jail," explained:

How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust.

And yet, people who refuse to be vaccinated endure public humiliation and are treated like social outcasts. Children have had irrevocable emotional harm done to them. They have also been denied a full-bodied education. Verbal abuse and physical assaults occur. The unvaccinated are snitched on. Barring people from their livelihood and depriving them of participating in other social, communal, and public activities are just a few of the injustices being committed, all in the name of the public good.

The segregation that King wrote about was racial. But in state after state, those who are vaccinated feel a "sense of superiority" that "distorts the soul and damages the personality." They parade their virtue-signaling as a badge of honor.

As King wrote, "[s]egregation, to use the terminology of the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber, substitutes an 'I it' relationship for an 'I thou' relationship and ends up relegating persons to the status of things. Hence segregation is not only politically, economically, and sociologically unsound, it is morally wrong[.]"

People being turned away from social events, gyms, and restaurants because they don't have their vaccine passports is nothing short of segregation.

Let us consider a more concrete example of just and unjust laws. An unjust law is a code that a numerical or power majority group compels a minority group to obey but does not make binding on itself. This is difference made legal. By the same token, a just law is a code that a majority compels a minority to follow and that it is willing to follow itself. This is sameness made legal.

So I ask: how is it that Congress is exempt from the so-called vaccine?

Let me give another explanation. A law is unjust if it is inflicted on a minority that, as a result of being denied the right to vote, had no part in enacting or devising the law.

...and, I would add had no part in making a voluntary medical decision that could have profound effects on one's body.

First of all, "federal law prohibits employers and others from requiring vaccination with a COVID-19 vaccine distributed under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA)." This should have established at the outset that government officials, businesses, and the like have no right to force vaccinations on people. Individuals must have the option to accept or decline to be vaccinated.

This means that an organization will likely be at odds with federal law if it requires its employees, students or other members to get a Covid-19 vaccine that is being distributed under emergency use authorization. State law often prohibits retaliating against an employee for refusing to participate in a violation of federal law. Organizations that require Covid-19 vaccination in violation of federal law may face lawsuits under these state laws not only to block the policy but also for damages and attorneys' fees. Such potentially costly lawsuits can be avoided by refraining from adopting policies that require vaccination or penalize members for choosing not to be vaccinated. Organizations are free to encourage vaccinations through internal communications, through educational events, and through other measures to urge employees to be vaccinated. They can take these measures so long as: (1) they are not viewed as coercive, (2) the organization makes clear the decision regarding whether to receive the vaccine is voluntary, and (3) the measures comply with the requirements in the EUAs and the related regulations for these products.

Tell that to the medical workers and others who have been summarily dismissed. Doctors who prescribe medications for COVID are being suppressed. Consider how much experience, talent, and dedication have now been lost. Yet they would not buckle under the coercion.

In fact, one of the hallmarks of medical ethics is the right to be informed. To establish that a vaccine is safe, extensive long-term testing must be carried out. It takes at least five years or more to complete. After receiving approval, the vaccines continue to be carefully monitored for adverse events. While there have been a number of vaccines that were pulled from the market after they received full approval due to unexpected safety issues  e.g., vaccines for rotavirus and Lyme disease  no such removal has occurred concerning the COVID jab.

Yet consider that "as of February 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and their Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) report an unimaginable 1,151,450 COVID-19 vaccine adverse events (all locations). Not surprisingly, COVID vaccine deaths also continue to march upward. Almost 1.2 million people are now reported to have been negatively impacted (or killed) by these experimental COVID shots in the past 63 weeks. This is up from 1.5% from last week."

Additionally, the latest official data from the United Kingdom Health Security Agency reports that "the fully vaccinated account for 9 out of every 10 deaths from COVID-19 in England and 4 of 5 deaths among the triple-vaccinated."

Moreover, a German health insurance company has sounded the alarm that "doctors have been coding vaccine side effects in larger numbers than German health authorities are reporting."

Finally, CDC officials admit that "crucial COVID data has been withheld for fear that it would be misinterpreted by critics." The latest information about Pfizer is horrifying.

On a personal note, I am battling weekly reminders from college personnel who keep telling me that their records indicate that I have "not uploaded my COVID-19 proof of vaccination." In February, they "encouraged all associates to submit [their] vaccination status." Now, in mid-March, the school is adopting "a mandatory COVID-10 vaccination policy."

I find it disingenuous that this school offers a class on ethics but is badgering me to accede to their demands that I put a vaccine into my body that is potentially harmful, does not stop one from becoming sick from COVID, and has not been thoroughly tested.

Dr. King asked whether people would "be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice." His probing words continue to guide me.

Eileen can be reached at middlemarch18@gmail.com.

Image: Triggermouse via Pixabay, Pixabay License.
What happens when a self-anointed "ruling class" spends years demonizing its own citizens as racist, white supremacist, deplorable, insurrectionist Neanderthals bitterly clinging to their guns and their Bibles? What happens when the fools in charge censor dissent and throw their political enemies in prison? What happens when the political Establishment floods the country with illegal aliens while publicly wishing for the quick "extinction" of those proud to wave the red, white, and blue? Maybe when those same elitist snob-goblins start beating the drums of war, declare patriotic love of country acceptable once again, and call for deep sacrifices to be made in the interest of preserving freedom, the people most needed to pick up a rifle, fight, and sacrifice life and limb instead turn their backs on those who have relentlessly tormented them. Maybe America's real protectors just walk away.

Right now, Congress and the White House seem vested in initiating World War III between Russia and the West, and a lot of America's natural warriors couldn't care less. Why is that? Could it be that our elected officials and their bureaucratic shock troops have spent so many decades betraying American citizens that now many American citizens could never justify dying for a cause supported by those same cretinous manipulators and bloodsucking lice? Could it be that Americans have no idea why they would rush onto foreign battlefields for the preservation of another nation's freedoms when their own freedoms are under sustained attack here at home? Could it be that it makes little sense to get bloody out of a fervent devotion to country when that country's leaders have spent years denigrating patriotism as nothing more than Nazism?

Here's a thought for the champagne socialists controlling both political parties: should you want the American people to back your play against foreign enemies, perhaps you shouldn't disparage them as enemies, too. Perhaps it is asinine to mock them daily, hunt them down as "domestic terrorists" for their political beliefs, and add nothing but misery to their lives. Perhaps constantly trying to start domestic race wars, inflating the costs of fuel and food, and sticking it to white men out of sheer petulance isn't a winning strategy for building national unity and ferocious loyalty.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe the wars of the future will all be fought by politically correct, "detoxified," androgynous know-nothings marching uniformly into battle because MSNBC, Google, and Teen Vogue tell them doing so will prove they are committed to fighting racism and global warming. Maybe that gender-confused pipsqueak huddled in a "safe space" because he/she/they/it is afraid of being "triggered" by words or the carnage of free speech is just what the U.S. military needs when going mano a mano against the Russians. I'm sure those pink pussy hatwearing womynx are ready to jump out of a good airplane, parachute into chaos, and start slitting throats for good Ol' Uncle Sam (or is it non-binary Auxnt Sam now?).

Where are all the climate change warriors when their country needs them? Come on, "gladiators," get to it! Go find out what it's like to fight something that's fighting back. Let's move, wokesters! Show the mean Russkies how dangerous you are with your ski masks, bike chains, and fondness for attacking people from behind. All that burning, looting, and murdering in cities across the USA over the last few years had to prepare Democrats' wannabe soldiers for something, right?

Since the federal government has repeatedly taken a knee to prove its allegiance to Black Lives Matter and Antifa, now's the chance for America's leftist paramilitaries to prove that they can repay the feds, stand up, fight under fire, and repel a hostile force advancing with more than just hashtags and slogans. To the Americans who spend all day, every day trying to "cancel" other Americans for their beliefs, here's your opportunity to put your keyboard warrior skills to the test. Cancel or be canceled looks a whole hell of a lot different in the real world, though  far from the protection of corrupt prosecutors, Democrat politicians, and a partisan FBI. Go with God, I mean Gaia, you Earth-worshiping primitives. Good luck!

What, no takers? All those vicious woke-charged tweets against "authoritarianism" constituted the vertebral limits of the left's backbone? All of those digital diatribes against "fascism" represented the full extent of our Marxist vanguard's heroics? Surely the journalist class  always eager to belch forth their valor and courage in the face of "mean tweets"  is just itching to jump into the fray for the sake of...I don't know...Ukrainian diversity or some such rubbish.

No? Oh, my, well, then whom will the governing "elites" send into battle to die on their behalf? It can't be the tens of millions of illegal aliens in the United States because their job is to cast votes for Democrats in "fraud-free" elections. It can't be the public school teachers because they're too exhausted from refusing to teach students for two years, taping masks on children, and spreading racism in the form of CRT. It can't be the "social justice" crowd because they're too busy fighting the cesspool of neo-Nazism flaring up at local school board meetings where parents don't seem thrilled to have boys changing clothes in the same locker rooms as their daughters.

Oh, shucks  that means regular Americans who celebrate the Fourth of July will have to come to the rescue once again  you know, the ones who work, support their families, and pay taxes  even after the federal government spent the last two years destroying their savings; forcing them to say goodbye to their parents and grandparents from hospital hallways; and banning them from social media platforms for having opinions about the pandemic, the 2020 election, or America's future.

How is it always the case that our governing class treats Americans who just want to be left alone with such disdain yet invariably depends upon their service and sacrifice when the seas get rough and the devil comes out to play? Why is it that the same privileged, corporate-owned and operated, vile Fourth Estate that smiles when the likes of Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama castigate ordinary Americans as "deplorable" always turns on a dime to rally patriotic Americans to fight in foreign lands at their behest? Why is it that Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell and Mitt Romney are always eager to call their own Republican voters "extremist" or "insurrectionist" or "ignorant" yet first in line to beg those same voters to defend their precious "principles" in their stead? How many different ways can politicians and the globalist cartel they actually serve demonstrate that they despise freedom-loving Americans before those Americans realize that giving the "last full measure of devotion" for those who hold them in contempt only serves to deprive the United States of its best while leaving us with its worst?

I have no sympathy for despotism in any form  whether it be Russian, Chinese, or Great Reset in nature. I do think American warriors should think long and hard, though, about fighting for freedom abroad when freedom is under attack here at home. I'm angry that the same members of Congress who have refused to stand up for the J6 political prisoners could turn around and urge those prisoners' friends and families to head off to a potential war. If the political class want blood-and-guts Americans to do their bidding, the prima donnas running that class need to earn the privilege.

What do Congress and the White House look like without a united American people prepared to do battle? A few hundred powerless "leaders" without anyone to lead. No rights, no warriors.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
For reasons that make no sense to me, a reporter asked UFC fighter (and champion) Bryce Mitchell what he thinks about events in Ukraine. I mean, with all due respect to UFC fighters, why in the world should we care what they think about events in Eastern Europe? Well, it turned out that, when it comes to Mitchell, it was worthwhile caring, because he gave a full-throated defense of American values  the primary of which is that he'll fight like hell to defend his homeland but has no desire to be dragged into a war thousands of miles away in a repeat of Vietnam or Afghanistan. My bet is that a lot of Americans feel as he does.

What is important to know before viewing Mitchell's statement is that there's a huge class divide regarding the U.S. getting involved in the war in Ukraine. The richer people are, the more likely they will want to fight. This is fascinating for two reasons. First, these are almost certainly the same people who turned out in droves to protest the Iraq War and the same people who shrieked hysterically that Trump would embroil America in foreign wars. Second, it's not the rich people's children who fill the ranks of the American military.

In other words, people who hated a Republican war in which their kids were unlikely to be involved are incredibly gung-ho about a Democrat war in which their kids are unlikely to be involved. Fascinating, right?

Also, as between Republicans and Democrats, if there were a war on American soil, you probably know already who would run away and who would stand and fight:

As Ukrainians valiantly fight to defend their nation against a Russian invasion, a Quinnipiac University national poll of U.S. adults asked people whether they would fight or flee if they faced that situation  the poll found that while a whopping 68% Republicans said they would remain and fight, just 40% of Democrats said they would stick around and fight. Among independents, 57% said they would stay and fight. Just 25% of Republicans and 36% of independents indicated that they would leave the U.S., while 52% of Democrats said they would depart, according to the poll conducted March 4 to March 6. Overall, 55% of people in the poll said they would remain and fight, while 38% indicated they would depart the country.



Image: Bryce Mitchell. Twitter screen grab.

With that information as background, let me get to what Bryce Mitchell said. I know nothing about Mitchell's background, but as I listened to him, it occurred to me that he's probably not the scion of some internet magnate with years of private school and Ivy League universities behind him. Instead, and I know I'm stereotyping here, I figured him for someone who's economically from the broad middle spectrum of Americans.

Given that assumption, I believe that what Mitchell said in answer to the question speaks for lots of ordinary Americans who don't consider The New York Times to be their Bible, don't laugh at Steven Colbert, and think MSNBC is a weird waste of time.

Mitchell conceded that he doesn't really know what's going on in Ukraine, and, indeed, "I don't think nobody knows what's going on fully." As far as he's concerned, that problem goes straight to the top. "There's been so much political corruption in that area. You got Biden and his son making a s----ton of money off of and using our tax dollars to bribe their [Ukraine's] people." Mitchell could think of better ways to spend that money. "We got veterans out here sleeping on the street and you're going to give our frickin' tax dollars to these Ukrainians."

As for himself, Mitchell is determined not to go to war for Ukraine. He knows where his loyalties lie, and they're not thousands of miles from home:

Here's my first thought is I'm not going nowhere to fight none of these wars for these politicians. I'm staying at home and when the war comes to Arkansas, I will dig my boots in the ground and I will die for everything I love and I will not retreat.

Thinking about it, in some ways, Mitchell sounds like the anti-Vietnam protesters of the 1960s. However, instead of being the lineal descendent of the boys who didn't go to Vietnam, he's more likely the descendent of those who did, and who saw how politicians squandered the lives of young men who weren't of political value to them.

Meanwhile, the rich kids avoiding Vietnam often stayed in college collecting degrees. They discovered they liked it so much that they stayed permanently in college, becoming a powerful generation of hard leftist academics indoctrinating students and incubating anti-Americanism.

Anyway, here's Mitchell, so you can decide for yourself whether he's got a point or not:
Back in 2003, President George W. Bush nominated Judge Janice Rogers Brown to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Brown not only was highly qualified, but also had the right kind of experience. She studied at UCLA law school. She had served as an associate justice of the California Supreme Court for seven years.

She also happened to be a non-white woman who came from a family of sharecroppers. She grew up in rural Alabama during the segregation era. She completed her college and law school education while supporting herself as a working single mother.

Making her a D.C. Circuit judge would have been a great message that education and hard work are the only way to elevate yourself. The message probably would have resonated most with African-Americans.

How did the Democrats, who are the dogmatic advocates of diversity, inclusion, and BLM, react?

They filibustered Brown's nomination, along with other Bush circuit court nominees.

Two years later, Bush re-nominated Brown.

This time, Brown was confirmed by a vote of 56 to 43 in exchange for Republican agreement to retain the filibuster for judicial nominations.

Voting against Brown on both occasions was a certain Senator Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr.

In November 2013, the then-Democratic Senate majority eliminated the filibuster for Executive Branch nominees and judicial nominees except for Supreme Court nominees, invoking the so-called nuclear option.

In 2006, when Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announced her retirement from the Supreme Court, according to the Washington Post, Brown was on President Bush's shortlist to replace her.

Once again, it would have been a historic and uplifting message across the nation. She would have been the first Black woman ever nominated to serve as an associate justice of the Supreme Court.

But Brown had a nemesis in Senator Joe Biden...

...who swiftly swung into action. During an interview on CBS's Face the Nation, Biden said that if Bush nominated Brown, "I can assure you that would be a very, very, very difficult fight and she probably would be filibustered." Biden added that the Supreme Court is a "totally different ballgame" because "a circuit court judge is bound by stare decisis. They don't get to make new law."

By stare decisis, Biden meant that a circuit court judge has to adjudicate cases, uphold precedents, or maintain former adjudications on issues, but a Supreme Court Judge eventually makes new law.

Strictly speaking, judges do not make laws; that is the function of Congress. However, written opinions and judgments by Supreme Court justices often serve as a source of law for future cases.

Bush eventually nominated Samuel A. Alito, Jr.

How would the current crop of race-hustling Democrats on MSNBC interpret Biden's actions and words?

They would have branded him a racist, with a claim that he thought an educated and experienced individual was unfit for both the circuit and supreme courts merely because of the color of her skin and her sex. They would have denounced him with all the pejorative epithets known to mankind.

If you ask the Democrats today why Biden opposed her, they will claim that it was because of her ideology. Brown opposed affirmative action and also supported limited abortion laws.

In other words, Democrats support only those Black people who think exactly as they do and support all their issues. A non-white person who had developed ideas of her own based on her life experiences has no place in the party.

The diversity in the modern Democrat playbook is the superficial sort  i.e., of skin pigment, sex, sexual orientation. But real kind of diversity  i.e., the diversity of ideas  is not welcomed, probably because the Democrats know that their core ideas are deficient.

A truly open-minded individual respects everyone, irrespective of demographic group and ideas. Only narrow-minded bigots restrict their approval to those who fully agree with them.

If a non-white woman thinks affirmative action is not the best way to uplift her community, she deserves to be listened to because she has firsthand experience. No such luck for Brown with the Democrats.

These days, Biden sings a different tune.

He claims that the filibuster is a "relic of the Jim Crow era," and hence, it should be done away with.

Last month, Joe Biden pledged to nominate "the first Black woman to the Supreme Court." A fortnight ago, Joe Biden nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson of the federal appeals court to replace Justice Breyer.

The irony is not lost that it was Biden who once used the filibuster that he now calls anachronistic and bigoted to block the first Black woman to the Supreme Court that he now claims is long overdue.

Democrats such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Dick Durbin; Pennsylvania state rep. Malcolm Kenyatta; Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.); and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), chairman of the Democratic Caucus, have already begun playing the race card hoping to scare and compel the GOP to vote for Jackson.

Judge Jackson's confirmation presents the GOP with a sterling opportunity to highlight the systemic racism within the Democrat party. The GOP can corner Jackson into calling the Democrats racist for what they did to Judge Janice Rogers Brown.

They can remind everybody that from the day it was founded in 1829, the Democrat party has fought every major civil rights initiative and has a long history of discrimination. They can highlight the fact that the Democrats defended slavery that caused the Civil War. They founded the Ku Klux Klan, imposed segregation, perpetrated lynching, and fought the Civil Rights Acts of the 1960s.

The GOP may not have the numbers to stop Judge Jackson's appointment, but they certainly have a real occasion to give it back to the Democrats, who claim to be the protectors of African-Americans and the adjudicators of what is and is not racist.

If they do so, they will be standing up not only for themselves, but also for their voters, who have gratuitously and baselessly been branded racist.

Let's hope the fighting spirit prevails.

Photo credit: YouTube screen grab.
Florida's new law expanding parental rights bans sexual orientation and gender discussions in kindergarten through 3rd-grade classrooms (four- to eight-year-olds), deeming them developmentally inappropriate. Democrats charged Florida with murderous homophobia and transphobia and coined the catchphrase "Don't Say Gay" to describe the law. This is dishonest because that's not what the bill does. As if to demonstrate that they have no good argument against the bill, Democrats protested the law's passage by saying "gay." Yup. That's their argument.

Here's the language that has Democrats in such an uproar:

Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.

In other words, a four-year-old who is learning to put his shoes on the correct feet and seriously believes he might really be Spiderman should not be confused by being told he might also be a girl. Likewise, tenth-graders should not be given books that contain graphic sexual acts outside a science class (and even then, in the old days, the books I got made them very science-y and not at all sexy).

However, the law is written so that if a child has "two mommies," the teacher can acknowledge it without going into complicated "instruction." The teacher, after all, does control classroom discourse, and the kids can go home and ask their parents about it if they want.



Image: Say Gay video. Twitter screen grab.

Democrats went ballistic, shrieking that this was unconscionable censorship to prevent six-year-old children from learning about their sexual orientation and gender identity. And in a way, you can understand the Democrats' reasoning. Leftists who put themselves on that LGBT spectrum define themselves first and foremost by their genitalia and what they do with them. (Conservative gays don't do this.)

Here's what I mean. I think of Baron von Steuben as a brilliant Prussian officer who "played a leading role in the American Revolutionary War by reforming the Continental Army into a disciplined and professional fighting force." Washington couldn't have managed without him, and it's that for which he is (and would wish to be) remembered. It's an interesting historical footnote that he was probably homosexual.

Nowadays, though, students would learn first that von Steuben was a homosexual. They'd be taught about the Prussian military's approach to homosexuals and about how the Colonial era was rife with toxic masculinity, causing men like von Steuben to live secret lives, "adopting" their young lovers. Oh, and by the way, von Steuben helped reform the Continental Army, which didn't allow openly gay men to serve.

It's a completely reductive view of people, making them no bigger than their sex lives. Only Casanova or Don Juan would want that. But that's how the LGBT crowd thinks, so, if you say little children shouldn't be confused by sexual identity, you are erasing the LGBTers because all they are is sexual identity.

Also, as Christina Pushaw noted, when it comes to inflating LGBT ranks, it helps to get them while they're young  which is what has been happening for years and which goes a long way to explaining why nearly 40% of Gen Z identify as LGBT):

If youre against the Anti-Grooming Bill, you are probably a groomer or at least you dont denounce the grooming of 4-8 year old children. Silence is complicity. This is how it works, Democrats, and I didnt make the rules.  Christina Pushaw  (@ChristinaPushaw) March 4, 2022

This reductive thinking, which totally fails to explain why children 48 need to have their teacher explain pronouns to them, also explains the protest the Florida Democrats finally managed to put together to let everyone know how upset they are. They marched through the Florida statehouse hollering "gay," and then they put out a video of people saying, "Gay." That's it. No insight, no analysis, no argument. Just mindless repetition. Only a moron would find this persuasive:

Weve got one thing to say to our GOP colleagues  GAY! pic.twitter.com/AiXzW0chUq  Florida Senate Democrats (@FLSenateDems) March 7, 2022

Florida House Democrats put out this video. They literally have nothing to offer. They just walk around saying the word gay (which is not in the bill). How does anyone take these people seriously pic.twitter.com/gfDNhkdAaW  Libs of Tik Tok (@libsoftiktok) March 7, 2022

And just so you know, driving a wedge between parents and children isn't a byproduct of the Democrats' deep desire to make LGBT people happy. It's the primary goal:
Due to growing geopolitical uncertainty, I find myself reflecting on the origins of this great country and the patriotism shown by our fellow Americans during these challenging times.

While watching the State of the Union address, I was surprised that my friends were dismissive, uninterested, or even hostile during this hallmark event of our republic. Friends and family of all political flavors are increasingly losing sight of the founding principles of this country, choosing instead to unconstructively proclaim their political alliances. Their response to the State of the Union address was no exception.

I grew up knowing I came from many generations of early Americans, including some who fought in the American Revolution. My eleventh great-grandfather, William Bradford, risked his life for freedom by emigrating on the Mayflower in 1620. My tenth great-grandfather, Richard Garner, came to Virginia in 1636 with his toddler son after his wife was accused of witchcraft and drowned. My sixth great-grandfather, Major General William Montgomery, who fought in the American Revolution, was a pioneer and abolitionist who served in the U.S. House of Representatives. My seventh great-grandfather, Colonel Samuel Selden, served under George Washington during the siege of Boston and was captured by the British during the Battle of Kips Bay in 1776 and died in a dank prison. My personal history is intricately tied to the history of this country.

This great country was forged from the tyranny and oppression of a monarchy, and the founding fathers designed the system of government to give us the freedom to choose our lives without the oppression of individual rule. The Declaration of Independence specifically outlines what the people of this great nation endured under the rule of Great Britain and why they dissolved their political connection to the monarchy. In support of the declaration, they were willing to risk everything.

This country was designed to forge its strength from principles far greater and more powerful than any person or political party. Part of our duty as citizens is to continually strive for this great ideal. Allegiance should ultimately be to this country and should be unwavering and independent of those elected to office. I am increasingly witnessing people prioritizing their allegiance to a person or political identity. More disturbingly, this is not only becoming commonplace, but becoming acceptable.

While my family's American history and heritage run about as deep as any American of European decent could claim, the ideals our forefathers champion as self-evident hold that all citizens, whether from a lineage here for centuries or newly arrived, are equal heirs to the rights and freedoms that define us as Americans. To forget that  to lose focus to partisanship and personality  is to betray the ideals that founded our nation. Petty divisions can tear us apart, but the ideals that make our nation great, and to which we are all heirs, are as fresh and vibrant today as when first proffered. Those ideals define our past and should define our future as well.

Image via Max Pixel.
The leftists running the Jesuit-linked publication America have got things all figured out for us.

They've ran an article from Religion News Service with this lovely headline:

Archbishop Vigano pushes conspiracy theories about Ukraine and Russia in 10,000-word letter

Way to go on the civility front, wokesters.

The Italian* archbishop, a former papal nuncio (or diplomat) has long been a target in leftist gunsights. He's the one who famously criticized Pope Francis for shielding pervy leftist (now ex-)Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, whose specialty was preying on young seminarians, from prosecutors. He has drawn a following from traditional Catholics for his fearless willingness to defend Western Civilization and its values. In general, he speaks the truth others don't want to speak.

Now they've got him down as a 'conspiracy theorist' despite his very well reasoned and carefully worded declaration warning of the dangers of the global cabal that seems to be intent on provoking Russia into war, and apparently has succeeded.

According to the Religion News Service piece:

...Vigano released a letter Monday (March 7) blaming deep state forces in the United States, the European Union and NATO for triggering the current war and demonizing Russia. The United States of America and the European States must not marginalize Russia but build an alliance with it, not only to restart trade for the prosperity of all, but in lieu of the reconstruction of a Christian Civilization, which will be the only one able to save the world from the transhuman and medical-technical globalist monster, the archbishop wrote in his nearly 10,000 word letter.

Which sounds like Catholic doctrine to me. Catholics are supposed to pray for the conversion of sinners, not marginalize them, which is kind of like declaring that the devil should get a fresh one for Hell because the wokesters don't like him. Doesn't work that way in Catholicism, whose recent messaging from the Gospels at mass has been to pray for one's enemies.

The America guys apparently felt there were some exceptions to that Gospel stuff and hence, their headline proclaiming that Vigano was some kind of nut.

Let's not even get into the calumny issue of which Church teachings have plenty to say on that front, too.

Let's go back to the nutjob conspiracy theorist claims:

The archbishop said in his letter that Putin has been cornered by an aggressive NATO, backed by the United States, which is seeking to escalate the conflict for its own gains. This is the trap for Russia just as much as Ukraine, using both to allow a globalist elite to bring its criminal plot to fruition, Vigano wrote.

Which sounds like someone looking at this war from a cool, detached, perspective quite outside the cares of the world. Conspiracy theorists don't talk that way.

Here's the other thing: Conspiracy theorists are generally marginal unless something is really off kilter with the official reality. They're wackos. People ignore them. They are dismissed. Can America explain why this nastily headlined Religion News Service piece is number one in the the America publication's traffic right now? Check it out here. Correlation is not causation but this is not a typical pattern for an otherwise easily dismissable 'conspiracy theory' promoter.

Now let's go back to the issue of nutjobs, of which they have implicitly branded the Italian archbishop.

Anybody remember the last time America magazine found itself in the news? They ran this headline in 2019:

The Catholic Case for Communism

And they didn't back down when readers were disgusted or scandalized -- they doubled down:

Why we published an essay sympathetic to communism

But Vigano is the nutjob?

What's wrong with this picture?

It's perfectly possible to disagree with some of what the archbishop has to say without going bonkers. I disagree with his conclusion that Vladimir Putin is on some kind of holy mission to re-Christianize Europe or protect it from secularism given his record of corruption, utterly violent and destructive tactics, and involvement with Muslim extremists from the Russian south and Syria to get the job done. What this concerted effort to demonize Archbishop Vigano shows is that there is a deep state, just as he warns, there is a censorship movement going on in the supposedly free West, and there are malevolent characters well intent on thwarting and destroying Christianity in the West.

In other words, America mag validates all that he warned about. The whole declaration can be read here.

America magazine has once again beclowned itself as pillars in the world of wokester establishment narrative.

Image: Official photo, public domain

*Correction: An earlier version of this piece misstated the archbishop's nationality.
Dennis Prager, founder of the wildly popular five-minute internet video site Prager University, always talks about the key biblical notion of self-control: the greatest thing we need to learn to control is not others, not society, not climate  it is ourselves. This week, he also spoke about the essential nature of ritual for a happy life and health of any nation or religious tradition. I struck out on both accounts this week.

My grandson was just born. I heard that circumcising him in the hospital would be "free"  that the exorbitantly expensive insurance plan would cover it. I lost self-control briefly, encouraging the family to forgo the ritual and save the money. After thinking more about the nature of ritual, I changed course. The Bris occurred. It was priceless.

This taught me a couple of lessons. One, self-control is a lifelong struggle. It's never mastered, only wrestled with. Two, if you live in a failing society, one that discourages ritual, it's easy to go along. Vast swaths of America have become radically secular, ritualrein. Great numbers of rituals that elevated and enriched our lives and bound us as Americans and tied us to the God of the Bible are dead or dying. The beautiful pageantry of Christmas is fast fading. It's common now to see darkened homes rather than ones lit with beautiful Christmas lights. Memorial Day is a time for a hot dog rather than a patriotic parade. The utter and beautiful peace, quiet, and calm on Sabbath Sunday I recall from childhood has been erased by the unending drone of folks attuned to the common, making the next buck or in line at Costco checkout.

Dennis and my rabbi helped me regain control and lead my family where they must go. Of course, there is in one respect no difference between the objective act of removing the foreskin of a Jewish baby boy on a table in a cold, clean, bright surgical-center room vs. removing that small piece of skin on a table in Papa's home. But in another respect, there is a world of difference. In the surgical center, it just becomes a cold, material, base act of steel separating skin from skin. At home, surrounded by family rabbi and mohel, saying the ritual prayers said for thousands of years of Jewish history, and marking the boy's entry into the covenant of God with his chosen people, it becomes a sublime human act.

I am not 100% sure why these beautiful rituals are so important. My guess is that they speak to very deep parts of our souls in profound and positive ways that enrich our lives and connect us with elevated things like God, our people, and our country. They are not mere reflections of brain function or a Darwinian impulse. They are a reflection of being made in the image of God. This is why I myself, a Jew, tear up listening to the Vienna Boy's Choir singing the beautiful hymns during Christmas, singing that expresses the love of God for us and His creation. It's the reason I can still feel the intense love of America and God I felt when we stood each day as kids in public school and said the pledge, sang the anthem, and, oh my gosh, said a prayer praising God, parents, teachers, and our country.

Tragically, America as an exceptional civilization is not going to survive on our new ritual-free life. The false ritual of Super Bowl Sunday won't cut it. Our woke, "progressive," Marxist churches and synagogues and schools won't, either, with their pseudo-rituals of building gender-neutral bathrooms, fighting carbon emissions, promoting abortions, fighting their own whiteness, sanctifying the nonbinary, pronoun fetishes, and drag queen story time.

So I turned from the herd calling me to the bleakness of American secularism and saving a buck. I took control of myself and did my duty. My family and I embraced the beautiful Bris ritual of welcoming our dear little American boy Mason into the Covenant of the Jewish people this week. It's a small contribution to reversing this terrible, spirit-draining, civilization-wrecking trend of ritual-ablation in America.

Image: Shaulbehr.
Some British soldiers are demanding that their nation's armed forces introduce vegan uniforms that comport with their beliefs and practices. According to online reports, a newly formed group in the British Army called "The Ministry of Defence Vegan and Vegetarian Network" has launched a campaign to empower vegans and vegetarians in the armed forces.

One of the policies proposed by the vegan group is for military personnel to have the option to wear vegetarian-approved footwear not made from real leather. Incredibly, the Royal Air Force has allegedly considered the notion. This despite the fact that "vegan leather" may well be worse for the environment than real leather due to its lack of biodegradability and its use of plastic polymers. Moreover, the non-animal-based synthetic materials are less durable than natural ones, such as the genuine leather used in standard military combat equipment. Furthermore, the vegan alternatives would be significantly more costly than current materiel  and simply unfeasible in some instances.

The move to make the military openly inclusive to every woke group, no matter how small, is part of a broader effort by proponents of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (DIE) to revamp military doctrine to reflect trends they say are "relevant to our soldiers in the 21st century." Such as doing away with the recognition of sexual dimorphism and gearing up to fight white supremacy, Christianity, patriotism, "toxic masculinity," and climate change?

What's next  vegan missiles and tanks? Non-binary grenades? Microaggression-free battle tactic wording and strategy? "Inclusive" intelligence briefings?

In the U.S., our toxically all-male armed forces combat units acquitted themselves exceptionally well in combat from 1775 until recent decades. Almost without exception. Then "don't ask, don't tell" became "proud gays are welcome. Women, too. And bisexuals, transgenders, the pan-gendered, pansexuals, Two-Spirits, etc., etc. Anything goes!" This isn't meant to be insulting to any one of those groups, but what do you think that does for discipline, morale, cohesion, and unity...especially in combat or in a foxhole?

The military is already the least racist and bigoted entity in American  and British  societies. It is spectacularly counterproductive to promote intersectionality in its midst. Vegans? Scientologists? Jews? Bakers? Candlestick-makers? Why deliberately balkanize your military? This is the opposite of team building.

And this is a critical time for the West, a crossroads of sorts. We face truly existential dangers. From within and without. We must meet the challenges posed by our own power-mad leaders like Justin Trudeau and Joe Biden...and of calculating, clever, resource-laden, power-mad nations like China and Russia.

As to the latter, we can't effectively do so with a Royal Vegan Air Force or a Royal Vegetarian Navy. "The Big Red One" (the U.S. Army's legendary First Infantry Division) cannot be replaced by the "Big Gay/Transexual/Pangendered One" if it is to continue to be considered a serious fighting force. That, too, is in no way an anti-LGBT statement, but a statement of fact. Similarly, the 82nd Airborne Division cannot be renamed the 82nd 1619 Project Advancers and remain a viable entity. The "Green Berets" would not carry the same mystique if rebranded the "Queen Berets." The Navy SEALs could not be as effective if they accepted non-swimmers, just as the Army Rangers would be greatly diminished if it welcomed overweight, middle-aged pacifists who are afraid of heights into their midst.

Historically, the military takes disparate men and molds them into a single cohesive fighting force by treating them all the same, even if that treatment appears quite harsh. Wokesters/leftists/progressives intend to do the opposite. They wish to split the military into as many factions as possible  gays/straights/transgenders/vegans, etc.  which will dramatically reduce its efficacy as a fighting force.

The unfortunate reality is that our military, if it is to keep us safe, has to excel at killing our enemies and breaking their things. At best, it is so obviously capable of doing that that it will never be challenged and peace reigns, as was the case with the U.S. military for many years after Reagan rebuilt and reinvigorated it. President Trump seemed to realize this.

Speaking of vegetables, President Biden has been responsible for the stunningly quick wokification of  and consequent diminution of respect for  America's military.

The war in Ukraine should remind us all why this is so dangerous.

The West's militaries don't need vegan uniforms. They need funding, support, and leaders who are honest and courageous, not disingenuous and craven.

Photo credit: YouTube screen grab.
For more than three decades, we've lived without the threat of nuclear war. That means that the knowledge gained during the Cold War about nuclear deterrence has largely been lost. In addition, the nature of nuclear war itself has changed, as rogue nations and unstable leaders have entered the nuclear fray. For this reason, it's imperative that world leaders and those who control the news and can affect decision-making educate themselves about what's going on.

On March 14, 2019, almost three years ago to the day, I asked the readers of American Thinker a direct question. Is President Putin diabolically smart or simply a psychopath? Perhaps he is both because, by his direct action, the world is now a much more dangerous place as the former KGB officer creates a nuclear doomsday scenario backed by real Russian naval capabilities.

With his war against Ukraine, Putin has put both aspects of my question into play. He's now been proven to be a diabolically smart and unchecked megalomaniac leader of a nuclear strategic threat to the world. To add to the threat level from Russia, there are credible rumors that he has significant health issues that can deeply impair and affect his judgment.

Regardless of what are his driving motives, Putin has managed through his actions to introduce the possibility, however small but still real, of unleashing nuclear war, either at the tactical level or, horrifically, leading to a strategic showdown.

To get up to speed with what we're facing, both world leaders and editors of powerful and important global news outlets should immediately go back to trying to understand the brilliance of the late strategic strategist Herman Kahn and his seminal book, Thinking about the Unthinkable. Kahn's insights about the use of atomic devices to deter nuclear war were a major contribution to winning the Cold War against the Soviet empire without trigging a bloodbath of countless millions dying in mushroom clouds.

However, it's important to understand that nuclear threats have changed. While Kahn is no longer with us, Professor Paul Bracken of Yale, who worked under Khan at the Hudson Institute, is one of the foremost authorities on today's worldwide potential threats of a nuclear weapons exchange. Professor Bracken developed a strategic deterrence analysis, bringing it into the 21st century with his book, The Second Nuclear Age, published in 2013.



Image: Nuclear blast by pxfuel.

The book's premise is that, although the Cold War officially ended decades ago, we cannot act as if there were no nuclear threat, and that's not just because of Iran or North Korea. As the Amazon blurb states, "the whole complexion of global power politics is changing because of the reemergence of nuclear weapons as a vital element of statecraft and power politics. In short, we have entered the second nuclear age." In this age, "nuclear weapons are changing the calculus of power politics." He argued that "the United States needs to start thinking seriously about these issues once again" and "must not allow itself to be unprepared for managing such crises."

It's to be hoped that someone in the Biden administration has talked to Bracken or, at least, read his book. For those who haven't read the book, including those writing for major publications covering events in Ukraine, here are a few things to keep in mind.

In Ukraine, there's been fighting near Chernobyl's radioactive ruins, although, thankfully, the ruins are still contained. There's also been fighting around operational nuclear power plants. Lastly, Putin is making oblique nuclear threats. With these things in play, everyone discussing Ukraine must understand what happens if nuclear sensors throughout Europe identify radioactive particles loose in the atmosphere.

The three potential ways radioactive fallout can be unleashed are (1) an explosion at a nuclear power plant, (2) a "dirty bomb" exploding deadly radioactive material such as plutonium into the atmosphere using high-power conventional explosives, and (3) the Russian doctrine of "escalating to de-escalate" and their use of a low-yield device (bomb) to demonstrate their resolve.

Often, "fingerprinting" what sensors picked up can clarify the nature of the event. This is especially important because, although there are many commendable and courageous reporters on the ground in Ukraine trying to capture ground truth, there are also significant information and disinformation stratagems in play by all sides. These confuse everything, including national command authorities, who are having issues with cutting through the fog of war with actionable clarity.

With headlines that too often scream "ready fire aim," there's the real possibility that someone will declare that nuclear particles are the first round of a nuclear war breaking out when, in fact, what's being picked up is a nasty and deadly conventional munitions event exploding at a power plant or a "dirty bomb" (which is actually a chem/bioweapon because plutonium [Pu] is a deadly radioactive chemical element).

Everything will change for the worse if Putin authorizes his military to use a low-yield tactical nuclear device. So, if the unthinkable happens and radioactive elements enter the atmosphere, this is a plea to reporters, editors, and national command authorities in the U.S. and NATO: before you do anything else, pause to make sure you understand what just happened, because World War III can hang in the balance.
The unnatural warming of the Earths atmosphere in the past century or two can be traced back to the Industrial Revolution when humans began burning copious amount of fossil fuel releasing a staggering amount of carbon dioxide into the air. But a small part of the climate catastrophe can also be traced back to two dangerous inventionsleaded gasoline and chlorofluorocarbons, both created by the same man, Thomas Midgley Jr.

Photo: Bronwyn8/Getty Images

Midgley was born in 1889 in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. After graduating from Cornell University with a degree in mechanical engineering, he worked in Dayton, Ohio, as a draftsman and designer at the National Cash Register Company and then at his fathers automobile tire factory. In 1916, Midgley began working at General Motors where he pioneered in the study of internal combustion engine and the problem of engine knock that reduced the power and efficiency of the engine and led to breakdowns. Midgley quickly found that engine knock in gasoline engines was caused not by the ignition system but by the fuel mixture, which did not burn evenly. At that time, engineer and inventor Charles Kettering at Dayton Research Laboratories, a subsidiary of General Motors, was marketing a small kerosene engine to drive home-lighting systems on farms. But the engine knocked horribly. So Kettering asked the 27-year-old Thomas Midgley to find a petrol additive that would make car engines run more smoothly.

Thomas Midgley Jr.

Midgley began testing hundreds of different substances and eventually discovered that addition of small amount of ethanol, or ethyl alcohol, to gasoline reduced knocking significantly. However, there was a problem. The production of ethanol could not be patented and therefore their sale could not generate much profit. Ethanol could also be easily produced from grains, and more and more people in America were doing it because of the Prohibition. Furthermore, ethanol itself was fuel and competing with oil companies was not with the best interest of General Motors as it risked the beneficial relationship the fledgling automaker shared with the oil companies.

So General Motors urged Midgley to find another gasoline additive, that was inexpensive and which could make money for the company. Once again, Midgley began working systematically through the periodic table and within a few months, in December 1921, discovered that tetraethyl lead (TEL) worked equally well. But lead was a poison whose toxicity was well documented. As early as 2nd century, the Greek botanist Nicander described the colic and paralysis seen in lead-poisoned people. Dioscorides, a Greek physician who lived in the 1st century AD, wrote that lead makes the mind give way. Julius Caesar's engineer, Vitruvius commented that lead pipes used throughout the Roman Empire to convey water was unhealthy and made people sick. He noted that lead fumes rob the limbs of the virtues of the blood. Gout, one symptom of lead poisoning, was common in affluent Rome. One scholar even goes as far as to state that the Roman civilization collapsed as a result of lead poisoning. While the idea has been refuted, the fact stands that Romans consumed great quantities of lead from contaminated water and by using lead cookware. People from the 20th century fared no better. Until very recently, lead was used to seal the cans food came in, water was stored in lead-lined tanks, lead arsenate was sprayed onto fruit as a pesticide, and even toothpaste came in lead tubes.

Symptoms of lead poisoning. Image credit: Wikimedia

Lead is a neurotoxin that accumulates in soft tissues and bones. If you get too much of it, you can irreparably damage the central nervous system and the brain. Lead interferes with the function of biological enzymes, causing neurological disorders, such as brain damage and behavioral problems. Lead also affects general health, cardiovascular, and renal systems.

General Motors was well aware of the dangers of lead, but at the same time they were eager to explore the metals potential to prevent engine knock. Leaded gasoline was portrayed as a breakthrough, and in December 1922 Midgley was awarded the prestigious William H. Nichols Medal from the New York section of the American Chemical Society. In 1923 the three of Americas largest corporations, General Motors, Du Pont, and Standard Oil of New Jersey, formed a joint enterprise called the Ethyl Gasoline Corporation and began manufacturing and distributing tetraethyl lead. They called their additive simply ethyl, dropping lead from the name to make it sound more benign.

An advertisement for Ethyl.

Leaded gasoline was introduced on the market in February 1923, and it was well-loved by motorists for the extra boost the gasoline gave. Leaded gasoline allowed the use of higher compression ratios for greater efficiency and peak power. Particularly in aviation, leaded gasoline allowed companies to produce supercharged engines such as the Rolls-Royce Merlin and Griffon. However, problems began to start at Ethyl Corps manufacturing plant almost immediately. Within the first year of its operation, the companys plants were plagued by cases of lead poisoning, hallucinations, insanity, and even the deaths. The company tried to hush the news, but at times it became impossible. William Kovarik reported in an article:

Several workers had to be subdued and put into straightjackets. They were black and blue from uncontrolled muscle spasms. They exhibited paranoid and delusional behavior such as cringing from phantoms or snatching at imaginary winged insects. The afflicted workers could be suddenly violent or suicidal. They also had blue lines across their gums, a typical indicator of lead poisoning, but the behavioral symptoms were unlike any presented in previous lead-poisoning cases.

When a news reporter reached out to Standard Oil for comments, one refinery supervisor famously said: These men probably went insane because they worked too hard.

To allay rumors about this new chemical, Midgley himself appeared before a press conference in 1924, where he poured TEL over his hands, placed a bottle of the chemical under his nose, and inhaled its fumes for 60 seconds, declaring that he would suffer no ill effects from doing this every day, and blamed the stricken workers for not following safety procedures. Despite his demonstration, Midgley knew only too well the perils of lead poisoning, for he himself had been made seriously ill from overexposure a few months earlier.

A gasoline station selling Ethyl-mixed gasoline.

Midgley also lied about the unavailability of a substitute when he told an American Chemical Society meeting in April 1925:

So far as science knows at the present time, tetraethyl lead is the only material available which can bring about these [anti-knock] results, which are of vital importance to the continued economical use by the general public of all automotive equipment.

His statement carefully avoided any mention of ethanol as an effective, clean-burning anti-knock additive.

Midgleys next major invention was equally disastrous. General Motors refrigerators at that time were becoming a popular household appliance in the twenties. But these early refrigeration units used nasty chemicals like sulfur dioxide and ammonia, which leaked and caused eye and skin irritation. Others were highly toxic if inhaled, and were also flammable. General Motors needed something safer, and once again they turned to Charles Kettering who assembled a team that included Midgley to develop such a compound. It is said that it took Midgley only three days to invent dichlorodifluoromethane, the very first of the chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), sold under the brand name Freon-12. Dichlorodifluoromethane was highly volatile (a requirement for a refrigerant) and also chemically inert. Midgley flamboyantly demonstrated all these properties by inhaling a breath of the gas and using it to blow out a candle. Soon CFCs appeared in a dozen applications including air conditioners, aerosol spray cans and in asthma inhalers. Millions of these units got sold, and Midgley added another feather to his capthe Perkin Medal in 1937.

Image credit: airtro.com

It took nearly half a century to discover that CFCs were poking holes through the Earths ozone layer, which wasnt a very good thing. Besides, CFCs are greenhouse gases too, and ten thousand times more potent than carbon dioxide. Bill Bryson, in A short history of nearly everything, called it the worst invention of the twentieth century. Of course, Midgley did not know any of these, for he died long before CFCs destructive power came to light. His death itself was a curiosity. After contracting polio at the age of 51, Midgley became crippled and bedridden. He devised an elaborate system of ropes and motorized pulleys that automatically raised or turned him in bed. In 1944, he became entangled in the cords as the machine went into action and was strangled.

CFC was formally banned after 1987 when diplomats in Montreal forged a treaty, the Montreal Protocol, which called for drastic reductions in the production of CFCs. Many countries agreed to completely eliminate CFCs by the year 2000. Tetraethyl lead was also phased out by the early 2000s by most countries. The last country to sell leaded gasoline is Algeria, which halted sale only very recently in July 2021.

References:

# Thomas Midgley, The Most Harmful Inventor in History, Openmind BBVA

# William Kovarik, Ethyl-leaded Gasoline: How a Classic Occupational Disease Became an International Public Health Disaster. PDF
North Andover, MA (01845)

Today

Cloudy skies this evening. A few showers developing late. Low near 45F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening. A few showers developing late. Low near 45F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
March 2022 Pixel feature drop has started rolling out to Pixel phones, well, except the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. That will surely upset the owners of Googles flagship phones. Google says they wont have to wait for long, though, as the update for those two is coming later this month.

For those of you who are keeping count, this is the tenth Pixel feature drop. It is coming to all Google phones since the Pixel 3a. Some new features are included here, while some existing ones are coming to more phones. Do note that the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro will get some exclusive features, exclusive to those two phones, at least for now.

So, this update is coming to the Pixel 3a, 4, 4 XL, 4a, 4a 5G, 5, and 5a. The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro will also get it, as already mentioned, but that will happen later this month. All the other phones that are mentioned here are already getting it. Do note that this is a staged rollout, so it may take a couple of days for the update to appear on your device.

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What exactly is this update bringing, though? Well, lets first talk about the changes for all Pixel phones except the 6 series. Well talk about those two separately, as the changelogs are different.

March 2022 Pixel feature drop changes

Once you install this update, the Live Caption during phone calls will not require you to talk anymore. Youll be able to type back a response, after reading what the other person is saying. Google Assistant will do the rest.

A standalone battery widget has been added, and it will give you info for your device, and connected devices as well. Youll be able to share apps with live sharing for Google Duo using your phone.

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On top of that, youll be able to host YouTube watch parties on your phone. If youre an English speaker, youll be able to use Google Messages to convert typed words into colorful stickers.

The At A Glance widget will be able to tell you battery levels for Bluetooth-connected devices, remind you to turn off alarms the day before a holiday, and provide earthquake alerts.

On top of all that, three new wallpapers will become available in the Curated Culture collection once you install the update. These are celebrating International Womens Day.

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March 2022 Pixel feature drop for the Pixel 6 & 6 Pro

What about the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro changes? Well, once this update arrives, Night Sight will work within the Snapchat app. The Interpreter Mode within Live Translate will be able to translate face-to-face conversations in Spanish, Italian, and French. All translations stay on-device, by the way. You can call upon this feature by saying: Hey Google, be my [Spanish/French/Italian] interpreter.

The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro will also be able to identify Spanish in video and translate it automatically into English, French, Italian, and Japanese (beta).

The Recorder app will be able to transcribe Italian and Spanish, while Assistant Quick Phrases will become available in Spanish, Italian, and French.

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Now, there is also one change that is coming for the Pixel 5a and earlier models only. Direct My Call and Wait Times both become available on those devices.
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(ANSA) - ROME, MAR 8 - Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio on Tuesday phoned United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi to assess the humanitarian aspects of the war in Ukraine.

"We need the commitment of the whole international community to tackle an ever more rampant humanitarian crisis," Di Maio said.

Di Maio thanked Grandi for the huge effort by the UN and reiterated that Italy will be alongside the UNHCR to help the Ukrainian population fleeing the war. (ANSA).


(ANSA) - ROME, MAR 8 - Defence Minister Lorenzo Guerini said Tuesday that, by getting behind the West's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, "Italy is contributing to strengthening the deterrent.

"Putin must stop the aggression in Ukraine," said Guerini, who met his Hungarian counterpart Tibor Benko in Budapest on Monday to sign a statement of intent on military cooperation.

"The invasion being staged by Russia has had a firm, cohesive response from the entire international community and Italy, as it condemns this extremely serious attack, will continue to highlight the need to use every diplomatic instrument that contributes to stopping the crisis". (ANSA).


(ANSA) - ROME, MAR 7 - Italy is one of the countries on Moscow's list of "hostile countries" who have applied sanctions on Russia for the war in Ukraine, TASS said Monday.

The list, approved by the Russian government Monday, includes the US, EU members, UK, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Switzerland, as well as Ukraine itself.

According to a Russian government decree, any States, businesses and citizens who are indebted to foreign creditors on the blacklist will be able to pay their debts in rubles. (ANSA).


TRIPOLI - The speaker of the Tobruk-based Libyan House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh, rejected any sort of "interference" by a UN envoy who had expressed reservations about the parliamentary assembly's decisions and had offered mediation between the eastern-based legislature and institutions in the western capital Tripoli in the interest of holding long-delayed elections.



During a meeting in Al-Qobba in Libya's eastern region of Cyrenaica with Stephanie Williams, UN chief Antonio Guterres's special adviser on Libya, Saleh underscored that he "rejected any interference in the decisions of the House of Representatives and stressed that they are not subject to ratification by anyone", according to a transcription of the interview published on the parliament's Facebook page.



Saleh, originally from eastern Libya, said that the recent decisions by the parliament were "legal", referring in particular to the controversial confidence vote on the team under new Prime Minister Fathi Bashaga, with the aim of removing the current government in Tripoli, said spokesman Abdallah Bliheq.



Already undermined by divisions between competing institutions in the eastern and western parts of the country, Libya currently has two parallel governments as had previously been seen in both 2014 and 2021 amid civil war.



In an attempt to bring the two sides closer, Williams on Friday had suggested setting up a committee bringing together representatives of the two bodies: the House of Representatives based in Tobruk and the High Council of State based in Tripoli and which acts as a Senate.



Implicitly criticising the establishment of a parallel government, Williams had stated that the crisis in the country would not be solved by forming rival administrations or through continual transitions.



"We discussed in detail my initiative to form a joint committee consisting of select members of the two Chambers to create the constitutional basis required to ensure that elections take place as soon as possible," Williams tweeted after meeting with Saleh, reiterating her "call for calm, as well as highlighted the importance of cooperation between Libyan institutions for the sake of lasting stability." While the offer was accepted by the Tripoli-based High Council of State, Saleh's statements seem to instead condemn it to failure.



The initiative at mediation also seems unlikely to progress after 93 MPs sent Williams a letter made public on Monday in which they reject it, calling it "unjustified".
TUNIS - Tunisia's interior ministry on Tuesday announced via Facebook the end of house arrest against the deputy chairman of the country's Islamic party Ennahdha, Noureddine Bhiri.



The arrest warrant for Bhiri - an MP, lawyer, and historic figure within the movement - had been issued on December 31.



The same decision was made for interior ministry official Fathi Baldi, who had been arrested after being placed under investigation.



The ministry said that the decision had been made after the swearing in of the High Judicial Council on Monday so that the judiciary could take any measures necessary concerning the politicians.



The 65-day matter has thus ended after sparking public outcry and that of NGOs working in human rights that had criticised the "arbitrary" use of arrests.



The deputy chairman of Ennhadha had been arrested on "terrorism" charges and had immediately begun a hunger strike in protest at his arrest.



He has been in the Bougafta hospital of Bizerte since early January and his doctor had warned about his health on Monday.



Bhiri was placed under house arrest at an unknown location on December 31, 2021.



The interior ministry noted that the house arrest had been decided in compliance with human rights, underscoring that the two politicians had had the right to visits and appropriate medical treatment.




An inquiry will examine whether reforms are needed to deal with horrifying levels of fraud cases, many of which originate online.

The House of Lords Fraud Act 2006 and Digital Fraud Committee wants to hear from people who have experienced fraud and others as it looks at whether scams and their victims are being treated as a priority.

If not, it wants to hear the reasons for this  particularly any responses that may explain any barriers preventing effective counter-fraud cooperation within Government, law enforcement, the public sector and the private sector.

The committee will consider how the Fraud Act 2006 is used in practice for the detection, prevention and prosecution of fraud. Crucially, it will explore whether the Act needs reforming, to tackle scams committed through digital means, including online.

A question it would like to hear submissions on as part of the inquiry is: Is existing legislation effective in tackling the increase in modern forms of fraud? 

It will also consider the question: Are sanctions and penalties for criminals who commit fraud an effective deterrent against future criminal activity, and if not, what might be more successful?

The committee will also be looking into what future economic and technological developments may impact upon how fraudsters seek to commit crime over the next five to 10 years, and how might these be prepared for.

The committee wants to hear about the part technology and tech companies could play in combating fraud across this timescale.

Fraud is the most commonly experienced crime in England and Wales, accounting for more than 40% of all crime against individuals, causing losses of billions per year, the committee said.

People have often relied more on the internet for services during the pandemic. This dependency on digital technology has left more and more people vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated fraudsters, the committee said.

Frauds that have been rife during the coronavirus pandemic include bogus delivery firm messages, fake NHS texts, social media messaging scams, fake rebate messages related to cancelled trips and events, bogus online sellers, pensions and investments opportunities and romance scams.

The impact of fraud on victims can be significant both financially and emotionally.

The committee is chaired by Baroness Morgan of Cotes, who said: The amount of fraud being committed is horrifying. It causes billions of lost pounds to the UK economy every year, and for victims it can be harrowing experience and leave a lasting impact on their finances.

Increasingly sophisticated fraudsters have been targeting people during the pandemic. Around 80% of reported fraud is cyber-enabled and social media is mentioned in tens of thousands of fraud reports.

Our committee would like to hear from a diverse a range of individuals and organisations and were particularly keen to receive submissions from victims of fraud.

The deadline for submissions is midday on April 22 2022.
The UK Government needs to cut the red tape to help Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russian aggression, The Welsh First Minister has said.

Mark Drakeford on Tuesday called on Boris Johnson and his Cabinet to revisit its immigration policies in order to simplify the process which allows those escaping conflict to enter the country.

It comes amid criticism of the British Government over its slow response to the refugee crisis, with the Home Office revealing on Monday it had only granted 300 visa applications out of 17,700 which had been started  with 8,900 submitted.

Wales is ready to support refugees from Ukraine but more needs to be done to ensure safe and easy travel routes are available. The UK Government needs to revisit its immigration policies to cut the red tape and do more to help those fleeing the violence in Ukraine.  Mark Drakeford (@PrifWeinidog) March 8, 2022

More than two million people are said to have now fled the war-torn country, with the figure expected to rise as Russia keeps up its bombardment of civilian areas.

In a tweet, Mr Drakeford wrote: Wales is ready to support refugees from Ukraine but more needs to be done to ensure safe and easy travel routes are available.

The UK Government needs to revisit its immigration policies to cut the red tape and do more to help those fleeing the violence in Ukraine.

Mr Drakeford has repeatedly said Wales is ready to welcome refugees and he had been holding urgent talks with local authority leaders to ensure preparations are in place.

Leader of the opposition and Welsh Conservatives Andrew RT Davies wrote in the Sunday Times that Labour ministers must ensure there is capacity in housing and other public services for the refugees or run the risk of succeeding in warm words and hot air while failing to meet the needs of vulnerable people.

In response, a Welsh Government spokesman today said: The UK Government is responsible for immigration policy and they are failing to provide a simple and secure process to allow Ukrainian refugees into the country.

This is completely unacceptable. The UK Government must immediately cut red tape and do more to help those fleeing the terrible violence in Ukraine  this is about people not process.

At a press briefing, Wales minister for social justice Jane Hutt said: The UK government must put in place simple, fast, safe and legal routes to sanctuary to ensure that those seeking sanctuary are able to get here to safety.

This was the very clear ask of our First Minister, which he made to the UK Prime Minister in recent correspondence, along with the need to remove the requirement for Ukrainians to provide biometric evidence before leaving Ukraine.

Im also calling on the UK Government to create a fully funded refugee resettlement scheme, drawing on the previous experience from the Afghan and Syrian programmes.

(PA Graphics)

She added: Last week, the finance and local government minister and I met local council leaders, the third sector and refugee support partners to make sure we have plans in place in Wales and are ready to receive people from Ukraine as soon as they come.

Local authorities across Wales have been receiving offers of accommodation from people who have spare rooms available and want to help.

We dont know yet when people may begin arriving from Ukraine or how many may come but were prepared to support all those who do.

There is a strong humanitarian focus across Wales and a strong desire to step forward. We are a nation of sanctuary ready to play our part in response to this devastating crisis.

The Welsh Tories will lead a debate about Ukraine in the Senedd on Wednesday, when they will call on all parties to formally condemn the Russian invasion of the country and show its backing for Nato.
The Duke of York has paid his financial settlement to his accuser Virginia Giuffre.

Stipulation of Dismissal court documents were filed on Monday calling for the civil sexual assault action to be dismissed.

The joint order added that each party would pay their own costs and fees.

Once Judge Lewis Kaplan signs the order, the long-running civil case will come to an official end.

Andrew claimed he never met Virginia Giuffre (Crime+Investigation/PA)

Andrew has faced calls to confirm how he funded the multimillion-pound out-of-court settlement  which is reported to be as much as 12 million  and whether the Queen or even the Prince of Wales contributed to the sum.

Ms Giuffre was suing the Queens second son for sexual abuse, saying Andrew had sex with her when she was 17 and had been trafficked by his friend, the billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew, who has stepped down from royal duties and public life, claimed he never met Ms Giuffre.

The Queen took steps to distance the royal family from Andrew and protect the monarchy brand as the prospect of a trial loomed.

She stripped him of his honorary military roles, with the duke also giving up using his HRH  a style he was born with.
Detectives investigating the 2008 murder of a Norwegian student feared to have been killed by a billionaire playboy who fled the UK have made an apparent breakthrough.

Martine Vik Magnussen, 23, was found dead among rubble in a basement in Great Portland Street, Westminster, central London, after a night out with friends.

The group of students from the Regents Business School had been celebrating finishing their end-of-term exams at the Maddox nightclub in Mayfair, but Ms Magnussen vanished and her body was found two days later.

The prime suspect for her rape and murder is Farouk Abdulhak, who fled to Yemen within hours of her death.

Farouk Abdulhak, who is suspected of killing Norwegian student Martine Vik Magnussen in 2008 (Metropolitan Police/PA)

On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Police said officers had arrested a woman aged in her 60s on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Detective Chief Inspector Jim Eastwood said: Martines family has never given up their fight for justice and in the 14 years since her death they have campaigned tirelessly to keep her in the public consciousness.

Martines family has been informed of this latest development. Though it represents a positive step, there is still much more work for us to do.

Most importantly, Farouk Abdulhak should be aware that this matter has not, and will not, go away.

My team and I will continue to seek justice and use all opportunities available to pursue him and bring him back to the UK. His status as a wanted man will remain and we will not cease in our efforts to get justice for Martines family.

Im appealing to Farouk Abdulhak directly: Come back to the UK. Come back to face justice.

Ms Magnussens father Odd Petter Magnussen, who has campaigned for justice for more than 10 years (David Mirzoeff/PA)

Since Martines death, her family has shown true determination, together with my investigation team, as we want to provide some closure for Martines family.

On the night she died, Ms Magnussen left the Maddox nightclub with Abdulhak at around 2am, and her body was found two days later in the basement of the building where he lived.

A post-mortem examination gave her cause of death as compression to the neck, and in November 2010 an inquest recorded a verdict of unlawful killing.

Anyone with information can contact police on 020 8358 0300 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Defence officials are to help process visa applications from Ukrainians fleeing the war amid continuing criticism over the slow rate at which refugees are being admitted to the UK.

The Home Office disclosed on Monday night that just 300 visas have been issued out of a total of 17,700 family scheme applications that have been started, 8,900 of which have been submitted.

With 1.7 million people having fled the fighting so far, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace acknowledged that the Government needs to move quicker and said he is offering Ministry of Defence (MoD) support to speed up the work.

The first and foremost duty for all of us is to make sure that people get to safety, he told Sky News.

Once theyve got to safety, making sure we just check their identity before they come to this country  it is incredibly important that we do that.

It shouldnt take time. And Ive offered, I will be offering, to the Home Office assistance from the MoD in the same way we did in Op Pitting (the evacuation of Afghanistan) to increase the processing time to help those people.

He added: Of course, we can do that quicker, we are leaning into that, the Home Secretary is determined to do that quicker, I will give her all the support I can.

(PA Graphics)

Mr Wallace was also critical of reports that hundreds of Ukrainians who have reached Calais have been told they need to travel back to Paris or Brussels to apply for a visa where they face a lengthy wait.

Its difficult for those people  why wouldnt it be?  to go all the way back to Paris, he told BBC Breakfast.

We can do more, we will do more.

Its not the case that we are only allowing 300 people in; it is the case that the system has not been quick enough, which is what were going to address.

His comments will increase the pressure on Home Secretary Priti Patel, who is facing growing criticism over the Home Offices response in the face of a growing humanitarian crisis.

SIMPLY NOT GOOD ENOUGH. @ukhomeoffice needs to move today from pettifogging process to active delivery. Stop computer says no mindset and get on and help. Dont criticise Irish Republic: replicate it. Remember how we responded to Ugandan Asian crisis? We can and must do this https://t.co/pY6vPebiCV  Simon Hoare MP (@Simon4NDorset) March 8, 2022

Labour said the numbers being admitted are shockingly low, while senior Tory MP Simon Hoare said it is simply not good enough.

The Home Office needs to move today from pettifogging process to active delivery. Stop computer says no mindset and get on and help, he tweeted.

The row comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is hosting leaders of the Visegrad Four central European nations  Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic  who have seen some of the heaviest influxes of refugees.

Meanwhile Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to deliver a historic address to the House of Commons after Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle approved a request for him to speak directly to MPs.

He is expected to use his speech  delivered by video link from Kyiv  to issue a renewed appeal for Western support, including a Nato no-fly zone.

Britain and other allies have ruled that out, warning that it could bring Nato and Russian jets into direct conflict, potentially sparking a wider European war.

Mr Wallace said that however the conflict in Ukraine played out, it was clear that Russian President Vladimir Putin was a spent force.

(PA Graphics)

He said Mr Putin would not break the people of Ukraine and that he potentially faced decades of occupation which would be impossible to sustain.

Whatever we think about President Putin, he is done. He is a spent force in the world. No-one will be taking his phone calls in the long term, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme.

He has exhausted his army, he is responsible for thousands of Russian soldiers being killed, responsible for innocent people being killed, civilians being killed in Ukraine.

He is reducing his economy to zero, because the international community has decided that is absolutely unacceptable, what hes done.

So he is a spent force in the world and I dont know whether he thinks thats a clever thing to be, but that diminishes his own country in the world and he has to take responsibility for that.
Its almost become a model in recent years: If a songs a hit, the copyright-infringement lawsuits follow, and Dua Lipa was clobbered with two of them in four days last week. Her global hit Levitating, which has spent 68 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, has drawn two lawsuits from songwriters claiming the song infringes on their compositions, according to multiple media reports.

The first was filed March 1 by a Florida reggae group called Artikal Sound System, claiming that Lipas song lifts from their relatively obscure 2017 track, Live Your Life. That complaint includes little specific detail beyond claiming that the two tracks are so similar that it was highly unlikely that Levitating was created independently.

In the second, more-detailed legal complaint, filed on March 4 in New York, songwriters L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer accused Lipa of copying both their 1979 song Wiggle and Giggle All Night and 1980 song Don Diablo, two tracks dating from the disco era. The pair claim the opening melody to Levitating was a duplicate of the melody to their songs; there is some similarity in the rhythmic delivery of the opening phrases in the verses, before the melodies diverge. Brown and Linzers attorneys claim that the segment of the melody in question played a major role in the songs success on TikTok and related chart success.

The signature melody is the most listened to and recognizable part of the infringing works and plays a crucial role in their popularity, they wrote. Because video creators frequently truncate the already brief snippets of sound on TikTok, the signature melody often comprises fifty percent or more of these viral videos.

In their complaint, Brown and Linzers attorneys pointed to press interviews in which they claim Lipa admitted that she deliberately emulated prior eras and took inspiration to create a retro sound.

In seeking nostalgic inspiration, defendants copied plaintiffs creation without attribution, they wrote. The complaint also names as defendants Warner Music Group, guest rapper DaBaby (whose participation in the remix Lipa has disavowed in the wake of the rappers homophobic comments last year), and others involved in the song.

In an unusual statement for a legal complaint, lawyers for Brown and Linzer resorted to puns to make their case: Defendants have levitated away plaintiffs intellectual property, they wrote. Plaintiffs bring suit so that defendants cannot wiggle out of their willful infringement.

Reps for Lipa, Warner Music and the multiple writers and publishers connected to the song either declined or did not immediately respond to Varietys requests for comment, punning or no.

Hear the tracks in question below:

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As the West rolls out more sanctions against Russia for its war in Ukraine, other consumer favorites join the list: Big Macs, Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Frappuccinos.

McDonald's Corporation (MCD) said Tuesday the U.S.-based fast-food giant will temporarily close all restaurants in the country and pause operations in its Russian market. Starbucks (SBUX), Coca-Cola (KO) and PepsiCo (PEP) followed shortly after, heeding to growing criticism over silence on the conflict even as other multinational companies have severed ties with the nation.

We serve millions of Russian customers each day who count on McDonalds, McDonalds CEO Chris Kempczinski said in a statement. At the same time, our values mean we cannot ignore the needless human suffering unfolding in Ukraine.

The move will shutter all 850 McDonald's locations in Russia, which employ 62,000 people. However, the company said it will continue to pay salaries for McDonalds employees in the country.

A man walks past a closed McDonald's restaurant in central Kyiv, Ukraine February 25, 2022. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

We understand the impact this will have on our Russian colleagues and partners, which is why we are prepared to support all three legs of the stool in Ukraine and Russia, Kempczinski said.

The Coca-Cola Company said Tuesday that it is suspending its business in Russia and will continue to monitor the situation. Its U.S. beverage producer peer PepsiCo also announced it will stop capital investments and all advertising and promotional activities in Russia.

"Pepsi-Cola entered the market at the height of the Cold War and helped create common ground between the United States and the Soviet Union," CEO Ramon Laguarta said in a letter originally sent to employees at the company. "However, given the horrific events occurring in Ukraine we are announcing the suspension of the sale of Pepsi-Cola, and our global beverage brands in Russia, including 7Up and Mirinda."

Coffeehouse Starbucks Corp. will upend all business activity in Russia, including shipment of its products and suspension of cafe operations.

The companies join a swelling list of American and multinational firms withdrawing from Russian business dealings in protest of President Vladimir Putins military invasion of Ukraine, which has led to 2 million refugees and more than 1,000 civilian casualties so far, according to the United Nations.

Estee Lauder (EL), and Mondelez International Inc. (MDLZ) have remained mum.



Alexandra Semenova is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @alexandraandnyc

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This article first appeared in the Morning Brief. Get the Morning Brief sent directly to your inbox every Monday to Friday by 6:30 a.m. ET. Subscribe

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

When an oil crunch turns foes into frenemies

Since Vladimir Putin attacked Ukraine for the sin of refusing to exist as a Russian satrapy, fiery crude prices are stoking fears of a 1970s style oil shock, and sending a chill down the markets spine.

The U.S. government is weighing slapping embargoes on Russias crude  the latest escalation in a series of dramatic penalties imposed on Moscow as its incursion into Ukraine enters its second week. The frenzy briefly drove Brent to a new 14-year high above $130 per barrel, sent the Dow swooning into official correction territory, and is stirring stagflation fears from their decades-long dormancy.

Although a solid labor market and healthy pay hikes have become a defining characteristic of the pandemic-era recovery, concerns are swirling about how much longer economic activity can remain impervious to soaring inflation thats hit a 40year peak, a point made by Yahoo Finances Ines Ferre on Monday.

Skyrocketing oil and gas prices  where the average price is set to climb to fresh records above $4  are of no help, to say the least.

"You have to ask yourself: Is the consumer in better shape to deal with higher energy prices?" Baird managing director Michael Antonelli told Yahoo Finance Live.

"And I would say yes. But if you were to look into the history of the market... energy shocks can tend to lead to a recession," he added.

Russia is a middling economy that packs a really big punch in terms of energy.

Enter three countries with rather rocky relationships with the West. With Russian oil potentially set to be taken offline, governments now need cooperation from all of them in order to blunt the impact of a potential black swan event (one that is indirectly benefiting Putins efforts as oil prices soar).

Over the weekend, Axios reported that the Biden administration is making overtures to Saudi Arabia which itself has been something of an international pariah since the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi  in order to coax more oil out of the kingdom. And it doesnt end there.

The White House is also reportedly reaching out to authoritarian Venezuela  an implacable foe since the reign of the now-deceased Hugo Chavez  in the hopes of adding more crude to the global energy queue, The Wall Street Journal reported late Sunday. Heavily sanctioned and isolated since Chavezs demise, Venezuela may be ripe for the picking  or rather the peeling, with the White House reportedly hoping to peel Caracas away from Moscows influence, The Journal reported.

Perhaps the most surprising turn of events involves bringing Iran  an avowed foe of the United States  back in from out of the cold. Isolated for years because of its suspected nuclear ambitions, Tehran is becoming a linchpin for the Biden administrations ambitions to offset the loss of Russian supply.

Alas, Iranian oil stocks wont provide much more than a temporary blip of relief, according to Brenda Shaffer, a faculty member at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, a senior advisor for energy at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and a senior fellow at the Atlantic Councils Global Energy Center.

Energy traders have largely factored in the expectation of increased Iranian supplies. And there may not be as much Iranian oil ready to ship as the administration believes, Shaffer wrote recently.

Its an open secret that a lot of Iranian oil is already traded. China already buys Iranian oil uninhibited. Iranian oil has many ways to circumvent U.S. sanctions  some is exported via Iraq and Kuwait, and there is a vast fleet of off-the-books oil tankers specializing in shipping Iranian crude and other liquid fuels, she added.

Regardless of how much supply results from the moves toward Iran, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, the events in Eastern Europe underscore how realpolitik has always been the fulcrum driving oil prices.

Europe is the most vulnerable in the near term, given its heavy reliance on Russian energy, and highlights the urgency behind the continents need to wean itself off those supplies. Our current crisis is also spurring a consensus among unlikely bedfellows  and not a moment too soon  that is rapidly coalescing around the idea that the U.S. should become a more reliable font of secure energy supplies.

Hate to say it, but we need to increase oil & gas output immediately.



Extraordinary times demand extraordinary measures.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 5, 2022

Sadly, it appears unlikely that the diplomatic efforts will make a material difference for a problem that economists say can only be resolved by curbing demand.

By Javier E. David, editor at Yahoo Finance. Follow him at @Teflongeek



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BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's cabinet on Tuesday relaxed tax rules for investments in digital assets to help promote and develop the industry following a surge in cryptocurrency trading in Southeast Asia's second-largest economy.

The rules, in line with an earlier announcement, will allow traders to offset annual losses against gains for taxes due on cyptocurrency investments, and exempt a value-added-tax of 7% for cryptocurrency trading on authorized exchanges, Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith told a news conference.

The tax exemption, effective from April 2022 to December 2023, will also cover trading of retail central bank digital currency to be issued by the central bank, he said.

Digital assets have grown fast in Thailand over the past year, with trading accounts surging to about 2 million at the end of 2021 from just 170,000 earlier that year, a ministry official said in January.

Bitcoin is the most popular cryptocurrency in Thailand.

The cabinet also approved tax breaks for direct and indirect investments in startups, Arkhom said. Investors who invest for at least two years in startups will be offered the tax break for 10 years until June, 2032.

($1 = 33.1800 baht)

(Reporting by Orathai Sriring, Kitiphong Thaichareon, Satawasin Staporncharnchai and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor)
President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that the U.S. will ban imports of Russian oil and other energy products, but will not be joined in doing so by European allies.

The move is expected to trigger sharply higher gasoline and other energy prices in the U.S. and worldwide.

Speaking from the White House, he said it means the American people would deal "another powerful blow" to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The decision was made in "close consultation" with U.S. allies, some of whom he said would not be "in a position" to do the same but he stressed the alliance remained united.

PHOTO: President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in the Oval Office of the White House, on March 4, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Patrick Semansky/AP)

Biden has been under growing political pressure from both Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill to go forward with a ban even though the White House initially resisted, saying it wasn't in the U.S. "strategic interest" to limit the world's energy supply and drive up gasoline prices.

MORE: Tough decision for Biden: Russia oil ban would trigger higher gas prices

On Monday, top lawmakers announced they had come to a deal on bipartisan legislation that would punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, by banning the import of Russian oil and other energy products -- as well as suspending normal trade relations with Russia and a House vote was expected this week.

MORE: Red-hot prices at the gas pump set to soar even higher. Here's why

PHOTO: A motorist pumps gasoline at a gas station in Lafayette, Calif., March 6 ,2022. (Jocelyn Gecker/AP)

Biden's announcement is likely to cause gasoline prices in the U.S. -- already at record highs -- to soar even higher.

About 8% of U.S. imports of crude oil and petroleum products came from Russia last year, according to preliminary U.S. government data; 3% of U.S. oil came from Russia.

White House officials also say the impact on Russia, which sent just 1% of its oil exports to the U.S. in 2020, would not be great -- especially when its oil and gas sector is already "de facto sanctioned" because of harsh restrictions on Russian banks.

But in an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll last week, 69% of Americans said they supported economic sanctions on Russia even if they resulted in higher energy prices in the U.S.

There is less appetite in Europe for a ban on Russian oil and gas imports, since European nations rely heavily on Russia for their energy needs -- nearly half of Russian oil exports go to Europe, according to U.S. government figures -- and analysts say a ban would raise Europe's energy prices significantly.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Biden announces ban on Russian oil imports, other energy products originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
A marker honoring Jose Huizar in the village of Los Morales went up in 2018. The politician was arrested in 2020. (Courtesy Gustavo Arellano)

High up in the mountains of the Mexican state of Zacatecas, in the desolate village of Los Morales, a monument stands to former Los Angeles Councilman Jose Huizar.

Yes, that guy.

The very same whos currently facing federal criminal charges of racketeering, money laundering and bribery. The same Jose Huizar once held up in Southern California political circles as a bootstrap success story, but who now serves as a cautionary tale about the perils of power.

At least they still love him in Los Morales, the rancho where he was born.

The monument is a simple concrete marker set on a sandstone-colored pillar just outside his family's home.

Here was born el licenciado Jose Huizar, it reads, using the Mexican-Spanish honorific for a lawyer but also a term used for anyone perceived to be a professional.

The inscription further states that Los Morales erected this "recognition" to its native son in 2018 for his contributions to the community and accomplishments in the United States.

I know Los Morales well. Its in between the ancestral villages of my parents (El Cargadero for my mami, Jomulquillo for my papi), which I havent visited since college but whose comings and goings are part of my daily life. Theyre all part of the galaxy of ranchos around the city of Jerez that has sent tens of thousands of its residents to Southern California over the last 120 years.

The chisme from the ranchos is like a real-life Lake Wobegon  who married whom, which village made the best cheese this year, what cousin wants to move up to the United States permanently to escape the cartel violence that has sadly gripped the region. The jerezano circle is close enough that Im still Facebook and Instagram friends with Huizar, although he hasnt commented on my stuff ever since the FBI arrested him in the summer of 2020.

Thats why I was surprised that I didnt hear about Huizars monument until a couple of weeks ago, when my dad randomly told me about it. He and my mother knew Huizars parents well enough that my dad refers to Huizars late father as Don Simon, and Joses mother as Chila, the Mexican-Spanish nickname for any Mexican woman named Isidra. My dad said he even saw Huizars brother a couple of weeks ago at a rodeo in Perris.

Papi first said that Huizar's monument was a statue, then said it was a pillar, then said a plaque (rancho gossip, Im telling you). So I had a friend who still lives in Jerez visit Los Morales to take a photo, which I showed to my dad.

He and his compadres long maintained that Huizar was innocent of all charges, with no proof whatsoever. But when I showed him the picture of Huizar's plaque, Papi was more philosophical. He deserves it, because he did do good at first, he responded. I just hope hes praying to God to forgive his sins.

We erect monuments to celebrate heroes or victories, not commemorate villains and defeats. Thats why so many of them have come down in the last couple of years, as Americans have reassessed who from the past continues to deserve lionization, and who deserves a literal trip to the scrap heap.

Huizar, despite his sins, deserves the former. So I hope the people in Los Morales leave his marker no matter what happens to their hometown hero. And I hope that the multiple markers across Los Angeles that bear Huizar's name  even though they have nothing to do with him, really  are also left alone.

The monument to a hometown hero should stay up, no matter what happens to Jose Huizar, Gustavo Arellano writes. (Courtesy Gustavo Arellano)

His name is on a bronze plaque at El Sereno Middle School to honor the 50th anniversary of the Chicano Blowouts. On the base of the bracero statue in downtown Los Angeles, and the one of ranchera icon and fellow zacatecano Antonio Aguilar off Olvera Street. "Jose Huizar" is on a marker in a median on Eagle Park Boulevard commissioned by the Glassell Park Improvement Assn. to thank Huizar and other council members for their ongoing support.

And the ex-council member's name is also on a monument in front of Farmdale Elementary School in El Sereno that honors a longtime volunteer, with Huizar's name as big as that of the honoree.

We should all remember who Huizar was, and who he became. Seeing his name should inspire a Pavlovian reaction to straighten up and act right. No one feels this more than Huizar's fellow SoCal jerezanos. We had so much hope for him  one time, I even invited him to be a judge at a taco tournament  and now must bear the stain of his name.

UC Riverside ethnic studies professor Adrian Felix saw Huizar multiple times at the annual banquets of the Federacion de Clubes Zacatecanos del Sur de California, whose members organize fundraisers for their home ranchos.

He was a celebrity to everyone there, said the professor. He was working his crowd, but there was a pride to everyone because he was one of them."

Felix admitted to being really disappointed when news of Huizars arrest broke. Now, in some ways, I see it as kind of predictable. But his ascendancy to power was important, and hopefully we have more people like that who dont fall down to that same turn.

Then-L.A. City Councilmember Jose Huizar in 2017. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

One of those people is Maywood Mayor Heber Marquez, who was born in Jerez. He actually never heard of Huizar until the high school teacher ran for City Council in 2018. The shady zacatecano politician for him was former Maywood Mayor Ramon Medina, whos also charged with multiple felonies for alleged civic corruption.

When I ran, and people found out where I was from, theyd say, Oh, youre from Zacatecas  hows that going to turn out? said the 36-year-old with a bitter laugh. Thats when I thought, Do I see myself continuing in this path? Should I stop now?

Marquez was appointed Maywood's mayor this year, and he hopes to use his position to bring pride back to zacatecanos in the Southland.

"Jerez is much more than Huizar," he said. "Our people represent much more, and deserve much more. We shouldn't see ourselves in him.

Which takes me back to Huizar's monument in Los Morales. The photo that my friend took shows that a crack formed at the bottom of the pillar that someone tried to patch up. We cannot erase what Huizar did, nor should we.

But we can look on as his legacy continues to crumble, and accept the lessons.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
FILE - The American and Chinese flags wave at Genting Snow Park ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Feb. 2, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. Hackers working on behalf of the Chinese government broke into the computer networks of at least six state governments in the United States in the last year. That's according to a report released Tuesday by a private cybersecurity firm. The report from Mandiant does not identify the hacked agencies or offer a motive for the intrusions, which began last May and continued through the last month. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

WASHINGTON (AP)  Hackers working on behalf of the Chinese government broke into the computer networks of at least six state governments in the United States in the last year, according to a report released Tuesday by a private cybersecurity firm.

The report from Mandiant does not identify the compromised states or offer a motive for the intrusions, which began last May and continued through last month. But the Chinese group believed responsible for the breaches, APT41, is known to launch hacking operations both for old-fashioned espionage purposes and for financial gain.

While the ongoing crisis in Ukraine has rightfully captured the worlds attention and the potential for Russian cyber threats are real, we must remember that other major threat actors around the world are continuing their operations as-usual, said Geoff Ackerman, a principal threat analyst at Reston, Virginia-based Mandiant Inc.

He added in his statement: We cannot allow other cyber activity to fall to the wayside, especially given our observations that this campaign from APT41, one of the most prolific threat actors around, continues to this day.

State agencies remain ripe targets for hackers, even as the Biden administration has announced additional steps to safeguard federal government systems from hacking. That's an especially urgent concern in light of the massive SolarWinds espionage campaign in which Russian intelligence operatives exploited supply chain vulnerabilities to break into the networks of at least nine U.S. agencies and dozens of private-sector companies.

In this case, the report says, the hackers exploited a previously unknown vulnerability in an off-the-shelf commercial application used by 18 states for animal health management. In addition, they exploited a software flaw known as Log4j that was discovered in December and that U.S. officials said was possibly present in hundreds of millions of devices. The hackers began exploiting the vulnerability within hours of an advisory that disclosed it to the public, using it to re-compromise two state government networks.

The hackers' persistence to gain access into government networks, exemplified by re-compromising previous victims and targeting multiple agencies within the same state, show that whatever they are after it is important, Rufus Brown, a senior threat analyst at Mandiant, said in a statement. "We have found them everywhere, and that is unnerving.

The report by Mandiant links the hacking to APT41, which was implicated in a 2020 Justice Department indictment that accused Chinese hackers of targeting more than 100 companies and institutions in the U.S. and abroad, including social media and video game companies, universities and telecommunications providers.

Through all the new, some things remain unchanged: APT41 continues to be undeterred by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) indictment in September 2020, the report states.

The Chinese government in the past has denied U.S. accusations of hacking.

Mandiant is being acquired by Google in a deal worth $5.4 billion, the companies announced on Tuesday.

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Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP.
A Washington jury on Tuesday found Guy Wesley Reffitt guilty on all five counts relating to his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, verdicts that could land him in prison for decades.

The jury reached its decision less than four hours after being sent the case. The guilty verdicts are a major victory for the federal prosecutors who tried Reffitt, the first Jan. 6 defendant to go to trial, and are seen as likely to influence how other defendants may seek to handle their own cases going forward.

An artist's sketch depicts Guy Wesley Reffitt, left, with his lawyer William Welch in a Washington, D.C., federal court. (Dana Verkouteren via AP)

Reffitt is an alleged antigovernment militia member from Texas who prosecutors said went to the Capitol on Jan. 6 armed with a handgun, wearing body armor and carrying flex cuffs, and sought to disrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election. He led the way for other members of the mob who ultimately stormed the building, prosecutors said, then later threatened his own children to try to keep them from turning him in to law enforcement.

Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse Tuesday afternoon, Reffitts wife, Nicole, vowed that her family would continue to fight together to appeal her husbands convictions, and urged other Jan. 6 defendants not to be intimidated by the verdicts in his case.

Guy was used as an example today to make all the 1/6ers take a plea, she said in reference to those charged in connection with the riot at the Capitol. Do not take a plea, 1/6ers.

Reffitt had been charged with four counts relating to his activities on Jan. 6: obstructing an official proceeding; interfering with law enforcement during a civil disorder; transporting firearms to Washington, D.C., for a civil disorder; and being unlawfully present on Capitol grounds while armed with a firearm. Prosecutors also charged him with obstruction of justice based on threats he allegedly made to his teenage son and daughter upon returning to his Texas home from Washington, telling them to choose a side or die and that they would be traitors if they reported him to law enforcement. He had pleaded not guilty to all five charges.

As the first of more than 700 Jan. 6 defendants to face a jury, Reffitt provided the public with its first real peek behind the curtain at the Justice Departments strategy in its sprawling effort to track down and prosecute all those responsible for the insurrection.

It also offered a window into the life of one of the hundreds of people who went to the Capitol on Jan. 6, and the far-right beliefs that drove him there.

Judge Dabney Friedrich looks out from the bench during jury selection for Reffitt's trial. (Dana Verkouteren via AP)

The trial got off to a slow start last week with two full days of jury selection and a number of technical difficulties, prompting U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich to urge prosecutors to pick up the pace, repeatedly admonishing them for repetitive questioning. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Nestler and Risa Berkower moved quickly, resting the governments case after just three and a half days of evidence and witness testimony. The defense followed closely behind, not calling any witnesses or Reffitt himself to testify.

Prosecutors sought to portray Reffitt as a key instigator of the worst assault on the Capitol since the War of 1812.

The defendant was the tip of this mobs spear, Nestler told jurors during his opening statement last week. He lit the match that started the fire.

Prosecutors sought to use Reffitts own words against him, pairing witness testimony with text messages he allegedly sent and recordings of alleged statements he made before and after the Jan. 6 attack.

A video still of Reffitt at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Dept. of Justice)

William Welch, Reffetts court-appointed defense attorney, made a minimal effort to counter the governments claims by portraying his client as a hyperbolic blowhard who is prone to alcohol-fueled rants. He emphasized that Reffitt did not go in the Capitol, and claimed Reffitt was not armed and that he never assaulted anyone. Reffitt was not charged with assault.

Guy does brag. He exaggerates and he rants, Welch told the jury during his conspicuously brief opening statement, which clocked in at around three minutes. The trial is a rush to judgment, and its based on bragging.

In his closing argument on Monday, Welch suggested that neither his client nor any of the governments other witnesses or evidence could be trusted, and urged jurors to find Mr. Reffitt guilty of count 3a, being in a restricted area outside the Capitol, but nothing else. If found guilty for being in a restricted area, without the weapons enhancement, Reffitt would have faced only a maximum penalty of one year in prison, which he has already served in pretrial detention. The maximum penalty for unlawfully carrying a firearm in a restricted area is 10 years.

Rioters clash with police at the Jan. 6 insurrection. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

But while Reffitt may not have been among those who eventually forced their way inside the building, prosecutors argued that he cleared the way for others to do so by positioning himself at the front of the angry mob and facing off with U.S. Capitol Police on one of the buildings exterior staircases.

In one of the final and most compelling testimonies of the trial, Sgt. Adam DesCamp, one of the Capitol Police officers who confronted Reffitt on Jan. 6, presented a direct link between that interaction with Reffitt and the chaos that allowed some of the most high-profile rioters to push their way into the Capitol.

DesCamp told jurors that while officers were attempting to fend Reffitt off with pepper balls and other nonlethal munitions, the crowd behind him cut through the tarp over the scaffolding that held up the inauguration stage, creating an opening through which hundreds of rioters were then able to move closer to the building. He walked the jury through video footage of the moment, showing that some of the most high-profile rioters were among those who seized on this opening created by Reffitt, including QAnon Shaman Jacob Chansley and Dominic Pezzola, an alleged member of the far-right group Proud Boys who was one of the first to breach the building by smashing a police riot shield through a window of the Senate wing.

Prosecutors also played several clips of Reffitts own video footage from Jan. 6, which had been shot with a 360-degree camera attached to the front of his helmet and recovered from an external hard drive the FBI had seized during a search of his house. One of the videos played for the jury last week showed a crowd of people gathered at the Ellipse as songs like Tiny Dancer and Gloria, staples of former President Donald Trumps campaign rally playlist, blared in the background. In it, a voice that the government said was Reffitts can be heard saying over and over to the people around him that he planned to go to the Capitol before the day is over.

I just want to see [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosis head hit every f***ing stair on the way out ... and [Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell too, the voice says at one point. At another: Im packing heat, and Im going to get more heat.

The comments echo messages that prosecutors say Reffitt sent involving his plans for Jan. 6 in a family text chain, and in a Texas Three Percenters far-right militia group Telegram chat, where he went by the username Call to Arms.

At one point, Welch indicated that he would try to accuse the government of tampering with evidence when he raised the concept of deepfakes in his cross-examination of the FBI special agent who testified about the videos found on Reffitts hard drive. The agent replied that she saw no evidence that any changes had been made to the videos.

Protesters clash with Capitol Police on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Arguably the most emotional moment in the trial came on Thursday, when Reffitts 19-year-old son Jackson took the stand, eliciting tears from the otherwise composed defendant.

For roughly three hours, the soft-spoken teen with long brown hair recounted his fathers radicalization from moderate conservative to far-right extreme militia member during the months leading up to the insurrection, and his decision to report his fathers increasingly disturbing behavior to the FBI.

Jackson, who lived at home with his parents in Wiley, Texas, until his fathers arrest in late January 2021, said his once close relationship with his father had become strained in 2016 by their opposing political beliefs. He told jurors that they had regularly clashed over the teens participation in the racial justice protests that sprang up across the country in the summer of 2020, as his father became increasingly involved in the Texas Three Percenters, the state chapter of an antigovernment paramilitary group whose name is inspired by the myth that only 3 percent of Americans volunteered to fight the British during the Revolutionary War. Jackson said his father constantly had his handgun holstered to his hip, or on the nightstand next to his bed, and he often walked around the house wearing a bulletproof vest.

Though Jackson described his dad as a big talker, he said he grew increasingly alarmed as his fathers antigovernment rhetoric took on a more explicit tone in the weeks after the 2020 presidential election. After receiving a particularly ominous string of text messages from his father on Christmas Eve, in which he wrote, Whats about to happen will shock the world, and We are about to rise up the way the Constitution was written, Jackson decided to report his concerns to the FBI. He said he didnt get a response until two weeks later, on Jan. 6.

When Reffitt returned home to Texas after Jan. 6, Jackson decided to record his father using an app on his cellphone, as he boasted to the family about his actions at the Capitol.

I was afraid if nobody actually believed me, and if my father had done what hes saying, its better his word against mine, Jackson explained. In the recording, which was played for jurors during Jacksons testimony, the older Reffitt can be heard describing how hed led a crowd of rioters up the steps of the Capitol and withstood several rounds of pepper balls from Capitol Police, before being sprayed in the face with bear spray and forced to retreat.

I didnt make it in, but I started the fire, Reffitt said in one part of the recording. I was willing to die when I was there. I was willing to die.

Reffitt also repeatedly stated that he was armed during the riot, saying, I had every constitutional right to carry a weapon and take over the Congress.

Jackson was particularly disturbed when, during the recorded conversation, his father told him that Jan. 6 was just a preface for what was to come.

Jan. 6 was already so bad, he said. That could just be the beginning  to hear my father say that was scary. It was scary.

A few days later  after a heated conversation in which Jackson said his dad threatened to shoot him and his sister if they reported him to authorities  the younger Reffitt met with an FBI agent.

Clearly he wasnt just talking at this point, Jackson told jurors. He had proven that he was willing to act.

Jackson, a community college student, said he moved out of the family home after his fathers arrest and has had little communication with his family since. In cross-examination, defense attorney Welch questioned his motives, noting that the teen chose not to notify his mother and sisters before conducting several national media interviews last year, including an appearance on CNN in which he revealed that hed turned his father in, nor has he shared with his family any of the $158,000 hes raised through a GoFundMe page he created after going public.

Jackson said he felt guilty about the money, which he has used to pay for school and living expenses and dental work, and said hes offered to share it with his family. He explained that hed agreed to the interviews in the hope that speaking out could help other families.

There were hundreds of people on Jan. 6, and they all have families, he said.

Guy Reffitts words also took on new meaning after Jan. 6 for Rocky Hardie, a former member of the Texas Three Percenters who drove with him from Texas to Washington last year with their rifles and handguns in tow.

Hardie testified on Friday under an agreement with the federal government that prohibits prosecutors from using his testimony to bring a criminal case against him, though it does not guarantee that Hardie wont face charges for his own activities on Jan. 6.

Hardie told jurors that he and Reffitt both believed the unproven claims that the 2020 election was stolen and had decided to go to Washington in late December, after Trump urged his supporters to show up for a wild protest when Congress met to certify the vote on Jan. 6. In the days before their departure, Hardie said he and Reffitt joked about dragging Pelosi  who they both agreed was evil incarnate down the front steps of the U.S. Capitol, and researched reciprocity laws for the states theyd be traveling through, concluding that it was worth the risk to bring their guns to the Capitol even though their concealed-carry permits would likely be invalid under D.C.s strict firearm laws.

We decided it's better to be tried by a jury of 12 than carried by six, Hardie told jurors. That means, if you violate a handgun law ... youll probably go to jail, [but] at some point you'll get out. But if you die, youre not coming back.

Hardie said that on the morning of Jan. 6, he and Reffitt reassembled their rifles in their hotel room  for easy access in case of violence from antifa activists  and strapped on their handguns and body armor before heading to Trumps rally at the Ellipse. He said Reffitt also gave him zip ties  the real big heavy ones you use as handcuffs  and said Reffitt told him they were in case we need to detain anybody.

While Hardie told jurors that he perceived Reffitt as a man of action, he insisted that he never imagined anyone would actually try to break into the Capitol on Jan. 6, even as he admitted that the goal that day was to stop Congress from certifying the vote.

But that impression changed when Hardie and Reffitt, whod gotten separated in the crowd on the National Mall before they reached the Capitol, met back up at their hotel that evening, and Reffitt told him about how hed charged to the front of the crowd and made it possible for other people to continue into the building.

I guess he was serious, said Hardie, who claimed he got close enough to touch the Capitol but didnt climb the steps or try to enter. I was pretty impressed that he did what he did. I felt like he had more courage than I did. I wasnt going to go up there.

Since his arrest in late January of last year, Reffitt has been in custody at a Washington, D.C., jail. In court he wore jeans, a dark sport coat and boots, his hair pulled back in a short ponytail, and often took notes during witness testimony.

Though he chose not to take the stand, or present any defense in his criminal trial, Reffitt has stood by his conduct at the Capitol in other settings. In a jailhouse letter obtained by ProPublica last May, he wrote, There was no insurrection, no conspiracy, no sinister plan and no reason to think otherwise.

January 6th was nothing short of a satirical way to overthrow a government, read the handwritten letter. If overthrow was the quest, it would have no doubt been overthrown.

Before the start of his trial late last month, a statement attributed to Reffitt was posted on a Telegram channel called J6 Patriot News that read: I am prepared to stare down the barrel of tyranny to receive the bullet of freedom.

On Friday evening, another message purportedly written by Reffitt appeared in the same Telegram channel, referring to evidence that had been presented in the trial that week.

My deepest apologies to everyone, most of all my family, for the atrocious language in those audio and video clips, read the post. If I can be convicted for having a foul mouth, I was never truly a free man.
The latest developments on the Russia-Ukraine war:

WASHINGTON  President Joe Bidens top intelligence official said Tuesday the U.S. believes Russia underestimated the strength of Ukraines resistance before launching an invasion that has likely caused thousands of Russian casualties.

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a congressional panel that U.S. officials believe Russian President Vladimir Putin feels aggrieved by Russias failure to subdue Ukraine and that he perceives that he cannot afford to lose the war. But what Putin might consider a victory could change given the escalating costs of the conflict to Russia, Haines said.

Despite Putins announcement that he would raise Russias alert level for nuclear weapons, Haines said the U.S. has not observed unusual changes in Russias nuclear force posture.

GENEVA  The international scientific laboratory that is home to the worlds largest atom smasher says it is suspending Russias observer status and halting any new collaboration with Russia or its institutions until further notice.

The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN, said its 23 member states  all European, plus Israel  condemned Russias invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine is one of seven associate member states, and Russia, like the United States, Japan and the European Union, has had observer status.

The CERN council made the decisions about Russia at a special meeting on Tuesday and expressed its support to the many members of CERNs Russian scientific community who reject this invasion.

CERN is home to the Large Hadron Collider, the worlds largest particle accelerator.

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HELSINKI  Finland will donate 15 decommissioned ambulances and two fire trucks to Ukraine, and they are expected to be delivered in the country within a week, Finnish media outlets say.

Ten of the ambulances come from hospital districts across Finland and five from rescue services, Finnish public broadcaster YLE said Tuesday.

The ambulances have just recently been taken out of service, YLE said, quoting health and rescue officials. Decommissioned ambulances are usually sold, but now it was decided to donate them to Ukraine, YLE said.

Finland will also give humanitarian help to Moldova including a field kitchen, five large multi-purpose tents for emergency accomodation and two shower tents to be used by refugees from Ukraine.

A Danish ambulance services and patient transportation company Falck said last week that it donated 30 ambulances to Ukraine and neighboring countries. ___

COPENHAGEN, Denmark  A Latvian lawmaker has traveled to Ukraine to fight alongside Ukrainians, the Baltic countrys Justice Minister Janis Bordans said Tuesday.

Juris Jurass, who is the chairman of the Saeima assemblys Legal Affairs Committee and a member of the same party as Bordans, has volunteered to defend the territory of Ukraine and to fight against the invaders, the justice minister said.

He made the decision based on his private and moral principles, Bordans told the Baltic News Service. He was not immediately available for comments.

On Twitter, Ukraine 4 Freedom, a volunteer project by students of international relations at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, wrote that he had joined a foreign legion unit for international volunteers.

MARIUPOL, Ukraine  Civilians in the besieged port of Mariupol in southeast Ukraine are anxiously waiting for news of evacuation efforts as they struggle to survive in a city where bodies have been left uncollected on the streets.

Since Saturday, Russian and Ukrainian authorities have committed to setting up evacuation routes but efforts have repeatedly collapsed amid more fighting along the route. Another effort was made Tuesday.

With water supplies cut, people have been collecting water from streams or melting snow. Power cuts mean that many residents have lost internet access and now rely on their car radios for information, picking up news from stations broadcast from areas controlled by Russian or Russian-backed separatist forces.

Looting has become widespread for food, clothes and even furniture, with locals referring to the practice as getting a discount.

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GENEVA  The International Committee for the Red Cross says its not involved in any evacuation of civilians from two Ukrainian cities and is emphasizing the strict rules under international law about the use of the red cross emblem in an armed conflict.

Videos have shown buses leaving northern Sumy and heading toward Mariupol in the southeast bearing a red cross on the side. Its not clear who put them there.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the International Red Cross was forbidding the use of its emblem on our cars, without elaborating.

ICRC spokesman Ewan Watson said we dont forbid per se but cited rules about use of protective emblems like the red cross. In armed conflict, it may be used by medical staff and facilities, including army medics and vehicles. It may also be used by Red Cross and Red Crescent workers, vehicles, facilities, and the humanitarian relief they bring," he said.

ICRC said it has no staffers in Sumy but has been working with Ukrainian and Russian authorities toward an agreement to help people leave Mariupol.

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LONDON  Trading in nickel, much of it produced in Russia, was suspended Tuesday on the London Metal Exchange after prices doubled to an unprecedented $100,000 per metric ton.

Nickel is used mostly to produce stainless steel and some alloys, but increasingly it is used in batteries, particularly electric vehicle batteries.

Russia, facing severe economic sanctions after invading Ukraine, is the worlds third biggest nickel producer. The Russian mining company Nornickel is a major supplier of the high-grade nickel that is used in electric vehicles.

Nickel prices had quadrupled in a week over supply issues and the spike Tuesday forced the LME to shut down electronic and floor trading.

Trading in nickel will not resume Tuesday and the halt could last longer than that given the geopolitical situation which underlies recent price moves, the LME said Tuesday.

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VATICAN CITY  The Vatican says it is willing to do everything to put itself at the service" for peace in Ukraine.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said that Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who is Pope Francis secretary of state, spoke by phone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday. In the call, Parolin relayed the deep worry of Pope Francis for the war underway in Ukraine and reaffirmed what the pope said last Sunday, Bruni said.

Francis had announced he was sending two cardinals to Ukraine this week to express Christian concern for the suffering and stress the popes oft-cited words that war is madness. Parolin also told Lavrov that the Holy See is willing to do everything to help bring about peace.

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GENEVA  The U.N. human rights office says it has confirmed 474 civilian deaths in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on Feb. 24.

The office said Tuesday that the number of confirmed civilian injuries now stands at 861.

The U.N. office uses strict methodology and only reports casualties it has been able to verify.

It acknowledges that the real figures are much higher, in part because intense fighting has delayed its receipt of information and many reports still have to be corroborated.

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands  The U.K. delegation to the global chemical weapons watchdog says in a tweet that it and a group of supporters walked out of a meeting Tuesday in response to what the delegation called unacceptable Russian falsehoods on Ukraine.

It was not immediately clear what the Russian representative said at the behind-closed-doors meeting of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons executive council to prompt the walkout.

The British delegation tweeted a photo of more than 50 people standing with two Ukrainian flags on the steps outside the OPCWs headquarters in The Hague.

Frances ambassador, Luis Vassy, says in a tweet that the walkout by European Union nations and their supporters came as Russias representative was denying basic facts about Ukraine and other issues tackled by the OPCW.

In a written statement posted on the OPCWs website, U.K. ambassador Joanna Roper urged the organization to be vigilant. The UK remains concerned that Russia may use the pretext of chemical weapons to try to justify its illegal actions in Ukraine and we know only too well that Russia is also prepared to use chemical weapons against others, she said.

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KYIV, UKRAINE  Tuesday is International Womens Day, an important official holiday in Russia and Ukraine dating from the Soviet era. Women are normally feted with flowers and chocolates and speeches, but this year the holiday was overshadowed in Ukraine by war, and in Russia by economic chaos.

Sugary messages of love and support were shared on social networks as in previous years, but many were tinged with sorrow or pleas for peace.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy opened his morning video address Tuesday saying: Ukrainians, we usually celebrate this holiday, the holiday of spring. We congratulate our women, our daughters, wives, mothers. Usually. But not today."

Today I cannot say the traditional words. I just cant congratulate you. I cant, when there are so many deaths. When there is so much grief, when there is so much suffering. When the war continues, he said.

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BRUSSELS  NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Russias armed forces may be deliberately targeting civilians as they try to flee the military assault on Ukraine.

Stoltenberg said Tuesday there are very creditable reports of civilians coming under fire as they try to evacuate. Targeting civilians is a war crime, and its totally unacceptable.

He told reporters in Latvia that the humanitarian impact of the almost two-week long war is devastating.

We need real humanitarian corridors that are fully respected, he said.

Asked what NATO can do to help, Stoltenberg said: We have a responsibility to ensure the conflict does not spread beyond Ukraine. NATO is boosting its defenses to ensure that members near Russia and Ukraine are not next on Moscows target list.

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KYIV, UKRAINE  Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov has released new estimates of casualties and damage from the Russian war, saying Russian military actions have killed 38 children and wounded more than 70.

Overall at least 400 civilian deaths have been recorded and 800 wounded, though these data are definitely incomplete, he said in a video address. It was not immediately possible to verify the figures.

He said Russian strikes have destroyed more than 200 Ukrainian schools, 34 hospitals and 1,500 residential buildings.

He estimated some 10,000 foreign students, notably from India, China and the Persian Gulf are trapped by the fighting, and described attacks on British and Swiss journalists.

He claimed that Ukrainian forces have killed more than 11,000 Russian troops.

Russian invaders fire on humanitarian corridors through which civilians are trying to escape, he said, without saying where.

Russian officials did not comment Tuesday and have only acknowledged several hundred deaths among Russian forces.

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BERLIN  The German federal prosecutors office is looking into possible war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine.

The prosecutors office said Tuesday it has launched a so-called structural investigation"  a preliminary investigation against persons unknown which entails looking for evidence leading to possible suspects who could be prosecuted.

Its unclear whether or when a prosecution of any suspect would actually be launched and what the chances are of any defendant eventually being brought to court in Germany.

Germany applies the principle of universal jurisdiction for serious crimes. In a groundbreaking verdict in January, a German court convicted a former Syrian secret police officer of crimes against humanity for overseeing the abuse of detainees at a jail.

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BEIJING  China says President Xi Jinping has criticized sanctions imposed on Russia over its war against Ukraine as harmful to all sides, in a video summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

China has largely backed Russia in blaming the U.S. and its allies for provoking the conflict and has abstained in votes at the United Nations over whether to condemn Moscow for its actions.

In its readout of Tuesdays conversation, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said Xi expressed anxiety and deep pain over the fighting, and urged the sides to pursue peace talks in which he said China was willing to play a role.

Xi gave no indication on what sort of resolution China was looking for and the only details he gave concerned the impact of sanctions.

We want to strive together to reduce the negative effects of the crisis, Xi was quoted as saying. Regarding the impact of sanctions on global finance, energy resources, transport and supply chain stability, in terms of a world economy already burdened by the pandemic, it is harmful to all sides.

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LONDON  Britains defense minister says his staff will help process applications from Ukrainians fleeing war, after criticism of the sluggish U.K. effort to take in refugees.

Britain says it expects to take in as many as 200,000 displaced Ukrainians, and has set no upper limit on the number it will accept. But as of Monday night, the government said only 300 visas had been issued.

French officials have accused Britain of turning Ukrainians away at the English Channel port of Calais, telling them to apply for visas at British embassies in Paris or Brussels.

Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Tuesday that we can do more, we will do more to speed up peoples journeys to the U.K.

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NEW YORK  Russia says it has summoned the Irish ambassador to Moscow a day after a truck was driven through the gates of the Russian embassy in Ireland during a demonstration against the war in Ukraine.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it told Irish ambassador Brian McElduff that Russia demanded an apology from the Irish authorities and for Ireland to pay compensation.

Russia likened the incident to a tactic widely used by terrorists and said Irish law enforcement had not acted to stop it. The Irish Times newspaper reported Monday that the driver of the truck was arrested.

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KYIV, UKRAINE  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for the expansion of humanitarian corridors for Ukrainian civilians fleeing war, and more support from the Red Cross.

In a video address Tuesday from an undisclosed location, he said a child died of dehydration in the blockaded southern seaport of Mariupol, in a sign of how desperate the citys population has become.

He pleaded again with Western countries to provide air support.

He said evacuation buses have been sent to Mariupol, but said there was no firm agreement on the route, so Russian troops can simply shoot on this transport on the way.

Zelenskyy accused the International Red Cross of forbidding the use of its emblem on our cars, but did not give details. Videos of buses heading out of Sumy and toward Mariupol have had signs with a red cross on the side but its not clear who pasted them there.

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LONDON  Estee Lauder is the latest foreign company to halt its operations in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine.

The New York-based cosmetics giant said in a statement late Monday that it has decided to suspend all its commercial activity in Russia, including every store we own and operate. Its not clear how many retail outlets it has in Russia.

Estee Lauder also said its suspending shipments to its Russian retailers and will provide compensation and support to its Russian employees. The company owns more than two dozen brands including Clinique, Bobbi Brown and MAC Cosmetics.

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LONDON  Energy giant Shell says it will stop buying Russian oil and natural gas as well as shut down its service stations and other operations in the country amid international pressure for companies to sever ties over the invasion of Ukraine.

Shell says in a statement Tuesday that it would withdraw from all Russian hydrocarbons, including crude oil, petroleum products, natural gas and liquefied natural gas, in a phased manner.

The decision comes just days after Ukraines foreign minister criticized Shell for continuing to buy Russian oil.

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GENEVA  The U.N.'s top human rights official is warning that a new Russian law allowing harsh punishment for spreading what is deemed to be fake information about the armed forces adds to concern about repressive legislation in Russia.

High Commission for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet told the U.N. Human Rights Council that space for discussion or criticism of public policies  including (Russias) military action against Ukraine  is increasingly and profoundly restricted.

Bachelet said some 12,700 people have been arbitrarily arrested for holding peaceful anti-war protests and noted that media are required to use only official information and terms.

She said shes concerned about repressive and vaguely defined legislation, and added that further legislation criminalising circumstances of discrediting the armed forces continues down this concerning path.

The new measure, signed into law by President Vladimir Putin on Friday, allows for prison sentences of up to 15 years. It has prompted some foreign media to suspend operations within Russia.

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LONDON  Britains defense secretary says the invasion of Ukraine will be Vladimir Putins downfall as the Russian leader struggles to defeat and occupy a country that has put up unexpectedly staunch resistance to his armies.

Ben Wallace said Russian forces are already exhausted after facing logistical problems and suffering thousands of losses in the first 13 days of fighting. He added it's an impossible task to occupy a country of 44 million people that is bigger than France and Germany combined.

This will be Putins end ... and so it should be, Wallace told the BBC.

Putin is already a spent force in the wider world because the international community has decided the invasion of Ukraine and the humanitarian catastrophe it has unleashed are unacceptable, Wallace said. The international sanctions imposed on Russia are reducing his economy to zero, and Putin is responsible for that, Wallace said.

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GENEVA  The number of refugees fleeing Ukraine reached 2 million on Tuesday, according to the United Nations, the fastest exodus Europe has seen since World War II.

Today the outflow of refugees from Ukraine reaches two million people. Two million, Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, wrote on Twitter.

The update came as a new effort to evacuate civilians along safe corridors finally got underway Tuesday. The route out of the eastern city of Sumy was one of five promised by the Russians to offer civilians a way to escape the Russian onslaught.

Michelle Bachelet, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, is pressing for all civilians trapped by fighting in Ukraine to be allowed to leave safely. She said Tuesday she is deeply concerned about civilians trapped in active hostilities in numerous areas.

Bachelet also told the U.N. Human Rights Council that her office has received reports of pro-Ukrainian activists being arbitrarily detained in areas of eastern Ukraine that have recently come under the control of armed groups. She said there have been reports of beatings of people considered pro-Russian in government-controlled areas.

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TOKYO  Japan says it has suspended the assets of 32 more Russian and Belarusian individuals.

The additional sanctions announced Tuesday target 20 Russians including head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov, deputy chiefs of staff and a press secretary for President Vladamir Putins govenment, and deputy chairmen of the state parliament. The list also includes business executives with close ties to Putin and his administration such as Volga Group, Transneft, the Private Military Company Wagner and USM Holdings.

The sanction targets also included 12 Belarusian officials and business executives, including Belarus National Olympic Committee President Viktor Lukashenko, as well as 12 organizations in Russia and Belarus.

Officials said Japan is also banning exports of oil refinery equipment to Russia and general purpose goods to Belarus that could be used to strengthen the countrys military capability.

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WARSAW, Poland  Poland's prime minister is calling for even tougher sanctions against Russia in order to dismantle President Vladimir Putins war machine.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki made his comments as he departed Warsaw for visits to NATO countries Britain and Norway.

He told reporters that strengthening NATOs eastern flank and pushing for more sanctions would be the main topics of discussion. In particular, Morawiecki wants to urge other European countries to replace Russian crude oil and gas with deliveries from other countries.

Poland has been building a gas pipeline, Baltic Pipe, meant to import gas from Norway.

He called Baltic Pipe a symbol of Polands sovereignty, of Polands independence from Russia, from gas blackmail ... everything which has made it possible for Putin to build a war machine.

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TALLINN, ESTONIA  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is wrapping up a short tour of the three Baltic states aimed at reassuring the former Soviet republics that NATO will guarantee their security as Russias war with Ukraine rolls on unabated.

Blinken was meeting with senior Estonian officials in Tallinn on Tuesday, a day after hearing appeals from both Lithuania and Latvia for more support and greater U.S. and NATO troop presence to deter a feared Russian intervention.

We will defend every inch of NATO territory if it comes under attack, Blinken said Monday in Riga. No one should doubt our readiness. No one should doubt our resolve.

Leaders in all three Baltic states have expressed grave concerns about Russian President Vladimir Putins intentions for former Soviet bloc countries that are now allied or otherwise linked to the West.

Lithuanian President Gitanes Nauseda told Blinken in Vilnius that a policy of deterrence was no longer enough and that forward defense was now needed. He predicted that Putin will not stop in Ukraine if he will not be stopped."

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KYIV, Ukraine  Safe corridors intended to let civilians escape the Russian onslaught in Ukraine could open Tuesday, officials from both sides said, though previous efforts to establish evacuation routes crumbled amid renewed attacks and it was not clear how large the operation would be if it happened.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Tuesday that both sides agreed to a cease-fire from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Ukraine time (0700-1900 GMT) for the evacuation of civilians from the eastern city of Sumy.

The first convoy with evacuated civilians in buses or private cars is to leave at 10 a.m. (0800 GMT), on a single route toward the Ukrainian city of Poltava. She said Russias Defense Ministry agreed to this in a letter to the International Red Cross.

Those being evacuated from Sumy include foreign students from India and China, she said. The corridor will also be used to bring humanitarian aid into Sumy, she said.

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark  The head of the World Health Organizations Europe office says it has confirmed 16 attacks that have affected the provision of health care in Ukraine since Russia's invasion.

Dr. Hans Kluge also told reporters Tuesday that Ukrainian health authorities have remarkably maintained COVID-19 surveillance and response since the invasion began on Feb. 24, though they reported 731 deaths related to the pandemic over the last week.

Kluge warned that sadly, this number will increase as oxygen shortages continue  with older people disproportionately affected.

Catherine Smallwood, senior emergency officer for WHO Europe, said the attacks on health care in Ukraine have led to at least 9 deaths and 16 injuries.

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LONDON  Britains defense secretary said Tuesday that there are reports Ukrainian special forces destroyed over 20 Russian helicopters on the ground overnight as Russias invasion of Ukraine continues to face logistical problems and fierce resistance.

Russias advance toward the capital, Kyiv, continues to face pressure from Ukrainian forces around the nearby towns of Hostomel, Bucha, Vorzel and Irpin, the U.K. Defense Ministry said in an intelligence update released late Monday. In addition, a lengthy Russian column remains stuck on the road north of Kyiv.

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WASHINGTON  The World Bank says it has approved more than $700 million in emergency support for Ukraine.

Dubbed FREE Ukraine, it includes nearly $500 million in loans and guarantees and $134 million in grants, with Japan promising another $100 million in financing. The aid is meant to help the Ukrainian government pay wages of hospital workers, pensions and other social programs.

The World Bank also said it is preparing a $3 billion package of support for Ukraine and the region to help it cope with the flood of displaced people fleeing the fighting.

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TOKYO  Japanese automaker Nissan is planning to halt production at its plant in Russia because of logistical challenges.

Nissan Motor Co. did not provide a specific date but said Tuesday production will stop soon. Its plant in St. Petersburg produced 45,000 vehicles last year, including the X-Trail sport utility vehicle.

The Yokohama-based manufacturer said the safety of its employees is its top priority.

Nissan earlier stopped exports to Russia.

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LVIV, Ukraine  Russian aircraft bombed cities in eastern and central Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian officials said. Shelling pounded suburbs of the capital, Kyiv.

In Sumy and Okhtyrka, to the east of Kyiv near the Russian border, bombs fell on residential buildings and destroyed a power plant, regional leader Dmytro Zhivitsky said. He said there were dead and wounded but gave no figures.

Bombs also hit oil depots in Zhytomyr and the neighboring town of Cherniakhiv, located west of Kyiv.

In Bucha, a Kyiv suburb, the mayor reported heavy artillery fire.

We cant even gather up the bodies because the shelling from heavy weapons doesnt stop day or night, Mayor Anatol Fedoruk said. Dogs are pulling apart the bodies on the city streets. Its a nightmare."
Dozens of educators on strike picket outside Justice Page Middle School in Minneapolis on Tuesday, March 8, 2022. Teachers in the Minneapolis School District walked off the job on Tuesday in a dispute over wages, class sizes and mental health support for students coping with two years of the coronavirus pandemic, at least temporarily pausing classes for about 29,000 students in one of Minnesota's largest school districts. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  Teachers in the Minneapolis School District walked off the job Tuesday in a dispute over wages, class sizes and mental health support for students coping with two years of the coronavirus pandemic, pausing classes for about 29,000 students and nearly 3,300 teachers in one of Minnesota's largest school districts.

Union leaders said they could not get district officials to compromise on wages, especially a living wage for education support professionals, as well as caps on class sizes and more mental health services for students.

We are on strike for safe and stable schools, were on strike for systemic change, were on strike for our students, the future of our city and the future of Minneapolis public schools, Greta Callahan, president of the teachers' chapter of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, said outside a south Minneapolis middle school where more than 100 union members and supporters picketed in freezing weather.

The heads of the two major national teachers unions  the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers  joined the Minneapolis union leaders.

The national teachers union leaders say teachers and support staff across the country are experiencing the same sorts of overload and burnout challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, no other large districts were on the verge of a strike. Minneapolis school officials say theyre already facing budget shortfalls due to enrollment losses stemming from the pandemic and can't spend money they don't have.

The school district called the news disappointing but pledged to keep negotiating. Callahan said the union was also willing to resume bargaining, but no talks were scheduled.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said class sizes are way too high in Minneapolis, with way too few guidance counselors and nurses, and that wages for education support professionals are too low to support families.

How do you attract Black and brown teachers if you don't pay a living wage? Weingarten said.

Classes continued without interuptoin at the neighboring St. Paul Public Schools district, with about 34,000 students, after teachers and administrators announced a tentative agreement late Monday night to avert a strike.

Union officials in both cities said the issues were largely the same. The St. Paul teachers union said their tentative agreement  subject to approval by members  includes maintaining caps on class sizes, increased mental health supports and pay increases.

This agreement could have been reached much earlier. It shouldnt have taken a strike vote, but we got there, local union President Leah VanDassor said.

St. Paul Superintendent Joe Gothard said the agreement was fair while working within the district's budget limitations.

State mediators facilitated the negotiations between administrators and union leaders in both districts.

The Minneapolis district advised parents to arrange their own child care. They said the district could offer emergency child supervision for preschool through fifth graders only on an extremely limited basis starting Wednesday. Bagged breakfasts and lunches can be picked up at schools starting Wednesday. The city's park system extended the hours at its recreation centers to give students places to go and stay busy.

Erin Zielinskis daughter, Sybil, is a first grader at Armatage Community School in southwest Minneapolis. She and her husband support the teachers, though she said she worries whether the unions requests are sustainable.

Zielinski said her family is fortunate. She and her husband can count on support from their parents during a strike, and she still has some flexibility to work remotely.

You kind of become immune to it, between distance learning, and home school, its now a way of life, unfortunately, she said. My husband and I will piece it together.

Minneapolis has about 3,265 teachers, while St. Paul has roughly 3,250 educators. The average annual salary for St. Paul teachers is more than $85,000, while it's more than $71,000 in Minneapolis.

The districts also employ hundreds of lower-paid support staffers who have been a major focus of the talks. The Minneapolis union is seeking a starting salary of $35,000 for education support professionals, up from the current $24,000, with union officials saying it's essential to hire and retain people of color.

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Associated Press writer Doug Glass contributed to this report.

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This story has been updated to correct the last name of the president of the teachers chapter of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers to Callahan, instead of Cunningham, and to note that the union's news conference was held outside a middle school, not an elementary school.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  One person was killed and two others were critically wounded Monday after gunfire that appeared to come from a passing vehicle struck them outside an Iowa school, authorities said.

Des Moines police said in a news release that potential suspects have been detained in the shooting on the grounds of East High School, near Des Moines downtown, about a half mile, from the Capitol. No charges were immediately filed.

Sgt. Paul Parizek told KCCI-TV that calls started pouring in around 2:50 p.m., shortly before classes were scheduled to dismiss for the day.

The district said in a news release that the school was immediately put into lockdown and students were kept inside while police investigated. They were dismissed around 3:30 p.m. after law enforcement gave an all clear.

Principal Jill Versteeg described what happened as everyones worst nightmare" and urged parents to hug your students and love them.

The district said there would be no classes Tuesday and that it was postponing the ACT and parent-teacher conferences. The district also was making grief counselors available.

Superintendent Thomas Ahart said school shootings have become too common and said that real change to gun laws and access would go a long way to help us.

Our staff and students," he said, are forced to train for these incidents and the trauma associated with the repeated drills and incidents will remain with them for years to come. Its unfortunate that our state and our country have become a place where firearms are far too easily accessible.

Parizek said he didnt know whether the victims, who all appeared to be teenagers, were students. Their names weren't immediately released.

Police said they do not believe there is a continued threat to the public.

A motive was not immediately known, and Parizek provided no details on the potential suspects. Authorities have recovered shell casings from the scene as they investigate what happened.

Obviously, we threw every resource we had at this. We know that the kids in that school are our communitys most precious cargo.

Des Moines Police Chief Dana Wingert went to the school after the shooting and expressed frustration at the violence.

Unfortunately what happened here today was just another pointless tragedy in our community, Wingert told TV station WOI-TV. People using firearms to settle their differences.
Thousands of Russians stuck in Thailand as sanctions kick in

By Chayut Setboonsarng and Panarat Thepgumpanat

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thousands of tourists from Russia are currently stranded in Thailand, officials said on Tuesday, as unprecedented Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine put a squeeze on Russians struggling to find flights and finances.

Flight cancellations, a rouble currency in free-fall and payment problems from Russian banks being cut off from the global SWIFT system has left more than 7,000 Russians in limbo in locations like Phuket, Koh Samui, Pattaya and Krabi, Thailand's tourism authority chief said.

"We have to be good hosts and take care of everybody," Yuthasak Supasorn told Reuters.

"There are still Russian tourists on their way here," he added.

Russia's embassy in Bangkok did not immediately respond to request for comment on its citizens.

In 2019, Thailand received 1.4 million Russian visitors. In January, it counted about 23,000 Russians, representing about a fifth of the total arrivals.

About half of those stranded were on the island of Phuket.

"We've asked hotels to reduce prices and extend their stays," Phuket's tourism association president Bhummikitti Ruktaengam said.

Some visitors, when able, had used China's UnionPay after cards issued by Russian banks using U.S. payment firms Visa and Mastercard stopped working, he said.

Visa and Mastercard announced on Saturday they were suspending operations in Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Russia has called its actions there a "special operation".

Though Thailand was among 141 countries that backed a United Nations resolution calling for the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops, it has not imposed any sanctions on Moscow.

Bhummikitti said hundreds of people from Ukraine were also stranded, mainly due to airport closures there.

He said efforts were being made to get stranded Russians onto flights to Moscow on Middle Eastern airlines and to arrange repatriation flights.

A proposal was being considered to allow the use of cryptocurrency for payments at hotels, flights and other businesses in Phuket, he said.

(Editing by Martin Petty)
In this photo Sept. 16, 2020 file photo, provided by the Michigan Office of the Governor, Gov. Whitmer addresses the state during a speech in Lansing, Mich. (Michigan Office of the Governor via AP)

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP)  With secret recordings and other evidence, prosecutors are pledging to show how four men were united behind a wild plot to kidnap Michigan's governor in response to her steps to slow down COVID-19 during the early months of the pandemic.

Jury selection begins Tuesday in a trial that could last more than a month in federal court in western Michigan.

In 2020, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, was trading taunts with then-President Donald Trump over his administration's response to COVID-19. Her critics, meanwhile, were regularly protesting at the Michigan Capitol, clogging streets around the statehouse and legally carrying semi-automatic rifles into the building.

During that turbulent time, when stay-home orders were in place and the economy was restricted, Adam Fox, Brandon Caserta, Barry Croft Jr. and Daniel Harris were coming up with a plot to snatch Whitmer, prosecutors say.

They're accused of taking critical steps over several months, including secret messaging, gun drills in the woods and a night drive to northern Michigan to scout her second home and figure out how to blow up a bridge.

The FBI, which had infiltrated the group, said it thwarted the plan with the arrests of six men in October 2020. Two of them, Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks, have pleaded guilty and will appear as crucial witnesses for the government, giving jurors an inside view of what was planned.

This combination of photos provided by the Kent County Sheriff and the Delaware Department of Justice shows, top row from left, Brandon Caserta and Barry Croft; bottom row from left, Adam Dean Fox and Daniel Harris. (Kent County Sheriff, Delaware Department of Justice via AP)

Garbin, for example, said Fox, the alleged ringleader, wanted the men to chip in for a $4,000 explosive large enough to destroy a bridge near Whitmer's home and distract police during a kidnapping.

"The blood of tyrants needs to be shed, Garbin quoted Caserta as saying during a meeting.

Garbin and Franks insist no one in the group acted because of excessive influence by agents or undercover informants.

"It is not the end of the case for the defense, but it's a big obstacle to overcome," John Smietanka, a former federal prosecutor, said of the pair's cooperation. It's going to come down to the credibility of witnesses plus the effect of any extrinsic evidence, like tapes.

Indeed, prosecutors said much of the evidence will be the defendants' own words gathered during secret recordings. The government will also offer screenshots of text messages as well as photos and videos posted on social media.

Ahead of the trial, defense lawyers panned the case, especially the staggering use of informants. They deny any conspiracy to kidnap Whitmer and have signaled an entrapment defense.

The agents and snitches recruited the defendants, arranged meetings, paid for travel, paid for hotels, rented cars, produced promotional videos demonstrating explosives, purchased equipment, vetted new members, hatched the ideas and directed the operations, said Joshua Blanchard, who is Croft's attorney.

Defense lawyer Christopher Gibbons said Fox did not want to kidnap Whitmer, though he made many inflammatory remarks about the governor and what he considered to be unconstitutional acts.

'The things they recorded were the defendants own words'

Agents and informants were the binding force and catalyst for every event, impassioned speech and nearly every suggestion of criminality, Gibbons said in a court filing.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nils Kessler said informants were paid to collect information, not to induce crimes.

The things they recorded were the defendants own words. Thats what makes the defendants look guilty, Kessler told a judge Friday.

A successful entrapment defense requires evidence that the government induced someone to commit a crime that they otherwise wouldn't be inclined to carry out, Smietanka said.

Whitmer, who is seeking reelection this year, rarely talks publicly about the case and isn't expected to attend the trial. After charges were filed in 2020, just weeks before the fall election, she accused Trump of giving comfort to antigovernment extremists with his rhetoric.

The plots and threats against me, no matter how disturbing, could not deter me from doing everything I could to save as many lives as possible by listening to medical and health experts, Whitmer said last summer, referring to COVID-19.

Separately, authorities in state court are prosecuting eight men who are accused of aiding the group.
A map shows the location of Cafe Istanbul in Beverly Hills

Two men who carried out a hate-motivated attack at a Turkish restaurant in Beverly Hills in 2020 were sentenced to federal prison terms Monday, authorities said.

William Stepanyan, a 23-year-old Glendale resident, and Harutyun Harry Chalikyan, a 24-year-old Tujunga resident, previously pleaded guilty to one count each of federal conspiracy and hate crime charges, according to a sentencing memorandum filed by prosecutors Sunday.

Stepanyan was sentenced to five years in federal prison, according to the U.S. attorney's office for the Central District of California. Chalikyan was sentenced to one year and three months in prison.

The men were also ordered to pay $21,000 in restitution, according to the sentencing memorandum.

The attack on Nov. 4, 2020, was rooted in the historic animosity between Turkey and Armenia, according to authorities. Both Stepanyan and Chalikyan are Armenian American.

Tensions between Turkish and Armenian communities worldwide flared in September 2020 as Turkey supported Azerbaijan in its border war with Armenia.

On the day of the attack, Stepanyan sent a text message to Chalikyan, saying that he planned to go "hunting for [T]urks," prosecutors said.

The defendants and "at least nine other people" drove to the restaurant, which they chose "because they considered the restaurant symbolic of Turkey and believed that Turkish people would be present," prosecutors said.

After arriving at the restaurant, Stepanyan and Chalikyan "stormed" inside and attacked victims while wearing masks, prosecutors said.

According to the plea agreement, the two men shouted things like: "Turks!"; "Ah! Armenia!"; "Azerbaijan!"; "Artsakh is Armenia!" and "We came to kill you! We will kill you!"

Four of the five victims of the attack were of Turkish descent, prosecutors said. Multiple people were injured, "including one individual who lost feeling in their legs and collapsed multiple times due to the injury," they added.

Stepanyan also ripped out the restaurants computer terminals and stole a victims iPhone, prosecutors said.

The attack resulted in at least $20,000 in property damage and forced the restaurant to close temporarily, "resulting in thousands of dollars in lost revenue," prosecutors said.

The restaurant, Cafe Istanbul in Beverly Hills, is not identified in court documents. The business name was previously disclosed to The Times by the Beverly Hills Police Department, which helped investigate the incident.

A statement by one of the victims was filed in court Friday.

In the statement, which is translated from Turkish, the victim said he came to America "with great hope of equality and acceptance," but that hope was "all but completely shattered" by the attack.

The victim described being stunned at first as Stepanyan and Chalikyan came in shouting slurs and threatening to kill Turkish people.

The victim said the front of the restaurant was blocked by a mob of violent men, so he, his wife and an employee of the restaurant were forced to run through a reception desk area that was within Stepanyan's and Chalikyan's "path of destruction and violence."

As they ran into a corridor toward a back exit, the victim said, Stepanyan hurled a chair, which hit him in the back and knocked him into a wall.

"Have you ever heard the sound of terror," he wrote, recalling his wife's screams.

They reached the emergency exit and emerged in an alley, but found themselves hemmed in by groups of men on both sides.

"Their silhouettes grew as they converged upon us with rage," the victim wrote.

The victim, his wife and the employee ran into an apartment complex behind the restaurant and knocked on the door of the first apartment they could find.

A resident let them in. They called 911 and the Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles for help, the victim wrote, adding that he is haunted by memories of the attack.

He worries for his family and for the one employee who did not quit after the attack, according to the statement. He said he also fears answering the phone because people have left voicemails or made direct threats to "drop the case" and keep their mouths shut.

The victim wrote that he does not believe the majority of Armenian Americans support what happened and thanked his Armenian friends for standing by him and his family.

According to a letter of support filed by his parents, Stepanyan's mental health deteriorated in his 20s as he started drinking alcohol. His parents described him as a loving, caring person when sober and said they thought alcohol alone was the cause of his problem behavior.

"But as things got more difficult at home  we accepted that he may have some mental illness [and] that we need professional help," Stepanyan's parents wrote. "Just when we found a professional psychologist, the pandemic happened and they stopped taking patients."

Stepanyan's parents said they speak with him by phone every day. He has been in jail for over a year.

"He is realizing how much alcohol has been a bad impact on his life," they wrote. "We want him to be out of this mess so as a family, we can find the help and support he needs for a bright and healthy future."

No documents in support of Chalikyan were filed in court as of Monday night, and attorneys for both defendants could not be reached for comment.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Ukrainian Americans and supporters marching to protest Russia's invasion of Ukraine pass a gas station on Santa Monica Boulevard in Westwood on Feb. 26. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

It was one of the more unusual online crowdfunding efforts in recent years: When Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, many internet users and some mainstream American news outlets shared links for donating to Ukraine's outmatched military.

One of the crowdfunding supporters was Emmy Gengler, chief executive of Softjourn, whose California-based technology services company has posted information on platforms including Twitter and LinkedIn about how to donate to humanitarian efforts as well as a National Bank of Ukraine fund to help finance the Ukrainian armed forces.

Softjourn has been supporting the Ukrainian army for the last eight years," since Russian-backed separatists took over part of eastern Ukraine and Crimea, said Gengler; company support has included medical equipment such as ambulances. Softjourn has employees on multiple continents, including about 200 employees based in Ukraine, some of whom have left the country and some of whom are staying and working through the conflict, Gengler said. Calls and meetings are sometimes interrupted by air-raid sirens. In addition to the war hitting close to home for Softjourn, "we also have to look at the bigger picture, which is that I do not believe Putin will stop with Ukraine," Gengler said.

As the U.S. government and other NATO powers send weapons to Ukraine and impose economic sanctions on Russia, many private citizens, companies and others sympathetic to Ukraine have been waging a parallel effort online to directly and indirectly contribute to the country's resistance and humanitarian efforts.

Like many global crises in the 21st century  like the recent "digital Dunkirk" to help some Afghans flee Taliban rule  a smartphone and an internet connection are sometimes all that's needed for civilians in liberal democracies to pitch in, at least within the geopolitical boundaries drawn by their own governments. The U.S. government, at least so far, has not seemed to try to restrain American citizens from providing aid to Ukraine's armed resistance.

Crowdfunding brings internet users "into the intimate proximity to the conflict," said Olga Boichak, a Ukrainian-born lecturer in digital cultures and a digital war expert at the University of Sydney in Australia, who has studied the military crowdfunding efforts that had already been underway in Ukraine since 2014. "It unsettles the boundary between the military logistics and the civilian logistics."

In the days since the Russian invasion began, cryptocurrency users have sent more than $59 million in crypto assets to the National Bank of Ukraine account for the military and to a popular Ukrainian nonprofit, Come Back Alive, that helps provide resources to frontline fighters, according to Elliptic, a crypto analytics company. The National Bank of Ukraine has reported receiving the equivalent of nearly $100,000 in donations in foreign currencies, including the U.S. dollar, euro, British pound, Canadian dollar, Chinese renminbi, Japanese yen, Swiss franc, Polish zloty, and the Australian dollar.

Ive had several folks reach out and say, 'Hey, I want to donate to the Ukrainian military," said Lindy Kyzer, director of content for ClearanceJobs.com, which Kyzer described as "the CNN of the security clearance process" to get jobs working with classified U.S. government information. "I havent found anything that said thats illegal, but if you have an active clearance, you shouldnt be donating to a foreign military."

Kyzer said she had also been contacted by U.S. National Guard members wanting to directly sign up to fight with the Ukrainian military, which she advised against, given their official duties. Welcome to the crowdfunded military effort," Kyzer said. "Its fueled by internet and web-savvy [people] and cryptocurrency and the ubiquitousness of the spread of information.

Western private support for Ukraine in the digital arena goes beyond crowdfunding. Since the Russian invasion began, Microsoft has directly advised Ukraine's government on how to counter cyberattacks against Ukrainian military institutions, manufacturers and government agencies. Entrepreneur Elon Musk sent satellite-supported Starlink terminals to Ukraine to help maintain internet access.

Longtime fears over Russian "disinformation" campaigns to mislead public opinion in other countries have also cooled as many social-media users have instead been won over by the PR offensive by Ukraine's entertainer-turned-president Volodymyr Zelensky, whose defiant speeches against the invasion have been retweeted tens of thousands of times on Twitter.

U.S.-based tech giants like Google and Meta have played their own role in the opinion wars by restricting access to Russian-backed media channels such as RT, which have refused to call the invasion a "war" in accordance with Kremlin policy. Platforms have also been cracking down on social media users engaged in "coordinated" deceptive posting.

Many of these efforts have often come at the explicit request of Ukrainian leaders reaching for every tool available to help fight off a vastly larger military on the physical battlefield, while also hoping to economically and politically isolate the Russian government in the international arena to make peace more appealing.

"No more @Apple product sales in Russia!" Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov wrote on Twitter, in one of his many messages tagging companies and officials demanding Russian boycotts. "Now @tim_cook let's finish the job and block @AppStore access in Russia. They kill our children, now kill their access!" he implored, calling out the Apple CEO.

Not every boycott request is granted, and there are limits to how far some outsiders are able  or willing  to go in helping erect a new, digital Iron Curtain around Russia, which itself has been criminalizing media and digital content that strays from the government's tightly controlled propaganda about the scope and bloodiness of the war.

Some cryptocurrency supporters also rejected Ukrainian calls for cryptocurrency exchanges to block Russian users, arguing in part that citizens shouldn't be punished for the actions of their government. After a request from Ukraine officials to effectively kick Russian websites off the internet, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, which helps manage web addresses, said it had neither the technical ability nor unilateral authority to take such steps.

"Your desire is to help users seek reliable information in alternative domain zones and prevent propaganda and disinformation," the organization's president, Goran Marby, argued in part in an otherwise sympathetic letter. "It is only through broad and unimpeded access to the Internet that citizens can receive reliable information and a diversity of viewpoints."

Some U.S. digital platforms have been squeamish about allowing crowdfunding for Ukrainian nonprofits that provide equipment to the Ukrainian military.

Patreon blocked fundraising for one of the most popular such groups, Come Back Alive, as a violation of its platform policies restricting "anything that facilitates harmful or illegal activities." (Come Back Alive had said its efforts included training 350 snipers, more than 2,000 sappers and more than 3,000 gunners, and training is being conducted to train UAV [drone] operators.) GoFundMe has blocked any fundraiser that supports "any war effort support, regardless of the country, which can include funding weapons, any supplies to soldiers, and propaganda."

A U.S. State Department spokesperson declined to specifically address Americans' donations to Ukrainian military efforts but emphasized there are many humanitarian relief efforts that can also be supported.

While the digital component of the story might be novel, there's nothing new about American civilians picking sides in foreign conflicts and wanting to help, even if their government doesn't. Direct aid from U.S. civilians for fighters has often been explicitly forbidden in other conflicts, depending on whether the U.S. government has sanctioned the combatants or designated them as terrorist groups.

"If theres been one thing Ive learned, it's that supporting violence abroad is something done only in the most like tightly controlled of situations, in that the government sets the agenda, and deviating from its line to support violence abroad is done at your peril," said Wadie Said, a law professor at the University of South Carolina and a former federal public defender who has written about terrorism prosecutions in the U.S.

Martin Galvin, a New York attorney and former national publicity director of Irish Northern Aid, recalled how U.S. officials accused the group of acting as a front for the Irish Republican Army during the Troubles, which Galvin denied. (Galvin said he a saw "a lot of parallels" with the Ukrainian resistance against Russia and that he was "very sympathetic": "Youre dealing with overwhelming force from someone you view as foreign occupier.") During the 1970s and 80s, U.S. officials clamped down on Americans, including Galvin, who wanted to support Irish republicans opposing British rule.

They tried to use the Foreign [Agents] Registrations Act. They would visit people, say youre involved with a group; they tried to say we were agents of the Irish Republican Army, which we said we were not," Galvin said. "We were Americans who were concerned and wanted to help Ireland the way many people want to help Ukraine today."

Galvin expressed amazement at the ways Ukrainians and their supporters could use digital tools to rally support today compared to decades past.

"You could not do that sort of fundraising. Youd have people having events where theyd do a speaker or events or a gathering where theyd have protests and take a collection," Galvin said. We couldnt go on Facebook and organize an event. We couldnt go on Zoom and organize a conference.

When it comes to U.S. neutrality laws, Jason Blazakis, a senior research fellow at the Soufan Center and a former director of the Counterterrorism Terrorism Finance and Designations Office, at the U.S. Department of State, said he thought it seemed unlikely U.S. officials would legally crack down on pro-Ukraine crowdfunders given its own support of Zelensky's government.

Its very clear that the United States has picked a side, right?" Blazakis said. It would be hard for the U.S. to do much about it, because the U.S. is providing direct support too.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Queen has continued with her run of official duties this week, holding two virtual audiences at Windsor Castle.

The monarch greeted the High Commissioner of India and the Ambassador of Armenia, who spoke to her via video-link from Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.

Wearing a vibrant orange dress, the 95-year-old head of state chatted to the diplomats as they presented their credentials.

The Queen on screen during a virtual audience to receive the Ambassador of Armenia, Varuzhan Nersesyan, and Mrs Narine Malkhasyan (Victoria Jones/PA)

Gaitri Issar Kumar, the High Commissioner of India, in traditional Indian dress, gave a namaste greeting, while Armenian ambassador Varuzhan Nersesyan, in a morning suit, bowed to the monarch.

On Monday, the Queen held her first in-person engagement since catching Covid, meeting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Mr Trudeau said at a Downing Street press conference afterwards that the monarch was as insightful and perspicacious as ever.

The High Commissioner of India, Gaitri Issar Kumar, presents her credentials (Victoria Jones/PA)

He later tweeted: Its always wonderful to see Queen Elizabeth II.

When we met at Windsor Castle, we spoke about a wide range of issues  including global affairs, the situation in Ukraine, and Her Majestys lifetime of service to Canada and the Commonwealth.

Its always wonderful to see Queen Elizabeth II. When we met at Windsor Castle, we spoke about a wide range of issues  including global affairs, the situation in Ukraine, and Her Majestys lifetime of service to Canada and the Commonwealth. https://t.co/MHaFiuYBDV  Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) March 7, 2022

A photograph taken during the audience at Windsor featured a large bouquet of blue and yellow flowers, the colours of the Ukrainian flag, behind the Queen and Mr Trudeau.

The gesture was seen as a symbol of the Queens support for the people of Ukraine.
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - A senior member of Russia's ruling party has proposed nationalising foreign-owned factories that shut down operations in the country over what the Kremlin calls a special military operation in Ukraine.

Several foreign companies including Toyota, Nike and home furnishings retailer IKEA have announced temporary shutdowns of stores and factories in Russia in order to put pressure on the Kremlin to stop its invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.

In a statement published on Monday evening on the United Russia website, the secretary of the ruling party's general council Andrei Turchak said that shutting operations was a "war" against the citizens of Russia.

The statement mentioned Finnish privately-owned food companies Fazer, Valio and Paulig as the latest to announce closures in Russia.

"United Russia proposes nationalising production plants of the companies that announce their exit and the closure of production in Russia during the special operation in Ukraine," Turchak said.

"This is an extreme measure, but we will not tolerate being stabbed in the back, and we will protect our people. This is a real war, not against Russia as a whole, but against our citizens," he said.

"We will take tough retaliatory measures, acting in accordance with the laws of war," Turchak said.

Paulig Chief Executive told Reuters in an email that this would not change its plans to withdraw from Russia. Fazer and Valio did not wish to comment when contacted by Reuters.

Fazer, which makes chocolate, bread and pastries, has three bakeries in St Petersburg and one in Moscow, employing around 2,300 people.

Valio has one cheese factory and employs 400 people in Russia, and Paulig has a coffee roastery and employs 200 people in the country.

Last week, non-NATO member Finland, which shares a border with Russia, agreed to strengthen security ties with the United States as it nervously watches Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; additional reporting by Essi Lehto, editing by Ed Osmond, Kirsten Donovan)
Boris Johnson has insisted the UK will be as generous as possible to Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion as criticism continued over the slow pace of processing visa applications.

Amid signs of frustration in Whitehall, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace offered military support to the Home Office to help deal with the backlog of people trying to get into the UK.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss announced that a new visa processing centre is being set up in Lille in northern France following reports that refugees arriving in Calais were being told they must go to Paris or Brussels to apply.

The Prime Minister briefed the weekly meeting of the Cabinet on the latest situation in Ukraine ahead of a historic address to the House of Commons by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Ukrainian leader is expected to use his speech  by video-link from Kyiv  to appeal again for a Nato no-fly zone over his country, something Britain and other Western allies have ruled out amid fears it would lead to a wider war with Russia.

A No 10 spokesman said Mr Johnson told Cabinet that the UK is continuing to supply lethal defensive aid and equipment to bolster the Ukrainian forces heroic resistance in the face of the Russian onslaught.

The Prime Minister said the UK would be as generous as we could in its support for Ukrainian refugees, while Home Secretary Priti Patel set out the extra assistance the Government is providing.

The Home Office disclosed on Monday night that just 300 visas had been issued out of a total of 17,700 family scheme applications that have been started, 8,900 of which have been submitted.

In the Commons, Home Office minister Kevin Foster said the figure for visas issued has since risen to more than 500, while the new processing centre at Lille is expected to be set up within the next 24 hours.

He told MPs officials are also looking at how transport can be provided between Calais and Lille, but the slow rate of progress continues to attract criticism from all sides.

(PA Graphics)

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said that, while other countries are supporting hundreds of thousands of people, 600 people seeking to reach the UK have been turned back at Calais.

Most want to stay close to home but some want to come here to join family or friends, and we should be helping them; instead most people are still being held up by our Home Office bureaucracy or being turned away, she said.

Senior Tory backbencher Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, who secured an emergency Commons statement, said that, while security checks are important, it should be possible to speed up the process.

We need efficiency but also humanity when it when processing applications of refugees from Ukraine, and we should warmly welcome those refugees to this country, he said.

Mr Foster said officials were having to deal with people presenting with false documents and making claims that are not true.

Ben Wallace, arriving for Cabinet, said President Putinwas a spent force (James Manning/PA)

However Conservative former immigration minister Caroline Nokes said there was still no sign of a promised humanitarian sponsorship visa route to operate alongside the family route.

Snails also move at pace, she told Mr Foster.

When (he) says he is moving at pace it needs to be a great deal faster.

Earlier Mr Wallace acknowledged that the Government needed to move quicker and said he was offering Ministry of Defence (MoD) support to the Home Office to speed up the work.

We can do more, we will do more, he told BBC Breakfast.

Its not the case that we are only allowing 300 people in; it is the case that the system has not been quick enough, which is what were going to address.

(PA Graphics)

While Mr Wallace again reiterated his opposition to a no-fly zone, he said that however the conflict in Ukraine played out, it was clear President Vladimir Putin was a spent force.

He said the Russian leader would not break the people of Ukraine and that he now potentially faced decades of occupation which would be impossible to sustain.

Whatever we think about President Putin, he is done. He is a spent force in the world. No-one will be taking his phone calls in the long term, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme.

He has exhausted his army, he is responsible for thousands of Russian soldiers being killed, responsible for innocent people being killed, civilians being killed in Ukraine.

He is reducing his economy to zero, because the international community has decided that is absolutely unacceptable, what hes done.

So he is a spent force in the world and I dont know whether he thinks thats a clever thing to be, but that diminishes his own country in the world and he has to take responsibility for that.
MPs will hear from Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the Ukrainian plight as Boris Johnson continues his diplomatic offensive to encourage Western leaders to punish Russia for the invasion.

Mr Zelenskyy will address the House of Commons at 5pm by video link after Speaker Lindsay Hoyle approved a request for a historic address from the Ukrainian president who, according to reports, is at risk of assassination by pro-Russian groups in Kyiv.

He gave an address to the European Parliament last week and imparted a virtual message to the US Senate on Saturday, with the embattled leader expected on Tuesday to renew messages from those speeches to MPs, including pushing for the West to install a no-fly zone over Ukraine and for more arms to be delivered.

The Prime Minister, who speaks with Mr Zelenskyy on a regular basis, has consistently ruled out the UK policing Ukrainian skies, arguing it would mean shooting down Russian planes.

On Monday evening, Mr Johnson spoke with US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, with the four leaders vowing to continue to apply pressure on Russia to isolate Putin diplomatically and economically.

A No 10 spokeswoman said: The Prime Minister stressed that our goal must be ensuring Putins failure in this act of aggression against Ukraine.

The Foreign Secretary met with the Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, on the same evening.

Speaking with @EmmanuelMacron, @OlafScholz and @POTUS this afternoon, we agreed to continue applying the pressure on Russia to isolate Putin diplomatically and economically  ensuring his barbaric venture is a total and complete failure. pic.twitter.com/bj76YJUJjQ  Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) March 7, 2022

Liz Truss tweeted afterwards that the UK is working to cripple Russias war effort and to rally the international community.

The UK will do all we can to support the Ukrainian people. Putin must fail, she added.

On Tuesday, Mr Johnson will host leaders of the Visegrad Four of central European nations  the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia  to discuss the conflict.

The diplomatic efforts on the international stage comes as the UK Government faces domestic pressure to speed-up its efforts to grant safety to fleeing Ukrainians, with Labour criticising the process for being painfully slow.

The Home Office on Friday confirmed that 8,900 applications for refugees to come to the UK via the Ukraine Family Scheme had been submitted since Friday, but that only 300 visas had been issued.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper tweeted: Thats shockingly low and painfully slow. Just 250 since yesterday.

At this rate it would be weeks before many families reunite. Urgent action needed.

Home Office confirms tonight that only 300 Family Scheme Visas have been issued even tho thousands are trying to reach family. Thats shockingly low & painfully slow. Just 250 since yesterday. At this rate it would be weeks before many families reunite. Urgent action needed.  Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP) March 7, 2022

Separately, Michael Gove said Russian president Vladimir Putin could inflict worse pain on the Ukrainian people than he has already.

The Housing Secretary, speaking to LBCs Tonight With Andrew Marr programme, looked to downplay the threat of nuclear warfare but said Mr Putin had a number of other options, all grisly, at his disposal before he ever goes anywhere near the use of nuclear weapons.

His comments follow after Ukrainian lawyers told the International Court of Justice that Moscow had resorted to tactics reminiscent of medieval siege warfare as Kyiv called for Western intervention to prevent further bloodshed.

An update from the UK Ministry of Defence published late on Monday said Russia continues to directly target evacuation corridors, resulting in the death of several civilians while trying to evacuate Irpin, near the Ukrainian capital.

Russian invasion of Ukraine (PA Graphics)

A further 175 million of UK aid for Ukraine was announced on Monday, with Health Secretary Sajid Javid posting on social media that, following a fifth airborne medicines shipment, around 485,000 items of essential medical supplies had been delivered to help the war-inflicted country.

Meanwhile, new laws designed to tackle dirty money hidden in the UK cleared the House of Commons  although ministers were pushed to go further on seizing oligarchs assets.

The Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Bill received an unopposed third reading after it was rushed through in response to Russias invasion.

Aimed at uncovering Russian state-linked money, the legislation is set to establish a new register of overseas entities requiring foreign owners of property in the UK to declare their true identity.
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YEREVAN, MARCH 8, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan issued a statement on International Womens Day.

Dear women,

I warmly congratulate all of you on the occasion of International Women's Day, March 8. Especially on this day we are full of warmth towards the women around us, we are more attentive and caring.

Thanks to your care, wisdom and patience, you have ensured the strength of our families for centuries, raising patriotic children first of all. Your devotion to the family and homeland contributes to the preservation and strengthening of national traditions.

At the same time, on this day, particular importance is attached to the symbolism of the March 8 - the Protection of Women's Rights.

I would like to emphasize that ensuring equal rights between women and men and ensuring full participation in all spheres of public life is one of the priorities of the Government of the Republic of Armenia.

We work continuously to increase the role of women in public life, to protect labor rights, protect victims of violence, to ensure the involvement of women in public administration, local self-government bodies, political processes. It is not by accident that many women are successfully working in the upper echelons of the public administration system, as well as in the power structures, in the sphere of protection of public life, I hope their number will increase more and more.

Dear women,

Our Government will pursue the solution of the issues you raise and will consistently contribute to the full realization of your potential.

I once again congratulate all of you on this beautiful holiday, wishing family warmth, prosperity, happiness, optimism, professional success and new initiatives, the Prime Minister said in the statement published by his office.
YEREVAN, MARCH 8, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense continues to spread disinformation on the border situation, falsely accusing the Armenian military in opening fire at Azerbaijani military positions in various sections of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the Armenian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

The latest disinformation from the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense was released on March 8, falsely accusing the Armenian military in opening fire at Azerbaijani positions deployed in the western section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in the morning of March 8.

This information is again false. After the provocation by the Azerbaijani side in the same direction on March 7, the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border has been relatively stable and under the full control of the Armenian Armed Forces, the Armenian Ministry of Defense said.
YEREVAN, MARCH 8, ARMENPRESS. The United States contributed to the beginning of the Ukrainian crisis with its policy of NATOs eastern expansion, RIA Novosti quoted Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian as saying at a press briefing.

Lijian said China always believed that one countrys security cannot be ensured at the expense of other countries, while regional security cannot be ensured at the expense of the expansion of military blocs.

With its policy of NATO expansion the United States threw a huge beam onto the flame of the Ukrainian crisis, Lijian said.
RTHK: S.Korea seizes N.Korean boat, fires warning shot

South Korea's military seized a North Korean boat that crossed into its waters on Tuesday and fired a warning shot to see off a North Korean patrol vessel that tried to intervene, Seoul officials said.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency initially described the vessel as a fishing boat, but officials said that had still to be determined.

Seven unarmed sailors were aboard the vessel, but six appeared to be wearing uniforms, a South Korean military official said. During initial questioning, the North Korean sailors claimed that there must have been a "navigating error".

A North Korean patrol boat that was tracking the seized vessel briefly crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto sea boundary, but turned back after the South Korean military broadcast warnings and fired a warning shot, a second military official said.

"We've informed the North side that we're making checks on the boat and will notify the results," the official told reporters.

The boat crossed into the South's waters at around 9:30am (0030 GMT), and was about 10 kilometres off the west coast of the peninsula when it was seized and towed to Baengnyeongdo island for investigation, the official said.

The official said it was the first time that a North Korean patrol vessel had crossed the border since 2018, when the rival Koreas agreed to cease "all hostile acts" and dismantled some structures along the heavily fortified land border.

The incident comes at delicate time on the Korean Peninsula. The South is set to hold a presidential election on Wednesday, and tension has risen over the North's recent weapons tests and fresh signs of activity at its nuclear testing site. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2022-03-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Three teens in critical condition after shooting outside high school in U.S. Iowa

Xinhua) 08:27, March 08, 2022

Police said the victims reportedly included two boys and one girl and they were all taken to the hospital.

WASHINGTON, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Three teenagers are in critical condition after a shooting outside a high school in Des Moines, the capital city of midwestern U.S. state of Iowa, on Monday afternoon, authorities said.

The victims reportedly included two boys and one girl and they were all taken to the hospital.

Police said they started receiving calls around 2:48 p.m. Central Time (2048 GMT) and have detained possible suspects.

Des Moines police tweeted earlier that there were "multiple shooting victims" outside East High School, located about 1.5 miles (about 2.4 kilometers) northeast of the city's downtown.

The school was temporarily on lockdown but has been given the all-clear, Des Moines Public Schools said in a statement.

"Police are actively investigating," the statement read. "Students are dismissing on time."

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Kansas City Field Division, which covers states including Iowa, tweeted that special agents from its Des Moines field office are assisting police with the investigation.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
An Enfield man has pleaded guilty to an offense related to his theft of nearly $70,000 from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, according to federal authorities.

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Derrick Brewer, 37, pleaded guilty via videoconference before U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala to one count of theft of government funds, according to federal authorities.

Brewer submitted paperwork to the VA offices in Hartford in March 2018 as part of an application for service-connected disability benefits, according to federal officials, who cited court documents and statements made in court.

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Authorities said in a statement that Brewer submitted a form known as a DD-214, which indicated that his discharge from his former service in the U.S. Coast Guard was characterized as Honorable.

However, the DD-214 had been altered prior to its submission, as official Coast Guard records show that Brewers discharge was characterized as Other Than Honorable Conditions following Brewers convictions under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, federal authorities said in the statement. There is no record of the discharge characterization ever having been upgraded.

As a result of the submission, Brewer collected approximately $69,584.16 in VA benefits from March 2018 through September 2020, federal authorities said in the statement.

Brewer was arrested on a criminal complaint on Oct. 29, 2020.

The charge of theft of government funds carries a maximum prison term of 10 years, federal authorities said. Nagala scheduled sentencing for May 27, 2022. Brewer is free on a $10,000 bond pending sentencing, federal authorities said in the statement.

The case matter was investigated by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of the Inspector General, Northeast Field Office, and the Coast Guard Investigative Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elena L. Coronado and Margaret M. Donovan.
Nancy Carolyn Roberts Chappell, 71, a native and lifelong resident of Crossett, died Wednesday, April 20, 2022, at her sisters residence in Hamburg. She was a 1968 graduate of Crossett High School and a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Monticello School of Nursing. She worked as a  Read more
Womens participation as workers has declined, though more girls complete school education and enter colleges and professional programmes

There is the need for another social and political movement for radical changes in creating the conditions that enable women and girls to access the opportunities to which they are entitled as citizens, as competent and productive persons. (Representational Image/ AFP)

The time has come to talk of many things, beyond dress codes, obedience and protection as the price that women must pay to be safe, beyond roles and responsibilities, to the idea of equality, justice, freedom for women. Beyond the identity and roles constructed to keep them intellectually, emotionally, politically, economically and socially dependent forever, there is a reality and a life from which women are being squeezed out.

Womens participation as workers has declined, though more and more girls complete school education and enter colleges and professional programmes. As a major economy with ambitions of pushing itself up from sixth spot to the fifth and so ousting Britain from its current place, Indias female labour participation rate is deplorable and getting worse.

Fewer women participate in the workforce: in the July-September 2020 quarter, it dropped to 16.1 per cent, the lowest among major economies, a government report said, reflecting the Covid-19 pandemics impact, a widening job crisis and a social/policy crisis that failed to address this distressing decline.

World Bank estimates show India has one of the lowest female labour force participation rates worldwide. It fell to 20.3 per cent in 2019 from over 26 per cent in 2005. Neighbouring Bangladesh has 30.63 per cent female participation in the workforce, while it is 81.5 per cent in Nepal. Most employed women in India are in low-skilled work, like farm and factory labour and domestic help, sectors hit hard by the pandemic.

The World Economic Forums Global Gender Gap rankings are even more revealing. It will take South Asia just under 200 years, that is 195.4 years, to close the gender gap at the current rate of progress. India ranks 140, Pakistan 153; Bangladesh ranks 65 and Nepal 106; all of which goes to show India is doing very little to close the gender gap and its policies are, despite the chest thumping of the political class and ruling party headed by Narendra Modi, so seriously wrong that it will take more than politics and propaganda to make the changes that will enable women to become equal citizens and join in productive work, beyond the kitchen and the fields.

Deploying the hijab as a symbol of Islamist propaganda or medieval repression by Bajrangis and the BJP-led government in Karnataka turns the issue of women and freedom into a supercharged confrontation over identities and a political agenda of divisive, fear-mongering, hate-inducing communal majoritarianism which is the single most important goal of the Sangh Parivar as it fights to establish Hindutvas hegemony before its popularity fizzles out. The panel led by BJP MP Heena Vijaykumar Gavit reported on the findings of the parliamentary committee that looked at, among other things, the impact of Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao in the context of the Covid-19 crisis that girls were disproportionately affected, especially their education. The committee called for urgent measures to prevent girls from poor families and in rural areas from dropping out and becoming invisible in the post-pandemic scenario, when there was an increased probability of more adolescent girls dropping out of school permanently to help with household tasks and childcare due to economic hardships.

Issuing orders that hijabs have to be removed for access to secondary-tertiary education institutions in Karnataka is exactly what is wrong with policymaking and politics in India. While the parliamentary committee focused on the urgency of retaining girls in education and finding ways to bring them back into schools and the college system, the BJP and its government in Karnataka was busy searching for ways to exclude girls by compelling them to accept dress codes because it converted a practice into a confrontation, leaving the girls with no space for negotiation. The girls were trapped between a hostile State and an equally aggressive patriarchy and its protectors from within the community.

Identity politics is isnt the best way for India to begin the arduous task of closing the gender gap. By bringing women and girls into play in communal confrontations, the BJP has made it more difficult for girls to fight for their right to education and participation in the labour force. It is perhaps the worst possible strategy for helping girls in the 21st century.

There was a time when enabling women and girls to come out of invisibility, behind the socially imposed purdah or veil was synonymous with emancipation, liberation, freedom and equality. Defying the rigid codes of conduct that excluded women from participation in public affairs, education and decision-making, from having an autonomous identity as a person and a citizen was a life-and-death struggle.

Women negotiated through a combination of defiance and conformity to create the space that enabled them to tear down the purdah and remove the veil. There was a social and political movement that supported this radical change.

There is the need for another social and political movement for radical changes in creating the conditions that enable women and girls to access the opportunities to which they are entitled as citizens, as competent and productive persons. Restricting radical change to replacing firewood and cow dung cakes in the kitchen with subsidised cooking gas and providing dysfunctional toilets to protect women from the male gaze is paternalism at its best. Its a protection racket sold by patriarchy to extract obedience and loyalty from women under the guise of liberation. Expecting Muslim women to tear off the hijab because the Narendra Modi government has outlawed triple talaq is part of the same narrative.

Women are working harder in rural areas in Covid times to help families survive. This is a temporary glitch and will change as the economy looks up. What is required is a serious political commitment and a consensus that India will make changes in labour laws, working conditions, transportation, law and order, policing and incentivise the participation of girls in education and appropriate employment. Appointing a woman as head of the Securities and Exchange Board means a lot; but it doesnt mean women have flooded the valley as equal participants in the workforce and are conquering summits because their presence lifts them to the top.

The continuing trend of falling workforce participation, especially after marriage, is the reality and life most Indian women can expect. As a Harvard Business Review study notes: The prospect of symbolic actions in board appointments is particularly salient in emerging markets with lower corporate transparency, weak institutions, and less progressive societal attitudes towards gender equality. India has embraced policies and quotas for increasing womens participation. But it is nowhere near sharing power with women as equals.
Hartford's Chopin International Piano Competition hosts its 13th annual event March 9 to 13 at Asylum Hill Congregation Church. Last year's competition had to be done virtually. In photo is Katherine Liu, performing in 2019. (Chopin International Piano Competition Hartford)

The 13th annual Chopin International Piano Competition in Hartford returns live to the Asylum Hill Congregational Church March 9 to 13, with dozens of pianists competing for thousands of dollars in prizes and the acknowledgement that they are exceptional at playing some of the most beautiful music ever written.

The local competition isnt directly related to the Chopin Piano Competition held annually in Warsaw, Poland, but some Hartford winners have gone on to compete in Warsaw, including teen prodigy JJ Jun Li Bui three years ago.

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My idea, says Krystian Tkaczewski, the competitions artistic director, is to give a chance to everybody. If they feel they can do it, they can apply.

Tkaczewski is the president of the five-person jury that screens the applicants and selects the winners. There are three days of auditions from March 9 to 11, after which the winners are chosen. The winners in each category perform March 13.

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As for the judging, there are endless ways of performing Chopin music, says Tkaczewski, who also serves as president of the jury, Im against rigid standards. If I close my eyes and start following someones vision, if its logical and touching, then it should be heard.

Last years competition was held online, with pre-recorded entries, because of the pandemic.

When the first competition was held a decade ago, 17 pianists took part. This year, 91 will play. Competitors hail from across the U.S. and many foreign countries, recently including Armenia, Canada and Japan. Most are from Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut and other areas within driving distance.

There are four categories: Young Talents, 10 years or younger; Junior for up to age 13; Young Artist for up to 17 years; and Professional, which is open to any age. Tkaczewski says that contestants have been as young as 5 or 6, and that the teen-centric categories were recently tweaked due to the great difference in playing ability among young performers. The Young Artists and Professional categories have cash prizes from $100 to $2,000.

The competition auditions are:

Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. for the Professional category

Wednesday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. for the Young Artist category

Friday from 4 to 7:15 p.m. and Saturday from 4 to 7:15 p.m. for the Junior category.

The Young Talents (ages 10 and under) audition Saturday from 3 to 8:30 p.m.

All the audition performances are open to the public, at no cost. Tickets to the 3 p.m. Sunday performance of winners are $25.

The competition is named for Frederic Chopin, the 19th century Polish composer known for his stirring works for solo piano. Contestants are allowed to play other composers, however, from classical to modern, and Tkaczewski doesnt expect Chopin from the 5- or 6-year-olds: People shouldnt give Chopin to such a young age.

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The Hartford competition began in 2010 at the Polish National Home of Hartford on Charter Oak Ave.; that year was the 200th anniversary of Chopins birth. It later moved to the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts for two years, then to the Asylum Hill Congregational Church.

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The church has one of the best concert pianos in the city, Tkaczewski says, plus an 850-seat auditorium and great opportunities for practice before the competition. Most importantly, the acoustics in the church are wonderful.

Tkaczewski calls Hartfords Chopin International Piano Competition very special for me, my second baby (because he also has an actual child). Hes from Poland, studied at the Hartt School and has competed in national and international competitions, winning more than 20 prizes.

I wanted to give something back, he says.

The Chopin International Piano Competition is March 9 to 13 at Asylum Hill Congregational Church, 814 Asylum Ave, Hartford. The audition days, March 9-12 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (or later), are open to the public and are free. The winners concert is March 13 at 3 p.m.; admission is $25. Details are at chopincompetition.org.

Christopher Arnott can be reached at carnott@courant.com.
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Breeze Airways is adding six new, non-stop destinations from Bradley International Airport in June.

Two startup airlines  Breeze Airways and Avelo Airlines  announced nonstop route expansions at Connecticut airports Tuesday, as surging oil prices tied to the armed conflict in Ukraine send jet fuel prices soaring and raise the prospect for industrywide increased fares.

Breeze said it will add in June six of the eight new, nonstop destinations that had been planned for Bradley International Airport, but the low-cost airline is holding off  for now  on the rest as it monitors rising fuel prices.

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The six new destinations are Nashville, Tenn.; Akron/Canton, Ohio; Savannah, Georgia; Richmond, Virginia, and Jacksonville and Sarasota/Bradenton, Florida.

All but Nashville  currently served by Southwest Airlines  are new nonstop routes for Bradley.

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Gov. Ned Lamont speaks at a news conference about Breeze Airways expansion at Bradley International Airport on Feb. 17. Breeze said Tuesday Breeze it will begin six nonstop destinations in June. (Jessica Hill / Special to the Courant)

Gareth Edmondson-Jones, a Breeze spokesman, said in a text that the airline still intends to bring eight new destinations to Bradley, but lets see where fuel goes, and well add the other two as soon as we can.

Meanwhile, low-cost rival Avelo on Tuesday announced it would add three new, nonstop destinations from its East Coast hub at Tweed-New Haven Airport: Baltimore-Washington D.C., Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, and Chicago.

The Avelo flights will begin May 26 and bring the number of Avelos destinations from Tweed to 13. Avelo launched its first flights from Tweed in November and has now served 100,000 passengers.

Andrew Levy, Avelos chairman and chief executive, said the cost of fuel is an airlines biggest expense, so Avelo is following the oil markets closely. As of yet, the airline has not been forced to raise fares.

Avelo Airlines debuted at Tweed-New Haven Airport in November. (Kenneth R. Gosselin / The Hartford Courant)

Clearly, the more that fuel costs, the more we need to pass that through and the higher fare we have to offer, Levy said. If we have to push up price to cover it, so do other airlines at other airports in the area.

A slowdown in air travel would come just as passenger volume has begun picking up from a devastating downturn in the pandemic.

Obviously, the higher the cost of travel is, the less travel there will be, Levy said.

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[ Connecticut eyes price gouging as oil prices soar following Russian assault on Ukraine ]

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden said the U.S. would stop buying oil exported by Russia. While Russia supplies little oil to the U.S., one of the worlds largest oil producers, the ban will cut into supplies, pushing gas  and jet fuel  prices higher.

Higher costs also can lead to airlines cutting back temporarily on the frequency some routes are traveled.

Two weeks ago, Breeze joined with Gov. Ned Lamont and other officials in a splashy announcement of a significant expansion of the airline at Bradley. The expansion included eight new routes and the opening of an operations hub at the airport, creating more than 200 new jobs.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, left, talks with Breeze Airways founder and CEO David Neeleman after a news conference at Bradley International Airport on Feb. 17. Breeze Airways will establish a base of operations at Bradley, creating more than 200 new jobs in the state. (Jessica Hill / Special to the Courant)

Trey Urbahn, a Breeze board member, also said Tuesday fuel is the major cost for any airline but that Breezes new fleet of A220s are more fuel efficient aircraft.

Obviously, we dont know how long this situation, where fuel has gone up 50% in two weeks is going to last, Urbahn said. How long it is going to stay there, nobody knows. Even at $120 [a barrel] for oil, we know we can do a lot more in Hartford, and we intend to.

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Urbahn said Breeze is committed to its low-fare strategy.

Obviously, were not in the business of losing money, Urbahn said. On the other hand, were in the business of developing an airline longer term. And one of the things we believe in very strongly is we want to introduce people to our products, who havent flown us.

Five Things You Need To Know Daily We're providing the latest coronavirus coverage in Connecticut each weekday morning. >

The starting one-way fares for the destinations announced Tuesday are $39 to $69, Urbahn said,

Kevin A. Dillon, executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority, which oversees Bradleys operations, said that he expects all carriers will become more cautious right now as the cost of oil is skyrocketing.

Even amid uncertainty over fuel prices, Dillon said the new routes announced Tuesday by Breeze represent a significant expansion of options for travelers out of Bradley, supporting continued and strategic growth at Bradley International Airport.

All the new Breeze routes will begin flying June 3, with the exception of Sarasota/Bradenton, which launches on June 4.

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Breeze currently provides service from Bradley to Columbus, Ohio; Norfolk, Virginia; Pittsburgh and Charleston, SC.

Breeze, a Salt Lake City-based startup airline, first launched at Bradley in June 2021. The airline was founded by David Neeleman with the strategy of offering point to point service from smaller, secondary airports.

Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at kgosselin@courant.com.
Catalytic converters are the subject of several proposed bills this year and CAA lobbyist Jack Molodanof is on the job to decipher this legislation for the members of CAA and the collision repair industry in California as a whole.

Share This: Every spring, CAAs lobbyist, Jack Molodanof, has a huge job ahead of him, as he sifts through new legislative bills--- more than 2,200 were introduced this year alone, not including the carry-over legislation from last year's two-year bills.

Many bills introduced so far are "spot bills," meaning they are placeholders to be amended later. These bills will start making their way through the legislative process within the next several months. As the session moves forward, Molodanof will continually monitor the bills, including amendments that will be added to the list.

Here are summaries of the bills currently on CAAs radar.

Ten bills have been introduced this year to address the catalytic converter theft issue.

AB 1622: Would require smog shops to provide signs informing customers about strategies for deterring converter theft, including etching of identifying information on the converter.

SB 919: Would focus on the crime of catalytic converter theft in three ways:

New and used motor vehicle dealers would be required to permanently mark the VIN on the catalytic converter of any vehicle before they sell it.

Metal recyclers would only be allowed to buy catalytic converters that have a clearly visible and untampered VIN on it, and they would have to keep detailed records of who sold them each specific catalytic converter and make those records accessible to law enforcement.

The bill will require sales documentation and a VIN on the catalytic converters as well as increasing fines, intended to discourage theft.

AB 1659: Revises the definition of auto dismantler to include a person who keeps or maintains two or more used converters not attached to a motor vehicle.

AB 1740: Requires core recyclers who accept converters to maintain specified written records.

AB 1984: A peace officer need not have actual knowledge that converter is stolen to establish probable cause for arrest.

AB 2398: Possession of detached converter would be a crime, either a...
When looking at Pierre Terblanches designs, its virtually impossible for us to pick a favorite bike out of his startling portfolio. Nevertheless, the limited-edition Ducati MH900e would certainly be a candidate for our top-three podium, and were prepared to bet that most of you feel the same.Only 2,000 units were delivered around the world two decades ago, so theres absolutely no shortage of well-heeled collectors who would spend oodles of cash to get their hands on one such creature. If you happen to be among these folks, then what were about to tell you will definitely make your day!The 2002 MY MH900e pictured above is heading to the auction block with a little under 8,500 km (5,300 miles) on the clock. It carries a pair of Pirelli Diablo Rosso 2 tires with 2021 date codes, as well as several higher-spec clutch components, including SpeedyMoto springs, a Ducati Performance pressure plate, and a clear clutch cover from Rizomas catalog.Bolognas rarity will be listed on the IMA (Iconic Motorbike Auctions) website until March 11, but the current bid of 14,100 bones doesnt quite meet the reserve price. Should you be feeling a bit more generous, we strongly encourage that you check this thing out while theres still time, but not before we take a quick look at its main specifications.Drawing power from an air-cooled 904cc desmodromic L-twin with two valves per cylinder, the Italian pearl is good for up to 75 stallions and 56 pound-feet (76 Nm) of feral twist. This force is channeled to the Ducs rear chain-driven hoop through a six-speed gearbox, resulting in a top speed of 133 mph (215 kph).A tubular steel trellis frame is tasked with holding everything in place, and it rests on 43 mm (1.7 inches) upside-down forks at the front and a Sachs monoshock at the rear. Finally, braking duties are managed by dual 320 mm (12.6 inches) rotors and four-piston calipers up north, along with a single 220 mm (8.7 inches) brake disc and a twin-piston caliper down south.
The average consensus among this popular car customization subculture is that a proper donk is only a fifth-generation Chevy Impala. All others model types from the highly-customized niche should be generally referred to as hi-risers. However, subdivisions are also accepted.For example, Malaise-era Impalas and Caprice models will also be called  boxes  because of their squared looks for the front and rear ends. Case in point, the videographer behind the WhipAddict channel on YouTube knows these customized whips and their owners so well he will not get surprised too often. Still, there are exceptions.Ergo, a member of the Atlanta, Georgia-based College Park Customs team recently finished yet another toy with a few outlandish details that almost flew under the radar. Well, sort of, because they are plain and simple humongous. Those would be the 28-inch Zone 3 Deck aftermarket wheels, which took place of the initially envisioned 26-inch setup.By the way, this third-generation 1977 Chevy Caprice Classic was in a rather dire condition when it first arrived at the shop just six months ago. Alas, the build advanced pretty quickly with additional help from b4naftercustoms (responsible for the shiny paintjob), custom console fabricator Brian Camp, or bespoke sunroof and grille provider khool_kustoms2.Now, the Box Chevy Caprice rides proudly in true skyscraper fashion on the 28-inch brushed/chromed aftermarket wheels. And it is going to stand out in any crowd via the Kandy Teal shade and fully custom, green-trimmed gray interior. Oh, and not to mention it can also deliver a show of force thanks to its modern Chevy LS swap...
ECU

Such is the case with this second-gen Coyote V8-swapped 1978 Mustang II. No one in their right mind thought this anemic, underpowered, and poorly built car had any racing or sporting credentials before the crew of A-Team Restorations of Oregon broke out their wrenches and hammers. It's tough to determine what exact engine was under the hood of this car when it was new.There was a choice of three pitiful emissions-choked and underpowered engines ranging from four to eight cylinders in its day. But what's known for certain is that the engine is in a landfill where it belongs. In its place initially was not a Coyote motor, but the 6.8-liter Triton V10 engine from a Ford E-Series van. Not to mention enough custom body and paintwork to give payroll for at least a few body shop techs.Even without a Coyote motor, what A-Team Restorations had managed to create with just a lowly Mustang II as a canvas was nothing short of astonishing. The car toured the SEMA show in 2014 and 2015 with praise and appreciation all around it during both years. But on the way back to Oregon from the show, disaster struck.The mid-2000s Chevy Silverado meant to take the car home safely rolled over on the highway with the Mustang II in tow. By the time the dust cleared, the truck was on its rood, as was the trailer. This Mustang II very was very nearly destroyed. But as it happens, Early 70s cars are far more robust than what people will give them credit for.As it turned out, all the damage to the car was superficial body damage that, while labor-intensive, was fixable. The car then sat for a while as the owner grasped at straws to figure out how to start fixing it. They ultimately decided that it would be best to sell the car.Happily, the performance tuning team at Revolution Speed Shop of Auburn, Washington, was well suited for the job. The Triton V10 in the car at the time was a sweet engine, no doubt. But two extra cylinders can only get you so far. The time had come to take the car back to its roots. Ironically, by fitting a modern V8 under the hood.But, a V8 is a V8 any way you slice it, and the second-generation five-liter Coyote V8 isn't regarded as the LS of Ford V8s for nothing. It's because everyone and their grandmother want them for engine swap projects. The Revolution Speed Shop team gave the engine a couple of extra accouterments for a totally custom engine package.We're talking a high-end Holley TerminatorX, three-inch custom stainless steel exhaust, and six-speed manual transmission from a Corvette C6 with a twin-disk clutch of all things, so much for brand loyalty. The front suspension also comes from a C6 Z06 , a pretty sweet setup if you ask us. Six-piston front brakes and four-piston rear brakes make up all four corners of this build.This is a SEMA-oriented racing car first and a daily driver a distant second, so you'll forgive if the interior is a little spartan. Even so, there's quality to be seen inside, too, in the form of a custom touch-screen radio head unit and custom gauge cluster and switches. The best part of it all? It's for sale, right now, via Velocity Motorcars of Nashville, Tennessee. At a price of $124,995 before taxes and fees You could buy an off-the-shelf BMW or Audi that's just as fast for the same money. But that wouldn't be custom, and it's just not the same that way. When the car saw its third SEMA appearance in 2021, we bet people had the same sentiments.
This past week, the Qatar Grand Prix unfolded, and it was one for the ages. Full of overtakes, exciting battles, and drama, it was a good trailer for what to expect in the future from thisWhen polesitter Jorge Martin had a poor start, the Repsol Hondas riders got a great one and took advantage of it. Pol Espargaro and Marc Marquez were one-twos through the first corner.It looked like we were going to get a boring Grand Prix. After a pretty steady start, it seemed like it would transform into 'managing the tires' kind of race, with some final pushes at the end. And boy, we were wrong.Espargaro was still leading with Marquez behind at the race's final stages. Initially, it seemed like Marc wanted to save his tires. Still, from lap 14, it was clear that Pol was better under braking, while the multiple World Champion was falling behind.When Enea Bastianini was closing in on Pol with just five laps to go, tension started to rise. In the end, Enea made his move, and with Espargaro running wide, he took his first-ever win in MotoGP. Furthermore, it was Gresini Racing's first win since Estoril 2006. Also, it came just over a year after the tragic death of Fausto Gresini.As MotoGP enthusiasts already know, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 's 26-year old rider Brad Binder went for a terrific ride to seal P2.The South African finished just 0.3 seconds away from the winner. The biggest loser of the night, Pol Espargaro, came in third for the Respol Honda Team. His brother Aleix finished fourth which is a massive result for Aprilia Racing. We almost got to watch a brotherly fight over third place."My feelings are incredible right now. I pushed hard from the start, but the most important thing was to save the tire for the end of the race. I saw Pol pushing hard at the front, but I managed to overtake Binder, and then at the end, once I got very close to Pol, I realized that I could try to win the race. I passed him down the straight at turn one and he went wide, so from then on it was all about staying in the lead and take the win home," said the race winner.To better understand how intense this race was and how you feel when you win your first race, here is a statement from the main new star of MotoGP, Enea Bastianini. "It's hard to express my feelings now, but I want to dedicate the win to Fausto because he gave me incredible motivation from above. This is a fantastic result for the whole team: we're all in tears right now. I'm also very happy for my family at home, so a big thank you goes to everyone who made this possible."Keep in mind Enea is 24 years old and this season is only his second in MotoGP. So the only way for him should be up.It was a horrible day though, for the Ducati Lenovo Team . Francesco Bagnaia came together with Jorge Martin. Bagnaia lost the front under braking into turn one, and Martin had nowhere to go. In addition, Jack Miller retired due to a mechanical problem. Not the ideal start for a team with high expectations.We can affirm that the new generation of riders is rising. They are ready to challenge the experienced ones for supremacy. Let's see how they will respond in the next Grand Prix, which takes place in Indonesia at the Mandalika International Street Circuit.
The model in question is a Hispano Suiza Carmen Boulogne zero-emission hypercar, which has joined the collection of Michael Fux, an enthusiast and avid car collector.We are very proud to deliver this unique version of the Hispano Suiza Carmen Boulogne to our first client in the United States, and doing so on the occasion of the Amelia Island Concours dElegance allows us to show the world, and especially the American market, what Hispano Suiza can achieve, said the companys Chairman, Miguel Suque Mateu.It was customized to the owner's specification, wearing an Ocean Song Rose purple shade on the outside, inspired by his favorite flower, the Ocean Song Rose. To make sure that the team building his blue-blooded model nails the shade, Fux sent a flower to the factory, and the same finish can be seen on the monoblock nuts as well.Inside, the only modern Hispano Suiza vehicle in the United States boasts Birkigt White leather upholstery with a diamond pattern. The models name, Boulogne, is embroidered in the headrests, and the black piping and purple carpets contribute to the design. Elsewhere, it features a big portrait-oriented infotainment system in the middle of the dashboard, digital instrument cluster, and panoramic roof.Production of the Carmen Boulogne, which is a more exclusive variant of the regular Carmen , is capped at five units. Each one has four permanent-magnet synchronous electric motors, two on each rear wheel, which generate a combined 1,098 bhp and 1,180 lb-ft (1,600 Nm) of torque. Top speed is limited to 180 mph (290 kph), and the 0-62 mph (0-100 kph) is a 2.6-second affair.
Toyota 200GT is widely appreciated as the first true Japanese sportscar. With only 351 units being built between 1967 and 1971, it is also a rare and precious collectible. One of them is truly special though, being basically the 1 in the 351-units batch of cars ever produced. Not only is it the VIN001, but it is also one of the only three examples modified by Shelby to compete in the C-production class racing of SCCA.The history of Toyota 2000GT is quite interesting and we encourage you to read it through . Well touch on one more trivia before we move to the subject of this article, and this is the cars appearance in the Bond movie You Only Live Twice starring Sean Connery and Japanese actress Akiko Wakabayashi. Two units of the 2000GT were used for the shootings and both had their roofs chopped off to accommodate Connerys height. Only one of the cars survived, with the second one disappearing without a trace.The car sold at the Amelia Island event is one of the two cars that actually saw racing action in the 1968 season. The third one was held in reserve and later was sent back to Japan. To prepare the 2000GT for the SCCA racing, Shelby engineers fitted the cars with dual megaphone exhausts, Girling brake calipers, adjustable KONI shock absorbers, a differential cooler, a modified oil pan, and special Halibrand magnesium wheels wearing Goodyear racing tires. Inside, the most noticeable difference is the Ferrari-styled gated shifter.The Toyota-Shelby 2000GT underwent an extensive restoration in the 90s and competed afterward in many classic cars racing events and exhibitions. When it went to Amelia Island it was expected to fetch anywhere between $2.75 million and $3.5 million at the auction. Instead, it only made $2,535,000, which might look like a disappointment. It is still the most expensive Japanese car ever sold, surpassing the first-ever production model of the fifth-generation Supra by more than $400,000.The Toyota-Shelby 2000GT was the fourth on the Gooding & Company's auction leaderboard for the weekend in Amelia Island. The most expensive model was the 1937 Talbot-Lago T150, which sold for over $13,425,000
EV

And, once again, Teslas to blame. Elon Musks strategy to eliminate dealers as the middlemen has proven to be successful. Now other carmakers are forced to follow the same path. Ford might not necessarily want to give up on its extended network, but new customers love the idea of not having to haggle. Moreover, knowing what the car will cost right from the get-go is another major plus many dont want to give up. One way or another, Ford had to make this decision.Direct-to-customer selling is what will separate successful and unsuccessful automakers in the near future, as costs go lower, profit margins grow, and customers are happier. It is an undeniable fact, one already proven by Tesla. Now it has also been adopted by Rivian and other carmakers from China like Lynk & Co.Essentially, Ford is looking to test the waters first. The company is planning on setting a certain pricing guide for its newest EVs, one that must be completely respected by dealers that get cars directly from Ford and are licensed by the Michigan-based automaker.This decision was confirmed by Fords President of the Americas and International Markets Kumar Galhotra for WSJ . Keep in mind it wont happen overnight, as Ford already announced it will hold talks with its dealers.Markups have been a headache for Ford. Dealers have charged way too much for new hyped-up cars like the Bronco , and its happening for the F-150 Lightning too. The carmaker wants to avoid having to deal with this kind of issues.The future isnt really looking good for Fords network. Many dealers already opted out of thecertification process  they will sell you a pre-owned one but wont help you with servicing it.In the end, dealers will still be able to find some ways of charging customers with extras nobody asked for, so buyers have to keep their ground if that happens. Moreover, we all must watch out for Dodge Demon type of shenanigans where new cars are sold to employees or friends, titled, and then go on display with zero miles on the showroom floor.
Pat Moss, who was the younger sister of Stirling Moss and passed away in 2008, was the fastest driver in the Tulip Rally in May 1962, from the Dutch municipality of Noordwijk to the French Riviera and back. Six years later, she won the Sestriere Rally in Italy and achieved a podium in other international competitions. At the same time, she was crowned European Ladies Rally Champion five times.Limited to 800 copies worldwide, in the Cooper S Hardtop 2-door, Cooper S Hardtop 4-door, and John Cooper Works (JCW) Hardtop, and exclusively in the JCW Hardtop 2-door in the United States, the 2023 MINI Pat Moss Edition will officially launch this May. These models sport design tweaks inside and out, all of which honor Pat Moss and her success in the 1962 Tulip Rally.For instance, they feature a stylized tulip on the C pillars and side scuttles, Pat Moss inscriptions, special design on the wheel center caps, and screen-printed aluminum entry sills with key facts about the brands first rally success. A horizontal hood stripe reads 737 ABL, which was the registration number of the Mini that won the 1962 Tulip Rally, and Pat Moss signature decorates the front apron as a graphic imprint.Inside, another tulip graphic can be seen on the leather-wrapped steering wheel, whereas a special motif that shows the engine pistons moving up and down bedecks the cockpit too, alongside bars of different heights that form the letters M and W, which stand for Moss and Wisdom  co-driver Ann Wisdom. A decent amount of equipment is offered at no extra cost in the special edition and a new color variant for the roof rounds off the makeover.
EV

AMG

Born in 1996 as an automotive brand established by a racing team. Then partnered with Volvo Cars and was subsequently acquired by the Swedish automaker back in 2015. Now a fully-fledged sustainable carmaker with headquarters on a continent (Gothenburg, Sweden) and car production located thousands of miles away on a different continent (vehicle manufacturing takes place in China).Naturally, it has global ambitions, as even Sylvester Stallone has gone full gaga over thebrand during a recent official event in America. But it does not matter too much where do these vehicles come from and where they end up. This is because Polestar (which currently has the Polestar 1 and 2 to be proud of) speaks the universal language of elegant sustainability. With a clear target on Teslas Model 3 as far as Polestar 2 is concerned.And the ambitions are far wider and high-reaching. That ethos was demonstrated with the Polestar Precept concept car that will soon morph into the production series Polestar 5. However, the company recently amazed the entire world with a sportier follow-up, called O2 Concept. A fully-electric roadster that also comes with an integrated drone to keep up with the social media-focused times. And a beautiful design exercise.Well, if that is not enough, then an automotive virtual artist has a rather nonsensical solution. The pixel master better known as superrenderscars on social media continues to explore the idea of mid-engined cars, but now the CGI expert also switched to Polestars EV DNA. Now, as someone quickly noticed, there is virtually no point in coming up with a mid-electric setup. Volvo , for example, already does a great front and rear eAWD configuration for its models and Polestar. So, even if the Polestar Precept and O2 concept design language were taken up a big notch into supercar territory, there would be no need to deploy a mid-engine configuration...Alas, we should never argue with the imagination of virtual artists. And this pixel master was already a bit mesmerized by ICE mid-engine transformations (Mercedes-SL and BMW M8 Competition!). Perhaps he just forgot that EV motors are smaller and sit better on top of the front and rear axles. Sure, there would be a need to put something in the middle of a Polestar supercar if it ever became reality. That would be the heavy battery pack, of course!Now, aside from that thought glitch, the result is quite mesmerizing. Too bad it may never become reality. Because then it would become a stylish rival for the brewing new crop of EV supercars...
Teacher Beth Fusco works with children at Educational Playcare in Glastonbury in August 2020. As the pandemic has gone on, the child care industry has struggled to attract workers. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill) (Jessica Hill/AP)

The child care industry is struggling to attract workers, drawing the attention of Connecticuts largest business group that backs state legislation to boost funding to help parents return to the labor force and reverse a labor shortage.

The state Senates Democratic majority has proposed legislation that would expand support services to address the impact of COVID-19 on childhood depression, anxiety and developmental delays. Legislation doesnt yet specify details, but the measure would increase funding to the state Office of Early Childhoods child care program for low- to moderate-income families known as Care4Kids.

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[ Child care providers paint bleak portrait of industry on brink; CT leaders say relief depends heavily on Build Back Better ]

State Sen. Saud Anwar, co-chairman of the Committee on Children, said he hopes the General Assembly will enact the bill by the end of the legislative session in May and send it to Gov. Ned Lamont.

We are hopeful because this industry is going to die if we dont intervene, said Anwar, a South Windsor Democrat. Its that dire.

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Federal help is not in the works. Money for child care was part of President Joe Bidens Build Back Better spending initiative that stalled in Congress.

Anwar said details are not available on how much state funding will be part of the budget thats being drafted.

The legislation would expand preschool and mental and behavioral health services and expand child mentoring and civic engagement programs by increasing funding to the Department of Children and Families for child welfare and support services.

The Connecticut Business & Industry Association said employers in the state adapted to the pandemic over the last two years by expanding flexible scheduling and remote work, promoting vaccines, maintaining safe workplaces and reducing employee hours.

Still, job openings in December 2021 totaled 110,000, up two-thirds in a year.

Childcare challenges are among the many contributing factors behind the states labor shortage crisis, CBIA said.

In a survey of member businesses, 80% of employers said they struggled to find and keep workers, CBIA said. More than one-third of businesses said the labor shortage is the greatest threat to growth.

Connecticuts labor force, which is recovering from a steep employment drop in the spring of 2020 at the start of the pandemic, is down 4.5% from January 2020, the pre-COVID-19 peak. At the outset of the pandemic when Lamont and state public health officials ordered most businesses shut, employment was down more than 17%.

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Chris DiPentima, president and chief executive of the Connecticut Business & Industry Association, says factors driving the state's labor shortage include COVID-19 concerns, child care challenges, insufficient or mismatched workforce development, supply chain disruptions, shifting work and career expectations, the states high cost of living and its aging population.. (Handout)

Chris DiPentima, president of the CBIA, said factors driving the labor shortage include COVID-19 concerns, child care challenges, insufficient or mismatched workforce development, supply chain disruptions, shifting work and career expectations, the states high cost of living, and its aging population.

Some of those factors are structural and predate the pandemic, while COVID accelerated the impact of others, particularly the states aging workforce and attitudes about work, he said.

Carol ODonnell, executive director of the Connecticut Early Childhood Funder Collaborative, said pay is a key reason the industry is losing workers. The median salary in Connecticut of $13.45 an hour falls short of Amazon, Target and other retailers that are paying $15 an hour or more, she said.

Five Things You Need To Know Daily We're providing the latest coronavirus coverage in Connecticut each weekday morning. >

Even before the pandemic, child care centers were down by as many 50,000 workers for infants and toddlers, ODonnell said. More recently, Waterbury and Hartford were forced to close classrooms for preschool children age 3 and 4. The decision affected 800 children, she said.

At this point we need to stabilize the industry or it wont be there, ODonnell said.

Anwar said that without child care, young employees will not be able to work.

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Thats the first domino that falls on the workforce, he said.

A long-term strategy to support the child care industry includes providing health insurance for workers and figuring out how the state Office of Early Childhood can help child care businesses with diapers and other supplies, he said.

The legislation also contemplates community college courses for prospective child care workers, Anwar said. Were identifying long-term strategies for a very tough industry right now, he said.

Stephen Singer can be reached at ssinger@courant.com.
Electric Vehicle

EV

Say hello to Pete Buttigieg, also well known by his nickname "Mayor Pete," gained during his meteoric rise to fame as the openly gay Mayor of South Bend, Indiana. For the non-Americans reading, Buttigieg is one of only a handful of openly LGBTQ men or women to have been elected to high public office in America. He currently serves as the U.S. Secretary of Transportation under president Joe Biden.But if you think being one of the very few openly gay politicians is the only thing of any note in regards to Mayor Pete, you're mistaking. Because he's about to attempt to make one heck of an impact on the American auto industry. A lot sooner than you think, too.What Buttigieg is trying to accomplish with electric cars is what gasoline automobiles did to the horse-drawn carriage. That being, save them from their life of drudgery while BEVs and Fuel-Cell EVs take over the bulk of the heavy lifting. Thus helping to remediate the environment all the while, at least after it leaves the factory.Some, including the New York Post, have called Mayor Pete's push towards EVs in America "tone-deaf," but is this really the case? Let's take a look at some of the specifics of Mayor Pete'sinitiative to find out the facts for ourselves.In all honesty, you could find out just about anything you wanted to know about any of Mayor Pete's official positions on certain topics by referring to his official government-run website and its many press releases. But let's sift through the nitty-gritty politician babble to understand the nuts and bolts of Buttigieg's ideas because politicians almost always talk in riddles, it seems.As you all no doubt know, the month of February 2022 was a landmark month in the history ofmanufacturing. Not the least bit because Mayor Pete and his Secretary of Transportation staff announced that it would disperse $5 billion in federal funds to expand American EV manufacturing, charging, and maintenance infrastructure over the next five years. That all sounds great, but one has to think there has to be more to it than that.And you'd be right. As it turns out, the logistics networks needed to keep EVs moving from factory to consumer and beyond are just as complex as gas or diesel cars. If not more so, in a handful of instances, especially in battery mineral refinement. But at least from a charging perspective, Mayor Pete appears to be opting for a more holistic approach in his rhetoric. One in which the virtues of public and at-home EV charging are as accessible as filling up with diesel or gas is to most Americans, even today.A robust and dependable EV charging network nationwide would be beneficial in ways that genuinely speak for themselves. Not the least because EV charging stations have historically only been the domain of individual U.S. city governments. Essentially, groups of city legislators in places like Los Angeles and New York make executive decisions to sway people over to electric vehicles in their jurisdiction.That is, of course, unless you're Tesla , their privately funded Supercharging network is the current gold standard for American EV infrastructure. The trouble is, only Tesla cars, at least until recently, could use them. At least officially, that is. Under Mayor Pete's plan, at least according to the rhetoric in his USDOT press releases, this system, or an equivalent, would be available and open to all American EV drivers. This allows for charging times to be as efficient and expedient as manufacturers and engineers can design. All regulated under the same DOT standards present in the regulation of petrochemical-based fuel.There's a reason all the gasoline that comes out of the pump in the United States contains all the same detergents and other compounds. Under Mayor Pete's plan, he aims to bring the same level of consistency to the EV sphere. Something that absolutely must be done for EVs is to ever truly replace internal combustion. Mayor Pete plans to use funds from President Joe Biden's infrastructure bill to make it happen.Furthermore, Pete Buttigieg was a strong proponent of the government-mandated tax incentive for individuals purchasing new EVs on American soil. Such legislation would allow quality battery EVs to finally fall into the buying capability of more working-class Americans, perhaps the biggest hurdle between us and a fully EV automotive ecosystem.This incentive was a piece of legislation wrapped inside billions of dollars of other government programs that were cut out of President Biden's infrastructure bill after Democratic Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin refused to sign off on their implementation. Even so, Mayor Pete appears adamant that an eco-friendly, pollution-free American public road system is indeed possible. But also cost-saving, to boot."Clean transportation can bring significant cost savings for the American people as well," Buttigieg told White House Press on March 7th, 2022. If Mayor Pete is true, it means the EV revolution really is about to begin in earnest very soon. It also helps that gas is $5.50 in some places. That'll be incentive enough if you ask us. Whether or not Mayor Pete's grand plan succeeds or not remains to be seen.
Most likely, both the brand name and the model are virtually unheard of in regions like North America or Europe (except Norway). Still, founded back in 1959 by Chinas FAW Group, the Hongqi luxury car brand is the countrys oldest passenger car marque.Oh, and the name means red flag, a direct reference to its original use that was exclusively dedicated to high-ranking government officials of Chinas communist leadership. So, does anyone feel surprised now that its H9 flagship, a full-size sedan designed to fight off the Mercedes-Benz S-Class among others, looks decidedly stately?The interesting thing is that one can also find the Hongqi H9 limousine in places like Dubai. There, it would be much easier to imagine it looking like this. Alas, this is only the sporty figment of the imagination of Sugar Chow, the virtual artist better known as sugardesign_1 on social media. He recently chose to abandon his traditional quest of Touring the world! like on many other occasions, to play with this high-end sedan.Now, the H9 looks ready to either hit the affluent parts of the United Arab Emirates or even join the JDM car customization scene . Although few people (even in Japan, where Hongqi has an official importer) would even recognize the brand, let alone the model, it adheres to all the mighty principles that would make it worthy of any tuning aficionados full attention.Those include the thoroughly slammed attitude, along with the mesmerizing two-tone paintjob. Naturally, the low riding stance is doubled by a set of deep-dish aftermarket wheels that carry a remarkably interesting mesh-like glossy finish. Additionally, there is also an outlandish widebody aerodynamic kit to keep them company.One thing of note. Something also needs to be done with the meager OEM powertrains for this idea to be complete.
At the beginning of the month, the UK was officially becoming the first country to ban all Russian ships from entering its waters after a previous ban on aircraft. This included pleasure crafts or commercial ships that were on the way to British ports also, which had to divert their routes or anchor off temporarily, while the ones that were already in ports were sent away.Since then, several famous superyachts have been seized in Germany, France, and Italy, including the worlds largest luxury yacht, Dilbar, owned by the famous Alisher Usmanov.On March 7, New Zealands Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed that a new bill enabling sanctions on Russian assets will pass this week, Radio New Zealand reports. The announcement is highly-important not just because its a first in New Zealands history, which usually follows the lead of the United Nations when it comes to these types of sanctions, but also because it breaks with its informal status as a billionaires hideaway.Last week, Marine Traffic reports were showing that well-known yachts owned by Russian oligarchs were headed towards places like Montenegro or the Maldives, where they would be safe from sanctions.Under the new law, New Zealand could not only freeze such assets already located on its territory, but it would also prevent Russian millionaires with ties to Kremlin from trying to move assets to this country as a way to get around sanctions elsewhere, according to the Washington Post. After the new sanctions bill is passed, we might hear of more superyachts owned by moguls with ties to Kremlin being seized, this time in New Zealand  the possibility of hiding out in potential safe havens against sanctions keeps getting weaker.
On Tuesday, the British multinational oil and gas company issued an apology for purchasing cheap crude oil from Russia over the weekend and pledged to stop any ongoing work in the Eastern European country moving forward, BBC reported.In 2016, Russian reserves held 80 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, equivalent to 60.4 times its annual use. Thats close to 60 years of oil if consumption levels remain the same. As of 2020, Russian oil reserves amounted to 14.8 billion metric tons, making up more than 6% of global world reserves.Last week, British Petroleum (BP) abruptly abandoned its stake in Russian oil giant Rosneft. Its costly departure marks the end of a successful three-decade-long partnership operating in the energy-resourceful country. Reuters highlighted that the Russian oil giant accounts for about a half of BP's oil and gas reserves and about a third of its production.Shell CEO Ben Van Beurden said that they were aware that their decision to purchase Russian oil was not right, and they are sorry.The oil company got a lot of criticism over the weekend for purchasing Russian crude oil at a bargain, well aware of the Ukraine attack. Ukrainian foreign minister posted a tweet condemning the move after information about the trade went public.Shell CEO admitted that suspending work in Russia is a complex challenge and will require collaborative efforts by governments, suppliers, and consumers. He also noted that a transition to a different supplier would take a long time.Shell defended the move, saying it was critical to avoid market supply disruptions in Europe. At the time of purchase, it did not have an alternative source to satisfy the demand.Both Shell and BP depend heavily on the Russian oil supply. It is unclear how both companies will compensate Russias oil supply moving forward. By Monday, a gallon of gas in the U.S. was retailing at $4 and around $8 in parts of Europe.
Sikorskis S-92 helicopter took a 1,500-mile (2,414 km) flight across the country to attend the expo in Dallas, fueled by the blend of SAF (sustainable aviation fuel). This achievement belongs not only to the Connecticut-based company but also to its two partners, GE Aviation (a jet engines and components provider) and Milestone Aviation (a helicopter leasing and financing company).Just like Sikorsky , GE Aviation is also committed to decarbonizing the aviation industry and boasts of having achieved the industrys first commercial biofuel demonstration flight back in 2008 and the first 100 percent SAF commercial flight in 2018. On the other hand, for Milestone Aviation, this was the first SAF-powered flight.The S-92 helicopter is described by Sikorsky as the best-in-class aircraft in terms of reliability and safety. The first unit was delivered in 2007 for search and rescue applications. In 2016, it achieved one million flight hours. The S-92 is currently used by 25 countries around the world.Powered by CT7-8A engines produced by GE Aviation, the helicopter needs no modifications in order to use SAF blends. The aircraft has a maximum take-off weight of 27,000 pounds (over 12,500 kg) and a capacity of 19 passengers.The S-92 has a variety of applications, from Head of State and airline missions to offshore oil transportation and more. It is known worldwide for its unmatched advantages and the use of biofuel is now one more attribute on that list, as stated by Jason Lambert, Sikorskys vice president of Global Commercial and Military Systems.Those who can attend the Hai Heli-Expo, which takes place between March 7 and 10 in Dallas, can see the S-92 in person. Sikorsky will showcase the chopper in booth #8209.
Last month, Merlins and Wildcats arrived in Bardufoss, Norway. The helicopters took off from Yeovilton and headed deep into the Arctic Circle for the largest military exercise Norway has conducted in the past 30 years. Around 35,000 military personnel from 28 countries will participate in the Cold Response exercise, which runs for most of March.The participants will work together, testing their abilities to operate in Norway' s harsh environment  on land, at sea, and in the air. On the ground, the Royal Marines will lead the way, while on the water, the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Albion will be in charge.Merlin Mk2 submarine-hunting helicopters and maritime patrol Merlins from 820 Naval Air Squadron will protect the ships from any threats above and below the sea.The squadron, based at RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall, is dedicated to protecting both the UK's aircraft carriers and last year played a central role throughout the carrier strike group's deployment to the Indo-Pacific. The squadron, which is tasked with protecting both the UK's aircraft carriers, played a significant role in the carrier strike group's deployment to the Indo-Pacific last year. However, this time, the military personnel will not have to deal with heat and humidity, but with the extreme cold weather.Commanding Officer, Commander Ian Varley, said "this is not the Mediterranean, India Ocean or the Pacific Ocean. We're going to operate in the northern ranges and the icy and snowy climate off Norway.""It will be a testing time for us, but it's about forging us as one ship with its air group operating as one in these conditions. It will give us the opportunity to adapt to that and build from there", he added.
The thing I like best about Amplers two new bikes is that they are e-bikes in disguise. Even though both models are electric, their design doesnt show it. Theyre not bulky, the battery is out of sight, cables are internally routed, and they make you feel like youre riding on a classic wheeler, while also being ready to assist you at any time and give you that extra boost when necessary.Amplers new urban e-bikes are called Juna and Axel, with the former being a step-thru , comfort-oriented bike for more relaxed rides and the latter having a step-over design and being a bit sportier. While Juna is suitable for riders with heights between 150 and 174 cm (59 and 68.5), Axel fits riders between 172 and 200 cm (67.7 and 78.7).Both bikes are light, with the Axel weighing 16.3 kg (35.9 lb) and Juna 16.5 kg (36.3 lb).The e-bikes share the same motor and battery, being equipped with a 250W rear hub motor (delivering 45 Nm of torque) and a 48V 336 Wh battery. Ampler claims both bikes offer ranges of up to 100 km (62 miles) on a charge, with the average being 70 km (43 miles). The battery requires 2.5 hours to get fully charged. Both e-bikes reach a top speed of 25 kph (15.5 mph).Ampler Juna and Ampler Axel feature Gates carbon belt drives, hydraulic brakes, integrated light powered by the main battery, and 50 mm Continental tires.As minimalist and classic in appearance as they might be, both Juna and Axel are up to date from a technological point of view. They come with Bluetooth connectivity and a feature-rich dedicated app. It includes smart GPS location tracking, allows you to lock the bike , choose between different motor support settings, offers access to your riding stats, and much more.Amplers bikes are now available to order and they are both priced at approximately $2,800. You can check them out in the video below (fast forward to minute 4:14).
NHTSA

EV

Hey @elonmusk my model s plaid lost heat again. (VCFRONT_a447) Even AFTER a full system replacement. My options are: leave on service lot & wait for a firmware fix or drive the car in freezing temps & deal with it. This is absurd for a $130k+ car @WholeMarsBlog @klwtts @tesla pic.twitter.com/XY7BjdeBSx  Brandon (@teslaisntaflex) February 26, 2022

The heater in my Model 3 died. Booked an appointment at the service center in North York (ON????????), dropped it off and #Tesla paid for an Uber home then back the next afternoon when I picked it up. Excellent service! Everything covered under warranty ???? pic.twitter.com/SkSS0k9tGa  Jennifer (@TweetSoCrazy) February 26, 2022

So far, 26,047 vehicles are involved with the issue in China, and 26,681 have the problem in the U.S. Thats 52,728 EVs with a life-threatening defect should these owners live in cold-weather environments. We are still waiting to learn the numbers of Chinese and American Tesla vehicles sold in other countries with this problem. At this point, wed assume any Tesla car with a heat pump can present it.According to Tesla, the defects cause was controller communication interruptions caused by firmware release 2021.44 through 2021.44.30.6. These interruptions interfered with the EXV (Electronic Expansion Valve), eventually making it get completely open.Below -10C (14F), that could trap refrigerant inside the evaporator and may deplete the refrigerant from the active components in the system. The depletion may result in fail-safe compressor stoppage, and cause loss of cabin heating.Still, according to the Part 573 Safety Recall Report Tesla sent to, firmware release 2021.44.30.7 and later releases remedy the condition by reintroducing a software command to close the EXV. That did not solve the issue.On TMC, several owners are sharing their issues with their cars. The user Elenath shared that he had the problem in January, shortly before getting the update. On February 14, while trying to heat his vehicle, he got this message: Climate keeper unavailable due to system fault. He immediately got in touch with Transport Canada to report the problem. The Canadian department is investigating the defect.The user michaelnorbert said that his Model Y bought new in November 2020 presented the problem on February 15, 2022. He had already updated the software to the 2021.44.30.7 version on January 13, 2022, and replaced PT (platinum resistance thermometer) sensors before that.According to him, the heat pump sounded like a lawnmower for 15 minutes before it stopped working for good. You can see what that looks like in the first tweet we embedded below. It belongs to another person complaining about the problem. Brandon said his Model S Plaid failed and presented a video.To get his issue fixed, michaelnorbert ended up with a loaner for one week. Curiously, the repair only took 90 minutes once his car got into the service bay, which shows another chronic problem with themaker: crowded Tesla Service Centers. The PT sensors and the heat pump were replaced. The TMC user filed a report to Transport Canada as well.The user akhnoukh then wrote that he had the same issue and that the Tesla Service Center could only fix it on April 7. Another one, Ther0ck, stated that he took delivery of his white 2022 Model 3 Standard Range Plus with an LFP battery pack on February 17. After using it for only 349 kilometers (216.9 miles), the heating failed. He just dropped his car at the Tesla Service Center and heard it would be ready by March 17. He also reported the problem to Transport Canada.Those three cases are only the ones we found on a single TMC thread . There are more complaints coming from people that should have already updated their cars. The other tweet below, from @TweetSoCrazy, dates from February 26. Her cars heating also stopped working, but she seems happy that it only took the North York service center one day to fix it. Shes also glad that it was covered under warranty.The last two cases we heard about came from the Facebook group Tesla Owners Northeast. Ryan Medeiros said he had to drive his 2022 Model 3 SR+ for two hours in -20C on a trip when the heating failed halfway to his destination. Alan Stinchfield commented and said he had the same problem but was glad that his loaner was a Model S Were sure more cases will emerge apart from these ones. As we mentioned when we told you about the recall, it was disappointing because it was almost sure not to work. Not that we are confident about that, well have to see what NHTSA and Tesla have to say about that. People are still driving with the risk of a life-threatening defect, and they need more than a fast response: they need it to be effective.
Its been decades since the Tiger project, supported by the French and German governments, was launched. The Tiger prototype conducted its first flight in 1991, but it started operating within the light aviation division of the French army in 2007. With 180 Tiger helicopters currently operated by four armies (those of France, Germany, Spain, and Australia), it was time for a complex revamping, technically known as a mid-life modernization.As part of the larger upgrade program, Safran Electronics & Defense received an order from the Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) for its Euroflir 510 sights. The goal is to increase the performance of the French Tigers and eventually standardize all of them as HAD (support and destruction)  until now, HAD was one of the four standard production versions available.The current Strix sight, also developed by Safran, which equipped the Tiger with a thermal imager, a daylight camera, and a laser designator, will be replaced by the new Euroflir 510, which is designed to offer optimal efficiency even when theres poor visibility so that the Tiger can be equally performant during daytime and at night.Some of this optronics systems main features include a multi-spectral telescope with a long focal length, 12 sensors that dont take too much of the helicopters volume, and four types of lasers. The Euroflir 510 also provides full-resolution digital video streams and what Safran claims to be a high-performance stabilization of the line of sight. As a result, the future Tiger crews will be able to operate more efficiently in unfavorable conditions and to conduct remote identification tasks of enemy threats easier.The helicopters current optronics systems will gradually be replaced with the Euroflir 510 starting in 2027. This will add to the Tigers performance as a stealthy, light military helicopter (40% lighter than the AH-64 Apache), with remarkable range (it can fly over 497 miles/800 km at almost 196 mph/315 kph).
AMG

DCT

The new Safety Car is a Mercedes-GT Black Series that doesnt feature the usual light bar due to aerodynamic reasons. Instead, engineers have equipped it with small LED lights at both ends, aided by the rear number plate illuminated in the respective color at the push of a button, and the usual flashing lights. The LEDs are dimmable, so they can adapt to different scenarios.In addition to the special livery, the 2022 F1 Safety Car features two tablets in the center console and instrument panel in front of the passenger for race monitoring. Two red buttons and as many rotary knobs can be seen in the center console for all radio commands, while a second radio system acts as backup.Bucket seats with six-point harness, lightweight roll cage, and the FIA-specific systems identical to those in F1 cars , like the transponder, high-res GPS, telemetry, and marshalling are on deck too, and so are two tiny cameras in the spoiler strut, with one acting as a rearview mirror for the co-driver, and the other transmitting a live TV stream.Standard AMG ceramic brakes provide the stopping power in the new Safety Car, which replaces the GT R , just like in the regular GT Black Series, and the car features the same aerodynamics. Pirelli P Zero tires were chosen as they offer the best possible solution for all racetracks and weather conditions, and power still comes from the 720 hp twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8, mated to aand rear-wheel drive. The standard car maxes out at 202 mph (325 kph), and needs 3.1 seconds to hit 60 mph (97 kph) from rest.Retiring the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Estate is the GT 63 S 4Matic+. The new Medical Car wears a similar livery to its two-door sibling, has an aerodynamically-optimized carbon fiber scoop on the roof for the light bar, and is equipped with the optional Aerodynamic Package.It carries a full set of emergency equipment, such as the defibrillator, rescue cutter, breathing apparatus, and two handheld fire extinguishers, and can seat four on individual bucket seats with six-point harnesses for the front occupants, and four-point harnesses for those at the rear. Three tablets and an extra monitor for the electronic rearview mirror allow those inside to keep an eye on the race. Just like the Safety Car, the new Medical Car boasts InCar Hotspot and WLAN.Moreover, since all F1 drivers wear special gloves with sensors in their pinkie fingers to monitor their vital signs, paramedics can receive information in real time on the screens, revealing the blood-oxygen level and pulse rate. As a result, they can coordinate better before arriving at the scene.The Medical Car retains the 4.0-liter bi-turbo V8 engine as well, which is rated at 630 hp in this configuration, rocketing the stock car to 62 mph (100 kph) in 3.2 seconds, and up to 196 mph (315 kph). The power unit is mated to a nine-speed gearbox and all-wheel drive.Whenever they are not in use, the GT Black Series Safety Car, driven by Bernd Maylander who is assisted by Richard Darker, and the GT 63 S Medical Car, which is crewed by up to three medics, including FIAs Medical Rescue Coordinator, Dr. Ian Roberts, they wait on standby in the pit lane The 2022 F1 season will kick off with the first round on March 18-20 in Bahrain, and will end on November 18-20 in Abu Dhabi.
DCF Commissioner Vannessa Dorantes said of Connecticuts Family First Prevention Plan: Child protective services has historically been reactionary: Something happens; somebody reports; we react. This gives us an opportunity to solidify that safety net around families. (Courant file photo) (Patrick Raycraft / Hartford Courant)

The federal government has approved a new plan by the state Department of Children and Families aimed at stabilizing youth and families in the state before they reach crisis points, according to Gov. Ned Lamont.

Connecticuts Family First Prevention Plan, which was submitted to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for approval last summer, details the states plan to implement the Family First Prevention Services Act, a 2018 federal law that expanded the use of federal foster care funds to include prevention services meant to support children and families.

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The law  which aims to redirect child welfare efforts away from placing children in out-of-home care and toward keeping them with their families  made services available for federal reimbursement, including programs offering evidence-based mental health treatment, substance use disorder prevention and in-home parenting support.

Child protective services has historically been reactionary: Something happens; somebody reports; we react, DCF Commissioner Vannessa Dorantes said recently. This gives us an opportunity to solidify that safety net around families.

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The agency began developing the prevention plan in late 2019 and solicited feedback from 400 individuals, including parents and youth with DCF experience, advocates and state officials. The plan, DCF officials say, strengthens ties between the agency and a network of community programs that will provide support to families  without necessarily resorting to DCF involvement.

How far-reaching can we get upstream so that when a family starts to need support, services are there, so they dont even have to come to the attention of our agency? said Ken Mysogland, the agencys bureau chief of external affairs. If this works, our child protective services agency, and the need for our services, will actually shrink and supports will be provided earlier on, to prevent acts of abuse and neglect from occurring or escalating.

The prevention plan hinges on identifying candidates for care  not only families known to DCF, but also those that might need help in the future  and connecting them with additional services. The agencys priority candidates include those who call into the agency hotline, siblings of youth in foster care and foster care youth who are pregnant or parenting.

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Others who will be referred for additional services include families accepted for voluntary care management, youth that have left foster care, children with chronic school absences, trafficked youth, children of incarcerated parents, unstably housed youth or families, families experiencing interpersonal violence and others referred through community pathways.

We really started to take a deep dive into our data to look at, Where are families in our system? not just DCF but schools, mental health clinics, primary care facilities, [juvenile justice] populations, said JoShonda Guerrier, an administrator of clinical and community consultation and support services at DCF. Where else do these families show up before we see them?

Once such families are identified, an entity contracted by DCF (but separate from the agency) will provide assessments, referrals and assistance. Support programs might include family therapy for youth with behavioral issues or for those at risk of developing substance use disorders.

Were always going to need to be here for children who are not safe, Mysogland said. But there are multiple steps that can be taken when a family is starting to indicate that struggle.

DCF officials noted that sometimes, fear of the agencys involvement can be a deterrent for families seeking care.

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The more we really unpack what it is that families need to be successful, its their ability to access services without the threat of the child protective services piece, Dorantes said. This is not either/or; its recognizing that what we do know is that when theres a need, we can match a service to that need and see really great outcomes for all kids and families.

Eliza Fawcett can be reached at elfawcett@courant.com.
Many people buy their new vehicles online these days, most of the time without even seeing them. This strips away a great deal from the whole ordering process, but the hard part only now begins. Its that part from the moment you get your VIN and the moment the dealer calls with the exciting news your ride awaits you. Especially in the past months, this also involves painfully long waiting times when no one tells you where is your car and when it will get to you. Thats when the dealer does not want to mark up the vehicle you ordered because he knows its in high demand.Well, some carmakers thought about this ordeal their customers are facing and came up with some clever solutions. After General Motors started testing a new order tracking system with Corvette customers, we learned Toyota will launch a similar program in about a week. The Project ETA will arrive at Toyota and Lexus dealerships in the U.S. this summer, after being introduced at a dealers meeting next week.Project ETA, as its name suggests, will help locate the cars in the intricate logistics chain of the automaker and will provide estimates about the delivery date. According to Keith Robertson, group vice president for supply chain management at Toyota Motor North America, the new system should improve the transparency of where a vehicle is in the delivery process. It will also provide timely notifications to dealers when there is a delay It would be great to have some transparency so that we could tell a customer that their vehicle was going to be here in two weeks, or 10 days, or four months, whatever, but be able to update them when something changes, explains for Automotive News Danny Wilson, head of the Toyota National Dealer Advisory Council.More like a delivery smartphone app, the Project ETA will offer a graphical representation of where a vehicle is in the production or delivery process. The delays would also be communicated through this system and alerts can be set for various steps in the delivery process. This is of great help to the dealers, allowing them to offer meaningful information to customers when asked.
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Vladimir Putin likely won't be able to take Kyiv without destroying much of the city and subjecting its population to a brutal siege, military analysts say. But Putin has a track record of doing just that.

Why it matters: U.S. and Ukrainian officials believe that Putin's primary focus remains on Kyiv, even after his plans to swiftly take the city and force a capitulation from the government were thwarted. The city's defenders  soldiers and civilians alike  are very hostile to the invaders and bracing for a fight.

On the ground: Residents of Kyiv are stocking up on food, medicine, and other essentials in preparation for a siege, says Parliament member Maryan Zablotskyy from President Volodymyr Zelenskys party, and who remains in the city.

In addition to the army and police force, around 30,000 Kyiv residents volunteered to defend the city and have received guns, he says.

So basically, Kyiv is turning into a fortress, and everybody is expecting a major assault on Kyiv, he tells Axios.

Data: Institute for the Study of War; Map: Jared Whalen/Axios

12 days into the war, there has been fighting on the city's outskirts and bombing closer to the center, but a senior Pentagon official told reporters today that the main advance is still stalled outside the city.

Flashback: Michael Kofman, a leading expert on Russias military at the Center for Naval Analyses, says that watching an enormous Russian convoy move slowly toward Kyiv to help encircle the city is giving him very bad Grozny 1999 vibes"  a reference to the notoriously brutal Russian bombardment and capture of the Chechen capital.

By the time Putin, newly installed as president, declared the city liberated, it was by the UNs estimation the most destroyed city on Earth.

Kofman says Putin's bombardments of Grozny and Aleppo in Syria suggest he would be willing to "level" Kyiv. "If you dont think thats true you havent been following Vladimir Putins track record.

Kofman is expecting a massive artillery and air assault on the city once the Russian forces are in position.

Yes, but: Even if they try and reduce the city to rubble, you can still fight from rubble if you really want to, says Rob Lee of the Foreign Policy Research Institute and who is another close observer of the Russian war effort.

He says encircling Kyiv will require a massive Russian force that could then be vulnerable to counterattacks. Troops that enter the city would be at a disadvantage in street-by-street fighting.

"If youre trying to occupy a country that doesnt want to be occupied, your prospects are always going to be poor, Lee says.

He also thinks the Russians will be operating on a timeline, both because of the difficulties of sustaining and supplying their operation and because of domestic pressure over the war and its economic fallout.

The aftermath, in Grozny. Photo: Antoine Gyori/Sygma via Getty Images

What to watch: The Pentagon official said Russian forces are trying to seal off the eastern part of the country to prevent the large Ukrainian force there from joining the defense of Kyiv.

Some Russian forces fighting in the east could also join the effort to encircle Kyiv once they have taken Kharkiv, the official added.

The U.S. and European countries are working to provide weapons and other supplies while its still possible to get them into the capital.

Even killing or capturing Zelensky would be unlikely to end the battle. Secretary of State Tony Blinken said Sunday that Ukraine has a "continuity of government" plan.

Driving the news: At least four civilians attempting to evacuate the Kyiv suburb of Irpin were killed by Russian shelling on Sunday. On Monday, at least 13 civilians were reportedly killed when a bakery in another suburb was struck.

The Pentagon official said Russia has now deployed "nearly 100%" of its amassed forces into Ukraine and launched over 625 missiles.

The bottom line: Like Ukraine as a whole, Kyiv would be difficult to take and more difficult to hold. But if there is a prolonged battle for Kyiv, the Ukrainian people will bear the brunt of the suffering.
The Chinese government is scrubbing the countrys media of sympathetic or accurate coverage of Ukraine and systematically amplifying pro-Putin talking points about Russia's invasion of Ukraine..

Why it matters: Chinas wide use of its propaganda and censorship muscle helps insulate Beijing from a domestic backlash against its support for Putin and leaves its citizens with an airbrushed, false version of events, similar to whats seen in Putins state-controlled Russia.

What's happening: Chinese media outlets were told to avoid posting "anything unfavorable to Russia or pro-Western" on their social media accounts, and to only use hashtags started by Chinese state media outlets, according to a leaked censorship directive.

Online comments expressing sympathy for Ukraine have been deleted; even the anti-war speech given by the Paralympic Committee president during the Paralympics opening ceremonies was censored in Chinese television broadcasts.

Pro-Putin social media posts on Chinese social media were allowed to proliferate, as were posts blaming the U.S. and NATO for the conflict.

Chinese state media have widely aggregated content from Russian outlets including RT, a Russian state-controlled international broadcaster.

But the Chinese government made a miscalculation in the early days of Russia's invasion, according to a new analysis published by Doublethink Lab, a Taiwan-based organization that researches online disinformation  suggesting that Beijing underestimated Europe's resolve.

Initial state-backed narratives emphasized the unreliability of the west, with Chinese state media pushing the headline Ukrainian president says the West has given up on Ukraine" and similar stories.

Other Beijing-linked posts extended this narrative to Taiwan, drawing on Ukraine's plight to cast doubt on future U.S. support for Taiwan.

"They tried to depict the U.S., the West and NATO as not trustworthy, and people in Taiwan as delusional to think the U.S. will protect Taiwan at all," Doublethink Lab CEO Min Hsuan Wu told Axios.

"But that faded away after the strong sanctions and united front from European countries and NATO allies," said Wu, a reaction that cast the west as a reliable partner.

Chinese state media and related social media posts then turned to blaming the U.S. for the war, and to spreading Russian government talking points.

Yes, but: Censorship means that opposing viewpoints are muted, making it seem like anti-west, pro-Russia sentiment is more ubiquitous among Chinese people than may actually be the case.

"What we are documenting here is not how all Chinese people themselves think," Wu emphasized. "This is censorship and information control."

Go deeper: Governments around the globe hold upper hand online
The Biden administration is walking a tightrope when it comes to addressing the climbing price of gas in ways that square with the administrations climate policies.

Driving the news: The White House is caught between the need to address the high price of gas, which Tuesday hit a national record, and its ambitious climate agenda.

For the short term, this is leading the administration to engage governments it had shunned, such as Venezuela, or criticized, like Saudi Arabia, to secure additional supplies.

At the same time, top officials are adamant their policies are not impeding the domestic production of oil and gas, but that the clean energy transition is the only way to truly become energy independent in the long run.

Why it matters: Whether the public blames the Biden administration's energy policies for the high price of gas could have steep political costs for Democrats.

Zoom in: The energy industry has been emphasizing the need for policy changes in order to increase the amount of oil and gas drilling at home.

This is a position the White House, and its environmental allies reject, noting that oil production has already increased under Biden and is projected to hit a record high in 2023.

But to a typical customer filling up their SUV at a gas station, incredulous at the cost, it may make intuitive sense that policies like canceling the Keystone Pipeline, a move Biden took early in his presidency, is a culprit.

White House officials have taken to Twitter to defend Bidens energy agenda and the need for a clean transition.

"The suggestion that we are not allowing companies to drill is inaccurate," press secretary Jen Psaki said during Monday's press briefing. "The suggestion that that is what is hindering or preventing gas prices to come down is inaccurate."

Between the lines: Nikos Tsafos, an energy and climate specialist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Axios the White House and Republicans are locked in a political argument when they should be focused on squaring off against Russia.

I think we're tying ourselves in a knot with the talking points, Tsafos said. You know, I don't understand why it's so difficult for the White House to say, we need more U.S. oil produced right now.

This would still be consistent with its climate agenda, he told Axios.

Total imports of crude oil and oil products. Data: IEA; Table: Will Chase/Axios

This chart from the International Energy Agency shows the top 15 countries in Europe in terms of their share of combined crude oil and petroleum products from Russia.
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock's administration on Monday mounted its most forceful defense to date in support of the city's police officers and their response to the violent George Floyd protests in 2020.

Driving the news: In opening arguments for a federal lawsuit, assistant city attorney Lindsay Jordan acknowledged officers made mistakes.

But she argued to the jury that the use of pepper balls, tear gas and other less-lethal weapons were needed because of the "unprecedented violence and destruction" that accompanied the racial justice demonstrations.

"When justifiable anger turns to violence and destruction, it's the responsibility of police to intervene as a matter of public safety," Jordan said after showing images of vandalism to downtown businesses.

The big picture: The city's response to the protests is the focus of a federal civil rights lawsuit that went to jury this week  the first in the nation to go to trial, advocates say.

The plaintiffs are 12 protesters who suffered injuries when police officers shot less-lethal munitions, sprayed and gassed them over the course of six days worth of demonstrations near the state Capitol that started May 28, 2020.

Between the lines: The city attorney repeatedly focused on "agitators" in the crowd, not peaceful protesters, and said "the behavior of the crowd as a whole" should be used to determine whether the officers' actions were justified.

Still, Jordan said the plaintiffs broke the law by violating the curfew put in place by Hancock and suggested some of them supported other illegal activity.

The other side: Attorneys for the protesters equated curfew violations to jaywalking in their opening statements.

"Being out after curfew is not a license to shoot someone with a 40mm weapon or pepper ball. It's not a crime that justifies a police use of force," said Tim Macdonald, an attorney for seven of the plaintiffs.

Macdonald, who is working in collaboration with the ACLU in Colorado, and Makeba Rutahindurwa, an attorney for other protesters, showed graphic photos on a screen of the injuries their clients sustained, as well as the weapons police used against them.

"These are not people committing violence and breaking windows  these are people raising their voices," MacDonald said.

Be smart: The bulk of the lawsuit relies on the report from the city's former independent police monitor who found "extremely troubling" actions on the part of law enforcement.
Israeli President Herzog meets Ukrainian President Zelensky in October. Photo: Ukrainian presidency via Getty

Israel is evacuating its embassy in Kyiv and moving diplomats to Lviv in Western Ukraine due to growing concerns about a Russian invasion, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat said on Monday.

Why it matters: Israel delayed this decision for several days and even sent more diplomats to Kyiv to help Israelis evacuate, but the government has now concluded that the Israelis who want to leave have left and it is too dangerous to keep diplomats in Kyiv. The U.S. embassy shifted operations to Lviv last week.

Behind the scenes: Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid made the decision on Monday evening local time in a meeting in the Foreign Ministry's Situation Room, after senior officials held calls with their U.S. and French counterparts and Lapid was briefed on the latest intelligence, Israeli officials tell me.

Based on this intelligence it was decided to evacuate the Israeli diplomats from Kyiv and it will happen on Tuesday," an Israeli official said.

The state of play: In recent days, the Israeli Foreign Ministry has been repeatedly calling on Israeli nationals to leave Ukraine.
The ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine are at a critical juncture, Israeli officials said today.

Why it matters: Israel, which has good relations with both Ukraine and Russia, is in a unique situation mediating between the countries.

Driving the news: Israeli officials with direct information about the talks coordinated by Israel said they feel there is a softening of positions on both sides in the last 24 hours, with the Russians saying they only want to demilitarize the Donbas region and Zelensky telling ABC news he has cooled down about joining NATO.

Israeli officials said they hope these are signs that more progress toward a diplomatic solution might be possible.

Catch up quick: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett visited Moscow on Saturday and met with Putin. Since then, he's been engaged in a flurry of phone calls with Putin, Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

On Tuesday, Bennett spoke again to Zelensky about the ceasefire efforts and then called Putin to pass on a message from the Ukrainian president.

The Kremlin said Putin briefed Bennett on the results of the third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine in Belarus.

Behind the scenes: Two Israeli officials said Bennett isn't presenting Putin and Zelensky with any plan or framework and is only passing messages between the leaders.

In the meeting with Putin, Bennett relayed ideas that came up from Ukraine and other countries, including France and Germany, in order to get Putins reaction and assess whether he is flexible or not on his current conditions for a ceasefire, Israeli officials said.

Bennett and his aides briefed Ukraine, the Biden administration, France and Germany about the meeting with Putin in detail and also about the phone call that followed.

Israeli officials are crediting their talks with Putin for crystallizing the situation for Zelensky and also contributing to western knowledge about the Russian presidents positions.

Israel relayed to the U.S., France and Germany the details of Putins proposal to Zelensky, which wasnt fully known in Washington, Paris and Berlin, Israeli officials said.

According to Israeli officials, Putins proposal is difficult for Zelensky to accept but not as extreme as they anticipated. They said the proposal doesnt include regime change in Kyiv and allows Ukraine to keep its sovereignty.

What they're saying: A senior Israeli official said Zelensky is at a crossroads and has to choose between two options:

Accept the Russian proposal, which is very tough, but preserve Ukraines sovereignty and stop the war.

Reject the proposal and risk a serious escalation in the Russian attack that could end in a catastrophe for Zelensky and for Ukraine.

Whats next: Israeli officials said Israel and other western countries are not going to press Ukraine to choose a particular path.
Latinas in the U.S. and Latin American women have helped shape history, but their contributions have often been forgotten.

Why it matters: On International Women's Day, Axios Latino is highlighting some of the women who transformed politics, labor, literature, and daily life, both in the U.S. and Latin America.

Two of the most influential Latinas in U.S. history  Emma Tenayuca and Luisa Moreno  organized Latino workers and sought to fight discrimination against Latinos in the 1930s.

Tenayuca garnered attention for organizing the largest strike in San Antonio history, the Pecan-Shellers Strike of 1938, and was a leader of several highly visible marches, demonstrations and sit-ins.

She set the foundation for what would become the Chicano Movement decades later.

The Guatemalan-born Moreno founded the National Congress of Spanish-Speaking Peoples and sought to desegregate schools, public places, and neighborhoods. She built one of the first Pan-Latino political movement in the U.S.

Both would be monitored by the FBI for years for their activities. Moreno left the U.S. after federal authorities sought her deportation. Tenayuca faced death threats and later became a teacher.

An acclaimed poet: Long before Sandra Cisneros wrote about a House on Mango Street, Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos wrote about finding her own home as a woman in the world of colonization and oppression.

A member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, she worked as a journalist and earned acclaim for her poetry, even from Pablo Neruda.

De Burgos created a space for Latina feminist literature and what would later be called the Nuyorican Poets movement decades later.

A battle for farmworkers: Maria Moreno, a mother of 12, used her personal story to draw attention to poor agricultural workers in California.

She was so influential that she spoke at a 1961 labor convention alongside President John F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Then, she disappeared. The 2019 PBS documentary, Adios Amor: The Search for Maria Moreno, uncovers her life and the mystery of her whereabouts.

Moreno's actions paved the way for what would become the United Farm Workers union led by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta.

As the suffrage movements in Europe and the U.S. succeeded by 1920, Ecuadorian Matilde Hidalgo de Procel was just getting started.

In May 1924, Hidalgo demanded to be registered to vote. Officials refused, then relented, and Hidalgo became the first woman to vote in Latin America.

Her request reached parliament, which made Ecuador the first South American country with full suffrage just five years later.

At 18 years old, Chilean Margot Duhalde Sotomayor was one of the first Latin American women to get a pilot's license. Two years later, in 1940, she volunteered to join the French resistance air force in London, becoming one of few female World War II pilots.

She piloted over 1,000 flights from factories to combat zones with the British Air Transport Auxiliary, according to charters in France's Army Museum.

Teresa Carreno was a piano prodigy in Caracas, eventually playing in major concert halls in New York, Paris and Berlin.

In 1863, as a 9-year-old, she was invited to play at parties held by members of President Abraham Lincoln's cabinet, and reportedly for Lincoln himself in the White House. She also played for Woodrow Wilson in 1916.

Three sisters in the Dominican Republic helped topple a dictator.

Maria Teresa, Patria and Minerva Mirabal called themselves butterflies in their fight against the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo.

On Nov. 25, 1960, authorities brutally killed the three sisters and tried to pass it off as a car accident.

The murders prompted much outrage, and became one of the events that triggered Trujillo's assassination six months after.

Subscribe to Axios Latino and get more news that matters about Latinos and Latin America, delivered right to your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The Ukrainian flag flies at Connecticut's Capitol. A resolution from Hartford City Council member John Gale would have they city join the state in divesting from Russian assets. Photograph by Mark Mirko | mmirko@courant.com (Mark Mirko/The Hartford Courant)

The Hartford Treasurers office is moving to divest the citys billion-dollar pension fund from Russian-owned assets, while the city council is set to consider a resolution supporting the measure and calling on Hartford to impose further sanctions.

The move comes as states, cities and businesses across the world take steps to squeeze Russia in response to the countrys unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

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In addition to asking the city treasurer to investigate the extent of Russian assets in the citys pension fund, the resolution would formally condemn Russia for the attack and will ask the city to take whatever actions it can to impose economic sanctions upon Russia.

Its not a totally symbolic gesture, but its filled with symbolism to show our solidarity and support for the sovereignty of this nation [Ukraine], said John Gale, the Hartford city council member who wrote the resolution.

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Adam M. Cloud, Hartfords city treasurer, said his office is already exploring any and all exposures to Russian assets through the citys investments. Cloud met with consultants last week and spoke to staff Monday morning about divestment, he said.

Number one, the city of Hartford treasurers office and the pension fund stand behind the Ukrainian people and denounce the horrific actions of the Russian government with regards to Ukraine, Cloud said.

Cloud said he does not believe the city has any significant exposure to Russian assets, and his office is working to ensure that is the case.

And if we do [have exposure], we will be moving precipitously toward a full disengagement with any Russian investments, Cloud said.

The city of Hartfords pension fund is worth about $1.13 billion, and contributes about $55 million to the $120 million total the city makes in benefit payments each year.

If the pension fund is found to be invested in Russian assets, divestment could be complicated. The Russian stock market has been frozen since the invasion began, making it impossible for investors to sell their holdings.

The MSCI Emerging Markets Index, which lists emerging markets like Russia, Brazil, China and India, cut out Russian equities last week. Meanwhile, the London Stock Exchange has suspended trading in some Russian firms.

It isnt clear when the Russian stock market will reopen, or how significant losses could be when it does.

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Gale said he will file the resolution with the city clerks office Tuesday morning. It will then be added to the agenda for the councils next meeting on Monday, March 14.

In addition to Gale, of the Hartford Party, the resolution will be introduced by Council President Maly D. Rosado and council members Tiana Hercules, Nick Lebron, Marilyn Rossetti and James Sanchez.

The world is watching, as to whats going on in Ukraine, said Lebron, a Democrat. Obviously, our funding may not have investments on a global scale, but whatever it is, it shows a form of solidarity. Not only as a country, but as a community.

Five Things You Need To Know Daily We're providing the latest coronavirus coverage in Connecticut each weekday morning. >

Hartford is a community full of immigrants, and we do have Ukrainian residents and people who have immigrated from there to here, said Hercules, of the Working Families Party. It does show them that were supporting them and their families who arent here, who are still [in Ukraine] and dealing with the things that are going on on the ground.

I think if more communities stand up and do the same, I think that sets a loud and clear message that we dont stand for this in 2022, Hercules said.

Last week, state Treasurer Shawn T. Wooden announced Connecticut will join with California, Georgia, Oregon, Pennsylvania and other states in a move to divest state assets from Russia.

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Eliminating our holdings of Russian assets is not only a moral imperative but the current crisis also constitutes a substantial risk for Connecticuts investments, our national policy and economic security, Wooden said at the time.

In New York City, trustees of the citys employee retirement system voted last week to approve divestment from Russian companies.

The City of Hartford Pension Commission next meets on March 25.

Seamus McAvoy may be reached at smcavoy@courant.com
The Department of Defense will permanently close a World War II-era bulk fuel storage facility in Hawaii that leaked petroleum into the local drinking water supply last year, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Monday.

Why it matters: Water samples from a Navy-operated well serving military families contained diesel fuel 350 times the safe level, and thousands of families had to temporarily move from their homes near Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam because of the leak, according to the New York Times.

What they're saying: "Red Hill has served our armed forces well for many decades. But it makes a lot less sense now," Austin said in a statement.

"We will continue our work with the Hawaii Department of Health, national and local elected officials, and other community leaders, to clean up the water at the Red Hill well. And we will develop an environmental mitigation plan to address any future contamination concerns," he added.

"This is great news for the people of Hawai'i," Gov. David Ige said in a tweet. "Our national defense begins with the health and safety of our people, and there are better solutions for strategic fueling today than there were when the Red Hill storage facility was built."

The big picture: The secretary of the Navy and the Defense Logistics Agency will submit a plan to de-fuel the facility by the end of May, a process that the Pentagon believes will take around a year.

The Defense Department said it "will also restore safe drinking water to all affected residents and provide best-in-class sampling and testing to ensure the continued safety of drinking water."

Go deeper: The Pentagon's multibillion-dollar "forever chemicals" problem
Most people you meet in everyday life  at work, in the neighborhood  are decent and normal. Even nice. But hit Twitter or watch the news, and you'd think we were all nuts and nasty.

Why it matters: The rising power and prominence of the nation's loudest, meanest voices obscures what most of us personally experience: Most people are sane and generous  and too busy to tweet.

Reality check: It turns out, you're right. We dug into the data and found that, in fact, most Americans are friendly, donate time or money, and would help you shovel your snow. They are busy, normal and mostly silent.

These aren't the people with big Twitter followings or cable-news contracts  and they don't try to pick fights at school board meetings.

the people with big Twitter followings or cable-news contracts  and they don't try to pick fights at school board meetings. So the people who get the clicks and the coverage distort our true reality.

Three stats we find reassuring:

75% of people in the U.S. never tweet. On an average weeknight in January, just 1% of U.S. adults watched primetime Fox News (2.2 million). 0.5% tuned into MSNBC (1.15 million). Nearly three times more Americans (56%) donated to charities during the pandemic than typically give money to politicians and parties (21%).

 One chart worth sharing: As polarized as America seems, Independents  who are somewhere in the middle  would be the biggest party.

In Gallup's 2021 polling, 29% of Americans identified as Democrats ... 27% as Republicans ... and 42% as independents.

Reproduced from Gallup; Chart: Axios Visuals

The bottom line: Every current trend suggests politics will get more toxic before it normalizes. But the silent majority gives us hope beyond the nuttiness.

 Editor's note: This article was first written for the launch edition of Axios Finish Line, which is part of the Axios Daily Essentials newsletter package.
Amazon Web Services is no longer accepting new customers in Russia and Belarus, the company announced Tuesday.

Driving the news: Amazon joins a slew of other companies curtailing their ties with Russia in the wake of its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

The big picture: "We have also stopped allowing new sign-ups for AWS in Russia and Belarus," the statement on the company's website said.

The policy change took effect over the weekend but was not formally announced until Tuesday, according to the New York Times, which first reported the news.

AWS has "no data centers, infrastructure, or offices in Russia" and their largest customers in the country are multinational corporations with local development teams, the company noted.
Russia is now the world's most sanctioned country, after other nations responded to its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine with sanctions.

By the numbers: Russia has faced 2,778 new sanctions in just under two weeks, according to the Castellum.AI dashboard, which tracks sanctions against Russia.

Russia faced 2,754 sanctions before Feb. 22, making it the second-most sanctioned country in the world behind Iran. However, since President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into eastern Ukraine on Feb. 21, sanctions against Russia have skyrocketed to 5,532.

In comparison, Iran has faced 3,616 sanctions, primarily for its nuclear program and support of terrorism, according to Bloomberg. Syria and North Korea follow closely behind Iran with 2,608 and 2,077 sanctions, respectively.

The big picture: The flood of sanctions comes from the U.S. and its Western allies, who have demonstrated significant unity in the face of Russia's invasion into Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky doubled down on his pledge to remain in Kyiv in a video message on Monday as he told the world: "I'm not hiding."

Why it matters: Zelensky has said from the beginning that he and his family will be prime targets. Ukrainian officials said last week that they were able to foil an assassination plot, but the Daily Beast reported that more attempts have been made since.

What he's saying: "Now I will say one thing: I stay here. I stay in Kyiv. On Bankova Street. Im not hiding. And I'm not afraid of anyone. As much as it takes to win this Patriotic War of ours," Zelensky said from his office.

"You know, we used to say: Monday is a hard day. There is a war in the country. So every day is Monday. And now we are used to the fact that every day and every night are like that."

Though Russians launched a targeted offensive, Ukraine has not buckled and continues to fight back despite lack of weaponry, he said. Victory will "definitely be achieved."

Ukrainians in the country's southern region have particularly held down the fort and created a "nightmare" for Russian forces, Zelensky added. "They forgot that we are not afraid of paddy wagons and batons. We are not afraid of tanks and machine guns. When the main thing is on our side, truth. As it is now."

Negotiations have so far remained unsuccessful, but the president said that "we will insist on negotiations until we find a way to tell our people: This is how we will come to peace. Exactly to peace."

The big picture: Ukraine is on its 12th day of siege under Russian forces, with heavy shelling increasing across the nation. Russian attacks in the first week alone killed more than 2,000 civilians, according to Ukraine's State Emergency Service.
The Senate voted by unanimous consent on Monday to pass anti-lynching legislation that would designate lynching as a federal hate crime for the first time in U.S. history.

The big picture: Congress had previously failed to pass anti-lynching legislation despite over 200 attempts since 1918. Scholars have written about how lynchings were used as a tool for racial terror to enforce segregation and keep people of color from power.

The Emmett Till Antilynching Act, which the House overwhelmingly cleared 4223, now goes to President Biden to be signed into law.

Details: Under the bill, a crime would be prosecuted as a lynching when death or serious bodily injury results from a conspiracy to commit a hate crime.

A convicted perpetrator would face up to 30 years in prison.

The bill, led by Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) in the House, is named after the 14-year-old Black boy whose brutal 1955 torture and murder in Mississippi helped spark the civil rights movement.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who held up a similar bill in 2020, joined Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) in co-sponsoring a proposal to clear up any opposition.

Our thought bubble, via Axios' Russell Contreras: Yes, hates crimes are currently illegal but for decades lynching and murder had been illegal, too, in states and local law enforcement failed to seek charges.

By finally making lynching a unique federal crime, the nation is coming to terms with how lynching was used to enforce a racial social order at the risk of violence against people of color.

Federal prosecutors will have another tool to use against violators, even if local prosecutors and weak grand juries look the other way.

Don't forget: Jean Pfaelzers 2008 book, "Driven Out: The Forgotten War Against Chinese Americans" documents from 1848 into the 20th century how lawless white mobs lynched Chinese miners in California in violent acts of ethnic cleansing.

What they're saying: "Lynching is a longstanding and uniquely American weapon of racial terror that has for decades been used to maintain the white hierarchy," Rush said in a statement after the bill's passage. "Perpetrators of lynching got away with murder time and time again  in most cases, they were never even brought to trial."

Unanimous Senate passage of the bill "sends a clear and emphatic message that our nation will no longer ignore this shameful chapter of our history and that the full force of the U.S. federal government will always be brought to bear against those who commit this heinous act."

"The first anti-lynching legislation was introduced a century ago," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said from the floor on Monday. "That it took so long is a stain  a bitter stain  on America."

"While this will not erase the horrific injustices ... it is still an important step forward as we continue the work of confronting our nations past in pursuit of a brighter, more just future."

Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from Rush and Schumer and further context.
Data: Brookings Institution and U.S. Census; Note: Metro areas with fewer than 1,000 tech workers in 2020 were excluded; Map: Kavya Beheraj/Axios

A handful of fast-growing cities, including Miami, Orlando and San Diego, are claiming a bigger and bigger slice of America's tech workforce.

Why it matters: The rise of remote work has provided an opportunity for new cities to lure tech talent from coastal hubs, chipping away at established tech hubs' dominance.

Driving the news: Two new data sets  a report from the Brookings Institution and LinkedIn data tracking tech migration  paint a similar picture: Tech jobs flocked to a handful of new hubs, many of them in the Sun Belt, during the pandemic.

Miami was among the biggest winners: It saw a 30% increase in the net flow of workers in the software and IT sector who moved into the region in 2021, up from a 15% gain in 2020, according to LinkedIn.

7 of the 10 fastest growing cities for tech worker inflows in 2021 were Sun Belt cities, including San Antonio, San Diego, Orlando and Jacksonville.

Charlotte, Tuscon and Virginia Beach saw big gains at the beginning of the pandemic, according to Brookings, as did a handful of college towns, including Lawrence, Kan.

What they're saying: "This does likely owe to remote work," said Brookings' Mark Muro, a co-author of the report. "We dont see a wholesale end of the superstar period of tech centers, but we see a significant uptick in places that are actually growing faster."

"The location of tech jobs matters," he said. "Tech jobs drive innovation, pay well, and have substantial multipliers, for local economies and the national one."

Reality check: The big tech hubs  particularly the Bay Area, New York and Seattle  continue to hold the bulk of the jobs. And as tech companies invest in new offices and call workers back, the jobs that moved out of the superstar cities could come back.

"The question is are we looking at a disruption of the tech map or is this a temporary trend due to a crisis," Muro says.

New York has fared especially well: Its tech sector grew more during 2020 than in the years just before the pandemic, according to Brookings, and LinkedIn data show that boom continuing.

"We've seen that as things have started to subside and vaccinations increase, we're seeing people flow back into New York," LinkedIn senior data scientist Brian Xu told Axios, noting that New York was on the rise for all worker migration, not just tech. "I think a lot of workers are just coming back."

Between the lines: Texas and Florida, which are home to several of the cities luring tech workers, don't have state income tax.

And Miami has aggressively courted tech workers. "Miami Hack Week" in January involved roughly 1,000 attendees working on projects in homes across the city sponsored by companies.

"It's a great opportunity for tech people to come live here for a week and experience the city," Maria Derchi Russo, executive director of Refresh Miami, told Axios. "And a lot of those folks ended up deciding to move here."

What's next: The leaking of jobs from the tech centers looks likely to continue, at least in the short term, the report notes.

Startups are popping up in new places. The superstars' share of new tech companies ticked down from 54% in 2020 to 52% in 2021.

Editor's note: This story first published on March 8.
The biological mother and maternal grandmother of Orrin and Orson West  two California City brothers who were adopted by a couple now facing 
Ukrainian-American Deanna Humennyj, a postpartum nurse at the Hospital of Central Connecticut, speaks with the media during a press conference to announce Hartford HealthCare's initiative to send medical supplies to Ukraine. Photograph by Mark Mirko | mmirko@courant.com

With reports of Ukrainian women giving birth in bomb shelters fresh in her mind as the Russian invasion raged on, Deanna Humennyj, a postpartum nurse at the Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain, decided to take action.

The granddaughter of Ukrainians, Humennyj began to collect medical supplies for Ukrainian mothers and infants  and appealed to the leadership of Hartford HealthCare for help.

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NICUs have been moved to bomb shelters. These innocent people have close to nothing, she wrote in an email to president and CEO Jeffrey Flaks. If you are able to donate any of these supplies from Hartford HealthCare, it would be truly appreciated by the Ukrainian community.

On Tuesday, Humennyj watched as the first pallets of a $250,000 donation of medical supplies  including N95 masks, isolation gowns, exam gloves and bandages  were loaded onto a truck at Hartford HealthCares supply warehouse in Newington.

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The delivery was bound for New York, then Poland and would soon arrive in Ukraine for distribution.

Hartford HealthCare supply chain associate Juan Donato loads medical supplies bound for Ukraine from an HHC warehouse in Newington. Ukrainian-American Deanna Humennyj, a postpartum nurse at the Hospital of Central Connecticut, helped lead the effort. Photograph by Mark Mirko | mmirko@courant.com (Mark Mirko/The Hartford Courant)

My heart is broken by what is going on in my familys homeland, Humennyj said during a press conference in the warehouse, noting the critical importance of post-birth care to both mothers and children.

Reports and images of Ukrainian civilians fleeing their homes with few possessions, sheltering in underground train stations and walking by foot to safe havens in neighboring countries have struck a chord with residents across Connecticut since Russias invasion last month. Members of the states Ukrainian-American community rallied recently at the state Capitol, calling for peace and freedom. More recently, the crisis has had economic impacts, with the Hartford treasurers office moving to divest the citys billion-dollar pension fund from Russian-owned assets.

For many Connecticut residents, the unfolding crisis in Ukraine hits close to home.

Darlene Sawczysyn, a senior analyst of treasury services at Hartford HealthCare, said that her great-grandparents emigrated from Ukraine and Poland and her family settled in New Britain.

I recall my grandparents, who were first generation, establishing some of the churches that are thriving today and continue to welcome immigrants that come from Eastern European nations, she said. Growing up, I remember gathering up clothes that we outgrew and packaging up and sending them back to Ukraine.

Decades later, it was a different kind of donation that Sawczysyn saw packaged and readied for shipment to her great-grandparents land.

The first truckload of $250k worth of medical supplies and PPE, donated by @HartfordHealthC and bound for Ukraine, is being loaded at the health care systems supply chain warehouse in Newington. pic.twitter.com/HFOHfjpfPw  Eliza Fawcett (@ElizaFawcett) March 8, 2022

Sharon Fried, the vice president of supply chain operations for Hartford HealthCare, said that the first installment of the donation had been assembled in recent days and that the hospital would work with humanitarian organizations to determine future need for supplies.

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Separately, Hartford HealthCare employees had raised roughly $38,000 to support humanitarian work in Ukraine through the global nonprofit Americares.

Five Things You Need To Know Daily We're providing the latest coronavirus coverage in Connecticut each weekday morning. >

Yale New Haven Health also announced on Tuesday a donation of more than $1 million in medical supplies to Ukrainians through the U.S. Cooperative for International Patient Programs.

Our employees share in the pain of the Ukrainian people and are hoping to do what we can with this donation to reduce some of the immediate suffering, Christopher OConnor, president of Yale New Haven Health, said during a virtual press conference.

Hartford HealthCare supply chain associate Juan Donato inspects medical supplies bound for Ukraine from an HHC warehouse in Newington on Tuesday. Ukrainian-American Deanna Humennyj, a postpartum nurse at the Hospital of Central Connecticut, helped lead the effort. Photograph by Mark Mirko | mmirko@courant.com (Mark Mirko/The Hartford Courant)

Roughly two years ago, in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, masks, gloves and other types of medical equipment were in short supply in Connecticut and across the country. But on Tuesday, Hartford HealthCares vast supply warehouse, built last year, housed towering boxes of PPE and medical supplies  enough to sustain the health system for about a year.

The warehouses robust stockpile, assembled over the course of the pandemic, enabled Hartford HealthCare to now be in a position to donate needed supplies to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, Flaks noted.

We can confidently make these donations today, knowing that we can also support our people here in Connecticut, he said.

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U.N. officials are reporting that 2 million people have now fled Ukraine, as Europes worst refugee crisis since World War II grows even more severe, according to The Associated Press.

Eliza Fawcett can be reached at elfawcett@courant.com.
You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. You can also follow her at @idesai98 on Twitter.
Talk of banning Russian oil imports renews criticism of Newsom oil policies

Calls to ramp up California oil production are increasing as policymakers consider cutting off U.S. imports of crude oil from Russia in retaliation for the country's invasion of Ukraine.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, California imported about 15.5 million barrels of oil last year from Russia  more than twice the amount it brought in as recently as 2019. The 2021 total represented about 5 percent of the foreign-sourced oil that supplied the state's refineries.

Those numbers could become more significant as the Biden administration and Congress weigh banning Russian oil imports as a way of increasing pressure on the regime of President Vladimir Putin.

The administration is reportedly in talks with leadership in Venezuela and looking at making a trip to Saudi Arabia, presumably to persuade the two countries to boost production and sales. Any increase could help ease a gap in supply if Russian oil is taken off the U.S. market.

Last week, state Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, introduced a legislative ban on importing Russian oil. She proposed the difference be made up through an increase in crude produced in-state.

Grove unveiled the plan after Gov. Gavin Newsom's executive order calling on state agencies and departments to make certain their contractors are abiding by U.S. economic sanctions on Russia.

What good does it do for us to divest in Russian assets on the one hand, then send Putin billions of dollars for imported crude on the other? Grove asked in a news release.

As the release notes, California is an "energy island" that cannot easily draw upon oil produced in U.S. states other than Alaska. That means the Golden State generally must import foreign oil through its ports.

But for California to pick up slack in the market, there might have to be a regulatory change in Sacramento.

In-state oil producers have complained that, under Newsom, it has taken much longer to get permits to drill new wells or improve upon existing ones.

Part of the reason for the delays is a legal challenge that has stalled Kern's streamlined oilfield permitting system. State regulators say they are trying to process drilling applications that would otherwise go through the county but that the process has been slow.

Rock Zierman, CEO of the California Independent Petroleum Association trade group, said the governor should lift impediments to the issuance of oil permits.

"We have over 1,000 permit applications on (state regulators') desk that they are not processing," Zierman said.

County Supervisor Phillip Peters agreed with the oil industry in an opinion piece printed in Sunday's Californian.

"California has a critical role to play in supporting the nation during this uncertain time," Peters stated. "Given the Russian aggression, California should revisit its current policy of denying permits for oil and gas production and restart our energy industry to assist the nation and international allies in this immediate time of need."
Eerie Doomsday Connection Between Oregon Coast and Yellowstone

Published 03/08/22 at 4:42 AM PST

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Oregon Coast)  Long, long before humans walked the Earth, the area that would eventually become Oregon was periodically covered in layers of moving lava. A weak spot in the crust, located about where the Idaho border is now, allowed multiple eruptions through which wriggled their way across three hundred miles, past what was the ocean boundary back then (the coastline was some 30 miles inland) and down into ocean sediment. (Above: Yachats at night. Thanks to odd light sources, the basalt and ocean take on a reddish color, evoking lava. The coastline looked something like this 14 million years ago)

This was Oregon and its future coast about 13 to 18 million years ago, and to borrow from Battlestar Galactica: all this has happened before and all this will happen again. Those layers of lava, sometimes 30 feet high, created much of the north Oregon coast we know and love: Tillamook Head, Cape Meares, Yaquina Head and even the Columbia Gorge. Hence the name Columbia Basalts given to these structures.

That weak spot is still around  but thanks to tectonic movement has shifted to where Yellowstone National Park is. The plates move over the spot  the hole stays where it is. The Yellowstone hotspot, as it's known, has erupted numerous times over 100 million years, often with extinction-level events. It's a super volcano, according to geologists, and it's itching to shoot off again someday.

Wyoming geophysicist Bob Smith wrote in his book Windows into the Earth that the initial blast has the potential to kill hundreds of thousands of people instantly. The resulting gas and dust cloud from such an eruption would likely ruin the food chain on the entire planet.

These super volcanoes from the Yellowstone Hotspot have occurred about every 800,000 years, according to Smith and other geologists. The last one was 640,000 years ago.

To say that science as a whole is keeping an eye on this one is an understatement. Bundles of sensitive equipment keeps a constant vigil on how the bulge is growing  and it is. Although it's thankfully doing so slowly.

According to Oregon coast geologists like Al Niem and Tom Horning, that Yellowstone Hotspot affected the future Oregon even before the Columbia Basalts.

The Tillamook Hills are an example: that section of the Oregon Coast Range is about 43 million years old, and it's believed the hotspot created those. Many of the mountains were once volcanoes fueled by the hotspot.

Fast forward to about 35 million years ago and underwater volcanoes ran amok around the Yachats area. Cape Perpetua was one, in fact. Scientists believe it's a good possibility the Yellowstone Hotspot fired up those volcanoes, but they are not certain.

How the Oregon coast formed is insanely complex, and parts of its geologic clues are literally buried or are eroded away. Horning has told Oregon Coast Beach Connection in the past that much of the central Oregon coast isn't quite as clear as the northern third.

The southern half of the Oregon coast was not affected by the Columbia Basalts and is even more complex, with many parts of it created at various points throughout 50 to 200 million years ago, and chunks of it accredited on from somewhere else (meaning parts of other formations were attached over time).

There, even different rock formations just 50 feet from each other can have an entirely different origin, such as the various sea stacks at Bandon.

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In the five months since Walt Disney Co. announced the replacement of its 22-year-old FastPass system with the app-based Genie+, the Magic Kingdom has gone for some guests from being "the happiest place on earth" to one of the angriest ones.

Genie+ is meant to help visitors cut down on the parks' famously long wait times and is offered at both Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California. But the verdict from vocal parkgoers so far is that the service is too expensive, creates longer wait times for nonusers, is riddled with technical issues, and requires users to be glued to their phones to reap any benefits.

A family of four can expect to pay an additional $60 to $240 per day on top of the price of admission simply to cut a few lines-a perk that used to be free with the former FastPass system.

"I know it's supposed to make my trip easier, but this app has made my life a living hell," says Ava Martinez of Hoover, Ala., who visited Disney's Hollywood Studios recently with her husband and two children.

She wasn't the only one complaining.

The service has drawn objections on social media since its inception, with more than 100,000 people signing a petition seeking to oust Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Chapek within weeks of the service's launch in October 2021. Since then, a bevy of issues have been well documented by travel agencies and savvy Disney bloggers-two groups that ordinarily support the beloved brand.

Bonnie Sawyer, a travel agent in Phoenix who has long specialized in planning Disney vacations, says the product is "very unpopular" among her clients for many reasons, foremost being the steep price tag.

"Disney has been creatively nickel-and-diming their loyal customers for many years," she says. "But for most people I talk to, Genie+ has been the final straw."

Here's the quick primer on how Genie+ works. Anyone who downloads the Disneyland or Disney World app on the iTunes or Google Play stores gains access to a free service called Disney Genie, which helps guests navigate the parks with location-based dining recommendations and real-time updates on wait times for attractions. The paid Genie+ add-on costs $15 per person per day at Disney World and $20 per day at Disneyland, and is the ticket to actually cutting those queues via its so-called "Lightning Lanes," formally known as "FastPasses." Signup for Genie+ happens daily within the app.

In practice, the fact that Genie+ is activated on a day-by-day basis forces parents-and other, less-bedraggled adults-to plan on the fly, through the day, starting early in the morning. Lightning Lane reservations open at 7 a.m., and users can secure them for only one ride at a time. A second reservation becomes available two hours after the parks open to the general public, at 9 a.m. Lightning Lane bookings can then be made every two hours, or after the previous one has been redeemed, whichever comes first.

Sound complicated? It's also the starting point for a lot of things to go wrong.

For starters, not all Lightning Lane reservations are included in the base Genie+ price. Cutting the line for popular attractions can cost an additional $7 to $20 per person, per ride, depending on when you travel and which park you're visiting. While you're allowed to hold up to two of these "premium" reservations at a time, they tend to sell out almost immediately after becoming available.

As such, this is a system that requires not only time and money but also luck.

"I was ready to go before the sun came up-and refreshed and refreshed because the app wasn't working," says Sandy Chapman, a cosmetologist from St. Petersburg, Fla. "By 7:03 [a.m.], all the big rides were gone."

"The only way I got any fast passes was by babysitting the app all day long to snag rides as they became available. It was exhausting," Chapman adds.

Mark Williams, a software engineer from Nashville, had other technical struggles. "It wouldn't load any times or let me select any members of my party," he explains. (The issue persisted through his multiday visit, although Disney offered a partial refund for one day.)

Adding salt to the wound for many is the fact that the previous system was user-friendlier and didn't cost a penny. "I spent $120 for my family to get access to the same FastPass system that used to be free, and all I got to show for it was a shorter wait time at Winnie the Pooh and Aladdin's Magic Carpets," says Amy Turner, a mother of three from Fresno, Calif., who visited the Magic Kingdom last month with her sister's family.

What's more, inaccurate wait time estimates on the app have caused some to purchase Lightning Lane passes for rides whose lines may not have been very long to begin with.

Multiple parkgoers said the costly early mornings and the inability to have anything substantial to show for their efforts started their days off on the wrong foot. "You know it's going to be a rough morning when you haven't even gotten into the park yet and you're already pissed off," says mother-of-two Martinez.

Asked to respond to the criticisms, a Disney spokesperson tells Bloomberg: "After just five months, we've received great guest feedback but continue to listen and find ways to even further enhance this new service and deliver a great experience."

Disney seems to be listening, if the company's service adjustments are any indication. The spokesperson tells Bloomberg that beginning last week through Aug. 7, Disney World would be including three attractions in the basic Genie+ fee that had previously required an additional fee: Space Mountain, Frozen Ever After, and Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway.

However, many of the parks' most popular attractions are still priced a la carte: $15 per guest to skip the line of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, $14 per guest for Avatar Flight of Passage, $10 per guest for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and $9 per guest to bypass the line at Remy's Ratatouille Adventure.

And those are dynamic prices. When the parks are particularly busy during holidays and weekends, passes can climb $2 to $5 apiece to reach as high as $20 on select rides such as Radiator Springs Racers at Disneyland. With Disney anticipating peak crowds over spring break and beyond, those "peak" figures will likely become commonplace charges.

Steve Davis, a food service manager from Plano, Texas, says he spent nearly $600 on the base level of Genie+ over the course of a week for his family of five, plus $300 on a la carte ride reservations. "Every ride we went on cost almost as much as taking my whole family out to a night at the movies back home," he says. The alternative-waiting in line for two to three hours per attraction-wasn't feasible. "I already paid a fortune to get my family to [Disney World]. I didn't want to waste it standing in lines all day," he explains.

Those costs add up for Disney, too. In the company's fourth-quarter earnings report in November, Disney boasted a revenue increase in the parks division of $5.5 billion, up from $2.7 billion from a year earlier. On the company's most recent earnings call, CEO Chapek cited higher park attendance, hotel room rate increases, and "the introduction of Genie+ and Lightning Lane" as contributing to the increase. One Disney blogger's back-of-the-envelope calculation is that Genie+ alone might rake in $300 million for the company this year.

Even for Disney employees and customers who don't buy in, Genie+ can create headaches. Guests without the fast passes, for instance, might jump into an apparently short line, only to be bypassed by hordes of people arriving with Lightning Lane passes, and staff funneling both sets of customers into a single line. One Disney employee who was advertising a 130-minute wait time for the popular roller coaster Slinky Dog Dash at Disney's Hollywood Studios put it this way: "If it wasn't for the Lightning Lane, this would only take half an hour, but the standby line is constantly interrupted by a stream of people with [virtual] return times."

Park employees end up dealing with the angry aftermath. "I thought guests were angry about having to wear [face] masks all last year, but that was nothing compared to the complaints I hear all day about Lightning Lane issues," says an employee working near the Avatar Flight of Passage attraction at Disney's Animal Kingdom, who requested not to be named for fear of reprisal.

"Everyone who bought [Genie+ access] is mad because it doesn't work like they want it to, and everyone who didn't buy it is mad because they have to wait in longer lines," the worker continues. "Pretty much the only people not angry are the shareholders."
On Monday, Navy Lieutenant Commander Carl Stewart Jr. completed his final flight  he landed back home in Beaumont before his impending summer retirement.

Related: LETTER: How to support veterans

Stewart and Commander Ken Dittig, a reservist pilot, flew into Jack Brooks Regional Airport in a McDonnell Douglas T-45 Goshawk on that overcast morning, had lunch with Stewarts family and friends, and then refueled to return to their duty station in Pensacola, the base Stewart will retire from. He has been serving in the Navy for 26 years, and when he sheds his uniform, theres one thing in particular he is looking forward to.

I want to try to grow a beard, he said, laughing.

He also has started a trucking business and is hoping to get that up off the ground. When he moves back to Southeast Texas, he is happy to be able to see his family more often than simply coming for funerals. But the 41 year old Naval Flight Officer only has a trim collection of hairs on his upper lip and he wants more facial hair.

He wants to look like me, said his fully-bearded father, and that might not be too far off base. The pair have more than a love of facial hair in common. They share a name, too, and a flight jacket.

On the day he came to see his son fly over, the elder Carl Stewart Sr. was outfitted in a brown leather jacket with two patches sewn onto the breasts - one of a horse commemorating the Black Stallions of Combat HC-4 Support and one that says Carl Stewart, U.S. Navy.

When you're going through your initial flight training, they issue you a leather flight jacket. So, when I was an air crewman, that's the one they had issued me, said Carl Stewart Jr. That was the first squadron I went to as a helicopter aircrewman. I did two tours in that squadron in Sicily. When I got my wings and everything in flight school to be a naval flight officer, they issued me another jacket. So, I have two of those. I gave that one to him. I can't wear both of them at the same time.

Stewart Jr.s career in aviation has taken him all around the country and the world. After graduating from West Brook High School, he knew he wanted to join the military like his cousin, and so he enlisted.

Related: Photos: SE Texas veterans honored

From a baby, he always wanted to play with planes, said his mother Linda Randolph. I was the one who took him to the recruiter.

He was stationed at Marine Corps Air Station New River in Jacksonville, North Carolina; did two tours in Sigonella Naval Air Station in Sicily and multiple more in Pensacola, Florida; went out to Leemore Naval Air Station in California; and then moved to China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station in California. After that, he spent time at Norfolk Naval Station in Virginia before coming back to Pensacola. Along the way, he was commissioned as an officer and got his degree in aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, graduating in 2005.

Stewart Jr. also deployed multiple times through the years, and that has been the most challenging part of his career.

The toughest thing for me was just having to leave my kids, he said. Having to leave on a deployment, you have to tell your kids bye. You always had that in the back of your head - I may not come back, so this could be the last time Im with my kid. That was always tough.

Related: Beaumont bugler pays respects with taps

It wasnt just tough on him. Deployments made his mother nervous, she said, and caused her to pray.

Some of the things he has done, they have called, and said, Hes going on a mission and if he gets shot down, dont talk to nobody until the military gets in touch with you. Randolph said. Theyd call me and call his wife. Thank God, hed always come back.

Related: Winnie seaman killed at Pearl Harbor finally laid to rest

And now, Stewart is coming back for good. His official last day in the Navy is August 1, but he is taking leave because he has many days built up. His last working day will be May 10. On that day, he will take a final flight in Pensacola and be relieved of his duties. Upon landing, a small ceremony will be held next to the plane.

He also will have an official retirement ceremony in Beaumont in July.

I didn't want to do that out there, Stewart said. If I'm going to do a full ceremony, I want my family to be able to share that and spend that time with me.

As his sons career comes to a close, Carl Stewart Sr. is lamenting the end of a special chapter.

I wont be able to see these things anymore when he leaves the Navy, his father said, gazing at his sons helmet and gear, then looking away.

But they still have traditions to look forward to, such as a flight event called Top Gun that happens in Florida.

That's an annual event that we go to every year. Its model airplanes on steroids, he said. Thats how it all started. We fly these model airplanes. This year, its the last week of April, first week of May.

And for that one last day in March at Jack Brooks, the elder Stewart was happy to watch his son fly for the Navy overhead. The two officers sped in just above the terminal and flipped the plane so all those watching on the ground could see the contours.

Ooo that was exciting! the father said, pulling his arms and knees into his chest and beaming. Ooo! Gives me chills!

rachel.kersey@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/ontheREKord
The Beaumont ISD School Board on Monday voted to remove former district superintendent Mike "O.C." Taylor's name from the Career and Technology Center.

The building will now be named "Career and Technology Center."

Taylor served as the district's superintendent from 1976 to 1989 and oversaw the merging of the former South Park and Beaumont ISDs into one.

BISD Board Secretary and District 2 Trustee Stacey Lewis, Jr. made the motion to remove the name with Board Vice President and District 3 Trustee Woodrow Reece, II seconding the motion.

"Unfortunately, with sentiments that I received from my community is that his name should have never resided up there," Lewis said at the meeting. "And the question is, 'Why?' Because Mike 'O.C.' Taylor was brought in to keep segregation in the city of Beaumont, Texas. So, I don't understand why we would be honoring him with having his name on our building."

Lewis cited a 2014 article from the Texas Observer, as well as members of his constituency, as the source for his information.

According to the article from the Texas Observer, the former South Park ISD was the whiter district and remained segregated into the early 1980s, in part due to Taylor.

RELATED: BISD rescinds, takes new vote on Memorial Stadium name change

It was kind of an open secret that Taylor had been hired by South Park to fight desegregation, 1980s Beaumont Enterprise editorial page editor John Kanelis said in the Texas Observer article.

The motion passed 3-1-1, with Lewis, Reece and Board President Robert Dunn, Sr. all voting to remove the name. District 5 trustee Tillie Hickman voted against. At-Large Trustee Denise Wallace Spooner abstained. District 1 Trustee Joe Evans, Jr. was absent from the meeting, and District 4 Trustee Kevin Reece participated via phone and could not vote.

Dunn, who graduated from the former Charlton-Pollard High School in 1970, said he was not aware of the speculation against Taylor, who arrived after Dunn left Beaumont.

But after city residents began asking him questions, he began to look into the issue, coming across the same Texas Observer article.

"I didn't hear about any of this -- a lot of things happened while I was gone," he said. "I did research and looked it up and that was the case. So, unless all of these news reports are lying..."

Dunn said the facilities subcommittee, which he is a member of, is going to meet and discuss the timeline and cost of removing Taylor's name from the building and materials prior to the next board meeting, which is set for March 24.

RELATED: Local attorney warns of suit if BISD board changes stadium name

On Monday night, the board also discussed various issues surrounding selling the naming rights of Memorial Stadium.

They discussed potential packages to present to bidders, evaluation criteria for potential candidates and which parts of the stadium would be available for advertisements, among other things.

Feedback from Monday's workshop session will be considered in order to finalize a package that will then be presented to the public at the March 24 board meeting, Dunn said.

"I just hope that we get this whole situation taken care of, and then we can go about the business of taking care of our students, our teachers and our staff," he said.

olivia.malick@hearst.com

twitter.com/OliviaMalick
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A man accused of fatally shooting a Texas Army National Guard soldier has pleaded guilty in the 111th District Court, according to court documents.

Gilberto Guadalupe Villarreal, 26, pled guilty on Monday to 20 years in the Texas Department of Corrections for one count of murder and five years for an unlawful carrying of a weapon charge. Both will run concurrent with credit for time served.

Villarreal shot and killed 28-year-old John Lydell Tyler, of Beaumont, at a west Laredo apartment complex. Tyler was a decorated Texas Army National Guard soldier assigned to U.S. Customs and Border Protection in and around Laredo.

The case unfolded at about 5:21 a.m. March 31, 2019, when Laredo police officers responded to a shots fired report in the 4300 block of Old Santa Maria Avenue. First officers on the scene encountered Tyler with an apparent gunshot wound to his abdominal area. Police said that Tyler was drinking with a woman behind her apartment when a lone gunman opened fire and hit Tyler.

Laredo Fire Department crews took Tyler to Laredo Medical Center, where he was prepared for surgery. He was expected to be airlifted for further care but died at LMC, according to an arrest affidavit.

An investigation revealed that Tyler and other people had been involved in an altercation at Blue Moon Country Bar & Patio at 9802 McPherson Road. Authorities confirmed that an altercation had taken place once they recovered video surveillance from the nearby businesses.

Court documents suggest Villarreal and Tyler may have been involved in an altercation at a local bar prior to the fatal shooting. A bar employee told investigators he overheard Villarreal telling Tyler in Spanish, "Ya estas muerto (You are already dead)," states the affidavit.

Records further stated that Villarreal and two women went looking for Tyler with the intention of assaulting him over the incident at the Blue Moon Bar. Villarreal located Tyler at the apartment complex on Old Santa Maria and fatally shot him, according to court documents.
An average of 1,391 Texan women sought abortions at out-of-state facilities monthly between September and December 2021 after SB 8 went into effect, research from the UT Austin Texas Policy Evaluation Project shows. This is a tenfold increase from the previous monthly average of about 142 women since 2013, according to the research.

SB 8 bans abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can be as early as five to six weeks in the pregnancy. The bill, which went into effect Sept. 1, 2021, allows citizens to sue abortion providers or those who help other receive abortions in the state.

Abortions in Texas decreased by more than half as a result of SB 8, from 5,404 in August 2021 to 2,197 in September 2021, according to data from the Texas Department of Health and Human Services. However, the Texas Policy Evaluation Project argues that the bill has not reduced the need for abortion in the Lone Star State.

Rather, it has greatly reduced in-state access and forced thousands of pregnant Texans to undertake long-distance trips to reach abortion facilities in other states, the research said.

A Feb. 28 press release from Attorney General Ken Paxton claims the bill has prevented 17,000 abortions in the state.

Simply by having SB 8 enacted, thousands of lives have already been saved in Texas," Paxton said in the release. "Stopping abortion providers from conducting these barbaric practices is yet another win for our great state."

For Texas women seeking out-of-state abortion care, nearly three-in-four did so in either Oklahoma or New Mexico, the research shows.

As a result, Planned Parenthood centers in Oklahoma saw a 2500% increase of abortion patients with Texas zip codes, research from Planned Parenthood shows. Additionally, more than half of all patients at these sites were Texas residents, up from 10% in Sept. 2020, according to Planned Parenthood.

There was also a 1000% increase of Texas patients at Planned Parenthood centers in Colorado and a 100% increase at sites in New Mexico, Planned Parenthoods research shows.

These numbers are staggering and just one part of the devastating picture on the ground in Texas and the surrounding states, said Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, in a press release. This reality is heartbreaking and a glimpse of whats to come should the Supreme Court restrict the constitutional right to an abortion even further.

According to the Texas Policy Evaluation Project research, this has led to long wait times at facilities in states surrounding Texas. About half of those facilities had wait times of two weeks or longer.

The research included interviews with 65 women who had received out-of-state abortion care. Of these women, about half said they received financial assistance to cover travel and abortion costs, according to the research.

Despite this, the research shows many women described delaying bills and rent, spending their savings and taking out loans in order to receive abortion procedures from out-of-state providers.

Gov. Greg Abbott's office did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.
A man leaves an apartment building damaged after shelling the day before in Ukraine's second-biggest city of Kharkiv, March 8, 2022.

Malaysias foreign minister indicated on Tuesday that Kuala Lumpur would not impose sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, although the country last week voted in favor of a United Nations resolution condemning Moscows aggression on its neighbor.

Sanctions should go through the United Nations, Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said in response to a question in parliament about whether the government would sanction Russia for its reported targeting of civilians.

Our principal is we dont agree with unilateral sanctions, Saifuddin said.

As a member of the Human Rights Council, we have suggested first, a ceasefire and second, for the talks to continue. And if necessary, sanctions can be imposed. However, we have not reached that stage. If necessary, it should be done through the U.N.

He said that countries needed to be careful about sanctions because they can affect civilians.

Malaysias sanctions would have been largely symbolic, going by data from the countrys industrial development financial institution, MIDF (Malaysian Industrial Development Finance Berhad), and cited by state news agency Bernama.

MIDF said in a research note in late February that the crisis in Ukraine would have minimal direct impact, as the combined size of trade with Ukraine and Russia covered only 0.5 per cent of Malaysias total trade, according to Bernama.

Syed Mohamad Hasrin Aidid, Malaysias ambassador to the United Nations, speaks during the 11th emergency special session of the 193-member U.N. General Assembly on Russias invasion of Ukraine, at U.N. headquarters in New York, March 1, 2022. [Reuters]

Call out this act of tyranny

Malaysias Parliamentary Special Select Committee for International Affairs believes the country needs to take a stand on the events in Ukraine, starting with condemning Russias aggression.

We call upon the Prime Minister Dato Seri Ismail Sabri and Minister of Foreign Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah, representing the voice of concerned Malaysians, and as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), to make a stand and to call out this act of tyranny and oppression by the Federation of Russia on Ukraine with no delay in a show of support and comfort to the people of Ukraine, the committee said in an open letter.

Opposition politician Ong Kian Ming, of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), was disappointed with the Malaysian statement that preceded its vote in favor of the U.N. General Assembly resolution demanding Russia immediately withdraw from Ukraine.

Good that Malaysia voted in support of the UNGA resolution. But the text of our Permanent Rep[resentative] to the U.N. still refuses to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he said on Twitter on March 3, a day after the vote.

Urging both sides to continue on the peaceful path is not viable when one side is the clear aggressor. It's like telling the bully and the bullied to make peace and be friends while the bully is still punching and kicking the bullied, who is lying on the ground.

Other ASEAN members, such as chair Cambodia and Thailand, have not condemned Russia, even though they voted in favor of the UNGA resolution.

A total eight out of 10 of the blocs member states voted in favor of the resolution, in sharp contrast to its two joint statements on Ukraine. ASEAN works by consensus, meaning that its official language must be agreed by every member of the group, or dropped.

ASEANs first statement on Ukraine expressed concern at the situation, while the second called for a ceasefire. Neither mentioned the words Russia or invasion.

Meanwhile, unlike ASEAN or any of its fellow member-states, Singapore, in an unprecedented move last week, imposed sanctions on Russia, condemning it in harsh words.

Singapore said it would suspend exports of items that could be used as weapons in Ukraine, and that it would block some banking and financial transactions connected to Russia.

We are witnessing an unprovoked military invasion of a sovereign state as we speak ., Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan told parliament the Monday before last.

Russias invasion of Ukraine is a clear and gross violation of the international norms and a completely unacceptable precedent.
A red ribbon, which symbolizes support to abolish the Thai royal defamation law, is tied to a hand-strap in a commuter train in Bangkok, Feb. 26, 2022. [Courtesy Orange Cat]

On a warm evening late last month, a young pro-democracy protester offered passengers on a packed Bangkok Skytrain the choice between two types of ribbons  one red and one blue.

If you think Article 112 should be abolished, please tie the red ribbon to the handrails or seats. If you think there is no need for change, please tie the blue ribbon, Tawan Tantawan said, distributing ribbons from fistfuls she clutched in both hands.

She was talking about an article of the Thai Criminal Code that makes it illegal to defame, insult or threaten any member of the monarchy. Penalties for Lese-Majeste convictions can carry up to 15 years in prison.

The commuters tied 191 red ribbons  no one asked for blue  on two trains that day, Tawan said, adding that police detained her for several hours that evening and fined her 5,000 baht (U.S. $151) for resisting officers. Although Tawan selected blue ribbons for her survey, yellow is the color used by supporters of the royals and red is the color used by pro-democracy groups.

Tawan, 20, is among young Thai pro-democracy activists who have been staging solo protests in defiance of the anti-royal defamation law since mass youth-led protests began to die down in 2021 after authorities rounded up and jailed prominent activists under Lese-Majeste and other charges.

Tawan and other young Thais have been adapting to change by coming up with creative and colorful ways to air their grievances in the public space about 112, such as through performance-art pieces in which the soloist splashes red paint all over his body.

Section 112 stops people from commenting on the royals. But if this law is abolished, then maybe we can discuss the problems of the monarchy, and then there might be some changes, Tawan told BenarNews last week.

The mass protests, which began in July 2020, called for reforms to the monarchy and for Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha, the former army chief and 2014 military coup leader, to step down.

At their peak, the protests drew thousands before they began to peter off as leaders were arrested and held in pre-trial detention without bail for months. More recently, thousands of protesters turned out in Bangkok in mid-November, days after the Constitutional Court ruled that previous protests were efforts to overthrow the royal family.

By insisting that its the people, not the king, who are the sovereign power of the state, the young protesters are laying down a new ground rule, said Bencharat Sae Chua, a lecturer at Mahidol University in Bangkok.

In the absence of large demonstrations, young people are organizing other protests including small symbolic rebellious acts, arts performances at public spaces, discussion on political change in the form of seminars, and other events, she said.

I think the movement tactic has changed to embrace the way the state is cracking down. The youth are now being more creative.

But most of all, she said, the mindset  political landscape has changed.

At least 173 people, including 13 juveniles, have been charged with Lese-Majeste since November 2020, when Prayuth announced that police would enforce all laws against the pro-democracy protesters, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), a legal aid group whose attorneys represent many of the jailed protest leaders.

In all, the lawyers group has documented 3,491 legal charges brought against 1,787 people since the protests began in July 2020, when young Thais began speaking out publicly en masse against the monarchy, until the end of last month.

In the first two months of this year, the number of people threatened has soared to more than 83, with a majority of them related to royal visits and online opinions of the monarchy, TLHR said.

On March 4, a satirist became the first person to be sentenced on Lese-Majeste charges linked to the pro-democracy protests, in which he pasted a sticker on a portrait of the king during a rally in September 2020. Narin Kulpongsathorn, 33, is out on bail as he appeals his conviction.

Vitthaya Ramil Klangnil dumps red paint over his head during a protest in front of Chiang Mai University, May 2, 2021 [Artnt Facebook page]

More charges

Over the past weekend, Thai police arrested Tawan again while she was broadcasting on Facebook during the procession of a royal motorcade, and charged her with royal defamation and sedition. One of the charge-sheets states that she allegedly uttered an offending phrase during the broadcast, in which she asked between the people and the monarch, who is more important?

Her supporters tied red ribbons at the entrance of the police station where she was held for two nights.

Another solo activist, Vitthaya Ramil Klangnil, a philosophy student at Chiang Mai University, protests through political performance art, for which he has been charged in seven separate cases in three Thai cities since 2021.

We have seen many big political changes, but the Thai artist circles have been hushed as if nothing has happened, said Ramil, a co-founder of Artnt, an art group.

In one installation, Ramil and a colleague draped a red and white flag with a transparent center on top of a mannequin wrapped in plastic. People were invited to write messages, some of which violated Article 112, Thai police said.

Because the artists piece resembled a Thai flag without the blue stripe in the center representing the monarchy, police alleged that protesters wished the institution would not exist in the country.

In another event, Ramil poured red paint over himself and climbed onto his universitys sign, which featured a photo of Thailands king. Police said this was disrespectful.

Appearing at a Chiang Mai police station to hear charges against him, Ramil dressed as Luffy, a Japanese Manga character, and staged a short performance called the Second Gear.

To make a political movement with art, it helps to expand the space to the people in many fields, he told BenarNews.

There is no clear picture where the youth political movement in Thailand for democracy is heading. But Im sure that all sectors in the society will be dragged forward together, not only those related to the political groups.

Tawan Tantawan, 20, discusses her pro-democracy protests in Bangkok, March 4, 2022. [Subel Rai Bhandari/BenarNews]

Tawan said she was inspired to join the protest movement after watching pro-democracy activists Arnon Nampa, Parit Penguin Chiwarak, and Panupong Mike Jadnok speak at a political rally in August 2020.

But later the police arrested them. That made me angry, Tawan said. It made me realize that I cannot sit in my home and expect things to change. I cannot just ignore [it].

The main problem is the monarchy is above the law in Thailand. They have more power than us, the people.

Upon his Feb. 28 release on bail after being jailed for more than 200 days on Lese-Majeste charges, Arnon, a human rights lawyer and pro-democracy leader, said that a new generation of Thais would carry on fighting for human rights, liberty and equality.

Seeds we harvested two years ago  they are waiting to bloom. There is nothing that can destroy this, the new generation, Arnon said.

For her first solo protest project, Tawan organized a survey of the people at a shopping mall on Feb. 8, asking if they thought the royal motorcades caused problems for the public.

Polling is direct action and reflects what people want, she said. I can use it as a form of protest.

Tawan said she got the idea after a group of police officers visited her sister ahead of a royal visit, trying intimidation tactics. More than 100 people participated in the snap, one-hour survey, she said.

When Tawan went to a nearby palace to submit the result, the police snatched our survey and destroyed it, she said. We just wanted to show the motorcade creates discomfort for the public.

Inspired by Tawans poll, students in northeastern Ubon Ratchathani province conducted a similar survey a week later. They asked people to vote on the royal motorcade and the monarchys place in Thailand.

Tawan said that despite a dearth of large-scale rallies in recent months, social media has provided a good platform.

Maybe because its easier than going down to the streets, she said. But I hope the people will come down to the street  both streets and social media have to join forces together, then the movement will be very powerful.

Kunnawut Boonreak in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and Nontarat Phaicharoen in Bangkok contributed to this report.
Two fighters from the United Kingdom pose for a picture at the main train station in Lviv, Ukraine, as they prepare to depart toward the front line following the Russian invasion, March 5, 2022.

Ukraine is setting up a foreign legion and thousands apparently have volunteered from countries across the world. But recruiting fighters in Southeast Asia may prove difficult for Kyiv.

I lived in the former Soviet Union, including Ukraine, for two decades. I love Ukraine and the Ukrainians, I want to support their just cause, said Pham Van Hai, a Vietnamese army veteran from the southern province of Vung Tau who has volunteered to join the foreign legion in Ukraine.

Hai, who studied at the Kyiv Institute of Civil Aviation in the 1980s, has sent a couple of petitions to the Vietnamese government asking to be allowed to leave for Ukraine.

I will pay my own air ticket and all expenses, I only need their permission, he told Radio Free Asia, a sister entity of BenarNews, adding: No reply yet but I suspect they wont give it to me.

Vietnam had endured many wars in the past, and thousands of Vietnamese were among the Indochinese contingent fighting in the French foreign legion in World War I and World War II.

Hai is one of dozens Vietnamese citizens who have been communicating online to express their willingness to fight for Ukraine  notwithstanding the growing death toll and destruction following the Russian invasion. The actual number of Vietnamese volunteers is unknown as their action may be illegal under Vietnams Criminal Code.

Article 425 of the code stipulates that any person who works as a mercenary to fight against a nation or sovereign territory shall face a penalty of 5 to 15 years imprisonment.

In fact, there are differences between mercenaries, who are contracted to fight but are not formally part of the military of the state they are fighting for, and legionnaires, who are recruited as members of a states armed forces although they are not its citizens.

Regardless of those distinctions, Russia has warned that all foreigners who want to fight for Ukraine are not combatants under international humanitarian law and not entitled to prisoner of war status but will be treated as criminals.

On March 3, the Russian Ministry of Defense said: We urge citizens of foreign countries planning to go to fight for the Kyiv nationalist regime to think twice before the trip.

Ukraines international legion

On Feb. 27, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country was establishing an international legion for foreigners who want to fight for the nation and appealed to international volunteers to join.

By March 7, more than 20,000 people from 52 countries have already volunteered to fight in Ukraine, according to Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

Kuleba, however, did not say how many of them had arrived in Ukraine. Nor did he name their home countries.

Ukrainian embassies and consulates across the world have been actively rallying support and a website was launched to provide detailed step-by-step instructions on how to join the international legion.

People with combat experience are encouraged to join what Ukraine calls the resistance against the Russian occupants and fight for global security.

Volunteers are arriving in Ukraine, mostly from European countries such as Lithuania, the Netherlands, the U.K. and France, according to media reports.

Ukraine received more than 3,000 applications from U.S. citizens who want to join the fight against Russia, according to a defense official at the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington. The U.S. State Departments travel advisory still formally advises all Americans not to travel to Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the nation in Kyiv, March 7, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

Southeast Asias response

Zelenskyys appeal was also heard in Southeast Asia, where some citizens want to join the Ukrainian defense legion although governments are generally against the idea.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday said his government will not allow anyone to go to Ukraine.

Speaking at a hospital inauguration ceremony, Hun Sen urged Cambodian citizens not to pour gasoline on the fire.

I will not allow our people to die in Ukraine. Our constitution does not allow that, the prime minister said.

The only ones who can go abroad for [such] missions are our Blue Helmet troops, but its under the auspices of humanitarianism of the United Nations, he added.

Singapore is taking a similar stance, with Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan saying on Feb. 28 that Singapore cannot support the promotion or organization of armed groups, whatever their justification, into other countries.

Balakrishnan reminded Singaporean people that your duty is to Singapore, and to defend our national interests.

Thailand seems to be the only country that does not hold back its citizens.

Thai government spokeswoman Ratchada Thanadirek was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying that there is no law preventing Thai citizens from joining foreign volunteer forces.

But people should consider the potential grave danger as Russian forces pound Ukrainian cities with heavy weapons, she was quoted as warning the Thais.

Hundreds of Thai citizens have sent the Ukrainian embassy emails to apply to sign up for the international legion, according to a Facebook group created about the endeavor.

A Ukrainian embassy official told BenarNews last week that scores of Thai citizens had phoned the embassy in Bangkok, and around 40 of them had shown up there to express interest in volunteering.
Research finds white supremacy propaganda on rise in U.S.

Xinhua) 08:39, March 08, 2022

A poster saying "hate has no home here" is seen in Charlottesville, Virginia, the United States, on Aug. 10, 2018. (Xinhua/Yang Chenglin)

White-supremacist activity and organizing took off in the past decade as racists became "more and more desperate, losing the chance to have America be White. And 2017 was the pinnacle point," says Carla Hill.

NEW YORK, March 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. white-supremacist groups continued in 2021 to distribute propaganda at a historically high rate, part of what some experts call "an increasingly panicked reaction to growing diversity in America," The Washington Post last week cited a recent report.

The Anti-Defamation League's (ADL) research found 4,851 reported cases of white-supremacist propaganda in 2021, including racist, antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning) items.

An anti-protester holds a placard in front of the white supremacist-led rally near the White House, in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Aug. 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Yang Chenglin)

That was down 5 percent from 2020 but way up from 294 cases in 2017, when the anti-hate organization began observing a rise in white-supremacist activity, according to the report. ADL researchers found 1,206 incidents of propaganda in 2018 and 2,714 in 2019.

The ADL found a 27 percent increase in distributions of antisemitic propaganda, with 277 incidents in 2020 and 352 in 2021, including stickers outside a California synagogue proclaiming "Hitler was right" and dozens of drops across the country of fliers blaming Jews for the coronavirus.

Carla Hill, the report's author and associate director of the ADL Center On Extremism, said white-supremacist activity and organizing took off in the past decade as racists became "more and more desperate, losing the chance to have America be White. And 2017 was the pinnacle point."

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
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.
Domestic abuse survivors often find themselves, for a myriad of reasons and circumstances, unable to hold their abusers accountable for the havoc they create. Vermont News & Media spoke with experts in domestic violence, including Project Against Violent Encounters, about the complex reasons why survivors often choose not to cooperate with law enforcement.
Greg Sukiennik has worked at all three Vermont News & Media newspapers and was their managing editor from 2017-19. He previously worked for ESPN.com, for the AP in Boston, and at The Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, Mass.
Are you of Irish descent? If you answered yes, I'd believe you. Some 10.8 percent of Americans, a whopping 36 million of us, claim to have some form of Irish ancestry. That's just over half of the 70 million people in the world who claim to have Irish ancestry. Not bad for Ireland with a current population of just over 5 million people.

I'm proud to say that I'm among those claiming Irish ancestry. My Irish roots come from my paternal and maternal grandfathers. With a keen interest in my ancestry, I've been researching my paternal great-grandfather Michael Keron Smith, who was born in Birr, Offlay, Ireland in 1889 and arrived in the United States in 1891. My great-great-grandmother Mary Canon Smith, a widow of a year, boarded a boat with her sons, John, 7, and Michael, 2, to make a life in America. It's unclear as to how and why she made her way to Dalton, but a marriage to Robert Dwyer, followed in 1892. Robert, a widower, had two daughters, Anna and Bella. Together, they had three children  Henry, Joseph and Helen. Mary would die several days after Helen's birth. Fortunately, as it was not always the case, my great-grandfather remained in the care of his stepfather until he turned 18.

Michael Smith, my great-grandfather would spend several more years in Dalton, but eventually end up in North Adams, married to Gertrude Lanoue with whom he had three children  my grandfather, Joseph, William and Gertrude. William died on Dec. 20, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge. Gertrude, known most of her life as Sister Mary Bernard, and who I knew as my "Auntie Sister," entered religious life with the Sisters of St. Joseph at Mont Marie in Holyoke at 19. She took her final vows at 22 and lived at Mont Marie until her death in 2001.

My great-grandfather died in 1972, six years before I was born and unfortunately I know only know a few things about his life. He lived in North Adams for 50 years, where, he retired as a night watchman at Sprague Electric. I know where he lived, on Church Street and that when he died, 150 of the Sisters of St. Joseph attended his funeral.

I also know I did not grow up eating corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day. This Irish-American tradition did not find its way to me through either side of my family. And some 22 years ago, when I spent St. Patrick's Day in Dublin, Ireland, as part of a two-week college travel course, I dined on smoked salmon and capers, while many of my classmates enjoyed a more traditional Irish meal of ham and potatoes.

But who am I to say what you should enjoy on St. Patrick's Day? In fact, corned beef and cabbage, made in slow cooker, is an easy meal to make any time of the year. You just pop it in the slow cooker with the potatoes and let it cook, low and slow for six hours before adding in the cabbage.

SLOW COOKER CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE

(Recipe adapted from mccormick.com)

INGREDIENTS

5 medium russet (or 8 small red) potatoes

5 large carrots (or 2 cups baby) carrots

1 small onion, quartered

1 corned beef brisket, rinsed and trimmed (4 pounds)

2 tablespoons mixed pickling spice

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 head cabbage, cored and cut into wedges

DIRECTIONS

Place potatoes, carrots and onion in 6-quart slow cooker. Place corned beef brisket over vegetables. Sprinkle with pickling spice and minced garlic. Add enough water (about 8 cups) to just cover meat. Cover.

Cook 6 hours on low. Add cabbage. Cover. Cook 1 to 2 hours on low.

Remove corned beef brisket to serving platter. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Slice thinly across the grain. Serve with vegetables.
Community News Editor / Librarian

Jeannie Maschino is community news editor and librarian for The Berkshire Eagle. She has worked for the newspaper in various capacities since 1982 and joined the newsroom in 1989.
Every year, the General Electric Co. is required to make sure that 50 small signs are still in place along the Housatonic River warning people not to eat fish or other wildlife, due to the company's past release of toxic PCBs. Last June and July, a consultant hired by GE tracked down every sign to make sure its message was still being seen. On Feb. 28, GE sent the consultant's latest report to the Environmental Protection Agency  a 55-page document that includes a photographic appendix. Some signs needed to be repaired, adjusted or replaced. This photo tour, starting at Fred Garner Park in Pittsfield and heading south, is drawn from the report filed by Arcadis U.S. Inc. After the first image taken, it shows only signs that were fixed, from Pittsfield to Ashley Falls near the Connecticut border.

Close
When Russia invaded Ukraine, a language class became partially about current events. "I would find the kids would come to class and they would immediately say, 'Can we pull up the news; can we see what's happening?'" teacher Jilly Lederman says.
Breeze Airways, founded by David Neeleman, is launching flights this summer from Norfolk International Airport. The startup airline plans to use Embraer 190 aircraft seating 108-118 people. (Cean Orrett / Cean One Studio/Courtesy of Breeze Airways)

A startup launched by the founder of low-cost airline JetBlue is bringing cheap nonstop flights to Norfolk International Airport in June.

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Salt Lake City-based Breeze Airways, founded by David Neeleman, is launching with seven routes from Norfolk starting as low as $39 each way, the company announced Friday morning.

Flights start June 10 to Charleston, South Carolina, and Tampa. A New Orleans route starts July 15 and flights to Columbus, Ohio; Hartford, Connecticut; and Pittsburgh start July 22. Flights to Providence, Rhode Island, start July 29.

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Norfolk is one of four main airports for Breeze, which is debuting with 39 nonstop routes among 16 cities, the company said.

Breeze plans to invest $5.2 million at Norfolk International Airport, where it will establish a flight crew base and a maintenance base, creating 116 jobs, Gov. Ralph Northam and the Norfolk Airport Authority announced.

Breeze plans to add routes to Richmond in July, Neeleman said. The plan is to grow with another 100 cities under consideration, particularly as the coronavirus pandemic created opportunity as airlines had reduced flights to smaller cities, he said.

Aviation has long been ingrained in the Hampton Roads economy, and the arrival of Breeze Airways is another sign of this regions growing position as a commercial flight hub, Northam said in the announcement.

The post-pandemic world will offer increasing opportunities for travel and tourism, and the addition of this new low-cost carrier at Norfolk International Airport will be a catalyst for economic growth, welcoming visitors to our Commonwealth with convenient, nonstop service to often overlooked markets. We are honored that Breeze Airways has selected Virginia as one of its first domestic locations and look forward to building a strong and successful partnership with the company.

Northam approved a $400,000 grant from the Commonwealths Opportunity Fund for the project, according to the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. The company is eligible to receive benefits from the Major Business Facility Job Tax Credit based on full-time jobs created.

While Breeze had been working to offer flights since before the pandemic, the launch comes at a time of pent-up demand from travelers who are getting vaccinated and want to experience new places, Neeleman said.

Were trying to find these communities that have attractive locations people want to visit and that are not easy to get to, Neeleman said.

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Its always been difficult for the larger airlines to serve smaller cities without regional jets, he said. Its easier for them to fly to hubs for layovers before their final destinations. The company said 95% of Breezes announced routes dont have airlines offering nonstop service.

The airline is using a larger version of regional jets that can seat 108-118 people versus 50-70 passengers, he said. Two seats are on either side of the aisle.

Breeze targets routes that are more than 300 miles away or would take passengers more than 7-8 hours to drive. Plans dont call for a route from Norfolk to Washington, he said.

Inside Business Weekdays Business news for the Hampton Roads region >

Neeleman is marketing Breeze as the Seriously Nice U.S. carrier with an expectation of taking care of people. Breeze is the entrepreneurs fifth airline startup after JetBlue, Brazils Azul, Canadas WestJet and Utah-based Morris Air, which was acquired by Southwest Airlines.

Were excited to be there, Neeleman said. I think its going to be great for the economy and for people to visit.

The Norfolk Economic Development Authority and VisitNorfolk are planning to work together to commit $100,000 through in-kind marketing of the Norfolk region to Breezes targeted cities, Norfolk Economic Development Director Jared Chalk said.

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The addition of flights from Norfolk will help in economic development efforts, Chalk said  as the world transitions to remote work, the importance of access to mid-sized cities increases. The airport, Hampton Roads Alliance, the Hampton Roads Workforce Council, VisitNorfolk and Virginia Tourism Corp. together to keep Breezes interest, he said. Chalk said Breezes service also markets the region to other airlines.

I think this validates were an untapped market, Chalk said. I think the experience that their executive team has in airlines shows the opportunity in Norfolk and I think youll see more investment.

For more information, visit Flybreeze.com.

Tara Bozick, 757-247-4741, tbozick@dailypress.com
Spearfish, SD (57783)

Today

Windy early with showers becoming likely after midnight. Low 41F. SE winds at 20 to 30 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph..

Tonight

Windy early with showers becoming likely after midnight. Low 41F. SE winds at 20 to 30 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.
LEWISTON - Hunters who applied for Idaho's 2022 spring bear controlled hunts can now view the draw results.

The results have been posted through Fish and Games licensing system, GoOutdoorsIdaho.com. Hunters just need to check their GoOutdoorsIdaho account to view their controlled hunt tags draw results for spring black bear. Email notifications will also be sent to those who provided an email address on their profile.

Hunters who were successful in the draw can purchase the controlled hunt tag through their GoOutdoorsIdaho customer account, at any Fish and Game regional office location, at any license vendor location, or by calling 1-800-554-8685. Tags purchased online or over the phone will include an additional convenience fee and will be mailed to the mailing address on file.

Hunters who were successful in the draw will still receive a notification card by mail by mid-March, however, it is the responsibility of hunters to find out their draw results for hunts.

Most controlled hunts begin April 1, 2022.
OLYMPIA - The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is inviting visitors to enjoy free admission to any of its 100+ state parks on Wednesday, March 9 to honor the birthday of Billy Frank Jr. Another free admission day will also be held later this month on Saturday, March 19 in recognition of Washington State Parks birthday.

On these dates, visitors are not required to display the Discover Pass for day-use visits to a Washington state park or on lands managed by the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) or Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) on these dates.

The birthday of Billy Frank Jr.s replaced the previously recognized springtime day (first Saturday in April). Billy Frank Jr. (1931-2014) was an environmental activist and former chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. His lifelong dedication to protecting endangered salmon and restoring justice for the Nisqually Tribe helped shape Washingtons environmental laws and expanded treaty rights for Native Americans nationwide. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015.

The free days align with legislation that created the Discover Pass. Discover Passes cost $30 for an annual pass or $10 for a one-day permit. The pass is required for vehicle access to state recreation lands managed by Washington State Parks, WDFW and DNR. The Discover Pass legislation indicated that State Parks could designate up to 12 free days when the pass would not be required to visit state recreation lands.

The remaining 2022 State Parks free days are as follows:

Friday, April 22 - Earth Day

Saturday, June 11  National Get Outdoors Day

Sunday, June 12  Free Fishing Weekend

Sunday, June 19 - Juneteenth

Saturday, September 24  National Public Lands Day

Monday, October 10  World Mental Health Day

Friday, November 11  Veterans Day

Friday, November 25  Native American Heritage Day

The Discover Pass provides daytime access to state parks. Overnight visitors in state parks are charged fees for camping and overnight accommodations. For information about the Discover Pass, visit www.DiscoverPass.wa.gov.
**UPDATED**

PULLMAN - A murder suspect out of California was arrested in Pullman on Monday morning by the Whitman County Regional SWAT Team.

Pullman Police were notified by the Los Angeles Police Department a few weeks ago that 32-year-old Francisco Real might be hiding in town. Real was wanted on 3 million dollars bond on a California warrant for murder. Pullman Police surveillance efforts located Real at an apartment complex on Klemgard Street on Pioneer Hill.

The SWAT Team was mobilized and those specialized officers crafted a plan to safely arrest Real. The team moved in on Monday morning around 10:00 with a heavy police presence. The SWAT Team had to force entry into the apartment before arresting Real without incident.

Pullman Police Commander Jake Opgenorth provided a short comment on the success of the raid, which can be read below.

"We have to be very aware of the neighborhood that we are in and make sure that everyone in that neighborhood is safe at the same time," said Opgenorth. "So that's why sometimes you'll see a large police presence. We blocked off roads and we made sure that the schools were notified, so we took everything into account to make sure it was as smooth and safe as possible and I think it turned out perfect today."

Staff and students at nearby Franklin Elementary School were told to shelter in place while the SWAT Team executed the arrest warrant. Pullman Police Officers closed nearby streets. The action only took a couple of minutes. The SWAT Teams armored vehicle was involved in the raid.

Original Story

PULLMAN - A police action from a heavy presence of local law enforcement was executed safely in Pullman Monday morning.

The Pullman Police Department led the activity which occurred around 10:00 a.m. on Klemgard Street on Pioneer Hill. Officials have given the all-clear. Staff and students at nearby Franklin Elementary School were asked to shelter in place during the action which only took a few minutes to execute.

Further details about the incident are expected to be released by the Pullman PD shortly and will be added to this story when they become available.
OLYMPIA - At least one Democrat blames Republicans for the the failure of the Washington State Legislature to pass emergency powers reform this session.

Rep. Sharon Shewmake, D-Bellingham, claims a Republican "filibuster" doomed any hopes of the legislature exercising real oversight of the governor's emergency powers in the form of Senate Bill 5909 dying on the House floor in the wee hours of Friday morning.

Republican filibuster killed SB 5909 on emergency powers reform. #waleg, Rep. Sharon Shewmake, D-Bellingham, tweeted on Friday afternoon.

There is no filibuster power in Washington state, in either the state House or the Senate, and Democrats have comfortable majorities in both bodies. That allows them to pass many bills without any Republican support.

In a follow-up tweet, Shewmake gave her version of what happened regarding the legislation.

I wanted to run a reasonable bill, Shewmake tweeted. Its been two years and we should be reforming the emergency powers based on recent experience. Yesterday, when we tried to run 5909, every Republican wanted to talk on every amendment. This drew out the clock on other priorities so it was pulled.

Shewmake concluded with another tweet: The hope was a deal could be reached to do the bill quickly.

At around 1 a.m. on Friday, floor debate on SB 5909 began. After approximately 30 minutes of discussion on a proposed amendment by Rep. Chris Corry, R-Yakima, that would add some teeth to the legislation by ending a state of emergency after 60 days unless extended by the legislature, debate was suddenly stopped.

No substantive explanation was given.

The Speaker wants to let members know that were going to defer action on this bill, but it will retain its place on the second reading calendar, said Rep. Tina Orwall, D-Des Moines, Speaker Pro Tempore.

Corry was prime sponsor of House Bill 1772, widely considered a much stronger bill in terms of checking the governors power. He did not reply to multiple requests for comment from The Center Square, but he did tell Washington Policy Center's Jason Mercier that he was "was disappointed that 1772 was not moved out of committee.

Corry said he believes his proposed amendment would have enhanced the legislation, which many view as emergency powers reform in name only.

My hope was we could take 5909 and improve the bill, he said. I offered an amendment on the floor to add a requirement for the legislature to modify, end or extend a state of emergency after 60 days and align legislature approval of prohibiting activities with their current authority on approval of statute waivers.

The public has been left out of the equation, according to Corry.

It is important that people have a say in ongoing states of emergency, he said. This isnt about the current emergency orders. It is about addressing an imbalance in our state's governance. Unfortunately, after only 30 minutes of discussion, the Democrats pulled the bill.

On Feb. 29, 2020, Gov. Jay Inslee declared a statewide emergency in response to the spread of COVID-19 under the Emergency Powers Act of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 43.06.220. Since then, he has issued scores of additional proclamations, including stay-at-home orders, school closures, an eviction moratorium, and mask and vaccine mandates.

On Feb. 28, Inslee announced the March 12 end of the states indoor mask requirement, which was moved up from the original March 21 date. The states outdoor mask mandate ended on Feb. 18.

On Monday, Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, and Sen. Mark Mullet, D-Issaquah, introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 8405, Resolving that the COVID-19 state of emergency should be ended.
(The Center Square)  At least one Democrat blames Republicans for the the failure of the Washington State Legislature to pass emergency powers reform this session.

Rep. Sharon Shewmake, D-Bellingham, claims a Republican "filibuster" doomed any hopes of the legislature exercising real oversight of the governor's emergency powers in the form of Senate Bill 5909 dying on the House floor in the wee hours of Friday morning.

Republican filibuster killed SB 5909 on emergency powers reform. #waleg, Rep. Sharon Shewmake, D-Bellingham, tweeted on Friday afternoon.

There is no filibuster power in Washington state, in either the state House or the Senate, and Democrats have comfortable majorities in both bodies. That allows them to pass many bills without any Republican support.

In a follow-up tweet, Shewmake gave her version of what happened regarding the legislation.

I wanted to run a reasonable bill, Shewmake tweeted. Its been two years and we should be reforming the emergency powers based on recent experience. Yesterday, when we tried to run 5909, every Republican wanted to talk on every amendment. This drew out the clock on other priorities so it was pulled.

Shewmake concluded with another tweet: The hope was a deal could be reached to do the bill quickly.

At around 1 a.m. on Friday, floor debate on SB 5909 began. After approximately 30 minutes of discussion on a proposed amendment by Rep. Chris Corry, R-Yakima, that would add some teeth to the legislation by ending a state of emergency after 60 days unless extended by the legislature, debate was suddenly stopped.

No substantive explanation was given.

The Speaker wants to let members know that were going to defer action on this bill, but it will retain its place on the second reading calendar, said Rep. Tina Orwall, D-Des Moines, Speaker Pro Tempore.

Corry was prime sponsor of House Bill 1772, widely considered a much stronger bill in terms of checking the governors power. He did not reply to multiple requests for comment from The Center Square, but he did tell Washington Policy Center's Jason Mercier that he was "was disappointed that 1772 was not moved out of committee.

Corry said he believes his proposed amendment would have enhanced the legislation, which many view as emergency powers reform in name only.

My hope was we could take 5909 and improve the bill, he said. I offered an amendment on the floor to add a requirement for the legislature to modify, end or extend a state of emergency after 60 days and align legislature approval of prohibiting activities with their current authority on approval of statute waivers.

The public has been left out of the equation, according to Corry.

It is important that people have a say in ongoing states of emergency, he said. This isnt about the current emergency orders. It is about addressing an imbalance in our state's governance. Unfortunately, after only 30 minutes of discussion, the Democrats pulled the bill.

On Feb. 29, 2020, Gov. Jay Inslee declared a statewide emergency in response to the spread of COVID-19 under the Emergency Powers Act of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 43.06.220. Since then, he has issued scores of additional proclamations, including stay-at-home orders, school closures, an eviction moratorium, and mask and vaccine mandates.

On Feb. 28, Inslee announced the March 12 end of the states indoor mask requirement, which was moved up from the original March 21 date. The states outdoor mask mandate ended on Feb. 18.

On Monday, Sen. John Braun, R-Centralia, and Sen. Mark Mullet, D-Issaquah, introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 8405, Resolving that the COVID-19 state of emergency should be ended.
America does not run on Dunkin'; it runs on fossil fuel. I wish it didn't. I'd like to have a clean world. Wind and solar would help the planet. But they are not viable for a country of 330 million right now.

The two unforgivable Biden mistakes are failing to enforce federal immigration law and attacking the oil and coal industries. Both are unforced errors caused by a President who is simply not very smart.

I don't want to be disrespectful here, but Joe Biden does not possess the intellectual heft to anticipate problems. He is also not a man of courage. His capitulation to the far left will go down in history as one of the great executive branch blunders.

The feral Putin understands Biden is diminished. So he waited until the unpredictable Trump left office before he unleashed hell on a poor country.

It must have pleased Putin greatly to see the President of the United States put the security of the free world in jeopardy by making it much harder to harvest fuel. Russia's fossil fuel industry boomed, while Biden slapped onerous regulations on U.S. fuel companies because the warming fanatics demanded it.

Jen Psaki, the Biden Minister of Propaganda, denies the President has enabled Putin's atrocities. Incredibly, Psaki put forth that Putin is the primary driver of America's rising gas prices.

Well, here are the facts. When Donald Trump left office, a gallon of gas cost $2.50 on average. One week before Putin invaded Ukraine, gas prices had risen to $3.54 a gallon, up more than a dollar in 13 months under Biden.

Today the average is $4.07.

We live in a dangerous world, and President Biden's terrible policies have made it worse. You have to be smart to run the most powerful nation on earth.

Joe Biden is the opposite of smart.

See you tonight, beginning at six eastern for the No Spin News.
Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com In the early 1860s twin 16-year-old boys were put on a boat by their parents in Ireland and sent to America. The boys arrived in Brooklyn, New York without adult supervision, as their family back in Ireland could not support them. They made their way by doing hard labor and building new lives. Those boys were the first of my ancestors on my father's side to come to this country. Over the years their families became Democrats. The reason: economics. Working men and women in the northeast had to struggle to gain decent wages, and Democrats were sympathetic to that struggle. Back then, many Democrats were traditional people and their party reflected that through the decades. John F. Kennedy was a traditional guy; so was Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson. But today the Democratic Party has turned far left. President Obama has led that march, and his acolytes in Congress are currently violating federal immigration law, embracing a quasi-socialistic economic theory and, as we reported last night, even embracing radical anti-police groups like Black Lives Matter. NEW YORK CITY PROTESTORS (Dec. 13, 2014): What do we want? DEAD COPS. When do we want them? NOW! What do we want? DEAD COPS. When do we want them? NOW! What do we want? DEAD COPS. When do we want them? NOW! ((EDIT)) OBAMA: I think the reason that the organizers used the phrase Black Lives Matter was not because they said they were suggesting nobody elses lives matter; rather, what they were suggesting was there is a specific problem that is happening in the African-American community thats not happening in other communities. It is hard to believe that a sitting president is sympathetic to a group that is calling for violence against American police officers. Remember, the Black Lives Matter leadership has not disavowed the violent anti-cop rhetoric. In addition, the Democrats continue to enable sanctuary cities; do not openly support Kate's Law, designed to protect Americans from illegal alien felons; and a Democrat Senator Blumenthal of Connecticut even blocked legislation designed to hold VA employees accountable for misconduct and corruption. Stuart Varney will have that story later. Talking Points submits that the Democratic Party has been hijacked and is now trying to undermine federal law, undermine law enforcement in general and upend our capitalistic system. And how many Americans even know that is happening? That's the memo.
It was a lie, former Attorney General William Barr writes early on in his new book  a fabrication that was repeated and amplified in media coverage throughout the election and is still repeated. Barr isnt referring in this instance to Donald Trumps insistent lie about massive election fraud in 2020, but to an event that happened nearly 30 years earlier, when Barr was doing his first tour as the attorney general, for President George H.W. Bush. The media misleadingly described Bush marveling at a supermarket scanner as if he had never encountered the technology before.

(HarperCollins)

The suggestion that the first President Bush was some elitist patrician who didnt know his way around a modern grocery store continues to rankle Barr three decades later. He parses the event in minute detail in One Damn Thing After Another, letting loose an extravagant pique that makes sense when you realize that being seen as out of touch is the kiss of death for establishment conservatives, especially now, when right-wing populism is ascendant.

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Barr takes care in this book to present his childhood as more hardscrabble than a rarefied prep school education and an apartment on New York Citys Riverside Drive would have anyone believe. In Barrs telling, its Democrats who are invariably the smug elites, while Republicans are the true defenders of ordinary middle- and working-class Americans.

One Damn Thing After Another is an intemperate culture-war treatise smuggled into a lawyers memoir: a seemingly sober recitation of events that is periodically interrupted by seething tirades about militant secularism and a Maoist American left. He compares Trumps opponents to guerrillas engaged in a war to cripple a duly elected government and calls the pandemic restrictions adopted by some states the most onerous denial of civil liberties in American history, second only to slavery.

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Barr famously resigned as attorney general in December 2020, after he failed to find any evidence of substantial voter fraud, despite what he chronicles here as his assiduous efforts to look into it. (He calls allegations about voting machines an idiotic theory that had no basis in reality.) He ends his book by describing Trumps postelection behavior as puerile, perhaps even dangerous. Still, as much as Barr was disgusted by the rampage on the Capitol, hes under no illusion about who is responsible for dividing the country, embittering our politics and weakening and demoralizing our nation, he writes. It is the progressive Left and their increasingly totalitarian ideals.

Such eruptions go a long way toward explaining why he was willing to join the Trump administration in the first place, when the buttoned-up Barr, comfortably ensconced in retirement and the Republican old guard, didnt quite fit the mold of those upstarts hoping to gain some capital (political or otherwise) by hitching themselves to the Trump train. (Barr had initially supported his former bosss son, Jeb Bush, in the primaries.) You might also wonder how Trump, an ostentatious, thrice-married reality television star who bragged about grabbing womens genitals, could have been anything but repellent to Barr, a staunch Roman Catholic whose idea of a good time is playing the bagpipes.

But the two men happened to share one thing in common: a maximalist view of presidential power. I agreed to join the besieged Trump administration as it careened toward a constitutional crisis, Barr writes. He had already written an unsolicited memo voicing his skepticism about the Mueller investigation into the 2016 election, which Barr believed was consuming Trumps attention and distracting him from all the important work he would otherwise be eager to do.

Barr doesnt make much of an effort in this book to counter assertions by his critics that even before reading the Mueller report he had mostly made up his mind. Barr says the investigation was not so different from a witch hunt, and the question of whether the Trump campaign sought to benefit from Russian interference in the election was manufactured, phony, bogus: Russiagate specifically, and the resistance generally, he writes, were mendacious and fraudulent attempts to invalidate the legitimate election of an American President.

A number of chapters are devoted to issues that Barr says are crucial to him, including taking on big tech and securing religious liberty (the civil rights issue of our time). A chapter titled Bringing Justice to Violent Predators offers Barrs thoughts on the death penalty  he thinks its good, and his Justice Department rushed to execute 13 federal inmates in the seven months before Trump left office. As a point of comparison, the federal government had executed a total of four people in the preceding 60 years.

Barr offers an extended apologia that tries to square his position on putting people to death with his religious faith. Pope Francis' revision of the Catholic Church's Catechism, denouncing the death penalty as "inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person," sends Barr into a paroxysm of hairsplitting: "The term inadmissible has no established meaning in moral theology, and is certainly too vague and indirect to be read as an attempt to extinguish this vast body of established teaching, even assuming it could be."

This is a pattern in Barrs book: He nitpicks his way to desired conclusions by carefully navigating a lawyerly path around finely drawn distinctions, all the while lobbing bomblets at anyone he defines as an enemy. For all his urbane affect, Obama was still the left-wing agitator who had patiently steered the Democratic Party toward an illiberal, identity-obsessed progressivism, Barr writes; no doubt actual left-wing agitators, who have regularly denounced Obama for centrism, would like to have a word.

Barrs version of Trump, meanwhile, contains multitudes: The former president may have an imprecise and discursive speaking style, even a tendency for madcap rhetoric, but Barr also believes Trump has a deep intuitive appreciation of the importance of religion to the health of our nation. Barr muses that the country would have benefited and likely seen more of the constructive, problem-solving style of government that President Trump previewed on election night, if only he had been met by a modicum of good faith on the other side.

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By good faith Barr is perhaps imagining something like his own generous interpretations of Trumps behavior, which he goes to great and often tortuous lengths to rationalize in his book. When Barr learned about the consequential phone call between Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was then Ukraines president-elect, Barr said he argued for the swift release of the transcript  largely because it showed that Trump, according to Barr, had ultimately done nothing wrong on the call.

Yes, Barr allows, telling Zelenskyy that American military aid was conditional on a Ukrainian investigation of the Bidens was foolish, but a quid pro quo is inherent in almost all diplomacy. Besides, even if such an investigation into the presidents opponent would have yielded political benefits for Trump, it would also arguably advance Americas anticorruption agenda, Barr says. Making room for such intricate rhetorical contortions is partly why this book is nearly 600 pages long.

There are also numerous places where Barr offers what looks at first to be a blizzard of detail but nevertheless makes some strange omissions. He devotes page upon page to the question of voter fraud, which he repeatedly declares to be a real threat, with nary a word about voter suppression. He characterizes the inspector generals report on the Mueller investigation as damning while neglecting to discuss that the same inspector generals report declared that the FBI had adequate reason to investigate ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. Barr also stays mum on the fact that a bipartisan report from the Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee concluded the same thing.

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By the end of One Damn Thing After Another, its clear that Barr has something else in common with Trump  a shrewd ability to recognize when certain people are no longer useful for his purposes, and a willingness to dispense with them accordingly. Barr slips in a description of Robert Muellers trembling hands and tremulous voice, wondering if Mueller might have an illness  a striking (and expedient) bit of gossip for Barr to float about an old friend. The last chapter has Barr throwing Trump under the bus, albeit gently and with the utmost decorum. Barr laments Trumps stubborn problems of tone, faulting him for needlessly alienating a large group of white-collar suburbanites, and declares that its time to move on from the loser of the 2020 election by recovering something like the old Reagan coalition.

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But Barr faces a quandary, which is to explain how Republicans can ditch Trump while keeping his fervent base. The result is like the deus ex machina moment in an ancient Greek play, when a hopeless situation is resolved by the sudden appearance of a god on a crane. "The Republicans have an impressive array of younger candidates fully capable of driving forward with MAGA's positive agenda and cultivating greater national unity," a wistful Barr insists. "MAGA's positive agenda" combined with "national unity"? Until I got to that point in his book, I wouldn't have pegged Barr as someone so thirsty for a fairy-tale ending.

___

About the book

ONE DAMN THING AFTER ANOTHER: Memoirs of an Attorney General

William P. Barr

William Morrow/HarperCollins. 595 pp. $35.
Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com No. 1: John Boehner, former Speaker of the House, calling Ted Cruz, current presidential candidate, the devil. PROF. DAVID KENNEDY: How about Ted Cruz? (audience laughs) BOEHNER: Lucifer in the flesh. ((EDIT)) In Washington I have as many Democrat friends as I have Republican friends. I get along with almost everybody but I have never worked with a more miserable son of a bitch. (EDIT) Over my dead body will he be president. Now Mr. Boehner does not like Cruz because of the senator's unwillingness to compromise over the budget and other issues. The problem here is this: Boehner is a sniper. We invited the Speaker on the program. He turned us down, as he always does. If you are going to smear someone, at least submit yourself to questioning in order to provide some perspective. Talking Points does not respect backstabbing. You have a beef, state it, back it up. Boehner was wrong, not in saying what he said -- he's entitled to his opinion. But in the sneaky way he did it. Second thing on my mind: Will Ferrell, a very successful actor-comedian, was apparently about to do a satire that includes mocking Ronald Reagan's Alzheimer's condition. Front page in the New York Post today and Variety is reporting that Ferrell agreed to produce and star in a movie called "Reagan," which deals with the president's dementia. Recently there was a reading of the script and there was a lot of denigration of the late president. The movie is thus far unsold, and I believe it will remain so because now Will Ferrell has pulled out of the project after getting hammered in the court of public opinion. Now I know a lot about this because I am an executive producer of the upcoming movie Killing Reagan based on my book. We are currently in pre-production, the film set to air on the National Geographic Channel this coming October. I am very involved with the script, making sure that Ronald Reagan is treated with respect and fairness. That's how he's treated in my book and that's how he'll be treated in the movie, even though we tell the truth about the president. As for Ferrell, if he had gone ahead with the dopey film, he would have put his career on the line. While satirizing political people is a good thing in a vibrant democracy, cruelty is not. Will Ferrell is an uber-liberal. Again, not a problem unless his zealotry crosses the lines of decency. Dementia is not something you treat lightly, nor is the legacy of a president many consider to be a patriot. No. 3: The continuing chaos outside political rallies that Donald Trump is holding. Last night in Costa Mesa, California outside of Los Angeles, 17 people were arrested for a variety of offenses while protesting Mr. Trump: JONATHAN HUNT: It started with a passionate but peaceful exchange of views outside the Trump campaign event. But as the sun went down and the tension rose, hundreds of protestors moved from the parking lot of the Pacific Amphitheater, where Trump was speaking, to the streets of Costa Mesa -- blocking a major intersection, making their distaste for Trump loud and clear with one particular unbroadcastable anti-Trump slogan repeated again and again, among other shouts and chants. But what had been a protest in the First Amendment tradition morphed into something much darker, police donning riot gear, protestors becoming more threatening. A bottle was thrown at police lines, rocks hurled, a patrol car's rear window smashed, the vehicle then stomped. The crowds had stopped traffic on several streets. Among the vehicles trapped, one driven by a Trump supporter who got out of his car, and then emerged from the crowd with a bloody face. The police ordered the crowd to disperse. They didn't, many of them seemingly more intent on taking selfies than taking part in political protests. Arrests began to be made. And eventually the police and sheriff's deputies began pushing back the crowd. In all there were more than a dozen arrests, as the police appeared to focus on containment rather than confrontation. But what was perhaps most remarkable here was that this all happened at a presidential campaign rally, a measure of the passions of this extraordinary political season. But a sign, too, of how easily those passions can and might damage rather than dignify democracy. In Costa Mesa, California, Jonathan Hunt, Fox News. I want to thank Jonathan Hunt for that excellent report. The continuing anti-Trump shenanigans actually help the candidate. When Americans see people destroying police cars and generally behaving in an untoward way, they don't like those people. Their actions are undemocratic and actually provide sympathy for the person they dislike, Donald Trump. Many of these protesters are so stupid they cannot understand that, but it is the truth. Once a movement that is considered harmful is established, anyone opposed to that movement gets a positive shine. Best example: Richard Nixon versus George McGovern in 1972. The violent demonstrations against Nixon propelled him to a landslide victory, even though the man himself was generally not loved. So you pinheads wrecking cop cars and spraying your political opponents with chemicals might want to consider that. And that's the memo.
Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com Yesterday Bernie Sanders pounded Hillary Clinton in West Virginia, a state she easily won in 2008 when she received 67% of the vote against Barack Obama. The president got 26%. But that was then. Now Hillary Clintons campaign is drifting. Donald Trump is rising in the polls, Secretary Clinton's aides are talking to the FBI about the email case and she is even being criticized by ardent liberals. JON STEWART, COMEDIAN: What I think about Hillary Clinton is, you know, I imagine to be a very bright woman without the courage of her convictions because I'm not even sure what they are. ((EDIT)) Maybe a real person doesn't exist underneath there. I don't know. Also this morning Vice President Biden said something that may annoy Mrs. Clinton. JOE BIDEN: I had planned on running. Its an awful thing to sayI think I would have been the best president. But, um, it was the right thing. Not just my family, but for me. Talking Points will remind everyone that if Secretary Clinton is indicted over the email fracas, it is likely to be Joe Biden, not Bernie Sanders who will get the Democratic nod. Party chieftains know Senator Sanders is simply too far out there to win the presidency. So why is Hillary Clinton having so much trouble? First of all, Sanders has rattled her. She never expected that kind of intense challenge from a socialist. Second, although the secretary is smart, she's not a natural campaigner. While Sanders has energized younger voters, Mrs. Clinton cannot seem to win over the far left. KWAME ROSE, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST AND SANDERS SUPPORTER: You have young people in this city who aren't loyal to the Clintons because their parents were locked up by the 1994 crime bill, their parents were locked up with the War on Drugs, welfare reform. These are the victims of the Clinton administration. This is a new generation. So what! Younger voters don't turn out in large numbers. In order to beat Donald Trump, Mrs. Clinton is going to have to come out of the left-wing precincts and appeal to independent voters. Therefore she will have to talk to people like me and answer responsible questions. Trump talks to everybody. He's on MSNBC all the time, but Hillary Clinton is very cautious granting interviews. At this point she might want to rethink that strategy. If she truly believes that she is the right person to run this country, then she should talk to all Americans, not just ideological soul mates. For now the Clinton campaign is in trouble, no doubt. But a resounding victory in California could change all that. The vote in the Golden State is on June 7th. And that's the memo.
The Rs 250-crore FLO park is modelled to strengthen women's MSME ecosystem across the nation

Indias first women-owned FLO Industrial Park promoted by FICCI Ladies Organization (FLO) in partnership with the Govt of Telangana, has commenced its operations in Hyderabad. 25 women-owned and operated units representing 16 diverse Green Category Industries are part of the team.

The 50-acre FLO Industrial Park in Hyderabad was established with an investment of Rs 250 crores is the flagship project and the first-of-its-kind at a national level with participation open to Chapter Members, and the national members of FLO.

The 50-acre Industrial Park exclusively for women was formally inaugurated by KT Rama Rao, Minister for IT E&C, MA&UD, and Industries & Commerce Departments in the presence of Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary IT, Govt of Telangana, and others.

From the Electronic sector to packaging, Medical Devices, Wellness, Engineering, and Food Processing, the park is at its core to demonstrate the power of women in the industry.
HDFC Bank, under its flagship CSR programme Parivartan will impart training for various non-technical job roles in the healthcare sector

HDFC Bank, under its flagship CSR programme Parivartan, launched a skill training initiative for 6,900 youth in Goa in collaboration with Wipro GE Healthcare and United Way Delhi (UWD). Beneficiaries associated with skilling institutes will be imparted training for various non-technical job roles in the healthcare sector. Apart from training, the students will be provided assistance in job placements. The initiative aims at reducing the supply gap of trained manpower in the existing healthcare system and strengthening the nation's healthcare workforce. Nationally, this initiative will train and provide employment to youth over the span of two years across 13 states of India.

The initiative was officially launched at the Old Asilo Centre in Mapusa, Goa by Ashish Jain, CEO, Healthcare Sector Skill Council and Deepali Nayak, Director- Directorate of Women and Child Development and Directorate of Entrepreneurship and Skill Development.

The 6,900 beneficiaries will be imparted skill-based training for job roles in GDA advance, phlebotomy technician and hospital front desk coordinator. Apart from training, the students will also get placement support for jobs in the healthcare sector. This would provide a trained healthcare workforce and reduce the prominent patient-to-attendee gap.
As one of the fastest growing knowledge industries in the country, Indias biotechnology sector is poised to become a major driver of the Indian economy. Its benefits are overarching  it has the potential to increase food production and thus reduce poverty and hunger. It has a key role in improving the health of the nation with next-generation, personalised, affordable medicines. Lets take a look back in history and also chart the future, using the present day potential of this vibrant sector

Over the last 20 years, life sciences in India has gone from being a nascent sector to a sunrise industry. When I began my own entrepreneurial journey in 1978, little did I know that I was sowing the seeds of the countrys biotechnology revolution.

Up until the mid-1980s, I was the lone entrepreneur in the Indian biotech landscape. My challenge was to get the market to accept biotechnology, which was a new concept back then. An unreliable power supply situation in Bangalore and the limited resources that I had at that time were a serious challenge as biotech processes demanded uninterrupted power supply and precision process control. To top the constraints imposed by red tape and inadequate infrastructure, I needed to import every research consumable to pursue critical R&D. As I built Biocon step by painful step, the sector evolved in India around me and the business environment became more biotechnology-friendly.

Government plays a crucial role

Recognising the need to support biotechnology in India, the government set up a National Biotechnology Board in 1982 with Dr S Ramachandran as member secretary with a mandate to identify areas of priority development areas. As the need for a separate Department grew, the government established the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) in 1986 with D S Ramachandran as founder secretary. As a pioneer in the industry, I was privileged to be invited to the DBTs launch. The focus in this phase, through Dr S Ramachandrans nearly seven-year-long tenure, was on creating an academic ecosystem for biotechnology and thereby start generating the required human capital to support this emerging sector through a number of Departments of Biotechnology at select universities, including Anna University, Madurai Kamaraj University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, MS University, Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB), and Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH) Chandigarh. The DBT was also focusing on helping the sector overcome the type of challenges faced by Biocon during its formative years  the dire need for infrastructure for both research and development and manufacturing, along with a conducive regulatory environment.

By the 1990s, the sector started growing in depth and scope; several biotech companies sprung up across the country and a cluster effect was seen in Bangalore which soon became Indias pre-eminent biotech city.

Economic liberalisation in 1991 also brought a sea change in the Indian life sciences industry. Exponential investments were made by leading Indian pharma companies to become global players through a combination of rapid indigenous expansion and overseas collaborations. It was the start of a new phase for the sector, speeding up the growth of the Indian biopharma industry.



As the industry grew, DBTs focus expanded to include the building of industry-academia linkages that were critical to enhancing the sectors value. The phase, which spanned Dr Manju Sharmas nine-year stint as DBT secretary, saw the birth of Hyderabad startups Shantha Biotech and Bharat Biotech which developed Indias vaccine sector based on seed technology developed at CCMB and Indian Institute of Science (IISc).

In time, India grew to be a biotechnology and pharmaceuticals hot spot and a hub for manufacturing small molecule generics, vaccines and insulins.



After Dr M K Bhan took charge as the secretary of DBT in 2004, he steered the biotech sector through his visionary leadership during his decade at the helm. Among other things, he played a key role in bringing the rotavirus vaccine to India.





Realising the Biopharma promise

Biotechnology has already delivered several societal and economic benefits to India which in turn have been shared with other global economies. Today, Indias vaccine industry led by the Serum Institute of India, Bharat Biotech, Biological E and others accounts for 50 per cent of the global vaccine capacity. By 2006, Shantha Biotechnics and Bharat Biotech had disrupted the MNC monopoly for Hepatitis B vaccines not only in India but throughout the developing world with the help of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Likewise, Biocon and Wockhardt broke the domination that Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly and Sanofi had enjoyed for decades over insulins. Biocon has not only been instrumental in increasing affordable access for people with diabetes in India but also in serving patients the world over.

To augment R&D efforts and entrepreneurship in life sciences, the DBT created the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) in 2011. As the largest source of early-stage funding, BIRAC supported thousands of first-time startups as well as existing biotechnology entrepreneurs in its effort to build the biotechnology innovation ecosystem in the country. Dr Renu Swarup, who played a crucial role in the foundation of BIRAC and led it for six years, contributed to the industrys success in accelerating and translating breakthrough scientific ideas into products and services. A role she continued to play when she took over as Secretary, DBT in 2018 after Prof. K Vijay Raghavan's illustrious 5-year stint at the department. At DBT, she was instrumental in promoting several Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives, which have led India to take a leading role in the manufacture of diagnostics, medical equipment and vaccines.

Fighting the pandemic

When the COVID-19 crisis broke in 2020, the Indian biotech industry drew on its significant strengths in research, innovation and manufacturing scale. It developed and manufactured diagnostics, therapies and vaccines at speed and scale to save countless lives. In the face of the biggest health calamity faced by humanity in a century, Indias bioeconomy grew over 12 per cent annually to reach $70 billion in 2020.

The Atmanirbhar Bharat framework is encouraging the Indian life sciences industry to build on its inherent strengths while collaborating internationally to make a global impact. The government, through the DBT, has made tremendous efforts in promoting bioscience research, translational education and entrepreneurship. This, coupled with a burgeoning start-up ecosystem, is unleashing biotech innovation in the country. India needs to build on this momentum by putting in place a comprehensive biotech strategy encompassing investment, R&D, exports and a strong start-up culture.

The next level

As one of the fastest growing knowledge industries in the country, Indias biotechnology sector is poised to become a major driver of the Indian economy. Its benefits are overarching  it has the potential to increase food production and thus reduce poverty and hunger. It has a key role in improving the health of the nation with next-generation, personalised, affordable medicines. Biofuels and industrial enzymes have a powerful role to play in preparing India to be a low carbon emitting nation. The power of biotechnology is both transformational and far reaching and it is for us as a nation to invest judiciously and pragmatically in order to derive the benefits of this technology of hope for its billion-plus people.

Focusing on cutting-edge innovation will allow India to capture a significant value share of the global life sciences market. To capture the huge opportunity, India will have to act expeditiously, and the government will have to play an enabling role by creating a conducive physical, financial, legislative and regulatory ecosystem. By aligning their goals, the scientific community, the industry and the government will be able to take Indian biotechnology to the next level.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Executive Chairperson, Biocon & Biocon Biologics
Hotel management company, Aleph Hospitality has signed a management agreement to operate Accor's luxury five-star MGallery hotel, as well as all facilities at the new Century Park Hotel and Residences development in Rwanda's capital Kigali.

Source: Supplied | From left to right, Lucie Tarret-Imbert, Business Development Manager Sub-Saharan Africa for Accor, Billy Cheung, Chairman of Century Park Hotel and Residences Ltd and Bani Haddad, Founder and Managing Director of Aleph Hospitality

A signing ceremony took place in Kigali yesterday between Aleph Hospitality respectively, the international hospitality group Accor, and Century Park Hotel and Residences Ltd, the developers of the project.Located in the pristine and calm hills of Nyarutarama, Kigalis most esteemed neighbourhood, Century Park Hotel and Residences is an all-in-one mixed-use residential and leisure park.The destination offers luxury villas, two- and three-bedroom apartments, four- and five-bedroom duplexes and penthouses as well as three restaurants and bars. In addition, the development features the MGallery Hotel, the first for the brand in Rwanda, featuring appointed guest rooms and suites, leisure facilities including an outdoor pool as well as conferences and meeting rooms.Billy Cheung, chairman of Century Park Hotel and Residences Ltd says: "We are delighted to formally launch our hotel and residences with agreements with two leading international organizations  Aleph Hospitality and Accor."Bani Haddad, founder and managing director of Aleph Hospitality says: "We are very excited to be part of this incredible new mixed-use development in Kigali, which marks our first entry into Rwanda. We are delighted to be entrusted with the operations of the first MGallery hotel in Rwanda, our first Accor branded property, alongside the management of the facilities and restaurants at Century Park Hotel and Residences, including Billys Bistro and Bar, which was voted 'Best Restaurant of the Year' in 2021 by the Consumers Choice Awards."We look forward to building on the success of the incredible food and beverage offerings of Century Park to make it the leading dining, lifestyle and nightlife destination in Kigali."
Since medicinal-cannabis cultivation was decriminalised in 2018, the planting and harvesting of the plant for commercial purposes has taken off en-masse, making this a lucrative market in which to invest....

Source: Supplied. Alan Glanse, chief executive of Juicy Fields.

A lucrative emerging market

With a strong expertise in farming and a trained agricultural workforce, South Africa has the potential to supply competitively priced medicinal cannabis products to the rest of the world.In Germany cannabis, with the active ingredient THC, has been legalised and prescribed by doctors for pain reduction and depression for the last five years. While growth metrics are in place securing the necessary funding for small and medium-sized farmers managing the transition from traditional farming to medicinal cannabis remains a challenge.Juicy Fields, German-founded eco-system enabler and main sponsor of the cannabis expo in South Africa is working hard on changing this by connecting growers with licensed producers and distributors.In order to start crowd growing, egrowers set up their account online on Juicy Fields, purchase one of four cannabis strains and pay in either Euro or a crypto currency of choice. The strains differ according to their growth cycle and revenue per harvest.Most egrowers start off by buying Juicyflash at 50 Euro per plant. After 100 days the plants are dried, packaged and sold at 1.50 Euro per gram with an expected harvest of 45 to 55g. There are several multi-lingual Telegram groups where the growing network of international egrowers collaborate and share their strategies.The legal cannabis market is expected to grow at approximately 20% per annum for the next 10 years. Egrowing is just one possible way to take part in this lucrative emerging industry. The upcoming cannabis expo in South Africa is the perfect platform for investors, job seekers, health professionals, agronomists, lifestyle brands and industry experts.The Cannabis Expo in Cape Town is held at Grand West in Cape Town from March 24 to March 27 2022, and later in the year in other majorbusiness hubs including Durban, Pretoria and Johannesburg.
The threat to banks

Source: Hadrian. SocGen is one of the banks considered most exposed.

Beyond banks

Source: Reuters. Companies like BP are offloading Russian interests, but at what cost?

The sanctions include: removing some Russian banks from the Swift messaging system for international payments; freezing the assets of Russian companies and oligarchs in western countries; and restricting the Russian Central Bank from using its $630bn (473bn) of foreign reserves to undermine the sanctions.In response to these moves, several ratings agencies have either cut Russias credit rating to junk status or signalled that they may do so soon. In other words, they think the prospect of Russia defaulting on its debts is higher than before. According to a group of global banks, a default is extremely likely.With over $100bn of Russian debt in foreign banks, this raises questions about the risks to banks outside Russia  and the potential for a default to kick off a 2008-style liquidity crisis , where banks panic about the state of other banks solvency and stop lending to one another.European banks are the most exposed financial institutions to Russias new sanctions, specifically those in Austria, France and Italy. Figures from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) show that France and Italys banks each have outstanding claims of about $25bn on Russian debt, while Austrian banks had $17.5bn.Comparatively, US banks have been decreasing their exposure to the Russian economy since the Crimean sanctions in 2014. Nonetheless, Citigroup has a $10bn exposure , albeit this is a relatively small portion of the $2.3tn in assets the bank holds.There is also the question of exposure to a potential default by Ukraine on its debts. Ukraines circa $60bn of bond debt has also been downgraded to junk status, raising the risk of a default from a weak probability to a real danger.On top of debt exposure, many banks are going to be hit because they offer banking services in either Ukraine or Russia. According to ratings agency Fitch, the French banks BNP Paribas and Credit Agricole are the most exposed to Ukraine because of their local subsidiaries in the country. Societe Generale and UniCredit are the European banks with the largest operations in Russia, and both are also among the most exposed to Russian debts.In additional bad news for European banks, there has been a sharp rise in the cost of raising US dollar funding in the euro swaps market. Banks use this market to raise the dollars that are essential for most international trade, so higher rates will put additional pressure on their margins.So how serious are the risks to banks overall from defaults? US investment research firm Morning Star believes that the exposure of European banks, let alone US banks to Russia is ultimately insignificant regarding their solvency. Nonetheless it has been reported that European, US and Japanese banks could face serious losses, potentially to the tune of $150bn.Banks will also probably be affected in other ways. For example , Switzerland, Cyprus and the UK are the biggest destinations for Russian oligarchs seeking to store their cash overseas. Cyprus also attracts Russian wealth with golden passports. Financial institutions in these countries are all likely to lose business because of the sanctions. The share prices of UK banks Lloyds and NatWest are both down more than 10% since the start of the invasion, for example.Apart from banks, the war is going to lead to substantial losses for many businesses with interests in Russia. Any companies that are owed money by Russian businesses are going to struggle to get repaid, given that the ruble is down 30% and the Swift restrictions are going to make payments very difficult. For example, Reuters has reported that US companies have about $15bn of exposure to Russia. Many of these debts will potentially end up being written off, causing serious losses.Some oil companies like Shell and BP have said they are going to offload assets that they own in Russia. Others such as trading and mining group Glencore, which has significant stakes in two Russia-linked companies, Rosneft and En+ Group, has said it has put them under review. But if the value of these assets evaporates because there are no buyers at sensible prices, companies like these could be looking at substantial write-downs.One danger is that this leads to a panic sell-off in the shares of these companies that creates a domino effect across the market similar to what happened with banks in 2007 and 2008.Pension funds are also in the firing line. For example, the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) team wants to sell its Russian assets. The USS is the UKs biggest independent pension scheme with about 500,000 pension customers and 90bn in funds. Its Russian assets are worth over 450m. The decline in the value of these toxic assets is potentially going to be a nasty hit. More broadly, many investment funds also have money in Russian sovereign debt and also Russian company shares. They too are potentially looking at serious losses.In short, the ripple effects of this war are potentially enormous, and many more will probably become apparent in the coming days and weeks. With the global economy still recovering from the pandemic and already having to deal with substantial inflation, the markets have been highly volatile. Russias invasion of Ukraine has intensified this situation, and finance will be on high alert to see how things unfold.This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles provide a broad framework for looking at a company's impact on society.

Beth Gallagher

Rohan Sarma

Cathy Duff

Trialogues primary research has been published in the Trialogue Business in Society Handbook 2021. Download a free copy here: https://trialogue.co.za/publications/



CECPs Global Impact at Scale 2021 Edition report can be downloaded here: https://bit.ly/3M0LYKL



Read more about the Women@Work alliance here: https://bit.ly/36Gb4hT



Responsible business concepts ecosystem  Trialogues definitions framework

Corporates must accept the new reality of a Better Normal (the tagline of Samhita), since time is running out with respect to global warming and environmental and social risks.

Companies should consider constituting dedicated ESG board committees, in line with greater focus on corporate governance  a trend led by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and the Securities and Exchange Board of India.

ESG investing is an ethical approach to profit-making. Ethics, equity and circularity should therefore be central principles of ESG.

We need to invert CSR to RSC and change the discourse from mere Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to Resilient Supply Chains (RSC) if we are to go beyond corporate responsibility and make a case for corporate accountability. This will fill the gap in CSR discourse, which limits itself to responsibility only, which is too selective.

Companies need to increase investments in innovation and research as well as knowledge partnerships. Samhita is driving this agenda along with several corporate partners, and has developed innovative products in the social sector in India like the Returnable Grant and the Multidimensional Community Empowerment Index (MCEI).

Companies should create a framework for supporting innovation through building a start-up ecosystem where ideas and solutions can be incubated for scaling up. By doing this, companies create more entrepreneurs who are in turn able to generate more employment opportunities through their ventures.

Diversity and Inclusion needs to become a serious agenda in workplaces where positive discrimination and social justice principles drive recruitment policies and practices.

Companies need to adopt more participatory approaches and realise that investing in communities they work around is a strategic business choice, rather than a mere corporate philanthropic obligation. They must be cognizant at all times that their license to operate is dependent on the community and that business cannot be sustainable against the backdrop of a trust deficit or hostility with communities in which they operate. Therefore, through CSR and ESG commitments, corporates need to transition from becoming neighbours by forceful acquisition to becoming neighbours of choice for communities.

Drawing from the 'Capabilities Approach' of Nobel Laureate Dr Amartya Sen, the Multidimensional Community Empowerment Index (MCEI) tool developed by Samhita seeks to hold the hand of corporates in addressing community issues more effectively and gauging community impact more precisely. Corporates can contribute to community empowerment through creating an ecosystem that expands the capacities and capabilities of institutions and systems. This facilitates individual self-empowerment.

While there is a lack of a global framework for reporting, measurement and transparent disclosure of corporations, India has taken the lead by creating a Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report template in 2020 and by becoming the first country in the world in which BRSR has been mandated by the market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India for the top 1 000 listed companies. Such valuable tools help business to communicate their ESG commitments.





On 24 February 2022, responsible business consultancy Trialogue hosted a webinar that explored how global companies are engaging with these issues  which include human rights, racial and gender diversity and environmental stewardship, among others  and how different approaches to ESG and social investment are likely to affect the future of corporate social investment (CSI) in South Africa.The panellists were Beth Gallagher, director of corporate insights at US-based Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP), Rohan Sarma, knowledge and research head at India-based Samhita Social Ventures, and Trialogue director Cathy Duff.The webinar began with a snap poll to find out from attendees when they thought it likely that ESG would be integrated across every department within their organisation. Just over half (51%) said this would take place within the next two to five years, with 26% indicating they expected full integration within the next year. These results are in line with global findings that more than three-quarters of companies believe that ESG will be integrated across every department in their company within the next five years. This suggests that the Covid-19 pandemic has helped to entrench ESG thinking on a strategic level in companies.Beth Gallagher presented findings from CECPs Global Impact at Scale 2021 Edition, which was released in January 2022. This comprehensive report, which brings together insights from 165 companies in 18 countries and regions, examines trends in ESG management, integration and reporting, as well as employee engagement insights and Covid-19 responses, among others.According to Gallagher, the report underscores how human and economic challenges that arose during the pandemic, such as climate-related disasters and racial justice issues, had a significant if varied impact on companies. A key insight is that the deepening needs of global communities, as well as changing stakeholder expectations, have driven momentum around advancing ESG.The survey found that community spend increased dramatically during 2020  CECPs report noted a 77% increase in median community spend, from $2.8m in 2019 to $4.9 million in 2020. Although some sectors experienced declining revenue, most companies responded to unprecedented need, with 65% of new interventions focusing on healthcare.While this was encouraging news, there was less to celebrate regarding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) as workforce representation over a three-year period showed incremental gains only  a 1% increase of women in the workforce, and a 1% increase of minorities in management positions, for example. However, Gallagher pointed out that the pandemic and the murder of George Floyd have changed views about systemic racism in the US.Instead of DEI efforts being managed by a diversity leader, we have seen it becoming everyones job, in an authentic and fundamental way, which has been heartening, she said. Around 70% of companies are investing in DEI and we will watch to see what comes out of these programmes. A company performing well in this area is the retailer Target, which has pledged to increase the number of Black employees by 20% by 2023, and plans to spend $2bn with Black-owned businesses by 2025.Corporate leaders need to lean in, listen, humble themselves, and respond to these issues in a different way, Gallagher advised.India experienced upheaval during the pandemic. Covid-19 tested the resilience of institutions, values and systems, Rohan Sharma commented. It really exposed the myopic approach of several Indian businesses, along with their ESG vulnerabilities.A notable concern is the fact that women were hardest hit during the pandemic  and female participation in the workplace is significantly lower in India compared to the global average. Samhitas Women@Work alliance  a coalition of businesses, philanthropies, social organisations and other stakeholders  aims to address this challenge.Ironically, however, there has been a silver lining to the pandemic. Had Covid-19 not come along, overwhelming ESG buy-in would not have occurred, Sarma pointed out.For Sarma, ESG is far more than a tool that makes for better non-financial reporting. Used strategically, ESG principles help companies to become neighbours of choice  good corporate citizens and environmental stewards. ESG helps to create shared prosperity through shared values, he said, adding that his personal definition of ESG focuses on key concepts that define a holistic vision of business in society: Ethics/Equity, Social contract/Supply chain management, Good/Greed.The ethical approach to making profit is a paradigm shift, since profit has always been considered a dirty word, he explained. Development problems are complex, however, and increased interconnectedness allows us to collaborate to solve them.He named Indian multinationals and companies that exemplify good corporate citizenship, like the Tata Group, Reliance Industries, Ashok Leyland and Infosys, among others.He also drew attention to insights that emerged from the pandemic, namely: once-off corporate philanthropy does not work; participatory, qualitative surveys are preferable to quantitative surveys as they can better meet the needs of vulnerable communities; and communities should not be the passive recipients of grants  instead, they should be empowered by rights-based legislation.With this last point in mind, Samhita has developed a Multidimensional Community Empowerment Index, which will measure the extent to which communities have been empowered. This is seen as complementary to ESG reporting.The global trends offer some pointers  and lessons  for South Africa. The country is tracking the global experience of ESG adoption  67% of South African companies surveyed by Trialogue in 2021 are already integrating ESG into their business strategy. What this means is that we are likely to see more aligned and strategic social investment, according to Cathy Duff. This may mean more non-cash giving in future, and we can expect to see companies investing in larger, longer-term programmes.Although NPOs may have fewer corporate partners, these partners could well offer more meaningful support, especially if NPOs use the skills, resources, and services of the company. This could be a positive development, especially as social investment is expected to increase in the coming years. NPOs should develop structured volunteering opportunities for their corporate partners, as employee engagement is another increasingly important area for companies, with most large companies now offering employee volunteering programmes, and these expected to become more strategic.Duff said that the International Sustainability Standards Board had been formed in November 2021 to create a global standard around ESG disclosure requirements. Disclosure around standardised metrics will be expected, and there will be a move towards impact metrics, not just inputs and risks to investments, she said. This means that CSI practitioners and NPOs will have to measure and report on impact, and such reporting is likely to be linked to the targets and indicators of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).Climate will become a key priority, Duff said, as companies commit to Net Zero targets. Companies will have to plan how to reach Net Zero  not just in terms of mitigation and avoiding emissions, but building resilience in supply chains and communities, and making adaptations, she asserted. Social investment programmes will need to articulate the impact they have on the environment and demonstrate how they contribute to Net Zero goals.Currently, only around 18% of South African companies invest in environmentally-focused CSI projects, and around a quarter do not consider the environment at all in their CSI programmes. This should shift in the coming years as the environment becomes a global priority, Duff pointed out.Gallagher said corporate leaders need to prioritise employee engagement. Employees are stakeholder number one now, she said. If leaders cant demonstrate that theyre leading with purpose or behaving in ethical ways, theyll fail to attract, retain and engage the talent they need to meet the needs of today.Sarma asserted that companies need to embrace and accept a better normal, particularly when it comes to community inclusion. Companies need to move from adopting communities to becoming service providers and neighbours of choice, he proposed. The idea is not to empower people one by one, but to facilitate and create an equal system that expands the capabilities and capacities of people so they can empower themselves. (See Sarmas ten-point plan for corporates below.)Duffs final word of advice to company leaders is that economic and regulatory pressures, together with pressure from stakeholders, will make change unavoidable, but there is opportunity in change for companies to achieve real impact and sustainability.
"We strictly condemn Russia's attack on independent Ukraine."

"Ethically, Valio cannot continue operations in Russia; therefore, we are ending business operation in Russia, says Valios CEO Annikka Hurme.Valio has one processed cheese factory near Moscow, contract manufacturing partners and sales offices in St. Petersburg and in Moscow. Valio employs approximately 400 people in Russia. Annual sales of Valio in Russia have been approximately 85 million euros. Valios subsidiary in Russia is 100% Finnish-owned by Valio.The exit process will start immediately. The decision to end the business and ramp down operation involves many details that we have been working on, and we now could communicate about it.Last week Valio stopped all exports from Finland to Russia and Belarus. In addition, imports of ingredients and packaging materials from Russia to Finland were stopped.
The defeat of the bill comes almost a year after the legislature  then fully controlled by Democrats  voted to legalize adult possession of recreational marijuana and to establish a legal market so that retail sales could begin in 2024. (Sue Ogrocki/AP)

RICHMOND  A Republican-led panel of Virginia House members on Monday blocked a bill that would have allowed people incarcerated or on probation for marijuana-related crimes to ask a court for a modified sentence.

A bill sponsored by Democratic Sen. Scott Surovell was shot down by 12 Republicans in the House Appropriations Committee in a straight party-line vote, with 10 Democrats supporting it. There was little discussion on the bill, with the exception of Vice Chairman Republican Del. Terry Austin saying he would vote to kill it because its total costs and impact were unclear.

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The bill would have allowed about 596 people now incarcerated for marijuana-related felonies to apply for resentencing by the court that sentenced them. Another 78 people who had their sentences on other crimes enhanced because of a previous marijuana conviction would have been allowed to apply to the Virginia Parole Board for resentencing.

The defeat of the bill comes almost a year after the legislature  then fully controlled by Democrats  voted to legalize adult possession of recreational marijuana and to establish a legal market so that retail sales could begin in 2024.

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Last week, a Republican-led subcommittee blocked a bill that would have allowed limited retail sales to begin later this year. On a 5-3 party-line vote, the subcommittee voted to continue to 2023 the measure that had cleared the Democrat-controlled Senate earlier this month, effectively defeating it.

Surovell told the committee that many of the people now serving prison terms for marijuana crimes would likely not have received those sentences today, with possession of small amounts now legal in Virginia as the state moves toward opening a retail market.

A lot of people were counting on it, he said of the bill.

After the vote, Surovell said he believes Republicans defeated the bill so they could use it as leverage to get something from Democrats when the larger bill on retail sales is debated again next year.

The Republican caucus is kind of in a pretzel on this whole issue, on marijuana, Surovell said.

This (bill) has absolutely nothing to do with retail sales, so its really disappointing to me that 600 peoples lives are in the balance, 600 peoples freedom is in the balance, and we are going to use that as a bargaining chip, he said.

Surovell said he plans to reintroduce the legislation next year.
Joe Public United is thrilled to join forces with the South African Tourism (SAT) on a new global campaign, 'Live Again', which is set to reposition South Africa firmly in the hearts and minds of international travellers.

With its diverse landscapes, cultures and creative assets, South Africa offers the global business and leisure travellers a host of experiences, as well as a strong science-based approach to managing Covid-19. In line with this, the campaign captures and highlights the South African spirit of endurance, resilience and ubuntu as it showcases bucket-list destinations, adventures, and experiences.Joe Public United is thrilled to be part of conceptualising and producing this campaign. It will go a long way to putting South Africa back into the hearts of minds of travellers throughout the world. As we collectively begin to live again, after two years of the pandemic, South Africa is open for business to leisure, and business travellers. This is what we wanted to bring to the fore, indicates Xolisa Deyshana, chief creative officer at Joe Public United.Speaking at the launch, SA Tourism acting chief executive officer Mzilikazi Themba Khumalo echoed these sentiments saying, The Live Again campaign captures the countrys brand promise to inspire new ways, as travellers enjoy unique leisure, cultural, business and events travel experiences that will re-energise body, mind and spirit.This campaign sums up South Africas offer to international travellers to take the opportunity to be inspired by our beautiful country and recharged by our people and everything else that is uniquely South African. It taps into this countrys renowned optimism and resilience that has stood this nation in good stead at every turn. Through it all, we have never lost our spirit to overcome, and we are inviting the world to experience our country and recover from the Covid-19 situation in the same way. We are saying its time to Live Again.In challenging travellers to live again, the advert captures the spirit of a captivatingly beautiful landscape, dynamic culture and people, vibrant nightlife, and exquisite cuisine. Its production also served as a proof of the pudding sampling of the countrys tourism products, with over 170 crew staying for various periods in over 1,000 rooms across the country.This campaign is special to Joe Public United because it has as its core message that South Africa is open is for business, the tourism sector is open for business and we are ready to welcome the world. The campaign resonates with our commitment to the growth of our clients and of our country. It is time for South Africa to reclaim its place in the international tourism space. It is time for our people and our country to shine, while we inspire the world, says Mpume Ngobese, co-managing director at Joe Public United.We are also honoured to have been part of producing South African Tourisms first ever global audio-visual marketing campaign in five years and look forward to it inspiring travellers to visit South Africa," concludes Deyshana.South Africa is open for business and looks forward to welcoming travellers and to witness the growth and transformation of the tourism sector.WATCH HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVzFpVG4Jh8
Donald Mokgale

Image Credit: The Afropolitan

Mokgales inspiring dentsu career began 12 years ago when he joined Posterscope SA (dentsu SAs former leading out-of-home and location marketing agency) as a junior planner. Five years later, he was promoted to account director and in 2016, Donald became the development director for Posterscope sub-Saharan Africa (Currently dentsu Location Services) where he launched the specialised out-of-home office in Ghana.A year later, Mokgale relocated to Kenya to manage the OOH business and in 2018 he returned to SA where he was appointed as general manager for Posterscope SA. In 2019, Donald was appointed as managing director of Carat Johannesburg (dentsu's global media agency) where he played an instrumental role in managing and developing Carat's portfolio of clients, brands and the Joburg based team.More recently, in 2020 Mokgales ambitious nature led him to the position of CEO of Out There Media Africa, a technology and digital marketing business where he was responsible for scaling the business across Africa. During this time, Mokgale delivered a number of impactful campaigns with a variety of brands and agencies in partnership with some of the continents telco giants.Commenting on his new role and his return to dentsu, Mokgale said:With over 15 years media and advertising experience, Mokgales role and responsibilities will include building a sustainable new business pipeline for the dentsu SA business as well as driving innovative initiatives and critical projects across the organisation.says Koo Govender, CEO of dentsu South Africa.
Two alternative redistricting plans were presented to the Board of Supervisors at its February 1 work session. After discussion, the supervisors chose Alternative A as their preferred option. (York County/)

York County  York County has adopted a new electoral redistricting map that entails minimal change, in the words of officials.

The Board of Supervisors unanimously voted for new election district maps following a public hearing on March 1.

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State law requires drawing new districts following the census. Federal and Virginia law requires districts to have a similar population. While the county met this requirement a decade ago, population changes since resulted in districts with unequal populations.

Two alternative redistricting plans were presented to the Board of Supervisors at its February 1 work session. After discussion, the supervisors chose Alternative A as their preferred option.

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Tim Cross, Deputy Director of Planning & Development Services, said four scenarios were considered in December. The options were subsequently whittled down to two.

The new maps appeared to be uncontroversial. York Countys planning department received no public comments and nobody spoke at the public hearing.

The advantage of the redistricting plan is it makes pretty minimal change, in fact, District 5 does not change at all, Cross told the board, Compared to some of the other plans it shifts fewer people from one district to another.

Details of the changes were highlighted in a memo to the board from County Administrator Neil Morgan. He said no new precincts or polling places are required to implement the new districts.

Under the new maps, the area contained by the southern boundary of the U. S. Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, the Colonial Parkway, and Old Williamsburg Road, which includes The Woods at Yorktown apartments and Riverwalk Townes subdivision and contains 812 residents, shifts from District 1 to District 3. These voters would move from the Magruder Precinct (Griffin-Yeates Center) to the Edgehill Precinct (Yorktown Elementary School), Morgan said.

The area bounded by Ft. Eustis Boulevard, Route 17, Denbigh Boulevard, and the York County-Newport News border, which includes the Wood Towne Quarters, Yorktown Arch, The Quarters of York County, Dunmoore, and Terrebonne developments and contains 831 residents, would shift from District 3 to District 2. These voters would move from the Edgehill Precinct (Yorktown Elementary School) to the Kiln Creek Precinct (Tabb Library), Morgan stated in his memo.

Morgan pointed out that the area bounded by Goodwin Neck Road, Wolf Trap Road, and Route 17, which includes the Acree Acres, Rosewood Place, Coopers Landing, Wolf Trap Estates, and Willow Lakes subdivisions containing 1,406 residents, would shift from District 3 to District 4. These voters move from the Yorktown Precinct (York High School) to the Grafton Precinct (Grafton High School/Middle School).

The area bounded by Burts Road, Oriana Road, the Harwoods Mill Reservoir, and Route 17, which includes the Quail Hollow and Meadow View annex subdivisions and the Grafton Mobile Home Park, Fidelity Mobile Home Village, Blackwells Trailer Court, and Harwood Mills mobile home parks and contains 456 residents, would shift from District 4 to District 2, Morgan states. Voters north of Oriana Road between Burts Road and Route 17 would move from the Grafton Precinct (Grafton High School/Middle School) to the Kiln Creek Precinct (Tabb Library); voters south of Oriana Road between Route 17 and the Harwoods Mill Reservoir would move from the Harwoods Mill Precinct (Grafton Bethel Elementary School) to the Kiln Creek Precinct (Tabb Library).

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In his memo, Morgan referred to the tight time frame York County is working against to redraw its electoral maps.

The time frame for adopting a new election district map is fairly compressed because of the June 21 primary and the need to give the Registrars Office sufficient time to notify voters of any changes to their polling places and have ballots printed in time for early voting, he said.

While some voters will experience greater inconvenience by having to travel farther to vote in person, others will benefit by being able to travel a shorter distance.

David Macaulay, Davidmacaulayva@gmail.com
Lubbock, TX (79409)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening. Thunderstorms likely late. Storms may produce some hail. Low 59F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening. Thunderstorms likely late. Storms may produce some hail. Low 59F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
That gets a green light, Blinken said in an interview with CBS News Face the Nation when asked whether the Polish government, as a member of NATO, could send fighter planes to Ukraine.

In fact, were talking with our Polish friends right now about what we might be able to do to backfill their needs if, in fact, they choose to provide these fighter jets to the Ukrainians. What can we do? How can we help to make sure that they get something to backfill the planes that they are handing over to the Ukrainians? Blinken added.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield also reiterated Blinkens remarks during an interview on ABCs This Week.

We have been in close consultations with the Polish government as well as with our other NATO allies on this issue. We have not in any way opposed the Polish government providing these jets to Ukraine, and were working, as you noted, to see how we can backfill for them, Thomas-Greenfield said.

When asked if U.S. fighter jets could be provided to Poland and other NATO countries, Thomas-Greenfield said officials are still discussing the issue with the Poles.

Ukraines Ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, told Face the Nation that she hopes Ukraine will receive fighter jets from Poland as soon as possible.

We are working with our American, especially, friends and allies, on the steady supply of all the ammunition and anti-air, anti-tank, and planes to be able to effectively defend our country, she said.

Also on Sunday, Blinken said during a press conference with Moldovan President Maia Sandu that Washington has been holding discussions with Warsaw regarding a proposed three-way deal that would allow Ukraine to obtain warplanes from the country.

Under the proposed deal, Poland would provide Ukraine with its Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter jets, which it has been retiring since the early 2000s, in return for having its hangars refilled by the United States with American-made F-16s.

The Polish air force has steadily been retiring MiG-29s and instead purchasing F-16s for the past 15 years as it moves to modernize its arsenal and reduce its reliance on Russian equipment.

We are looking actively now at the question of airplanes that Poland may provide to Ukraine and looking at how we might be able to backfill should Poland decided to use thoseto supply those planes, said Blinken. I cant speak to a timeline, but I can just tell you were looking at it very, very actively.

Blinken added that Washington has provided security assistance to Kyiv over the past year by way of over $1 billion and continues to work with Ukrainian officials to get an up-to-the-minute assessment of their needs.

The discussions come as Western officials are under pressure to bolster Ukraines weapons and ammunition so that it can defend itself amid the Russian attack.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously said he needs ammunition, not a ride, after the United States offered him asylum after Russian troops invaded the country.

During a Zoom call on Saturday with U.S. lawmakers, Zelensky again reiterated that Ukraine needs military planes, and asked specifically for Russian-made planes, according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

President Zelensky made a desperate plea for Eastern European countries to provide Russian-made planes to Ukraine, Schumer said in a statement. These planes are very much needed. And I will do all I can to help the administration to facilitate their transfer.

Bill Pann contributed to this report.
There is scant evidence Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky turned down a US offer to evacuate Kiev by responding, "The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride."



The Washington Post investigated the purported quote and found it could only be sourced to one anonymous "senior American intelligence official" who fed it to the AP.





I need ammo, not a ride, may well go in the annals of history, as one of the greatest war-time quotes! #Zelensky #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/98uK5c5HH7  Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) February 27, 2022

Russian warship, go f*** yourself.



and



I need ammunition, not a ride.



are quite the rallying cries to fight an invading army.  Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) February 26, 2022



From The Washington Post, "Zelensky's famous quote of 'need ammo, not a ride' not easily confirmed":

The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.



- Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, in a quote cited in an Associated Press article, Feb. 25



It's been one of the most-cited lines of the Russian invasion of Ukraine -- a defiant president refusing a U.S. offer to move to a more secure location away from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.



Hundreds of news articles have cited the line. It's appeared repeatedly on television newscasts [...]



But, so far, the only evidence for this line is an unnamed U.S. official. It has not been confirmed by either the U.S. government or Zelensky's office.



[...] Administration officials expressed confusion about the claim to The Fact Checker -- they deny Zelensky was asked to leave Kyiv by the U.S. government -- and said they do not know what call the AP is citing.



[...] Serhiy Nykyforov, Zelensky's press secretary, told The Fact Checker that he could not confirm whether the president had uttered the famous line or was asked to leave the capital by the Americans.



"Personally, I did not hear it. It might have been said in private conversation," he said in a phone interview. He said U.S. officials "were concerned about his safety very much. But I did not hear them say it straightforwardly like that."



Nykyforov added, however, that the reported retort by Zelensky captured the essence of the moment. "Even if he did not say it, all of his actions and his requests mean that," he said [...]

Snake Island was a hoax. The Ghost of Kyiv was a hoax. The first claim Russians attacked the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and were trying to trigger a meltdown was a hoax and the second claim Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was attacked and was leaking radiation was a hoax. The claim Russia attacked a Holocaust memorial was a hoax.



"I need ammo, not a ride" was propaganda put out by US intelligence.



The purpose of all these lies were to con the West into World War III and push Ukrainians to sacrifice their lives in defense of NATO expansionism and the Zelensky regime.



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The National Endowment of Democracy (NED), a CIA-backed front group for regime change abroad, is frantically deleting evidence of their illicit activities in Ukraine.

NED has greatly enriched the Ukrainian puppet government since they were put into power. They sent a total of $22,394,281 through 334 different awards granted to Ukraine between 2014 to the present day, according to an archived website that has now been scrubbed from the internet.

NED has bragged publicly that they are proud partner of Ukraines civil society groups, media outlets, and human rights defenders since 1989before the Ukrainian people declared independence in 1991as they have confronted enormous challenges in building an independent and free country.

Covert Action Magazine has noted that NED and its partners carefully curate propaganda in order to demonize Russians and foment hostilities. They highlight supposed Russian war crimes while ignoring the brutal massacres of Russian-sympathizing Ukrainians in Donbass by neo-Nazi militias as part of the 2014 color revolution coup backed by globalists.

Additionally, NED gave $4.6 million to Ukraine in 2020 to gin up anti-Russian fervor throughout Ukraine. This deep state organization has contributed greatly to the animus that has erupted into a nightmare that may result in World War 3.

Big League Politics has reported on how the globalist power structure is propping up Ukraine with billions of internationalist money:

Not too long after the globalist-backed color revolution coup installed a new regime in Ukraine, the government brought on Rothschild as an advisor to strengthen their ties with the international financial system.

Ukraine brought Rothschild on board to their finance ministry in 2017 at the same time they had Citi, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan handle their bonds. It is said Rothschild was hired to manage medium-term debt liabilities.

After the coup took place, Ukraine was immediately put on the dole of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). They took $8.4 billion from the IMF in 2014, supposedly to help their economy recover from a recession, but in all likelihood, it was actually a globalist payout to the new coup government for a job well done.

Amidst the Ukraine/Russia conflict, the IMF and their partners at the World Bank are once again papering over the Ukraine coup government with major cash. They are preparing a $3 billion aid package to Ukraine to keep their government propped up as NATO expansion becomes more of a possibility.

At the World Bank Group, we are preparing a $3 billion package of support in the coming months, starting with a fast-disbursing budget support operation for at least $350 million that will be submitted to the Board for approval this week, followed by $200 million in fast-disbursing support for health and education, the globalist institutions announced.

This package will include the mobilization of financing from several development partners, and we welcome the already-announced support from many bilateral partners, they added.

An additional $2.2 billion may be on the way to the Ukrainian coup government in the near future from the IMF as well.

At the IMF, we are responding to Ukraines request for emergency financing through the Rapid Financing Instrument, which our Board could consider as early as next week, they stated.

In addition, we continue to work on Ukraines Stand-By Arrangement program, under which an additional $2.2 billion is available between now and the end of June, the IMF said.

Ukraine is one of the most corrupt governments in the world, and Russia is not the aggressor in this conflict. The globalists who set the stage for this war throughout many decades of covert intervention are to blame.
The frontal war in Ukraine is already over even before it began when the mouthpieces of NATOs imperial interventions abroad, NY Times and Washington Post, are publicly acknowledging that the impending fall of Kyiv in the face of Russian blitz is a forgone conclusion and that Ukraines valiant comic actor Volodymyr Zelensky would soon form a government-in-exile, which would lead guerrilla warfare from safe havens in Poland.

The Washington Post reported [1] Saturday, March 5: The possible Russian takeover of Kyiv has prompted a flurry of planning at the State Department, Pentagon and other U.S. agencies in the event that the Zelensky government has to flee the capital or the country itself.

Were doing contingency planning now for every possibility, including a scenario in which Zelensky establishes a government-in-exile in Poland, said a U.S. administration official.

Zelensky, who has called himself Russias target No. 1, remains in Kyiv and has assured his citizens hes not leaving. He has had discussions with U.S. officials about whether he should move west to a safer position in the city of Lviv, closer to the Polish border. Zelenskys security detail has plans ready to swiftly relocate him and members of his cabinet, a senior Ukrainian official said. So far, he has refused to go.

Although NATOs military strategists are drawing parallels with the Soviet-Afghan War of the eighties and the two-decade occupation of Afghanistan by the US forces from Oct. 2001 to August 2021 when the ragtag Afghan insurgents defeated two super powers of the era, and are betting on the success of Ukraines potential insurgency against Russian forces from border regions of Poland and Romania, those were two very different wars.

The former Soviet Union and the US never lacked resources to subdue insurgency in Afghanistan. What they lacked was the will to pour infinite military resources into a meaningless war lacking clear strategic objectives over an indefinite period of time.

By contrast, the Vladimir Putin government is fully committed and Russias national security establishment regards Ukraine as an integral part of Russia, and would go to any extent to integrate Ukraine into Russias sphere of influence and forestall NATOs further eastward expansion along Russias vulnerable western flank.

If we take a cursory look at the insurgency in Afghanistan, the Bush administration toppled the Taliban regime with the help of the Northern Alliance in October 2001 in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attack. Since the beginning, however, Afghanistan was an area of lesser priority for the Bush administration.

The number of US troops deployed in Afghanistan did not exceed beyond 30,000 during George Bushs tenure as the American president, and soon after occupying Afghanistan, Washington invaded Iraq in March 2003 to expropriate its 140 billion barrels proven oil reserves, and American resources and focus shifted to Iraq.

It was the ostensibly pacifist and noninterventionist Obama administration that made the Afghanistan conflict the bedrock of its foreign policy in 2009 along with fulfilling then-President Obamas electoral pledge of withdrawing American forces from Iraq in December 2011, only to be redeployed a couple of years later when the Islamic State overran Mosul and Anbar in Iraq in early 2014.

At the height of the surge of the US troops in Afghanistan in 2010, the American troops numbered around 100,000, with an additional 40,000 troops deployed by the rest of the NATO members, but they still could not manage to have a lasting impact on the relentless Taliban insurgency.

Notwithstanding, the aforementioned Washington Post report further notes: During an official visit, a Ukrainian special operations commander told Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and other lawmakers that they were shifting training and planning to focus on maintaining an armed opposition, relying on insurgent-like tactics.

Ukrainian officials told the lawmakers that they were frustrated that the United States had not sent Harpoon missiles to target Russian ships and Stinger missiles to attack Russian aircraft, Moulton and Waltz said in separate interviews.

As the Russian military struggles with logistical challenges  including fuel and food shortages  Waltz anticipates that the Ukrainians will repeatedly strike Russian supply lines. To do that, they need a steady supply of weapons and the ability to set improvised explosive devices, he said. Those supply lines are going to be very, very vulnerable, and thats where you really literally starve the Russian army.

You cant ship them to Ukraine at the last minute and expect some national guardsman to pick up a Stinger and shoot down an aircraft, he said. Continuing a resistance campaign will require continued clandestine shipments of small arms, ammunition, explosives and even cold-weather gear. Think about the kinds of things that would be used by saboteurs as opposed to an army repelling a frontal invasion, Moulton said.

Clearly, planning and preparations are well underway to lure Russia into NATOs bear trap project, a term borrowed from the Soviet-Afghan War of the eighties when Western regimes used Pakistans security forces and generous funding from the oil-rich Gulf States for providing guerrilla warfare training and lethal weaponry to Afghan jihadists to bleed the security forces of former Soviet Union in the protracted war.

The Biden administration approved on Feb. 24 an additional 7,000 US troops [2] to be deployed to Germany, bringing the total number of American forces sent to Europe to 12,000 this month, including troops previously deployed to Poland, Bulgaria and Romania.

In Poland alone, the US military footprint now exceeds 10,000 troops as the majority of 12,000 troops sent to Europe last month went to Poland to join the 4,000 US troops already stationed there. The East European nation notorious for tacitly supporting the Nazis during the Second World War and willingly participating in committing a massacre of three million Jews has once again become a hub of covert warfare and providing lethal military assistance to Ukraines security forces and allied foreign mercenaries and neo-Nazi militias.

It wouldnt be surprising if Russia decides to invade Poland next after subduing Ukraine. According to a Politico report [3], confirmed by Secretary of State Tony Blinken, Washington had reached a three-way deal with Poland to get Soviet-era MiG fighter jets to Ukraine in return for the US providing Poland F-16s, despite stark warning by the Kremlin that any country attempting to impose no-fly zone over Ukraine would be treated as a belligerent in the war.

The US has already disbursed $240 million of the $350 million in military assistance Biden approved recently, mostly on buying surface-to-air missiles and antitank Javelins, though there would be no shortage of funds for turning Ukraine into one of the most militarized nations on the planet following military intervention by the New Cold War rival, as the Biden administration has already announced a much larger $10 billion humanitarian and military assistance package, subject to forthcoming approval by the US Congress, and Washingtons opulent West European clients would willingly contribute billions more to punish Russias transgression in Eastern Europe.

The Machiavellian plan of NATOs military strategists is to establish refugee settlements with the humanitarian assistance in the border regions of Ukraines neighboring countries Poland, Romania and Bulgaria, and then provide guerrilla warfare training and lethal arms to all able-bodied men of military age in order to bleed Russias security forces in the ensuing irregular warfare following the impending fall of Kyiv.

Currently, the black-ops of NATOs mercenaries in Ukraine are being directed from Ukraine's Security Service (SSU) headquarter and the main center for information and psychological operations in Kyiv. No wonder Russia formally issued an ultimatum on Tuesday, March 1, that it would target the hub of covert warfare.

In fact, private military contractors in close co-ordination and consultation with covert operators from CIA and Western intelligence agencies are not only training Ukraines conscript forces in the use of caches of Stingers and Javelins provided by Germany and rest of European nations as a military assistance to Ukraine but are also directing the whole defense strategy of Ukraine by taking active part in combat operations in some of the most hard fought battles against Russias security forces north of Kyiv and at Kharkiv and Donbas.

Despite public display of uncharacteristic valor by sporting military fatigues and flaunting images and video clips of soldiers proudly standing beside caches of MANPADS and Javelins on social media, Ukraines conscript army was reportedly so frightened following Russias military intervention that it wanted to surrender territory and opted instead for mounting guerrilla warfare by adopting hit-and-run tactics from the safety of border regions of Poland and Romania, as confirmed by the Washington Post report.

But NATOs covert operators embedded with Ukraines security forces reassured them that the war wasnt over and implored them to give their Western mentors a face-saving by mounting at least a semblance of resistance against the fierce onslaught by Russias professional security forces.

Although NATO powers did provide Stingers to their jihadist proxies that helped turning the tide in the Soviet-Afghan war in the eighties, since then, despite providing anti-tank munitions and rest of weapons to militant groups during the proxy wars in Libya and Syria, Western powers have consistently avoided providing MANPADS to proxy forces, because such deadly anti-aircraft munitions could become a long-term threat not only to military aircraft but also to civilian airlines.

In the sheer desperation to inflict maximum material damage on Russias security forces, however, NATO appears to have breached its own long-standing convention of curbing the proliferation of anti-aircraft munitions. Following Russias intervention in Ukraine, Germany alone has proudly bragged [4] of dispatching caches of 500 US-made surface-to-air Stinger missiles and 2,700 Soviet-era, shoulder-fired Strela missiles to Ukraines conscript military.

Who would be responsible for the myopic and vindictive policy of providing anti-aircraft munitions to Ukraines irregular militias once Kyiv falls and those MANPADS are found in black markets posing grave risk to civilian airlines across the globe?

Volodymyr Zelensky reassured his compatriots [5] Thursday, March 3: Ukraine is already welcoming foreign volunteers who are coming to our country. First ones from 16,000. They are coming to defend freedom, defend life. For us, for everyone. And it will be a success, Im sure.

In order to create an international legion comprising foreign mercenaries, Kyiv lifted visa requirements for anyone willing to fight. Every friend of Ukraine who wants to join Ukraine in defending the country, please come over, Zelensky pleaded at a recent press conference, adding We will give you weapons.

Ukraine has already declared martial law and a general mobilization of its populace. Those policies include conscription for men aged 18-60 and the confiscation of civilian vehicles and structures, while Ukrainian convicts with military experience are being released from prison to back up the war effort.

In a show of solidarity with Ukraine, several European nations recently announced they would not only not criminalize but rather expedite citizens joining the NATOs war effort in Ukraine, despite being aware of the lamentable fate of a similar botched policy of enlisting volunteers for proxy wars in Libya and Syria, particularly from diaspora community of those countries, who later returned to Europe and carried out some of the most audacious terror attacks.

The wounds of the Manchester Arena bombing at Ariana Grandes concert in May 2017, claiming 23 lives and hundreds wounded, by a Libyan expat Salman Abedi, whose brother Hashem Abedi was found guilty of 22 counts of murder in March 2020, are still fresh in the minds of families of the victims. Who would be responsible after armed and violent volunteers having fought in the brutal proxy war in Ukraine return home to their native countries and commit wanton acts of vandalism and terrorism?

The myopic and reckless Western policy of lending indiscriminate support to militants in order to topple the Arab nationalist government of Colonel Gaddafi in Libya and the anti-Zionist government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria was directly responsible for the spate of terror attacks in Europe from 2015 to 2017.

After a lull of almost a decade since the horrific Madrid and London bombings in 2004 and 2005, respectively, when the Western powers decided to train and arm militant groups in border regions of Turkey and Jordan straddling Syria from 2011 to 2014, the first incident of terrorism occurred on the Western soil at the offices of Charlie Hebdo in January 2015, and then the Islamic State carried out the audacious November 2015 Paris attacks, the March 2016 Brussels bombings, the June 2016 truck-ramming incident in Nice, and three gruesome terror attacks took place in the United Kingdom in 2017, and after that the militant group carried out the Barcelona attack in August 2017.

Citations:

[1] U.S. prepares for a Ukrainian government-in-exile and a long insurgency:

[2] An additional 7,000 US troops to be sent to Germany:

[3] White House weighs deal with Poland to get fighter jets to Ukraine:

[4] Germany to ship anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine:

[5] 16,000 volunteers coming to Ukraine, Zelensky:

About the author:

Nauman Sadiq is an Islamabad-based geopolitical and national security analyst focused on geo-strategic affairs and hybrid warfare in the Af-Pak and Middle East regions. His domains of expertise include neocolonialism, military-industrial complex and petro-imperialism. He is a regular contributor of diligently researched investigative reports to alternative news media.
In the western worlds mad rush to ramp up censorship and dangerous cold war escalations against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, the Australian government has done what it always does and raised the bar of authoritarianism a click above everyone else in the room.

The Australian Government is sanctioning 10 people of strategic interest to Russia for their role in encouraging hostility towards Ukraine and promoting pro-Kremlin propaganda to legitimise Russias invasion, reads a new statement from Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne. This includes driving and disseminating false narratives about the de-Nazification of Ukraine, making erroneous allegations of genocide against ethnic Russians in eastern Ukraine, and promoting the recognition of the so-called Donetsk Peoples Republic and Luhansk Peoples Republic as independent.

A report by the Australian Associated Press and the Daily Mail says that the men targeted with these new sanctions are journalists, authors or Putins press officers. This move follows earlier waves of sanctions directed at Russian government, military and financial institutions, as well as economic sanctions on the Luhansk and Donetsk regions in Ukraine.

Obviously a government in a purportedly free country sanctioning anyone for sharing any ideas anywhere on earth is outrageous, no matter how stupid or fictional they might be. Anyone on earth should be free to say that Ukraine is ruled by reptilian space wizards orchestrating a global conspiracy to steal the earths ivermectin if they want to without being sanctioned by the Australian government.

But the fact that the ideas cited by the Foreign Minister  de-Nazification, genocide of ethnic Russians, and independence for the DPR and LPR  are fairly common opinions that can be argued using facts and evidence makes this move a lot more disturbing.

I personally dont find it truthful to claim that the invasion of Ukraine has anything to do with de-Nazification myself; that just sounds like the sort of thing you say to make a bloody invasion look noble, and Ukraines neo-Nazi issues would surely have been a non-issue for Putin if Kyiv was aligned with Moscow rather than Washington. But even MSNBC is reporting that Ukraine has a genuine Nazi problem that cannot simply be ignored, and a recent report by The Grayzone details how intimately neo-Nazi militias are intertwined with the nations power structure. So this isnt some preposterous conspiracy theory; it arises from known facts that people do need to talk about.

The claim of genocide in the Donbas may not be a consensus reality that has been firmly established via official channels, but neither is the claim of genocide in Chinas Xinjiang province, yet we saw that assertion waved around as absolute fact by the entire western political/media class in the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics. Its just a simple fact that 14,000 people have died in the fighting against Donbas separatists since a US-backed coup toppled Ukraines government in 2014, and that most of those deaths have been on the side of the ethnic Russian separatists. Whether or not this technically constitutes genocide has not been established, but its a debate that is both valid and worthwhile.

The most egregious citation on Paynes list is promoting the recognition of the so-called Donetsk Peoples Republic and Luhansk Peoples Republic as independent. The idea that rebel-held regions in eastern Ukraine should be recognized as independent republics is pure political opinion; the Australian government has no more legitimacy in labeling it propaganda than they would on peoples opinions about the morality of abortion. Yet its being cited as a justification for targeted sanctions.

This comes after Australian television providers SBS and Foxtel dropped RT in the frenetic push to expand censorship throughout the western world, a move Payne explicitly praised in the aforementioned statement with an acknowledgement that the Australian government is working with online platforms to censor unauthorized content.

The Australian Government continues to work with digital platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Google to take action to suspend the dissemination of content generated by Russian state media within Australia. SBS and Foxtel have already announced the suspension of Russia Today and NTV broadcasting, the statement says.

This is getting so, so ugly so very, very fast. Just the other day a young Australian-Russian man was ejected from the audience of the popular television show Q+A simply for expressing his support for Putins war, something weve never seen happen in any of the controversies about the insane American military invasions that this country has gotten itself involved in over the years.

Whether you agree with these opinions or not, youd have to be blind not to see the dangers of speech getting stomped out which doesnt align with the authorized opinions of the government and the globe-spanning empire of which it is a member state. It is not valid to simply label dissenting ideas propaganda to legitimise Russias invasion and then shut them down; in a free society were meant to debate ideas and explain our positions to convince others that they are correct.

An ostensibly free and democratic nation labeling basic political opinions and ideas about points of geopolitical contention pro-Kremlin propaganda and implementing punitive sanctions in response has implications that are uncomfortable to think about. As an Australian who frequently disagrees with Canberra about unaligned foreign governments including Moscow, I am frankly feeling a bit nervous that I might myself be designated a person of strategic interest to Russia and penalized in some way for disseminating false narratives.

Securing more and more control over the ideas and information that people share with each other is an objective of unparalleled importance of the oligarchic empire loosely centralized around the United States. It is an intrinsically valuable goal; anywhere control of speech can be expanded is strategically useful for that expansion in and of itself, independent of the excuses made to justify it. Hopefully we all collectively find a way to unplug each other from the imperial narrative matrix before they can secure total control.

______________________

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Junior doctors point out that having adequate senior faculty members are essential for National Medical Commission (NMC) to renew medical seats in both under and post graduate courses in government medical colleges of the state. (Representational Image/ DC File)

Vijayawada: Majority of junior doctors in the state have raised fears over transfer of government doctors who have completed five years of service at a place, even though there is a 30 percent cap on transfers.

Their major concern is that annual final exams for both the third year MBBS and second year PG students are scheduled. With the transfer rule maintaining that those completing five years of service must be transferred, junior doctors contend they may have to face new faculty members as both internal and external examiners. They will know nothing about the students calibre. Though they can prove their academic performance by writing their exams well, they may face a disadvantage with regard to practical exams, new faculty members will not know about their academic capabilities. This would be disadvantageous for budding doctors.

With regard to research, junior doctors point out that only those with experience of minimum six months at a station can guide students in taking up research work. They may thus face trouble even when taking up research work. As final year students and PG doctors must submit their research papers on a regular basis, their research will get affected if new faculty members take over.

Further, junior doctors point out that having adequate senior faculty members are essential for National Medical Commission (NMC) to renew medical seats in both under and post graduate courses in government medical colleges of the state. Their main contention is that though there is 30 percent cap on transfer of faculty members across the state, in traditional government medical colleges located in Kurnool, Tirupati, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Guntur and Kakinada, nearly 6070 of faculty members may get transferred. This will affect renewal of medical seats in both UG and PG courses. This will deprive some students from pursuing medicine for want of seats.

Citing these reasons, junior doctors have requested state government to defer transfer of government doctors for a few more months in government medical college hospitals. This will help both students as well as patients at hospitals in the state.
The government had earlier planned to resume all scheduled international flight operations from December 15, 2021 but this was put on hold due to the emergence of a third wave in the form of the Omicron variant. (Representational image/ ANI)

New Delhi: International passenger flights will resume flying to and from India from March 27. The Indian government has taken the decision to reopen its skies for international passenger flights after a gap of two years, when the flights were stopped due to the Covid-19 outbreak in March 2020.

After deliberation with stakeholders and keeping in view the decline in the Covid-19 caseload, we have decided to resume international travel from March 27 onwards. The air bubble arrangements will also stand revoked thereafter. With this step, I am confident the sector will reach new heights! said civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

The Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had suspended the operations of scheduled international commercial passenger services to and from India from March 23, 2020 in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The government had earlier planned to resume all scheduled international flight operations from December 15, 2021 but this was put on hold due to the emergence of a third wave in the form of the Omicron variant.

After having recognised the increased vaccination coverage across the globe and in consultation with stakeholders, the Government of India has decided to resume scheduled commercial international passenger services to/from India from 27.03.2022, i.e. start of Summer Schedule 2022, the civil aviation ministry said in a statement. It clarified that the suspension of scheduled commercial international passenger services to and from India will remain extended only up to 2359 hrs IST on March 26 and the air bubble arrangements shall accordingly be extended to this extent only. The ministry further said the international operations shall be subject to strict adherence to the ministry of health and family welfare guidelines for international travel announced on February 10, 2022 and as amended from time to time.
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Women continue to be under-represented in politics but are slowly gaining momentum in the field.

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Women continue to be under-represented in politics but are slowly gaining momentum in the field.

Evidence points to several factors that contribute to this under-representation, said Brandon University political scientist Kelly Saunders.

"It starts from a very early age  little boys are encouraged to be strong and be ambitious and to think that they can grow up to be anything and anyone that they want in the world," Saunders said. "Young girls  we dress her in pink and we give her a doll, and so there is still that assumption or that idea that girls grow up to be caregivers."

Girls internalize these practices such as passivity, kindness, caring, thoughtfulness and saying they should not be argumentative, too powerful or too intimidating  traits often valued in political leaders.

There is also the issue of gatekeepers, people who block or make it difficult for others to become involved. Those looking to get into politics must have a party standing behind them, and these parties can make or break candidates.

Changes are slowly taking place as society acknowledges the barriers women face, including the inherent sexism that has been built into a traditionally patriarchal system.

"Theres still a lot more work that needs to be done," Saunders said. "Things are happening, but I wish they would happen a lot quicker."

Saunders cited New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who is considered to be one of the top leaders in present-day politics, as part of this sea change. Ardern has shown a firm and steady hand at navigating tragedies like the Christchurch mass shooting massacre and the COVID-19 pandemic.

She made an impact bringing her baby into parliament because she did not deny how she saw herself as a woman and as an effective political leader.

"Shes an incredible leader and shows what can be done with that combination of decisiveness, but still bringing empathy and kindness to the role of leadership that I think is still missing."

Saunders also pointed to former German chancellor Angela Merkel, a long-standing leader who successfully brought Germany to the world stage as an important player in the European Union.

In Canada, the former interim leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Rona Ambrose, has proven to be a powerful woman in politics. Saunders said she deftly handled her role in a very delicate time of the partys history.

FILE Coun. Jan Chaboyer (Green Acres) speaks during a poverty committee meeting in 2019.

"She took over the leadership in a very, sort of decisive way and really, sort of transitioned the party from the Harper years to the post-Harper years," Saunders said. "People are still clamouring for her to come back and run for the leadership of the Conservative party."

Diversity remains essential in politics, Saunders said. Democracy needs representation that includes all voices in a community.

"The more voices we have, the better our country and the better our province will be."

Canadian senator and Brandon University chancellor Mary Jane McCallum is a First Nations woman of Cree heritage and has been a social justice advocate during her term.

She first became interested in politics after she worked in remote northern First Nations as a dentist. The experience opened her eyes to the unequal access to resources and support Indigenous communities face.

"They didnt have the resources that were needed, whether they were financial, human, infrastructure. They had to set that up with limited resources," McCallum said.

It has been a privilege and honour serving in the Senate, she said, but at the same time, she acknowledges it is the most colonialist body in Canada.

McCallum has been exploring how to encourage more women and Indigenous voices to enter the political field.

"We dont need to be invisible, and we need to be proud, whether we are women or men or children, youth, we need to be proud of our purpose that Creator put us on this earth for."

Coun. Jan Chaboyer (Green Acres) sits as the lone woman on Brandon City Council.

Overall, her fellow councillors have been respectful and understanding of how she views the world from a feminine lens, she said.

"Im p retty vocal. I think Im a good advocate for women overall, and you have that extra level of responsibility."

Chaboyer takes pride in being a role model and showing that women can have a positive impact in the community. She hopes it inspires younger women to stand up for what they believe in, and this can include pushing for change through political office.

FILE Lonnie Patterson, former city councillor for the South Centre ward, addresses her colleagues during her last council meeting in 2018.

"You start at the ground level in municipal politics and a lot of the time you gain confidence and then you might want to run provincially or federally," Chaboyer said. "Its OK to start [at] the grassroots level and build up your confidence to represent people at another higher level."

Since women make up 50 per cent of the population, it only makes sense to have more of them represented in the political sphere.

"I really feel that civil societies everywhere should strive for gender equity," Chaboyer said. "We have a lot more work to do on that front and encouraging women to run for office."

Former Brandon East NDP candidate Lonnie Patterson served on Brandon City Council from October 2014 to October 2018.

There has been a culture change when it comes to being a woman in politics, but it remains a tough environment to navigate. Patterson said women in politics will often find themselves in situations where they are outnumbered in a room.

"Even if the men around the table are not overtly sexist and generally supportive, there still is a gender difference. There still is a life experience difference," Patterson said.

When there are moments of "overt sexisim" and misogyny, it can be intimidating to hold perpetrators accountable.

She added that looking over her years in politics, she has worked with many men who have been positive and supportive allies and have put in the time and energy to understand the experience of women who work in politics.

"Thats really what gives me hope, and I sincerely appreciate it," Patterson said.

Speaking personally, Patterson said, she encourages women, Indigenous women, women of colour, to run for office positions. They may not always be successful, she said, and a part of this may be because these groups do not often see people like them in these positions.

Change is often incremental, but it is important to be persistent.

"If we as a community would like to see our government be more reflective of the community theyre representing, then we need to start encouraging the people in our world that would make good representatives for the community. We need to encourage them to think about running, to think about putting their name forward and then once they do get out and  actually backing them up," Patterson said.

 ckemp@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp
A man found in two houses without permission was sentenced to a year in jail Monday morning.

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FILE The Brandon courthouse.

A man found in two houses without permission was sentenced to a year in jail Monday morning.

Richard Sigurdson pleaded guilty to two counts of being unlawfully in a dwelling house and one count of breaching court-ordered conditions.

On March 7, 2020, just after 5:30 a.m., an 11-year-old girl called police from a house on 13th Street in Brandon, Crown attorney Melania Cannon told the court. The young girl said her parents were asleep, but a "strange man" came through their unlocked door.

Police arrived two minutes later and found Sigurdson in the residence, Cannon said. He reportedly told police the door was unlocked and he was looking for water.

Sigurdson was co-operative with police, she said.

Then, on March 29, 2021, at approximately 10:20 p.m., police received another call from a residence on 12th Street, Cannon said.

A man said he and his family were home when the back door opened, which triggered their security system, she said.

When he went to inspect the back door, he reportedly saw a man wearing a grey hoodie and dark pants inside. Cannon said the man approached the intruder, who quickly left.

Police couldnt find the man, but video surveillance from the security system showed the suspect. A few days later, on April 6, officers found Sigurdson wearing the same clothes and confirmed he was the same person from the video, Cannon said.

Sigurdson also pleaded guilty to breaching court-ordered release conditions by moving away from a residential treatment program without first telling the court, Cannon said.

Cannon recommended a total sentence of a year in jail, minus 272 days time already served.

"While these were incredibly frightening experiences for the homeowners  and certainly for an 11-year-old girl to wake up at 5 a.m. in the morning and see a strange man in her home  theres no real sense that he was intending to commit any further indictable offence," she said.

Sigurdson is adopted and had a tough childhood, defence lawyer Tara Walker told the court. He was reportedly abused and assaulted by his adopted parents growing up, and he resorted to running away from home at times.

Despite his challenges, Walker said Sigurdson has made significant efforts over the last two years to deal with his issues. She also noted he was in court Monday afternoon, taking responsibility for his actions.

Walker jointly recommended the sentence with Cannon.

Speaking to the court, Sigurdson said he wasnt in the right state of mind at the time of the crimes. He said he was just trying to get onto the porch in one of the instances as it was "freezing" outside.

He said he believed 10 months was enough time in jail for the charges.

Judge Donovan Dvorak endorsed the joint recommendation, sentencing Sigurdson to a total of one year in jail. Walker said Sigurdson has 93 days in jail going forward.

 dmay@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @DrewMay_
LONDON (AP)  Queen Elizabeth II met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday, smiling and greeting him in front of a large bouquet of blue and yellow flowers, the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

LONDON (AP)  Queen Elizabeth II met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday, smiling and greeting him in front of a large bouquet of blue and yellow flowers, the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

The audience was the queen's first in-person engagement since she tested positive for COVID-19 on Feb. 20. Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the flower arrangement, but royal watchers say the queen and her family leave little to chance when making public appearances.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II receives Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during an audience at Windsor Castle, Windsor, England, Monday March 7, 2022. (Steve Parsons/Pool via AP)

Trudeau was in the UK for talks on the Ukraine war with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and their Dutch counterpart, Mark Rutte.

Elizabeth, who is also the Queen of Canada, has visited the North American nation more than 20 times during her 70-year reign. She met with Trudeau at Windsor Castle, where she has spent most of her time since the outbreak of the pandemic.

The pair have known each other for some time. Trudeau, 50, met the monarch several times as a child because his father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was one of Canadas longest-serving prime ministers.

Pictures from the engagement show Trudeau warmly clasping Elizabeth's hand in both of his, with the vase of blue and yellow flowers directly in the background. They both smile warmly.

Trudeau said he had had the privilege of knowing the queen for about 45 years, and "I can tell you that in my conversation with her this morning she was as insightful and perspicacious as ever."

The palaces Feb. 20 announcement that Elizabeth had tested positive test prompted concern about the 95-year-old monarch.

The palace has declined to offer day-to day commentary on the monarchs health, citing her right to privacy. But palace officials have said that Elizabeth has been fully vaccinated and has had a booster shot.
The SRDP has built Rs 1,900 crore worth skyways and underpasses from funds raised through bank loans. Banks have made it clear that they would not release the remaining Rs 600 crore until GHMC spends the assured 42 per cent from its kitty.  Representational image/DC

Hyderabad: Departments that cater to the citys infrastructural needs have received a decent share in the budgetary allocations for 2022-23.

The municipal administration and urban development department has been allocated Rs 10,903.66 crore in the state Budget that was presented by finance minister T. Harish Rao on Monday.

The highest allocation has been made to Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) at Rs 2,377.35 crore. It is followed by HMWS&SB Rs 1,925 crore; Musi Riverfront Development Corporation Limited (MRDCL) Rs 200 crore; while it is Rs 200.10 crore for HMDA, Rs 11.45 Quli Qutub Shah Urban Development Authority (QQUDA) and Rs 150 crore for Hyderabad Urban Agglomeration (HUA).

Apart from that, the MA & UD department has set aside Rs 350 crore for Yadagirigutta Temple Development Authority and Rs 50 crore for Vemulawada temple Area Development Authority (VTADA).

All city departments depend on the state government even for the monthly salaries. Except for the HMRL, no other department is self-sustainable.

GHMC will receive Rs 7.83 crore towards salaries, Rs 10 crore as property tax on government buildings, Rs 60.43 crore towards professional tax compensation and Rs 10 lakh compensation.

The GHMC had sought Rs 1,500 crore but the allocations announced on Monday will push it into a deep financial crisis, considering the bills that have to be paid for major infrastructure projects, including Strategic Road Development Programme (SRDP), Comprehensive Road Maintenance Project (CRMP), and Strategic Nala Development Plan (SNDP), among others.

The SRDP has built Rs 1,900 crore worth skyways and underpasses from funds raised through bank loans. Banks have made it clear that they would not release the remaining Rs 600 crore until GHMC spends the assured 42 per cent from its kitty. With about Rs 1,800 crore projects in the pipeline, the corporation will be heavily dependent on the state government allocations even for its salaries.

To augment the drinking water facilities of Hyderabad, the Sunkisala intake project on Krishna waters is being taken up with an outlay of Rs 1,450 crore. A provision of Rs 725 crore is proposed in the Budget for the same. A compensation of Rs 300 crore will be given for meeting the 20KL free drinking water scheme.

The minister said that the government is spending Rs 1,200 crore for providing drinking water to all habitations within ORR.

The finance minister said that to treat sewage generated in the city Rs 3,866 crore is being earmarked. Although Hyderabad is the first city in south India where energy is being produced from waste, no provision has been made in the state Budget towards that.

To the disappointment of HMDA, there was Rs 10 lakh proposed allocation for its development. However, the government allotted Rs 200 crore for five packages on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) under Build Operate Transfer (BOT) as Rs 332.85 crore have to be released to the concessionaires every year.

As for HMRL Rs 500 crore has been proposed in order to connect the last 5.5 km of the MGBS-Falaknuma in the green line corridor apart from Rs 377.35 for airport Metro connectivity and Rs 1,500 crore to HMRL.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard launched a second satellite into space, state media reported Monday, just as world powers awaited Tehran's decision in negotiations over the country's tattered nuclear deal.

FILE - Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani arrives at the Palais Coburg, a site where closed-door nuclear talks take place in Vienna, Austria on Feb. 8, 2022. Iran's top diplomat at monthslong talks aimed at restoring its tattered nuclear deal with world powers flew home late Monday, March 7, 2022, for a sudden trip, a sign of the growing pressure on Tehran as the negotiations appear to be nearing their end. (AP Photo/Lisa Leutner, File)

TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard launched a second satellite into space, state media reported Monday, just as world powers awaited Tehran's decision in negotiations over the country's tattered nuclear deal.

State television identified the launch as taking place in its northeastern Shahroud Desert, without specifying when. However, it came as Irans top diplomat at the monthslong talks suddenly flew home late Monday for consultations, a sign of the growing pressure on Tehran as the negotiations appear to be nearing their end.

The Guard said the Noor-2 satellite reached a low orbit of 500 kilometers (310 miles) above the Earth's surface on the Ghased satellite carrier, IRNA reported. It described the Ghased as a three-phase, mixed fuel satellite carrier.

The Guard did not immediately release photos or video of the launch.

U.S. officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment and an American-maintained catalogue of space objects did not note a new Iranian launch this month. The launch comes days after satellite pictures suggested Iran's civilian program suffered another failed launch.

Noor means light in Farsi. The Guard launched its first Noor satellite in 2020, revealing to the world it ran its own space program.

The head of the U.S. Space Command later dismissed that satellite as a tumbling webcam in space that wouldnt provide Iran vital intelligence  though it showed Tehrans ability to successfully get into orbit after a series of setbacks.

The U.S. has alleged Irans satellite launches defy a U.N. Security Council resolution and has called on Tehran to undertake no activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

Iran, which long has said it does not seek nuclear weapons, previously maintained that its satellite launches and rocket tests do not have a military component. U.S. intelligence agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency say Iran abandoned an organized military nuclear program in 2003.

Meanwhile, Iran's state-run IRNA news agency described negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani's trip home as being within the framework of the usual consultations during the talks. However, the top negotiator for the European Union seemed to suggest whether the talks succeeded or failed now rested with the Islamic Republic.

There are no longer expert level talks. Nor formal meetings,' Enrique Mora wrote on Twitter, responding to comments by an Iranian analyst. It is time, in the next few days, for political decisions to end the (hashtag)ViennaTalks. The rest is noise.

Mora's comments mirror those of British and French negotiators at the Vienna talks, which has been working to find a way to get America back into the accord it unilaterally abandoned in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump. It also hopes to get Iran to again agree to measures that drastically scaled back its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

They also appear to push back against a constant Iranian refrain in the last weeks of talks that tried to blame any delay on America, which hasn't been in the room for talks since Trump's withdrawal. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday said he believed we're close on reaching a deal, though there were a couple of very challenging remaining issues.

The latest wrinkle, however, is a demand Saturday from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that Blinken offer written guarantees over Moscow's ability to continue trade with Iran as it faces sanctions over its war on Ukraine.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian spoke Monday by phone with Lavrov, with the sanctions threat apparently discussed, according to a statement from his office.

We are against war and imposition of sanctions, and it is clear that cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and any country, including Russia, should not be affected by the atmosphere of sanctions, Amirabdollahian said in the statement.

The 2015 nuclear deal saw Iran put advanced centrifuges into storage under the watch of the International Atomic Energy Agency, while keeping its enrichment at 3.67% purity and its stockpile at only 300 kilograms (661 pounds) of uranium.

As of Feb. 19, the IAEA says Irans stockpile of all enriched uranium was nearly 3200 kilograms (7,055 pounds). Some has been enriched up to 60% purity  a short technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

___

Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Deon Kippling - Sound of the Believer | HARDY PR

ATLANTA, GA - Gospel recording artist, songwriter and producer Deon Kipping released a brand new single Sound of the Believer,  and available on all digital providers. Released on his independent record label, The Underestimated Group, which provide recordings in a variety of genres including gospel, contemporary christian, and urban music, the label announces the next phase of their growth by securing a digital distribution partnership with the global music platform, Vydia. The partnership with Vydia allows The Underestimated Group to expand its catalog of new music from Deon Kipping and Christian collective The Huddle Worship to its fans and consumers abroad.

Download or stream Sound of the Believer now: https://vydia.lnk.to/SoundOfTheBeliever

Written by Deon and produced by GRAMMY-nominee and Dove Award winner Dana Sorey (Tye Tribbett, Marvin Sapp, Anthony Brown and group therAPy), Sound of the Believer is the follow-up to 2021s God Is Working. As a highly regarded songwriter in the Gospel industry, Deon Kipping consistently manages to identify the sound that is making the biggest impact in the hearts of listeners today, which is why Sound of the Believer is in line to bring Kipping repeated success as many of his previous offerings have.

As a songwriter Kipping penned his first radio hit "Incredible God, Incredible Praise" for JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise followed by an ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Award win for "Praise Him in Advanceand countless genre hits such as "Immediately" for Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Better" for The Showers, and "Let Your Power Fall" for James Fortune to name a few. As an artist he released Real Life, Real Worship (2006), I Just Want to Hear You (2012), an EP A Place Called Victory (2016), and Something To Talk About (2016).

In 2017, he was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. Several gospel artists responded with prayer and support on their own social media pages, including Gospel superstar Kirk Franklin tweeting "Please stop for a moment and pray for my homie @thatdudedeon who has stage 3 cancer." Less than a year later, Deon Kipping took to his Instagram social page and declared that he was cancer-free. Kipping resides in Greenville, South Carolina and serves as a Worship Leader for Redemption East.
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has good reason to root against her former boyfriend when he takes his turn at trial.

And it has nothing to do with how she feels about the man she claims abused her for years. Rather, a guilty verdict for company ex-president Ramesh Sunny Balwani might help Holmes get a break on a prison sentence that could easily be more than a decade.

Theranos COO and Holmess former partner Ramesh Sunny Balwanis trail on fraud charges begins this week. Credit:Getty Images

The former chief executive officers attempts to shift blame on Balwani for the blood-testing startups collapse failed to stop jurors from finding her guilty in January of defrauding investors.

But Holmes will get another chance to argue that the Silicon Valley businessman was a bad influence on her when US District Judge Edward Davila -- whos overseeing Balwanis trial after presiding over hers -- hears arguments ahead of her sentencing in September.
Two of Australias largest fuel suppliers, Ampol and Viva Energy, have ruled out new orders of Russian-origin crude in response to the countrys invasion of Ukraine in a move that may put further pressure on petrol prices.

Viva, the operator of the Geelong oil refinery and the nationwide network of Shell and Liberty petrol stations, said it was appalled by the events unfolding in Ukraine and extended its sympathies to those affected by the conflict.

There will be more petrol pain ahead for Australian drivers. Credit:Justin McManus

As a consequence and in response, Viva Energy has made the decision to cease purchases of crude oil of Russian origin, the company said on Tuesday.

Viva has been exploring options to dispose of two Russian-origin crude cargoes purchased before the conflict, due to arrive in Australia over the next two months, but had been unable to find credible buyers.
International travel might still be a challenge, but Australians have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to view the best of Londons National Portrait Gallery on home turf this year. Unlikely bedfellows Winston Churchill, David Beckham, Princess Diana and the Bronte sisters are all part of Shakespeare to Winehouse, which opens at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra this week.

Among the 80 portraits from the 16th century to today are photographs of a very young Kate Moss, Greta Garbo and Elizabeth Taylor, paintings of Ed Sheeran and Amy Winehouse, and a bronze death mask by artist Tracey Emin; theres also the only known portrait of the Bard and a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I from 1575. Works by artists such as David Hockney, Andy Warhol, Lucian Freud, Rubens, Rodin and Lord Snowdon are also on display.

Left: David Beckham, November 1998, by Lorenzo Agius. Right: Amy-Blue (Amy Winehouse), 2011 by Marlene Dumas. Credit:Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, London

The renowned pieces are here because Londons National Portrait Gallery is closed until next year, having its largest refurbishment since it opened at its St Martins Place location in 1896.

Stephanie Carlton, international project frames conservator with the National Portrait Gallery London, travelled from the Netherlands with the show, where it was on display at the Frieze Museum, prior to which it was shown in Korea. She grew up near Hanging Rock and started her career at the Art Gallery of Ballarat and has been working in the United Kingdom since 2003; her last gig was with the Royal Collection Trust, looking after the art hanging in the homes of the royal family.
Australias national gender pay gap stands at 13.8 per cent. That is, Australian women working full-time continue to be paid significantly less than their male full-time colleagues.

Part of that is due to women working in traditionally low-paid industries, such as age and child care, and part is due to women occupying less senior roles within those industries.

Put your best foot forward and get that pay rise you deserve. Credit:Monique Westermann

However, even after allowing for seniority and industry, researchers continue to strike a bedrock difference in payments between the genders, due to discrimination and unconscious bias.

Interestingly, recent studies have shown it is not that women dont ask for pay rises as often as men do, but that they are less likely to get them when they do ask.
An Aboriginal man is in a critical condition after a police shooting in the Top End city of Palmerston, the incident unfolding about 20 kilometres from where the murder trial of Constable Zachary Rolfe was entering its closing stages on Tuesday.

Witnesses in the satellite city told this masthead the young man was carrying a multi-pronged fishing spear while ranting and raving at the block of flats nicknamed Sin City.

A man has been shot by police at Palmerston, a satellite city of Darwin in the Northern Territory. Credit:Zach Hope

He came here and, on the way through, hes hitting the poles with his spear, one man said.

There were about 12 cockatoos up here [on a fence] and he tried to spear them. Then he threw it at a cat.
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd has accused the Morrison government of playing catch-up on national security in considering Brisbane as the east coast base for Australias fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk refused to say whether she would support such a facility in Brisbane, as a political expert warned the prospect of becoming a potential nuclear target would turn off many voters.

Australias new submarines based on US tech may not be in operation until the 2040s.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced this week the $10 billion east coast base would be in Brisbane, Newcastle or Port Kembla, with a decision expected to be made late in 2023.

Mr Rudd had planned to move naval facilities to Brisbane if he was re-elected in 2013, an election commitment that came under intense scrutiny from military elders.
After 25 years of inter-government negotiations, one of Brisbanes biggest bottlenecks looks set to be cleared in time for the city to host the 2032 Olympic Games.

Under two options revealed by the federal and Queensland governments, Boundary Road at Coopers Plains will be lifted over the rail line just south of the train station.

Options for a new overpass of the Beenleigh-Gold Coast line have been released. One includes a raised intersection of Boundary Road and Orange Grove Road. Credit:Department of Transport and Main Roads

The governments are acting on the need to improve safety, support urban growth and improve traffic and train movements ahead of the 2032 Olympics.

But it has been a long time coming.
Macao hosts 2nd Cultural Week of China for Portuguese-speaking public

Xinhua) 08:45, March 08, 2022

MACAO, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The 2nd Cultural Week of China kicked off Monday in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) to serve as an opportunity for the Portuguese-speaking public in the SAR to have a close contact with the Chinese culture.

Organized by local newspaper Hoje Macao in collaboration with the publisher Livros do Meio, the event, which runs from Monday to Saturday with a break on Friday, features the launch of new books and a lecture, among others.

The book "Li Bai - The Immortal's Way," by Antonio Izidro, is about the famous Chinese poet from the Tang Dynasty, which was launched on Monday.

Antonio Izidro said at the launching ceremony "I hope this book can serve as a reference book for those studying Chinese-Portuguese translation."

The book "Nine Points in the Mist - texts about China," by Carlos Morais Jose, director of Hoje Macao, will be launched on Wednesday.

The book "Chinese Inquisitions," by Paulo Maia e Carmo, focuses on Chinese landscape paintings, which will be launched on Thursday.

The book "Chinese Quatrains," translated by the Cape Verdean poet Zerbo Freire, marks the first time that a Cape Verdean translates poems from the Tang Dynasty directly from Chinese into Portuguese. The book will be launched on Saturday.

On Tuesday, March 8, the International Women's Day, a lecture will be given on sociopolitical and legal evolution of Chinese women.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Visit www.stayinthesip.com to learn more about Stay in the Sip Fellowship requirements and deadlines. Questions can be directed to the State Auditors Chief of Staff, Charles Woods at Charles.Woods@osa.ms.gov or (601)-576-2616.
Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy has confirmed the Coalition will support the governments plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by 2030.

Premier Daniel Andrews on Tuesday chastised the oppositions Damascus-like conversion on climate change and argued the shift was sparked by the Liberals fear of losing inner-city seats such as Brighton at the state election in November.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy. Credit:Paul Jeffers

The Coalitions announcement follows a report in The Age on Tuesday that it would reverse the position it took to the 2018 election and support the governments plan for net zero emissions by 2050. After announcing the oppositions support for the even more ambitious 2030 target, Mr Guy said he was excited about future announcements from the Coalition on plans to transition to renewables with the support of the private sector.

This is an issue that were going to confront. Were going to confront it sensibly, were going to confront it with industry, and were going to have a lot more to say on this topic over the next six to eight months, he said. This is the way forward that we believe the whole country, and industry, needs to embrace.
Latest News Commercial lending market flourishing 40% to 50% uplift, says brokerage

Busy brokers reap benefits of outsourcing Provider can turn applications around within 24 hours

A MoneyQuest brokerage in Melbourne has recorded almost $120 million in paid settlements for the month of January 2022 a record for the broker network.

The amount, achieved by MoneyQuest Balwyn franchise owners Scott Seng and Matthew Chik (pictured), was the highest monthly settlement amount that any MoneyQuest franchise has secured across the networks history. The Balwyn franchises settlements included a combination of home loans and one substantial transaction for an e-commerce business, involving a core debt and working capital facility.

Seng and Chik said they were thrilled with the outstanding result, attributing the success to their ability to form strong relationships with lenders, funders, and clients through their knowledge of the corporate and commercial debt space.

To achieve close to $120 million in settlements in one month is incredibly exciting for our team, said Seng.

We have worked very hard to build an extensive network of contacts within the lending industry and have focused our energy on nurturing our business client relationships. The fact that our hard work has paid off in this way is extremely satisfying  there were quite a few late nights involved to get certain elements over the line, but it was all worth it in the end.

MoneyQuest Australia managing director, Michael Russell, commended Seng and Chik for their work ethic and dedication.

Scott and Matt have a wealth of experience in the commercial lending space and these fantastic results are very well deserved, Russell said.

Read more: Buyers Choice bought out by MoneyQuest in major acquisition

Seng and Chik welcomed University of Melbourne graduate Henry Nguyen to the business in October 2021. The Balwyn franchise was the first to participate in MoneyQuests innovative graduate program which launched last year.

Henry has been an extremely valuable addition to our business. He is receptive to our training and guidance, he is hardworking and eager to learn, and most importantly, he comes to work each day with the right attitude, said Chik.

The enterprise-wide graduate program facilitates the integration of graduates into MoneyQuest businesses with three aims - to provide tertiary graduates with an accelerated career pathway delivering industry-specific training with on-the-job experience, professional development, networking opportunities, and mentorship. The second aim is to give franchise owners the opportunity to gain forward-thinking, while the third aim is to recruit and retain quality people within the broker network.

The two-year immersive program also connects graduates with industry mentors and provides them with the opportunity to complete a Certificate IV in Finance & Mortgage Broking and a Diploma of Finance & Mortgage Broking Management, said Russell.
Latest News Commercial lending market flourishing 40% to 50% uplift, says brokerage

Busy brokers reap benefits of outsourcing Provider can turn applications around within 24 hours

New non-bank lender Wave Money is now up and running, delivering mortgage lending solutions to frustrated brokers and underserviced borrowers.

Wave Money is on a mission to deliver efficient and quality service to borrowers and brokers whose needs might not be met by current banks and lenders.

The broker-exclusive non-bank lender has been built digitally from the ground up, with the customer and broker experience powered by onshore people, expertise, and relationships.

Two highly experienced and well-known executives within the residential mortgage industry, John Flavell, a former CEO of Mortgage Choice, and Andrew Chick, a former CEO of The Royal Bank of Scotland Australia and New Zealand, have formed a partnership to set up Wave Money and provide a smooth and personable transaction for brokers and borrowers. Flavell, is the founder and managing director of Wave Money, while Chick is co-founder and treasurer.

Flavell said he was committed to providing a valuable and personable experience to each client.

The way most people look at lending, whether it be consumer or lender, they look at the product, policy, and price. We want to stand out amongst our competitors and work hard on our relationships with fellow brokers,  Flavell said

Flavell has more than 25 years experience as a residential mortgage broker and said he understood that technology was essential for straightforward communication and for creating efficiency within the fast-paced industry.

Technology is a means by which you create efficiency. We understand no borrowers requirements, circumstance, or background are the same. At Wave Money our point of differentiation is putting our people in the relationship to speak with the broker and talk through the scenario. Most importantly we want one person to be the single point of contact for the client from start to finish.

With the significant growth in mortgage lending volumes and booming property market across Australia, Flavell said unless you had been in the same job with the same employer for two or more years, aspiring borrowers were finding it almost impossible to obtain a mortgage.

Every Wave Money loan file is assigned to a single lending specialist who is responsible for the file from start to finish, where the broker can pick up the phone and speak with a lending specialist at any time.

We believe the broker should be able to pick up the phone and have a conversation with our lending specialists at any time in the process. It works incredibly well and cuts out so much wasted time and energy and most importantly it gets the right outcome Flavell said.

Wave Money is currently settling its first loan and is taking applications for new business.

We are growing quickly and establishing relationships with brokers. Now we want to scale our business significantly, and we want the best and brightest people within the industry to join us. Our people will help us as the backbone where Wave Money will stand out and differentiate our business.
NYSE-listed CNH Industrial, a global leader in and construction, inaugurated its new India Center (ITC) in Gurugram, New Delhi. This strategic hub is an integral part of the companys global R&D footprint focusing on Product Development and digital solutions.

The ITC, which has 100 engineers and specialists at present, will be ramped up to 1,000 by 2024. With a 1,000 headcount, the unit will become one of the largest centres for the company globally.

The India Center is the first of its kind in the country for CNH Industrial, equipped with the latest technology and capabilities including an innovation centre, vehicle simulation and a state-of-the-art Extended Reality/Virtual Reality laboratory to support global technology-led projects.

The centre started operations in March 2021 and considering its early returns, the addition of further design development spaces for additive manufacturing, embedded software, data analytics, and User Interface & User Experience (UI/UX) with advanced simulation capabilities are foreseen. This site will play a strategic role for collaborative efforts with its sister R&D centers around the world to innovate and leverage the leading-edge technology and digital ecosystem in India, with increased efficiencies to benefit customers.

The India Technology Center is a crucial for us especially with the war for talent. Our India presence to some extent will help solve our talent issue across the globe. This centre is also important as it will innovate for the region as well as for the country, said Marc Kermisch, Chief Information Officer and ad interim Chief Technology & Quality Officer, CNH Industrial.

He added that the unit will develop leading-edge technologies, including software, embedded electronics and data analytics, to support both our Indian business and the Company's global product portfolio.

CNH International has its presence in the country for more than two decades. The company that has close to thirty R&D centres across the world has four R&D centres in India. However the ITC will be the first for the country.

Indias vast potential, thriving economic development and highly-skilled talent pool make it an attractive market for the expansion and growth of our business, said Chun Woytera, President Asia Pacific, CNH Industrial. In the last 10 years, CNH Industrial has invested significantly in our Indian manufacturing, R&D, supply base and supply chain development, among other areas. The new Technology Center will strengthen our vision of making India a technology hub, in addition to an industrial hub, as it provides the relevant competencies to support the and sectors

Raunak Varma, Country Manager CNH Industrial India, commented, The new India Technology Center significantly increases Indias position as a strategic location for CNH Industrial, and provides the technological tools and resources to enhance our ability to serve our customers better.

The Centre will also focus on developing core competencies in customer-influenced software solutions and technologies including cloud, embedded, electrification, autonomous, advanced analysis, simulation, automation and mechanical & electrical design.

CNH Industrial India serves the country through the Case IH, New Holland and CASE Equipment brands, delivering on the promise of globally engineered excellence, Made in India for over 30 years. They are supported by a dedicated financial arm, CNH Industrial Capital India, which was launched in 2018.
On the International Women's Day, the internet is abuzz with inspirational quotes from who have made their mark in business. You also find truckloads of intellectual deliberations on the need for more policies and initiatives to improve the lives of women.

But even as make high-decibel marketing pitches throughout the day and call for gender equality, there is an increasing, albeit quiet segment of resilient young Indian women who are forging a path of their own, taking on patriarchy and going the extra mile to uplift and empower their sisters.

Business Standard spoke with three such who are conscious of the society they operate in and consider it their duty to be responsible towards it.

Apurva Tripathi (the founder of MD Botanicals)

The first of the three is Apurva Tripathi, the founder of MD Botanicals, a company based in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, that sells organic herbal products. It is this company's team that makes its enterprise unique. Tripathi works with the tribals of Bastar who bring their ancient knowledge of healing arts and herbal health practices to MD Botanicals.

Tripathi, who is a lawyer, feels deeply for the tribals she grew up with. These people are not getting their share of royalty and credit, she says. The natives of Bastar have knowledge of traditional herbs and their farming methodologies. "I have made it my mission to protect them and make them aware of their rights," she adds.

MD Botanicals also uses Bastar's tribal art on its product packaging. Tripathi says it's a way to inform the masses that the herbal formulation actually belongs to the people of Bastar, adding that over 40 per cent of the companys income goes to tribal people, whom she calls associate farmers.

Apart from providing livelihood to this lot, Tripathi also works to uplift them with education and skill development.





Shruti Shibulal (the CEO of Tamara Leisure Experiences)

This sense of responsibility and the spirit to make a difference also guides Shruti Shibulal, the CEO of Tamara Leisure Experiences, a hospitality firm that aims to harmonise people, planet, and profit within the model of a responsible venture.

Responsibility and fairness form the core of her enterprise. We try to hire 40-50 per cent of our staff from the local community, she says.

The hospitality industry needs more women in leadership roles, says Shibulal. In hotel management schools, 50 per cent of the students are women, (but) by the time it comes to employment its a 70:30 (men-to-women) ratio. And, by the time it is management, women practically disappear  thats a really sad statistic, she said in a video interview.

Tamara tackles this issue by introducing a regimen of fair policies to ensure equal opportunity and growth for women in her set-up. "We proactively look out for women to enter the organisation," Shibulal says. "We want more women in management and there is a constant effort to find them."

She also runs SAATHIYA, a philanthropic initiative of the Shibulal family that trains people from the economically weaker sections in the field of hotel management. Shibulal says women are accustomed to being told no. Its about time we asked ourselves, why not.



Karishma Khanna (professional organiser and founder of SortedHomes)

Karishma Khanna, a corporate professional-turned-entrepreneur, has experienced her share of ifs and buts.

She is forging her own path in an industry that is new to India. Khanna says she had no blueprint to follow when she started SortedHomes, an enterprise that helps people organise the messiest of homes and workspaces. Khanna, who is a professional organiser, or to put it in her words, a Chief Sorter at SortedHomes, had to listen to her share of questions.

Tu gharon ki safai karegi? (Will you go house to house to clean?) is one of the many questions she was asked. Khanna says that while starting her venture, she believed India had a market for it. And her company is the outcome of her belief in herself.

Women find it so much more difficult to demand their worth and say this is my price; a man would not think about it as often as we do, Khanna said. Women have to be conditioned from a very young age to believe that the sky is the limit for them. (I say) Go get what you want, she adds.

"If there is a level playing field in your head, you automatically start stronger," Khanna says. It starts with one woman taking up space.

In order to do her bit for society, Khanna collaborates with various NGOs and employs and trains women. These women make up her team and help her serve the clients. All the items collected from homes and offices are sent to NGOs, including the Akash Foundation, with which her organisation collaborates to help young girls set up their parlours, boutiques, etc.




Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited (MEIL), which has secured an order from Limited to supply 47 oil and gas rigs, expects commissioning of 15 of them by May end, a senior official of the infra major said on Tuesday.

K Satyanarayana, Technical Head, Rigs Project, MEIL, said most of the 15 rigs have reached the respective locations and commissioning will be expedited soon. The total order from was for 47 rigs-20 are workover rigs, and 27 are land drilling rigs. We will be able to commission the first lot, 15 rigs (10 Drilling Rigs and five Workover Rigs by May end," he told reporters. The capacity of the 20 Workover Rigs ranges from 50 to 150 tonnes while the Land Drilling Rigs have a capacity of 1500HP to 2000 HP, he noted. As of now, the MEIL has supplied 10 Drilling rigs. While three of them are already operational, seven others are in the final stage of installation and commissioning, and these rigs will be operational in 4 to 5 weeks across various onshore Fields. Satya Narayana said the second lot of the 47 Rigs comprising six Rigs will be delivered as per the given schedule. The MEIL will be manufacturing and supplying all the rigs to the ONGC assets in Assam (Sibsagar, Jorahat), Andhra Pradesh



(Rajahmundry), Gujarat (Ahmedabad, Ankaleshwar, Mehasana and Cambay), Tripura (Agartala) and Tamil Nadu (Karaikal). In spite of COVID-19, MEIL is committed to completing the project with its expertise, dedication and hard work. The problem of procuring components from global suppliers still persists, however, the supply chain of the industry is slowly recovering which is helping in the timely delivery of the rigs. As the energy prices soar, the advanced rigs are very crucial for the Indian energy sector to drill the oil and gas wells faster and increase the oil and gas production for domestic use, the MEIL official 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.)
With the stock market turning choppy, start-up Mobikwik, which had filed a DRHP raise around $250 million through an initial public offering, is now looking to raise money from the private market.

We will raise private money but we are not in dire need. The business was profitable for the first time in the December quarter on a topline of around Rs 150 crore and that will be maintained in the March quarter also. We are generating cash, said Upasana Taku, co-founder of .

The company said that its revenues grew 86 per cent Y-o-Y for the nine months ending December 2021 to Rs 397 crore  whereas consolidated gross merchandise increased 152 per cent to Rs 25,780 crore.

The growth came on back of a surge in usage of its BNPL (buy now pay later service) as disbursals grew 840 per cent to Rs 1,858 crore during the period. At present, the BNPL segment contributes around 20 per cent to the companys revenue stream  and the share is expected to rise over the next few quarters.

MobiKwiks first mover-advantage, a strong user funnel of around 25 million pre-approved BNPL users leveraging its consumer payments platform coupled with a 3.5 million strong merchant ecosystem has led to ever increasing user adoption and engagement with monthly spends of Rs 3,245 and 81 per cent repeat rate, said the company.

According to Taku, Mobikwiks unit economics have improved a lot in the past couple of years and as a result the company has had to invest about $50 million to grow its revenue by 2.5X over FY19. In FY22, the company expects that it will record Rs 550-600 crore in revenue  around a 100 per cent growth over the previous fiscal.

Even if any of our competitors raise a billion dollars of funding today, they will not have a user base of 25 million eligible BNPL users any time soon.

Some of the new have two million or three million users, said Taku.

She added that loan defaults in the BNPL segment have already gone back to pre-Covid levels for .

This strategy of focusing on sustainable growth has helped the company invest aggressively at the right places i.e., on people and technology without incurring high cash burn and sacrificing growth, the company said.

According to its DRHP, the company posted losses of Rs 111.3 crore as of FY21, Rs 99 crore as of FY20 and Rs 147.9 crore as of FY19.

Earlier, the company had pushed back its plan of a public listing in November last year to a later date after Paytms received a battered debut on the bourses. It had received Sebi clearance for its listing on October 7.

"I think that it is common sense that if the markets are acting erratically then why do you want to risk the outcome of something for which you worked so hard? We have been working very hard for the last 12 years to get to this stage. I cannot think of any internet company which has reached over 10 crore users, having spent only Rs 700 crore. We have reached this stage after hard work so the IPO should be a bumper. We will fight for this only," Taku had said earlier.

In the last round of funding, had raised about $20 million from Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) in June of this year, commanding a valuation of about $750 million.
At least 27 persons were injured at Tandwa in Chatra district of after a violent clash broke out between the district police and the locals protesting since the last 14 months against the construction of a National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) plant.

An angry mob burnt more than a dozen trucks and two-wheelers outside the plant on Monday.

Senior police and district administrative officers of North Chotanagpur division immediately rushed to the site.

On Tuesday, several MLAs created a ruckus in the assembly over the incident, after which the state government swung into action by launching an investigation into the incident within 24 hours.

The plant in Tandwa is under-construction since 1999 and has not become fully operational till date.

People living in the area, whose properties have been taken away for setting up this plant, have been holding protests for the last two decades raising demands such as financial compensation, rehabilitation and jobs.

There have been several incidents of violence between the locals and the management, police and local administration.

Despite agreement on several demands, this matter has not been resolved till date.

For the last 14 months, a large group of displaced locals have been holding protests outside the NTPC plant.

On Monday evening, a tanker loaded with chemicals reached the NTPC plant which was stopped by people protesting outside the plant.

When the police tried to disperse the mob, the latter started pelting stones at the police. The police reacted by resorting to a lathi-charge and fired tear gas shells at the angry mob.

The angry protestors set ablaze eight NTPC vehicles, including a dozen vehicles outside the thermal power plant.

The protestors also attacked the offices and site of the outsourced company engaged in the construction work of the plant and vandalised private property as well.

Of the 27 injured persons, seven are reportedly in critical condition and the doctors have referred them to Ranchi for further treatment after giving first aid.

The NTPC and the firms working for it have suffered heavy losses to the tune of several crores of rupees.

The tents installed at the protest site were removed with the help of JCB machines.

After receiving information about the incident, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Hazaribagh range), Narendra Kumar Singh, Chatra Deputy Commissioner Anjali Yadav, Chatra Superintendent of Police Rakesh Ranjan, Chatra Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Avinash Kumar and Tandwa SDPO Shambhu Singh reached the site along with a police team.

The Assembly held a heated discussion over this incident. Congress MLAs Amba Prasad and Bandhu Tirkey, All Jharkhand Students Union-party leader Sudesh Mahto and Bharatiya Janata Party's C.P. Singh raised the matter on the floor of the Assembly.

The opposition MLAs said the people displaced due to the construction of NTPC plant are being lathi-charged and killed by the district administration which is unfortunate.

On getting no response from the state government over the incident, opposition MLAs continued to create a ruckus in the House.

Later, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Alamgir Alam on behalf of the state government said appropriate action would be taken after investigating the matter within 24 hours.

--IANS

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Delhi recorded 177 fresh cases and two fatalities linked to the disease, while the positivity rate stood at 0.51 per cent, according to data shared by the health department here.

With this, the national capital's infection count increased to 18,62,047, while the death toll mounted to 26,139, the latest health bulletin stated.

The number of COVID-19 tests conducted a day ago stood at 35,038, it said.

Delhi reported 158 COVID-19 cases and three deaths on Monday, while the positivity rate stood at 0.49 per cent.

Delhi had on Sunday recorded 249 cases with a positivity rate of 0.59 per cent, and zero death. The city had recorded no Covid death on March 5 as well.

The number of daily cases in Delhi has been on the decline after touching the record high of 28,867 on January 13. The city had recorded a positivity rate of 30.6 per cent on January 14, the highest during the ongoing wave of the pandemic.

Amid decline in daily cases of COVID-19 in Delhi, the number of patients under home isolation here has also significantly fallen in the last few weeks.

The total number home isolation cases as on February 1 had stood at 12,312, and on March 8, it dipped to 835.

The number of containment zones, which were also slowly falling in this period, also registered a dip in its count to 3,960 on March 8, according to official figures shared by the health department.

The surge in Covid cases in Delhi during the third wave of the pandemic was largely due to the Omicron variant of the virus which is highly transmissible.

There are 10,697 beds for Covid patients in Delhi hospitals and 87 (0.81 per cent) of them were occupied. A total of 87 Covid patients were in hospitals, the Tuesday's health department bulletin stated.

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Against the backdrop of the hazard posed by to air quality in the capital region, Union Minister of State for Environment and Forest Ashwini Kumar Choubey on Tuesday urged farmers not to go for shortcuts as such measures fail to help.

He also called upon people to work for the betterment of air quality, saying it is everyone's responsibility as citizens of the country to look after "mother nature".

Choubey was speaking at an event, organised by the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) in association with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to brainstorm on the issue of amelioration of air quality in the capital region.

Speaking on the issue of stubble burning, Choubey appealed to all farmers to not go for a shortcut, the ministry said in a statement.

"If we all move ahead together in making our environment clean then it will serve as a great service to our mother nature. If we don't care for our mother nature, it will not care for us as well," the minister was quoted as saying.

The minister also said it is "every citizen's" responsibility to work for the betterment of the air surrounding them.

"We as citizens of India hold the sole responsibility of looking after our mother nature," he added.

The two-day interactive 'dialogue towards clean air', which began on Monday, involved stakeholders from the central government, state governments, pollution control boards, municipal bodies, NGOs, private sector, academia and industry associations, the ministry said.

"Constructive discussions involving stakeholders from different fields along with resourceful insights gave a significant push in the successful implementation of an interactive two-day dialogue," it added.

The ministry said all the technical sessions, presentations and discussions were "very stimulating and enriching".

Stakeholders from various fields interacted about issues impacting the air quality in the entire NCR and presented "insightful inputs," it said.

"The Commission and the MoEF&CC ensured continued support and cooperation to all the stakeholders in a joint fight against the air pollution menace in the NCR," it added.

The commission has so far issued 61 directions and 7 advisories, besides executive orders to various agencies concerned in the NCR including governments of Delhi and Punjab and various bodies of the central and state governments in the region, laying down responsibilities and concrete steps to abate pollution and ameliorate air quality in the region, the ministry said.

"Whether it is about vehicular pollution, industrial emissions, stubble burning, roadside dust generation, solid waste management, vehicular pollution, use of DG sets, etc., the Commission is taking up every issue with utmost concern and it has pulled out all the stops to issue necessary Directions and Advisories to tackle it effectively," it added.

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India and its allies in pushing for the reform of the Security Council have called for a serious look at the veto powers of the permanent members which are "undermining the legitimacy" of the UN's highest decision-making body.

Presenting the joint position of India, Brazil, Germany and Japan, Tokyo's Permanent Representative Ishikane Kimihiro said on Monday: "Due to the use of veto, the Security Council has at times failed to fulfil its responsibility to maintain international peace and security. We have seen these failures are seriously undermining the legitimacy of this important body on multiple occasions."

Therefore, he said, "the question of veto requires profound and serious discussions".

Ishkane was speaking at a meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) on Council reforms laying out the position of the four countries known as the G4, which together work for an expansion of the permanent membership of the Council and mutually support their claims to a permanent seat.

The question of veto powers has come to the fore in recent days because of Russia, which has invaded Ukraine, vetoing in the Council any criticism of it for violating the UN Charter and demands that withdraw its troops.

Ishikane said that the G4 "appreciates" the initiative spearheaded by France and Mexico to limit the use of veto in certain circumstances such as mass atrocities as well as the code of conduct for Council on genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes that has been proposed by the 27-member Accountability, Coherence and Transparency (ACT) group.

If these are adopted a permanent member would forego veto powers when it is involved in violations of the UN Charter or certain extreme transgressions against humanitarian laws.

"The dynamics of the Council gives permanent members a differentiated status in the decision-making process" and they influence its decisions in a way non-permanent members cannot, Ishikane said.

"That is the reason why any meaningful reform of the Council must address the current imbalance in the composition of the permanent membership of the body. The legitimacy and effectiveness of the Council depends on this," he said.

The reform process known as the IGN, has been hung up for more than a decade by a small group of countries known as United for Consensus (UfC) that has blocked it from even adopting a negotiating text so the reform process can proceed. UfC is led by Italy and includes Pakistan.

General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid of the Maldives has appointed Permanent Representatives Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani of Qatar and Martin Bille Hermann of Denmark as IGN co-chairs.

The permanent membership of the Council is frozen in the post-World War II scenario when the five victors warded themselves that status.

The Council last underwent changes in 1965 and since then the membership of the UN has increased from 117 to 193 with many of the new members coming from Africa, where the UN has most peacekeeping operations while none of the countries from there have a permanent member.

Ishikane asked: "Without permanent members from Africa, how can the Council reflect African interests at the core level of the decision-making and thereby redressing the historical injustice against Africa"?

The G4 supports the Common African Position adopted by countries from the continent in two documents, the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration, he said.

The African nations demand two permanent seats with veto powers for countries from the continent and the addition of two non-permanent seats to the three they have.

Ishikane said that solutions like adding longer-term non-permanent members rather than dealing with the structural imbalance between the permanent members and the others would only complicate matters.

He bemoaned the fact that the IGN process does not even have a negotiating text with the positions of the UN members or even a single record of the IGN proceedings and said: "The IGN document describing our disagreements, concretely with attributions, will allow countries to better understand each other's positions, and pave the way for true text-based negotiations."

Italy's Permanent Representative Maurizio Massari said the UfC, which he heads, opposed adding any permanent members as it "would mean endorsing new privileged positions of certain countries over others".

His group wants the number of elected non-permanent members increased from the current 10 to 21, with nine having terms longer than the current two years, he said.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed @arulouis)

--IANS

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India has "compulsions" with and territorial issues with in its neighbourhood, a former American diplomat has told US lawmakers in response to a question on a string of abstentions at the United Nations by New Delhi against Russia's massive military offensive in .

India has faced criticism from US lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats, for choosing to abstain from the UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions against Russia's military operation in .

India has abstained on two resolutions on in the 15-nation UN Security Council and one in the 193-member UN General Assembly.

India has compulsions with Russia, they have compulsions in their neighbourhood, with territorial issues with . I think, as Americans, we have an affinity toward Indians for their democracy, and the pluralism of their system. We've got to work through these issues as friends because we have to signal the strength of the two greatest democracies in the world, said Atul Keshap.

Keshap, who is now president of US India Business Council (USIBC) and previously served in the US State Department in multiple positions, including the charge d'affaires to India, said this during a Congressional hearing on Indo-Pacific organised by the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

There will be moments like this, but as long as we talk to each other as friends, I'm sure we'll get through it, and be on a stronger basis going forward, Keshap said, responding to a question on India's decision to abstain on resolutions against .

What do you think that means for how India is really going to try and navigate the sanctions that so many nations throughout the world are placing on and Russian interests? Congressman Abigail Spanberger asked Keshap.

In response, the former US diplomat said that nations make their own decisions, make their own calculus and take in all the inputs before deciding on what is best for them.

I would always say that, in terms of the reliability, the utility, the value of the partnership with the United States, we have proven over and over again, to the Indian government and to the Indian people, that we are a true friend, Keshap said.

We are a friend in times of need. We are a friend in times of urgency. We deliver, we deliver rapidly, we deliver on time. There are things that I don't want to talk about in an open forum like this, but the United States has always come through, in the recent past, because of the strength of our QUAD partnership, he said, referring to the four-nation grouping of the US, India, Australia and Japan.

And, so you know, India will make its own decisions, but I do think that the US, its 250 or 350 million people, USD 22 trillion economy is something that is valuable, and relevant to the Indian people, he added.

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In a huge relief for India, all its students trapped in Ukraine's Sumy moved out of the city through a Humanitarian Corridor on Tuesday, a day after a localised ceasefire announced by the Russians collapsed and fierce fighting resumed, blocking their exit to safety.

MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the students were being taken to Poltava, some 175 km south of Sumy, from where they will board trains to western .

"Happy to inform that we have been able to move out all Indian students from Sumy. They are currently en route to Poltava, from where they will board trains to western Ukraine," Bagchi tweeted.

Nearly 700 Indian students in Sumy had waged a doughty battle in bomb shelters and basements of their hostels in frigid weather, low on food, drinking water and other essential supplies over the last several days as Russian forces clobbered the city with rockets and heavy gunfire.

"Flights under Operation Ganga are being prepared to bring them home," Bagchi said but did not specify from which border point and when will they be evacuated from to board flights for their return to India.

The MEA spokesperson also posted a video on Twitter showing Indian students having refreshments in the backdrop of parked buses.

Efforts to evacuate the students from Sumy had failed on Monday as a tenuous ceasefire declared by the Russians crumbled shortly after getting underway.

Many students, who had boarded the buses for their journey to Poltava, were asked to disembark, as the ceasefire failed to take hold.

"The evacuation from Sumy has started. There was finally some good news on Tuesday. All Indian students will be evacuated from Sumy on Tuesday itself. They will be taken to a safe location from where they will be brought to India," said Anshad Ali, a student coordinator.

"We stood in a queue for three hours in freezing cold on Monday, waiting to board the buses and then, we were told that we cannot go. Thankfully, we have left Sumy. I am hoping that we will be in a safe zone soon," medical student Aashiq Hussain Sarkar told PTI, as fatigued students began the trip to Poltava, leaving behind broken and charred buildings and smouldering pieces of weaponry destroyed in war.

The Indian embassy in issued an advisory urging all stranded Indian nationals to make use of the "humanitarian corridor" and evacuate using trains, vehicles or any other available means of transport keeping in mind their safety.

Considering the security situation, establishment of the next humanitarian corridor is uncertain, the advisory said.

"All stranded Indian nationals are urged to make use of this opportunity and evacuate using trains/vehicles or any other available means of transport giving due consideration to safety," it said.

Earlier in the day, Union minister Hardeep Singh Singh Puri said,"Last night, I checked with the control room, 694 Indian students were remaining in Sumy. Today, they have all left in buses for Poltava".

Tuesday's developments followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy a day before on ways to start the stalled evacuation process of the students from Sumy, battered by ceaseless Russian bombardment.

India has brought back over 17,100 of its nationals from Ukraine so far.

Two civilian flights from Suceava in Romania airlifted 410 Indians nationals to India on Tuesday, the civil aviation ministry said.

The Indian mission in Ukraine said it has evacuated 52 of the 75 Indian sailors stranded at the Port of Mykolaiv in the war-torn nation.

"Mission intervened to evacuate 75 Indian sailors stranded in Mykolaiv Port. Yesterday buses arranged by Mission evacuated total of 57 sailors including 2 Lebanese & 3 Syrians," the Indian Embassy in Ukraine said in a tweet.

"Route constraints precluded evacuation of balance 23 sailors. Mission is attempting their evacuation today," it said.

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India on Tuesday sent the third consignment of 2,000 metric tonnes of wheat to via Pakistani land route as part of its humanitarian aid to the Afghan people who have been reeling under food shortage.

India had despatched 2,500 metric tonnes of wheat to through Pakistani on February 22 and it reached the Afghan city of Jalalabad on February 26. Earlier this month, India sent the second shipment of 2,000 metric tonnes of wheat to .

"Our relentless effort to support Afghan people continues. Today, the third convoy of India's humanitarian assistance carrying 2000 MT of wheat left for Jalalabad, Afghanistan," Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

"This is a part of India's commitment of 50,000 MTs of wheat which will be distributed by @WFP_Afghanistan (United Nations World Food Programme in Afghanistan)," he said.

India had sent a proposal to on October 7 seeking the transit facility to send 50,000 tonnes of wheat to the people of Afghanistan via and it received a positive response from Islamabad on November 24.

Following this, both sides were in touch to finalise the modalities for the transportation of the shipments.

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Union Coal Minister has urged the organisations under his ministry to continue to promote gender equality, an official statement said on Tuesday.

On the occasion of International Women's Day 2022, the minister said it is the responsibility of Coal India Ltd (CIL), as one of India's top corporate women employers, to empower and motivate women workforce, the Ministry of Coal said.

"Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs has urged to keep promoting in all organizations under the Ministry of Coal," it said.

As per the statement, has around 20,000 women workforce, including those working at its mines.

According to its website, organisations under include Coal India Ltd and its subsidiaries, Neyveli Lignite corporation India Limited (NLCIL), and a few joint venture companies.

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The on Tuesday dismissed actor Dileep's plea opposing further probe in the 2017 actress assault case and permitted the Crime Branch to go ahead with the investigation.

The order was passed by Justice Kauser Edappagath who said that the investigating agency has to complete the further probe as expeditiously as possible and not later than April 15.

The actor, represented by senior advocate B Raman Pillai and advocates Philip T Varghese and Thomas T Varghese, had contended that the further investigation was a "sham" and an attempt to further delay the trial of the case.

Dileep had also contended that further investigation in that case was not permissible as a final report had been filed in November 2017, charges were framed in January 2020 and only one prosecution witness -- one of the investigating officers -- remained to be examined.

Opposing his plea, the police -- represented by Director General of Prosecution (DGP) T A Shaji and Additional Public Prosecutor P Narayanan -- had told the court that there was no legal bar or impediment in carrying out further investigation in the 2017 actress assault case merely because the trial was at its fag end and added that no prior permission was required for it.

The prosecution had said that the further probe can be carried out anytime before delivery of verdict, if any fresh material or evidence comes to light.

The victim, who was allowed to be a part of the proceedings by the court, had also supported the prosecution's decision to carry out further probe saying she wants a fair trial and the truth behind the incident needs to be revealed.

The actress-victim, who has worked in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films, was abducted and allegedly molested in her car for two hours by some persons who had forced their way into the vehicle on the night of February 17, 2017 and later escaped in a busy area. The entire act was filmed by those persons to blackmail the actress.

There are 10 accused in the 2017 case and police have arrested seven. Dileep was arrested subsequently and released on bail.

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Police have seized 600 kg of worth over Rs 60 lakh and arrested a native of Maharashtra in this connection in Gujarat's Surat district, an official said on Tuesday.

The contraband was seized on Monday from a vehicle with Maharashtra's number plate near a textile park in Sayan city of Olpad taluka here, said an official from Surat rural Special Operations Group (SOG).

Based on a tip-off, the SOG carried out an operation and seized 600.150 kg of worth Rs 60,01,500, he said.

The police also seized a four-wheeler, a three-wheeler and a motorcycle, the official said.

They nabbed one of the accused, identified as Javed Sheikh, from Nashik in neighbouring Maharashtra.

Six more persons, including a drug supplier, are wanted in connection with the narcotic seizure. Three of them hail from Ganjam and one is from Angul in Odisha, the official said.

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Scheduled international passenger flights will resume on March 27, two years after a ban was imposed to prevent Covid-19 cases from spreading. The government had banned all international scheduled flights for a week starting March 23, but it stretched to nearly two years in the midst of a raging pandemic. The ministry on Tuesday announced the resumption of such flights and an end to air transport bubbles, which replaced regular scheduled flights over the past two years.

The move is expected to boost international capacity and will help soften airfares, which have been soaring due to increased demand and rise in crude oil prices.

While the government had earlier planned to resume on March 15, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which necessitated relief flights to bring back stranded Indians in Ukraine, delayed the process.

After having recognised the increased vaccination coverage across the globe and in consultation with the stakeholders, the government of India has decided to resume scheduled commercial international passenger services to/from India from March 27, the ministry said in a press release.

For airlines, it is a much-needed relief because resuming international operations means they will be able to use aircraft on longer sectors, resulting in better utilisation of assets. They will also be able to improve their revenue earned per seat because fares are higher on international sectors than on domestic routes.



For instance, despite the 100 per cent opening up of domestic travel, IndiGo, which has around 270 aircraft, had a few planes grounded.

This step will provide an impetus to economic recovery for the sector and the nation, with borders opening for tourists. We look forward to connecting our customers to the people and places they love. We will soon be announcing the schedule for our international destinations in accordance with these new guidelines, said IndiGo Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ronojoy Dutta.

On Monday, there were 617 . That is around 50 per cent of the pre-Covid capacity. At present India has air transport-bubble agreements with 37 countries. Flights under air transport bubbles are essentially scheduled flights but operate on conditions.

For instance, are allowed to sell tickets for only a limited number of onward destinations. In the case of certain countries, bubble agreements allow for only point-to-point traffic. Resuming normal would give passengers a wider travel choice.

In February, the government eased entry restrictions for international passengers. Fully vaccinated travellers do not have to undergo a seven-day home quarantine or an RT-PCR test on arrival. The easing came on the back of decline in Covid-19 cases.

The government had earlier decided to allow scheduled international passenger flights on December 15 last year but the decision was reversed due to the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 globally.

The travel sector hailed the government's latest announcements.

The demand for international travel is picking up in India and there has been a significant uptick in travel search queries for popular international destinations like Australia, Sri Lanka, the US, and the UK. Resuming international commercial flights will regularise the demand-supply balance, resulting in lower international airfares, said Aloke Bajpai, co-founder and group CEO, ixigo.

Rajiv Mehra, president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators, said: To get more foreign tourists to come to India, we urge the government to restore all visas that were issued earlier but were suspended due to the pandemic. Besides, we appeal to the government to resume multiple entry visas and e-visas for countries that have been barred, particularly from source markets like the UK and Canada. We also request the government to extend the validity of free tourist visas till March 31, 2024, without capping the limit of 500,000 free tourist visas.
Calling for immediate attention to the "worsening situation" in Ukraine, India's Permanent Representative at the UN T.S. Tirumurti reported to the Security Council about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intercession with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine for a ceasefire and a return to diplomacy.

"Our Prime Minister once again spoke to the leadership of both sides today and reiterated our call for immediate ceasefire and the need for both parties to return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy," he told the Security Council on Monday during a consultation on Ukraine.

He spoke of the humanitarian crisis engulfing the country and said: "India has been consistent in calling for an immediate end to all hostilities.

"The worsening situation in Ukraine and ensuing humanitarian crisis deserves our immediate and urgent attention."

In phone calls with Russia's and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, Modi called for an end to the conflict and urged direct talks as he heard from them about the negotiations between their countries, according to the readouts of their separate conversations put out by the Ministry of External Affairs.

Both of them briefed Modi about the state of their negotiations and he hoped they would lead to an end to the conflict, the ministry said.

Modi suggested to Putin that he hold direct talks with Zelensky, according to the readout.

In both conversations, the safety of Indian students in Ukraine was uppermost for Modi.

Modi "conveyed his deep concern for the safety and security of the Indian students still remaining in Sumy", the readout said.

Russia's Permanent Representative said later at the Council that his country was offering to set up a safe corridor out of Sumy on Tuesday.

About 700 Indian students are trapped there because shellings have prevented their evacuation.

Tirumurti said of the more than 140 who have died in the conflict according to the UN, one was an Indian student.

"India mourns his death and we convey our deepest condolences to his family, just as we mourn the loss of each and every civilian life in the conflict," he said.

Naveen Shekharappa Gyanagoudar was killed last week in Kharkiv.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed @arulouis)

--IANS

al/ksk/

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There is a widening gap between what the Indian governments premier retirement fund makes on its investments and what it offers to employees. The Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) makes the bulk of its investments in government related securities. In other words, it lends to central and state governments and related entities.

The interest it gets from these instruments is largely what it uses to pay interest to its subscribers. The interest on government borrowings has been coming down. This has meant that the gap between what the EPFO makes and what it pays ...
Female utilisation of Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) services stood at 46.7 per cent from October 2019 to September 2021, according to a new study.

Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Kerala and Meghalaya have a higher number of Ayushman Cards issued for women as compared to their male counterparts, the study showed.

Apart from expanding and creating a network of almost 27,300 private and government hospitals, AB PM-JAY has also greatly contributed in shifting the gender paradigm with over 42 per cent of beneficiaries availing treatment under the scheme being women.

The study on 'gender' under AB PM-JAY from October 2019 to September 2021 reveals that female utilisation of AB PM-JAY services stood at 46.7 per cent of the total utilisation.

States like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Sikkim observed higher female utilisation under AB PM-JAY than male for the stipulated period of time.

AB PM-JAY currently provides as many as 59 packages and 77 procedures under the specialty of obstetrics and gynaecology for women enabling increased access to better healthcare services and, thus helping in the reduction of maternal and child mortality.

It has been also observed that obstetrics and gynaecology utilisation under the scheme is the second most utilised specialty after general medicine in over 15 states, it said.

Besides the above mentioned procedures, other specialisations like oncology (58 per cent) and ophthalmology (51 per cent) have also seen a higher female beneficiary utilisation than male under AB PM-JAY.

"The PM-JAY scheme is setting a great example for promoting gender equity and equal opportunities in access to health benefits and medical assistance for all," said Dr R S Sharma, CEO, National Health Authority while releasing the study.

"The high representation of female beneficiaries in the scheme is a testament to our commitment for this endeavour. I hope we can continue this tradition and keep this inclusiveness alive, Sharma said.

The AB PM-JAY health insurance scheme aspires to continue working on improving health conditions for all and thus contributing in increasing female health autonomy, Sharma said.

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Indians are stocking up vegetable oil and fuel, fearing that Russia's invasion of Ukraine may cause an edible oil shortage, while a rally in global crude oil prices may lead New Delhi to aggressively raise fuel prices as elections conclude in key states.

"On WhatsApp, I read messages that there could be shortages because of the war. So, I rushed to buy," said Mumbai-based housewife Rekhana Khan, who bought 10 litres of edible oil, double her usual monthly purchase of 5 litres.

A more than 20% jump in in less than a month and fake viral messages regarding shortages on social media have triggered panic buying in India, which fulfils more than two-thirds of its demand through imports.

India imports more than 90% of its sunflower oil from Russia and Ukraine, though sunflower oil accounts for about 14% of its total edible oil imports.

Supplies of other edible oils - such as palm, soy, rapeseed oil and ground nut - are sufficient and there is no need to panic, said B.V. Mehta, executive director of the Mumbai-based Solvent Extractors' Association of India.

FUEL PRICE

Meanwhile, state-run oil companies, which control the domestic market, have not raised prices since Nov. 4, amid drawnout elections in several key states including India's most populous state Uttar Pradesh, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party is in power.

With voting done for the seventh and final phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections on Monday, consumers fear the government will now move to increase prices as early as Tuesday.

Swapnil Phadtare, a farmer from the western state of Maharashtra, said he was stocking up diesel as domestic media reports said there could be a 15-20-rupee-per-litre hike in fuel prices in the wake of the elections.

"Harvesting of winter-sown crops will start shortly. We need lots of diesel during this period. To save money I decided to buy like other farmers in my village," Phadtare said.

On Monday, oil prices spiked to their highest since 2008 as the United States and European allies weighed a Russian oil import ban and as delays in the potential return of Iranian crude to global markets fuelled supply fears.

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has registered a sharp decline in the cases of poll during the just-concluded assembly elections compared to the one held in 2017, police said on Tuesday.

The state witnessed only 33 cases of during the seven-phase state assembly elections compared to 97 in 2017, the police said in a statement amid the preparation for the counting of the votes on March 10.

The voting for the 403 UP assembly constituencies were held over seven phases from February 10 and the elections were secured by the police personnel along with Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), police said.

Over 70,000 UP police personnel and 250 companies of CAPFs will be deployed for security duty during the counting for all seven phases on Thursday, the police said in a statement.

If we look at the violent incidents during the elections in the previous assembly elections, then in 2017, 97 electoral incidents of took place. Of those, 75 incidents happened before the polling days and 22 on the days of voting. No casualty was reported then, the UP police said.

In the assembly elections of 2022, a total of 33 incidents of electoral violence took place. Of these 28 incidents happened before polling days and five happened on polling days in which no person was seriously injured or died, the police said.

The police said a total of 250 CAPF companies have been provided to all the districts and commissionerates for March 10 duty.

According to officials, a CAPF company usually has around 70-80 personnel.

Out of these, 36 companies have been earmarked for EVM security and 214 for counting and law and order duty. Besides the CAPFs, 61 companies of PAC have also been provided to all districts, it said.

Along with these, 625 gazetted officers of UP Police, 1,807 inspectors, 9,598 sub-inspectors, 11,627 head constables and 48,649 constables have also been put on duty, it added.

The Model Code of Conduct for the elections came into force on January 8 after the announcement of polls in by the Election Commission.

During this period, the model code of conduct was strictly followed by the Police without any discrimination as per the instructions of the Election Commission, police said in its statement.

A total of 1,339 FIRs and 412 crime reports were registered regarding violation of election-related rules and regulations since the day the Model Code came into force, the police said.

Out of this, a total of 261 cases have been registered by Lucknow zone, the maximum in the state, it said.

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The State Election Commission on Tuesday limited the number of star campaigners to 10 for recognised parties and five for unrecognised ones, besides imposing other restrictions in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic in the (MCC) for municipal to be held in April this year.

Other MCC guidelines include no meetings or processions beyond 8 PM, no roadshow, bike and cycle rallies without prior permission, a limit of 50 people in street corner meetings and only five persons including the candidate to be allowed for door-to-door campaigns.

The MCC will come into force in when dates for civic are announced. Official sources said that dates could be declared within a few days by the Commission.

"The number of star campaigners is restricted to 10 for these for national /state recognised parties and five for unrecognised registered parties in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

''The permission for the campaigning by star campaigners shall be submitted to the district magistrate at least 48 hours before the start of the campaign.

"No roadshow shall be allowed and no motorbike/cycle rallies will be allowed without valid permission and subject to existing DDMA guidelines," the MCC document issued by the State Election Commission stated.

No victory procession after the counting shall be allowed and not more than two persons shall be allowed to accompany the winning candidate or the authorised representative to receive the certificate of election from the Returning Officer.

The MCC guidelines put special emphasis on adherence to COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and advised authorities to ensure social distancing at polling booths.

It also said that arrangements of masks distribution will be made for those who turn up at the polling booths without masks.

Sanitisers should be made available at all polling stations and public meeting venues.

Nukkad Sabhas (meeting) will not be allowed on public roads, roundabouts or public streets or corners, the MCC guidelines said.

It added that a maximum of 50 persons shall be allowed in street corner meetings, subject to availability of space and compliance to COVID-19 guidelines.

Not more than 50 people shall be allowed in one cluster point during the campaign through video vans.

A maximum of five vehicles will be allowed for a candidate/ political party (including star campaigner), the document said.

"Such meetings/processions will not be allowed to continue beyond 8 PM and will be further subject to other relevant considerations like weather conditions, festival season, examination period, etc.

"Use of loudspeakers shall be permitted only between 8 AM and 8 PM," the Commission said.

The MCC guidelines said that while taking out procession or padyatra during campaigning for the election, a candidate and his workers "can hold up to a maximum of five flags for one procession. The size of the flag will be 3 ft by 2 ft."



The MCC guidelines said that there will be a ban on sale, service and consumption of liquor and other intoxicating liquor & drinks in the areas of 272 wards of Municipal Corporation of and their surrounding areas on the day of polling and two days preceding the poll to ensure free & peaceful poll.

"Dry days shall be declared and notified under relevant laws in the 272 wards of Municipal Corporation of Delhi on the date of poll and two days preceding the poll and on the day of the counting of votes," it said.

The State Election Commission of Delhi had last week increased the limit of expenditure that can be incurred by a candidate in the elections for the city's three municipal corporations -- North, East and South -- to Rs 8 lakh from Rs 5.75 lakh.

There are 104 wards each in the North and the South Delhi Municipal Corporations. The East Delhi Municipal Corporation has 64 wards. Half of the wards are reserved for women candidates. There are wards reserved for Scheduled Castes candidates as well.

In the last MCD polls in Delhi, the BJP registered an impressive victory, returning to power in the three corporations by winning 181 of the 272 wards.

Its closest rival, the AAP, managed to win only 49 wards, while the Congress bagged 31 wards in the 2017 elections.

Independent candidates won three wards in North Delhi, four in South Delhi and one in East Delhi.

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Capital markets regulator on Tuesday said it has lined up as many as 46 properties of Royal Twinkle Star Club and Citrus Check Inns for an on April 6, at a reserve price of over Rs 97 crore.

The move is part of Sebi's efforts to recover funds worth thousands of crores of rupees raised by the companies.

In a notice, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) said the will be conducted between 11 am to 1 pm on April 6, 2022.

The properties to go under the hammer include office premises, residential flats, land parcels, shops located in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Daman and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

From November 2019 to November 2021, more than 220 properties of the companies were auctioned at a reserve price of over Rs 1,200 crore.

The move came after a Supreme Court order in December 2019, that directed the sale-cum-monitoring committee, headed by retired Justice J P Devdhar, to proceed with the sale of 114 properties of the companies within six months.

In December 2018, had imposed a penalty of Rs 50 lakh on Citrus Check Inns and its directors for non-compliance with its order, wherein it had barred them from raising funds from the public.

had received several investor complaints against Citrus alleging that directors of Royal Twinkle were now running their collective investment scheme (CIS) through Citrus.

In August 2015, the regulator had imposed a four-year ban on Royal Twinkle and its four directors for illegally raising over Rs 2,656 crore in the garb of the sham timeshare holiday plans.

Besides, it had directed the company and its officials to refund the money along with promised returns to the investors in three months.

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Russian and Ukrainian negotiators on Monday failed to achieve significant results during their third round of peace talks held in .

Mykhailo Podolyak, a member of the Ukrainian delegation, said that there was some small progress in improving the logistics of humanitarian corridors in .

Podolyak, who is also an advisor to the head of Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office, said intensive consultations continued on the main political block of the settlement along with a ceasefire and security guarantees.

"The third round of negotiations has ended. There are small positive subductions in improving the logistics of humanitarian corridors... Intensive consultations have continued on the basic political block of the regulations, along with a ceasefire and security guarantees," Podolyak tweeted.

Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, also the head of the Russian delegation, said, "The discussions continued on political and military aspects. However, it remains difficult. It is too early to talk about something positive."

Russian negotiators brought a large set of documents, including specific agreements, but the Ukrainian side could not sign them on the spot and took all these documents back home for study, he was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

"To be honest, our expectations from the talks were not met. But we hope that next time we will be able to take a more significant step forward," Medinsky said after the meeting, which lasted nearly three hours at the Belovezhskaya Pushcha on the Belarus-Poland border.

Both sides addressed the issue of civilian evacuation, and the Ukrainian side assured that the humanitarian corridors will start working on Tuesday.

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Due to its war on Ukraine, has become the most sanctioned in the world, according to a New York-based sanctions watchlist site.

Castellum.AI said that sanctions were first imposed by the US and its allies on on February 22 a day after President Vladimir Putin declared the two Ukrainian rebel regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as "independent states".

After announced its military operations against Russia on February 24, hundreds more sanctions followed.

The site said that 2,754 sanctions were already in place against Russia before February 22 and 2,778 additional were imposed in the days following the assault, bringing the total to 5,532.

Russia's number now outranks Iran's 3,616 sanctions, displacing Tehran from the top position, reports the BBC citing Castellum.AI as saying.

According to the site, the countries and regions targeting Russia with sanctions are Switzerland (568), the European Union (518), Canada (454), Australia (413), the US (243), the UK (35) and Japan (35).

Countries across the world are putting sanctions on Russia in an effort to stop the invasion of .

--IANS

ksk/

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has imposed another round of sanctions against for its "unjustified invasion" of and is targeting Moscow's senior military officers, as well as state propagandists spreading "pro- disinformation".

As per an official statement by Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, the Australian government is placing sanctions on Moscow's "propagandists and purveyors of disinformation" trying to legitimise Russia's invasion with false narratives such as the "de-Nazification" of .

"The new round of sanctions will impose targeted financial sanctions on the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, and targeted financial sanctions and travel bans against an additional six senior Russian military commanders responsible for implementing naval, ground and air attacks on Ukraine," said the statement.

"The Australian Government is sanctioning 10 people of strategic interest to for their role in encouraging hostility towards and promoting pro- propaganda to legitimise Russia's invasion," it added.

Notably, last week, also imposed targeted financial sanctions on 11 financial institutions of economic significance to Russia, including the Central Bank of .

The statement further informed that the Australian government is working with digital platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Google to take action to suspend the dissemination of content generated by Russian state media within .

"Our designation of the Russian Armed Forces covers the Russian Ground Forces, Russian Navy, and Russian Aerospace Forces, as well as the Strategic Missile Troops and Russian Airborne Troops, and has the effect of prohibiting the export of goods from Australia to all Russian military end users," said the statement.

The foreign minister said that Australia will work collectively with its global partners to remove Russia's ability to continue financing its war by targeting its most significant banks, including those critical to its defence sector.

"Australia and partners will continue to impose costs on Russia's egregious, unlawful and completely unjustified war on Ukraine. We again call upon Russia to withdraw its military forces immediately from Ukraine," said the minister.

Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Moscow recognized Ukraine's breakaway regions, Donetsk and Luhansk as independent republics followed by the announcement of a "special military operation" to "demilitarize" and "denazify" Ukraine.

Several countries including the UK, the US, Canada, and the European Union have condemned Russia's military operations and imposed sanctions on Moscow.

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is considering buying or increasing stakes in Russian energy and commodities companies, such as gas giant Gazprom and aluminum producer United Co. Rusal International, according to people familiar with the matter.

Beijing is in talks with its state-owned firms, including National Petroleum, Petrochemical, Aluminum Corporation of China and China Minmetals Corporation, on any opportunities for potential investments in Russian companies or assets, the people said.

Any deal would be to bolster Chinas imports as it intensifies its focus on energy and food security  not as a show of support for Russias invasion in Ukraine  the people said.

The discussions are at an early stage and wont necessarily lead to a deal, the people said, requesting anonymity as the discussions arent public. Some talks between Chinese and Russian energy companies have started to take place, according to separate sources. CNPC and China Petrochemical known as Sinopec Group  declined to comment, according to the companies media officials.

Among Chinas current energy investments in Russia, CNPC has a 20 per cent stake in the Yamal LNG project and a 10 per cent state in Arctic LNG 2, while Cnooc also owns 10 per cent of Arctic.
(Reuters) - Inc's commercial unit will hire 900 staff over the next three years, a large part of which will be for the U.S. bank's Asia Pacific business, as it plans to fast-track growth.

The U.S. lender said on Monday that along with launching in new markets and expanding its digital capabilities, the Commercial Bank (CCB) unit is looking to ramp up its presence in high-growth and emerging markets.

The bank, which currently operates in 60 countries and focuses on lending to mid-sized companies, said a bulk of the hires are expected to be in areas where it sees an increase in business activity, particularly the United States, China, Brazil, India and countries in Western Europe.

The move comes at a time when the Wall Street institution has been cutting down its footprint by exiting non-core markets. Chief Executive Jane Fraser, who took the helm last year, has looked to simplify the bank and bring its profitability more in line with its peers.

In a separate statement on Tuesday, said, as part of its global headcount expansion plan, it would hire close to 350 people, including nearly 200 commercial bankers, over the next three years to accelerate growth in the Asia Pacific region.

The hiring represents the largest investment in headcount across the bank globally, it said.

A majority of these hires will be placed in China, Hong Kong, India and Singapore. China and India will each get around 80 new hires. Hong Kong will add close to 100 people, while another over 30 will go to Singapore.

The arrangement will strengthen Citi's services, including treasury and trade solutions, securities, and its collaboration with global wealth management.

In 2021, the Asia Pacific business contributed 41% to the bank's global revenues of $2.7 billion.

Earlier this year, said it will exit its Citibanamex consumer business in Mexico and also announced a deal to sell its retail unit in Taiwan.

(Reporting by Manya Saini in Bengaluru and Xie Yu in Hong Kong; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)

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Civilians will start leaving the besieged Ukrainian city of Sumy on Tuesday under an agreement with on the establishment of a "humanitarian corridor", Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.



"It has been agreed that the first convoy will start at 10 a.m. (0800 GMT) from the city of Sumy. The convoy will be followed by the local population in personal vehicles," she said in a televised statement.



Civilians have been trapped by fighting since Russian troops invaded on Feb. 24. Moscow calls its actions in a "special military operation."



proposed giving the residents of Sumy, in northeastern Ukraine, and Mariupol, a southern port city, the choice of moving elsewhere in on Tuesday, Russian news agencies reported.



Other humanitarian corridors proposed by would travel through Russia or Belarus, something Ukrainian authorities have previously rejected.

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Women remain rare visitors to the highest echelons of European banks.

The 25 biggest banks by assets have seen 22 changes in chief executive and chair over the past two years, including announcements of upcoming appointments, according to a Reuters review of senior industry roles. Twenty-one of those 22 jobs went to men.

Only one lender - Britain's NatWest - has a female CEO, while two - Spain's Santander and the Netherlands' Rabobank - have a woman chairing their governing boards.

"Tim goes away, so who looks like Tim?" said Claire Godding, the former long-time head of diversity for BNP Paribas in Belgium, citing unconscious bias as the prime culprit.

"It's usually not a Sarah." The review, on Women's Day, provides just a snapshot of the industry, yet indicates how far banks have to travel to achieve equality at the top.

It suggests that, while Europe is making progress in diversifying its C-Suite, it has fallen behind Wall Street in an area that could provide a competitive edge.

Some of the most stubborn obstacles to change revolve around the intangible working culture at institutions long dominated by men, such as bosses favouring staff who stay late, according to interviews with more than two dozen specialists including senior executives, board members, investors and academics.

There is a greater degree of diversity within European banks' wider executive teams, which typically comprise around 10-20 senior managers under the CEO.

The review found that women make up about 25% of such teams. Yet the Europeans lag the eight U.S. banks with major global reach - including the likes of JPMorgan and Citigroup - where the proportion is 30% on average.

The data, collected by Reuters through early February, does not reflect pending appointments which will affect several lenders' gender diversity. Some banks said they already had female top managers lined up in the months to come.

At the European banks, the most common executive role filled by women was chief human resources officer, a job that industry experts say does not usually involve the level of operational experience that would feed into becoming a future CEO or chair.

'ROOM SUDDENLY FELL SILENT'

Citigroup's Europe head Kristine Braden sees training as a crucial tool to make staff aware of the gender dynamics at play.

"When I moved to EMEA, I became the first woman appointed to one of our executive committees. I remember walking into my first meeting and looking forward to meeting everyone," she said.

"What had been a room full of cheerful banter suddenly fell silent."

"Men and women develop relationships in different ways. When a woman wants to establish rapport with another woman, she may compliment her in some way," Braden added. "Men often banter with each other. Establishing professional rapport across the genders requires building trust with each other." Citi's CEO Jane Fraser, who made history when she became the first female chief executive of a Wall Street bank a year ago, credited work flexibility early in her career when she had young children as a key factor enabling her to rise to the top.

"That phase for me of being part-time working, but being able to be with the kids when they were very little, was very precious," Fraser told a conference shortly after being named new Citi CEO, referring to her time at consulting firm McKinsey.

"I honestly don't think I would be here today if I hadn't." The equality drive goes beyond social justice. "We see a lack of diversity as a lack of competitive advantage over time," said Stephanie Niven, Global Sustainable Equity Portfolio Manager at investment manager Ninety One.

"Broadening the voices in a room broadens the understanding and context of decision-making."

BOOST IN BOARDROOMS

Women are closer to parity on bank boards, partly a result of these supervisory panels being the main focus of governance scrutiny from policymakers and investors. The female representation is about 37% on both sides of the Atlantic.

"We vote on board members, so pressure is first on the board," said Vincent Kaufmann, director at proxy advisor Ethos.

"But I can imagine, once we've solved those problems, progressive investors will start focusing on management in coming years." Some of the industry figures interviewed cited the predominant focus on board diversity as one reason for the lack of progress in the C-Suite.

"With that push for more women at the board level, I think there was an opportunity for women," said Simone Stebler, head of executive search firm Egon Zehnder's financial services and legal practices in Switzerland.

"But there was also the demand for them to leave their management roles and step onto the board, sometimes even without having passed through this executive committee rank." Globally, a 2021 study by finance think-tank OMFIF found that European commercial banks fared above-average on board-level representation but lagged peers in North America, Asia-Pacific and emerging markets at the executive committee level.

WHAT'S WITH THE CULTURE?

Despite policymakers' efforts to reform banking culture, Europe's sector still rewards inflexible hours, which often favour men, according to many of the people interviewed.

And an "old-boys" network of men helping each other get ahead in their careers is still alive and kicking, they said. "Every year many talented women are leaving universities and schools - too few are visible after 10 or 20 years," said Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell, a former member of the European Central Bank's executive board who is now on the supervisory board of Germany's Commerzbank.

Yet overhauling a company's DNA is a long-term endeavour, multiple interviewees said. Filling up a diverse candidate list for executive roles can take many years as it often relies on a pipeline of experienced middle managers.

"The easiest part is achieving gender diversity at board level, the more difficult part is actually at the second and third layers down in an organisation," said Gavin Rochussen, CEO at London-based fund manager Polar Capital.

Former BNP Paribas executive Godding, who now focuses on diversity at the Belgian financial sector lobby Febelfin, said some executives were not aware of the scale of the challenge.

"Most banks discover they have two or three glass ceilings instead of one," she said. "They lose women in the middle of middle management."

'FEEL IT IN THE BANK'

UniCredit CEO Andrea Orcel told Reuters that banks needed to change their mindsets.

"We take this commitment seriously, recognising that meaningful progress comes not from quotas but from establishing a fundamental change in culture within our business," he said.

Elena Carletti, a finance professor at Bocconi University who joined UniCredit's board in 2019, believes meaningful change can happen quickly if the will exists, citing the progress made by Italy's second-biggest bank under Orcel and chair Pietro Carlo Padoan, who were both appointed last year.

Of the 25 banks reviewed by Reuters, UniCredit has made the greatest senior executive-level progress since 2019, boosting women's representation from 4% to 40%.

Carletti said almost half the CEO's direct reports were women compared to one under his predecessor.

"The change has been dramatic, and you can feel it in the bank."

(Reporting by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi in Zurich and Tom Sims in Frankfurt; Additional reporting by Valentina Za in Milan, Simon Jessop in London, and Jesus Aguado in Madrid; Editing by Pravin Char)

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A senior member of Russias ruling party has proposed nationalising foreign-owned factories that shut down operations in the country over what the Kremlin calls a special military operation in Ukraine. Several foreign companies including Toyota, Nike and home furnishings retailer IKEA have announced temporary shutdowns of stores and factories in in order to put pressure on the Kremlin to stop its invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.

In a statement published on Monday evening on the United website, the secretary of the ruling partys general council Andrei Turchak said that shutting operations was a war against the citizens of .

The statement mentioned Finnish privately-owned food companies Fazer, Valio and Paulig as the latest to announce closures in Russia.

United Russia proposes nationalising production plants of the companies that announce their exit and the closure of production in Russia during the special operation in Ukraine, Turchak said. This is an extreme measure, but we will not tolerate being stabbed in the back, and we will protect our people. This is a real war, not against Russia as a whole, but against our citizens, he said.

We will take tough retaliatory measures, acting in accordance with the laws of war, Turchak said.

Paulig Chief Executive told Reuters in an email that this would not change its plans to withdraw from Russia.

Fazer, which makes chocolate, bread and pastries, has three bakeries in St Petersburg and one in Moscow, employing around 2,300 people. Valio has one cheese factory and employs 400 people in Russia, and Paulig has a coffee roastery and employs 200 people in the country.

Last week, non-NATO member Finland, which shares a border with Russia, agreed to strengthen security ties with the US as it nervously watches Russias invasion.

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The multinational technology corporation has suspended all its business in due to the conflict in Ukraine, CEO said.

"I've heard from many of you in response to last week's announcement regarding the war in Ukraine, and I appreciate your feedback. First, let me be very clear -- we have suspended all business in . In addition, I want to give you an update on a few of the efforts underway to support our colleagues in the region," Krishna said in a statement on Monday.

The company said the company is providing critical support to the most heavily impacted areas.

has joined the long line of that have ceased their operations in due to the start of "military operation in .

Within two weeks, multinational companies, media houses and other large scales businesses have announced their plans to leave Russia.

Russia continues to maintain that it started the "military operation" to save the residents of eastern and "demilitarise" the political leadership in the country.

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President Joe Biden has decided to ban Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia's in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The move follows pleas by Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelenskyy to US and Western officials to cut off the imports, which had been a glaring omission the massive sanctions put in place on Russia over the invasion.

Energy exports have kept a steady influx of cash flowing to Russia despite otherwise severe restrictions on its financial sector.

Biden was set to announce the move as soon as Tuesday, the person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter before an announcement.

The White House said Biden would speak on Tuesday morning to announce actions to continue to hold Russia accountable for its unprovoked and unjustified war on Ukraine.

The US will be acting alone, but in close consultation with European allies, who are more dependent on Russian energy supplies. Natural gas from Russia accounts for one-third of Europe's consumption of the fossil fuel. The US does not import Russian natural gas.

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Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said that a new nuclear research facility in Ukraine's Kharkiv city producing radioisotopes for medical and industrial applications, has been damaged by shelling.

Citing Ukraine's national nuclear regulator, Grossi on Monday said the incident which took place a day earlier did not cause any increase in radiation levels at the site.

"Because the nuclear material in the facility is always sub-critical and the inventory of radioactive material is very low, the IAEA's assessment confirmed that the damage reported to it would not have had any radiological consequence," the Director General said in a statement posted on the regulator's website.

According to Grossi, Sunday's incident has "highlighted once again the risks facing Ukraine's nuclear installations during the armed conflict, adding urgency to an IAEA initiative aimed at ensuring nuclear safety and security in the country".

"We have already had several episodes compromising safety at Ukraine's nuclear sites," he added.

On February 27, said Russian missiles hit the site of a radioactive waste disposal facility in the capital Kiev but there was no radioactive release. That came a day after an electrical transformer at a similar disposal facility near Kharkiv was damaged.

On March 4, when the site was taken over by Russian forces, said the training centre of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) was hit by a projectile, causing a fire that was later extinguished.

In addition, the regulator said there continued to be no communication with enterprises and institutions using Category 1-3 radiation sources in the eastern port city of Mariupol, including its Oncological Centre.

"We must take action to help avert a nuclear accident in that could have severe consequences for public health and the environment. We can't afford to wait," Grossi was quoted as saying in the statement.

In an effort to help protect the country's nuclear facilities, the IAEA chief has expressed his readiness to travel to the Chernobyl, the site of the world's largest nuclear disaster, where around 210 technical personal and guards were still stuck after took over the site on the first day of its invasion on February 24

"I have said I am willing to travel to Chernobyl, but it can be anywhere, as long as it facilitates this necessary and urgent action," he said while addressing an IAEA Board of Governors meeting earlier on Monday.

In another worrying development, Ukraine's regulator on Monday also informed the IAEA that it was currently not possible to deliver spare parts or medicine to the Zaporizhzhya NPP, a day after the country said plant management was now under orders from the commander of the Russian forces controlling the site.

Plant personnel were, however, able to rotate, it added.

Regarding the status of Ukraine's nuclear power plants, the regulator said eight of the country's 15 reactors were operating, including two at the Zaporizhzhya NPP.

--IANS

ksk/

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Japanese automaker is planning to halt production at its plant in because of logistical challenges.

Motor Co. did not provide a specific date but said Tuesday production will stop soon. Its plant in St. Petersburg produced 45,000 vehicles last year, including the X-Trail sport utility vehicle.

The Yokohama-based manufacturer said the safety of its employees is its top priority.

earlier stopped exports to .

__



Islamabad: Pakistan sent an aircraft to Poland on Tuesday to evacuate more than 300 Pakistanis who escaped fighting in Ukraine.

Pakistan Airlines says most of them are students.

Pakistan has refused to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine, even as it has denounced war as a solution to differences and called for negotiations and a cease-fire. Prime Minister Imran Khan met with President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin just hours after the Russian leader sent tanks into Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Pakistan abstained from last week's UN General Assembly vote condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

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Lviv: Russian aircraft bombed cities in eastern and central Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian officials said. Shelling pounded suburbs of the capital, Kyiv.

In Sumy and Okhtyrka, to the east of Kyiv near the Russian border, bombs fell on residential buildings and destroyed a power plant, regional leader Dmytro Zhivitsky said. He said there were dead and wounded but gave no figures.

Bombs also hit oil depots in Zhytomyr and the neighboring town of Cherniakhiv, located west of Kyiv.

In Bucha, a Kyiv suburb, the mayor reported heavy artillery fire.

We can't even gather up the bodies because the shelling from heavy weapons doesn't stop day or night, Mayor Anatol Fedoruk said.

Dogs are pulling apart the bodies on the city streets. It's a nightmare.

The Ukrainian government is demanding the opening of humanitarian corridors to allow people to safely leave Sumy, Zhytomyr, Kharkiv, Mariupol and suburbs of Kyiv, including Bucha.

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Lviv: The mayor of Lviv said the city in far western Ukraine is struggling to feed and house the tens of thousands of people who have fled here from war-torn regions of the country.

We really need support, Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said.

More than 200,000 Ukrainians displaced from their homes are now in Lviv, filling up sport halls, schools, hospitals and church buildings.

The historical city once popular with tourists had a population of 700,000 before the war.

The mayor said the city needs big tents equipped with kitchens so food can be prepared.

Hundreds of thousands more people could arrive if humanitarian corridors are opened up from cities now under siege from Russian troops.

The embassies of the US and EU countries also moved to Lviv from Kyiv before the invasion.

Lviv is the main transit point for those fleeing just across the border to Poland. Many of the 1.7 million Ukrainians now abroad passed through the city.

The United Nations has called the situation the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.

__



Lviv: A Russian general was killed in the fighting around Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, which Russian forces have been trying to seize since the invasion began, the Ukrainian military intelligence agency said.

It identified him as Maj. Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov, 45, and said he had fought with Russian forces in Syria and Chechnya and had taken part in the seizure of Crimea in 2014.

It was not possible to confirm the death independently. has not commented.

Another Russian general was killed earlier in the fighting. A local officers' organization in Russia confirmed the death in Ukraine of Maj. Gen. Andrei Sukhovetsky, the commanding general of the Russian 7th Airborne Division.

Sukhovetsky also took part in Russia's military campaign in Syria.

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Speeding up the restart of halted in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear accident may be Japan's "best option" for riding out any oil and gas shortages that result from sanctions imposed on Russia, a senior ruling party lawmaker said on Tuesday.



has repeatedly said that, in the event of a possible U.S.-led embargo on Russian oil, it would work with Group of Seven nations to respond appropriately. There has so far been no impact on its energy supply from the situation.



Such an embargo would have a large impact on Russia, but it would hit hard as well, said Itsunori Onodera, a former Defence Minister and senior lawmaker in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). "It's a question of whether we could endure this," he told Reuters in an interview.



Other natural gas and oil producers would have to step up to cover what currently supplies to make this a viable option, he added. relies on for 5% of its oil and about 8% of its LNG. is Japan's fifth-biggest supplier of crude oil and liquified natural gas (LNG).



An even better option would be hastening the restart of Japanese nuclear reactors, he added. Many Japanese reactors are still going through a relicensing process under safety standards imposed after an earthquake and tsunami touched off meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

"If we could have the working, if we could speed that up, if you could obtain the understanding of the people after having verified safety - speeding up inspections and then speeding up the restarts, that's definitely a choice," he said.

Asked if this would be the best option in the event it faced fossil fuel shortages, he said "Yes."



Japan currently has six operating with a total capacity of 6,190 MW as opposed to 54 before Fukushima.

Fears of an energy war between Russia and the West grew on Tuesday after the United States pushed its allies to ban Russian oil imports as punishment for Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.



Russia warned it could stop the flow of gas through pipelines from Russia to Germany in response to Berlin's decision last month to halt the opening of the controversial new Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Russia supplies 40% of Europe's gas.



Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its southern neighbour's military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists.

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Officials from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) met U.S. shale oil company executives on the sidelines of the CERAWeek conference in Houston on Monday as energy prices soared over supply concerns.

It was at least the fourth time since 2017 that U.S. shale oil producers and OPEC officials have held such meetings to discuss energy concerns. EQT Corp Chief Executive Officer Toby Rice, Hess Corp CEO John Hess and Chesapeake Energy CEO Domenic Dell'Osso, among others, attended a dinner with OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo at a restaurant adjacent to the CERAWeek conference site.

Oil rose to a 14-year high of $139 a barrel on Monday amid concerns about supplies as the United States and European governments weighed banning imports from Russia, the world's second-largest oil exporter. Earlier, Barkindo said at CERAWeek that OPEC production could not offset a ban on Russian oil.

Barkindo said after the dinner that attendees discussed how shale producers were focused on delivering profits to shareholders instead of pouring more cash into new drilling.

"This massive under-investment requires us to revisit that," Barkindo said. "This is up to the companies themselves and their boards ... but there's this general realization that something needs to be done" to address the new circumstances, he said.

The dinner, billed as the North American Independents Forum, included Equatorial Guinea's energy minister Gabriel Obiang Lima, OPEC research director Ayed Al-Qahtani and the CEOs of Hunt Energy and Vincent Energy.

A Hess spokesperson who accompanied its CEO declined to comment.

"There is no capacity in the world that could replace 7 million barrels per day," Barkindo earlier told reporters at the conference. "We have no control over current events, geopolitics, and this is dictating the pace of the market." Russia has been an integral part of the OPEC+ alliance that halted a COVID-19 pandemic-driven crash in oil prices through a 2020 agreement to cut 10 million barrels per day (bpd) from the group's production.

As demand recovered, the alliance has begun returning 400,000 bpd per month to its output. However, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has led to a new oil shock. Some oil buyers have rejected Russian cargoes and producers with operations in the country, including BP, Shell and Exxon Mobil, have withdrawn from Russia.

Monday's dinner reprises meetings at the annual energy conference that began in 2017 following a two-year price war that left both sides hurting. Meetings initially were intended to help OPEC understand shale economics and financing but have expanded the topics, officials have said.

Barkindo, whose tenure as OPEC Secretary General ends this summer, was presented with a bottle of "Genuine Barnett Shale" oil as a memento of his U.S. meetings. Barnett, an area in north Texas, is the shale field that launched the U.S. energy revolution.

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on Tuesday launched the country's National Gender Policy Framework, an initiative aiming to empower women across the nation and intensify the gender's participation in the public sphere.

The framework, which was launched on the occasion of Women's Day, was prepared by the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives and unveiled by the minister of the department Asad Umar at a press conference here.

This framework aims at providing equal opportunities to all segments of society, particularly women, to prosper and progress, Umar said during the launch.

Umar during the unveiling of the framework stressed the need for the implementation of legislation that had been enacted to ensure gender equality.

"If a person doesn't feel protected then he/she cannot work to the best of their potential," he said.

He said that increasing women's participation in the public sphere was an important goal, stressing that it should be addressed in a systematic way rather than on wishes.

Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Dr Fehmida Mirza, Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari, Lieutenant General Nigar Johar, who is the first-ever female general to be appointed the colonel commandant of Army Medical Corps, and several other dignitaries also attended the ceremony.

The Women's Day was observed throughout the country. Prime Minister Imran Khan addressing an event in Rawalpindi said that empowerment of women was a key to success.

Our country cannot progress unless the women are educated," he said, adding that the parents should send their daughters to schools.

The Foreign Office in a statement on the occasion paid tribute to the women around the world whose resilience, sacrifices and efforts have made it possible for humankind to progress and build a better future for all.

No society or nation can succeed and achieve sustainable development without realisation of gender equality and women empowerment, it said.

Separately, Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari said it was a day to honour women from all walks of life, adding it was also the right of every woman to demand rights and work for her development.

Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz said every woman was the epitome of strength and courage.

"To every woman out there... You define the very fabric of society. You make the world beautiful. It is said that being a woman itself is a superpower. Make the most of it. You go girls," she wrote in a message on Twitter.

According to a report of the Aurat Foundation, a Pakistani NGO working for rights of women, almost 70 per cent of women in have been victims of domestic violence, at least once in their lives.

This violence is generally committed by their intimate partners husbands. These figures, however, do not include psychological violence, which is even more common in urban communities.

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Prime Minister spoke to his Netherlands counterpart on Tuesday as the two leaders discussed the ongoing situation in war-hit Ukraine and shared their concerns over the continuing humanitarian situation there.

The PMO in a statement said Modi, in the telephonic conversation, reiterated India's consistent appeal for cessation of hostilities and a return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy. He welcomed the ongoing talks between Russia and Ukraine, and hoped for an early resolution to the crisis.

Modi informed Rutte about the progress in evacuation of Indian citizens from conflict areas, and India's assistance in form of urgent relief supplies, including medicines for the affected populations, it said.

He also recalled his virtual summit with Rutte in April, 2021 and expressed his desire to receive him in India at an early date, the PMO said.

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Russia's is a spent force in the world whatever happens in Ukraine, British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said on Tuesday, predicting the invasion would be the president's end.

Russia's offensive in Ukraine, which the Kremlin calls a 'special military operation', is continuing but at a significantly slower pace, Ukrainian military and intelligence said, as frightened residents fled bombed-out cities.

"The buck will eventually stop somewhere in the Kremlin ... whether that happens next week or next year or next decade is obviously debatable. Whatever ... happens, President Putin is a spent force in the world and he is done, his army is done...and he needs to recognise that," Wallace told Times Radio.

Wallace said the invasion was not going to plan for Russia.

"This will be Putin's end ... and so it should be," Wallace told BBC radio. "It would be an impossible task to occupy such a people and a country."

"No one will be taking his phone calls in the long term. He has exhausted his army, he's responsible for thousands of Russian soldiers being killed, responsible for innocent people being killed ... He is reducing his economy to zero ... he has to take responsibility for that."

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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday called on British MPs to recognise as a terrorist country following President Vladimir Putin's attack on his nation and called for tougher sanctions to "make sure our skies are safe".

The 44-year-old Ukrainian leader, who made a historic address to the House of Commons via videolink, received a standing ovation by members of Parliament.

"We are looking for your help, for the help of Western counties. We are thankful for this help and I am grateful to you, Boris, said Zelenskyy, addressing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

"Please increase the pressure of sanctions against this country (Russia) and please recognise this country as a terrorist country. Please make sure that our Ukrainian skies are safe. Please make sure that you do what needs to be done and what is stipulated by the greatness of your country. Glory to and glory to the United Kingdom, he said.

In an emotional address, Zelenskyy invoked Britain's war-time Prime Minister Winston Churchill's words, promising to fight Russian troops in the air, sea and on the streets.

"We will not give up and we will not lose, we will fight until the end, at sea, in the air... we will continue fighting for our land. Whatever the cost...we will fight in the forests, in the fields, on the shores, in the streets," he said.

And quoting Shakespeare, he said the question for is "to be, or not to be... it's definitely yes, to be".

It marked the first time a foreign leader has directly addressed MPs in the Commons after Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle had confirmed his request.

"Every parliamentarian wants to hear directly from the President, who will be speaking to us live from Ukraine, so this is an important opportunity for the House, said Hoyle.

"Thanks again to our incredible staff for working at pace to make this historic address possible," he said.

The address followed Boris Johnson's meetings with the leaders of Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to discuss the crisis in the region and the need to boost security efforts in central Europe.

Zelenskyy, a former comedian and actor turned politician, has been centre stage as Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces began an armed conflict with last month. Last week, he received a standing ovation when he spoke to the European Parliament, also via video link.

He has been in regular phone contact with Johnson, who launched a week of diplomacy to create a coalition against Russia's actions in Ukraine. He hosted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Dutch PM Mark Rutte at Downing Street on Monday and later spoke with US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to maintain pressure on to isolate Putin diplomatically and economically.

It came as a plan to fast-track UK sanctions against allies of Vladimir Putin got through the House of Commons at rapid speed, backed by all parties on Monday. The UK government says its Economic Crime Bill will stop wealthy Russians from using the City of London for money laundering much quicker.

During the debate, condensed into a single day to try to get the measures into place as quickly as possible, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel said: "The UK must send a strong signal that it will not be a home for corruption."



The bill, which now goes to the House of Lords and is expected to become law later this month, contains several measures to tackle oligarchs and companies associated with Putin.

On February 24, Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine, three days after Moscow recognised Ukraine's breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - as independent entities.

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Moscow said on Tuesday that Ukrainian authorities had endorsed only one civilian evacuation route from areas affected by fighting out of 10 that were proposed, including five towards territory controlled by Kyiv, the Interfax news agency reported.

The Russian defence ministry said 723 people had been evacuated through the Sumy-Poltava corridor, including 576 Indian nationals, in a first convoy.

said on Monday that a Russian proposal on humanitarian corridors was "completely immoral" after Moscow suggested it would allow people to flee Ukrainian cities towards only Belarus or .

Civilians have been trapped by fighting since Russian troops invaded on Feb. 24, and officials say food, water and other supplies have been running low in some cities.

Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the Russian National Defence Control Centre, said on Tuesday that Moscow had proposed evacuation corridors from Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol - "one from each city to the Russian Federation, as well as one each through the territories controlled by the Kyiv authorities to Poland, Moldova, Romania".

Ukrainian civilians did begin leaving the northeastern city of Sumy and the town of Irpin near Kyiv, heading towards the Ukrainian city of Poltava, but said Russian forces had shelled another evacuation route - from the port city of Mariupol.

The Russian defence ministry said earlier that Russian forces had introduced a "silent regime" along the evacuation corridors from 0700 GMT, Interfax reported.

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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he has "cooled down regarding the question of a membership for his country", which was a key reason why went to war with its neighbour, the US' ABC News reported on Tuesday.

The leader of the war-torn nation was also reported to have gone a step ahead in mending fences with Vladimir Putin, stating that he was open to discussing the status of the two breakaway pro-Russian domains of Donetsk and Lugansk which Moscow insists are independent republics.

"I have cooled down regarding this question a long time ago after we understood that ... is not prepared to accept Ukraine," Zelenskyy said in a televised interview. "The alliance is afraid of controversial things, and confrontation with ."

Zelenskyy also said did not want to be a "country that is begging something on its knees" and he "did not want to be that President".

has long been against the idea of Ukraine's proposed membership.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, to give its full name, was formed during the cold-war era in order to check the dominance of the erstwhile Soviet Union in Europe.

However, after the USSR was fragmented, the alliance continued to expand further east to embrace former Soviet domains.
Ukrainian defence authorities have said that a top Russian general was killed during fighting near the country's second largest city of Kharkiv.

In a statement on Monday night, the Defence Intelligence of identified the slain general as Vitaly Gerasimov, who was a major general, chief of staff and first deputy commander of the 41st Army of the Central Military District of .

According to the statement, Gerasimov took part in the Second Chechen War which took place from August 1999 to April 2000, and the Russian military operation in Syria.

"He received a medal for the return of the Crimea," it said.

The Defence Intelligence further said that "data obtained also indicate significant problems with communication in the occupier's army and with the evacuation of their broken units".

"A number of senior Russian army officers were also killed and wounded," the statement added.

--IANS

ksk/

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David Beasley, head of the World Food Programme (WFP), has warned that the conflict in could send global food prices soaring, with a catastrophic impact on the world's poorest, the BBC reported.

Beasley said the conflict was putting more people at risk of starvation worldwide.

"Just when you think hell on earth can't get any worse, it does," the BBC quoted the WFP chief as saying.

and Ukraine, once dubbed "the breadbasket of Europe", export about a quarter of the world's wheat and half of its sunflower products, like seeds and oil. also sells a lot of corn globally.

Beasley told the BBC that the number of people facing potential starvation worldwide had already risen from 80 million to 276 million in four years prior to Russia's invasion, due to what he calls a "perfect storm" of conflict, climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said certain countries could be particularly affected by the current crisis, due to the high proportion of grains they currently import from the Black Sea region.

Ukrainian lawyer Ivanna Dorichenko, an expert in international trade arbitration, said some farmers in the country have already abandoned their fields in order to take up arms against the Russian invasion.

"The men who need to work on the land, they're all defending our land right now. Because if they do not defend the land, there'll be nothing to work on at a later stage, and you don't have a single person right now who's not trying to help in any way they can," Dorichenko told the BBC.

--IANS

san/ksk/

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The President of Ukraine, Volodomyr Zelenskyy, has been invited to address British members of Parliament virtually on Tuesday amid the ongoing conflict with Russia, House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle confirmed.

Zelenskyy's "historic" address will take place at 1700 GMT and will be shown on screens being installed in the Commons chamber.

It will follow British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's meetings with the leaders of Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to discuss the crisis in the region and the need to boost security efforts in central Europe.

"Every parliamentarian wants to hear directly from the President, who will be speaking to us live from Ukraine, so this is an important opportunity for the House, said Hoyle.

"Thanks again to our incredible staff for working at pace to make this historic address possible," he said.

Zelenskyy, a former comedian and actor turned politician, has been centre stage as Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces began an armed conflict with last month.

Last week, the 44-year-old leader received a standing ovation when he spoke to the European Parliament, also via videolink.

He has been in regular phone contact with Prime Minister Johnson, who launched a week of diplomacy to create a coalition against Russia's actions in .

He hosted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Dutch PM Mark Rutte at Downing Street on Monday and later spoke with US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to maintain pressure on to isolate Putin diplomatically and economically.

It came as a plan to fast-track UK sanctions against allies of Vladimir Putin got through the House of Commons at rapid speed, backed by all parties on Monday. The UK government says its Economic Crime Bill will stop wealthy Russians using the City of London for money laundering much quicker.

During the debate, condensed into a single day to try to get the measures into place as quickly as possible, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel said: "The UK must send a strong signal that it will not be a home for corruption."



The bill, which now goes to the House of Lords and is expected to become law later this month, contains several measures to tackle oligarchs and companies associated with Putin.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy evoked British wartime leader Winston Churchill as he told the U.K. Parliament that his country would fight Russia's invasion to the end in Ukraine's cities, fields and riverbanks.

Zelenskyy told British lawmakers we will not give up and we will not lose, in a speech that evoked Churchill's stirring never surrender speech during the darkest days of World War II.

Speaking by video from to a packed House of Commons chamber, Zelenskyy urged Britain to increase sanctions on and to recognize as a terrorist country.

Tuesday's address was the first time a foreign leader was allowed to speak in the House of Commons. Screens and simultaneous translation headsets were set up in the House of Commons so lawmakers could hear him.

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Underlining the immediate need for humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator on Monday emphasised on allowing civilians to safely leave areas under fire in Ukraine, and delivery of much-needed aid to these locations.

UN relief chief Martin Griffiths briefed ambassadors on how the UN and partners are responding to rising needs since Russia began its "military operation" 11 days ago.

"People are watching as this unnecessary conflict engulfs cities and civilians. As well as what's happening in Ukraine, they have an extra sense of dread over the impact this will have on the wider world. I include myself in this category," he said.

Griffiths, who is also the UN Humanitarian Coordinator, outlined three immediate priorities "to lessen the pain and suffering we are all watching unfold in real time."

First, the parties must take constant care to ensure military operations spare civilians, homes and other infrastructure. Furthermore, people wanting to leave areas of active hostilities must be allowed to do so safely and voluntarily.

As civilians in places such as Mariupol, Kharkiv and elsewhere under attack, desperately need aid, especially life-saving medical supplies, safe passage for humanitarian supplies is also required, UN News reported.

His third point highlighted the urgent need for a system of constant communication with the parties to support aid delivery. He explained that humanitarian notification systems have been implemented in other situations.

"I have already conveyed these three points to the authorities of and to the Russian Federation," said Griffiths, who is also the UN Humanitarian Coordinator.

The UN News reported that the UN and partners were already in prior to the escalation, supporting some 1.5 million people in the Donbas region affected by eight years of "fighting between Government forces and pro-Russian separatists."

Humanitarian assistance has continued in areas where security permits, Griffiths told the Council.

"Under the leadership of the Crisis Coordinator, and the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in country, we have new plans now, of course, on how to deliver where humanitarian needs are most acute," he said.

"This includes the cities we have seen so much on these last days such as Mariupol, Kharkiv, and Kherson. Our response is being scaled up from hubs in Vinnutsya, Uzhorod and Lviv.

(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.)
U.S. lawmakers pushed President Joe Biden's administration on Monday to facilitate the transfer of fighter aircraft to from and other and Eastern European countries, after a plea on Saturday from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.



The White House said it did not oppose planes being sent to but saw logistical challenges to it. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin calling for Washington to commit to replace any donated jets with upgraded Western aircraft, including through concessionary financing and loans as well as subsidized pricing.



He also said should redeploy fighter aircraft to any base where donated aircraft had been stationed.

Zelenskiy made a "desperate plea for European countries to provide Russian-made planes" for Ukraine's fight against Russian invaders during a video call Saturday with U.S. lawmakers, participants in the call said.



Many air forces in Eastern fly Russian-made warplanes, and transferring such aircraft to would mean Ukrainians could pilot the planes without additional training. "I will support efforts in the Senate to implement measures to compensate our allies that provide their aircraft for Ukraine's defense," Menendez wrote.



Members of the U.S. Senate who attened a briefing on Ukraine by State Department officials on Monday evening said they did not believe yet made up its mind about whether to send the aircraft. Some said other countries might also send planes, but declined to identify any.



A State Department spokesperson said the department was working with and consulting with other allies.

"This is Poland's sovereign decision to make. We have in no way opposed Poland transferring planes to Ukraine," the spokesperson said in an email.



Administration officials said there were logistical challenges both in moving aircraft into Ukraine, and providing replacement U.S. planes. "It is not as easy as just moving planes around," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

Many lawmakers - both Biden's fellow Democrats and Republicans - have appealed for Washington to do all it can to get aircraft to Ukraine, including by letting countries that send Russian-made MiGs "jump the line" to quickly obtain U.S.-made F-16s - made by Lockheed Martin - to replace them.

Russia describes its actions as "a special military operation" whose aim is to disarm Ukraine, counter what it views as NATO aggression and capture Ukrainian leaders it calls neo-Nazis.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The announced on Monday that over 500 US troops would be deployed in Europe to reinforce NATO's flank including Poland, Romania, and .

Speaking at a press conference, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby assured that the US army will not be sent to conflict-ridden Ukraine.

Kirby also announced that the new deployments are being positioned to support US forces already in Europe in response to Russia's military operation in Ukraine.

The new deployments include KC-135 refuelling aircraft from Fairfield Air Force Base in Washington, to Greece, along with 150 personnel for refuelling support.

Additionally, an air support operations centre made up of 40 troops from Fort Stewart, Georgia, are deploying to and .

And 300 US personnel are being deployed to to make up a modular ammunition ordnance company from Fort Bragg, North Carolina and a support maintenance company out of Fort Stewart, according to American broadcast CNN.

On the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, Kirby said that Russia doesn't have full control over the country.

He stated that Russia is fighting outside of Kharkiv and still attempting to encircle the city of Chernihiv in the north. He even said that Russia has only captured the small cities. Citing Ukraine's bravery, Kirby said, "Russia will face resistance from the north" and also mentioned that Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the bravest person and the greatest leader.

Kirby also said that they believe that Russia is recruiting fighters from different countries, especially Syria. "We do have indications that corroborate that story that in fact they are trying to enlist and recruit foreign fighters, which we find noteworthy that with more than 150,000 troops, a stalled military advance inside Ukraine, particularly in the north, that Putin has found it necessary to try to recruit foreign fighters for this war of his," Kirby said when asked upon the story first reported by the Wall Street Journal was true.

While addressing the media, Kirby also said that the US and other countries are trying every bit to help Ukraine to "stand in the war." Kirby also assured that Ukraine is using the equipment that was sent to them by the US.

(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 Western ban on Russian oil imports may more than double the price to $300 a barrel and prompt the closure of the main gas pipeline to Germany, Moscow warned on Monday, as talks on hardly advanced amid efforts to agree on civilian safe passage.

Russia's invasion, the biggest attack on a European state since World War Two, has created 1.7 million refugees, a raft of sanctions on Moscow, and fears of wider conflict in the West unthought-of for decades.





Sieges and the bombing continued as Kyiv rejected possible humanitarian corridors to and Belarus, but said some limited progress had been made on agreeing logistics for the evacuation of civilians.

Moscow would give the residents of the Ukrainian cities of Sumy and Mariupol the choice of moving elsewhere in on Tuesday, setting a deadline in the early hours for Kyiv to agree, Russian news agencies reported.



Seeking to ratchet up the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin, the said Washington and its European allies were considering banning Russian oil imports. Oil prices spiked to their highest levels since 2008.

"A rejection of Russian oil would lead to catastrophic consequences for the global market," said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, saying the price could more than double to over $300 per barrel.

U.S. President Joe Biden held a video conference call with the leaders of France, and Britain as he pushed for their support on the ban.

But if need be the is willing to move ahead without allies in Europe, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Many countries on the continent are heavily reliant on Russian energy.

last month froze the certification of Nord Stream 2 that was due to pipe gas from to .





"We have every right to take a matching decision and impose an embargo on gas pumping through the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline," said Novak.

The Russian economy, banking system, and currency have been under intense pressure as punishment for the assault on . The country will be excluded from all of JPMorgan's fixed income indexes, the bank said in the latest such development on Monday.

TALKS 'NOT EASY'

More than 1.7 million Ukrainians have fled to Central Europe since the conflict began on Feb. 24, the United Nations refugee agency said on Monday. read more

calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its southern neighbour's military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists.

After the third attempt to ease the bloodshed at talks in Belarus, a Ukrainian negotiator said that although small progress on agreeing logistics for the evacuation of civilians had been made, things remained largely unchanged.

"As of now, there are no results that significantly improve the situation," Mykhailo Podolyak said.





Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky told journalists the talks were "not easy".

"We hope that from tomorrow these corridors will finally work," he said.

Russia has proposed two corridors inside of Ukraine, according to Interfax.

Escape routes to Russia and Belarus, its close ally, were earlier called "completely immoral" by a spokesperson for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

A fourth round of talks are due soon, Russian negotiator Leonid Slutsky told Russian state television.

"Our president is not scared of anything, including a direct meeting with Putin," said Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba late on Monday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Reuters Moscow would halt operations if Ukraine ceased fighting, amended its constitution to declare neutrality, and recognised Russia's annexation of Crimea and the independence of regions held by Russian-backed separatists.





French President Emmanuel Macron, who spoke with Putin multiple times last month in the run-up to the invasion, said he saw no impeding breakthrough.

"I don't think that in the coming days and weeks, there will be a real negotiated solution", he said.



FAILED EVACUATIONS

The general staff of Ukraine's armed forces said Russian forces were "beginning to accumulate resources for the storming of Kyiv", a city of more than 3 million, after days of slow progress in their main advance south from Belarus.

Outside the capital, attacks continued.





A Russian strike on a bread factory killed 13 in the town of Makariv in the Kyiv region, Ukrainian officials said. Reuters could not verify the details. Russia denies targeting civilians.

In the encircled southern port city of Mariupol, hundreds of thousands of people remained trapped without food and water under regular bombardments.

Deputy mayor Sergei Orlov told CNN that authorities were ready to evacuate 6,000 people on Saturday but Russians had bombed buses that were to transport them. Moscow has accused the Ukrainians of blocking the planned evacuations.

In the eastern city of Kharkiv, police said the total death toll from the Russian bombardment was 143 since the start of the invasion. It was not possible to verify the toll.





In Irpin, people picked their way over the twisted ruins of a large bridge.

"It's like a disaster," a young woman leaving with her children told Reuters.

Ukraine said on Monday its forces had retaken control of the town of Chuhuiv in the northeast after heavy fighting and of the strategic Mykolayiv airport in the south. Neither could immediately be verified.

In a humanitarian update, the United Nations described one psychiatric hospital 60 km (40 miles) from Kyiv running out of water and medicine with 670 people trapped inside, including bedridden patients with severe needs.

U.S. congressional negotiators on Monday were nearing a deal on a bill to provide Ukraine with billions of dollars in emergency aid.





A senior U.S. defence official said Putin had now deployed into Ukraine nearly 100% of the more than 150,000 forces that he had pre-staged outside the country before the invasion.

Moscow has acknowledged nearly 500 deaths among its soldiers, but Western countries say the true number is much higher and Ukraine says it is many thousands.

Death tolls cannot be verified, but footage filmed across Ukraine shows burnt-out wreckage of Russian tanks and armour, and parts of Ukrainian cities reduced to rubble by Russian strikes.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The World Bank said its executive board on Monday approved a $723 million package of loans and grants for Ukraine, providing government budget support as the country battles a Russian invasion.

The package includes a $350 million loan supplement to a prior World Bank loan, augmented by about $139 million through guarantees from the Netherlands and Sweden, the bank said in a statement.

The package also includes $134 million in grants from Britain, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania and Iceland, as well as parallel financing of $100 million from Japan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shares of hit a 15-month low of Rs 93.20, slipping 6 per cent on the BSE in Tuesday's intra-day trade, on margin concerns due to rising raw material costs. In the process, the stock of the commercial vehicle maker hit its lowest level since December 2020.

In the past one week, the market price of has dipped 22 per cent as compared to a 6 per cent fall in the S&P BSE Sensex. Moreovr, in the past one month, it has tanked 30 per cent, as against a 9 per cent decline in the benchmark index.

For October-December quarter (Q3FY22), reported 123 basis points year-on-year decline in its earnings before interest tax and depreciation and amortization (ebitda) margins at 4 per cent due to higher raw material costs. The company's raw material costs in Q3 also increased to 77.9 per cent of sales, up 120 bps quarter-on-quarter.

The sharp rally in commodity prices due to the geopolitical events in Ukraine and its impact on margins, higher cost of ownership, muted volumes and supply shortages are the key triggers for the decline in auto stocks, Business Standard reported. CLICK HERE FOR FULL REPORT



That said, the demand for medium and heavy commercial vehicle (MHCV) is expected to remain strong on the back of a low base, replacement demand, announcement of scrappage policy, pickup in construction & mining and increased infrastructural spending, according to Prabhudas Lilladher.

"Ashok Leyland's electric vehicle (EV) business has been transferred to Switch Mobility. Switch UK has announced setting up of a manufacturing facility in Spain and it plans to invest EUR 100mn over the next decade. Currently, it is looking to raise USD 200mn of which USD 100mn funding is for immediate capex. In India, the current capacity for buses is ~500 units p.a. and in UK it is ~250 units p.a," the brokerage firm said in Q3 result update.
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Norways sovereign wealth fund has put Canada's Bombardier, Indias and South Koreas Hyundai Glovis on its watch list for possible exclusion from investment due to ethical concerns.

Norway's $1.3 trillion wealth fund, which invests the states revenues from oil and gas production for future generations, follows an ethical mandate set by parliament.

Norges Bank, which manages the fund, said in a statement on Monday that Bombardier was placed on the list due to the unacceptable risk that the company contributes to or is responsible for gross corruption.

The fund has a 1.2 per cent stake in the Canadian company, according to Refinitiv data. Investigations into the business-jet maker have revealed the company or its subsidiaries can be linked to allegations or suspicions of corruption in six countries over more than ten years, the fund's council on ethics has said. All the cases relate to bribes or suspicious transactions amounting to more than $100 million to win contracts for Bombardiers subsidiaries, it said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Metro Brands said that Sohel Kamdar, chief operating officer (COO) & key managerial personnel of the company, has tendered his resignation citing personal reasons.

The company has accepted the resignation and shall relieve him from his responsibilities w.e.f. 15 March 2022.

Further, the company informed that Tarannum Bhanpurwala, company secretary & compliance officer of the company, had tendered her resignation citing personal reasons. She will continue with the company as deputy company secretary. The board has accepted her resignation and has relieved her from the responsibilities w.e.f. 7 March 2022.

The board of Metro Brands has approved the appointment of Deepa Sood as the company secretary and the compliance office of the company w.e.f. 7 March 2022.

The board has declared an interim dividend of Rs 1.50 per equity share for the financial year 2021-22. At yesterday's closing price of Rs 517.90, the dividend translates to a dividend yield of 0.29%.

The company had fixed 19 March 2022 as the record date for the purpose of ascertaining the members for entitlement of the said interim dividend. The dividend shall be paid to shareholders within 30 days from the date of declaration.

Metro Brands is one of India's largest footwear retailers and is among the aspirational Indian brands in the footwear category. The company opened its first store under the Metro brand in Mumbai in 1955 and has since evolved into a one-stop-shop for all footwear needs.

The company posted a 54.6% rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 100.85 crore on a 59% jump in net sales to Rs 483.77 crore in Q3 FY22 over Q3 FY21.

Shares of Metro Brands were trading 0.08% higher at Rs 518.30 on BSE.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ramkrishna Forgings rose 3.03% to Rs 806.35 after the company said it entered business association from USA axle manufacturer for light vehicle segment.

A leading Axle manufacturer in the USA has encouraged Ramkrishna Forgings for an estimated business of Rs 70 crore over a 5-year period. The products will be used in the rear axle applications.

Milesh Gandhi, vice president. (marketing), Ramkrishna Forgings said: "It gives us great pleasure to announce that a major US axle manufacturer has expressed strong support for our LV business. This significant recognition of our project in Rear Axle applications will help us to promote continued export revenue growth. Our ongoing efforts to expand in the global market have assisted us in increasing our export sales and improving our relationships with global customers. The order win in future will give us an estimated business of Rs. 700 Million over a period of 5 years. This will help us strengthen our presence in the Light Commercial Vehicle segment and also help in improving our presence in the global market."

Ramkrishna Forgings makes forged products. It is a supplier to various sectors like automotive, railways, farm equipment, bearings, oil & gas, power and construction, earth moving & mining, both in India & overseas markets.

On a consolidated basis, net profit of Ramkrishna Forgings surged 206.42% to Rs 45.35 crore on 49.27% increse in net sales to Rs 601.32 crore in Q3 December 2021 over Q3 December 2020.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Retirement fund body said it has processed all pending claims of women across the country to mark the occasion of International Women's Day in a unique way.

The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) began a massive exercise on March 25, 2022 and processed about 1.39 lakh claims filed by women, it said in a statement.

Out of the 1.39 lakh claims, 73 per cent were settled and 27 per cent claims were found deficient and returned for due corrections.

The Chennai Zone of the body received and processed maximum claims.

As per the statement, a function was organised on the theme 'Value and empower the women workforce' in New Delhi.

On the occasion, Union Labour Minister Bhupender Yadav lauded the and Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) for running a special campaign for women while celebrating the International Women's Day.

"While symbolizes Trust, ESIC compliments through Services," Yadav said.

He also appreciated clearing of all women's claims in EPFO and ESIC.

The pilot for processing all pending claims of women to mark this occasion was done last year at EPFO's regional office of Delhi West situated in Dwarka.

Talking to PTI, Uttam Prakash, former Regional Provident Fund Commissioner, Delhi West, said, "It is overwhelming when an idea takes a policy kind of shape. Replication on a larger canvas gives me immense satisfaction."



Over 7 lakh e-nominations were filed by women members, from just the top 100 establishments in terms of e-nominations. Dedicated e-nomination camps for women employees were organised by all the Regional Offices.

More than 10,000 establishments in this drive reported 100 per cent e-nomination of their women employees, the statement said.

The EPFO is chasing the magical number of one crore e-nominations by the end of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'.

The labour ministry celebrated International Women's Day by clearing all claims of women by EPFO and ESIC, launching a Women Empowerment Desk, and excellence awards.

(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.)
Rajasthan Chief Minister on Tuesday accused the of indulging in of religion, while asserting that the always talks about religious equality.

Today, the is doing in the name of religion. Using religion to come to power is one thing but taking all religions along is a challenging task which the did successfully after independence. The always talks about equality of all religions, Gehlot said.

These people (BJP) ask what the Congress has done in 70 years? The modern India of today is the gift of Congress which believes in sarva dharma sambhav'. They talk about making India Congress-free. I've said many times that it will never happen as Congress is in every house," Gehlot told reporters here.

Asked about the likely outcome of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, he said, "This country has been captured by forces who have never believed in democracy. They neither believed in it in the past, nor will they do it in future, he said targeting the .

But if you do in the name of religion or caste, you can see what kind of situation arises. There is no place in a democracy to provoke people in the name of religion, he said.

Extending his greetings on the International Women's Day on Tuesday, he said, Time has come to talk about empowerment of women.

Today is the day to think how we should play our part for women empowerment and what can we contribute. The government is taking all kinds of steps to empower women.

(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 on Tuesday lauded the Commission For Women (DCW) for its work, saying the panel has instilled a sense of security among women in the capital.

The chief minister said other women's panels, including the National Commission For Women, should learn from the .

Kejriwal was speaking at the International Women's Day Awards function hosted by the here.

Around 60 awards were given away to women achievers and those who have been involved in working on women's issues.

Kejriwal wished everyone on the occasion and also spoke about steps taken by the government to empower women.

"The is the perfect example of how a women's commission should function. Other women's commissions should learn from the DCW. Even the National Commission For Women (NCW) should learn how a women's panel should function," he said.

Appreciating DCW's work, he said the panel has instilled a sense of security among the women of .

"The women of Delhi know that if they face any injustice or any untoward incident, they can call 181 (DCW helpline) and they will be provided assistance.

"Every woman knows that they can pick the phone, call 181 and Swati Maliwal (DCW chief) will reach for their assistance," he said.

He called Maliwal ''Delhi's Lady Singham'' who is not scared and has rescued several women and children without thinking about her own safety.

The chief minister also said Delhi has surpassed mega cities of the world in terms of CCTV camera coverage.

"I am not making these claims but an international magazine had recently said this," he said.

Maliwal said in the last six years, the panel has handled 1,23,000 cases and its helpline received over 15 lakh calls.

"We have given more than 300 suggestions to the Centre and Delhi government over various issues. The DCW has questioned the system and fixed accountability. Our endeavour is to ensure that a strict system is put in place so that people are scared of harming women," she said.

Maliwal said the DCW's budget has gone up from Rs 3 crore to Rs 35 crore under the Kejriwal-led dispensation.

"Our budget is higher than that of NCW. The Delhi government has installed CCTV cameras in Delhi and this has helped the police nab criminals," she said.

(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.)
Expressing his government's commitment to implement the Mekedatu project across river Cauvery, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai while ruling out negotiations with neighbouring Tamil Nadu, on Tuesday said, he will be calling an all party meeting soon, to discuss the legal repercussions and going ahead with the work.

He was reacting to objections raised by Leader of Opposition in the legislative Assembly, to Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat's recent statement that the Centre is ready to facilitate talks between and Tamil Nadu on the Mekedatu project.

Citing Shekhawat's statement, expressed apprehensions about the Government of India granting clearances for the project.

Tamil Nadu is vehemently opposed to the project.

"Regarding the Mekedatu project there have been discussions, though the factual position is known to everyone, its repercussions need to be discussed with the legal team," Bommai said.

Noting that the task before is to begin the work after getting the Detailed Project Report (DPR) approved and environmental clearance from the Centre, he said, he has already had two rounds of discussions with the legal team regarding the legal repercussions, and will be calling an all-party meeting, probably this week itself.

"Our stand is very clear that our responsibility is to give Tamil Nadu the due water which has been allocated by the tribunal, other than we don't have any other responsibility. They (TN) have put a miscellaneous application, in this background, let's all come to one decision to go ahead and begin the Mekedatu work at the earliest, after getting to know the legal point of view from experts," he added.

The DPR of the project is before the Water Management Authority (CWMA), also the matter is before the Environment Ministry, for environmental clearance, for which terms of reference have to be fixed.

The Chief Minister said, a miscellaneous application from Tamil Nadu is before the Supreme Court regarding the project, also there was a Chennai Green Tribunal's stay for the project on the basis of some farmers visiting the proposed dam site, though it was quashed by the Central Green Tribunal, it has been challenged in the Supreme Court.

Highlighting that Tamil Nadu is opposed to any project by Karnataka in connection with water, as it has got political importance there, he said, "they oppose even for drinking water, so we too have objected to some of their projects."



Earlier, pointing to Shekhawat's statement that the Centre is ready to facilitate talks between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on the Mekedatu project, said, "he should not have said it, and I condemn it."



As he said, the Chief Minister who was present with the Union Minister did not object to the statement, Bommai clarified that Shekhawat made the statement at a press conference much later and it was not in his presence.

The Chief Minister also made it clear that there are no plans of negotiations regarding the Mekedatu project before the state government, as mentioned by the Union Minister. "Getting the DPR approved and environmental clearance is the only agenda before us."



Noting that the Congress had organised a padayatra demanding for the implementation of Mekedatu project, Siddaramaiah said, after the 2018 Supreme Court ruling regarding river water, there is no dispute and Tamil Nadu has no right to object to Mekedatu project.

In addition to 177.75 tmc water in a normal year, during the last 7 years 582 tmc of surplus water has flown to Tamil Nadu, he said, "the surplus water that flows to Tamil Nadu and then to sea, is our water."



Intervening, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy pointed out that there is a quantum of water allocated to Karnataka too, and the Supreme Court has not said that surplus water belongs to Karnataka.

"Regarding surplus water and what has to be done in distress, there has been no decision so far. They (TN) have disputed the surplus water and a case is going on in the court, so there is a dispute and we (state govt) are fighting out," he said.

Rejecting it Siddaramaiah said, but there is no stay from the Court for the project. "According to me Tamil Nadu is opposing the project for the sake of and votes. Legally, constitutionally they have no right."



Senior Congress leader and former Irrigation Minister H K Patil too said, according to Karnataka there is no dispute other than the state's liability to release certain quantum of water to Tamil Nadu.

"We will not accept any type of negotiation, because the issue is already over. There is no issue now. That should be the stand of the state," he said.

Patil also urged the Chief Minister to write to the Government of India regarding its objection to the central Minister's statement and clarifying the state's stand.

To which Bommai said, Karnataka's stand on Mekedatu has been made clear again and again by him and his predecessor B S Yediyurappa in several letters to the centre, and he will be writing once again informing the decision of the all party meeting.

"I will also go to Delhi and make all efforts to get DPR approved and to begin the work," he added.

The state budget presented by Bommai last week, has provided a grant of Rs 1,000 crore in the current year for implementation of the Mekedatu project.

The Mekedatu multi-purpose (drinking and power) project involves building a balancing reservoir near Kanakapura in Ramanagara district.

The estimated Rs 9,000 crore project once completed is aimed at ensuring drinking water to Bengaluru and neighbouring areas (4.75 TMC) and it can also generate 400 MW power.

Karnataka has maintained that the project within its territory will benefit both states as the surplus water stored can be managed between the two during a distress year, and its implementation will in no way affect the interests of Tamil Nadu's farming communities, as there will be no impact on its share of water.

However, the neighbouring state is of the view that the project would "impound and divert" the uncontrolled water flow due to Tamil Nadu from Kabini sub-basin, the catchment area below Krishnarajasagara, and also from Simsha, Arkavathy and Suvarnavathi sub-basins besides other small streams.

(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.)
is hosting a virtual event on March 8 where the American technology giant is expected to unveil third-gen with 5G, upgraded iPad Air, and redesigned MacBook Air with new Apple chip. Formally called Peek Perfomance, the event will be hosted virtually from the Apple Park. It will livestream at 11:30 pm (IST) through the dedicated Apple Events mini site. The event will also livestream on Apples YouTube channel. You can tune in here at 11:30 pm to watch the Apples Peek Performance event livestream through video embedded below.

Apple Peek Performance event: What to expect

5G

At the March 8 event, Apple is expected to unveil third-gen . The smartphone is expected to bring 5G support enabled by Apple A15 Bionic processor. It is expected to look identical to the current model, which was launched in 2020, with a 4.7-inch screen, TouchID, thin-and-lightweight design, and compact form factor. The iPhone SE is the entry-level series in the Apples smartphone line, and the third-gen is expected to no different.

iPad Air 5G

Like the iPhone SE, the iPad Air is expected to get a new chip (A15 Bionic) for improved performance and 5G network support. It may, however, look similar to the on-going model -- flat edges, thin bezels, USB-C, and TouchID.

The new iPad Air would support Apple Pencil 2, which features a flat edge that attaches magnetically for automatic charging and pairing. On the software side, the iPad Air is expected to get ultra-wide-angle camera on the front for Apples Centre Stage feature.

Redesigned MacBook Air with new chip

Apple debuted its M1 chip with MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Since, the company has upgraded the MacBook Pro with more powerful chip and new design language. On March 8, Apple is expected to bring a redesigned MacBook Air. It is also likely to power the new MacBook with a new chip. According to news report in Bloomberg, the new chip would include an eight-core CPU (four efficiency cores and four high-performance cores) and ten GPU cores.

Mac mini

Like the MacBook Air, the Mac mini is due for both design and hardware-related upgrades. At the Peek Performance event, Apple is expected to refresh either the MacBook Air or Mac mini. It is also likely that the company would announce a new model of both.

One more thing

Apple is also expected to unveil an affordable external monitor, and a new Studio Display with 7K resolution and built-in Apple A13 Bionic chip. These are less likely, but Apple is known to keep a surprise up its sleeves and these two displays could be it.
Pune (Maharashtra) [India], March 8 (ANI/PR Newswire): Prashant Bora, Chairman and MD of Bora Multicorp, a Maharashtra-based conglomerate, has been instrumental in mentoring and investing in young entrepreneurs, has declared the launch of their first e-Commerce brand, AKSA. It is India's first organised e-commerce for Hallmarked Sterling Silver Products and Gold Vermeil Jewelry. They will start delivering great products from today.

The brand has a variety of over 2000-plus in Gold Vermeil and 925 Hallmarked Silver Jewelry products, with international styles, crafted by global artisans in American, Turkey, and Italy.

Gold Vermeil products first originated in the 19th century, where Gold was applied to Sterling Silver to create pieces that looked like they were made from solid Gold without the hefty price tag. Gold Vermeil is quickly becoming a favourite of top designers and consumers across Europe and America. This collection of jewellery which seems like it will cost a fortune, but it actually costs a fraction of Solid Gold Jewelry without compromising on the quality and looks.

Bora said, "AKSA is set to disrupt the market with some interesting products, of the utmost quality and pricing, affordable for working women of our country. The current products available are not worth their price, we will provide the best value to our consumers."

Vrushabh Gandhi, a part of Bora's D2C mentorship, has been appointed as a Director for AKSA. Vrushabh is experienced in manufacturing and financial management. Gandhi says, "We underwent an intense research to understand the taste of today's women and tailor-made our products to suit their requirements. Under Bora's mentorship, AKSA is ready to deliver quality with an excellent value chain system and it will be the first company to bring in some globally popular product styles for the working women of our country."

The brand has declared that it will release the products at minimum profitability and focus on extending more value to the end customer. AKSA is eyeing at least a 30 per cent market share in this FY. For more information on products please visit (https://aksa.co)

AKSA is a Jewelry eCommerce that deals in 925 Hallmarked Sterling Silver Jewelry and Gold Vermeil Jewelry, they claim the best price in the industry and are disrupting the online market with their pricing, international designs and global manufacturing from artisans in Turkey and Italy.

Photo: (https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1761745/Aksa__D2C_E_commerce.jpg)

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New Delhi [India], March 8 (ANI/PR Newswire): Deakin University, Australia and Symbiosis International University have announced the launch of the Women Entrepreneurship Research Alliance (WERA). This research alliance will work towards creating the same participation and success rates in entrepreneurial activity for women as their male counterparts and harnessing their potential to rebuild nations and their economies.

The program was signed off virtually by both partners on International Women's Day on 8 March 2022 in the presence of senior representatives including Sarah Storey, Deputy Australian High Commissioner to India, Professor Iain Martin, President and Vice-Chancellor, Deakin University, Dr Vidya Yeravdekar, Principal Director of Symbiosis Society, Shloka Nath, Executive Director, India Climate Collaborative and Head of Sustainability Portfolio, Tata Trusts, and Ravneet Pawha, Deputy Vice President (Global), Deakin University.

The official launch of WERA was followed by an engaging panel discussion on the topic 'Women and Sustainability: Business in the New Normal'. This was organised to foster conversations about the impact women in business can have on a sustainable future, and they spoke in detail about the roles women could take in mitigating some of the most pressing challenges of our time. The panellists included Preeti Sayal, Senior Specialist, NITI Ayog; Meenal Mohadikar, President, Ami Udyogini, and Vice President, Maharashtra Economic Development Council; Trish Hyde, co-founder, and CEO of The Plastics Circle; and Anupama Ratta, Head, Diversity and Inclusion, Tata Power.

Speaking at the launch, Sarah Storey, Deputy Australian High Commissioner to India, elaborated on the importance of research collaboration between India and Australia, "One of the key focus areas of the India Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is to enhance bilateral research collaborations," she said.

"There's been a lot of hard work put into deepening the India-Australia relationship, with a suite of ministerial announced initiatives and progress on the free trade agreement. The Women Entrepreneurship Research Alliance is another welcome contribution to mutually beneficial knowledge exchanges which helps to strengthen further this flourishing relationship."

"I will be interested to see the impact of this alliance on bridging the gap between men and women in entrepreneurship - and reducing obstacles women face through social roles and cultural stereotypes," Ms Storey said.

Deakin University's President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Iain Martin said, "Deakin is excited to partner with Symbiosis to make a positive impact on women entrepreneurs in India through the Women Entrepreneurship Research Alliance (WERA)."

"Deakin is committed to ensuring gender equity becomes a business and cultural norm. Through this partnership, we aim to introduce meaningful actions to support women's motivations and expectations about entrepreneurship."

Ravneet Pawha, Deputy Vice President (Global) and CEO (South Asia), Deakin University, added "Women entrepreneurship is vital to our country's development and recovery from the pandemic. However, the percentage of women who decide to pursue an entrepreneurial career is lower than that of men."

"This collaboration is a part of our plan to give back to the communities we live in, and we've partnered with Symbiosis that is a leader in the region to foster the empowerment of women in India through the development of programs and applied research that supports them to engage in entrepreneurial activity."

Noting the significance of this collaboration, Andrea North-Samardzic, Director, Women Entrepreneurship Research Alliance (WERA) remarked, "This is a one-of-a-kind centre in India which will work at all three levels: research, training, and policy advocacy. I've had the opportunity to work on similar projects in other countries that have greatly contributed to the development of local communities, and I look forward to all that we'll achieve in the years to come."

As part of the strategy, this centre will include the development of an online training program and whitepapers and providing masterclasses for young female entrepreneurs looking to start their business in both India and Australia, facilitating connections between women entrepreneurs of the two countries. The centre will also undertake impact evaluations of programs for women entrepreneurs and more.

To learn more about this initiative, write an email to (mailto:sa-research@deakin.edu.au).

Established in 1974, Deakin University successfully combines excellence in teaching, research and effective partnerships with industry and government to deliver high quality courses and undertake research that makes a difference to the domestic and international communities it serves.

Deakin's South Asia operations commenced in 1994 at New Delhi, India, making it one of the first overseas education provider to set operations in this region. Here, Deakin engages with the government, industry, and the academia to share its vibrant culture of education and research.

For more information, please visit: (https://www.deakin.edu.au/international-students/help-or-contact/support-in-your-country-or-region/south-asia)

Photo: (https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1761763/Partnership_OP.jpg)

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Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], March 8 (ANI/NewsVoir): Hyderabad based Chennais Amirta International Institute of Hotel Management (CAIIHM) a premier hospitality education institution of South India that has been grooming future leaders in the hospitality industry conducted a mega campus recruitment drive at Hyderabad recently.

Whilst, 410 CAIIHM Hyderabad students attended the interview and bagged recruitment offers from their preferred Star properties like Le Meridian, Westin, Green Park, Marigold, Radisson Blu, Lemon Tree, Hampshire Plaza, Hotel Avasa, Hotel Daspalla, The Golkonda Hotel, Hyatt Place, Dolphin Hotel, Celebrity club, The Platinum Boutique, Deccan Serai, Amirta Castle, Minerva Grand, Aditya Park Sarovar Portico, Inox, Yashodha Hospital and overseas recruiters where students were recruited directly.

Placements were given in their preferred Department and preferred locations including Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kerala, Goa, Daman, Gujarat, Mumbai and Udaipurin addition to reputed star properties & Chain link restaurants and overseas recruiters participated in this one-day mega campus drive.

Virtual interviews were also conducted for the outstation eminent star properties like Hablis, Residency Towers, Green Park Chennai, MGM Resorts, JP Hotels, Classic Sarovar Portico, Fern Group of Hotels, Udai Vilas, Marriott, Oberoi group of hotels, Sheraton Group of Hotels, Sterling Group of Hotels and Apollo Sindoori Groups, in addition to overseas recruiters. Three of the CAIIHM students from Hyderabad landed up with lucrative job offers from one of Turkey's Five Star Properties.

Speaking at the campus drive in Hyderabad, Boomee Naathan, Chairman, Chennais Amirta IIHM said, "It was heartening and encouraging seeing the participating hoteliers extremely happy recruiting our 400 plus students from Hyderabad, out of which three have been selected for a five-star property in Turkey. About 3575 vacancies were created by the Placement Department of Chennais Amirta for the benefit of students who attended this campus drive at Hyderabad."

The campus drive was organised by Rajesh Kumar - Principal of Chennais Amirta IIHM, Balkampet Hyderabad campus and Kavitha Nandakumar - Chief advisor for Placement Department - Pan India.

Founded in 2010, Chennais Amirta IIHM aims to groom high calibre hospitality professionals and set a benchmark in the hospitality academics across the world.

With a tagline 'Think Hotel Management; Think Chennais Amirta', the institute reflects its strong brand identity in South India's hospitality industry, with rich and experienced faculty members, state-of-the-art- lab facilities and academics that are a perfect blend of theoretical knowledge, Industrial Exposure trainings and on job trainings for students.

Part Time Job facility is another boon for the students who gets handsome salary while pursuing his studies helping him to meet his financial needs and also gets wider exposure and experience during his academic tenure.

Despite the hospitality sector being badly affected by COVID-19, Chennais Amirta IIHM has consistently performed well and provided its students with 100 per cent placements. With 16 different courses offered across Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore, about 15000 students are part of the institute's alumni, who occupy key positions in most of the hotels across India and abroad.

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Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], March 8 (ANI/PR Newswire): IIITH's annual R & D Showcase will be held this year on Saturday 12 March 2022 in a hybrid model - physically on campus for students and in the metaverse for visitors. The Showcase will be hosted on the metaverse by NextMeetLive, one of CIE at IIITH's Avishkar accelerator startups.

The Showcase this year is themed Tech-away - Accelerating the Future, especially technology orbitshifts triggered by seminal life-altering events like the COVID pandemic in the metaverse.

IIITH's annual R & D Showcase celebrates the spirit of Research & Development where faculty and students share their work with the public in keeping with its endeavour to promote applied research that benefits society.

This year's lineup includes roundtables on Quantum Science & Technology as well as Cyber-Physical Convergence. There will also be pitches on research product possibilities, research connected startup demos, 600 research demos from IIITH's 28 research centres, and a summary showcase.

Vinod K Nandicoori, Director, CCMB will deliver the inaugural keynote on how research is integral to the world today and tomorrow.

More details at (https://rndshowcase.iiit.ac.in/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">https://rndshowcase.iiit.ac.in/

The International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIIT-H) is an autonomous research university founded in 1998 that focuses on the core areas of Information Technology, such as Computer Science, Electronics and Communications, and their applications in other domains through inter-disciplinary research that has a greater social impact. Some of its research domains include Visual Information Technologies, Human Language Technologies, Data Engineering, VLSI and Embedded Systems, Computer Architecture, Wireless Communications, Algorithms and Information Security, Robotics, Building Science, Earthquake Engineering, Computational Natural Sciences and Bioinformatics, Education Technologies, Power Systems, IT in Agriculture and e-Governance.

Website: (https://www.iiit.ac.in)

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Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], March 8 (ANI/ATK): Jaisinghpura Road at Mansarovar Extension is the current hub of development.

This place is also recognized as the Medical Hub now. This road will be the address of a proposed 1200 bed medical hospital and university along with a 300 bed multi-specialty hospital.

The JDA Master plan of 2025 proposes the development of several 200 Feet roads in this area out of which the execution of a few has already begun & are targeted to be completed within 2 years. To decrease the load of Ajmer Road traffic, a flyover has been proposed near Bhankrota, alongwith the extension of Kamala Nehru flyover.

The development of a clover leaf flyover connecting Ajmer Road to the Ring Road has already been started. A 200 ft. wide sector road will connect Mahindra SEZ & Ring Road to the 200 ft. wide Jaisinghpura sector road which will connect to Gopalpura Bypass.

The work of this road has begun from the Gopalpura Bypass side. This road will play a key role in making the Mansarovar Metro Station the connecting point to the mentioned areas. This road will be 2 km long, out of which 1.2 km has already been developed and the rest 800 meters (approx.) is also under construction.

Rajasthan's largest D-Mart is also proposed here. A five star hotel is also under construction here. The location also offers well established and renowned schools such as Jaishree Periwal International School, Delhi Public School, Neerja Modi International School and St. Xavier's. The location is proximate to the city as well as the Mahindra SEZ. Due to the good connectivity of roads and transport this area offers all possible opportunities for luxury residential and commercial ventures.

Recently Govt of Rajasthan announced that they will take out DPR'S Jaipur Metro which will connect Mansarovar to Bagru while crossing Jaisinghpura, Ring Road, SEZ etc.

Similarly, when you talk about Residential Development, a leading project of Jaipur, (https://shubhashishhomes.com/projects) Shubhashish Geeta, a Resort themed residential luxury apartment project, is situated in the heart of Medical Hub Mansarover Extension, (Present Jaisinghpura Road), promoted by Shubhashish Homes this project will offer 400 Luxury Apartment & Villa Residences.

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New Delhi [India], March 8 (ANI/NewsVoir): Molitics is about to bring positive changes in Indian politics in the years to come. Socio-political media company Molitics Infomedia raised funds with backing from SAAMAG Group founded in 1995 as a trading firm in New Delhi, SAAMAG Group is a frontrunner in Shipping, Healthcare, Real Estate and E-commerce industries.

Molitics Infomedia, the first-ever socio-political media, has developed two applications; one is Molitics, which is a social networking application, designed especially for journalists, social activists and political commentators while another one is Molitics+, which runs on subscription base model for political leaders.

"Molitics is intended to bridge the gap between political leaders and common people," says Anudeep, Director and Founder of Molitics, the main brain behind the applications. "It is something which lets leaders know about the needs of voters and allow common people to put forward their issues pertaining to a particular leader or group of leaders."

Talking about the funds, the Founder & Director of the company, Anudeep, said that the funding would help Molitics grow its user base globally and expand its business across the country. "As far as future plans are concerned, Molitics is looking forward to being the Social Media platform specially designed for journalists, social activists and political commentators. Apart from this, it will provide its users all the political information like leader's encyclopaedia, real-time surveys and election results." He added.

Presently, more than hundred national and local political leaders are using M+ in individual capacities whereas four prominent political parties used M+ to expand their reach, build team and strengthen themselves.

Recently, Molitics Infomedia revamped its existing news application as the socio-political social media. The development came after approximately 15 days since Molitics got funding from SAAMAG Group. The investment has been made in order to expand the user base and service areas. The investment will help them reach out to more users across the country.

Molitics will be the one-point knowledge centre for everyone interested in politics. All the stakeholders of political ecosystem like voters, leaders and political workers will be benefitted by the solution.

Molitics is a mass product and is available on iOS and Google Play Store for free providing its users the static and dynamic political knowledge like political leader's details, election results, ground reports etc. Apart from this it gives its users a platform to write about the socio-political developments and issues. It also gives them an option to hold their representative accountable for concerned issues. Whereas, Molitics+ is one of the most expensive applications present on Google Play store. It is especially designed for political leaders in order to manage their task-force and strategies elections accordingly.

Molitics+ is designed keeping in mind that transparent communication between political leaders and voters will benefit everyone. As per its functioning, political leaders may get to know about the real problems of their electorates and address them accordingly. A leader can also delegate the tasks to his workers and keep a track of it.

Founded in 1995 as trading firm in New Delhi (India), SAAMAG Group has redefined success creating unmatched value in the realms of shipping, real estate, hospitality, construction and E-commerce.

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Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 8 (ANI/NewsVoir): Since inception, OrgFarm has always strived to provide the highest quality of pure, healthy organic foods to our consumers and to offer a healthier and more abundant life for all.

OrgFarm continues to be true partners with farmers and are actively participating in a mission to create a sustainable environment & providing a life of dignity to farmers, while bringing health, happiness and true wellness to yourself.

Our vision is to bring organic farming throughout India and make it affordable to all customers, and, contribute to a food cycle that cares for people and the environment.

This Women's day, the OrgFarm team takes great pride in joining hands with women weavers from Tamil Nadu through a unique program that contributes to ensuring that women are economically empowered for the betterment of their future. In this program, for every Rs. 1000/- spent by our customers, they receive a handwoven Sungudi saree worth Rs. 750/- absolutely free, and this amount (Rs. 750/-) is fully remitted to the weavers by OrgFarm.

It's an opportune time to reflect on the important role women play in supporting a sustainable future for all and at OrgFarm, we are glad to celebrate these women weavers and the outcomes we have obtained in our women empowerment drive as an organisation. We at OrgFarm, value women and entrust them with amazing responsibilities. Women are given equal opportunities at work and are allowed to stand among, and sometimes ahead of, men in many fields.

"As such, I would also like to extend a special thank you to all our brilliant staff (men included), who are helping to create a more gender-inclusive world in their respective work. I also welcome our customers to join us in extending your support to these women and see them rise to the top," said Mukundu Kumaran, CEO at OrgFarm.

With over 1500 products to choose from, OrgFarm brings you the widest range of ORGANIC fruits, vegetables and groceries that include cold pressed oils, whole and powdered spices, whole spices, traditional variety of rice, traditional sweets, savouries and more all under one roof.

At OrgFarm - the food is as real as it gets - 100% ORGANIC Fruits, Vegetables & Groceries - Straight from the farm, harvested after we receive your orders, no long-distance shipping, no storage and certainly no artificial ripening process. We receive the harvested produce daily from our farmers which is then sorted and packed under extremely rigid hygiene protocols at our warehouse, and then dispatched to consumers in less than 12 - 24 hours. This ensures that our customers enjoy freshly harvested, contamination free food and groceries to give you and your family the purest form of nutrition you deserve.

OrgFarm currently operates in Chennai and Bangalore and offers free delivery across these two cities. We invite you to Eat Healthy, Protect Nature and Support our Farmers. Go OrgFarm!

To order visit our website: (https://orgfarm.store)

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New Delhi [India], March 8 (ANI/TPT): Out of fifteen short-listed candidates for the new TAF Emerging Artist Award - South Asia 2021 the winners were announced.

Over 700 applications were received - a remarkable result in the Award's inaugural year - with works in painting, sculpture, photography, digital and other art forms.

Applications were submitted by artists under the age of 35 living and working in South Asia and also by the South Asian diaspora living and working in 15 other countries including Canada, the UK, the USA and Australia.

Open to entries by emerging artists under the age of 35 from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, India, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. 3,000 worth of prizes are awarded to the most innovative artist in their chosen medium.

First Place Winner: Bushra Waqas Khan-Khan trained as a printmaker and studied at the National College of Art. Khan was selected for her form of miniature clothing using "affidavit" paper, referencing fashion, art, culture and history and will receive 1,500 in prize money. Khan was chosen as a finalist in the V & A's prestigious Jameel Prize in Nov 2021 for contemporary art and design inspired by Islamic tradition. One of her dresses was displayed until November at the museum.

Khan's work was selected by a jury comprising high-profile professionals in the arts of South Asia who are leaders in their field and comprise: Lekha Poddar (Devi Art Foundation), Julia Hutt (ex-Curator V & A Museum, London), Neha Jaiswal (Founder The Arts Family), Amit Kumar Jain (Founder, Art & Culture specialist), Malini Roy (Curator British Library, London) & Shanti Panchal (Master British Indian Artist).

"We are honoured and privileged to be able to draw upon the collective knowledge and deep understanding of art from South Asia", said TAF founder, Neha Jaiswal.

Second Place Award: Madhu Das-Das completed his BA Fine Art from the College of Fine Art, Karnataka ChitrakalaParishat, Bangalore in 2009 and his Masters of Fine Art from S N School of Fine Arts & Communications, Central University of Hyderabad in 2013. Das was selected for his site-specific photo-performative intervention "Landscape of Confronted Abstraction" which is the culmination of Das's ongoing research dealing with social and political issues that proximity to landscape tends to conceal. Das will receive 1,000 in prize money.

Third Place Award: Shivangi Ladha-Ladha completed her BA in Painting from the College of Art, Delhi in 2012 and an MA in Fine Art from Wimbledon College of Art in 2014, followed by an MA in Printmaking from the Royal College of Art in London in 2016. Ladha was selected for her self-portrait which represents the collective voice of a crowd seeking to rise and transcend to a place where all beings are essentially one. Ladha will receive 500 in prize money.

The 15 Shortlisted Candidates for the TAF Emerging Artist Award South Asia 2021-22 were: Bushra Waqas Khan, Vipeksha Gupta, Anirudh Shaktawat, SashikanthThavudoz, Madhu Das, Shivangi Ladha, Jayeeta Chatterjee, Afrah Shafiq, Devika N. Sundar, Misha Abbas, Pallavi Singh, Mohammed Rabin, Snigdha Tiwari, Nayan Burman and Aashti Miller.

The TAF Emerging Artist Award was started in April 2021 with the aim of promoting young talented artists from South Asia internationally and to give them a wider platform to showcase artistic talent from the region."We were very excited by the very positive response when we put the call out to artists from the region. During the summer months, we have been busy reviewing over 700 applications", said founder, Neha Jaiswal.

Each of the winners will be promoted by TAF on their social media channels, and within the growing TAF network of art professionals. Another benefit for the shortlisted candidates is knowledge sharing via a new series of live streamed art market talks with international art professionals. The TAF TALKS series has been designed to give the artists guidance and insights into developing a career as an artist internationally.

For more information, visit: (https://www.theartsfamily.com)

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Many of you may have received that email by now. The one where your boss wants you back in office. Now that Covid-19 cases are declining, some of you might be relieved. While others might be dreading the long office commute.

Either way, its inevitable that companies get back to some semblance of pre-Covid normalcy. Let us dive into the details of how . is handling the back-to-office drill

Companies across sectors are now opening up their . However, there is a clear divide. On one hand, there are those who want all their employees to work from office. While on the other, IT companies and start-ups are leading another group that is opting for a hybrid workplace model.

Globally, Google has asked its employees to return to office from April 4 for three days a week. Though in India it is still on a voluntary basis.

IT services sector companies are encouraging senior managers and leaders to attend office in person for three to four days a week, to start with.

Take the case of Bengaluru-headquartered Infosys, which said that though over 96% of its workforce is operating remotely, the company is looking to gradually increase the number of people coming back to office over the next 3-4 months.

A senior Infosys executive said that the future of work will be hybrid. It will be a mix of employees coming in daily, some working fully remote and the rest using a mix of both modes. He added the company expects a hybrid model in which approximately 40-50 per cent of employees are likely to work from office on any given day.

Tata Consultancy Services had earlier announced the 25/25 model. This model will require no more than 25 per cent of its employees to work from an office at any given time. And, they also do not need to spend more than 25 per cent of their time in the office.

The company said that senior management level executives have started working from regularly. Once the employees are back in office, the transition to the hybrid model will start.

At the other end of the spectrum are the new-age start-ups, which want to change the way people work. In November 2021, Swiggy introduced its Future of Work policy. The food-tech firm offers a flexible working model for all employees based on their nature of work.

Unlike the IT sector, some industries are aiming to get back to office with full or high capacity.In early January, during the surge in Omicron cases, the JSW Group started operating with 50 per cent of its employees at its in Mumbai, while the rest worked from home. But, from the first week of February, the company is working at full capacity in its offices.

Tobacco-to-hotels major ITC has ramped up its office presence across locations to two-thirds, effective March. It was limited to 30 per cent earlier.

The pharmaceutical industry is no different. After a brief work-from-home spell in January during the third wave of the pandemic, most of the companies in the sector are back to office now.

Jayesh Desai, executive director at Torrent Group, which has a presence in power and pharmaceuticals, said that since June last year, the company had started asking its employees to return to office while maintaining the usual safety precautions.

The country's largest drug maker, Sun Pharmaceuticals, has also asked its employees to report back to office. A company spokesperson said that only those employees who are Covid-positive or have a family member who is infected are allowed to .

The auto sector is also focussing on getting people back to office at least a few days in a week. At the Tata Motors corporate office, employees continue to show up two to three days a week. Mahindra Group has a flexible work model as well, and it is up to the employees to decide whether they want to or come to office.

So India Incl. like the rest of world is still testing the waters. Experts are not sure if the pandemic is over, or there are more spells in waiting. So it is in the interest of the company if employees are able to work efficiently from both the places  home and office.
The fresh Covid-19 cases reached 4,300 on Monday, bringing some semblance of normality. Rush in and public transport also conveyed the same feeling -- that old days are back. World over, companies have started calling their employees back to the . But a breeze of change is also blowing through across the sectors. Several big firms and a large number of start-ups are giving their employees the options to choose between home and . But some want the old order back.

Meanwhile, Russia is on a warpath to bring back another kind of old order. It has invaded Ukraine, leaving the world in shock and disbelief. Subsequent sanctions imposed by the West have economically cut off Russia from the rest of the world. Ukraine too is in a similar situation. And some of the trade void left by these two countries is now being filled by India. Demand for Indian wheat and several other commodities has risen. Find out the the long-term impact, as these sanctions are unlikely to be lifted anytime soon.

he war is taking a heavy toll on Indian . It has brought the rally seen since March 2020 to a screeching halt. There was no respite on Monday too with the Nifty50 index slipping below the 16,000-mark. Is there more pain in store for the or should you use the fall to buy? Business Standard spoke to leading market experts to know what they think of the current situation and their investment strategy.

Gujarats Gift City has now opened a window for Indians to invest in prominent international stocks. Entities, which are owned by BSE and NSE and are based in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City or GIFT City in Gandhinagar, now let retail investors buy and sell stocks of US firms. In this episode of the podcast find out more about National Stock Exchange (NSE)s International Financial Service Centre (IFSC) which is allowing trading in eight US stocks and will soon increase the count to 50.
NSE-owned IFSC is located in Gujarats GIFT City, which is Indias first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC). Stock exchanges operating in the GIFT City are permitted to offer trading in securities in any currency other than the Indian rupee.

From March 3, launched trading in eight US stocks like Alphabet, Amazon, Tesla, Microsoft and Netflix in the form of unsponsored depositary receipts. It will be later increased to 50 in a phased manner.

The trading, clearing, settlement and holding of US Stocks will be under the regulatory structure of IFSC Authority. Currently, the product is under regulatory sandbox for a period of nine months. The number of investors that can be on-boarded during the sandbox testing phase is limited to a maximum of 10,000.

Investors will be able to hold the depository receipts in their own demat accounts opened in GIFT City. They will be able to transact on the platform under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) limits prescribed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

LRS allows Indian individuals to freely remit funds up to $250,000 outside India in a financial year. An Receipt is issued by HDFC Banks International Banking Unit in its capacity as the NSE IFSC Receipts Custodian on the basis of underlying securities issued by a U.S. listed company.

The receipts are not sponsored by the underlying companies. They are unsponsored, meaning the receipts are created without the involvement, participation, or consent of such US-listed companies or of the US exchanges on which such underlying securities are listed.

The receipts give the holder a proportionate beneficial interest in the underlying security itself. Their issuance is based on the underlying share to IFSC Receipt ratio as defined by the NSE IFSC from time to time.

Therefore, an NSE IFSC Receipt represents a fraction of an underlying share, making it affordable for the investor to participate. For instance, one Amazon share that costs about $2900 is converted into 200 IFSC receipts worth about $15 each. The ratio is reviewed from time to time.

The receipts are issued and traded in US dollars, and any amount paid by the NSE IFSC Receipts Custodian in connection with the receipts will be paid in US dollars.

The underlying securities are held by the US Custodian on the instructions of NSE IFSC Receipts Custodian. The NSE IFSC Receipts are issued by NSE IFSC Receipts Custodian based on the deposit of Underlying shares with the US custodian. One can buy NSE IFSC US Stock the same way they buy other Indian securities.

Firstly, the investor has to open a trading and demat account with any of the NSE IFSC registered brokers. Then, they are required to transfer funds from their local bank account to the NSE IFSC-registered brokers bank account. Once the funds reflect in the broker's account, the investor is ready to trade in NSE IFSC US Stocks.

All investors would be eligible for corporate actions such as dividend and bonus issues. The settlement of funds and NSE IFSC Receipts will follow a T+3 cycle, which means the depository receipts are credited to the demat account after three days from the day of trade. Funds from sale of receipts will also get credited after 3 days.

Some of the charges levied on the investor include brokerage charges, exchange transaction charges, receipt issuance fee and demat account charges. An investor can also request the conversion of NSE IFSC Receipts into the underlying share. The investor has to submit a cancellation request to take delivery of the underlying shares in a US brokerage account.
HKSAR gov't says fresh food supply from Chinese mainland is stable

Xinhua) 09:00, March 08, 2022

People queue up to pay the bills in a supermarket in Hong Kong, south China, March 1, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

HONG KONG/SHANGHAI, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said Monday that the supply of fresh food from the Chinese mainland was stable and the wholesale price of vegetables continued to drop, urging the public to refrain from over-purchasing.

According to the government's latest information, the quantity of vegetables supplied from the Chinese mainland to Hong Kong on Sunday by land and water transportation was about 2,200 tonnes, and the overall wholesale price of vegetables has largely returned to the level of a normal day.

The total supply of chilled meat from the Chinese mainland on Sunday was maintained at a level higher than that of a normal day and stood at about 116 tonnes.

The Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse resumed service on Monday while the Tsuen Wan Slaughterhouse continues to provide service according to its operational circumstances, and the supply of live pig is expected to return to a normal level on March 8, said a spokesperson for the HKSAR government.

The spokesperson added that in compliance with government requirements, stockholders of rice have to maintain the reserve stock of rice at a level sufficient for consumption by the local population for 15 days, where the trade generally stocks double the required amount, which is sufficient for one month's consumption by Hong Kong citizens.

"The government keeps monitoring the food supply situation closely, and liaises with major food suppliers and the mainland authorities to ensure a stable food supply," the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, according to Shanghai Customs, the Pudong Airport Customs inspected and released five batches of over 85,000 COVID-19 virus test kits being sent to Hong Kong since March 1 and ensured the rapid customs clearance of one million surgical masks for Hong Kong recently.

People queue up to pay the bills in a supermarket in Hong Kong, south China, March 1, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

People select vegetables in a supermarket in Hong Kong, south China, March 1, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
FILE - President Joe Biden sits in the Oval Office of the White House, on March 4, 2022, in Washington. Bidens trip on Tuesday to Fort Worth, Texas, is personal. It's a chance to talk with veterans and their caregivers and push for more help for members of the military who face health problems after exposure to burn pits. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
FILE - This Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016 file photo shows the Shell logo at a petrol station in London. On Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, Energy giant Shell said Tuesday, March 8, 2022 that it will stop buying Russian oil and natural gas and shut down its service stations, aviation fuels and other operations in the country amid international pressure for companies to sever ties over the invasion of Ukraine. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)
NEW BERN  Shrimpers will not be allowed to trawl in the crab sanctuaries, Bogue Sound or the Carolina Beach Yacht Basin, now that the state s
Glen, NH (03838)

Today

Cloudy skies with periods of rain late. Low near 45F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies with periods of rain late. Low near 45F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Carroll, IA (51401)

Today

Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 37F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 37F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.
Photo: BC Gov Part of the construction zone on Highway 1 through Kicking Horse Canyon.

UPDATE 4:50 p.m.

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure says its thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims of Fridays rockfall incident on Highway 1 in the Kicking Horse Canyon.

This was a tragic incident, likely related to freeze/thaw conditions that can happen frequently at this time of year. While within boundaries of the Kicking Horse Canyon Phase 4 project, an initial assessment of the site indicates this rockfall occurred in a location outside of the current work zone, read a statement issued to Castanet.

MOTI notes that rockfall is a hazard along many B.C. highways and staff and resources are dedicated to identifying, prioritizing and mitigating the hazards. It says the work in the Kicking Horse Canyon is intended to dramatically reduce the risk in the future.

ORIGINAL 1:55 p.m.

Police have confirmed a person died in a rockfall on the Trans Canada Highway near Golden on Friday.

Emergency crews were called to the incident on 3:50 p.m. in Kicking Horse Canyon. One person was rushed to hospital with critical injuries, passing away the following day.

According to a witness, a passenger in a white Jeep was hit by a falling boulder. A second woman who got out of her vehicle to help was then hit when another vehicle tried to pass.

We saw the cars slowing down and I saw people jumping out of their car and pointing up. I thought an animal had fallen down, I wasnt really sure, the witness said.

We sat there for about five minutes and then we saw  and this was the most horrifying  we saw an SUV pull out, and he crushed a woman who was outside her car, between another car. He crushed her in slow motion. She was screaming, I started screaming, everyone was screaming.

The condition of the second woman, who was hit by the vehicle, is not known, although police says there has only been one death.

The highway was closed for approximately two hours while emergency crews worked to clear the scene.
Photo: The Canadian Press FILE - In this Feb. 9, 2021, photo, the Bitcoin logo appears on the display screen of a cryptocurrency ATM at the Smoker's Choice store in Salem, N.H. President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order on cryptocurrency this week that will mark the first step toward regulating how digital currency is traded. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order on cryptocurrency this week that will mark the first step toward regulating how digital currency is traded.

The move comes as administration officials have raised concerns in recent weeks about Russias use of cryptocurrency to evade the impact of crushing sanctions in response to its invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions have sent the ruble to historic lows and have closed the country's stock market.

Two people familiar with the process said the executive order on cryptocurrency was expected to be issued this week and it had been in the works long before the war. Both people spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the order.

The order is expected to describe what government agencies, including the Treasury Department, need to do to develop policies and regulations on digital currencies. It is expected to include a request for the State Department to ensure that American cryptocurrency laws are aligned with those of U.S. allies and will ask the Financial Stability Oversight Council  which monitors the stability of the U.S. financial system  to study illicit finance concerns.

Additionally, the order will explore the possibility of a new central bank digital currency. The Federal Reserve issued a paper on the topic in January that explores the risks and benefits of U.S.-backed digital currency.

Implicit in the order will be that cryptocurrency will remain a part of the U.S. economy for years to come. The White House's plans to move forward with the executive order were first reported by Bloomberg News.

While U.S. officials have played down the significance of cryptocurrency to Russias ability to evade sanctions, it remains a concern.

We will continue to look at how the sanctions work and evaluate whether or not there are liquid leakages and we have the possibility to address them. I often hear cryptocurrency mentioned and that is a channel to be watched, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said last week.

A senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the president's national security team has already been on the lookout for the use and creation of front companies and alternative financial institutions that Moscow might try to employ to get around sanctions.

Crypto is one of several spaces that the Biden administration is looking to shore up as it tries to make certain that sanctions on Russia have maximum impact. The official said past experiences in Iran and Venezuela with sanctions evasion are informing the administrations efforts. Additional export controls and new sanction targets are also expected to be unveiled in the days and weeks ahead to counter Russian sanction evasion efforts, the official said.

On Monday, Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued an alert advising financial institutions to be vigilant" against any efforts to evade sanctions in connection with Russia's war in Ukraine.

Although we have not seen widespread evasion of our sanctions using methods such as cryptocurrency, prompt reporting of suspicious activity contributes to our national security and our efforts to support Ukraine and its people, Acting Director Him Das said in a statement.
Photo: The Canadian Press FILE - Spain's former King Juan Carlos waves upon his arrival to the Academia Diplomatica de Chile, in Santiago. Spain's Royal House said on Monday March 7, 2022 that King Felipe VI is accepting his father's desire to return to Spain for periodical visits, although former king Juan Carlos I will remain based in the United Arab Emirates where he moved in 2020 following probes into his financial dealings. The prosecutors didn't find evidence to take the former monarch to court because much of the financial misbehavior, involving millions of euros (dollars) in undeclared accounts, happened when Juan Carlos was protected by immunity as king of Spain and other possible fraud fell out of the statute of limitations. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix, File)

King Felipe VI is accepting his fathers desire to return to Spain for periodic visits, although Juan Carlos I will remain based in the United Arab Emirates where he moved in 2020 following probes into his financial dealings, royal officials said Monday.

Juan Carlos wrote a letter to Felipe expressing his desire to visit family and friends in Spain after Supreme Court prosecutors closed the investigations, according to a statement on the royal website that contained the letter from the former king.

The prosecutors didn't find evidence to take the former monarch to court because much of the financial misbehavior, involving millions of euros (dollars) in undeclared accounts, happened when Juan Carlos was protected by immunity as Spain's king and other possible fraud fell out of the statute of limitations.

The probes allowed the recovery of 5.1 million euros ($5.6 million) in fines and taxes for income that Juan Carlos had failed to declare to Spains tax authorities, the prosecutors said in their conclusions.

At this time, for reasons that belong to my private sphere and that only affect me, I prefer to continue residing permanently in Abu Dhabi, where I have found peace of mind, especially for this period of my life, the monarch wrote to his son, according to the royal house. The letter was dated Saturday.

Juan Carlos, 84, wrote that he intends to live on private premises when he returns to Spain and expects to enjoy the greatest privacy possible.

I am aware of the importance to public opinion of past events in my private life and that I sincerely regret, as I also feel legitimate pride in my contribution to democratic coexistence and freedom in Spain, the result of the collective effort and sacrifice of all Spanish people, the letter concludes.

Juan Carlos, who retains the title of King Emerit, abdicated in favor of his son Felipe VI in 2014 following a series of scandals in the royal family. Since becoming king, Felipe has tried to distance himself from his father.
Photo: Contributed

A B.C. businessman has offered $1 million in seed money for a $50-million reward for whoever brings Russian President Vladimir Putin to the International Criminal Court for trial as a war criminal.

Hes a crazy dictator and we have to stop that, Vikram Bajwa told Glacier Media. "It's also a good way to support Ukraine."

I encourage other Canadians/Americans to join me and match/increase the award to $50 million ... for his arrest and conviction, Bajwa said.

The Russian president ordered his troops into neighbouring Ukraine on Feb. 24. The movement of troops and shelling of major cities marked an escalation of regional tensions that have been building for quite some time.

Much of it has centred around Russian objections to Ukraine joining NATO, formed after the Second World War as a buffer to the Warsaw Pact countries headed by the former Soviet Union.

Who does Bajwa want to take advantage of $50 million to get Putin to the court in The Hague? Hes looking at those surrounding Putin in The Kremlin, he says, and at the oligarch businessmen who have become wealthy following the collapse of the Soviet Union and Putins rise.

Bajwa is no stranger to the political limelight. Most recently, he attempted to quash the announcement of the winner of Februarys B.C. Liberal Party leadership vote count.

A petition to the court, filed by party member Bajwa, suggested the leadership race could be tainted by voter fraud. He wanted the court to halt the process until an audit of their membership was completed.

Justice Heather MacNaughton disagreed with Bajwa: "One member's dissatisfaction should not uphold the process."
Photo: Tricia Thorpe Outside view of Tricia Thorpe and Don Glasgow's new home just outside Lytton

The province announced $18.4 million for debris removal and other work needed to begin rebuilding in Lytton on Monday, more than eight months after a wildfire razed most of the village.

While people who live within in the village continue to wait with little progress made so far, its a different story for one couple, who live just outside Lytton.

On day 250 since the fire, Tricia Thorpe and partner Don Glasgow moved into their new house. Its still under construction, but they are far ahead of most others in the Lytton area.

The couple decided to go ahead with a rebuild on their own, with the help of friends, family and volunteer organizations.

They rebuilt a barn for their animals first and then started on their home.

In an open letter, Tricia wrote, Today marks a milestone in our journey forward. It is day 250 since the Lytton Wildfire destroyed our way of life, our farm and most of the physical community of Lytton. Today we move into our new home. Admittedly, we are mostly 'camping' in our house, we still have a very long way to go...but we are home again!

She talks about falling through the cracks of government bureaucracy. They were uninsured and dealt with highway closures and supply chain restraints along with extreme weather in their efforts to rebuild.

The $18 million announced by Minister of Public Safety Mike Farnworth, covers the costs of debris removal, archeological work and soil remediation for municipal and all uninsured and underinsured properties in the village.

Thorpe and Glasgows property is outside the boundaries of the Village of Lytton and the Lytton First Nation. That has been both a blessing and a curse, says Thorpe.

Given that we fall under Thompson Nicola Regional District jurisdiction the concerns about toxicity were not addressed. It would appear the toxins stopped at Village & First Nations boundaries. Evacuation orders were lifted for our Area "I" on July 20, 2021, and we were not restricted from entering our property. We returned to the Lytton area July 21, 2021, and have been planning and implementing ever since.

Thorpe adds that if a retired couple in their 60s with limited resources can accomplish what they have so far, imagine what government, with all its resources and funding, could do if it chooses to fulfil promises made to Lytton in July of 2021.
Photo: The Canadian Press A Sunwing aircraft is parked at Montreal Trudeau airport in Montreal on Wednesday, March 2, 2022. Transport Canada says six people who were aboard a Sunwing flight from Montreal to Mexico late last year where passengers filmed themselves flouting rules are facing hefty fines. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says his department has fined six passengers who were onboard a Sunwing flight last year that devolved into a raucous onboard party.

Videos of the Dec. 30 charter voyage from Montreal to Cancun, Mexico, shared on social media show unmasked passengers in close proximity singing and dancing in the aisle and on seats as some clutch bottles of liquor, snap selfies and vape.

Transport Canada says a half-dozen passengers who were not fully vaccinated when they boarded have now received penalties that could reach a maximum of $5,000 each. Under COVID-19 rules, all passengers must be fully vaccinated to board a flight departing Canada.

Alghabra says "certain behaviours" reported in connection with the holiday voyage were "unacceptable and will not be tolerated."

Transport Canada launched the ongoing investigation on Jan. 4 to determine whether travellers violated aviation safety and security rules.

Sunwing has said in an email that passengers  some were Quebec-based social media influencers  violated aviation regulations and public health rules with unruly behaviour, prompting an internal probe.

The flight took off about two weeks after the federal government advised Canadians to avoid non-essential travel outside of Canada.
Prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, New York Times columnist Thomas Freidman wrote: "[Russian President Vladimir] Putin is a modern-day Peter the Great out to restore the glory of Mother Russia. Hes a retired K.G.B. agent who simply refuses to come in from the cold and still sees the C.I.A. under every rock and behind every opponent."

Friedman called Putin's Ukraine threat: Marry me or I will kill you."

Michael McFaul served as U.S. ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014. He said on MSNBC if the free world doesn't stand up for independent, democratic free Ukraine here, it has consequences all over the world.

There is good and evil in the world. There is right and wrong in the world, and that's why we have to stand for the right side and for the non-evil side, and that's why we have to stand with independent Ukraine. We're not gonna go to war over Ukraine, he said.

The President [Joe Biden] has made that clear, but we need to do everything else we can to stop Putin's evil, illegitimate invasion of this sovereign democratic country."

In George Orwells dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, the purpose of the Ministry of Truth was to rewrite history, by falsifying any facts which did not fit in with party doctrine.

On Feb. 26, Roskomnadzor, Russia's state media and communications regulator, accused 10 independent news outlets in Russia of publishing false information. Words such as war," "invasion," and attack are now forbidden when reporting news from inside Russia.

Since March 2, Russian schools have hosted special war-themed social studies classes, where teachers must tell Grade 7 to 11 students the official governments position on history and what the Kremlin deems the "special peacekeeping operation".

On March 4, Putin signed into law a bill punishing fake news about the Russian army, with up to 15 years in jail. The law will impose fines or jail terms for spreading false information, as well as fines for people who publicly call for sanctions against Russia.

On March 6, Lesia Vasylenko a member of the Ukrainian parliament, told CBC's Rosemary Barton from Kyiv: "At the moment sirens are still going on. Babies are being born in underground shelters. Children are dying. Corridors which was supposed to be set up for humanitarian evacuation are being shot at by the Russians, and whole towns are being raised to the ground by Russian bombs and missiles, including weapons which have long been forbidden by the Geneva Conventions and all international humanitarian mechanisms, so this is stable. This is what I call stable situation across Ukraine. But of course we are prepared for the worst, and worst of all we are prepared to stand, come what may, for our Ukraine and for our right to live."

She added: But at the end of the day, these talks, apart from allowing the armies to regroup and to reorganize, they don't lead to much, because the agreements with Russia, they are absolutely pointless.

She said Russia makes agreements only to break them.

And we had evidence of this yesterday and we have evidence of this already today. At these talks, it was agreed to have humanitarian corridors to allow women and children, innocent people, to get out of the battlefields that have been made of cities such as Orekhov and Mariupol, and when these green corridors were set up, in a matter of minutes they turned red, red with the blood of these very civilians who were leaving, because they were being shot at point-blank by the Russian soldiers."

Last week, Canadas Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said Putin has become an international pariah and that Russias invasion is not the action of a superpower, but of a "failing kleptocracy."

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, pariah refers to "a person who is not accepted by a social group, especially because he or she is not liked, respected, or trusted".

Russia has been the target of a growing number of economic, cultural and social sanctions, as countries around the world isolate Russia from the international community, rendering it an outcast on the world stage  a "pariah state".

"They Call the Wind Maria" (pronounced Mariah) is an American popular song with lyrics written by Alan J. Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe for their 1951 Broadway musical, Paint Your Wagon. The song was featured in the 1969 Hollywood film starring Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood and Jean Seberg and performed by Harve Presnell.

What follows is my rewrite of the song's lyrics to describe today's Ukraine crisis:

They Call the State Pariah

Pariah, Pariah

They call the state Pariah

Away out there they have the names

The oligarchs acquire

Their leader's Vlad, quagmire grows

And they call the state Pariah

Pariah wants to boss around

So sends its missiles flyin'

Pariah kills with cluster bombs

Ukrainians are dyin'

Pariah, Pariah

They call the state Pariah

And now we know Pariah's name

And what it is denyin'

It has a plan for all to see

The war crimes number risin'

But then I know resistance grows

Zelensky on the TV

Pariah censors the word "war"

Exodus of refugees

Pariah, Pariah

They call the state Pariah

Expose Orwellian Newspeak

Disinformation only

But the regime is all alone

There aint no name for lonely

Unprovoked was the attack

Pandora's box we can see

Pariah leave and don't return

In the name of humanity

Pariah, Pariah

They call the state Pariah

Pariah, Pariah

People must be free

David Buckna, Kelowna
Photo: Rumble James Bauder, founder of Canada Unity and one of the founders of Freedom Convoy 2022 in Ottawa, says a convoy is scheduled to arrive in Victoria on March 14.

A Freedom Convoy organizer says trucks are on their way to Victoria from across Canada to gather and maybe stay on a rotating basis up to three months to protest vaccine mandates and indoor mask orders.

James Bauder, founder of Canada Unity and one of the founders of Freedom Convoy 2022 in Ottawa, said seven trucks loaded with supplies including 16,000 hamburgers are on the way.

The convoy is scheduled to arrive in Victoria on March 14, he said.

Were going to be occupying that area for two to three months, Bauder said in a video posted online.

This is a very intense, deeply rooted NDP-Liberal stronghold down there, said Bauder. And theyve had their way for too long. Its time we get down there and show them what the laws are and not your opinion, folks.

In B.C., 93.7 per cent of all eligible adults have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, 91.2 per cent have received their second dose and 58.1 have received a third. The province reported 997 new COVID cases Monday from a three-day period over the weekend including 204 from the Island Health region.

Victoria police Const. Cam MacIntyre declined to talk about potential preparations but said the departments broad approach to protests is two-fold: We protect public safety and ensure that people are able to exercise their rights to safe, peaceful and lawful protest.

Dangerous or unlawful acts are responded to with de-escalation and enforcement, he said.

In his video, Bauder talked about 500 to 1,000 vehicles for what his group is calling Bearhug B.C. or Bearhug 11, consisting of multiple rolling convoys of up to 200 vehicles each over three months.

Folks, there is so many laws that our government has violated, the media is supporting the breaking of these laws, and society has got to start getting back to the right side of the law and defending ourselves legally via lawsuits, he said. Were going to be really really active.

Bauder talked about daily family friendly events and guest speakers. Fundraising is taking place in Canada and the United States, he said.

Like I said, Canada, we really do have to support B.C. right now, its one of the hardest hit provinces, Bauder said, referring to B.C. being one of the last jurisdictions to still have vaccine and indoor mask requirements.

Were not taking it anymore. We are standing up for our lawful freedom of choice.

British Columbia has from the beginning followed the evidence to keep people safe, particularly the most vulnerable people safe, and to keep activities going and schools open given how restrictions can have physical, mental and economic health consequences, Health Minister Adrian Dix has said.

The result of that has been a consistent and thoughtful approach to measures, said Dix. Im proud of B.C.

B.C. has consistently based its approach to the COVID-19 pandemic on evidence and I think in B.C. we have massive support for that.

There are some people whove chosen up to now not to be vaccinated and I encourage them to consider the new vaccines that have come forward, said Dix. A person is 30 times more likely to require hospital critical care if not vaccinated, he said.
It's time for the free world to step up and defend Ukraine. Putin knows our world leaders are weak and afraid. They are scared of Russia. It's time to calculate the cost of doing nothing instead of calculating the cost of doing something. This won't end with Ukraine. Iran and China are watching. Electing weak leaders with fake virtues gets us here.

The world is a dangerous place and we better stop pretending it isnt. There are evil people out there. People like Putin laugh watching us fight over transgender bathrooms, pronouns, wokeness, fake media and cancel culture. What he sees is a weak and pathetic society, and he is not wrong. Thats what we have become. No strength or resolve. Just a bloody comedy show.

For those of you who have spent time studying history, what we are seeing unfolding is not a lot different than what happened in Nazi Germany. Little by little, the Nazis consumed Europe. It didn't end after Hitler invaded Poland. The world sat on its hands and watched, and look at what happened. The cost of doing nothing will be far greater than the cost of doing something, as well all saw 80 years ago. Have we forgotten?

These Ukrainians are showing true patriotism. Against all odds they are standing against the giant, begging for the world to help them. But they are not waiting for that help, they're willing to die to defend their home, and that in itself should be enough to wake us up. We stand here waving our Ukrainian flags, posting memes on the Internet, framing our social media profile pictures, but what does that really do? It's phoney virtue signaling. If we truly stand with Ukraine and we truly want to help then we need to stand up against Russia.

This is a bully in a schoolyard who is beating up on a weaker kid, and we are all standing there cheering the kid, telling him we stand with him and we support him and oh, here's a stick, good luck. Hope you win.

To be honest at the beginning I wasn't sure what we should do because there is always that threat of nuclear war, but that threat will never go away, it will only worsen. It will become a tool to bully the world, and we are teaching Putin that we will do nothing. We will stand there out of fear and let him do what he wants. This is what he is counting on. Indifference, weakness and fear.

I would suggest this. If NATO threatened to send 300,000 to 400,000 troops with equipment, aircraft, ships, etc. to Ukraine it would really send a message to Putin that we are serious. I think only then could this end with diplomacy. Kuwait was defended after Saddam Hussein invaded it, but it was over oil. However we are not willing to rescue Ukraine, over lives and freedom, to prevent a tyrant from slowly gobbling up countries to rebuild the (former) Soviet Union.

Through NATO, we have agreed to defend Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, all who share borders with Ukraine, but we are not willing to defend Ukraine, a single step away. Our moral outrage depends on a thin line on a map.

I was listening to a radio show and the host told a story of Sparta solders who embarked on a war they knew they could not win, leaving home to lose a battle, in the hopes it would inspire others to take up arms and win the war. And it worked, and we benefit from it today. What will history write about us? Were we brave? Did we stand up for whats right? Were we inspired by the courage of those in Ukraine, who will likely lose this battle, in the hopes it will inspire us fight on the right side of history? What will we tell our children and grandchildren, as we watch a country die, overrun by a tyrant, and did nothing.

If we truly believe in our own virtues, then we should not stand aside, or we really dont care. The only way you can stop a bully is to stand up to him, together, and united. So if you really care about Ukraine then we need to do more than paint the Ukrainian flag on our cheekbones. Thoughts and prayers will change nothing. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you do nothing, then you are either on the side of the elephant, scared of the elephant, or dont really care about the mouse. Cheering for it will not save it.

If Russia prevails, the human tragedy will continue in the country for years and years. Can we really look the each other in the eye without shame, as the Ukrainians bury their dead.

Kim Dobranski, Kelowna
Photo: The Canadian Press Conservative MP for Haldimand-Norfolk Leslyn Lewis walks to West block ahead of Question Period on Parliament Hill on Feb. 2, 2022 in Ottawa. The third-place finisher in the 2020 Conservative Party of Canada leadership race is running again. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

With Sept.10 picked as the date for when the Conservative Party of Canada will have a new leader, time is ticking for prospective candidates and their teams to get into place. Those running have until April 19 to throw their hat into the ring and until June 3 to sell memberships.

Heres a look at the contest so far:

Whos in:

Pierre Poilievre: The 42-year-old longtime Ottawa-area MP declared his candidacy almost one month ago. He has begun fundraising and holding events. He has pledged to cancel the federal carbon tax.

Leslyn Lewis: The third-place finisher in the 2020 leadership race is running again. In the past contest, the former Bay Street lawyer enjoyed heavy backing from the partys social conservative members and those in Western Canada. She was elected as an MP last fall in the rural southwestern Ontario riding of Haldimand-Norfolk.

Whos thinking about it:

Jean Charest: The former Quebec premier who led the federal Progressive Conservatives in the mid-1990s plans to launch his campaign at an event in Calgary Thursday. He recently held a reception for MPs and senators in Ottawa and met with more of them one-on-one.

Scott Aitchison: Hes the two-term Ontario MP for Parry Sound-Muskoka. Before that, he served as the mayor of Huntsville, Ont. He confirmed hes building a team and would have more to say later next week. Most recently, hes served as the Conservative critic for labour.

Leona Alleslev: The former MP for Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill is considering a run. She was defeated in last fall's federal election. Alleslev joined the Conservatives in 2018, after crossing the floor from the Liberals. Alleslev served as the party's deputy leader under former leader Andrew Scheer.

Patrick Brown: The mayor of Brampton and former leader of Ontarios Progressive Conservatives will soon decide whether to run. He has been considering a bid and his office says hes pleased with the length of time the race rules will allow candidates to sign up members.

Roman Baber: Hes an Independent MPP in Ontario who Premier Doug Ford booted from caucus last year for speaking out against COVID-19 lockdowns. He has since come out as opposing vaccine mandates and recently raised concerns about the federal Liberal governments invoking of the Emergencies Act to quell anti-government protests and blockades.

Peter MacKay: He was a cabinet minister in former prime minister Stephen Harpers Conservative government. He was leader of the Progressive Conservatives when the party merged with the Canadian Alliance to form the Conservative Party of Canada. He placed second to OToole in the 2020 leadership race in a contest many felt he was likely to win. MacKay is still fundraising to pay down this debts from the contest.

Michael Chong: The longtime Ontario MP ran in 2017 and recently said he hasnt ruled out the idea of entering the race. He serves as the Conservative critic for foreign affairs.

Whos out:

Tasha Kheiriddin: The political commentator and consultant said after considering a bid, she decided against running and instead threw her support behind Charest's campaign.

Rona Ambrose: The partys last interim leader, who was a cabinet minister in the Harper government, says shes not going to run despite many Tories hoping she would.

Brad Wall: Saskatchewans former premier says hes enjoying life in the private sector and wont be returning to elected politics.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford: Ford says his hands are full running for re-election provincially in June.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney: The former MP and high-profile cabinet minister in the Harper government says hes not interested in going after the partys top job.
Dangote: powerhouse of Africa and Nigeria

Dr Michael Clark By

Published 08 March 2022

Through the use of financial ratio analysis, this months Technical Forum examines how Dangote Cement  the powerhouse of Africa and Nigeria  has managed to achieve a strong and sustained financial performance.

The benchmarking of a cement factory and cement company performance remains a major part of Whitehopleman and Dr Clarks work. When such benchmarking exercises are being undertaken there are occasions when a cement company or factory is found to be at the top of the range of performance. That always makes Dr Clark sit up and take extra interest to try to understand how that cement company, or factory, manages to achieve such outstanding performance. Dangote Cement is certainly one such cement company.

When looking at the financial performance of cement companies Whitehopleman uses financial ratio analysis. This is based on the performance published in the cement companys financial statements, ie, their income statement (profit and loss), statement of financial position (balance sheet) and statement of cash flows. Two figures from the financial statements are divided by one another to produce a ratio of one to the other. That ratio is then compared with, or benchmarked against, other cement companies.

Recent financial performance

In the case of Dangote Cement Whitehopleman was looking at its financial performance for the year ended 31 December 2020, the companys last published accounts at the time of writing. The analysis started by looking at the Dangote Cement income statement for 2020, which was a record year with revenues growing to NGN1034bn, equivalent to ~US$2480m. A total of 25.7Mt of cement was sold at an average price of ~US$96.5/t. Cost of goods sold was NGN373bn (US$895m).

Revenues of NGN1034bn (US$2480m) minus cost of goods sold of NGN373bn (US$895m) gives gross profits of NGN661bn (US$1586m). Gross profits divided by revenues gives the gross profit margin, in the case of Dangote Cement in 2020, of 63.93 per cent, which was at the very top of the range of the cement companies in the Whitehopleman cement company business performance database, as shown in the box plot in Figure 1. This was sufficient to make Dr Clark take notice. How was Dangote Cement achieving such extraordinary profit margins?

Financial ratio analysis then peels away successive items in the income statement, rather similar to peeling away the layers of an onion. So sales, general and administration (SG&A) expenses are then subtracted from gross profits to arrive at operating profits, the earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA). EBITDA profits are then divided by revenues to arrive at EBITDA margin. In the case of Dangote Cement the EBITDA margin was not quite at the top of the range of cement company performance, as shown in Figure 2, but remained in the upper quartile of performance.

How can we explain Dangote Cement falling off the top spot for EBITDA margin when they are top of the pile for gross profit margin? Well, possibly some of their sales, general and administrative expenses are really part of their cost of sales. Perhaps some distribution costs for cement. Dangote certainly has huge fleets of trucks for the distribution of its cement. Of course, there are other cement companies who are lucky enough to be able to rely on collections so do not have any distribution costs.

In the next layer of the income statement that we peel away in financial ratio analysis is the depreciation and amortisation charges. That leaves the earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT). EBIT margin is again the ratio of EBIT profits to revenues. For Dangote Cement EBIT margin returns to nearly the top of the range of cement factories, as shown in Figure 3.

The next layer of the income statement to peel away is the interest and taxation charges leaving the earnings, or profits attributable to shareholders. For Dangote Cement in 2020 these profits were NGN275bn (US$662m). The earnings margin was 26.58 per cent. Many cement companies do not achieve that margin in their gross earnings before they have started to peel away SG&A, depreciation and amortisation, interest or taxation. Dangote Cement is super profitable.

Dangote in context

Some context is perhaps required here and that creates a challenge. There is no like-for-like comparison with Dangote Cement, with its pan-African portfolio of assets centred on Nigeria. The worlds leading cement company, Holcim, in the same financial year sold 190Mt of cement, more than 7x as much cement as Dangote Cement, as well as 256Mt of aggregates and 42Mm3 of ready-mix concrete. From those sales Holcim generated ~US$1.8bn of after tax profits, less than 3x Dangote Cements after tax profits. While this is not a perfect comparison, Dangote Cement is clearly at least twice as profitable as Holcim was in 2020.

Assessing return on equity and ROCE

As an investor in a cement company the return on equity is what is most important, as it reflects the amount of capital tied up in the business to generate the profits. In financial ratio analysis to assess the return on equity we need to take the after tax profits from the income statement and divide by the equity in the statement of financial position. The after tax profits are the profits available for distribution to the shareholders as dividends, while the equity reflects the price of buying a share in the company. The Dangote Cement return on equity is again almost at the top of the range of cement companies, as shown in the range bar in Figure 4. Clearly this is a great cement company in which to own shares and invest.

For the executive management of a cement company the return on capital employed (ROCE) is the financial ratio most commonly considered. To assess this we take the EBITDA profit from the income statement and divide it by the total capital employed, which is the equity plus the long-term liabilities from the statement of financial position. This takes into consideration that any long-term debt is available to the executive management of the company to use to boost the returns of the company. The ROCE of Dangote Cement of 39.98 per cent is again almost at the top of the range of cement companies, as shown in Figure 5. The management of Dangote Cement are clearly making excellent use of the assets at their disposal to generate profits for the company. If we looked at return on average capital employed we would find that Dangote Cement is absolutely at the top of the range of performance for cement companies.

Sustained performance and a strong base

This story of profitable performance and effective management of Dangote Cement is not a one-off story relating to only the 2020 financial year. Figure 6 shows the rising trend of Dangote Cement ROCE for the six financial years ended 31 December 2020. From 2016 ROCE has been virtually continuously rising. This is further testament to the strong and sustained financial performance of the company.

So, Dangote Cement is right at the top of the range of performance for cement companies. Why would that be? Clearly the ownership and management had the foresight and the courage to invest strongly in rapidly-developing economies in Africa. Their main base of operations is Nigeria where more than 60 per cent of their cement sales continue to be made, and they continue to achieve their highest average sales prices.

So why does Nigeria give Dangote such a strong financial performance base? This is a good question. Even Dangote Cement did not achieve 50 per cent capacity utilisation in Nigeria in the FY20. Normally such low capacity utilisation would result in price erosion as cement companies seek to increase sales volumes by reducing prices. Clearly that did not happen in Nigeria, despite the chronic oversupply of cement. How can that be?

The distinguishing feature of the Nigerian cement market has to be its consolidation, with only three major players - Dangote Cement, BUA Cement and Lafarge Africa (Holcim). No-one could argue that these players in the Nigerian cement market are not competitive, with their aggressive capacity development on one-anothers doorstep. However, these players clearly exercise market discipline and do not enter into price wars to try to raise market share. A glowing example for cement companies in many other countries of Africa.
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State Senator Jeff Mullis of Chickamauga said he will not seek another term after 22 years in the Legislature.

Monday was the opening day for candidates to qualify in Georgia.

Senator Mullins represents Georgia Senate District 53, which includes Catoosa, Dade and Walker counties and portions of Chattooga County.

He said, Serving the hardworking people of Northwest Georgia for the previous 22 years in the state Senate has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. My goal has always been to represent my fellow Georgians in an effective way and Im proud to say we have accomplished a multitude of great things together.

During these 22 years, we have defended faith by passing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, defended life by passing the Heartbeat Bill, protected the 2nd Amendment with Constitutional Carry and Campus Carry, cut taxes so that people keep more of what they earn, and seen Georgia solidify itself as the best state in the Country to do business.

Specifically for the 53rd District, we have successfully brought home hundreds of millions of dollars in grants and direct investment in public infrastructure that helps our region thrive. While these are only a few of the accomplishments, they are some of the ones that make me the proudest.As we are nearing the end of another legislative session.

I have taken pause to appreciate what we have accomplished together and to consider my future. Recovering from Achilles tendon surgery, witnessing my children step into the next phases of their lives, and the many hours away from my dedicated wife and family this job requires has led me to this time reflection.

We have fought the good fight for 22 years, but I have decided I will not be seeking re-election. I will be spending more time with family and friends and looking for ways to serve my community in other capacities. My love for the rolling hills of Northwest Georgia is as strong as ever, but I look forward to stepping into my next endeavor.I truly feel as if I am saying goodbye to 190,000 friends across the 53rd District. I cannot thank you all enough for your support and prayers along the way. What an adventure it has been.
Get to know the Emporia and area baseball and softball teams in the 2022 Baseball and Softball special section.

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Chattanooga Police have arrested 20-year-old Vincent "Da Shoota" Mayes for the Dec. 6, 2021 shooting death of Antonio "Little Jappy" Sparks, 22. Police said Mayes instigated a shootout on Cannon Avenue that resulted in Sparks being shot in the head as they drove away.

They said Mayes did not take Sparks to the hospital, but drove across town to conceal evidence and borrow a vehicle. Another person finally drove the dying man to the hospital.

They said he was trying to kill the people inside, believing some of them had stolen a large amount of money from him. A 42-year-old woman inside the house was struck in the buttocks by a bullet. Police said Mayes fired multiple shots into a house at 2621 Cannon Ave.They said he was trying to kill the people inside, believing some of them had stolen a large amount of money from him. A 42-year-old woman inside the house was struck in the buttocks by a bullet.

Police said video showed a silver SUV drive by the Cannon Avenue house, then return eight minutes later and park nearby. Two individuals were then seen walking by the house at 2621 Cannon and they began firing at the house.

Police said when the shooting stopped that a man in the house walked outside and pursued the two shooters some 100 yards down the street. He then opened fire as they started to drive off in the silver SUV. One of the bullets struck Sparks in the head.

The man who shot Sparks was not charged.

Police said they found 29 9mm cartridges outside the Cannon Avenue house. They said a Glock 9mm handgun modified to fire fully automatic was found at the 1805 Bennington Dr. residence where Mayes first went after the shooting. It was found to match the weapon used to fire into the residence and strike the female.

Ring video from the Bennington Drive residence showed a person consistent with Mayes giving keys to another individual, who drove Sparks to the hospital.

Police also said that Mays made a Facetime call to the girlfriend of Sparks and showed her the damage to the vehicle.




This Ukraine war is getting people out of control and, of course, blaming one individual for it all. According to Mr. Exum as of todays article, the comments he reported were all from a Fox News site, which is ok, and I understand this doesn't represent his views.

My worry is with all the things now facing 2022 you would think we would get a break from the misery of the last two years. But, beyond the world events happening now my concern is for us the citizens of this great country. The vitriolic comments between our citizens concerning political sides is getting scary. I am afraid that comments between parties is beginning to destroy relationships between friends, families and neighbors. I am very careful any more to express any opinions of my own to anyone I know fearing that could destroy our relationship.

But, this constant blaming one party or the other for all our woes is getting ridiculous. We are better than this and both parties proclaim points that are erroneous in today's times without any facts but only because " so and so said so".

I don't want another civil war because of the country being divided over politics and their leaders. Jesus said love thy neighbor as yourself. Do I see biblical prophecy coming into play? Yes, I do. Wars and rumors of wars, pestilences, famines, etc.

But to emphasize the reasoning behind some of the things proposed now by congressional representatives and senators about cutting off the oil imports from Russia then I would like to represent some facts. First the untruth about the Keystone XL pipeline and everyone screaming open up. The Keystone XL was an addition to the existing Keystone pipeline already installed in the U.S.A., which is 2,687 miles long and has been operational since 2010. The XL pipeline was an addition to the existing pipeline also bringing the filthiest nastiest oil on earth, tar sands oil which has already destroyed in Canada and Alberta thousands of acres of Boreal forests.

You don't drill for this oil, you cut the trees down and scrape the top of the land until no flora or fauna can exist any more due to loss of life giving topsoil.

The existing Keystone pipeline travels to Port Arthur, Texas to be refined and guess what - the majority of it is exported. And as far as existing pipelines we have 185 operational oil lines measuring around 3 million miles and 34 more under construction. So where does the U.S get most of its imported oil from? First of all Canada who is supplying our oil is 57 percent of our annual imports, Mexico sends us 9.8 percent of our crude oil, Saudi Arabia imports 6.6 percent and Russia sends 3.5 percent of our crude oil and other countries send the rest. So two thirds of our oil imports come from Canada and Mexico.

But guess what - we as a country export as of 2022 3.6 million barrels a day and import 3.9 million barrels a day, Do you think we could use a little bit more of the oil instead of exporting it?

The largest oil producer in the world is the U.S.A. We paid Canada in 2021 $75.95 billion for oil and paid Russia $4.7 billion. I am just tired of these so-called know it alls and senators posting misleading facts that enforce their political party's ideal for votes, not for information but votes. Please don't let us start hating each other.

Clifton Duggan

Dayton, Tn.
Robin Smith, who once headed the Hamilton County Republican Party and then the Tennessee Republican Party, was set to appear in a Nashville courtroom this afternoon to plead guilty to a federal charge.

A criminal information against her was unveiled on Monday that charges her with one count of federal wire fraud in connection with a conspiracy involving former House Speaker Glen Casada.

Afterward, she made her first appearance in Federal Court in Nashville before Judge Eli Richardson. She was allowed to remain out of jail with conditions, though the charge is a felony.

She has stepped down from her House District 26 seat.

She said in a resignation letter, "I want you to know that serving the great people of this district, and indeed, all of Tennessee, has truly been an honor. I have resigned with the deepest of humility and out of respect for the role of public service."

The charge was filed 14 months after FBI agents raided her Hixson home, as well as legislative offices.

The nine-page criminal information refers to Casada as Individual 1 and his former aide Cade Cothren as Individual 2.

Authorities said in November 2019 that Cothren set up a firm called Phoenix Consulting that was said to be headed by Matthew Phoenix, which in fact was a fictitious name and the actual operator of the firm was Cothren. The firm was set up to get payments from a program in which legislators could use up to $3,000 each per year for mailings to constituents.

Ms. Smith, who once ran a close race for the Third District Congressional seat, told legislators that Matthew Phoenix was an experienced political consultant.

The fact that Cothren was actually running the company was concealed.



Cothren set up the company in New Mexico and had correspondence sent to the New Mexico address forwarded to his home in Nashville.

The information says Reps. Smith and Casada received kickbacks from Cothren for using their influence to get Phoenix Consulting approved as an official House vendor.

A fake email account was set up for Matthew Phoenix.

Cothren sent a W9 form to the House Speaker's Office that he signed Matthew Phoenix.

Rep. Smith told Cothren in an email there was an upcoming situation with legislators that he "may have to assume the identity of Matthew again."

Cothren replied, "Matthew reporting for duty!"

Rep. Smith asked House officials why there seemed to be a problem with processing charges from Phoenix Solutions. She said she used Phoenix Solutions because of the quality of its work.

In an email on April 2, 2020, Cothren told Casada and Smith the amounts they had earned from the venture and said "checks would be cut." The Smith share was $4,143.64.

The information says Rep. Smith falsely told House colleagues that she did not make any money from Phoenix Solutions.

In fact, she got two checks from Phoenix Solutions for over $12,000 each in December 2020.

Hamilton County Republican Party officials said, "Today, we learned of the news about State Representative Robin Smith from the Tennessee Legislature. While the details are still unfolding, we are confident that residents of District 26 are in safe hands moving forward.



"Robin has a long history with the Republican Party in Tennessee and has contributed to preserving our majority. We wish Robin and her family all the best.



"We will continue talking about the issues District 26 citizens are facing like keeping CRT out of our schools and giving our citizens the best opportunity to provide for their families a better financial future."

Click here for the criminal information.


You have seen his name on campaign signs: Mike Dumitru For Circuit Judge and it is easier to pronounce than it is to spell. But you might as well get used to it, because the dynamic lawyer with a sterling reputation is the odds-on favorite to replace Jeff Hollingworth as a Circuit Court judge in the May 3rd primary. Why? Service to others, came his candid reply. This is how I want to spend my life, serving others.

Face it, Mr. Do-Me-True (thats exactly how you pronounce it) has scrapped his way to being a Member with the prestigious Miller-Martin law and freely admits, I love my job. I love my clients, I love everything about the law, and Miller-Martin is like a second family to me. But when Judge Hollingsworth announced he had decided not to run again, I was instantly intrigued, he told me yesterday. Its like a calling, I think.

Mike expected his closest confidants to try and talk him out of it  I wouldnt have run unless it was an open seat  thats how much I dislike politics  but in the State of Tennessee we elect our judges rather than appoint them. And open seats rarely come available (incumbent Circuit Court Judges Marie Williams, Kyle Headrick and J.B. Bennett are each unopposed in the upcoming election.)

The more I talked to people, the more I was encouraged, said the 39-year-old Republican. You may think you know what judges do, and lawyers may think they know, but only judges really know  so I have listened and talked to many until I am tremendously excited about the opportunity.

As a matter of fact, he is so eager he is probably the first political candidate in this communitys history  get this -- to include his mother-in-laws picture in mail-outs. Oh cmon, Mike laughed, She wanted to be included and I was thrilled. His wifes mother is the well-known county historian Linda Mines whose late husband, Tony, was a favorite classmate of mine.

The son of refugees who escaped from then-Communist held Romania under the guise of going to Lebanon on vacation, Dumitrus parents became naturalized citizens and Mike grew up in a neighborhood where a mix of immigrants placed family, kindness, and values in high order.

I was born and raised in New York City, he explained. I earned a degree at Fordham (this during 9-1-1 attacks) and afterwards got a Masters in International studies at NYU. One day I made a wrong turn going to class and locked eyes with the most beautiful, wonderful girl I had ever seen in my life. Jessica Mines, who a lot of her friends call Raz, was from Chattanooga, Tn.

It was as though he had been hit by a lightning bolt. Within three months I realized she was it. Her parents were fabulous. Tony passed away several years ago after a valiant stand against leukemia and now Raz runs the family business. Seriously, her mom is a huge part of our familys lives and maybe my biggest cheerleader.

The young couple went to Texas where Raz got a law degree while Mike worked as a paralegal. His newly found interest in law sparked him to take law classes at night classes at SMU and, when his wife returned to Tennessee to practice law, he became one of the few transfers into Vanderbilts esteemed law program.

How do I like Chattanooga? again he laughed with delight. We love it so much my parents moved here from New York  he had explained while volunteering at St. Peters Episcopal School last weekend. He and Raz have two children and live in the Hixson area.

America is profoundly blessed to have three branches of government instead of some dictator on a tree stump declaring, My way or else. I know I can be a successful lawyer but my calling, I have found, is more about making myself available to make the right decisions to help people. Whether as an arbitrator for both sides in a case, or a jury trial with 12 of your peers, I am convinced I want to sit on the bench, he said on Monday.

I believe him.

royexum@aol.com
A 35-year-old Rock Spring, Ga., man, Michael Neal Stewart, was given a 20-year sentence in the Superior Court of Catoosa County, with the first 18 years to be served in the Georgia Department of Corrections.

On March 2, he pled guilty to the charge of cruelty to children in the first degree, with no plea agreement from the District Attorney.

On July 14, 2021, an unemployed Stewart was home with his seven-week-old son. The childs mother had just returned to work from her maternity leave. Stewart threw his baby across his bedroom, breaking a total of 22 bones in the infants body, District Attorney Chris Arnt said. Stewart fractured the childs skull, multiple vertebrae, and both of the childs legs.

Sentencing was argued before Judge Ralph Van Pelt.

The victims mother, grandmother, and Ringgold Police Department Detective Daniel King testified on behalf of the state of Georgia. The state was represented by Assistant District Attorney Deanna Reisman.

DA Arnt described Stewarts actions as cowardly and despicable. He said, We would like to have been able to seek even more prison time in this case but recent decisions from the Supreme Court of Georgia have greatly hampered prosecutions that occur in a single act of child abuse even when multiple injuries are caused.

The charge carries a possible punishment of 5-20 years. District Attorney Arnt noted that, Even in a situation like this where the defendant admits his guilt, my office put in a tremendous amount of effort to investigate and prepare this case so we could prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt.

He said he was pleased with the substantial prison sentence imposed by Judge Van Pelt in this case. I hope the victim has a full recovery and the rest of the family can put their lives back together and move on from this terrible crime.
District 10 County Commission Republican candidates Jeff Eversole and Dean Moorhouse faced off in Collegedale on Monday evening as sewage, disaster relief and employment stances were topics from community members.





We are two very important but different candidates, said Mr. Moorehouse.





Mr. Eversole said he is a Christian conservative who has never been a politician. He credits himself for generating almost $2 billion in revenue for Walmart stores within Southeast Tennessee. Mr. Eversole said his business experience will contribute to his ability to be an effective commissioner.

Mr. Moorhouse, a former Pachyderm Club leader, is known in the community for his work on several non-profit boards. He helped raise over $2 million for youth sports, underprivileged children, senior citizens and schools in Hamilton County.

Candidates were given a question from the community, and they had two minutes to answer and one minute for rebuttal. Community members such as District Attorney Neal Pinkston were in attendance.

The first question asked how disaster relief can be improved. We have had more tornadoes and hurricanes in the last 15 years than in the past 50 years combined, said Mr. Eversole. It has become a serious issue.

Mr. Eversole said he wants to make sure the commission is funding the right areas in tornado relief. He said there are homes that still have not been replaced. Mr. Moorhouse said the County Commission does not provide funding for disaster relief. He said in addition to emergency responding, they need to look at additional infrastructure.

The next question asked if the candidates support the commissioners having a discretionary fund. Mr. Moorhouse said he could not have accomplished certain tasks in the community without some discretionary funds. Mr. Eversole said when discretionary funds are given it becomes a popularity contest where funds can easily be misappropriated. He said he thinks there should be one source of how funds are given. Mr. Moorhouse said he respectfully disagrees with Mr. Eversole.

As long as it's a 5O1C organization, I still think it's appropriate to have those funds in the community, said Mr. Moorhouse.

Sewage treatment plants were discussed next. Mr. Moorhouse said home values decrease by 10-12 percent when treatment plants are in the same zip code. He said the issue is about creating capacity for growth without a sewer treatment plant in neighborhoods. Mr. Eversole responded by saying if a plant was built near his home he would not want it either.

Wastewater treatment is a sensitive subject in our community, said Mr. Eversole. We have to quit kicking the can down the road and get solutions.

Candidates were asked about what they would do to increase jobs. Mr. Moorhouse said there needs to be a well-trained workforce and low taxes. He said there is a need to increase funding for Pre-K and look at school consolidation. Mr. Eversole said it is important to work closely with the next county mayor. He said education and trade schools are important along with updating schools to handle technological advances.

A community member asked about the candidates' positions on mask mandates and the COVID vaccine. Mr. Moorhouse said he is vaccinated but is against mask mandates. Mr. Eversole said, "Your health should be between you and your doctor." He said he is not vaccinated and does not plan to be. When asked about diversity and inclusion, both candidates said they feel you should treat others as they treat you.
A Chattooga County jury has returned a guilty verdict in a murder case in Summerville, Ga. Angela Rachelle Rowland, 54, was convicted in less than 20 minutes of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.



On Dec. 30, 2019, Ms. Rowland accused the victim, Ronald Moates, of infidelity in their relationship.



After striking the victim and afflicting at least 10 different injuries, Ms. Rowland retrieved a firearm from her bedroom and fired five shots at Moates striking him twice in the chest. Moates died prior to emergency personnel arriving. The defendants accusations of infidelity, her acts of domestic violence, and the shooting were captured on a surveillance camera outside of the home on Kelly Street in Summerville.



The surveillance camera footage and crime scene investigation conflicted with several parts of a statement Ms. Rowland made to investigators on the night of the shooting, authorities said.



The case was investigated by Captain Brian Ozment of the Summerville Police Department. Captain Ozment was assisted in the investigation by Detective Ty Hutchins of the Summerville Police Department, Agent Steve Rogers, Jr. and Agent Jeremy Brannen of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).

Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit (LMJC) Assistant District Attorneys Bruce Roberts and Clayton Fuller presented the case over five days. The jury returned a verdict of guilty on all counts.



Without the diligence and dedication to duty of Captain Brian Ozment, the Summerville Police

Department, and the GBI - this defendant could have gotten away with murder, said Chris Arnt, LMJC District Attorney. Their thorough investigation left no stone unturned and led to the investigators discovering the truth in this case.

DA Arnt commended his teams work including Victim Advocate Cara Parris, Administrative Assistant Jennifer McLamb, Investigator Eric Sliz, and Chief Assistant District Attorney Kevin Baugh whose efforts on the case ensured a conviction. Arnt also praised the efforts of the trial attorneys ADA Clayton Fuller and ADA Bruce Roberts who he said did an excellent job presenting the evidence to the jury in an effective and compelling fashion.



As other prosecutors across the country struggle to address the rise in violent crime in their communities, my team and I will never tolerate such acts in our community. The investigative team put together a strong case, and Im proud of the work that our office did in the courtroom, said DA Arnt. Murder and domestic violence have no place here in Northwest Georgia, and I pray that bringing Ronnies murderer to justice brings some measure of peace to the Moates family.
On the third day of trial in Walker County Superior Court, Aaron Anthony Holland abruptly changed his not guilty pleas and admitted to the charges of aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Judge Don W. Thompson imposed a sentence of 25 years with the first 10 years to be served in prison. Holland was sentenced as a repeat offender, which means he is not eligible for parole and will serve all 10

years of his prison sentence. He must also pay $15,000 in restitution when he completes his prison sentence.

Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit (LMJC) Assistant District Attorney Winston Franklin represented

the state of Georgia. The case was tried before Judge Thompson.



On July 27, 2019, deputies with the Walker County Sheriffs Office responded to a 9-1-1 call of a domestic dispute and shots fired on Bradford Lane in Chickamauga. When they arrived, they found the victim inside a residence, shot in the back and screaming in pain. Aaron Holland, the victims estranged husband, was located in the residence as well. Holland had multiple firearms on his person, including a .380 pistol.

Detectives from the Walker County Sheriffs Office investigated and located a spent .380 shell casing and a .380 slug from inside the residence. The victim identified Holland as the shooter during the 9-1-1 call and upon arrival of deputies at the residence.



At trial, the evidence showed that, during the early morning of July 27, 2019, the victim went to her

bedroom after telling her husband, Aaron Holland, that she was leaving him. She put a large barbell weight against the door to keep the door shut. After she got in bed, Aaron Holland, pushed the door open and fired his .380 pistol, striking the victim in the back. A recording of the 9-1-1 call placed by the victim was produced to the jury.

Members of the jury heard the victim screaming in agony and begging for help after Holland shot her. Holland, by his own admission, was high on methamphetamine during this attack. Holland was arrested on the date of the assault.



The trial began on Dec. 6, 2021, and Holland, after listening to the evidence against him, decided to enter a plea of guilty on Dec. 8, 2021, with no recommendation from the state. Holland choose to place himself at the mercy of the Court.

Two Walker County Sheriffs Office deputies, the victim, and lead Detective Andy Cash with the Walker County Sheriffs Office testified. District Attorney Arnt noted that this prosecution demonstrates his "firm commitment to prosecuting violent criminals and standing up for victims of domestic violence." He praised the efforts of Detective Cash, the Walker County Sheriffs Department and ADA Franklin.

ADA Franklin and law enforcement spent many hours preparing this case for trial, said DA Arnt. We believe this thorough investigation and commitment to justice assisted the defendant in taking accountability for his actions. We take great pride in that."
After more than 122 years, the United States Congress has passed legislation that would make lynching a federal hate crime. On Monday, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the measure. This followed a 422-3 vote by the House of Representatives last week. The Act is named after Emmet Till, the 14-year-old black teen who was brutally murdered near the Mississippi delta town of Money for allegedly whistling at a white woman outside Bryants Grocery. His mother, Mamie Till Mobley, famously insisted on her son having an open casket despite his body being mangled, mutilated and virtually beyond recognition She is noted to have said in reference to the open casket, Let the world see what Ive seen.

The horrors of the inhumane practice of lynching has been documented by many. Amongst these are: the Tuskegee Institute; Chicago publications Defender and Tribune; Ida B. Wells-Barnett in A Red Record (1895); numerous authors and social-scientists; and most recently the Equal Justice Initiative, who in their report Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror (2015), estimate that nearly 4,000 lynchings occurred in the American South between the end of the Civil War and World War II. In fact; after further evaluation of lynching incidents that occurred during the Reconstruction Era, the EJI documented nearly 2,000 more lynchings than they had previously recorded. These findings are listed in their 2020 analysis, Reconstruction in America: Racial Violence after the Civil War (2020).

It is also worthy to mention that the first anti-lynching bill in U.S. history was introduced by George H.White (R-N.C.) on Jan. 20, 1900. The bill noted that of the 166 lynchings recorded in America between (1898-99), 156 of these were black in nature, and called for the protection of all citizens by granting the federal government the authority to investigate, try and convict all guilty parties of mob violence under the grounds of treason. Further, Congressman White, who served in the 55th and 56th U.S. Congresses (1897-1901), held the distinction of being the nation's sole black representative during this time, and the last from the South to serve in Congress until the early 1970's.

White had not been alone in denouncing the evils of lynching and mob violence. Rep. Samuel McElwee also decried the practice in a speech to the Tennessee legislature in 1887 when he exclaimed, Great God, when will this nation treat the negro as an American citizen, whether he be in Maine, among her tall pines, or in the south, where the magnolia blossoms grow? Other civil rights groups that were committed and dedicated to the permanent eradication of lynching include: the Niagara Movement, National Afro-American League (Council), National Association of Colored Women Clubs, Commission on Interracial Cooperation, and the Association of Southern Women for the Prevention of Lynching.

Due to civil disturbances and mob violence that occurred in areas such as Memphis (1866), Wilmington, N.C. (1898), and Springfield, Il. (1908), a grand convening of a National Negro Convention was called which formed a Committee to address pressing societal issues on May 31, 1909 in New York. This broad, multi-ethnic, and diverse group established a platform deeply rooted in workers rights, voting rights, women's rights, civil rights, and universal human rights, and by Feb. 12, 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was officially formed. One of the earliest initiatives of the organization was the great Silent Protest March '' of 1917 that occurred in New York City, which was in part a response to the East Saint Louis riot.

The NAACP and it's field secretary James Weldon Johnson would embark upon a Thirty-Year campaign against lynching which involved the investigating, recording, and documenting of incidents of mob violence by individuals such as Walter F. White and Elisabeth Freeman; through the purchasing of newspaper advertisements that denounced the evils of lynching; advocating for federal interaction in the form of legislation; and by unfurling a giant banner outside it's New York headquarters which alerted the public each time a lynching or mob violence related incident occurred. Johnson would cite cases such as the Jim McIlherron incident (1918) in Estill Springs, Tn. as a reason that federal intervention to ban lynching was needed.

Numerous attempts aimed at achieving this objective would stall. Rep. Leonidas Dyer (Dyer Bill) proposed an anti-lynching bill in 1918, which was passed by the House of Representatives but met a filibuster in the Senate. By 1935, a new anti-lynching bill would be debated in Congress, in part as a response to occurrences like the Claude Neal incident (1937). The Costigan-Wagner Bill (1935-37) was again met by intense Southern opposition, despite the House twice (1937, 1940) passing measures introduced by Joseph A. Gavagan (D-N.Y.). In 2005, the U.S. Senate expressed its "deepest sympathies and most solemn regrets" for failing to pass anti-lynching legislation.

It is important to note that women, children and whole towns were not exempt from racial terror incidents. In 1886 in Jackson, Tn., Eliza Wood would be brutally murdered for supposedly poisoning her employer despite her pleas of innocence. The dead woman's husband later confessed to the killing. The 1918 lynching of Mary Turner and her unborn baby in Lowndes County, Ga. is particularly harrowing and grotesque. In 1946, two black couples, George Dorsey, Mae Murray Dorsey, Roger Malcolm, and Dorothy Malcolm, were assaulted at Moores Ford, Ga. Whole towns were also decimated by racial terror incidents and have not recovered as of this date as well, whether it was in Elaine, Ar. during the Red Summer of 1919, where hundred are to believed to have perished, or Black Wallstreet in Tulsa, Ok. in 1921, where many of the homes were firebombed and the mass graves where victims are buried are just now being identified.

The Emmett Till Anti-lynching Act of 2022 is important because it affirms that the humanity and civil rights of all people have worth and value. And as we come to terms with this, communities all over the country have been attempting to move forward from these past atrocities through truth telling, racial healing and reconciliation. The creation of monuments and the placement of markers has led to public acknowledgement, discussion, and community building. The State of Tennessee has a worthwhile opportunity to continue this momentum with Senate Joint Resolution 113. It is a resolution,  relative to memorials for victims of lynching in Tennessee. It's passage will be an important step towards building bridges for tomorrow, and provide some measure of atonement to the more than 230 lynching victims that have been documented in the State.

In response to Rep. McElwee, Monday was a day that affirmed that all citizens should be treated the same in terms of basic fundamental constitutional rights. First, we must have truth telling, and remember that a sin can not be forgiven until there is a semblance of repentance. If we can learn from our past, it can become an abundant recompense. In that, we pray for peace unto the fallen martyrs and their loved ones; hope we can wade over the troubled waters of today; and cling towards light and love as we look towards a more benevolent future. Ultimately, we are far better off together than we are divided or put asunder.

Eric Atkins






Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics of Chattanooga announces the opening of its new location in Athens. The team at PDOC said it is committed to providing exceptional treatment results and total patient satisfaction by using state-of-the-art technology. Its new Athens location allows them to expand these services to new patients.

PDOC acquired the new location from Dr. Philip K Arnold and the team looks forward to carrying on his legacy of orthodontic excellence for the Athens community. The Athens location is currently providing orthodontic care, but will expand to offer pediatric dental care in the near future.

The office features easy scheduling, personalized treatment and friendly service with a full range of pediatric dentistry and orthodontic care, including traditional metal braces and Invisalign. The team is equipped with advanced technology, including 3D diagnostics.

We are so excited to be able to serve more of Tennessee with our new location, said Dr. K.C. Dyer. Our new Athens office will allow us to meet so many new patients by getting involved in this great community. Were thrilled to welcome new patients to our practice and form lasting personal relationships.

The new office is at 2 S. Hill St., Athens, TN 37303 and will be open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Patients can visit the website at www.pdoc.com or call the office at 541-5600 to schedule an appointment.




Real Estate Broker Amy Kuehnel has been named principal broker for the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Realty Center Signal Mountain office. She will be the eighth broker at the location that has served the Signal & Walden communities since 1978.

Amy will join and bolster an impressive list of real estate leaders who have helmed the office that my mom opened on Taft Highway when she first earned her brokers license over 40 years ago," said Byron Kelly, owner of the larger firm.

Ms. Kuehnel joined the firm as a sales agent in 2014. A lifelong resident of Hamilton County, she graduated from UTC and also holds a masters degree from Tennessee Tech. Before representing clients in real estate transactions, Ms. Kuehnel was an educator.

Along with her brokers license in Tennessee, Ms. Kuehnel has earned her place in the top 10 percent or better of all 55,000 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices sales associates in North America every year since 2018 as represented in gross commission dollars. Her background in education, coupled with a love of Chattanooga, are a combination that wows clients of all demographics and stages of home ownership, said officials. Her example and care will provide a path to professionalism in the office while her business success will inspire a new generation of eager Realtors to guide clients to their home ownership goals.

Ms. Kuehnel's always said she has "a lifetime of experience in real estate Growing up in a family of entrepreneurs and real estate investors, I was blessed with an invaluable glimpse into the business. So many facets of the industry intrigued me at first- home design and planning, land development, research and problem solving, as well as the personal interest in being my own boss. And while my appreciation for those things certainly continues, I have found that the most rewarding part of this career is in the relationships- connecting people with their hopes and dreams, teaching and learning from others, and cultivating community."

Ms. Kuehnel enjoys traveling, and spending time with her family, as well as her civic and community volunteer work.
A thumbprint on a cellphone taken from a clerk at Marksman's Jewelry at Hamilton Place has led to the arrest of a man in a $65,800 robbery.

Joshua Lishun Brewer, 25, of 2406 E. 5th St., was charged with three counts of aggravated robbery, three counts of false imprisonment and interference with emergency phone calls.

Police said three young black males wearing masks and wielding handguns used iron bars to force their way into the business in the incident after business hours last Dec. 17.

A clerk said she was sitting at her desk when the trio ran in yelling for everyone to "get down." She said as she tried to hide under her desk she saw the manager having his hands zip tied behind his back. She said one of the robbers spotted her and tried unsuccessfully to zip tie her as she lay on the floor. She said he stepped on her head as he left with her cellphone.

Another employee said the robbers asked for the key to the safe. She said some of the intruders jumped over the showcases.

The manager said they took his wallet and ID.

One necklace was found on the side of the building.

The clerk who had her cellphone taken said it was pinging behind Kirkland's store nearby. It was located in a parking spot, then checked for prints. A print came back to Brewer. The clerk said he would not have had access to her phone except for the robbery.
Siskin Childrens Institute announces a networking business breakfast designed to inspire businesses while supporting children with special needs. Think Different! Igniting a Culture of Innovation and Creativity with Duncan Wardle will be held at the Westin Hotel on Friday, April 8, at 7:30 a.m.

While Mr. Wardle was head of Innovation & Creativity at Disney, he helped teams at Disney parks, Lucasfilm, Marvel, Pixar, Imagineering and Animation to innovate, creating magical new storylines and amazing experiences for consumers around the globe. He now brings his Disney experience to audiences around the world, delivering a series of keynotes, masterclasses, and ideation forums, that help people capture unlikely connections, leading to both disruptive thinking and revolutionary ideas.

Were excited to bring such a renowned speaker to Chattanooga, said Steffanie Altman, director of Development at Siskin Childrens Institute. This event not only allows us to provide for more children with special needs across the region, but also inspires the attendees to continue to innovate and be creative in their own lives and careers.

For ticket information and sponsorship opportunities visit siskin.org/think
Demetrius Lil Meech Flenory Jr. portrays his real-life father, Demetrius Flenory Sr. aka Big Meech on the Starz drama series BMF. Set in Detriot in the 1980s, the series chronicles the rise and fall of Big Meech and his younger brother, Terry Southwest T Flenorys (DaVinchi) drug organization. The brothers began their business as teens by selling $50 bags of cocaine. However, as the crack cocaine epidemic swept the country, their business boomed.

In the first season, loyalties were tested and the brothers ended things at odds. Now, as season 2 begins filming, Lil Meech says fans should brace themselves.

DaVinchi as Terry Flenory and Demetrius Flenory Jr as Demetrius Flenory Sr. in BMF | Starz

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BMF Season 2 will begin filming soon

The second season of BMF is set to begin filming soon. Though the series is set in Detriot, the series is actually mostly filmed in Atlanta due to Georgias film incentives. Interestingly enough, as BMFs business got larger, the Flenory brothers actually begin expanding across the country even gaining a stronghold in Atlanta.

Whats really interesting about Demetrius and Terry is they really didnt blow up in Detroit, BMF creator and showrunner Randy Huggins told The Detroit Free Press. As fans know Big Meech and Southwest Ts fame began to really rise in the 1990s.

Our heart broke for Meech and Terry in this moment. What do you think about Tees decision? #BMF pic.twitter.com/odgR5hvMIa  BMF (@bmfstarz) November 24, 2021

Demetrius Flenory Jr. says Season 2 will blow the audience away

At the end of the first season amid the chaos that their business had caused to their family, Southwest T walked away from BMF to begin a legit business with his father. Now, Big Meech, who tends to be the more bombastic brother is going to learn how to deal without Terrys level-headedness.

Though filming has not yet begun, Lil Meech says that the audience wont be disappointed by season 2. From Terry being shot to Lamar, a lot of intense things happened in the first season. However, Lil Meech says Season 2 is something else entirely. A lot of crazy things happen, he told PopSugar. Were really just going to blow the audience away.

What will BMF Season 2 be about?

Since this is his fathers story, Lil Meech knows exactly what happens next. However, hes only giving fans a hint at what they can expect in season 2. Well, I cant spoil it, but I can tell you, [its about] elevation, he told PopSugar Big Meech and his mind, even at 15, 16 [years old], he thought like a grown man . . . He always wanted to take over the world. And to a regular person it [might] sound crazy, but he did everything he said he was going to do.

Those who know the story of BMFs journey know that the Flenorys eventually expanded their business across the country moving into territories in Atlanta and Los Angeles. Whats really interesting about Demetrius and Terry is they really didnt blow up in Detroit, Huggins told The Detroit Free Press. As fans know Big Meech and Southwest Ts fame began to really rise in the 1990s.

We will also see how and why Southwest T returns to his brother and their business.

RELATED: What Does 50 Cents New Starz Show BMF Stand For?
Set in Detriot in the 1980s, the Starz drama series BMF chronicles the real-life story of the Flenory brothers. Demetrius Big Meech Flenory (Demetrius Lil Meech Flenory Jr.) and Terry Southwest T Flenory (DaVinchi) began selling drugs as teens. Eventually, they would expand their business becoming two of the biggest drug traffickers in the country.

BMF opens just as they are gaining traction in Detroit. Actor Russell Hornsby who portrays their father Charles Flenory explains the tension between his character and Demetrius.

Demetrius Lil Meech Flenory Jr as Demetrius Big Meech Flenory and Russell Hornsby as Charles Flenory in BMF | Starz

RELATED: What Does 50 Cents New Starz Show BMF Stand For?

BMF Season 2 is set to begin filming soon

The second season of BMF is set to begin filming soon in Atlanta. The series is set in Detriot, however, its mostly filmed in Atlanta due to Georgias film incentives. As BMFs business got larger, the Flenory brothers actually began expanding across the country eventually landing in Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Whats really interesting about Demetrius and Terry is they really didnt blow up in Detroit, BMF creator and showrunner Randy Huggins told The Detroit Free Press. As fans know Big Meech and Southwest Ts fame began to really rise in the 1990s.

Russell Hornsby discussed the tension between Charles and Demetrius

Though Demetrius and Terry started their cocaine business together, their parents didnt know about Terrys involvement for some time since he was still in school and continued to maintain his grades. However, there has always been a major tension between Demetrius and his father Charles. A hard worker who built their home with his own hands, Charles still struggled to bring home enough money to provide for his family. As a result, his sons turned to drug dealing.

Now Hornsby is unpacking the tension between his character and his eldest son. Were talking about a man, middle of the country, he told the Albuquerque Journal. Hes one of the few hard-working men that was really there for their family. Thats what Charles represents. Because of how America has let down its populous, people are having to work so much harder and so they dont have time for the community side of it. You have to remember that all this happened in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

Our heart broke for Meech and Terry in this moment. What do you think about Tees decision? #BMF pic.twitter.com/odgR5hvMIa  BMF (@bmfstarz) November 24, 2021

BMF Season 2 will center on Demetrius

At the end of the first season of BMF, Terry told his older brother that he was walking away from the drug game. Having been shot and watching their organization destroy their family, Terry had seen enough. Taking the money he got from his botched surgery, Terry decided to open a legit business with Charles. Now, in season 2, were going to see Meech run things on his own, at least for a little while.

Well, I cant spoil it, but I can tell you, [its about] elevation, Lil Meech told PopSugar. Big Meech and his mind, even at 15, 16 [years old], he thought like a grown man . . . He always wanted to take over the world. And to a regular person it [might] sound crazy, but he did everything he said he was going to do.

He added that his father had to rethink his approach to the business without his brother. I can tell you that [Big Meech] has to elevate his mind, Lil Meech said. Everything about him is elevating, so hes becoming bigger, wealthier, [and] wiser.

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Colton Underwood from The Bachelor revealed that he and fiance Jordan C. Brown dont plan to sign a prenuptial agreement before they marry and some fans think he isnt making the right move.

Underwood appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen and said he didnt plan to sign a prenup because his marriage would last forever. No, weve already had this conversation, he said. Host Andy Cohen looked a little stunned, joking that Underwood planned to go the Teresa Giudice way.

Colton Underwood shared why he wont get a prenup

But Underwood believed his marriage would never result in divorce. No, not that way either, he laughed about the Giudice remark. Teresa Giudice recently revealed she does not plan to obtain a prenuptial agreement with fiance Luis Ruelas. No, were in it for the long haul, Underwood added.

Colton Underwood and Jordan C. Brown | Sarah Morris/Getty Images for Baby2Baby

Summer House star Danielle Olivera was a co-guest and seemed distressed by Underwoods remark. She had just discussed how Kyle Cooke and Amanda Batula signed a prenup and thought it was a smart move, especially for an entrepreneur.

You guys got opinions on prenups, Underwood added.

Olivera said, It doesnt mean youre setting yourself up for failure. Cohen added that it only means you are protecting yourself.

The Bachelor fans dont love his decision

But Underwood pushed back: We dont wanna put those vibes out there so  But later, Cohen said he received comments from fans about the prenup. Apparently people on Twitter are outraged that you are not getting a prenup, Cohen shared with Underwood after a commercial break.

He shrugged, We may?

Twitter lit up, especially because Underwood only recently came out as gay and hadnt dated many men. NOT Colton Underwood marrying the first man he meets Im f***ing dead, one fan tweeted.

Gibson Johns wrote, Colton Underwood Teresa Giudice. Telling Andy Cohen that theyre not gonna sign prenups.

Colton Underwood and Jordan C. Brown got engaged in February

In February, Underwood announced his engagement to Brown, who is a political strategist, after revealing in April 2021 he was gay. The couple got engaged after a year of dating. He said on WWHL that the wedding will be three years in the making and the couple plans to wait until they can have a large wedding. Underwood added that the pandemic delayed so many couples nuptials that a wedding of that scale will take time.

He reflected on dating after he shared that he was gay and found love. I wasnt really pursuing dating at first. But since then I found somebody and I am very much in love, he told People in December 2021.

I was struggling with my sexuality but I had such a level of fear over being gay, he recalls. Now that Ive been out to myself for a year, its the healthiest and happiest Ive ever felt. And there is nothing I would ever want to be but gay.

I had so many twists and turns to get to where I am now, he says. Im still learning and Im still growing. But Im not trying to trick myself anymore with the idea that I could force myself to be straight. And for the first time in my life, Im hopeful that Im on the right path.

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Youve heard of the Oscars, but have you heard of the Isaacs? The Isaac Awards, in honor of the great Oscar Isaac, are Showbiz Cheat Sheets unique spin on the Academy Awards. However, the Isaac Awards are different from the Oscars in that they celebrate the best movies of 2021 that deserve recognition but will not receive that recognition through Oscar nods. The 2022 Isaac Awards feature five categories: Best Performance, Best Scene-Stealer, Best Crowd-Pleasing Moment, Best Action Sequence, and Fan-Favorite Movie. Voting will be open via this form from March 7-20. Winners will be announced on March 24.

When Warner Bros. released the first trailer for Godzilla Vs. Kong released, one shot that had fans excited was Kong sucker-punching Godzilla in the face while on top of an aircraft carrier. This shot promised things to come as many were ecstatic to see Kong and Godzilla finally going at it. Director Adam Wingard shares that this legendary shot was almost cut from the film.

Adam Wingard | Ben Gabbe/Getty Images

The aircraft carrier fight between Godzilla and Kong is fantastic

The aircraft carrier fight is the first encounter between Godzilla and Kong. After building up their eventual meeting, Godzilla finds Kong as he is being transported to Hollow Earth. Godzilla destroys almost every single carrier, either by swimming straight through it or bringing his tail down on it. Kong also causes a lot of damage as he jumps between carriers.

When the two finally come face-to-face, Kong delivers a haymaker to Godzilla, and Godzilla counters with a smack to the face that knocks Kong backward. Eventually, Godzilla wins this battle when the fight ends up underwater, which is Godzillas domain. After this sequence, everyone still has the image of Kong punching Godzilla in their head, yet the filmmakers almost took it out.

Director Adam Wingard says this shot was almost removed from Godzilla Vs. Kong

4 stars for Adam Wingard's GODZILLA VS. KONG, a straight-up action picture par excellence (via @mattzollerseitz) https://t.co/oyvKOAhN8m  RogerEbert.com (@ebertvoices) March 29, 2021

In a March 2021 interview with Wingard for RogerEbert.com, Wingard explains how one of his visual effects supervisors convinced him to keep it in the movie. One of the producers told Wingard that this wide shot of the two monsters fighting was repetitive and that audiences had seen it before. However, VFX supervisor John DJ Des Jardin convinced Wingard to keep it.

I will say that we were looking at this shot, and we were looking at the animation, and the VFX supervisor, John DJ Des Jardin, was making a presentation for us while we were in Australia, Wingard said. They only had a couple shots, and one of them was a rudimentary animation of Godzilla getting punched in the face by Kong on an aircraft carrier, in a wide shot. One of the producers looked at it and said, We always have this shot in the movies, this wide shot. Do we need this? And I remember immediately DJ was like, You guys are going to want this shot. Trust me.

I was talking to him after the trailer release, and I was like, Remember when the first shot they asked us to cut was this aircraft carrier shot thats like the first literal image we released of the movie, and its like literally the main moment of the film? Wingard continued. And he says, Yeah, I tell everybody about that all the time, its hilarious. Its one of those things.

Wingard wanted the aircraft carrier fight to be as realistic as possible

Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard talks about crafting the film's massive monster brawls. https://t.co/FA5xdxlK90 pic.twitter.com/4nwqZZJEMN  IGN (@IGN) June 20, 2021

Still speaking with RogerEbert.com, Wingard told the media outlet that he didnt want the scene to strain credibility so far. Obviously, a giant monkey fighting a giant lizard is unrealistic, but Wingard wanted to make sure that it looked like Godzilla and Kong could both fit on the carrier.

I worked with my production designer friend, Tom Hammock, and he put together a little guide that showed a depiction of an aircraft carrier, and the actual size and weight of Kong and Godzilla as they existed in the Monsterverse films, Wingard explained. He showed me that the length of an aircraft carrier is over a thousand-something feet, and the monsters themselves are about 300, 350 or so. So we kind of looked at that and you can actually see they can fit on there. And then the next step was the art department peoplethey put together a size test of some kind, and so obviously theres no way to actually measure how heavy Godzilla and Kong are, but estimating the amount of space they take up and the size, the weight that they have together, versus the weight of what an aircraft carrier can supposedly handle, it worked.

Godzilla Vs. Kong is currently streaming on HBO Max.

Vote for the 2022 Isaac Awards here now through Sunday, March 20.

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Legendary actor John Wayne wasnt very happy to not receive an Oscar nomination for Red River. He blames his co-star Montgomery Clift for not getting a slot during awards season. However, Red River continues to stand the test of time as one of historys greatest Western films. Heres a look at why Wayne blamed Clift for his lack of a Red River Oscar nomination.

John Wayne and Montgomery Clift co-star in Red River

L-R: John Wayne as Thomas Dunson and Montgomery Clift as Matt Garth | George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images

Thomas Dunson (Wayne) is a headstrong man who started a Texas cattle ranch in Red River. His trail hand, Groot (Walter Brennan), protege named Matt Garth (Clift), and an orphan help him make it a success. However, the economic impact of the Civil War leaves them in need of some money.

Thomas and Matt head out on a cattle drive journey to Missouri for a greater selling opportunity. However, their age difference is just one of the components that wedge a divide between them. The two men continue to butt heads over the course of their long, exhausting journey. Critics praised the performances in Red River, including Wayne and Clifts on-screen chemistry.

John Wayne blamed Montgomery Clift for not getting an Oscar nomination

Montgomery Clift and John Wayne, pictured here, in between takes during Red River (1948). Although much of the movie was filmed near Elgin, Arizona, some scenes were filmed on the studio lot, as seen here.



John Wayne Official Collector's Edition Volume 21, p. 37 pic.twitter.com/uj7eAYZI4b  John Wayne Official (@JohnDukeWayne) January 30, 2018

John Farkis Not Thinkin  Just Rememberin  The Making of John Waynes The Alamo walks readers through the Western icons journey. The books title includes The Alamo, but the author also digs into Waynes other projects, including Red River. The actor was unhappy to not receive a nomination for his work on the film, and he blamed Clift for getting all of the campaign attention during this time.

Montgomery Clift was in the picture too, you know? Wayne said. And they wanted to give that poor kid an Academy Award so bad they simply forgot about me. Clift was acting, they said. Dukes only playing himself. I played an old man in that. And I was only forty.

However, Waynes peers also praised him for his acting chops, even though he rarely received recognition for his skill. The most frequent criticism is that he simply plays himself in his movies. However, John Ford called Wayne, a splendid actor who has had very little chance to act.

Wayne is under-rated, Red River director Howard Hawks said. Hes a much better actor than hes given credit for. He holds a thing together, he gives it solidity and honestness, and he can make a lot of things believable. If hes kind of grousing around in a scene you know that theres something wrong with the scene. He has a very true sense of cinema.

Red River got 2 Oscar nominations in non-acting categories

The @AmericanFilm Institute called RED RIVER (tonight at 8/7 C on #ThisTV) the 5th greatest Western of all time, and this Howard Hawks classic, starring John Wayne at the peak of his powers, more than lives up to that billing. pic.twitter.com/ClaWHvTKrC  This TV (@thistv) March 11, 2020

Wayne was shut out of the awards season, but Red River itself wasnt entirely out of the running. The film still earned Oscar nominations for Best Writing, Motion Picture Story and Best Film Editing. However, Red River lost to The Search and The Naked City in each respective category.

The major portion of awards season ignored the performances. Wayne perceived that Red River was pushing Clift for an Oscar nomination, but left him in the dust. However, theres no telling that he would have made the cut regardless. After all, even Clift didnt score a nomination for his performance on the film.

RELATED: John Wayne Called Red River Story One of the Best Hed Ever Heard but Didnt Want to Play an Old Man
Refugee women are arriving daily with no shortage of obstacles to welcome them. How can we #BreaktheBias and care for these fellow image-bearers?

When Jenny came to the United States at the age of 19, she had already experienced significant trauma. By 13, she was forced to flee her home country of the Democratic Republic of the Congo because of violence. For the next seven years, she and her family lived in difficult conditions in a refugee camp in Namibia. Then the day came where they got word they could settle in the U.S.

Not soon after arriving, Jenny was told she was too old to go to high school. Recounting later of that time, she recalls having a meltdown due to culture shock and believing that her hopes and dreams were shattered.

I wish I could say Jenny is the exception rather than the rule. But the truth is that the barriers she experienced as a refugee are all too common. The resettlement process can be hard. For refugee women who have often faced sexual violence, abuse, discrimination, and limited access to education and health care, here in the U.S. they may also face barriers within systems and attitudes. Many encounter biases that assume their vulnerability and fail to recognize their potential, which continues to limit their opportunities. Additionally, many women feel tension between their cultures gender roles and the culture of the U.S.

Too frequently, those of us who are not refugees underestimate the scope of challenges that refugee women face. There is still much work to be done. Helping refugee women succeed requires listening to their experiences and seeing obstacles clearly. It involves acknowledging that just because they are in the U.S., their lives are not free from trouble. We should acknowledge that they have the strength for the new challenges they may face. A coworker who is herself an immigrant from Myanmar recently wrote to me about this very issue, saying, Refugee women who come to the U.S. are strong because they have to overcome countless struggles simply to make a life here. The difficulties do not end when they get here. In fact, there are many ways in which the U.S. is even harder because of the social and cultural dynamics!

With International Womens Day today, let me offer three ways that each of us can help #BreakTheBias with women who find themselves in a new country and community because of uncertain and unacceptable circumstances.

First, be a welcomer.

We are all familiar with the importance of hospitality. Romans 15:7 encourages us to welcome one another as Christ has welcomed us. And just as Christ welcomed us into His family, we were also once welcomed in by others. Welcome is a way of saying you belong and have a place here. It may seem like a small thing, but developing a posture of welcome and hospitality creates space for refugee and immigrant friends to feel safe.

We break the bias against women refugees and immigrants by hearing their stories. Learn about their experiences and stand alongside them. Hospitality is shown in specific ways  by sharing a meal, saying hello in a grocery store, offering a warm smile, or volunteering to practice English. Receiving and offering hospitality are gifts we are called to use.

Second, be a celebrator.

In addition to taking the posture of a welcomer, we commit to friendship and celebration. Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, You too? I thought I was the only one, wrote C.S. Lewis in The Four Loves. Each of the women who arrive in America, being made uniquely in the image of God, has gifts to offer to their new communities. Jennys desire is to help others who cant help themselves. Her expression of how this happens may be different than another womans  some are savvy entrepreneurs, others have skills in cooking or artistry, and others are gifted leaders and hostesses.

Together we can celebrate that each person has a new gift to offer, and our job as welcomers and celebrators is to help erase the challenges that prevent so many skillful, resourceful women from achieving their goals. This can take many forms, and I think is most powerful in the form of partnership, friendship, and mutual learning. As I have gotten to know many of these women through World Relief, Ive listened to their challenges. They invite you and I to come alongside them in their new endeavors and to celebrate their accomplishments every step of their journey.

Third, be a co-creator.

Create space for us all to design the table together.

If we are to be a community and people that break the bias and that welcomes and celebrates refugee women, we must do it together. We must be co-creators alongside refugee women who have shown incredible strength, courage, and resilience. We dont simply offer them a seat at the proverbial table. Instead, we create space for us all to design the table together. Even when the heavens and the earth were made, God did it in community. Together, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit fashioned a world of beauty and goodness.

An example of how this might look is working together to advocate and create policies that help women have equal access to English classes and continued orientation about the U.S. It means advocating for good childcare options so they do not miss out on opportunities.

The place we reside in belongs to all of us equally...

Co-creating alongside others involves a posture of humility and learning. We recognize that many women have led complex lives that can inform a new way of dwelling and growing together. On the outside, co-creating offers an open hand and a warmth of hospitality for those who are newly arrived. On the inside, co-creating stems from an understanding that the place we reside in belongs to all of us equally and that we are all made in Gods image.

Lets move forward, together.

We cannot erase the fact that refugee women experience high rates of sexual violence, have stories of trauma, and will continue facing discrimination and harassment in their lives here in the United States due to their gender, religion, ethnicity, and refugee status.

What we can do is to welcome, celebrate, and co-create with them a future that will honor both their present and their past. There are countless ways to do this; we just need to take the first step.

Oh, and Jenny? She found a way to not only get her high school diploma but to earn a college degree as well. She is now working in digital marketing and hopes to pursue a law degree and work at the United Nations, making the lives of the vulnerable better.

Jenny is only one of thousands of refugee women who, when given a chance, will make our communities  and our world  even better.

Applications for the 2022-23 school year are due by March 15. The Better Samaritan blog is produced by the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College, which offers a M.A. in Humanitarian & Disaster Leadership and a Trauma Certificate. One of the courses on Refugees & Migration is taught by an expert from World Relief. To learn more and apply, visit our website

Susan Sperry is executive director of World Relief Chicagoland, which is committed to #breakingthebias this International Womens Day.
The Bible is the best-selling book of all time, but in a new technological era, podcasts about the Bible are topping charts as well.

Two podcasts geared toward reading the Bible in a year swiped the No. 1 and No. 2 spots on Apple Podcasts January 2022, as Christians restarted their Bible-reading plans.

The Bible in a Year with Father Mike Schmitz has taken the top podcast spot for the past couple Januaries, and The Bible Recap with Tara-Leigh Cobble ranked second this year. But their sustained popularity and the proliferation of Bible podcasts reveal something deeper than an annual resolutions bump.

During the pandemic, when people are reassessing priorities and picking up new rhythms, the podcast platform is offering believers another way to get in the Word and study alongside a community of listeners.

Cobble, who lives in Dallas, is the founder of D-Group, which organizes small group Bible studies focused on discipleship. As a next step in her mission to keep the Bible front and center for Christian discipleship, she started The Bible Recap four years ago.

The podcast came out of her own love for Scripture and a desire to help others overcome any obstacles that keep them from reading, understanding, and loving Gods Word, she told Christianity Today. Its been downloaded more than 80 million times.

The Bible Recap is a chronological journey through the Bible. Each day, there is a reading assignment for listeners to complete on their own and a podcast episode where Cobblein about eight minutesbreaks down Scripture, often zooming in particularly confusing passages. The episodes end with a God shot, where Cobble delivers what she calls a snapshot of God and his character.

Its not a deep theological dive, but just a five-minute breakdown of what I read, said Jerri Ann Henry, a listener in Washington, DC. What makes it work for me is that its tied to my Bible reading and makes things short and simple.

In addition to the podcast, followers can join Cobble on Patreon, paying monthly for extras like transcripts and a short prayer podcast (The Bible Kneecap). Nearly 10,000 patrons from around the world support the community today.

Ive been blown away by the wide range of people Ive met who do The Bible Recap, Cobble said. From five-year-olds who listen with their moms to 95-year-olds who listen on their desktop computers to a Hindu student at a university in Mumbai.

If listeners keep up with the daily readings and episodes, they will finish the full Bible in one year. Cobble plans to keep doing the podcast each year, adding updates and revisions along the way: Theres always something new to learn about God.

Cobble is currently reading through the Bible for the 15th time. She says the more she repeats the cycle, the more she wants to continue reading.

The things we think about change our lives, the things we learn about change our minds, the relationships we build with God change our hearts, she said. Even at eight minutes a day, people attest to the fact that their hearts are falling deeper in love with God as a result of listening to this short podcast.

Reading the Bible in a year is a goal for many Christians, but the success rate is low. According to Lifeway, only 11 percent of Americans have read the entire Bible. And yet, there is good news: The American Bible Societys 2021 State of the Bible report found 24 percent of adults reported reading Scripture more frequently last year than they had the year before.

The reports authors noted that as more Americans engage Scripture for the first time, these new Bible explorers often find the Bible difficult to navigate and understand  they will also need relational guides to help them and digital tools to improve their access to Scripture.

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More than half of Bible readers under 40 prefer the Bible in app, digital, or audio format, the 2021 report found, with about a quarter of all Bible readers saying an app was their first-choice medium and 8 percent saying audio. Apps and podcasts have made it more accessible than ever to listenno need to make your way through a stack of tapes or CDs to hear a book of the Bible.

In some ways, Bible podcasts are a callback to a time before written text was widely available and Scripture was read aloud. Meditating on Scripture with others, through podcasts, creates a new devotional experienceone that may be stickier and more appealing to auditory learners or inexperienced readers.

Its helpful to remember that for the bulk of human history, this is how people consumed Scripture, said Cobble. Because most didnt have access to a Bible, and even if they did, most people couldnt read.

The popularity of Bible podcasts follows more accessible audio Bible features through Bible apps like YouVersion and Dwell, which have brought Scripture to our headphones, where we can listen as we commute, walk, or do chores. The podcast form adds an additional degree of structure, with a host as a guide to offer commentary and pacing out the passages in a manageable way.

Listeners can also speed up or slow down the audio to meet their individual needs for listening. Listening also embeds people in a community of other fans who are following along with the same passages each day. Because the episodes land each morning in subscribers feeds, listening becomes an easy, practical habit.

In his book, Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms, Justin Whitmel Earley writes about the power of ritual in shaping our spiritual lives. Mornings, he says, are one of the most important times to form habitsthings like prayer, Scripture reading, and gratitude. Though phones can be a distraction from spiritual formation, they can also be used in positive ways.

Its ironic I listen to Scripture on my phone while ignoring my phone, wrote Earley, meaning he shuts off social media and email while listening to the audio Bible. Redeeming our use of technology is much less about banishing it than cultivating the patterns of using it well.

Ascension Press, the Catholic publishing company that produces Bible in a Year, never expected the incredible success its seen.

Our very modest goal was to place near the top of the Religion & Spirituality charts, said Marisa Beyer, associate general manager of media at Ascension. We were completely stunned when the podcast shot to the No. 1 spot on Apple Podcasts in all categories when it launched in January 2021.

As of January 2022, Bible in a Year had seen 125 million downloads and had 3 billion minutes of total listening time. Unlike the shorter Bible Recap, Father Mike Schmitz reads through the passages of the Bible and includes commentary, reflection, and prayer for episodes of about 25 minutes each day.

Whitney Athayde listened through Bible in a Year in 2021 and said it helped her finally finish the entire Bible for the first time.

Father Mike is filled with the Holy Spirit, said Athayde. It was just enough context and encouragement to motivate me and keep me going. Athayde said that even though shes Presbyterian, not Catholic, the podcast still resonated, and was accessible, to her.

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The Bible in a Year Facebook group has over 100,000 members, and Ascension hears testimonies from listeners who returned to church, broke free from addiction, or reconciled with family members as they followed along with the podcast.

Most importantly, Beyer said, people are learning to truly hear God's voice in Scripture, and that brings us such joy.

Other Bible-focused podcasts are drawing in the Bible-curious. The Bible Project podcast, for example, lasers in on particular themes to study in Scripture. For the past seven years, the projects cofounders Timothy Mackie and Jonathan Collins have made connections through the broader story of Scripture and talked through difficult questions in the text.

They discuss the Bible as friends, with Mackie speaking as the Bible scholar and Collins as the creative storyteller.

Because youre listening to real people explore a topic in an unscripted way, its a learning environment that feels less intimidating and more engaging than taking a class or reading a book, said Mike McDonald, chief global focus and strategic relationships officer at The Bible Project.

The ministry also offers videos, classes, and other resources, but the podcast has drawn people in with how it mirrors the way biblical authors often used repeated words and patterns to help listeners connect what they are hearing to other parts of the scriptural collection, McDonald said.

He too noted that podcasts harken back to ancient days when Scripture was read aloud, prayed over, and meditated on in a large group. The Bible Projects new app, launched this year, includes an annotated podcast experience that highlights key biblical passages from the episodes and give space for listeners to pause and dig deeper on their own.

Our goal is that the podcast, videos, resources, and app experience become a motivator for people to pick up a Bible and learn how to read and meditate in their own communities, said McDonald.

For those not quite ready to study on that level, another Bible podcast is sparking interest from the faith-curious. The Bible Binge, hosted by Jamie Golden, Knox McCoy, and Erin Moon, highlights Bible stories in a more casual way. The hosts, who are Christian, say their pop-culture-saturated approach isnt out of disrespect, but in an effort to better understand the stories.

The show isnt a read-along and instead offers episodes focused on Bible characters like Joseph and Job as well as discussions on faith topics and Christian culture (like Jesusween and Hobby Lobby). Golden said shes surprised by the number of listeners who were not previously engaged with the Bible or a church community.



We have found all these people who have either left the church or never been a part of one, Golden told CT. Im a firm believer that the Word never returns void, because people have heard these stories and been moved by them.

Like The Bible Recap, The Bible Binge has a Patreon upgrade. Listeners can also join the Bible Binge Seminary, a community of over 2,700 people who pay $5 a month for extra content like ad-free episodes, Q&As, and a book club. Golden said the seminary includes a wide variety of people, from Christians to Jews to Muslims, ranging in age from their 20s to their 60s.

With over six million downloads of The Bible Binge, its clear there is a hunger for the content, though Golden asserts there are no overarching goals for evangelizing.

We can be the people that are watering a seed someone else has planted, or maybe were planting a seed, holding it loosely, she said.

Because were not connected to a church, it doesnt feel like theres an agenda there. I think its fueled a lot of people finding something they could hold on to.

Ericka Andersen is a freelance writer in Indianapolis and host of the Worth Your Time podcast.
I saw an image last week that I cannot shake: a Ukrainian father gripping the face of his young sons lifeless body, which is entirely covered in a blood-stained sheet except for a halo of blond hair. This grief-stricken father presses his face against his sons hair, clinging to him, desperate and broken. I close my eyes to pray and I see this image.

When I think of it, I am heartbroken. But I also feel angry. I brush up against something like a maternal sense of rage. An innocent child was violently killed because Russias leader decided that he wanted a neighboring sovereign country as his own.

The violence in Ukraine makes me, like many of us, feel powerless. I watch helplessly as tanks roll into cities, as civilian targets are shelled, as the lives of whole families are viciously snuffed out. What do I do with this anger and heartbreak?

As I discussed recently with David French and Curtis Chang, I find myself turning again and again to the imprecatory psalms. Each morning Im praying Psalm 7:1416 with Vladimir Putin in mind: Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies. He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made. His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own skull his violence descends (ESV).

An imprecation is a curse. The imprecatory psalms are those that call down destruction, calamity, and Gods judgment on enemies. Honestly, I dont usually know what to do with them. I pray them simply as a rote practice. But I gravitate toward more even-keeled promises of Gods presence and mercy. I am often uncomfortable with the violence and self-assured righteousness found in these kinds of psalms.

But they were made for moments like these.

In seminary, I had a Northern Irish professor who lived through the Troubles, the 30-year ethno-nationalist violence in Northern Ireland. He saw violence against the innocent firsthand.

When he was younger and a seminarian himself, he rewrote a psalm for a class assignment. In it, he prayed that any terrorist who made a bomb would have it blow up in his face. His American professor pulled him aside, chastised him for using such a violent image, and told him he needed to repent. My professor, reflecting on this memory, told me he realized then that his American professor had never witnessed unprovoked violence against innocents and children.

These psalms express our outrage about injustice unleashed on others, and they call on God to do something about it.

I strongly tend toward Christian nonviolence and pacifism. But I recognize that in the past, there have been times when calls to peace have been based in a naive understanding of human evil.

In Who Would Jesus Kill?, Mark Allman recaps 20th-century theologian Reinhold Niebuhrs view that Christian pacifists have an overdeveloped confidence in human goodness; they believe that the gospel law of love is enough to rid the world of violence and evil.

For Niebuhr, he continues, such an approach is not only naive, but heretical. Its based on a view of human nature that is fundamentally wrong: a stubborn insistence that we humans are not that bad and not capable of true evil and injustice.

The peace movement of the 60s often embodied this naivete. With its rejection of the idea of sin and evil and call to make love, not war, it often turned a blind eye to the depth of human depravity in the world. It assumed that humanity was in an upward arc of progress that ended in utopia. But if we are naive about how dark human darkness actually is, our prayers and hopes for peace end up being flimsy covers for corruption and destruction.

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The imprecatory psalms name evil. They remind us that those who have great power are able to destroy the lives of the weak with seeming impunity. This is the world we live in. We cannot simply hold hands, sing Kumbaya, and hope for the best. Our hearts call out for judgment against the wickedness that leaves fathers weeping alone over their silent sons. We need words to express our indignation at this evil.

Those of us who long for lasting peace cannot base that hope on an idea that people are inherently good and therefore unworthy of true judgment. Instead, we find our hope in the belief that God is at work in the world, and he is as realmore realthan evil.

We hope that God will enact true and ultimate judgment. We look to him who knows every Ukrainian and Russian by name, who loves them more than I can understand, and who will avenge wrong and make things right.

We dont forgo vengeance because we think that human evil is not worthy of vengeance but because we believe God is the avenger. We do not hope for peace only because we are indignant over unjust violence but also because we believe God is indignant and his judgment (not ours) can be trusted.

Psalm 35:68 asks God himself to act: Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the Lord persecute them. For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit.  Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall (KJV).

Very often in the imprecatory psalms, we are asking that peoples evil actions would ricochet back on themselves. We are not praying that violence begets more violence or that evil starts a cycle of vengeance or retaliation. But we are praying that people would be destroyed by their own schemes and, as my professor prayed, that bombs would explode in bombers faces.

If youre like me and you gravitate to the seemingly more compassionate, less violent parts of Scripture, these kinds of prayers can be jarring. But we who are privileged, who live far from war and violence, risk failing to take evil and brutality seriously enough.

I still pray, daily and earnestly, for Putins repentance. I pray that Russian soldiers would lay down their arms and defy their leaders. But this is the moment to take up imprecatory prayers as well. This is a moment when Im trusting in Gods mercy but also in his righteous, loving, and protective rage.

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Hes like a little soldier!

Those were among the first words my wife, Maria, and I spoke when meeting a little baby in a Russian orphanage almost 20 years ago. As we walked into the room, this tiny-but-scrappy fellow climbed up against the slats in his crib, straight-backed as though standing at attention. Every day we would visit the room there, and Maximsoon to be renamed Benwas always silent and dignified, even as he clung to the back of my hair while I held him. He wasnt alone in his silence.

As I wrote at Christianity Today shortly afterward, the entire place was that way. Though filled with babies, the orphanage was utterly soundless. Over time, we learned that this was not uncommon in such settings. Infants cry, after all, to communicate: Im hungry! Im scared! Im wet! After enough time with no response, they will eventually stop crying.

As we left the room, knowing it would be several months before we were allowed to return, I could only say, I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you (John 14:18). And then we walked out and shut the door. We could hear little Maxim falling down in his crib, screaming. Between my own sobs, I said, Thats the most beautiful sound Ive ever heard. Hes crying because he knows we will hear him. He knows he has parents now. He knows he is loved.

Ben doesnt remember the orphanage. But I couldnt help but think of it late last year as I watched him stand at attention before the American flag while being sworn in to the United States Air Force. When the officer asked the new recruits why they had joined, several of them said, ...

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Virginia city abandons plan for 'Abortion Provider Appreciation Day' following pushback

The Washington, D.C., suburb of Alexandria, Virginia, has walked back plans to make this Thursday Abortion Provider Appreciation Day following pushback from the local Roman Catholic Diocese.

Mayor Justin Wilson, a Democrat, unveiled a proclamation last week announcing his intention to make this Thursday, March 10, Abortion Provider Appreciation Day to celebrate the courage, compassion, and the high-quality care that abortion providers and clinic staff provide.

While Alexandria is an overwhelmingly Democratic city where more than 80% of residents who cast a ballot in the 2020 presidential election supported Democratic candidate Joe Biden, the plan to recognize Abortion Provider Appreciation Day received intense pushback.

Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington released a statement condemning the proposal to celebrate abortion, which he described as a direct, violent attack on human life.

Proposing a celebration of abortion and an appreciation day for those who destroy lives defies comprehension, he said. The City of Alexandria should instead do the opposite. It should celebrate all those who save, protect and care for human life. It should re-direct its focus toward recognizing and supporting both mothers and their children, as so many dedicated and compassionate people in Alexandria do each day.

Burbidge called on Alexandria residents to express their opposition to this proclamation. St. Marys Basilica in the Old Town neighborhood of Alexandria shared the bishops statement on its website and provided a link to a form allowing residents to contact the mayor and members of the City Council. The council was set to consider Wilsons proclamation at a city council meeting Tuesday.

The oldest Roman Catholic Church in Virginia gave a list of sample statements residents could include in the form, urging them to Take a strong stand for life!

In addition, prominent conservatives living in Alexandria also took issue with the proposed Abortion Provider Appreciation Day.

My Democrat mayor and city council are celebrating people who kill babies, Mollie Hemingway, the editor-in-chief of The Federalist, tweeted. She described the proclamation as demonic.

My Democrat mayor and city council are celebrating people who kill babies. Yes, really. This is demonic. https://t.co/fgMwhLiam2  Mollie (@MZHemingway) March 4, 2022

Mercedes Schlapp, another Alexandria resident who served as White House Strategic Communications Director under Former President Donald Trump, contended that Mayor Justin Wilson is trying to divide our country, insisting that This action must be stopped.

This action by the mayor needs to be stopped. Mayor Justin Wilson is trying to divide our community. https://t.co/DI8CryIuhW  Mercedes Schlapp (@mercedesschlapp) March 4, 2022

In an email obtained by The Daily Wire, Wilson announced that This proclamation has now been pulled from the agenda at my request.

The proclamation you are referring to is part of a national effort, timed to occur 29 years after the date of the murder of an OB-GYN in Florida, who was murdered for providing legal and safe healthcare services, Wilson said.

Wilson began the proclamation last week by noting that March 10 marked the 29th anniversary of the murder of an abortion doctor by a white supremacist anti-abortion extremist. That doctor's name was David Gunn, who was murdered by Michael Frederick Griffin in Pensacola, Florida, in 1993.

The current docket for Tuesdays city council meeting features a list of proclamations that the legislative body will consider. Item No. 7 on the agenda, which formerly included the Abortion Provider Appreciation Day proposal reads: This item has been removed from the docket.

Schlapp responded to the development in a tweet Friday.

Praise God, she tweeted. Its why its so important to speak up against the Left pushing a radical agenda even at the local levels.

the "Abortion Provider Appreciation Day" proclamation -- has been removed from the docket by the mayor in Alexandria. Praise God. Its why it is so important to speak up against the Left pushing a radical agenda even at the local levels.  Mercedes Schlapp (@mercedesschlapp) March 4, 2022

In his proclomation last week, Wilson touted abortion as necessary reproductive healthcare that must be accessible for people to make real decisions about their bodies, lives, and futures.

He lamented the recent restrictions in some states that have forced many family planning clinics to shut down as well as the recent gutting of the Title X program that has further threatened access to abortion referrals and reproductive services and care.

The mayor also expressed concern about the fact that the United States Supreme Court now contains a majority of Justices who may not interpret the Constitution to provide protection for the right to end a pregnancy and may overturn or severely limit Roe v. Wade in 2022, referring to the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

He decried the threat to womens reproductive rights posed by the possible partial or complete reversal of Roe as a threat to womens reproductive rights and therefore a threat to basic human rights.
Biden bans Russian oil imports amid pleas from Rick Warren, others

Following calls from an influential megachurch pastor and other public figures to ban the importation of Russian oil in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine, President Joe Biden has signed an executive order that would do just that as gas prices in the United States reach record highs.

The White House announced Tuesday that President Joe Biden would sign an executive order banning Russian oil, liquefied natural gas, and coal to the United States. According to a White House fact sheet on the executive order, the Biden administration has already committed to releasing more than 90 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve this fiscal year, with an emergency sale of 30 million barrels just announced last week.

The White House pushed back on the idea that federal policies are not limiting the production of oil and gas even though the president signed an executive order on his first day in office revoking the March 2019 Permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline because it would not serve the national interest.

After issuing an executive order pulling the plug on the importing of Russian oil, the White House insisted that U.S. oil and gas production is approaching record highs, while thousands of drilling permits on federal lands go unused.

Additionally, the White House pointed to a clean energy future as a way to avoid high gas prices, citing reduced dependency on oil as the only way to eliminate Putins and every other oil producing countrys ability to use oil as an economic weapon.

Based on the White Houses line of thinking, an energy-independent U.S. means reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.

The White Houses actions follow criticism of American reliance on Russian oil from several public figures.

Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church, an evangelical megachurch in California, took to social media last week to express his outrage over the U.S.s continued purchase of oil from Russia.

Everyday that the U.S. continues to buy 600,000 more barrels of Russian oil A DAY, we are funding the murder of Ukraine. Appalling. Indefensible. Stop it now, he wrote on social media.

Everyday that the U.S. continues to buy 600,000 barrels of Russian oil A DAY, we are funding the murder of Ukraine. Appalling. Indefensible. Stop it now.  Rick Warren (@RickWarren) March 2, 2022

Warren posted similar statements on both Twitter and Facebook.

AFP Fact Check, the fact-checking arm of Agence France-Presse, subjected Warrens post to a fact check, insisting that the figures fluctuate monthly, but U.S. average daily imports of Russian crude were less than 200,000 in 2021. According to AFP Fact Check, The average daily total for that year only surpasses 600,000 when refined products are included.

A poll conducted by Quinnipiac University, released Monday, found that over 70% of Americans support a ban on importing Russian oil into the U.S. even if it meant higher gas prices.

While Warren identified the import of oil from Russia following the invasion of Ukraine as a cause for concern, he did not explicitly offer a solution to the problem.

Other public figures have offered a remedy that they believe would accomplish the goal of banning Russian oil from the U.S. while keeping gas prices low for U.S. consumers.

Elon Musk, the founder of the electric car company Tesla, took to Twitter Friday to proclaim that we need to increase oil & gas output immediately. Additionally, Musk noted that this would negatively affect Tesla, but sustainable energy solutions cannot react instantaneously to make up for Russian oil & gas exports.

Hate to say it, but we need to increase oil & gas output immediately.



Extraordinary times demand extraordinary measures.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 5, 2022

In a video, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla, praised the administration for cutting off Russian oil while suggesting that the U.S. should take advantage of its own natural resources rather than relying on other countries for energy.

We import about 200,000 barrels of Russian oil a day and we can easily replace that by just producing 200,000 barrels a day more of our own oil. We can easily do that very quickly. We dont need oil from Russia. We dont need oil from Iran. We dont need oil from Venezuela.

I am glad Biden finally cut off the oil from #Russia



Now replace it with American oil pic.twitter.com/6SUfb465QD  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) March 8, 2022

Rubios remarks follow a report from The Washington Post published over the weekend asserting that high-level administration officials met with Venezuela, another nation that has faced sanctions from the U.S. due to authoritarian behavior, about possibly lifting sanctions on Venezuelan oil to allow the communist country to export its oil here and help replace the oil deficit caused by the absence of Russian oil.

Critics of the Biden administration attribute the energy policy under his administration and other Western governments to the emboldening and empowering of Russia that gave it the resources to invade Ukraine in the first place.

Michael Shellenberger, the author of Apocalypse Never, unveiled a lengthy Twitter thread Thursday featuring data showing that 15 years ago Europe exported more national gas than Russia does today.

Now, Russia exports 3x more gas than Europe produces. Why? Because climate activists, partly funded by Russia, blocked fracking.

Shellenberger shared an op-ed from The Wall Street Journal highlighting how Russia  engaged actively with so-called nongovernmental organizations working against shale gas to maintain dependence on imported Russian gas.

GasBuddy, a website designed to help Americans find cheap gas, reported Monday that the average price of gasoline in the U.S. reached a record high of $4.104 per gallon, eclipsing the previous record of $4.103 per gallon set in 2008. Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, predicted that The high prices are likely to stick around for not days or weeks, like they did in 2008, but months.
Franklin Graham discusses Ukraine aid response, defends urging Christians to pray for Putin

Evangelist Franklin Graham, the head of the international humanitarian organization Samaritans Purse, is urging Christians worldwide to pray for the leaders of both Ukraine and Russia as the charity will open a field hospital in western Ukraine this week.

In an interview with The Christian Post, televangelist Franklin Graham discussed Samaritans Purse's efforts to minister to Ukrainians fleeing the regions of their country targeted by Russia for western Ukraine.

The group is setting up a field hospital in Lviv, which the 69-year-old son of legendary evangelist Billy Graham hopes will begin accepting patients as early as Wednesday.

We went to Ukraine and asked if there was a need for that, he said. As soon as we told them we could bring a hospital, they were very eager for us to do so.

Graham said that the people whove left behind their belongings to flee the war-torn regions of Ukraine have general health needs that need to be addressed as well as injuries sustained as a result of the war.

Youve got people that are diabetic, youve got people with heart conditions, high blood pressure, all of these kinds of things are just normal everyday problems of life, Graham said. On top of that, you have a lot of people that  have been wounded  due to the shelling. And so, you have to throw that into the mix.

We will be doing a lot of treating trauma, he predicted. We wont be doing elective surgeries or anything like that.

Additionally, Graham stressed the importance of prayer as conflict engulfs Eastern Europe. He responded to criticism he received last month for encouraging his followers on social media before the invasion began to pray for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Graham specifically called on believers to pray that God would work in Putins heart to avoid war. However, some critics felt that his call for prayer should have included people in Ukraine.

Graham told CP that Christians must pray for those in leadership, adding that praying for them does not mean that we support them.

It doesnt mean that we agree with them, Graham said. Were doing what God commands us to do, and thats to pray. I would encourage people to continue to pray for the leaders in this part of the world that an agreement can be reached.

Graham warned that this carnage that has taken place in Ukraine will damage the relations between Russia and Ukraine for many years to come.

Im not a supporter of Putin, but I am a supporter of having good relations. I think its important that we have good relations with all the nations of the world, Graham said.

Graham, who also heads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, has also been scrutinized in the media for his past meetings with Russian religious and government leaders.

When I go to Russia, were not there for political reasons, Graham elaborated. Were there for spiritual reasons.  We want to have an impact with the churches. Russias the largest landmass in the world, and  they go from one time zone to the other.  This is a huge country and we ought to try to help the churches as best we can.

Graham attributed his past meetings with Putin and Russian leaders to a desire to try to be a positive force in Russia to benefit the work of evangelicals and try to improve the relations with churches.

If we dont go and if we dont talk to them, then nothing happens, Graham stated.

In the past, Graham has not hesitated to take action in opposition to Russian policies.

In 2016, he moved the World Summit in Defense of Persecuted Christians set to take place in Moscow out of Russia because of opposition to a law passed in the country that severely limits the freedom to evangelize in public.

Specifically, the law banned evangelism outside of churches, restricted missionary activities in residential neighborhoods and required Christians to obtain permission before they could share their faith with others.

Graham rescheduled the summit, which took place in Washington, D.C., in May 2017.

Samaritans Purse, a nonprofit founded by Baptist Pastor Bob Pierce in 1970 to respond to conflict zones and natural disasters worldwide, has a relationship with Ukraine that dates back to 1996.

The charity has cultivated a network of 3,200 churches inside Ukraine that it has partnered with as part of Operation Christmas Child, an initiative to send shoeboxes filled with Christmas gifts to impoverished children across the globe.

Since 1996, weve taken them over 12 million shoebox gifts, Graham shared.

Samaritans Purse gave around 660,000 shoeboxes to the churches this year and distributed about 400,000 of them before the war broke out.

Hopefully, well be able to distribute the rest once the fighting stops, Graham said.

Graham concluded the interview by encouraging Christians to pray for the people in the path of war because theyre suffering tremendously, adding, its just terrible whats happening.

On Monday, Graham shared a request from the Baptist Union of Ukraine asking every Ukrainian, every family, every Christian and the entire world community to participate in a Worldwide Prayer for Ukraine that begins Tuesday and continues through Wednesday.

The Christian leader expressed gratitude for the churches and pastors across Ukraine and how they are ministering to their communities during these dark and trying days. He detailed a conversation between the Samaritans Purse team in Ukraine and a church leader there. The church leader said his biggest fear was an inability to worship freely in the event of a prolonged Russian occupation.

He said death would be better than to be told that they could not openly talk of God. May we all have that same conviction and boldness. God bless and protect them! Graham proclaimed.

In addition to religious freedom, Graham said freedom as a whole hung in the balance amid the conflict in Ukraine.

Im concerned about freedom, period. Not just religious freedom but freedom, he said.
Anguished moms detail how gender ideology in schools threatens parents' rights, led to suicide

WASHINGTON  Mothers fighting back against gender ideology indoctrination in the public school system detailed the devastating harms it has had on their children and families.

During a panel discussion at the Heritage Foundation Monday, scholar Jay Richards hosted three mothers who have been at the forefront of resisting this ideological push in the education system. Though their experiences were different, the mothers  January Littlejohn of Florida, Abigail Martinez of California, and Nicole Solas from Rhode Island  spoke of how school officials undermined their ability to parent and concealed from them what their children were being taught in the classroom.

Solas, a mother of two who's also a senior fellow with Independent Womens Forum, said the teachers union in her state sued her because she had filed public records requests seeking information about the teaching of gender theory and critical race theory in schools.

When Solas asked questions about how these theories were being taught, she was told that undefined common practices were being used. One such common practice was that educators were told not to refer to students as boys and girls or other gendered terms, and the values of gender identity were taught in the curriculum at an age-appropriate level.



Unconvinced in light of the nebulous responses she received, Solas probed deeper and found that the school had, in 2017, a transgender and gender-expansive nondiscrimination policy.

Under the banner of nondiscrimination, they are assisting students to transition genders  and they do it without parental consent. And in the policy, they are very clear that parents are not included in this.

This exclusion of parents is because parents are supposedly not safe with their children on this issue. But what safe means was also left undefined, she said.

After realizing how much the school could do behind her back, Solas ultimately decided to remove her 5-year-old daughter from the school. She was particularly concerned about the indoctrination of students starting at a young age. The school had point teams in which a team of school officials would create a customized gender plan for students in each grade.

Believing this to be illegal, Solas emailed the schools lawyers and cited Pierce v. Society Sisters, a U.S. Supreme Court ruling about legal parental consent.

But then, of course, we got stonewalled, she said, adding that the teachers union is suing her.

Solas subsequently filed an information request inquiring how many students were being secretly transitioned while at school without the knowledge or consent of their parents. The school replied that it could not provide that information because it was private.

I just want the number. Is it 10? Is it 100? What is it? Solas recalled asking school administrators before they denied her request, citing student privacy and confidentiality. Solas said administrators also told her the information was "not in the publics interest.

In her remarks, Littlejohn, a mother of three and a mental health counselor by training, noted that COVID-19 shutdowns exacerbated the already struggling mental health of many youths, and her daughter was no exception. Her daughter became confused about her sex soon after several girls in her friend group all suddenly started identifying as transgender.

Littlejohn disclosed to the school that her daughter had been struggling and they had sought counseling for her. She mentioned that while they were not affirming the trans identity at home, they felt like they could not stop her from using a nickname while at school. What she didn't know at the time was that the teacher to whom she had disclosed this personal information was also an LGBT advocate.

Behind her back, Littlejohn said the school initiated a meeting with her daughter to discuss which restroom she would prefer to use. School officials summarily told her that her daughter was protected under their nondiscrimination policy, and thus, they would not disclose to her parents what was discussed at that meeting.

To say I was shocked was an understatement, the Florida mother said.

After much back-and-forth communication, the Littlejohns learned that the school had socially transitioned their daughter.

They had completed a six-page plan behind closed doors, with three school officials that included the vice principal, the guidance counselor, and a social worker I had never met, she said.

In those six pages were questions about which restroom her daughter preferred to use, which sex she preferred to room with on overnight trips, and even asked which name the school should use when they spoke to her parents. Littlejohn ultimately discovered that teachers were referring to her daughter by a different name, while at the same time deceiving her and her husband by continuing to use their daughter's birth name in their communications with the school.

They took away my ability to protect my daughter when they did this, she asserted.

When parents are excluded from decisions about their child's health and well-being at school, it sends the message to their children that their parents input or authority is no longer needed.

Littlejohn emphasized that similar policies and practices have been implemented in school districts nationwide. The Littlejohns have since filed a federal lawsuit against the school district, the superintendent and the assistant superintendent.

These types of parental [rights] violations must stop," she declared. "We have to hold schools accountable when they break the law.

The third mother to share her story did so publicly for the first time. Her harrowing account led many in the audience to burst out in tears.

Martinez, who has lived in California since she was 18, when her family left El Salvador for opportunities in the U.S., recounted how LGBT activists at her daughters school, the medical establishment, and social services undermined her at every turn. All of these systems, she said, worked against her as she tried to help her daughter overcome her mental distress.

Choking back tears, Martinez described how her daughter, Yaeli, started struggling with depression in the seventh and eighth grades. Schoolmates had been bullying her and telling her that she was ugly.

When her daughter told her that she felt like she was a boy, the school counselor was involved, DCFS was involved, LGBT was in there, too, trying to help [with] the transition of my daughter.

Martinez said she was accused of not opening her eyes and not knowing that her daughter had always been male. But she knew that wasnt true because her daughter had always been a girly-girl, was very artistic, and would like to dress up as a princess.

The school principal made things worse, she said. School officials told social services that her daughter would be better off out of the house.

Yaeli was removed from her mother's custody when she was 16, and was summarily placed in the state foster care system. Her daughter then started going by the name Andrew.

I tried my best to get her back, going to court every single month. I never missed a court date because I wanted my daughter back, she said.

When I went to court, I asked the judge to please let my daughter have a psych evaluation, she continued. But since her daughter's social worker said she needed to be affirmed as transgender, the judge denied Martinezs request.

What hurt me the most was that I was told not to talk about God, she said.

Talking about God, a social worker warned her, was going to make him feel uncomfortable, she said, as the social worker referred to her daughter as male. Because hes in danger of committing suicide.

Martinez's voice faltered as she recalled how heartbreak she felt hearing her daughters voice changing due to the effects of testosterone.

In September 2019, her daughter took her own life by standing on railroad tracks where an oncoming train struck her and killed her. Martinez learned that her daughter's body had been severed due to the impact, leaving police to recover parts of her daughters shattered body from the train tracks.

Losing a child is so painful it hurts to breathe, she said in agony.

I dont want this to happen to any other family, she said, wiping tears from her eyes.

Following the panel, Richards added that Martinezs daughter, Yaeli, had been told that if parental custody was removed, the state would then pay for experimental transgender medical services, such as cross-sex hormones, which she later obtained at Childrens Hospital  Los Angeles, the location for one of the largest pediatric gender clinics in the country.
Opponents of Nebraska citys LGBT ordinance gather enough signatures to force referendum

An ordinance in Nebraskas capital city that extends discrimination protections to include sexual orientation and gender identity could be put on the ballot this November or rescinded after referendum petitions garnered four times the needed signatures.

The Let Us Vote referendum initiative needed 4,137 signatures, equivalent to 4% of voters in Lincoln. But petitions were signed by more than 18,500 voters in just 15 days, forcing the Lincoln City Council to put the Fairness Ordinance on the ballot or rescind the law, according to the Nebraska Family Alliance.

We want Lincoln to be a fair and welcoming place for all people. Unfortunately, there was nothing fair about the ordinance passed by the city council, the socially conservative advocacy group argued in a statement.

Critics contend that the ordinance allows trans-identified biological men to use womens restrooms, locker rooms and showers if they identify as women. In addition to such rules being enacted for businesses and places of public accommodation, the alliance fears that the law could also impact churches and private schools.

The ordinance also adds active military and veterans as a protected class, apart from updating definitions of marriage, race and natural origin.

This is why a diverse coalition of more than 340 volunteers of different backgrounds, ages, and nationalities rallied together to collect 18,501 signatures from concerned citizens, business owners, and more than 70 churches in just two weeks, the group said.

The expanded ordinance passed the Lincoln City Council on Feb. 14. The Nebraska Family Alliance launched its repeal effort the next day to get the required number of signatures in 15 days.

During a press conference last Tuesday, Karen Bowling, the executive director of Nebraska Family Alliance, said the people of Lincoln have responded. The NFA team submitted 1,366 petitions with 18,501 signatures to the city council.

Today is about due process, she said, to give a voice to Lincoln residents who love their city and love their neighbors.

The process has begun to validate signatures.

These petitions were circulated in every area of the city and every demographic, Bowling said, adding that they received signatories from over 72 churches.

Slovic, Ukranian, Vietnamese and Spanish-speaking churches of both Protestant and Catholic denominations have participated. Our friends from the Islamic Center also signed petitions as well as Republicans, Democrats and Independents.

She said that the initiative is nonpartisan and included people of different perspectives.

Both proponents and opponents to the ordinance signed petitions because they believe the gravity of the issue should go to the vote of the people or the city council should rescind their decision," Bowling said.

The Fairness Ordinance has received the support of pro-LGBT civil rights groups. ACLU of Nebraska accused the measure's opponents of spreading "misinformation" in an attempt to "clock back on basic human rights."

"Everyone deserves to be treated fairly on the job, when creating a home for themselves and their families, and in public life," ACLU of Nebraska Legal and Policy Counsel Sara Rips said in a statement. "We are ready to work to ensure Lincoln supports equality and to make sure no one in our community is left behind.

The Lincoln Journal-Star reports that at least four council members said they support putting the policy up for a vote. Such a vote would occur either in a special election or in Novembers general election.

However, Dave Shively, Lancaster Countys election commissioner, told the newspaper that state law doesnt permit the holding of a special election so close to the date of a regularly scheduled election.

A referendum petition against a less expansive version of the ordinance gained enough signatures in 2012. However, the council didnt put it for a vote.
Pastor Steven Furtick criticized for praising teen sons song about sex, guns and money

Elevation Church Pastor Steven Furtick and his wife, Holly, have received criticism for celebrating a music project produced by their teenage son Elijah Furtick, which celebrates guns, sex and designer clothes.

Sixteen-year-old Elijah Furtick, who goes by the stage name dothedash!, recently released a series of songs under a project titled Teen Machine.

A 30-second introduction to the songs said they are a genuine reflection of some dimension of the authors experience or personality. However, the video noted that a majority of the lyrics reflect experiences that are fictitious, exaggerated, tongue-in-cheek or otherwise wildly inaccurate.

In the music video for one of the songs called No Hook! Elijah Furtick references oral sex, drinking Hennessy and his bro keeping a gun.

In a post celebrating his son on Facebook last Wednesday, Furtick said he was inspired.

You already know how proud I am of you. But today on the release of TEEN MACHINE I want you to know that you inspire me, the North Carolina megachurch pastor wrote, explaining how hard his son had worked to create the music.

Believing in your own voice, lyrics and melodies enough to hit record and make your own project. This is the part that inspired me the most, Furtick wrote. Because even with autotune, letting your voice be heard, even by your own ears, is intimidating. Most people cant even stand to hear their voice for 10 seconds on an old video on their phone. But you had the courage to conceptualize and execute an entire project - every 808, mix, & melody, you meticulously curated and created, selected and perfected.

Holly Furtick also celebrated the work of her son on Instagram, noting in a comment that she is so proud of this project.

The project drew reactions from Furticks critics online.

Pastor Keith Bell, an associate pastor and jail minister affiliated with Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, quoted 1 Timothy 3 to suggest that the older Furtick isnt running his own household well.

1 Timothy 3 says that one of the qualifications of a pastor are that... He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity, but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God? Bell asked in a Facebook post.

Ruslan KD, a San Diego-based hip-hop artist and follower of Jesus known for his positive, spiritually-minded productions, raised particular concern about the song No Hook! He also cited the same Scripture referenced by Bell.

I dont blame him [Elijah]. Hes a kid. This is not his fault. This was cosigned by his mom. He posted it, and the mom was like, yeah! endorsing it, Ruslan said in a reaction video on YouTube.

Its not a good look to be flexing about money and about jewelry when your dad is a pastor  and there is nothing authentic about this, he continued.

The No. 1 value in this ecosystem of hip-hop is authenticity and being congruent. So when you have a song thats literally all hyperbolic nonsense of stuff that hes not living, this is bad for his career, Ruslan added.

Ruslan said that he reached out to Pastor Furtick, Holly Furtick and Elijah Furtick to voice his concern with the videos, but Furtick blocked him on social media.

CP reached out to Elevation Church on Tuesday, asking the Furticks to respond to the criticisms. An official said Pastor Furtick has no further comment at this time.
The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer? Wrong!

In a recent newsletter for my College of Business at Concordia University Chicago, I made a bold claim: that global extreme poverty has been reduced to 9%, and that a majority of the worlds population is now in the middle class. These claims matter for Christians, not just because we are commanded to the flourishing of people everywhere, but also because many of these gains can be attributed to institutions  like trustworthy courts and stable property rights  that arise from the Judeo-Christian affirmation of the Imago Dei. I hope that the faculty and students at my Christian institution will embrace this fully - that every single person is made in the image of God and has, to borrow a phrase, certain unalienable rights endowed to them by their Creator. No lesser claim will ultimately restrain the avarice of the powerful against the apparently insignificant claim of some obscure individual to their house, their job, or their small business.

Christian business people ought to see their activities as contributing to human flourishing. After all, emerging from abject poverty can mean the difference between kids who go to school and kids who have to do back-breaking work to help keep their families afloat. It can mean the difference between a life-saving antibiotic and dying before the age of five from diseases that you or I could address with a simple visit to the doctor. And while there are all sorts of wonderful things that we can do through charity and aid, this is not the way that countries develop robust enough economies to emerge from poverty. Instead, the global poor are just as interested in being economically independent as you and I are, as we see in the excellent documentary Poverty, Inc.That requires stable political and legal institutions that can support business activity. So, if this is my argument, what evidence can I provide to support these claims?

According to the World Bank, abject poverty is defined as living on less than $1.90 a day. 200 years ago, this described 99.9% of humanity. Today, its 9%, as you can see from the World Banks graph pictured here. The United Nations reports similar numbers on their global poverty goals. Thirty years ago, this number was at 40%, meaning that some of the most rapid progress has been made just in the last few decades. And what about the claim about the middle class? Brookings reports that over half the world now falls into the global middle class, meaning that families have discretionary income to spend on things that go beyond basic needs, and that they have enough wealth to weather economic shocks. Of course, we dont mean by this that half the people in the world have the kind of wealth that a middle-class American has; after all, the United States has the highest GDP in the world, and is in the top 10 for GDP per capita as well. What we do mean is that not only is quality of life going up for regular people almost everywhere, but also the political instability and genuine injustice caused by a sharp division between very rich and very poor is being ameliorated by a world-historical shift of population into a stable middle class. The gap between the richest person and the poorest person in a society doesnt matter as much for political stability as the distribution of wealth throughout the society. This news about the growth of the middle class is especially good for anyone whos read Platos Republic or Aristotles Politics, in which the dangers of the division of society into two warring economic factions was considered one of the fundamental questions of political philosophy.

The facts Im conveying here are so shocking in their sheer magnitude and historical rapidity that theyre hard to really take in. They may even seem unbelievable, and of course, no ones arguing that we dont have a lot further to go in alleviating poverty and building real wealth for those impoverished all over the world. But I encourage all of you to visit Gapminder.org, the invention of the late, great Hans Rosling of Factfulnessfame, and take the Worldview Upgrade quiz for more good news. If my claims seemed too good to be true, youre not alone. When Our World in Data asked the following question,In the last 20 years, the proportion of the world population living in extreme poverty has decreased, increased, or remained the same? the majority of respondents assumed that global poverty is getting worse. One possible explanation for this is the fight or flight response of our pounding amygdalas, which tempts news organizations to emphasize only those stories that inspire a sense of fear or anger in their audience. Its hard to blame them; how interesting would it be to look at the news every single day just to read Another 136,000 People Emerge from Abject Poverty Again Today!

While trade has always existed, it has been far more common throughout history that the powerful gained through extraction  by violent conquest, theft, oppression, and exploitation. Living in this zero-sum world meant that their gain was everyone elses loss. With the rise of those basic legal institutions of respect for property rights, freedom of contract, and the rule of law, we began to grasp that the world of business is the world of a positive-sum game. Entrepreneurs invent new goods and services, make old ones higher quality, or figure out efficient ways to offer them at a cheaper price. When I give a business my money, I get something I wanted more than my money and theyre able to run a successful endeavor. We call this exchange for mutual advantage because both parties to the exchange make one another better off. The entrepreneur doesnt take a bigger slice of the pie, they just get a bigger piece by making the pie itself bigger for everybody. Its a much better world when incentives are set up in such a way that we do better for ourselves by finding ways to serve our neighbors. Im far better off in this world as a humble professor than I would have been in a society based on conquest even if Id been the queen! Did the royalty of old have central heating and air? Did they have indoor plumbing or dental care? Could they peruse the work of the greatest artists throughout human history across the globe any afternoon? No. They couldnt, but we can  more and more and more of us every day.

and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks

- Isaiah 2:4
Fla. Pastor Willy Rice to be nominated for SBC president, says 'faith family' is all he's ever known

A day after Southern Baptist Convention President Ed Litton announced he would break tradition and not seek reelection following his first year in office, Florida Pastor Willy Rice is set to be nominated for the position at the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting this June in Anaheim, California.

Rice, the pastor of Calvary Church in Clearwater who delivered the convention sermon at the 2021 annual meeting last June, is expected to be nominated by his friend Clint Pressley, pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist in North Carolina.

Pressley made his intention known to Baptist Press, SBCs official news service, which publicized his plan in a report Wednesday.

Willy Rice represents who Southern Baptists are at their best, Pressley told Baptist Press. He loves Southern Baptists, believes in Southern Baptists, and has demonstrated at every level of our convention his ability to lead Southern Baptists.

In addition to his role as pastor of the multi-campus Calvary Church, Rice is a trustee for SBCs North American Mission Board and served as president of the Florida Baptist Convention from 2006 to 2008. He also served as president of the SBC Pastors Conference in 2015 and other leadership roles.

In a statement to The Christian Post Thursday, Rice said he is making himself available to messengers to be considered for the role after much prayer and a keen awareness of the multiple challenges facing Americas largest Protestant denomination.

As the current SBC president, Litton was elected last June after defeating Georgia Pastor Mike Stone in a runoff vote. He had vowed to build bridges, not walls. Since his election, the SBC continued to wrestle fiercely with many issues, including racism and sexual abuse. Less than two weeks into his presidency, Litton was accused of plagiarism.

Our Southern Baptist Convention faces a pivotal period with numerous challenges from within and without. This moment calls for grace and truth, for convictional leadership rooted in Christ-like character, Rice told CP.

Whether that description can be applied to me is a verdict that will be left to God and others. I am at peace with that. Yet, sensing the need of this moment, after the encouragement of respected friends and possessing a settled peace, I intend to allow my name to be nominated by my friend Clint Pressley.

Rice, who is a married father of three with several grandchildren, said that while the SBC's unity is facing very real threats, it can't be maintained at the expense of doctrinal conviction. He also made it clear that if he is elected, he intends to properly address the sexual abuse crisis roiling the denomination.

We must respond with transparency, courage, and, as necessary, deep contrition to the sexual abuse crisis. God is watching and so is our mission field, he said. We cannot dodge or obfuscate our responsibilities at this moment. We are all awaiting the Guidepost report and the report of the Sexual Abuse Task Force. I am hopeful that it will provide us a way forward, but it will be important that our leaders accept this challenge head-on in a way that restores trust and confidence and treats people everywhere with the dignity and respect they deserve.



Rice said he doesnt view the SBC through its global apparatus but the thousands of churches whose work in the field holds up the denomination.

I was born into a Southern Baptist family, and this faith family is all I have ever known. I love it. For me, it was never about conventions and entities, famous pastors, and brilliant academicians; it was always about my local church, he wrote in the statement. It was about the ordinary people who discipled me in the faith and lived out before me what it meant to be a Christ-follower. Only later did I learn about the global apparatus of our convention, and later still did I come to love and appreciate all of our cooperative ministries. I still do.

For me, the Southern Baptist Convention is and has always been about thousands of churches, most of whom you have never heard of, who minister faithfully in their contexts, he added.

It is about thousands of pastors and tens of thousands of congregational leaders and volunteers, most of whom labor in relative obscurity but do so faithfully as unto the Lord, he continued. It is for them that I pray our convention can return to a place of health. I pray for a time to heal, and for that reason, I consent to this step of faith wholly trusting God with the outcome and will be satisfied in Him regardless of what that outcome may be.

Read Willy Rices full statement below:
'Ditch the timeline: Sadie Robertson Huff urges Gen Z not to grow impatient, trust in Gods timing

Sadie Robertson Huff, who rose to fame as a teenager on the hit series "Duck Dynasty," shared what it means for Christians to be anointed, stressing that while believers are set apart and sacred, that doesn't mean they'll be quickly elevated to positions of authority, using the story of David in the book of Samuel as an example.

Speaking at the LO Sister App Retreat in Monroe, Louisiana, Robertson Huff said many in her generation, Gen Z, allow pride and fear to lead them to question why God doesn't work on their timetable.

God, she said, doesn't instantly elevate Christians to their desired platform or position because there are experiences they need to go through first so that He can prepare them to use their anointing, she emphasized, while preaching on the topic, "Anointed Right Now" on Feb. 22.

Reading from the book of Samuel, the 24-year-old pointed the audience to the story of David, who, long before he became king, worked for many years in the fields as a shepherd tending to his sheep while he was anointed by God. But during this time of fulfilling his duties as a shepherd, God was preparing him for the battle he would face against the giant Goliath and for his eventual succession as king of Israel.

Sometimes youre like, I am anointed. But why am I watching the sheep? ... Im supposed to be king, right? But its not time to be king yet. Its time to watch the sheep, Robertson Huff said.

David is anointed. He is gifted. He is good-looking. He is killing it. And hes keeping the sheep. So my point is: you can be gifted, you can be anointed, you can be called by God, you can even have it in your future that you might be king, but that does not mean that your timing with the sheep is not extremely important in your life, she emphasized.

As a young shepherd, David used his musical giftings by playing the harp while tending to his sheep. This led to David being noticed by one of King Saul's servants, who recommended his musical talents to help soothe the king who was "tormented" by an evil spirit (1 Samuel 16:14).

[Davids] not trying to promote himself. Hes not going around the palace and playing the harp. Notice that? Hes not outside saying, Notice me. Im so awesome, she added. Hes not trying to get a meeting with the king. ... Hes literally sitting with the sheep, playing the harp. He didnt have to promote himself. Because when youre anointed, you dont have to promote yourself.

When youre anointed, you dont have to strive for someone to notice you because God sees you and Gods timing on when you will be seen will be intentional. And it wont be until youre ready, she continued.

After David's performance for King Saul, instead of demanding the right to be elevated to a higher position, David went right back to his duties tending the sheep, she said.

"The thing that really qualified [David] was that God was with him. Thats what made people want to be around him.  And I love how, when David goes in and hes playing for the king,  Hes not trying to be king, Robertson Huff explained.

Hes not trying to rush the process. Because so many of us do that. Its like we finally get our opportunity, and we just want it to just blow up, she added.

Robertson Huff said that many times when Christians receive opportunities to use their gifts and anointing to bring God glory, they oftentimes try to get ahead of Gods timing.

We try to rush the process," she said. "We try to promote ourselves to all these people. And we dont even realize that we actually are even promoting ourselves to God. We say, God, Im so anointed. Why am I with the sheep? As if He didnt anoint you.

And God is [saying], You dont know that while youre with the sheep, Im preparing you. You dont know that while youre playing the guitar, Im preparing you. You dont know that while youre making those Instagram posts, Im preparing you. You dont know that while youre praying, Im preparing you, Robertson Huff continued.

So before you promote yourself, you just need to prepare yourself. ... Before I can ever put you in front of giants, I got to make sure you know how to steward a sheep, she added.

Because King Saul did not have a pure heart, God removed him as king of Israel and David rose to power.

You could be qualified with all the things that could make you king. But if you dont have a pure heart, youre not going to be king," she maintained. "If you dont figure out how to sit with the sheep and tend those. If you dont figure out how to play your gifting well, then whos going to notice? How are you going to get seen?

Its important for Christians to wait on Gods timing, she reiterated, even when Gods timing is not aligned with our expectations.

It was like five years, they believe, from the time [David] was anointed to the time he was fighting Goliath. And when he was fighting Goliath, he wasnt even king yet. Im just saying that God is a God of very specific time and that time sometimes is not going to fit in your timeline. ... My best advice for you is: ditch the timeline, Robertson Huff declared.

When it was time for David to battle against Goliath, she continued, he was prepared because during his time as a shepherd, he had to occasionally fight off a lion or bear to protect the flock.

You know how he was confident because he was faithful in the private moments because he was obedient. He stepped out when a lion or bear came and he trusted God, she added.

When Christians feel tempted to rush ahead of God and ask why their dreams arent being fulfilled, or when Christians feel fearful of taking a leap of faith and conquering their dreams, they should look to Jesus, she advised.

I hear our generation say 'why' so much to God. And God can handle your why questions. He really can. ... Im not even saying that He doesnt appreciate when you ask why, Robertson Huff said.

We can look at Jesus life and know that, in that moment, it was probably so hard ... to just carry that weight, and it was just like, why. But Jesus knew and God knew that because three days later, He was going to rise and thats going to give hope for the entire world, she declared.
African American author recalls seeing her aborted baby in a divine dream: 'His name is Tyler'

An African American author who recounted her own decision to get an abortion as a teenager at last months March for Life has shared how her faith in Christ helped her heal from post-abortive trauma, recounting a dream where God revealed her aborted son.

Toni McFadden is one of many who spoke at the 2022 March for Life in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 21, expressing regret for the abortion she had as a senior in high school and detailing how she suffered severe hemorrhaging a month after taking a second dose of the abortion pill.

McFadden, who now runs the organization Relationships Matter with the aim of educating the youth on the degradation of sex in culture, is the author of the upcoming book Redeemed: My Journey After Abortion.

McFadden documents the story of her abortion as a teenager in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and her healing process in detail. The book, scheduled for publication in paperback format on Apr. 11, is currently available in Kindle format on Amazon and as an eBook from Barnes & Noble.

Now a married mother of four, McFadden attributes her successful lengthy healing process that followed her abortion to her faith in Christ, which began to solidify when she was in college.

If it wasnt for my faith, I dont think I would be healed right now, she told The Christian Post in a recent interview. God showed me not only my sin, but He showed me what He did with my sin by dying on the cross for my sins.

While God showed McFadden that she was created for more, He also forced her to take responsibility for her abortion.

I think I would still be sitting in shame if not for the Gospel, she suggested.

I think I would still be sitting in condemnation if it wasnt for Jesus coming and rescuing my soul and showing me what life was truly supposed to be. So Ive been having a testimony to tell, she said.

Changing worldview

After rejoicing that she had given her life over to Jesus, McFadden declared: I know that His word  the Bible  is alive and it has shaped me and it has changed my worldview. It has changed the way I view life from womb to tomb.

Before she gave her life to Jesus, McFadden said she didnt have a strong faith but knew things about God. Knowing things about God, she said, is very different than having a relationship with God.

I went to church here and there, but it wasnt consistent. And I think Ive learned things about God, which  Im thankful for, she recalled. Im thankful that I was exposed to Christianity when I was younger, but I dont think it took root in my life until after I was in college.

McFadden became a Christian in 2001 but didnt talk about her abortion until three years after her conversion.

I dont even think when I became a Christian, I knew what the term pro-life even meant, she said.

I think I knew when I became a believer reading the Bible that abortion was wrong, but I dont think I took a stand until probably  2005 when I started working for the crisis pregnancy center and started going through my healing.

During remarks she gave at the Heritage Foundation headquarters in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 14, McFadden explained how pressure from her boyfriend and her best friend influenced her to have an abortion when faced with the unplanned pregnancy.

When she had a sonogram shortly before the abortion, she asked the nurse to show her the screen, which was faced away from her. The nurse showed her the sonogram.

McFadden said she wishes she would have just had somebody else with a different perspective, the perspective of life at the time of her abortion instead of those around her who assured her that this is normal and this is what you have to do.

She reiterated that, at the time, she viewed abortion as her only option. She was given abortion pills from an abortion clinic in what she characterized as an area of Allentown with a high minority population.

In McFaddens case, the boyfriend broke up with her immediately after her abortion although she cited concerns he would leave her if she did not go through with the procedure as one of the reasons why she terminated her pregnancy. But ultimately, the boyfriend came back to me almost nine years later to apologize to me.

The two eventually married and now have four children, three of whom joined them on stage at the March for Life. Her children are 11, 10, 9 and 7 years old.

To this day, McFadden still thinks about the baby she aborted.

His name is Tyler, she said. I named him when I went through post-abortion counseling, so my husband had not come along yet. This is something [that happened] when I was going through my own healing, and the Lord gave me a dream and showed me that the baby was a boy.

Telling her kids about their sibling

As demonstrated by their presence on stage with her at the March for Life, three of her four children know McFaddens abortion story.

She sat down with each of them separately to tell them what happened because she didnt want them to find out from somewhere else, like Google.

That was probably the most difficult conversation, and its an ongoing conversation because  theyre still pretty young, she said. We [told] them as much as we thought they could handle.  They dont know  the procedure I went through, they dont know anything like that. But we understand that its going to be an ongoing conversation.

As they mature in life, theyll be able to handle a little bit more depth of our story, she predicted. They understand that they are supposed to have another sibling, and they just know abortion is wrong. And so they question like, Why would you do something like that? Kids dont use euphemisms like adults do, and they dont sugarcoat things.

McFadden said it was heartbreaking when one of her children asked: So were supposed to have another sibling?

She responded to her child by saying, Yeah, you are.

We wish we could go back and change it, but we cant, and this is why mommy  goes out and speaks because I dont want any other people to go through this and I want other women  and men to know that they can have healing, McFadden recalls telling her child.

McFadden expressed gratitude for a God who redeems.

He can take the pain and the mistakes of our past and make something absolutely beautiful out of it, she said.

McFadden closed the interview by assuring women who have walked the same journey and maybe in a place of shame that healing is possible. She offered pursuing a relationship with Jesus Christ and an eight-week Bible study called Forgiven and Set Free by Linda Cochran as remedies for women experiencing post-abortive trauma.

McFadden weighed in on the state of the pro-life movement with the U.S. Supreme Court scheduled to make a ruling in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health. A ruling in favor of the state of Mississippi, which is seeking to uphold a 15-week abortion ban, would weaken the precedent set by Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

Im very hopeful that Roe v. Wade is overturned. And that is going to change our nation. I think that the pro-life movement still needs to be the pro-life movement, regardless [of] if Roe v. Wade is overturned or not because we know its going to be brought to the states. But even if the state says ... abortion is illegal, women are still going to face unplanned pregnancies. And the pro-life movement needs to be who we are right now, and that is we are the ones meeting the needs of these women who are going through it right now.

They want to eliminate those who look exactly like me

Since the March for Life, McFadden has spoken at other pro-life events, including a press conference hosted by the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation announcing the relaunch of the Standing with You initiative for women facing unplanned pregnancies.

Not only does the abortion industry not care about women, but they want to eliminate those who look exactly like me, McFadden claimed at the event.

The act of abortion is literally wiping out the black community, she proclaimed. Yet NARAL and Planned Parenthood want to celebrate Black History Month and pretend they care about black lives while telling blacks and minorities that restrictions on abortion [are] racist and that we need access to abortion to thrive. They are walking right in step with their racist founder, Margaret Sanger.

In her interview with CP, McFadden elaborated on why abortion advocacy group NARAL and abortion giant Planned Parenthoods recognition of Black History Month ring hollow as long as they continue to promote abortion and assert that restrictions on abortion are racist.

Its an absolute lie. What theyre saying is a lie, she argued. Black Americans make up 12-13% of the population, yet theyre putting all of their abortion facilities, over 80% of them, in our neighborhoods.

And then they say that there is a lack of access [for] black women and women of color. Thats not true, she continued.

Theyre within walking distance in their cities. And it goes back to their founder, Margaret Sanger, who theyre trying to disavow. But it goes back to her saying [they] dont want word to get out that [they] want to eliminate the negro population. Thats what she said, but its actually working. Planned Parenthood kills 360 black babies a day.

Additionally, she insisted that if abortion didnt exist, black Americans wouldnt even be a minority.

The statistics McFadden pointed to come from the pro-life Radiance Foundation, which determined the 360-a-day figure based on the data from Planned Parenthoods 2018-2019 annual report revealing that the organization committed 345,672 abortions in that period.

Applying the statistic from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finding that black babies constitute 38% of abortions to the total number of abortions committed by Planned Parenthood led the pro-life organization to conclude that roughly 131,355 black babies lost their lives to abortions that year. Dividing 131,355 by the 365 days in a year results in a quotient rounding up to 360.

Degradation of sex in our culture

She told CP that she sees the degradation of sex in our culture as a root cause behind the high number of abortions in the U.S.

Weve taken the meaning out of it, where God is the Creator of sex. And sex inside the boundaries of marriage has benefits; not just procreation but [it] is also protected by a lifelong commitment, she asserted.

Because sex has become mainly just about a feeling in our culture, McFadden stated that there is so much divorce stemming from the fact that the sexual revolution has led to people not taking marriage seriously and failing to take commitment seriously.

McFadden lamented the epidemic of broken homes, stressing that its not normal anymore to have parents who are still together.

I think thats mainly because of the way our culture sees sex, in music and [in] the movies, she said. Theyre just surrounded by [sex]. Not only is it degrading to these teens, but were seeing the after-effects down the road.

The after-effect that causes the pro-life activist the most concern is the rush to abort following unplanned pregnancies, an experience she knows all too well.
Judge blocks Tennessee law requiring doctors to inform mothers about abortion pill reversal

A federal judge struck down a Tennessee law requiring abortion providers to inform women who undergo a drug-induced abortion that the process can be reversed to save the baby.

On Tuesday, Judge William Campbell sided with the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, the ACLU, and the Center for Reproductive Rights, all of which filed a lawsuit against the law on Aug. 31, by putting it on hold. The plaintiffs contended that the law violates the First Amendment as well as the 14th Amendments Equal Protection Clause.

Campbell, a Trump appointee, ruled that Plaintiffs have demonstrated a strong or substantial likelihood of success on the merits of their claims that (the law) violates the First Amendment by requiring abortion providers to convey a mandated message that is misleading.

In a medical abortion, women are given two drugs: mifepristone (RU-486), and misoprostol. Mifepristone works by blocking the effects of the natural pregnancy hormone progesterone. Misoprostol induces contractions and a miscarriage. The abortion can be reversed after taking mifepristone and before taking misopristol.

The law would require abortion providers to post signs in their clinics explaining that women have the option to reverse the abortion before taking the second pill if they change their mind.

In addition to the signs, abortionists themselves would also be required to inform mothers that their abortion could be reversed. Failure to comply with the law could lead to a fine or up to six years in prison.

In response to the ruling, Samantha Fisher, a spokesperson for the Tennessee Attorney Generals office, explained that the temporary restraining order merely preserves the status quo until the district court can hold a preliminary injunction hearing. That hearing will take place on Oct. 13.

Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Utah also have laws requiring abortionists to inform mothers that they have the ability to reverse their medication abortion. Tennessee is one of three states where such a policy has been put on hold by a court ruling. The others are North Dakota and Oklahoma.

Sue Turner, director of Physicians for Life, previously told The Christian Post that if a pregnant woman who has taken the first of two abortion pills decides shes made a mistake and wants to keep her baby, she would have a relatively high chance of delivering a healthy baby if she was to undergo the reversal.

Turner cited a U.S. study that showed a 64% to 68% success rate of delivering a healthy baby after a woman has been given the natural hormone progesterone thats essential to maintaining a healthy pregnancy. CP previously reported on that study and its results here and here.

If the mifepristone is blocking the progesterone we give a pregnant woman more progesterone to rise above that limit, Turner said, then she should get enough progesterone to hold the baby in place.

Natural progesterone has been used for decades to stop miscarriages. The doctors will give the mother natural progesterone to stop her from having contractions and help hold the baby in place until she gets closer to her due date. That was why they used it in the first place, Turner explained.

Requiring abortionists to inform mothers about the option to try an abortion pill reversal was just one provision of a larger pro-life law that Tennessee passed earlier this year. Another provision of the law banned abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected. Campbell struck down that provision in July.

Tennessee is one of many states that has passed such laws, often referred to as a heartbeat bill. Heartbeat bills in Mississippi, Georgia, Missouri, Iowa, Arkansas and North Dakota have also been struck down as unconstitutional.
Baptists give thousands of Ukrainian refugees outlets to rest, plan for their uncertain futures

WARSAW  Tetyana had a job, a home, friends, a life, and a grown daughter who was just starting hers. Then the explosions started near Kyiv, Ukraine.

For 48 hours, me and my daughter were lying on the floor waiting for death, she said. In the last moment, we decided to pack quickly our most needed things and just flee Kyiv. The war started on Feb. 24, and on the 26th at 1 p.m., we left Kyiv.

They drove until they encountered a 31-mile long line of cars waiting to get into Poland. There, they abandoned their car and boarded a bus.

At 2 a.m., on Feb. 27, we finally crossed the border," she detailed.

Poles welcomed them as they have hundreds of thousands of others. By Gods direction through Polish Baptist volunteers, Tetyana and her daughter ended up at the Baptist seminary in Warsaw.

Marek Glodek, president of the Baptist Union of Poland, and Mateuz Wichary, vice president of the union, work at the seminary and have been crucial in leading the efforts of welcoming people from Ukraine to the seminary and Polish Baptist churches.

God has placed Ukrainians in our churches over the past 10 years, and they are instrumental in this effort, Wichary said. When the fleeing Ukrainians arrive in our churches and can talk with, relate to and begin to process what happened with people who know their language, culture and customs, it helps them switch from fear toward comfort.

After a long pause, Tetyana added: Im thankful to God because Im Orthodox. I pray every day. And yesterday, we had Baptist church service here, and I cried all the time when we prayed and worshipped God. People are so good to us. Im thankful to God that He provided a place for us here. Because me and my daughter thought that we would sleep on the streets when we arrived in Warsaw.

In many ways, Baptists in the region, like the Polish, are the face of the faith in the crisis as Christians connected to the Baptist World Alliance around the globe line up behind them to support ministry to those impacted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Texas Baptist Men, a Dallas-based nonprofit primarily known for its disaster relief ministry around the world, is one of the groups that is responding to this crisis.



Through significant funding, it is supporting four shelters in churches in Poland and Ukraine. A TBM team is currently on the field meeting specialized needs and providing logistical support to the Poles.

The eyes of the world are on Ukraine, said Mickey Lenamon, TBM executive director/CEO. In the middle of everything thats going on, Baptists from around the globe have come together to meet needs and share the love of Christ to people during their most difficult days.

We are honored to be part of that. The Polish are incredible. Their faith is inspiring. They serve around the clock and never seem to tire. God is truly working through Polish Baptist churches.

According to the Baptist World Alliance, Ukrainian Baptists have cared for more than 45,000 people through shelters and aid stations. Hungarian Baptist Aid is also serving in the region. Polish Baptists have served thousands more.

Many of the refugees, like Tetyana and her daughter, arent sure where they will go next.



Through a texting group of their friends, they understand their old neighborhood is filled with landmines. Returning is becoming less likely as the Russian onslaught continues.

But at least they have a safe place to stay with people who care about them and a God who has a plan for their lives.

We have been here for three days now, Tetyana said. Now, we are trying to calm down and think about the future.
Father used ghost gun to kill 3 daughters and beloved chaperone in church, police say

David Mora Rojas, a 39-year-old father who fatally shot his three young daughters and their chaperone before killing himself during a supervised visit inside the sanctuary of The Church in Sacramento in California just over a week ago, used an unregistered ghost gun to commit his crimes, authorities said.

The Sacramento County Sheriffs Office announced Monday that Rojas, who was not supposed to have guns due to a temporary restraining order against him, committed the murder-suicide on Feb. 28 with a homemade semiautomatic rifle-style weapon.

At the conclusion of the shooting, Mora-Rojas had in his possession, an AR style rifle, Sheriffs Spokesman Sgt. Rod Grassmann said in a written statement. The firearm had no serial number or manufacturer markings and is what the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives refers to as a Privately Made Firearm (PMF). The rifle had an extended 30 round magazine inserted and 17 casings were found at the scene.

Grassmann told The Associated Press that its unclear where Rojas, a Mexican national living in the U.S. illegally, obtained the gun used to kill his daughters Samarah Mora Gutierrez, 9; Samantha Mora Gutierrez, 10; and Samia Mora Gutierrez, 13. The late chaperone was identified as Nathaniel Kong, 59. Business records show that he was an executive of the church.

In a statement shared on its website, The Church in Sacramento said Kong had been shepherding Rojas and his family for almost five years since they joined the church.

Nathaniel loved to give, lived to give and ultimately died to give, the statement reads. He was committed to being a lifeline to individuals in desperate need as the highest form of service to his beloved Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When anyone asked for help  whether strangers or members of the small congregation in which he and his family actively served  he gave it, no questions asked.

Kong is remembered as a person who saw the good in people, regardless of their past or present struggles.

Because of his servants heart, Nathaniel was respected and admired as an elder in the Church in Sacramento where he volunteered full-time, the churchs statement continued. As a long-time member, Nathaniel earned this informal title so that younger members could go to him for help, assistance and fellowship because of who he was and the life he lived.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Alethea Smock told AP that Rojas overstayed his visa after entering California from Mexico on Dec. 17, 2018.

Despite his criminal history after entering the country, the Merced County Sheriffs Office said ICE was never notified because of Californias sanctuary state law, which prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal officials except when immigrants are accused of serious crimes.

Court documents cited by AP show that Rojas was out on bail at the time of the killings after an arrest just days earlier for multiple charges, including assaulting a police officer. He was arrested on Feb. 23, but he posted bail and was released after spending one night in jail.

The mother of his late daughters also described him as a jealous person who made her so afraid that she sought and obtained a temporary restraining order against him in April 2021. The restraining order also prohibited Rojas from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

This unspeakable tragedy highlights the true cost, unintended or not, of sanctuary policies that prevent law enforcement from protecting its citizens, Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones said in a statement.

Grisel Ruiz, the supervising attorney for the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, told AP that she believes the issue isnt about immigration but gun control and domestic violence.

A GoFundMe campaign started by an aunt of the late sisters has raised more than $75,000 from thousands of donors to help with funeral expenses as of Tuesday morning.

Many of the donors also left comforting words of support for the mother, whose identity is protected because she is the victim of a crime.

I wanted to tell the mother Im so sorry for your loss. You did what you were supposed to do to protect your babies. Nothing you could have done would have prevented this. Dont ever feel any sense of blame, wrote one donor, Alexis Mayhew. I know what you went through, Ive been there. But right now I cant imagine your pain, can only tell you Im sorry and Im here for you at heart. May your babies R.I.P. love always.
This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices.
Black-clad mob at UNT attacks dad fighting to save son from trans puberty blockers

Editors note: this article contains some profanity.

Liberal protesters at the University of North Texas denounced a concerned father who wants to stop the gender transition of his son as a fascist and forced the student organizer of a lecture in which the father spoke to hide in a closet amid threats to her safety.

The Young Conservatives of Texas, which has chapters at several college campuses in Texas, hosted an event featuring Jeff Younger at the Denton, Texas-based university on Wednesday.

Younger is a father who lost custody of his trans-identified biological son after objecting to his ex-wifes efforts to transition him from male to female.

Younger, who is running as a Republican for the Texas House of Representatives, was asked to give a presentation titled For the Future of Texas: Federalism as State Nationalism, Conservatism as Traditionalism, [and] Republican Politics as Restoration.

A promo for the event announced that Younger, a local business owner and veteran, would share his vision for Texas and stated that he had received national attention defending his young son against being forcibly transitioned by his ex-wife, and now looks to continue the fight representing Texas House District 63.

As a political candidate, Younger wants the state legislature to outlaw sex-change surgeries on children and criticizes the legislature for failing to do so in the last two sessions.

Initially scheduled for Feb. 23, a winter storm led the organizers to postpone his speech until this week.

Younger spoke before a crowd of students at UNT the day after advancing to a runoff in the Republican Primary for House District 63 and a week after the Texas Attorney General characterized gender reassignment surgeries and puberty blockers for the purpose of gender transition as child abuse in a formal opinion.

Video footage shared by independent journalist Andy Ngo reveals that Younger received an overwhelmingly negative reaction from liberal protesters in the audience.

The protesters, who expressed outrage at Youngers opposition to the efforts to promote the gender transitioning of children, pounded on the table and clapped their hands as they chanted F*** you, fascist. One protester is seen putting up their middle finger.

At the University of North Texas in Denton, far-left activists shut down the Young Conservatives of Texas (@YctUnt) event featuring the father who lost custody of his trans child. The radicals pounded on the table & shouted, F you, fascist over & over.pic.twitter.com/QRIAXcWBZK  Andy Ngo ?????????? (@MrAndyNgo) March 3, 2022

Additional video footage shared by Ngo shows that the heckling of Younger continued throughout the speech, with some joining Younger at the front of the room. The whiteboard had the phrase doesnt pay child support written on it in an attempt to take a dig at the concerned father, based on a premise he contended was inaccurate.

This is what leftist politics looks like, Younger remarked after a protester screamed in his face. Another protester set off a noisemaker.

At the University of North Texas, a trans-critical event by a conservative student group feat. @JeffYoungerTex was shut down. One person went to the front to scream. Another stood on the table & spit at the speaker after being called "she." More footage:https://t.co/IbwXOEziF9pic.twitter.com/IemEmT3DPD  Andy Ngo ?????????? (@MrAndyNgo) March 4, 2022

As UNT President Neal Smatresk noted in a letter to the campus community Thursday, the protest against Younger was not limited to the classroom at Curry Hall where his lecture took place.

A few hundred protestors gathered outside the building, holding signs and chanting, he said.

Smatresks letter also mentioned that the nature of the lecture led to additional police presence.

Because conversations surrounding the student organizations event, which focused on criminalizing healthcare for transgender children, have been contentious, UNT Police created a plan to ensure their ability to maintain a safe environment for our campus community, the student organizers, their guest, and event protestors, requesting advance assistance from both Denton Police and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).

Based on the event space capacity and for safety purposes, the room was limited to 80 attendees. A few hundred protestors gathered outside the building, holding signs and chanting, he added. The police agencies tasked with maintaining public safety were inside and outside the building. DPS officers were staged at a nearby location as an extra safety precaution.

Police believe a small group of protestors not affiliated with the university contributed to escalating the overall protest from peaceful to an aggressive encounter, Smatresk stated.

These actions culminated with a group of protesters swarming police, who were working to safely escort both the guest speaker and student organizers off campus, he explained. DPS was called in to assist with maintaining safety.

Ngo indicated that some in the group of protestors not affiliated with the university are believed to be linked to the Dallas-Fort Worth #antifa cell, adding that Law enforcement had to evacuate the speaker & conservative student organizer.

The student organizer, Kelly Neidert, detailed in a Twitter thread Thursday how concerns for her safety led to her requiring a police escort to depart from the event.

Last night I was evacuated from an event hosted by [the Young Conservatives of Texas at the University of North Texas] on my college campus, she recalled. I received violent threats and constant harassment leading up to the event and was targeted by Antifa protesters. They separated me from my police escort and I ended up hiding in a janitor closet.

In video footage posted by Neidert, multiple protesters yelled F*** you, Kelly, and one called her another highly inappropriate name. After hiding in the closet for a period of time, Neidert was rushed into a police car.

Last night I was evacuated from an event hosted by @YctUnt on my college campus. I received violent threats and constant harassment leading up to the event and was targeted by Antifa protesters. They separated me from my police escort and I ended up hiding in a janitor closet. pic.twitter.com/WO0ChTlXlh  Kelly (@kelly_neidert) March 4, 2022

Neiderts boyfriend, Alex Stein, posted a screenshot of what he purports are threatening Instagram messages she received expressing a desire to beat you and your ugly boyfriend  up at the same time and tie you together and hang you off the side of a f***ing building.

Additionally, the Instagram user discussed how he cant wait to see the videos come out of UNT of Kelly getting her a** beat, predicting that people would throw your ugly a** down the tallest flight of stairs they can find.

Smatresk elaborated on the adverse treatment experienced by Neidert in his letter.

A group of protestors surrounded the police vehicles containing both the student organizers and their guest and attempted to block their exit from the scene by banging on the vehicles and impeding their movement, he stated. The officers engaged emergency lights and sounded warning signs repeatedly while inching forward as other officers assisted in clearing a path for the vehicles to exit safely.

The UNT President reported that we have heard accounts of a protester who was reportedly injured during that time, stressing that we do not have confirmed details of that report.

A liberal Twitter user, Denton Possum, implied that Dentons police apparently have no qualms about running over students because as soon as Kelly was settled in the car, the driver accelerated towards the crowd rapidly and a protestor was unable to back away fast enough, and was struck by the front of the vehicle.

Denton's police apparently have no qualms about running over students. As soon as Kelly was settled in the car, the driver accelerated towards the crowd rapidly. A protestor was unable to back away fast enough, and was struck by the front of the vehicle. pic.twitter.com/DOvf7ob4c0  Denton Possum (@DentonPossum) March 3, 2022

Smatresk praised UNT Police for working to create and maintain an environment safe for all students to express themselves, regardless of topic, but said that the behavior by some individuals is not reflective of the UNT I know and love.

Smatresk stated that the school has always touted the importance of freedom of expression and been proud of our students ability to speak up for themselves and participate in nonviolent protest.

The presidents letter did not sit well with liberal student activists, who will hold a protest Friday afternoon expressing opposition to the tone of his letter.

The Walk Out Protest is directed at Smatresk for condoning hate speech and ignoring the voices of students.

Younger details his family situation more on his campaign website, saying his ex-wife began to teach his son that he is a girl at the age of 2. He said a pediatrician plans to put his son on hormone drugs around the age of 9.

Ive spent over a million dollars in total economic costs trying to stop her, the courts, and the schools from transitioning my son to a girl, the website explains.

My ex-wife now has authority from the State of Texas to cross-dress my nine-year-old son.

Younger has issues with Coppell Independent School District calling his son by a girls name and allowing him to use the girls bathroom. He argued that they actively teach his son that he is a girl.
A racist Virginia school board and principal get called out

In a terrific win for parents, hardworking students, and those who want to end discrimination in our schools, a federal judge has thrown out the racist admissions policy of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, a prestigious public magnet school in Fairfax County, Virginia.

On Feb. 25, federal district court Judge Claude Hilton granted summary judgment to the Coalition For TJ, a coalition made up of Asian American parents with children who had applied for admission to Thomas Jefferson High School or were planning to do so. They were represented by the Pacific Legal Foundation.

The parents challenged the change in the schools admissions policy implemented by the elected members of the Fairfax County School Board in 2020. Hilton concluded that change was made with a clear racist purpose:

Board members and high-level FCSB (Fairfax County School Board) actors did not disguise their desire for TJ (Thomas Jefferson High School) to represent the racial demographics of Fairfax County or Northern Virginia as a whole.

Despite their efforts at ensuring holistic admissions, Hilton found the policy to be racial balancing for its own sake, and therefore, patently unconstitutional.

As internal emails and other evidence showed, the 12 members of the school board were upset that so many Asian American students, and so few black and Hispanic students, were accepted at the school. So was Thomas Jeffersons principal, Ann Bonitatibus, who seemed more concerned with the race of her students than their individual character or education.

In the 2020-21 school year, before the policy change, the racial makeup of the student body was 71.9% Asian American, 18.34% white, 3.05% Hispanic, and 1.77% black. The defendants expressed their anger that the Hispanic and black racial makeup of Thomas Jefferson did not reflect that of Fairfax County, which is 19.8% Asian American, 36.8% white, 27.1% Hispanic, and 10% black.

With the implementation of the new admissions policy, which resulted in 64 more students being admitted than in previous classes, the percentage of Asian American students in the class of 2025 still fell to only 54%.

The change in the admissions policy was prompted, in part, by George Floyds death in May 2020. Bonitatibus sent an email a week after Floyds death to the Thomas Jefferson community about black citizens facing death and continued injustices and complaining that the high school did not reflect the racial composition in the Fairfax County school system.

Other board members expressed similar sentiments, with one saying she was angry and disappointed about the old admissions policy and saying they had to address the under-representation of black and Hispanic students. While white students are also underrepresented at the school, that apparently wasnt a concern to the board members.

But Hilton found that board member communications show a consensus that, in their view, the racial makeup of TJ was problematic and they set out to increase and decrease the representation of certain racial groups at TJ.

The schools original, rigorous admissions policy explains why it has been regularly rated as one of the top high schools in the country. Students from five different school districts are eligible to apply. But in addition to requiring applicants to have a minimum core 3.0 grade point average, the school also required students to take three standardized tests: the Quant-Q, the ACT Aspire Reading, and the ACT Aspire Science tests.

Students who met certain minimum scores advanced as semifinalists for another review that evaluated their GPA, test scores, teacher recommendations, responses to three writing prompts, and a problem-solving essay.

The daughter of one of the authors went through this tough process and graduated from Thomas Jefferson in 2012.

Keep in mind that in the case against the school board, there was no evidence produced of any kind that the preexisting admissions policy, including the battery of tests that was administered to applicants, was at all discriminatory. It is simply that this objective process did not produce the racial proportions the school board and the school principal wanted.

Instead, the board eliminated the standardized tests in their entirety, got rid of the multistage review process, and implemented a holistic (i.e., subjective) evaluation that included Experience Factors such as (a) attendance at a middle school deemed historically underrepresented at TJ; (b) eligibility for free and reduced price meals; (c) status as an English language learner; and (d) status as a special education student.

The school board also guaranteed seats for 1.5% of the eighth-grade students at each public middle school, creating a pool for the remaining unallocated seats.

Hilton concluded that there was no dispute that the board was racially motivated and acted with discriminatory intent when it changed the admissions policy. It implemented, according to Hilton, a policy that does not treat all applicants to TJ equally, where Asian American students are disproportionately deprived of a level playing field.

Moreover, the board short-circuited the usual process for making policy changes in order to dampen public opposition, going out of its way to prevent input from stakeholders  something Hilton himself noted. He found that the process was rushed, not transparent, and more concerned with simply doing something to alter the racial balance at TJ than with public engagement.

The process suggests  as one board member said in an email  that the board was moving quickly because it was currently incurring reputational/political risks, meaning that now is better timing.

Hilton contrasted the fact that the school board held full, public meetings on renaming two schools named after Confederate generals with the fact that the public did not even see the proposed plan that the Board actually adopted for TJ admissions until 30 minutes before the final meeting.

He said that the board could not transform racial balancing discriminatory conduct forbidden by the Constitution  by simply relabeling it racial diversity. And it didnt even consider alternatives like further increasing the size of TJ or providing free test prep  before the Board defaulted to a system that treats applicants unequally in hopes of engineering a particular racial outcome.

What is crystal clear from this decision and the evidence that was introduced is that the members of the Fairfax County School Board, the principal of Thomas Jefferson High School, and numerous others inside the school system had no hesitation in implementing a racially motivated, discriminatory admissions policy intended to achieve a racial quota system that would allocate seats in the entering class based not on the qualifications, credentials and hard work of those students, but their skin color.

All of them should be ashamed for betraying the public trust and engaging in such egregious conduct.

Originally published in The Daily Signal.
The FDA continues to promote abortion

How often have the pro-life movement and Sen. Bernie Sanders been united on an issue? It happened in February when President Bidens nomination of Dr. Robert Califf to become commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration sparked something exceedingly rare in modern Washington: bipartisan opposition.

The roots of conservative and liberal opposition to Califf, who is a respected cardiologist, professor of medicine and expert in clinical research at Duke University, had common outlines but different objects. Senators like Sanders (D-Vt.), Maggie Hassan (D-Vt.), and Edward Markey (D-Ma.) registered opposition over Califfs role in FDA opioid regulation and, at least in Sanders case, his ties to what some call the revolving door between the FDA and the drug industry.



For right to life advocates, it was Califfs role in the unscientific, near-eradication of reporting requirements for abortion pill complications during the Obama administration, where he served as FDA commissioner from February 2016 to January 2017.

To fully understand that role, its important to know the FDAs checkered  which is to say, not evidence-driven  history with the abortion regimen of mifepristone and misoprostol. FDA approval in late 2000 came with significant safeguards for womens health. But over the next two decades, the FDA, an agency with a notoriously closed process for evaluating drugs and devices, proceeded (some would argue receded) from robust patient safeguards to what has become a brisk, mail-order trade with little or no medical support for women and girls consuming these dangerous abortion drugs.

In December 2021, just before Califfs confirmation hearing, the FDA stripped away the better part of the remaining REMS  risk evaluation and mitigation strategies  for abortion pills. Califf had helped pave the way for erosion of safety standards (the abortion pill is never safe for the unborn life it kills) in 2016 when he led the FDAs decision to end the REMS requirement for any health harms short of death to be reported to the agency. Hemorrhage, need for follow-up surgical abortion, infection, ectopic pregnancy, near-death experience? No need to tell the FDA.

Conveniently, this non-reporting regime now allows the FDA and abortion industry to claim the abortion pill poses no serious risks. See no evil, hear no evil, report no data on evil.

Yet robust Medicaid data from 17 states which publicly fund elective abortion, ignored by the FDA but analyzed by respected public health scientists, show the real-world impact. The rate of abortion pill-related emergency room visits increased more than 500% from 2000 through 2015.

On top of laying the asphalt for mail-order abortion, the FDAs treatment of mifepristone had other unique features. The manufacturers of the drug  Danco Laboratories and the generic-maker GenBioPro  make no other drugs. The abortion pill is all they have. This makes the companies invulnerable even to collateral pressure that they act responsibly with the FDA because they will have future products come before the agency.

During his confirmation hearing, Dr. Califf was asked for his thoughts about the FDAs review process for abortion pills. In the converse of the underling who says he was only following orders, Califf testified multiple times that he trusted the FDA staff would do the right thing. Of course, the right thing in this case proved to be a star-chamber proceeding that would allow him to duck responsibility.

Should the American people trust the FDA? There are many on both sides of the aisle  including liberals who are alarmed about the spread of death-dealing opioids  who answer in the negative. The FDA receives significant funds from the industry it is charged with regulating. It bears little or no responsibility to share with the public what research it has reviewed, which experts have reviewed that research, and how the drugs it approves will be monitored. The REMS for mifepristone was inherently weak; it is now completely toothless.

Despite bipartisan opposition and the rare alignment of pro-life and far-left senators, Dr. Califf was narrowly confirmed by the Senate on February 15. Yet two issues that American Christians care deeply about  abortion drugs and opioid abuse  slowed the nomination considerably and forced both Washington and the mainstream media to give attention to the FDAs role in expanding access to these dangerous drugs.

The confirmation process is weighted in favor of those currently in power. Moreover, both industry and regulatory bodies need special expertise. But the confirmation process can at least compel an open forum where the public can see the insiders and lobbyists, the ideologues and the exploiters, who manipulate and profit from government decisions.



Whether your issue is the toll of addiction or abortion, the public interest demands nothing less.
Churches near Ukraine's border shelter refugees as 1 million flee Russian invasion

Churches in countries neighboring Ukraine have opened their doors to shelter and aid refugees as the United Nations refugee agency estimated Thursday that 1 million people have fled the Eastern European nation since the beginning of Russia's invasion last week.

"In just seven days, 1 million people have fled Ukraine, uprooted by this senseless war," U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a statement. "I have worked in refugee emergencies for almost 40 years, and rarely have I seen an exodus as rapid as this one."

Russia began its invasion last Thursday, targeting military installations in Kyiv and other major cities nationwide. Reports have indicated that the Russian military has also targeted areas with civilian populations, and hundreds of civilians have reportedly been killed.

Many of the displaced have fled to neighboring countries such as Poland, Moldova, Slovakia and Hungary, while many more remain in Ukraine.

Grandi said people are fleeing the violence "hour by hour" and "minute by minute" as "countless" people have also been displaced internally inside Ukraine. The U.N. official warned that "millions more are likely to be forced to flee" unless the conflict reaches an "immediate end."

Churches in neighboring countries are among community centers and camps sheltering refugees who've fled from the violence, with some seeing hundreds of Ukrainians coming and going in recent days.

As Poland has taken the brunt of the Ukrainian refugees, one church that has served as many as 400 refugees is a Baptist church in Chelm. According to the Baptist Federation of Europe, the church is "filled with life" as it has pushed its pews out of the way to make room for beds.

"It is not tension that you feel as you enter the building but life, peace and joy," a statement from the federation reads. "Children laugh and play while mothers prepare for onward journeys. The church piano plays a variety of tunes, none of the hymns, as the children practice their piano lessons."

"Pews are in the pulpit and beds fill the sanctuary, the balcony and every available space," the statement adds. "Ukrainian and Polish families work side by side, making food, receiving donations and cleaning the toilets. The laundry vibrates as the three new washing machines continue their endless 24-hour cycle. The supply rooms are full of children excitedly selecting new clothes and discovering new toys that have been donated."

The church's kitchen has supplied soup, snacks and hot meals for the refugees arriving while packing lunches for the refugees that depart. The church receives help from local hotels that provide clean linen for the beds.

The Polish Baptist Union hopes to house as many as 1,000 refugees.

According to the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board, Polish Baptists have established 40 shelter camps. The PBU provides the camps with bedding items, food and hygiene items, while Send Relief, IMB's relief arm, provides funds to assist in the relief efforts.

First Baptist Church of Gdasnk, Poland, will host one of the refugee centers, according to IMB missionary Ken Brownd.

"It's just cool to see Polish Baptists stepping up and taking care of their neighbors. They've done that for a long time now, but this is a different level," Brownd was quoted as saying in an IMB report. "Our team is trying to organize the Send Relief help  but really, this is mostly driven by Polish Baptists, so we're not the main players in this at all. We're helpers, and so it's amazing."

A church in Poland about an hour from the border affiliated with the Shoreline Church in Austin, Texas, has put beds "in every possible place they can put one." Shoreline Church has raised over $110,000 to support the refugees through its Caleb Foundation.

"Your generosity is astounding, thank you for being the church in the world. It is imperative that we continue to pray and fight in the spirit," the church told its members in a Facebook post.

Shoreline Pastor Rob Koke has preached in Kyiv numerous times. Koke told KXAN the church he and his wife, Laura, started 15 years ago in Czestochowa, Poland, has taken in over 100 refugees. Koke said that the church's members have brought food to the border and brought refugees back to their church.

"They were freezing cold and standing for five days," Laura Koke told the news outlet about the refugees. "They were hungry. One little boy said, 'I don't have a home.' One of the church members said, 'this is your home' it's so touching."

In Cluj-Napoca, Romania, Methodists are providing shelter to refugees in a former hotel that has been rented out and turned into a community center, according to United Methodist Church in Romania Superintendent the Rev. Rares Calugar.

"The UMC has built a network in Cluj-Napoca and has access to numerous apartments and houses where those leaving the community center can stay to make room for new arrivals," Calugar told UMC's official news agency UM News.

Church members have also traveled to the border to help refugees as they cross the border.

UMC churches in Hungary, Slovakia and Poland have also provided shelter to refugees. In Slovakia, Pastor Svetlana Komives Francisti from a UMC church in Michalovce transported six African students who fled while studying in Kyiv to her church for shelter until they can reunite with families or other students, according to UM News.

Experts say the invasion is the most significant attack by a European country on another since World War II. World leaders have called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to put an end to the war, and the global community has issued targeted sanctions to cut off Russia from western financing and technology.

Earlier this week, the United Nations reported that at least 227 civilians had been killed in Ukraine and over 525 injured.

A European Union executive warned Sunday that as many as 4 million Ukrainians could flee the country and as many as 7 million could be displaced internally by the conflict.

"Inside Ukraine, our staff  and other humanitarians  are working where and when they can in frightening conditions. Our staff stay, even at great risk, because we know the needs in the country are huge," Grandi said.

"Despite the extraordinary pace and challenges, the response from governments and local communities in receiving these 1 million refugees has been remarkable. UNHCR staff have already moved in throughout the region and are scaling up our protection and assistance programs for refugees, in support of host governments."

U.S.-based Christian disaster relief organizations such as World Help and Samaritan's Purse, as well as American churches, have also sprung into action to help those displaced by the war.

Samaritan's Purse, which evangelist Franklin Graham heads, has deployed members of its Disaster Assistance Response Team to surrounding countries to help meet the needs of Ukrainian refugees.

Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Springfield, Missouri, has sent a team of volunteers and its senior pastor to Poland to provide care and shelter to orphaned refugees from Ukraine, arriving on Thursday morning. Another team is expected to leave in two weeks, according to the church.

Speaking with reporters Wednesday, U.S. President Joe Biden accused Russia of targeting civilians but said it's too early to tell if Russia had committed war crimes. However, United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson told members of Parliament Wednesday that Putin should be investigated by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, citing attacks against civilians in Ukraine.

The second round of negotiations between the two countries began on Thursday in Belarus. Ukraine said both sides had agreed to create humanitarian corridors through ceasefires that would allow civilians to evacuate and aid to be delivered.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, told Reuters that ceasefires will exist only in areas where the "humanitarian corridors themselves will be located."

"[I]t will be possible to cease fire for the duration of the evacuation," he was quoted as saying.
Write About It Online  Though she was fairly new to the restaurant biz in 2020, Joelle Parenteau was not new to business. The COVID-19 pandemic caused her to pivot like most business owners, but navigating the complexities of trying to stay afloat in the midst of such unprecedented times created a steep learning curve. She wrote about that in her viral popular Medium blog post with a provocative title (see article below). Telling her real story online let her connect with a huge international audience and garnered her and her business lots of media attention.

Haters Gonna Hate  In more eloquent terms, courage will not come free of trials. Joelle Parenteaus writing is impassioned. It comes from a place of transparency and vulnerability rarely seen from anyone, let alone somebody trying to build a business. But thats what makes her story so beautiful. And why it has connected with so many readers.

Collaboration Over Competition  Joelle Parenteau fully understands the value of working together. Whether that collaboration is in the form of mentors, investors, or other restaurant owners, she has benefited greatly from not trying to go at it alone. Everyone needs to ask for help.

***

Wolf Down restaurant owner Joelle Parenteau is a passionate entrepreneur who has been able to channel her fearlessness and zeal for her business with blogging and Smartphone Storytelling.

I feel like everything we do is a little unconventional, says Joelle Parenteau when describing habits that have made her restaurant successful on the Restaurant Influencers podcast to host Shawn P. Walchef of https://calibbq.media.

Unconventional has been a theme in her rise to fame within the restaurant industry. Tired of the false narratives and negativity surrounding the industry, Joelle expressed her frustrations the most constructive way she knew how, by writing. She penned a fantastic article called Why Restaurants are So F***** that was published on May 18, 2020. The article was riveting enough to garner over a million views and have her as a guest on media platforms across the globe.

The first one was basically just a rant of just stuff that I had to get off my chest, says Joelle Parenteau. Just seeing some of the things we were going through and how we were struggling. So the first one was mostly focused on the lack of understandingfor, like, what it takes to serve you a great meal.

The unconventional methods also cross into her business. Joelles inspiration for opening Wolf Down, a Berlin donor shop, came from a chance meeting with a German boy that took her on a trip to Germany. After singing the praises of this particular German street food from her now husband, Daniel  who just so happened to originally relocate to Ottawa to help his friend with a startup called Shopify  she finally got a chance to try the acclaimed kebab wrap.

I had my first bite and it was just mind blowing, she described.

That encounter got the wheels turning on how she could have this delectable food as often as she wanted and find a way to share it with everyone.

Betting on Restaurants

As a professional poker player, Joelle Parenteau is accustomed to gambling. She had no restaurant experience. She had no background in the food industry, but she bet on herself and opened the first Wolf Down in her hometown of Ottawa in 2018 with the help of key investors and mentors. Three years later, the second location went live in Las Vegas, where she and Daniel spend a lot of time playing poker. They have since opened two ghost kitchens in Toronto and Calgary with more on the horizon.

We have a bit of an unusual growth trajectory, Parenteau remarks on Wolf Downs rapid expansion into virtual kitchens.

Just over a month after publishing her article on the inevitable downfall of the restaurant industry, Parenteau has recanted a bit with another hit entitled Why Restaurants are not F*****. The article highlights the need for restaurants to pivot in order to remain successful, and how it could be done.

A year and a half later, Parenteau underwent another swing in her emotional pendulum and composed Why Restaurants are so F***** - Part II which details the lingering uncertainty due to the aftermath of COVIDs subversion. Despite a change in feelings, one thing remains constant, she is true to herself. Parenteau has used Medium to speak her truth from inside the belly of the beast that is restaurant ownership becoming her very own media source. She uses her writing to lend a unique voice to the ins and outs of the hospitality industry during these uncertain times.

Is it worth it? Parenteau says she often asks herself. A question that she answers with a resounding, Yeah! At the end of the day, I will always say yes. I wont be silenced and I believe in speaking up. She continues, I just feel like the industry as a whole doesnt have enough people speaking up for it, and for some crazy reason, I decided I would try because I have such a passion for this industry.

That audacity and unconventionally radical candor and passion for service is how Joelle Parenteau has taken Wolf Down from a description of her fast eating style as a kid, to an idea based around a unique experience, to now a renowned restaurant with an astronomical upside.

***

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Are you SICK and TIRED of scrolling through your social media feeds and not seeing your business anywhere?

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Deepa Singh, 30, of Louisville, Ky., has been seriously ill for two years, racked with extreme fatigue, racing heartbeat and memory problems from long covid that she says prevent her from working. Adding to her distress, she says, has been a grueling - and so far unsuccessful - battle for disability payments.

Singh, who worked as a project manager for a Fortune 100 company, is among a cohort of long covid patients who have been denied disability benefits, either by private insurance companies, which operate benefit plans offered by employers, or by the Social Security Administration, which manages government disability benefits.

Tasked with sorting legitimate health claims from fraudulent or marginal ones, these gatekeepers now face a novel challenge as the coronavirus pandemic drags on: a flood of claims citing a post-infection syndrome that is poorly understood by the medical community and difficult to measure.

Patients cite a litany of symptoms that defy verification through basic medical tests. They become exhausted at the merest exertion. They can't remember simple words. Their hearts feel like they are fluttering. Yet neurological exams, EKGs and chest X-rays come back clean.

Doctors said in interviews they are treating long covid patients who are clearly too sick to work but who have difficulty meeting the evidence threshold insurers demand: objective medical test results showing an inability to perform work.

"I would say some denials are unjustified," said Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez, chair of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the Long School of Medicine and chief of the long covid clinic at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. "Almost every day I'm filling out disability paperwork, writing letters of appeal and talking with people from disability companies."

Specialized tests can measure a few long covid-related problems, such as a central nervous system disorder called dysautonomia, which affects the body's ability to regulate itself. But there are months-long waiting lists for the tests, doctors and patients said.

The challenges are similar to those faced for years by people claiming disabilities based on chronic fatigue syndrome. But the pandemic has given rise to such claims on a far greater scale.

"We are seeing a mini epidemic of chronic fatigue syndrome," said Benjamin Natelson, a neurologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York who specializes in such post-viral disorders.

In the United States, covid has infected more than 79 million people and claimed more than 950,000 lives. Doctors have estimated there are 750,000 to 1.3 million or more Americans too sick with long covid to return to their jobs. A recent analysis published by the Brookings Institution, based on data from various studies, suggested that long covid disabilities and workplace absences could account for 15% of America's 10.6 million unfilled jobs.

Private companies and the Social Security Administration, in response to questions from The Washington Post, declined to disclose the percentages of people with long covid whose applications for benefits have been denied. The industry trade group, the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI), said it did not have data that could document a rise in overall disability applications or illuminate the ratio of denied claims for long covid.

"The true impact of the virus on policyholders and people overall won't be revealed for some time," said Jack Dolan, a spokesman for the ACLI. "Still, companies in the [disability insurance] business are paying benefits every day on the wide variety of illnesses and injuries covered in policies."

The Social Security Administration said it has received about 23,000 disability applications since the beginning of the pandemic that include a mention of covid in some way - less than 1 percent of all annual claims, it said.

Some covid patients are receiving disability benefits, especially those who suffered severe infections. Thousands of people spent weeks on ventilators, followed by long periods in physical and occupational therapy relearning how to walk and perform simple tasks. Many suffered strokes, brain bleeds and organ failure as the virus laid siege to their bodies.

The Washington Post spoke to patients who, with the help of lawyers, won long-term disability benefits from the government. One, an EMT in New Jersey, suffered strokes and uses a wheelchair. Another, a New York doctor, experienced brain bleeds; his speech is frequently interrupted by sobs.

Long haulers, as patients with long covid are known, typically start with milder infections and later suffer symptoms that are not as obviously debilitating.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledges gaps in medical knowledge regarding long covid. It warns doctors not to rely solely on heart, lung and brain tests to diagnose the syndrome because the symptoms are so difficult to measure. "Lack of laboratory or imaging abnormalities does not invalidate the existence, severity, or importance of a patient's symptoms or conditions," the CDC cautions in its official guidance.

But whether someone qualifies for benefits hinges on their physical and mental ability to do their jobs, not on a diagnosis.

"A lot of times the insurance company is just looking at the physical requirements and saying you have a sedentary job, and nothing precludes you from sitting at a desk all day,'' said Mark D. DeBofsky, a Chicago lawyer who represents patients fighting for benefits. "But you have to think, you have to analyze, you have to plan, you have to use judgment. If you are not able to fully exercise those faculties, you can't work at that job."

Singh was among the initial wave of long covid cases in 2020, before the medical system had even created a diagnosis code that could be entered into records. She did not qualify for a coronavirus test at the time of her initial infection in February of that year because she had not traveled to China or associated with anyone who traveled to China.

She said she tested positive for coronavirus antibodies in August 2020 (before vaccines were available), proving her infection and the root of her long-term sickness. Doctors dismissed her symptoms as psychosomatic, she said, a common complaint among long haulers.

Throughout 2020, she got sicker and struggled at work as a senior project manager. She said she couldn't keep up with the job of driving improvements in company business units, unable to multitask or communicate clearly, forgetting what had been discussed with colleagues and failing to recall simple words and phrases.

"It just got to the point where I couldn't function any more, and people were noticing more and more that I was slipping," she said.

Singh shared her story on the condition that her employer not be named in this story to avoid negative repercussions. Although the company notified her in a certified letter in November 2021 that it filled her old job, it said she can apply for a different one if her medical condition improves, Singh said.

Singh's employer contracts for employee disability benefits through a large insurance company called Unum, an international provider of workplace benefits like life and disability insurance. The company reported $12 billion in revenue in 2021.

Singh applied for temporary disability in late 2020 from Unum but was denied, she said, describing conversations with Unum representatives that left her stressed and dispirited. She said she was told by one representative that a "young thing" like her could not be disabled by the virus.

"There were a lot of phone calls that left me in tears with that disability company," she said.

Unum eventually approved temporary disability in February 2021, after Singh appealed. She had been sick for a year.

When Singh's temporary benefits expired in June 2021, she said she was still too wiped out to work, despite regular physical therapy and speech pathology appointments. She applied for long-term disability. That bid was denied, first in September and again in November, in letters that Singh read to a Post reporter over the phone.

Unum told her she was denied because she never had a positive coronavirus test and because an antibody test in February 2021 was negative, Singh said. It did not mention her positive antibody test in August 2020, she said. In the September denial, the company noted that Singh's new primary care provider, an advanced practice registered nurse in Louisville, had just begun treating her and did not know whether Singh's ability to work was hampered.

On Oct. 20, the provider wrote an update: Singh "is being treated for post-covid long-term symptoms and continues to experience dysfunction in cognitive abilities which hinders her ability to work/complete tasks in a timely manner," the provider wrote in case-file notes that accompanied the November denial.

Despite that assessment, the company cited medical tests that did not reveal impairment, including a neurological exam that came back normal. "Her symptoms are out of proportion to the diagnostic and exam findings and are inconsistent with functional impairment,'' the denial letter said.

The company also said Singh had not proved she was disabled throughout a period that ended on Aug. 30 - an "elimination period" in disability rules, when the patient must remain disabled to qualify.

Singh said she is still awaiting a decision on her appeal of the second denial. She likened the process to getting put through a "spin cycle."

"The process is so difficult you feel like giving up. But what then? You go back to work to a job you can't do?" she said.

Unum says it does not comment on specific cases. It said it has approved "hundreds of thousands" of additional disability claims since the beginning of the pandemic, with an increase from pre-pandemic levels of 35 percent. The company did not provide raw numbers of benefit awards or denials resulting from long covid.

"During the pandemic, Unum has paid more disability and life claims than in our company's history. It's why we exist and reinforces the critical importance of employee benefits," Unum spokeswoman Natalie Godwin said in an email. "In general, disability and leave claims connected to covid-19 have been primarily short-term events with the majority of claimants recovering before completing the normal qualification period for long term disability insurance."

The length of time it takes to decide claims depends on individual circumstances and the "timeliness" of medical records and other submissions, Godwin said.

Responding to Singh's statement that she was told by an Unum representative that a "young thing" like her could not be disabled by covid, Godwin added, "We have been unable to confirm the alleged statement, but we strive to make every customer interaction a learning opportunity to drive better service and support."

The denial of temporary disability benefits by Mutual of Omaha stunned Eve Efron, 32, a long-haul covid patient from Virginia.

Since her initial illness in January 2021, Efron has struggled with physical and mental exhaustion, headaches, sleep disruption and emotional stress caused by long covid, according to medical records and correspondence she provided to The Post.

She took sick time and reduced her work schedule at Outcast, the public relations agency where she is a senior account director.

In April, as her symptoms worsened, the physician assistant treating her at MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital discussed options with Efron and determined that she should take medical leave to rest.

But Mutual of Omaha, her employer's disability insurance carrier, in August rejected Efron's claim for temporary disability insurance totaling $7,500 for the five weeks she was away from work. It said after reviewing the medical records that her illness was not severe enough to interfere with work, according to correspondence Efron shared with The Post. It dismissed her final appeal last month.

Efron's claim and appeals included emails and notes from the MedStar physician assistant emphasizing the importance of the medical leave.

"Eve's medical conditions . . . were inconsistent with the demands of her job and, in my judgment, would improve only if she stepped away from work for a period of time," wrote Kathryn Pellegrino, the physician assistant. MedStar declined to make Pellegrino available for comment.

During the appeal, Mutual of Omaha reviewed her social media accounts, noting that she had recorded a promotion in September 2021 on LinkedIn. It cited the promotion as evidence that she was able to perform her job satisfactorily. It also cited her clearly written correspondence to the company as an indication that she did not suffer cognitive problems. And it said her medical record lacked any objective test that showed a lack of function that prevented her from doing her job.

"It seems clear that Mutual of Omaha doesn't trust my doctors . . . to be able to make a diagnosis. It feels really wild to me to undercut their medical judgment in that way," Efron said. She said her promotion in September had no bearing on her illness in May and early June, when she took medical leave. She said an uncle who is a lawyer helped craft her appeal letters.

With the final denial of her appeal last month, Efron said she is resigned to not receiving any compensation for the time she missed work. She continues to work now, still plagued by headaches and fatigue, worried that she will never return to normal.

Mutual of Omaha would not comment on Efron's case.

"Each claim, whether arising from covid or any other condition, is evaluated based on the specific facts of that case," as well as terms of the insurance policy and state and federal law, Mutual of Omaha said in a statement. The company reported $11 billion in revenue in 2020.

In Los Angeles, lawyers for Wendy Haut, a sales representative for an educational software company, Cengage Learning, have filed suit against insurance carrier Reliance Standard. The suit claims the company improperly denied her long-term disability claim despite symptoms including asthma and chronic cough that she did not have before her coronavirus infection. Several doctors attested to Haut's disabling symptoms, according to the lawsuit, including her primary care doctor who submitted an assessment in November 2021, the month before Reliance denied Haut's application for benefits.

"To date she experiences constant mental fog and forgetfulness, especially short term memory, and thought processing," the doctor, Eric Mizrahi, said, according to the suit. "She is literally incapable of assuming her responsibilities of daily living without assistance." Mizrahi did not respond to request for comment. Haut's lawyers also did not respond.

Reliance Standard - a division of a Japanese insurance giant, Tokio Marine Holdings, with more than $45 billion sales in its last fiscal year - declined to comment. Cengage said in an email it plays no role in determining the outcome of disability claims.

Outside of Pittsburgh, Laurie Bedell received word from the Social Security Administration late last month that her application for long-term disability had been rejected. She caught covid along with the rest of her family at Thanksgiving in 2020. Her father died after a hospitalization. Bedell has remained in a state of physical exhaustion with myriad symptoms. She had to leave her job making more than $100,000 as a nursing supervisor at a home care agency.

She applied for state unemployment benefits but was denied. Because she was too sick to work, she did not meet the unemployment criteria of actively looking for a new job.

Bedell submitted what she said was thousands of pages of medical records from the Cleveland Clinic and doctors in Pennsylvania to the Social Security Administration for her application for disability benefits, including pulmonary function and cognitive tests that she said showed impairment. She continued to submit additional test results after her initial application, with what she said was medical proof of 12 different diagnoses, including post-exertion malaise, chronic fatigue syndrome, dysautonomia, small fiber neuropathy, irritable bowel syndrome, and anxiety and depression.

The Social Security Administration sent her for an independent physical examination before issuing the denial. Bedell said she thought the independent evaluator recognized the severity of her condition.

But according to the written denial she received, sections of which she shared with The Post, SSA determined that "you experience pain, but the evidence shows that you are still able to stand, walk, lift, carry and bend. At times you are depressed. However, this would not prevent you from performing routine work in a low stress environment. You have some limitations on your activities. However, the severity of your condition does not totally disable you."

Agency spokeswoman Nicole Tiggemann declined to comment on Bedell's case, citing privacy laws. Social Security requires a finding that a disabling condition will last at least one year or result in death before awarding benefits, she said. In 2016, the agency was criticized by a government watchdog for not conducting timely reviews to make sure people receiving benefits are still disabled.

"Disability evaluations are based on function," Tiggemann said, "not diagnosis."

Meanwhile, Bedell said she has cashed out her 401(k) to pay the bills. She said she and her husband may soon be forced to move because they can't afford their $1,800 monthly rent without ongoing financial help from her mother.

The couple had been hoping to buy the house they are renting. For now, that plan has been scrapped.
Many Americans have woven green practices into their everyday lives  from recycling to going paperless and even cutting back on meat consumption.

Switching to clean energy or purchasing an electric vehicle are additional ways to go green, but large-scale upgrades also often come with major price tags. Several existing tax credits can help to offset the cost of the commitment  but it pays to know the details.

Whether youre looking to make some upgrades this year or are wondering if any changes you made in 2021 count toward a tax discount, heres a quick-start guide to the current federal tax incentives for energy efficiency and other green upgrades.

Plug-in electric car credit

Upgrading to an electric vehicle comes with a few feel-good benefits. Apart from lowering your carbon footprint, electric vehicles often require less maintenance and cost less to fuel than their gas-powered counterparts.

Your purchase might even count toward a federal tax credit of up to $7,500. The catch? Youll need to keep an eye on which vehicles qualify and for how much.

What youll find is that high-performing fully electric vehicles get the full benefit of the credit, says Shannon Christensen, an attorney and editor for Thomson Reuters Tax and Accounting based in Lindstrom, Minnesota.

Hybrid models, on the other hand, often qualify for a smaller sum.

Heres a glance at some of the fine print:

The credit is worth $2,500 to $7,500, depending on the cars battery capacity.

Credits are reduced and eventually phase out after a manufacturer sells 200,000 qualifying vehicles.

You must own the car. Used or leased cars dont qualify.

The car must weigh less than 14,000 pounds.

The credit is nonrefundable; it can lower your tax bill to zero, but it wont result in a refund.

Dont forget to look for additional incentives on the state and local level, says Gena Jones, an attorney and certified public accountant based in Flossmoor, Illinois. Californias Clean Air Vehicle program, for example, grants carpool lane access to select electric vehicles. New Yorkers, on the other hand, might be eligible for a state-level rebate of up to $2,000 on top of the federal tax credit.

 Interested in building a more ethical portfolio? Consider ESG investing.

Residential energy credits

Green tax credits for the home come in two buckets: one for renewable energy systems and another for energy efficiency.

Taxpayers who upgrade to renewable energy systems for their homes, such as solar panels or geothermal heat pumps, may be eligible for a nonrefundable tax credit of up to 26% of the costs for systems installed in 2020 through 2022. After that, the percentage goes down to 22% for systems installed in 2023.

Switching to an alternative energy system could also help you save on utilities and even increase the value of your home.

But note that certain subsidies  like, say, a kickback check you receive from a utility company  should be included as income when you file your return, says Christensen. Otherwise, youll need to subtract the check amount from the total costs youre claiming before you calculate your credit.

If youre wondering about smaller commitment changes, the IRS also offers some relief there. Adding insulation or upgrading to energy-efficient doors or windows in your home might make you eligible for a nonrefundable tax credit of up to $500. The caveat? This credit hasnt been renewed for 2022, so only qualifying upgrades in 2021 count at this point.

 Need help choosing the right software? Explore the best tax preparation services.

Before you file

If you think youre eligible for a federal tax incentive this year, make sure you provide your tax preparer with all the necessary receipts and certificates to redeem the credit youre eyeing, says Jones. If youre missing any of the paperwork, you might jeopardize your chances of qualifying.

And if youre not quite ready to commit to an electric vehicle or solar paneling, make sure to keep an eye on the fate of President Bidens Build Back Better Act in the coming months. Although its currently stalled in Congress, the bill has several ambitious plans in place for clean energy, including generous expansions and enhancements of the existing credits above.

This article was written by NerdWallet and was originally published by The Associated Press.

Sabrina Parys writes for NerdWallet. Email: sparys@nerdwallet.com.

The article Made Green Upgrades in 2021? Dont Miss These Tax Credits originally appeared on NerdWallet.

Copyright 2022 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Jing Gao asserts that passion isnt something youre born with, but something you create through hard work. Its a theme reflected in the story of Fly By Jing: The brand started in 2016 as an underground supper club before Gao launched a product line of Sichuan sauces two years later. But the theme also speaks to Gaos search for her identity, and how she found a way to reclaim it by reconnecting to her roots.

On International Womens Day, Gao sat down with Entrepreneur to talk about developing Fly By Jing, and how telling her story was key to making the business a success.

Developing inspiration

Growing up, we were moving a lot in countries where you couldn't really find Chinese ingredients, Gao says. Despite being born in Chengdu, China, her fathers job as a professor meant moving was constant.

Going from Germany, to England, and then Austria, France, Italy  it was kind of a constant adapting, code-switching, trying to fit in, Gao says. And so my mom, in a way, inspired me with how she adapted to cooking in the countries that we were in using the limited resources and ingredients that we had.

However, Gao admits she didnt develop a passion for China's rich culinary landscape until she moved back in her early twenties. Seeing Chinese food in its complexity and diversity awakened her palate, and she knew it was something she wanted others to see, too.

Gao's passion for sharing Chinese cuisine first took the form of writing for her blog and various publications. But the more she studied, learned and cooked her way to understanding Chinese cuisine, the more she wanted to get involved with the food scene. In 2014, Gao used her passion to co-found Shanghai-based restaurant Baoism. The restaurant was revolutionary in that it focused on transparently sourced, safe and clean ingredients at an affordable price  a concept Gao likened to a Chipotle for China.

She used the success of her restaurant to create Fly By Jing, an underground supper club, in 2016. Gao traveled the world holding popup dinners in places like Hong Kong, Japan and Australia and ran the business as a one-woman show, doing everything from cooking, to branding and interacting with guests.

However, Gao's ventures taught her that although she loved working with food, her interest in the cuisine wasnt necessarily in serving it.

Operating a restaurant wasn't really what I wanted to do, Gao says. I really enjoyed it. I learn a ton. But the parts that I love the most about the process were the product creation, the flavor creation, the storytelling and the branding. And I also knew that I wanted to bring these flavors to a wider audience on a larger scale. I wanted to kind of challenge the existing notions about what Chinese food can be or should be.

Related: To Grow, These Founders Had to Kill Parts of Their Companies They'd Believed Were Essential

Launching Fly By Jing

Gao says Fly By Jings transition from a supper club service to a chili oil product line was natural.

I was running this underground supper club, and [Fly By Jing] wasn't planned. This whole journey was very organic," she says. "But what I really didn't realize at the time was when I was cooking all these dinners, that was my consumer research. Instantly, I could see their feedback on the flavors. And so by the time that I was launching the product, I already knew which ones were resonating with people.

Image credit: Fly By Jing

Gao left Shanghai and turned to the United States for her entrepreneurial pursuits. Despite never having lived in the U.S. previously, her experience writing for publications in the country encouraged her to build a product there.

But though she had an idea for a food product, scaling her idea was a different beast. In order to get the appropriate capital to undertake the project, the writer-turned-chef-turned-entrepreneur created a campaign on Kickstarter.

I decided to launch on Kickstarter first and test the U.S. market and see the appetite for what I was doing. So I made a video of me in Chengdu talking about the flavors, going to the spice markets, talking about the importance of these ingredients and really demonstrating that this is a new paradigm about Chinese food, and that it can be some of the highest quality food out there, Gao says.

The story resonated with people, who saw the product's value in introducing complex Sichuan flavors in a way that hadn't really been done before. Gao initially set out with a $35,000 goal, but she ended up with $120,000 pledged on the Kickstarter  more than three times her goal.

Related: Jessica Simpson's Billion-Dollar Secret: 'Being Underestimated Is a Superpower'

Business learnings from the journey

Fly By Jing now sells a line of sauces and seasonings, like the Sichuan Chili Crisp, Zhong Sauce and Mala Spice Mix, in stores and online. In November, the brand expanded to include a variety of frozen dumpling products.

Image credit: Fly By Jing

Looking back, Gao sees how the desire to innovate and disrupt the monolith of Chinese cuisine has fueled the business and its supporters. But it's also inspired her to own her identity. For most of her life, Gao had accommodated people from other cultures by going by the more ubiquitous "Jenny, " but reclaimed her name two years ago in a feat she says "felt like coming home."

Getting to this point was no small journey, especially in the business sense. Gao attributes Fly By Jing's success partly to the allyship and community she has had along the way, which she says have served as a "lifeline in this journey that's often very lonely and difficult.

It's really about allyship and community and helping each other out. That's helped me immensely in my journey  just seeking, finding mentors in women that I admire that are a few steps ahead of me and then also ones who are at the same level as I am  and those who are a few steps behind." Gao says. "All of us have insights and help that we can provide each other."

Related: At 15 She Left Her Home And Slept On a Railway Platform. Today She Runs a Business With a Revenue of INR 35 Crore

Copyright 2022 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
The opening 10 minutes of Hulus The Dropout  the eight-episode miniseries chronicling the rise and crash of Elizabeth Holmes and her brief billion-dollar company Theranos  focuses on Holmes time growing up in Houston.

The show-runners got most of that small portion of Holmes life right. She indeed did attend St. Johns School in River Oaks  the episode sadly features her doing poorly at a junior high track meet, but never quitting  and her father lost his job during the Enron scandal months before Holmes graduated high school and left for Stanford, where she eventually dropped out to start Theranos.

However, the miniseries smashes a couple events together. In the show, Elizabeth, played by Amanda Seyfried, and her younger brother Christian are driving home from St. Johns  and absolutely jamming Alabamas Im in a Hurry (And Dont Know Why)  when theyre surprised to discover their dad already back from work. Thats when they find out their father lost his job as a vice president when Enron filed for bankruptcy on Dec. 2, 2001. Holmes mother Noel tells her husband that he needs to ask their friend Richard for financial help. Christian storms out of the room, yelling, Im not going to move again. The husband says he doesnt want to ask for help, but the show immediately jumps to the Holmes family uncomfortably sitting in the home of Richard Fuisz, doing exactly what Holmes mother insisted they should.

That editing job would make you think Fuisz lived in Houston, but he never did. He was a neighbor of the Holmes when they lived in Virginia before the Enron job led the family to move to Texas.

So, heres how all that really went down 

The Theranos founder/fraudster was born in Washington, D.C., but her family moved to Houston when she was about 10 years old and her father got his gig at Enron. The family lived in a million-dollar home in the Tanglewood neighborhood within walking distance of the Houston Country Club and Buffalo Bayou. They resided there for about eight years before Enron collapsed during Holmes senior year at St. Johns. She graduated from St. Johns in 2002 and went to Stanford while the family moved back to Virginia and eventually got help from Fuisz, who is a physician, inventor and entrepreneur.

"When he came back to Washington after Enron failed, he was broke and came crying to us. He had no money. I was living in a new house a few blocks away and I told him that he could live in our first house in McLean, Virginia rent-free, Fuisz told Forbes in 2019.

If Fuisz sounds like hes not terribly fond of the Holmes family, that's because he played a key role in uncovering that Holmes was raising billions of dollars for Theranos, which was based on a fraud. Holmes eventually sued Fuisz, who told a judge, "As far as Theranos, you cant put a thousand dollar saddle on a $10 horse, and thats whats going on here." The suit was eventually settled with neither party receiving anything.

The 82-year-old Fuisz is still busy on Twitter, often tweeting about Holmes and the Hulu show, including this photo of the house he let the family use after they moved back from Houston.

The show portrays Fuisz as condescending when the Holmes family asked for help, but he disputes that depiction.

In January, a California jury found Holmes guilty of 11 charges, including three counts of fraud. Her sentencing is scheduled for September where she's facing up to 20 years in prison.
John Bolton, the National Security Adviser of former President Donald Trump, said that President Joe Biden does not threaten Russian President Vladimir Putin due to the Afghan debacle.

The Russian leader called the sanction war and defied the US and NATO, who have not raised a finger to help the Ukrainians. Over the weekend, Russia said that civilians were used as human shields by the Ukraine military.

Biden's Threats Disregarded

President Putin has just cast the American president with tough sanctions due to losing Afghanistan and calls sanctions as provocations of war, Bolton said on Newsmax TV last Saturday. He added that the US president carries no weight in the eyes of US adversaries like the Kremlin.

Moreso, the White House has catastrophically allowed the events to overtake the western alliance, resulting in another country's loss, reported Newsmax. Bolton added that there is an inability to establish deterrence, and, unfortunately, what we're seeing now is what happens when deterrents fail.

Many individuals suggested that Putin needed to feel the sanctions in real-time for his assessment to be influenced well before the incursion; however, this was not accomplished.

The Russian leader saw Biden showing weakness when there were no sanctions when Crimea was annexed, like when he went into Donbas and Lugansk in 2014 without penalties. No penalties were also heard about the Kremlin when Russia invaded Georgia in 2008.

Bolton added that the 'icing on the cake' for Putin to decide on definitive action is the terrible result of the president's handling of Afghanistan like a modern-day Saigon.

Read Also: Volodymyr Zelensky Wife: Who Is Olena Zelenska, the First Lady of Ukraine?

Sanctions Signals War

Bolton added that it was interesting that Putin called the sanction an invitation to war. Furthermore, the Kremlin Is adamant that a no-fly zone over Ukraine is a cause to act offensively, noted Al Jazeera.

Meanwhile, says Bolton, the president will not push for Ukraine's admission in NATO, and the Europeans would not approve it. He added that ex-president George W. Bush suggested that Ukraine and Georgia should be accelerated to NATO membership, which was correct.

But it hit a snag when the government of France and Germany were not okay with the proposal of Bush, and we are paying for that now. Although countries like Sweden and Finland are showing support, which is advantageous.

In a teleconference with US senators on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy insisted on a no-fly zone to safeguard innocent people; however, the Biden administration and NATO have opposed this. He added everyone is not ready to oppose Russia. Nothing is working, and Putin is the one deterring NATO, which is the reverse, and Kyiv will not be able to get out in one piece.

Bolton said Ukraine would be ground until no resistance, and the country would be divided, get the side for Russia, and the others will be left to their own devices.

The world order is shifting fast, and China is the big element in the picture, which will be a significant threat in the future. Bolton states everything is changing, and the US leadership is challenged with the subsequent steps, but Putin is not expressing any thoughts about the US or Biden.

Related Article: Russian Foreign Minister Warns the Western Alliance on Threat of World War 3 as Russia Goes Nuclear

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
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Five area chefs and bartenders will present their take on Salvador Dalis Les Diners De Gala cookbook during a tasting event Thursday at the Ellen Noel Art Museum (ENAM).

In 1973, Dali decided to do this cookbook, and by that time, he was already a well known artist, ENAM curator Daniel Zies said. He was always really interested in the food world, so he decided to create his own cookbook. He invited several French chefs to help put the book together.

Zies said that a lot of the recipes reflect on Dalis art as they are surreal and have their own, unexpected twist. Dali illustrated his own cookbook and the exhibition consists of 12 original prints from the cookbook alongside a first edition print of the cookbook.

Chef Joshua and Gerenda Washburn from The Garlic Press, Erica Mann from The Blue Door, Chef Stephen Gonzalez and Chef Giancarlo Del Aguila from Flair Taverna and Chef Alejandro Barrientos from Curb Side Bistro will be presenting their inspired dishes and drinks during the event.

Mann said she got involved after Geranda Washburn told her about the event.

I have never created a cocktail for an event like this, Mann said. My cocktail and mocktail arent strictly inspired by the cookbook but more by some of Dalis other work.

She said she took Dalis Spanish roots and created a cocktail and mocktail out of ingredients from Spain. The cocktail will feature sherry with Cava sweetened with orgeat an almond flavored syrup decorated with a dehydrated lemon and gold sugar balls. She said she wanted the cocktail to look like a piece of art. For the mocktail, she will use the same orgeat with freshly squeezed lemon juice, sparkling water and mint.

I wanted to do the lemon because I was reading as much about Dali as I could, she said. I wanted both of the cocktails to look good with food too. Dali has this series of citrus paintings, mainly focusing on lemons so I wanted to incorporate that into those drinks.

Mann said in general she has been very inspired by the Midland arts scene.

We recently had a local artist who used to be a bartender at The Blue Door create a mural in our hallway, she said. Now we have rotating local art hanging in the hallway. When I put the call out to ask local artists if they wanted to participate, I was hoping I could get five pieces but I had about 35 artists reach out.

She said this project has come at a perfect time to tie into her energy for the local arts scene.

The Josh Washburn said Dalis cookbook is a bit weird compared to reading modern cookbooks and a lot more interpretive.

The cookbook leaves a lot to interpretation and thats exactly what we will be doing, he said.

Washburn said they will be making dishes inspired by his baked cauliflower and olives. They have created a cauliflower tartlet and a nectarine with olive canape. He added that both items will be more finger friendly.

Zies said that in his nine years at the museum they have never done an event like this.

Its been fun to incorporate food with the art, plus it's great working with all these local chefs to create a fun event, he said. I told them there are about 160 recipes that they can choose to get inspiration from and they dont have to do an exact replica of the recipe.

The event will have 10 different stations. Attendees will receive a booklet with the chef bios and descriptions of how they were inspired by Dalis cookbook. Attendees will be able to view the exhibit during the time as well. Each station will have sample drinks to go along with the dishes, and The Blue Doors station will have a cocktail or mocktail to choose from.

A lot of people have seemed interested in the event, Zies said. Now that we will have done it once, I hope to find more opportunities for events like this.

Limited tickets are still available. Visit https://www.noelartmuseum.org/new-events/2022/2/8/salvador-dal-tasting-event for more information. The exhibit will be on view until March 27.

The Bites

--Odessa Donuts and Deli will be converted to Bagels Cafe. The menu and pho bowls will be available at the restaurant owner's other restaurant located in Midland. Pho Street Restaurant will be serving Odessa Donuts and Deli at 503 E. Interstate 20, suite 130.

--Rickshaw Vibes has found a permanent parking spot in Midland for the food truck. Every Wednesday, the truck will be parked at 1200 Andrews Highway from 5:30 to 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

--Chocolate and Beer Pairing with Maribea Craft Chocolate at Eccentric Brewing Co., will be March 12 from 6 to 7 p.m. Eccentric will be releasing their Raspberry Stout during the event. Tickets can be purchased at https://eccentric-brewing-co.ticketleap.com/maribea-chocolate-and-beer-pairing/?fbclid=IwAR3_BqoYaLsOCK47YDY3vQPFqKiOSAPXR8-vXKWzMP3oIt15cVvozuqHE7c.

-- The inaugural Crawfish Cook-Off presented by Down South Seafood and The Tailgate will be April 9 at 4401 N Big Spring St. General admission is $35. There will be crawfish races, drink specials, guest judges, crawfish eating contest, live cajun music and more. The event will feature a special performance by Treaty Oak Revival. Deadline to enter is March 26. Call Ryan LeJeune at 337-580-4602 to enter the cook-off.

--The 3rd annual Tom Arnold Memorial Fish Fry will be from 5 to 8 p.m. on April 9 at the American Legion Building. The event will serve up fried catfish, steak fingers, hush puppies and all the trimmings and sides. There will be live entertainment, raffles, door prizes and live auction. Tickets are $12 per person and kids are $6.
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For a teen who loves trains, Vincint Prijadi Purwono was right at home in Conroe last week.

As Conroe Art Leagues CAL International Artist Reception took place Saturday evening, upon hearing the train horn that has become commonplace to those in downtown Conroe, 18-year-old Vincent Purwono sprung from his chair to his feet and made a bee line to the window of the gallery to watch a train pass through downtown Conroe.

He was also happy to show off the pictures on his cell phone that hed taken of trains in downtown Conroe while visiting the city last week.

He has loved trains since his childhood, said his dad, Rudy Purwono. He loved Thomas and Friends as a boy. As it turns out, trains are what connects the autistic young man to those around him and he feels most at ease when creating art and art about trains.

On YourConroeNews.com: Conroe Art League show goes international

It was also his passion for trains that brought the Purwonos to Conroe, a city which was born in the late 1800s around Issac Conroes railroad stop while heading out to his sawmills. The father and son live in the city of Surabaya in East Java, Indonesia.

Vincent Purwonos piece, Indonesia Train a collage and painting fusion was a finalist in the Conroe Art Leagues CAL International art show. For the first time, Conroe Art League opened up the annual art competition to international entries and had artists from Japan, Korea, Canada and Indonesia enter.

Award winners named Saturday night included first place of $2,500 awarded to Kyle Surges of Homer Glen, Illinois, for his oil painting CAFE. Rebecca DeGroot, of Spring, earned the $1,250 second-place award for her sculpture in walnut called FUME. Third place of $1,000 was awarded to Travis Head of Blacksburg, Virginia, for his work ICON18, graphite on paper. Aria Brownell, of Austin, was awarded $750 fourth place for Vegan and BBQ, an oil on linen diptych. Judge for the show was Megan Olivia Ebel, multi-media artist, gallery director, curator and appraiser.

During the ceremony Saturday night, Conroe Art League President Ken Roy presented cowboy hats to the Purwonos as their official welcome to Conroe and Texas.

According to Rudy Purwono, Vincent was diagnosed with autism at 15 months old and it rocked the family.

What is autism we asked?, Purwono said upon his diagnosis. But we faced this as a family.

A formal education in Indonesia was difficult for Vincent.

At age 14, trying to fit into a traditional school became too much for Vincent.

We began to ask Vincent what he would like to study, Rudy said.

Vincent had been drawn to painting and drawing since fifth grade. At the age of 14, he began to pursue painting full time.

When he started painting he found progress and self confidence, Rudy said.

In his first year painting, the National Gallery for Disabled Children in Indonesia invited him to submit his art for their gallery. His second year of painting brought another invitation from the National Gallery.

On YourConroeNews.com: Woodforest Bank pairs with Conroe Art League for exhibit space

Rudy called his sons painting contemporary art where he combines painting with collage in a mural-style pieces. He said his talent is not only in painting, but in the colors he mixes.

Usually for children with autism the problem is concentration. But when hes painting, hes able to concentrate for four and five hours, Rudy said. Previously he in school he could only concentrate for a few minutes at a time.

In January 2020, they wanted to branch out from Indonesia and they entered a show in Minnesota where Vincent won third place in acrylic painting at The Hopkins Art Center. He noted Minnesota was very different from Texas, particularly in the temperature.

Last week was their first time in Texas, having never heard of Conroe before.

Vincent has created more than 200 paintings in his four-year career and the family wanted Vincent to have many different experiences so they have entered American contests.

The family has opened the Vin Autism Gallery in Surabaya. They wanted to inspire families with a child with autism. Dont give up so easily. There is a way, Rudy said.

Children with autism, its not a burden or a disease. Its the way you as a parent and as a family handle it, Rudy said. You need to see the need of your kids. His is painting. We accept this and there is progress there with painting.

While they were in the Houston-area they also reached out to another family with a child diagnosed with autism. This boy was inspired by Vincents Instagram page and they arranged a meet up in Houston last week.

Rudy said next Vincent is beginning to study piano and is making progress in this area of study too. The duo, then flew to Atlanta to visit a cousin then to Indiana and on to Washington DC.

As his father told of their next adventures after Conroe, Vincent had one world to describe whats up next - Amtrak.

Visit https://vinautismgallery.com/ for more about Vin Autism Gallery. For more information on the Conroe Art League, visit https://www.conroeartleague.com/.

shernandez@hcnonline.com
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The Montgomery County investigation of a man accused in a girls nine-year sexual abuse found two other alleged child victims.

Eric Lane Roberts, 43, of Lamesa, Texas, is charged with the first-degree felony offense of continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, according to district clerk and jail records.

As of Tuesday morning, Roberts was being held on a $75,000 bond at the Montgomery County Jail in Conroe, jail records show.

The charges relate to a girls alleged abuse between 2010 and 2019, specifically two incidents happening in Montgomery County. The girl early last year conversed with police and a Childrens Safe Harbor advocacy center forensic interviewer and accused Roberts of sexually assaulting her, according to a probable cause affidavit filed Feb. 1 by a Montgomery County Sheriffs officer.

The affidavit was unclear as to whether the other two alleged child victims found in the course of the investigation are now adults or whether Roberts will face any related charges.

One of the accusers told the sheriffs officer that Roberts sexually assaulted her when she was 12 while she tried stopping him and was telling him, no. The second accuser made her allegations in November while talking with an out-of-state child advocacy center staffer, saying she was between 9 and 10 when Roberts allegedly fondled her, according to the affidavit.

Roberts was taken into custody Feb. 16. His defense attorney did not respond to requests for comment.

jose.gonzalez@chron.com

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And you think your folks are archaic for using flip phones ...

Sparkler Filters up north in Conroe still uses an IBM 402 in conjunction with a Model 129 key punch  with the punch cards and all  to do company accounting work and inventory.

The company makes industrial filters for chemical plants and grease traps.

Lutricia Wood is the head accountant at Sparkler and the data processing manager. She went to business school over 40 years ago in Houston, and started at Sparkler in 1973. Back then punch cards were still somewhat state of the art.

A PCWorld profile in early 2012 looked at Sparkler's virtually antique equipment, and the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif., even sent a team out to try and coax the company into abandoning the 402, mainly so they could buy it and put it on display in the museum.

Wood says the cards are slowly being phased out in favor of PCs, but she wasn't sure when.

"We get new cards from the repairman, and when those run out I don't know what we will do," says Wood.

That repairman is Duwayne Lafley of Santa Fe, who was an operator on IBMs in the U.S. Navy, before going into the private sector.

"I may be the only punch card tech left," Lafley says. He used to work on NASA's machines, since he was cheaper than the official IBM techs, starting in 1977. His work helped get the Space Shuttle in orbit. NASA left the punch cards in the dust in 2001.

Companies used to fly him out to work on their IBMs. One of Lafley's clients was even the New York Times.

"Ross Perot has a private museum devoted to IBM machines and they've asked about extra parts," says Lafley, who keeps his extra IBM guts at his 1,500 square foot shop.

The former presidential candidate and billionaire Perot started his career as an IBM salesman in 1957, later stepping out on his own in 1962 to form the soon-to-be-gigantic Electronic Data Systems firm.
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GREENWICH  Filling up at the Shell station in Old Greenwich, Carlos Urquiaga was somewhat surprised to see the gas pump register more than $100 in fuel, a full tank for his Porsche SUV.

Last year, it was $65, now its $114, he said. But what can I do?

The average cost of gas nationwide hit a record high Tuesday at $4.173 per gallon, according to auto club AAA, as President Joe Biden announced a ban on the importation of Russian oil.

Urquiaga, a banker from Greenwich, said his family needed to drive substantial distances for after-school activities and there was little he could do to curtail those trips. While he planned to be a bit more efficient in scheduling driving trips  were driving a little less  he was preparing to absorb the higher costs at the pump.

Urquiaga said he felt badly for people who would have to sacrifice for higher fuel costs.

The people who will suffer are the ones living from pay check to pay check, he said.

Sharron Roberts, who filled up her Honda Civic at the Le Mans 24 Citgo in Cos Cob prior to Bidens address, said she thought the president was dragging his feet.

(Prices are) sadly going up. But to free Ukrainian people and not use Russian oil, Im in favor of paying more, she said.

Biden, in his Tuesday address, said, Americans have rallied to support the Ukrainian people and made it clear, we will not be part of subsidizing Putin's war.

Only 8 percent of the U.S.s oil imports come from Russia, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data. But oils price is based on a global market, so the costs of Bidens ban will hit U.S. soil.

Defending freedom is going to cost, and its going to cost us as well in the United States, the president said.

Jean Louis Lebreton, the owner of the Le Mans 24 Citgo, was losing money per gallon when he came to work Tuesday morning, he said. His prices reflected the previous load of gasoline, but a new tank just dropped off gas with a higher price tag.

Lebreton flipped to a page in a binder with the cost of the stations latest refill. He said he doesnt change the price at the pump until the truck offloads the new gas, but he said other stations anticipate the higher cost and price ahead of time.

The fuel pouring out of the nozzles at his station comes from Venezuela, so he doesnt understand why the price went up alongside Russias invasion.

Unfortunately, we dont have the power to keep prices low, he said, anticipating increasing costs.

Sarah Youngman, a recent college graduate working as a behavioral therapist, said she was unhappy to see higher gas prices. She is planning to relocate to Georgia later this year, and she could only begin to imagine what the trip would cost.

As someone starting out in a career, Youngman said she had little discretionary income to spare.

Im just out of college, and its not easy, and its only going to go up, she said, Unfortunately, Im losing money. Its hitting my bank account. But I have to keep driving.

Youngman said she fills up regularly to commute from New Canaan to her job in Greenwich.

Steve Sandor, a Cos Cob resident, said prices were ridiculous and encourage him to only drive when necessary. Hes watched people complain online about the cost.

Lower Fairfield County has yet to break its highest recorded price of $4.495 per gallon, a peak reached July 3, 2008.

The average price Tuesday in lower Fairfield County rose over seven cents overnight to $4.397 per gallon, up more than 16 percent from one week prior  the day after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Gas prices have risen alongside anxieties of the conflict in Ukraine.

In the week following the invasion of Ukraine, Connecticuts gas increased an average of 56 cents per gallon  the third largest increase in the United States, according to AAA.

In the U.S., Connecticut had the ninth highest price per gallon for regular gasoline Tuesday, with an average of $4.355 per gallon. It was the most expensive of the Northeastern states.

Includes reporting by Robert Marchant and prior reporting by The Associated Press

annelise.hanshaw@hearstmediact.com
Millions of people suffer in Ukraine, desperate for food, water, medical assistance, and safety, with many going into hiding to stay alive amid the Russian invasion of their country.

According to the International Organization for Migration, 1.45 million Ukrainians have fled the country as a result of the Russian invasion, the largest European exodus since World War II.

The majority of Ukrainian refugees have gone to Poland, while the rest have gone to Moldova, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia.

As of March 5, Russia's military strikes had killed at least 351 wounded, and 707 Ukrainians, according to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Officials in Ukraine have declared a national emergency, and citizens displaced by conflict will require assistance.

The ongoing crisis in Ukraine prompted charity campaigns across the globe to help out civilians affected by the war. Though, authorities warn of scammers taking advantage of the kindness of others with the use of digital technology. Sometimes, these fraudsters not only steal money but also private data.

According to Michelle Dennedey, per NBC Bay Area report, CEO of cyber security company Privacycode, scammers now are good at copying charitable websites and composing messages that look legit.

Your Donations Are Safe With These Charities

Here are the Best Charities to help Ukraine that will make sure that your donations will go to the right hands in this time of crisis, according to CNET:

Save the Children - Save the Children is a humanitarian aid organization that works all over the world. Food, blankets, and face masks are among the items purchased with donations.

UNICEF USA -The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is on the ground in Ukraine, assisting children. Donations provide the children access to safe drinking water, nourishment, medical services, education, and security.

Americares - The Americares group is assisting families in need in Ukraine by sending medicine, medical supplies, emergency funding, and medical specialists. It is currently requesting donations to assist finance the expenses.

Global Giving - Global Giving has launched a fundraising campaign to supply refugees in Ukraine and the surrounding territories with clean water, food, and shelter.



Hope for Ukraine - Hope for Ukraine is collecting donations to assist Ukrainian people with basic needs amid the ongoing conflict.

Project Hope - Families in Ukraine are receiving medicine, supplies, and assistance through Project Hope. Donations are being welcomed to support the delivery of relief goods.

World Help - Ukranian families displaced by conflict are receiving food, water, and other essentials from World Help. It is collecting donations, with $35 covering one week's worth of food and supplies for a refugee.

Read Also: Anti-migrant Village in Hungary Opens Its Doors to Refugees as Russia Continues Its Attack on Ukraine

UK's Charity Campaign

Meanwhile, Sky News reported that 15 charity organizations in the United Kingdom initiated a joint fundraising campaign to assist millions of refugees moving away from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently announced that the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) started the endeavor wherein each pound donated by the British citizens will be matched by the government up to the value of 20 million.

According to the committee, 13 DEC member organizations, along with the British Red Cross and ActionAid, are responding to the Russian invasion in Ukraine and its neighboring nations.

Related Article: Ukraine Blasts Russia's 'Impractical' Evacuation Route for Civilians Trapped in Bloody War

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A man is wanted for sexually assaulting a child, according to Laredo police.

Authorities identified the suspect as Gabriel Eric Yanez-Owens, 42. He has an active warrant for one count of aggravated sexual assault (child younger than 14 years old). Additional charges may be forthcoming, according to police.

At about 3:30 a.m. March 4, the LPD Special Investigations Unit responded to a home in northeast Laredo for a reported sexual abuse of a child. The investigation yielded Yanez-Owens as the suspect. Police said that Yanez-Owens may have absconded into Mexico.

To report his whereabouts, call LPD at 795-2800 or Laredo Crime Stoppers at 727-TIPS (8477). Information provided through Crime Stoppers may be rewarded with up to $1,000.
Central Chinas Hunan becomes key nexus for opening up countrys hinterland thanks to China-Europe freight train service

People's Daily Online) 09:18, March 08, 2022

Changsha in central Chinas Hunan Province serves as a major logistics base for China-Europe freight trains, with 1,030 trains having set off from Changsha for Europe in 2021. (Photo provided by Hunan Zhongnan International Land Port Co., Ltd.)

In March 2022, more than 100 containers loaded with equipment manufactured by plants of Sany Heavy Industry, located in central Chinas Hunan Province, are set to depart from Hunan to Central Asia, via the China-Europe freight train service.

In 2021, the central Chinese province launched 1,072 China-Europe freight trains, up 95.6 percent year-on-year, according to statistics from the Department of Commerce of Hunan Province. Meanwhile, the value of goods carried by the freight trains reached $2.975 billion, up 33.1 percent year-on-year.

Changsha, the provincial capital, which launched 1,030 China-Europe freight trains last year, became one of the five cities and regions in the country that launched more than 1,000 China-Europe freight trains in 2021.

Having profoundly reformed the modes of international logistics available in Hunan, which previously mainly relied on road and maritime transport, the China-Europe freight train service has emerged as a stable and efficient passageway of importance for international logistics.

On Feb. 23, 2022, a China-Europe freight train loaded with daily necessities left China via the Horgos Port in northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The train, leaving Changsha North Railway Station in Changsha on Feb. 19, will arrive at a series of European cities, including Malaszewicze in Poland and Duisburg in Germany, in early March.

The China-Europe freight train service now serves as a stable and efficient international logistics passageway linking Changsha and Europe. (Photo provided by Hunan Zhongnan International Land Port Co., Ltd.)

According to Zhang Ping, general manager of the consignor, which is a cross-border supply chain company based in Hunan, between January and February 2022, the company delivered 18,000 metric tons of goods via 21 China-Europe freight trains. Normally, it takes more than 40 days for the goods to arrive at destinations by sea, but just 15 to 18 days via the freight train service, Zhang said.

Zhang, who has been engaged in the foreign trade industry for more than 20 years, said that the rapid development of his company is attributable to the explosive growth of the China-Europe freight train service and the efforts made by Hunan Zhongnan International Land Port Co., Ltd., a main operator of the China-Europe freight train service established in 2018.

Ye Hongbin, general manager of Hunan Zhongnan International Land Port Co., Ltd., explained that in 2019, the indicators adopted to evaluate the quality of operations for the Changsha-Europe freight trains, including the loading rate, transportation safety, and the arrival-departure balance ratio, all reached 100 percent, while the number of China-Europe freight trains launched by Changsha in 2020 was more than the total combined number of China-Europe freight trains launched by the city between 2014 and 2018.

After more than seven years, the freight train service between Changsha and Europe has become established as a freight train service brand, with trains travelling in both directions on a regular basis. Besides, the service has turned Changsha into a magnet for freight transportation that is now able to attract companies based in Guangdong, Jiangsu, Fujian and Jiangxi provinces, as well as in Shanghai, among other cities and regions, to deliver their goods there for forward shipment.

For Sany Heavy Industry, Europe is a major exporter of core mechanical parts. According to Huang Dong, head of the international logistics department at Sany Heavy Industry, the China-Europe freight train service, which is reliable and cost-efficient, has emerged as the best option for his company when it comes to cross-border transport.

In the first two months of the year, we received nearly 80 containers of mechanical parts from Europe via the China-Europe freight train service, which accounted for 70 percent of our total imports of mechanical parts, said Huang.

Thus far, Changsha has already successfully put into operation multiple China-Europe freight train routes, linking more than 20 cities in over 10 countries in Europe.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
According to a senior defense source, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered more US soldiers and military equipment to be transported to Europe over the weekend as Russia intensifies its attack on Ukraine.

According to the official, Austin sent some 500 more troops to Poland, Romania, and Germany "to respond to the current security situation in light of Russia's escalated aggression against Ukraine" and to protect NATO's eastern flank.

US Approves 500 Additional Troops Amid Ukraine Crisis

They emphasized that no American troops will be sent to Ukraine and that the extra forces will be "enablers" sent to NATO countries "to shore up capabilities that are already there." KC-135 refueling planes will be dispatched to Greece as part of the new deployment, however, it is unknown how many planes will be sent or where they will come from.

An air support operation center will also be dispatched to Poland and Romania, as well as an ordinance company and a maintenance company to Germany for "extra logistic support to the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division" currently stationed there, according to the source.

They were unable to offer a breakdown of how many troops will be sent there, and they did not rule out the possibility of additional forces being sent later. As Russia's aggressive foray into Ukraine approaches its two-week mark, the US military now has around 100,000 people stationed in Europe on a rotational or permanent basis, The Hill reported.

The deployment comes as the Kremlin outlined its requirements for resolving the conflict in Ukraine on Monday, one of which is that Ukraine abandons its desire to join the European Union (EU) or NATO, both of which President Volodymyr Zelensky's government has openly petitioned for membership and support.

Meanwhile, most reports indicate that the Russian invasion is experiencing significant opposition from Ukraine's military and that it is still unable to conquer most of the country's key population centers, with its forces stalling or even regaining previously gained territory in several locations.

Mr. Kirby said on Monday that the Russian military's displeasure has contributed to morale problems among its troops and that intelligence obtained by the US administration indicated that many Russian troops were unaware they were being sent for an invasion of Ukraine until they landed in enemy territory, according to Independent.

Read Also: [VIDEO] Russia Destroys Ukraine Airport With 8 Missiles, Volodymyr Zelensky Asks for Help, Fighter Jets

US, Allies To Raise Cost on Russia

Meanwhile, during video teleconference conversations, the presidents of the United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom pledged to punish Russia even more for its invasion of Ukraine, according to the White House. According to a statement released by the US, Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, and Boris Johnson "reaffirmed their intention to continue escalating the costs on Russia for its aggressive and unlawful invasion of Ukraine."

Western allies have kept a united front on sanctions against Russia for its aggression in Ukraine, but divisions erupted Monday over the threat of a ban on Russian oil and gas imports, which Germany, which relies on Russian gas, finds unacceptable. Following the meeting, Berlin issued a statement that did not mention penalties, instead of focusing on worries over humanitarian supplies to besieged areas, which the leaders also discussed.

Scholz has previously stated that Russian energy imports are "vital" to Europeans' everyday life and that blocking Russian oil and gas as part of Western sanctions might jeopardize Europe's energy security.

US legislators are putting pressure on President Biden to shut off a vital source of cash for Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime. When asked if oil may be the next target, Biden said "nothing is off the table." The United States, which is a major oil producer, buys very little Russian petroleum, as per NDTV.

Related Article: Russian Military Modernization More Capable With Vast Arsenal Than What the West Bargained For

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ZAHONY, Hungary (AP)  The violin was so beloved by Myroslava Sherbina it was the one item she took as she fled Ukraine, along with the clothes she wore. But the instrument has remained silent since the start of Russia's invasion of her country.

I didnt want to play so I could hear the sirens and we could go to the bomb shelter, the 20-year-old Sherbina said.

She is among the more than 1.7 million people who have fled Ukraine in what the United Nations calls Europes fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II. The number is up from 1.5 million on Sunday, the U.N. refugee agency said.

Sherbina spoke at a train station in Hungary, one of dozens of musicians with the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine who are now refugees. They were on their way to Slovenia as part of a joint evacuation mission with a Slovenian orchestra.

Cellos, violins, violas and other instruments lay on the train platform next to their young and disoriented owners. Hours-long train delays caused by the surge of Ukrainians toward borders meant that about 30 musicians were still unaccounted for.

Theres a group of about 90 people coming to this particular train station, said Uros Dokl, a volunteer from Slovenia who came the 665 kilometers (413 miles) to greet the orchestra members. Not all of them are members of the orchestra, but they are young people playing music, and young people of course need guidance."

Sherbina, the violin player, said shes confident the war in Ukraine will end soon and shell return home. Until then, shell refine her skills in Slovenia, a country shes never visited.

I want to feel safe so I can practice, and not think that a bomb can fall and ruin my house, she said.

Some 4 million people may flee Ukraine if Russia's offensive continues, the U.N. has said. On Monday, European Union foreign affairs policy chief Josep Borrell urged the mobilization of all the resources of the 27-nation bloc to help countries welcoming them.

Two Czech army convoys were on the way to neighboring Slovakia to help. We didnt have to think twice and immediately met the Slovak request, Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova said. The temporary base will be able to accommodate up to 400 people.

A cardinal dispatched by Pope Francis on a mission to promote peace traveled to the Polish-Ukrainian border to meet with refugees. He will highlight the sad similarity between the Ukrainians sufferings and the protracted conflicts that no longer attract the worlds attention, the Vatican said, citing the popes frequent denunciation of suffering in wars in Ethiopia, Yemen and Syria.

Uncertainty and relief continued along the border among the thousands of arriving Ukrainians. Many were wrapped in blankets. Some held small children. They sought the basic necessities: food, shelter, sleep, support.

Under a canopy next to the train station in the Hungarian border town of Zahony, Tamas Marghescu stirred a cauldron of traditional meat stew. As an outdoorsman and the Hungary director for the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation, he called the meal well-suited for those who shivered in line for hours at the border.

When youre at home watching the news, you feel so helpless, his wife, Ilona, said. Its  important for people when they come off those trains to have somebody smiling at them and to know that there are people here that care.

The couple said they felt a responsibility to help those who fled. Ilonas parents left Hungary for Australia during World War II. Marghescus family twice fled Soviet domination, after the war in 1948 and again after the brutal Soviet repression of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.

My parents are still telling me stories about when they were refugees and they were looked after, Marghescu said, His wildlife organization has set up similar outdoor kitchens at the Polish, Slovakian and Romanian borders with Ukraine.

Its a traditional meal and its cooked with love, his wife said.

In Moldova, some families opened homes to refugees. It was a natural and beautiful process, said Sabina Nadejdin, who hosts pregnant Anastacsia Luybimova and her three small children. Like most other men, Luybimova's husband stayed behind in Ukraine. Lifting her hand from her belly, she showed a heart tattoo she and her husband got on their ring fingers when they married.

Poland, where more than 1 million refugees have arrived, on Monday approved legislation offering them financial help and allowing them to stay legally in the country for 18 months. Helping the Ukrainians is the most important challenge Poland has faced in decades, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said, and efforts cannot be only spontaneous.

At the Przemysl train station near the Medyka border crossing, the main point of arrival in Poland, the hall was packed and a banner in Ukrainian read, Here, you are safe.

A 17-year-old Polish volunteer, Zuzana Koseva, described the refugees as just very, very tired, terrified and confused because they dont know what to expect.

The volunteers were trying to organize food and a warm tent, she said. She was moved by the exhausted mothers and the small, sometimes bewildered, children.

They are happy with one sweet, so thats just amazing, Koseva said.

One mother held a child to her chest and, closing her eyes in what might be prayer, touched their foreheads together.

___

Associated Press journalists around Europe contributed to this report.
Kelcy Warren, the Dallas pipeline tycoon and top donor to Gov. Greg Abbott, is suing Abbott's Democratic challenger, Beto O'Rourke, over his criticism of the windfall profits that Warrens company made after the 2021 winter storm.

During a news conference in Dallas, ORourke said Warren is alleging defamation and trying to use his billions of dollars to try to shut me down and shut us up from telling the story of what happened to the people of Texas.

We are not backing down, ORourke said, calling the lawsuit frivolous.

Warren filed the lawsuit last month in state district court in San Saba County, accusing O'Rourke of a "relentless and malicious attack" on him. The lawsuit alleges defamation, slander and libel, and it seeks over $1 million in damages.

A Warren lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment on O'Rourke's news conference. Neither did Abbott's campaign.

Reference

Read the suit filed by Kelcy Warren against Beto O'Rourke.

(149.7 KB)

ORourke has centered his campaign on the February 2021 power grid collapse that left millions of Texans freezing in the dark and led to hundreds of deaths. Warrens Energy Transfer reportedly made $2.4 billion off the storm as demand for gas soared.

Months later, Warren cut a $1 million check to Abbotts reelection campaign. The contribution came in the earliest possible days that Abbott was allowed to accept campaign donations after the grid failure.

The lawsuit says O'Rourke has seized on that donation to falsely accuse Warren of "serious crimes including extortion, bribery, and corrupt influence." The lawsuit points to a number of social media posts O'Rourke has made alleging that Abbott has not fixed the grid due to the influence that Warren and others in the oil-and-gas industry have over the governor.

The lawsuit calls such claims "baseless and malicious lies," and it suggests Warren gave Abbott $1 million because he was concerned about one of his primary challengers, Don Huffines, a wealthy businessman and former state senator from Dallas.

O'Rourke defend himself Monday after walking reporters through the timeline of the storm and its fallout.

All I have done today and all I have done over the course of the campaign is share these facts with voters, ORourke said, arguing that when we connect the dots and follow the money, we see that Greg Abbott has put profits over people.

O'Rourke said he would use campaign funds to defend himself and that he was not worried about the cost because he finds the lawsuit so frivolous.

We are on the most solid ground possible, ORourke said.

Disclosure: Energy Transfer has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2022/03/07/beto-orourke-kelcy-warren-texas-power-grid/.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.
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A Wylie, Texas man was convicted Tuesday for crimes committed during and after the January 6 Capitol riot, the first of hundreds of individual cases to be tried in relation to the attack.

Guy Wesley Reffitt, a 49-year-old former oil worker, was found guilty of interfering with police officers guarding the U.S. Capitol and of obstructing justice for threats made to his teenage children in the days following the attack. According to the Wall Street Journal, prosecutors argued Reffitt "lit the fire" of the first group of rioters that breached the building and provided evidence and testimony showing he had been armed with a holstered handgun and entered restricted areas on the congressional campus.
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A new study suggests that the coronavirus pandemic could lead to brain tissue damage that equals roughly an extra year of aging for patients, even mild cases of the virus.

Researchers published the research in Nature, which stands out due to the majority of the patients involved having mild COVID. Many of the other studies in the field have focused on people who developed moderate to severe cases of the infection.

COVID and Brain Tissue Loss

An associate professor at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences at Oxford, Gwenaelle Douaud, who is the lead author of the paper, said that the excess loss of brain volume was equivalent to at least an extra year of normal aging. She and her colleagues observed brain scans of hundreds of British individuals within the study.

The lead author said that while it was damage to the brain, it was a condition that was reversible despite being relatively terrifying because it was seen in mildly-infected patients. Douaud and her team based their study on a rich data source, the United Kingdom Biobank, as per NBC Philadelphia.

The researchers focused their study on 401 patients who were between 51 and 81 years old who had tested positive for the coronavirus. They then invited the individuals for a second brain scan which they received after an average of five months into their infections. Only 15 of the participants experienced being sent to the hospital because of the virus.

Read Also: COVID-19 Death Toll: Global Deaths Nearing 6 Million Mark, Almost 1 Million From the US

The team then compared the pairs of scans to those of a control group of 384 UK Biobank participants who did not test positive for the coronavirus and were matched based on the other group's rate of obesity, blood pressure, smoking, and diabetes. They were also analyzed for their socioeconomic status, age, and sex.

According to NBC News, the pairs of MRIs that were separated by an average of roughly three years showed researchers a trend among patients who were infected with COVID. There was a greater loss of what's known as gray matter in the brain and a higher rate of abnormalities in the brain tissue.

Extra Year of Aging

The chief of neurological infections and global neurology at the Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Serena Spudich, who was not involved in the study, said it was convincing evidence of changes in the brains of people infected with the coronavirus. However, she cautioned that the virus' long-term clinical implications are a bit of a stretch.

The researchers of the study noted that in normal aging, people lose a small fraction of gray matter every year. In regions related to memory, the normal annual loss is around 0.2% and 0.3%, they said.

The research found that the difference between gray matter loss between infected and non-infected people was around 0.2% to 2%, with infected people losing more gray matter over the course of their lives. Spudich, who studied the neurological effects of the coronavirus on patients, said the amount of loss was surprising and that she never expected to see such a percentage increase, the New York Times reported.



Related Article: When Can COVID-19 Pandemic Become Endemic? Disease Will Soon be Flu-Like Disease Through Vaccines, Viral Experts Predict

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Local

Family of local boy with stage 4 cancer needs help

Special to the Chronicle Jace Brundon, 7, has stage 4 neuroblastoma cancer and for the past year, he has been undergoing treatment at Johns Hopkins All Childrens Hospital in St. Petersburg.

Jace Brundon is like any normal 7-year-old boy.

He likes building things; he likes artsy things, drawing and making clay figures.

He likes dinosaurs and Transformers and Chinese food.

About a year ago, this normal little boy started having headaches and nosebleeds.

He had been staying with his great-grandmother, Brenda Hatton, who was doing Jaces hair one morning, getting him ready for kindergarten, when she found a knot on his forehead.

After that, we got the worst news anyone could get, Hatton said. It was a brain tumor, cancer, and it was even worse  the cancer was throughout his whole body.

Jace was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma cancer and for the past year, he has been undergoing treatment at Johns Hopkins All Childrens Hospital in St. Petersburg.

On Tuesday, March 8, he begins stem cell transplant treatment, which includes high-dose chemotherapy prior to the actual transplant surgery.

This time the chemo will be even harder on his body, Hatton said, choking back tears. One of things hell have to do is take a shower every six hours because the chemo isnt eliminated through the urine, but through the skin, and it could burn him.

Hatton said her grandson, Jonathan Brundon, who goes by JC, shares custody of Jace and his two younger brothers, one who also has medical issues, with the boys mother.

Jace has been staying with Hatton so he can be isolated while waiting for treatment.

This family is really on our hearts, said Joe Varney, youth pastor at First Baptist Church in Inverness, a church thats helping the family. Jace is an awesome kid, and weve been doing what we can as a church to help.

JC works at nursing homes doing patient care when he can.

Varney said the family needs financial help to cover medical and living expenses and the cost of traveling back and forth to St. Pete.

We know Gods going to help us through this, Hatton said. People have been so wonderful ... bringing food and things for Jace. And so many people are praying. I know weve gotten this far because so many people are praying.

For those who would like to help Jace and his family: Make checks payable to First Baptist Church Inverness and put For Jace Brundon in the memo line. Mail to First Baptist Church Inverness, 550 Pleasant Grove Road, Inverness, FL 34452.

The family could also use gas cards and Walmart cards, which can be mailed to or dropped off at the church.
As St. Patricks Day approaches, the potatoes, corned beef and cabbage are piled high in the supermarkets.

Millions of Americans claim some Irish ancestry and honor the patron saint of Ireland on March 17. But the holiday has an inclusive feel, and you dont need to be Irish to celebrate.

One traditional St. Patricks Day dish is colcannon, a classic Irish medley of potatoes and greens.

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Potatoes were and remain one of the central foods of Irish cooking, and this dish celebrates the humble tuber with the addition of milk and cream, as well as whatever green vegetables and members of the onion family are available.

According to an old Irish cookbook called Feasting Galore, published in 1952 and written by Maura Laverty: a heaped portion of colcannon is served on each plate.

A well is made in the center of the heap to hold a generous lump of butter. The colcannon is eaten from around the outside of the heap, each person dipping his fork first into the colcannon and then into the melting butter. The perfect companion to a class of colcannon is a glass of fresh buttermilk.

Also according to the old cookbook, in the Midlands colcannon is called Thump and in the North and West it is called Champ.

There are a whole lot of opinions on the right way to make colcannon.

The potatoes are non-negotiable, though what they are mashed with (milk, cream, butter, scallions, onions) is up for discussion. Its the greens that are cause for debate. Many recipes call for cabbage, another vegetable that sustained the Irish people for many years. Other recipes (even some very old ones) call for kale or other greens.

I have made colcannon with both, and frankly, I dont know which I like better  so I made a version that combines them. The point is that in Ireland they would have made this dish with whatever was available, so we can use whatever greens make sense for our colcannon on St. Patricks Day (or any other day some classic Irish comfort food is warranted.)

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Colcannon

Kosher salt for cooking the potatoes, plus 1 teaspoon more, or to taste

2 pounds Idaho or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, divided

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup light or heavy cream or half and half (see note)

1/2 cup sliced scallions or chopped onion

1/2 pound kale, tough stems removed, rinsed well, drained and sliced thinly into ribbons

1/2 pound shredded cabbage

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add a generous amount of salt, return to a boil, then add the potatoes (the water should cover the potatoes by at least 2 inches.) Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium, and continue to simmer for 20 or so minutes, partially covered, until the potatoes are very tender when pierced with a knife.

While the potatoes cook, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet. Add the kale and cabbage, season with salt and pepper, and saute for 6 to 8 minutes, until the vegetables have wilted and are lightly golden in some spots. Meanwhile, heat the milk and the cream together with the scallions in a pot over high heat until the mixture comes to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

When the potatoes are cooked, drain them and return them to the pot, and place the pot back over medium-low heat. Toss the potatoes in the hot pan occasionally for 3 minutes or so until they have begun to dry out (but not to brown). Remove the pan from the stove, and put the potatoes through a ricer, or mash with a potato masher until they are smooth, or as smooth as you like them. Return them to the pot.

Add 1 teaspoon salt, 4 tablespoons of the butter, and the hot milk and cream mixture to the potatoes and stir with a wooden spoon or a whisk until well combined. Add the kale and cabbage mixture, season with black pepper to taste, and stir until the vegetables are well blended with the potatoes.

Serve the colcannon in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the colcannon, and put the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the center of the well to melt.

Alternately, you can make a mound on each persons plate, create a small well in the center, and add a bit of butter to each portion.

Note: If you dont feel like using the creamier items here, or you dont have them in the house, just add another 1/2 cup of whole milk and call it a day.

Other St. Patricks Day Recipes to Round Out the Menu:

Shepherds Pie, https://themom100.com/recipe/shepherds-pie/

Irish Scones with Smoked Salmon, https://themom100.com/recipe/irish-scones-with-smoked-salmon/

Irish Soda Bread, https:// themom100.com/recipe/irish-soda-bread/

Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage, https://themom100.com/recipe/slow-cooker-corned-beef-and-cabbage/

Roasted Cabbage, Wedges https://themom100.com/recipe/roasted- cabbage-wedges/

Simple Beer Braised Cabbage, https://themom100.com/recipe/simple-beer-braised-cabbage/

Lamb Stew, https://themom100.com/recipe/lamb-stew-with-white-wine-orange-and-fennel/
My heart is crushed for all the thousands suffering this very moment. Besides all the natural disasters, theres the horror and sadness of many innocent peoples lives at stake and even ending as a result of others negative intentions.

Our children were stunned as we explained the dilemma many children are facing with war in Ukraine. Hosannas bright hazel eyes grew wide with horror. Her dream is to go care for poor children (as she calls them), and give them a home.

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Jesse said he wants to go to them and bring them home and make many, many wooden buildings for them to live in. Seeing their ambition and pity makes me feel so helpless. I especially ache for the children and elderly in times like these when war breaks out.

Though Ive never been to Ukraine or Russia, weve had various occasions when our youth went to Ukraine to help package and distribute seeds to those in need.

During their six-week stay, they put millions of vegetable seeds into small packets. At the end of their stay, they all joined in singing and sharing the good news of Jesus where natives had gathered. Each person then received free seed packets to help them during difficult times when funds were scarce.

There was a mixture of a dozen different seeds, most of which were carrots, cabbage, onions, beets, and other veggies that store well for months.

Each six-week hitch proved to be a highlight to those who helped. Seldom did they know any of the other dozen youth who came from all over the United states. And now to think of the anguish these dear people are now facing! In a sense, it feels so hopeless.

So what can a lone housewife do? I wonder what it would be like if it were happening to me? Then I imagine the comfort of having people pray for me.

OK, so why not pray? We have the absolute assurance that every single time we believe and pray the will of God to be done, it does make a difference! So in reality, our hands are not tied.

Four years ago, after the arrival of 16-month-old Hosanna, Ive been encouraged to pray for children. Before we started taking foster classes, we began to pray for our future children. When Hosanna was placed into our home as a foster child, we did some quick calculations. Believe it or not, she was a newborn exactly when we began praying for our future children!

During those months of stark plight, she was covered with prayers and I know every one of them made a difference. Surely, there were angels to minister to her when there was no one to come to her aid. Lets pray for all affected by the war and the thousands of little ones across the globe, crying with no one to really care for them.

Though Ive never had the chance of going to Ukraine, Ive had the opportunity helping package bar soap, which was sent overseas, including Ukraine. I have fond memories of being with the youth and helping package these white bars of soap which would be used for hygiene or washing clothes. Usually we packaged four to five large bins of soap a night. If only I could follow those bars to see where they end up!

As thankful as I am for my home in The United States, I am much intrigued with the simplicity found in many other countries.

OK, here you go with a recipe from Ukraine, which my cousin brought back after six weeks spent there. This is a staple in many Ukrainian homes, as it contains many veggies they are able to raise and store them for an extended period of time.

Borscht

1 pound beef shank

4 cups onions, chopped

4 cups chopped celery

3 cups diced carrots

1 to 2 cups chopped cabbage

1 or 2 beets, cut into strips

1 small can tomato paste

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

2 or 3 potatoes, diced

1 fresh tomato

1 garlic clove

2 bay leaves

Boil roast in a little water until done. Remove from pot and chop into small pieces. Save broth.

Pour several tablespoons oil in a skillet and saute onions, celery, and carrots. Pour sauteed vegetables into reserved broth. Add beef back to the broth and put into the chopped cabbage. Turn on low heat and simmer.

In a skillet place a little broth, tomato paste, and cut up beets. Cook until beets are tender. Add vinegar and sugar.

Pour beef mixture into pot, add the chunked potatoes, and bring to a boil, boil for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Cut up the tomatoes into tiny pieces and add 1/4 teaspoon salt. Press garlic cloves and add into tomatoes, then pour into pot. Continue simmering 10-15 minutes. Add bay leaves and let set for up to an hour to blend flavor.

May be served with sour cream.

Gloria Yoder is a young Amish mother, writer and homemaker in rural Illinois. The Yoders travel primarily by horse-drawn buggy and live next to the settlements one-room schoolhouse. Readers with culinary or culture questions or stories to share may write Gloria directly at: Gloria Yoder, 10510 E. 350th Ave., Flat Rock, IL 62427.
Florida, US (34429)

Today

Rain showers this evening with clearing overnight. Thunder possible. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..

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Rain showers this evening with clearing overnight. Thunder possible. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
The United States Defense Department announced that it would permanently shut down the Navy's massive Red Hill fuel tank facility located in Hawaii after a leak that released petroleum into Pearl Harbor's tap water.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby was the one who made the announcement and said that authorities will work on removing all of the fuel. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made the decision on Monday, which a senior defense official said was based on a new Pentagon assessment.

Fuel Leak

They added that it was also in line with an order from Hawaii's Department of Health that said the fuel must be drained from the tanks at the facility. The containers were built into the side of a mountain during the World War II era to protect them from enemy attacks. The tanks had leaked fuel into a drinking water well and contaminated water at Pearl Harbor homes and offices.

There were roughly 6,000 people, the majority of whom were living in military housing at or near Joint Base Pearl-Harbor-Hickam, who became sick because of the contamination. They were seeking treatment for nausea, headaches, rashes, and other ailments, as per Star Adviser.

Reports of symptoms began in November and caused more than 4,000 families to be relocated from their homes, the Pentagon said. The Navy added that tests revealed petroleum hydrocarbons and vapors in the water after the leak. In December, the Hawaii Department of Health recommended stopping the use of water for drinking, cooking, or oral hygiene, including for pets.

Read Also: COVID-19 Death Toll: Global Deaths Nearing 6 Million Mark, Almost 1 Million From the US

Kirby said that after the leak the military was working on decontaminating the water and mitigating the impacts of the leak. The spokesman added that the Commander of the US Pacific Fleet ordered a "command investigation" into the incident. He noted that once the review was finished, they would release the report to the public.

According to CNN, Austin said that the closure of the facility was the right thing to do because authorities wanted to meet their commitment of being good stewards to resources such as land and water. He added that the Defense Department had an "environmental mitigation plan" to address any future contamination concerns.

Contaminated Water

One resident, Lauren Wright, remembered the time her skin peeled off and her feelings of nausea and vomiting. She said her symptoms only disappeared when she stopped drinking, showering, and washing dishes using her home's water.

Wright, her sailor husband, and their three children, aged seven to 17, have been among the thousands of military families living in Honolulu hotels paid for by the Navy to gain access to clean water since early December.

She said that she was grateful because the attempt to clean up the leak was a "step in the right direction." Wright said that the decision should have been made a long time ago and hoped that authorities did not lag in their attempts to clean up the mess.

Wright noted that her home still had a sheen and smell and hoped that she and her family could find a new home. She noted that they have been looking at home filtration systems that they can use even after the leak has been removed, the Associated Press reported.



Related Article: How SARS-COV-2 Mutations Develop in Its Evolutionary Pace Could Give Hints for Future Pandemics

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Wilkes Barre, PA (18701)

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Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low 53F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

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Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low 53F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
How to help

Checks or cash can be dropped off at St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Church, 526 Church St., Wilkes-Barre Twp., or at Kozich's residence at 18 N. Walnut St., Wilkes-Barre Twp., or at Brooks' house at 117 W. Ross St., Wilkes-Barre.

Those who want to donate but can't get to one of those locations can call Brooks at 570-793-3631 or Kozich at 570-417-9213 and one of them will make arrangements to pick up a check or cash.

Or, donate online at saintjohnbyzantine.com. Follow the link in the blue banner near the top of the webpage that says: "Click here to give to refugees in Ukraine," read the instructions on the new webpage and click the blue box with the heart that says "Give Now to Refugees in Ukraine" to enter credit or debit card information.

The deadline for making a donation for this fundraiser is Friday, March 11.
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United States lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, have agreed to plans of suspending trade relations with Russia and Belarus amid rising gas prices and the continuing war in Ukraine.

The situation comes as President Joe Biden has yet to make a decision on the matter despite pressure from officials to ban Russian oil imports into the U.S. The Democrat also has not decided on suspending normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus amid the unprovoked attacks on Ukrainian cities.

Russian Oil Import Ban

Even some European countries, which are highly dependent on Russian energy, have shared their willingness to reduce their reliance on those imports. The White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, said that discussions were "ongoing internally" and with European allies before Biden makes a decision.

The official said that the president of the United States was focused on ensuring that the federal government was taking steps to deliver punishing economic consequences on Russia. On Monday, global stocks dropped amid worries of an oil ban and Moscow's escalating invasion of Ukraine, as per the New York Times.

On Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the Biden administration was talking with partners and allies to "look, in a coordinated way, at the prospect of banning the import of Russian oil, while making sure there is still an appropriate supply of oil on world markets."

Read Also: Joe Manchin: Get Your Financial House in Order; Senator Urges No-Fly Zone as One Option To Help Ukraine

One administration official who said discussions were ongoing also noted that Russia is known to be the third-largest producer of oil in the world and a ban on imports could severely impact other nations other than the U.S. Russian oil exports account for roughly one-third of Europe's oil imports but only about 10% for the U.S.

According to Fox News, the official said that the Biden administration understood that the U.S. had a different set of capacities and capabilities of mitigating the effects of the ban compared to other countries. The discussions focused on addressing the impact of energy price pressures.

NATO Alliance

The situation comes after Blinken reaffirmed the U.S. government's commitment to the NATO alliance, standing with the leaders of Lithuania and Latvia. During a joint press conference, American authorities reassured them that the U.S. will stand with the Baltics against any Russian aggression.

The official said that the U.S. was more committed than ever to stand with these nations as democracy is being challenged. Blinken added that the American nation will defend every inch of NATO territory if an attack comes that way. American lawmakers have announced bipartisan legislation to suspend trade relations with Russia and Belarus despite Biden's inaction on the issue.

Congressmen Richard Neal and Kevin Brady, the Democratic chair and Republican leader of the House ways and means committee, respectively, and Sens. Ron Wyden and Mike Crapo, the Democratic chair and the Republican ranking member of the Senate finance committee, respectively, announced a bipartisan agreement. The legislation will suspend trade relations with the two countries that are believed to be operating in their aggressive invasion of Ukraine, The Guardian reported.



Related Article: Best Charities To Help Ukraine Amid Russia Invasion: Legitimate Organizations To Make Donations for Ukraine Refugees

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Captain Tom Foundation has postponed an annual fundraising event, which would have raised funds for charities that support older people, because of ongoing regulatory scrutiny.

Captain Tom Day was set to be in June and the charity had partnered with Esther Rantzen, founder of The Silver Line, to deliver the event. Captain Tom's daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore, wanted the event to be like Children in Need and Comic Relief but with all funds raised going to charities that support Britains ageing population.

However, in an interview on This Morning , Ingram-Moore admitted that the event would not go ahead. She said: We couldnt possibly do it this year, whilst the Charity Commission are working with us and reviewing.

The Commission is currently reviewing the charitys accounts , and the Fundraising Regulator and Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) also engaged with the charity last year.

In regards to the Commissions involvement, Ingram-Moore said: Its not an investigation  we have worked with them as a fledgling charity and we welcome them.

Controversy surrounding the charity has been rife since the publication of its annual accounts last month. Ingram-Moore told hosts of This Morning that her 13-year-old daughter asked her why do people hate you? due to the backlash.

Event partner Rantzen told Civil Society News: I am waiting to see the results of this Charity Commission report so at the moment the plans are on hold but I believe Captain Tom deserves the legacy this special day would create so that his memory will provide crucial funds for older people who need help and support in the future. I have had no official role and the dispersal of funds raised would be decided by an independent committee of experts in the sector.

The charity was set up in March 2020 to continue Captain Tom's legacy after he raised almost 39m for NHS Charities Together during lockdown.

Payments to family-controlled companies were loans

The Captain Tom Foundations accounts state that more than 50,000 was reimbursed to companies controlled by family members.

More than 16,000 was paid to Club Nook which is controlled by Ingram-Moore. According to The Independent , the company was set up two weeks before the payment was made.

The payment to Club Nook was in respect of accommodation, security and transport relating to Captain Sir Tom Moore travelling around the UK to promote the charitable company, the accounts read.

Another payment of 37,942 was made to Maytrix Group Limited, a company under the control of Ingram-Moore and her husband. This figure was in relation to website, photography, office rental, telephone and third-party consultancy costs, according to the charity's accounts.

In the ITV interview, Ingram-Moore claimed this was the repayment from the businesses to the charity.

She said: My business loaned the foundation some money because we didnt want to eat into the first donation we had which was 100,000 from a corporate donator.

We didnt want to take all that money for costs, so we loaned it. We were also lending money from my company that was suffering during the pandemic so we needed to have it reimbursed. What happened, so, very straightforward, when the charity had a bit more money we reimbursed those costs and that landed us a headline, she said.

During the interview, Ingram-Moore denied that she tried to appoint herself as CEO of the charity on a six-figure salary, a claim The Independent published last month.

Weve been incredibly naive

Host Philip Schofield asked Ingram-Moore if she could have been naive when setting up the Captain Tom Foundation.

She replied: I think weve been incredibly naive, but I dont think that that means were bad. I think that were wholesome, good people and we run businesses we understand. We stepped into this for love, for humanity, for allowing as many people as we can have access to his legacy. We never thought about the darkness [it] never, never crossed our minds.

The charity released a statement in response to the backlash thanking its supporters.

Editor's note

This article has been edited to include a quote from Esther Rantzen.

sign up to receive the Civil Society News daily bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector,
On the eleventh day of President Vladimir Putins deadly invasion of Ukraine, the Tow Center spoke with Jakub Parusinski, a London-based Polish-Australian raising millions of euros to help Ukrainian media stay afloat as the country faces ongoing bombardment. We discussed the logistical challenges of supporting local, Ukrainian-based journalists from abroad, operational resiliency for newsrooms during wartime, and how this fits within the broader history of Ukraines turbulent post-Soviet history and press freedom challenges. At the time of publicationday 13 of Russian bombardmentmore than 2 million people have fled Ukraine in what the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees declared the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.



When the first Russian bombs hit Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Parusinskis first thought was that the war would be a management and financial resources disaster for Ukraines news media. He formerly worked as a journalist in Ukraine beginning in 2009, first at a smaller publication, then at the Kyiv Post, where he switched to the business side. Like any journalist whos been kicked up to management, I didnt really have an understanding of what good management looks like or what Im supposed to do with a business model that is completely falling apart, says Parusinski, who later left the Post to pursue an MBA at INSEAD. After a three year consulting stint at McKinsey in London, he returned to media to focus on news sustainability, becoming an expert on media management across north eastern Europe and some parts of central Asia. Its no secret that the business of news has been kind of devastated, and that hasnt just been in the US, but the world over, says Parusinski on his decision to return to the media sector. Now hes a full-time media consultant and the CFO of the Kyiv Independent.

Parusinski, along with a consortium of organizations and volunteers, including The Fix, Are We Europe, Jnomics and the Media Development Foundation, immediately organized a GoFoundMe campaign to address their concerns as the deadly Russian campaign unfolded. (Parusinski helped found both Jnomics Media and The Fix in 2019. The Fix has temporarily converted into a support hub for Ukrainian media since the beginning of the Russian invasion.) The GoFundMe campaign dedicated to supporting Ukraines overall media sector, launched on February 25, 2022, has so far received more than 800,000 euros, while a separate campaign for the Kyiv Independenta three-month old, English-language Ukrainian media outlet founded by journalists laid off from the Kyiv Post for defending editorial independencehas raised more than 1.2 million euros. (The Kyiv Independents GoFundMe was created in November 2021 when the publication first launched, although its received a huge spike in support since the war began.) Between the GoFundMe campaigns and direct payments to the consortium, about 2.8 million euros have been raised to support Ukrainian media.

The fundraiser is just the tip of the iceberg and only around five percent of what the consortium is dedicating its energy to, according to Parusinski. While theyve started distributing emergency funds to around 15 regional and national Ukrainian media organizations for things like gas money and medical supplies, the consortium is mostly focused on keeping the countrys media afloat. I would say our priority is not letting the independent, ethical Ukrainian media landscape die because rebuilding it would be very difficult, says Parusinski. He also noted the critical role a strong media landscape plays in keeping a nation united during such harrowing times.

The first obstacle the consortium is facing involves sourcing supplies like personal protective equipment (PPE) and getting it into Ukraine. Parusinski quickly learned that being a good journalist or a good manager does not automatically make one a good wartime logistics operator. Its hard to figure everything out because you need somebody on the ground at every point to control everything you need and supply routes change, he says, describing the situation as total chaos in every direction. Theyre also in a race against the clock as they rush to get equipment to journalists in Kyiv before the city is completely surrounded by Russian forces. The consortiums first shipments finally arrived in Kyiv on Sunday, although it took more than a week to get there. (Other organizations are also sending supplies for journalists into Ukraine, although Parusinski said many of these shipments were still days behind theirs.)

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The consortiums other main focus is on adapting newsrooms operations to wartime conditions. Its pretty clear you cant run newsrooms the way you used to run newsrooms in Ukraine, explains Parusinski, who says theyre working to decentralize operations so that entire newsrooms dont fall silent if part of their infrastructure is attacked. The current plan is to create coordinated back offices across the European Union to take newsroom operations off the ground in Ukraine and transfer them to safe territories while maximizing newsmaking efficiency.

Ukrainian media organizations are having to adapt their business models quite significantly as they seek ways to survive. To Parusinski, this moment begs the question: If your audience is fleeing Ukraine and has lost everything, how do you build a longer-term subscription model on top of that?

Crowdfunding has been, by far, the largest financial boost for newsrooms within the last two weeks. The Kyiv Independents stratospheric rise can be partially attributed to how it positioned itselfUkraine but for a global audiencewhich has attracted an outpouring of international donations and news features. Parusinski, who helps run the Kyiv Independents financial operations, says theyve gained around 5,500 monthly donors on Patreon since the news sites launch. The broader consortium has also recently created a Vault fundraiser called Keys for Kyiv, which allows supporters to buy keys using NFTs and cryptocurrency in exchange for exclusive content from three leading Ukrainian media companiesonline newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda, digital broadcast station Hromadske, and weekly newspaper Novoye Vremya. Its proved efficient for quickly getting money into newsrooms, especially with disruptions to digital payment processors across Eastern Europe.

The current wartime challenges facing Ukrainian media exist against the backdrop of steady, albeit fragile, free speech gains in the past three turbulent post-Soviet decades. The Maidan Revolution of 2014, and the subsequent Donbas War between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists that has since killed 14,000 people, served as major turning points for enacting a series of press freedom and media reforms in the country. In September 2015, Ukraine adopted an ambitious press freedom reform program that included a law, signed by former President Petro Poroshenko, on transparency of media ownership and the creation of an independent public broadcaster. While these reforms marked progress for Ukraine, its government has been criticized for failing to enact the mechanisms needed to enforce the adopted legislation, the continuous underfunding of its public broadcasting sector, and the virtually nonexistent regulation of online media.

In a recent report on strengthening public interest in Ukraines media sector, Anna Korbut wrote that the media environment in Ukraine is complex, diverse and competitive. While many major Ukrainian media outlets remain under control by high profile, Kremlin-linked oligarchs that use their news properties for political influence, a small number of media organizations, mostly in print and online, have upheld high standards of professionalism and integrity that has proved vital for shaping domestic political and social debate, according to Korbut. While the most notable example of late is the Kyiv Independent, Korbut cites other established local independent outlets like the Lviv-based Tvoe Misto and the Kharkiv-based Nakipelo as continued examples of quality, public interest alternatives to commercial media in Ukraine.

While experts warned as recently as last year of the increasing threats against Ukraines free speech gains, such as competition from social media and tech giants as well as political turbulence from hostile actors, it was still considered one of the freest media environments in the former USSR, especially compared to neighboring countries like Hungary and Russia. Parusinski and others attribute the Ukrainian medias resistance to censorship as a reflection of a national identity that has largely rejected authoritarianism and is fiercely democratic in its aspirations. Ukraine has a vibrant civil society partly because it has vibrant journalism and vice versa, explains Parusinski, which is precisely why he believes its so important for the media landscape to be so strongly safeguarded amidst the ongoing Russian invasion.

The wars and revolutions of the past decade prepared a large number of Ukrainian journalists for the current Russian invasion. However, the scale of the bombings and devastation is like nothing most local Ukrainian journalists have seen before, according to Parusinski, who believes the current moment is really one of the great wars of the past 70 years only [one week] in. This has left many journalists on the ground unprepared in terms of safety and is why the consortium has spent considerable time speaking with experienced war correspondents for advice. Theyve advised the consortium to send standard PPE, such as helmets, bulletproof vests, and emergency bandages, as well as some crazier things such as cigarettes, which often become a form of currency as wars stretch on.

As for whether Russian troops have been violently targeting journalists in the invasions early days, Parusinski has mostly seen local Ukrainian journalists attacked in the context of general civilians being fired upon. It seems to me that its within the broader context of just absolute disregard for civilian life. I dont think that makes it better but just different, says Parusinski. So far, only one Ukrainian journalists death has been recordedYevhenii Sakun, a 49 year old camera operator for the television station LIVE, who was killed on March 1 when Russian forces shelled a television tower in Kyivalthough many are bracing for further attacks on media personnel. There have, however, been several reports of targeted attacks on international journalists in Ukraine. The Committee to Protect Journalists noted on its website that Russian troops shot at and robbed Swiss journalist Guillaume Briquet, who was clearly identifiable as press, while reporting in the Mykolaiv region. A crew of journalists from Sky News, a British television channel, were also shot at by what was characterized as a Russian hit squad fomenting terror in Ukraine while driving into Kyiv. And two Kyiv-based Danish correspondents filing dispatches for the Daily Beast suffered bullet wounds near the town of Okhtyrka, although its unclear which forces opened fire on them.

For now, enough money has been raised to get Ukrainian media through the first wave of the war. Its going to take a hell of a lot of coordination and a hell of a lot of creativity to adapt to such an unpredictable situation, says Parusinski, whos been working 18 hour days including weekends alongside colleagues, but were building a solution that will help safeguard the media during the storm.

Readers can find a comprehensive list of contributions and other support that the consortium has distributed at The Fixs Ukraine Support page. Donations to the Ukraine media sector can be made through fundraisers set up on GoFundMe and the Vault.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Gabby Miller is a Senior Reporting Fellow at the Tow Center studying newsroom cutbacks amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
At least three tankers controlled by Russian maritime powerhouse Sovcomflot FLOT.MM that have been unable to deliver their cargoes due to Western sanctions have re-routed to the Bahamas, vessel tracking data showed on Monday.

Russian state-owned Sovcomflot was blacklisted by the United States last month over Moscows invasion of Ukraine. Britain and Canada also banned vessels flagged, operated or owned by Russia from docking at their ports.

Sovcomflot oil and refined products tankers SCF Don, SCF Neva and SCF Ussuri since the weekend signaled the Bahamas as their destination, after rerouting from other nations, according to Refinitiv Eikon tracking data.

It showed that some of the vessels have begun discharging off the Caribbean nation through ship-to-ship transfers  a move by some receiving companies to avoid direct dealings with Russia-related assets at terminals, an insurance industry source said.

Bahamian Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell on Monday said the country has not made a formal decision over sanctions.

Its an evolving story. I will brief the parliamentary group this evening and will brief the Cabinet in the morning, he said on the sidelines of an event in Nassau.

Bahamian Attorney General Ryan Pinder declined to comment.

The United States has not yet imposed a wider ban on other Russian tanker operators, but has said it is considering energy sanctions as it continues putting pressure on Russias economy.
Another federal appellate court ruled Monday that a business interruption caused by COVID-19 does not amount to a physical damage or loss covered by a commercial property insurance policy.

A panel of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of claims by two West Virginia art studios that operated creative events and sought coverage from Cincinnati Insurance Co. for income lost after they were ordered to restrict public access to their properties.

The panel said in its opinion that under West Virginia law, the policy language requiring a physical loss or physical damage unambiguously covers only losses caused by, or relating to, material destruction or material harm to the covered property.

Nine other circuit courts have made similar rulings. Of the 12 regional Circuit Courts, only the 1st and 3rd have not yet ruled on whether business interruptions caused by COVID-19 are covered under commercial property policies, according to a litigation tracker maintained by the University of Pennsylvania. State appellate courts in California, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio have also affirmed dismissal of lawsuits seeking coverage for COVID-19 losses.

Every insurance claim, of course, must be decided according to the laws of the state where the property is located. The owners of Uncork and Create were counting on a different outcome in West Virginia because of a 1998 state Supreme Court ruling that insurers were liable for three homes that became uninhabitable because of an eroding high rock wall on a hill that was losing boulders, which rolled down the hillside and threatened to destroy everything in their path. Although there was no physical damage, the West Virginia court decided that the threat amounted to a physical loss because the homes had become unusable or uninhabitable.

Uncork and Create conducts art classes, some while customers sip wine. The company shut down its studio in Barboursville permanently and temporarily closed its studio in Charleston after West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice ordered non-essential businesses to temporarily cease operations.

Uncork sought coverage for its lost income, but Cincinnati denied its claim because there was no physical loss or damage to its properties. Uncork file a lawsuit seeking class-action certification to include itself and other businesses that has filed COVID-19 business interruption claims that were denied. A US District Court dismissed the lawsuit.

Uncork argued that its inability to operate its art studios qualifies as a physical loss of the property, just as the danger presented by threatening boulders caused the homes in the Murray case to become uninhabitable.

The 4th Circuit panel, however, found that the situations were not the same. The opinion says the finding in Murray was tied to the impending material destruction of the homes.

In contrast, in the case before us, neither the closure order nor the virus itself prohibited Uncork from having access to the covered property, the opinion says. In fact, under the closure order, businesses with fewer than five individuals working at the premises were permitted to do so.

The panel affirmed the decision to dismiss Uncorks claim.

About the photo: A class at Uncork and Create is shown. Photo from the companys Facebook page.
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP)  Huge wildfires in the Florida Panhandle forced veterans in a nursing home to evacuate Sunday alongside residents of more than 1,000 homes in an area still recovering from a Category 5 hurricane three years ago.

Firefighters battled the 9,000-acre (about 3,642 hectare) Bertha Swamp Road fire and the 841-acre (340-hectare) Adkins Avenue fire, which have threatened homes and forced residents of at least 1,100 houses in Bay County, Florida to flee over the weekend. The Adkins Avenue fire destroyed two structures and damaged another 12 homes late Friday.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called the larger Bertha Swamp Road fire a big boy, at a news conference in Panama City on Sunday afternoon. Its moving very quickly.

On Sunday, a third fire developed, forcing the evacuation of a 120-bed, state-operated nursing home in Panama City. Public transit was being used to move the residents at the Clifford Chester Sims State Veterans Nursing Home. Buses also were on standby in case the 1,300 inmates at the nearby Bay County Jail needed to be evacuated to other facilities.

Hurricane Michael in 2018 left behind 72 million tons of destroyed trees that have provided fuel for the Bay County wildfires, according to the Florida Forest Service. The hurricane was directly responsible for 16 deaths and about $25 billion in damage in the U.S.

Local authorities say they dont know when residents will be able to return to their homes. The county opened a shelter at the Bay County Fairgrounds for displaced residents.

I know there has been frustration with people not being able to get back into their homes, said Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford. But we have had things that have popped up on a minutes notice and really caused problems. As soon as we can, we will let people go back.

The Adkins Avenue fire has been burning in Bay County since Friday, forcing the evacuation of at least 600 homes, and it was 35% contained Sunday. Fire officials initially said it was 1,400 acres (567 hectares) but adjusted the size downward Sunday afternoon.

The much-larger Bertha Swamp Fire started in neighboring Gulf County on Friday but spread to Bay and Calhoun counties Saturday, forcing the evacuation of scores of more homes. It was 10% contained as of Sunday.

Its just hard to believe that something could be that big, said Brad Monroe, chief of Bay County Emergency Services. If you fly around it, its just incredible. Its hard to comprehend how big, strong and fierce this fire is.

Florida Forest Service helicopters had dropped more than 103,000 gallons (about 468,000 liters) of water on the Adkins Avenue fire since Friday, and 25 bulldozers had been deployed to plow fire lines. Firefighters from all over Florida were deployed to the county to battle the blazes.

Unfortunately what we have going on today is almost a carbon copy of yesterdays weather, Joe Zwierzchowski, a spokesman for the Florida Forest Service, said Sunday morning. We are looking at high, sustained winds of 10 to 15 (16 to 24 kilometers) miles per hour, gusting up to 20 to 25 miles (32 to 40 kilometers) per hour. So thats going to make it a very dynamic situation.

Currently, there are nearly 150 wildfires burning more than 12,100 acres (about 4,900 hectares) throughout Florida, and the state is only at the very beginning of its wildfire season.

It is incredibly dry throughout the state and typically we see this kind of activity in the months of April and May, Zwierzchowski said. Seeing it in early March really gives us an indication of what the fire season is going to be like.

Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida, and Julie Walker in New York City contributed to this report.

About the photo: A fast-moving wildfire looms over homes outside of Panama City, Fla., Friday, March 4, 2022. More than 200 firefighters and emergency workers from throughout the Florida Panhandle worked overnight into Saturday, to strengthen containment lines and protect homes. (Mike Fender/News Herald via AP)

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Claremore, OK (74018)

Today

Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 48F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 48F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Beachwood, OH (44122)

Today

Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Low 48F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Low 48F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Authorities say multiple tornadoes ripped through central Iowa, killing seven people, including two children, and damaging houses, trees, and power lines in the state's worst tornado in more than a decade.

Four people were injured and six people were killed, according to Madison County emergency management authorities, after a tornado struck southwest of Des Moines in the hamlet of Winterset at 4:30 pm Saturday. Two toddlers under the age of five and four adults were among those deceased.

Melissa Bazley, 63; Rodney Clark, 64; Cecilia Lloyd, 72; Michael Bolger, 37; Kinlee Bolger, 5; and Owen Bolger, 2 were the six persons who died in Madison County, according to officials.

The storms are the deadliest in Iowa since a tornado killed nine people and damaged almost 300 homes in the northern Iowa community of Parkersburg in May 2008. A month later, a tornado struck the Little Sioux Boy Scout Ranch in western Iowa, killing four boys.

Several homes were damaged and destroyed, roads were obstructed by downed wires, and tree limbs were torn by the powerful winds, according to officials. More than 10,000 people in the Des Moines region were affected by power outages at one time. On Sunday evening, some 800 customers were still without electricity.

The tornado that killed one person in Lucas County lasted more than 16 miles (25.75 kilometers), according to the National Weather Service in Des Moines, and was rated an EF-3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale with peak winds of 138 mph. The damage assessment for the Winterset tornado is not expected to be finished until Monday, but the National Weather Service tweeted on Saturday that preliminary photos of the damage suggested the tornado was at least an EF-3 tornado, NBC Philadelphia reported.

Two days after a series of tornadoes ripped through Iowa, lawmakers debated modifications to a bill that would change a crucial step in filing an insurance claim. House File 2299 restricts the assessment process by prohibiting appraisers from resolving disputes between insurance companies and policyholders over the source of damage. Appraisers could only evaluate the financial worth of a loss.

In late February, the House voted overwhelmingly to pass the bill, with no debate on the floor. However, as a series of storms slammed across Iowa on Saturday, a Senate panel gave the plan a thorough examination.

The bill, according to insurance firms, would be a beneficial move. A 2018 Iowa Supreme Court decision, according to Iowa Insurance Institute lobbyist Brittany Lumley, expanded appraisers' power by allowing them to consider the cause of damage. She said that HF 2299 will restore appraisers to their previous function, according to Iowa Capital Dispatch.

Read Also: Mummification Industry Became Prevalent in Ancient Egypt According to Archaeologists Deducing it From Discoveries

When a tornado slammed across central Iowa over the weekend, a mother lost four family members, including her husband and two of their children.

Melissa Bazley, 63, her son-in-law Michael Bolger, 37, and two of his children, Kinlee Bolger, 5, and Owen Bolger, 2, died. When the tornado hit Madison County on Saturday, Kuri Bolger, Michael's wife, was injured in the storm but survived with her 8-year-old kid, Brysen, as well as her grandpa and uncle.

According to a GoFundMe account put up by Kuri's lifelong friend, Kayla Nutt, the family was in Winterset on Saturday to visit Bazley. The page had raised nearly $350,000 for Kuri as of Monday afternoon.

"Kuri is still in the hospital with severe injuries but is stable, and Brysen has been discharged from the hospital with minor injuries," Nutt stated on the donation page. "All funds donated will go straight to Kuri for medical costs, continuing expenses and provide proper celebrations of life for the family," Kayla Nutt stated, as per People via MSN.

Related Article: COVID-19 Death Toll: Global Deaths Nearing 6 Million Mark, Almost 1 Million From the US

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Zoe Sozo Bethel was overheard praying in the moments leading up to her February 10 fall, and an eyewitness said she saw the 27-year-old jump. Bethel was overcoming a tortured past in a troubled family, which she tried to keep hidden, according to her family.

She was the daughter of two fire-and-brimstone preachers, Orlando and Glynis, who called themselves "The Apostle" and "The Prophetess," according to sources. They took their children all over the South, forcing them to engage in inflammatory homophobic rhetoric and wear T-shirts that read "God Hates Gays" or "God Hates Whores."

Zoe Sozo Bethel's Family Doubt Officials' Thorough Investigation

Kezia, her ex-husband, and her closest friend said this week that the beauty queen was not suicidal and that they believe Miami police have not conducted a thorough investigation into her death, which they believe was odd. The case had been closed, a Miami police spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

Kezia described Zoe Bethel's childhood as "horrible." She said that her mother, who can be seen preaching and "rebuking" others in YouTube videos, had a history of mental illness and frequently kept her children at home, lecturing them about the Bible and their "laziness" for up to 18 hours a day.

According to Kezia and several media stories at the period, their parents would sometimes take their children away for months at a time to regions like Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio, where they would preach, often forcefully. After seeing films from the Westboro Baptist Church, Kezia stated they were motivated.

Westboro Church has been protesting against LGBT people since 1989 and has been labeled a "hyper-Calvinist hate organization," according to the New York Post. As stated in a report after consuming an unknown cannabis chemical and having a "breakdown," a devout Christian beauty queen jumped to her death from an affluent Miami apartment building.

Read Also: World's Zero Discrimination Day: The Significance of Ending the Stigma; Here's All You Need To Know

Miss Alabama Takes Drugs Before Tragic Accident

Authorities said Zoe Sozo Bethel, Miss Alabama 2021 for America Strong, began acting strangely before running at full speed towards a third-floor balcony railing. Based on police report acquired by DailyMail.com, Zoe ingested an "unknown number of unknown suspected drugs" while out with her brother, Santiago Roman, at a restaurant.

A little amount of the chemical was consumed by the victim. Roman inquired about the substance, to which she answered that it was a type of cannabis that helped her relax and was provided to her by a friend,' according to the report.

The two returned to Roman's flat in the seven-story La Piazza Navona condo building in Miami's beachfront Edgewater area, where Zoe expressed her discomfort with the heat.

According to Roman, she was unaware of the balcony railing in front of her. The victim's lower torso collided with the railing, causing her to fall to the first-floor parking lot. The police reported that a female eyewitness witnessed the fall from the parking lot and called 911. Zoe Bethel's death was determined to be an accident rather than a suicide, Daily Mail reported.

Bethel was more than a beauty queen before her untimely death. She was a conservative broadcaster who collaborated with organizations including Project Veritas, Turning Point USA Students for Life of America, and the Falkirk Center at Liberty University.

Bethel posted messages of hope on her Instagram a few weeks before she died, encouraging people to "live life to the fullest." She accompanied a photo of herself wearing a red shirt with a phrase from Joan of Arc, which she claimed was her own.

As the year drew to a close in December, the current Miss Alabama for America wrote a statement saying she was reflecting on her life, as per The Sun.

Related Article: Elizabeth Holmes' Father: Who Is Christian Holmes IV and What Was His Role in the Enron Corporate Fraud?

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Hillel International is reconfiguring its presence in Poland, Germany and Israel in response to the bombing of its Hillel in Kharkiv and the subsequent evacuation of the 40 Hillel International staffers in the Ukraine, as well as some of the 4,000 students and families connected with Hillels in five cities there.

We were actually preparing to celebrate our 25th anniversary in two months, Adam Lehman, president and CEO of Hillel International, told the Cleveland Jewish News March 4. So it is incredibly tragic to see 25 years of building and work in support of Jewish life in Ukraine, literally bombed to bits over the course of the past 10 days. The most graphical representation of the distraction is in the bombing of the building that housed Hillel in Kharkiv.

That single location served about 600 Jewish students and young adults, he said. That building was empty at the time of the bombing, added Lehman, who is a native of Cleveland and grew up in Shaker Heights.

The other four locations where Hillel International has presence in Ukraine are Lviv, Kyiv, Odesa and Dnipro.

Our focus in the immediate term is on the more than 40 staff people who have been working for Hillel in Ukraine, Hillel said. They are Ukrainians. In most cases, their initial decision was to try to stay and support their communities. However, given the escalating risks  and often fatal risks of the war, in many cases, they have now elected to either relocate within Ukraine to safer locations primarily in the west, or to leave Ukraine, at least temporarily heading for other spots in Europe or around the world.

Leading up to the war, Lehman said, when he talked with staff in Ukraine, They were fairly resolute in wanting to stay put, serve their community, in some cases, serve as part of the resistance. However, in many cases were talking about Jewish community professionals with families who are just facing the very harsh realities of invasion and war.

In Poland and Germany, We are creating temporary housing, disabilities in our facilities, we are getting set up to both provide emergency food support, as well as to be tightly connected to other service and relief organizations in those areas, Lehman said.

Because were already seeing refugees coming from Ukraine, looking for help. And we know just based on the trend, and our own kind of sources of information, that those numbers are going to increase, he said.

How to help Ukraine  Jewish Federation of Cleveland: donate.jewishcleveland.org/ukraine or call 216-593-2909. To donate by check, send to Jewish Federation of Cl

In Eastern and Central Europe, Hillel serves more than 15,000 students at 24 Hillels in France, Poland, Germany, Moldova, Georgia and other countries.

Were seeing the same thing in Israel, where colleagues and families that were supporting in some cases are choosing to either temporarily seek shelter in Israel or consider permanent relocation and aliyah.

Hillel International, he said, will help Jews and non-Jews who are evacuating and in so doing is facing a a whole new wave of emergency expenses.

To meet the need financially, Hillel has set up an emergency relief fund.

In addition, it has received grants from UJA Federation of New York, Jewish Federations of North America and is partnering with the Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and The Jewish Agency for Israel.

Even amidst the devastation and extreme risks of this moment, I have been both in awe of the courage of colleagues in Ukraine who have continued to weather extreme conditions of this war to be there for one another, and for students or families that they are in touch with, and appreciate their unrelenting commitment to, one day, making sure that we can rebuild all that is being torn apart, Lehman said.
It's been more than ten days since Russia invaded Ukraine, and Elon Musk, the controversial billionaire CEO of Tesla (TSLA), has urged Europe to restart dormant nuclear power stations.

"Hopefully, it is now abundantly evident that Europe should restart dormant nuclear power plants and improve the power output of current ones, as this is critical to national and international security," Musk tweeted recently.

Elon Musk Eats Near Nuclear Reactors

Nuclear energy, according to specialists from the environmental group Greenpeace USA, has no place in a safe, clean, and sustainable future since it is both expensive and dangerous. On the other hand, it is a nonrenewable energy source derived from the nuclei of atoms. However, following a succession of disasters such as Fukushima and Chernobyl, nuclear power facilities have earned a terrible image.

Russia took control of Europe's largest nuclear power plant this week, around 350 miles southeast of Kyiv, Ukraine, raising fears of another Chernobyl-style nuclear accident, according to The Street. Elon Musk volunteered to eat food produced near nuclear reactors on live air to prove it's safe, as part of a campaign to persuade European governments to boost nuclear energy production in the wake of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, which has resulted in a gas crisis.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded with a follow-up tweet a few minutes later, attempting to allay nuclear power fears. "'I did this many years ago in Japan, just after Fukushima. The risk of radiation is considerably lower than most people think," he continued, referring to the 2011 tragedy at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, which was caused by an earthquake and tsunami, Daily Mail reported.

Read Also: NASA Moon Mission: Here's How You 'Fly Your Name Around the Moon' With Artemis 1

Elon Musk Urges More Nuclear Enery Production in Europe

Musk's tweet urging more nuclear energy in Europe comes only two days after he urged for the United States to boost its oil and gas output to compensate for Russian supply disruptions.

Russia is one of the world's top producers of crude oil and natural gas, accounting for 10% of global production and nearly 40% of European Union demand. Russia's ties with numerous countries, including those that buy its energy, have been damaged as a result of the conflict.

After mishaps like the partial meltdown of Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island reactor in 1979, Ukraine's Chernobyl meltdown in 1986, and Japan's Fukushima tragedy in 2011, several countries have phased out nuclear power. While Ukraine was a member of the Soviet Union at the time of the Chernobyl disaster, the old plant's location is now held by the Russian military.

Germany is one of the European countries that is moving away from nuclear power. Then-Chancellor Angela Merkel said in 2011 that nuclear electricity and coal will be phased out in favor of renewables. Three nuclear power stations in Germany were shut down at the end of 2021, leaving three units operational.

Meanwhile, Germany has become more reliant on Russia for natural gas and coal supply. However, Germany startled Russia by delaying permission of Nord Stream 2, a natural gas pipeline connecting Russia and Germany, following the invasion of Ukraine, asper CNET.

Related Article: SpaceX Starship Launch Coming Soon, But Elon Musk Warns Failures for World's Most Powerful Rocket

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Alice Stuedemann, 89 of Camanche, formerly of Clinton, passed away April 30th at Mercy One Hospital. Visitation and services are being planned for Monday, May 9th at St. John Lutheran Church. Pape Funeral Home is assisting the family.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 7)  House members on Monday backed the proposal to suspend the fuel excise tax as a stopgap measure to cushion the impact of non-stop fuel price hikes.

This would mean amending a portion of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law that imposed an excise tax of 10 per liter for gasoline, 6 for diesel, 5 for kerosene, and 3 per kilogram for cooking gas or liquefied petroleum gas.

The tax suspension is among measures taken up during the House fuel crisis ad hoc committee meeting, composed of the committees on economic affairs, ways and means, transportation, and energy.

If you want an immediate impact, hindi lang sa transport sector kundi sa lahat ng mamamayan, then we have to pass as soon as possible itong House Bill 10488, said Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate, referring to the measure suspending the fuel excise tax for six months.

[Translation: If you want an immediate impact not only in the transport sector but to all citizens, then we have to pass as soon as possible House Bill 10488.]

House ways and means chairperson Joey Salceda said President Rodrigo Duterte must call a special session by March 15 if global oil prices remain above $100 per barrel, calling it a moral obligation on his end.

RELATED: Congress urged to review Oil Deregulation Law as Ukraine-Russia war rages

He told CNN Philippines that once the session is held, the proposed measure can be passed and transmitted to the President for his signature in two days, provided that it is certified as urgent.

On his call for the declaration of a state of economic emergency, Salceda said this will allow local government units to utilize the calamity fund to provide assistance to affected sectors in their respective jurisdictions, especially those in agriculture and transportation.

Malacanang has yet to comment on the call for a special session of Congress, but in a televised briefing, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Chua presented some of the economic teams proposed interventions amid rising oil prices, including increasing fuel subsidy to 5 billion and providing additional vouchers for farmers worth 1.1 billion.

Salceda, however, said this is far from the cost of the oil bill which, he said, is around 200 billion, not including taxes and other fees.

If you look at the incrementality of it, at least we should be able to identify from where  my calculation is that we should at least be able to cover ()350 billion of this incremental thing, he noted.

Effective Tuesday 6 a.m., prices of gasoline will go up by 3.60 per liter, diesel by 5.85/l, and kerosene by 4.10/l.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 8)  Local airlines are boosting their international and domestic network this summer as the government relaxes restrictions amid the dip in COVID-19 cases.

In separate statements, Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific said they are taking advantage of the improved coronavirus situation in the country to launch more flights starting this March.

Flag carrier PAL on Tuesday said it is adding more than 1,500 flights, expanding its regular scheduled flights by 52%.

"We are seizing the opportunity to intensify our efforts to promote international tourist travel to the Philippines, as well as to respond to rising demand for flights to serve overseas Filipinos and a recovering economy," said Captain Stanley K. Ng, acting president and COO of PAL.

"We are reasonably optimistic that air travel will rebound in the months ahead, signaling a resurgence for Philippine tourism," he added.

PAL also said it is increasing flights to the US and Canada by over 24%, with Los Angeles moving up to 11 flights weekly, while it would mount daily flights for San Francisco.

New York, Vancouver, Honolulu, Toronto, and Guam will see additional weekly services by April, it added.

Flight operations for Southeast Asia routes will also be increased by 98%, beginning with the 14 weekly flights for the Manila-Singapore route.

Routes to Japan will also rise by around 11%, with additional services to Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and to Tokyo's Haneda and Narita airports.

PAL's flights out of the Saudi Arabian cities of Riyadh and Dammam will also increase by 16%. The company is also making more flights available to Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane as Australia has started welcoming international travelers.

Flights to Hong Kong and Taiwan will be up by 60%, while operations to Macau are expected to resume next month.

According to PAL, flights for domestic routes would be boosted by 56%, with the following operations:

Manila-Cebu - Up to 56 weekly flights (eight flights per day), increasing to 70 per week (10 per day) in April.

Manila-Davao - Up to 42 weekly flights (six per day)

Manila-Bacolod - Up to 21 weekly flights (three per day)

Manila-Legazpi - Up to 21 weekly flights (three per day)

Manila-Iloilo - Up to 21 weekly flights (three per day)

Manila-Cagayan de Oro - Up to 28 weekly flights (four per day)

Manila-Boracay (Caticlan) - Up to 42 weekly flights (six per day)

Manila-Tacloban - Up to 21 weekly flights (three per day)

The flag carrier will also offer 11 weekly flights between Zamboanga and Manila, as well as twice weekly flights between Zamboanga and Tawi-Tawi. Daily flights will also be available between Manila and Puerto Princesa, Kalibo, Roxas, Cotabato, Ozamiz City, Pagadian and General Santos City.

Cebu Pacific, meanwhile, said daily flights to key destinations will be increased starting March 27: flights from Manila and Boracay will operate up to 16 times daily; to Bohol up to seven times daily; to Cagayan de Oro up to 10 times daily; to Cebu up to 18 times daily; to Davao 10 times daily; and three times daily for Iloilo.

The airline will also resume mounting flights to Siargao and Surigao via Manila, Calbayog via Cebu, Iloilo and Zamboanga via Davao, and General Santos via Iloilo.

"We are very happy to continuously see positive indicators in the industry, that is why we are also doing what we can to ensure we address the travel demand," said Xander Lao, the airline's chief commercial officer.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 8)  As more heat waves, typhoons and hurricanes pillage the planet, governments and the public are quick to blame climate change. But experts of a relatively new field called attribution science say that might not always be the case.

From 2019 to 2021, Southern Madagascar suffered a two-year drought, particularly in The Grand Sud region. The area saw only 60% of normal rainfall across the period. The World Food Programme tallied 1.1 million people who suffered from severe hunger as poor rain conditions drained the land.

The effects of the drought were thought to be the first climate change-driven famine, until a group of scientists from South Africa, Madagascar, New Zealand, India, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and others from the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group, released a study debunking this claim.

Using observations of rain deficits in the area and climate modelling, the WWA concluded that the drought was mainly a consequence of natural variability. The region actually suffered a worse drought in 1990 to 1992.

We did find that the drought was an extreme event but it was not outside what you would expect from natural variability, and climate change did not actually change the likelihood or intensity of possible droughts in that region, Dr. Friederike Otto, who was part of the study, told climate reporters in February.

The scientists also looked at whether low rainfall had coincided with El Nino events, and found out that even when there was severe El Nino back in 1997/98, the region at least felt average rainfall.

WWA said its findings were consistent with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report which states that any changes in drought in the area would only take place if global mean temperatures surpass 2C above pre-industrial levels. Otto was also one of the authors of that report.

Attribution science however, can not only quash links to human-induced climate change, but also confirm if it really did have a role in influencing the magnitude and probability of an extreme event.

The process goes: Scientists check whether a heat wave, for instance, is an extreme event by observing the daily maximum temperatures that could occur in an area during the summer.

With the available figures, they are able to set a threshold, beyond which would be an extreme event.

In January, Argentina sizzled under a scorching heat wave with temperatures as high as 45C. Otto said it was an extreme event since the threshold was 35C and climate change increased the likelihood for it to occur.

To see if climate change was the culprit, experts estimated temperatures in a scenario or alternate world where there was no surge of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere. This is possible because the surge of GHG began in the industrial revolution, so they just remove from the equation the amount of GHG that has been injected into the climate since that period.

And so we can simulate Argentina as it would have been in a world without human-induced climate change, and then we can ask again what are the possible daily temperatures in the summer in Argentina in such a world as it might have been if it was 1.2C cooler, explained Otto.

But what is the significance of this type of study? Otto said that for one thing, extreme attribution studies could strengthen climate litigation cases that seek to hold corporations and even countries accountable for their emissions.

In many cases, attribution is only assumed," but if lawyers will also study the new science, then their arguments could hold weight.

Though attribution studies have been published in recent decades, the WWA does the simulations real-time, providing a rapid analysis, but that is often the pitfall of its methods, according to critics.

Usually, it takes more time and a peer-review process before climatologists can conclude if human-induced climate change had any impact on a weather event.

Philippines

Devastation from Super Typhoon Yolanda

For the Philippines, a peer-reviewed attribution study published in 2015 about Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) concluded that climate change may have worsened its destructive storm surges.

The authors from Japan also deployed simulations comparing scenarios under the real climate in November 2013 and the hypothetical natural climate.

Using prediction models from the Japan Meteorological Agency, the researchers concluded that the storm surge in real condition was much worse than the replicated surge under the hypothetical natural climate or the climate without human influence.

In 15 of 16 ensemble simulations, the typhoon became stronger than it did in the hypothetical natural cases, and the height of the storm surge around Tacloban increased by around 20%, the article stated.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) itself has not yet conducted its own attribution study, said Rosalina de Guzman, Assistant Weather Services Chief and Officer-in-Charge of the Climatology and Agrometeorology Division.

De Guzman pointed out that other countries may have the upper hand in advanced resources. These would be necessary since it is difficult to distinguish the effects of climate change given that the Philippines location over the Western Pacific Oceans warm waters makes it a fit breeding ground for bad weather. The country confronts an average of 20 typhoons a year.

Paano mo ihihiwalay yung difference eh dito sa atin yung warm waters, nandito talaga banda sa Pilipinas? she told CNN Philippines in an interview.

[Translation: How will you separate them (effects of climate change) when the warm waters are near the Philippines?]

However, the bureau has a trove of publications on observed trends  tracking typhoons, rainfall and temperatures  including a paper De Guzman co-authored in 2016 that examined tropical cyclones from 1951 to 2013.

The research uncovered a decreasing trend in the number of tropical cyclones that passed the country in those decades. But there was also a slightly rising trend in the entry of extreme events, particularly typhoons with maximum winds of at least 150 kilometers per hour. For reference, the recent typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) peaked at 175 kph in wind strength and killed at least 101 people.

The results were consistent with a more recent study in 2018 which also predicted that with large increases in greenhouse gases, the number of tropical cyclones could remain the same or even dwindle by mid-21st century, while intensities could heighten. The year-to-year variability also remains high.

It implies that we should continue to expect years with many damaging TCs and other years with very few, the study stated.

While local attribution studies remain scarce, PAGASA seeks to collaborate with the academe to delve into the field.

[A]ng study na ginagawa is more on in terms of how do we enhance yung mga forecasting capability, pero in terms of attribution baka uumpisahan pa lang yan, said De Guzman.

[Translation: Our studies are mostly focused on how to enhance our forecasting capability, but in terms of attribution, we have yet to start our work.]
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 8)  Did you know that the world's first licensed armless pilot has a Filipino blood?

Jessica Cox is a Filipino-American motivation speaker and founder of nonprofit Rightfooted Foundation for people with disabilities. Not only that, she holds a Guinness World Record as the world's first armless person certified to fly a plane.

Speaking to CNN Philippines' New Day on Tuesday, Cox talked about Project 2025, whose purpose is to customize an RV-10 that can be controlled by foot, not only to address her special needs, but to also spread the message across the globe that "disability does not mean inability."

"It's a pretty ambitious goal for anyone," she revealed. "I've been flying now for many years but it's very uncomfortable the way in which I fly. I've been inspired to build an airplane that can be flown with just feet, to get the message out that disability does not mean inability."

"This will be the first ever in history," she also said. "It will be very unique and I will be able to take it and continue my mission and vision."

According to Cox, Project 2025 entails around 2,000 hours of work as they customize and source for materials from different countries.

"One of the assembly factories is in the Philippines," disclosed Cox, who was born without arms due to a rare birth defect. "Some of the critical parts will be made, like the wings, in the Philippines."

"A team along with myself, we will put these airplane parts together to finish the RV-10 and obviously the whole goal is to be able to fly it to places and to inspire so many," she added.

Cox also said the aircraft that they are building will have four seats with a speed of 320 kilometers per hour, a lot faster than her current plane, a 1946 ERCO Ercoupe 415-C which can fly at 140 kph.

"The speed will be better so we can do more of these trips, that's what we hope to do, to fly to more places, perhaps fly to the Philippines!' shared the 39-year-old Arizona-born Fil-Am, who is also the first armless black-belt in the American Taekwondo Association.

"That would be the dream, to eventually fly it there and inspire the people there that they can achieve their own impossible," she noted.

To donate or support Cox's project, visit https://jessicacox.com/project2025/
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 7)  As parts of the country shift to Alert Level 1 with social distancing and work restrictions lifted, a psychologist said it may take a while for adults to cope and readjust their lifestyles to the new normal.

The awkwardness for some, especially teachers and those who are used to doing Zoom it is so difficult when you are not able to express anything during webinars, psychologist Camille Garcia said in a CNN Philippines COVID-19 special on Monday. But now you are going to face these people I doubt very much if you will be having this confidence.

It also varies among age groups, with children being able to cope quicker than adults, Garcia said.

Children would only take one week or up to 10 days to get used to attending in-person classes again, while adults may take 30 to 45 days to reaccustom themselves to the in-office setup since that is how long it takes to develop a habit or behavior, she explained.

[G]oing beyond 45 days, at hindi ka pa nag-a-adjust (and you have not yet adjusted), there is a possibility that you are not only experiencing physical manifestations of anxiety but there might be some emotional or mental health issues that you have to more or less resolve, said Garcia.

She said it is because adults experience separation anxiety when thinking about working on-site after two years.

[T]hey said I am being more anxious and then it is escalating to... What if its okay that I will not go back to the office, (but) theres a possibility that Im going to be fired? so nag-e-escalate siya [it escalates] into a possibility for depression, she explained, adding that three of her clients suffer from this type of anxiety.

Work-from-home

Alert Level 1 allows more businesses to operate at full capacity, but retaining a hybrid setup that allows work-from-home arrangements to remain is still up to the companies' discretion.

Often this setup blurs the line between life and work which makes people go beyond the usual eight-hour shift, which is why there is a proposed bill to penalize employers who call their subordinates beyond work hours.

Ellen Fullido, president of People Management Association of the Philippines, said it is harsh to sanction employers especially if the calls are not too frequent.

If its (calling outside work hours) being done every day, its abuse already but it depends largely on the culture you have on your organization, she said.

JobStreet Country Manager Philip Gioca agreed, saying that although people were initially compelled to work longer hours while at home, they have since learned to work more smartly.

Labor Undersecretary Benjo Benavidez said whether the hybrid setup will become permanent or not will depend on the type of industry.

[M]aking work-from-home arrangement as a permanent work arrangement for employees is something, to my mind, is a remote situation because tasks are definitely varying from one industry to another, he said.

For struggling workers, Garcia advised them to seek help when they can and to connect with friends and family, apart from eating, sleeping and exercising regularly.

Dont be scared to ask for help, said the psychologist. Mas mahirap yung walang sinsabihan ng problema [Its more difficult when you dont have someone to talk to].
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 8)  The National Water Resources Board said consumers can expect steady water supply in Metro Manila despite the water level in Angat Dam being lower than expected.

"Sa tingin namin may sapat pa rin po na supply ng tubig ngayong panahon ng tag-init, patuloy pa rin magkaroon ng steady supply dito sa Metro Manila," NWRB executive director Sevillo David Jr. said at the Laging Handa briefing on Tuesday.

[Translation: We believe there is sufficient water supply during the warm months, there will be sufficient supply in Metro Manila.]

David said despite their confidence in the supply, they are still making preparations should there be no rain to replenish water levels

At the same briefing David said the current level at Angat Dam is at 195 meters.

"Masasabing ikumpara natin sa mga naunang taon ay medyo mababa... Dapat bago magpasok ang taon, mga 212 meters. Ang nangyari, dahil walang masyadong naranasan na ulan sa watershed ng Angat, ang water level ay naging 202 meters lang," he said.

[Translation: Compared to previous years it's lower... before the year started, it should have been at 212 meters. What happened, since there was little rainfall, the level was only at 202 meters.]

He added the dam's minimum operating level is 180 meters.

According to David, the measures being done include adjusting the allocation for irrigation, preparation of water treatment facilities and deep wells, and cloud seeding.

In January, the NWRB said the country was much better prepared to face the upcoming summer or dry season this year compared to the shortage in 2019 due to the presence of supply augmentation projects.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 8) The Commission on Elections is bringing the ballots to the Tahanang Walang Hagdanan in Cainta, Rizal on May 9 to make it easier for 87 persons with disabilities (PWDs) to vote.

This is one of three locations identified nationwide for the pilot satellite voting centers which the poll body is considering for PWDs and the elderly.

Together with the so-called satellite emergency accessible polling places at the Hospicio de San Jose in Manila, and at the National Vocational Rehabilitation Center in Quezon City, about 700 PWD voters will be able to vote right where they live.

This, however, is still a far cry from the 511,000 registered voters with disabilities for 2022.

For the first time, residents of the Tahanang Walang Hagdanan no longer have to travel by foot or wheelchair for half a kilometer to the Marick Elementary School where they voted in past elections. Some of them had to be carried to the second floor to get to their precincts to vote.

Now, they only have to drop by the covered court within their compound to cast their votes.

Comelec support staff will transport ballots and other election materials from the school to the facility, which will be open to voters from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The voting process remains the same  they shade the circle beside their chosen candidate and when done, a finger will be stained with indelible ink.

The special precinct will close earlier so that the used ballots can be delivered back to the school and fed to vote counting machines. There will be no machine brought to Tahanan.

Cainta municipal election officer Joseph Vega and Comelec Vulnerable Sectors Office assured that the votes of the PWDs will be kept secret and protected until they are officially counted.

All other senior citizens, PWDs and pregnant voters may still vote in their assigned polling centers through accessible polling places located at the ground floor of schools.
United States President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order this week that will direct the Justice Department, Treasury, and other agencies to study the legal and economic effects of creating a U.S. central bank digital currency.

Last year, the White House said that the federal government was considering a wide-ranging oversight of the cryptocurrency market in the United States. This included the possibility of an executive order that would deal with the growing threat of ransomware and other cybercrime.

Biden's Executive Order on Crypto

The Democratic president's order will give a 180-day deadline for a series of reports on the "future of money" and the role that cryptocurrencies will have in the ever-evolving landscape. A source, citing significant momentum behind a move by the Biden administration, said there would be a significant shift in policy within the 180 days that would be a step towards creating a digital currency central bank.

However, the reports that Biden will order could cause concerns about such a move and could require congressional approval. The president's order, which could come as early as Wednesday, also comes amid increasing tensions of the use of cryptocurrencies by Russian elites to avoid Western sanctions, as per Reuters.

In a statement last month, Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) chair Rostin Behnam told a Senate committee hearing that his agency wanted to be in charge of regulating the crypto spot market. During that hearing, the official answered questions of whether a lead agency for the regulation of crypto should be established.

Read Also: More Voters Blame Joe Biden Than Donald Trump for the American Foreign Policy, Vladimir Putin's Invasion of Ukraine, New Poll Reveals

Benham said that on top of his agency being responsible for the regulation of digital currency, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) should also be part of the process. The director of training and regulatory affairs at Blockchain Intelligence Group, Michael Fasanello, speculated that a new individual would gain oversight powers over multiple partner agencies.

According to Blockworks, the agencies include the CFTC, SEC, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, and the Office of the Comptroller, Fasanello said. The situation comes as some, including SEC Commissioner Hester Pierce, said that having a new regulator to what he considered an already "fragmented regulatory system" should not be a top priority.

Regulating Digital Currency

Biden's order is believed to include instructions such as a request for the State Department to ensure that American cryptocurrency laws are aligned with those of the country's allies. The Democrat would also order the Financial Stability Oversight Council to study illicit finance concerns.

In January, the Federal Reserve issued a paper on the topic of a new central bank digital currency that analyzed the risk and benefits of U.S.-backed digital currency. On the other hand, the order implies that cryptocurrency will remain a part of the U.S. economy for years in the future.

While many government officials have downplayed the threat of Russia using cryptocurrency to circumvent sanctions on its banks, the issue remains to be a concern. Last week, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that officials will continue to monitor how the sanctions work and evaluate whether or not there are liquid leakages and the possibility of addressing them, the Associated Press reported.



Related Article: Conservative Think Tank To Hold 'Off-The-Record' Gathering, Invites Biden Official, Trump Critics

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 8) The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has deferred its fact-checking partnership with news website Rappler amid a pending petition by the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) to void the deal.

The development was confirmed Tuesday by the office of Commissioner Socorro Inting, who served as the poll body's acting chair until the announcement of the recent appointments.

"Given the allegations against Rappler and the subsequent filing of the petition with the Supreme Court, it is judicious for the Commission to hold in abeyance the implementation of the provisions of the MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) until the issues are settled and/or decision of the court is rendered," read Inting's letter.

"All actions in connection with the MOA shall be deferred, including coordination between the Commission and Rappler on matters of the MOA," it added.

Inked in February, the Comelec-Rappler agreement aims to mount a series of projects that will focus on voter engagement and the fight against disinformation in the upcoming elections.

The partnership faced a roadblock after the issue was taken by the OSG to the high court to stop its implementation, arguing that the MOA is "violative of the Constitution and other laws, not to mention its being onerous to the government and the republic."

The OSG repeated its claim that Rappler is a "foreign non-registered entity"  an allegation the media company has denied.

On Monday, Inting said the Comelec-Rappler deal was vetted by the Comelec's law department, adding that the poll body will respect the Supreme Court decision on the case.

'Solid legal ground'

Rappler lamented the Comelec official's move and maintained that the agreement "stands on solid legal ground."

"It is no different from previous agreements that the Comelec has had with Rappler every election since 2013," it said in a statement.

The media firm likewise revealed it was not informed of the deal's stoppage and that it has yet to receive an official copy of the order as of Tuesday evening.

"Rappler is asking the commission en banc to deliberate on the matter in the same way it did when it approved the MOA as a collegial body," it stressed. "We hope that the new chairman and commissioners will bring to the discussions the impartiality, wisdom, and courage expected of an independent constitutional body."

CNN Philippines' Melissa Luz Lopez contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 8)  President Rodrigo Duterte has reiterated that the Philippines must keep its word on the Recto Bank exploration deal with China to avoid conflict.

In a public address Monday night, Duterte revealed he received a reminder from China about the consequences of disregarding the two countries' agreement. He added this came after news spread that some companies or groups wanted to meddle in the project in the Recto Bank, known internationally as Reed Bank.

Duterte said he will honor the agreement until his term ends on June 30.

"Binulungan ako ng ano na, 'Huwag ganoon, yung original contracts natin sundin natin,'" he said. "Sundin lang nila, sundin lang ninyo kung ano yung pinag-usapan noon. Sabi ko honor yan eh, its a matter of honor. Nag-ano consensual talks tapos may written agreement. Pag iniba yan, delikado."

[Translation: Someone told me, 'Don't do that, let's follow our original contracts.' Let us follow what we previously agreed on. I said, it's part of honoring our word. We had consensual talks and a written agreement. It'll be dangerous to change it.]

The Philippines earlier offered for oil exploration an area in Recto Bank, considered to be an oil-rich sea feature in the West Philippine Sea that China claims as part of its territory.

The 2016 Arbitral Tribunals ruling states that the Reed Bank is part of the Philippines' exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, where Manila has exclusive sovereign rights. But China continues to dispute it.

It has been eyed as a possible replacement for Malampaya, whose natural gas deposits are expected to run out in 10 years. Malampaya accounts for 20 percent of the country's power supply.

The Recto Bank exploration was put on hold following an order from the late former President Benigno Aquino III in 2012 freezing all exploration activities in disputed areas.

Duterte in 2020 lifted the suspension of oil exploration in the West Philippine Sea, paving the way for the resumption of drilling activities in the disputed waters, including the Recto Bank.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 8)  On International Womens Day, President Rodrigo Duterte said the country has seen great gains in gender equality, but that more can be done to further advance womens rights.

In his message on Tuesday, Duterte said he is proud of the Philippines distinction as a shining beacon of gender equality and women empowerment.

Be it in politics, business, academe and local communities, most especially in our homes, women have occupied and continue to occupy positions of power and influence in our society, wrote Duterte, who has repeatedly been criticized for his sexist and misogynistic remarks and behaviour.

He added these achievements of Filipinas highlight the importance we put on women as vital partners in nation-building.

Ranking 17th out of 156 countries, the Philippines maintained its spot last year as the top performing Asian nation and second-best in the East Asia and Pacific region in terms of gender equality, based on the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Gender Gap report.

Duterte, however, also said the country can still do better in breaking the gender bias.

While a growing consciousness on equality is already an impressive feat and women are breaking the glass ceiling, I believe that we can do more, he said.

As we gain more access to education, information and innovation, more women will have the chance to meaningfully participate in many aspects of human development and change the mindsets that continue to put women and other gender expressions at a disadvantage, he added.

According to WEF's 2021 report, gaps in wage and income, as well as political empowerment, are yet to be closed in the Philippines. The Philippine Commission on Women also earlier said it has observed a rise in reports of violence against women and children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 8)  President Rodrigo Duterte was just playing around when he earlier told voters in Ilocos Sur that they may choose an Ilocano to succeed him, Malacanang said Tuesday.

Acting presidential spokesperson Martin Andanar said Duterte has repeatedly said he is not supporting any presidential candidate "unless there is a compelling reason."

Kung ano man ang sinabi ni Presidente sa Ilocos (Whatever the President said in Ilocos), you know the President, he likes to play with words and he loves to horse around, he added during a public briefing.

Former Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos is the only Ilocano in the presidential race. However, Duterte  who previously said he was not impressed with Marcos, whom he called a "weak leader"  did not drop any name throughout his speech last Friday.

The outgoing president earlier said that he was not endorsing any presidential bet as he prefers to be neutral for now.
Quezon City (CNN Philippines, March 8)  Officials from the 142 barangays of Quezon City flocked to the covered court of Quezon Memorial Circle on Tuesday as the local party of Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte openly endorsed the vice presidential bid of Senate President Tito Sotto.

The crowd was at standing ovation as Belmonte raised Sotto's hand, a traditional way of showing support to a candidate. Also present was Quezon City Vice Mayor Gian Sotto, son of the Senate President.

Sotto started his political career in Quezon City in 1988 where he served as vice mayor before joining the Senate in 1992.

"A full endorsement of the entire leadership of Quezon City is more than enough to boost me, to inspire me and boost my resolve to campaign nationwide," the vice presidential candidate told reporters after the program.

The event was among the rare public occassions where Sotto was not with his running mate Partido Reporma standard bearer Senator Ping Lacson since the election season started in October last year.

Belmonte said their party  Serbisyo Para sa Bayan (SB)  has yet to reach a consensus when it comes to endorsing a presidential candidate.

"Senate President Tito Sotto was a unanimous choice of my local party  yung Serbisyo para sa Bayan Party. So it came to discussing presidents, di kami magkasundo ng members ng party. I'm not an authoritarian leader, I like to consult with the members. So it is still possible that the party may still endorse a president," Belmonte explained.

[Translation: Senate President Tito Sotto was a unanimous choice of my local party  Serbisyo para sa Bayan Party. So, it came to discussing presidents, and we were unable to agree. I'm not an authoritarian leader, I like to consult with the members. So, it is still possible that the party may still endorse a president.]

For now, Belmonte said Quezon City will remain a zona libre for presidential candidate. But she said they are not closing their doors in endorsing a presidential candidate especially as the campaign for local position starts on March 25.

"It might never happen or it might happen at some point. But definitely, magkikita-kita kami [we will see each other] prior to the launching of the local elections on March 25 and we'll bring that up again," the Quezon City Mayor said.

"Im very sure that Senator Lacson is one of being considered by the leadership of Quezon City. And I have sponsored his endorsement," said Sotto.

In a statement, Partido Reporma standard bearer Senator Ping Lacson said he was happy for the endorsement that Sotto got from Quezon City officials.

Lacson said endorsements are good especially coming from local officials Belmonte and Vice Mayor Sotto.

"If it's given, I would welcome it wholeheartedly. If not, then I wil have to go directly to the people of Quezon City. In past elections, at least in the 3 senatorial runs that I had, I got good numbers from Quezon City. I hope I can maintain that mandate and support from them," Lacson said.

Quezon City is the most vote-rich city in the country with over 1.4 million registered voters.

Still no NPC endorsement for Lacson

After a meeting with some members of the Nationalist People's Coalition on Monday, Sotto failed to get a consensus for the party to support his running mate Lacson.

Sotto, the party chairman, said while the party is in full support of his candidacy, it is harder to build a consensus in terms of supporting a presidential candidate.

He has been pushing for NPC's solid support for the Lacson-Sotto tandem but he explained some NPC members have already made commitments with other presidential candidates early on.

The vice presidential candidate says he would try to convince his party mates again before the start of the campaign for local posts.

"Dun magkakatalo kasi pagdating na ng local e, doon natin makikita ang ika nga e susuportahan din ng national candidates. Kaninong local candidates sila? Malaking bagay kasi yun e kaya hindi madali. Kasi pagdating sa pagka-bise presidente, madali sa iba yun kasi yun ay depende sa party lines. Pagdating sa pagkapangulo, iba kasi. Iba ang pananaw ng ibang kandidato," the vice presidential candidate said.

[Translation: We will have to see when it comes to local candidates, we'll see who national candidates will support. Who will they choose? It won't be easy. Because when it comes to the vice president, it will be easy for some because that will depend on party lines. When it comes to the president, it's different. They see other candidates differently.]
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10)  New Commission on Elections Commissioner George Garcia has formally inhibited himself from all cases involving his former clients to dispel concerns of conflict of interest.

The veteran election lawyer on Thursday said he formally wrote to the clerk of the commission to inhibit him from all cases involving his past clients.

Prior to his appointment to the poll body, Garcia represented high-profile clients, including presidential candidate Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., whom he represented in the latters 2016 electoral protest against Vice President Leni Robredo.

Garcia also represented presidential hopefuls Senator Manny Pacquiao and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, and Senator Grace Poe in her disqualification case during the 2016 presidential race.

Siguro nga wala naman akong magagawa dahil parte ng pagiging lawyer yan e, but I will inhibit in all the cases I handled, he said on Tuesday.

[Translation: Perhaps I cannot do anything because that is part of being a lawyer, but I will inhibit in all the cases I handled.]

Poll watchdog Kontra Daya has questioned the appointments of Garcia, new Commissioner Aimee Neri, and Comelec chair Saidamen Pangarungan.

At this point, we ask the three people: What is your track record in election advocacy or lawyering?" it said in a statement. "What is your relationship with the Duterte administration? What is your assurance that you will maintain independence from the powers-that-be, including former clients who are now running in the 2022 elections?"

CNN Philippines Melissa Lopez contributed to this report.
(CNN)  The Florida Department of Health will recommend against Covid-19 vaccinations for healthy children, the state's top public health official said Monday, putting the state at odds with the guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC recommended that children get vaccinated in November, when the shot became available to most kids. Since then, about 22 million children have become fully vaccinated, including 1.1 million Florida kids.

But Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo said the state is going to issue separate guidance urging parents not to vaccinate their kids. Ladapo did not say when that guidance would become official and provided few additional details.

Florida would become the first state to break from the CDC on vaccines for children.

The announcement from Ladapo came at the end of a 90-minute discussion between some of the medical community's most vocal skeptics of pandemic mitigation measures. The event, hosted by Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, was harshly critical of the CDC and governments that took steps to slow the spread of the virus through mask mandates and shutdown measures.

Several of the doctors and scientists on DeSantis' panel shared unproven concerns about the safety of the vaccine for kids.

Children vaccinated against Covid-19 are less likely to be hospitalized for Covid-19 infections than children who are unvaccinated, recent data has shown.

Vaccinated grade-schoolers are nearly half as likely to have a Covid-19 case that resulted in care at an urgent care clinic or emergency room compared with children who were unvaccinated, according to a large study funded by the CDC.

Almost 4.5 million children have had Covid just since the beginning of January.

Children infected by Covid-19 can develop multisystem inflammatory syndrome weeks later. This rare disease can lead to dangerous complications, causing parts of the body to become inflamed. MIS-C can affect major organs including the kidneys, brain, lungs and heart.

The vaccine is not authorized for children under the age of 5. About 25% of Florida's eligible child population is vaccinated, compared with 30% nationally.

Dr. William Schaffner, a professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told CNN he is "disappointed and actually concerned" by the Florida surgeon general's announcement.

"I think [vaccination] continues to be the best recommendation," he said. "I would continue to make it to all parents of children 5 and older. The benefits clearly outweigh the risks, and they provide us a firmer foundation for the control of Covid going forward."

Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, said Ladapo's statement Is "wholly irresponsible and completely unsupported."

"Although it is true that children are less likely to be infected and it is true that children are less likely to be severely infected, they can still be infected, and they can still be severely infected," he told CNN. "And if you have a vaccine which is safe, which this is, and is effective, which this is, then you give it. What the Florida surgeon general didn't do was in any sense explain himself. What possible reason could he have for not giving this vaccine to children and putting them in a position where they have to suffer this disease?"

The Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics was also critical of the decision.

"The COVID-19 vaccine is our best hope for ending the pandemic," chapter President Dr. Lisa Gwynn said in a statement. "The Surgeon General's comments today misrepresent the benefits of the vaccine, which has been proven to prevent serious illness, hospitalizations and long-term symptoms from COVID-19 in children and adolescents, including those who are otherwise healthy.

"The evidence is clear that when people are vaccinated, they are significantly less likely to get very sick and need hospital care. There is widespread consensus among medical and public health experts about the life-saving benefits of this vaccine."

Ladapo has become a lightning rod for criticism since his appointment to lead the Florida Health Department last year. Ladapo gained attention during the pandemic after penning a series of op-eds that challenged the consensus scientific opinion on vaccines, masks and mitigation strategies. He has also pushed unproven Covid-19 therapies, such as ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine.

The Florida Senate confirmed Ladapo to become the state's surgeon general last month. During his confirmation hearings, he declined to say whether he was vaccinated and wouldn't answer questions from lawmakers about the effectiveness of vaccines.

Ladapo recently issued new guidance that discouraged private businesses from requiring their employees wear masks.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Florida to recommend against Covid-19 vaccine for healthy children"
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Isolated thunderstorms this evening. Skies will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 66F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

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Isolated thunderstorms this evening. Skies will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 66F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
Tennessee Rep. Robin Smith has reached a plea deal after being charged with federal wire fraud in relation to a political consulting firm that involved a former House Speaker and current Rep. Glen Casada.

The official, who has since resigned from her post on Monday, faces one count of honest services wire fraud based on documents unsealed in federal court in Nashville on that same day. Smith's resignation was revealed in a letter shared by a Chattanooga public relations firm.

Charges of Wire Fraud

Smith's attorney said, based on court documents, that after the former official reached a plea agreement on the charge, her plea hearing was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. In her letter to House Speaker Cameron Sexton, Smith said that it was an honor to have served the people of the district and all of Tennessee. She added her stepping down was filled with humility and was made out of respect for the role of public service.

Prosecutors claim that the representative, along with Casada and the latter's former top aide, Cade Cothren, were in league with a shadowy firm known as Phoenix Solutions. The agency allegedly concealed its operator as Cothren engineered kickbacks to Smith and Casada, as per Tennessean.

Prosecutors said that Smith devised and intended to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud and deprive the people of the Middle District of Tennessee. They also argued that the suspect targeted the government of Tennessee in her scheme and deprived them of their right to the honest services of a public official.

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In 2019, Casada resigned from the top leadership post after it was revealed that he exchanged sexually explicit text messages about women with Cothren several years back. Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) searched the homes and offices of several state lawmakers in January last year.

According to Yahoo News, the homes they searched included those of Casada, Smith, and Cothren and at the time, investigators declined to give a reason for the operations. Up to date, authorities have not charged Cothren or Casada in the case against Smith.

Dishonest Public Service

Smith's attorney most recently revealed that the suspect filed a motion indicating she will plead guilty to the charges. Tuesday's hearing is expected to include the representative's implication of Casada and Cothren.

It is believed that Smith and Casada received kickbacks from Cothren in exchange for using their political authority as members of the Tennessee House of Representatives to perform official acts. The actions include pressuring the Tennessee House Speaker's Office to approve the shadow firm as a Mailer Program vendor and disburse State funds to Phoenix Solutions LLC, News Channel 5 reported.

Cothren is believed to have exchanged emails with his then-girlfriend disguising themselves as "Candice" and "Matthew" to make it seem that they were employees of the firm. The messages tried to show the two trying to secure an outstanding payment that the state had not yet paid.

Smith told several Republican lawmakers in 2020 that "Matthew Phoenix and his associate, Candice, got tired of living in the Washington, D.C. area and decided to move back home to New Mexico, where Phoenix started Phoenix Solutions."



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The State College Borough Council unanimously passed Resolution #1308, which urged the U.S. Congress to enact the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, at its meeting on Monday.

The act, according to its website, is a policy that will reduce Americas carbon pollution by 50% by 2030 with the ultimate goal of reaching net zero by 2050.

The resolution cited a variety of climate change statistics and previous borough efforts that demonstrate a long track record of acknowledging the realities of global climate disruption, in the resolution to support its passage.

The resolution also stated the EICDA does precisely what the Boroughs March 2017 Resolution #1184 advocated: create a workable and effective carbon fee and dividend plan for the nation.

Jesse Barlow, president of the borough council, provided a history of the climate change efforts in State College and the bill itself and recommended its passage.

A member of the Citizens Climate Lobby also spoke to the history of the boroughs efforts and the bill  noting the borough would be joining a variety of other towns and organizations in endorsing the act.

The resolution passed unanimously.

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At Mondays State College borough meeting, Mayor Ezra Nanes proclaimed March 20 as "Osaze Osagie Day of Unity" in State College.

Osaze Osagie was a 29-year-old Black man, who was killed by a State College police officer on March 20, 2019, when three officers arrived at his apartment to serve a mental health warrant.

Osagie, who had autism and a history of schizophrenia, allegedly ran at the officers with a knife. After an unsuccessful attempt to deploy a Taser on him, he was allegedly shot by Officer M. Jordan Pieniazek.

The three officers involved in the shooting have not been charged.

Sylvester Osagie, Osaze's father, filed a lawsuit in November 2020 against the borough of State College, and Judge Matthew W. Brann of the U.S. Middle District Court of Pennsylvania set a long-term trial date in 2022.

In the proclamation, Nanes said this day is proclaimed to bring a sense that we have learned from events and have the power and intention to prevent them for reoccurring.

Nanes also said Osaze was a beloved son of State College, and his family is a mirror of each of our families.

Tierra Williams, representing the 3/20 Coalition and joining Osaze Osagies parents at the meeting, thanked the borough for this step towards healing within our community.

The coalition has been adamant and has been pushing for change, and we appreciate all of the steps that the borough has taken with us to make that change, Williams said.

Iyun Osagie, mother of Osaze, also thanked the mayor, the council and the city of State College for recognizing March 20, 2022 as a day of unity  racial unity.

It is in the interest of all peoples of all persuasions to know and feel they belong to this town  unafraid and free to breathe, Iyun said. Being a visible minority carries a special burden, pelicular only to those who wear that skin.

Iyun also said the community has to "make sure that we are free  free to live, free to breathe, and free to love.

I believe that love conquers everything, and today, this show of unity is deeply appreciated, Iyun said. Love never fails.

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Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser is reserving a little over $1 million worth of fall TV advertising for his reelection bid, a spokesman for the Democrat's campaign tells Colorado Politics.

It's the first substantial general election advertising reservation announced by a Colorado candidate this cycle. While ad reservations can be canceled, committing to a sizable ad buy early gives Weiser the chance to lock in lower rates and secure the most desirable time slots.

"As attorney general, I'm committed to serving the people of Colorado," Weiser said in an emailed statement. "From standing up for women's rights to protecting our water to securing over $400 million to fight the opioid epidemic, I'm working to deliver results for them. We have a lot more work to do, and Coloradans know I'll never stop fighting for them and our communities."

The ads are set to begin airing statewide a month before the November election on broadcast, cable and streaming platforms, Weiser advisor James Dakin Owens said. He added that Weiser anticipates booking additional ads as the election approaches.

The campaign's ad reservation is more than Weiser spent on TV airtime for the entire 2018 general election, when campaign finance reports show the former University of Colorado law school dean paid about $858,000 on the way to winning his first term.

Republicans have been hammering Weiser over the state's rising crime rate, including data that shows Colorado leads the nation in auto thefts and is experiencing violent crime rates not seen in decades.

"Its time for a prosecutor, not a professor," tweeted Colorado GOP chair Kristi Burton Brown on Monday, reprising an attack the Republican Attorney Generals Association spent millions of dollars lobbing at Weiser in 2018.

District Attorney John Kellner, the suburban 18th Judicial District's top prosecutor, is running unopposed for the GOP nomination to challenge Weiser. Four years ago, Weiser defeated Kellner's predecessor, Republican DA George Brauchler, by 6.5 points.

Like last cycle, the Weiser campaign is hiring Democratic political ad guru Mark Putnam to produce his ads.

Weiser began the year with $2.2 million on hand after raising $2.7 million in a series of record-setting quarters, according to campaign finance reports. Kellner declared his candidacy in late January and has yet to file fundraising a fundraising report.

The American Constitution Party's Robert Barbrady is also running for the office.

New Weiser ad in Colo. AG's race from creator of Hick's shower spot Attorney general candidate Phil Weiser totes a whiteboard around the state asking Coloradans what rights they want him to protect in a television ad the Democrat released Friday.

'A mistake was made': Calls grow louder to reverse 2019 law that lowered penalty for fentanyl possession The deaths of five Commerce City residents, reportedly due to overdoses tied to fentanyl, prompted lawmakers on both sides of the aisle at the state Capitol to call for changes in state law Tuesday, with some calling the law that eased penalties for drug possession a "mistake."
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Eli Bremer unveiled a slew of endorsements from current and former state lawmakers on Monday as the crowded primary field of Democrat Michael Bennet's potential challengers move closer to the ballot.

Eli has earned the support of many current and former Legislators because he is hardworking, shares our values, and most of all, a man of great integrity," said state Sen. Bob Gardner, R-Colorado Springs, in a joint statement released by Bremer's campaign on behalf of the 13 new endorsers. "These great qualities make him the candidate that can beat Michael Bennet and take back our Senate in November."

Added Gardner: "Eli's unparalleled work ethic, exceptional character and dedication are second to none. He has the support and momentum to carry us to victory. We are proud to join the many committed conservatives who know Eli is the only candidate who can take back Colorado for Republicans."

The Republicans who signed on to Gardner's statement declaring their support for Bremer are state Sen. Larry Liston and state Rep. Mary Bradfield, both of Colorado Springs, and 10 Gold Dome alumnae, former state Sens. Greg Brophy, Andy McElhany, Larry Crowder, Bernie Herpin, Ed Jones and Keith King; and former state Reps. Mark Barker, Tim Dore, Lois Landgraff, and Jim Wilson.

A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Bremer competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics in the modern pentathlon and is a former chairman of the El Paso County Republican Party.

National election forecasters don't consider Colorado's U.S. Senate race competitive, but in late February the Cook Political Report shifted Colorado from 'Solid Democrat' to 'Likely Democrat,' suggesting that if the GOP nominates a strong candidate amid a worsening political climate for Democrats, the state could move into battleground territory.

Colorado Republicans held precinct caucuses last week, beginning the formal process of picking a nominee to face Bennet, who is seeking a third term. Candidates can make the June 28 primary ballot by taking the caucus and assembly route, culminating at the state assembly on April 9, or by submitting a sufficient number of petition signatures, which are due March 15.

Bremer is competing against six other Republican U.S. Senate candidates for spots in the primary: state Rep. Ron Hanks, Fort Collins real estate developer Gino Campana; construction company owner Joe O'Dea; former talk radio host and actress Deborah Flora, former congressional candidate Peter Yu and political science professor Greg Moore.

These lawmakers come from all over the state and represent different time periods of serving," Bremer said, noting that some served in "better times" under Colorado's last Republican governor in the early to mid-2000s.

Winning in Colorado will require a massive team of supporters, and Im humbled to continue earning the support of elected officials who have been fighting for conservative values in our state for years," Bremer said. "I look forward to taking back Colorado's Senate seat and working with our state legislators to make sure the federal government honors the role of our states and returns as much power to the states as possible. I firmly believe in federalism, and I intend to be a strong voice for local control of as many governmental efforts as possible.

Bremer's newly named backers joined the four former legislative leaders who announced their endorsements last week: former Senate President Kevin Grantham, a Fremont County commissioner; former House Majority Leader Amy Stephens; former House Minority Leader and former El Paso County Commissioner Mark Waller; and former Senate Majority Leader Tom Blickensderfer.

+21 COVER STORY | Crowded field of Bennet's GOP challengers moves toward primary ballot The outlines of the 2022 race for the Colorado Senate seat held by Democrat Michael Bennet are taking shape as the official start of the nomin

Republican US Senate candidate Eli Bremer picks up endorsements from former legislative leaders El Paso County Republican Eli Bremer, one of the candidates running in a primary to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, announced T

Bennet challenger Gino Campana announces statewide grassroots team Republican U.S. Senate candidate Gino Campana on Monday unveiled his campaign's grassroots team, including more than 85 current and former ele
The Colorado legislature approved legislation Monday that seeks to crack down on stolen and counterfeit products being anonymously sold through online marketplaces like eBay and Facebook.

The state Senate passed House Bill 1099 in a unanimous vote Monday, following the state House of Representatives 60-3 approval last month. The bipartisan bill will now be sent to Gov. Jared Polis for final consideration.

If enacted, the bill would require some third-party sellers to provide identifying information to the online marketplace theyre using and to the person theyre selling to. The requirement would apply to people who sell new products generating $20,000 or more annually, not to average individuals who occasionally sell used products.

This comes as retail crime is rising both statewide and nationally. In 2021, a survey found that 69% of retailers experienced an increase in organized retail crime in the last year. Reports of theft, robbery and burglary have steadily increased in Colorado in recent years, reaching over 147,000 incidents in 2021  up 13,000 from 2019  according to state data.

Everyone is affected, said bill sponsor Sen. Rob Woodward, R-Loveland, saying the bill would address the root cause of theft. Porch pirates are stealing Amazon packages. Organized shoplifting is driving up the costs at local retailers. And online purchases of counterfeit drugs and products by unsuspecting customers is growing quickly.

Under the bill, sellers would have to give their bank account number, contact information and tax identification number to the online marketplace, which would verify the information. To customers, sellers would have to provide their full name, physical address, contact information and whether they got the product from another seller.

Failure to provide the required information would be classified as a deceptive trade practice, punishable by a fine of up to $20,000 per violation.
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John Schultz IV, the teen accused of plotting a mass shooting at a local school in Rochester, Indiana, gets sentenced on one count of conspiracy to commit murder.

He received a sentence of 19 years and six months imprisonment. Schultz had already served 566 days jail time, and the remaining portion of the sentence was suspended, according to a report by ABC 57.

He will also be on probation for three years. He will not be allowed to drink or use drugs while on probation. He is prohibited from contacting pupils at Rochester or Caston and Donald Robin Jr, who are also charged in the case.

Schultz is mandated to complete 90 hours of community service and obtain his GED within the first 18 months of his probation.

Foiled Murder Spree

He accepted a plea agreement before jurors completed deliberations at his trial last month. His first trial ended in a mistrial because the jury could not compromise.

Schultz pleaded guilty to conspiracy to perform murder that does not result in death as part of the plea agreement. The remaining charges were dismissed, including a second count of conspiracy to commit murder, one count of intimidation, and three possession charges.

Meanwhile, Robin will be imprisoned for 17 years with nine years suspended in March 2021. Once released, he will serve three years of probation.

In July 2020, Schultz was charged with conspiracy to commit murder at Rochester High School and Caston Schools, including intimidation and drug possession, according to a report by WNDU. He got arrested after a family member voiced concern about his conduct, fearing that he and a friend, Donald Robin Jr, were plotting to do a mass shooting inspired by the Columbine massacre per New York Post.

Read Also: Iowa's Deadliest Tornado Since 2008 Kills 7; Injured Mom Fights for Her Life Unaware She Lost Most of Her Family

An Opportunity for a Fresh Start

Following his arrest, Robin Jr pleaded guilty and served an eight-year sentence. Schultz was initially tried in August 2021. However, the case was dismissed due to a hung jury. The case was retried, but the jury was split down the middle and deadlocked. After nearly nine hours of deliberation, no one wanted to go forward with the third trial.

According to Fulton County Prosecutor Mike Marrs, they started "discussing a plea" at the 11th hour. Eventually, they did a plea that called Schultz "to plead to it with no agreement but the cap on time served." At his sentencing, Judge A. Christopher Lee accepted Schultz's plea. He was given a suspended nineteen-and-a-half-year sentence and was placed on immediate probation of three years.

Marrs remarked that Schultz got the opportunity "to turn things around," however, he also got "a lot hanging over his head" if he failed to "fly straight over the next three years."

Schultz's lawyers are also hopeful that these programs and conditions will help him improve himself in the long run.

Attorney Joseph Bauer sees it as "a new start" and "a second chance at life" for his client as Schultz will have the get all the assistance he needs to overcome "the mental health and the drug problems he's faced" that brought him in trouble.

Schultz is moving to Michigan, but his probation will continue to be processed in Fulton County.

Related Article: Tennessee Rep. Reaches Plea Deal Amid Charges of Wire Fraud To Receive Kickbacks

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Boomtown 2022: How to live your best life in Columbia over 50

Columbia makes repeated appearances on lists ranking cities as good places to live. It is perhaps an even better place to mature and retire. A strong health care network, reasonable housing prices, a vibrant, engaged community and an appealing downtown help create an attractive location for all generations, but especially for those over 50. Read more stories.

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As the Cubs were beating the Braves 6-3 Wednesday night Steve left to see the game with his mom and dad, Reva and Harold, brother Ron and baby niece Elizabeth Henney. He left behind to run the store his wife Kathleen (Knight), Amelia (27), Nathan (24) and his beloved cat Lewis Black. His sis
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US urged to stop zero-sum acts

09:34, March 08, 2022 By MO JINGXI ( China Daily

A reporter from China Arab TV at the Media Center Hotel in Beijing puts a question on Monday via video link to State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the Great Hall of the People.[Photo by Kuang Linhua/China Daily]

Washington fails to honor words of not seeking new Cold War, Wang Yi says

China urged the United States on Monday to cease its zero-sum competition and geopolitical rivalry with the country, saying Washington should work with Beijing to put bilateral ties back on the right path of sound and stable development, as it has promised.

"China believes that in a globalized and interdependent world, how China and the US find the right way forward and manage to get along is both a new question for humanity and a formulation that must be worked out together by the two countries," State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said as he took questions from the media via video link on the sidelines of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress in Beijing.

He said it is a pity that the US is not honoring its words of not seeking a new Cold War with China, not seeking to change China's system or strengthening its alliances against China, and not supporting "Taiwan independence".

The reality is that the US is going to great lengths to engage in intense, zero-sum competition with China, keeps provoking China on issues concerning its core interests, and is taking a series of actions to piece together small blocs to suppress China, he said.

"This is not how a responsible power should act, or how a credible country does things," Wang added.

He said that China has every right to do what is necessary to firmly defend its legitimate interests.

Wang said that in order to contain China's development, some forces in the US have instigated and encouraged the development of "Taiwan independence" forces, challenged the one-China principle and seriously undermined peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits.

"The scheme to use Taiwan to contain China is doomed to fail," he said, adding that Taiwan's future and hope lie in the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations and reunification with the mainland, not in counting on the empty promises of external forces.

Wang said China and the US need to reembrace the conviction that helped the two countries break the ice 50 years ago, and set out on a new journey.

We must replace the "competitive-collaborative-adversarial" trichotomy with the three principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, return the China policy of the US to the right track guided by reason and pragmatism, and put China-US relations back on the right path of healthy and stable development, he said.

Speaking of the US "Indo-Pacific strategy", which he described as "an Indo-Pacific version of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization", Wang said the US is stoking geopolitical rivalry in the name of advancing regional cooperation.

He said the strategy seeks to maintain the US-led system of hegemony, undermine the regional cooperation architecture with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as the center, and compromise the overall and long-term interests of countries in the region.

"Such actions run counter to the common aspiration of the region for peace, development, cooperation and win-win outcomes, and they are doomed to fail," he said.

Noting that the Asia-Pacific region is a promising area for cooperation and development instead of a chessboard for a geopolitical contest, Wang said that China resolutely opposes all acts that lead to confrontation and rival camps in the region.

"China wants all parties to join us in doing the right thing and staying on the right course," he added.

Li Haidong, a professor of US studies at China Foreign Affairs University, said that Beijing judges Washington's intention of developing relations with China based on what it does instead of what it says, and the US is not taking actions to implement its commitments.

"The US is using a Cold War mentality and the logic of bloc politics to deal with its relationship with China," Li said.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Every morning, gas prices continue to rise. You'll most likely see it on your way to work in the morning. Russian oil accounts for only a small portion of our gas. So, why is it so expensive?

We may not bring in much oil from Russia, but we don't have to import Russian oil for it to affect the pricing here, according to the studies and experts. That's because in the realm of oil, everything is one barrel.

According to data from the United States for the year 2021, US imported around 3.3 percent of our energy from Russia. As a result, it isn't much at all. However, this does not affect the price of oil.

US Gas Prices Set National Record

The price of oil is determined by the worldwide supply. Oil prices will be affected by any disruption in supply anywhere in the world. To summarize, the price of oil is tracked all around the world. Any delays in supply or uncertainty everywhere causes the price to rise. Because gas is derived from oil, its price rises in pace, as per WUSA 9.

The national average price of gasoline has reached $4 per gallon for the first time in over 14 years. The price of gas has risen by more than 40 cents a gallon in the last week, and is $1.30 more than a year ago. The countrywide average price might reach new heights in a couple of days.

After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, oil prices soared into the triple digits. Russia is the world's second-largest oil producer, accounting for 10% of worldwide output. Oil markets are concerned about geopolitical risk because of the possibility of supply disruptions as a result of conflict.

Bank sanctions, divestment from Russian oil and gas, oil import restriction threats, and traders avoiding Russian oil pushed prices further higher.

Read Also: Joe Manchin: Get Your Financial House in Order; Senator Urges No-Fly Zone as One Option To Help Ukraine

What Does the Biden Administration Should Do?

According to NY Post, there isn't a simple button that President Joe Biden can press to make the suffering at the pump go vanish. The release of 60 million barrels of oil from government stockpiles will be small and temporary.

By temporarily eliminating the mandate to transition to summer gas blends, the government might give some economic assistance. Summer blends evaporate more slowly, lowering emissions but increasing costs by up to 15 cents per gallon.

President Biden isn't the only one responsible for the $4 per gallon gasoline price, but that doesn't justify the administration's bad policy choices. The government immediately banned new lease sales on federal lands and waters and blocked the Keystone XL project.

Greenlighting these projects would not have an immediate price impact, but it would offer investment stability, generate employment, and maintain America's status as the world's greatest oil and gas producer.

The rate at which gas prices have risen throughout the world is staggering. And, according to GasBuddy, the "rapid and furious" rise in costs isn't going to stop anytime soon. Gas prices have been steadily rising since 2008, smashing previous highs.

Many gas price records have been broken as a result of Russia's war in Ukraine, which has prompted Western countries to impose harsh sanctions on Russia, limiting Russian crude oil supplies to the worldwide market, according to GasBuddy.

Related Article: Russia-Ukraine War: Experts Predict "Collapse" in Russian Economy Amid Ukraine Invasion, Massive Sanctions

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In a move to offer an end-to-end security operations suite from its cloud platform, Google has announced it will acquire cyberdefense and response company Mandiant for $5.4 billion, in a deal expected to close later this year.

The acquisition will complement Google Clouds existing security services and together, the companies will deliver a security operations suite as well as advisory services that help customers address critical security challenges and stay protected at every stage of the security lifecycle, Mandiant said in a press release.

The company recently announced a new Ransomware Defense Validation service for its SaaS-based XDR (extended detection and response) platform, Mandiant Advantage, to help enterprises gauge the ability of their security systems to guard against ransomware attacks.

This is an opportunity to deliver an end-to-end security operations suite and extend one of the best consulting organizations in the world," said Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian, in the press release.

Mandiant gained significant recognition 2020 after discovering the infamous SolarWinds hack, orchestrated by a Russian group who were able to break into the networks of SolarWinds and covertly alter the code in one of its IT management software update packages.

This resulted in resulted in backdoor malware being pushed out to thousands of companies that relied on SolarWinds management products, and as a result both private enterprise and government networks were targeted for further network intrusions.

Cyber security is a mission, and we believe its one of the most important of our generation. Google Cloud shares our mission-driven culture to bring security to every organization, said Mandiant CEO Kevin Mandia, in the release. Together, we will deliver our expertise and intelligence at scale via the Mandiant Advantage SaaS platform, as part of the Google Cloud security portfolio.

Yesterday, The Information reported that Google was in talks with Mandiant about a possible deal to bolster Googles cloud computing arm. However, it was thought that Microsoft were also interested in a potential buy-out of the consultancy company.
I've called Windows 11 a pointless upgrade. My reasoning was that it came with compatibility problems and really added nothing to Windows 10. Sure, it includes better security. But, spoiler alert, most of those improvements were already in the Windows 10 20H2 release (the October 2020 Update). You just have to turn them on.

So, what is Windows 11's point? I think it's to slowly get you used to the idea of Windows as a Service (WaaS).

Microsoft has been moving users to this Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) model for years now. Today, you can already subscribe to the easy-to-use Windows 365 Cloud PC. Or, if you want more control and features, there's Windows 365 Enterprise or Azure Virtual Desktop. But these are all more business than consumer plays. And, while Microsoft loves its business customers, it still likes its home sales, too. (Of course, the difference between home and work is blurring more then ever thanks to the growing work-from-home movement.)

With all this in mind, when I look at recent Windows 11 changes, I see clear signs that Windows 11 is the Trojan horse bringing WaaS to everyone  whether you want it or not.

First, Microsoft sneaked a Microsoft subscription manager into the February 2022 Windows 11 update. Check it out: look into the Windows 11 Settings menu > Accounts and you'll find a new section called "Your Microsoft account." There, youll find your Microsoft 365 subscription status, how full your OneDrive cloud storage is, and other details.

Trust me, it says  having a subscription to our cloud services is a normal part of Windows. Relax, accept that Windows is part of a cloud-based Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) world now.

Wait? Didn't Microsoft say it was only going to be adding features to Windows 11 once a year? Ahem, yes it did. But Microsoft fibbed. Windows 11 will get Feature, Web, and Online Service Experience Packs whenever Microsoft wants to update them. That wailing you hear in the distance? That's Windows 11 sysadmins worrying what mischief the hidden features will bring with them.

Leaving that aside, there is one subscription missing from this new feature  remember what I just said about mischief?  and that's the Xbox Game Pass. It's almost like Microsoft was thinking of business first with this update, and fun with your Xbox games second.

Then, a few weeks later, the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22567 for the Dev Channel arrived. And what should we find in it? Why, Windows 11 now asks for your credit card information from inside Windows. Of course, Microsoft has been asking for your credit card information for transactions via your Microsoft Account web page for ages now. So, what's the big deal?

Well, it makes Windows a trifle easier to use for purchases. What I think is important is that, in combination with the subscription feature, this makes it easier for you to pay not just for Microsoft 365, but for Windows itself. No longer will Windows be a one-and-done purchase. It will be forever a subscription service with only one foot in your PC and the other ever more firmly in the cloud.

While I like the DaaS model in its place, I also like having my operating system under my control and primarily on my PC. So, I'm going to continue to use the Linux desktop as my main operating system. As for everyone else, I hope you're OK with trusting Microsoft for all your computing work, because now more than ever, Microsoft, and not you, will be calling the shots.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Western countries that Russia's aggression will not stop once it has conquered Ukraine because it will not satisfy Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In an interview with ABC World News Tonight with David Muir on Monday, Zelensky said that Ukraine "will come first. You will come second," in reference to Russia's military actions. He also described Putin as a beast that wants "more, more, and more" because he will never be satisfied.

Zelensky went on to warn Western countries that the ongoing conflict will not end in Ukraine and will have impacts throughout the world.

"Today, war is here. Tomorrow, it will be in Lithuania, then in Poland, then in Germany," the Ukrainian President said.

He urged the US and the Western countries to take action to "preserve" Ukraine and the rights and freedoms of its citizens which are being violated by the continued attacks by the Russian forces, CNN reported.

"Everyone thinks that we are far away from America or Canada. No, we are in this zone of freedom," Zelensky noted.

During the interview, Zelensky once again underscored that Ukraine's airspace should be secured, reiterating his calls for US and NATO to take action on Russia's continued attacks that already resulted to 406 deaths, including 27 children, and 801 people injured according to the United Nations, per NBC News report.

The 44-year old Ukrainian President said that Russia should not be allowed to be active because it is "bombing", shelling, and sending "missiles, helicopters, jet fighters, --- a lot of things" to his country, and the Ukrainian government already has lost control over its skies.

The Ukrainian President's remarks came as NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday outrightly rejected a no-fly zone over Ukraine, and warned that such a move could provoke widespread war in Europe with Russia.

Zelenskyy further said that he believes US President Joe Biden "can do more" to stop the war. "I am sure he can and I would like to believe that. He is capable of doing that," reported the media outlet quoting him.

Read Also: Russia-Ukraine War: US Sending 500 Troops to Europe as 'Defensive Forces'

Will the US Send Its Troops in Ukraine?

On February 26, the second day of the Russian invasion, the U.S. and NATO allies have sent 17,000 anti-tank missiles to war-torn Ukraine, as part of a $350 million military aid package agreement.

US President Biden and White House officials were discussing if they could send better fighter jets to Ukraine to help in its war. Under the proposed arrangement, Poland would hand over MIG fighter jets to Ukraine, which Ukrainian pilots were trained to operate. In exchange, the United States will replace the Soviet-era planes with new F-16 fighter airplanes per Daily Mail.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Sunday that the plan had received a "green light". However, Poland dismissed it and said that they had not agreed to any proposal as Polish President Andrzej Duda raised concerns about the plan that could result in conflict with Russia.

Putin recently warned countries imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine will be considered by Russia as participants in the ongoing conflict.

On Monday, the White House said Biden still will not send the US military to battle Russian forces in Ukraine.

Related Article: Russia-Ukraine Crisis: Scammers Using War To Steal Donations Through Fake E-mails, Charity Websites; How To Spot It

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In a broad-ranging discussion the other day about the path of political and economic policy over the last decade, I found myself returning again and again to events in 2014. Events that were apparently unrelated: Bulgaria's banking crisis Moldova's banking fraud , the collapse of Banco Espirito Santo , the election of Syriza in Greece, the first Scottish independence referendum, UKIP's success in two Westminster by-elections as well as local and European elections. And in Ukraine, the Euromaidan revolt followed by Russia's annexation of Crimea and invasion of Donbas. "Why do all roads lead back to 2014?" I found myself asking.

The financial and political eruptions of 2014 marked the start of a major shift in the global geopolitical landscape. But it was not clear where the faultline lay. Lots of people thought it was between the Western "old order" and the emergent economies of Asia, led by China. And others, including me, thought it was a revolt against the "neoliberal consensus" that had dominated both economics and public policy since the 1980s. Hardly anyone thought about what the strange reappearance of ghosts of the past to the east of the Danube might signify.

In September 2016, I wrote a long essay trying to make sense of the profound economic and political dislocations that had led to the UK's decision to leave the EU in June 2016. Trump had not yet been elected, but I was pretty sure he would be. I identified the proximate source of these dislocations as anger and rootlessness caused by the 2008 financial crisis and the misguided austerity of the post-crisis years. But I also traced their roots back to the deindustrialisation of the Reagan/Thatcher years and the soullessness of globalisation:

As Jesus observed , when you drive out a demon you must replace it with something wholesome, or a whole lot more demons will be along shortly to fill the hole it left. Globalism had failed, but nothing had replaced it except a vague, undefined longing for "a change", and a deepening nostalgia for a lost golden age. Something wicked was bound to be along shortly to fill the gaping hole created by the 2008 financial crisis.





By 2016, it was already obvious that the "something wicked" coming this way was nationalism of a kind last seen in the 1930s - the dangerous, toxic nationalism we thought had died in a Berlin bunker. And it could end in only one way:





Carole Cadwallader President Putin has crossed this line. We are at war.Carole Cadwallader argues that the West has been at war with Russia ever since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2014:
Corsicana, TX (75110)

Today

Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.
Text:

It is a case of death due to torture in custody of BSF under Battalion number 75 of Koimari Border Out Post.

Guidelines framed and circulated by NHRC in case of custodial death on March 27, 1997 was not followed by police personnel of Sitai Police Station and local civil administration.

Supreme Court of India in various cases, laid down norms to be followed in case of cognizable offence like custodial death; such as, immediate register of FIR, investigation by CID or police team of another police station led by a senior officer, etc. which was not followed here.

Why judicial Magistrate was not done the inquest of the victim as for custodial death any judicial magistrate should inquest the body?

Why the inquest was not done in the Sitai Block Hospital where the victim was declared dead?

Why the duty officer of the Sitai Police Station did not register the written complaint of the family members of the victim at first?

Why in the FIR copy police omitted the specific allegation of the BSF?

Till date place of incidents, witnesses, family members were not examined; scratch in the earth of the place of incidence, hair, fibbers were not collected.

The case of killing of human within Cooch Behar district is not only this one. Even under the Sitai Police Station jurisdiction area this is not a first killing done by BSF. In each case of killing, BSF and investigating police including civil administration nexus throttled the throat of criminal justice system.

This case manifests systematic impunity in our state of West Bengal.

BSF should be posted in actual border and not inside the villages.The whole incident must be investigated by a neutral agency appointed by the Commission.

This unlawful death should be properly investigated in line with Minnesota Protocol.

The unnatural death case initiated by Sitai Police Station on December 12, 2021 must be investigated properly under the appropriate legal provision.

The administration must take appropriate steps to control cross border smuggling in bordering villages.

The guilty BSF personnel involved in killing in custody must be booked and prosecuted in open court of law; not under in camera proceedings where accused, prosecutor and judge are brothers.

Disciplinary action should be initiated against the then on duty police personnel of Sitai Police Station who without doing the inquest in the place where the victim was declared dead, taking the victims dead body to the Sitai Police Station.

We have an apprehension that police with the nexus of BSF made fabricated the original written complaint of the victims family. Therefore, immediate steps to be taken to record the statements of the victims family members by one judicial magistrate under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Police personnel involved in fabricating the victims complaint should be immediately charged with section 192 and 201 of the Indian Penal Code.

The family of the victim must be duly compensated and security and safety of the witnesses and family members must be ensured.

Kirity Roy, secretary, Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), and national convenor, Programme Against Custodial Torture & Impunity (PACTI), in a representation to the chairman, National Human Rights Commission has alleged that a poor marginalized youth Bikash Debnath, of Cooch Behar district, West Bengal, died after Border Security Force (BSF) personnel's "continuous tortured him for three hours".He say, "Incidents of killing civilians by the BSF force have significantly increased in the bordering districts of the state of West Bengal in the past few years. This case also adding the list of murders in BSFs custody where the higher official and police administration with a nexus tries to save the perpetrators.This is to bring to your kind attention an incident of brutal killing of a poor marginalized youth namely Bikash Debnath from Uttar Chamta village under Sitai Block and Police Station in the district of Cooch Behar, by the perpetrator BSF personnel attached with Battalion number 75 of Koimari border outpost.The victim was forcefully apprehended by the perpetrators BSF on duty, and continuous tortured him for three hours. Later his body was recovered from Indo Bangladesh border side. It is a clear case of murder in custody of BSF on duty.Sitai Police took the body of the victim to the Sitai Block Hospital where the victim was declared as brought dead. Without doing inquest, the dead body of the victim was taken to Sitai Police Station and there the inquest was done by one police person of Sitai Police Station and one executive magistrate which was violated section 174 and 176 (1) (a) of the Criminal Procedure Code.There were several injury marks in the body of the deceased observed by the family members and eye witnesses. Even they observed scratch marks in the land where the victim was beaten to death by the BSF personnel.On December 12, 2021 in the evening the family members lodged one written complaint to the Sitai Police Station against BSF for the death of the victim. The then on duty police officer took the written complaint but did not provide any received copy to the victims family. No case was registered by the Police on that time.On the next day from the GR section we received the information that one case was registered by the police vide Sitai Polife Station case number 198/21 dated December 12, 2021 under section 302. But in the FIR copy police did not mention the details of the accused just only mentioned unknown persons. No signature or thumb impression of the complainant was received in the FIR copy. In the complaint copy attach with FIR there is no specific allegation against the BSF authority.We have an apprehension that police with the nexus of BSF made a fabricated complaint and took the signature of Biseswar Debnath, elder brother of the victim who is also an illiterate person.This violates section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and apex court guidelines in the case of Lalita Kumari vs State of Uttar Pradesh [WP (Crl) 68 of 2008] which clearly states that immediate registration of First Information Report is mandatory under section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure if the information discloses commission of a cognizable offence and provide the copy of the FIR to the complainant free of cost.As the police personnel of Sitai Police Station did not take any action in this respect, on January 17, 2022, Khageswar Debnath, father of the deceased sent one written complaint to the Superintendent of Police, Cooch Behar.Salient points in this case:It must be mentioned that incidents of killing civilians by the BSF have significantly increased in the bordering districts of the state of West Bengal in the past few years. This case also adding the list of murders in BSFs custody where the higher official and police administration with a nexus tries to save the perpetrators.The perpetrator BSF personnel not only violated the rights guaranteed in Article 21 of Indian Constitution but also the premise of Article 7 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as well as the Goal number 8 and 16 of Sustainable Development Goal earmarked by United Nations and in both these international instruments; the government of India is a party and have agreement.The incident and subsequent impunity legitimize our long standing demand for immediate ratification of United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment and Punishment.Hence I seek your urgent intervention in this present complaint with the following demands of justice to the family of the victim:
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As the possibility of World War III looms greater than it has in decades, Russia has commended North Korea for resuming missile testing and heightened tensions with the West.

Russia's foreign ministry today hailed the "understandable" decision to restart ballistic missile tests and stated that military cooperation between the US and South Korea has only expanded since the tests were paused.

Because Washington opted to sanction Pyongyang, Pyotr Ilyichyov, the head of the ministry's international organizations section, sees no grounds for the resumption of denuclearization discussions. The alarming remarks come as fresh satellite photographs show Kim Jong Un reopening a nuclear testing facility that was shut down in 2018.

After being shuttered for four years, parts of the Punggye-Ri test site were blown up, but photographs reveal restorations and new facilities at the test site, raising suspicions among US security experts that Kim Jong Un plans to restart his nuclear program this year.

US, Other Countries Condemn North Korea's Nuclear Missile Launch

After Vladimir Putin's ruthless invasion of Ukraine, Russia's nuclear defenses were beefed up, and he issued terrifying warnings of atomic catastrophe. The two regimes formed an alliance at a time when global tensions were at an all-time high, Daily Mail reported.

The thought of another anti-Western despot wielding nuclear weapons will do nothing to alleviate the world's current fear. According to the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS), recent satellite photographs of Punggye-Ri indicate early signs of activity, including a new facility, renovations to another, and what seems to be timber and sawdust.

In January, North Korea conducted a series of missile tests, including the biggest since 2017, and looks ready to launch a spy satellite. International monitors have also observed that the North's primary nuclear reactor site at Yongbyon looks operational, with the capacity to produce nuclear weapons fuel.

According to ABC News, the United States and ten other nations criticized North Korea's latest ballistic missile launch on Monday. They urged the UN Security Council to act, saying the body's inactivity erodes the UN's most powerful body's credibility and weakens global efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation.

After a secret Security Council briefing on North Korea's 11th ballistic missile launch since the beginning of the year on Saturday, which its neighbors detected, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield read a statement from the 11 nations. Experts believe the launches are an attempt by North Korea to expand its arsenal of weapons systems while also pressuring the US to make concessions amid stalled dialogue.

Albania, Australia, Brazil, France, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States are among the 11 nations that have stated their commitment to "serious and persistent diplomacy" with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Read Also: NASA Moon Mission: Here's How You 'Fly Your Name Around the Moon' With Artemis 1

North Korea Continues Building Nuclear Test Site

According to a recent report, construction continues at North Korea's Punggye-ri nuclear test site. The first evidence of activity since sections of it were publicly exploded in 2018 after leader Kim Jong Un announced a moratorium on nuclear weapons testing.

The work is "extremely early," according to the report, but it might suggest Pyongyang's ambitions to reopen the facility in order to test newer and more powerful nuclear bombs.

North Korea has not conducted a nuclear test or fired an intercontinental ballistic missile since 2017. Still, Kim Jong Un sparked fears in January when he said he could be willing to end a self-imposed moratorium.

Per UPI, Pyongyang has accelerated its missile program in 2022, launching nine projectiles so far, including long-range cruise missiles, a rumored hypersonic weapon, and an intermediate-range ballistic missile.

North Korea restarted activity during the last two weekends, claiming that the launches were tests for a spy satellite after a break that observers thought was linked to the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February. The burst of activity coincides with South Korea's presidential election, which will take place on Wednesday.

Related Article: [VIDEO] Russia Destroys Ukraine Airport With 8 Missiles, Volodymyr Zelensky Asks for Help, Fighter Jets

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We're supposed to not think about those grenades from Thor 2. Just as we're supposed to not think about how Thor 1 was all about the quest for an all-powerful glowy blue cube. No, I'm not talking about the all-powerful glowy blue cube that appeared in a dozen other MCU movies, as well as in Thor's own post-credits scene. It was about a different all-powerful glowy blue cube, which can freeze whole armies, but we guess they left that behind to get destroyed in Ragnarok. Because freezing whole armies, who ever needs to do that?

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I could go movie by movie and catalogue a bunch more of these forgotten weapons, but I'd really like to highlight one that I think you haven't forgotten. Though you might not think about the weapon, you remember the scene, immortalized in GIF form and shared endlessly:

It's a missile. A big missile that splits into other missiles and pulverizes a wide region. That was from the first 15 minutes of the first MCU film, Iron Man, and it's a stronger weapon than anything wielded by anyone in the massive heroic army in Endgame years later. (Okay, maybe like three heroes use something stronger, but it's stronger than almost anything in the massive heroic army in Endgame.)

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A big dumb missile is a very useful weapon. Thanos got a vast horde outside the Avengers compound? Don't run at them, get out of there and fire some big dumb missiles! A different alien horde is facing Wakanda, on the other side of a magic shield? Don't run at them, stay away and fire some big dumb missiles! A flying alien force is attacking New York City? Uh, a big dumb missile wouldn't be ideal here, but if the authorities are considering dropping a damn nuke, hold off on that, show some relative restraint with a non-nuclear big dumb missile!
This censorship didn't make much sense, even using censor logic. In the theme song above, the turtles are fighting all kinds of opponents, so removing the word "ninja" doesn't remove the violence. In fact, the British theme song replaces the word "ninja" with "fighter" at one point, and we're pretty sure fighters must engage in violence, even more so than ninjas.

And what's the point in censoring nunchaku while leaving in other weapons, like sticks without chains, or like swords? If we're worried about the effect on children, kids likely will have no way of ever encountering nunchucks in real life, but they could easily get their hands on swords, since all British homes by law must keep crossed swords over the mantle.

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It turns out British censors at the time objected to ninjas in particular, rather than violence in general. This goes back to a supposed wave of British nunchuck street crimes in the '70s. British censors blamed the crimes on the Bruce Lee film Enter the Dragon, the sort of causal link that censors believe in with strong faith. They went and removed nunchucks from Enter the Dragon for the VHS release, removed it from the poster, and even removed shots of the uncensored Dragon poster from the background of shots in unrelated later films.
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The To Live and Die in L.A. chase is so awesome, specifically because Friedkin was working under the shadow of his previous work; he even told his stunt coordinator that if the new scene didnt top the chase from The French Connection, it would be cut from the movie. The sequence was shot for six weeks at the very end of the production, which some actors presumed was because if something bad happened to one of them, theyve still got a movie.

The Batman chase also ends the same way that the To Live and Die in L.A. chase begins, with two partners roughing up a suspect under an overpass. Not to mention that both movies feature John Turturro in supporting roles as a double-crossing crook. But for some reason, To Live and Die in L.A. has never been publicly cited as an influence, possibly because most of the films advertised reference points are 70s noirs. At the same time, Friedkins movie is so 80s that it was literally scored by Wang Chung, as evidenced by this music video in which they record the title song while somehow simultaneously writing said song and also watching the movie.

You (yes, you) should follow JM on Twitter!

Top Image: Warner Bros./MGM
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on Feb. 24, more than 400 civilians have been killed, more than 800 were injured, and 1.7 million Ukrainians fled the country, per the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The crisis in the Eastern European country has prompted various charity drives by influential personalities and organizations to help displaced individuals and families survive.

Celebrity couple Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher are among the generous hearts involved in such endeavors.

Mila Kunis is a proud Ukrainian, born in Chernivtsi City in Southwestern Ukraine. In 1991, when she was seven years old, her Jewish family fled Ukraine, right before the fall of the Soviet republic, per Fox News.

In Ukraine, her father Mark worked as a mechanical engineer, and her mother Elvira taught physics.

A Family of Survivors

The Hollywood actress shared that her whole family survived the Holocaust, but "not many" of her ancestors survived.

During the period after the Holocaust, people in Russia were not permitted to be religious. She shared that there were anti-Semitic signs in her school back then. But Mila's parents raised her to be aware that she was Jewish, giving her a strong sense of identity.

She recalled a childhood incident wherein a friend of hers in second grade came home crying one day. When asked by her mother, her friend said that she noticed a swastika on the back of her seat. The incident made her realize that the country "obviously" does not want people like her.

Eventually, due to the harsh conditions, her family of seven migrated to the United States with suitcases and a budget of only $250. But her parents had endured everything to provide Mila and her brother a better life, per Mirror.

For years, her parents worked full-time and went to college simultaneously. "They would go to night school to learn English," she said. Her mother, a former teacher, worked as a box lady at Thrifty in Culver City, while her dad took multiple jobs as a house painter, delivery guy of pizzas and toilets, and as a cab driver.

"Whatever he could do, he did," the Black Swan actress said.

Eventually, her dad got to own cabs, and her mom was promoted to manager of a Rite-Aid. At that time, they bought a car and a condominium. Kunis said, "My parents did a beautiful job of not making me feel like I was lesser than any other kids."

Read Also: Prince William To Receive New Royal Title After Queen Elizabeth Passes Away, To Quickly Takeover Throne When Prince Charles Becomes King

The couple recently has pledged to match up to $3 million in donations to help Ukrainian refugees receive immediate humanitarian relief amid the ongoing war, according to Sky News.

In an Instagram video posted by her husband, Kunis said she has always considered herself American, and she loves everything that the country has done for her family, though she has "never been more proud to be a Ukrainian" amid the attacks by the Russian forces.

"But today, I have never been more proud to be a Ukrainian," Kunis said towards the end of her message in the video.

Related Article: Kim Kardashian Fumes Over Kanye West's Eazy Music Video Showing Ye Beheading, Burying Pete Davidson; Fans, Celebrities React

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Crossville, TN (38555)

Today

An isolated thunderstorm possible this evening, then occasional showers overnight. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

An isolated thunderstorm possible this evening, then occasional showers overnight. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
The year is 2054 and a man walks into a Gap store. The virtual salesperson greets him by name, Hello Mr. Yakomoto. Welcome back to the Gap, from the life-size video monitor. This famous scene is cribbed from the film Minority Report. The prescience displayed in the 2002 film has actually short-changed the advances of science and technology between then and now. Indeed, some may argue that today we are well beyond the fictional capabilities of the Minority Report. The moral dilemma posed in the film, however, remains.

Today many sensors and cameras are in constant search-and-connect mode. Recently, Clearview AI has announced that it is taking its advanced facial recognition technologies beyond the already controversial government/law enforcement usage into the commercial sector. The company, according to the Washington Post, has accumulated over 100 billion facial photos and is adding to the total at a rate of 1.5 billion images per month, which it wishes to monetize.

While Clearview AI is not sailing in the ocean of facial recognition technology alone, it is meeting with a strong headwind of controversy, complete with global efforts to regulate how the technology may be used, especially in law enforcement. Some other facial recognition vendors have stepped away while others simply have taken a pause.

Major vendors pause then restart facial recognition services

In June 2020 IBM abandoned its facial recognition technology and no longer offers general purpose IBM facial recognition or analysis software. IBM firmly opposes and will not condone uses of any technology offered by other vendors for mass surveillance, racial profiling, violations of basic human rights and freedoms .

Concurrent with IBMs abandonment of the technology, Microsoft announced that it, too, would not sell its facial recognition software to police departments until we have a national law in place grounded in human rights, that will govern this technology. Fast forward, to January 2022 and Microsoft is offering facial recognition technology via its Azure product platform. The company highlights the utility of the technology for identification verification and authentication, security and access control, event and travel security and smart home applications.

Joining in with IBM and Microsoft in June 2020, Amazon placed a one-year moratorium on its Rekognition computer vision technology. Now in 2022, it has joined Microsoft with a product offering. The Amazon facial recognition capability is available to all with a plethora of suggested uses including content moderation, facial compare and search, and face detection and analysis as part of its AWS offering.

Legality of collecting facial images in doubt

Clearview AI has been in court for the last few years defending its right to scrape photographs from the internet. In mid-February, U.S. District Judge Sharon Coleman issued an opinion and order that dismissed the companys attempt to have the pending consolidated class-action lawsuit dismissed. The lawsuit alleges the company scraped more than three billion photographs posted online, then used artificial intelligence algorithms to scan facial geometry, harvesting unique biometric identifiers to build databases it sold to retailers, law enforcement agencies and others.

The company does not appear to be contesting it is scraping data. Indeed, the three-billion number is indicative of how long the lawsuit has been kicked down the road, given the databases currently stands at 100 billion images and counting.

Governments considering regulation of facial recognition technology

Meanwhile, the European parliament has called for a ban on the use of facial recognition technology. The European ban specifically calls out the use of artificial intelligence in criminal law and its use by the police and judicial authorities in criminal manners, which addresses the police use of the technology.

In the United States, Senate Bill 3284, Ethical use of Facial Recognition Act was introduced in February 2020 and went nowhere. Perhaps influenced by the fact that the U.S. government not only is using this technology, but it is also pushing for better, faster and more accurate solutions to be derived from the technology. Which makes it all the more ironic that the U.S. National Counterintelligence Security Center in January 2022 issued a warning to the nation to be aware of commercial surveillance tools.

How CISOs should prepare for the risk of facial recognition

As CISOs and product managers look to implement facial recognition technology into their corporate infrastructure and product offerings, it makes sense to ensure a complete review of how the data collected is protected. This review should include a robust scrub of process and procedure with respect to the risks the accumulated data presents in terms of protecting individual rights to privacy and preserving basic human rights.
Google LLC today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Mandiant Inc., a leader in dynamic cyber defense and response. The deal is an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $5.4 billion, inclusive of Mandiants net cash, and will see Mandiant join Google Cloud as the latter enhances its security operations suite. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of Mandiant stockholder and regulatory approvals, and is expected to close later this year.

Mandiant acquisition complements Google Clouds security offering

The acquisition of Mandiant will complement Google Clouds existing security suite, Google said in a press release, which includes:

BeyondCorp Enterprise for Zero Trust

VirusTotal for malicious content and software vulnerabilities

Chronicles planet-scale security analytics and automation coupled with services such as Security Command Center

Google Clouds Cybersecurity Action Team.

With the addition of Mandiant, Google Cloud will enhance these offerings to deliver an end-to-end security operations suite with greater capabilities to support customers across their cloud and on-premises environments via improved advisory services, threat detection and intelligence, automation and response tools, testing and validation, and managed defense, it added.

Organizations around the world are facing unprecedented cybersecurity challenges as the sophistication and severity of attacks that were previously used to target major governments are now being used to target companies in every industry, commented Thomas Kurian, CEO, Google Cloud. We look forward to welcoming Mandiant to Google Cloud to further enhance our security operations suite and advisory services, and help customers address their most important security challenges.

Since founding in 2004, Mandiants mission has been to combat cyberattacks and protect customers from the latest threats, added Kevin Mandia, Mandiant CEO. Together, we will deliver our expertise and intelligence at scale via the Mandiant Advantage SaaS platform, as part of the Google Cloud security portfolio. These efforts will help organizations to effectively, efficiently, and continuously manage and configure their complex mix of security products, he continued.

Google said it is committed to supporting the technology partners of both companies, including the endpoint ecosystem, with the acquisition enabling system integrators, resellers, and managed security service providers to offer broader solutions to customers.

Mandiant acquisition addresses gap in Googles security portfolio

Gartner VP, distinguished analyst and fellow, Neil MacDonald, tells CSO that this acquisition demonstrates Googles commitment to growing its security business independently of the Google Cloud platform in the wake of its recent acquisition of Siemplify for security orchestration automation and response capabilities. Along with the strong security brand name and reputation of Mandiant, the acquisition addresses a major gap in Googles security portfolio  an emerging category Gartner refers to as extended detection and response (XDR). Mandiant brings with it a managed XDR platform capability that can be sold as a managed service.

The Mandiant brand name is strong and, if managed correctly, its technology, employees, and customer base can flourish, MacDonald adds. The key will be allowing Mandiant to innovate and thrive within the broader Google culture.

MacDonald also backs Google to continue its commitment as a trusted brand for enterprise cloud and security services, including technical and operational controls around access to customer data. The messaging of this is absolutely critical for the future success of Mandiant. Specifically, who has access to the data, when, and under what technical controls. In GCP, Google has introduced an innovative external key manager to do exactly this. I would expect this type of approach to be adopted in the Mandiant security cloud.
Wordle is a web-based word game that has become a form of mental exercise for many people today. It has even become a source of pride for many as they brag about their performance in solving their daily puzzles.

Does being good at Wordle, one of the hottest puzzle games today, make you smarter than the typical person? Experts say "no."

According to Aaron Seitz, a psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside, and founder of the institution's Brain Game Center, excelling at Wordle means "You're just a person who does well at Wordle" compared to another individual who does not do well at the puzzle.

It is like people who are exceptional at other board games like Scrabble and chess, according to Penny Pexman, a professor of psychology at the University of Calgary, who studied the brain of players of such games, CNN reported.

He said Scrabble players recognize words faster. However, his study did not find that the ability transferred to tasks unrelated to the word game.

"As soon as you show them some other kind of visual pattern or symbol that's not a letter, they look just like non-experts," Pexman said.

This is why, according to cognitive psychologist Jonathan King, senior scientific advisor to the director of the National Institute on Aging's Division of Behavioral and Social Research, getting very, very good at Wordle" won't necessarily make one's brain "very good at anything else."

Wordle Not Effective Against Cognitive Decline

He added that, so far, brain-training games like Wordle do not show any significant protection from cognitive decline or impairment or dementia.

King's advice to keep one's brain healthy is "to pick a brain activity that provides a challenge."

If you start to feel that you are good at it, then pick another task. "And so by kind of rotating across these different types of challenges, you get the variety that's going to exercise your brain in different ways," he said.

Read Also: Mummification Industry Became Prevalent in Ancient Egypt According to Archaeologists Deducing it From Discoveries

Get Physically Active To Protect Your Brain

However, psychologists recommend other activities that can improve brain functions to those who are not fond of word games or puzzle games.

Pexman recommends one effective method to keep your brain healthy while aging: exercise. He said there "are very well established" positive impact of healthy blood flow on cognition.

Exercise and movement increase blood flow to the brain, which is essential for creativity and preservation. According to Forbes, it may help delay the onset of memory loss and dementia.

Aerobics, walking, stretching, and toning your body can induce proper blood flow to your brain to maintain its shape and performance.

Dancing also can help as it promotes cognitive spatial skills and social interaction that significantly help in keeping the brain alert.

Studies also suggest learning new stuff like cooking, photography, learning a second language, and painting as strategies to keep the brain healthy.

Dr. Tiffany Braley, an associate professor of neurology at the University of Michigan, also suggested that owning household pets for long-term pet ownership help protect against cognitive decline, as per ABC 7.

Related Article: COVID-19 Mild Case Can Still Damage Brain, Addle Thinking, Scientists Discover Along With New Gene Differences in Severe Patients

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To help bring more people into cybersecurity careers, the need for access to training, career pathways and connecting individuals to employers is essential. Fortinet is working to increase diversity by creating access and opportunities to cyber careers for all, including women, students, veterans, minorities and others. In an effort to close the cyber skills gap, Fortinet provides training, certifications, and career resources through its Training Advancement Agenda (TAA) initiatives and Fortinet Training Institute programs and partnerships.

As part of Fortinets focus on Women's Day, I had the opportunity to speak with Aimee Carter, the Director of Support Services at SymQuest in South Burlington, Vermont. Aimee has an NSE level 4 certification and won a silver medal at a 2021 regional Fortinet Ultimate Fabric Challenge (UFC).

During the interview, Aimee gave us her impressions of the state of the industry and thoughts on the role of women and certifications in cybersecurity. She also told us about her background, how it led to a position in cybersecurity and how Fortinet NSE training has helped her in her career.

What is your take on the cybersecurity industry right now?

The cybersecurity industry is very dynamic and it has been another interesting year dealing with the changes the global pandemic has created for the threat landscape. We are definitely seeing a lot more attacks than we have in the past and we have to protect our network in different ways than before with a broader attack surface. There have been different types of attacks like Log4J and SolarWinds, that require qualified teams to remediate, but there aren't always enough people to fill our open positions. Everything is moving faster now as well.

What is your observation regarding the cybersecurity skills gap?

My primary role at SymQuest is managing a network operations center, and hiring people is challenging these days. You can usually find someone with technical skills, but people also need to have the right personality and the ability to troubleshoot. Also, if we do find the right person, it is also challenging to find time to get certifications completed to stay ahead of the curve.

Where do you find people? Are you cultivating employees?

Yes, I am. I'd much rather bring somebody into an entry-level position and provide the skills, training, experience, and exposure as opposed to hiring somebody off the street for a higher-level position. Not only does an entry-level person learn our process our way, but they also learn how we implement things and work with customers. It is also a win-win for them, giving them an opportunity to learn. So, we work to cultivate training and advancement internally before looking elsewhere for somebody new.

Do you think women need to play a larger role in cybersecurity as a whole?

The short answer is women are not well represented in this field yet. Do they need to play a role? Yes, but I think everybody needs to play a role -- both women and men. Cybersecurity is underserved in many ways, and many women aren't introduced to it until later in life. Figuring out all the various aspects of cybersecurity, from technical knowledge to troubleshooting experience, or even people management and industry terminology can be a monumental feat.

When is the right time to introduce cybersecurity?

I honestly feel like we are underserving our children from kindergarten. We put a computer in their hands in kindergarten, and they think "magic" is what connects it to a network. I can't tell you how many conversations I've had with my children over the years to explain that there's DNS involved and all these other components involved. I think it starts very young, and it's such an immense amount of information that starting at a younger age allows them to develop that over time, as opposed to being frustrated with it when they hit high school.

Parents are constantly saying, "Don't talk to strangers online." But kids don't understand; they don't get it. So, you have to start at a young age with all of the components of the way the world truly is. It's no longer acceptable to say, "I don't understand computers or technology."

And yes, I do have a copy of the book for kids "Cyber Safe. A Dog's Guide to Internet Security."

In your role now, do you work a lot with women in cybersecurity?

I don't. I've had a few women working for me, but they were geared towards server-side support and maybe some virtualization. To be honest, for the most part, in the networking fields and cybersecurity, I don't encounter many women. Although there's probably something closer to 20 or 25% of women in the industry, I live in more of a rural portion of Vermont, and in this region, it's probably only 10% women.

I don't encounter a lot of women in technology in general. And when I do, I get really excited. It may sound strange, but I feel like, "Wow, okay. I could talk straight to you about technology, and you understand me." It's fantastic to have that experience.

How do we draw more women into the cybersecurity industry? How can we make it exciting?

I don't have a solid answer for that question. Every human is different. The things that excite one person will be different for another. Getting women excited about this type of technology can be hard. I'm one of those parents that is cognizant of what I'm providing my child as a toy. I don't want them to be stuck on a tablet, but they have one because they need to learn technology.

Do you feel like there is a mystique about cybersecurity? Do you think training has helped you crack through those barriers?

When I was ten years old, I was given a Commodore 64, and before I hit my senior year of high school, I could type 120 words a minute. I was typing programs and working on networks and doing things that a lot of kids didn't have the opportunity to do. A lot of what I did was self-trained, and I loved it. I loved technology.

I started in the military. I was in the military for five and a half years. I learned as much as possible, but I had to be one step better than my male counterpart to be validated. You learn applicable skills in defense, the military, or in service that transfer to cybersecurity. The military is more like technical school training as opposed to book training. I learned how to troubleshoot systems 30 years ago because they had methodologies for training you on the job.

You received your NSE 4 certification. How did you find that process, and what benefit did it have to you?

I've been in networking for thirty years, I've been the firewall specialist for a good portion of that time and I've also been managing teams for more than ten years now. All this amounts to a lot of experience in the industry but there were still a few reasons why I got my NSE 4 certification.

To start, our company made a shift to Fortinet solutions. At that time, we only had one person on our staff who knew the products. Because I was an escalation point, I needed to know the products too. The certification helped me to understand what Fortinet saw as foundational knowledge for FortiGate next-generation firewalls. This was a big help.

I also feel that certifications are necessary for partnership. And when I got the certification, it showed my team that we could do it.

I should note, I am now also working on my NSE 7.

What would your advice be to anyone debating a Fortinet certification?

I consistently advise people to just do it. Take the exam, learn what you can learn, go through the training, and take the labs. Any bit of training that you receive can help. I've never been one to absorb everything in training, and I think most people can't. But even if you learn one area, so you know more than you knew before, it's going to help in your day-to-day work.

Learn more about the Fortinet free cybersecurity training initiative, the Fortinet NSE Training program, Security Academy program, and Veterans program.
FAIRFIELD  Officials have raised concerns about how an apartment building planned for an undeveloped lot off Black Rock Turnpike will impact the site.

The project includes building a 100-unit apartment building with parking underneath and around it, according to plans from 4480 Black Rock LLC.

The application was compliant with state statute 8-30g, meaning at least 30 percent of the apartments in the building would be set aside as affordable. The 4.72-acre parcel is park of the Cricker Brook watershed, and is on a steep, wooded hillside, according to town documents.

The Inland Wetlands Agency, a part of the Conservation Commission, voted to push the hearing back to give the applicant time to provide more information.

Employees from various town departments have raised concerns about proper detention and drainage design, soil erosion, sediment control on a steep site and proper protection of the wetland and watercourse resources, according to town documents. They also worried about how removing 50,000 cubic yards of soil from the site might impact traffic.

It is absolutely necessary that this application identify detailed protocols and mechanisms to protect the on-site wetlands and watercourses by sequentially avoiding, then minimizing, and mitigating any impacts, Conservation Director Tim Bishop said in a report to the IWA.

Bishop also noted the plans do not provide details on the retaining walls construction, including drainage, excavation and footing installation. He also said his department hasnt received the details they asked for about the significant logging, land clearing and cut and fill operations proposed in early construction.

Phasing and stabilization of this steep hillside needs to be carefully monitored and controlled, he said. Failure of any soil erosion and sediment control on this hillside is expected to result in off-site downstream wetland and watercourse siltation.

Commission Chair Luke Thomas also read concerns from residents letters to the agency urging members to deny the permit.

Resident Rebeca Seville said the proposal, if approved, would have significant short and long-term impacts on nature in and around the site, including the irreversible and irretrievable loss of wetlands and watercourse resources.

The building, if approved, will require the removal of the large wooded hillside, causing extensive deforestation and vegetation destruction, eventual disappearance of the existing wetlands, destruction of wildlife habits and aquatic organisms, alteration of the water flow, potential erosion of flooding, and additional pollution, she said. In my view, this certainly constitutes, the disturbance of the natural and indigenous character of the land.

Other residents raised concerns about how the project might impact nearby reservoirs if runoff and contamination from construction get into the water supply.

In public comment Virginia Hodgkinson said had five concerns, but was mainly worried about whether the developer had properly tested the site to find ledge, which would need to be blasted.

Its hard to believe that a 4.7 acre site in this area doesnt have any ledge, she said.

According to town documents, the developer tested in 18 spots at depths of 7.5 to 9.5 feet.

Other residents who spoke in public comment raised concerns with the developments possible impact on flooding, drainage and the size of the project.

Chris Russo, the attorney for the applicant, said they plan to address the towns concerns before the deadline of April 6.

joshua.labella@hearstmediact.com
As pandemic restrictions ease, some of the estimated 57% of Americans who have not yet contracted the virus may be wondering: If I start to live more like normal  going mask-free at restaurants, shopping and even parties  what are the odds that I will never get COVID-19?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently estimated that around 43% of people in the U.S., or about 140 million people, have been infected with the coronavirus, which leaves almost 60% never having had it. The estimate counts each person once, so some of the more than 140 million Americans estimated to have had COVID may have been infected more than once.

While during the omicron surge experts and public health officials cautioned that the highly contagious variant would infect many people, they dont think ending up with the virus is inevitable, at least in the near future. But, they say, its going to require a fine balance as we transition into the endemic stage of COVID-19.

From my perspective, no, its not inevitable over the next year or two, said UCSF Chair of Medicine Dr. Bob Wachter, who also hasnt gotten COVID yet. He said when case rates are low, as they are now in the Bay Area, the roughly 60% of the population that has not had COVID is unlikely to get it, since they wont be exposed very much.

Those who are vaccinated and boosted, he added, will remain relatively protected even if they do get exposed.

Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at UCSF, agreed, adding that as long as were in the transition period into the endemic stage of the virus, theres no clear answer for whether youll inevitably get COVID in the long run  but it doesnt have to be now.

Are we all going to get it? Yes, biologically, that might happen, he said. Are we at a time to embrace that philosophy? No, because the virus is still causing a lot of suffering. Almost 2,000 deaths per day is no walk in the park.

But Chin-Hong and other experts agree that  with some vigilance  its still possible to avoid the virus while enjoying life.

Chin-Hong said for him, that means still engaging with life, still eating indoors and all that stuff, but still having his spider sense up for risky situations. For example, if case counts are high like they were in January, Im not going to jump up and down in a crowded room, he said.

Its a fine balance between anxiety and wanting to go back to what you lost in the last few years, and that balance is tough, he added.

Dr. Abraar Karan, an infectious disease expert at Stanford, also said that easing restrictions doesnt have to  and shouldnt  mean inevitable infection.

Fundamentally, I still think there are things we can get safer, he said, adding the government has an obligation to help people move more toward a normal-seeming life while staying safe by doing things like improving ventilation in buildings, especially places like schools, and to make testing and N95 masks widely available for those who need them.

He noted that for people who are risk averse, immunocompromised or otherwise trying to avoid infection altogether, a high-quality N95 mask allows you to do things like go to the gym or shop and be relatively well protected.

Experts also said there are benefits to avoiding infection for now, even if its possible you contract the coronavirus later: The longer the pandemic goes on, the more we understand about the virus, they said, which means that treatments are likely to be better and more accessible.

Delaying infections is actually an undervalued or underappreciated point, Karan said. Who knows what well have six months or a year from now, right? Well have even more things that we can offer patients.

While there are no guarantees in a pandemic, experts said, the most important thing is for people to start finding ways to return to life while staying flexible as the virus continues to fluctuate.

Even for the highest risk population, theres a balance, Chin-Hong said. Its about engaging with life and not being lonely, but also being responsible at all levels.

Danielle Echeverria is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: danielle.echeverria@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DanielleEchev
More than 900 utility customers were without power Tuesday afternoon after high winds blew across Connecticut, according to the states two main electrical companies.

Eversource, the largest electrical supplier in the state, reported 985 outages in the state around 2:15 p.m. There were 2,047 customers without power earlier in the day.

The Eversource outage map showed most of the outages were concentrated along the western side of the state. In Ridgefield, 700 Eversource customers were without power after a tree came down and knocked down wires, Eversource said.

Mitch Gross, an Eversource spokesman, said the outages were related to winds pushing tree limbs onto the utility companys equipment.

By 9:15 p.m., the number of outages was down to 87.

United Illuminating, which provides power for a much smaller area in Fairfield and New Haven counties, reported five outages from three events around 8:20 a.m. But less than 20 minutes later, UI reported 1,748 outages, with 1,626 of those in North Haven. By 10 a.m., only seven outages remained. There were no more outages reported by Tuesday evening.

The outages came after the National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for Fairfield and New Haven counties Monday evening, saying gusts up to 50 mph could be expected overnight.

Tuesday should see breezy winds of about 9 to 14 mph during the day, gusting up to 31 mph in some areas, the agency said.

Norwalk police said around 8:30 a.m. that wires and transformers were down on Princess Pine Road. Police urged residents to avoid the area while utility crews make repairs. Its unclear how long those repairs could take.

In Bridgeport, officials said power lines were down on Bronx Avenue, with wires also down on Indian Avenue. Officials reported both incidents around 8:30 a.m.

A fallen tree in New Canaan closed Weed Street between Richmond Hill and Marshall Ridge roads around 6:30 a.m. By 2 p.m., the road reopened, according to the New Canaan Police Department.
Anonymous, the anti-war cyber activist is out in the field helping combat fake news in Russia. The group organized a hack of all the Russian TVs and streaming platforms to show real footage of the devastation to Ukraine.

Anonymous first resurfaced again after Russia waged a special military operation on Ukraine last month.

The cyber group posted last month that it is gearing up to fight against imperialism. And things are now slowly unfolding.

Anonymous Hacks Russian TV

The cyber group Anonymous hacked Russian television again. As reported by The Independent, the group managed to breach all of the streaming channels in Russia and show on the ground footage of devastation in Ukraine.

MORE: All Russian-state TV channels have been hacked. pic.twitter.com/fCZaYpQjYP  Anonymous TV  (@YourAnonTV) March 6, 2022

According to Google translate, the last tweet reads: "We are ordinary citizens of Russia- we oppose the war on the territory of Ukraine. Russia and Russians are against the war! This war is tied up by the criminal, authoritarian regime of Putin on behalf of ordinary citizens of the Russian Federation. Russians, oppose the genocide in Ukraine."

Just recently, the lower chamber of the Russian parliamentary government passed a law against fake news. This law threatens those who publish what the government considers to be false information about the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. It was reported that those found guilty face a fine of approximately $14,000 or a prison sentence of up to 15 years if convicted.

The aired footage shows the devastation of bombing in the residential infrastructures of Ukraine caused by the aggression of Russian military forces. The end clip also shows a missile in the middle of the road amidst the rubbles of the bombed surroundings.

According to Fortune, the video was broadcast on Russia 24, Moscow 24, Channel One, Wink, and Ivi. Anonymous then clarified in their Twitter account that all Russian state television channels have been compromised.

Read Also: SpaceX Sends Additional Starlink to Ukraine, Focuses on Cyber Defense to Prevent Signal Jamming

Anonymous and Squad 303

An online tool developed by the Squad 303 hacker group is available at http://1920.in. It allows users to send text messages to random Russians using a pre-written message.

Squad 303 has encouraged numerous citizens around the world to send a text message using the website In order to circumvent Russian censorship and combat Putin's disinformation, the action must be carried out outside of the country. This was created in the efforts of Squad 303 helping Anonymous with its aim of freeing Ukraine.

Squad 303 tweeted: "Let Russians know what happens in #Ukraine. Send them text message via http://1920.in Tear down the wall of Russian propaganda and censorship! Let them know the truth. Let them know the power of the free world! #FightForUkraine #FreeUkraine"

Let Russians know what happens in #Ukraine. Send them text message via https://t.co/r5hckOEpZL Tear down the wall of Russian propaganda and censorship! Let them know the truth. Let them know the power of the free world!#FightForUkraine #FreeUkraine pic.twitter.com/y4qSfLGjyO  squad303 (@squad3o3) March 4, 2022

As of today, March 8, Squad 303 has sent 5,000,000 messages to Russian people on the ongoing aggression in Ukraine.

There are multiple Anonymous accounts existing, the group does not have one official Twitter account since Anonymous is a civilian group that has members around the world.

With the Anonymous account below, it looks like Anonymous is not putting a stop to their hacks anytime soon. Anonymous has recently gained control of 400+ Russian cameras while displaying an important message. The message reads " Putin is killing children, 352 Ukraine civilians dead. Russians lied to 200RF.com. Slava Ukraine! Hacked by Anonymous"

We are #Anonymous



We have taken control of 400+ of Russian cameras in support of #Ukraine



We compiled about 100 on this website. This is anti-propaganda to open the eyes of Russian civilians. Also potential recon.



WATCH LIVE: https://t.co/95zJ3pNrf8#OpRussia #OpUkraine pic.twitter.com/SRCKZS4bnv  Anonymous  (@DepaixPorteur) March 7, 2022

With the ongoing efforts of the anti-war cyber group Anonymous, numerous hackers around the world are gathering and it seems like there is more to come.

It's just a beginning. We keep working. Russian DDoS can't stop us. Within next 48hrs you will get a brand new tool to flood Russians with... hmm... Will tell you soon;) #UkraineUnderAttak #UkraineRussianWar #UkraineWillResist #fightforUkraine #OpRussia #Anonymous  pic.twitter.com/Qpwi7SMbVe  squad303 (@squad3o3) March 7, 2022

Related Article: Anonymous Summons Hackers Around the World to Target Russia and Keep Ukrainians Online
To the Editor:

As soon as the latest snow melts, it's the perfect time to grab junk from the newly exposed shores of Candlewood Lake.

The water level has dropped for the winter, so you can pick up garbage from a huge strip of the lake's bottom that is usually inaccessible. An hour's forage on President's Day yielded a big black garbage bag full of trash from sand that would usually be under water at Lynn Deming Park, including a champagne glass, Costco card and plastic owl, as well as the typical bottles and cans Who wants to swim with that stuff?

If you're looking for a satisfying outdoor activity for your family, scouts, school group or green birthday party, please consider doing the lake a favor and help clean it up before the water level rises again in spring.

Leslie Brody

Lake Drive, New Milford
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BRIDGEPORT  The city is planning to hire the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the self-described worlds largest and most influential professional association for police leaders, to help pick a new top cop for Connecticuts largest municipality.

This firm definitely hit the majority of criteria we used in order to have a fair and transparent selection mechanism, Personnel Director Eric Amado told Hearst Connecticut Media.

But he and Rowena White, the citys communications director, emphasized the sides are still finalizing the details of the arrangement.

There is not a contract and not a formal announcement at this time, White said.

Mayor Joe Ganim in late January instructed Amado to launch a search for a permanent chief to replace Armando Perez and that process for various reasons faces intense scrutiny.

A close friend of Ganims, Perez was made acting head of the police force by the mayor in early 2016, setting him up to compete in the 2018 search for a permanent chief. Ganim that year selected Perez from among three finalists for a five-year contract that was subsequently approved by the City Council.

But in September 2020 Perez and Amados predecessor, David Dunn, were arrested on federal charges of conspiring to help the former cheat to become top cop. Both men pleaded guilty. Dunn was sentenced to four months in prison and Perez, who was supposed to be incarcerated for a year-and-one-day, was released early in January.

The Ganim administration is under intense pressure to get this do-over search right as a result of that scandal, combined with ongoing turmoil involving the department  from officers accused of excessive force and racism to internal divisions to low manpower  plus stalled efforts to implement proposed policing reforms recommended by a local task force and outside consultant Charles Ramsey.

I think to ensure a top quality candidate and to regain public trust, a firm of this caliber is necessary, Council President Aidee Nieves said of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Nieves said she has been urging City Hall to engage the IACP. According to the organizations website, the association offers comprehensive police executive search services including candidate profiling and job analysis, extensive recruitment advertising, and applicant screening, evaluation and selection.

Amado and White confirmed that in hiring IACP the city would forgo the typical competitive bid process typically required when Bridgeport spends taxpayer dollars on goods and services. Amado noted the charter gives him the authority as personnel head to obtain assistance when necessary to carry out such searches. He said IACP was selected from a list of 20 to 30 agencies.

My office staff, myself conducted research on all the major firms within the nation that have knowledge, experience and the capacity to conduct a nationwide search ... with a particular focus on whether they have specialized knowledge and ability on chiefs of police, Amado said.

Ganim when he announced the 2022 chief search this past January, noted whatever firm Amado hires will meet with community stakeholders, members of the City Council and city staff over the job description, and design a fair, open and competitive examination to candidates that apply and meet the qualifications.

Amado said those details are still being worked out with the IACP. But, he added, the aim is to establish a recruitment and testing process that provides a chief that is community-oriented and has that community mindset.

In 2018 Randi Frank, the Kentucky-based headhunter the city selected in 2018, held community forums around what residents wanted in a chief, and the Ganim administration organized invitation-only meetings between the three finalists  Perez, Bridgeport Police Captain Roderick Porter and then-New Haven Assistant Police Chief Luiz Casanova  and community leaders and activists.

Amado said Frank was not among the firms considered for this years search. Shes not a firm with the capabilities we seek, he said.

City Councilman Scott Burns, who with Nieves between late 2020 and early 2021 co-chaired a task force aimed at reforming Bridgeports police force, called the IACP a well-respected organization.

Theyre definitely qualified, Burns said.

He also thought the IACPs involvement will result in more applications from outside of the department and even the state. Several council members have been saying they would like an outsider hired to be chief.

Callie Heilmann runs Bridgeport Generation Now, a civic group that had been vocally opposed to making Perez top cop in 2018. Told of the pending hire of IACP for this years search, Heilmann in a statement said, Weve been clear since 2017 that our police department is in crisis. Misconduct, abuse, corruption, and violence have gone unchecked. Four years ago, we had high expectations for our police chief search. We have even higher expectations now.

The mandate for transformational change within the Bridgeport Police Department is clear and, just like in 2018, we are ready to engage with whoever is selected to design this search process to make sure the community's concerns and criteria are included, Heilmann said.
Hyundai plans to bolster its global market domination in the electric vehicle (EV) industry. Hyundai also plans to double its EV market share in the U.S., aside from its goal to increase its industry coverage by 7%.

Hyundai CEO Jaehoon Chang will invest billions of dollars towards business and software development.

Hyundai EV 2030 Goal

As reported by Forbes, the South Korean automaker plans to invest approximately $16 billion to develop its production of electric vehicles.

Aside from that, this comes from the company's goal to more than double its market share in the global electric vehicle market to approximately 7% by 2030.

This goal comes despite increased global competition from startups and traditional competitors in the EV industry.

According to Hyundai, by 2030, the automaker expects to sell 1.87 million electric vehicles per year worldwide under its main Hyundai brand and its luxury Genesis brand.

This new quota represents an increase from the previously discussed goal of 560,000 units by 2025.

In addition, Hyundai intends to launch 11 electric vehicles under its main brand and six under its Genesis brand by 2030. Kia, which is owned by Hyundai, also plans to introduce 11 electric vehicles by 2026, with seven of them being built on dedicated platforms.

During the company's 2022 CEO Investor Day virtual forum last week, Hyundai Motor's president and CEO, Jaehoon Chang, announced the move as a means of pursuing "sustainable progress for the company."

On the basis of a compound annual growth rate of 24.5% from this year to 2030, it is predicted that the market will be worth $957 billion by 2030.

Hyundai is pushing its effort into a global electric vehicle market that is expected to grow at a rapid pace over the next few years.

The company also works immensely in this vision as this can be an instrument to government-led efforts of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Read Also: 2023 Ford Ranger Raptor USA Release Date, Engine, Specs: Just How Powerful Is the "Most Powerful Ranger"?

Hyundai's EV: How to Make Production Possible

To achieve the company's plan, Chang explained that Hyundai intends to hit its 2030 target by strengthening its electric vehicle lineups, optimizing production capacity, and ensuring hardware and software competitiveness.

In addition, an investment of $79 billion will be made to the company. The business investment includes 19.4 trillion won set aside for electrification and 12 trillion won set aside for software development.

Automotive News Europe reported that Hyundai intends to increase local battery sourcing through alliances with companies in various countries, including the United States.

Hyundai has stated that it has enough battery supply to last until 2023 and that it will increase its global supply to 170 GWh by 2030 in order to meet the demands of the upcoming electric vehicle push.

The company expects to obtain half of its next-generation, lithium-ion batteries in this manner by 2025.

Hyundai CEO Chang laid out its plan as the growing concern for the global chip shortage continues to rally. A global chip shortage sparked by pandemic-era demand has made it difficult to source key components for vehicle production.

According to estimates, the semiconductor shortage resulted in a reduction in the production of 11.3 million automobiles last year.

Related Article: Toyota Tundra 2022 Design Flaws: Users Worry About Door-Lock and Waste Gate Issues, Are These Fixed Now?
BRIDGEPORT  The organization representing minority officers is asking city officials to remove an officer from the citys internal investigation unit after he was disciplined for using the nationwide police database for personal use.

According to a March 3 memo from Acting Police Chief Rebeca Garcia, Sgt. John Klesyk, second in command of the police departments Office of Internal Affairs, was found in violation of four regulations of the Police Department including disobeying the rules regarding the use of the departments NCIC/COLLECT database.

The use of the nationwide database for personal reasons is a felony. Klesyk is not facing any criminal charges.

The memo states that for violating these regulations Klesyk received a loss of five holidays.

City officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last week, Police Department Spokesman Scott Appleby declined to comment on the disciplinary action taken against Klesyk, calling it a personnel matter.

Calls to Klesyk at OIA were not returned.

The Bridgeport Guardians complaint  sent to to Mayor Joe Ganim and the city Board of Police Commissioners  states that Lt. Adam Rozum, the newly appointed head of OIA, initiated an investigation of Klesyks alleged use of the database and immediately notified Garcia.

Acting Chief Rebeca Garcia, initiated the investigation but never took the appropriate steps by having Sergeant Klesyk placed on administrative status or leave during this process, the Guardians complaint states. As a result, Sergeant Klesyk was allowed to maintain his position in the Office of Internal Affairs to investigate other officers facing alleged police misconduct while facing his own discipline.

The complaint accuses Garcia of taking swift action to discipline Klesyk to prevent him from having to go before the citys police commission.

Due to the seriousness of his actions, and while being an investigator for the Office of Internal Affairs, (he) has violated the code of ethics, and code of conduct while committing a felony crime under the law. Therefore, it would be contradictory for Sergeant Klesyk to investigate officers for alleged police misconduct, states the complaint.

It states that Klesyk worked under Garcia when she was the commander of the internal affairs office for over 10 years.

In the end, Acting Chief Rebeca Garcia has purposely caused a double jeopardy standard by quickly rendering discipline without the mayor and Board of Police Commissioners being aware of this incident and felony law violations within days, the complaint states. Due to Acting Chief Garcias swift actions, has prevented Sergeant Klesyk from facing further discipline upon review by the mayor and Board of Police Commissioners or an outside neutral investigative firm.
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A very pregnant Laurin Munoz entered Danbury Hospitals maternity ward in March of 2020, three days after her baby shower and nearly two months before her due date, as military tents were being set up outside to manage patients coming in with a strange new respiratory virus.

Munoz gave birth to her son prematurely, and he was quickly whisked away to the NICU where he spent three days as baby no name. Munoz and her husband, who live in New Milford, were only allowed to visit the NICU one at a time, so each would test out names on their new baby boy and then report back. They started writing the names on the rooms wall Asher, Colton, Thomas, Luke. They finally settled on Jack Thomas.

After 14 days in the ICU, the new family was able to get home. But Munozs parents wouldnt meet Jack for another three weeks. Munoz was terrified to have them over  scientists and doctors knew so little about COVID-19 at the time.

We waited a good three weeks and then I was like I need help, Munoz said.

Two years later, Munoz is pregnant again with her second child to be born into a changed world.

While the experience of parenthood has changed over the past two years, in other ways, it has retained the same essence it always has. Through conflict, war, and global pandemics, babies are born, new moms and dads fumble through midnight feeds and diaper changes, relatives coo over nieces and nephews.

Yet, these new pandemic parents have given birth with masks on, introduced their parents to grandchildren over FaceTime, and have stayed home a lot more.

Rachel Mulkerin and her fiance Miro Sutai have been very careful with their new baby, Woods.

Hell be six months on the 21st of this month and he still hasnt done the things that I think most six-month-olds have done, she said. Hes never been into a grocery store, or a Walmart store, or an airplane.

For at least the first six months of Woods life, the couple, who bought a farm in Sherman during the pandemic, was just focused on keeping Woods safe, she explained.

Im super, super strict Im more strict than Rachel, said Sutai. I dont want to put the baby at risk for any reason that we dont have to.

As they spoke, Woods cooed softly in the background.

Parents also mourned missed or altered milestones  things some moms and dads had dreamed about for years. Sometimes it was smaller birthday celebrations, quiet and intimate holidays, or even normal school experiences.

Kelly Kretchman of Putnam had been looking forward to celebrating her daughter Graces first birthday, which fell on Easter in April of 2020. It was the only time her little girls birthday would fall on Easter until 2093.

It meant a lot to me and we were planning since her birth to have this big elaborate birthday party, Kretchman said. That was a really sad moment for me that I dont think Ill quite ever get over. You never get those moments back.

Instead, the family of three found themselves celebrating quietly at home that day.

School also looks quite different. There are basic things that people took for granted pre-pandemic that are novel to pandemic babies, from playing together with other kids to unmasked faces to knowing how to form a line.

Kretchman gets emails when her daughter, an only child who played by herself a lot during the pandemic, initiates a social interaction with other kids in her class.

My daughter, shes never been in school, not one day in her life, without wearing a mask, she said. Im very happy theyre lifting the mandates.

Kretchman said they try to talk to her about whats going on in the world, but at such a young age, it can be difficult.

Theres a lot of times in my mind I wonder what she thinks of all of this, Kretchman said.

Planning for the future

The decision to have a baby during a pandemic was usually based in pragmatism. People were ready to start their families. They were getting older. They wanted to have another child close in age to their other children.

Its definitely strange times, but I think that there always has been something, Mulkerin said of bringing a baby into the world. I dont think anyone was promised an easy life, so its just about being adaptable and figuring out what makes sense for us and finding other like-minded families that have had similar values and goals.

Dr. Christian Pettker, Yale professor and chief of Obstetrics at Yale-New Haven Hospital, said that while many people did delay getting pregnant at the start of the pandemic, those same people were some of the first to consider what life  and a new life  would look like in a pandemic that had no end date.

I think it was a really brave thing that that cohort of people entered into, making those serious considerations about what was about to happen in their life, said Pettker.

Pettker, who also oversees Yale's comprehensive obstetric patient safety program, explained that pregnant people are made vulnerable when theyre not included in important medical research, which was made clear during COVID when life-saving vaccines were being developed.

That was an important issue that became front and center during our learning during the pandemic, he said.

As a result, pregnant people have been able to safely receive the COVID vaccine, simultaneously protecting themselves and passing on critical antibodies to their unborn babies. A study published in September showed that, of 36 babies whose mothers received the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine while pregnant, all were born with protective antibodies.

Additionally, hospital restrictions allowing just one support person in the room during childbirth helped Pettker be more communicative, open-minded and intentional about discussing who a person might select to support them.

We didn't really think of it before, he said.

Learning to parent

Some of the questions doctors get from parents are different now, too: who can come see the baby? When should I get the COVID vaccine? Will my baby be safe?

The new question that still is a challenging one for me to answer is what should people be doing when they go home and they want to celebrate this new event? Pettker said. I never thought so hard about what is the right thing to do in those situations, because the postpartum period can be an extremely lonely experience.

On top of that, COVID added increased social isolation from friends and families.

Pettker said he still doesnt have the answers.

Nor does Dr. Kethia Eliezer, a pediatrician at Stamford Health, who has also had parents ask the same question about who can and cant see their babies.

Its not something that we always can answer, so we usually leave it up to them, she said.

Monica Davis, a newborn care specialist and postpartum doula who has a business called Tiny Miracles Newborn and Postpartum Care, said that over the past two years, the waves of parental fears and types of fears have changed.

Pandemic pregnancies may have also ushered in some helpful changes in the obstetrics industry, from better focus on maternal health and vaccine trials in pregnant populations to holistic approaches to the childbirth event itself.

As we heard more about vaccines, it became clear that the pregnant population was a group of people that were left behind in that research and that advocacy, and what I'm thankful for was that we had a large group of advocates, both patients as well as specialists, who said that's just not the right thing, Pettker said.

Davis has seen demand for her services, and general knowledge that her profession exists increase during the pandemic.

Its been such a lifesaver for those that dont have mom flying in, she said.

Karli Law, a New Milford mother to a 4-year-old and five-month-old baby, said that the pandemic has also made it hard to connect with friends.

Its sad because you cant spend really time with any of your friends because you feel like if you do, youre not really being cautious, she said. Its kind of a weird feeling. You want to do stuff but then youre like, well maybe I should stay home.

Without supports, Davis has noticed more moms turning to social media for answers, which she said can lead to more mom shaming.

Youre getting a lot more opinions coming at you from every direction, she said.

As the babies grow, Eliezer has noticed that parents everyday lives and work are more interrupted because of school COVID exposures, testing, and other sicknesses.

Law said that the chain of events that occur after an exposure is difficult and makes them nervous. The hardest part about parenting right now is keeping a normal schedule for kids as theyre in and out of schools, she said.

On top of that, kids who werent in day cares for their first few years are now getting sick as they venture out in the world, exposed to different germs, and the parents dont necessarily know how to handle that, Eliezer said.

Looking ahead

Law said the pandemic has brought their little family of four closer together a sentiment several families expressed.

I think its given us a little bit more appreciation of just being at home and just be able to color with our son or listen to music and dance with him and not feel like we have to have an agenda, she said.

Mulkerin loves the plethora of outdoor activities the pandemic sparked.

That works for us because I think were much more of an outdoor family, she said.

Munoz called it a blessing in disguise that her husband was able to stay home with their newborn when he was born.

Her husband, a gym teacher, was doing classes virtually, and the three of them got to be together as a family unit for far longer than they would have pre-COVID.

Still, parents have said they hope their little ones are still young enough to only remember the good parts of the past two years.

Kretchmans daughter will be turning 4 this April. Theyve come a long way since the 2020 panic of trying to find baby wipes.

I just want her to experience everything that we got to experience in our childhood, Kretchman said.
WATERBURY  A 43-year-old man suspected of killing a Waterbury woman, and injuring another, over the weekend was found dead in his apartment in West Haven the following day, police said Tuesday.

Waterbury Police officers were called to a home on Hill Street around 2:15 a.m. Saturday for a weapons complaint. At the scene, police said officers found two women suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

One of the victims, who police identified Tuesday as 35-year-old Glenys Naomi Aloyo of Waterbury, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The second victim, a 38-year-old Waterbury woman, was taken to St. Marys Hospital. The victim remained in the hospital Tuesday in critical but stable condition, police said.

While investigating, police said detectives identified 43-year-old Omar Hernandez as a suspect. Police said Hernandez knew one of the victims.

Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Hernandez in connection with the homicide, charging him with murder, criminal attempt of murder, first-degree assault and multiple firearm offenses, the Waterbury Police Department said in a press release.

On Sunday, police said they were called to Hernandezs apartment in West Haven and found him dead inside the home.

Connecticut State Police have taken over the investigation into Hernandezs death. State police said the initial investigation shows that the death is a possible suicide, however, this would need to be confirmed through an autopsy.

The Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence provides a 24-hour hotline available for resources and/or assistance by contacting 888-774-2900 for English or 844-831-9200 for Spanish. CCADV has 18 domestic violence member programs throughout CT to help victims of domestic violence by providing counseling services, shelters, advocacy, referrals and support groups. All services are free and confidential.
You may recognize Emmy-winner Julia Garners face and distinctively nasal voice from Ozark, but in the nine episodes of Inventing Anna she plays enigmatic grifter Anna Sorokin  a.k.a. Ann Delvey.

For years, brazen Anna passed herself off as the daughter of a German tycoon, gliding through Manhattans opulent hotels, restaurants and night clubs, clad in expensive couture. Posing as an heiress, she cleverly befriended socialites, high-fashion designers and moneyed tech moguls.

Told in flashbacks, manipulative, twenty-something Annas mysterious story is being investigated by Vivian Kent (Anna Chlumsky), a whiny, very pregnant writer, desperately trying to restore her tarnished journalistic reputation.

Encouraged by older colleagues (Anna Devere Smith, Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry) banished to Scriberia, Vivian interviews Anna whos being held without bail on Rikers Island, pending trial.

To research Annas background, Vivian stalks former friends, colleagues and gullible victims, including a photo editor (Katie Lowes), banker (Alan Reed), fitness trainer (Laverne Cox) and boutique hotel concierge (Alexis Floyd), plus Annas lawyer (Arian Moayed) and boyfriend (Saamer Usmani).

Wrestling with a bizarre Slavic/Germanic accent, Garner infuses Anna with sneering, haughty impatience and glacial indifference. Confident and calculating, Anna converts every conversation into a scamming transaction. In contrast, Anna Chlumskys Vivian is awkwardly annoying.

Produced by prolific Shonda Rhimes (Greys Anatomy), the formulaic, fictionalized series utilizes social media as both a metaphor and narrative device. It explores how influential people use Instagram to hide in plain sight, as the slow-building con stretches on and on and on, repeating the disclaimer: The whole story is completely true - except for all the parts that are totally made up.

FYI: Jessica Presslers How an Aspiring It Girl Tricked New Yorks Party People  and its Banks was published in New York magazine in May, 2018. Currently Anna remains in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements custody, fighting deportation to Germany. Reportedly, Netflix paid Anna $320,000; in turn, she paid $198,000 in restitution, $24,000 in state taxes and $75,000 in attorneys fees.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, Inventing Anna is a slyly stealthy, swindling 6, streaming on Netflix.

Susan Granger has been an on-air television and radio commentator and entertainment critic for more than 25 years. Raised in Hollywood, Granger appeared as a child actress in movies with Abbott & Costello, Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, and Lassie. She currently resides in Westport.
We ended 2021 actively monitoring and responding to the Log4j vulnerability, which presented new opportunities for hackers to access systems and potentially impacting businesses and organizations across the country. Like many previous cyber events, the interest has faded but the US government is urging organizations to shore up defenses now in response to the increasing number  and sophistication  of attacks.

According to an article from ZDNet,

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has published a new CISA Insights document aimed at all US organizations, not just critical infrastructure operators. The checklist of actions is CISAs response to this weeks cyberattacks on Ukraines systems and websites, which the countrys officials have blamed on hackers linked to Russian intelligence services.

Ukraine officials have revealed that dozens of systems in at least two government agencies were wiped during a recent attack.
Funeral Service for Garry Dwight Knopp, age 66, of Cullman, will be at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 7, 2022, at Cullman Heritage Funeral Home. Visitation will be from 1-3 p.m. prior to the service. Cullman Heritage Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Mr. Knopp passed away on Sunday, May 1,
Jung Ho-yeon wears a creation as part of the Louis Vuitton Ready To Wear Fall/Winter 2022-2023 fashion collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Paris, March 7. AP-Yonhap





Jung Ho-yeon Jung wears a creation as part of the Louis Vuitton Ready To Wear Fall/Winter 2022-2023 fashion collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Paris, March 7. AP-Yonhap

Louis Vuitton mixed culture and showbusiness Monday as it hosted its fall fashion collection at Paris's Orsay Museum, where models strutted among marble and bronze sculptures in outsized jackets and shirts layered over colorful dresses.







Model and actress Jung Ho-yeon, who recently won a Screen Actors Guild award for her performance in "Squid Game," wore a brown jacket, wide-leg striped pants and a yellow floral tie.







Later, sequined pinafore dresses were paired with knee-high boots and tops featured long pockets hanging like scarves.







The collection by Nicolas Ghesquiere, creative director since 2013, got more masculine again with XXL blazers before adopting a teenage mood with sweaters tied at the waist and polo shirts over evening dresses.







Louis Vuitton, the top fashion brand of luxury giant, raised its prices last month as a result of increased manufacturing and transportation costs, one of the first major luxury brands to do so this year. (Reuters)


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Corinth, MS (38834)

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Considerable cloudiness. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 60F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Considerable cloudiness. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 60F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Actor Kim Mu-yeol / Courtesy of CJ ENM





Actor Kim Mu-yeol of "Juvenile Justice" expressed his gratitude to fans at home and abroad, Tuesday, for watching the legal series and empathizing with its grave messages to bring public attention to youth crimes







"Juvenile Justice," a Netflix Korean original released Feb. 25, depicts five crimes committed by youngsters aged under 14, who are excluded from criminal responsibility. Based in part on true incidents that made the headlines in Korea in the past, the 10-episode series won rave reviews for its unflattering narrative to cast social questions on the validity of the age of accountability.







"I know this drama series deals with difficult and grave issues. Some say they feel frustrated," Kim said during a media interview. "I'm so grateful that so many people are sympathetic to our messages, although they can bring about emotional stress."







The series has been atop a local chart released by streaming analytics company FlixPatrol since its No. 1 debut Feb. 27. And it also rose to sixth place on the company's global rankings last week, having stayed in the top 10 for about a week.







He said he thought the main theme of "Juvenile Justice" to seek effective ways to punish and rehabilitate underage criminals has resonated well with people not only in Korea, although it is not as sensational or melodramatic to catch the eyes of global fans like the worldwide hits "Squid Game" and "All of Us Are Dead" did.







"We all know recent Korean zombie shows or romances gained worldwide popularity, but our drama is relatively slow and boring," he said. "But despite cultural differences, many countries are struggling with juvenile crime and people go along with our drama."







In "Juvenile Justice," Kim plays Tae-ju, a judge of a juvenile court who sticks to the hope that all young criminals can be rehabilitated. He confronts his colleague Eun-seok (Kim Hye-soo), who cold-heartedly keeps expressing her belief that young offenders should take full responsibility for what they did.







Kim said he has been very different from Tae-ju as he has usually raged at news about brutal young offenders and blamed legal loopholes for the crimes.







But the 39-year-old actor, who debuted in musical theater in 2002 and then expanded his career to the small and big screens, knew that Tae-ju represents a social stance on juvenile offenders, which is necessary to deal with the deep-rooted issue from a balanced point of view.







"There are many approaches and attitudes to youth crimes, and Tae-ju's belief is hardly negligible, I think," he said. "I was convinced that he has his own history that explains why he has such an optimistic viewpoint and becomes a judge in a juvenile court."







As for the possible production of a second season, the actor said he is looking forward to portraying Tae-ju as a better judge.







"Nothing has been decided yet," he said. "But if it is produced, I will be very pleased to talk more about the issue. And I hope Tae-ju will grow to be a more sensible person." (Yonhap)


Today

Overcast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 58F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

Overcast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 58F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.

Tomorrow

Cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 75F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Sunbury, PA (17801)

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Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low 53F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a half an inch..

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Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low 53F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a half an inch.
Its International Womens day and former glamour model Caprice Bourret has risen to the occasion by posing naked with the slogan F U War painted across her back and chest.

Then she posted the picture on Instagram to her 400,000 followers.

As a human billboard, Caprice makes a glamorous statement.

Sadly, one utterly lacking in emotional intelligence.

Crass, self-centred, inappropriate - the list of boxes this bizarre anti-war stunt ticks is long.

Its a perfect example of an ego pimping off a catastrophe - when a celebrity hijacks a disaster and claims to be doing charitable work in the process.

Using the hashtag #no war and a broken heart emoji (that will make a huge heap of difference at that crowed train station at the Polish border), Caprice begs her followers to donate supplies to those fleeing Ukraine, describing the war as disgusting and upsetting.

JANET-STREET PORTER: Its International Womens day and former glamour model Caprice Bourret has risen to the occasion by posing naked with the slogan F U War painted across her back and chest

JANET-STREET PORTER: As a human billboard, Caprice makes a glamorous statement. Sadly, one utterly lacking in emotional intelligence. Crass, self-centred, inappropriate - the list of boxes this bizarre anti-war stunt ticks is long

The former model and underwear designer tell us the pictures are provocative, and the message is strong, but we must talk about this.people in the public eye have such a powerful platform and we should be putting increasing pressure on all our politicians and platforms for peace.

Getting your bits out and pouting at the lens is sure to turn back a whole platoon of tanks.

Or maybe not.

Why do we need this self-important knicker designer to tell us to talk about war? Can there be a single person in the civilised world unaware of the horrors being carried out by the Russian leader? A pumped-up dictator who will stop at nothing in his attempts to turn a country the size of France and Germany to rubble.

Caprice reckons theres work to be done in spreading the news. Have you not heard? War is Bad.

JANET-STREET PORTER: Getting your bits out and pouting at the lens is sure to turn back a whole platoon of tanks. Or maybe not

I thought John and Yoko did a pretty good job of spelling out the same message (and taking their clothes off) in 1968 on the cover of their album Two Virgins. That didnt stop the war in Vietnam back then, and Caprice showing her bottom will make zero difference to Putins crazed strategy now.

Why post these silly pictures in the first place? They are as pointless as the much-debated jacket worn by Melania Trump when visiting a detention centre for Mexican child refugees in 2018. Right across her back were the worlds I dont really care. Do you?

Years later, it turned out the $39 jacket was chosen to annoy the press who she felt criticised her unfairly. Not to sum up how Melania felt about children being separated from their parents because of her husbands heartless anti-immigration policies.

Now, Caprice wants the world to know shes feeling pain.

The star of such TV gems as Celebrities under pressure and Celebrities on the farm - and countless other reality series with the over-used word celebrity in the title- is really upset by events in Ukraine. Its unfair. Its cruel.

Its. upsetting.

Im sure that sleep deprived, Ukrainian women carrying sick children to safety during a bombing raid will find Caprices strip show of support invaluable.

And so will the women forced to send their dear children to walk to safety alone, with just the phone number of a relative written on their hands - while they remain behind caring for their mothers in homes with no windows.

Social media is full of hand wringing celebs weeping in the name of Ukraine. Letting us know they are making donations and cant sleep at night.

My message to them all is very simple.

People file across a makeshift river crossing below a destroyed bridge as they flee from advancing Russian troops whose attack on Ukraine continues in the town of Irpin, March 8, 2022

A police officer says goodbye to his son as his family flees from advancing Russian troops as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues in the town of Irpin, March 8, 2022

Unless you are prepared to get behind the wheel of a vehicle and drive babies out of a war zone, offer widows and grandparents a taxi ride to a visa processing centre hundreds of miles away, isnt it best to shut up about how this ghastly war is affecting you? Its the curse of modern life - those who live out their lives through social media always must put themselves, their feelings and their journey centre frame in discussing any catastrophy.

In the current situation, theres not much to celebrate on international womens day.

Women are still getting raped, murdered, attacked, and beaten by men they live with, men who randomly cross their paths in full daylight.

And thats just in the UK.

And hundreds of thousands of Ukranian women are separated from their homes and their families. Their lives shredded.

Meanwhile, Stella McCartney manages to combine charity and shopping by posting a picture of herself and Minnie Mouse on Instagram to celebrate the 30thanniversary of Disneyland in Paris together with International Womens Day. She reveals that the iconic Disney character is wearing her first Stella pantsuit and carrying a vegan-approved matching bag.

Stella says she has donated to @CARE, a charity which supports women, children, the elderly and families affected by events in Ukraine.

Well done - but combining your charitable intentions with a shameless spot of marketing sticks in my gut.

Scores of famous women celebrated International Womens day on social media, posting images of themselves and their mums.

In Gemma Collins case she offers a picture of herself with the message if ANYONE tells you your hair is too big, then get rid of themremember how fabulous we all are.

Yes, Gemma, women are fabulous, thats stating the bleeding obvious.

But some women might be finding daily life a lot less than fabulous as they crouch in unheated basements night after night, trying to get their children to sleep. Trying to keep clean with no water. Trying to find food when all the shops are bombed.

These are the other women I think of this International Womens Day - the ones who managed to cram themselves on a train to somewhere safer, with just a carrier bag, a rucksack, the cat in a box and a toddler in each hand.

Now, they are sleeping in strange rooms in another country, while their partners fight to regain the life they once enjoyed. These women have lost everything.

The UK government is so pathetic, it cannot organise offices to grant visas so that relatives and dependents can come to the UK easily. Many civil servants are still working from home, so the process relies on accessing processing centres which arent open every single day, which dont have phone lines, which are hundreds of miles away from the war in Brussels or Paris.

The Visa process is so badly organised, I almost wondered if Gavin Williamson had been involved.

The women who deserve our support on International Womens Day are bravely refusing to give in.

Gemma and Caprice - in case you haven't noticed - its not all about you.
Labour's Emily Thornberry was clear. This was not the time for a change of Speaker.

Yes, John Bercow may have been facing a number of bullying allegations.

True, a damning report had warned a culture of bullying and sexual harassment had been allowed to thrive at the Commons  and the report's author Dame Laura Cox, QC, had argued it would be 'extremely difficult' for Bercow to bring in the changes required to fix the situation.

Yet the then shadow foreign secretary insisted on Sky News that the Speaker had to stay.

Her cheerleading declaration for the supposedly impartial Speaker took place back in October 2018, when Britain was in the throes of agonising Brexit negotiations.

Earlier in the year, it had been disclosed that Bercow's wife had a 'B*****ks to Brexit' sticker on their car, and everyone at Westminster knew that he was an out-and-out Remainer.

With EU negotiations on a knife-edge, Bercow was in a position of considerable influence in the Commons. He might be able to open the door to an extension of negotiations or even to a second Brexit referendum.

So Thornberry, an implacable opponent of Brexit, seized the moment. She suggested the bullying allegations could wait.

'We need to have all hands on deck at the moment,' she said.

Labour's Emily Thornberry (pictured with former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn) was clear. This was not the time for a change of Speaker

'I think this is absolutely not the moment to be changing Speaker... We don't know, for example, with regard to Brexit, what is going to happen.'

And when Thornberry was slapped down by then Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, she doubled down on her comments. Extraordinarily, this doughty socialist warrior for the downtrodden seemed only too happy to relegate the suffering of those working in the Commons who had been bullied by Bercow. Brexit was clearly more important than conditions of employment and intolerable bosses.

In fact, confirmation of this fact came soon afterwards from another Labour grande dame, Margaret Beckett, who was the first woman foreign secretary and held a number of Cabinet positions under Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Asked about the allegations of Bercow's bullying, she replied astonishingly that Brexit 'trumps bad behaviour'.

She told the BBC: 'I would say to [Bercow] to keep his powder dry for now because we are going to embark on this huge constitutional experiment in which there may be a key role for the Speaker.

'When it comes to the constitutional future of this country... yes it trumps bad behaviour.'

Dame Margaret, needless to say, is a prominent Remainer. In fact, such was the loathing among plenty of Labour's high-flyers for Brexit that many appear to have turned a blind eye to the very serious allegations the Speaker was facing and swept the victims' allegations under the carpet.

After yesterday's findings, following a two-year investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, that he was a 'serial bully' and 'serial liar', those three victims  Lord Lisvane, formerly the most senior clerk in the Commons, and Bercow's former private secretaries Angus Sinclair and Kate Emms  will at last feel some sort of relief.

Emms, towards whom Bercow was found to have exhibited 'intimidating, insulting behaviour involving an abuse of power', said she was 'supremely glad to be vindicated' as the ex-Speaker was banished for life from the Commons.

What did the feminist Emily Thornberry and Margaret Beckett feel about the vindication of a woman who suffered at Bercow's hands?

With EU negotiations on a knife-edge, Bercow was in a position of considerable influence in the Commons. He might be able to open the door to an extension of negotiations or even to a second Brexit referendum

Earlier in the year, it had been disclosed that Bercow's wife had a 'B*****ks to Brexit' sticker on their car, and everyone at Westminster knew that he was an out-and-out Remainer

Yesterday, they said nothing publicly about her plight or about Bercow's belated come-uppance, which will come as a severe embarrassment to his Labour cheerleaders.

Among them is Labour MP Kate Green, who was on the standards committee in 2018 when it voted three to two not to allow the investigation into Bercow, on the grounds that allegations dating back more than seven years should be investigated only in exceptional circumstances.

But surely bullying allegations against the Speaker, the most senior 'commoner' in the constitution, are pretty exceptional?

Not enough for Green, who voted against the investigation and said at the time: 'I do stand by my decision on that individual case, it was a difficult and finely balanced decision [as was] shown by the divided votes on the committee.'

Bercow's continuation as Speaker saw him do everything within his power to thwart the will of 17.4million Leave voters. In March 2019, he cited an archaic 400-year-old rule to block a third reading of Theresa May's Withdrawal Agreement.

It meant a humiliated May had to return to Brussels to push for an extension to the Article 50 process, the mechanism by which countries leave the EU.

Bercow was the very embodiment of the anti-democratic establishment class. His arrogance and contempt for Brexiteers sharpened the divide between the people and Parliament. Yet when he announced he was finally standing down in 2019 after ten years in the Speakers' Chair, he was given a 90-minute love-in as Labour MPs showered him with sycophantic and nauseating tributes.

And despite the bullying allegations hanging over him, Bercow was nominated for a peerage by Jeremy Corbyn when he was Labour leader.

Boris Johnson exacted exquisite revenge for Bercow's attempts at wrecking Brexit by blocking the peerage  which meant he became the first Speaker in more than 200 years not to be automatically elevated to the House of Lords.

Today, Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, must be sorely regretting welcoming Bercow, first elected as a Tory MP in Buckingham in 1997, into the Labour Party last summer.

It was the most high-profile defection in a decade and Bercow explained it in his usual self-aggrandising terms: 'What I'm motivated by is a commitment to equality, social justice and internationalism,' he said, contrasting himself with Boris Johnson's government, which he branded 'reactionary, populist, nationalistic and sometimes even xenophobic'.

Now, Bercow is disgraced and banned from the Houses of Parliament, while Labour has suspended him pending investigations. Perhaps his former champions Emily Thornberry and Margaret Beckett will come running to his aid.

But, somehow, I doubt it.
A model promotes NongHyup Bank's plan to complete its next-generation digital information system. Courtesy of NongHyup Bank



By Lee Min-hyung



NongHyup Bank said Tuesday it has launched a project to establish a "next-generation information system" that will enable the lender to offer data-driven, customer-oriented services.



The system will be in operation by as early as May 2023, helping customers of the bank to receive customized services anywhere in real time, it said.



"Starting with the successful launch of the project, we will be able to build up a core infrastructure for our digital transformation," NongHyup Bank CEO Kwon Jun-hak said. "The bank will stand at the forefront of innovating businesses in a more customer-oriented manner."



Ever since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Korea's financial firms have been launching a series of similar digital projects amid the rapid growth of digital transactions. Earlier this year, leaders of the top banking groups also emphasized the importance of enhancing digital expertise by discarding conventional and conservative attitudes prevalent in the banking industry here.



KB Savings Bank also shared its plan recently to introduce a next-generation digital system by September. The move is aimed at providing integrated customer-oriented services across many sales channels  including mobile devices, physical branches and even call centers, according to the KB subsidiary.



The growing preference for digital transactions will also likely push more banks to reorganize their IT and digital systems. According to data from the Korea Federation of Banks, the number of sales offices from the nation's commercial banks came in at 3,316 as of the end of 2021, down by 230 from the previous year.



"Regardless of whether the pandemic ends or not, the number (of sales offices) is expected to be on the gradual decline, as banks are more likely to maximize efficiency by cutting fixed costs in running such branches and increase investments in setting up more secure and convenient digital platforms," an industry source said.


How do I speak to my child about war? That's the question being asked by parents around the world as they grapple with the enormity and tragedy of Russia's devastating invasion of Ukraine.

Distressing images of families fleeing the conflict dominate our television screens, videos from the frontline play out on social media, and schools are abuzz with things children have seen and heard.

Yet it is extremely difficult to know how to navigate such a sensitive and painful topic at home, especially if you are stressed or anxious about the situation yourself.

FEMAIL has asked a team of psychologists, psychiatrists and teachers from across the UK for their advice on how to broach the subject with little ones.

The advice comes from different viewpoints and covers a range of ages, with one expert insisting children as young as seven will be able to understand the issues.

Others shared advice on where to read information together, techniques for processing disturbing images, and language to use and avoid.

'How do I speak to my child about war in Ukraine?' FEMAIL has asked a team of psychologists, psychiatrists and teachers from across the UK for their advice on how to broach the subject with their children. Stock image

Should parents discuss the war with their children?

How to decide if your child is ready 'I would say it very much depends on the maturity and level of understanding of your child,' Mrs McLellan said. 'Certainly, children aged seven and above are more than capable of gaining a broad brush understanding of the situation. 'Younger children are taught in school about kind and unkind behaviour so can have a simpler conversation with their parents on that basis: the key is for them to understand they can come to you if they are worried.' However Dr McClymont urged caution, saying she would not advise broaching the subject with a child under eight and would tread carefully if speaking to a child aged eight to 12. 'We need to remember that a child's brain organ is significantly less than developed than an adult and they literally do not have the capacity to absorb this information,' she said. 'A child's understanding of complex morality does not even begin until eight years old and to comprehend war as a subject is very likely to hard to debate until 11-12 for most children.' Advertisement

The first thing to decide is whether you think it's right to speak to your children about Ukraine.

Jade McLellan, deputy head of pastoral at St Dunstan's College, an independent school in south-east London said parents have a 'responsibility' to talk with children about the 'difficult and upsetting situations happening in the world.'

She explained: 'Anyone with young children realises just how observant they can be; they are developmentally primed to be attuned with the emotions of adult caregivers around them.

'They may notice that parents are feeling sad or that they are watching or listening to the news more frequently.

'They may overhear others in the playground or older siblings talking about Ukraine, see a newspaper headline in the shop or see a charity appeal banner online.

'By having an age-appropriate conversation with your child, you open the door for them to come to you with questions or anxieties about the situation in the future.'

However child psychologist Dr McClymont disagreed, saying you should not address the war unless specifically asked.

'War is ultimately a "no answer" subject,' she explained. 'After all, how can we explain why a country has decided to senselessly murder another for what boils down to greed or revenge.

'Neither of these subjects are easy for an adult to comprehend, let alone a child.

'If they ask, you can ask them first what they know and do they have any particular questions or anything they want to discuss. Go from there. But do not broach this with a child unless prompted by them.'

If you do decide to talk about the war then here is some advice on how to go about it.

Distressing images of families fleeing the conflict dominate our television screens, videos from the frontline play out on social media, and schools are abuzz with things children have seen and heard. Pictured, civilians fleeing Ukraine cross the Polish border

1. Start by asking your child what they know

Martin Forster, child psychologist at medical app Livi (www.livi.co.uk), said: 'It's usually best to let your child ask questions, rather than you reporting the facts to them.

2. Consider their past experiences of conflict Mr Foster said: 'Children come from different backgrounds and see the world from different perspectives. This will determine how worried the child will be about the current situation. 'A child who has previously been exposed to war is likely to feel differently to a child without that experience. Adults should do their best to give the child the level of reassurance they need. But don't assume that your child feels scared just because you do.' Advertisement

'Have they discussed the conflict in school? Have they heard things from their friends or seen something on social media? What are your child's thoughts about all this?

'If you  the child's parent/guardian  are feeling extremely anxious about the situation, it may be a good idea to let another grownup talk to the child, as anxiety easily spreads from one person to another.'

Mrs McLellan added: 'For younger children, a simple opener such as "Have you been heard anything about Ukraine at school this week" will give you an insight into how much they know already and where to start your conversation.

'For older children and teenagers, perhaps ask if they are discussing it amongst their friends and how everybody is feeling, or suggest that as a family you agree a plan for how you would like to show support for Ukraine.'

3. Look at a map

Gifty Enright (www.giftyenright.com), author of best selling parenting book Octopus on a Treadmill, advised placing the situation in context for older children.

'Get a map out, start by finding out where Russia and Ukraine, then go into a bit of the history about how Ukraine became a separate country from Russia and then take it from there,' she suggested.

4. Think about the message you want to share

Dr Anna Colton, clinical psychologist and hypnotherapist working with Employees Matter (www.employeesmatter.co.uk), said: 'Before talking to kids, take a moment to work out what you want them to understand.

'Learn the facts and make sure the message you give them which is consistent with your family values.

'So, for example, do you want to speak to them about being safe here in the UK; that politics matters to peoples' lives; the importance of voting; importance of democracy.'

5. Use the right words and phrases...

Therapist Caroline Plumer explained parents could also present the conflict within the framework of a playground bully. Pictured, Russia's President Putin in July 2020

Give straight and simple answers

Mr Foster said: 'Give straight and simple answers to your child's questions, and validate their concerns.

'Do this by saying that it's completely okay to feel worried, and that you're also very disappointed and scared by the conflict. But it's not always helpful to talk about the situation.

Talk about fights with friends

Ms Enright advised using simplified language and metaphors that are easy for children to understand.

'Like when they fight with their friends or siblings,' she explained. 'Discuss the causes of the fight, how it can emerge from a misunderstanding, and what the resolution is, like a grown up intervening asking them to be fair and making them apologise if they are in the wrong.

Words and phrases YOU need to know 'I feel scared when the press mentions that too but I am remembering that in this moment we are safe'

'We don't know the future of anything, but we can appreciate our current present.'

'There is a war in Ukraine. It's a long way away and you're safe here.'

'Sometimes grown-ups get in fights every now and then and need someone to negotiate. Sometimes instead of grown-ups you get two countries fighting.' Advertisement

'Let them know that grown-ups have the same feelings and get in fights every now and then. Explain sometimes they need someone else to negotiate between them, just like between siblings. On occasion, rather than two grown-ups, you get whole countries fighting.'

The playground bully metaphor

Therapist Caroline Plumer explained parents can also present the conflict within the framework of a playground bully.

'This analogy can help a children process what is happening. This kind of description can be much less fear-inducing and far easier to understand for young people.'

Remind them they are safe

Dr Colton explained that for younger children, the focus should be on telling them they are safe. She said: 'Tell them, "There is a war in Ukraine. It's a long way away and you're safe here".'

Focus on the experience of people involved

Mrs McLellan said that her school is focusing on the experience of people caught up in the war.

'We discuss the impact on the population such as the lack of resources giving people no choice other than to flee,' she said.

'We also discuss the feelings of all involved: Ukrainians but also those Russians who would like to protest and cannot and bystanders who might feel angry or sad at not being able to help.'

6...But don't tell them 'not to be scared'

Dr McClymont disagreed with any black and white approach and said there are words and phrases that should be avoided, particularly those about fault and blame:

'Don't talk about that': We can encourage a child to talk about anything that scares them, and we can be there to address their concerns.

'It's Russia's fault': Whilst a geo-political debate may contain these kind of phrasing, this is unhelpful for a child.

A child under the age of 13 is highly unlikely to have the capacity to absorb information about the political angles in a war.

Interpreting good and bad guys is reductive and invites possible inaccurate depictions of a whole race of people.'

'Don't be scared': It's okay to be scared and children will very likely be scared, but again go back to what they have heard and what scares them about that.

She continued: 'I would urge caution with any discussion of a nuclear threat. If the child is a teenager then you can discuss that many countries have previously made these kind of statements and nothing has come of it, so we can choose to be calm for now.'

Ms Enright added that you should avoid bringing up the civilian casualties in too much details and instead focus on the Red Cross and other agencies helping the victims.

7. Watch age-appropriate news

Experts suggested reading and watching age appropriate news, such as BBC Newsround, pictured, as a family

Mrs McLellan said: 'The adult news coverage is becoming increasingly harrowing so I would avoid watching live footage on our mainstream broadcasters, unless with older teenagers who you think can cope with it.

'You will also have your own emotional response to manage when watching the news which can be another reason to avoid watching it with your children.

'First News and Newsround both cover the news in a more age-appropriate format although it is still best to read or watch in advance of sharing with children if you have any concerns.'

Help in the classroom: How schools can provide context and promote understanding Mrs McLellan said: 'Whenever there is a global crisis, there will always be a place for schools to act, as hubs for the community and partners in the upbringing of your child. 'We saw this clearly during the COVID-19 pandemic when schools had a vital role in not just educating children, but also in maintaining community spirit, morale and even school children's friendships online. 'For the current crisis, at St Dunstan's we started by signalling to our senior school students that we were aware of the emerging picture from Ukraine and encouraged them to come to us if they needed support. We offer informal support through our tutors as well as more formal counselling if needed.' Dr McClymont also emphaised the important role schools play, saying: Secondary schools have a key role to play in not promoting "hate". 'They can encourage children via history or English lessons to learn how to interpret a news source and the absolute importance of this. They can also look at the history of the conflict in an accurate way via history lessons. 'They should be encouraging discussions around the importance of not promoting hate speech and how past conflicts can generate unhelpful negative sentiment- islamophobia for example was drummed up in this way due to media discussions of Islamic extremists. 'It is vital that schools encourage children to view the world as nuanced and to promote a fair and contextualised view on world politics. 'If they can do this, we can raise a generation of free thinkers and to be a person that resorts to debate and not violence, is the antidote to warmongering, hate speech and revenge based attacks. 'Schools are our best line of defence when it comes to raising a kind, compassionate and prejudice free generation.' Advertisement

Mr Foster agreed: 'You and your child can read or watch content intended for children together. This is especially important for a child with access to social media, where there can be fake news circulating.

'You should assure your child that not everything they read on social media is true. Ask your child to come to you instead if they have any questions.'

8. Consider switching off the TV

'Some children may be overwhelmed by anxiety and ask question after question, hoping to feel calmer,' Mr Foster explained. 'In these cases, it may be better to not talk about the war at all, as each answer only relieves the child's anxiety temporarily.

'If you have a child who's very scared by what's happening, it may be a good idea to take a break from the newsfeed. Do some fun activities together, restrict your family's use of social media, and don't keep the radio or TV on constantly in the background.'

9. Be wary of TikTok

Mrs McLellan said: 'If you have older children on TikTok, you will need to be particularly vigilant of what they could see as there is a lot of unfiltered live coverage of the war being posted.

'Once again, have an open discussion about the possible impact on them if they see something traumatic that they cannot 'unsee' and the balance between knowing and caring about the plight of the refugees versus protecting your own emotional wellbeing.

'Now would also be a good opportunity to discuss the role of misinformation online (whether through state broadcasters or social media coverage) and how to verify credible sources of information.'

10. Talk about where news comes from

Dr McClymont said: 'Parents of any age should be monitoring internet use, but I would have a discussion with teenagers about the importance of understanding the "source" rather than simply the news.

'You can have a good teaching point here about looking at context and perspective of the news "author" and make a judgement based on that, around possible bias and "angle".

'This is a helpful discussion to have with teenagers not just related to Ukraine but generally, and also discourages blanket generalisations about geopolitical topics- say "in every case there's usually his word, his word and the truth is somewhere in the middle".'

11. Encourage them to talk about their fears

There is a high likelihood a child will come across distressing content online, particularly if they have access to social media. If this happens, be sure to discuss anything that has made them feel scared or overwhelmed. Pictured, residents of Irpin flee Russian shelling

Dr Jeri Tikare, clinical psychologist at Kooth (www.kooth.com), said: Encourage your children to talk about their fears or concerns in general.

'I know that life can be hard and busy and sometimes children are aware of this and might not want to disturb you.

'Therefore, it might be helpful to make a conscious effort to let them know that you are mindful of how difficult it can be and reassure them that you are available to talk about things.

12. Create a feelings box to help them process Dr Tikare said: 'Give them opportunities to express their emotions in different ways such as writing, drawing, stories, songs, and things that feel helpful for the child. Some children find a feelings box helpful.' A feelings box allows a child to write or draw their feelings on a piece of paper, then 'post' it in a box. 'It might also be helpful to introduce them to some simple relaxation techniques such as taking three deep, slow breaths, breathing in for a count of three and out for three.' Advertisement

'Giving them extra love and attention at this time can be helpful, especially at difficult times like this.'

13. Teach them compassion and take action to help victims

'The situation in Ukraine can also be an opportunity to teach children about compassion, empathy and generosity,' Ms Plumer said.

'Think about getting your child involved in gathering together some of their old toys or clothes to drop off at a donation centre.

'Ask if they have Ukrainian or Russian classmates, encourage them to show support, and to report any unkind behaviour towards them to a teacher.'

14. Do NOT burden your child with your anxiety

Dr Tikare said: 'It can also be useful to be aware of our own reactions as parents or primary caregivers. One of the ways children learn and develop is via observing and then modelling adult behaviour.

'Hence, children can pick up anxieties or worries displayed by parents. Therefore, a contained reaction to the news can be helpful for children, as despite the nature of the news, they can learn to feel contained because of your reaction and vice versa.'

Mrs McLellan agreed: 'It is fine to explain that adults also worry when there are troubling events happening in the world but then go on to model or explain how to manage those worries, for example taking time away from the news and continuing with normal routines.

'Unless you have a more personal connection to the area, for most families life is continuing more or less as normal.

'If you need emotional support with your own reaction to the war, then other adults should be relied upon for this to avoid building anxiety in your child.'

Again, Dr McClymont urged caution, saying: 'I strongly advise you not to take your concerns to children particularly those under the age of 12. They do not have the brain capacity. If asked you can say "yes when I saw that news, it made me feel scared but I am reminding myself that here and now we are safe.

'That does also make me feel sad for those who aren't safe, so I'm thinking of ways to help those people. Maybe we can look up ways to donate or fundraise for them".'

However Ms Enright said there are benefits to sharing your anxiety, adding: 'If the parents are feeling anxious, the children will be picking up on it too so they should acknowledge their concerns to the kids but always with the emphasis on what is being done about it rather than leaving them feeling helpless.'

15. Watch out for symptoms of stress

Dr Tikare said: 'Try to be mindful of symptoms of stress that could present as physical health symptoms such as headaches, stomachache, changes to appetite, eating and weight, nausea, difficulties with sleep and explore these difficulties a bit more with the child.

'For some children, hearing about the war might mean they want to avoid going to school or going out in general, therefore it can be helpful to ensure that we encourage and support them to keep going out and stay active.

'Avoidance of places reinforces the idea that there is something to fear and reduces the chances of getting opportunities to challenge the notion that being outside is unsafe.'
First dates can be nerve-racking, and saying the wrong thing can instantly change the atmosphere and destroy any chances of a follow-up meeting.

People from around the world have taken to anonymous sharing app Whisper to reveal the most awkward things they've unexpectedly been told while on a first date.

One woman from Mumbai was left speechless when her dining companion said he hadn't expected her to eat so much when paying the bill.

Elsewhere, a woman, from England, admitted her encounter didn't end well after receiving unwanted comments about her breast size, while another was told she would be 'easier to tame' because she'd not dated before.

People from around the world have shared the most awkward things said on a first date - including a woman from New York, who was told not to lose any weight

A woman, who lives in Mumbai, chose not to go on a second date with a man who confessed to being surprised by the amount of food she ate

Out of focus: A woman, from England, said her date with a man was going well until he commented on the size of her breast

One person admitted to walking out half way through their very first date because the man they were with expressed a desire to 'tame' them

Another woman said she grabbed her bag and walked out during a date after a man tried to justify his racist views

Love at first sight! A woman, who lives in New York, was left stunned after a man proposed to her during their first date

One woman, from the United States, told how a man took her to the supermarket to buy condoms during their first date

Another woman, from America, confessed that she was left unimpressed when her ex-boyfriend asked her to reimburse the cost of cinema tickets

Food for thought: A woman, who lives in Arizona, was enjoying her dinner date until the man asked a sexual question

One woman, who lives in California, was left speechless when her date told her to wake him up if he falls asleep

Another individual revealed they decided not to go on a second date after discovering that the man they were seeing carries a gun

A woman from England confessed to having told a man that her best friends are cows during a first date

One woman, who lives in Ohio, had a bad first date after the man she was with began acting like he was at a strip club
A 19-year-old college student who thought she was infertile has opened up about her shock at learning she was actually nine-months pregnant, just hours before giving birth - having passed off her symptoms as period pains and quarantine weight gain.

Mother-of-one Kate Schmittling, a sophomore at University of Toledo in Ohio, welcomed her one-year-old son in February 2021 - however she recently opened up about the unique circumstances of his arrival in a TikTok video, recalling her horror at discovering she was not only pregnant, but due to give birth in a matter of hours.

The student, now 20, who hails from Michigan, recalled gaining a small amount of weight, which she thought was simply because she had been eating unhealthy and skipping the gym amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said she was on the pill and had light spotting throughout the entire pregnancy, which she mistook for her period, so it never occurred to her that she was expecting a child.

Kate had also been previously told by her doctor that she couldn't have a baby, so she was stunned when she discovered that she was in labor after visiting the emergency room on February 16, 2021.

A 19-year-old college student, who was previously told that she was infertile by doctors, was shocked to discover that she was nine-months pregnant just hours before giving birth

Kate Schmittling, a sophomore at University of Toledo in Ohio, had no idea she was carrying a baby for nine-months and passed off symptoms as period pains and quarantine weight gain

She went to the hospital because she was experiencing extreme cramps and stomach pain, and left with a newborn son - whom she named Sebastian.

Kate recalled gaining a small amount of weight, which she thought was because she had been eating unhealthy amid the COVID-19 pandemic. She is pictured while eight-months pregnant

'The doctors in the emergency room were like, "Oh, by the way, youre going to have a baby right now,"' she recalled to the New York Post recently. 'I was super surprised.

'[The doctors] said, "Youre in active labor and we need to get you to labor and delivery unit soon."

She opened up about the experience on TikTok recently and it quickly went viral - gaining more than 14 million views in a matter of days and leaving many people on the internet enthralled with her story.

'Me having really bad period cramps and rushing to the ER thinking I'm dying,' she wrote in the clip, before showing a photo of her son.

It turns out, Kate had something called a cryptic pregnancy - a mysterious pregnancy that goes unnoticed right up until labor begins - which occurs in about one in 475 women, according to Flo.Health.

During cryptic pregnancies, symptoms are mild enough to pass as a temporary illness, and it normally happens to people who have hormonal imbalance.

Kate, who said she took birth control 'religiously,' recalled being in 'complete shock' when she learned that she was about to become a mom.

She said had light spotting throughout the pregnancy, which she mistook for her period. She is pictured one-month (left) and four-months (right) into her pregnancy

She had also been previously told by her doctor that she couldn't have a baby. Kate is pictured left a few months into the pregnancy and right at five-months pregnant

Kate went to the hospital because she was experiencing extreme cramps and severe stomach pain in February 2021, and was stunned when she discovered she was in labor

'Its super emotional,' she admitted to the Post. 'I went from being a normal college student to a mom in one day. I couldnt believe it.'

'I was shocked, I can't explain my emotions because there's not even an emotion to put there, I don't even know what to call it,' she also said on TikTok.

Kate said she gained some weight near the end of the pregnancy but certainly 'didn't look eight-months pregnant.'

'We were in the middle of the pandemic, so any of the weight that I did gain I thought that it was quarantine weight,' she explained to the Post. 'I was not eating very healthy and working out at all.'

She claimed on TikTok that she often had 'stomach problems,' so she blamed anything she was feeling on that.

She also was later told that her placenta was 'in front' of the baby, which is why she didn't feel him kicking.

'I was literally bleeding so it didn't really [occur to] me that I was pregnant,' she said in another video.

'I was on birth control. I probably shouldn't have relied on birth control but I did, but here we are.

Surprise! Kate, who said she took birth control 'religiously,' recalled being in 'complete shock' when she learned that she was about to become a mom

Oh baby: She gave birth to a boy, named Sebastian, and despite calling the situation 'really scary,' she said she is thankful that she went through it and that she is 'blessed' to have her son

Kate had something called a cryptic pregnancy, which normally happens to people who have hormonal imbalance and occurs in about one in 475 women

'I didn't gain a crazy amount of weight like most pregnant people do early on. Any of the weight I did gain, I thought it was quarantine weight because I was literally trapped in my dorm room and did not eat healthy at all.

What is a cryptic pregnancy? A cryptic pregnancy is a mysterious pregnancy that goes unnoticed right up until labor begins

It occurs in about one in 475 women

During cryptic pregnancies, symptoms are mild enough to pass as a temporary illness, and it normally happens to people who have hormonal imbalance

If someone continues to take birth control while pregnant, they might not experience pregnancy symptoms and therefore have a cryptic pregnancy

Stress also influences hormones, so high stress can disrupt common pregnancy symptoms. Low body fat can also trigger hormonal imbalances, which might cause a symptomless pregnancy

Source: Flo.Health Advertisement

'I was on the pill throughout the whole thing. I took it religiously every morning at 10 AM with my breakfast all the time.

'Clearly, birth control isn't 100 per cent, it doesn't work all the time. There's always that little chance you could still get pregnant.'

Kate said she bled throughout the entire pregnancy, and because her periods had been irregular her whole life, she wasn't suspicious.

'You don't have a period while pregnant, however, 25 per cent of pregnant woman bleed during their pregnancy,' she said on TikTok. 'Plus, I've always had irregular periods.'

The one symptom that she did notice, while reflecting on the experience, was a change in her emotions.

'I have emotions now and I had emotions before but definitely during that time, anything would set me off,' she recalled.

'I blamed it on being a college student in the middle of a freaking pandemic. I was stressed all the time, but I was definitely over-the-top emotional a lot.'

She said her family was 'super supportive' and that her parents 'love being grandparents' to little Sebastian, who recently celebrated his first birthday.

'Everyone was super surprised of course but my family and friends are super supportive,' she explained on TikTok.

She said that she and the father, who is also a 20-year-old student whose name has been kept hidden for privacy reasons, are great at co-parenting.

'At first, [the] father was definitely shocked and surprised like everyone else,' she told the Post.

@kateschmittling Reply to @username897268 literally so awkard on video but heres some answers to some of ur guys questions ! fyp momsoftiktok  original sound - kate

@kateschmittling Reply to @malloraay literally so awkward again but hopefully is able to answer some more questions! fyp OutlanderChallenge momsoftiktok  original sound - kate

Kate answered a series of questions about the pregnancy on her TikTok account after posting a viral video about it, which has now been watched more than 14 million times

'But he and his family are super supportive and involved in Sebastians life, and were both going to school and working part time to make sure [Sebastian] continues thriving.'

When someone asked her how she learned to 'suddenly have love for a baby' that was kind of 'like a stranger' to her, she explained on TikTok, 'It was kinda weird. To be honest, at first I didn't want to even be around him and asked for him to be in the nursery because I had to process my thoughts.

'One of my sweet nurses (who was a teen mom too) told me whatever my choice is, I'm gonna wanna at least see the baby so I did and I'm so glad I did because it honestly made me face reality and process things better. Plus, I fell in love with him instantly.'

Despite calling the situation 'really scary,' she said she is now thankful that she went through it.

'Even though the whole experience was really scary, I was really happy to find out that I can have kids, and that my baby was completely healthy,' she gushed to the Post.

She added on TikTok, 'Sebastian is thriving, and he's so smart, such a good kid. Love him so much, super blessed.'
An Australian mum has warned other parents against front-facing car seats after her child was seriously injured in a car accident.

Zoe shared the terrifying story of how her son, Jax, now two, was air-lifted to the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne with a fractured skull after the pair were involved in a car accident where he was sitting in a rearward-facing car seat.

Sharing her story with Tiny Hearts Education, she said Jax's injuries might have been a lot worse or even fatal if the then-10-month-old had been in a front-facing car seat.

Melbourne mum-of-one, Zoe, has warned parents against using front-facing car seats for young children after her son Jax (pictured) was seriously injured in a car accident

Zoe said the then ten-month-old Jax's injuries would have been a lot worse or even fatal had he not been secured in a rear-facing car seat

'Did you know that if your child's car seat was forward facing and you were to get in an accident their neck would get hit with the force of 180kg-220kg? Whereas if they were to be rearward facing that force would be 40kg-60kg?' she wrote in the post.

'I'm so thankful to have known that information before the absolute worst happened to us and I'm hoping that by sharing our story it may convince some people to rearward face for as long as possible.'

The Melbourne mum-of-one put Jax in a rear-facing car seat to go to her parents' house and did the 'pinch test' to make sure his restraints were secure like she has done 'so many time in the past'.

The next thing Zoe remembers was being wheeled into an ambulance with Jax nowhere to be seen.

After the accident, Jax was airlifted to the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne with a fractured skull, a brain bleed, high pressures in the brain, and a torn ligament in his neck

'Nothing could have prepared me for seeing my little man in that massive bed with so many tubes and wires everywhere,' Zoe said

She had to spend a night in hospital herself before she could visit Jax.

'Nothing could have prepared me for seeing my little man in that massive bed with so many tubes and wires everywhere,' Zoe said.

'He had a fractured skull, a brain bleed, high pressures in the brain, and a torn ligament in his neck. It was an awful lot to process, I had no memory of what happened and suddenly I could lose my precious boy.'

Zoe said it was 'touch and go' for a while but after four surgeries and four weeks in hospital, Jax was lucky enough to go home without any last issues.

Zoe said it was 'touch and go' for a while but after four surgeries and four weeks in hospital, Jax was lucky enough to go home without any last issues

'Not a day goes by where I don't think about what life would be like if we weren't so lucky. If I hadn't known to keep him rearward facing, he definitely wouldn't be here the doctors have told me,' Zoe wrote.

Currently in Australia, the legal requirement is for babies under six months must be in a rear-facing car seat, and children above that age are permitted to be in a front facing car seat with the appropriate restraints and harnesses.

Zoe said she thought it was 'mind blowing' that children as young as six months are legally allowed to sit in front facing car seats after her terrifying ordeal.

'If you have already started forward facing your young child please reconsider,' she said.

'It is safest to keep your child rearward facing until they reach the forward facing markers on your car seat.'
A frightening video that proves how difficult it is to spot a shark in ocean waters has gone viral on social media.

Australian photographer Sean Scott, who captures incredible locations across the country, captured the ominous video in Esperance, Western Australia on his drone.

The short clip of the cascading blue ocean looks stunning, and for a short moment the shark can be seen.

So can you spot the beast lurking beneath the waves?

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Australian photographer Sean Scott, who photographs incredible locations across the country, shared the video captured on his drone floating above the waves

In the video the shark can be seen for a second in the bottom left of the frame slightly below the text

In the video the shark can be seen for a second in the bottom left of the frame slightly below the text: 'Can you see the shark?'

While the outline of the marine creature is faint, it's enough to notice.

Hundreds issued their attempts at spotting the shark in the comments of the video, but most were baffled and had difficulty spotting it.

A swimmer was killed by a suspected great white shark at Little Bay, Sydney, recently and it was the sixth shark attack in Australia for 2022.

That number of shark attacks in 2022 is already far ahead of any other country this year, as well as being half of the total number of shark attacks in Australia in 2021.

In 2020, the CSIRO estimated there could be up to 12,802 great white sharks - including juveniles - active around eastern Australia.

It followers after the team at Surf Life Saving Australia issued a warning about the dangers of ocean currents.

An instructional video shared on Facebook showcases the different types of rips but it also explains which telltale signs parents and individuals alike should be looking for when frolicking in the surf.

The team at Surf Life Saving Australia wanted to share with the public how difficult these dangerous currents are to spot

In this image the main rip runs down the centre of the waves, with a second 'feeder' rip giving it power from the side.

Dark patches of water, fewer breaking waves, a rippled surface and anything - like sand - floating beyond the waves are all indicators that a rip might be close by.

And while not every current will present these four signs, it's recommended to err on the side of caution, all individuals should swim between the red and yellow flags on a patrolled beach.

In this image the main rip runs down the centre of the waves, with a second 'feeder' rip giving it power from the side

 Slide me  These waves might look menacing but it's what is hiding beside them you should be more worried about

Former lifesaver Kenny Jewell took to Facebook previously to share what he believes are the key things to look out for to ensure you stay safe when out in the water.

'The easiest thing to remember is that often the safest/calmest most enticing looking area along a beach is usually a rip,' Mr Jewell wrote at the time.

'A rip is usually the area void of wave activity and appears darker and deceptively calmer.

'Always take 5-10 mins when you get to the beach to observe surf conditions and identify where these areas are.'

 Slide me  'The easiest thing to remember is that often the safest/calmest most enticing looking area along a beach is usually a rip,' Mr Jewell wrote at the time

If you can't pick danger until it's too late, according to Mr Jewell the most important thing to do is to remain calm.

He says rips can move at three times the speed of an Olympic swimmer, so trying to fight against the water is useless.

'If you are caught in a rip, DO NOT PANIC. Go into floating mode and raise one arm as a distress signal when possible,' the former lifesaver wrote.

'See which direction the rip is taking you... once you have determined this, and if you have the energy, swim to the right or left of the direction of flow, never against.

'Most rips won't take you out very far, and will usually spit you out not long after they take you, so keep calm and save your energy.'
Australia's millionaire businesswomen are making their mark in the beauty industry both locally and overseas with their 'miracle' ingestible powders, perfumed candles, makeup products and even eco-friendly cleaning products.

On March 8 FEMAIL is celebrating International Women's Day by looking at some of the brands that are revolutionising the wellness space and earning themselves celebrity clientele as a result.

NICOLE ECKELS FOR GLASSHOUSE FRAGRANCES

Nicole Eckels (pictured)

Glasshouse Fragrances will celebrate its 15-year anniversary in 2022 with perfume aficionado Nicole creating the brand in 2006 from a spark of imagination and a belief in the power of fragrance.

Last year the brand, which is known mostly for its candles but also produces perfumes, soaps and body lotion, sold 525,600 units from its Tahaa Affair range, an average of one unit per minute.

The label sold 387,284 units of A Tahaa Affair Candle itself, which is the equivalent to 32,273 per month, 1,075 per day, 45 per hour, or one every two minutes.

CARLA OATES FOR THE BEAUTY CHEF

Carla Oates (pictured)

Carla Oates launched The Beauty Chef in 2009 as the world's first beauty brand to focus on cultivating gut health for healthy skin.

It is a philosophy that has taken the brand from Sydney to Selfridges and around the globe in just over a decade.

Glow Inner Beauty Essential is the The Beauty Chef's unique bio-fermented beauty powder which has gained cult status and is the brand's best-selling product for its ability to deliver a daily dose of radiant skin and a healthy gut in one teaspoon.

In the 12 years since the brand launched The Beauty Chef has fostered a long-standing list of brand fans and built an extremely loyal community boasting international models and high-profile celebrity fans, including Naomi Watts, Victoria Beckham, Rosie Huntington Whitley and Megan Markle.

JOANNE ZHONG FOR ACEOLOGY

Joanne Zhong (pictured)

With less than three years of production under its belt Australian-founded beauty powerhouse ACEOLOGY has gone from strength to strength with simple, yet powerful beauty solutions that don't compromise on quality.

The brand is best known for its sell-out face masks and in late 2021 announced a huge partnership with Sephora.

That same year the 'Gua Sha' trend went viral on Instagram and Tiktok which led to customers wanting to purchase the Rose Quartz Gua Sha Facial Massager.

ACEOLOGY sold 120,000 units of the Gua Sha to fulfill the demand, which is approximately 10,000 units a month.

JESSICA BRAGDON FOR KOALA ECO

Koala Eco's brand philosophy is built on the model of refillable homecare solutions.

Jessica Bragdon (pictured)

By offering six best-selling cleaning products in one litre refills they are able to minimise the environmental impact and overall consumption of plastic.

Since the brand's beginning it has been important to Jessica Bragdon to make sure Koala Eco is always maximising every opportunity to operate in an environmentally responsible way.

So in addition to offering refillable cleaning solutions all products are housed in 100 per cent post-consumer recycled and recyclable (RPET) packaging, meaning no new plastic is ever created.

In five short years Koala Eco has been able to stop one million new bottles from entering circulation.

Charlotte Knight (pictured)

CHARLOTTE KNIGHT FOR CIATE

This makeup brand, which is available in the United Kingdom, all of Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Canada sells almost 100 different cosmetics.

It has won 31 beauty awards and partnered with some of the world's top tastemakers, brands and characters to create covetable limited edition collections including Olivia Palermo, Chloe Morello, Jessica Rabbit, Miss Piggy and Christine Quinn.

TARJ MAVI FOR LAMAV

LaMav is Australia's first certified organic skincare range infused with scientifically-proven bio-actives.

Created in 2009 the brand is now in over 500 stores across Australia and is sold in nine countries.

LaMav has teams based in both India and Australia.
An oyster farm where visitors can wade in the water to pick oysters fresh from the sea while enjoying a glass of wine is the South Australia's new travel hot spot.

Coffin Bay Oyster Farm Tours is just over half an hour from Port Lincoln and offers diners a unique culinary experience where they can eat fresh oysters straight from the ocean.

Guests are given waterproof wader overalls to tour the oyster farm and sit at semi-submerged dining tables where they can enjoy as-fresh-as-can-be seafood and delicious wine.

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Coffin Bay Oyster Farm Tours near Port Lincoln offers diners a unique culinary experience where visitors can wade in the water to pick oysters fresh from the sea while enjoying a glass of wine

Guests are given waterproof wader overalls to tour the oyster farm and sit at semi-submerged dining tables to enjoy as-fresh-as-can-be seafood and delicious wine

The Coffin Bay oyster farm is becoming a popular girl's trip or date day destination among travellers for its interactive dining adventure.

For $50 a person, visitors can wade out into the pristine waters of Coffin Bay to hear from the farmers about how the delicious oysters are produced then indulge at the 'salt water pavilion'.

The 'salt water pavilion' is right by the working oyster farm and where guests can get hands on by learning to shuck their own oysters while dining on the produce waist deep in the sea.

Coffin Bay Oyster Farm Tours has recently gone viral on TikTok thanks to travel content creator Ebony King, who goes by Where Is This? online.

For $50 a person, visitors can wade out into the pristine waters of Coffin Bay to hear from the farmers about how the delicious oysters are produced then indulge at the 'salt water pavilion'

The 'salt water pavilion' is right by the working oyster farm and where guests can get hands on by learning to shuck their own oysters while dining on the produce waist deep in the sea

Diners can select four fresh oysters to taste along with a selection of drinks including sparkling wine, Riesling or Bloody Mary oyster shots and pre-order a decadent seafood platter for $65.

Coffin Bay Oyster Farm Tours has recently gone viral on TikTok thanks to travel content creator Ebony King, who goes by Where Is This? online.

Her video of her visit racked up more than 351,500 and dozens of comments from users keen to try the experience for themselves.

'So much fun! Even if you dont like oysters,' she said.

'Oysters yes please we need to do this,' one viewer wrote.

'AND get their seafood platter afterwards! It is to die for,' commented another.
The Queen's sprightly appearance during her meeting with Justin Trudeau 'gives hope that she will be able to fully enjoy her Platinum Jubilee celebrations', a royal expert has said.

Her Majesty, 95, yesterday held her first in-person engagement since catching Covid, meeting the Canadian Prime Minister at Windsor Castle.

In photographs shared of the engagement, the royal was pictured in a patterned blue dress, standing without a face mask or the aid of a walking-stick.

Royal author Phil Dampier told FEMAIL: 'It's wonderful to see the Queen back meeting people after recovering from Covid...

'Most importantly the fact she is well again gives hope that she will be able to fully enjoy her Platinum Jubilee celebrations later in the year.'

The Queen's sprightly appearance during her meeting with Justin Trudeau (pictured) 'gives hope that she will be able to fully enjoy her Platinum Jubilee celebrations', a royal expert has said

Her Majesty (pictured), 95, yesterday held her first in-person engagement since catching Covid, meeting the Canadian Prime Minister at Windsor Castle

He added: She would have been very pleased to see Justin Trudeau as she takes her role as Head of State in Canada very seriously.

How many world leaders can say they knew a visiting Prime Minister's father when he was PM as was Pierre Trudeau?

The expert continued: She may be suffering from stiffness in her legs and hips, but it will be wonderful to see her enjoy The Derby, Trooping the Colour and all the other events in June.

He also suggested that the Queen hates wearing face masks and longs to return to normality.

It was noticeable that the Queen didn't wear a mask in contrast to Kier Starmer who met Trudeau later in the day, said the expert. She hates wearing them and longs to return to normality.

Queen appears on a screen via videolink from Windsor Castle, where she is in residence, during a virtual audience to receive the Ambassador of Armenia, Mr. Varuzhan Nersesyan, and Mrs. Narine Malkhasyan, at Buckingham Palace

The Queen during a virtual audience to receive the High Commissioner of India, Ms. Gaitri Issar Kumar, at Buckingham Palace, London

The expert also suggested that the Queen hates wearing face masks and longs to return to normality. The monarch wore a face covering to attend the funeral of her husband Prince Philip in April 2021 (pictured)

The Queen has made fewer appearances in public during the Covid-19 pandemic, with many of her engagements switching to virtual events, and has rarely been seen wearing a face covering.

She first stepped out in a mask to visit the grave of the Unknown Warrior in November 2020, six months after the outbreak of the virus.

The monarch also wore a face covering to attend the funeral of her husband Prince Philip in April 2021.

In the photographs, Mr Trudeau was seen laughing as the Queen gestured towards herself during the meeting in the Oak Room sitting room.

In the background of the images, a bouquet of blue and yellow flowers could be seen in the colours of the Ukrainian flag.

The Queen held her first in-person engagement since catching Covid, meeting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (pictured)

Mr Dampier added: 'The Queen was inspirational during the pandemic, and now we need her keep calm and carry on attitude during the Ukraine crisis.

'It was a lovely touch for her to have yellow and blue flowers in the background, the colours of the Ukraine flag.'

Meanwhile Nigel Cawthorne, author of Prince Philip, I Know I Am Rude, said despite the Queen's apparent good spirits, she faces a 'tough year' ahead.

The royal expert said: 'It is really great to see the Queen bounce back for the Jubilee.

'She will need all the strength as the Maxwell perjury trial that centres on her sons visit to his then friends Epstein and Maxwell in New York in 2001.

'The prince has just settled with a reported 12 million to Virginia Giuffre who was there.

Her Majesty, 95, received Mr Trudeau - who is in the UK for talks on the war in Ukraine with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte - in an audience at Windsor Castle today

'But now the possibility has been raised that Johanna Sjoberg, the twenty-one-year old who was with Virginia Giuffre at Epstein and Maxwells, might sue.

'Then there's Giuffre's victim impact statement at Maxwell's sentencing hearing in June, further to her guilty verdict of underage sex trafficking, that is likely to overshadow the jubilee celebrations.

'It is going to be a tough year and she will miss the tower of strength she had in Prince Philip.

The Queen tested positive for Covid on February 20 and has spent the last two weeks carrying out only light duties including a handful of virtual audiences.

But yesterday marked a return to normality for the Queen, who appeared overjoyed to be chatting to Mr Trudeau.

The monarch, who is also Queen of Canada, was pictured in a patterned dress, standing and smiling warmly at Mr Trudeau as he held her right hand in both of his

The Queen has a strong bond with Canada. The Commonwealth realm has been her most frequent overseas destination.

She has visited more than 20 times, including a trip as a princess, but a number of years ago she called time on her official overseas visits.

As a young child in the 1970s, Mr Trudeau met the Queen several times through his father, Pierre Trudeau, who was one of Canada's longest-serving prime ministers.

Mr Trudeau later spoke warmly of their meeting.

'I have had the particular privilege of having known Her Majesty for about 45 years now, and I can tell you that in my conversation with her this morning she was as insightful and perspicacious as ever, very interested in what is going on, asked me all sorts of questions about Canada,' he told a Downing Street news conference.

'We had a really useful, for me anyway, conversation about global events, as we always do.'

Mr Trudeau was also seen laughing as the Queen gestured towards herself during the meeting in the Oak Room sitting room

The Queen and the Ambassador of Armenia, Mr. Varuzhan Nersesyan during their virtual audience

The Queen and the High Commissioner of India, Ms. Gaitri Issar Kumar, during their virtual audience

Last Tuesday, the Prince of Wales said his mother was 'a lot better now', and the head of state was pictured holding her first virtual audiences since her coronavirus diagnosis.

The Queen has two high-profile events coming up - the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey on March 14, and then the Duke of Edinburgh's memorial service, also at the Abbey, on March 29.

The nation's longest reigning monarch, who reached her Platinum Jubilee milestone last month, recently spent more than three months resting, on doctors' orders.

Last autumn she pulled out of attending the Cop26 climate change summit, the Festival of Remembrance and then the Remembrance Sunday Cenotaph service due to a sprained back.

She also missed the Church of England's General Synod.

The Queen now regularly uses a walking stick and remarked during a Windsor Castle audience last month: 'Well, as you can see, I can't move.'

Mr Trudeau is joining Mr Johnson as part of intense diplomatic efforts with foreign leaders to build a united front against Vladimir Putin.
BBC viewers have urged 'anyone who shops online' to watch a harrowing new drama based on the real-life accounts of warehouse workers.

Life And Death In The Warehouse, which aired on BBC Three last night, 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.

Viewers were horrified by the 'brutal' regime as they watched Alys scolded for taking toilet breaks and having a two minute conversations, while Megan was told off for calling an ambulance when her pregnant friend collapsed.

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BBC viewers have urged 'anyone who shops online' to watch a harrowing new drama based on the real-life accounts of warehouse workers. The film begins with scenes of pregnant Alys (Poppy Lee Friar) crying in the toilet before collapsing onto the ground

In a desperate attempt to keep her new job, Megan (Aimee-Ffion Edwards) had been forced to pressure pregnant Alys to increase her 'pick-rate'

'If you shop online, or even if you dont, watch Life and Death in the Warehouse, BBC Wales, on iPlayer. We saw it by accident last night and its harrowing. I hope it exaggerates the horrors,' wrote one viewer.

Another said: 'Can't believe what I'm watching on Life and Death in the Warehouse. The #Gaslighting too.'

'Life and Death in the Warehouse was such a powerful and insightful piece of TV. Amazing to see and hear so many fantastic Welsh actors and Welsh voices on the television,' a third wrote.

Another desrcibed the show as 'absolutely brutal' and said they would 'pray it's not real'.

Viewers were horrified by the 'brutal' regime as Alys was scolded for taking toilet breaks and having a two minute conversations, while Megan was told off for calling an ambulance when her pregnant friend collapsed

The drama began with scenes of pregnant Alys crying in the toilet before collapsing onto the ground, covered in blood, as concerned co-workers demanded Megan call an ambulance.

Action then flashed back to the first day when trainee manager Megan joined the warehouse as a manager and reunited with her childhood friend, who was working as a picker.

Tensions began to rise when pregnant Alys told her new boss she couldn't do overtime because of a hospital appointment, with Megan warning that her 'pick rate is already really low'.

After asking to be resigned from picking based on doctors advice, Megan provided Alys with a 'personal enhancement plan'.

After asking to be resigned from picking based on doctors advice, Megan provides Alys with a 'personal enhancement plan' but after exerting herself too much, Alys collapses

Megan is scolded by her superiors (L-R) Sion Young; Craig Parkinson; Kimberly Nixon for calling an ambulance when pregnant Alys collapsed, rather than consulting their own medical team first

When Alys returns to work, she's welcomes by a disciplinary from Megan for having too much 'idle time' including a toilet break lasting for nine minutes and a two minute conversation with a friend

'Everyone thinks you're a great member of the team and we don't want to lose you', Megan told Alys. 'We've just got to get your pick rate back up.'

She advised running in between pickups and bending with her knees to increase her rate, but Megan was told by Alys that her doctor warned against extensive physical labour.

After exerting herself too much, Alys collapsed - however Megan was scolded by her superiors for calling an ambulance, rather than consulting their own medical team first.

When Alys returned to work, she was welcomed by a disciplinary from Megan for having too much 'idle time' including a toilet break lasting for nine minutes and a two- minute conversation with a friend.

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

As the pair began to argue, Alys told her boss the warehouse floor was littered with bottles of urine because pickers were too afraid to go to the toilet.

But she was still be told off for having an average of 23 minutes of 'idle time' a day.

Things came to a head when Alys told Megan she wasn't not feeling well, but was warned that she could lose her job and maternity pay if she left the warehouse before the end of her shift.

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.

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.

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.'

Life And Death In The Warehouse is available on BBC iPlayer now
A Ukrainian woman has become a viral sensation after sharing her daily life in a bomb shelter on TikTok - including cooking pasta to 'pretend she's in a Michelin-starred restaurant' and going on daily walks to see her 'bombed out city'.

Valeria Shashenok, 20, has racked up more than 60 million views on the app, sharing stories of her life underground after her home was bombed by Russian forces.

The photographer - who lives in Chernihiv, the northern city where at least 33 civilians have been killed - has also shared snaps of buildings turned to rubble as well as sharing videos from her new life including empty supermarket shelves and cooking with tinned food and dry goods.

Trying to keep her spirits up, she's joked that she 'imagines she's in Italy' after cooking pasta, as well as describing her underground shelter as a 'five star hotel' and her mother as a 'Michelin starred chef'.

A Ukrainian woman has become a viral sensation after sharing her daily life in a bomb shelter on TikTok - including cooking pasta to 'pretend she's in a Michelin-starred restaurant' and going on daily walks to see her 'bombed out city'. In one clip she jokes a bathing tub is a 'jacuzzi'

In one clip she cooks pasta to 'pretend she's in Italy' from inside her bomb shelter

Valeria Shashenok, 20, has racked up more than 60 million views on the app, sharing stories of her life underground after her home was bombed by Russian forces - she is pictured pretending that she's hitting a Putin and using the toilet as a reading room

In one clip, Valeria records herself being woken up by her father joking he calls he a 'fat pig' while in another she says she 'follows her mum around all day while she cooks.

In another clip, the photographer says that her dog 'doesn't understand why they now live underground', joked a metal free standing tub is a 'jacuzzi for hot girls' and says that she pretends she punches Putin when hitting a punch bag.

She also films trips outside, including to the supermarket where most of the shelves are stripped bare.

Heart-breaking footage also shows cities in the country reduced to rubble - including the local cinema and many homes.

Valeria explains she was in a bomb shelter when her home was bombed - at least 33 civilians have died in her city

The photographer - who lives in Chernihiv, the northern city where at least 33 civilians have been killed - has also shared snaps of buildings turned to rubble as well as sharing videos from her new life including empty supermarket shelves and cooking with tinned food and dry goods.

One video shows a building with no windows left - while another she explains: 'Today, Putin destroyed my house with a rocket while I was in a bomb shelter'.

In another clip, the photographer says that her dog 'doesn't understand why they now live underground', joked a metal free standing tub is a 'jacuzzi for hot girls' and says that she pretends she punches Putin when hitting a punch bag.

She also films trips outside, including to the supermarket where most of the shelves are stripped bare.

One video shows a building with no windows left - while another she explains: 'Today, Putin destroyed my house with a rocket while I was in a bomb shelter'.

Another is captioned: 'Pictures I've taken where life felt unreal' with clips showing shattered glass scattered covering roads pavement, and citizens lined up outside shops.

'I make content on TikTok because I want everyone to know, it's not a Ukrainian problem, in world problem,' she told the BBC.

'I have a normal bomb shelter, it's like a small house underground, I live with my parents and little dog.'

In her most viewed clip - with more than 25millioin views, Valeria films a day in her life in her bunker.

Valeria has also shared snaps of her mum cooking Ukrainian food from inside the shelter

Valeria has also shared the food she's eaten - including Grechka and yoghurt

In her most viewed clip - with more than 25millioin views, Valeria films a day in her life in her bunker.

In one shot she uses a heat gun as a hairdryer, shows her mother cooking, and says her dad has turned the their bunker into an office

She also heads to her family's home to get more things - and shows footage of bombed buildings writing: 'Check what Putin do with my city.'

The influencer has been met with praise and love since sharing the videos - with many joking she had 'perfect humour'.

Valeria is one of many Ukrainians taking to social media following the Russian invasion of Ukraine - which has been described as the 'first war fought on TikTok '.

Valeria is sharing the shelter with her parents (pictured) - she joked her mum is cooking and her dad calls her a 'pig'

'Imagine students watching this in a history class one day,' said one.

Another added: 'Gen Z really the same everywhere.'

'The way you manage to be so funny despite going through chaos.' added one.

'Wow. Love your sense of humour during a unreal time,' added another.

Valeria is one of many Ukrainians taking to social media following the Russian invasion of Ukraine - which has been described as the 'first war fought on TikTok '.

Social media used by President Zelensky and ordinary Ukrainians to expose the brutality of the conflict - but also by pro-Kremlin propagandists to spread disinformation.

The Chinese-owned app, previously dominated by dancing and lip-syncing videos, has proven itself particularly suited to covering the conflict, with its simple editing software allowing users to share footage within seconds of it being filmed - before being shown to millions of young users via its powerful algorithm.

President Zelensky has made substantial use of social media videos to broadcast to the outside world - often while walking around the streets of Kyiv. In a recent video, on February 26, he slammed 'fake information' that he was telling the army to lay down its weapons, while last week he filmed himself alongside his Cabinet to counter Russian claims he had fled.

Although these videos are usually posted onto Twitter, they are then shared by TikTok users and go on to spread rapidly through the platform.
Russian forces announce ceasefire from 0700 GMT, Ukraine ready to discuss "non-NATO models"

Xinhua) 09:39, March 08, 2022

KIEV/MOSCOW, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The Russian armed forces announced a ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors in four Ukrainian cities starting 10 a.m. Moscow time (0700 GMT) on Monday, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Taking into account the "catastrophic humanitarian situation and its sharp aggravation in Kiev, Kharkov, Sumy and Mariupol," the decision was made at the personal request of French President Emmanuel Macron to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the ministry said in a statement.

Russia has published evacuation routes from the four Ukrainian cities, and reported the information to the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, according to the ministry.

Moscow demands that the Ukrainian side establish all the conditions for the creation of humanitarian corridors and ensure an organized withdrawal of civilians and foreign citizens, it said.

Since Russia announced a special military operation against Ukraine 12 days ago, the two sides have had two rounds of negotiations in neighboring Belarus in search of a solution to the crisis, with no clear breakthrough in the first one and an agreement to open a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians during the second one on Thursday.

On Sunday, Ukraine said it was ready to discuss "some non-NATO models."

"We are ready to discuss some non-NATO models ... We are open to discuss such things in a broader circle, not only in bilateral discussions with Russia, but also with other partners," David Arakhamia, member of the Ukrainian delegation for talks with Russia, told Fox News.

Arakhamia said NATO countries are not ready to discuss having Ukraine in the organization.

"The response that we are getting from the NATO countries is that they are not ready to even discuss having us in NATO, not for the closest period of five or 10 years. We would not fight for the NATO applications, we would fight for the result, but not for the process," said Arakhamia.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday that his country is ready for dialogue with the Ukrainian authorities and foreign partners to resolve the conflict.

Putin made the remarks in a phone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during which the Russian president also expressed the hope that the representatives of Ukraine will take a more constructive approach during the planned next round of negotiations.

Putin also held a phone conversation with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, on Sunday.

During the conversation, the two heads of state discussed the evacuation of civilians. Putin also informed the French president about the current state of the Russia-Ukraine talks, expressing readiness to "continue the dialogue under Kiev's unconditional compliance with Russia's known demands."

Also on Sunday, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that Kiev was urgently covering up traces of a military biological program carried out in Ukraine and funded by the Pentagon, according to RT.

"We have received documentation from employees of Ukrainian biolaboratories on the emergency destruction on February 24 of especially dangerous pathogens of plague, anthrax, tularemia, cholera and other deadly diseases," RT quoted a statement from the ministry as saying.

However, RT said it could not "independently verify the authenticity of these documents."

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
A Labour councillor has apologised for telling a father who expressed concern over how his daughter would pay steep energy price hikes that her family of five should 'wear jumpers'.

Lynne Troughton, a councillor in Hackney, responded to a tweet by artist Courtney Wilding that said his daughter and her partner would struggle to pay British Gas bills that he predicted might soar to 700-a-month.

The response from Troughton, who was elected in the King's Park ward in May 2021, drew criticism on social media, after she told Wilding his daughter would simply have to 'economise' to counter significant rises in energy prices.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has catapulted the price of gas and oil upwards to record levels with British households warned that they could soon be paying more than 3,000-a-year to heat their homes.

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Lynne Troughton, a Labour councillor in Hackney, told Courtney Wilding his daughter's potential 700-a-month British Gas bills could be countered by 'economising', saying: 'Wear jumpers. It's fine'

Artist Courtney Wilding expressed his frustration at rising gas prices affecting his daughter's family-of- - experts have predicted British households could soon face 3,000-a-year bills

Wilding wrote on Friday: 'My daughter has three young children to bring up, clothe and feed.

'British Gas has told her and her partner their combined gas elec direct debit will go from 196 per month to 498 now and in October they anticipate it to be 700pm. WTAF! BG profits have soared by 44%'

Troughton replied: 'She needs to start using less. We are 4 adults and combined bill only 275. We economise. Wear jumpers. It's fine.'

The tweet sparked a backlash on the social media site, with many saying Troughton was unsympathetic.

@formerlyknow barbed: 'Last night it was minus 6 so we had to put the heating, don't worry, everything is fine, because instead of a breakfast this morning my two children and I have put on nice warm jumpers.'

Some defended her comments though; @carmic3 said: 'Lynne says her bill for a family of 4 is just 275 per month. What on earth is the other one doing to merit paying 700 a month?'

Others shared their own experience of rising gas prices. @Serenavdm added: 'Mine is now 313 a month. Heating never on past 18 and rarely on as we dress warmly. mum and disabled daughter only. Sockets turned off, lights off etc.'

The Labour MP, who was voted to represent responded to Wilding's concern saying: 'We are 4 adults and combined bill only 275' - critics said Troughton's tweet was 'disappointing'

Lock in: Experts are urging customers to keep an eye out for competitive fixed deals amid fears the Russian-Ukraine conflict could drive prices higher

The Labour Councillor, who voted Remain, has since posted an apology, saying: 'I am sincerely sorry for any offence caused by my tweet about someone's energy bill being 700.

'I mistook the original tweet as referring to someone with high energy consumption, without realising that their bill had increased from 198. I will check more thoroughly in future.'

Many weren't convinced by the apology though. @obs1971 wrote: 'Really? The original tweet actually seems quite unambiguous. Your reply seems to be both patronising and callous.'

@ThomasKGSlinger wrote: 'Check more thoroughly = read the tweet. This is disappointing from a Labour MP. We are scared that we can't afford to live, afford to keep our kids warm, but what? Wear a bl**** jumper?'
A British mother who rescued her friend's children from Ukraine is 'living in terror they'll be taken away' because they do not have the correct paperwork.

Jo Cope, 35, from Chelmsford, was given legal guardianship of children Anna, 15, Sasha, 14, Aleks, eight, for up to 12 months by their parents in order to escape the war zone.

She had received a text from their parents last week asking to bring the children to safety, and without hesitation booked the first flight she could to meet them at the Polish border.

After days spent crossing the border, the mother-of-three was told the government would not be able to provide the children with the necessary paperwork to enter the UK.

While the children are safely back at Jo's Essex home, the mother is terrified they'll will be sent back to Ukraine, where their village has been left in ruins.

Appearing on ITV's This Morning today, she said: 'I am just living in terror that they're going to get taken from me or anything like that.

Jo Cope, 35, from Chelmsford, was given legal guardianship of children Anna, 15, Sasha, 14, Aleks, eight, for up to 12 months by their parents in order to escape the war zone

'I just wanted them in my house where they know my kids and me and then they can deal with their emotions, however that's going to happen.

'On the move continually for them is not healthy, I know what's best for them emotionally and waiting and waiting is not good. I promised their parents I would keep them safe.'

Jo met the children and their parents through the Chernobyl Childrens Lifeline Charity (CCLC) programme, which she has been taking part in every year since 2016.

As Russian forces encroached in November, Jo was in constant contact with the family and said she would offer any help she could.

'As I was watching the Russians coming towards the borders I was in contact with the family a lot, asking them if they were safe. They were all positive, all fine', she explained.

'Then I was at work on a night shift on the Thursday when the first shelling began. I was continually in contact with them throughout the night and the dad, he sent a message saying "If this gets really bad, will you be able to take the children?".

She had received a text from their parents last week asking to bring the children to safety, and without hesitation booked the first flight she could to meet them at the Polish border

Shortly after their correspondence, Sasha messaged Jo to say the family weren't safe anymore. She contacted the teenager's father, who told her they would be moving to another location.

By 4am on Friday morning, Jo had booked a flight from Luton to Lublin, a Polish city near the Ukrainian border to collect the three children.

After arriving in Poland at 9.30pm, she travelled 250km by Uber to the border crossing near Hrebenne, where she had arranged to meet the children.

However the family, who were travelling 300 miles across the country, had been held up behind thousands of cars and were forced to walk 14km towards another border.

Because men are not allowed to leave the country, their father had to stop at their first checkpoint. Their mother was able to take them a little further, but they had to travel across the border alone.

Stuck in the middle of the crossing, the children weren't able to find Jo, who wasn't able to cross the border into Ukraine to find them with a British passport.

Polish police were helping Jo by charging her phone and giving her food and drink before she eventually found the children - carrying a small rucksack, their birth certificates and the document assigning Jo as their guardian.

While the children are safely back at Jo's Essex home, the mother is terrified they'll will be sent back to Ukraine and appeared on ITV's This Morning today to share her story

The group travelled to Warsaw where they stayed with a friend of Jo's in a hotel and she booked flights to Dublin via Lisbon.

From the airport Jo phoned the Home Office, who told her to leave the airport and go back to the embassy, from there travelling to Romania or Moldova, Slovakia.

Jo was told that despite being named legal guardian by the children's parents, there were no visa applications that fit her situation because they are not blood relatives.

'At that point they were exhausted,' said Jo. 'They had been travelling for days and days I wasn't about to pull them out of the airport and go to an embassy where I knew there wasn't a visa option for us.

'What I don't understand is their parents have given me guardianship, so why am I not considered family?'

They took the flight to Lisbon, where she was initially unable to board the plane. However, she was eventually allowed after staff phoned Irish border control and asked whether they would allow her through.

Jo was told that despite being named legal guardian by the children's parents, there were no Visa applications that fit her situation because they weren't blood relatives

Appearing on ITV today she told hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield she said: 'I am just living in terror that they're going to get taken from me or anything like that'

When they arrived in Dublin, Irish border control staff welcomed her, with Jo explaining: 'They said we could stay there for three years.'

'At that point it was looking like I could be stuck in Dublin for some time, and I have three children at home, I have a job.'

From Dublin, the group travelled to Northern Ireland where they got a ferry to Scotland and drove back to Essex.

A government spokesperson told the programme: 'Last week we introduced a new sponsorship route which will allow Ukrainians with no family ties be allowed to be sponsored to come to the UK.

'This is alongside our Ukraine family scheme which has already seen thousands of people apply as well as changes to visas so people can stay safely in the UK.

'The routes we have put in place as well as extensive engagement with Ukrainian partners, rapidly moving complex picture as the situation develops we will continue to keep our support under constant review.'
Clarence House and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge published tribute to Her Majesty, 95, on International Women's Day

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall have posted a touching series of images from Her Majesty's reign paying tribute to the Queen on International Women's Day.

The royals' two Instagram accounts simultaneously posted the photos this morning, celebrating Her Majesty in her Platinum Jubilee year and thanking her for 'inspiring a nation'.

The message, which addressed the Queen as 'Mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and Head of Stat', included a series of eight images from different decades of her reign - including one of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh surrounded by their great grandchildren taken before Prince Philip's death at the age of 99 in 2021.

International Women's Day, this year on March 8th, marks a global day when the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women are celebrated.

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Clarence House and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge published a photo tribute to Her Majesty, 95, on International Women's Day - publishing simultaneously. It included this photograph of the Queen at Sandringham House earlier this year as she marked the start of her Platinum Jubilee Year

Choosing photos from across the decades of the Queen's reign, the photo series included pictures of Her Majesty in her twenties

The message read: 'In this very special #PlatinumJubilee year, we celebrate Her Majesty The Queen and her historic 70 years of service on #IWD2022.'

It continued: 'Mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and Head of State, The Queens extraordinary reign has been longer than any other monarch in British history - inspiring a nation and dedicating her life to the service of the Commonwealth and its people.'

While the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge all feature in the social media montage, the image that will resonate for many is the photo of the Queen and the late Prince Philip as 'doting and proud' great-grandparents.

The family photograph, taken at Balmoral Castle in 2018 by the Duchess of Cambridge, shows the Queen and the Duke sitting alongside seven of their great-grandchildren, with the 'relaxed' monarch holding a then-baby Prince Louis in her arms.

The Instagram accounts shared this photo, taken at Balmoral Castle in 2018 by the Duchess of Cambridge, which sees the Queen and the late Duke of Edinburgh sitting alongside seven of their great-grandchildren, with the 'relaxed' monarch holding a then-baby Prince Louis in her arms

Another photo saw the Queen in a stylish Erdem coat in lime green - alongside Kate and William - at her annual visit to the Chelsea Flower Show in London in May 2019

Another image sees the Queen in one of her happiest places - visiting the Chelsea Flower Show alongside Kate and William in May 2019.

The Queen wore a stylish Erdem coat in lime green for her annual visit to the Royal Horticultural Society's London show.

And there's more broad smiles in an image of Her Majesty and the Duchess of Cornwall sharing a joke during a visit to Dumfries House in Scotland in 2014.

A photo of Her Majesty greeting well-wishers during her Silver Jubilee in 1977 was also included, and one taken earlier this year at Windsor Castle to mark the beginning of the Platinum Jubilee Year.

The post praised the Queen for 'dedicating her life to the service of the Commonwealth and its people' and shared this photo of Her Majesty greeting well-wishers during her Silver Jubilee in 1977

Respect: The Queen pictured walking next to troops in traditional attire in Scotland during a visit north of the border to Balmoral

Prince Charles shared this tender moment with his mother from a polo match during the heir-to-the-throne's younger years

The photo montage showed the Queen's lighter side, sharing a moment with Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall during a visit to Dumfries House, Scotland in 2014

Dedication: Her Majesty received Mr Trudeau - who is in the UK for talks on the war in Ukraine with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte - inside the Oak Room at Windsor Castle

The Queen appeared to show her solidarity with Ukraine as she stood in front of a vase of blue and yellow flowers during meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

The Royal Family's Platinum Jubilee tour The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will visit the Republic of Ireland from Wednesday 23rd to Friday 25th March 2022. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas from 19th to 26th March 2022. The Earl and Countess of Wessex will visit Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines from Friday 22nd to Monday 28th April 2022. The Princess Royal will visit Papua New Guinea from Monday 11th to Wednesday 13th April 2022. Advertisement

It's been a busy week for the monarch, as she resumed in-person engagements since catching Covid last month.

The Queen showed her solidarity with Ukraine as she stood in front of a large bouquet of blue and yellow flowers as she welcomed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Windsor Castle on Monday.

Her Majesty received Mr Trudeau - who is in the UK for talks on the war in Ukraine with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte - inside the Oak Room at Windsor Castle today.

During the visit, the monarch, who is also Queen of Canada, stood in front of a bouquet of blue and yellow flowers - the colours of the Ukrainian flag - in what appeared to be a subtle display of the royal's support with the war-ravaged country.

The subtle tribute comes just days after the Queen reportedly made a 'generous donation' to the Disasters Emergency Committee's Ukraine appeal.

The palace did not announce the donation and declined to say how much was given but the charity publicly thanked the monarch on social media earlier this month.
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Steve Jobs' youngest daughter, Eve, has launched herself into the public eye with a budding modeling career that has seen her step firmly into the spotlight - and this week saw the 23-year-old sign her debut contract with agency DNA Model Management.

But while the youngest Jobs sibling is enjoying her brush with fashion fame, what has happened to the late Apple founder's other three children - all of whom were taught from a young age that they would have to work their own way up in the world, both professionally and financially, without relying on their father's vast wealth.

In fact, when Steve died of pancreatic cancer cancer in 2011 at age 56, he left the bulk of his wealth to his wife Laurene Powell-Jobs, who is said to have received almost all of the estimated $10.5 billion that he was worth at the time of his passing.

As for his children, Steve - like many tech entrepreneur billionaires - said that he did not want to leave them with a fortune to rely on, with his wife revealing in a 2020 interview with the New York Times that both she and her late husband were firmly against the idea of 'legacy wealth building'.

Instead, the couple were determined that their children would learn to work for their own money, with Laurene explaining that Steve's fortune would 'end with her'.

'I inherited my wealth from my husband, who didnt care about the accumulation of wealth,' she told the publication. 'Im not interested in legacy wealth building, and my children know that... Steve wasnt interested in that. If I live long enough, it ends with me.'

Where are Steve Jobs' kids now? FEMAIL uncovered what his children are up to these days - including model daughter Eve (left), political son Reed (center), private daughter Erin (right), and author daughter Lisa Brennan-Jobs (not pictured)

Steve - who was the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple - welcomed his first child, Lisa, in 1978 with high school sweetheart Christann Brennan (left). He then married Laurene Powell in 1991 (right), and together, they welcomed three kids

He died of pancreatic cancer cancer in 2011 at age 56 - but what are his offspring doing now? While Erin (left) and Reed (center) mostly stay out of the spotlight, Lisa (not pictured) and Eve (right) have opted for much more public lifestyles

Lisa (pictured right in 2006) went on to pen her own memoir, while Erin (center) studied architecture at Tulane University. Eve (left) was recently signed to DNA Model Management, and Reed (not pictured) works in cancer research

Steve married businesswoman Laurene Powell in 1991, and together, they welcomed three kids over the years - daughters Eve and Erin in 1998 and 1995, and a son named Reed in 1991.

In light of Eve's newly-achieved modeling credential, FEMAIL has uncovered what her siblings are up to now - from her politically-minded brother, Reed, to her author half-sister, Lisa - who was rejected by her dad for the first nine-years of her life.

Steve - who was the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple, and also helped to launch animation studio Pixar in 1986 - welcomed his first child, Lisa Brennan-Jobs, in 1978 with his high school sweetheart, Christann Brennan.

However, for almost a decade he insisted that she was not his daughter, despite a DNA test proving that he was indeed her dad.

Eventually, Steve admitted that he was Lisa's father and after abuse and neglect allegations were made against her mom, he took her in. Together, the family lived in Palo Alto, California, for many years.

So what are the Jobs children doing to forge their own way in the world? While Erin and Reed mostly stay out of the spotlight, Lisa and Eve have opted for much more public lifestyles.

From their careers and accomplishments to their love lives and scandals, here's what we know about the four Jobs kids.

Lisa Brennan-Jobs: How Steve's first born daughter, who was rejected by the Apple founder for almost a decade, went on to become a famous author

Steve denied paternity of Lisa up until she was age nine. Years later, after he left Apple, he finally admitted that he was indeed Lisa's father and reconciled with her and her mom. Lisa and Steve are pictured together during her childhood

Lisa later said that her mom was 'negligent and abusive,' so she went to live with her dad, his new wife, Laurene, and their kids after the reconciliation. She also legally changed her last name to Brennan-Jobs. She is pictured in 1989 with Steve

Lisa was born on May 17, 1978, in Portland, Oregon, which means she is currently 43 years old.

Her mother, Christann, and her father, Steve, first met when they both attended high school together in 1972. They dated on-and-off for five years and in 1977, they moved into a house together with their friend Daniel Kottke.

Lisa - a Harvard graduate - released a memoir, called Small Fry, in 2018, where she wrote all about her childhood, and she depicted many negative memories with her dad

It was during that time that Christann became pregnant with Lisa. However, Steve wanted nothing to do with the pregnancy - which led to Christann ending their relationship and moving to the All One Farm commune in Oregon.

Steve was not there during Lisa's birth but he did come and visit Christann and the newborn three days after. It was reported that he then named one of the original Apple computers after her, which was called the Apple Lisa.

However, he publicly denied the paternity for several years, and at the time, he even claimed that the Apple Lisa wasn't named after her at all, stating that Lisa stood for 'Local Integrated System Architecture.'

Christann pursued a legal case to prove that Steve was in fact Lisa's dad, but even after a DNA test showed that he was, he still repudiated it.

Years later, after he left Apple and when Lisa was nine, he finally admitted that he was indeed Lisa's father and reconciled with both Lisa and her mom.

In her 2013 memoir, Christann wrote that 'he apologized many times over for his behavior' to her and Lisa, and 'said that he never took responsibility when he should have, and that he was sorry.'

Lisa later said that her mom was 'negligent and abusive,' so she went to live with her dad, his new wife, Laurene, and their kids after the reconciliation. She also legally changed her last name to Brennan-Jobs.

She released a memoir, called Small Fry, in 2018, where she wrote all about her childhood, and she depicted many negative memories with her dad and Laurene.

The New York Times wrote while discussing her book, 'She is made to wash the dishes by hand each night (Steve refuses to repair the broken dishwasher), to sleep in a chilly room (he also refuses to repair the heater), and to serve as an on-call babysitter for her brother.'

Lisa also claimed that Steve started having a sexual encounter with Laurene in front of her once when she was still a child, writing that he was 'pulling [Laurene] in to a kiss, moving his hand closer to her breasts,' while 'moaning theatrically.'

When she tried to leave, she recalled her dad saying to her, 'Stay here. Were having a family moment. Its important that you try to be part of this family.'

Lisa is now married to a man named Bill, and together, they have one son. They reside in Brooklyn, New York, and Lisa is also raising Bill's two daughters from a previous relationship

After its release, Laurene said in a statement, 'Lisa is part of our family, so it was with sadness that we read her book, which differs dramatically from our memories of those times.

'The portrayal of Steve is not the husband and father we knew. Steve loved Lisa, and he regretted that he was not the father he should have been during her early childhood.

'It was a great comfort to Steve to have Lisa home with all of us during the last days of his life, and we are all grateful for the years we spent together as a family.'

Lisa attended Harvard University and spent one year studying overseas at King's College London, before she graduated in 2000. After finishing school, she moved to Manhattan to work as a writer, and has since wrote for magazines like Vogue, and O, The Oprah Magazine.

According to Fortune Magazine, after Steve died in 2011, he left her a multi-million dollar inheritance. He was worth a reported $10.8 billion at the time of death - most of which was inherited by his wife, Laurene, but it's been said that Lisa also got a big chunk of it.

Lisa is now married to a man named Bill, and together, they have one son. They reside in Brooklyn, New York, and Lisa is also raising Bill's two daughters from a previous relationship.

She has an Instagram account, where she often shares photos of food, and a Twitter, where she has racked up almost 10,000 followers.

Reed Paul Jobs: Son who has dedicated his life to trying to find a cancer cure, and reportedly aspires to be a politician

After graduating from Stanford University with a degree in Masters of Arts in 2015, Reed then started working at Emerson Collective. He now serves as the managing director there, and aids in cancer research. He is pictured with sister Eve

Steve's second child, Reed, now 30, was born on September 22, 1991.

His mom Laurene gave birth to him just a few months after her wedding to Steve. It's been said that he was named after Reed College, which Steve briefly attended for one semester before dropping out in 1972. It's also been reported that his middle name was chosen to honor Steve's adopted father.

Reed has reportedly been studying cancer treatment since high school, and even did his senior report on the subject.

After high school, he attended Stanford University, and graduated with a degree in Masters of Arts in 2015.

He then started working at Emerson Collective - a for-profit corporation started by his mom, which focuses on education, immigration reform, the environment, media and journalism, and health - and he now serves as the managing director there, where he aids in cancer research and treatment.

'I believe that human cells will always have a risk of becoming cancerous. In that sense, we won't ever have a cure for cancer,' he wrote in 2018 during a Q&A for the company. 'But the problem with cancer, to me, is that it kills you. So I define success as diminishing the mortality of cancer.

In February 2022, Puck News reported that Reed, 30, was considering running for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's seat, who is expected to retire at the end of her current term. However, Emerson Collective later shut these rumors down

'Cancer is currently treated after disease manifestation, in that we often don't treat it until it reveals itself as an illness. But in the future, I believe your potential for getting sick from cancer will be something that you'll be able to track and keep in check.

'If doctors can intervene earlier across the board to combat cancer, I believe we will see commensurately lower mortality.'

In February 2022, Puck News reported that Reed was considering running for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's seat, who is expected to retire at the end of her current term.

'The 30-year-old Jobs loves politics, and he has long told people that he is definitely interested in running for something down the line, according to people who have talked with him,' the outlet reported.

However, Emerson Collective later shut these rumors down, saying in a statement, 'Reed has absolutely no plans to run for Congress and is solely focused on his work here at Emerson.'

He has no social media accounts, but he can be found on LinkedIn. He currently lives in San Francisco, California.

Erin Siena Jobs: Apple founder's fiercely private daughter with architectural aspirations, who struggled to get her father's attention as a child

Erin is the most private of the Jobs' children - and she hardly posts on social media and generally stays out of the spotlight. She is pictured with a friend in 2014

According to Walter Issacson's book, entitled Steve Jobs, Erin, now 26, once admitted to not getting much attention from her dad when she was growing up. She is pictured in 2013 (left) and 2012 (right)

It has been reported that she studied architecture at Tulane University. Her Facebook account states that she is currently living in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is pictured in 2012

Erin - Steve's third child and second daughter - was born on August 19, 1995, which means she is currently 26 years old.

She is the most private of the Jobs' children - and she hardly posts on social media and generally stays out of the spotlight.

It has been reported that she studied architecture at Tulane University.

Her Facebook account - which only has four pictures - states that she is currently living in New Orleans, Louisiana.

According to Walter Issacson's book, entitled Steve Jobs, she admitted to not getting much attention from her dad when she was growing up.

'He does his best to be both a father and CEO of Apple, and he juggles those pretty well.

'Sometimes I wish I had more of his attention, but I know the work hes doing is very important and I think its really cool, so I am fine. I dont need more attention,' she told him.

Eve Jobs: The model who has taken the fashion industry by storm, even strutting the catwalks at Paris Fashion Week

Eve shared the news that she had been signed to DNA Model Management via Instagram earlier this week, writing, 'Now represented by @dnamodels,' alongside a Polaroid-style photo of herself

In September 2021, she made her runway debut at Paris Fashion Week while walking in the Coperni runway show (left). She was also seen attending the Louis Vuitton Womenswear Fall/Winter 2022/2023 show on Monday (right)

Eve was born on July 9, 1998, which means she is currently 23 years old.

Eve has been in the modeling industry since September 2021, when she made her runway debut at Paris Fashion Week while walking in the Coperni show.

Besides her budding modeling career, she is also an experienced equestrian and earned the number five out of the 1,000 best riders under the age of 25 spot in 2019. She is pictured riding in 2021

She has also been previously featured in Glossier's holiday campaign, where she modeled alongside Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney.

Most recently, she was seen attending the Louis Vuitton Womenswear Fall/Winter 2022/2023 show on Monday, as part of Paris Fashion Week.

She shared the news that she had been signed to DNA Model Management via Instagram earlier this week, writing, 'Now represented by @dnamodels,' alongside a Polaroid-style photo of herself.

Eve appears to be in expert hands, as the company also represents big names such as Doutzen Kroes, Emily Ratajkowski, and Kaia Gerber.

Besides her budding modeling career, she is also an experienced equestrian and was named Show Jumping Hall of Fame 'Rider of the Month' in March 2017. She also earned the number five spot out of the 1,000 best riders under the age of 25 in 2019.

In 2016, her mother bought a $15 million ranch in Wellington, Florida, where she frequently trains with her horse Chill RZ. She has competed in show jumping competitions all around the globe, including events in the Hamptons, Lexington, Kentucky, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

'It took me a long time to figure out how to balance friends, school, and riding, but through the years I figured out the best way to make it all work is to prioritize what is most important to you,' she said in a 2016 interview.

Despite her father leaving behind a large fortune following his death in 2011, Eve (and the rest of the kids, aside from Lisa) reportedly hasn't inherited a penny, because her mother stated that the family doesn't believe in 'the accumulation of wealth.'

In 2016, her mother bought a $15 million ranch in Wellington, Florida, where she frequently trains with her horse Chill RZ. She is pictured with her mom in 2021

Eve (pictured in 2021) has competed in show jumping competitions all around the globe, including events in the Hamptons, Lexington, Kentucky, Canada, and the United Kingdom

Eve (pictured in 2021) graduated from Stanford University and was previously linked to a fellow equestrian - Mexican show jumper and University of Miami business student Eugenio Garza Perez, according to the Latin Times

She told the New York Times in 2013: 'I inherited my wealth from my husband, who didn't care about the accumulation of wealth.'

'I'm not interested in legacy wealth buildings, and my children know that. Steve wasn't interested in that. If I live long enough, it ends with me.'

Eve graduated from Stanford University and was previously linked to a fellow equestrian - Mexican show jumper and University of Miami business student Eugenio Garza Perez, according to the Latin Times.

News hit the web that they were dating in 2017, although, it's unclear whether or not they're still together.
Prince Harry is 'in regular contact with Prince Charles' but his relationship with Prince William 'has not recovered since Oprah interview', a royal expert has claimed.

The Duke of Sussex, 38, is currently living with the Duchess, 40, in their $14 million mansion in California having stepped back from royal duty last year.

Camilla Tominey has now questioned 'what Harry and Meghan Markle have actually been doing' since leaving life as senior royals last year, stating there has been 'little evidence of a global wave of service' sparked by the couple.

Meanwhile she also noted Prince Harry's relationship with his family has barely improved over the last year, writing in The Telegraph: 'While Prince Charles is thought to be in regular contact with his youngest son, Harry's relationship with William has still not recovered from Oprah, after he suggested both his father and his brother felt 'trapped' in the Royal family.'

Prince Harry is 'in regular contact with Prince Charles' but his relationship with Prince William 'has not recovered since Oprah interview', Camilla Tominey claimed

The Duke of Sussex, 38, is currently living with the Duchess, 40, in their $14 million mansion in California having stepped back from royal duty last year

The pair are said to have had an 'incredibly strained' relationship after two years of rows over Harry's wife and her alleged treatment of staff, the couple's decision to emigrate to America and the tonnes of 'truth bombs' the Sussexes have dropped in TV interviews watched by tens of millions of people around the world.

One source told Camilla: 'As the Queen has always said, [Prince Harry and Meghan] remain much loved members of the family but it's not been easy.

'It's hard enough for any family to get along but when such intimate details are made public on prime time TV? It's difficult to put that genie back in the bottle.'

Meanwhile insiders also revealed how the Duke and Duchess live an extremely 'quiet and private' life in their celebrity enclave of Montecito.

Harry and William are said to have had an 'incredibly strained' relationship after two years of rows (pictured in 2019)

They said the pair had barely been seen leaving the property during the last 18 months, and have rarely been seen in town.

One neighbour, who had lived near the couple's mega mansion for decades, explained they had never seen them out-and-about.

They said: 'I've only ever seen their security; no sightings of them on their road at all. I used to walk that mile every night.'

Camilla's comments come after another royal expert claimed The Queen is 'desperate' to see her great-granddaughter Lilibet in person.

The Queen (pictured last month) is 'desperate' to see her great-granddaughter Lilibet in person, a royal expert has claimed

Royal author Brian Hoey, who has written extensively about the royal family, told The Express that the monarch, 95, is very keen to meet the nine-months-old daughter of Prince Harry and Meghan in the flesh.

So far, it is believed the Queen, who celebrates her Platinum Jubilee this year, has only met her 11th granddaughter, who is yet to travel to the UK, via video link.

The remarks come as Prince Harry brings a legal challenge against the Home Office after being told he would no longer be given the 'same degree' of personal protective security when visiting from the US, despite offering to pay for it himself.

The royal wants to bring his children to visit from across the Atlantic, but 'does not feel safe' when visiting under the current security arrangements, the High Court was previously told.

Lilibet, nine months, is named after her great-grandmother. The couple have been very private about their daughter since her birth in June and have only shared one picture of her on their Christmas card, above

Mr Hoey said: 'I have heard from people I know within the Royal Household, she really would desperately like to see the baby in this way.

'I think she would love to, I wonder whether it is going to happen, I would love to think it could,' he added.

The expert said he believes that a meeting between the Queen and the newest member of the Sussex family would heal the reported rift between Harry and the other senior royals.

He added that Her Majesty would welcome Prince Harry and Meghan back if they were to visit the UK with their children.
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A stunning new superyacht has been compared to an ocean-going New York penthouse.

The impressive vessel, named The Phathom 60m, was designed by the Dutch design firm Phathom Studio, and features luxury loft-style open plan living and a three-storey glass atrium.

It also boasts a two-level owner's apartment, sun terraces and its very own 'beach club' with a swimming pool.

A tender boat can be stored in the pool thanks to a clever crane fixture.

The Dutch design firm said a client commissioned them to create a compact version of one of their largest yacht designs.

The impressive vessel, named The Phathom 60m, was designed by the Dutch design firm Phathom Studio, and features luxury loft-style open plan living and a three-storey glass atrium

The stunning superyacht also boasts a two-level owner's apartment which looks over the open plan living space, surrounded by sun terraces overlooking the sea

'This concept began with an interested client who requested to see the Phathom 80m scaled down to a length of 60m,' they said.

'Like her larger predecessor, the 60m benefits from an unconventional layout sharing some similar features, while offering a new level of onboard enjoyment.

'This is most notable in the transforming pool deck - having an industry first beach club adjoining pool that encourages interaction between swimmers and guests seeking shade,' they went on.

The firm explained that the yacht's beach club is equipped to house a tender, and that the swimming pool can turn into an additional tender of more than 7 meters when it's underway and not in use.

The impressive open plan living space is surrounded by comfortable sofas and art deco lights. It also comes with a built-in bar in granite as well as contemporary art with a nod to the Dutch design (right) in the form of an abstract version of Vermeer's Girl With The Pearl Earring

The yacht, which is a compact version of its 80-metre long sisiter, hosts sunken sun terraces so that guests can enjoy the sun but shelter from the wind

The top deck of the yacht, which boast a stylish terrace and patio area, perfect for entertaining, looks over the stunning three-storey glass atrium

It's not the only 'trail-blazing' feature on the ship the firm is proud about.

'Another trail-blazing feature is an indoor-outdoor 3-level atrium originating from the aft main deck and extending upwards to the sundeck where it is capped-off by a glass floor.

'This feature not only serves to offer cross-sectional views of the yacht but also floods the interior with natural light.

One of the lobby's central features is a floating staircase that winds outboard as it ascends against a multi-level window and offer an incomparable view of the sea and the coastline

The yacht has several lounges and includes a penthouse-style study area for the owner, looking over a large window, and beneficiating from a generous-sized library and seating area for reading and relaxing

The glass atrium, which boasts round corner and spans the yacht's three stories, bathes all three levels of the vessel in light and makes it seem even bigger

The beautiful ship's atrium is at the back, overlooking the beach club, left. At the front, guests can enjoy a patio area. There are several terraces located on all level of the yacht

'Quite apparent in this concept is the abundant and daring application of glass in the superstructure,' the designers said. 'A three-level central lobby features a floating staircase that winds outboard as it ascends against a multi-level window.

'The sun deck features a structural glass floor doubling as the skylight for the indoor-outdoor atrium.

'Finally, the sundeck conservatory is enveloped in UV protectant glass and features an informal outdoor galley, and a panoramic gym/spa with impressive 4-deck high vistas.

'In keeping with the ethos of the 80m, the 60 boasts an open-concept two-level owner's apartment with upper-level sleeping area, lower-level lounge and study, all with breath-taking forward-facing views of the private foredeck with protected pool.

'Automotive and dynamic, the 60m's exterior styling stands apart with its interweaving of glass and superstructure elements with the intention to impress without overbearing on its surroundings.'

Who needs the beach when you have a yacht? The impressive vessels comes with its own swimming pool, with a patio-style deck leading to the lounge through sliding glass doors

The interior of the superyacht is designed to be homely and luxurious, with cream furnishing, several bars with leather stools and large bay windows over-looking the waves

A general view of the ship, with its sun deck, which features a structural glass floor doubling as the skylight for the indoor-outdoor atrium.

The sundeck conservatory is enveloped in UV protectant glass and features an informal outdoor galley, and a panoramic gym/spa with impressive 4-deck high vistas.

The study is accessible via a beautiful floating staircase in marble leading to the owner's private quarters. The interior of the ship will be decorated in neutral, earthy tones

A look at the beach club, which leads to the pool through the glass atrium. The beach club can either be used with its walls up to provide shade, or, its sides can be opened up to gain more space

The superyacht is equipped with a clever crane designer, which can be used to store a boat in a tender in the pool when it is not in use

Pictured: the superyacht is full of clever features, and the sides of the beach club are retractable. When the pool is in used, they can come down to optimise space. When the pool is not being used, they can fold up
The Duchess of Cornwall came face to face with her younger self as she met the actress who portrayed her in royal drama The Crown.

Camilla, 74, met Emerald Fennell, who played the duchess in the fourth season of the Netflix series, as she hosted a reception to mark International Women's Day at Clarence House.

While the show's controversial fourth series was said to have ruffled feathers within the Royal Family, the duchess seemed delighted to meet her television double.

Fennell, 36, admitted she was nervous about meeting the royal, but was quick to compliment Camilla on her 'grace and good humour' throughout her time in the public eye.

And it seems Camilla took the meeting in good spirits too, joking that it was 'reassuring to know that, if I should fall off my perch at any moment, my fictional alter ego is here to take over', according to The Telegraph.

Among the other guests at the event was singer Mel B, broadcaster Emma Barnett and Inna Prystailo, wife of Ukraine's ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko.

The Duchess of Cornwall came face to face with her younger self as she met the actress who portrayed her in royal drama The Crown, Emerald Fennell

Among the other guests at the event was singer Mel B, who in true Scary Spice fashion donned a leopard print dress

Inna Prystailo, wife of Ukraine's ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, also joined guests at the event

While the show's controversial fourth series was said to have ruffled feathers within the Royal Family, the duchess seemed delighted to meet her television double.

The actress said about their encounter: 'It was absolutely delightful. She is such an impressive person, it was fittingly nice to meet her today on International Women's Day because she does so much for so many particularly female-centred charities.

'I was nervous I might be thrown in the tower but so far so good.'

On Camilla, she added: 'She's been in the spotlight for a long time and has always weathered it with a lot of grace and good humour.'

The duchess and the actress chatted for a few minutes but when asked about the conversation Fennell remained tight-lipped and replied with a smile: 'You know what - I'm going to be very discreet, because if I've learnt anything it's 'loose lips sink ships'.

Camilla was typically polished in a structured blue dress adorned with gold buttons , paired with black tights and matching boots

Meanwhile, actress Fennell was the picture of elegance in a chic white double breasted blazer paired with matching tailored trousers

The duchess, who is president of the Women of the World Festival, and the actress chatted for a few minutes at the event and seemed to be getting along well

Camilla welcomed Fennell along with other leading women from the arts, politics and business to celebrate International Women's Day

Guests including the Crown actress Fennell appeared in good spirits at the Clarence House reception this afternoon

The fourth series of The Crown, detailing events of 1977 to 1990, shows Prince Charles meeting and marrying an innocent Diana while maintaining his affair with the then-married Camilla Parker-Bowles

Camilla was typically polished in a structured blue dress adorned with gold buttons , paired with black tights and matching boots.

Meanwhile, actress Fennell was the picture of elegance in a chic white double breasted blazer paired with matching tailored trousers.

She teamed the oversized quit with a quirky handbag by Italian fashion house Maison Schiaparelli, statement gold earrings and a chunky matching necklace.

The fourth series of The Crown, detailing events of 1977 to 1990, shows Prince Charles meeting and marrying an innocent Diana while maintaining his affair with the then-married Camilla Parker-Bowles.

Promising Young Woman director Fennell previously expressed her shock at reports that Camilla watches the royal drama, admitting it's 'nerve-wracking' to know the royal could see her portrayal.

Camilla posed with broadcaster and author Emma Barnett during the reception to mark International Women's Day today

The Duchess posed with Shadow Chancellor Angela Rayner during the reception to mark International Women's Day at Clarence House

The Duchess was seen chatting with MP Angela Rayner at the International Women's Day's event this afternoon

Prystailo, who last week was comforted by the duchess, gave a moving speech about the plight of women in her homeland as the Russian invasion continues

Camilla, president of the Women of the World Festival being staged this weekend, met with leading women from the arts, politics and business to celebrate International Women's Day

Camilla is the president of the Women of the World Festival being staged this weekend and sat down with guests at the event to mark International Women's Day

Camilla seemed in high spirits as she sat down with guests at the reception to mark International Women's Day this afternoon

According to Vanity Fair, the duchess had watched previous seasons of the Netflix series and had no qualms about watching the fourth season ahead of its release in 2020.

An insider told the publication: 'I imagine she'll be tuning in with a glass of red wine to watch it... She has a wonderful sense of humor and this won't fuss her in the slightest.'

Camilla welcomed Fennell along with other leading women from the arts, politics and business to celebrate International Women's Day.

She met with members of Team ExtraOARdinary, who rowed their 23-foot boat 'Dolly Parton' 3,000 miles from La Gomera in the Canaries to English Harbour in Antigua in 42 days, seven hours and 17 minutes.

The impressive journey raised money for cancer charities Macmillan, Cancer Research UK and the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.

Prystailo, who last week was comforted by the duchess, gave a moving speech about the plight of women in her homeland as the Russian invasion continues.

The Duchess of Cornwall met with members of Team ExtraOARdinary at Clarence House this afternoon

Members of Team ExtraOARdinary Kat Cordiner, Abby Johnston and Charlotte Irving were in great spirits as they raised a glass during their meet with Camilla

Team ExtraOARdinary is made up of Kat Cordiner, Abby Johnston and Charlotte Irving and they were joined by Tim Christian at this afternoon's event

The Duchess of Cornwall met with members of Team ExtraOARdinary - Charlotte Irving, Abby Johnston and Kat Cordiner- at Clarence House this afternoon

The Duchess of Cornwall met with members of Team ExtraOARdinary at Clarence House this afternoon

The Duchess of Cornwall, hosts Kat Cordiner, Abby Johnston and Charlotte Irving, members of rowing 'Team ExtraOARdinary', at Clarence House

Pictured, L-R; Abby Johnston, Charlotte Irving, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Kat Cordiner and Tim Christian during a meeting of members of Team ExtraOARdinary at Clarence House

The Duchess of Cornwall shakes hands with Charlotte Irving during a meeting with members of Team ExtraOARdinary at Clarence House

The Duchess shakes hands with Abby Johnston as she hosted a reception at Clarence House where she met rowing team Team ExtraOARdinary this afternoon

The royal met Kat Cordiner as she hosted a reception at Clarence House where she met rowing team Team ExtraOARdinary this afternoon

Camilla posed with guests of the a reception to mark International Women's Day at Clarence House today

Struggling to hold back tears, she said: 'Today there are no smiles and no peace, just horror and sorrow in the eyes of every Ukrainian woman, mother and wife.'

She added: 'Now we have to count the death toll of our people and watch their frightened, crying children who are forced to flee their native land with their mothers and sisters, leaving their fathers to defend our country.'

Camilla, president of the Women of the World Festival being staged this weekend, said 'vast strides' still need to be taken towards greater equality and told her guests: 'We will need more than 135 years to close the gender gap worldwide.'
A French restaurant called La Maison de la Poutine says that it has been getting insulting calls and even threats from people who have confused the signature dish in its name with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

La Maison de la Poutine, which has locations in Paris and Toulouse, is named for the popular Canadian dish poutine, which is made up of frites, cheese curds, and gravy.

The eatery has no connection to Russia or its ruler, but some very confused and angry callers believe otherwise, prompting La Maison de la Poutine to take a stand on social media last week.

La Maison de la Poutine says that it has been getting insulting calls and even threats from people who have confused the dish name with Russian President Vladimir Putin (stock image)

The French restaurant reminded people on Twitter that they are not affiliated with the Russian leader and revealed they've had insulting and threatening calls

'For the past few days, the Russian dictator, Vladimir Poutine, has been at the center of a chilling news,' the restaurant wrote in a message on Twitter.

'In this context, we received calls of insults and even threats,' the continued.

'It therefore seems necessary to us to remind [people] that the House of Putin is not linked to the Russian regime and its leader.

'Our dish was born in Quebec in the 1950s. And the stories to tell its origin are numerous. But one thing is certain: poutine was created by passionate cooks who wanted to bring joy and comfort to their customers.

'La Maison de la Poutine has worked since its first day to carry on these values and today brings its most sincere support to the Ukrainian people who are courageously fighting for their freedom, against the tyrannical Russian regime,' the concluded.

The restaurant didn't offer more details on the contents of the threatening calls.

Poutine is a popular dish that originated in Quebec and is made from frites, cheese curds, and gravy. Sometimes other toppings are added

The confusion is a bit more easily understood given that the French spelling for the Russian leader's name is different from the English spelling.

In French, his name is, in fact, written as Vladimir Poutine.

As the New York Times explains, Russia uses the 32-letter modern Cyrillic alphabet, in which his name is spelled . Translating it to languages that the 26-letter Roman alphabet  like English and French  is tricky, because the Cyrillic letters don't all have exact Roman letter counterparts.

Speakers of both languages have done their best to approximate the spelling, but have ended up with different results.

La Maison de la Poutine is not the only restaurant trying to distance itself from the Russian ruler.

A Quebec restaurant called Le Roy Jucep  which is regarded as the possible birthplace of poutine  announced shortly after the invasion of Ukraine that it would rename its famous dish for the time being.

The French spelling of President Putin's name is also Poutine due to a different translation from the Cyrillic alphabet

'Dear clients,' they wrote on Facebook February 24. 'Tonight the Jucep team decided to temporarily retire the word P**tine from its trademark in order to express, in its own way, its profound dismay over the situation in Ukraine.'

The temporary name would be 'la frite fromage sauce,' or fried cheese and gravy.

'I know what war is and what it means for innocent civilians,' Laurent Proulx, co-owner of the restaurant and a a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, told the New York Times. 'I wanted to make this little gesture to show Ukrainians we are thinking of them.'

However, the Facebook post was removed the next day, with Proulx saying that pro-Russia activists has called and made threats after the announcement.

Elsewhere on social media, exasperated Twitter users are also reminding people that there's a difference between Putin, the leader, and poutine, the dish.

'I need to be very clear about something. Poutine good, Putin bad,' wrote one.

Exasperated Twitter users are also reminding people that there's a difference between Putin, the leader, and poutine, the dish

Another wrote: '#Poutine is a delicious French-Canadian delicacy involving fries, cheese curds, and gravy. It brings joy to anyone who eats it. Vladimir #Putin is a toxically masculine genocidal maniac who brings pain and misery to people. Know the difference!'

'People getting upset at restaurants because they dont understand the difference between poutine and Putin is the latest example of us living in the dumbest timeline,' griped one more.

'Can't believe people are actually mad about Poutine because they think the word sounds/looks like Putin. The depth of the foolishness has no end,' tweeted yet another.

Even the Montreal tourism board has chimed in, sharing a Drake Hotline Bling Meme that shows the star rejecting Putin but approving of poutine.
The Prince of Wales was on hand today to present medals to soldiers following their deployment to Iraq.

Prince Charles, 73, put on a dapper display in a suit, long-line coat and striped tie when visiting the Combermere Barracks in Windsor.

Charles, who has been Colonel of the Welsh Guards since 1975, appeared in excellent spirits as he greeted soldiers from the Prince of Wales Company.

The Prince of Wales was on hand today to present medals to soldiers following their deployment to Iraq

Prince Charles (left), 73, put on a dapper display in a suit, long-line coat and striped tie when visiting the Combermere Barracks in Windsor

The heir to the throne inspected the members while presenting Operation SHADER medals to them.

Operation SHADER is the UKs contribution to the US-led anti Daesh (Islamic State) mission.

Medals are handed to personnel following training missions in Iraq as well as pilots targeting jihadists in the region.

Earlier today, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall posted a touching series of images from Her Majesty's reign paying tribute to the Queen on International Women's Day.

Charles, who has been Colonel of the Welsh Guards since 1975, appeared in excellent spirits as he greeted soldiers from the Prince of Wales Company

The heir to the throne inspected the members while presenting Operation SHADER medals to them

Operation SHADER is the UKs contribution to the US-led anti Daesh (Islamic State) mission. Pictured, Charles speaks with a member of The Guards

The royals' two Instagram accounts simultaneously posted the photos this morning, celebrating Her Majesty in her Platinum Jubilee year and thanking her for 'inspiring a nation'.

The message, which addressed the Queen as 'Mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and Head of State', included a series of eight images from different decades of her reign - including one of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh surrounded by their great grandchildren taken before Prince Philip's death at the age of 99 in 2021.

International Women's Day, this year on March 8th, marks a global day when the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women are celebrated.

The message read: 'In this very special #PlatinumJubilee year, we celebrate Her Majesty The Queen and her historic 70 years of service on #IWD2022.'

Medals are handed to personnel following training missions in Iraq as well as pilots targeting jihadists in the region

Earlier today, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Charles (left) and the Duchess of Cornwall posted a touching series of images from Her Majesty's reign paying tribute to the Queen on International Women's Day

The Prince of Wales was all smiles as he chatted with soldiers and their family members

The Prince of Wales appeared in good spirits as he chatted with soldiers when attending today's event

The heir to the throne opted for a pinstriped suit when attending the event in Windsor today

It continued: 'Mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and Head of State, The Queens extraordinary reign has been longer than any other monarch in British history - inspiring a nation and dedicating her life to the service of the Commonwealth and its people.'

While the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge all feature in the social media montage, the image that will resonate for many is the photo of the Queen and the late Prince Philip as 'doting and proud' great-grandparents.

The family photograph, taken at Balmoral Castle in 2018 by the Duchess of Cambridge, shows the Queen and the Duke sitting alongside seven of their great-grandchildren, with the 'relaxed' monarch holding a then-baby Prince Louis in her arms.
Products featured in this Mail Best article are independently selected by our shopping writers. If you make a purchase using links on this page, DailyMail.com may earn an affiliate commission.

Even though the days are getting longer and lighter, there's still a chill in the air that means we still need to wear a jacket.

To stay warm, comfortable and cute without over-heating at this time of year, the smart way to do it is to look for a fleece that's snuggly enough to keep us cozy but light enough to fold away when we don't need it any more.

Supermodel Kaia Gerber showed us the perfect way to do it this week wearing the Free People Hit the Slopes jacket made from a cozy but breathable fuzzy fleece fabric.

Free People Hit The Slopes Fleece When she's not strutting down a runway, supermodel Kaia Gerber is an expert in choosing practical and comfortable clothing that also flatters her figure. She has this Free People Hit the Slopes fleece in several colors. The bright blue shade that she wore in Los Angeles for a hike is now sold out but it's still available in navy - for now! With a button-up front and cool zippered pockets, there are more fashion elements on this fleece than you'd find on a fleece from your local outdoors store. Plus, the cropped length means that it will keep you warm without smothering your shape. Shop

Fit: The runway star donned a light blue cropped fleece jacket from Free People for a dog walk with boyfriend Austin Butler in Los Angeles

With a button front, the fleece can be left undone when the weather heats up and done up to the top for maximum warmth on breezy spring days.

Available in 18 different colors, other light options for spring include a yellow Pineapple Punch, coral Sparked and a nude beige Canvas shade.

The Free People fleece worn by Kaia Gerber is available in 18 different shades including this spring-ready shade of Canvas

At $148, the jacket is an investment piece but it will last you for several seasons as it's made from Free People's top quality performance fabric.

Not sure you have more than $100 to spend on a fleece right now? Fear not as we've found some slightly less pricey fleece alternatives.

LL Bean Sweater Fleece Jacket This is the perfect top later for spring with a smooth, rugged sweater-knit exterior and soft, brushed interior for exceptional warmth and comfort. The collar may be worn up or down depending on what the weather throws at you. Shop

Port Authority Value Fleece For a classic take on the beloved zip-up fleece add this exceptionally soft, midweight fleece jacket from Port Authority to your closet. Available at Walmart for a very reasonable $20.99, it's great for all your everyday excursions! Shop

H&M Faux Shearling Jacket For a fashionable and wallet-friendly take on the trend opt for H&M's faux shearling number which costs just $35.99. We love the light blue color and the oversized fit, it looks so snug! Wear with jeans and sneakers. Shop

SHEIN Drop Shoulder Fleece You can always count on SHEIN for a bargain buy and this drop shoulder fleece doesn't disappoint as it costs just $8! We like how it's styled here with white jeans and a black roll-up, it will lift all your everyday looks in an instant. Shop

Forever 21 Fleece Shacket Forever 21 have taken on the trend with a typically cool approach. This reversed fleece shacket is oversized for a cool girl finish. We like the black buttons and the long cut, it's relaxed and would make any outfit pop. Shop




A North Korean patrol boat retreated Tuesday after crossing the western maritime border into South Korean waters to chase a purportedly stray boat, according to military officials here.







The patrol boat crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto inter-Korean maritime border, at 9:49 a.m. as it tracked the other ship that breached the NLL 15 minutes earlier, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.







The South Korean Navy drove the patrol boat back to the North with warning shots and messages, and seized the other ship carrying seven crewmembers, including six wearing military uniforms.







The South has sent messages to the North about the border crossing incident twice thorough commercial and military communication lines, the JCS said.







The seven unarmed North Koreans are said to have no intention of defecting to the South and claim their ship accidentally veered into South Korean waters.







The incident came just a day ahead of South Korea's presidential election and amid renewed tensions over recent North Korean missile launches, including a purported "reconnaissance satellite" development test Saturday. (Yonhap)


Vice President Kamala Harris' stepdaughter, Ella Emhoff, flashed her abs in a cropped jacket on Tuesday while enjoying the last day of Paris Fashion Week.

The 22-year-old  who is the daughter of Harris' husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, and his first wife, Kerstin  attended the Miu Miu fall 2022 ready-to-wear show wearing an outfit by the Italian label.

The budding knitwear designer struck a pose in a light blue cropped moto-inspired jacket and a pair of baggy high-waisted denim logo pants that cinched her waist with a white drawstring.

Ella Emhoff, 22, attended the Miu Miu fall 2022 show on Tuesday during Paris Fashion Week

Vice President Kamala Harris' stepdaughter flashed her abs in a light blue cropped moto-inspired jacket and a pair of baggy high-waisted denim logo pants by the Italian label

The model topped off the look with a white Miu Miu handbag and matching shoes

Her dark curls were worn loose around her shoulders, and she topped off the look with a white Miu Miu handbag, matching shoes, and her signature wire-rimmed glasses.

Actress Vanessa Hudgens and French models Thylane Blondeau and Cindy Bruna were also among the famous faces to attend the show.

Emhoff was launched to fashion fame last year when she wore a Miu Miu tartan coat with crystal-encrusted shoulders and a wide collar over a burgundy Batsheva dress to President Joe Biden's inauguration in January 2021.

The up-and-coming model's latest outing comes just one day after she attended the Stella McCartney fall 2022 show.

Emhoff's curls were worn loose around her shoulders, and she had on her signature wire-rimmed glasses

Actress Vanessa Hudgens and French models Thylane Blondeau and Cindy Bruna (left to right) were also among the famous faces to attend the show

Emhoff's latest outing comes just one day after she attended the Stella McCartney show

The up-and-coming designer modeled a yellow and light blue corset-inspired top that showed a sliver of her stomach, black pants, and a black coat featuring a white faux fur collar

Last Friday, she attended the Loewe show wearing a form-fitting patterned dress

The rising model struck a pose while looking over her left shoulder

Emhoff opted for a sheer striped top and white pants at the Courreges show last Wednesday

She modeled a yellow and light blue corset-inspired top that showed a sliver of her stomach and black pants. She kept warm in a black coat featuring a white faux fur collar and accessorized her look with gold layer necklaces.

Emhoff was also spotted at the Courreges and Loewe fashion shows at the start of Paris Fashion Week.

She is no stranger to the catwalk after becoming a regular fixture in the fashion circuit in the year following the inauguration.

In early 2021, she signed a contract with the modeling agency IMG, made her runway debut at the Proenza Schouler show during New York Fashion Week, and released a knitwear collaboration with Batsheva that sold out in minutes.

Emhoff was launched to fashion fame last year when she wore a Miu Miu tartan coat to President Joe Biden's inauguration in January 2021

The Parsons graduate is pictured with her stepmother, Vice President Kamala Harris (left), and her father, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff (right)

Emhoff's latest venture is her first solo collection, a handmade knitwear line that will be released on her personal website

The 20-piece collection will feature sweaters, scarves, pants, skirts, and accessories

She announced the news on Instagram in January, telling fans to 'mark your calendars' for the launch at the 'end of March/early April'

She also starred in her first Vogue shoot, celebrated her graduation from Parsons School of Design, and made her haute couture runway debut at Balenciaga's show in Paris last year.

Emhoff's latest venture is her first solo collection, a handmade knitwear line that will be released on her personal website.

She announced the news on Instagram in January, telling fans to 'mark your calendars' for the launch at the 'end of March/early April.'

'Im a one-woman show,' Emhoff told Women's Wear Daily of the 20-piece collection, which will feature sweaters, scarves, pants, skirts, and accessories. 'Its been an extreme labor of love.'

'Its cute and as authentic to myself as I can be,' she added.
There was never any chance of embarrassing Partygate snaps leaking out of this place. Thats because all Christmas parties were cancelled.

No one felt much like celebrating anyway, just as no one has been marking last months anniversary here at the Royal Free Hospital in North London.

It is two years since staff began handling Covid-19  long before most of us had started to think about a strange bug emanating from China.

As the first smattering of Covid cases began to surface in the UK, the staff here received their first infected patient on February 9, 2020. Few have chosen to honour the date.

I cant say Ive been baking a cake, says intensive care consultant Amit Adlakha, as he shows me the current state of play on his wards.

I am grimly familiar with the Royal Frees intensive care unit, for it was this time a year back that the Mail was given exclusive access to the very front of the Covid frontline as a rampant and resurgent virus reached its peak.

The day I spent inside here remains engraved on my mind: row after row of unconscious, desperately sick Covid patients hooked up to ventilators and gasping for air.

Cancer surgeon Ravi Barod is pictured above. His first action, after every operation, is to call the next of kin. The pandemic, he says, has shown how communication is absolutely key to managing anxiety levels

Double-gloved, double-masked and taped inside my surgical gown, I went through two sets of hermetically sealed doors and into a sci-fi vision of hell.

It was hard to tell one bed from the next, since the space between each berth had been filled with an extra bed, along with requisite machinery and tubing.

Every few moments I had to press myself against a wall as another trolley came crashing through, bringing in a new case or extracting an old one, the lucky cases bound for a recovery suite, the others for the mortuary.

What had already been one of Britains largest intensive care units had gone from a 42-bed capacity to 95, almost overnight. There was no day or night in this permanently strip-lit disaster zone.

And that was just the scene in intensive care: on all ten floors, almost every unit in this 500-bed hospital was occupied by someone with severe Covid.

I am delighted to report that the Royal Free looks very different today. I return to what had been one of the worst scenes during my last visit and find that it has gone back to its role as a transit area for people emerging from surgery.

What is most striking, though, is the mood. Its not one of fatigue or exasperation, as some politicians and union leaders might claim. Rather, there is the sense of a battle-hardened combat unit gearing up for a new mission as the nation reverts to what passes for normality.

In recent weeks, NHS staff have been digesting two major Government announcements.

What had already been one of Britains largest intensive care units had gone from a 42-bed capacity to 95, almost overnight. There was no day or night in this permanently strip-lit disaster zone. An ambulance is pictured outside the hospital in January 2021

First, that NHS waiting lists are not going down but will inevitably go up before we can return to pre-pandemic norms. But the really big news was the Prime Ministers lifting of all remaining pandemic restrictions  including the need for Covid-carriers to self-isolate.

These announcements have generated much heat and anger in Parliament and the devolved administrations.

Working my way around the Royal Free, however, I find that no one brings up politics at all. Rather, I find a palpable buzz, a strong sense of professional pride and a recognition that priceless lessons have been learned.

My abiding memory of this pandemic has been seeing all the staff doing exceptional things, going the extra mile, says medical director Gillian Smith.

She says that, overall, waiting lists are 25 per cent up on pre-Covid levels, but that the large majority of these cases are non-life threatening. All the urgent cases, including all forms of cancer (and suspected cancer) have always been prioritised.

The problem, she concedes, is one that has emanated further back up the system: more new patients turning up at hospital with more advanced symptoms.

Outside his operating theatre, I find kidney cancer surgeon Ravi Barod, 45, already on the phone to the family of his latest patient.

His first action, after every operation, is to call the next of kin. The pandemic, he says, has shown how communication is absolutely key to managing anxiety levels.

People get really stressed that their operations will be postponed, so we have to keep explaining that they will not be, he says.

At the start, we reorganised with other hospitals, we broke the lists down into high, medium and low risks and we continued operating all the way through.

Thanks to a new system of close monitoring for all low-risk cases, they ensured that clinical outcomes were no different from pre-Covid levels. Not a single one of the low-risk cases came to harm, says Mr Barod.

One simple response to the backlog, he points out, is by upping the number of weekend appointments. In the breast services department, the senior clinician is Debashis Ghosh.

From the start, our view was that Covid will go away but cancer wont, says this unflappable 55-year-old breast and oncoplastic surgeon. After picking up the first warnings about the new virus in 2020, he instantly started making plans, striking a deal with the private King Edward VII Hospital to transfer much of the breast cancer surgery work there.

Not a single cancer operation was stopped, he says. The problem, he says, was a Government guideline curtailing breast reconstruction operations between March and June 2020.

Reconstructions take a lot of time  up to nine hours  and that is where the backlog is, he says. It has caused a lot of suffering, but we are getting there.

Mr Ghosh is untroubled by the removal of all Covid restrictions  We are all going to have to crack on with life at some point  and he is optimistic about getting the waiting list down over time.

We are running Saturday and Sunday lists and money is not an issue. The Government is throwing money at the problem.

However, he remains fearful of one backlog which has yet to emerge: those who failed to come forward during lockdown. Mr Ghosh says they account for a 50 per cent increase in women presenting with late-stage cancers.

Down in intensive care, respiratory consultant Amit Adlakha, 41, takes me to the separate Covid ward, where the extreme cases are isolated.

The doors are covered with Covid warnings and we have to stop at a doffing station to put on extra layers of PPE.

Its not as oppressive as the umpteen layers I had to wear on my last visit, but it still involves a fitted mask, gown and a visor.

Inside, things are positively spacious these days. There are 13 beds in this isolation ward, of which nine are occupied. Except for one, all the patients are unconscious and on ventilators (one of them is only in his 30s).

The most depressing thing about it is that seven of the nine cases are people who, for whatever reason, have not had Covid jabs.

Every patient coming in for elective surgery will be pre-tested for Covid. If they are positive, their treatment will be rearranged.

Some cases, however, simply cannot wait, like those in Eabha Rices cardiology and coronary unit. At 26, she is a senior ward sister with 27 cases, ranging from chest pains to serious heart attacks. Two of her current patients turned out, on arrival, to have Covid and are kept in isolation in separate (en suite) rooms.

I put on PPE to meet one of them, Mohammed Asif, 64, from Kingsbury, North London. He has no Covid symptoms (he has had his jabs) and is alert, busily phoning round his family.

He has nothing but praise for Eabha Rice and the staff now preparing him for a heart bypass operation.

All the patients I meet have been bowled over by the speed with which they have been treated.

In the post-operative section of the high dependency unit, Janet

Huggett, 77, is coming round from surgery to remove suspected cancerous cells from her stomach. Despite Covid, this is her fifth  and most serious  procedure inside a year.

My prayers have been answered, she says, but she is all too aware of the iniquities of the backlog.

My husband has always been fit and he loves his dancing, but hes been waiting for a knee operation for four years. Hes now on crutches and certainly cant dance any more.

Another side-effect of the pandemic is that we, the public, seem to be much more appreciative of the care we do get.

Katharine Hannon, the matron in charge of pre-operative care, has seen a marked change in attitudes.

We used to record a lot of DNAs  did not attend  but now I cant recall the last time it happened, she says.

Before leaving, I am reunited with Sean Carroll in intensive care. One of the Royal Frees longest-serving matrons, he had just taken early retirement when the pandemic kicked in, so he returned to full-time duties.

He has no regrets and says that while Covid has caused unimaginable pain, it has also brought out the very best in most people.

This hospital is immensely proud of its traditions. It was the first hospital to train women doctors and to pioneer countless life-saving medical breakthroughs. And when a bomb hit it in 1944, the Royal Free emerged from the wreckage even stronger. I sense history may be about to repeat itself.
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Covid cases are continuing to crater in the U.S., and even federal health officials that have been among those most conservative in their response to the virus are starting to look towards a life beyond the pandemic.

Daily recorded infections are down another 41 percent over the past week, with the U.S. recording an average of 42,093 cases per day. This is the lowest daily nationwide infection rate recorded since July.

Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told NBC News Monday that she expects Covid to play less of an ever-present role in the lives of Americans in the immediate and longer-term future. Instead, she believes the virus will join the common flu as a seasonal virus that people will need annual injections to manage.

'I do anticipate that this is probably going to be a seasonal virus,' Walensky said.

This would transition Covid from its current pandemic phase into an endemic. Experts believe that every winter there will be an uptick of cases, but like the flu, the infection will be relatively mild for a majority of people. Annual booster shots will likely also be available, like flu shots that become available at pharmacies every fall as well.

The CDC only recommends the residents of counties pictured in orange to wear masks in all indoor, public, spaces. The recommendation applies to 10% of Americans.

That transition is already underway, as the U.S. leaves winter - and the Omicron surge that came with it - behind and moves into spring.

Cases are falling nationwide, with all 50 states recording decreasing case numbers over the past two weeks.

Dr Rochelle Walensky (pictured), director of the CDC, believes that COVID-19 will becoming a seasonal virus similar to the flu

Local leaders are starting to allow their constituents to return to normal as well. Nearly every state in the U.S. has either lifted or relaxed COVID-19 related mandates in recent weeks.

Even cities like New York, Chicago and San Francisco that have had some of the strictest mandates budged in recent weeks.

Federal officials are starting to relax pandemic related orders as well, as the White House and other agencies lay out plans to move past the pandemic this year.

The CDC updated its metrics for determining Covid mask guidance two weeks ago, bringing the share of Americans under an indoor mask recommendation down from 95 percent to 30 percent - before dropping it once again to ten percent last week.

New figures now value hospitalizations strongly, as the CDC has accepted that infections are likely inevitable, even among the vaccinated.

As long as case numbers are not translating into increased strain on the health care system, officials do not worry as much anymore.

The U.S. is currently averaging 37,118 people hospitalized with Covid every day, a 43 percent drop over the past two weeks.

This figure is not quite reliable, though, as it included all people hospitalized while infected, even if they are being treated for another condition.

When unveiling these changed measures, Walensky mentioned that the relaxing of Covid guidelines allowed for health official to maintain the public's trust and bring back the mandates once more when needed.

She reiterated that Covid mandates could come back in the future on Monday.

'I would say put your masks in a drawer, anticipate you may need them again and hope that we don't,' she said.

'We may want to be more vigilant during some seasons... during respiratory season, if things ramped up, we would want to put on our masks again to protect both from flu and from Covid and from all other respiratory diseases.'

Walensky is not the only expert predicting a quiet upcoming months before Covid potentially resurges in the fall and winter months of 2022.

Last week, former Food and Drug Administration Director Dr Scott Gottlieb said that he expects a quiet summer before the virus makes a return this fall.

Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel also said last month that he expects the next COVID-19 booster shot to become necessary in fall, implying there is a risk for the virus to rise once again during that period.

This would mean that America dodges a summer COVID-19 surge for the first time during the pandemic. The first major wave of the virus, after an initial outbreak that caught the world off guard in March 2020, occurred in the weeks following the July 4 holiday in 2020.

A year later, the Delta variant arrived in the U.S. over summer, first causing outbreaks across midwestern states like Missouri and Kansas before erupting nationwide and tearing through the unvaccinated population.

While officials are hopeful this can be avoided this time around, with nearly 90 percent of American adults having received one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine and more than 95 million Americans boosted, CDC officials say they are not letting their guard down.

'This next six months, the next year, will really inform us in terms of what living with this virus is going to look like,' Dr Henry Walke, director of the CDC's Center for Preparedness and Response, told NBC.

'...this virus has surprised us again and again and again... we don't know what the future holds.'

For now, though, Americans are ready to transition into what should be a second consecutive spring dominated by dropping cases and death rates that will put the peak of the Omicron surge in the rearview. Daily Covid deaths are down 28 percent over the past week, with the nation currently averaging 1,409 per day.
Speedy 'no fault' divorces introduced today could make splitting financial assets like pensions fairly more challenging, experts warn.

Couples will be able to get divorced within six months of first applying even if one partner is opposed, and the process will be largely online - including the serving of divorce papers by email - from next month.

Financial settlements will still be dealt with in a separate and parallel process which can continue after the divorce is final.

New rules: Spouses will be able to file for a divorce by email and complete the process in six months - but financial settlements might still take longer

But the new emphasis on haste could undermine the effective sharing of pension wealth at divorce, according to former Pensions Minister Steve Webb and family law barrister Rhys Taylor.

Divorcing spouses may under-estimate the value of pensions, or prioritise issues like childcare, property and more immediate financial security - and some couples might be tempted to sham a divorce to abuse tax rules, they argue jointly here.

The top pension and legal experts point out that financial orders are only made in around one in three divorces, and not all of these orders cover pensions.

They add that research indicates divorced women in particular often end up with very low pensions in retirement, and are concerned the new process could make matters worse.

Splitting pensions fairly in a divorce A free jargon-busting guide launched by a legal charity helps couples divide one of their most valuable assets. Find out more here.

There are three main options when dealing with pensions in a divorce - sharing them on a clean break basis, one partner earmarking some of the income to be paid to an ex-spouse after retirement, and offsetting their value against other assets.

We look at how the divorce law is going to change from today, the potential pitfalls for couples when it comes to splitting financial assets and other issues, and the views of lawyers and financial experts below.

How will getting divorced change?

Under the current law, divorces are only granted if there is an irretrievable breakdown of a marriage.

Either one spouse has to allege 'fault' by the other - like adultery - or provided both parties agree, the couple has to separate for at least two years to show sufficient evidence the split is serious.

From today, couples can get a no fault divorce within six months. One spouse can file, then has 28 days to notify their partner, by email by default plus via a printed confirmation of the email by post.

A conditional order for divorce, currently the 'decree nisi', can be applied for 20 weeks after the first filing, and a final order, currently the decree absolute, can be applied for after 26 weeks.

Divorces will proceed even if one partner is against, provided the right procedures have been followed.

Do you have a question about divorce? Legal experts can answer you on our pages. Questions are published anonymously. Write to us at: experts@thisismoney.co.uk. Please note we will not be able to answer everyone's question. If you need a lawyer, the Law Society has a tool which allows you to find solicitors in your area who specialise in family and divorce issues. If you can't afford a lawyer, we explain ways to reduce, defer or pay your legal fees if you have little or no money here. If you are experiencing abuse, phone the police. You can also contact the National Domestic Violence Helpline for support on 0808 2000 247.

Financial settlements will continue to be dealt with separately, and the Government is still looking at ways to reform this aspect of divorce.

What are the potential pitfalls for divorcing couples?

No fault divorces could cause the following issues, warn Steve Webb and Rhys Taylor.

Divorcing spouses may under-estimate the potential value of pension wealth

'Where one spouse has long service in a defined denefit pension scheme, these pension rights may be worth far more than the family home, but this point may not be well understood,' they say.

'Divorcing couples may be looking for a swift divorce, especially if attempts are being made not to escalate the temperature of poor relationships, and there may be little focus on areas such as pensions which can be complex and technical and require specialist knowledge.

'Especially where children are involved, the party with the lower level of pension wealth (usually the wife) may be more focused on other priorities such as somewhere to live and financial security and support for children and may be less focused on ensuring that pension wealth is properly included in any settlement.'

One spouse might only hear about the divorce just before the first divorce order

'They may be dismayed to discover that there is little or nothing they can do to stop or delay the process if the other partner is insistent on going ahead.

'They will have to deal with a range of practical issues including care of any children, impact on living arrangements and short-term financial support post-divorce.

'They may also be reluctant to raise pension issues for fear of being seen to be "obstructive" or "difficult", in a new system designed to reduce conflict and the need to prove fault.'

Email notifications could cause problems

'The regulations around the new divorce process require service to a "usual" email address, which might be a work email address.

'On a purely human level, for an individual to receive an email (possibly out of the blue) indicating that their spouse wishes to end their marriage could be very distressing, and this may be especially difficult to manage in a workplace environment if the usual email is a work email.

'Many work email accounts are not private and may routinely be read by other people, further reducing the privacy of the entire process.

'An employer may have a legal right to access an employees email account which could mean in some situations something which a party to the divorce wanted to keep entirely private could be known where they work.'

'No fault' divorces offer greater scope for abuse of pension tax relief

'Under current HMRC rules, each member of a couple can enjoy a lifetime allowance of 1,073,100 in pension saving whilst benefiting from pension tax relief.

Should I fake a divorce with my wife so we can split my pension and avoid a tax bill, then remarry her? This is Money columnist Steve Webb periodically receives messages about the viablility of doing this from readers. Steve and lawyer Fiona Wood of McAlister Family Law jointly tackled a reader question about shamming a divorce to halve a pension and dodge tax here.

'But where one spouse has reached their lifetime limit and the other has not, there is no process to transfer unused LTA from one partner in a marriage to the other.

'In the event of a divorce, this situation can change. If pension rights are shared as part of the divorce settlement this will often mean that the spouse with the greater pension wealth transfers some of his or her pension to the spouse with less pension wealth.

'If the spouse with greater pension wealth was previously at the LTA, the situation postdivorce is that he or she now once more has capacity to save into a pension whilst benefiting from tax relief.

'Although current divorce law would in theory allow couples to "max out" on pension tax relief limits as described above, in practice there may be several practical barriers. The quickest way to secure a divorce would be for one party to allege that the other party is "at fault" for the divorce.

'This may not be a pleasant process, especially where children are involved, and it would be necessary for this to be proved to the satisfaction of the court.

'Alternatively, if an irretrievable breakdown is claimed with consent by both parties this could only happen after a two-year separation. In the new system these barriers are greatly reduced.

'One possible scenario is that a couple agree to divorce and "go through the motions" of demonstrating that their relationship has broken down.

'Pensions are then shared, only to be followed by an apparently remarkable reconciliation (and possibly even remarriage) a short period thereafter.

'Very large sums of tax may be dishonestly avoided in this scenario. This strategy is dishonest and may breach the criminal law. It may not, however, be easily detected, save by tipping off to the HMRC.'

Former Pensions Minister Steve Webb, pictured left, is This is Money's agony uncle, while Rhys Taylor, pictured right, has answered many reader questions for us on divorce

Webb and Taylor call on the Government to carry out more research and to monitor the impact of the new divorce rules on dividing assets like pensions, to remove the risk that an 'already flawed system' gets worse.

They are pressing the Ministry of Justice to keep in mind the need for effective prompts or nudges on pensions, and to watch closely the outcomes where people handle their own divorce, either by representing themselves in court or not using the court system at all.

Pension and legal experts join forces Former Pensions Minister Steve Webb is This is Money's pensions agony uncle, and a partner at pension consultant LCP. Rhys Taylor, a barrister at The 36 Group at Grays Inn in London who specialises in pensions on divorce, has answered many reader questions for This is Money He is a member of The Pension Advisory Group which published a good practice guide for lawyers on splitting retirement savings fairly in divorces. The PAG also helped charity Law for Life to produce the free guide for estranged couples needing to sort out their finances in divorce explained above.

'If there is evidence of seriously poor outcomes, [the MoJ] should review the case for the wider provision of legal aid in certain circumstances,' they add.

Webb says: 'One group currently at high risk of retirement poverty is divorced women. In large part this is because relatively little attention is often given at the time of divorce to a financial settlement which gives proper weight to pension wealth.

'It is entirely understandable that divorcing couples focus on other matters, but the risk is that people simply do not understand the value of pensions.

'Whilst there is much to commend the new divorce law, it would be very unfortunate if a by-product was that even fewer divorces were accompanied by a fair sharing of the couples overall wealth, and in particular of pensions.'

Taylor, a family law barrister says: 'I very much welcome the new divorce law, but the family justice system needs to be astute to avoid the law of unintended consequences.

'So often pensions are the last thing anyone really wants to think about, especially on divorce. Care needs to be taken to ensure that the fair distribution of pension wealth on divorce is not overlooked in this brave new era.'

In response to Webb and Taylor's points regarding financial settlements, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: 'This is not a new problem and, in fact, our changes give couples more time to resolve their issues and greater chance of doing so amicably.

'We have committed to further exploring financial provision, including pension sharing, once these changes are in force.'

What does the Government say about the new divorce law The Ministry of Justice gives the following rundown on how the reforms will work. - The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act introduces a 20-week period between the initial petition stage and when the court grants the provisional decree of divorce (the decree nisi). This will provide a meaningful period of reflection and the chance to turn back, or where divorce is inevitable, it will better enable couples to cooperate and make arrangements for the future. - The Government made the decision to keep the Act focused on the core legal process of ending a marriage or civil partnership to ensure that any future change, including around financial provision, would be founded on the revised legal process. - During the Acts passage through Parliament the Government listened to concerns involving financial provisions and the fact that they can drive conflict. We are committed to further exploring financial provision on divorce, including pension sharing, once the Act itself has commenced on April 6. - Couples who wish to divorce can choose to agree about their affairs between themselves or where there is disagreement about how to divide money, property and pensions, the husband or wife may apply to the family court to resolve financial disputes. The court will ultimately may make a financial order or orders setting out how the division of assets is to be carried out. The court has the power to redistribute pension resources between the parties. - The court does not impose a one-size fits all solution and any decision will be based on the individual circumstances of the case. There is no set share of pensions on divorce and any decision to make an order for pension sharing will be taken in the context of the particular case.

What do lawyers say about new 'no fault' divorce?

'We are delighted that the divorce system  unchanged for more than 50 years  will finally be modernised to reflect the society we live in,' says Law Society president I. Stephanie Boyce.

'"No fault" divorce will cut unnecessary conflict from the separation process  allowing couples to move on amicably.

I. Stephanie Boyce: 'No fault divorce will cut unnecessary conflict from the separation process'

'This divorce reform will bring our marriage laws into the 21st century and ensure that, in the future, separating couples and their children do not suffer unnecessary conflict.'

The Law Society declined to comment on the issues raised by Webb and Taylor.

Meanwhile, Fiona Wood, partner at McAlister Family Law, says their concerns highlight the complexity of the law regarding financial settlements on divorce, including pensions which are often a very valuable asset.

'In most cases only those that can afford advice from a solicitor, when they divorce, understand what they are entitled to, particularly when it comes to pensions, and the court order needed to reflect that entitlement,' she says.

'Legal Aid is only available to a very limited few, so many wives, who are often the more financially vulnerable spouse, cannot afford legal advice.

'The new no fault divorce process does nothing to improve this situation. Whether it makes the situation worse we will have to wait and see.'

What can you do to ensure pensions are divided fairly in a divorce?

Fiona Wood: 'In most cases only those that can afford advice from a solicitor, when they divorce, understand what they are entitled to'

Pensions are often neglected in divorce settlements despite their value to both partners.

What happens to the shared home is typically prioritised, for immediate practical reasons, especially if a couple has children.

This is Money recently published a guide with tips on what to do and how to avoid the worst pitfalls when dividing pensions here.

This included the importance of getting financial advice, as well as legal advice, at the outset and not waiting until after a divorce settlement is agreed.

Here are links to other useful guides and features.

How to protect your money when splitting from a partner who caused you financial problems

Ways to build your wealth back and maintain it after a divorce

The 12 ways to reduce, defer or pay your legal fees if you have little or no money

How to get help if you are a victim or survivor of financial abuse by a partner

What practical financial issues should you consider in 'no fault' divorces?

'No-fault divorce could finally mean couples can break up without breaking the bank,' says Sarah Coles, senior personal finance analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.

'But while there are some costs you should be able to cut under the new system, there are others you may not be able to do without.

'No fault divorce enables one or both of you to apply for divorce, and theres no need for any further blame. It means you can save money on needless legal arguments over who was at fault, and focus on coming to sensible agreements about things like care of the children and your finances.

'It also means you may stand a better chance of remaining on good enough terms to agree as much as possible between you, which will help cut the costs of divorce. You could also consider mediation. If you have a reasonably good, and equal, relationship with your ex.

'No-fault divorce could finally mean couples can break up without breaking the bank'

'This brings you together in a room with a single lawyer to thrash out an agreement, which can cut the costs dramatically. Help you may still need.'

But Coles stresses that even if everything is perfectly amicable, you shouldn't rule out getting help from professionals if you have children together, pensions, a property, or significant savings or investments.

In these cases, speaking to a lawyer and a financial adviser are the best ways to protect yourself from an expensive mistake, she says.

'If your spouse has been building up a pension for years, pension specialists are particularly valuable. You should get a pension valuation as part of the financial disclosure, and it may be worth paying an adviser to check the numbers.

'They can also help you pick the most appropriate way to share the pension  whether one person keeps it and trades it against other assets; you split the pension pot into two today; or you agree to share it when its being paid out.'

Coles also warns that one way to cut costs during a divorce is to avoid unnecessary phone calls to your lawyer.

'An awful lot of people spend a fortune on calls to their lawyer, which end up being more about the emotional fallout than legal issues.

'If you need emotional support, its far better to get help from a qualified professional, like a counsellor. Otherwise you risk wasting a fortune on someone with an enormous hourly rate who is unqualified to help with this side of things.'
It is Monday morning at Woolwich library and a middle-aged man is on the verge of tears. He has been struggling to redeem an energy voucher from British Gas for his disabled neighbour and  as power prices surge  he is desperate for help.

Standing at the entrance, near shelves of children's books and computers, you might think he has come to the wrong place.

But this library in South-East London is home to a 'drop-in' energy bill help service which provides vital support to residents.

Energy crisis: Over the past few weeks, suppliers have been hitting households with shock details of their alarming new bills ahead of the 54% price cap hike next month

Britain is facing an unprecedented energy price crisis  with the average bill tipped to top 4,000 later this year.

Over the past few weeks, suppliers have been hitting households with shock details of their alarming new bills ahead of the 54 per cent price cap hike next month.

These price rises have caused fear and panic  with many people struggling to get the answers they need from providers.

Frustrated, customers are turning to local support instead. There are 400 'energy communities' around the country which aim to help customers keep on top of their bills.

The service in Woolwich has been running for nearly a decade but volunteers say demand has never been higher.

And while they once mainly supported low-income families, there is now a wider range of people needing their help.

Charities Age UK and Citizens Advice have also been flooded with pleas for help.

It is an illustration of how hard the energy price crisis is hitting all households.

But it is also a damning indictment of the nation's energy suppliers who are failing to help their customers when they need it most.

In just over three weeks' time on April 1, the energy price cap, set by regulator Ofgem, will rise 54 per cent from 1,277 to 1,971.

Meanwhile, many fixed-rate tariffs currently cost more than 4,000  a stark increase from the 900 average two years ago. And we aren't at the peak of the crisis.

Bill hikes: Many fixed-rate tariffs are set to cost more than 4,000  a stark increase from the 900 average two years ago

The conflict in Ukraine  and the looming threat of Western sanctions being imposed on Russian oil and gas exports  is continuing to push up market prices.

As a result, the cost of natural gas in Europe reached a record high this week. It means the number of fuel-poor households could double in the next year, according to estimates by the National Energy Action.

Yet desperate households say they are struggling to get through to their suppliers on the phone, and cannot understand their bills.

Customers struggle to work out bills and don't know whether to fix Customers are struggling to work out how suppliers have calculated their bills. Some firms have added to the confusion by promoting more expensive fixed tariffs. Scott Byrom, chief executive of the Energy Shop, recently helped his wife's aunt dissect a 17-page bill sent out by her supplier Ovo. He says: 'We are the experts and even we are confused. There is no way the everyday customer can work out what is going on.' Soaring costs have left customers so confused that many have no idea what is a fair price. There have been reports of suppliers sending bills which have later been negotiated down by customers. That is why experts recommend contacting your provider if you think your bills have been hiked unreasonably. Mr Byrom says: 'Customers should be challenging their bills. There is an element of suppliers hiking prices to the extreme to cushion themselves from future increases in costs. 'But we have heard of people getting their bills down by fighting back.' Soaring costs: The average bill has been forecast to top 4,000 later this year but customers are struggling to understand existing bills and whether to fix If you are on a standard variable tariff (SVT), limited by the energy price cap, you should expect to see a rise of 54 per cent. However, your increase could be larger than this if your monthly payments did not cover your energy usage over the past year, meaning you have debt to pay off. Similarly, you will face a bigger hike if you have been on a fixed-rate deal, which has historically been much cheaper than the SVT. But the crisis has all-but wiped out these deals. According to the Energy Shop, there are only three available on the market, ranging from 3,800 per year to 4,172. There was some hope last week when E.On offered one and two-year deals costing around the same as the upcoming price cap. This deal could insure against future hikes  but customers should check the terms. Mr Byrom says: 'If you can find a fixed-rate deal, you need to look out for high exit fees. You don't want to be locked into a deal if prices fall.' For most customers a fix is unlikely to end up economical from 1 April, as they will be locking in at much higher prices than the price cap, but the question is what happens when it rises again in autumn. Fixing now means paying over the odds for at least six months and perhaps an even higher rate than any price cap rise would be. People should therefore be very careful when fixing energy deals right now and choice is very limited. You can see what energy deals are available with This is Money's energy comparison engine with Compare the Market.

We went to see the volunteers in action as they seek to fill the advice void and help households struggling to cope.

Giovanna Speciale, 50, had the idea to set up a community group to help residents better understand and reduce their energy bills back in 2014.

She was concerned about rising rates of fuel poverty in South-East London and wanted to educate those struggling with their bills about how they could heat their homes more efficiently.

Eight years on, even she could not have predicted what a lifeline the service would become.

'Demand has doubled in the last few months,' she says. 'We did 286 one-to-one appointments in January and February.

'There are six advisers working for us and they all have a waiting list of around 30 people.'

South-East London Community Energy (Selce) is not the only organisation shouldering the weight of customers' distress. A similar group in Plymouth says its caseload has grown by 650 new households.

Energised: Giovanna Speciale has been offering support in London

Citizens Advice issued a 'red alert' as they found more people needing one-to-one support than at any point during the pandemic.

In January alone, more than 270,000 people sought their help. The trend, they say, is being driven by rocketing energy bills.

Age UK has also expressed alarm about how the crisis is impacting the elderly population. Figures from the charity earlier this year showed three-quarters of over 65s are worried about the rising cost of living.

It is clear nobody is immune from soaring bills  and the services which are designed to help are at breaking point.

When I visit, Giovanna is carefully setting up a stall in the chilly entrance of the library.

'There are leaflets on the table along with draught-blockers, which the team hand out. A sign looms overhead saying 'get impartial advice and reduce energy costs'.

I'm told the location is deliberate, as this is where people come to keep warm when they don't want to spend money on heating.

Giovanna is joined by one volunteer  a retired investment banker  and a full-time paid adviser. They are part of an 11-strong team.

The clinic  run ad-hoc across several locations  starts at 10am and lasts until 2.30pm. By the time they're set-up, there are already two women waiting to chat.

One of them hasn't turned her heating on for more than three years due to concerns over cost.

The adviser, Sonia Haddad, looks unsurprised and calmly rings British Gas to ask how they can better support their customer.

Her job mainly entails liaising with energy suppliers on behalf of vulnerable customers. If they have run up debts, she attempts to negotiate them down.

She, along with the other advisers, also conduct 'home visits' where they check residents' meters are working effectively and that homes are properly insulated.

Sonia is used to dealing with the community's most poor. But recently she's noticed a change.

'I saw a family in their home who were on a good income,' she says.

'Now costs are so high that if you're a mother at home with children you're going to run up bills.'

It is little wonder that tensions are running high at the drop-in.

While I am there, the man trying to redeem vouchers for his neighbour gets into a tense war of words with British Gas over the phone. Within ten minutes, the customer service team hangs up.

Giovanna is exasperated. She regularly sits in meetings with watchdog Ofgem and has called for minimum requirements for customer service.

The Selce team pays around 300 a year to access a special 'adviser' helpline. This means they should get through to suppliers quicker.

But this is seldom the case as advisers have been left on hold for as long as two hours recently.

The situation is much worse for everyday customers.

Giovanna says: 'Nobody should be on the phone for more than 25 minutes to reach their supplier.

'People end up coming to us instead because they want to be treated like human beings.'

Yesterday, callers ringing British Gas and Scottish Power's customer lines were told they may have to wait for 30 minutes. Meanwhile E.On and EDF both warned customers they faced 'longer waits' than usual.

It hasn't escaped the Selce team's notice that customer service numbers are also increasingly difficult to find on suppliers' websites.

They believe these details are deliberately concealed as suppliers can't cope with the number of customers ringing with concerns.

Instead, they would rather customers use 'live chat' services but many struggle to deal with complicated queries. It means customers are left overwhelmed with nowhere to turn.

When Money Mail checked the websites of major suppliers yesterday, not one advertised its helpline on the homepage.

It took two minutes and 40 seconds to find British Gas's details, which involved scrolling through pages of text. By contrast, it took 23 seconds to find Octopus's contact number, which was one click from the homepage.

Numbers were often buried below invitations to 'live chat' the supplier.

EDF and SSE required customers to answer questionnaires before they revealed the number. SSE asks you to select a topic but if you choose direct debit, a number doesn't appear.

You have to pick 'complaints'. An Ofgem spokesman says suppliers must have customer service systems and processes that are adequate and fit for purpose.

A spokesman for trade body Energy UK says: 'Suppliers will keep doing all they can to help but there is a limit to what they can do in the face of such price rises, which could leave millions more than usual looking for help.

'Nearly 30 suppliers have gone out of business since August and almost all of those left are making substantial losses, so sadly they are not in a position where they can hire extra staff.'

Centrica, which owns British Gas, saw profits more than double to nearly 1 billion last year.

For Giovanna, the crux of the crisis is that customers simply do not understand the energy market.

'People come to us very confused,' she says. 'They don't understand how their bills have become so high when their behaviour hasn't changed.

'Many don't realise what they can get. I'm always telling people to apply for the Warm Homes Discount. I want people to know their options.'

Her colleague Sonia is perhaps a tad more cynical.

'I'm hoping for nice weather,' she says. 'It'll be too expensive for people to heat their homes after April.'

h.kelly@dailymail.co.uk
Britain's biggest accountants have all pulled out of Russia after being blasted for tacitly supporting Vladimir Putins regime.

KPMG and PwC announced they would cut ties with their Russian arms on Sunday, while EY and Deloitte followed suit yesterday.

Critics have now turned their scrutiny to the so-called Magic Circle law firms, which have represented swathes of Russian businesses in recent years.

Feeling the chill: London firms are increasingly shunning Moscow with big name auditors the latest to pull out

One of those leading firms, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, even recently decided to work for sanctions-hit VTB Bank as it tried to sue one of Africas poorest nations, the Mail on Sunday revealed.

Freshfields said on Monday that it had terminated its relationship with VTB, but declined to take any more drastic steps.

A spokesman said: This is a very fast moving situation. We continue to assess the impact on our Moscow office as a matter of priority and will provide further updates as and when appropriate.

As you would expect, one of our top priorities throughout this crisis has been the safety and wellbeing of our colleagues in Moscow.

Altogether, Britains five Magic Circle firms employ more than 150 lawyers in Moscow. Linklaters, which opened its office in the country in 1992, is so far the only one to have fully distanced itself.

It plans to wind down its operations and close the Moscow office, and added that it will not act for any individuals or entities connected to the Russian state.

It had previously advised gas supplier Gazprom on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipeline projects, and worked for oil giant Rosneft

London-based Norton Rose Fulbright, which is not part of the top five elite law firms but is still seen as one of the countrys most prestigious legal groups, also agreed to close its Moscow office.

But others have been slower off the mark. Clifford Chance said in a LinkedIn post that it would not accept new mandates from any Russian state entity, Russian state-owned enterprises or individuals identified as having close connections to President Putin.

The firm added that it would also review existing Russia-related work.

In a similar post, Allen & Overy said it was reviewing our Russia-related portfolio, and as a result we will refuse new instructions and stop all Russia-linked work that goes against our values.

Slaughter and May does not have an office in Russia, has no active clients in the country and said it had done very little work there.

Senior partner Steve Cooke added: We are appalled by the attack on Ukraine by Russia and the human suffering that is occurring as a result.

The disquiet in the boardrooms of Britains City firms comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave lawyers an ominous warning last week.

The legal profession, everybody involved in assisting those who wish to hide money in London and assisting corrupt oligarchs, have been set on notice that their actions are under scrutiny, he told Parliament.

If they break the law, if they undermine the interests of this country and advance the interests of Putins war machine, they will pay a price.

MPs and campaigners had also slammed Britains lucrative professional services industry for continuing to work for Russian businesses  many of which are state-backed.

Former Tory Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: A lot of other companies already have cut ties, and the rest should follow suit. Its time to shut down and time to leave.

State-backed: The Kremlin building seen from Moscow's Red Square. MPs and campaigners had slammed Britains professional services industry for continuing to work for Russian firms

Bill Browder, a financier and campaigner who was instrumental in creating the Magnitsky Act to punish Russian human rights violators, added that Western firms pulling out of Russia would create a terrible environment for businesses in the country  piling further pressure on Putin to end his murderous rampage.

The Big Four auditors  EY, KPMG, PwC and Deloitte  will not shutter their Russian offices, but instead will push them out of their wider global networks.

This means the Russian branches, which together employ around 13,000 staff, will have to operate on their own  backed by their partners.

They will not pay any of their profits to the wider groups, and will not receive any support in matters such as IT or finding new work. They will also have to find new names.

As it cut ties on Sunday, a KPMG spokesman said: KPMG has over 4,500 people in Russia and Belarus, and ending our working relationship with them, many of whom have been a part of KPMG for many decades, is incredibly difficult.

This decision is not about them  it is a consequence of the actions of the Russian government.

Jon Holt, chief executive of KPMG UK, added that the British branch of the audit giant had also terminated a small number of contracts relating to individuals and entities connected to the Russian state.

EY branded the invasion of Ukraine shocking and abhorrent, while Deloitte added: We know our colleagues in Russia and Belarus have no voice in the actions of their government. We will support all impacted colleagues during this transition.
The soaring price of oil could render Western sanctions on Russia ineffective as the booming cost of crude allows the country to rake in billions.

Every $10 increase in oil prices provides an extra 15.2billion ($20billion) for the Kremlins coffers each year, according to an analysis from Elina Ribakova, deputy chief economist at the Institute of International Finance.

Despite imports of Russian oil having collapsed following its invasion of Ukraine, Ribakova estimated that the country could still rake in over 152billion ($200billion) this year.

A 'nodding donkey'-type oil pump in Russia's Tatarstan region. Despite imports of Russian oil having collapsed the country could still rake in over 152bn ($200bn) this year

Around 40 per cent of the 488billion ($640billion) in reserves held by Russias central bank have been frozen by various countries as part of sanctions packages imposed in reaction to Vladimir Putins decision to attack Ukraine.

However, the ability of Russia to keep selling its oil at elevated prices means most of this shortfall, worth around 195billion ($256billion), could be offset by the cash influx.

The situation provides a large loophole for Putin to rebuild his war chest and prop up the Russian economy.

It is also likely to increase calls for a ban on the buying of Russian energy despite resistance from several countries, including the UK and Germany.

Continental Europe relies heavily on Russian gas to keep its lights on, meaning any sanctions on the sector would likely fuel the surge in household energy bills.

Meanwhile, over the weekend, American diplomats flew to Venezuela, the most oil-rich nation in the world, to negotiate the easing of US sanctions in return for higher crude exports.
Under fire: Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder

Lord Barker finally stepped down from En+ following pressure from senior politicians as Russias assault on Ukraine reached its 12th day.

The former climate change minister under David Cameron said he would leave his role as executive chairman at the aluminium company, which was founded by oligarch Oleg Deripaska, after a short handover.

And gold miner Polymetal  one of the biggest Russian firms listed in London  saw an extraordinary board exodus.

Stepping down: Former climate change minister Lord Barker (pictured with David Cameron) is to leave his role as executive chairman at Russian aluminium firm En+

In a terse one-line statement, Polymetal said British chairman Ian Cockerill and all five independent directors had quit en masse. But a slew of Britons and high-profile figures in the West are staying on at Russian firms despite widespread condemnation.

These include former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, ex-London Stock Exchange (LSE) boss Xavier Rolet, Sir Michael Peat and Roger Munnings.

Pressure ramped up last night as politicians and business figures urged anybody left to resign immediately.

Barker, 55, quit after coming under heavy fire from senior politicians such as Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and businessman-turned-campaigner Bill Browder.

Barker had insisted last week he would not resign. But the announcement yesterday follows weekend reports that the company is considering spinning off its international business into a separate group  which it is thought he might lead.

The former MP is also facing calls to be stripped of his peerage, a rare move that has not been enacted since the First World War.

Barker was a businessman before he became a Conservative MP in 2001, developing close relationships with a number of Russian oil companies.

He served as a minister in Camerons government before quitting as an MP in 2015.

Barker had been at En+ since 2017, when he began a PR and lobbying charm offensive for the company that led to the US lifting previous sanctions on the firm.

A number of Britons have already resigned from boards, including James Rutherford from Roman Abramovich-backed steelmaker Evraz and former Tesco director Richard Brasher from food retailer X5 Retail.

Joan MacNaughton, an ex-civil servant who served as deputy chief of staff to Margaret Thatcher, said last week she would leave En+. But another Briton remains on the En+ board.

Carl Hughes, a former Deloitte worker who is a House of Laity member for the Church of England, has yet to resign.

Layla Moran, Liberal Democrat MP and foreign affairs spokesman, said: It is right that Lord Barker has stood down from this position which had become indefensible in view of Putins horrific invasion of Ukraine.

Last night Roger Barker, director of policy and corporate governance at the Institute of Directors (IoD), said: It is great to see that so many British directors have taken the decision to relinquish their positions on Russian boards.

In support of the fundamental values of freedom and democracy, we suggest that all remaining directors should rethink their involvement in governance roles in the Russian economy.

The IoD last week said it was untenable for Britons to be on Russian boards, in an unusual intervention for the business body.

Financier and anti-Russia campaigner Bill Browder said: Anybody who hasnt stepped down is effectively compromising our national security for their own personal financial interests. In order to stop Putin it needs to be economically isolated.
A conservative Christian beauty queen plunged to her death from an upscale Miami condo building after taking a mystery cannabis substance and suffering a 'breakdown,' DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal.

Zoe Sozo Bethel, the 2021 winner of Miss Alabama for America Strong, began 'acting strange' before she ran at 'full speed' towards a third-floor balcony railing, according to police.

Zoe, who has a five-year-old daughter, was overheard praying in the seconds before her February 10 fall and an eyewitness told officers she saw the 27-year-old jump.

However Zoe's brother contradicted that account of her final moments, insisting in a police interview that his sister did not see the railing and simply slammed into it and toppled over accidentally.

Zoe Sozo Bethel, 27, who represented the Cotton State in the 2021 pageant, died of head injuries last month after falling from a balcony in Miami

DailyMail.com can now reveal that the beauty queen plunged to her death after taking a mystery substance and suffering a 'breakdown'

A police report obtained by DailyMail.com reveals that Zoe took an 'unknown amount of unknown suspected narcotics' while she was at a restaurant with her brother, Santiago Roman (left). One account states that Zoe was on the phone to another of her brothers, Zion Lemuel Bethel, in the seconds before her fall.

Tragic Zoe, an aspiring media personality from Loxley, Alabama, was in a coma for more than a week before her family announced she had succumbed to devastating brain injuries.

Cops ruled out foul play and investigated her death as a suicide attempt before later determining it was a 'tragic accident'.

Zoe's family also pushed back against suggestions she would have meant to kill herself, insisting in a statement that the 'devout believer in Jesus' would still be alive 'if she had a choice.'

A police report obtained by DailyMail.com reveals that Zoe took an 'unknown amount of unknown suspected narcotics' while she was at a restaurant with her brother, Santiago Roman.

'The victim ingested a small amount of the substance. Mr Roman asked what's that substance and she replied that it was a form of cannabis that helps her relax given to her by a friend,' the report states.

The pair headed back to Roman's apartment at the seven-story La Piazza Navona condo building in Miami's waterfront Edgewater neighborhood where Zoe complained she was feeling hot.

According to police, she began 'acting strange' before she ran at 'full speed' towards a third-floor balcony railing

A police report reveals that Zoe took an 'unknown amount of unknown suspected narcotics' while she was at a restaurant with her brother

'Mr. Roman stated that the victim was not aware of the balcony railing in front of her. The victim's bottom part of her body hit the railing and she fell over, landing on the first-floor parking lot,' the police report states

'The victim took off her clothing and went to take a shower. Mr. Roman stated that even after taking a shower the victim was still not feeling well and began acting very strange,' the report goes on.

'Mr. Roman went into the bedroom to blow up the air mattress where the victim had been sleeping on while visiting him from out of town.

'While Mr. Roman was in the bedroom, he heard the door to the apartment open. Mr. Roman then went out and observed the victim walking near the elevator.

'Mr. Roman called out the victim's name to tell her to get back inside. The victim looked back and took off running full speed straight ahead.

'Mr. Roman stated that the victim was not aware of the balcony railing in front of her. The victim's bottom part of her body hit the railing and she fell over, landing on the first-floor parking lot.

'Mr. Roman ran down to the first-floor parking lot and observed the victim bleeding from the head and nose.'

The police report states that a female bystander witnessed the plunge from the parking lot and dialed 911.

'The caller stated there was a female having a breakdown from possibly taking too much narcotics. The 911 caller also stated that the female had jumped off the balcony,' it states.

The police report, entered by Miami Police Department Officer Jose Gutierrez, features two different narratives which are somewhat contradictory.

A second account states that Roman said Zoe was 'acting erratically pacing back and forth' before he 'observed SR [Zoe] jump off the 3rd floor of the building.'

This account states that Zoe was on the phone to another of her brothers, Zion Lemuel Bethel, in the seconds before her fall.

He told cops his sister 'was sounding distressed and at one point started to pray before she jumped,' according to the document.

The report also states that 16.9 grams of an 'unknown type' drug was recovered from the scene.

The beauty queen leaves behind her five-year-old daughter

Her family launched a fundraising appeal on social media but eight days later announced that the young mom, who had appeared as a political commentator on the Pro-Trump Right Side Broadcasting Network, had died due to 'severe damage to her brain/brainstem'

Bethel's brother posted this photo from the hospital in Miami before she died

First responders found Zoe laying 'injured and unresponsive' in the parking lot and she was rushed to the hospital and placed on life support.

Her family launched a fundraising appeal on social media but eight days later announced that the young mom, who had appeared as a political commentator on the Pro-Trump Right Side Broadcasting Network, had died due to 'severe damage to her brain/brainstem'.

'At a young age Zoe Bethel was taught to stand up for the truth and to never be apologetic,' her loved-ones said in a statement.

'She was a devout believer in Jesus Christ and was a strong conservative who was very patriotic. She loved God and valued her life as well as the lives of those around her.

'She was growing and becoming more successful each year of her life, and she was only just beginning. And if she had a choice, she would still be here with us today.'

The Miami Police Department has not charged anyone in connection with Zoe's death.

'The preliminary investigation revealed that the victim fell out of a third-floor window,' the department said in a statement.

'She was transported by Miami Fire Rescue to Jackson Memorial Hospital in critical condition.

'On Friday, February 18, 2022 at 5:24 a.m., Zoe Sozo Bethel succumbed to her injuries. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner ruled the cause of death as 'Blunt Force Trauma' and the manner of death is 'Accidental'.

'This was a tragic accident, and no foul play is suspected.'

Zoe had worked for the anti-abortion group Students for Life and the conservative whistleblower site, Project Veritas, that aims to expose liberal bias in media reporting.

Zoe Sozo Bethel, shown with Donald Trump Jr., was a political commentator for RBSN, a conservative media company

Zoe's family also pushed back against suggestions she would have meant to kill herself, insisting in a statement that the 'devout believer in Jesus' would still be alive 'if she had a choice'

Last December she joined pro-life campaigners at the Mississippi Supreme Court during arguments over a new law limiting abortion to the first 15 weeks of pregnancy.

'Today we are praying for VICTORY for those without a voice in overturning Roe vs Wade,' she posted on Facebook, an issue she said was very personal to her.

'I decided to choose life over terminating the innocent life God blessed me with (My daughter),' she wrote. 'No matter how bad the situation may be, choosing LIFE is always the right choice.'

Zoe's support for Donald Trump once got her fired from a 2018 modeling gig after she posted a photo of herself with the former President.

Atlanta-based Ursula Wiedmann Models said they would no longer work with her because of her 'racist political connections,' according to Fox 5.

'I had no warning at all that my contract was going to be released because of my political views,' Bethel told the station.

'I was very insulted because she associated me with being a racist. We need to respect each of our views. We are not going to agree on the same thing.'
A grieving family has recalled how a young Indigenous woman with a rare heart condition was sent home multiple times by the local hospital with Panadol before she died weeks later.

Multiple investigations have been launched into the health service in the remote community of Doomadgee in Queensland's far north, where three women with rheumatic heart disease died within 12 months in 2019-20.

The rare disease is almost unheard of among white Australians but affects more than 5,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, mostly in remote communities.

Yvette 'Betty' Booth, 18, was diagnosed with a severe case of RHD in July 2019, which required urgent surgery.

Ms Booth died two months later, despite a dozen visits to Doomadgee Hospital desperately seeking treatment for her deteriorating symptoms.

Her heartbroken family have slammed the health system that failed Betty - amid accusations of racism.

Yvette 'Betty' Booth (pictured) tragically died from rheumatic heart disease in 2019

They have spoken out in the hope another preventable tragedy doesn't occur.

'It broke both of our hearts,' relative Marilyn Haala told ABC's Four Corners.

'Still today, talking about it. Because what they did there, they just going to keep killing people.'

'[It feels] like they treat us like animals. They going to keep killing them. And get away with it.'

Betty's sister Denise has since been diagnosed with RHD.

The family claimed the local area health service promised an independent review into her death but didn't hear anything for almost two years.

When they finally received the report from the Area Health Service, they were shocked to find it dated March 2020 17 months before, which catalogued a series of failures preceding Ms Booth's death.

The 'Betty's Story' report revealed damning revelations about the hospital, which included 'clinical risk and poor governance', low expectations for Aboriginal patients' health, and an unwelcoming environment.

It also revealed hospital staff had a 'limited understanding of rheumatic heart disease'.

'[It feels] like they treat us like animals,' Ms Haala claimed.

The family's claims of racism and a failed health system have been backed up by clinicians.

Marilyn Haala and her husband Clennon Bob slammed the health system that failed their cousin Betty Booth

The incidence of RHD in children in Doomadgee is 4,400 cases in 100,000, higher than sub-Saharan Africa, according to the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation.

'If that was a white kid in middle-class Sydney, there'd be an uproar,' NACCHO boss Pat Turner said.

'But it's not a white kid. It's an Aboriginal kid living in the bush.

'Does that child deserve any less than a white kid living in middle-class Sydney?'

Ms Booth was supposed to receive weekly check-ups and urgent surgery following her RHD diagnosis.

She would instead visit the hospital's emergency department a dozen times over the the next two months seeking treatment.

Several days after she was diagnosed with RHD, Ms Booth made the first of multiple late night trips to the hospital suffering a cough, fever and vomiting.

She was given Panadol through a locked after-hours security window and told to come back the next day.

No record of her illness was ever kept on the hospital's file.

On September 23, 2019 a seriously ill Ms Booth made her 12th presentation to the hospital, where her condition quickly deteriorated.

'She was sick, she just kept coughing  she didn't look good,' Ms Haala said

'She was struggling to breathe.'

Because there was no record of her RHD on the hospital's file, it was several hours before staff agreed she needed to be airlifted to a large hospital and ordered a plane from Townsville 1,156kms away, despite Mount Isa being closer.

By the time the plane arrived, Ms Booth had died two hours prior.

Betty Booth (pictured) was meant to be airlifted to Townsville Hospital due to her deteriorating condition. The plane arrived in Doomadgee two hours after her death.

Her devastated family had been forced to wait outside, unable to be by her side.

'I was there at the time waiting outside, I wanted to go in and see her,' Ms Booth's cousin Clennon Bob recalled.

'No-one would let me go in, even the nurse or the doctors,' her '[The] doctor that was treating her, came out and gave us the bad news: Betty didn't make it.'

The doctor who initially diagnosed Ms Booth with RHD was well known paediatric cardiologist Bo Remenyi, who was Northern Territory's Australian of year in 2018.

She'd spent the start of her career working in Doomadgee, where she had previously treated Ms Booth as a baby.

She returned to the region in July 2019 to screen children for RHD where she came across Ms Booth, who was also diagnosed.

Dr Remenyi and her team left detailed instructions regarding Ms Booth's treatment, which included weekly check-ups and urgent surgery to repair the valves in her heart.

Three months after their reunion, Dr Remenyi returned for Ms Booth's funeral.

Pat Turner from National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (pictured) said there would be uproar if what happened in Doomadgee occurred in middle class Sydney

Three Aboriginal women with rheumatic heart disease died at Doomadgee Hospital (pictured) in the space of 12 months. Multiple investigations are now underway

'To see Betty, who was a young, enthusiastic, caring, compassionate young woman with a bright future, to see her in a coffin was devastating,' Dr Remenyi said.

'I felt angry that in 20 years, nothing had changed.

'I became a paediatric cardiologist because I wanted to stop young women specifically, dying from rheumatic heart disease.

'When I diagnosed Betty with rheumatic heart disease, I felt like I could change the trajectory of her life. Now, seeing her in a coffin three months later...I felt responsible.'

Daily Mail Australia doesn't suggest Dr Remenyi was any way involved in Ms Booth's death.

Within 12 months of Ms Booth's death, two other young women with RHD died in Doomadgee- teenager Shakaya George, 17, and her aunt, Adele Sandy, 37.

Diagnosed with a rare heart condition, Betty Booth (pictured) was sent home multiple times with Panadol by the local hospital emergency department before she died weeks later

The Queensland coroner has confirmed an inquest into the women's deaths will be held.

North West Hospital and Health Service is also investigating their deaths as part of a separate investigation.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted North West Hospital and Health Service and Queensland Health for comment.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed the women's deaths will also be investigated by the state government.

'The Health Minister has raised this with me. We know there has been some tragic cases and our thoughts are with the families of those loved ones,' she said on Tuesday.

'My advice from the Health Minister is that these cases are currently under investigation by the North West Hospital and Health Service and the coroner.'

Betty Booth was diagnosed with a severe case of RHD in July 2019, which required urgent surgery and weekly check-ups. She died two months later

A recently launched $7.3 million state government plan aims to improve early prevention and care for Aboriginals with the disease.

'The Rheumatic Heart Disease Strategy...includes $2.8 million in specific actions in 10 communities including Doomadgee,' the Premier added.

Health minister Yvette D'Ath told Four Corners: 'All cases are under investigation by North West Hospital and Health Service and I expect to be informed of the findings.

'I would also expect any allegations about the standard of care delivered at Doomadgee Hospital to be investigated.'

The Queensland coroner has now announced an inquest into the three deaths.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Doomadgee Hospital and Queensland Health for comment.
Civic activists hold a rally in front of the Russian embassy in Seoul, March 7, to oppose Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Newsis





Russia has designated South Korea as an "unfriendly" nation after Seoul joined international sanctions against Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine, according to local reports Monday.







The Russian government released a decree that Korea is included on its list of "unfriendly states" that "have carried out unfriendly actions" against Russia, its nationals or entities, Moscow's state news agency TASS reported.







The United States, European Union states, Japan and several other nations that have imposed or joined sanctions against Russia following its attacks on Ukraine were also labeled as unfriendly states subject to restrictions imposed by Moscow.







"Russian citizens and companies as well as the state, regions and municipalities that have obligations in foreign currencies to foreign creditors from the list of unfriendly nations can pay them back in rubles," an executive order signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday showed.






Children of Russian oligarchs should be kicked out of Britain's top public schools to increase the pressure to end the war on Ukraine, some Tory MPs are demanding.

The private schools favoured by super rich Russians like Eton, Westminster and Harrow are 'being used as a weapon by our enemies', one warned.

Boris Johnson is coming under increasing pressure to further restrict the privileged lifestyles of Vladimir Putin's super-rich cronies who have used their wealth to establish a foothold in British society. And that focus is beginning to turn to elite schools.

Conservative MP for Westminster Nickie Aiken told MailOnline: 'I am calling on the Government to not just look at economic sanctions - the children of Russians connected to the Kremlin, who may be in schools in this country, should be sent home to Russia.

The private schools favoured by super rich Russians like Eton (pictured), Westminster and Harrow are 'being used as a weapon by our enemies', Tory MPs have warned

Conservative MP for Westminster Nickie Aiken told Mail Online: 'I am calling on the Government to not just look at economic sanctions - the children of Russians connected to the Kremlin, who may be in schools in this country, should be sent home to Russia'

'These people enjoy lifestyles that their wealth has bought them and many of them have made their wealth or stolen it from the Russian people and their families benefit from their ill-gotten gains.

'Why should the children of Putin's cronies benefit from an education in this country when Ukrainian children are being murdered?

'I think it is very important to separate Russian people from those propping up Putin who are being sanctioned by the British government.

'I absolutely accept that the sins of the parents should not be visited on the children but there are children in the Ukraine cowering in basements in fear for their lives and children who may never see their fathers again.'

She added: 'If the children of Putin's cronies are benefiting from what is seen as a world-class education in our schools, then I think we need to send a clear message about that. The families of the people propping up Putin must also pay a price.'

'It's about telling oligarchs they can't enjoy this lifestyle while the people of Ukraine suffer.'

Tom Tugendhat, chair of the House of Commons foreign affairs committee, has also backed the move.

He said: 'Putin's princelings are enjoying education in the finest places of our country while he destroys Ukrainian schools.'

More than 2,300 Russian children attend Britain's private schools.

Public school fees stood at 13,700 last year but top establishments charge far more.

Parents sending their children to Westminster fork out 43,272 a year on their child's education. Eton charges 44,094 a year.

The Independent Schools Council has advised its members not to take fees from Russian banks or from individuals who have been sanctioned.

But fellow Tory MP Alicia Kearns raised concerns over loopholes in legislation that could be exploited by sanctioned individuals.

She said: 'I'm very aware of the precedent of people with great wealth paying their school fees through shell companies, through alternative organisations, or even with cash.

Tom Tugendhat, chair of the House of Commons foreign affairs committee, has also backed the move. He said: 'Putin's princelings are enjoying education in the finest places of our country while he destroys Ukrainian schools'

It comes as pressure mounts on Boris Johnson to target oligarchs in the UK

'We are now putting financial sanctions in place to cut off these dirty roubles, but my fear is that they are going to be able to play the system easily.

'If these people are happy to sit back and let the children of Ukraine be blown up, they should not have their children at our schools, which they see as a fast-track to Oxbridge.

'Private schools are not competent to monitor for money-laundering, nor should they have to, but they are now being used as a weapon by our enemies.'

Eton College - whose former pupils include the Prime Minister was well as Princes William and Harry - generates fees of just under 850,000 a year from its 17 Russian students.

A spokesman said: 'At this difficult time, the school is ensuring that we provide extensive pastoral support to all boys and staff who are impacted.

'None of our Russian pupils are from families on the sanctions list, and that includes any Russian nationals with places for 2022 or 2023.'

It's estimated that schools could face a potential 31.5m hit from the loss of Russian business.

'Why should the children of Putin's cronies benefit from an education in this country when Ukrainian children are being murdered?' said Conservative MP Nickie Aiken (a pupil pictured outside Harrow School)

But Aiken said: 'There's a whole debate about dirty money in this country, but the dirty money isn't just in our corporate and property sector, it's also in our private school sector.

'If BP and Shell can take a multi-billion pound loss on selling Russian assets - and that is going to affect our pension funds - then this is a small price to pay for our public schools to take action.'

Julie Robinson, chief executive of the Independent Schools Council, said: 'The priority for all schools is the safety, well-being and education of their pupils.

'Sanctions imposed on individuals and Russian banks mean schools must not accept payments of fees from these sources. 'They are encouraged to remain on high alert over suspicious payments and expected to raise suspicious activity reports if they have any concerns over the provenance of the money they are receiving.

'Associations representing independent schools work with government agencies to encourage vigilance against suspicious fee payments and ensure reporting is carried out as required, and the Independent Schools' Bursars Association provides guidance verified by legal experts.'
A man who was allegedly caught looting in Kyiv during the Russian attacks on the city was strapped to a lamp post as punishment.

The images, which were taken in the capital today, show how proud Ukrainian's are fighting back against lawless criminals wanting to take advantage of the ongoing chaos.

They show a man tied to the street furniture in front of an AMIC petrol station, with his trousers pulled down to his knees.

A man can be seen heatedly speaking to the alleged looter, while two police cars can be seen in the background.

This alleged looter has been tied to a lamp post in Kyiv by members of the public looking to fight back against people stealing from supermarkets

There are reported to have been scenes like this across the country, where proud Ukrainians try to fight back against lawlessness

There have been reports of looting in areas across the country since the invasion began, with criminals targeting supermarkets, petrol stations and banks.

While the armed forces have been occupied trying to repel Russian invaders, civilians have taken it upon themselves to try and stamp out the problem.

Pictures and videos have emerged on social media from towns and cities across Ukraine showing similar scenes.

Many show people tied to lamp posts or telephone poles, with some having a cardboard sign denoting they are a looter placed next to them.

Members of the public have been seen shouting and haranguing those who have been caught.

Some have even been beaten and forced to strip naked in the snow, according to The Spectator.

It's not just civilians who have been seen looting in the war-torn country.

Russian soldiers have also been seen raiding supermarkets and banks as they advance further into the country.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said last week that fighting was taking a toll on the morale of Russian soldiers, who 'go into grocery stores and try to find something to eat.'

Video clips shared on social media showed the Russian forces looting towns as they passed.

Some claimed that the Russians who were captured were found with rations on them which had expired in 2015.

Western officials have reportedly said they believe some of the young Russian troops do not want to fight and are sabotaging their vehicles, puncturing the gas tanks.
The trial of ex-con and alleged sex cult leader Larry Ray, 60, begins with jury selection in Manhattan's Federal Court today

The trial of ex-con and alleged sex cult leader Larry Ray begins with jury selection in Manhattan's Federal Court today.

Ray, 60, stands accused of 17 counts including sex-trafficking, extortion, money laundering, violent crime in aid of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy and forced labor in a bizarre case that reaches back more than a decade.

In 2010 Ray - real name Lawrence Grecco  moved into his daughter Talia's dorm room in elite liberal arts establishment, Sarah Lawrence College, just north of New York City.

Fresh out of jail following charges related to a custody battle with his ex-wife, Ray slept on a dorm room couch and, prosecutors allege, set about dominating the lives of a group of his daughter's friends.

According to the state, the convicted conman who has also served time for securities fraud, began a campaign of coercion, abuse and attempts at mind control, forcing more than one student into prostitution to 'repay' the bogus debts he claimed she owed.

He held court in a campus common room, presenting himself as a friend and father-figure. And he used 'therapy' sessions to gain students' trust, convince them they were 'broken' and that only he could 'fix' them.

In September 2010, Ray moved in to his daughter Talia's student apartment in Sarah Lawrence College, New York. They are shown when she was a teenager

Lawrence Ray, who goes by Larry, is shown in a 2016 interview where he described being assaulted by a mafia boss. He is accused of manipulating his daughter's friends by turning them into a cult-like group

Ray is seen in this court sketch at his trial on Monday. Ray pressed his victim into prostitution for at least four years during which he took nearly all her proceeds - over half a million dollars - through force, threats of force, fraud and coercion

That summer he persuaded five students to move into a one-bedroom Upper East Side apartment with him. According to prosecutors, that is when he really flipped the switch.

Using techniques like those employed by Nxivm cult leader Keith Raniere he isolated the students from their families and began amassing compromising material, including videos and photographs, that he then used to extort and control them.

Talia, pictured , had been brainwashed by her father into thinking that she was abused by her mother from a young age, friends say

Among the evidence expected to be presented in court is data gleaned from the 44 hard drives, 37 cellphones, five laptops, four palm pilots, three cameras, seven recording devices and a polygraph machine seized by the FBI from Ray's New Jersey home.

They also discovered Ray's email account containing 200,000 messages and four iCloud accounts of videos, picture and audio files.

According to the federal indictment filed June 2020, 'Over the course of nearly a decade, between in or about 2010 to the present, Ray subjected the Victims to sexual and psychological manipulation and physical abuse.

'Ray extracted false confessions from at least seven Victims that they had caused harm and damage to Ray and to his family members and other associates. Ray leveraged the Victims' false confessions to extort money from the Victims, to force some to perform unpaid manual labor, and to cause one of the female Victims to engage in commercial sex acts for Ray 's financial benefit in New York City and elsewhere.'

He subjected students to hours of interrogation, bombarding them with false allegations of having stolen from him or, even more outlandishly, poisoned him.

Sleep deprived and threatened with physical violence and sexual humiliation the students ultimately broke with many making false confessions that Ray recorded and used to extort them for money, unpaid labor or worse.

For example, the indictment, cites several occasions in which Ray accused male students of having damaged his property. He 'brandished a knife and threatened to dismember Male Victim 1,' if he did not confess.

He held a knife to a second victim's throat and threatened to use it unless he confessed. And on a third occasion he choked out a male student.

According to the indictment, 'Over the course of nearly a decade, Ray subjected the Victims to sexual and psychological manipulation and physical abuse'

Ray would frequently allege damage that amounted to tens of thousands of dollars which he then held over his victims as 'debts' that had to be repaid.

Some drained their parents' savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars, opened lines of credit, solicited loans from friends, sold property or provided Ray with free manual labor.

And, according to investigators, at least one student was coerced into prostitution in order to repay supposed damages to his property and make amends for 'poisoning' him.

This followed 'several years of sexual grooming' by Ray of the victim named only as Female Victim 1 in the indictment, a process that included, 'an occasion while Female Victim 1 and Male Victim 1 were still college students, where RAY directed [them] to engage in sex acts while RAY observed.'

Ray pressed his victim into prostitution for at least four years during which he took nearly all her proceeds - over half a million dollars - through force, threats of force, fraud and coercion.

On one occasion he tied her to a chair in a hotel room, placed a plastic bag over her head and nearly suffocated her telling her to 'behave and focus on paying him more money.'

In an article published by New York Magazine in 2019 some of Ray's accusers detailed the violent and sadistic abuse that they endured.

One male student who was questioning his sexuality described Ray making a garrote out of crushed aluminum foil and twisting it round his genitals.

The young man was also forced to put on a dress and go into the lobby of the apartment building in which they were living. On his return to the apartment Ray gave him a dildo and told him to penetrate himself in front of the group.

Ray is also accused of starving some of his victims by putting a padlock on the refrigerator while forcing them to carry out manual labor at a North Carolina property that he owned.

Ray is accused of starving some of his victims by putting a padlock on the refrigerator while forcing them to carry out manual labor at a North Carolina property that he owned

This is the student housing where Ray lived with the students in 2010. He at first charmed them by cooking them meals and taking them out but soon started controlling them with 'group' therapy and counselling sessions

Isabella Pollok (shown) was Talia's best friend. In 2010, Ray started sleeping in her room, claiming she needed him because she was going through a break-up

Ray's daughter, now 32, has not been charged in connection with her father's alleged crimes but, in a surprise twist, one of the women whom the FBI initially viewed as a victim has since been charged as his co-conspirator and 'lieutenant.'

Isabella Pollok, Ray's daughter's former roommate, will be tried separately but was one of two former students with whom he was living and calling his wife when he was arrested at his New Jersey home on February 11, 2020.

In March 2021 Pollok was charged on 11 counts including extortion, sex trafficking and money laundering. She has claimed that she was just 19 when she met Ray and 'wasn't in a good place' and that 'he started to help me kind of process and make sense of lots of things I just couldn't make sense of.'

Pollok has claimed that Ray quickly began instructing her to have sex with other men.

Yet she has remained loyal to the man whom investigators initially branded her abuser even writing an email to one of his alleged victims, calling her 'vile' and accusing her of attempting to poison five people.

Pollok's trial is slated to begin in July and until then she is free on $100,000 bail.

For his part Ray, who has been denied bail five times, has claimed that he is the innocent victim of a sprawling conspiracy and that his daughter's friends poisoned him at former New York Police Commissioner, Bernie Kerik's direction.

Kerik and Ray met in 1995 and were once close friends - so close that Ray served as best man at Kerik's wedding. Back then Kerik was an NYPD detective.

But in 2000 Ray was indicted as a co-conspirator in a mafia related pump-and-dump scheme. When he reached out to his old friend for help in fighting the charges Kerik snubbed. For Ray it was the beginning of a lifelong enmity.

Ray's defense team is also expected to dig into his accusers' past in a bid to discredit them.

Opening statements will begin directly after the jury has been seated.
Banned levels of ingredients linked to harmful lung diseases such as 'popcorn lung' have been found in nearly a third of vapes sold in Australia.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration found 31 per cent of the 214 e-cigarettes it analysed had chemical concentrations that exceeded the legal limit.

Those substances included the additives vitamin E acetate and diacetyl, which is widely linked to a rare condition called bronchiolitis obliterans that damages the small airways in the lungs.

The disease is nicknamed 'popcorn lung' because diacetyl used to be added to microwave popcorn as a food colouring.

Banned ingredients linked to harmful lung diseases have been found in nearly a third of vapes sold in Australia (file image)

The TGA also found all 190 nicotine vape products it tested broke new labelling rules designed to warn customers of the potential dangers.

A spokesman for the government body said the banned ingredients were known to cause lung damage in the form of bronchiolitis obliterans and EVALI.

EVALI - which stands for e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury - is thought to be caused by vapes containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a psychoactive substance also found in marijuana, and vitamin E acetate.

Federal legislation introduced last October imposed minimum safety standards for nicotine vapes imported from overseas and made warning labels mandatory.

The law also made it illegal to purchase nicotine vapes without a prescription.

The new laws are set to curb the risk of nicotine vaping uptake in young adults, while also allowing current smokers to access the products for smoking cessation, according to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).

There are still two ways prescription holders can obtain nicotine vaping products in Australia; from a pharmacy or importing from overseas websites.

Pictured is an X-ray scan showing the effects of 'popcorn lung' - which has been widely linked to vaping

Pictured is a scan of a teenager's lung believed to be affected by EVALI - a lung injury doctors also say is linked to vape usage

Prescriptions can only be written by one of 80 authorised prescribers, or by a doctor with approval under the TGA's Special Access Scheme B.

An authorised prescriber of nicotine vaping products must be a GP who is registered with the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

Despite disapproval from vaping advocates, the new laws are being supported by The Australian Council on Smoking and Health (ACOSH).

'ACOSH strongly supports any measure that will effectively stem the flow of illegal disposable e-cigarettes into Australia that are being used by an increasing number of children and teenagers,' said Chief Executive Maurice Swanson.

'There is growing concern about the use of e-cigarettes among children and teenagers.'
Russia's invasion of Ukraine could end up boosting the Australian economy as sanctions on Moscow begin to bite.

Before Russia's authoritarian President Vladimir Putin sent the troops across the border, his nation was the world's biggest wheat exporter.

Wheat was only Australia's 16th biggest export, making up just 0.8 per cent, in the 2019-20 financial year, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade data showed.

But with heavy rainfall battering Australia's east coast, farmers are expected to have much better crop yields once the floodwaters receded.

The invasion of Ukraine could end up boosting the Australian economy as sanctions on Russia begin to bite.

AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver said sanctions on Russia meant there would be increased global demand for wheat from alternative markets.

'There's no doubt that Australia will benefit financially from this,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'In the first instance, farmers will see much higher prices.'

Russia and Ukraine before the war together accounted for a quarter of the world's wheat exports, Economist Intelligence Unit figures showed.

Since the invasion, the global price of wheat has surged by 55.6 per cent, from $US8.05 a bushel to $US12.53, climbing above the $US12 mark for the first time since March 2008.

Like Australia, Russia is also a major coal exporter.

Germany, the biggest economy in the European Union, has during the past decade decommissioned its nuclear power plants.

Wheat was only Australia's 16th biggest export in the 2019-20 financial year, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade data showed (pictured is a grain grower from Moree in northern New South Wales)

But with recent heavy rainfall along Australia's east coast, farmers are expected to have much better crop yields. AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver said sanctions on Russia meant there would be increased global demand for wheat from alternative markets (pictured is a GrainCorp silo in Queensland)

This has made it reliant on Russian gas for its winter heating.

But should President Putin turn off the gas to Western Europe, EU nations may have to reopen coal-fired power stations.

'It's conceivable that gas is disrupted. European utilities have to return to alternatives,' Dr Oliver said.

'They may have to go backwards to get coal-fired electricity generation for a time to get their production up.'

Dr Oliver said this would particularly benefit Australian coal exporters.

'Australia may, more likely, benefit from that,' he said.

Like Australia, Russia is also a major coal exporter. But should President Putin do the unthinkable turn off the gas to western Europe, this could see EU nations have to reopen coal-fired power stations (pictured is the Eraring power station on Lake Macquarie in Newcastle)

Since the Russian assault on Ukraine, the Newcastle futures spot price of coal surged from $US231.50 a tonne to a record $US430 a tonne.

As for natural gas, Dr Oliver said Australia would struggle to keep up as it catered first for the domestic market.

'It takes a while to ramp up production,' Dr Oliver said.

So far, natural gas prices have hardly risen with much of Europe still relying on Russia for its heating.
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A hero of the Sydney Harbour Bridge crash has relived pulling the reckless driver of a stolen SUV from the flames.

Keni Vukici watched the Toyota Kluger, which was carjacked from the CBD minutes earlier, zoom past him at up to 100km/h on Monday morning.

Seconds later it swerved on to the wrong side of the road and crashed head-on into a Toyota HiAce van at 7.06am, the impact flipping the car on to it's roof.

Mr Vukici, a former bodyguard, said his instincts kicked in and he dived out of his vehicle to drag the SUV driver out of the wreck as it began to smoulder.

Keni Vukici's car was involved in the collision but the brave ex-bodyguard jumped to the aid of the reckless driver

'There were two guys trying to get him out from the driver's side. I ran around to the passenger's side... pushed the airbag out of the way to make sure no one was in there,' he told Sydney Morning Herald.

Mr Vukici said it looked like the driver of the stolen car wasn't wearing a seatbelt, though this made it easier to pull him from the car.

He then joined another man to help a 53-year-old woman from a third car, a Honda CR-V, that was badly damaged when the van ricocheted into it.

By now the Kluger was engulfed in flames and Mr Vukici and other rescuers dragged the driver away from the fire.

'At that point, the SUV had caught alight, so we helped move the driver  who was semi-conscious at this point  slightly away from the car. We actually had to hold him down at one point,' he said.

After colliding with oncoming traffic, the SUV flipped onto its roof and burst into flames

At 7.06am on Monday an allegedly stolen Toyota Kluger SUV sped into oncoming traffic on the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Police allege the SUV was stolen from Sydney CBD before the crash that closed the Harbour Bridge during morning traffic

'He was yelling out 'Get off me!' then passing out again... It was insane.'

Mr Vukici insists his action were 'nothing special' and his work experience built his instincts for 'panic situations'.

The unidentified carjacker - a man in his 30s - was sedated and is being treated for serious injuries while under police guard.

The woman was treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics and taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

The van driver, a 31-year-old man, was trapped and freed by rescuers, before he was taken to St Vincent's Hospital with pelvic and leg injuries in a serious but stable condition.

Black smoke could be seen rising from the Sydney Harbour Bridge from the vehicle fire

Several emergency units attended the scene where Mr Vukici and a 53-year-old woman taken to hospital with minor injuries

Smoke was seen rising from the Sydney Harbour Bridge from a fire attended by 25 firefighters

NSW Ambulance Inspector Giles Buchanan thanked brave witnesses who jumped from their vehicles to help the drivers.

'A number of bystanders and other emergency service workers who risked their lives to assist these patients are absolute heroes, we can't thank them enough,' he said.

'One of the vehicles was well alight when we arrived on scene, it was an extraordinary effort to get the patient out of the vehicle safely.

'We urge all motorists to drive to the conditions especially in this treacherous weather.'

NSW Fire and Rescue acting Superintendent Matt Sigmund also thanked a Traffic Management Centre worker who helped save the van driver who was trapped in his vehicle.

'One of the traffic commanders came up to the incident in the very early stages, because he heard it, and actually dragged the van that had the person trapped in it away from the other vehicle that was on fire,' he told the Today show.

The fire was extinguished by 8am with 25 firefighters on the scene.

Three cars were wrecked in the crash at 7.06am on Monday, sending three people to hospital including one in a serious but stable condition, and paralysing Sydney with gridlock traffic

The burned out car is loaded on to a tow truck to be taken away from the scene for examination into what caused the crash

Superintendent Cramsie sad the Kluger was stolen when the owner of the SUV was changing a tyre near Sussex and Goulburn streets when the alleged thief approached him.

'There was a short scuffle which ensued and then the male who was asking about the Kluger got into the Kluger and drove it away and then headed towards the Harbour Bridge,' he said.

From Sussex Street in Haymarket, a vehicle could be driven onto Little Hay Street, Harbour Street and then onto the bridge via the Western Distributor within five minutes of being carjacked.

Witnesses described seeing the SUV driving erratically across the centre lanes of the bridge.

'The [car] that caused it was going about 100km/h on the wrong side of the road then swerved into the correct lane then lost control crashed head on with a van... car flipped and caught fire,' one said.

Superintendent Cramsie said police would allege the SUV was speeding when it caused the crash, as it appeared to be in the video.

NSW Police Superintendent Rohan Cramsie revealed the owner of the SUV had been changing a tyre near Sussex and Goulburn streets when the alleged thief approached him

'I have seen the dashcam footage. It's extremely confronting, and I can only start to begin to imagine what the other drivers would have witnessed and experienced when they saw that vehicle coming towards them,' he said.

'We would ask anybody who may have any information at all either to do with the [alleged] stealing of the Kluger or the collision itself, including any dashcam footage, to come forward and contact Crime Stoppers.

'Those people that stopped their cars and got out and helped, they've been extremely brave and that's not the type of thing that just anybody does.

'A lot of people would have kept driving, a lot of people would have stopped in their cars and watched but those people who stopped and got out have shown tremendous courage and we applaud them for that.'

Traffic was backed up as far as the eye could see with lanes closed in both directions while emergency services tried to reach the scene.

Roads towards the bridge were so gridlocked that police were seen abandoning their cars on the on-ramp and running through traffic to reach the scene.
A technical glitch at the National Weather Service headquarters near Washington, DC, delayed cell phone warnings meant for those in the path of a deadly tornadoes that hit Iowa on Saturday by as long as seven minutes.

The delays had to do with a network issue at the NWS office in College Park, Maryland, which disseminates the warnings sent by local offices to people in harm's way throughout the country.

Seven people were killed, including two children, when several tornadoes swept through central Iowa, destroying homes and knocking down trees and power lines in the state's deadliest storm in more than a decade.

'Any delays with the receipt of tornado warnings is serious business as seconds count with a fast moving and violent tornado,' Iowa State University systems analyst Daryl Herzmann told CNN via email.

'When the local NWS office issues a tornado warning, that warning text needs to travel over a network to a central clearinghouse within the NWS at DC/College Park, MD to then be disseminated to the world,' Herzmann added.

Herzmann first estimated delays up to 10 minutes, but later corrected his estimates on March 10 to show that the longest delay was about six minutes and 46 seconds.

Those relying solely on their cell phones for tornado alerts from the National Weather Service may have gotten delayed information Saturday. Above, cleanup efforts in Winterset, Iowa on Sunday

There were reports of up to 40 tornados on Saturday, mostly across Iowa. Above, a damaged vehicle sits among debris in Winterset, Iowa, the hardest hit town, on Sunday

Tornado warnings destined for cell phones were delayed by up to three to 10 minutes on Saturday as tornados ripped through Iowa. Media communication was not affected

The delays were due to a 'misconfiguration of a network path' at the NWS headquarters in College Park, Maryland (above)

Iowa State University systems analyst Daryl Herzmann posted the time delays, which he found by comparing the time stamps on NWS texts to when the information was actually received on his processing software. The above post, on March 10, came after an earlier post suggesting the delays had actually been as long as 10 minutes

Emergency management officials in Madison County said four were injured and six people were killed there on Saturday when one tornado touched down in the area southwest of Des Moines near the town of Winterset around 4.30pm. Winds of up to 136mph were recorded uprooting trees, overturning cars and destroying homes.

There were reports of around 40 tornados on Saturday, mostly across Iowa, CNN reports.

The natural disasters touched down as NWS systems experienced delays.

On Twitter, Herzmann posted the time delays, which he found by comparing the timestamps on NWS texts to when the information was actually received on his processing software.

'Yes, these delays affected warnings for the Madison County tornado(es),' he said. "I don't know though if there is a case of somebody not taking action because they did not get a delayed warning.'

He corrected his estimates on March 10, though they still showed several delays, including some as long as nearly seven minutes.

The NWS says it was still able to provide an average 20-minute lead time for people to get to safety.

'I can confirm that warning lead time averaged 20 minutes and some of the warnings were delayed in dissemination,' NWS spokeswoman Susan Buchanan told CNN on Monday.

The information available to the media was not affected, as the NWS uses a separate, website-based chat system to send information to meteorologists and journalists.

The NWS is a government agency that is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, itself an agency within the Department of Commerce.

'We utilized like our hotline systems to send out the warnings, phone calls and webinars with partners. We always engage the public on social media. We have real-time chat to talk to media,' said Jim Lee, a meteorologist for the NWS office in Des Moines.

'We have experts and backup systems so that we can make sure that we get the best quality warnings out.'

Those who were only relying on their cell phones for warnings may have gotten late information about the tornados, especially the EF-4 wedge tornado that ran through Winterset.

'NWS is plagued with IT-related outages and failures during high impact weather events,' Herzmann said. 'This particular kind of latency issue only happened once before, during Hurricane Ida.'

Officials identified the six people who were killed in Madison County. Among those killed were two children under the age of five and four adults.

Melissa Bazley, 63, died along with two of her grandchildren - Kenley Bolger, 5, and Owen Bolger, 2 - and their father and her son-in-law Michael Bolger, 37.

The children's father, Michael, seen here was also killed. His wife, Kuri, remains in hospital and was injured during the storms

Melissa Bazley, 63, is seen center with Kenley, 5, left and her brother, Brysen, right, who survived

The children's mother, Kuri, is in hospital and her son Brysen also survived. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family.

Rodney Clark, 64, and Cecilia Lloyd, 72, both from Winterset, were also named among the victims killed in the tornado.

In Lucas County, about 55 miles southeast of Des Moines, officials confirmed one death and multiple reported injuries when a separate tornado struck less than an hour later.

On Monday, authorities confirmed the identity of a seventh victim, Jesse Theron Fisher, 40, of Chariton

On Monday, authorities identified the deceased as Jesse Theron Fisher, 40, of Chariton, according to KTVO.

He was staying in a camper at Red Haw State Park in Chariton because his house burned down in January, according to a GoFundMe for funeral expense that has raised $470.

The storms are the deadliest to occur in Iowa since May 2008 when one tornado destroyed nearly 300 homes and killed nine people in the northern Iowa city of Parkersburg.

Another tornado a month later killed four boys at the Little Sioux Boy Scout ranch in Western Iowa.

Thunderstorms that spawned tornadoes moved through much of Iowa from the afternoon until Saturday night with storms also causing damage in the Des Moines suburb of Norwalk, areas just east of Des Moines and other areas of Eastern Iowa. The storms were fueled by warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico.

Officials reported that a number of homes were damaged or destroyed, roads were blocked by downed lines and tree branches were shredded by the strong winds.

Fisher was staying in an RV at Red Haw State Park in Chariton because his house burned down in January, according to a GoFundMe for funeral expenses. Above, the park the tornado

The remains of a home is scattered among debris as cleanup efforts are underway in Winterset, Iowa, on Sunday

People stand among debris as cleanup efforts are underway in Winterset, Iowa, on Sunday

Cleanup efforts are underway in Winterset, Iowa, on Sunday, March 6, 2022, after a tornado tore through an area southwest of town on Saturday

Residents go through the wreckage of their home. Once man could be seen looking through a collection of DVD's and videos

At one point, power outages affected more than 10,000 in the Des Moines area. About 800 customers remained without power Sunday evening.

Northern Illinois University meteorology professor Victor Gensini said there have been plenty of examples of deadly storms in March even though they are more common in April and May.

Saturday's storms were not nearly as unusual as the mid-December tornado outbreak that Iowa saw last year, he said.

'The storms that produce these tornadoes - these supercell storms - they don't care what the calendar says,' Gensini said.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds updates the media after touring heavily damaged parts of Winterset, Iowa, on Sunday. A confirmed EF3 tornado ripped through parts of Madison County on Saturday, destroying property and killing seven

Diogenes Ayala, director of the Madison County Emergency Management Agency, reports on the number of fatalities after a tornado touched down southwest of Winterset, Iowa, damaging homes, knocking down trees and toppling power lines

Members of the Winterset Fire Department embrace after responding to emergency calls after a tornado touched down west of Winterset, Iowa, killing multiple people and leveling homes on Saturday night

Cleanup efforts are underway in Winterset, Iowa, on Sunday, after a tornado tore through an area southwest of town

Betty Hope of Winterset, Iowa, searches for items worth keeping at her home as cleanup efforts got underway

Betty Hope of Winterset, Iowa, hold a garbage bag as she slowly sifts through the remains of her home

'It doesn't have to say June. It doesn't have to say May. They form whenever the ingredients are present. And they were certainly present yesterday.'

Scientists have said that extreme weather events and warmer temperatures are more likely to occur with human-caused climate change. However, scientifically attributing a storm system to global warming requires specific analysis and computer simulations that take time, haven't been done and sometimes show no clear connection.

Gensini said Saturday's storms likely caused more than $1 billion in damages over their entire track when the severe damage in Iowa is combined with wind damage as far away as Illinois.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for Madison County, which allows state resources to be used to assist with response and recovery efforts. Madison County Emergency Management Director Diogenes Ayala said 52 homes were damaged or destroyed across nearly 14 miles.

A damaged vehicle sits among debris as cleanup efforts are underway in Winterset, Iowa

A damaged vehicle sits among debris as a pile of bricks, television and an old sofa sit nearby

What was once a home is now just a pile of rubble in Winterset, Iowa after a tornado smashed everything to pieces

The remains of a home is scattered among debris with washing machines and a keyboard laying in the wreckage

Larry Stout of Winterset, Iowa, holds up a DVD of the movie Twister after helping his sister, Betty Hope, clean up the area where her home once stood on Sunday. Hope's home was one of dozens destroyed by a tornado that touched down on Madison County on Saturday

A damaged car can be seen lying on its roof after the Twister blew through the town

The White House said President Joe Biden was briefed Sunday on the storm devastation in Iowa.

Biden reached out to Reynolds and directed the leaders of the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency to remain in close contact with state and local officials as they assessed damage and determined what federal assistance was needed, the White House said in a statement.

After touring the storm damage near Winterset, Reynolds described 'unimaginable destruction.'

Reynolds teared up as she described the hundreds of people who streamed into the area to volunteer their help to clear debris that blocked roads and littered the hardest hit areas. Homeowners and volunteers were picking up wood debris and beginning to clear it away Sunday in the rolling hills south of Winterset as chainsaws whirred away in the background.

'It's just unbelievable. I tried to walk through and thank them and over and over and the response was, we're Iowans and that's what we do,' she said.

The foundation was all that was left of several homes. The tornado carved a path of destruction along a ridge while several hundred feet away other homes were undamaged.

Betty Hope of Winterset, Iowa, searches for items worth keeping at her home as cleanup efforts got underway on Sunday

Trees could be seen snapped in half from the powerful EF-3 tornado

Damaged vehicles sit among debris, while little else remains

Trees were snapped like twigs while cars were left covered in mud as a result of the powerful storm

A helmet sits among debris after Saturday night's tornado

A lone shoe sits among debris. The foundation was all that was left of several homes

This vehicle was turned upside down, much like the lives of the residents of Winterset

Some houses were blown to pieces while others remained standing and appeared to be unscathed

Betty Hope of Winterset, Iowa, holds Matilda, her 15-year-old longhaired tabby cat, outside of her tornado-ravaged home

Ayala said emergency responders navigated narrow roads blocked by downed trees and debris Saturday night to help after the storm.

'With trees and debris and everything around, just to go out there and start the search and rescue and get the people affected out of there, I cannot express the heroism of the first responders who were out there last night,' Ayala said.

Six people hurt in Madison County, which is known for the Bridges of Madison County book and movie, were being treated for injuries Sunday, but their conditions weren't immediately available.

The National Weather Service in Des Moines said Sunday that the tornado that killed one person in Lucas County remained on the ground for more than 16 miles and was rated an EF-3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale with peak winds of 138 mph.

The damage assessment for the Winterset tornado isn't likely to be completed until Monday, but the Weather Service tweeted Saturday that initial photos of the damage there suggested that tornado was also at least an EF-3 tornado.

Elsewhere, the National Weather Service said the storms generated an EF-1 tornado in southeastern Wisconsin near Stoughton that included winds up to 80 mph. The storm flattened trees, snapped power poles and blew out windows in homes. No injuries were reported.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds surveys the tornado-ravaged areas of Winterset, Iowa on Sunday

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, third from right, surveys the tornado-ravaged areas of Winterset, Iowa on Sunday

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for Madison County, which allows state resources to be used to assist with response and recovery efforts

A man could be seen drilling a tarp as a makeshift roof to the the top of a building

The remains of a family home including what appears to be air conditioning units and a dishwasher can be seen

A chainsaw proved useful to clear away some of the fallen trees on Sunday afternoon

The tornado carved a path of destruction along a ridge while several hundred feet away other homes were undamaged
The former partner of rapper Dizzee Rascal has told how 'wealth and status' should not be allowed to silence women who are victims of domestic abuse.

Brave Cassandra Jones, 33, spoke out after her partner of nine years was convicted of attacking her in front of her two young children.

She told how she wanted to move on with her life for the sake of her children but insisted no woman should suffer at the hands of abusive partners.

It comes after Rascal, whose real name is Dylan Mills, was found guilty of assaulting the mother of his children today.

Ms Jones of Streatham, south west London, said: 'I just want to heal, move on with my life and focus on looking after my bubbas now.

'The verdict today has brought me no joy, but it does help me to look back on what I experienced and have it recognised by the courts as assault.

The former partner of rapper Dizzee Rascal has told how 'wealth and status' should not be allowed to silence women who are victims of domestic abuse

Dizzee Rascal, who real name is Dylan Mills, arrives at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court where he was found guilty of the assault of Cassandra Jones

As the rapper left the Wimbledon Magistrates' Court, he ripped a camera from a PA Media photographer and hurled it into the road, smashing the device to pieces

'Dylan and I were together for a long time, and I loved him very much

'He is the father of our two children. Last year I finally left him for good, after experiencing what I now recognise to be prolonged domestic abuse.

'I have been receiving support from specialist domestic abuse services since last year, and that has helped me process my experiences and move forward.

'None of this has been easy.

'I understand why so many women drop out of the criminal justice system; this has been really traumatic for me. But I am lucky enough to have had support from the police, my family and friends, and specialist organisations.

'This verdict today shows that wealth and status cannot be used to silence women.

'One in four women in England and Wales will experience domestic abuse at some point in their lifetime. I now ask for privacy to rebuild and reset.

'I hope I can now move on with my life. If the things you have read have resonated with you, I'd urge you to seek support. It's available.'

Earlier today footage showed Dizzee Rascal smash a photographer's camera in a fit of rage after he was found guilty of assaulting the mother of his children.

Mills had denied assaulting his ex-fiancee Cassandra Jones during a 'chaotic' row at a residential property in Streatham, south London, on June 8 last year.

Jones, who shares two children with Mills, alleged the rapper had thrown her to the floor and pressed his head against hers amid the argument.

Mills, who was behind chart-topping singles Bonkers and Dance Wiv Me, split with Jones in February 2021 after nine years together and was said to be 'frustrated' over custody arrangements.

The pair became embroiled in an argument when he dropped off their daughter at the property following a day out in June.

After Mills was arrested, he told police 'she assaulted me' and that she had left him with a scratch on his left arm.

Mills, who had denied the charge, was today found guilty after a trial and will be sentenced at Croydon Magistrates' Court on April 8

The camera shattered upon impact after being thrown into the road outside Wimbledon Magistrate's court

The damage caused to a camera after Dizzee Rascal, real name Dylan Mills, took a camera from a photographer and threw it into the road after being found guilty of assaulting his ex-fiancee

In her testimony in February, Ms Jones described her ex-fiance as 'a ticking time bomb'

But Mills, who had denied the charge, was today found guilty after a trial and will be sentenced at Croydon Magistrates' Court on April 8.

As the rapper left the Wimbledon Magistrates' Court, he ripped a camera from a PA Media photographer and hurled it into the road, smashing the device to pieces.





The court heard that Mills and Ms Jones, who had been together for nine years before their split, argued when Mills dropped off their daughter on the day of the alleged assault.





He had been late arriving at Ms Jones' house after getting stuck in traffic and told the court Ms Jones was bombarding him with calls and texts while he was driving, asking whether they would be back by 5pm in time for a chicken dinner.

He sent her texts which said 'shut up, don't give me no lip' and 'shut your f****** mouth' before the row, but denied he was annoyed at the time, the court heard.

The prosecution alleged that Mills 'barged' his way into the property, banged his head on a fridge three times while holding his son and began 'screaming and shouting' at Ms Jones and her mother Dawn Kirk.

The court heard how Ms Jones began filming him but he took her phone from her and then took Ms Kirk's phone.

The court was told the shouting became so loud that it alerted two neighbours and police were called.

A judge was told how when officers arrived, Mills said 'I'm the aggressor', but later gave a prepared statement in a police interview, denying the allegations and claimed he had been assaulted by Ms Jones.

Delivering her verdict, District Judge Polly Gledhill said: 'I am sure that on 8 June on returning home with the child late he lost his temper and there was an argument about child contact and finances.

'He took her phone to prevent the police being called and assaulted her.

'I'm satisfied this actually occurred and I'm satisfied this constituted an unlawful assault.'

Mills and Ms Jones were said to have had an 'on and off' relationship after first meeting around 2011, and in 2018 they got engaged.

In her testimony in February, Ms Jones described her ex-fiance as 'a ticking time bomb', explaining that she was calm when he arrived on the doorstep with their daughter as she knew he was in a bad mood and did not want to anger him.

She gave evidence from behind a screen at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court in the previous appearance, sobbing throughout her testimony.

PC Stephanie Johnstone said she arrested the rapper for common assault after he told her: 'I'm the aggressor.' But he later denied the assault in interviews.

The court was shown the officer's bodyworn footage of Ms Jones sitting on the floor tearfully recounting the alleged attack.

Earlier today, Mills told the court Ms Jones and her mother were 'waving their phones around' when he arrived back at the property.

He said: 'I didn't want them used as a weapon.

'When the police arrived I said 'I am the aggressor' but I was making light of it and trying to diffuse the situation.

'I was not the aggressor, I did not do anything to her physically.

'I ended up with two small marks because she was waving her phone around.

'Those marks came from her. She was erratic. She assaulted me by pushing me and scratching my left arm.

'I did not assault her that day.'

He continued: 'I was angry, I was angry at times yes. I was annoyed at her, she was shouting in my face and she was angry.

'At the police station I waited so long, the scratches I had when I arrived had become bruises.'

Earlier today, a statement from champion boxer David Haye, who has known the artist for more than 10 years, was read as evidence of Mills' good character.

The former world heavyweight champion said: 'I would describe Dylan as a stand-up and down-to-earth kind of man.

'Dylan is a very easy individual to get along with.

'He remained humble, having built himself up from nothing. He would rarely be seen out at celebrity social functions for the simple reason that he prefers to stay at home and spend time with his family.'

Mr Haye described Mills as a 'role-model father'.

He added: 'It is Dylan's relationship with his children that I admire the most - despite his fame he always made time for his children.

'I have never seen Dylan lose his temper nor display any signs of anger.

'He was always calm and collected, he would not let anything fluster him.'

Dizzee Rascal, real name Dylan Kwabena Mills, told police his ex-partner has assaulted him rather than the other way around

The court also heard from Mills' ex-girlfriend, Tanya Chehrehnegary, who said she was 'shocked' when she heard about the allegations.

'There have been many situations where your average person would get quite defensive but he's always dealt with things in a very calm and collected manner,' she said.

'Whenever we argued he would always remove himself from the situation and always end it on a funny note where I would end up laughing about something and that would be the end of it.'

Prosecutor Helena Duong said Mills was 'unprepared to answer any of the questions.

'Even though it's quite apparent in my submission that he plainly was upset about the situation with his kids.

'He didn't want to have to accept that he lost his temper that day.

'He was the aggressor in the situation and the one who was responsible for assaulting Ms Jones that day and certainly not the other way around.'

Mr Mills had a string of hit songs in the late 2000s and amassed a reported net worth of 2.5 million

Sallie Bennett-Jenkins, QC, defending the rapper, said: 'This defendant did not have to give evidence but he did so gladly.

'But he did so in a way that gave a consistent and wholly credible account of what happened that day.

'He is a man who is calm, courteous as a partner, attentive, patient and generous.

'It is the defendant's evidence and he accepts that he was shouting that day.

'That, with respect, is not what he was charged with.'

Mills had a string of hit songs in the late 2000s and amassed a reported net worth of 2.5 million.

He was awarded an MBE for services to music in 2020.

Mills, of Sevenoaks in Kent, who was charged on August 2, denied assault by beating.

He will be sentenced in April.
The Pentagon has managed to rush deliveries of munitions to assist the Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion with a steady stream of flights to neighboring countries  with weapons getting into the hands of the military.

This includes landing as many as 17 planes a day in one undisclosed country near the border.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley visited an undisclosed airfield near the border where he was able to inspect the historic effort to arm Ukraine as it seeks to counter Russia's invasion, CNN reported.

Milley visited Poland last week, the Pentagon reported in a brief readout of his trip, where he met with his Polish counterpart, then visited US troops in Lithuania.

Defense officials have said while Russia continues to fire long-range artillery at Ukrainian cities and make some territorial gains in its south, it has not yet attacked supply transfers.

This includes providing 17,000 anti-tank missiles and an additional 2,000 anti-aircraft missiles  at a time when video on the ground has showed decimated Russian trucks and armored vehicles, while Ukrainian forces report downing helicopters and other aircraft.

The Pentagon said again on Monday that Ukraine's airspace was 'contested.'

'There continue to be efforts by the United States and other nations to continue to provide security assistance material to the Ukrainian Armed Forces,' Pentagon spokesman Adm. John Kirby said Monday. 'I'm not going to talk about the manner in which that material is getting to them, but we know it's getting to them and that they are able to use it.'

Asked at the Pentagon briefing if the Russians were trying to interdict or stop the shipments, Kirby responded vaguely: 'That traffic and that material continues to flow,' he said.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley visited the airfield where military supplies are being shipped near the Ukrainian border. Here he is seen greeting soldiers of the U.S. Army, at the Training Range in Pabrade, some 60km.(38 miles) north of the capital Vilnius, Lithuania, Sunday, March 6, 2022

It is all part of an overall war effort by Russia that has showed signs of supply problems, low morale, and planning errors  even as Russian firepower has rained down on urban areas and caused a massive flow of more than a million refugees.

A 'vast majority' of a $350 million aide package announced for Ukraine only days earlier had been delivered, the Pentagon said Friday.

Amid the success in getting munitions through, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki admitted there were 'challenges' to a proposal to have Poland transfer MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, then have the U.S. 'backfill' the losses with US-made F-16s.

'It is not as easy as just moving planes around,' she said Monday. Officials are mindful of the risk of taking steps that could end up being a cause of war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has now sent about 100 percent of his invasion forces into Ukraine, a senior US defense official said on Monday.

Putin has said western sanctions amount to a 'declaration of war,' and said last week the response risks 'the future of Ukrainian statehood.'

Russia has made no further move to send battalions from elsewhere in Russia, said the official, as he instead confirmed that Moscow was now trying to recruit foreign fighters for its stalled advance.

The Pentagon said nearly all of an additional $350 million in aid to Ukraine had been delivered

Undated image released by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Monday Feb 14, 2022 shows Ukrainian solders from the 81st Separate Airmobile Brigade test fire anti-tank missile systems JAVELIN recently provided by the U.S army as defense aid in combat training in undisclosed location

There are indications the Ukrainians have been using US-provided weaponry to take out Russian armor

The US rushed to sent arms to Ukraine as Russian forces sought to encircle and bomb cities into submission

A Russian armored personnel carrier burns amid damaged and abandoned light utility vehicles after fighting in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022

Officials said almost all of the $350 million in aid had been delivered

'We now assess that Putin has committed nearly 100 percent of his combat power into Ukraine,' the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

'And by combat power, I mean, that combat power that he has amassed along the border with Ukraine and in Belarus.'

Before the invasion started, US officials said they believed that Russian had massed more than 150,000 people along Ukraine's borders.

Spirited resistance by Ukrainian troops - and an influx of weapons from NATO nations, including tank-buster grenades - are credited with stalling Russia's main advance north of the capital Kyiv, where an armored convoy has been stalled for days.

Asked about reports Putin may be trying to bring on Syrian fighters to aid his force, Kirby said Monday: 'We do believe that the accounts of them, the Russians, seeking Syrian fighters to augment their forces in Ukraine  we we believe there's truth to that. So it's interesting that that Mr. Putin would have to find himself relying on foreign fighters here, who they are going to be, how many they're getting, what they're going to pay them  all of that we don't have perfect visibility on that. But we're in no position to review the accounts that the day might be seeking to recruit Syrian fighters.'

And the 12th day of fighting ended with little significant territory being taken by Russia.

Instead Kyiv's men claimed to have taken out dozens of helicopters and recaptured a city in the morning - sparking hopes that the unlikeliest of victories may be on the cards.

The White House was struggling on Sunday night with how best to support Ukraine without drawing U.S. and NATO forces into direct conflict with Russia.

The day began with Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying the White House had given the 'green light' for Poland to send fighter jets to Ukraine - a declaration that Moscow forcibly rejected. It then concluded with Poland describing reports of their sending jets to Ukraine as 'fake news.'

A senior American official told The New York Times that the question being asked in the White House is: 'Tell me how we don't get sucked in to a superpower conflict.'

Support among the U.S. public for the enforcement of a no-fly zone above Ukraine remains high - something that Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, again requested on Saturday - with three-quarters of those surveyed by a Reuters/IPSOS on Friday backing the idea.

But it was unclear how many understood that putting U.S. jets into Ukrainian skies would see them forced to shoot down Russian jets, likely sparking World War Three.

Instead of directly engaging in the fight with Russia, the U.S. and its allies in the 30-member NATO group were sending weapons to Ukraine; more than 17,000 anti-tank weapons, including Javelin missiles, have been sent by land to Ukraine over the borders of Poland and Romania since the conflict began.

A $350 million package of military aid was approved by Congress on February 26, two days into the conflict, and 70 percent of it was delivered in five days. By contrast, a $60 million arms package to Ukraine agreed to in August was not completed until November, the Pentagon said.

The New York Times described the pace of delivery of arms as 'warp speed.'

A Ukrainian soldier is pictured on Sunday holding a NLAW - Next generation Light Anti-tank Weapon - while manning a checkpoint on the outskirts of Kyiv. NATO has so far sent 17,000 anti-tank weapons to Ukraine

U.S. troops are seen on Sunday at the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base near Constanta, Romania

Two Polish Air Force Russian-made MIGs 29's fly above and below two Polish Air Force U.S. made F-16's fighter jets, at an air show in 2011. The U.S. has approved Poland sending its MIGs to Ukraine, but Poland is reluctant to do so, fearing an escalation of hostilities

Military equipment from the French army is loaded from an Antonov 124 freight airplane, at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base near Constanta, Romania, on Friday

Blinken said on Sunday that the country was in talks with Poland in order to orchestrate a deal that would allow Polish fighter jets to be flown by pilots from the Ukrainian Air Force, in order to combat Russia's air superiority.

Poland has a fleet of 28 Russian-made MiG-29 warplanes, which Ukrainian pilots are trained to fly and are currently using.

Poland's planes would in turn be replaced by a F-16s sent by the United States - although the new F-16s were intended for delivery to Taiwan.

Blinken, when asked about giving Poland the F-16s, told CBS's Face the Nation: 'That gets the green light. In fact, we're talking with our Polish friends right now about what we might be able to backfill their needs if in fact they choose to provide these fighter jets to the Ukrainians. What can we do?'

'How can we help to make sure that they get something to backfill the planes that they're handing over to the Ukrainians?'

Blinken on Saturday was in Moldova and Poland, and briefly entered Ukraine to meet his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba.

Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, is seen on Saturday on the Ukraine-Poland border with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba

Blinken on Sunday addressed a press conference in Moldova (pictured)

Blinken is seen stepping down from his plane on arrival in Lithuania on Sunday. He is currently on a trip to Poland, Moldova, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia

Russian forces are now attempting to encircle Kyiv and pressing forward in the northeast and southeast

'It was inspiring to meet today with my friend @DmytroKuleba at the Ukrainian-Polish border,' he tweeted.

'The leadership and courage that he and @ZelenskyyUa have demonstrated are remarkable, and the United States and the world will continue to stand with them and the people of Ukraine.'

After Blinken's declaration that they would approve Poland's supplying of jets to Ukraine, Russia's Defense Ministry then warned countries against hosting Kyiv's military aircraft, saying they could end up being involved in an armed conflict.

Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for Russia's Defense Ministry, said in a video briefing that some Ukrainian combat planes had redeployed to Romania and other Ukraine neighbors

He warned that if those warplanes attacked the Russian forces from the territory of those nations, it 'could be considered as those countries' engagement in the military conflict'.

Konashenkov said: 'We know for sure that Ukrainian combat aircraft have flown to Romania and other neighboring countries.

'The use of the airfield network of these countries for basing Ukrainian military aviation with the subsequent use of force against Russia's army can be regarded as the involvement of these states in an armed conflict.'

He also claimed that 'practically all' Ukraine's combat-ready aircraft had been destroyed.

Poland has itself been concerned about the consequences of sending jets to Ukraine.

Polish president Andrzej Duda has previously brushed aside the entire idea, noting that supplying the planes would be seen as essentially interfering in the conflict.

In response to a tweet from news site Nexta, quoting The Wall Street Journal as saying that MIGs could be sent from Poland to Ukraine, the Polish prime minister's office tweeted: 'Unfortunately you are spreading misinformation.

'Poland won't send its fighter jets to #Ukraine as well as allow to use its airports.

'We significantly help in many other areas.'

General Mark Milley, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is seen in Lithuania on Sunday

Milley speaks at the training range in Pabrade, some 38 miles north of the capital Vilnius

A Polish official told The Financial Times: 'Poland is not in a state of war with Russia, but it is not an impartial country, because it supports Ukraine as the victim of aggression.

'It considers, however, that all military matters must be a decision of NATO as a whole.'

General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Sunday visited a training centee in Pabrade, Lithuania.

U.S. troops were pictured in Romania on Sunday, having been sent there several weeks ago by President Joe Biden.

Biden spent the weekend at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, and on Saturday attended St. Joseph on the Brandywine Roman Catholic Church with his family.

Later on Saturday night he spoke to Zelensky, in an almost 40-minute conversation from 6.18pm to 6.50pm.

Joe and Jill Biden are seen on Sunday night returning to the White House after a weekend in Delaware

The Ukrainian leader fears Russia may soon begin a massive bombardment from the air, after their ground offensive appears to be making far slower progress than the Kremlin had anticipated.

Meanwhile, devastating images and videos on Sunday laid bare the horror of Vladimir Putin's lawless invasion of Ukraine, as Russian troops unleashed heavy gunfire and missiles on local residents.

Heartbreaking footage, taken in Irpin, located on the outskirts of the besieged capital city Kyiv, confirmed that Russian forces were attacking heavily-populated civilian areas.

One image depicted a mother and her two children lying dead on the pavement in Irpin, killed after they tried to flee the city.

Blinken said there are 'very credible reports' that Russia has committed war crimes during its invasion of Ukraine - particularly in attacking civilians.

A second attempt on Sunday to evacuate refugees from Mariupol was scuppered again after the city was shelled just minutes into an agreed ceasefire.

Some 400,000 residents were hoped to be evacuated from 12pm, with an initial agreement in place until 9pm, but residents were on Sunday night having to take cover in bomb shelters without electricity and water.

It followed similar attempts on Saturday when plans to evacuate refugees were halted when shelling recommenced 45 minutes into a ceasefire.
Joe Biden is preparing to sign an executive order this week that will regulate cryptocurrency as worries emerge Russia will use it to get around massive economic sanctions imposed as punishment for invading Ukraine, according to two people familiar with the process.

The move is the first step in regulating how digital currency is traded  and could face some criticism from anti-regulation Republicans.

Administration officials have raised concerns in recent weeks about Russia's use of cryptocurrency to evade the impact of crushing sanctions, which have sent the ruble to historic lows and closed the country's stock market.

The two sources claim the executive order has been in the works long before the war in Ukraine, but the effects would be felt by the struggling Russian economy.

Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers are worried about cryptocurrency helping Russians not feel the pain of the sanctions, and some claim the risk warrants legislation.

Bitcoin and cryptocurrency advocates claim that Congress shouldn't overreact by over-regulating the industry.

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts is drafting legislation that would make it harder to use cryptocurrency to evade sanctions, but would also regulate an industry that has not yet aced much scrutiny.

The proposal would threaten secondary sanctions on foreign crypto exchanges in order to force companies to choose between doing business in the U.S. or with sanctioned people and entities.

President Joe Biden is preparing to sign an executive order this week that will, for the first time, regulate how cryptocurrency is traded as worries emerge Russia could use the digital currency to get around crippling sanctions imposed for invading Ukraine

Biden announced further sanctions on Russia Tuesday, saying the U.S. would target 'the main artery of Russia's economy' with a ban on energy imports from Moscow as Putin continues his assault on Ukraine. Pictured: Firefighters extinguish a fire of a damaged residential building after Russian shelling in the second largest Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Monday, March 7

'Strong enforcement of sanctions compliance in the cryptocurrency industry is critical given that digital assets, which allow entities to bypass the traditional financial system, may increasingly be used as a tool for sanctions evasion,' Warren wrote in a letter also signed by Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner of Virginia, Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed of Rhode Island.

Republican Representative Warren Davidson of Ohio slammed the proposed legislation.

'Does @SenWarren understand that illicit activity accounts for around 1/1024th of total crypto transactions?' he questioned on Twitter Tuesday. 'Or that the giant sanctions loophole for Russian energy is Russia's biggest funding source?'

'Apparently not,' he quipped.

Davidson's tweet was a hit at Warren's heritage, after she, for years, used her Native American roots as an anecdote in political aspirations and on documents  like when applying for jobs.

A DNA test revealed Warren was actually only 1/1024th part Native American, forcing her to come out and apologize to the American aboriginal community for her claims, especially during the 2020 Democratic primary election.

Biden's executive action is expected to describe what government agencies, including the Treasury Department, need to do to develop policies and regulations on digital currencies.

The order is also expected to include a request for the State Department to ensure that American cryptocurrency laws are aligned with those of U.S. allies and will ask the Financial Stability Oversight Council, which monitors the stability of the U.S. financial system, to study illicit finance concerns.

Additionally, the order will explore the possibility of a new central bank digital currency. The Federal Reserve issued a paper on the topic in January that explores the risks and benefits of U.S.-backed digital currency.

Implicit in the order will be that cryptocurrency will remain a part of the U.S. economy for years to come. The White House's plans to move forward with the executive order were first reported by Bloomberg News.

While U.S. officials have played down the significance of cryptocurrency to Russia's ability to evade sanctions, it remains a concern.

'We will continue to look at how the sanctions work and evaluate whether or not there are liquid leakages and we have the possibility to address them. I often hear cryptocurrency mentioned and that is a channel to be watched,' Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said last week.

Senator Elizabeth Warren is also drafting legislation that would increase regulation on cryptocurrency

Many anti-regulation Republicans may opposed the executive order and legislation directed at cryptocurrency trading. Ohio GOP Rep. Warren Davidson tweeted criticism of the moves, claiming only 1/1024th of crypto transactions are 'ilicit'

A senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the president's national security team has already been on the lookout for the use and creation of front companies and alternative financial institutions that Moscow might try to employ to get around sanctions.

Crypto is one of several spaces that the Biden administration is looking to shore up as it tries to make certain that sanctions on Russia have maximum impact. The official said past experiences in Iran and Venezuela with sanctions evasion are informing the administration's efforts. Additional export controls and new sanction targets are also expected to be unveiled in the days and weeks ahead to counter Russian sanction evasion efforts, the official said.

On Monday, Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued an alert advising financial institutions to be 'vigilant' against any efforts to evade sanctions in connection with Russia's war in Ukraine.

'Although we have not seen widespread evasion of our sanctions using methods such as cryptocurrency, prompt reporting of suspicious activity contributes to our national security and our efforts to support Ukraine and its people,' acting Director Him Das said in a statement.

The U.S. and many other NATO allies have already issued a slew of crippling sanctions against Russia, including halting the certification of the Nord Stream 2 Russia-to-Germany natural gas pipeline.

Biden announced further sanctions on Tuesday, saying the U.S. would target 'the main artery of Russia's economy' with a ban on energy imports from Moscow, while acknowledging the financial squeeze it would put on Americans already paying record-high prices at the pump.

'Americans have rallied support -- have rallied to support the Ukrainian people and made it clear we will not be part of subsidizing Putin's war,' the president said at the White House.

Biden said the U.S. blockade would 'deal another powerful blow to Putin's war machine' after a vast number of sanctions targeting Russia's financial institutions and top officials were already levied in coordination with other western governments.

He also admitted, however, that the new ban would impact American drivers as well as prices continue to skyrocket at the pump, dubbing it 'Putin's price hike.'

'The decision today is not without cost here at home. Putin's war is already hurting American families at the gas pump. Since Putin began his military buildup on Ukrainian borders, just since then, the price of the gas at the pump in America went up 75 cents,' Biden said.

'And with this action it's going to go up further. I'm going to do everything I can to minimize Putin's price hike here at home.'

Almost 100 Russian oligarchs and politicians have been sanctioned by the European Union or U.S. but not by Britain. Many have been buying property, paying for private schools and enjoying luxury lifestyles in the United Kingdom, a joint investigation by the Daily Mail and The Bureau of Investigative Journalism can reveal.

The Prime Minister has insisted that Britain is leading the way in imposing sanctions on wealthy Russians linked to Vladimir Putin's regime, but so far only 13 have been targeted since the invasion of Ukraine began.

It has sparked fears the UK is 'trailing its allies badly' after the EU announced a raft of sanctions on oligarchs with close ties to Britain last week. There are also concerns that delays could allow Putin's associates to dispose of their assets.




Seoul's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo has a meeting with United States Trade Representative Cather Tai, Washington, D.C., March 4. Courtesy of Seoul's Trade Minister





The U.S. government has formally announced the exclusion of South Korea from its expanded export restrictions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, which enhances partner nations' joint efforts to implement strong sanctions against Moscow, Seoul's trade ministry said Tuesday.







Last month, the U.S. government announced the Foreign Direct Product Rule (FDPR) for all of Russia, calling on companies to receive a license from the United States for tech-related items using U.S. technology before they can be shipped to Russia.







South Korea had been originally excluded from a list of nations that were exempted from the FDP rule, raising concerns over its impacts on its major exporters but won an exemption last week after negotiations with the U.S. government.







"The U.S. Department of Commerce, through its Bureau of Industry and Security, added the Republic of Korea to the list of countries to receive an exclusion from the license requirements required under the U.S. Russia/Belarus Sanctions rules, including the foreign direct product (FDP) rules for Russia/Belarus," the joint statement issued by the two nations on Monday read.







The Republic of Korea is South Korea's official name.







"Providing exclusions to partner countries enhances the multilateral effort to implement strong export controls," it added.







Earlier, South Korea announced a series of sanctions against Russia, including halting financial transactions with seven major Russian banks and their affiliates slapped with U.S. sanctions, in line with the global move to remove Russia from the SWIFT global payment network.







The Seoul government also decided to ban exports of strategic items to Russia while strongly recommending local public and financial institutions halt their investment in Russian government bonds.







"This unprecedented multilateral coordination on export controls is a powerful component to ensuring our response to Russia's invasion is swift, severe and successful," U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo was quoted by the statement as saying.







Seoul's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo stressed the country's strong commitment to "implementing swift and effective export control measures in partnership with our private sector," and Industry Minister Moon Sung-wook said the U.S.' addition of South Korea to the excluded nation list shows the "ironclad and reciprocal partnership."







Following the U.S.' move, Seoul's industry ministry began work to revise rules on export license requirements for 57 non-strategic items that come under the FDP rules.







The Seoul government also began taking follow-up measures of toughening its own export restrictions against Russia.







It decided to ban exports to 49 Russian organizations and firms, including Russia's defense ministry, in accordance with the U.S.' Entity List for export controls.







Under the measure, a license is required to export or transfer major items to those entities, with limited exceptions. (Yonhap)






The delicate balancing act between raising children while forging a full-time career is enough to drive many to distraction.

So it comes as no surprise to find nearly two-thirds of mothers admit they are left exhausted trying to be a 'supermum' to their family.

A fifth of mothers said the pressure to be a good parent negatively affected their mental health.

Others cited the pressures of keeping up appearances and struggled to ask their partner for support.

A fifth of mothers said the pressure to be a good parent negatively affected their mental health stock image)

Research, carried out by health insurer Bupa UK, found social media helped to create unrealistic expectations of what constituted motherhood.

Portrayals of motherhood in popular culture were also found to harm mothers' self-esteem and confidence. Bupa said the term 'supermum' could become detrimental and prevented those struggling from speaking out.

A 'supermum' is defined as an exemplary or exceptional mother, especially one who successfully manages a home and brings up children while having a full-time job. The term is frequently used in society to compliment mothers or acknowledge their achievements.

'Mother guilt' prevented many from enjoying much-needed downtime, with 81 per cent of those surveyed saying they do household chores rather than relaxing.

But mothers said they found exercise, meditation and communicating through parenting groups helped as a coping mechanism.

Dr Naomi Humber, clinical psychologist at Bupa UK, said: 'It's clear that social media can be a source of difficulty for many mothers as they compare their situation to the glossy images they see whilst scrolling.

'While some mums will find this type of content helpful or inspirational, what's important is learning not to compare themselves and to see things for what they really are. Mothering is already a 24/7 job and it's often done alongside work, yet the high expectations put on them, which are sometimes self-imposed, are unrelenting.'

'Mother guilt' prevented many from enjoying much-needed downtime, with 81 per cent of those surveyed saying they do household chores rather than relaxing (stock image)

The poll of 1,030 women found 63 per cent had driven themselves to exhaustion with the pressure to be a 'supermum'.

One in five said it affected their mental health. Thirty-one per cent said the term made them put on a facade of coping to appear infallible and 43 per cent revealed they struggled to ask their partner for support.

Dr Humber added: 'The research has shown that many mums are struggling to reach out for help or allow themselves crucial downtime. It is imperative that mothers have the capacity to put themselves first so they can continue to nurture those around them.'
A chief civil servant who was sacked after the A-level shambles during the pandemic has admitted Whitehall is 'disconnected from reality'.

Jonathan Slater, former permanent secretary at the Department for Education, has written a report saying officials need to listen to the public more.

The paper, published by King's College London, says Whitehall shows 'surprisingly little interest' in what those who use or deliver public services think.

It says civil servants are not expected to listen to the electorate, and that engagement with the everyman is not seen as important.

And it adds that 'policy' far too often amounts to little more than preparing statements of intent for ministers, rather than actually turning these into reality.

In a paper for King's College London, former permanent secretary at the Department for Education says Whitehall is 'disconnected from reality'

Mr Slater said the inability of the DfE to 'put ourselves in the public's shoes' is likely to loom large in the forthcoming public inquiry into the handling of the pandemic.

And he admitted the 'exams fiasco' he oversaw in 2020 will probably attract much criticism.

Mr Slater, who is a visiting professor at King's, also said there was a 'huge disconnect' between Whitehall conversations about whether vulnerable pupils should or should not go to school during lockdown and the on-the-ground reality of whether it would actually happen.

The paper comes after he oversaw the disastrous use of an algorithm to decide pupils' grades after exams were cancelled  resulting in poorer pupils losing out.

The algorithm adjusted teacher-predicted grades to take into account past performance of schools.

But it meant those in disadvantaged schools with previous poor performance got downgraded the most, however clever they were.

Following an outcry, the algorithm was ditched and the predicted grades were used instead.

A government spokesman said it regularly engages with the public, adding: 'Through our reform plans we are moving 22,000 roles out of London to ensure we better reflect the communities we serve.'
Why have so few Ukrainians been accepted by the UK?

The Government has set up only one route so far  a visa scheme for Ukrainians who already have relatives in Britain. Other countries are taking refugees 'no questions asked', and do not require candidates to prove any existing links.

Why does this have an effect?

Processing visa applications takes time. The Home Office is demanding proof of residence in Ukraine, as well as proof that applicants have relatives here.

What other factors are there?

The UK scheme is insisting on all applicants being security checked before they are accepted.

This involves them being checked against UK and international databases of criminals and other threats to national security.

The Government has set up only one route so far for Ukrainians fleeing war to come to Britain

The Home Office has said these checks should be completed 'in hours' but it is not known whether this is being achieved.

Boris Johnson said yesterday: 'What we won't do is have a system where people can come into the UK without any checks or any controls, I don't think that is the right approach.'

How could performance be improved?

Further UK programmes to help Ukrainians have been announced  but are not yet live. A sponsorship route will allow charities or other community groups in the UK to support applications. Priti Patel has said she also wants to see a separate humanitarian route for Ukrainians without family links or sponsorship. The PM appeared to dismiss that proposal yesterday. It remains unclear how any expansion of refugee schemes will work.

What else might be slowing the processing operation?

Thousands of Home Office civil servants are still working from home, despite Covid restrictions being eased. It is unclear how serious an impact this might be having on the speed at which applications can be approved.
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Ukraine's president has warned the West that Vladimir Putin will not stop once he has conquered Ukraine, telling a U.S. television channel: 'We will come first. You will come second. Because the more this beast will eat, he wants more, more, and more.'

Volodymyr Zelensky, 44, described Ukraine as a 'zone of freedom' that needed to be preserved.

Ukraine war: The latest Ukraine rejects a offer to open escape routes because several of the routes lead to Russia or its ally Belarus

Russia steps up its shelling of cities, including Gostomel near Kyiv, Kharkiv in the east, Sumy in the northeast, Chernihiv in the north and Mykolayiv in the southwest

A third round of talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations concludes with little sign of progress

Turkey announces that it will host Russia's and Ukraine's foreign ministers for talks on Thursday

Oil prices hit a near 14-year high and European and UK natural gas prices hit record highs

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warns against a Russian oil ban in Europe, saying it could put the continent's energy security at risk

Russia says it will allow Russian companies and individuals to repay debts to creditors in 'hostile' nations in rubles

Russia snubs a hearing at the International Court of Justice in The Hague

Uniqlo defends a decision to keep Russian stores open, saying 'clothing is a necessity of life'

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson defends record of issuing 50 visas to Ukrainians, saying security vetting his holding the process up

The UN says 1.7 million people have fled Ukraine, making it the fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II

China's foreign minister says the friendship between Beijing and Moscow is 'rock solid'

France is sending iodine tablets to Ukraine. They are used to protect against the effects of radiation exposure Advertisement

'And when the limits of rights and freedoms are being violated and stepped on, then you have to protect us,' he said.

He added: 'Today, war is here. Tomorrow, it will be in Lithuania, then in Poland, then in Germany.

'This is serious.

'United States is far away, but in recent days, I do feel that United States are closer to us.'

The former actor, whose wartime leadership has impressed the world, on Monday emerged from his bunker in Kyiv and returned to the presidential palace, declaring: 'I am here, I am not hiding, and I am not afraid of anyone.'

He gave his Facebook audience a tour of the palace, joking: 'We used to say Monday, Monday is a hard day.

'But it is war in our country, so every day is a hard day.'

Zelensky told the embattled country, on day 12 of the Russian invasion: 'We are all in our places working, where we should be. My team is in Kyiv with me.

'We are all fighting, we are all contributing to our victory which will surely happen.'

And, in an interview from the palace with ABC News, Zelensky once again appealed to the United States to enforce a no-fly zone.

He spoke to Joe Biden on Saturday night for 40 minutes, and pressed the issue with the U.S. leader.

Such a move would see fighter jets from the United States and its NATO allies patrolling the air space above Ukraine, and shooting down any Russian jets that enter - effectively putting the West at war with Russia, in World War Three.

Zelensky, asked about concern widely expressed of the dramatic escalation, brushed off the fears and insisted it was the best way for the U.S. to help Ukraine.

'I told him that for us, the most important thing today is the security in the sky,' Zelensky said.

'We cannot allow Russia to be active there only, because they're bombing us, they are shelling us, they are bombing us, they are sending missiles, helicopters, jet fighters - a lot of things.

'But we are not doing this because we don't have the sky.

'We don't control our sky.'

Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, returned to the presidential palace on Monday

Zelensky told ABC News's David Muir that he wanted Joe Biden to enforce a no-fly zone above his country - something that would put the U.S. and its NATO allies on a collision course with Russia

Zelensky, pictured in what has now become his trademark khakis, is seen on Monday speaking to Muir

Kyiv on Monday rejected Russia's offer of 'humanitarian corridors' to evacuate civilians after it emerged several of them led to Russian territory or its close ally Belarus (top). Red Cross workers in Mariupol also said one of the routes Russia identified for civilians to leave the city had been covered with land mines

MILITARY ANALYSTS SAY NATO WILL NOT IMPOSE A NO-FLY ZONE Military analysts say there is no chance that the US, Britain and their European allies will impose a no-fly zone because it could easily escalate the war in Ukraine into a nuclear confrontation between NATO and Russia. WHAT IS A NO-FLY ZONE? A no-fly zone would bar all unauthorized aircraft from flying over Ukraine. Western nations imposed such restrictions over parts of Iraq for more than a decade following the 1991 Gulf War, during the civil war in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1993-95, and during the Libyan civil war in 2011. WHY WON'T NATO TAKE THIS STEP IN UKRAINE? In simple terms, because it would risk a direct military conflict with Russia that could escalate into a wider European war with a nuclear-armed superpower. While the idea may have captured the public imagination, declaring a no-fly zone could force NATO pilots to shoot down Russian aircraft. But it goes beyond that. In addition to fighter planes, NATO would have to deploy refueling tankers and electronic-surveillance aircraft to support the mission. To protect these relatively slow, high-flying planes, NATO would have to destroy surface-to-air missile batteries in Russia and Belarus, again risking a broader conflict. 'The only way to implement a no-fly zone is to send NATO fighter planes into Ukrainian airspace, and then impose that no-fly zone by shooting down Russian planes,' NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said Friday. 'We understand the desperation, but we also believe that if we did that, we would end up with something that could end in a full-fledged war in Europe.' 'We have a responsibility as NATO allies to prevent this war from escalating beyond Ukraine,' he said. WHAT WOULD A NO-FLY ZONE ACHIEVE? Ukrainian authorities and people cowering night after night in bomb shelters say a no-fly zone would protect civilians - and now nuclear power stations - from Russian air strikes. But analysts say it's Russia's ground forces, not aircraft, that are causing most of the damage in Ukraine. What Ukrainians actually want is a broader intervention like the one that occurred in Libya in 2011, when NATO forces launched attacks on government positions, said Justin Bronk, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London. That's not likely to happen when the opponent is Russia. 'They want to see the West kind of sweeping in and taking out the rocket artillery that's pummeling Ukrainian cities,' Bronk said. 'We're not going to go to war against the Russian army. They are a massive nuclear-armed power. There is no way that we could possibly model, let alone control, the escalation chain that would come from such an action.' WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE SKIES OVER UKRAINE? Predictions that Russia would quickly control the skies over Ukraine have not come to fruition. Military experts are wondering why Russia has chosen to leave most of its fixed-wing combat aircraft on the ground during this massive land offensive. One explanation may be that Russian pilots aren't well trained in supporting large-scale land operations, engagements that require coordination with artillery, helicopters and other assets in a fast-moving environment. 'I think that maybe they're a little bit worried that that is a very constrained area. It's not like the Middle East, where there's all kinds of space to roam around in the air,' said Robert Latif, a retired U.S. Air Force major general who now teaches at the University of Notre Dame. 'They could very easily stray over borders,' he explained. 'With both Ukrainian and Russian air defense systems and Ukrainian, what little they have, and Russian airplanes all flying around - that could be a very confusing. I think maybe they're a little bit worried about actually being able to pull it off.' Advertisement

Muir asked if he was concerned about NATO forces shooting down Russian planes, and Zelensky replied: 'What do you mean, to shoot down Russian planes?

'If the missile is flying - yesterday, for example, the missile hit the university in the city of Kharkiv, and the dormitory.

'And the same missile hit the tumor, pediatric clinic in Kyiv, so, if this missile is flying, so, are you thinking whether to shoot it down or not?

'I think there is no any other answer, but to - yes, yes, they need to be shot down.

'You have to preserve lives.'

He added that he was confident U.S. forces were up to the challenge.

'I'm sure that the brave American soldiers who would be shooting it down knowing that it is flying towards the students, I'm sure that they had no doubt in doing so,' Zelensky said.

Seated at his desk in the presidential palace, Zelensky said he felt Biden and the U.S. were able to do more.

The U.S. and its NATO allies have so far sent 17,000 anti-tank missiles to Ukraine, as part of a $350 million aid package agreed on February 26 - day two of the conflict.

Yet Zelensky said more could be done.

'I'm sure that the president can do more. I'm sure he can,' he said.

'And I would like to believe that - that he's capable of doing that.'

Over the weekend, Biden and his aides were debating the possibility of helping Ukraine with better fighter jets.

Under Biden's scheme, Poland would give Ukraine its MIG fighter jets, which Ukrainian pilots are trained to fly.

In return, the U.S. would replace the Soviet-era planes with modern F-16 American fighter jets.

Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State, said on Sunday that the 'green light' had been given to the plan.

Poland, however, quickly said that they had not agreed any plan.

Poland's president, Andrzej Duda, has repeatedly voiced concern about the proposal, believing it would drag his country into open conflict with Russia.

Russia on Sunday said that they would consider air support - such as allowing Ukrainian planes to use bases in neighboring Romania or Poland - an effective entering of the conflict.

Zelensky on Monday said that the plan had indeed been discussed, but the decision lay largely with the U.S.

'We asked not only the United States, we asked many other countries - I'm not going to name them,' he said.

'We looked into this question. We know where these Soviet planes are stationed, which countries host them. And we asked these countries.

'And in many ways, it is the United States who will decide.'

The father-of-two was asked how long Ukraine can hold out against the Russian onslaught, which began on February 24.

He admitted that Kyiv was unrecognizable after the Russian bombardment.

The cities of Kharkiv and Mariupol have come under heavy shelling, with Odessa's noted opera house now surrounded by fortifications ahead of an expected amphibious attack.

Towns surrounding Kyiv - among them Irpin, Zhytomyr and Cherniahiv - have been subjected to intense bombardment.

Yet Zelensky said that his country's resolve remained strong.

'I'm sure the Ukrainians are prepared to stand against Russia for their entire lives,' he told Muir.

'Even the cities that were occupied by Russian military, they have seen the response and feedback from ordinary people.

'These ordinary people didn't have machine guns. This courage is something that is unprecedented.

'And Russian soldiers don't even have that courage.

'The problem is that for one soldier of Ukraine, we have ten Russian soldiers.

'And for one Ukrainian tank, we have 50 Russian tanks.

'But we are destroying them.

'And this difference is - the gap is closing.

'But the question is how long can we withstand?

'Many things depend not just on us. We will endure.

'And even if they come into all our cities, there will be insurgency, insurgent war.

'And no one will give away our independence.'

The United Nations has recorded at least 1,120 civilian casualties so far across Ukraine, with 364 killed and 769 injured, including scores of children. The real toll is likely to be significantly higher.

Horrifying video, shared widely on social media and broadcast on repeat on U.S. cable news, showed civilians being killed as they fled the Russian missiles.

Blinken said on Sunday he had seen evidence to suggest that war crimes had been carried out.

Yet Zelensky, asked whether he thought Putin was deliberately targeting civilians, replied: 'Why would I care? The result is the same.

'People are dying. The bombardment of the schools and kindergartens, the universities, the dormitory, the bombardment of a nuclear power plant without even thinking that Europe may disappear if it really hits the unit.

'Every minute, every hour, every day the same things are happening. People are dying.'

Muir asked Zelensky whether Putin himself was a war criminal.

'I think that all people who came to our land, all people who gave those orders, all soldiers who were shooting, they're all war criminals,' he replied.

'I think he is capable of stopping the war that he started.

'And even if he doesn't think that he was the one who started, he should know one important thing, a thing that cannot deny, that stopping the war is what he's capable of.'

Zelensky on Monday took his Facebook followers on a tour of the presidential palace, telling Ukrainians that he and his team were back at work in their offices, resilient and unafraid

Joe Biden is pictured on Monday speaking to French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the Situation Room at the White House. On Saturday night he spoke to Zelensky

A man lies next to a Ukrainian rescue team as it inspects damaged residential buildings after Russia shelled the Mykolaiv area in Ukraine on Monday

Ukrainian rescue team and locals are seen among debris of residential buildings damaged by a shelling in the Zhytomyr region on Monday

Firefighters on Monday inspect damaged residential buildings after Russia shelled the Chernigiv area

A family of four were trying to escape the town of Irpin, which sits on the outskirts of Kyiv, when they were killed in an attack by Putin's forces

The family, including two children, were killed by a mortar shell in Irpin near Kyiv on Sunday as hundreds of civilians sought safety

Hundreds of civilians have today been fleeing the city of Irpin, to the west of Kyiv, after it came under heavy attack by Russian forces in recent days while Putin's men try to encircle the capital

Elderly people and families with children are helped across a fast-flowing river underneath a destroyed road bridge outside Irpin, a city to the west of Kyiv, which Russian forces have been attacking

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said early on Tuesday that when he meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Turkey on Thursday he will propose direct talks between the Ukrainian and Russian presidents.

'We want talks between the president of Ukraine and Vladimir Putin since he is the one who makes the final decisions,' Kuleba said on Ukrainian television.

A Russian general was killed in the fighting around Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, which Russian forces have been trying to seize since the invasion began, the Ukrainian military intelligence agency said.

It identified him as Maj. Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov, 45, and said he had fought with Russian forces in Syria and Chechnya and had taken part in the seizure of Crimea in 2014.

Another Russian general was killed earlier in the fighting.

A local officers' organization in Russia confirmed the death in Ukraine of Maj. Gen. Andrei Sukhovetsky, the commanding general of the Russian 7th Airborne Division.

Sukhovetsky also took part in Russia's military campaign in Syria.

In New York, meanwhile, Ukraine's U.N. ambassador says 12 days of an all-out invasion by Russia has brought Ukraine to 'the brink of humanitarian catastrophe of potentially global nature.'

Sergiy Kyslytsya, speaking Monday at a U.N. Security Council meeting on the crisis, accused Russia of blocking numerous attempts by Ukrainian authorities to evacuate civilians through humanitarian corridors.

He said Russians shelled depots with evacuation buses near Mariupol and blew up the railway near Irpin in the Kyiv region to prevent evacuation by train. He said Russia bombed and launched missiles at those cities and others like Kharkiv on Monday.

Kyslytsya said Russia must stop violating cease-fire arrangements and allow safe passage through humanitarian corridors, end disinformation, and implement the U.N. General Assembly's resolution calling for an immediate stop to fighting.

Ukraine as a major wheat producer has been 'one of the guarantors of global food security' but this has been challenged by the war and 'the implications at the global level will be catastrophic,' he said.

Kyslytsya said Russian shelling had destroyed schools and hospitals and killed and wounded doctors. He said and the country was running low on critical medical supplies.

He urged U.N. humanitarian agencies to respond quickly.
An NYPD sergeant known as 'Bullethead' has cost the city more than $1 million after being sued 46 times, with 24 lawsuits settled thus far for illegal arrests, raids without warrants and unconstitutional street stops.

Sgt. David Grieco, who is believed to be a contender for most-sued cop in New York, has forced the city to pay out $1,066,750 in settlements from 24 lawsuits, with 22 still pending, The New York Daily News reported.

The largest settlement was reportedly for $103,000, but most of the recorded lawsuits have settled for tens of thousands of dollars, according to data gathered by The Legal Aid Society's Cop Accountability Project.

The suits against Grieco, a 16-year veteran of the force, go as far back as 2011 when he was an anti-crime cop in Brooklyn and continue to his current assignment as a field intelligence officer in Flatbush.

New York City has reportedly paid more than $1 million in settlements for 24 lawsuits against NYPD Sgt. David Grieco, who has 22 other suits pending

Molly Griffard, a Legal Aid lawyer, told NY Daily News that Grieco 'epitomizes the lack of accountability and widespread impunity throughout the NYPD' and called on New York Mayor Eric Adams to take action.

'New Yorkers need the mayor and police commissioner to take action to root out misconduct and stop giving serial abusers like Grieco mere slaps on the wrist for abusing our neighbors,' Griffard said.

None of the settlements have involved any acknowledgment of wrongdoing.

The NYPD said in a statement that the lawsuits do not prove that Grieco had broken any laws and that he 'has made and supervised hundreds of arrests that did not lead to any civil litigation.'

Joshua Moskovitz, a lawyer involved in two cases against Grieco that were settled, said he was shocked that the officer has not yet been fired.

'To me, it's incredible that the city hasn't already taken steps to terminate him,' Moskovitz told NY Daily News.

'What would any reasonable [private sector] employer do if an employee cost them a million dollars in liability over 40 different lawsuits?

'At some point any reasonable employer would say, 'I can't keep you on.'

Grieco has also been cited several times for failing to log police activity and was docked vacation days last year for making an unjustified car stop.
An urgent appeal for help to locate to locate an 11-year-old girl who has been missing with her mother for more than a month has been launched by police.

Heidi, 11, was last ween with her mother Meduline at Dimboola in Western Victoria on Janaury 27.

Australian Federal Police have released pictures of the two in the hope someone recognises them and can provide assistance.

The pair could be travelling in a white Hyundai Sante Fe SUV with the registration plates 1RO 4BF and may also be towing a white caravan with registration L95934.

Heidi (pictured), 11, was last seen in Dimboola, Victoria with her mother on January 27

She is believed to be with her mother Meduline (pictured) and travelling in a white Hyundai SUV

Heidi is about 152cm tall, of average build, with blue eyes, pierced ears , and she has long, light brown wavy hair.

Her mother Meduline is about 172cm tall, of medium build, olive complexion, has short wavy hair, and speaks with a French accent.

Anyone who sees either of the pair or has information on their whereabouts are asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Flashers are targeting women and girls more than 200 times a week, shocking figures show.

Official statistics obtained by Labour disclose a massive 40 per cent rise in indecent exposure and voyeurism offences in recent years.

There are calls for police to crack down on the crime over fears that if perpetrators are not stopped, they will go on to carry out more serious sexual assaults and acts of violence.

Today, on International Womens Day, Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is calling for a Home Office review of how the police and criminal justice system deal with incidents of indecent exposure.

She told the Daily Mail: Indecent exposure isnt being taken seriously enough.

Incidents of indecent exposure and voyeurism recorded by police forces have increased by 40 percent in England and Wales, from 8,180 in 2015-16 to 11,440 in 2020-21

'For many victims, this can be a hugely distressing experience.

Theres disturbing evidence of perpetrators who start with indecent exposure and then go on to commit other sexual offences, rape, or violence.

Senior police officers have warned that not enough is being done to look at the links between indecent exposure and more violent crimes.

'It is clear that action is needed.

She went on: Violence against women and girls needs to be taken much more seriously.

'Labour is calling on the Home Office to urgently review these crimes.

Today, on International Womens Day, Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is calling for a Home Office review of how the police and criminal justice system deal with incidents of indecent exposure

Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that police in England and Wales recorded 8,180 offences of indecent exposure and voyeurism in the year to March 2016.

By the year to September 2021, the figure had risen to 11,440  equivalent to 220 per week or 31 per day.

However, experts believe the true scale of the problem is far greater because many victims of flashing do not report it.
Terrifying footage shows the moment floodwaters poured into the M5 tunnel in Sydney as the city falls into the grips of another flood emergency.

Video of drivers passing through dangerous torrents within the widely used Sydney tunnel was posted on social media on Tuesday.

Facebook came alive with users asking why the tunnel had not been closed earlier, with some calling it the 'm5 river and not the m5 carpark' anymore.

Drivers were forced to wade through a flooded tunnel as the NSW rain bomb surges forward

'They close the thing when they are cleaning it, and make you detour, but for a flood nah not happening', while another joked, 'bad news for Tesla'.

Some others asked, 'which Wet 'N' Wild ride is this', and 'looks like the River Rapids at Wonderland'.

A spokeswoman from NSW Transport told Daily Mail Australia the M5 East tunnel was closed between Mascot and Beverly Hills from midnight but has been open since 530 Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, millions of Greater Sydney residents have been told to brace for a tough '24 to 48 hours' as Australia's east coast is battered by torrential rain and the flood crisis turns deadly.

At least 150mm of rain is forecast to fall across Sydney on Tuesday alone with residents of suburbs in the city's south and south-east ordered to evacuate.

The Bureau of Meteorology's Dean Narramore this morning warned that flooding is expected across the coast from Queensland to the Victorian border.

Mr Narramore said the amount of rainfall is already greater than last week's 'rain bomb' and is approaching levels that occurred during the floods in March last year.

'(There's a) tough 24 hours or even 48 hours ahead,' he said. 'Even if the rain does stop on Wednesday and Thursday, which it will, there's still a lot of water in these rivers.'

Damaging winds strong enough to bring down power lines and topple trees are forecast to wreak further chaos.

The Bureau of Meteorology's Dean Narramore warned there was more to come with minor to major flooding occurring from Queensland to the Victorian border across the already saturated state

Sydney, Liverpool and Terrey Hills could be hit with 50 to 80 millimetres of rain on Tuesday (pictured, a flooded property in Camden, 65km from Sydney's CBD)

The NSW State Emergency Service has issued urgent evacuation orders for a suite of suburbs including Chipping Norton, Georges Hall, and parts of Holsworthy, Lansvale and Milperra.

Other suburbs affected and told to evacuate immediately include parts of Moorebank, parts of Warwick Farm, Picnic Point, Pleasure Point and Sandy Point.

'If you remain in the area you may be trapped without power, water and other essential services and it may be too dangerous to rescue you,' the order states.

The SES has predicted even more torrential rain on Tuesday will create dangerous conditions in the Mid North Coast, Sydney, Hunter, South Coast and Illawarra.

'Heavy rain has caused flash flooding and river height rises overnight across these locations and further heavy rainfall, flash flooding and river rises are possible today,' it said about 5am on Tuesday.

'Strong winds are expected which could cause trees and powerlines to fall. Landslides are also possible, which could block roads.'

NSW State Emergency Service commissioner Carlene York said the major areas of concern across NSW are Kempsey, Coroki, the Georges and Hawkesbury-Nepean River, Shoalhaven, St Georges Basin and Sussex Inlet.

The SES has performed 100 flood rescues in the 24 hours to 6:30am on Monday and responded to 2400 calls for help.

State Emergency Service Assistant Commissioner Sean Kearns said it had been an 'extremely busy night' for emergency services.

'We would just like to warn the community to listen to the warnings from the bureau and to avoid unnecessary travel,' Commissioner Kearns told Channel Nine's Today Show on Tuesday.

Transport for NSW told those heading to work or school to prepare for the worst, leave plenty of time for delays.

Ferry services were disrupted by heavy swells with delays on bus services due to extensive road closures and flood damage.

'Avoid any non-essential travel and if you do need to use the network please plan ahead and leave plenty of extra travel time,' a tweet at 6am advised.

'Impacts will continue through the rest of this week as we undertake detailed inspections to ensure the rail network remains safe for trains and customers'.

Camden, in Sydney's southwest, has been particularly hard-hit by the widespread flooding, with properties and businesses underwater for the second time in less than a week

Tens of thousands of Sydneysiders have been told to brace for a tough 24 hours ahead as the city is battered with an incessant deluge and floodwaters threaten homes and livelihoods (pictured, floodwaters in Petersham)

At least 150mm of rain is forecast to fall across Sydney on Tuesday, as residents in the city's south and southeast are urged to evacuate their homes immediately as floodwaters continue to rise (pictured, a flooded petrol station in Camden on Tuesday)

Transport for NSW told those heading to work or school to prepare for the worst, leave plenty of time for delays on the network and avoid trains (pictured, pedestrians in Brisbane)

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for the entire of Sydney on Tuesday as incessant rain continues to fall across the south and southwest

Park Street, Petersham is seen under water on Tuesday night after a torrential down pour hit Sydney

The SES has warned strong winds and heavy rain will continue into Tuesday morning (Pictured: A deluge sweeps through a residence in Rhodes)

Many suburbs across Syndey were hammered by flooding, water is seen bubbling up from the ground in Potts Point

Elizabeth Drive, Liverpool is completely flooded as vehicles are left at a stand still
A Covid infection can triple the rate of brain degeneration in middle-aged and older people, a world-first study suggests.

University of Oxford researchers looked at brain scans of more than 400 people between the ages of 51 and 81 before and after they had the disease.

Results showed that in olfactory-related regions, responsible for smell, their brain volume shrunk by an average of 0.7 per cent compared to a control group who did not get Covid.

A middle-aged person would normally expect to lose about 0.2 per cent volume in that area per year, while an older person could expect to see a 0.3 per cent decrease.

On average, Covid patients involved in the study had four months between their two scans  suggesting the virus significantly speeds up the rate of degeneration.

Survivors also took longer to complete cognitive tests and achieved poorer scores compared to their peers.

To check that the declines in brain matter and cognition could not have been replicated by any respiratory illness, the researchers carried out an analysis of the brains of pneumonia patients and found no similar changes.

The study may help explain why many people continue to suffer brain fog and other neurological issues months after clearing a Covid infection.

Brain's gradually reduce in size as we age, with reductions beginning in the 30s and 40s. The above graph shows falls in size in the left parahippocampal gyrus, an area of the brain linked to smell. It reveals that it fell faster in people who tested positive for Covid (orange line) compared to those that did not get the disease (blue line)

The above graphs show changes in the size of the brain (left) and of the cerebellum  which is linked to movement  (right) between Covid patients (orange) and those who did not catch the virus (blue). It shows in both cases those who had Covid saw a faster decline while they aged

Scientists from the University of Oxford examined the brains of 785 participants aged 51-81 who had received MRI scans both before and during the pandemic. (Stock image)

Oxford scientists said the reduction in brain volume was more pronounced among older people and the 15 patients who were hospitalised with the disease.

But declines were still evident in patients who had mild to moderate Covid or were asymptomatic.

Scientists find 16 'Covid genes' raising your risk of falling critically ill Scientists have uncovered more than a dozen genetic quirks that may explain why some people are more vulnerable to severe Covid than others. Up to 16 changes to DNA were found in patients critically ill with the virus, many of which are involved in blood clotting and inflammation. One genetic variant was found to be slower at signalling to the immune system that cells are under attack from the virus. Having just one of the genes could be the difference between getting a cough or being admitted to intensive care, according to the biggest study of its kind. As part of the Government-funded research, experts at the University of Edinburgh studied the genes of more than 57,000 people across the UK, including 9,000 Covid patients. This is not the first time studies have found different genes could predispose certain people to becoming severely ill with Covid. But the scientists hope the latest finding will help identify new drugs and treatments in the future. Their earlier work has already helped lead to the discovery that arthritis drug baricitinib could treat certain patients at risk of severe disease Advertisement

Professor Gewnaelle Douaud, a neuroscientist who led the study, said: 'Despite the infection being mild in 96 per cent of our participants, we saw a greater loss of grey matter volume, and greater tissue damage in the infected participants.

'All these negative effects were more marked at older ages.'

But she noted that the brain 'is plastic, which means it can re-organise and heal itself to some extent, even in older people.'

Reductions in brain matter were observed in areas of the brain including the parahippocampal gyrus  a key region for smell - and in the cerebellum  responsible for balance and coordination.

The study  published in the journal Nature  is believed to be the first in the world to investigate large-scale changes in the brain after a Covid infection.

Human brains naturally shrink as people age, with the first reductions normally observed in the 30s and 40s.

The study was based on participants in the UK Biobank database.

Reacting to the research, Dr Rebecca Dewey, a neuroimaging expert at Nottingham University who was not involved in the study, said it was 'compelling'.

'If the findings were based on imaging data alone, I would say that we have much less reason to worry about this as the brain is so plastic that it is likely to compensate in the absence of any conditions preventing this.

'However, I find the significant association between the imaging findings and the cognitive tests highly compelling.'

She added: 'These sorts of changes are seen after many forms of disease onslaught, and even that of healthy ageing.

'The key difference shown here is that they appear to be happening faster than with ageing alone.'

On the other hand, Professor Alan Carson, a neuropsychiatrist at Edinburgh University who was also not involved in the research, said the changes in brain size were 'very modest'.

'Such changes can be caused by a simple change in mental experience,' he said.

'I am very concerned by the alarming use of language in the report with terms such as "neurodegenerative".'

He suggested the area of the brain linked to smell may have been reduced because of reduced signals from cells in the nose  which the virus infects.

Nearly 30million people in England had dodged Covid Almost 30million people in England have managed to avoid Covid since the pandemic began, No10's scientific advisers believe amid warning signs that the outbreak is growing again. Cambridge University scientists tasked with tracking the pandemic suspect only 51.8 per cent of the population has caught the virus in the last two years. Experts told MailOnline they were 'not particularly concerned' by the fact that half of the country have not been exposed to the virus. It 'doesn't mean the rest are susceptible', according to Dr Thomas Woolley, a mathematical biologist at Cardiff University. Officials estimate that 98 per cent of people in England have antibodies against Covid thanks to high vaccination rates and the combination of jabs and natural immunity has shown to provide the strongest protection. Advertisement

Long Covid is a poorly understood condition that leaves survivors with lingering symptoms more than three months after clearing the initial infection.

It has been linked to a wide range of symptoms, including extreme tiredness, breathing difficulties, a loss of smell, and problems concentrating.

An estimated 1.5million people in the UK  or 2.4 per cent of the population  are currently suffering from long Covid, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The latest research comes after scientists at the University of Edinburgh uncovered more than a dozen genetic quirks that may explain why some people are more vulnerable to severe Covid than others.

Up to 16 changes to DNA were found in patients critically ill with the virus, many of which are involved in blood clotting and inflammation.

One genetic variant was found to be slower at signalling to the immune system that cells were under attack from the virus.

Having just one of the genes could be the difference between getting a cough or being admitted to intensive care, according to the biggest study of its kind.

As part of the Government-funded research, experts at the University of Edinburgh studied the genes of more than 57,000 people across the UK, including 9,000 Covid patients.

The study did not break down the risk of becoming severely ill per gene, or which Britons might be more at risk then others based on their heritage.

However, they said some genes were linked to a doubling of the risk of severe illness from Covid.

This is not the first time studies have found different genes could predispose certain people to becoming severely ill with Covid.

But the scientists hope the latest finding will help identify new drugs and treatments in the future.
Congress has finally passed the legislation that will make lynching a federal hate crime, carrying a maximum sentence of 30 years.

Decades in the making, the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act is among some 200 bills that have been introduced over the past century that have tried to ban lynching in America.

'After more than 200 failed attempts to outlaw lynching, Congress is finally succeeding in taking a long overdue action by passing the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act,' said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

The bill will make it possible to prosecute a crime as a lynching when a conspiracy to commit a hate crime results in death or serious bodily injury, according to the bill's champion, Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill (pictured in front of Emmett Till's photograph)

The bill has been named after black teenager Emmett Till, who was brutally killed while he was visiting family in Mississippi in 1955 after witnesses said he whistled and grabbed Carolyn Bryant Donham, a white woman.

An all white jury acquitted two men who later confessed to killing the teenager in a magazine interview.

They beat and mutilated Till before shooting him in the head and dumping his body in the Tallahatchie River.

Till's mother's insistence on an open funeral casket to show the world what had been done to her child became a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights era.

The bill will make it possible to prosecute a crime as a lynching when a conspiracy to commit a hate crime results in death or serious bodily injury, according to the bill's champion, Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill.

The House approved a similar measure in 2020, but it was blocked in the Senate.

Last week, the House overwhelmingly approved a revised version being passed with an overwhelming 422 'yes' votes in Congress' lower chamber.

The only 'no' votes on the legislation belonged to Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Rep. Chip Roy of Texas and Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia.

The bill has been named after black teenager Emmett Till, who was killed in Mississippi in 1955 after witnesses said he whistled and grabbed Carolyn Bryant Donham, a white woman

In the House, Reps. Chip Roy of Texas (left), Thomas Massie of Kentucky (center) and Andrew Clyde of Georgia (right) were the only three lawmakers to vote against the anti-lynching bill

After being passed in the House, the Senate approved the Emmett Till Anti-lynching Act unanimously late Monday, sending the bill to President Joe Biden to sign into law.

Massie released a statement explaining that he voted against the bill over concerns it would impede on states' rights and 'freedom of speech'.

'The Constitution specifies only a handful of federal crimes, and leaves the rest to individual states to prosecute,' Massie wrote on Monday evening.

'This bill expands current federal 'hate crime' laws. A crime is a crime, and all victims deserve equal justice. Adding enhanced penalties for 'hate' tends to endanger other liberties such as freedom of speech.'

The Kentucky lawmaker added: 'Lynching a person is already illegal in every state. Passing this legislation falsely implies that lynching someone does not already constitute criminal activity.'

'The bill creates another federal crime of 'conspiracy,' which I'm concerned could be enforced overbroadly on people who are not perpetrators of a crime.'

Roy called lynching an 'unspeakably heinous crime' but said the bill - H.R. 55 - 'doesn't have anything to do with' it.

'In fact it creates no new federal offenses. It simply raises the punishment for things that are already federal crimes, including those that are unrelated to lynching  such as gender identity  in an effort to advance a woke agenda under the guise of correcting racial injustice,' Roy said.

The Texas Republican implied lawmakers and the media were not being 'honest' in their portrayal of the legislation.

'Congress and the media should be honest with the American people about what bills do and don't do,' he said.

'As much as I favor harsher penalties for violent offenders, this is a matter for the states and I will not vote for legislative deception. I will also not support enhancing the power of a federal government that so often abuses it.'

Georgia Rep. Clyde told DailyMail.com the bill 'falsely suggests' lynchings are not already punished.

'Lynching is an evil act of violence that is already against the law at the federal level; it is first-degree murder. Furthermore, my home state of Georgia recently signed hate crime legislation into law this past year,' he said.

'H.R. 55 would create no new federal offense and the current hate crime criminal code already establishes penalties for willful bodily injury to another person. Simply put, we do not need another duplicative federal law.

'Carving out a separate distinction for lynching may be symbolic, but it falsely suggests that individuals who commit, or attempt to commit, a lynching do not already face criminal charges and consequences. No matter the method or tool used in a horrendous act of violence, all victims of crime deserve equal justice.'

The bill was introduced in early January by longtime Illinois Democratic Rep. Bobby Rush.

Rush, who is retiring at the end of this year, is a civil rights activist, pastor and Army veteran who helped found his state's chapter of the Black Panthers.

He did it alongside his late friend and Illinois Black Panthers Chair Fred Hampton, who was killed by federal law enforcement in a pre-dawn raid while he slept in his bed.

Speaking of the new bill, Rush said: 'Lynching is a longstanding and uniquely American weapon of racial terror that has for decades been used to maintain the white hierarchy.'

The congressman said passage of the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act 'sends a clear and emphatic message that our nation will no longer ignore this shameful chapter of our history and that the full force of the U.S. federal government will always be brought to bear against those who commit this heinous act'.
A low-floor bus / Korea Times file





The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the failure of bus companies to provide equipment allowing wheelchair users to board their vehicles was in violation of the Disability Discrimination Act.







The top court reached the decision in a case launched by three handicapped plaintiffs against the central government, the Seoul and Gyeonggi Province governments, and two bus companies accusing them of discriminating against wheelchair-bound travelers. It returned the case to the appeals court in Seoul for review.







The lawsuit was launched in March 2014 by advocacy groups for handicapped people, demanding the companies provide equipment to allow wheelchairs to board buses and to introduce low-floor buses on its routes.







The court said transportation operators have the "obligation to provide wheelchair-boarding equipment" to passengers and are required to operate under non-discrimination policies "as diligently as possible."







However, it dismissed an earlier appeals court order to install wheelchair boarding equipment on all routes of the companies, taking into consideration their financial situation. It limited the scope of responsibilities in the case to the routes likely to be traveled by the plaintiffs. (Yonhap)


A mother was baffled when she opened her Coles home delivery shopping to find the bananas she ordered had been swapped for sanitary pads.

Zoe Hughes shared photos on Friday of the confusing delivery from her local Coles at Wagga Wagga in south-west NSW to the company's Facebook page and asked what her children could take for a school snack.

'Do I throw in some pads in the kids' lunches? Or did the picker think I was doing something shifty with the 'nanas?' she joked.

Zoe Hughes shared photos on Friday of the confusing delivery from her local Wagga Wagga Coles where the bananas she ordered had been swapped for sanitary pads

The baffled mum said she had ordered the bananas for her children's school lunches and questioned why the picker didn't get different bananas instead of the pads

Ms Hughes went on to say the U By Kotex pads weren't the first time a 'stupid substitute' had left her scratching her head.

She said she was happy to agree to Coles swapping policy that allows pickers to switch brands or replace items with a similar product if the customer chosen one is unavailable, but some switches weren't justifiable.

'In the past I've gotten pork gyoza instead of prawn, chicken instead of squid. But today  this one takes the cake!,' she said.

Commenters laughed at the outrageous snack swap.

Ms Hughes went on to say the U By Kotex pads weren't the first time a 'stupid substitute' had left her scratching her head but this time was the strangest item swap

'They're going to find the substitute hard to digest!,' one person wrote.

Ms Hughes told Yahoo News she laughed when she got the email about the product swap.

'I got the email stating I was getting pads instead of bananas and I just laughed so much. Like coughing, laughing. I thought, 'Seriously not?' she said.

'Every week they get something wrong but that's ridiculous. Surely this is a computer system error and I'll get my bananas. Since when are there no bananas in Coles?

'It's not even edible, it's in a completely different section and has no similarities whatsoever.'

In a statement to News.com.au Coles a Coles spokeswoman said the swap was a genuine mistake

A Coles spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia the swap was a genuine mistake made by an employee.

'Coles Online encourages customers opt in to receive substitutions so we can replace out of stock items with similar products for their convenience,' she said.

'We have looked into this customer order and identified it was a genuine human error where an incorrect product was scanned.

'The customer has been contacted and we have apologised for any inconvenience caused.'
CNN host Fareed Zakaria says the flurry of media coverage on Russia's invasion of Ukraine has nothing to do with Ukrainians' race or ethnicity, as pundits and media experts continue to criticize the tone of some of the reporting around the conflict.

'I mean, to put it directly to people who think about this and they say, "Why Ukrainians being - why do we pay so much attention, is it just because they're white?"

'No, it is not because Ukrainians are white or European. It's because their aggressor, their invader is a nuclear-armed superpower. That's the danger,' Zakaria told fellow CNN anchor Don Lemon over the weekend.

'If Russia can get away with this, it can get away with invading Poland, it can get away with invading the Baltic states,' he added. 'China can get away with invading Taiwan. You essentially tear up the rule book of international relations.'

Media pundits like Nikole Hannah-Jones of the 1619 project and groups like the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association have criticized the wall-to-wall media coverage on the invasion in eastern Europe as compared to more brief glimpses at other conflicts around the world.

They have also denounced coverage that paints scenes of war and destruction in Europe as inconceivable compared to similar scenes in the Middle East or Africa.

CNN host Fareed Zakaria said the flurry of media coverage on Russia's invasion of Ukraine has nothing to do with Ukrainians being white or European in an appearance on Don Lemon's show over the weekend

Groups like the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association have criticized the tone of Ukraine coverage, offering examples of racism or bias in coverage

Nikole Hannah-Jones, New York Times reporter and creator of the 1619 Project, accused the media of depicting 'insidious racism' in its coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Zakaria dismissed those complaints and emphasized the implications of a Russian takeover of a free, democratic country.

'I would say I think that the American people would understand that what you have here is a superpower aggressor with nuclear weapons threatening to tear up the international order, threatening to essentially tear up the rule book, annex another country, alter borders by force,' he said, according to Mediaite.

'This is all historic stuff. You know? This is stuff we will be writing about in the history books for decades to come, centuries to come.'

Lemon then asked about the particular focus on this specific conflict.

'I was talking to former secretary William Cohen, who said he believes that Americans should know, people should know that we have to sacrifice in these moments because democracy, freedom, they're all at stake right now,' Lemon said.

'But there are people who say, "Why this conflict? There are conflicts, skirmishes all over the world, why is this one so much different? Why are we involved? Why should we upend our lives, the price of our gas, and so on?" You understand what I'm saying.'

'Right. I totally understand,' Zakaria replied. 'Here is the simplest way to understand it: A skirmish that takes place between two small countries in Africa or the Middle East, Latin America, they dont threaten to up-end the international system.'

Fakaria hosts Fareed Zakaria GPS, a weekly Sunday show on CNN focused on foreign affairs.

The author, who was born in India to a Muslim family, graduated from Yale University in 1986 and received a PhD in government from Harvard in 1993.

He went on to highlight the danger that Russia poses to the West if it were to successfully annex Ukraine.

Zakaria says the focus is due to Russia's status as a nuclear-armed country with a veto in the UN Security Council. Above, a resident on Monday uses a dustpan and a broom to clear debris from a room in a building damaged by a Russian missile explosion in Kramatorsk on Sunday

'This is all historic stuff. You know? This is stuff we will be writing about in the history books for decades to come, centuries to come,' Zakaria told Lemon, his network colleague

'When you have a nuclear power, the largest nuclear power in the world - Russia has more nuclear weapons than the United States - a great power with a veto in the security council, when it threatens its neighbor what you are reverting to is a pattern of great power politics that is more reminiscent of the age of Hitler and Mussolini, more reminiscent of 19th century Europe where the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must, that is a very different world than we've lived in for the last 70 years and certainly ever since the end of the Cold War,' he said.

In the first days of the invasion, the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association called on 'all news organizations to be mindful of implicit and explicit bias in their coverage of war in Ukraine.'

In a press release, the organization cited numerous instances of insensitivity or bias in coverage of the invasion.

One example read: 'On Feb. 26, during a CBS News segment, correspondent Charlie DAgata commented: "But this isn't a place, with all due respect, like Iraq or Afghanistan, that has seen conflict raging for decades. This is a relatively civilized, relatively European - I have to choose those words carefully, too - city, one where you wouldnt expect that, or hope that its going to happen.'"

Another example read: 'Daniel Hannan, of The Telegraph wrote: "They seem so like us. That is what makes it so shocking. War is no longer something visited upon impoverished and remote populations. It can happen to anyone."'

On February 27, New York Times reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones tweeted that reporters should 'really, really look internally' when covering Ukraine.

Hannah-Jones made her allegations in a string of tweets published on February 27

'This is why I say we should stop pretending we have objectivity and in instead acknowledge our biases so that we can report against them. Many of us see the racialized analysis and language.'

In a separate tweet, she added: 'And honestly, these admissions of shock that this is happening in a European country are ahistorical and also serve to justify the lack of sympathy for other invasions, other occupations and other refugee crisis involving peoples not considered white.'

Over the weekend, the mass of fleeing civilians took up every inch of space at Kharkiv station  all desperate for a place on the train out of hell.

Mothers and families, the young and the old, they would have filled the ten-carriage service several times over.

The scene at Kharkiv is playing out all over Ukraine as thousands try to flee Russias barbaric onslaught.

Yesterday, the Kremlin offered for a third time in as many days to open 'humanitarian corridors' and let civilians leave major cities during a limited cease-fire.

The mass of fleeing civilians took up every inch of space at Kharkiv station  all desperate for a place on the train out of hell

Moscow announced the proposed escape routes yesterday after Putin and Emmanuel Macron spoke by telephone on Sunday night, with the Kremlin saying the move was taken after a personal request by the French president

Russia yesterday morning offered six routes to allow civilians to leave Mariupol, Kharkiv, Sumy and the capital Kyiv

But its words were exposed as a cynical stunt when it emerged some of the routes would lead Ukrainians straight to Russia, the very country behind all the death and destruction. The plan was dismissed as immoral and unacceptable by Ukraine and as nonsense by Britains Europe minister, James Cleverly.

One supposedly safe passage out of the besieged southern port city of Mariupol went straight through a minefield.

Russia yesterday morning offered six routes to allow civilians to leave Mariupol, Kharkiv, Sumy and the capital Kyiv.

But Vladimir Putins forces continued to pummel some cities with rockets even after the announcement, while fierce fighting raged in many places, indicating there would be no wider cessation of hostilities. Around 2,000 people have managed to get out of the town of Irpin, near Kyiv, police said on Monday.

On Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg pushed a transition to green energy and electric cars as Americans face record high prices at the pump.

As gas costs soar and more workers are returning to the office as covid numbers fall, President Joe Biden's administration announced a $3.7 billion boost for public transportation, including an investment in new fleets of electric buses.

Vice President Kamala Harris announced the Biden administration's push transition to green energy and electric cars

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, with Vice President Kamala Harris, talked about environmental benefits of electric vehicles but didn't mention rising gas prices

Prior to the 2008 recession a barrel of crude oil hit $150. We are well on our way to reaching and potentially exceeding that crisis mark endangering the entire economy. (The chart above shows Stephen Schork's projection for retail gas prices in the summer of 2022, which approach levels that have previously proceeded recessions)

'We are all in the midst of a turning point. We have the technologies to transition to a zero emission fleet,' Harris said during the announcement. 'We can address the climate crisis and grow our economy at the same time.'

Buttigieg also stressed how the money would help the environment.

'Transit gets riders where they need to be efficiently and affordably with far less pollution to thrive. And it's even good for drivers of cars, because it means less congestion and traffic on our roads. And transit is even better when it's clean transit with modern electric buses that don't pollute at all,' he said.

Neither official mentioned gas prices: AAA reported Sunday that the national average for a gallon of gas hit $4.009 -- the highest since 2008. On Monday, the average price hit $4.10 a gallon, according to GasBuddy.

Also a factor is cost: The average transaction price for an electric vehicle (EV) is $56,437, according to Kelley Blue Book, which is about $10,000 higher than the overall industry average for a vehicle.

Republicans were quick to criticize with one lawmaker from the oil-rich state of Oklahoma calling Harris and Buttigieg 'tone deaf.'

'Vice President Kamala Harris and DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg spent the afternoon promoting electric vehicles and Green New Deal policies. Are you kidding me? The Biden Administration could not be more tone deaf,' said Rep. Markwayne Mullin.

Meanwhile, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday that President Biden is doing everything he can to reduce the impact of gas prices on the American people.

She blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for the high numbers at the pump.

What is also true, is that because of the actions of President Putin, because he invaded a sovereign country that created instability in the markets, that is something the President talked about even before Russia and President Putin move forward with their actions, she noted.
British researchers have made a major breakthrough that could pave the way for the first national screening programme for prostate cancer.

It will allow tumours to be found early and could 'significantly' reduce deaths from the disease, which kills around 10,000 men in the UK each year.

The NHS does not routinely screen for it as the best test available is unreliable.

Now researchers from the University of London have developed a screening method that more accurately estimates a person's risk of developing prostate cancer.

It involves looking for raised levels of two biomarkers in a patient's blood sample relative to their age.

Now researchers from the University of London have developed a screening method that more accurately estimates a person's risk of developing prostate cancer (stock image)

Lead author Professor Sir Nicholas Wald said: 'This approach could reduce false positive [tests] by three quarters, making screening safer and more accurate.'

The findings were published in the Journal of Medical Screening.

If the screening method is found to be successful in future studies it is hoped that it could one day be developed into a national screening programme.

There is no single test for prostate cancer but one of the first diagnostic tools used is a blood test that measures the amount of prostate specific antigen (PSA).

A raised PSA result can indicate a problem with a man's prostate.

But the test isn't offered to all men as there are both advantages and disadvantages of the test.

It has previously been suggested that screening on PSA levels alone could lead to more men needing a prostate biopsy - where a small sample of cells are collected for further examination - which can have side effects.

Others have raised concern about 'overtreatment' of a large number of men who have slow growing prostate cancer that would never have affected them during their lifetime.

The new study examined a new algorithm which examines a man's levels of PSA and hK2 (human kalliknein peptidase) in the blood, as well as taking into account their age.

It involves looking for raised levels of two biomarkers in a patient's blood sample relative to their age (stock image)

The paper examined how well the algorithm could predict prostate cancer by comparing blood samples of 571 men who later died after a prostate cancer diagnosis with the blood samples of 2,169 men never who were never diagnosed with the disease.

The authors from UCL, Queen Mary University of London and St George's University of London, said combining the blood tests with a risk assessment tool could mean that 90% of cancers are detected with 1.2% of cases deemed 'false positive'.

This method could help to reduce the number of false positive results by three quarters, the authors added.

Co-author Jonathan Bestwick, from Queen Mary University, said: 'The approach is innovative for cancer, as it screens people on the basis of their overall risk rather than the results of a single test.

'This is the same approach used in screening during pregnancy for certain foetal and maternal health conditions.'

There is no single test for prostate cancer but one of the first diagnostic tools used is a blood test that measures the amount of prostate specific antigen (PSA) (stock image)

Commenting on the study, Professor Roger Kirby, president of the Royal Society of Medicine and vice-president of the charity Prostate Cancer UK, said: 'This is a novel approach which utilises the levels of two prostate cancer markers, PSA and hK2 (human kallikrein peptidase) to refine prostate cancer screening.

'The use of PSA alone has significant drawbacks in terms of screening, but the addition of the hK2 marker in this context carries the genuine promise of significantly reducing the death rate from this most common cancer in men.'

Simon Grieveson, head of research at Prostate Cancer UK, added: 'Catching prostate cancer early can save lives, but without a screening programme too many men will continue to be diagnosed too late.

'Unfortunately, we currently do not have an accurate enough test to be used for a national screening programme and so it's great to see promising research like this seeking to create a better test to detect prostate cancer early.

'In the meantime, men can find out more about their risk by using Prostate Cancer UK's risk checker, and should speak to their GP if they have any concerns.'
Britain will be able to sanction hundreds of Russian oligarchs next week after MPs last night passed a law to speed up the process.

Legislation to tackle 'dirty money' hidden in the UK was rushed through the Commons after facing months of delays.

The Economic Crime Bill received an unopposed third reading.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss earlier told MPs on the foreign affairs committee the new law would enable Britain to sanction 'hundreds' of individuals by next Tuesday.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, pictured here at a meeting of European Union foreign ministers, said the new would enable Britain to sanction 'hundreds' of individuals by next Tuesday

It comes as the Government looks to crack down on oligarchs linked to Vladimir Putin. Pictured here is Putin with Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich in the background

She said: 'We are removing the appropriateness test, we are capping the damages on judicial review and this will enable us to rapidly sanction anybody sanctioned by our allies.

'The Economic Crime Bill is introduced today. If Parliament passes the legislation...we will be able to sanction hundreds of individuals by next Tuesday, March 15.'

The Government tabled a series of amendments to the Bill to crack down on corrupt elites and ramp up pressure on Vladimir Putin's regime.

Former minister quits Russian role Former Tory energy minister Greg Barker bowed to pressure and quit as director of a Russian aluminium giant yesterday. Lord Barker, who served in David Cameron's government, came under fire for refusing to sever ties with EN+, founded by Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. He announced his resignation yesterday after calls grew for him to be removed from the House of Lords if he did not quit because of the company's links to Deripaska. Advertisement

Ministers wanted to shorten the deadline for overseas companies to register their 'beneficial owners' from 18 months to six months.

Other amendments sought to increase criminal penalties for non-compliance, from fines of up to 500 per day to up to 2,500 per day, and remove the test of 'appropriateness' for sanctions.

The changes will enable the Government to mirror the listings adopted by allies  giving the Foreign Secretary power to sanction individuals or companies already designated by the US or EU.

Speaking in the Commons yesterday, Home Secretary Priti Patel said the Bill would 'send a very strong signal that the UK will not be home for corruption'.

She added: 'Putin's cronies have hidden dirty money in the UK and we do not want it here. Expediting this legislation will mean that we can crack down on the people who abuse the UK's open society.'

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper told MPs Labour would support the legislation, but insisted that 'many of those measures' should have happened some years ago.

During the debate last night, Nickie Aiken, the Conservative MP for Cities of London and Westminster, said: 'I do hope that this Bill, soon to be an Act, means Londongrad is finished. The severity of these sanctions is the beginning of the new London.'

The Bill will undergo further scrutiny in the House of Lords at a later date.
Families of 9/11 victims and Republicans expressed outrage as the so-called 9/11 '20th hijacker' was released from Guantanamo Bay prison and sent back to Saudi Arabia for psychiatric treatment.

Would-be terrorist Mohammad Ahmad al-Qahtani, 46, who reportedly missed boarding a plane to fly into the World Trade Center because he was detained by authorities on immigration charges, was shipped back to his native country, Pentagon officials said Monday.

Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who had sent a letter last week to President Joe Biden urging him not to go through with the release, said it was a 'massive error which poses a serious risk to our national security.'

Mohammad al-Qahtani was released by U.S. authorities and sent back to Saudia Arabia for psychiatric treatment

'Al-Qahtani is a terrorist who made it his life goal to kill Americans,' Rubio said. 'I believe he remains committed to jihad and the destruction of the United States.'

'Now, because of the Biden Administration's misguided policies, he has the opportunity to once again return to the battlefield. The decision to transfer al-Qahtani is not simply a lapse in judgment, it is a massive error which poses a serious risk to our national security and the security of our allies.'

Al-Qahtani's release, which was approved last month by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, comes as the Biden administration puts pressure on Saudi Arabia to release more oil amid the crisis in Ukraine.

Sen Rubio issued a statement following the transfer of Al-Qaeda terrorist Mohammed al-Qahtani from Guantanamo Bay to Saudi Arabia, calling it "a massive error which poses a serious risk to our national security and the security of our allies.



Read morehttps://t.co/hXF7EwkNCZ  Senator Rubio Press (@SenRubioPress) March 8, 2022

Angela Mistrulli, whose father Joseph died in the World Trade Center on 9/11, said that she was frustrated at the lack of due process.

'I think it's very said to be a child of someone who was killed on 9/11 not to have a day in court for my father and the 3000 other people who were murdered,' she said. 'I find it more and more that they are taking away are ability to prosecute and get the truth.'

Republican senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jim Risch (R-IN) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK) warned President Biden that the 38 remaining Guantanamo prisoners are are some of the most dangerous terrorists in the world and have dedicated their lives to attacking Americans and our allies

In August 2001, al-Qahtani was turned away from the U.S. at the Orlando airport by immigration officers who were suspicious of his travel. The lead Sept. 11 hijacker, Mohamed Atta, was going to pick him up to take part in the plot, according to previously released documents.

U.S. forces later captured him in Afghanistan and sent him to Guantanamo, where he was subjected to brutal interrogations that the Pentagon legal official in charge of war crimes commissions said amounted to torture.

If this is true, its a slap in the face to all who perished that day. This admin can  my ass.



Guantanamo detainee called 20th Hijacker of 9/11 sent home by the Biden Administration, will get 'mental health' treatment - Breaking911 https://t.co/bt3V3ZTFZj  Stephanie (@StephHoover8) March 8, 2022

He has been at Guantanamo for 20 years but charges against him were dropped years ago.

Al-Qahtani, after 'two decades without trial in U.S. custody' will 'now receive the psychiatric care he has long needed in Saudi Arabia, with the support of his family,' said Ramzi Kassem, a law professor at the City University of New York who represented al-Qahtani with help from students for over a decade. 'Keeping him at Guantanamo, where he was tortured, and then repeatedly attempted suicide, would have been a likely death sentence.'

Joseph Mistrulli, who was a union carpenter working in Windows on the World on 9/11, was killed in the attack. His daughter Angela says Biden is taking away her ability to know the truth about what happened

That treatment included beatings, exposure to extreme temperatures and noise, sleep deprivation and extended solitary confinement. An FBI official in 2002 observed al-Qahtani speaking to non-existent people, hearing voices and crouching in a corner of his cell while covering himself with a sheet for hours at a time.

Al-Qahtani, who is the second Guantanamo Bay prisoner released by President Joe Biden, has suffered schizophrenia and other mental illnesses since childhood, according to medical records.

There are now 38 prisoners still in detention at the U.S. military facility in Cuba.

However, only half the men held there have been cleared for release, and no decision has been made about what to do with the rest, including those who still face trial by military commission.

'It concerns me that the administration is fertilizing the ground for another terrorist attack,' Mistrulli said.

The Defense Department notified Congress of its intention to transfer al-Qahtani in February, prompting outrage from some Republicans.

Rubio and fellow Republican senators Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma and Jim Risch of Indiana sent Biden a letter last week urging him not to let the Saudi go.

'We are concerned that that he may try to resume terrorist activity once released from U.S. custody,' they said in their letter.

'The individuals remaining at Guantanamo are some of the most dangerous terrorists in the world and have dedicated their lives to attacking Americans and our allies,' the trio wrote. 'As such, they should not be given the opportunity to return to the battlefield in any role.'

Al-Qahtani reportedly was supposed to be on one of the planes that struck the World Trade Center by was detained by immigration authorities

There are now 38 prisoners still in detention on the U.S. military facility in Cuba

Lawyers for al-Qahtani obtained a federal court order in 2020 requiring a medical examination of the prisoner by an independent medical panel, which could have ordered his repatriation under Army regulations if the diagnosis of his doctors was confirmed. The Trump administration contested the order, a legal fight that was dropped under Biden.

The 38 remaining prisoners at Guantanamo include 19 who have been approved for repatriation or resettlement by the review board. There are another 7 who are eligible for review. Ten prisoners face trial by military commission, including five charged with involvement in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Their death penalty case has been stalled for years in the pretrial phase.

The remaining two prisoners at the base have been convicted, one of whom, former Maryland resident Majid Khan, is nearing the completion of his sentence under a plea deal.
Retired army general Sir Chris Deverell has revealed he believes that NATO will eventually have to fight Russia and believes the security bloc should implement a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

Deverell, who headed up military intelligence, cyber and special forces as commander of the Joint Forces Command prior to his retirement in 2019, had previously stated he was against NATO forces closing the skies over Ukraine.

But in a statement on Twitter over the weekend, the retired general walked back his earlier comments, surmising that Putin seems 'hell-bent on escalation' and that conflict with NATO is inevitable.

'I have been against the imposition of a no fly zone by NATO in Ukraine, believing that it would surely escalate the conflict. But Putin seems hell bent on escalation,' Deverall tweeted.

'So the question is becoming: does NATO fight him now or fight him later? He will likely respond with nuclear threats. But there is no fundamental reason why these are more useful to Putin than they are to NATO.

'Our logic has to be that his threats are meaningless. Whatever he can do to us, we can do to him.'

Deverell's comments came as Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said US and NATO forces would only reject a no-fly zone over his country's skies if they lacked 'confidence' in the military alliance.

Retired army general Sir Chris Deverell has revealed he believes that NATO will eventually have to fight Russia and believes the security bloc should implement a no-fly zone over Ukraine

In a statement on Twitter over the weekend, the retired general surmised that Putin seemed 'hell-bent on escalation' and that conflict with NATO is inevitable

Ukraine has pleaded with NATO to help secure its sky amid widespread bombing raids from Russian aircraft and artillery

Evacuees cross a destroyed bridge as they flee the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, on March 7, 2022

Kuleba yesterday urged the US and NATO to impose a no-fly zone over his country to prevent further Russian bombing campaigns, despite skeptics warning it could seriously escalate the conflict.

'We heroically repel attacks of the Russian armed forces on the ground. However we do have issues with the skies. And The Russian air force dominates in the skies, and continues bombing our cities and killing many civilians,' Kuleba told ABC's 'Good Morning America' on Monday.

'We believe that the rejection of the no-fly zone is based on the lack of confidence in the strengths of NATO as an alliance, because the military might of NATO is [incomparably] bigger compared than Russia,' he said.

'Why would Russia dare to shoot down a NATO plane knowing that it is doomed, eventually doomed if the war begins?'

Ukraine's armed forces and territorial defence units have managed to shoot down dozens of Russian aircraft since the invasion began, but the nation has a much smaller air force than its occupiers.

Kuleba's comments came as horrifying images laid bare the refugee crisis in Ukraine as Russia continued to shell civilians trying to flee bomb-ravaged cities.

'Putin seems hell bent on escalation,' Deverall tweeted. 'So the question is becoming: does NATO fight him now or fight him later? He will likely respond with nuclear threats. But there is no fundamental reason why these are more useful to Putin than they are to NATO'

'We heroically repel attacks of the Russian armed forces on the ground. However we do have issues with the skies. And The Russian air force dominates in the skies, and continues bombing our cities and killing many civilians,' Kuleba told ABC's 'Good Morning America' on Monday (rescue workers attempt to free trapped civilians in Kharkiv)

Russian forces are continuing to pound Mariupol, in the south, Kharkiv, in the east, Chernihiv, in the north, and Mykolaiv, in the south, with artillery - but have made little or no gains in territory in recent days. Forces continue to work to surround the capital Kyiv, though progress has been slow. Attacks on civilian areas on the outskirts have increased

The foreign minister also pleaded with the US to move forward with an emerging plan to provide Polish-owned MiG-29 fighters to the battered Ukrainian air force.

'I urge both the United States and Poland to speed up the decision-making processes and procedures. If we receive fighting jets, that will allow us to re-establish control over the skies and save many, many civilian lives, as well as many houses, buildings and objects of critical infrastructure from being [destroyed] by Russian bombardments,' Kuleba said.

Asked about the possibility of a long-term settlement, Kuleba responded that he is a diplomat and has to believe in a ceasefire  although a third round of peace talks ended with little progress yesterday.

'All wars end with peace. Since the reason for this war is the fact that president Putin rejects the rights of Ukrainians to exist... We will begin to fiercely and vigorously fight as him as an aggressor to prevail. This is the strategy. We have no other strategy but win because our own existence as a nation is at stake,' Kuleba said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also appealed to US officials to introduce a no-fly zone over Ukraine on Saturday, but his request fell on deaf ears.

The full Senate and House were invited to participate in a Zoom meeting with Zelensky that lasted roughly an hour, as Putin's forces pushed toward the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and the invasion entered its second week.

In the meeting, Zelensky reiterated Ukraine's request for the US and NATO to introduce a no-fly zone, which NATO has rejected over fears it would trigger World War Three, and asked the US to ban imports of Russian oil and transfer fighter jets to Ukraine's air force.

However, the Biden administration and lawmakers from both parties expressed strong opposition to the idea of a no-fly zone, because enforcing it would require shooting down Russian planes, drawing NATO into direct conflict with Russia.

Putin on Saturday underlined the stakes involved, saying that any country trying to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine will be considered a participant in the conflict.
Millions of Sydneysiders have been warned to unplug all their appliances and computers and stay off the phone as a massive storm sweeps through dumping torrential rain and sparking flash flooding.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued the extreme advice about 12pm on Monday for everyone between the northern beaches and Richmond including the central city, Parramatta, and Hornsby.

Alerts advised anyone in the storm's path to keep clear of creeks and storm drains and not to walk, ride their bike, or drive through floodwater - which has already killed two people in western Sydney.

If they are trapped by flash flooding, they should seek refuge at the highest available place and ring 000 they you need rescue.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued another warning for the Sydney region and warned residents to avoid floodwater and remain indoors

Camden residents used boats to travel on streets inundated by floodwater as the BoM issues a warning that more rain is on the way

Millions of Greater Sydney residents have told to prepare for a tough '24 to 48 hours' as Australia's east coast is battered by heavy rain and strong wind

SES ADVICE Keep clear of creeks and storm drains.

Don't walk, ride your bike or drive through flood water.

If you are trapped by flash flooding, seek refuge in the highest available place and ring 000 if you need rescue.

Unplug computers and appliances.

Avoid using the phone during the storm.

Stay indoors away from windows, and keep children and pets indoors as well. Advertisement

Surprising advice included to unplug computers and appliances, and avoid using the phone during the storm. It was not clear whether this was just for flooded areas or as a precaution for the entire area.

Strictly following the advice would paralyse much of the city with thousands of staff working from home due to flooded roads and severe transport delays.

BoM also advised residents to stay indoors away from windows, and keep children and pets inside.

'A line of very heavy showers and a few thunderstorms was located the weather radar extending from the coast around Sydney through Hornsby, Parramatta to Richmond,' it said.

'Very heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding is likely to continue.'

SES has advised people in affected areas to keep clear of floodwater and stay indoors.

At least 150mm of rain is forecast to fall across Sydney on Tuesday alone and residents in the city's south and south-east have been ordered to evacuate.

The Sydney floods turned deadly on Tuesday when two bodies were discovered near a car abandoned in a storm canal in Sydney's west.

The bodies are yet to be identified but sources believe them to be those of missing mother Hemalathasolhyr Satchithanantham and her 34-year-old son Bramoothand.

The Bureau of Meteorology's Dean Narramore warned that millions of Sydney residents should brace for a 'tough' few days.

Sydney's rain radar shows heavy rainfall is centred over

At least 150mm of rain is forecast to fall across Sydney on Tuesday alone with residents of suburbs in the city's south and south-east ordered to evacuate

SES EVACUATION ORDERS SYDNEY PARTS OF CAMDEN: Peter Avenue between Onslow Avenue and Belgenny Avenue -Cawder Road between Barsden Street and Murray Street. Parts of Emu Plains Parts of Mulgoa Picton CBD Sandy Point Pleasure Point Picnic Point Parts of Milperra Georges Hall Holsworthy Moorebank East Hills Chipping Norton Parts of Warwick Farm Parts of Lansvale Low lying areas of Sussex Inlet Full details available at SES NSW Advertisement

'(There's a) tough 24 hours or even 48 hours ahead,' he said. 'Even if the rain does stop on Wednesday and Thursday, which it will, there's still a lot of water in these rivers,' he said.

Mr Narramore said the amount of rainfall is already greater than last week's 'rain bomb' and warned flooding is expected from Queensland to the Victoria border.

The NSW SES predicts Tuesday's torrential rain and strong winds in Mid North Coast, Sydney, Hunter, South Coast and Illawarra will create dangerous conditions and urged those under evacuation order to abide.

'If you remain in the area you may be trapped without power, water and other essential services and it may be too dangerous to rescue you,' it said.

'Heavy rain has caused flash flooding and river height rises overnight across these locations and further heavy rainfall, flash flooding and river rises are possible today,' it said about 5am on Tuesday.

'Strong winds are expected which could cause trees and powerlines to fall. Landslides are also possible, which could block roads.'

NSW State Emergency Service commissioner Carlene York said the major areas of concern across NSW are Kempsey, Coroki, the Georges and Hawkesbury-Nepean River, Shoalhaven, St Georges Basin and Sussex Inlet.

Residents on 10 low-lying streets in Sussex Inlet have been ordered to evacuate by 12pm on Tuesday as floodwaters rise in the St Georges basin.

The NSW State Emergency Service has also issued urgent evacuation orders for a number of suburbs including Chipping Norton, Georges Hall, and parts of Holsworthy, Lansvale and Milperra.

Other suburbs told to evacuate immediately include parts of Moorebank, parts of Warwick Farm, Picnic Point, Pleasure Point and Sandy Point.

Sydney residents have been warned to avoid all non-essential travel and video footage shows cars driving through ankle-deep water along the city's M5.

At least 20 major roads were closed due to heavy rain and floodwater on Monday night, including the tunnel between between Mascot and Beverley Hills.

The Bureau of Meteorology urged motorists to drive with care as the rain had created dangerous road conditions.

The tunnel between Mascot and Beverley Hills was completely flooded, leaving motorists stranded

The SES performed 100 flood rescues in the 24 hours to 6:30am on Monday and responded to 2400 calls for help

'Slippery and flooded roads and reduced visibility in heavy rain will make driving conditions dangerous during Tuesday in all suburbs,' it wrote. 'Motorists are advised to take extreme care.'

Transport NSW has urged Sydney commuters to avoid non-essential travel and to expect significant delays.

'Due to severe weather conditions, expect delays and potential cancellations on Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink Intercity and Regional train services and buses in affected areas. Unprecedented rainfall is impacting the transport network,' it said.

Camden has been swallowed by floodwater and residents have been urged to evacuate as more heavy rain is expected in the region

The Bureau of Meteorology urged motorists to drive with care as the rain had created dangerous road conditions

Ferry services were also disrupted due to heavy swells created by the wild weather.

In a bid to ease congestion around the city, Transport for NSW have opened the T2 and T3 transit lanes for general use until midnight on Friday.

The Blue Mountains train line was closed on Monday after the incessant deluge caused a damaging landslide.

On Monday night services were replaced by a series of buses from Penrith station to Blue Mountains stops.

Some areas between Sydney and Ulladulla on the South Coast have received 100mm to 200mm of rain since 9am on Monday

Emergency Service Commissioner Carlene York said there were about 60,000 people impacted by floods warnings and about 800 people relying on emergency accommodation.

The SES performed 100 flood rescues in the 24 hours to 6:30am on Monday and responded to 2400 calls for help.

Some areas between Sydney and Ulladulla on the South Coast have received 100mm to 200mm of rain since 9am on Monday.

For emergency help in floods and storms, ring the SES (NSW and ACT) on 132 500.
Has Boris Johnson finally seen the light on the need for Britain to be self-sufficient in oil and gas for the foreseeable future?

With experts warning that families face annual power bills topping 4,000, the Prime Minister seems to have grasped how decades of energy policy have been simple-minded and self-harming.

By accepting that the transition to net zero needs to be slower, he is stepping away from virtue-signalling green dogma. That's not only welcome, but eminently sensible.

The Mail strongly advocates phasing out our reliance on fossil fuels. But this should be done in an orderly way so we have adequate supplies until we reach our goal of decarbonisation.

Boris Johnson seems to have grasped how decades of energy policy have been simple-minded and self-harming

With neither wind nor solar power reliable enough, the solution  combined with boosting nuclear power  lies under our feet and off our shores.

The North Sea has vast unexploited oil and gas reserves. And the country potentially sits upon some of the world's richest layers of shale, with fracking supplying cheap gas and creating many jobs.

The effect on fuel bills could be huge.

The alternative is importing dirtier fuels from despots such as Putin, which means funding his war machine.

We await with bated breath the PM's new energy strategy, promised within days. It must confront the grim reality of the crisis  not just spout more vacuous rhetoric.

Fix the visa shambles

In any properly functioning organisation, a debacle on the scale of the flawed evacuation from Afghanistan last summer would have seen hard lessons learned.

Not in Whitehall, though. The Home Office's response to rescuing Ukrainians from the war has been a similar shambles.

Home Secretary Priti Patel is singing off a completely different hymn sheet to the PM. Only 300 refugees have been granted visas.

Of course, security checks must be conducted to root out those who may pose a danger to the UK.

There are also the practicalities of finding homes and schools for the displaced.

And let's not forget that help for actual refugees is constrained because immense resources have been allocated to tens of thousands of Channel migrants who have boated over from safety in France.

But with many civil servants lounging at home, refusing to return to the office, it's no wonder the system is such a mess.

Britain has a noble history of giving sanctuary to those dispossessed in wartime. Ministers must put some vigour and backbone into doing so again.

Don't aid appeasers

To help prop up Ukraine's war-ravaged economy, Britain is sending it another 175million of taxpayers' money.

Yet in a UN vote, countries including India and China were not prepared to condemn Russia's brutal and murderous attack.

That is utterly deplorable, although it is their choice. But it is our choice to whom we give vast amounts in foreign aid.

It would be hugely popular if ministers ceased giving millions to nations that refuse to denounce the aggression, and diverted that money to assist Ukraine still more.

A beacon of hope

Cradled in her mother's loving arms, the baby on page 10 looks the very picture of contentment. Fortunately, the tot is too young to know her life is in turmoil.

One of 1.7million refugees displaced by Putin's warmongering, she is being fed and sheltered by the Red Cross thanks to you, our unfailingly generous readers.

In just eight days, the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal has collected 4million. No newspaper has raised so much so quickly. In the darkest times, you are beacons of hope.
Annastacia Palaszczuk has awkwardly insisted Peter Dutton answer a question that was asked of her at a press conference about the Queensland flood response.

The Queensland Premier and Mr Dutton, who represents the Federal electorate of Dickson in Brisbane's north, bickered throughout the Covid pandemic about the state's restrictions, including closure of the border.

Towards the end of Tuesday's briefing as Ms Palaszczuk was taking questions, a reporter went off topic and asked what she thought of Brisbane being on a shortlist to host Australia's planned nuclear submarine fleet.

'You can talk to the Federal Minister about that,' she abruptly responded, beginning to back away from the microphone.

'No, no, it's a Federal responsibility,' a defiant Ms Palaszczuk insisted, as the reporter tried to pin her down on an answer.

She then stepped away from the microphone leaving a bewildered looking Mr Dutton to step up and ask: 'Do you want to direct that to me?'

Ms Palaszczuk sidestepped a question directed at her during a flood response press conference on Tuesday, insisting Peter Dutton step up (pictured)

During 2020 and 2021, the Labor Premier and the Liberal Defence Minister traded barbs at each other over Queensland border closures.

In October last year, after 18 months of on-and-off travel restrictions, Ms Palaszczuk tweeted that the holiday season was around the corner and urged Queenslanders to get vaccinated - which many saw as a hint she would open the border for Christmas.

'I hope she lives up to that word,' Mr Dutton said at the time.

He then took at a swipe at Ms Palaszczuk's tough stance on the border and refusal to announce an opening date.

'It is absolutely safe for Queensland to open up once that vaccination rate gets to 70 or 80 per cent,' he said.

'The Premier at one point was saying  kids need to be vaccinated, and if there's a small pocket in the community somewhere in Queensland that's not 80 per cent vaccinated  the rest of the state won't open.

'All of that is nonsense.'

He also described some of her pandemic decisions as 'childish' and 'at odds with common sense' and said she had treated Queenslanders 'like mugs'.

A bewildered looking Peter Dutton asked the reporter if she wanted to redirect the question asking for Ms Palaszczuk's opinion to him (pictured)

At the time, Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles - who also attended today's press conference - didn't hold back in responding to Mr Dutton's remarks.

'I don't take much notice of what Peter Dutton says but I will say he's one of the few people who has personally brought Covid-19 into Queensland,' he said in August 2020.

'Our job is securing Queensland, Peter Dutton failed on securing the borders in terms of cruise ships and hotel quarantine,' he added.

In relation to the flood response, Mr Dutton said on Tuesday it was refreshing that he and Ms Palaszczuk were working in harmony.

'You don't always see myself and the Premier agreeing eye to eye on every issue but I think there's been a great level of collaboration and cooperation.'

'As we're seeing with the 'mud army' (clean-up workers and volunteers), the coordination with the three levels of government is obvious there.'

Ms Palaszczuk and Mr Dutton were in Ipswich where a massive clean-up effort is underway (pictured) after devastating floods

Ms Palaszczuk appeared pleased to hand over to Mr Dutton to answer a question about whether a submarine base will be based in Brisbane

On Monday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that Newcastle, Brisbane and Port Kembla were on a shortlist as sites for a multi-billion dollar facility to house the new submarines under the AUKUS partnership.

The nuclear-powered vessels will be provided with the help of Britain and America after the previous deal to acquire French made submarines was scrapped, much to the anger of French President Emmanuel Macron.

The current Fleet Base West in Western Australia will continue to operate.

'A second submarine base on our east coast will enhance our strategic deterrent capability, with significant advantages in operational, training, personnel and industrial terms,' Mr Morrison said.

Mr Dutton said on Tuesday that Mr Morrison had already spoken to Ms Palaszczuk about the shortlist, as well as to the Premier of NSW, Dominic Perrottet.

The Federal Government has brought in the defence force to help with the flood clean-up which has left rubbish and debris littering the streets in Ipswich (pictured)

Photo-op: The pair shook hands as they toured the military clean-up effort after two years of snarky comments (pictured)

'There's a way to go on this... we need to go through the pros and cons,' Mr Dutton said.

'One of the criteria is to have deep water so that the subs can submerge very quickly and go off and do their work,,, [but] you have to work out if there's capacity within a port structure to accommodate that,' he said.

'The premier, myself and others have visited some of the US ships when they've docked even in the Brisbane River, those ships can spend a million dollars a day in the local community.

'There's thousands of jobs associated with such a facility, there's enormous opportunity for defence industry and there's the opportunity to replenish stock and supplies onto vessels.

'There's pros and cons that'll be considered... I know in NSW they're particularly keen on Newcastle because of the jobs and the industry in that area.'
Ten days before murdering his former partner a man complained to police he was shocked to be served with a domestic violence order, insisting she had nothing to fear.

Doreen Langham died at the hands of former partner Gary Hely, both 49, in a fire in her Browns Plains townhouse, south of Brisbane, in the early hours of February 22, 2021.

Just before the blaze erupted neighbours heard a woman crying and screaming for help an inquest into the deaths was told on Tuesday.

Ms Langham's home was set alight by her former partner hours after Police conducted a cursory check

Timothy Brear realised something was very wrong in the next door unit when he heard glass shattering - a sound so long he believed someone had been thrown through a glass door.

'I did not know what to do at first, I was just listening... then I heard other windows being smashed,' Mr Brear told the court.

'I heard a female voice yelling and screaming for help. I heard that voice asking for help, in distress... asking for someone to help her.'

Michelle Rielly was on the way to work when she heard a woman sobbing.

'I heard a lady crying... it was a really defeated cry,' Ms Rielly said.

Ms Langham had been living in fear after breaking up with Mr Hely and had finally plucked up the courage to take out the protection order against him.

Doreen Langham died at the hands of former partner Gary Hely, both 49, in a fire in her Browns Plains townhouse, south of Brisbane, in the early hours of February 22, 2021

Camera footage captured the moment police served Mr Hely with the order warning him he had to stay at least 100m away from Ms Langham.

He appeared to calmly accept the order, but argued Ms Langham had 'nothing to fear.'

'I'm just shocked... there's no reason, no reason whatsoever,' he complained.

'There's never been any violence. She's never had to fear for her safety.

'I've known her for 33 years, she's my sister's best friend.'

Mr Hely said he understood the order's requirements and was happy to accept the paperwork.

'Yup, I'm happy. Well, I'm not happy with it because I love her.'

Ten days later, they were both dead.

Mr Hely forced his way inside, dousing the home they once shared in petrol before setting it alight.

Forensic Police sift through the remains of Ms Langham's home after her killer burned it down

Gary Hely (left) was issued with a domestic violence order and ordered to stay at least 100m away from Ms Doreen Langham (right)

Ms Langham had been on edge that night, calling for help around 9pm fearing Mr Hely was trying to break into the home.

She saw a man's shadow outside and heard someone try her side gate before she called police for help.

Four hours later, two police including the officer who served the DV order against Mr Hely, arrived to conduct a welfare check.

Body camera footage of the visit shows the entrance light still on as police knocked on the screen door for the cursory check.

The officer, who cannot be named, admitted at the inquest that he knocked once on the door that night.

He looked through a curtained window for movement or shadows. When he saw and heard nothing, he and his partner left.

They did not check the side gate or the back door for signs of forced entry but instead went to McDonald's drive-thru for a snack.

Two bodies were found at the scene of the deliberately burned down Brisbane townhouse

The officer said he thought Ms Langham must have fallen asleep.

'There were no signs of forced entry. It was dead quiet, there was nothing going on,' he said.

'Knowing what I know now, there would have been more purpose to checking the side gate especially because it was mentioned in the job.

'There would have been more checks.'

Deputy State Coroner, Jane Bentley, is probing the adequacy of the police response to Ms Langham's final triple-zero call and her pleas for help in a bid to prevent another similar tragedy.

She is also examining the response to the complaints against Mr Hely.

The inquest continues.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

Lifeline 13 11 14




By Kang Seung-woo







Air Force Maj. Bang Ju-won from the 110th Fighter Squadron of the 11th Fighter Wing  home to the F-15K Slam Eagles  has been named the "Best Pilot of 2021," according to the military branch.







The Air Force said it held an award ceremony, presided over by its Chief of Staff Gen. Park In-ho at its headquarters in Gyeryongdae, South Chungcheong Province, Friday.







The award is given to an aviator who accumulates the top records in more than 20 duties including flying hours, participation in operations and physical fitness in the span of one year. The 36-year-old earned a score of 849.6 out of a possible 1,000 for the achievement.







Bang, who decided to become a pilot after watching "Top Gun," was commissioned in 2008 and flew a KF-16 until 2011. Since 2012, he has logged over 2,100 hours flying an F-15K.







During his career, Bang has participated in multinational combined exercises on multiple occasions, including commanding a squadron in its 10-hour non-stop flight over the Pacific Ocean for the Red Flag Alaska with U.S. and other allied air forces.







In addition, the pilot has also scrambled his jet to warn away neighboring countries' aircraft that entered the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone.







"It has been an honor to get chances to raise the nation's and the Air Force's status after participating in key multinational operations as an Air Force pilot and the award is adding to the joy," Bang said.







"I give credit for the achievement to my colleagues and other pilots."







Along with the Best Pilot award, the Air Force has also awarded its pilots for their stellar performance in an annual three-section live-firing contest, in which the top scorer is named the Top Gun.










Russia has praised North Korea for resuming missile tests and stirred up tensions against the West as the imminent threat of World War Three looms larger than it has in decades.

Russia's foreign ministry today applauded the 'understandable' decision to renew ballistic missile tests and added that military cooperation between the US and South Korea has only increased since the tests were stopped.

Pyotr Ilyichyov, head of the international organisations division at the ministry, also said he saw no prerequisites for the resumption of denuclearisation talks because Washington chose to sanction Pyongyang.

The worrying comments come as new satellite images show Kim Jong-un has restarted construction at a nuclear testing site which was closed in 2018.

Parts of the Punggye-Ri site were blown up after it was closed four years ago, but images show repairs and new buildings at the test site amid fears by US security officials that Kim wants to resume his nuclear programme this year.

The alliance between the two regimes come at a time of heightened global hostilities after Vladimir Putin ramped up Russia's nuclear defences and issued dire threats of atomic destruction after his savage invasion of Ukraine.

The prospect of another anti-Western tyrant armed with nuclear missiles will do little to assuage the current panic gripping the globe.

The new satellite images of Punggye-Ri show early signs of activity including a new building, repairs to another and what appears to be lumber and sawdust

There are fears by US security officials that Kim Jong-un wants to resume his nuclear programme this year

Punggye-ri has been shuttered since North Korea declared a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear weapons tests in 2018 and parts of the site were blown up

The new satellite images of Punggye-Ri show early signs of activity including a new building, repairs to another and what appears to be lumber and sawdust, the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) said in a report.

'The construction and repair work indicate that North Korea has made some decision about the status of the test site,' the report said.

North Korea tested a record number of missiles in January, including its largest weapon since 2017, and appears to be preparing to launch a spy satellite.

International monitors have also reported the North's main nuclear reactor facility at Yongbyon appears to be in full swing, potentially creating fuel for nuclear weapons.

A satellite image taken on February 18 shows little new activity at the site believed to have been closed for four years

But on March 4, the satellite images show new construction at the site which could be capable of launching nuclear weapons within months

North Korea's missile launches could be groundwork for a return to intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and nuclear bomb tests this year, the US Directorate of National Intelligence (DNI) said in its annual Worldwide Threat Assessment.

The report did not mention Punggye-ri but said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un remains strongly committed to expanding the country's nuclear weapons arsenal.

Punggye-ri has been shuttered since North Korea declared a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear weapons tests in 2018.

Kim, however, has said he no longer feels bound by that moratorium after denuclearisation talks stalled since 2019..

The findings come at a time of heightened global hostilities and will do little to assuage current panic after Vladimir Putin (pictured today) ramped up Russia's nuclear defences

South Korea fires warning shots to repel North Korean boat South Korean officials say their navy fired warning shots at a North Korean patrol boat that temporarily crossed the countries' disputed western sea boundary while chasing an unarmed vessel from the North. The North Korean patrol boat crossed the so-called Northern Limit Line on Tuesday morning while pursuing the vessel in waters near South Korea's Baekryeong island and retreated after a South Korean naval ship fired warning shots, according to Seoul's defence ministry. South Korean military officials seized the North Korean vessel being chased by the patrol boat and are questioning its seven crewmembers. South Korea's navy has often fired warning shots to repel North Korean vessels crossing the countries' poorly marked sea border, but there also have been some deadly clashes over the years. South Korea blamed North Korea for an attack on a South Korean warship that killed 46 sailors in 2010, but the North has denied responsibility. South Korea has patrolled waters around the Northern Limit Line for decades after it was drawn up by the UN command at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. North Korea does not recognise the line and insists upon a boundary that encroaches deeply into waters currently controlled by the South. Tuesday's incident came amid renewed tensions created by North Korea's accelerating missile tests this year, including a launch on Saturday that the North said tested technologies for a spy satellite it is developing. It came a day before South Koreans vote in a tightly-contested presidential election. The bitter campaign has been marked by clashes between major candidates over whether South Korea should continue pursuing engagement with rival North Korea or take a harder line to check its nuclear threat. Nuclear negotiations between the United States and North Korea have been stalled for three years because of disagreements over a relaxation of crippling US-led sanctions on North Korea in exchange for steps toward its nuclear disarmament. Advertisement

At the time, North Korea said it was closing the site's tunnels with explosions, blocking its entrances, and removing all observation facilities, research buildings and security posts.

It invited a handful of foreign media to observe the demolition, but refused to allow international inspectors, leading to speculation the facilities could be restored.

In South Korea, where voters will elect a new president on Wednesday, the National Security Council said it was paying particularly close attention to Yongbyon and Punggye-ri, without elaborating.

The CNS analysts said the changes at Punggye-ri occurred only in the past few days, and it is still difficult to conclude what precisely is being built or why.

'One possibility is that North Korea plans to bring the test site back to a state of readiness to resume nuclear explosive testing,' the report said.

The CNS analysts cautioned the test site is many months, if not years, from being ready for new nuclear explosions.

'How long it would take North Korea to resume explosive testing at the site depends on the extent of the damage to the tunnels themselves, something we do not know with confidence,' they wrote in the report. 'It is also possible that North Korea will resume nuclear testing at another location.'

Punggye-ri is North Korea's only known nuclear test site. It conducted six nuclear weapons tests in tunnels at the site from 2006 to 2017.

North Korea's last and largest nuclear test appeared to trigger geological instability that has since caused multiple small earthquakes, but analysts and US intelligence officials have said the site could likely be used again.

A Pentagon spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Marty Meiners declined to comment on matters of intelligence or commercial imagery analysis.

'However, we have been very clear on the threat posed by the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) missile programs, and our commitment to the defence of the ROK, Japan, and the US homeland, and our commitment to uphold regional peace and stability,' he said, using the initials of the official names of North and South Korea.

The US says it is open to talks without preconditions, but North Korea says Washington and its allies must first stop their 'hostile policies.'

Russia has the world's largest arsenal of nuclear weapons and a huge cache of ballistic missiles which the Kremlin has threatened to use following the invasion of Ukraine.

The US, the world's second largest nuclear power, slammed Putin's order as 'totally unacceptable'.

Speaking on nation-wide TV amid a frenzy of anti-Western rhetoric, the Kremlin's propagandist-in-chief Dmitry Kiselyov told viewers: 'Our submarines can shoot more than 500 nuclear warheads.

Korea said it was closing the site's tunnels with explosions, blocking its entrances, and removing all observation facilities, research buildings and security posts

'This would guarantee destruction of the USA, and all other NATO countries.

'In accordance with the principle 'Why do we need the world, if Russia isn't there?'

'Russia's nuclear arms are delivered by the world's fastest strategic bombers.

'That's without even mentioning Russian Strategic Missile Forces. The Russian nuclear potential is the strongest in the world.

'Today our Russian Nuclear Triad is on the high alert. Putin did warn [the West]. Do not try to scare Russia.'
Thousands of Sydneysiders have been warned their homes are at risk from a major dam spilling over - as video reveals treacherous debris washing down a shopping street and cars stranded on a 17m-high bridge.

Manly Dam on the Northern Beaches started spilling over on Tuesday afternoon as the east coast is battered by more torrential rain and the city is blasted by gale-force winds.

The Bureau of Meteorology warned of winds of up to 90km/h hitting Sydney later on Tuesday, with gusts hitting up to 110km/h.

More than 800 homes and 2,000 residents are at risk below the dam in low-lying areas of Manly Vale and Queenscliff after it began overflowing in the devastating downpour.

Manly Dam on the Northern Beaches started spilling over on Tuesday afternoon as the east coast is battered by more torrential rain

At least two cars were stranded in a flooded section of the 50m-high Roseville Bridge on Tuesday afternoon

Locals were initially told to evacuate immediately, before the 'red alert' was later downgraded to 'amber' - meaning they should monitor conditions and weather alerts.

Another evacuation order was later issued for residents near Narrabeen Lagoon to get out by 7pm as rising water levels threaten to inundate homes and a caravan park.

Footage taken on Pittwater Road in nearby Dee Why on Tuesday showed a line of shopping trollies being carried away in the metres-high floodwaters.

Entire roads were out of action in nearby Freshwater and Manly, while at least two cars were stranded in a flooded section of the 50ft-high Roseville Bridge - which connects the region to the rest of Sydney.

Mackellar Girls Campus in Manly Vale was evacuated after schoolgirls watched a white hatchback float past their classroom window.

Central Avenue in Manly, in Sydney's Northern Beaches, was flooded with ankle-deep water by Tuesday afternoon, with residents who parked their car in a nearby carpark unable to escape

Entire roads were out of action in nearby Freshwater and Manly (pictured on Tuesday afternoon)

Main streets in the beachside suburbs were transformed into raging torrents, as Manly, Seaforth, Narrabeen, Dee Why, Curl Curl and Collaroy were all submerged in the unprecedented downpour.

By mid-afternoon, the whole of the Northern Beaches had been cut off from the rest of Sydney with all three roads into the area closed by impassable floodwaters.

Key routes within the Northern Beaches were also closed, including the Wakehurst Parkway and the main Pittwater Road that runs the length of the peninsula.

Both the Northern Beaches and neighbouring lower north shore were hit by landslides, with NSW Fire and Rescue warning of a large section of road and retaining wall washed away on Deepwater Road in Castle Cove.

Both the Northern Beaches and neighbouring lower north shore were hit by landslides, including this one which damaged a parked car

Main streets in the beachside suburbs were transformed into raging torrents, as Manly, Seaforth, Narrabeen, Dee Why, Curl Curl and Collaroy were all submerged in the unprecedented downpour

By mid-afternoon, the whole of the Northern Beaches had been cut off from the rest of Sydney with all three roads into the area closed by impassable floodwaters

Key routes within the Northern Beaches were also closed, including the Wakehurst Parkway and the main Pittwater Road. that runs the length of the peninsula

'FRNSW arrived to find part of Deepwater Road washed away due to the severe weather,' said a spokesman.

'A large amount of water flowed into some of the shops, severely damaging one of the premises.'

Eastbound lanes of the Roseville Bridge from the north shore into the Northern Beaches finally re-opened just in time for the evening rush hour.

Meanwhile, vision surfaced from inside Sydney's M5 motorway showing cars motoring through ankle-deep water and train lines flooded at Campbelltown.

Two bodies, believed to be those of missing mother Hemalathasolhyr Satchithanantham and her 34-year-old son Bramoothand, have been found near a storm water canal in Wentworthville, not far from where their hatchback was found.

While the bodies are yet to be identified, sources believe they are those of the missing mother and son.

The Bureau of Meteorology's Dean Narramore on Tuesday morning warned flooding is expected across the coast from Queensland to the Victorian border.

'(There's a) tough 24 hours or even 48 hours ahead,' he said. 'Even if the rain does stop on Wednesday and Thursday, which it will, there's still a lot of water in these rivers.'

Mr Narramore said the amount of rainfall is already greater than last week's 'rain bomb' and is approaching levels that occurred during the floods in March last year.

The NSW State Emergency Service has issued urgent evacuation orders for a number of suburbs including Chipping Norton, Georges Hall, and parts of Holsworthy, Lansvale and Milperra.

Other suburbs affected told to evacuate immediately include parts of Moorebank, parts of Warwick Farm, Picnic Point, Pleasure Point and Sandy Point.

'If you remain in the area you may be trapped without power, water and other essential services and it may be too dangerous to rescue you,' the order says.

The SES predicted the torrential rain on Tuesday will create dangerous conditions in the Mid North Coast, Sydney, Hunter, South Coast and Illawarra.

Two bodies, believed to be those of missing mother Hemalathasolhyr Satchithanantham (left) and her 34-year-old son Bramoothand, (right) have been found near where a car was abandoned in a stormwater canal in Sydney's west

Incredible vision from inside Sydney's major M5 motorway saw cars driving through ankle-deep water, as floodwaters seeped in overnight and caused chaos for drivers (pictured)

The Bureau of Meteorology's Dean Narramore warned there was more to come with minor to major flooding occurring from Queensland to the Victorian border across the already saturated state

Camden, in Sydney's southwest, has been particularly hard-hit by the widespread flooding, with properties and businesses underwater for the second time in less than a week

State Emergency Service volunteers launch an inflatable rescue boat in Camden, in the Sydney's south-west, as the suburb is inundated by raging floodwaters

Tens of thousands of Sydneysiders have been told to brace for a tough 24 hours ahead as the city is battered with an incessant deluge and floodwaters threaten homes and livelihoods (pictured, floodwaters in Petersham)

At least 150mm of rain is forecast to fall across Sydney on Tuesday, as residents in the city's south and southeast are urged to evacuate their homes immediately as floodwaters continue to rise (pictured, a flooded petrol station in Camden on Tuesday)

FLOOD EVACUATION ORDERS: PARTS OF CAMDEN: Peter Avenue between Onslow Avenue and Belgenny Avenue -Cawder Road between Barsden Street and Murray Street.

Parts of Emu Plains

Parts of Mulgoa

Picton CBD

Sandy Point

Pleasure Point

Picnic Point

Parts of Milperra

Georges Hall

Holsworthy

Moorebank

East Hills

Chipping Norton

Parts of Warwick Farm

Parts of Lansvale

Low lying areas of Sussex Inlet Full details available at SES NSW. Advertisement

'Heavy rain has caused flash flooding and river height rises overnight across these locations and further heavy rainfall, flash flooding and river rises are possible today,' it said about 5am on Tuesday.

'Strong winds are expected which could cause trees and powerlines to fall. Landslides are also possible, which could block roads.'

Damaging winds strong enough to bring down power lines and topple trees are forecast to wreak further chaos as those affected by the floods are urged to unplug household appliances during the flash flooding.

BoM also instructed residents to avoid using their phones during storms, keep clear of creeks and storm drains and keep children and pets inside wherever possible.

NSW State Emergency Service commissioner Carlene York said the major areas of concern across NSW are Kempsey, Coroki, the Georges and Hawkesbury-Nepean River, Shoalhaven, St Georges Basin and Sussex Inlet.

Residents on 10 low-lying streets in Sussex Inlet have been ordered to evacuate by 12pm on Tuesday as floodwaters rise in the St Georges basin.

Sydney commuters have been told to avoid all non-essential travel in the face of wet and wild conditions and ditch the city's rail network entirely.

Damaging winds in excess of 90km/hour are forecast for the Sydney metropolitan area, the Illawarra and those who live on the coast.

Some areas between Sydney and Ulladulla on the South Coast have received 100mm to 200mm of rain since 9am on Monday.

However, in welcome news to communities on the Mid North Coast and the Hunter region, rain appears to have eased for the time being.

Emergency Service Commissioner Carlene York said there were about 60,000 people impacted by floods warnings and about 800 people relying on emergency accommodation.

The SES performed 100 flood rescues in the 24 hours to 6.30am on Monday and responded to 2400 calls for help.
A man is in critical condition in hospital after being shot by police near Darwin.

Police say several shots were fired during an incident at a park in Palmerston on Tuesday morning.

Two officers had gone to the area where it's alleged they found a man armed with a weapon.

'They called upon that person to drop the weapon and unfortunately a number of shots were fired by police, injuring a male,' Northern Territory Assistant Commissioner Michael White said.

Police say several shots were fired during an incident at a park in Palmerston (pictured) on Tuesday morning

'He has since been conveyed to Darwin hospital and is currently under treatment in surgery.'

Mr White said an investigation had been launched, including the reasons why the man was armed and the circumstances of the shooting.

It will check on possible links to a domestic violence incident earlier in the day in which another person was injured and taken to hospital and also consider the use of force by police, including what other options were used or considered.

'Use of force is something police have to do, it's not something that we want to do,' Mr White said.

Two officers had gone to the area where it's alleged they found a man armed with a weapon (stock image)

'We don't come to work every day thinking that we will injure someone or be involved in a police shooting.

'At this time we are certainly making sure that all people involved in this are being provided with the support that they need.'

Investigators will liaise with the injured man's family and the wider Indigenous community.

They are also working with a school nearby to ensure all students get home safely and are not impacted by ongoing activity at the crime scene.

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Two Republican senators announced on Monday they will meet with organizers of the People's Convoy after truckers disrupted traffic around Washington D.C. to protest against COVID mandates.

Senators Ron Johnson, of Wisconsin, and Ted Cruz, of Texas, said they are planning to meet Tuesday with the truckers, who want to 'discuss the harmful effects of President Biden's vaccine mandates,' the Washington Times reported. The Convoy has called the vaccine and mask mandates 'government overreach.'

Others have previously expressed their support for the cavalcade of semi-trucks, recreational vehicles and cars, with Sen. Rand Paul announcing in February he is 'all for' the convoy, which was inspired by truckers in Canada protesting against their country's vaccine mandates.

'Civil disobedience is a time-honored tradition in our country, from slavery to civil rights, you name it,' he said at the time. 'Peaceful protest, clog things up, make people think about the mandates.'

On Monday, the caravan left all lanes in a standstill multiple times as it circled the Beltway, after some trucks practically parked on the highway, causing all the cars behind them to stop, a DailyMail.com journalist trailing the group reported.

People's Convoy organizer Brian Brase, 37, of Ohio, had previously hinted that the group would be able to meet with some members of Congress to discuss their demands, which include calling for an end of 'the State of Emergency that led to overreaching mandates.'

'Im hopeful that we have successful dialogue with congressmen and women and senators that help get what were looking for pushed through in a timely fashion, Brase had said Sunday.

'If they dont come to the table to meet with us or they ignore us, then every day it will escalate.'

Another trucker familiar with the Congressional meeting told DailyMail.com the group's key demands include: reopening the Keystone pipeline, ending big tech censorship, ensuring rights for Capitol riot prisoners, making political ideology a protected class - like freedom of religion - and reaffirming the Bill of Rights. They also want the government to hold vaccine manufacturers liable for damages.

Many states have already put an end to mask and vaccine mandates as cases of coronavirus dwindle around the country.

The People's Convoy turnes the Beltway, a 64-mile highway surrounding Washington D.C., into a parking lot Monday, with cars stopped behind them in all lanes

Senators Ted Cruz, of Texas, and Ron Johnson, of Wisconsin, announced on Monday they plan to meet with members of the People's Convoy to 'discuss the harmful effects of President Biden's vaccine mandates'

The cavalcade of semi-trucks, recreational vehicles and cars left all lanes of traffic at a standstill multiple times Monday during its loop around the Beltway after some of the trucks practically parked on the highway

The 1,000-vehicle-strong People's Convoy, seen slowing traffic into DC on Monday, is calling for an end of 'the State of Emergency that led to overreaching mandates' during the COVID pandemic

Commuters try to get past truck-clogged Beltway on Monday after the convoy arrived in the Washington D.C. area over the weekend and had planned to stay at the Hagerstown Speedway in Maryland until 'at least Saturday'

People hold signs and wave flags on overpass Monday in support of People's Convoy

The 1,000-vehicle-strong People's Convoy - a spinoff from a protest in Canada started by truckers upset at vaccine requirements to cross the Canadian border - traveled from southern California nearly 2,500 miles to D.C. on an 11-day journey. The group stopped in major U.S. cities and rural towns along they way, holding rallies and meeting with their supporters.

They first arrived in the Washington D.C. area on Saturday, and brought traffic to a standstill on the Beltway - the circular stretch of I-495 that connects Virginia, Maryland and D.C. - for two days in a row.



And on Sunday, the group circled the interstate twice at the minimum speed limit, to slow traffic and get their message across to lawmakers - leaving traffic around the capital in a standstill by 3pm.

Brase had instructed the group to 'hold the line' before they embarked on their journey at around noon, cautioning them: 'I beg of you to stay with the convoy. I beg of you to stay with the convoy and then come back down here, meet again and talk about our next plan.'

A group of semi-tractors led the convoy, followed by trucks with trailers, campers and then cars. According to DailyMail.com reporters trailing the group, traffic crawled for a while - traveling at speeds of about 10 to 20 miles per hour - and reached a 'comfortable speed' of travel, before causing a standstill on the entire beltway.

After completing the loop, the group was scheduled to return to Hagerstown for a rally - the third in a row held at the speedway. Sunday's rally featured speeches from doctors, convoy organizers and members of the U.S. Freedom Flyers, a volunteer group of transportation officials that fight for medical freedom.

The convoy is now planning to join two other truck cavalcades - Convoy for America and the American Freedom Convoy - to prepare for a unified drive of more than 2,000 vehicles along the Beltway on Tuesday, organizers told DailyMail.com.

Maryland State Police have warned citizens to expect massive traffic delays in the coming days.

And the Pentagon on Monday approved requests from U.S. Capitol Police and the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency to extend National Guard support at traffic control points throughout D.C. and the Capitol building until Wednesday in response to the trucker protest.

Semis ride side-by-side Monday to slow traffic on the Beltway - the circular stretch of I-495 that connects Virginia, Maryland and D.C. -

The convoy is now planning to join two other truck cavalcades - Convoy for America and the American Freedom Convoy - to prepare for a unified drive of more than 2,000 vehicles along the Beltway on Tuesday

A group of semi-tractors led the convoy, followed by campers and then cars, like the one seen here, on Monday

WASHINGTON D.C. - MARCH 7: Maryland State Police have warned citizens to expect massive traffic delays in the coming days as the People's Convoy protests continue

The People's Convoy departed from the Hagerstown Speedway in Maryland on Monday morning to convoy around the D.C. metropolitan area. The group made one loop around the Beltway, a 64-mile highway surrounding the capital city, but occupied two lanes of traffic

Demands of the People's Convoy The People's Convoy has called on President Joe Biden and other Congressional leaders to put an end to what protesters call 'government overreach'. They have promised to encircle Washington D.C. - by traveling along the Beltway interstate - until their demands are met. Organizers, who originally started the protest to combat COVID-19 mandates, say their demands include: An end to the National State of Emergency that went into effect at the start of the pandemic

Elimination of all virus-related restrictions, including mask and vaccine mandates

Holding vaccine manufacturers liable for damages

Reopening of the Keystone pipeline

An end to big tech censorship

Ensuring rights for Capitol riot political prisoners

Making political ideology a protected class, like freedom of religion or race

Reaffirming the Bill of Rights Advertisement

Congressional staffers, meanwhile, are now being told to work from home or to get a hotel room - that can be paid for by their tax-payer funded office - as the truckers encircle Washington.

House Sergeant at Arms William Walker and House Chief Administrative Officer Catherine Szpindor wrote to Capitol Hill staff on Sunday night urging them to either work from home or use public transportation.

If that was not an option, the two House officers gave the unusual option of letting staff get a hotel room paid for by their congressional office, which is funded by taxpayer money, so they can stay close to the Capitol and avoid a commute.

'In general, living expenses and commuting expenses, including lodging expenses at a Member's or employee's regular duty station, are not reimbursable with official funds, except in extraordinary circumstances,' Walker and Szpindor write in a letter obtained by DailyMail.com.

'Considering the current situation, the Committee on House Administration has determined that extraordinary circumstances exist to permit use of official funds to reimburse short-term lodging expenses in the Washington, D.C., area for certain Members and staff,' they noted.

To meet the requirement for an office-paid hotel room, staff must show their commute to the Capitol would be disrupted by the convoy, that their job is essential and requires them to be on the four-acre Capitol campus, and there is no feasible public transportation option.

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, who was briefed by Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger about the convoys, said Monday she is monitoring both trucker convoys 'closely to ensure D.C. residents are kept safe.'

'As of now, they apparently do not plan to disrupt regular business inside D.C., instead planning to drive several laps around the beltway at 45-55 miles per hour and bus some representatives into the District to meet with members of Congress,' she wrote in a press release.

'Chief Manger told me that he was more worried last week, before the State of the Union, prior to making contact with the convoys, and he currently does not expect either of the groups to cause security problems in the area.'

HAGERSTOWN, MARYLAND - MARCH 7: The People's Convoy gathered in Hagerstown, Maryland, on Monday to take their protest to the nation's capitol

HAGERSTOWN, MARYLAND - MARCH 7: Congressional staffers are now being told to work from home or to get a hotel room - that can be paid for by their tax-payer funded office - as the truckers encircle Washington

HAGERSTOWN, MARYLAND - MARCH 7: Convoy organizer Brian Brase said Sunday the group is coordinating with local law enforcement, while also acknowledging that 'obviously there's a natural disturbance' caused by their protest

HAGERSTOWN, MARYLAND - MARCH 7: A demonstrator carries a cardboard cutout of former President Donald Trump

Residents of the D.C. metro area have also been warned of possible traffic jams as the massive 18-wheelers travel the interstate this week.

In a statement posted to Twitter on Sunday night, the Maryland State Police urged drivers to anticipate 'higher volumes of traffic' as they try to get to work this week.

'While public safety remains a priority and we work to fulfill our statewide law enforcement responsibilities, the Maryland State Police respects the public's First Amendment rights,' the police said in the statement.

But, in a bit of irony, the convoy, which wanted to cause traffic jams, ended up getting caught up in Washington notorious traffic itself on Sunday.

As the trucks made their way onto I-495 Beltway, they moved slowly to try and block the multi-lane highway but their presence got deluded by the mass of vehicles that traverses one of the busiest interstates in the country.

Most cars were able to move around the trucks, which flew American flags and had signs that read 'Don't tread on me' and 'mandate freedom.'

Officials, however, were worried things could be worse on Monday when the commuter rush is even bigger.

'It is an unpredictable and fluid event that we are witnessing,' said Christopher Rodriguez, director of the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. 'Our residents, commuters and visitors should expect traffic disruptions over the next several days.'

WASHINGTON D.C. - MARCH 7: Motorists participating in the People's Convoy drive along the Beltway Monday decked out their cars with 'Let's Go Brandon flags' and painted messages

WASHINGTON DC - MARCH 7: As the trucks made their way onto I-495 Beltway, they moved slowly to try and block the multi-lane highway but their presence got deluded by the mass of vehicles that traverses one of the busiest interstates in the country on Sunday

WASHINGTON DC - MARCH 7: Organizers of the People's Convoy said they are not going to back down

Brase said on Sunday the group is coordinating with local law enforcement, while also acknowledging that 'obviously there's a natural disturbance' caused by their protest.

'We do not want to impede traffic any more than necessary to get our message across,' he said.

Brase added: 'If they dont come to the table to meet with us or they ignore us, then every day it will escalate.'

The trucker had previously claimed the group would continue to circle the Beltway each day this week, clogging one of the main arteries into DC until the their demands are met. However, Sunday he indicated that plans will be determined day-by-day.

Another organizer has not ruled out the trucks honking their horns along Pennsylvania Avenue, despite the convoy's promise not to go into the capital city limits.

'I can tell you now that there will be select trucks going to the White House,' organizer Dan Fitzgerald revealed on his Friday morning livestream. 'I don't want people thinking we are invading D.C. This is not the convoy going into D.C. commons. This is a few select drivers.'

Brase echoed the sentiment Sunday morning before the convoy departed for the Beltway for the first time. He said that although they weren't going into D.C. proper on Sunday 'it does not mean it won't happen' in the future.

'We are not going to sit idly by,' he said. 'We are going to continue to press forward with our mission, but we are also going to do so with some diplomacy to show that we are not unreasonable and willing to talk, but also flex our muscle if you do not hear us.'

The trucker reiterated: 'We're doing this to let them know that we are very serious. We're doing this to let them know we will not give in. We will not bend the knee to them and to remind them that they work for us.'

He also claimed the group will continue to protest 'peacefully' and 'with some class' as they had done 'coming all the way across the country.'
The US is unlikely to meet its deadline of having combat-ready hypersonic weapons by the end of September after three consecutive failed tests, experts say.

The Department of Defense planned to have the weapons, along with an approved production partner, ready by September 30.

That seems increasingly unlikely given that the Pentagon and the weapon's developer, Lockheed Martin, would have to complete two successful tests of the missile's booster motor by June 30 in order to stay on schedule.

Development is now expected to cost about $1.4 billion - up from an initial $480 million - before the weapon is found to have 'early operation capability.'

Hypersonic missiles are dropped from bomber jets and can travel up to 15 times faster than the speed of sound. They can also be steered in-flight toward a target, making them more precise and harder to shoot down.

The development of hypersonic missiles has led to an arms race between the US, China and Russia.

Last month, Russia said that it test-fired a hypersonic missile, according to Bloomberg. In December, Chinese researchers claimed to have developed technology to allow a hypersonic missile to find a target based on its heat signature, according to the South China Morning Post.

The US is unlikely to meet its goal of having hypersonic missiles ready by September 30 after the weapons failed three consecutive tests

The missiles, which are launched from a bomber jet and accelerated by a booster before detaching, are able to be guided to a precise target. Above, a rendering of a missile

Rep. Jim Cooper of Tennessee says the continued delays pose a problem for the US's competitiveness, since Russia and China are also racing to develop their own

Rep. Jim Cooper of Tennessee, a Democrat, says the continued delays pose a problem for US competitiveness.

'The US has a lot of catching up to do with China,' Cooper said. 'It will take much more than a Sept. 30 press release to regain the lead we've squandered since the 1970s.'

The hypersonic development effort needs 'funding, engineering excellence, and rapid testing to begin to reach parity. Even then, I worry that the US doesn't even know how to catch up, particularly given the repeated failures' with the missile program that 'we've had to date on components that should not be technically challenging,' he added.

The hypersonic weapons being developed by the US are intended to be dropped from B-52H bomber jets and accelerated by a booster, which later detaches and allows the missile to fly at hypersonic speeds.

The three test failures so far involved the performance of the booster after it is dropped from the jet, but before the booster detaches.

The weapon is being developed with Maryland-based engineering firm Lockheed Martin, which was awarded an initial development contract of $480 million in 2018 that grew to $986 million in December 2019.

The US and its development partner, Lockheed Martin, would need to complete two successful tests by June 30 to stay on schedule. Above, Master Sgt. John Malloy and Staff Sgt. Jacob Puente secure a hypersonic missile to the wing of a bomber jet

The hypersonic missiles in development are made to be dropped from a B52-H, above

The development phase is now expected to cost about $1.4 billion.

The timing of the next two tests depend on the results of a failure review for the third test, which should've been done by the end of last month, the Air Force program office told Bloomberg.

If the fourth and fifth tests are successful, they would be followed by a flight test of a fully operational missile between July and September. The government would then need to review Lockheed's ability to manufacture its order before a full contract is awarded.

A production decision on the first 12 missiles, which was planned for January, is on hold pending results of a December failure review, the two extra booster tests and the full-missile flight.

A spokesperson for Heidi Shyu, the Pentagon's undersecretary for research and engineering, said she's 'supportive of the Air Forces aggressive efforts to accelerate development,' but that 'the Sept. 30 operational capability date is a very aggressive schedule.'

The timing of the next two tests depend on the results of a failure review for the third test, which should've been done by the end of last month, the Air Force program office says. Above, Staff Sgt. Jacob Puente secures one of the missiles under a B-52H



The Air Force also said it 'will not award a production contract without a Production Readiness Review and a successful All Up Round Test Flight.

'To date, the team has not found any systemic quality issues at Lockheed or its subcontractors' that caused the test failures.

Kelly Sayler, an analyst in advanced technology, told Bloomberg that the time between now and September 30 'leaves little to no room for test delays or additional flight failures, and so it will likely be challenging.'

The Air Force itself said it 'continues to aggressively pursue' an early operational capability 'while maintaining high standards of technical rigor.'

The branch hasn't yet said how many weapons it plans to buy or how much they will cost in total.

In December, researchers from China's National University of Defence Technology claimed to have developed technology to allow a hypersonic missile to find a target based on its heat signature.

The development, which is likely to add intensity to the ongoing arms race between China, the US and Russia, comes after Beijing denied testing a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile in August. Pictured: The October launch of China's Long March rocket, which is said to have been used in August to test the hypersonic missile

According to research cited by the South China Morning Post, lead scientist Professor Yi Shihe claimed in a scientific paper in the Chinese peer-reviewed journal Air and Space Defence that China had made a 'series of core technology breakthroughs that were proven effective in tests'.

If true, it means China may have overcome the difficulty of developing a heat-seeking system which capable of of working at hypersonic speeds. The feat is a challenge because the pace of the missile itself generates heat which can interfere with the detection systems.

The development, which is likely to add intensity to the ongoing arms race between China, the US and Russia, came after Beijing denied testing a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile in August.

The projectile, which circled the planet, sparked concerns among officials in the US, but China insisted the missile launch was for a spacecraft.

Hypersonic missiles can reach speeds of up to 21,000 mph and can strike anywhere on Earth from space within minutes.
Food and petrol prices in Australia will rise due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Scott Morrison has warned.

Vladimir Putin's war and the resulting financial sanctions on his regime have pushed up global oil prices to US$130, the highest level since 2008.

The result is that Australian motorists are paying an average of about $2 a litre for petrol and experts predict the price could soon rise to $2.20.

Prices of food and petrol in Australia will rise due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Scott Morrison has warned. Pictured: Prices in Fyshwick in Canberra

Putin's war and the resulting financial sanctions on his regime have pushed up global oil prices to US$130, the highest level since 2008. Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers bury their dead friend

Global food prices will also increase because the war shut ports in Ukraine, which is a major exporter of grain and vegetables.

The prime minister admitted in a speech in Tuesday that the conflict would bring financial pain to Australian consumers.

'Food and grain prices are rising, which will pose challenges to lower income economies, including many in our own region,' he told AFR Business Summit in a virtual speech.

'Commodity price rises will be the most obvious transmission channel to Australia. Petrol prices in Australia have risen, like they are elsewhere.

'At the bowser it's now about 185c, a bit higher in my part of Sydney down in the Sutherland Shire, a litre, and on average in metro areas.'

The prime minister warned Australia would also suffer from a general slow-down in global economic growth due to the war.

'We are not immune from the negative impacts of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on global growth as well,' he said.

The government also expected some supply shortages and was closely monitoring supplies of the critical fertilizer Urea Ammonium Nitrate.

In a speech in Tuesday, Prime Minister (pictured) admitted the conflict will bring pain to Aussie consumers

However, Mr Morrison said Australia was in a good position compared to European nations that trade more with Russia and Ukraine.

'At least in relative terms, Australia remains very well-placed to manage this shock,' he said.

'Merchandise trade with Russia and Ukraine is 0.2 per cent of our total two-way trade with the rest of the world, limiting the direct impact.'

While consumers will be hit, Australian farmers - especially wheat farmers - may benefit from higher prices.

Also in his speech, Mr Morrison warned the uncertainty of Covid will remain for some time, with the potential of new variants arriving in coming months.

National cabinet meeting on Friday will review preparations for an expected winter surge of Covid-19 infections across the country.

Health experts warned the colder months could bring a spike in cases, along with the first major flu outbreak in the country for two years.

Mr Morrison said while the risk of Omicron had declined since the beginning of the year, other pandemic challenges were still to come.

'There always remains the risk, of course, of a new strain of the virus reaching our shores, and therefore, the uncertainties of Covid,' he said.

'Regrettably, they will continue to remain with us, but we can't let them overwhelm us or intimidate us.'

The prime minister said Australia had weathered the threat of Omicron well compared to other nations, with booster rates across the country rising.

He said though the variant was still circulating in the community, declining cases gave state and territory governments confidence to ease restrictions.

The warning came ahead of a national cabinet meeting on Friday to review preparations for an expected winter surge of Covid-19 infections. Pictured is a shopper on Pitt Street Mall in Sydney in January

'The worst of the workforce and broader economic impacts from the latest strain seem to be behind us, and we welcome that,' he said.

'I'm so pleased that the country is whole again with the opening of the Western Australia state border, likewise, it has given the Commonwealth government the confidence to reopen our international borders.'

Australia's booster rate is above 60 per cent of the eligible population but infectious disease experts have called for a conscious effort from the government to boost the rate further, particularly among over-50s.

Australian National University professor Peter Collignon told AAP there was no reason why the booster rate could not reach the vaccination rate for the primary course.

'For people over 50, we should be aiming to have the booster at the same level at more than 90 per cent,' he said.

'People are still stuck in a zero-Covid mindset, and we have to be different in our approach.'

There have been 11 Covid-19 deaths that have been reported on Tuesday, of those six were in Victoria and five in NSW.

NSW registered more than 13,018 new infections while Victoria had 7,043 new cases.
Popular ABC newsreader Juanita Phillips will not present tonight's 7pm news bulletin due to Sydney's worst flood in decades.

Phillips, who lives in Sydney's northern beaches, is unable to travel to the ABC's studio in Ultimo because all three of her routes into the city are flooded.

'All three routes into the city now flooded shut,' she explained to her followers on Twitter. 'Unfortunately I wont be able to present 7pm tonight. Stay safe everyone.'

She said it was the 'worst ever' flood she ever experienced in Sydney, as video showed treacherous debris washing down a usually-busy shopping street and cars stranded on a 50m-high bridge.

Juanita Phillips presents the 7pm news bulletin in New South Wales, but is unable to host tonight after all three of her routes into the ABC studio from the Northern Beaches were flooded shut

Manly Dam on the northern beaches started spilling over on Tuesday afternoon as the east coast was battered by more torrential rain and the city was blasted by gale-force winds.

The Bureau of Meteorology warned of winds of up to 90km/h hitting Sydney later on Tuesday, with gusts hitting up to 110km/h.

More than 800 homes and 2,000 residents are at risk below the dam in low-lying areas of Manly Vale and Queenscliff after it began overflowing in the devastating downpour.

Locals were initially told to evacuate immediately, before the 'red alert' was downgraded to 'amber' - meaning they should monitor conditions and weather alerts.

Footage taken on Pittwater Road in nearby Dee Why on Tuesday showed a line of shopping trollies being carried away in the metres-high floodwaters.

Both the Northern Beaches and neighbouring lower north shore were hit by landslides, including this one which damaged a parked car

Entire roads were out of action in nearby Freshwater and Manly, while at least two cars were stranded in a flooded section of the 150ft-high Roseville Bridge - which connects the region to the rest of Sydney.

Mackellar Campus Girls School in Manly Vale was evacuated after schoolgirls watched a white hatchback float past their classroom window.

Main streets in the beachside suburbs were transformed into raging torrents, as Manly, Dee Why and Collaroy were all submerged in the unprecedented downpour.

By mid-afternoon, the whole of the Northern Beaches had been cut off from the rest of Sydney with all three roads into the area closed by impassable floodwaters.

Key routes within the Northern Beaches were also closed, including the Wakehurst Parkway and the main Pittwater Road. that runs the length of the peninsula.

Both the Northern Beaches and neighbouring lower north shore were hit by landslides, with NSW Fire and Rescue warning of a large section of road and retaining wall washed away on Deepwater Road in Castle Cove.

'FRNSW arrived on the scene to find part of Deepwater Road washed away due to the severe weather,' said a spokesman.

'A large amount of water flowed into some of the shops, severely damaging one of the premises.'

Meanwhile, vision surfaced from inside Sydney's M5 motorway showing cars motoring through ankle-deep water and train lines flooded at Campbelltown.

Manly Dam on the Northern Beaches started spilling over on Tuesday afternoon as the east coast is battered by more torrential rain

At least two cars were stranded in a flooded section of the Roseville Bridge on Tuesday afternoon

Central Avenue in Manly, in Sydney's Northern Beaches, was flooded with ankle-deep water by Tuesday afternoon, with residents who parked their car in a nearby carpark unable to escape

Entire roads were out of action in nearby Freshwater and Manly (pictured on Tuesday afternoon)

Two bodies, believed to be those of missing mother Hemalathasolhyr Satchithanantham and her 34-year-old son Bramoothand, have been found near a storm water canal in Wentworthville, not far from where their hatchback was found.

While the bodies are yet to be identified, sources believe they are those of the missing mother and son.

The Bureau of Meteorology's Dean Narramore on Tuesday morning warned flooding is expected across the coast from Queensland to the Victorian border.

'(There's a) tough 24 hours or even 48 hours ahead,' he said. 'Even if the rain does stop on Wednesday and Thursday, which it will, there's still a lot of water in these rivers.'

Mr Narramore said the amount of rainfall is already greater than last week's 'rain bomb' and is approaching levels that occurred during the floods in March last year.

The NSW State Emergency Service has issued urgent evacuation orders for a number of suburbs including Chipping Norton, Georges Hall, and parts of Holsworthy, Lansvale and Milperra.

Other suburbs affected told to evacuate immediately include parts of Moorebank, parts of Warwick Farm, Picnic Point, Pleasure Point and Sandy Point.

'If you remain in the area you may be trapped without power, water and other essential services and it may be too dangerous to rescue you,' the order says.

The SES predicted the torrential rain on Tuesday will create dangerous conditions in the Mid North Coast, Sydney, Hunter, South Coast and Illawarra.

Two bodies, believed to be those of missing mother Hemalathasolhyr Satchithanantham (left) and her 34-year-old son Bramoothand, (right) have been found near where a car was abandoned in a stormwater canal in Sydney's west

'Heavy rain has caused flash flooding and river height rises overnight across these locations and further heavy rainfall, flash flooding and river rises are possible today,' it said about 5am on Tuesday.

'Strong winds are expected which could cause trees and powerlines to fall. Landslides are also possible, which could block roads.'

Damaging winds strong enough to bring down power lines and topple trees are forecast to wreak further chaos as those affected by the floods are urged to unplug household appliances during the flash flooding.

BoM also instructed residents to avoid using their phones during storms, keep clear of creeks and storm drains and keep children and pets inside wherever possible.

NSW State Emergency Service commissioner Carlene York said the major areas of concern across NSW are Kempsey, Coroki, the Georges and Hawkesbury-Nepean River, Shoalhaven, St Georges Basin and Sussex Inlet.

Residents on 10 low-lying streets in Sussex Inlet have been ordered to evacuate by 12pm on Tuesday as floodwaters rise in the St Georges basin.

Sydney commuters have been told to avoid all non-essential travel in the face of wet and wild conditions and ditch the city's rail network entirely.

Damaging winds in excess of 90km/hour are forecast for the Sydney metropolitan area, the Illawarra and those who live on the coast.

Some areas between Sydney and Ulladulla on the South Coast have received 100mm to 200mm of rain since 9am on Monday.

However, in welcome news to communities on the Mid North Coast and the Hunter region, rain appears to have eased for the time being.

Emergency Service Commissioner Carlene York said there were about 60,000 people impacted by floods warnings and about 800 people relying on emergency accommodation.

The SES performed 100 flood rescues in the 24 hours to 6.30am on Monday and responded to 2400 calls for help.
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The United States and its allies were on Monday night engaged in a race against time to get weapons into Ukraine, amid growing concern that Russia may try and cut off the weapons pipeline.

Images of NATO aircraft unloading near the border with the embattled neighbor have been shared widely by political leaders and on social media, and General Mark Milley, the chairman of the joint chief of staff, was on Sunday touring 'secret' airfields to witness the transportation.

The U.S. and its allies have delivered 17,000 anti-tank missiles to Ukraine so far, and two days after the conflict erupted the White House approved a $350 million package of military support.

Yet on Monday a senior official told ABC News there are indications Russia may attack one of those supply chains in Poland before it gets to Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin could potentially use air power to stop the flow, ABC reported.

Russian troops and equipment have for months been building on the border with Ukraine, with satellite images showing heavily fortified areas being created, from which to launch long-range artillery.

The supply lines could be attacked from a distance, officials believe.

Military equipment from the French army is loaded from an Antonov 124 freight airplane, at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base near Constanta, Romania, on Friday

A Ukrainian soldier is pictured on Sunday holding a NLAW - Next generation Light Anti-tank Weapon - while manning a checkpoint on the outskirts of Kyiv. NATO has so far sent 17,000 anti-tank weapons to Ukraine

Staff General Mark Milley (right) and Commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Lieutenant General Valdemaras Rupsys pose for the media during the visit to the Training Range in Lithuania on Sunday

U.S. troops are seen on Sunday at the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base near Constanta, Romania

Russian troops and artillery were seen in Brest, on the border of Poland and Belarus, in what analysts fear could be a potential source of a strike on supply lines

A satellite image shows military forces near Brest in the western Belarus

Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, has repeatedly requested air power assistance in order to destroy these fortified areas.

Ukrainians have seen success in attacking Russian resupply areas, mostly in the north but also among smaller, moving groups.

On Friday, a defense official told reporters the weapons were getting into Ukraine through 'multiple venues,' without elaborating.

'There are multiple venues through which the support is getting to the Ukrainians on the ground,' they said, according to The Hill.

'I really don't want to get more specific than that. We want to be able to continue to help the Ukrainians as much and for as long as we can, so we're going to be very careful about how we talk about how that support is getting into their hands.'

Russia has in recent days ramped up its rhetoric warning the West against further involvement, in a sign that Putin's patience with the conflict could be wearing thin.

The Russian leader is widely said to have anticipated a rapid takeover of Ukraine, and to be angered by the pace of the invasion - entering on Tuesday its 13th day.

With the U.S. and its allies openly channelling weapons to the war, and with Ukrainians using the donated weapons to great effect, Russia has warned against further entanglement.

Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for Russia's defense ministry, said in a video briefing on Sunday that some Ukrainian combat planes had redeployed to Romania and other neighboring countries - and warned against attacks being launched from there.

'The use of the airfield network of these countries for basing Ukrainian military aviation, with the subsequent use of force against Russia's army, can be regarded as the involvement of these states in an armed conflict,' he said.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, is seen on Monday inside the presidential palace in Kyiv

Russian forces are now attempting to encircle Kyiv and pressing forward in the northeast and southeast

Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, is seen on Saturday on the Ukraine-Poland border with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba

Two Polish Air Force Russian-made MIGs 29's fly above and below two Polish Air Force U.S. made F-16's fighter jets, at an air show in 2011. The U.S. has approved Poland sending its MIGs to Ukraine, but Poland is reluctant to do so, fearing an escalation of hostilities

Poland on Sunday was told by Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State, that they had the 'green light' to send MIGs to Ukraine.

Under the scheme, Poland would give Ukraine its MIG fighter jets, which Ukrainian pilots are trained to fly.

In return, the U.S. would replace the Soviet-era planes with modern F-16 American fighter jets.

Poland, however, quickly said that they had not agreed any plan.

Poland's president, Andrzej Duda, has repeatedly voiced concern about the proposal, believing it would drag his country into open conflict with Russia.

Zelensky on Monday said that the plan had indeed been discussed, but the decision lay largely with the U.S.

'We asked not only the United States, we asked many other countries - I'm not going to name them,' he said.

'We looked into this question. We know where these Soviet planes are stationed, which countries host them. And we asked these countries.

'And in many ways, it is the United States who will decide.'

U.S. officials appeared on Monday to be cooling on the idea - potentially in the face of Russian reprisals.

Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said on Monday the administration is not opposing such a deal, but said there are significant logistical challenges.

'It is not as easy as just moving planes around,' Psaki said.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby sought to temper expectations as well, telling reporters 'we're very early on in a discussion here about what the possibility could' and it's 'not a done deal at this point.'

Were Russia to attempt to stop the flow, it could well try and use the long-range missiles positioned in Belarus - a pariah state sharing long borders with NATO members Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

Destroyed Russian vehicles are seen somewhere near Mariupol, in images captured by the Azov Brigade

A destroyed Russian infantry fighting vehicle is seen near the city of Mariupol, in images captured by Ukraine's 'Azov Brigade'

A Russian tank is seen damaged and abandoned near the city of Mariupol, which has been under heavy shelling for days

The tail-end of a destroyed Russian Su-34 fighter is seen crashed through the roof of a warehouse near Kharkiv having been shot down by Ukrainian forces overnight

A Russian T-72 tank is seen destroyed somewhere near the city of Mariupol in an image posted by the 'Azov Brigade', a unit of the Ukrainian National Guard that operates in and around the city

Satellite images published last week showed Russia assembling troops, armor and artillery along Belarus's border with Poland.

The massive buildup was spotted in the Belarus city of Brest, just 10 miles east of the the Polish border.

'Russia has assembled troops, armor, artillery, and more than 50 heavy equipment transporters at a training area in Brest, the Polish border,' explained reporter Jack Detsch, a Pentagon and national security correspondent at Foreign Policy magazine.

'Russia has also added more equipment at a nearby railyard in Belarus.'

Blinken was asked by ABC News on Thursday night whether he felt the Russian president would recall his forces once Ukraine was conquered.

'Is it a possibility that Putin goes beyond Ukraine? Sure, it's a possibility,' Blinken told host David Muir.

But he stressed that progressing beyond Ukraine into neighboring Poland, Slovakia, Hungary or Romania would mean invading a NATO member country, and would automatically draw in the US, UK, France, Canada and the other nations that form the 30-country alliance.

'There is something very powerful standing in the way of that, and it's something we call Article Five,' said Blinken.

ONE-ON-ONE WITH SECY. BLINKEN: @DavidMuir goes one-on-one with U.S. Secy. of State Antony Blinken who said its a possibility that Putin will go beyond Ukraine, adding that everything is on the table in regards to Putin being sanctioned. https://t.co/N6PX4MAjBa pic.twitter.com/iNWusruaxy  World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) February 25, 2022

NEW: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to @DavidMuir: "Is it a possibility that Putin goes beyond Ukraine? Sure, it's a possibility."



More tonight on @ABCWorldNews. https://t.co/N6PX4MAjBa pic.twitter.com/AD0zONIFlp  World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) February 24, 2022

United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke to David Muir on ABC Thursday about Putin's invasion of Ukraine

Blinken was asked by ABC News on Thursday night whether he felt the Russian president would recall his forces once Ukraine was conquered. 'Is it a possibility that Putin goes beyond Ukraine? Sure, it's a possibility,' Blinken told host David Muir

'That means an attack on one member of NATO is an attack on all members of NATO,' Blinken added.

'The president has been very clear that we will defend every inch of NATO territory.'

Blinken said he believed this would be the 'most powerful deterrent' against Putin taking his artillery beyond Ukraine.

However, Blinken remains certain Putin will try to bring about regime change in Ukraine.

'You're convinced Putin's gonna overthrow this government?' Muir asked.

'I'm convinced he's going to try to do that.'

Blinken added that he felt that whatever happened, 'democracy and the independence of Ukraine will prevail' regardless of what happens in the fighting.
An outbreak of a sexually transmitted infection is rapidly spreading through Melbourne's outer suburbs, leaving experts baffled as to the cause.

New research from Alfred Health has revealed the areas of Brimbank and Melton in the city's north-west, and Casey in the city's south-east, are showing a surging number of gonorrhea cases.

The study is the first of its kind to track the geographical distribution of the STI over 10 years and found lower income areas further from Melbourne's CBD were more susceptible.

A new study has shown gonorrhea is rising rapidly among heterosexual people in Melbourne's outer suburbs (stock image)

'Why this is occurring is the million-dollar question,' Alfred Health epidemiologist and biostatistician Eric Chow told The Age.

Historically, gonorrhoea was mostly circulated among men who had sex with other men but the research also shows woman are getting infected at an alarming rate.

The infection, also known as 'the clap' is caused by bacteria which colonises the genital region and can be treated by antibiotics.

But, if left untreated, it can cause infertility in women.

Worryingly, there is also an antibiotic resistant version that has been detected in cases in every Australian state and territory.

Victoria recorded more than 7,000 cases last year but experts say the real number is likely much higher with many cases not showing symptoms and going undetected.

Associate Professor Chow said since 2010, gonorrhoea infections in females had increased more than five-fold.

The number rose from 291 to almost 1600 last year, showing heterosexual gonorrhoea was endemic in Australia.

While the infection can be treated with antibiotics it can cause infertility if left undetected or untreated (stock image)

He said lockdowns had not seemed to slow the spread of the infection, particularly in lower socioeconomic areas.

'It's just gone up exponentially among women in the outer suburbs of Melbourne,' Mr Chow said.

'We really don't know whether it is because of the lack of sexual health literacy and services, or whether it is more risky behaviour in those areas. But definitely the outer suburbs are becoming our greatest area of concern.'

The Alfred Institute has established three general practice clinics in the Melbourne suburbs of Hillside, Tarneit, and Clayton to combat the outbreak.
A law professor at the University of California called for more censorship in the media to tackle fake news and protect American democracy.

Richard Hasen, who teaches at the Irvine School of Law, argued that laws needed to be passed to take down the spread of misinformation, in an op-ed published Monday by the New York Times titled, How to Keep the Rising Tide of Fake News From Drowning Our Democracy.

At the center of his argument is former President Donald Trump's unfounded claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him in the weeks leading up to the deadly January 6 Capitol riot.

'There can be no doubt that virally spread political disinformation and delusional invective about stolen, rigged elections are threatening the foundation of our Republic,' Hasen wrote.

'It's going to take both legal and political change to bolster that foundation, and it might not be enough.'

At the center of his argument is former President Donald Trump's unfounded claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him

University of California Professor Richard Hasen argued that laws needed to be pass to take down the spread of misinformation in his New York Times opinion piece on Monday

Hasen claimed that the false information that spread on social media allowed the January 6 riot to occur as protesters stormed the capital to halt the transition of power between Trump and Joe Biden.

'Cheap speech lowered the costs for like-minded conspiracy theorists to find one another, to convert people to believing the false claims and to organize for dangerous political action at the U.S. Capitol,' Hasen wrote, as he called on social media companies and news outlets to filter out misinformation before it reaches the public.

Trump was banned from Twitter after he made more than 400 posts arguing the validity of the election in the weeks leading up to the riot.

Facebook also suspended Trump from its platform for two years.

But Hasen said that was not enough and called on politicians to pass laws that ensure the end of misinformation so that something like the Capitol riot never happens again.

'Among the legal changes that could help are an updating of campaign finance laws to cover what is now mostly unregulated political advertising disseminated over the internet, labeling deep fakes as 'altered' to help voters separate fact from fiction and a tightening of the ban on foreign campaign expenditures,' Hasen wrote.

'Congress should also make it a crime to lie about when, where and how people vote.'

Hansen said the January 6 riot was caused by the spread of misinformation that needed to be tackled by media companies and lawmakers

Hasen said he was skeptical that the current Supreme Court would likely not back any of his proposed changes because they would view it as a violation of the First Amendment

Hasen added that he was not hopeful that these changes would be implemented as lawmakers and the Supreme Court would view it as a violation of the First Amendment's freedom of speech.

'What's worse, some justices on the court who otherwise fashion themselves as free speech libertarians have lately espoused positions that could exacerbate our problems,' he wrote, referencing Justice Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch's recent comments that they were interesting in loosening up libel laws, making it easier to sue journalists who try and expose corruption.

'Even if Congress adopted all the changes I have proposed and the Supreme Court upheld them  two quite unlikely propositions  it would hardly be enough to sustain American democracy in the cheap speech era,' Hasen added.

Instead, Hasen called on voters to pressure social media companies to remove 'extreme' political figures from their platforms and for news consumers to open themselves to 'reliable' sources of news.

'We need to rebuild civil society to strengthen reliable intermediaries and institutions that engage in truth telling,' Hasen wrote.

'As a starting point, think of all the institutions Mr. Trump tried to undermine: the free press, the opposition party, his own party, the judiciary and the F.B.I., to name just a few.'
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Monday. AP-Yonhap





A U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson called on North Korea, Monday, to stop its missile launches, calling them "needless provocations."







Department Press Secretary John Kirby also urged Pyongyang to engage in dialogue to find a negotiated solution."







These continue to be provocations, needless provocations at that," he said when asked about North Korea's recent missile tests that it claims to have been aimed at developing a reconnaissance satellite.







North Korea has staged nine rounds of missile launches since the start of the year, with the latest test taking place Saturday (KST).







"We urge Pyongyang to cease these missile launches and these provocations and signal that they're willing to sit down, as we are, without preconditions to find a negotiated way forward here and ... a diplomatic path to reduce the tensions on the peninsula," Kirby told a press briefing.







The U.S. State Department earlier condemned North Korea's missile launches as violations of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions.







The U.S., nine other UNSC members, and South Korea also issued a joint statement Monday, condemning the North's recent missile tests while urging all UNSC members to call out the North's "destabilizing" actions.







The joint statement came after the 15-member UNSC failed to produce a joint statement on the North Korean missile launch in a closed-door session held earlier in the day, reportedly due to China's opposition.







China, a close ally of North Korea and veto-power wielding permanent member of the UNSC, earlier blocked U.S. efforts to impose additional sanctions on North Korea. (Yonhap)


Gregory Lynn's wife Lisa was found dead at the front of her home in the foetal position after drinking and taking sleeping pills, Coroner's documents show

The first wife of a man accused of murdering missing campers Carol Clay and Russell Hill scoffed a lethal cocktail of booze and sleeping tablets before she was found dead more than two decades ago.

Coronial documents seen by Daily Mail Australia have shed new light on the sad death of Jetstar pilot Gregory Lynn's wife, Lisa, in October 1999.

Lisa was found in the foetal position out the front of the family's home in Macedon, north-west of Melbourne, while the couple's two children, aged one and three, were asleep inside.

In his findings, Coroner Graeme Johnstone said Mrs Lynn was believed to have been deeply depressed at the time of her death.

However, the Coroner was left with outstanding questions over whether she had intended to take her own life or not. At the time of Mrs Lynn's death, she was believed to have been deeply depressed.

However, she left no suicide note and had not indicated to anyone that she might have been suicidal, the documents revealed.

Forensic doctors later revealed her blood alcohol content was a whopping 0.2 - more than three times the legal limit to drive a car. They also found traces of antidepressants in her system.

Russell Hill (pictured, right) and Carol Clay (left) were allegedly murdered by Gregory Lynn during a camping trip in March 2020

Pilot Lynn - who remarried a flight attendant - stands accused of murdering Mr Hill and Mrs Clay, who went missing from their home on March 20, 2020.

The bodies of Mr Hill and Mrs Clay were found dumped last November off the Providence Spur Track, north of Dargo in the state's east, within dense bushland more than 20 months after they went missing.

Greg Lynn is seen with his second wife Melanie - who is a flight attendant with Jetstar. The pair met through work

A breakthrough in the missing campers case came just last week when police arrested Lynn in the bush on November 22.

They seized the Caroline Springs man's Nissan Patrol after tracking his movements and flying into remote bushland by helicopter.

A trailer being towed by an off-road vehicle - also captured on CCTV the night the secret lovers vanished, remains missing.

Police believe it was likely sold on Gumtree.

A subsequent search of his home did not uncover the trailer, which police claimed last week could be the final piece of the puzzle.

Lynn was stood down from his job as a Jetstar pilot after his arrest on November 22.

In his first court appearance, Lynn's lawyer Chris McLennan did not make any application for bail on behalf of the alleged killer, who was remanded in custody by Magistrate Greg McNamara until his next court appearance on May 31.

He faces life in prison should he be convicted of double murder.

For confidential crisis support contact Lifeline on 13 11 14

Footage of the search showed plain clothes officers sifting through dirt by hand as an excavator worked ahead turning the soil over and digging up the packed ground
Chaos has erupted on Sydney train lines as wild wet weather and flash flooding forces hundreds of trains to be delayed or cancelled.

Platforms are packed with crowds desperately waiting for their train to arrive or to see if their route home is cancelled.

Some services are delayed for several hours as train lines are flooded by the torrential rainfall.

Cancellations limited the number of services arriving to stations across western Sydney, causing the trains that did arrive to be inundated with commuters.

Cancellations have limited the numbers of services arriving to stations, causing the limited trains that have arrived to be be completely inundated with commuters

AFFECTED TRAIN LINES * Trains are not running from Hornsby to Gordon on the North Shore Line due to landslips and flooding * In Sydneys north-west, buses are replacing trains on the T1 Western Line between Schofields and Richmond due to flooding * Services have been cancelled on the T8 Airport and South Line between Turrella and Revesby due to flooding * Buses have replaced trains on the line to Olympic Park * Trains on the Blue Mountains Line are not running between Springwood and Lithgow due to landslips. A limited number of buses have replaced trains *Buses have replaced trains on the South Coast Line between Waterfall and Thirroul, Wollongong, Port Kembla and Kiama due to track repairs caused by flooding Advertisement

One video shared to Twitter sees hundreds of people cramming onto a single train.

Another user posted pictures of commuters crowded on Parramatta station. He also shared a screenshot of the digital train timetable at the station, which has frozen and wiped clean all of the train times, likely due to the weather.

Sydney Trains addressed the multitude of delays and cancellations in a statement.

'Due to severe weather conditions, significant delays and cancellations are expected on most Sydney Trains, NSW TrainLink Intercity and Regional trains services,' it said.

'Trains run to a changed timetable. We strongly recommend avoiding nonessential travel.'

A later statement warned train cancellations, changes in platforms and stops may happen at short notice.

'You may need to change trains to complete your journey,' it said.

'Impacts will continue through the week as we undertake detailed inspections to ensure rail network remains safe for trains and customers.'

Footage and photographs have surfaced online of crowds packed onto train stations desperately waiting for their train to arrive. Pictured: Parramatta station

A digital timetable at Parramatta station has frozen, possibly due to the wild weather

A Sydney Trains staff member told Daily Mail Australia that the East Hills line has been closed due to flooding.

The North Shore and Bankstown lines had major speed restrictions due to concerns about landslides.

Buses replace trains between Schofields and Richmond in both directions due to flooding on the tracks.

Many frustrated Sydney commuters were forced to wait hours for some services.

'It's only 1pm and all Sydney Rail schedules have gone to hell,' one commuter wrote. 'Double check before you head for the station.'

Another added: 'Abandoning expectations that Sydney Trains could get me from Central to Parramatta today. It wouldn't be so bad if they didn't keep advertising that there will be a train coming in 15 minutes, only to drop it before it arrives.'

Many commuters have been forced to wait hours for some train services as wild weather causes disruptions across the network

Train lines at Campbelltown were flooded during the early hours of Tuesday morning with commuters told to avoid the city's rail network completely and expect major delays\

One commuter was stuck at Erskinville station for more than 45 minutes trying to get to Redfern.

Sydney's flood crisis escalated on Tuesday afternoon with parts of Penrith, in the city's greater west, and areas of Manly, on the northern beaches, going underwater.

Meteorologists warned the city was entering a critical period as the east coast is battered by more torrential rain and gale-force winds.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said Manly Dam is about to spill and Sydney's M5 motorway is so flooded cars were motoring through deep water and the train depot flooded in Campbelltown.

Motorists have been warned not to attempt crossing the Roseville Bridge, which links the city's north and the city, with reports of vehicles stranded on the bridge beginning to float

Central Avenue in Manly, in Sydney's northern beaches, was flooded with ankle-deep water by Tuesday afternoon, with residents who parked their car in a nearby carpark unable to escape

Two bodies, believed to be those of missing mother Hemalathasolhyr Satchithanantham and her 34-year-old son Bramoothand, were found near a stormwater canal in Wentworthville, not far from where their hatchback was found.

The bodies are yet to be identified, but are believed to those of the missing mother and son.

The Bureau of Meteorology's Dean Narramore warned flooding was expected across the coast from Queensland to the Victorian border.

'(There's a) tough 24 hours or even 48 hours ahead. Even if the rain does stop on Wednesday and Thursday, which it will, there's still a lot of water in these rivers,' he said.

Mr Narramore said the amount of rainfall was already more than last week and was approaching levels that occurred during the floods in March last year.

Two bodies, believed to be those of missing mother Hemalathasolhyr Satchithanantham (left) and her 34-year-old son Bramoothand, (right) have been found near where a car was abandoned in a stormwater canal in Sydney's west

The NSW State Emergency Service issued urgent evacuation orders for suburbs including Chipping Norton, Georges Hall, and parts of Holsworthy, Lansvale, and Milperra.

Other suburbs told to evacuate immediately include parts of Moorebank, parts of Warwick Farm, Picnic Point, Pleasure Point, and Sandy Point.

'If you remain in the area you may be trapped without power, water and other essential services and it may be too dangerous to rescue you,' the order states.

The SES predicted even more torrential rain would create dangerous conditions in the Mid North Coast, Sydney, Hunter, South Coast and Illawarra.

'Heavy rain has caused flash flooding and river height rises overnight across these locations and further heavy rainfall, flash flooding and river rises are possible today,' it said about 5am on Tuesday.

'Strong winds are expected which could cause trees and powerlines to fall. Landslides are also possible, which could block roads.'

Damaging winds strong enough to bring down power lines and topple trees are forecast to wreak further chaos as those affected by the floods are urged to unplug household appliances during the flash flooding.

BoM also instructed residents to avoid using their phones during storms, keep clear of creeks and storm drains and keep children and pets inside wherever possible.

NSW State Emergency Service commissioner Carlene York said the major areas of concern across NSW are Kempsey, Coroki, the Georges and Hawkesbury-Nepean River, Shoalhaven, St Georges Basin and Sussex Inlet.

Residents on 10 low-lying streets in Sussex Inlet have been ordered to evacuate by 12pm on Tuesday as floodwaters rise in the St Georges basin.
A supposed FSB whistleblower claimed that Russia's war with Ukraine is now unwinnable, saying that within the Kremlin the spy agency was being blamed for the failures so far and likening Vladimir Putin to Hitler for wanting to start a world war.

The letter, which has not been authenticated, was published online by a Russian human rights watchdog, Gulagu. It was then picked up by analysts at Bellingcat.

Its damning contents were published as a second top Russian military official was reported to have been killed in Ukraine.

A Russian T-72 tank is seen destroyed somewhere near the city of Mariupol in an image posted by the 'Azov Brigade', a unit of the Ukrainian National Guard that operates in and around the city

The tail-end of a destroyed Russian Su-34 fighter is seen crashed through the roof of a warehouse near Kharkiv having been shot down by Ukrainian forces overnight

A Russian tank is seen damaged and abandoned near the city of Mariupol, which has been under heavy shelling for days

Destroyed Russian vehicles are seen somewhere near Mariupol, in images captured by the Azov Brigade

A volunteer of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces looks at a dead body of a soldier lying in a forest in the outskirts of Kharkiv on Monday

Vladimir Putin is seen on Tuesday speaking to address International Women's Day

Ukraine's military intelligence said on Tuesday that Ukrainian forces killed Major General Vitaly Gerasimov near Kharkiv.

Gerasimov was the first deputy commander of Russia's 41st army, the Chief Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine's defense ministry said in a statement.

Gerasimov took part in the second Chechen war, the Russian military operation in Syria, and the annexation of Crimea, winning medals from those campaigns.

Last week, Russian media said another military leader was killed: Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, 47, deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District.

Sukhovetsky died during a special operation in Ukraine, his comrade-in-arms Sergey Chipilev wrote on social media, according to Pravda.ru.

Ukraine says its forces have killed more than 11,000 Russian troops.

Russia has confirmed about 500 losses.

Neither side has disclosed Ukrainian casualties.

Major General Vitaly Gerasimov, a highly decorated Russian military official, was killed on Monday, Ukrainian officials said

Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District, was reportedly killed in Ukraine last week

The deaths of the soldiers came as the whistleblower at the FSB - the successor to the KGB - said that Russia was not prepared for the battle, or for the subsequent sanctions.

'No one knew that there would be such a war, so no one prepared for such sanctions,' the report said.

'It's just that there is no option for a possible victory.'

The author said that they were being told to tailor their intelligence reports to please their superiors.

'We have been increasingly pressed to customize reports to the requirements of management - I once touched on this topic,' the author claims.

'All these political consultants, politicians and their retinue, influence teams - all this created chaos.

'Now, even if Zelensky is killed, taken prisoner, nothing will change,' the report said.

'And now even those who were loyal to us are against it. Because it was planned from above, because we were told that there would be no such option, unless we were attacked.

'Even with minimum resistance from the Ukrainians we'd need over 500,000 people, not including supply and logistics workers,' the author claims.

A view of the headquarters of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), also known as the Lubyanka Building, in Lubyanskaya Square in central Moscow

The lengthy post by the supposed FSB whistleblower was shared by the director of human rights group Gulagu

The author further warned that their country was sliding towards a greater war.

'Now I do not rule out that then we will be drawn into a real international conflict, like Hitler in 1939.

'And then our (pro-Russian) Z (symbol) will be compared to us with a swastika.'

The author also discussed whether Putin would initiate a nuclear strike against the West.

'Is there a possibility of a local nuclear strike? Yes. Not for military purposes (it will not give anything - this is a defense breakthrough weapon), but with the aim of intimidating others,' the report said.

He added that the SVR, Russia's foreign intelligence service, was 'digging the earth' for evidence that Ukraine has secretly created nuclear weapons to justify such a strike.

'From the cynical, I will only add that I do not believe that VV Putin will press the red button to destroy the whole world,' the author states.

Christo Grozev, who works for the Netherlands-based investigative journalism group Bellingcat, tweeted that he showed the letter to two FSB contacts, one current and one former employee.

They had no doubt that the author was a colleague, he said.

Yet Rebekah Koffler, a former Defense Intelligence Agency officer and author of 'Putin's Playbook: Russia's Secret Plan to Defeat America', told Fox News she was suspicious of its authenticity.

'Both sides right now are waging information warfare on each other,' she said.

'It's very long and incorporates all kinds of things.

'If he's really an FSB officer in the middle of this conflict right now, who has the time to write such a long post that would incorporate all these various things?'

She cited the author's reference to Adolf Hitler as one example.

'The Hitler thing. This is a western narrative,' she added.

'The Russians hate Hitler, but it's unlikely for them to compare Putin with Hitler.'
'Drunk Russian soldiers' shot dead a 10-year-old Ukrainian girl in front of her uncle by blasting houses at random in a village near Kyiv, according to a relative.

Anastasia Stoluk, also called Nastya, was then buried in the back yard after soldiers banned her mother, Luba, from visiting the cemetery, reports The Times.

Her cousin Anya Stoluk, 18, said she died in the village of Shybene, around 40 miles away from Ukraine's capital, on February 28.

The Russian soldiers allegedly started 'shooting everywhere they could see', including in four homes, after a Ukrainian teenage boy fired a gun in the air.

The young girl's reported death comes after an 18-month-old boy named Kirill was fatally wounded by a Russian shelling in the the city of Mariupol on Saturday.

Kirill's devastated mother Marina Yatsko and her boyfriend Fedor were later seen grieving as they embraced their son's lifeless body laid out on a stretcher in the besieged city.

Anastasia Stoluk (pictured above), also called Nastya, died in the village of Shybene, around 40 miles away from Ukraine's capital, on February 28, said her 18-year-old cousin Anya Stoluk

The Russian soldiers allegedly started 'shooting everywhere they could see', including in four of the village's homes, after a Ukrainian teenage boy fired a gun in the air

Luba informed Anya of the Russian soldiers' arrival on February 28, but said all was calm. The following day, a friend living in the area told her of Nastya's death.

Anya's adoptive mother, 40-year-old Vera Dmitrienko, told the newspaper: '(The Russian soldiers) looted all the stores, of course they got a lot of alcohol... and got drunk and started shooting.

'They shot into Nastya's house, she was there with her uncle, and she died immediately.'

Referring to sounds of a gunshot being fired in the air, she said: 'The soldiers heard it but since they were so drunk they didn't know where it was from so they just started shooting everywhere they could see.'

Ms Dmitrienko added that Nastya's uncle was taken to hospital but they hadn't heard of any updates from him.

Anya said a friend told her at the weekend that Russian troops were taking away people's phones in the village, alongside 'breaking' into people's homes and 'beating them up' if they wouldn't give them food.

Almost 1,000 children have already been wounded, according to Ukraine's government, while 331 civilians, including at least 28 children, have been killed.

The United Nations earlier suggested that these figures will need to be readjusted upwards as devastated residential areas are thoroughly searched.

Devastating images show the father of an 18-month-old boy named Kirill running into a hospital in Ukraine with his dying son in Mariupol

Groups of people flee the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, after the region faced heavy bombardment from Kremlin forces

A mother and two children were killed and the father was wounded by a mortar shell in Irpin near Kyiv on Sunday as hundreds of civilians sought safety

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Three members of the same family were among those killed in the recent attack by Vladimir Putin's forces on Irpin, a town 12 miles from Kyiv.

It came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's wife pleaded with international media to 'tell the terrible truth' that Putin's troops are killing children 'consciously and cynically'.

Olena Zelenska took to Instagram to say Russians had been killing Ukrainian children since Putin's forces invaded on February 24.

She asked Nato to implement a no-fly zone over Ukraine to 'save our children, because tomorrow it will save yours'.

Meanwhile, MPs are set to hear from Volodymyr Zelensky today about the Ukrainian plight as Boris Johnson continues his diplomatic offensive to encourage Western leaders to punish Russia for the invasion.

Mr Zelensky will address the House of Commons at 5pm by video link after Speaker Lindsay Hoyle approved a request for a 'historic address' from the Ukrainian president who, according to reports, is at risk of assassination by pro-Russian groups in Kyiv.

He gave an address to the European Parliament last week and imparted a virtual message to the US Senate on Saturday, with the embattled leader expected on Tuesday to renew messages from those speeches to MPs, including pushing for the West to install a no-fly zone over Ukraine and for more arms to be delivered.

The Prime Minister, who speaks with Mr Zelensky on a regular basis, has consistently ruled out the UK policing Ukrainian skies, arguing it would mean shooting down Russian planes.

On Monday evening, Mr Johnson spoke with US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, with the four leaders vowing to 'continue to apply pressure on Russia to isolate Putin diplomatically and economically'.

A No 10 spokeswoman said: 'The Prime Minister stressed that our goal must be ensuring Putin's failure in this act of aggression against Ukraine.'

The Foreign Secretary met with the Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, on the same evening.

Liz Truss tweeted afterwards that the UK is working to 'cripple' Russia's war effort and to rally the international community.

'The UK will do all we can to support the Ukrainian people. Putin must fail,' she added.

On Tuesday, Mr Johnson will host leaders of the Visegrad Four of central European nations - the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia - to discuss the conflict.

The diplomatic efforts on the international stage comes as the UK Government faces domestic pressure to speed-up its efforts to grant safety to fleeing Ukrainians, with Labour criticising the process for being 'painfully slow'.

The Home Office on Friday confirmed that 8,900 applications for refugees to come to the UK via the Ukraine Family Scheme had been submitted since Friday, but that only 300 visas had been issued.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper tweeted: 'That's shockingly low and painfully slow. Just 250 since yesterday.

'At this rate it would be weeks before many families reunite. Urgent action needed.'

President Volodymyr Zelensky's wife has pleaded with inernational media to 'tell the terrible truth' that Putin's troops are killing children 'consciously and cynically'

A man and a child escape from the town of Irpin, after heavy shelling on the only escape route used by locals

Local residents run for cover as they escape from the town of Irpin, after heavy shelling by Russian forces

Separately, Michael Gove said Russian president Vladimir Putin could inflict worse pain on the Ukrainian people than he has already.

The Housing Secretary, speaking to LBC's Tonight With Andrew Marr programme, looked to downplay the threat of nuclear warfare but said Mr Putin had 'a number of other options, all grisly, at his disposal before he ever goes anywhere near the use of... nuclear weapons'.

His comments follow after Ukrainian lawyers told the International Court of Justice that Moscow had resorted to 'tactics reminiscent of medieval siege warfare' as Kyiv called for Western intervention to prevent further bloodshed.

An update from the UK Ministry of Defence published late on Monday said Russia 'continues to directly target evacuation corridors, resulting in the death of several civilians while trying to evacuate Irpin', near the Ukrainian capital.

A further 175 million of UK aid for Ukraine was announced on Monday, with Health Secretary Sajid Javid posting on social media that, following a fifth airborne medicines shipment, 'around 485,000 items of essential medical supplies' had been delivered to help the war-inflicted country.

Meanwhile, new laws designed to tackle 'dirty money' hidden in the UK cleared the House of Commons - although ministers were pushed to go further on seizing oligarchs' assets.

The Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Bill received an unopposed third reading after it was rushed through in response to Russia's invasion.

Aimed at uncovering Russian state-linked money, the legislation is set to establish a new register of overseas entities requiring foreign owners of property in the UK to declare their true identity.
A light plane has slipped off a western Sydney runway due to the dangerous wet weather.

The heavy downpour caused the plane to slide off the tarmac at Bankstown airport while it was moving. The pilot can be seen in footage exiting the aircraft to inspect it closely.

The airport runway had been hammered with intense rainfall, saturating the tarmac and the surrounding grassland.

Bankstown was one of the suburbs hardest hit by the devastating weather on Tuesday, with roads in the south-western Sydney town turning into rivers due to flash flooding.

A light plane has slipped off a western Sydney runway due to the wild wet weather

The pilot, who was inside at the time of the incident, can be seen in footage exiting the aircraft to inspect it closely

It comes as millions of Greater Sydney residents have been told to expect a tough '24 to 48 hours' as Australia's east coast is battered by torrential rain and dangerous gale-force winds.

Frightening footage has recently emerged of the nearby M5 motorway completed flood as cars motor through ankle-deep water.

Over 90mm of heavy rain was dumped across the region on Tuesday - with residents of suburbs in the city's south told to evacuate.

Two bodies, believed to be those of missing mother Hemalathasolhyr Satchithanantham and her 34-year-old son Bramoothand, have been found near a stormwater canal where their hatchback was found on Monday.

While the bodies are yet to be identified, sources believe they are those of the missing mother and son.

Incredible vision from inside Sydney's major M5 motorway saw cars driving through ankle-deep water, as floodwaters seeped in overnight and caused chaos for drivers (pictured)

Train lines at Campbelltown were flooded during the early hours of Tuesday morning with commuters told to avoid the city's rail network completely and expect major delays

Two bodies, believed to be those of missing mother Hemalathasolhyr Satchithanantham (left) and her 34-year-old son Bramoothand, (right) have been found near where a car was abandoned in a stormwater canal in Sydney's west

The Bureau of Meteorology's Dean Narramore this morning warned that flooding is expected across the coast from Queensland to the Victorian border.

'(There's a) tough 24 hours or even 48 hours ahead,' he said. 'Even if the rain does stop on Wednesday and Thursday, which it will, there's still a lot of water in these rivers.'

Mr Narramore said the amount of rainfall is already greater than last week's 'rain bomb' and is approaching levels that occurred during the floods in March last year.

The NSW State Emergency Service has issued urgent evacuation orders for a number of suburbs including Chipping Norton, Georges Hall, and parts of Holsworthy, Lansvale and Milperra.

Other suburbs affected told to evacuate immediately include parts of Moorebank, parts of Warwick Farm, Picnic Point, Pleasure Point and Sandy Point.

'If you remain in the area you may be trapped without power, water and other essential services and it may be too dangerous to rescue you,' the order states.

The SES has predicted even more torrential rain on Tuesday will create dangerous conditions in the Mid North Coast, Sydney, Hunter, South Coast and Illawarra.

The Bureau of Meteorology's Dean Narramore warned there was more to come with minor to major flooding occurring from Queensland to the Victorian border across the already saturated state

Camden, in Sydney's southwest, has been particularly hard-hit by the widespread flooding, with properties and businesses underwater for the second time in less than a week

State Emergency Service volunteers launch an inflatable rescue boat in Camden, in the Sydney's south-west, as the suburb is inundated by raging floodwaters

At least 150mm of rain is forecast to fall across Sydney on Tuesday, as residents in the city's south and southeast are urged to evacuate their homes immediately as floodwaters continue to rise (pictured, a flooded petrol station in Camden on Tuesday)

FLOOD EVACUATION ORDERS: PARTS OF CAMDEN: Peter Avenue between Onslow Avenue and Belgenny Avenue -Cawder Road between Barsden Street and Murray Street.

Parts of Emu Plains

Parts of Mulgoa

Picton CBD

Sandy Point

Pleasure Point

Picnic Point

Parts of Milperra

Georges Hall

Holsworthy

Moorebank

East Hills

Chipping Norton

Parts of Warwick Farm

Parts of Lansvale

Low lying areas of Sussex Inlet Full details available at SES NSW. Advertisement

'Heavy rain has caused flash flooding and river height rises overnight across these locations and further heavy rainfall, flash flooding and river rises are possible today,' it said about 5am on Tuesday.

'Strong winds are expected which could cause trees and powerlines to fall. Landslides are also possible, which could block roads.'

Damaging winds strong enough to bring down power lines and topple trees are forecast to wreak further chaos as those affected by the floods are urged to unplug household appliances during the flash flooding.

BoM also instructed residents to avoid using their phones during storms, keep clear of creeks and storm drains and keep children and pets inside wherever possible.

NSW State Emergency Service commissioner Carlene York said the major areas of concern across NSW are Kempsey, Coroki, the Georges and Hawkesbury-Nepean River, Shoalhaven, St Georges Basin and Sussex Inlet.

Residents on 10 low-lying streets in Sussex Inlet have been ordered to evacuate by 12pm on Tuesday as floodwaters rise in the St Georges basin.

Sydney commuters have been told to avoid all non-essential travel in the face of wet and wild conditions and ditch the city's rail network entirely.

Damaging winds in excess of 90km/hour are forecast for the Sydney metropolitan area, the Illawarra and those who live on the coast.

Some areas between Sydney and Ulladulla on the South Coast have received 100mm to 200mm of rain since 9am on Monday.

However, in welcome news to communities on the Mid North Coast and the Hunter region, rain appears to have eased for the time being.

Emergency Service Commissioner Carlene York said there were about 60,000 people impacted by floods warnings and about 800 people relying on emergency accommodation.

The SES performed 100 flood rescues in the 24 hours to 6:30am on Monday and responded to 2400 calls for help.

Residents in parts of Camden (pictured) were told to evacuate by 9pm on Monday or risk while other Camden residents were given until midnight to leave their homes

Sydney, Liverpool and Terrey Hills could be hit with 50 to 80 millimetres of rain on Tuesday (pictured, a flooded property in Camden, 65km from Sydney's CBD)

Camden has been issued a severe thunderstorm warning with 'intense rainfall' with properties, businesses flooded after incessant rainfall over the region
The United States has come under widespread pressure to enforce a no-fly zone above Ukraine and provide further support for the country, but president Joe Biden has warned any direct US involvement in Ukraine would provoke a 'world war'.

As Russian troops continue their advance in Ukraine, US military is walking a tightrope to balance Ukraine's demands while preventing further escalation or nuclear involvement from Russia.

Russian president Vladimir Putin's ruthless invasion of Ukraine has led to fears that NATO countries could come under threat, with some military figures claiming a conflict with NATO is inevitable as the US desperately tries to avoid escalation.

Creating pretext for his invasion, the Russian leader recognised two self-proclaimed breakaway states - Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic - as independent states, opening the door to openly send troops and weapons there to defend them against Ukrainian 'threats'.

Putin then launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on multiple fronts in the early hours of February 24, leading to fears from that Putin could threaten NATO countries next, with retired army general Sir Chris Deverell saying he believes NATO will eventually have to fight Russia.

If Russia attacks one NATO country, all other members of the transatlantic alliance, including the US, would be obligated to come to its aid militarily under Article 5 of the treaty that unites them, which Biden has pledged to respect. Before Russia's invasion, president Biden warned US involvement would spark nuclear involvement and 'World War III', and he has limited the capacity of American intervention in a bid to prevent further catastrophe.

But Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has batted away fears as he has repeatedly called on Biden to do more and enforce a no-fly zone above the country, which has attracted widespread support despite military experts warning of the global ramifications.

In the US's latest move to 'hold Russia accountable', Biden has confirmed a ban on Russian energy on Tuesday following relentless pressure from Republican and Democratic lawmakers as Putin threatened to shut down Russia's gas pipeline to Europe in response to a boycott on his country's energy exports.

As Russia continues its attempt to surround and besiege Ukrainian capital Kyiv, with almost 2million refugees having fled the country, Ukraine's military said defensive operations were ongoing and claimed to have retaken Chuhuiv. Kherson last week became the first major city to fall to Russian troops, with all other major cities remaining under Ukrainian control.

Kyiv claimed today that 12,000 Russian troops have now died fighting in Ukraine, while 300 tanks have been destroyed along with more than 1,000 armoured vehicles, 48 planes, 80 helicopters and three boats. Moscow has acknowledged taking losses but has not given a recent update. Ukraine's losses are unknown. The United Nations has recorded at least 1,120 civilian casualties so far across Ukraine, with 364 killed and 769 injured.

But as Russia's invasion of the Ukraine enters its thirteenth day, how can the US help Ukraine without sparking a wider war?

The US and its NATO allies have so far sent 17,000 anti-tank missiles to Ukraine, as part of a $350m aid package agreed on February 26 - day two of the conflict. Pictured: Joe Biden as he announced energy sanctions on Russia

INTELLIGENCE SUPPORT ON THE GROUND

As the US attempts to lend its support to Kyiv, its first priority is to keep providing major assistance to Ukraine's resistance so it can hold on, even if some cities begin to fall.

This could come in the form of further intelligence support as Russia's invasion continues, in particular to enable anti-aircraft defenses to thwart some of Russia's attacks.

US officials last week insisted that it is sharing intelligence at a 'frenetic' pace, despite Biden coming under fire for not sharing information quick enough, CNN reported.

Sources said that the US's secure communications with Ukrainian officials were becoming harder to maintain, as the US is limited in its ability to collect intelligence with no troops on the ground - while NATO has said it does not have plans to put troops in Ukraine.

Although Ukrainians have not complained about a lack of intelligence being shared, Republican Sens. Ben Sasse and Marco Rubio, the top GOP member of the Senate Intelligence Committee both expressed concerns about the speed intelligence was being passed to the country's military.

But one diplomat has insisted that the US has put in place 'robust information and intelligence sharing with Ukraine'.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken (pictured with the Israeli Foreign Minister in Latvia on March 7) warned that the conflict 'may not be over soon' as officials say the US military is walking a tightrope amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine

The US has been trying to balance providing Ukraine with vital intelligence to hold off Russian troops while not becoming embroiled in the ongoing war themselves, with real-time intelligence not being shared to avoid escalation.

US officials claimed the classified information being shared included tactical data on Russian troop movements, saying delays were occurring as the intelligence first has to be looked at to remove clues of how it was collected.

Sen. Mark Warner recently claimed that delays in sharing information also stemmed from concerns of Russian moles in Ukraine's security services.

After criticism from lawmakers, the White House has altered guidance for Pentagon and US spy agencies on sending intelligence data to Ukraine in a bid to clear any bureaucratic delays, according to the Wall Street Journal.

'We're adjusting as circumstances warrant, and we'll continue to ensure that operators have flexibility to share intelligence as the conflict evolves,' a US intelligence official told the publication.

The US is not believed to have surveillance drones of aircrafts flying over Ukraine.

One US official said the need to 'contain the president of Russia' has become a prime directive, while Blinken cautioned that the suffering 'is likely to get worse before it gets better'.

But Blinken also insisted Putin is 'destined to lose' while US officials are believed to have said, in private, that the Russian leader has already lost as they adapt their strategy.

BOOSTING MILITARY AID

The US approved a $200million worth of lethal military aid to Ukraine, including Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, in December and last week, it announced another $350million package, including more Javelin missles, anti-aircraft systems and body armor. So far, the US and its allies have delivered 17,000 anti-tank missiles to Ukraine.

After the $350million package was approved by Congress on February 26 - two days into the conflict - 70 per cent of weapons were delivered in just five days, compared with a $60million arms package for Ukraine in August, which was not completed until November, according to the Pentagon.

As the US continues to provide weapons to Ukraine, one senior official stressed that there is 'no limit' to military assistance, so long as it does not involve offensive heavy weapons.

The $350m package came in the form of Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and portable Javelin anti-tank missiles. Pictured: Ukrainian servicemen unpack Javelin anti-tank missiles, delivered by the US, on February 11

Ukrainian soldiers use a launcher with US Javelin missiles during military exercises in Donetsk region on January 12, 2022

Forces continue to work to surround the capital Kyiv, though progress has been slow. Attacks on civilian areas on the outskirts have increased

In other move, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday that the 'green light' had been given to a plan for Ukraine to be given Poland's MIG fighter jets, which Ukrainian pilots are trained to fly.

In return, the US would replace the Soviet-era planes with modern F-16 American fighter jets.

But Poland quickly said they had not agreed any plan after president Andrzej Duda voiced concern about the proposal, believing it would drag his country into open conflict with Russia.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki admitted there were 'challenges' to a proposal to have Poland transfer MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, then have the U.S. 'backfill' the losses with US-made F-16s.

'It is not as easy as just moving planes around,' she said on Monday.

As well as weapons, Washington is bolstering the preventive and deterrent deployments of soldiers in allied countries that are on Russia's doorstep, which have been visited by Blinken and US Chief of Staff General Mark Milley.

The United States has already deployed 12,000 additional soldiers to Europe since February, but President Joe Biden has stressed that US troops will not engage in a conflict with Russian forces in Ukraine.

Over the weekend, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered roughly 500 additional military personnel to locations in Europe, particularly NATO's eastern flank, 'to augment US forces that are already in theater,' Kirby told reporters.

Kyiv claims these are the losses that its forces have inflicted on Russia in the first 12 days of fighting. While Moscow has acknowledged casualties, none of these figures have been verified

The US is treading a tightrope in trying to help Ukraine fight Russia, but without triggering World War III. Pictured: Burned Russian APC in Eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, Ukraine, on March 7

'These additional personnel are being positioned to respond obviously to the current security environment caused by Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, and certainly to help reinforce and bolster deterrence and defense capabilities of the NATO alliance.'

But the US has repeatedly said it will not send troops to the ground in Ukraine, with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg saying: 'We have no plans to send NATO troops in Ukraine. What we do is defensive.'

US troops were pictured in Romania on Sunday, having been sent there several weeks ago by president Joe Biden.

Kirby said the Defense Department has assessed that of the Russian forces built up along the border - estimated by Western nations at over 150,000 troops - Putin has 'got nearly all the mass combat power that he had assembled inside Ukraine'.

Kyiv has claimed 12,000 Russian troops have now died fighting in Ukraine, while 300 tanks have been destroyed along with more than 1,000 armoured vehicles, 48 planes, 80 helicopters and three boats. Moscow has acknowledged taking losses but has not given a recent update. Ukraine's losses are unknown.

UPPING FINANCIAL AND HUMANITARIAN AID

Following the unprecedented $350million of emergency military aid that was sent to Ukrainian forces, Washington plans to release a massive $10billion humanitarian relief package to aid Ukraine and assist allies in Eastern Europe.

The Biden administration initially asked lawmakers to provide $6.4billion in aid to Ukraine, but both parties quickly called for more spending and the administration agreed.

People wait to be transported to Germany from the temporary shelter for refugees located in a former shopping centre between the Ukrainian border and the Polish city of Przemysl, Poland, on March 8

More than 1.7million refugees have now fled Ukraine for neighbouring countries since Vladimir Putin invaded, United Nations figures have shown. Pictured: Refugees after arriving at the border crossing, in Medyka, Poland, on March 6

Kyiv on Monday rejected Russia's offer of 'humanitarian corridors' to evacuate civilians after it emerged several of them led to Russian territory or its close ally Belarus (top). Red Cross workers in Mariupol also said one of the routes Russia identified for civilians to leave the city had been covered with land mines

People crowd as they try to get on a train to the city of Lviv in western Ukraine at the Kyiv station on March 4

The $10billion request would aid in training Ukraine's military, provide food and other humanitarian aid and boost cybersecurity defense, as well as fortify the electric supply.

As cities continue to be shelled, the UN reported that 1.7million people have fled Ukraine, making it the fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II.

President Biden also held a virtual meeting with allies to keep up pressure on Moscow, as they underscored their commitment to providing more humanitarian aid.

Biden, French president Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson 'underscored their commitment to continue providing security, economic, and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine,' the White House said in a statement.

CREATING A NO-FLY ZONE OVER UKRAINE

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called for a no-fly zone over Ukraine, but this has been so far rejected by Washington and NATO.

A no-fly zone would bar all unauthorized aircraft from flying over Ukraine. Western nations imposed such restrictions over parts of Iraq for more than a decade following the 1991 Gulf War, during the civil war in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1993-95, and during the Libyan civil war in 2011.

Ukrainians want a broader intervention like the one that occurred in Libya, when NATO forces launched attacks on government positions, said Justin Bronk, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London. It is not likely to happen when the opponent is Russia.

'They want to see the West kind of sweeping in and taking out the rocket artillery that's pummeling Ukrainian cities,' Bronk said.

'We're not going to go to war against the Russian army. They are a massive nuclear-armed power. There is no way that we could possibly model, let alone control, the escalation chain that would come from such an action.'

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky (pictured in Kyiv yesterday) has called the US to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine, but this has been rejected by Washington and NATO

In addition to fighter planes, NATO would have to deploy refueling tankers and electronic-surveillance aircraft to support the mission.

To protect these relatively slow, high-flying planes, NATO would have to destroy surface-to-air missile batteries in Russia and Belarus, again risking a broader conflict.

Analysts say there is no chance that the US, Britain and their European allies will impose a no-fly zone because it could easily escalate the war in Ukraine into a nuclear confrontation between NATO and Russia.

Blinken himself has warned that a no-fly zone would mean NATO planes would have to be prepared to shoot down Russian fighters, and 'that could lead to a full-fledged war'.

While NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday: 'The only way to implement a no-fly zone is to send NATO fighter planes into Ukrainian airspace, and then impose that no-fly zone by shooting down Russian planes.'

'We understand the desperation, but we also believe that if we did that, we would end up with something that could end in a full-fledged war in Europe.'

'We have a responsibility as NATO allies to prevent this war from escalating beyond Ukraine,' he said.

Zelensky, asked about concern widely expressed of the dramatic escalation, brushed off the fears and insisted it was the best way for the US to help Ukraine.

He spoke to Joe Biden on Saturday night for 40 minutes, and pressed the issue with the US leader.

'I told him that for us, the most important thing today is the security in the sky,' Zelensky said.

'We cannot allow Russia to be active there only, because they're bombing us, they are shelling us, they are bombing us, they are sending missiles, helicopters, jet fighters - a lot of things.

'But we are not doing this because we don't have the sky.

'We don't control our sky.'

Predictions that Russia would quickly control the skies over Ukraine have not come to fruition, leaving military experts wondering why Russia has chosen to leave most of its fixed-wing combat aircraft on the ground during this massive land offensive.

Russia has now committed all of the forces it massed on the Ukrainian border before the invasion, and has made only limited territorial gains - capturing just one major city, Kherson. Others, including Sumy and Kyiv, are slowly being surrounded but in some places the Ukrainians have managed to thwart Russian attacks or successfully counter-attack

Russian troops continue to try and surround Kyiv ahead of what is expected to be an attack on the city, with intense fighting reported in the north west including hand-to-hand combat with Russian forces

One explanation may be that Russian pilots aren't well trained in supporting large-scale land operations, engagements that require coordination with artillery, helicopters and other assets in a fast-moving environment.

'I think that maybe they're a little bit worried that that is a very constrained area. It's not like the Middle East, where there's all kinds of space to roam around in the air,' said Robert Latif, a retired U.S. Air Force major general who now teaches at the University of Notre Dame.

'They could very easily stray over borders,' he explained.

'With both Ukrainian and Russian air defense systems and Ukrainian, what little they have, and Russian airplanes all flying around - that could be a very confusing. I think maybe they're a little bit worried about actually being able to pull it off.'

Putin has threatened 'colossal and catastrophic consequences' for Europe and the wider world if a no-fly zone is implemented.

Given such tensions, Washington has blown hot and cold on the possible delivery to Kyiv, via countries like Poland, of Soviet-made fighter jets on which Ukrainian pilots have trained.

MORE SANCTIONS TO INCREASE THE STRANGLEHOLD ON RUSSIA'S ECONOMY

Crippling sanctions have been imposed on Russia's economy since Putin announced his ruthless invasion of Ukraine, which has seen the US cut off the Russian central bank, effectively preventing Americans from doing business with it and severely limiting Russia's ability to defend its currency.

In the days ahead of Russia's invasion, Biden warned Putin of the 'swift and severe' economic and political costs of invading Ukraine, while a congressman deemed the invasion as 'inevitable'.

The US also imposed sanctions on the state investment fund, with an official saying Joe Biden intended to ensure the Russian economy 'goes backward as long as Putin goes forward with his invasion of Ukraine'.

Its finance ministry has also been sanctioned while the US has moved to to block certain financial institutions from the SWIFT messaging system for international payments.

Elvira Nabiullina, the head of the Russian central bank, last week warned that the sanctions have led to Russia's economy being 'altered dramatically', NPR reported.

Now, in the latest harsh sanction, Biden confirmed it is adding energy to the ongoing sweeping economic sanctions on the Kremlin and oligarchs that have been imposed since Putin ordered an unprovoked and bloody invasion of Ukraine. Pictured: Oil pumping jacks in Russia in 2020

'The new sanctions imposed by foreign states have entailed a considerable increase in the ruble exchange rate and limited the opportunities for Russia to use its gold and foreign currency reserves,' she said.

EY became the latest of the 'Big Four' accountancy firms to announce it was withdrawing from Russia, following its rivals PWC and KPMG.

Now, in the latest harsh sanction, with potential for more yet to come, Biden confirmed it is adding energy to the ongoing sweeping economic sanctions on the Kremlin and oligarchs that have been imposed since Putin ordered an unprovoked and bloody invasion of Ukraine.

'Americans have rallied support -- have rallied to support the Ukrainian people and made it clear we will not be part of subsidizing Putin's war,' Biden said at the White House.

Leading US lawmakers on trade issues reached a deal Monday on legislation that would ban the import of Russian oil and energy products into the US and suspend normal trade relations with Moscow, amid indications the administration is willing to go along.

It follows relentless pressure from Republican and Democratic lawmakers, though the move could send gas prices even higher than the record $4.17 a gallon reported today.

The issue of oil sanctions has created a conflict for the president between political interests at home and efforts to impose costs on Russia. Though Russian oil makes up only a small part of U.S. imports, Biden has said he was reluctant to ban it, cutting into supplies here and pushing gasoline prices higher.

'It's an important step to show Russia that energy is on the table,' said Max Bergmann, a former State Department official who is now a senior fellow at the Democratic-leaning Center for American Progress.

But the rules issued by the Treasury Department allow Russian energy transactions to keep going through non-sanctioned banks that are not based in the U.S. in an effort to minimize any disruptions to the global energy markets.

Biden specifically highlighted those Russian energy carve-outs as a virtue because they would help to protect U.S. families and businesses from higher prices.

Biden on Thursday announced sanctions on seven more Russian oligarchs. Arkady Rotenberg (pictured with Putin), CEO of Rostec Corporation Sergei Chemezov, has been sanctioned

Also crippled by sanctions has been Alisher Ushmanov (pictured with Putin), one of Russia's wealthiest individuals and a close ally of Putin

Nikolai Tokarev - president of the Russian pipeline company Transneft, the largest oil pipeline company in the world - and his wife Galina, daughter Mayya, and his two luxury real estate companies are also being sanctioned

'Our sanctions package we specifically designed to allow energy payments to continue,' he said. Biden's actions Tuesday were not expected to affect other nations' energy payments to Russia.

Shell said in a statement that it would withdraw from all Russian hydrocarbons, including crude oil, petroleum products, natural gas and liquefied natural gas, 'in a phased manner'.

A flood of major Western players including Nike, Apple, and IKEA announced the suspension of their operations in Russia, pressure is growing on other companies that remain to take a stand over the assault on Ukraine.

Quick-service chains such as KFC, McDonald's and Starbucks together have thousands of locations in Russia, while Coca-Cola and PepsiCo operate large bottling plants in the country.

Western hotel chains including Hilton, Marriott and Hyatt also operate dozens of hotels in Russia, employing thousands of local workers, and Unilever and Mondelez continue selling their brands there.

But while companies like Netflix, which pulled out of Russia on Sunday, can suspend service with essentially the flip of a switch, companies with large physical footprints can only cut ties through a process that would be complex, costly and difficult to reverse.

The European Union is aiming to cut its reliance on Russian gas by nearly 80 percent by the end of this year and the United Kingdom is expected to ban Russian oil.

Above shows a chart for US crude oil imports, which excludes other petroleum products

US imports of Russian crude oil exploded 162% from 2020 to 2021

A group of bipartisan senators is also putting forth a bill to cut Vladimir Putin off from the $132billion Russia holds in gold reserves.

The bill, introduced by Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, John Cornyn, R-Texas, Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., and Maggie Hassan D-N.H., would apply secondary sanctions to anyone transacting with or transporting gold from Russia's central bank holdings or selling gold physically or electronically in Russia.

Sanctions against Russia have frozen the nation's foreign exchange assets, but the senators note that the Kremlin is escaping sanctions through a loophole that allows the Kremlin to launder money through gold.

The senators say the Russian Federation is currently purchasing gold to offset the devaluation of its currency, the ruble, the selling that gold on international markets to get ahold of high-value currency.

'Russia has taken a page out of Venezuela's book by exploiting a loophole in current sanctions that allows them to launder money through the purchase and sale of gold,' said Cornyn in a statement.

Russia's gold assets amount to $132.3 billion.

The goal is to include the bill in the omnibus spending bill that Congress must pass by Friday to avoid a government shutdown, Axios reported.

Elsewhere, Biden on Thursday announced sanctions on seven more Russian oligarchs, their family members, and Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

US leaders hope that ramping up pressure on the Kremlin with sanctions will eventually cause Putin (pictured on March 3) to conclude that prosecuting his war is more costly than withdrawing

The administration also said it will impose visa restrictions on 19 oligarchs and 47 of their family members and close associates as the White House continues its crackdown on Putin's wealthy inner circle.

Alisher Burhanovich Usmanov, one of the wealthiest men in Russia and a close confident of Putin's, was a top target of the latest round of sanctions. As was Igor Shuvalov, the former Russian deputy prime minister who flies his wife's corgis on their private jet.

'These oligarchs are known to direct, authorize, fund, significantly support, or carry out malign activities in support of Russia's destabilizing foreign policy,' the White House said in a statement.

'These individuals and their family members will be cut off from the U.S. financial system; their assets in the United States will be frozen and their property will be blocked from use,' the White House noted.

The administration also said more sanctions on Russian billionaires could come.

Nikolai Tokarev - president of the Russian pipeline company Transneft, the largest oil pipeline company in the world - and his wife Galina, daughter Mayya, and his two luxury real estate companies are also being sanctioned.

Other oligarchs hit by sanctions include Boris Rotenberg, who co-owns the SGM (StroyGazMontazh) construction group, billionaire Arkady Rotenberg, CEO of Rostec Corporation Sergei Chemezov, Igor Shuvalov and his five companies and 'Putin's chef' Yevgeniy Prigozhin.

DIPLOMACY AND MEDIATION

Meanwhile, Joe Biden's administration has admitted that it was 'actively' studying an 'off-ramps' plan but has offered no timetable or firm commitment on the prospect.

There were concerns in Washington that this could still be enough to bring US confrontation with Moscow to a head, without even significantly changing the balance of power in Ukraine's skies.

US leaders hope ramping up pressure on the Kremlin with sanctions will eventually cause Putin to conclude that prosecuting his war is more costly than withdrawing.

But this would require keeping diplomatic channels open to offer the Russian leader some kind of 'off-ramps'.

Having ceased all high-level contact with the Russians since February 24, the Americans are encouraging others to talk to Putin.

It came after Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett flew in for a secret meeting with Vladimir Putin and later phoned Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss the war in Ukraine.

It came after Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (pictured) flew in for a secret meeting with Vladimir Putin and later phoned Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss the war in Ukraine

Foreign minister Wang Yi has offered Beijing's help in mediating peace between the two countries, and backed ties with Moscow. Pictured: Chinese president Xi Jinping, right, and Putin in Beijing on February 4

Bennett's meeting took place 'with the blessing of the US administration,' his office said, to discuss the safety of Ukraine's Jewish population and Iran's nuclear program.

Bennett said his country had a 'moral obligation' to help stem fighting in Ukraine even if chances of success were 'not great', after shuttle diplomacy that saw him visit the Kremlin.

The Israeli PM had offered last week to act as a mediator between the two countries, to which Putin had replied that he was 'ready for negotiation.

The Israeli premier, acting after Kyiv requested him to launch a dialogue with Moscow in the wake of Russia's invasion, has also held three phone calls in 24 hours with Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Bennett has so far walked a cautious line on the Ukraine conflict, seeking to preserve delicate security cooperation with Russia, which has a large military presence in Israel's northern neighbour, Syria.

Similarly, Blinken's phone call to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, at a time when Beijing boasts of its 'rock-solid' friendship with Moscow, did not exclude the possibility of China playing an intermediary role.

Foreign minister Wang Yi has offered Beijing's help in mediating peace between the two countries, and backed ties with Moscow despite international condemnation of Russia's actions.

He added that China would send humanitarian aid to Ukraine and was 'willing to work with the international community to carry out necessary mediation'.

Beijing has repeatedly said it would play a 'constructive role in calling for negotiations' to resolve the crisis, but has not previously committed to joining or hosting any peace talks.

Wang also described the China-Russia relationship as 'the world's most crucial bilateral relationship', which 'is conducive to world peace, stability and development'.
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Kremlin officials are privately denouncing Vladimir Putins clusterf**k invasion as US officials warned that the isolated Russian despot could lash out in anger at Ukraines fierce resistance by using small nuclear weapons on some of its cities.

Russian journalist Farida Rustamova, who was well-connected in government circles before fleeing the country as the Kremlin launched a sweeping crackdown on dissent, has claimed that officials in Moscow never believed that Putin would go to war.

Here's how YOU can help: Donate here to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal Readers of Mail Newspapers and MailOnline have always shown immense generosity at times of crisis. Calling upon that human spirit, we are supporting a huge push to raise money for refugees from Ukraine. For, surely, no one can fail to be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families  mostly women, children, the infirm and elderly  fleeing from the bombs and guns. As this tally of misery increases over the coming days and months, these innocent victims of this conflict will require accommodation, schools and medical support. Donations to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal will be used to help charities and aid organisations providing such essential services. In the name of charity and compassion, we urge all our readers to give swiftly and generously. TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE Donate at www.mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate To add Gift Aid to a donation  even one already made  complete an online form found here: mymail.co.uk/ukraine Via bank transfer, please use these details: Account name: Mail Force Charity Account number: 48867365 Sort code: 60-00-01 TO MAKE A DONATION VIA CHEQUE Make your cheque payable to 'Mail Force' and post it to: Mail Newspapers Ukraine Appeal, GFM, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY TO MAKE A DONATION FROM THE US US readers can donate to the appeal via a bank transfer to Associated Newspapers or by sending checks to dailymail.com HQ at 51 Astor Place (9th floor), New York, NY 10003 Advertisement

They are now allegedly making apocalyptic forecasts about the weeks and months ahead as fighting grinds on and punitive sanctions bite.

When asked how Russian politicians were reacting to the crisis, one source told Rustamova: Theyre carefully enunciating the word clusterf**k. No one is rejoicing. Many understand that this is a mistake, but in the course of doing their duty they come up with explanations in order to somehow come to terms with it.

Kyiv estimates that 12,000 Russians have now died fighting and while that number cannot be verified, casualties are almost certainly higher than Putin bargained for when he gave the order to attack 13 days ago. Captured soldiers have complained of a lack of food, fuel, and overall battle plan  with conditions set to get worse in the coming days.

A pronounced cold snap will see temperatures drop to -10C overnight in the middle of the week around Kyiv and Kharkiv  down to -20C when wind chill is taken into account  with many Russian soldiers stuck outdoors in a 40-mile column of stalled vehicles near the Ukrainian capital.

US intelligence chiefs on Tuesday branded Putin an angry, isolated leader grappling for global clout, frustrated about how his Ukraine invasion has not gone to plan, and lobbing provocative nuclear threats at the West. Some have even privately expressed concern that, in a worst-case scenario, he might order deployment of mini-nukes on a city.

CIA Director William Burns told US lawmakers that Putin is now likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties. At a congressional hearing on global threats, he said the despot has been stewing in a combustible combination of grievance and ambition for many years and regarded the invasion of Ukraine a matter of deep personal conviction for Putin.

I think Putin is angry and frustrated right now. Hes likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties, Burns said.

The Russian strongman has encountered a tidal wave of opprobrium for the deadly invasion, leaving him isolated like never before. The US intelligence community warned of the potential for Putin to lash out, especially noting an elevated nuclear threat.

Lieutenant General Scott Berrier, director of the Pentagons Defense Intelligence Agency, said Russia under Putin has been working overtime to modernize its weaponry, particularly smaller-yield nuclear weapons.

Putin has invested in tactical nuclear weapons, Berrier said. I believe that he thinks that gives him an asymmetric advantage.

Putin took the shock step last month of putting Russias nuclear forces on high alert. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said Putins nuclear saber-rattling has put the West on notice.

We assess Putin feels aggrieved the West does not give him proper deference, and perceives this as a war he cannot afford to lose, Haines told the panel. But what he might be willing to accept as a victory may change over time.

Putins invasion has produced a shock to the geopolitical order with implications for the future that we are only beginning to understand, but are sure to be consequential, it was heard.

The CIAs Burns also warned that with Putin under immense pressure, the system the Russian president created of a circle of close advisors is getting narrower and narrower  and that in such a system, its not proven career enhancing for people to question or challenge his judgment.

It comes after a US military think tank dramatically warned on Monday night that Russian forces could launch their assault on Kyiv as early as tonight.

The Institute for the Study of War said the Russian military has been bringing reinforcements and supplies to its front lines, as well as carrying out air and artillery strikes on key Ukrainian military targets to weaken their position and to intimidate the citys defenders ahead of a large assault.

Three civilians died near Kyiv on Tuesday after stepping on a landmine, a six-year-old girl died from dehydration in Mariupol after water was cut off, and hundreds of people were pictured evacuating from the city of Irpin in bitter conditions whilst snow fell.

Irpin has been the scene of some intense clashes as Russian forces try to take it on their mission to surround and besiege Kyiv, with one commander reporting hand-to-hand fighting as Putins men battle street-to-street.

Vitaliy Shichko, resident of nearby Bucha, said Russian forces have been attacking the town since last week  initially throwing in men they werent afraid of losing but increasingly moving in better armed and equipped troops to capture and hold ground.

Others said that Russians had cleared residents out of their homes so they could set up sniper positions, with some alleging that civilians had been fired at as they tried to flee. Ukrainian artillery is now being brought to bare on Russian forces as they set up the next phase of their attack, commanders said.

Ukraines commanders have claimed that Putins invasion has slowed significantly in recent days, with American intelligence saying he has now committed all of the forces he built up along the border to the fight.

Kyivs military, giving an overview of combat as the war entered its 13th day, said defensive operations continue in the north, east and south of Ukraine, with all major cities other than Kherson in Ukrainian hands. Russian troops are demoralised and increasingly tend to looting and violations of international humanitarian law, commanders added.

It has also emerged that another Russian commander  Major General Vitaly Gerasimov, first deputy commander of Russias 41st army  was killed in Kharkiv on Monday, just the latest in an increasingly long line of senior military figures to lose their lives in Ukraine.

Ukrainian artillery targeting Russian military trucks in Kozarovychi in the Kyiv Oblast

Civilians continue to flee from Irpin due to ongoing Russian attacks as snow falls in Irpin, Ukraine, March 8, 2022

Ukrainians cross an improvised path under a destroyed bridge while fleeing Irpin, in the outskirts of Kyiv, March 8, 2022

This handout video grab taken and released by the Russian Presidential Press Service on March 8, 2022 shows Russian President Vladimir Putin giving a speech for the International Women's Day, in Moscow

A children's playground is seen in front of an apartment building hit by shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 8, 2022

People help an elderly woman to walk in a street with an apartment building hit by shelling in the background in Mariupol, Ukraine, Monday, March 7, 2022

The fire at the warehouse after a Russian Kalibr missile debris was shot down over Kalynivka village, near Brovary, the eastern frontline of Kyiv region, Ukraine, 08 March 2022

A Ukrainian firefighter in action trying to extinguish the fire at the warehouse in Kalynivka village, near Brovary, Ukraine, 08 March 2022

Heartbreaking pictures have emerged of Ukrainian children, trapped in the besieged port city of Mariupol, hiding in shelters from Russian bombs as the occupiers continued their indiscriminate bombing campaigns

An elderly woman placed in a shopping trolley is carried over a destroyed bridge as she is evacuated from the city of Irpin, west of Kyiv, as snow falls on Tuesday morning

An elderly Ukrainian woman, placed inside a shopping trolley, is carried over a destroyed bridge on the outskirts of Irpin, near the capital Kyiv, which has been the scene of brutal street-to-street fighting

People flee the city of Irpin, west of Kyiv, on Monday as Russian forces pummelled d Ukrainian cities from the air, land and sea

People carry a wounded woman during the evacuation by civilians of the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv

A police officer says goodbye to his son as his family flees from advancing Russian troops as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues in the town of Irpin

Heavy snow falls as Ukrainian civilians flee across a river in Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, where heavy fighting is going on

Ukrainian soldiers help an elderly woman to cross a destroyed bridge as she evacuates the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv

A person is carried on a stretcher during the evacuation by civilians of the city of Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv

A woman carrying a swaddled baby walks down a motorway near the city of Irpin as she evacuates amid heavy snowfall

Russian troops continue to try and surround Kyiv ahead of what is expected to be an attack on the city, with intense fighting reported in the north west including hand-to-hand combat with Russian forces

Ukraine war: The latest Russia refloats plans to open humanitarian corridors. Kyiv calls the proposal a publicity stunt

Kyiv calls the proposal a publicity stunt Ukrainian servicemen and fleeing residents describe ferocious fighting on Kyiv's northwestern edge, including hand-to-hand combat

18 people, including two children, died in an air strike on the city of Sumy

Ukraine's military claims Russian general Vitaly Gerasimov is killed in fighting near Kharkiv

Russia steps up its shelling of Gostomel near Kyiv, Kharkiv in the east, Sumy in the northeast, Chernihiv in the north and Mykolayiv in the southwest

Tens of thousands are still trapped without water or power in the southern port of Mariupol after two failed evacuation attempts

At least 13 people are killed by shelling at an industrial bakery in Makariv, west of Kyiv

Nearly all of Russia's 150,000 combat troops arrayed on Ukraine's border have now entered the country

The International Atomic Energy Agency receives reports of artillery shells damaging a nuclear research facility in Ukraine's besieged second city Kharkiv

White House says there is no agreement with European allies on a blanket ban on oil and gas imports

The World Bank approves an additional $489million package for Ukraine, made available immediately

Russia says it will allow Russian companies and individuals to repay debts to creditors in 'hostile' nations in rubles

US-based Morgan Stanley says a Russian default on sovereign debts will come as soon as next month

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he is not sending conscripts or reservists to fight

Kyiv's presidential advisor says talks with Russia brought some 'positive results', while Moscow's lead negotiator said aims were 'not fulfilled'

Turkey announces it will host Russia's and Ukraine's foreign ministers for talks Thursday.

Foreign footballers and coaches working in Russia and Ukraine will be allowed to temporarily suspend their contracts and move elsewhere, FIFA announces

The UN says 1.7 million people have fled Ukraine, making it the fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II Advertisement

Kyiv claimed today that 12,000 Russian troops have now died fighting in Ukraine, while 300 tanks have been destroyed along with more than 1,000 armoured vehicles, 48 planes, 80 helicopters and three boats. Moscow has acknowledged taking losses but has not given a recent update. Ukraine's losses are unknown.

Strikes on civilian areas also continued Tuesday morning, with the city of Sumy - in the east - struck by bombs which the local mayor said killed 21 people including two children and left others wounded. Ukraine's parliament published a photo of a bloodied infant they said was hurt in the attack.

Russia again offered to open up 'humanitarian corridors' today to allow civilians to flee bombarded cities - but the move was swiftly dismissed by Kyiv, with President Volodymyr Zelensky accusing Moscow of 'cynicism', saying its troops have laid mines across the routes and blown up buses intended to be used as transports.

'There was an agreement on humanitarian corridors. Did that work? Russian tanks worked in its place, Russian Grads (multiple rocket launchers), Russian mines,' Zelensky said in a video posted on Telegram. 'They ensure that a small corridor to the occupied territory is open for a few dozen people. Not so much towards Russia as towards the propagandists, directly towards the television cameras.'

At least one of the corridors - out of Sumy - was operating today despite the fatal Russian strikes early in the morning. Ukraine's deputy prime minister announced this evening that more than 5,000 civilians were evacuated from the northern Ukrainian city under a temporary ceasefire that mostly held.

Regional governor Dmytro Zhyvytsky said around 1,700 of the evacuees were foreign students studying at universities in Sumy, adding the ceasefire was broken only once by a shooting near a checkpoint.

But Ukraine's foreign ministry said the route out of Mariupol, which has been without water or electricity for the best part of a week, was shelled.

Mariupol is one of the Ukrainian cities worst hit since the invasion began, with Russian forces bringing widespread destruction to residential and administrative centres.

And each time Russia has agreed to open 'humanitarian corridors' allowing citizens to flee the city, its forces have broken their ceasefire agreement and continued shelling in what appear to have been targeted attacks on innocent civilians.

Zelensky said people stuck in the blockaded urban centre are beginning to suffer from a lack of supplies as the city runs dangerously low on food, water and medicine.

Ukrainian territorial defence forces have been able to deliver vital supplies to some residents, but many more remain isolated and unable to access lifesaving rations.

In Bucha, to the northwest of Kyiv, the mayor said the city is under such heavy shelling that medics cannot get into the streets to retrieve the bodies of the dead - which are now being 'pulled apart' by stray dogs. 'It's a nightmare,' he added.

The United Nations said the number of refugees who have fled Ukraine has already reached 2 million - the fastest exodus Europe has seen since World War II. One million were children, UNICEF spokesman James Elder tweeted, calling it 'a dark historical first.' Most others were women.

In Zhyotymyr, west of Kyiv, a fire at an oil depot was extinguished in the early hours of the morning while in Mykolaiv, in the south, several fires in residential areas had broke out due to Russian attacks - with four civilians killed and five others rescued from the rubble and taken to hospital

In Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, Russian shelling set nine floors and 27 apartment units of a residential building on fire - a blaze that took rescuers more than four hours to extinguish. At least four people were killed.

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, speaking to the BBC today, said Russian forces are 'getting more desperate' and 'we are seeing the Russians just double down on brutality' as the attack stalls.

Stuck in the mud: Ukraine thaw could slow Russian advance Having failed to make a decisive advance in the early phase of its Ukraine campaign, the Russian army is now facing a thaw that could make progression on key routes problematic due to mud. Like the armies of Napoleon and Hitler before them, Russian mechanised divisions are likely to be slowed down or halted as unpaved roads become quagmires. Locals have a word for the twice-yearly season of mudbound roads in the region: Rasputitsa, a term that refers to both to the seasons themselves, and the resulting muddy conditions that can last three to four weeks. As President Vladimir Putin massed his army at the Ukrainian border, many Western experts expected him to abstain from marching in as the weeks passed, because time was running out before the great thaw. 'Early spring is a bad time to invade Ukraine if the main roads have been destroyed, a task well within Ukraine's irregular warfare toolkit,' wrote Spencer Meredith, a professor at the US National Defence University, in an article published a week before Putin gave the order for the invasion. While some experts may have misread Putin's intentions, their assessment of weather conditions has been spot-on, as pictures of Russian tanks stuck in the mud have begun to appear frequently on social media. 'There were already numerous episodes when Russian tanks and other equipment drove into the fields and got stuck. So the soldiers had to leave the equipment and go on foot,' said Mykola Beleskov, an Ukrainian military analyst. He added: 'The situation will worsen as the weather warms up and the rains start, it'll just chain them to the ground.' Reporting by AFP Advertisement

He says 'Russia has still not been making its advances, it's day 13. That northern column that we have often talked about is still pretty much stuck, I mean really stuck, so that's not advancing.'

He said the UK would be increasing the amount of lethal and non-lethal aid to Ukraine, details of which he would announce in Parliament on Wednesday, and is helping organise delivery of aid through Nato and other EU countries.

On the subject of Poland possibly supplying jets for the fight in Ukraine, he said there was a debate going on at the moment about whether Poland would.

'The UK could not supply jets directly to Ukraine, we don't have the same type of fighter jets they fly, Mig-29s and others... Our view would be that it is for Poland on a bilateral basis to decide whether to support Ukraine,' adding the UK would support Poland as an old ally.

Meanwhile Russia has threatened to turn off the main gas pipeline supplying Europe if the West goes ahead with sanctions on its oil sector - a move that Moscow says would push the price up above $300 per barrel.

Germany and the UK have ruled out penalising Russia's energy sector - one of the nation's only economic lifelines - arguing that the European economy needs more time to adjust before the taps are turned off.

But the US today announced plans to ban imports of Russian oil, sending the average price of gasoline in the US to a record $4.17 per gallon.

The national average rose by 10 cents per gallon in one day, and is up 55 cents since last week, according to American Automobile Association data.

The previous high was set 13 years ago when the national average price hit $4.10 per gallon.

The price of benchmark US crude also jumped 8 per cent Tuesday to more than $129 per barrel.

Americans can expect the current trend at the pump to continue as long as crude prices climb, the AAA said.

'We will not be part of subsidizing Putin's war,' Biden declared, calling the new action a 'powerful blow' against Russia's ability to fund the ongoing offensive.

The US imports about 100,000 barrels a day from Russia, only about 5 per cent of Russia's crude oil exports, according to Rystad Energy. Last year, roughly 8 per cent of US imports of oil and petroleum products came from Russia.

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine well into its second week, a steady rain of shells and rockets continues to fall on population centres like Bucha.

The mayor of the Kyiv suburb, Anatol Fedoruk, said military fire had been heavy and constant.

'We can't even gather up the bodies because the shelling from heavy weapons doesn't stop day or night,' Mr Fedoruk said.

In one of the most desperate cities, the encircled southern port of Mariupol, an estimated 200,000 people - nearly half the population of 430,000 - are still hoping to flee, but Ukrainian authorities have been reluctant to accept Russia's offer of humanitarian corridors, arguing that previous ceasefire arrangements had been broken with many civilians killed as a result.

The Russian UN ambassador on Monday night forecast a potential cease-fire for the morning and appeared to suggest that humanitarian paths leading away from Kyiv and other cities could give people choice in where they want to go - a change from previous proposals that offered only destinations in Russia or Belarus.

Ukrainians crowd under a destroyed bridge as they try to flee crossing the Irpin river in the outskirts of Kyiv

A woman carries a dog to cross a destroyed bridge as she evacuates the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv

People file across a makeshift river crossing below a destroyed bridge as they flee from advancing Russian troops whose attack on Ukraine continues in the town of Irpin

A man and his dogs are helped across a river on the outskirts of Irpin, near Kyiv, as civilians evacuations continue

People displaced from their homes carry what belongings they can as they flee from the city of Irpin, near Kyiv

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today channeled Winston Churchill as he delivered a historic address to the House of Commons

Mr Zelensky was given a standing ovation by MPs both before and after his speech in which he compared Ukraine's fight against Russia to Britain's World War Two struggle against Nazi Germany

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, responding to the speech made by Mr Zelensky, told the House of Commons: 'Never before in all our centuries of our parliamentary democracy has the House listened to such an address. 'In a great European capital now within range of Russian guns President Volodymyr Zelensky is standing firm for democracy and for freedom'

Morale collapses among Russia's troops with many deserting, POW claims A captured Russian soldier has described how he was shot at and his comrade killed after fellow troops opened fire on them when they tried to protect Ukrainian civilians. In a video, the POW described how he and a lieutenant tried to save a woman in her 20s, and her mother, after Russian soldiers were given orders to fire on civilians on February 24 in Kharkiv. In the clip, the captured soldier claimed he was shot in the foot, and the lieutenant killed, when other troops realised the pair weren't shooting at civilians. It comes as a separate video showed a POW describing how 'many' Russian troops are fleeing the war - despite warnings from above that they face seven years in jail for desertion. In the first video, the soldier describes how people started hiding when Russian troops opened fire. 'Then your (Ukrainian) forces began to shoot at ours. And then, while ours were being shot at, me and my lieutenant were helping civilians.' He said the two men 'decision to save civilians, Ukrainian civilians'. Speaking about the two women they helped, the soldier said: 'The lieutenant ran over to them, began to take them out of the car, shouting 'come over over here'. 'In about 20 minutes, they noticed me and the lieutenant were saving civilians and an order was given to shoot me and the lieutenant and the civilians. 'The lieutenant was killed, then they began shooting at the mother. She died with him too. 'Me and the daughter began to retreat. My forces began to shoot me in the legs. 'If it wasn't for this garage, they would have killed me the same as they had with the mother and lieutenant. 'Me and the daughter sat behind this garage. We hid until it quietened down and the daughter suggested to drive away, call for forces. 'She went to find her mother, who was next to the lieutenant. Got the keys (to the car). 'I crawled to the car and she put me in the backseat. She started the car and drove.' It's understood the man lost consciousness and when he came to, woke up thirsty, explaining the civilian was able to get him some water before they got medical attention. Advertisement

But the office of embattled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did not comment on the latest Russian proposal, saying only that Moscow's plans can be believed only if a safe evacuation begins which has thus far not been possible.

Demands for effective passageways have surged amid intensifying shelling by Russian forces. The steady bombardments, including in some of Ukraine's most populated regions, have yielded a humanitarian crisis of diminishing food, water and medical supplies.

Through it all, Mr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces were showing unprecedented courage.

'The problem is that for one soldier of Ukraine, we have 10 Russian soldiers, and for one Ukrainian tank, we have 50 Russian tanks,' Mr Zelensky told ABC News in an interview that aired on Monday night.

But he noted that the gap in strength was diminishing and that even if Russian forces 'come into all our cities,' they will be met with an insurgency.

A top US official said multiple countries were discussing whether to provide the warplanes that Mr Zelensky has been pleading for.

Mr Zelensky himself gave an impassioned address to the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the House of Commons via live video link this evening in a speech reminiscent of wartime prime minister Winston Churchill.

The Ukrainian President was given a standing ovation by MPs both before and after his address in which he compared Ukraine's fight against Russia to Britain's World War Two struggle against Nazi Germany.

'I would like to remind you of the words the UK has already heard, but need to hear again,' Mr Zelensky said, before he drew on Churchill's iconic rallying remarks and declared that Ukrainians will fight against Moscow's forces on land, sea and in the air.

Mr Zelensky said: 'We will not give up and we will not lose. We will fight to the end, at sea, in the air, we will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost.'

He said Ukraine is fighting a 'war that we didn't start and we didn't want' as he told MPs 'we do not want to lose what we have, what is ours'.

'The Ukrainian people became heroes.'

Comparing Ukraine to Britain in World War Two, Mr Zelensky said people in the UK in the 1940s 'didn't want to lose your country when Nazis started to fight your country'.

He also said more than 50 children have now been killed in the invasion, telling the Commons: 'These are the children that could have lived, but these people have taken them away from us,' before going on to appeal for an increase in sanctions against Russia and further aid from the Government.

'We are looking for the help of civilised countries. I am grateful to you, Boris. Please increase the sanctions against Russia, recognise this country as a terrorist state. Please make sure you do what needs to be done,' he said.

Boris Johnson, responding to the speech made by Mr Zelensky, told the House of Commons: 'Never before in all our centuries of our parliamentary democracy has the House listened to such an address.

'In a great European capital now within range of Russian guns President Volodymyr Zelensky is standing firm for democracy and for freedom.'

At The Hague, Netherlands, Ukraine pleaded with the International Court of Justice to order a halt to Russia's invasion, saying Moscow is committing widespread war crimes.

Russia 'is resorting to tactics reminiscent of medieval siege warfare, encircling cities, cutting off escape routes and pounding the civilian population with heavy ordnance,' said Jonathan Gimblett, a member of Ukraine's legal team.

Russia snubbed the court proceedings, leaving its seats in the Great Hall of Justice empty.

The UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths addressed the Security Council and urged safe passage for people to go 'in the direction they choose'.

The battle for Mariupol is crucial because its capture could allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014.

The fighting has sent energy prices surging worldwide and stocks plummeting, and threatens the food supply and livelihoods of people around the globe who rely on crops farmed in the fertile Black Sea region.

The UN human rights office reported 406 confirmed civilian deaths but said the real number is much higher. The invasion has also sent 1.7 million people fleeing Ukraine.

People walk across a destroyed bridge during the evacuation by civilians of the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv

A Ukrainian soldier helps to carry a child during the evacuation of Irpin, which is under heavy attack by Russian forces

Two men carry a woman as people flee from advancing Russian troops whose attack on Ukraine continues in the town of Irpin

Civilians continue to flee from Irpin due to ongoing Russian attacks as snow falls in Irpin

Ukrainian soldiers check documents of men leaving the city of Irpin because those aged between 18 and 60 are banned from leaving, to join the war against Russian forces

Ukrainian soldiers detain a man they think is a Russian spy in the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv

A couple crosses a destroyed bridge during the evacuation by civilians of the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv

Civilians continue to flee from Irpin due to ongoing Russian attacks as snow falls

An Ukrainian serviceman holds a grenade launcher as people cross a destroyed bridge as they evacuate the city of Irpin

Civilians continue to flee from Irpin due to ongoing Russian attacks as snow falls

Russia has now committed all of the forces it massed on the Ukrainian border before the invasion, and has made only limited territorial gains - capturing just one major city, Kherson. Others, including Sumy and Kyiv, are slowly being surrounded but in some places the Ukrainians have managed to thwart Russian attacks or successfully counter-attack

Kyiv claims these are the losses that its forces have inflicted on Russia in the first 12 days of fighting. While Moscow has acknowledged casualties, none of these figures have been verified

Ukrainian servicemen inspect a charred Russian tank that was destroyed on the outskirts of Sumy, eastern Ukraine

A charred Russian tank is seen on the outskirts of Sumy, a city in the east of the country, as Putin's invading force continues to suffer losses without a significant gain in territory

The burned-out remains of a Russian infantry fighting vehicle are seen on the outskirts of Sumy, where fighting has been ongoing since the first day of the war

A Ukrainian tank is seen next to the ruins of a destroyed Russian tank on the outskirts of Sumy

A destroyed Russian tank is seen by the side of a road in Luhansk, in images captured by Ukrainian soldiers in the region

Ukrainian soldiers in Luhansk, in the country's east, captured images showing destroyed Russian military vehicles

Russia has today offered to reopen 'humanitarian corridors' for civilians to flee besieged cities which has been dismissed as little more than a PR stunt by Kyiv because routes, most of which lead to Russia, have been attacked

A child injured in a Russian airstrike on the city of Sumy overnight, which the major said killed more than 10 people with infants among the dead. Ukraine's forces say Russia is increasingly resorting to 'war crimes' as its invasion slows

Injured in result of shelling civilian woman is seen at a hospital in Eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv

Smoke rises into the night sky over Sumy, eastern Ukraine, as the besieged city was hit by Russian airstrikes which the mayor said killed more than 10 people including children

Destroyed houses are seen in Sumy, eastern Ukraine, which has come under heavy Russian bombardment even as Moscow offers to open a 'humanitarian corridor' - dismissed as a 'cynical' stunt by Kyiv

Buildings flattened by Russian artillery are pictured in the city of Sumy, in eastern Ukraine, as Kyiv's commanders say the invasion has 'slowed' with Putin's men increasingly resorting to 'war crimes'

Volodymyr Zelensky has openly defied Russian forces trying to encircle Kyiv, posting his location and saying he is 'not afraid' of soldiers attacking the Ukrainian capital

On Monday, Moscow again announced a series of demands to stop the invasion, including that Ukraine recognise Crimea as part of Russia and recognise the eastern regions controlled by Moscow-supported separatist fighters as independent. It also insisted that Ukraine change its constitution to guarantee it won't join international bodies like Nato and the EU. Ukraine has already rejected those demands.

Mr Zelensky has called for more punitive measures against Russia, including a global boycott of its oil exports, which are key to its economy.

'If (Russia) doesn't want to abide by civilized rules, then they shouldn't receive goods and services from civilization,' he said in a video address.

Addressing the Security Council, the UN's top humanitarian official Martin Griffiths said civilians must be allowed to leave in the direction they wish.

At least 406 civilians have died since the start of Russia's assault on its ex-Soviet neighbour, according to the UN, although it believes the real figures to be 'considerably higher'.

Ukrainian forces said Tuesday they had repulsed a Russian attack on Izium city in the Kharkiv region, and outgunned troops have been trying to hold back a Russian push up from the east and south in an attempt to encircle Kyiv.

Russian forces 'suffered losses and retreated' in Izium after they 'reigned terror in the city by bombing civilian premises and infrastructure,' the military said.

AFP journalists witnessed thousands of civilians on Monday fleeing fighting via an unofficial escape route from Irpin, a suburb west of Kyiv, towards the capital.

Children and the elderly were carried on carpets used as stretchers on the route, which leads over the makeshift bridge and along a single path secured by the army and volunteers.

Desperate people abandoned pushchairs and heavy suitcases to cram on buses out of the war zone.

'We had no light at home, no water, we just sat in the basement,' Inna Scherbanyova, 54, an economist from Irpin, told AFP.

'Explosions were constantly going off... Near our house there are cars, there were dead people in one of them... very scary.'

Refugees trying to escape the city using agreed escape routes were left stranded as the road they were directed towards was mined, the ICRC said on Monday.

One Ukrainian paratrooper told of 'hand-to-hand' combat in Irpin, saying 'we are trying to push (Russian soldiers) out, but I don't know if we'll be fully able to do it'.

An international legion of volunteers has descended on Ukraine to fight the Russians.

Ukrainians pick their way through the rubble of a destroyed street in Kharkiv, in the east of Ukraine, after shelling by Russia

A woman walks past an apartment building hit by shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine

A view shows buildings damaged by recent shelling during Russia's invasion of Ukraine in Kharkiv, Ukraine

Destroyed residential building after shelling is seen in Eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv

Destroyed after shelling residential building is seen in Eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv

President Zelensky winks to the camera as he reveals that he is still in Kyiv, while welcoming in the first day of spring

A Russian military vehicle explodes after being struck by Ukrainian artillery near Kyiv, as commanders say Moscow's forces continue to suffer heavy losses across the country

Ukrainian soldiers keep their spirits up by singing in a trench near Irpin, on the western outskirts of the capital Kyiv

Ukrainian soldiers stand ready to defend against Russian forces in Irpin, Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers take cover from incoming artillery fire in Irpin, near the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv

A Ukrainian soldier takes cover from incoming Russian artillery fire in Irpin, which has been under heavy bombardment

Ukrainian volunteers help remove a dead body as Russian forces continue to besiege residential areas of Irpin, near Kyiv

A pedestrian walks amid debris in a street following a shelling in Ukraine's second-biggest city of Kharkiv

A member of the Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces looks at destructions following a shelling in Ukraine's second-biggest city of Kharkiv

Firefighters extinguish a fire of a damaged residential building after Russian troops shelled the area in the second largest Ukrainian city of Kharkiv

A rescuer is seen next to a residential building damaged by shelling, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in Mykolaiv

The booster section of a Russian Smerch rocket is seen embedded in the side of a car in Kharkiv, Ukraine

Members of Ukrainian military together with other people carry an elderly woman in a wheelchair to cross the destroyed bridge as people flee from the frontline town of Irpin, Kyiv region

Rescuers carry a civilian injured during shelling, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in Mykolaiv, Ukraine

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken disembarks his plane as he arrives for his visit to Tallinn, Estonia

A burning Russian tank is seen in the midst of night as fighting takes place outside the Ukrainian city of Sumy

Hanna Bespalko, 54, holds the hands of her dead son Denys during his funeral service in the village of Bila Krynytsia, Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers pictured carrying the coffin of 24-year-old Ukrainian soldier Denys Hrynchuk during his funeral in Ukraine

But the Pentagon said Monday that Moscow was on a recruiting mission for its own foreign fighters - Syrians who fought for President Bashar al-Assad.

'We do believe that the accounts of them - the Russians - seeking Syrian fighters to augment their forces in Ukraine, we believe there's truth to that,' Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

The World Bank on Monday approved an additional $489-million package in support for Ukraine, to be made available immediately and dubbed 'Financing of Recovery from Economic Emergency in Ukraine,' or 'FREE Ukraine.'

It came as Zelensky renewed calls for the West to boycott Russian exports, particularly oil, and to impose a no-fly zone to stop the carnage.

NATO countries have so far rebuffed Kyiv's demand for a no-fly zone, fearing a widening war against nuclear-armed Russia.

Western allies have instead imposed unprecedented sanctions against businesses, banks and billionaires in a bid to pressure Moscow to halt its assault.

But the leaders of Germany, Britain and the Netherlands warned Monday against a ban on Russian oil, saying it could put Europe's energy security at risk.

US President Joe Biden's spokeswoman said no decision had been taken, while Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak warned any oil ban would have 'catastrophic consequences' on prices that have already headed towards a 2008 record high.

Putin has equated sanctions with a declaration of war and put nuclear forces on alert, pledging the 'neutralisation' of Ukraine 'either through negotiation or through war'.

Despite harsh punishments for those voicing dissent, protests in Russia against the Ukraine invasion have continued, with more than 10,000 people arrested since it began.
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Vladimir Putin today threatened to close his gas pipeline pumping in almost half of Europe's gas if there is a boycott of Russian fossil fuels amid warnings this could push up oil prices over $300 per barrel, giving him even more cash to spend on his brutal Ukraine campaign.

The war in Ukraine has sent markets into a panic because the West is so reliant on Russia for its energy, which brings in at least 100billion-a-year for the Kremlin that can be used to finance its invasion and occupation.

There are growing calls for Britain to ramp up production in the North Sea while Germany is also being urged to open up its historic gas fields. Experts also believe that nations should ramp up nuclear output and consider relying more on coal-fired power stations in the short term, despite Europe's net zero pledges.

Shell says sorry for buying cut price oil from Russia after they invaded Ukraine and will now shut down its service stations in Putin's country The boss of Shell has said he is 'sorry' for buying a shipment of Russian oil last week even as dozens of major international companies announced they would abandon the country over its war in Ukraine. The business bought the oil last week at knock-down prices, as sanctions began to bite on the Russian economy. 'We are acutely aware that our decision last week to purchase a cargo of Russian crude oil to be refined into products like petrol and diesel - despite being made with security of supplies at the forefront of our thinking - was not the right one and we are sorry,' said chief executive Ben van Beurden. The company said it would immediately stop buying Russian crude oil on the spot market and will shut service stations, aviation fuel and lubricants operations in Russia. Profits from the remaining Russian gas that Shell will process will be sent to a fund and the business will work with humanitarian organisations to figure out how best to spend the money. Advertisement

Oil prices have spiked to their highest levels since 2008 on Monday after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington and European allies were considering banning Russian oil imports.

Today President Joe Biden will announce the boycott following relentless pressure from Republican and Democratic lawmakers in a move that could send gas prices even higher.

European allies, who rely far more on the Kremlin's energy exports, are reportedly not joining the ban but were consulted by US officials, Bloomberg reported.

This week the wholesale cost of gas surged by 70 per cent - to a record of 800p per therm - meaning that average energy bills could easily hit 4,000 or more this year.

The soaring price of oil could render Western sanctions on Russia ineffective as the booming cost of crude allows the country to rake in billions.

Every $10 increase in oil prices provides an extra 15.2bn ($20bn) for the Kremlin's coffers each year, according to an analysis from Elina Ribakova, deputy chief economist at the Institute of International Finance.

Despite imports of Russian oil having collapsed following its invasion of Ukraine, Ribakova estimated that the country could still rake in over 152bn ($200bn) this year.

'It is absolutely clear that a rejection of Russian oil would lead to catastrophic consequences for the global market,' Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said in a statement on state television.

'The surge in prices would be unpredictable. It would be $300 per barrel if not more.'

Novak said it would take Europe more than a year to replace the volume of oil it receives from Russia and it would have to pay significantly higher prices.

'European politicians need to honestly warn their citizens and consumers what to expect,' Novak said.

'If you want to reject energy supplies from Russia, go ahead. We are ready for it. We know where we could redirect the volumes to.'

Novak said Russia, which supplies 40% of Europe's gas, was fulfilling its obligations in full but that it would be entirely within its rights to retaliate against the European Union after Germany last month froze the certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

'In connection with ... the imposition of a ban on Nord Stream 2, we have every right to take a matching decision and impose an embargo on gas pumping through the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline,' Novak said.

'So far we are not taking such a decision,' he said. 'But European politicians with their statements and accusations against Russia push us towards that.'

The price of a barrel of oil settled at $127 today after spiking to $140 yesterday - but Russia is warning that this will hit $300 if the West boycotts them

Gas prices are in unchartered territory as the markets panicked about possible shortages if Putin decreases or shuts down exports

There are growing calls for Britain to become more self-sufficient and make use of its North Sea gas and oil fields (pictured)

Around 40pc of the 488bn ($640bn) in reserves held by Russia's central bank have been frozen by various countries as part of sanctions packages imposed in reaction to Vladimir Putin's decision to attack Ukraine.

However, the ability of Russia to keep selling its oil at elevated prices means most of this shortfall, worth around 195bn ($256bn), could be offset by the cash influx.

The situation provides a large loophole for Putin to rebuild his war chest and prop up the Russian economy.

It is also likely to increase calls for a ban on the buying of Russian energy despite resistance from several countries, including the UK and Germany.

Russia has a tight grip on Europe's gas market, with major nations including Germany buying up to 30% of their supply from Putin. Germany, however, is said to be close to be stopping buying

Here's how YOU can help: Donate here to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal Readers of Mail Newspapers and MailOnline have always shown immense generosity at times of crisis. Calling upon that human spirit, we are now launching an appeal to raise money for refugees from Ukraine. For, surely, no one can fail to be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families  mostly women, children, the infirm and elderly  fleeing from Russia's invading armed forces. As this tally of misery increases over the coming days and months, these innocent victims of a tyrant will require accommodation, schools and medical support. All donations to the Mail Ukraine Appeal will be distributed to charities and aid organisations providing such essential services. In the name of charity and compassion, we urge all our readers to give swiftly and generously. TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE Donate at www.mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate To add Gift Aid to a donation  even one already made  complete an online form found here: mymail.co.uk/ukraine Via bank transfer, please use these details: Account name: Mail Force Charity Account number: 48867365 Sort code: 60-00-01 TO MAKE A DONATION VIA CHEQUE Make your cheque payable to 'Mail Force' and post it to: Mail Newspapers Ukraine Appeal, GFM, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY TO MAKE A DONATION FROM THE US US readers can donate to the appeal via a bank transfer to Associated Newspapers or by sending checks to dailymail.com HQ at 51 Astor Place (9th floor), New York, NY 10003 Advertisement

Continental Europe relies heavily on Russian gas to keep its lights on, meaning any sanctions on the sector would likely fuel the surge in household energy bills.

Meanwhile, over the weekend, American diplomats flew to Venezuela, the most oil-rich nation in the world, to negotiate the easing of US sanctions in return for higher crude exports.

Joe Biden is also considering flying to Saudi Arabia to ask them to step up their oil production.

Gas, petrol and wheat prices surged yesterday fuelling fears that households face 'dystopian economic collapse'.

The price hit 800p a therm at one point, which is almost 1,900 per cent higher than a year ago. The official cap on bills is to rise to almost 2,000 a year from April 1, and another big rise is now expected in October.

In a further blow to families, petrol prices have hit a record high of 155.62p a litre, with diesel costing 161.28p. The average cost of filling a 55-litre tank in a family car with petrol is now 85.60. But drivers filling up on the motorway are being hit even harder in the pocket.

Yesterday's figures showed the average price at motorway service stations was 172.85p a litre for unleaded.

Households also face a 'food price shock' because of shortages of essential crops such as wheat, maize and vegetable oils caused by Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Supplies of grain from Ukraine, which is considered the breadbasket of the world, are predicted to come to a halt with farms and ports shut down by the fighting. Wheat prices have surged 55 per cent since the invasion.

The rise in the wholesale gas price came against the background of calls originating in the United States for a total boycott of carbon fuels coming out of Russia. It fell back below 550p later in the day after the Germans warned against such a move.

Britain gets less than 4 per cent of its gas from Russia, but UK consumers would be hit by a rise in global wholesale prices. The UK and Europe would find itself in a bidding war with Asia for gas supplies from the US, Qatar, Africa and Trinidad.

Former Tory minister Alan Duncan said: 'We of course want to disadvantage Russia as an essential tool of war, but we don't want to disadvantage ourselves so that we fall into some kind of dystopian economic collapse. We are on the edge of that.'

Lord Duncan, chairman of the Association for Decentralised Energy, suggested some subsidiaries of Russian energy companies should not be pulled into the boycotts and sanctions.

Joe Malinowski, founder of TheEnergyShop.com comparison site, suggested annual energy bills could go up to 3,750 a year should wholesale gas prices stay at 600p a therm.
A man has died from the Japanese Encephalitis Virus as residents are warned to limit their exposure to mosquitoes.

The man, in his 60s from northern Victoria, died on February 28, the state's health department said.

An autopsy has revealed that JEV was the cause of death.

'We strongly advise people take steps to limit their exposure to mosquitoes and avoid mosquito habitats such as stagnant water,' a department spokesperson

Most cases of Japanese encephalitis, spread by mosquitoes, suffer no to mild symptoms but one per cent of patients can develop brain swelling - leading to brain damage or death in one in three severe symptomatic cases

Australians are being warned to take the risks posed by Japanese encephalitis seriously, as confirmed cases rise to nine and two more people are admitted to hospital with the virus.

The Encephalitis Society, an international peak body for the disease, is calling for greater recognition and awareness of JEV in Australia.

'Encephalitis is a code-red condition that remains under-recognised,' chief executive Ava Easton said.

'As Australia faces ongoing extreme weather conditions we are urging all Australians to equip themselves with knowledge about this very real disease and to not dismiss it as a low-risk probability or something too rare to talk about.'

Dr Easton warned, given recent floods in Queensland and NSW, mosquito-borne viruses responsible for causing encephalitis 'will be proliferating'.

It comes as the federal health department is investigating dozens of suspected JEV cases, with nine confirmed infections nationally.

Encephalitis is typically only found in the regions depicted in red but recent testing at 14 piggeries has detected the virus in southern regions OF Australia

NSW Health on Monday said two people from the Victorian border with confirmed JEV were being treated in hospital.

A Corowa man remains in a serious condition in a Victorian hospital's intensive care unit and a child from Wentworth has been discharged from intensive care but continues to receive hospital care for their illness.

'Several more people in NSW are undergoing further testing, and more cases are expected to be confirmed over the coming days and weeks,' NSW Health said in a statement.

One Queenslander and six Victorians have been confirmed to have the disease, with five of them hospitalised.

Four South Australians are 'strongly suspected' to have JEV, all of whom have required hospitalisation, SA Health said in a statement.

In recent weeks, JEV has spread to dozens of piggeries across Queensland, NSW, Victoria and South Australia.

Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said the disease was in 42 piggeries across the country.

'It's been pretty constant for the last week, but we are monitoring,' he told ABC Radio National on Monday.

Last week, Australia's chief medical officer declared JEV as a nationally significant communicable disease incident, triggering extra resources for states and territories.

JEV spreads to humans through mosquito bites and cannot be transmitted from person-to-person, nor by eating pork products.

It has been more than 20 years since JEV was detected in humans. The last outbreak was in Australia's tropical north in 1995.

In most cases, human infection with JEV is asymptomatic, but about one per cent of infections can progress to serious disease including brain inflammation.

Two vaccinations are available for protection against JEV in Australia, with older people and those aged under five at a higher risk of developing a serious illness.

Anyone working or camping in regional parts of Australia with high mosquito activity is warned to use repellent and cover up with loose-fitting clothing.
Priti Patel faced Tory calls to quit over the Ukrainian refugee shambles today as the Home Office admitted that the UK's 'Calais' visa centre is actually 70 miles away in Lille.

Conservatives joined a furious backlash in the Commons as ministers admitted the response to the humanitarian crisis has been too slow.

There are claims hundreds of desperate people who want to seek safety in Britain are being sent away from the French port, and told to go to Paris or Brussels to make an application.

Ms Patel sent her junior minister Kevin Foster to respond to an urgent question in parliament this afternoon, and he was repeatedly berated by Tories.

Veteran MP Roger Gale said Ms Patel misled the House yesterday by claiming that a pop-up visa application centre (VAC) had already been set up near Calais, stressing that would normally be a 'resigning matter'.

But Mr Foster replied that Ms Patel had already clarified her remarks. He suggested that taxis will be laid on to get people from Calais to Lille.

Other Tories compared the UK reaction to a 'snail' and branded it a 'disgrace'.

The clashes came amid a growing row over the 'chaotic' response to the humanitarian crisis - with just 500 refugees handed visas so far, compared to 30,000 taken in by Germany.

Downing Street tried to cool anger tonight by announcing that ex-MP Richard Harrington has been appointed as Minister for Refugees.

Mr Harrington, who stood down from the Commons at the 2019 general election, will be made a life peer sitting in the House of Lords.

French interior minister Gerald Darmanin has accused the UK of a 'lack of humanity' for refusing to issue visas in Calais. There are reports that a sign at a UK building in the port advised people to go to Brussels or Paris instead to apply.

Refugees from Ukraine gather at the border crossing in Siret, northern Romania today

Veteran MP Roger Gale (left) told Home Office minister Kevin Foster (right) that Priti Patel misled the House yesterday by claiming that a pop-up visa application centre (VAC) had already been set up near Calais

Ms Patel (pictured yesterday) sent her junior minister to respond to an urgent question in parliament this afternoon

Ukrainians pass through the border crossing of Siret, northern Romania, today

Home Secretary Priti Patel told MPs yesterday: 'We have staff in Calais, we have support on the ground.

'It is wrong to say we're just turning people back. We're absolutely not. People have been coming to the UK from Calais.

'It's also important that we do not create choke points in Calais but encourage a smooth flow of people, and in particular I can confirm that we have set up a bespoke VAC en route to Calais but away from the port.'

However, it later emerged that the VAC she referred to is not yet up and running.

And Foreign Secretary Liz Truss revealed this morning that the location is actually Lille - 75 miles away from Calais.

Grilling Mr Foster in the Commons, Sir Roger said: 'I'm sorry that the Home Secretary is not here today to answer.

'In response to my question yesterday, the Home Secretary said 'I have already made it clear in terms of the visa application centre that has now been set up en route to Calais that we have staff in Calais'.

'That was untrue and under any normal administration that in itself would be a resignation (issue). There is no visa centre at Lille yet, in spite of the fact that the Foreign Secretary earlier this morning said that there was.

'A week ago, the Home Secretary announced a humanitarian sponsorship visa, there is yet no humanitarian sponsorship visa. It's time the Home Office granted a visa waiver and allowed children and all of those adults with Ukrainian passports to come into the country now.'

Mr Foster replied: 'I understand the Home Secretary clarified her remarks yesterday. There is a reason why we believe it is right that key security checks are done before people arrive here in the UK.'

Hinting that transport could be laid on to get people from Calais to Lille, he said: 'We are looking to establish a presence in Lille and also potentially to look at transport as well options from Calais to Lille.

'There are issues with providing specific application points at the port, but we are looking at how we can do it and we expect that to be set up within the next 24 hours.'

But Mr Foster also batted away the idea that the UK could follow the EU and Ireland by waiving visas entirely - saying that some would-be migrants had already tried presenting fake Ukrainian papers.

Conservative former immigration minister Mark Harper said the Government needs to 'grip the pace of this' while Andrew Murrison, another ex-minister, asked why the Republic of Ireland has welcomed more than 2,000 refugees from Ukraine but the UK has 'come nowhere even close to that'.

Fellow Tory Alec Shelbrooke said: 'We don't want to stand in this House and listen to plans and processes, we want dates, we want action and the Home Office must react far more quickly than it's doing and get to the point of hubs of people, get them processed and get them in.

'This is a disgrace. When the minister leaves the despatch box I ask him to go back to the Home Office and tell them to get a grip.'

Siobhan Baillie, Conservative MP for Stroud, added: 'Stroud people want to understand what the chuff is going on.'

Tory MP Julian Sturdy said his York Outer constituents are ready and willing to offer help, adding: 'The only barrier to their support seems to be Home Office bureaucracy. Now is not the time for box ticking and red tape, now is the time to do everything we can; no more excuses, we have to move the process forward, we have to speed it up.'

Jason McCartney highlighted the 'vibrant' Ukrainian community in his Colne Valley constituency, with the Tory MP adding: 'We've done so much on sanctions, on humanitarian aid and on military aid so why are we dragging our feet with all this bureaucracy?'

He said the visa centres 'need to be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all the helplines need to be manned 24 hours a day', adding: 'Can he assure me that by the weekend thousands and thousands more desperate Ukrainian refugees will be safe here in the UK with their family and friends?'

Mr Foster said staff numbers are being boosted, adding: 'We're certainly looking to expand where we can the visa application capacity.'

Conservative former minister Steve Brine said the UK needs to 'deliver a generous scheme' for Ukrainian refugees with first steps in place by Wednesday.

He said: 'All of this is far too robotic and, to take up the point made on the other side, there is very little Christian compassion being shown at the moment.'

Former Cabinet minister Damian Green told the minister: 'I take his point about security and the need for biometric checks. I don't understand why those biometric checks can't be done in this country when we have got people safe and sound.'

Mr Foster replied: 'Those who are applying to this are actually in safe countries as we speak.

'There's no requirement for people  to stay in Ukraine to make an application, in fact there is no need at all if they can safely make their way across the border to one of the safe and democratic countries next door that we are supporting to provide support to those that are crossing the border.'

For Labour, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: 'Two million refugees have left Ukraine. Other countries are supporting hundreds and thousands of people. The Home Office is currently issuing just around 250 family scheme visas a day.

'Most want to stay close to home but some want to come here to join family or friends, and we should be helping them. Instead most people are still being held up by our Home Office bureaucracy or being turned away.'

A No 10 spokesman said Mr Johnson told Cabinet earlier that the UK is continuing to supply 'lethal defensive aid and equipment' to bolster the Ukrainian forces' 'heroic' resistance in the face of the Russian onslaught.

The Prime Minister said the UK would be 'as generous as we could' in its support for Ukrainian refugees, while Home Secretary Priti Patel set out the extra assistance the Government is providing.

Builder Vitalie Turetska, who has been working in London for three years, said last night that he drove to Ukraine to collect his family when bombing started.

A No 10 spokesman said Boris Johnson told Cabinet earlier that the UK is continuing to supply 'lethal defensive aid and equipment' to bolster the Ukrainian forces' 'heroic' resistance in the face of the Russian onslaught

But his wife Helena and sons Danya, six, and Mapk, two, are stranded in Calais after being refused UK visas, he told the Daily Mirror.

'I've been told they don't have the correct paperwork so they can't come in,' he said. 'I can't believe it. After all they've been through.'

At Foreign Office questions this morning, Ms Truss seemed to reveal the true location of the VAC - which the Home Office has refused to give.

'The Home Office have placed staff in Poland and Hungary to help people, they have also  the Home Secretary has announced a new pop-up application site in Lille,' she said.

'I can tell her that the Home Office has set up a surgery for MPs in Portcullis House which I am sure she will be very welcome to take any cases she has to.'

Ms Patel was contradicted by Boris Johnson yesterday just hours after she appeared to announce plans for a new humanitarian scheme for refugees.

The PM played down the prospect of a new route, insisting the UK had already taken a 'very, very generous and open approach' but would not 'simply abandon controls altogether'.

Last night the Home Office said a total of 300 visas had now been issued, up from 50 over the weekend.

So far, 17,700 family scheme applications have been started, including 8,900 since Friday when the programme was launched for extended family members, it added.

By comparison, Germany has received 30,000 Ukrainian refugees and Ireland's premier Micheal Martin said yesterday that 1,800 have already arrived in his country.

In a round of interviews this morning, Mr Wallace said: 'It is the case that the system is not being quick enough.'

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the UK is ready to be 'generous' in giving asylum, but conceded the process of granting visas to more than a million people who have fled the Russian invasion is 'not being quick enough'.

On the claims that hundreds were being told to go to Paris and Brussels instead of Calais, Mr Wallace told BBC Breakfast: 'It's difficult for those people  why wouldn't it be  to go all the way back to Paris.

'We need to upscale it, I know that the Home Secretary has already doubled, or trebled in some cases, more people in different processing centres.

'We can do more, we will do more.'

He insisted the Government's compassion was 'huge' and would result in hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians coming to the UK.

'It's not the case that we are only allowing 300 people in, it is the case that the system has not been quick enough, which is what we're going to address.'

Thousands of Home Office civil servants are still working from home despite pandemic restrictions being eased, prompting concerns over the department's slow-moving reaction to the crisis.

As the number of evacuees who have fled Ukraine topped 1.7million, Ms Patel appeared to change tack and accept that a broader visa programme will be necessary.

She announced that she would be drawing up a separate scheme that does not require refugees to have relatives already in the UK, or to be sponsored by a community group.

'As the crisis is developing it is becoming clear some people have needs that go beyond what sponsorship can offer and Priti does not want to see anyone excluded,' a Home Office source said. But the PM later indicated there would be no new route, and his official spokesman said Miss Patel's proposals would, in fact, be part of a previously-announced scheme.

'It's the sponsorship route that we set out last week,' the spokesman said. 'We will set out more details this week around the sponsorship scheme, which will provide a route for Ukrainians without any family ties to the UK  and there is no limit to that scheme.'

General Lord Richard Dannatt, former Chief of the General Staff, said yesterday that the UK should be more 'open-hearted' to Ukrainian refugees and urged ministers to speed the visa process up.

'Extract the digit and let's get this done,' he told Sky News. 'Frankly, if we have only issued 50 visas [as of Sunday night] amongst the thousands that want to come to this country, just think again British government.'

Boris Johnson (pictured right with Canadian president Justin Trudeau yesterday) slapped down the idea of a new humanitarian route for Ukrainian refugees

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss appeared to pass the buck yesterday saying the Home Office was responsible for visas

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: 'The Home Office is in a complete mess about this  they keep changing the rules... They have got to sort this out.'

Enver Solomon, chief executive of charity the Refugee Council, said: 'The Government's response looks pretty chaotic. There needs to be a simple, safe route which says, 'If you're Ukrainian, come here and we'll grant you a period of leave in the UK, where you will be welcomed as refugee'.'

Another charity source said they feared working from home was playing a role in the Home Office's foot-dragging response, adding: 'The Home Office has always been s*** at this kind of visa work.'

The Home Office expects to be processing 6,000 applications through the family visa scheme every seven days by the end of this week.

A spokesman said it was a 'rapidly-moving' situation which they will keep under review.
This photo provided by the Seoul city government shows a sign bearing a message in support of Ukraine on the front of the Seoul Metropolitan Library building. Yonhap





The Seoul Metropolitan Government has put up a message promoting "peace for Ukraine" against an image symbolizing Ukraine's flag on a large sign attached to the front facade of Seoul City Library.







The message on the library building was put up in the hope of peace in Ukraine and is in line with the city's ongoing "peace light" campaign to light up key city landmarks in blue and yellow symbolizing that country.






Stojadin Krstic allegedly raped two homeless teenagers he picked up in Perth

A man who allegedly sexually assaulted two homeless teenage girls after luring them to a hotel has faced a Western Australia court.

Stojadin Krstic allegedly picked up two girls - a 17-year-old and 19-year-old - from Northbridge in Perth's centre at 4am on Monday morning.

Fremantle Magistrates Court heard the 56-year-old then drove them 40 minutes north to the Ship and Dock Inn in Henderson where he offered them food, alcohol, tobacco and a bed for the night. He then allegedly sexually assaulted them.

CCTV footage allegedly shows Krstic taking the teenagers prior to the attack. Police claim he had approached other women in the Northbridge area the same evening.

The court heard they were taken to the hotel just after 4am where he offered them a place to spend the night, before allegedly sexually assaulting the women, as reported by WA Today.

A police prosecutor said one of the teenagers broke free of the alleged attack and fled to the bathroom where she called triple-zero.

Stojadin Krstic (pictured in a court sketch) allegedly picked up two girls - a 17-year-old and 19-year-old - from Northbridge in Perth's centre at 4am on Monday morning

'I'm in the bathroom. My friend is being raped please, please I can't stand this... please she is crying,' one of the women said, according to police.

She left the phone running for 20 minutes after the initial call before officers could arrive.

Mr Krstic can allegedly be heard offering the teens $50 while screams are audible during that time.

The alleged attack occurred at the Ship and Dock Inn in Henderson - a pub with bed and breakfast accomodation

When police arrived at the bed and breakfast they allegedly found Mr Krstic inside the room with one of the girls completely naked while the other was partially dressed. One was barely conscious while the other was highly distressed, police allege.

They were both taken to Fiona Stanley Hospital for treatment but had no serious physical injuries.

The police prosecutor told the court the situation was 'as callous' as it sounded.

Krstic has been charged with five counts of sexual penetration without consent, two counts of deprivation of liberty, two counts of unlawful and indecent assault and one count of attempted sexual penetration without consent.

He has a criminal past, with assault charges and short prison stints, but lawyer Faye Sellers said were not sexaul assault charges.

His lawyer said he intends to plead not guilty and wants to defend the charges.

Police opposed a bail application, saying the police argument was strong and that he was a flight risk.

The case was adjourned by Magistrate Adam Hills-Wright until a transcript of the phone call had been created by police and that both the alleged victims had given statements.

Krstic will re-appear via video link on March 22.
Ukrainian forces have killed a Russian general near the besieged city of Kharkiv, the second Russian senior commander to die in Vladimir Putin's invasion of the country.

Major General Vitaly Gerasimov, 45, was killed on Monday, the Chief Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine's defence ministry said in a statement.

Gerasimov was the first deputy commander of Russia's 41st army, and his death represents another major blow to Putin's forces.

Major General Vitaly Gerasimov (pictured) was the first deputy commander of Russia's 41st army, the Chief Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine's defence ministry said in a statement

The general took part in the second Chechen war, the Russian military operation in Syria, and the annexation of Crimea, winning medals from those campaigns.

Christo Grozev, executive director of investigative journalism group Bellingcat, said on Twitter that news of Gerasimov's death was intercepted by Ukrainian officials as it was relayed to Russian army officials.

Sharing a picture of the conversation in Russian, Grozev wrote that the 41st army in the region have lost communications, and are thus having to use a local sim card - which allowed Ukraine to intercept the call.

According to reports, Gerasimov was the son of Valery Gerasimov - the Chief of General Staff of Russia's armed forces.

On February 27, Valery Gerasimov was pictured meeting Putin - sitting towards the end of a long table with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Vitaly Gerasimov's death will come as a blow to the Kremlin, and is another sign that Putin's invasion is not going according to plan.

His death comes after Russian media said last week that another military leader had been killed: Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, 47, deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District.

Sukhovetsky died during a special operation in Ukraine, his comrade-in-arms Sergey Chipilev wrote on social media, according to Pravda.ru.

Reports have said that Sukhovetsky was shot and killed by a sniper near Mariupol, which is under siege by Russian forces.

The death of Sukhovetsky, who also took part in Russia's military campaign in Syria, is also a major blow to the Russian military.

Russia's 41st Combined Arms Army is a field army of the Russian Ground Forces, and is currently a part of the Central Military District.

It is understood that major elements of the 41st have been deployed to Ukraine to reinforce Western and Southern military districts fighting in Ukraine.

Russia's defence ministry could not be immediately reached for comment. Reuters could not verify the report.

Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, 47, deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District, was also killed in Ukraine last week

Three other Russian commanders were also been killed in the fighting in Ukraine in recent days, according to a Ukrainian general. Their deaths came as Ukrainian forces battled to reclaim Chuhuiv from Russian control.

'In the course of hostilities, the city of Chuhuiv was liberated,' Ukraine's Lieutenant General Serhiy Shaptala said in a post on Facebook. 'The occupiers suffered heavy losses in personnel and equipment.'

He continued: 'Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Safronov, Commander of the 61st Seperate Marine Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces, and Lieutenant Colonel Denis Glebov, Deputy Commander of the 11th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces, were killed.'

Reports said that Russian Commander Konstantin Zizevsky was also killed in recent fighting.

Another who died - in Russia's attempt to take Kharkiv - was Igor Vasilenko, 27, killed under fire from the Ukrainian army.

The commander of a Russian reconnaissance detachment, he 'did not hide behind the backs of the soldiers entrusted to him, but he himself went first', said a report.

His widow Valeria Vasilenko posted his picture with their little son, saying that her husband 'would never allow me to post anything, but that's it.

'You saw everything, you know everything, I beg you not to invent anything. My hero. Thank you for your life.'

Pictured: A burned Russian APC is seen in Eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, Ukraine, Monday

Russia's offensive in Ukraine continued but at a significantly slower pace on Tuesday, as frightened residents fled bombed-out cities.

In the city of Irpin, on the northwest edge of Kyiv, residents ran with their young children in strollers, or cradling babies in arms, while others carried pet carriers and plastic bags and suitcases.

'It's like a disaster, the city is almost ruined, and the district where I'm living, it's like there are no houses which were not bombed,' said one young mother, holding a baby beneath a blanket, while her daughter stood by her side.

'Yesterday was the hardest bombing, and the lights and sound is so scary, and the whole building is shaking.'

Russia's invasion, the biggest attack on a European state since World War Two, has created 1.7 million refugees, a raft of sanctions on Moscow, and fears of wider conflict as the West pours military aid into Ukraine.

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a 'special operation' that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its southern neighbour's military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists.

Despite this, countless civilian locations have been bombed resulting in hundreds of deaths, including children.

Pictured: Armed Territorial Defence servicemen stand guard on the central square in Eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, Ukraine, March 7 2022

Kyiv has rejected Moscow's offer of possible humanitarian corridors to Russia and Belarus.

However, Moscow has since proposed giving the residents of the cities of Sumy and Mariupol the choice of moving elsewhere in Ukraine on Tuesday, setting a deadline in the early hours for Kyiv to agree, Russian news agencies reported.

After the third attempt to ease the bloodshed at talks in Belarus, negotiators warned not to expect the next round to bring a final result. The Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers are expected to meet in Turkey on Thursday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed Moscow would halt operations if Ukraine ceased fighting, amended its constitution to declare neutrality, and recognised Russia's annexation of Crimea and the independence of regions held by Russian-backed separatists.

The demands are seen as unacceptable in Ukraine.
The mayor of a besieged Ukrainian suburb has described Russian artillery fire as being so relentless that residents have been unable to gather up the dead leaving dogs to 'pull apart the bodies'.

Anatol Fedoruk, the mayor of Bucha, in Kyiv, said military fire in the region has been heavy and constant well into the second week of the Russian invasion.

As the Kremlin said it again promises safe corridors for civilians, Mr Fedoruk said a steady rain of shells and rockets continues to fall on population centres.

'We can't even gather up the bodies because the shelling from heavy weapons doesn't stop day or night,' Mr Fedoruk said.

'Dogs are pulling apart the bodies on the city streets. It's a nightmare.'

Anatol Fedoruk, the mayor of Bucha, in Kyiv, said Russian artillery fire has been so relentless that residents have been unable to clear the dead, leaving dogs to pull apart the bodies. Pictured: a dog stands between destroyed Russian armoured vehicles in Bucha

Civilians carry their belongings as the evacuate to safety across a contested bridge at the frontline between Bucha and Irpin City. The area has been hit by heavy Russian shelling

Corridors intended to let Ukrainian civilians escape the Russian onslaught could open on Tuesday, Kremlin officials said, though Ukrainian leaders greeted the plan with scepticism since prior efforts to establish evacuation routes crumbled over the weekend amid renewed attacks.

In one of the most desperate cities, the encircled southern port of Mariupol, an estimated 200,000 people - nearly half the population of 430,000 - were hoping to flee, and Red Cross officials waited to hear when a corridor would be established.

Russia's chief negotiator said he expected the corridors to be in use on Tuesday.

The Russian UN ambassador forecast a potential cease-fire for the morning and appeared to suggest that humanitarian paths leading away from Kyiv and other cities could give people choice in where they want to go - a change from previous proposals that offered only destinations in Russia or Belarus.

The office of embattled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would not comment on the latest Russian proposal, saying only that Moscow's plans can be believed only if a safe evacuation begins.

Demands for effective passageways have surged amid intensifying shelling by Russian forces.

Corridors intended to let Ukrainian civilians escape the Russian onslaught could open on Tuesday, Kremlin officials said, though Ukrainian leaders greeted the plan with scepticism. Pictured: a Ukrainian serviceman looks at a civilian crossing a blown up bridge east of the town of Brovary

The steady bombardments, including in some of Ukraine's most populated regions, have yielded a humanitarian crisis of diminishing food, water and medical supplies.

Through it all, Mr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces were showing unprecedented courage.

'The problem is that for one soldier of Ukraine, we have 10 Russian soldiers, and for one Ukrainian tank, we have 50 Russian tanks,' Mr Zelensky told ABC News in an interview that aired on Monday night.

But he noted that the gap in strength was diminishing and that even if Russian forces 'come into all our cities', they will be met with an insurgency.

A top US official said multiple countries were discussing whether to provide the warplanes that Mr Zelensky has been pleading for.

At The Hague, Netherlands, Ukraine pleaded with the International Court of Justice to order a halt to Russia's invasion, saying Moscow is committing widespread war crimes.

Russia 'is resorting to tactics reminiscent of medieval siege warfare, encircling cities, cutting off escape routes and pounding the civilian population with heavy ordnance', said Jonathan Gimblett, a member of Ukraine's legal team.

Russia snubbed the court proceedings, leaving its seats in the Great Hall of Justice empty.

The UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths addressed the Security Council and urged safe passage for people to go 'in the direction they choose'.

The UN human rights office reported 406 confirmed civilian deaths but said the real number is much higher. Pictured: a woman and her child evacuating Bucha

The battle for Mariupol is crucial because its capture could allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014.

The fighting has sent energy prices surging worldwide and stocks plummeting, and threatens the food supply and livelihoods of people around the globe who rely on crops farmed in the fertile Black Sea region.

The UN human rights office reported 406 confirmed civilian deaths but said the real number is much higher. The invasion has also sent 1.7 million people fleeing Ukraine.

On Monday, Moscow again announced a series of demands to stop the invasion, including that Ukraine recognise Crimea as part of Russia and recognise the eastern regions controlled by Moscow-supported separatist fighters as independent.

It also insisted that Ukraine change its constitution to guarantee it will not join international bodies like Nato and the EU. Ukraine has already rejected those demands.

Mr Zelensky has called for more punitive measures against Russia, including a global boycott of its oil exports, which are key to its economy.

'If (Russia) doesn't want to abide by civilized rules, then they shouldn't receive goods and services from civilization', he said in a video address.
A British man has shared his amusing reaction to Australia experiencing bushfires, Covid and now floods since he arrived.

Ayomide Moon, who moved from England to Australia in December 2019, opened up about his experience with the various disasters and the pandemic on TikTok.

'Am I the only one from the UK who was thinking to themself, 'What the f**k did I get myself into by moving to Australia in these last two years?'' Moon began.

A British man has shared his amusing reaction to Australia experiencing bushfires, Covid and now floods in a short span of time

'I swear everyone was like, 'Come to Australia, it's amazing, the land of paradise, so much opportunity here'.'

Moon recounted arriving to Australia in 2019 to witness bushfires ravaging the country before going through Covid lockdowns and the recent floods battering New South Wales.

'Arrived, December 2019 - half the f**king country is on fire, the sky is yellow, ashes sweeping across like some kind of apocalyptic s**t.'

Moon recalled arriving to Australia in 2019 to witness the country's worst bushfire season on record

The TikToker then went through Covid lockdowns while residing Down Under

He continued: 'F**king Covid, right back down, then what comes along? Floods! Floods like no man has seen.'

'I'm like, 'What the f**k? I'm from the UK, this ain't how this s**t happens back home'.'

The TikToker concluded the rant: 'I'm at the top of the food chain; I don't have to worry about animals, I don't have to worry about storms - and then I come over here and it's just f**kery.'

Now with the recent floods battering NSW, Moon has gone through another disaster after arriving from the UK just over two years

Moon's arrival to Australia coincided with one of the worst bushfire seasons the country has seen on record.

The 2019 to 2020 bushfire season razed roughly 30million hectares, destroyed over 5,900 buildings, cost at least $103billion in damages and was directly responsible for the deaths of 34 people.

The Covid pandemic in Australia, which is still ongoing, saw two years of lockdowns, state and territory border closures, and rapidly rising Covid case numbers.

More than 3million infections have been recorded in the country since the start of the pandemic and 5.464 deaths, with 94.6 per cent of the population over the age of 16 vaccinated against the virus.

The latest disaster to hit Australia has been the catastrophic weather and floods, which has largely devastated New South Wales and southern Queensland.

The weather has caused damage to thousands of buildings and submerged entire towns.

Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate their homes in various regions across eastern Australia.

Moon's arrival to Australia coincided with one of the worst fires the country has seen on record. The 2019 to 2020 bushfire season razed roughly 30million hectares, destroyed over 5,900 buildings and cost at least $103billion in damages. Pictured: Bilpin, NSW during the fires

The Covid pandemic in Australia, which is still ongoing, saw two years of lockdowns, state and territory border closures, and rapidly rising Covid case numbers. Pictured: A Covid testing site in Melbourne in January

The latest disaster to hit Australia has been the catastrophic weather and floods, which has largely devastated New South Wales and southern Queensland. Pictured: Flooding in Petersham

Several Aussies and Brits commented their thoughts on Moon's hilarious reaction on TikTok.

One Australian said: 'I swear everything was sweet before the end of 2019.'

'Said by countless Englishmen who have landed on these shores since 1788,' joked another.

A third person commented: 'I don't even bat an eyelid anymore, as an Aussie. Every year there's been something.'

Despite the disasters and the pandemic, one TikTok user still felt Australia was preferable over the UK, writing, 'To be honest... still better than the UK though'.
The SAS hero who took on terrorists in a Kenyan hotel has revealed his identity on a US podcast and told how being shot on a secret mission felt like 'banging your funny bone times by 10,000'.

The retired soldier from Newcastle, known as Christian Craighead, was shot in the back of the arm by a Dragunov sniper rifle during his time in service.

Recalling the moment he was injured, Craighead said: 'In the back of my mind I'm like "I've been shot, that's cool", then there's like "I hope I don't lose my arm".'

The Special Forces veteran, who joined the British Army aged 16 in 1992, is best known for single-handedly defeating jihadis during a Nairobi hotel siege which left at least 21 people dead in January 2019.

Last year, he shared a photo on Instagram showing his face for the first time after people kept impersonating him on social media and in pubs near the elite force's Hereford base.

Senior defence officials previously said they were deeply concerned about the ex-soldiers social media profile. Under strict rules, Special Forces troops must not discuss their missions in public or seek to 'cash in' on operations.

In previously published images, his features were hidden - either by clothing or the blurring of images - to protect his identity after he ended the terror siege on the luxury DusitD2 hotel.

But now he has appeared on Evan Hafer's Black Rifle Coffee Podcast to discuss his military career, alongside his favourite firearms and plans for retirement.

The retired soldier (pictured above) from Newcastle, known as Christian Craighead, was shot in the back of the arm by a Dragunov sniper rifle during his time in service

Craighead (right) is best known for single-handedly defeating jihadis during a Nairobi hotel siege which left at least 21 people dead in January 2019

Recalling what it felt like being shot, Craighead said: 'This is the strange thing. Now it hurt, badly. When it goes through that bone. And I get it when people say they get shot they don't feel it, I completely buy into that, if it doesn't go through a bone.

'But once it goes through a bone and shatters it, it hurts. It was like banging your funny bone and times by 10,000. That's what it felt like. But here's the messed-up bit.

'Going back into junior para, being indoctrinated and things, there was a sense of satisfaction. It was like "oh I've just been shot, that's pretty cool".

'In the back of my mind I'm like "I've been shot, that's cool", then there's like "I hope I don't lose my arm". And my arm was hanging by the triceps but, having some medical knowledge, I could wriggle my fingers.

'And in my mind, again just thinking, that's not that bad because I can wriggle my fingers. In my mind I was thinking "I'm going to keep my arm".'

The ex-soldier, who became engaged to Trump's chief White House photographer Shealah Craighead in February 2020, said he suffered a shattered humerus and now has a titanium rod implanted from his elbow to shoulder.

He added: 'I think most young soldiers, maybe, you kind of want to get shot because it's like a thing isn't it, like "oh I've been shot".

'It's a be careful what you wish for isn't it. And you kind of want it to happen, you want to be tested. And sometimes death is a price where you say "do you know what, I don't mind dying".

Images from the scene showed the off-duty SAS hero wearing combat gear over a purple shirt and jeans as he entered the complex before emerging with terrified survivors

The veteran was stationed in Kenya to help train the nations soldiers when heavily armed jihadis from the al-Shabaab terror group seized the Dusit D2 luxury hotel complex. Pictured: Craighead storming the hotel

'I think there's lots of people who haven't seen combat who would've said "I will sacrifice my life to experience that combat". I think that's part of training, mindset, everything that comes to it.'

Craighead's comments come ahead of the release of his new book 'One Man In: The Explosive Firsthand Account of the Lone Special-Ops Soldier Who Fought Off a Major Terrorist Attack in Kenya', which is expected to be published in June next year.

Referring to confidentiality issues, Craighead said: 'I'm working with the Ministry of Defence as we speak to do it properly, to release this book so there's no sense of information or anything.

'So that's as far as I'm willing to talk about my life in the 22nd Special Air Service regiment. I should add that the book is just about that one day, so for anyone on the edge of their seats it doesn't talk about anything I did while serving in the unit.

'It just talks about one thing I did that we all know I did.'

The rules follow the furore over books by ex-troopers Chris Ryan and Andy McNab, which raised the SAS public profile and led to concerns over Special Forces troops leaking sensitive information which could compromise future operations.

It was previously disclosed that Craighead quit the elite regiment after being shunned by colleagues.

The ex-soldier, who became engaged to official White House photographer Shealah Craighead (pictured above) in February 2020, said he suffered a shattered humerus and now has a titanium rod implanted from his elbow to shoulder

Craighead once shared a photo of himself meeting President Donald Trump on Instagram

Senior officials had said they wanted to speak to Craighead urgently in case he revealed his identity or any sensitive information about Special Forces operations.

But friends of the disgruntled veteran, who was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC), said at the time that blame lies with SAS officers and troops who denied him credit for his action.

One said: There was a very b****y response inside the SAS camp to him getting a CGC.'

'At the time, other blokes had been fighting Islamic State in Iraq and Syria for months without any official recognition.

Nobody outside the regiment will ever learn what they did. So they turned their back on him, which was really harsh.

He deserved several pats on the back and it is such a shame his SAS career has ended like this.

The veteran was stationed in Kenya to help train the nations soldiers when heavily armed jihadis from the al-Shabaab terror group seized the Dusit D2 luxury hotel complex, setting fire to vehicles, detonating explosions and embarking on a mass shooting.

The 19-hour siege left 21 dead, including British charity worker Luke Potter.
One of the first female infantry officers in the British Army has spoken of her pride at being considered in the same bracket as trail blazers.

Second Lieutenant Emily Smith, 26, from Somerset, is the third female officer in the UK's largest infantry regiment, The Rifles.

Then defence secretary Gavin Williamson announced in 2018 that for the first time women would be allowed to apply for all roles in the Army, including close combat roles.

Ms Smith said she had wanted to join the Army from childhood. She went on to prove herself as an athlete, winning a scholarship to Eastern Michigan University, and working in the energy sector before entering Sandhurst in September 2020.

She serves with 2 Rifles, who are based at Thiepval Barracks close to Lisburn, Co Antrim, and is currently on Exercise Olive Grove in Jordan.

'I can't even remember the first time that I wanted to be in the Army. My mum has a story of the Army visiting our school and me coming back and saying, "I've just had the best day of my life" and my twin sister saying she'd had the worst day of her life,' she said.

Second Lieutenant Emily Smith (centre) has spoken of her pride at being one of the first female officers to be part of the Rifles. Pictured: Emily Smith with Sgt Sara Postans (left) Canadian AF and Capt. Turner Snelgrove (right) Canadian AF during Exercise Olive Grove in Jordan

She is thought to have been the 10th woman to have gone through the Infantry Battle School in Brecon, Wales.

'I am really really proud even to be in that bracket, breaking the stigma. Once you have had one woman go through, everyone is a little more used to it.

'My experience at Brecon was great. I didn't have any issues with being female. I think that shows we are making huge progress in the right direction and it is becoming more of the norm,' she said.

'There is a good group of girls who keep in touch and support each other which is nice, there are people to talk to.

'I'm the third Rifles officer. Natalie Waddington and Augusta Kato went through before me and they were both amazingly supportive, and both strong women. To be in the same bracket as them makes me very proud.'

She described having received strong support from the Rifles.

Pictured: Female soldiers and officers from 2 Rifles take part in training with the Jordanian Defence Forces as part of training at a camp around an hour's drive from capital city Amman

Women in the armed forces around the world Since 2018, women have been able to serve in all combat roles alongside male colleagues. As of April 2021, around 10 per cent of the British Army are women, compared to more than 14 per cent in the US and Australia. Women are best represented in the RAF where they make up 15 per cent of personnel. These days, most countries in the world accept women into their armed forces, although most have various restrictions on what women are allowed to do. The UK is part of a small but growing group of countries where women can serve in close combat roles. In total, more than 20 nations allow women to fight in combat roles, including Australia, Canada, Denmark, Eritrea, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, North Korea, Poland, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the US. It is very unusual for women to be allowed to compete for a place in elite special forces combat units and due to the secretive nature of their operations, exact details are not well-known. In 2014, Norway launched an all-female special forces unit after it recognised a need for more female operatives in combat zones such as Afghanistan where men were forbidden to speak to women. Last year, the MoD confirmed two women had made it onto the selection course for the SAS but it has not been confirmed whether they passed the gruelling process. Advertisement

'If you do the same job they don't really care where you come from or who you are, I think that was one of the reasons why I was so comfortable with choosing the Rifles, they made me feel very comfortable from the start,' she said.

'The thing about being a woman is if you are one woman or two women in 60, you do stand out so that has got its pros and cons, you can't make a mistake but also if you do something it does often get noticed.'

Exercise Olive Grove has seen 2 Rifles training with the Jordanian Armed Forces, including their female soldiers.

'It's an interesting one because not only are you dealing with being women but also the Jordanian way of life,' Ms Smith said.

'We have been showing them our way of approach to buildings and clearing rooms.

'It gives them a go of trying our way of doing things and they have been showing us their way of doing things.

'To be a part of this and see what the Jordanian women are doing is brilliant. It makes me realise how lucky I am to be in the British Army where people are supportive and although you have those people who don't agree with it or you might come up against a bit of resistance, the resistance that these girls have to go through, and they still get the stuff done. I've been inspired by it all.'

Another female officer on Exercise Olive Grove is Second Lieutenant Scarlett Knight, 18, from Gloucestershire.

She is on a gap year commission before going on to study for a law degree.

'It's a year of experience, it differs from person to person, you go and do the reserve commission at Sandhurst, everyone has to do that to do the gap year, then it depends on which regiment you go to,' she said.

'Jordan has to be the highlight so far, it's amazing how different it is being in the field, in a different country. I think you get the basis of what the army really is.

'I would really like to return after my degree but it's too early to say what capacity I'd like to come back in.'

She described the experience of being in a position of command at such a young age as an interesting one.

Second Lieutenant Emily Smith (right), with some of the first women infantry soldiers and officers taking part in Exercise Olive Grove in Jordan, working with Jordanian Armed Forces

'I'm the second youngest person in my entire platoon. It's odd, I think you just have to put it out of your mind, you have to be another officer but it's also about being honest, when you don't understand, you don't understand,' she said.

'My sergeant, and all the officers, are brilliant for when I just turn around and ask what does that mean.

'They treat you like any other officer. As long as you don't make it an issue then it's not. You get the jokes, about being only 18, but it has not been a problem.'

2 Rifles B Company Officer Commanding Major Mark Hayward said seeing the rule change come to fruition has been fantastic.

'It's long been talked about, this is my first time exposure to working alongside a female officer but you very quickly realise at the end of the day it's another soldier in a uniform,' he said.

'As soon as people appreciate that and not try to make special allowances or treat people differently we have managed to get a much wider workforce and actually what women do bring to the team is another way of looking at it that traditionally white male English soldiers may not have been able to.

'We've really seen that out here, working alongside female officers, we're a much better team for it.'
Three Ukrainian volunteers were shot dead by Russian soldiers after delivering food to starving animals in the heavily shelled town of Bucha, Kyiv.

Serhiy Ustymenko, 25, Maxym Kuzmenko, 28, and Anastasia Yalanka, 26, were driving to pick up Ustymenko's parents on March 4 when a Russian vehicle, described by witnesses as a tank or infantry fighting vehicle, opened fire on their car.

All three were killed before Valeriy Ustymenko, Serhiy's father, ran out of his home and dragged the bodies from the vehicle and into his basement.

Dmytro Zubkov, a friend of Maxym Kuzmenko, told the Kyiv Independent there was no way the Russians were unaware they were shooting at civilians.

'The car was (obviously) civilian', he said.

'Maxym was wearing a hat with a pom pom. They didnt look like the military at all.'

Anastasiya Yalanska (left), Serhiy Ustymenko (second from right), and Maxym Kuzmenko (right). Their fourth friend (second from left) was not in the car that day and is alive, accordin to the Kyiv Independent

Anastasia Yalanka, 26, was described as a talented IT recruiter who had only started her new job three weeks ago

Three days after the attack, the bodies remained in Valeriy's basement, where he has continued hiding from the shelling. The three friends cannot be buried due to the heavy artillery fire in Bucha.

Anatol Fedoruk, the mayor of Bucha, said Russian shelling has been so relentless in the region that residents have not been able to gather the dead.

He described the horror of bodies being torn apart by dogs.

The three friends killed on March 4 had just delivered dog food to a shelter and were approaching the home where Ustymenko's parents have been sheltering from the war.

Ustymenko, a co-founder of a car repair shop in Kyiv, was driving the vehicle and was described by friends as 'kind and reliable' and 'the best driver of all of Kyiv'.

Ivan Soloviy told the Kyiv Independent Ustymenko was a friend 'that would never betray you'.

Kuzmenko was a hookah server in a Kyiv bar which helped provide the Ukrainian army and hospitals with food following the invasion.

Serhiy Ustymenko, a co-founder of a car repair shop in Kyiv, was described by friends as 'kind and reliable' and 'the best driver of all of Kyiv

Kuzmenko was a hookah server in a Kyiv bar which helped provide the Ukrainian army and hospitals with food following the invasion

Having volunteered as a driver during the coronavirus pandemic, Kuzmenko returned to deliver essential needs to people in Kyiv and the surrounding areas.

Kateryna Zhvalyuk, his employer and friend, said: 'He was always there for those who needed him.'

Yalanska was described as a talented IT recruiter who had only started her new job three weeks ago.

Her boss, Jeremy Achin, said she was 'ambitious' and someone who 'wanted to grow and run HR for a large company'.

She had been warned by her friends and family to avoid areas of heavy shelling, but her husband Eugen Yalanskiy said she 'always helped those in need, until her last breath.'

Here's how YOU can help: Donate here to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal Readers of Mail Newspapers and MailOnline have always shown immense generosity at times of crisis. Calling upon that human spirit, we are supporting a huge push to raise money for refugees from Ukraine. For, surely, no one can fail to be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families  mostly women, children, the infirm and elderly  fleeing from Russia's invading armed forces. As this tally of misery increases over the coming days and months, these innocent victims of a tyrant will require accommodation, schools and medical support. Donations to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal will be used to help charities and aid organisations providing such essential services. In the name of charity and compassion, we urge all our readers to give swiftly and generously. TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE Donate at www.mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate To add Gift Aid to a donation  even one already made  complete an online form found here: mymail.co.uk/ukraine Via bank transfer, please use these details: Account name: Mail Force Charity Account number: 48867365 Sort code: 60-00-01 TO MAKE A DONATION VIA CHEQUE Make your cheque payable to 'Mail Force' and post it to: Mail Newspapers Ukraine Appeal, GFM, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY TO MAKE A DONATION FROM THE US US readers can donate to the appeal via a bank transfer to Associated Newspapers or by sending checks to dailymail.com HQ at 51 Astor Place (9th floor), New York, NY 10003 Advertisement

'Dogs are pulling bodies apart on the street': Ukrainian mayor describes scenes of horror as relentless Russian shelling makes it impossible to gather the dead

The mayor of a besieged Ukrainian suburb has described Russian artillery fire as being so relentless that residents have been unable to gather up the dead leaving dogs to 'pull apart the bodies'.

Anatol Fedoruk, the mayor of Bucha, in Kyiv, said military fire in the region has been heavy and constant well into the second week of the Russian invasion.

As the Kremlin said it again promises safe corridors for civilians, Mr Fedoruk said a steady rain of shells and rockets continues to fall on population centres.

'We can't even gather up the bodies because the shelling from heavy weapons doesn't stop day or night,' Mr Fedoruk said.

'Dogs are pulling apart the bodies on the city streets. It's a nightmare.'

Anatol Fedoruk, the mayor of Bucha, in Kyiv, said Russian artillery fire has been so relentless that residents have been unable to clear the dead, leaving dogs to pull apart the bodies. Pictured: a dog stands between destroyed Russian armoured vehicles in Bucha

Civilians carry their belongings as the evacuate to safety across a contested bridge at the frontline between Bucha and Irpin City. The area has been hit by heavy Russian shelling

Corridors intended to let Ukrainian civilians escape the Russian onslaught could open on Tuesday, Kremlin officials said, though Ukrainian leaders greeted the plan with scepticism since prior efforts to establish evacuation routes crumbled over the weekend amid renewed attacks.

In one of the most desperate cities, the encircled southern port of Mariupol, an estimated 200,000 people - nearly half the population of 430,000 - were hoping to flee, and Red Cross officials waited to hear when a corridor would be established.

Russia's chief negotiator said he expected the corridors to be in use on Tuesday.

The Russian UN ambassador forecast a potential cease-fire for the morning and appeared to suggest that humanitarian paths leading away from Kyiv and other cities could give people choice in where they want to go - a change from previous proposals that offered only destinations in Russia or Belarus.

The office of embattled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would not comment on the latest Russian proposal, saying only that Moscow's plans can be believed only if a safe evacuation begins.

Demands for effective passageways have surged amid intensifying shelling by Russian forces.

Corridors intended to let Ukrainian civilians escape the Russian onslaught could open on Tuesday, Kremlin officials said, though Ukrainian leaders greeted the plan with scepticism. Pictured: a Ukrainian serviceman looks at a civilian crossing a blown up bridge east of the town of Brovary

The steady bombardments, including in some of Ukraine's most populated regions, have yielded a humanitarian crisis of diminishing food, water and medical supplies.

Through it all, Mr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces were showing unprecedented courage.

'The problem is that for one soldier of Ukraine, we have 10 Russian soldiers, and for one Ukrainian tank, we have 50 Russian tanks,' Mr Zelensky told ABC News in an interview that aired on Monday night.

But he noted that the gap in strength was diminishing and that even if Russian forces 'come into all our cities', they will be met with an insurgency.

A top US official said multiple countries were discussing whether to provide the warplanes that Mr Zelensky has been pleading for.

At The Hague, Netherlands, Ukraine pleaded with the International Court of Justice to order a halt to Russia's invasion, saying Moscow is committing widespread war crimes.

Russia 'is resorting to tactics reminiscent of medieval siege warfare, encircling cities, cutting off escape routes and pounding the civilian population with heavy ordnance', said Jonathan Gimblett, a member of Ukraine's legal team.

Russia snubbed the court proceedings, leaving its seats in the Great Hall of Justice empty.

The UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths addressed the Security Council and urged safe passage for people to go 'in the direction they choose'.

The UN human rights office reported 406 confirmed civilian deaths but said the real number is much higher. Pictured: a woman and her child evacuating Bucha

The battle for Mariupol is crucial because its capture could allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014.

The fighting has sent energy prices surging worldwide and stocks plummeting, and threatens the food supply and livelihoods of people around the globe who rely on crops farmed in the fertile Black Sea region.

The UN human rights office reported 406 confirmed civilian deaths but said the real number is much higher. The invasion has also sent 1.7 million people fleeing Ukraine.

On Monday, Moscow again announced a series of demands to stop the invasion, including that Ukraine recognise Crimea as part of Russia and recognise the eastern regions controlled by Moscow-supported separatist fighters as independent.

It also insisted that Ukraine change its constitution to guarantee it will not join international bodies like Nato and the EU. Ukraine has already rejected those demands.

Mr Zelensky has called for more punitive measures against Russia, including a global boycott of its oil exports, which are key to its economy.

'If (Russia) doesn't want to abide by civilized rules, then they shouldn't receive goods and services from civilization', he said in a video address.
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Ben Wallace today declared Vladimir Putin is a 'spent force in the world' and the invasion of Ukraine will be the Russian President's 'end'.

The Defence Secretary said Mr Putin's attack is ultimately doomed to fail because of the fighting spirit of the Ukrainian people and occupying such a large country against its will is an 'impossible task'.

The Cabinet minister said Mr Putin's actions mean 'he is done' and 'no one will be taking his phone calls in the long term'.

Meanwhile, Mr Wallace again ruled out enforcing a no-fly zone over Ukraine as he said an email from a worried 10-year-old girl illustrated how high the stakes are following Russia's invasion.

The Defence Secretary said he had been contacted by a child who told him 'how frightened she was of nuclear war'.

Mr Wallace said the UK must be 'realistic' about how it can help Ukraine, with ministers having to strike a 'difficult balance' of offering support without triggering a wider NATO conflict with Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly asked the West to enforce a no-fly zone but the UK has ruled out the move because it would pit NATO fighter jets against Russian fighter jets - a situation which could easily spiral into all-out war.

Mr Wallace questioned how effective a no-fly zone would be in helping Ukraine because while no country would be able to fly in the area, forces like Russia 'with overwhelming artillery and missile batteries will be able to continue'.

He also said the UK will not be supplying fighter jets to Ukraine but would support Poland if it chooses to do so.

Ben Wallace today ruled out enforcing a no-fly zone over Ukraine as he said an email from a worried 10-year-old girl illustrated how high the stakes are following Russia's invasion

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly asked the West to enforce a no-fly zone

Russia has now committed all of the forces it massed on the Ukrainian border before the invasion, and has made only limited territorial gains - capturing just one major city, Kherson. Others, including Sumy and Kyiv, are slowly being surrounded but in some places the Ukrainians have managed to thwart Russian attacks or successfully counter-attack

Here's how YOU can help: Donate here to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal Readers of Mail Newspapers and MailOnline have always shown immense generosity at times of crisis. Calling upon that human spirit, we are supporting a huge push to raise money for refugees from Ukraine. For, surely, no one can fail to be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families  mostly women, children, the infirm and elderly  fleeing from the bombs and guns. As this tally of misery increases over the coming days and months, these innocent victims of this conflict will require accommodation, schools and medical support. Donations to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal will be used to help charities and aid organisations providing such essential services. In the name of charity and compassion, we urge all our readers to give swiftly and generously. TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE Donate at www.mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate To add Gift Aid to a donation  even one already made  complete an online form found here: mymail.co.uk/ukraine Via bank transfer, please use these details: Account name: Mail Force Charity Account number: 48867365 Sort code: 60-00-01 TO MAKE A DONATION VIA CHEQUE Make your cheque payable to 'Mail Force' and post it to: Mail Newspapers Ukraine Appeal, GFM, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY TO MAKE A DONATION FROM THE US US readers can donate to the appeal via a bank transfer to Associated Newspapers or by sending checks to dailymail.com HQ at 51 Astor Place (9th floor), New York, NY 10003 Advertisement

NATO chief warns Russia could be targeting civilians trying to flee as evacuation buses leave two cities including Mariupol where girl has died of thirst after water was cut off NATO's chief has said Russia could be deliberately targeting civilians trying to flee Ukraine after Vladimir Putin's forces again broke a ceasefire to shell evacuation routes. Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in Latvia today there are 'credible' reports of 'war crimes' being committed by Russia. The Vatican also told Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov that the killing of civilians 'must stop'. The remarks were made after Russia shelled evacuation corridors out of Mariupol and Sumy as desperate civilians try to flee Putin's onslaught. Stoltenberg said: 'There are very creditable reports of civilians coming under fire as they try to evacuate. 'Targeting civilians is a war crime, and it's totally unacceptable.' Decrying the 'devastating' humanitarian impact of the war, he added: 'We need real humanitarian corridors that are fully respected.' Civilians tried to flee Mariupol which has been bombarded for days but their bus was met with shelling during a supposed ceasefire. Advertisement

Mr Wallace was asked this morning during an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today programme how he believes the conflict could end and he set out two potential scenarios.

The first would see Russian forces become so 'depleted' that the invasion 'grinds to a halt' while the second would see Moscow attempt to impose its 'total will' on the country.

Mr Wallace said he does not believe the second scenario is viable because Mr Putin would be unable to meet the cost of decades of occupation.

You try occupying a country the size of France and Germany put together with [a population of] 44 million,' he said.

The Defence Secretary slammed Mr Putin's decision to invade as he said: This will be Putins end, this country, and so it should be, because of not only their spirit and their moral component that they have on their side, the Ukrainians, but also because it will be an impossible task to occupy such a people and a country.

The Defence Secretary said the Russian President's actions had left Moscow cut-off from much of the rest of the world.

Whatever we think about President Putin, he is done, he is a spent force in the world,' he said.

No one will be taking his phone calls in the long term. He has exhausted his army, he is responsible for thousands of Russian soldiers being killed, responsible for innocent people being killed, civilians being killed in Ukraine.

He is reducing his economy to zero because the international community has decided it is absolutely unacceptable what he does and so he is a spent force in the world.

I dont know whether he thinks thats a clever thing to be, but that diminishes his own country in the world and he has to take responsibility for that.

Mr Wallace was challenged on the no-fly zone issue this morning during an interview on BBC Breakfast.

Explaining the risks of taking such a step, he said: I got an email from a 10-year-old, a girl, the other day, into my account saying how frightened she was of nuclear war.

I think we have to be realistic. I have a difficult balance to take which is triggering a wider war and protecting the people of Ukraine.

That is not an easy balance, it is a responsibility.

Mr Wallace was played a clip from a Ukrainian MP asking NATO to enforce a no-fly zone above the country.

The Defence Secretary said: 'The MP you have just quoted, she talked about Russian missiles. Russian missiles are not affected by no-fly zones.

Russia has an overwhelming stock of missiles and artillery and neither of those would be stopped by a no-fly zone because you would also be stopping Ukrainian aircraft.

Russia has today offered to reopen 'humanitarian corridors' for civilians to flee besieged cities which has been dismissed as little more than a PR stunt by Kyiv because routes, most of which lead to Russia, have been attacked

An elderly woman placed in a shopping trolley is carried over a destroyed bridge as she is evacuated from the city of Irpin, west of Kyiv, as snow falls on Tuesday morning

A police officer says goodbye to his son as his family flees from advancing Russian troops as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues in the town of Irpin

Heavy snow falls as Ukrainian civilians flee across a river in Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, where heavy fighting is going on

Ukrainian servicemen inspect a charred Russian tank that was destroyed on the outskirts of Sumy, eastern Ukraine

The few weapons that the Ukrainians have to hit artillery at depth and indeed missile launchers at depth is by air.

If you have a no-fly zone, no one is flying. But forces with overwhelming artillery and missile batteries will be able to continue and I think that is part of the problem that unless you want to deal with this through another means which is more anti-air, there are systems that can defeat missiles as well as aircraft and drones and some of those have already been supplied to the Ukrainians, the Stinger missile for example can bring down a range of weapon systems.

We will look at whether there are any other weapons systems that can do that. But I think that as she said in her own description, it is the missiles and the artillery that are causing this mass destruction and that would not be affected by a no-fly zone.

What I suspect really is what the Ukrainians quite rightly want is effectively someone to remove the Russian aircraft from the equation but allow them to keep flying and I think that is a perfectly legitimate ask and we think we can do that in a different way which is providing anti-air capability to the Ukrainians.

The row over the no-fly zone continued to rumble on as the US and Poland work on a deal to supply Ukraine with fighter jets.

Ukrainian Air Force MiG-29 fighters are pictured during a training session near Kyiv in August 2016

Mr Wallace said the UK must be 'realistic' about how it can help Ukraine, with ministers having to strike a 'difficult balance' of offering support without triggering a wider NATO conflict with Vladimir Putin

Russian troops continue to try and surround Kyiv ahead of what is expected to be an attack on the city, with intense fighting reported in the north west including hand-to-hand combat with Russian forces

The deal would see Poland supply Ukraine with Russian-made MiG-29 aircraft, while the US would then supply Warsaw with US-made F-16s as replacements.

Mr Wallace said the UK could not directly supply fighter jets to Ukraine because of technological differences.

He said: 'The United Kingdom couldnt supply jets directly to Ukraine. We dont have the same type of fighter jets. They fly sort of MiG-29s and others.

But I think there are about three countries in Europe who do possess Mig-29s. I think our view would be look, it is for Poland on a bilateral basis to decide whether to support Ukraine.

We will support Poland whatever choice she makes as a country.
A taxi driver and a pub landlord are among the growing number of kind-hearted Brits who have taken it upon themselves to deliver thousands of much-needed supplies to refugees in Ukraine.

Darren Tait, 50, who runs Darren's Cars, in St Ann's Chapel, Cornwall, and Neale Chandler, 52, owner of the The Kings Arms, in Eccleshall, Staffordshire, are driving a total of 10 vans and minibuses - filled to the brim with donated items - some 1,800-miles eastward.

The men felt compelled to act after witnessing the harrowing scenes of civilians fleeing Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine - which entered its 13th day on Tuesday.

According to Darren's 'proud' wife Polly, it was after hearing the story of a six-year-old boy who was allegedly shot by Russian forces while in the car with his parents that he was spurred into action.

He decided to fill nine of his vans and minibuses with supplies, including medicine, food and clothes, before setting off on Sunday.

Darren, who was overwhelmed by donations from well-wishing locals, had reached Germany as of Sunday night and was heading to Poland.

In a video update shared to Facebook on Tuesday, Darren said he was heading towards Warsaw where he planned to meet up with an aid charity, who will load his items onto bigger vehicles before taking them 'further down into Ukraine.'

His wife Polly said: 'Darren has been watching the news and it was after a six-year-old child was shot in his car with his parents that he said he couldn't just sit there and do nothing.

Darren Tait (pictured), 50, who runs Darren's Cars, in St Ann's Chapel, was compelled to act after witnessing the harrowing scenes of civilians fleeing Vladimir Putin's invasion - which entered its 13th day on Tuesday

Darren decided to fill nine of his cars and minibuses with medicine, food and clothes, before setting off on the 1,800-mile-plus journey on Sunday. (Pictured: Darren's convoy at the port of Dover heading to Calais)

Neale Chandler (pictured), 52, has arrived in a Polish border town with a van filled with donated items

Neale said he expected his arrival to the Ukraine border to be 'an emotional day' (Pictured: Neale with his van filled with supplies)

'He felt that since we have got the vehicles, we ought to try and do something.

'We have been overwhelmed with the amount of support we have received from people.

'My office is filling up with stuff - we've got 15 bags of things people have donated, plus two tents.

'The phone has been really busy - we've had people saying they are shopping in Tescos and asking what we need, we've had Specsavers from Okehampton ringing up and people from Torpoint and everywhere. I really think we are going to need a bigger van.'

Darren planned to reach Ukraine and return to Britain within five days.

His gifts include sleeping bags, sanitary items, household products, toys for children, first aid kits and nappies.

He has posted several video updates, saying he has been 'humbled' by the response.

'The response from the Tamar Valley around Callington, Cornwall, Devon, we've had offers of help and donations coming in from around the country,' he said.

Darren (pictured) was compelled to act after hearing of a six-year-old boy who was shot at in Ukraine

A picture of one of Darren's vans shows sanitary towels, nappies and loo rolls among the hundreds of donated items

Darren is travelling through France, Germany and Poland to reach Ukraine

'Cornwall sending love to Ukraine': Heartfelt message posted in the windows of Darren's vehicles, which hope to reach Ukraine today or tomorrow

One of Darren's vans is seen filled to the brim with much needed supplies for Ukrainian refugees

Darren also appealed for people with vans to join his convoy as they had received so many donations. (Pictured: One of Darren's vans filled with gifted items)

Darren, who was overwhelmed by donations from well-wishing locals, had reached Germany as of last night and was heading to Poland. (Pictured: Locals help Darren load his vans before setting off on Sunday)

'It's amazing. People are just waiting for the opportunity to help.'

Darren also posted pictures of his taxi office rammed full of donations, with staff working around the clock to sort them at the weekend.

He also appealed for people with vans to join his convoy as they had received so many donations.

'It's absolutely wonderful,' he added.

Darren and nine volunteers took a ferry from Dover to Calais, and then proceeded to drive towards Poland via France and Germany, heading towards Warsaw.

He expects to be back this Thursday and has already passed through Belgium, Holland and Germany without an issue.

He said the support on the journey was 'amazing', with people offering money for petrol costs.

Meanwhile, Neale - travelling with friends Carl Miller and Danny Gratton - had reached the border town of Przemysl in Poland Tuesday, telling his Facebook followers: 'Phew. Hundreds and hundreds of displaced people.'

In an update on Monday night, he said his crew had found an Airbnb 'in the sticks', which 'turned out well.'

Neale (pictured), said he felt compelled to help Ukrainians, adding: 'This is a drop in the ocean compared to what is needed but if we can help a dozen people that is fantastic.'

Neale and one of his travel companions tuck into 'crisp butties' in Poland on the eve of their arrival to the Ukraine border

He added: 'It's turned out well and the people who checked us in couldnt be friendlier.

'Theyre also housing Ukrainian refugees and quite emotional about everything going on.

'Tea tonight is cheese, ham and crisp butties and a few beers. Expecting tomorrow to be an emotional day.'

It came after he told the Shropshire Star on Sunday how his van was rammed with goods, 'literally to the roof.'

He said: 'The generosity of people has been incredible. We put a call out for action last Sunday and by the Monday even we were turning people away. I was looking at the van thinking 'how will I get it in?'.'

Neale said there were around 40 boxes of aid in his Vauxhall Vivaro.

He added: 'You have to do something to help. This is a drop in the ocean compared to what is needed but if we can help a dozen people that is fantastic.

'You have got to do what you can.'

Neale's team were praised by locals online, with one commenting: 'So proud of you. Have a safe journey.

'Congratulations for your positivity, organising and care for some refugees.

'Many of us feel helpless but you rose above this. So proud of you.'

It comes as the mayor of a besieged Ukrainian suburb has described Russian artillery fire as being so relentless that residents have been unable to gather up the dead leaving dogs to 'pull apart the bodies'.

Anatol Fedoruk, the mayor of Bucha, in Kyiv, said Russian artillery fire has been so relentless that residents have been unable to clear the dead, leaving dogs to pull apart the bodies. Pictured: A dog stands between destroyed Russian armoured vehicles in Bucha

Civilians carry their belongings as the evacuate to safety across a contested bridge at the frontline between Bucha and Irpin City. The area has been hit by heavy Russian shelling

Anatol Fedoruk, the mayor of Bucha, in Kyiv, said military fire in the region has been heavy and constant well into the second week of the Russian invasion.

As the Kremlin said it again promises safe corridors for civilians, Mr Fedoruk said a steady rain of shells and rockets continues to fall on population centres.

'We can't even gather up the bodies because the shelling from heavy weapons doesn't stop day or night,' Mr Fedoruk said.

'Dogs are pulling apart the bodies on the city streets. It's a nightmare.'

Corridors intended to let Ukrainian civilians escape the Russian onslaught could open on Tuesday, Kremlin officials said, though Ukrainian leaders greeted the plan with skepticism since prior efforts to establish evacuation routes crumbled over the weekend amid renewed attacks.

In one of the most desperate cities, the encircled southern port of Mariupol, an estimated 200,000 people - nearly half the population of 430,000 - were hoping to flee, and Red Cross officials waited to hear when a corridor would be established.

Russia's chief negotiator said he expected the corridors to be in use on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Ben Wallace today ruled out enforcing a no-fly zone over Ukraine as he said an email from a worried 10-year-old girl illustrated how high the stakes are following Russia's invasion.

Ben Wallace today ruled out enforcing a no-fly zone over Ukraine as he said an email from a worried 10-year-old girl illustrated how high the stakes are following Russia's invasion

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly asked the West to enforce a no-fly zone

The UK's Defence Secretary said he had been contacted by a child who told him 'how frightened she was of nuclear war'.

Mr Wallace said the UK must be 'realistic' about how it can help Ukraine, with ministers having to strike a 'difficult balance' of offering support without triggering a wider NATO conflict with Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly asked the West to enforce a no-fly zone but the UK has ruled out the move because it would pit NATO fighter jets against Russian fighter jets - a situation which could easily spiral into all-out war.

Mr Wallace also questioned how effective a no-fly zone would be in helping Ukraine because while no country would be able to fly in the area, forces like Russia 'with overwhelming artillery and missile batteries will be able to continue'.

He also said the UK will not be supplying fighter jets to Ukraine but would support Poland if it chooses to do so.
Bill Barr said he suspected Vladimir Putin would see President Joe Biden as 'weak' and start 'grabbing whatever he wanted' with more bravado.

The former Attorney General, who served under Donald Trump's administration, added that Biden's win offered Russia with 'no incentive to use diplomacy', especially following the President's withdrawal from Afghanistan and taking the U.S. out of energy independence.

Speaking with Fox News, Barr said: 'Given Biden's manifest weakness, Putin is likely to feel he's better off making no concessions at all.'

Bill Barr said he suspected Putin would see President Joe Biden as 'weak' and start 'grabbing whatever he wanted' with more bravado

In the interview with Fox News' 'Special Report' last night, Barr explained that he made predictions about Russia's behavior in his new book, One Damn Thing After Another: Memoirs of an Attorney General.

A passage from it read: 'I am afraid that, with a wavering, intermittently alert Joe Biden in the Oval Office, Vladimir Putin will pursue Russian strategic goals more assertively and feel little need to find agreed-upon frameworks with the U.S.'

Touching on 'Russia-gate', Barr implied that by furthering the state away from diplomatic relations following Trump's loss, Russia became bolder.

He said that even though 'Russia is on a sharp decline' and 'Putin has made a big mistake', Biden's decisions had the power of 'increasing the leverage of Russia dramatically', making Putin's behavior, Barr thought, 'inevitable'.

Biden announced his plans to withdraw troops from Afghanistan last April, and defended his decision when the Taliban took over the country in August in a speech at the White House on August 16, in which he also blamed Afghan leaders for their failure to prevent the country collapsing.

Speaking with Fox News, Barr said: 'Given Biden's manifest weakness, Putin is likely to feel he's better off making no concessions at all'

A US Marine grabbing an infant over a fence of barbed wire during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on August 19, 2021

'I stand squarely behind my decision,' Biden said. 'After 20 years I've learned the hard way. That there was never a good time to withdraw U.S. forces. That's why we're still there.'

In his remarks, he also said that 'American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves.'

Later that night, Biden authorized up to $500million from an emergency fund to meet 'unexpected urgent' refugee needs stemming from the situation in Afghanistan, including for Afghan special immigration visa applicants, the White House said.

The day he delivered his speech, video from Kabul showed desperate Afghans clinging to the sides of a U.S. military plane as it tried to leave the city's airport.

Another showed people plunging to their deaths from a C-17 transport aircraft.

Biden also pointed a finger at former President Donald Trump's agreement with the Taliban to pull out American troops by May 1, 2021.

'So I'm left again to ask of those who argue that we should stay: How many more generations of America's daughters and sons would you have me send to fight Afghanistan's civil war, when Afghan troops will not?' Biden said.

'How many more lives, American lives is it worth? How many endless rows of head stones at Arlington National Cemetery?'

Afghans climb on top of a passenger jet at Kabul's airport amid chaotic scenes as civilians try to find safe passage out of the Afghan capital after Taliban takeover

Donald Trump shakes hands with Vladimir Putin during a news conference in Helsinki, Finland, in 2018

'I'm clear in my answer: I will not repeat the mistakes we've made in the past. The mistake of staying and fighting indefinitely in a conflict that is not in the national interest of the United States,' he continued.

'Of doubling down on a civil war in a foreign country. Of attempting to remake a country through the endless military deployments of U.S. forces,' the president added.

His speech lasted about 18 minutes. At its conclusion, he walked out of the East Room, ignoring reporters' shouted questions.

Biden's decision was slammed by both Democrats and Republicans, with many heavily criticizing the move amid the country's fall to a terrorist regime.

Mitch McConell claimed Biden's decisions 'have us hurtling toward an even worse sequel to the humiliating fall of Saigon in 1975' and Republican Lindsey Graham tweeted: 'It will only be a matter of time before our homeland is again threatened from Afghanistan.'
President Moon Jae-in gives a rose to a nurse in celebration of International Women's Day, March 8. Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae





President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday that the gender equality ministry plays a "very important" role, a remark that could be seen as veiled criticism of the main opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol's pledge to abolish it.







Moon made the remarks after he was briefed about the ministry's achievements by Gender Equality and Family Minister Chung Young-ai during a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day, presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said in a statement.







"The next government may have new ideas about the roles, title and form of the ministry of gender and family, but regardless of how the ministry's fate ends up, each of the tasks the ministry is in charge of is very important," Moon was quoted as saying.







It marks Moon's first comment on the issue since it emerged as a hot topic in the presidential race.







Yoon of the main opposition People Power Party has pledged to dissolve the ministry in an apparent attempt to woo male voters in their 20s who say they are "fed up with feminism."







Moon's remarks on the ministry came a day before Koreans vote for their next president in a tight race between Yoon and his ruling party rival Lee Jae-myung.







Moon said he hopes for a "constructive" discussion about the gender ministry, according to Park.







The gender ministry's budget for this year is set at 1.46 trillion won ($1.18 billion), accounting for a mere 0.24 percent of the government's total spending, the President Moon said.







Moon said the ministry is not just for women but for the welfare of vulnerable families, including single-parent households and child care services. (Yonhap)






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This is the horrifying moment a landlord discovers a live boa constrictor in a mountain of rubbish left behind by an evicted hoarder.

Phil Tewkesley, 47, said the occupants used the Covid pandemic as an 'excuse' to refuse him access to inspect the three-bedroom property near Kendal, Cumbria, for the last two years.

But upon entering the bungalow once the couple left, he was horrified to discover four snakes - two dead and two alive - fish, bugs crawling across the carpet, a tarantula and even scorpions.

The 'tenant from hell', who allegedly refused to pay rent for the final six months, is believed to have once spoken out against abandoning snakes, urging people to take reptiles to rescue centres if they can't 'manage' them.

He once rescued a boa constrictor and stated that it would be 'well looked after' - which is thought to be the same snake found left in a tank in his former home.

The RSPCA has since stepped in to rescue the two live snakes as well as removing the other dead exotic animals.

Mr Tewkesley has now shared footage of the trashed home and abandoned reptiles in a bid to raise awareness of the issues faced by landlords, particularly through Covid.

The mounds of rubbish seen left by the tenant at 47-year-old Phil Tewkesley's rented bungalow near Kendal, Cumbria. He shared footage of the trashed home and abandoned reptiles in a bid to raise awareness of the issues faced by landlords

The live seven-foot boa constructor that was found in a tank by the landlord. The 'tenant from hell', who allegedly refused to pay rent for the final six months, is believed to have once spoken out against abandoning snakes

The piles of rubbish seen in the utility and laundry area at the bungalow. Mr Tewkesley issued a formal notice for the tenants to vacate the bungalow upon his return to the UK in late 2020

The landlord, from Worlsey, Greater Manchester, said: 'It was unbelievable, the sheer volume of not just belongings but actual rubbish and food.

'I've never seen anything like it in my life - it was like a rubbish dump with a roof on it.

'The neighbours said they were hoarders - they got deliveries every day and never threw anything out. There was mould growing from the carpet and it was full of urine, mealworms - you name it, it was rotten.

'There was also evidence in a number of spots of rodent damage and a bit of an infestation with holes gnawed through places around the house.

'The daughter's room was the worst - my partner Lisa cleared that and had to run out of the house heaving and retching numerous times because of the stench of urine.

'I saw this huge tank and it was dirty. I looked a bit closer into the tank and got the shock of my life - there was this gigantic snake curled up.

'I was terrified, I screamed and ran out of the house because the shock of seeing something like that was unbelievable.'

Mr Tewkesley issued a formal notice for the tenants to vacate the bungalow upon his return to the UK in late 2020, after living and working abroad for six years.

But the couple, who lived in the property with their teenage daughter, didn't leave for another year.

The landlord was only able to regain access to his property in December 2021 by having a locksmith burst and change the locks after neighbours informed him they had seen the tenants move out.

Mr Tewkesley (pictured with his 40-year-old partner Lisa McCartney), a HR manager, made the grim discovery that the entire house was piled high with rubbish and housing both dead and live exotic animals left behind by the couple

A dead tarantula found by Mr Tewkesley in his rented three-bedroom property. Due to the discovery of another live snake as well as two dead snakes and other dead exotic animals, the RSPCA officers called the police

The tanks that housed two live and two dead snakes discovered by the landlord. The RSPCA has since stepped in to rescue the two live snakes as well as removing the other dead exotic animals

The mounds of rubbish left in what appears to be an animal cage by the tenant. Once the animals were removed, the locks were changed and the tenant was given a month to remove the rest of his belongings before the clean up could begin

Mr Tewkesley, a HR manager, then made the grim discovery that the entire house was piled high with rubbish and housing both dead and live exotic animals left behind by the couple.

Afterwards, he phoned the RSPCA and left a spare key with the neighbours, allowing the charity to come and collect the 'gigantic' snake the following day, 31 December.

Due to the discovery of another live snake as well as two dead snakes and other dead exotic animals - including fish, scorpions and a tarantula - the RSPCA officers called the police, who sent an officer to witness the recovery of the animals.

Once they were removed, the locks were changed and the tenant was given a month to remove the rest of his belongings before the clean up could begin.

It took the landlord, his partner Lisa McCartney, 40, and some friends around 54 hours to clear all of the rubbish and rip the soiled carpets out.

Mr Tewkesley said: 'I initially hired three skips - at 250 each - and we filled them in one day, followed by another two which were full to the brim as well.

'I also had to pay for the council to do a large collection of the sofa and kitchen appliances because they were rotten.

It took the landlord, his partner Lisa McCartney, 40, and some friends around 54 hours to clear all of the rubbish and rip the soiled carpets out (pictured above)

Two skips that were filled with rubbish from the bungalow after the tenants moved out. Mr Tewkesley said: 'I initially hired three skips - at 250 each - and we filled them in one day, followed by another two which were full to the brim as well'

The mounds of clothing and rubbish left strewn across the floor by the tenants. The landlord has owned the property since 2011 and used it as a holiday home until he moved to Australia for work in late 2014

Sanitary products can be seen strewn across the bathroom in the bungalow, with a bucket sitting in the sink. Mr Tewkesley phoned the RSPCA and left a spare key with the neighbours, allowing the charity to come and collect the 'gigantic' snake

'It cost about 1,200 just to get rid of their stuff and the stuff they'd wrecked and it's going to cost tens of thousands to get it back to how it should have been.

'It's been a really stressful period, trying to get him to leave and then to find what I found. We're getting married at the end of this year so it's something we really didn't need to have to deal with.'

The landlord has owned the property since 2011 and used it as a holiday home until he moved to Australia for work in late 2014, at which point he decided to rent it out on the understanding that he would need the tenants to vacate upon his return.

Phil ended up staying in Australia for six years, until he was made redundant and forced to move back to the UK suddenly in August 2020.

The landlord said he felt the new rule, introduced due to Covid, of giving tenants six months to find somewhere new to live was 'fair', setting the vacation deadline at April 2021.

But in January of that year, he got the first hint that something was wrong at the property when his application to release capital from the bungalow to help fund a new house deposit was rejected due to the state of the property.

By the move deadline of April the tenants said they still weren't ready to leave and even stopped paying rent in June that year, despite continuing to live in the property for further six months.

During this time the couple also continued to refuse access to the property for an inspection.

Dozens of binbags were filled with rubbish from the bungalow after the tenants were evicted. By the move deadline of April the tenants said they still weren't ready to leave and even stopped paying rent in June that year

The bungalow after Mr Tewkesley cleared the mounds of rubbish. After being rejected for any compensation by his insurance, he hopes to raise awareness of how he feels there needs to be more support for landlords against 'rogue tenants'

Cardboard and plastic boxes form a pile on the floor, while mugs, bottles and other cooking utensils are seen littered across the surface top of the bungalow's kitchen

The revelation from neighbours that the tenants had already moved out of the property in early December, combined with a peek of the vile mess through the window and the lack of rent payments for six months, spurred the landlord to take action.

He broke the locks to finally regain access to the property and force the tenants to collect the rest of their belongings, allowing him to clear the remaining mountains of 'junk' in early February.

After being rejected for any compensation by his insurance, he hopes to raise awareness of how he feels there needs to be more support for landlords against 'rogue tenants'.

A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: 'We can confirm that four snakes - two sadly dead and two alive - were removed from a property in [Cumbria] by the RSPCA following a report from a member of the public.

'The live snakes were rehomed at a specialist boarding facility. As there is now a live investigation, we are not able to provide any further information at the moment.'

The tenant acknowledged the house was a 'state' but blamed not having his boiler serviced, a family member's illness, issues with his shower and central heating for the mess.

He said the landlord was 'rude' to him because the council couldn't find suitable accommodation for them and claims the animals were only left because the locks had been changed.

When quizzed on the number of dead animals in the property, the tenant said they were a 'lapse' and that he was 'still grieving' for them. He claimed there was no tarantula.

Cumbria Police confirmed that an officer attended the incident and supported the RSPCA.
'We will defend every square inch of NATO territory if it comes under attack, if it's on the receiving end of aggression,' US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Estonian Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets on Tuesday, shoring up NATO relationships amid escalating war in Ukraine.

Secretary Blinken is in Estonia this morning on the last leg Tuesday of his Baltic tour, a trip aimed at reassuring the former Soviet republics that NATO will guarantee their security as Russia's war with Ukraine rolls on unabated.

Blinken was met with senior Estonian officials in Tallinn a day after hearing appeals from both Lithuania and Latvia for more support and greater US and NATO troop presence to deter a feared Russian intervention.

Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets met Blinken ahead of the Estonian Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, echoing her Baltic counterparts by denounced the Russian invasion, calling it a direct threat to Europe and particularly to the Baltics.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (right) pose for photographers on the occasion of their meeting, in Tallinn, Estonia, on Tuesday

Estonian Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets (left) welcomes US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (right) prior to their meeting in Tallinn, Estonia

Latvia and Estonia to discuss assistance to Ukraine, the security situation in Europe and the reinforcement of NATO's defense capabilities in the Baltic states

'As the security situation has changed in Europe we must continue to strengthen the defense and deterrent posture here in NATO, especially here on the eastern flank,' said Liimets.

WHAT IS ARTICLE 5 OF NATO? Article 5 is the principle that an attack on one member of NATO is an attack on all members. All of the Baltic states - two of which border Russia - are in the alliance, along with Poland. A Russian attack on any member would legally oblige the rest of the alliance - which includes the UK, USA, Canada, France and Germany - to use their militaries to defend the nation under attack. The principle aims to deter potential adversaries from attacking NATO members, a key defense policy during the Cold War. Russia has so far never attacked a NATO member directly in its history. The first NATO expansion came with the reunification of Germany in 1990, after the Berlin wall fell the previous year and East Germany became part of the federal Republic of Germany. In May 1997, then-Russian president Boris Yeltsin signed text allowing NATO enlargement. The Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland joined NATO in 1999. They were followed in 2004 by Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, and Slovakia. Albania and Croatia joined in 2009, while Montenegro joined in 2017 and North Macedonia became a NATO member in 2020. Advertisement

As the war in Ukraine rages, leaders in all three Baltic states have expressed grave concerns about Russian President Vladimir Putin's intentions for former Soviet bloc countries that are now allied or otherwise linked to the West.

All states on Blinken's list, excluding Moldova, are bound by the Article 5 NATO doctrine that calls for collective defense if one member is attacked.

Blinken reaffirmed the principle on Monday when he said: 'An attack on one is an attack on all.'

'We have no illusions about Putin's Russia anymore,' Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said Monday in Riga.

'We don't really see any good reason to assume that Russia might change its policy.'

Rinkevics said that the Russian invasion of Ukraine had shown the Baltic countries in particular the need to bolster air and coastal defenses and that Latvia would like its security cooperation with NATO to be 'more efficient.'

Lithuanian President Gitanes Nauseda told Blinken in Vilnius that a policy of deterrence was no longer enough and that 'forward defense' was now needed.

He predicted that 'Putin will not stop in Ukraine if he will not be stopped.'

Memories of Soviet rule are still fresh in the Baltics and since the Russian invasion of Ukraine last month, NATO has moved quickly to boost its troop presence in its eastern flank allies while the US has pledged additional support.

Support for Ukraine's resistance to the Russian invasion was palpable in all three Baltics as Ukrainian flags and other signs of solidarity were evident in many businesses and on houses, public buildings and buses.

From Tallinn, Blinken will travel to Paris later Tuesday for a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss his recent conversations with Putin about Ukraine and efforts to convince the Russian leader to end the conflict.

A no-fly zone for manned aircraft and drones is in place between 6am and 8pm on Tuesday as part of the visit.

The latest stop in Estonia comes after Blinken's visit to Riga, Latvia, where the Secretary of State invoked the death of Putin's one-year-old brother during the Nazi siege of Leningrad in the second world war in an appeal to the Russian leader.

Almost a million people died during the siege of Leningrad, the bloodiest battle in world history, a death toll worsened by the intentional starving of civilians.

Putin has spoken of his brother in the past, who he says was only one at the time of the siege, as one of the victims of the battle.

Blinken used the family story to make a direct appeal to the Russian president, accusing the Kremlin of 'starving Ukrainian cities' as part of its brutal war which has already seen over two million people flee the country.

Russian forces have encircled the southern port city of Mariupol in Ukraine, trapping thousands without food or water.

MILITARY ANALYSTS SAY NATO WILL NOT IMPOSE A NO-FLY ZONE Military analysts say there is no chance that the US, Britain and their European allies will impose a no-fly zone because it could easily escalate the war in Ukraine into a nuclear confrontation between NATO and Russia. WHAT IS A NO-FLY ZONE? A no-fly zone would bar all unauthorized aircraft from flying over Ukraine. Western nations imposed such restrictions over parts of Iraq for more than a decade following the 1991 Gulf War, during the civil war in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1993-95, and during the Libyan civil war in 2011. WHY WON'T NATO TAKE THIS STEP IN UKRAINE? In simple terms, because it would risk a direct military conflict with Russia that could escalate into a wider European war with a nuclear-armed superpower. While the idea may have captured the public imagination, declaring a no-fly zone could force NATO pilots to shoot down Russian aircraft. But it goes beyond that. In addition to fighter planes, NATO would have to deploy refueling tankers and electronic-surveillance aircraft to support the mission. To protect these relatively slow, high-flying planes, NATO would have to destroy surface-to-air missile batteries in Russia and Belarus, again risking a broader conflict. 'The only way to implement a no-fly zone is to send NATO fighter planes into Ukrainian airspace, and then impose that no-fly zone by shooting down Russian planes,' NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said Friday. 'We understand the desperation, but we also believe that if we did that, we would end up with something that could end in a full-fledged war in Europe.' 'We have a responsibility as NATO allies to prevent this war from escalating beyond Ukraine,' he said. WHAT WOULD A NO-FLY ZONE ACHIEVE? Ukrainian authorities and people cowering night after night in bomb shelters say a no-fly zone would protect civilians - and now nuclear power stations - from Russian air strikes. But analysts say it's Russia's ground forces, not aircraft, that are causing most of the damage in Ukraine. What Ukrainians actually want is a broader intervention like the one that occurred in Libya in 2011, when NATO forces launched attacks on government positions, said Justin Bronk, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London. That's not likely to happen when the opponent is Russia. 'They want to see the West kind of sweeping in and taking out the rocket artillery that's pummeling Ukrainian cities,' Bronk said. 'We're not going to go to war against the Russian army. They are a massive nuclear-armed power. There is no way that we could possibly model, let alone control, the escalation chain that would come from such an action.' WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE SKIES OVER UKRAINE? Predictions that Russia would quickly control the skies over Ukraine have not come to fruition. Military experts are wondering why Russia has chosen to leave most of its fixed-wing combat aircraft on the ground during this massive land offensive. One explanation may be that Russian pilots aren't well trained in supporting large-scale land operations, engagements that require coordination with artillery, helicopters and other assets in a fast-moving environment. 'I think that maybe they're a little bit worried that that is a very constrained area. It's not like the Middle East, where there's all kinds of space to roam around in the air,' said Robert Latif, a retired U.S. Air Force major general who now teaches at the University of Notre Dame. 'They could very easily stray over borders,' he explained. 'With both Ukrainian and Russian air defense systems and Ukrainian, what little they have, and Russian airplanes all flying around - that could be a very confusing. I think maybe they're a little bit worried about actually being able to pull it off.' Advertisement

Blinken shakes hands with Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte (left) at the foreign affairs ministry in Vilnius, Lithuania March 7

Blinken meets with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (right) in Riga, Latvia on March 7
Michael Hailwood had been handed a 22-year sentence in 2010 after overseeing cocaine smuggling plots from his base in Amsterdam

A drugs kingpin delved straight into the EncroChat underworld just months after being released from jail.

Michael Hailwood, now aged 51, had been handed a 22-year sentence in 2010 after overseeing a 10million cocaine smuggling plot from his base in Amsterdam.

He was released at the end of 2019 - having originally been arrested in August 2008 - and then linked up with a Merseyside operation that was running the drugs trade in Ellesmere Port and had established itself in other parts of Cheshire.

With the shadowy communications network EncroChat the main platform for criminal conversations, Hailwood, from Huyton, Merseyside, obtained a device that operated under the codename CardinalTrunk.

Messages retrieved when an international operation infiltrated EncroChat enabled Cheshire Police to unmask CardinalTrunk as Hailwood, and he was arrested in June 2020 - just months after his release - and remanded in custody, ending his short taste of freedom.

On Friday Hailwood was sentenced to 16 years at Chester Crown Court after admitting conspiracies to supply cocaine.

Judge Steven Everett told him he may never be released should he commit further serious drugs offences when his term eventually ends.

Hailwood had originally been snared after Lancashire Police's Operation Greengage launched in November 2006, with officers watching as cocaine valued at 10million was smuggled into Britain, and following the network of couriers that would transport funds to the Netherlands to pay for it.

Michael Hailwood poses while using a cash counting machine. He was released at the end of 2019 and linked up with a Merseyside operation that was running the drugs trade in Ellesmere Port and had established itself in other parts of Cheshire

Michael Hailwood using a cash counting machine. With the shadowy communications network EncroChat the main platform for criminal conversations, Hailwood, from Huyton, Merseyside, obtained a device that operated under the codename CardinalTrunk

Drugs would be smuggled into the UK, typically inside one of four Fiat Multiplas adapted by the gang.

Hailwood had two police investigations following his movements. As well as Greengage, he was being monitored by the Scottish Crime and Drugs Enforcement Agency (SCDEA).

Between October 2007 and December 2007, police in the Netherlands were using wiretaps to listen to his phone calls and established how the Huyton criminal and his associates loaded drug mules onto flights to a variety of UK airports.

In August 2008, after serving part of a 30-month prison sentence for drugs offences in the Netherlands, Hailwood was stopped by Dutch police driving one of the gang's Multiplas.

The vehicle was seized and later searched by Lancashire detectives where one pellet of cocaine was found. Hailwood was arrested and charged.

He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and was sentenced to 22 years. The wider network was jailed for a combined total of more than 300 years.

By the time Hailwood was released from jail at the end of 2019, the criminal landscape had changed.

But his contact book, which included valuable connections in South America, remained relevant and helped him convince active dealers to help him regain a foothold in a gangland system, while he could, in return, help them move up.

Hailwood had operated from Amsterdam for a drug trafficking gang rooted in the north west of England, chaperoning drug mules, often from Eastern Europe, and driving cars that had narcotics stashed in secret compartments.

Because he breached his licence by engaging in more crime, the 20 months he served before he was sentenced on Friday will not be deducted from the 16 year sentence he was handed after admitting conspiracies to supply cocaine.
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Heartbreaking pictures have emerged of Ukrainian children, trapped in the besieged port city of Mariupol, hiding in shelters from Russian bombs as the occupiers continued their indiscriminate bombing campaigns today.

Mariupol is one of the Ukrainian cities worst hit since the invasion began, with Russian forces bringing widespread destruction to residential and administrative centres.

And each time Russia has agreed to open 'humanitarian corridors' allowing citizens to flee the city, its forces have broken their ceasefire agreement and continued shelling in what appear to have been targeted attacks on innocent civilians.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said people stuck in the blockaded urban centre are beginning to suffer from a lack of supplies as the city runs dangerously low on food, water and medicine.

Ukrainian territorial defence forces have been able to deliver vital supplies to some residents, but many more remain isolated and unable to access lifesaving rations.

One six-year-old girl, named only has Tanya, has already died of thirst after she became trapped under the rubble of her destroyed home.

It is not known how long the girl had been under the ruins of her home before she died, but her mother was also found dead at the scene.

'In the last minutes of her life she was alone, exhausted, frightened and terribly thirsty,' Mayor Vadym Boychenko said on the city's Telegram channel.

'This is just one of the many stories of Mariupol, which has been surviving a blockade for eight days.'

Heartbreaking pictures have emerged of Ukrainian children, trapped in the besieged port city of Mariupol, hiding in shelters from Russian bombs as the occupiers continued their indiscriminate bombing campaigns today

President Volodymyr Zelensky said people stuck in the blockaded urban centre are beginning to suffer from a lack of supplies as the city runs dangerously low on food, water and medicine

Each time Russia has agreed to open 'humanitarian corridors' allowing citizens to flee the city, its forces have broken their ceasefire agreement and continued shelling in what appear to have been targeted attacks on innocent civilians (people sit around a lamp in a bomb shelter in Mariupol, Ukraine, Sunday, March 6, 2022)

People help an elderly woman to walk in a street with an apartment building hit by shelling in the background in Mariupol, Ukraine, Monday, March 7, 2022

Mariupol is one of the Ukrainian cities worst hit by the indiscriminate Russian bombing campaigns. The city has been blockaded for days and its citizens are trapped running low on supplies

Ukrainian territorial defence forces have been able to deliver vital supplies to some residents, but many more remain isolated and unable to access lifesaving rations

People queue to receive hot food in the improvised bomb shelter in Mariupol, Ukraine, Monday, March 7, 2022

Mariupol has been targeted by Russian bombing campaigns for eight days, which have brought widespread destruction to residential and administrative centres

The dead body of a person lies covered in the street in the besieged port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, Monday, March 7, 2022

A girl sits in the improvised bomb shelter in Mariupol, Ukraine, Monday, March 7, 2022

A girl poses for a photographer in the bomb shelter in Mariupol, Ukraine, Monday, March 7, 2022.

NATO's chief has said Russia could be deliberately targeting civilians trying to flee Ukraine after Vladimir Putin's forces again broke a ceasefire to shell evacuation routes.

Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in Latvia today there are 'credible' reports of 'war crimes' being committed by Russia.

The Vatican also told Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov that the killing of civilians 'must stop'.

The remarks were made after Russia shelled evacuation corridors out of Mariupol and Sumy as desperate civilians try to flee Putin's onslaught.

Stoltenberg said: 'There are very creditable reports of civilians coming under fire as they try to evacuate.

'Targeting civilians is a war crime, and it's totally unacceptable.'

Decrying the 'devastating' humanitarian impact of the war, he added: 'We need real humanitarian corridors that are fully respected.'

Pictured: Rescuers carry a victim after strikes by Russian forces amid their invasion, in Sumy, Ukraine March 7, 2022 in this handout video still image. 21 people were killed in the strike

Rescue crews dig through the rubble looking for survivors after strikes by Russian forces amid their invasion, in Sumy, Ukraine March 7, 2022

Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in Latvia today (pictured with Justin Trudeau) there are 'credible' reports of the shelling of civilians, which would be a 'war crime'

Residents of Mariupol have been cut off from electricity, water and gas. Attempts to deliver food and medicine have failed, and communications are disrupted.

Late Monday, Russia named Mariupol as one of four cities where humanitarian corridors would be opened after also shelling a route out of the city on Sunday.

Yellow buses with a red cross on them were seen arriving in the city today, but reports said Moscow's forces had once again shelled the humanitarian routes.

Ukraine foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko reported the shelling near Mariupol on Tuesday - the fourth day in a row Russia has disrupted evacuations.

'8 trucks + 30 buses ready to deliver humanitarian aid to Mariupol and to evac (evacuate) civilians to Zaporizhzhia. Pressure on Russia MUST step up to make it uphold its commitments,' he urged.

Another corridor was opened out of Sumy in Ukraine north-east, with Ukrainian authorities saying the vehicles would take evacuees to the city of Poltava.

Their movement briefly stopped when shooting by Russian forces broke out as they crossed a Ukrainian checkpoint, the BBC reported. The head of Sumy administration Dmytro Zhyvytskiy said the shots were not aimed at the buses.

However, some residents in Sumy have said they were struggling to reach the evacuation meeting point which is on the outskirts of the city. To get there, those hoping to escape would have to navigate a war zone.

Sumy yesterday saw at least 21 civilians - including two children - killed in a Russian air strike on a residential street, the regional prosecutor's office said in a statement on Tuesday. The bodies were recovered by emergency services early on Tuesday in searches that are ongoing, it said.

Meanwhile, the United Nations said Russia's invasion of Ukraine has forced two million people to flee the country.

Buses packed with people fleeing Vladimir Putin's onslaught began a procession along a snowy road in Sumy on Tuesday. Pictured: Ukrainian servicemen inspect a charred Russian tank, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine in the eastern Sumy region on Monday

Yellow buses with a red cross on them are seen arriving in Mariupol today to begin evacuation

Humanitarian corridors offered by Moscow have been dismissed by Kyiv as little more than a PR stunt because routes (pictured), most of which lead to Russia or Belarus, have come under attack by the Kremlin's forces

Previous attempts to lead civilians to safety have crumbled with renewed attacks, with Ukraine accusing Russia of breaking ceasefire agreements by continuing to launch strikes on cities despite the evacuations.

Zelensky has called for the expansion of the corridors for evacuees, and more support from the Red Cross.

In a video address Tuesday from an undisclosed location, he spoke of the girl who died of dehydration in the blockaded southern seaport as a sign of how desperate the city's population has become.

'Mariupol was surrounded, blocked, is being exhausted, tortured,' he declared.

'For the first time in dozens of years, perhaps for the first time since the Nazi invasion, a child died of dehydration. Hear me, today, dear partners! A child died of dehydration in 2022!'

He pleaded again with Western countries to provide air support, and said evacuation buses have been sent to Mariupol, but said there was no firm agreement on the route, so 'Russian troops can simply shoot on this transport on the way.'

Zelensky accused the International Red Cross of 'forbidding the use of its emblem on our cars,' but did not give details.

On Sunday, as some 200,000 civilians tried to flee the port city of Mariupol, Russian forces shelled their route. On Monday, a bridge across the Irpin River in the outskirts of Kyiv - a key evacuation route - was also destroyed.

The route people took on Tuesday out of the eastern city of Sumy was one of five promised by the Russians to offer civilians a way to escape the fighting.

However, the corridors offered by Moscow have been dismissed by Kyiv as little more than a PR stunt because routes, most of which lead to Russia or Belarus, have come under attack by the Kremlin's forces.

Zelensky accused Moscow of 'cynicism', saying its troops have laid mines across the routes and blown up buses intended to be used as transports.

On Monday, he rejected Russian proposals to evacuate civilians into what he described as 'occupied territory,' and said Moscow's forces were 'bombing the life out of everything that is moving.'

Zelensky said 13 people died in the bombing of a bakery in Kyiv on Monday and on Sunday, 50 children with cancer had to be moved after a missile hit a paediatric hospital in the city.

Pictured: A Ukrainian serviceman is seen, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in the Sumy region, Ukraine, March 7, 2022. Previous attempts to lead civilians to safety have crumbled with renewed attacks from Russian forces

Video posted by the Ukrainian state communications agency showed people with bags boarding buses, but it was not clear how long the effort would last.

'The Ukrainian city of Sumy was given a green corridor, the first stage of evacuation began,' the agency tweeted. Sumy is just 30 miles from the Russian border.

But Ukraine and Russia appeared to dispute where the evacuees from Sumy were destined, with one Ukrainian official saying they would head further into Ukraine.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Tuesday that both sides agreed to a cease-fire from 9am - 9pm Ukraine time (0700-1900 GMT) for the evacuation of civilians from the eastern city of Sumy.

Ms Vereshchuk, meanwhile, only said that the two sides had agreed to an evacuation of civilians from the eastern city of Sumy, toward the Ukrainian city of Poltava. Those to be evacuated include foreign students from India and China, she said.

People remove debris at the site of a military base building that, according to the Ukrainian ground forces, was destroyed by an air strike, in the town of Okhtyrka in the Sumy region, Ukraine February 28, 2022

On Monday, the UNHCR put the number of refugees fleeing Ukraine at more than 1.7 million. Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said he expected that number to rise to 2 million today.

'I do think that we will pass the two million mark today or maybe at the latest tomorrow. So, it doesn't stop,' he said.

Grandi made his remarks at a press conference, after visiting Moldova, Poland and Romania, all of which have received refugees pouring across the border from Ukraine since Russia invaded the country on February 24.

He praised the 'exemplary' welcome provided by these three countries, adding they seemed to be 'coping' with the 'natural spontaneous distribution.'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is seen at a street in Kyiv today as he says: 'What a war'

Grandi stressed that the first waves of refugees were those with 'some resources,'

'Many come by car, and especially they have connections. They can go where they have family, friends, communities,' the commissioner said.

'It is possible that if the war continues... we will start seeing people that have no resources and no connections and that will be a more complex issue for European countries to manage going forward and there will need to be even more solidarity by everybody in Europe and beyond,' he said.

For comparison, Grandi said the Balkan wars in Bosnia and Kosovo saw 'maybe two to three million people, but over a period of eight years.'

While other parts of the 'world have seen this,' Grandi added, 'in Europe it's the first time since the Second World War.'

On Monday, Grandi called it 'the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II,' in a post to Twitter.

Destroyed Russian tanks are seen, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in the Sumy region, Ukraine, March 7, 2022

A burning Russian tank is seen in the Sumy region, Ukraine, March 7, 2022

Residents of Irpin flee heavy fighting via a destroyed bridge as Russian forces entered the city on March 07, 2022 in Irpin, Ukraine

Here's how YOU can help: Donate here to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal Readers of Mail Newspapers and MailOnline have always shown immense generosity at times of crisis. Calling upon that human spirit, we are supporting a huge push to raise money for refugees from Ukraine. For, surely, no one can fail to be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families  mostly women, children, the infirm and elderly  fleeing from Russia's invading armed forces. As this tally of misery increases over the coming days and months, these innocent victims of a tyrant will require accommodation, schools and medical support. Donations to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal will be used to help charities and aid organisations providing such essential services. In the name of charity and compassion, we urge all our readers to give swiftly and generously. TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE Donate at www.mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate To add Gift Aid to a donation  even one already made  complete an online form found here: mymail.co.uk/ukraine Via bank transfer, please use these details: Account name: Mail Force Charity Account number: 48867365 Sort code: 60-00-01 TO MAKE A DONATION VIA CHEQUE Make your cheque payable to 'Mail Force' and post it to: Mail Newspapers Ukraine Appeal, GFM, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY TO MAKE A DONATION FROM THE US US readers can donate to the appeal via a bank transfer to Associated Newspapers or by sending checks to dailymail.com HQ at 51 Astor Place (9th floor), New York, NY 10003 Advertisement

With the invasion well into its second week, Russian troops have made significant advances in southern Ukraine but stalled in some other regions.

Ukrainian soldiers and volunteers fortified the capital, Kyiv, with hundreds of checkpoints and barricades designed to thwart a takeover.

A steady rain of shells and rockets fell on other population centers, including the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, where the mayor reported heavy artillery fire.

'We can't even gather up the bodies because the shelling from heavy weapons doesn't stop day or night,' Mayor Anatol Fedoruk said. 'Dogs are pulling apart the bodies on the city streets. It's a nightmare.'

In one of the most desperate cities, the encircled southern port of Mariupol, an estimated 200,000 people - nearly half the population of 430,000 - were hoping to flee, and Red Cross officials waited to hear when a corridor would be established.

Russia's coordination centre for humanitarian efforts in Ukraine and Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk both said a cease-fire was agreed to start Tuesday morning to allow some civilians to evacuate, but the two sides differed on where they said the corridors would be.

Russia's coordination center suggested there would be more than one corridor, but that most would lead to Russia, either directly or through Belarus.

At the U.N., however, the Russian ambassador suggested corridors from several cities could be opened and people could choose for themselves which direction they would take.

Vereshchuk, meanwhile, only said that the two sides had agreed to an evacuation of civilians from the eastern city of Sumy, toward the Ukrainian city of Poltava. Those to be evacuated include foreign students from India and China, she said.

She reiterated that proposals to evacuate civilians to Russia and its ally Belarus, which was a launch pad for the invasion, were unacceptable.

Demands for effective passageways have surged amid intensifying shelling by Russian forces. The steady bombardments, including in some of Ukraine's most populated regions, have yielded a humanitarian crisis of diminishing food, water and medical supplies.

Through it all, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces were showing unprecedented courage.

'The problem is that for one soldier of Ukraine, we have 10 Russian soldiers, and for one Ukrainian tank, we have 50 Russian tanks,' Zelensky told ABC News in an interview that aired Monday night.

Ukrainian servicemen inspect ammunitions from destroyed military vehicles, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in the Sumy region, Ukraine, March 7, 2022

But he noted that the gap in strength was closing and that even if Russian forces 'come into all our cities,' they will be met with an insurgency.

A top U.S. official said multiple countries were discussing whether to provide the warplanes that Zelensky has been pleading for.

The besieged city of Mariupol was short on water, food and power, and cellphone networks are down. Stores have been looted as residents search for essential goods.

Police moved through the city, advising people to remain in shelters until they heard official messages broadcast over loudspeakers to evacuate.

Hospitals in Mariupol are facing severe shortages of antibiotics and painkillers, and doctors performed some emergency procedures without them.

The lack of phone service left anxious citizens approaching strangers to ask if they knew relatives living in other parts of the city and whether they were safe.

The battle for Mariupol is crucial because its capture could allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014.

Several hundred miles west of Mariupol, Russian forces continued their offensive in Mykolaiv, opening fire on the Black Sea shipbuilding centre of a half-million people, according to Ukraine's military. Rescuers said they were putting out fires caused by rocket attacks in residential areas.

Ukraine's general staff of the armed forces said in a statement Tuesday that Ukrainian forces are continuing defense operations in the suburbs of the city.

Ukrainians crowd under a destroyed bridge as they try to flee across the Irpin River in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, March 5, 2022

The mass of fleeing civilians took up every inch of space at Kharkiv station

Refugees fleeing the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine wait for hours to board a train to Poland, outside the train station in Lviv, Ukraine, March 8, 2022

The general staff said 'demoralized' Russian forces are engaging in looting in places they have occupied, commandeering civilian buildings like farm hangars for military equipment, and are setting up firing positions in populated areas. The claims could not be independently verified.

Ukrainian defense forces were also involved in operations in the northern city of Chernihiv and the outskirts of Kyiv, the general staff said.

In Kyiv, soldiers and volunteers have built hundreds of checkpoints to protect the city of nearly 4 million, often using sandbags, stacked tires and spiked cables.

Some barricades looked significant, with heavy concrete slabs and sandbags piled more than two stories high, while others appeared more haphazard, with hundreds of books used to weigh down stacks of tires.

'Every house, every street, every checkpoint, we will fight to the death if necessary,' said Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

In Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, with 1.4 million people, heavy shelling slammed into apartment buildings.

'I think it struck the fourth floor under us,' Dmitry Sedorenko said from his Kharkiv hospital bed. 'Immediately, everything started burning and falling apart.'

When the floor collapsed beneath him, he crawled out through the third story, past the bodies of some of his neighbors.

In the small town of Horenka, where shelling reduced one area to ashes and shards of glass, rescuers and residents picked through the ruins as chickens pecked around them.

'What are they doing?' rescue worker Vasyl Oksak asked of the Russian attackers. 'There were two little kids and two elderly people living here. Come in and see what they have done.'

At The Hague, Ukraine pleaded with the International Court of Justice to order a halt to Russia's invasion, saying Moscow is committing widespread war crimes.

Russia 'is resorting to tactics reminiscent of medieval siege warfare, encircling cities, cutting off escape routes and pounding the civilian population with heavy ordnance,' said Jonathan Gimblett, a member of Ukraine's legal team.

The fighting has sent energy prices surging worldwide and stocks plummeting, and threatens the food supply and livelihoods of people around the globe who rely on crops farmed in the fertile Black Sea region.

The U.N. human rights office reported 406 confirmed civilian deaths but said the real number is much higher.

On Monday, Moscow again announced a series of demands to stop the invasion, including that Ukraine recognize Crimea as part of Russia and recognize the eastern regions controlled by Moscow-supported separatist fighters as independent.

It also insisted that Ukraine change its constitution to guarantee it won't join international bodies like NATO and the EU. Ukraine has already rejected those demands.

Zelensky has called for more punitive measures against Russia, including a global boycott of its oil exports, which are key to its economy.

'If (Russia) doesn't want to abide by civilized rules, then they shouldn't receive goods and services from civilization,' he said in a video address.
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Hospitals in the South West of England are recording more daily Covid admissions now than during the peak of the Omicron wave, official figures show.

Government dashboard data reveals the region saw 150 admissions a day on average during the week to March 5, up 30 per cent in the first full week after 'Freedom Day'. For comparison, average daily virus admissions reached a previous high of 142 on December 31 at the peak of the Omicron wave.

Experts today claimed there was no reason to panic yet but admitted it may be an early sign of booster vaccine immunity starting to wane.

Even though hospitals in the South West are seeing rising Covid admissions, there are signs a large proportion of these are not primarily due to the virus.

Separate NHS figures show that of the 663 inpatients with Covid in the region at the start of March, 43 per cent were mainly ill with a different illness.

In another promising sign, Covid ICU admissions in the South West are still barely a quarter of the level in January, and 14 times lower than January 2021, with about 16 admissions per day. Covid deaths are still falling.

Covid cases are also about a third of the level now compared to in January but testing is being wound down, making the true scale of infections harder to measure.

Nationally, daily Covid admissions are now rising in all of England's seven regions.

The above graph shows Covid hospital admissions across the South West. It reveals they are now higher than the levels recorded during the Omicron wave, and have reached a year high

The above graph shows the proportion of Covid inpatients in the South West being primarily treated for Covid (red line) and the number mainly ill with a different condition but happen to have the virus. Meanwhile, the number of Covid patients on ventilators is shown in a dark red line

All regions across England are now seeing their hospital admissions rising, official figures showed today

The rise in hospitalisations comes after No10 ditched all final Covid laws in England on February 24, meaning people no longer have to self-isolate even if they are infected.

It also coincides with the rise of a more infectious version of Omicron which experts insist is just as mild as the original.

Dr Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at Reading University, said the figures in the South West were 'not a reason to panic yet' but admitted it was a reminder that Covid was here to stay.

He added: 'It might be that we're starting to see the level of protection given by the boosters drop below a level that gives good protection.

'It's a reminder that Covid has not gone away yet, and you can't just wish it away. Denying it is a problem until it is too late means more restrictions may be needed.'

Covid can cause regions of the brain to SHRINK A Covid infection can triple the rate of brain degeneration in middle-aged and older people, a world-first study suggests. University of Oxford researchers looked at brain scans of more than 400 people between the ages of 51 and 81 before and after they had the disease. Results showed that in olfactory-related regions, responsible for smell, their brain volume shrunk by an average of 0.7 per cent compared to a control group who did not get Covid. A middle-aged person would normally expect to lose about 0.2 per cent volume in that area per year, while an older person could expect to see a 0.3 per cent decrease. On average, Covid patients involved in the study had four months between their two scans  suggesting the virus significantly speeds up the rate of degeneration. Survivors also took longer to complete cognitive tests and achieved poorer scores compared to their peers. To check that the declines in brain matter and cognition could not have been replicated by any respiratory illness, the researchers carried out an analysis of the brains of pneumonia patients and found no similar changes. Advertisement

NHS England data suggests about half of inpatients with Covid in the South West are not being primarily treated for Covid.

Latest figures show of 663 patients on wards on March 1, only 384 were primarily being treated for the virus.

It suggests many patients are testing positive for the virus after being admitted to hospital for other illnesses or injuries.

At the peak of the Omicron wave, there were almost 1,000 Covid patients in hospitals in the South West.

Covid deaths in the South West also remain very low with three recorded on March 2, the latest available, compared to seven from a week ago.

At the peak of the Omicron wave there were up to 22 deaths per day, and last winter it hit more than 100.

Dr Peter Wilson, the medical director for NHS England in the South West, said: 'We know Covid infections in the community are the root cause of rising Covid infection rates in hospital.

'While numbers remain high the best thing people can do to protect themselves and their loved ones against Covid is to ensure they get vaccinated when eligible to do so.'

It comes after a top medic in Scotland said there was no reason to 'panic' over rising case numbers in the UK.

Britain recorded 126,605 Covid cases spotted over the last three days as the virus continued to rebound.

Government dashboard data showed the combined infections on Saturday, Sunday and Monday were 54 per cent higher than the total last week.

But National clinical director for Scotland Professor Jason Leitch told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland there was no reason to 'panic' over rising cases.

'Im not panicking  Im not thinking we should suddenly go back to restrictions or protections, but I am concerned,' he said.

'As we mix more, the virus gets more opportunities, so weve got 10,000 cases a day, weve had a little bit of an increase in those in hospital  its not huge, so people shouldnt panic, but this disease is not over and its not done with us.'

He stressed the importance of vaccine uptake to allow for the continued suppression of the virus.

'You should still be cautious, particularly around those who are vulnerable,' he said.

'So get your vaccine, particularly if youre getting a letter now if youre in one of these elderly groups, or vulnerable groups.

'Test  because that testing is still available  and follow the guidance.'

Another 139 Covid fatalities were registered over the weekend, up by just one on the 138 last week. Deaths lag by several weeks behind cases so any fluctuations would not be expected for some time yet.

Meanwhile, latest hospital data shows there were 1,287 admissions were recorded on March 1, up 15 per cent on the tally from a week ago.

The flare-up in infections comes after England's 'Freedom Day' on February 24 and amid the spread of a more infectious version of Omicron.

Experts warn the more infectious variant may cause some fluctuations in case rates, but say there is no reason to panic because there is no evidence the strain is more likely to cause severe disease.
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A woman in her 60s was arrested today in the hunt for the rapist killer of a Norwegian socialite student who was murdered in London 14 years ago in an attack linked to a Yemeni billionaire's fugitive playboy son - with police calling the development a 'significant breakthrough'.

Martine Vik Magnussen, 23, was found dead among rubble in a basement in Great Portland Street, Westminster, central London, after a night out with friends to celebrate coming top of the class in her exams. A post mortem found she had been strangled.

CCTV showed her leaving exclusive Mayfair nightclub Maddox at 2am on March 14 with Farouk Abdulhak, the son of a Yemeni sugar magnate and a fellow student at the private Regent's Business School who she had previously dated.

The alleged murderer - nicknamed 'DP' by friends for his love of Dom Perignon champagne - was named as being wanted by police and fled the UK within hours of her death, allegedly on his late billionaire father's private jet. Today, officers once again urged him to come back to Britain to face justice.

The woman was detained this morning at an address in Westminster on suspicion of assisting an offender and was taken to a central London police station, where she remains in custody.

Ms Magnussen's father, Odd Petter Magnussen, has branded Abdulhak a coward and personally appealed for him to return, adding, 'You cannot hide forever'.

Norwegian student Martine Vik Magnussen was murdered after celebrating the end of exams with friends at the exclusive Mayfair nightclub Maddox in March 2008

Abdulhak (left) studied international business relations alongside Ms Magnussen at Regent's Business School, where fees start at around 10,000 a year. Her body was found in the basement of a block of flats where he lived

Timeline of Martine Vik Magnussen's murder and her devastated family's fight for justice March 14, 2008 - Student is seen leaving exclusive Mayfair nightclub Maddox with her fellow Regent's Business School student Farouk Abdulhak at 2am. 15 - Police launch an investigation after friends report her missing. 16 - Abdulhak flees the UK, allegedly on his father's private jet. On the same day, officers making enquiries to trace Ms Magnussen visited the residential block where Abdulhak lived on Great Portland Street in Westminster, where they discovered her body at about 10.30am. 24 - Abdulhak, now abroad having been named as being wanted for questioning, breaks his silence to insist - through his lawyer - 'I'm not a murderer'. June 10, 2010 - Her father, Odd Petter Magnussen, plants a tree in his daughter's memory at a remembrance event at Regent's College. November 24 - An inquest at Westminster Coroner's Court concludes Ms Magnussen was strangled and records a verdict of unlawful killing. 2010 (exact date unclear) - Mr Magnussen writes to the Queen as part of his continued campaign to secure Abdulhaks return to the UK. The Queen, in a letter written by a private secretary, replies: Her Majesty was deeply sorry to read of the terrible loss that you and your family have suffered, and the continuing distress caused by the fact that your daughters killer remains at liberty. She has asked me to convey her sincere condolences to you and your family. Ministers are unable to secure Abdulhak's extradition from Yemen, which does not have an extradition treaty with the UK. 2017 - Tobias Ellwood MP takes up the case during his time as Minister for the Middle East and Africa, telling Mr Magnussen the government has an 'unwavering commitment' to achieving justice. March 8, 2022 - Police reveal they have arrested a woman in her 60s on suspicion of assisting an offender, calling it a 'significant development'. Advertisement

Abdulhak is the son of one of Yemen's wealthiest men, Shaher Adbulhak, who was known as the 'King of Sugar', with a net worth of around 6.8billion and close contacts in the Yemeni government.

He previously had investments in Coca-Cola bottling plants but gave these up in 2012 following pressure from campaigners. He died in Germany last year while receiving treatment for an illness.

Following Ms Magnussen's death, Abdulhak junior fled to Egypt before ending up in Yemen, which does not have an extradition treaty with the UK.

He studied international business relations alongside the Norwegian at Regent's Business School, where fees start at around 10,000 a year. Her body was found in the basement of a block of flats where he lived.

Today, a Met Police spokesman called the arrest of a woman on suspicion of assisting an offender a 'significant development'.

Detective Chief Inspector Jim Eastwood, who is leading the investigation, added: 'Martine's family has never given up their fight for justice and in the 14 years since her death they have campaigned tirelessly to keep her in the public consciousness.

'Martine's family has been informed of this latest development. Though it represents a positive step, there is still much more work for us to do.

'Most importantly, Farouk Abdulhak should be aware that this matter has not, and will not, go away.

'My team and I will continue to seek justice and use all opportunities available to pursue him and bring him back to the UK.

'His status as a wanted man will remain and we will not cease in our efforts to get justice for Martine's family.

'I'm appealing to Farouk Abdulhak directly. Come back to the UK. Come back to face justice.

'Since Martine's death, her family has shown true determination, together with my investigation team as we want to provide some closure for Martine's family.'

Ms Magnussen's father, Odd Petter Magnussen, has repeatedly appealed for Abdulhak to come back to the UK to face justice.

Speaking last year, he said: 'In today's globalised world, you cannot hide forever from the oldest and most serious crime known to man - the rape and murder of a woman.

'I appeal to you to return to the UK to assist the police in finding out what happened to Martine. I regard you as a coward unless you take responsibility for your actions.'

In 2008, Abdulhak issued comments through his lawyer saying he was 'not happy' about being branded a criminal and insisting he was not an 'escapee'.

His lawyer, Mohammed Al Bakwli, said he had advised Abdulhak not to speak directly to the media.

Ms Magnussen died after a night out with friends to celebrate coming top of the class in her exams. A post mortem found she had been strangled

Ms Magnussen was born in Asker, Norway. Her father worked within sales and marketing in the IT industry and also ran a small family business that produced ski sledges

Abdulhak allegedly fled the UK on his father's private jet within hours of Ms Magnussen's murder. He remains wanted by police

Abdulhak (left) was born in Yemen but spent most of his early life in the UK. He is the son of one of Yemen's wealthiest men, Shaher Adbulhak (right), who is known as the 'King of Sugar'

Mr Al Bakwli said: 'He is not happy about being described as a criminal, as a murderer, when there is no such accusation against him.

'He is not an escapee. Things were written like he was the last man to see her alive.'

Abdulhak's magnate father also spoke out within days of the murder, expressing condolences to Ms Magnussen's family and said he would not put up with any wrongdoing by a member of his family.

Mr Bakwli said: 'It is not true he would disown Farooq. Whatever he has done or not done, he is still his son. But he has said he will not protect him if he has done wrong.'

His son was born in Yemen but spent most of his early life in the UK.

Police launched an investigation after Ms Magnussen's friends reported her missing to police on 15 March 2008.

A day later, officers visited the residential block where Abdulhak lived on Great Portland Street in Westminster, where they discovered her body at about 10.30am.

Attempts had been made to hide her body underneath rubble.

A post-mortem examination gave her cause of death as compression to the neck, and in November 2010, an inquest recorded a verdict of unlawful killing.

Anyone with information can contact police on 020 8358 0300 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Ms Magnussen's father, Odd Petter Magnussen, (left), with Norwegian rector Torbjorn Holt (middle) and head of Martin Foundation Patrick Lundevall-Unger during a 2018 on Great Portland Street, where her body was discovered
The Metropolitan Police will investigate Dizzee Rascal for destroying a photographer's camera outside court after he was found guilty of attacking his ex yesterday.

The musician, 37, whose real name is Dylan Mills, was convicted on Tuesday of attacking Cassandra Jones, 33, by pressing his forehead against hers and pushing her to the ground during a 'chaotic' row at a residential property in Streatham, south London, on June 8 last year.

Footage taken yesterday showed Rascal rip a camera from PA Media photographer James Manning after he left Wimbledon Magistrates' Court and hurl it into the road, smashing the device to pieces.

In a statement, the Met said: 'We are aware of a video that has been shared online showing an incident outside Wimbledon Magistrates' Court on the afternoon of Monday, 7 March.

'In the video, a camera is knocked from the hands of a photojournalist and is then thrown across the road.

'Should the photojournalist wish to contact us, if they have not already done so already, we will be able to provide the appropriate assistance.'

Dizzee Rascal, who real name is Dylan Mills, arrives at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court where he was found guilty of the assault of Cassandra Jones

PA's Mr Manning (pictured) filed a report to the Met and intends to pursue a civil claim

Footage taken yesterday showed Rascal rip a camera from PA Media photographer James Manning (right) after he left Wimbledon Magistrates' Court and hurl it into the road, smashing the device to pieces

The damage caused to a camera after Dizzee Rascal, real name Dylan Mills, took a camera from a photographer and threw it into the road after being found guilty of assaulting his ex-fiancee

Rascal's ex Cassandra Jones, 33, (pictured) of Streatham, south west London, spoke out yesterday after her partner of nine years was convicted of attacking her in front of her two young children

The former partner of Rascal told how 'wealth and status' should not be allowed to silence women who are victims of domestic abuse.

Ms Jones spoke out yesterday after her partner of nine years was convicted of attacking her in front of her two young children.

She told how she wanted to move on with her life for the sake of her children but insisted no woman should suffer at the hands of abusive partners.

Ms Jones of Streatham, south west London, said: 'I just want to heal, move on with my life and focus on looking after my bubbas now.

'The verdict today has brought me no joy, but it does help me to look back on what I experienced and have it recognised by the courts as assault.

'Dylan and I were together for a long time, and I loved him very much

'He is the father of our two children. Last year I finally left him for good, after experiencing what I now recognise to be prolonged domestic abuse.

'I have been receiving support from specialist domestic abuse services since last year, and that has helped me process my experiences and move forward.

'I understand why so many women drop out of the criminal justice system; this has been really traumatic for me. But I am lucky enough to have had support from the police, my family and friends, and specialist organisations.

'This verdict today shows that wealth and status cannot be used to silence women.

'One in four women in England and Wales will experience domestic abuse at some point in their lifetime. I now ask for privacy to rebuild and reset.

'I hope I can now move on with my life. If the things you have read have resonated with you, I'd urge you to seek support. It's available.'

Mills had denied assaulting his ex-fiancee Cassandra Jones during a 'chaotic' row at a residential property in Streatham, south London, on June 8 last year.

Jones, who shares two children with Mills, alleged the rapper had thrown her to the floor and pressed his head against hers amid the argument.

Mills, who was behind chart-topping singles Bonkers and Dance Wiv Me, split with Jones in February 2021 after nine years together and was said to be 'frustrated' over custody arrangements.

The pair became embroiled in an argument when he dropped off their daughter at the property following a day out in June.

As the rapper left the Wimbledon Magistrates' Court, he ripped a camera from a PA Media photographer and hurled it into the road, smashing the device to pieces

After Mills was arrested, he told police 'she assaulted me' and that she had left him with a scratch on his left arm.

But Mills, who had denied the charge, was today found guilty after a trial and will be sentenced at Croydon Magistrates' Court on April 8.

As the rapper left the Wimbledon Magistrates' Court, he ripped a camera from a PA Media photographer and hurled it into the road, smashing the device to pieces.





The court heard that Mills and Ms Jones, who had been together for nine years before their split, argued when Mills dropped off their daughter on the day of the alleged assault.





He had been late arriving at Ms Jones' house after getting stuck in traffic and told the court Ms Jones was bombarding him with calls and texts while he was driving, asking whether they would be back by 5pm in time for a chicken dinner.

He sent her texts which said 'shut up, don't give me no lip' and 'shut your f****** mouth' before the row, but denied he was annoyed at the time, the court heard.

The prosecution alleged that Mills 'barged' his way into the property, banged his head on a fridge three times while holding his son and began 'screaming and shouting' at Ms Jones and her mother Dawn Kirk.

The court heard how Ms Jones began filming him but he took her phone from her and then took Ms Kirk's phone.

The court was told the shouting became so loud that it alerted two neighbours and police were called.

A judge was told how when officers arrived, Mills said 'I'm the aggressor', but later gave a prepared statement in a police interview, denying the allegations and claimed he had been assaulted by Ms Jones.

Delivering her verdict, District Judge Polly Gledhill said: 'I am sure that on 8 June on returning home with the child late he lost his temper and there was an argument about child contact and finances.

'He took her phone to prevent the police being called and assaulted her.

'I'm satisfied this actually occurred and I'm satisfied this constituted an unlawful assault.'

Mills and Ms Jones were said to have had an 'on and off' relationship after first meeting around 2011, and in 2018 they got engaged.

In her testimony in February, Ms Jones described her ex-fiance as 'a ticking time bomb', explaining that she was calm when he arrived on the doorstep with their daughter as she knew he was in a bad mood and did not want to anger him.

She gave evidence from behind a screen at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court in the previous appearance, sobbing throughout her testimony.

PC Stephanie Johnstone said she arrested the rapper for common assault after he told her: 'I'm the aggressor.' But he later denied the assault in interviews.

The court was shown the officer's bodyworn footage of Ms Jones sitting on the floor tearfully recounting the alleged attack.

Mills told the court Ms Jones and her mother were 'waving their phones around' when he arrived back at the property.

He said: 'I didn't want them used as a weapon.

'When the police arrived I said 'I am the aggressor' but I was making light of it and trying to diffuse the situation.

'I was not the aggressor, I did not do anything to her physically.

'I ended up with two small marks because she was waving her phone around.

'Those marks came from her. She was erratic. She assaulted me by pushing me and scratching my left arm.

'I did not assault her that day.'

He continued: 'I was angry, I was angry at times yes. I was annoyed at her, she was shouting in my face and she was angry.

'At the police station I waited so long, the scratches I had when I arrived had become bruises.'

A statement from champion boxer David Haye, who has known the artist for more than 10 years, was read as evidence of Mills' good character.

The former world heavyweight champion said: 'I would describe Dylan as a stand-up and down-to-earth kind of man.

'Dylan is a very easy individual to get along with.

'He remained humble, having built himself up from nothing. He would rarely be seen out at celebrity social functions for the simple reason that he prefers to stay at home and spend time with his family.'

Mr Haye described Mills as a 'role-model father'.

Mr Mills had a string of hit songs in the late 2000s and amassed a reported net worth of 2.5 million

He added: 'It is Dylan's relationship with his children that I admire the most - despite his fame he always made time for his children.

'I have never seen Dylan lose his temper nor display any signs of anger.

'He was always calm and collected, he would not let anything fluster him.'

The court also heard from Mills' ex-girlfriend, Tanya Chehrehnegary, who said she was 'shocked' when she heard about the allegations.

'There have been many situations where your average person would get quite defensive but he's always dealt with things in a very calm and collected manner,' she said.

'Whenever we argued he would always remove himself from the situation and always end it on a funny note where I would end up laughing about something and that would be the end of it.'

Prosecutor Helena Duong said Mills was 'unprepared to answer any of the questions.

'Even though it's quite apparent in my submission that he plainly was upset about the situation with his kids.

'He didn't want to have to accept that he lost his temper that day.

'He was the aggressor in the situation and the one who was responsible for assaulting Ms Jones that day and certainly not the other way around.'

Sallie Bennett-Jenkins, QC, defending the rapper, said: 'This defendant did not have to give evidence but he did so gladly.

'But he did so in a way that gave a consistent and wholly credible account of what happened that day.

'He is a man who is calm, courteous as a partner, attentive, patient and generous.

'It is the defendant's evidence and he accepts that he was shouting that day.

'That, with respect, is not what he was charged with.'

Mills had a string of hit songs in the late 2000s and amassed a reported net worth of 2.5 million.

He was awarded an MBE for services to music in 2020.

Mills, of Sevenoaks in Kent, who was charged on August 2, denied assault by beating.

He will be sentenced in April.
A 'drug lord' dubbed 'Don Carlos' who was linked to the feared Colombian Cali and Medellin cartels has been arrested in Spain after police tracked a 130lb haul of cocaine hidden inside flower boxes.

Florentino Fernandez, who was said to have been involved in the smuggling of drugs in Colombia for 30 years, was detained while he was drinking coffee in Marbella on the Costa del Sol.

Policia Nacional, the national police force of Spain, said the arrest came following a joint investigation with Colombian authorities which traced 130lb of cocaine hidden in boxes of flowers from Colombia.

A video posted on Policia Nacional's official Twitter account showed the arrested being made as well as officers on the outskirts of Seville searching a vehicle which had been used to move drugs from Seville to Malaga.

Two people were arrested at the scene after the drugs were found hidden in a compartment in the boot.

Florentino Fernandez, nicknamed Don Carlos, was arrested by Spanish police while drinking a coffee in Marbella. Police said he was in the process of transferring 130lb of cocaine to its final buyers

Officers in the outskirts of Seville found drugs hidden in a compartment of a car boot. The car was to be used to move the drugs from Seville to Malaga

Police said the investigation had been ongoing for 18 months when detectives first became aware that the suspect intended to import 'large quantities of cocaine from South America'.

Police intervened and arrested Fernandez while he was in the process of transferring the drug load to its final buyers, police said in a statement.

At his house, detectives found more than 200,000 in cash and a revolver containing ammunition.

Police said 350,000 worth of real estate would be blocked, as well as the accounts of three people and six companies related to the investigation.

Policia Nacional said it has been aware of Fernandez, nicknamed Don Carlos, since 1993 when officers discovered his contacts with significant exponents of drug trafficking in Europe and South America.

At Fernandez's home, detectives found more than 200,000 in cash and a revolver containing ammunition

He was jailed for 24 years after being accused of leading an organisation that kidnapped two women for an outstanding debt derived from drug trafficking but returned to drug smuggling when he was released.

Described as a 'powerful Spanish drug trafficker, Fernandez, who was born in northern Spain, has lived in Colombia and Venezuela for many years where he was involved in a huge money laundering network.

Police said he surrounded himself with the 'main drug traffickers' in South America and provided services to the Medellin cartel, and even established his residence in the Madrid home of Gilberto Orejuela, a former head of the Cali drug cartel.
John Bercow is a 'serial bully' who subjected his staff to violent temper tantrums and scathing verbal abuse in a campaign of terror during his time as Commons Speaker, a damning report revealed today.

The former parliamentary referee - known for theatrically shouting 'order' to silence rowdy MPs - faces being banned from Parliament over a catalogue of appalling behaviour.

An official probe by the standards watchdog today branded the ex-Tory MP a 'serial liar' as it ruled his treatment of three staff would warrant expulsion from the Commons had he not quit in 2019.

Among his tyrannical behaviour were episodes where he threw a mobile phone so that it shattered over a secretary, and berated another by calling them 'f*cking stupid'.

In another tirade the now 59-year-old, once branded a 'stupid, sanctimonious dwarf' by a minister, was described as 'physically shaking with fury, his fists bunched and trembling, his eyes popping'.

He now faces being blocked from holding a Commons pass usually given to ex-politicians.

An official investigation found 'his behaviour fell very far below that which the public has a right to expect from any Member of Parliament'.

Labour faced calls to strip Mr Bercow of his membership, after he defected from the Tories last year. This afternoon his membership was administratively suspended pending an investigation.

The official censure handed down today also means he becomes the first Speaker of the House of Commons in modern history to be blocked from a peerage as a reward after standing down.

In a report published this morning, Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Kathryn Stone, found him guilty of 21 claims made against him relating to behaviour during his decade as Speaker from 2009 to 2019.

But in an astonishing 800-word rant, Mr Bercow blasted the decision, saying it was a 'travesty of justice rooted in prejudice, spite and hearsay' carried out by a 'kangaroo court'.

And he vowed to circumvent the ban, saying he would continue to attend 'with the help of a friendly passholder or go as a member of the public'.

Former Speaker John Bercow beams at cameras this afternoon after he was banned from Parliament for life over a damning report that found he was a 'serial bully' who subjected his staff to violent temper tantrums and scathing verbal abuse

John Bercow faces being banned from Parliament for life after the publication of a report into his behaviour that labelled him a 'serial bully'

Mr Bercow's former secretary Angus Sinclair, pictured in a Newsnight film

But Ms Stone upheld 21 out of 35 counts brought by Lord Lisvane (left), the former clerk of the Commons, and former private secretaries Kate Emms (right) and Mr Sinclair.

Kathryn Stone (pictured), the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, is set to publish her findings tomorrow. It is believed she will have found him guilty of 21 claims made against him relating to behaviour during his decade as speaker

In an astonishing 800-word rant, Mr Bercow (pictured with wife Sally in 2019) blasted the decision, saying it was a 'travesty of justice rooted in prejudice, spite and hearsay' carried out by a 'kangaroo court'.

Out of order: Bercow's bullying laid bare in damning report In early 2010 Mr Sinclair told the Speaker that his private apartment in Parliament would not be available to his family during that year's election campaign. Subsequently he subjected his secretary to 'an amazing display of temper in my office, in which he ordered me to stay seated, so he was standing over me, and then threw the mobile phone right in front of me on my desk and it burst into hundreds of bits and I could feel them hitting me. It was the most violent, extraordinary display of temper.'

The same year Mr Sinclair was blamed by the Speaker for a failure to obtain a license to conduct civil partnerships in Parliament in time to help an MP. Bercow shouted: 'What the f*ck! Nothing surprises me about you  it's your job  don't you understand you (are stupid)  f*ck! It's your job you are to do this despite what Clerk has said  you are to find out.' He also accused Sinclair of being homophobic.

Later in 2010 Ms Emms went with Bercow on an official visit to Kenya, which saw him stopped at security over a banned toiletry item. After it was confiscated Bercow 'threw a temper tantrum and then sulked, refusing to acknowledge the complainant during the flight and on arrival in Kenya'. 'Her account is that she was shocked and distressed by the respondent's attitude, which was, she says, aggressive and quite out of proportion,' the report noted.

In 2012 Bercow subjected Lord Lisvane, then a clerk, to a 'personal and sneering attack' over his views on diversity. In a private meeting in a study, Lisvane said the Speaker 'broke into a torrent of abuse, accusing him of being duplicitous, manipulative, of lying, and of bullying the complainant's staff'.

In a January 2014 meeting Bercow 'launched into a diatribe. Physically shaking with fury, his fists bunched and trembling, his eyes popping, he accused [Lisvane] for over 15 minutes of incompetence, duplicity and subversion, casting himself in the role of wise Speaker when all around him were evilly intentioned incompetents'.

Bercow flew into a rage 'furious beyond the normal reaction' at Sinclair during a meeting about appointing his new chaplain. It involved the Speaker 'swearing at the complainant, thumping the table and waving his arms, with spittle coming from his mouth'

During the investigation into claims made by Lord Lisvane, Mr Bercow 'chose to imitate the complainant's voice and words on at least 20 occasions'. Advertisement

'All I can say is that the case against me would have been thrown out by any court in the land since it is based on the flimsiest of evidence, rooted in hearsay and baseless rumour, and advanced by old school dogmatists once intent on resisting change at all costs and now settling some ancient scores with me,' he added.

'Add to that a dash of personal spite and you have some idea of the vengeful vendetta mounted against me.

'It is a travesty of justice and brings shame on the House of Commons.'

But Ms Stone upheld 21 out of 35 counts brought by Lord Lisvane, the former clerk of the Commons, and former private secretaries Kate Emms and Angus Sinclair.

The Commissioner found that, for example, Mr Bercow had displayed 'intimidatory' and 'undermining behaviour', and 'threatening conduct' towards Mr Sinclair, including verbal abuse, displays of anger, and seeking to humiliate him in front of others.

He also shouted at and mimicked Ms Emms, created 'an intimidating and hostile environment', and was responsible for 'intimidating, insulting behaviour involving an abuse of power' towards her.

Lord Lisvane - then Sir Robert Rogers - was subjected to 'a sustained course of conduct that involved repeated unfounded criticism of the complainant  both publicly and privately  often made at length and at volume and included derogatory inferences about [his] upbringing and background.'

The report added: 'It is for historians to judge whether the respondent was a successful reforming Speaker of the House of Commons.

'However, there was no need to act as a bully in order to achieve that aim. A great office can be filled forcefully and effectively without descending to such behaviour.'

In the Commons today, Tory MP Dr Caroline Johnson suggests plaques should be put next to portraits of Mr Bercow on the parliamentary estate stating he was a bully,

Raising a point of order in the Commons, fellow Conservative Michael Fabricant called for a debate on 'how on earth this could have lasted so long, this terror of bullying'.

A senior Commons source told MailOnline that there was 'shock' at the severity of the conclusions on Bercow.

The source suggested that the House could now consider whether he should be banned entirely from the Parliamentary estate. 'That will be something the House could do,' they said.

Ms Emms said today she was 'supremely glad to be vindicated by the report'.

'The impacts of the one and only genuinely horrible, undermining and consistently upsetting period of my career has spread into all areas of my life,' she said.

'Stress, anxiety and loss of confidence sent me home on sick leave and affected how I saw myself and how I felt I was seen by family, friends and colleagues.'

Ms Emms said the report concluded a 'saga' involving 'an intense period of bullying inflicted a long time ago' and '10 years of professional and personal rehabilitation'.

The 'final straw', she said, was Mr Bercow's 'unspeakably self-serving account in his memoirs'.

She added: 'It is painful but gratifying to read such a comprehensive analysis with such clear and unequivocal conclusions.'

MPs could push for Bercow's gold-plated pension to be docked after report John Bercow could face a move to dock his gold-plated pension as a 'final dishonour' after the bombshell Commons bullying report. The 59-year-old refused to give up the non-contributory pension a decade ago, despite Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Lord Chancellor Ken Clarke waiving their entitlement. The index-linked payments, equivalent to half his official salary, are worth over 35,000 a year. The 59-year-old had vowed that he would not draw the pension until he turned 65 - boasting it would save the taxpayer at least 430,000. But it emerged last summer that he had in fact started claiming it as soon as he stepped down as Speaker in November 2019. The pension perk was abolished for all future post-holders in 2013  meaning current Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle does not get the benefit. One Tory MP told MailOnline that they were discussing with colleagues what action could be taken against Mr Bercow, beyond the report's recommendation that he is banned from holding a former member's pass to the estate. 'It is about time he had his comeuppace,' the MP said. 'It seems to me there is no reason why if the majority of members vote to review his pension... I doubt whether you could deprive him of it but maybe get it reduced. 'One of the sanctions that the Opposition has it to get a minister's salary reduced by 100. Having his pension reduced by 100 would be the final dishnour for him. He has been completely disowned by the House of Commons in those circumstances.' Another senior MP said the House needs to find a stronger punishment to make clear its anger at Bercow's behaviour. 'His pension is the thing to go for,' they said. The pension entitlement was defined in law, and is paid through the government's Consolidated Fund - meaning ministers would likely have a role in any reduction. A 'Speaker's Pension' statement made through the Commons in 2012 acknowledged that as Mr Bercow was 46 when he became Speaker he would still be in his mid-50s when he stood down, be able to earn a new income and 'also be in receipt of the Speaker pension at a relatively young age'. It declared: 'The Speaker does not believe that this is right. 'Having taken appropriate advice, he has therefore proposed before he leaves office to waive his entitlement to the Speaker's pension until he reaches the age of 65.' Advertisement

In a statement previously published by the Sunday Times, Lord Lisvane accused Mr Bercow of breaking a strict confidentiality requirement by choosing to speak out about the probe before the findings had been made public.

Dave Penman, General Secretary of the FDA union, which represents civil servants, said: 'The FDA welcomes the decision to uphold the 21 complaints of bullying and harassment made by Kate Emms and her colleagues against the former speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow.'

Mr Penman said Mr Bercow had 'flouted confidentiality rules in a number of media appearances', which he said had caused 'further unnecessary distress to the complainants'.

He added: 'I would like to commend the courage shown by Kate Emms and her colleagues for speaking out and pursuing their complaints in incredibly difficult circumstances.'

Tory MP James Duddridge told MailOnline: 'I presume the Labour Party will revoke his membership, the Labour Party will not want a bully as we did not want John Bercow.'

After a controversy-ridden decade as Speaker, Mr Bercow stood down in 2019, defecting to Labour last year.

At the centre of blistering parliamentary rows over Brexit, he became the first Speaker in 230 years not to be offered a peerage.

He was instead nominated by Jeremy Corbyn  and that was blocked due to the bullying probe.

Downing Street said today it hopes the finding will encourage others at Westminster who suffer harassment to come forward.

A No 10 spokesman said: 'The Prime Minister has spoken before about the fact that there is no place for bullying or harassment in Parliament, and MPs should always be held to the highest standards.

'We hope that today's decision gives all those in Westminster the confidence to come forward and report their cases, and that they will be fairly heard.'

Earlier this year, Mr Bercow branded the inquiry a 'kangaroo court' which was 'protracted, amateurish and unjust', as he took the unusual step of making Miss Stone's findings public.

Two claims brought by Lieutenant-General David Leakey, a former Black Rod, were rejected by the inquiry that has taken almost two years.

It was previously suggested in the Commons that Lord Lisvane may have left his role in 2014 in part because he was told to 'f*** off' by Mr Bercow at least once.

The former Speaker has consistently denied the claim, insisting two years ago: 'For the record, I categorically deny that I have ever bullied anyone anywhere at any time.'

In an interview earlier this year, Mr Bercow admitted he was a 'Marmite figure', but criticised the investigation, declaring: 'The whole process stinks.

'Am I a stiff-upper-lipped Englishman? No. Am I a model of calm and stoicism and imperturbability at all times? No. Can I get ratty? Yes. Am I sometimes overexcitable? Yes. Did I handle every situation in the chamber as I should have? No. I'm flawed. I sometimes wind people up unnecessarily. But I had hugely collegiate relations with my team,' he told the Sunday Times.

He added: 'It is suggested that I stared hate-filled at an employee 11 years ago. Nine witnesses present at the meeting were not interviewed but I was judged guilty.

It is said that I 'ghosted' a staffer on an aeroplane. No, it was a night flight and I was asleep before addressing 300 people at a conference the next day.

'I am falsely accused of swearing at an employee on an uncertain date in 2009. He names a colleague whom he told of the encounter. The colleague has no recollection of this,' he added.

Mr Bercow said one complainant claimed he 'made a racially and sexually discriminatory remark, which I would not dream of doing'.

He added he was 'wrongly alleged to have thrown a mobile phone on two occasions nearly 12 years ago'.

John Bercow launches extraordinary rant about being stitched up by a 'kangaroo court' and says he WON'T say sorry to his bullying victims because he 'doesn't believe in faux apologies' - while vowing to continue visiting Parliament despite lifetime ban

Unrepentant John Bercow refused to say sorry to the victims of his bulling today - as he insisted he had been stitched up by the Establishment because he was a Parliamentary 'reformer'.

The ex-Commons Speaker was censured for mistreating staff during his decade-long tenure, including explosive tantrums and rages.

But rather than apologising he painted himself as the victim in an 800-word diatribe sent to reporters.

The 59-year-old blasted the findings of a report by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner and an Independent Expert Panel that recommended he be barred from Parliament.

He described it as a 'travesty of justice rooted in prejudice, spite and hearsay' carried out by a 'kangaroo court'.

And he vowed to circumvent the ban, saying he would continue to attend 'with the help of a friendly passholder or go as a member of the public'.

Rather than keep a low profile Mr Bercow embarked on a round of media interviews today, setting out why he was the wronged party.

Asked on BBC Radio 4's The World At One if he had apologised to three former aides for making their work life a misery, he said: 'No I most certainly haven't, because, very simply, I don't believe in faux apologies. I didn't bully anyone.

The 59-year-old blasted the findings of a report by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner and an Independent Expert Panel that recommended he be barred from Parliament.

He vowed to circumvent the ban, saying he would continue to attend 'with the help of a friendly passholder or go as a member of the public'.

'I absolutely accept that under the system passed by the house, the IEP has a right to make a decision.

But I do not have to accept that its decision is right. It isn't, I don't. And for that reason I am most certainly not apologising.

'I fought for change, I was a consistent reformer. I drove through a programme of innovation in the chamber, across the parliamentary estate and in our relations with civil society. I didn't bully anyone and no court other than a kangaroo court would find that I did.'

In a report published this morning, Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Kathryn Stone, found him guilty of 21 claims made against him relating to behaviour during his decade as Speaker from 2009 to 2019.

Among his tyrannical behaviour were episodes where he threw a mobile phone so that it shattered over a secretary, and berated another by calling them 'f*cking stupid'.

In another tirade the now 59-year-old, once branded a 'stupid, sanctimonious dwarf' by a minister, was described as 'physically shaking with fury, his fists bunched and trembling, his eyes popping'.

He now faces being blocked from holding a Commons pass usually given to ex-politicians.

In his statement, Mr Bercow said: 'Parliament is supposed to be the highest court in the land. This inquiry, which lasted a ghastly 22 months at great cost to the taxpayer, has failed it dismally.

'At the end of it, the panel has simply said that I should be denied a parliamentary pass which I have never applied for and do not want.

'That is the absurdity of its position. Don't fall for the Establishment spin that I have been banned for life. I can still attend debates with the help of a friendly passholder or go as a member of the public.

'All I can say is that the case against me would have been thrown out by any court in the land since it is based on the flimsiest of evidence, rooted in hearsay and baseless rumour, and advanced by old school dogmatists once intent on resisting change at all costs and now settling some ancient scores with me.

'Add to that a dash of personal spite and you have some idea of the vengeful vendetta mounted against me. It is a travesty of justice and brings shame on the House of Commons.

'This has been a protracted, amateurish and unjust process which would not have survived five minutes' scrutiny in court. To describe what I have experienced as a kangaroo court is grossly insulting to kangaroos. None of the investigators is a lawyer and the Commissioner overseeing them has no expertise whatsoever in the consideration of alleged bullying.

'Throughout, gossip from absent friends of the complainants has been treated as the absolute truth, whilst eyewitnesses who challenged the allegations were described as 'not helpful' and discounted. The Commissioner even presumed to make findings on matters about which I was never questioned.'
The boss of Shell has said he is 'sorry' for buying a shipment of Russian oil last week as the company revealed it would stop shut down its service stations, aviation fuels and other operations in the country.

Shell said in a statement that it would withdraw from all Russian hydrocarbons, including crude oil, petroleum products, natural gas and liquefied natural gas, 'in a phased manner.'

The decision comes as surging oil prices have been rattling global markets and just days after Ukraine's foreign minister criticized Shell for continuing to buy Russian oil, lashing out at the company for continuing to do business with President Vladimir Putin's government.

The boss of Shell now says he is 'sorry' for buying a shipment of Russian oil last week even as dozens of major international companies announced they would abandon the country over its war in Ukraine.

The business bought the oil last week at knock-down prices, as sanctions began to bite on the Russian economy.

'We are acutely aware that our decision last week to purchase a cargo of Russian crude oil to be refined into products like petrol and diesel - despite being made with security of supplies at the forefront of our thinking - was not the right one and we are sorry,' said chief executive Ben van Beurden.

Shell had faced significant scrutiny after buying 'blood' barrels for a $28 discount, and Russian oil now remains almost unsellable, The Telegraph reports. Tankers are steering clear of Black Sea ports, and two thirds of Russian oil is now shut in.

The news comes as:

Vladimir Putin threatened to switch off the gas pipeline to Europe as punishment for sanctions and warned oil will double in price to $300 a barrel

Hand-to-hand combat broke out between Ukrainian paratroopers and Russian special forces while Kyiv claims 12,000 of Putin's men have been killed

Russia broke a ceasefire to shell evacuation routes out of besieged Mariupol

Volodymyr Zelensky says 'beast' Putin will move on NATO members next if Ukraine falls and begs Biden to declare no-fly-zone despite risk of nuclear war

The company said in a statement that it would withdraw from all Russian hydrocarbons, including crude oil, petroleum products, natural gas and liquefied natural gas, 'in a phased manner'

The German-flagged Seacod oil tanker moored at Birkenhead Docks near the Stanlow Oil Refinery on March 5, 2022

The company said it would immediately stop buying Russian crude oil on the spot market and will shut service stations, aviation fuel and lubricants operations in Russia.

Tanker carrying Russian oil leaves Merseyside after fierce response A tanker carrying Russian oil left a Merseyside terminal on Sunday after sparking a fierce response from union members. The Seacod, which sails under a German flag, left Primorsk, one of Russia's biggest oil exportation hubs, on February 22 and arrived in Merseyside on Thursday, March 3, with its cargo destined for Stanlow oil refinery in Ellesmere Port. The vessel was able to dock in Tranmere oil terminal thanks to a loophole in government sanctions banning all Russian owned, operated or chartered ships from UK ports thanks to the invasion of Ukraine. However the ban does not include ships from other nations carrying Russian cargo. On Friday Unite the union, which represents a number of staff at Stanlow, declared its opposition to the loophole and said its members would not be involved in handling Russian cargo. Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: 'Unite has today contacted Essar, who operate the Stanlow oil refinery, to inform the company that due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Unite workers at the facility will under no circumstances unload any Russian oil regardless of the nationality of the vessel which delivers it. 'Essar may believe that it is justifiable to transport Russian oil under a flag of convenience but Unite does not. 'Unite urges the transport secretary Grant Shapps to close this loophole immediately.' It was unclear whether the oil was removed from the ship ahead of Unite's comments or whether it had been transferred to Stanlow from the Tranmere terminal. Advertisement

The rest of the company's exit from Russian oil and gas will take place over time.

The business said it will 'withdraw from its involvement in all Russian hydrocarbons, including crude oil, petroleum products, gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) in a phased manner, aligned with new Government guidance'.

Profits from the remaining Russian gas that Shell will process will be sent to a fund and the business will work with humanitarian organisations to figure out how best to spend the money.

Mr van Beurden said: 'Our actions to date have been guided by continuous discussions with governments about the need to disentangle society from Russian energy flows, while maintaining energy supplies.

'Threats today to stop pipeline flows to Europe further illustrate the difficult choices and potential consequences we face as we try to do this.'

He added: 'As we have already said, we will commit profits from the limited, remaining amounts of Russian oil we will process to a dedicated fund.

'We will work with aid partners and humanitarian agencies over the coming days and weeks to determine where the monies from this fund are best placed to alleviate the terrible consequences that this war is having on the people of Ukraine.'

Last week Shell said it would end its involvement with the Nord Stream 2 pipeline which was intended to bring Russian gas into Europe.

It also said at the time it would exit its partnerships with Gazprom.

On Tuesday the company said it might take weeks to complete the removal of Russian crude oil from its supply chains.

It said that withdrawing from Russian petroleum, piped gas and LNG is a 'complex challenge' which will need 'concerted action by governments, energy suppliers and customers'.

'A transition to other energy supplies will take much longer,' the company added.

It comes as Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine continues, with shelling seen in many civilian areas of the country.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he had been told Shell 'discretely' bought the oil Friday and appealed to the public to pressure the company and other international firms to halt such purchases.

'One question to Shell: doesn't Russian oil smell (like) Ukrainian blood for you?' Kuleba said on Twitter. 'I call on all conscious people around the globe to demand multinational companies to cut all business ties with Russia.'

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he had been told Shell 'discretely' bought oil Friday and appealed to the public to pressure the company and other international firms to halt such purchases

The Seacod oil tanker is seen moored at Birkenhead Docks near the Stanlow Oil Refinery on March 5. Unions are urging the Government to close what they believe is a loophole following a ban on Russian vessels docking in the UK, because they say cargo is not covered

Last week, Shell said it was 'shocked by the loss of life in Ukraine' and would end its joint ventures with Gazprom, the massive oil and gas company controlled by the Russian government.

Shell bought a cargo of Russian crude oil from Swiss trader Trafigura in S&P Global Platts window loading from Baltic ports at a record low of dated Brent minus $28.50 a barrel, traders said on Friday.

Shell last week said it would exit all its Russian operations, including the flagship Sakhalin 2 LNG plant in which it holds a 27.5% stake, and which is 50% owned and operated by Russian gas group Gazprom.

Shell joined a raft of companies, including BP, which said it was abandoning its 19.75% stake in Russian oil giant Rosneft.

But it was still one of the few Western companies to have continued buying crude oil from Russia since the conflict in Ukraine escalated.

The British energy major said it would change its crude oil supply chain to remove volumes from the sanctions-hit country 'as fast as possible' and shut its service stations, and aviation fuels and lubricants operations in Russia.

The company said the supply chain change could take weeks to complete and will lead to reduced throughput at some of its refineries.

The withdrawal from Russian petroleum products, pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) will be in a phased manner

The company also plans to end its involvement in the Nord Stream 2 Baltic gas pipeline linking Russia to Germany, which it helped finance as a part of a consortium.

It was reported on Monday that the United States was willing to move ahead with a ban on Russian oil imports without the participation of allies in Europe in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Oil prices have soared to their highest levels since 2008 due to delays in the potential return of Iranian crude to global markets and as the United States and European allies consider banning Russian imports.




Rhee Keun, a former Navy special warfare officer who recently gained huge popularity through the reality show "Fake Men" on YouTube, has said he left for Ukraine to take part in the war against Russia as a volunteer soldier.



The former lieutenant said he initially sought to leave for Ukraine through a formal procedure but gave up the plan after receiving an answer for his inquiry from the government that people can be treated as a criminal and punished by imprisonment of one year or a fine of 10 million won (US$8,210) if they enter countries banned from travel.



After Rhee's departure, the foreign ministry warned that the group's passports would be nullified if they are confirmed have entered the war-torn country without permission.




A senior Tory MP is pressing the Government to make public sexual harassment a specific criminal offence as a new poll suggested two in five women have been groped in public.

Caroline Nokes, the chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, said changing the law would send a 'really powerful message'.

Backing calls to bring forward the new offence, she told the BBC: 'It will give women the confidence to report and sends a very clear message to perpetrators that this is criminal.'

A YouGov survey for the BBC, published on International Women's Day, found 43 per cent of women in the UK have suffered groping or unwelcome touching in public.

Meanwhile, almost a third - 28 per cent - said they had experienced indecent exposure in public and two thirds (66 per cent) said they did not feel safe walking alone at night.

Caroline Nokes, the chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, said changing the law would send a 'really powerful message'

Ms Nokes has repeatedly called on the Government to bring forward the new offence.

Writing for The Mirror last week, the Conservative backbencher said she believed 'now is the time to make misogyny a hate crime'.

However, she said she recognised that the Law Commission had recently recommended that misogyny should not be classed as a hate crime.

But the organisation had recommended that the Government explore creating a new separate, non-hate crime, public sexual harassment offence.

Ms Nokes said: 'I do not believe the Government can pick and choose, you either agree with the Law Commission's recommendations in their entirety (I do) or reject them entirely, you cannot have it both ways.'

She said ministers 'need to crack on and make PSH a crime, sending a powerful message to women and girls that they are on their side, and to perpetrators that they are not just a nuisance, they're criminals'.

Ms Nokes last year accused Boris Johnson's father, Stanley Johnson, of touching her inappropriately.

She told Sky News that in 2003 Mr Johnson had smacked her 'on the backside about as hard as he could'.

Asked about the claim, Mr Johnson had said he had 'no recollection' of Ms Nokes.

Ministers said in February this year that they will make new laws to make public sexual harassment a crime if it is 'clear' that they are needed.

Home Office minister Rachel Maclean said the Government would bring forward a law to criminalise catcalling, pressing against someone in a sexual manner on public transport, making lewd comments or other inappropriate behaviour, only if a review proves it is required.

The Government has been examining the issue as part of the passage of its Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.
British volunteers have joined the around 16,000 international volunteers in Ukraine to fight Putin's forces and say 'hopefully we'll win'.

Since a call by president Volodymyr Zelensky, 60 British people are estimated to have gone to Ukraine after the Russian invasion.

Many of them say their families 'are worried but supportive' as the Ukrainian International Legion ranks grow to around 20,000, with more than 16,000 already arrived from 52 countries.

One of them, Ben Grant, who served in Iraq, flew home from the Middle Eastern country to the UK to see his wife and kids and then went straight from there to join the fight in Ukraine.

He said: 'I hadn't seen them for a while and basically said I'm going to Ukraine. Big shock

'I feel a bit sorry to them to be fair . I know they were pretty upset but people need me here.'

Jax, from northern England, said the 'sickening' attacks and Mr Zelensky's call to people to join Ukraine in the fight motivated him to join up.

Mr Grant said they really need those with miltiary experience to join and is very keen on that

'We're going to see and wait to see what the situation is,' he said.

He added that is was up to Ukraine to decide where and how they fight or if they want them to be 'an independent unit because of their skills'

Jax, from northern England, added: 'We're here because of the war crimes being committed.'

He added his family 'was not happy to say the least' but proud of his efforts.

Jax, from northern England, said the 'sickening' attacks and Mr Zelensky's call to people to join Ukraine in the fight motivated him to join up

Kruger, who did not give his last name, said 'you need to be honest' about 'the realities of war'

He said: 'I think you've got to be honest with yourself.

'If you're out here as a war tourist, this is not the place for you.

'The realities of war, if you head out to the front, are going to be pretty overwhelming.

'So I think you've got to know what you're potentially looking at getting yourself into.'

One of them, Ben Grant, who served in Iraq, flew home from the Middle Eastern country to the UK to see his wife and kids and then went straight from there to join the fight in Ukraine

Another anonymous volunteer from the UK said: 'I told all my family  they were obviously worried but supportive.'

There have been different messaging by top UK officials on whether trained servicemen and women from the Armed Forces should go to Ukraine.

Foreign secretary Liz Truss said it was 'absolutley' right for British people to join Ukraine in fighting against Russia, while the Foreign Office website advises against travel to Ukraine.

It states: 'If you travel to eastern Ukraine to fight, or to assist others engaged in the conflict, your activities may amount to offences against UK terrorism or other legislation and you could be prosecuted on your return to the UK.'

But Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, maintained there are 'better ways to contribute to the security of Ukraine' than fighting.

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin also urged people to find ways to support Ukraine from the UK and added that the 'sound of gunfire' was not 'something you want to rush to'.

'We can all understand that sentiment, and that sentiment needs to be channelled into support for Ukraine.'
A personal trainer tried to blackmail her wealthy ex-boyfriend for 10million by threatening to tell his clients and family that he had performed 'degrading' sex acts on her, a court heard today.

London-based mother Jennifer Mbazira, 50, claimed her payment demands were justified to 'redress the wrongs she suffered' after accusing the man of abusing her sexually and mentally.

Portsmouth Crown Court heard how in one message sent to her ex, who she met on a dating site called Encounters, Ms Mbazira accused him of 'using' her - before demanding he pay her tens of thousands of pounds, which later jumped to 10million.

Ms Mbazira, who is defending herself, denies one count of blackmail.

After their 'on and off' relationship of three years came to an end, the court heard Ms Mbazira got back in touch and initially asked the man to lend her 20,000 to 'support her business'.

The alleged victim, who must remain anonymous for legal reasons, instead offered 2,000 as a 'goodwill gesture', a jury was told.

Following this, Ms Mbazira sent him a series of emails and messages in which she claimed he had mistreated her, adding that she was 'living a life of poverty with her son while he enjoyed a life of luxury', the court heard.

In one WhatsApp message sent after the couple split for the final time, Ms Mbazira wrote: 'Dating you cost me a lot of money. Dresses, waxing nails, hair, train tickets.

'Your tone is unacceptable. You used me.'

The businessman then sent Ms Mbazira 2,000 to help her set up an import business selling baskets from Morocco on the condition she did not ask him for money ever again.

Jennifer Mbazira (pictured), 50, claimed her demands were justified to 'redress the wrongs she suffered' after accusing the man, who she met on a dating site called Encounters, of abusing her sexually and mentally

But months later, she sent an email demanding 10m or she would reveal their sexual history to his family, friends and business associates.

The businessman, who is giving evidence behind a screen, told the court today: 'I remember waking up in the morning and seeing this email.

'I was just absolutely horrified. It hit me very hard. I couldn't read it.

'My heart was pounding and it was just the most awful moment.

'It was simply ghastly. It's pages and pages of stuff.

'This is something I didn't recognise. It bore no relationship to our relationship, which was respectful and kind.

'These accusations about pervasive sexual acts - what is all this? It just doesn't make sense.

'I wasn't cross, I was extremely upset, I was very sad. It made me feel awful, to be honest.

'To be accused of all these things, it was something I just did not recognise at all.'

Orlando Gibbons, for the Crown, told the jury Ms Mbazira made an unwarranted demand of 10m from the businessman in 2019 in order to make financial gain for herself and to deprive the businessman of his money and reputation.

'It was accompanied by threats,' Mr Gibbons said.

'I will expose our financial arrangements to your friends family and business associates.

'Unless you do so, this is what will happen to you,' he told the jury.

Ms Mbazira was arrested in London on February 4, 2019.

In what was described as 'an act of generosity', the court heard how the businessman had offered her 20,000, which Ms Mbazira rejected.

The jury heard she then demanded 10 million and claimed that if he didn't transfer the money 'she would contact his business associates and family about private sexual activities'.

The man denied any sexual misconduct and reported her threatening emails to the police.

Appearing at Portsmouth Crown Court for the start of her trial on Tuesday, Ms Mbazira chose to represent herself without a barrister.

She denies one charge of blackmail between November 2018 and February 2019.

Mr Gibbons told the court: 'She made unwarranted demands.. These were not justified at all. The demand was for 10million.

'[The victim] will tell you that he got into a relationship with [Miss Mbazira] in about 2015, having met on a dating site called Encounters.'

Mr Gibbons said their relationship was 'on and off', with the man breaking up with her several times before the pair finally parted ways in February 2018.

He added: 'Four months later she contacted him, asking for 20,000. She described this as a loan to support a business she said she was starting up.

Portsmouth Crown Court (pictured) heard Tuesday how after their 'on and off' relationship of three years ended, Ms Mbazira got back in touch and initially asked the unnamed man to lend her 20,000 to 'support her business'

'He declined because he didn't think it was a good idea to be in a business relationship with somebody he was no longer in a relationship with... He told her he wasn't interested.

'However, out of the goodness of his own heart, he offered her 2,000 as a goodwill gesture.

'In November 2018, she sent an email to him saying how upset she was by their relationship coming to an end and that she felt he was in breach of a verbal contract to help her. No complaints were made to anybody else at this stage.

'She felt she invested a great deal in to the relationship, not just financially, and was upset he didn't want to assist her.

'In further emails she made allegations of sexual acts she said were degrading in their relationship. No complaints were made to anybody else at this stage.

'She went on to say she had been mistreated... She was living a life of poverty with her son while he enjoyed a life of luxury and didn't want to assist her.

'He felt at some stage he was being blackmailed so in an act of generosity he offered her 20,000 and hoped the matter would rest there.

'She told him she was rejecting the offer of 20,000 and was demanding 10million because she wanted to set up a new home for herself and her son and wanted to put him through university.'

The court heard Miss Mbazira made a 'threat she would contact his business associates and family about private sexual activities' if she did not get the money.

Mr Gibbons said the victim decided to contact the police and say he was being blackmailed in February 2019 and Miss Mbazira was arrested, when she gave a 'mostly no comment' interview.

The court heard she told police her business had suffered as she had sacrificed it to prioritise their relationship.

She said she wanted to take legal action against him for 'breaching a verbal contract business arrangement and his abusive behaviour towards her during their relationship'.

She claimed the 10million she asked for was justified to 'redress the wrongs she suffered in the course of their relationship sexually and mentally'.

The trial continues.
A captured Russian soldier has described how he was shot at and his comrade killed after fellow troops opened fire on them when they tried to protect Ukrainian civilians.

In a video, the POW described how he and a lieutenant tried to save a woman in her 20s, and her mother, after Russian soldiers were given orders to fire on civilians on February 24 in Kharkiv.

In the clip, the captured soldier claimed he was shot in the foot, and the lieutenant killed, when other troops realised the pair weren't shooting at civilians.

It comes as a separate video showed a POW describing how 'many' Russian troops are fleeing the war - despite warnings from above that they face seven years in jail for desertion.

The man described an incident on February 24 in Kharkiv, where he and a lieutenant tried to protect a woman in her twenties, and her mother, as the two sides opened fire on each other

In the first video, the soldier describes how people started hiding when Russian troops opened fire.

'Then your (Ukrainian) forces began to shoot at ours. And then, while ours were being shot at, me and my lieutenant were helping civilians.'

He said the two men 'decision to save civilians, Ukrainian civilians'.

Speaking about the two women they helped, the soldier said: 'The lieutenant ran over to them, began to take them out of the car, shouting "come over over here".

'In about 20 minutes, they noticed me and the lieutenant were saving civilians and an order was given to shoot me and the lieutenant and the civilians.

'The lieutenant was killed, then they began shooting at the mother. She died with him too.

In a second video released by the Ukrainian Security Service on Facebook, a Russian military technician was questioned, and claimed deserters are being threatened with jail time

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'Me and the daughter began to retreat. My forces began to shoot me in the legs.

'If it wasn't for this garage, they would have killed me the same as they had with the mother and lieutenant.

'Me and the daughter sat behind this garage. We hid until it quietened down and the daughter suggested to drive away, call for forces.

'She went to find her mother, who was next to the lieutenant. Got the keys (to the car).

'I crawled to the car and she put me in the backseat. She started the car and drove.'

It's understood the man lost consciousness and when he came to, woke up thirsty, explaining the civilian was able to get him some water before they got medical attention.

In a second video released by the Ukrainian Security Service on Facebook, a Russian military technician was questioned, and claimed deserters are being threatened with seven years of jail time.

The man, who transported equipment in need of repair from Ukraine, said: 'Many have already left home. Many are fleeing, they don't want to go to war. What is it for? No one needs this, this war. No one wants this.

'They are against it, they're escaping. The thing is they're promising seven years in prison, so people are staying. No one wants to go to jail.

'Around month ago they gathered us, gave us documents, and told us to say we're willing to participate in a special operation.

'Even if you didn't want to sign up for it, you did, and everyone was 100% told to go, they were sent.

'And so around a month ago, they sent us away and loaded equipment.'

A video yesterday also showed a captured Russian commander begging for 'mercy' for Putin's forces attacking Ukraine, saying they were duped into invading in the false belief that the government had been overthrown by Nazis and needing liberating.

The man, who claimed he is a lieutenant-colonel in the Russian national guard's special rapid response unit, said his countrymen have been 'brainwashed' into supporting the war but - having seen the situation in Ukraine for himself - he now feels 'shame' in taking part in 'genocide' and says Ukrainians are 'right' to resist.

Astakhov Dmitry Mikhailovich said his doubts solidified when he saw two of his favourite boxers - Oleksandr Usyk and Vasiliy Lomachenko - agreeing to fight for the resistance.

And in a stark message delivered to Russian troops still fighting, he said: 'I'm begging you, stop before it is too late...Russia cannot win here.

'If someone came to my territory, I would do the same as these people did and I would be right. They are right now.

'Guys, be brave. It's easier for me, I'm in this situation already. You are in a tense situation, going against your own commander.

'But this is genocide, the people are just killed.'

It echoes statements given by other Russian prisoners interviewed by Ukrainian forces, who said the order to attack came at short notice, that they were told the Ukrainian government had been deposed, and that they were going in a 'liberators' who should expect only light resistance. Instead, they walked into a bloodbath.

Ukrainian servicemen inspect a charred Russian tank that was destroyed on the outskirts of Sumy, eastern Ukraine

None of their accounts can be verified, and all statements are likely to have been given under some degree of duress.

But the consistency with which the same story is being told - by soldiers from different units fighting in different areas of the country who have not had time to align their stories - is striking.

This comes as Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov today released new estimates of casualties and damage from the war, saying Russian military actions have killed 38 children and wounded more than 70.

A charred Russian tank is seen on the outskirts of Sumy, a city in the east of the country, as Putin's invading force continues to suffer losses without a significant gain in territory

In a video address, he said that overall at least 400 civilian deaths have been recorded and 800 wounded, though 'these data are definitely incomplete'.

It was not immediately possible to verify the figures.

He said Russian strikes have destroyed more than 200 Ukrainian schools, 34 hospitals and 1,500 residential buildings.

Reznikov estimated some 10,000 foreign students, notably from India, China and the Persian Gulf are trapped by the fighting, and described attacks on British and Swiss journalists.

Ukrainian soldiers in Luhansk, in the country's east, captured images showing destroyed Russian military vehicles

He claimed that Ukrainian forces have killed more than 11,000 Russian troops.

'Russian invaders fire on humanitarian corridors through which civilians are trying to escape,' he said, without saying where.

Russian officials did not comment Tuesday and have only acknowledged several hundred deaths among Russian forces.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also today called for the expansion of humanitarian corridors for Ukrainian civilians fleeing war, and more support from the Red Cross.

Refugees fleeing Ukraine wait for a train to Budapest at Zahony train station in Hungary today

In a video address from an undisclosed location, he said a child died of dehydration in the blockaded southern seaport of Mariupol, in a sign of how desperate the city's population has become, and once again begged Western countries to provide air support.

He said evacuation buses have been sent to Mariupol, but said there was no firm agreement on the route, so 'Russian troops can simply shoot on this transport on the way.'

Zelensky accused the International Red Cross of 'forbidding the use of its emblem on our cars,' but did not give details. Videos of buses heading out of Sumy and toward Mariupol have had signs with a red cross on the side but it's not clear who pasted them there.
Labour MP for Gateshead Ian Mearns (pictured), has said that private schools who accept money from families with suspected links to the Kremlin should lose their charitable status

Expensive UK private schools, some of which charge more than 40,000 a year, could see their charitable status questioned if they accept money from families with suspected links to the Kremlin, an MP has warned.

Ian Mearns, a member of the Commons' Education Select Committee and Labour MP for Gateshead, said that rather than waiting for guidance on the issue, 'possibly these paragons of virtue, virtue that they wish to impart to the children in their trust, should do what they consider to be the right thing.'

Commenting in a personal capacity, he added: 'Many of these institutions, if not all, have charitable status, that would be severely called into question, should it emerge that they are educating children funded by money that has been gained by questionable means in Russia.

'Do they really need to receive Government guidance or can they not distinguish between right and wrong?'

An independent school source told the PA news agency that 'schools are looking at the Department for Education for more information and guidance on potential sanctions and individuals that might be named on a Government list, but no such information has yet been forthcoming. Schools are calling out for clarity from Government.

'In the situation that a child is not enrolled at an independent school as a result of non-payment of fees, then the local authority has a legal duty to educate them. Children of Russian citizens could end up at taxpayer-subsidised state schools as a result,' they added.

Schools have been looking to the Department for Education for further guidance with regards to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and the potential impact for linked individuals

A number of MPs have highlighted concerns over Kremlin-linked money paying for some of the 2,300 Russian students who attended private school in the UK in 2021

There are growing calls for independent schools to consider severing ties with families with suspected links to the Kremlin because of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

On Tuesday, Conservative former minister David Davis tabled an amendment to enable the Government to publish a 'hit list' of individuals being considered for sanctions.

It also sought to deny the named individuals from selling their assets or moving funds or assets out of the UK.

But this proposal was defeated by 300 votes to 234, majority 66, despite the division list showing nine Conservative MPs rebelled to support it.

The Independent School Census in 2021 found that there were around 2,300 Russian students at private schools across the country.

Nickie Aiken, Conservative MP for the Cities of London and Westminster, has called for the Government to stop Russian children from attending private schools in the UK, while Alicia Kearns, Conservative MP for Rutland and Melton, told the Independent newspaper that she feared Russian families would be able to 'play the system' to avoid sanctions.

'If these people are happy to sit back and let the children of Ukraine be blown up, they should not have their children at our schools, which they see as a fast-track to Oxbridge,' she added.

Conservative MP for the Cities of London and Westminster Nickie Aiken, said the children of Russians connected to the Kremlin, who may be in schools in this country, should be sent home to Russia

Eton College confirmed they had more than a dozen Russian students

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: 'Our understanding is that the Government has placed sanctions on a number of individuals and banks in relation to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and that schools must not accept payment of fees from these sources. Schools are also encouraged to be alert to any suspicious payments and to report concerns.

'Colleagues in the independent sector tell us that the work carried out by schools includes checking the source of funds and associated background checks.

'Clearly this is an evolving and complex situation and it is important that the Government and its agencies keep schools fully informed and provide appropriate support as necessary.

'As with state schools, there is also a wider potential issue around the wellbeing of pupils whose families are affected by the conflict and it will be another focus to ensure that there are appropriate safeguarding and support systems in place.'

Leading public schools have said they will undertake checks on any suspicious funding sources.

A spokesperson for Eton College said they had three Ukrainian pupils and 17 who were Russian.

A City of London Corporation spokesperson, which runs the City of London private schools in the capital, said: 'We condemn Russia's military aggression threatening Ukraine's sovereignty, independence, and the international rule of law.

'The City of London Corporation will continue to work with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to support measures to bring about a peaceful solution as soon as possible.

'At this difficult time, the School is ensuring that we provide extensive pastoral support to all boys and staff who are impacted,' they said.

'None of our Russian pupils are from families on the sanctions list (and that includes any Russian nationals with places for 2022 or 2023). We always undertake required checks on the source of funds for school fees and we make a Suspicious Activity Report where we have any concerns.'

Labour MP for Portsmouth South and shadow schools minister Stephen Morgan believes 'dirty Russian money' needs to be removed from British Schools

Stephen Morgan MP, Labour's shadow schools minister, told the PA news agency: 'The Conservatives must act now to eliminate dirty Russian money from our school system and urgently clarify guidance for schools.

'We cannot risk loopholes being exploited by payments through murky shell companies. Ministers must act now to close every possible door to oligarchs looking to avoid sanctions.'

Julie Robinson at the Independent Schools Council said: 'The priority for all schools is the safety, wellbeing and education of their pupils. Decisions over sanctions are for the Government.

'Sanctions currently imposed on individuals and Russian banks mean schools must not accept payments of fees from these sources. They are encouraged to remain on high alert over suspicious payments and expected to raise Suspicious Activity Reports if they have any concerns over the provenance of the money they are receiving.

'Clearly, the support of the Home Office, National Crime Agency, NECC and other relevant authorities is hugely important.

'Associations representing independent schools work with these agencies to encourage vigilance against suspicious fee payments and ensure reporting is carried out as required under relevant laws and regulations, and the Independent Schools' Bursars Association provides schools with guidance verified by legal experts to further support them. The work carried out by schools includes appropriate checks on the source of funds and associated background checks.'

David Woodgate, chief executive of the Independent Schools' Bursars Association, said that this was an issue schools had been looking at since 2017.

'So that in itself is very well understood in schools, that you do not take cash, you need to satisfy yourself as to the provenance of the funds, and of the payers,' he said.

'And of course, there is an obligation to make a suspicious activity report, if there is any suspicion.

'And in a sense, the sanctions regime falls back on those basic principles as well that you need to be checking whether the parent is on a sanctions list is a politically exposed person, or whether the institution making the payment is sanctioned.

'You've got to do your due diligence.'
An Irish truck driver who was charged after a large lorry was reversed into the gates of the Russian embassy in Dublin gave the peace sign after he appeared in court today.

Desmond Wisley, aged 49 and with an address at Tully, Ballinamore, Leitrim, was charged with dangerous driving and criminal damage.

Mr Wisley, who runs an ecclesiastical supplies company, appeared at Tallaght District Court in south Dublin on Tuesday morning.

He was released on bail.

Irish truck driver Desmond Wisley gives the peace sign after he appeared in court charged with driving a lorry into the gates of the Russian embassy in Dublin

Video footage showed the large supplies truck reversing through the gates of the Russian embassy in Dublin

Video footage from Monday showed the large supplies truck reversing through the gates of the Russian embassy with people seen standing nearby holding placards.

Gardai confirmed a man was arrested following the incident, which took place at around 1.30pm, before he was taken to Rathfarnham Garda Station.

The scene was cordoned off and roads near the embassy remain closed. No injuries were reported after the incident in south Dublin.

Wisley leaves Tallaght District Court, in Dublin, where he was charged with dangerous driving and criminal damage

In a statement, a spokeswoman for the Russian Embassy accused Irish police of standing 'idle' as the incident took place.

She added: 'A large truck came over to the gates of the Embassy, pulled back and tore down the gates of the Embassy. The incident took place in the presence of Garda officers, who stood idle.

'The embassy strongly condemns this criminal act of insanity directed against peaceful diplomatic mission.

'The embassy views this incident as a clear and blatant violation of the Article 22 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic relations of 1961.

'The embassy is in contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs of Ireland, demanding that the Irish authorities take comprehensive measures to ensure the safety of it's staff and their family members.

'The incident is cause of extreme concern. We believe that no people of sound mind could support such senseless and barbaric actions.'

Dublin's Russian embassy has been hit by a string of anti-war protests in support of the Ukraine since Vladimir Putin's invasion of the country 12 days ago.

Protests have also taken place outside Russian embassies in other cities including London, Berlin, Paris, Copenhagen and Tokyo.

The Russian embassy (pictured covered in paint on February 24) has seen a string of anti-war protests in support of the Ukraine since Vladimir Putin's invasion of the country 11 days ago

On Saturday, a priest threw red paint over the Russian embassy in Dublin and urged people in Ireland to continue to protest against the war in Ukraine.

Fr Fergal MacDonagh, from Dolphin's Barn parish in south-west Dublin, threw the paint over the gates of the Russian embassy on Friday in protest at the invasion.

Organisers thanked him for the act on Saturday and invited him to address the rally.

'Yesterday morning when I woke up I heard on the radio that a maternity hospital had been bombed in Ukraine during the night,' he said.

'It's appalling and horrific and it's the work on evil what is happening in Ukraine, it's a war crime and Putin will face justice in this world or in the next.'

He added: 'I've been frightened and worried and anxious all week, all the last 10 days. We must protest, the people of Ukraine must know that they are not alone.'

On Sunday, crowds again gathered outside the Russian embassy in Dublin to denounce the invasion and call for the expulsion of Russia's Ambassador to Ireland Yuri Filatov.

Meanwhile, a government minister confirmed that the number of Ukrainian refugees arriving in Ireland could exceed 80,000.

Anti-war protesters from People Before Profit party the outside the Russian Embassy in Dublin demonstrating against the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 28

James Browne, minister of state in the Department of Justice, said the exodus of people from Ukraine was on a scale not witnessed in Europe since the end of the Second World War.

'The last time we've seen a kind of movement like this, to this degree in Europe, was at the end of World War Two when we saw a huge movement of German people who became refugees at the end of that war,' Mr Browne told RTE's The Week in Politics programme.

'We haven't seen anything like this since then.

'Now we have learned a lot over recent years in terms of dealing with the pandemic that we do know we have that capacity and that generosity and capability within a country to mobilise when we need to in the face of a very, very serious situation.

'But we are now potentially looking at 80,000-plus, there is not going to be any cap on those numbers coming into this country.'

His comments came as the UN announced that more than 1.5 million people have now fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion.

The updated estimate on the number of refugees expected in Ireland comes amid government efforts to bolster domestic grain production in response to the anticipated significant disruption of supply lines from Ukraine and Russia.

Around 1,400 have entered Ireland thus far, though many of those are staying with relatives who already lived in in the country.
A 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a mother-of-three was found stabbed to death at her cottage worth around 350,000 in one of Britain's 'poshest villages'.

Clair Ablewhite, 47, was killed in Colston Basset, Nottinghamshire, just before 6.30pm on the evening of February 26. Her body was found the following day.

A Home Office post-mortem examination has since found she suffered stab wounds.

The suspect remains in custody and is being questioned by police. A 48-year-old man was previously arrested on suspicion of murder but has now been released under investigation.

Colston Bassett is based in the picturesque Vale of Belvoir on the Nottinghamshire-Leicestershire border and has a population of around 400. The average house price is around 800,000.

The arrest follows Ms Ablewhite's three sons paying tribute to their 'one in a million' and 'truly one of a kind' mother.

Clair Ablewhite (pictured above), 47, was killed in Colston Basset, Nottinghamshire, just before 6.30pm on the evening of February 26. Her body was found the following day

The arrest follows Ms Ablewhite's three sons paying tribute to their 'one in a million' and 'truly one of a kind' mother (pictured above)

Colston Bassett is based in the Vale of Belvoir on the Nottinghamshire-Leicestershire border and has a population of around 400. The average house price is around 800,000

Ross Ablewhite wrote on Facebook: 'Words can't describe how much I'm missing you. I miss seeing your amazing smile and how happy you always were no matter what.

'I couldn't of asked for a better mum. You was truly one of a kind. I love you, rest easy up there keep smiling.'

His brother Sam posted: 'RIP Mum we all miss you so much. You really was one in a million.

'Words cannot describe how hard my life will be without seeing that beautiful big smile you had Rest in peace, Sleep tight and remember all the good times we had together.

'All three of us brothers will do everything we can to put a proud little smile on your face up there.

'This son of a b**** will pay the price for what they have caused.'

And Dan Ablewhite said: 'I love you so much mum. I just want to see that beautiful big smile and give you a hug and tell you how much you mean to us all.

'You really was one in a million, rest in peace, sleep tight, remember and dream about all the good times we had together.'

Sam Ablewhite (pictured as a young boy with his mother Clair) posted: 'RIP Mum we all miss you so much. You really was one in a million'

Ross Ablewhite (pictured) wrote on Facebook: 'Words can't describe how much I'm missing you. I miss seeing your amazing smile and how happy you always were no matter what'

Dan Ablewhite (above) said: 'I love you so much mum. I just want to see that beautiful big smile and give you a hug and tell you how much you mean to us all'

Assistant Chief Constable Rob Griffin said the investigation was progressing well with detectives working round the clock to follow up every lead, and he praised the public for coming forward with information that has helped the investigation.

On March 4, officers released CCTV footage of a cyclist they wanted to speak to in connection with the investigation.

He urged anyone with further information, or CCTV or dash-cam footage in and around the area on that night, to come forward.

ACC Griffin said: 'I want to thank the public once again for their support for this investigation and all the information they have given us so far.

Ms Ablewhite, pictured above. The 26-year-old suspect remains in custody and is being questioned by police. A 48-year-old man was previously arrested on suspicion of murder but has now been released under investigation

'I am fully aware how shocking this incident has been for Clair's family and the wider community in Colston Bassett, which is why we have invested so much resource not only in the investigation itself but in providing a uniform presence in the area to give people reassurance.

'This arrest follows public appeals for information that we have made over the last few days.

'However, I would ask that people keep providing information as this investigation continues.

'Every piece of information we receive helps us get closer to an understanding of the events of that night.'

Anyone with information is urged to call 101, quoting a new incident number, 277 of 3 March 2022, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Advertisement

The grit and courage of Ukraine's soldiers and civilians wounded by Russian artillery has been captured in hundreds of astonishing images since the war broke out.

Despite insisting otherwise, Russian forces have continued to strike civilian targets in Ukraine. Inevitably, the human cost of Vladimir Putin's war has continued to rise.

After 12 long days of fighting, Ukraine has said at least 400 civilian deaths have been recorded - of which 38 were children - and 800 wounded. The true figures are believed to be much higher.

But the numbers do not tell the full story of the horror that is unfolding, or of the thousands or ordinary people performing heroic acts of bravery to help each other in their country's time of need.

KHARKIV: In this shocking photograph, an injured Ukrainian woman is seen in a Kharkiv hospital with stiches across her face and several cuts caused by shelling. She looks at the camera through a black eye and a swollen face covered in blue dye

MARIUPOL: Ambulance paramedics move an injured man on a stretcher, wounded by shelling in a residential area, at a maternity hospital converted into a medical ward and used as a bomb shelter in Mariupol, Ukraine, March 1, 2022

KYIV: Medical workers provide medical assistance to an Ukrainian serviceman wounded during the fighting with Russian troops near the Ukrainian capital, March 4, 2022

MARIUPOL: Medical workers operate on people injured by shelling in a residential area at a maternity hospital converted into a medical ward in Mariupol, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 1, 2022

Each day the invasion of Ukraine continues, new images of injury and death are broadcast to the world from cities and towns under attack by Russia's forces.

In one shocking photograph, an injured Ukrainian woman is seen in a Kharkiv hospital with stiches across her face and several cuts caused by shelling.

She looks at the camera through a black eye and a swollen face, covered in blue dye.

Other images show paramedics desperately fighting to stem the bleeding of patients sprawled out on stretchers, having been rushed in from the fighting.

Evacuees are shown thrown to the floor by explosions - their suitcases scattered around them. Elderly women are shown lying in pools of blood in their own homes. Young men are shown wrapped in bandages with shrapnel wounds on their faces.

With each passing day, more families are devastated, more loved ones are left anxiously waiting for news, and the human toll continues to climb.

MARIUPOL: Ambulance paramedics treat an elderly woman wounded by shelling before transferring her to a maternity hospital converted into a medical ward in Mariupol, Ukraine, Wednesday, March 2, 2022

IRPIN: Evhen, a Ukrainian serviceman, who was wounded in his shoulder during shelling in Irpin receives medical help prior being transferred to the hospital

IRPIN: A wounded soldier rests at a military hospital in the town of Irpin, on March 4, 2022

But the pictures also show incredible feats of human bravery and kindness, and have inspired the world to rally in support of every-day Ukrainians.

Despite the threat of immanent attack, paramedics are pictured treating injuries, driving ambulances and pushing stretchers through war zones.

Doctors and nurses are shown in wards with several patients, working tirelessly to save the lives of those injured in the fighting, despite hospitals coming under attack.

Strangers are pictured helping others in the streets, holding them upright or carrying them to safety through the rubble of their cities.

Ukrainian soldiers are often shown to be the first on the scene, crouching over people on the ground. At the same time, paramedics are pictured treating soldiers - many of whom will have signed up to fight in recent weeks.

KHARKIV: People help a wounded woman in the aftermath of a Russian shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine, 01 March 2022

IRPIN: Two men help another injured man evacuate from Irpin that came under heavy shelling

IRPIN: Yuriy, who who was shot in the leg while evacuating civilians from the shelled city of Irpin receives first aid on March 6, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine

On Monday, at least 21 civilians, including two children, were killed in a Russian air strike on a residential street in Ukraine's northeastern city of Sumy late on Monday, the regional prosecutor's office said in a statement on Tuesday.

The bodies were recovered by emergency services early on Tuesday in searches that are ongoing, it said.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said 13 people died in the bombing of a bakery in Kyiv - also on Monday - and on Sunday, 50 children with cancer had to be moved after a missile hit a paediatric hospital in the city.

The U.N. human rights office says it has confirmed 474 civilian deaths in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on Feb. 24. The office said Tuesday that the number of confirmed civilian injuries now stands at 861.

The U.N. office uses strict methodology and only reports casualties it has been able to verify.

It acknowledges that the real figures are much higher, in part because intense fighting has delayed its receipt of information and many reports still have to be corroborated.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, who released the Ukraine's latest fatality estimates, also said Russian military actions have killed 38 children and wounded more than 70.

But the estimates 'are definitely incomplete,' he said in a video address.

He also said Russian strikes have destroyed more than 200 Ukrainian schools, 34 hospitals and 1,500 residential buildings.

Meanwhile, attacks on hospitals, ambulances and other health care facilities in Ukraine have increased rapidly in recent days and the country is running short of vital medical supplies, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.

IRPIN: Ruslan from the Territorial Defense gets medical help for a wound received during shelling near Irpin on March 6, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine

KYIV: Medical workers provide medical assistance to an Ukrainian serviceman wounded during the fighting with Russian troops near the Ukrainian capital, in a hospital on March 4

MARIUPOL: A Ukrainian serviceman and a civilian carry a wounded man who was injured by shelling in a hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, Thursday, March 3, 2022.

KYIV: A doctor examines a wounded Ukrainian soldier following an overnight shelling, at a hospital in Brovary near Kiev (Kyiv), Ukraine, March 1, 2022

KYIV: A medical worker attends to a wounded man at a hospital in Brovary, outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 1, 2022

KYIV: Medical workers provide medical assistance to an Ukrainian serviceman wounded during the fighting with Russian troops near the Ukrainian capital, in a hospital in Kyiv on March 4, 2022

The UN agency confirmed on Monday that at least nine people had died in 16 attacks on health care facilities since the start of a Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. It did not say who was responsible.

The WHO's senior emergency officer for Europe, Catherine Smallwood, told a news briefing that the tally included incidents where ambulances had been commandeered for purposes other than emergency healthcare.

'We will continue to update those numbers. They've been increasing quite rapidly over the past few days,' Smallwood said.

The agency is working to rapidly provide medical supplies to Ukraine, where oxygen, insulin, personal protective equipment, surgical items and blood products are running low, Europe regional director Hans Kluge told the briefing.

The supply of oxygen, children's vaccines, especially against polio amid an outbreak, and mental health expertise are among the WHO's top priorities for the region, he said.

In a separate statement, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said countries neighbouring Ukraine which are hosting Ukrainian refugees should include them in their vaccine programmes against a range of diseases,

They should prioritise vaccinating against COVID-19 and polio and also against measles, as the current inoculation coverage is insufficient to prevent measles outbreaks, the ECDC said in a statement.

'Crowding in bomb shelters and reception centres could facilitate the start of a measles outbreak, particularly as spring coincides with the natural seasonality of the disease,' the agency added.

Meanwhile, the United Nations said Russia's invasion of Ukraine has forced two million people to flee the country.

KYIV: A Ukrainian serviceman who received leg wounds receives medical help on March 6, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine

KHARKIV: A wounded woman is seen after an airstrike damaged an apartment complex in city of Chuhuiv, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine on February 24, 2022

KHARKIV: A man helps a wounded elderly woman to a building's basement for shelter, after Russian troops shelled the area in the second largest Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, in the east of the country on March 6, 2022

Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov estimated some 10,000 foreign students, notably from India, China and the Persian Gulf are trapped by the fighting, and described attacks on British and Swiss journalists.

He also claimed that Ukrainian forces have killed more than 11,000 Russian troops.

Here's how YOU can help: Donate here to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal Readers of Mail Newspapers and MailOnline have always shown immense generosity at times of crisis. Calling upon that human spirit, we are supporting a huge push to raise money for refugees from Ukraine. For, surely, no one can fail to be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families  mostly women, children, the infirm and elderly  fleeing from the bombs and guns. As this tally of misery increases over the coming days and months, these innocent victims of this conflict will require accommodation, schools and medical support. Donations to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal will be used to help charities and aid organisations providing such essential services. In the name of charity and compassion, we urge all our readers to give swiftly and generously. TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE Donate at www.mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate To add Gift Aid to a donation  even one already made  complete an online form found here: mymail.co.uk/ukraine Via bank transfer, please use these details: Account name: Mail Force Charity Account number: 48867365 Sort code: 60-00-01 TO MAKE A DONATION VIA CHEQUE Make your cheque payable to 'Mail Force' and post it to: Mail Newspapers Ukraine Appeal, GFM, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY TO MAKE A DONATION FROM THE US US readers can donate to the appeal via a bank transfer to Associated Newspapers or by sending checks to dailymail.com HQ at 51 Astor Place (9th floor), New York, NY 10003 Advertisement

'Russian invaders fire on humanitarian corridors through which civilians are trying to escape,' he said, without saying where.

Russian officials did not comment Tuesday and have only acknowledged several hundred deaths among Russian forces.

Russia again broke a ceasefire to shell evacuation routes out of the besieged city of Mariupol as desperate civilians.

The latest ceasefire violation came as President Volodymyr Zelensky said a child had died of thirst in the blockaded port city, which is running low on food, water and medicine amid the biggest ground war in Europe since World War II.

Late Monday, Russia named Mariupol as one of four cities where humanitarian corridors would be opened after also shelling a route out of the city on Sunday.

Yellow buses with a red cross on them were seen arriving in the city today, but reports said Moscow's forces had once again shelled the humanitarian routes.

Ukraine foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko reported the shelling near Mariupol on Tuesday - the fourth day in a row Russia has disrupted evacuations.

'8 trucks + 30 buses ready to deliver humanitarian aid to Mariupol and to evac (evacuate) civilians to Zaporizhzhia. Pressure on Russia MUST step up to make it uphold its commitments,' he urged.

Another corridor was set to opened out of Sumy in Ukraine north-east.

Buses packed with people began a procession along a snowy road in Sumy on Tuesday, as evacuees held their breath hoping Moscow's forces would keep their word and allow them to pass safely.

Previous attempts to lead civilians to safety have crumbled with renewed attacks, with Ukraine accusing Russia of breaking ceasefire agreements by continuing to launch strikes on cities despite the evacuations.

Zelensky has called for the expansion of the corridors for evacuees, and more support from the Red Cross.

It was announced today that the German federal prosecutor's office is looking into possible war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine.

The prosecutor's office said Tuesday it has launched a so-called 'structural investigation' - a preliminary investigation against persons unknown which entails looking for evidence leading to possible suspects who could be prosecuted.

It's unclear whether or when a prosecution of any suspect would actually be launched and what the chances are of any defendant eventually being brought to court in Germany.

Germany applies the principle of universal jurisdiction for serious crimes.

In a groundbreaking verdict in January, a German court convicted a former Syrian secret police officer of crimes against humanity for overseeing the abuse of detainees at a jail.
Ron Wyden is demanding an investigation after finding out Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has secretly surveilled and collected records on 200 million American money transfers without obtaining a warrant for at least the last 12 years.

The Oregon Democratic senator's office first learned about the program last month, and Wyden claimed in a letter to the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) inspector general that it was the first time Congress was made aware of the program's existence, the Wall Street Journal reported after reviewing the letter.

The DHS law-enforcement arm was collecting information on domestic and international transfers exceeding $500 to or from Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas  as well as money transfers of that amount going to or from Mexico from anywhere within the U.S.

'Given the many serious issues raised by this troubling program, I request that you investigate the program's origins, how the program operated, and whether the program was consistent with agency policy, statutory law, and the Constitution,' Senator Wyden wrote to DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari.

Until at least 2019, dozens of money transfer companies were voluntarily sharing transaction details with ICE.

Wyden asked Cuffari to probe whether Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) was operating similar programs. He also demanded DHS ensure activities like this are subject to congressional oversight.

The previously undisclosed surveillance program dates back to at least 2010, according to Wyden's letter, and stems from when the Arizona attorney general's office started collecting data from Western Union following a money-laundering settlement with the financial services company.

Senator Ron Wyden is demanding DHS probe a bulk surveillance program that allowed the secret collection of at least 200 million domestic and international money transfers between Mexico and the states of Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas since 2010 without a warrant

A separate 2014 money-laundering settlement between Western Union and the state of Arizona led to the creation of the Transaction Record Analysis Center (TRAC), which hosts the data from the money transfers described in Wyden's letter.

'Our office uses TRAC, a federally-funded program to legally monitor international wire cash transfers from border states to Mexico,' spokeswoman Katie Conner for Arizona's Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich said in a statement.

'This is done to combat human and drug trafficking. It is ironic that during a historic border crisis, this would be the focus of any U.S. senator,' she added.

Although the program is seen as a way to stop illegal actions coming from across the border, privacy advocates briefed on the program by Wyden staff said it is unusual to use nongovernmental entities to collect and store data that law-enforcement agencies access.

'I cannot think of another arrangement like this that combines an illegal use of subpoenas with an inscrutable, private nonprofit just for the purposes of housing this information,' American Civil Liberties Union Senior Staff Attorney Nathan Freed Wessler told the Journal.

He claimed since these entities are not subject to government public records laws, it 'has the effect of shielding this tremendously concerning program from public scrutiny.'

Western Union, along with dozens of other money transfer companies, voluntarily shared data with TRAC until 2019, Wyden details, which is when the agreement with the Arizona attorney general's office ended.

The program falls under ICE's purview with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and appears to be a way for border states to try and stop illegal drug and human smuggling as well as other transborder crime

When the agreements did lapse, the Arizona AG asked ICE to compel companies to continue sharing the money transfer data by using a law to investigate people and goods moving transnationally to and from the U.S.

Between July 2019 and January 2022, ICE issued six summons to Western Union, and in 2021 issued two to Maxitransfers Corp., each requesting relevant data for six months at a time, the Journal notes.

ICE investigators collected approximately 6 million records of international money transfers under TRAC from just Western Union and Maxitransfers alone since 2019, which only amounts to 3 percent of data held by the host program, a Wyden aide said. This means TRAC has information on at least 200 million money transfers.

The data supposedly includes names, addresses and identification numbers of the money transfer senders, as well as names and addresses of the recipients.

After Wyden's office contacted DHS about the program, the summonses arrangement with Western Union and Maxitransfers ended in January, but other voluntary submissions are continuing, a Wyden aide and separate government official revealed.

ICE has agreed to stop using its summons authority for the Program, but the agency and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) still use data for their investigations. For example, ICE used TRAC to seize 150,000 counterfeit painkiller pills in Oregon, Wyden's state, which was brought there by a Mexican drug smuggler whose transactions were tracked by the government.

The law enforcement arm of DHS still does not have a director.

While Tae Johnson has been in the position as an acting capacity since January 13, 2021, the position has been officially open for the last five years  ever since former President Barack Obama left office.

The agency cannot seem to get a director confirmed, especially as Republican push for more hard-line immigration enforcement and progressives are calling for the abolition of ICE altogether.
Prince Andrew has now paid sexual abuse accuser Virginia Roberts and has been pictured for the first time since settling with her.

The Duke of York had last month agreed to pay a considerable sum of money, reported to be some 12 million, to settle a case brought by Ms Roberts.

She had alleged she was forced to have sex with the duke three times when she was 17 under the orders of the late paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.

Ms Roberts had been given the go-ahead to sue Andrew, 61, for unspecified damages in a New York civil court In January and, despite vowing to fight the allegations and repeatedly protesting his innocence, the prince agreed to settle.

Andrew is now believed to have paid his financial settlement to Ms Roberts, dismissing the lawsuit.

It came as Andrew was seen leaving Windsor Castle in his Range Rover today wearing white wireless earbuds, which appear to be Apple airpods, while behind the wheel.

While there is no law specifically prohibiting using headphones while driving, a motorist can be penalised if they are found to have been distracted. Careless driving can mean an on-the-spot fine of 100 and three penalty points.

There is no suggestion Andrew was distracted.

The Duke of York was seen leaving Windsor Castle in his Range Rover today, wearing white wireless earbuds, which appear to be Apple airpods, while behind the wheel

It is the first sighting of Andrew since he agreed last month to pay a considerable sum of money, reported to be some 12 million, to settle a case brought by Ms Roberts

Andrew is now believed to have paid his financial settlement to Ms Roberts, dismissing the lawsuit (pictured: The stipulation of dismissal)

Andrew said he would make a 'substantial donation' to her charity supporting victims' rights and also praised her 'bravery', saying he had 'never intended' to malign her character.

Although the parties have settled the case, the agreement is not an admission of liability from the duke and he has always strenuously denied the allegations against him.

The duke said in his statement that he 'regretted his association with Epstein' and pledged to demonstrate this 'by supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims'.

An attachment to the letter announcing the settlement to the public and the United States District Court gave brief details of the agreement between Andrew and Ms Roberts but indicated the sum would not be disclosed.

The Duke of York is believed to be facing a legal bill of up to 12 million following his out-of-court agreement with Ms Roberts

The Duke's first sighting also comes following reports that Prince Charles is set to foot a part of the bill for Andrew 's sexual abuse lawsuit

The Duke's first sighting also comes following reports that Prince Charles is set to foot a part of the bill for Andrew's sexual abuse lawsuit.

The Prince of Wales will reportedly loan the Duke of York up to 7million, which will not include public money, after the royal agreed to pay a huge sum to his accuser Virginia Roberts to settle the case before it reached a jury.

The Duke of York has ten days to pay the money to Ms Roberts as part of his deal, according to The Sun.

He will pay back Prince Charles when he sells his ski chalet in Verbier, Switzerland, it is understood.

A source said: 'There were family discussions about how to ''take a little from here and a little from there''. Once it (money from the chalet) hits his bank account, he can pay back his brother and whoever else has lent him money.

'But that payment (to Virginia) has to be paid on time.'

Last month it was claimed the Queen would also foot part of the bill for Prince Andrew's sexual abuse lawsuit, according to the Telegraph.
Action taken to ensure foreign trade growth

09:40, March 08, 2022 By LIU ZHIHUA in Beijing and HU MEIDONG in Fuzhou ( China Daily

Workers help moor a freighter in Qingdao, Shandong province. [Photo by Yu Fangping/For China Daily]

Hanwei Electronics Group Corp, China's largest manufacturer of gas sensors and instruments, is highly optimistic about its overseas growth prospects this year.

The company, also a leading sensor-based internet of things solution supplier, aims to boost its overseas revenue and profits by more than 50 percent year-on-year by venturing deeper into developed markets such as the European Union and emerging ones, including Southeast Asian countries.

Its confidence is firmly supported by research and development efforts, which have resulted in breakthroughs in core technologies that have boosted product quality and sharply reduced production costs.

Li Zhigang, president of the company, which is based in Zhengzhou, Henan province, said, "We expect to have a significant pickup in sales and profits in overseas markets.

"We've seen a rebound in overseas demand as more countries resume production. Our products also have become more competitive in world markets after receiving highly recognized global industrial and market certification thanks to our progress with innovations."

Founded in 1998, the company is an experienced exporter of gas sensors and instruments. Its overseas sales jumped by more than 30 percent on a yearly basis last year, despite a decline in profits due mainly to a rising renminbi exchange rate, Li said.

The company is one of numerous enterprises involved in foreign trade that are stepping up efforts to seek new growth points. Such endeavors include strengthening product research and development to boost competitiveness and also adopting new foreign trade formats and a more market-oriented approach to innovate marketing and sales practices, such as using cross-border e-commerce and overseas warehouses.

These efforts are being made by enterprises as Chinese authorities roll out adjustments to macroeconomic policy measures. Together with more supportive administrative services, these adjustments are expected to stabilize market entities and cushion economic growth, as the Chinese economy faces the pressures of demand contraction, supply shocks and weakening expectations.

Analysts said the efforts at enterprise level, combined with the effects of government policy measures, will be rewarded with continued expansion and improvements in the structure and quality of China's foreign trade. They will also make a greater contribution to stabilizing global industrial and supply chains and world economic recovery.

China's imports and exports totaled 6.2 trillion yuan ($980 billion) in the first two months of this year, up by 13.3 percent from a year ago, the General Administration of Customs said on Monday.

Exports during this period rose by 13.6 percent year-on-year to 3.47 trillion yuan, while imports reached 2.73 trillion yuan, growing by 12.9 percent on a yearly basis.

A worker polishes bicycle tire rims at a factory for exports in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.[Photo by Hu Jianhuan/For China Daily]

Joint result

Li Kuiwen, director-general of the GAC's statistics and analysis department, said those figures showed a stable performance by the nation's foreign trade at the beginning of this year, despite increasingly complex and uncertain external conditions.

This achievement was mainly due to the strong resilience of the Chinese economy, which has long-term healthy fundamentals, as well as the effects of policy measures targeting stable growth, he said.

According to Zhang Jianping, head of the Center for Regional Economic Cooperation at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, or CAITEC, the urgent challenges facing foreign trade this year include a slowdown in global economic recovery due to uncertainties over the pandemic, which is likely to dampen overseas demand for Chinese goods and services.

Persistently high prices for raw materials and transportation will also exert huge pressure on Chinese companies trading overseas, Zhang said, adding that the high comparison base last year also makes it more difficult for the sector to achieve a high level of annual growth.

Household battery storage inverters, mainly for export, are produced at a factory in Hangzhou.[Photo by Xu Junyong/For China Daily]

"The better-than-expected performance last year was mainly due to a series of policy measures stabilizing foreign trade growth, and strict and effective COVID-19 control and prevention methods that enabled China to fully play the role of the largest global manufacturing powerhouse," he said.

"This year, upbeat growth, enhanced quality and improved structure in foreign trade are still to be expected in context of the nation's integrated and large-scale industrial chains and high-level opening-up, especially as China has been rolling out supportive measures to add resilience to the foreign trade sector," Zhang said.

He predicted that the nation will sustain an overall trade surplus while narrowing the trade deficit in services. Zhang also stressed that Chinese enterprises, especially private ones with advanced technologies and independent brands, have become an exceptionally strong force in foreign trade, accounting for about half the nation's exports.

Yin Jinshan, general manager of Hubei Kingshan Lighting Electrico, which is based in Wuhan, Hubei province, is cautiously optimistic about the company's growth prospects this year.

A manufacturer and exporter of home appliances such as rechargeable fans, emergency lamps and desk lamps, along with electric bug killers, the company's products sell well in the Middle East, South Africa and Southeast Asia.

Last year, its overseas sales rose by 20 percent year-on-year, although profit growth fell by more than 10 percentage points, mainly due to surging prices for raw materials and high maritime transportation charges, as well as fluctuations in the renminbi exchange rate.

Yin said, "This year seems to be harder for us compared with 2021, but as long as we survive, there will be huge growth potential for us when the negative impacts of the pandemic gradually fade away, probably next year.

"The government has issued many new policies and provided us with a lot of support, but ultimately we must rely on ourselves rather than others to solve problems, and there is ample room for us to reduce costs and improve efficiency."

The company's intensified new product research and development efforts have resulted in many new offerings that are highly popular with clients. Thanks to its newly established e-commerce team, revenue generated through online channels has compensated for declining orders from traditional offline clients due to the pandemic, Yin said.

Bicycle tire rims are checked at the Hangzhou factory. [Photo by Hu Jianhuan/For China Daily]

Growth potential

To address urgent and long-term issues impacting the healthy growth of foreign trade, China has released guidelines focusing on cross-cyclical adjustments to help companies secure industrial and supply chains, guarantee foreign trade orders, stabilize expectations, and further unleash the growth potential of exports and imports.

The guidelines, unveiled by the General Office of the State Council in January, detail 15 measures. They include strengthening fiscal and financial policy support, encouraging development of new business formats such as cross-border e-commerce and overseas warehouses, and easing international logistics pressure on businesses.

The measures also include stabilizing development of processing trade, cultivating businesses with strong competitiveness in global export and import markets, and enhancing trade liberalization and facilitation.Zhao Ping, vice-dean of the Academy of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said the guidelines combine immediate and long-term targets. They will be very effective in helping foreign trade enterprises, especially micro, small and medium-sized ones, facing challenges such as a shortage of labor, logistics obstructions, surging prices for raw materials, energy and resources, and rises in the renminbi exchange rate.

Containers are unloaded at Lianyungang Port, Jiangsu province.[Photo by Geng Yuhe/For China Daily]

Yin, from Hubei Kingshan Lighting Electrico, said many of the measures, which are highly detailed, are expected to result in immediate and significant help for foreign trade enterprises facing numerous uncertainties and challenges.

He said measures to accelerate export tax rebates, increase export credit support, and improve export credit insurance, which protects against the risk of orders being canceled before shipment, are important in avoiding financial risks, especially for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.

Gao Shiwang, director of the industry development department at the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, said enterprises have welcomed measures aimed at helping them improve cash flows and avoid financial risks.

He also stressed that to better cope with challenges and difficulties, foreign trade companies could adopt many measures to improve operations, enhance efficiency and increase profitability.

"Enterprises should pay close attention to external factors such as changes in commodity prices and exchange rates, along with obstructions in supply and industrial chains," he said.

"They should enhance overall operational and management innovations, make better use of hedging tools against fluctuations in commodity prices and exchange rates, accelerate transition toward greener design and manufacturing, and adopt flexible pricing of products and services."

Thanks to supportive government policy measures and enterprises' technological innovation, industry leaders enhanced their global positioning. "Hidden champions"small but highly successful companies in specialized marketsare also expanding their presence, Gao said.

He added that small and medium-sized enterprises are now able to reach global markets directly through new foreign trade channels such as cross-border e-commerce.

A worker operates an assembly line at a factory in Huzhou, Zhejiang, producing automated equipment. [Photo by Tan Yunfeng/For China Daily]

Easier access

Li, from Hanwei Electronics, said the company has enjoyed easier access to financing instruments and bank loans, and is also improving corporate governance to better adjust to new situations.

"We have attached great importance to online marketing and cross-border e-commerce, and believe such internet-based practices will continue to form an important trend in foreign trade, even after the pandemic," Li said.

Yin said Hubei Kingshan Lighting Electrico's overall transactions have risen by 20 percent to 30 percent thanks to increased income from online channels. Profits generated by related products have also grown by 20 percent.

He said the increased transactions for related products have helped the company negotiate with suppliers to reduce purchasing and transportation costs.

However, Yin and Li said rises in the renminbi exchange rate are a significant negative factor disrupting their companies' profits. They hope more external support will be provided so they can better cope with the situation.

Experts and business executives also stressed the positive role of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership in shoring up China's foreign trade growth. The RCEP was signed by 15 Asia-Pacific economies, including the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China, Japan and New Zealand, in November 2020, and took effect on Jan 1.

Vehicles are assembled at Cowin Auto's plant in Yibin, Sichuan province, for export to a total of 10 countries and regions. [Photo by Zhuang Geer/For China Daily]

Zhang, from CAITEC, said the area covered by the partnership accounts for one-third of the global population, trade and GDP. This huge integrated regional market, with closer ties in production, value and supply chains, will see significant growth in goods and services trade and enhanced economic welfare, thanks to a reduction in trade and investment barriers.

The trade pact will become a strong force supporting China's foreign trade growth, as fellow RCEP members account for about one-third of the nation's foreign trade, he added.

Zhang also suggested that Chinese enterprises make better use of free trade agreements to enjoy tariff elimination and reduction.

Gao, from the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, said implementation of the trade pact will accelerate the nation's shift toward capital and technology-intensive industries alongside global value chains, while machinery and electronic products will play an increasingly important role in foreign trade.

"China's trade in machinery and electronic products ranks high globally for volume and market share, thanks to high production capacity," Gao said. "Trade growth prospects for such technology-intensive and high-value-added products will remain positive."

Zhong Muda, deputy director-general of the Fujian provincial department of commerce, said the province has conducted more than 30 training sessions to increase enterprises' awareness and familiarity with the RCEP, and the training has attracted more than 70,000 participants online and offline.

Fujian aims to deepen cooperation between its enterprises and those in other RCEP countries through training sessions and other projects, he said.

To make full use of the agreement and reinforce industrial capability and supply chains, the province is also focusing on attracting foreign investment from leading enterprises in Japan and Singapore. This investment will advance development of sectors such as high-end equipment, new materials, new energy, semiconductors and devices, and biomedicine.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
President Moon Jae-in speaks during a virtual Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, March 8. Yonhap





President Moon Jae-in urged voters Tuesday to take part in the presidential election, while calling for thorough preparations to prevent lapses shown in early voting and to guarantee COVID-19 infected people's right to vote.







Moon made the remarks at a Cabinet meeting, a day before South Koreans vote to pick his successor. In two days of early voting that ended last Saturday, turnout stood at a record 37 percent.







"Tomorrow is the time for people to choose a president who will lead state affairs for the next five years," Moon told the meeting.







Moon said he hopes voters will "show the collective intelligence of our people through active participation in the main vote tomorrow."






Moscow based editor in chief of RT has resigned over Putins bloody invasion of Ukraine and branded his government totalitarian.

Maria Baronova joined the Kremlin backed media outlet in 2019, but decided to cut ties last week after only three years, saying he is turning Russia into an 'endless hell'.

Two days after Putins tanks first rolled into Ukraine she posted on her Telegram: Our grandads didnt fight for this,' referencing World War Two. 'And now theyve been betrayed

But she's not leaving Moscow, despite becoming known as an outspoken critic of the Kremlin.

'I have a son, I cant leave because his father wont allow me to leave with him, and so I just prefer to stay in Moscow It seems like were either in North Korea or we are going to be killed by a thermonuclear mushroom,' said Baronova in an interview with Fox News.

Russian opposition activist Maria Baronova (pictured) speaks by a mobile phone during an opposition rally in Central Moscow, 2017. She quit her job as editor of Russia Today last week

'I wouldnt quit, and I wouldnt lose my salary and job if I was sure that we are going to be alive for many years, but I really dont know what is going to happen to all of us next.'

She said Russia and the West were on the brink of a nuclear war.

But it's not Putin who she fears could strike first - she thinks his actions are making him a target.

'I suspect the Western world will use [nuclear weapons],' Baronova said while preparing her son's meal, on the phone to Fox. 'This is a very dangerous situation.'

Starting her education as a chemist, Baronova wasn't a typical editor.

Her mother was a theoretical physicist turned actuary, a business professional who deals with the measurement and management of risk and uncertainty.

Earlier in her career, she sold medical equipment, but had to quit to focus on her son's learning difficulties, according to The New Yorker.

Baronova didn't begin her career working for state media. She was an outspoken critic of Putin for years, forming part of the anti-government protests of 2011-2013.

In one incident, she recited the Russian constitution to a platoon of soldiers. During her activism she was often attacked, and on one occasion hospitalized.

Members of the punk band and activist group Pussy Riot were jailed during the same movement, leading Baronova to stage a one-woman protest in a church.

The authorities charged her with inciting a mass disturbance and put her on trial.

But in a stroke of luck, she found herself given amnesty, becoming one of a dozen individuals the government chose not to punish.

Baronova shouts during an opposition rally in Central Moscow in 2017

She was put on trial by Russian authorities in 2013 but the charges were later dropped

After her charges were dropped, she dedicated herself to helping other political prisoners in Russia, she stepped into her role as a journalist.

Baronova made a name for herself reporting on Ukraine during the 2014 Maidan Uprising. But the publication she worked for, TV Rain, has since found itself muzzled by the kremlin, like many others in Putin's Russia.

As a single mother, she struggled with balancing her risky career and activism work with raising a family. It was then RT approached her with an offer.

After joining Russia Today, she told Fox she had not been privy to the kind of editorial decisions usually assigned to an editor-in-chief.

Baronova said she spent much of her time at RT working on a fundraiser for mothers of children with cerebral palsy, often finding herself left out of broadcasting decisions.

She joined RT in 2019, staying with the network for three years before resigning last week.

When the war started, Baronova found that many of her work colleagues were repeating the Kremlin line that Ukraine was being 'de-Nazified' by Russian forces.

'I finally understood what this feels like,' she said in Russian on Sunday. 'It's like if 9/11 was really happening by Bush and Dick Cheney, and it was done openly. Claiming that there will be no winners. And would continue to do so day after day. Day by day.'

The last straw for the former editor was not a decision imposed from the top down by Putin's regime, but the reaction to the war from those she worked with.

As the invasion of Ukraine got underway, a colleague posted on Instagram:

'If you are now ashamed of being Russian, dont worry, you are not Russian.'

Baronova responded publicly to the message. But the coworker's support fed into her decision to step down from the state-controlled network.

Despite her past as a government critic, Baronova has chosen to stay in Russia for her family's sake.

'The problem is, I know these people very well. They never send threats, they just kill, so there is kind of [a] weird silence around me, but I really think were on the brink of a nuclear war right now.

'Im not exaggerating,' Baronova told Fox News from Moscow.

Opposition activist Maria Baronova (left) and pro-Kremlin political activist Maria Katasonova (right) meet before an unsanctioned protest

She first announced her resignation in an interview with Znak, soon after Putin launched his savage war in Ukraine.

'We are suspending our work due to a large number of restrictions that have recently appeared for the work of the media in Russia,' announced Znak on its website following the interview, one of the many news outlets now silenced by Putin's regime.

Baronova is telling her friends to leave Russia, even though she plans on staying.

'I am staying here, it seems that we have finally surrendered our land to this nightmare,' she said in an online post on Saturday. 'Or maybe it always belonged to only these Satanists.'

On Friday, she got a call on WhatsApp from a man she doesn't know who held a rifle in his hands on his avatar.

It turned out to be someone seeking help from human rights activists in his criminal case, but the call put her on edge.

'I have come to a deep conclusion that there is no God after this,' she wrote in Russian following the invasion of Ukraine.

'The path of logical mind constraints. Because if he were, he would not have allowed such a thing to happen with Ukraine. And with all of us.'
A Republican candidate for Michigan's House of Representatives invoked outrage earlier this week when he compared opposition to overturning the 2020 election to telling his daughters 'if rape is inevitable, you should just lay back and enjoy it.'

Robert Regan, who recently won a GOP primary election for Michigan's 74th House District, was participating in a Facebook livestream event for the right-wing Rescue Michigan Coalition when he made the outrageous joke.

'We're a year after the election, we're a year after, guys. It's too late,' GOP strategist Amber Harris said of Donald Trump's 2020 loss.

That prompted Regan to reply, 'I have the same attitude as the parent of three daughters.'

'I tell my daughters, "if rape is inevitable, you should just lay back and enjoy it," so, that's not how we roll and that's not how we won this election.'

Two of the other five speakers were visibly appalled at the comment.

Harris panned the comparison as 'shameful.'

Livestream host Adam de Angeli pointed out that their conversation was being watched live on YouTube, before adding 'probably not for much longer after what Robert said.'

De Angeli later told local outlet WXYZ that Regan 'misspoke' and that it was 'maybe not the best analogy, but he was speaking extemporaneously.'

Robert Regan (bottom, left) was participating in a Facebook livestream for the Rescue Michigan Coalition when he made two inflammatory comments that caught national attention -- a rape joke regarding 2020 election fraud claims and appearing to sympathize with Russian leader Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine

Regan said he was taken out of context when reached by the Michigan station for comment via text message, blaming the outrage on a 'leftist group doing what they do.'

He told another local outlet, Bridge Michigan, that he was being criticized because he had a point about the election and excused himself by claiming he was 'not a politician.'

'Sometimes, my words arent as smooth and polished as the politicians are because Im not a politician. Im working on it,' Regan said.

'The only reason the (politically) left trolls attack you is because they know you're directly over the target, dropping direct hits on an issue. If you're not scoring hits, they leave you alone.'

The Michigan Freedom Fund, a conservative group founded by former Trump administration Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, said Regan's 'disgusting' comment should disqualify him from holding public office.

'Im the mom of four young girls. Every day I teach them to stand up for themselves, to know what theyre worth, and to fight back against creeps like Regan,' executive director Tori Sachs said in a statement.

'RJ Regan doesnt belong anywhere near the state Capitol and that is why we endorsed and supported his opponent.'

Regan (pictured campaigning at a school) previously ran for Michigan's 74th state House district in 2020. At the time, his daughter Stephanie Regan made a public plea on Twitter for voters to not choose him at the ballot box

Regan's outrageous remarks were also criticized by both Michigan's Democratic and Republican state parties.

Michigan GOP Chair Ron Weiser, who served as US ambassador to Slovakia under George W. Bush, said the comment was 'simply beyond the pale.'

'We are better than this as a Party and I absolutely expect better than this of our candidates,' Weiser said in a statement.

Democratic State Chair Lavora Barnes called on Republicans to further denounce Regan.

'This type of language is disgusting and Michigan Republicans have got to stand up and denounce Regans remarks and what his candidacy represents,' Barnes said.

Regan's rape joke was made in reference to false claims the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump

His Democrat opponent Carol Glanville, who Regan will face-off against in the special election on May 3, also attacked his remark.

'As a woman, human, and public servant, I am stunned that a person who wishes to hold public office would hold such beliefs. Rape is never inevitable, acceptable, or warranted and is the worst type of personal violation,' Glanville wrote on Twitter.

Regan was also heavily criticized for appearing to sympathize with Russia's autocrat ruler Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine during another point in the livestream.

He said Putin 'understands the United States cannot be trusted to protect him against corrupt Ukraine, the money laundering capitol of the world, human and drug trafficking.'

The Republican appeared to wade into anti-Semitic territory when he was directly asked by Michigan's News 8 whether he supports Putin's unprovoked and bloody invasion of Ukraine.

'I would not say that I specifically support the activities of Vladimir Putin,' Regan began.

'All I was trying to suggest is when I see someone like George Soros say we absolutely need to support Ukraine and I see all of the news media jump on board and say, "We all need to get behind Ukraine and condemn Putin," weve just been lied to for the last two years.'

Carol Glanville, the Democrat running against Regan in the May state election, joined in criticizing him for his comment

Soros, a Hungarian-born American billionaire, is frequently invoked by members of the alt-right as a figurehead for what they falsely believe to be a Jewish-controlled elite ruling class.

The May special election is not Regan's first bid to represent Michigan's 74th district.

His candidacy made national headlines in 2020 when one of his daughters, Stephanie Regan, made a public plea for voters not to choose her father.

'[I]f you're in Michigan and 18+ pls for the love of god do not vote for my dad for state rep. tell everyone,' the teenager wrote in a now-deleted Twitter post on June 23, 2020, according to Business Insider.

Regan had released a statement claiming he supports his daughter and her right to express her own views.

He then blamed their political rift on the 'Marxist' education he said she was getting in college.

'A lot of students when they go off to these liberal university campuses, like the University of Colorado, the University of Texas and Austin -- and she went to the University of Colorado in Boulder -- and you know, they just kind of get sucked into this Marxist, communist ideology and she and I just don't see eye to eye when it comes to the whole socialism, communism, Marxist philosophy,' Regan told The Hill at the time.
A New York City serial criminal awaiting sentencing for assault with a deadly weapon now stands accused of slashing an Asian man in the face with a razor on the subway - and has since been bailed yet again.

Brendan Dowling, 40, faces second degree assault and evidence tampering charges over an incident that took place on a J train in Manhattan at around 8:22 a.m. Sunday.

Dowling, allegedly unprovoked, slashed a 41-year-old Asian man who was just sitting on the train near Essex Street and Delancey Street in the face.

An eyewitness told the Manhattan district attorney's office that they saw Dowling, who is from the Bronx, throw a sharp object onto the train tracks, saying later that a razor blade was found in that exact spot.

The attack took place in the vicinity of the Essex Street Station on the J train

The NYPD's hate crimes task force has been drafted in to try and establish whether the assault had a racist motive.

A spokesperson for embattled Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg told DailyMail.com that bail was set at $50,000 cash/$100,000 insurance bond for Dowling.

'Given the seriousness of the case, the exposure if convicted, and defendant's own demonstrated history of failing to abide by court order and appear in court, bail is the least restrictive means to ensure the defendants return to court,' spokesperson Caitlyn Fowles told DailyMail.com.

But a spokesperson for the New York City Department of Corrections said Tuesday a search for Dowling's name in their system came up empty, suggesting he may already be back on the streets yet again.

No mugshot has been released, meaning New York City dwellers could once again be at the mercy of a dangerous serial criminal known for violent behavior in public places.

The incident happens as New York City continues to see a crime rise despite new Mayor Eric Adams' promise to crack down on offenders.

Adams has faced heat over whether he supports New York's controversial no-bail policies, which have seen suspects released - often to reoffend - in a bid to cut jail populations and prevent the poorest from languishing behind bars for months or even years.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been under fire for what some have referred to as soft-on-crime policies

This isn't the first time Dowling's been in trouble with the law. In fact, he's been arrested five times since October of 2021 alone.

He was charged in separate assaults on back-to-back days October 20 and 21, then received a resisting arrest charge and an assault charge in November, according to the NYPD.

On December 16, Dowling was arrested for criminal possession of stolen property.

Dowling is waiting to be sentenced for a 2021 assault with a dangerous weapon and has failed to appear in court for seven different cases, CNN reports.

The Bronx native is being defended by the Legal Aid Society in this case. A spokesperson declined comment to DailyMail.com earlier Tuesday.

Mayor Eric Adams promised a crackdown on crime but the city has only seen the numbers go up

This comes as crime and especially transit crime has risen in New York in recent months.

Felony assaults like the one that occurred Sunday are up 18 percent from this point last year, while shootings, rapes and robberies are also up. Murders remain at the same level as in 2021.

Overall, crime has risen 47 percent from this point last year, according to the city's own crime statistics.

Transit crime is up a staggering 72 percent from this point last year and it's not even due to a return to pre-pandemic levels of service.

City Comptroller Brad Lander tweeted out recently that, while bridge and tunnel use has almost come back to normal, subway ridership is only at 53 percent of pre-pandemic levels.

New York City has also seen a recent spate of hate crimes and crimes within the transit system.

Last month, a man was accused of smearing feces in a woman's face on the subway.

Suspect Frank Abrokwa was also arrested on January 7, for allegedly punching a 30-year-old man on a subway platform at 125th Street and Lenox Avenue and on February 5, for hitting a 53-year-old man at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Just one week before the feces subway attack, Abrokwa was arrested for allegedly threatening a hardware store employee with a screwdriver but had been released without bail.

It is a regular pattern for the criminal menace who has been arrested 44 times only to be released to terrorize another New Yorker.

But each time, thanks to New York's lax new bail reform laws, the career criminal did not have to post bail and was released.

NYPD police union head Pat Lynch criticized New York's bail reform laws for allowing people like Abrokwa - and in this case, apparently Dowling - to roam the streets.
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People's Convoy leaders met with legislators on Capitol Hill in an effort to put an end to pandemic-era mandates and what protesters claim to be government overreach.

'This is wrong and I can see that without having to worry about the science,' organizer Brian Brase told Senators Ted Cruz, of Texas, and Ron Johnson, of Wisconsin, during Tuesday's meeting.

'It is time to listen to the people. It is time that the government is reminded they work for us. Its time that a new renaissance period, a renaissance of freedom.'

The convoy - which is now larger than ever after three separate truck cavalcades united as one convoy Monday night - continued its efforts to impede traffic by circling the 64-mile Beltway Tuesday as the group leaders spoke with lawmakers.

But it comes as most COVID rules are relaxed and lifted altogether, with the convoy now dramatically expanding its demands to lawmakers in an attempt to try and gather the same momentum as its Canadian predecessor.

'The Peoples Convoy has come together and created a community. We are a massive community,' Brase said during the meeting. 'We're going to keep looping the Beltway until we're heard. We're not going anywhere.'

WASHINGTON D.C. - MARCH 8: Leaders from the People's Convoy are meeting with Senators Ted Cruz , of Texas and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin on Capitol Hill to 'discuss the harmful effects of President Biden's vaccine mandates'

Sen. Cruz applauded the convoy organizers for their efforts, saying: 'What yall are doing is incredibly important.'

'One of the things COVID has done is revealed truth,' the lawmaker said. 'And the truth is revealed that a lot of politicians who are petty tyrants. There are a lot of big tech executives who are happy to censor and silence.'

Sen. Johnson echoed the sentiment, hailing the leaders as patriots: 'They have been peacefully, fighting for their freedoms as Americans should. Theyre fighting for freedom and theyre going to continue to fight.'

Cruz also accused the corporate media of trying to 'paint [the convoy] as a bunch of loons because they want to make decisions for their own lives and their own family' instead of Americans exercising their Constitutional rights.

'The media desperately wants to portray people exercising first amendment rights and speaking out as feverish, as violent criminals. They're not violent,' he argued. 'There's nothing feverish about speaking out for freedom and the corporate media doesn't want people to hear that.'

The senator added: 'There is a fever in Washington but it's a fever of authoritarian politicians trying to strip away peoples rights.'

WASHINGTON D.C. - MARCH 8: While organizers assembled with lawmakers, the 3,000-vehicle convoy circled the 64-mile Beltway for the third day in a row

WASHINGTON D.C. - MARCH 8: Led by Brian Brase (left), organizers of the Peoples Convoy meet with Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Ron Johnson at the U.S. Capitol. Cruz applauded the convoy organizers for their efforts, saying: 'What yall are doing is incredibly important'

WASHINGTON D.C. - MARCH 8: Organizer Brian Brase (pictured at the Capitol) promised: 'We're going to keep looping the Beltway until we're heard. We're not going anywhere'

The People's Convoy has a vast list of demands that they plan to address with Congressional leaders on Tuesday

Around 3,000 vehicles joined forces Tuesday for a circuit of the section of Interstate 495 which encircles the US capital. The protest swelled as its leaders outlined an expanded list of demands, and received recognition from one of America's best-known conservative lawmakers.

The truckers told DailyMail.com their key demands also include: reopening the Keystone pipeline, ending big tech censorship, ensuring rights for Capitol riot prisoners, holding vaccine manufacturers liable for damages, making political ideology a protected class - like freedom of religion - and reaffirming the Bill of Rights.

Brase, while speaking with legislators, called upon all Americans - and truckers worldwide - to join in their protest for freedom.

'I encourage every trucker from around the world to stand up,' he said. 'This isnt a right or left issue. Its a people's issue. Its time that the people stand up. This is for you. You should be apart of this.'

The 37-year-old trucker from Ohio also hit back at claims that the People's Convoy was anti-vaccine and seeking to cause chaos in the capital city.

Were not anti-vaxxers. Were pro-choice,' he said. 'Many of the politicians who refuse to understand where were coming from or dont want to meet with us, they are out of touch with who Americans really are.'

The convoy organizer noted that protesters are cooperating with authorities and 'doing everything we can to limit the impact of the American peoples commute to and from work' by publicly announcing their plans the night their highway drive.

'We have a first amendment right to exercise where we stand and what we want. Were probably the most peaceful protest to come through D.C. area in a long time,' Brase argued, adding: 'We stick to our word.'

The trucker promised that the People's Convoy would keep protesting and circling Washington until they achieve their goals. He called the meeting with Cruz and Johnson 'a win' but alleged there is still more work to be done.

'I got what I was hoping for. I got two respectable members of the senate here and I got all the media to come in this room and start covering. Thats a win for me. Thats a win for The Peoples Convoy,' Brase said of the meeting. 'Later today, we have more meetings and tomorrows a new day and the convoy is going to keep rolling around that Beltway until we achieve what are goals are.'

The People's Convoy - which organizers say spans 62 miles - circled the Beltway for the third day in a row on Tuesday, however, for the first time traffic remained in motion and their presence did not cause any significant delays, a DailyMail.com journalist trailing the group reported.

On Monday, the convoy left all lanes of the 64-mile Beltway in a standstill multiple times as it circled the Beltway, after some trucks practically parked on the highway, causing all the cars behind them to stop.

Maryland State Police have warned citizens to expect massive traffic delays in the coming days.

WASHINGTON D.C. - MARCH 8: Brase promised that the People's Convoy would keep protesting and circling Washington until they achieve their goals. He called the meeting with Cruz and Johnson 'a win' but alleged there is still more work to be done

WASHINGTON D.C. - MARCH 8: The People's Convoy circled the Beltway for the third day in a row on Tuesday. Their presence did not cause any significant delays and traffic kept moving at a pretty steady rate

WASHINGTON D.C. - MARCH 8: The People's Convoy is now larger than ever after three separate freedom convoy caravans have come together to take a unified lap around the DC Beltway

WASHINGTON D.C. - MARCH 8: Truckers from the People's Convoy, American Freedom Convoy and various other groups drive over the Potomac River as a unified caravan while flooding the The Beltway for a third day in a row

SILVER SPRINGS, MARYLAND - MARCH 7: On Monday, the convoy left all lanes of the 64-mile Beltway in a standstill multiple times as it circled the Beltway, after some trucks practically parked on the highway, causing all the cars behind them to stop

WASHINGTON D.C. - MARCH 8: Organizers have sworn to impede D.C. traffic until their demands are met, noting that 'every day the protest will escalate'

The People's Convoy - which now includes protesters from Convoy for America and the American Freedom Convoy - traveled across the country to protest alleged government overreach, which apparently includes the use of controversial critical race theory in education.

A group of Moms for America representatives traveling with the convoy diverged from the group's route to D.C. on Saturday and visited Loudoun County, Virginia.

Conservative activist Kimberly Fletcher told LoudounNow that Moms for America visited the county, known for its woke school board and heavily-debated transgender policies and use of critical race theory, in effort of 'reclaiming our culture for truth, family, freedom and the Constitution'.

The organization coordinated with Parents Against Critical Theory leader Scott Mineo to hold the rally, which was attended by about two dozens residents.

Speakers addressed education and encouraged attendees to get involved with the local government.

'The government never gives back what it takes,' Fletcher told the crowd. 'We teach them how to vote with the conscience and how to serve the people they were elected to serve, which is the teachers and the students.'

She also noted that Ashburn, the Loudoun County town where Saturday's rally was held, was a 'no truck zone now' but the group chose to stop there regardless in an effort to show local leaders they are 'irrelevant'.

'The mayor and all these people said 'this is a no truck zone now.' So we just want to make it very clear that why would we do that? You're completely irrelevant. That would give you relevance and you're completely irrelevant,' Fletcher stated.

'When you disregard the Constitution of the United States, when you start pushing mandates on people that you have absolutely no authority to do, you have become irrelevant.'

The People's Convoy, which is holding camp at the Hagerstown Speedway in Maryland, will encircle the Washington D.C. Beltway in protest again Tuesday. This is the third time the caravan will impede traffic on the busy interstate

WASHINGTON D.C. - MARCH 7: On Monday, the People's Convoy left all lanes in a standstill (pictured) multiple times as it circled the Beltway, after some trucks practically parked on the highway, causing all the cars behind them to stop, a DailyMail.com journalist trailing the group reported

SILVER SPRINGS, MARYLAND - MARCH 7: Maryland State Police have warned citizens to expect massive traffic delays in the coming days

ASHBURN, VIRGINIA - MARCH 5: The People's Convoy traveled across the country to protest alleged government overreach. A group of Moms for America representatives traveling with the convoy diverged from the group's route to D.C. on Saturday and visited Loudoun County, Virginia

ASHBURN, VIRGINIA - MARCH 5: Moms for America coordinated with Loudoun County group Parents Against Critical Theory to hold the rally, which was attended by about two dozens residents. The moms said they were 'reclaiming our culture for truth, family, freedom and the Constitution' and encouraged Loudoun County residents to get involved with the local government. They also addressed education, which is a hot-button topic in Loudoun because of its controversial transgender policy proposals and alleged use of critical race theory in schools

The now nearly 3,000-vehicle-strong People's Convoy - a spinoff from a protest in Canada started by truckers upset at vaccine requirements to cross the Canadian border - traveled from southern California nearly 2,500 miles to D.C. on an 11-day journey. The group stopped in major U.S. cities and rural towns along they way, holding rallies and meeting with their supporters.

They first arrived in the Washington D.C. area on Sunday, and brought traffic to a standstill on the Beltway - the circular stretch of I-495 that connects Virginia, Maryland and D.C. - for two days in a row. The group is expected to do so again on Tuesday.

The group has received mixed response from authorities in Washington.

The Pentagon on Monday approved requests from U.S. Capitol Police and the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency to extend National Guard support at traffic control points throughout D.C. and the Capitol building until Wednesday in response to the trucker protest.

House Sergeant at Arms William Walker and House Chief Administrative Officer Catherine Szpindor wrote to Capitol Hill staff on Sunday night urging them to either work from home or use public transportation.

If that was not an option, the two House officers gave the unusual option of letting staff get a hotel room paid for by their congressional office, which is funded by taxpayer money, so they can stay close to the Capitol and avoid a commute.

'In general, living expenses and commuting expenses, including lodging expenses at a Member's or employee's regular duty station, are not reimbursable with official funds, except in extraordinary circumstances,' Walker and Szpindor write in a letter obtained by DailyMail.com.

'Considering the current situation, the Committee on House Administration has determined that extraordinary circumstances exist to permit use of official funds to reimburse short-term lodging expenses in the Washington, D.C., area for certain Members and staff,' they noted.

HAGERSTOWN, MARYLAND - MARCH 7: The People's Convoy first arrived in the Washington D.C. area on Sunday, and brought traffic to a standstill on the Beltway - the circular stretch of I-495 that connects Virginia, Maryland and D.C. - for two days in a row. They plan to do so again Tuesday

WASHINGTON D.C. - MARCH 8: The group has received mixed response from authorities in Washington. The Pentagon on Monday approved requests from U.S. Capitol Police and the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency to extend National Guard support at traffic control points throughout D.C. and the Capitol building until Wednesday in response to the trucker protest

WASHINGTON D.C. - MARCH 7: Congressional staffers are being told to work from home or to get a hotel room - that can be paid for by their tax-payer funded office - as the truckers encircle Washington

HAGERSTOWN, MARYLAND - MARCH 8: Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton said Monday she is monitoring the convoy 'closely to ensure D.C. residents are kept safe.' She said police do not expect the group to cause security problems in the area

The People's Convoy - a spinoff from a protest in Canada started by truckers upset at vaccine requirements to cross the Canadian border - traveled from southern California nearly 2,500 miles to D.C. to protest government overreach

To meet the requirement for an office-paid hotel room, staff must show their commute to the Capitol would be disrupted by the convoy, that their job is essential and requires them to be on the four-acre Capitol campus, and there is no feasible public transportation option.

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, who was briefed by Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger about the convoys, said Monday she is monitoring the convoy 'closely to ensure D.C. residents are kept safe.'

'As of now, they apparently do not plan to disrupt regular business inside D.C., instead planning to drive several laps around the beltway at 45-55 miles per hour and bus some representatives into the District to meet with members of Congress,' she wrote in a press release.

'Chief Manger told me that he was more worried last week, before the State of the Union, prior to making contact with the convoys, and he currently does not expect either of the groups to cause security problems in the area.'

Similarly, some leaders, including Sen. Rand Paul previously expressed their support for the cavalcade of semi-trucks, recreational vehicles and cars.

Paul announced in February he is 'all for' the convoy, saying: 'Civil disobedience is a time-honored tradition in our country, from slavery to civil rights, you name it. Peaceful protest, clog things up, make people think about the mandates.'
A retired Florida cop who shot dead a fellow moviegoer following an argument over texting says his only regret was not going to 'another show' - while his wife said she hopes the victim's widow 'finds someone else to share her life with.'

Curtis Reeves, 79, shot and killed Chad Oulson, 43, in 2014 after the two got into an argument over Oulson's texting during the previews at a screening of the film 'Lone Survivor' inside Grove 16 theater in Wesley Chapel, Florida, a suburb of Tampa. The young father was reportedly messaging his babysitter at the time.

After eight years of legal delays, the retired police captain was acquitted of all charges last month.

But when asked by ABC's Victor Oquendo, 'Do you wish you'd done anything differently?' Reeves unapologetically responded: 'Went to another show.'

Reeves - who attempted to dismiss the case under Florida's controversial 'Stand Your Ground' law that allows the use of deadly force in the face of mortal danger or fear of serious injury - argued the case was an attack on the elderly after Oulson threw popcorn in his face.

Curtis Reeves, 79, fatally shot Chad Oulson, 43, in the chest inside a Grove 16 movie theater in Wesley Chapel, a suburb of Tampa, in 2014 after the pair got into an argument over Oulson using his phone during the previews. Oulson had been texting his two-year-old daughter's babysitter

'It began rather mundanely, I would say,' he told ABC. 'I simply asked a gentleman to turn his phone down. I didn't know him, so consequently, I was not rude or anything. It was simply a request and from that it just kind of escalated.'

Reeves had left the theater to tell a manager about the situation and said when he came back to 'watch the previews' he was 'hit in the face.'

'I had sat back to enjoy the movie and at that point I was looking at the previews, and then suddenly out of the corner of my eye, he's on his feet and I got hit in the face.

Oulson (pictured above with his wife Nicole and their then-two-year-old daughter) had thrown popcorn at Reeves after he returned from complaining to the manager. The older man claimed Ouslen also hit him in the face

Oulson (pictured with his daughter) stood up - which Reeves said 'scared' him. The retired cop also said he thought the young father was going to 'beat the hell out of me'

'There was something that flashed in front of my face and at the same time, my vision kind of went blurry,' he told ABC. At the time, Reeves did tell investigators that he had gotten 'hit on the left side of my face and temple' and had his 'glasses knocked off.'

That's when Reeves pulled out his gun. The retired officer said he has been carrying a concealed gun for 48 years 'with all the proper credentials.'

'At some point when I realized he was trying to reach for me or hit me again or strike me again is at that point when I went for the weapon,' he said. He shot Oulson in the chest. The bullet also struck Oulson's wife Nicole's finger.

Last month he expressed regret for the incident following his acquittal, stating: 'It was a sad day for everybody on both sides. It never should have happened. I never wanted it to happen.'

Although he said he wished it 'never happened,' Reeves told ABC that he thought he 'wouldn't be here today' if it had not been for his gun.

Reeves' wife Vivien, who also spoke to ABC, said she has 'prayed' for the Oulson family.

Reeves, pictured above in court, also told ABC that he thought he 'wouldn't be here today' if it had not been for his gun

Above, the theater directly after the 2014 incident where Chad Oulson was shot and killed. Reeves claimed that Oulson hit him in the face before he pulled his gun and fired

This photo, released by the Pasco County District Attorney's office, shows Curtis Reeves handcuffed in the movie theater where he shot Chad Oulson in 2014

'I have prayed for the Oulson family and she's a young woman and I sincerely hope she finds someone else to share her life and to be a good father to her child. I hope she gets on with her life and is happy.'

Nicole, who wept in the courtroom when Reeves was acquitted, told ABC News: 'For eight long years, I had to wait and try and fight for justice. Even though the jury got it wrong, I will not just accept this result lying down.

'Chad may be gone but he will never be forgotten, and I will use my voice to try and make sure no one has to experience what myself and my family had to go through.'

Reeves, who has spent most of the last eight years on house arrest, claims that Oulson got aggressive after he was asked to put his phone away when the movie Lone Survivor began playing and started yelling in his face.

Reeves' wife Vivien says she has 'prayed' for the Oulson family. 'I sincerely hope she finds someone else to share her life and to be a good father to her child. I hope she gets on with her life and is happy'

Nicole Oulson was hit in the finger after the bullet went through her husband. She told ABC Tuesday that she would not 'just accept this result lying down' after Reeves was acquitted of all charges last month

'I don't think I've ever had anybody get in my face like that and it scared the crap out of me,' he's heard telling detectives in a recorded 2014 interview. 'I thought the guy was going to beat the hell out of me.'

Investigators said, however, that no one else in the theater had heard the two men's argument or Oulson threatening Reeves.

The retired Navy veteran, who helped launch the agency's first SWAT team, has been 'second-guessing himself' for the last eight years, his lawyer Rick Escobar told ABC.

'Curtis Reeves was second guessing himself for years, because that's what you do if you're a human being and you take someone's life,' Escobar said. 'This was hard on him.'

An extended interview is set to air exclusively on ABC's Nightline on Tuesday.
Incoming CNN boss Chris Licht plans to nix the network's left-leaning commentary when he assumes the role of president this May, insiders say, and has already engaged in talks with rival Fox News about halting its aggressive coverage of them.

Former CBS exec Licht, 50, who headed Stephen Colbert's Late Show for six years until it was announced he was replacing ousted boss Jeff Zucker last month, has already begun closed door conversations with key figures close to the conservative news network, two sources close to the matter told The Daily Beast Tuesday.

Licht reportedly told certain Fox reporters and agents to breathe a little easier because he is working towards a ceasefire after his network's unrelenting negative coverage of the competing news station.

The exec plans to push hosts like Don Lemon and Jim Acosta away from opinionated reporting that became especially prevalent during Donald Trump's election campaign and presidency. He wants to return to the station's roots as a hard-hitting news source, the insiders said.

Incoming CNN honcho Chris Licht, 50, who headed Stephen Colbert's Late Show for six years, has already begun closed-door conversations with key figures close to the conservative news network, two sources close to the matter said Tuesday

Under Licht, the sources said, expect to see fewer partisan panels with outspoken anchors such as former Trump aide Alyssa Farah.

So far, the insiders' assertions have proved credible - on Sunday, there were notably no Fox mentions on CNN's flagship media program, Reliable Sources, with Brian Stelter, who last year penned a book; Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth.

Last week, after being announced as Zucker's successor following the honcho's ouster after an affair with a colleague, Licht sent a memo to his future staff, saying: 'I look forward to getting to know all of you and hearing your candid thoughts and feedback.

'Our viewers demand the truth from us, and I want to learn the truth from you. Together, we will double-down on what's working well and quickly eliminate what's not.'

Licht said his one directive as incoming CNN president is to ensure that it 'remains the global leader in news' as the network's parent company, WarnerMedia, merges with the Discovery Channel - emphasizing the word news in capital letters.

Last month, Zucker resigned under pressure for violating corporate policy by not disclosing the nature of his consensual romance with second-in-command Allison Gollust, his friend and colleague of over 20 years.

Gollust subsequently left the network following a third-party investigation into 'issues associated with Chris Cuomo and former Governor Andrew Cuomo,' WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar said in a statement.

Discovery's largest shareholder, John Malone, a billionaire businessman who donated $250,000 to Trump's inauguration in 2017, has long been a critic of CNN, and has voiced concerns of the network's left-leaning bias prior to the mega merger.

'I would like to see CNN evolve back to the kind of journalism that it started with, and actually have journalists, which would be unique and refreshing,' the media billionaire told CNBC in November.

'I do believe good journalism could have a role in the future portfolio that Discovery/TimeWarner's going to represent.'

The new CNN boss will work to tone down the often opinionated and emotional reporting from anchors like Don Lemon, who currently hosts the network's underperforming primetime slot

CNN hopes to move on from drama after the bombshell ousters of host Chris Cuomo and network boss Jeff Zucker (together above in 2014), as it merges with Discovery Inc.

CNN founder Ted Turner's biographer Porter Bibb recently said that Turner and Malone 'adamantly' opposed 'what Zucker did with CNN, turning it into an opinion network, to compete with Fox and losing the concept of hard news 24/7.'

Bibb, who penned It Ain't as Easy as It Looks, told The Ankler that Turner and competitor-turned-friend Malone agreed on their disappointment in the current state of the network - and the direction it needs to be taken in ahead of the Discovery merger with CNN parent WarnerMedia in April.

'John Malone is not only speaking his own opinion of what CNN should be doing as an all-news network, but he speaks for Ted,' Bibb said.

Malone has been credited with the ouster of Zucker, after he learned of the ex-president's affair with Vice President Allison Gollust.

'Discovery's largest shareholder, John Malone, a critic of CNN, made it known that corporate procedures had to be followed to the letter in regards to Zucker, we hear,' Deadline previously reported.

'Being that WarnerMedia's standards of business conduct require disclosure of relationships that develop with a boss and subordinate, Zucker's goose was officially cooked,' the report added.

Zucker and Allison Gollust had worked together for 20 years. The pair claim their relationship turned romantic during the pandemic but others say it far predates COVID, and was common knowledge for as many as eight years.

Zucker stepped down from his position earlier this month, admitting he was 'wrong' not to have told the company about the relationship.

Licht (left) has been the showrunner and executive producer of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert since 2016. He was above with Stephen Colbert at the 2018 Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour in Pasadena, California

Gollust also announced her resignation last week as CNN's executive vice president and chief marketing officer following a third-party investigation into 'issues associated with Chris Cuomo and former Governor Andrew Cuomo,' WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar said in a statement.

According to sources cited by Rolling Stone on Thursday, the pair breached journalism ethics to help Cuomo behind the scenes in the same way that younger brother Chris did.

Chris Cuomo was fired from CNN for helping Andrew through a sexual misconduct scandal and in the messy fallout from his departure, the affair between Zucker and Gollust has surfaced.

The two were due to take on senior roles within the new company, under the leadership of Discovery CEO David Zaslav.

Zaslav then tapped Licht for the new role, which he will officially assume in May, as the company moves to complete its long-awaited merger with Warner, and as it seeks to put multiple embarrassing scandals, including the one surrounding the network's former star anchor Cuomo, behind it.

John Malone, a majority shareholder at Discovery, has been critical of CNN and has said he would like to see 'CNN evolve back to the kind of journalism that it started with'

Discovery CEO David Zaslav tapped Licht for the role, which he will officially take in May, and gave him the directive, which hints that the network may return to its roots as a hard-hitting news source free from bias

Zaslav, who is expected to run the company after Discovery acquires WarnerMedia, said that Licht is 'a highly principled individual who is trusted, hard-working and makes every organization stronger, more innovative and more cohesive.'

Licht has been the showrunner and executive producer of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert since 2016, helping it surpass NBC's Tonight Show in ratings and viewership.

'Colbert credits him with saving his show and elevating it to the most-watched in late night,' Bill Carter, a CNN media analyst who wrote multiple books about late-night TV, told CNN Business.

While Licht filled more of a management role at The Late Show, geared towards improving its backstage culture, Carter said that he is 'a producer first, not an executive, key to making CNN work.'

He earned fame in the broadcasting world as the founding executive producer of Morning Joe, which he and host Joe Scarborough created and launched together in 2007.
President Xi Jinping has said China is 'pained to see the flames of war reignited in Europe' in the latest sign Beijing does not support Putin's savage war in Ukraine.

The leader of the Communist Party said the situation is 'deeply worrying' in a virtual meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz today, saying the three countries should all support peace talks.

China had been seen as a bellwether on whether Russia's invasion would spark similar territorial conflicts elsewhere, with Xi wanting to stake his claim on Taiwan.

President Xi Jinping joined Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz on a virtual call today in which they discussed Russia's invasion of Ukraine

China had been seen as a bellwether on whether Russia's invasion would spark similar territorial conflicts elsewhere

The superpower abstained in UN votes to condemn Russia's actions and has refused to label it an invasion.

But noises from Beijing appear increasingly critical of the war without explicitly condemning Putin's barbarity.

China said today it will send humanitarian aid to Ukraine and called on France and Germany to help reduce the global impact of the crisis.

But in a sign of Xi's alliance with Putin, he also expressed concern about the impact of sanctions on the wider world.

He said: 'Regarding the impact of sanctions on global finance, energy resources, transport and supply chain stability, in terms of a world economy already burdened by the pandemic, it is harmful to all sides.'

The superpower abstained in UN votes to condemn Russia's actions and has refused to label it an invasion

China's friendship with Russia was strengthened last month when Putin attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics on the same day that the countries declared a 'no limits' strategic partnership.

About 30 percent of oil and gas produced in Russia now sold to China.

On Monday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing was open to helping mediate peace and stressed that the friendship between Beijing and Moscow was still intact.

He said: 'The friendship between the two peoples is rock solid, and both sides' future cooperation prospects are very vast.'

China said today it will send humanitarian aid to Ukraine and called on France and Germany to help reduce the global impact of the crisis

Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing was open to helping mediate peace and stressed that the friendship between Beijing and Moscow was still in tact

Here's how YOU can help: Donate here to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal Readers of Mail Newspapers and MailOnline have always shown immense generosity at times of crisis. Calling upon that human spirit, we are supporting a huge push to raise money for refugees from Ukraine. For, surely, no one can fail to be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families  mostly women, children, the infirm and elderly  fleeing from Russia's invading armed forces. As this tally of misery increases over the coming days and months, these innocent victims of a tyrant will require accommodation, schools and medical support. Donations to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal will be used to help charities and aid organisations providing such essential services. In the name of charity and compassion, we urge all our readers to give swiftly and generously. TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE Donate at www.mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate To add Gift Aid to a donation  even one already made  complete an online form found here: mymail.co.uk/ukraine Via bank transfer, please use these details: Account name: Mail Force Charity Account number: 48867365 Sort code: 60-00-01 TO MAKE A DONATION VIA CHEQUE Make your cheque payable to 'Mail Force' and post it to: Mail Newspapers Ukraine Appeal, GFM, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY TO MAKE A DONATION FROM THE US US readers can donate to the appeal via a bank transfer to Associated Newspapers or by sending checks to dailymail.com HQ at 51 Astor Place (9th floor), New York, NY 1000 Advertisement

But he said China was 'willing to work with the international community to carry out necessary mediation, when necessary'.

Wang also spoke with the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell Monday, Chinese state media said.

Wang said China 'laments' the situation in Ukraine and urged the EU to engage in 'sincere dialogue' with Russia over European security.

Borrell had said last week that China should mediate future peace talks between Russia and Ukraine as Western powers cannot fulfil the role, in an interview with Spanish daily El Mundo.

The Chinese foreign minister described the China-Russia relationship as 'the world's most crucial bilateral relationship', which 'is conducive to world peace, stability and development'.

He referred to last month's China-Russia partnership commitment as 'clearly and unmistakably showing the world' that both countries 'jointly oppose the revival of the Cold War mentality and stoking ideological confrontations'.

This month, Russian gas giant Gazprom said it had signed a contract to design a pipeline to China, taking a step towards a new supply agreement that could ease Russia's reliance on European buyers.

And Russian banks said Sunday they planned to issue cards using China's UnionPay system after Visa and Mastercard moved to suspend operations amid unprecedented sanctions on Moscow.

Once bitter Cold War rivals, China and Russia have moved closer than ever since President Xi Jinping took power nearly a decade ago, driven by their shared desire to confront US power.

Wang said their informal alliance would 'not brook interference by third parties', in a warning to the United States and its Western allies who in recent days have lobbied China to play a more active role in mediating the conflict.

Australia's prime minister has called Russia's invasion of Ukraine 'a moment of choice for China', pressing China to shape the actions of its Russian ally and prove that Beijing is committed to global peace.

'No country would have a greater impact right now on Russia's violent aggression towards Ukraine than China,' Scott Morrison told think tank the Lowy Institute.

Wang said the 'Taiwan issue is fundamentally different from the Ukraine issue' and added that Taiwan will 'eventually return to the motherland's embrace'.

'Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory and the Taiwan issue is entirely China's internal affair,' Wang Yi said.

'The Ukraine issue is a dispute between the two countries of Ukraine and Russia.'
A teacher in Florida is facing charges over allegations she bit two students over a jar of pickles.

Special education teacher Rhonda Rice, 63, told administrators in the Polk County Public School District that she was just 'playing around with students' when she bit them, according to a spokesperson.

She was suspended for three days after the incident last November at Bartow Middle School, and was relocated to Sleepy Hill Middle School, where she is now an 'active teacher,' according to Kyle Kennedy, a spokesperson for Polk Public Schools.

Rice is now facing two misdemeanor battery charges and is set to be arraigned on March 31.

The aunt of one of the students, Kathy Toro, told WFLA, that her nephew, 15, and another male student were working at the school store when Rice attempted to take a jar of pickles.

It's unclear if Rice was trying to steal it, but when the two students tried to get the jar back, Rice allegedly bit both of them.

'She just bit them on the forearm and, of course, they released and she was able to get the pickles but there's other ways to do that,' Toro said.

Rhonda Rice, 63, bit two teenage students at Bartow Middle School's school store in Bartow, Florida, in October over a pickle jar and is now facing two misdemeanor battery charges relating to the incident

Both students (left and right), one of them age 15, were working at the school store when Rice attempted to take a jar of pickles before they tried to get it back from her

Bartow Middle School suspended Rice for three days until the completion of an internal review. She has since been relocated to Sleepy Hill Middle School, but is now on paid leave until further notice

It's not clear if they suffered injuries in the incident. The Bartow Police Department told Dailymail.com that it cannot comment on the incident.

Bartow Middle School was made aware of the incident after both students reported Rice's actions to faculty.

Toro also filed charges against Rice in November after going to the Bartow Police Department.

Since then, Rice has admitted to 'licking' the students, according to police, but she hasn't confessed to biting them.

'Even if it was and she did lick him, but I don't believe she did, it's still not acceptable to me,' Toro said.

After the incident, Rice was suspended for three days by Bartow Middle School until the completion of an internal review. She then transferred schools.

'Although she described her actions as playing around with students, we expect our employees to act professionally and serve as models of mature behavior,' said Jason Geary, a Polk County Public Schools spokesperson, in a statement. 'They must set a good example for students to follow, and anything less is unacceptable,' he added.

The aunt of one of the students, Kathy Toro, told WFLA that she filed charges against Rice in November of last year and that she doesn't believe the teacher 'licked' the students instead of biting them

This isn't the first time that Rice has had to face disciplinary action, as WFLA shares that she has been involved in four similar incidents during her 22 years as a teacher in the Polk County Public Schools system.

In September and December of 2001, she was given a verbal and written reprimand due to her lack of preparation for classes at Boone Middle School.

In July 2008, Sleepy Hill Middle School suspended Rice for a day after she excessively used a district-issued computer for 'personal business' instead of teaching or preparing classes.

In March 2015, the same school issued a verbal warning with a written confirmation to teacher for 'repeated failure to complete a scheduled IEP in a timely manner'.

Rice has been employed as a teacher in the Polk County Public Schools system since 2000.

Dailymail.com has contacted Toro and Rice for comment.
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Republican lawmakers are demanding on Tuesday that President Joe Biden restore American energy independence after he announced a ban on Russian oil and gas imports over its attack on Ukraine.

Biden announced on Tuesday the United States would target 'the main artery of Russia's economy' with a ban on energy imports from Moscow, while acknowledging the financial squeeze it would put on Americans already paying record-high prices at the pump.

'Americans have rallied support -- have rallied to support the Ukrainian people and made it clear we will not be part of subsidizing Putin's war,' Biden said at the White House.

During his speech Biden also hit back at Republican accusations that his administration cut back US oil and gas production -- pointing out that he actually pumped more oil than his predecessor Donald Trump did during his first year in office.

Biden insisted American fuel independence could be achieved by transitioning to clean energy which Republicans have claimed that such efforts led the US to today's vulnerable position and high gas prices.

After Biden's speech, Republicans renewed calls to increase US fossil fuel production while also condemning the president for looking at Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Iran as possible candidates to alleviate the immediate strain.

'Every purchase of Russian energy product provides financial support for Putins barbaric war on Ukraine. Banning Russian oil and gas imports is obviously the right thing to do, and Biden must couple this glaringly clear decision with expanded U.S. oil and gas production. The President should have the courage to stand against the Democrats' green new deal left and step away from his administrations war on the American oil and gas industry,' Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana told DailyMail.com.

Oklahoma Rep. Kevin Hern accused Biden of 'intentionally' driving up gas prices to grow support for his electric vehicle initiatives in a statement to DailyMail.com.

'Biden and his handlers have spent the last year driving up inflation by any means possible with the intention of forcing a reset in our country, a transition to the Green New Deal and other socialist policies. Its all been intentional. Bidens EV push does nothing to help Americans hurting today, who cant afford a luxury vehicle. It doesnt help power our homes and businesses, and it will not cause the price of gas to go down one penny. American energy dominance is the answer, and that starts with oil and gas,' Hern said.

Kansas Senator Roger Marshall said in a statement, 'I applaud President Biden for taking this important step, but similar to sanctions on Russia and aid delivered to Ukraine, he is once again late to act. After spending billions to finance Putins war on Ukraine, the President must immediately redirect efforts to restart Americas energy production,'

His fellow Kansas Senator Jerry Moran said the ban was the 'right step.'

'While its past time for President Bidens ban on the U.S. purchase of Russian oil, this is the right step. Now his admin must take steps to unleash U.S. energy production. If not, gas prices will continue to rise & we will be reliant on our adversaries for energy production,' Moran said on Twitter.

Former President Donald Trump released a statement reasserting that the US was enacting the full Russian energy ban alone and claiming Europe was 'taking advantage' of Biden.

'Just confirmed that most of Europe wont go along with the United States in boycotting Russian oil and gas. As usual the United States will be left out there alone, being taken advantage of by Europe, as we defend them, while we read in the Fake News how everyone has come together under Biden to fight Russia,' Trump said through his Save America PAC.

GOP Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana wrote on Twitter, 'Even with $5/gallon gas, Joe Biden is doubling down on Green New Deal policies.'

Florida Senator Marco Rubio praised Biden's import ban but urged him to go further in a video statement.

'Part one is in place, we're not buying oil from Russia. Now we have to do part two, which is we should replace it with American oil -- not Saudi oil, not Iranian oil, not Venezuelan oil,' Rubio said.

Rick Scott, chair of the Senate GOP's campaign arm the National Republican Senatorial Committee, accused Biden of dodging blame for high gas prices.

'Americans are paying record gas prices & Biden blames everyone else. Heres the real cause,' Scott wrote on Twitter. 'Biden's war on U.S. energy: canceling Keystone XL while approving Russias pipelines. Biden's Afghanistan debacle & weakness on the world stage. Who is responsible? Joe Biden.'

New York Republican Rep. Tom Reed said Biden's announcement sent an 'important' message but 'again highlights the necessity of tapping into America's own precious natural resources for our national security and to help ease the pain of inflation for the American people.'

Utah GOP Rep. Chris Stewart questioned why Biden was looking at places like Venezuela and Iran to fill the need.

He added, 'U.S. shale producers can increase production twice as fast as Venezuelan oil companies, and the profits would go to American workers rather than another dictatorship.'

Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee said Biden should have pushed US drilling in his speech.

President Joe Biden announced the US would target 'the main artery of Russia's economy' with a full ban on energy imports from Russia on Tuesday

'I welcome a Russian energy ban, but it must be replaced by American energy production, not begging Iran/Venezuela for oil. Working with killers over American drillers is outrageous,' Hagerty said on Twitter.

Moderate Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine urged continued cooperation with Europe while reasserting the need for American energy independence.

''We must continue working with European allies to reduce dependence on Russian energy. Rather than turning to authoritarians in the Middle East and South America, we should immediately boost U.S. energy production to lower the soaring price of gas and heating oil,' Collins said.

Wisconsin Rep. Bryan Steil stated: 'Now that we are ending reliance on Russia for oil, we need to replace it with American oil.'

Rep. Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania -- one of the top energy producing states in the union -- demanded Biden reopen the Keystone XL pipeline to help increase the US oil supply.

'The US was a net exporter of oil in 2020, but under Biden we became a net importer in 2021, and remains so today. With the Keystone XL Pipeline we would have imported over 100k gallons from Canada, rather than the 70k from Russia we currently import,' Meuser said.

Tennessee Rep. Mark Green said the oil and gas import ban 'shouldve been President Bidens very first action.'

US oil and gas companies are also pledging to help alleviate the strain. Exxon Mobil and Chevron, two of the world's largest fossil fuel producers, said this week that they would ramp up crude oil production at sites in Texas and New Mexico, Politico reported.

As the president visits the Lone Star State today, its Republican Congressional delegation is demanding he tap into the state's fossil fuel resources.

'Joe Biden is in Texas today but wont meet with energy producers to find out whats needed to increase production, reduce prices, and reduce dependence on foreign oil. Instead, this White House would rather meet with Venezuela and Iran,' Rep. Dan Crenshaw wrote on Twitter.

The president pointed out during his speech that the US produced more oil during his first year in office than during Donald Trump's first year in 2017

Above shows a chart for US crude oil imports, which excludes other petroleum products

Rep. Randy Weber said Biden's claim his White House wasn't behind rising fuel costs is 'ludicrous.'

'For over a year, the Biden Administration has halted new federal leasing. Worse, Biden has canceled energy infrastructure, blocked energy development in Alaska, and gleefully pushed punitive new taxes on the U.S. energy industry. Taken together, Bidens actions discourage future investment by signaling that oil and gas arent in Americas future energy mix. I wont let Biden bamboozle the American public by suggesting the energy crisis is anyones fault but his,' Weber said.

What does 'energy independence' mean? Both Democrats and Republican lawmakers are calling for a path to American energy independence, though they have different ideas about how to get it done. To be 'energy independent' means to export more oil, gas and coal than is imported each year. In theory it could also describe a nation that exclusively exists on its own fuel sources -- though with a vast number of global transit lines and how natural resources are distributed around the country, the latter definition is near impossible to achieve in the US. Americans consumed roughly 20 million barrels of liquid fuel per day in 2021, according to the Energy Information Administration. The United States exported an average 8,632 barrels of crude oil and petroleum per day last year. And as of February 25, the EIA stated there were 580 million barrels in the strategic reserve. However even if the US were to produce more oil than it buys -- as was the case in 2020 -- it would still be far costlier and more cumbersome for energy companies to sell that oil in parts of the country. For example, the Wall Street Journal points out that oil companies shipped about 3 million barrels per day out of the US Gulf Coast. Pipelines from the Gulf Coast lead to the southwestern Permian Basin and the crude oil storage hub in Cushing, Oklahoma that's home to 14% of total US oil storage. Thanks to the 1920 Jones Act, US companies are limited in the size of ships they can use to transport goods between domestic ports. That effectively makes it costlier for oil to be shipped from there to the East and West Coasts, for example, which have more direct access to overseas markets. Advertisement

Rep. John Carter said Biden would 'further harm' Americans if he would not restart US oil drilling: 'Banning Russian oil is only the first step, Mr. President. Without reopening domestic oil production, you are further harming the American people.'

The president again reasserted that he was not to blame when he arrived in Texas on Tuesday afternoon.

Asked what could be done about sky-high gas prices, Biden replied: 'Can't do much right now. Russia is responsible.'

Biden's Tuesday White House speech followed relentless pressure from Republican and Democratic lawmakers, though the move could send gas prices even higher than the record $4.17 a gallon reported today. Calls to add a block on energy to the sweeping economic sanctions on the Kremlin and oligarchs have mounted since late last month when Russia's authoritarian leader Vladimir Putin ordered an unprovoked and bloody invasion of Ukraine.

Biden said the US's blockade would 'deal another powerful blow to Putin's war machine' after a vast number of sanctions targeting Russia's financial institutions and top officials were already levied in coordination with other western governments.

However, he also admitted that today's announced ban would impact American drivers as well -- dubbing it 'Putin's price hike.'

'The decision today is not without cost here at home. Putin's war is already hurting American families at the gas pump. Since Putin began his military buildup on Ukrainian borders, just since then, the price of the gas at the pump in America went up 75 cents,' Biden said.

'And with this action it's going to go up further. I'm going to do everything I can to minimize Putin's price hike here at home.'

European allies, which rely far more on the Kremlin's energy exports, are not joining the ban but were consulted by US officials.

'We're moving forward this ban understanding that many of our European allies and partners may not be in a position to join us. The United States produces far more oil domestically than all of the European countries combined. In fact, we're a net exporter of energy,' Biden said. 'So we can take this step when others cannot.'

In fact, data from the Energy Information Administration show the US shifted to being a net importer of petroleum in 2021, and projected the same for 2022 last month. US oil production peaked under the Trump administration in 2019, before falling 8 percent the next year.

'It's simply not true that my administration or policies are holding back domestic energy production. That's simply not true. Even amid the pandemic, companies in United States pumped more oil during my first year in office than they did in my predecessor's first year,' Biden said.

He insisted that only 10 percent of US oil and gas drilling happens on federally-owned land, and that the majority of that is already leased by energy production giants that 'they are not using for production now.'

Biden vowed to keep working toward American energy independence to 'protect the economy in the long term.' He cited Europe's enduring dependence on Russia's oil as a reason to move toward greener fuel sources.

'I've had numerous conversations over the last few months with our European friends, of how they have to wean themselves off of Russian oil. It's just not -- it's not tenable. It should motivate us to accelerate the transition to clean energy,' the president explained.

'This is a perspective examine our European allies share, and the future where together we can achieve greater independence. Loosening environmental regulations and pulling back clean energy investment won't -- let me explain -- won't, will not lower energy prices for families.

'But transforming our economy to run on electric vehicles powered by clean energy with tax credits to help American families winterize their homes and use less energy -- that will. That will help. And if we can, if we do what we can, it will mean that no one has to worry about price at the gas pump in the future.'

Biden's announcement comes as desperate Ukrainians have forced to flee their homes in freezing temperatures while being bombed, shot at and chased. Temperatures in Kyiv and Kharkiv, Ukraine's two largest cities that have seen intense shelling, are set to fall to 14F on Tuesday night and will bring bitter conditions to civilians trying to stay warm and Putin's soldiers trying to turn around his stalled invasion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly thanked Biden and urged other countries to follow suit.

'Thankful for US and [President Biden's] personal leadership in striking in the heart of Putins war machine and banning oil, gas and coal from US market. Encourage other countries and leaders to follow,' Zelensky wrote on Twitter.

US imports of Russian crude oil exploded 162% from 2020 to 2021

Russian crude oil, however, accounted for only around 3% of the US's crude oil imports

The West coast and Gulf coast import the most Russian oil per day

Prices at the gas pump have reached a record high on Tuesday, hours before Biden is expected to announce a ban on Russian energy imports

The European Union is aiming to cut its reliance on Russian gas by nearly 80 percent by the end of this year and the United Kingdom is expected to ban Russian oil.

The United Kingdom's ban on Russian oil imports will be phased-in gradually to avoid panic-buying. Politico reports that the blockade will not be extended to natural gas but the measure is still being discussed at Whitehall.

It comes as Putin threatened to shut down Russia's gas pipeline to Europe in response to a boycott on his country's energy exports -- which could push the price of crude oil to a staggering $300 a barrel.

Prices already shot up to a rate not seen since 2008 on Monday, reaching $140 per barrel.

The Democratic administration has also come under bipartisan criticism for looking at authoritarian countries like Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and even Iran as possible new sources to fill the 3.5 percent of crude oil exports the US gets from Russia.

The American Automobile Association's (AAA) Chicago branch put out a warning about a 'tightened supply' of gas and outlined how Americans can 'conserve' their fuel as the market braces for another surge.

With gas prices at their highest in history, experts explain how YOU can save on gas As fuel prices continue to surge during Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, groups including the American Automobile Association (AAA) and Gas Buddy have released advice on how drivers can lighten the impact on their pockets. DailyMail.com has rounded up some of the tips they include. Avoid high speeds: Driving at 62 mph instead of 75 mph will reduce fuel consumption by 15 percent. Higher speeds increase drag. Do not accelerate or break hard: Anticipating when to stop may improve fuel economy by 20%. Use air conditioning sparingly to avoid an extra load on the engine. Keep tires properly inflated. Keep the windows closed to reduce drag. Service your car regularly. Avoid idling during winter to warm up the car. Use cruise control to help maintain a constant speed and save fuel. Avoid heavy loads, such as putting sandbags or large equipment or machinery in the trunk. Sources: AAA and Gas Buddy Advertisement

The AAA wrote on Twitter Monday, 'The conflict between Russia and Ukraine, coupled with already high-demand and a tightened supply are pushing prices much higher at the pump. Here are some ways you can conserve on fuel.'

It was followed by a series of tips urging drivers to: combine errands, use their 'more fuel-efficient vehicle,' remove unnecessary or bulky items from the car and 'fill up when you have a quarter tank of fuel remaining.'

Meanwhile prices at the pump have reached a nationwide average of $4.17, the highest ever recorded by AAA. The average gas price in California is a record-high $5.44, up from the previous all-time high of $5.34 that was reached on Monday.

Trump released a furious all-caps statement just an hour after reports of the expected Russian oil ban broke.

'BREAKING NEWS: HIGHEST GAS PRICES IN HISTORY! DO YOU MISS ME YET?' Trump said in a statement through his Save America PAC.

But the US relies far less on Russian energy imports than Europe does.

Only about 7 percent of American liquid fuel imports were from Russia in 2020, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

But the US' dependence on Russian crude oil and petroleum products significantly increased during Biden's first year in office. Imports of Moscow's crude oil alone surged 162 percent. In 2020, the US imported 28 million barrels of Russian crude oil. Now that number is up to 73 million barrels.

However, the Energy Information Agency's data show it still only accounts for about 3.5 percent of total US crude imports last year.

By contrast sixty percent of Russia's oil exports go to Europe, accounting for about a third of the continent's oil demand.

Russia is the third largest exporter of crude oil and petroleum products to the US. America gets most of its oil and petroleum imports first from Canada, 51.3 percent.

US officials appear to be looking for alternative energy sellers to make up for the modest gap left by the expected Russian ban.

An American delegation to Venezuela over the weekend saw some success when its President Nicolas Maduro said Monday that he would be open to further talks. It's the first high-profile meeting of government officials between the US and oil-rich, authoritarian Venezuela in years.

It was also reported recently that Biden may travel to Saudi Arabia to discuss the global oil supply, after vowing on the campaign trail to make the nation a 'pariah' state over its killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Kashoggi.

The push for a nationwide ban on Russian energy imports has gained traction since accounts and images of Putin's atrocities in Ukraine explode around the world.

More than seven in 10 Americans have said they would support a ban on Russian oil even if it meant higher gas prices, according to a new Quinnipiac poll released on Tuesday.

The survey, taken March 4 through March 6, shows 71 percent of total respondents including a bipartisan majority would ban Biden's ban. Of Republican voters, 66 percent said they would support it, and 82 percent of Democrats said they would as well.

Just 22 percent said they would be opposed.

South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham tweeted that Biden's expected ban is 'great' but 'late' on the twelfth day of Putin's invasion.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she was 'all for' banning Russian oil imports. Congress is also set to pass a $10 billion aid package for Ukraine this week.

Lawmakers in both the Senate and House have put forward a slew of legislation on such bans. Late last week a bipartisan group of senators put forward their own bill to ban Russian energy imports, which Congress is meant to fast-track.

An elderly woman placed in a shopping cart is carried over a destroyed bridge as she is evacuated from the city of Irpin,

The US has been under pressure to ban Russian energy imports since Vladimir Putin launched an unprovoked attack on Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers help an elderly woman to cross a destroyed bridge as she evacuates the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, on March 8

The search for a new oil source is also putting renewed attention on the Iran nuclear deal talks, with the possibility of putting Tehran's oil back on the market.

However Republicans have been pushing for Biden to ramp up domestic energy production, as the president comes under bipartisan criticism for looking to authoritarian governments -- who in some cases, are aligned with Russia -- to fill American oil needs.

Shell says sorry for buying cut price oil from Russia after they invaded Ukraine and will now shut down its service stations in Putin's country The boss of Shell has said he is 'sorry' for buying a shipment of Russian oil last week even as dozens of major international companies announced they would abandon the country over its war in Ukraine. The business bought the oil last week at knock-down prices, as sanctions began to bite on the Russian economy. 'We are acutely aware that our decision last week to purchase a cargo of Russian crude oil to be refined into products like petrol and diesel - despite being made with security of supplies at the forefront of our thinking - was not the right one and we are sorry,' said chief executive Ben van Beurden. The company said it would immediately stop buying Russian crude oil on the spot market and will shut service stations, aviation fuel and lubricants operations in Russia. Profits from the remaining Russian gas that Shell will process will be sent to a fund and the business will work with humanitarian organisations to figure out how best to spend the money.bipartisan criticism for looking to authoritarian governments -- who in some cases, are aligned with Russia -- to fill American oil needs. Advertisement

'We shouldnt be advancing other countries who dont share our values,' Montana Democratic Senator Jon Tester said, according to CNN.

Graham said buying oil from somewhere like Venezuela or Iran was 'insanity.'

'If we seek to replace Russian oil by buying more oil from Venezuela and Iran, that would be the height of insanity,' Graham wrote on Twitter Tuesday. 'Trying to cut off oil dependency from a war criminal like Putin by replacing it with oil from a religious Nazi like the Ayatollah is stupid, dangerous, and tells you how much the Biden Administration is controlled by the radical Left.'

Texas Governor Greg Abbott called on Biden to increase output from the Lone Star state instead.

'What happened to energy independence? Texas can do it,' Abbott wrote on Twitter Tuesday.

The Permian basin, a vast oil and natural gas producing area covering parts of Texas and New Mexico, will see more crude pumped by Chevron and Exxon Mobil. The plan was announced last year but has gained fresh urgency since Russia's invasion.

West Virginia Democrat Senator Joe Manchin also called on Biden to ramp up US energy production, even in areas that had previously been shut.

'Any oil thats needed to our allies around the world, we do that cleaner than anybody,' Manchin said on CNN.

Former Vice President Mike Pence demanded Biden 'unleash American energy' and mocked him for sending a delegation to Venezuela during an interview on Fox Business on Tuesday morning.

'The answer here is, number one, stand firm as the United States and have the free world join us, in cutting off funds to Russia in their energy exports. We need to put those sanctions on. But at the same moment, President Biden and this administration must unleash American energy and stop going hat-in-hand to places like Venezuela,' Pence said.

Some Republicans have been demanding Biden reopen the shut-down Keystone XL Pipeline -- which the president's allies and climate experts have said would have minimal effect solving the crisis but would gravely harm the environment.

Last week South Carolina GOP Senator Tim Scott told Fox News in an interview that Biden's decision to revoke the pipeline's permit was 'catastrophic.'

'The prices we're seeing today are reflective of his decisions a year ago, not reflective of the conflict that started days ago,' Scott said.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, also floated as a possible 2024 GOP nominee, told the same outlet after Putin's launched his attack that Biden gave him 'all the power' to do so by ending the pipeline.
The juror on the Ghislaine Maxwell case who did not disclose his history of sexual abuse during jury selection took the stand be grilled under oath -testimony that could lead to a new trial for the convicted sex trafficker.

Scotty David admitted to flying through the jury questionnaire while on the stand Tuesday morning just as the Department of Justice granted him immunity. The decision paved the way for David to testify and answer questions fully under oath without fear of persecution.

Before beginning her questioning, Judge Allison Nathan told David: 'You need to answer my questions today, you need to answer truthfully.'

During the hour-long grilling, David said that he 'never thought' he would get chosen to be on the jury even though he admitted that was a 'terrible excuse'.

'Look at Question 48, about sexual assault,' Judge Nathan instructed, 'You indicated 'No.' Is that accurate?'





David replied, 'No, it is not.'





Judge Nathan asked, 'What is an accurate answer?'





'Yes. For self,' David said, adding, 'This is one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made,' but insisted it was an 'honest mistake' and didn't impair his ability to tryMaxwell.





David said he only realized his mistake after seeing his interview with DailyMail.com.

Juror Scotty David was seen Tuesday morning heading into Manhattan federal court just as the Department of Justice granted him immunity

Before beginning her questioning, Judge Allison Nathan told David: 'You need to answer my questions today, you need to answer truthfully'

Question 48 read, 'Have you been sexually abused?'

David told the court, 'It was a family friend who is no longer part of the family and one of their friends when I was nine or 10 years old'.

Judge Nathan asked if it was once or multiple times and David said: 'Multiple times.'

Asked if he reported it, David said: 'I did not for several years until I was in high school.

'I told my mom and she called the police to report it but I never received any paperwork.'

David confirmed it was his step brother from the time and a friend of his who abused him.

Question 25 asked, 'Have you been the victim of a crime?'

'Now that I think about it, not accurate,' David said. 'I was thinking about mugging. I no longer associate my sexual abuse with being a victim. I don't know anyone who's ever been robbed.'

David said that he doesn't consider himself a victim, describing it as 'part of my healing.'

He later explained that his abuse does not 'define' him as a person.

Question 49 asked, 'Have you or a family member been accused of sexual abuse?'

David said: 'I don't consider them part of my family. I never considered them part of my family even when they lived with us for a few years.

'I flew through these questions. I honestly never thought I would be chosen to sit on this jury.'

Judge Nathan then instructed David to look at at Question 48(b), which asked if having a history of sexual abuse would impact the juror's ability to be fair.

'It did not impact my ability to be fair and impartial at all,' David said.

'When you did find out about this problem?' Judge Nathan asked.

'In an article about my interview... with the Daily Mail,' David said.

'Was it intentional?' Nathan asked.

'Absolutely not,' David said.

'Were you thinking you'd personally benefit by being on the jury?' Nathan asked

'No,' David said.

The hearing is the first time since her conviction in December that Maxwell has been seen. She walked into court wearing prison issue dark blue pants and a dark blue t-shirt having ditched the roll necks and black trousers she wore during her trial

Speaking outside the court Maxwell's sister Isabel, who sat in the public gallery for the hearing, said: 'Of course we must wait for the court's decision but an impartial jury is the very basis of the criminal justice system and it must be preserved

David said he was 'super distracted' in the room where prospective jurors were asked to fill out the questionnaire.

He said: 'I had been sitting there for three hours. I didn't have my phone, I didn't have a book, I was sitting there twiddling my thumbs thinking about a break up that had just happened', adding that it was a few weeks prior.

David said: 'I was not very focused'.

Describing how he filled out the questionnaire, David said it was like being at school and he hurried through it because you 'never want to be the last one to finish'.

He said: 'I know this is a terrible excuse but I didn't think I would be chosen (for the jury)'.

David claimed that 'I don't think about my sexual abuse, period' and that 'I don't tell many people'.

Judge Nathan repeatedly questioned David about the comment as she tried to 'reconcile' it with the fact he disclosed his past in multiple media interviews.

Judge Nathan said that David seemed like he 'was prepared for the whole world to know about it'.

He replied that he didn't talk about the abuse in detail to the media and focused on how it related to his memory.

Later David claimed that he didn't think a 'little article about a juror would be record breaking or really in the news at all.'

Judge Nathan asked David the questions she would have done during Voir Dire, where she asked questions in person to prospective jurors, had he answered his jury questionnaire correctly.

They included whether he was able to trial Maxwell just on the evidence and whether he was biased against her.

David said he was able to evaluate the case based solely on the evidence and was not biased against her due to his background.

The hearing is the first time since her conviction in December that Maxwell has been seen.

She walked into court wearing prison issue dark blue pants and a dark blue t-shirt having ditched the roll necks and black trousers she wore during her trial.

Maxwell looked more tired than during the trial and had let her hair grow longer. She sat staring at David intently with her arms crossed as he gave evidence.

Speaking outside the court Maxwell's sister Isabel, who sat in the public gallery for the hearing, said: 'Of course we must wait for the court's decision but an impartial jury is the very basis of the criminal justice system and it must be preserved.

'Ghislaine's family are hoping a mistrial will be declared'.

Scotty recalled looking directly at Maxwell during the trial, 'I could literally see her [all the time]. There were times when it felt like she was staring right at me and we would lock eyesit didn't feel real'

Scotty David, the juror on the Ghislaine Maxwell case who did not disclose his history of sexual abuse during jury selection, initially wanted to plead the Fifth

Last week his lawyer Todd Spodek said he wanted to exercise his 'privilege against self-incrimination at the hearing' and plead the Fifth.

Ghislaine Maxwell on Epstein's private jet airplane. Maxwell was convicted on December 29 on five counts of sex trafficking and other crimes

After the bombshell filing, prosecutors immediately requested an order forcing David to testify.

The filings raised the stakes significantly ahead of David's appearance, which could lead to a new trial for Maxwell.

The British socialite was convicted in December of recruiting and trafficking underage girls for the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and is facing up to 65 years in jail at her sentencing in June.

Maxwell's lawyers have demanded a new trial claiming that David misrepresented himself on his jury questionnaire.

He ticked 'no' on two boxes which related to being a victim of crime and sexual abuse.

David has said in media interviews that he 'flew through' the questionnaire and that he thought he answered everything honestly.

In the filing, Spodek told Judge Allison Nathan that he was the lawyer representing David, who is also known as Juror no.50.

Spodek wrote: 'I am writing in response to Your Honor's February 24, 2022 Order directing Juror 50 to appear for a hearing on March 8, 2022.

'I write to inform the Court that Juror 50 will invoke his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination at the hearing. Thank you for your consideration'.

In their letter, prosecutors from the Southern District of New York said that they were 'in the process of seeking internal approval to seek an order compelling Juror 50's testimony at the hearing'.

The letter said: 'The Government will, subject to internal approval, submit a proposed order to the Court in advance of the hearing'.

DailyMail.com published the first interview where juror Scotty David addressed the issue of what he had shared during jury selection. He admitted to being a victim of sexual abuse, but said he didn't remember the question being asked on the juror questionnaire

DailyMail.com revealed the video that captures the moment the matter was raised. David first denies that any question about his sexual abuse history was asked, then pivots and claims that he does not remember

Judge Allison Nathan has said in a ruling that David's post-trial statements are 'clear, strong, substantial and incontrovertible evidence that a specific, nonspeculative impropriety' had occurred, meaning a false statement.

The hearing is to determine whether or not it was deliberate, which means that David's intention to plead the Fifth raises significant questions.

Crucially, David ticked 'no' to question 48 which asked if he had ever been the 'victim of sexual harassment, sexual abuse, or sexual assault, including actual or attempted sexual assault or other unwanted sexual advance, including by a stranger, acquaintance, supervisor, teacher, or family member'.

In interviews after the trial, including with DailyMail.com, David said that telling the other jury members about his own abuse was a turning point in their deliberations and the room fell 'silent'.

The 35-year-old executive assistant in the financial sector explained to them that in his own case he could remember some details but not everything - a key point of contention in the case.

David said: 'I know what happened when I was sexually abused. I remember the (color) of the carpet, the walls. Some of it can be replayed like a video.'

During the trial Scotty, who works in finance, was seated in the third row of the jury box, in the back corner. From his vantage point, he said, he had a vista of the entire court and the 'perfect view' of Maxwell herself

Mark Bederow, a New York lawyer who is not involved in the Maxwell case said that from David's point of view it was 'very good legal advice' not to talk.

He said: 'From his perspective it's probably the safest thing to do, though it will have a significant impact on the court's ruling.

'His criminal exposure is that he lied to the court, theoretically, if he did indeed lie. If he represented in a federal court proceeding he was not the victim of a sexual crime and in fact there is substantial evidence he was bragging about his oversized influence on other jurors because of that experience he would be in legal peril if he were to testify under oath in front of Judge Nathan.

'The best thing for him to do is say nothing, notwithstanding the fact it will throw the verdict into complete peril.

'A new trial appears more likely today than yesterday:.

'If he takes the witness stand and is asked to answer about whether he was untruthful and his response to each of those questions is I refuse to answer on the grounds it may incriminate myself, what is the court supposed to conclude?'

In his interviews, David also described how in vivid detail serving on the jury of six men and six women which took 40 hours to convict Maxwell.

David said that at one point he 'locked eyes' with Maxwell, 60, from his third row seat in the jury box.

He said: 'There were times when it felt like she was staring right at me and we would lock eyesit didn't feel real'.

David said that after hearing all the evidence he was convinced of Maxwell's guilt.

He said: 'After all I've learned, she's just as guilty as Epstein. I don't want to call her a monster, but a predator is the right word.

'She knew what was happening. She knew what Epstein was doing and she allowed it to happen. She participated in getting these girls comfortable so that he could have his way with them'.

In their request for a new trial, Maxwell's lawyers claimed that David was 'not telling the truth' about his history of abuse.

That has violated her right to a fair trial and her constitutional rights, they argued.
Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), speaks during his press conference at his party's headquarters in Seoul, March 8, one day before the presidential election. Yonhap





Ruling party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung said Tuesday he will send special envoys to the United States, China, Japan and North Korea as soon as he is elected in an effort to help bring lasting peace to the Korean Peninsula.







Lee of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea made the remark during a special press conference on the eve of the election, saying he will pursue pragmatic diplomacy centered on the national interest and removing the dangers of war from the divided peninsula.







"I will remove the threat of war on the Korean Peninsula," Lee said at a press conference at his party's headquarters in Seoul. "Based on our strong independent national defense capability, I will pursue pragmatic diplomacy centered on the national interest to open a new path to peace and joint prosperity."







In regards to overcoming the COVID-19 crisis, Lee said he will issue an executive order to lift business curfews and freeze main public utility charges until the spread of the coronavirus is over.







The former governor of Gyeonggi Province also stressed that he will restore national unity after the election, saying he will create a panel under the presidential transition committee to look into common election pledges from each candidate.







"In the process of election, we inevitably had many conflicts," he said. "I will make a government of united people to heal them." (Yonhap)


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A fuel expert has warned Americans to conserve gas after prices rocketed to their highest rate ever and drivers were warned they'd stay high until November.

Patrick De Haan of consumer group GasBuddy spoke as average prices hit $4.173 a gallon, with one town in California witnessing eye-watering $7.59 a gallon gasoline tolls

De Haan tweeted: 'Everyone's focused on one side of the equation for getting more oil to satisfy our waste, our inefficient driving behavior, etc. When will Americans learn to conserve? Do your part- drive efficiently, take mass transit, or don't, and prices go higher and for longer.

'My goodness people- I'm not asking people who clearly need fuel to stay home, I'm asking the those who drive to work when they COULD take an alternative to do so.'

He spoke as the national average price of gasoline in the US has hit its highest level ever, as a ban on Russian oil imports looms and the attack on Ukraine causes pain at the pump for Americans.

On Tuesday, regular gasoline hit $4.173 per gallon on average, up 11 cents in just one day and 72 cents higher from a month ago, shattering the prior national record of $4.11 set in 2008, according to the AAA Gas Price Index.

Patrick De Haan of GasBuddy has urged Americans to use gas cautiously after prices rocketed to an all-time high of $4.17 a gallon

In some states, prices are much higher still, with the average in California hitting $5.444 on Monday. At one gas station in Gorda, south of Big Sur, a gallon of regular gas was an eye-watering $7.59 this weekend, according to KSBW-TV.

The fuel-savings app GasBuddy projects that gas prices will peak in May, at an average of $4.25, and that prices will remain above $4 a gallon until November.

'Americans have never seen gasoline prices this high, nor have we seen the pace of increases so fast and furious,' said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.

'That combination makes this situation all the more remarkable and intense, with crippling sanctions on Russia curbing their flow of oil, leading to the massive spike in the price of all fuels: gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and more,' he added.

The national average price of gasoline in the US has hit its highest level ever. At one gas station (above) in Gorda, south of Bid Sur, a gallon of regular gas was an eye-watering $7.59 this weekend

In some states, prices are even higher, with the average in California leading the nation at $5.444 on Monday

GasBuddy is now advising motorists to limit their fuel consumption if at all possible, and to drive more efficiently to ease the burden on strained oil supplies.

'It's a dire situation and won't improve any time soon. The high prices are likely to stick around for not days or weeks, like they did in 2008, but months,' said De Haan. 'GasBuddy now expects the yearly national average to rise to its highest ever recorded.'

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has rattled world oil markets, sending the price of crude soaring, and on Tuesday President Joe Biden was expected to announce a ban on Russian oil imports.

Russia accounts for about 7 percent of all US foreign oil imports, or about or about 672,000 barrels a day.

The disruptions have sent the price of crude oil soaring from around $90 per barrel before the Russian invasion, to more than $120 on Tuesday. For ever $10 increase in the price of oil, a gallon of gasoline rises about 20 cents.

On Tuesday, regular gasoline hit $4.173 per gallon on average, up 11 cents in just one day and 72 cents higher from a month ago, shattering the prior national record of $4.11 set in 2008. Pictured: A Los Angeles gas station on Monday

Experts are advising motorists to limit their fuel consumption if at all possible, and to drive more efficiently to ease the burden on strained oil supplies

The fuel-savings app GasBuddy projects that gas prices will peak in May, at an average of $4.25, and that prices will remain above $4 a gallon until November

RECORD GAS | As gas prices skyrocket across the country, at AmeriCo Gas in Gorda, south of Big Sur, a gallon of regular gas is $7.59. Gas prices in Gorda are typically always higher due to its remote location on the Big Sur coast. >>https://t.co/4HH1Sw8HK5 pic.twitter.com/jff1Bv0Z6X  KSBW Action News 8 (@ksbw) March 7, 2022

GasBuddy says that in addition to setting a new all-time high, the national average price of gas is seeing its largest ever seven-day spike, rising 49.1 cents per gallon in one week.

That eclipses the 49.0 cent weekly rise after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Last week, the International Energy Agency (IEA) announced a coordinated release of crude oil from its 31 member countries' strategic reserves in a bid to ease supply strains.

However, the plan to release 60 million barrels from strategic reserves did nothing to cool crude oil futures, with markets shrugging off the plan as inconsequential.

Biden was set to address the nation on Tuesday morning and will announce the US embargo on Russia oil at that time, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Even before the U.S. ban many Western energy companies including ExxonMobil and BP moved to cut ties with the Russia and limit imports.

Russian oil accounts for a relatively small, but still significant, portion of foreign oil imported by the US

Shell, which purchased a shipment of Russian oil this weekend, apologized for the move on Tuesday amid international criticism and pledged to halt further purchases of Russian energy supplies.

Preliminary data from the U.S. Energy Department shows imports of Russian crude dropped to zero in the last week in February.

'Its an important step to show Russia that energy is on the table,' said Max Bergmann, a former State Department official who is now a senior fellow at the Democratic-leaning Center for American Progress.

Bergmann said it wasnt surprising that the U.S. was able to take this step before European nations, which are more dependent on Russian energy.

'All of this is being done in coordination, even if the steps are not symmetrical,' he said. 'We are talking to them constantly.'

The news of Biden's decision Tuesday was first reported by Bloomberg.
Russian restaurants in New York City are being targeted by vandals and shunned by customers who blame them for the invasion of Ukraine.

The owner of the Russian Samovar in the West Village, which was opened in the 1980s, says she's seen her business down 60percent and people have kicked the restaurant's door at night.

'We all ran from the same evil,' Vlada Von Shats, told Abc7. 'My business, my business it drops drastically overnight.'

'My husband is Ukrainian, I'm Russian, my children are half Ukrainian, half Russian, so to us it's a personal tragedy,' she added.

Like many of the city's Russian restaurants, the staff and ownership are a mix of Ukrainian and Russian - all of whom condemn the war.

But that hasn't stopped the boycotts, threatening calls, bad online reviews, or messages telling them to 'go home'.

The owner of the Russian Samovar in the West Village, Vlada Von Shats, says people have kicked the restaurant's door at night

She says she has seen footfall to her Russian Samovar restaurant down 60percent

The Russian Samovar is just one of the many businesses that, despite their vocal condemnation for the war and fundraisers in support of Ukraine

Many are making clear on their websites and signs at the restaurants, that they stand with Ukraine.

'The Russian Tea Room renounces Russia's unprovoked acts of war in the strongest possible terms,' reads an alert that pops up on the website of the New York establishment of more than 90 years.

'Just as the original founders, soviet directors who were displaced by the revolution, stood against Stalin's Soviet Union, we stand against Putin and with the people of Ukraine.'

In a statement to CNN, the restaurant's manager wrote: 'Founded by refugees with Kiev in its blood, the heart of the Russian Tea Room is with the people of Ukraine, but we are not the story here.'

'Russia has gotten away with mass murder for too long and the focus should remain on those suffering and dying in Ukraine.'

Tzarevana, in the Lower East Side, has a similar statement on its page.

'Let's make Borsch, not war. As a peaceful Eastern European establishment, Tzarevna does not support any notions of war and needless human struggle. This war is the product of politics and does not represent the real bond Ukrainians and Russians share.'

Tzarevana, in the Lower East Side, has also condemned Putin's attack on Ukraine

'Let's make Borsch, not war. As a peaceful Eastern European establishment, Tzarevna does not support any notions of war and needless human struggle,' they wrote on the website

Mariia Dolinsky, the restaurant owner, told Insider that she is 'against this war and [is] not shy about it.' She said they are working on giving proceeds to charities in Ukraine.

Dolinsky moved to New York City nine years ago with her husband, who is of Taiwanese and Ukrainian heritage.

'We are concerned for our fellow Ukrainian friends and would like to extend our uninterrupted hospitality to all of you, Russians and Ukrainians alike,' they wrote on the restaurant's website.

'But we aren't victims here, [the] Ukrainian nation is,' Dolinsky said.

Other businesses are resorting to removing the Russian branding from their menus and social media.

Sveta, for instance, has changed its description from 'Russian' to 'Eastern European.'

The owner, Alan Aquivech, said his Ukrainian mother and the namesake of his West Village restaurant immigrated to the United States and founded a restaurant in Queens, no longer in operation.

Denis Woychuk, whose father was Ukrainian and is the owner of the KGB bar, said he had to take down his Soviet flag after receiving complaints from customers

He also added an U to KGB, which stands for Kraine Gallery Bar

'I feel like I have to go the extra step because there's a lot of anger out there and I'm standing with Ukraine on this,' Woychuk said. Above, the restaurant with no customers

'We always thought Russian cuisine and Ukrainian cuisine are basically the same thing,' Aguichev told Insider. 'It was for people to have a better understanding of what they're eating.'

'It's very similar cuisine-wise,' Aguichev told the New York Times. 'The main difference is whoever is cooking the food.'

Not only has he seen a decrease in business, but he has also received emails telling him to 'Go home.'

Meanwhile, The Russian Tea Room's Instagram page has been flooded with comments demanding owners take action.

'Here's a suggestion: make yourself a gathering place for donations to Ukraine, hold fundraisers for Ukraine, protest ACTIVELY and help #Ukraine and thus protect the world from insane belligerent dictators who threaten nuclear war,' a social media user commented.

The Russian Tea Room making clear on their websites and signs at the restaurants, that they stand with Ukraine

'Russia has gotten away with mass murder for too long and the focus should remain on those suffering and dying in Ukraine,' the Russian Tea Room's manager said in a statement

The renowned restaurant offers a traditional Russian afternoon tea experience

'Just as the original founders, soviet directors who were displaced by the revolution, stood against Stalin's Soviet Union, we stand against Putin and with the people of Ukraine,' reads an alert that pops up on the website of the New York establishment of more than 90 years

Another user, who appeared to be the restaurant's owner, said the business was actively raising money to help people in Ukraine.

'My business has organized and raised a substantial amount of money, food and supplies that have been and will continue to be sent to Ukrainian Humanitarian services.'

Denis Woychuk, whose father was Ukrainian and is the owner of the KGB bar, said he had to take down his Soviet flag after receiving complaints from customers.

He also added an U to KGB, which stands for Kraine Gallery Bar.

'I feel like I have to go the extra step because there's a lot of anger out there and I'm standing with Ukraine on this,' Woychuk told Abc7.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian restaurants are receiving an outpouring of support from customers showing solidarity amid the grueling situation in the embattled country.

Meanwhile, The Russian Tea Room's Instagram page has been flooded with comments demanding owners take action

Some Instagram users defended the restaurant, noting it wasn't responsible for the war

'We've seen a large increase in business, people just coming out to support, sympathize, commiserate, and what better way than over a bowl of borscht and some perogies,' the owner of Veselka, Jason Brichard said.

Brichard has started a fundraiser and is receiving donations to send to Ukraine.

Shats is also hosting fundraisers and constantly sharing resources on her Facebook page on how to help the Ukrainian people.

She is confident that soon will realize they're fighting for the same cause.

The owner of Veselka, Jason Brichard said he is receiving an outpouring of support from customers showing solidarity amid the grueling situation in the embattled country
An ancient Japanese 'killing stone' which is said to contain an evil demon that will kill anyone who comes into contact with it has split in two, sending superstitious believers into a state of panic.

The stone is located in the mountainous region of Tochigi, north of Tokyo, where visitors were given a shock over the weekend when they found it separated into two roughly similar sized parts, reports the Guardian.

According to mythology, the famous piece of volcanic rock, called the Sessho-seki, contains the transformed corpse of Tamamo-no-Mae, a beautiful woman whose true identity was said to have been an evil nine-tailed fox.

Legend has it Tamamo-no-Mae was part of a plot to kill Emperor Toba who ruled Japan from 1107 to 1123.

The spirit was then said to have been embedded into the stone where it would kill anyone who came into contact with it.

An ancient Japanese 'killing stone' said to contain an evil demon that will kill anyone who comes into contact with it has split in two, sending superstitious believers into a state of panic

The stone is located in the mountainous region of Tochigi, north of Tokyo, and said to contain the transformed corpse of Tamamo-no-Mae, a beautiful woman whose true identity was said to have been an evil nine-tailed fox

It has been said that the rock was destroyed many years ago and a Buddhist monk exorcised the spirit from it before scattering it across Japan.

However, many Japanese people said it was always located on the slopes of Mount Nasu and that its evil spirit may have been resurrected, releasing a poisonous gas, after it was found split in two by tourists over the weekend.

'I feel like Ive seen something that shouldnt be seen', said one tourist who tweeted about the discovery on Saturday.

Another feared the release of an evil demon was just the latest horror of 2022, while one user joked that the spirit would want to spend another millennium stuck inside the rock after looking at the current state of the world.

Local media reported that the stone is likely to have split in half after rainwater seeped into cracks which first appeared several years ago, causing it to break.

The stone is something of a tourist attraction in Tochigi, where the leader of a local volunteer guide group said its split was a 'shame'

Masaharu Sugawara, who leads a local volunteer guide group, told Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun the split was a 'shame' because it was a popular tourist attraction for the area.

However, he agreed that rainwater was the likely cause of the split.

The Shimotsuke Shimbun newspaper reported that local and national government officials will decide what happens to the stone now, with one official saying he would like it returned to its original form.
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Britain has today followed the US and banned Russian oil imports as drivers started queuing for fuel after being hit by the steepest weekly hike in fuel prices in more than 18 years due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine - with prices expected to keep rising.

Oil prices are rising at an alarming rate sparking warnings that petrol could soon hit 2 a litre  taking the cost of an average tank to more than 100 - an increase of around 17.

Unleaded hit an average record of 1.55 a litre yesterday, with industry sources saying it was likely to rise to 1.75 by next week as 5p is being added to the price every 24 hours in some areas. But prices at some forecourts are already pushing 1.80.

Motorists queued outside a Sainsbury's petrol station in Cambridge today as they rushed to fill up cars and jerry cans before petrol prices increase even further. There were also long lines at the pumps at a Tesco in neighbouring Suffolk. On social media there were also reports of queues at supermarket pumps in Lancashire.

US President Joe Biden has decided to ban Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia's economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine, according to a person familiar with the matter, and the European Union this week will commit to phasing out its reliance on Russia for energy needs as soon as possible.

Half of all people who drive to work say that fuel prices will stop them using their cars because they can't afford to fill up New data from leading office space provider Offices.co.uk reveals the huge impact rising fuel costs will have on the UK's return to the office and the nations post pandemic recovery plans as the cost of living crisis worsens for UK consumers. Offices.co.uk conducted a snap survey of over 1500 UK office workers who commute by car to their workplace. Latest data from the AA shows Petrol has now reached an average of 155.62p a litre. Diesel is averaging 161.28p. A year ago, they averaged 124.32p and 127.25p a litre respectively. This means that the cost of filling up an average 55 litre tank is now almost 18 more expensive, at almost 86 per tank compared to last year. If the average prices reach over 2 per litre, it will bump the price of the average 55 litre tank to 110, some 24 more than at present but a whopping 42 a tank more expensive than last year. This represents an enormous 60% increase in fuel costs in the 12 month period. Johnny Ratcliffe of Offices.co.uk said 'The cost of living crisis that UK workers are experiencing is reaching breaking point. Millions of households already facing the prospect of enormous price hikes in their home energy bills and rising food prices are now facing being unable to commute to their workplaces if the pump prices hit 2 per litre. 'Our data shows just how serious an implication this is for the UK economy if almost half of workers surveyed say they won't be able to afford to get to work anymore. The Government needs to step in urgently otherwise working from home will become the only option for millions of workers. The ones that are able to work from home that is. Everyone else? I dread to think'. Advertisement

Filling the void without crippling EU economies will likely take some time - natural gas from Russia accounts for one-third of Europe's consumption of the fossil fuel.

The White House said Biden would announce on Tuesday 'actions to continue to hold Russia accountable for its unprovoked and unjustified war on Ukraine.'

The US does not import Russian natural gas.

Boris Johnson has said the move to ban Russian oil and gas will punish Vladimir Putin's regime but will be introduced in a way that 'won't affect' UK businesses.

Speaking to broadcasters, the Prime Minister said: 'The UK is less exposed (than European allies) but clearly we do have diesel that comes from Russia and we can't move overnight.

'But we can certainly do it and we can do it in a way that doesn't disrupt supply, that ensures we have substitute supplies on stream in an orderly way and in a timetable that won't affect UK business, won't affect UK manufacturing, road haulage or other parts of our industry but will punish the regime of Vladimir Putin.'

Business & Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng today revealed that the UK would 'phase out the import of Russian oil and oil products by the end of 2022'.

He added: 'This transition will give the market, businesses and supply chains more than enough time to replace Russian imports  which make up 8% of UK demand.

'Businesses should use this year to ensure a smooth transition so that consumers will not be affected. The government will also work with companies through a new Taskforce on Oil to support them to make use of this period in finding alternative supplies.

'The UK is a significant producer of oil and oil products, plus we hold significant reserves.'

He added that the market has 'already begun to ostracise Russian oil, with nearly 70% of it currently unable to find a buyer'.

'Finally, while the UK is not dependent on Russian natural gas - 4% of our supply - I am exploring options to end this altogether,' he wrote.

The UK is planning to buy more oil from the US, Saudi Arabia and the Middle East instead, but wants nine months to sort out the deals.

The move is expected to be announced this afternoon and will lay out the ban and its phase-in period, which is expected to last about a year to try to stop people panic-buying fuel at a time when energy prices are rocketing.

There will not be a ban on Russian gas - but this is still under discussion within the Government. US President Joe Biden has decided he will ban Russian oil and gas immediately.

It came as Rishi Sunak was urged to put the City of London on a 'semi-wartime setting' amid fears the Ukraine conflict could spill further into Europe. The Centre for Economics and Business Research has predicted that GDP growth this year will be slashed from 4.2% to 1.9% in 2022 and down to zero in 2023.

Amid fears energy bills could soon hit 4,000-a-month, the average price of a litre of petrol at UK forecourts rose from 149.2p on February 28 to 153.0p on Monday, according to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Average diesel prices rose from 153.4p to 158.6p over the same period. The weekly increases of 3.8p for petrol and 5.2p for diesel are the largest in records dating back to June 2003.

They mean the cost of filling up a typical 55-litre family car has increased by more than 2 over the past week. Figures from data firm Experian Catalist based on a different methodology to the one used by BEIS suggest the average cost per litre of petrol on Monday was 156.4p, while diesel was 162.3p.

Oil prices have spiked due to concerns over the reliability of supplies amid the war in Ukraine.

The price per barrel of Brent crude - which is the most commonly used way of measuring the UK's oil price - reached 139 US dollars on Monday, which was its highest level in 14 years

There were long queues outside the Sainsbury's petrol station as prices hit a record high due to the Ukraine crisis affecting oil prices.

Some drivers even took along extra containers to fill with petrol, with the price at pumps expected to go up again. UK petrol prices have hit an average of 155p a litre, according to the AA motoring group.

The queues at the Sainsbury Petrol station in Cambridge on Tuesday morning as people fill up before the price goes up again

One man was filling of fuel bottles and jerry cans in his boot in Cambridgeshire

There were also queues at the Tesco in Ely, Cambridgeshire (pictured), and also in Suffolk and Lancashire

179.9 for unleaded and 181.9 for diesel at the London Gateway services on the M1 in North London today

The price of a barrel of oil is spiking upwards and is expected to get worse as the US pushes for a global ban on buying Russian oil

Petrol prices are going up to record levels and will continue to rise in the coming week amid turmoil in Ukraine

The eyewatering rise in petrol prices, which will peak even higher in 2022

Sources of UK crude oil imports to Britain in 2020 (thousands tonnes) according to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

Several plastic petrol cans totalling in excess of 40 litres are filled up and stored inside the rear of a hatchback car at Tesco filling station at Brent Cross

Queues at the Sainsbury Petrol station in Cambridge on Tuesday morning as people fill up before the price goes up again

The European Union depends to an extent on Russian energy. Pictured above are recent figures for extra-EU imports of petroleum oil and natural gas. Russia represents a significant proportion for both

Ministers are also discussing possible financial help for businesses hit by soaring energy bills. Energy traders took fright yesterday over US-led efforts to promote a Western boycott of Russian oil and gas to further squeeze the ability of Moscow to fund Putin's war machine.

Oil prices also continued to rise, sparking warnings that petrol could push toward 2 a litre  taking the cost of an average tank to more than 100. Unleaded hit a record 1.55 a litre yesterday, with industry sources saying it was likely to rise to 1.75.

Here's how YOU can help: Donate here to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal Readers of Mail Newspapers and MailOnline have always shown immense generosity at times of crisis. Calling upon that human spirit, we are supporting a huge push to raise money for refugees from Ukraine. For, surely, no one can fail to be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families  mostly women, children, the infirm and elderly  fleeing from Russia's invading armed forces. As this tally of misery increases over the coming days and months, these innocent victims of a tyrant will require accommodation, schools and medical support. Donations to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal will be used to help charities and aid organisations providing such essential services. In the name of charity and compassion, we urge all our readers to give swiftly and generously. TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE Donate at www.mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate To add Gift Aid to a donation  even one already made  complete an online form found here: mymail.co.uk/ukraine Via bank transfer, please use these details: Account name: Mail Force Charity Account number: 48867365 Sort code: 60-00-01 TO MAKE A DONATION VIA CHEQUE Make your cheque payable to 'Mail Force' and post it to: Mail Newspapers Ukraine Appeal, GFM, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY TO MAKE A DONATION FROM THE US US readers can donate to the appeal via a bank transfer to Associated Newspapers or by sending checks to dailymail.com HQ at 51 Astor Place (9th floor), New York, NY 10003 Advertisement

Black cab drivers are not driving around to pick up passengers to save money because 5p is being added to the cost of a litre of fuel every day in Britain.

The price at the pumps could hit a wallet-hammering 175p next week as average petrol prices on UK forecourts exceeded 155p for the first time.

Global oil prices are at the highest level for 14 years today - spiking to $140 per barrel on some markets - as the West considers banning imports of Russian oil that gives the pariah state $100billion-a-month to help fund his military.

The AA said today that for a family car with a typical 55-litre tank, filling up now costs nearly 17 extra than a year ago, going up from 68.60 to 85.59.

Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, said 'extortionate' fuel prices are having a major impact on the drivers of the 10,000 diesel-powered black cabs on the capital's roads.

He said: 'If you're running costs are up 20-25% it starts to bite. What we're seeing is more cabs looking to park on ranks. They're trying to avoid cruising around.'

Hauliers are warning they will be forced to increase charges to meet rising fuel bills, which will lead to a knock-on effect for consumers.

Rod McKenzie, managing director at trade body the Road Haulage Association, described the spike in the cost of diesel as 'dramatic'.

He said: 'If hauliers have to pay more for their fuel, they inevitably have to charge customers more. I suspect this will mean prices going up on everything that is delivered by a truck, which is frankly 97% of everything that we get in Britain.'

Typical profit margins in the industry are around just 3% so recent rises in fuel costs 'have the potential to wipe out that profit', Mr McKenzie said.

James Spencer, MD of Portland Fuel, said: 'This has been a layer cake of bad news for oil prices. On February 25, prices went up by 5p a litre. That was the single biggest rise on any day in history. And last week we had 5p every day'.

Asked where the price will be next Monday, he said: 'There is no cap on this - even if we can get extra supplies on to the market, nothing will happen quickly. I'm afraid we are going to see prices in excess of 1.70 to 1.75 a litre'.

Figures from data firm Experian Catalist show the average cost of a litre of petrol at UK forecourts on Sunday was 155.62p. The price of diesel is also at a record high of 161.28p.

Campaigners including the AA are calling on Chancellor Rishi Sunak to cut VAT on fuel for households already being hammered by the cost of living crisis. Experts said without help, it will be a 'disaster' for the most disadvantaged families.

A year ago the price per litre of petrol and diesel was 124.32p and 127.25p respectively.

The cost of filling up a typical 55-litre family car with either fuel has become more than 17 more expensive over that period.

Oil prices have spiked due to concerns over the reliability of supplies amid the war in Ukraine.

The price per barrel of Brent crude - which is the most commonly used way of measuring the UK's oil price - reached 139 US dollars on Monday, which is its highest level in 14 years.

Sources of UK petroleum product imports in 2020 (thousands tonnes) according to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

Sources of UK crude oil imports in 2020 (thousands tonnes) according to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

A Texaco petrol station in north London sells unleaded petrol at 159.9 pence per litre and regular diesel at 169.9 pence per litre this morning

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: 'The average price of petrol across the UK has jumped by more than 4p in a week topping 1.55 for the first time ever, which means a gallon costs over 7 - something which many older drivers will be struggling to comprehend.

Biden will ban imports of Russian oil, natural gas after relentless pressure Joe Biden has decided to ban Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia's economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine, according to a source. The move follows pleas by Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky to US and western officials to cut off the imports, which had been a glaring omission from massive sanctions put in place on Russia over the invasion. Energy exports have kept a steady influx of cash flowing to Moscow despite otherwise severe restrictions on its financial sector. The US president is set to announce the move as soon as Tuesday, the source said. The White House said he will speak on Tuesday morning to announce 'actions to continue to hold Russia accountable for its unprovoked and unjustified war on Ukraine'. The US will be acting alone but in close consultation with European allies, who are more dependent on Russian energy supplies. Natural gas from Russia accounts for a third of Europe's consumption of the fossil fuel. The US does not import Russian natural gas. Mr Biden had explained his reluctance to impose energy sanctions at the start of the conflict two weeks ago saying he was trying 'to limit the pain the American people are feeling at the gas pump'. Advertisement

'Diesel, however, has increased by 6.5p a litre to 1.61 or 7.30 a gallon.

'These hikes are unprecedented and will sadly be hitting both homes and businesses hard.

'It's therefore vital the Chancellor acts quickly to limit the damage by cutting VAT to at least 15% which would save drivers 6.5p a litre and take the average price of unleaded back under 1.50.

'Importantly, this could also limit the impact of inevitable fuel price rises in the coming days and weeks.'

VAT is currently charged at a rate of 20% on petrol and diesel.

AA spokesman Luke Bosdet said: 'A year ago, with pump prices rising steadily after the pandemic slump, 125p a litre was bad news but 155p was unimaginable.'

He described the average petrol price rising above 7 a gallon as a 'watershed moment' which means 'it's time to ditch petrol and diesel, and switch to electric' for drivers who can make the transition.

He added: 'Although electricity is still susceptible to rising costs and market pressures, removing all those well-to-pump actors that can make a driver's life a misery in a matter of weeks, will ensure a smoother ride with the cost of motoring - and a big saving initially.'

Washington is in 'active talks' with European allies about targeting Russia's energy industry in the next round of sanctions, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced.

An oil import ban would be highly damaging to the Kremlin's finances.

But it would almost certainly also send oil and gas prices spiralling across the West, pushing up energy bills at a time when millions of British households are already struggling with a cost-of-living crisis.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for a global boycott of all Russian products - including oil.

'If the invasion continues and Russia does not abandon its plans against Ukraine, then we need a new sanctions package,' Mr Zelensky said in a video address on Monday, including 'a boycott of Russian exports, in particular, the rejection of oil and oil products from Russia'.

He said: 'The international community must act even more decisively.'

He also said that Russia should not receive goods and services from abroad 'if (Russia) doesn't want to abide by civilised rules'.

Mr Zelensky added: 'It can be called an embargo, or it can be just morality.

'Let the war feed them.

'When someone loses his mind, you need to lose fear and forget about commerce.'

How Putin's war in Ukraine will hit YOU in the pocket: Now cost of food is set to soar as Greggs becomes first to say prices will rise, experts warn of 'hell on earth' inflation - and half of drivers say fuel costs may make commute unaffordable

British bakery chain put up prices in January and admits it may happen again as running costs spike again

Ukraine is amongst world's biggest producers of grain and oils, used in many of the most popular foods

Energy price increases and rising cost of fuel also adding to the cost of products before they hit the shelves

Michael Gove warns over repeat of energy prices shock from 50 years ago - that saw inflation hit 23%

Click here for MailOnline's liveblog with the latest updates on the Ukraine crisis

The cost to the UK Economy of the Russian invasion of Ukraine The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) has predicted that GDP growth this year will be slashed from 4.2% to 1.9% in 2022 and down to zero in 2023. Russia's invasion of Ukraine will 'likely to have a large effect on the UK economy', the CEBR said, adding that this would likely be in the mind of Rishi Sunak when he releases his Spring Forecast Statement on 23 March. The forecast fall in living standards this year is an estimated 71 billion  which amounts to 2,553 per household. The part of it due to invasion of Ukraine is about half - 35 billion (1,259 per household) - but there is a further reduction from this source in 2023 of 29 billion (1,043 per household). 'Based on our scenario analysis which assumes a high transmission of sanctions to global commodity prices and UK inflation, we estimate that GDP growth this year will be halved  down from a previously forecast 4.2% in 2022 to 1.9%,' the CEBR said. 'And growth in 2023 is reduced from 2.0% to 0.0%. The reduction in real GDP in 2022 is 51.4 billion; that in 2023 is 42.5 billion. Cumulatively this is a reduction in GDP of more than 90 billion.' The main channels for these impacts are the rising cost of living, a reduction in consumption and reduced exports because of sanctions on Russia, they added. The effect of higher commodity prices reduces the level of disposable income by 1.9% in 2022 and by 2.1% in 2023, meaning that disposable incomes will fall in 2022 by 4.8% with a further fall of 1.4% in 2023, the CEBR says. The fall in 2022 is the largest since records started in 1955, they added. Advertisement

Greggs today warned the price of its pastry staples are likely to go up for the second time this year as experts said Russia's military aggression is unleashing 'hell on earth' food prices that will push up the cost of the weekly shop.

Britain's favourite bakery was given hell by customers after 5p was added to the price of a sausage roll in January - but chief executive Roger Whiteside, 63, has admitted it might have to happen again in 2022.

The war in Ukraine is already causing runaway cost increases because the country is one of the world's top producers of wheat, maize, barley and various cooking oils - the building blocks of many supermarket staples. Farmers have abandoned their fields to fight the invaders.

If passed on to consumers, the price of bread and cereal could go up by up to 87 per cent in the coming 12 months while the price of coffee, sugar, rice, cheese, fruit juice and milk have also spiked as energy prices and transport costs rise because of Putin's grip on the oil and gas markets.

And to make things worse, one of the world's biggest fertiliser producers has warned that a shortage could badly hit crop yields this year, worsening 'a global food crisis' already kickstarted by Covid-19.

The head of the World Food Programme, David Beasley, said: 'Just when you think hell on earth can't get any worse, it does. So you're going from being a breadbasket to now, literally, having to hand out bread to them. It's just an incredible reverse of reality'.

Ukrainian trade lawyer Ivanna Dorichenko told the BBC that her country's farmers have been forced to abandon their fields to fight the Russian invasion. She said: 'The men who need to work on the land, they're all defending our land right now. Because if they do not defend the land, there'll be nothing to work on at a later stage, and you don't have a single person right now who's not trying to help in any way they can.'

Experts believe that British homes now face the worst drop in living standards since the 1970s with inflation and rising costs forcing a typical family of four to take a 1,000 hit to their household budget in 2022. A new survey has found that half of people who commute by car or van fear they will be priced off the road because the cost of petrol and diesel could hit 2-a-litre.

Despite record profits, Greggs has today admitted that while it had already increased some prices of goods by 5p to 10p at the start of the year, further changes are expected. The bad news wiped 1.74 off the share price this morning, leaving it down 7.6% at just over 21.

The cost of doing business is expected to rise between 6% and 7% for the company this year due to higher staffing and ingredient costs.

The cost of commodities used in food production has seen an extraordinary rise in price over the past year. If passed on directly to consumers, these staples could be even more expensive in the coming 12 months based on year on year increases on global commodities markets

It said it will try to protect its reputation for being 'outstanding value for money'.

'This has necessitated some price increases, which were made at the start of this year, and further changes are expected to be necessary,' Greggs said.

'As ever, we will work to mitigate the impact of this on customers, protecting Greggs' reputation for exceptional value in the freshly-prepared food-to-go market.

'Given this dynamic, we do not currently expect material profit progression in the year ahead.'

However, boss Roger Whiteside said the company will have to assess whether it is able to change prices before it does.

It comes down to ensuring that customers will still choose to spend money at Greggs even if prices go up.

US Department of Agriculture stats show that Ukraine is one of the world's top suppliers of grains and oils, which will be disrupted by war. Shortages and price rises are predicted

A report from the European Commission's Agriculture and Rural Development unit showed in 2020 Ukraine was the fourth largest origin of agri-food on the planet

Gas prices are in unchartered territory as the markets panicked about possible shortages if Putin decreases or shuts down exports

The price of a barrel of oil settled at $127 today after spiking to $140 yesterday - but Russia is warning that this will hit $300 if the West boycotts them

'We've got no plans to raise prices currently, but obviously that's going to have to remain under review given the way the markets are moving around the world on commodity food prices in particular,' he said.

Half of all people who drive to work say that fuel prices will stop them using their cars because they can't afford to fill up New data from leading office space provider Offices.co.uk reveals the huge impact rising fuel costs will have on the UK's return to the office and the nations post pandemic recovery plans as the cost of living crisis worsens for UK consumers. Offices.co.uk conducted a snap survey of over 1500 UK office workers who commute by car to their workplace. Latest data from the AA shows Petrol has now reached an average of 155.62p a litre. Diesel is averaging 161.28p. A year ago, they averaged 124.32p and 127.25p a litre respectively. This means that the cost of filling up an average 55 litre tank is now almost 18 more expensive, at almost 86 per tank compared to last year. If the average prices reach over 2 per litre, it will bump the price of the average 55 litre tank to 110, some 24 more than at present but a whopping 42 a tank more expensive than last year. This represents an enormous 60% increase in fuel costs in the 12 month period. Johnny Ratcliffe of Offices.co.uk said 'The cost of living crisis that UK workers are experiencing is reaching breaking point. Millions of households already facing the prospect of enormous price hikes in their home energy bills and rising food prices are now facing being unable to commute to their workplaces if the pump prices hit 2 per litre. 'Our data shows just how serious an implication this is for the UK economy if almost half of workers surveyed say they won't be able to afford to get to work anymore. The Government needs to step in urgently otherwise working from home will become the only option for millions of workers. The ones that are able to work from home that is. Everyone else? I dread to think'. Advertisement

'If the market allows price increases to move onto customers, then we will have to attempt to do that, if it doesn't then we won't be able to,' he added.

'You're trying to position price to make sure you maximise sales.'

Britons have been warned that they face a 'food price shock' as the result of shortages of essential crops, such as wheat, maize and vegetable oils from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The threat stems from the fact that supplies of grain from Ukraine, which is considered the 'breadbasket of the world', are predicted to come to a halt.

At the same time, sanctions against Russia would disrupt supplies of many crops, food oils and fish.

UK manufacturers, supermarkets and farmers are drawing up plans to cope with an interruption to supplies of commodity crops used in bread and manufactured foods, as well as farm animal feed.

Ukrainian farmers have been forced to neglect their fields as millions flee, fight or try to stay alive. Ports are shut down that send wheat and other food staples worldwide to be made into bread, noodles and animal feed.

And there are worries Russia, another agricultural powerhouse, could have its grain exports upended by Western sanctions.

While there have not yet been global disruptions to wheat supplies, prices have surged 55per cent since a week before the invasion amid concerns about what could happen next.

The boss of one of the world's biggest fertiliser companies, Yara International, said the invasion is driving up costs and creating shortages, leading to higher prices.

Yara's boss, Svein Tore Holsether, said: 'Things are changing by the hour.

'We were already in a difficult situation before the war... and now it's additional disruption to the supply chains and we're getting close to the most important part of this season for the Northern hemisphere, where a lot of fertiliser needs to move on and that will quite likely be impacted.'

He told the BBC: 'For me, it's not whether we are moving into a global food crisis - it's how large the crisis will be.'

The National Farmers' Union ( NFU) said the conflict poses a threat to its members at a time they are 'already facing record inflationary pressures affecting energy, feed and fertiliser prices'.

Head of International Trade at the Food & Drink Federation, Dominic Goudie, said: 'We have seen in the past that disruption to Ukraine's exports can impact on global food supplies and prices on a range of key commodities, such as vegetable oils and maize, which are important to UK production.

'We are working with our UK manufacturers to determine what these impacts could look like and to minimise any knock on effects for shoppers and consumers.'

The London Metal Exchange said Tuesday that it has suspended trade in nickel after the base metal rocketed to a record peak above $100,000 on Russian output concerns. 'Following further unprecedented overnight increases in the three-month nickel price, the LME has made the decision to suspend trading for, at minimum, the remainder of today,' it said in a statement after nickel spiked to $101,365 per tonne.

Kremlin officials 'are privately denouncing 'clusterf**k' invasion' as Putin's forces get bogged down in snow with temperatures set to drop to -20C and Ukrainian soldiers race to evacuate civilians as Kyiv claims to have killed 12,000 troops

Russian politicians and powerful business figures are privately denouncing the invasion, it has been claimed

Comes as President Putin's invasion grinds to a bloody halt, with no significant territory captured in days

Temperatures are set to plunge in coming days - down to -20C with wind chill - worsening conditions for refugees and Russian forces alike, both of which lack shelter and heating

Kyiv claims 12,000 Russian soldiers have now been killed in fighting, with more than 300 tanks destroyed

Russian forces continue to bomb major cities, with strike on Sumy overnight killing 21 including two children

Click here to read MailOnline's liveblog with the latest updates on the Ukraine crisis

Kremlin officials are privately denouncing Putin's 'clusterf***' war in Ukraine and 'in mourning' for the death of the Russian economy as his invasion grinds to a halt amid mounting casualties with a cold snap over the next few days expected to make fighting even harder, it has been claimed.

Here's how YOU can help: Donate here to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal Readers of Mail Newspapers and MailOnline have always shown immense generosity at times of crisis. Calling upon that human spirit, we are supporting a huge push to raise money for refugees from Ukraine. For, surely, no one can fail to be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families  mostly women, children, the infirm and elderly  fleeing from the bombs and guns. As this tally of misery increases over the coming days and months, these innocent victims of this conflict will require accommodation, schools and medical support. Donations to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal will be used to help charities and aid organisations providing such essential services. In the name of charity and compassion, we urge all our readers to give swiftly and generously. TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE Donate at www.mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate To add Gift Aid to a donation  even one already made  complete an online form found here: mymail.co.uk/ukraine Via bank transfer, please use these details: Account name: Mail Force Charity Account number: 48867365 Sort code: 60-00-01 TO MAKE A DONATION VIA CHEQUE Make your cheque payable to 'Mail Force' and post it to: Mail Newspapers Ukraine Appeal, GFM, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY TO MAKE A DONATION FROM THE US US readers can donate to the appeal via a bank transfer to Associated Newspapers or by sending checks to dailymail.com HQ at 51 Astor Place (9th floor), New York, NY 10003 Advertisement

Farida Rustamova, a Russian journalist who was well-connected in government circles before fleeing Russia amid a crackdown on free speech, said sources she spoke to before leaving never believed Putin would go to war and are now making 'apocalyptic' forecasts about the weeks and months ahead as fighting grinds on and sanctions bite.

'They're carefully enunciating the word clusterf***,' one source told her when asked how Russian politicians were reacting to the news. 'No one is rejoicing. Many understand that this is a mistake, but in the course of doing their duty they come up with explanations in order to somehow come to terms with it.'

Ukraine estimates that some 12,000 Russians have now died fighting and while that number cannot be verified, casualties are almost certainly higher than Putin bargained for when he gave the order to attack 13 days ago. Captured soldiers have complained of a lack of food, fuel, and overall battle plan - with conditions set to get worse in the coming days.

A pronounced cold snap will see temperatures drop to -10C overnight in the middle of the week around Kyiv and Kharkiv - down to -20C when wind chill is taken into account - with many Russian soldiers stuck outdoors in a 40-mile column of stalled vehicles near the Ukrainian capital.

The cold will also make life much harder for thousands of desperate refugees fleeing the fighting, some of whom have been without access to heat or water for days because their cities have been under bombardment. Hundreds of people have been pictured evacuating from the city of Irpin, near Kyiv, today whilst snow fell.

Irpin has been the scene of some intense clashes as Russian forces try to take it on their mission to surround and besiege Kyiv, with one commander reporting hand-to-hand fighting as Putin's men battle street-to-street.

'In some places, there is hand-to-hand combat,' an officer who gave his name only as Stas said. 'There is a huge column - 200 men, 50 light armoured vehicles, several tanks,' he said of the Russian threat. 'We are trying to push them out, but I don't know if we'll be fully able to do it.'

Vitaliy Shichko, resident of nearby Bucha, said Russian forces have been attacking the town since last week - initially throwing in men 'they weren't afraid of losing' but increasingly moving in better armed and equipped troops to capture and hold ground. 'Basically special forces,' he said.

Others said that Russians had cleared residents out of their homes so they could set up sniper positions, with some alleging that civilians had been fired at as they tried to flee. Ukrainian artillery is now being brought to bare on Russian forces as they set up the next phase of their attack, commanders said.

Ukraine's commanders say Putin's invasion has 'slowed significantly' in recent days, with American intelligence saying he has now committed all of the forces he built up along the border to the fight.

Ukraine's military, giving an overview of combat as the war enters its 13th day, said defensive operations continue in the north, east and south of Ukraine, with all major cities other than Kherson - which fell last week - in Ukrainian hands. Russian troops are 'demoralised and increasingly tend to looting and violations of international humanitarian law,' commanders added.

It has also emerged that another Russian commander - Major General Vitaly Gerasimov, first deputy commander of Russia's 41st army - was killed in Kharkiv on Monday, just the latest in an increasingly long line of senior military figures to lose their lives in Ukraine.

Kyiv claimed today that 12,000 Russian troops have now died fighting in Ukraine, while 300 tanks have been destroyed along with more than 1,000 armoured vehicles, 48 planes, 80 helicopters and three boats. Moscow has acknowledged taking losses but has not given a recent update. Ukraine's losses are unknown.

Strikes on civilian areas also continued overnight, with the city of Sumy - in the east - struck by bombs which the local mayor said killed 21 people including two children and left others wounded. Ukraine's parliament published a photo of a bloodied infant they said was hurt in the attack.

Russia said it will again open up 'humanitarian corridors' today to allow civilians to flee bombarded cities - but the offer has already been dismissed by Kyiv, with President Volodymyr Zelensky accusing Moscow of 'cynicism', saying its troops have laid mines across the routes and blown up buses intended to be used as transports.

'There was an agreement on humanitarian corridors. Did that work? Russian tanks worked in its place, Russian Grads (multiple rocket launchers), Russian mines,' Zelensky said in a video posted on Telegram. 'They ensure that a small corridor to the occupied territory is open for a few dozen people. Not so much towards Russia as towards the propagandists, directly towards the television cameras.'

At least one of the corridors - out of Sumy - appeared to be operating early Tuesday, with around a dozen people pictured boarding a bus marked with medical symbols as they tried to leave. Ukraine's foreign ministry said the route of of Mariupol, which has been without water or electricity for the best part of a week, has been shelled.

In Bucha, to the northwest of Kyiv, the mayor said the city is under such heavy shelling that medics cannot get into the streets to retrieve the bodies of the dead - which are now being 'pulled apart' by stray dogs. 'It's a nightmare,' he added.

An elderly woman placed in a shopping trolley is carried over a destroyed bridge as she is evacuated from the city of Irpin, west of Kyiv, as snow falls on Tuesday morning

An elderly Ukrainian woman, placed inside a shopping trolley, is carried over a destroyed bridge on the outskirts of Irpin, near the capital Kyiv, which has been the scene of brutal street-to-street fighting

People carry a wounded woman during the evacuation by civilians of the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv

A police officer says goodbye to his son as his family flees from advancing Russian troops as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues in the town of Irpin

Civilians continue to flee from Irpin due to ongoing Russian attacks as snow falls

A young boy is carried by his father as civilians are evacuated from Irpin with Russian forces trying to take the city

Heavy snow falls as Ukrainian civilians flee across a river in Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, where heavy fighting is going on

Ukrainian soldiers help an elderly woman to cross a destroyed bridge as she evacuates the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv

A Ukrainian woman dressed in full furs and carrying a suitcase is helped by soldiers to cross a destroyed bridge while evacuating from Irpin, where Russian troops have been fighting

A person is carried on a stretcher during the evacuation by civilians of the city of Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv

A woman carrying a swaddled baby walks down a motorway near the city of Irpin as she evacuates amid heavy snowfall

An elderly woman wrapped in blankets is wheeled down the highway in Irpin, Ukraine, as civilians evacuate

A wheelchair-bound woman is covered in snow as she is evacuated from Irpin while temperatures plunge

A woman evacuates from Irpin in the snow, with Ukraine set to see a cold snap that will send temperatures down to -20C over the coming days - increasing the pressure on refugees

Civilians continue to flee from Irpin due to ongoing Russian attacks as snow falls

A woman carries her dog during the evacuation by civilians of the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv

Civilians continue to flee from Irpin due to ongoing Russian attacks as snow falls

Heavy snow almost obscures people fleeing from their homes in the city of Irpin, near Kyiv, on Tuesday

People displaced from their homes carry what belongings they can as they flee from the city of Irpin, near Kyiv

A man and his dogs are helped across a river on the outskirts of Irpin, near Kyiv, as civilians evacuations continue

People file across a makeshift river crossing below a destroyed bridge as they flee from advancing Russian troops whose attack on Ukraine continues in the town of Irpin

A woman carries a dog to cross a destroyed bridge as she evacuates the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv

Ukrainians crowd under a destroyed bridge as they try to flee crossing the Irpin river in the outskirts of Kyiv

A Ukrainian soldier helps a woman to cross a destroyed bridge during the evacuation by civilians of the city of Irpin

A woman prays as she watches her relatives cross a destroyed bridge on their way out of Irpin, to the west of Kyiv

Russian troops continue to try and surround Kyiv ahead of what is expected to be an attack on the city, with intense fighting reported in the north west including hand-to-hand combat with Russian forces

In Zhyotymyr, west of Kyiv, a fire at an oil depot was extinguished in the early hours of the morning while in Mykolaiv, in the south, several fires in residential areas had broke out due to Russian attacks - with four civilians killed and five others rescued from the rubble and taken to hospital

In Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, Russian shelling set nine floors and 27 apartment units of a residential building on fire - a blaze that took rescuers more than four hours to extinguish. At least four people were killed.

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, speaking to the BBC this morning, said Russian forces are 'getting more desperate' and 'we are seeing the Russians just double down on brutality' as the attack stalls.

He says 'Russia has still not been making its advances, it's day 13. That northern column that we have often talked about is still pretty much stuck, I mean really stuck, so that's not advancing.'

He said the UK would be increasing the amount of lethal and non-lethal aid to Ukraine, details of which he would announce in Parliament on Wednesday, and is helping organise delivery of aid through Nato and other EU countries. President Zelensky is due to address the House of Commons via video link later today.

Ukraine war: The latest Russia refloats plans to open humanitarian corridors. Kyiv calls the proposal a publicity stunt

Kyiv calls the proposal a publicity stunt Ukrainian servicemen and fleeing residents describe ferocious fighting on Kyiv's northwestern edge, including hand-to-hand combat

18 people, including two children, died in an air strike on the city of Sumy

Ukraine's military claims Russian general Vitaly Gerasimov is killed in fighting near Kharkiv

Russia steps up its shelling of Gostomel near Kyiv, Kharkiv in the east, Sumy in the northeast, Chernihiv in the north and Mykolayiv in the southwest

Tens of thousands are still trapped without water or power in the southern port of Mariupol after two failed evacuation attempts

At least 13 people are killed by shelling at an industrial bakery in Makariv, west of Kyiv

Nearly all of Russia's 150,000 combat troops arrayed on Ukraine's border have now entered the country

The International Atomic Energy Agency receives reports of artillery shells damaging a nuclear research facility in Ukraine's besieged second city Kharkiv

White House says there is no agreement with European allies on a blanket ban on oil and gas imports

The World Bank approves an additional $489million package for Ukraine, made available immediately

Russia says it will allow Russian companies and individuals to repay debts to creditors in 'hostile' nations in rubles

US-based Morgan Stanley says a Russian default on sovereign debts will come as soon as next month

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he is not sending conscripts or reservists to fight

Kyiv's presidential advisor says talks with Russia brought some 'positive results', while Moscow's lead negotiator said aims were 'not fulfilled'

Turkey announces it will host Russia's and Ukraine's foreign ministers for talks Thursday.

Foreign footballers and coaches working in Russia and Ukraine will be allowed to temporarily suspend their contracts and move elsewhere, FIFA announces

The UN says 1.7 million people have fled Ukraine, making it the fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II Advertisement

On the subject of Poland possibly supplying jets for the fight in Ukraine, he said there was a debate going on at the moment about whether Poland would.

'The UK could not supply jets directly to Ukraine, we don't have the same type of fighter jets they fly, Mig-29s and others... Our view would be that it is for Poland on a bilateral basis to decide whether to support Ukraine,' adding the UK would support Poland as an old ally.

Meanwhile Russia has threatened to turn off the main gas pipeline supplying Europe if the West goes ahead with sanctions on its oil sector - a move that Moscow says would push the price up above $300 per barrel.

America is said to be considering penalties for Russia's energy sector - one of the few lifelines its economy has left - but it has been ruled out by Germany and the UK, who say the European economy needs more time to adjust before the taps are turned off.

The invasion has sparked the biggest war in Europe and the continent's largest refugee crisis since World War II, while the West has responded with sanctions on Russia that have reverberated around the global economy.

Russia's defence ministry said it would open the 'humanitarian corridors' from 0700 GMT Tuesday, subject to Ukraine's approval, listing routes from the capital Kyiv as well as the cities of Mariupol, Kharkiv and Sumy - all of which have been under heavy attack. Ukraine did not initially respond to the offer.

French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned the Russian plan. 'All this is not serious, it is moral and political cynicism, which I find intolerable,' Macron told French broadcaster LCI.

'I do not know many Ukrainians who want to go to Russia,' he added, saying full ceasefires to protect civilians were needed rather than corridors.

Meanwhile the mayor of one besieged Kyiv suburb has described artillery fire as being so relentless residents are unable to gather up their dead.

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine well into its second week, a steady rain of shells and rockets continues to fall on population centres like Bucha. The mayor of the Kyiv suburb, Anatol Fedoruk, said military fire had been heavy and constant.

'We can't even gather up the bodies because the shelling from heavy weapons doesn't stop day or night,' Mr Fedoruk said.

Corridors intended to let Ukrainian civilians escape the Russian onslaught could open on Tuesday, Kremlin officials said, though Ukrainian leaders greeted the plan with scepticism since prior efforts to establish evacuation routes crumbled over the weekend amid renewed attacks.

In one of the most desperate cities, the encircled southern port of Mariupol, an estimated 200,000 people - nearly half the population of 430,000 - were hoping to flee, and Red Cross officials waited to hear when a corridor would be established.

Russia's chief negotiator said he expected the corridors to be in use on Tuesday.

The Russian UN ambassador forecast a potential cease-fire for the morning and appeared to suggest that humanitarian paths leading away from Kyiv and other cities could give people choice in where they want to go - a change from previous proposals that offered only destinations in Russia or Belarus.

The office of embattled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would not comment on the latest Russian proposal, saying only that Moscow's plans can be believed only if a safe evacuation begins.

Demands for effective passageways have surged amid intensifying shelling by Russian forces. The steady bombardments, including in some of Ukraine's most populated regions, have yielded a humanitarian crisis of diminishing food, water and medical supplies.

Through it all, Mr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces were showing unprecedented courage.

'The problem is that for one soldier of Ukraine, we have 10 Russian soldiers, and for one Ukrainian tank, we have 50 Russian tanks,' Mr Zelensky told ABC News in an interview that aired on Monday night.

But he noted that the gap in strength was diminishing and that even if Russian forces 'come into all our cities,' they will be met with an insurgency.

A top US official said multiple countries were discussing whether to provide the warplanes that Mr Zelensky has been pleading for.

People walk across a destroyed bridge during the evacuation by civilians of the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv

A Ukrainian soldier helps to carry a child during the evacuation of Irpin, which is under heavy attack by Russian forces

Two men carry a woman as people flee from advancing Russian troops whose attack on Ukraine continues in the town of Irpin

Civilians continue to flee from Irpin due to ongoing Russian attacks as snow falls in Irpin

Ukrainian soldiers check documents of men leaving the city of Irpin because those aged between 18 and 60 are banned from leaving, to join the war against Russian forces

Ukrainian soldiers detain a man they think is a Russian spy in the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv

A couple crosses a destroyed bridge during the evacuation by civilians of the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv

Civilians continue to flee from Irpin due to ongoing Russian attacks as snow falls

An Ukrainian serviceman holds a grenade launcher as people cross a destroyed bridge as they evacuate the city of Irpin

Ukrainians cross an improvised path under a destroyed bridge while fleeing Irpin, in the outskirts of Kyiv

Civilians continue to flee from Irpin due to ongoing Russian attacks as snow falls

Russia has now committed all of the forces it massed on the Ukrainian border before the invasion, and has made only limited territorial gains - capturing just one major city, Kherson. Others, including Sumy and Kyiv, are slowly being surrounded but in some places the Ukrainians have managed to thwart Russian attacks or successfully counter-attack

Kyiv claims these are the losses that its forces have inflicted on Russia in the first 12 days of fighting. While Moscow has acknowledged casualties, none of these figures have been verified

Ukrainian servicemen inspect a charred Russian tank that was destroyed on the outskirts of Sumy, eastern Ukraine

A charred Russian tank is seen on the outskirts of Sumy, a city in the east of the country, as Putin's invading force continues to suffer losses without a significant gain in territory

The burned-out remains of a Russian infantry fighting vehicle are seen on the outskirts of Sumy, where fighting has been ongoing since the first day of the war

A Ukrainian tank is seen next to the ruins of a destroyed Russian tank on the outskirts of Sumy

A destroyed Russian tank is seen by the side of a road in Luhansk, in images captured by Ukrainian soldiers in the region

Ukrainian soldiers in Luhansk, in the country's east, captured images showing destroyed Russian military vehicles

Russia has today offered to reopen 'humanitarian corridors' for civilians to flee besieged cities which has been dismissed as little more than a PR stunt by Kyiv because routes, most of which lead to Russia, have been attacked

A child injured in a Russian airstrike on the city of Sumy overnight, which the major said killed more than 10 people with infants among the dead. Ukraine's forces say Russia is increasingly resorting to 'war crimes' as its invasion slows

Injured in result of shelling civilian woman is seen at a hospital in Eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv

Smoke rises into the night sky over Sumy, eastern Ukraine, as the besieged city was hit by Russian airstrikes which the mayor said killed more than 10 people including children

Destroyed houses are seen in Sumy, eastern Ukraine, which has come under heavy Russian bombardment even as Moscow offers to open a 'humanitarian corridor' - dismissed as a 'cynical' stunt by Kyiv

Buildings flattened by Russian artillery are pictured in the city of Sumy, in eastern Ukraine, as Kyiv's commanders say the invasion has 'slowed' with Putin's men increasingly resorting to 'war crimes'

Volodymyr Zelensky has openly defied Russian forces trying to encircle Kyiv, posting his location and saying he is 'not afraid' of soldiers attacking the Ukrainian capital

At The Hague, Netherlands, Ukraine pleaded with the International Court of Justice to order a halt to Russia's invasion, saying Moscow is committing widespread war crimes.

Russia 'is resorting to tactics reminiscent of medieval siege warfare, encircling cities, cutting off escape routes and pounding the civilian population with heavy ordnance,' said Jonathan Gimblett, a member of Ukraine's legal team.

Russia snubbed the court proceedings, leaving its seats in the Great Hall of Justice empty.

The UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths addressed the Security Council and urged safe passage for people to go 'in the direction they choose'.

The battle for Mariupol is crucial because its capture could allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014.

The fighting has sent energy prices surging worldwide and stocks plummeting, and threatens the food supply and livelihoods of people around the globe who rely on crops farmed in the fertile Black Sea region.

The UN human rights office reported 406 confirmed civilian deaths but said the real number is much higher. The invasion has also sent 1.7 million people fleeing Ukraine.

On Monday, Moscow again announced a series of demands to stop the invasion, including that Ukraine recognise Crimea as part of Russia and recognise the eastern regions controlled by Moscow-supported separatist fighters as independent. It also insisted that Ukraine change its constitution to guarantee it won't join international bodies like Nato and the EU. Ukraine has already rejected those demands.

Mr Zelensky has called for more punitive measures against Russia, including a global boycott of its oil exports, which are key to its economy.

'If (Russia) doesn't want to abide by civilized rules, then they shouldn't receive goods and services from civilization,' he said in a video address.

Addressing the Security Council, the UN's top humanitarian official Martin Griffiths said civilians must be allowed to leave in the direction they wish.

At least 406 civilians have died since the start of Russia's assault on its ex-Soviet neighbour, according to the UN, although it believes the real figures to be 'considerably higher'.

Ukrainian forces said Tuesday they had repulsed a Russian attack on Izium city in the Kharkiv region, and outgunned troops have been trying to hold back a Russian push up from the east and south in an attempt to encircle Kyiv.

Russian forces 'suffered losses and retreated' in Izium after they 'reigned terror in the city by bombing civilian premises and infrastructure,' the military said.

AFP journalists witnessed thousands of civilians on Monday fleeing fighting via an unofficial escape route from Irpin, a suburb west of Kyiv, towards the capital.

Children and the elderly were carried on carpets used as stretchers on the route, which leads over the makeshift bridge and along a single path secured by the army and volunteers.

Desperate people abandoned pushchairs and heavy suitcases to cram on buses out of the war zone.

'We had no light at home, no water, we just sat in the basement,' Inna Scherbanyova, 54, an economist from Irpin, told AFP.

'Explosions were constantly going off... Near our house there are cars, there were dead people in one of them... very scary.'

Refugees trying to escape the city using agreed escape routes were left stranded as the road they were directed towards was mined, the ICRC said on Monday.

One Ukrainian paratrooper told of 'hand-to-hand' combat in Irpin, saying 'we are trying to push (Russian soldiers) out, but I don't know if we'll be fully able to do it'.

An international legion of volunteers has descended on Ukraine to fight the Russians.

President Zelensky winks to the camera as he reveals that he is still in Kyiv, while welcoming in the first day of spring

A Russian military vehicle explodes after being struck by Ukrainian artillery near Kyiv, as commanders say Moscow's forces continue to suffer heavy losses across the country

Ukrainian soldiers keep their spirits up by singing in a trench near Irpin, on the western outskirts of the capital Kyiv

Ukrainian soldiers stand ready to defend against Russian forces in Irpin, Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers take cover from incoming artillery fire in Irpin, near the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv

A Ukrainian soldier takes cover from incoming Russian artillery fire in Irpin, which has been under heavy bombardment

Ukrainian volunteers help remove a dead body as Russian forces continue to besiege residential areas of Irpin, near Kyiv

A pedestrian walks amid debris in a street following a shelling in Ukraine's second-biggest city of Kharkiv

A member of the Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces looks at destructions following a shelling in Ukraine's second-biggest city of Kharkiv

Firefighters extinguish a fire of a damaged residential building after Russian troops shelled the area in the second largest Ukrainian city of Kharkiv

A rescuer is seen next to a residential building damaged by shelling, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in Mykolaiv

The booster section of a Russian Smerch rocket is seen embedded in the side of a car in Kharkiv, Ukraine

Members of Ukrainian military together with other people carry an elderly woman in a wheelchair to cross the destroyed bridge as people flee from the frontline town of Irpin, Kyiv region

Rescuers carry a civilian injured during shelling, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in Mykolaiv, Ukraine

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken disembarks his plane as he arrives for his visit to Tallinn, Estonia

A burning Russian tank is seen in the midst of night as fighting takes place outside the Ukrainian city of Sumy

But the Pentagon said Monday that Moscow was on a recruiting mission for its own foreign fighters - Syrians who fought for President Bashar al-Assad.

'We do believe that the accounts of them - the Russians - seeking Syrian fighters to augment their forces in Ukraine, we believe there's truth to that,' Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday said he will not send conscripts or reservists to fight in the conflict.

Zelensky has recalled all servicemen working abroad to fight the invading forces, according to the Ukrainian parliament.

He again vowed to remain in place as Russian forces near the capital.

'I am staying in Kyiv. Not hiding. And I'm not afraid of anyone,' he said in a video late Monday.

He said his government will do 'as much as it takes to win this war!'

The World Bank on Monday approved an additional $489-million package in support for Ukraine, to be made available immediately and dubbed 'Financing of Recovery from Economic Emergency in Ukraine,' or 'FREE Ukraine.'

It came as Zelensky renewed calls for the West to boycott Russian exports, particularly oil, and to impose a no-fly zone to stop the carnage.

NATO countries have so far rebuffed Kyiv's demand for a no-fly zone, fearing a widening war against nuclear-armed Russia.

Western allies have instead imposed unprecedented sanctions against businesses, banks and billionaires in a bid to pressure Moscow to halt its assault.

But the leaders of Germany, Britain and the Netherlands warned Monday against a ban on Russian oil, saying it could put Europe's energy security at risk.

US President Joe Biden's spokeswoman said no decision had been taken, while Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak warned any oil ban would have 'catastrophic consequences' on prices that have already headed towards a 2008 record high.

Putin has equated sanctions with a declaration of war and put nuclear forces on alert, pledging the 'neutralisation' of Ukraine 'either through negotiation or through war'.

Despite harsh punishments for those voicing dissent, protests in Russia against the Ukraine invasion have continued, with more than 10,000 people arrested since it began.

People stand next to a coffin with a body of a member of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valerii, who was killed during Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Members of the Honour Guard stand next to a coffin with a body of the member of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valerii, who was killed during Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Hanna Bespalko, 54, cries over her deceased son Denys Hrynchuk in Bila Krynytsia, near Kherson, in Ukraine

Hanna Bespalko, 54, holds the hands of her dead son Denys during his funeral service in the village of Bila Krynytsia, Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers pictured carrying the coffin of 24-year-old Ukrainian soldier Denys Hrynchuk during his funeral in Ukraine

The arrival of war refugees from southern Ukrainian cities at the Zahony railway station on the Hungarian border

Refugees disembark a train at Zahony, Hungary, after fleeing the fighting in Ukraine. 1.7million have fled so-far

Back to the 1970s? Minister warns over repeat of energy prices shock from 50 years ago - that saw inflation hit 23% and interest rates 17% - as think-tank says households face 1,000 hit amid Ukraine crisis

Michael Gove has warned of 'direct comparison' to energy shock in the 1970s

That crisis saw inflation hit 23 per cent in the UK and interest rates 17 per cent

Resolution Foundation says households are already facing a 1,000 hit

A minister has warned that Britain is facing a energy shock similar to the 1970s - when inflation hit 23 per cent and interest rates 17 per cent.

Michael Gove highlighted the 'direct historical comparison' between the current Ukraine crisis and the standoff that erupted after the Yom Kippur war in 1973.

That saw prices nearly quadruple when Arab oil-producing nations imposed an embargo in protest at the West's support for Israel.

In the ensuing chaos UK CPI inflation reached just under 23 per cent in 1975, while by 1979 interest rates had spiralled to 17 per cent.

The grim warning came as Boris Johnson signalled a new dash for gas to help stop Vladimir Putin holding the West to ransom. Gas prices have surged to record levels, prompting fears that household energy bills will double to 4,000.

A think-tank has cautioned that non-pensioner households already face a 1,000 hit this year from inflation and tax rises - heaping pressure on Rishi Sunak to take action in his looming Spring statement.

Michael Gove highlighted a 'direct historical comparison' between the current Ukraine crisis and the standoff that erupted after the Yom Kippur war in 1973

In the 1970s CPI inflation hit 23 per cent and Bank of England interest rates 17 per cent

The Resolution Foundation said inflation could hit around 8 per cent this spring  which it said would make 'falling real household incomes the defining economic feature of 2022'

The squeeze was underlined by a chart tracking changes in disposable income

In an interview on LBC's Andrew Marr last night, Mr Gove said was asked if the British public : 'I think we can get through this, but I think there is a direct historical comparison with what happened in the 1970s.

'After the 1973 Yom Kippur war, oil prices spiked and that had an effect.

'There were lots of other things going on in the global economy at that time that were difficult.'

He said there are 'real cost of living challenges' and there was a need to 'level with the British people'.

'Yes, real challenges ahead. But also, we can get through this, and I think that what we mustn't do is for any reason to imagine that these challenges will overwhelm a country like ours,' Mr Gove said.

Mr Johnson revealed last night that an 'energy supply strategy' will give the green light for more drilling in the North Sea to help stabilise global prices and improve UK 'self-reliance'.

Ministers are also expected to endorse plans for a new generation of 'mini-nukes' to quickly increase nuclear power generation.

Energy prices soared yesterday as Russia's war on Ukraine appeared stalled and Western leaders pushed for tougher sanctions on Moscow.

Six new oil and gas fields were already set to be approved in the coming months and now another six.

The Government was already poised to approve six new oil and gas fields in the comings months and is now expected to fast-track at least six more.

The decision to drill for more oil and gas will embolden Tory MPs pushing for the Government to ditch its costly 'net zero' plan - and comes just days after Nigel Farage called for a referendum on the issue.

Mr Johnson said the UK's short-term plan may now involve 'more hydrocarbons'.

He said this 'doesn't mean we are in any way abandoning our commitment to reducing carbon dioxide', but added: 'We have got to reflect the reality that there is a crunch on at the moment. We need to increase our self-reliance.

'One of the things we are looking at is the possibility of using more of our own hydrocarbons.' Ministers are also discussing possible financial help for businesses hit by soaring energy bills.

Energy traders took fright yesterday over US-led efforts to promote a Western boycott of Russian oil and gas to further squeeze the ability of Russia's economy to fund Putin's war machine.

Energy prices jumped to new highs, as Russia's war on Ukraine intensified, and Western leaders pushed for tougher sanctions.

Gas prices surged to record levels, prompting predictions that domestic energy bills could double to 4,000 later this year.

Oil prices also continued to rise, sparking warnings that petrol could push towards 2 a litre - taking the cost of an average tank-full to more than 100. Unleaded hit a record 1.55 a litre yesterday, with industry sources saying it was likely to rise to 1.75 unless the pressure on global prices relented.

Former Foreign Office minister Sir Alan Duncan warned that the West had to be careful not to 'sanction ourselves' by forcing energy prices so high that gas suppliers collapse.

The PM acknowledged that families would feel 'impacts' on their cost of living as a result of the sanctions imposed on Russia by the West, but added: 'It's the right thing to do.'

He went on: 'It is completely right to move away from dependence on Russian hydrocarbons but we have to do it step by step... and do everything we can to have substitute supplies.' EU leaders yesterday warned that a full boycott of Russian oil and gas would take time because of Europe's heavy dependency on supplies from Moscow.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Sunday that 'active discussions' were underway on a Western boycott of Russian oil and gas.

But Mr Scholz rejected the idea, saying: 'At the moment, Europe's supply of energy for heat generation, mobility, power supply and industry cannot be secured in any other way. It is therefore of essential importance for the provision of public services and the daily lives of our citizens.'

Dutch PM Mark Rutte said ending the EU's dependence on Russian gas was now essential, but warned that moving too fast could backfire with 'enormous consequences' for European households.

Former energy secretary Andrea Leadsom last night said ministers should think again about whether to allow local communities to licence fracking operations in their area.

The Treasury yesterday played down the prospect of the Chancellor unveiling new support for cash-strapped families at a planned mini-Budget later this month.

Boris Johnson (right) has signalled a new dash for gas to help stop Vladimir Putin holding the West to ransom, but Rishi Sunak (left) is coming under pressure to give more support to households in his Autumn statement

The Resolution Foundation think-tank has highlighted the scale of the squeeze on families in the coming months

The think-tank warned that real earnings are turning negative as inflation soars

The wealthiest households are set for the biggest hit in cash terms, according to the think-tank

A source said the Treasury was 'already providing support worth around 20billion' to help with the cost of living.

But Mr Sunak is set to come under intense pressure in the coming days to provide more help, particularly for business which is not covered by the price cap on domestic fuel.

The Resolution Foundation said inflation could hit around 8 per cent this spring  which it said would make 'falling real household incomes the defining economic feature of 2022'.

And even before the conflict in Ukraine, the outlook for living standards this coming financial year was 'bleak', with soaring energy bills in April disproportionately affecting families on low and middle incomes.

'The UK's post-Covid economic recovery is well under way, but a deep living standards downturn is just getting going,' the report argued.

The Resolution Foundation's principal economist Adam Corlett said: 'Britain has stepped out of a global pandemic, and straight into a cost of living crisis.'

The foundation urged Chancellor Rishi Sunak to address the issue in his upcoming spring statement and increase benefits by 8.1 per cent this year.
Amazon has been accused of 'profiteering from war' after T-shirts emblazoned with a pro-war Russian symbol were listed for sale shortly after the invasion of Ukraine.

The various t-shirts appeared to feature the Z-symbol which has become synonymous with the Russia-Ukraine conflict - with the garments listed last week while an estimated Ukrainian 406 deaths have been reported.

The controversial clothing, was available in various forms on Amazon's website, cost as much as 20.99 and was even hosted on their Prime service for next-day delivery.

On social media, several users urged the retail giant to pull the 'disgusting' items from sale while accusing sellers of making money off the suffering and deaths of others.

Amazon has been lambasted for making a profit from Russia invading Ukraine, after the company sold an array of T-shirts with the pro-Russian war symbol 'Z' on them

The T-shirts, which were listed for sale last week, very prominently featured the Z-symbol and the name of the listing made the meaning behind them clear

A service member of pro-Russian troops in a uniform without insignia walks past a truck with the symbol 'Z' painted on its side

What does the Z on Russian tanks mean? Russian military vehicles attacking Ukraine are identified by the 'Z' symbol The letter Z has become a propaganda symbol by Putin's supporters in Russia after appearing on Russian vehicles invading Ukraine. The invading Russians use the symbol to quickly identify if a vehicle is friend or foe. However there is confusion over what the symbol, which has been compared to Nazi Germany's swastika, actually means. The letter Z does not exist in the Cyrillic Russian alphabet. It has been interpreted as standing for 'Za pobedy' (for victory), others for 'Zapad' (West). West is in reference to Russia western forces. The 'Z' symbol had been seen inside squares and triangles as well as on its own - each thought to denote forces from a specific part of the military. The symbol only appeared very recently, so the Ukranian forces couldn't copy it beforehand. Advertisement

Activist Andy Kinsey said: 'AmazonUK care to take this down? Or are you supporting Russia? Seems to be one of a number of similar shirts available* ball is in your court.'

Social impact specialist Matt Wilson said: 'Absolutely outrageous.

'AmazonUK selling Russian army invasion merch, profiteering from war and suffering. Needs to be removed from store immediately! UkraineInvasion.'

Greater Manchester Poverty Action CEO, Graham Whitham, said: 'Saw a post saying you can get Russian 'Z' branded clothes on Amazon.

'Didn't believe it, but turns out you can. Disgusting. Take them down Amazon FFS.'

Rob L said: 'Seriously Amazon?'

Several styles of T-shirts were listed on Amazon's website and could even be ordered through their Prime service for next-day delivery

Amazon also had other pro-Russian military T-shirts available for sale, without the 'Z' symbol on them

Bristol Red said: 'Dear Amazon [and] Jeff Bezos - why do you regularly sell items in the most appalling taste?

'Why does it take public indignation to get you to act? Why don't you have any moral compass without public outcry?'

Mike Edge said: 'What the f**k are you playing at AmazonUK?'

Following the outburst online, Amazon confirmed today that the products in question are no longer available for sale and those that remain are in the process of being removed.
The United Nations has banned its staff from calling Russia's brutal onslaught in Ukraine an 'invasion' or 'war' to avoid 'reputational risk'.

Staff have instead been told to refer to the attack, which has forced two million to flee in Europe's worst refugee crisis since World War II, a 'conflict' or 'military offensive'.

The UN's communications department also instructed staff not to add the Ukrainian flag to personal or official accounts online in an email yesterday, which as been seen by the Irish Times.

Civilians continue to flee from Irpin following the thirteenth day of Russian forces' invasion into Ukraine

The alleged email, shared on Twitter by reporter Naomi O'Leary, said: 'Some specific examples of language to use/not use at the moment: [Use] "conflict" or "military offensive" and NOT "war" or "invasion" when referring to the situation in Ukraine.'

It added: 'This is an important reminder that we, as international civil servants, have a responsibility to be impartial.

'It is particularly important during a crisis such as this one.'

The author of the email explained the guidance was there to avoid 'reputational risk'.

The Kremlin has not referred to Russia's actions in Ukraine as an invasion, but rather as a 'special operation'.

The UN's communications department also instructed staff not to add the Ukrainian flag to personal or official accounts online in an email yesterday, which has been seen by the Irish Times

A charred Russian tank and captured tanks are seen, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in the Sumy region, Ukraine, yesterday

MailOnline has reached out to the UN for a comment.

Russia has continued to crack down on censorious reporting of the war since last month.

Putin had blocked Facebook for 'discrimination towards Russian media' in response to the social media giant banning Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik in the UK at the request of the British government.

A week after Moscow invaded Ukraine, Russia's media regulator Roskomnadzor announced that Facebook would be banned, citing '26 instances of discrimination toward Russian media'.

The regulator also later said that it wrote a letter to Alphabet Inc., Google and YouTube's parent company, seeking the removal of all restrictions imposed on state media outlets such as RBC, TV Zvezda and Sputnik.

A police officer helps to carry the belongings of people who have fled Ukraine as they walk at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland today

YouTube blocked access to state-run media channels at the request of the Ukrainian government, which Ukraine Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov confirmed on Twitter.

This comes on the thirteenth day of Russia's invasion, as civilians in the besieged port of Mariupol in southeast Ukraine are anxiously waiting for news of evacuation efforts as they struggle to survive in a city where bodies have been left uncollected on the streets.

Since Saturday, Russian and Ukrainian authorities have committed to setting up evacuation routes but efforts have repeatedly collapsed amid more fighting along the route. Another effort was made today.

Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2010. He has blocked Facebook for 'discrimination towards Russian media'

With water supplies cut, people have been collecting water from streams or melting snow.

Power cuts mean that many residents have lost internet access and now rely on their car radios for information, picking up news from stations broadcast from areas controlled by Russian or Russian-backed separatist forces.

Two million people - half of them children - have been forced to flee the country as the conflict rages on.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees and UNICEF confirmed the figures as more people headed for the borders Tuesday. Poland has received more than 1.2 million Ukrainian refugees, the most of any nation.

Overnight, Russian aircraft pressed on with bombing cities in eastern and central Ukraine.

Shelling pounded suburbs of the capital, Kyiv, and food, water, heat and medicine have grown increasingly scarce in multiple cities facing electricity outages.
Jury selection began Tuesday in the trial of four men accused of scheming to kidnap the governor of Michigan in 2020, in a wild plot that came in response to aggressive measures taken by the progressive politico to combat the then-rampant coronavirus.

US District Judge Robert Jonker told prospective jurors in Grand Rapids federal court he expected a fair, impartial verdict regardless of their political allegiance, in the highly publicized case surrounding the would-be kidnapping of Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

'The only thing that matters is the evidence, what witnesses say under oath, and what the exhibits show you. Thats the only basis of your decision,' Jonker told members of the jury pool, pointing out the political nature of the case.

'Some of you may like Whitmer. Some of you may not,' the jurist went on, adding that the jurors' opinions about the governor and her policies only bars them from serving if their feelings are so strong 'that you can't put it aside.'

'If you think the governor is the best ever, but the government hasn't proven it's case,' Jonker warned, 'you have to vote not guilty.'

He added: 'But if you think she bungled her response to COVID19, you gotta put that aside. If the government proves its case, you've gotta put your feelings aside.'

Photos provided by the Kent County Sheriff and the Delaware Department of Justice show, top row from left, Brandon Caserta and Barry Croft; and bottom row from left, Adam Dean Fox and Daniel Harris, members of anti-government groups facing trial on federal charges of plotting to abduct Michigan's Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020

The federal judge further warned that the jurors would hear a great deal about politically polarizing topics such as COVID-19 restrictions, mask mandates, and lockdowns, due to the suspects' alleged motives in the case.

'I bet everyone has some feelings about that,' Jonker said. 'The only thing that matters here is the evidence.'

The four defendants - Adam Fox, 38, Daniel Harris, 24, Brandon Caserta, 33, and Barry Croft, 46 - were members of a far-right militia group Wolverine Watchmen that planned the politician's abduction, which fell apart after two FBI agents infiltrated the group and arrested the seven men involved.

The extraordinary allegations of violence planned against the elected official by the group spurred District Judge Jonker to advise the potential jurors: 'This isn't your average criminal case.'

The case will look at whether four men plotted to kidnap the governor out of anger over her COVID restrictions, as the prosecution has alleged; or, if they were entrapped by the undercover agents, whom the defense argues egged them on and coaxed them into saying and doing things they would not have otherwise.

The plot came in response to aggressive measures taken by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to combat coronavirus spread in the early months of the pandemic

Last week, Jackson County Circuit Judge Thomas Wilson ruled that three other militia members, Joseph Morrison, 27; his 44-year-old father-in-law Pete Musico; and Paul Bellar, 23, were not entrapped by the FBI.

Prosecutors say the men were angry over the Democratic governor's pandemic restrictions, and that they will present secret recordings and other evidence, including of a trip to check Whitmer's vacation home and training with weapons and explosives.

Defense attorneys say the men deny any conspiracy to kidnap Whitmer, and have signaled an entrapment defense, criticizing the governments use of undercover FBI agents and confidential informants.

Chief U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker said his decision was to ensure a fair and open trial for the accused men

Jonker told prospective jurors they must put aside any personal feelings about politics, Whitmer and her administration's response to COVID-19, to fairly hear the case. Several said they weren't sure they could be impartial.

Several people were dismissed after the judge's questions revealed that they dislike Whitmer, with one man saying, 'I would probably be pretty biased.' A woman who said she is an enthusiastic supporter of the governor also was let go, as was a man who told the court, 'I dont really trust the government right now.' Another man was dismissed after saying he has followed news coverage of the case closely and 'I think theyre guilty.'

Others were dismissed from the trial, which could take more than a month, due to job or home conflicts, including a nurse who worked throughout the pandemic. The woman said she finally has a trip planned and 'I really want to go on vacation.'

In 2020, Whitmer was trading taunts with then-President Donald Trump over his administration's response to COVID-19. Her critics, meanwhile, were regularly protesting at the Michigan Capitol, clogging streets around the statehouse and legally carrying semi-automatic rifles into the building.

During that turbulent time, when stay-home orders were in place and the economy was restricted, Adam Fox, Brandon Caserta, Barry Croft Jr. and Daniel Harris were coming up with a plot to snatch Whitmer, prosecutors say.

Another federal judge ruled earlier this week that Joseph Morrison (left), Pete Musico (center) and Paul Bellar (right) were not entrapped by the FBI into taking part in a thwarted plot to kidnap Michigan Gov Gretchen Whitmer in 2020

They're accused of taking critical steps over several months, including secret messaging, gun drills in the woods and a night drive to northern Michigan to scout her second home and figure out how to blow up a bridge.

The FBI, which had infiltrated the group, said it thwarted the plan with the arrests of six men in October 2020. Two of them, Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks, have pleaded guilty and will appear as crucial witnesses for the government, giving jurors an inside view of what was planned.

Garbin said Fox, the alleged ringleader, wanted the men to chip in for a $4,000 explosive large enough to destroy a bridge near Whitmer's home and distract police during a kidnapping.

'The blood of tyrants needs to be shed,' Garbin quoted Caserta as saying during a meeting.

A photo provided by the Kent County Sheriff show suspect Brandon Caserta, 33, in his 2020 booking photo after being busted by undercover agents who infiltrated the suspect's far-right militia group

Adam Fox, 38

Daniel Harris, 24

Barry Croft, 46

Garbin and Franks insist no one in the group acted because of excessive influence by agents or undercover informants.

'It is not the end of the case for the defense, but it's a big obstacle to overcome,' John Smietanka, a former federal prosecutor, said of the pair's cooperation. 'It's going to come down to the credibility of witnesses plus the effect of any extrinsic evidence, like tapes.'

Prosecutors said much of the evidence will be the defendants' own words gathered during secret recordings. The government will also offer screenshots of text messages as well as photos and videos posted on social media.

Ahead of the trial, defense lawyers panned the case, especially the 'staggering use' of informants.

'The agents and snitches recruited the defendants, arranged meetings, paid for travel, paid for hotels, rented cars, produced promotional videos demonstrating explosives, purchased equipment, vetted new members, hatched the ideas and directed the operations,' said Joshua Blanchard, who is Croft's attorney.

Defense lawyer Christopher Gibbons said Fox did not want to kidnap Whitmer, though he made 'many inflammatory remarks' about the governor and what he considered to be unconstitutional acts.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nils Kessler said informants were paid to collect information, not to induce crimes.

'The things they recorded were the defendants own words. Thats what makes the defendants look guilty,' Kessler told a judge Friday.

A successful entrapment defense requires evidence that the government induced someone to commit a crime that they otherwise wouldn't be inclined to carry out, Smietanka said.

Whitmer, who is seeking reelection this year, rarely talks publicly about the case and isn't expected to attend the trial. After charges were filed in 2020, just weeks before the fall election, she accused Trump of 'giving comfort' to antigovernment extremists with his rhetoric.

'The plots and threats against me, no matter how disturbing, could not deter me from doing everything I could to save as many lives as possible by listening to medical and health experts,' Whitmer said last summer, referring to COVID-19.

Separately, authorities in state court are prosecuting eight men who are accused of aiding the group.
A group of bipartisan senators is putting forth a bill to cut Vladimir Putin off from the $132 billion Russia holds in gold reserves.

The bill, introduced by Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, John Cornyn, R-Texas, Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., and Maggie Hassan D-N.H., would apply secondary sanctions to anyone transacting with or transporting gold from Russia's central bank holdings or selling gold physically or electronically in Russia.

Sanctions against Russia have frozen the nation's foreign exchange assets, but the senators note that the Kremlin is escaping sanctions through a loophole that allows the Kremlin to launder money through gold. The senators say the Russian Federation is currently purchasing gold to offset the devaluation of its currency, the ruble, the selling that gold on international markets to get ahold of high-value currency.

'Russia has taken a page out of Venezuela's book by exploiting a loophole in current sanctions that allows them to launder money through the purchase and sale of gold,' said Cornyn in a statement.

Russia's gold assets amount to $132.3 billion.

The goal is to include the bill in the omnibus spending bill that Congress must pass by Friday to avoid a government shutdown, Axios reported. The Biden administration has requested $10 billion in aid for Ukraine, adding a sense of urgency to get the bill to his desk as quickly as possible.

Republicans and Democrats delayed for months on an agreement on how to fund. the government in fiscal year 2022, passing as series of temporary stopgap measures.

Putin rapidly increased the pace of Russia's gold buying in 2014, just as the U.S. imposed fresh sanctions when Russia invaded Crimea

Russia's gold assets amount to $132.3 billion

After agreeing on defense and non-defense spending, talks have most recently been held up by topics such as emergency money for Ukraine and how to prepare the next variant of Covid-19.

While western lenders are already barred from doing business with Russia's central bank, the bill could deter nations like China and India from buying or lending against Russia's gold stockpile, which is the fifth-largest in the world.

Putin rapidly increased the pace of Russia's gold buying in 2014, just as the U.S. imposed fresh sanctions when Russia invaded Crimea.

A man stands on the rubble of a house destroyed by recent shelling during Ukraine-Russia conflict in Kharkiv, Ukraine

Rescuers search through the rubble of a destroyed school after Russian troops shelled the city of Chernihiv

Meanwhile, Russia is still selling oil, earning foreign exchange for those exports. President Biden is expected to announce that he will ban the U.S. from importing Russian oil, a move many on both sides of the aisle have demanded for weeks.

Biden's expected announcement comes as desperate Ukrainians have forced to flee their homes in freezing temperatures while being bombed, shot at and chased. Temperatures in Kyiv and Kharkiv, Ukraine's two largest cities that have seen intense shelling, are set to fall to 14F on Tuesday night and will bring bitter conditions to civilians trying to stay warm and Putin's soldiers trying to turn around his stalled invasion.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today channelled Winston Churchill's wartime defiance as he delivered a historic address to the House of Commons from his war-ravaged country, vowing 'we will not give up'.

Mr Zelensky was given a standing ovation by MPs both before and after his speech in which he compared Ukraine's fight against Russia to Britain's Second World War struggle against Nazi Germany.

Drawing on Churchill's iconic 'we shall fight them on the beaches' wartime address in June 1940, he said Ukrainians will fight against Moscow's forces on land, sea and in the air.

Mr Zelensky said: 'We will not give up and we will not lose. We will fight to the end, at sea, in the air, we will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost.

'We will fight in the forests, in the fields, on the shores, in the streets.'

He said Ukraine was fighting a 'war that we didn't start and we didn't want' as he told MPs 'we do not want to lose what we have, what is ours'.

Comparing Ukraine to the UK standing alone more than 80 years ago, Mr Zelensky said Ukrainians are fighting to save their country 'just the same way as you once didn't want to lose your country when Nazis started to fight your country and you had to fight for Britain'.

He also said more than 50 children have now been killed in the Russian invasion, telling the Commons: 'These are the children that could have lived, but these people have taken them away from us.'

Boris Johnson responded to the address by telling MPs that 'Britain and our allies are determined to press on with supplying our Ukrainian friends with the weapons they need to defend their homeland as they deserve'.

The Prime Minister said the UK will also 'press on with tightening the economic vice around Vladimir Putin and we will stop importing Russian oil'.

He added: 'We will employ every method that we can  diplomatic, humanitarian and economic  until Vladimir Putin has failed in this disastrous venture and Ukraine is free once more.'

The address by Mr Zelensky came as the UK Government faced mounting criticism over its visa scheme for Ukrainian refugees.

Ministers have been slammed by critics over the slow pace of processing applications amid wider calls for Britain to put in place a more generous scheme to help people fleeing the Russian invasion.

The Government is now scrambling to improve the situation, with Defence Secretary Ben Wallace having offered military support to the Home Office to help deal with the backlog of people trying to get into the UK.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has announced a new visa processing centre is being set up in Lille in northern France following reports that refugees arriving in Calais were being told they must go to Paris or Brussels to apply.

Mr Johnson delivered an update on the Ukraine crisis to his Cabinet this morning. Downing Street said the PM told his senior ministers that the UK is continuing to supply 'lethal defensive aid and equipment' to bolster the Ukrainian forces' 'heroic' resistance in the face of the Russian onslaught.

The premier said the UK would be 'as generous as we could' in its support for Ukrainian refugees.

Mr Johnson also hosted a meeting of the leaders of the Visegrad group of countries - the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland  during which he labelled Vladimir Putin's invasion a 'catastrophic venture'.

Mr Zelensky was given a standing ovation by MPs both before and after his speech in which he compared Ukraine's fight against Russia to Britain's World War Two struggle against Nazi Germany

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today channeled Winston Churchill as he delivered a historic address to the House of Commons.

Ministers have been slammed by critics over the slow pace of processing applications amid wider calls for Britain to put in place a more generous scheme to help people fleeing the Russian invasion.

The Government is now scrambling to improve the situation, with Defence Secretary Ben Wallace having offered military support to the Home Office to help deal with the backlog of people trying to get into the UK

An elderly lady is carried in a shopping cart after being evacuated from Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv. Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has announced a new visa processing centre is being set up in Lille in northern France following reports that refugees arriving in Calais were being told they must go to Paris or Brussels to apply

Prime Minister Boris Johnson poses with Slovakia's Prime Minister Eduard Heger today in London ahead of a meeting of the V4 group of nations

The UK Government is facing mounting criticism over its visa scheme for Ukrainian refugees. People are pictured today boarding a bus to Warsaw in Przemysl, Poland

UK BANS Russian oil imports as West begins energy war on Putin amid pandemonium at the pumps in Britain Britain has today followed the US and banned Russian oil imports as drivers started queuing for fuel after being hit by the steepest weekly hike in fuel prices in more than 18 years due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine - with prices expected to keep rising. Oil prices are rising at an alarming rate sparking warnings that petrol could soon hit 2 a litre  taking the cost of an average tank to more than 100 - an increase of around 17. Unleaded hit an average record of 1.55 a litre yesterday, with industry sources saying it was likely to rise to 1.75 by next week as 5p is being added to the price every 24 hours in some areas. But prices at some forecourts are already pushing 1.80. Motorists queued outside a Sainsbury's petrol station in Cambridge today as they rushed to fill up cars and jerry cans before petrol prices increase even further. There were also long lines at the pumps at a Tesco in neighbouring Suffolk. On social media there were also reports of queues at supermarket pumps in Lancashire. US President Joe Biden has decided to ban Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia's economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine, according to a person familiar with the matter, and the European Union this week will commit to phasing out its reliance on Russia for energy needs as soon as possible. Filling the void without crippling EU economies will likely take some time - natural gas from Russia accounts for one-third of Europe's consumption of the fossil fuel. The White House said Biden would announce on Tuesday 'actions to continue to hold Russia accountable for its unprovoked and unjustified war on Ukraine.' The US does not import Russian natural gas. Boris Johnson has said the move to ban Russian oil and gas will punish Vladimir Putin's regime but will be introduced in a way that 'won't affect' UK businesses. Advertisement

Mr Zelensky began his address to the Commons just after 5pm as he set out the battle Ukraine has faced since the invasion began 13 days ago.

He said: 'We are the country that is saving people despite having to fight one of the biggest armies in the world.

'We have to fight the helicopters, rockets, the question for us now is 'to be or not to be'. Oh no, this Shakespearean question. For 13 days this question could have been asked but now I can give you a definitive answer, it is definitely yes, to be.

'I would like to remind you the words that the United Kingdom has already heard which are important again.

'We will not give up and we will not lose. We will fight to the end, at sea, in the air, we will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost.

'We will fight in the forests, in the fields, on the shores, in the streets.

'I would like to add that we will fight on the banks of different rivers and we are looking for your help, for the help of the civilised countries.'

Mr Zelensky has repeatedly called on NATO to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine but allied nations including the UK have ruled it out because of fears it could trigger a full-blown war between Russia and the West.

The Ukrainian President urged Mr Johnson to reconsider as he also called for Britain to go further on sanctions.

He said: 'We were thankful for this help and very grateful to you Boris, please increase the pressure of sanctions against this country and please recognise this country as a terrorist state and please make sure that our Ukrainian skies are safe.

'Please make sure that you do what needs to be done.'

Mr Johnson raised a point of order in the Commons immediately after Mr Zelensky had finished delivering his remarks.

The PM said his counterpart is 'standing firm for democracy and freedom' and 'in his righteous defiance I believe he has moved the hearts of everybody in this House'.

Mr Johnson said Ukrainian citizens are 'inspiring millions with their courage and their devotion' in the face of the Russian onslaught.

He said: 'I know I speak for the House when I say that Britain and our allies are determined to press on, to press on with supplying our Ukrainian friends with the weapons they need to defend their homeland as they deserve.

'To press on with tightening the economic vice around Vladimir Putin and we will stop importing Russian oil. Mr Speaker my Right Honourable Friend the Business Secretary will update the House on that tomorrow.'

'And we will employ every method  diplomatic, humanitarian and economic Mr Speaker  until Vladimir Putin has failed in this disastrous venture and Ukraine is free once more.'

President Zelensky's address to the House of Commons in full Mr Speaker, Prime Minister, Members of Parliament, ladies and gentlemen, I am addressing all the people of the United Kingdom, a country with a big history. I am addressing you as a citizen and the President of another big country with a dream. I want to tell you about the 13 days of wara war that we did not start and did not want. However, we have to conduct this war. We do not want to lose what is oursour countryjust as you once did not want to lose yours to the Nazis and you had to fight for Britain. On day one, at four o'clock in the morning, we were attacked by cruise missiles. Everybody woke uppeople, children, the whole of Ukraineand we have not slept since. We have all been fighting for our country alongside our army. On day two, we suffered airstrikes, and our heroic military servicemen on the islands fought when Russian forces demanded that they lay down arms. However, we continued fighting, and they felt the force of our people, who will oppose the occupiers until the end. The next day, artillery started firing at us. Our army showed us who we are, and we saw who are people and who are beasts. On day four, we started taking people captive. We did not torture them, remaining humane even on day four of this terrible war. On day five, the terror against us affected our children and cities, and constant shelling happened around the country, including on hospitals. That did not break us, but gave us a feeling of great certainty. On day six, Russian rockets fell on Babyn Yar, where the Nazis killed thousands of people during the second world war. Eighty years later, the Russian hit them for the second time. Even churches are getting destroyed by shelling. On day eight, we saw Russian tanks hitting the nuclear power station, and everybody got to understand that this is a terror against everyone. On day nine, a meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly ended without the result we were looking for. We learned that, unfortunately, alliances do not always work properly, and the no-fly zone was not enforced. On day 10, Ukrainians started protesting en masse, stopping armoured vehicles with their own hands. On day 11, children, cities and hospital were hit with rockets and constant shelling. On that day, we realised that Ukrainians have become heroesentire cities, children and adults. On day 12, the losses of the Russian army exceeded 10,000 people killed, including a general. We were given hope that there will be some kind of responsibility for these people in court. On day 13, the city of Mariupol was attacked by the Russian forces, and a child was killed. The Russians did not allow any food or water, and people started panickingthey do not have water. Over those 13 days, over 50 children have been killed. Those children could have lived, but these people have taken them away from us. Ukraine was not looking for this war. Ukrainians have not been looking to become big, but they have become big over the 13 days of this war. We are saving people despite having to fight one of the biggest armies in the world, with its helicopters and rockets. The question for us now is, 'To be, or not to be'. This Shakespearean question could have been asked over the past 13 days, but I can now give you a definitive answer: it is definitely, 'To be'. I remind you of the words that the United Kingdom has already heard because they are important again. We will not give up, and we will not lose. We will fight until the end at sea and in the air. We will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost. We will fight in the forests, in the fields, on the shores and in the streets. We will fight on the banks of our rivers, like the Dnieper. We are looking for help from civilised countries, and we are thankful for this help. I am very grateful to you, Boris. Please increase the pressure of sanctions against Russia and please recognise that country as a terrorist state. Please ensure that our Ukrainian skies are safe. Please make sure that you do what needs to be done and what is required by the greatness of your country. I wish my best to Ukraine and to the United Kingdom. Translation by Hansard - UK Parliament Advertisement

Churchill's rallying cry of defiance in 1940 Churchill's famous 'We shall fight on the beaches' speech to MPs on June 4, 1940 was the second of three major speeches given in the early phase of the Second World War, as Europe fell victim to the forces of Nazism and fascism and Britain stood alone. The Tory leader, who took over as Prime Minister eight months into the war, had to warn of a possible invasion attempt by Germany and describe a military failure without disillusioning the Commons  and also had to prepare the public for France's falling out of the war. His peroration, the best known part of the speech, also prophesied that America would eventually be dragged into the European war. It is said that after giving the speech, Churchill told a colleague: 'And we'll fight them with the butt ends of broken beer bottles because that's bloody well all we've got!'. Nevertheless, the speech was praised by MPs and has since become regarded as one of Churchill's greatest moments as a public speaker: 'Turning once again, and this time more generally, to the question of invasion, I would observe that there has never been a period in all these long centuries of which we boast when an absolute guarantee against invasion, still less against serious raids, could have been given to our people. 'In the days of Napoleon, of which I was speaking just now, the same wind which would have carried his transports across the Channel might have driven away the blockading fleet. 'There was always the chance, and it is that chance which has excited and befooled the imaginations of many Continental tyrants. 'Many are the tales that are told. We are assured that novel methods will be adopted, and when we see the originality of malice, the ingenuity of aggression, which our enemy displays, we may certainly prepare ourselves for every kind of novel stratagem and every kind of brutal and treacherous manoeuvre. I think that no idea is so outlandish that it should not be considered and viewed with a searching, but at the same time, I hope, with a steady eye. We must never forget the solid assurances of sea power and those which belong to air power if it can be locally exercised. 'Sir, I have, myself, full confidence that if all do their duty, if nothing is neglected, and if the best arrangements are made, as they are being made, we shall prove ourselves once more able to defend our island home, to ride out the storm of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone. 'At any rate, that is what we are going to try to do. That is the resolve of His Majesty's Government  every man of them. That is the will of Parliament and the nation. The British Empire and the French Republic, linked together in their cause and in their need, will defend to the death their native soil, aiding each other like good comrades to the utmost of their strength. 'Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. 'We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender. 'And if, which I do not for a moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.' Advertisement

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer praised the Ukrainian President and said: 'Every one of us has been moved by the bravery, the resolve, and the leadership of President Zelensky.

'Invading troops march through his streets, shells reign down on his people, and assassins seek his life. No one would have blamed him for fleeing. But instead, he has stayed in Kyiv to lead the Ukrainian people and to fight.

'He has reminded us that our freedom and our democracy are invaluable. He has promoted a world into action, where too often we have let Putin have his way.'

The address came after the Home Office disclosed on Monday night that just 300 visas had been issued out of a total of 17,700 family scheme applications that have been started, 8,900 of which have been formally submitted.

In the Commons this afternoon, Home Office minister Kevin Foster said the figure for visas issued has since risen to more than 500, while the new processing centre at Lille is expected to be set up within the next 24 hours.

He told MPs officials are also looking at how transport can be provided between Calais and Lille, but the slow rate of progress continues to attract criticism from all sides.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said that, while other countries are supporting hundreds of thousands of people, 600 people seeking to reach the UK have been turned back at Calais.

'Most want to stay close to home but some want to come here to join family or friends, and we should be helping them; instead most people are still being held up by our Home Office bureaucracy or being turned away,' she said.

Senior Tory backbencher Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, who secured an emergency Commons statement from Mr Foster on the subject, said that, while security checks are important, it should be possible to speed up the process.

'We need efficiency but also humanity when processing applications of refugees from Ukraine, and we should warmly welcome those refugees to this country,' he said.

Mr Foster said officials were having to deal with people presenting with false documents and 'making claims that are not true'.

Conservative former immigration minister Caroline Nokes said there was still no sign of a promised humanitarian sponsorship visa route to operate alongside the family reunion route.

'Snails also move at pace,' she told Mr Foster. 'When (he) says he is moving at pace it needs to be a great deal faster.'

Downing Street announced this afternoon that former government minister Richard Harrington has been appointed to a newly created role of Minister for Refugees.

Mr Harrington, who stood down as a Tory MP at the 2019 general election, will be made a life peer sitting in the House of Lords.

Earlier Mr Wallace acknowledged that the Government needed to move quicker and said he was offering Ministry of Defence (MoD) support to the Home Office to speed up the work.

'We can do more, we will do more,' he told BBC Breakfast.

'It's not the case that we are only allowing 300 people in; it is the case that the system has not been quick enough, which is what we're going to address.'

Mr Wallace this morning again ruled out the UK enforcing a no-fly zone above Ukraine - a key request made by Mr Zelensky.

The Defence Secretary said the UK must be 'realistic' about how it can help Ukraine, with ministers having to strike a 'difficult balance' of offering support without triggering a wider NATO conflict with Russia.

The UK has repeatedly rejected calls for a no-fly zone because it would pit NATO fighter jets against Russian fighter jets - a situation which could easily spiral into all-out war.

However, Poland's foreign ministry announced today it is willing to hand its Mig-29 fighter jets to the United States under a reported scheme that would see the planes given to Ukraine.

'Poland... is ready to deliver its Mig-29 planes to Ramstein airbase (in Germany) and make them available to the US for free and without delay,' said Warsaw, which under a reported deal would receive F-16 fighters as replacements for the Soviet-era planes which Ukrainian pilots are trained on.

US officials, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, had downplayed the possibility of any NATO country supplying besieged Ukraine.

But speaking in Moldova Sunday, Blinken confirmed it was under active discussion.

'Can't speak to a timeline, but I can just say we're looking at it very, very actively,' he told reporters.

'We are looking actively now at the question of aeroplanes that Poland may provide to Ukraine and looking at how we might be able to backfill should Poland decide to supply those planes.'

The comments came one day after Blinken met Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on the Poland-Ukraine border and Kuleba pressed him for the aircraft.

Kuleba had said 'the highest demand that we have is in fighter jets, attack aircraft, and air-defence systems.'

'If we lose the skies, there will be much more blood on the ground,' he said after the meeting, with Blinken standing beside him.

While a significant part of Ukraine's air force remains intact since the war began on February 24, both Ukraine and Russia have sustained significant losses and neither controls the airspace over the country.

A woman is pictured today carrying bags while walking past Czech hedgehogs in downtown Kyiv

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace today declared he believes Vladimir Putin is a 'spent force in the world' and the invasion of Ukraine will be the Russian President's 'end'

Russia has now committed all of the forces it massed on the Ukrainian border before the invasion, and has made only limited territorial gains - capturing just one major city, Kherson. Others, including Sumy and Kyiv, are slowly being surrounded but in some places the Ukrainians have managed to thwart Russian attacks or successfully counter-attack

Two speeches full of defiance in the face of the enemy Volodymyr Zelensky, March 8, 2022 Mr Zelensky gave his speech from a non-descript office in Kyiv, flanked by a Ukrainian flag. He looked tired and drawn as he spoke to the Commons via a videolink. Mr Zelensky was given a standing ovation by MPs both before and after his speech in which he compared Ukraine's fight against Russia to Britain's World War Two struggle against Nazi Germany. He said: 'We are the country that is saving people despite having to fight one of the biggest armies in the world. 'We have to fight the helicopters, rockets, the question for us now is 'to be or not to be'. Oh no, this Shakespearean question. 'For 13 days this question could have been asked but now I can give you a definitive answer, it is definitely yes, to be. 'I would like to remind you the words that the United Kingdom has already heard which are important again. 'We will not give up and we will not lose. We will fight to the end, at sea, in the air, we will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost. 'We will fight in the forests, in the fields, on the shores, in the streets.' Winston Churchill, June 4, 1940 Winston Churchill gave his famous speech to the House of Commons on June 4, 1940 and it remains his most famous political statement. It was the second of well-known three speeches he gave after becoming Prime Minister amid the fall of France. He got up at the end of the evacuation of British and allied forces from the beaches of Dunkirk to give a rousing address bellowing defiance across the channel. He said: 'Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous states have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. 'We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. 'We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender. 'And even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the new world, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.' Advertisement

Mr Wallace questioned how effective a no-fly zone would be in helping Ukraine because while no country would be able to fly in the area, forces like Russia 'with overwhelming artillery and missile batteries will be able to continue'.

The Cabinet minister also declared he believes Mr Putin is a 'spent force in the world' and the invasion of Ukraine will be the Russian President's 'end'.

He said Mr Putin's attack is ultimately doomed to fail because of the fighting spirit of the Ukrainian people and occupying such a large country against its will is an 'impossible task'.

Mr Wallace said Mr Putin's actions mean 'he is done' and 'no one will be taking his phone calls in the long term'.

Kremlin officials 'are privately denouncing 'clusterf**k' invasion' as Putin's forces get bogged down in snow with temperatures set to drop to -20C as landmine kills three people north of Kyiv and Ukraine claims it has killed 12,000 Russian troops

Kremlin officials are privately denouncing Putin's 'clusterf***' war in Ukraine and 'in mourning' for the death of the Russian economy as his invasion grinds to a halt amid mounting casualties with a cold snap over the next few days expected to make fighting even harder, it has been claimed.

Here's how YOU can help: Donate here to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal Readers of Mail Newspapers and MailOnline have always shown immense generosity at times of crisis. Calling upon that human spirit, we are supporting a huge push to raise money for refugees from Ukraine. For, surely, no one can fail to be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families  mostly women, children, the infirm and elderly  fleeing from the bombs and guns. As this tally of misery increases over the coming days and months, these innocent victims of this conflict will require accommodation, schools and medical support. Donations to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal will be used to help charities and aid organisations providing such essential services. In the name of charity and compassion, we urge all our readers to give swiftly and generously. TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE Donate at www.mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate To add Gift Aid to a donation  even one already made  complete an online form found here: mymail.co.uk/ukraine Via bank transfer, please use these details: Account name: Mail Force Charity Account number: 48867365 Sort code: 60-00-01 TO MAKE A DONATION VIA CHEQUE Make your cheque payable to 'Mail Force' and post it to: Mail Newspapers Ukraine Appeal, GFM, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY TO MAKE A DONATION FROM THE US US readers can donate to the appeal via a bank transfer to Associated Newspapers or by sending checks to dailymail.com HQ at 51 Astor Place (9th floor), New York, NY 10003 Advertisement

Farida Rustamova, a Russian journalist who was well-connected in government circles before fleeing Russia amid a crackdown on free speech, said sources she spoke to before leaving never believed Putin would go to war and are now making 'apocalyptic' forecasts about the weeks and months ahead as fighting grinds on and sanctions bite.

'They're carefully enunciating the word clusterf***,' one source told her when asked how Russian politicians were reacting to the news. 'No one is rejoicing. Many understand that this is a mistake, but in the course of doing their duty they come up with explanations in order to somehow come to terms with it.'

Ukraine estimates that some 12,000 Russians have now died fighting and while that number cannot be verified, casualties are almost certainly higher than Putin bargained for when he gave the order to attack 13 days ago. Captured soldiers have complained of a lack of food, fuel, and overall battle plan - with conditions set to get worse in the coming days.

A pronounced cold snap will see temperatures drop to -10C overnight in the middle of the week around Kyiv and Kharkiv - down to -20C when wind chill is taken into account - with many Russian soldiers stuck outdoors in a 40-mile column of stalled vehicles near the Ukrainian capital.

The cold will also make life much harder for thousands of desperate refugees fleeing the fighting, some of whom have been without access to heat or water for days because their cities have been under bombardment.

In a dire warning late last night, a US military think tank warned that Russian forces could launch their assault on Kyiv as early as tonight with Vladimir Putin's troops currently threatening the capital from three fronts.

The Institute for the Study of War said the Russian military has been bringing reinforcements and supplies to its front lines, as well as carrying out air and artillery strikes on key Ukrainian military targets to weaken their position and to intimidate the city's defenders ahead of a large assault.

'The Russians are bringing up supplies and reinforcements as well as conducting artillery, air, and missile attacks to weaken defences and intimidate defenders in advance of such an assault,' the report said.

'If Russian troops have been able to resupply, reorganize, and plan deliberate and coordinated simultaneous operations along the several axes of advance around and into the capital, they may be more successful in this operation than they have in previous undertakings.'

Regions around Kyiv, such as Irpin to the north-west and the Brovary area to the east, have come under heavy fire from Russian strikes in the last couple of days, tallying with the institute's report.

In its report published overnight, the think tank said Kyiv should be prepared for an assault within the next 24 to 96 hours and warned if Russia's recent efforts to reinforce its forces have been successful, it could be more prepared than it has been in recent attacks on the capital, which has seen Ukrainian troops mount an effective resistance.

Three civilians died near Kyiv today after stepping on a landmine, a six-year-old girl died from dehydration in Mariupol after water was cut off, and hundreds of people were pictured evacuating from the city of Irpin in bitter conditions whilst snow fell.

Irpin has been the scene of some intense clashes as Russian forces try to take it on their mission to surround and besiege Kyiv, with one commander reporting hand-to-hand fighting as Putin's men battle street-to-street.

'In some places, there is hand-to-hand combat,' an officer who gave his name only as Stas said. 'There is a huge column - 200 men, 50 light armoured vehicles, several tanks,' he said of the Russian threat. 'We are trying to push them out, but I don't know if we'll be fully able to do it.'

Vitaliy Shichko, resident of nearby Bucha, said Russian forces have been attacking the town since last week - initially throwing in men 'they weren't afraid of losing' but increasingly moving in better armed and equipped troops to capture and hold ground. 'Basically special forces,' he said.

Others said that Russians had cleared residents out of their homes so they could set up sniper positions, with some alleging that civilians had been fired at as they tried to flee. Ukrainian artillery is now being brought to bare on Russian forces as they set up the next phase of their attack, commanders said.

Ukraine's commanders say Putin's invasion has 'slowed significantly' in recent days, with American intelligence saying he has now committed all of the forces he built up along the border to the fight.

Systems that broadcast radiation levels from Chernobyl stop sending signals Systems monitoring nuclear material at the radioactive waste facilities at Chernobyl in Ukraine, which were taken over by Russian forces last month, have stopped transmitting data to the UN nuclear watchdog, it said on Tuesday. 'The Director General indicated that remote data transmission from safeguards monitoring systems installed at the Chernobyl NPP had been lost,' the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement. Safeguards refers to the field of IAEA work aimed at keeping track of nuclear material. It comes after the Vienna-based UN body said Ukrainian authorities reported an attack on a nuclear facility in Kharkiv on Sunday, adding that no increase in radiation levels had been reported at the site. Because the site's 'inventory of radioactive material is very low' and kept at a 'subcritical' state, the IAEA said 'the damage reported to it would not have had any radiological consequence.' The facility is part of the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology, a research institute that produces radioactive material for medical and industrial applications. Kharkiv has come under intense Russian shelling and missile attacks in recent days, as Moscow tries to step up pressure on Ukraine to surrender. The nuclear institute itself has been at the centre of online conspiracy theories and unsubstantiated claims in Russian media that Ukraine is attempting to develop a 'dirty bomb' - a crude nuclear weapon capable of causing mass casualties. The IAEA said this was just the latest instance of a nuclear facility becoming caught up in Russia's war on Ukraine. 'We have already had several episodes compromising safety at Ukraine's nuclear sites,' said IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi. There have been reports of damage to radioactive waste disposal facilities near Kyiv and Kharkiv and Russian forces have hit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, causing a fire that had to be contained. The IAEA said the Zaporizhzhia - Europe's largest nuclear power plant - was now under the control of Russian forces, blocking the delivery of spare parts and medicine. Only two of the facility's six reactors are operating. Communications have also been cut with small nuclear facilities in the southern city of Mariupol - which is surrounded by Russian forces, leaving residents without electricity or running water. The IAEA has urged Moscow and Kyiv to agree on a plan to safeguard nuclear facilities. Grossi has offered to travel to Chernobyl nuclear power plant, where 200-plus staff have been on-site for almost a fortnight and have not been allowed to leave by their Russian captors. Advertisement

Ukraine's military, giving an overview of combat as the war entered its 13th day, said defensive operations continue in the north, east and south of Ukraine, with all major cities other than Kherson - which fell last week - in Ukrainian hands. Russian troops are 'demoralised and increasingly tend to looting and violations of international humanitarian law,' commanders added.

It has also emerged that another Russian commander - Major General Vitaly Gerasimov, first deputy commander of Russia's 41st army - was killed in Kharkiv on Monday, just the latest in an increasingly long line of senior military figures to lose their lives in Ukraine.

Kyiv claimed today that 12,000 Russian troops have now died fighting in Ukraine, while 300 tanks have been destroyed along with more than 1,000 armoured vehicles, 48 planes, 80 helicopters and three boats. Moscow has acknowledged taking losses but has not given a recent update. Ukraine's losses are unknown.

Strikes on civilian areas also continued Tuesday morning, with the city of Sumy - in the east - struck by bombs which the local mayor said killed 21 people including two children and left others wounded. Ukraine's parliament published a photo of a bloodied infant they said was hurt in the attack.

Russia again offered to open up 'humanitarian corridors' today to allow civilians to flee bombarded cities - but the move was swiftly dismissed by Kyiv, with President Volodymyr Zelensky accusing Moscow of 'cynicism', saying its troops have laid mines across the routes and blown up buses intended to be used as transports.

'There was an agreement on humanitarian corridors. Did that work? Russian tanks worked in its place, Russian Grads (multiple rocket launchers), Russian mines,' Zelensky said in a video posted on Telegram. 'They ensure that a small corridor to the occupied territory is open for a few dozen people. Not so much towards Russia as towards the propagandists, directly towards the television cameras.'

At least one of the corridors - out of Sumy - was operating today despite the fatal Russian strikes early in the morning. Ukraine's deputy prime minister announced this evening that more than 5,000 civilians were evacuated from the northern Ukrainian city under a temporary ceasefire that mostly held.

Regional governor Dmytro Zhyvytsky said around 1,700 of the evacuees were foreign students studying at universities in Sumy, adding the ceasefire was broken only once by a shooting near a checkpoint.

But Ukraine's foreign ministry said the route out of Mariupol, which has been without water or electricity for the best part of a week, was shelled.

Mariupol is one of the Ukrainian cities worst hit since the invasion began, with Russian forces bringing widespread destruction to residential and administrative centres.

And each time Russia has agreed to open 'humanitarian corridors' allowing citizens to flee the city, its forces have broken their ceasefire agreement and continued shelling in what appear to have been targeted attacks on innocent civilians.

Zelensky said people stuck in the blockaded urban centre are beginning to suffer from a lack of supplies as the city runs dangerously low on food, water and medicine.

Ukrainian territorial defence forces have been able to deliver vital supplies to some residents, but many more remain isolated and unable to access lifesaving rations.

In Bucha, to the northwest of Kyiv, the mayor said the city is under such heavy shelling that medics cannot get into the streets to retrieve the bodies of the dead - which are now being 'pulled apart' by stray dogs. 'It's a nightmare,' he added.

The United Nations said the number of refugees who have fled Ukraine has already reached 2 million - the fastest exodus Europe has seen since World War II. One million were children, UNICEF spokesman James Elder tweeted, calling it 'a dark historical first.' Most others were women.

A photograph taken on March 8, 2022 shows the destruction of a nursery following a shelling in Ukraine's second-biggest city of Kharkiv

People help an elderly woman to walk in a street with an apartment building hit by shelling in the background in Mariupol, Ukraine, Monday, March 7, 2022

The fire at the warehouse after a Russian Kalibr missile debris was shot down over Kalynivka village, near Brovary, the eastern frontline of Kyiv region, Ukraine, 08 March 2022

An elderly woman placed in a shopping trolley is carried over a destroyed bridge as she is evacuated from the city of Irpin, west of Kyiv, as snow falls on Tuesday morning

People carry a wounded woman during the evacuation by civilians of the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv

A police officer says goodbye to his son as his family flees from advancing Russian troops as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues in the town of Irpin

Civilians continue to flee from Irpin due to ongoing Russian attacks as snow falls

Heavy snow falls as Ukrainian civilians flee across a river in Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, where heavy fighting is going on

Ukrainian soldiers help an elderly woman to cross a destroyed bridge as she evacuates the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv

A person is carried on a stretcher during the evacuation by civilians of the city of Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv

An elderly woman wrapped in blankets is wheeled down the highway in Irpin, Ukraine, as civilians evacuate

A wheelchair-bound woman is covered in snow as she is evacuated from Irpin while temperatures plunge

Civilians continue to flee from Irpin due to ongoing Russian attacks as snow falls

A woman carries her dog during the evacuation by civilians of the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv

People displaced from their homes carry what belongings they can as they flee from the city of Irpin, near Kyiv

A man and his dogs are helped across a river on the outskirts of Irpin, near Kyiv, as civilians evacuations continue

Ukrainians crowd under a destroyed bridge as they try to flee crossing the Irpin river in the outskirts of Kyiv

A Ukrainian soldier helps a woman to cross a destroyed bridge during the evacuation by civilians of the city of Irpin

A woman prays as she watches her relatives cross a destroyed bridge on their way out of Irpin, to the west of Kyiv

Russian troops continue to try and surround Kyiv ahead of what is expected to be an attack on the city, with intense fighting reported in the north west including hand-to-hand combat with Russian forces

Stuck in the mud: Ukraine thaw could slow Russian advance Having failed to make a decisive advance in the early phase of its Ukraine campaign, the Russian army is now facing a thaw that could make progression on key routes problematic due to mud. Like the armies of Napoleon and Hitler before them, Russian mechanised divisions are likely to be slowed down or halted as unpaved roads become quagmires. Locals have a word for the twice-yearly season of mudbound roads in the region: Rasputitsa, a term that refers to both to the seasons themselves, and the resulting muddy conditions that can last three to four weeks. As President Vladimir Putin massed his army at the Ukrainian border, many Western experts expected him to abstain from marching in as the weeks passed, because time was running out before the great thaw. 'Early spring is a bad time to invade Ukraine if the main roads have been destroyed, a task well within Ukraine's irregular warfare toolkit,' wrote Spencer Meredith, a professor at the US National Defence University. While some experts may have misread Putin's intentions, their assessment of weather conditions has been spot-on, as pictures of Russian tanks stuck in the mud have begun to appear frequently on social media. 'There were already numerous episodes when Russian tanks and other equipment drove into the fields and got stuck. So the soldiers had to leave the equipment and go on foot,' said Mykola Beleskov, an Ukrainian military analyst. He added: 'The situation will worsen as the weather warms up and the rains start, it'll just chain them to the ground.' Reporting by AFP Advertisement

In Zhyotymyr, west of Kyiv, a fire at an oil depot was extinguished in the early hours of the morning while in Mykolaiv, in the south, several fires in residential areas had broke out due to Russian attacks - with four civilians killed and five others rescued from the rubble and taken to hospital

In Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, Russian shelling set nine floors and 27 apartment units of a residential building on fire - a blaze that took rescuers more than four hours to extinguish. At least four people were killed.

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, speaking to the BBC today, said Russian forces are 'getting more desperate' and 'we are seeing the Russians just double down on brutality' as the attack stalls.

He says 'Russia has still not been making its advances, it's day 13. That northern column that we have often talked about is still pretty much stuck, I mean really stuck, so that's not advancing.'

He said the UK would be increasing the amount of lethal and non-lethal aid to Ukraine, details of which he would announce in Parliament on Wednesday, and is helping organise delivery of aid through Nato and other EU countries.

Meanwhile Russia has threatened to turn off the main gas pipeline supplying Europe if the West goes ahead with sanctions on its oil sector - a move that Moscow says would push the price up above $300 per barrel.

Germany and the UK have ruled out penalising Russia's energy sector - one of the nation's only economic lifelines - arguing that the European economy needs more time to adjust before the taps are turned off.

But the US today announced plans to ban imports of Russian oil, sending the average price of gasoline in the US to a record $4.17 per gallon.

The national average rose by 10 cents per gallon in one day, and is up 55 cents since last week, according to American Automobile Association data.

The previous high was set 13 years ago when the national average price hit $4.10 per gallon.

The price of benchmark US crude also jumped 8 per cent Tuesday to more than $129 per barrel.

Americans can expect the current trend at the pump to continue as long as crude prices climb, the AAA said.

'We will not be part of subsidizing Putin's war,' Biden declared, calling the new action a 'powerful blow' against Russia's ability to fund the ongoing offensive.

The US imports about 100,000 barrels a day from Russia, only about 5 per cent of Russia's crude oil exports, according to Rystad Energy. Last year, roughly 8 per cent of US imports of oil and petroleum products came from Russia.

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine well into its second week, a steady rain of shells and rockets continues to fall on population centres like Bucha.

The mayor of the Kyiv suburb, Anatol Fedoruk, said military fire had been heavy and constant.

'We can't even gather up the bodies because the shelling from heavy weapons doesn't stop day or night,' Mr Fedoruk said.

In one of the most desperate cities, the encircled southern port of Mariupol, an estimated 200,000 people - nearly half the population of 430,000 - are still hoping to flee, but Ukrainian authorities have been reluctant to accept Russia's offer of humanitarian corridors, arguing that previous ceasefire arrangements had been broken with many civilians killed as a result.

The Russian UN ambassador on Monday night forecast a potential cease-fire for the morning and appeared to suggest that humanitarian paths leading away from Kyiv and other cities could give people choice in where they want to go - a change from previous proposals that offered only destinations in Russia or Belarus.

But the office of embattled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did not comment on the latest Russian proposal, saying only that Moscow's plans can be believed only if a safe evacuation begins which has thus far not been possible.

Demands for effective passageways have surged amid intensifying shelling by Russian forces. The steady bombardments, including in some of Ukraine's most populated regions, have yielded a humanitarian crisis of diminishing food, water and medical supplies.

Through it all, Mr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces were showing unprecedented courage.

'The problem is that for one soldier of Ukraine, we have 10 Russian soldiers, and for one Ukrainian tank, we have 50 Russian tanks,' Mr Zelensky told ABC News in an interview that aired on Monday night.

But he noted that the gap in strength was diminishing and that even if Russian forces 'come into all our cities,' they will be met with an insurgency.
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Italian authorities are currently probing whether a mysterious superyacht docked in a northern port should be seized under sanctions against Russia, following speculation that it could belong to Vladimir Putin himself.

The $700 million yacht, Scheherazade, is one of the largest and most expensive superyachts in the world, and since its launch in 2020, its true ownership has been cloaked in absolute secrecy.

Currently docked for repairs at the Italian Sea Group shipyard in Marina di Carrara, Italy, the Scheherazade is protected by measures that are extreme even by the ultra-private standards of the superyacht world, with covers hiding its nameplate and a metal barrier erected to partially block the vessel from public view.

For more than a year, workers at the shipyard have speculated that the ship belongs to Putin himself, a source there told DailyMail.com this week. 'All the whispers were it belonged to Putin,' the person said.

The source said that the Scheherazade's crew appear to be Russian, and that a team of Germans working on repairs to the vessel were recalled by their home office after the EU announced its sanctions last week.

However, the ship's British captain, Guy Bennett-Pearce, denied that Putin owns the Scheherazade or has ever been on board, telling the New York Times: 'I have never seen him. I have never met him.'

Italian authorities are currently probing whether the superyacht Scheherazade should be seized under international sanctions. Speculation has circulated that the boat, seen above in August 2020, is owned by Vladimir Putin himself

Currently docked for repairs (above) at the Italian Sea Group shipyard in Marina di Carrara, Italy, the Scheherazade is protected by measures that are extreme even by the ultra-private standards of the superyacht world

For more than a year, workers at the Italian shipyard have speculated that the ship belongs to Putin himself, a source there told DailyMail.com this week. 'All the whispers were it belonged to Putin,' the person said

Bennett-Pearce declined to identify the Scheherazade's owner, citing a strict non-disclosure agreement, and would not rule out that the owner is Russian. He did however insist that the owner is not on any sanctions list.

The captain said that Italian investigators had come aboard on Friday and examined some of the ship's certification documents, and that he planned to hand over documents identifying the true owner on Tuesday, telling the Times that he had 'no choice.'

'I have no doubt in my mind whatsoever that this will clear the vessel of all negative rumors and speculations,' Bennett-Pearce told the outlet.

The Italian investigation into the ownership of the Scheherazade comes as authorities across Europe have raced to identify and seize yachts tied to Russian oligarchs named in new sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine.

Last week, French authorities seized the superyacht Amore Vero in the Mediterranean resort town of La Ciotat.

The 289-foot boat is believed to belong to Igor Sechin, a Putin ally who runs Russian oil giant Rosneft, which has been on the U.S. sanctions list since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.

The French Finance Ministry said in a statement that customs authorities boarded the Amore Vero and discovered its crew was preparing for an urgent departure, even though planned repair work wasnt finished.

The Italian investigation into the ownership of the Scheherazade comes as authorities across Europe have raced to identify and seize yachts tied to Russian oligarchs named in new sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine

The $700 million yacht, Scheherazade (seen in drydock), is one of the largest and most expensive superyachts in the world, and since its launch in 2020, its true ownership has been cloaked in absolute secrecy

Putin is know to be fond of luxury yachts. He is seen above cruising with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko aboard the yacht Chayka, which is owned by the Russian government and normally docks in Sochi

Meanwhile, sanctioned steel baron Alexei Mordashov's 213-foot Lady M was seized by Italian authorities Friday while moored in the Riviera port town of Imperia.

And in Sanremo, Italy, authorities seized the Lena, a yacht belonging to Putin ally and oil billionaire Gennady Timchenko.

The 511-foot Dilbar, which is likely the largest superyacht in the world, is currently under orders to remain in port at Hamburg as officials there try to determine its ownership.

Russian oligarchs account for a significant portion of the global superyacht market. Of all the superyacht projects over 164 feet that are in build or on order, Russians make up 17 percent of all owners, according to Boat International.

It has fueled speculation about the Scheherazade, whose ownership remains one of the biggest mysteries in the yachting world.

The opulent vessel features two helipads, but almost nothing is known about the interior features, and there are no known photos from inside the boat.

The Scheherazade, whose ownership remains one of the biggest mysteries in the yachting world, features two helipads, but almost nothing is known about the interior features, and there are no known photos from inside the boat.

Scheherazade, one of the largest superyachts in the world, anchors in Bodrum district of Mugla, Turkey on August 16, 2020

The Scheherazade was constructed by the German firm Lurssen and a source tells DailyMail.com that the boat is under the management of Imperial Yachts, a company based in Monaco that also supervised its construction

Putin's 'other yacht' - a smaller, older vessel named GRACEFUL Vladimir Putin claims that he is only moderately-wealthy, but is suspected of secretly harboring a $100 billion fortune. A smaller, older vessel, the Graceful, has long been suspected of belonging to Putin. Alone among the world's superyachts, the Graceful's hull was laid at a Russian naval shipyard, before being finished in Germany, an industry source told DailyMail.com. The Graceful left port in Germany about two weeks before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and is currently docked at Russia's Baltic Sea enclave of Kaliningrad, safely out of the reach of Western sanctions. The Scheherazade, however, is stuck in drydock in Italy undergoing repairs, and a person familiar with the matter said that it would be impossible for it to sail before the end of March. A smaller, older vessel, the Graceful (seen leaving Hamburg last month), has long been suspected of belonging to Putin The Graceful left port in Germany on February 7 (above), about two weeks before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and is currently docked at Russia's Baltic Sea enclave of Kaliningrad, safely out of the reach of Western sanctions Advertisement

The industry website SuperYachtFan, which estimates the boat's cost at $700 million, believes that the Scheherazade has room for a crew of about 40 and around 18 passengers.

The Scheherazade was constructed by the German firm Lurssen under the management of Imperial Yachts, a company based in Monaco.

Imperial Yachts also manages the Amore Vero, the seized yacht belonging to Sechin, according to Reuters.

An industry source told DailyMail.com that 'ninety percent of the Russians have Imperial manage their boats.'

A spokesman for Imperial said that the company is not operationally responsible for the Scheherazade, but only supervised construction.

'As a company we comply with all applicable relevant law and regulation in all jurisdictions in which the company operates,' the spokesman said in a statement.

Imperial, led by CEO Evgeniy Kochman, is believed to have four other projects underway at the Italian Sea Group shipyard. The owners of those projects were not immediately clear.

Officially, the Scheherazade's registered owner is Bielor Assets Ltd, a company registered in the Marshall Islands, and the boat is flagged in the Cayman Islands.

The ship's name, Scheherazade, is the female protagonist from the Middle Eastern collection of tales known as the One Thousand and One Nights.

It is also the title of a symphonic suite by Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov that is based on the tales.

Speculation about a connection between the vessel and Putin has run rampant in Marina di Carrara since the boat first docked there last winter, a source said.

The person said that workers at the shipyard believed the initial owner was Middle Eastern, but that at some point the boat was sold to Putin or another wealthy Russian.

The SuperYachtFan site has also speculated that the owner of the boat could be a Middle Eastern billionaire.

Officially, Putin has a declared net worth of about $150,000 and very few assets. But the Russian leader's true wealth, thought by some to be as much as $100 billion, though it has never been confirmed.

Forbes recently called it 'the most elusive riddle in wealth hunting.'

Nevertheless, Putin's fondness for luxury yachts is well established.

He has previously been photographed on yachts from the Black Sea in the south the Russia's northern regions.

Last May, he took a yacht cruise with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko near the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
National Election Commission Chairperson Noh Jeong-hee speaks during a press conference at the election overseer's headquarters in Gwacheon, south of Seoul, March 8. Yonhap



The chief of the National Election Commission (NEC) apologized Tuesday for the "mishandling" of ballots of COVID-19 patients and other alleged blunders during last week's early voting, pledging to make sure no such mishaps will happen in Wednesday's election.



"As chairperson, I feel responsible for causing confusion and inconvenience due to poor preparation," NEC Chairperson Noh Jeong-hee said at a press conference in Gwacheon, south of Seoul. "The NEC has turned over a new leaf and has prepared thoroughly so that every person can exercise their voting rights without any inconvenience."



The commission came under fire following revelations that COVID-19 patients and people under self-isolation were not allowed to put their votes into ballot boxes; instead election officials collected them in plastic bags and other unofficial containers during early voting Saturday.



The behavior sparked suspicions of election rigging, though the NEC flatly rejected these.




A former Mexican police officer was sentenced to life in prison last week by a Texas court for aiding the Sinaloa Cartel in trafficking $1 billion of cocaine to the United States.

Arturo Shows Urquidi, 50, was a member of the Chihuahua state police before he joined the ranks of the transnational cartel co-founded by Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, according to the Department of Justice.

Court documents showed that Shows Urquidi reported to Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, who also helped establish the criminal organization.

The rogue cop was responsible for setting up security for properties that were used by the cartel to stash thousands of kilos of cocaine that were removed from tanker trucks. The trucks were also used to transport cash proceeds from drug sales as well as weapons to the Sinaloa capital city of Culiacan.

Arturo Shows Urquidi, a former police officer in Mexico, was sentenced last Thursday to life in prison for his role in aiding the drug trafficking efforts of the Sinaloa Cartel. The 50-year-old worked under Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada - who helped Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman establish the cartel

Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada (pictured), who co-founded the Sinaloa Cartel with El Chapo, is still at large

Federal prosecutors said that during Shows Urquidis' run with the Sinaloa Cartel, the faction extended its criminal activities across the Chihuahua border town of Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Texas.

The cartel was also involved in a war with the Juarez Cartel that left thousands of people dead in Ciudad Juarez and in the neighboring state of Durango.

As part of the investigation, federal agents seized hundreds of kilos of cocaine and thousands of pounds of marijuana across the United States. Authorities also confiscated millions of dollars in cartel profits that were to be smuggled back into Mexico.

The investigation into Shows Urquidi's dealings with the Sinaloa Cartel also led to the apprehension of Mario Iglesias-Villegas, 36, who had been a member of the orgazniation since 2008 and led an assassin squad before his arrest in 2012.

Both Shows Urquidi and Iglesias-Villegas had pleaded guilty in October 2021 to conspiring to violate the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organization statute.

They were found guilty of conspiring to possess cocaine and marijuana, conspiring to import cocaine and marijuana, conspiring to launder money and conspiring to possess firearms in drug trafficking dealings.

'The sentencing of Shows Urquidi is another strike against members of the Sinaloa Cartel and highlights the long arm of the law reaching across international borders,' El Paso Field Office special agent-in-charge Jeffrey R. Downey said.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration's 2020 National Drug Threat Assessment, the Sinaloa Cartel, along with rival Jalisco New Generation Cartel, were the top two providers of narcotics to the U.S.

With El Chapo in prison, the Sinaloa Cartel controlled Arizona- and California-area smuggling routes into the country. The cartel maintained a tight grip on the trafficking and sale of drugs across the United States, with a shocking influence in 24 states and Washington, D.C.

The State Department is offering a reward of $15million for information that leads to the arrest and/or conviction of Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, who co-founded the Sinaloa Cartel with Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman

Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman

The orgazniation is currently being led by El Chapo's sons - Joaquin 'El Chapito' Guzman-Lopez, Ovidio Guzman-Lopez, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar - as well as Zambada, for whom the United States is offering a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction.

Zambada, who has never been arrested, told Mexican news magazine Proceso in a 2018 interview that the thought of being caught created a sense of 'panic,' - but he would not rule out killing himself if it meant avoiding doing time in jail.

'I don't know if I'd have the courage to kill myself,' he said. 'I'd like to think so, that I'd kill myself.'

When asked if he thought he would be arrested, Zambada responded: 'At any moment, or never.'
The blue-blooded wife of the Republican congressman mired in a sex scandal with 'ISIS bride' Tania Joya is standing by her man  for now.

But Anne Coolidge-Taylor would only pledge to remain with husband Van temporarily when asked whether she would stick with him following the revelation of his eight-month affair.

Anne, 51, paused before answering a DailyMail.com reporter who asked if she was staying with him,

'Ah, for the moment!' she replied.

Two-term Rep. Taylor, a 49-year-old Iraq war veteran, last week admitted the affair with Joya, 38, a former jihadist who went to fight for ISIS in Syria and dreamed of becoming a suicide bomber.

'For the moment!' Anne Coolidge-Taylor would give no long-term commitment to staying with her husband, Republican congressman Van Taylor

Van Taylor has dropped out of the GOP primary for his seat in Texas after his eight-month affair was revealed

Tania Joyce admits she initiated the affair with Taylor after they met when she was working on a program to re-educate extremists

Still wearing their wedding bands. Van Taylor and wife Anne Coolidge-Taylor both kept their rings on while running errands in McLean, Virginia, over the weekend

He and his wife of 18 years spent the weekend at their home in McLean, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. They ventured out separately but not together.

Both still wore their wedding bands.

Anne  a relative of former president Calvin Coolidge and a direct descendant of Thomas Jefferson  would not talk about her husband's affair. 'This has been very tough for my family. Ive got to protect my family,' she told DailyMail.com after returning from dropping their daughters off at school.

Taylor represents a district in Texas based around Collin County, north of Dallas. Though the couple have homes in Plano, they live full-time in their $3.6 million, six-bedroom mansion in Virginia.

He announced last week that he was pulling out of the GOP primary for the seat after being forced into a run-off as no candidate had received 50% of the vote in the primary.

Taylor was a captain in the US Marines. He said his wife sent him a letter every day that he served in Iraq

Today I am announcing I will not continue my campaign to seek re-election to Congress, Taylor wrote in an email to supporters on Wednesday last week.

About a year ago, I made a horrible mistake that has caused deep hurt and pain among those I love most in this world. I had an affair, it was wrong, and it was the greatest failure of my life.

Although considered a hard-line conservative, Taylor does not believe Donald Trump's assertion that he won the 2020 election and so candidates from the MAGA right challenged him.

Joya says she was upset after Taylor dumped her. She contacted Suzanne Harp, one of Taylor's challengers, with details of their affair. Harp arranged for an interview which she then sent to several right-wing news sites immediately prior to the primary.

In one interview, Joya outlined how she fell head over heels for Taylor while working on a re-education program for former extremists, a cause she took up after fleeing from Syria in 2013 and resettling in Plano.

Van Taylor and his wife spent time together inside their home at the weekend, but only ventured out alone

Blue-blooded Anne Coolidge-Taylor is related to former president Calvin Coolidge and a direct descendant of Founding Father Thomas Jefferson

'About a year ago, I made a horrible mistake that has caused deep hurt and pain among those I love most in this world,' said Taylor (pictured with wife Anne). 'I had an affair, it was wrong, and it was the greatest failure of my life'

Van Taylor and his wife Anne live in this six-bedroom $3.6 million home in McLean, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C.

At the time she was married to second husband Craig Burma and was trying to set up a meeting between the congressman and her boss at the re-education program.

She said Taylor called her one Friday night and they started to talk.

'He was very serious, he just wanted to know more about what I was doing in my life.

'I was interested in him and exchanging stories as I knew hed been in Iraq. I needed a friend and I knew he was an important person and he went to Harvard and I knew him and admired him and I was happy he called me.

Joya admitted she initiated their affair. 'I told him I found him attractive. For an entire month every day during October 2020 he wouldnt stop messaging me, he went crazy.

'It was so distracting, he was going crazy for me to give him attention. 'I told him my marriage wasn't doing well and was having difficulties with my older two children.'

Joya said they started having sex in November 2020  the month that Taylor got elected for his second term in Congress.

'One time he came to stay the night at my house and he said "Im never going to leave Anne, you have to understand that."

'I dont see a future for us, Joya revealed.

'I was really hurt, I said can you leave and he didnt want to leave. He said he wanted to stay then he had sex with me many times.'

Joya said she and Taylor started having sex in November 2020  the month that he got elected for his second term in Congress

Tania Joya's traveled to Syria with first husband, Texan John Georgelas when he went to fight for the Islamic State. She dreamed of becoming a suicide bomber before she became disillusioned

Rep. Van Taylor and his wife Anne on their wedding day. The Republican congressman publicly apologized to his wife and three daughters in a statement to supporters as he withdrew from his primary race

She said she broke up with him in January 2021 but the very next day took him back.

Joya, who was born in Britain to Bangladeshi parents, said she fell deeply in love with the rugged former Marine but felt bitterly betrayed and suicidal when he refused to leave his wife and three daughters.

She said she told him she would 'not be your mistress forever.'

'Why should I be?' she asked.

'I deserved better and I knew that he and Anne were having problems for a decade.

'He told me Anne wasnt loving, he told me he wished Anne would leave him because he doesnt have the heart to divorce her because he was worried how it would affect his career, and being a family man how it would affect his children.'

Taylor's Republican challenger Suzanne Harp arranged for Joya to do an interview and then shared it with several right-wing websites who published the expose shortly before the primary

But she said the two had 'an unhealthy obsession for each other.'

'Hed say "Youre my heroin, youre my cocaine, youre my weakness." Id say Im in love with you, that wasnt enough for him.'

In one interview Joya said that Taylor had told her she was the more dominant woman in his life, telling her 'I made him feel stronger, more manly. I gave him opinions hed never heard of before.

'He said he loved my company.'

The affair eventually ended in June 2021. Later that year Joya said she approached Taylor's wife, a real estate mogul, and told her all. When that seemed to have no effect, she contacted Harp.

Joya was born Joya Choudhury, in Harrow, northwest London. Her father Nural Choudhury moved between jobs including bank clerk and accounts assistant, while her mother Jahanara ran a catering business.

One of five children, she says she was brought up to believe men were on a pedestal.

She claims she was radicalized after the family moved to Barking, east London, when she was 17. There she encountered schoolgirls who slut shamed her for dressing in Western clothes.

Soon, she was wearing the full veil and being told by a friend to celebrate the bombing of the World Trade Centre in New York. By her own admission, she became a hardcore jihadist. Joya said: We believed in jihad but the jihad we were thinking of was very rosy pictured.

Taylor and his wife have homes inside his Congressional district in Texas, but they live full-time in Virginia where their daughters go to school

Tania Joya married second husband Craig Burma in 2018. They divorced in January. Burma says Van Taylor was 'predatory' in having an affair with Joya

Anne Coolidge-Taylor said she cannot talk about her husband's affair because she must protect her family

Islam had become the solution to everything,' she said.

She joined a Muslim matrimonial website and by February 2003 had met John Georgelas, the son of U.S. Air Force Colonel Timothy Georgelas and his wife Martha. They were married within a month in a sharia ceremony.

Joya had the escape she craved, moving with her new husband first to an upmarket suburb where she was overawed by the Georgelas familys four-bedroom, five-bathroom home with a pool.

Youre my heroin, youre my cocaine, youre my weakness Rep. Van Taylor to his mistress Tania Joya

The couple travelled to England and Syria, initially funded by money from their marriage, then settled in California where Georgelas got a job as a data technician.

He was caught illegally accessing passwords for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, however, and was sentenced to 34 months in jail. He served his sentence, and Joya stuck by him, and again during three years further probation in Texas.

By 2011, she had given birth to the couples third son and they were free to leave. They moved to Cairo where, according to Mr Wood, Georgelas met other jihadists and was a vocal supporter of pre-IS pro-caliphate voices.

By 2013, Georgelas was determined to go to Syria and in August took his wife, who was five months pregnant, and three sons over the border to the city of Azaz. She became known in the British press as 'The First Lady of ISIS.'

She claimed Georgelas controlled her, but he let her leave Syria, heavily pregnant with their fourth child after a few months. She claims she pushed her youngest child over the border in a stroller.

She made her way to the United States where she married Burma in June 2018. They were divorced in January.

Last week, Burma told DailyMail.com that he blamed Tylor for breaking up their marriage.

'He says he made one horrible mistake. No, he made a mistake every single time he slept with her,' said Burma, 52..

He made a mistake every single time he texted filthy stuff to her. He made thousands of mistakes and he should atone for all of them.

'He knew we were having problems in our marriage at that time. To me, that seems like predatory behavior. She was vulnerable and he targeted her for sex, he added.
Unrepentant John Bercow refused to say sorry to the victims of his bulling today - as he insisted he had been stitched up by the Establishment because he was a Parliamentary 'reformer'.

The ex-Commons Speaker was censured for mistreating staff during his decade-long tenure, including explosive tantrums and rages.

But rather than apologising he painted himself as the victim in an 800-word diatribe sent to reporters.

The 59-year-old blasted the findings of a report by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner and an Independent Expert Panel that recommended he be barred from Parliament.

He described it as a 'travesty of justice rooted in prejudice, spite and hearsay' carried out by a 'kangaroo court'.

And he vowed to circumvent the ban, saying he would continue to attend 'with the help of a friendly passholder or go as a member of the public'.

Rather than keep a low profile Mr Bercow embarked on a round of media interviews today, setting out why he was the wronged party.

Asked on BBC Radio 4's The World At One if he had apologised to three former aides for making their work life a misery, he said: 'No I most certainly haven't, because, very simply, I don't believe in faux apologies. I didn't bully anyone.

The 59-year-old blasted the findings of a report by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner and an Independent Expert Panel that recommended he be barred from Parliament.

Mr Bercow's former secretary Angus Sinclair, pictured in a Newsnight film

But Ms Stone upheld 21 out of 35 counts brought by Lord Lisvane (left), the former clerk of the Commons, and former private secretaries Kate Emms (right) and Mr Sinclair.

In an astonishing 800-word rant, Mr Bercow (pictured with wife Sally in 2019) blasted the decision, saying it was a 'travesty of justice rooted in prejudice, spite and hearsay' carried out by a 'kangaroo court'.

'I absolutely accept that under the system passed by the house, the IEP has a right to make a decision.

But I do not have to accept that its decision is right. It isn't, I don't. And for that reason I am most certainly not apologising.

'I fought for change, I was a consistent reformer. I drove through a programme of innovation in the chamber, across the parliamentary estate and in our relations with civil society. I didn't bully anyone and no court other than a kangaroo court would find that I did.'

In a report published this morning, Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Kathryn Stone, found him guilty of 21 claims made against him relating to behaviour during his decade as Speaker from 2009 to 2019.

Among his tyrannical behaviour were episodes where he threw a mobile phone so that it shattered over a secretary, and berated another by calling them 'f*cking stupid'.

In another tirade the now 59-year-old, once branded a 'stupid, sanctimonious dwarf' by a minister, was described as 'physically shaking with fury, his fists bunched and trembling, his eyes popping'.

He now faces being blocked from holding a Commons pass usually given to ex-politicians.

In his statement, Mr Bercow said: 'Parliament is supposed to be the highest court in the land. This inquiry, which lasted a ghastly 22 months at great cost to the taxpayer, has failed it dismally.

'At the end of it, the panel has simply said that I should be denied a parliamentary pass which I have never applied for and do not want.

'That is the absurdity of its position. Don't fall for the Establishment spin that I have been banned for life. I can still attend debates with the help of a friendly passholder or go as a member of the public.

'All I can say is that the case against me would have been thrown out by any court in the land since it is based on the flimsiest of evidence, rooted in hearsay and baseless rumour, and advanced by old school dogmatists once intent on resisting change at all costs and now settling some ancient scores with me.

'Add to that a dash of personal spite and you have some idea of the vengeful vendetta mounted against me. It is a travesty of justice and brings shame on the House of Commons.

'This has been a protracted, amateurish and unjust process which would not have survived five minutes' scrutiny in court. To describe what I have experienced as a kangaroo court is grossly insulting to kangaroos. None of the investigators is a lawyer and the Commissioner overseeing them has no expertise whatsoever in the consideration of alleged bullying.

'Throughout, gossip from absent friends of the complainants has been treated as the absolute truth, whilst eyewitnesses who challenged the allegations were described as 'not helpful' and discounted. The Commissioner even presumed to make findings on matters about which I was never questioned.'
A New York City man has been arrested in Philadelphia on more than a dozen criminal counts for allegedly stabbing his co-worker after attempting to rape her, and then brutally knifing her two young sons in the head for defending their mother.

Hengjian Ni, 39, turned himself in to police on Sunday afternoon and was charged with three counts each of attempt to commit murder, simple assault, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, and one count each of attempt to commit rape, possessing instruments of crime, and burglary.

A Philadelphia Police Department spokesperson confirmed to DailyMail.com that Ni and the female victim were colleagues, but she did not reveal a motive behind the savage attack.

The mother-of-two remained in critical condition on Tuesday, while her sons, aged 10 and 15, were in stable condition.

Hengjian Ni, 39, faces 15 criminal counts in connection with a triple stabbing in Philadelphia, including attempted murder and rape, assault and burglary

Three victims - a 37-year-old woman, a 10-year-old boy and a 15-year-old teenager, were stabbed in the Mayfair neighborhood of Philadelphia on Sunday

The woman and her two sons - all of Asian descent like the suspect - were attacked inside their home in the 3200 block of Knorr Street in the Mayfair neighborhood just after 2pm on Sunday.

The female victim was stabbed multiple times all over her body. Her older son was stabbed twice in the back of the head, and the younger boy sustained one knife wound to the back of the head and another to the left leg.

All three victims were transported to the Frankford-Torresdale Hospital.

A neighbor told CBS Philadelphia that she was standing in her driveway on Sunday afternoon when she saw the two siblings running out of their home just moments after being stabbed.

'When the second kid came running out, he was covered in blood from like head all the way down to his stomach,' the neighbor recounted.

The woman said the children told her and other neighbors that the suspect was a colleague of their mother's, and that he attacked her in their home.

When the brothers came downstairs and tried to shield their mother from the knife blows, the assailant stabbed them as well, according to the neighbor.

The neighbor said soon she saw the suspected attacker emerge from the victims' home.

'The guy came out, I didnt know what he was going to do, if he was going to try to attack [the children] again,' the neighbor added. 'So I said, "Run, run, run, inside my house." So we all ran inside my basement.'

The woman said as she was running down the stairs behind the boys, she looked back to see if the man was following them.

'He just turned around, he looked at us, and just casually walked away,' she said.

The neighbor later called 911. While waiting for police to arrive, the brothers asked her to check on their wounded mother.

The neighbor called out to the woman, and she said the mother came stumbling down the steps.

Ni, who was seen walking away from the crime scene while carrying a backpack, turned himself in at the 15th district station later in the day. He was taken to the hospital to be identified and is now in police custody.

Violent crime in Philadelphia is up 3.7 percent from this time last year, according to the latest numbers from the city's police department. Crime continues to rise after the city saw more than 560 homicides last year, breaking the record of 503 in 1990.

Anti-Asian hate crimes in the U.S. went up by 77 percent from 2019 to 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic, which originated in China, has been blamed for the trend.

The woman remains in critical condition, police say. The boys are in stable condition. Their identifies and their relationship to each other have not been revealed

Police first announced that the suspect remained at large, though he turned himself in at a police station later in the day and was detained. Charges have not been announced

Police haven't revealed the identities of the victims of Sunday's attack.

Video captured by WPVI shows the scene of the grisly stabbings, which is located in a street lined with rowhouses, cordoned off with police tape as cruisers stand by.

It happened in Mayfair, a neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia that is 10 percent Asian, according to Niche.

Last year, a 17-year-old Chinese-American student was randomly punched by two teens in the neighborhood, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

A female friend of the attackers laughed, according to the victim and his grandmother.

No racist words were spoken during the attack, and police did not investigate it as a hate crime, the Inquirer reported at the time.

There were 158 reported anti-Asian hate crimes in 2019 throughout the U.S., according to the FBI. In 2020, that number jumped by 77 percent to 279.

All violent crime in Philadelphia is up by 3.7 percent compared to last year. Property crimes - including burglary, retail theft and auto theft - are up by 5.43 percent.

Overall 'Part 1' offenses, which include mix violent crimes with property crimes like burglary and motor vehicle theft, are up by 5.06 percent

The city is home to 1.6 million people, making it the largest in Pennsylvania.

'Philadelphia's 2021 murder rate easily surpassed our all-time record of 503 people murdered in 1990 and has passed the 499 homicides that happened in 2020,' city Councilman Kenyatta Johnson said in a statement in January.

Violent crime in Philadelphia is up by 3.7 percent from this time last year. Overall Part 1 offenses, which include burglary and motor vehicle theft, are up 5.06 percent

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner faced criticism in December for saying the city doesn't have a crisis of lawlessness or crime. Above, Krasner on January 31

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney pushed back on Krasner's remarks a few days later, saying he agrees 'we're in a gun crisis.' Above, Kenney in March 2020

'This is not a record any city leader or Philadelphia resident should be proud of. Reducing gun violence in Philadelphia should be the number one priority for all city leaders in 2022. There are at least 560 families who have lost a loved one in 2021 and that is totally unacceptable!'

In December, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner came under fire after claiming there isn't a crime issue in the city.

'I think it's important, as we report on what is a true crisis when it comes to gun violence in the United States and also in Philadelphia, I think it's important we don't let this become mushy and bleed into thinking there is some big spike in crime.'

'We don't have a crisis of lawlessness, we dont have a crisis of crime, we dont have a crisis of violence.'

Former Mayor Michael Nutter called Krasner's remarks 'some of the worst, most ignorant, and most insulting comments I have ever heard spoken by an elected official.'

Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney pushed back on Krasner's words a few days later, saying he agrees 'we're in a gun crisis,' according to the Inquirer.

Last month, prosecutors said that a man who was arrested for dismembering his girlfriend's body with a machete killed her because she was a 'threat to his masculinity.'

Nicholas Scurria, 32, was taken into custody by police in the early morning of Friday, February 11 in Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania, five miles west of Philadelphia.

Nicholas Scurria, 32, allegedly killed his girlfriend by beheading her with a machete before attempting to dismember the rest of her body because she was a 'threat to his masculinity,' prosecutors said

Scurria was arrested by police near Philadelphia early on February 11 after neighbors called cops following loud noises coming from their apartment

Police found rolls of plastic and bags inside the home which police believe were going to be used to hide his girlfriend's body

Police said that Scurria killed his unidentified girlfriend 'in response to what the defendant perceived as a threat to his masculinity.'

'His actions were cowardly as well as evil, and he will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,' said Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer at the time.

'This morning's horrific murder is a sad reminder of the threat that many women face on a daily basis.'

Police rushed to the scene after being called in the middle of the night by Scurria's next-door neighbor at 4.40am after heading screaming and loud bangs coming through the walls.

A police report details how after a huge amount of noise between the couple, the place suddenly 'became quiet' before 'sawing-like sounds' and 'the gathering or shifting of plastic material' could then be heard.

When police showed up they found Scurria sitting on a mattress sawing the left leg of his girlfriend's corpse. He is pictured here in a photo from Facebook with a skateboard

The police affidavit shows a neighbor 'woke up to loud screaming in the neighboring apartment.'

Police arrived on the scene to find Scurria allegedly using a machete to saw off the left leg of his girlfriend's body, who had already been decapitated.

'Furthermore, the female victim was decapitated while lying on her back on the floor,' the affidavit stated.

Scurria was found sitting on a mattress as he carried out the bloody act as officers burst in with their weapons drawn.

A roll of plastic wrap was found next to her body.

'Police witnessed the suspect attempting to decapitate the already-deceased victim using a machete,' the report states.

Clifton Heights Police Chief Tim Rockenbach said the victim had suffered 'severe trauma to the head and neck.'
Professor Chris Whitty pictured at the summit today in the Science Museum, London

There is a 'relatively high' risk of another pandemic within our lifetime, Britain's chief medical officer suggested today.

Professor Sir Chris Whitty said there had been many 'near misses' in the past decade, pointing to Ebola and Zika outbreaks, warning that the 'risks are there'.

Scientists believe modern living puts us at a greater risk of animal-borne pandemics, due to the global meat trade, farming and our closer interactions with animals.

Professor Whitty said: 'The risks of pandemics and significant outbreaks is actually relatively high.

'If you just think about the last decade we have had three major outbreaks one of which is a pandemic. It includes Ebola in West Africa, which was a really major outbreak.

'We have had a second significant outbreak of Zika and that is an infection which has travelled over many years from Uganda all the way through Africa to Latin America. And of course we have also had Covid.'

He was speaking at a conference hosted by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) in London, where it was revealed a UK-made vaccine to protect people against future pandemics has received global backing worth millions of pounds.

Sir Chris and Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who opened the summit via video link, hailed a new partnership between CEPI and DIOSynVax, a biotech spinout of the University of Cambridge.

The team at DIOSynVax is working on a vaccine technique to tackle known Covid variants and future ones, together with coronaviruses that cause illnesses such as the original SARS and and MERS.

World leaders today pledged more than 30million to the project.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid, pictured today at the CEPI summit in London, warned that future variants would inevitably emerge

Pictured above are four vials of Covid vaccine. Funding awarded to Cambridge University today aims to help develop a jab that can protect against all variants

Mr Johnson said: 'The UK is proud to have committed to a quarter of a billion pounds to support CEPI at the start of the pandemic, because it was precisely the partnership between CEPI, government, industry and academia which helped our vaccines to triumph over the virus.

'And now, we must come together to support CEPI's global plan for the next generation of vaccine technologies, such as the new variant-proof vaccine being developed at Cambridge University to help protect us against the next Covid variant, or indeed, against the next pandemic.'

The PM said this was a 'crucial part' of how countries can meet the '100-day mission... to make safe and effective diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines available within the first 100 days of a future pandemic threat being identified'.

He added: 'After the tragedy of the last two years, it is incumbent on all of us to work harder than ever in preparing to meet future pandemic threats.

'That's why we're also leading international efforts to establish a pandemic treaty and an effective early warning system, or global pandemic radar, which can in turn inform the rapid development of new vaccines.'

The new funding will see CEPI invest up to around 32million to support the development of a broadly protective vaccine using mRNA technology already adopted for the Moderna and Pfizer jabs.

DIOSynVax is working with the structure of proteins, computational biology and on boosting the immune system to work out how vaccines can be used to their best effect.

If the plan works, experts believe that vaccines could rapidly be developed against 'Disease X' - unknown pathogens that have yet to emerge but which could cause pandemics.

Dr Richard Hatchett, chief executive of CEPI, said: 'The UK Government and the country's world-leading scientific institutions have been pivotal to the global response to Covid-19.

'From the development of the CEPI-supported Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine - which is used in more countries than any other - to the ground-breaking Recovery trial to evaluate life-saving treatments like dexamethasone, British science has played a leading role in protecting the world from Covid-19.

'I am excited to further strengthen CEPI's strong ties to British science through this partnership with DIOSynVax.'

Professor Jonathan Heeney, chief executive of DIOSynVax, said: 'Our approach is to be ahead of the next pandemic - to deliver custom designed, immune selected vaccine antigens - which is ideal to prevent diseases caused by complex viruses such as the large and diverse family of coronaviruses.

'If successful, it will result in a safe, affordable NextGen vaccine for widespread use.'

Scientists say more variants, potentially more dangerous than Omicron, will emerge in the coming months.
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The director the Central Intelligence Agency on Tuesday revealed that Vladimir Putin planned to take the Ukrainian capital Kyiv within two days of launching his invasion amid warnings that a frustrated Russian president could be about to escalate attacks on civilians.

Russia's main column of armor has been stalled outside Kyiv for days amid reports of poor morale, lack of supplies and technical problems.

Giving evidence before Congress, CIA Director Bill Burns said Putin was angry and frustrated.

'You know, this is a matter of deep personal conviction for him,' he said. 'He's been stewing in a combustible combination of grievance and ambition for many years.'

But Putin had underestimated Ukraine's fighting ability and the global response.

'Instead of seizing Kyiv within the first two days of the campaign, which was what his plan was premised upon, after nearly two weeks they still have not been able to fully encircle the city,' said Burns, revealing for the first time what US intelligence circles knew of the Russian game plan.

Although Russian forces have made significant advances in the south of the country, they have stalled in other parts of Ukraine.

Captured soldiers have complained of a lack of food, fuel, and overall battle plan.

CIA Director Bill Burns (l) said President Vladimir Putin had planned to seize Kyiv within two days of an invasion. 'I think Putin is angry and frustrated right now,' said Burns, warning that he expected Russia to escalate its attacks

A Ukrainian tank rolls along a main road in Kyiv on Tuesday. Russia's main invasion column remains stalled outside the capital

Armed Ukrainian servicemen stand guard next to Czech-supplied 'hedgehog' defenses in downtown Kyiv

Russian troops continue to try and surround Kyiv ahead of what is expected to be an attack on the city, with intense fighting reported in the north west including hand-to-hand combat with Russian forces

And the committee heard that the latest U.S. intelligence estimates suggest 2000-4000 Russian soldiers have been killed since the invasion was launched.

In the meantime, Russian troops have besieged cities, cutting off food, water and power.

Without an off-ramp for Putin, Burns said the result was likely to be a grinding conflict with terrible consequences for civilians.

'I think Putin is angry and frustrated right now,' said Burns.

'He's likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties.

'But the challenge that he faces - and this is the biggest question that's hung over our analysis of his planning for months now - ... he has no sustainable political endgame in the face of what is going to continue to be fierce resistance from Ukrainians.'

He added that US intelligence agencies were sharing information with Ukraine every day.

But he said CIA analysts said they could not currently see how Putin could accomplish his goal of seizing Kyiv and installing a puppet regime.

Instead, he predicted an 'ugly next few weeks.'

A day earlier, a Pentagon official said Putin had now sent all his invasion troops - estimated at more than 150,000 massed around the border - into Ukraine.

Russia was not moving forces from elsewhere into the attack, but was instead looking to sign up foreign fighters, he said.

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said intelligence analysts believed Putin would not be deterred by the setbacks

Belarusian volunteers receive military training at the Belarusian Company base in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 8, 2022. Hundreds of Belarus' emigrants and citizens have arrived in Ukraine to help the Ukrainian army fight against Russian invaders

'We do believe ... that the reports are accurate that the Russians are trying to recruit Syrians in particular to sign up and fight in Ukraine,' said the official

'We find that noteworthy that [Putin] believes that he needs to rely on foreign fighters to supplement what is a very significant commitment of combat power inside Ukraine as it is.'

The assessment given by Burns was supported by Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence.

'Our analysts assess that Putin is unlikely to be deterred by such setbacks and instead may escalate,' she told the hearing.

And she warned of the danger that misunderstandings could lead to unintended consequences.

'With tensions this high there is always an enhanced potential for miscalculation, unintended escalation, which we hope our intelligence can help to mitigate,' she said.

Putin had made four key miscalculations when it came to planning his swift victory over Ukraine, added Burns.

The Russian leader thought Ukraine was easily intimidated and that Europe, particularly France and Germany, was distracted by internal politics and was 'risk averse.'

Third, he believed he had 'sanction-proofed' his economy and fourth that he had overhauled his armed forces so that they were capable of a quick, decisive victory.

'He has been proven wrong on every count,' said Burns. 'Those assumptions have proven to be profoundly flawed over the last 12 days of conflict.'

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden announced a ban on US imports of Russian oil and gas, tightening the economic noose

The result has reportedly prompted Kremlin officials to denounce the invasion as a 'clusterf***.'

Farida Rustamova, a Russian journalist who was well-connected in government circles before fleeing Russia amid a crackdown on free speech, claimed sources she spoke to before leaving never believed Putin would go to war and are now making 'apocalyptic' forecasts .

'Theyre carefully enunciating the word clusterf***,' one source told her when asked how Russian politicians were reacting to the news.

'No one is rejoicing. Many understand that this is a mistake, but in the course of doing their duty they come up with explanations in order to somehow come to terms with it.'

Details emerged just before the White House increased pressure further on the Russian economy, when President Joe Biden announced he was banning Russian oil ad gas imports.

'That means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable in U.S. ports and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putin's war machine,' he said.

The move follows pleas by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to US and Western officials to halt the imports, which had been a glaring omission in the massive sanctions put in place on Russia over the invasion.

Biden promised that Putin would never be able to declare victory.

'Russia may continue to grind out its advance at a horrible price, but this much is already clear: Ukraine will never be a victory for Putin,' he said

'Putin may be able to take a city, but he'll never be able to hold the country.'

Energy exports have kept a steady stream of cash flowing to Russia despite otherwise severe restrictions on its financial sector.
A Church of England vicar who stripped to his underwear to carry out an 'emergency baptism' has been sacked after a tribunal ruled his actions were 'unbecoming' for a parish priest.

Reverend Clive Evans, a barrister until he was ordained in 1995, was found guilty of unacceptable behaviour following a Church of England tribunal last month, but no details of his actions were initially revealed.

However, a full report has now been published describing how Rev Evans was filmed carrying out the baptism in front of a 'shocked family'.

A panel found he 'acted inherently inappropriately' and the incident had led to a 'loss of dignity', before ruling he should be banned from holding office in the Church of England for six months.

The tribunal heard Rev Evans received a phone call while he was eating breakfast from a parishioner, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, asking if he could carry out a baptism at their home later the same day.

Rev Evans told the tribunal, held in December, that it was not a convenient time as he was due to be leaving for a holiday in Liverpool with his wife.

He told the panel it was an 'emergency baptism', but the panel disagreed, stating there was 'not an imminent danger of death'.

After finishing breakfast and packing for his holiday, he arrived at the house and informed the family he would be stripping down to his underwear - citing that he did not want to get wet.

However, the panel also found that there was 'no extreme urgency which might conceivably be imagined to justify a state of semi-nakedness'.

Recalling the incident, one family member said: 'Clive then started to remove his shirt which I thought was fair enough seeing as he didn't want to get it wet.

Reverend Clive Evans (pictured) said he did not want to get his clothes wet when he stripped down to his boxers shorts to perform a 'full immersion' baptism

'However when he started taking his shorts off I was shocked and thought to myself why is he undressing completely in front of my mother, my sister and I.'

The panel rejected Rev Evans' excuse that he 'did not have time to consider what to wear due to the emergency nature of the baptism'.

Instead, they found he had 'ample time' to consider what to wear and knew at the time of the earlier phone call that he was going to be carrying out a 'full immersion using the bath'.

The report of the tribunal continued: 'Although we accept that the family did not indicate unhappiness about his state of undress, and indeed only Person 2 has expressed reservations about it, the Panel has concluded that no agreement was reached with the family to his taking off his clothes leaving only his boxer shorts.

It added: 'The panel considers that underwear is intimate apparel. It is qualitatively different to, and has different associations from, other forms of clothing, or even of swimwear.

'As such, there is a loss of dignity by stripping down to underwear in the circumstances in which it occurred which is inherently inappropriate and unbecoming.'

The panel concluded by unanimous verdict that Rev Evans had engaged in conduct unbecoming or inappropriate to the office and work of a clerk in Holy Orders.

While Rev Evans was a 'highly experienced and self-confident priest' who would have been respected, the panel found 'ought to have known better, acted more responsibly and with far greater restraint, insight and self-control than he did'.

Rev Evans was he was sacked from roles at St Peter's Church in Bromyard (pictured) and the nearby St Peter and St Paul's Church in Stoke Lacy

Rev Evans was initially suspended from all duties in April 2019, before he was sacked from roles at St Peter's Church in Bromyard and nearby St Peter and St Paul's Church in Stoke Lacy.

The Diocese of Hereford, which has oversight of the Bromyard church, said the initial suspension was ' so that an enquiry can be carried out in relation to a complaint' that had been received'.

The Bishop of Hereford, The Rt Rev Richard Jackson, said: 'The behaviour of Revd Evans is completely unacceptable, and we will be keeping all those affected by this case in our prayers.

'Clergy are in a privileged position of leadership. Their congregations and the wider community hold them in trust. The professional guidelines to which they are bound to make clear that this is a trust that they must not abuse.

'The behaviour and actions of Revd Evans are in no way reflective of acceptable church practice.

'We fully support the findings of the tribunal and the decision to apply the penalty to remove him from office, which takes immediate effect.'
Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton laughed and said 'no' when asked Tuesday if she would consider running for the White House again.

'No, no,' Clinton said on Morning Joe between chuckles. 'But I am certainly going to be active in supporting women running for office and other candidates who I think should be reelected or elected, both women and men.'

The former secretary of State also tore into Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he was 'acting out his own insecurities' on the people of Ukraine.

Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton laughed and said 'no' when asked Tuesday if she would consider running for the White House again

The former secretary of State also tore into Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he was 'acting out his own insecurities' on the people of Ukraine

'It's so heartbreaking to me that Putin is acting out his own insecurities, his own resentments and grievances against the people of Ukraine,' Clinton told Morning Joe's Mika Brzezinski.

'Waging a war against a smaller state that is totally unprovoked as we have seen, really tells us everything we need to know about Putin,' she continued.

Brzezinski asked Clinton how she thought Putin's invasion of Ukraine would end.

'I don't know how it ends, but I think that probably the person who was most surprised that it is still going on is Vladimir Putin,' she said.

'The level of defense and determination that the Ukrainian people are showing, starting with their president, President Zelensky, going all the way down to, you know, grandmothers and young women taking up arms for the first time to defend their families and their communities - is tragic but inspiring,' Clinton continued.

'And I hope that the world will stay with Ukraine while they try to protect their homeland, and all that they hold dear, including freedom and democracy,' the former secretary of State added.

She also pointed out that even though the war is happening 'far away.'

'It is a war taht will affect what kind of world we're going to live in,' Clinton pointed out. 'And that's why I hope everybody understands why we should be supporting the Ukrainian people going forward.'

As Tuesday marked International Women's Day, Brzezinski asked Clinton what was motivating the women of Ukraine to be so resilient.

'I think first of all, it is shock,' Clinton answered.

'You know, two weeks ago, these people, especially these women, they were taking care of their babies, they were planning their weddings, they were going to work, they were continuting their education,' she said. 'And because a leader of a much larger country on their border decided that he wanted to stamp out their way of life, they are now fleeing for safety or standing up against that military force.'

She suggested that because the Ukrainians were fighting 'not for an ideology, not for a dictator,' but for their way of life, they've been able to hold Putin's forces off.

NO REMATCH: Hillary Clinton laughed at the idea that she would run for the White House again. Former President Donald Trump, who bested Clinton, but was beat by President Joe Biden, has suggested he might jump in the 2024 race

'And you can at least as of now, you know, stop this evil force from just wiping you out and ending the way that you had thought about what life would be for you and future generations,' she said.

Clinton called it resilience 'born out of danger and pain.'

The Clintons have been wading back into politics as the November midterm elections approach, but as she said Tuesday morning, is not expected to run for the White House a third time.

Conservatives, however, don't seem to be able to believe Clinton's political ambitions are done.

At the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando late last month, attendees who participated in the event's annual straw poll said that Clinton was the most likely Democratic nominee in 2024, despite Democratic President Joe Biden being in office.

Of those polled, 22.1 per cent said Clinton would be the Democrats' 2024 nominee, while 16.8 per cent said it would be former First Lady Michelle Obama - who's never expressed a desire to pursue elected office.

In third place, came Biden with 13.6 per cent of the vote.
John Bercow faced demands that his official portrait label him as a bully today, as MPs also questioned whether his lavish parliamentary pension be docked.

The former Commons Speaker is already facing a life ban from Parliament after an excoriating report today outlined his appalling treatment of staff.

But MPs today suggested further action be taken against him after the report told how he flew into rages and abused and humiliated aides while in office for a decade.

The 59-year-old refused to give up the non-contributory pension a decade ago, despite Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Lord Chancellor Ken Clarke waiving their entitlement.

The index-linked payments, equivalent to half his official salary, are worth over 35,000 a year.

The 59-year-old had vowed that he would not draw the pension until he turned 65 - boasting it would save the taxpayer at least 430,000.

But it emerged last summer that he had in fact started claiming it as soon as he stepped down as Speaker in November 2019.

Pensions minister Guy Opperman today accused him of bringing the role of Speaker into disrepute, adding: 'Many felt his rage and bullying. MPs are able to take this better than others, but his last few years as Speaker were genuinely horrific for all those in the House of Commons - save the favoured few.'

Conservative Dr Caroline Johnson asked if 'explanatory plaques' akin to those planned for statues of slave traders could be put alongside his official portraits.

She told the Commons: 'There are a number of records of Mr Bercow's period in office throughout this building which could have to be seen on a potentially daily basis by his victims.

'In the light of this report and the need to set history in context, is there any intention on the basis of Mr Speaker or the Speaker's office to put explanatory plaques alongside these, such as next to Mr Bercow's portrait in Speaker's House?'

The former Common Speaker is already facing a life ban from Parliament after an excoriating report today outlined his appalling treatment of staff.

Conservative Dr Caroline Johnson asked if 'explanatory plaques' akin to those planned for statues of slave traders could be put alongside his official portraits.

Pensions minister Guy Opperman today accused him of bringing the role of Speaker into disrepute, adding: 'Many felt his rage and bullying'

Out of order: Bercow's bullying laid bare in damning report In early 2010 Mr Sinclair told the Speaker that his private apartment in Parliament would not be available to his family during that year's election campaign. Subsequently he subjected his secretary to 'an amazing display of temper in my office, in which he ordered me to stay seated, so he was standing over me, and then threw the mobile phone right in front of me on my desk and it burst into hundreds of bits and I could feel them hitting me. It was the most violent, extraordinary display of temper.'

The same year Mr Sinclair was blamed by the Speaker for a failure to obtain a license to conduct civil partnerships in Parliament in time to help an MP. Bercow shouted: 'What the f*ck! Nothing surprises me about you  it's your job  don't you understand you (are stupid)  f*ck! It's your job you are to do this despite what Clerk has said  you are to find out.' He also accused Sinclair of being homophobic.

Later in 2010 Ms Emms went with Bercow on an official visit to Kenya, which saw him stopped at security over a banned toiletry item. After it was confiscated Bercow 'threw a temper tantrum and then sulked, refusing to acknowledge the complainant during the flight and on arrival in Kenya'. 'Her account is that she was shocked and distressed by the respondent's attitude, which was, she says, aggressive and quite out of proportion,' the report noted.

In 2012 Bercow subjected Lord Lisvane, then a clerk, to a 'personal and sneering attack' over his views on diversity. In a private meeting in a study, Lisvane said the Speaker 'broke into a torrent of abuse, accusing him of being duplicitous, manipulative, of lying, and of bullying the complainant's staff'.

In a January 2014 meeting Bercow 'launched into a diatribe. Physically shaking with fury, his fists bunched and trembling, his eyes popping, he accused [Lisvane] for over 15 minutes of incompetence, duplicity and subversion, casting himself in the role of wise Speaker when all around him were evilly intentioned incompetents'.

Bercow flew into a rage 'furious beyond the normal reaction' at Sinclair during a meeting about appointing his new chaplain. It involved the Speaker 'swearing at the complainant, thumping the table and waving his arms, with spittle coming from his mouth'

During the investigation into claims made by Lord Lisvane, Mr Bercow 'chose to imitate the complainant's voice and words on at least 20 occasions'. Advertisement

The former parliamentary referee - known for theatrically shouting 'order' to silence rowdy MPs - faces being banned from Parliament over a catalogue of appalling behaviour.

An official probe by the standards watchdog today branded the ex-Tory MP a 'serial liar' as it ruled his treatment of three staff would warrant expulsion from the Commons had he not quit in 2019.

Among his tyrannical behaviour were episodes where he threw a mobile phone so that it shattered over a secretary, and berated another by calling them 'f*cking stupid'.

In another tirade the now 59-year-old, once branded a 'stupid, sanctimonious dwarf' by a minister, was described as 'physically shaking with fury, his fists bunched and trembling, his eyes popping'.

He now faces being blocked from holding a Commons pass usually given to ex-politicians.

An official investigation found 'his behaviour fell very far below that which the public has a right to expect from any Member of Parliament'.

Labour faced calls to strip Mr Bercow of his membership, after he defected from the Tories last year. This afternoon his membership was administratively suspended pending an investigation.

Raising another Commons point of order, Conservative Michael Fabricant, the MP for Lichfield, called for a debate on how Mr Bercow's 'terror of bullying' could have 'lasted so long'.

He said '21 separate allegations were proved and have been upheld', according to the report, by the Independent Expert Panel (IEP), and added: 'The House may feel that his conduct brought the high office of speaker into disrepute.

'This was behaviour which had no place in any workplace. Members of staff in this House should not be expected to have to tolerate it as a part of every day life and I concur.

'Now there were many people in this House, I included, who tried to raise this on several occasions when John Bercow was speaker, but nothing was done.

'I feel that not only has John Bercow been shown to be of a disreputable nature, but in some ways this House has been put into disrepute and I simply ask you, will there be any occasion for the leader of the House to come here and make a statement about this damning report and the damning report about John Bercow and also give an opportunity to debate how on earth this could have lasted so long, this terror of bullying?'
The NYPD sergeant known as 'Bullethead' who has cost the city more than $1 million after being sued 46 times was seen outside his Long Island home Tuesday.

Sgt. David Grieco, 51, has forced the NYPD to settle 24 lawsuits thus far for illegal arrests, raids without warrants and unconstitutional street stops.

He appeared unperturbed by the scandal as he was snapped by DailyMail.com outside his $750,000 home on Tuesday morning, and was snapped looking at his phone before getting into his car and driving away.

He visited a nearby Dunkin Donuts, and was later seen returning with a coffee cup.

Grieco, who is believed to be a contender for most-sued cop in New York, has forced the city to pay out $1,066,750 in settlements from 24 lawsuits, with 22 still pending, The New York Daily News reported.

He is still employed by the NYPD, and currently works as a field intelligence officer, based at the East Flatbush Precinct in Brooklyn.

The largest settlement was reportedly for $103,000, but most of the recorded lawsuits have settled for tens of thousands of dollars, according to data gathered by The Legal Aid Society's Cop Accountability Project.

The suits against Grieco, a 16-year veteran of the force, go as far back as 2011 when he was an anti-crime cop in Brooklyn and continue to his current assignment as a field intelligence officer in Flatbush.

DailyMail.com has contacted Grieco, a married father of three, for further comment.

NYPD Sergeant David Grieco is seen on Tuesday after it was revealed he is one of the department's most-sued cops, with 46 lawsuits taken against him

Grieco has cost the city more than $1 million after being sued 46 times, with 24 of those suits still pending

NYPD 67 Precinct stationhouse at 2820 Snyder Ave. in Flatbush, Brooklyn where Grieco still works

Back in 2018, as his reputation began to grow, a civil rights lawyer told the Daily News Grieco was 'notorious.'

'Based on what my clients tell me, his specialty is barging into people's homes,' said Wale Masoku, a civil rights lawyer who represented several people in lawsuits against Grieco.

Grieco is still an active duty police officer and makes $172,000 a year, according to 50-a.org, an advocacy site that publishes information about New York's cops.

Molly Griffard, a Legal Aid lawyer, told NY Daily News that Grieco 'epitomizes the lack of accountability and widespread impunity throughout the NYPD' and called on New York Mayor Eric Adams to take action.

'New Yorkers need the mayor and police commissioner to take action to root out misconduct and stop giving serial abusers like Grieco mere slaps on the wrist for abusing our neighbors,' Griffard said.

None of the settlements have involved any acknowledgment of wrongdoing.

The NYPD said in a statement that the lawsuits do not prove that Grieco had broken any laws and that he 'has made and supervised hundreds of arrests that did not lead to any civil litigation.'

Grieco's $750,000 Long Island home is pictured on Tuesday morning

Most of the substantiated claims against Grieco for abuse of authority, according to ProPublica, have involved black suspects.

Joshua Moskovitz, a lawyer involved in two cases against Grieco that were settled, said he was shocked that the officer has not yet been fired.

'To me, it's incredible that the city hasn't already taken steps to terminate him,' Moskovitz told NY Daily News.

'What would any reasonable [private sector] employer do if an employee cost them a million dollars in liability over 40 different lawsuits?

'At some point any reasonable employer would say, 'I can't keep you on.'

Grieco has also been cited several times for failing to log police activity and was docked vacation days last year for making an unjustified car stop.
Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), hugs DPK Chairman Song Young-gil, whose head is wrapped in a bandage, at the party's headquarters in Seoul on March 8. Yonhap





Ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairman Song Young-gil was discharged from a hospital Tuesday, a day after he was wounded in a hammer attack while he was campaigning for the party's presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung.







In Monday's attack, a YouTuber in his 70s struck Song in the head from behind with a hammer several times during a campaign stop in Seoul's Sinchon area. He was immediately taken to a hospital where he received stitches for the wounds to his head.







The assailant was immediately taken into police custody.







"I was struck in the head from behind with a hammer, but luckily it missed fatal parts," Song wrote on Facebook. "Since there is no brain hemorrhage, I will leave hospital and will join the final campaign rallies."







Song held a one-man "campaign rally" on Yeouido to start his campaigning for Lee. He is also scheduled to join the DP's final rally at Cheonggye Plaza in central Seoul on the eve of the presidential election. (Yonhap)


A 16-year-old shooter who blasted a 15-year-old boy in the face with a shotgun has today had his attempted murder sentence slashed by Appeal Court judges.

Jacob Talbot-Lummis was also 15 when he took his father's car and laid in wait for more than an hour before shooting the victim from less than five feet away.

Chilling photographs also reveal Talbot-Lummis proudly posing with a replica AK47 assault rifle given to him by a family friend as a younger child before he took a shotgun from his grandfather's home to blast the boy in the face at 'very close range' in September 2020.

Sentencing him last November, Judge Martyn Levett said the victim, who had been walking to school, suffered 'unimaginably serious injuries', flashbacks and continued to be 'reliant on his family'.

Talbot-Lummis, then 16, was handed an extended sentence made up of 24 years in custody and five years on extended licence.

However, three senior judges at the Court of Appeal reduced the sentence for attempted murder to 18 years in custody with an extended five years on licence on Tuesday.

Jacob Talbot-Lummis, pictured, was 15 when he took his father's car to the scene in Kesgrave and laid in wait for more than an hour before shooting the victim from less than five feet away

Chilling photographs reveal Talbot-Lummis proudly posing with a replica AK47 assault rifle given to him by a family friend as a younger child

The shotgun used by Talbot-Lummis who shot a 15-year-old boy in the face with the double-barrelled shotgun

Ipswich Crown Court heard that Talbot-Lummis 'didn't show any mercy' as he 'ruthlessly executed' a plan in Kesgrave to attack the boy on the first day back at school since lockdown restrictions eased on September 7 2020.

The teenager said in evidence that he wanted to 'scare' the boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

He also claimed the boy had caused him 'humiliation and fear' and fired the gun unintentionally near Kesgrave High School.

But jurors rejected his version of events and convicted him of attempted murder.

He was sentenced to 24 years' imprisonment in November 2021 by Judge Martyn Levett.

Ipswich Crown Court heard that Talbot-Lummis 'didn't show any mercy' as he 'ruthlessly executed' a plan in Kesgrave, Suffolk to attack the boy on the first day back at school since lockdown restrictions eased on September 7 2020

The trial also heard that Talbot-Lummis had played a virtual reality computer game called Blood Trail the day before the shooting which was 'a factor for the onset of violent fantasies'.

The three appeal judges heard the shooter told another boy that he planned to move to Guatemala after the shooting.

Lord Justice Holroyde said: 'The extent to which the offence was planned was, in our view, exceptional.'

At a hearing in London, Talbot-Lummis appeared via video link to challenge the length of his sentence.

His barrister Diana Ellis QC said the sentence was 'manifestly excessive'.

Talbot-Lummis also claimed the boy had caused him 'humiliation and fear' and fired the gun unintentionally near Kesgrave High School.

rmed police officers outside a propertyin Kesgrave, Suffolk in September 2020

She argued that the sentencing judge had failed to properly consider the amount of mitigation the teenager had, including his youth, 'dysfunctional' upbringing and the bullying he said he faced from his victim.

During the original sentencing, Judge Levett said he did not accept 'there was bullying of the scale or the degree suggested'.

Lord Justice Holroyde, sitting with Mr Justice Julian Knowles and Mr Justice Cotter, said the trial judge was 'in the best position to assess the evidence'.

He continued: 'What, with respect, he did not address however was the full effect of the bullying, whatever its level, may have been on the appellant.'

The senior judges said there was evidence that Talbot-Lummis had suffered from mental health difficulties, including evidence from a friend and experts.

They also said the sentencing judge should have taken Talbot-Lummis's youth more into account and reduced the sentence further from the number of years that would have been given to an adult.

Lord Justice Holroyde said: 'There was, in our view, no basis for treating the appellant as being more mature than others of his age.'

Allowing the appeal, the senior judges also reduced a concurrent sentence for possession of a gun with intent to endanger life from 12 years to nine years.
The Taliban has wished 'all women' a 'Happy International Women's Day' in a tweet.

The oppressive regime is known for its violent treatment and systemic exclusion of women, in past banning them from employment and largely shutting them out from public life without a man present

Since taking power last August, the Taliban has banned women from travelling distances longer than 45 miles unless accompanied by a male family member, asked television channels to stop showing dramas and soap operas featuring women actors, and cracked down on any protests by opposition groups.

Members of the Taliban forces fire in the air to disperse the Afghan women during a rally to protest what the demonstrators said is restrictions on women, in Kabul in December

It has also sought to restrict women and girls from education, considering banning women from being able to learn certain subjects.

The tweet was posted by the regime's spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi.

He posted a version of the message in English, saying 'May the #8thMarch #InternationalWomensDay be auspicious for all women'.

The post read: 'Protracted wars in Afghanistan have been immensely detrimental for women.

The Taliban's spokesman has has wished 'all women' a 'Happy International Women's Day' in a tweet

'IEA is committed to addressing the plight of Afghan women, and providing facilities for an honourable and beneficial life in light of the noble religion of Islam and our accepted traditions.'

Since August, the Taliban have imposed various restrictions on women and girls, despite pledging a softer rule compared with their first stint in power in the 1990s.

In several provinces, local Taliban authorities have been persuaded to reopen schools - but many girls still remain cut off from secondary education.

In December the group issued a decree in the name of their supreme leader instructing the government to enforce women's rights.

The decree did not mention girls' access to education.

Activists hope that the Taliban's battle to gain international recognition and get aid flowing back into one of the poorest countries in the world will lead to them making concessions to women.

Afghan women hold banners and placards during a rally to protest against what the demonstrators described as the Taliban's restrictions on women, in Kabul in December

Respect for women's rights has repeatedly been cited by key global donors as a condition for restoring aid.

Women's rights were severely curtailed during the Taliban's previous stint in power from 1996 to 2001.

They were then forced to wear the all-covering burqa, only allowed to leave home with a male chaperone and banned from work and education.

the regime has 'eroded two decades of women's contributions to the country', Amnesty International's South Asia Director Yamini Mishra said in an organisation's petition calling on the international community to hold the Taliban accountable for their treatment of women.

Afghan women chant slogans and hold banners during a women's rights protest march in Kabul in January

She added: 'Over the last six months, the Taliban have systematically discriminated against women and girls by introducing policies that have severely restricted women's freedom of movement and expression and undermined girls' access to education and employment.

'The speed at which the Taliban are dismantling the hard-fought human rights gains of Afghan women should send a chilling reminder to the international community of their responsibility to safeguard the women and girls of Afghanistan, many of whom are being silenced through reprisal attacks, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and torture.

'As this petition makes clear, the Taliban must be held accountable for their actions.'

Afghan women at a women's rights protest in Kabul in January. Respect for women's rights has repeatedly been cited by key global donors as a condition for restoring aid

An activist from the Woman's Unity and Solidarity Group, who asked not to be named, told AFP that 'the Taliban have taken away the sky as well as the ground from us'.

Heather Barr, of Human Rights Watch, also told the agency today: 'If you care about women's rights - anywhere in the world - you should be watching Afghanistan with deep alarm.

'It's been shocking to see how fast the progress of the last 20 years has been yanked back and how little the international community has done to stand up for Afghan women.'
Tesla-driving late night host Stephen Colbert told his audience Monday that sky-high gas prices are worth it for 'a clean conscience.'

During his opening monologue Colbert spoke about Russia - which was recently hit with heavy sanctions by the U.S. and European allies following the invasion of Ukraine.

As a ban on Russian oil imports looms, the national average price of gasoline in the U.S. has hit its highest level ever, with regular gasoline costing $4.173 per gallon.

Colbert, who earns $16 million a year from his late night gig and drives a Tesla Model S, said Americans shouldn't complain about having to pay up at the pump because it's the right thing to do.

Late night host Stephen Colbert, who earns $16 million a year and drives a Tesla Model S, said Americans should be willing to pay up in exchange for a 'clean conscience'

Many Americans have found their pocketbooks currently burdened by high gas prices, which experts at GasBuddy project will remain above $4 until at least November. Pictured: one gas station in California where the price per gallon approached $7 last week

In some states, prices are even higher, with the average in California leading the nation at $5.444 on Monday

'Today, the average gas price in America hit an all-time record high of over $4 per gallon. OK, that stings, but a clean conscience is worth a buck or two. It's important. I'm willing to pay $4 a gallon. Hell, I'll pay $15 a gallon because I drive a Tesla.'

While Colbert will most likely not feel the sting of rising gas prices during his 13-mile commute to Manhattan from his home in Montclair, New Jersey, in his $95,000 electric car, many Americans are burdened with high prices - which experts at GasBuddy project will remain above $4 until at least November.

In California, prices hit $5.444 on Monday. At one gas station in Gorda, south of Big Sur, a gallon of regular gas was an eye-watering $7.59 this weekend, according to KSBW-TV.

Colbert drives the luxury electric car Tesla Model S, which has a $94,990 starting price (model pictured above)

The fuel-savings app GasBuddy projects that gas prices will peak in May, at an average of $4.25, and that prices will remain above $4 a gallon until November

'Americans have never seen gasoline prices this high, nor have we seen the pace of increases so fast and furious,' said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.

'That combination makes this situation all the more remarkable and intense, with crippling sanctions on Russia curbing their flow of oil, leading to the massive spike in the price of all fuels: gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and more,' he added.

GasBuddy is now advising motorists to limit their fuel consumption if at all possible, and to drive more efficiently to ease the burden on strained oil supplies.

Vice President Kamala Harris announced the Biden administration's push transition to green energy and electric cars Monday, sparking backlash from conservative groups

'It's a dire situation and won't improve any time soon. The high prices are likely to stick around for not days or weeks, like they did in 2008, but months,' said De Haan. 'GasBuddy now expects the yearly national average to rise to its highest ever recorded.'

EVs vs. gas-powered cars: The facts as Biden administration pushes Americans to buy cleaner vehicles The average price of an electric vehicle is $56,437, $10,000 higher than the industry average of all cars, according to Kelly Blue Book.

Based on the average lifespan of a car - 200,000 miles - the cost to maintain a gas-fueled car would be $94,540, while a EV would be $90,160, according to Car and Driver.

Electric vehicles are expected to last 300,000 miles, while a standard car is 200,000.

'Level 2' chargers, which is what buyers usually start with, cost around $2,000 - including installation.

The federal government offers a tax credit of between $2,500 and $7,500 for new electric vehicles made after 2010. But none of these credits are available for Tesla and General motors.

In 2020, a Consumer Reports study said electric vehicle owners spend 60 percent less on fuel than those who use a combustible engine.

This is based on charging 11 times every 15,000 miles for a car with a range of 200 miles.

The average monthly cost of charging is $25. There is also no oil to change or spark plugs to replace.

It can still take up to 30 minutes to charge an EV, even with the higher-standard Level 3 chargers.

There are 46,000 commercial gas stations compared to 150,000 gas stations. Advertisement

The United States is the world's largest oil producer - ahead of Saudi Arabia and Russia - but it is also the biggest oil consumer, and it can't meet that staggering demand with domestic crude alone.

The U.S. imported 245 million barrels of oil from Russia last year - about 8% of all U.S. oil imports - up from 198 million barrels in 2020. That's less than the U.S. gets from Canada or Mexico but more than it imported last year from Saudi Arabia.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has rattled world oil markets, sending the price of crude soaring, and on Tuesday President Joe Biden was expected to announce a ban on Russian oil imports.

Russia accounts for about 7 percent of all U.S. foreign oil imports, or about or about 672,000 barrels a day.

The disruptions have sent the price of crude oil soaring from around $90 per barrel before the Russian invasion to more than $120 on Tuesday. For every $10 increase in the price of oil, a gallon of gasoline rises about 20 cents.

GasBuddy says that in addition to setting a new all-time high, the national average price of gas is seeing its largest ever seven-day spike, rising 49.1 cents per gallon in one week.

That eclipses the 49.0 cent weekly rise after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Last week, the International Energy Agency (IEA) announced a coordinated release of crude oil from its 31 member countries' strategic reserves in a bid to ease supply strains.

However, the plan to release 60 million barrels from strategic reserves did nothing to cool crude oil futures, with markets shrugging off the plan as inconsequential.

Biden was set to address the nation on Tuesday morning and will announce the US embargo on Russia oil at that time, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Even before the U.S. ban many Western energy companies including ExxonMobil and BP moved to cut ties with the Russia and limit imports.

On Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also faced conservative backlash for pushing a transition to green energy and electric cars.

The duo were the public face of a Biden administration announcement whose centerpiece was a $3.7 billion boost for public transportation, including an investment in new fleets of electric buses.

'We are all in the midst of a turning point. We have the technologies to transition to a zero emission fleet,' Harris said during the announcement. 'We can address the climate crisis and grow our economy at the same time.'

'Transit gets riders where they need to be efficiently and affordably with far less pollution to thrive. And it's even good for drivers of cars, because it means less congestion and traffic on our roads. And transit is even better when it's clean transit with modern electric buses that don't pollute at all,' he said.

Neither official mentioned gas prices or that the average transaction price for an electric vehicle (EV) is $56,437, according to Kelley Blue Book, which is about $10,000 higher than the overall industry average for a vehicle.

Republicans were quick to criticize, with one lawmaker from the oil-rich state of Oklahoma calling Harris and Buttigieg 'tone deaf.'

'Vice President Kamala Harris and DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg spent the afternoon promoting electric vehicles and Green New Deal policies. Are you kidding me? The Biden Administration could not be more tone deaf,' said Rep. Markwayne Mullin.

Meanwhile, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday that President Biden is doing everything he can to reduce the impact of gas prices on the American people.

She blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for the high numbers at the pump.

What is also true, is that because of the actions of President Putin, because he invaded a sovereign country that created instability in the markets, that is something the President talked about even before Russia and President Putin move forward with their actions, she noted.
A mother of a teenager with a rare kidney disease broke down in tears of joy after a judge overruled doctors and said her son should be allowed to receive a potentially life-saving transplant.

Amy McLennan, 45, from Lancaster, launched legal action after Manchester University NHS Foundation refused a transplant to her son William Verden, 17, who has just 12 months to live.

The mother said her 'beautiful boy', who has autism and ADHD, deserved a chance of life.

She added that if he did not become eligible for a new kidney - which has a 50 per cent chance of curing him - the Trust's decision would be a 'death sentence'.

However, medics at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, where William is treated, argued the chance of disease recurrence from a transplant would be nearer 100 per cent.

They could not agree to a transplant because they said he would suffer psychological and physical harm from post-operation sedation and ventilation to prevent him pulling out lines and catheters.

The court, sitting in Liverpool, was told that if a transplant proved successful then William would live a further 15 to 20 years before he needed another one.

Ruling on Tuesday that a transplant was in the teenager's best interests, Mrs Justice Arbuthnot said: 'Transplant is not futile.

Royal Manchester Children's Hospital refused a transplant to William Verden, 17, who has autism and ADHD

The teenager's moth Amy McLennan (pictured left with William) has spoken of her joy after a judge ruled that a transplant was in the teenager's best interests

Ms McLennan broke down in tears of joy after a judge overruled doctors and said her son should be allowed to receive a potentially life-saving transplant

'Although the chances of that lead to an increase in William's suffering in the short and medium term, it has the commensurate benefit which is there is a chance for William of long-term survival.'



Following the decision, Ms McLennan said she hoped her son would live his 'best life'.

She said: 'We adore William and all we want is for him to live the best life he can.

'At present, I firmly believe that this won't be possible unless he can receive the care he desperately needs and deserves.

'Bringing a legal case isn't something we ever wanted or thought we would need to do; however, William's situation is critical and could mean the difference between life and death.

'All we have wanted was for him to be added to the transplant list and his treatment to be continued until a donor is found.

'I feel it's the minimum he deserves and what any mum would do for their child.'

She added: 'As a family, we still struggle to comprehend why William's case has gotten to this stage, but this judgment is about trying to look to the future.

'What's happened is in the past and we now need to focus on trying to find the crucial donor who can provide William with the best chance in life.

'We continue to be amazed by how many people have been touched by William's story and remain ever so thankful to those who have expressed a wish to potentially become a donor or who have contacted us with messages of support.'

Her solicitor Liz Davis, of law firm Irwin Mitchell, said: 'This is an incredibly sensitive case which has prompted a really important discussion not only about William's care but also about the wider issue of providing medical treatment to people with autism and learning disabilities.'

Following the decision, Ms McLennan said she hoped her son would live his 'best life'

The teenager's mother said bringing a legal case was not something she wanted or thought she would need to do

Toli Onon, the health trust's joint group medical director, said: 'William has a rare condition affecting his kidneys, and each treatment option had its own risks to his health and wellbeing.

'That's why we asked the court to make this difficult decision, and why the judge noted that she respected our approach to establishing what's best for William.

'William, his family and our staff have all worked really hard together to support his dialysis and we will now be liaising with William and his family regarding how best to progress his treatment.'

William, who has autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, was diagnosed with the kidney condition focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) in December 2019.

FSGS affects around seven in every million people, attacking the kidneys' filtering units, causing scarring that leads to permanent damage and, sometimes, organ failure.

William's current kidney function is around five per cent and he is under the care of Manchester Children's Hospital which is run by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.

William was initially on steroids, but by May 2020, having reached end-stage kidney failure, he was having dialysis via his stomach at home 10 hours a day, six days a week.

Following tests William's parents and other relatives were not deemed to be suitable donors, prompting the family's appeal.

A number of people have now come forward to see if they can help William.

But as investigations start to assess suitability, the family want to hear from other potential donors.

An expert instructed by the family and the hospital believes a kidney transplant has a 50 per cent chance of curing William's disease and giving him a normal life.
The former chairman of American right-wing group the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, was charged with conspiracy for his role in planning the January 6 Capitol riot and arrested in his underwear during an early-morning raid on his house in Miami Tuesday.

Tarrio, 38 was seen on video being put in handcuffs without a shirt on - one of the highest profile arrests in connection with the attempted insurrection, which sought to block certification of President Joe Biden's election.

The Proud Boy leader's skimpily dressed arrest also comes just weeks after being caught with his zipper down while leaving jail on an unrelated charge in January.

Moments after being handcuffed, Tarrio was seen exiting the home in a black t-shirt as a group of FBI agents followed him to the squad car.

He appeared in a virtual Miami-based federal court hearing from a cellblock in a nearby local jail around 2 p.m. Prosecutors said they were seeking to have him detained pending trial because they believe he is a danger to the community and poses a risk of flight.

During his court appearance, the former far-right leader also told the judge he was broke and had 'absolutely' no savings.

He added that he had been forced to print T-shirts for a living - a gig that was paying just $400 to $500 a week.

Scroll down for video

Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, 38, of Miami, was arrested for conspiracy by the FBI on Tuesday morning, wearing nothing but his underwear

Tarrio was seen on video being put in handcuffs without a shirt on - one of the highest profile arrests in connection with the attempted insurrection, which sought to block certification of President Joe Biden's election

Tarrio was arrested in a dawn raid and put in handcuffs

He was later seen wearing a more conservative outfit consisting of a black t-shirt as a crew of FBI agents led him to the squad car

Members of the Proud Boys removed Tarrio from their private chatrooms early on Tuesday after learning of his arrest, said a member of the group who asked for anonymity.

The former chairman of American right-wing group the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, was arrested on conspiracy charges Tuesday for allegedly helping plan the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot by supporters of former President Donald Trump.

Tarrio, 38, of Miami, was arrested in his hometown on Tuesday morning following 'his indictment on conspiracy and other charges related to the breach of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021,' the Justice Department said in a press release.

Tarrio was not present at the Capitol on January 6 because he had been arrested two days earlier on an unrelated charged, and was barred from Washington DC by a judge.

A court sketch shows Tarrio standing in handcuffs and a black t-shirt he was seen leaving his house in hours earlier. He told the judge during the hearing that he was 'broke' and was making $400 to $500 a week printing t-shirts

However, he is accused of helping plan the attack on the Capitol with Proud Boys members, and stayed in contact with them after they breached the building.

Tarrio was named in an indictment filed Monday in the District of Columbia that also includes five previously charged defendants: They include: Ethan Nordean, 31, of Auburn, Washington; Joseph Biggs, 38, of Ormond Beach, Florida; Zachary Rehl, 36, of Philadelphia; Charles Donohoe, 34, of Kernersville, North Carolina; and Dominic Pezzola, 44, of Rochester, New York.

The indictment claims that in December 2020, Tarrio and his co-defendants, all who were part of a Proud Boys chapter that dubbed themselves the 'Ministry of Self Defense,' which conspired to corruptly obstruct Congress from confirming President Joe Biden's election win.

'Tarrio and his co-defendants, all of whom were leaders or members of the Ministry of Self Defense, conspired to corruptly obstruct, influence and impede an official proceeding, the certification of the Electoral College vote,' the Justice Department said in a press release.

'On January 6, the defendants directed, mobilized and led members of the crowd onto the Capitol grounds and into the Capitol, leading to dismantling of metal barricades, destruction of property and assaults on law enforcement,' according to the indictment.

The former chairman of the right-wing group the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, 38, of Miami, was arrested on conspiracy charges Tuesday for allegedly helping plan the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot

Tarrio (pictured in January 2022 leaving jail for an unrelated conviction) was not physically present at the riot, but has been accused, alongside five other Ministry of Self Defense members - a special chapter of the Proud Boys - for mobilizing members to 'dismantle metal barricades, destroy property, and assaulting law enforcement'

Then-Proud Boys leader Tarrio picturred at a Proud Boys rally in Portland, Oregon, in September 2020. He was arrested Tuesday on a conspiracy charge for his suspected role in a coordinated attack on the U.S. Capitol to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's 2020 electoral victory

Tarrio is not accused of physically taking part in the riot, but the Justice Department claims that he led the advance planning and remained in contact with Proud Boys members on January 6 when they breached the Capitol.

'Tarrio was indicted on one count of each conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and obstruction of an official proceeding, as well as two counts each of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers and destruction of government property,' the Justice Department said in a press release.

Two days earlier, Tarrio was arrested on a warrant charging him with destruction of property after he burned a church's Black Lives Matter banner and for a weapons violation. He was released on January 5 on the condition that he stay out of Washington DC.

Tarrio is one of the high-profile cases among the more than 750 people charged with taking part in the violence on January 6 (pictured)

Tarrio insisted he didn't know that the church whose flag he's targeted housed a black congregation, and insisted his behavior had only been intended as general protest against the anti-police brutality group.

Speaking to WUSA 9 reporter Eric Flack as he prepared to walk up to the jail gate in September, ahead of his five-month sentence, Tarrio said: 'I've nothing to say to the members of that church or congregation anymore. I already apologized to them once...

'The same justice system that Black Lives Matter fights for is the same justice system championing my arrest, and I find that hysterical.'

He was released from his five-month sentence in January 2022.

He added: 'Yes I did burn their property and I apologized to them, but after what I heard from them this was strictly political. They wanted to put the bad guy, the villain, in jail, and congratulations - they have.'

The night before the Capitol riot, Tarrio - who had just been released from jail and forbidden from going to the Capitol - was seen with Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes and other far-right figures in a parking garage. They have all denied the gathering had anything to do with the impending attack on the Capitol

Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhoades and 10 other members have also been charged with seditious conspiracy against the Capitol

In addition, eleven people affiliated with the right-wing Oath Keepers militia, including the group's founder Stewart Rhodes, have been charged with seditious conspiracy for their alleged roles in planning the attack on the Capitol.

The FBI is also investigating a meeting between Tarrio and Stewart that took place a day before the Capitol riot. They were filmed in a parking garage near the Phoenix Park Hotel with four other far-right figures by a British filmmaker shooting a documentary about the Proud Boys.

Tarrio left Washington soon after the meeting on January 5, 2021, and claimed their was no discussion about an impending attack on the Capitol during their conversation, sources said.

Latinos for Trump leader Bianca Gracia also attended the meeting alongside Oath Keepers lawyer Kellye SoRelle, video footage showed.

SoRelle told Reuters that Gracia invited her to the meeting to share criminal defense attorney information with Tarrio. She said they spoke briefly and did not discuss the then-impending Capitol takeover.

Tarrio - who was released from jail last month after serving a five-month sentence for burning a Black Lives Matter flag outside a black church and a weapons offense - claimed his encounter with Rhodes was happenstance.

'By coincidence,' he told Reuters last June. 'He was inside... that parking garage. He's here, I'm not going to not shake somebody's hand.'

An attorney for Rhodes also claimed the meeting was not planned.

Tarrio later served a five-month prison sentence for burning a church's Black Lives Matter flag (pictured) and he was released in January 2022

The 56-year-old militia leader's court appearance came a day after he was hit with an indictment that named 10 other members of his far-right militia group.

Rhodes is believed to be the first person who did not enter the building to be criminally charged over the riot.

Prosecutors said he commanded his followers from outside, and that he'd spent months plotting the invasion over texts and encrypted messaging services. If convicted, he faces 20 years behind bars.

Before the hearing, his attorney Jonathan Moseley told DailyMail.com that he was innocent, and that much of the evidence the prosecution included in the indictment had been taken out of context.

'They planned to come to DC to help with the demonstration. They were planning that - they didn't plan to break windows and beat police. They believe these charges are misguided. We're going to have to require the government to put the entire documents in front of the court,' Moseley said at the time.

They are some of the highest-profile cases among the more than 750 people charged with taking part in the violence.

Tarrio is expected back in court on Friday at 10am for his detention hearing and his trial is expected to start on May 18.
A man in Florida was arrested after he walked up his next-door neighbor's driveway 'fully naked' and allegedly defecated on his front porch's glass table.

Kenneth Clark Carlyle, 64, was seen relieving himself on his neighbor's property last Friday at around 4.40 p.m. in Clearwater.

Police have not yet identified a motive.

The incident was caught from 'two separate angles of the victim's home security video footage', according to the Smoking Gun.

Carlyle was then arrested on Friday afternoon for criminal mischief and was taken to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, according to local authorities. He is being held on a $250 bond.

When officers responded to the scene, Carlyle was spoken to 'through the door of his RV camper and he was still visibly naked and highly uncooperative.'

Dailymail.com contacted Caryle's next-door neighbor for comment, but to no avail.

Meanwhile, Carlyle is also facing other charges related to an incident from three months earlier.

Kenneth Clark Carlyle, 64, was charged with criminal mischief after relieving himself on a next-door neighbor's front porch glass table last Friday while being 'fully naked'

The incident was caught on surveillance video when it took place, as Carlyle was filmed from 'two separate angles of the victim's home security video footage'. Pictured: 2235 Riviera Dr, Clearwater, Florida

In December of last year, Carlyle was arrested for drunk driving and discharging 'multiple firearms' at homes in the area of Lake Citrus Drive and Victoria Drive.

Police were called after reportedly Carlyle began to 'recklessly' open fire from his car, within a 1,000ft from private homes.

When officers tried confronting him, he took off and drove home, according to WFLA.

He was still under the influence on his return home, authorities said. His car was later found in the yard of his property.

Several firearms were found inside Caryl's car and multiple shell casings were found on the floor.

Carlyle was subsequently arrested and charged with carrying a concealed firearm, discharging of a firearm and driving under the influence.

Carlyle was later released on $11,500 bond. The incident took place just 0.3 miles away from his arrest on Friday.

Prior to that, Carlyle had received a red light violation in October and left the scene of a crash involving property damage in September.


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Shocking video shows the moment an elderly civilian Ukrainian couple were blown up in their car by a Russian special peacekeeping tank in a completely unprovoked attack that lays bare the brutality of Vladimir Putins lawless invasion.

In a 54 second clip shared widely on Twitter, a car moves into the frame before coming to a halt as a Kremlin tank fires twice on the vehicle. Separate footage shows butchered remains of a couple inside a car, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination.

NATO has claimed that Moscow could be deliberately targeting civilians trying to flee Ukraine as Putin increasingly wages a war of terror as his campaign gets bogged down in what mortified Kremlin insiders have allegedly branded a clusterf**k.

Speaking in Latvia, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said there are credible reports of war crimes being committed in Ukraine, following reports Moscow shelled humanitarian corridors out of Mariupol and Sumy as civilians try to escape Putins bombs.

Buses have carried civilians out of an embattled Ukrainian city along a safe corridor agreed by the warring sides, but a parallel effort to relieve the besieged port of Mariupol in the countrys south was thrown into jeopardy by reports of renewed Russian attacks.

Kremlin forces have laid siege to Ukrainian cities and cut off food, water, heat and medicine in a growing humanitarian disaster, but for days, attempts to create corridors to safely evacuate civilians have stumbled amid continuing fighting and objections to the proposed routes.

Europes worst refugee crisis since the Second World War grew even more severe, with UN officials reporting that 2million people have now fled Ukraine.

Shocking video shows the moment an elderly civilian Ukrainian couple were blown up in their car by a Russian special peacekeeping tank in a completely unprovoked attack that lays bare the brutality of Vladimir Putins lawless invasion

In a 54 second clip shared widely on Twitter, a car comes to a halt as a Kremlin tank fires twice on the vehicle

Separate footage shows butchered remains of a couple inside a car, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination

Humanitarian corridors offered by Moscow have been dismissed by Kyiv as little more than a PR stunt because routes, most of which lead to Russia or Belarus, have come under attack by the Kremlin's forces

Officers evacuate an elderly woman as civilians continue to flee from Irpin as snow falls in Irpin, March 8, 2022

People flee the city of Irpin, west of Kyiv, on March 7, 2022 as Russian forces pummelled Ukrainian cities

Ukrainian servicemen inspect a charred Russian tank in the Sumy region, Ukraine, March 7, 2022

Yellow buses with a red cross on them are seen arriving in Mariupol on Tuesday to begin evacuation

A view shows buildings damaged by recent shelling during Russia's invasion of Ukraine in Kharkiv, March 8, 2022

A Ukrainian firefighter in action trying to extinguish the fire at the storage with chemicals which was hit by Russian shelling, on the outskirts of Brovary, the eastern frontline of Kyiv region, March 8, 2022

Russian troops continue to try and surround Kyiv ahead of what is expected to be an attack on the city, with intense fighting reported in the north west including hand-to-hand combat with Russian forces

Zelensky echoes Churchill's famous WWII speech in moving address to MPs as he describes Ukraine's resolve to defeat Putin's troops Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today channeled Winston Churchill as he delivered a historic address to the House of Commons. Mr Zelensky was given a standing ovation by MPs both before and after his speech in which he compared Ukraine's fight against Russia to Britain's World War Two struggle against Nazi Germany. Drawing on Churchill's iconic rallying remarks, he said Ukrainians will fight against Moscow's forces on land, sea and in the air. Mr Zelensky said: 'We will not give up and we will not lose. We will fight to the end, at sea, in the air, we will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost.' He said Ukraine is fighting a 'war that we didn't start and we didn't want' as he told MPs 'we do not want to lose what we have, what is ours'. Comparing Ukraine to the UK in World War Two, Mr Zelensky said Ukrainians are fighting to save their country 'just the same way as you once didn't want to lose your country when Nazis started to fight your country and you had to fight for Britain'. He also said more than 50 children have now been killed in the invasion, telling the Commons: 'These are the children that could have lived, but these people have taken them away from us.' Boris Johnson responded to the address by telling MPs that 'Britain and our allies are determined to press on with supplying our Ukrainian friends with the weapons they need to defend their homeland as they deserve'. The Prime Minister said the UK will also 'press on with tightening the economic vice around Vladimir Putin and we will stop importing Russian oil'. He added: 'We will employ every method that we can  diplomatic, humanitarian and economic  until Vladimir Putin has failed in this disastrous venture and Ukraine is free once more.' Advertisement

On Tuesday, a convoy of buses packed with people fleeing the fighting moved along a snowy road from Sumy, a north-eastern city of 250,000 people, according to video from the Ukrainian communications agency.

Deputy prime minister Iryna Vereshchuk said they were heading south west to the city of Poltava, and included students from India and China.

Hours before the convoy reached Sumy, overnight strikes killed 21 people there, including two children, Ukrainian authorities said. Meanwhile, buses emblazoned with red cross symbols carried water, medicine and food towards the encircled southern port of Mariupol, scene of some of the worst desperation.

Vereshchuk said the vehicles would ferry civilians out of the city of 430,000 people, but soon after officials announced the buses were on their way, Ukrainian authorities said they had learned of shelling on the escape route. It was unclear whether the supply convoy made it to Mariupol, and it appeared unlikely that civilians would be able to board the buses to get out.

The deputy mayor of Mariupol cast doubt on the evacuations, telling the BBC that Russian forces continued to pound areas where people were trying to gather ahead of being taken out. He said some roads were blocked, while others were mined.

So we cannot establish sustainable ceasefire and safety route at the moment, Serhiy Orlov said. So we still have... a city in blockade.

The city is without water, heat, working sewage systems or phone service. Residents have been getting water from streams or by melting snow. Corpses lay in the streets and authorities planned to start digging mass graves.

With the electricity out, many people are relying on car radios for information, picking up news from stations broadcast from areas controlled by Russian forces or Russian-backed separatists.

In a video address from an undisclosed location, Ukraines comic-turned-wartime president Volodymyr Zelensky said a child had died of dehydration in Mariupol, another sign of the citys desperation. It is not known how long the girl, named only as Tanya, had been under the ruins of her home before she died, but her mother was also found dead at the scene.

Mayor Vadym Boychenko said on the citys Telegram channel: In the last minutes of her life she was alone, exhausted, frightened and terribly thirsty. This is just one of the many stories of Mariupol, which has been surviving a blockade for eight days.

Nearly two weeks into the fighting, Russian forces have captured a stretch of southern and coastal Ukraine but have seen their advances stopped in many areas  including around Kyiv, the capital  by Ukrainian fighters targeting Moscow's armoured columns.

Thousands of people are thought to have been killed  civilians and soldiers  although the actual number remains unknown.

The fighting has caused global economic turmoil, with energy prices surging worldwide and stocks plummeting. It also threatens the food supply of millions around the globe who rely on crops farmed in the Black Sea region.

Western countries have rushed weapons to Ukraine and moved to slap Putins Russia with sanctions. In a further effort to punish Russia, US President Joe Biden announced a ban on Russian oil imports, and Shell announced it will stop buying oil and gas from Russia.

Ukraines military said its forces continued defence operations in the Mariupol suburbs. The military said demoralised Russian forces were looting, commandeering civilian buildings and setting up firing positions in populated areas.

The battle for Mariupol is crucial because its capture could allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014.

Here's how YOU can help: Donate here to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal Readers of Mail Newspapers and MailOnline have always shown immense generosity at times of crisis. Calling upon that human spirit, we are supporting a huge push to raise money for refugees from Ukraine. For, surely, no one can fail to be moved by the heartbreaking images and stories of families  mostly women, children, the infirm and elderly  fleeing from the bombs and guns. As this tally of misery increases over the coming days and months, these innocent victims of this conflict will require accommodation, schools and medical support. Donations to the Mail Force Ukraine Appeal will be used to help charities and aid organisations providing such essential services. In the name of charity and compassion, we urge all our readers to give swiftly and generously. TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE Donate at www.mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate To add Gift Aid to a donation  even one already made  complete an online form found here: mymail.co.uk/ukraine Via bank transfer, please use these details: Account name: Mail Force Charity Account number: 48867365 Sort code: 60-00-01 TO MAKE A DONATION VIA CHEQUE Make your cheque payable to 'Mail Force' and post it to: Mail Newspapers Ukraine Appeal, GFM, 42 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 8JY TO MAKE A DONATION FROM THE US US readers can donate to the appeal via a bank transfer to Associated Newspapers or by sending checks to dailymail.com HQ at 51 Astor Place (9th floor), New York, NY 10003 Advertisement

Rescue crews dig through the rubble looking for survivors after strikes by Russian forces in Sumy, March 7, 2022

Cars drive past smoke coming from the storage with chemicals which was hit by Russian shelling, on the outskirts of Brovary, the eastern frontline of Kyiv region, March 8, 2022

A police officer says goodbye to his son as his family flees from advancing Russian troops as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues in the town of Irpin, March 8, 2022

People file across a makeshift river crossing below a destroyed bridge as they flee from advancing Russian troops whose attack on Ukraine continues in the town of Irpin, March 8, 2022

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrive in Adazi, Latvia, March 8, 2022

Ben Wallace declares Putin is a 'spent force in the world' after invading Ukraine as the Defence Secretary rules out enforcing a no-fly zone despite requests from Kyiv Ben Wallace has declared Vladimir Putin is a 'spent force in the world' and the invasion of Ukraine will be the Russian President's 'end'. The Defence Secretary said Mr Putin's attack is ultimately doomed to fail because of the fighting spirit of the Ukrainian people and occupying such a large country against its will is an 'impossible task'. The Cabinet minister said Mr Putin's actions mean 'he is done' and 'no one will be taking his phone calls in the long term'. Meanwhile, Mr Wallace again ruled out enforcing a no-fly zone over Ukraine as he said an email from a worried 10-year-old girl illustrated how high the stakes are following Russia's invasion. The Defence Secretary said he had been contacted by a child who told him 'how frightened she was of nuclear war'. Mr Wallace said the UK must be 'realistic' about how it can help Ukraine, with ministers having to strike a 'difficult balance' of offering support without triggering a wider NATO conflict with Russia. Advertisement

Oleksiy Kuleba, governor of the Kyiv region, said Ukraine was also making arrangements to get people out of the suburb of Irpin.

Late on Tuesday, Zelensky released a video showing him standing near the presidential offices in Kyiv. Behind him were piles of sandbags, a snow-dusted tree and a few cars.

It was the second video in 24 hours showing him near the countrys seat of power, apparently made to dispel any doubts about whether he had fled the city.

Snow fell. It's that kind of springtime, he said in a soft voice. You see, its that kind of wartime, that kind of springtime. Harsh. But we will win.

Zelensky told British MPs on Tuesday over 50 children have been killed as he invoked Churchill in an emotional address in which he vowed to fight invading Kremlin troops in the air, sea and on the streets and begged the West to enforce a no-fly zone.

In a speech to the House of Commons that was greeted before and after by standing ovations, Ukraines president said: These are the children that could have lived but these people have taken them away from us.

Ukraine were not looking to have this war. The Ukraine have not been looking to become big but they have become big over the days of this war. We are the country that are saving people despite having to fight one of the biggest armies in the world. We have to fight the helicopters, rockets.

He added: The question for us now is to be or not to be. Oh no, this Shakespearean question. For 13 days this question could have been asked but now I can give you a definitive answer. Its definitely yes, to be.

And I would like to remind you the words that the United Kingdom have already heard, which are important again. We will not give up and we will not lose.

Repeating his call for a no-fly zone to be established by the West, Zelensky begged for the UK to make sure that our Ukrainian skies are safe.

The historic address came shortly after London announced the UK will phase out the import of Russian oil and oil products by the end of the year as part of a ratcheting up of sanctions on Moscow for the attack, which was launched on February 24.

Speaking through a translator provided by Parliament TV, he said: We are looking for your help, for the help of Western counties. We are thankful for this help and I am grateful to you Boris. Please increase the pressure of sanctions against this country [Russia] and please recognise this country as a terrorist country.

Please make sure sure that our Ukrainian skies are safe. Please make sure that you do what needs to be done and what is stipulated by the greatness of your country.

Glory to Ukraine and glory to the United Kingdom.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the Commons after the speech that never before in all our centuries of our parliamentary democracy has the House listened to such an address.

In a great European capital now within range of Russian guns, President Volodymyr Zelensky is standing firm for democracy and for freedom, he said.
A British businessman who drove his Citroen van 1,300 miles across Europe to rescue his Ukrainian wife has blasted red tape bureaucracy keeping him from taking her home.

Steve Lucas, 65, travelled through five countries after wife Anastasia, 51, called to say her fifth floor apartment in the capital Kyiv was 'shaking all the time' from Russian bomb and missile attacks.

The floor fitter and part time chef grabbed some things from his home at Magor near Chepstow and in two days drove to the western Ukraine city of Lviv, where she was being housed by volunteers.

After spending 31 hours including a freezing night in the van - queuing to get back into Poland - the couple were devastated to learn Anastasia would not be allowed into Britain because she has no visa.

They now face weeks of waiting for approval at the British consulate in Krakow or a torturous drive to Paris or Brussels for paperwork after friends warned them they would be blocked in Calais.

Steve Lucas, 65, (pictured) travelled through five countries after wife Anastasia, 51, called to say her fifth floor apartment in the capital Kyiv was 'shaking all the time' from Russian bomb and missile attacks

The couple and their cat, Lucky, were finally reunited after Steve's arduous journey. They are currently in Poland and hope to return to the UK soon

The floor fitter and part time chef grabbed some things from his home at Magor near Chepstow and in two days drove to the western Ukraine city of Lviv, where she was being housed by volunteers. Pictured: Steve and Anastasia

Steve, who met Anastasia seven years ago, said: 'It's unbelievable when you think about it.

'Anastasia has been through hell and now she can't even come home with me because she can't get a visa.

'Ok, there is paperwork and I understand that but she and others like her have been through a nightmare. Can't Boris Johnson just let us in and sort all this out when people are back home?

'I drove 1,300 miles to pick her up and I'm more than 2,000 out of pocket and who knows when I will be able to get us back.'

The couple have been married two years but Anastasia has been denied a tourist visa twice by the UK and hasn't even been able to visit Steve after the Home Office suggested she would 'stay on'.

This was despite the couple having a marriage certificate, photos of them together, proof of return ticket and documents showing she had an apartment and elderly mother in Kyiv.

Speaking of his red tape nightmare Steve added: 'We've been told they won't let Anastasia in when we get to Calais and after what she has been though it will push her to the edge.

'If you are married like we are, why can't this all be sorted out back in the UK ? Why do we have to drive to Paris, Brussels or Krakow ?

'I don't want her to have any more stress. I think if we get to the border and she is turned away at Calais it will finish her. She has been through hell.

'When I told her we may have problem she was absolutely distraught  she hasn't got hardly any clothes and she's been traveling for almost a week.

'I just want to get her back and worry about paperwork later.'

After spending 31 hours including a freezing night in the van - queuing to get back into Poland - the couple were devastated to learn Anastasia would not be allowed into Britain because she has no visa. Pictured: The couple

The couple are now safe in a hotel at Kombornia, Poland.

Steve said: 'I don't think our Government really understand how bad the situation is on the ground for the Ukrainian people.

'They are broken and they just want to feel safe  Anastasia doesn't even know is she has a flat standing and the Government are treating refugees appallingly.

'Sort the visas out in Britain, stop giving these poor people any more stress.'

Traumatised Anastasia told MailOnline:'I spent a week in Kyiv and decided I had to leave. Every day it was shooting or bombing every day boom, boom, rat a tat tat. It was horrible.

'I tried to go shopping one day and a solider, well he was more like a young boy, stopped me and said I couldn't go down the street.

'I said I need food and he said 'Are you prepared to see lots of dead bodies?'

They now face weeks of waiting for approval at the British consulate in Krakow or a torturous drive to Paris or Brussels for paperwork after friends warned them they would be blocked in Calais. Pictured: Steve at the Polish border on Sunday on the way to rescue his wife

'So I went home and cried. How can Russia be doing this to us ? We are brother nations and they are attacking us.

'Ukraine and Russia fought against Fascism and Putin says we are Nazis, he's mad. He's a dictator and his team of cronies just follow his orders. It needs someone to stand up to him from within.'

She added: 'I have also learnt a new word in English, refugee because apparently that's what I am now.'

Jessica Morden, Labour MP for Steve's Newport East constituency, thanked MailOnline for highlight the case and said her office would be 'urgently looking into it'.

She added: 'The system is clearly not working, people are desperate and there is an urgent need for more emergency visa centres.

'I can understand the desperation of people like Steven and we will do all we can to help. There has to be a system in place at the Home Office that is much quicker, easier and effective.

'These people are already traumatised and we cannot be sending them all over Europe in order to get a visa.'

Anastasia fled her home last week and took a taxi to Kyiv station, before boarding a packed train to Lviv where she was put up in a stranger's house as there was no accommodation.

On Sunday MailOnline had met Steve, at the Korczowa border crossing, as he waited to get into Ukraine, in his 12-year-old van which has done 230,000 miles.

The couple have been married two years but Anastasia has been denied a tourist visa twice by the UK and hasn't even been able to visit Steve after the Home Office suggested she would 'stay on'.

It took him seven hours into to get across and Steve revealed how after driving a few miles into Ukraine they were stopped at a checkpoint and offered a weapon.

Steve said: 'As I went through I picked up a Ukrainian guy who was heading to Lviv and who lived close to the apartment where Anastasia was staying.

'We had only driven a few miles when there was a roadblock and I was asked if I wanted a gun and I said I didn't and the bloke next to me said he would get one when he joined the civilian defence.

'We then had a joke because when I said I was from Wales he gave me a thumbs up because we beat Russia in the 2016 Euros.

'I had to go through five checkpoints before I got to her and when I saw her we just hugged for ages.'

On Sunday MailOnline had met Steve, at the Korczowa border crossing (pictured), as he waited to get into Ukraine, in his 12-year-old van which has done 230,000 miles

Anastasia said: 'When I saw Steve I was so relieved. We hugged but I couldn't cry as I have used all my tears up this last week watching what is happening in my country.

'All I want to do is be safe and I want to be with Steve. How can the British Government not let me in ? What do they expect me to do ? Go back to Kyiv where there are tanks and bombs in my district ?'

As she cuddled her cat Lucky, Anastasia added:'I don't even know if my apartment is even there anymore. I just had time to pack my documents a few clothes and put my cat Lucky in a carry case.

'I have nothing else in the world at the moment just Steve. All I want is for me and Lucky to be safe with him.'

It took him seven hours into to get across and Steve revealed how after driving a few miles into Ukraine they were stopped at a checkpoint and offered a weapon. Pictured: The Polish border with Ukraine

EXCLUSIVE: Ukraine refugees with family in Britain speak of their sadness and frustration as they are stranded in France because of lack of visas to the UK

By Peter Allen in Paris for MailOnline

Desperate refugees have told how they travelled with relative ease across six countries from war-torn Ukraine before being denied the chance to join family and friends in Britain.

They spoke about their ordeals in Paris, where the UK visa application centre in the French capital shut at 3pm on Tuesday, and refugees with few computers were told to apply online.

It came as the British Government admitted that less than five per cent of requested entry documents under a new Ukraine Family Scheme had been granted.

This is while other European countries, including Poland and France, are welcoming thousands of refugees with open arms on humanitarian grounds alone.

'The problem with getting British visas means we are stuck in France, and can go no further,' said Noor Khabib, 36, who was travelling with his partner, Uleya Tkach, 34. Pictured: Noor and Uleya

'The problem with getting British visas means we are stuck in France, and can go no further,' said Noor Khabib, 36, who was travelling with his partner, Uleya Tkach, 34.

The couple are from the Black Sea city of Odessa, the third largest in Ukraine and one that is currently under constant attack from Russian forces.

'The situation there is terrifying  everything is being destroyed,' said businessman Mr Khabib, who has a brother living in Birmingham.

'We have family in Britain, and speak English,' said Mr Khabib. 'The hard part was getting out of Ukraine, and then we were treated very well as we travelled through numerous countries, including Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Belgium and France, mainly by train.

'We progressed well after getting out of our country on March 2, and did not expect problems on the last leg of our journey to England.

'The British visa application centre in Paris is shut for much of the day, and it is very hard to get information about what to do next.

Pictured: Ukrainian refugees queue up outside a processing centre in Paris

'There is a loving family and friends waiting to look after us in England, and we want to work and contribute. Our plea is for Britain to give us visas as soon as possible.'

The couple were stranded at a temporary processing centre set up by the Ville de Paris  the equivalent of City Hall  in the north of the city, close to the Gare du Nord Eurostar hub.

High-speed trains travel to London from the station in less than two-and-a-half hours, but they are closed to those without visas.

Also in the growing crowd of Ukrainians was Ibrahim Haddouch, 29, who said he did not even need a passport to travel the 1500 miles from the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro to Paris.

Also in the growing crowd of Ukrainians was Ibrahim Haddouch, 29, (pictured) who said he did not even need a passport to travel the 1500 miles from the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro to Paris

'It's a very different story trying to get to Britain,' said Mr Haddouch, whose fiancee lives in London.

'I ran a precious stones business in Ukraine, but it has been destroyed along with so much else.

'I decided to get out and re-join my fiancee in London as soon as the Russians invaded. My passport was lost in the chaos, but this did not stop me getting away.

'Now I have to appeal to the British authorities to help me deal with this disaster  one that is making life terrible for so many people.

'Like so many who were simply living and working hard in Ukraine, we just want the chance to rebuild our lives.'

The UK Home Office confirmed that 10,000 applications for refugees to go to Britain via the Ukraine Family Scheme had been submitted since Friday - but that only 500 visas had been issued. Pictured: A processing centre for Ukraine refugees in Paris

Anna Kovalenko, a 33-year-old web designer from Kyiv, was  like many of those at the Paris centre  a competent English speaker.

'That's one of the main reasons many of us want to get to Britain,' she said. 'It's country with strong links to Ukraine, and one we would love to shelter in, before working out what to do next.

'The British authorities mainly expect us to apply for visas online, but  unsurprisingly  very few refugees have computers or internet accounts.

'We need real people to help us. This is especially so for the old and disabled. There are lots of them here, together with mothers with very young children.'

As the number of Ukrainians built up at the centre, French civil servants supported by volunteers provided them with advice and accommodation.

'Refugees are a priority,' said a spokesman for the Ville de Paris. 'All are being looking after, and those who want to claim asylum in France can do so.'

Government ministers triggered anger by announcing a 'pop up' visa application centre for Ukrainian refugees in Lille, which is 140 miles from Paris and 70 miles from Calais, where many are also stranded. Pictured: A sign on the door of the closed Visa Application Centre in Paris on Tuesday confirmed it was only open for five-and-a-half hours each working day, until 3pm

The UK Home Office confirmed that 10,000 applications for refugees to go to Britain via the Ukraine Family Scheme had been submitted since Friday - but that only 500 visas had been issued.

Government ministers triggered anger by announcing a 'pop up' visa application centre for Ukrainian refugees in Lille, which is 140 miles from Paris and 70 miles from Calais, where many are also stranded.

A sign on the door of the closed Visa Application Centre in Paris on Tuesday confirmed it was only open for five-and-a-half hours each working day, until 3pm.

Former Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott said the visa system was 'cruel and chaotic', and that,' It cannot be right that there is no visa application centre in Calais and Ukrainian refugees who travel thousands of miles to Calais are being redirected to either Paris or Brussels.'

Government ministers triggered anger by announcing a 'pop up' visa application centre for Ukrainian refugees in Lille, which is 140 miles from Paris and 70 miles from Calais, where many are also stranded. Pictured: Refugees in Paris

Conservative MP George Gale called for Home Secretary Priti Patel to resign over her comments relating to the visa application fiasco in France.

'The Home Secretary said, 'I have already made it clear in terms of the visa application centre that has now been set up en route to Calais, that we have staff in Calais,' said Mr Gale.

'That was untrue. And under any normal administration, that in itself would be a resignation issue,' he added.

Conservative MPs also raised concerns about the speed of the UK visa scheme's rollout.

Tory MP Julian Sturdy said: 'No more excuses. We have to move the process forward. We have to speed it up.

'Weeks, Minister? I'm sorry, weeks is simply not good enough. These are women and children. We have to speed it up.'

Ukrainian family is forced to separate by heartless British immigration officials as they board ferry for UK just days after fleeing war

By Vivek Chaudhary in Calais for MailOnline

A Ukrainian man has revealed how his family was forced to separate by heartless British immigration officials who prevented him and his sons from boarding a ferry for the UK, just days after they fled their warn torn country.

Edward Zarbubaiko, 42 arrived in Calais last Friday after escaping Ukraine and undertaking a gruelling three-day drive to get to Calais, hoping to reach the safety of Britain. He was accompanied by his wife Halyna; daughter Karina, 18 and his two sons; Artem, 8 and Sviatsolav, 15.

The family used to live in Britain when Mr Zarbubaiko's wife and daughter secured the right of residency, but he and his two sons did not. They all returned to live in the city of Chernivtsy last year.

As they attempted to board a ferry last week at Calais port, Mr Zarbubaiko was told that the family would have to split up and that he would have to go to Paris to secure visas for him and his sons but his wife and daughter would be allowed to continue their journey to Britain.

Edward Zarbubaiko, 42 (left) arrived in Calais last Friday after escaping Ukraine and undertaking a gruelling three-day drive to get to Calais, hoping to reach the safety of Britain. He was accompanied by his wife Halyna; daughter Karina, 18 and his two sons; Artem, 8 (centre) and Sviatsolav, 15 (right)

He told MailOnline: 'It was heart breaking waving goodbye to my wife and daughter while I've had to stay behind with my sons. I thought that having lived in Britain and with some of the family granted residency last year, the British would welcome us. I wasn't expecting to be treated so harshly and turned away like a criminal.

'The British immigration officials said to me that I would have to go to the embassy in Paris, apply for visas and then wait to see if I've got them. We've gone through enough pain and this is just adding to the stress and misery.'

Mr Zarbubaiko is one of 130 Ukrainian refugees staying at a youth hostel in Calais who are waiting to travel to the UK.

He added: 'There are whole families, young people and old and everybody is really worried about what might happen. We are all living a nightmare which has been made worse because we don't have the legal documentation to travel. You would have thought that the British Government might have speeded things up to help us.'

He revealed that he made the three-hour journey to Paris with his sons on Tuesday where they applied for British visas but will not know if they have received them for another week.

Ilona Puhach, 34 who fled Ukraine last week with her daughter Melania, 7 told MailOnline: 'I have friends in Calais so plan to stay here but I've been helping to translate because many of the Ukrainians in the youth hostel don't speaking any English. 'We have all been through a lot and many of those who want to travel to Britain are suffering because they have been left in limbo. Pictured Ms Puhach and dauhter Melania

The Ukranians at the youth hostel are being helped by their compatriots who were already in Calais but instend to stay in France.

Ilona Puhach, 34 who fled Ukraine last week with her daughter Melania, 7 told MailOnline: 'I have friends in Calais so plan to stay here but I've been helping to translate because many of the Ukrainians in the youth hostel don't speaking any English.

'We have all been through a lot and many of those who want to travel to Britain are suffering because they have been left in limbo. Fortunately, I am not one of them because I'm staying in France and we've not had any problems with the Government of this country.'

Ms Puchach revealed that she is from the city of Vasylkiv, which is about 10 miles from Kyiv and has been severely hit by Russian bombing.

She said: 'My daughter is still scared even though we are now in France. She keeps looking up at the sky and asking: 'mummy, is that a bomb?'

'It was an horrendous journey for us to get here and took almost two days. People are really suffering and it's not right that they are getting caught up in bureaucratic issues.'

The Ukranians at the youth hostel (pictured) are being helped by their compatriots who were already in Calais but instend to stay in France
Fifty-six per cent of Americans believe President Joe Biden's chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan emboldened Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine.

Nearly an idential percentage of Americans fear Putin could use nuclear weapons as the conflict escalates.

A I&I/TIPP Poll released Monday found that Americans are 'deeply unsettled' by Putin's moves against Ukraine.

Fifty-six per cent of Americans believe President Joe Biden's chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan emboldened Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine. A photo from Tuesday shows a burned out car and buildings damaged in Putin's assault

A majority of American adults believe Russian President Vladimir Putin was emboldened to invade Ukraine after the U.S.'s disorderly exit from Afghanistan - but Republicans and conservatives agreed in larger numbers

Overall, 56 per cent of respondents said it was very or somewhat likely that Putin could use nuclear weapons in the conflict.

On that question, there wasn't a major divide between Republican and Democratic, and liberal and conservative responses, with 59 per cent of Democrats in agreement, compared to 53 per cent of Republicans. And 59 per cent of conservatives versus 57 per cent of liberals.

The group that said it was most likely that Putin would use nukes was Democrats, followed by conservatives.

There was a bigger party-line split when pollsters asked if Putin was emboldened by the U.S.'s messy withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Overall, 56 per cent of respondents said it was very or somewhat likely that Russian President Vladimir Putin (pictured) could use nuclear weapons in the conflict

On that question, there wasn't a major divide between Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives

Fifty per cent of conservatives agreed strongly, respresenting the largest group to hold this view.

Still, 21 per cent of Democrats said they agreed strongly, with another 25 per cent of Democrats saying they somewhat agreed.

A number of Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, have publicly made the connection between the botched Afghanistan withdrawal and Putin's decision to invade.

Overall, 77 per cent of Americans believe the U.S. military will be dragged into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with 34 per cent believing that strongly and another 43 per cent saying they somewhat agreed.

Conservatives and Republicans were more likely to believe that the U.S. military might become involved.
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President Joe Biden warned Vladimir Putin that he would never be able to claim victory in Ukraine, as he announced on Tuesday that he was banning imports of Russian oil and gas.

In a White House speech, Biden promised to hunt down oligarchs' assets, praised Ukrainian resistance and condemned the Russian leader for failing to allow ceasefires for humanitarian relief.

'Putin seems determined to continue on his murderous path no matter the cost,' he said.

But as he tightened the economic noose on Moscow, Biden said Putin had miscalculated.

'He has already turned two million Ukrainians into refugees,' he said.

'Russia may continue to grind out its advance at a horrible price, but this much is already clear: Ukraine will never be a victory for Putin.

'Putin may be able to take a city, but he'll never be able to hold the country.

'And if we do not respond to Putin's assault on global peace and stability today, the cost of freedom, and to the American people, will be even greater tomorrow.'

President Joe Biden warned Vladimir Putin that he would never be able to claim victory in Ukraine on Tuesday, as he announced on Tuesday that he was banning imports of Russian oil and gas.

Firefighters in action trying to extinguish a fire at a chemical storage facility, on the outskirts of Brovary, the eastern frontline of Kyiv region, after it was shelled on Tuesday. The Russian invasion has displaced hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians

Civilians prepare to board a train during snowfall as they flee Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Odessa, Ukraine

CIA Director Bill Burns says Putin planned to take Kyiv in TWO DAYS before invasion stalled The director of the Central Intelligence Agency on Tuesday revealed that Vladimir Putin planned to capture the Ukrainian capital Kyiv within two days and warned that a frustrated Russian president could be about to escalate attacks on civilians. 'You know, this is a matter of deep personal conviction for him,' he told the House intelligence committee. 'He's been stewing in a combustible combination of grievance and ambition for many years.' He said after two weeks of fighting, Russian forces had still not been able to encircle Kyiv, which Putin planned to capture in two days. 'He's likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties,' said Burns. 'But the challenge that he faces - and this is the biggest question that's hung over our analysis of his planning for months now - ... he has no sustainable political endgame in the face of what is going to continue to be fierce resistance from Ukrainians.' Advertisement

Russia's main column of armor has been stalled outside Kyiv for days amid reports of poor morale, lack of supplies and technical problems.

Captured soldiers have complained of a lack of food, fuel, and overall battle plan.

Although Russian forces have made gains elsewhere, it means Putin has failed in what US officials said was his plan to seize the capital within two days.

They say he miscalculated he strength of Ukrainian opposition and over-estimated the success of his efforts to protect his economy from sanctions.

Biden said: 'We are enforcing the most significant package of economic sanctions in history, and it's causing significant damage to Russia's economy.'

And he promised not to cease efforts to make life difficult for the oligarchs around Putin.

'The US Department of Justice has assembled a dedicated task force to go after the crimes of Russian oligarchs and we're joining with our European allies to find and seize their yachts, their luxury apartments or private jets and all their ill begotten games to make sure that they share in the pain of Putin's war

'Some of them are ... I think I've read one was over 400 feet long. I mean, this is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.'

Biden has been working with allies in Europe, who are far more dependent on Russian oil, to isolate Russia's energy-heavy economy.

Britain announced shortly before Biden's remarks that it would phase out the import of Russian oil and oil products by the end of 2022.

'We're banning all imports of Russian oil and gas energy,' Biden told reporters at the White House.

'That means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable in U.S. ports and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putin's war machine.'

The president is already under intense pressure because of rising prices at gas pumps, which now stand at $4.17 a gallon, according to AAA - the highest since 2008.

Biden warned that prices would rise further because of 'Putin's war,' but said he would do all he could to reduce the impact on the American people.

He also warned companies against exploiting the situation to engage in profiteering or price gouging.

"The decision today is not without costs here at home,' he said.

'Putin's war is already hurting American families at the gas pump ... I'm going to do everything I can to minimize Putin's price hikes here at home.

Biden made his announcement as his intelligence chiefs offered their assessment of the Russian invasion during a hearing of the House intelligence committee.

CIA Director Bill Burns said Putin had underestimated Ukraine's fighting ability and the global response, leaving him angry and frustrated by setbacks.

CIA Director Bill Burns (l) said President Vladimir Putin had planned to seize Kyiv within two days of an invasion. 'I think Putin is angry and frustrated right now,' said Burns, warning that he expected Russia to escalate its attacks

A Ukrainian tank rolls along a main road in Kyiv on Tuesday. Russia's main invasion column remains stalled outside the capital

Russian troops continue to try and surround Kyiv ahead of what is expected to be an attack on the city, with intense fighting reported in the north west including hand-to-hand combat with Russian forces

'Instead of seizing Kyiv within the first two days of the campaign, which was what his plan was premised upon, after nearly two weeks they still have not been able to fully encircle the city,' said Burns, revealing for the first time what US intelligence circles knew of the Russian game plan.

The committee heard that latest U.S. intelligence estimates suggest 2000-4000 Russian soldiers have been killed since the invasion was launched.

Without an off-ramp for Putin, Burns said the result was likely to be a grinding conflict with terrible consequences for civilians.

'I think Putin is angry and frustrated right now,' said Burns.

'He's likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties.

'But the challenge that he faces - and this is the biggest question that's hung over our analysis of his planning for months now - ... he has no sustainable political endgame in the face of what is going to continue to be fierce resistance from Ukrainians.'

He added that US intelligence agencies were sharing information with Ukraine every day.

But he said CIA analysts said they could not currently see how Putin could accomplish his goal of seizing Kyiv and installing a puppet regime.

Instead, he predicted an 'ugly next few weeks.'

A day earlier, a Pentagon official said Putin had now sent all his invasion troops - estimated at more than 150,000 massed around the border - into Ukraine.

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said intelligence analysts believed Putin would not be deterred by the setbacks

Belarusian volunteers receive military training at the Belarusian Company base in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 8, 2022. Hundreds of Belarus' emigrants and citizens have arrived in Ukraine to help the Ukrainian army fight against Russian invaders

Armed Ukrainian servicemen stand guard next to Czech-supplied 'hedgehog' defenses in downtown Kyiv

Russia was not moving forces from elsewhere into the attack, but was instead looking to sign up foreign fighters, he said.

'We do believe ... that the reports are accurate that the Russians are trying to recruit Syrians in particular to sign up and fight in Ukraine,' said the official

'We find that noteworthy that [Putin] believes that he needs to rely on foreign fighters to supplement what is a very significant commitment of combat power inside Ukraine as it is.'

The assessment given by Burns was supported by Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence.

'Our analysts assess that Putin is unlikely to be deterred by such setbacks and instead may escalate,' she told the hearing.

And she warned of the danger that misunderstandings could lead to unintended consequences.

'With tensions this high there is always an enhanced potential for miscalculation, unintended escalation, which we hope our intelligence can help to mitigate,' she said.

Putin had made four key miscalculations when it came to planning his swift victory over Ukraine, added Burns.

The Russian leader thought Ukraine was easily intimidated and that Europe, particularly France and Germany, was distracted by internal politics and was 'risk averse.'

Third, he believed he had 'sanction-proofed' his economy and fourth that he had overhauled his armed forces so that they were capable of a quick, decisive victory.

'He has been proven wrong on every count,' said Burns. 'Those assumptions have proven to be profoundly flawed over the last 12 days of conflict.'
National Election Commission (NEC) Chairperson Noh Jeong-hee apologizes for mishandling ballots of COVID-19 patients and other blunders during last week's early voting, in a press conference at NEC headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. Yonhap



By Kang Seung-woo



National Election Commission (NEC) Chairperson Noh Jeong-hee is in the hot seat over the agency's improper handling of COVID-19 patients' ballots during the early voting period last Friday and Saturday.



Despite making an apology for the fiasco during a press conference, Tuesday, the besieged NEC chief did not address growing calls from political circles for her resignation.



The NEC came under fire over the weekend following revelations that poll station workers were collecting patients' ballots in plastic bags and other unofficial containers, rather than letting the infected voters place their votes directly in designated ballot boxes, during the early voting period for infected voters on Saturday.



Lee Jun-seok, chairman of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), said earlier in the day that Noh should step down over the mishandling of ballots.






This is the magical moment an extremely rare albino zebra was spotted roaming in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.

The animal, which has been called Ndasiata by park wardens, can be seen displaying none of the usual black markings that make zebra so distinctive.

Instead it is covered almost entirely in white fur, with only a few faint black lines on its neck, head and body.

The majestic creature is thought to be eight months old and has been seen in the eastern part of the national park with a herd of zebra.

Excited wardens posted video and pictures of the animal on the Serengeti National Park Instragram page yesterday.

The albino zebra, pictured above, has taken melted the hearts of wardens and the public who visit the park in Tanzania

Albinism is when cells don't produce melanin, a pigment that gives colour to skin, eyes, scales and hair.

This could prove problematic, as scientists have suggested the stripes on zebras help to camouflage them from predators, meaning Ndasiata could be at a disadvantage.

However, so far it seems to be doing relatively well in the idyllic environment of the park.

Called Ndasiata, the eight month old animal has been seen wandering through the Serengeti National Park with a herd of other zebra

The albino animal is almost completely white, with only very faint markings on its neck, head and body

Virtually all mammals can be born albino and although reptiles, amphibians and lower vertebrates can also be albino they have other pigment cells in their bodies meaning they may not appear white.

Last year an extremely rare albino squirrel was caught on camera frolicking in a park in south London, wowing passers-by.

Meanwhile, an albino chimpanzee was spotted in the wild for the first time in Uganda in July 2018.

But tragically the poor animal, which was only 19 days old, was set upon by members of its pack and brutally killed.

Researchers have suggested the colour of its fur played a part in the horrific bout of violence, which ended with the baby chimpanzee dead after being attacked by multiple adults.
President Joe Biden on Tuesday vowed to increase American humanitarian support for the Ukraine people so European countries don't have to shoulder the full cost and burden.

'The United States will share in the responsibility of caring for the refugees, so the cost do not fall entirely on the European countries bordering Ukraine,' Biden said during remarks at the White House.

Ukraine is experiencing a humantarian crisis because of Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion.

Thus far, 2 million people have fled the Ukraine in what the United Nations has called the biggest humantarian crisis since World War II.

More than 1,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed since Russia invaded on February 24.

Ukraine is experiencing a humantarian crisis because of Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion - above a young woman at a shelter in a school gymnasium in Przemysl, Poland

Neighboring countries flooded with refugees - mostly women and children - above refugees board a train at Chlem Train Station in Poland after crossing the border from Ukraine

Poland has welcomed more Ukrainians than any other neighboring country - a refugee center for Ukrainians in Warsaw, Poland

President Joe Biden vowed to increase American humanitarian support for the Ukraine people so European countries don't have to shoulder the full cost

Food and other basic supplies are running short in besieged cities. Additionally, around 700,000 people lack electricity and heating after the destruction of infrastructure.

A further one million Ukrainians are said to have been forced from their homes and internally displaced, according to the United Nations.

It took one week for the refugee numbers to hit one million, the UN pointed out, and, in just five days since then, that figure has doubled.

Neighboring countries flooded with refugees - mostly women and children - and Poland has welcomed more Ukrainians than any other neighboring country.

Vice President Kamala Harris will visit Poland on Wednesday.

Hungary, Slovakia and Romania have each accepted tens of thousands of refugees while other European countries have received some 210,000 refugees in total.

To help ease Europe's financial burden, Biden on Tuesday called on Congress to pass the $10 million Ukrainian assistance package he's requested.

'We're working with humanitarian organizations to send tens of thousands of tons of food, water, medical supplies into Ukraine. With more on the way,' the president said.

Congress is expected to act on an aid package this week.

Demmocratic and Republicanic lawmakers on Capitol Hill are finishing up the pckage of humanitarian, military and economic assistance for Ukraine. It will be tied to the bill to fund the U.S. government, legislation that Congress must adopt before midnight Friday or the federal government will shut down.

The number could hit $14 billion, Senator Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday.

Ukrainian refugees wait for an appointment in a centre for the registration and shelter set at the former Jules Bordet Hospital in Brussels

Vladislava, 7, and David, 3, from Zhytomyr, Ukraine, huddle together for warmth after crossing the border to Dorohusk, Poland

People arrive to a temporary accommodation and transport hub for refugees, after fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in Przemysl, Poland

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba speak to the media after meeting with refugees at the Ukrainian-Polish border crossing in Korczowa, Poland on Saturday

Biden, in his remarks, did not specifically say the United States would be accepting refugees in its borders.

The Biden administration last week granted Ukrainians already in the United States Temporary Protected Status (TPS) status, which shields them from deportation and lets them get work permits for 18 months.

Secretary of State Athony Blinken visited the border between Poland, Ukraine and Moldova on Saturday to visit refugee camps.

Blinken on Saturday visited a welcome center set up by Polish authorities in what once was a shopping mall in Korczowa, close to the border with Ukraine, where roughly 3,000 refugees are taking shelter.

'The United States is committed to doing anything we can, first of all to support the countries that are bearing the immediate burden of taking in Ukrainians, and then, as appropriate, if people seek refugee status in the United States, of course we will look at that and, I'm sure, act on that,' Blinken told CNN on Sunday.

Meanwhile the United Kingdom has come under criticism for the number of refugees it has accepted so far.

Ministers have been slammed by critics over the slow pace of processing applications amid wider calls for Britain to put in place a more generous scheme to help people fleeing the Russian invasion.
The London Dungeon has come under fire for their 'astonishing lack of judgement' after renaming notorious serial killer Jack The Ripper to Jackie to mark International Women's Day.

The tourist attraction located along London's South Bank told visitors they would be changing the name of the serial killer to Jackie and replacing the usual male actor to a female one for their new exhibit today.

They went on to say the exhibit, which is based on the story of convicted murderer Mary Pearcey, would 'give ladies their dues for International Women's Day.'

However social media users slammed the move, with some arguing it reflected a 'lack of judgement'.

The London Dungeon has come under fire for renaming notorious serial killer Jack The Ripper to Jackie to mark International Women's Day. (Stock image)

The tourist attraction told visitors they would be changing the name of the serial killer to Jackie and replacing the usual male actor to a female one for their new exhibit today

Taking to social media one horrified user wrote: 'Hard to imagine that when you were all sitting round a table and somebody said ''I've got an idea'' there wasn't anyone in the room who didn't say: ''Are you kidding?''

'With violence against women such a significant topic at the moment this is an astonishing lack of judgement.'

While another person commented: 'I think maybe circle back with the people who were in the meeting where this was approved and just have another chat about how much of a good idea it had been to celebrate women by blaming a hypothetical one for the misogynistic murders of (probably) a man.'

One person said: 'What the actual f*** is this London Dungeon? You think this is an appropriate way to mark International Women's Day?'

While another added: 'Honestly, if there's a point to the London Dungeon doing that, I have no idea what it is.'

And one user wrote: 'The London Dungeon marks International Women's Day by re-casting a sadistic murderer of women as ...a woman!'

Elsewhere Kim Manning-Cooper, Head of Communications at the domestic violence charity, told MyLondon: 'Not only does it trivialise the systematic murder of women by a serial killer, but it makes a mockery of a day that is supposed to be about celebrating women's achievements.'

Social media users slammed the move, with some arguing it reflected a 'lack of judgement'

In a press release, which has since been deleted, staff at the London Dungeon said: 'With men often stealing the spotlight when it comes to the ghastly and gory crimes, we wanted to give ladies their dues for International Women's Day.

'Rather than the usual honouring, we've given the day a London Dungeon twist while telling a story that many may never have heard before.'

The exhibit to mark International Women's Day is based on Mary Pearcey, who was convicted of killing her lover's wife and child in 1890.

In 1939, Pearcey was also named as a Jack The Ripper suspect by author William Stewart.

Jack The Ripper is thought to have killed at least five young women in Whitechapel, East London, between September and November 1888.

While numerous individuals have been accused of being the serial killer no one was ever caught.

A London Dungeon spokesperson said: 'Jack the Ripper has been a featured show in the London Dungeon for more than 30 years as part of London's darkest history.

'The introduction of a female actress taking on the role, for one day only, was based on a genuine theory about who 'Jack the Ripper' could have been that we wanted to explore in more depth for visitors.

'Our intention was to give air time to an existing and well-documented theory and was not intended to offend. The London Dungeon apologises sincerely for any offence caused.'
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Defiant female activists today took to the streets of Istanbul to protest against femicide, despite the Governor's Office yesterday announcing that International Women's Day protests and marches in the city were banned.

In recent years, Turkey has seen femicide and transphobic crimes skyrocket, with at least three women a day being killed.

The organisers of the Feminist Night march, attended by thousands of women, took to Twitter yesterday to say that they would press ahead with the demonstration despite the ban: 'We have walked for 19 years and will walk on the 20th year, too'.

As women tried to push through riot police barriers to march to Taksim Square, they were met with officers who barricaded them and fired pepper spray and at least 38 were arrested.

Despite police barricading women, they sang, danced and chanted the powerful slogan: 'If you feel helpless, remember this crowd', the phrase used on International Women's Day by women and girls worldwide.

Defiant female activists today took to the streets of Istanbul (pictured) to protest against femicide, despite the Governor's Office yesterday announcing that International Women's Day protests and marches in the city were banned

In recent years, Turkey has seen femicide and transphobic crimes skyrocket. At least three women a day are being killed in the country. Pictured: A woman lies on the ground as protesters clash with riot police on a Women's Night March to Taksim Square in Turkey

Filled with anger and hope, thousands of women created an atmosphere of strength and unity, continuing to protest despite the local government's attempts to stop the demonstration.

The Feminist Night March has been organised in Istanbul for almost twenty years and is a space for women to stand up for what they believe in.

This year's march in Istanbul comes after Turkey withdrew from the Council of Europe Convention in 2021 which aims to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence.

It lays out the framework to deliver justice and support to women who have suffered gendered violence.

The organisers of the Feminist Night march had yesterday tweeted that they would press ahead with the demonstration despite the ban: 'We have walked for 19 years and will walk on the 20th year, too'. Pictured: Police cars surround women on a march in Istanbul, Turkey

As women tried to push through riot police barriers to march to Taksim Square, they were met with officers who barricaded them and fired pepper spray and at least 38 were arrested. Pictured: Women push against police shields as they try to march to Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey

Despite police barricading women, they sang, danced and chanted the powerful slogan: 'If you feel helpless, remember this crowd', the worldwide phrase used on International Women's Day. Pictured: Women in Istanbul, Turkey are held back by police shields

Filled with anger and hope, thousands of women created an atmosphere of strength and unity. Pictured: Women push against shields in Istanbul, Turkey

Women have participated in the event in Istanbul for almost twenty years and continue to, despite the local government trying to stop it in recent years. Pictured: A woman pushes forward against a police shield during a march in Istanbul, Turkey

Clutching banners, chanting and walking through the streets, women and girls across the rest of the globe also marched for equality and an end to violence against women.

This year is the 114th International Women's Day and the main theme was #BreaktheBias, the idea of gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow.

The annual event is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.

This year's events called for an end to violence against women, highlighted the gender pay gap and showed support for Ukraine.

Clutching banners, chanting and walking through the streets, women and girls across the rest of the globe also marched for equality and an end to violence against women. Pictured: A march towards the National Congress in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic for International Women's Day

TOULOUSE, FRANCE: Women hold a placard which reads: 'Everything is an object for the patriarchy. It exploits women and the living' during an International Women's Day demonstration today

Women hold a placard which reads as :'Women, victims, we believe you' during a demonstration to call for greater rights for women, as part of the International Women's Day in Toulouse, southwestern France (pictured)

Protesters in France held banners with slogans that included 'Feminist' and 'Women as victims, we believe you.'

Demonstrators chanted as they walked through areas across France, including Toulouse and Paris.

Women also condemned the war in Ukraine, holding a banner which read 'war to war' at a march in Rome today.

Demonstrators chanted as they walked through areas across France, including Toulouse (pictured) and Paris

People protest against war and in support of Ukraine amid Russia's invasion during events marking International Women's Day in Caracas, Venezuela today

Demonstrators carry a banner in Italian reading 'War to war' also referring to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine during an International Women's Day march in Rome today

Female protesters trying to cross a police barrier as they march to Taksim Square during a rally marking the International Women's Day in Istanbul, Turkey

And outside Damascus Gate, women sat chanting and holding posters of jailed Palestinian women in Israeli prisons at a rally for International Women's Day.

Others at global demonstrations held up signs saying 'In Mexico we don't turn up dead, we are killed' and 'The system kills.'

Speaking to Al Jazeera, the United Nations human rights agency warned that the pandemic has robbed many women and girls of their livelihoods and future.

The agency also warned of growing poverty putting lives at risk, with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi saying: 'The unprecedented socioeconomic impacts of the pandemic are leaving many lives in peril.

'We are seeing extremely worrying increases in reports of gender-based violence, including domestic violence, forced marriages, child labour and adolescent pregnancies,'

A woman smiles during a demonstration against gender-based violence, marking International Women's Day in La Paz, Bolivia

Women hold signs outside Damascus' Gate in Jerusalem's Old City during a rally to mark International Women's Day

A woman holds a sign reading 'In Mexico we don't turn up dead, we are killed' during a demonstration marking International Women's Day in Madrid

Women embrace at the start of the International Women's Day protest in downtown Madrid, Spain today

People show solidarity with Ukrainian people on International Women's Day at square located near European Commission in Brussels, Belgium

A woman holds a placard reading "No gender gap" during a rally for gender equality and against violence towards women to mark the International Women's Day in Rome

Women's rights activists carry placards during a rally to mark International Women's Day in Rome, Italy, today

Health workers and supporters of the Venezuelan opposition take part in a demonstration for International Women's Day, in Caracas, Venezuela

And in Holyrood, Scotland, women marched against climate change, warning that it was affecting women and girls across the world.

While MSPs debated, women called for action to tackle climate change, as part of the International Day of Women's Climate Action, while marking the deaths of environmental activists.

According to the Independent, women also said that the war in Ukraine was 'being fuelled by fossil fuel.'

A philosophy and maths student from South Africa, Sharessa Naidoo, spoke at the rally.

Members of the public take part in a vigil and rally outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh as part of the International Day of Women's Climate Action

She said that climate change is 'intertwined' with women's rights and said: 'The legacy of gender oppression lives on in new forms and such systems worldwide still make women vulnerable.

'Consequently, women constitute the majority of the world's poorest and are most dependent on natural resources that climate change threatens and hold very few seats at important tables that make big climate-related decisions.'

Today's demonstration was part of a climate vigil lasting 24 hours outside Scottish Parliament.
made headlines last year after he was accused of threatening to kill his teen son for reporting him to FBI

Reffitt, member of Texas Three Percenters militia, made headlines last year after he was accused of threatening to kill his teen son for reporting him to FBI

Reffitt's trial was seen as an important test case as the U.S. Justice Department attempts to secure convictions from the hundreds of defendants

He faces up to 20 years in prison when sentenced

Guy Refitt was found guilty on all five felony charges he faced, including bringing a gun onto the Capitol grounds and obstructing an official

A Texas man who joined the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol was found guilty for his role in the attack on Tuesday - a milestone victory for federal prosecutors in the first such case to go before a jury.

Guy Reffitt, a member of a right-wing militia group called the Texas Three Percenters, was found guilty on all five of the felony charges he faced, including bringing a gun onto the Capitol grounds and obstructing an official proceeding.

The 49-year-old, who threatened to shoot his own son for turning him in, could face up to 20 years in prison when sentenced.

Reffitt's trial was seen as an important test case as the U.S. Justice Department attempts to secure convictions from the hundreds of defendants who have not taken plea deals.

The federal jury in Washington returned the unanimous verdict after just two hours of deliberation.

Guy Reffitt, 49, of Wylie, Texas (pictured on January 6, 2021) was found guilty on all five of the felony charges he faced, including bringing a gun onto the Capitol grounds and obstructing an official proceeding

Guy Reffitt's wife, Nicole (C), with her daughters Sara (L), and Peyton (R), depart the federal court house in Washington, DC, on Monday after husband's conviction

Reffitt's (far right) trial was seen as an important test case as the U.S. Justice Department attempts to secure convictions from the hundreds of defendants who have not taken plea deals

Reffitt's lawyer, William Welch (pictured along Reffit in a courtroom sketch dated February 28, 2022) told jurors during opening statements that his client was one for dramatics: 'He exaggerates and he rants. This trial will be about fact versus hype'

Judge in first Jan 6 cases dismisses nine jurors because their feelings about the Capitol riot are too strong - but retains lobbyist who used to be a congressional page Potential jurors selected for the first trial surrounding the January 6 attacks on the US Capitol grew emotional in court Monday upon being questioned about the events of the day, raising concerns regarding their reliability to serve on the historic case. 'I felt like it was an attack on my home.. It was a very scary time,' one potential juror, with his voice shaking, told the DC court Monday according to CNN. The juror had been selected along with 33 others to potentially preside over the case of accused Capitol rioter Guy Reffitt, 49. US District Court Judge Dabney Friedrich excused the candidate - along with nine others - from service, saying he was 'starting from a place where he feels so clearly, visibly impacted from the events', CNN reported. Meanwhile, 24 others - several of whom said they had followed news coverage of the riots and had strong political opinions regarding the case - made the cut, including a lobbyist who boasts connections to Congress, CNN reported. Refitt made headlines last year after he was accused of threatening to kill his teenage son for reporting his alleged part in the attacks to police. At the hearing, Friedrich questioned the potential jurors at length about their familiarity with the defendant's case Monday, along with their consumption of media coverage about the attack and their ability to impartially preside over the important case, according to CNN. Several who survived the judge's first cut slated to return to court Tuesday said they had followed news coverage of the riots and had strong political opinions regarding the case, but would be able to look at the evidence impartially. Nearly all said they had never heard of Reffitt, who faces five felony counts for his alleged part in the protests, according to CNN. The network reported that one prospective juror who met Friedrich's criteria for the first cut identified himself to the court as a lobbyist with close ties to a sitting member of Congress. Previously a congressional page, the juror said he was still in touch with his former boss, who was not identified, and that he had given tours of the Capitol during his time as a congressional aide. 'I have a lot of reverence' for the building, he told the judge Monday, remaining on the pool. Several prospective jurors spoke passionately about their fear during the attack - and their disgust toward its perpetrators. 'Everybody who went in there is already guilty,. They should be prosecuted to the max,' one man who was dismissed from the pool said, according to CNN. Others flatly proclaimed that they could not be impartial toward Reffitt. One man, who did not remain in the jury pool, described to the court of how he ventured toward the Capitol amid reports of revelry on January 6. 'I saw it on the news. And it was so close to my apartment, that I wanted to see what was going on,' a DC was reported as saying on the stand, according to CNN. One woman who was also dismissed said she worked at the Library of Congress, where she had been stationed during the attack, and described how some of her fellow employees were evacuated from the office and others working from home near the Capitol that day. Only a few of the prospective candidates said they did not follow news coverage of the attacks January 6. The situation accentuates concerns that some of the more than 700 federal criminal defendants - who stormed and entered the historic site in an attempt to prevent lawmakers from certifying Joe Biden's presidential election victory - are having about the fairness of scheduled court proceedings. Prior to Monday's hearing, Reffitt's attorney had expressed concerns about the prospective jury's ability to be impartial. Advertisement

Reffitt never entered the Capitol, but video showed him egging on the crowd and leading other rioters up a set of stairs outside the building.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Risa Berkower told jurors that Reffitt proudly 'lit the fire' that allowed others in a mob to overwhelm Capitol police officers near the Senate doors.

Reffitt, who wore a bulletproof vest and a helmet, carrying zip-tie handcuffs and armed with a .40 caliber handgun, persisted up the staircase even as police officers pelted him with pepper balls and doused him with chemical spray.

In a video clip played for jurors, Reffitt repeatedly urged rioters to drag House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers 'by their hair' out of the Capitol building.

'I didn't come here to play - I'm taking the Capitol,' the video showed Reffitt saying at one point. 'I just want to see Pelosi's head hitting every stair on the way out.'

Defense attorney William Welch said there is no evidence that Reffitt damaged property, used force or physically harmed anybody.

The defense lawyer urged jurors to acquit Reffitt of all charges but one: He said they should convict him of a misdemeanor charge that he entered and remained in a restricted area.

Reffitt was armed with a Smith & Wesson pistol in a holster on his waist, carrying zip-tie handcuffs and wearing body armor and a helmet equipped with a video camera when he advanced on police, according to prosecutors.

He retreated after an officer pepper sprayed him in the face, but he waved on other rioters who ultimately breached the building, prosecutors said.

Before the crowd advanced, Reffitt used a megaphone to shout at police to step aside and to urge the mob to push forward and overtake officers. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nestler said Reffitt played a leadership role that day.

During last Friday's testimony, prosecutors zoomed in on a video image of Reffitt at the Capitol. FBI Special Agent Laird Hightower said the image shows 'a silvery metallic linear object' in a holster protruding from under Reffitt's jacket as he leaned forward.

Shauni Kerkhoff, who was one of the Capitol police officers who tried to repel Reffitt, said she launched pepperballs that didn't stop him from advancing. She testified that Reffitt appeared to be leading the crowd up stairs toward police.

Reffitt's 19-year-old son, Jackson, testified last Thursday that his father threatened him and his sister, then 16, after he drove home from Washington.

Reffitt told his children they would be traitors if they reported him to authorities and said 'traitors get shot,' Jackson Reffitt recalled.

Jackson said the threat terrified him. His younger sister, Peyton, was listed as a possible government witness but didn't testify.

Reffitt reportedly warned his daughter that if she betrayed him, he would 'put a bullet through her phone.'

While his wife said she didn't believe that Reffitt would act on his words, she said that their family felt 'disturbed' by his comments.

Jackson used a cellphone app to secretly record his father boasting about his role in the riot. Jurors heard excerpts of that family conversation.

Jackson initially contacted the FBI on Christmas Eve, less than two weeks before the riot, to report concerns about his father's behavior and increasingly worrisome rhetoric. But the FBI didn't respond until January 6, after the riot erupted.

Speaking to reporters from hiding on late January 2021, Jackson said of his decision to turn in his dad: 'I would say I'm sorry, because I don't feel like I put him in this situation, but I still feel guilty. I would do it again.'

Another key witness, Rocky Hardie, said he and Reffitt were members of Texas Three Percenters. The Three Percenters militia movement refers to the myth that only 3% of Americans fought in the Revolutionary War against the British.

Hardie drove from Texas to Washington with Reffitt. He testified that both of them were armed with holstered handguns when they attended then-President Donald Trumps 'Stop the Steal' rally before the riot erupted. Reffitt also took an AR-15 rifle to Washington but left it locked up in his car, Hardie said.

Hardie said Reffitt, during their drive to Washington, talked about dragging lawmakers out of the Capitol and replacing them with people who would 'follow the Constitution.' Hardie also said Reffitt gave him two pairs of zip-tie cuffs in case they needed to detain anybody.

Reffitt was arrested less than a week after the riot. FBI found a handgun in a holster on a nightstand in the defendants bedroom when they searched his home near Dallas.

Some 220 defendants have already pleaded guilty to charges, mostly misdemeanors, related to the attack, and over half of them have been sentenced. Approximately 90 others have trial dates.

The guilty verdict in Reffitt's case could be a bellwether for many other Capitol riot cases. It could give Justice Department prosecutors more leverage in plea negotiations and discourage other defendants from gambling on trials of their own.

Reffitt, 48, made headlines in late January following his arrest after he was accused of threatening to kill his teenage son, Jackson (pictured), for calling police

Reffitt never entered the Capitol, but video showed him egging on the crowd and leading other rioters up a set of stairs outside the building

Reffitt, who wore a bulletproof vest and a helmet, persisted up the staircase even as police officers pelted him with pepper balls and doused him with chemical spray

Reffitt (pictured center, repeatedly urged rioters to drag House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers out of the Capitol building. 'I didn't come here to play - I'm taking the Capitol,' the video showed Reffitt saying at one point. 'I just want to see Pelosi's head hitting every stair on the way out'

Around 200 defendants have already pleaded guilty to charges relating to the attack, which sent lawmakers running for their lives. Reffitt's trial was seen as an important test case as the U.S. Justice Department attempts to secure convictions from the hundreds of defendants who have not taken plea deals

They face charges ranging from unlawful picketing to seditious conspiracy, with which 11 people affiliated with the right-wing Oath Keepers were charged in January.

Thousands of people stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, after a fiery speech in which Trump falsely claimed his election defeat was the result of widespread fraud, an assertion rejected by multiple courts, state election officials and members of his own administration.

Four leaders of the far-right group Proud Boys are scheduled to go on trial in May.

Charles Donohoe, from North Carolina; Zach Rehl, from Philadelphia, Ethan Nordean of Auburn, Washington, and Joseph Biggs, of Ormond Beach, Florida, are facing conspiracy charges stemming from the Capitol riots.
A British passenger who suffered a breakdown while on holiday in Dubai faces a lengthy jail term for telling airline staff he feared there was a bomb on his plane while in the grip of paranoid delusions.

Former soldier Steve Long, 39, is believed to have been suffering from undiagnosed PTSD incurred during his army career when he made the comment as he was about to board a flight back to Manchester from the Gulf state.

His family say he was not threatening staff but suffering from residual trauma relating to his work in the army in tours of duty in Bosnia and Iraq.

They say he was involved with bomb disposal units and also worked as a paramedic where he witnessed first hand many horrific accidents which have troubled him since.

But Dubai airline staff called police during the incident believing Long, from Stockport, Greater Manchester, was making a bomb threat.

He was arrested and spent three days in police custody where he developed a kidney problem caused by dehydration and being held in restraints.

Long later appeared by video link before a court where he was ordered to pay 100,000. Unless he can pay the money he will be jailed.

Family members flew out to the UAE and pleaded with officials to allow them to fly Long home and receive treatment, but were turned down.

His sister Clare said: 'My brother is not a criminal. He has spent his life caring for others in the most drastic situations possible.

'He didn't harm anyone; he was just scared and needed help. If he goes to prison, I'm horrified at what this will do to him.'

Former soldier Steve Long, 39, is believed to have been suffering from undiagnosed PTSD incurred during his army career when he made the comment as he was about to board a flight back to Manchester from the Gulf state

Long was at Abu Dhabi airport about to board an Ethiad flight on January 28th after a holiday visiting friends.

His family said his behaviour towards the end of the trip had become increasingly erratic.

Long mentioned he feared there might be a bomb on board the jet as he was about the board.

Ethihad staff called police and the airline filed a criminal complaint.

Family members believe a spate of drone missile attacks on the Abu Dhabi airport weeks earlier had heightened his fears and triggered a mental collapse.

Long's wife and sister Claire flew out to Abu Dhabi the day after his arrest but were only allowed a limited time to speak with him.

Long's wife and sister Claire flew out to Abu Dhabi the day after his arrest but were only allowed a limited time to speak with him. Above: Steve, pictured with his wife Heloise

Long was at Abu Dhabi airport about to board an Ethiad flight on January 28th after a holiday visiting friends. He said he feared there might be a bomb on board the jet as he was about the board, prompting Etihad staff to call the police and later file a criminal complaint

Clare said: 'His wife Heloise and I flew to Abu Dhabi and spent three days begging the police to get him to a hospital as by this point he was clearly both physically and mentally unwell. Eventually he was transferred to a hospital, and he is still there now.

'He was put in front of the judges via video link despite clearly not having capacity or legal representation and was fined 500,000 UAED (103,000) or sentenced to prison.

'We have appointed a lawyer and appealed the decision. Despite having 2 medical reports saying Steve lacked capacity at the time and is not responsible for his actions, we have lost the appeal.

'The judge has upheld the original decision and we have not been allowed any access to Steve since the beginning of February.

'Both the lawyer and British Embassy have tried to visit Steve, and again have been refused access. He is under police guard in hospital.

'We cannot risk Steve going to prison, the British Embassy have confirmed that his mental health treatment will stop if he is transferred there, and we cannot risk him relapsing.

'He nearly died from three days in police custody and ended up with kidney problems.'

Long, who served was with the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers is being assisted by the Detained in Dubai group.

Long, who served was with the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers is being assisted by the Detained in Dubai group

Founder Radha Stirling said:' Airport staff could have taken Steve aside and simply talked to him to allay his fears .

'Instead, after Etihad made a criminal complaint, he was arrested and faces a prison sentence.

'Airline security makes no distinction between threats and passenger concerns about threats; they are treating Steve as though he intended to cause a disruption, when in reality, he was just scared.'

Because he cannot pay the fine, Steve will go to prison, even though the authorities know full well that his actions were not criminal in nature, but the result of a mental condition.

'Airport and flight security are tremendously serious issues, but there is a massive difference between someone trying to cause fear and someone who is afraid.

'Steve conveyed his fears to staff precisely because he was concerned about safety. Even a brief discussion with him at the time would have revealed his mental state, and the issue could have been resolved on the spot. '

Long is being held on a psychiatric ward, but there are fears once he has stablised he will be sent to prison where there will be limited medical help. '

Under Dubai criminal law unless a fine can be paid the person will be jailed.

A spokesman for the British Embassy in Dubai said they are providing consular assistance.

Etihad Airways said it couldnt comment as the incident was under investigation by government authorities.

But a spokeswoman said: Any threat to safety or security is taken extremely seriously and handled in accordance with strict protocols.
We live in increasingly complicated times -- who gets cancelled and who stays cancelled reflects that.

The American public has the power to put our money and votes where our mouth is.

We can choose to support (or not support) whichever artist, corporation, writer, public figure or politician that we want.

It is also true that as a society, we have spent the last few years cancelling people over all different kinds of injustices  real and imagined.

Some people have been banished for completely justifiable reasons. Many of these individuals over the past few years have included sexual predators, rapists, and others posing dangerous threats to society at large.

Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein and Roger Ailes are some of the first people who come to mind. Their monstrous actions revealed how so many of them were protected by their fame and influence.

Then there are others like celebrity chef Alison Roman. She was cancelled for criticizing the careers of entrepreneurial celebrities, supermodel Chrissy Teigen and Netflix star Marie Condo.

The wrath of the internet and Chrissy came down on Roman, but her cancellation hasn't stuck.

She still has a popular cooking newsletter, online show and she will have a new program on the soon-to-be-launched streaming network CNN+.

Morgan Wallen was embroiled in scandal last year after being exposed for using the N-word. (Above) Wallen attends the 57th Academy of Country Music Awards at Allegiant Stadium on March 07, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada

Another more serious example of cancel culture is the sage of country music star Morgan Wallen.

He was embroiled in scandal last year after being exposed for using the N-word. Wallen was also scheduled to perform on SNL but his performance was cancelled after he was exposed for partying in Alabama at the height of Covid lockdowns.

Last night, he won the prestigious album of the year at the American Country Music awards and had the biggest selling album of 2021 with his record 'Dangerous.'

The backlash to cancel culture was predictable -- even inevitable.

But for some  cancel culture remains the appropriate punishment. And they deserve the life-sentence.

Which is how we come to disgraced pig and ex-Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo.

His snake-head resurfaced on Sunday in his first public appearance in six months.

He showed up at God's Battalion of Prayer Church, a Black congregation in Brooklyn.

Governor Grope told the Brooklyn congregation that he is a victim of cancel culture and 'God isn't done with me yet.'

Cuomo went on to quote the Bible and claim that 'political sharks in Albany who smelled blood in the water' were behind his ouster and sought to 'overturn an election.'

He even suggested his brother Chis Cuomo was a victim of the 'cancel-culture mob' when he was fired from CNN. (He made no mention of that fact that Chris Cuomo lied to his viewers about secretly advising his brother, undermining his brother's accusers and faces sexual harassment allegations himself).

I don't know why the congregants of the God's Battalion of Prayer Church had to have their Sunday worship interrupted by a pervert and a fool, but they did.

This also comes after Cuomo's still-active political campaign launched a nearly $400,000 digital and TV ad drive pushing the message that he was driven from office unfairly.

It is clear to anyone with eyes and ears that Andrew Cuomo is attempting some sort of ill-advised and delusional comeback.

There was a moment in time during Covid when Andrew Cuomo was being applauded and celebrated in all factions of the left-leaning media.

He did daily press conferences where he would give Covid updates and go on bizarre rants about his daughter's boyfriend.

It was something that I found off putting and strange, but apparently not many others did.

Governor Grope told the Brooklyn congregation that he is a victim of cancel culture and 'God isn't done with me yet.' (Above) Andrew Cuomo spoke at God's Battalion of Prayer Church in Brooklyn on March 6

Andrew Cuomo even suggested his brother Chis Cuomo was a victim of the 'cancel-culture mob' when he was fired from CNN (Above) Chris Cuomo admits advising brother on sexual harassment scandal in video of his testimony released by the attorney general's investigation

He also repeatedly appeared on his brother's CNN show during Covid in one of the most cringeworthy parts of his entire tenure as governor.

The segments can best be described as a comedy show with his brother, using giant Q-tip props and waxing poetic about his dating life.

I can honestly say, I never liked any of it and always found it off distasteful.

In case anyone has forgotten, ex-Governor Cuomo resigned in disgrace in August after a string of sexual harassment and assault allegations from numerous women.

He had also gone through a litany of other scandals in recent years, including his role in ordering thousands of Covid-positive patients to be returned to nursing homes in New York State.

A public policy watchdog group, citied by the New York State Bar Association, found that his March 25, 2020 COVID order likely resulted in 'several hundred and possibly more than 1,000' deaths.

Among those who so tragically and needlessly died were the mother and father-in-law of my dear friend Fox meteorologist Janice Dean. Their names were Mickey and Dolores Newman.

It was also revealed his Chris Cuomo allegedly called Janice 'that Fox weather bitch' and sought 'help painting her as a far right crazy' in text messages to his brother Andrew and his staff after Dean criticized Cuomo for his role in her in-laws' passing.

I am glad Andrew Cuomo was held accountable for his despicable behavior as a sexual predator, but formal charges have been dropped. I wish that there will be charges filed for his role in the nursing home scandal.

It doesn't take a psychologist to see that Andrew Cuomo is an egomaniac.

It takes a certain type of personality that is disassociated from reality to go in front of a church after being credibly accused of sexual harassment and claim you are the victim.

New York Attorney General Letitia James for her part has called Andrew Cuomo a 'sick, pathetic man' that 'New Yorkers were ready to move forward from.'

However, this is not an opinion apparently shared by all New York Democrats.

Mayor Eric Adams was recently seen having lunch with Andrew Cuomo, because as all women know, men are more likely to protect and forgive predatorial men than women are.

Mayor Adams should focus on the crime surge engulfing his city instead of aiding and abetting a predator's comeback.

I assure you Mayor, you have your own problems to deal with and if you want women to respect you, do not try and help to absolve Andrew Cuomo.

American politics are a better and safer place without Andrew Cuomo in it.

Mayor Eric Adams (above right) was recently seen having lunch with Andrew Cuomo, because as all women know, men are more likely to protect and forgive predatorial men than women are.

The American media is a better and safer place without his brother Chris Cuomo in it.

This will go down as one of the most obnoxious attempts at a comeback tour in recent memory.

I, like most conservatives, am not a fan or supporter of cancel culture but that is not what happened to Andrew Cuomo.

It is cheap, convenient and lazy for Andrew Cuomo to attach himself to a cultural moment he has nothing to do with.

As Attorney General Letitia James also said 'Even though multiple independent investigations found his victims to be credible, Cuomo continues to blame everyone but himself.'

There is a certain level of privilege that middle aged white men in America always take. They never really have to take accountability for their behavior, that it is always someone else's fault, that it is a witch hunt, blah, blah, blah.

How about Occam's razor, Andrew? You were credibly accused of sexually harassing women, you abused your power as Governor and now no one wants you back. Could it be that simple?

It is difficult for me to understand why men like Andrew Cuomo can't simply let things go, try to absolve and atone for their abhorrent behavior and live the rest of his life quietly with his enormous wealth and family.

I can only speculate that it has something to do with an addiction to power and fame.

It is pathetic and there is no woman in New York who should ever feel comfortable accepting him back into politics.

The state is better off and will be more prosperous now that he is gone. His entire attempt at a redemption tour is sloppy and ill-timed.

Go back to wherever you came from Andrew, no one wants to see your face anymore, and take your brother Chris with you.
Former President Trump claimed in a statement Tuesday that President Biden 'canceled' the military equipment he had 'packed, loaded, and ready to be shipped' to Ukraine.

Trump said that while he was giving 'anti-tank busters' to Ukraine, Presidents Obama and Biden gave 'blankets,' referring to humanitarian aid.

'The Fake News Media refuses to report that I was the one who very early and strongly gave the anti-tank busters (Javelins) to Ukraine, while Obama/Biden was giving blankets, to great and open complaints,' he said in a statement.

'Then Biden came in, and canceled the remaining military equipment that was packed, loaded, and ready to be shipped. Now the Fake News Media is trying to say that Trump gave Ukraine nothing and it was Biden who is their great friend and gave them weaponry. The dishonesty is so unbelievable. All I can do is report it!'

Biden has repeatedly touted the $1 billion in security assistance the U.S. has given to Ukraine over the past year. Lawmakers are looking to attach another $12 billion in aid for Ukraine to the yearly spending bill to fund the government for the rest of fiscal year 2022.

The Biden administration had requested $10 billion, but lawmakers settled on $12 billion. The funds would be used for humanitarian, security and economic needs to help Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.

Trump also hit out against Europe for failing to follow Biden's ban on Russian oil and gas imports.

Trump said that while he was giving 'anti-tank busters' to Ukraine, Presidents Obama and Biden gave 'blankets,' referring to humanitarian aid

'Then Biden came in, and canceled the remaining military equipment that was packed, loaded, and ready to be shipped,' Trump said

Ukrainian solders from the 81st Separate Airmobile Brigade test fire anti-tank missile systems JAVELIN recently provided by the U.S Army as defense aid

A Ukrainian serviceman fires an NLAW anti-tank weapon during an exercise in the Joint Forces Operation, in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Tuesday, Feb. 15

'Just confirmed that most of Europe wont go along with the United States in boycotting Russian oil and gas. As usual the United States will be left out there alone, being taken advantage of by Europe, as we defend them, while we read in the Fake News how everyone has come together under Biden to fight Russia,' he said.

Russian oil and gas accounts for about a third of Europe's fuel source.

All of the U.S.'s last three presidents have held back on providing assistance to Ukraine in some fashion.

In 2014, as the Ukrainian military fought to take back control of the Crimean Peninsula the Russians had seized, they pleaded with Washington to send lethal aid, such as Javelin anti-tank missiles. Obama held back, and only committed to offer non-lethal aid- equipment such as body armor, night vision goggles and helmets.

In 2018, Trump agreed to provide Ukraine with $47 million worth of lethal weapons, which included 210 Javelin anti-tank missiles and 37 launchers. Trump, still hesitant of the sale, viewed Ukraine as a corrupt nation and reportedly insisted it needed to pay the U.S. back. A condition of the sale was that the anti-tankers had to be kept in western Ukraine, away from conflict, to be used as a deterrent.

Refugees from Ukraine who arrived to Krakow due to ongoing Russian attacks on Ukraine are seen at a temporary shelter inside the reception point organized in a former historic building of railway station in Krakow, Poland

Refugees who arrived from Ukraine are seen at the main railway station in Krakow, Poland on March 8

In 2019, Trump ordered a freeze on the $400 million package of military assistance to Ukraine, days before his call with President Volodymyr Zelensky where he asked the leader to investigate then-candidate Biden and his son Hunter. That aid was released on Sept. 11, after Democrats had already opened their impeachment inquiry.

And in December, it was reported that Biden held up a $200 million military aid package to allow for more time for diplomacy with Russia as Vladimir Putin amassed troops on the Ukrainian border.

At the time 22 House Democrats and Republicans wrote a letter urging Biden to release the aid, which included Stinger and Javelin missiles, drones, electronic jamming gear, radars, ammunition and medical supplies.

As vice president in 2015, Biden warned Ukrainian officials that they stood to lose around $1 billion in loan guarantees unless they fired prosecutor general Victor Shokin, citing his failure to investigate corruption in the country. Shokin, and Trump, claimed that Biden pressured Ukraine to fire the prosecutor general because he was investigating Burisma, where Hunter Biden sat on the board.
Even as he embraced police cultivated a 'law and order' image, former President Donald Trump slammed police conduct in high-profile cases involving black citizens in private comments to Bill Barr, the former attorney general claims in his new book.

Trump weighed in in private on several of those cases  including the high-profile police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis  saying the video looked 'pretty bad.'

'If all you know about Donald Trump was the caricature of him in the news media, you might assume he would automatically side with the police and callously disregard the possibility of excessive force. That wasn't his reaction,' Barr writes in his book, One Damn Thing After Another.

Barr describes getting an 'angry' call from Trump after Floyd's killing in 2020. 'What the hell were those cops thinking?' Trump told him, Barr writes. 'I couldn't watch the whole thing. It was terrible,' he said.

Trump wanted to make sure the Justice Department was aggressively pursuing the matter, Barr writes.

Former President Donald Trump phoned AG Bill Barr after watching video of the George Floyd killing and other high-profile cases

Trump also tweeted about a probe of Floyd's death, which he called 'very sad and tragic'

Trump also weighed in after the Justice Department opted not to bring criminal charges against NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo against Eric Garner in New York in 2019.

Garner's 'I can't breathe' pleas during his arrest became a national rallying cry after he died following his arrest for illegal cigarette sales.

'Really?' was Trump's response when told the feds would not bring charges, according to Barr.

Writes Barr: 'I saw the tape several times on TV,' he said, shaking his head and looking perplexed. "It looked pretty bad to me."'

Eric Garner died while being arrested on Staten Island. The New York City Medical Examiner's Office attributed Garner's death to a combination of a chokehold, compression of his chest, and poor health

Trump weighed in on the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police

Ahmaud Arbery was shot while jogging in Georgia

'I grew up in Queens. I know some cops can be bullies,' Trump said, while describing the Eric Garner case

Trump cultivated a law and order image in office

In this June 1, 2020 file photo, President Donald Trump walks in Lafayette Park to visit outside St. John's Church across from the White House in Washington

When Barr, who grew up near the Columbia University campus in Manhattan, tried to explain himself, fellow New Yorker Trump weighed in.

'I grew up in Queens. I know some cops can be bullies. You're from New York - you know. Were these cops looking for a fight with this guy just for selling cigarettes? Were they picking on him?'

Trump 'hated the idea of a bully pushing people around,' writes Barr  taking on Trump's reputation for belittling people the former president calls 'losers.'

An 'agitated' Trump also dialed his attorney general following the release of video of the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a black man who was run down by three white pursuers while jogging in Brunswick, Ga. All three were later convicted of murder.

Trump had 'seen the video' and told Barr: 'It's very ugly! It's just unbelievable they shot this fellow down. He seemed to be a good guy. And some people are saying there might've been some cover-up at the beginning. I want to make sure you're all over this,' he asked the nation's top law enforcement officer.

Barr says Trump continued to raise the case with him over a period of months.

Barr's passage on Trump standing up for the subjects of high-profile racial justice came during a period when Trump was also sending a 'law and order' image by appearing with law enforcement.

He walked along with Barr across Lafayette Park across from the White House amid protests following Floyd's killing, after authorities used chemical irritants to clear the park.

Trump appeared with law enforcement officers on Long Island in 2017, where he spoke about 'these thugs being thrown into the back of a paddy wagon,' and appeared to encourage cops to be rough on suspects.

'When you guys put somebody in the car and youre protecting their head, you know, the way you put their hand over? Trump said at the time. 'Like, dont hit their head, and they just killed somebody  dont hit their head,' Trump said. 'I said, you can take the hand away, okay?'

The passages come in a book where Barr describes Trump sparring with his team over clashes in Portland, where Barr feared a show of federal force might be portrayed as 'fascistic aggression' in the media.

'No one supports!' Trump exclaimed, standing up. 'No one gives me any f***ing support!' he fumed, according to Barr.

Barr also uses his book to take down Trump's election fraud claims at length,' including the 'baseless' claim of a truck full of ballots in Detroit, and 'grossly irresponsible allegations' by Trump's team about Dominion voting machines. He called an infamous press conference by Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani a 'grotesque embarrassment.'

Trump also 'talked stupidly about "millions" of illegal immigrants voting and throwing elections for the Democrats' before and after the election, Barr writes.
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Patriot missiles are being sent by the United States to Poland to ramp up their protection against possible attack, it was confirmed on Tuesday, as Vice President Kamala Harris was en route to the NATO member country for talks about how best to shore up Ukraine's efforts to stop the Russian invasion.

Ukraine war: The latest US intelligence chiefs say they fear Putin is angry and frustrated and may resort to using small tactical nuclear weapons to force Ukraine into submission

They said it remains unclear whether Putin has decided to take Ukraine whatever the cost, or whether there remains capacity for a ceasefire

McDonald's, Starbucks, Coca-Cola and Pepsi became the latest companies to pull out of Russia

Russia refloats plans to open humanitarian corridors. Kyiv calls the proposal a publicity stunt

Kyiv calls the proposal a publicity stunt Ukrainian servicemen and fleeing residents describe ferocious fighting on Kyiv's northwestern edge, including hand-to-hand combat

18 people, including two children, died in an air strike on the city of Sumy

Russia steps up its shelling of Gostomel near Kyiv, Kharkiv in the east, Sumy in the northeast, Chernihiv in the north and Mykolayiv in the southwest

Tens of thousands are still trapped without water or power in the southern port of Mariupol after two failed evacuation attempts

Nearly all of Russia's 150,000 combat troops arrayed on Ukraine's border have now entered the country

The International Atomic Energy Agency receives reports of artillery shells damaging a nuclear research facility in Ukraine's besieged second city Kharkiv

White House says there is no agreement with European allies on a blanket ban on oil and gas imports

The World Bank approves an additional $489million package for Ukraine, made available immediately

Russia says it will allow Russian companies and individuals to repay debts to creditors in 'hostile' nations in rubles

US-based Morgan Stanley says a Russian default on sovereign debts will come as soon as next month

Russian President Vladimir Putin says once more he is not sending conscripts or reservists to fight

Kyiv's presidential advisor says talks with Russia brought some 'positive results', while Moscow's lead negotiator said aims were 'not fulfilled'

Turkey announces it will host Russia's and Ukraine's foreign ministers for talks on Thursday.

Foreign footballers and coaches working in Russia and Ukraine will be allowed to temporarily suspend their contracts and move elsewhere, FIFA announces

The UN says 2 million people have fled Ukraine, making it the fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II Advertisement

Harris will land in Warsaw on Wednesday at the start of a three-day trip that will also see her visit Romania.

Her visit has been complicated by the Pentagon hours before her arrival pouring cold water on Poland's offer to hand all its MiG-29 fighter jets to the U.S., apparently as part of an arrangement to deliver the warplanes to Ukraine's armed forces where they are desperately needed to fight off invading Russian forces.

The idea has been floating around for more than a week after Ukraine pleaded for more aircraft, but the plan has been dogged by questions about how to deliver the planes to Ukrainian territory without dragging NATO into the conflict.

But Pentagon press secretary John F. Kirby said on Tuesday night the deal was unworkable and would cause serious concerns for the 'entire NATO alliance.'

The U.S. is now sending two Patriot missile batteries to Poland as a 'defensive deployment,' a spokesman for U.S. European Command (EUCOM) said on Tuesday night.

Patriots are air defense missile systems designed to counter and destroy incoming short-range ballistic missiles, advanced aircraft and cruise missiles.

Capt. Adam Miller, spokesman for EUCOM said in a statement: 'At the direction of the Secretary of Defense and at the invitation of our Polish allies, General Wolters, Commander, of US European Command has directed US Army Europe and Africa to reposition two Patriot Batteries to Poland.

'This is a prudent force protection measure that underpins our commitment to Article Five and will in no way support any offensive operations.

'Every step we take is intended to deter aggression and reassure our allies.'

Article Five is the section of the NATO agreement which states that if one NATO member is attacked, all must come to their aid.

The situation around Kyiv, meanwhile, was deteriorating, with reports of hand-to-hand combat in Irpin, 20 miles northwest of the capital.

'There is real street fighting now,' said Stas, a Ukrainian paratrooper lieutenant.

'In some places, there is hand-to-hand combat,' he told AFP.

'There is a huge column - 200 men, 50 light armored vehicles, several tanks,' he said of the Russian threat.

'We are trying to push them out, but I don't know if we'll be fully able to do it. The situation is very unstable.'

On Sunday, Tatiana Perebeynos, 43, her two children, Alise, 9, and Nikita, 18, and a man they were traveling with were killed when Russian forces indiscriminately fired on the town. The shocking images were captured by a New York Times team on the scene.

As Ukrainians battled to defend their homeland, the outside world was debating how best to support them - without getting sucked into a global conflict.

A Patriot anti-missile defense launcher is seen in Poland on Tuesday. The United States said on Tuesday night they were sending two more to Poland, to help protect their fellow NATO-member

An Italian military plane is seen landing beside a Patriot missile launcher at the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division airfield near Rzeszow, Poland, on Tuesday.

Joe Biden is seen on Tuesday arriving back at the White House after a trip to Fort Worth, Texas

Kamala Harris, seen on Monday at a White House event, will land in Poland on Wednesday to begin a three-day visit to Poland and Romania. Her trip has been overshadowed by wrangling over how best to help Ukraine's air force

Explaining why the U.S. turned down Poland's plan of giving its planes to the U.S., for distribution to Ukraine, Kirby said: 'We are now in contact with the Polish government following the statement issued today.

'As we have said, the decision about whether to transfer Polish-owned planes to Ukraine is ultimately one for the Polish government.

'We will continue consulting with our Allies and partners about our ongoing security assistance to Ukraine, because, in fact, Poland's proposal shows just some of the complexities this issue presents.

'The prospect of fighter jets 'at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America' departing from a U.S./NATO base in Germany to fly into airspace that is contested with Russia over Ukraine raises serious concerns for the entire NATO alliance', he added.

'It is simply not clear to us that there is a substantive rationale for it. We will continue to consult with Poland and our other NATO allies about this issue and the difficult logistical challenges it presents, but we do not believe Poland's proposal is a tenable one.'

Tuesday's announcement was seen as a Polish effort to force the US and NATO to go further in backing the Ukrainian fight amid mounting concerns over whether it would be seen as an escalation by Vladimir Putin.

There were suggestions NATO electronics would need to be removed if adopted by the Ukrainian Air Force. Russia could have responded if Ukrainian pilots flew them in from a foreign airfield. If American or Polish pilots dropped them in, it could be interpreted as NATO forces operating inside Ukraine.

'The authorities of the Republic of Poland, after consultations between the president and the government, are ready to deploy  immediately and free of charge  all their MIG-29 jets to the Ramstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the government of the United States of America,' said the Polish foreign ministry.

Poland is believed to have 28 MiG-29s - a Soviet-era fighter flown by the Ukrainian air force - although not all are airworthy.

'At the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities,' it said in their statement released earlier on Tuesday.

US officials were considering a proposal to send F-16s to Poland to 'backfill' its air force, replacing the MiGs, but have also suggested caution is in order. The Polish announcement appeared to take them unawares.

Victoria Nuland, State Department undersecretary, was asked about the decision when she appeared before a Senate committee to discuss Ukraine.

'I was in a meeting where I ought to have about that before I came so I think that actually was a surprise move by the Poles,' she said. Sources familiar with the issue said the problem was how to deliver the planes to Ukraine.

Russia has made clear that it will consider any use by Ukraine of neighboring country's territory as a 'casus belli,' or justification for attack. That means Ukrainian pilots taking off from Poland or Germany in the MiGs would cross a Russian red line. Asking Polish pilots to fly them in would also be viewed by Russia as NATO entering the conflict.

The move came with Kremlin officials 'privately denouncing' Putin's 'clusterf**k' invasion as US officials warned that the isolated Russian despot could lash out in anger at Ukraine's fierce resistance by using small nuclear weapons on some of its cities.

Russian journalist Farida Rustamova, who was well-connected in government circles before fleeing the country as the Kremlin launched a sweeping crackdown on dissent, has claimed that officials in Moscow never believed that Putin would go to war.

They are now allegedly making 'apocalyptic' forecasts about the weeks and months ahead as fighting grinds on and punitive sanctions bite.

The Pentagon has poured cold water on Poland's offer to hand all its MiG-29 fighter jets to the US, apparently as part of an arrangement to deliver the warplanes to Ukraine 's armed forces where they are desperately needed to fight off invading Russian forces

Poland said it was ready to deploy 'immediately and free of charge' all its MiG-29 jets to the Ramstein Air Base and place them at the 'disposal of the Government of the United States of America'

President Joe Biden announced a ban on imports of Russian oil and gas on Tuesday, but Washington now faces tough decisions about what to do with Poland's offer of MiG fighters for Ukraine

Ukrainian artillery targeting Russian military trucks in Kozarovychi in the Kyiv Oblast

A Ukrainian tank rolls along a main road in Kyiv on Tuesday. Russia's main invasion column remains stalled outside the capital

Pictured: Destroyed Russian tanks in the Sumy region of Ukraine on Monday, March 7

A Mikoyan MiG-29 Fulcrum multirole fighter jet with the Polish Air Force

Pictured: Some of the military aircrafts at the US Air Base Ramstein, in Landstuhl, Germany, on February 25

MiG-29 fighter jets, the Soviet-era combat plans use to counter the U.S. The Mikoyan MiG-29 jet was designed in the Soviet Union in the 1980s to counter U.S. fighters such as the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle and the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. They were built to travel at Mach 2+ speed, carry heavy armaments, take off from short runways and have the capacity to go on long-range missions. They are twin-engine jets that have been adopted by a number of former Soviet nations and Eastern European countries. Bulgaria and Slovakia are other NATO members operating the plane type and have been urged to also offer up their fleets to Ukraine as Russia ramps up its bloody invasion. Advertisement

'There were some logistical questions - important ones - that were still under discussion about where those planes would take off from and land,' said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki when she was asked about the deal on Tuesday.

A day earlier, Kirby played down progress on any moves to supply planes.

'I would just say again, we're very early on in a discussion here about a possibility. It's not even a done deal at this point,' he said.

And hopes that the MiGs would offer an immediate breakthrough were further scotched by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki who said that the delivery of offensive weapons would have to be taken by all of NATO.

'This is why we are ready to give all of our fleet of jet fighters to Ramstein, but we are not ready to make any moves on our own because, as I said, we are not party to this war,' he said during a joint news conference with his Norwegian counterpart in Oslo.

It comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a 'desperate plea' for aircraft to fight Russian invaders during a video call on Saturday with U.S. legislators, according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

'These planes are very much needed. And I will do all I can to help the administration to facilitate their transfer,' he said in a statement.

The Polish moves comes amid warnings by US intelligence chiefs that an angry and frustrated Putin could double down on his invasion despite setbacks.

Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier told Congress an estimated 2,000-4,000 Russian soldiers had been killed so far.

Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence, said Putin would not be deterred by the lack of progress being made by his forces and the level of Ukrainian resistance.

'We assess Putin feels aggrieved the west does not give him proper deference and perceives this as a war he cannot afford to lose,' she told the House intelligence committee.

CIA director Bill Burns said he predicted 'an ugly next few weeks' as Putin escalated the war 'with scant regard for civilian casualties.'

Meanwhile the US and allies continue to deliver military aid to Ukraine. It is arriving on flights to neighboring countries with as many as 17 planes a day unloading weapons and other equipment at one undisclosed location.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley visited the airfield to inspect the historic effort, CNN reported.

Defense officials have said while Russia continues to fire long-range artillery at Ukrainian cities and make some territorial gains in its south, it has not yet attacked supply transfers.

Armed Ukrainian servicemen stand guard next to Czech-supplied 'hedgehog' defenses in downtown Kyiv

Russian troops continue to try and surround Kyiv ahead of what is expected to be an attack on the city, with intense fighting reported in the north west including hand-to-hand combat with Russian forces

CIA Director Bill Burns says Putin planned to take Kyiv in TWO DAYS before invasion stalled CIA Director Bill Burns appeared before Congress on Tuesday morning The director of the Central Intelligence Agency on Tuesday revealed that Vladimir Putin planned to capture the Ukrainian capital Kyiv within two days and warned that a frustrated Russian president could be about to escalate attacks on civilians. 'You know, this is a matter of deep personal conviction for him,' he told the House intelligence committee. 'He's been stewing in a combustible combination of grievance and ambition for many years.' He said after two weeks of fighting, Russian forces had still not been able to encircle Kyiv, which Putin planned to capture in two days. 'He's likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties,' said Burns. 'But the challenge that he faces - and this is the biggest question that's hung over our analysis of his planning for months now - ... he has no sustainable political endgame in the face of what is going to continue to be fierce resistance from Ukrainians.' Advertisement

This includes providing 17,000 anti-tank missiles and an additional 2,000 anti-aircraft missiles  at a time when video on the ground has showed Russian trucks and armored vehicles stopped in their tracks, while Ukrainian forces report downing helicopters and other aircraft.

The US says it has committed one billion dollars in the past year to shoring up Ukraine's defenses and that most of the recently announced $350 million in aid has already arrived.

But the skies remain contested, according to a senior defense official who briefed reporters.

Earlier in the day, President Joe Biden warned Vladimir Putin that the Russian leader would never be able to declare victory in Ukraine.

In a White House speech, he promised to hunt down oligarchs' assets, praised Ukrainian resistance and condemned the Russian leader for failing to allow ceasefires for humanitarian relief.

'Putin seems determined to continue on his murderous path no matter the cost,' he said.

But as he tightened the economic noose on Moscow by banning imports of Russian oil and gas, Biden said Putin had miscalculated.

'He has already turned two million Ukrainians into refugees,' he said.

'Russia may continue to grind out its advance at a horrible price, but this much is already clear: Ukraine will never be a victory for Putin.

'Putin may be able to take a city, but he'll never be able to hold the country.

'And if we do not respond to Putin's assault on global peace and stability today, the cost of freedom, and to the American people, will be even greater tomorrow.'

Russia's main column of armor has been stalled outside Kyiv for days amid reports of poor morale, lack of supplies and technical problems.

Captured soldiers have complained of a lack of food, fuel, and overall battle plan.

Although Russian forces have made gains elsewhere, it means Putin has failed in what US officials said was his plan to seize the capital within two days.

They say he miscalculated he strength of Ukrainian opposition and over-estimated the success of his efforts to protect his economy from sanctions.

Biden said: 'We are enforcing the most significant package of economic sanctions in history, and it's causing significant damage to Russia's economy.'

And he promised not to cease efforts to make life difficult for the oligarchs around Putin.

'The US Department of Justice has assembled a dedicated task force to go after the crimes of Russian oligarchs and we're joining with our European allies to find and seize their yachts, their luxury apartments or private jets and all their ill begotten games to make sure that they share in the pain of Putin's war

'Some of them are ... I think I've read one was over 400 feet long. I mean, this is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Ukrainian solders from the 81st Separate Airmobile Brigade test fire anti-tank JAVELIN missiles recently provided by the US

A Ukrainian serviceman fires an NLAW anti-tank weapon during an exercise in the Joint Forces Operation, in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Tuesday, Feb. 15

Ukrainian soldiers help an elderly woman to cross a destroyed bridge as she evacuates the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv

Ukrainians cross an improvised path under a destroyed bridge while fleeing Irpin, in the outskirts of Kyiv, March 8, 2022

Civilians continue to flee from Irpin due to ongoing Russian attacks as snow falls in Irpin, Ukraine, March 8, 2022

Kyiv claimed on Tuesday that 12,000 Russian troops have now died fighting in Ukraine, while 300 tanks have been destroyed along with more than 1,000 armored vehicles, 48 planes, 80 helicopters and three boats. Moscow has acknowledged taking losses but has not given a recent update. Ukraine's losses are unknown.

Strikes on civilian areas also continued Tuesday morning, with the city of Sumy - in the east - struck by bombs which the local mayor said killed 21 people including two children and left others wounded. Ukraine's parliament published a photo of a bloodied infant they said was hurt in the attack.

Russia again offered to open up 'humanitarian corridors' today to allow civilians to flee bombarded cities - but the move was swiftly dismissed by Kyiv, with Zelensky accusing Moscow of 'cynicism', saying its troops have laid mines across the routes and blown up buses intended to be used as transports.

'There was an agreement on humanitarian corridors. Did that work? Russian tanks worked in its place, Russian Grads (multiple rocket launchers), Russian mines,' Zelensky said in a video posted on Telegram.

'They ensure that a small corridor to the occupied territory is open for a few dozen people. Not so much towards Russia as towards the propagandists, directly towards the television cameras.'

At least one of the corridors - out of Sumy - was operating on Tuesday despite the fatal Russian strikes early in the morning.

Ukraine's deputy prime minister announced that more than 5,000 civilians were evacuated from the northern Ukrainian city under a temporary ceasefire that mostly held.

Regional governor Dmytro Zhyvytsky said around 1,700 of the evacuees were foreign students studying at universities in Sumy, adding the ceasefire was broken only once by a shooting near a checkpoint.

But Ukraine's foreign ministry said the route out of Mariupol, which has been without water or electricity for the best part of a week, was shelled.

Mariupol is one of the Ukrainian cities worst hit since the invasion began, with Russian forces bringing widespread destruction to residential and administrative centers.

And each time Russia has agreed to open 'humanitarian corridors' allowing citizens to flee the city, its forces have broken their ceasefire agreement and continued shelling in what appear to have been targeted attacks on innocent civilians.

Zelensky said people stuck in the blockaded urban centre are beginning to suffer from a lack of supplies as the city runs dangerously low on food, water and medicine.

Ukrainian territorial defense forces have been able to deliver vital supplies to some residents, but many more remain isolated and unable to access lifesaving rations.

In Bucha, to the northwest of Kyiv, the mayor said the city is under such heavy shelling that medics cannot get into the streets to retrieve the bodies of the dead - which are now being 'pulled apart' by stray dogs.

'It's a nightmare,' he added.

The United Nations said the number of refugees who have fled Ukraine has already reached 2 million - the fastest exodus Europe has seen since World War II.

One million were children, UNICEF spokesman James Elder tweeted, calling it 'a dark historical first.' Most others were women.

In Zhyotymyr, west of Kyiv, a fire at an oil depot was extinguished in the early hours of the morning while in Mykolaiv, in the south, several fires in residential areas had broke out due to Russian attacks - with four civilians killed and five others rescued from the rubble and taken to hospital

In Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, Russian shelling set nine floors and 27 apartment units of a residential building on fire - a blaze that took rescuers more than four hours to extinguish. At least four people were killed.

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, speaking to the BBC, said Russian forces are 'getting more desperate' and 'we are seeing the Russians just double down on brutality' as the attack stalls.

People file across a makeshift river crossing below a destroyed bridge as they flee from advancing Russian troops whose attack on Ukraine continues in the town of Irpin

A woman carries a dog to cross a destroyed bridge as she evacuates the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv
National Election Commission staffers conduct a final test on ballot counting machines ahead of the 20th presidential election, at a polling station set up at Seoul National University in Gwanak District, Tuesday. Yonhap



By Jung Da-min



COVID-19 patients' votes have risen as a variable in what is expected to be one of the closest presidential races in Korea's history.



Concerns are rising over further problems anticipated in the election agency's handling of COVID-19 patients' ballots on Election Day Wednesday, as seen during the early voting period for those who tested positive for COVID-19 by March 4.



Controversies have risen over the National Election Commission's (NEC) poor handling of early voting for COVID-19 patients, as conducted at separate polling booths in each polling station on March 5, the second day of the two-day early voting.



Some COVID-19 patients who voted early saw their ballots being collected in paper bags, parcel boxes and even plastic trash bags by polling station workers, who were tasked with putting the ballots into official ballot boxes on behalf of the voters. But some said they could not confirm whether the ballots were handled correctly.



There were also some COVID-19 patients who had to wait too long to vote and went home without finishing the process, feeling too exhausted to do so.











An official of the National Election Commission monitors surveillance feeds showing the locations of its official ballot boxes for the early voting period conducted March 4 and 5, at the agency's headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. Joint Press Corps



According to the NEC's statistics, a total of 990,630 voters cast their ballots in the final voting hours on Saturday, during the time designated for COVID-19 patients to enter polling stations. But the exact number of COVID-19 patients among the 990,630 has yet to be counted.



The number of COVID-19 patients who would have to vote between 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday is expected to surpass 1 million, about 2.2 percent of the total number of voters. They will be allowed to exit isolation starting at 5:50 p.m. to visit polling stations near their registered address in order to cast their ballots.



The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency announced Monday that it has adjusted the time when COVID-19 patients will be allowed outside under special permission from the public health authority, starting at 5:50 p.m. rather than 5:30 p.m. announced previously, at the request of the NEC, which said it is to help reduce the waiting time for COVID-19 patients.





National Election Commission Chairperson Noh Jeong-hee announces plans for the presidential election at the agency's headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. Yonhap
A father and daughter spotted a rare wolverine on a 'once-in-a-lifetime' visit to Yellowstone National Park this weekend.

Carl Kemp and his daughter Maya, 9, were enjoying a 'magical' day on a Yellowstone Insights tour when they spotted the animal their guide called 'more elusive than a sasquatch' wandering in the roadway.

Just six wolverines are still living in the park, including the one Carl and Maya Kemp saw. It is believed to be the eighth sighting in the last 15 years.

'It was really magical to see,' Maya told KTVQ. 'Dad said that it was like the unicorn of Yellowstone. It was insane.'

MacNeil Lyons, owner of Yellowstone Insights, a touring agency, recalled the moment he and his tour group spotted the wolverine in a rare sighting around 11.30 a.m. on Saturday.

'We felt beyond elated at this chance encounter with this elusive creature,' he wrote on Facebook. 'My guest said out loud, exactly what I was thinking: "Is that a bear?" For a hot second, we both thought that it might be a young black bear moving away from us, but as it turned and looked over its right shoulder towards us - there was no mistaking that the animal was indeed, a Wolverine!'

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The furry animal was seen running across the snow-covered road in Yellowstone National Park

Carl Kemp and his daughter Maya, nine, (pictured) were enjoying a 'magical' day on a Yellowstone Insights tour when they spotted a wolverine wandering in the roadway. It is believed that only six wolverines are left in the park

The duo commemorated their special treat with a picture in front of the park's sign. 'It was really magical to see,' Maya told KTVQ . 'Dad said that it was like the unicorn of Yellowstone. It was insane'

What was even more 'amazing,' he said, was getting to share the moment with Carl and Maya on their first trip to Yellowstone.

'For the rest of the tour, the nine-year-old daughter couldnt stop saying, every 15 minutes or so: "Wow we saw a wolverine today!" She told me it was the most amazing day ever in her life.'

Carl said he knew the moment Lyons picked them up at 6.30 a.m. on Saturday that they were in for a good day after seeing a 'cottontail chilling on the side of the road.'

'As soon as we entered the park, we saw the Wapiti wolf pack chasing a pronghorn, and shortly thereafter saw them very near the roadside,' Carl wrote on Facebook. 'Throughout the day, our guide (and new friend for life) MacNeal Lyons put us on bison, rare songbirds, mule deer, elk, mountain goats, golden eagles, big horn sheep, a black bear in her den, and more! But a WOLVERINE!? I never even dreamed it was possible.'

The wolverine was spotted in the park around 11.30 a.m. on Saturday and is believed to be the eighth sighting of one in the last 15 years

The animal climbed along the snow banks as he checked out the group of tourist before heading for higher ground

'Their range is typically more northern and the only creature more elusive than them is [a] sasquatch.'

Carl shared a video of the wolverine sighting on his YouTube page and can be heard telling his daughter to 'be quiet' as the fluffy animal traverse the snow bank. In the footage, the small animal sits in the snow and observes the tour group from afar before playfully running in the snow-covered roads. Eventually the animal heads for higher ground and the group stopps to check out its tracks.

'[It] left us all with a memory we will never forget,' Carl wrote on YouTube.

'It was only 2-3 minutes, but it was as if time stood still. There was, for sure, a true and focused connection between two sentient beings,' MacNeal told For The Win.

In January 2021, Yellowstone excitedly announced it had spotted one of its 'rarest mammals' after another wolverine triggered a trail camera outside of Mammoth Hot Springs area. It was the first footage caught of the animal in the park.

MacNeil Lyons, owner of Yellowstone Insights touring group, took the photos of the rare sighting and said he was 'elated' to see the creature

Wolverines are small mammals that are a part of the weasel family and reside in high-altitude alpine and forest areas. The animal can weigh up to 30 pounds and typically preys on small animals, like birds and squirrels. They also eat vegetation, like pine nuts.

Despite their small size, wolverines can be aggressive and are capable of killing animals that are many times their size, like a bear.

Wolverines are found in snowy areas and typically den in deep snow or beneath fallen trees.

The animal was listed as a threatened species in February 2013, but that has since been placed on hold as of October 2020.

The U.S. fish and Wildlife Service said the withdrawal from the list is 'based on our conclusion that the factors affecting the species as identified in the proposed rule are not as significant as believed at the time of the proposed rule.'

The fuzzy creature is nonetheless protected by law in Wyoming. Much of Yellowstone, which covers three states but resides Wyoming, would be included.

'Theyre still considered a species of great conservation need and theyre actually protected by law in Wyoming,' Wyoming Game and Fish biologist Zack Walker told Cowboy State Daily.
A liberal University of Virginia student claims she and others were forced to self-censor in classrooms to avoid low grades backlash from peers.

On Monday, 22-year-old University of Virginia student Emma Camp wrote a guest essay for the New York Times, where she described negative experiences she and other students faced for having differing opinions.

Camp called on the university to step up to stop free speech from being stifled on campus.

'I went to college to learn from my professors and peers. I welcomed an environment that champions intellectual diversity and rigorous disagreement. Instead, my college experience has been defined by strict ideological conformity,' the college senior wrote.

University of Virginia student Emma Camp (pictured) described negative experiences she and other students faced for having differing opinions in an op-ed for the New York Times

Camp called on the University of Virginia to step up to stop free speech from being stifled on campus

'Students of all political persuasions hold back  in class discussions, in friendly conversations, on social media  from saying what we really think. Even as a liberal who has attended abortion rights protests and written about standing up to racism, I sometimes feel afraid to fully speak my mind,' she added.

In her essay, Camp wrote that things have gotten so bad that students just stopped voicing their 'unpopular' opinions out of fear of getting lower grades if they did not censor themselves.

She mentioned an incident during her sophomore year where she said that non-Indian women can criticize suttee, a historical practice of ritual suicide by Indian widows, which her classmates found 'objectionable.'

'The room felt tense. I saw people shift in their seats. Someone got angry, and then everyone seemed to get angry,' she said of her experience after sharing her opinion. 'After the professor tried to move the discussion along, I still felt uneasy. I became a little less likely to speak up again and a little less trusting of my own thoughts.'

University of Virginia student Emma Camp wrote a guest essay for the New York Times, where she described negative experiences she and other students faced for having differing opinions

Camp (pictured) wrote that she hopes universities will stop canceling 'controversial speakers' and caving to 'unreasonable student demands

She wrote that as more students faced similar negative reactions to their ideas, she noticed fewer of her classmates would speak up.

'Eventually, our discussions became monotonous echo chambers. Absent rich debate and rigor, we became mired in socially safe ideas,' she wrote.

According to Camp, other students said they were made to feel 'uneasy' and were less likely to participate in discussions after their negative experiences.

She pointed out that one fellow conservative student named Stephen Wiecek said he sometimes 'straight-up lied' about his beliefs to avoid conflict.

Camp wrote that she hopes universities will stop canceling 'controversial speakers' and caving to 'unreasonable student demands,' but instead reward intellectual diversity and nonconformist ideas in classroom discussions and discard restrictive speech codes.

'Our universities cannot change our social interactions. But they can foster appreciation for ideological diversity in academic environments,' Camp wrote.

'Universities must do more than make public statements supporting free expression. We need a campus culture that prioritizes ideological diversity and strong policies that protect expression in the classroom.'

'We cannot experience the full benefits of a university education without having our ideas challenged, yet challenged in ways that allow us to grow,' Camp added.

Since her Op-Ed was published Camp has gotten mixed reaction on social media, with some ironically bashing the college student for speaking out.

'Congrats for speaking out. You'll get lots of intellectually vacuous pushback from the blue checkmarks. But that will just further prove your point,' one supporter tweeted. Others weren't so supportive.

'Being uncomfortable or anxious when people disagree with you is not an indication of censorship,' one person responded on Twitter. 'And I don't think policies where professors have to hold your hand to feel more comfortable when ppl [sic] disagree with you is going to change that.'

'I'm sorry you went to college and felt uncomfortable. I dream of a world where no college student ever has to feel uncomfortable ever again,' another person sarcastically tweeted.

Other people blamed the New York Times for giving her a platform to share her opinion.

'Anyway, who's really at fault here? The paper,' one person wrote. 'Nobody should expect their popularity at college to be acceptable grist for the op-ed mill. Everyone says and does stupid things in college. It's the place to do that! You grow there. The paper should not be capitalizing on that.'
A 'much-loved' one-year-old boy who was found face down in the bath after his mother left the room to fetch a towel can have his ventilator removed, a High Court judge has ruled.

In what Mr Justice Hayden described as 'a tragedy of almost immeasurable dimension', the boy - known only as H - sustained a 'profound' brain injury in June last year.

During a three-day hearing earlier this month, the court heard that while the boy was wearing an inflatable device in the bath, his mother left the room to get a towel.

When his father entered the room a short time later, he found the then four-month-old face down in the bath with no pulse.

Justice Hayden (pictured) found that continued treatment would be 'futile and burdensome', and that it 'cannot be reconciled with human dignity'

H was taken to hospital but went at least 29 minutes before his heart restarted, resulting in a significant brain injury due to the lack of oxygen, the court was told.

The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which is treating H, had asked the High Court to declare it is in the boy's best interests for his mechanical ventilation to be withdrawn.

Lawyers for the trust had also asked for a judge to rule that it was in H's best interest not to perform CPR if he has a heart attack and that he should be provided with palliative care.

The boy's parents, known as Mrs A and Mr B, had argued the trust had not properly considered their son's recent behaviours and asked for more time.

However, in a judgment published on Tuesday, Mr Justice Hayden found it was in H's best interest for ventilation to be stopped.

The court heard H has been on a ventilator for eight months, cannot successfully breathe for himself and that his brain injury was so severe that ongoing intensive care would not increase his chances of recovery or lead to him going home with his family.

Mr Justice Hayden said: 'The reality from this early stage was that this was a brain injury of such devastating consequence that there was a vanishingly small prospect of survival.

'Even a prospect characterised in these terms, however, would be enough for many parents to cling onto. It certainly was for Mrs A and Mr B in this case.'

H's parents had argued that there were signs of improvement in his condition, including that their son continues to grow and responds to touch.

However, medical experts disagreed, with one doctor telling the court it was 'unlikely that H experiences either pain or pleasure'.

Mr Justice Hayden said the changes were 'understandably misinterpreted as indicators of recovery by parents, suffused with inexhaustible hope', praising the couple for their 'enormous devotion' to their son.

The High Court (pictured) was asked to determine whether or not doctors are allowed to take the boy, who is now one, off the ventilator he has been on since last June

He later added: 'There can be very little, if indeed anything, more painful for an adult human being than being told that it is in the best interest of their child that life support be discontinued.

'It is a situation which defies human empathy.'

The judge said that prior to the incident, H had been 'a healthy, happy little boy', adding: 'He was much wanted and much loved by them and by the wider family. What occurred was a tragedy of almost immeasurable dimension.

'I have no doubt, that on an intellectual level, both understand what has happened to their son, but on an emotional level, they simply cannot absorb it,' he continued.

Mr Justice Hayden found that treatment is 'futile and burdensome', adding that 'it cannot be reconciled with human dignity'.

He said: 'The quality of H's life is reflected only in the love and care that has been showered upon him, whilst every effort has been made to treat him effectively.

'It is now clear that there is no such treatment and accordingly, his dignity threatens to be compromised.'

The judge concluded: 'That these young and loving parents have been unable to take this decision themselves is, or ought to be, readily understood by any right-thinking person.

'Sometimes, a loving parent is simply the least able to countenance such a course, even where it is, objectively, in their child's best interests.

'That is no criticism of them, far from it.'
Systems monitoring nuclear material at the radioactive waste facilities at Chernobyl in Ukraine have stopped transmitting data to the UN's nuclear watchdog.

Russian forces surrounded and seized the Chernobyl nuclear power plant last month on the first day of their invasion of Ukraine, and have since refused to let some 210 staff members leave the site.

'The Director General indicated that remote data transmission from safeguards monitoring systems installed at the Chernobyl NPP had been lost,' the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement today.

Safeguards refers to the field of IAEA work aimed at keeping track of nuclear material and waste products generated by nuclear power plants.

The IAEA urged Russian authorities to allow the 210 staff members who are being held captive at Chernobyl to leave, arguing that although radiation levels in the area are relatively low, it is necessary to ensure a 'safe rotation' of staff.

It comes after the Vienna-based UN body said Ukrainian authorities reported an attack on a nuclear facility in Kharkiv on Sunday - though no increase in radiation levels had been reported at the site.

Systems monitoring nuclear material at the radioactive waste facilities at Chernobyl in Ukraine have stopped transmitting data to the UN's nuclear watchdog

Russian forces surrounded and seized the Chernobyl nuclear power plant last month just days after their invasion of Ukraine began, and have since refused to let some 210 staff members leave the site (Russian soldier is pictured guarding Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Pripyat, Ukraine, Feb 26, 2022)

'The Director General indicated that remote data transmission from safeguards monitoring systems installed at the Chernobyl NPP had been lost,' the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement today. Safeguards refers to the field of IAEA work aimed at keeping track of nuclear material and waste products generated by nuclear power plants (nuclear waste drums pictured at Chernobyl)

The facility is part of the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology, a research institute that produces radioactive material for medical and industrial applications.

Kharkiv has come under intense Russian shelling and missile attacks in recent days, as Moscow tries to step up pressure on Ukraine to surrender.

The nuclear institute itself has been at the centre of online conspiracy theories and unsubstantiated claims in Russian media that Ukraine is attempting to develop a 'dirty bomb' - a crude nuclear weapon capable of causing mass casualties.

Because the site's 'inventory of radioactive material is very low' and kept at a 'subcritical' state, the IAEA said 'the damage reported to it would not have had any radiological consequence.'

The IAEA said this was just the latest instance of a nuclear facility becoming caught up in Russia's war on Ukraine.

'We have already had several episodes compromising safety at Ukraine's nuclear sites,' said IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi.

There have been reports of damage to radioactive waste disposal facilities near Kyiv and Kharkiv and Russian forces have hit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, causing a fire that had to be contained.

The IAEA said the Zaporizhzhia - Europe's largest nuclear power plant - was now under the control of Russian forces, blocking the delivery of spare parts and medicine.

Only two of the facility's six reactors are operating.

Grossi meanwhile has offered to travel to travel to Chernobyl to try and negotiate the safe release of the 210 staff who have been on-site for almost a fortnight and have not been allowed to leave by their Russian captors.

A still image taken from a handout video made available by the Russian Defence Ministry press service shows Russian servicemen guard in front of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Pripyat, Ukraine, 07 March 2022

Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has offered to travel to Chernobyl in order to negotiate with Ukraine and Russia in order to try to ensure the security of Ukraine's nuclear sites

The IAEA said the Zaporizhzhia - Europe's largest nuclear power plant - was now under the control of Russian forces, blocking the delivery of spare parts and medicine. Only two of the facility's six reactors are operating

Communications have also been cut with small nuclear facilities in the southern city of Mariupol - which is surrounded by Russian forces, leaving residents without electricity or running water.

The IAEA has urged Moscow and Kyiv to agree on a plan to safeguard nuclear facilities, but neither side has agreed to any terms thus far.

Last week, footage emerged from the control room of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, as staff members pleaded with Russian forces to stop the shelling of the station.

'Stop shooting at a nuclear dangerous facility. Stop shooting immediately! You threaten the security of the whole world!' the announcer said in a video sent to The New York Times by a source with ties to the local government.

'The work of the vital organs of the Zaporizhzhia station may be disrupted. It will be impossible for us to restore it,' the announcer continues.

Footage from inside the control room of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant show the scene as an announcer begs Russian soldiers to stop shooting at the plant

'Stop shooting at a nuclear dangerous facility. Stop shooting immediately! You threaten the security of the whole world!' an announcer could be heard saying in the clip from inside the plant that shows all the computers and switches

'You are endangering the security of the entire world. Attention! Stop shooting at a nuclear hazardous facility. Stop shooting at a nuclear hazardous facility! Stop shooting at a nuclear hazardous facility! Attention! Stop it!'

The nuclear power plant, which creates around 20 percent of Ukraine's electricity, was attacked in the early hours of Friday, with CCTV capturing a fierce gun battle between Russian President Vladimir Putin's men and Ukrainian defenders that sparked a fire in a six-story training building just outside the main complex. Moscow's men then stopped firefighters from getting to the building for several hours.

Eventually, emergency crews were allowed to go in and douse the flames at the Zaporizhzhia plant before Russian troops moved in and occupied the site.

The United Nation's nuclear monitoring agency said that, fortunately, none of the site's six reactors had been directly damaged and radiation levels remained normal. Three Ukrainian troops were killed defending the complex, Kyiv said.
A human leg was discovered in the trash in Brooklyn on Monday, just a few days after a woman's dismembered torso was found stuffed into a shopping cart a few blocks away.

Police said a man was walking along Jamaica Avenue in the Cypress Hills neighborhood at around 3.30pm when he spotted what turned out to be a severed limb poking out of a discarded tire.

The leg had been cut from the knee down and there was a sock on the foot, police said, according to PIX11.

A severed human leg was discovered sticking out of a discarded tire on Jamaica Avenue in Brooklyn on Monday. A passerby took a photo of the grisly find pictured on top

A woman's torso was found inside a garbage bag in a shopping cart in Brooklyn on Thursday. A man who was passing by found the woman after he opened the bag. She did not have a head or limbs (pictured: garbage bags, that do not contain her body, on the street in Brooklyn on Thursday)

The grisly find was made less than four blocks from where police discovered a torso missing its head, arms and legs last Thursday.

The human remains belonging to an unidentified woman were found inside a large bag resting in a grocery store cart that was abandoned near the intersection of Pennsylvania and Atlantic avenues last Thursday.

Police have not officially linked the two grim discoveries, reported ABC 7 NY.

The Medical Examiner's Office is working to identify the person to whom the leg had belonged, and the identification of the torso also is still pending.

The investigation into the back-to-back discoveries of human remains on Brooklyn's streets comes amid amid a huge spike in New York City crime.

The female corpse was found inside a garbage bag without a head or limbs by a passerby on Pennsylvania and Atlantic Avenues in Brooklyn around 1.45am on Thursday.

The woman was found in a garbage bag, similar to these, around 1.45am on Thursday

A man reportedly saw the garbage bag in the shopping cart and decided to take it but when he peeked inside where he made the grisly discovery.

Police reported that the woman did not appear to have any gunshot or visible stab wounds, nor any identifying marks like tattoos. The body also did not appear to be decomposed, police said.

The 75th Precinct determined the body was that of an adult woman and said the medical examiner will determine her cause of death and possibly identify her through DNA.

Authorities are now scouring surveillance footage in hopes of identifying the woman's attacker and the incident is under investigation, but locals are worried about safety.

A local student Cynthia Jimenez said they don't feel safe in the city, telling ABC 7: 'They say New York is a dream, an American dream, but I don't feel safe.'

Construction shop owner Sung Hong, 64, who is of South Korean descent, said news of the decapitation have heightened his anxieties about the rising crime in New York City, especially those concerning Asian Americans.

'Its getting worse and worse,' he told The New York Times. 'I dont know whats going on. Its like people have become crazy.'

A local construction shop and pawn shop (pictured) were tapped off by police as they investigated the incident for many hours

Local resident Violent Rodriguez told ABC 7: 'Oh my God, Jesus Christ, cause nowadays anyone is not safe here anymore, I don't know what to do because I work around the corner.'

Asian Americans have experienced a 343 percent increase in hate crimes last year with 133 attacks.

A few days ago, a bleach-blond homeless Army veteran was arrested on suspicion of racist attacks on seven Asian women. He allegedly hurled n-word slurs at NYPD cops after his apprehension.

Steven Zajonc, 28, was apprehended for the February 27 attacks on Wednesday, after barricading himself inside a bathroom at the New York Public Library and causing a standoff with the police.

His alleged attacks come after a spate of high-profile attacks on Asian-Americans in recent weeks - two of them deadly. Last week, Asian grandmother GuiYing Ma, 61, died after fighting for three months to recover from brain damage after being smashed in the face with a rock during a New York City street attack.

Overall crime is up almost 50 per cent in New York City.
Scott Morrison will head to flood-devastated regions in northern NSW and declare the disaster a national emergency.

The Prime Minister will also announce that the number of ADF troops on the ground is set to double by the end of the week.

After finishing a week in Covid-19 isolation, Mr Morrison will travel to Lismore on Wednesday morning.

The town has been devastated by the floods in which four people have died, hundreds have been displaced and thousands of homes and businesses destroyed.

Scenes after the floods in the Central Business District of Lismore, NSW on Friday

In early 2020 locals in the south of NSW refused to shake Mr Morrison's hand when he visited after bushfires

He will be hoping the locals are willing to shake his hand after bushfire victims in southern NSW refused to following his infamous holiday in Hawaii when the nation burned in 2019.

Deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce said Mr Morrison probably won't receive a warm welcome from locals during his visit.

'People are incredibly vulnerable, and it's understandable that they want to express that and the pain that they're going through,' Mr Joyce told Sky News.

'I would be incredibly surprised if people got a happy reception, because they're not in a happy place, and they want to be heard.'

The prime minister is expected to announce more funding to help rebuild communities, with a focus on long-term reconstruction projects.

'The flooding disaster across south-east Queensland and NSW is absolutely devastating,' Mr Morrison tweeted on Tuesday.

'While the clean-up and recovery is well underway for some, many areas particularly around Lismore remain isolated... and critical supplies being airlifted in.'

There are 1,800 ADF personnel on the ground in northern NSW assisting flood recovery efforts, with that number set to grow to 2,500 by the end of the day.

Brigadier Robert Lording, who is on the ground in Lismore on Wednesday, told Sydney radio station 2GB that figure would increase to 4,000 by week's end.

'The scale of this incident has been far bigger than anything we've potentially experienced in this area before,' he said.

'It's a large logistics effort to get people up here, and importantly, it's a big logistics for us to get the money here and to be able to support them.'

Residents in Lismore and surrounding areas have criticised the government's handling of the crisis, calling the response too slow to help deal with the clean-up efforts.

Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said the prime minister wanted to see the impact of the floods in northern NSW, despite the frosty reception he could receive from locals.

ADF personnel removing flood-damaged belongings from streets in Lismore, New South Wales on Tuesday

'I'm sure the prime minister, whether he's clapped or booed, wants to be there to understand and to be able to fix the catastrophe that's unfolded,' he told Sky News on Wednesday.

'That's his job and he's got to do it whether he's liked or not.'

There have been issues with physically getting ADF personnel into areas where access was limited or non-existent due to floodwaters and intense weather conditions.

As of Tuesday morning, more than $282 million in disaster payments to flood victims have been paid to 242,000 people.

Of that, $157 million has been paid to victims in NSW and $125 million in Queensland.
Britain's small businesses are today joining forces to boost the Mail Force appeal helping Ukrainian refugees.

An interior design entrepreneur, a jeweller, a yurts rental firm and a single mothers network are among the first to offer their support  and money.

Each has come up with an innovative way to donate to the cause, such as giving 1 per client or 10 per booking.

As well as swelling the appeal fund, the initiative shines a light on the nation's small businesses after two years of hardship during the pandemic.

Children lying in a bomb shelter in the city of Mariupol. The conflict has so far displaced more than 1.5 million people, with refugees flooding west into the European Union

A girl sits in an improvised bomb shelter in Mariupol. Britain's small businesses are doing their bit to contribute to the Daily Mail's charity appeal to help those affected by the war in Ukraine

As more firms join in, donations will soon add up  with the scheme given the tag 'small business, big difference'.

The idea is the brainchild of entrepreneur and TV presenter Alison Cork, who is donating 10 per order received by her online interiors business Alison At Home.

She said: 'As a business owner myself, I knew our most resilient and resourceful community of entrepreneurs would rise to the challenge of donating to the Ukrainian people.'

Miss Cork, 58, who presents ITV's Don't Move, Improve and Channel 4's Cowboy Builders, is also a business ambassador for the British Library.

She said: 'By nature, entrepreneurs like me sit and twitch, and want to do something to help.

TV presenter Alison Cork (pictured) is donating 10 per order received by her online interiors business Alison At Home

Ukraine war: The latest Russia steps up its shelling as the UN says 1.5 million people have now fled

Attempts to evacuate civilians from Mariupol fail again, amid repeated ceasefire violations

Ukraine's military says it is fighting 'fierce battles' on the edge of the southern city of Mykolayiv,

Dozens of civilians are being killed in the battle for Chernihiv in the north

A barrage of Russian missiles destroys Vinnytsia airport in central Ukraine

Russian shops are told to limit sales of essential foodstuffs to counter black market speculation

Thousands more are arrested at anti-war demonstrations in Russia, bringing the total to well over 11,000

Vladimir Putin says he will achieve his aims in Ukraine 'through negotiation or through war'

US 'green lights' Poland to supply Kyiv with fighter jets, amid fears it could drag NATO into war

Antony Blinken says the West is in 'very active' discussions about a Russian oil embargo, despite price at all-time high

Credit card giants Visa, Mastercard and American Express freeze business in Russia. Russian banks say they will use China's UnionPay system

Consultancy firms KPMG and PwC announce an end to operations in Russia

France announces it will send iodine tablets and other medical supplies to Ukraine. They are used to protect against the effects of exposure to radiation

krainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says 20,000 international volunteers have joined the fight

Netflix suspends services in Russia and social media giant TikTok blocks posting of video content from the country

Foreign media including the BBC, CBC, ARD, ZDF, Bloomberg News, CNN, CBS, RAI and EFE have suspended reporting from Russia after Moscow threatened jail terms Advertisement

'This will encourage people to buy from their local businesses, and they in turn will support the Ukrainian refugees.

There are 5.6 million small businesses in the UK, who could make a very big difference with this campaign.'

The initiative is the latest boon for Mail Force, which became the fastest newspaper fundraising appeal of all time when it launched a week and a half ago.

Generous readers, companies and philanthropists have now given an incredible 4.5million.

This includes 500,000 donated by the Mail's parent company DMGT at the request of Lord and Lady Rothermere.

The Mail Force charity, which does not use a single penny for admin, is distributing the money to good causes on the ground in Ukraine and neighbouring countries.

Jules Hawkins, who runs the Single Mums Business Network in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, is giving 10 per cent of her members' fees for three months.

She said: 'What's going on in Ukraine is so heartbreaking. I'm a great believer in trying to do something. This won't stop the war but it will make a small but tangible difference.'

Miss Hawkins, 45, who has a ten-year-old daughter, added: 'We just want to do our bit for the children of Ukraine.'

Becca McClure decided to act after seeing the heartbreaking pictures of fleeing families with small children.

Her Leeds-based glamping and events hire business North Sky Yurts will donate 10 from each booking to the appeal.

Mrs McClure, 31, mum to two-year-old Kellan, said: 'As the mum of a toddler, the thought of being uprooted, forced to run out of your house, your city is unimaginable.'

Anne Arkle, who runs Jaspersparkle Jewellers making rings from silver spoons in Anglesey, North Wales, struggled through the coronavirus lockdowns like small businesses everywhere.

She feels lucky to have got through the hard times, and now says it is time to help others.

Miss Arkle, 55, said: 'After Covid, I know I am lucky to be safe and have shelter and so I thought I'd help and put aside 5 from each sale. It is only a little but it will add up.'

Last night humanitarian group Care International's Helen Pankhurst  the great-granddaughter of suffragette Emmeline  told the Mail: 'There are very many reasons why it is vital to support those fleeing war, and for women and girls there are extra reasons that are very difficult to think about.

'Imagine the horror of giving birth in a bomb shelter while bombs go off. Or in a foreign country, on the run, with no family support.'
Thousands of motorists flooded two Broken Hill petrol stations over the weekend to snap up some of the cheapest fuel seen in years as prices soar.

At one point on Friday those in Broken Hill, in the state's far-west, were spending just 55 cents per litre on diesel, and unleaded fuel was at $1.30, as a spontaneous price war erupted between two petrol stations.

Metro Petroleum and the nearby Liberty gas station provided fuel to 2,000 people on Friday as prices got lower throughout the day, until the bowsers eventually ran empty.

Arvind Ramidi, who owns Metro Petroleum, said his businesses usually offered the cheapest fuel in town.

Metro Petroleum (pictured) and the nearby Liberty gas station in Broken Hill provided fuel to 2,000 people on Friday as prices got lower throughout the day, until the bowsers eventually ran empty

'All of a sudden the other servo started matching the price and I called our head office and they told me I could lower our price by two cents so we just kept going down down down until we sold out,' he told the ABC.

'I think we sold around 65,000 litres of fuel on Friday.'

Throughout the day each service station took turns dipping their prices by 2cents a litre, as cars quickly lined up the streets to fill up.

'We just kept it for one day, just for a promotion, as a bit of friendly competition,' Liberty service station owner Priyanshu Reddy said.

Metro Petroleum sold out of unleaded fuel by 9am the following morning.

Petrol prices in the town have since soared back up to usual prices of 190.7cents a litre.

It comes amid calls for Treasurer Josh Frydenberg to cut fuel tax - which stands at 44c per litre - as the price at the pump threatens to reach $2 a litre in a matter of weeks.

Pictured are cars lining up outside Broken Hill service stations to take advantage of the cheap fuel

Mr Frydenberg refused to be drawn on his plans for the excise last week, despite Russia's invasion of Ukraine pushing crude oil prices to an eight-year high.

'A lot of people have pushed that idea [of cutting the tax],' Mr Frydenberg told 2GB's Money News.

'I don't want to speculate what is or isn't in the budget other than saying the money from that excise goes directly into fueling transport infrastructure projects.

Mr Frydenberg is set to deliver the federal budget later this month ahead of the 2022 general election, which is expected to be held in May.

South Australian Senator Rex Patrick is among the federal politicians who have called for a reduction in fuel duty to help Australians feeling the pinch at the pump.

'Businesses and households in regional and remote Australia are already feeling the squeeze from extreme fuel prices,' he told The Weekly Times.

'Despite the prime ministers hopes, this situation is unlikely to be short term, and the pressure will be particularly acute for agriculture and other fuel intensive industries.'

In some suburbs of Sydney, unleaded is selling for more than 199.9c a litre while in upmarket parts of Melbourne's east, petrol is selling for 199.5c a litre.

In Adelaide, prices hit 193.2c a litre while Hobart hit a record high of 195c a litre.

Canberra hit a record high of 181c a litre compared with 189.8c in Darwin and 181.8c in Melbourne.
Vladimir Putin will get the impression Britain's security services lack 'grip' and 'backbone' after the Daily Mail revealed its spies had been ordered to go woke, Jacob Rees-Mogg said last night.

A leaked guide to improving diversity and inclusion revealed that spies had been urged to consider their 'white privilege' and declare their pronouns.

The document suggested agents should avoid terms such as 'manpower', and advises them against using words such as 'strong' and 'grip' which can 'reinforce dominant cultural patterns'.

In a forthright intervention, Mr Rees-Mogg blasted the guidance as a 'distraction' and said the time spent on 'essentially trivial stuff has not been an indication of backbone'.

Vladimir Putin will get the impression Britain's security services lack 'grip' and 'backbone' after the Daily Mail revealed its spies had been ordered to go woke, Jacob Rees-Mogg said last night

And he said the Russian president would look at the fact Britain's spies were worrying about such words as an indication that the UK 'didn't have a grip'.

In the document  entitled Mission Critical  the chiefs of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ extol the virtues of diversity and inclusion, saying both are vital in keeping the country safe.

The document, which included a foreword from Sir Stephen Lovegrove, the national security adviser, was written in October and published on December 6  just days after Ukraine warned of large-scale escalation by Russia. Mr Rees-Mogg, the minister for Brexit opportunities and government efficiency, made his comments on The Moggcast podcast.

Russian tyrant Putin (pictured) has waged a brutal war on Ukraine after invading last month

He said: 'On the day that Russia invaded Ukraine, the Daily Mail front page recorded... that MI5, MI6 and GCHQ had said that you shouldn't use the word 'manpower' and 'grip' and one other, I forget what the other was, it might have been 'strong'.

And you think 'what are they doing?'  that's not their job to faff around with this sort of stuff, they are there to keep the country safe.

'This distraction, and this time used on essentially trivial stuff has not been an indication of backbone.

The document, which included a foreword from Sir Stephen Lovegrove (pictured), the national security adviser, was written in October and published on December 6

'If you were Putin, and you thought 'what sort of response am I going to get from the UK?' and you saw they were worrying about whether to use the word 'grip'  you'd have thought they didn't have a grip.

'So I don't think this should be ignored completely, but ultimately we have got backbone and we always have when push comes to shove. It was silly and let's hope the silliness is over.'

The diversity 'toolkit' is intended to be read by officials at GCHQ, MI5 and MI6, as well as in the Office for Security and Counter Terrorism in the Home Office, and the National Security Secretariat in the Cabinet Office.

In the document, one Muslim worker praises her employer for allowing her not to shake hands with men because this is in line with her religious beliefs.

And a female civil servant at the Ministry of Defence claims she felt 'humiliation' when she started working there as 'new girls had to earn their place in the team'.

The toolkit says staff should 'understand your unconscious bias', 'be aware of intersectionality [the idea that different forms of prejudice can overlap]', 'acknowledge your privilege' and consider refusing to speak on all male panels.

It also urges staff to declare their pronouns to make transgender colleagues feel more included.

A government spokesman said: 'The National Security community is entirely focussed on working to keep the country safe.'
All Covid travel restrictions could be scrapped in days under plans being considered by ministers.

The deeply unpopular passenger locator forms are expected to be ditched at a scheduled committee meeting of Cabinet ministers next week.

They will also consider dropping testing for unvaccinated passengers.

The plans would bring back frictionless travel for the first time since the start of the pandemic  just in time for the busy Easter holidays next month.

The ravaged travel industry hailed the prospect of the remaining restrictions being abolished.

Passengers arrive at Gatwick Airport. Requirements for people arriving into the country to fill out deeply unpopular passenger locator forms are expected to be dropped at a Cabinet meeting next week

As it stands, only fully vaccinated arrivals can enter the UK without the need for tests.

But they must fill in a passenger locator form within 72 hours of travel, sharing their address, phone number, passport and flight details.

The forms were launched two years ago  when arrivals had to quarantine at home  to help check if travellers were following the rules.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has been pushing to scrap them in time for Easter.

Belgium is scrapping its own form on Friday while Greece is ditching its version next week.

Unvaccinated UK arrivals currently have to take a rapid pre-departure test within 48 hours of travel and a costly PCR swab by day two.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, pictured here outside the Cabinet Office, has been pushing to scrap Covid entry rules by Easter

However, next week's 'Covid-O' (Covid Operations) meeting could be postponed due to events in Ukraine, and health officials will need to be won over.

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary said scrapping the passenger locator form was long overdue.

He told the Daily Mail: 'It's a shambles. They should ditch it, it's completely irrelevant. Nobody collects them, nobody checks them or follows up on them.

'They were designed to pretend that the politicians were doing something to protect people.'

A passenger arrives at Heathrow's Terminal 5. The aviation industry has welcomed reports that passenger locator forms will be dropped

Paul Charles, boss of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: 'This hopefully sounds the death knell of the passenger locator form, which has been a terrible barrier to people booking holidays...

'This April is due to be the strongest for the travel industry for over two years and my word how it needs it.'

Flight bookings have already surged since the UK dropped tests for fully vaccinated arrivals on February 11, even returning to pre-pandemic levels for some destinations. Easter could boost bookings even further.

Most European countries have now also dropped tests for fully vaccinated passengers.

A Government spokesman said: 'We keep all measures under review, including the ongoing use of the passenger locator form, and will be updating on our contingency plans to fight any new variants ahead of Easter.'


By Cho Hee-kyoung





We humans like to believe ourselves to be rational and logical beings. The cerebral cortex, comprising over 80 percent of our brain mass and containing 100 billion neurons, gives us the singular ability to reason, to engage in a complex higher level of thinking, to regulate emotions and to use language far beyond the capabilities of any other species in the animal kingdom.



With this ability, we gather, analyze and assess data and arrive at our convictions that are rational, logical and objective ... or so we tell ourselves. In fact, too often we engage in self-deception falling into traps of confirmation bias and cognitive dissonance.



For months now, we have watched Russia build up tens of thousands of troops on the border of Ukraine. As early as last December, the U.S. intelligence agency warned that Russia was planning a multi-front offensive against Ukraine involving 175,000 troops. All kinds of military hardware, from tanks and artillery to aircraft and naval vessels, were being deployed from Crimea to the Donbas region and the Black Sea. The buildup even included field hospitals with blood supplies, something not usually done for military exercises.



But despite all the hard evidence to the contrary, the Kremlin repeatedly denied any plans of invasion and tragically, the rest of the world went along with these denials because the alternative was simply too awful to contemplate. Western leaders chose to believe Putin when he gave them personal assurances that he would not worsen the crisis over Ukraine and even when he claimed that Russian troops were withdrawing after completing drills, in what turned out to be a bald-faced lie.



Now, already into the third week of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, what were once vibrant European cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv and Mariupol lie in ruins in scenes reminiscent of Dresden after World War II. There are suspicions that the Russians used cluster bombs and thermobaric explosives to bombard these civilian centers. If true, these acts would constitute war crimes. Hundreds of thousands of innocent people have been forced to flee their homeland.



Here in Korea, we have been watching the presidential candidates engage in televised debates. Amid all the mudslinging and muckraking, it is difficult to ascertain between real facts and "alternative facts." But in my view, this much seems to be clear: Democratic Party of Korea candidate Lee Jae-myung is someone who is willing to do or say anything as long as it gets him closer to the power he seeks.



He will do a 180 on the most fundamental policies and principles that he had once professed to hold; he will deny the very words he has spoken on public broadcasts; he will even call taxes dividends, a trick of political language that Orwell has warned us about. He is the kind of person who would argue that the end justifies the means, however base they may be.



Conservative opposition People Power Party candidate Yoon Suk-yeol goes one step further. Time and again he has astonished us with the depths of his ignorance on the most fundamental policy issues for economics, politics, foreign affairs, security and social problems while at the same time displaying a tendency for aggression when challenged, bullheadedness and a biased and blinkered worldview. These are traits most undesirable in any leader  let alone in a president  especially at times like what Korea is facing right now.



Despite these issues, Yoon seems to have the support of close to half the electorate. The minor party candidates may get appraised for their superior debate performance but are counted out of the equation because under the existing two-party system, there is not one iota of a possibility that any of them could win.



How is this situation possible? How can people get behind and give their support to these candidates who seem completely unqualified or unsuited for the most important job in the country? Psychologists tell us that there are facts, and there are beliefs, and there are things you want so badly to believe that they become "facts" to you.



The theory of cognitive dissonance says that we experience acute discomfort when we encounter contradictory ideas or experiences so we do everything in our power to change them until they become consistent. Coping with contradictory ideas or experiences is stressful because it requires a lot of energy and intentional effort to hold simultaneously two seemingly opposite things that both seem true. Some people inevitably resolve the dissonance by blindly believing whatever they want to believe.



Usually, the way most of us deal with cognitive dissonance is either through rationalization  that is, by adding new parts to the cognition causing the psychological dissonance  or by avoiding circumstances and contradictory information likely to increase the cognitive dissonance, otherwise known as confirmation bias.



You believe that the current government is incompetent and corrupt and you think the only solution is electing a complete political newbie to the presidency. The fact that the neophyte seems hopelessly unqualified and completely inexperienced are rationalized away as being a good thing (that he is not corrupted by the usual political practices), and other inconvenient facts and evidence are simply ignored.



How Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stepped up to the crisis and is really holding the people and the country together is nothing short of inspiring and miraculous. So this is not to say that a lack of experience is necessarily fatal, but if I were asked which of our presidential candidates would remain in the capital to defend the country in the event of an invasion, based on what I have seen so far, I would put my money on the only female candidate, Sim Sang-jung of the minor Justice Party.





Cho Hee-kyoung (hongikmail@gmail.com) is a professor at Hongik University College of Law.




Vladimir Putin's forces are desperate and 'doubling down on brutality' to try to break heroic resistance, Ben Wallace warned yesterday.

With Ukrainian forces repelling Russian offensives against major cities for a 13th day, the Defence Secretary warned of further indiscriminate attacks on civilians.

Kremlin officials were last night said to have privately denounced the invasion as a 'clusterf***'  'mourning' the death of the Russian economy and the loss of up to 12,000 troops.

A convoy advancing toward Kyiv from the north is said to have become stuck in mud as snow has thawed, while demoralised Russian troops are braced for battle in temperatures set to drop to minus 20C later this week.

The Russians have also suffered heavy losses on the ground and in the air with Ukrainian soldiers blowing up tanks and jets with the help of rockets given to them by Britain and Western allies.

Here we look at how the war has so far unfolded for Putin:

Vladimir Putin's forces are desperate and 'doubling down on brutality' to try to break heroic resistance, Ben Wallace warned yesterday

Blown out of the skies

Every day brings footage of Russian fighter jets and helicopter gunships being blown out of the sky  as many as eight in 24 hours recently. Such losses seem to defy logic given the scale and apparent sophistication of Moscow's forces.

Putin assumed he could achieve air supremacy on day one. A fortnight later, Ukraine's S-300 ground-to-air missile system remains operational and effective.

Consequently, Russia's aircraft are vulnerable to ground-to-air fire  not something they experienced while carpet-bombing cities in Syria. Experts also suggest Russia's air force could be experiencing ammunition shortages after that campaign.

Russia's reliance on artillery is problematic. Combining artillery and aircraft in the same battlespace requires cohesion, communication and most importantly practice. Yet Russia has not practised this. So we see aircraft in small numbers and only when there's no ground fire. Is Putin perhaps holding back his best aircraft to attack the Baltic states?

Unlikely. Defeat in Ukraine would be terminal for Russia as a military superpower and terminal for Putin personally. He cannot afford to be distracted by 'the next campaign'  in particular when his army is also misfiring so badly, with its heavy losses of tanks, armoured vehicles, air defence systems and thousands of soldiers.

Russia's reliance on artillery is problematic. Combining artillery and aircraft in the same battlespace requires cohesion, communication and most importantly practice

The doomed convoy

The convoy of 15,000 troops, tanks, missile batteries and armoured personnel carriers deployed from Belarus was supposed to encircle Kyiv and quickly pound its citizens into submission, forcing President Volodmyr Zelensky to surrender.

But it has never reached the capital and for several days has made no progress. This vast force is vulnerable to aerial attack. Yet besides strategic strikes on some sections, it has been left untouched. Why?

Few of the Russian assets pose an immediate threat  and Ukraine must be efficient with its use of pilots, aircraft and munitions. Also, due to spare parts shortages and resupply problems, the convoy is going nowhere. Better to bomb the bridges nearby further reducing the invading enemy's mobility.

There's a psychological ploy here too. As long as the column is there, it is Putin's problem, a reminder of all that has gone wrong. Destruction on a major scale and the deaths of hundreds of soldiers could be painted as vindictive, providing propaganda for the Kremlin. It might also be counter-productive.

Ukrainians calculate that the more Russians that are stuck in the mud  with scant rations  the better. The hope is they will become discouraged and surrender.

Ukrainians calculate that the more Russians that are stuck in the mud  with scant rations  the better. The hope is they will become discouraged and surrender

Britain takes a hand

One SAS squadron has been deployed 'to the region'. But it would be highly risky for any troops to enter Ukraine, given the UK Government's insistence that it would not put 'boots on the ground'.

Its task is to deliver lethal aid supplies to Ukrainian units and further training on these weapons systems. Western nations are also assisting with identifying and prioritising targets.

The Ministry of Defence has invested significantly in recent years in military communications and interception techniques and technologies. Judging by the quality of the intelligence published by the UK ahead of the invasion, this was money well spent.

The MoD effectively published Russia's battle plan the day before the invasion started.

One SAS squadron has been deployed 'to the region'. But it would be highly risky for any troops to enter Ukraine, given the UK Government's insistence that it would not put 'boots on the ground'

Lost commanders

A peculiar aspect has been the unprecedented numbers of senior Russian officers being killed in action, not just middle and junior ranking officers, but generals.

Western officials say these commanders have been forced to abandon the safety of their headquarters and head to the 'furthest line of friendly troops' to 'impose their personality on their men'.

This suggests desperation, a last resort when a battle is being lost.

Once a senior officer positions himself in a trench alongside his soldiers, as bullets whizz overhead, they can no longer command the battle  they have opted to sacrifice their situational awareness.

A peculiar aspect has been the unprecedented numbers of senior Russian officers being killed in action, not just middle and junior ranking officers, but generals

Putin the blunderer

All roads lead back to Putin's planning assumptions, from which the strategy was derived.

If you assume Ukrainian grandmothers are going to decorate your tanks with garlands of flowers, your army doesn't give the requisite consideration to basic requirements such as rations.

If you believe your army will roll into Kyiv on the first day of the military campaign and your enemy will lay down its weapons, you overlook the logistical challenges of moving large numbers of soldiers over vast distances. A fortnight ago, Putin was considered a master strategist.

His sabre-rattling  and the positioning of tens of thousands of troops on Ukraine's borders  was surely convincing enough to persuade many Nato members that Ukrainian membership of the alliance was too risky.

All roads lead back to Putin's planning assumptions, from which the strategy was derived

So having achieved this, why then invade? The task Putin has set his armed forces, of demilitarising Ukraine, appears beyond their capability. It is also beyond their power to overwhelm the Ukrainian people.

Regardless of how many blocks of flats he flattens, how many hospitals and schools he destroys, he will not pacify Ukraine. The country is too big, too populous, too advanced and too well supported by the West.

Ukraine is also led by a truly remarkable president, who appears to be growing in confidence by the day. Its people are too motivated.

Putin is bombing them into even more impassioned resistance, not into submission, with every rocket or artillery attack.

Desperate days

Mr Wallace told BBC Radio 4's Today programme yesterday that Russia was not getting its way despite its overwhelming forces. He added: 'It is getting more desperate, which is why we see huge amounts of indiscriminate shelling, damage to civilian areas  which is outrageous  and the UK would call on Putin to stop that immediately.

'We are seeing the Russians just double down on brutality and we are seeing reports about humanitarian corridors being shelled.

This will be Putin's end, this country [Ukraine], and so it should be, because of not only their spirit and their moral component that they have on their side, the Ukrainians, but also because it will be an impossible task to occupy such a people and a country.

Mr Wallace told BBC Radio 4's Today programme yesterday that Russia was not getting its way despite its overwhelming forces

'He has exhausted his army, he is responsible for thousands of Russian soldiers being killed, responsible for innocent people being killed, civilians being killed in Ukraine.

'He is reducing his economy to zero because the international community has decided it is absolutely unacceptable what he does and so he is a spent force in the world. I don't know whether he thinks that's a clever thing to be, but that diminishes his own country in the world and he has to take responsibility.'

Washington's director of national intelligence Avril Haines said: 'We assess Moscow underestimated the strength of Ukraine's resistance and the degree of internal military challenges we are observing, which include an ill-constructed plan, morale issues, and considerable logistical issues.

'Our analysts assess that Putin is unlikely to be deterred by such setbacks and instead may escalate, essentially doubling down to achieve Ukrainian disarmament.'
Thousands of Ukrainians working in Britain are barred from bringing loved ones here, it emerged yesterday, amid chaotic scenes at visa centres on the continent.

As Priti Patel's evacuee programme faced a backlash from Tory backbenchers, it emerged only Ukrainians with permanent UK residency rights can be reunited with relatives fleeing the war.

Those in Britain on work visas are excluded from the scheme, it was confirmed.

It came as Prime Minister Boris Johnson appointed a new minister for refugees, former MP Richard Harrington, to oversee the Government's response.

The Home Office stressed yesterday that the current refugee programme must have security checks to stop it being abused by Russian agents or criminals.

Immigration minister Kevin Foster told the Commons: 'Sadly, we are already seeing people presenting at Calais with false documents claiming to be Ukrainian.

Thousands of Ukrainians working in Britain are barred from bringing loved ones here. Pictured: A refugee advice desk in the port of Calais where Ukrainians can speak to UK border representatives

Priti Patel's evacuee programme faced a backlash from Tory backbenchers

'With incidents like Salisbury [2018 Novichok attack by Russian military intelligence officers] still in our minds the Government will not take chances.'

He confirmed 500 visas had been granted so far through the family visa scheme launched by Miss Patel on Friday.

But Conservative MPs expressed anger at how refugees are being passed from pillar to post by the Home Office.

Ukrainians were reported to have queued for three hours in temperatures of -3C at a visa application centre in Rzeszow, Poland, yesterday.

In Calais, some were turned away from a Home Office advice centre, with one family told to go to Brussels to complete a visa application.

A 32-year-old Ukrainian PR executive, who lives in the UK on a Tier 2 work visa, said she had been advised her parents will not qualify under the family visa scheme.

'I've been working and paying taxes for more than three years in the UK, but I've been told I can't get my parents into the country,' she said.

The Home Secretary yesterday faced calls to resign for telling MPs on Monday a visa centre had been set up near Calais. In fact, it is not due to be operational until later today in Lille, around 70 miles away.

Sir Roger Gale, Tory MP for North Thanet, told the Commons: 'That was untrue and under any normal administration that in itself would be a resignation issue.'

MP Alec Shelbrooke told Mr Foster: 'We want dates, we want action and the Home Office must react far more quickly than it's doing, and get to the point of hubs of people, get them processed and get them in. This is a disgrace.'

Former immigration minister Mark Harper said the Government needed to 'grip the pace of this'.

Andrew Murrison, another ex-minister, asked why Ireland had welcomed more than 2,000 refugees but the UK had 'come nowhere even close to that'.

People flock to a train station after Russia announced a temporary ceasefire in Kyiv, Ukraine

A British government notice on a welcome desk at the ferry terminal in Calais, France

Julian Sturdy said his York constituents were ready to help, adding: 'The only barrier to their support seems to be Home Office bureaucracy. Now is not the time for box ticking and red tape.'

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has offered staff to help with the visa programme and 75 HMRC staff are also joining.

The scheme was yesterday extended to cover aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, cousins and in-laws. Ministers are looking to streamline the process. This could include allowing Ukrainians to apply without visiting a centre if they hold biometric passports or previously applied for a UK visa.

'We will see the number of visas issued ramp up each day as we go forward,' Mr Foster said. A second route for Ukrainians sponsored by individuals, charity or community groups is still 'weeks' from being set up.

Other countries are accepting Ukrainians without a visa  with processing at a later date.

Mr Harrington was minister for refugees in the 2015-16 Syrian crisis. He will be made a life peer to take up his role.
Here, Deputy Political Editor John Stevens details the extraordinary dossier of 21 complaints by three staff members that led to John Bercow's demise.

EX-NAVY CAPTAIN

Angus Sinclair, who after leaving the Navy worked for four years as the speaker's secretary under Michael Martin, quit in June 2010 after just 12 months with Mr Bercow.

The parliamentary commissioner for standards found Mr Bercow had displayed 'intimidatory' and 'undermining' behaviour and 'threatening conduct' towards Mr Sinclair, including verbal abuse, displays of anger and seeking to humiliate him in front of others.

Mr Sinclair made five complaints:

Angus Sinclair, who after leaving the Navy worked for four years as the speaker's secretary under Michael Martin, quit in June 2010 after just 12 months with Mr Bercow

Mobile phone smashing

Before the 2010 general election, he told Mr Bercow he would not be able to use his grace-and-favour apartment during the campaign as his wife Sally was standing as a Labour candidate for Westminster City Council.

Mr Sinclair said Mr Bercow reacted with 'an amazing display of temper in my office, in which he ordered me to stay seated, so he was standing over me, and then threw the mobile phone right in front of me on my desk and it burst into hundreds of bits and I could feel them hitting me. It was the most violent, extraordinary display of temper'.

'F***ing stupid' row

When Mr Bercow found out Mr Sinclair had told journalists that the Speaker would probably not vote on the issue of MPs' pay in 2009, he called him 'f***ing stupid' and said he did not give a 'flying f***'.

Gay partnerships clash

Mr Sinclair was blamed for the failure to obtain a licence for civil partnership ceremonies on the parliamentary estate in time for the nuptials of an MP  even though it was outside his responsibilities.

The Speaker raged: 'What the f***? Nothing surprises me about you... don't you understand you... f***?' A witness, who heard 'blasts of shouting', described Mr Sinclair as being 'white as a sheet, shaken and shell-shocked'.

Unholy row over chaplain

When told that he would not be involved in recruiting a new chaplain in 2010, Mr Bercow is accused of telling Mr Sinclair: 'You f***ing fix it that I'm on the panel.' Later when he found out that his favoured candidate had not been chosen, he 'swore and thumped the table'.

A witness confirmed there was an 'unholy row' between Mr Bercow and the church authorities over the issue.

The Speaker is accused of complaining in a similar way about how he had not been properly involved in the selection of a diary secretary. According to Mr Sinclair, the Speaker threw down his pen and used bullying and offensive language.

Meeting walkout

Despite being given papers in advance by Mr Sinclair, Mr Bercow complained that he had not been properly briefed when he arrived for a meeting with the chief executive of the UK's Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in January 2010. The Speaker cut short the meeting and criticised Mr Sinclair in front of the guest.

FEMALE TARGET

Kate Emms succeeded Mr Sinclair as the speaker's secretary in June 2010 but only stayed in the job for ten months

After working in the Commons for 16 years, Kate Emms succeeded Mr Sinclair as the speaker's secretary in June 2010 but only stayed in the job for ten months.

She says Mr Bercow's behaviour caused her to become seriously unwell through stress and anxiety.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards found Mr Bercow had shouted at and mimicked her, created 'an intimidating and hostile environment', and was responsible for 'insulting behaviour involving an abuse of power' towards her. She made three complaints:

Jekyll and Hyde rage

As part of her handover from Mr Sinclair, Miss Emms attended the meeting where Mr Bercow found out his choice for chaplain had not been picked.

She described the Speaker as losing his temper spectacularly 'like Jekyll and Hyde', his face being totally red, as spittle came from his mouth.

She said: 'I have dealt with many, many ministers, junior ministers and whips and I've seen some of them lose their tempers or display demanding behaviour. But the Speaker was that day confrontational, malign and mean, it seemed like he was deliberately trying to injure and belittle [Mr Sinclair] rather than just letting off steam.

'He didn't seem to be able to stop at simply expressing his frustration. I was cringing and feeling a sort of stomach-clenching anxiety.'

Ex-Commons Speaker John Bercow banned from Parliament for life last night

Fury over toothpaste

As they prepared to fly to Kenya on a work trip, Miss Emms warned Mr Bercow he would not be allowed to take toothpaste in his hand luggage.

When security stopped him, the Speaker is accused of shouting at her in public. She says he became 'irascible and disproportionately rude and threatening in his body language', before ignoring her during the flight which lasted many hours.

Anger on wife's birthday

During a meeting in November 2010, Miss Emms said Mr Bercow turned to her and looked at her 'as if he wanted to rip my guts out'.

Afterwards she asked him 'are we all right Mr Speaker?', but his response was abusive and angry.

During the investigation, Mr Bercow insisted the row could not have taken place because the day in question was his wife's birthday and he would have rushed upstairs to celebrate as soon as the meeting had finished.

COMMONS VETERAN

Lord Lisvane, the former clerk of the Commons who was known as Sir Robert Rogers before he was ennobled, was responsible for the day-to-day running of Parliament

Lord Lisvane, the former clerk of the Commons who was known as Sir Robert Rogers before he was ennobled, was responsible for the day-to-day running of Parliament where he had worked since 1972.

He quit in August 2014 after almost three years working with Mr Bercow. The standards commissioner found Mr Bercow had subjected him to 'a sustained course of conduct... that involved repeated unfounded criticism of [him]... both publicly and privately... often made at length and at volume and included derogatory inferences about [his] upbringing and background'.

He kept a diary detailing what happened and made 13 complaints:

Blocked in the study

At the end of a routine meeting in October 2012, Mr Bercow asked Lord Lisvane to stay behind in his study. He turned on him, accusing him of disloyalty, deceit and a 'wish to control everything'.

When asked what evidence he had, the Speaker replied: 'I'm not telling you.' Lord Lisvane says he tried to leave the room, but Mr Bercow blocked his way, stood very close and continued to abuse him.

Cauldron of conflict

On the last day of the debate on the Queen's Speech in May 2013, Mr Bercow unleashed a torrent of abuse at Lord Lisvane, accusing him of being incompetent and unreliable. During the investigation Mr Bercow said he remembered the meeting had been the 'subject of conflict' but denied it had been a 'cauldron of conflict'. A senior clerk said Mr Bercow sometimes described Lord Lisvane as 'f***ing useless'.

No more white men

At a meeting on diversity in July 2013, Mr Bercow told Lord Lisvane that his appointment had been a mistake and that he wanted to see some of his duties taken over by a BAME (black and minority ethnic) woman.

The Speaker warned that he was not prepared to put up with white middle-aged men any more.

Diversity duplicity

Following a meeting on boosting diversity among Commons staff in September 2012, Mr Bercow broke into a torrent of abuse, accusing Lord Lisvane of being duplicitous, manipulative, of lying, and of bullying his staff.

Another diatribe

Two days later, in a one-on-one meeting, Mr Bercow launched into an extended 'diatribe' about Lord Lisvane, who he said was no good in his role.

'Pathetic' ideas

When the pair met to discuss support for the Burmese parliament in September 2013, Mr Bercow accused Lord Lisvane of coming up with 'pathetically inadequate' ideas. The clerk declared 'this meeting is over' and walked out, but the Speaker followed him to the door and repeated accusations about his performance.

Forced into apology

The next day Mr Bercow demanded that Lord Lisvane apologise, which he did in a bid to avoid further conflict. But the Speaker responded by insulting him for 15 minutes.

MPs frozen in shock

Two senior MPs went to check on Lord Lisvane after Mr Bercow exploded at him 'out of nowhere' at a meeting in January 2014. The Speaker shouted a 'shower of non-stop insults' as 'everyone else was frozen in shock'.

Scuttling off

At a meeting to discuss a serious security issue in January 2014, Mr Bercow maligned Lord Lisvane in front of others. 'Of course, we all know that whoever is responsible for this it won't be the clerks of the two Houses... they'll scuttle off to avoid any blame,' he said.

13-minute rant

Before a BBC radio programme about bullying in Parliament, Commons officials met to discuss the issue. Lord Lisvane said Mr Bercow went into 'rant mode' at him, which he timed as lasting 13 minutes.

Malingering at home

Lord Lisvane was unable to attend a meeting about immigration checks on Commons staff in February 2014 because he was sick. The Speaker told those who did attend that he was malingering to avoid dealing with the issue.

2nd white man outburst

At another meeting on diversity in March 2014, Mr Bercow said that when Lord Lisvane left his post he would not be replaced by a white male Oxbridge type but with someone who was competent.

When will you go?

Later that month, Mr Bercow demanded to know how long Lord Lisvane would stay in his role.
Archaeologists struck lucky after they unearthed a rare Pictish symbol stone near to the location of the most significant carved stone monuments ever discovered in Scotland.

The 5.6ft-long (1.7 metre-long) stone was found in a farmer's field by a team from the University of Aberdeen while they were were carrying out surveys to try to build a greater understanding of the important Pictish landscape of Aberlemno, near Forfar.

Professor Gordon Noble, who leads the Comparative Kingship project, said stumbling upon a stone as part of a test dig was very unusual.

'To come across something like this while digging one small test pit is absolutely remarkable and none of us could quite believe our luck,' he said.

'There are only around 200 of these monuments known. They are occasionally dug up by farmers ploughing fields or during the course of road building but by the time we get to analyse them, much of what surrounds them has already been disturbed.'

Aberlemno is already well known for its Pictish heritage thanks to its collection of unique Pictish standing stones, the most famous of which is a cross-slab thought to depict scenes from a battle of vital importance to the creation of what would become Scotland  the 7th century Battle of Nechtansmere.

Archaeologists struck lucky after they unearthed a rare Pictish symbol stone near to the location of the most significant carved stone monuments ever discovered in Scotland

The 5.6ft-long (1.7 metre-long) stone was found in a farmer's field by a team from the University of Aberdeen while they were were carrying out surveys to try to build a greater understanding of the important Pictish landscape of Aberlemno, near Forfar

What do the symbols mean? Like the other stones at Aberlemno, the new discovery appears to be intricately carved with evidence of classic abstract Pictish symbols including triple ovals, a comb and mirror, a crescent and V rod and double discs. Unusually the stone appears to show different periods of carving with symbols overlying one another. Advertisement

The archaeologists were conducting geophysical surveys of the ground early in 2020 in an effort to better understand the history of the existing stones as part of the Leverhulme Trust-funded project.

It was when they used imaging equipment over the earth they found anomalies which looked like evidence of a settlement.

A test pit was dug to try to work out whether the remains of any buildings might be present when, to their surprise, the archaeologists went straight down onto a carved Pictish symbol stone.

James O'Driscoll, the research fellow who initially discovered the stone, described the moment the rare object was unearthed.

'We thought we'd just uncover a little bit more before we headed off for the day. We suddenly saw a symbol,' he said.

'There was lots of screaming. Then we found more symbols and there was more screaming and a little bit of crying.

'It's a feeling that I'll probably never have again on an archaeological site. It's a find of that scale.'

The archaeologists were conducting geophysical surveys of the ground early in 2020 in an effort to better understand the history of the existing stones as part of the Leverhulme Trust-funded project

The stone has now been moved to Graciela Ainsworth conservation department in Edinburgh where more detailed analysis will take place

Because of various coronavirus lockdowns attempts to learn more about the object and settlement were hindered but the team now think the stone dates to around the fifth or sixth century and, over the last few weeks, they have painstakingly excavated part of the settlement and removed it from its resting place  finding out more about the stone and its setting.

Like the other stones at Aberlemno, the new discovery appears to be intricately carved with evidence of classic abstract Pictish symbols including triple ovals, a comb and mirror, a crescent and V rod and double discs.

Unusually the stone appears to show different periods of carving with symbols overlying one another.

The stone has now been moved to Graciela Ainsworth conservation department in Edinburgh where more detailed analysis will take place.

Aberlemno is already well known for its Pictish heritage thanks to its collection of unique Pictish standing stones, the most famous of which is a cross-slab thought to depict scenes from a battle of vital importance to the creation of what would become Scotland  the Battle of Nechtansmere
Scientists have identified the five key personality traits that are common among famous psychopaths, including serial killer Ted Bundy, disgraced fraudster Bernie Madoff and robber Clyde Barrow.

The US academics looked for shared traits in six men - Ted Bundy, Bernie Madoff, Clyde Barrow, James Bond, Sherlock Holmes and Chuck Yeager - who have previously been identified as psychopathic.

They found that Bundy, Madoff and Barrow are all psychopaths guilty of callousness, manipulativeness, dishonesty, arrogance and cruelty.

However, Bond, Holmes and Yeager likely are not psychopaths, and may have been misidentifed in the past due to their fearlessness and boldness, the experts say.

Psychopathic traits common among serial killer Ted Bundy, robber Clyde Barrow and fraudster Bernie Madoff were callousness, manipulativeness, dishonesty and cruelty

PSYCHOPATHS OR JUST FEARLESS? THE CONTENDERS REAL PEOPLE Ted Bundy (1946-1989): Ted Bundy was one of the most prolific serial killers. He confessed to 36 murders, but the true total could be higher. He said of himself: 'I'm the most cold-hearted son of a bitch you'll ever meet.' Clyde Barrow (1910-1934): Along with Bonnie Parker, Clyde Barrow went on almost two-year crime spree that spanned several US states. Bonnie and Clyde were shot to death by officers in an ambush near Sailes, Bienville Parish, Louisiana on May 23, 1934. Bernie Madoff (1938-2021): Described as 'the Ted Bundy of money', Madoff was a US fraudster who ran the largest Ponzi scheme ever, worth about $64.8 billion. He died in prison last year. Chuck Yeager (1923-2020): A 'fearless' US Air Force pilot who in 1947 became the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound. FICTIONAL PEOPLE - James Bond: Ian Fleming's legendary British secret agent, licensed to kill (but not to break traffic laws). - Sherlock Holmes: The fictional detective created by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Advertisement

The research was conducted by Cristina Crego at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia and Thomas Widiger at the University of Kentucky.

'There remains considerable debate as to what are the core traits of psychopathy,' they say in their paper, published in Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment.

'One approach to addressing this question is to identify the traits that are present in persons said to be actual or even prototypic examples of psychopathy.'

According to the team, Ted Bundy, Clyde Barrow, Bernie Madoff, pilot Chuck Yeager and two fictional men  James Bond and Sherlock Holmes  have all previously been described psychopaths.

Ted Bundy was a serial killer, rapist and necrophile who assaulted and murdered numerous young women during the 1970s, while Madoff is one of the best known 'snakes in suits', implementing what many consider to be the largest Ponzi scheme and financial fraud in US history.

As for Barrow, he committed over 100 robberies, many implemented in a rash and impulsive manner, with his partner Bonnie Parker.

'He ruthlessly murdered policemen, prison guards, and a fellow inmate, along with law-abiding citizens,' the authors say. 'He was though said to be charming and engaging, and at the time was considered a folk hero within some newspapers and within multiple subsequent "Hollywood" movies.'

For the study, the team prepared case histories for each of the six men, spanning three to five pages long.

Researchers then recruited volunteers to read through these case histories and score each of the men on a comprehensive range of traits that have been listed in various psychopathy scales used in previous studies.

Eight traits were found to be common to all six men  low vulnerability, low self-consciousness, low anxiousness, fearlessness, boldness, assertiveness, dominance and excitement-seeking.

However, these traits can also be used to describe people not considered to be psychopaths, suggesting that the past studies to have used them as measures of psychopathy may not be reliable.

NOT A PSYCHOPATH: British secret agent James Bond is depicted here by Daniel Craig, in a shot from the 2006 film 'Casino Royale'

NOT A PSYCHOPATH: Chuck Yeager (pictured) was a 'fearless' US Air Force pilot who in 1947 became the person to fly faster than the speed of sound. Here, Yeager sits in an Air Force aircraft in 1948

NOT A PSYCHOPATH: Pictured is Benedict Cumberbatch's depiction of Sherlock Holmes for the BBC

Meanwhile, the five indisputably psychopathic traits were those related to antagonism  callousness, manipulativeness, dishonesty, arrogance and cruelty.

Yeager, Bond and Holmes didn't show these antagonistic traits, so they can't be described as psychopaths, according to the team.

These three men may have been mistakenly identified as psychopathic in the past simply because of their fearlessness, boldness, assertiveness and dominance  traits found in, but not exclusive to psychopaths.

Today, Yeager, Bond and Holmes are also seen as heroes, although 'the hero and psychopath are twigs from the same branch', the authors point out.

'From this perspective, the hero and psychopath may not represent twigs from the same branch but entirely independent branches,' the team say.

PSYCHOPATH: Clyde Barrow (1909 - 1934) is seen here holding a machine gun while sitting on the front fender of a car

PSYCHOPATH: Bernard Madoff leaves US Federal Court after a hearing regarding his bail on January 14, 2009 in New York

PSYCHOPATH: Ted Bundy (pictured) was a serial killer, rapist and necrophile who assaulted and murdered numerous young women during the 1970s

Yeager was the least psychopathic person out of the six  he only showed thrill-seeking and low anxiousness (traits that aren't exclusive to psychopaths).

Interestingly, Madoff also scored highly in many aspects of conscientiousness, including striving for achievement and being competent.

Madoff robbed 37,000 victims in 136 countries of $64.8 billion, taking one's money to pay off the other, for two decades before finally being arrested in 2008 after his two adult sons turned him in.

Many of his victims came from the Jewish community where Madoff had been a major philanthropist.
A ring of dust, gas and ice 444 light years from the Earth has been found to contain a large organic molecule, that could one day go on to form life.

Astronomers discovered the chemical, known as dimethyl ether, a key building block of life, inside the planet forming disk around the young star IRS 48.

Over time, dimethyl ether goes on to form prebiotics, including amino acids and sugars, that are the foundations for life on planet Earth, according to the team from Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands, who made the remarkable discovery.

The findings suggest these large molecules may be present in planets as they form, with the world developing around them as the dust, gas and ice come together.

Dimethyl ether is made up of nine atoms, making it the largest complex organic molecule discovered within a planet forming disk to date, the team said.

Finding such a chemical early in the formation process increases the chances life has evolved elsewhere in the universe, they said, adding it 'could be widespread'.

The disk contains a cashew-nut-shaped region in its southern part, which traps millimetre-sized dust grains that can come together and grow into kilometre-sized objects like comets, asteroids and potentially even planets

Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, researchers looked for different chemical signatures within the disk surrounding the young star.

Known as Oph-IRS 48, this star is in the constellation of Ophiuchus, and has a disk that has been widely studied by astronomers, revolutionizing our understanding of how planets form - and likely mirroring how the Earth formed 4.5 billion years ago.

Previously, other, smaller organic molecules such as formaldehyde have been found within the disk. Prompting researchers to see what else was hiding in the dust.

Dimethyl ether is an organic molecule commonly seen in star-forming clouds, but had never before been found in a planet-forming disc.

The researchers also made a tentative detection of methyl formate, a complex molecule similar to dimethyl ether that is also a building block for even larger organic molecules.

'From these results, we can learn more about the origin of life on our planet and therefore get a better idea of the potential for life in other planetary systems,' says Nashanty Brunken, a Master's student at Leiden Observatory.

Recent observations spotted several complex organic molecules in this region, including formaldehyde (H2CO; orange), methanol (CH3OH; green) and dimethyl ether (CH3OCH3; blue), and carbon monoxide gas (CO; purple) is present in the entire gas disc

This image from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) shows the dust trap in the disc that surrounds the system Oph-IRS 48

Co author Dr Nienke van der Marel, of Leiden Observatory, said: 'Dimethyl ether is the largest molecule ever detected in a planet-forming disk.

'It has been seen before in the cold clouds in which stars are forming, but not yet in an environment where planets are forming.

'This means that such molecules may end up on the planets directly as they form.

DIMETHYL ETHER: PRECURSOR TO OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS Dimethyl ether is a precursor molecule to other organic compounds. Also known as methoxymethane, is the organic compound with the formula CH3OCH3, simplified to C2H6O. It is the simplest form of ether and is a colorless gas, that has proved useful as an aerosol propellant. Over time, dimethyl ether goes on to form prebiotics, including amino acids and sugars, that are the foundations for life on planet Earth. It has a number of practical uses as a molecule, including as a substitute for propane in LPG and in diesel engines. It is relatively non-toxic, although highly flammable, and was the first refrigerant. Advertisement

'The molecule is particularly important as it is a 'complex organic molecule', which is the starting point of large molecules that are the building blocks of life through further chemical reactions.'

IRS 48, found in the southern sky when viewed from Earth, includes an symmetric, cashew-nut-shaped 'dust trap', that mirrors the best theories of planet formation.

Large numbers of millimetre-sized icy particles clump together and grow into comets, asteroids - and even planets, forming within the extremely cold environments before the stars themselves are born.

Atoms and simple molecules like carbon monoxide undergo chemical reactions to produce more complex molecules within this trap.

Fledgling worlds can arise out of the rotating balls that develop around a new born sun, within these dust traps, and the findings suggest the molecules of life are there from the very beginning, rather than arriving on a comet or asteroid.

Co author Dr Alice Booth said: 'It is really exciting to finally detect these larger molecules in disks. We thought it might not be possible to observe them.'

They only become detectable when heating from IRS 48 causes the ice to turn from a solid to a gas, freeing the molecules, Dr Booth explained.

'What makes this even more exciting is that we now know these larger complex molecules are available to feed forming planets in the disk. This was not known before as in most systems these molecules are hidden in the ice.'

The study suggests other COMs may also be lurking within this, and similar planetary disks surrounding very young stars.

'We are incredibly pleased that we can now start to follow the entire journey of these complex molecules from the clouds that form stars, to planet-forming discs, and to comets,' explained Dr van der Marel:

Annotated image from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) showing the dust trap in the disc that surrounds the system Oph-IRS 48. The dust trap provides a safe haven for the tiny dust particles in the disc, allowing them to clump together and grow to sizes that allow them to survive on their own

Recent observations spotted several complex organic molecules in this region, including formaldehyde (orange), methanol (green) and dimethyl ether (blue), the last being the largest molecule found in a planet-forming disc to date

'Hopefully with more observations we can get a step closer to understanding the origin of prebiotic molecules in our own solar system.'

Future studies of IRS 48 with ESO's Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), currently under construction in Chile and set to start operations later this decade, will allow the team to study the chemistry of the very inner regions of the disk.

This chart shows the large constellation of Ophiuchus (The Serpent Bearer)

This is where rocky planets like the Earth may be forming.

The James Webb Space Telescope - which launched on Christmas Day - can analyse atmospheres of planets floating around the galaxy in unprecedented detail.

It has been hailed as a game-changer in the search for extra-terrestrials. The most promising - known as K2-18b - is 110 light -years away.

This is a world eight times the mass of the Earth, orbiting within the habitable zone of a red dwarf star, where it is possible liquid water may be flowing on the surface.

There is some suggestion it is a hycean planet, a hot, water-covered world with a hydrogen-rich atmosphere, and the James Webb telescope may be able to detect biosignatures that would suggest life is present on the world.

The findings have been published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
He's best known for being the 46th President of the United States, but now Joe Biden has had a new honour bestowed upon him, lending his name to a new species of extinct vampire squid-like creature.

Researchers from the American Museum of Natural History have named the 10-armed creature, which lived 328 million years ago, Syllipsimopodi bideni.

The team decided to name the new creature after President Biden as their publication was accepted shortly after his inauguration last year.

'I was encouraged by the plans President Biden put forward to counter anthropogenic climate change, and his general sentiment that politicians should listen to scientists,' said Christopher Whalen, lead author of the study.

Researchers from the American Museum of Natural History have named the 10-armed creature, which lived 328 million years ago, Syllipsimopodi bideni

He's best known for being the 46th President of the United States, but now Joe Biden has had a new honour bestowed upon him, lending his name to a new species of extinct vampire squid-like creature

Other celebrity species Avahi cleesei: John Cleese lemur Nepenthes Helen: Meat-eating jungle plant named after Helen Mirren Hyloscirtus princecharlesi: Prince Charles stream tree frog Gnathia marleyi: Bob Marley fish feeding parasite Eristalis gatesi: Bill Gates' flower fly Anelosimus nelson: Nelson Mandela spider Loureedia annulipes: Velvet spider that pays tribute to Lou Reed Dawkinsia filamentosa: Fish named after Richard Dawkins Advertisement

The fossilised remains of the animal were discovered in what is now Montana back in 1988 but it has only been identified as a new species of vampyropod now.

This group of soft-bodied cephalopods was previously believed to have eight arms, but the new species actually has 10.

'This is the first and only known vampyropod to possess 10 functional appendages,' said Dr Whalen.

During their new analysis of the fossil, the researchers found that the species had 10 arms with suckers, and dated back 328 million years  82 million years older than the previous earliest record.

'The arm count is one of the defining characteristics separating the 10-armed squid and cuttlefish line (Decabrachia) from the eight armed octopus and vampire squid line (Vampyropoda),' Dr Whalen explained.

'We have long understood that octopuses achieve the eight arm count through elimination of the two filaments of vampire squid, and that these filaments are vestigial arms.

'However, all previously reported fossil vampyropods preserving the appendages only have 8 arms, so this fossil is arguably the first confirmation of the idea that all cephalopods ancestrally possessed ten arms.'

During their new analysis of the fossil, the researchers found that the species had 10 arms with suckers, and dated back 328 million years  82 million years older than the previous earliest record

Two of the arms were found to be longer than the rest, while its body was torpedo-shaped, much like today's squids.

While the second half of its name is in honour of President Biden, the first half - Syllipsimopodi  derives from the Greek word 'syllipsimos', for 'prehensile', and 'podi' for 'foot.'

'Syllipsimopodi may have filled a niche more similar to extant squids, a midlevel aquatic predator,' said co-author Neil Landman.

'It is not inconceivable that it might have used its sucker-laden arms to pry small ammonoids out of their shells or ventured more inshore to prey on brachiopods, bivalves, or other shelled marine animals.'

The researchers hope the findings will help to improve our understanding of the evolution of cephalopods

'Syllipsimopodi bideni challenges the predominant arguments for vampyropod origins and offers a new model for the evolution of internally-shelled cephalopods,' Dr Whalen concluded.
Twitter has finally resolved an issue that left millions of users around the world unable to view replies to their tweets.

According to Down Detector, the problems started at around 15:13 GMT, and affected users worldwide.

MailOnline did not experience any issues with the desktop version, but was unable to view any replies to tweets on the iOS app.

An error message simply read: 'Uh oh, an error was encountered. Try again.'

Twitter has finally resolved an issue that left millions of users around the world unable to view replies to their tweets

While Twitter is yet to comment on the issue, thousands of problems were reported on DownDetector.

Of those who reported issues in the UK, 77 per cent said they were having problems with the app, 19 per cent with the website, and five per cent were struggling with comments.

Over on Twitter itself, many users also tweeted to discuss the issue.

While Twitter is yet to comment on the issue, thousands of problems were reported on DownDetector

One user wrote: 'Hello? Is twitter down? Why are the replies not loading.'

Another added: 'Can anyone else see replies on twitter? For me it just keeps saying that an error occurred for every single post and I cant scroll down to read the comments lol.'

And one joked: 'Is twitter down or am I in trouble again?'

This isn't the first time that Twitter has experienced issues in recent weeks.

On February 17, the app crashed for over an hour, leaving users unable to load tweets of view profiles.

MailOnline has contacted Twitter for further information.
Former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly has been blocked on Twitter by the head of the Russian space agency, Dmitry Rogozin, after the pair traded insults over sanctions.

One of the most famous astronauts to come out of the U.S. space agency, Kelly is a veteran of four space flights, and spent a year on the International Space Station alongside cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, as part of a joint US-Russian mission.

The spat between the pair started when Kelly responded to a video shared by Rogozin, that showed UK and US flags being removed from a Soyuz rocket.

Kelly replied to the Tweet, in Russian, saying: 'Without those flags and the foreign exchange they bring in, your space program won't be worth a damn. Maybe you can find a job at McDonald's if McDonald's still exists in Russia.'

By this point Rogozin had already made a number of controversial posts on Twitter, including calling President Joe Biden's sanctions against Russia's space and aerospace industry were 'Alzheimer sanctions'.

He also suggested Americans could 'ride their broomsticks' to space, after refusing to sell Russian rocket engines to the US.

'If he's going to act like a child, then I'm going to treat him like one,' Kelly said.

Rogozin responded to the insult with one of his own, telling Kelly to 'get off, you moron', in a now deleted tweet, adding a threat that 'the death of the International Space Station will be on your consciousness', as he blocked him on Twitter.

Threatening the future of cooperation between US and Russia over the ISS has been a common theme from Rogozin, since sanctions were imposed on Russia after the country invaded its neighbour Ukraine on February 24.

Former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly has been blocked on Twitter by the head of the Russian space agency, Dmitry Rogozin (pictured), after the pair traded insults over sanctions

One of the most famous astronauts to come out of the U.S. space agency, Scott Kelly (pictured) is a veteran of four space flights, and spent a year on the International Space Station alongside cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, as part of a joint US-Russian mission

Rogozin responded to the insult with one of his own, telling Kelly to 'get off, you moron', in a now deleted tweet, adding a threat that 'the death of the International Space Station will be on your consciousness', as he blocked him on Twitter

Rogozin has always been something of a controversial figure, but the threat, and later implementation of sanctions against Russia's space program caused him to become more vocal than usual.

Previous sanctions against Russia, including during the invasion of Crimea in 2014, excluded action against the space program, in part due to close cooperation between US and Russia on the International Space Station.

However, this time, as Russian forces invaded Ukrain, bombs fell on cities and civilians were killed in the line of fire, sanctions became universal.

Scott Kelly has become a vocal critic of the Russian invasion, regularly tweeting leading figures in the country, and showing his support for Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying he has his 'utmost respect'.

He'd largely ignored Rogozin, until the space agency boss, with whom Kelly would have been familiar as he had travelled to the ISS on Russian rockets in the past, tweeted pictures of the American flag being removed from a Soyuz rocket.

This was at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and had been scheduled to launch the OneWeb internet satellites to space, until another spat between Roscosmos and the UK government meant that would no longer happen.

Rogozin responded to the insult with one of his own, telling Kelly to 'get off, you moron', in a now deleted tweet, adding a threat that 'the death of the International Space Station will be on your consciousness', as he blocked him on Twitter

Kelly responded calling Rogozin a child, asking why he deleted the Tweet calling Kelly a moron

Scott Kelly has become a vocal critic of the Russian invasion, regularly tweeting leading figures in the country, and showing his support for Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying he has his 'utmost respect'

SCOTT KELLY: NAVAL PILOT, ENGINEER, NASA ASTRONAUT Scott Kelly is a former military fighter pilot and test pilot, an engineer, a retired astronaut, and a retired U.S. Navy captain. Kelly was educated at the State University of New York and the University of Tennessee, holding a masters in aviations systems. A veteran of four space flights, Kelly commanded the International Space Station (ISS) on three expeditions and was a member of the yearlong mission to the ISS. In October 2015, he set the record for the total accumulated number of days spent in space, the single longest space mission by an American astronaut. Kelly retired from NASA in April 1, 2016, and has become an outspoken commentator on Twitter. He has most recently used his fluent Russian to be an avid critic of the invasion of Ukraine. His identical twin brother, Mark Kelly, is also a retired astronaut, and the junior U.S. senator from Arizona. Advertisement

In a post sharing the video, created by Roscosmos, Rogozin said: 'The launchers at Baikonur decided that without the flags of some countries, our rocket would look more beautiful,' showing the removal of British and American flags.

Kelly responded, referring to Rogozin by name Dimon, which is the diminutive form of his first name Dmitry, and using the informal 'you' instead of vy.

He suggested that without international cooperation there would be no Russian space program, going as far as to suggest he could work in McDonald's 'if McDonald's still exists in Russia.'

It does, and the fast food giant has come under fire for continuing to operate, despite most large firms boycotting the pariah state.

Rogozin ramped up the feud, sharing Kelly's tweet, and adding: 'I am publishing this so that everyone understands the degree of American 'gratitude' for what Russia has done for the United States.

'Carrying their astronauts, such as Skotov, for 9 years to the ISS after American emergency and extremely unreliable ships ruined two of their crews and were eventually decommissioned. We then extended a helping hand to NASA, but now the aggressive Scott has bitten her.'

He was referring to NASA purchasing seats on Soyuz rockets, at about $90 million per trip, when the Space Shuttle program was shut down after the Columbia and Challenger disasters, that saw both craft explode, with crew on board.

Russia has been cooperating with other countries on space since the fall of the Soviet Union, including its most high profile collaboration, the ISS.

Scott Kelly is one of the most important astronauts to come out of NASA, having spent a year in space

By this point Rogozin had already made a number of controversial posts on Twitter, including calling President Joe Biden's sanctions against Russia's space and aerospace industry were 'Alzheimer sanctions'

The station is scheduled to come to an end of its life in 2031, when it will be safely deorbited, and put down in the south pacific ocean.

It is split into two halves, the American half is primarily responsible for power and life support, whereas the Russian half keeps it in orbit, and stops it making an uncontrolled re-entry, where it could crash on land, instead of the ocean.

Shortly after the invasion, Rogozin suggested that if Russia withdrew from the ISS, it could come down on the US or Europe - but NASA has since confirmed it is exploring contingencies, including using SpaceX and Northrup Grumman spacecraft to take over the duty of 'station keeping' and stopping it leaving orbit.

The final straw for Kelly came when Rogozin shared a video, produced by Roscosmos, showing two Russian cosmonauts floating inside the ISS, waving goodbye to NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei.

Scott Kelly responded to a video of US flags being removed from a Russian Soyuz rocket, suggesting without international cooperation, there would be no Roscosmos

Rogozin has always been something of a controversial figure, but the threat, and later implementation of sanctions against Russia's space program caused him to become more vocal than usual

Russian gov't-controlled RIA Novosti @rianru posted a video on Telegram made by @Roscosmos where cosmonauts say goodbye to Mark Vande Hei on #ISS, depart, and then the Russian segment detaches from the rest of ISS. @Rogozin is clearly threatening the ISS program. #NASA #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/fj2coK1xR1  NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) March 5, 2022

The video isn't real, and was mocked up as propaganda by Roscosmos, with experts suggesting it was Roscosmos threatening the future of the ISS.

Vande Hei was supposed to return to the Earth on March 30 in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, and NASA has yet to confirm whether that is still the case.

'If he's going to act like a child, then I'm going to treat him like one,' Kelly said in an interview with CNN, adding 'it's just unimaginable that the Russian space program would leave a person behind in space that they were responsible for bringing home. I don't see that happening.'

DMITRY ROGOZIN : DIRECTOR GENERAL OF ROSCOSMOS Dmitry Rogozin is a Russian politician and director general of Roscosmos, the Russian space agency. He has been in that role since 2018, and before that was Deputy Prime Minister of Russia in charge of the defense industry. Rogozin has also served as the Russian ambassador to NATO. He was born in Moscow to a family of a Soviet military scientist and has a degree in journalism from Moscow State University, and holds two doctorates, in philosophy and technology. He became one of the leaders of the Rodina (Motherland) party in 2003, a patriotic nationalistic coalition that won 9.2 per cent of the popular vote. He was involved in a power struggle soon after these breakthrough elections over whether to go down a socialist direction, or support incumbent President Vladimir Putin. Rogozin won, pushing support for Putin and becoming party leader. He shifted the party further to the right, but was ousted in 2006 as his views didn't align with the wider party. He went on to be appointed ambassador to NATO two years later. During this time he was a vocal opponent of Ukraine and Georgia joining NATO. During his tenure at Roscosmos, he has turned it from a government agency, to a money making corporation, owned by the state. Advertisement

There are four astronauts from NASA on the ISS, two from Russia and one sent by the European Space Agency.

The European and three of the NASA astronauts travelled on a SpaceX Crew Dragon, the Russians and Vande Hei arrived on a Soyuz spacecraft.

'If I was him, I would feel like I'm just going to keep doing my job,' Kelly said. 'And if they (Roscosmos) want to leave me up here, then I'll find another way home.'

The prospect of a longer stay will be daunting for Vande Hei, who will have been on the station for 355 consecutive days by March 30, beating the US record held by Scott Kelly, who was on board for 340 days.

His flight home would have marked the final use of the Russian Soyuz by NASA astronauts, as the space agency has now bet its future launches on the SpaceX Crew Dragon.

There have been calls for the upcoming fully commercial space launch Ax-1, operated by Axiom Space using a SpaceX Crew Dragon, to launch one person light when it travels to the ISS next month.

So far neither Axiom or SpaceX have said whether that will happen.

NASA told DailyMail.Com that cooperation continues with Roscosmos over the ISS.

'Ongoing station operations continue as normal including work to fly crew to the orbital outpost and to return them safely to Earth.

'On March 30, a Soyuz spacecraft will return as scheduled carrying NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov back to Earth. Upon their return, Vande Hei will hold the American record for the longest single human spaceflight mission of 355 days.'

'We are not getting any indications at a working level that our counterparts are not committed to ongoing operation on the International Space Station,' said NASA's Kathy Lueders, when asked about cooperation in space.

Rogozin also announced the end of cooperation with Germany over experiments held in the Russian side of the International Space Station.

It followed an announcement by the Alliance of Science Organisations in Germany that it would freeze cooperation with Russian universities and businesses.

Rogozin wrote: 'The termination of cooperation with the Russian Federation in the field of higher education, scientific research and professional training announced by the leadership of the Federal Republic of Germany, of course, causes irreparable damage to the established long-term cooperation ties and significantly slows down activities in the field of outer space exploration for peaceful purposes.'

Russia has also taken complete control over a space telescope project, that was originally a joint mission with Germany.

'Taking into account the completely unacceptable actions of our German colleagues, primarily the German Centre for Aviation and Cosmonautics, I turned off one of the telescopes of our space observatory 'Spektr-RG', which is located at a distance of 1.5 million kilometers from Earth at the La Grange point L2. This is a completely civilian international mission to explore the starry sky', Rogozin said.

He added that Russia has everything it needs to run the experiment without Germany.

Last week Roscosmos revealed that the last 56 Russian employees had left French Guiana, the European space port after the Russian space agency ended cooperation with the European Space Agency over sanctions.

Before OneWeb announced it was suspending all launches from the Russian-run Baikonour spaceport, Rogozin called for the UK government to withdraw its investment in the satellite internet service.

Soon after, OneWeb said its 36 spacecraft, due to launch on a Soyuz rocket on Saturday, would no longer launch, and are being removed by Roscosmos.
Yaya Toure has lavished praise on Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, comparing him to ultra-successful Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.

The former Premier League star spent two seasons at the Etihad under the Spaniard, who is widely regarded as one of the best managers in the world.

But Toure believes Arteta, slightly more than two years into his first permanent job, is doing work similar to Guardiola at the Emirates.

He said: 'If you see the action before the goals, that's why you have to give credit to Arteta since he has arrived at Arsenal.

'He has improved this team when they lose the ball. Five seconds and they get the ball back. That's typical from Pep.

'When I was at Barcelona, they were doing similar. When they lost the ball, the guys who are in front, they stay. The guys who are behind, they run behind you. Man City do that a lot. They are great at that.

Former Premier League star Yaya Toure has heaped praise on Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta (left) and compared his work at Arsenal to that of Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola (right)

Toure (right) spent two years at the Etihad Stadium under ultra-successful Spaniard Guardiola

Arteta himself acted as an assistant to former Barcelona and Bayern boss Guardiola at City

'Then, when they get the ball back, they change their pace to finish as soon as possible. It looks simple, but it's very hard.'

Arteta spent three years as Guardiola's assistant at City, before branching out at Arsenal, and although he has endured some tough moments, is winning praise for his work in getting Arsenal to fourth.

The north London side are currently in the final Champions League qualifying spot, a point ahead of their closest rivals Manchester United in fifth, but having played three games fewer.

And the Ivorian believes Arsenal's work when they lose the ball is similar to City's recoveries

However, Arteta played down talk of a top-four finish and urged his players to focus on one game at a time.

He said: 'I don't like to look at the table a lot because we have games in hand, we're going to play different fixtures. I know the objective and it's only one, to try and improve tomorrow what we've done today and go into the next match and that's it.

'I cannot control results and I cannot predict which matches we are going to win, draw or lose, it's impossible. If I start to do that I think we're going to lose focus in what we want to do..'
NEC should prevent recurrence of poor handling



Tomorrow is an important day as Koreans vote to elect a new president who will run the country for the next five years. It is all the more so because the nation stands at a crossroads: to move forward toward a better future or step backward to the bad old days. That's why all voters should go to polling stations without fail.



Most of all, the election authorities should spare no efforts to ensure a free and fair election. It also must go all-out to prevent a recurrence of mishandling of the ballots of COVID-19 patients and those in quarantine as seen during the early voting period on Saturday. The National Election Commission (NEC) has invited criticism for not allowing those voters to put their votes into ballot boxes after marking their ballot papers at separate polling booths.



The NEC let election officials collect their votes in paper bags, cardboard boxes and even plastic trash bags. It is unprecedented for voters not to put their votes directly into ballot boxes. It is a clear violation of the basic principle of secret ballots. Some pandemic patients even received ballots that had already been filled out with a mark showing support for a specific candidate.



Such poor management of voting operations cannot and should not be condoned in any circumstances. More regrettable is that the NEC gave a belated apology in a reluctant manner, caving in to mounting public backlash. The NEC should conduct an internal probe to find out what caused the improper handling of the ballots. It should also be subject to an investigation by the prosecution as civic groups filed a complaint with the Supreme Prosecutors' Office over the matter.



The NEC cannot shirk responsibility for its lack of preparation to handle the soaring number of voters infected with COVID-19 or undergoing quarantine. Many of those voters had to wait an hour or two outside in the cold weather to vote at makeshift polling booths. It was wrong to allow them to start voting at 5 p.m. while other voters were still present.



President Moon Jae-in expressed regret over the incident. The ruling and opposition parties slammed the NEC for its inadequate preparation and negligence. Then the NEC apologized for its mistakes and announced measures to allow pandemic patients and those in quarantine to place their votes into ballot boxes themselves on election day. Their voting hours are set at 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., after regular polling ends. Yet it is necessary to extend the voting hours if virus patients rush to polling stations.



As seen by the record turnout in the early voting period, the people are showing great interest in this presidential election. According to the NEC, 36.93 percent of 44.2 million eligible voters cast their ballots last Friday and Saturday. It is imperative to ensure a free and fair election, particularly when the race is neck and neck between Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP).


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In the northern tier of the United States, it takes extremely severe winter weather to stop the railroads running - and to prevent U.S photographer Mike Danneman from heading out with his camera kit to photograph the trains.

As this astonishing book shows.

Danneman's Winter Railroading tome features more than 160 striking images of trains and their crews battling the most frigid of conditions, with enormous snowploughs deployed to smash through snowdrifts and keep travellers and goods moving.

The images were taken by Colorado-based Danneman over the course of four decades and snapped at locations across the USA, from Kansas to Wisconsin.

He writes: 'Even when travel gets tough and the snow gets deep - and it hurts to breathe and your face and hands sting - hardy men and mighty machines keep the tracks clear.

'It might be tempting to put the camera away during the cold months of the year but the photographic possibilities during wintertime are much too grandiose to miss. Winter has a way of making a good train photo into an arresting one.' Scroll down for a preview of 10 of the book's atmospheric images...

The calendar says spring, but the weather says winter, Danneman writes as he describes this photo that he took in Colorado in April 1999. The train in the shot is Amtrak train five, also known as the California Zephyr, which runs between Chicago and San Francisco. Its pictured climbing the Front Range mountains of the Rockies on its way west

Snowpiercer: In this image, a railroad plough belonging to the Kyle Railroad  identified by Danneman as Kyle plough MKW 06  punches through snow as it heads west through Ruleton in Kansas. According to the author, the shot was taken shortly after a large snowstorm had stifled all transportation in the area

Taken west of Edson, Kansas, in January 2007, this shot shows Kyle Railroad's MWK 06 plough clearing snow with its 'pacing truck' to the right on the highway, which is letting the ploughs crew know how much snow is ahead and how much effort it will take to move it, the author reveals. Danneman says: Flying blind through the snow, a Kyle plough gets its "eyes" ahead from a railroad vehicle. There is no way for the crew to see much ahead of the giant blades of the plough, let alone with all the snow flying around. The pacing truck lets the crew know what is ahead

This shot - taken in Dalton, New Mexico, in February 2020 - features a rotary snowplough, the Cumbres & Toltec Rotary OY. In the introduction to his book, Danneman calls the rotary snowplough 'the ultimate snow-fighting machine'. He writes: 'These ploughs have a large circular wheel equipped with cutting blades that spin and chew through deep snow, sending it out a rooftop chute, well off the right of way. Railroads dont like to call on the rotaries very often, as they are expensive to operate'

This shot, taken in December 2007, captures a BNSF Railway double-stack intermodal train (essentially a train that can carry two layers of freight containers) as it travels away from the mountains of Glacier National Park in Montana. Danneman explains that the train in this shot was fighting crosswinds

Writing about this photograph, Danneman says: A heavy fog is finally lifting in the Heber Valley of Utah at sunrise on February 6, 2007. Union Pacific 2-8-0 No. 618 storms past with a freight train as the sun tries in vain to cut through the moisture hanging in the frigid air

Danneman took this photograph in February 1993 from a viewpoint in Grandad Bluff, a city park that rises 590 feet (179 metres) above the city of La Crosse in Wisconsin. It shows the Burlington Northern intermodal train 47 transporting goods past the snow-strewn city

LEFT: In this image, a snow-covered mountain range in Glacier National Park, Montana, towers above Burlington Northern train 1 as it heads west. Danneman describes the weather on this day back in March 1989 as frigid. RIGHT: The bitter cold can play havoc on track, reveals Danneman, who reveals that this December 1994 shot captures two Wisconsin trackmen fixing track bolts that were sheared off when the rail contracted. He explains: 'A kerosene-soaked rope is placed alongside the offending rail and lit, creating enough heat for the rail to expand, closing up the joint, and allowing the holes to once again line up for new bolts to be installed.' A train approaches in the distance, but would have waited until the workmen finished their job before continuing its journey

Shot in Sharon Springs, Kansas, in January 2007, this photo shows a crew member from Union Pacific rotary snowplough No. 900082 scraping snow and ice off the plough during a crew change
It's surrounded by trees - visitors can stroll through walking trails in the forest before heading for a dip

Forest Lagoon, which covers around 5,380 square feet, will be added to the list when it opens in April

Iceland has around 200 natural geothermal swimming pools, including Sky Lagoon and the Blue Lagoon

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Iceland is set to be blessed with yet another stunning geothermal swimming pool to add to the 200 or so it already has, including the extremely inviting Sky Lagoon, which opened last April, and the Blue Lagoon, which Instagram is all too familiar with.

Joining the list in April will be Skogarboo or 'Forest Lagoon'. The site covers 500 square metres (5,381 sq ft), which is tiny in comparison to the 8,700-square-metre (93,646-sq-ft) Blue Lagoon.

But it offers something unique - it's surrounded by trees. This is a rare look for Iceland, as just three per cent of the country's landmass is categorised as woodland. What's more, visitors have the chance to witness the Northern Lights from the pool's waters.

The above rendering shows the infinity-edge pool at Skogarboo, Iceland's newest geothermal lagoon, which is set to open in April

The lagoon, which is set in the town of Akureyri, is one of the few places in the country to be surrounded by forest. Visitors can hike a forest trail before sinking into the pool's naturally warm waters

According to a statement, the lagoon's setting showcases 'stunning fjord and mountain range views' and allows guests to 'experience the midnight sun, awe-inspiring sunsets, Northern Lights, and stargazing opportunities year round'.

The pool - in the town of Akureyri, northern Iceland - is connected to walking trails in the trees, so that you can enjoy the serene surroundings before or after a dip in its naturally warm waters.

And when it's time to soak, you're spoilt for choice between the forest lagoon (which is naturally kept at balmy temperatures of 39C to 42C), an infinity-edge oasis, a cold plunge pool and a sauna.

There are even two in-lagoon bars, so you can sip on schnapps without ever getting out of the water.

Once your skin is sufficiently prune-like, you can slip out of the thermal pools and dry off next to a firepit, with a cocktail or a cup of coffee, and a slice of cake.

And if you're still hungry, take advantage of the Bistro dining experience, which rustles up traditional 'smorrebrod' - open rye-bread sandwiches topped with fish, cold cuts or cheese.

After you've soaked in Skogarboo's geothermal oasis or braved the cold pool, you can dry off next to the firepit (shown in the above rendering) with a cocktail or coffee from the bar

Sustainability is woven into Skogarboo's ethos.

All the building materials were chosen to be environmentally friendly, sustainable and responsibly sourced, with no chemicals added to the water.

Plus, all cleaning materials are eco-friendly, and on-site shampoos and soaps are organic.

The Skogarboo project began by accident in 2015, when the nearby construction of the new Vaolaheioi mountain tunnel hit a geothermal water source.

The hot, 50C water that was pouring into the new tunnel was cleverly diverted into a fjord just next to Akureyri town, which is a five-hour drive northeast of the capital, Reykjavik.

A rendering of the lagoon's reception. All of the building materials at Skogarboo were responsibly sourced and on-site shampoos and soaps are organic

It's hoped that Forest Lagoon will rejuvenate tourism in the picturesque town of Akureyri (above)

It was then that the idea was born to create a new lagoon from the geothermal source.

The project's leaders hope that it will rejuvenate tourism in the area.

Chairman of the board Sigriour M Hammer said: 'We firmly believe that the introduction of a new natural geothermal pool to the area will sway visitors to spend more time in Akureyri and its surroundings. This in turn will have a positive knock-on effect on local business and the local economy.'

The Blue Lagoon, pictured, is one of Iceland's most famous and visited attractions

While fancy spas are a modern invention, Icelandic people have enjoyed soaking in geothermally warm water for many centuries.

The country has also become a pioneer of geothermal energy, which now accounts for 66 per cent of its energy use.

You can buy advance tickets for Skogarboo online, from 5,800kr (34.21) per person. It can accommodate up to 200 visitors at a time and we will be open seven days a week from 10am to midnight. For more information visit www.forestlagoon.is.
The stars of Married At First Sight have been cooped up at a Sydney apartment since the start of the experiment.

So the brides were strilled to finally get the chance to showcase their bikini bodies at Kalinya estate, a $6,440-a-night couples retreat.

Tamara Djordjevic, Domenica Calarco, Olivia Frazer and Carolina Santos were all seen strutting down the pavement during filming back in November.

Sizzling! Married at First Sight bride Tamara Djordjevic flashed her incredible physique in a skimpy yellow bikini while filming at a couples' retreat in November

Tamara, 29, was positively glowing in a bright yellow bikini.

She teamed her look with a leopard-print sarong and a gold bangle.

Tamara wore her hair down and enhanced her striking features with bronzer and thick eyelashes.

Wow! Tamara, 29, was positively glowing in a bright yellow bikini

Gorgeous: The bride wore her hair down and enhanced her striking features with bronzer and thick eyelashes

Ella Ding showed off her inked physique in a mono gingham bikini top and orange skirt which was clipped up top to showcase her legs.

She completed the effortlessly stylish look with pair of $500 Yeezy slides.

Ella Ding showed off her inked physique in a mono gingham bikini top and orange skirt which was clipped up top to showcase her toned legs

She completed her effortlessly stylish look wearing a pair of $500 Yeezy slides

At one point the 27-year-old beautician was seen walking back to her room with fellow bride Domenica Calarco and her 'husband' Jack Millar

The beautician, 27, was seen walking back to her room with fellow bride Domenica Calarco and her 'husband' Jack Millar.

Domenica, 29, appeared a little sheepish after clashing with her co-star Olivia Frazer during an intense glassing showdown the night before.

The Sydney-based makeup artist attempted to go incognito, appearing makeup free and covered up in a blue and white stripped towel.

Domenica, 29, appeared a little sheepish after clashing with her co-star Olivia Frazer during an intense glassing showdown the night before

The Sydney-based makeup artist attempted to go incognito appearing makeup free and covered up her bikini in a blue and white stripped towel

The blonde beauty completed her look wearing a pair of white coloured crocs.

Elsewhere, Olivia Frazer was seen arriving at the pool area wearing a black swimsuit.

The 27-year-old teaching student covered up with a towel.

Elsewhere, Olivia Frazer was seen arriving at the pool area wearing a black swimsuit

The teaching student, 27, covered up with a towel

She was spotted returning to her villa after a swim with 'husband' Jack Lonie.

Also joining them for a swim was Selina Chhaur and her 'groom' Cody Bromley.

Following a swim with her 'husband' Jack Lonie, 30, the pair were spotted leaving before returning to their villa

Ripped: Jackson showed off his fit frame walking around the retreat shirtless

Selina, 32, showed off her slender physique in a floral print bikini.

She showed off her natural complexion and completed the look with a gold bangle and large fedora hat with a ribbon.

Cody, 30, meanwhile showed off his ripped physique in a pair of speedos and sunglasses.

Also joining in for a swim was Selina Chhaur (left) and her 'groom' Cody Bromley (right). The brunette beauty showed off her natural complexion and appeared to be makeup free

Cody, 30, meanwhile showed off his ripped physique wearing nothing but a pair of speedos and his sunglasses

The personal trainer was seen walking barefoot as he made his way back to his room.

Meanwhile, Carolina Santos covered up her bikini by wearing a large oversized shirt.

She teamed up her look with a pair of designer leather sandals.

Carolina was later seen looking downcast while chatting to a female producer.

Wet: Carolina Santos covered up her bikini by wearing a large oversized shirt

Stylish: She teamed up her look with a pair of designer leather sandals

Is everything okay? Carolina was later seen looking downcast while chatting to a female producer
Olympic champion Tom Daley has opened up about marriage and fatherhood in an candid new interview with the Radio Times.

The diver, 27, said that he had always wanted to be a father and that he and his husband, screenwriter Dustin Lance Black,47, discussed baby names on their third date.

He said: 'Back in 2013 we'd named our children, which seems to break every one of the dating rules!'

Family: Olympic champion Tom Daley has opened up about marriage and fatherhood in an candid new interview with the Radio Times

Tom and husband Lance welcomed their son Robert Ray, now 3, back in 2018 via surrogacy.

The star who lost his father Rob Daley back in 2011 at the age of 40, admits that he wants to be a similar parent to the one he had.

'Robbie is named after Dad. And I do feel I'm similar to how my dad was with me. Whether I was doing well or not, my parents were always there for me. It's just about being there to support Robbie on the good days, the bad days and everything in between.'

Going for gold: The star who lost his father Rob Daley back in 2011 at the age of 40, admits that he wants to be a similar parent to the one he had

Tom went on to admit he is the disciplinary of the two, 'Yes. I'm Pappa and Lance is Daddy and when I say no to Robbie he immediately goes to Lance and says, 'Daddy, Pappa says no, but can I?' And Lance says yes.'

Daley went on to say how sweet and caring his young son is, however he is also quite the daredevil.

'He loves to find things and jump off them and scare the living daylights out of me. But then Lance says, 'Well, what do you expect? You climb up things and jump off things for a living'.'

Happy families: Daley went on to say how sweet and caring his young son is, however he is also quite the daredevil.

This interview comes after Tom successfully completed his gruelling 290-mile four-day Hell of a Homecoming Red Nose Day Challenge.

The endurance challenge saw him tackle a gruelling journey from London to the iconic tower by foot, water, boat and bike, to raise money for Comic Relief.

Hundreds of supporters, family and friends gathered to cheer Tom over the finish line.

Well done! Tom Daley has successfully completed his gruelling 290-mile four-day Hell of a Homecoming Red Nose Day Challenge

Tom endured one of the toughest weeks of his sporting career all to raise as much money as possible to help change lives in the UK and around the world.

Over four days, Tom has pushed his body to the limit as he began the journey on Monday, leaving the London Aquatics Centre in Stratford for a 9.5km row to Tower Pier, where he overturned his boat in the River Thames.

He has cycled over 290 miles in total battling through 40mph winds and relentless rain that at one point pushed him off his bike; took on his first ever open water swim in 5.2-degree water struggling against strong winds.

Read Tom's full interview in the Radio Times - out now.
He is the hot favourite to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his acclaimed performance in Power of the Dog.

And 25-year-old Australian actor Kodi Smit-McPhee was certainly on cloud nine as he attended the 94th Oscars Nominees Luncheon in Los Angeles on Monday.

Arriving at the Fairmont Century Plaza to rub shoulders with fellow nominees, Kodi looked incredibly stylish in an Alexander McQueen suit with a cloud design on the jacket.

On cloud nine! Aussie actor Kodi Smit-McPhee wore a stylish Alexander McQueen suit at the annual Oscar nominees luncheon in Los Angeles on Monday

Kodi teamed the attire with a white shirt with no tie and black boots.

He accessorised with a diamond earring and his luscious locks were expertly coiffed.

Looking good! Kodi teamed the attire with a white shirt with no tie and black boots

Kodi has already won a Golden Globe for his performance as a troubled young man in the Netlfix produced film, which was made in New Zealand but set in the American West.

He will be competing with Power of the Dog co-star Jesse Plemons for the prestigious prize.

They join fellow Best Supporting Actor nominees - J.K. Simmons (Being the Ricardos), Ciaran Hinds (Belfast) and Troy Kotsur (CODA).

Handsome: He accessorised with a diamond earring and his luscious locks were expertly coiffed

There are nine films up for Best Picture, including Power of the Dog.

They include Licorice Pizza, CODA, Belfast, Dune, King Richard, Nightmare Alley, West Side Story, Don't Look Up and Drive My Car.

The film's director, New Zealand filmmaker Jane Campion has also been nominated for Best Director.

Favourite: Kodi is the hot favourite to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his acclaimed performance in Power of the Dog

Kodi has long been a critics favourite and much sort after in the industry from the very start of his career.

He won a Special Achievement AACTA Award at age 11 for his first major role in the film Romulus, My Father.

His international career has soared in blockbusters including Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and X Men: Apocalypse, Kodi.

For his role in Power of the Dog he has already won eleven prizes at festivals and events all over the world.
Diane Kruger looked casual and comfortable while stepping out with her daughter in New York.

The Operative actress was ready for business wearing a navy blazer, but then also ready to relax in a baby blue sweat suit on Sunday.

Krueger, 45, carried a pink and red shopping bag, and a surgical mask in one hand while staying close to her three-year-old.

Keeping it casual: Diane Kruger steps out in New York with her three-year-old daughter in tow. The 355 star was casually attired in baby blue sweats, black ankle boots and an oversized navy blue jacket

Her little girl sported a similarly comfortable look, wearing black ankle boots, a sweater and pink animal print leggings and top.

The German actress has opened up recently about waiting until she was in her 40s to become a mother. She and her partner, actor Norman Reedus, became parents in November 2018.

The couple are very protective of their daughter. They have not revealed her name and make sure her face is blocked out in any pictures in the press and on social media.

Kruger can currently be seen in the thriller The 355 alongside Penelope Cruz, Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong'o, Penelope Cruz and Bingbing Fan.

Protective mother: The actress and her fiance, The Walking Dead actor Norman Reedus, are very protective of their child, insisting her face be blocked out in pictures in publications and on social media

Working: The 45-year-old actress has said she often takes her daughter to work with her. Kruger has also said she's felt empowered by learning from co-stars who are also working parents.

The on-screen super spy said she started work for the action flick just six months after giving birth.

Both Cruz and Chastain have children and the 5'7" action star said she was able to learn a lot from her co-stars.

'It was empowering to see Jessica [Chastain] has kids, Penelope [Cruz] has kids, how they manage to do it all and where they put the priorities and where they also say no,' she explained.

With Reedus often away from home, shooting The Walking Dead in Atlanta, Kruger says she often takes the little one to the set.

Back at the barre: The German actress is currently working the film, Joika. She co-stars alongside Talia Ryder as the title character. Kruger's own ballet career was cut short due to a knee injury

The busy mom and actress has a full calendar.

She is currently working on the ballet drama Joika. It's the true story of a young American who is accepted into Moscow's tough Bolshoi Ballet Academy, with the dream of becoming a great ballerina. Talia Ryder from West Side Story is the title character. Kruger will play her mentor.

Kruger's own ballet career was cut short when she injured her knee. As a result of her injury, the former dancer moved to Paris where she began work as a model.
Married at First Sight bride Ella Ding is one of the show's biggest bombshells this season.

And the raven-haired beauty certainly proved why this is the case on Monday, as she oozed sex appeal in an eye-catching ensemble during a quiet stroll in Melbourne.

Ella decided to go braless in a tight white top and a pair of emoji-graphic jeans for the outing, while clutching a health juice.

Bombshell: Married At First Sight star Ella Ding (pictured) went braless as she donned a tight white top and emoji-graphic jeans for a stroll in Melbourne on Monday

The reality TV star looked stunning as she accessorised with a pair of semi-transparent sunglasses and an oversized tote bag.

The star finished her outfit with a pair of red sneakers.

Ella made headlines after she publicly slammed her MAFS co-stars Daniel Holmes and Carolina Santos on live radio, amid the pair's on-screen cheating scandal.

Glamazon: Ella was spotted braless in a tight white top and a pair of emoji-graphic jeans during a walk while clutching a health juice. She finished her look with an oversized tote bag

She told Hit NSW's Breakfast with Maz & Lakey she was shocked to discover the two were secretly spending time together during the experiment.

'We [the cast] actually all had absolutely no idea. This is the first time we're seeing everything, and I couldn't... I just feel so uncomfortable watching it,' Ella said.

'I can't even hear it. I feel like they don't even deserve air time,' she added.

'Uncomfortable': Ella made headlines after she publicly slammed her MAFS co-stars Daniel Holmes and Carolina Santos on live radio, amid the pair's cheating scandal

Carolina, 33, was originally partnered with property developer Dion Giannarelli, 34, on MAFS, while Daniel, 30, was matched with florist Jessica Seracino, 27.

Brazilian-born Carolina decided to take her friendship with Daniel to the next level after several on- and off-camera meetings.

Daily Mail Australia caught the pair secretly meeting up behind their partners' backs during filming in November.

Shock: The beautician told Hit NSW's Breakfast with Maz & Lakey she was shocked to discover Daniel and Carolina (pictured) were secretly spending time together during the experiment

MAFS producers were mortified to discover Carolina and Daniel's drivers had accidentally dropped them off at the exact same time in front of photographers.

Meanwhile, Jessica sensationally quit Married At First Sight, after a major argument with 'husband' Daniel.

She took him by surprise when she announced she was leaving the experiment after she failed to form a connection with him.

Judged: 'I can't even hear it, I feel like they don't even deserve air time,' Ella said. (Pictured: Carolina and Daniel secretly meeting up behind their partners' backs in November)

'I'm feeling a bit shattered. How many times am I going to f**king cry in one week,' Daniel said, after Jessica gave up on their marriage.

'Wow, I feel like I haven't cried in years, but in a week I've managed to cry eight times.'

He was later comforted in his room by Carolina, who told 'husband' Dion their relationship was dead in the water.

Married At First Sight continues Tuesday at 7.30pm on Channel Nine and 9Now
Helen Mirren caught the eye as she made a stylish arrival at the Roundabout Theatre Company's Paint The Town Gala in New York on Monday.

The actress, 76, made a statement in a dazzling silver midi dress featuring gorgeous rose embellishments and elbow-length sleeves.

She highlighted her cinched waist with a coordinating belt and added inches to her frame with a pair of black boots with sterling patterns.

Jaw-dropping: Helen Mirren caught the eye as she made a stylish arrival at the Roundabout Theatre Company's Paint The Town Gala in New York on Monday

The Oscar winner accessorised her look with a chic black headband as well as a pair of gorgeous pearl drop earrings as she walked the red carpet.

Onlookers gasped and photographers swooned over the icon as she made her presence known at the star-studded event.

Helen went on to pose alongside Taylor Hackford, who put on a dapper display in a double breasted black suit-and-tie.

Her remarkable acting career began over five decades ago - and she is one of the few performers who has achieved the coveted Triple Crown of Acting.

Vision: The actress, 76, made a statement in a dazzling silver midi dress featuring gorgeous rose embellishments and elbow-length sleeves

Incredible: She highlighted her cinched waist with a coordinating belt

So it was no surprise that Helen, who scooped the Lifetime Achievement gong during last weekend's Screen Actors Guild Awards, could offer her words of wisdom when it came to success.

She dedicated her triumph at Santa Monica Barker Hangar, California, to her peers, while attributing her success to a simple mantra.

The London-born star addressed the star-studded crowd: '"Lifetime achievement" sounds so grand but I suppose I'm still alive, so by that measure I'm eligible.

'But any achievement I've succeeded in is the result of my mantra, "Be on time and don't be an ass".

In good company: Helen presented the Jason Robards Award to American actress Chira Rivera

Side by side: The celebrated British star was hand in hand with husband Taylor Hackford while attending the event on Monday evening

There you go: She paused to sign an autograph for a waiting fan as she made her way inside

Centre stage: Helen addressed the audience at Roundabout Theatre Company's Paint The Town Gala before presenting her award on Monday evening

Well done: Shay held the Jason Robards Award aloft after being presented with the honour

Applause: The actress joined audience members in acknowledging Shay's achievement

She's pleased: Helen looked delighted as she welcomed the American star to the stage

Close: The two friends posed for photos backstage following the award presentation

'I hate to say the word 'sag' at my age. It's always S-A-G for me.'

She proceeded to her dedication: 'I've been angsting about what to say tonight. I've been waiting for inspiration. Then it came - I'll talk about actors.

'My God, what a brilliant idea! So original. I like to think inside the box. It is you, you actors, I want to thank. For your wit, your humour, all the giggles, all the laughter.

'Ive laughed my whole life, honestly. Your perception, your generosity, your intelligence and your incredible energy. And your dedication to our chosen profession.

'Together we laugh, we weep, we worry, we change clothes, we throw up and we suffer diarrhoea.'
They're the Married At First Sight brides who found friendship on the set of Celebs Go Dating this year.

And Aussie OnlyFans model Jessika Power, 32, and UK reality star Nikita Jasmine, 27, were two peas in a pod as they paraded the streets on London in skimpy outfits on Saturday night.

The pair were spotted strutting arm-in-arm down the footpath ahead of attending a Mamma Mia! theatre production at the Novello Theatre.

Ladies' night! Aussie OnlyFans model Jessika Power, 32, (left) and UK reality star Nikita Jasmine, 27, (right) were two peas in a pod as they paraded the streets on London in skimpy outfits on Saturday night

Jessika, who rose to fame on MAFS Australia in 2019, stunned in a semi-sheer jumpsuit by British designer Poster Girl.

The watermelon-hued garment retails for $320 and revealed a generous glimpse of Jessika's cleavage thanks to a series of slashed cut-outs at the front.

The blonde completed her look with a rhinestone-encrusted Prada handbag worth $4,000 (AUD) and strappy stiletto heels.

Sheer daring! Jessika, who rose to fame on Married At First Sight Australia in 2019, stunned in a semi-sheer jumpsuit by British designer Poster Girl

For makeup, Jessika painted her cosmetically-enhanced pout with pink lipstick and highlighted her eyes with faux lashes and black liner.

Nikita, who hails from County Durham and who also has an OnlyFans page, meanwhile turned heads in a glittering silver mini dress, clear PVC heels and a $3,000 (AUD) Gucci handbag.

According to Channel 4, Nikita was removed from the British version of MAFS last year over her 'unacceptable' behaviour and for 'breaching their code of conduct'.

All that glitters: The blonde completed her look with a rhinestone-encrusted Prada handbag worth $4,000 (AUD) and strappy stiletto heels

Jessika rose to fame on Married At First Sight Australia back in 2019.

She moved to Manchester last year in search of better opportunities in the reality television industry.

She is currently dating British podcaster Connor Thompson.

It comes after the blonde gave an update on her financial status, boasting she 'no longer worries about money' after joining the adult subscription service OnlyFans.

A star is born: Jessika rose to fame on Married At First Sight Australia back in 2019

'I've had it since August last year and I am able to purchase two new houses... guess it's worth it,' she said in a video on her Instagram Stories last month.

'I've also funded my whole lifestyle to come here [The UK], I flew first class, I just bought tickets to Dubai in business class,' she continued.

Jessika, who earns up to $120,000 per quarter as an adult model, told The Daily Telegraph she wants to use the website 'for good'.

'I have always used my platform to talk about confidence, body confidence, self-esteem and female empowerment,' she explained.

Loaded: It comes after the blonde gave an update on her financial status, boasting she 'no longer worries about money' after joining the adult subscription service OnlyFans
Travis Pastrana hit his Golden Buzzer for sway pole artist Cyndel Flores on Monday's episode of America's Got Talent: Extreme on NBC.

The 38-year-old motocross champion was impressed by Cyndel, 23, of Sarasota, Florida, and her danger act involving an aerial sway pole.

Cyndel climbed up a slippery 60-foot tall pole on a rainy day and performed tricks without a tether or mat.

Golden buzzer: Travis Pastrana hit his Golden Buzzer for sway pole artist Cyndel Flores on Monday's episode of America's Got Talent: Extreme on NBC

The pole then dramatically swung down with Cyndel holding on as the outdoors audience gasped.

'It has been a long time since I have been nervous during an act or surprised,' Travis told her after getting back to the judges' table.

'I have to say when you swung down off that pole, it took my breath away. You were slipping off, trying to keep your balance, and all of a sudden, you're dropping 60 feet on a sway pole. I for one absolutely loved it,' he added.

Nikki Bella, 38, also approved.

Danger act: The 38-year-old motocross champion was impressed by Cyndel, 23, of Sarasota, Florida, and her danger act involving an aerial sway pole

Up there: Cyndel climbed up a slippery 60-foot tall pole on a rainy day and performed tricks without a tether or mat

'You gave me every emotion. I was nervous, I was scared, I was thrilled, I was excited. I have never seen anything like that. You are fearless. I was so impressed,' the wrestling star said.

Series creator, executive producer and judge Simon Cowell, 62, was about to give his review when Travis interjected.

'You know what, Simon? I don't even care what Simon says,' Travis said as he cut him off to hit the Golden Buzzer.

High praise: 'You gave me every emotion. I was nervous, I was scared, I was thrilled, I was excited. I have never seen anything like that. You are fearless. I was so impressed,' Nikki Bella said

Pyrotechnics exploded on the stage and confetti fell from above as Cyndel advanced straight to the finals of the America's Got Talent spin-off.

'Cyndel, if you do get to perform again, I cannot wait to see what you're gonna bring because this is awesome. I love your act, and you are going all the way through,' Travis told her.

Simon said he was 'slightly jealous' that he didn't give Cyndel the Golden Buzzer because her act 'defines what this show is all about.'

Big fan: 'Cyndel, if you do get to perform again, I cannot wait to see what you're gonna bring because this is awesome. I love your act, and you are going all the way through,' Travis told her

'Even climbing up the ladder, you could've got a Golden Buzzer for that. Let alone with what followed next in the rain. I mean, it was just extraordinary. Good for you,' Simon told her.

Cyndel received a big hug from her supportive mother Arcelia Flores, a retired sway pole performer.

'You worked so hard,' Arcelia said while embracing her daughter.

Good job: 'Even climbing up the ladder, you could've got a Golden Buzzer for that. Let alone with what followed next in the rain. I mean, it was just extraordinary. Good for you,' Simon Cowell said

Proud mom: 'You worked so hard,' Arcelia Flores said while embracing her daughter

'It means a lot that I made her proud today and, you know, I'm trying to carry on her legacy and all that girl power,' Cyndel said.

Travis then joined them for a group hug.

'What you were doing was absolutely amazing,' Travis told her.

America's Got Talent: Extreme will return next week on NBC.

Girl power: 'It means a lot that I made her proud today and, you know, I'm trying to carry on her legacy and all that girl power,' Cyndel said




President of Russia Vladimir Putin. Korea Times file



By Lee Kyung-min



Korean companies engaged in business with Russia are expressing concerns over the plummeting value of the Russian ruble, a foreign currency risk amplified by escalating geopolitical volatility triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to industry watchers and economists, Tuesday.



The shared concern came on the heels of Korea being included on the Russian government's list of "unfriendly countries." Forty-eight countries whose businesses are owed more than10 million rubles (95.8 million won) by their Russian counterparts or individuals can  and almost certainly will  be paid in Russia's currency, rapidly depreciating both against the U.S. dollar and Korean won. On the list were countries that approved strong sanctions against Russia for its Ukraine invasion.



Korean firms in Russia are expected to bear the full brunt of the impact, since they receive rubles in return for their products and services.



Subject to even greater uncertainties are those who were paid in the U.S. dollar, the global reserve currency against which the ruble has lost about 50 percent in value in just about a week and a half. Their profitability will subsequently be hit, if Russian firms insist on paying in rubles, a grim scenario certain to deepen further since the military conflict is unlikely to die down any time soon.



Rapid loss



"Receiving ruble that has lost about half of its value means their balance sheet tanking by half," Seoul National University economist Lee In-ho said.



Only those with ample cash reserves will be able to withstand the sudden, extreme liquidity crunch, since most firms need the money received to buy raw materials for manufacturing, in a healthy business cycle.



"Half of what you expected in hand means businesses coming under the threat of rapid deterioration in their financials or even default. Few of the small- and medium-sized exporters will be able to survive," he added.



The shipbuilding industry with exposure to Russia is closely monitoring the developments, according to a Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering official.



"We do not see an immediate disruption in payment for our orders, but we are keeping a close eye on the conflict with continued efforts to diversify our markets to reduce the risks associated with the ongoing conflict," the official said.



Hyundai Genuine, Hyundai Heavy Industries Group's intermediate holding company, said the firm is mapping out plans to minimize the sales disruptions from the fallout of the Ukrainian war.



"We are closely monitoring the situation," a Hyundai Genuine official said.



The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy convened an emergency meeting, earlier in the day, to discuss ways to navigate the unexpected turn of events.



The meeting was attended by trade, foreign affairs authorities and associations of manufacturers of automobiles and electronic devices as well as construction, equipment and shipbuilding industries. Their shared anguish mostly concerned steep, short-term corporate losses due to ruble-mediated payments.



"The government will come up with measures to limit the difficulties experienced by businesses, a result of Korea joining the international sanctions against Russia as a responsible member of the international community," said the country's top trade negotiator Yeo Han-koo at Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry building in Seoul.
Abbie Chatfield has admitted that she did not enter her open relationship with boyfriend Konrad Bien-Stephen in the 'healthiest way'.

The 26-year-old, who confirmed that she and Konrad were non-exclusive last month, said on her podcast It's a Lot that setting clear boundaries early on was a struggle in the relationship.

Abbie discussed the topic while interviewing sex therapist Georgia Grace on her podcast about 'ethical non-monogamy'.

Abbie Chatfield pictured recording her Its A Lot podcast when revealed that she did not enter her open relationship with boyfriend Konrad Bien-Stephen in the 'healthiest way'

Admitting that her relationship of four months with Konrad has always been open, she then chalked down any criticism of the unconventional union to 'baby-boomer conservatives.'

Open relationships were a sign of a healthy partnership, she suggested.

'It's not something you do to fix a relationship, when it's in dire straits,' she said. 'It's something you do when the relationship is going well.'

Even so, for the partners involved it was a 'continuing conversation,' she said.

Backlash: Admitting that her relationship of four months with Konrad has always been open, she then chalked down any criticism of the unconventional union to 'baby-boomer conservatives'

Last week Abbie complained that she was annoyed with Konrad, who had slept with two other women since they got together, while she hasn't been with anyone else.

She made the comments on her radio show and explained that while she wanted to have sex with other people, her hectic schedule and growing fame had made it difficult for her to find a suitable partner.

But on this week's podcast, she said she was not at all jealous, and in fact stated that she was 'turned on' by the prospect of Konrad sleeping with someone else.

'The biggest question I get is "how do you deal with the jealousy?",' she said.

'It's my kink,' she said before going on to mock friends who had told her that she had been brainwashed.

'I don't give a f**k. I don't get jealous, I c**e thinking about it,' she announced proudly.
The Oscar nominees all gathered in Los Angeles for the annual Academy Awards Luncheon, though one notable nominee was not present, Nicole Kidman.

The 54-year-old actress is nominated for Best Actress for her performance as Lucille Ball in Amazon's Being the Ricardos.

While the other nominees gather in Los Angeles, Kidman remains home in Nashville, recovering from a torn hamstring while filming her new Amazon series Expats, via Variety.

Recovering: The Oscar nominees all gathered in Los Angeles for the annual Academy Awards Luncheon, though one notable nominee was not present, Nicole Kidman

Torn: While the other nominees gather in Los Angeles, Kidman remains home in Nashville, recovering from a torn hamstring while filming her new Amazon series Expats, via Variety

Kidman was filming Expats in Los Angeles when a pre-existing injury flared up and she tore her hamstring once again.

The actress is back home in Los Angeles, under doctor's orders, recovering from the injury.

Production will continue on Expats this week, though filming will ultimately pause at some point while producers determine if they can shoot around Kidman before she returns.

Pre-existing: Kidman was filming Expats in Los Angeles when a pre-existing injury flared up and she tore her hamstring once again

Amazon's Expats is based on the 2016 Janice Y.K. Lee novel The Expatriates, which follows the lives of three expatriate women living in Hong Kong.

Kidman stars alongside Sarayu Blue, Ji-young Yoo and Jack Huston, with Kidman also producing through her Blossom Films company.

The project was first announced in July 2018, marking the first project through Kidman and Blossom Films' first-look deal through Amazon.

Co-stars: Kidman stars alongside Sarayu Blue, Ji-young Yoo and Jack Huston, with Kidman also producing through her Blossom Films company

Lulu Wang (The Farewell) is directing the series, which was created by Alice Bell.

It's unclear if Kidman's injury will also prevent her from attending the Academy Awards on Sunday, March 27.

Kidman is nominated for Best Actress alongside Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye), Kristen Stewart (Spencer), Penelope Cruz (Parallel Mothers) and Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter).

Injury: It's unclear if Kidman's injury will also prevent her from attending the Academy Awards on Sunday, March 27

The actress also will be quite busy promoting her upcoming movie The Northman, which is slated for release on April 22.

She also returns as Queen Atlanna in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which is in post-production and slated for release on December 16.

Kidman also stars in the upcoming series Roar, starring Betty Gilpin, which is currently in production.

Busy: The actress also will be quite busy promoting her upcoming movie The Northman, which is slated for release on April 22
Dave 'Hughesy' Hughes' daughters Sadie, 10, and Tess, eight, have taken to the air waves to roast their dad's 'sexist' behaviour on International Women's Day.

The two girls joined his 2Day FM's Hughesy, Ed & Erin show on Tuesday to declare 'Dad's always sexist!'

Tess revealed that her father made the girls perform 'cooking, cleaning and folding laundry' at home because they were 'better at it' than him.

In good fun: Dave 'Hughesy' Hughes' daughters Sadie, 10, and Tess, 8, have taken to the air waves to roast their dad's 'sexist' behaviour on International Women's Day. All pictured

Tess also provided another example of her dad's sexism, to the great amusement of co-hosts Ed Kavalee and Erin Molan.

'Sadie was wondering why they split up girls and boys in cross country [running],' explained Tess.

'And dad said [it's] because boys are faster than girls.'

Good sport: The kids joined 2Day FM's Hughesy, Ed & Erin show on Tuesday to declare 'Dad's always sexist!'

'I'm not always sexist!' objected the 51-year-old comedian. 'That's not true!'

'I'm just saying on average boys run faster, that's not having a go there,' he added.

Hughes shares three children with wife of 16 years Holly Hughes.

The amusing exchange comes after insiders revealed the Hit Network has hatched a plan to reinvigorate 2Day FM following years of poor ratings.

The news followed the shock departure of program director Gemma Fordham in December as part of a leadership restructure.

And sources say SCA is about to shake up its on-air product by poaching The Edge breakfast hosts Mike 'E' Etheridge and Emma Chow from rivals ARN.

Long term loves: Hughes shares three children with wife of 16 years Holly Hughes

The Western Sydney duo, who worked at The Edge for 11 years before departing this month, are tipped to host the Hit Network's national night show in 2022.

SCA reportedly spent 'big bucks' to get Etheridge and Chow, and it's possible there is a long-term plan for them to take over 2Day FM's Sydney breakfast slot in 2023.

The station's current breakfast show, The Morning Crew with Hughesy, Ed and Erin, has struggled in the ratings since its inception in 2020.
Wilmer Valderrama stepped out in a fashionable-looking suit while attending The Hollywood Reporter's Oscar Nominees night on Monday.

The actor, 42, wore a black form-fitting suit to the event. He walked the red carpet in a pair of shiny black and white shoes.

He wore the black blazer and tie over a slightly lighter black button-down shirt.

Looking good: Wilmer Valderrama stepped out in a fashionable-looking suit while attending The Hollywood Reporter's Oscar Nominees night on Monday

Valderrama's dark hair was cut short and combed to the right.

The That 70s Show star's better half, Amanda Pacheco, looked elegant in a dark blue dress tied around the middle with a similarly-colored cummerbund tied around the middle.

She walked in a pair of silver high heels, and her brown hair, dyed blonde at the ends, fell to the middle of her back in a graceful swoop.

Back in black: The actor, 42, wore a black form-fitting suit to the event. He walked the red carpet in a pair of shiny black and white shoes

Well-groomed: Valderrama's dark hair was cut short and combed to the right

Definitely a model: The That 70s Show star's better half, Amanda Pacheco, looked elegant in a dark blue dress tied around the middle with a similarly-colored cummerbund

Accessorizing: She walked in a pair of silver high heels, and her brown hair, dyed blonde at the ends, fell to the middle of her back in a graceful swoop. She held a black clutch

Pacheco held a small black clutch with golden symbols on it in her right hand.

Valderrama and Pacheco dated for about eight months beginning in 2019 before he popped the question in January of 2020.

He proposed to her on a beach in La Jolla, California, a small city near San Diego.

Happy together: Valderrama and Pacheco dated for about eight months beginning in 2019 before he popped the question in January of 2020

Beachfront proposal: He proposed to her on a beach in La Jolla, California, a small city near San Diego

Parenting: While the two aren't married yet, they do have one child together, who was born in February 2021

While the two aren't married yet, they do have one child together, who was born in February 2021.

The Hollywood Reporter's Oscar Nominees Night is a yearly event hosted by the popular publication in celebration of those nominated for one of the biggest awards in acting.

This year's awards will take place on Sunday, March 27 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Ferne McCann has admitted she 'thought she lost it all' after her boyfriend was convicted of an acid attack.

The former TOWIE star, 31, was pregnant with her daughter Sunday when then boyfriend Arthur Collins threw corrosive acid over a crowd on the dance floor at Mangle E8 in Dalston in April 2017, within weeks of their pregnancy announcement.

Reflecting on the incident, Ferne admitted she feared that she wouldn't be able to rebuild her reputation and also worried that becoming a single mother would mean that she would lose her career.

'I thought I'd lost it all': Ferne McCann has reflected on the fallout of her 2017 romance with acid attacker Arthur Collins (pictured in July 2021)

Speaking at The Suns International Womens Day event, Ferne explained: 'I have had to take the light with the shade, and the highs with the lows, in my personal life or in my professional career.

'I've been in situations where I thought I'd lost it all - career, everything - through actions I had absolutely nothing to do with.'

She added that she was 'scared and stressed' after learning she was pregnant and worried about the impact it would have on her work.

Charged: Ferne was pregnant with her daughter Sunday when then boyfriend Arthur Collins threw corrosive acid over a crowd on the dance floor (pictured: Arthur's mug shot)

Ferne said: 'I felt like the bias was that you can't have a flourishing career whilst being a single parent and from the moment I found out that I was pregnant, right until now, I have continued to strive and have a thriving career.'

The mother-of-one also noted that she's had to accept that there's no such thing as perfection, admitting: 'Every single day, I'm a juggling act and the majority of the time, I drop a ball.'

Ferne is raising daughter Sunday, four, alone while Arthur serves 20 years for the acid attack. 16 people suffered chemical burn injuries and three people were temporarily blinded.

Struggles: Reflecting on the incident, Ferne admitted she feared that she wouldn't be able to rebuild her reputation and would lose her career

The First Time Mum star is now in a relationship with Dubai based estate agent Lorri Haines and has said she would 'genuinely marry' him after a string of failed romances.

The couple went public with their hot new romance last month during a holiday to the UAE.

Her remark came after a video resurfaced of Lorri appearing to hold a bag of white powder to his nose.

In the film, Lorri, who has since insisted he was not taking drugs, is seen scooping the powder out of the bag and up to his nostrils, with a pal shouting in the background: 'No! No ket, no ket.'

Lorri, who was not dating Ferne at the time the video was filmed, was seen dancing shirtless in the clip while holding two small clear plastic bags.

Authorities in the desert country have a zero-tolerance policy with regards to drugs, with the standard minimum jail sentence for possession being four years.

Doting mother: Ferne is raising daughter Sunday, four, alone while Arthur serves 20 years for the acid attack

Ferne has famously had a rocky love life, most recently splitting from DJ Jake Padgett last year after they spent the second lockdown together.

After the split Ferne revealed she still wanted to find her happily ever after and is 'such a sucker for love'.

Ferne and Jack moved in together amid the winter lockdown shortly after they began dating, and admitted that taking the next step in their relationship was its downfall.

Prior to this she also dated Albie Gibbs and Love Island star Charlie Brake.

The One? The First Time Mum star is now in a relationship with Dubai based estate agent Lorri Haines and has said she would 'genuinely marry' him after a string of failed romances

Last year, the former TOWIE star confessed she previously 'struggled to come to terms' with being a single parent as she reflected on the challenges she has faced raising a child on her own.

Ferne said: 'I guess I was one of those people that might have had a misconception about single parenting, because I didnt want to be called a single parent when I was pregnant.

'I didnt want to be labelled with it, because I hadnt come to terms with the fact I was going to be a single parent yet. Until I started living and being it, that was when I felt really proud.

Ferne recalled doing a '360 overnight' as she elaborated: 'Now I feel totally fine being called a single parent because the fact is, I am...

'The misconception is not that youve failed, but obviously you dont plan to be a single parent  although I know some people do.'
Ryan Reynolds was seen stepping out in New York after he and his wife Blake Lively pledged to donate up to $1million in donations to Ukrainian refugees.

The actor, 45, opted for a casual look as he enjoyed a stroll in the city on Monday, wearing beige chino trousers with a white T-shirt and a opened navy shirt.

The outing comes as Ryan urged people to donate to the United Nations Refugee Agency, and revealed he and Blake, 34, would match the donations up to $1M.

Low-key: Ryan Reynolds was seen stepping out in New York after he and his wife Blake Lively pledged to donate up to $1million in donations to Ukrainian refugees

During his walk, Ryan kept comfortable with a pair of cream hi-top trainers, whilst donning a pair of brown sunglasses.

The Deadpool star seemed relaxed as he strolled Tribeca, clutching his phone as he listened to music through his Apple AirPods.

The star enjoyed a solo stroll, without his wife Blake after the pair recently put on a loved-up display at the premiere for Ryan's new film, The Adam Project.

Comfort: The actor, 45, opted for a casual look as he enjoyed a stroll in the city on Monday, wearing beige chino trousers with a white T-shirt and a opened navy shirt

Off-duty: The Deadpool star seemed relaxed as he strolled Tribeca, clutching his phone as he listened to music through his AirPods

The lovebirds enjoyed a night away from their three daughters James, seven, Inez, five, and two-year-old Betty to celebrate the new release.

The science fictionthriller film, which also features Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Garner, will be released on March 11 to Netflix.

It stars Ryan as the Adam of the title, who travels from 2050 to 2022 to meet a young version of himself and his father (Mark Ruffalo), who is already dead in his time - with the two Adams will have to work together in the past to save the world of the future.

Going solo: The star enjoyed a solo stroll, without his wife Blake, after the pair recently put on a loved-up display at the premiere for Ryan's new film, The Adam Project

Suave: Ryan shielded his eyes from the sun with a pair of brown sunglasses

Couple goals: Ryan with his wife Blake at The Adam Project premiere on February 28

Elsewhere, Ryan has been urging fans to donate to the United Nations Refugee Agency in support of Ukrainian refugees through his social media.

He and Blake both announced to Instagram that they would personally double donations made to the agency up to $1million.

Ryan wrote to his 41.8m fans: 'In 48 hours, countless Ukrainians were forced to flee their homes to neighbouring countries. They need protection. When you donate, well match it up to $1,000,000, creating DOUBLE the support. Click the link in bio.'

Ryan's new science fictionthriller film, The Adam Project, will be released on March 11 to Netflix (Zoe Saldana and Ryan Reynolds pictured)

Donations: The stroll comes after Ryan has been urging fans to donate to the United Nations Refugee Agency in support of Ukrainian refugees through his social media
Cici Coleman flaunted her toned frame as she showed off a one-month body transformation after moving to Bali on Tuesday.

The First Dates star, 35, took to Instagram to share before and after pictures taken four weeks apart where she posed in sexy swimwear.

She told in the caption how she was feeling 'so much better' after reducing her sugar intake and getting back to exercising after recovering from a surfing injury.

Looking good: Cici Coleman flaunted her toned frame as she showed off a one-month body transformation after moving to Bali on Tuesday (pictured left before and right after)

The beauty looked great in the 'after' picture as she slipped into a skimpy leopard print bikini that showed off her toned abs and ample assets.

She penned alongside in the caption: 'I had all the intentions of arriving in Bali and absolutely smashing exercise and eating good.

'For the first month I found myself shoveling down my own body weight in food because it is so yum out here. My average of 15k steps a day was reduced to sometimes 3k because nobody walks here. Then I got an injury from surfing which KO'd me.

Hard work: She told in the caption how she was feeling 'so much better' after reducing her sugar intake and getting back to exercising after recovering from a surfing injury

'Now I've been given the green light from the osteo, I'm slowly but surely getting back to me again.

'I've only made some small tweaks, mainly trying to reduce my sugar intake and mannn I feel so much better for it.

'Let's see what the next couple of weeks bring. This pics were taken a month apart!'

It comes after earlier this month Cici revealed she had been hospitalised in Bali after contracting 'Bali belly'.

Hot stuff: Cici has been sharing a slew of bikini-clad snaps from her travels (pictured before her one-month body transformation)

The television personality - who jetted to the country in January to embark on a 'year of growth' - took to her Instagram stories to tell her followers how she has been hooked up to an IV drip to get fluids back into her system.

'Bali belly' is otherwise known as traveller's diarrhoea. Tourists visiting the country can suffer from stomach cramps, diarrhoea, vomiting, aches, and pains.

An under-the-weather Cici told her followers: 'It's all fun and games until it gets you. Currently laying in the medical centre somewhere in Bali.

Ill: It comes after earlier this month Cici revealed she had been hospitalised in Bali after contracting 'Bali belly'

'I've got Bali belly, which is a well-known thing here.

'There's so much bacteria in all the food here, it's kind of swept me off my feet a little bit. I'm just hydrating on a drip and then hopefully I'll be back to my normal self.'

A few days later, Cici updated her fans and told them: 'Thanks for the messages. Feeling much better after the drip. Chillaxing and taking it easy' (sic).

The star, who was as a waitress in Channel 4 show First Dates, has jetted to Bali for a holiday of self exploration and improvement.

She wrote in January: 'Learning to let go There are so many things here that are throwing me out of sync, taking me FULLY out of my comfort zone, and I am trying my very hardest just to surrender and let go of expectations.

'I am so excited for this journey.

'This place feels like its serving up my soul with magic every day.'
She joined the social media platform in January with a simple 'Hello Twitter x'.

And Juno Temple has already asked her followers for suggestions to dress her character Keeley Jones ahead of Season 3 of Ted Lasso which begins filming this week.

Taking to Twitter in January, the British actress, 32, asked: 'Stoked to see what amazing, twinkly beautiful clothing Keeley wears in the next series. Any suggestions? X #TedLasso'

'Hello Twitter': Juno Temple joined the social media platform in January with a simple 'Hello Twitter x' (pictured at the Emmy Awards in 2021)

A month later the The Dark Knight Rises star tweeted: 'Any other designer recommendations for Keeley? Always love finding new female-owned, emerging brands.'

She added: 'Just want to highlight as many emerging young artists as possible.'

Juno's alter ego on the popular Apple TV+ show is a model who works for AFC Richmond as their manager of marketing and public relations, and is Jamie's ex-girlfriend and now Roy Kent's (Brett Goldstein) girlfriend.

Keeley is well-known for her bold outfits, fun makeup and stunning hairstyles on the comedy-drama series.

Show: She asked her followers for suggestions to dress her character Keeley Jones (pictured) ahead of Season 3 of Ted Lasso which begins filming this week

Tweet: Taking to Twitter in January, the British actress, 32, asked: 'Stoked to see what amazing, twinkly beautiful clothing Keeley wears in the next series. Any suggestions? X #TedLasso'

So it's no surprise she also asked: 'If you have any suggestions for fun, glittery makeup and hair brands for Keeley, would love to hear those as well.'

And Juno's 38,500 Twitter followers were quick to respond to her request.

One user commented: 'Well, I was googling pink high heels as one does and I came across these incredible Versace pink platform pumps that were literally made for @JunoTemple'

Juno responded: 'I may have purchased these for myself already.. so worth it.'

Another said: 'For hair: MAM Originals, Made by MLE, Lele Sadoughi + more LeletNY please'

Bold: Juno's alter ego on the popular Apple TV+ show is a model who works for AFC Richmond as their manager of marketing and public relations, and is Jamie's ex-girlfriend and now Roy Kent's (Brett Goldstein) girlfriend

It comes after the cast of the heartwarming comedy sensation Ted Lasso was among the most high profile winners at the 2022 Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California.

The actors on the Apple TV+ series were awarded with the high-profile honor for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, though all of the cast had to accept remotely from London.

The show's star, Saturday Night Live veteran Jason Sudeikis, also won the series' only individual acting award, while his costars Brett Goldstein, Juno and Hannah Waddingham were all nominated.

Juno was the sole member of the cast representing Ted Lasso in person at the SAG Awards. She made a striking impression in a gorgeous gold-sequined sleeveless dress with padded shoulders.

Leading man: Jason Sudeikis, 46, won Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series at the 2022 Screen Actors Guild Awards in Santa Monica
Netflix's controversial new reality series Byron Baes is set to premiere on Wednesday.

And the cast's rumoured salaries have now been leaked.

Former Bachelor In Paradise star Nathan Favro told The Daily Telegraph, he was paid 'handsomely' to appear on the show.

REVEALED: The 'generous' amount the cast of Byron Baes (pictured) were paid to appear on Netflix's controversial new reality show

'We were paid handsomely, Netflix look after you,' he said.

Influencer Jade Kevin Foster also agreed, adding: 'They were very generous.'

It comes after a production source claimed cast members were paid 'out-of- pocket expenses' to appear on the series.

'Talent were all paid the same out-of-pocket expense to appear on the show, which was less than $500 a day to cover off work and living costs,' the insider said.

Remember me? Joining the cast are former reality star Elias Chigros (right) who appeared on Love Island, and The Bachelorette's Nathan Favro (left)

The show will follow the lives of 14 influencers who help each other grow their businesses, connections and social followings in the idyllic Australian beach town.

Last year, the series received backlash for not consulting local Indigenous groups or the Byron Council before filming.

According to the Echo, the Byron Council 'passed an urgency motion' that would require producers to get permission before any further filming.

Independent Councillor Cate Coorey said: 'We need to stand up for our community.'

Impressive salary: Former Bachelor In Paradise star Nathan Favro told The Daily Telegraph, he was paid 'handsomely' to appear on the show

Influencer Jade Kevin Foster also agreed, adding: 'They were very generous'

Filming was eventually moved to the Sunshine Coast.

Joining the cast is former reality star Elias Chigros, who appeared on Love Island.

Co-creative director of local boutique BISQUE Hannah Brauer will also appear on the show, alongside Byron Bay couple Dave Frim and Saskia Wotton.

Other stars include influencer Jade Kevin Foster, whose claim to fame is getting a selfie with Kim Kardashian, and 'spiritualistic therapist' Simba Ali.

All eight episodes of Byron Baes will be available on Netflix from March 9
Ariana Debose cut a glamorous figure as she arrived at The Hollywood Reporter's Oscar nominees night on Monday.

The 31-year-old actress looked incredible as she donned an eye-catching plunging orange gown with gold detail at Spago in Beverly Hills.

The West Side story star beamed as she posed up a storm in a pair of strappy gold heels at the star-studded soiree.

Incredible: Ariana DeBose cut a glamorous figure as she arrived at The Hollywood Reporter's Oscar nominees night on Monday

The Academy Award nominee's outfit was selected by styling duo Zadrian Smith and Sarah Edmiston for the A-list event.

The brunette beauty wore her short dark locks swept to the side and opted for a glam makeup look. She accessorised with a sparkling gold ring to match the detail in her dress.

Ariana flashed her dazzling white smile as she flaunted her fabulous outfit by twirling for the cameras.

Wow: The actress stunned as she donned an eye-catching plunging orange gown with gold detail at the Spago in Beverly Hills

Ariana has been nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her scene-stealing role as Anita in Steven Spielberg's new adaptation of West Side Story.

The role was played in the 1961 film adaptation by screen legend Rita Moreno, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for the film.

Ariana has received critical acclaim for her portrayal and recently revealed she got the biggest break of her career while she was having a manicure.

Stunning: Ariana flashed her dazzling white smile as she flaunted her fabulous outfit by twirling for the cameras

Looking good: The natural beauty elevated her height with a pair of sparkling gold heels and was styled by Zadrian Smith and Sarah Edmiston for the A-list event

The rising star was getting her nails done when Spielberg called to ask if she wanted to be in his film.

Ariana - one of America's most accomplished musical performers who has blossomed into a versatile acting star - said: 'Thank God I came into this world dancing, because if not, I don't know how I would have made it through West Side Story.'

'We rehearsed for a month and a half on all the big dance numbers. When we shot them, we were in the street; doing multiple takes  on cement!'

She added: 'I twisted my ankle very badly, then once we started filming, I was still healing. I was not 100 per cent for this film  but I certainly faked it till I made it.'
Coupang delivery vehicles are parked at its logistics center in Seoul on March 16, 2021. Korea Times file



By Kim Jae-heun



Coupang and Naver are in fierce competition to build Korea's largest and most efficiently run logistics network, to take the lead in the rapidly growing e-commerce market, according to company officials, Tuesday. The extent of the networks in which they operate is crucial to how fast they can deliver customers' online orders. Both online retail giants have been adopting different strategies to expand their logistics infrastructures in various ways.



Coupang has built 140,000 square meters of packing warehouses last year alone and it plans to add hundreds of square feet more this year. Currently, it runs 3.7 million square meters of logistics and processing centers in the country.



The online retailer also started a third party logistics service in 2021. It acquired a license from the government to run a logistics business with its subsidiary, Coupang Logistics Service (CLS). For now, CLS manages the operations of Coupang's overnight delivery service.



Coupang has already firmly established itself in the online shopping market by offering an unprecedented overnight delivery service. Still, it plans to build more fulfilment centers to maintain its top position in delivery services.



"We signed a memorandum of understanding with 10 local governments to build large warehouses last year. We estimate 1.5 trillion won of investment," a Coupang official said.





A delivery driver transfers parcels to his vehicle at a CJ Logistics warehouse in Seoul on Sept. 24, 2020. Korea Times file
She's the blonde bombshell who rose to fame on The Bachelor.

But SAS Australia star Anna Heinrich has confessed that despite her confident exterior, inside, it's another story.

'I'm not a very confident person, I have a lot of self-doubt  if I don't think I can do something then I don't want to do it,' the 35-year-old told Perth Now.

Hard: SAS Australia star Anna Heinrich (pictured) has confessed that despite her confident exterior, inside, it's another story

Anna added that she took part in SAS Australia to gain emotional strength, and to one day impress her daughter Elle, one.

'The reason why I joined was to gain more confidence, and to show my little girl that when you say that you can't do anything, you can,' she said.

On Monday's episode of the reality show, Anna became emotional as she revealed how her husband Tim Robards encouraged her to join the series.

'I'm not a very confident person, I have a lot of self-doubt  if I don't think I can do something then I don't want to do it,' the 35-year-old told Perth Now

During an interrogation, the show's directing staff asked Anna how she feels she is doing on the course.

'I honestly thought I'd make it a couple of days,' the mother-of-one confessed.

'Every time I do a challenge I go into it thinking I won't be able to do it, but then I do it,' she said.

Support: On Monday's episode of the reality show, Anna became emotional as she revealed how her husband Tim Robards encouraged her to join the series

'I honestly thought I'd make it a couple of days,' the mother-of-one confessed. 'Every time I do a challenge I go into it thinking I won't be able to do it, but then I do it'

An emotional Anna added: 'Honestly I didn't want to come on because it was so far out of my comfort zone but thankfully my husband gave me a little nudge.'

She went on to say her husband Tim 'had more faith in me than I did'.

Tim and Anna fell in love on The Bachelor Australia in 2013 and married in a stunning ceremony in Italy in 2018.

They welcomed their daughter Elle on November 14, 2020.
Married at First Sight hit new levels of drama this week as the participants visited a couples' retreat in an attempt to rebuild their troubled relationships.

But the getaway did more harm than good for Tamara Djordjevic and Brent Vitiello, whose marriage fell apart literally minutes after they arrived at Kalinya Estate, in the village of Bargo in the Wollondilly Shire.

Tuesday's episode saw the pair clash because they weren't spending enough time together at the resort - but viewers didn't see the half of it.

Married At First Sight EXCLUSIVE: This is the moment Tamara Djordjevic leaves Brent Vitiello as they 'split up' at the couples' retreat during a messy fight that will never air on television

Daily Mail Australia can reveal the couple argued several times during the three-day excursion.

Things are said to have become so heated between them that producers considered splitting them apart into separate rooms.

Photos taken on November 3 show operations manager Tamara, 29, looking tense as she took off her ring after a heated argument with hospitality specialist Brent, 33.

Drama: Tuesday's episode saw the pair clash because they weren't spending enough time together at the resort - but viewers didn't see the half of it

Drama: Daily Mail Australia can reveal the couple argued several times during the three-day excursion at Kalinya Estate, in the village of Bargo in the Wollondilly Shire. Things got so heated at one stage they had to be separated by producers

Moments later Brent emerged looking agitated as he made his way back to their accommodation.

Neither of these dramatic moments were aired on television.

An onlooker who was at the resort at the time claimed Tamara was badmouthing Brent to anybody who would listen.

The ring is off! Photos taken on November 3 show operations manager Tamara, 29, looking tense as she took off her ring after a heated argument with hospitality specialist Brent, 33

It's over! 'Tamara would scream at him daily. She kept snapping and at one point was over him yelling and trying to belittle him,' a source told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday

'Tamara left Brent alone because she thought that he was just there to party with everyone,' they said.

'Tamara would scream at him daily. She kept snapping and at one point was over him yelling and trying to belittle him.'

'There were so many fights,' said another source, who added: 'It looked like Tamara just wanted a way out.'

Is everything okay? 'There were so many fights,' said another source, who added: 'It looked like Tamara just wanted a way out.' Brent is pictured at the retreat on November 2

'She didn't have the guts to say she wanted to leave. So instead she thought treating Brent like a f**kwit was a better way to do it,' they claimed.

According to a production source, other brides and grooms made complaints about the couple's screaming matches that echoed through the hallways at the resort.

Married At First Sight continues Wednesday at 7.30pm on Channel Nine and 9Now
Former EastEnders star Maisie Smith looked effortlessly cool on Tuesday as she left the BBC studios in Manchester.

The actress who had filmed a workout routine on Morning Live wore headphones and sported a pair of eye catching rainbow socks.

Wrapping up from the cold, the 20-year-old actress, wore an oversized suede American style bomber jacket with cream trim.

Cool Dude: Former EastEnders star Maisie Smith looked effortlessly cool on Tuesday as she left the BBC television studios in Manchester

Underneath Maisie wore a white shirt with grey waffle leggings, as well as a long cream knitted scarf.

The actress added a pop of colour to her outfit with a pair of rainbow socks, which were pulled high from her white Nike trainers.

With a bronzed complexion and a glossed lip, the Strictly star wore her famous red hair back from her face in a low pony tail.

After chatting to fans outside the studios, Maisie then put on her rose gold headphones and headed out into the city of Manchester.

The actress is spending the week filming Morning Live's daily mini workout segments, and had spent the time putting hosts Gethin Jones and Sara Davies through their paces.

Colour: The actress added a pop of colour to her outfit with a pair of rainbow socks, which were pulled high from her white Nike trainers

The actress who left her role of beloved Tiffany Butcher in the soap back in December has recently been confirmed to be returning.

In the coming weeks Maisie will appear in one episode, as part of her on screen husband Keegan Butcher-Baker, played by Zack Morris' exit story.

The couple's marriage initially fell apart after Keegan cheated on Tiffany. However her brother Liam then cruelly intervened to prevent the pair from reconciling.

Energy: The actress is spending the week filming Morning Live's daily mini workout segments, and had spent the time putting hosts Gethin Jones and Sara Davies through their paces

In the first look images of Tiffany's return, she can be seen sitting beside Keegan on Arthur's bench.

Both looking sombre, Tiffany reaches out and takes her ex husband's hand in a supportive gesture.

Actor Zack confirmed in February that he would be leaving the role of Keegan, with his final scenes airing this spring.

'After five beautiful years on this incredible show, I have made the tough decision to leave Walford and give Keegan Butcher-Baker some well-earned rest,' he told Digital Spy.
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Kris Jenner has revealed an extraordinary and highly valuable crockery collection stored within its very own dish room at her sprawling Los Angeles mega-mansion.

While most people make do with cramped and dusty cupboard space, the TV personality has devoted a gleaming bedroom-sized area for her broad range of designer dinnerware and customized Kardashian plates.

The enormous collection, immaculately stored on polished white floor-to-ceiling shelves, features 10 dinner sets in total, with highlights including a $600 Hermes cup and saucer set and a costly $650 teapot from Italian fashion house Gucci's Herbarium range.

Impressive: Kris Jenner has revealed an extraordinary crockery collection stored within its very own dish room at her sprawling Los Angeles mega-mansion

Elsewhere highly collectable cups and plates feature personalised paintings of Kris and various other family members, among them Kim, Khloe, Kourtney and Rob - her four children with first husband Robert Kardashian.

The TV personality's collection also extends to lavish Andalucia inspired Balcon du Guadalquivir dinnerware from Hermes, where a single small butter plate will cost you $120.

But if that spreads the cash a little too thinly, regular sized plates take an even bigger slice of the financial pie by individually retailing at $430 each, while an accompanying vase comes in at a staggering $2,000.

Jenner also owns a stunning orange, gold and white 8-piece tableware collection from Hermes, available for a comparatively modest $550.

The dish room serves up another expensive Hermes collection from the Carnets dEquateur line, including the exquisite H Deco set, while her prized Africa Green collection features wild animals painted on lime-colored plates - each worth an eye-watering $460.

Also present are various items from the brand's Carnets dEquateur range, including leopard painted plates retailing at $155 per piece.

No expense spared: While most people make do with cramped and dusty cupboard space, the TV personality has devoted a gleaming bedroom-sized area for her broad range of designer dinner-ware and customized Kardashian plates

WHAT'S IN THE DISH ROOM? Hermes Balcon du Guadalquivir Red Breakfast Cup & Saucer sets - $235.00 Balcon Du Guadalquivir Red Oriental Rice Bowls - $200.00 Balcon Du Guadalquivir Red Bread & Butter Plate No.3 - $120.00 Balcon Du Guadalquivir Red Oriental Soup Bowls - $155.00 Balcon Du Guadalquivir Red Cereal Bowls - $165.00 Balcon Du Guadalquivir Red Presentation Plates - $440.00 Balcon Du Guadalquivir Red Salad Bowls - $740.00 Hermes Carnets d' Equateur Lions Dessert Plates - $155.00 Carnets d' Equateur Tea Cup & Saucer sets - $315.00 Hermes Africa Green porcelain Cup and Saucer Set - $598 Africa Green Dinner Plates - $460 Africa Table Wear sets - $550 Hermes H Deco Presentation Plates - $180 H Deco Dessert Plate # 1 - $85.00 H Deco Medium Bowls - $130.00 H Deco Dinner Plates - $130.00 Gucci Herbarium Dessert Plates - $240 Herbarium Tea Pots - $640 Herbarium Coffee Cup & Saucer sets - $375

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Originally designed to be a walk-in closet, the room has been transformed to house the enormous crockery collection at her $20million Hidden Hills mansion.

A feature on the Kardashian lifestyle blog Poosh describes the space as a 'mini museum' while marveling at its minimal decor and tasteful lighting.

It reads: 'The walk-in closet (if you will) includes a range of timeless and rare table sets (we're talking several sets of printed plates, teacups, and matching saucers, custom coffee mugs, serving platters, the whole nine yards) that Kris has collected over the years.

Opening up: Jenner, whose personal fortune is estimated at $190million, recently admitted that she had no idea how to budget until she was forced into independence following her divorce from Robert Kardashian in 1991

'It's like a mini museum with excellent lighting surrounding each set and not a teacup or plate out of place. Truly a work of art.'

Jenner, whose personal fortune is estimated at $190million, recently admitted that she had no idea how to budget until she was forced into independence following her divorce from Robert Kardashian in 1991.

She told WSJ magazine: The good news is, I pay attention... I'm a quick study and I knew I had to get it together. I felt such an enormous sense of accomplishment to be able to figure it all out and pay my own bills and make my own money and do my own taxes.

'And there were times when I didn't have a lot of money, but I was very organized.'
Gemma Chan looked in high spirits as she joined her boyfriend Dominic Cooper at the Louis Vuitton dinner during Paris Fashion Week on Monday.

The actor couple beamed as they both rocked an all black ensemble while leaving the star-studded event in the French capital as fashion month draws to a close.

Gemma, 39, cut a chic figure for the runway show, as she donned a black detailed cape with silver detailing, over a sheer lace dress.

Couple goals: Gemma Chan looked in high spirits as she joined her boyfriend Dominic Cooper at the Louis Vuitton dinner during Paris Fashion Week on Monday

The London-born beauty cut a chic figure for the runway show, as she donned a black detailed cape with silver detailing, over a sheer lace dress.

Gemma showed her support for Ukraine amid the Russian invasion by wearing a blue and yellow ribbon attached to her glamorous outfit.

She looked flawless as she teamed her look with a fashionable pair of black heeled sandals and had a matching pedicure.

Looking good: Dominic, 43, donned a pair of black jeans and a zip up jumper which he teamed with a pair of fresh white trainers while leaving the event with a camera in his hand

Gemma flaunted her sensational style as earlier in the day she attended the Louis Vuitton Womenswear Fall/Winter show, marking the final presentation of the week.

Meanwhile, Dominic, 43, donned a pair of black jeans and a zip up jumper which he teamed with a pair of fresh white trainers.

The Preacher actor looked dapper in a fashionable coat as he walked out of the venue with a camera in his hand.

Incredible: The actress flaunted her sensational style as she attended the Louis Vuitton Womenswear Fall/Winter show, marking the final presentation of Paris Fashion Week

The couple have worked to keep their romance out of the public eye since they got together in 2018.

After months of dating rumours, the couple made their first public appearance at an afterparty for the British Fashion Awards four years ago.

Theyve been together ever since, though neither are big on flaunting their relationship or speaking about their love life to the press.

Prior to her romance with Dominic, Gemma was previously in a long-term relationship with Jack Whitehall.

Dominic's most high-profile romance was with his Mamma Mia! co-star Amanda Seyfried

Stunning: Gemma, 39, cut a chic figure for the runway show, as she donned a black detailed cape with silver detailing, over a sheer lace dress

Last year Gemma told ELLE UK: 'Over 10 years, you learn the importance of privacy, what you choose to share and what you don't.

'When you start out, you don't even know what is important to keep for yourself  I didn't anyway, at the beginning, whereas now I think there are certain things that I absolutely know, ''That's mine and it's private.''

'For me, my comfort level is to have a clear distinction between what is for me and what I'm happy to talk about.'
She will be hosting the 75th BAFTAs on Sunday.

And Rebel Wilson got stuck in backstage at the Royal Albert Hall this week as she prepared for her hosting duties.

The actress, 42, looked sensational in a black, orange and pink dress that clung to her incredible figure and boasted a cut out across the shoulder for an extra flash of skin as she posed for snaps in London.

Ready: Rebel Wilson got stuck in backstage at the Royal Albert Hall this week as she prepared for her hosting duties at the BAFTAs this weekend

She beamed proudly as she held up the names of A-listers like Lady Gaga, Rege Jean Page, Benedict Cumberbatch and Ariana DeBose as the seating arrangements got underway.

Her blonde tresses were styled in bouncy waves and she wore a full face of glamorous makeup to accentuate her pretty features.

The star admitted to have nerves before the awards and that she worries about being cancelled for her jokes.

Wow: The actress, 42, looked sensational in a black, orange and pink dress that clung to her incredible figure and boasted a cut out across the shoulder for an extra flash of skin

Amazing: She beamed proudly as she held up the names of A-listers like Lady Gaga, Rege Jean Page and Ariana DeBose

Stunning: Her blonde tresses were styled in bouncy waves and she wore a full face of glamorous makeup to accentuate her pretty features

She confessed to the Radio Times: 'Your head is on the chopping block as the host, which is a bit scary. I get very nervous.

'Its a very hard time for comedians, because what can you say without being cancelled?'

It comes after the Senior Year actress jetted off Mexico with a slew of pals to party at the One and Only Pamilla resort last Tuesday.

Nervous: The star admitted to have nerves before the awards and that she worries about being cancelled for her jokes

Scary: She confessed to the Radio Times : 'Your head is on the chopping block as the host, which is a bit scary. I get very nervous'

Tricky: She added: 'Its a very hard time for comedians, because what can you say without being cancelled?'

In a series of Instagram posts, Rebel, who celebrated turning 42 on March 2, showed herself first boarding a private jet to the pricey Mexican resort.

Ocean front rooms can cost upwards of AUD $1,800 (USD $1,300) per night at the stunning destination.

'Spending my one and only birthday this year at One and Only Palmilla,' Rebel captioned the three photos.

Rebel, who has lost an incredible 35kg (77lbs), showed off her slender curves in a tailored green blazer along with a white cap which had the hotel's logo on it.

High life! Rebel flew to Mexico via private jet to stay at the AUD $1,800 (USD $1,300) per night One and Only Pamilla resort for her birthday on Tuesday

Glamazon: Rebel, who has lost an incredible 35kg (77lbs), showed off her slender curves in a tailored green blazer along with a white cap which had the hotel's logo on it

Birthday vacation: 'Spending my one and only birthday this year at One and Only Palmilla,' Rebel captioned the photos

Elsewhere, she posted video showing her drive to the resort, during which she and her friends enjoyed a number of drinks.

The star also shared a number of images showing the ocean view from her luxurious hotel room.

In a series of Instagram Stories shared on Saturday, the Pitch Perfect star filmed her pals on a private jet.

Party! In a series of Instagram Stories shared on Saturday, the Pitch Perfect star filmed her pals on a private jet

'Just going on a little trip for the weekend!' Rebel said humbly in one the clips, before filming her view out the window

'Just going on a little trip for the weekend!' Rebel said humbly in one the clips, before filming her view out the window.

She also posed alongside her friends inside the plane, as well as on the staircase before they took off.

In his own posts from the day, Australian star Hugh revealed that the group had made an early start on celebrating Rebel's birthday.
Rapper Kodak Black let it be known that he'll do anything to be on Kim Kardashian's radar as he paid homage to the reality star in a side-by-side snap shared to Instagram on Monday.

The 24-year-old musician wrapped a roll of bright yellow caution tape around his neck and body to mimic the Balenciaga ensemble Kim's handlers created for the Paris Fashion Week show over the weekend.

He pleaded with the SKIMS Founder: 'You Need A Real N**** Out Dat Pompanoya Bae, Aint Even Gone Play... Real Gangsta @kimkardashian.'

Whatever it takes: Rapper Kodak Black let it be known that he'll do anything to be on Kim Kardashian's radar as he paid homage to the reality star in a side-by-side snap shared to Instagram on Monday

Kim was recently declared a legally single woman amid the ongoing drama with her estranged husband, Kanye West, more than one year after she filed divorce paperwork to end their nearly seven-year marriage.

Kodak had caution tape flying from the ceiling of a padded room with a mattress in the background while he stood wearing all-black, including a long-sleeve and jeans.

He kept his head bowed down and wore a pair of black sunglasses to match chunky black boots, and kept his fists clenched while the bright yellow tape draped across his shoulders.

A look: Kodak had caution tape flying from the ceiling of a padded room with a mattress in the background while he stood wearing all-black, including a long-sleeve and jeans

Dedicated to the cause: Black paired his take with Kim's behind-the-scenes peek from this weekend's look where multiple people cut strips of Balenciaga tape and stuck it to her body for a one-of-a-kind look

In the name of fashion: Kim, a Balenciaga aficionado, was covered head-to-toe in bright yellow tape for the Paris Fashion Week show

Black paired his take with Kim's behind-the-scenes peek from this weekend's look where multiple people cut strips of Balenciaga tape and stuck it to her body for a one-of-a-kind look.

It's not the first time Kodak  who's full name is Bill Kahan Kapri, and was born Dieuson Octave  has positioned himself to be a potential suitor for Kim.

In 2018, Kodak said Kanye was on 'some stupid s***' as he aligned with President Trump during a bizarre Oval Office meeting.

During a live social media session, Kodak said: 'Listen Kim, if you tired of that f**k n***a Kanye 'cause he on some stupid sh*t, man f**k with me. F**k with a real Haitian boy.'

Yikes! Kodak is still likely on the mend after being shot in the leg outside of a Justin Bieber after-party on Super Bowl weekend in Los Angeles last month; seen in February

Kodak is still likely on the mend after being shot in the leg outside of a Justin Bieber after-party on Super Bowl weekend in Los Angeles last month.

Black was among four others who were shot when gunfire erupted outside of the star-studded afterparty at The Nice Guy, where stars including Drake, Khloe Kardashian, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire were visiting.

Kim was declared legally single by a judge just last week after filing documents to change her marital status in December as the year-long divorce proceedings loomed with her ex Kanye and his aggressive behavior has only heightened.

His outbursts have largely included sharing and then deleting private conversations on social media, threatening Kim's boyfriend, Pete Davidson, in addition to her friends and family, as well as grand gestures of forgiveness and overstepping boundaries while he was dating other people.

The former couple have four children together: North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm.
Johnny Depp's daughter Lily-Rose Depp walked hand-in-hand with her beau while enjoying a Los Angeles stroll this week.

The 22-year-old, whose mother is the French actress and pop star Vanessa Paradis, is dating the French rapper Yassine Stein.

Lily-Rose and Yassine looked the picture of romantic bliss as they ambled down a sunlit sidewalk side by side.

Couple's outing: Johnny Depp's daughter Lily-Rose Depp walked hand in hand with her beau Yassine Stein while enjoying a Los Angeles stroll this week

For her latest outing Lily-Rose, who was born in the upscale Paris suburb Neuilly-sur-Seine, wore a stylish but understated ensemble.

She added a dark blue hoodie that emphasized her petite frame and slipped into a pair of high-waisted charcoal trousers.

Sweeping her dark hair into a bun, she warded off the California rays with a sleek pair of black sunglasses that matched her leather purse.

Meanwhile Yassine brought his Gallic style to the American West Coast, teaming a textured grey turtleneck with a pair of faded jeans and crimson sneakers.

Off they go: Lily-Rose and Yassine looked the picture of romantic bliss as they ambled down a sunlit sidewalk side by side

Legging it: For her latest outing Lily-Rose, who was born in the upscale Paris suburb Neuilly-sur-Seine, wore a stylish but understated ensemble

Rumors had already been swirling about them by the time they publicly confirmed their romance with a kiss in a grocery store parking lot this past November.

Lily-Rose's dating history has included movie star Timothee Chalamet with whom she starred in the Shakespeare adaptation The King on Netflix.

Her upcoming appearances include an HBO show called The Idol which according to Deadline is about a pop star who falls for a cult-leading nightclub owner.

The showbiz legacy will be starring opposite The Weeknd amid a cast that includes Troye Sivan, Anne Heche and Showgirls lead Elizabeth Berkley.

International fashionista: Lily-Rose, who holds dual US and French citizenship, is pictured attending the Americana-themed Met Gala in New York last year

One of the co-creators is Sam Levinson of Euphoria fame, whose father Barry Levinson directed Wag The Dog and Bugsy.

Last month Lily-Rose was spotted on the set of the project for the first time and looked like the epitome of an extravagant pop act.

Her features were heavily made-up as if for a stadium concert and her skintight flesh-flashing dress featured an elaborate swirling leather motif.
Strictly's Nikita Kuzmin has shared how his family in Ukraine check on each other every morning due to 'heartbreaking' war with Russia that continues to rage on.

The dancer, 24, said that his grandparents and the rest of his family ring each other as soon as they wake up to ask 'are you alive?'.

Nikita told how he contacts them regularly to try and 'uplift' their spirits but that their reality is 'heartbreaking' and 'difficult'.

Upset: Strictly's Nikita Kuzmin has shared how his family in Ukraine check on each other every morning due to 'heartbreaking' war with Russia that continues to rage on

Speaking on Morning Live, he said: 'My grandparents, they try to uplift each other, their morning starts with them calling each other, that's the first thing they do.

'They are just asking on the phone 'are you alive' and they reply 'yes, I'm alive are you alive?'. It has been the same as that for the last 12 days. This is their reality now.

'It is hard on the people, hearing my grandmother's voice, every single day it is just getting harder obviously trying to uplift them but obviously this is just difficult. The war is going on and it is all just heartbreaking.'

Difficult: The dancer, 24, said that his grandparents and the rest of his family ring each other as soon as they wake up to ask 'are you alive' (pictured with his grandma right)

It comes after last week Nikita shared his heartbreak over his grandmother being trapped in Ukraine amid the devastating Russian invasion.

During an appearance on Thursday's Lorraine, the dancer expressed his anguish about the troubles his family is facing, admitting to the host that things are 'incredibly scary'

Nikita, who was partnered with Tilly Ramsay in last year's show, was born in the Ukraine but he and part of his family relocated to Italy when he was just nine years old.

Love: Nikita told how he contacts them regularly to try and 'uplift' their spirits but that their reality is 'heartbreaking' and 'difficult'

Speaking via video link from Germany, he told Lorraine, 62, that he's been calling his relatives everyday after she was caught up in the conflict, stating that she was trying to protect him and his family from the worst news.

He explained: 'Luckily, we still have a connection to her, so we are video calling her all the time.

'She's actually trying to protect us from being scared. Everytime we can hear gun shots or explosions in the background, she's always telling us that it's a movie that she's put on TV and only afterwards, a couple of hours later, she's confessing that actually it's a real bomb, real gun shots - it's incredibly scary.'

Nikita went on to share his pride at the strength and resilience of the Ukrainian people, noting that Russia is not only battling against the Ukrainian army, but the whole country.

Speaking out: Nikita, who was partnered with Tilly Ramsay in last year's show, was born in the Ukraine but he and his family relocated to Italy when he was just nine years old

He added: 'It's absolutely heartbreaking and now seeing the reports from Kyiv, honestly I'm just trying to contain myself, drink a bit of water and recompose.

'But at the same time, it's so inspiring to see the Ukrainian people fighting. The Russian army are not just fighting the Ukrainian army, it's fighting against the whole country. Everyone is coming together to fight for the country.'

The pro dancer also shared how heartbreaking it is to see the streets he grew up on devastated by the impact of the war.

Family: Speaking on Morning Live, he said: 'My grandparents, they try to uplift each other, their morning starts with them calling each other, that's the first thing they do' (pictured with his grandma)

He continued: 'They are just asking on the phone 'are you alive' and they reply 'yes, I'm alive are you alive?'. It has been the same as that for the last 12 days. This is their reality now'

He said: 'It's absolutely heartbreaking and to see the streets where I grew up, where many of the Ukrainians grew up, I recognise the streets and just now see them being bombed, went over by tanks, fighting on the streets. It's wrong on so many levels.'

He also appealed to the government to call for a no-fly zone over the Ukraine, pleading: 'Please help us cover the sky  we need help.'

Following his interview, the choreographer took to his Instagram stories to encourage his followers to help in any way they can by donating money, clothes and other items to help those in need in his home country.

Fears: It comes after during an appearance on last Thursday's Lorraine, the dancer expressed his anguish about the troubles his family is facing, admitting that things are 'incredibly scary'

He wrote on social media: 'Just dont stay silent. Talk about it, discuss, inform, post, repost, donate, do something. Make pressure to the government, make pressure to the hospitals, just dont stay silent.'

Further to his appeals on his stories, the star also uploaded a number of images of his family to his grid, commenting with a single red heart.

The post garnered plenty of positive and supportive comments from his fans and Strictly co-stars.
Tom Hardy stunned viewers when his character returned from the dead in the fifth series in 2019.

But fans of Peaky Blinders spotted a major mistake in the latest episode as Alfie Solomons described killing Italian soldiers with a bayonet during World War I.

The Jewish gangster made a spectacular return to the hit BBC show on Sunday night as Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) headed to see Alfie after his meeting with Orlagh McKee (Charlene McKenna).

Blunder: Fans of Peaky Blinders spotted a major mistake in the latest episode as Alfie Solomons described killing Italian soldiers with a bayonet during World War I

Alfie is the former-foe-turned-sort-of-friend who Tommy shot in the face at the end of season four then returned at the end of season five to help the Peaky Blinders bring down Mosley.

As Tommy makes a grand entrance, Alfie describes opera as 'just fat people f***ing shouting'.

Tommy asks 'What do you think now?', with Alfie responding 'I think the sound of a tenor in full passion reminds me of crying out Italian soldiers when they have my bayonet inside them.'

Friend or foe? The Jewish gangster made a spectacular return to the hit BBC show on Sunday night as Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) headed to see Alfie after his meeting with Orlagh McKee (Charlene McKenna)

He's back! Alfie is the former-foe-turned-sort-of-friend who Tommy shot in the face at the end of season four then returned at the end of season five to help the Peaky Blinders bring down Mosley

And fans of the show took to Twitter to question the admission.

One user commented: 'Anyone notice Tom Hardy's character Alfie Solomon in tonight's Peaky Blinders talk about Italian Soldiers with his bayonet in them? Really bad research by the script writer?'

Another said: 'Solomon stating he killed Italian soldiers in WW1 is wrong. In WW1 the Italians were on the Allied side.'

A third added: 'This is the second time Alfie has referenced killing an Italian in the war. Italy were on our side, who did Alfie fight for???'

Striking a deal? As Tommy makes a grand entrance, Alfie describes opera as 'just fat people f***ing shouting'

Confused: And fans of the show took to Twitter to question the admission

The latest episode also revealed Alfie's uncle, Charles Solomons, has been shot dead in Boston and the family has lost any control that they had over the city.

Tommy offers to sell his opium to the Jewish gangsters of Boston, which would reverse the power shift they so desperately want. 'In the final act that I'm giving you, Alfie, it is you that takes the revenge,' Tommy says, trying to tempt Solomons into action.

In exchange he wants Solomons' Camden property empire so that he can build houses for the 'needy and the deserving'.

This sets up a problem: Tommy is playing both sides and is seemingly planning to sell his opium to both the Solomons and Nelson's gang.
China to make laws on tariffs

Xinhua) 09:47, March 08, 2022

The second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- China will formulate laws on tariffs and other taxes in 2022, according to a work report submitted Tuesday to the country's national legislature for review.

The move aims at improving the "legal system supporting the development of the socialist market economy," said the work report of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

For this purpose, the country also plans to formulate laws on rural collective economic organizations, energy, futures and derivatives this year, the report said.

China's annual legislative plan also includes revising the Company Law, the Enterprise Bankruptcy Law, the Anti-Monopoly Law, the Railway Law, the Mineral Resources Law, the Animal Husbandry Law, and the Agricultural Products Quality and Safety Law, according to the report.

The country has formulated the Stamp Tax Law, appropriately simplifying the list of taxable items and cutting rates.

This means the country has now formulated laws on 12 out of the current 18 tax categories, the report said.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Women and children, fleeing from Ukraine, board a bus at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland, Poland, Tuesday. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has set off the largest mass migration in Europe in decades, with more than 1.5 million people having crossed from Ukraine into neighboring countries. AP-Yonhap



Buses packed with people fleeing the Russian invasion in Ukraine began a procession along a snowy road out of one city Tuesday, as a new effort to evacuate civilians along safe corridors finally got underway.



The Russian onslaught has forced 2 million people to flee Ukraine, U.N. officials said Tuesday, but has trapped others inside besieged cities that are running low on food, water and medicine amid the biggest ground war in Europe since World War II.



Previous attempts to lead civilians to safety have crumbled with renewed attacks. The route people took Tuesday out of the eastern city of Sumy was one of five promised by the Russians to offer civilians a way to escape the fighting.



Video posted by the Ukrainian state communications agency showed people with bags boarding buses, but it was not clear how long the effort would last.



"The Ukrainian city of Sumy was given a green corridor, the first stage of evacuation began," the agency tweeted. Sumy is just 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the Russian border.



With the invasion well into its second week, Russian troops have made significant advances in southern Ukraine but stalled in some other regions. Ukrainian soldiers and volunteers fortified the capital, Kyiv, with hundreds of checkpoints and barricades designed to thwart a takeover. A steady rain of shells and rockets fell on other population centers, including the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, where the mayor reported heavy artillery fire.



"We can't even gather up the bodies because the shelling from heavy weapons doesn't stop day or night," Mayor Anatol Fedoruk said. "Dogs are pulling apart the bodies on the city streets. It's a nightmare.''



In one of the most desperate cities, the encircled southern port of Mariupol, an estimated 200,000 people -- nearly half the population of 430,000 -- were hoping to flee, and Red Cross officials waited to hear when a corridor would be established.



Russia's coordination center for humanitarian efforts in Ukraine and Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk both said a cease-fire was agreed to start Tuesday morning to allow some civilians to evacuate, but the two sides differed on where they said the corridors would be.



Russia's coordination center suggested there would be more than one corridor, but that most would lead to Russia, either directly or through Belarus. At the U.N., however, the Russian ambassador suggested corridors from several cities could be opened and people could choose for themselves which direction they would take.



Vereshchuk, meanwhile, only said that the two sides had agreed to an evacuation of civilians from the eastern city of Sumy, toward the Ukrainian city of Poltava. Those to be evacuated include foreign students from India and China, she said.



She reiterated that proposals to evacuate civilians to Russia and its ally Belarus, which was a launch pad for the invasion, were unacceptable.





Refugees fleeing the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine wait for hours to board a train to Poland, outside the train station in Lviv, Ukraine, Tuesday. Reuters-Yonhap



Demands for effective passageways have surged amid intensifying shelling by Russian forces. The steady bombardments, including in some of Ukraine's most populated regions, have yielded a humanitarian crisis of diminishing food, water and medical supplies.



Through it all, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces were showing unprecedented courage.



"The problem is that for one soldier of Ukraine, we have 10 Russian soldiers, and for one Ukrainian tank, we have 50 Russian tanks,'' Zelenskyy told ABC News in an interview that aired Monday night. But he noted that the gap in strength was closing and that even if Russian forces "come into all our cities,'' they will be met with an insurgency.



A top U.S. official said multiple countries were discussing whether to provide the warplanes that Zelenskyy has been pleading for.



The besieged city of Mariupol was short on water, food and power, and cellphone networks are down. Stores have been looted as residents search for essential goods. Police moved through the city, advising people to remain in shelters until they heard official messages broadcast over loudspeakers to evacuate.



Hospitals in Mariupol are facing severe shortages of antibiotics and painkillers, and doctors performed some emergency procedures without them.



The lack of phone service left anxious citizens approaching strangers to ask if they knew relatives living in other parts of the city and whether they were safe.



The battle for Mariupol is crucial because its capture could allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014.



Several hundred kilometers west of Mariupol, Russian forces continued their offensive in Mykolaiv, opening fire on the Black Sea shipbuilding center of a half-million people, according to Ukraine's military. Rescuers said they were putting out fires caused by rocket attacks in residential areas.



Ukraine's general staff of the armed forces said in a statement Tuesday that Ukrainian forces are continuing defense operations in the suburbs of the city.



The general staff said "demoralized'' Russian forces are engaging in looting in places they have occupied, commandeering civilian buildings like farm hangars for military equipment, and are setting up firing positions in populated areas. The claims could not be independently verified.



Ukrainian defense forces were also involved in operations in the northern city of Chernihiv and the outskirts of Kyiv, the general staff said.





Ukrainian refugees rest in the regional assistance centre at the Prague Congress Center in Prague, Czech Republic, Monday. AFP-Yonhap
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She was crowned a billionaire thanks to her beauty empire in 2019, and Kylie Jenner isn't afraid to flaunt her wealth with a shiny status symbol.

One month after giving birth to her second child, the Hulu reality star was spotted looking slender in her black Mother Tucker leggings from Belly Bandit on Monday as she ran errands in Los Angeles, but it wasn't just her trim frame that caught attention.

The 24-year-old beauty mogul turned heads as she carried he 'favorite' rare Hermes Birkin handbag made from crocodile skin that is said to be worth around $150,000.

A Birkin fit for a billionaire: Kylie Jenner carries her favorite rare Hermes handbag made from crocodile skin worth $150,000 on post-baby outing

In 2018, while giving a tour of her purse closet at her home, described the bag as being 'very special.'

'If my house was on fire, I would take this one, out of all of them, if I could only chose one,' she said, while adding that she sees her collection of handbags as 'an investment.'

However, there are even pricier versions of Kylie's favourite handbag out there in the wild.

The design is strikingly similar to the Hermes 'Himalayan crocodile Birkin bag' which is thought to be the most expensive Birkin ever offered for sale, and currently retails up to $480,000.

Luxury fashion dealer Jane Finds from 1stdibs told Vogue about the bag, revealing: 'The 30-centimeter diamond Himalayan Birkin is possibly the rarest and most desirable handbag in the world.

Her fave: In 2018, while giving a tour of her purse closet at her home, described the bag as being 'very special'

Expensive taste! Kylie's bag is strikingly similar to the Hermes 'Himalayan crocodile Birkin bag' which is thought to be the most expensive Birkin ever offered for sale

'This bag is made of Nilo crocodile, rendered in a subtle coloration that is meant to evoke images of the majestic Himalayan mountains. This dyeing process is painstaking and takes many hours to completethe lighter the hue, the more difficult the process.'

The lock on that bag alone is said to be comprised of 68.4 grams of 18-karat white gold and encrusted with 40 white round brilliant diamonds, totaling 1.64 carats.

Finds also said the bag is only available to 'a highly respected VIP client' of which, Kylie obviously fits the bill.

Casual: The brunette beauty, 24, donned an oversized cream sweater for her outing, and accessorized with a pair of white sneakers

Her other precious cargo! The beauty mogul was joined by her four-year-old daughter Stormi - whom she shares with rapper Travis Scott, 30, along with their newborn son Wolf - and showed off her fit postpartum figure in a pair of black legging

Bundle: Kylie has described her handbag collection as an investment (Pictured above is a similar Birkin)

Meanwhile, as well as the precious cargo in her hands, Kylie was pictured with her four-year-old daughter Stormi - whom she shares with rapper Travis Scott, 30, along with their newborn son Wolf - and showed off her fit postpartum figure in a pair of black leggings.

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star was reclusive throughout her pregnancy as she navigated the fallout from Scott's Astroworld music festival tragedy in Houston on Nov. 5, where 10 people lost their lives.

The brunette beauty donned an oversized cream sweater for her outing, and accessorized with a pair of white sneakers.

The reality TV star continued to stay safe from COVID-19 and wore a chocolate SKIMS mask on her face.

Expensive! Her most expensive accessory was in her hand, and looked to be a luxury crocodile Hermes Birkin bag, retailing for over 250k

Beauty: The brunette beauty wore her long dark tresses parted in the middle and gently curled, cascading down her back

The brunette beauty wore her long dark tresses parted in the middle and gently curled, cascading down her back.

Despite being a busy mom-of-two, the Los Angeles native appeared to sport full on glam, with well-defined eyebrows and eyeshadow on her lids.

The social media sensation and businesswoman also wore a clean French manicure as well as a pair of sparkling diamond studs in her ears.

Baby boy: Kylie gave birth to baby boy Wolf on February 2 and was rarely seen during her pregnancy

Mom of two: Despite being a busy mom-of-two, the Los Angeles native appeared to sport full on glam, with well-defined eyebrows and eyeshadow on her lids

Staying hydrated: Kylie also treated herself to a drink during the weekday outing, as she carried a plastic cup with a straw in her hand

Kylie also treated herself to a drink during the weekday outing, as she carried a plastic cup with a straw in her hand.

Meanwhile her baby girl - whom she sweetly carried in her arms - rocked a yellow hoodie, grey leggings, and blue and white sneakers.

Stormi's hair was styled into multiple braids and she sparkled with a pair of small gold hoop earrings.

Less than a week after welcoming her second child, Kylie revealed that her son's name was Wolf Webster in an Instagram post.

The social media star posted a simple black-and-white image with the moniker for her 310 million followers. The name Wolf is a boy's name of German origin meaning 'traveling wolf' according to Nameberry.com.

Cute: Less than a week after welcoming her second child, Kylie revealed that her son's name was Wolf Webster in an Instagram post

Deep in thought: The star appeared to be deep in thought as she looked down while navigating her way through Los Angeles' Fairfax District

New mommy: Kylie and Travis confirmed in September that they were expecting another sibling for Stormi

Kylie and Travis confirmed in September that they were expecting another sibling for Stormi.

Last month a source told PEOPLE that the couple were happy, despite still not living together.

'Kylie and Travis are happy together. He is working on new music, but is also around a lot. They still don't officially live together, but doing what works best for them.'

The insider also revealed that Stormi is 'fascinated by her little brother and has been able to hold him.'
She turned the heads of the fashion elite with her striking ensemble at Balenciaga's Paris Fashion Week show, in which she was wrapped up neck to toe in caution tape.

Yet Kim Kardashian's iconic ensemble came at a cost, with footage later emerging of the socialite struggling to walk while bound up tight in the tape.

Twitter soon erupted with memes poking fun at the clip, with Kim's awkward stance resulting in her being compared to C-3PO, The Terminator and RoboCop.

Eye-catching: Kim Kardashian was compared to C-3PO, The Terminator and RoboCop after footage emerged of her struggling to walk in her Balenciaga caution tape outfit

Users scoffed: 'The walk. Kim was strugglin'; 'She looks like how the traffic sign ppl would walk if they were real'; 'Walking like a damn spykids thumb'; 'Me in public, when I gotta doo-doo';

'Why she walking like that'; 'The walk is giving toy story'; 'They couldnt make a size that fit her?'; 'She in so much pain'; 'It's giving T-X Vibes from terminator, a hot machine walking.'

The New York Times fashion director Vanessa Friedman was an eye-witness and posted a photo of Kim from the show, writing, 'Kim Kardashian at the #Balenciaga show, wrapped in Balenciaga packing tape. She makes a sticky tape-y sound when she walks.'

She later added: 'Side view of Kim in her Balenciaga packing tape outfit. 'Im scared its going to rip when I sit down. Should I just let it rip? (It didnt rip.)'

Hilarious: She turned the heads of the fashion elite with her striking ensemble, yet Kim Kardashian's iconic ensemble came at a cost and she was mocked mercilessly online

Four assistants were required to get Kim into the outfit, with the SKIMS mogul sharing videos in which her team were seen wrapping up her body from neck to toe.

She covered her famous curves in a skintight black bodysuit and sported pointed-toe black heeled boots.

The reality star was seen leaning back in a chair as the assistants busily wound bands of tape around her arms and legs.

Additional rolls of tape were seen on a table in the background as the team worked to create the makeshift Balenciaga bodysuit.

'Getting ready for the @balenciaga show,' Kim wrote on the first clip that she shared to her Instagram Stories.

Quite the selection: Twitter soon erupted with memes poking fun at the clip, with Kim's awkward stance resulting in her being compared to C-3PO, The Terminator and RoboCop

Kim - who was announced as ambassador for the luxe brand last month - was one of many A-list names in attendance after Balenciaga invited guests to their show by sending them personalised broken iPhones.

Rather than the traditional paper invites, the French label opted to send out personalised mobiles engraved with the date and time of its Fall/Winter 2022 show at Paris Fashion Week.

Described as a 'genuine artifact from the year 2022', the phone - and the damage caused to it - is real, but is not functioning and should be used 'for display purposes only'.

Check it out: The New York Times fashion director Vanessa Friedman was an eye-witness and remarked on the noise the tape ensemble made

The invitation read: 'Please find personalized information on the back of this phone. This is a genuine artifact from the year 2022.

'It is nonfunctional and to be used for display purposes only. This document certifies that this device is, to the best of our knowledge, not artificially manufactured but made from years of use and later, neglect.'

Ahead of the show, Balenciaga creative director Demna Gvasalia said that the show served as a tribute to the embattled country of Ukraine.

Demna and his team were dressed in the Ukranian colors of yellow and blue.
Temperatures were set to reach a high of 47 degrees in Manhattan on Tuesday, but Zoey Deutch was already seeing signs of spring as she stepped out in a striking yellow dress on her way for an appearance on the Today show.

The 27-year-old actress radiated warmth wearing a glowing Valentino Halter Taffeta Mini Dress while heading to the mid-town studios to chat with Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush about her latest flick, The Outfit.

Deutch shared a few of her favorite looks for the appearance with her two million followers on Instagram and joked: 'Shhh its not not 30 degrees outside.'

Power color: Temperatures were set to reach a high of 47 degrees in Manhattan on Tuesday, but Zoey Deutch was already seeing signs of spring as she stepped out wearing a bold yellow dress on her way for an appearance on the Today show

Zoey's sleeveless taffeta dress featured a thick bow tied around her neck which draped down across her shoulder.

She carried a white leather purse with a light orange braided leather strap on one shoulder.

Her dark brown hair was worn parted down the middle and slicked back into a tight bun, a style expertly created by Rebekah Forecast.

Glowing: The 27-year-old actress radiated warmth wearing a glowing Valentino Halter Taffeta Mini Dress while heading to the mid-town studios to chat with Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush about her latest flick, The Outfit

Beauty: Zoey's sleeveless taffeta dress featured a thick bow tied around her neck which draped down across her shoulder

Model moment: Deutch added inches to her petite frame with a pair of white platform heels

Makeup artist Hung Vanngo gave highlighted Zoey's already flawless complexion with bold brows and a bright red lip.

She was feeling a monochrome moment as she switched into a chic black pantsuit for nighttime appearances.

Zoey pulled out all the stops as she left The Bowery Hotel in the heart of the city wearing a classic black blazer with tailored slacks.

Classic: She was feeling a monochrome moment as she switched into a chic black pantsuit for nighttime appearances

Impressive: Zoey pulled out all the stops as she left The Bowery Hotel in the heart of the city wearing a classic black blazer with tailored slacks

Deutch showed off peeks of a dainty black bra and wore enormous hoop earrings with her hair slicked back into a ponytail.

She stars alongside Mark Rylance, Johnny Flynn, and Dylan O'Brien in The Outfit, a chilling tale directed by Graham Moore.

'It's a crime thriller set in the '50s,' she told Hoda and Jenna on the Today Show. 'It's about an expert tailor played by Mark Rylance who has to outwit a bunch of very dangerous gangsters to survive one fateful night.

Perfection: Makeup artist Hung Vanngo gave highlighted Zoey's already flawless complexion with bold brows and a bright red lip

Lovely: Her dark brown hair was worn parted down the middle and slicked back into a tight bun, a style expertly created by Rebekah Forecast

'It's like a chess match amongst all the different characters. It's fun cause it leads the audience having to guess who's telling the truth, who's not.'

When asked if she liked the true crime genre, Zoey admitted: 'I don't want to be anymore scared or paranoid than I already am. I'm already so insane.'

'I'm really into Love Island right now ... the complete opposite of Dateline. No one is actually ever doing anything, they just talk about what could happen and what they're going to do. Nothing happens and it's amazing.'
Gisele Bundchen brought three generations of her family together while Jessica Alba posed with her daughters to send a message as they led stars celebrating International Women's Day on Tuesday.

The 41-year-old supermodel, who hails from Brazil, posed for Instagram with her 73-year-old mother Vania Nonnenmacher and nine-year-old daughter Vivian Brady.

'Happy International Women's Day!' gushed Gisele, who shares her children with her husband of 13 years, Tom Brady.

Versions of International Women's Day have been celebrated since 1909, and the holiday honors the cultural and political achievements of women around the world.

Trio: Gisele Bundchen brought three generations of her family together in celebration of International Women's Day - her mother Vania Nonnenmacher and daughter Vivian Brady

'I am so grateful to all the amazing women have crossed my path and inspired me, specially my wonder mom and my sweet daughter,' she continued.

'May we celebrate each other and all the incredible woman that came before us paving the way for us to be where we are today. Sending so much love to all of you on our special day,' Gisele concluded.

She repeated the same message in her native Portuguese, which she has taught her children Vivian, nine, and Benjamin, 12.

Gisele's mother was the reason for her career in fashion - it was Vania who signed her up for a modeling course when she was a child in order to correct her slouch.

Roots: Gisele's mother was the reason for her career in fashion - it was Vania who signed her up for a modeling course when she was a child in order to correct her slouch

'The course ended with a trip to Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo,' Gisele's twin sister Patricia wrote in a biography on the supermodel's website.

'We had never traveled to these big urban cities, and it was during this trip that scouts spotted Gisele in a mall and invited her to come to their modeling agency. She was reluctant in the beginning as she wanted to go to an amusement park with the rest of the girls, but she ended up going with our mother to the agency.'

Gisele was just 14 years old as her mother shepherded her along her early modeling career, even 'enrolling her in a big modeling pageant,' Patricia wrote.

When Gisele's career took off: 'Mother would save all the magazines in which Gi appeared, and the whole family was so proud of her.'

Proud mother: When Gisele's career took off: 'Mother would save all the magazines in which Gi appeared, and the whole family was so proud of her,' Gisele's twin sister Patricia wrote

Gisele's latest Instagram message comes a little over a week after she and Tom celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary.

Ahead of the big date they traveled to Costa Rica, where they own property and where they held one of their two marriage ceremonies in 2009.

Their first nuptials occurred at a church in Santa Monica but the second took place in Santa Teresa, near where they now keep a home.

Tom has two children with Gisele - Benjamin and Vivian - as well as a son named John, 14, with his ex Bridget Moynahan.

'Feliz aniversario': Gisele's latest Instagram message comes a little over a week after she and Tom celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary

Blended family: Tom has two children with Gisele - Benjamin and Vivian - as well as a son named John, 14, with his ex Bridget Moynahan; he is pictured with Gisele and all three children

'Support women everyday': Tom also took to Instagram to share an image of the women in his family including Gisele and his mother Galynn wearing his jersey number

Meanwhile Jessica Alba shared a snap of herself sitting next to daughters Honor, 13, and 10-year-old Haven putting their arms in an 'X.'

The 40-year-old Honest company founder posted the meaning of the image in a lengthy caption which began: 'Celebrating #InternationalWomensDay today and every single day [heart and dizzy emoji] As a mama of two daughters, I am constantly fighting to leave this world better than I found it - not only for them, but for every single person in the world and for the next generations of girls to come.

'Like all mothers, I want to #breakthebias so my children can have the opportunity to chase their dreams regardless of their gender.'

She goes on to talk about gender bias being a systemic issue that needs to be addressed.

'I want to #breakthebias so my children can have the opportunity to chase their dreams regardless of their gender': Meanwhile Jessica Alba shared a snap of herself sitting next to daughters Honor, 13, and 10-year-old Haven putting their arms in an 'X'

Happy to be there: Blanca Blanco of Tale of Tails was seen in Paris. She said, 'Be the woman that you want to be and not the one everyone expects you to be.' She has been promoting her new memoir Breaking The Mold about her poverty stricken childhood and rise to fame

Grand gesture: Jada Pinkett Smith also posted a video talking about three women who have influenced her in celebration of the special day

Bond: The 50-year-old actress gave special recognition to actress and singer Cree Summer, author bell hooks (pictured second from right), and her grandmother Marion Banfield

Alba wrote: 'Gender bias is a real thing and is a systemic issue. For change to happen, we all need to unite and take dedicated steps in fighting for womens equality. On a global scale, this is an even more monumental problem and there is still so much work to be done.'

She then went into how her billion dollar company has tackled the issue first hand.

The Dark Angel star continued: 'Looking back over the last 10 years, I never imagined @honest would be where its at today. When I was pitching room after room (of mostly men), I faced a lot of rejection.

'I often wonder how it would have gone if I were in front of VCs that were female-led or focused on female founders According to CrunchBase, in 2020 women-led start-ups only raised 2.3% of VC funding and Black and Latinx founders only received 2.6% of VC funding. Clearly gender equality is a continuous uphill battle the world is facing  across industries and the globe - and change needs to be made.'

Seeing double: Gwyneth Paltrow, 49, showed how similar her daughter Apple Martin, 17, looked to her in a FaceTime shot she posted to Instagram on Tuesday

Sweet: 'But today I want to pay tribute to one (technically almost) woman on the cusp of it,' she said of Apple. 'This woman gives me hope for the future of sisterhood, and for the future of our planet. And this woman has made me the woman I am today more than anyone else'

Family: Apple's last appearance on her mother's Instagram was back at the start of January, when her mom looked back on 2021 with a photo of her hugging grandmother Blythe Danner

'Thinking about the women and girls in Ukraine': Jennifer Aniston took a more global and current event look in reflecting on the day

She concluded the lengthy post by hoping her post featuring her daughters helps break the cycle of gender bias.

Alba said: 'At the end of the day, weve come a long way, but we still have a lot of work to do. I firmly believe we all must do our part to continue to hold open the door for all women to be part of the conversation and part of our leadership teams. Words of support are no longer enough. We must act every day and keep gender equality at the forefront of our work.

'Im here to tell you today that no matter who you are or where you come from, our differences should always be valued and celebrated. Please join my fam & I as we #BreakTheBias this International Womens Day and work together to help create a world that is diverse, equitable and inclusive [heart, praying hands, and world emojis] #internationalwomensday #empowher #breakthebias'

Sweet: Paris Hilton also celebrated women who inspired here including Britney Spears

Bad gal: She also recognized Rihanna who is pregnant with her first child

Family first: The 41-year-old hotel heiress also recognized her sister Nicky Hilton and mother Kathy Hilton in the pink bordered gallery

Partners: Cameron Diaz also did a similar thing as she recognized Avaline wine businesspartner Katherine Power

Family ties: She also celebrated sister-in-law Nicole Richie

A-listers: She also listed actress Drew Barrymore and Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow

Cooking up a storm: She also posted a snap of Our Place cookwear entrepreneur Shiza Shahid

Blanca Blanco of Tale of Tails was seen in Paris. She said, 'Be the woman that you want to be and not the one everyone expects you to be.'

She has been promoting her new memoir Breaking The Mold about her poverty stricken childhood and rise to fame.

Jada Pinkett Smith also posted a video talking about three women who have influenced her in celebration of the special day.

The 50-year-old actress gave special recognition to actress and singer Cree Summer, author bell hooks, and her grandmother Marion Banfield.

Gwyneth Paltrow was feeling optimistic on Tuesday as she celebrated her daughter Apple while marking the day on Instagram

The 49-year-old Oscar winner shared a FaceTime snap of her 17-year-old look-alike daughter  whom she shares with ex-husband Chris Martin  as she gushed about how Apple gives her 'hope for the future of sisterhood.'

Sending a message: Ashley Graham was also very active on social media

Aww: Ashley posted a video of her mom Linda carrying her child

'My heart goes out to these women and I pray for their safety and the safety of their loved ones': Ashley also send love to the women from Ukraine amid the war

Sparking hope: Skinnygirl entrepreneur shared a snap of herself with daughter Bryn

Apple was dressed casually in a black top in the photo and wore her blond locks down in waves while gazing off into the distance.

Gwyneth was bundled up in a green coat while wearing thick black glasses in the corner of the FaceTime screenshot, which emphasized Apple's striking resemblance to her mother.

'Happy international womens day. Ive been spending the morning thinking about all of the incredible women I love, who love me back hard,' the actress wrote.

'I keep thinking about the women I have known since kindergarten or 7th grade, who are more strongly in my life than almost ever,' she continued.

'When women support each other, incredible things happen': Alessandra Ambrosio shared a snap of herself with Jessica Steindorff as they founded swimwear brand GAL Floripa together

'But today I want to pay tribute to one (technically almost) woman on the cusp of it,' she said of Apple. 'This woman gives me hope for the future of sisterhood, and for the future of our planet. And this woman has made me the woman I am today more than anyone else.'

Paris Hilton also celebrated women who inspired here including Britney Spears, Rihanna, Gigi Gorgeous, Amanda Nguyen, and Tina Chen Craig.

The 41-year-old hotel heiress also recognized her sister Nicky Hilton and mother Kathy Hilton in the pink bordered gallery.

She captioned the post with a lengthy message which said: 'Happy #InternationalWomensDay [intertwined heart, sparkle, sparkling heart emojis] Today, I want to celebrate the women that inspire me... @BritneySpears, @GigiGorgeous, @BadGalRiRi, @Wrath_____ , @AmandaNgocNguyen, @TinaChenCraig and of course my two queens @KathyHilton and @NickyHilton.

'My queen': Sam Asghari shared an image of his hands with fiancee Britney Spears' hand with the engagement ring prominently featured

Muse: Brooklyn Beckham shared an image of fiancee Nicola Peltz

'Each of you are powerful, strong and beautiful. Your impact has made this world a better place! Read more on ParisHilton.com why I chose to celebrate each of these inspiring women (Link in bio!) and be sure to celebrate and spotlight the queens in your life today! [heart and crown emojis] #EmpoweredWomenEmpowerWomen [sparkle emoji] #WomenSupportingWomen [dizzy emoji]'

Cameron Diaz also did a similar thing as she celebrated sister-in-law Nicole Richie, Avaline wine businesspartner Katherine Power, designer Autumn Adeigbo, actress Drew Barrymore, cookwear entrepreneur Shiza Shahid, and Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow.

The 49-year-old actress wrote: 'in honor of International Womens Day, Im sending a cheers to some of the many women owned businesses & brands I love and support in my day to day life, including my Co-Founder at @avaline @katherinepower and all of the women on our team [heart and champagne cheers emojis]'
Amy Day sent temperatures soaring as she attended Wimbledon's International Women's Day Party on Tuesday.

The Love Island star, 25, looked incredible as she squeezed her ample assets into a salmon-pink satin corset mini dress with train detail.

Amy looked flawless in the glamorous ensemble which showcased her svelte physique.

Wow: Amy Day sent temperatures soaring as she attended Wimbledon's International Women's Day Party on Tuesday

Adding some dazzle to the momentous day, the TV personality stepped out in a pair of sparkling glitter stiletto heels.

She accessorised her look with a silver choker necklace and a pair of diamond stud earrings.

The brunette beauty donned a full face of make-up as she posed confidently at the lavish event.

Gorgeous: The Love Island star, 25, looked incredible as she squeezed her ample assets into a salmon-pink satin corset mini dress with train detail

Flawless: The brunette beauty donned a full face of make-up as she posed confidently at the lavish event

The glamorous party saw a whole host of famous faces attend the exclusive South West London event.

Former Celebs Go Dating star Nadia Essex looked radiant in an animal print dress which she layered with a white trench coat as she mingled with the stars.

Ex EastEnders star Matt Lapinskas looked dapper in a brown check suit as he caught up with friends while model Calum Best cut a stylish figure in a black and white leather as he partied the day away.

Chic: Former Celebs Go Dating star Nadia Essex looked radiant in an animal print dress which she layered with a white trench coat as she mingled with the stars

Cool: Ex EastEnders star Matt Lapinskas looked dapper in a brown check suit as he caught up with friends

Eventful: Model Calum Best cut a stylish figure in a black and white leather as he partied the day away

Meanwhile, other famous faces who celebrated the global holiday included Gemma Collins, Katie Price and Tess Daly as they shared inspirational messages and snaps to mark the occasion.

TOWIE favourite Gemma, 41, posted an incredibly glamorous image with huge blow-dried hair as she encouraged her followers to 'remember how fabulous we all are'.

Meanwhile former glamour model Katie, 43, also uploaded a post on the day, sharing a sweet selfie with her mother Amy and sister Sophie and told how she adored her 'little unit of strong women'.

All the ladies: Gemma Collins (pictured), Katie Price and Tess Daly led the famous faces celebrating International Women's Day on Tuesday, as the stars shared inspirational messages and snaps to mark the occasion

Gemma looked incredible in her post as she donned a stylish leopard print top while strutting her stuff down the street and holding a women's magazine.

The Diva Forever star wrote in the caption: 'IF ANYONE tells you your hair is too big, get rid of them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life! My passion for leopard print and big hair will never die! HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY remember how fabulous we all are!'

Meanwhile Katie wrote in the caption of her post with her family: 'Happy International Women's Day - I absolutely adore my little unit of strong women. Thank you for always supporting me.'

Support: Former glamour model Katie, 43, also shared a snap on the day, posting a sweet selfie with her mother Amy and sister Sophie and told how she adored her 'little unit of strong women'

This Morning star Holly Willoughby, 41, took to her lifestyle page Wylde Moon to share a message as she enjoyed a walk in the sunshine, saying: 'Hello I'm just off out for a beautiful walk in the sunshine and I just wanted to say Happy International Women's Day, this is a great day because we get to celebrate all the wonderful women.

'We all know it already but use this a reminder to text that woman in your life, your mother, your sister, your auntie, your lover, your daughter, today I am thinking about my daughter, the next generation of brilliant women and my niece, my sister and my mother - the original Willoughby woman.'

While Amanda Holden, 51, shared a montage of images with the women in her life including one sweet image with her daughters Lexi, 16, Hollie, 10, and her mother.

Lovely: This Morning star Holly Willoughby, 41, took to her lifestyle page Wylde Moon to share a message as she enjoyed a walk in the sunshine, saying: 'I just wanted to say Happy International Women's Day!'

Family: While Amanda Holden, 51, shared a montage of images with the women in her life including one sweet image with her daughters Lexi, 16, Hollie, 10, and her mother

Cute: She then shared another snap with just Hollie and wrote in the caption: 'The women who lift up my life and help me live it!'

International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.

The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality.

IWD has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people.

The theme for the IWD 2022 campaign is 'Break The Bias', calling for a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.
An Australian stand-up comedian has revealed he received death threats in the wake of a now-viral joke about Prince Philip's death.

Lewis Spears learned of Prince Philip's death in April last year at the exact moment he was ridiculing the late Duke of Edinburgh on stage, then continued to joke about the royal in front of his enthusiastic audience.

The 24-year-old funnyman said on SBS's Insight it was mostly older British people doling out the violent threats.

Scroll down to see the video

Playing with fire: Australian stand-up comedian Lewis Spears has revealed he received death threats in the wake of a now-viral joke about Prince Philip's death in April last year

'I've never had so many death threats from people that were so close to death themselves,' the comic said in an interview set to air on Wednesday night.

However, he revealed he was genuinely happy with how the jokes were received by the Melbourne crowd in the room.

'As you can see, on the night it totally demolished,' he told host Kumi Taguchi.

'It was profoundly positive but there was like a really, really loud minority that were incensed and very angry and upset.'

I Tell a Prince Philip Joke, Then He Dies.

Too soon?

Full clip: https://t.co/LW593ld1jP pic.twitter.com/0mGHIAHzeU  Lewis Spears (@LewSpears) April 10, 2021

Angered: The 24-year-old claimed it was mostly older British people doling out the threats

'It was one of the best sets I've ever done in my life. It's something that I feel real privilege that I managed to capture on film and can never be replicated.'

Spears had just delivered a joke about the Duke of Edinburgh at a club in Melbourne on April 9 last year when someone in the crowd yelled out, 'He died tonight!'

He was skewering the Royal Family when he said Prince Philip, who died at the age of 99, was '3,000 years old'.

Surreal: He learned of Prince Philip's death at the exact moment he was ridiculing the late royal on stage in Melbourne last April

But literally seconds after mocking Price Philip's old age and saying he 'invented racism', an audience member shouted that his death had just been announced, which prompted gasps from Spears and the crowd.

'What!?' he said in disbelief, before reading aloud the announcement from an audience member's phone.

'I have to say... it's been overdue,' he added, rather insensitively.

'Are we sure he died today? I reckon he died 10 years ago and they wheel him out attached to strings at special events!'

Clearly still surprised by the turn of events, Spears tweeted hours later: 'Prince Philip died DURING my show tonight. Clip coming soon.'

Stunned: 'What!?' the funnyman said in disbelief, before reading aloud the announcement from an audience member's phone

Announcing the Duke of Edinburgh's death last year, the Royal Family said in a statement: 'It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

'His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. Further announcements will made in due course.

'The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss.'
Charlene White has claimed that being a black woman means she's had to work twice as hard as her peers in order to succeed in the ruthless TV industry, adding that she regrets 'toning down' her natural behaviour in a bid to fit in.

The ITV newsreader, 41, admitted she felt that her race, gender and working class roots caused her to experience discrimination at the hands of her former BBC colleagues.

Following a positive experience within Radio 1Xtra's vibrant newsroom, she insisted her co-workers at the broadcaster's regional division soon looked at her 'like she was strange' and advised her to 'tone down' her accent.

'People looked at me like I was strange': Charlene White has said she's had to work 'twice as hard' to succeed as a black woman in TV before claiming she was told to 'tone down' her accent in the early days of her career

During an interview with The Sun in celebration of International Women's Day, she revealed how she worked seven day weeks, triple or quadruple shifts before finding success as the first black woman to present ITV's News at Ten.

The journalist, whose heritage originates from the West Indies, said her parents Dorrett Lonie and Denis arrived in the UK, a 'country that didn't treat them very well', and soon had to work six jobs.

The fruits of their labour allowed her the privilege of attending the private Blackheath High School, where fees today are 22,852 per year.

Charlene said she would be 'doing them a disservice' if she didn't 'shout about their accomplishments', which allowed her to follow her aspirations.

Success story: She revealed how she worked seven day weeks, triple or quadruple shifts before finding success as the first black woman to present ITV's News at Ten (pictured in 2010)

Admitting she doesn't consider herself to speak the Queen's English, the Lewisham native said she realised she 'didn't necessarily talk the way other journalists spoke' and 'fought really hard to not change that'.

After a six year tenure at the company's flagship radio station, she said: 'When I moved into regional TV in Norwich I recorded my voice and a reporter said to me, "You'll have to redo that because that's not how we talk at the BBC."

'That's when the shock hit me, because suddenly people were looking at me like I was strange, like I wasn't intelligent and I couldn't do my job.

'But other people made me feel like I was in the wrong for being who I was and I really regret listening and behaving how they wanted me behind you.'

Shocking: The ITV newsreader, 41, admitted she felt that her race, gender and working class roots caused her to experience discrimination at the hands of her former BBC colleagues

A BBC spokesperson told MailOnline: 'Were sorry to hear of any negative experiences. The BBC of today is working hard to represent the whole of the UK, both on and off screen. Its essential people can be themselves at work, whatever their background.'

Charlene previously revealed that she's had to endure negative comments about her 'natural hair' on social media while hosting ITV News.

The Loose Women panellist, who had stepped in at short notice to read the late evening bulletins for a week, revealed to her 50,000 followers on Twitter that she'd been subjected to disparaging remarks about how her hair looked.

She wrote: 'Thanks guys for all the lovely comments about my unexpected few days on News At Ten this week! Loved working with the team.

Throwback: After a six year tenure at the company's flagship radio station (pictured with Jay Z), she said: 'When I moved into regional TV in Norwich I recorded my voice and a reporter said to me, "You'll have to redo that because that's not how we talk at the BBC"'

'And to those whove expressed utter nonsense about my natural hair, listen very carefully: Other. Channels. Are. Available.'

Earlier this year, she revealed she'd been hit by a petition that tried to get her fired from ITV, which the person who started it called the 'Sack the S**g campaign'.

Speaking to Love Sunday magazine last May, Charlene said she believes a lot of trolls think she is 'fair game' because she is a 'black woman in the public eye'.

She said: 'It all came to a head when a member of the EDL [English Defence League] said, "I've heard there's a black girl on ITV that doesn't wear a poppy" and told his followers to abuse me in any way they could find me.'

Family: The journalist, whose heritage originates from the West Indies, said her parents Dorrett Lonie and Denis arrived in the UK, a 'country that didn't treat them very well', and soon had to work six jobs

Charlene said she received several thousand comments along with the petition to try and get her sacked from ITV, describing the abuse as 'overwhelming'.

She said: 'As long as it doesn't get as bad as that, it's manageable. But that upset me a lot. It takes a lot to make me cry, but it got to a point where it was really overwhelming and really did make me cry. It's never been to that particular level since.'

Charlene added she gets online abuse anytime she speaks publicly about race, which she thinks is down to a lack of education.
Kourtney Kardashian pulled a funny prank on her fiance Travis Barker with the help of her nine-year-old daughter Penelope.

On Tuesday, the 42-year-old Keeping Up With The Kardashians star shared a slideshow of images, which included photos of Barker's pristine front yard in Calabasas, California covered in toilet paper that spelled out, 'Got You, LOL Haha'.

'Weeeeekend', Kourtney wrote in the caption of her post.

Funny: Kourtney Kardashian pulled a funny prank on her fiance Travis Barker with the help of her nine-year-old daughter Penelope

Practical joke: On Tuesday, the 42-year-old Keeping Up With The Kardashians star shared a slideshow of images, which included photos of Barker's pristine front yard covered in toilet paper that spelled out, 'Got You, LOL Haha'. Seen in 2021

In one of the snaps, Penelope could be seen running across the toilet paper-littered yard as she joined her mother in the escapade.

The little girl was seen from behind in another photo along with two other people who assisted the Poosh Founder with the practical joke

The trio were seen underneath a massive palm tree that was decorated with string lights in front of the Blink-182 drummer's his home in Calabasas California.

Good times: In one of the snaps, Penelope could be seen running across the toilet paper-littered yard as she joined her mother in the escapade.

Leftover supplies: The television personality also included a photo in which extra rolls of toiler paper were seen discarded on the lawn.

Kourtney identified herself as the perpetrator of the prank by adding a huge 'K' in toilet paper.

The television personality also included a photo in which extra rolls of toiler paper were seen discarded on the lawn.

Kourtney's antics may have been inspired by her mother Kris Jenner, 66, and sister Khloe, 37.

In a 2013 episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, the mother/daughter duo drunkenly plastered toilet paper, silly string and shaving cream on Kim Kardashian's house.

Family tradition: Kourtney's antics may have been inspired by her mother Kris Jenner, 66, and sister Khloe, 37

The damage is done: The pair vandalized Kim's house with toilet paper, silly string and shaving cream in 2013

In January 2021, Kim's daughter North West put a sweet twist on the family's tradition of jokes involving toilet paper.

North, 8, wrote 'Mom I Love You' on a roll of toilet paper in her mother's bathroom.

The SKIMS mogul shared an image of the message, writing, 'I love you too, North, forever!!!'

Cute: In January 2021, Kim's daughter North West put a sweet twist on the family's tradition of jokes involving toilet paper

Travis appeared to have enjoyed the prank as he reposted one of his fiancee's snaps of his newly decorated yard on his own Instagram Story.

He also changed the profile picture on all of his social media accounts to a picture that Penelope had drawn of her soon-to-be stepfather.

On Sunday Penelope presented her mom's new fiance with the picture complete with his numerous face and arm tattoos.

The Blink 182 drummer responded to the work of art by saying, 'I love this Penelope.'

Sweet: changed the profile picture on all of his social media accounts to a picture that Penelope had drawn of her soon-to-be stepfather

His tat show: Barker and Kourtney seen in February in New York City

Barker also shared the sketch on his Instagram Stories on Sunday as he added a smiley face emoji.

Travis has two daughters: 22-year-old Atiana, who is Travis' former stepdaughter that he helped raise with ex-wife Shanna Moakler (dad is Oscar De La Hoya) and the two are still very close. And also Alabama Barker, 16, who is his birth child with Shanna.

Travis also has 18-year-old son Landon with Shanna.

Meanwhile, Kourtney has three children with ex partner Scott Disick: in addition to Penelope they share sons Mason, 11, and Reign, six.

Kourtney first began dating Travis in January 2021 and they became engaged in October of that same year.

Her trio: Kourtney has three children with ex partner Scott Disick: daughter Penelope, age nine, and sons Mason, 11, and Reign, six

His kids: Travis has two daughters: 22-year-old Atiana, who is Travis' former stepdaughter that he helped raise with ex-wife Shanna Moakler (dad is Oscar De La Hoya) and the two are still very close. And also Alabama Barker, 16, who is his birth child with Shanna. Travis also has 18-year-old son Landon with Shanna

They were recently said to be 'relaxed and laid back' about their wedding plans.

A source said in January: 'They are all doing it together. Kourtney is relaxed and laid back about the details. She's not a bridezilla at all.'

Travis is also involved, but he lets Kourtney make most of the decisions and wants it to be her day.'

Last month, it was said the pair want a 'very small wedding', and were considering a potential May nuptials.

A source said: 'There are two weekends she's looking at in May. They don't want it to be a press frenzy. She wants it very private with closest friends and family.'

What's more, it was recently claimed the couple are 'open' to the idea of having children together.

They moved fast: Kourtney first began dating Travis in January 2021 and they became engaged in October of that same year

A source claimed: 'Kourtney and Travis are so in love that they're open to the idea of having children together and growing their family.'

It was previously claimed Kourtney fell for the 46-year-old drummer because he is such a great father.

An insider said: 'She fell for Travis because he's such a there-for-his-kids father. He has a huge heart.'

And Travis is proving to be a great stepfather to Kourtney's brood.

The source added: 'Kourtney is not only head over heels in love with Travis because he's hot and attractive but also because he's so sweet and loving towards her and her children. Their families also blended easily and nicely, and they all get along so well.'
Kyiv accused Moscow of making it impossible for innocent people to escape besieged cities

Desperate civilians began fleeing a besieged Ukrainian city through a humanitarian corridor opened by Russia on Tuesday, as the number of refugees to flee the country hit more than two million.

The exodus from Sumy, where 21 people were killed in Russian air strikes late Monday, comes despite Kyiv branding Moscow's renewed offer of escape routes from several cities as a publicity stunt, since many lead straight to Russia or its ally Belarus.

The UN called for evacuees to be allowed to leave in whichever they direction they choose, after horrific scenes in which civilians have been shelled as they tried to escape, while thousands remain trapped in dire conditions.

The war has sparked Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II, with more than two million people having crossed Ukraine's borders, according to the United Nations.

The West has hit back with sanctions on Russia that have reverberated around the global economy, but they have failed to dissuade President Vladimir Putin from pushing on with his assault.

Russia warned it could cut Europe's gas supplies in revenge for sanctions and said any ban by Western allies on Russian oil imports would have "catastrophic consequences".

The Ukrainian military said Tuesday, nearly two weeks into the war, that Russia was ramping up its troops and equipment around the main conflict zones, as it sought to encircle the capital Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced what he called unkept promises byt he West to protect his country from Russian attacks.

"It's been 13 days we've been hearing promises, 13 days we've been told we'll be helped in the air, that there will be planes," Zelensky said on a video broadcast on Telegram.

"But the responsibility for that rests also on those who were not capable to take a decision in the West for 13 days," he added. "On those who have not secured the Ukrainian skies from the Russian assassins."

- 'I'm not afraid' -

Heavy Russian shelling of Ukrainian city Kharkiv's centre

Evacuations had begun in Sumy, near the Russian border and 350 kilometres (218 miles) east of Kyiv, the interim chief of the Poltava region, Dmitry Lunin, said early Tuesday.

Dozens of buses had already left in the direction of Lokhvytsia, 150 kilometres to the southwest, Lunin said. Officials said the corridor is designed to evacuate civilians, including Chinese, Indians and other foreigners.

The evacuation came after 21 people, including two children, were killed in air strikes in Sumy on Monday, a local official said.

"Enemy planes insidiously attacked apartment buildings," Ukrainian rescue services said on Telegram.

Russia's initial offer of humanitarian corridors led nowhere, but it floated the idea again, with the defence ministry saying it would open them from 0700 GMT Tuesday, subject to Ukraine's approval.

It listed routes from Kyiv as well as Sumy, the besieged port city of Mariupol, and Ukraine's devastated second city of Kharkiv.

An unending stream of people -- mostly women and children -- has poured into neighbouring countries, especially Poland

But Zelensky accused Russia of reneging on previous escape route agreements and trying to stop people such as by planting explosives on roads and destroying buses.

"I do not know many Ukrainians who want to go to Russia," Zelensky said in a video posted on Telegram late Monday.

Zelensky, hailed as a hero by many Western governments, said he was "staying in Kyiv... I'm not afraid" and that he would continue to negotiate with Russia to reach a peace deal.

Three previous rounds of talks have made little progress on even achieving a ceasefire.

The Ukrainian leader was due to address the British parliament later Tuesday.

- 'Hand-to-hand combat' -

Despite a slow start and a large Russian column being stalled outside Kyiv, Moscow's forces have slowly advanced, particularly in the east and south.

Tens of thousands of people remain trapped without water or electricity in brutal conditions in the besieged Azov Sea port of Mariupol, humanitarian agencies say.

Terrified civilians have also been packing trains out of the Black Sea port of Odessa amid fears of a Russian assault.

AFP journalists witnessed thousands of civilians on Monday fleeing fighting via an unofficial escape route from Irpin, a suburb west of Kyiv, towards the capital.

Thirteen days of fighting have killed hundreds of civilians and wounded thousands

One Ukrainian paratrooper told of "hand-to-hand" combat in Irpin, saying "we are trying to push (Russian soldiers) out, but I don't know if we'll be fully able to do it".

At least 406 civilians have died since the start of Russia's assault on its ex-Soviet neighbour, according to the UN, although it believes the real figures to be "considerably higher".

Ukrainian forces said Tuesday they had repulsed a Russian attack on the city of Izium in the Kharkiv region, and outgunned troops have been trying to hold back a Russian push up from the east and south in an attempt to encircle Kyiv.

A Russian military spokesman said troops had disabled a military airfield at Jitomir, while separatist forces in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions were making gains.

Faced with international condemnation, Putin has equated sanctions with a declaration of war and put nuclear forces on alert.

Putin has pledged the "denazification" of Ukraine and demands its "neutralisation" and demilitarisation.

Putin said on Monday, however, that he will not send conscripts or reservists to fight in the conflict.

- 'Catastrophic' consequences -

Despite harsh punishments for those voicing dissent, protests in Russia against the Ukraine invasion have continued, with more than 10,000 people arrested since it began.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak warned Monday that a ban on Russian oil imports would have "catastrophic" consequences for prices that have already hit 14-year highs.

He added that in retaliation for the halt on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, Russia could stop supplies via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.

Western allies fear the effect of an oil ban on their own economies, with US President Joe Biden's spokeswoman saying on Monday after talks with European leaders that no decision had been taken.

But they have responded to the invasion with tough sanctions and poured military equipment into Ukraine, while steering clear of the no-fly zone demanded by Zelensky, fearing a wider war with Russia.

An international legion of volunteers has also descended on Ukraine to fight the Russians.

The Pentagon said Monday that Moscow was on a recruiting mission for its own foreign fighters -- Syrians who fought for President Bashar al-Assad.

"We do believe that the accounts of them -- the Russians -- seeking Syrian fighters to augment their forces in Ukraine, we believe there's truth to that," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

The World Bank on Monday approved an additional $489-million package in support for Ukraine, to be made available immediately and dubbed "Financing of Recovery from Economic Emergency in Ukraine," or "FREE Ukraine."

burs-dk/jm
Malaysia is known for its white-sand beaches and lush rainforests

Malaysia will re-open to all vaccinated tourists from April 1, authorities said Tuesday, joining a growing number of countries removing restrictions in an attempt to live with Covid.

The tourism-reliant Southeast Asian country, known for its white-sand beaches and lush rainforests, shut its borders in March 2020 but will now require only a negative Covid test to enter.

"The government has decided to open its borders on April 1, 2022," Prime Minister Ismail Sabri said in media briefing.

"We believe this decision will boost our economy and help revive our ailing tourism sector."

The re-opening comes despite Malaysia reporting more than 25,000 infections a day in recent weeks, though most cases have been mild.

Its decision mirrors those of neighbouring nations including Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines that are progressively easing entry rules to lure back tourists.

Malaysia's economy contracted 5.6 percent in 2020 as Covid hit but rebounded slightly to grow 3.1 percent last year.

Malaysia-based AirAsia, one of Southeast Asia's top budget airlines, called the move "timely" and said it "will provide a strong impetus" for recovery in tourism and aviation.

Group chief executive Bo Lingam told AFP the carrier hoped to move around a million passengers in the first week.

Vaccinated travellers will not be subject to quarantine but will need to produce a negative PCR test two days before arrival and take an antigen test in the 24 hours after entry.

Previously only travellers from Singapore were allowed quarantine-free entry.

Malaysia has recorded more than 3.6 million Covid cases to date with more than 33,000 deaths.

About 80 percent of the country's 32 million population have been fully vaccinated.
Visitors take photos by the pool of the So Heng Tai Mansion in the Talad Noi neighbourhood of Bangkok in this Feb. 10 photo. AFP-Yonhap





A 200-year-old Chinese mansion in Bangkok's heart isn't an obvious place for a scuba school, but in a city relentlessly demolishing its architectural heritage the business is helping preserve the historic home.







Dive instructor Poosak Posayachinda's family has owned the traditional teak-walled So Heng Tai for eight generations, but it lives on thanks largely to his decision to convert it into a scuba academy.







The survival of the building, originally built as a home and office for the family business trading birds' nests with China, is a rare success story in a city that harbors little sentiment  or legal protections  for historic architectural gems.







"It's because people want to make more money  that's the bottom line," Bangkok-based American architect Bill Bensley told AFP.







The city's breakneck reinvention over recent years has seen gleaming malls and flashy condos fly up, and buildings like the art deco Scala movie theatre and 1920s British embassy come down.







Thai law only protects properties over 100 years old and there is limited political enthusiasm for safeguarding old architecture at the expense of profitable development.







For families with historic properties, the annual costs of maintenance can be a huge liability, according to historian and archaeologist Phacha Phanomvan.







"We don't have a lottery fund or trust body that comes in to save heritage," she said.







So in 2004 Poosak installed a four-meter-deep pool in the So Heng Tai courtyard, subsequently teaching more than 6,000 students.







The diving school has helped pay the bills on the property's upkeep, which Poosak estimates at up to $25,000 a year, but maintenance is a struggle.







"On a rainy day you find lots of water spots. Sooner or later we will have to do the whole roof again and that's a lot of money," Poosak told AFP.



People walk past a rusted car in the Talad Noi neighborhood of Bangkok in this Feb. 10 photo. AFP-Yonhap





While the culture ministry keeps a national heritage database, Phacha said many properties are not registered and fall through the cracks.







"For individual owners without state assistance... it's better for them to sell the property. Sell the individual building and then sell the (land)," she said.







Adding to the challenge is a growing collectors' market for teak from Thai wooden houses, she said  some are even dismantled, relocated, and reassembled to become boutique hotels elsewhere.







"You want to keep these properties where they are... You're essentially robbing Bangkok of its (history)," she said.







Photographer Ben Davies spent five years documenting neighborhoods for his book "Vanishing Bangkok," an experience that left him despondent.







"Something like (30-40 percent) of the buildings and communities I photographed had either disappeared or changed virtually beyond recognition," he told AFP.







And in the rush to develop, Davies says it is unclear how much of Bangkok's heritage will remain in a decade.







"I have a horrible feeling that one day Bangkok will be, outside of its temples and few palaces, (a) unrecognizable but (b) have lost so much of its identity and character so it will look like any other megacity around Asia," he said.







Pijitra Siriaiyara, center, and Bonnyarit Charnchayasuek, right, take part in a scuba diving lesson in the swimming pool at the So Heng Tai mansion in the Talad Noi neighborhood of Bangkok in this Feb. 15 photo. AFP-Yonhap









Elsewhere in the region offers Thailand possible solutions, notably Singapore which has won praise since the late 1980s for its heritage protection efforts.







Its strategy examines the entire city-island holistically with conservation going hand-in-hand with planning, says Yeo Kang Shua, an architectural history expert at the Singapore University of Technology and Design.







Underpinning the scheme is the "three R" principles: maximum retention of buildings, sensitive restoration and careful repair.







"In the 1980s a lot of owners deemed it a death sentence for their properties to be given conservation status, but today because of the rarity of such buildings in Singapore, the real estate prices are... enormous," he told AFP.







Despite the challenging environment, there are some signs of change in Bangkok.







In recent years a prominent Sino-Thai business family renovated dilapidated Chinese 1850s warehouses, turning them into the Lhong 1919 "riverside heritage destination".







It now houses a shrine and has become a space for exhibitions, concerts, pop-ups, cafes and food vans  and there are plans for a wellness resort.







Back at So Heng Thai, Poosak takes his students through their paces.







Channeling the attitude of his ancestors  who came to Thailand with "one pillow and one mattress"  he's determined to save his family home.







"If someone comes to give me an offer, the answer is no, simple as that, no matter how much it is," he said. (AFP)


Google has come up with a doodle for International Womens Day. Women all over the world are getting womens day wishes and greetings, perhaps from that annoying sexist jerk as well. The day is as normal as it can get in the Internet age. But then comes the surreal bomb - a womens day message from the Taliban!

Afghan women. Photo: Getty Images

Women and Taliban in the same sentence often mean being stoned to death or public flogging (the women, not the Taliban). But this time around, the Taliban is telling Afghan women, May the International Womens Day be auspicious. What does the message hint at? Is the Taliban finally going to accept women as humans?

Take a look at the message yourself:

The Taliban in their message said that they are committed to addressing the plight of Afghan women affected by the years and years of war. Before the world gets too excited about Afghanistan becoming the next west-eastern Sweden for women, take a look at the terms and conditions.

in light of the noble religion of Islam and our accepted traditions, Taliban said.

Livelihood options for women in Taliban Afghanistan:1) Stay home, starve;2) Stay home, depend on a man. If he beats you, tough--all GBV svcs dismantled;3) Cover every inch, do a job Taliban say men can't do--search women, work in women's toilet, teach girls--if you're lucky https://t.co/yiGEqfi5bL  Heather Barr (@heatherbarr1) March 1, 2022

Bodies covered in head-to-toe sky-blue burqa, this is the picture that paints itself when Afghan women are mentioned in any context post August 2021. These bodies with no faces struggled through nearly 40 years of war. Under the Taliban 1.0, they became almost non-existent, then there was hope and then the hope died. Now, with the Taliban 2.0, women of Afghanistan have once again become an invisible entity, with barely a squeak in public, except perhaps for the womens day message from their oppressors.

But what do the women of Afghanistan really want? Maybe the Taliban should start their women's day greeting by listening to women!

1. EDUCATION: Taliban 2.0 said that they will allow girls to return to higher secondary schools and universities. In some instances, this has been true, but they have been rare  just a handful. In major parts of Afghanistan, women and girls are still barred from accessing education. During the US troop pullout, they said it was due to the security situation, then, they again said it was due to the security situation, and today too, the excuse remains the same.

Even if some are able to access education, it is limited to religious studies.

2. WORK: A lot of Afghan women working in various fields became jobless or fled the country as the Taliban took over last year. Some reports say were the sole breadwinners for their families, but have lost their jobs now. Taliban 2.0 dictates that women can only work in the healthcare or education sector and nowhere else. Activists are hunted down, and women journalists have been largely taken off the air.

Taliban spokesperson who is a New Zealand national, and enjoyed the life of accepted traditions of the west before waging war on Afghan women: locking them up in the house, destroying their homes, killing the male members of their family, denying them work and education. https://t.co/49Rkq14Ktp  Peymana Assad ? (@Peymasad) March 8, 2022

During the American withdrawal, an interview of a Taliban leader by a woman journalist went viral. But soon enough, the journalist fled Afghanistan fearing for her life.

But even for those who are working, a regular income is a far cry. Some nurses and teachers have not been paid for months.

3. PUBLIC LIFE: Women in Afghanistan are not allowed to step out of their homes without a male chaperone from their family. Under these conditions, a woman with a presence in the public sphere is a gone dream.

Afghan women have been demanding their legitimate rights. The Taliban's response has been to beat, threaten, intimidate, harass, pepper spray, abduct, silence, and terrorize them. https://t.co/alq2WNJ3i4  Heather Barr (@heatherbarr1) March 8, 2022

The Taliban dictates what to wear, how to travel, workplace gender segregation, how to communicate, what kind of phones to own (if at all) and more to women. They definitely dont have a place in the political and social atmosphere of Afghanistan. And even if some women social activists and volunteers do stick out, they become targets for the religious outfit. And if those rules are defied, even in cases of life and death situations or whatever emergency, women are subjected to public flogging till they can't pick themselves up and walk.

When the Taliban understood the two women were not accompanied by men, they forced them out of the clinic and beat them with the butts of their rifles, she said, citing a recent example. They had brought a sick infant in for a checkup. https://t.co/v2KeXw7W7U  Heather Barr (@heatherbarr1) March 4, 2022

Currently, most Afghans are selling their organs just to put food on the table. Women under the myriad of restrictions are somehow trying to ensure they themselves, their children, and family members are able to eat at least one meal a day.

Having likely lost their fathers, brothers and husbands, some women have been left on their own under the Talibans impossible restrictions to function alone. Girl child marriages, likely to much older men, were and are still a common sight in Afghanistan, just for the sake of being able to live under the terms and conditions. It doesn't matter if the woman is beaten up black and blue by the husband.

Since Taliban takeover in Afghanistan poverty has been spread all over the country. This footage shows that hundreds of women lined up in front of a bakery in Kabul to receive a loaf of bread. #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/EUSp1x2yrv  Zahra Rahimi (@ZahraSRahimi) March 2, 2022

The defaced pictures of women on store signs and walls and the beheaded female form of mannequins are a literal description of the state of human women in Afghanistan. Other basic rights like medical access, the right to vote and more are still an unknown dream for Afghan women who are yet to get the right to just live.

Looking into Afghanistan's history, one would perhaps be surprised to find that the conditions for women and the overall atmosphere weren't always so desperate. Before the Soviet invasion, women in Afghanistan wore what they wanted, went where they wanted, studied what they wanted, had ambitions and passion, and worked where they wanted. Now, that history seems like a wholly different world.
There is more that unites us than divides us




Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for "maximum restraint" in Ukraine and said China is "pained to see the flames of war reignited in Europe," state media reported, in his strongest statement to date on the conflict.







Xi, speaking at a virtual meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, said the three countries should jointly support peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.







Xi described the situation in Ukraine as "worrying" and said the priority should be preventing it from escalating or "spinning out of control", CCTV cited him as saying.







He also said France and Germany should make efforts to reduce negative impacts of the crisis, and expressed concern about the impact of sanctions on the stability of global finance, energy supplies, transportation and supply chains.







China, which has refused to condemn Russia's actions in Ukraine or to call them an invasion, has repeatedly expressed its opposition to what it describes as illegal sanctions on Russia.







China's friendship with Russia, strengthened last month when President Vladimir Putin attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics on the same day that the countries declared a "no limits" strategic partnership, has become awkward for China as the war in Ukraine escalates.







Moscow describes its actions in Ukraine as a "special operation" to disarm its neighbor and unseat leaders it calls neo-Nazis. Ukraine and its Western allies call this a baseless pretext for an invasion to conquer a country of 44 million people. (Reuters)






One year after hinting at an upcoming collaboration with Grammy-winning Jamaican artist Koffee, Cruel Santino has finally released their single Deadman Bone. The much-anticipated track is the first to be heard in the section titled Final Champion on Santinos sophomore album, Subaru Boys: Final Heaven.

Deadman Bone features Santinos novel approach to mixing dialects and musical genres like Rap, Afrobeat and Hip Hop. Two verses in, Koffee appears and heats up the hook before hitting us with a verse of tough bars in Jamaican patois. With Santi (one of the best in the Nigerian alte movement) hooking up with the Reggae superstar, its no surprise that the song is already getting rave reviews.

I waited over a year for this I remember when he previewed her part on IG I screen recorded and played that likkle piece over and over <3 now I have the full masterpiece, wrote one fan.

Subaru Boys: Final Heaven is a conceptual 21-track album co-produced by Cruel Santino and released on Monster Boy/Interscope Records. It is divided into themed sections and geared towards guiding listeners on an epic journey of war and glory courtesy Santi and a slew of guest features including Skepta, Amaarae, Gus Dapperton and Maison2500. Listen to Deadman Bone ft Koffee above.

This isnt the first time that Koffee has gotten interest from Nigerian artists.

Last year, Davido expressed his desire to hit the studio with the 22 year old phenom and a few months before that, she appeared to be collaborating with Burna Boyalthough that song is yet to be released.

Koffees debut album, Gifted, is slated for release on March 25 via Sony Music UK and RCA Records.

The album will have among its 10 tracks, the lead-out song X10which is said to sample Bob Marleys classic Redemption SongDefend, Shine, the title track Gifted, Lonely, Run Away, Where Im From as well as the previously-released West Indies, Pull Up and her 2020 hit single Lockdown.
When the United States Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Brown vs. Board of Education that racially segregated schools were inherently unconstitutional, it directed the courts to make states achieve racial integration with all deliberate speed.

The lawyers for Oliver Brown and his daughter Linda argued for a one-year integration timeline. Attorneys for states like Kansas, South Carolina and Virginia argued against rapid racial integration; some went so far as to warn that Black students would bring venereal disease and tuberculosis into white schools.

Nearly 70 years later America is still moving with all deliberate speed (which Justice Thurgood Marshall defined as S-L-O-W). Connecticut is no exception. As of 2019, our state was tied for sixth place nationally as one of the most segregated states when it comes to Black students attending schools that are majority Black. And as a nation and a state, we are still making excuses about why Black and Hispanic students cannot be accommodated in largely white suburban schools.

The latest come from several Republican members of the Darien Board of Education, which voted 5-4 in February to reject participating in Connecticuts Open Choice program to bring 16 Norwalk kindergartners to Darien. The Republican excuses ranged from when I have better confidence that we are back to normal to declaring that Open Choice has the potential to be a revenue generator run the right way, but it also has the potential to have some costs.

Open Choice is part of a court-mandated remedy program resulting from the Sheff v. ONeill Connecticut State Supreme Court decision, which found that the constitutional right of Connecticuts minority students to an equal educational opportunity is being violated by their racially isolated school settings.

Open Choice is a voluntary program that reimburses districts that have classroom space for educating minority students from neighboring communities. The state covers the costs of educating and transporting the students. Open Choice enriches the learning experience of all the students in the classroom. In the case of Darien (a district that is 88 percent white), 16 minority students from Norwalk (Norwalk is 28 percent Hispanic and 15 percent Black) would attend kindergarten in Darien under the Open Choice program.

Darien has the space. Kindergarten enrollment is projected to be at or below the low-end standard of its kindergarten class size policy of 18 to 21 students per class next year in four out of five Darien elementary schools. Under this class size policy for kindergarten, Darien has approximately 48 available kindergarten seats across the four underenrolled elementary schools.

Darien has the staff. Fewer than three full-time equivalent teaching positions have been requested in next years school budget, none of them related to kindergarten classes. This means the districts own enrollment forecasts project kindergarten enrollment to remain well within this range at four out of five elementary schools.

Darien says it recognizes the importance and need for diversity in the district. In fact, one of the districts top strategic educational goals is fostering a culture that promotes wellness, diversity and inclusion.

Yet when it came time for the vote on Open Choice, the board voted 5-4 vote against participating.

I have been, and remain, a longstanding advocate for education. I have secured increased funding for Norwalk and Darien schools and led the fight in 2017 to successfully change Connecticuts education cost-sharing formula. I voted to hire more minority teachers, endorsed teaching Black and Latino history, and opened discussions to allow small school districts to voluntarily work together to save money.

I fear none of this will entice majority white suburban schools into participating in Connecticuts Open Choice program. Perhaps the problem is as simple as President Eisenhowers acerbic observation after the Brown decision was announced: Law and force cannot change a mans heart.

I do, however, see hope. In that 5-4 Darien school board decision rejecting Open Choice, Republican school board Chairman David Dineen voted in favor of bringing Norwalk kindergartners to Darien, saying, We do need to lead, as a high-funded, high-performing district.  We are looked at as a leader.

A number of Darien residents have publicly expressed their frustration with the Board of Educations vote, and a recent rally in support of Open Choice drew well over 100 participants. I also hear from more parents who support this program for their schools and children than I hear from those in Darien who are against it.

I urge the Darien Board of Education to reverse its February vote and show the compassion and leadership that I know all Connecticut residents are capable of.

State Sen. Bob Duff, the Senate majority leader, represents the 25th District, which includes Norwalk and Darien.
Daytona Beach, FL (32114)

Today

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
With six RIAA-certified Platinum albums, 20 RIAA Gold-certified albums and over 70 million sold, Country Music Hall of Fame member Hank Williams Jr. announces a limited number of 2022 tour dates including a visit to Dayton, Ohio July 22 at the Wright State University Nutter Center.

As a touring artist, Hank was a pioneer in bringing arena rock production values to country music, and he remains one of the most consistent ticket sellers in music, period, as generation after generation gets turned on to one of the most dynamic live performers ever to take the stage.



Its about that time, and you better believe Im ready brothers and sisters, the icon shares. Were bringing some blues, some rock and some country back to country.



One of the most influential artists of his time, Williams Jr. has helped define Country music in his five-decade career, earning titles as Entertainer of the Year from both the ACM and CMA, winning a GRAMMY Award along with his 10 nominations from The Recording Academy and receiving recognition as a songwriter as a BMI Icon and a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.



Following his 37th album, Its About Time, in 2016, Williams Jr. has released several compilations, including All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over: Great Tailgating Songs, A Country Boy Can Survive (Box Set), Hank Jr. Sings Hank Sr. and 35 Biggest Hits.
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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.

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TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy said that the state budget had nothing for students, unemployed youth and Telangana martyrs.  DC Image

HYDERABAD: Opposition parties expressed displeasure over the state budget that was presented in the Legislative Assembly on Monday. They termed the budget as "publicity campaign tool" for the ruling TRS party and one that was useless for the people of Telangana state.

CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said that the state budget seemed fictional as there was nothing based on facts. For a government that promised innovative schemes in the budget, it had made insufficient allocations, he said.

TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy said that the state budget had nothing for students, unemployed youth and Telangana martyrs.

Suspension of MLAs from the budget session is a shameful act, he said. The Congress party will stage protests across the state on Tuesday against the attitude of speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy towards Congress members, he said.

Revanth Reddy said that the party MLAs, MLC, MPs will meet Governor Tamilisai Soundarajan on Tuesday and complain against the Speaker, who was following the diktat of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, he said.

Meanwhile, BJP national vice-president D.K. Aruna said that unable to clarify the doubts of BJP members on budget lapses, the government forced their suspension from the house.

The partys OBC Morcha national president Dr K. Laxman recalled that in an earlier instance, the present finance minister T. Harish Rao had torn budget copies in the Assembly and had obstructed the speech of the Governor, Did he not deserve a lifetime suspension from the house, he asked.
Hyderabad: TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has called upon the people to throw the BJP government at the Centre into the Bay of Bengal as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was playing the politics of religion.

The Chief Minister was speaking after taking part in a series of developmental programmes in Wanaparthy district headquarters on Tuesday, including inaugurating the Mana Ooru Mana Badi scheme.

Rao said he would make a major announcement for unemployed youth, in the Assembly on Wednesday. All the youths should be in front of TV channels at 10 am on Wednesday to hear that announcement."

Continuing his criticism of the BJP, he said religious and castiest approaches in politics are dangerous, but the saffron party has been resorting to this for its selfish benefits.

Rao termed BJP leaders as a bunch of vedhavalu (idiots) and said the saffron flag should be dro-wned in the Bay of Bengal. He came down heavily on Prime Minis-ter Modi, saying the PM's foolishness and stubbornness (murkhapu, mondithanam) were hu-rdles for development.

The Telangana government proposed to hike 10 per cent reservations for tribals and Valmiki Boyas, but he (Modi) kept it aside, the CM alleged.

"Fanatic forces are trying to destabilise the country. Intellectuals and people should think about this hatred politics and protect the integrity of the country," he told a public meeting.

"We should prevent divisive forces from wielding power and make Bangaru Bharat. I am ready to face any trouble or problem from the BJP to protect communal harmony and tranquility in the country. Having gained inspiration from the Telangana movement, we will change the fate of India," he said, adding, "With the blessings of the people, I will fight for the cause of the country till my last breath," the CM said.

Rao said the people should be alert against the 'politics of hatred' being practiced by the BJP (against the minorities). "Discussions should be organised across villages over the (communally) poisonous politics of the BJP," he said.

Rao said that it was the fate of undivided Mahbubnagar district had changed for the better after Telangana became a state. "Earlier, people from the district migrated to other states for work. Now people from Kurnool and neighbouring Karnataka state are migrating to Mahbubnagar," he said. The area now had five medical colleges.

"The Palamuru-Ranga Reddy lift irrigation scheme also change Mahbubnagar for the better. Mahbubnagar was known in the past for its severe drought conditions, but it had become "a prosperous region with a lot of greenery. "There are no suicides, no deaths due to starvation and no migrations in Telangana state," the CM said.

Fanatic forces are trying to destabilise the country. Intellectuals and people should think about this hatred politics and protect the integrity of the country, he told a public meeting.

We should prevent divisive forces from wielding power and make Bangaru Bharat. I am ready to face any trouble or problem from the BJP to protect communal harmony and tranquility in the country. Having gained inspiration from the Telangana movement, we will change the fate of India, he said, adding, With the blessings of the people, I will fight for the cause of the country till my last breath, the CM said.

Rao said the people should be alert against the politics of hatred being practiced by the BJP (against the minorities). Discussions should be organised across villages over the (communally) poisonous politics of the BJP, he said.

Rao said that it was the fate of undivided Mahbubnagar district had changed for the better after Telangana became a state. Earlier, people from the district migrated to other states for work. Now people from Kurnool and neighbouring Karnataka state are migrating to Mahbubnagar, he said. The area now had five medical colleges.

The Palamuru-Ranga Reddy lift irrigation scheme also changed Mahbubnagar for the better. Mahbubnagar was known in the past for its severe drought conditions, but it had become a prosperous region with a lot of greenery. There are no suicides, no deaths due to starvation and no migrations in Telangana state, the CM said.
Hyderabad: Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who completed two years since taking charge as president of the Telangana state BJP unit, is excitedly discussing the exit polls with party leaders when Deccan Chronicle meets him for an interview. He is making comparisons of the electoral projections made public by various TV channels with the internal assessments of the party.

The biggest takeaway from these projections, he says, after the customary and standard disclaimer on how exit polls could eventually be different from the actual results, is how there is a qualitative difference between deliveries of development and welfare by the BJP state governments, and others. There is a nation-wide wave thirsting for double engine growth.

Discussing Telangana, whose politics were qui-te spectacularly altered after he took charge of the state BJP, which has never been even a serious player, much less so a force, rising to credibly stake claim as the alternative to the ruling dominant force, the TRS, Sanjay says, Across all sections, there is a deep-rooted anger against the TRS government and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao.

Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has broken so many promises, no one believes in his promises. People want the BJP, and the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and double engine growth.

Sanjay says it is undemocratic and authoritarian on the part of the TRS to suspend the three BJP MLAs from the Assembly session. They are killing all dissent. They don't even want to allow public representatives to ask questions. The BJP will conduct dharnas against this act of murder of democracy across the state.

Dismissing the Congress as a failing and falling party across India, Sanjay Kumar said, The exit polls show that the fall of the Congress from more states and regions across India is imminent. Why would people want to replace a corrupt, family-ruled TRS with a party which is the fountainhead of the paradigm? After all, the Congress is largely responsible for institutionalising and normalising nepotism, corruption, policy paralysis and dishonouring of poll promises in our politics.

Responding to a query on the political moves by Chandrashekar Rao on creating a third front against the Narendra Modi government, Sanjay Kumar said, Three stinging defeats at the hands of the BJP in Dubbak, the GHMC and Huzurabad made him realise he cannot justify his rule. It is a diversionary tactic but people can see through it.

When questioned why people in Telangana, who are beneficiaries of TRS schemes like Rythu Bandhu, Dalit Bandhu, 2BKH for poor, free agrarian power, Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak, Aasara pension and Rs 3 lakh grant to plot owners to build houses, would want BJP schemes, he replied, Half the schemes are on paper. People who are eligible for Rs 3 lakh house scheme have told us that they have paid bribes to the tune of Rs 1 lakh to TRS leaders but are yet to get the money. Same is with Aasara pension, unemployment allowance or Dalit Bandhu. People have understood the difference between the TRS schemes, which are for the leaders to make money and BJP schemes, which actually reach the people.

Castigating the TRS government for denying Central schemes to the people of the state, he said, People want Kisan Fasal Bima, PM Awas Yojana, Ayushman Bharat. But the TRS does not even want to allow the Smart Cities project, or even acquire land for Central industries because we will get credit.

Strongly criticising breakdown of law and order in the KCR regime, the state BJP chief said, A lawyer couple is murdered in broad daylight. Journalists and social media commentators find false cases foisted on them and get arrested. Kidnappings of political rivals who are fighting against the corruption of leaders. Is this Bangaru Telangana?

Remaining modest about his own achievements in giving a surge to BJP in the state, he said, It is because of the love people have for Modi that the party is growing, and the support from all Central leaders, especially J.P. Nadda, Amit Shah and B.L. Santosh, and various Central ministers. We are an activist-led party and we are all activists.

When asked why there was no action against top TRS leaders on corruption charges, despite his allegations, he said, We dont misuse power. The Central government is not here to send the CBI or ED etc. to support our state units fight. We will fight legally and when a court directs a CBI probe, it will happen. The party and government are not the same for the BJP.

Sanjay Kumar said in the coming days, several programmes would be held to increase the strength of the party. We dont begin to build our party organisation by inviting leaders who can contest polls. We build from the booth-level. The worlds largest political party knows a bit about it.

When asked if he was facing any opposition from within the party, especially from seniors and old-timers, he said, In a democratic party like ours, which belongs to all and not a family, there will be discussions and disagreements. We thrive on it. At the end of the day, we submit all ideas and reports and the Central leadership takes major decisions. All BJP leaders work eventually for the party and our goal is to ensure that a BJP government is formed in Telangana, which we will achieve.
What do we vote for? This is a question to consider as we approach the results of the Assembly elections in Punjab, Manipur, Goa, Uttarakhand and of course Uttar Pradesh. The results are important for us as a nation, whichever party one supports in them. If the BJP pulls off a win in Uttar Pradesh again (as I expect it to do, though narrowly), then we will continue down the same path we have gone in the past eight years. If it is defeated in UP, however, then the mood will change. The Narendra Modi government will not be able to carry on with business as usual till 2024 if it loses UP. However, this piece is not about the parties and elections but about the voter, and why they vote in the way they do.

One of the more common ways in which voting is understood here is through the concept of anti-incumbency, which is not a phrase that is used in other democracies. In the United States, incumbent politicians have an average eight per cent vote advantage over their rivals. This means that there is a substantial incumbency benefit. This is according to a 2001 study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which looked at all elections from 1942 to 2000.

Presumably this advantage is because once elected, the politician uses the office to distribute benefits to voters, who then reward him by continuing to vote for him. In India, however, the size of the government is smaller, and there are not enough resources to do this. And so, the parties who come into government try, and usually fail, to make a substantial difference to the lives of their voters. This is why, after having spent five years in government, the party in power faces the anti-incumbency factor.

And yet, we have parties in power in some states for decades, suggesting that something else is also going on.

The other way to understand what we vote for is through what is called identity politics. This is not unique to us in India, but we appear to do it more so than in other democracies. Religion and caste are big factors and even primary factors for many of us, meaning that we vote in a way that shows our support for our religion and our caste. What does this have to go with government? Not much, but consider that many, if not most, voters realise that little will change in their lives because of which party is in power. This is a reality. Most Indians are poor and will die poor. Their children will not be educated in a government school any better than they are today because of the next chief minister. Their access to higher education will remain closed. The treatment they receive at their local healthcare centre (if they have one) or government hospital will not change in quality when the government changes hands. If they are in farming or in manual labour, which a large number of Indians are, they will remain there all their lives. They will not become professors or scientists or chief executives of multinational corporations. Almost none of them will even carry the hope that they can achieve such things.

In essence, the State does not give them the opportunity to progress and they have no agency over the material part of their life. So, what remains then? It is identity and religion and caste. Here a government can make a difference. Temples and statues and hate speeches and violence and laws targeting the minorities are a part of this politics, and one reason why we are seeing more of them now is that the BJP has given up the idea that it can materially improve the lives of its voters. This shows clearly on every parameter of governance -- from the economy and employment downwards. However, it also has the advantage of dominating the non-material aspect of politics. If development and jobs and such things are less important to many than identity, then the BJP can dominate the discourse by stressing the largest marker of identity, which is religious nationalism. It has done so successfully in our time and the only reason this has taken so long was that the other parties did not choose to play up religion as much as the BJP has done.

This appears to be a fairly dismal assessment of our democratic politics, but it is not easy to read it in any other way. And yet, it is only a thesis. I could be very wrong in assuming that a large number of people vote for non-material politics, or that even if that was the case in the past, it may not continue into the future for any number of reasons. A recent report showed that Uttar Pradeshs GDP grew at 6.92 per cent over 2012-17 in the five years under the Samajwadi Party. But under the BJP, the growth rate has been only 1.95 per cent per year since 2017.

Surely this is not a performance that could or should be rewarded. And yet, with just a few days to go for the Assembly poll results, it will not surprise me to find out that it is ultimately rewarded.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that they fought as hard as they could in Uttar Pradesh. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath thanked the electorate after voting for the final phase of the Assembly polls ended on Monday. Goa Congress, after exit polls predicting hung assembly, has decided to move its candidates to a resort to avoid defections.
Global oil prices could rise to $200 a barrel if Europe and the United States ban imports of Russian oil, analysts at Oslo-based consultancy Rystad Energy said on Tuesday.

Oil prices jumped on Monday to their highest since 2008 on fears of a Western ban on Russian oil imports while a return of Iranian crude to the market remains far from certain.

The global Brent oil benchmark currently trades at $129 a barrel, up from about $97 before Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Oil prices could double from pre-conflict levels, but it wouldn't be as bad as during the 1973 oil embargo, when oil prices tripled, said Jarand Rystad at the consultancy.

Also Read: What would a US ban on Russian oil mean for the world?

Rystad Energy analysts said the $200 estimate was based on an assumption that Western sanctions could remove about 4 million barrels per day (bpd) of Russian crude.

Russia, the world's second-biggest oil exporter, ships about 7 million bpd of crude and oil products combined.

The United States is expected to announce a ban on Russian oil imports as soon as Tuesday, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Last week Rystad had predicted that Brent crude would climb above $130 a barrel because Russian exports were to plunge by 1 million bpd as a consequence of previously announced sanctions and voluntary actions by companies.

Shell, among others, said on Tuesday that it would no longer buy Russian crude oil and would phase out its involvement in all Russian hydrocarbons.

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What is being called Egypts #MeToo movement has made headlines around the world since 2020, with high-profile sexual predators being called out online. Meanwhile, the countrys regime has been pushed onto the back foot on the question of sexual violence and womens oppression during recent years. This question is bound up with the fate of the Egyptian Revolution. Those who want to rid Egypt of violence against women must turn towards the working class and raise the call: times up for Sisi!

In July 2020, an anonymous Instagram account called Assault Police was set up by a student at the American University of Cairo. It named someone in her class as the perpetrator of rape, blackmail and sexual harassment. Within hours, other female students came forward with their own stories about the same person, Ahmed Bassam Zaki. This opened the floodgates for hundreds more stories from across Egypt to be made public, and the pressure mounted for Zaki and others like him to be prosecuted for their violent crimes against women.

Assault Police now has almost 350,000 followers, and provides regular updates on high-profile sexual assault cases and advice to women about how to report their own cases. As a result of the accounts social media activity, two separate but related cases of groups of men from extremely wealthy families filming themselves gang-raping young women at luxury hotels have surfaced several years after the events took place.

The womens struggle and the Egyptian Revolution

This online activism hasnt emerged from nowhere, nor is it merely a reflection of Hollywoods example. Rather, it is just one symptom of the profound effect of the Egyptian Revolution on society. Revolutionary movements between 2011 and 2013 brought all the burning issues of ordinary people to the surface. Millions of people, who had been suffocated for decades by the dictatorial regime, were finally able to express their wants and needs openly, and link them to the collective wants and needs of others who were exploited and oppressed. Women could at last see a way out of the most appalling oppression, and many felt for the first time that they didnt have to suffer in silence any longer.

Now that the Revolution has been side-tracked on account of a crisis of leadership and the mass movement has retreated, the desire to fight oppression that it awakened in so many hasnt simply gone away. The same mood has been visible in street demonstrations with demands about womens safety in public spaces and workplaces, as well as against sexual harassment. Women have self-organised to protect female-only metro carriages from male intruders, and Wen-Do self-defence classes have spread throughout more middle-class urban areas.

The revolutionary movements between 2011 and 2013 brought all the burning issues of ordinary people to the surface / Image: Mona, Wikimedia Commons

There have also been numerous videos shared on Facebook of street harassment incidents, highlighting the ordeals that almost all Egyptian women have to endure on a daily basis. Often these videos have generated a backlash from socially conservative elements of society. However, the fact that they have gone viral with any groundswell of support for the victims of harassment stands in sharp contrast to the repressive misogyny espoused by all corners of the establishment for decades.

In December 2019, a poor, young veiled woman appeared on a prominent satellite news show to discuss her survival of a gang rape and attempted murder in the Upper-Egyptian town of Farshut. She described disowning her father  a highly transgressive act in Egypt  because he wouldnt support her case, and waging a struggle for action to be taken against her attackers in the local community. Her interview sent shockwaves throughout the mainstream media.

Here we see the extent to which women have been raised to their feet by the Revolution, during which downtrodden layers of Egyptian society took hold of their own destinies. There were certain calls for action on womens issues before 2011, but it marked a sea-change. The mood in society fundamentally shifted. The most oppressed were emboldened to challenge backward social norms, and the potential for mass movements organised from below to overpower repressive organs of the state was demonstrated beyond all doubt.

Oppression and counter-revolution

At the same time, we can see the obstacles women in Egypt have in front of them, and the sheer scale of their oppression. 99% of Egyptian women interviewed by the UN in 2013 said they had experienced sexual harassment. The remaining 1% are likely too confined to their private compounds and chauffeur-driven cars to experience real life in Egypt.

It is normal for women to be blamed by their own family members for sexual assault  in rural areas a male family member killing a rape victim to spare the family from shame is not unusual. In a Thomson-Reuters survey from the same year, Egypt was listed as the worst place for women to live in the Middle East, even ahead of Saudi Arabia  its lowest scores were for violence and reproductive rights. Abortion is illegal in Egypt in all cases (including for rape victims) except when used to save a pregnant womans life. Meanwhile, more than twenty seven million Egyptian women are victims of genital mutilation.

In the last five years, the Sisi regime has stepped up a campaign of sexual repression, both against women and the LGBT community, to stoke the fires of reaction / Image: Alisdare Hickson, Wikimedia Commons

The overwhelming majority of women are answerable to the male members of their family (and this is encouraged by law), and are subject to lesser inheritance rights and social security benefits. There are many cafes and other social spaces from which women are outright banned or otherwise discouraged from entering.

While voices speaking out against womens oppression have become louder, the ruling class has consistently used the womens question to foster counter-revolution. Army officers carried out public virginity tests against female activists when breaking up demonstrations following the fall of Mubarak. Gangs of thugs infiltrated the protests in Tahrir Square and other sites to carry out the systematic harassment of women. When the Muslim Brotherhood was in power, media stations repeatedly ran stories of sexual deviance among the protesters.

In the last five years, the Sisi regime has stepped up a campaign of sexual repression, both against women and the LGBT community, to stoke the fires of reaction. In 2015, two high-profile bellydancers were charged with debauchery and thrown in jail for their choice of clothing and gestures in music videos published on YouTube. The same happened with another dancer over her TikTok videos last year, and actress Rania Youssef was charged with obscenity after she wore a revealing dress to a film festival in Cairo in 2018. Between 2017 and 2018, there was a crackdown on LGBT people (again using debauchery as legal justification) involving dozens of individual arrests and the breaking up of a concert of the Lebanese band Mashrou Leila, which is known for its LGBT activism. The waving of rainbow flags triggered a police raid of the concert, after which some people were subjected to anal probing. This was the single biggest homophobic attack carried out by the Egyptian state since a raid on a Cairo gay club in 2001.

Female and LGBT oppression are being used by the regime to try and shore up their support among conservative layers of society and to divide the ebbing revolutionary movement itself. As well as their access to the brute force of the state and control of the mass media, they have in their favour the centuries-long authority of religious institutions designed to entrench the cultural values of a bygone age and hold back social consciousness.

Only the return of the revolutionary movement will be fully able to cut across the dividing lines that the ruling class has drawn among the Egyptian masses using such means. In the meantime, skillful, class-conscious leadership is required to prepare the struggle against all forms of oppression which this mass movement will entail. Revolutionary leadership must link the fight against female and LGBT oppression to the basic social and political demands of the Revolution. It must also call the oppressive actions of the regime by their proper name  counter-revolution  and call on all workers organisations to oppose them.

The regimes balancing act

It is important to view two measures passed through Egyptian parliament against sexual assault and harassment in this wider context. The first, brought in 2014, recognised sexual harassment in law for the first time  and made it punishable with a prison sentence of up to five years. The second was approved last year, partly in response to the online movement led by Assault Police and others. It guarantees the anonymity of victims reporting sexual assault and harassment.

These measures are certainly concessions to the fight against womens oppression, which reflect the social pressure for action to be taken against the scourge of street harassment. So does the installation of special women-led police units from 2017 in certain neighbourhoods, particularly in Cairo, to tackle harassment.

The regime clearly feels that the tide in society is turning. It needs to be seen to be doing something about an issue that is a major source of anger for half the countrys population  many of whom have already proven themselves capable of taking to the streets to overthrow it.

In an act of outrageous hypocrisy, Al-Azhar  the main Islamic institution of the Egyptian state  came out with a statement last summer encouraging female victims of sexual abuse to speak up. They also echoed their previous remarks of 2018, when they categorised sexual harassment as haram and the fault of the perpetrator: Womens clothing  whatever it may be  is not an excuse for attacking her privacy, freedom and dignity.

These words go against decades of television interviews and official declarations, in which imams of Al-Azhar and other organisations have gone to great lengths to justify sexual assault and harassment, blaming it on the victims based on their behaviour and clothing. They are one of the biggest ideological forces behind womens oppression in Egypt historically. But popular opinion among younger generations of Egyptians has reached a tipping point that even these backward institutions cant ignore.

Those at the top of the Egyptian state are acutely aware of the delicate balance of forces in society at present, which only exists through inertia. This explains their often contradictory strategy. On the one hand, they lean on the repressive state apparatus and play on the reactionary cultural traditions fostered by religion. On the other hand, they cannot help but at least pay lip service to progressive struggles such as the fight against sexual violence. By doing so, they aim to divert these struggles into channels they can manage, which dont threaten ruling class interests.

The whole system needs changing

Although activists in the struggle against sexual violence have played a certain role in wringing some reluctant measures out of the regime, we need to be quite clear about what these concessions represent in practice.

The sexual harassment law change of 2014 has done nothing to stop street harassment. Nor is it widely used to apprehend perpetrators of sexual violence, by police officers who side against victims; or a judicial system founded on Sharia law. Harassment incidents generally result in no action being taken whatsoever, with perpetrators counting on the support of both policemen and eye-witnesses.

To finish what was started ten years ago and fundamentally transform Egypt to lay the basis for a real cultural transformation, those fighting for female emancipation must appeal to the strongest force in society: the working men and women without whom society cannot function / Image: Hossam el-Hamalawy, Flickr

The law change to protect victims identities has received praise from feminist activists and prominent survivors of sexual assault. Many of these survivors are media personalities who had received abuse and threats on social media after their cases became public knowledge. But it remains to be seen how this anonymity would actually work for most Egyptian women, who come from working-class or poor backgrounds. How can you be anonymous from your own family, who may shame you and even subject you to further violence? How can a girl from Farshut remain anonymous in her hometown, through which she was forced to run, bloodied and stripped almost-bare, to reach her local police station?

And the idea that more police on the streets  whether female or male  is an effective barrier to harassment sounds like a cruel joke to most Egyptian women. When they are not coming to a harassers defence, police officers are often carrying out the harassment themselves. It is also common for male police officers to blackmail or extract bribes from women in the form of sexual favours. Lest we forget, many of those in the gangs that carried out organised sexual assaults on female protesters in the revolutionary movement were found to be carrying state security badges.

We must be clear that the police anti-harassment task force forms part of the same body of the same state that was used against the Egyptian masses during the revolution. The police are regularly used against the womens movement and the movements of Egyptian workers and youth in the streets today, as it defends the interests of the ruling class against any genuinely democratic expression from below. The Egyptian masses, whether fighting against womens oppression or waging other struggles, cannot rely on the armed defenders of the regime to protect them.

Nor can they rely on Sisis puppet parliament to do their bidding. In January 2021, the cabinet attempted to propose a new personal status law that leaves the final decision on a womans right to marry, to travel abroad, to give birth, to a divorce settlement and to custody over her children with her male guardian. This reflects the real attitudes towards female oppression held by these parliamentarians. The bill was delayed due to a public outcry, which led to President Sisi himself stepping in to suggest the government wants to hear from everyone before deciding on the law.

Meanwhile, several of the men implicated in hotel gang rapes have left the country and so will not be tried for their actions. The UK is currently harbouring at least one of them, and only one other remains in custody in Egypt.

Activists of the anti-harassment movement are taking responsibility for raising awareness of sexual violence with cases like this one. But the problem is not awareness. Nor can the general problem be solved by increasing legal aid to victims of violence, assault and harassment. There are fifty million women and girls, the majority from a poor background, going through the same thing to one degree or another in Egypt.

When somehow some of these women are reached, social media campaigns and legal advice are often of little practical help. And that is before taking into account an Egyptian legal system rigged against women. Womens oppression permeates all spheres of life in Egypt, from the domestic household and family ties, to the school, the Mosque and the Church, television and social media, the workplace and the street.

On the basis of capitalism, there will always be an Egyptian ruling class for whom female oppression has many uses in maintaining their rule. The right of men to lord over women is central to preventing the unity of the sexes on a class basis, which would fundamentally threaten the existing order as it did during the Egyptian Revolution.

The ruling class refuses to spend money to make the social provisions that would relieve the burden of housework on women. They would prefer women to rot away in the home, isolated from the class struggle and condemned to servitude. They may say a few fine words about fighting sexual harassment, but they will never tackle this menace to women across Egypt at its root, because it is an essential part of their system.

Strength in class struggle

Anti-harassment activists, however courageous they may be, cannot fundamentally change society, on their own. To finish what was started ten years ago and fundamentally transform Egypt to lay the basis for a real cultural transformation, those fighting for female emancipation must appeal to the strongest force in society: the working men and women without whom society cannot function.

The working class is, for the most part, conspicuously absent from Egypts #MeToo movement. Yet working class women experience a double oppression: as workers and as women. It was the working class which gave the Egyptian Revolution its backbone, whose mass strikes finally brought the Mubarak and Morsi regimes tumbling down. And it was the combination of democratic and social demands that united the Egyptian masses in struggle  men and women, from middle-class layers of youth to the mass of the working class.

Democratic demands for womens safety and for full equality before the law must be connected to social demands that apply to all workers. The Egyptian Revolution was full of countless examples of fearless, steadfast women playing the decisive role in battles against the state and against their bosses.

It was the women of the Misr Spinning and Weaving Company in Mahalla who launched the 6 April insurrection, which inspired the revolution. It was they who demanded that their male comrades join them on strike. It was women who urged the mass demonstrations through the city streets in the early days of the revolution, bearing the brunt of the tear gas and rubber bullets that the state security forces fired upon them.

Our demands can be won only through the methods of collective struggle and self-defence developed by the masses during the Revolution, rather than the methods of the capitalist state. The leaders of the workers organisations have a responsibility to take up these methods in the struggle for womens emancipation and against sexual violence in the labour movement. As it stands, the movement against sexual violence has reached a dead end. Without connecting with the working class, it has nowhere else to go.

This struggle is not only about what is possible today, but what is possible tomorrow. The contradictions that led to the Egyptian Revolution have only deepened in the years since it was derailed. A mass revolutionary movement on the same scale will return, and the question of female oppression will be a factor in the movement, just as it was before. The practical experience of the Egyptian masses, of women overcoming crippling oppression to stand alongside men in struggle (and often giving the lead to men), taught them more in eighteen days than a lifetime under the chauvinism of class society. They instinctively banished harassment from their movement, and in turn, harassment was used as a direct weapon by the organised counter-revolution.

The task now is to build a revolutionary leadership of the advanced workers and youth, which can make conscious the instinctive and semi-conscious understanding of the masses: that the struggle against the oppression of women is inseparable bound up with the class struggle. Only by providing an alternative to capitalism and decisively defeating the counter-revolution can we hope to consign all forms of this oppression to the past.
Oil prices see-sawed near 14-year highs on Tuesday as the United States considered acting alone to ban Russian oil imports rather than teaming up with allies in Europe, easing concerns of a wider disruption to crude supplies.

Brent crude futures were up $1.06, or 0.9 per cent, at $124.27 a barrel at 0223 GMT, after trading as high as $125.19 then dipping to $121.31.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 36 cents, or 0.3 per cent, at $119.72 a barrel after also trading in a roughly $4 range.

The erratic moves came following a sharp run-up on Monday to near 14-year highs when the Biden Administration said it was talking to Britain, France and Germany about a ban on Russian oil.

Track live updates of Russia-Ukraine crisis here

"The price move up has been far too aggressive in too short a time. The charts are telling us the oil price needs to do some digesting before it can move substantially higher," said Michael McCarthy, chief strategy officer at Tiger Brokers Australia.

Keeping a lid on price gains, late on Monday officials said the United States was willing to move ahead with a ban alone, and Germany, the biggest buyer of Russian crude, rejected plans for an energy embargo.

A senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters no final decision had been made but "it is likely (to be) just the US if it happens."

Russia exports around 7 million barrels per day of crude and oil products.

lso read: 5 reasons why Ukraine has been able to stall Russian advance

"Markets though have already priced in a significant disruption to Russian oil exports already," Commonwealth Bank commodities analyst Vivek Dhar said in a note, pointing to how sanctions on Russian banks have already hit trade finance.

If all of Russia's oil exports were blocked from global markets, analysts have said prices could rocket to $200 a barrel, while Russia's deputy prime minister said oil could soar to more than $300.

"There is no capacity in the world in the moment that can replace 7 million barrels of exports," OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo told reporters at an industry conference in Houston.

Australia's two refiners, Viva Energy and Ampol Ltd , said they had stopped buying Russian crude following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Oil supply disruptions come as inventories continue to fall worldwide. Five analysts polled by Reuters estimated on average that US crude stockpiles decreased by about 800,000 barrels in the week to March 4.

The poll was conducted ahead of weekly inventory reports from the American Petroleum Institute, an industry group, on Tuesday and the US Energy Information Administration on Wednesday.

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Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar rushed to Goa on Tuesday evening following reports that the single-phase election there may result in a hung assembly. Shivakumar left for Goa on a special flight on the directions of the Congress high command, sources close to him said.

Goa could see a cliffhanger of a contest with a likely hung Assembly, as four exit polls gave an edge to the BJP although it was not crossing the mark of 21 with the two in a neck and neck race.

The Congress in Goa is managed by party general secretary Dinesh Gundu Rao, a former Karnataka Congress president. Goa voted in the single-phase on February 14. The halfway mark in the 40-member assembly is 21.

Also Read  Exit polls predict win for BJP in UP, AAP in Punjab

Shivakumar will camp in Goa for at least three days and the party is expected to depend on him to safeguard the partys MLAs from any poaching attemptsa rodeo that isnt his first.

Shivakumar became notable as the Congress go-to man in 2002. The then Maharashtra CM Vilasrao Deshmukh sought the help of his Karnataka counterpart S M Krishna to safeguard the partys MLAs. Krishna entrusted the job to Shivakumar, who kept the MLAs safe in a Bidadi resort.

In 2017, Shivakumar safeguarded 44 Gujarat MLAs in the same resort, even as he faced I-T raids. He did the same for Congress-JD(S) after the 2018 Karnataka Assembly polls threw up a fractured mandate.

When MLAs resigned in 2019, Shivakumar was the first responder, but he could do little.

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Opposition leaders on Tuesday rejected the exit polls for Uttar Pradesh, which have predicted that the BJP would return to power in the state, saying that they were "misleading" and did not "reflect the ground reality."

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav said that his party-led alliance would "sweep" the polls, winning over 300 seats. "Let the TV channels show whatever they wish... We are sure of winning over 300 seats," he said.

The SP president also accused the BJP of presenting "false data" to the public during its election campaigns in the state. "The people of the state are capable of differentiating between facts and fiction," he said.

Akhilesh's alliance partner and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) president Jayant Chaudhary also rejected the exit polls and exuded confidence that the SP-RLD alliance would get a comfortable majority in the polls. "I don't agree with the exit polls... They have proved wrong on many occasions... The kind of resentment that I witnessed among the people against the BJP will surely get reflected in the polls," Chaudhary said.

Also Read  Congress sends three observers to Manipur to oversee post-poll scenario

Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) president Om Prakash Rajbhar, who had allied with the SP, also echoed a similar sentiment. "Many senior BJP leaders will bite the dust in the polls... Exit polls are completely against the ground reality in the state," Rajbhar said.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also exuded confidence that her party would do well in the polls. "We are hopeful of a better performance in the polls," she said.

On whether her party would extend support to the SP in the event of a hung assembly, the Congress leader said that a decision in this regard would be taken only after such a situation arose.

BSP leaders also rejected the exit polls and claimed that their party would get more seats than what was being predicted by the TV channels.

The exit polls have predicted the return of the BJP in the state with a comfortable majority. Most of the exit polls gave the BJP between 225 and 250 seats, followed by the SP.

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Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) president Jayant Choudhary on Tuesday rejected the exit poll predictions of the BJP's return to power in Uttar Pradesh.

Choudhary told reporters, "Whatever issues we could take to the public, we did. People have also given their votes. No one can know the results until the EVMs are opened. There is a process of exit polls. I have never seen any people conducting exit polls at booths during the casting of votes. I do not agree with this exit poll process."

He said that the SP-RLD alliance will form the government in the state on March 10.

Also Read: The Jayant Chaudhary factor in UP politics

"We saw the enthusiasm and determination of the public during campaigning. They showed faith and confidence in our alliance. I think the survey has yielded different results," he said.

The RLD chief termed the exit polls an attempt to create 'pressure' and said it demoralises people who want a change in Uttar Pradesh.

"There is no doubt that our alliance will form the government in Uttar Pradesh this time. All this (exit polls) is an attempt to create mental pressure. It is a way to demoralise the people who want a change in the state. Sometimes people form their opinions on the basis of others' statements," he explained.

Jayant Chaudhary further said, "Some people went around with bulldozers for their election campaign instead of doing something for the state."

The counting of votes will take place on March 10.

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Samajwadi Party (SP) president and BJP's main rival in Uttar Pradesh assembly polls Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday alleged that officials in some districts were 'tampering' with the EVMs on the direction of a senior bureaucrat, who was chief minister Yogi Adityanath's principal secretary, and asked his party workers to be on the alert and 'guard' the strongrooms where the EVMs had been kept.

Akhilesh's charge came after SP workers apprehended two trucks laden with EVMs near Pahadia Mandi in Varanasi where counting of votes for the assembly constituencies would be taken up on Thursday. The SP workers staged a dharna on the road demanding explanation from the officials, who claimed that the EVMs which were on the trucks were not used in the polling process.

Varanasi district magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma said that these EVMs were being taken to a nearby college for the purpose of imparting training to the officials who would be involved in the counting process. The police had a tough time in rescuing the drivers of the two trucks who were held hostage by the SP workers.

Also Read: Opposition parties reject UP exit polls predictions

''The EVMs used in the polling are sealed and kept in the strongroom under CCTV surveillance and central paramalitary force protection.....the EVMs which were not used in the polling were being taken for training purpose but some political parties are spreading rumours that they were used in polling,'' Sharma said.

Speaking to the reporters, Akhilesh, however, said that the district magistrates had been directed to 'slow' the counting process on the seats where the BJP was 'losing'.

He also said that the exit polls' prediction about a BJP win in UP was a 'ploy' to 'create the perception' that the BJP was winning so that any allegation of 'tampering' with the EVMs could be countered. ''We have received similar reports from Bareilly and Sonebhadra districts also,'' Akhilesh said.

He suspected that the officials could try to influence the outcome of the polls on the seats where the BJP had never registered a win and also where the margin of victory of the BJP in previous polls was less than five thousand. ''There are 47 seats which BJP has never won,'' he added.

The SP president also asked his party workers to be ready with their cameras and remain alert. ''The UP poll is the final battle for democracy,'' he said.

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In Uttar Pradesh Assembly Election 2022, Ajagara Assembly Constituency (AC No. 385) in Varanasi district went to polls on March 7, 2022.

Uttar Pradesh Election Result 2022: Ajagara Assembly constituency result will be declared on March 10, 2022.

In Uttar Pradesh Assembly Election 2017, SBSP candidate Kailash Nath Sonkar won Ajagara constituency seat securing 83778 votes, beating SP candidate Lalji Sonkar by a margin of 21349 votes. In 2017, the total voters in Ajagara constituency were 336882. Of that, 2,17,508 voters cast their ballot visiting polling booths or exercising their voting franchise through postal ballots.

Use the map below to get the latest updates, winners and losers in Ajagara assembly constituency.
In Uttar Pradesh Assembly Election 2022, Ghaziabad Assembly Constituency (AC No. 56) in Ghaziabad district went to polls on February 10, 2022.

Uttar Pradesh Election Result 2022: Ghaziabad Assembly constituency result will be declared on March 10, 2022.

In Uttar Pradesh Assembly Election 2017, BJP candidate Atul Garg won Ghaziabad constituency seat securing 124201 votes, beating BSP candidate Suresh Bansal by a margin of 70505 votes. In 2017, the total voters in Ghaziabad constituency were 424077. Of that, 2,24,672 voters cast their ballot visiting polling booths or exercising their voting franchise through postal ballots.

Use the map below to get the latest updates, winners and losers in Ghaziabad assembly constituency.
In Uttar Pradesh Assembly Election 2022, Pindra Assembly Constituency (AC No. 384) in Varanasi district went to polls on March 7, 2022.

Uttar Pradesh Election Result 2022: Pindra Assembly constituency result will be declared on March 10, 2022.

In Uttar Pradesh Assembly Election 2017, BJP candidate Avadhesh Singh won Pindra constituency seat securing 90614 votes, beating BSP candidate Babulal by a margin of 36849 votes. In 2017, the total voters in Pindra constituency were 342536. Of that, 2,01,486 voters cast their ballot visiting polling booths or exercising their voting franchise through postal ballots.

Use the map below to get the latest updates, winners and losers in Pindra assembly constituency.
In Uttar Pradesh Assembly Election 2022, Sagri Assembly Constituency (AC No. 345) in Azamgarh district went to polls on March 7, 2022.

Uttar Pradesh Election Result 2022: Sagri Assembly constituency result will be declared on March 10, 2022.

In Uttar Pradesh Assembly Election 2017, BSP candidate Bandana Singh won Sagri constituency seat securing 62203 votes, beating SP candidate Jairam Patel by a margin of 5475 votes. In 2017, the total voters in Sagri constituency were 327363. Of that, 1,78,161 voters cast their ballot visiting polling booths or exercising their voting franchise through postal ballots.

Use the map below to get the latest updates, winners and losers in Sagri assembly constituency.
In Uttar Pradesh Assembly Election 2022, Sahibabad Assembly Constituency (AC No. 55) in Ghaziabad district went to polls on February 10, 2022.

Uttar Pradesh Election Result 2022: Sahibabad Assembly constituency result will be declared on March 10, 2022.

In Uttar Pradesh Assembly Election 2017, BJP candidate Sunil Kumar Sharma won Sahibabad constituency seat securing 262741 votes, beating INC candidate Amarpal by a margin of 1,50,685 votes. In 2017, the total voters in Sahibabad constituency were 865641. Of that, 4,22,811 voters cast their ballot visiting polling booths or exercising their voting franchise through postal ballots.

Use the map below to get the latest updates, winners and losers in Sahibabad assembly constituency.
The mantra behind the magic of Wong Kar-wai films such as In the Mood for Love and Chungking Express? Experimentation, says cinematographer Christopher Doyle who teamed up with the director to create a series of global classics.

According to Doyle, famous for his colour-saturated images in cinema, most of what the critics call their 'style' happened because both were open to experimenting.

He even has a term for it: 'Wong Kar-wai attitude'.

Quoting jazz musician Miles Davis, he told PTI, "There are no mistakes, only possibilities... And others have said things like - 'make your own mistakes, not others'. If you dont dare to fail you wont have the guts (and b***s and all the rest) to make great work.

"Our so called 'style' comes more out of the 'I may not know what I want, but I do know what I dont want' Wong Kar-Wai attitude," he added in an email interview.

The cinematographer, who has lensed some of world cinemas most loved films, said he is as surprised as anyone else to have found his calling in filmmaking. He dismisses adjectives of greatness, preferring the more ambiguous "only one of... not the greatest", saying, "If one takes oneself too seriously, one is likely to be cast in stone."

Doyle also expresses a fondness for "words, complex ideas, faces and spaces".

"I am as surprised as anyone that somehow making films is true to who I am; focused but eclectic, needing to share, responsive to spaces and environments, intrigued by the ups and downs, confidence and fears that all of us go through," he said in the interview, part of MUBI India's Wong Kar-wai's retrospective.

The cinematographer, 69, said he has always carried with him this "need to move, to dance" and find what's hidden behind words, images, ideas and faces.

"I love words and yet I know they are hiding so muchour purpose as filmmakers and that especially of actors is to reveal what is hidden. To give a face the light it needs and deserves. To give the space and context to an idea that cant otherwise be shared," he said.

Global distributor and curated film streaming service MUBI has released seven Wong Kar-wai films, including five restorations of past classics, 2046 (2004), Chungking Express (1994), Fallen Angels (1995), Happy Together (1997), and In the Mood for Love (2000).

Doyle, who is inseparable from Wong Kar-wai's filmography though they last worked together on 2046, is credited with introducing the world with a distinct visual style through director's films.

In his long career, the Australia-born lensman has worked with prominent directors such as Patrick Tam, Sylvia Chang, Chen Kaige, Gus Van Sant and James Ivory, but it is his collaboration with Wong Kar-wai that has made him a part of cinema history.

Their collaboration began with 1991 film Days of Being Wild and they worked through films such as Ashes of Time, Fallen Angels, Happy Together and the Hong Kong-director's 2004 movie 2046, a spiritual sequel to his most celebrated "In the Mood for Love", a languidly shot story of unrequited love between two neighbours who discover that their spouses are cheating on them.

The cinematographer's life has been an unusual one, almost like the plot of a very dramatic film. Born in Sydney, Doyle left his country on a merchant ship at the age of 18 and travelled to different countries doing odd jobs.

He landed in Taiwan in the 1970s and took an interest in Chinese culture, learnt Mandarin and started working as a photographer. Some years later, he made his debut as a cinematographer with director Edward Yang's 1984 film That Day, on the Beach.

At the moment, Doyle said he is looking for new inspiration to strike him while he keeps himself busy with writing and swimming.

"I am a lonely artist waiting for his muse (just in case any are reading this ). In the meantime (and in muse-less space that I find myself) mostly I write and collage and swim a lot."

The pandemic has affected his need to "move to feel alive" as it has put a pause to sharing "energies and exchanging ideas", he said.

"Zoom and Skype are not the same as touch and feel. Of course, you could say it centers us more. We have to come face to face with self and accept how we are and perhaps even learn a bit about ourselves that we wouldnt have otherwise. That I feel is the most positive side of what we are going through."

Asked whether he ever thought about his life or how it can be a film in itself, Doyel again quoted Bob Dylan: "those who are not busy living are busy dying".
Russia planned to open humanitarian corridors in Ukraine Tuesday for civilians to flee besieged cities, but Kyiv insisted the move was a publicity stunt and people would not be able to escape. Moscow's offer to evacuate residents was condemned because most of the routes led into Russia or its ally Belarus, and as the invading forces maintained a devastating shelling campaign. The Ukrainian military said Tuesday, nearly two weeks into the war, that Russia was ramping up its troops and equipment around the main conflict zones.
Ukraine's military intelligence said on Tuesday that Ukrainian forces have killed a Russian general near the besieged city of Kharkiv, the second Russian senior commander to die in the invasion.

Major General Vitaly Gerasimov, first deputy commander of Russia's 41st army, was killed on Monday, the Chief Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine's defence ministry said in a statement.

Also read: Russia warns on oil import ban as little progress is made at Ukraine talks

Russia's defence ministry could not be immediately reached for comment. Reuters could not verify the report.

Another Russian general, Andrei Sukhovetsky, also a deputy commander of the 41st army, was reported killed at the end of February.

Ukraine says its forces have killed more than 11,000 Russian troops. Russia has confirmed about 500 losses.

Neither side has disclosed Ukrainian casualties.

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Afghanistan marked International Women's Day in muted fashion Tuesday, with activists cowed by the threat of arrest or detention at the hands of the country's new Taliban rulers.

Since returning to power on August 15 the Taliban have rolled back two decades of gains made by the country's women, who have been squeezed out of government employment, barred from travelling alone, and ordered to dress according to a strict interpretation of the Koran.

"The Taliban have taken away the sky as well as the ground from us," said an activist from the Woman's Unity and Solidarity Group, asking not to be named.

Also Read | Nearly 400 civilians killed in Afghanistan since Taliban takeover, UN says

While the Taliban have promised a softer version of the harsh Islamist rule that characterised their first stint in power from 1996-2001, restrictions have been creeping in  if not at the national level, then implemented locally at the whim of regional officials.

"If you care about women's rights  anywhere in the world  you should be watching Afghanistan with deep alarm," said Heather Barr, of Human Rights Watch.

"It's been shocking to see how fast the progress of the last 20 years has been yanked back and how little the international community has done to stand up for Afghan women," she told AFP Tuesday.

Some Afghan women initially pushed back strongly against Taliban restrictions, holding small demonstrations and protests where they demanded the right to education and work.

But the Taliban soon wearied of the spectacle and rounded-up several of the ringleaders, holding them incommunicado even while denying they had been detained.

Since their release, most have gone silent, although the Taliban distributed videos of some purporting to confess they had been encouraged to protest by activists abroad, who said it would help them gain asylum.

Several rights groups said the alleged confessions were forced, calling them "hostage videos".

The Taliban at least acknowledged International Women's Day, with the foreign ministry calling it "auspicious", adding they would be provided with "an honourable and beneficial life in light of the noble religion of Islam and our accepted traditions".

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban's chief spokesman, tweeted the day was "a great opportunity for our Afghan women to demand their legitimate rights" -- even though protests are banned unless permission is given.

Soon after taking power, the new government abolished the Ministry of Women's Affairs, replacing it with its dreaded religious police -- the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.

Behind the walls of the sprawling United Nations compound on the outskirts of Kabul, an exhibition jointly organised by the UN and the Afghan Women's Chamber of Commerce and Industry showcased goods made by local female-owned businesses.

"It's a hope and a positive thing," said Tayeba Mashal, 47, owner of a firm that bears her name.

"We are hopeful that the women who are hiding in their homes because of the fear of insecurity will rise again in the society, resume their work, and resume their activities."

No other major public events were planned on Tuesday by women's groups, although one said members would mark the occasion by releasing balloons.

"Because of the restrictions imposed on us, we could not do it (collectively)," a Woman's Unity and Solidarity Group member told AFP.

"Now, everyone will do it individually at their homes."

A handful of members from another group, the Afghanistan Powerful Women Movement, planned to donate blood at a local hospital, but the Taliban denied them permission.

"The director of Jamhuriat Hospital said donating blood by women is not allowed as per Sharia law," said member Zakia Zahadat.

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The United States believes Russia is digging in for a protracted war, and Washington wants to help Kyiv resist, but an overarching goal remains -- limiting the conflict to Ukraine to avoid spillover that could provoke "World War III."

The US military establishment is walking a tightrope as it seeks to balance such demands and avoid nuclear escalation, according to public statements by American leaders and AFP interviews with several officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue.

The conflict "may not be over soon," warned Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his latest visit to Europe.

Read more: At least nine dead in bombing of Ukraine city Sumy

US intelligence sources initially feared a lightning attack that would see Kyiv fall within days. But the Pentagon soon realized Russia's army was "behind" in its battle plan, due to logistical problems and Ukraine's fierce resistance.

The US military assumes, however pessimistically for Washington, that Russia's massive and superior military capacity could eventually overwhelm Kyiv.

As one senior US defense official put it: "I just don't think we should underestimate" Moscow's "firepower."

The suffering, Blinken cautioned, "is likely to get worse before it gets better."

But Russian President Vladimir Putin "is destined to lose," he insisted.

In private, US officials go further, not hesitating to assert the Russian leader has already lost. And they are adapting their strategy accordingly.

Their first priority is to keep providing major assistance to Ukraine's resistance so it can hold on, even if some cities begin to fall.

The Americans have put in place "robust information and intelligence sharing with Ukraine," one diplomat explained, in particular to enable anti-aircraft defenses to thwart some of Russia's attacks.

An unprecedented $350 million in emergency military aid announced in late February has already been delivered to Ukrainian forces in the form of Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and portable Javelin anti-tank missiles.

Washington plans to release a massive $10-billion package including economic and humanitarian assistance, along with more weaponry and ammunition.

There is "no limit" to military assistance, one senior US official stressed, so long as it does not involve offensive heavy weapons.

Americans' great fear is that Putin, should he feel provoked, will extend the conflict beyond Ukraine, risking a direct -- and potentially nuclear -- confrontation with the United States and its NATO allies.

Therefore, the need to "contain the president of Russia" becomes a prime directive, said one US official.

Read more: 'A war for life of our child': Health crisis spills out of Ukraine conflict

Preventing a broadening of the war is a red line that was bluntly summarized by another official: "We don't want World War III."

Even before Russia's invasion, President Joe Biden -- acutely mindful of the threat of a nuclear face-off -- warned that any direct US involvement in Ukraine would provoke a "world war." He has given directives to avoid such a spiral, by limiting the capacity of American intervention.

Washington is therefore emphasizing the preventive and deterrent deployments of soldiers in allied countries that are on Russia's doorstep, which have been visited by Blinken and US Chief of Staff General Mark Milley.

But any option that could be interpreted by Putin as a major escalation has been ruled out, to avoid Moscow branding any NATO country a "co-belligerent" of Ukraine.

Should the Russians attack forces of a single NATO country, all other members of the transatlantic alliance, including the United States, would be obligated to come to its aid militarily under Article 5 of the treaty that unites them, and which Biden has pledged to respect.

Establishing a no-fly zone over Ukraine, sought by its President Volodymyr Zelensky, has been rejected by Washington and NATO.

The reason: NATO planes would have to be prepared to shoot down Russian fighters, and "that could lead to a full-fledged war," Blinken said.

Putin, for his part, has threatened "colossal and catastrophic consequences" for Europe and the wider world if a no-fly zone is implemented.

Given such tensions, Washington has blown hot and cold on the possible delivery to Kyiv, via countries like Poland, of Soviet-made fighter jets on which Ukrainian pilots have trained.

Biden's administration, at first reluctant to mention the prospect, eventually admitted it was "actively" studying the plan. But it has offered no firm commitment, or a timetable.

Some in Washington worry such a gesture would be enough to bring US confrontation with Moscow to a head, without even significantly changing the balance of power in Ukraine's skies.

While calls for more forceful Western intervention grow as images of dead civilians shock the public, US leaders remain committed to the delicate balancing act.

They hope ramping up pressure on the Kremlin with sanctions will eventually cause Putin to conclude that prosecuting his war is more costly than withdrawing.

But this would require keeping diplomatic channels open to offer him "off-ramps."

Having ceased all high-level contact with the Russians since February 24, the Americans are encouraging others to talk to Putin.

A weekend mediation attempted by Israel was seen in this light.

Similarly, Blinken's phone call to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, at a time when Beijing boasts of its "rock-solid" friendship with Moscow, did not exclude the possibility of China playing an intermediary role.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said Monday it has received reports of artillery shells damaging a nuclear research facility in Ukraine's besieged second city Kharkiv, but there was no "radiological consequence".

The Vienna-based UN body said Ukrainian authorities reported an attack took place on Sunday, adding that no increase in radiation levels had been reported at the site.

Because the site's "inventory of radioactive material is very low" and kept at a "subcritical" state, the IAEA said "the damage reported to it would not have had any radiological consequence."

Also read: Vladimir Putin blames Ukraine for Zaporizhzhia power plant incident

The facility is part of the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology, a research institute that produces radioactive material for medical and industrial applications.

Kharkiv has come under intense Russian shelling and missile attacks in recent days, as Moscow tries to step up pressure on Ukraine to surrender.





The nuclear institute itself has been at the centre of online conspiracy theories and unsubstantiated claims in Russian media that Ukraine is attempting to develop a "dirty bomb" -- a crude nuclear weapon capable of causing mass casualties.

The IAEA said this was just the latest instance of a nuclear facility becoming caught up in Russia's war on Ukraine.

"We have already had several episodes compromising safety at Ukraine's nuclear sites," said IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi.

There have been reports of damage to radioactive waste disposal facilities near Kyiv and Kharkiv and Russian forces have hit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, causing a fire that had to be contained.

Russia-Ukraine crisis latest updates on DH

The IAEA said the Zaporizhzhia -- Europe's largest nuclear power plant -- was now under the control of Russian forces, blocking the delivery of spare parts and medicine.

Only two of the facility's six reactors are operating.

Communications have also been cut with small nuclear facilities in the southern city of Mariupol -- which is surrounded by Russian forces, leaving residents without electricity or running water.

The IAEA has urged Moscow and Kyiv to agree on a plan to safeguard nuclear facilities.

Grossi has offered to travel to the infamous Chernobyl nuclear power plant -- site of a 1986 disaster -- where 200-plus staff have been on-site for 12 days straight.
In a parking lot under his municipality office in northern Israel, Nof Hagalil mayor Ronen Plot juggled phone calls as volunteers unloaded blankets and clothes donated for refugees fleeing war in Ukraine.

"Nof Hagalil is built on immigration," said Plot, 67, who arrived in Israel nearly 50 years ago from Moldova. "We will absorb as many people as we can."

After the Russian invasion began, Plot posted on Facebook, inviting Ukrainian "olim", or Jewish immigrants, to his town and urging residents to pitch in.

"If a big immigration wave arrives, we'd be happy to take part in the Israeli effort," he wrote.

Under Israel's "law of return", anyone with at least one Jewish parent or grandparent is entitled to citizenship.

Also read: IAEA reports second Ukraine nuclear facility damaged

Among those responding to Plot's invitation was Chaim Gershman, who reached Nof Hagalil on Thursday with his wife Ora and their four children. His mother Nelja, 60, arrived a day later.

Gershman said he had just one hour to pack, as Russian bombs fell on his community near Kyiv. He left wearing work clothes from fixing a faucet.

"At first, we didn't believe a thing like this will happen and we thought it was fake," said Gershman.

He said when he arrived in Israel, he chose Nof Hagalil because of the mayor's posts.

"I saw a man inviting, saying come to our city, we'll welcome you," he said.

Plot said his community offers a familiar environment because more than half its 50,000 residents speak Russian.

Shops sell Belarusian herring and Georgian sparkling water, and street signs are translated into Russian.

The mayor said he located 600 empty hotel rooms and 300 vacant apartments to house the Ukrainians who are "exhausted".

"They endured a lot of misery, they are hungry and tired and it's awful."

Russia-Ukraine crisis latest updates on DH

The Gershmans fled the Kyiv-area town of Anatevka, built in the image of the fictional Jewish village made famous in the musical "Fiddler on the Roof."

Escorted by police, the family drove 17 hours to reach the Moldovan border, only stopping once for 10 minutes amid explosions.

"We left everything we had, our whole lives," Ora Gershman, 35, said.

Now, the seven family members sleep in two adjoining rooms in Nof Hagalil's Plaza Hotel. The children have enrolled in school, while the parents organise paperwork and search for permanent accommodation.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has avoided forceful condemnation of Russia's invasion, stressing Israel's strong ties with Moscow and Kyiv.

Chaim Gershman said he did not "understand how one can stay neutral when it is clear who the aggressor is".

"Putin has said they will only attack military targets but at the moment they are bombing without distinction," he said.

Authorities say as many as 100,000 "olim" and their families could arrive from both Ukraine and Russia, evoking an earlier wave of about a million people who immigrated from the collapsing former Soviet Union.

Interior minister Ayelet Shaked estimated Sunday that about 15,000 Ukrainians could reach Israel by the end of March, with 90 per cent unqualified for "return" rights. She said that was an "impossible" rate for the country of 9.4 million people.

"We are the insurance policy for the Jewish people," Shaked, of Bennett's religious nationalist Yamina party, told Israeli public radio.

Israeli citizens who host non-Jewish Ukrainians who are not their immediate relatives must post a 10,000 shekel ($3,046) deposit per traveller, returnable when they depart.

Minister of Diaspora Affairs Nachman Shai wrote on Twitter: "Such a demand at this time is inhuman and immoral and prevents refugees fleeing the war and without family in Israel from seeking refuge here."

Ukraine's ambassador to Israel, Yevgen Korniychuk, told reporters on Monday that an agreement had been reached on deposits for non-Jewish refugees and thanked Shaked, without providing specifics.

The arrival of Jews to Nof Hagalil touches a historical nerve.

It was built as a Jewish town in the 1950s on land appropriated from the neighbouring Arab city of Nazareth. Israel's founding prime minister David Ben Gurion aimed to "Judaize" the Galilee, which was inhabited mostly by Israel's 20 per cent Arab minority.

Arab citizens of Israel are the descendants of Palestinians who remained during Israel's 1948 war of independence, while more than 700,000 others fled or were forced from their homes. Israel has not allowed most Palestinian refugees to return.

With time, Arab citizens have moved into Nof Hagalil, and today they comprise about a quarter of its population.

One of them is Saed Diab, 39, the banquet manager of the Plaza Hotel that is hosting refugees. He said he donated hand-me-down clothing for the new arrivals.

"I was in Kyiv on holiday just before the coronavirus. Nice city, good people," he said.

"I'm sorry for what's happening to them."
The US Defense Department told lawmakers Tuesday it estimates between 2,000 and 4,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in Moscow's nearly two-week-old invasion of Ukraine.

Asked at a House Intelligence Committee hearing how many Russian troops have died to date in the military operation, Lieutenant General Scott Berrier, director of the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency, said, "somewhere between two (thousand) and 4,000."

Berrier did add however that the estimate is considered "low confidence" because it was put together using a combination of intelligence sources and open source data.

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Pornhub and four other sites hosting sexually explicit content face a possible ban in France after the country's media regulator said Tuesday it had filed a legal complaint against them.

The sites were told in late 2021 that they needed to bring in a system that prevented children from viewing their videos.

Under a new French law passed in July 2020, website operators cannot simply ask a user if they are over 18.

The head of France's Arcom media regulator, Roch-Olivier Maistre, told reporters on Tuesday that a case had been filed at a Paris court after the operators ignored previous warnings.

"If justice rules in favour, these websites will no longer be accessible from French territory or via addresses registered in France," the regulator said in a statement.

The websites targeted are Pornhub, the world's biggest pornography site by user numbers, as well as Tukif, Xhamster, Xnxx and Xvideos.

At the end of December, Portugal-based Tukif launched a legal appeal against the crackdown, claiming it was discriminatory because other sites were not included.

The ban, if approved by the court, would see internet operators in France ordered to prevent users from accessing content posted on the websites, Arcom said.

They would instead display a page explaining the restrictions.

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Russia has proposed the establishment of humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to leave five Ukrainian cities including the capital Kyiv from 9 a.m. local time (0700 GMT) on Tuesday pending Ukrainian agreement, Russian news agencies reported.

But most of the corridors would travel through Russia or Belarus, something Ukrainian authorities have rejected in the past.

Civilians leaving the cities of Kyiv, Chernigov and Kharkiv would travel to Russia, some via Belarus, Interfax news agency reported, citing a statement by a Russian committee charged with humanitarian coordination in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected earlier proposals to evacuate Ukrainian citizens into what he has described as "occupied territory" in Russia and Belarus.

People leaving the city of Sumy and Mariupol would, however, be given a choice of passage to Russia or to Ukrainian cities Poltava and Zaporizhia respectively, Interfax quoted the statement as saying.

Ukraine has been given until 3 a.m. Moscow time (0000 GMT) to agree to the terms, Interfax said.

The Ukrainian ambassador to the United Nations Sergiy Kyslytsya told a UN Security Council meeting earlier that Russia had "undermined arrangements" for humanitarian corridors on Tuesday by insisting all routes would go through Russia or Belarus.

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African Energy Week (AEW) 2022, Africas premier energy event, is proud to announce a new partnership with the African Petroleum Producers Organization (APPO)  a consortium of African hydrocarbon producing countries committed to Africas energy and economic future. Focusing on energy transition, oil and gas financing, upstream and technology, the partnership will be critical for the continent as it moves to exploit new resources, increase production, and ensure Africa is in a strong position to tackle energy poverty.

APPO was formed in 1987 to promote cooperation amongst African hydrocarbon producers and to encourage the use of petroleum to strengthen the continents energy mix for energy security and economic growth. APPO has expanded from seven founding member states in 1987 to over fifteen today, collaborating on technology, policy and business model research and development and the application of global best practices to establish Africa as an international energy hub. Member countries include Algeria, Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Libya, Niger, Nigeria and South Africa, who will all be participating at AEW 2022.

Under the terms of the partnership, all member-states of APPO will be participating at and driving critical discussions at the 2022 edition of AEW, which will take place on 18-21 October 2022 in Cape Town.

We welcome the participation of APPO and its member states at AEW 2022. Having Africas leading hydrocarbon producers under one roof at AEW 2022 will be critical for Africas energy future, ensuring the continents heavyweights are both a part of and lead decision making and dialogue. At AEW 2022, the continents energy market challenges will be discussed, and energy transition solutions fit for Africa presented. AEW 2022 is committed to oil, gas and energy transition and look forward to seeing conversations go from Cape to Cairo, from AEW 2022 to COP27, stated Tomas C. Gerbasio, Director of AEW.

Despite the vast hydrocarbon reserves across the continent, inadequate investment in exploration and production has limited the growth of the continents energy market and economy. An increasingly restrictive financial environmental due to global energy transition policies, coupled with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, have further limited investment for Africa to maximise its hydrocarbon potential and address energy poverty. Whats more, despite an anticipated increase in hydrocarbon production in Africa in 2022, and demand expected to increase to pre-COVID-19 levels, declining oil and gas reserves in legacy fields continue to challenge market growth. African producers are struggling to optimise oil and gas production due to limited exploration activities. AEW 2022 will host investment-specific discussions, summits and presentations on how countries can improve regulatory regimes and policies to attract much-needed investment for oil and gas exploration. AEW 2022 will highlight the role which Africa-tailored financial solutions such as the proposed African Energy Bank can play to ensure the use of hydrocarbon resources is optimised to make energy poverty history across the continent by 2030.

Moreover, civil unrest across Africa has also affected production highlighting the need for cooperation amongst regional governments, regulators and energy market players. AEW 2022 will provide a platform for collaborative discussions to be held and investment deals to be discussed and signed.

In this regard, the participation of APPO, backed by this significant partnership, will be critical, both for the success of the event and for the future of Africas producers. Discussions centered around financing Africas upstream market  particularly important considering the reduced capital expenditure environment brought about by the pandemic and energy transition -; an Africa-adapted energy transition in which gas plays a central role; and the role technology plays in both modernizing and strengthening Africas energy space will be held, led by APPO member states.

Leading oil and gas producers and APP0 members such as Libya, Algeria and Nigeria will discuss market growth plans, policy reforms and lessons learnt after decades of markets expansion at AEW 2022.

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Russia planned to open humanitarian corridors in Ukraine Tuesday for civilians to flee besieged cities, but Kyiv insisted the move was a publicity stunt and people would not be able to escape.

Moscow's offer to evacuate residents was condemned because most of the routes led into Russia or its ally Belarus, and as the invading forces maintained a devastating shelling campaign.

The Ukrainian military said Tuesday, nearly two weeks into the war, that Russia was ramping up its troops and equipment around the main conflict zones.

The invasion has sparked the biggest war in Europe and the continent's largest refugee crisis since World War II, while the West has responded with sanctions on Russia that have reverberated around the global economy.

Also read: Russia warns on oil import ban as little progress is made at Ukraine talks

Russia's defence ministry said it would open the "humanitarian corridors" from 0700 GMT Tuesday, subject to Ukraine's approval, listing routes from the capital Kyiv as well as the cities of Mariupol, Kharkiv and Sumy -- all of which have been under heavy attack.

Ukraine did not initially respond to the offer.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of reneging on previous escape route agreements, and trying to stop people such as by planting explosives on roads.

"There was an agreement on humanitarian corridors. Did that work? Russian tanks worked in its place, Russian Grads (multiple rocket launchers), Russian mines," Zelenskyy said in a video posted on Telegram.

Accusing Moscow of "cynicism", Zelenskyy also said Russian troops destroyed buses that were due to evacuate civilians from the combat zones.

"They ensure that a small corridor to the occupied territory is open for a few dozen people. Not so much towards Russia as towards the propagandists, directly towards the television cameras," he said.

Also read: Hopes hinge on Ukraine escape routes as war rages

French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned the Russian plan.

"All this is not serious, it is moral and political cynicism, which I find intolerable," Macron told French broadcaster LCI.

"I do not know many Ukrainians who want to go to Russia," he added, saying full ceasefires to protect civilians were needed rather than corridors.

Addressing the Security Council, the UN's top humanitarian official Martin Griffiths also said civilians must be allowed to leave in the direction they wish.

At least 406 civilians have died since the start of Russia's assault on its ex-Soviet neighbour, according to the UN, although it believes the real figures to be "considerably higher".

Ukrainian forces said Tuesday they had repulsed a Russian attack on Izium city in the Kharkiv region, and outgunned troops have been trying to hold back a Russian push up from the east and south in an attempt to encircle Kyiv.

Also read: The hierarchy of griefsome lessons from Ukraine

Russian forces "suffered losses and retreated" in Izium after they "reigned terror in the city by bombing civilian premises and infrastructure," the military said.

AFP journalists witnessed thousands of civilians on Monday fleeing fighting via an unofficial escape route from Irpin, a suburb west of Kyiv, towards the capital.

Children and the elderly were carried on carpets used as stretchers on the route, which leads over the makeshift bridge and along a single path secured by the army and volunteers.

Desperate people abandoned pushchairs and heavy suitcases to cram on buses out of the war zone.

"We had no light at home, no water, we just sat in the basement," Inna Scherbanyova, 54, an economist from Irpin, told AFP.

"Explosions were constantly going off... Near our house there are cars, there were dead people in one of them... very scary."

Refugees trying to escape the city using agreed escape routes were left stranded as the road they were directed towards was mined, the ICRC said on Monday.

One Ukrainian paratrooper told of "hand-to-hand" combat in Irpin, saying "we are trying to push (Russian soldiers) out, but I don't know if we'll be fully able to do it".

An international legion of volunteers has descended on Ukraine to fight the Russians.

But the Pentagon said Monday that Moscow was on a recruiting mission for its own foreign fighters -- Syrians who fought for President Bashar al-Assad.

"We do believe that the accounts of them -- the Russians -- seeking Syrian fighters to augment their forces in Ukraine, we believe there's truth to that," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

Also read: Despite repeated urgings, no safe corridor for students stranded in Sumy: India tells UNSC

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday said he will not send conscripts or reservists to fight in the conflict.

Zelenskyy has recalled all servicemen working abroad to fight the invading forces, according to the Ukrainian parliament.

He again vowed to remain in place as Russian forces near the capital.

"I am staying in Kyiv. Not hiding. And I'm not afraid of anyone," he said in a video late Monday.

He said his government will do "as much as it takes to win this war!"

The World Bank on Monday approved an additional $489-million package in support for Ukraine, to be made available immediately and dubbed "Financing of Recovery from Economic Emergency in Ukraine," or "FREE Ukraine."

Russia-Ukraine crisis latest updates on DH

It came as Zelenskyy renewed calls for the West to boycott Russian exports, particularly oil, and to impose a no-fly zone to stop the carnage.

NATO countries have so far rebuffed Kyiv's demand for a no-fly zone, fearing a widening war against nuclear-armed Russia.

Western allies have instead imposed unprecedented sanctions against businesses, banks and billionaires in a bid to pressure Moscow to halt its assault.

But the leaders of Germany, Britain and the Netherlands warned Monday against a ban on Russian oil, saying it could put Europe's energy security at risk.

US President Joe Biden's spokeswoman said no decision had been taken, while Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak warned any oil ban would have "catastrophic consequences" on prices that have already headed towards a 2008 record high.

Putin has equated sanctions with a declaration of war and put nuclear forces on alert, pledging the "neutralisation" of Ukraine "either through negotiation or through war".

Despite harsh punishments for those voicing dissent, protests in Russia against the Ukraine invasion have continued, with more than 10,000 people arrested since it began.
Russia and Ukraine have accused each other at the UN of impeding humanitarian corridors that would allow safe passage of citizens and foreigners caught in the raging conflict, even as India urged both sides to facilitate uninterrupted passage for all civilians, including stranded Indians in Ukraine.

Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya told the UN Security Council briefing on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine on Monday that "Ukraine deeply regrets that more than 2,000 citizens of India, China, Turkey, Pakistan and other countries suffer today along with Ukrainians from Russian aggression."

He said the government of Ukraine was in contact 24/7 with diplomatic missions and consulates of foreign countries to ensure that their citizens can safely return to their countries as soon as possible.

Also read: The hierarchy of griefsome lessons from Ukraine

He said Ukraines Ministry of Foreign Affairs had established an emergency hotline for foreign citizens wishing to leave Ukraine because of the Russian armed aggression.

"The Ukrainian border guards in cooperation with colleagues from neighbouring European Union countries and Moldova are doing everything possible to speed up the passage of all refugees from Ukraine and have never created obstacles that would hinder this, Kyslytsya said.

He reiterated that the only root cause of the ongoing massive humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, including the situation at the western border, was the armed aggression of Russia against Ukraine.

"Russia bears full responsibility for the killing and injuring of innocent people, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and obstacles for the safe departure of Ukrainians and foreign citizens, Kyslytsya said.

Indias Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti told the UN Security Council meeting that India has reiterated its urgent demand for the safe and uninterrupted passage for all innocent civilians, including Indian nationals remaining in Ukraine.

"We are deeply concerned that despite our repeated urgings to both sides, the safe corridor for our students stranded in Sumy did not materialise, Tirumurti said. Russian Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia said in the Council that Moscow was particularly concerned that Ukrainian radicals still hold more than 1,500 foreign citizens in a number of cities as hostages to use them as a human shield.

Also read Ukraine starts evacuating civilians from Sumy and Irpin, officials say

"We stand in constant contact with relevant diplomatic missions regarding those foreigners. Besides, foreign citizens who attempted to cross the Ukrainian border heading to Europe encountered immense difficulties," he said.

"Those were nationals of a number of states, including African countries. We have taken note of a statement on this matter that was issued by the Senegalese presidency of the African Union. We were appalled by reported ruthless attacks of nationalists on student dorms that caused deaths of Indian students, Nebenzia said, according to his statement posted on the website of the Russian mission.

India has brought back over 17,100 of its nationals from Ukraine so far while around 700 Indian students remained stuck in the northeastern city of Sumy with their evacuation dependent on the facilitation of a safe passage by Russian and Ukrainian authorities.

On Monday, Indian student Harjot Singh, who took four bullets while fleeing Ukrainian capital Kyiv a few days ago, landed at the Hindon airbase near Delhi.

In the first Indian casualty in the war in Ukraine, Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagoudar, a medical student from Karnataka was killed in shelling in Kharkiv city on March 1. Nebenzia alleged that the Ukrainian side strongly refuses to cooperate with regard to the evacuation of civilians from Kharkiv and Sumy.

"It is clear to us that the Kyiv regime tries to prevent the exit of civilians and foreign citizens to Russia in every way possible, out of fear that once liberated, people will tell everyone the truth about the acts of Ukrainian radicals," he said.

Nebenzia added that he received an emergency statement from the Joint Coordination Headquarters for Humanitarian Response in Ukraine dated March 7. The statement says that the "Russian side offers to establish a ceasefire tomorrow, on 8 March, at 10.00 am Moscow time, and open a humanitarian corridor for evacuation of civilians from Kyiv, Chernigov, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Mariupol.

My Ukrainian colleague said Ukraine is ready to work on that. Lets see what response Ukrainian authorities give to our proposal, he said.

Kyslytsya quoted Ukraines Ministry of Foreign Affairs and said, "Today, in violation of the previously reached agreements, the Russian Federation yet again disrupted the opening of the humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of the civilian population from the besieged cities of the suburbs of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk and Kherson regions."

"Russia's armed forces continue bombing and missile attacks on Kyiv, Mariupol, Volnovakha, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv and other cities, towns and villages. This prevents the safe exit of humanitarian convoys carrying Ukrainian and foreign citizens, as well as the delivery of medications and food, he alleged.

He said Ukraine's calls on the Member States to spare no effort in forcing Russia to uphold the ceasefire regime in order to open humanitarian corridors and prevent a large-scale humanitarian catastrophe.

The Ukrainian airspace has been shut since February 24 due to the Russian military offensive. Indian citizens stuck in Ukraine are being airlifted once they cross to neighbouring countries such as Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland.
Fears of an energy war between Russia and the West grew on Tuesday after the United States pushed its allies to ban Russian oil imports as punishment for Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, where talks on humanitarian corridors made little progress.

Russia warned it could stop the flow of gas through pipelines from Russia to Germany in response to Berlin's decision last month to halt the opening of the controversial new Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Russia supplies 40% of Europe's gas.

"We have every right to take a matching decision and impose an embargo on gas pumping through the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline," Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Monday.

Also Read | Ukraine wants direct talks between Zelenskyy and Russia's Putin, says foreign minister

Novak also warned that oil prices could more than double to $300 a barrel if the United States and its allies banned imports of Russian oil, a crucial source of revenue after the country was effectively frozen out of Western financial markets.

Analysts at Bank of America however said that if most of Russia's oil exports were cut off there could be a shortfall of 5 million barrels per day (bpd) or more, pushing prices as high as $200.

Oil prices see-sawed near 14-year highs on Tuesday, with Brent crude futures up $1.06, or 0.9%, at $124.27 a barrel at 0223 GMT, after trading as high as $125.19.

US President Joe Biden held a video conference call with the leaders of France, Germany and Britain on Monday as he pushed for their support to ban Russian oil imports.

But if need be the United States was willing to move ahead without allies in Europe, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Many countries on the continent are heavily reliant on Russian energy.

Also read: 5 reasons why Ukraine has been able to stall Russian advance

Russia's invasion, the biggest attack on a European state since World War Two, has created 1.7 million refugees, a raft of sanctions on Moscow, and fears of wider conflict as the West pours military aid into Ukraine.

Japan tightened its sanctions on Tuesday, freezing the assets of an additional 32 Russian and Belarusian officials and executives of companies with close ties to the government.

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its southern neighbour's military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists.

Humanitarian corridors

Sieges and the bombing continued as Kyiv rejected possible humanitarian corridors to Russia and Belarus, but said some limited progress had been made on agreeing logistics for the evacuation of civilians.

Moscow would give the residents of the Ukrainian cities of Sumy and Mariupol the choice of moving elsewhere in Ukraine on Tuesday, setting a deadline in the early hours for Kyiv to agree, Russian news agencies reported.

Also read: 'Z a symbol for Russians who support Ukraine invasion

More than 1.7 million Ukrainians have fled to Central Europe since the conflict began on Feb. 24, the United Nations refugee agency said on Monday.

After the third attempt to ease the bloodshed at talks in Belarus, a Ukrainian negotiator said that although small progress on agreeing logistics for the evacuation of civilians had been made, things remained largely unchanged.

Russia has proposed two corridors inside of Ukraine, according to Interfax. Escape routes to Russia and Belarus, its close ally, were earlier called "completely immoral" by a spokesperson for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Reuters Moscow would halt operations if Ukraine ceased fighting, amended its constitution to declare neutrality, and recognised Russia's annexation of Crimea and the independence of regions held by Russian-backed separatists.

A Russian strike on a bread factory killed 13 in the town of Makariv in the Kyiv region, Ukrainian officials said. Reuters could not verify the details. Russia denies targeting civilians.

In the encircled southern port city of Mariupol, hundreds of thousands of people remained trapped without food and water under regular bombardments.

In the eastern city of Kharkiv, police said the death toll from the Russian bombardment was 143 since the start of the invasion. It was not possible to verify the toll.

Ukraine said on Monday its forces had retaken control of the town of Chuhuiv in the northeast after heavy fighting and of the strategic Mykolayiv airport in the south. Neither could immediately be verified.

A senior US defence official said Putin had now deployed into Ukraine nearly 100% of the more than 150,000 forces that he had pre-staged outside the country before the invasion.

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Commercial satellite images suggest a resumption of construction activity at North Korea's nuclear testing ground nearly four years after leader Kim Jong Un declared the site's closure and invited foreign journalists to observe the destruction of tunnels ahead of his first summit with then-US President Donald Trump.

Analysts say it's unclear how long it would take North Korea to restore the site for nuclear detonations if it intends to do so.

The site in Punggye-ri in the country's northeast was used for its sixth and last nuclear test in 2017.

Also Read | Why North Korea's satellite launches are so controversial

The sighting of construction activity at the site comes amid a deepening diplomatic freeze since the collapse of the second Kim-Trump meeting in February 2019, when the Americans rejected North Korean demands for major sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of its nuclear capabilities.

North Korea has used the pause in talks to further expand its military capabilities, including nine rounds of missile launches in 2022 alone.

The unusually fast pace indicates an intent to pressure the Biden administration, which has offered open-ended talks but shown no willingness to concede on sanctions.

Kim presided over a ruling Workers' Party meeting in January where Politburo members denounced what they described as US hostility and issued a veiled threat to resume tests of nuclear explosives and long-range missiles that Kim unilaterally suspended in 2018 to create diplomatic space with Trump.

Some experts say Kim is reviving an old playbook of brinkmanship to extract concessions from Washington and his neighbours as he grapples with a decaying economy crippled by the pandemic, mismanagement and persisting US-led sanctions.

The new construction at Punggye-ri was first reported in an analysis of satellite images from Maxar Technologies by Jeffrey Lewis and Dave Schmerler at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.

Satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC analysed on Tuesday by The Associated Press showed two new structures appeared to have been built to the site's south between February and early March.

Those images were taken on March 6, two days after the Maxar images used by Lewis and Schmerler.

The analysts said the construction work was the first activity they saw at the site since May 2018, when North Korea invited a group of foreign journalists to observe the destruction of tunnels at the site.

North Korea then didn't invite outside experts capable of certifying what had been destroyed.

We see very early signs of activity at the new site, including construction of a new building, repair of another building, and what is possibly some lumber and sawdust, Lewis and Schmerler wrote.

North Korea uses a substantial amount of wood at the site both for buildings and shoring up tunnels. These changes have occurred only in the past few days.

This indicates North Korea has made a decision about the status of the site and possibly plans to bring it back to a state of readiness to resume nuclear testing, the analysts said.

The test site is many months, if not years, from being ready for North Korea to conduct nuclear explosions there, they wrote.

How long it would take North Korea to resume explosive testing at the site depends on the extent of the damage to the tunnels themselves, something we do not know with confidence. It is also possible that North Korea will resume nuclear testing at another location.

Some South Korean analysts have said North Korea could possibly resume nuclear tests in the coming months to move the needle with the Biden administration, which has been preoccupied with Russia's escalating invasion of Ukraine and a regional confrontation with China.

The US intelligence community's annual threat assessment, published on Tuesday, also warned that there could be a new nuclear test by North Korea this year.

In January, North Korea began laying the groundwork for an increase in tensions that could include (intercontinental ballistic missile) or possibly a nuclear test this year  actions that Pyongyang has not taken since 2017, the assessment said.

The weapons North Korea flight-tested this year include a purported hypersonic missile designed to evade regional missile defense systems.

Some experts say North Korea may use another nuclear test to claim it has acquired an ability to produce a nuclear warhead small enough to fit on that missile.

Following North Korea's latest launch on Saturday, which it claimed was related to technologies for a spy satellite it is developing, South Korea's presidential office revealed that Seoul is closely monitoring the Punggye-ri site along with other North Korean nuclear and missile facilities.

Meanwhile, South Korea's military said it fired warning shots at a North Korean patrol boat that temporarily crossed the countries' disputed western sea boundary while chasing an unarmed North Korean vessel.

The North Korean patrol boat crossed the so-called Northern Limit Line on Tuesday morning while pursuing the vessel in waters near South Korea's Baekryeong island and retreated after a South Korean naval ship fired warning shots.

South Korean military officials seized the North Korean vessel being chased by the patrol boat and were questioning its seven crewmembers.

South Korea's navy has often fired warning shots to repel North Korean vessels crossing the countries' poorly marked sea border, but there also have been some deadly clashes over the years.

South Korea blamed North Korea for an attack on a South Korean warship that killed 46 sailors in 2010, but the North has denied responsibility.

South Korea has patrolled waters around the Northern Limit Line for decades after it was drawn up by the UN command at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. North Korea does not recognise the line and insists upon a boundary that encroaches deeply into waters currently controlled by the South.

The incident came a day before South Koreans vote in a highly contested presidential election.

The bitter campaign has been marked by clashes between major candidates over whether South Korea should continue pursuing engagement with North Korea or take a harder line to check its nuclear threat.

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Ukraine began evacuating civilians from the northeastern city of Sumy and from the town of Irpin near the capital Kyiv on Tuesday, Ukrainian officials said.

The evacuations began after Russian and Ukrainian officials agreed to establish "humanitarian corridors" to allow civilians out of some towns and cities besieged by Russian forces.

"As of 09:30 (1300 IST), more than 150 people have been evacuated and (evacuation) activities are underway," said Oleksiy Kuleba, governor of the Kyiv region.

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Civilians have been trapped by fighting since Russian troops invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Moscow calls its actions in Ukraine a "special military operation."

Russia opened humanitarian corridors on Tuesday so that people can be evacuated from Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol, the Interfax news agency quoted the Russian defence ministry as saying.

The defence ministry added that Russian forces in Ukraine had introduced a "silent regime" from 0700 GMT (1230 IST), Interfax reported.

Ukraine on Monday rejected Russian proposals to evacuate Ukrainians to Russia or Belarus.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address British lawmakers via videolink in the House of Commons on Tuesday, the first time a president of another country has addressed the main Westminster chamber.

Zelenskyy, who has spoken to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on several occasions since Russia invaded his country, has made a number of impassioned speeches to Western leaders in the last week, asking for supplies and military support.

He will address the chamber at 1700 GMT when formal parliamentary business will be suspended. Lawmakers will be able to watch the speech on screens installed overnight, with 500 headsets providing a simultaneous translation in English.

Also read: Russia to open Ukraine 'humanitarian routes' but Kyiv calls it 'publicity stunt'

Former world leaders including US Presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, and Germany's Angela Merkel, have previously made speeches in other parts of the parliamentary estate on the banks of the River Thames, including in the ornate Royal Gallery or vast Westminster Hall.

"Every parliamentarian wants to hear directly from the president, who will be speaking to us live from Ukraine, so this is an important opportunity for the House," Speaker Lindsay Hoyle said in a statement.

Russia-Ukraine crisis latest updates on DH

"Thanks again to our incredible staff for working at pace to make this historic address possible."

Ben Wallace, Britain's defence minister, told Sky News he expected the address to be "incredibly powerful".

"President Zelenskyy is the spirit of Ukraine, which is young, which is liberal thinking, which is outward facing, which is European, and that's what Russia or President (Vladimir) Putin just doesn't understand," he said.

Ukraine's ambassador to London was given a very rare standing ovation when he appeared in the chamber to observe Johnson answering lawmakers' questions last week.
The first NASA photographs taken on the Moon, including the first shot of an "Earthrise" and Buzz Aldrin walking on the surface, will be auctioned off in Copenhagen on Wednesday.

"One of my favourite photos from this fantastic collection depicts a photo of Buzz Aldrin taken by Neil Armstrong, and you can actually see Neil Armstrong being reflected in Buzz Aldrin's visor", Kasper Nielsen, the head of the Bruun Rasmussen auction house's valuation team, told AFP.

A total of 74 unique NASA photographs are up for sale, including 26 taken on the Moon during the Apollo missions in the 1960s and 1970s.

"Of course, the highlight is the Apollo mission reaching the Moon for the first time" on July 20, 1969, said Nielsen.

Bruun Rasmussen -- which was contacted by a foreign collector who wanted to sell the photos and who has asked to remain anonymous -- has estimated the collection at 1.4 million kroner, or almost 190,000 euros ($205,000).

Each photograph is up for sale individually.

The most valuable item, the first "Earthrise" photographed by US astronaut William Anders while orbiting the Moon in December 1968 on Apollo 8, is valued at between eight and 12,000 euros.

The collection also includes photos from the dramatic Apollo 13 mission, which never landed on the Moon due to a malfunction, instead looping around it before splashing down in the South Pacific Ocean after six days.

Several of the photos are on public display for the first time, having previously been part of NASA's archives.

Others have appeared on the cover of US magazines such as National Geographic or Life, illustrating America's success in the space race.

"This collection is very important today", Nielsen said.

"It shows us all the great achievements of mankind, looked upon with a historical view, looking at what mankind actually achieved in the 1960s and the 1970s".

Additionally, "it shows us all that when you put your mind upon a thing, upon a target, almost everything is possible".

The last time man set foot on the Moon was in 1972 during the Apollo 17 mission, but NASA is planning to send astronauts again in 2025-2026

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Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday confirmed that the evacuation process for Indian students stranded in the war-torn Ukrainian city of Sumy has started and they are being been taken in buses to Poltava.

"Last night, I checked with the control room, 694 Indian students were remaining in Sumy. Today, they have all left in buses for Poltava," Puri told reporters here.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy ways to start the stalled evacuation of Indian students from Ukraine's besieged Sumy city pummelled by the invading Russian forces.

India has brought back over 17,100 of its nationals from Ukraine so far while Indian students remained stuck in the northeastern city of Sumy with their evacuation dependent on the facilitation of a safe passage by Russian and Ukrainian authorities.

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India, which has managed to safely bring back over 20,000 of its nationals from Ukraine amid the ongoing war, said it is deeply concerned that despite its repeated urgings to both Russia and Ukraine, the safe corridor for Indian students stranded in eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy did not materialise.

India has been consistent in calling for an immediate end to all hostilities, Indias Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti told the UN Security Council meeting Monday on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.

He said India has reiterated its urgent demand for safe and uninterrupted passage for all innocent civilians, including Indian nationals remaining in Ukraine.

We are deeply concerned that despite our repeated urgings to both sides, the safe corridor for our students stranded in Sumy did not materialize, Tirumurti said.

Also read: Russian forces doing everything to evacuate Indian citizens from Sumy: Putin assures Modi

Tirumurti said India has managed to facilitate the safe return of over 20,000 Indians from Ukraine.

We have also assisted nationals from other countries, who approached us, in their return to their respective countries. And we will remain open to doing so in the coming days.

The Indian envoy told the Council that more than 80 evacuation flights have been crisscrossing the skies to bring the Indian nationals home. We are appreciative of the assistance rendered by the authorities of Ukraine and its neighbouring countries in facilitating their return.

Around 700 Indian students are stranded in Sumy, which has been witnessing intense fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops for days now.

India has been making efforts to evacuate its citizens from the city but with little success due to heavy shelling and air strikes.

To evacuate its citizens from war-hit Ukraine, the Indian government has launched 'Operation Ganga' under which thousands of stranded people, mostly students, have been evacuated from nations bordering Ukraine's western frontiers. However, the evacuation from the eastern part remains a challenge.

Also read: Second Russian general killed in war, Ukraine says

Tirumurti underscored it is important that humanitarian action is always guided by the principles of humanitarian assistance - humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. These should not be politicised, he said.

Russias Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia had told the UN Security Council last week that Ukraine nationals are keeping over 3700 Indian citizens by force in Kharkiv and Sumy and buses from Russia are ready and waiting at crossing points to go to these Ukrainian cities to evacuate Indian students and other foreign nationals.

Terrorists do not let civilians leave cities. This impacts not only Ukrainians, but foreigners as well.

"The number of foreign citizens whom Ukrainian nationals are keeping by force is shocking. Kharkov  3189 nationals of India, up to 2700 nationals of Vietnam, 202 nationals of China. Sumy  576 nationals of India, 101 nationals of Ghana, 121 national of China, Nebenzia had said.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres tweeted on Sunday that it is absolutely essential to establish a pause in the fighting in Ukraine to allow for the safe passage of civilians from Mariupol, Kharkiv and Sumy, as well as all other places caught in conflict, and to ensure life-saving humanitarian supplies can move in for those who remain.

In his phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed his deep concern for the safety and security of the Indian students still remaining in Sumy.

Also read: Russia warns on oil import ban as little progress is made at Ukraine talks

President Putin briefed Prime Minister about the ongoing measures related to humanitarian corridors for facilitating evacuation of civilians including Indian students, an official release issued in New Delhi said.

Modi also suggested that a direct conversation between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky may greatly assist the ongoing peace efforts.

In his conversation with Zelensky, Modi expressed deep concern about the ongoing conflict and resultant humanitarian crisis. Modi thanked Ukrainian authorities for their facilitation in evacuating more than 20000 Indian citizens from Ukraine.

Modi emphasized the need for quick and safe evacuation of students stranded in Ukraine.

Tirumurti told the Council that in his conversations with the leadership of both sides, Modi reiterated our call for immediate ceasefire and the need for both parties to return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy.

Tirumurti said numerous lives have been lost so far due to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, including a young Indian student.

India mourns his death and we convey our deepest condolences to his family, just as we mourn the loss of each and every civilian life in the conflict.

In the first Indian casualty in the war in Ukraine, 21-year-old fourth-year medical student at the Kharkiv National Medical University Naveen Shekarappa Gyanagoudar from Karnataka was killed in shelling in Kharkiv city.

Tirumurti said the worsening situation in Ukraine and ensuing humanitarian crisis deserves our immediate and urgent attention.

As per the UNs own estimate, 1.5 million refugees have sought shelter in neighbouring countries of Ukraine over the last 11 days, he said.

This has led to a pressing humanitarian crisis that needs to be addressed expeditiously, he added.
When you sell liquor in Pennsylvania, you have only one true customer: the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Even if you buy a cocktail at a bar, the establishment had to buy that booze from the state-run liquor store, just like you.

So when Gov. Tom Wolf urged the PLCB to stop buying and selling Russian-sourced products to protest Russias invasion of Ukraine, it put Margaret Bayuk in a tight spot.

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Bayuk is a 74-year-old Slovakian immigrant and longtime resident of Beaver Falls. Shes also the sole proprietor of Ustianochka Vodka, distilled and bottled in Russia and exclusively sold in Pennsylvania. It retails for $16.99 a bottle. During the pandemic, she has averaged a modest 20 cases per week in statewide sales, mostly around Pittsburgh.

But now that Bayuks lone customer has blacklisted her, shes sitting on roughly 30,000 bottles of the stuff. Last week she faxed Wolf a letter asking him to reconsider.

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Why are you sanctioning me? Bayuk wrote. I am definitely not an oligarch. We own no yachts (or any boats), or luxury cars (my Odyssey has 268,000 miles) and we are paying off a home mortgage like most Americans.

Ustianochka and Russian Standard are the only two brands affected by the PLCBs decision, which Bayuk first learned of from The Inquirer on Feb. 27. The next morning, her PLCB buyer called her to explain apologetically that Bayuks vodka had been pulled off the shelf and put in a backroom.

They only do what theyre instructed to do, Bayuk said in a phone interview, expressing some sympathy for PLCB staff. Besides what the state stores have in stock, Bayuk has a shipment large enough to last the year warehoused in a repurposed limestone mine in Wampum, Lawrence County. She doesnt know what shell do with it.

Her husband, John, a retired family medicine doctor, volunteered an idea. Itd be nice to dump a pallet in front of the governors mansion, he said, summoning frustration on Bayuks behalf.

Pennsylvania is far from alone in boycotting Russian spirits, and Bayuk is not the only small-time importer to be hurt. Nearly a dozen states and large chains like Total Wine announced bans in recent weeks. But the move is largely symbolic, as only a small fraction of vodkas in the current market are of true Russian origin.

Moreover, the couple said, the Russians who produced this vodka have already been paid. Blocking the sale of Bayuks current inventory wont change that.

I am not even quite sure that Gov. Wolf knows how vodka is made or who regulates it and where the money is going, Bayuk said. I spent all the money. I bought all the vodka. I paid the government the federal tax, the duty, which is almost as much as the vodka itself.

The more she thought about the ban, the more it bothered her.

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It reminded me of the totalitarian regime that I left, she said.

From communism to commerce

Bayuk lived in Soviet-ruled eastern Slovakia (then Czechoslovakia) until she was 20. She came to Pittsburgh in 1968 to see her grandparents, who had immigrated in the 1930s. She wasnt certain she would stay, but the opportunities here swayed her: She was soon admitted to the University of Pittsburgh, where she studied biochemistry as an undergraduate and Slavic languages as a masters student.

Her experience in Pittsburgh contrasted with what she had lived in Slovakia, where Bayuks family couldnt afford to bribe communist officials.

If you dont pay, if your father doesnt pay  they dont tell you that, but my friends got into college and their grades were half my grades, she remembers.

She encountered totalitarian tactics again when she launched her importing business, Amruss Inc., in 2008. The Russian government distiller she initially contracted with was functionally forced out of business by the government, which halted production for superficial reasons for months until the company closed.

Bayuks path to importing is a roundabout one. During a Caribbean vacation in the early 2000s, she helped translate for a Russian couple staying at the same hotel; the husband happened to be a whiskey importer.

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We became fast friends. And then, he invited my husband and I to Russia, Bayuk said.

There, the friend  hes not an oligarch, John interjects  shared his work with them. His passion was infectious, and Bayuk had an entrepreneurial itch she waited to scratch until after their four children had grown.

She toured a number of distilleries before she chose one in Ustyansky District that works with Amber Beverage Group, a Luxembourg-based wholesaler that recently donated funds to support Ukrainians.

Thats one point Bayuk cites in her letter to Wolf as a differentiation between her and the owner of Russian Standard, the other brand currently banned by the PLCB. In the letter, she adds that Ambers parent company, SPI Group, is owned by Yuri Shefler, a Russian billionaire who was exiled in the 00s after running afoul of Vladimir Putin. (Shefler, while being anti-Putin, is no saint.) SPIs highest-profile brand, Stolichnaya, has evaded Pennsylvanias ban; it recently rebranded as Stoli to distance itself from its Russian roots.

Incidentally, Stoli vodka still uses Russian spirits but is bottled in Latvia, Bayuk notes in her letter. Russian spirits are still actually the best in the world for vodka!

(Bayuk is correct: Stoli has historically made its vodka using wheat and rye grown on the companys farms in Russia. The base spirit for Stoli is shipped to Latvia, where it is diluted, filtered, and bottled.)

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Bayuk does not want to be sanctioned by Pennsylvania. Her preference is for the governor to grant Ustianochka an exemption from the ban, and she outlines her argument for doing so in the letter to Wolf.

But she also offers alternatives that would preserve the symbolism of the governors decision. First, Bayuk suggests, permit the sale of her current inventory, as it has already been imported.

Second, you could permit the sale of Ustianochka vodka but donate all or part of the states proceeds (about $7 per bottle) to Ukraine relief.

Third, if the ban stays in place, she asks that the PLCB extend it to Stoli, punishing the same parent company as her vodka supplier.

And finally, she urges the governor to let people decide. After all, 99.94% of spirits purchased at State Liquor are not Russian vodka. But please give that tiny minority of 0.06% the opportunity to choose.

As of Tuesday, Bayuk had not heard back from the governor. When she called his staff to make sure he received her letter, his staff said the mail goes through a series of checks. Dont be surprised if its two weeks, they told her.

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Apparently he is very busy man, she said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on the occasion of International Women's Day on Tuesday, announced that 33 per cent of government jobs in Tripura will be reserved for women.

Addressing a rally to mark the fourth anniversary of the BJP-IPFT government in the northeastern state, he said that Biplab Deb's administration has put a full stop to political violence.

Shah claimed that farmers' earnings have doubled under the present government, and the per capita income has increased to Rs 1.3 lakh. "Agartala has been connected with the rest of the country through rail. A total of 542 km of national highways have been built," he said.

Also Read  Tripura CM to contribute from his salary Delhi-Agartala airfare of students returning from Ukraine

The Union home minister said that there has been a 30 per cent dip in heinous crimes in Tripura, and the conviction rate has increased to 53 per cent, from 5 per cent.

Shah said that the ruling dispensation will fulfil all promises made in the previous manifesto, and he will return to Tripura to seek votes. The northeastern state will go to assembly polls early next year.

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The military commanders of India and China are likely to meet again this week to continue negotiations to resolve the stand-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between the two nations in eastern Ladakh.

The senior commanders of the Indian Army and the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) are likely to meet at the Chushul-Moldo point on the LAC on Friday. This is going to be the 15th round of negotiations between the two sides to resolve the almost two-year-long stand-off, which had started in April-May 2020.

A deal on mutual withdrawal of the front-line troops from Hot Springs is perceived as a low-hanging fruit for the negotiators to yield.

New Delhi and Beijing are set to make a fresh attempt to resolve the stand-off even as the United States and the other western nations of late sought to draw a parallel between Chinas aggression along its LAC with India and Russias military offensive against Ukraine. India, however, rejected the US argument, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stating that the two situations were not analogous.

Jaishankars counterpart and Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, too of late tacitly accused the United States of always trying to stoke tensions between China and India.

India has been facing territorial aggression of China, but still resisted the pressure from the US and the other western nations and refrained from calling out Russia for launching military operations in Ukraine. India repeatedly abstained from voting on US-backed resolutions against Russia at the United Nations Security Council, General Assembly and Human Rights Council as well as at the International Atomic Energy Agency.

New Delhi refrained from aligning against Moscow in view of Indias decades-old partnership with Russia, particularly the long history of defence cooperation between the two nations.

Indias relations with China hit a new low over the 22-month-long military stand-off along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh. The stand-off started in April-May 2020 with the Chinese PLA amassing a large number of troops along the LAC in an apparent move to change the status quo along the disputed boundary between the two nations and push the line westward to encroach into the territory claimed by India.

The Indian Army also deployed additional troops to counter the Chinese Armys move. Though protracted negotiations between the two sides resulted in mutual withdrawal of troops from both banks of Pangong Tso (lake) and the Gogra Post last year, the stand-off could not be resolved in other places along the LAC.

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The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Union Home Secretary to file an affidavit if the Centre is willing to abide by an assurance given in 2002 to Portugal authorities that gangster Abu Salem would not be incarcerated for more than 25 years after his extradition.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M M Sundresh told the Union government that not adhering to the assurance made to the Portugal authorities, could have wider ramifications and it may create problems in seeking extradition of fugitives from other countries.

Seeking clarity on the issue by the Centre, the bench also said it is not happy with a reply filed by the CBI in the matter.

"Is the government saying it would not abide by the international commitment? Please say so, the problem is that you are awaiting taking a decision," the bench said.

In its response to the court's previous query, the CBI said, an Indian court is not bound by the assurance given in 2002 by then deputy prime minister and home minister L K Advani to the courts in Portugal that Salem would neither be sent to the gallows nor imprisoned beyond 25 years after his extradition to India.

The agency has sought to make a distinction between the courts power to deliver a punishment and the role of the government in the execution of that punishment.

Salem, extradited to India in November 2005, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case.

Taking up a plea by Salem, the bench said, "The Union government has to take a stand keeping in mind the international commitment made and the ramifications. We call upon the Home Secretary to file an affidavit."

The court posted the matter for consideration on April 12, after giving three weeks time to file the affidavit.

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The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is going to hold its three-day annual meet of 'Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha', the highest decision making body of the saffron organisation, at Shri Nishkalanki Narayan Tirth Dham Prernatirth, located in the outskirts of Ahmedabad.

It is a disputed site where Hindu and Muslim trustees, responsible for managing it, are in a bitter feud over its control which has resulted into several legal cases.

The Muslism trustees alleged that the shrine is being appropriated as a "Hindu temple", while Hindus trustees claim that it was never a shrine but a temple.

The RSS's three-day mega event, beginning March 11, has turned the place into a fortress with hundreds of cops manning the premises. The "shrine or temple" has been shut for visitors since March 1 and will remain closed till March 17 for security reasons.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is visiting Ahmedabad for two days - March 11-12, is likely to attend the function. Apart from senior RSS functionaries including its chief Mohan Bhagwat, scores of BJP leaders such as Union home minister Amit Shah, BJP national president J P Nadda, among others, will be attending the event.

"The PM is not participating in it but we expect he might pay a visit briefly," said a senior RSS leader involved in organising the event.

Located about 20 km from Ahmedabad in Pirana village, the "shrine" was once famous for Hindu-Muslim harmony. It is run by a trust called Imamshah Bawa Sanstha Trust, which has nine members - seven Hindus and three Muslims.

The Hindu followers of Imam Shah are called "satpanthis", while Muslims are "Saiyeds", who are said to be descendents of the Sufi saint. The bitter feud between Hindu and Muslim trustees is said to have started in 1980s.

The biggest clash happened in 2003 when Hindu trustees fenced a large part of the premises including Imam Shah's shrine, which they call "Prerna Tirth or Samadhi", and addressed Imam Shah Bawa as "Imam Shah Maharaj."

The Muslim trustees moved the court where the matter is still pending. Earlier in January, the Hindu trustees erected a boundary wall close to the fence overnight leading to fresh protests by Muslim groups. The wall separates Imam Shah's shrine from the mosque and a cemetery.

"This is not a dargah. It is the temple of our maharaj and this is not the first time that such an event is being held. We have hosted events of Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, among others. We have closed the premises for visitors due to security reasons as Mohan Bhagwat-ji has Z-plus security cover," said Harshad Patel, one of the seven Hindu trustees.

Siraj Saiyed, one of the three Muslim trustees, said, "Forget about the common visitors, even Muslim trustees are not allowed to enter Imam Shah's shrine due to RSS event. We are not complaining as there is no one to hear us out and take action. The whole administration is with Hindu trustees. The construction of the wall in January is a testament of this as despite our protests, the wall was constructed in the presence of hundreds of policemen and without giving us time to take it to the Collector."

On January 30, DH reported about the construction of the wall which has cemented the Hindu-Muslim divide in the region.

For the RSS event, the local administration recently converted the road leading to the shrine into a four-lane drive. It is lined with saffron flags and policemen are deployed all along the road.

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The Kerala government on Tuesday appointed the first woman ambulance driver under its emergency medical response network, marking the International Women's Day.

State Health Minister Veena George handed over the key of an ambulance under the health department's trauma care project- KANIV-108 (Kerala Ambulance Network for Injured Victims)- to Deepamol, the newly recruited driver.

Hailing from Kottayam district, she is a seasoned driver having experience in driving different types of vehicles during her years-long career. The minister said more women would be appointed as ambulance drivers in various districts under the KANIV-108.

The government was mulling appointing interested women in every district and its objective was to ensure their participation in all sectors, she said.

This also aims to help women break the stereotypes and support them to step into domains of their choice, the minister said. "Deepamol is an inspiration to all. I extend all my wishes to her during the occasion," George added.

Expressing happiness for being appointed as the first ambulance driver in the government sector, Deepamol said it was a dream come true and thanked everyone who helped her realise it.

The project called KANIV-108 (Kerala Ambulance Network for Injured Victims) has been envisaged as a part of Trauma care in order save the precious life which is being lost in the road accidents.

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Kerala State Road Transport Corporation has approached the Supreme Court for a direction to the Centre to create an independent regulatory authority under a former judge to control the rising fuel prices.

The state-owned corporation was concerned over the public sector oil marketing companies decision to sell diesel to bulk purchasers at a price higher than the market rate.

It contended the central government, by introducing petrol price deregulation, has passed the buck to the OMC to fix the price without any timely intervention or regulation. In the absence of any regulatory authority to check the malpractice and exploitation by the OMCs, hapless consumers are forced to bear the brunt of the uncontrolled price hike, it contended.

The plea maintained that the fuel price decontrol system allowed by the Petroleum Ministry since 2014 was being exercised in colorable manner for the purpose of helping the private players in the industry.

Terming the OMCs decision of February 1 to increase the diesel price for bulk purchasers as manifestly discriminatory, arbitrary and unreasonable, the Corporation sought its revocation as it would burden the KSRTC, already suffering exponential financial crisis year after year and might eventually lead to its shutting down.

The public transport utility further said if it today chooses to purchase diesel from retail outlets, it will have to pay Rs 93.47 per litre against Rs 97.88 per litre charged by PSU OMCs and this discrimination is totally illogical.

Stating that the average consumption of diesel by the Corporation is around 4.10 lakh litres per day, the petition stated that the OMCs decision will result in an approximate accumulated loss of around Rs 19 lakh, which will add to the currently persisting acute financial crisis being suffered by KSRTC.

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A 21-year-old engineering student from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu is understood to have joined the paramilitary forces in Ukraine to fight against the Russian invasion. The aerospace engineering student, identified as Sainikhesh Ravichandran, has not spoken to his parents for the past few weeks after he reportedly joined the Georgian National Legion paramilitary unit.

Intelligence officials have visited the family consisting of Sainikheshs father Ravichandran, mother Lakshmi, and younger brother, in Thudaliyur in Coimbatore and informed them that their son is believed to have joined the Ukrainian forces in their fight against Russian invasion.

Follow live updates of Russia-Ukraine crisis

Sainikhesh, who is in his fifth year at the Kharkiv National University in Ukraine, had always wanted to join the Indian Army and had applied for a job there twice but was rejected. His family also acknowledged to the officers that Sainikhesh was passionate about joining a professional armed force and involving himself in combat operations.

When contacted, Sainikheshs father said he was upset and sought the Union Governments intervention in getting his son back to India, while his mother refused to speak.

My son called us sometime back and we pleaded with him to come back. All he said was he was safe, Ravichandran said. His mother Lakshmi said: I am not in a position to speak anything about my son. All I can say is that I want him back home soon. He should come back as early as possible.

A source in Coimbatore Police confirmed that a team from Intelligence Bureau (IB) visited the students house last week. We have gathered information about Sainikhesh from his family and friends. We will continue to get inputs about him and send them to the IB, the source added.

The family has sought the intervention of the Union Government in bringing Sainikhesh back to India. Local media reports said the student was employed with a video game developer before he joined the Ukrainian forces.

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Bakapur is a tiny Maharashtra village of about 2,000 residents, but is garnering a lot of praise for promoting gender equality as every house there is owned by a woman.

This has been made possible through a special provision made by the village panchayat in 2008. As the world celebrates Women's Day on Tuesday, the nameplate of every house in Bakapur, located about 20 kilometres from Aurangabad, brings a sense of pride to its residents as it displays the name of a woman as the owner or co-owner of the residence.

Not a single house in this village is owned by a single man alone, as a woman from the family has to be the co-owner, according to the gram panchayat records.

Talking to PTI, Bakapur's sarpanch (village head) Kavita Salve, said, "The women in my village have got a say in household matters with this decision."

Sudamrao Palaskar was the village sarpanch when this decision was taken in 2008. "Based on some previous experiences, it was then decided to make a woman from every family the owner of her residence. We had seven members in the gram panchayat at that time. Not a single member voted against this proposal. The decision brought about a sense of security in every village household, and also for the future of the children," Palaskar said.

Also Read  Women always show up! Google Doodle celebrates International Womens Day

"The nameplate of every house in Bakapur has the woman owner's name on it. It is a routine practice here," she proudly said.

Salve, who has been living in Bakapur for 21 years, said that earlier, there was a fear here that men could sell the houses without the consent of their families.

"This would have affected the families financially. But, the decision to make a woman owner of the house gave authority and a sense of security to the women here. Now, they play a key role in financial matters related to the house," the sarpanch said.

Deputy sarpanch Ajij Shah said that earlier, some men had tried to sell their houses due to substance addiction. "But, the decision to give house ownership to a woman from the family has led to households being run smoothly. Even if a person wants to buy a house in Bakapur, he has to purchase it jointly with a woman from his family," Shah said.

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If the Covid epidemic exposed the gaps in the public healthcare system, the Ukraine crisis has glaringly shown the inadequacies of the medical education system in the country. The humanitarian problem involved in the evacuation of students from the conflict zone has received much attention. The crisis also brought into focus the reality of tens of thousands of students seeking medical education in Ukraine and other countries. According to reports, Ukraine has over 20,000 such students. Countries like Romania and Poland and other former Soviet republics like Kyrgyzstan also have sizeable populations of Indian students. These are not countries known for high educational standards like the US and Britain, where Indian students have traditionally gone for education. In the case of medical education, it is the lack of affordable opportunities in India that has forced the students to go abroad and secure admission to colleges in these countries.

Just about 90,000 undergraduate medical seats are available in the country every year. Over 16 lakh candidates vie for them through NEET and about 8.5 lakh of them qualify. Only about half of the 90,000 seats are available in the government quota where the course is relatively affordable. Many students cannot afford the expenses even if they secure admission in government quota seats in private colleges. Some states do not have this quota at all. The cost of education is about Rs 1 crore or more in private colleges. No student from an ordinary family can afford it. The cut-off marks for NEET are rather low. In 2021, it was 138 out of 720 marks. The result is that the poor but bright candidates are forced out while the rich but less meritorious and even below-average students manage to secure admission in private colleges. Shekharappa, the father of Naveen Gyanagoudar, the student from Karnataka who was killed in Ukraine, has said he could not support his sons education in India though Naveen was a bright student. This will also impact the social composition of the medical fraternity in the country in the coming years.

Apart from the affordability of education, the problem of availability of seats also needs to be seriously addressed. There are over 550 medical colleges in the country and their output is inadequate for a country of Indias population. Going by the WHO standard of one doctor for every 1,000 persons, the country must have 1.38 million doctors, but it has just 1.2 million of them as of 2021. There is also a serious shortage of other healthcare personnel like nurses and pharmacists. The Ukraine crisis has underlined the need for greater investment and efforts to expand medical education and to make it accessible to most aspirants.

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ASHA worker Matilda Kullu's day starts at 5 am every morning. After finishing the household chores, preparing lunch for her husband and two children, and feeding the cattle, she pins her crisp blue sari in place and starts her door-to-door visits on her cycle. Kullu returns home anytime between 4-11 pm, sometimes even later.

Kullu came into the limelight in November 2021, when she appeared in the "Forbes India W-Power 2021" list along with Amazon head Aparna Purohit and banker Arundhati Bhattacharya. It was the first time that the list featured an ASHA worker.

Kullu was appointed as an ASHA for Gargadbahal village, in Baragaon tehsil of Odisha's Sundargarh district 15 years ago. Hailing from the same village, she looks after 956 people, who are predominantly tribal, and refer to Kullu as "ASHA Didi".

Earlier in 2020, just a few months into the Covid-19 pandemic, she was felicitated by the local administration for her exemplary services in the fight against the pandemic. More recently, in December 2021, she received a certificate of appreciation from the Mission Director, National Health Mission, Government of Odisha.

In 2005 the government launched the National Rural Health Mission and recruited Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers to connect vulnerable communities to health care. As per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, there are 9,05,423 ASHA workers in India.

Talking about the difficulties she faced in her journey, Kullu, who belongs to the Kharia tribe, mentioned that she had to battle many superstitions and casteism to get to where she is today.

"Many people were so superstitious that they thought it was because of me visiting their house that they fell ill," she said. "After several years, I could make them understand that they need to visit a doctor instead of the local witch doctor for 'jhaad-phook'. Although the old generation of people still follows untouchability, it doesn't bother me anymore," said the 46-year-old Kullu while speaking to DH.

When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, Kullu and thousands of other ASHA workers were given the Herculean task of making the villagers aware of the disease and convincing them to take the vaccine.

"Villagers care more about their societal image than a disease. When they were diagnosed with the coronavirus, many of them were ostracised. In the beginning, I, being an ASHA worker, was the only support they had," said Kullu. "Also, initially, many of them thought that the vaccine was a hoax. They were afraid of dying after getting the vaccine! However, over time, I was able to convince them to get the vaccine."

Furthermore, even after being infected with the coronavirus during the second wave, Kullu resumed her duties after a fortnight and did not hesitate to work for additional hours.

Being someone who meets many rural women daily, Kullu emphasized that one of the main problems they face at present is a lack of any source of income.

"I believe that every woman must have some source of income so that they can look after their family. In my village, even the men don't have employment. This forces many of them into alcoholism, which is a big problem. If the government pays even little attention to the villages, these problems can be solved."

A problem that Kullu faces personally is that she gets a meagre salary of INR 4,500, which isn't enough to make ends meet for her family. Her husband doesn't have any stable source of income, and she does some tailoring work on the side to sustain herself.

"An ASHA worker's income can somehow help run a family. But it isn't necessarily enough for the education of my children. I should have supported them a bit more in education, but that couldn't happen," she said.

(Kartikeya is a journalist from Delhi who is passionate about covering culture, politics, conflict, food, and human interest stories)
The director of Allentowns Community Music School said plans for a senior affordable housing apartment complex next door pose an existential threat to the nonprofit.

At an Allentown planning commission meeting Tuesday afternoon, lawyers for HDC MidAtlantic, a Lancaster housing nonprofit, presented plans for an affordable 49-unit, four-story apartment complex with an underground parking garage for adults above 55, including 18 units for adults with disabilities.

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HDC received a $1.2 million grant from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency to fund the development and is working with Trexlertown nonprofit Eastern Pennsylvania Down Syndrome Center on the project.

Housing options for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities is very limited in the Lehigh Valley, said Bill Meltzer, one of the centers board members, in a news release. Housing like this is a stepping stone for residents to reach their full potential and transform societys misconception of the capabilities of people with [disabilities].

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The complex is planned for 1528 Hamilton St., a parking lot leased to the Community Music School, a nonprofit offering private music lessons and classes to Allentown children.

Jeffrey Reed, executive director of the school, said at Tuesdays meeting the development poses an existential threat to the school because of the parking spaces it would take away from staff and students.

Reed said the school relocated in 2018 from the second floor of Miller Symphony Hall in downtown Allentown because parking became too difficult after the Strata II apartment complex finished construction in late 2017. He said the school needs at least 40-50 parking spaces.

Plans for the development would create 101 parking spaces  33 for the new buildings tenants and 66 parking spots for the building the school is in, which has eight other tenants, including Allentown Transportation and Espinal Taxi Service.

The proposed site plan is of great concern to us because we feel it is an existential threat to the ability for us to exercise and fulfill our mission, Reed said. In sum, this is the right project for the city, but its in the wrong location.

Developers said their plan has the appropriate number of parking spaces for the existing building and new building according to zoning requirements.

Rendering of a proposed affordable housing complex for seniors at 1528 Hamilton St. (Courtesy of Architectural Concepts, )

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Jason Ulrich, an attorney for the Community Music School, said the school has the right of first refusal in its lease contract for the parking lot, which would give the school the right to buy the parcel of land before a third party could. Erich Schock, an attorney representing the developers, said the right of first refusal issue is a private matter that is not under the planning commissions purview.

Reed declined to say whether the school had taken legal action on the right of first refusal.

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Planning commission Chairperson Christian Brown said he was surprised the community music school was not in support of the project.

I do think its a good project, Brown said. I am a little surprised to find out that community music school wasnt supportive, I assumed the first time I saw this it would have been some sort of joint relationship.

The commission voted to table the application. Commission member Kelli Holzman recused herself from the vote because of a conflict of interest.

Developers will next need to apply to the zoning hearing board for relief on some zoning requirements before they receive final approval.

Morning Call reporter Lindsay Weber can be reached at 610-820-6681 and liweber@mcall.com.
With rapid urbanisation and an increase in development activities, greenery is being lost in Mangaluru.

In a bid to increase the green cover, the forest department is mulling over developing urban forests using the Miyawaki method in the available small patches of land in the city.

The urban forest can be developed on a small patch of land by taking up intensive planting of fruit-bearing, flowering and plants bearing nuts. There are plans to develop at least 50 Miyawaki method forests in the city, Deputy Conservator of Forests Dr Dinesh Kumar told DH.

The local and native species of plants will be planted. This will help in maintaining a hierarchy of canopy. The issue of dust and air pollution can be addressed by developing such urban forests in various locations in the city, he said.

The first Miyawaki urban forest was developed in the city by the Ramakrishna Mission and the forest department at Kottara Chowki. The urban forest was developed on five cents of triangular-shaped land at the entrance of the Zilla Panchayat premises in Kottara by sustained efforts of the Mangaluru Ramakrishna Mission, the ZP and the forest department in 2019, he added.

Saplings of Arthi, sandalwood, rakthachandana, guava, mango, jackfruit, punarpuli, nerale and other species of plants were planted. Another urban forest had come up in front of Patrika Bhavana at Ladyhill with the CSR fund from KIOCL Ltd, he said.

There are no funds from the government for developing urban forests. The forest department will contact donors and CSR funds to raise such urban forests in the city. The plants will be planted during the rainy season, the DCF said.

The land is being identified at various locations for taking up the urban forests on a large scale, he added.

Miyawaki is a technique pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki that helps to develop dense, native forests.

The approach is aimed to ensure that the plant growth is 10 times faster, and the resulting plantation 30 times denser than usual. It involves planting dozens of native species in the same area.

Ramakrishna Mission in Mangaluru had developed two urban forests on the method of Miyawaki on the premises of the Mutt near Mangaladevi. In each urban forest, they have planted 500 saplings.

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Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) appealed Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to take steps on setting up of a Karnataka State Financial Corporation's (KSFC) regional office in Mangaluru.

KCCI President Shashidhar Pai Maroor said KSFC is a state level Financial Institution set up by the government in 1959 under state Financial Corporations' Act 1951 in order to cater to long-term and short-term financial needs of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Karnataka.

The objective of the corporation is to promote industrial activity in Karnataka by providing financial assistance to industries, particularly to small and medium sized units. Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts have 17,883 micro, small and medium sized units. Thus, the government should set up a KSFC regional office in Mangaluru which would stop industrialists from making frequent visits to Hassan, Maroor said.

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Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said he will convene an all-party meeting to discuss the way forward on the Mekedatu project and told the Assembly that negotiating with Tamil Nadu is not an option for Karnataka.

Im calling an all-party meeting in a weeks time, Bommai said during a debate on the 2022-23 budget. The resolution of the all-party meeting will be conveyed to the Centre and I will go [to New Delhi] myself. We will make all efforts to get the detailed project report (DPR) approved.

Bommai was responding to Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah who said the budget allocation of Rs 1,000 crore for the Mekedatu project may not mean much if the necessary clearances are not granted by the Centre. He referred to Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawats statement last week that the Centre can only facilitate talks between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Also Read: Karnataka allotting money for Mekedatu only with an eye on elections, says Tamil Nadu

You should have condemned the statement. Its clear that the Centre is in no mood to help Karnataka. My fear is the Centre may not grant the environmental clearance, Siddaramaiah said, asserting that Tamil Nadu had no right to oppose the project as there is no legal dispute involved.

Law Minister J C Madhuswamy contested this claim. How can you say theres no dispute? Sharing of surplus [Cauvery] water is still under challenge, including Bengalurus sewage, he said.

Bommai intervened and laid out the current status. This was first a power dam in 1996. Four hydroelectric projects were planned and they didnt take off. By the time the DPR was ready, the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) had come into existence. Now, the DPR is before the CWMA, he said.

The second issue is the environmental clearance for which terms of reference have to be fixed. In all this, Tamil Nadu has filed a miscellaneous appeal before the SC, Bommai explained. He said Karnataka had approached the NGT and got a stay order by its Chennai bench vacated. This has also been challenged in the SC.

The CM maintained Karnataka's stand that the state's responsibility ends after releasing Tamil Nadu's share of water. "Negotiation is not an option before us. The first priority is to get the DPR approved," he said, adding that the project will neither "harm nor injure" the neighbouring state.

It was only last week that the Congress concluded its foot march demanding the implementation of the Mekedatu project.

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Sinn Fein MLA, Ciara Ferguson, has demanded that Derry be given a real voice in the delivery of the City Deal project.

The City Deal is a 250million package that, states Ferguson, has the potential to transform the entire region.

The Foyle MLA was speaking ahead of questioning the Economy Minister Gordon Lyons MLA over his departments role in delivering the City Deal.

Ms Ferguson insisted that while much was made of the deal upon its announcement in February last year, she will be questioning Minister Lyons on its eventual delivery while also seeking assurances that the outcomes will not be confined to his own Economic Strategy.

She said: The City Deal is the largest ever investment of its kind in Derry and Strabane. 250m of funding, including 125 million from the Executive, will be invested over 15 years to progress the School of Medicine and develop new research facilities at the Ulster University.

It will also progress new tourism projects such as the new civic museum at Ebrington, the remodelling of the city's riverfront and the regeneration of Strabane town centre.

These projects will generate up to 7000 new jobs and transform lives, livelihoods and the wider economy across this entire region.

A huge range of support is required from government over the coming years to ensure the council and other delivery partners have the additional resources required to roll out the City Deal projects and other programmes included in the council's Strategic Growth Plan.

Our local residents also need to be fully consulted on how the City Deal projects are implemented. This includes discussion on how local residents will be upskilled to allow them to access the positions that will be created.

I am scheduled to question the Economy Minister in the assembly this week regarding the supports his department will put in place to transform the City Deals potential into a reality.

I will be making it absolutely clear that the people in Derry and Strabane are given a real voice in shaping the detail of the City Deal projects.

I will also be seeking assurances that the outcomes will not be confined to his own Economic Strategy which to date has not met the needs of the economy in the North West.

The Minister should instead provide the support needed by our local agencies to roll out both the City Deal and Strategic Growth Plan projects that are matched to our local needs and designed by our local residents.

In response, a spokesperson for the Department for the Economy said: The Minister is fully supportive of the City and Growth Deal Programme which will see an estimated investment of 1.5 billion in Northern Irelands economic infrastructure over the next 10 to 15 years.

The investment will play a key role in the delivery of the Department for Economys 10X vision and support the Economic Recovery Action Plan.

City Deals are an unprecedented funding opportunity which will not be repeated and are key to promoting sustained growth across Northern Ireland with sub-regional focus. A key priority for the Minister is to drive momentum and support the councils and their partners to get the projects off the ground.
The one thing that a Pixar production always had over other animation studios was the companies commitment to quality storytelling that touched an emotional core. From the humble beginnings of Toy Story to the musical and spiritual journey of Soul, Pixar (review) has always maintained a standard of excellence. Well, it looks like that track record has finally come to an end, as do all good things. The latest effort Turning Red is not only horribly unentertaining but at moments infuriatingly racist, that Im surprised that no one nipped this idea in the bud. As an ethnic Chinese person, I am uniquely positioned in my understanding of Chinese culture. It also doe not help that the animation is unbelievably ugly following in other CalArts style features such as Steven Universe and the thousands of other animated shows and films out there. There isn't a single unique bone in the film and it clearly shows.

Turning Red tells the tale of Mei Lee, a Canadian Chinese girl who turns into a giant red panda when she's emotionally perturbed. She is surrounded by her diverse group of friends, each of who are as stereotyped as it gets. Shes also hounded by her over-protective tiger mom (oh wow, another angry Chinese mother) and kind of, sort of there, father. The entire plot of the film revolves around Mei Lee and her diverse friends planning on attending a boy band concert. Yep, thats about as deep as it gets. Sure, theres the tired trope of growing up and accepting who you are and how as an immigrant you need to assimilate etc, etc, etc. its all so trite and uninspired that it was a slog to sit through most of this mess. And again, the laughably bad animation just piles on to the misery. The characters are so overdesigned and the colours so unnaturally bright that the film was giving me a headache. Its very clear that the filmmakers have no idea of subtly. The LOL so random humour was also a big miss. Im not sure who this film was aimed at but if kids find this funny, then its a sad day for future generations. Did I mention that the animation is nightmare-inducing?

My main issue with the film is its portrayal of Chinese culture. The film and most Asian films produced in North America tend to have a very myopic view of Asian culture. Its this dying need to be as authentic as possible because these people are actually Canadian or American and truly have zero ties to the original culture they came from, and they miss what being an immigrant is all about. In hopes of getting in touch with 'their culture' they go overboard and depict them as racist, over the top characters. They have no idea what being actual Chinese is really like. My family immigrated to India in the late 1800s and weve assimilated without any earth-shattering issues like the ones that seem to be present in Turning Red. The character of the mother is so cringe-inducing that it truly is a racist caricature of what the average Chinese mother is actually like. Its this Western approach to Chinese culture that truly destroys what little credibility this film had left. Turning Red best personifies the statement, no style and no substance. It delivers its message with the subtlety of a jackhammer with no nuance to storytelling.

Turning Red wants to be a film that tackles issues like growing up and finding one's place in the world but it ends up being an unfunny, ugly, unfocused mess that serves only to drive The Message than actually telling a good story. Directed by Domee Shi, who also directed the awful short Bao, Turning Red is supposed to be a metaphor for puberty and the trials and tribulations of growing up but all it ends up being is an ego boost for the director and painful try-hard film. At best its a one time watch, at worst its a racist caricature from someone who should know better.

Turning Red will stream on Disney+Hotstar on March 11
How to choose the best Instagram names for boys and girls.

Facebook-owned Instagram is one of the most popular social media applications across the globe. The platform has become an important tool to share events with people as well as express yourself with photos, videos, Stories, and Reels. The company has also added several features to the application which makes it even more interesting. One of the most important things that you have to do while opening an Instagram account is create a unique username that can help you stand out from the 1.36 billion Instagram users.

While creating a new profile on Instagram, the first thing the app asks you to do is set up a username. To differentiate yourself from other Instagram users you need to set a unique username. If you are confused and dont know what you should keep your username, we can cover that for you. Here is a guide to help you set a unique username on Instagram and how you can change it from current to a new one with ease.

What is an Instagram username?

An Instagram username is how you identify yourself on the social media app. The username is a unique way to identify yourself to your followers. The app asks you to set up your username as the first step to setting up your account. Your Instagram username should look distinctive so its ideal to select the best Instagram username for your profile.

Best Instagram names for girls

Below are some of the best Instagram username for girls. Choose any of the cute Instagram names for girls and apply them to your account.

Sizzling Teapot

Live Chic

Beauty Babe

Sleepy Tinker

Super Giggles

Candycane Missy

Tiger Kitty

Instafreack

Bunny Passion

Lavender

Strawberry

Blueberry

Vansgirls

Missie Lucky

Thechillpixel

Dilo Ki Rani

Girlyapa

Butterfly Girl

Pretty Lil Princess

Golden Sunshine

Pink Loveheart

Shining Starlight

Fierce Fashionista

Glitter and Gold

Radiantly Beautiful

Starry Eyes

Admire The Girl

Pretty Angel

Lovelicious Girl

Baby Love

Fab Girl

Pink Princess

Lady in Red

Beautiful Things

Pretty Lilac

Queen of House

Unicorn Girl

Bunny Angel

Dance And Sing

Girl True

She Is Resilient

Techie Luxe

Classy Claire

Fashion Princess

Vibrant Alpaca

Popcorn Pixie

Pink Feathers

Unicorn Lemonade

Leave No Trance

Cupcakes Hugs

Best Instagram names for boys

The list of Instagram names for boys mentioned below is very unique. So just choose any of the names mentioned below to make your Instagram profile unique.

Programer

Swagyboy

Ghost Rider

Lowercase Guy

Planet Zoom

Super Sandy

News Deal

Hello Hell

Swag Swamped

Smart Swag

Veal Deal

Tiny Hunter

Jump in Jaw

Snake SuperThe Destroyer

Macho Maniac

Macho Man

Muscle Builder

Gamer Simmer

Gamez Slayer

Texas Tiger

Fear Swag

Demon Slayer

CyberWarrior

Skull Crusher

Fight God

Sparky God

Yoyo Singh

Micky Wreak

Bad Captain

Yoyo Guitarist

Tonight Gamer

Dead Deal

Deal Anneal

Deal Cereal

Dead Guru

Lucky Lad

Manhattan Man

Will of Washington

Creepy Camp

Freak Treat

Mouth of Mexico

David The Dancer

Global Tummy

Caption Master

Daily Punch

Seven Shots

Legion Master

Cool Samurai

Batman

bill_dates

Change your Instagram username to get noticed

If you want to change your Instagram username to something different or unique, you can do that anytime even after creating your profile. Check out the steps mentioned below to change your Instagram name with ease.

1. First, Open the Instagram app

2. Next, Tap on your profile picture present at the extreme bottom right

3. Then click on the Edit profile button below your bio.

4. You can change both your Name and Username from here.

5. Next click on the tick icon on the top right corner of the app.

6. The process to change your Instagram username is the same for both private and public accounts.

Get stylish usernames online for Instagram

To find cool usernames for girls and boys on Instagram is very easy. Several websites are on the internet which provides you with many unique and stylish names by just entering a single or couple of words. You can also use a name generator like instausername.com to create a unique Instagram username.

1. First, open your browser on phone or PC and go to instausername.com

2. Next, on the search bar input a name or keywords of your choice.

3. Then hit the generate button beside the search bar.

4. Next, you will be presented with hundreds of cool Instagram usernames.

5. Then choose any of the generated usernames for your Instagram profile or paste it somewhere for later reference.

6. Next tap/select a username, and the website will check its availability on Instagram for you.

How to choose the best Instagram names

You can choose the best Instagram names that will make your profile different. Here is How to select Instagram names for girls. You can also use the guide for How to select Instagram names for boys.

1. To choose the best names on Instagram, first, find a name that is relevant to the content you will share on the platform.

2. Next, choose a catchy name. This will help others recognise your profile with ease.

3. The Instagram name should be easy to remember. Ideally, it has to be nice and simple so people searching for you can easily find it.

How to get an already taken Instagram Username

Instagram also allows you to a username that is already taken by providing an application to the social media app. However, there are some strict conditions which have to be cleared. You can get the username only after your application is approved by the social media giant. To claim the already taken username you have to prove that you are the original owner of that username. You will also have to report a violation or infringement of the form of your legal right. Instagram then asks you to do the flowing things.

1. First, you have to provide your basic contact information

2. Next, provide a Trademark Certificate or proof

3. Then report the username.

4. Finally, you will have to give the reason you want to get that username.
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TACOMA  As part of efforts to alleviate ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Tacoma's small business community, Mayor Victoria Woodards has announced the availability of $300,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, establishing a Window Replacement Grant Program.

Eligible small businesses based in Tacoma, with no more than 15 full-time equivalent employees, may submit an application for a grant to offset costs incurred replacing windows broken at their business location.





. . .
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PORTLAND (AP)  A federal judge last week issued a preliminary injunction blocking Oregon's ban on so-called real estate love letters  the nickname for personal notes from prospective homebuyers to home sellers.

In his court order issued last Friday, U.S. District Judge Marco A. HernAndez said the law violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by restricting free speech too broadly, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.





. . .
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KENT  An office building at 19823 58th Place S. in Kent sold for $7.2 million, according to King County records.

The seller was 196th Corridor LLC, which acquired the property in 2001 for under $2.5 million.





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HARRISBURG  Days after he woke up in western Ukraine to the sound of airstrikes, Stroudsburg businessman Victor Kolesnyk on Monday urged Pennsylvania to distance itself from terrorist Putin.

Kolesnyk spoke at a Capitol news conference where Gov. Tom Wolf said Pennsylvania was working on divesting itself of Russian ties and seeking to help Ukraine.

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My Ukrainian plant director, that is currently there, got under attack of machine gun fire while driving out of a plant in Kyiv. Everybody got wounded but thank God no casualties, said Kolesnyk, who added that a friends parents were executed by Russian-Chechen soldiers.

The news conference came on a day of rapidly deepening effects of the world crisis on Pennsylvania residents and businesses.

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Those included a one-day, 36-cent jump in the price of diesel fuel being paid by Horwith Trucks Inc. of Northampton.

I am in this for 30-plus years and I have never seen anything like this, said Sheila Horwith, CEO of the company that operates about 70 trucks. Everything seems to be going in terrible directions.

Meanwhile, Wolf, a Democrat, sounded a note of bipartisan accord.

He said he supported a proposal from Republican House Speaker Kerry Benninghoff of Centre County for the state to divest itself of Treasury and pension fund investments related to Russia and its supporters.

He also embraced a call from top House Republicans for an inventory of Department of General Services personal protective equipment supplies, with an intent to possibly distribute soon-to-expire items to Ukraine.

Wolf said the state has about 122,000 Ukrainian-American residents, the second-largest total in the nation, as well as deepening business ties with the country.

And, he said, Pennsylvania is ready to accept Ukrainian refugees.

We are all appalled by what we have seen, Wolf said of the Russian attacks.

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A statement from Senate Republicans said Pennsylvania had an obligation to support national efforts on Ukraine while it remains mindful of the significant investments the state has in eastern Europe.

Ukraine to Stroudsburg

Victor Kolesnyks company, Orange Pavers, manufactures concrete pavers and stone products and is in the process of building a facility in Stroudsburg, a spokesperson said.

Its website also shows locations in Kyiv and Kherson, both in Ukraine.

Kolesnyk described himself as a Pennsylvania-Ukrainian businessman and said he was in western Ukraine when the invasion started.

He woke to the sound of airstrikes, spent nine hours at the Ukrainian-Polish border before crossing, and made his way back to Pennsylvania.

Most of my family members as well as my businesses suffered from the terrorist Putin, he said. It is a full genocide of nation. Right now, that is what is going on in front of our eyes.

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Department of Community & Economic Development Deputy Secretary David Briel said Pennsylvania imports about $1.7 billion in goods and services annually, and exports to Russia total more than $250 million.

Briel said the state is fielding calls from companies that are trying to figure out the sanctions against Russia, although those fall under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Diesel price surge

Rebecca Oyler, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association, said the average price of the diesel fuel that operates rigs across the state and nation has reached $4.61 a gallon, closing in on the highest-ever price of $4.84 per gallon that occurred in 2008.

Obviously, fuel prices impact the cost of goods throughout the world, Oyler said.

Rebecca Oyler, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association, said the average price of diesel fuel nationwide is closing in on an all-time record set in 2008. (Roger Baumgarten/Courtesy of Rebecca Oyler)

In Pennsylvania, she said, 98% of manufactured tonnage is transported via trucks. The trucking industry itself, she said, accounts for 321,390 jobs in the state, and there are more than 86,000 drivers of heavy trucks and tractor-trailer rigs.

Horwith said her company buys about 7,500 gallons of diesel fuel every other day. On Sunday, the price quote it received was $4.77 a gallon, and on Monday afternoon the price quotes ranged from $5.13 to $5.18 for fuel to be purchased Tuesday.

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A year ago, the company was paying $1.95 a gallon. The increases, she said, were almost certain to be passed along to consumers.

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It is hard to comprehend how quickly everything changes, she said.

Oyler said the most important thing state government can do is join the call for national policies that allow for more U.S. energy production.

It is preferable to rely on foreign sources of oil that are hostile to us, Oyler said of allowing for more U.S. energy production.

Republican lawmakers and Wolf already have jousted on that issue.

Last week, Lehigh County Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie and 14 others signed a letter to Wolf asking that the state relax positions that have hamstrung oil and gas production.

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Wolf on Monday dismissed the letter as disingenuous grandstanding and said the states natural gas production has increased dramatically.

Morning Call Capitol correspondent Ford Turner can be reached at fturner@mcall.com
Tata Steel looks to double local production to 40 million tonnes

Tata Sons has proposed to develop Jamshedpur as a world class city that will set national benchmarks in sustainability, ease of living and digital technology, Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran said in an address to citizens at the Postal Park in Bistupur on Thursday.

He said this on the occasion of paying homage on the 183rd birth anniversary of industrialist and visionary founder of Tata Group, Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata.

We are optimistically hopeful that Jamshedpur sets national benchmarks in terms of sustainability, ease of living and all other facilities we can create and also usher in digital technologies. We can push the envelope to make Jamshedpur a world class city by working in coordination with the government and the people of the city, the Tata Sons chairman further observed.

Despite trying times Tata Steel has had the best ever performance in its history. In terms of output and financial performance, it has been historic. I state in all humility, that these activities and achievements are only a beginning and the best of Tata Steel is yet to come. All of this would not have been possible without everyone joining shoulders, he observed.

Speaking about the companys team, Chandrasekaran said, Tata Steel has a very energetic, vibrant and well-meaning support force that blends in the growth of a strong financial performance and aspiration but more importantly builds the purpose and puts its hand up every time something needs to be done for the society towards which Tata Group is committed.

While projecting the immediate targets of the company, Chandrasekaran stated, Tata Steel India will double its production capacity from 20 million tonnes to 40 million tonnes through this decade. We have been making investments in downstream businesses and it is my desire that every Tata Group company has a home in Jamshedpur. We have Tanishq, Big Basket, Tata 1MG and there are many other companies. Tata Power is very active here to bring solar power to Jamshedpur.
India's organic exports grew 51% over 2019-20 levels despite the pandemic

Despite the pandemic, Indias organic food exports grew 51 per cent over 2019-20, with organic exports reaching 8,88,180 tonnes in 2020-21, K Srinivas, partner, food & agribusiness, KPMG, said at a seminar hosted by India Pavilion at EXPO2020 Dubai on Monday.

India is ranked amongst the top ten exporting countries in agriculture and the overall exports have been growing at an extremely significant rate. Despite the pandemic challenges, we were able to achieve this feat and it strengthens Indias positioning as an exporter globally, Srinivas said.

Emphasizing on the export-focused strategy for the promotion of organic and horticulture produce, Srinivas said, This platform is helping us initiate conversation around awareness and capacity building with investors to make prominence of India in horticulture space. Adoption of good agriculture practices, enhanced farm gate infrastructure, higher investment in R&D, and digital integration are some of the strategies that will play important role in promoting Indias horticulture exports.

The seminar witnessed the sharing of 11 success stories by various start-ups and food processing businesses, focusing on key-value chain and export opportunities in India.

To project the strength of Indias organic agriculture and horticulture products in the global market, India Pavilion at EXPO2020 Dubai hosted a seminar Indian Organic and Horticulture SectorMoving Up the Value Chain as part of the ongoing Food, Agriculture and Livelihood fortnight.

The seminar that deliberated on the opportunities and huge export potential that the Indian agriculture sector offers, saw participation from the representatives of the government and the private sector.

In his opening remarks, P K Swain, additional secretary in the ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare, said, In Rising India, agriculture is a dominant sector which contributes significantly to the Indian economy. With 15 agro-climatic zones, rich soil, mineral-rich water, and increasing volume, variety and quality, India is on its way to becoming the food basket of the world and is offering both food and nutritional security with good agricultural practices to the world.

Applauding the expansion of the sector in the country, Swain said, India is scripting history with the enchanting growth trajectory of organic horticulture. He also urged the global investors to invest in the agriculture supply chain and take advantage of FDI policies introduced by the government in the sector.

B Rajendra, minister (agriculture), Embassy of India, Rome and Italy and representative of FAO, said, We need to put a lot of effort in ensuring the quality of our organic horticulture produce and take advantage of such global platforms to expand our export avenues.

Talking about the export potential of organic and horticulture produce in India, Priya Ranjan, joint secretary, ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare said, To ensure the quality of our organic produce, we need to have a robust system of certification and Government of India has anchored two systems of certification for organic products. He further emphasised that appropriate phytosanitary protocols need to be ensured for better acceptability of Indian organic and horticultural products. We envisage targeting 10 per cent export share in global fruits and vegetable market by 2030, he added.

The Food, Agriculture and Livelihood fortnight will conclude on 2 March.
ADA [ndash] Memorials services for Clifford Brent Hall, 63, of Ada are 10:00 A.M. Thursday, May 5, 2022 at Trinity Baptist Church, Doug Brewer will officiate. Mr. Hall passed away Monday, April 25, 2022 at a local nursing home surrounded by family. He was born August 8, 1958 in Shawnee, OK t
Dundalk law firm Mulholland Law have confirmed that they are offering pro bono services to all new clients from regions of conflict that seek our assistance with immigration and asylum related matters.

In a statement the firm said:

The horrific scenes from Ukraine over recent days has rightly drawn condemnation from lawyers throughout the European Union.

There is unfortunately wars raging for many years now in other regions of the world too, to include Afghanistan, Palestine, Yemen, Libya and Iraq with war crimes and genocide being committed.

If any citizen from a nation in turmoil contacts Mulholland Law we will endeavour to assist them to the best of our ability free of charge.

Principal Solicitor of Mulholland Law and member of the European Criminal Bar Association, Ciaran Mulholland said:

It is only right that we assist those most vulnerable in our society displaced in destitute as a result of war in the world navigate an uncompassionate and obstructive asylum system here in Ireland.

It is also appropriate that our Dundalk office plays its part. Dundalk has a proud history of offering sanctuary and assistance welcoming refugees  it is not long since thousands arrived here following the Belfast pogroms.
This is Local Enterprise Office Week. One of the highlights of the Week is always the announcement of the Louth Enterprise Award winners. Across a range of categories, these local companies have led the way and it is our great pleasure to celebrate them explains Louth County Councils Head of Enterprise, Thomas McEvoy.

The winners were announced at a small ceremony hosted by the Local Enterprise Office.

Digital Design Consultancy scooped the Best Start-Up Award. The company provides design and consultancy services to the construction sector, who are facing rapid digitalisation of the design and build process. By using digital modelling, they create and manage construction information across the project lifecycle.

Founder Nathanael Cooney and his team were selected for their excellence in innovation, expansion into international markets, high quality employment creation and future growth potential. This company is definitely one to watch.

Sarah McKenna has been a leading ceramicist for over 20 years. Working from her studio in Bridge Street, Sarahs work has long been hailed for its beauty, thoughtfulness and practicality. Sarah received the Sustainability Award at this years awards.

This award acknowledges the actions that Sarah has taken to drive sustainability, including action on energy usage, packaging, materials and feeding into the circular economy and though her industry may be traditional, Sarah is continuing to adapt and evolve, implementing change in a really positive way.

The Best Established Business Award was presented to Colm OHagan of Project Engineering. The company is a leading provider of Mechanical Engineering Services to the manufacturing and technology sectors. It specialises in 3D, CAD, product development, prototype development and has the tools and knowhow to turn ideas into reality.

The award acknowledges the companys constant focus on its business offering and competitiveness and ability to anticipate future trends in industry, providing high value employment. The award recognises Colms constant investment of time and thought given to the business and consistent evolution of services.

The final award presented was the Innovation Award went to Dr. Conor Kerley of Phytaphix.ie.

Conor was also named Overall Winner of the Louth Enterprise Awards and will go forward to represent Louth at the National Enteprise Awards in June at the Mansion House Dublin.

Phytaphix is a scientific nutrition company, creating whole-food, plant based nutrition products. Founder, Dr. Conor Kerley, has emerged from the academic world to bring his cutting edge scientific research to the market in a range of immune support and nutritional products. Phytaphix has been awarded a World Food Innovation Award, among many other accolades, and their products are consumed all over the world.

This award recognises Conors exceptional research and knowledge, coupled with a deep mission to improve public health through high quality nutrition. The award credits Conors determination, his innovation, his vision and adaptability.

Louths Head of Enterprise Thomas McEvoy concludes Congratulations to each of our four winners and best of luck to Conor as he goes forward to represent Louth in the National Enterprise Awards in the summer. One thing that each of our winners have in common is that they have received support from us at the Local Enterprise Office at different stages of their business development.

"We are here to support small businesses at all stages so visit www.localenterprise.ie/louth to discover how we can support your business into the future.
On foot of news that local start up Soothing Solutions would be receiving a major investment from The Redesdale Food Fund, the Democrat chatted to the companys co- founder and Dundalk woman Denise Lauaki.

Denise, who grew up on the Red Barns road and went to school in the Marist, co-founded Soothing Solutions with her business partner Sinead Crowther in 2019.

The company, which according to reports has been valued at over 2.5 million, is based in the Brewery Business Park and makes 100% natural cough and cold remedies for young children.

A late comer to the business world, Denise has had what she describes as a varied career path spending ten years as an audio engineer before going into business.

Once I had my children, I went back to college to reskill, and I studied web development and online marketing through the springboard courses and from there I started a tea company called Freebird Ventures and I ran that for four years.

Denise says her career change came about as she realised the hours of her audio engineer job didnt allow for a suitable work-family balance.

It was a switch to try to find something that would allow me to balance work life with home life.

The work life balance is clearly something important to Denise as Soothing Solutions is currently trialling a four-day work week for its employees.

As a company, were trying to focus on peoples wellbeing as well as the needs of the company.

The idea of four-day weeks has been praised for, among other things, allowing parents to spend more time with their children.

As female founders maybe we were a bit more aware of that but also for the men we find that giving them extra days off can mean that they can help out in the house a bit more as well, so its a balance for everybody.

It was while upskilling for her new business career that Denise met her now business partner, Sindead Crowther.

Myself and Sinead met at DKIT where we were doing the New Frontiers programme with Enterprise Ireland.

I had my tea company and Sinead was at Soothing Solutions, so we kept in contact and Sinead eventually asked me to join her as a co-founder of the company so when I saw her product and the potential of it I switched over.

And how has she found the business world as a woman?

 It can be a little bit harder, I think you have to prove yourself a lot more as a woman in business compared with our male counterparts, people dont believe you until you do things, whereas you dont really get that with men.

Denise is clear where she gets that drive to do from.

My mother and my grandmother were always hard workers so they would have always inspired me. I come from a long line of hard workers in my family.

From a mentoring point of view, Yvonne Scully, who has her own food company, was a great mentor to myself and Sinead as we developed our business.

Last week, Soothing Solutions made another stride when it became one of only 2 percent of companies with female founders to receive venture capital (VC) funding.

The effort to diversify the dominated male industry is really struggling and more needs to be done to close that gap and Redesdale is really making a big effort to try to back female founders now which is really great to see and really great for us, she concluded.
Louth County Council spent 1,008,127 in 2021 on B&B emergency accommodation, including commercial hotels and B&Bs, according to the North East Region Local Authority Homelessness Financial Report End of Year 2021. The report details expenses incurred by the North East region, which comprises Louth, Monaghan and Cavan and shows the total annual expenditure to the end of the reporting quarter.

According to the report, the 1,008,127 spent on B&B emergency accommodation is the most expensive line item, and is included in the category "Unscheduled - Emergency Accommodation including Commercial Hotels and B&Bs". It is however, less than half the initial 2021 expenditure estimate for 2021 of 2,100,000, recorded on the report. Monaghan County Council spent 2,760 on B&B emergency accommodation in 2021 out of an initial 2021 estimate of 25,000, and Cavan County Council spent 92,529 out of a 120,000 initial expenditure estimate.

The total annual expenditure for 2021 in the North East Region, according to the report, was 2,426,142. The total initial 2021 expenditure estimate was 4,067,812.

413,961 was spent by the North East Region on homeless prevention, tenancy sustainment and resettlement supports. The service providers in this category included, Dublin Simon, Peter McVerry Trust, Drogheda Homeless Aid and Hail and Focus Ireland.

Louth County Council spent 187,500 on scheduled supported emergency accommodation for families, to the Peter McVerry Trust at the Oldbridge Family Hub. The local authority also spent 556,610 on scheduled emergency expenditure for singles, with the service providers being Drogheda Homeless Aid, Dundalk/Dublin Simon, Drogheda Women's Refuge and Dundalk Simon.
An international crime gang member who used fake bank cards to skim more than 120,000 from dozens of Irish accounts has lost his bid to have his sentence reduced.

Daniel Munteanu (32), of Tower Mount Slane Rd, Navan, Co Meath, was imprisoned for six-and-a-half years after he pleaded guilty to 10 charges of stealing 121,800 from 52 Bank of Ireland accounts between September 9, 2018 and March 4, 2019.

During the spree, more than 300 withdrawals were made from ATMs located in counties Meath, Louth, Monaghan, Cavan, Westmeath, Offaly, Kildare, Dublin, Wicklow and Galway.

He also admitted possessing 51 cloned bank cards, a machine for making false bank cards, two fake Romanian driving licences and identity cards and a false passport, which had been uncovered by gardai during a search of his home.

Munteanu later appealed the severity of the sentence on the grounds that Judge Martina Baxter had placed insufficient weight on mitigation whilst relying too heavily on aggravating factors when she imposed a custodial term on him at Trim Circuit Criminal Court last March.

At the Court of Appeal today (Tuesday), Court President Mr Justice George Birmingham noted that Judge Baxter had applied a significant and generous discount to a headline sentence of 11 years, which was reduced to seven years with the final six months suspended.

Dismissing the appeal, Mr Justice Birmingham added that the final six-and-a-half-year term handed down by the judge had clearly fell within the available range.

Yesterday, Bernard Condon SC, for the appellant, explained that skimming involved the placing of an electronic device inside an ATM to read the bank details of unsuspecting customers as they withdrew cash.

These details would then be transferred on to a similar type of card with a magnetic strip on the back, such as a loyalty card for a retailer, which the gang would use to empty accounts of funds via ATMs, he added.

Mr Condon said his client, a Romanian national, had been a foot-soldier in a skimming gang and that his role was to access accounts using the skimmed cards and steal cash.

He did not have anything to do with the installation of the skimmer devices. Most of the money went back to Romania and he got a 10 per cent cut, Mr Condon explained.

Counsel added that it was a very risky role because most of the machines targeted by the gang were monitored by CCTV.

I am not suggesting it wasnt a serious offence, but it is a world away from criminal gangs who have become before these courts in the past involved in guns, drugs, murder and people trafficking, Mr Condon continued.

Although he had described his clients behaviour as reprehensible, he said that to place it at the top-end of the scale for offending had been a mistake.

Carl Hanahoe BL, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, said the evidence from the trial showed it was abundantly clear the appellant was a member of an international criminal network which was not only well-established in Ireland but was also operating in multiple jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom, Belgium, Romania, and Italy.

It was also evident that the bulk of the cash was being sent back to Romania, he added.

This is a case that the actual offences to which the accused pleaded guilty does not actually reflect what was occurring here, Mr Hanahoe told the court.

The gang, Mr Hanahoe continued, was not an organisation that has a fleeting interaction with other jurisdictions but a significant interaction with other jurisdictions.

The gangs access to significant resources to acquire the tools of their trade which were not easy to come by, indicated the appellant was a member of a complex criminal organisation and that pushed it [the offending] to the upper end of the range.

He said Munteanus motivation was financial, with his not insignificant 10-15 per cut providing him with around 40,000 in illegal earnings.
China enters new stage of COVID battle amid 2-year high daily tally

By Zhao Yusha and Liu Caiyu (Global Times) 09:52, March 08, 2022

China has witnessed the highest daily tally of COVID-19 cases in two years, with numbers soaring to 526 on Sunday, scattered across 14 provinces and municipalities, including several port cities such as Qingdao and densely populated metropolises like Shanghai, as the causes of many sporadic outbreaks remain unknown.

Health experts and officials believed that the frequent, widely-scattered and more concealed infections caused by the Omicron variant are posing more difficulties for China to maintain its "zero-COVID" strategy, but is also propelling China to perfect its current strategy. They believe China has entered a new stage of COVID-19 control, where more precise virus prevention measures are needed to strike a balance between controlling the virus and maintaining normal life.

The experts also noted that the zero-COVID policies will be adjusted in the future when conditions are ripe, when stronger immunological barriers are built, effective medicines emerge, and infection curves outside China are flattened.

China reported 214 new local COVID-19 cases on Sunday, and another 312 local silent carriers of coronavirus. South China's Guangdong Province, which borders the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region where viral spread is rife, reported 69 confirmed cases, the highest in the Chinese mainland. This was followed by Northeast China's Jilin Province with 54 cases, and the port city of Qingdao in East China's Shandong Province with 46 cases.

Lu Hongzhou, the head of Shenzhen's anti-epidemic expert team and head of the Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen, said the rampant infections in Hong Kong in part triggered the outbreak in Guangzhou, as many truck drivers travel between Hong Kong and Guangzhou and some people illegally cross the border between the two regions.

Shenzhen, a city in Guangdong adjoining Hong Kong, rolled out new rules for people entering the city from Hong Kong, saying they must present nucleic acid tests issued by 33 designated institutes, approved by both the Guangdong provincial government and HKSAR government, and have to be nasal swabs, or combined throat and nasal swabs, instead of simply throat swabs, which are prevalent in the Chinese mainland.

There is no clear indication of what caused the infections in Jilin and Qingdao. At a press conference on Monday, Jiang Fachun, deputy head of Qingdao's center for disease control and prevention, said that most new cases in Qingdao are silent carriers of the virus, as they contracted with Omicron variant, which results in milder symptoms, adding that the high vaccination rate has also been effective in fending off severe cases.

Qingdao has put 8,077 people under collective quarantine as of Monday morning. The city of Jilin in Jilin Province announced on Sunday the suspension of work and production, and asked schools to suspend classes.

Shanghai, the poster child in its ability to precisely contain the virus, is also struggling to deal with the latest wave of infections, reporting roughly 16 confirmed cases and dozens of asymptomatic cases this month. Wu Jinglei, director of the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission said at a Monday press conference that a total of 150,000 people have been screened for this outbreak in Shanghai.

Several office and residential buildings in Shanghai are under lockdown. "My company halved the number of employees going to work every day," an employee in Shanghai told the Global Times.

New round of debate

Coupled with the more frequent and widespread infection nationwide is a new round of discussions over China's zero-COVID policy, which has been adopted for more than two years, and is regarded by health experts as the "optimal" way of dealing with the coronavirus in China for now.

During the ongoing two sessions, which kicked off on Friday, the zero-COVID policy has also become a hot topic of discussion for officials and delegates.

China's dynamic zero COVID-19 policy is suited to its national conditions and benefits the world, Guo Weimin, the spokesperson of the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said during a briefing on Thursday.

However, health experts agreed that the dual risk of imported and local cases have pushed China's COVID-19 control to a new stage where more precise measures are needed to strike a better balance of virus prevention and maintaining normal life.

"The current sporadic outbreaks and concealed infections caused by the Omicron variant are posing more challenges for the zero-COVID strategy," a senior official at China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told the Global Times.

"Thus it is important to stick to precise management of the virus, and reduce the impact of virus prevention measures to a minimum."

Given the fact that the Omicron variant spread faster and more surreptitiously than previous variants, Lu suggested that the country put more efforts into tracking infected patients with smart methods once they get infected so as to control the viral transmission route as early as possible and confine the scale of the outbreak to as small an area as possible.

"This kind of precise anti-epidemic method enables epidemic-affected areas to scientifically impose anti-epidemic measures based on the risk of the epidemic. Not only will this deal with the more sneaky Omicron, it will also reduce the negative impact brought by COVID-19 on society and the normal lives of the public to a minimum," Lu told the Global Times.

Experts believed that adjusting COVID-19 policies cannot be interpreted simply as China abandoning the dynamic zero-COVID strategy. "The policy will be adjusted in the future, but it will take time, and the key point is to find the right moment, when conditions are ripe," said the CDC official.

According to a prediction model conducted by a teamled by Huang Jianping from Lanzhou University, if China relaxes restrictive policies, an outbreak that occurs in the country would lead to more than 10 million infections, the Global Times learned from the team on Friday.

The team told the Global Times that, at current stage, China's strategy to prevent the resurgence of a domestic outbreak and imported COVID-19 cases and the dynamic zero-COVID approach are still the best plan to deal with the pandemic.

Zhang Wenhong, a respected infectious disease expert in Shanghai who has been dubbed China's "Anthony Fauci", said he has discussed possible measures and treatments with experts all over the country on possible adjustment of the current strategy. He noted that no matter what kind of strategy China adopts in fighting coronavirus, the bottom line is to prevent a large-scale return of infections and the overwhelming of medical resources.

He said the next stage in COVID-19 prevention should be focused on achieving the best result at minimal cost.

Zhang also stressed the importance of vaccines. After analyzing 2,266 cases in Shanghai for the past half a year, Zhang and his team found that none of them, who are 94 percent vaccinated, had developed into severe or fatal cases.

Lu also suggested widening the use of vaccines in the face of the Omicron variant onslaught, such as nasally inhaled vaccines and mRNA vaccines. He also noted that the country can quicken the approval of domestically-produced nasally inhaled vaccines and mRNA vaccines.

Currently, more than 87 percent of the Chinese population has been vaccinated, most with inactivated vaccines. But Lu said a homologous booster of an inactivated vaccine displayed very limited neutralizing activity against the Omicron variant and its neutralizing activity was significantly lower than that of a heterologous booster or mRNA vaccine alone.

"We can already see the dawn of victory against coronavirus. When the global infection wave ebbs, China, with its medical achievements and social governance ability, can surely explore an innovative way that leads to normal life with a low fatality rate," according to Zhang.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
During oral arguments last month, multiple justices on Pennsylvanias Supreme Court said they wanted nothing to do with the case before them.

This is not a task that we ask for, one said.

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Were forced into this, said another.

They were referring specifically to their discomfort with picking a new congressional map after Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, and the GOP-led legislature failed to do so. But their comments might also reflect a court increasingly uneasy with being injected into partisan politics  and aware that it may be perceived as just another political entity.

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Its easy to see why. The map the court chose was backed by Democratic plaintiffs and had the support of Barack Obamas former attorney general.

And politics is built into the system: Pennsylvania judges are elected in partisan campaigns. The four justices who approved the map were elected as Democrats (a fifth Democrat dissented). Judicial campaign ads increasingly resemble those for any other campaign. Democrats won the 2015 Supreme Court elections  which set a national record for the most expensive judicial race  and have held a 5-2 majority ever since.

The court has also taken on some high-profile elections and voting rights cases. This was the second time in four years it was the final arbiter of the congressional map. During that time period, the justices effectively decided a contested state Senate election, issued several rulings related to the 2020 presidential election, and waded into disputes between Wolf and lawmakers over pandemic response.

And in the coming weeks, the court is expected to decide the fate of the states mail voting law  the subject of relentless attacks by former President Donald Trump and his allies.

While the court doesnt always rule in favor of Democrats, some Democrats have come to see it as an important backstop against the legislature and conservative lower courts. At least we have the Supreme Court, they say privately. It was hardly a secret that Democrats believed the high court would deliver a more favorable map than any deal between Wolf and lawmakers.

Republicans, meanwhile, attack the court for what they see as partisan judicial overreach. They have alternately flirted with impeaching one of the justices, cast the court as an arm of the Democratic Party, and introduced constitutional amendments that would change how judges are elected and what power they have.

Deborah Gross, president and CEO of the nonprofit Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, said the proposed amendments are intended to make sure that the court is aware that it could be changed.

The same day of the redistricting decision, the GOP chairman of the Senate State Government Committee said he will introduce a constitutional amendment to make any court-imposed congressional map valid only for a single election cycle  not the 10-year redistricting period.

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Now that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has chosen to gerrymander the states congressional districts for the second time in four years, it becomes imperative to limit the drawing of congressional districts to the General Assembly, Sen. Dave Argall, R-Schuylkill, wrote in a sponsorship memo.

Two days later, after the court voted unanimously against a GOP motion in another case, state Rep. Seth Grove, R-York, said it was no surprise, since the motion wasnt requested by national Democratic dark money groups.

#BoughtAndPaid, he tweeted of the high court.

Pennsylvanias high court isnt the only one caught in the political crosshairs.

Research shows partisan affiliation can have an effect on judicial decisions  consciously or not. An analysis of all 407 election cases in state supreme courts between 2005 and 2015 found that Republican judges issued decisions favoring their party at a 38% higher rate than Democratic judges. The trend, detailed in a Stanford Law Review article, held regardless of whether the judges were elected or appointed.

Approval of the U.S. Supreme Court has sunk to its lowest rating  40%  since Gallup began tracking public opinion on it in 2000. Some on the left see Trumps first appointee, Neil Gorsuch, as illegitimate, after Republicans blocked Obamas nominee in the final year of his term.

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Some Democrats want to increase the number of justices, though the prospects for such a change seem dim. And the specter of the court reversing Roe v. Wade and its protection of abortion rights damages the courts legitimacy in the eyes of many liberals.

The publics views of the courts have become much more negative, said Chris Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion. As trust in many government institutions has fallen, so has the trust in the courts. And the Pennsylvania Supreme Court is certainly not immune to that.

There isnt much data on views of the states high court. Fifty-seven percent of Pennsylvania voters who cast ballots in 2020 strongly or somewhat trust the court to provide the state with safe, secure, and accurate elections, according to a Muhlenberg poll in January.

Trust is lowest among Republicans: 44% say they somewhat or strongly trust the court on election matters, while 37% say they somewhat or strongly distrust it. The court gets higher marks on the issue than Wolf or the Legislature  including among GOP voters.

Some Harrisburg observers say lawmakers could help protect trust in the judiciary by replacing partisan elections with a merit-driven appointment process.

They know theres a big retention election coming in 2025, right? a lawyer who has been involved in cases before the Supreme Court said. Thats only a few years away, you know they have to think about, Whos going to be supporting us? 

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And if retention elections are heated, they can become a referendum on the politics  not law  of the justices decisions.

If its going to turn into every 10 years were going to relitigate [every decision], its not just about becoming a qualified jurist, said the lawyer, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a court they practice before. It becomes about a political power game.

Republican lawmakers in December advanced constitutional amendments that would limit judges to two 10-year terms and replace the retention election system with full partisan reelections.

Judges dont really want to be political animals, Gross said. But theyre stuck in that environment, just because of how its all set up.

Last Call Daily Get top headlines from The Morning Call delivered weekday afternoons. >

The politicization of the U.S. Supreme Court shows an appointment system is no panacea. And in some state courts, it can lead to even greater dysfunction. A yearslong political fight between former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and the Democratic-led Legislature led to a yearslong vacancy on the states high court.

And the Pennsylvania court has suffered its share of self-incurred reputational damage: One justice was removed in 2013 after being convicted on corruption charges, and two more resigned after they admitted to sharing inappropriate materials on state computers  part of the so-called Porngate scandal.

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Future legislatures and governors may spare the court the need to play a decisive role in redistricting.

But with another presidential election approaching and potential fights to come over abortion, voting rights, and other hotly contested issues, the justices are unlikely to recede from the public eye anytime soon.

(c)2022 The Philadelphia Inquirer

Visit The Philadelphia Inquirer at www.inquirer.com

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Irish truckers have begun a journey to Ukraine carrying 500 tonnes of aid for the war-torn country.

The first section of a convoy of 25 Irish lorries, carrying hundreds of tonnes of aid for the people of Ukraine, left Dublin Port early on Tuesday afternoon.

The goods, including medical supplies and clothing, come from individuals, community groups and companies from across the island of Ireland.



Truck driver Adam Johnston from the Aid From Ireland organisation (Niall Carson/PA)

The lorries, which should reach the Ukrainian/Polish border by the end of the week, were provided by transport operators from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The Irish Ferries company has also offered support to the Aid From Ireland initiative.

"The response has been overwhelming," said one of the co-ordinators at Dublin Port, John Tuohy said.

He said the only thing he could remember on a par with the undertaking, was the Live Aid global event in the 1980s.

"The response has been brilliant - from companies, individuals, schools, scouts - everyone. It has been unbelievable," John said of the response to humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian invasion.

He said the transport companies and truck drivers are "the real heroes".

"The transport companies are working for free and the truck drivers are giving their time," he said. They have been grateful to have some generous benefactors who have helped with the costs, amid soaring fuel costs.

Tatyana Buhera, a Ukrainian who has lived in Ireland for several years, was part of the organising efforts.

She praised the support that had come from Ireland since Russia invaded her home country.

But she said that Nato needed to impose a no-fly zone over her country.

It is very important because people who left their houses, they have nothing but probably just documents with them. It is so important for the small kids to have food, to have some clothing, she said.



The aid has been donated by individuals, community groups and companies from across the island of Ireland (Niall Carson/PA)

And also it is important for those brave men and women who are trying to fight the enemy, they have no means for that.

Some warm clothes, some goods  it is so important for them to keep fighting and keep their families protected.

Ms Buhera said that her brother was in Ukraine and was willing to fight if needed.

Nobody is hiding. Everybody wants to go and fight, she said.

The nation is united like never before.

Ray Cole, the director of the Virginia Transport logistics company, said that the convoy leaving from Dublin was the first tranche of aid.



Truck driver Donal Lennon holds a flag in his cab as the Aid From Ireland lorries prepare to leave Dublin Port (Niall Carson/PA)

Mr Cole said that 11 trucks, with 11 drivers, made up the first part of the convoy to leave.

They contain any and everything, he said.

One truck, Mr Cole said, contained 10 tonnes of porridge oats, while others contained clothes, food and medical equipment.

He said his company employed a lot of people from Ukraine.

We just want to give something back, he said.

Ireland has always been good at supporting people in need. Were just doing our bit to help them. It is a tragedy what is going on. Anything we can do to help them.

Aid from Ireland was set up by chief organiser Tommy Byrne, an Irishman living in Poland - and is a the name given to the enormous collective efforts of individuals and companies all over the island of Ireland who have come together to support the humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

The trucks have been provided by transport operators from Ireland and Northern Ireland. Irish Ferries have donated shipping to get from Ireland to continental Europe.

The transport and logistics companies are providing warehouse space and sorting staff completely free of charge.

Some of the items in the aid delivery include: 600 survival kits from Boojum, to include flash lamps and warm clothing; 10,000 Kg of porridge donated by Flahavans; 6 pallets of first aid and medical supplies supplied by Hibernian Healthcare.

In addition, there have been significant donations collected from individual donations via schools and community appeals.
Micheal Martin has suggested a citizens assembly could be established to discuss Irelands policy of military neutrality.

The Taoiseach made the remarks in the Dail as he faced claims the Ukrainian invasion is bringing Ireland closer to Nato and European militarisation.

Mr Martin responded by saying the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin have left the EU exposed in terms of security.

But he said now is not the time for a discussion on Irelands military neutrality, but instead to concentrate on measures to help the people of Ukraine.



Richard Boyd Barrett said it was time to re-commit to military neutrality

During leaders questions, People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett said there has been a clamour in Government to move Ireland away from its traditional position of military neutrality and closer to Nato and to the project of European militarisation.

He said: I find it absolutely extraordinary in the face of the dire consequences of war-mongering and militarism on the part of Putin that there is a thought that somehow more militarism, more arms expenditure and allying more closely with a military alliance is somehow a legitimate response.

Is it not time to re-commit to Irelands position of military neutrality, which does not mean ignoring this crisis?

The Taoiseach said Russia stands condemned in the international court of opinion for its attack on Ukraine.

He added: Everybody tried everything to stop Russia going to war. Leading Nato countries did everything they could to say to President Putin, You dont need to go to war.

This crisis does cause a need for further reflection on security architecture within Europe and within the wider world.

Mr Martin said Ireland has a tradition of military neutrality but has never been politically neutral.

He added: But we do need a discussion on this.

Not right now, in the middle of a terrible war when we should be concentrating our resources on helping the people of Ukraine in a practical way.

I think we could look at a citizens assembly to discuss these issues in the fullness of time where detailed prepared submissions and perspectives from a wide range of opinion could be articulated.

President Putin has fundamentally changed the multilateral rules-based order by the nature of his unprovoked attack on Ukraine. It would be foolish to ignore that.

The European Union is exposed, security-wise, in respect of what has happened.
The EUs rapporteur on Ukraine has criticised two Irish MEPs for voting against a motion condemning Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Michael Gahler branded Clare Daly and Mick Wallace as completely irrelevant and questioned their motivation in voting down the motion.

The Independents 4 Change members were among 13 MEPs to vote against the European Parliament resolution, which also argued in favour of the speeding up of Ukraines candidacy for EU membership.

Mr Gahler, the European Parliaments standing rapporteur on Ukraine, added that the move has not helped the Irish cause.

"This is the greatest disaster for #Ukraine since the German invasion in 1941. And it is the fault and sole responsibility of a cynical, constantly lying and inhuman Russian dictator", said @gahler_michael MEP during this week's plenary. We #StandWithUkraine!# pic.twitter.com/ES9hK9QGRr  EPP Group (@EPPGroup) March 6, 2022

He (Mr Wallace) reads things so intensely from a piece of paper, I dont know where he gets it from. Maybe he is under instruction from Moscow or the embassy there, Mr Gahler said.

I wouldnt speculate.

He said that the motion received a total of 657 votes, which accounted for more than 90% of MEPs.

So, I mean, they are completely irrelevant and I really wonder what their real motivation is, Mr Gahler added.

He went on: They are politically irrelevant. They are very marginal and they are exotic and they are not helping the Irish cause by any means.

Ms Daly has defended the decision to vote against the motion, saying it represents the anti-war mandate she was elected on.

Meanwhile, Fine Gael senator Sean Kelly said that the EU needs to bring in more sanctions against Russia and to cripple President Vladimir Putins ability to eliminate Ukraine.

Russia has been hit with a raft of sanctions from Western countries, including those in the EU, which is considering introducing further penalties against Moscow.

Mr Kelly also accused Mr Putin of killing people left, right and centre.

I think we have to do everything we can to basically make it difficult for Putin to be successful in Ukraine, Mr Kelly added.

If the European Commission looks at something, they will look at it in its broadest terms, and see how it will affect a situation. I will be going along with that.

I think we probably need more sanctions, and we also need to hold the line.

This is a threat, essentially, to democracy, and especially to Europe. So we have to use everything we can to try and cripple Putins ability to eliminate Ukraine.

Green MEP Grace OSullivan called for her EU counterparts to review the European Green Deal as the EU relies too much on getting its energy from Russia.

We now know that we, in the European Union, have far too much reliance on getting energy from in Russia  its just hugely problematic, she told reporters in Strasbourg.

The fact that we are so reliant on Russian gas and we have, over the years, been fuelling and financing Putin and the Kremlin to enable them to do what theyre doing at the moment.

Thats why, for us in the European Union, more than ever were going to have to take a relook at the European Green Deal, and instead of watering it down, which was happening to some degree over the past number of years, we need to bolster because we have energy security issues, we have food security issues, and a humanitarian crisis.
The former choir director at Central Bucks West High School, who was charged last month with secretly videotaping a student, is now accused of molesting two children in the 1990s.

Joseph Glen Ohrt, 56, of Buckingham Township, Bucks County, was charged Tuesday with one count of indecent assault of a person under 14 and one count of indecent assault of a person under 16, along with two counts of corruption of minors, the Bucks County district attorneys office said in a statement.

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The charges stem from allegations by former students. One told authorities that he was an 11-year-old sixth grader at Linden Elementary in 1991 when Ohrt, his choir teacher, indecently touched him in the music room at the school.

A second former choir student told detectives he was 13 in 1996 when Ohrt molested him. The man said he was babysitting at Ohrts home in Doylestown Township, Bucks County, while Ohrt and his wife went out to celebrate their wedding anniversary. When Ohrt returned, he indecently assaulted the student in the basement of his home, the man said.

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Ohrt was arraigned by District Judge Mark Douple and his bail was set at $100,000. He was ordered to have no contact with the alleged victims and no unsupervised contact with anyone under 18, and must surrender his passport.

Ohrt was charged Feb. 8 with felony and misdemeanor counts related to wiretap violations, invasion of privacy and tampering with evidence, after an investigation found he allegedly took a video recording of a former male student without consent.

Following his arrest, detectives received multiple tips through emails, phone calls and the CrimeWatch site from people reporting inappropriate past contact with Ohrt.

Authorities strongly believe Ohrt may have assaulted others.

We want to know if you, or someone you know, has been victimized by this man, District Attorney Matt Weintraub said. If you have, its OK to speak your truth now. Please join these brave victims whove already spoken up. Well seek justice for you, and for our community.

Anyone with information can contact detective Sgt. Paul Kreuter of the Central Bucks Regional Police Department, 215-345-4143 or pkreuter@crpd.net; or Detective Greg Beidler of Bucks County Detectives, 215-340-8216.

Tips can be submitted through the CrimeWatch site, BucksDA.org.
Plaistow - Linda Diane Bettincourt, age 71, of Plaistow, NH, formerly of Wakefield, MA passed away Thursday, April 28 at the Exeter Center in Exeter, NH. Born in Potsdam, NY on March 13, 1951 she was the daughter of the late Leon and Jean (Kembel) Schuyler. Linda was raised in Foxborough and
Just after his first week of official practice, new transfer Jesse Miritello persuaded sever
EBRD is supporting Egypts transition to a greener economy

MoU with the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy and the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources

Assessment to produce guidelines for the national low-carbon hydrogen strategy

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is helping Egypt to achieve its renewable energy potential and to transition to a greener economy by assisting in the development of a national low-carbon hydrogen strategy.

Hydrogen is one of the decarbonised fuels of the future. It can significantly contribute to the energy transition while unlocking additional benefits from renewable power generation.

The Bank signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Egypts Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy and Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources to establish a framework for assessing the potential of low-carbon hydrogen supply chains.

The Banks assessment will include mapping the current and future expected international supply and demand of the hydrogen market, analysing existing and potential hydrogen production in Egypt and valuing the storage, conversion and transportation of hydrogen and its derivatives.

The EBRD will also help to conduct a regulatory analysis and assessment of the changes needed to support the development of hydrogen supply chains in Egypt while ensuring the safety, reliability, competitiveness and sustainability of supply.

The assessment will provide guidelines for the countrys low-carbon hydrogen strategy, promoting the sustainable development of hydrogen as a decarbonised fuel for climate change mitigation, while ensuring cost effectiveness and identifying potential areas for investment.

Accelerating progress on achieving Egypts national development strategy, with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at its core, Minister of International Cooperation Rania A. Al-Mashat emphasised that the country was committed to transitioning to an inclusive and green economy. Egypt will host the COP27 climate conference towards the end of the year.

Utilising low-carbon hydrogen is a key step towards mitigating climate change as the country moves to using clean and renewable energy, Minister Al-Mashat said.

Mark Bowman, EBRD Vice President for Policy, said: We are very proud to contribute to Egypts future national low-carbon hydrogen strategy, which is in line with the Banks commitment to mitigating climate change where it invests. The Bank has been a strong supporter of renewable energy development in Egypt, providing policy advice, technical assistance and financing. Our aim is to back the country in achieving another milestone.

Egypt is a founding member of the EBRD. Since the start of the Banks operations there in 2012, the EBRD has invested close to 8.6 billion in 144 projects across the country.
US$ 50 million EBRD loan to one of Turkeys leading producers of edible oils

EBRD and Bunge to collaborate in supporting women farmers through a training academy

Academy will teach climate-smart farming techniques

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) today announced a US$ 50 million long-term loan to Bunge, one of Turkeys leading integrated producers of edible oils, to finance the companys working-capital needs and capital investments at plants in the Ayvalk and Thrace regions.

In addition to the funding, the EBRD and Bunge will partner in sustainability projects. Their primary goal is to set up a training academy in collaboration with local education providers to enhance the access of women farmers to modern agro-techniques, specifically in the areas of olive tree cultivation and maintenance.

The Bank will also help Bunge to develop certified organic olive production in Turkey and to analyse the climate change resilience of the olive supply chain.

Bunge is committed to advancing sustainability where we operate and we are pleased to be able to collaborate with EBRD in such relevant projects. This initiative aligns with our focus in providing low carbon and sustainable solutions for the production of food, feed and fuel to consumers around the globe, said Rob Coviello, Bunges Chief Sustainability Officer and Government Affairs.

In Turkey, Bunge processes oilseeds, cereals, protein products and crushes, and refines and bottles oilseeds to produce olive oil, sunflower oil and cooking oils. The company also owns leading consumer brands in Turkey such as Komili, Krlangc and Sezai Omer Madra.

Jurgen Rigterink, EBRD First Vice President, said: The greatest opportunity for positive and sustainable change lies in committing to a new way of doing things. I applaud Bunge for making strides towards the social, economic and environmental sustainability of the olive oil industry. The EBRD is pleased to help the company focus on supply chains, invest in farmers skills, advance organic farming and strengthen climate change resilience.

The EBRD is a leading institutional investor in Turkey and to date has invested more than 15 billion in the country through 370 projects, with the overwhelming majority of those investments in the private sector.
Standardized test scores released last week showed what many people assumed they would  that education in Pennsylvania suffered when the pandemic disrupted classes.

Many students struggled to learn online. Some didnt have the parental support, or the technology and resources to do as well at home. Some werent motivated and felt isolated.

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So lets not panic over the scores. While they dont look good on paper, they occurred under extreme circumstances that hopefully never will be repeated.

Many students will rebound now that they are back in class and learning from their teachers face-to-face. Mask requirements are being lifted and COVID-19 disruptions largely are over.

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You cant make up lost time, though. So we cant completely dismiss the test results.

Lessons build on each other. Students are assumed to have mastered skills and subjects and are expected to be able to apply them as they advance to the next grade and more-challenging courses.

So the scores of individual students moving forward must be watched. If students continue to perform below par as they test in the same subjects at higher grade levels, thats cause for concern.

Learning loss should be addressed on an individual basis. Schools must make efforts to help students catch up. Some will need more help than others.

State lawmakers must recognize there is a need and support it, with more money if necessary, even if the bump is temporary.

Some legislators raised a fuss, rightfully so, about why the state Department of Education waited so long to release the scores. They had been promised in November.

House Speaker Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) and House Education Committee Chairman Curt Sonney (R-Erie) wrote in a letter to the education secretary last month: The 2022-2023 budget process has begun, but without the test data we are at great disadvantage in formulating an education plan that provides targeted support for those students and schools who may have been greatly impacted by the pandemic.

Heres what the results, released Friday, showed.

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On the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment exams given to students in third to eighth grades, English scores were down 3.5% to 7%, depending on the grade. Math scores fell 7% to 11%. Science scores fell 2% to 7%.

Keystone exams given to high school students were more of a mixed bag. Literature scores dropped about 21%. Biology scores rose slightly. Algebra scores didnt change.

Another factor that must be considered when analyzing the scores is that far fewer students took those tests last year.

In a normal year, almost every student in the testing grades takes the exams. Last year, the rate was about 71%. So the scores dont reflect the entire student body. School closures and transportation issues contributed to that lower number. And many parents opted their children out.

Now that it has the scores, Im curious how the Legislature will react.

The Republicans in charge made a big stink about the Democratic administration of Gov. Tom Wolf not releasing the scores sooner. Now that they know the scores are down, will lawmakers finally agree to break their piggyback and toss a few more dimes to the public schools that need them most?

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[ Allentown school superintendent: Resignation is indictment of Pennsylvanias unfair education funding ]

State funding for public education has increased in recent years, but it still isnt doled out in a fair manner. Only a sliver of the money goes through the fair funding formula that is supposed to direct more to districts such as Allentown that are overwhelmed by poverty and other factors that hinder learning.

For the past four months, the system has been on trial. A lawsuit filed by school districts, parents and students alleges the state doesnt meet its constitutional requirement to provide a thorough and efficient education system.

Closing arguments are scheduled for this week.

The value of test scores has been debated during the trial. These lower scores will muddy that debate even further.

Standardized tests arent the best barometer of student achievement in good times. Some students just dont score well. They get anxious and nervous at the thought of the tests.

In bad times, their value is even less.

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It would be poor policy to use last years scores to draw broad conclusions or to make broad comparisons of learning trends over time. But it also would be poor policy to forget about them altogether.

Morning Call columnist Paul Muschick can be reached at 610-820-6582 or paul.muschick@mcall.com
AROUND 70 jobs are set to be axed at a West Cork pharmaceutical plant.

MSD Brinny, which has been in operation for over 35 years and is located near Innishannon, announced a reduction in its workforce this morning.

The site is one of six MSD Ireland branches in the country and is one of the largest employers in Munster, with around 700 staff members.

MSD Brinny announced a reduction in its total workforce of approximately 70, a spokesperson for the company said.

MSD Brinny is a strategic site within the global MSD network. The site has a long track record in the manufacture of key medicines and is continuously evolving to meet the needs of patients around the world.

As part of the ongoing evolution at MSD Brinny, the site continuously evaluates resourcing across all its operations to ensure optimum skills, resources and expertise are in place to support the business.

This announcement is a key part of MSD Brinnys evolving site strategy to ensure continued viability for the long-term.

It is understood that workers were told the site had opened a voluntary redundancy programme and that a consultation process with staff will now begin.

MSD Ireland first established an Irish base over 50 years ago and has a total workforce of 2,800 people.

According to the companys spokesperson, MSD has invested over 3.6b in its Irish operations so far and the sites manufacture around half of MSDs top twenty products.

The Brinny plant specialises in the development and manufacturing of novel vaccines and the testing of immuno-oncology medicines.

Speaking to The Echo, local Cork County Councillor Kevin Murphy said the news was disappointing.

Its a major shock to the system, Mr Murphy said.

Im very sad and disappointed with the decision.

"Theyre all top-class jobs up there and everyone understands that there might be some problems in workplaces right now but MSD Brinny is a great company and theyre excellent employers.

With the way the economy is going, Id be very concerned about those who are going to lose their jobs. My heart goes out to them.

"I hope theyll be re-employed as soon as possible.

Cork County Councillor and Innishannon resident Alan Coleman said that local residents are hoping the news doesn't signal a larger trend.

"It's unthinkable really that someone would be laid off from a place like this and 70 is a high number. It's a major employer in the parish and in South Cork in general. It hasn't always been plain sailing but they're a great employer and they're very good to the community," Cllr Coleman said.

"This sector has been really stable and is one of the few that grew in the pandemic. It's very worrying to see one of them shedding jobs for the first time in a long time.

"It makes you wonder if it's an Irish problem or just a company problem. You'd hope it isn't the start of a trend within a sector that has been really driving the economy for the last number of years."
By Jessica Corbett

Public figures within and beyond India are demanding the release of Disha Ravi, a climate campaigner accused of sedition for allegedly editing and distributing an activist toolkit in support of the ongoing farmers protest that was tweeted by Fridays for Future founder Greta Thunberg.

A petition calling for Ravis release has over 12,100 signatures. Activists, actors, politicians, and others have condemned her weekend arrest, which followed months of farmer-led demonstrations against agricultural reforms and other policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modis right-wing Hindu nationalist government. More than 50 academics, activists, and artists have released a joint statement denouncing Ravis arrest as disturbing, illegal in nature, and an over-reaction of the state, according to The Tribune, an English-language daily in North India.

#ToolkitsAreNotSedition #FreeDishaRavi

Preparing toolkits that make it easier for people of other countries to understand issues, support movements, is what activists all over the world do. Seeking global solidarity for farmers is not sedition. https://t.co/Bw7d0OoXJC  Kavita Krishnan (@kavita_krishnan) February 14, 2021

Arresting the activist, in her early 20s, is an unprecedented attack on democracy, tweeted Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Supporting our farmers is not a crime. Indian MP P. Chidambaram, also responded on Twitter, declaring that the Indian state must be standing on very shaky foundations if Disha Ravi, a student of Mount Carmel college and a climate activist, has become a threat to the nation. India is becoming the theatre of the absurd and it is sad that the Delhi Police has become a tool of the oppressors, he added. I strongly condemn the arrest of Disha Ravi and urge all students and youth to raise their voices to protest against the authoritarian regime. The incident also caught the attention of American lawyer Meena Harris  the vice presidents niece  who shared a Twitter thread from poet Rupi Kaur:

Indian officials have arrested another young female activist, 21 yo Disha Ravi, because she posted a social media toolkit on how to support the farmers' protest. Read this thread about the sequence of events and ask why activists are being targeted and silenced by the government. https://t.co/ycUgDEqwdF  Meena Harris (@meena) February 14, 2021

Delhi Police said in a series of tweets Sunday that Ravi  who co-founded a branch of the youth-led climate movement Fridays for Future in Bangalore  is a key conspirator in the formulation and dissemination of the toolkit. They also accused her of starting a related group on the messaging service WhatsApp. The Guardian reports that Ravi has now been charged with sedition and criminal conspiracy. According to the newspaper: At a court on Sunday Ravi broke down in tears and said she had only edited two lines of the toolkit file. Police alleged in their statement they had technical evidence that Ravis role in editing the toolkit was many times more than the two lines editing that she claims. The court remanded Ravi to five days in police custody after police requested time to unearth her connections with the Sikhs for Justice.

Previously, Delhi Police said the toolkit, a version of which is available on an encrypted site, predates and indicates a copycat execution of a conspiracy behind protests that turned violent on Jan. 26. The police added that the call was to wage economic, social, cultural, and regional war against India. The available toolkit, which does not advocate violence, suggests actions such as supporting Indian farmers on social media using the hashtags #FarmersProtest and #StandWithFarmers, calling and emailing government representatives, and organizing or participating in on-the-ground protests. Disha is a dedicated climate activist, a volunteer at the India chapter of Fridays for Future who declined to be named due to safety concerns told CNN. It was difficult to wrap my head yesterday when I came to know about [her arrest], I was shocked. This leads to a lot of caution, the volunteer added. We are asking for livable future It is our right.

We know #climatechange is an existential threat. World desperately needs the passion and commitment of the youth and their loud and strong voice to shake it to more action #FreeDishaRavi  Sunita Narain (@sunitanar) February 15, 2021

Leo Saldanha, a member of the Environment Support Group in Bengaluru, which organized the petition, told Reuters that Ravis arrest is aimed at quashing dissent. This is their way of trying to scare away youngsters from raising their voice about anything, Saldanha said of the Indian government. This sends a message to all young people out there that, you know, shut up and stay at home or this is what is going to happen to you. Supporters of Ravi  including Indian actors Siddharth and Swara Bhasker  have turned to social media to call for her release using the hashtags #DishaRavi, #FreeDishaRavi, and #ReleaseDishaRavi.

Reposted with permission from Common Dreams.
By Mahima Jain

Over recent months Raja, a farmer in Indias Tamil Nadu state, has had a change of routine.

Every few days, the 53-year-old leaves his 30-acre (12-hectare) farm in the Villupuram district  where he grows a patchwork of rice, sugarcane, coconut trees and vegetables  and joins a small group demonstrating outside government offices and main roads in his village.

Raja, who goes by one name only, is one of millions who have joined sustained protests across Indias villages and cities in opposition to three farm laws introduced in September last year.

New Delhi, the focal point of the outcry, has witnessed striking scenes of tractor rallies and sit-ins on its outskirts, escalating last week to violence and the storming of the Red Fort.

Prime Minister Narendra Modis government maintains that the legislation, which loosens regulation and invites private investment in the sector, will help encourage growth and increase farmers incomes. Yet farmers say the market-friendly reforms leave them open to exploitation from large corporate actors and endanger their livelihoods. We are against these anti-farmer, pro-corporate farm laws, said Raja.

Farming in Crisis Farmers and activists fear the legislation will exacerbate existing stresses in the agricultural sector, which has experienced stagnant growth for six years and decades of rising debt. The pressures are believed to have pushed thousands to suicide. There is so much uncertainty, said Raja, whose income hasnt increased for over a decade. Before the software boom of the 1990s, I was earning as much as my engineer friends. Today, I am nowhere. Hes been selling a 75 kg bag of paddy rice at around (10.70), less than the governments minimum price support, for over 15 years. Raja worries that the new laws, which weaken price guarantees for certain crops, will leave farmers even more vulnerable. The current laws push for contract farming, wherein farmers enter into legally binding agreements with large corporations and private players. Activists say this will place them in an unequal power relation, as a failure to deliver crops due to harvest loss could even mean loss of land. A breakthrough in calming the months of protest initially appeared to come on January 12 when the Supreme Court decided to temporarily suspend the legislation. But it was not the victory many hoped for. Farmers movements are against the Supreme Court order, said Ashlesha Khadse, activist and volunteer with Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch, a women farmers group. The court has appointed a committee to hold further discussions between protesters and government officials to help resolve the ongoing dispute. Khadse says farmers believe the appointed members are supporters of the laws and will continue protesting until they are fully repealed.

Ecological Roots of Crisis She also argues the legislation fails to tackle the root causes of the sectors problems. The laws dont mention the environment, said Khadse. But the farm crisis today has ecological roots. She says that todays problems can be traced back to the 1960s Green Revolution, when the government supported industrial cultivation of specific crops and adopted modern technology to maximize output. Indias food basket was homogenized as certain crops  mainly high-yield varieties of rice, wheat and pulses  were favored over others. Land has been left depleted by monocultural cultivation of high-yield seed varieties, said Khadse. She believes the costs of inputs needed to keep producing has pushed farmers into a cycle of debt. The increase in agricultural productivity has come at a tremendous cost to the environment, said Thomson Jacob, a policy consultant at the Centre for Biodiversity Policy and Law in Chennai. Jacob says these include loss of soil nutrients, excessive irrigation, water scarcity, indiscriminate application of some nutrients and pesticides and loss of agrobiodiversity. Farmers today are dealing not only with the legacy of the Green Revolution but the added impacts of climate change. Those working in the agricultural sector, which employs over 40% of Indias labor force, grapple with drought and flooding. Raja says a changing and unpredictable climate is affecting the yield on his farm. In late November last year, his crops were partially damaged as a result of Cyclone Nivar. Research shows that cyclonic activity in the Bay of Bengal, along which Tamil Nadu sits, has been rapidly intensifying due to rising temperatures.
It turns out that humanitys trash may be an octopuss treasure.

A new study published in Marine Pollution Bulletin last month looked at a range of underwater photographs that show octopuses interacting with litter that had settled on the seafloor.

The deep-sea records were extremely interesting, because even at great depths these animals are interacting with the litter, research supervisor professor Maira Proietti at the Federal University of Rio Grande in Brazil told The Guardian.

Deep-sea octopuses have been observed taking shelter in human-made items for decades, the researchers explained. However, the Brazilian and Italian team wanted to understand more about these interactions. To this end, they looked at a total of 261 photographs taken by citizen scientists and identified 24 species of octopus interacting with marine debris.

The most common interaction documented by the photographs was octopuses using glass as an alternative shelter. Indeed, 41.6 percent of the interactions involved glass, while 24.7 percent involved plastic. In addition to using the items as shelter, the scientists also saw the octopuses carrying plastic items around to camouflage themselves while stilt-walking, or walking on two tentacles, The Guardian reported.

The species most commonly represented in the photographs was Amphioctopus marginatus. Also known as the veined octopus, this marine animal has a habit of burying itself in sand and using clam and coconut shells to protect itself, according to the Australian Museum. It is found throughout the tropical Indian Ocean as well as in the Pacific near Australia, New Guinea and Southern Japan. In general, a higher percentage of the images came from Asia than any other region.

While the images show the adaptability and ingenuity of octopuses, researchers arent yet sure of the true implications of the octopuses use of marine litter.

Despite any possible positive effects, the use of litter as shelter could have negative implications, the study authors wrote.

For instance, sheltering or laying eggs in tires or on batteries or plastic could expose the animals to heavy metals or toxic chemicals, Proietti told The Guardian.

For example, one 2015 study found that cadmium, which has increased in the marine environment due to human activity, can inhibit the growth and increase the mortality rate of common octopuses.

The use of artificial items might also indicate negative changes in the environment.

While these interactions could seem positive for the animals because they are lacking natural shelters such as seashells, it is not a good thing to think that the animals may be using litter as shelter because the seashells are gone, Proietti told The Guardian.

In general, ocean plastic is considered a threat to marine life because larger items can entangle animals or block their digestive tracts when they mistake it for food. A total of 267 species have been impacted by marine plastic pollution.
Russias invasion of Ukraine has demonstrated again that war and energy are inextricably linked.

The invasion has so far put a pin in the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany, prompted fossil fuel companies to argue for increased production and led to worrying attacks on nuclear power plants. Now, oil and gas prices are soaring around the world.

There are few words to describe the unprecedented rise in gasoline prices over the last week, with massive spikes coast to coast in both gasoline and diesel prices, as oil prices jump to their highest since 2008, GasBuddy head of petroleum analysis Patrick De Haan told CNBC.

The spike is down to the fact that Russia is the worlds second largest producer of crude oil, after Saudi Arabia, according to BBC News. It also provides Europe with a third of its oil supply. However, on Sunday U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the U.S. and its allies were considering banning the import of Russian oil, as Reuters reported.

We are now in very active discussions with our European partners about banning the import of Russian oil to our countries, while of course, at the same time, maintaining a steady global supply of oil, Blinken told NBCs Meet the Press, according to Reuters.

Also on Sunday, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that the House was exploring legislation to ban Russian oil imports.

News of possible sanctions were followed by a spike in oil prices, BBC News noted. The price of Brent crude oil rose to $139.13 a barrel early on Monday  the highest in nearly 14 years. It then fell slightly to around $123. Gas prices in the UK reached a record high of 650 pence per therm, The New Statesman reported. In the U.S., AAA data found that prices at the pump averaged $4.009 a gallon Sunday, the highest since 2008, CNBC reported. However, prices could go on to break records.

Forget the $4 per gallon mark, the nation will soon set new all-time record highs and we could push closer to a national average of $4.50, De Haan told CNBC.

European leaders, however, have said that a ban on Russian imports is unlikely.

The painful reality is we are still very much dependent on Russian gas and Russian oil and if you now force European companies to quit doing business with Russia that would have enormous ramifications around Europe including Ukraine but also around the world, Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte said, as BBC News reported. We have to reduce our dependency. That will take time.

In response to the crisis, oil and gas companies have argued in favor of ramping up oil and gas production in the U.S. However, climate advocates are arguing instead to accelerate the transition to renewable energy. Experts are also noting the link between fossil fuel production and war. In his book Petro-Aggression, Brown University Climate Solutions Lab director Jeff Colgan wrote that oil-producing states can use their earnings to fund warfare, and countries that rely on oil-and-gas exports tend to be around 50 percent more involved with conflicts than countries that dont, according to Inside Climate News.

Putin is able to use the oil money to get rid of any domestic political constraints and to build a military and a war chest to allow these kinds of foreign policy adventures, Colgan explained.

This is why some argue that fossil fuels are the enemy of both a livable climate and peace on Earth.

Human-induced climate change and the war on Ukraine have the same roots, fossil fuels, and our dependence on them, Svitlana Krakovska of the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Institute said, as Inside Climate News reported.




China's soybean imports in January and February 2022 higher year-on-year

Data from China's General Administration of Customs showed the country's soybean imports in January and February this year were higher than the same period in 2021, beating market expectations, Reuters reported.

China imported 13.94 million tonnes of soybean in the first two months of 2022, 4.1% higher compared to the 13.41 million tonnes imported in January and February 2021.

The market expected reduced imports due to delayed harvesting and slashed output estimates in Brazil.

Refinitiv data showed China's soybean imports were 7.8 million tonnes in January 2022 and 4.4 million tonnes for February 2022.

Zou Honglin, an analyst with the agriculture section of Mysteel, a China-based consultancy, said imports in January and February 2022 were bigger than expected, especially as there would not be a tightness in the domestic market if the arrivals were this high.

Zou said the data discrepancy could be caused by non-commercial cargoes, as commercial buying did not support such high figures.

Because of the Lunar New Year, China does not break out separate import figures for the first two months of the year.

Lower than projected soybean imports have forced major Chinese crushing plants to suspend operations, resulting in soaring soymeal prices.

Importers have purchased US soybeans after American shipments became competitive against Brazilian cargoes.

Soybean arrivals in March and April are expected to remain limited as bad weather in Brazil continues to affect crops and shipments there.

China's soymeal prices are also on the rise due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has disrupted the global agricultural supply chain.

- Reuters




Irish aquaculture-licensing system much to catch up in efficiency and effectiveness

Ireland's aquaculture-licensing system has been improved over the past year, but still lags behind in terms of efficiency and effectiveness, according to industry watchers.

Irish aquaculture practitioners are dismayed the industry was not covered by a maritime management legislation introduced in 2021. The Maritime Area Planning Bill, passed in December 2021, does not legislate aquaculture activity, which remains the remit of the Ireland Department of Agriculture, and the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA)  also created by the legislation  will govern wind power and other activities at sea, but not aquaculture, according to Teresa Morrissey, head of aquaculture at the Irish Farmers' Association.

"We don't know where that leaves us," Morrissey said.

A question submitted by her office to the national parliament on March 1 yielded a response suggesting that aquaculture may later be added to MARA's remit, Morrissey told SeafoodSource.

The licensing and the renewal process for salmon farm licenses is currently taking several years.

Just one aquaculture license  Mowi Ireland's application for an 18-cage site in Bantry Bay  was approved by Ireland's Aquaculture Licenses Appeals Board in 2021, but the approval is currently the subject of a judicial review.

The country's licensing process was found to be in contravention of European Union regulations on habitat protection in 2007 and has undergone a reassessment in the interim, according to Mowi Ireland's managing director Jan Feenstra.

"The [Ireland] Department [of Agriculture] is progressing applications, mostly through the statutory consultation phase and looking for additional information," Feenstra said. "Not much else to note, but at least, this is more constructive than the deadlock of the previous 20 years."

Morrissey said her organisation is hopeful that data gathered in the licensing and appeals process could make future licensing more efficient.

Demand for licensing in Ireland is less about quantity rather than about modernising existing aquaculture facilities, Morrissey said, and the lack of certainty created by the problems with the current licensing situation is limiting investment.

"Many of the licenses are now 30 years old and don't take into account modern-day practices and technology," she said. However, the groundwork that went into the appeals process  years of assessments and data collection  "should serve to make the ALAB process more efficient in future."

- SeafoodSource




Brazilian meat companies could replace suppliers from Ukraine and Russia

Rising grain prices caused by Russia's invasion into Ukraine are affecting Brazilian meatpackers, but industry sources said trade disruptions facing Ukrainian and Russian meat producers could be an opportunity to increase Brazil's share in worldwide trade, Reuters reported.

Ukraine and Russia account for nearly 29% of worldwide wheat exports and 19% of corn exports, which are used as livestock feed.

Russia's invasion into Ukraine could result in Brazil accessing its competitor's markets. Sources told Reuters that Europe could abolish a ban on several Brazilian meatpackers that was imposed in 2018 after a food sector scandal.

Ricardo Santin, president of meat lobby ABPA, said the Brazilian meat industry is prepared to cover gaps in exports of chicken and pork and support the food security of nations that may be short-supplied due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Major Brazilian meatpackers like JBS and BRF are part of ABPA. Russia and Ukraine compete with Brazil to export meat to markets in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

ABPA said there are about 20 Brazilian plants currently suspended by the Europeans.

Alcides Torres, director at Scot Consultoria, said Ukraine's poultry exports totals about 430,000 tonnes annually, representing some 10% of what Brazil traded in 2021

Torres said Europe will consider lifting suspensions if they need meat from Brazil.

- Reuters
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Spanish public prosecutors have closed all the investigations that were underway against the financial affairs of former king Juan Carlos I, affected by the statute of limitations and the monarch's constitutional inviolability before the law. In response, the king emeritus has announced in a letter his decision to continue living for the moment in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, but to return to Spain - and "frequently". Despite this, prime minister Pedro Sanchez has repeated the same message: the letter is insufficient and the country's former head of state must give explanations to the Spanish people. On the other hand, the PM's own party, the PSOE, continue blocking all kinds of initiatives, such as the request for the retired monarch to appear before the Spanish parliament that was today registered by the pro-independence CUP party with the Congress of Deputies.

In an informal conversation with journalists while travelling to Latvia today, the Spanish PM explained that he had learned of the "sense" of Juan Carlos's letter to Felipe VI on Monday, the day the royal house made it public, although not of the "content" of it. "I acknowledged receiving it. But what is not acceptable is the information we have received, contained in the prosecutor's report, which is disappointing," said Pedro Sanchez, who has reiterated the same message over recent months: "He owes Spaniards some explanations."

However, the Spanish government has failed to specify how these explanations need to be given. "I will not get into the 'how', he is the one who has to decide how," said Sanchez, limiting himself to stating that the former king must "clarify the content of the prosecutor's report that portrays a series of conducts". Nor did he go into detail about the possible trips which the ex-monarch says he will make with some regularity to Spain.

For the moment, in Abu Dhabi

For the time being, however, Juan Carlos will continue living in Abu Dhabi, in the UAE, as he has done for the year and a half since he fled Spain under an enormous cloud. His intention to remain in the Gulf state was announced by the emeritus in a letter to his son, Felipe VI, published by the Spanish royal house on Monday. He asserts "private reasons" for maintaining his residence "on a permanent and stable basis" in the UAE. However, he does not close the door on a return to Spain in the future and states that his intention is to visit the country "frequently". There had been speculation that he would change his residence once the prosecutors decided to abandon all the investigations into his opaque financial affairs, as they did last week.

Only at the end of the letter does the man who was Spanish head of state for 38 years refer to "past events in his private life", which he "sincerely regrets". And in the text, he immediately follows this recalling his "legitimate pride" in his "contribution to democratic coexistence and freedom in Spain, the result of the collective effort and sacrifice of all Spanish people."
A number of Amazons Chinese suppliers are linked to forced Uyghur labor camps from Chinas Xinjiang region, according to a new report from the Tech Transparency Project. The organization found that five of Amazons suppliers have been directly accused by watchdog groups and journalists of relying on workers from Chinas many reeducation centers, which it uses to detain Uyghur Muslims, Kazakhs and other ethnic minorities. The suppliers produce Amazon devices and Amazon-branded products, such as the Amazon Basics line of home goods and tech accessories.

The findings raise questions about Amazons exposure to Chinas repression of minority Uyghurs in Xinjiangand the extent to which the e-commerce giant is adequately vetting its supplier relationships," wrote the authors of the report. "Amazon says that its suppliers 'must not use forced labor' and that it 'does not tolerate suppliers that traffic workers or in any other way exploit workers by means of threat, force, coercion, abduction, or fraud.' But its supplier list tells a different story.

Two of the suppliers named in the reportLuxshare Precision Industry and AcBel Polytechwere also used by Apple, according to an investigation last year from The Information. Both Amazon and Apple have denied working with forced labor suppliers, despite evidence that suggests otherwise.

Amazon complies with the laws and regulations in all jurisdictions in which it operates, and expects suppliers to adhere to our Supply Chain Standards. We take allegations of human rights abuses seriously, including those related to the use or export of forced labor. Whenever we find or receive proof of forced labor, we take action, Amazon spokesperson Erika Reynoso said in a statement to NBC.

The Australian Institute of Strategic Policies found that many major global brands deployed forced labor from China, including Adidas, Gap, H&M, Microsoft, Nike, Sony, Victorias Secret and Zara. Amnesty International estimates that China is currently holding roughly 1 million prisoners in internment camps, where they are reportedly forced to renounce their religion and subject to hard labor in factories. The camps are mostly in the Western China region of Xinjiang, and have been in place since 2017.

Both the US and the EU imposed sanctions on China in 2021, barring any imports from Xinjiang until businesses can prove that they no longer use forced labor. But the report found that many Amazon-branded products are still produced in the Xinjiang region. For example, the report found that a couple of towel brands still listed on Amazon advertise using China-long staple cotton from the Xinjiang region.

Amazons continued use of companies with well-documented ties to forced labor in Xinjiang cast doubt on the tech giants stated intolerance of human rights abuses in its supply chain, wrote the reports authors.
You're probably aware that some brands' devices are easier to repair than others, but an influential advocacy team may have just confirmed your suspicions. The Verge notes the US Public Interest Research Group has published a repairability report card grading major laptop and phone brands both on the ease of fixing their devices (based partly on French repair scores) and the company's overall stance on repairs. As you might guess, Apple, Google and Microsoft fared poorly with D grades and one F for iPhones  their historically sealed-in designs, lack of parts and lobbying against Right to Repair legislation didn't win them any points.

No company on the report card received an A grade. However, there were some highlights. Laptops from Acer, ASUS, Dell and Lenovo all earned solid B grades for easier access and reduced opposition to Right to Repair, while Motorola was the only phone maker to match that performance with its relatively fixable phones. HP and Samsung each mustered a C grade.

PIRG's aim is clear. As with its campaign to open up ventilator repairs, the interest group wants PC and phone makers to factor repairability into their designs, after-sale service and politics. Easier-to-fix products reduce e-waste and save money, PIRG argued.

The tech industry is already evolving to some extent. The Biden administration has ramped up pressure on American companies to embrace Right to Repair, including a plan to enforce pro-repair laws. Some of the companies are already changing their attitudes, if partly to head off potential legislation. Apple will start selling parts to customers this year, while newer Microsoft Surface devices are relatively simple to fix. PIRG's clout may still help, but it isn't the only one nudging the tech world toward better repairability.
Google has today announced that it has signed an agreement to buy Mandiant, a notable cybersecurity company, for $5.4 billion. The unit, once acquired, will be folded into Googles Cloud team to ensure that it can offer an end-to-end security operations suite for its business customers. Mandiant CEO Kevin Mandia says that the deal will enable organizations [to] effectively, efficiently and continuously manage and configure their complex mix of security products. Google's cloud platform is used by a number of major companies, and an outage towards the end of 2021 briefly knocked out Spotify, Snapchat, Etsy and Discord, amongst others.

Mandiant isnt likely to be a name on everyones lips, but its one of those companies who gets called in whenever bad things go down. It discovered the SolarWinds hack, and it was hired by Equifax to look into its security practices after its massive security snafu in 2017, and T-Mobile entered into partnership with the company after its 2021 breach. It also works with major banks and governments to work on high-profile attacks involving state actors. Mandiant was previously a part of FireEye after being acquired in 2013, but the company was spun back out last year.

The news comes just a month after Bloomberg reported that Microsoft might be interested in acquiring the company. It said that any deal would enable its new buyer to offer unparalleled cybersecurity knowledge, although Microsoft  obviously  subsequently pulled out of negotiations. But Google clearly feels that the deal is worth it, and is the second most expensive purchase the company has ever made, after its $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola.
Instagram is joining Facebook in its attempt to bury Russian state media in its app. The app will now down-rank posts from state media outlets in its feed and in Stories, and will add prominent labels to discourage other users from sharing their posts.

Instagram believes the account that created this post may be partially or wholly under the editorial control of the Russian government, the labels warn. Users who do share links to Russian state media outlets via the apps link sticker will also have their posts down-ranked in their followers Stories trays. Instagram is also stripping Russian state media accounts from recommendations in Reels and Explore, and making the accounts more difficult to find in search.

Instagrams update follows a similar move from Facebook last week . In addition to limiting the spread of content from Russian state media, the social network has also blocked ads from Russian advertisers and taken down a network of fake accounts that were boosting pro-Russia propaganda. In response to Facebooks crackdown on state media, the Russian government blocked access to the social network. Importantly, that block hasnt affected Instagram, at least for now.

Instagram

Instagram is also ramping up some privacy features for accounts in Ukraine and Russia. The app will hide follower details for all private accounts in the countries so people wont be able to view the followers of others or who private accounts are following. The app will also highlight its tools for bulk-deleting past activity and downloading their account data.
Twitter has a simple solution to Russia's ban on the social network: offer a service that helps you circumvent the ban. The company has introduced a Tor onion service that should let you access Twitter even when it's blocked in a given country. The anonymizing nature of Tor will also help protect against surveillance.

The platform is based on a version of the Enterprise Onion Toolkit (EOTK) customized to meet Twitter's "extraordinary production requirements," according to contributor Alec Muffett. He broke the news rather than Twitter as there were concerns news on the official TwitterSafety account would produce a "load-spike" that flooded the Tor service right when it was most needed.

The timing is more than a little convenient. This will let Russians see and share the truth about the invasion of Ukraine despite their country's efforts to censor social apps like Facebook (which already has an onion) and communications tools like Zello. And when President Putin's government has made it illegal for media outlets to contradict the official narrative on the war, Twitter may offer one of the few ways to access objective reporting in Russia.

That's not the only use, of course. The Tor offering could also help residents in other countries that block Twitter, such as China, Iran and North Korea. It might also help elsewhere  you could use the Tor onion to post without as much worry that others might track your online activity.
Weather Alert

...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING... * WHAT...Flooding caused by excessive rainfall is possible. * WHERE...Portions of Oklahoma and northern Texas, including the following counties, in Oklahoma, Alfalfa, Atoka, Blaine, Bryan, Caddo, Canadian, Carter, Cleveland, Coal, Comanche, Cotton, Garfield, Garvin, Grady, Grant, Hughes, Jefferson, Johnston, Kay, Kingfisher, Lincoln, Logan, Love, Major, Marshall, McClain, Murray, Noble, Oklahoma, Payne, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Seminole, Stephens and Tillman. In northern Texas, Archer, Clay, Wichita and Wilbarger. * WHEN...From Wednesday morning through Thursday morning. * IMPACTS...Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. Creeks and streams may rise out of their banks. Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - Showers and thunderstorms will develop Wednesday morning over a broad swath of the watch area. Another round of rain and thunderstorms is expected later in the afternoon and lasting much of Wednesday night before ending Thursday morning. Storm total amounts of 2 to 4 inches are expected. Given recent rainfall, these additional amounts may cause flooding. - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood
Mackie quote Theres no better investment as a banker than higher education for a communitys growth. The city has the educational facilities to provide that. Retired banker and former Oklahoma State Regent for Higher Education Bert Mackie

ENID, Okla.  Retired banker Bert Mackie says having branches of both Northern Oklahoma College and Northwestern Oklahoma State is good business for Enid.

Theres no better investment as a banker than higher education for a communitys growth, Mackie said. The city has the educational facilities to provide that.

The early days

Mackie is one of the people responsible for that investment, as he teamed with the late Dan Dillingham and others to bring higher education to Enid in the late-1980s and 1990s.

As a founding member of the Enid Higher Education Council, Mackie was responsible for the first Enid Higher Education Program learning center that offered opportunities for public college courses in the city.

At the time, the move also assisted Phillips University, a long-established private university in Enid. Eventually, EHEP would lead to Northwestern Oklahoma State University-Enid and Northern Oklahoma College Enid campuses.

Were blessed to have that combination in Enid, Mackie said. Its a real a plus.

On the path forward 2022: Bulding a resilient community: ALL EDUCATION 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

Workforce opportunities

Enid Regional Development Alliance Executive Director Lisa Powell said both institutions are key partners in providing a proven workforce.

We made sure that we got that dialogue in connection with educational institutions and our industries that are able to meet the needs of industry by providing training for our employees, Powell said. When our office is looking to support business expansion or new businesses the fact that we have higher education in our communities is a huge asset. Its something companies are looking for when they want to expand their businesses.

ERDA helps fund NWOSU Enids Entrepreneur Leadership Day and a class at NOC Enid on entrepreneurship and business models. She said improving the quality of life is a key to economic development.

Toward that end, she said she works closely with NWOSU-Enid Dean Wayne McMillen and new NOC President Clark Harris. She said both schools are part of a workforce training committee that is another opportunity for us to work supporting our employers.

Promoting higher education

In 2020, ERDA hosted a strategic planning session and identified some broad goals for education and training over the next 10 years.

Specifically we want to see our regional universities supported financially by the state, Powell said. We dont support consolidation of any of those institutions. Its vitally important to rural communities like Enid to have them in our communities.

We have initiatives in that committee that evolve around developing career pathways, information that we can share with students to educate them on careers available in Enid. The employers are looking at what kind of training there is within the region so we can have a home grown work force.

ERDA works with both campuses to identify what careers are in demand and what pathways are available for students who want to go in those careers, Powell said.

Its still a work in progress, she said. We hope specifically to get information down to the high school level, which would include fliers or banners in the hallways or information to counselors to share with students.

Powell said students often dont realize the many different opportunities at both schools, and its the ERDAs job to get the word out.

We have worked with the schools about how they can help promote opportunities in higher education that are here so they dont have to leave the community, Powell said.

Working as one system

The opportunities are unique in Enid, Powell said, with NOC Enid being a two-year institution and NWOSU serving upper-division junior and senior students, as well, and providing some graduate programs. The two colleges have a Bridge Program that allows for concurrent enrollment toward associate and bachelor degrees in some fields.

They really work as one system, and there are not any turf wars, which might happen in other areas in fighting for access to our students, Powell said. That speaks highly of all of our schools.

Another area of continuing education Enid has to offer is Autry Technology Center, which provides training in many industries and often localizes the education for specific fields that are hiring in Enid.

That education can begin as early as while students still are in high school, as the tech school partners with Enid and area schools. However, Autry Techs adult enrollment for trade education is robust.

ERDA does not lobby for higher education but sees itself as an outside partner to facilitate behind the scenes between business and education, Powell said.

Its always been important to our work we do in economic development, she said. Its why we are located on a career tech (Autry) campus. Education is a key partner in what we do.

Mackie, who was inducted into the state Higher Education Hall of Fame in 2020, said Dillingham was his mentor for both business and education endeavors.

Dillingham was considered instrumental in the 1987 Phillips University sale/lease back campaign and was involved in establishing branch campuses in Enid for both NOC and NWOSU.

NWOSU-Enid celebrated its 25th anniversary in ceremonies on Nov. 18, 2021.

Making it happen

Mackie said there were a lot of people involved in bringing more higher education opportunities to Enid after Phillips University closed in the late-1990s.

Enid businessman Harold Hamm and former state Sen. Ed Long, who authored legislation, were catalysts, as was former state Sen. Tom Rogers, who served as a lobbyist for the effort to bring in educational opportunities  and eventually branches  of NOC and NWOSU.

A lot of people worked hard to make that happen, Mackie said. We certainly have been pleased about the growth of both schools. Its a unique situation that they can go to NOC for two years and then go to Northwestern. It allow us to have a lot of flexibility in higher education. We were able to take over the Phillips campus (for NOC). The NOC people have done a wonderful job in improving the campus. I went to school there (PU) in the 1960s, and it looks a lot better now than it did back then. They have fixed up the old buildings and built new dorms.

Continuing support

Enid Higher Education Council  formed more than 25 years ago to allow public colleges and universities to offer higher education classes in Enid  still exists today, with quarterly meetings that include representatives of both schools to help with legislative needs, Mackie said.

If there is a bill coming down the pike we need to support, we help them, he said.

Mackie, who served as an Oklahoma State Regent for Higher Education from 1977-1989, said direct support from the state has dropped from 70% to 30% in those years, putting a more financial strain on students for tuition.

So EHECs main goal these days is to raise funds for scholarships to the local higher education facilities. Donors are asked to give in four-year increments to help support students through graduation. Some $350,000 was raised a year ago, Mackie said.

Its been a very successful campaign, Mackie said. Its a very easy thing to sell to our merchants and citizens because they believe in scholarships,

Anyone living within a 25- to 30-mile radius of Enid can apply for the scholarships.

Advances going forward

Two highlights that stand out for Mackie in regard to higher education accomplishments were a doctoral program established in Enid for nursing students and a program passed years ago when he was a regent that allowed high school students to earn college credit.

Now, Enid High School students, through satellite courses, dont have to leave campus to take college classes. A space for university education at the high school was provided by a bond issue passed by Enid patrons.

Its a highly successful program, Mackie said. Some kids have a semester or two of college completed by the time they get out of high school. It cuts down on a lot of college expenses.

The satellite technology has allowed NWOSU-Enid to expand, as well, without adding more real estate.

Mackie said his son teaches at NWOSU-Enid, and that technology has allowed him to reach 70 or 80 students at various sites in addition to the eight or 10 in the actual classroom.

It will be used even more as we go forward, Mackie said.

The educational achievements of the last four decades in Northwest Oklahoma are a highlight for Mackie and a tribute toward the work he and others put in throughout the years.

Seeing Enid finally getting accessible and reasonable higher education, he said, is something I will always remember.
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Writer/director Richard Linklater has made a career out of portraying childhood with the backdrop of an ever changing world. With Dazed and Confused, Boyhood, and Everybody Wants Some!!, we got a glimpse of simpler times which turn out to be anything but for the youths portrayed in his narratives. With his new film, Apollo 10 : A Space Age Childhood, he seems to be crafting a fantastical story set during the 1960's space race with the Russians, told from the perspective of a coming of age tween who is asked by NASA to pilot the Lunar Lander, which they built too small for an adult.

According to the official synopsis,

"Apollo 10 : A Space Age Childhood tells the story of the first moon landing in the summer of 1969 from two interwoven perspectives - the astronaut and mission control view of the triumphant moment, and through the eyes of a kid growing up in Houston, Texas who has intergalactic dreams of his own. Taking inspiration from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Richard Linklater's own life, Apollo 10 : A Space Age Childhood is a snapshot of American life in the 1960s that is part coming of age, part societal commentary, and part out-of-this-world adventure."

Animated through a technique called rotoscoping, which Linklater used for previous film A Scanner Darkly, incorporates filming actors and overlaying animation over their movements. This surreal art style looks to bring an element of fantasy while injecting a realistic feel. Linklater spoke about his choice of using rotoscoping to tell his story,

"The look of the film was primarily inspired by the time that the story takes place. The challenge was to take an entirely digital process and imbue it with the analog influence of that era. The beautiful look of Kodachrome film is where we started. We decided to animate on 2's to give it a retro feel and chose handmade animation over digital effects. We thought of new ways to show the different textures and designs to mirror the analog world and subjective and creative memory of Stan. Classic animated films of the past and Saturday morning cartoons of the '60s were a big inspiration as well. We also invited our animators to leave their fingerprints on the film and celebrate the collective creativity of our artists and feel their impressions all over the film."

Always the innovator, his films tend to balance the emotional growth of his subjects with his carefully crafted world-building. Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood looks to be doing just that with it's lighthearted tone and societal observations of the 1960's. The film stars Zachary Levi, Jack Black, and Glen Powell.

Apollo 10 : A Space Age Childhood begins streaming on Netflix April 1st. Check out the trailer below.
The European Unions response to Russias invasion of Ukraine took many observers by surprise. For once, the Union exceeded expectations, and by a large margin. Divisions between member states melted away quickly in the face of Russian aggression, and the Union adopted a set of sweeping sanctions on Moscow. The EUs High Representative for foreign and security policy, Josep Borrell, hailed the EUs response to the conflict as a geopolitical awakening. The EU has banned transactions with Russias central bank, cut off several Russian banks from the SWIFT payment system, banned Russian flights from EU airspace, taken the Russian propaganda outlets RT and Sputnik offline, and sanctioned Vladimir Putin himself. Member states also agreed to provide Ukraine with 450 million to acquire weapons  a move labelled by Commission president Ursula von der Leyen as a watershed moment. The Union is also preparing to welcome large numbers of Ukrainian refugees and seriously looking into how to overcome its reliance on Russian energy.

These are very significant steps for the EU. Its relationship with Russia has undergone a sea change, and will likely enter a phase of protracted cold confrontation. However, there are reasons to be wary about the claim that its response portends a broader geopolitical awakening. There is a real risk of the EU over-promising and under-delivering. The reliance of many member states on Russian gas means that energy transactions will continue and some Russian banks, including Russias largest, remain connected to SWIFT. This will continue to provide Putin with valuable revenues. It is also still unclear what military assistance the EU will give Ukraine and whether it will arrive in time to make any difference  Borrells idea of member states providing Kyiv with fighter jets has already been abandoned. And, while some EU leaders like von der Leyen have raised Ukraines hopes of gaining EU membership, Kyivs hopes are bound to be disappointed. Not only is the accession process a long and technically demanding process, but the chance of all member states agreeing to admit Ukraine while it is at war with Russia is virtually zero, as it could trigger conflict with Moscow.

Sustaining a united response could also prove to be more difficult for member states than agreeing one, especially if the economic costs of sanctions hit European citizens hard, or if the risk of a direct military clash between the West and Russia rises as the conflict continues. The emergence of the EU as a stronger geopolitical actor depends on whether member states are willing to pay the costs of doing so. To sustain higher defense spending in the face of competing spending priorities, and to ensure that the economic impact of sanctions is manageable, the EU will have to relax its fiscal rules, or to embark on another round of joint borrowing. At the same time, the EU will only emerge as a stronger military actor if member states see it as the framework through which to deepen integration. Military integration could develop through NATO or in small groups of states instead; indeed, it seems likely that the need to keep the US firmly anchored in European security will further entrench NATOs primacy and diminish calls for a bigger role for the EU in hard security matters. This would push the Union to focus its efforts on softer elements of security, like cybersecurity, and on fostering more joint defense research and procurement.

The most consequential integration step in EU foreign policy would be removing the need for unanimity between member states  but changing that rule requires unanimous agreement, which seems far from certain to materialize. So long as each state has a veto, the crucial factor in shaping the EUs strength as a geopolitical actor will remain its ability to reach consensus on a case-by-case basis. And we should not underestimate just how favorable the circumstances of Russias aggression were to generating EU unity  and how unique. First, there was no ambiguity about who was responsible for starting the conflict. Putins completely unprovoked invasion of Ukraine united member states in a manner that would have been much harder to achieve had Putin launched more limited or covert military operations. The EU already had a very poor relationship with Russia, which was under a significant regime of sanctions after its 2014 annexation of Crimea and intervention in the Donbas. Meanwhile, Ukraine, which has been drawing closer to the EU since 2014, could hardly have appeared more restrained and worthy of European support.

Second, Russias attack on Ukraine posed a real danger to the EUs security, as it directly threatened EU member states which border Russia and Ukraine. This put extensive pressure onto the other member states to respond resolutely. The EUs reaction to the invasion was not only about defending Ukraine or principles of international law, but also about reducing the concrete risk of future Russian aggression towards the EU itself. Third, the EU was, to a considerable extent, following Washingtons lead in responding to Russias actions. The US provided the broader diplomatic and military policy framework within which the EU could develop a strong response. Washington also helped generate EU unity, pushing skeptical EU states to respond robustly to Russias aggression. Vetoing sanctions was unthinkable.

In coming years, the EU may be faced with conflicts very different in form from Russias invasion of Ukraine. They may be civil wars, without such a clear aggressor and worthy partner to support; they might not directly threaten and mobilize such a broad group of member states; and the US might decline to become involved, instead of providing a comfortable blanket of leadership for the EU. Divisions between member states may be much harder to overcome. None of this is to downplay the significance of the EUs response to Putins attack on Ukraine. Just two weeks ago it was difficult to imagine the EU responding in such a robust manner, and it may well be that the conflict will spark further integration in security and defense. But it is simply too early to be sure about that.

The EUs Geopolitical Awakening?  Opinion by Luigi Scazzieri  Centre for European Reform / CER.

The Opinion can be downloaded here
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Seniors in Arizona have the greatest number of stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plans to choose from according to a report from the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance. New York residents have the fewest available plans this year, 19.

"With the rising cost of prescription drugs, it's great that seniors on Medicare have so many choices," explains Jesse Slome, director of the Medicare insurance advocacy organization. "But many people have the wrong plan and are paying more than they need to for their prescription medications."

The organization reported the number of stand-alone prescription drug plans for 2022. "Three states, Alabama, Tennessee and Texas each reported 26 different plans available," Slome shared. "California, Pennsylvania and West Virginia have 25 available plans."

New York State was the only state reporting fewer than 20 available plans according to AAMSI. "Alaska, Hawaii, Colorado and Louisiana each have 20 plans," Slome shares.

"Consumers taking prescription drug plans are given opportunities to compare their drug plan coverage and to switch to a plan that offers better coverage or costs less," Slome adds. "The savings can be substantial and unfortunately millions do not perform a regular comparison which can be done today with relative ease.



To learn more about finding the best Medicare drug plan costs visit the Association's website at https://www.medicaresupp.org/2022-medicare-drug-plan/

The American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance (AAMSI) advocates for the importance of planning. Access the full Plan N Price Index at www.medicaresupp.org/best-cost-medigap-plan-n-2022/

The organization makes available a national directory listing local Medicare insurance agents who offer Medicare Supplement, Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plan information and rate comparisons. Access to the directory is free and completely private. Go to www.medicaresupp.org/find-local-agent/ for more information.
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San Antonios supermarket sector has long been a battle between two giants: H-E-B, the hometown favorite, and the national behemoth Walmart.

Last week, another national chain, Kroger, shook things up when it announced plans to build what it calls a spoke facility on the Northeast Side - basically a warehouse that will keep groceries and other products for delivery  which will work in conjunction with the hub, a fulfillment center in Dallas operated by a ballet of robots, which is expected to open this spring.

Kroger wont be opening a brick-and-mortar store in the Alamo City but said it expects to have its delivery service operational by the end of this year. Working with Ocado, a U.K.-based e-commerce company thats spent the past 20 years developing methods to efficiently manage a supply chain through automation, the supermarket chain plans to open another spoke on Austins northeast side this year.

Based in Cincinnati, Kroger has a history in San Antonio: It operated 15 stores here until closing them in 1993 amidst a labor dispute.

Here are four things you should know about Kroger, its partnership with Ocado and the impact the companies could have on San Antonio.

Its the largest supermarket chain in the U.S.

Kroger is the nations largest supermarket chain by annual sales. In 2020, it had $132.5 billion in sales and 2,742 stores, according to Supermarketnews.com. H-E-B ranked sixth that year, with $31.75 billion and 351 stores.

Founded in 1883 by businessman Barney Kroger, the son of German immigrants, Kroger has merged with several other chains over the course of its history, including Dillon Cos. in 1983, Fred Meyer in 1999, Harris Teeter in 2014 and Roundys in 2015.

In Texas, Kroger has 218 retail stores, mostly in the Dallas and Houston metro areas, with 30,169 employees, according to a fact sheet on its website .As of 2019, the company served 11 million customers a day.

Like H-E-B, Kroger offers its own brands of products, ranging from pizzas and yogurt to paper towels and beauty products. Also like H-E-B, the products are sold in what it calls tiers: Where H-E-B has the more upscale Central Market brand, Kroger has its Private Selection brand.

Unlike privately held H-E-B, Kroger is a publicly owned company whose shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange.

Its building a delivery network spanning the U.S.

Krogers partner Ocado was founded in 2000 in the United Kingdom with a mission to allow consumers to shop for groceries online, according to its website. In 2002, it opened its first customer fulfillment center in Hatfield, England. It has been listed on the London Stock Exchange since 2010.

The company grew fast during the 2010s, becoming a world leader in automation to make supply chains more efficient. In 2011, it opened its first international office in Krakov, Poland. In 2017 and 2018, it entered partnerships with supermarkets in Spain, France, Sweden and Canada. Since then, it has expanded into Japan and Australia.

Kroger and Ocado inked an exclusive partnership agreement in 2018 allowing the supermarket chain to use Ocados technology to allow its customers to order groceries online and have them delivered. According to a news release from that year, Kroger already invested in the company and agreed to increase its investment by 5 percent.

We know Ocados value is not just its current capabilities, but also in how quickly they innovate to serve a rapidly developing online consumer market, Rodney McMullen, Krogers chairman and CEO, wrote in a 2019 letter to shareholders. What is really exciting about Ocado is that their model to deliver to customers is significantly less costly than our existing model.

The companies have worked to build a hub-and-spoke delivery network. At the hub sites, more than 1,000 robots whizz around giant 3D grids, known as The Hive, according to Krogers news release announcing its expansion into San Antonio and Austin.

By last summer, Kroger and Ocado opened their first two automated warehouses in Monroe, Ohio, north of Cincinnati, and Groveland, Florida, outside of Orlando, marking the chains entry into the Sunshine State. As of now, Kroger delivers groceries in Florida but has no actual stores there.

In 2019, the companies announced their intention to build the fulfillment center in Dallas. They have announced plans to build more facilities across the U.S. including in Maryland, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, Kentucky and Georgia.

Its moving aggressively into e-commerce

Along with Ocado, Kroger has partnered with several other tech companies to expand its delivery services. Among them is Nuro, which aims to use robotics, including self-driving cars, to deliver goods to customers homes. And with Instacart, a delivery app, Kroger offers Kroger Delivery Now, a delivery option which customers can select through its website. It also offers online ordering and pickup through its app and website.

Another partner is ClusterTruck, an app that offers freshly-made meals for delivery. Kroger plans to set aside space at some of its stores where ClusterTruck employees will prepare meals for delivery and in-store pickup.

"We are actively encouraging customers to engage with us on our digital platforms, even when shopping in store. That's because when a customer engages with us digitally, they spend more with Kroger," McMullen said last year, according to Reuters.

The company is also piloting a drone delivery service in partnership with a company called Drone Express, according to its website, allowing it to make deliveries not only to customers homes but to where theyre standing with their smartphone.

That means a customer can order deliveries of picnic supplies to a park, sunscreen to the beach, or condiments to a backyard cookout, the company says on its website.

Its struggled with labor disputes

In January, more than 8,000 workers at Krogers King Soopers stores in Denver went on strike after weeks of negotiations with the company, demanding a new contract with higher wages and better health and retirement benefits, according to the Wall Street Journal. Calling the strike reckless and self-serving, Kroger hired temporary workers and brought employees from other parts of the country to keep stores open.

Later that month, the striking workers reached an agreement with Kroger for a new contract that will raise their wages, the Journal reported.

Last month, The New York Times published an investigation showing that some of Krogers workforce of nearly 500,000 employees  many of them working at subsidiaries such as Harris Teeter, Fred Meyer, Ralphs and Pick n Save  have reported being homeless and relying on food stamps and food banks to feed themselves and their families.

The investigation relied in part on a report published by the nonprofit Economic Roundtable, commissioned by units of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. In a survey of more than 10,000 Kroger workers, about three-quarters of the workers said they were food insecure, or in other words they could not always afford healthy food.

Kristal Howard, a spokeswoman for Kroger, told the Times that the report was one-dimensional and does not tell the complete story.

Kroger has provided an incredible number of people with their first job, second chances and lifelong careers, and were proud to play this role in our communities, she told the Times, adding that the company had raised its average hourly wage across the U.S. to $16.68, from $13.66 in 2017, a boost of 22 percent. Its benefits package includes health care, retirement savings and tuition assistance, she said.
Some young readers were very taken with San Antonio writer Naomi Shihab Nyes 2014 novel The Turtle of Oman with one big exception  the ending.

The book is about a boy named Aref who is a little worried about his familys impending move from Oman to the United States. The final pages follow him the night before he is to board a plane for the very first time to make the trip.

Children in North Carolina, whom Nye met when the book was chosen for a community reading program aimed at elementary school students, wanted more. They wanted to know if Aref got to the United States OK, if he had been able to make friends, if he was able to adjust to his new school. They told her they didnt like that the book ends before this new chapter in Arefs life began.

They were quite bossy about it in a wonderful way, Nye said. They were really invested, and caring, and I just loved them so much that I ended up pledging to them from the North Carolina stage that I would do it.

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Before that, Nye had no intention of writing a sequel to the book. But she is a woman of her word. The Turtle of Michigan, her new book for young readers, picks up where the first novel left off. It follows Aref as he explores his new home in Ann Arbor, attends an art camp and  spoiler alert!  makes a lot of new friends.

Kin Man Hui /Staff photographer

The new book will be available March 15.

I didnt want him to have terrible things happen to him when he gets there, Nye said. I wanted him to be like a regular person whos going through what many of us go through all the time, which is some anxiety, some wistfulness, hoping to fit in, just regular stuff.

Aref attends Martin Luther King Elementary School, which is based on the real-life school of the same name in Ann Arbor. Nye has worked with students there a few times and has become quite fond of it.

Its a very multicultural school, she said. The teachers are so devoted to peace and knowledge amongst these beautiful, multihued kids with so many different backgrounds.

Her version of the school has an anti-bullying and reconciliation program in which first-graders mediate disputes. It is based on a similar program she encountered at a school in Indiana.

I couldnt believe that 17-year-olds  because that was a K-12 school  I couldnt believe that 17-year-olds were putting forth their problems in front of these first-graders, she said. They allowed me to visit the club. It was a session after school, and they allowed me to sit in, just quietly sit in the back corner, and I was so blown away by that.

Nye, who served as the Poetry Foundations Young Peoples Poet Laureate from 2019 to 2021, is often struck by how perceptive children can be.

I really think of kids as wisdom figures. I always have, my whole life, she said. And Ive always felt that kids have a lot more thoughtfulness than sometimes adults give them credit for. And that they really could see through a lot of superficialities.

Nye is primarily a poet, though she has written several novels, as well, including the semi-autobiographical YA book Habibi. The Turtle of Oman was her first novel for elementary school readers. She recently learned that it is being translated into Arabic.

Its going to be published in Oman. So that makes me super happy, she said. Ive had books translated and printed and published in other countries, but this is very, very special to me, because its my fathers first language, and, finally, I will have a book in Arabic.

With her promise to those bossy little North Carolinians fulfilled with The Turtle of Michigan, Nye is working on a new poetry collection about motherhood. She began working on it shortly after the death of her mother three months ago.

Its not just about my mom, its about moms in general  being a mom, moms in the world, said Nye, who is a mother and grandmother herself. I hope some of it will be funny.

Shes glad to be immersed in a new poetry project.

I think poems are so easy, she said. I have full respect for novelists, because novels are so much harder. Just keeping a train of thought going for a whole novel, its hard.

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That said, she enjoyed all of her time in Arefs world. She got to know him a little better working on the new book and is glad for that.

Working with a child narrator, it was refreshing to my mind, she said. I was a child a long time ago  Ive been an adult a lot more  and its just so refreshing to work in the mind of a child.

dlmartin@express-news.net | Twitter: @DeborahMartinEN
The Stockyards Championship Rodeo in Fort Worth has seen a lot of rodeo royalty in its history, and this year did not disappoint.

Prince Harry, the redheaded duke of Sussex, was spotted in a cowboy hat at the Fort Worth stockyards Saturday alongside bull riders and trainers.

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Harry, who relocated to California with wife Meghan Markle in 2020 after they officially resigned their royal duties, was spotted in social media posts.

Melton Bull Co., which is owned by former bull rider-turned-trainer Cory Melton, saw Harry. In a now-deleted social media post, the company said: We get a lot of rodeo royalty but this is the first prince Ive ever seen. Said he was going to enter bull riding but the airline lost his rigging bag.

Cindy Reid, the rodeos secretary, posted a photo of Harry on Instagram in a cowboy hat behind the bucking chutes at the rodeo.

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Loooove it!! Reid said.

Harry, 37, did not appear to attend the rodeo with his family. He has two children, Archie, 2, and Lilibet, who is 9 months old.

The rodeo in Fort Worth isnt the first American sporting event where Harry has been spotted. He was seen at the Super Bowl in February with his cousin Princess Eugenie. The pair were seen sitting next to each other in a private suite.

Timothy.Fanning@express-news.net
Gerry Rickhoff wanted to make the Bexar County marriage license look less like a livestock certificate.

He was the county clerk, and he wanted a document that evoked warmth, something a married couple could hang on their wall  something they could take pride in.

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Mission accomplished.

In 1999, Rickhoff, a history buff and avid outdoorsman who sometimes lives in his Ford F-250 pickup truck, added a small portrait of an armadillo to the marriage license.

Bexar County Clerk's Office

Rickhoff hired artist Andy Benavides. The pair dyed the paper yellow to look like old parchment. They added a portrait of the Alamo, a man and woman dressed in traditional Mexican clothing, a Texas longhorn, the most romantic stretch of the River Walk and 14 other symbols that represent Bexar Countys lengthy, diverse and complex history.

To Rickhoff, 68, he added drama, value and meaning to an otherwise dull legal document.

I wanted to evoke something out of you, said Rickhoff, who held the Bexar County clerks post for 23 years.

Kin Man Hui

And its paid off. Twenty-three years after the first couple took home Bexar Countys folksy and colorful marriage license, it has become a highly sought novelty.

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Out-of-towners are traveling hundreds of miles to San Antonio to seal their marriage on the document. Some have come as far away as Seattle and New York.

Rachel Hudson drove 180 miles from Waco to San Antonio for her second marriage in 2012. She thought the license was gorgeous and showed it to her daughter, Nannette Ali.

Ali could have gotten married in husband Usmans native Pakistan or in Dubai, where they met, but she chose to get married in Bexar County. Thats because Bexar County is my home and the marriage license is beautiful.

A poster-sized version of the license is displayed in the first-floor lobby of the clerks office in the Paul Elizondo Tower on West Nueva Street.

Roxana Collins

Local Victoria Garcia-Johnson wanted to prevent the ink on the license from fading, so she carefully placed it in a scroll tube. Locals Mike and Jennifer Martinez thought it was so pretty that they framed and hung it on their wall.

Roxana and Joshua Collins, of San Antonio, loved the marriage license so much that they enlarged it to the size of a poster, cut it into strips and added it to a monograph initial of their last name. Its displayed prominently in their house.

It was just so pretty, Roxana Collins said. Its a beautiful government form, which is strange.

Texas is home to some of the nations most colorful marriage licenses. Two big bells are at the top of Galveston Countys marriage license. United in marriage appears in huge loopy cursive swirls on Travis Countys license. And until 2019, Harris Countys license had an ornate image of a woman signing a book with a groom looming nearby.

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But most Texas counties have at least one symbol connected to marriage on the license. Not in Bexar County.

The document says Holy Union of Matrimony in large bold letters over a watermark of the countys official Coat of Arms. But thats about it.

All 18 images along the borders of Bexar Countys marriage license are connected to the areas history and traditions. Among them are the historic red courthouse, a romantic cowboy scene of the Old West, and references to the regions German settlers.

For Nanette Ali, whose mother drove from Waco for the license, the fact that it has little to do with marriage doesnt matter.

Not at all, Ali said. I think that its actually pretty cool.

Others arent so convinced.

Bob Owen/San Antonio Express-News

You have to look to see that its a marriage license, said Richard Gold, a Republican candidate for Bexar County clerk.

Im not saying that I dont like it, Gold said. Theres a lot of stuff on there. It just looks really busy.

So what do cowboys and European settlers have to do with marriage? Not much, Rickhoff said  at least not directly.

On ExpressNews.com: Prince Harry spotted in a cowboy hat at Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo over the weekend

The marriage license is meant to pay homage to all the components of the clerks office, he said.

The clerks office issues marriage licenses and records of marriages, maintains documents on property in the county, and is the keeper of the records for all county and probate courts. It also holds historical documents that predate the establishment of the county.

Timothy Fanning

During Rickhoffs time in office, the clerks office rarely received feedback on the marriage license. The abrupt change barely made headlines and most locals who were married before 1999 dont even know the design changed.

Lucy Adame-Clark defeated Rickhoff in the November 2018 general election, becoming the first Latina and the first woman to hold the office in Bexar County. During her transition, she said he asked if she wanted to change the design of the marriage license.

I said: Mr. Rickhoff, Im a native to San Antonio, and Im a third-generation Texan, Adame-Clark remembered. I am very proud of your marriage license, and I will keep it as is, if you dont mind it.

Adame-Clarks own marriage license is displayed in a case in the basement, next to a portrait of Adame-Clark and her husband Michael. Its just a few steps from the window where couples submit paperwork for their marriage licenses.

Timothy.Fanning@express-news.net
A 5-year-old boy who went missing from his familys ranch Monday night in Bandera was found safe and healthy on a neighboring ranch more than 16 hours later.

Cameron Curly Crumrine was found by a ranch owner in a dry creek bed on his property about 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, said Matt King, chief deputy in the Bandera County Sheriffs Office.

The ranch owners land was next door to the boys family ranch, from which he wandered off with his dog after dinnertime Monday.

The ranch owner scooped Cameron up and walked out of the woods, where a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter crew spotted them and immediately picked up the boy.

Cameron was unharmed and appeared to be healthy despite having been lost overnight in 40-degree weather.

His family took him to a San Antonio hospital just to be safe, and he was released about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday after receiving oxygen and intravenous fluids for dehydration.

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Hes sleeping in the back of the car now, and were on our way home, Camerons grandmother, Carrie Crumrine, said Tuesday after he Cameron was found. She said he was found cold and soaking wet because he crossed a creek late Monday night.

He keeps saying hes a cowboy, she said.

King said despite being cold, the little boy was in good spirits and was excited to ride in a helicopter.

You always hope for the best and expect the worst, and Im glad this came out for the best, King said.

A massive search party made up of authorities and citizen volunteers was launched late Monday night after Camerons family reported him missing. By Tuesday morning, the search party included neighboring sheriffs offices, as well as helicopter assistance from the San Antonio Police Department.

After the Bandera County Sheriffs Office asked residents to join the search party Tuesday morning, so many volunteers showed up that the agency had to turn people away, King said.

Cameron was wearing a neon-green T-shirt, blue jeans and boots when he went missing about 7 p.m. Monday while walking by himself on his familys ranch property about a mile off FM 3240 in Bandera, an hour northwest of San Antonio. The family raises bucking bulls on their ranch.

Carrie Crumrine said Tuesday morning before her grandson was found that she did not believe Cameron was taken by anybody and that he most likely wandered off the property by himself, possibly to go on an adventure with his dog, Dammit.

I dont think he was taken because you cant see my house from the road, and we have an automatic gate. A regular person couldnt get into the gate, she said. I dont think it was that, but you never know.

Cameron had spent the evening visiting with a family member who was in town from Missouri and staying on the family property in a camper.

Cameron left the camper just after 7 p.m. with an apple in his hand and his dog by his side, presumably on his way to see his mother, who was taking a shower in one of the homes on the property.

When Cameron never made it to his mothers house or any other house on the ranch, the family grew concerned and began searching for him and Dammit.

The dog returned to the ranch through a back gate about 9 p.m. without Cameron.

Her feet were wet, Carrie Crumrine said of the dog. She said she believed the dog was trying to tell them something.

The family was worried that Cameron could be hiding, injured or stuck in a crevice, creek bed or heavily wooded area.

Temperatures in the Hill Country town dipped into the high 30s overnight Monday, raising concerns that the boy could have been suffering in the cold.

King said the rancher who found him began searching his 100-acre property Tuesday morning after hearing that the boy was missing.

Lindsey Crumrine, Camerons mother, said she realized he was missing about 30 minutes after he left his grandparents camper.

She thought he was there with them, and his grandparents thought he was at her house.

She said she learned a big lesson.

Im never going to let him out of my sight, she said.

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.
A San Antonio man was arrested Sunday, accused of raping an incapacitated woman whom he worked with at a popular bar south of downtown.

Angel Raul Ruiz, 32, was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault, a second-degree felony. He remains in jail on $75,000 bail.

The woman, who is also 32, told police that she consumed alcohol at El Luchador after witnessing a 42-year-old woman get struck by a vehicle while crossing the street in front of the bar earlier that evening.

The pedestrian, later identified as Mariza Chapa, died from her injuries. San Antonio police are searching for the driver responsible.

The female employee  whom the Express-News is not identifying because she could be a victim of sexual assault  said she blacked out and that her boyfriend found her later that morning passed out on the floor, according to an affidavit supporting Ruizs arrest.

The woman, not knowing what happened, checked the bars video surveillance footage. The video showed Ruiz pull her pants off, slap her on the buttocks and sexually assault her, the affidavit states.

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A detective with the San Antonio Police Departments Special Victims Unit, which investigates allegations of sexual assault, reviewed the footage. He wrote that the woman did not appear to be standing or moving under her own power, the affidavit states.

When the defendant lets go of the victim, she falls to the floor, he wrote.

Later, Ruiz was interviewed by a detective at SAPD headquarters. He acknowledged that the woman was intoxicated, slurring her words and unable to get up from the floor, the affidavit states. He also admitted that he and the woman kissed and cuddled, though he denied removing her pants.

The woman was later treated at Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital, the affidavit states.

According to an online fundraiser for the woman, her cheek was broken, among other injuries. As of midafternoon Tuesday, the fundraiser had raised nearly $8,000 for her recovery.

eeaton@express-news.net
San Antonio teenagers are often the first people to talk to their friends about mental health, said Michael Valdez.

Thats why he helped craft a new city survey on the topic for young people. As the chair of the San Antonio Youth Commission, Valdez, 18, wanted to make sure the questions were by youth, for youth.

The survey is available online at saspeakup.com/C7716. It will be open until April 10 and is targeted at young people from ages 12 to 19. Personal information will remain confidential.

We may not be at the voting age yet, but we can use this SA Speak Up platform to give better feedback and direction to the city and school leaders who are deciding where to invest millions of dollars in our schools and our community resources, Valdez said.

Teenagers identified the issue themselves through the San Antonio Youth Commission and Project Worth, said Jennifer Herriott, assistant director at San Antonio Metropolitan Health District. The city will translate the survey into Spanish, Vietnamese, Tagalog and Pashto.

Responses could influence City Council decisions about how best to support young people in San Antonio.

Really, what were asking is for teenagers to take the survey to help better inform us so that the council can make the right type of investment decisions on how we can become better, City Manager Erik Walsh said.

Part of the outreach effort is going to be word of mouth among young people, Valdez said. Teenagers may feel more comfortable hearing about it from peers than from an adult.

One way the survey could affect public policy in San Antonio is through the citys budget for federal COVID-19 relief dollars. City Council set aside $10 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for youth and $26 million for mental health. A committee will decide more specifically how to spend it and could make recommendations based on the survey results.

City leaders emphasized that mental health has been a concern for young people since before COVID-19 struck. But the pandemic has left many feeling isolated as teenagers experienced disruption after disruption to their regular routines and social lives.

COVID definitely impacted us, Valdez said. Were all at home, and a lot us felt depressed. We just want to address mental health.

When coming up with questions, the youth commission tried to think about the different age ranges included and how the survey can be useful for people from middle school to high school, Valdez said. He was appointed to the commission by District 6 Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda.

The survey includes general questions that ask teenagers how much they know about mental health, how they would rate their own mental health and how often they talk about the topic with friends.

It also asks more specific questions with detailed answer options. One section asks if the teenager or a friend have experienced issues such as yelling or fighting with family and friends, eating or sleeping too much or too little or feeling numb or like nothing matters.

Some questions allow the responder to mark that they prefer not to answer. Other questions allow the teenager to skip without responding, but some are required to move forward in the survey.

The well-being of young people is critical to the success of San Antonio as a city, said District 7 Councilwoman Ana Sandoval, who chairs the City Council committee on community health, environment and culture.

Too often, challenges faced by youth are overlooked, Sandoval said. Young people of San Antonio, we want to hear from you. Your voice matters.

megan.stringer@express-news.net
The U.S. Civil Rights Commission hearings held in San Antonio in 1968 produced more than 1,300 pages of testimony about the status and struggles of Mexican Americans.

Some 75 people testified about discrimination in education, employment, voting, housing and the justice system. About 500 people attended the sessions at Our Lady of the Lake University.

The six days of hearings came at a critical juncture. War was raging in Vietnam. Young Chicano activists walked out of schools to protest inadequacies in education. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated.

Among the most essential of all workers  farm workers  were on strike. Cesar Chavezs hunger strike had brought attention to their plight and inspired many to support their demands for social change.

The Civil Rights Commission hearing marked the first time the federal government had taken notice of Mexican Americans political grievances and made them a national concern.

The evidence collected created a baseline of information about Mexican Americans.

In 2018, 850 people gathered at Our Lady of the Lake for the 50th anniversary of the hearings.

That gathering came about in part because J. Richard Avena, former Southwest regional director of the Civil Rights Commission, brought together several scholars and activists to plan it. They and other 18 authors and academics pored over transcripts of the hearings, along with other documents and data.

From their efforts emerged a new book that documents a half-century of change for Mexican Americans. The editors are Avena and Robert Brischetto, a former sociology professor at Trinity University and former executive director of the Southwest Voter Research Institute.

The books matter of fact title  Mexican American Civil Rights in Texas  belies its importance.

Published by Michigan State University Press, its an interdisciplinary study of race relations and social change, focusing on a people who still face barriers at the ballot box despite (or perhaps because of) their population growth, who still dont graduate from college at the rate of Anglos, and who struggle to own homes and gain access to healthcare.

The book, rich in history, research and footnotes, is written for use in high schools, colleges and law schools and in graduate studies. It has much to offer policymakers and activists, too.

Though the authors see a long haul ahead, the book points to evidence of progress.

In the chapter on population growth, demographer Rogelio Saenz of the University of Texas at San Antonio notes that in 1960, the poverty rate for Latinos was 62 percent overall and 69 percent for children.

By 2018, the Latino poverty rate had dropped to about 20 percent, demonstrating that programs associated with President Lyndon B. Johnsons War Against Poverty were effective, Saenz writes.

The book includes critical assessments of the status of Mexican Americans, none as important, in my judgment, as the emergence of a professional and academic voice among Latinos and the rise of major institutions to advocate for Mexican Americans and defend their rights.

Many of those institutions were born in San Antonio, including the Intercultural Development Research Association, an educational policy think tank; Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, which has won major lawsuits on behalf of Mexican Americans; the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, the nations largest nonpartisan Latino voter participation organization; and COPS Metro, which has trained generations of community activists.

Mexican American Civil Rights in Texas makes clear that daunting obstacles lie ahead, such as continued attacks on voting rights and the persistence of economic policies that privilege the few at the expense of the many.

Each chapter makes policy recommendations for academics, policymakers and activists.

Avena and Brischetto wanted to inspire a new generation to continue fighting for equal opportunity for Mexican Americans.

That struggle couldnt be more urgent, especially given the attacks on our democratic institutions and on our diversity.

Brischetto pointed to the 2019 mass shooting in an El Paso Walmart, in which 23 people were killed by a domestic terrorist who drove 10 hours from North Texas to stop the Hispanic invasion of Texas.

This isnt mere polarization, he said. Its an extremist backlash against change in America.

Its a backlash we see reflected in the banning of books and in efforts to delegitimize critical race theory as a field of study.

Richard (Avena) and I are of a generation that has some knowledge of what took place, said Brischetto, who has served as an expert witness in more than 40 voting rights cases.

They had no intention of taking that knowledge to their graves.

eayala@express-news.net
Despite the astonishingly effective fight that Ukraine has put up against invading forces, most military experts seem to believe that Russias sheer advantage in firepower will eventually prevail. Having no relevant expertise, I see no reason to question their judgment.

Still, its clear that Vladimir Putin made a huge miscalculation. Russia began the invasion with a dash for Kyiv and Kharkiv by small, lightly armed forces, obviously expecting to achieve a quick victory as the defenders resistance collapsed. Instead, the initial attack was repelled, and the follow-up with tanks and artillery has been bogged down  in some cases literally, because its still mud season in much of Ukraine.

And that wasnt his only miscalculation. Putin evidently believed that Russia could easily weather the economic fallout from his war. Oh, the West might slap on a few sanctions, but Europe needed Russian gas and oil, and he had built up a huge war chest of foreign currency reserves that was supposed to tide him over until things settled down.

His political judgment wasnt entirely wrong. Western economic sanctions initially conspicuously and pointedly exempted sales of fossil fuels, which make up most Russian exports. Instead, the sanctions, until Tuesday, were mainly financial, excluding major Russian banks from the international payments system and freezing the assets of the Russian central bank  in effect, impounding a large fraction of Putins vaunted war chest.

How much does this matter? Historically, economic sanctions have tended to be porous: Countries find workarounds, greatly reducing their effectiveness.

But a funny thing has happened in this case. So far, economic pressure against Russia appears to be highly effective, crimping Russian trade even in goods that havent officially been placed under sanctions. The financial restrictions that have already been imposed have made transactions with Russia difficult; fears of future sanctions, plus the general sense that any Western institutions perceived as helping the Putin regime will face harsh treatment from regulators, have led to widespread self-sanctioning, cutting off even trade that is formally permitted.

We dont know yet how this plays out, but if we see the kinds of mass civilian casualties and reign of terror that seem all too likely in the weeks ahead, the effect may be to largely isolate Russia from the rest of the world economy.

Economists have a rather arcane term for this kind of isolation: autarky. And its likely to be extremely damaging.

You might think that autarky is just a strong form of protectionism, which also tends to reduce trade. But its actually a lot worse.

The dirty little secret of international economics is that while economists love to sing the praises of free trade, the economic costs of tariffs  even fairly high tariffs  tend to be modest. Why? Because the private sector responds to tariffs by cutting off only the least essential imports. Impose, say, a 20 percent tariff on imports, and we will stop importing only goods that can be produced at home at a modestly higher cost or for which there are reasonably good domestic substitutes. If an imported good is really needed  for example, if it is a crucial input for manufacturing that we cant quickly start making here  companies will simply pay the tariff and continue buying abroad.

If events cut off a large fraction of a nations international trade, however, that kind of prioritization wont be possible. The domestic economy will lose access not just to cheap stuff but also to goods it has a very hard time doing without.

Do we have historical examples of what happens when a trading nation is forced into autarky? Not many, precisely because its such an extreme event. You could say that something like this happened to Japan during World War II, especially after America captured Saipan and Guam in 1944. This put the U.S. submarine bases near Japans most crucial shipping routes and airfields close enough to bomb its ports, effectively isolating Japans economy from the rest of the world. Sure enough, Japans war economy imploded.

But what about autarky in a nation that wasnt under direct military assault? Well, theres a surprising  and surprisingly old  example from U.S. history.

America wasnt a direct participant in the Napoleonic wars, a huge conflict that, among other things, led Britain to accumulate a remarkable amount of government debt.

But America was hardly immune to the effects of those wars, especially because both sides engaged in economic warfare, trying to cripple their opponent with economic blockades that also damaged U.S. commerce. Britain was also in the habit of stopping U.S. commercial ships and impressing their sailors  that is, kidnapping them and forcing them to serve in the British navy.

In response, the administration of Thomas Jefferson tried to retaliate by cutting off all international shipping. Yes, we tried to extract concessions from Britain and France by imposing autarky on  ourselves.

Not surprisingly, it didnt work. But it did impose large costs on the U.S. economy. Data for the early 19th century is, as you might guess, sketchy, but the economist and historian Douglas Irwin has tried to estimate the cost of the Jeffersonian embargo, which he places at about 8 percent of U.S. gross domestic product.

How might the effects of Russian isolation compare with this experience? Russia in 2022 is far more exposed to foreign trade than America was in 1807: U.S. exports then were only 13 percent of GDP, while Russian exports on the eve of the invasion were roughly twice that.

Id also note that economies are a lot more complex than they were two centuries ago. Back then, production didnt depend on elaborate supply chains that could be brought to a screeching halt for want of a few crucial components, like silicon chips and replacement parts. Now it does, even in countries like Russia that mainly export raw materials rather than manufactured goods. So the consequences of near autarky may be even worse than Russias large dependence on trade suggests.

At the moment, in other words, it looks as if Putin made a double miscalculation. His planned short victorious war is turning into a bloody slog that has outraged the world, and his vaunted economic Fortress Russia appears to be headed for a Depression-level slump.
On the steps of City Hall on Valentines Day, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg renewed a call to help domestic violence survivors. This call came during a news conference by the Commission on Collaborative Strategies to Prevent, Combat and Respond to Domestic Violence, or CCDV.

The CCDV, a joint city of San Antonio/Bexar County commission established in 2019, released its second-year progress report that day, providing an overview of efforts that were too broad  the equivalent of check marks. There were few details, and the goals were vague and weak, some calling for measures that already exist, others calling for change but not measuring it.

It left us with a glaring question: What has the CCDV accomplished in its first two years?

The CCDV touts a pilot referral line with the Bexar County Sheriffs Office and Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council, or STRAC, to help guide officers, but is it making a difference? A measurement wasnt included in the goal. Another goal to continue to enforce existing laws prohibiting firearm possession doesnt seem like a goal. And while the CCDV helped secure funding for a civil court compliance officer to aid with firearm transfers, it doesnt outline the need for tracking the outcomes.

On ExpressNews.com: No quick fix on domestic violence, San Antonio mayor warns as commission issues report

One goal calls for hosting community-based events to educate the public. The stated outcome? Numerous community events to inform the public of its role. Even the goal of producing quarterly data reports resulted in reports for only two quarters. Leaders told us the goal didnt specify they would release the reports every quarter. What?

Earlier last year, the Express-News series Nowhere to Hide analyzed a surge in domestic violence killings and thousands of assaults since 2016, revealing numerous flaws in the safety net.

After that series, county and city leaders invested millions more into fighting domestic violence  including $4.4 million by the city toward more advocates, caseworkers and victim assistance, and $3.3 million by the county to work on the backlog of cases. But is it enough?

Claude Jacob, city of San Antonio Metro Health director, told us domestic violence remains a major focus, but it could take years to see outcomes. The public health approach is not a quick fix. Its about the slow, deep slow change to systems and the whole community, he said.

When we probed, there was no quantifiable proof or data, and the CCDVs goals are weakened by their lack of measurement. Who is accountable? How will efforts be adjusted if goals are inadequate?

The year two report concludes by calling domestic violence intractable, an odd word choice since the whole point of the CCDV is to reduce domestic violence. To this end, every goal should have a direct, measurable outcome.

The new goals for year three are more aggressive, but they are still not bold enough to meet the needs of our community.

Its clear leaders still havent found a solution to a gap cited in the citys first report in 2019, Love is, explained on page 18 as no consensus about how to evaluate progress, adding that the lack of clarity is consistent with an additional finding that very few respondents felt confident they understood the full scope of domestic violence in San Antonio.

On ExpressNews.com: Editorial: Bexar County must act to address domestic violence

That gap is massive  and our community knows it.

Meanwhile, domestic violence continues. According to city data, family violence reports for the first nine months of 2021 were 202 reports shy of the previous years total of 16,732 family violence reports filed by the San Antonio Police Department.

On Feb. 28, Maria Virginia Hernandez, 51, was critically wounded by a shooter at an office building. She died from her injuries. The suspect, Enrique Lara, was apprehended in Mexico.

We understand community solutions to alleviate domestic violence will take time. But the process and effort must be measurable, bolder and transparent. We are impatient for change and believe domestic violence survivors deserve better and more from the CCDV. The public should see data  and proof of authentic progress. The public should hear the stories of people who survived family violence and whose lives were changed thanks to the CCDV. Why isnt this happening?
After denying Attorney General Ken Paxton an outright win in the Republican primary and outpacing two other rivals, Land Commissioner George P. Bush is heading into a runoff that promises the toughest test of his political career, with the end of the Bush political dynasty in Texas at stake.

Courting an electorate that prizes loyalty to former President Donald Trump and his policies, Bush has sought to distance himself from his own familys brand of more moderate conservatism. He has adopted a hard-line stance on border security and framed himself as a fierce defender of law enforcement.

But Paxton, appearing on conservative talk radio on the day after the March 1 primary, made clear he still views anti-Bush sentiment among conservatives as one of his most potent weapons leading up to the May 24 runoff election.

The Bushes have had their chance, Paxton said on Lubbock radio host Chad Hastys show. Its time for the dynasty to end. Its time to have somebody that can get in there and fight, and not capitulate to the establishment.

Overcoming skepticism about his family name is just one of the challenges Bush faces in his overtime round against Paxton, who received 43 percent of the vote in the primary, 20 percentage points ahead of Bush. Other headwinds include Trumps endorsement of Paxton and polling that found that about one-third of primary voters would never consider voting for Bush  roughly triple the number who said the same about Paxton.

Such polling has also raised questions about whether Bushs sharpest weapon  Paxtons legal baggage  holds much sway among Republican primary voters. Paxton was indicted on felony securities fraud charges nearly seven years ago and is separately under FBI investigation after several of his top aides alleged that he used his office to benefit a donor. He has denied all wrongdoing.

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With Bush having survived the first round of the primary, his efforts to distinguish himself from the rest of his family will be even more critical in a low-turnout runoff that is likely to attract some of the partys most conservative voters, said Sharon Navarro, a political science professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Hes going to have to shore up his conservative bona fides, remind the voters that he will fight for Texas, that hes a fighter and that he will fight the Biden administration every step of the way, Navarro said. He has a very steep hill to climb, in trying to mobilize voters to come out.

Bush has insisted throughout the campaign that he is his own man, while focusing his message on restoring Trumps immigration policies and supporting law enforcement. At the same time, he has argued that Paxtons legal woes make him unfit for office and uniquely vulnerable to defeat by a Democratic challenger in November.

Asked by conservative talk radio host Mark Davis about the type of messaging to expect from his campaign, Bush said he will continue to press the case about Paxtons legal entanglements.

I think thats a big part of it, he said. We need somebody who respects the law, and its really hard to claim the moral high ground on implementing law and order on our border or on the streets of Texas if you yourself are trying to avoid the law.

COOPER NEILL, STR / NYT

Few GOP voters believe Paxton lacks integrity

Paxton has been able to avoid at least some scrutiny over his pending criminal case  he was indicted by a grand jury in 2015  because of unprecedented delays over a number of side issues unrelated to the cases substance. The main matter pending before a Texas appellate court right now relates to a dispute over where the trial should be held  in Harris County, which now leans Democratic, or Paxtons home of Collin County, with one of the largest conservative populations in Texas.

The accusations in October 2020 by Paxtons aides  all of whom have since quit or been fired  revived questions about his integrity. The aides, some of whom have since filed a whistleblower retaliation suit against him that remains pending, alleged that Paxton had taken inappropriate and illegal steps to help his friend and campaign donor Nate Paul, an Austin real estate developer.

How can Ken Paxton defend Texas sovereignty when hes more concerned with defending his own criminal behavior? said Karina Erickson, a Bush campaign spokeswoman. There is no question  Ken Paxtons ability to represent our great state is compromised. He cannot defend the law if he refused to respect it.

Still, a February poll found that just 17 percent of Republican voters believe Paxton lacks the integrity to serve as attorney general.

With many Republican voters apparently unfazed by the controversies hanging over Paxtons head, Bush has sought to make the case that he would be vulnerable in the fall. Paxton won re-election in 2018 by fewer than 4 percentage points.

The Republican who prevails will face the winner of a Democratic runoff that pits former ACLU attorney Rochelle Garza against mediator and former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski.

Any conservative has to be worried that you have two AOC-style Democrats in that partys runoff, Bush told conservative talk show host Davis, likening Garza to progressive New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Thats whats on the other side of the ledger.  We just cant afford that for our state.

One looming unknown that could give Bush a boost: Whether any federal charges against Paxton will come down before the runoff or general elections.

As long as the wall doesnt crumble between now and May where actual charges get filed and people take whats happening seriously, he can maintain the aura, the idea this is all just a conspiracy from the deep state and Democrats, I think hes in good shape, said Stephanie Martin, professor of political communications at Southern Methodist University.

In any case, Bush will have to do more than point to Paxtons legal issues to be victorious, said Republican strategist Jessica Colon.

Sam Owens, Staff Photographer / San Antonio Express-News

If hes going to run for this office, as a prosecution of Ken Paxton, its difficult to see how thats going to be a successful strategy, said Colon, who was a senior aide in Paxtons 2014 campaign. Voters want to hear why a candidate deserves their vote, and candidates need to communicate their strengths, their record, their accomplishments to the voter. They need to prove why they deserve this office.

Rallying the undecideds

In the weeks leading up to the primary, Bush jockeyed for second place with former Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman, who had the backing of high-power donors such as the tort reform group Texans for Lawsuit Reform.

But in the closing days of the campaign, Guzman came under a barrage of attacks from Paxton and Bush. While Bush and Guzman earned nearly an identical share of the early and absentee votes, Guzmans support plummeted on election day. She and U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert of Tyler combined for about one-third of the vote, each winning about 17 percent.

During the runoff, Bush said he would aim to win over voters who supported Gohmert and Guzman in the first round.

The simple math is that close to 58 percent of Republicans had Ken Paxton on the ballot, and they chose to go in a different direction, Bush said on Hastys show. So, its on me to reach out to all the folks that didnt vote for Ken, bring out my people and rally some undecideds that still have yet to make a determination.

But it wasnt immediately clear if Bush would be able to attract voters en masse who backed Gohmert or Guzman.

Gohmert, widely viewed as the challenger who was most politically aligned with Paxton, declined to endorse either runoff candidate during an interview with Davis. Paxton later told Davis he would have won outright had it not been for Gohmert  and said he expected to win over Gohmerts supporters during the runoff.

He got 17 percent. Those are my voters, Paxton said. They would have gone my way, at least the majority of them, and I only needed 7 percent of them.  We poll all this.

To fully win over Guzman voters, meanwhile, Bush will have to heal wounds opened in the runup to the primary in which the two candidates exchanged blows over their records and conservative credentials, Colon said.

That sometimes can be difficult to build those bridges back and mend those fences, she said. Sometimes people are ready to forgive and move on. It really does come down to the candidate making outreach.

Though most Republican officials are staying out of the race, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who has clashed with Bush, came off the sidelines to endorse Paxton.

Smiley N. Pool, MBR / TNS

Since Republicans gained full control of Texas statewide office in 1998, Patrick is the only person to defeat a major statewide incumbent, having ousted then-Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in 2014.

jasper.scherer@chron.com

taylor.goldenstein@chron.com
WASHINGTON - A Texas man who federal prosecutors called the tip of the mobs spear in the Jan. 6 riot was found guilty of five felony charges on Tuesday as a D.C. jury delivered the first verdict in hundreds of cases against those accused of storming the Capitol.

The jury deliberated for less than four hours before finding Guy Reffitt, a 49-year-old from Wylie, guilty on all charges, which included taking a gun with him to the Capitol, obstructing an official proceeding and obstructing justice when he threatened his children, saying: If you turn me in, youre a traitor and traitors get shot.

Reffitt is set to be sentenced in June and faces up to 60 years in prison.

It was the culmination of a dramatic first trial in the Jan. 6 criminal cases that included testimony against Reffitt from his 19-year-old son and from another member of the far-right militia group to which Reffitt belongs, the Texas Three Percenters, who traveled with him to D.C.

It was also a key early victory for the U.S. Department of Justice, which has brought charges against more than 750 defendants, including at least 66 Texans, stemming from the riot that left five dead, including a Capitol police officer, and 140 other officers injured.

Every mob needs leaders, and this defendant was a leader that day, assistant U.S. Attorney Risa Berkower told jurors during closing arguments. He drove here all the way from Texas with an AR-15 rifle and a semi-automatic handgun for this very moment.

MORE: What Texas riot defendant Guy Reffitt said about Ted Cruz as he approached the U.S. Capitol

Other Texans charged include Stewart Rhodes, who founded and leads the far-right extremist group Oath Keepers, as well as Tam Dinh Pham, a former Houston police officer who pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 45 days in jail last year.

The verdict comes amid brewing political headwinds for prosecutors. A growing number of Republican lawmakers have sought to downplay the actions of those in the crowd that day, with some going so far as to call them political prisoners, a label Reffitt has ascribed to himself.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz earlier this year caved under pressure from conservative commentators, including Fox News host Tucker Carlson, and said it had been a mistake to label the riots a violent terrorist attack, which he had called them consistently in the year after the Capitol breach. Cruz was a key figure on Jan. 6 as he led an effort in the Senate to delay the certification vote.

Reffitt did not take the stand in the trial. His attorney, William Welch, called no witnesses after the prosecution rested its case on Monday.

Welch argued Reffitt was all talk and was guilty of nothing more than being on restricted grounds that day.

Hes not going to say, I spent four days driving and three nights in hotels to be incapacitated in five minutes without doing anything, Welch told the jury in closing arguments. This case has been a rush to judgment, most of it based on bragging and a lot of hype. Be the grownups in the courtroom: Separate the facts from the hype.

Prosecutors said Reffitt lit the fire on Jan. 6 after driving more than 1,300 miles from Wylie to D.C. with a clear objective: To overthrow Congress.

Reffitt made clear what his mission was in the days and hours leading up to his attempt to storm the Capitol, they said. Wearing a handgun on his hip and a bullet-proof vest that protected him against rubber bullets fired on him by Capitol police, Reffitt was the first to attempt to climb the Capitol steps, with an angry crowd behind him.

He was eventually brought down by a blast of pepper spray, but prosecutors said his failed charge fired up the crowd, which he waved onward as he hunched over, reeling from the effects of the spray. They showed still images from video of that moment, Reffitts right arm extended over his head, lifting up the blue jacket he was wearing just enough to show what appeared to be a handgun in a holster.

Yes, Guy Reffitt brags, federal prosecutor Jeffrey Nestler told the jury in closing arguments. And you know what he brags about? The truth. The things that he actually did.

Prosecutors presented messages Reffitt sent in the weeks after the 2020 election that were so alarming that his son, Jackson Reffitt, said he submitted an anonymous tip to the FBI on Christmas Eve from his bedroom in his parents home.

The entire house of legislation has committed unthinkable acts on our people, Guy Reffitt wrote in one of the messages he sent to his family group chat. We have had enough.

Whats about to happen will shock the world, he wrote in another.

Jackson Reffitt would later record his father in their family dining room after returning home from D.C., boasting about his actions that day.

People were coming up to me constantly, going youre such a (expletive) patriot. You lit the fire, Guy Reffitt said in one of the recordings. I didn't drive 20 (expletive) hours to come here and not do what needs to be done.

Jackson Reffitt testified that his father later threatened him and his younger sister.

Rocky Hardie, another member of the Three Percenters who went to D.C. with Reffitt, testified that on the long drive from Texas, the two joked about dragging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi out of the Capitol by her feet or her ankles, envisioning her head hitting every step on the way out.

We talked about, We gotta get the bastards out of there, said Hardie, who testified under an immunity agreement with the government. Hardie testified that the two took AR-15s with them to D.C., which they left in their car in the hotel parking garage. He said Reffitt gave him zip ties that morning and testified that they each carried a handgun with them.

Prosecutors also showed video that Reffitt recorded on Jan. 6 with a Go-Pro-style camera attached to his helmet in which he repeatedly told others in the crowd that he planned to try to get into the Capitol and drag out members of Congress  and not just Pelosi.

I like Ted Cruz, Reffitt said at one point in the video. Hes still a goddamn politician. Theyre all coming out.

They are all coming out, Berkower, the prosecutor, told the jury: That was his purpose.

benjamin.wermund@chron.com
Wednesday, March 2, 2022

WASHINGTON  The director of Arizonas Department of Homeland Security told a panel of lawmakers Wednesday that the Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as the remain in Mexico policy for immigrants, is helping to keep Arizonans safe.

Tim Roemer told a House Homeland Security subcommittee that the policy, which was ordered reinstated by courts after the Biden administration tried to end it, lets border officials spend less time chasing the same trafficker, smuggler and coyotes.

When applied properly MPP helps protect the lives of every Arizona community and those throughout the nation, Roemer said. MPP gives federal law enforcement authorities the ability to stop the individuals who are taking advantage of the asylum system and allows the system to work better for those in need.

But there is no way to apply the law properly, federal officials told the hearing. They repeated administration concerns that the remain in Mexico policy is counterproductive and inhumane to migrants, who can fall victim to crime and illness when forced back across the border.

MPP is not aligned with this administrations values and imposes an unjustifiable human cost on migrants and pulls resources away from more important efforts that seek to address the root causes of irregular migration, said Blas Nunez-Neto, the acting assistant Homeland Security secretary for border and immigration policy.

The hearing came the same day that protesters, including several from Arizona, rallied outside the White House to charge that Biden has not done enough to protect immigrants.

He was the one that decided to implement that policy with the remain in Mexico, said Arisaid Gonzalez, an Arizona native who is D.C.-area campaigns manager for United We Dream, which organized Wednesdays rally. He had the opportunity to take it away and he hasnt, so hes definitely part of the problem.

MPP was unveiled in January 2019 by the Trump administration. Under the policy, border officials accepted the claim of any migrant who showed up at the border seeking asylum  but then turned that immigrant around to wait in Mexico while their case was considered.

A year later, as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, MPP was combined with Title 42, a law that allows the U.S. to turn back immigrants who pose a potential health risk.

Critics said the two policies posed serious health and safety risks to migrants by forcing them to live in makeshift camps with poor sanitation and little protection from criminals who were free to rob, rape, threaten and, in some cases, kill. Many of the migrants were from countries other than Mexico, leaving them few options when turned back.

We have very serious concerns about both the remain in Mexico policy and the misuse of Title 42, said Eleanor Acer, senior director for refugee protection at Human Rights First. Under both of these policies, which originated under the Trump administration, the United States and now the Biden administration is turning away people seeking asylum to places where their lives and safety are at risk.

Biden has kept Title 42, to the dismay of immigration advocates. But he tried to do away with MPP shortly after taking office, issuing an executive order on Feb. 2, 2021, to suspend the program, which was followed five months later by a Homeland Security memorandum officially terminating it.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas justified termination by saying MPP did not enhance border safety or management, diverted resources from other border missions and exposed migrants to a lack of stable access to housing, income, and safety. That could result in some migrants abandoning potentially meritorious protection claims.

Texas and Missouri sued, claiming that an end to MPP would mean an influx of immigrants to their states, while overwhelming DHSs detention capacity, among other concerns. A U.S. district court judge in north Texas agreed and in August ordered DHS to make a good faith effort to reinstate the program.

DHS restarted the program, even as it has renewed its efforts to do away with it. The Supreme Court said last month that it will hear the governments claim that it should be allowed to end the program, fast-tracking arguments for April.

In the meantime, the Biden administration has made two major changes to the program.

Where migrants previously had to tell officers they feared returning to Mexico, officers are now required to ask the question of migrants. And the standard of proof needed to demonstrate a reasonable possibility of persecution or torture in Mexico, has been lowered, said Jessica Bolter, associate policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute.

Roemer acknowledged the humanitarian concerns about MPP. But he said those have to be weighed against the dangers of a wide-open asylum system, to both migrants and Arizona residents.

MPP allows authorities to take significant action as opposed to the catch-and-release tactics from the past that are sadly becoming all too real again today, he said. It allows border officials to focus their activities on the worst actors, effectively protecting Arizona and America from dangerous drugs and transnational criminal organizations who continue to profit off of vulnerable populations.

But for Ana, an undocumented immigrant from Arizona who was part of the rally outside the White House Wednesday, the only real solution will be comprehensive immigration reform. Despite Bidens pledge to get reform passed, protesters noted that there have been 2 million deportations under his administration so far.

Im here because we just hear the same rhetoric, they always say promises and they never fulfill their promises, Ana, speaking in Spanish, said through a translator. So its a lot of failure on their end.

For more stories from Cronkite News, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org.
A Gallatin County judge denied the state of Montanas motion to dismiss a lawsuit challenging four laws related to higher education passed in the 2021 Legislature.

The lawsuit, filed in June 2021 in the district court by a coalition of students, staff and higher education leaders argued that four laws passed by the Montana Legislature infringed on the constitutional authority of the Board of Regents to set policy for the Montana University System.

The lawsuit names Gov. Greg Gianforte, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen and the state of Montana as defendants. In their motion to dismiss, defendants said plaintiffs didnt have enough factual detail of the alleged injuries in the complaint and were not the right parties to be filing the lawsuit.

District Court Judge Rienne McElyea had previously denied the states claim that there werent enough facts to file the lawsuit during a hearing in mid-December 2021.

In the December hearing, the defendants  represented by Solicitor General David Dewhirst and Kathleen Smithgall, an attorney in the Attorney Generals office  had argued the Board of Regents would be the right group to file the lawsuit.

McElyea issued a denial on March 4 for the remainder of the defendants motion.

The Court concludes that Plaintiffs are proper parties in their own right. Even if the Board of Regents were the better plaintiff, these are issues of significant public importance that have not otherwise been raised and might avoid judicial review, McElyea wrote in the denial.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit include ex-regents, a previous commissioner of higher education, Montana State University Faculty Senate, the Montana Federation of Public Employees, university student groups, individual university faculty members, individual students, a delegate in the 1972 Montana Constitutional Convention.

McElyea said the plaintiffs have a close relationship with the Regents, a strong interest in the ultimate constitutional issue (how university affairs are governed) and stand to be directly affected by the challenged legislation.

During Decembers hearing, attorneys representing the plaintiffs, Raph Graybill of Great Falls and Jeff Tierney of Bozemans Goetz Law Firm, argued the plaintiffs experienced direct harm due to the new laws.

The suit brought by the coalition accuses the Legislature of overreach in passing House Bills 102, 112, and 349 and Senate Bill 319. The lawsuit says the Board of Regents, as the governing body of the university system, already has policies that address the topics covered in the laws passed this year.

HB 112 bans transgender athletes from participating in womens sports. HB 349 creates new guidelines for anti-harassment and free speech policies on campus. SB 319 restricts organizations from registering students to vote in dorms and dining facilities.
COLUMBUS  As Ohio continues to discuss water quality challenges in Lake Erie, the Ohio Agriculture Conservation Initiative offered a glimpse of exactly what conservation practices look like in one Ohio watershed.

Nutrient runoff from farm fields in northwest Ohio has been linked to harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie. H2Ohio, Ohios water quality program, is aimed at helping farmers use more conservation practices in the region.

The OACI, a partnership between agriculture, conservation, environmental and research groups, assessed fields in the Lower Maumee watershed to find out what conservation practices farmers used 2021. The survey report gives farmers, environmentalists and researchers a baseline for what conservation looks like in that watershed, and shows where theres room for improvement.

It will also allow researchers to better measure and understand what kind of impact H2Ohio has on the region when they return to the watershed for a follow up survey in three years.

The OACI released the report at the Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts annual meeting March 1, in Columbus, Ohio.

We wanted to get a baseline of what conservation is in a watershed in one year, and then we can start tying those practices to some stream monitoring results, said Kris Swartz, farmer and chair of OACI. Its going to be an ongoing process. But I think its going to be the first set of data that really gives us true, verifiable practices that are on the ground in one year.

Survey

Researchers sampled 450 randomly selected crop production fields in the watershed, including fields already in conservation programs, and fields that are not in conservation programs. They sent surveys to farmers and landowners, and staff from soil and water conservation districts interviewed landowners or farm managers for each field.

I want to highlight to everyone, this does represent all fields that were available in the watershed, said John Fulton, professor and extension specialist with Ohio State Universitys College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. This report really reflects what farmers are doing within this HUC 8 watershed, and brings some statistical confidence that thats reality.

About 90% of the people researchers sent surveys to responded. Swartz attributed that to connections with local district staff.

I get surveys all the time. And you know, people dont return them, or the only people that return them kind of self-select themselves  so its not really valid, Swartz said. So, I think our statistics are much more solid than anything else weve had.

Results

Some practices were more widespread than expected. About 66% of the fields surveyed were enrolled in a conservation cost-share program. About 83% of those fields were also having soil sampled at least every three years, and most of those soil samples involved precision agriculture.

Jordan Hoewischer, director of water quality and research for the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, said that shows farmers who are interested in soil testing are doing it, and now its time to focus on helping farmers use more practices that allow them to put fertilizer where they need it, like variable-rate technology and injecting fertilizer into the ground.

For phosphorus, a key nutrient in the conversation around water quality in Lake Erie, about 15% of fields had it injected, and 40% of fields used a variable rate application. The survey also found 86% of fields relied on commercial fertilizer as a nutrient source, and about 12% relied on manure. Water management practices, like buffers and grassed waterways, were installed on 42% of fields.

Other practices were less common than the initiative hoped. Only about half of the fields were covered by voluntary nutrient management plans.

I think thats going to show some room for growth, Swartz said. I think when we come back to this watershed in three years, that number should be significantly higher, or we would expect it to be. If not, then we have to rethink our whole approach.

The survey also looked at who owns and farms the fields it sampled. About 48% of the farmland was owned by the person who farmed it, and the other 52% was leased. But the same farmer managed 95% of the fields for three years or longer, which suggests farmers are very familiar with their fields in the watershed.

Hoewischer said its important to make sure lease agreements are solid so farmers are comfortable taking advantage of programs like H2Ohio to put more conservation practices on fields they lease.

Future

The survey was done in early 2021, before H2Ohio practices hit the ground. That means when researchers come back to the Lower Maumee watershed for another survey in three years, they will be able to see how much of an impact H2Ohio had on farmers practices.

I would think in this watershed, were going to see tremendous growth, Swartz said. I think were trending in the right direction. Im curious to see how fast we can trend.

The OACI is releasing a white paper of the report aimed more at the general public and state legislators. That will help the group show legislators what farmers are doing, as conversations around water quality continue.

This year, the OACI will do survey assessments in two more watersheds. The group plans to keep surveying watersheds at that rate, and to return to each watershed for surveys every three years, so it can measure progress. It also hopes to make connections between what practices farmers are using, and what stream monitoring in the watersheds is showing.
A farmer has been handed a suspended prison sentence following the death of his four-year-old nephew, who was tragically killed in a telescopic handler accident.

In July 2019, Harry Lee was riding on the cab footplate of a telescopic handler driven by his uncle Brian Nutter at a farm in Newchurch-in-Pendle, Lancashire.

Wigan Magistrates Court heard this week that as the vehicle turned into a field, Harry fell from the footplate and was fatally crushed beneath the wheels.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found there were insufficient measures in place to ensure the safety of children on the farm.

The Prevention of Accidents to Children in Agriculture Regulations 1998 prohibits children under the age of 13 from riding on, or operating, vehicles used in agricultural operations.

Furthermore, HSE explained that no-one, including children, should ride on the footplate of any agricultural machine.

Brian Nutter of Tynedale Shippon, Newchurch-in-Pendle, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

He was given a 26-week prison sentence suspended for 18 months, a community order, which included 250 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay costs of 5,154.

Following the sentencing, Sarah Nutter, mother of Harry Lee, called on farmers to change their attitude toward on-farm safety.

Losing a child at any age is a traumatic experience, but losing a child in such deeply tragic circumstances is completely life changing.

"The event of Harrys death has and will have a lasting effect that I, and my family will never get over.

Farming is a lifestyle and a way of life. If we could go back and make different decisions and do things differently, we would certainly do so. We have had to learn the hard way.

The dangers to children on farms are often not appreciated when you live with them, but they should be at the forefront of all our minds every single day."

She added: I hope the effects of Harrys accident will change the attitude of people living on farms and make them think twice about the dangers their children are exposed to and how easily accidents can be avoided.

Martin Lee, father of Harry, said: Harry, so passionate about farming even at four-years-old, was very much my legacy, the person who would take on the farm.

Always smiling, Harry had a love for life that brought joy to all those around him and certainly lived his life to the full.

He was a loving, caring, kind and bright child, full of affection for his family. It is a tragedy that he was needlessly taken from us too soon.

His death has traumatised and deeply impacted the whole family.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Shellie Bee said the incident was a "deeply sad and upsetting incident for all involved".

She added that Harry should not have been in the workplace nor allowed to ride on agricultural machinery.

"Harry, a four-year-old child, lost his life in what was a wholly avoidable incident caused by a failure to protect him from farm work activities.

Farms can appear to be exciting places, but they are busy workplaces with moving machinery and vehicles, livestock, chemicals and many other significant hazards.

Each year, children are killed and many more are seriously injured as a result of farming work. Often the child is a close relative to those managing and running the farm.

There is a specific law that prohibits children under the age of 13 years from riding on or operating agricultural vehicles used in the course of farming operations.

The best way to keep children safe, particularly young children, is to keep them out of the farm workplace altogether," Ms Bee explained.

"If taken onto the farm, to working areas, this must be carefully planned. The child should be fully supervised by a responsible adult who is not engaged in any other activity.

Harrys family hope that their story will make the wider farming community take steps to fully protect the safety of any child who may be on the farm.
Farmers and landowners are being discouraged from planting trees due to uncertainty around future government funding, a public spending watchdog has warned.

Defra's tree-planting schemes are set to fall short of what the department initially set out to achieve, the National Audit Office (NAO) says in its new report 'Planting Trees in England'.

The watchdog, which scrutinises public spending for parliament and is independent of government, warns that Defra did not give enough consideration to whether its planting target is realistic.

It says the government will need to overcome significant challenges if it is to increase tree planting to the levels required for its net zero strategy.

Defra aims to achieve at least 7,500 hectares of annual tree planting by March 2025 to be on the trajectory required by its goal of reaching net zero by 2050.

Defra told the NAO that it determined it was realistic based on available evidence, including historic planting rates and the availability of land.

However, the NAO's report says the government did not undertake a detailed assessment of this evidence.

At no point in the last 50 years has the annual rate of tree planting in England reached 7,500 hectares, it says, and it has only risen above 6,000ha in three of the last 50 years.

As well as achieving its headline targets, Defra also has a wide range of environmental, social and economic objectives, which the NAO says adds to the complexity of increasing tree planting rates quickly.

Private landowners, such as farmers, are also being discouraged from planting trees due to uncertainty about future government funding.

After 2024-25, the government will mainly fund tree-planting through the post-Brexit Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMS).

However, uncertainty over the design of ELMS means Defra has been unable to develop detailed plans for this transition, the NAO's report warns.

Once within ELMS, tree planting will be competing for funding with a wide range of other government environmental priorities.

Farmers will be able to choose between tree planting and other environmental activities that may be more attractive to them or better suited to their business.

The NAO recommends that Defra and the Forestry Commission should urgently establish what is required for the transition of tree planting into ELMS.

They should also ensure that the monitoring and evaluation framework they are developing for the tree programme will be able to robustly measure progress against all its targets.

Gareth Davies, the head of the NAO, said Defra should have done more to make sure its tree planting targets were realistic.

There are significant challenges Defra will need to address if it is to achieve its ambitious targets and support governments wider net zero agenda," he said.

"These include sustaining the interest of landowners, ensuring there are sufficient skills on the ground and securing the active support of other parts of government.

Some other challenges that Defra will need to manage include the need to secure stronger support from other government departments so that they plant more trees on the land they manage.

There are also risks to the availability of seeds and saplings due to tree nurseries either closing or reducing production levels, the NAO's report says.
A police officer checks a truck at Dongxing port in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Jan. 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Cao Yiming)

NANNING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Carrying 100 imported cars from the United Arab Emirates, the rail-sea intermodal trains departed from south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on March 4 and are expected to arrive in the city of Lanzhou, northwest China's Gansu Province, on Wednesday, according to railway authorities in Nanning, the regional capital of Guangxi.

This is the first time cars from Middle Eastern countries have entered the Chinese mainland market through the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, a trade and logistics passage jointly built by western Chinese provincial regions and Singapore, said the China Railway Nanning Group Co., Ltd.

For a smooth shipment this time, the railway authorities in Guangxi have strengthened cooperation with customs departments and intermodal transport enterprises to ensure that goods are "loaded and transported along with arrival," said Huang Guanghui, with Guangxi Yanhai Railway Company Limited.

The trade corridor so far covers 311 ports in 106 countries and regions. 
The Countryside Alliance has accused Natural Resources Wales (NRW) of 'misleading the public' following its purchase of agricultural land in the Tywi valley.

In partnership with Welsh government, NRW plans to create Covid-memorial woodland in Carmarthenshire by planting trees at Brownhill, near the village of Llangadog on the banks of the river Towy.

The decision has been met with opposition from rural groups, who fear it risks irreversibly changing the countryside due to it being constructed on farmland.

In a public consultation, NRW confirmed they were sold the land as three lots and describe it as having "included a proportion of rougher and/or less accessible ground, less attractive for agricultural purposes."

The Countryside Alliance's Wales director, Rachel Evans has written to NRW requesting that their consultation be "amended with immediate effect to truthfully reflect the type of ground they have purchased at the Brownhill site".

Ms Evans, who lives locally, said it was 'utterly wrong' of NRW to 'mislead the public' on the nature of the site they purchased for this project.

"To claim that all the land they secured is not suitable for farming is incorrect," Ms Evans explained.

"It is equally wrong of them to claim the land is inaccessible, as there is clearly a suitable entrance to the fields, which has been used and since padlocked by NRW."

Furthermore, she said there was no mention of the potential of some of the better land, which totals approximately 21 hectares, being left for grazing and mowing.

"In fact, their description of the potential within the document purposely omits this," Ms Evans added.

"We must question whether this is a genuine consultation or whether they have already made up their minds to plant it in its entirety and are simply, just playing lip service.

It is ironic that they claim this woodland is for the community yet proceed to tear away at the fabric of that community by completely ignoring the contribution of agriculture to the local economy and peoples well-being.

However, a Welsh government spokesperson told BBC Wales that farmers would be 'central' to the country's future woodland creation plans.

They said: At the Brownhill site NRW bought three of five available lots, bidding for those containing a large percentage of wetlands, brushwood and woodlands.

In order to create 43,000ha of new woodland by 2030, some land will need to change usage from agricultural use to woodland and we want farmers to be central to this, but the woodlands will be created for local communities in consultation with local communities.
Buyers and key influencers in the US will get to sample the flavour of red meat and dairy products from the UK at two high-profile events in America this month.

UK beef and pork as well as a selection of cheese will be on show to the all-important US market  where exports of red meat topped 34.5m last year, and cheese shipments surpassed 50m.

On 16 March, AHDBs export team will be joined by exporters from the UK for a British meat and cheese tasting event on the rooftop of Spring Place in Los Angeles.

Around 60 influential guests in the US will get to sample beef and pork dishes alongside a selection of cheese, before meeting with exporters from the UK to learn more about Britains high standards in animal welfare and traceability.

Exports of pork to the US have been steadily increasing, helped by the removal of the 25% tariff last summer, reaching 7,427 tonnes last year  up 17.5% on 2021, valued at 23.5m.

And beef shipments surpassed 2,570 tonnes, worth 11 million, in the first full year since exports resumed after more than two decades.

AHDB senior export manager, Susana Morris said: The US is a key target market for both our red meat and cheese exports as there is a real growing appetite for our products.

"Customers in the US value the UKs high standards in food safety, our farmers commitment to protecting the environment and the great taste and heritage of our unique breeds, including the Angus and Hereford.

Further and following the recent news regarding sheep meat exports, we also hope to be able to export our high-quality lamb to the US later this year.

The following week, UK exporters will be attending the first-ever SIAL America food and drink show to fly the flag for British beef, pork and cheese.

SIAL America, which runs from March 22  24 in Las Vegas, is expected to attract thousands of importers from across the US, as well as food service companies, distributors, retailers and wholesalers.

The SIAL network has over 50 years of experience in delivering food events that provide critical business connections, inspired content and an unrivalled export platform.

AHDB senior export manager for dairy, Lucy Randolph said SIAL America was an opportunity for the UK to showcase British cheese to a large and varied audience.

"We are delighted to be in attendance at its debut show and we are hopeful that SIAL America will provide some valuable connections in this important market.
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People mourn the death of the ceremonial tusker "Nadungamuwa Raja" in Gampaha, Sri Lanka, on March 7, 2022. Sri Lankan citizens on Monday mourned the death of the famous ceremonial tusker "Nadungamuwa Raja," which died in the early hours of the day following a brief illness. The elephant was in its sixties at the time of its death. (Xinhua)

COLOMBO, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan citizens on Monday mourned the death of the famous Indian tusker "Nadungamuwa Raja," which died in the early hours of the day following a brief illness.

The elephant was in its sixties at the time of its death.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa instructed officials to name the deceased tusker as a national treasure and preserve its body for future generations.

Wildlife officials said the animal, towering 10.5 feet in height, was a celebrated pachyderm and the tallest tamed tusker in the country.

The elephant also had its own armed guards and had for years participated in the Buddhist religious parade known as the Esala Perahera in Kandy.

Elephants, as sacred animals in Sri Lanka, often participate in religious ceremonies and rituals. 

People mourn the death of the ceremonial tusker "Nadungamuwa Raja" in Gampaha, Sri Lanka, on March 7, 2022. Sri Lankan citizens on Monday mourned the death of the famous ceremonial tusker "Nadungamuwa Raja," which died in the early hours of the day following a brief illness. The elephant was in its sixties at the time of its death. (Xinhua)

People mourn the death of the ceremonial tusker "Nadungamuwa Raja" in Gampaha, Sri Lanka, on March 7, 2022. Sri Lankan citizens on Monday mourned the death of the famous ceremonial tusker "Nadungamuwa Raja," which died in the early hours of the day following a brief illness. The elephant was in its sixties at the time of its death. (Xinhua)

A girl mourns the death of the ceremonial tusker "Nadungamuwa Raja" in Gampaha, Sri Lanka, on March 7, 2022. Sri Lankan citizens on Monday mourned the death of the famous ceremonial tusker "Nadungamuwa Raja," which died in the early hours of the day following a brief illness. The elephant was in its sixties at the time of its death. (Xinhua)
Modern times call for modern takes. One step ahead of bringing about noticeable changes in how the trajectory of women's representation on screen is being stoically tuned to suit their calibre. Gone are the days when women were restricted within the periphery of portraying the role of only an eye-candy - from swooning to melodic songs and romancing the lead actor within stipulated screen-time. Actresses today are taking centre stage and how!

With the advent of OTT platforms, opportunities have increased manifold and roles are a lot meatier for the lead heroines. Top actresses today refuse to get baulked at by concurring to playing roles that do not help them utilise the full potential of their craft as an artist. With innumerable content being churned out in recurrent intervals, female-centric shows are increasingly becoming the chefs kiss to an already thrilling piece of writing, ready to be directed and made into a watchable extravaganza.

With Womens day around the corner, for all you OTT loyalists, here are a few top picks that are going to be the cherry on top for your womens day celebration:

Delhi Crime (2019)

That Indian Netflix series Delhi Crime bagged the International Emmy Award for Drama Series does not come as an out-of-the-blue accolade, for that is how terrific the show is. Yet another Shefali Shah spectacle, this show is based on the Nirbhaya gang rape that took place in 2012 on an unfortunate night in Delhi. While the crux of this gut-wrenching story is known to all, what is still lurking in the shadows is the efforts put in by Delhi police throughout the investigation process. Shefali Shah playing the titular role of the lead inspector on this case makes the show a must-watch. The sheer tenacity and guts needed by a policewoman to crack the case of a merciless rapist as he narrates the painful scenes of committing the crime, takes conviction. And that is exactly with which Shefali Shah aces her role in it. The show also has Rasika Dugal, Adil Hussain, and Rajesh Tailang in important roles.

Four More Shots Please (2019)

They often say female friendships are your biggest source of support.The show has four female leads - Sayani Gupta, Bani J, Kriti Kulhari, and Maanvi who make a strong case of female friends who have each others back through thick and thin. The show has been criticised as being a chick-flick because of the mere vibe and aesthetics of what the shows script demands. With high-end fashionable clothes, rich and successful women going about their lives  doing as they please, the subtle patriarchy so vividly blooming in the Indian subcontext seems to have been irked by it. However it is all about perceptions, and one would surely notice the beauty of female friendships that is so beautifully portrayed in this light-hearted OTT release.

Aarya (2020)

That Sushmita Sen is a force to reckon with was well known since her Miss. Universe days back in the yore. However, OTT came like a breath of fresh air for the former model to discover the extent of her acting prowess with Aarya. Inspired by a Dutch show Penoza, Sushmita Sen played her titular role as the lead protagonist Aarya to perfection in this Hotstar web series. She plays the role of a strong mother who has that cliche dream lifestyle  everything looks pristine from the outside  a lovely home, a loving husband, and doting kids. However, life takes an alternative turn as she is thrust into the shady business run by her family with the sudden demise of her husband. The show sees a massive transition of a woman who is made to alter her personality at an unexpected turn in her life. As the show progresses, we see her character arc going from being fearful to having the fortitude and unbending confidence as the crux of the personality embodied by Aarya Sareen. Owing to its massive success, Season 2 was released recently and had the same response to its brilliance.

Masaba Masaba (2020)

This partfiction and part-real series marked Masaba Gupta, the talented designer daughter of veteran actress Neena Gupta, into the world of OTT. Neena Gupta has always been vocal of the trials she faced on being a single mother with a struggling career. The story revolves around a curious overbearing mother and a fiercely independent-minded daughter as they are at each others throats with a new argument every day. However, her mother is also the biggest support for her as she tries to make her mark in the fashion designing industry and aces it. Being a divorcee, Masaba Gupta breaks the shackles of societal norms and emerges as a true winner as she plays herself in her OTT debut.

Bombay Begums (2021)





Another work of art that Netflix has churned out with Pooja Bhatt in the lead, doing a marvellous job at the character written for her. With the unrelenting support of actresses like Shahana Goswami, Amruta Subhash, and Plabita Borthakur  this female-led show does wonders with its plot and acting prowess. The show sheds light on the overburdening patriarchy that the city of dreams  Mumbai seems to be engulfed by. These 4 ladies come from diverse backgrounds and with their fair share of problems. Despite their intrinsic talents, they seem to be constantly combating the modern-day misogyny so prevalent in the city and age-old traditions that curb down their intelligence and capabilities. Though a fictional plot, Bombay Begums brings to the forefront the harsh truth of sexism that women get embroiled in, despite it being unsolicited.

Aranyak (2021)

Directed by Vinay Vyakul  Aranyak marks the debut of Raveena Tandon on the OTT platform. This murder mystery is a thrilling ride indeed and witnesses the actress playing the role of a loyal cop as she solves a murder in the fictional town of Sironah. She plays the role of a devoted police inspector who is finding it hard to juggle between her personal and work life. Duty calls and she puts her career before being a typical woman who sacrifices a flourishing future ahead because as a woman she should be spending more time inside the house. She is seen galavanting around cracking every clue of the mystery with fellow city-bred cop Angad played by Parambrata Chatterjee. Fine performances have led the way to a second season in the waiting for this show  Raveena Tandon is here to rule.

Human (2022)





Shefali Shah is a powerhouse performer who has found her niche by playing complex characters over the years. Lately, shes been basking in the glory that has come with her OTT releases. The most recent being Humans  a bone-chilling story on the drug trials that are tested on humans and their counter effects which often gets unnoticed or is intentionally neglected. Playing the character of the best neurosurgeon Gauri Nath, Shefali Shah brings her exceptional acting talent to the foray as she plays this layered character. She plays every personality trait of her character from being complicated to vulnerable to downright unpredictable to perfection  this ship sails through with impeccable performances. Kirti Kulhari is the other lead in the show.

OTT platforms have indeed been an eye-opener and made a plethora of talented actresses put in their all and test their capabilities as an actress. This International Women's Day deserves thundering applause for all these women in showbiz who are carving their path in the world of OTT content and killing it every step of the way.
While female directors and executives in Hollywood continue to fight for equal representation in the film industry, female filmmakers in India are waging a similar battle against their own country's long-standing patriarchy. Women filmmakers are challenging the status quo across the wildly diverse landscape of Indian cinema, spanning countless genres and nearly a dozen languages, whether at the art house, regional cinema or within mainstream Bollywood. However, even by the still unequal international standards, female representation behind the camera remains abysmally low. Here are seven female filmmakers who have reinvented Indian cinema:





Aparna Sen





Aparna Sen, who made her film debut at the age of 15 as a young bride in Satyajit Ray's Samapti, the final tale of this Tagore anthology Teen Kanya (1961), has progressed to become one of South Asian cinema's most distinguished filmmakers. Her films have become known for their out-of-the-box narratives and topics, which all boil down to a delicate weaving of human interrelationships that cover a full map of themes and issues. These include the marginalisation of an Anglo-Indian teacher in 36 Chowringhee Lane, the ramifications of a devoted housewife from an upper-middle-class Bengali family with three children falling into an extra-marital affair with a young photographer, a politically contemporized musical remake of William Shakespeare's classic Romeo and Juliet, and the gradual deterioration of a marriage between an advertising man and a skilled Odissi dancer, Yuganta (1995), which is a microcosm of the decay taking place around them at the same time, and Ghawre Bairey Aaj (2019), a post-modern adaptation of Tagore's masterpiece Ghare Baire set in the contemporary political climate of the Hindu Rights' pressure on the country. Her insightfulness and passion makes Aparna Sen one of the most highly celebrated woman filmmakers of our times.

Mira Nair





Mira Nair is an Indian-American film director and producer who has worked all over the world. Mira was born and reared in Rourkela, India, and went on to study at the universities of Delhi and Harvard. She began her career as a theatre performer in India before relocating to Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the age of 20, where she turned to documentary filmmaking with films such as So Far from India and Children of a Desired Sex. Salaam Bombay - her narrative feature debut, won the Camera d'Or and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Despite the fact that Nair's films span geographies, cultures, and issues, one consistent thread runs through them all - her devotion to reality in the tales she depicts. This reality is largely a result of Nair's documentary background. Her films, which are all dramatic in tone, utilise genuine locales on a regular basis. For example, Queen of Katwe, a film about Ugandan chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi who lived in the Katwe slums, was shot on location in the same slums. Furthermore, many of her performers are chosen from a pool of locals who have never appeared in front of a camera before. To establish a sense of realism, the street children in Salaam Bombay were all chosen from the streets of Mumbai. The utilisation of local languages, folk music, and all of the aesthetic components in Nair's films are all informed by this quest of filmmaking from a genuine viewpoint.





Sudha Kongara



Sudha Kongara has worked in Kollywood, Tollywood, and Bollywood as a director, writer, and screenwriter. Drohi, her debut film, was released in 2010. She then spent seven years as an associate director with Mani Ratnam. Saala Khadoos, her Hindi film debut, was released in 2016. With Guru, she made her Telugu film debut. One of Kongara's greatest assets is her ability to discover the emotional heart of even the most clinical subjects, such as a business tale in the aviation industry, and make it appealing to everyone. Her tales connect with people from all walks of life. She never takes a single line of speech for granted, is extremely rigorous and research-oriented, and is always asking why anything in the film should be done a specific way. One of the finest aspects of Kongara's technique is that she prioritises both writing and directing and that her characters, in addition to playing strong female roles, always have a sense of dignity and a strong moral code. Sudha Kongara has smashed traditional preconceptions against women behind the camera in the Tamil film industry with her recent success in crafting bankable commercial cinema on a large scale.





Shonali Bose



Shonali Bose grew up in Kolkata, Mumbai, and New Delhi before settling in the United States as an adult. Amu and Margarita With a Straw, two of her feature narrative films, have screened at over 150 film festivals across the world, including TIFF and Berlin, and have received several top international prizes. A daughter who lost her mother when she was young, and a mother who has experienced the unfathomable loss of a young son, Shonali Bose has a new perspective on death. Shonali's debut feature film, Amu, was based on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as she was always driven by the topics she believed in when shooting her films. The goal of filmmaking, according to Shonali, is not to hit the viewer over the head with a message but to integrate it deeper. Her compassionate approach to her films has earned her a reputation as one of the most critically regarded filmmakers of all time.





Zoya Akhtar



Zoya Akhtar has directed highly praised films such as Luck By Chance and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. Her unique style combines inventiveness, empathy, and personality to produce a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience that appeals to a wide range of audiences. Zoya Akhtars films are notable for their emotional balance and are rarely biassed towards one point of view. When there is a difficult situation written in the storyline, the characters are portrayed coping with it in the way that most actual people do; melodrama is rarely used. Even the most difficult-to-like characters, such as the cunning rising star in Luck By Chance or the overly possessive fiancee and selfish father in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, are proven to be believable and full of heart. Even when they're up to no good, you care about the characters. Zoya's directorial voice is firmly entrenched in good old mainstream Bollywood but possesses all the traits of a new-age, unusual filmmaker. Friendship, isolation, loneliness, and ambition are all topics that come up in conversations. Her ability to direct ensembles is a throwback to the golden age of multi-starrers when you could see a lot of different faces for the price of one ticket.





Gauri Shinde



Gauri Shinde is known for directing blockbuster films like English Vinglish and Dear Zindagi, which brought a fresh viewpoint and a kaleidoscope of endearing stories to the silver screen. Shinde's career took off after she directed English Vinglish, which starred Sridevi in the lead role. The film's premise was simple - a mother learning English to fit in with her own family, but it connected with a lot of people's hearts because of the depth of the issue and its relatability throughout India. Dear Zindagi, Shinde's second feature film, was a huge hit, starring Alia Bhatt and Shah Rukh Khan. The film centred on de-stigmatizing therapy and emphasising the significance of mental health. It was successful, received critical acclaim, and is chock-full of incredible life lessons. Gauri Shinde is the epitome of thought-provoking and imaginative cinematic storytelling. Her natural tendency towards the narrative and the skill of filming appears to be effortless and even instinctual.





Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari



Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari is a writer and filmmaker. She made her directorial debut in 2016 with the comedy-drama Nil Battey Sannata, after working in advertising for several years. Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari left a cushy position at a prestigious advertising firm in order to follow her passion for filmmaking. She made tiny steps in this direction initially, creating a short film called What's for Breakfast. She subsequently went on to make Nil Battey Sannata, her first Bollywood film, which received acclaim and earned her her first Filmfare Award for Best Debut Director. Ashwiny's forte was established in her ability to create the best of characters and give them defined and unique qualities. She's looked into stories that come directly from the country's heartlands and delved deeper into lifestyles that aren't all sparkle and glory. She has a knack for bringing out the subtleties of relationships and bonding in a natural context. Ashwiny has received a lot of appreciation for her delicate handling of tough topics. Not to mention that she's dabbled in writing with her debut fiction work, Mapping Love.
Madhuri Dixit Nene was the queen of the 90s era, however, her talent and bewitching smile continue to rule hearts to date. She recently made her OTT debut with The Fame Game which has gotten her rave reviews for her phenomenal performance as the vulnerable and unpredictable Anamika Anand.

In her gratifying career graph, she has shared her screen space with all the leading male actors, recently while speaking to a leading daily, she mentioned her work experience with the three Khans of Bollywood  Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, and Saif Ali Khan.





She commented, SRK is a very chivalrous guy, always making sure by saying, are you comfortable, are you okay? he is a very caring person. Akshay is very driven, always wanting to prove himself. He was a practical joker on the sets. Saifs one-liners are very funny. Salman is very naughty, he is not a loud person but very naughty. Unka ek swag hai (he has a swag).

Madhuri has always been extremely down-to-earth about her superstardom. Precisely why she is still being approached for projects in the industry with so many new talents around.
HOUSTON, TX / ACCESSWIRE / March 7, 2022 / Evolution Petroleum (NYSE American:EPM) ("Evolution" or the "Company") today announced that the Company is scheduled to participate in a fireside chat with Water Tower Research on Thursday March 10, 2022 at 1:00 pm Eastern Time. Jason Brown, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, will discuss Evolution's yield-oriented business strategy and recent producing property acquisitions. Registration for the event is available online at https://globalmeet.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1534698&tp_key=2f9df3eb2e.

Evolution will be participating in the 34th Annual Roth Conference to be held in Dana Point, California on March 13-15, 2022. Mr. Brown will host in-person one-on-one meetings with investors during the Conference as well as take part in a live fireside chat on Monday, March 14 at 10:00 am Pacific Time. A webcast will be available at https://wsw.com/webcast/roth43/epm2/1745232.

Evolution will also participate in the 50th Annual Scotia Howard Weil Energy Conference to be held in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 21-23, 2022, where Mr. Brown will also host one-on-one meetings with investors on Tuesday, March 22.

A pre-recorded virtual presentation given by Mr. Brown as well as an updated investor deck prepared for the conferences will be posted on Evolution's website, www.evolutionpetroleum.com, in the "Investors" section of the site, on the "Presentations and Events" page.

About Evolution Petroleum

Evolution Petroleum Corporation is an oil and natural gas company focused on delivering a sustainable dividend yield to its shareholders through the ownership, management, and development of producing oil and natural gas properties onshore in the United States. The Company's long-term goal is to build a diversified portfolio of oil and natural gas assets primarily through acquisition, while seeking opportunities to maintain and increase production through selective development, production enhancement, and other exploitation efforts on its properties. Our assets include our non-operated interests in the Barnett Shale in North Texas, a CO2 enhanced oil recovery project in Louisiana's Delhi field, Wyoming's Hamilton Dome oil field, and an interest in recently acquired oil and natural gas properties in the Williston Basin in North Dakota. In February 2022, Evolution signed a purchase and sale agreement to acquire non-operated natural gas assets in the Jonah field in Wyoming and is currently working through due diligence for an anticipated close in April 2022. Additional information, including the Company's annual report on Form 10-K and its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, is available on its website at www.evolutionpetroleum.com.

Company Contacts:

Jason Brown, President & CEO

Ryan Stash, SVP & CFO

(713) 935-0122

JBrown@evolutionpetroleum.com

RStash@evolutionpetroleum.com

SOURCE: Evolution Petroleum Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/691956/Evolution-Petroleum-to-Participate-in-Water-Tower-Research-Fireside-Chat-34th-Annual-Roth-Conference-and-50th-Annual-Scotia-Howard-Weil-Energy-Conference-in-March-2022
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 7, 2022) - Hank Payments Corp. (TSXV: HANK) ("Hank" or the "Company"), a North American financial technology company that uses powerful technology to automate the complexities of personal cash flow management on one centralized platform, is pleased to announce that it has joined as a member of the North American Financial Data and Technology Association ("FDATA"). FDATA provides its members with a collective seat at the industry negotiation table on several policy working groups, expert advisory groups, and task forces related to Open Banking.

FDATA works with government, policymakers, and regulators to implement a fair and ethical competitive landscape that promotes competition, innovation, and better consumer outcomes. Members provide innovative financial applications and services that empower consumers to make better financial decisions and take fuller control over their financial lives. Joining FDATA empowers Hank to continue upholding and improving these industry-leading standards through forwarding intelligence on crucial policy matters, changes, and trends. As open banking initiatives continue to gain traction, innovative financial technology companies like Hank are well positioned to deliver personalized products and services.

"Today North Americans can benefit from innovation in fintech technology to improve their financial wellness," said Jeff Guthrie, Hank's President and COO. "We are excited to work together with FDATA and policymakers to establish open banking regulations that allow everyone to participate and innovate in a healthy, competitive, financial marketplace."

"As the North American payments landscape continues to modernize, we are delighted to welcome the innovators at Hank into our growing membership and look forward to an exciting new partnership that will further advance our shared belief that consumers and small businesses should have full control over their own financial data," said Steve Boms, Executive Director of FDATA North America.

The Company also announces that it has entered into a 12-month marketing and consulting contract with Toronto based marketing firm, North Equities Corp. (the "Contract"). North Equities Corp. specializes in various social media platforms and will be able to facilitate greater awareness and widespread dissemination of the Company's news. In connection with the Contract, the Company will pay North Equities $50,000 CAD plus applicable taxes per three-month period and 1,050,000 options priced at $0.15 per option. The options will vest over 12 months, with 25% vesting every quarter. The Contract may be cancelled before the six-month mark of the campaign. North Equities currently does not own shares of the Company.

About FDATA

The Financial Data and Technology Association is a not-for-profit representing FinTechs operating in Open Banking and Open Finance. It works with governments, policymakers, and regulators to implement a fair and ethical competitive landscape that promotes competition, innovation, and better consumer outcomes. Its members provide innovative financial applications and services that empower consumers to make better financial decisions and take fuller control over their financial lives. For further information about FDATA, please visit: https://fdata.global/.

About Hank Payments Corp.

Hank is a financial technology company. The Hank software platform (the "Hank Platform") acts as a consumer's financial concierge using a powerful technology to automate the complexities of personal cash flow management. Through its FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) insured bank partners in the United States, Hank helps consumers in every state find funds in their existing cash flow and speed up the retirement of liabilities. The Hank Platform debits consumers when they have cash, stores the cash with partner banks, then automatically instructs partner banks to pay bills and loans as they come due, and often sooner than required. Approximately half of Hank's customers are financially sound and use the Hank Platform for convenience, while the other half improve their payment performance through the use of the Hank Platform. One hundred percent of Hank's customers are in the USA and pay setup and ongoing monthly processing fees while remaining on the Hank Platform for an average of three years. Hank continues to innovate and anticipates launching more expansive features to its expected growing customer base that will provide greater visibility into their cash flow, credit performance, and viability to borrow or refinance at lower rates, including introducing Hank customers to interested lenders.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements (within the meaning of applicable securities laws) which reflect the Company's current expectations regarding future events. Forward-looking statements are identified by words such as "believe", "anticipate", "project", "expect", "intend", "plan", "will", "may", "estimate" and other similar expressions. These statements are based on the Company's expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections and include, without limitation, statements regarding the future success of the Company's business.

The forward-looking statements in this news release are based on certain assumptions, including without limitation the Shares beginning trading on the TSXV. The forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to control or predict. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Readers, therefore, should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Further, these forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and, except as expressly required by applicable law, the Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

For more information regarding Hank Payments Corp., please contact: Investor Relations, ir@hankpayments.com and visit the Company's website at www.hankpayments.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.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/115915
The Intensium Max High Energy system will provide the flexibility to support Arctic community's transition from coal to renewable energy and cut emissions by 100%

The 6 MW, 7 MWh, six-container system will be the largest lithium-ion battery in the Arctic

PARIS, FRANCE / ACCESSWIRE / MARCH 7, 2022 / Saft, a subsidiary of TotalEnergies, has won a turnkey contract for an energy storage system (ESS) for the world's most northerly community of Longyearbyen in Svalbard, the island group in the Norwegian Arctic region. The new 6 megawatt (MW) and 7 megawatt-hour (MWh) lithium-ion system will be housed in six containers and based on Saft's Intensium Max High Energy technology. Saft will provide a fully integrated solution that includes power conversion and control systems. It will deliver the project by late 2022, a lead time that is ambitious considering the remote location and environmental conditions.

The new ESS will support Longyearbyen council's transition to becoming a zero-emission community and cutting CO2 emissions by 100%. It will be located next to the town's coal-fired power station and will provide reserve capacity to overcome fluctuations as well as providing backup power for black start capability. When the coal power station closes in 2023, the ESS will provide voltage and frequency control to integrate diesel generators and growing amounts of renewable energy.

Joachim Karlsen, Longyearbyen Council's project manager says: "We selected Saft after a competitive bidding process that evaluated price, quality and capability to deliver. One aspect we particularly liked about Saft is its experience and proven high reliability with similar systems for remote communities in northern Canada and Alaska. That has given us extra reassurance that their team has what it takes to deliver this complex project in harsh Arctic conditions and that their technology will provide us with reliability and security of supply."

The purchase of the giant battery is the start of developing Longyearbyen into a zero-emission society. This battery storage system, which will be one of the largest in Scandinavia, will contribute to better security of supply, lower operating costs and reduced climate emissions, says Karlsen.

Longyearbyen is located in the high Arctic and at 78 North. It is one of the world's most northerly permanent settlements, with winter temperatures that can drop below -40C. Saft is planning to overcome logistics' challenges by scheduling transportation of systems in warmer months. In addition, it will carry out final commissioning during the winter to demonstrate to Longyearbyen Council that the system can withstand the intense Arctic winter.

About Saft

Saft specializes in advanced technology battery solutions for industry, from the design and development to the production, customization and service provision. For more than 100 years, Saft's longer-lasting batteries and systems have provided critical safety applications, back-up power and propulsion for our customers. Our innovative, safe and reliable technology delivers high performance on land, at sea, in the air and in space. Saft is powering industry and smarter cities, while providing critical back-up functionality in remote and harsh environments from the Arctic Circle to the Sahara Desert.

Saft is a wholly owned subsidiary of TotalEnergies, a broad energy company that produces and markets energies on a global scale: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables and electricity.

We energize the world. www.saftbatteries.com

U.S. Media Contact:

Jeffrey Davis

C-360

jeff@c-360.agency

SOURCE: Saft

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/691942/Saft-Energy-Storage-System-to-Help-Svalbard-Decarbonize
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - March 7, 2022) - Bengal Energy Ltd. (TSX: BNG) ("Bengal" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the closing of its previously announced non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement"). Under the Private Placement, Bengal issued an aggregate of 52,317,821 common shares of the Company (the "Common Shares") at a price of C$0.08 per Common Share for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately C$4.2 million.

As discussed in Bengal's announcement of March 1, 2022, the net proceeds from the Private Placement, along with Bengal's internally generated cashflow, are expected to be used to fund Bengal's 100% owned and operated development program over 2 distinct blocks in Australia's onshore Cooper/Eromanga Basin, which is scheduled to commence later in March 2022.

About Bengal

Bengal Energy Ltd. is an international junior oil and gas exploration and production company with assets in Australia. The Company is committed to growing shareholder value through international exploration, production and acquisitions. Bengal's common shares trade on the TSX under the symbol "BNG". Additional information is available at www.bengalenergy.ca.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS:

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements or information ("forward-looking statements") as defined by applicable securities laws that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Bengal's control. These statements relate to future events or our future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. The use of any of the words "plan", "expect", "future", "project", "intend", "believe", "should", "would," "anticipate", "estimate", "new", "develop" or other similar words or statements that certain events "may" or "will" occur are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The projections, estimates and beliefs contained in such forward-looking statements are based on management's estimates, opinions, and assumptions at the time the statements were made, including assumptions relating to: the anticipated use of proceeds of the Private; the Company's development plans for its 100% owned and operated development program over 2 distinct blocks in Australia's onshore Cooper/Eromanga Basin, including the expected timing thereof. Bengal believes the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements contained herein are reasonable but, no assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits Bengal will derive from them. As such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements contained herein are subject to numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause Bengal's actual performance or achievement in future periods to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, risks associated with: general economic, market or business conditions, particularly in North America and Australia; and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ability of the Company to carry on its operations as currently contemplated in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward looking information. The Company cautions that the foregoing list of assumptions, risks and uncertainties is not exhaustive. Additional information on these and other factors that could affect the Company are included in reports on file with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and may be accessed through the SEDAR website (www.sedar.com). The forward-looking statements contained in this news release speak only as of the date hereof and Bengal does not assume any obligation to publicly update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be require pursuant to applicable securities laws.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Bengal Energy Ltd.

Chayan Chakrabarty, President & Chief Executive Officer

(403) 205-2526

Jerrad Blanchard, Chief Financial Officer

(403) 781-7021

Email: investor.relations@bengalenergy.ca

Website: www.bengalenergy.ca

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/115911
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - CBRE Group Inc. (CBRE) said it decided to discontinue most of its business in Russia in response to the horrific attack on Ukraine. The discontinued operations in Russia constitute less than 1% of CBRE's global revenue in 2021. The company said it has begun the process of exiting its office in Moscow, which provides leasing, investment, property management and valuation services, and terminating two existing affiliate relationships in the country. CBRE noted that it will continue to manage facilities and provide other essential services for existing multi-national clients that are operating in Russia. CBRE is working diligently to support its loyal and hardworking colleagues in Russia who will transition from the company. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 7, 2022) - Lion Copper and Gold Corp. (TSXV: LEO) (OTCQB: LCGMF) ("Lion CG" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Steven Dischler, P.E., as Vice President, ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) for the Company.

Mr. Dischler is a highly experienced ESG executive with over 40 years' experience in the environmental, reclamation and natural resources sectors. His recent experience includes over thirteen years working on legacy and new mining projects in the historic Yerington Copper District. In addition, Mr. Dischler has an extensive track record of working constructively with the local communities, and stakeholders including Native American Tribes, governmental agencies and NGOs in the region. Mr. Dischler holds a B.S. and a M.S. in Mining Engineering.

Travis Naugle, Lion CG's CEO, adds, "I welcome Mr. Dischler to lead our ESG efforts for the Company. We accept our Company's role in a circular economy as we look to do our part to positively reshape the natural resource industry. Filling this important leadership role is one aspect of Lion CG's commitment to our values of developing our Mason Valley copper projects in a sustainable manner. We look forward to continuing to work constructively in partnership and collaboration with the numerous key stakeholders and constituencies within the community in which we operate."

About Lion CG

Lion Copper and Gold Corp. is a Canadian-based company advancing its flagship MacArthur Copper Project in Mason Valley, Nevada, in addition to advancing its exploration projects including the Chaco Bear and Ashton properties in highly prospective regions in British Columbia, Canada, and the Blue Copper Project in Montana, USA.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Stephen Goodman

President

For more information please contact:

Karen Robertson

Corporate Communications

778-898-0057

Email: info@lioncg.com

Website: www.lioncg.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/115945
ANKARA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Turkish security forces killed 12 members of Syria's Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria, Turkey's Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

The YPG members were "neutralized" after they opened "harassing fire" into Turkey's Operation Euphrates Shield zone in northern Syria, the ministry tweeted.

Turkish authorities often use the term "neutralized" to imply "terrorists" killed, wounded, or captured in security operations.

Turkey's forces and the YPG members often exchange fire on the Syrian border, and the tension has increased in the region since early January after the killing of three Turkish soldiers.

Ankara sees the YPG as the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the EU, has been rebelling against the Turkish government for more than three decades, claiming more than 40,000 lives. 
BARCELONA, Spain, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Huawei Digital Power has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the technology company XData Properties, with the aim of collaborating together to boost the Data Center industry. Eric Li, CEO of Huawei Spain, and Santiago Hernandez Onis, CEO of XData Properties, have been in charge of signing this agreement in the framework of the Mobile World Congress 2022 in Barcelona. The event was attended by Li Peng, President of Huawei Europe.

Through this agreement, both companies will offer solutions for the development of intelligent, efficient and sustainable data centers, which will make it possible to provide highly competitive services for the entire sector.

Huawei's firm commitment to this area is evidenced by the presence in Europe of two R&D&I technology laboratories, located in Nuremberg and Stockholm. Its mission is to offer a quality service to the entire partner ecosystem, not only to modernize current infrastructures, but also to contribute to the design of new data centers by improving both efficiency and reducing the carbon footprint, which is a primary objective in the highly demanding framework of the digital era.

Huawei is betting on new and important players such as XData, which has a consistent plan to create a campus of more than 100MW in Spain in the coming years, where companies can find the best technological conditions for the present and future to host all their information and data.

XData includes Huawei technology, so with this agreement, both companies will create new synergies that will benefit the entire industry.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1761602/image_1.jpg
- Built on robust principles of Design Thinking, Adrenalin HRM suite will enable organisations in Malaysia to manage their Payroll and HR processes with ease

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Adrenalin eSystems Limited, a group company of Intellect Design Arena Ltd and a specialist in open HR tech platform, is delighted to announce that its Adrenalin Payroll and HR software has been certified by LHDN (Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri) Malaysia.

With Adrenalin's LHDN approved Payroll, organisations can process their employees' payroll with ease, in quick time, while being totally compliant with MTD and all statutory government regulations.

The Adrenalin Employee Life Cycle suite includes applications from on-boarding to exit/retirement and is in sync with today's business and HR needs. The solutions enable employee collaboration, engagement and productivity.

Commenting on the certification, Srinivasa Bharathy, MD & CEO, Adrenalin eSystems Limited, said, "Receiving the official approval from the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia, is testimony to our Payroll being fully compliant with the guidelines and specifications set by LHDN. We are happy to be listed as an HR software provider in Malaysia. The exciting prospect of expanding our market brings with it endless opportunities to do business, especially with the government's thrust on Digital Technology and focus on accelerating the pace of digital and cloud adoption."

S. R. Saravanakkumar, Vice President & Business Head - Asia Pacific, Adrenalin eSystems Limited, said, "Adrenalin is an HR tech specialist and is enabling businesses digitize their HR processes for over 19 years. With a presence already in Malaysia, we look forward to expanding our footprint and engaging with enterprise and medium sized businesses with a clear focus on HR digitisation. We are confident that with Adrenalin HR software, we will be able to deliver tangible value to our customers, who with time will enjoy the ROI."

Built on the robust principles of Design Thinking, Adrenalin HCM suite will empower businesses with strategic insights to enable their organisations, maximise business growth and employee productivity.

About Adrenalin eSystems

Adrenalin is a group company of Intellect Design Arena Ltd. Adrenalin HR software is a comprehensive, cloud-architected, open HR tech platform, which automates the entire HR & payroll processes. Over 700 customers from 33+ verticals the world over and 1 million+ users use the Adrenalin platform. The HR suite is also available on premise.

In the post-pandemic normal, HR functions across the world have had to adapt rapidly to keep pace with the evolving demands of a hybrid work environment. Adrenalin's inherent hyper agile DNA has been instrumental in the company continuously innovating both its HR platform and delivery to meet market demands.
Kelowna, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 8, 2022) - FISSION 3.0 CORP (TSXV: FUU) (OTCQB: FISOF) ("Fission 3" or "the Company") is pleased to announce the commencement of a follow-up ground geophysical time domain electromagnetic (EM) survey on its 100%-owned Cree Bay property located in the northeast area of the Athabasca Basin in Saskatchewan. The EM survey is being carried out to move Cree Bay to the drill-ready stage by defining distinct targets for future drilling aimed at discovering high grade uranium.

A broad prospective target area was defined by the first pass 2019 exploration drill program which consisted of two diamond drill holes. Both drill holes intersected wide broken clay altered and bleached fault zones high-up in the sandstone with anomalous boron concentrations (an important uranium pathfinder element) up to 141 ppm and a corresponding broad envelope of uranium enrichment (up to 9ppm). These elevated geochemical pathfinder elements are significant because they were intersected ~350m above the basement unconformity where the Athabasca Basin's background geochemical composition is normally very low. Anomalous radioactivity with a maximum of 573 counts per second (cps) was measured with the down hole gamma probe (Mount Sopris PGA-1000) just below the altered and faulted sandstone (see F3 news release dated June 26, 2019).

The depth to the basement unconformity was ~200m greater than expected, indicating the possible presence of nearby basement structures with major fault offset, which can be a favourable setting for hosting high grade uranium mineralization. Intermittently graphite altered sandstone was intersected below the altered fault zones down to the unconformity at a depth of 568.3m, suggestive of hydrothermal alteration which supports the potential for a major discovery.

Since both holes were drilled on the same section line and intersected the same anomalous fault zone, a broad target area (~300m) for potential follow up drilling was defined where it roughly projects to intersect the basement unconformity, approximately 600m down dip. (See the drill cross section and maps on the Fission 3.0 website: https://www.fission3corp.com/)

Because the basement unconformity was deeper than expected, the previous ground geophysics was not able to image deep enough. The current 10.5 line kilometer Sideline Moving Loop ground time domain EM survey, budgeted at $80,000, aims to prepare Cree Bay for future drilling to explore for high grade uranium within this target area. It has been specifically designed to pinpoint potential conductive basement faults at these greater depths, providing discrete drill targets which may represent reactivated structures with the potential to provide pathways for uranium mineralizing fluids.

About Cree Bay:

The Cree Bay property is located along the major NE trending Virgin River Shear Zone, which is host to the historic past producing Nisto uranium deposit located ~13km along strike to the NE. The Cree Bay property, located 20 km south of the town of Stony Rapids, consists of 16 claims totaling 14,080 ha and sits on the inside edge of the north-eastern Athabasca Basin.

About Fission 3.0 Corp.

Fission 3.0 Corp. is a uranium project generator and exploration company, focusing on projects in the Athabasca Basin, home to some of the world's largest high-grade uranium discoveries. Fission 3.0 currently has 16 projects in the Athabasca Basin. Several of Fission 3.0's projects are near large uranium discoveries, including Arrow, Triple R and Hurricane deposits.

Qualified Person

The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 and reviewed on behalf of the company by Raymond Ashley, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration of Fission 3.0 Corp., a qualified person.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Dev Randhawa"

___________________________

Dev Randhawa, CEO

Investor Relations

Ph: 778-484-8030

TF: 844-484-8030

ir@fission3corp.com

www.fission3corp.com

Cautionary Statement: Certain information contained in this press release constitutes "forward-looking information", within the meaning of Canadian legislation. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur", "be achieved" or "has the potential to". Forward looking statements contained in this press release may include statements regarding the future operating or financial performance of Fission 3.0 Corp. which involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may not prove to be accurate. Actual results and outcomes may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in these forward-looking statements. Such statements are qualified in their entirety by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations. Among those factors which could cause actual results to differ materially are the following: market conditions and other risk factors listed from time to time in our reports filed with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and Fission 3 Corp. disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities legislation.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/115948
GOTHENBURG, Sweden, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hasselblad Foundation is delighted to announce that the 2022 Hasselblad Award recipient is the photographer Dayanita Singh.

Dayanita Singh lives in New Delhi and is the first laureate from South Asia as well as the first to receive the new prize sum of SEK 2,000,000. The award ceremony will take place in Gothenburg, Sweden on the 14 of October 2022. On the same day an exhibition with a selection of Dayanita Singh's signature works will open at the Hasselblad Center and a publication about the artist, including a newly written essay by the Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk will be released.

To view the Multimedia News Release, please click: https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/9022051-dayanita-singh-hasselblad-award-winner-2022/

The Foundation's citation regarding the Hasselblad Award Laureate 2022, Dayanita Singh:

Through her extensive photographic oeuvre Dayanita Singh has paved new ways for engaging with images. From a humanist approach to portraiture to a consistent interest in the archive, her wide-spanning photography is innovatively presented in books and installations.

Her unique mobile 'museums' allow her images to be edited, re-sequenced, archived, and displayed, making the viewer an avid participant. With a distinctive sense of materiality, the 'museums' present her photographs as interconnected bodies of work charged with both poetic and narrative possibilities. Making images nurtured by a boundlessly curious intellect, Dayanita Singh's influence on the younger generations of photographers, internationally but especially in India, has been and still is far-reaching.

"I can hardly believe this is true, I feel honored and humbled to receive this award from the Hasselblad foundation" Dayanita Singh says. "For years I had wanted to teach a class called "Dancing with my Hasselblad'. And now to have this award as well as be in the esteemed company of previous awardees is beyond my imagination. I accept this award on behalf of my book objects and mobile museums."

About the Hasselblad Foundation

The Hasselblad Foundation was established in 1979 under the terms of the last will and testament of Erna and Victor Hasselblad. The purpose of the Foundation is to promote scientific education and research in photography and the natural sciences. The Foundation's annual international award for outstanding achievements in photography is considered one of the most prestigious photography awards worldwide.

Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1761005/Dayanita_Singh_Award.mp4

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1761002/Dayanita_Singh.jpg

Contact: Jenny Blixt, +46708930712, jb@hasselbladfoundation.org
Dufry International AG / Key word(s): Miscellaneous

Dufry with strong recovery reporting Organic Growth of 53.2% and Adjusted Operating Profit of CHF 374.9 million



08-March-2022 / 07:00 CET/CEST

Release of an ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



AD HOC ANNOUNCEMENT PURSUANT TO ART. 53 LR Dufry's full-year 2021 performance was characterized by a re-bound of travel, predominantly in the Western hemisphere. Turnover reached CHF 3,915.4 million, an Organic Growth of plus 53.2% as compared to the same period 2020, providing strong confidence in the overall recovery trend. Most notably, Dufry reported solid Equity Free Cash Flow of CHF -33.4 million for full-year 2021, representing a 73.4% conversion rate on incremental turnover 2020 to 2021. FURTHER HIGHLIGHTS: Adjusted Operating Profit substantially improved in FY 2021, reaching CHF 374.9 million



Savings of CHF 1,919.7 million versus 2019, significantly over-achieving the expected CHF 970 million in Minimum Annual Guarantee reliefs, Personnel and Other Expenses



Strong positive Equity Free Cash Flow performance in second half of 2021 of CHF 241.7 million, same level as 2019



Reduction of Net Debt to below pre-crisis level, standing now at CHF 3,079.5 million, sufficient liquidity position of CHF 2,243.9 million, and extension of Covenant holiday by four quarters



Around 1,970 shops expected to open globally by end-March 2022, representing over 90% of sales capacity compared to 2019



Considerable progress on implementing ESG strategy, including definition of CO2 emission reduction targets for scopes 1-3 in line with SBTi initiative Julian Diaz, CEO of Dufry Group, commented: 'In an environment of gradual recovery for the industry and with travel resuming at different speeds in individual countries and regions, Dufry has continued to flexibly adapt its ways of working to the ever-changing requirements. Supported by the resilient willingness of our customers to travel and their ongoing propensity to visit our stores, our Turnover saw a reassuring acceleration through the course of the year and amounted to CHF 3,915.4 million, equal to an Organic Growth of 53.2% compared to 2020. We had already defined initiatives in 2020, such as negotiating MAG reliefs and tightly controlling Personnel and Other Expenses, and continuously applied these in 2021 as well. This allowed us to save CHF 1,919.7 million in total in 2021, well ahead of the expected levels. We achieved a remarkable Equity Free Cash Flow (ECFC) of CHF -33.4 million for the full year 2021, and even a strong positive performance of CHF 241.7 million in the second half of the year, same as 2019 levels, thus underpinning the resilient Cash Flow generation capability. We also reached a very solid liquidity position at year-end of CHF 2,243.9 million. We see encouraging signs for the ongoing recovery of the industry and our business performance as vaccination levels increase, passenger traffic accelerates, and our sales improve - also supported by higher spend-per-passenger compared to before the pandemic. The overall trends to ease cross-country and domestic air travel continued and were gradually extended. With the successful re-financing measures implemented in 2021, the consolidation of our company organization and the further enhanced financial and managerial flexibility to engage in strategically relevant initiatives and growth opportunities, Dufry is well positioned to drive recovery and accelerate growth going forward.' Julian Diaz further commented: 'On a more personal note, as communicated on 21. February 2022, I will step down from my position as CEO on May 31, 2022. I would like to express my gratitude to all our stakeholders and particularly to the Board of Directors and all colleagues at Dufry for the support I have received during the past eighteen years. Without the strong dedication for execution and tireless commitment of every single employee, we could not have built the leading player of our industry. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity I had to lead and contribute to the development of this great company, and I wish the Dufry family a prosperous future.' FINANCIAL SUMMARY In 2021, Dufry has seen gradual improvements in nearly all its operations as travel started to resume, with a significant pick up in the second half of the year. The Financial Result has significantly improved versus the previous year across all performance indicators. Turnover reached CHF 3,915.4 million, representing organic growth of 53.2% compared to 2020, still impacted by the pandemic-related travel restrictions. The translational FX effect versus 2020 was -0.3%, mainly related to neutralizing effects of weaker USD and stronger GBP. The category mix mirrors the current re-opening patterns, with the duty-paid segment being driven by currently faster recovering domestic and intra-regional flights. Perfumes & cosmetics continued to be the prevalent category, followed by food & confectionery and convenience product offerings. Gross Profit margin stood at 56.5% for Full-Year 2021 and a further normalization is expected in line with business recovery. Retail margin already proved to be very resilient and saw an increase of 1.2% compared to 2019 due to strong demand of returning travelers and supported by the higher share of duty-free for UK inbound customers. During 2021, margin was mainly impacted by the temporary supply of Dufry's Hainan collaboration in China through its Hong Kong-based distribution center. Turnover Growth FY 2021

(yoy) FY 2020

(yoy) Like for Like 39.0% -67.2% New concessions, net 14.2% -2.6% Organic Growth 53.2% -69.6% Change in Scope - - Growth in constant FX 53.2% -69.6% FX Impact -0.3% -1.3% Reported Growth 52.9% -71.1% In CHF million FY 2021 FY 2020 2021 vs 2020 Turnover 3,915.4 2,561.1 1,354.3 vs. previous year 52.9% -71.1% - Gross Profit 2,211.0 1,377.3 833.7 Gross Profit Margin 56.5% 53.8% 2.7pp Lease Expenses 176.4 8.0 -168.4 thereof MAG Relief 847.1 380.3 466.8 Personnel Expenses -635.4 -716.0 -80.6 Other Expenses, net -327.7 -328.1 -0.6 D&A (incl. Impairment) -1,490.5 -2,841.9 -1,351.4 thereof Impairments, net -280.5 -1,193.1 -912.6 Operating Profit (EBIT) -66.2 -2,500.8 2,434.6 Adjusted Operating Profit 374.9 -1,561.6 1,936.5 Net Profit to Equity Holders -385.4 -2,513.7 2,128.3 Adjusted Net Profit 23.4 -1,658.4 1,681.8 Basic EPS -4.39 -43.0 38.6 Adjusted EPS 0.27 -28.4 28.7 Adjusted Operating Cash Flow 147.1 -405.9 553.0 Lease Payments, net -475.3 -401.8 -73.5 Capex -88.1 -106.0 -17.9 NWC Changes 75.7 -314.0 389.7 Equity Free Cash Flow -33.4 -1,027.3 993.9 Net Debt 3,079.5 3,343.9 -264.4 Dufry successfully executed continued Cost Savings in Personnel and Other Expenses of overall CHF 841.9 million compared to 2019, overachieving the initially expected CHF 670 million for the year. Main drivers have been continued cost discipline in addition to variable savings and some continued furlough. Further, Dufry achieved MAG relief of CHF 1,077.8 million in 2021, related to the period affected by the pandemic. Of the total MAG relief received, CHF 847.1 million were accounted as 'MAG relief' under 'lease expenses' in the 2021 P&L. Thereof, CHF 27.3 million have already been considered in MAG waivers communicated to the market in 2020. The remaining part refers to lease modifications, leading to lower Depreciation of Right of Use Assets of CHF 91.3 million, lower lease interest of CHF 47.9 million and lower variable concessions of CHF 33.7 million in 2021. An amount of CHF 85.1 million is benefiting future years. D&A in 2021 was also impacted by some additional impairments of net CHF -280.5 million, required almost mechanically in the current unprecedented environment. However, these impairments mostly relate to depreciable and amortizable assets, only represent a timing shift and will result in lower D&A going forward. Dufry's operating and net results significantly improved during 2021 with Adjusted Operating Profit (Adjusted EBIT) reaching positive CHF 374.9 million in 2021 versus CHF -1,561.6 million in the same period of 2020. Adjusted Net Profit to Equity Holders turned also positive with CHF 23.4 million in 2021 versus CHF -1,658.4 million last year, resulting in an Adjusted Earnings per Share of CHF 0.27 for FY 2021. Dufry's Cash Flow performance also proved solid. Adjusted Operating Cash Flow - a proxy for pre-IFRS 16 EBITDA - reached positive CHF 147.1 million in 2021 compared to CHF -405.9 million in 2020. Based on higher cost savings than anticipated, Dufry concluded the year with an EFCF of CHF -33.4 million. Dufry generated positive cash flows in the months May to October 2021 and reached the same level in H2 2021 compared to H2 2019, namely CHF 241.7 million and CHF 242.9 million respectively. The negative Cash Flow was mainly coming from the first half of the year, where the impact from Covid was still more pronounced. While Turnover versus 2020 improved by 52.9% (reported growth), EFCF improved by 96.7% compared to 2020. CAPEX of CHF -88.1 million came in below the initial estimate and will phase into 2022. EFCF also benefitted from an inflow of working capital of CHF 75.7 million resulting from the relatively steep business recovery of selected regions in the second half of the year. Net Debt amounted to CHF 3,079.5 million at the end of December?2021 compared to CHF 3,343.9 million in December?2020 and reached a lower level compared to December 2019 pre-crisis (CHF 3,102.0 million). Dufry's Liquidity Position amounted to CHF 2,243.9 million as of December 31, 2021. The full set of financial information is provided in Dufry's 2021 Annual Report. Dufry agreed with its lending banks on an extension of the covenant holiday until June 2023. The September and December 2023 testing deadlines require a 3.0x Total Interest Expense/Adjusted Operating Cash Flow and a 5.0x Net Debt/Adjusted Operating Cash Flow ratio before the company will return to its 4.5x Net Debt/Adjusted Operating Cash Flow threshold in 2024. OUTLOOK In line with easing of travel restrictions by governments and resuming of operations by airports and other landlords, Dufry re-opens its retail businesses gradually, following single-location productivity scenarios. As per end December, around 1,900 shops globally were open, representing around 88% in sales capacity compared to full-year 2019. At the end of March, Dufry expects to operate more than 1,970 shops, representing above 90% of sales capacity. The emergence of the Omicron variant and related restricted measures re-imposed by selected governments caused some slowdown in January and February, but all regions have started to trend upwards already in line with the easing of restrictions in many countries. Dufry sees strong demand for the resuming of travel with shopping as an integral part of the overall travel experience. Given limited visibility and information currently available to management regarding the geo-political environment, pandemic-related developments, government responses and timeline for lifting of measures, Dufry does not provide guidance for 2022 in line with past practice. In the current environment, Dufry focuses on the protection of its Liquidity while engaging in Organic Growth opportunities with a mid-term focus on deleveraging, opportunistic M&A if accretive and a re-initiation of Dividend Payments depending on the recovery trajectory. Therefore, the Board of Directors will propose to the 2022 Annual General Meeting to keep the Dividend payment for the business year 2021 suspended. Dufry continues to focus on strengthening its sustainability approach and has defined science-based-targets (SBT) to achieve climate neutrality by 2025 for scopes 1 + 2 and to considerably reduce carbon footprint of scope 3 emissions by cooperating with suppliers and logistic partners by 2027 and 2030 respectively. Dufry also launched a new sustainable product identification initiative across 128 airports and 171 shops globally, and evolved its diversity & inclusion engagement, among other major initiatives. Further information is provided in Dufry's 2021 Sustainability Report. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT In 2021, Dufry succeeded in winning several attractive New Concessions and expanding important contracts across all regions, thus adding solid contributors to the resilience of the business. Amongst the most important new wins are: the contract at Teesside International Airport (UK) for twelve years, further consolidating the footprint in the UK; the new concessions at Martinique Aime Cesaire International Airport for ten years and at Cayenne Felix Eboue International Airport in French Guiana for five years; the new wins at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica, for five years and six years for the duty-free and the duty-paid concessions respectively, as well as at Salgado Filho International Airport in Porto Alegre (BR) for six years. Extensions of existing contracts have been awarded at Santiago International Airport, the second largest hub for the Dominican Republic, for ten years; at Cardiff Airport (UK) for 12 years and in Cambodia covering the airports of Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville for five and a half years. At the end of 2021, Dufry's pipeline included projects covering 38,700 m2 of potential additional retail space. Amongst the several refurbishment and new openings in 2021, the highlights worth mentioning were the Rio Galeao Dufry Shopping Megastore (BR), several shops at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg (RU), the extensive redesign at Milano Linate International Airport (IT) and the completely renewed Brookstone shop concept in the US. With the opening of the Group's first full-seated restaurant concept 'Plum Market' at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Dufry enhanced its airport F&B footprint in the US. Also in the US, Dufry has launched the new Hudson Nonstop shop concept. It allows customers to enter the shop by just tapping their credit card, choose from a selection of the traditional travel convenience product assortment and leave the shop without going to the till and without any human interaction. Hudson Nonstop uses Amazon's Just Walk Out technology, which is currently in operation at Chicago Midway International Airport and at Dallas Love Field Airport. In 2021, we have also accelerated the deployment of self-check-out tills, which have been well received by our international customer base in 5 countries with over 100 units in operation across 31 shops. Both new developments are testimony to our ongoing focus to drive the company's digitalization to simplify processes and generate efficiencies. In total, Dufry opened 9,800 m2 of new shops and refurbished 19,250 m2 of sales space, corresponding to 2% and 4% of total space respectively. In addition, Dufry was involved in the opening of the Global Duty Free Plaza at the Mova Mall in Hainan - in collaboration with Alibaba and Hainan Development Holdings, which represents a first entry point in the attractive Hainan market. REGIONAL PERFORMANCE Europe, Middle East and Africa Turnover in Europe, Middle East and Africa was CHF 1,723.8 million in 2021 from CHF 1,144.5 million one year ago. EMEA saw a significant step-up in June and gradual improvement ever since based on resuming of travel within the region and transatlantic routes. Best performing was the Mediterranean, including Turkey and Greece, Eastern Europe, Russia, Middle East, and Africa benefitting from leisure demand and more flexible travel protocols compared to other countries in the region. Also, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK saw an uptake since June as vaccination campaigns were progressing and authorities were implementing more convenient intra-European as well as transatlantic travel protocols. Departure destinations with inbound travel to UK benefitted from new regulations related to Brexit and duty-free quotas. Towards the end of the year, re-imposed restrictions, and limited alignment between governments around the emergence of the Omicron variant resulted in a slight slowdown. Asia-Pacific Asia-Pacific's turnover reached CHF 99.0 million in 2021 from CHF 160.0 million in 2020. APAC is still largely impacted by the respective governments' zero-case approach, and borders for inbound and outbound travel are mostly closed. Accordingly, shops in Dufry's Asia-Pacific locations such as Hong Kong are closed or operating at very low levels in line with flights and passenger movements. Since the end of 2021, Australia, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Macau started to release restrictions and to allow a soft opening of travel. As soon as restrictions are further being lifted, demand is expected to show a fast rebound. The Americas The America's turnover stood at CHF 1,728.5 million in 2021 versus CHF 1,141.7 million in 2020. North America, especially the US, performed above group average due to the higher exposure to domestic travel. Intra-regional travel from the US to Central America as well as the opening of the transatlantic route in November were also supportive. The performance was driven by Hudson convenience stores, food and beverage and other duty-paid offerings. Central America and Caribbean, including Mexico, Dominican Republic, and the Caribbean Islands, were performing robustly as well, driven by intra-regional travel from the US and South America as well as international travel as more flexible travel conditions met continued demand. The cruise business, located in the region, continued to be impacted. South America started to trend upwards in the second half 2021, especially in Argentina, Colombia, and Ecuador, in line with vaccination progress and an improved health situation. Performance of distribution centers was impacted by temporary supply of Dufry's Hainan collaboration in China through its Hong Kong-based distribution center, which largely transitioned to the local supply chain at the beginning of 2022. Turnover, in CHF million Q4 2021 Q4 2020 Reported Growth Q4 (vs 2020) Organic Growth Q4 (vs 2020)* Europe, Middle East and Africa 654.9 192.4 240.4% 235.0% Asia Pacific 23.8 25.5 -6.7% -8.9% The Americas 591.5 237.3 149.3% 140.3% Distribution Centers 108.5 32 239.1% 367.4% Dufry Group 1,378.7 487.1 183.0% 179.5% Turnover, in CHF million FY 2021 FY 2020 Reported Growth FY (vs. 2020) Organic Growth FY (vs 2020)* Europe, Middle East and Africa 1,723.8 1,144.5 50.6% 49.0% Asia Pacific 99.0 160.0 -38.1% -38.9% The Americas 1,728.5 1,141.7 51.4% 53.4% Distribution Centers 364.1 114.9 216.9% 302.1% Dufry Group 3,915.4 2,561.1 52.9% 53.2% *Organic growth adjusted for FX and regional revenue allocation For the FY 2021 Results Presentation, the FY 2021 Financial tables, details of the FY 2021 Presentation and Conference Call and other related information, please visit our dedicated page: www.dufry.com/en/FY2021 For further information:

CONTACT Dr. Kristin Kohler

Global Head

Investor Relations

Phone: +41 79 563 18 09

kristin.koehler@dufry.com Renzo Radice

Global Head

Corporate Communications & Public Affairs

Phone: +41 61 266 44 19

renzo.radice@dufry.com DUFRY GROUP - A LEADING GLOBAL TRAVEL RETAILER Dufry AG (SIX: DUFN) is the leading global travel retailer operating over 2,300 duty-free and duty-paid shops in airports, cruise lines, seaports, railway stations and downtown tourist areas, in more than 420 locations in 66 countries across all six continents. The Company, founded in 1865 and headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, is offering customers a first-class shopping experience, global brands, a unique market access and landlords a reliable, value-enhancing partnership. To learn more about Dufry, please visit www.dufry.com. Social Responsibility

Dufry cares for children and supports social projects from SOS Kinderdorf in Brazil, Mexico, Kenya, Russia, Jordan and Spain. SOS Children's Villages is an independent, non-political and non-demonstrational organization established for orphaned and destitute children all over the world.

End of ad hoc announcement
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD BE PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW

PRESS RELEASE

REGULATED INFORMATION - INSIDE INFORMATION

8 March 2022 , 7:00 am CET





Ghent, Belgium, 8March 2022-Sequana Medical NV (Euronext Brussels: SEQUA) (the "Company" or "Sequana Medical"), an innovator in the treatment of diuretic-resistant fluid overload in liver disease, malignant ascites and heart failure, announces today that it successfully raised an amount of EUR 28.4 million in gross proceeds by means of a private placement via an accelerated bookbuild offering of 5,167,268 new shares (being approximately 27.8% of the Company's outstanding shares) at an issue price of EUR 5.50 per share (the "Offering").

Ian Crosbie, Chief Executive Officer of Sequana Medical, commented: "We are delighted with this successful financing that was achieved in the most challenging capital market conditions of recent times. Our track record of delivery on key milestones and outstanding clinical data has been key in securing this funding. We are excited for the year ahead where we plan to report key progress in both our North American liver and global heart failure programmes, notably the primary endpoint read-out for POSEIDON and top-line data of SAHARA DESERT both expected in H2 2022. We are making good progress with development of our proprietary DSR infusate 2.0 and preparing for the start of MOJAVE DESERT, the first U.S. feasibility study in decompensated heart failure patients. We are pleased to welcome our new investor, Partners in Equity V B.V., and thank our existing shareholders for their support."

Sequana Medical currently envisages using the net proceeds of the Offering for:

POSEIDON, the North American pivotal study of the alfa pump in recurrent and refractory liver ascites with primary endpoint read-out planned for Q4 2022 and progressing the study towards secondary endpoint readout planned for Q2 2024. The total study cost is estimated at approximately EUR 12.2 million of which EUR 5.8 million has been spent up to H1 2021;

pump in recurrent and refractory liver ascites with primary endpoint read-out planned for Q4 2022 and progressing the study towards secondary endpoint readout planned for Q2 2024. The total study cost is estimated at approximately EUR 12.2 million of which EUR 5.8 million has been spent up to H1 2021; activities for the preparation of the PMA (Pre-Market Approval) of the alfa pump, with planned submission to the FDA mid-2023. The total project cost is estimated at approximately EUR 6.9 million of which EUR 0.9 million has been spent up to H1 2021;

pump, with planned submission to the FDA mid-2023. The total project cost is estimated at approximately EUR 6.9 million of which EUR 0.9 million has been spent up to H1 2021; completion of SAHARA DESERT study, the alfa pump DSR study in decompensated heart failure patients, to enable reporting of top line data in H2 2022. The total study cost is estimated at approximately EUR 2.2 million of which EUR 0.3 million has been spent up to H1 2021;

pump DSR study in decompensated heart failure patients, to enable reporting of top line data in H2 2022. The total study cost is estimated at approximately EUR 2.2 million of which EUR 0.3 million has been spent up to H1 2021; completion of development work for DSR Infusate 2.0 to enable use in the MOJAVE DESERT clinical study. The total study cost is estimated at approximately EUR 1.6 million of which EUR 0.1 million has been spent up to H1 2021;

the initiation of MOJAVE DESERT, the first U.S. feasibility study for Short-term DSR therapy with DSR infusate 2.0, expected in H2 2022. The total study cost is estimated at approximately EUR 3.1 million of which EUR 0 has been spent up to H1 2021; and

working capital and other general corporate purposes.

The net proceeds from the Offering are expected to extend the current cash runway of the Company from Q2 2022 into Q2 2023.

The payment and delivery of the shares is expected to take place on 10 March 2022.

KBC Securities NV ("KBC Securities"), Bank Degroof Petercam NV/SA ("Bank Degroof Petercam"), and Belfius Bank NV/SA (acting together with its subcontractor Kepler Cheuvreux S.A.) ("Belfius", and together with KBC Securities and Bank Degroof Petercam, the "Underwriters") are acting as Joint Global Coordinators of the Offering.

As announced earlier, Partners in Equity V B.V. ("PiE"), an experienced investor in healthcare companies, and Dr. Erik Amble, a director of the Company, pre-committed to submit subscription orders in the Offering. An aggregate of 3,636,363 and 18,181 shares (representing 15.3% and 0.1% of the Company's shares after the Offering) were allocated to PiE and Dr. Erik Amble, respectively. The Company also agreed that, provided the closing of the Offering has occurred and PiE has complied with its commitment, and for as long as PiE owns 5% of the shares in the Company, PiE shall have the right to have a non-voting board observer at the board of directors of the Company.

The new shares to be issued will have the same rights and benefits as, and rank paripassu in all respects, including as to entitlement to dividends and distributions, with, the existing and outstanding shares of Sequana Medical at the moment of their issuance and will be entitled to distributions in respect of which the relevant record date or due date falls on or after the date of issue of the new shares.

3,060,082 of the new shares (representing ca. 16.5% of the currently outstanding shares of the Company already admitted to listing and trading on Euronext Brussels) will upon their issuance be immediately admitted to listing and trading on the regulated market of Euronext Brussels. PiE and Dr. Erik Amble agreed that the Company and the Underwriters have the ability to allocate to them new shares that shall not be immediately admitted to listing and trading upon their issuance. The Company will apply to Euronext Brussels for the admission to trading and listing of the unlisted new shares, as soon as practicable after their issuance, which will be subject to the preparation of a listing prospectus.

As a result of the issuance of new shares, the Company's share capital will increase from EUR 1,925,158.02 to EUR 2,460,486.98 and its issued and outstanding shares will increase from 18,579,260 to 23,746,528 shares.

In relation to the Offering, the Company has agreed with the Underwriters to a 180-days standstill period on future share issuances waivable by the Underwriters and subject to (i) an exception for the issuance of a number of shares, subscription rights or other securities exercisable, convertible or exchangeable for shares up to 7.5% of the Company's outstanding shares after the Offering pursuant to alternative or additional funding obtained by the Company, and (ii) other customary exceptions. The members of the executive management have agreed with the Underwriters to a market customary 180-days lock-up period waivable by the Underwriters and subject to customary exceptions.

The Company intends to announce its 2021 full year results and 2022 outlook on 12 April 2022.

For more information, please contact:

Sequana Medical

Lies Vanneste

Director Investor Relations

Tel: +32

LifeSci Advisors

Guillaume van Renterghem

Tel: +41 76 735 01 31

Email: gvanrenterghem@lifesciadvisors.com

About Sequana Medical

Sequana Medical is a commercial stage medical device company utilizing its proprietary alfapump and DSR (Direct Sodium Removal) technologies to develop innovative treatments for fluid overload in liver disease, malignant ascites and heart failure where diuretics are no longer effective. Fluid overload is a frequent complication of many large diseases - including advanced liver disease driven by NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis)-related cirrhosis and heart failure - with diuretic resistance being widespread. The U.S. market for the alfapump resulting from NASH-related cirrhosis is forecast to exceed 3 billion annually within the next 10-20 years. The heart failure market for DSR and the alfapump DSR is estimated to be over 5 billion annually in the U.S. and EU5 by 2026.

The alfapump is Sequana Medical's unique, fully implanted wireless device that automatically pumps fluid from the abdominal cavity into the bladder, where it is naturally eliminated through urination. DSR is Sequana Medical's proprietary approach to managing sodium and fluid overload through use of a sodium-free infusate administered into the abdominal cavity.

In the U.S., the Company's key growth market, the alfapump has been granted breakthrough device designation by the FDA for recurrent or refractory ascites due to liver cirrhosis. Interim data from the ongoing North American pivotal study (POSEIDON) showed positive outcomes against all primary endpoints and a rapid and persistent clinically important improvement in quality of life. All patients have been enrolled in the study and primary endpoint reporting is planned for Q4 2022. This study is intended to support a future marketing application of the alfapump in the U.S. and Canada. In Europe, the alfapump is CE-marked for the management of refractory ascites due to liver cirrhosis and malignant ascites and is included in key clinical practice guidelines. Over 900 alfapump systems have been implanted to date.

Sequana Medical has combined its proven alfapump and proprietary DSR therapy, and is developing the alfapump DSR, a breakthrough approach to fluid overload due to heart failure. RED DESERT demonstrated that repeated DSR therapy in diuretic-resistant heart failure patients is able to manage their fluid and sodium balance, improve their cardio-renal status and restore their diuretic response for months post-treatment. Interim results from the ongoing SAHARA DESERT study of alfapump DSR in decompensated heart failure patients indicated a safe, effective and rapid elimination of persistent congestion and restoration of euvolemia, together with a considerable benefit in cardio-renal status and a dramatic improvement in diuretic responsiveness. Reporting of top-line data is planned for H2 2022.

Sequana Medical is headquartered in Ghent, Belgium. For further information, please visit www.sequanamedical.com.

Important Regulatory Disclaimers:

The alfapump system is not currently approved in the United States or Canada. In the United States and Canada, the alfapump system is currently under clinical investigation. The DSR therapy is still in development and it should be noted that any statements regarding safety and efficacy arise from ongoing pre-clinical and clinical investigations which have yet to be completed. The DSR therapy is not currently approved for clinical research in the United States or Canada. There is no link between the DSR therapy and ongoing investigations with the alfapump system in Europe, the United States or Canada.

Note: alfapump is a registered trademark. DSR is a registered trademark in Australia, the Benelux, the EU, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Israel, Norway, and Switzerland. alfapump DSR is a registered trademark in Australia, the Benelux, China, the EU, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Israel, New Zealand, and Norway.

Important information:

The information contained in this announcement is for general information only and does not purport to be full or complete. This announcement does not constitute, or form part of, an offer to sell or issue, or any solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe for shares, and any purchase of, subscription for or application for, shares. This announcement and the information contained herein are not for publication, distribution or release in, or into, directly or indirectly, the United States of America, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Africa or any other jurisdiction where to do so would be prohibited by applicable law or require registration thereof in, such jurisdiction. Any persons reading this announcement should inform themselves of and observe any such restrictions.

This announcement is not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States. It does not constitute or form a part of any offer or solicitation to purchase or subscribe for securities in the United States. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time (the "U.S. Securities Act"), and the securities may not be offered or sold in the United States (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) unless these securities are registered under the U.S. Securities Act, or an exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act is available. The Company and its affiliates have not registered, and do not intend to register, any portion of the offering of the securities concerned in the United States, and do not intend to conduct a public offering of securities in the United States.

Any offer of securities to which this announcement relates is only addressed to and directed at persons in the United Kingdom and member states of the European Economic Area (the "EEA") (each a "MemberState") who are "qualified investors" within the meaning of Article 2(e) of Regulation 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017 on the prospectus to be published when securities are offered to the public or admitted to trading on a regulated market, and repealing Directive 2003/71/EC, as amended from time to time, to the extent implemented in the relevant Member State of the EEA) and any implementing measure in each relevant Member State of the EEA or, for the United Kingdom, as it forms part of retained EU law as defined in the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (the "ProspectusRegulation") ("Qualified Investors"), or such other investors as shall not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of Article 3.1 of the Prospectus Regulation. Each person in the United Kingdom or a Member State who initially acquires any of the Company's securities or to whom any offer of the Company's securities may be made and, to the extent applicable, any funds on behalf of which such person is acquiring the Company's securities that are located in the United Kingdom or a Member State will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed that it is a Qualified Investor.

In addition, any offer of securities to which this announcement relates is in the United Kingdom, being distributed only to, and is directed only at, (i) persons who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended from time to time (the "Order"), (ii) high net worth entities etc. falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order, and (iii) any other person to whom it may otherwise lawfully be communicated (all such persons together being referred to as "relevant persons"). The offering of securities to which this announcement relates will only be available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe for, purchase, or otherwise acquire securities will be engaged in only with relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this announcement or any of its contents.

In Switzerland, any offer of securities to which this announcement relates is only addressed and directed

to 'professional clients' (as defined in the Swiss Federal Act on Financial Services

(Finanzdienstleitungsgesetz) of 15 June 2018, as amended (the "FinSa").

This communication is not a prospectus for the purposes of the EU Prospectus Regulation, the UK Prospectus Regulation or the FinSa. This communication cannot be used as basis for any investment agreement or decision. Acquiring investments to which this announcement relates may expose an investor to a significant risk of losing the entire amount invested. Persons considering making such investments should consult an authorised person specialising in advising on such investments. This announcement does not constitute a recommendation concerning the securities referred to herein.

No announcement or information regarding the offering, listing or securities of the Company referred to above may be disseminated to the public in jurisdictions where a prior registration or approval is required for such purpose. No steps have been taken, or will be taken, for the offering or listing of securities of the Company in any jurisdiction where such steps would be required, except for the admission of the offered shares on the regulated market of Euronext Brussels. The issue, exercise, or sale of, and the subscription for or purchase of, securities of the Company are subject to special legal or statutory restrictions in certain jurisdictions. The Company is not liable if the aforementioned restrictions are not complied with by any person.

Certain statements, beliefs and opinions in this announcement are forward-looking, which reflect the Company's or, as appropriate, the Company directors' current expectations and projections concerning future events such as the Company's results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, performance, prospects, growth, strategies and the industry in which the Company operates. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, assumptions and factors could adversely affect the outcome and financial effects of the plans and events described herein. A multitude of factors including, but not limited to, changes in demand, competition and technology, can cause actual events, performance or results to differ significantly from any anticipated development. Forward-looking statements contained in this announcement regarding past trends or activities are not guarantees of future performance and should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. In addition, even if actual results or developments are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement, those results or developments may not be indicative of results or developments in future periods. No representations and warranties are made as to the accuracy or fairness of such forward-looking statements. As a result, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any update or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this announcement as a result of any change in expectations or any change in events, conditions, assumptions or circumstances on which these forward-looking statements are based. Neither the Company nor its advisers or representatives nor any of its subsidiary undertakings or any such person's officers or employees guarantees that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors nor does either accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement or the actual occurrence of the forecasted developments. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this announcement.

Information to Distributors:

Solely for the purposes of the product governance requirements contained within: (a) EU Directive 2014/65/EU on markets in financial instruments, as amended from time to time ("MiFID II"); (b) Articles 9 and 10 of Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593 supplementing MiFID II; and (c) local implementing measures (together, the "MiFID II Product Governance Requirements"), and disclaiming all and any liability, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any 'manufacturer' (for the purposes of the MiFID II Product Governance Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the offered shares have been subject to a product approval process, which has determined that the offered shares are: (i) compatible with an end target market of retail investors and investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties, each as defined in MiFID II; and (ii) eligible for distribution through all distribution channels as are permitted by MiFID II (the "Target Market Assessment"). Notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, distributors should note that: the price of the offered shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their investment; the offered shares offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection; and an investment in the offered shares is compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom. The Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling restrictions in relation to the Offering. Furthermore, it is noted that, notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, the Underwriters will only procure investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Target Market Assessment does not constitute: (a) an assessment of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of MiFID II; or (b) a recommendation to any investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take any other action whatsoever with respect to the offered shares.

Each distributor is responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the offered shares and determining appropriate distribution channels.

The Underwriters are acting exclusively for the Company and no one else in connection with the Offering. In connection with such matters, they, their affiliates and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents will not regard any other person as their client, nor will they be responsible to any other person for providing the protections afforded to their clients or for providing advice in relation to the Offering or any other matters referred to in this announcement.

Attachments
March 8, 2022: Oslo, Norway, the board of directors of PGS ASA ("PGS" or the "Company") has approved the 2021 annual financial statements and annual report.



There are no material changes to the financial statements compared to the preliminary and unaudited full year results presented by the Company on January 27, 2022. The 2021 audit opinion from the Company's auditor EY is without qualifications. However, the audit opinion includes an emphasis of matter related to material uncertainty pertaining to the going concern assumption.

As reported by the Company on January 27, 2022, the seismic market recovery in 2021 has been slower than assumed in the debt rescheduling business plan from 2020. As a result, there is a risk that the Company will not generate sufficient liquidity to repay the 2022 maturities whilst also meeting the other requirements of the main credit agreements, including the Minimum Consolidated Liquidity covenant. The Company's view on this challenge has not materially changed. The Company has started preparations for assessing alternative ways to address upcoming debt maturities, including engaging advisors to assist the Company in this respect.

On January 27, 2022 the Company also announced that there was a risk that the required Maximum Total Net Leverage Ratio covenant in the main credit agreements will not be met in Q1 2022 when the Maximum Total Net Leverage Ratio on March 31, 2022, steps down from 4.25:1 to 3.25:1. The Company's assessment of this risk has now changed, and the Company currently believes that the risk of not meeting the Total Net Leverage Ratio covenant in Q1 2022 is lower.

For further details regarding the going concern assumption, please refer to the 2021 annual report which will be published later in March, 2022.

FOR DETAILS PGS, CONTACT: Bard Stenberg, VP IR & Corporate Communication

Mobile: +47 99 24 52 35





PGS ASA and its subsidiaries.

The information included herein contains certain forward-looking statements that address activities, events or developments that the Company expects, projects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future. These statements are based on various assumptions made by the Company, which are beyond its control and are subject to certain additional risks and uncertainties. The Company is subject to a large number of risk factors including but not limited to the demand for seismic services, the demand for data from our multi-client data library, the attractiveness of our technology, unpredictable changes in governmental regulations affecting our markets and extreme weather conditions. For a further description of other relevant risk factors we refer to our Annual Report for 2020. As a result of these and other risk factors, actual events and our actual results may differ materially from those indicated in or implied by such forward-looking statements. The reservation is also made that inaccuracies or mistakes may occur in the information given above about the current status of the Company or its business. Any reliance on the information above is at the risk of the reader, and PGS disclaims any and all liability in this respect.

--END--




LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2022 / Bluejay Mining plc, the AIM, FSE listed and OTCQB traded exploration and development company with projects in Greenland and Finland, is pleased to announce the publication of a Podcast recording with Bluejay's Chief Executive Officer, Mr Bo Mller Stensgaard.

The Podcast discusses the support for the Dundas Project from the European Raw Material Alliance ("ERMA"), its future opportunities for Bluejay and the implications for critical minerals in these turbulent geo-political times.

The Podcast is available to listen on the following link: https://youtu.be/0fFb0-WAavc

and will later by made available on the Company's website at: https://bluejaymining.com/projects/greenland/dundas-iimenite-project/

For further information please visit http://www.bluejaymining.com or contact:

Kevin Sheil Bluejay Mining plc enquiry@bluejaymining.com Ewan Leggat/ Adam Cowl SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP(Nominated Adviser) +44 (0) 20 3470 0470 Andrew Chubb Hannam & Partners (Advisory) LLP +44 (0) 20 7907 8500 Tim Blythe/ Megan Ray BlytheRay +44 (0) 20 7138 3205

Notes

Bluejay is listed on the London AIM market and Frankfurt Stock Exchange and its shares also trade on the OTCQB Market in the US. With multiple projects in Greenland and Finland, Bluejay has now secured three globally respected entities as partner, customer, and co-investor on three of its projects, giving the Company and its shareholders both portfolio and commodity diversification in high quality jurisdictions.

Bluejay has signed a definitive joint venture agreement with KoBold Metals to guide exploration for new deposits rich in the critical materials for electric vehicles (The Disko-Nuussauq Project). Principal investors in KoBold include Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a climate & technology fund, overseen by Bill Gates, and whose investors include Michael Bloomberg, Jeff Bezos, and Ray Dalio. Other investors in KoBold include Andreessen Horowitz, the premier Silicon Valley venture capital fund and Equinor, the Norwegian state-owned multinational energy company.

Bluejay's most advanced project is the Dundas Ilmenite Project in Greenland, which is fully permitted and being developed towards production in the near term, with preparatory activities scheduled to commence in 2022. The Dundas Ilmenite Project has been proven to be the highest-grade mineral sand ilmenite project globally, with a Mineral Resource reported in accordance with the JORC Code of 117Mt at 6.1% ilmenite and a maiden offshore Exploration Target of between 300Mt and 530Mt of ilmenite at an average expected grade range of 0.4 - 4.8% ilmenite in-situ. The Company has agreed a Master Distribution Agreement with a major Asian conglomerate for up-to 340ktpa of its anticipated 440ktpa annual output. The Company's strategy is focused on securing financing ahead of commencing commercial production at Dundas and has appointed a Global Investment Bank as the lead arranger. This strategy will create a company capable of self-funding exploration on its current and future projects.

Bluejay holds two additional projects in Greenland - the 692sq km Kangerluarsuk zinc-lead- silver project ('Kangerluarsuk'), where historical work has recovered grades of 41% zinc, 9.3% lead and 596 g/t silver and identified four large-scale drill ready targets; and the 2,025 sq km Thunderstone project which has the potential to host large-scale base metal and gold deposits. Bluejay also has a joint-venture agreement with a mining major at Enonkoski in Finland and has recently signed a binding agreement for a partial divestment in a fourth Finnish project.

**ENDS**

This information is provided by Reach, the non-regulatory press release distribution service of RNS, part of the London Stock Exchange. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

SOURCE: Bluejay Mining PLC

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/691984/Bluejay-Mining-PLC-Announces-Critical-Minerals-ERMA-Support-Podcast
Researchers Use Oxford Nanopore Technology To Develop a Single Test Method To Characterise More Than 50 Genetic Diseases

In a Study Published in Science Advances, a Team From the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Australia, Has Described How Their Method Using Nanopore Sequencing Technology Has the Potential To Reduce the 'Diagnostic Odyssey' for People With Rare Neurological and Neuromuscular Disease

OXFORD, UK / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2022 / A new DNA sequencing based test method developed by a team led by Ira Deveson, Head of Genomics Technologies at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and collaborators, has been shown to screen for more than 50 genetic neurological and neuromuscular diseases. This new workflow accurately identifies diseases caused by unusually long, repetitive DNA sequences in a person's genes, known as short tandem repeat (STR) expansion disorders. Current genetic screening for these disorders can involve multiple tests, such as muscle or nerve biopsies, and take much longer, sometimes years of investigation to reach an answer.

The STR repeat expansions typically span a longer region of DNA than the read lengths generated by short-read sequencing technology. To overcome this, the research teams used Oxford Nanopore technology, which can read fragments of any length and can be programmed to target specific regions of DNA. During a recent presentation [available here] on this work Ira Deveson described long-read nanopore technology as 'the ideal tool'. He went on to discuss the future potential for nanopore sequencing to 'solve the problem in one step' by reading STRs end-to-end in single long reads.

In the published study the team describe how they achieved accurate molecular characterisation of all known neuropathogenic STRs in a single workflow, as well as DNA methylation, with no additional library preparation or costs. Using nanopore sequencing to target specific regions of interest may also be useful to guide personalised selection of medications.

This research demonstrates the potential for nanopore sequencing in disease characterisation and the study discusses how this could be a powerful approach for STR gene discovery for previously unsolved cases as well.

The full Science Advances publication is available here.

-end-

Contact: media@nanoporetech.com

About Oxford Nanopore Technologies

Oxford Nanopore Technologies' goal is to bring the widest benefits to society through enabling the analysis of anything, by anyone, anywhere. The company has developed a new generation of nanopore-based sensing technology for real-time, high-performance, accessible and scalable analysis of DNA and RNA. The technology is used in more than 100 countries to understand the biology of humans and diseases such as cancer, plants, animals, bacteria, viruses and whole environments.

Oxford Nanopore Technologies, the Wheel icon, EPI2ME, Flongle, GridION, Metrichor MinION, MinKNOW, PromethION, SmidgION, Ubik and VolTRAX are registered trademarks of Oxford Nanopore Technologies plc in various countries. All other brands and names contained are the property of their respective owners.  2022 Oxford Nanopore Technologies plc. All rights reserved. Oxford Nanopore Technologies products are not intended for use for health assessment or to diagnose, treat, mitigate, cure, or prevent any disease or condition.

This information is provided by Reach, the non-regulatory press release distribution service of RNS, part of the London Stock Exchange. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

SOURCE: Oxford Nanopore Technologies plc

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/691985/Oxford-Nanopore-Technologies-plc-Announces-Publication-Nanopore-IDs-50-Genetic-Diseases
SNFL's and IFG's combined innovation platforms will accelerate the growth of flavorful, sustainable and healthier table grape and cherry varieties for the benefit of growers, retail partners and consumers

News Highlights



This transaction brings together two very complementary businesses with the potential to better address the growing global demand of table grapes

The combination of IFG's and SNFL's gene-pools and their Research & Development engines that have been developed over the last 20 years will position the combined enterprise as an ideal platform to satisfy demanding grower needs in the area of crop yield and sustainability

Unite highly complementary transaction of different germplasms, including SNFL's innovative platform of mainstream varieties with disease resistant and high-antioxidant genetics with IFG's signature customer-first approach and unique flavored varieties to scale to deliver grower solutions and capabilities resulting in an enhanced value to partners and consumers

The integration of these programs will enable a wide array of more sophisticated varieties with attractive traits and characteristics which will provide easier access to varietal diversity, along with a better and cleaner eating experience for consumers

BAKERSFIELD, Calif., March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AM FRESH Group and Special New Fruit Licensing (SNFL) today announced a definitive agreement under which AM FRESH is acquiring International Fruit Genetics (IFG) and merging it with SNFL, creating a combined company that significantly advances SNFL's and IFG's abilities to further develop their breeding capacities and add to their innovative portfolio to address unprecedented industry demand. AM FRESH will be the controlling shareholder of the combined entity, with significant minority investment from EQT Future and continued investment from Paine Schwartz Partners.

The combined company will accelerate varietal breeding, development and commercialization, benefiting licensed growers, partners and consumers with more sustainable alternatives and improved varietal options. Together, AM FRESH, SNFL and IFG will propel innovation at large, ease production management for growers and facilitate commercialization to retail partners in order to deliver innovative varieties to consumers on a year-round basis.

"We are committed to delivering fresh, natural and healthy goods to excite consumers and we strive to create the next frontier of sustainable fresh foods for the benefit of all," said Alvaro Munoz, AM FRESH Group CEO. "Together with IFG, we will spearhead varietal innovation and deliver a comprehensive portfolio of innovative varieties which are nature and health positive benefiting growers, our retail partners and consumers. Through our combined R&D, innovation, agritech capabilities and high-quality standards, we are able to offer fresh propositions to our partners and together propel the table grape industry to the next level."

"This transaction represents a huge advancement for the entire industry," said IFG CEO Andy Higgins. "Since our establishment, IFG's mission, our challenge and our inspiration has been to grow our fruit categories, and this merger is another example of this. SNFL and IFG have complementary gene pools and breeding teams focused on different development pathways. While much of IFG's focus has been on consumer traits and flavor, SNFL's focus has been centered on health benefits, diseases tolerance and other important grower traits. Together, AM FRESH Group, SNFL and IFG will provide more variety choices to consumers, more industry solutions for growers, and an accelerated pace of innovation for the fruit breeding industry. This acquisition will bring forward the best that our companies have to offer as we build a dynamic foundation for the future."

"IFG set out 20 years ago to change an industry. This combination of businesses is a 'marriage of the minds' as both AM FRESH Group and Sunridge Nurseries began as small family businesses working toward building something better in the fruit breeding industry," said Higgins. "The type of 'start-up spirit' that propelled both of these companies to their current level of success is still thriving, as is our mutual commitment to meet the needs of our employees, licensees, partners and consumers."

Retailers and consumers will equally benefit through the sophistication and development of the table grape category. SNFL's and IFG's combined efforts strive to increase the offer and possibilities of breeding differentiation.

"By combining two breeding teams with profound and very diverse experience in different fields of plant genetics we will seek to propel varieties which will be a better fit for the future and will fast-track the development of more sustainable and healthier varieties aligned with the market trends," said Josep Estiarte, Managing Director SNFL Group. "In addition, the integration of two different pools of talent developed over more than 15 years enables the implementation of best practices into the plant varietal development process."

"AM FRESH has made substantial progress expanding SNFL's capabilities and offerings since our initial investment in 2019. This transaction is an important next step in the Company's evolution," said Kevin Schwartz, Chief Executive Officer of Paine Schwartz. "We continue to believe in the significant value creation opportunities that innovators like SNFL and IFG bring to the specialty produce sector. We are confident that the combined SNFL and IFG platform will have the necessary resources to deliver sustainable and healthier offerings that benefit growers, retailers and consumers alike. Looking ahead, we are excited to support the next generation of varietal innovation in grapes and cherries under AM FRESH's leadership."

EQT Future invests in companies that are transforming industries, and both SNFL and IFG are closely aligned with EQT Future's "Planet" objective: to safeguard resources and climate by improving agricultural productivity and minimizing the use of fungicides in grape production. EQT Future also plans to support investments in digitalization and innovative breeding technologies, and support both companies' combined and continued pursuit of R&D excellence.

The transaction remains subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. Financials terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Morrison & Foerster LLP was the lead legal counsel for SNFL whilst Allen & Overy and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP were counsel for EQT Future with Perez-Llorca and Bank of America advising AM FRESH. Credit Suisse served as financial advisor and Dentons US LLP served as legal advisor to IFG in relation to the transaction.

About AM FRESH Group

AM FRESH Group is a global fresh food company focused on spearheading varietal innovation, agriscience and biotechnology, extensive farming and global commercialization of Citrus, Table Grapes, Tropical & Superfoods, Plant-Based Foods, Top-fruit, and Flowers at scale. Equipped with over 90 years of expertise, AM FRESH Group is privately held, present in over 60 countries with 6.200 employees with a passion and commitment to innovation, it operates as an end-to-end vertically integrated model to serve the top retailers worldwide. For more on AM FRESH Group, please visit www.amfresh.com.

About SNFL Group

SNFL Group.

About IFG

Headquartered in Bakersfield, California, USA, IFG is a premium fruit-breeding company. Founded in 2001, the company is internationally recognized for its top quality, non-GMO fruit varieties in the table grape, cherry and raisin industries that were pioneered by the company's co-founder and former Lead Plant Breeder, world-renowned fruit scientist Dr. David Cain. Since Dr. Cain's retirement, the team is now led by Dr. Chris Owens. IFG patents and licenses its varieties to worldwide marketers and growers, with licensees in 15 countries. For more information, visit www.ifg.world.

About EQT

EQT is a purpose-driven global investment organization with EUR 73.4 billion in assets under management across 28 active funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas with total sales of approximately EUR 29 billion and more than 175,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership. More info: www.eqtgroup.com. Follow EQT on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

About Paine Schwartz Partners

A global leader in sustainable food chain investing, Paine Schwartz Partners is a private equity firm focused exclusively on investment opportunities in the fast-growing, dynamic global food and agribusiness sectors. The firm's investment, operations and finance professionals invest throughout cycles across the food and agribusiness value chain, and bring a collaborative and active management approach to portfolio companies. For further information, please see www.paineschwartz.com.

Contacts

AM FRESH Group & SNFL Group: patricia.sagarminaga@amfresh.com, Patricia Sagarminaga +34 669161941

IFG: tbaker@ifg.world, Tamara Baker +1 661 345 7580

EQT Press Office: press@eqtpartners.com+46 8 506 55 334

Paine Schwartz Partners: Andy Brimmer / Aaron Palash. Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher, +1 212 355 4449

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d7f3d4bc-f9ec-4406-a430-a0079f44fa09

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/63d4f2cd-58ad-427e-bda8-317b780f4072

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/82f0b317-1b6b-4a3e-bd9d-028d20cacb50

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9b9077fb-7ae0-43fa-98c3-41062c8aab86
Hong Kong: Depts proactive in virus fight

Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Edward Yau said the Commerce & Economic Development Bureau and its departments are proactively participating in anti-epidemic work.

The Trade & Industry Department (TID) mobilised about 130 staff members to conduct a compulsory testing exercise in the restricted area in Yuet Ching House, following a restriction-testing declaration (RTD) made on the building yesterday.

Mr Yau inspected the department's operation yesterday and took the opportunity to encourage the colleagues.

In the face of such an unprecedented and challenging epidemic situation, stabilising the epidemic as soon as possible is the utmost priority of the Government and the civil service.

Colleagues in the bureau and the departments, while discharging their normal duties, fulfil their responsibility in fighting the epidemic. It is our common goal to enable Hong Kong to ride out the pandemic and the public to resume normal life early with the economic recovery.

The TID deployed its Administrative Officers, Trade Officers, Clerical Officers and hired contract staff to co-ordinate and conduct the declaration and compulsory testing operation in Yuet Ching House, fully mobilising its manpower to join the anti-epidemic effort.

More than 600 households were involved in the operation that started at 5pm yesterday and finished at around 7pm today.

The staff also distributed rapid antigen test kits and handed out anti-epidemic proprietary Chinese medicines donated by the central government to the residents.

This story has been published on: 2022-03-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Chinese mainland reports 175 new local COVID-19 cases

Xinhua) 10:10, March 08, 2022

Students line up for COVID-19 tests at the campus of Inner Mongolia Medical University in Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 2, 2022. (Xinhua/Peng Yuan)

BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland on Monday reported 175 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, the National Health Commission said Tuesday.

Of the new local infections, 46 were reported in Jilin, 45 in Guangdong, 31 in Shandong, and 10 in Jiangsu and Gansu respectively. The rest of the cases were reported in other 11 provincial-level regions, the commission said in its daily report.

A total of 150 imported COVID-19 cases were reported Monday, said the commission.

Five new suspected cases, all arriving from outside the mainland, were reported in Shanghai, said the commission. No deaths from COVID-19 were reported on the day.

A total of 443 asymptomatic cases were reported Monday, including 113 arriving from outside the mainland, according to the commission.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases reported on the mainland, both local and imported, had risen to 111,520 by Monday.

There were 4,052 patients still under treatment on Monday, of whom nine were in severe condition. A total of 4,636 patients had died of the virus on the mainland since the outbreak of the disease.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
A Yemeni boy carries a bag of food that he received from a charity, in Midi district, Hajjah province, Yemen, on March 7, 2022. Almost 21 million people in war-torn Yemen, or nearly 70 percent of the total population, need life-saving humanitarian assistance, the United Nations Children's Fund said in a Twitter post on Monday. "This includes 11.3 million children or nearly 80 percent of children," the UNICEF noted. (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed/Xinhua)

SANAA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Almost 21 million people in war-torn Yemen, or nearly 70 percent of the total population, need life-saving humanitarian assistance, the United Nations Children's Fund said in a Twitter post on Monday.

"This includes 11.3 million children or nearly 80 percent of children," the UNICEF noted.

In Yemen, nearly 400,000 children under the age of five are slipping from acute malnutrition to severe acute malnutrition, the humanitarian agency said.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.

The United Nations is trying to end the seven-year-old civil war that has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 4 million, and brought the country to the brink of famine. 

A Yemeni girl sits on a truck outside a charity in Midi district, Hajjah province, Yemen, on March 7, 2022. Almost 21 million people in war-torn Yemen, or nearly 70 percent of the total population, need life-saving humanitarian assistance, the United Nations Children's Fund said in a Twitter post on Monday. "This includes 11.3 million children or nearly 80 percent of children," the UNICEF noted. (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed/Xinhua)

A Yemeni boy carries packages of dates that he received from a charity, in Midi district, Hajjah province, Yemen, on March 7, 2022. Almost 21 million people in war-torn Yemen, or nearly 70 percent of the total population, need life-saving humanitarian assistance, the United Nations Children's Fund said in a Twitter post on Monday. "This includes 11.3 million children or nearly 80 percent of children," the UNICEF noted. (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed/Xinhua)

A man walks behind a donkey, which carries the ration of food he received from a charity, in Midi district, Hajjah province, Yemen, on March 7, 2022. Almost 21 million people in war-torn Yemen, or nearly 70 percent of the total population, need life-saving humanitarian assistance, the United Nations Children's Fund said in a Twitter post on Monday. "This includes 11.3 million children or nearly 80 percent of children," the UNICEF noted. (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed/Xinhua)

A villager packs the ration of food that he received from a charity, in Midi district, Hajjah province, Yemen, on March 7, 2022. Almost 21 million people in war-torn Yemen, or nearly 70 percent of the total population, need life-saving humanitarian assistance, the United Nations Children's Fund said in a Twitter post on Monday. "This includes 11.3 million children or nearly 80 percent of children," the UNICEF noted. (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed/Xinhua)
Dynamics Group AG / Key word(s): Cryptocurrency / Blockchain/Regulatory Approval

Sygnum Singapore secures in-principle approval to expand regulated activities, enabling fully-regulated tokenization solutions for the growing Web3 ecosystem



08.03.2022 / 09:00





PRESS RELEASE

Sygnum Singapore secures in-principle approval to expand regulated activities, enabling fully-regulated tokenization solutions for the growing Web3 ecosystem



Zurich, 8 March 2022 - Sygnum, a digital asset technology group with a Swiss banking licence and a Singapore Capital Markets Services (CMS) licence, has received in-principle approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore to conduct three additional regulated activities under its CMS licence.



Upon obtaining full approval to conduct the additional activities, Sygnum will be able to leverage its existing tokenization and corporate finance capabilities to provide innovative asset managers and Web3 players in Singapore a fully-regulated capital raising solution covering the entire value chain, including:

- Providing corporate finance advisory services to companies seeking to raise capital - including the technical expertise to tokenize capital markets products and digital assets, as well as digital asset-focused legal and capital structuring advice

- Dealing in capital market products to provide access to a wider base of accredited and institutional investors in Singapore seeking fully-regulated investment opportunities into tokenized capital market products and digital assets

- Providing custodial services for asset and security tokens

These additional regulated activities are an expansion of Sygnum's existing CMS licence to conduct fund management, which has enabled the company to provide accredited and institutional investors in Singapore diversified exposure to the digital asset economy since 2019 via its suite of asset management products.

Sygnum currently operates a tokenization platform out of Switzerland, where asset owners have issued tokens representing fractional ownership of various traditional securities and digital assets, including a Picasso painting, and a CryptoPunk NFT, with the ownership of each token recorded on a blockchain. The platform also provides professional investors trusted access to these traditionally less-accessible asset classes.

With the additional regulated activities under its belt, Sygnum intends to offer its tokenization solution in Singapore with an initial focus on the tokenization of fund units, starting with its recently-launched venture capital fund, the SBI-Sygnum-Azimut Digital Asset Opportunity fund. This tokenization exercise will enable accredited and institutional investors to subscribe to the fund with significantly smaller ticket sizes and to potentially benefit from secondary liquidity via a listing of these tokenized fund units on a regulated digital asset exchange. Future initiatives include providing corporate finance advice to Web3 platforms and digital creators, and to securitize their rare digital collectibles, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and metaverse assets like in-game items and virtual land.

"Singapore continues to be a welcoming destination for trusted financial institutions seeking to meet the growing demand for regulated digital asset financial services," said Gerald Goh, Sygnum Co-Founder and Singapore CEO. "With the recent conclusion of our Series B fundraise, we are committed to accelerating the expansion of our suite of offerings in the financial hub. These three additional activities that Sygnum will be able to conduct enable us to provide asset managers and Web3 players in Singapore a new, fully-regulated platform to raise capital and attract a wider investor base by leveraging blockchain technology."

"Professional investors today face several technological, regulatory and portfolio challenges when it comes to building exposure to cryptocurrencies, and digital assets more broadly, including NFTs and the emerging metaverse," said Mathias Imbach, Sygnum Co-Founder and Group CEO. "The extension of our offerings into the Singapore market will provide investors access to a team of blockchain, legal and asset management experts, and a trusted platform with an operational track record, to invest in the latest Web3 opportunities with complete trust and peace of mind."

END

Editor's note:



In addition to its existing CMS licence permitting Sygnum Pte. Ltd. to conduct the regulated activity of Fund Management, the company has received in-principle approval for the following additional regulated activities:

- Advising on Corporate Finance,

- Dealing in Capital Markets Products that are securities and units in a collective investment scheme, and

- Providing Custodial Services



The company will be able to conduct the additional activities upon meeting the Monetary Authority of Singapore's (MAS) conditions of its in-principle approval.

Sygnum Pte. Ltd's CMS licence is solely regulated by MAS in Singapore, and does not confer or imply any licencing rights to Sygnum Bank AG in Switzerland.



About Sygnum

Sygnum is the world's first digital asset bank, and a digital asset specialist with global reach. With Sygnum Bank AG's Swiss banking licence, as well as Sygnum Pte Ltd's capital markets services (CMS) licence in Singapore, Sygnum empowers institutional and private qualified investors, corporates, banks, and other financial institutions to invest in the digital asset economy with complete trust. Sygnum operates an independently controlled, scalable, and future-proof regulated banking platform. Our interdisciplinary team of banking, investment, and blockchain experts is shaping the development of a trusted digital asset ecosystem. The company is founded on Swiss and Singapore heritage and operates globally. To learn more about Sygnum, please visit www.sygnum.com.

Media Contact:

Philippe Blangey

T: +41 79 785 46 32

E: prb@dynamicsgroup.ch





Sygnum Bank AG

Uetlibergstrasse 134a

8045 Zurich

Switzerland

Corporate Contact:

Dominic Castley

T: +41 58 508 21 01

E: dominic.castley@sygnum.com



Disclaimer: This document was prepared by Sygnum Bank AG. This document may contain forward looking statements and may be subject to change. The opinions expressed herein are those of Sygnum Pte Ltd, its affiliates, and partners at the time of writing. The document is for informational purposes only and contains general material. It is for use by the recipient only. It does not constitute any advice or recommendation, an offer or invitation by or on behalf of Sygnum Pte Ltd to purchase or sell assets or securities. It is not intended to be used as a general guide to investing, and should be used for informational purposes only. When making an investment decision, you should either conduct your own research and analysis or seek advice from an expert to make a calculated decision. The information and analyses contained in this document have been compiled from sources believed to be reliable. However, Sygnum Pte Ltd makes no representation as to its reliability or completeness and disclaims all liability for losses arising from the use of this information.

End of Media Release


VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2022 / FALCON GOLD CORP. (FG:TSX-V), (3FA:GR), (FGLDF:OTCQB); ("Falcon" or the "Company") is pleased to inform a technical report has been completed on Esperanza Gold Project in La Rioja province Argentina. Dr. D. Rubiolo, QP for the project completed a site visit on December 5th 2021.

Falcon has implemented a diversification strategy by acquiring the Esperanza Gold concessions covering an aggregate area of 10,303 hectares. The concessions are road accessible, located approximately 55 kilometers south-southeast of the town of Chepes, this area contains prospective sheared quartz veins hosted in granitoid rocks of early Paleozoic age. High-grade gold mineralization was reportedly first discovered at end of 19th century at the Callanas, followed by limited mining conducted on a gold, silver, and copper zone.

In 1995, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) studied and completed; mapping, surface sampling, ground geophysical surveys, and drilling providing information on 30 different gold mineralization locations and historical mines throughout the area. JICA further drilled 900 meters of diamond drilling on the Callanas. Two of the holes returned encouraging intercepts assaying one meter at 9.11 g/t Au, 28.59 g/t Ag and 0.42 m at 24.3 g/t Au, 61.10 g/t Ag. More recently, Esperanza Resources has reported that the Callanas West zone has been followed along a northwest-southeast strike for approximately 4,000m.

Falcon Gold Corp (2018-2019) signed an initial agreement with Esperanza Resources S.A. and carried out a preliminary prospection collecting 73 samples. Results revealed high grade gold mineralization up to 50.12 g/t over 0.6m sheared-veins structures.

Table 1: Significant results for the 2018-2019 exploration program on Esperanza Project (Assays over 1g/t Au, from Falcon news release dated Jan 7th, 2019, and unpublished data from SGS laboratories certificates on samples collected in September 2019; shaded in grey are assays of samples collected outside Esperanza property, see Technical Report).

SampleID Date (m/yy) Type Concession Area Width (m) Au g/t Ag ppm Cu ppm 40078 Sep-19 Outcrop E-XIII Callanas East 0.60 50.12 2.5 664 40050 Oct-18 Outcrop Callana IV outside property 0.50 45.71 >100 7869.6 40069 Sep-19 Outcrop E-XIII Pto. La Mina 0.60 45.25 3.1 4300 40087 Sep-19 Outcrop E-XIII Callanas East 0.20 35.59 7.4 >10000 40068 Sep-19 Outcrop E-XIII Callanas East 0.50 30.73 0.3 258.1 40033 Oct-18 Float E-8 3rd Lineament n.a. 28.43 92 596.1 40089 Sep-19 Float E-VI La Canada n.a. 28.32 93.2 >10000 40048 Oct-18 Outcrop Callana V outside property 0.80 28.23 >100 >10000 40040 Oct-18 Outcrop Callana III outside property 0.50 27.03 >100 >10000 40053 Oct-18 Outcrop M.Aguero outside property 1.00 24.75 19.9 6182.9 40052 Oct-18 Outcrop M.Aguero outside property 0.60 23.13 4 8200.4 40044 Oct-18 Outcrop E-XIII Callana VII 0.40 22.16 11.9 597.5 40061 Sep-19 Outcrop E-XIII Callanas West 0.50 21.15 28.2 7744.2 40042 Oct-18 Outcrop Callana VI outside property 0.40 18.45 >100 9122.4 40032 Oct-18 Outcrop E-8 3rd Lineament 0.30 15.63 8.2 >10000 40081 Sep-19 Outcrop E-XIII Callanas West S 1.40 11.76 >100 >10000 40070 Sep-19 Outcrop E-XIII Callanas East 0.80 10.46 1.4 506.4 40098 Sep-19 Outcrop E-2 San Isidro North 0.20 10.21 20 1848.7 40036 Oct-18 Float E-8 3rd Lineament n.a. 6.92 55.4 3250.4 40073 Sep-19 Outcrop E-XIII Callanas East 0.40 6.50 1.3 852.9 40086 Sep-19 Outcrop E-XIII Callanas East 0.30 5.87 1.3 103.4 45571 Jan-18 Outcrop E-XIII Callanas Este N 1.00 5.62 0.4 308 40041 Oct-18 Outcrop Callana VI outside property 0.40 4.36 31.9 7849 40099 Sep-19 Outcrop E-XIII 1.50 2.96 1.3 6643.2 45570 Jan-18 Outcrop E-XIII Callanas Este N 0.30 1.97 <0.2 391.9 40083 Sep-19 Outcrop E-XIII Callanas East 0.10 1.75 1.2 1616.4 40049 Oct-18 Outcrop E-XI 0.30 1.44 8.8 491.8 40092 Sep-19 Outcrop E-2 1.50 1.28 7.8 1233.9 40088 Sep-19 Outcrop E-XIV Valentina 0.25 1.12 46 >10000 40047 Oct-18 Outcrop E-XIII 0.10 1.04 >100 >10000

On November 7th, 2021 Falcon announced its intent to spin-out its Argentina Gold Asset to Latamark Resources Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Falcon Gold. The Company is now finalizing details of the transaction and its reporting requirements needed for shareholder approval. Falcon can make no assurances that a spinout will take place as it is subject to several conditions that include board approval, satisfying the TSX Venture requirements, legal and tax ramifications, determining the final details of the transaction, receipt of all regulatory approval, the availability of financing for the new subsidiary, and the overall market conditions. Falcon will release further details as they are available.

Qualified Person

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Daniel Rubiolo, P.Geo., who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

About Falcon Gold Corp.

Falcon is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on generating, acquiring, and exploring opportunities in the Americas. Falcon's flagship project, the Central Canada Gold Mine, is approximately 20km southeast of Agnico Eagle's Hammond Reef Gold Deposit which has currently estimated 3.32 million ounces of gold (123.5 million tonnes grading 0.84 g/t gold) mineral reserves, and 2.3 million ounces of measured and indicated mineral resources (133.4 million tonnes grading 0.54 g/t gold). The Hammond Reef gold property lies on the Hammond shear zone, which is a northeast-trending splay off the Quetico Fault Zone ("QFZ") and may be the control for the gold deposit. The Central Gold property lies on a similar major northeast-trending splay of the QFZ.

The Company holds 8 additional projects. The Esperanza Gold/Silver/Copper mineral concessions located in La Rioja Province, Argentina. The Springpole West Property in the world-renowned Red Lake mining camp; a 49% interest in the Burton Gold property with Iamgold near Sudbury Ontario; and in B.C., the Spitfire-Sunny Boy, Gaspard Gold claims; and most recently the Great Burnt, Hope Brook, and Baie Verte acquisitions adjacent to First Mining, Matador, Benton-Sokoman's JV, and Marvel Discovery in Central Newfoundland.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Falcon Gold Corp. "Karim Rayani" Karim Rayani

Chief Executive Officer, Director

Telephone: (604) 716-0551

Email: info@falcongold.ca

Cautionary Language and Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain forward looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, etc. Forward looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.

This news release may contain forward looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, etc. Forward looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.

Neither 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.

SOURCE: Falcon Gold Corp

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/692011/Falcon-Completes-Site-Visit-Technical-Report-on-The-Esperanza-Gold-Project-Argentina
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 8, 2022) - Cross River Ventures Corp. (CSE: CRVC) (OTCQB: CSRVF) (FSE: C6R) (the "Company") is pleased to report that drilling has commenced at the Company's 12,000-hecatre McVicar Gold Project, located in northwestern Ontario, Canada.

The up to 5,000-meter diamond drill program is designed to test targets in Altered Zone and Bear Head Trend, two of several known gold target zones on the property. Diamond drilling is being conducted by Major Drilling under the supervision and guidance of the Company's technical team. Initially, the program will utilize two drill rigs focused on the Altered Zone and conclude with both drill rigs in the Bear Head Trend (see Figure 2).

The McVicar gold project is situated in the Superior Province of northern Ontario, Canada. The greenstone belts within the Superior Province contain some of the largest economic gold deposits in the world. McVicar encompasses the geologically significant structural components of the Lang Lake greenstone belt (see Figure 1 below), an underexplored trend located approximately 40 km north of the historic Golden Patricia Mine (619,796 oz at 15.2 g/t Au)*.

Regular updates will be provided as the drill program progresses. In addition, management encourages interested shareholders to follow progress via the Company's social media channels.

About The Altered Zone

The Altered Zone is a complex zone of deformation and intense alteration composed of sheared mafic volcanics, abundant green mica, intermediate intrusive rocks, massive to semi-massive quartz, and a quartz-carbonate-sericite schist.

New geologic modelling by Cross River in 2021 utilizes historic drilling data and suggests that the high-grade gold bearing structure continues at depth, coincident with lithologic breaks and a broader damage zone corridor characterized by an intense hydrothermal alteration overprint. The gold bearing structure at the Altered Zone is open in all directions. The upcoming drill program is designed to test the gold grade and continuity of the structure along strike, down-dip, and down-plunge. The program will also test for new high-grade gold shoots at several locations along the broader Altered Zone structural trend.

About The Bear Head Trend

Cross River Ventures field crews discovered the Bear Head Trend during the summer 2021 fieldwork. It is located approximately 600 meters south of the historic Chellow Vein at the southern contact between mafic volcanics and granite along the Bear Head Fault Zone (Figure 1). This geological environment is considered prospective for Archean greenstone gold deposits and contains favorable structural and lithological sites for gold deposition.

The Bear Head Trend is an undrilled, minimum 700m, high-grade gold corridor that is nested within a WNW trending multi-km braided damage zone structure. Key samples collected in 2021 include sheared and silicified mafic metavolcanic rocks with 1-10cm wide smoky blue quartz veins which returned gold values of 19.75 grams-per-tonne ("g/t") gold ("Au") and 1.415 g/t Au (News Release October 5th, 2021) .

About the McVicar Project

Cross River's McVicar Gold Project is a district-scale (approximately 12,000 hectares) gold exploration project that contains gold prospective structure and host rocks that transect the entire Lang Lake greenstone belt, located in the Patricia Mining Division, approximately 150 km east of Red Lake, and 80 km west of Pickle Lake, in NW Ontario, Canada.

The McVicar project covers all the major fertile structural and lithostratigraphic elements of the greenstone belt, which is bound to the south by the major NW trending Bear Head Fault zone (within which the historic Golden Patricia Mine is situated).

Historic drilling at McVicar Lake in the Altered and North Flexure Zones include:

6.46 g/t Au over 10.09 m including 29.86 g/t Au over 1.86 meters i

5.5 g/t Au over 3.6 m including 12.2 g/t Au over 0.98 metersii

The McVicar Lake claims also host the Chellow Vein zone, which is a narrow quartz vein that consists of smoky grey to white quartz mineralized with minor pyrite and visible gold. The vein system yielded high grade gold at surface including grab samplesiii that assayed 827.4 g/t Au and 578.1 g/t Auiv.

The 2022 winter drill program is fully funded, and the Company has received all relevant permits.





Figure 1: McVicar Gold Project, location of nearby deposits and historical mines, NW Ontario

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7276/115939_d551b908447b8a34_002full.jpg





Figure 2: Drill target zones, winter 2022 drill program, McVicar Gold Project, NW Ontario

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7276/115939_d551b908447b8a34_003full.jpg



Qualified Person

Daniel MacNeil, P.Geo., M.Sc., a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101, reviewed, and approved the technical content disclosed in this press release. Historical assay results contained in this press release were not verified by the Company. However, the historical reports referenced were authored by experienced geoscientists and copies of laboratory assay sheets were commonly inserted in the reports.

About Cross River Ventures

Cross River is a gold exploration company focused on the development of top tier exploration properties located in emerging Greenstone Districts of NW Ontario, Canada. The Company controls a 28,000-ha, multiple project portfolio with highly prospective ground in and among prolific, gold bearing greenstone belts. Cross River's common shares trade in Canada under the symbol "CRVC" on the CSE, and in the US under the symbol "CSRVF" on the OTCQB. Please visit www.crossriverventures.com for more information.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of

CROSS RIVER VENTURES CORP.

Alex Klenman

CEO

604-227-6610

aklenman@crossriverventures.com

www.crossriverventures.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statement or other reports and filings with the Canadian Securities Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws.

______________________________

*https://www.geologyontario.mndm.gov.on.ca/mndmfiles/mdi/data/records/MDI52O06SE00005.html

i McKay D.B, 2004. Report on the 2003 Overburden Stripping, Geologic Mapping and Sampling Program conducted on the McVicar Lake Property: Continuum Resources Ltd and Prospector Consolidated Resources Inc. www.geologyontario.mndm.gov.on.ca/mndmfiles/afri/data/imaging/52O11SW2003/52O11SW2003.pdf

ii McKay D.B, 2004. Report on the 2003 Overburden Stripping, Geologic Mapping and Sampling Program conducted on the McVicar Lake Property: Continuum Resources Ltd and Prospector Consolidated Resources Inc. www.geologyontario.mndm.gov.on.ca/mndmfiles/afri/data/imaging/52O11SW2003/52O11SW2003.pdf

iii Grab samples are selective by nature and may not represent the true grade or style of mineralization across the property.

iv Waldie C.J. Report of Diamond Drilling McVicar Lake Area Patricia Mining Division: BHP Minerals Canada Ltd.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/115939
42com Telecommunication GmbH announces a strategic partnership with Switchover AG, a global provider of communication and payment services based in Switzerland, creating a powerhouse with consolidated revenue over Euro 180 million per year

LONDON, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- 42com International LTD (42com), the UK entity of 42 com Telecommunication GmbH, a global voice wholesale specialist, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a commercial agreement to merge 100% of the voice assets of the Swiss-based Switchover AG (SO) assets. The combined powerhouse achieved consolidated revenues of Euro 180 million and terminated over 2 billion minutes in 2021. SO's commercial team will be integrated into 42com to assure the continuity of the business and to facilitate the integration process.

This agreement, which will take effect on May 1st 2022, strengthens 42com's approach to acquire strategic assets that provide a material upside under current market conditions. This acquisition will enhance 42Com's global reach and network in Europe and the CIS, which will complement its recent expansion in the Americas.

"The partnership with Switchover is the result of many weeks of discussions and careful negotiations, with the objective of bringing together two complimentary, quality focused carriers. This new acquisition will further strengthen our position as one of the fastest growing carrier in the industry," says 42com's CEO, Alberto Grunstein.

"Switchover is excited at the prospect of having 42com as its new voice partner, as we are confident that the combined companies will bring great benefits to our existing customers such as enhanced global reach, quality as well as competitive prices. I could not be happier," says Stefano Iannucci, Chairman and CEO of Switchover.

About 42com

42com is a German land line telecom operator, focused on carrier-to-carrier business, with strong relations with European, African and Middle/Far Eastern carriers. It is driven to provide fraud free and high-quality voice termination, supporting mainly Tier-1 telecom operators in achieving full network accessibility with top notch reactive and flexible technical and managed solutions.

www.42com.com



About Switchover

Switchover AG is a Swiss Company that operates in the wholesale telecommunication market. Our story starts in 2003 in London, when Switchward Ltd was established. In 2004 we became a Swiss telephone operator. In 2012, Moldtelecom - the national telecommunication company of Moldova, selected us as the exclusive gateway for the incoming and outgoing international voice traffic until 2021. Our dedicated teams, located in Chisinau and Switzerland, are continuously building fruitful and reliable relationships with our partners and clients.

www.switchover.ch
LONDON , March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cyber Management Alliance Ltd, a cybersecurity consultancy and training organisation will be delivering eight events in cybersecurity training for minority-owned businesses in the Midlands region supported by Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS).

Businesses will be able to attend the sessions during March and April 2022 at locations across the Midlands: Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Coventry, Derby, Leicester and Nottingham.

Attendees of the NCSC-Certified training course in Cybersecurity & Privacy Essentials (CSPE) will have the opportunity to learn:

How to protect their business from cyber criminals and ransomware attacks .

. What is Cyber Essentials and why it's important and relevant for every business in the UK.

How to ensure they don't get fined by the privacy regulator.

The training sessions will be followed by a Q&A session with the cybersecurity expert in English, Hindi, Urdu & Punjabi.

Amar Singh, CEO & Co-Founder of CM-Alliance, said, "Cyber criminals are making millions of pounds from attacking small businesses who don't always have the technical expertise to protect themselves from advanced attackers. We care deeply about enabling organisations to make themselves more resilient against cyber-crimes, and are therefore thrilled to have received government support for furthering our mission."

Bal Rai, Co-Founder & MD of CM-Alliance, added, "As a minority-owned business ourselves, we are pleased to have this opportunity to train and empower others like us in bolstering their cyber resilience capabilities and protecting themselves from cyber-attacks and ransomware attacks."

In addition to this, Cyber Management Alliance has been building widespread cyber resilience across the UK and trains organisations including the NHS, Police forces, and numerous local councils. Its overarching mission is to empower small businesses to build cybersecurity capabilities so that they can better protect themselves against cyber intruders and respond to business-impacting cyber-attacks.

More information about the training details and schedule is available here: https://www.cm-alliance.com/dcms-cspe

About Cyber Management Alliance

Founded in 2015 and headquartered in London UK, Cyber Management Alliance Ltd. is a leading cybersecurity consultancy and training organisation.

Cyber Management Alliance Ltd. has established its domain leadership by assessing, building and improving its clients' cyber resilience capabilities through training, consultancy, tabletop exercises, health checks, assessments and audits.

Cyber Management Alliance is also renowned globally as the creator of training courses in Cyber Incident Planning & Response and Building and Optimising Incident Response Playbooks, certified by the NCSC. Our cybersecurity consultancy service offering includes Trusted Advisory, Virtual CISO services and Virtual Cyber Assistant. We also offer a wide suite of audits and assessments to organisations focussed on better managing cyber risk. Creator of training courses in Cyber Incident Planning & Response and Building and Optimising Incident Response Playbooks, certified by the NCSC

14th March - Wolverhampton

15th March - Birmingham

16th March - Leicester

17th March - Coventry/Warwick

31st March - Hayes, London

4th April - Birmingham

26th April - Derby

27th April - Nottingham

National Cyber Strategy

The Midlands region hosted the launch of the Government's UK's National Cyber Strategy in December 2021 in Birmingham.

Media Contact:

Aditi Uberoi

aditi@cm-alliance.com

0203 189 1422

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1761731/CM_NCSC_Certified_Training.jpg
New central source for digitised corporate sustainability data will be made available to Google Cloud customers

Developed by Arabesque, ESG Book is a new central source for digitised corporate sustainability information, built on Google Cloud

ESG Book will leverage Google Cloud's technology to enhance its cloud-based capabilities and meet increasing global demand for easily accessible, comparable and transparent ESG data

The collaboration will enable Google Cloud's customers access to ESG Book's market-leading data products and solutions via Google Cloud's Analytics Hub

LONDON, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ESG Book, a central source for accessible and digital corporate sustainability data, today announced a collaboration with Google Cloud to deliver next-generation ESG data solutions through cloud technology. Launched by Arabesque in December 2021, ESG Book enables companies to be custodians of their own data through a digital platform, providing framework-neutral ESG information in real-time, promoting transparency. The platform has been developed by technology company Arabesque, and runs according to principles from the UN Global Compact, which encourages companies to adopt sustainable policies.

The collaboration will enable Google Cloud's customers access to ESG Book's suite of sustainability data products and solutions through Google Cloud's Analytics Hub, providing a centralised and streamlined data delivery experience at scale. This will open up access to ESG Book's wide range of sustainability metrics and data on corporate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and green revenues, together with its proprietary regulatory solutions addressing Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and Taxonomy requirements.

Dr Daniel Klier, CEO of ESG Book, said, "To realise the transition towards a more sustainable, net-zero future, it's crucial for investors and businesses to have access to comparable and reliable sustainability information. Google Cloud's cutting-edge infrastructure will enable ESG Book to offer a digitised and streamlined approach to ESG data and unlock both value and actionable, real-time insights. We are truly excited to be collaborating with Google Cloud."

Justin Keeble, Managing Director, Global Sustainability, Google Cloud, said, "Fast, easy access to ESG and sustainability data has never been more important for businesses today, so they can act now. At Google Cloud, we're seeing every customer in every industry respond to sustainability changes and data is at the centre of that transformation. We are proud to support our customers by making ESG Book's data readily available, speeding up access to such critical data."

Notes to Editors

Arabesque is a technology company which supports the financial industry in sustainability and artificial intelligence. It counts many of the world's leading financial organisations among its clients, which collectively manage over $120 trillion in assets. ESG Book is a new central source for digital corporate sustainability data, and is supported by a global alliance of leading organisations including the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Global Reporting Initiative, Bridgewater Associates, HSBC, Deutsche Bank, HKEX, Allianz and Swiss Re.

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1700358/ESG_Book_Logo.jpg
Pre-Stabilisation notice

March 8, 2022

Not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful.

Commerzbank AG

EUR benchmark Mortgage Covered Bond due 2027

Pre-Stabilisation Notice

Commerzbank AG (contact: Daniela Olt-Farrelly; telephone: +49 69 13620) hereby announces, as Stabilisation Coordinator, that the Stabilising Managers named below may stabilise the offer of the following securities in accordance with Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU Regulation 596/2014).

The security to be stabilised: Issuer: Commerzbank AG Guarantor (if any): none Aggregate nominal amount: EUR benchmark Description: Fixed rate Mortgage Covered Bond Offer price: tbc Other offer terms: payment date 15th March 2022, maturity 15th March 2027, denoms 1k/1k, launched under MTN programme; expected issue rating Moody's Aaa Stabilisation: Stabilisation Coordinator:

Stabilising Managers: Commerzbank AG

CACIB

Helaba

ING

LBBW

Natixis Stabilisation period expected to start on: 8th March 2022 Stabilisation period expected to end on: no later than 30 days after the proposed issue date of the securities Existence, maximum size and conditions of use of over-allotment facility. The Stabilising Managers may over-allot the securities to the extent permitted in accordance with applicable law. Stabilisation trading venue: Frankfurt SE, regulated Market

In connection with the offer of the above securities, the Stabilising Manager(s) may over-allot the securities or effect transactions with a view to supporting the market price of the securities during the stabilisation period at a level higher than that which might otherwise prevail. However, stabilisation may not necessarily occur and any stabilisation action, if begun, may cease at any time Any stabilisation action or over-allotment shall be conducted in accordance with all applicable laws and rules.

This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an invitation or offer to underwrite, subscribe for or otherwise acquire or dispose of any securities of the Issuer in any jurisdiction.

This announcement is not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any other jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful.

END
Alongside brand refresh, leading clinical trial technology company announces eConsent and eCOA offerings to better support the patient clinical trial journey.

PHILADELPHIA, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Suvoda LLC today launched a refreshed brand, to better reflect its leadership position as a global clinical trial technology company that specializes in highly complex studies, such as oncology, central nervous system and rare disease. The updated brand comes with a new tagline, Trial wisely, embodying Suvoda's expertise in supporting and empowering pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to take command over the ever-growing operational complexities of life-sustaining studies. After a standout year in 2021 and having supported nearly 1,000 trials across 65 countries since its founding, the company recently expanded beyond its flagship IRT product. Suvoda announced the release of its eConsent and eCOA solutions-now in early adopter phase-marking a critical step in Suvoda's path to streamline complex clinical trials.

"Clinical trials are in the midst of a major shift in complexity and patient-centricity, forcing sponsors and CROs to adapt quickly," said Jagath Wanninayake, CEO of Suvoda. "Now more than ever, clinical trials require both urgency and rigor-Suvoda specializes in both. Our new brand reflects Suvoda's journey and clarifies our purpose as a trusted partner in managing these operational complexities. With an expanded solution set of patient-centric offerings, we are ideally positioned to support the next generation of clinical trials."

The day-to-day work lives of clinical trial professionals have become ever more challenging as they deal with the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic, trends around patient centricity and decentralization. Additionally, due to medical advances, trials in areas like oncology, CNS and rare disease have unique challenges that are creating greater logistical complexity.

Building on the company's extensive experience fine-tuning management of these complexities through its precision-built products, rigorously defined processes, and exceptionally prepared people, Suvoda is applying the same standards of excellence to its new eConsent and eCOA offerings.

What unites these products, which will operate seamlessly on a single platform, is their ability to manage time sensitive, mission critical moments in life-sustaining trials. This product expansion provides trial managers greater visibility into-and control of-the patient journey, while simultaneously simplifying and enhancing the patient experience.

"At Suvoda, we have an intense focus on getting things right for our customers," said Elena Filimonova, chief marketing officer at Suvoda. "The most rewarding part of the rebranding process was hearing from customers, employees, and industry influencers that what we do and how we do it is exceptional. We are excited to tell the Suvoda story, knowing that our position is authentic and supportable, and that we are poised to deliver on a global scale."

As part of the brand launch, Suvoda is unveiling a new logo-a streamlined word mark whose horizontal flow reflects the company's support of the patient journey across the full lifespan of a trial. The brand is supported by an updated color palette and look and feel dominated by close-up photography that keeps the focus on those whom Suvoda serves-clinicians and patients. As part of today's brand reveal, the company launched a new website. To experience the new Suvoda, visit www.suvoda.com.

About Suvoda

Suvoda is a global clinical trial technology company that specializes in highly complex, life-sustaining studies in therapeutic areas like oncology, central nervous system, and rare disease. Founded in 2013 by experts in eClinical technologies, Suvoda empowers clinical trial professionals to manage the most urgent moments in the most urgent trials through its IRT, eConsent, and eCOA solutions delivered on a single platform. Headquartered outside Philadelphia, Suvoda also maintains offices in Portland, OR, Barcelona, Spain, Bucharest, Romania and Tokyo, Japan. The company consistently boasts a customer satisfaction index of 9 out of 10, an NPS score of 70 in its annual surveys, and has been selected by trial sponsors and CROs to support nearly 1000 trials across 65 countries. To learn more, visit suvoda.com. Follow Suvoda on Twitter and LinkedIn .

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1759317/Suvoda_Logo.jpg
Kurma Partners announced the first closing of its Growth Opportunities fund at 160 million. Meeting the demand of the growing maturity of the European biotech and healthtech ecosystem, this new fund, which is targeting 250 million, aims to accelerate the growth of the best European companies in the healthcare sector. For this fund, Kurma Partners has received the support of the European Investment Fund (EIF), Bpifrance1, the Belgian Growth Fund managed by PMV and BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity, SFPI, BNP Paribas Fortis and Groupe Pasteur Mutualite. Eurazeo, which recently increased its stake in Kurma Partners, is also an anchor investor in this fund.

With this new fund, Kurma Partners now covers the entire financing spectrum, from company creation to the most advanced phases of development, in the biotech and healthtech sectors in which its teams have recognized expertise. The fund will mainly target unlisted European companies, addressing strong medical needs, in transformation from R&D-stage to being a commercial-stage company. In launching this Growth Fund, Kurma Partners is leveraging the convergence of scientific and sectoral expertise, entrepreneurial know-how and financial capacity. The objective is to invest in around 15 companies.

Remi Droller and Vanessa Malier, Managing Partners of Kurma Partners commented "The number of European biotech and healthtech companies with products in the final stages of development has been surging in recent years. The launch of the Growth activity will allow us to support the maturity of the European market and to be up to the challenges of companies at the time of their industrial and commercial scale up."

The fund has been granted with the Tibi label making it eligible for the 6 billion mobilized by French institutional investors to accelerate the growth of innovative companies and turn them into national leaders with global ambitions.

To structure the fund and support its growth, Kurma recently strengthened its dedicated team, already composed of Remi Droller and Vanessa Malier, by welcoming Jean-Francois Rivassou and Daniel Parera as Partners to operate respectively from its Paris and Munich offices.

The fund will benefit from the expertise of the whole team and in particular that of Philippe Peltier, Managing Partner in charge of early stage healthtech at Kurma, who will join its investment committee.

In addition, Tony Rosenberg, former Novartis Corporate Head of M&A and Licensing and member of the Executive Committee of Novartis Pharma, and Philippe Gallone, Managing Director of Moelis Company, will join Kurma as Senior Advisors.

1 Bpifrance invests in equity, through the Growth Fund of Funds on behalf of private insurers and La Caisse des Depots, and through the Biotech Health Acceleration Fund (FABS), managed on behalf of the State by Bpifrance, as part of the France 2030 plan.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220307005977/en/

Contacts:

Press

Oxygen PR Agency

Emeline Ouedy emeline.o@oxygen-rp.com +33 6 89 52 78 39

Sandra Codognotto sandra.c@oxygen-rp.com +33 6 63 92 36 00
PARIS (dpa-AFX) - French telecom major Orange SA (ORAN) announced Tuesday that it has entered into exclusive discussions with Spanish telecom company MASMOVIL Group (LORCA JVCO) to combine their businesses in Spain. The combination would take the form of a 50-50 Joint Venture, co-controlled by ORANGE and MASMOVIL (LORCA JVCO) with a combined enterprise valuation of 19.6 billion euros. ORANGE Spain's enterprise value is at 8.1 billion euros, and MASMOVIL's enterprise value is at 11.5 billion euros. The transaction is expected to be signed by the second quarter of 2022 and to close by Q2 2023, subject to approval from the relevant administrative, competition and regulatory authorities. ORANGE and LORCA JVCO would benefit from equal governance rights in the combined entity. Accordingly, neither ORANGE nor LORCA JVCO will consolidate the combined operations. The company noted that TOTEM Spain and MASMOVIL Portugal are not part of the contemplated transaction. The agreement between the companies includes a right to trigger an IPO under certain conditions for both parties, and a path-to-control right for ORANGE to consolidate the combined entity in the case of an IPO. ORANGE said it would neither be forced to exit nor to exercise these options. The combined entity would become a stronger market player with revenues of over 7.5 billion euros, and EBITDAaL over 2.2 billion euros. The joint venture is expected to generate relevant synergies that would reach an annual run rate in excess of 450 million euros from the third year post closing onwards. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Over the past 20 years, Professor Chen Rong, a well-known gynecologist at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, has been striving to help women troubled by menopausal symptoms to age comfortably and gracefully.

Women usually pass through the menopause at around 50, an event that is traditionally regarded as a sign of growing old. But Chen tells her patients that it is also a friendly warning, a reminder to take better care of themselves.

"It's not just a period of 'physical turbulence,' but also an opportunity for women that can't be ignored," said Chen in her new book Better Menopause, co-authored with popular-science writer Xu Xiuhua and published in January.

Chen has given consultations to countless patients at her clinic, and has always made a point of considering their lives beyond the symptoms.

"They may suffer from menstrual disorders, infertility or menopausal diseases, which are closely related to their life experience, family relations and knowledge of health. In treating the menopausal discomfort, it would be very complicated to start with the symptoms, but if we focus on the people, it's easier for us to grasp and solve the main problems," Chen said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency.

In her teenage years, Chen was inspired by the biography of Lin Qiaozhi, the founder of obstetrics and gynecology in China. Having decided to become a doctor, she gained admission to Peking Union Medical College in 1989. After graduation, she chose to specialize in gynecological oncology, but facing death again and again caused her great sadness. Seeking to balance reason and emotion, in 2003, Chen transferred to gynecological endocrinology, a new field that she found very promising.

"Great progress has been made in the diagnosis and treatment of menopausal diseases, but there is still a lot of misunderstanding among the public. We can fill this gap and build a bridge," Chen said.

During menopause, due to the decline of estrogen, women may suffer from various symptoms, such as palpitations, hot flushes, emotional irritability, memory loss, and muscle and joint pain. Such symptoms may be accompanied by organic diseases.

"Some women blindly endure these symptoms," said Chen. "There are also misunderstandings and prejudices against menopausal women in society."

She says that many people complain about women's "bad-tempered" behavior during this period without caring about the reasons.

In order to help with the physical and social difficulties brought on by the menopause, Chen has spent much of her spare time on popular-science education.

"More women have gained a certain understanding of the menopause through my books and videos. For example, they may keep a detailed menstrual record before going to see a doctor, which can make diagnosis easier," Chen said.

In 2015, the average life expectancy of Chinese women was 79.4 years, 42.7 years higher than when the People's Republic of China was founded. As Chen notes, medical progress is inseparable from social development.

"The middle-aged and elderly stages account for an increasing proportion of women's lives, and their health at this stage is largely dependent on whether they can get through the menopause smoothly," she said.

Chen has witnessed positive changes in the women who enter her consulting room. Compared with 20 years ago, they now talk about their confusion and symptoms more directly. Some women in their early 40s come to see her just for a consultation, before they have even felt any symptoms. Menopausal hormone therapy is accepted by almost 100 percent of those for whom it is considered a suitable prescription.

"From a gynecologist's view, in addition to paying attention to malignant tumors and acute infections, women are paying more and more attention to their quality of life," she said.

In 2021, Chen, at the age of 50, also began to experience more obvious menopausal symptoms. Hot flushes were no longer just a medical term to her, but a real sensation, like being roasted by a fire. The same year, she began to write Better Menopause as a gift to herself and all Chinese women.

"In the first half of our life, society expects us to be good daughters, wives, mothers and employees. During menopause, however, our children may have grown up and we may have achieved various things in our career. We should really think about what we value most, what we want to do most, and how to be a better version of ourselves," she said.

In her book, she sincerely recommends that women facing the menopause should cultivate some interests, such as calligraphy, music, dance, embroidery or designing fashion and jewelry.

In the process of writing the book, Chen saw Chinese astronauts successfully complete space missions aboard the Shenzhou spacecraft. She noted that they were aged between 40 and 60, just like the women visiting her clinic.

"At that age, astronauts can fly in space," she thought. "Why should we limit ourselves?" 
TOKYO, Mar 8, 2022 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu today announced its plans to strengthen its status as a leading digital transformation (DX) company that drives DX both in its own and customers' businesses with the aim of realizing a sustainable society.Amidst an ever-changing business environment and growing demand for talent with the skills needed to thrive in the digital age, Fujitsu continues to offer new ways to empower its employees to take ownership of their career development, enhancing the mobility of talent throughout the Group to quickly and optimally allocate the right people to the right positions. Fujitsu also provides employees with opportunities for continued growth, such as a group-wide posting program and a system that supports reskilling of its talent. Fujitsu also actively hires on a rolling basis through its new graduate and mid-career recruitment activities.1. Program to transform talent into "business producers"Fujitsu implemented a system to support employees with training programs to raise and change their skills and to visualize the skills of its approx. 8,000 sales personnel in Japan, aiming to foster the development of "business producers" responsible for creating new value in cross-industry sectors, rather than filling vertical, industry-specific sales positions.Going forward, business producers, who are in direct contact with customers, will play a central role in accelerating Fujitsu's transformation into a DX company.2. Assigning the right people to the right positionsIn fiscal 2020, Fujitsu introduced a job-based human resources system for all manager-class people and up and a group-wide job posting system that allows Group employees that are located in Japan to take on new job positions on their own initiative. In fiscal 2021, approximately 2,000 employees that are located in Japan were transferred or relocated through this group-wide system.Fujitsu also supports the diversification of careers by utilizing its expertise and experience in responding to job offers from outside the Group, and also offers a system to support employees seeking career course redirection outside of the Fujitsu Group at their own request.3. Expansion of the temporary "Self-Produce Support System"As one of the measures to accelerate the optimal allocation of human resources, Fujitsu expanded the existing "Self-Produce Support System"(1), a temporary system to support employees seeking career course redirection outside of the Fujitsu Group. By February 28, 2022, 3,031 employees (full-time employees or those re-employed through the post-retirement re-employment system) mainly 50 years of age or older and employed at Fujitsu or Fujitsu Group companies in Japan had applied for this support.4. Financial impact of the above initiativesThe expansion of the temporary "Self-Produce Support System" is expected to involve a non-recurring expense of 65 billion yen. This expense is recorded in the consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ending March 2022. Accordingly, the full-year consolidated forecast has been revised as follows.(1) Self-Produce Support System :A system that provides a certain level of support to employees who seek career course redirection outside of the Fujitsu Group.About FujitsuFujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company offering a full range of technology products, solutions and services. Approximately 126,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 3.6 trillion yen (US$34 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021. For more information, please see www.fujitsu.com.For more information, visit bit.ly/3CwqscA.Source: Fujitsu LtdCopyright 2022 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
The government of the state of Victoria will fund a floating PV array and an initiative to locally manufacture solar batteries and install a portable renewable energy system for community services during emergencies, as part of its Latrobe Valley program.From pv magazine Australia. The Victorian government has announced AU$1.98 million (US$1.46 million) in funding, to be shared between nine community-led renewable projects in the Latrobe Valley area, traditionally Victoria's coal stronghold. The funding is part of the state government's AU$3 million (US$2.21 million) Latrobe Valley Energy and ...

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.


DUESSELDORF (dpa-AFX) - German energy generation and trading company Uniper SE Tuesday said it will recognize an impairment loss of its loans towards Nord Stream 2 AG in the amount of 987 million euros. The company also backed its financial outlook.



Uniper said the book value results from the loans originally provided to Nord Stream 2 of 695 million euros, plus the current amount of accrued interests of 292 million euros.



The non-operating impairment loss will impact the consolidated IFRS-result in the first quarter of the current financial year, but will not affect the adjusted earnings figures. Going forward, Uniper said it will stop accruing the related interest income of around 100 million euros per year.



While condemning Russian invasion of Ukraine, the company noted that the divestment process of its Russian unit Unipro has been halted for the time being due to the current situation. The process will be restarted as soon as it is feasible.



Uniper is the majority owner of Russian company PAO Unipro with 83.73%. The company started the divestment process at the end of last year. Unipro operates five power plants with a total capacity of over 11 gigawatts in Russia with its approximately 4,300 employees.



Uniper also said it will not make any new investments in Russia and will not transfer any funds to Unipro until further notice.



It is currently impossible to predict how potential Russian sanctions could affect Unipro's business and financial situation. Uniper's long-term import contracts with Russia is essential for the gas supply in Europe, especially in Germany.



The company now said its gas portfolio will gradually shift from natural gas to CO2-low or -free gases. Uniper will not enter into new long-term supply contracts for natural gas with Russia.



In order to further diversify the portfolio and as requested by the German government, Uniper said it plans to bring LNG directly to the German market.







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Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

UNIPER-Aktie komplett kostenlos handeln - auf Smartbroker.de
BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - U.K. stocks were flat to slightly higher on Tuesday after retail sales logged another strong growth in February on higher demand for furniture and home accessories and clothing and footwear. Like-for-like sales increased 2.7 percent on a yearly basis in February as restrictions were lifted, data from the British Retail Consortium and KPMG showed. At the same time, overall retail sales grew 6.7 percent. 'The future is looking increasingly uncertain, with current demand unlikely to be sustained,' Helen Dickinson, chief executive at BRC, said. The benchmark FTSE 100 edged up 10 points, or 0.1 percent, to 6,969 after ending 0.4 percent lower the previous day. M&G shares soared 11.6 percent as the investment manager announced a 500mln share buyback program. Unite Students advanced 1.4 percent. The owner, manager and developer of student accommodation has sold a portfolio of 11 properties, comprising 4,488 beds for 306m to an affiliate of Lone Star Funds. Geotechnical specialist contractor Keller added 2.7 percent after posting a rise in 2021 pretax profit. British Land rose 2.2 percent after the real estate investment trust announced a new joint venture with Melbourne-based pension fund AustralianSuper. IWG jumped nearly 13 percent. After posting improved annual results, the flexible workspace provider announced the merger of its digital assets with The Instant Group. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
BARCELONA, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On 29th and 30th of March 2022, Msheireb Downtown Doha will allocate a new edition of Smart City Expo Doha, the region's leading urban innovation event. With the theme "Sustaining a Future of Resilience," the second edition of the trade show will focus on the main challenges facing the cities of tomorrow and the solutions technology can offer to those who live in them.

Organized by the Government of Qatar's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology; with the support of its innovation laboratory, TASMU, hosted by Msheireb Downtown Doha, and bought by Fira de Barcelona, Smart City Expo Doha will offer a full programme of talks centred on five topics: sustainable cities, global economy and digital readiness, sporting events and connected society, the city as a platform, and reshaping digital public services.

Over 70 speakers, both international and local, are expected to take part, sharing ideas and solutions in terms of how to create a better and more sustainable future for cities and the people who live in them. Notably, keynote speeches will be given by Peter Hirshberg and Jonas Kjellberg.

Hirshberg is an expert innovation advisor for cities and businesses, CEO of Lighthouse.one, Venture Partner at Catalyst Opportunity Zone Impact Fund and founding president of the Maker City urban innovation centre. Kjellberg is a co-author of the Gear Up books used in Stanford University's MBA executive program, and chairman of Nornorm, a company that promotes a circular model of consumption.

In addition to the conference, the event will also have an exhibition area with over 50 participating companies, representing 20 different countries. These include technology companies such as Ooredoo, Huawei, Microsoft, QNB, Vodafone or Meeza which will offer visitors the most cutting-edge solutions in urban innovation.

Smart City Expo Doha is part of the internationalisation strategy of Smart City Expo World Congress, the leading international summit on smart cities and urban solutions organised by Fira de Barcelona, which will hold its 12th edition from 15 to 17 November 2022 in Barcelona, Spain.

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SINGAPORE, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bit.com, the leading high-performance crypto exchange, has announced an industry-first strategic partnership with TON (The Open Network) to develop, enhance and expand the TON ecosystem.

As part of the collaboration, TON's native token custody will be supported by Cactus Custody , the third-party institutional custody service provided by Matrixport, by the end of March 2022. The partnership will also explore the inclusion of TON's native token in crypto-financial services offerings on Matrixport's platform, as well as bit.com's upcoming savings product.

"TON's heritage and roadmap coupled with its performance has given us confidence in its immense potential. We expect our users to recognise its value and embrace it. Bit.com and Matrixport provide a wide range of innovative products, trading and asset management tools that will accelerate the growth of the TON ecosystem. We are delighted to work with TON and look forward to contributing to its community as we integrate TON into our various products," noted Toya Zhang, Chief Marketing Officer of bit.com.

"Matrixport is the first world's leading CeFi platform to offer a variety of institutional-grade services that are vital to the TON ecosystem. Custody and escrow solutions and innovative asset management products provide great value for institutions and retails alike. We are excited about Matrixport and Bit.com's support," added Steve Yun, Founding Member of TON Foundation.

Bit.com listed TON in January 2022 and supports transactions using the TON native token on its platform. Matrixport also supports swaps of the TON native token to USDT or USDC. As a leading high-performance crypto exchange, Bit.com expects to establish similar partnerships with emerging high-quality projects in the near future.

About bit.com

Bit.com is a full-suite cryptocurrency exchange launched by Matrixport , an integrated financial services firm headquartered in Singapore. Since August 2020, bit.com has been online supporting the perpetual, futures, and options products of BTC, ETH, and BCH, with a particular highlight being pioneers to launch BCH options. Trading volume-wise, bit.com is the second-largest in the BTC and ETH options market.

Bit.com is part of the Matrixport family and the burgeoning crypto finance space. Bit.com is committed to providing price discovery, trading strategy execution, and liquidity provision services while constantly driving financial product innovation, listing selective tokens for our users.

About TON

TON is a third-generation proof-of-stake blockchain designed in 2018 by the Durov brothers, the founders of Telegram Messenger. Later, it was handed over to the open TON Community, which has been supporting and developing it ever since. TON was designed for lightning-fast transactions, and it's ultra-cheap, user-friendly, and fully operational.

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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Crude oil prices continued to surge on Tuesday as markets price in a significant disruption to Russian oil exports. Benchmark Brent crude futures rose about 2 percent to $125.68 per barrel, while WTI crude futures were up 1.9 percent at $121.70 amid fears of more penalties against Russia. A top Russian official has warned that a Western ban on Russian oil imports could result in oil prices more than doubling to about $300 per barrel and prompt the closure of the main gas pipeline from Russia to Germany. Europe is heavily dependent on Russian gas. The third round of peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators failed to achieve significant results in Belarus on Monday. The talks will continue, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Ukraine must agree to his demands for the conflict to end. U.S. President Joe Biden is considering a ban on imports of Russian oil while weighing actions that would boost energy production by autocracies in the hopes of mitigating the effects on American consumers and global energy markets, U.S. officials reportedly said. Uncertainty about a revival of Iran's nuclear deal with world powers also contributed to supply concerns. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Launch coincides with International Women's Day in alignment with Finastra's commitment to forwarding diversity, equity and inclusion across financial services

LONDON, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Finastra has opened its fourth annual global Hackathon. Building on the success of its previous events - to redefine finance for good and build an unbiased fintech future - this year's launch coincides with International Women's Day (IWD), aiming to inspire the fintech space to be open by default.

This year the hackathon encourages engagement beyond the global fintech ecosystem with a focus on financial sustainability, inclusion and empowerment. Participants are invited to submit projects under three key themes:

Sustainable and inclusive finance: Financial inclusion and literacy, sustainable and green finance, circular economy, diversity, equity & inclusion, Sustainable Development Goals



Financial inclusion and literacy, sustainable and green finance, circular economy, diversity, equity & inclusion, Sustainable Development Goals Embedded finance : Bringing financial services to other industries with Banking as a Service (BaaS)



: Bringing financial services to other industries with Banking as a Service (BaaS) Decentralized Finance (DeFi): Digital assets, CBDCs, DeFi, Cryptocurrencies, NFTs and metaverses, Web3

Chirine BenZaied, Head of Innovation at Finastra said, "This is more than just a hackathon. It is a fintech movement and we want to ignite a world of financial sustainability, inclusion, and autonomy. We're calling for fintechs, banks, students and more to come forward with innovative ideas. The event is open to all. You don't need to be a technical expert. We believe everyone has a role to play in redefining the future of finance. I'm excited that we're launching our hack on IWD, as it underlines our commitment to inspiring women and girls in the STEM space, breaking bias and encouraging equity for all."

Finastra is making its open APIs available via its FusionFabric.cloud development platform for the hack. A number of partners are also supporting this innovation on a global scale. These include Betacube, DeFi: Chainlink, DeFi Pulse, Google, Hong Kong Cyberport, Lloyds Banking Group, Mastercard, Microsoft, Scotiabank and Societe Generale - FORGE (for DeFi).

Daniel Maggs, Senior Manager, Digital Currencies, Lloyds Banking Group, a Finastra customer supporting the hack said, "We are excited to be involved with this important event that will inspire hackers around the world to innovate and bring ideas that could have real impact and potentially change people's lives for the better, whether that's access to finance, something that supports diversity and inclusion or the next big idea that could change the face of banking."

Amel Saidane, CEO and Co-Founder of Tunisia-based Betacube said, "We look forward to working with Finastra on this year's Hack to the Future. The themes and goals align closely with our vision around creating an open and equal fintech industry. It makes perfect sense for us to be involved specifically with mentoring and in providing support to participants, during and post-event, as we've done with previous Hack to the Future and Women in Fintech incubation programs, jointly with Finastra."

Submissions close on April 10, 2022. Winners will be announced at the end of April. Prizes include scholarship programs, cash, and internship opportunities. There is also a special opt-in category for 'Best Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) Submission', which encourages projects that support this theme.

Finastra is also hosting a youth hackathon for 10-18 year olds, encouraging the next generation to help change the world of finance.

To help drive innovation and explore new ideas sign up to hack here

HackToTheFuture HackingForGood Openbydefault

Finastra is leading by example, and has made strides over the last year towards its ambitious goals around Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. See more about how Finastra is open by default here.

For further information please contact:

Caroline Duff

Global Head of PR

T +44 (0)7917 613586

Ecaroline.duff@finastra.com

finastra.com

About Finastra

Finastra is building an open platform that accelerates collaboration and innovation in financial services, creating better experiences for people, businesses and communities. Supported by the broadest and deepest portfolio of financial services software, Finastra delivers this vitally important technology to financial institutions of all sizes across the globe, including 90 of the world's top 100 banks. Our open architecture approach brings together a number of partners and innovators. Together we are leading the way in which applications are written, deployed and consumed in financial services to evolve with the changing needs of customers. Learn more at finastra.com

LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

Corporate headquarters

4 Kingdom Street

Paddington

London W2 6BD

United Kingdom

T: +44 20 3320 5000

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Eurofins (Paris:ERF):

Eurofins Genomics is proud to announce its support for Our Future Health, the UK's largest ever health research programme. Eurofins Genomics will be genotyping five million consenting participants within Our Future Health. This will provide important data that, when combined with other questionnaire and health information, will generate a comprehensive picture of population health in the UK, insights from which will be used to transform the prevention, detection and treatment of diseases.

Our Future Health is the UK's largest health research programme ever conducted, bringing together the public, charity and private sectors to research disease at an unprecedented scale in the UK.

As one of Europe's leading providers of genomics services, Eurofins Genomics will conduct the genotyping for the Our Future Health programme. To deliver this service, Eurofins Genomics will establish a dedicated laboratory in the UK, where it will carry out genotyping to identify genetic variations and combinations. Genetic variations such as changes of single building blocks of the DNA are associated with many known diseases. Eurofins Genomics will utilise specifically designed microarray technology with high accuracy and reproducibility to identify hundreds of thousands of genetic variations at a time. The resulting data will then be used to determine disease risks and discover biomarkers for diseases diagnosis and therapeutics.

The goal of the Our Future Health programme is to facilitate the discovery and development of new methods of prevention, early detection and treatment of a wide range of diseases.

Today, 59% of UK citizens aged 65 years or older have two or more serious health conditions, and this statistic has been projected to reach 70% by 2035. With the recruitment of five million adult volunteers, this research programme has the potential to improve the long-term health of millions of people in the UK and globally. The insights gained into links between DNA and diseases through this programme will accelerate the development of innovative solutions to help people to live healthier lives for longer.

About Eurofins the global leader in bio-analysis

Eurofins is Testing for Life. With 58,000 staff across a network of 900 laboratories in 54 countries, Eurofins' companies offer a portfolio of over 200,000 analytical methods.

Eurofins Shares are listed on Euronext Paris Stock Exchange.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220308005687/en/

Contacts:

For further information:

Julian Schlomacher

Head of Marketing and Communication Eurofins Genomics Europe

julianschlossmacher@eurofins.com



https://ourfuturehealth.org.uk/

https://eurofinsgenomics.com
VanEck ETFs N.V., an investment company with variable capital, having its statutory seat in Amsterdam

Notice to convene the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders

On Wednesday 20 April 2022, an Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of VanEck ETFs N.V. (the Company) will be held physically at the office of the Company in The Netherlands, Amsterdam, Barbara Strozzilaan 310 at 11.00 am CET.

Agenda of the meeting:

1. Opening

2. Discussion of the management report 2021

3. Discussion and adoption of the annual financial statement 2021 (voting point)

4. Appointment of the auditor (voting point)

5. Distribution of dividend (voting point)

6. Granting of discharge to directors (voting point)

7. Any other business

8. Closing

The agenda and explanatory notes are available at the offices of the company and on its website www.vaneck.com and may be obtained free of charge from the management board/administrator of the Company. The board's report and the annual financial statement 2021 are available for inspection at the office of the Company and are available for free, upon request, with the management of the Company.

Shareholders will be given the opportunity to ask questions in writing or by e-mail regarding the items on the agenda (until 72 hours before the meeting), through NLInfo@VanEck.com or during the Annual General Meeting. The raised questions will be answered if possible (and ultimately) during the meeting.

Attending the meeting: registration, notification, power of attorney

The persons who are entitled to the voting and/or meeting rights in the meeting are those persons who are registered to have these rights on Thursday 23 March 2022 at 5:30 pm CET, after processing of all entries and deletions as of that date (the Record Date ("Registratiedatum")), and are recorded as such in the register designated by the management board (being understood the records of the intermediaries as defined in the Dutch Securities Book-Entry Transfer Act (Wet giraal effectenverkeer) and who have also made a notification to attend the meeting in the manner as described below.

The voting right will only be exercised at the physical meeting by: registered shareholders in person, by means of an electronic power of attorney with voting instructions via ABN AMRO N.V. (via www.abnamro.com/evoting) or through their intermediary or by means of a written power of attorney with voting instructions. The proxy with voting instructions shall in both cases be issued to the company secretary, with the right of substitution, and must be received no later than on the notification date referred to below. The written power of attorney with voting instructions can be requested via NLInfo@VanEck.com and must be sent - together with the statement of the intermediary evidencing the number of shares held at the record date as set out hereinafter - to VanEck ETFs N.V. at the aforementioned e-mail address.

Notification to attend the meeting should be made electronically via ABN AMRO N.V. (www.abnamro.com/evoting) or via the intermediary in whose administration the shareholder is registered (as a participant in its Collective Deposit (deelgenoot in het verzameldepot)) as of the day after the record date and no later than Wednesday 13 April 2022 at 5.00 pm CET (Registration Date (Aanmeldingsdatum)).

The intermediaries are to provide ABN AMRO Bank N.V. with an electronic statement no later than Thursday 14 April 2021 at 1 pm CET via www.abnamro.com/intermediary regarding the number of shares held by the relevant shareholder on the Record Date and for which the notice to attend the meeting is submitted. Intermediaries are requested to include the full address details of the relevant shareholders when submitting such registration in order to allow for an efficient verification of the shareholding on the Record Date.

CoVID-19 developments

In connection with CoVID-19 the board of the Company can decide to change the order and place of the meeting. If this is the case, the Company will publish up-to-date information on www.vaneck.com.

Amsterdam, 8 March 2022

The management board

VanEck ETFs N.V.
Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang attends an interview via video link after the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Science and technology have played an important role in China's successful containment of COVID-19 epidemic, Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang said Tuesday.

Wang told journalists on the sidelines of the ongoing "two sessions" that China has made achievements in research and development for epidemic control.

China had previously granted conditional market approval for three inactivated COVID-19 vaccines and an adenovirus vector vaccine, and in 2022 granted such approval for a recombinant protein vaccine.

China also made progress in other technical routes, as an mRNA vaccine and a DNA vaccine are both in phase-3 clinical trials, Wang added.

In terms of medicine research and development, the minister said a neutralizing antibody drug has been granted conditional market approval, three small-molecule drugs have been put in phase-3 clinical trials, while other related medicines are also under development.

China also improved the capability of COVID-19 nucleic acid test, as testing can be completed within 30 minutes, and researchers are working on new methods of vaccination, such as by inhalation and nasal spray, he added. 
Regulatory News:

Air Liquide (Paris:AI) receives support from the French State, subject to a final validation by the European Commission, to launch its Air Liquide Normand'Hy large scale renewable hydrogen production project. This electrolyzer of an initial 200 MW capacity, which should notably provide renewable hydrogen to TotalEnergies' Normandy refinery, will use Siemens Energy technology. This project will significantly contribute to the creation of a French and European low-carbon hydrogen sector and to the decarbonization of the Normandy industrial basin. It will also contribute to the development of heavy duty hydrogen mobility in this important industrial area.

The Air Liquide large-scale renewable hydrogen production by electrolysis project has applied to the Hydrogen Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI Hydrogen) program, with a requested financial support of 190 million euros. Air Liquide welcomes the French State's will to support the project by reserving the necessary budget for its realization, subject to the conclusion of the investigation by the European Commission.

This electrolyzer project, named Air Liquide Normand'Hy, of a capacity of 200 MW in a first phase, will be located in Port-Jerome, Normandy. It will be one of the first electrolyzers of this size in operation in the world, to decarbonize industry and mobility. It is planned to be commissioned in 2025. It will use Siemens Energy's Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) technology, and will be built in the framework of the partnership announced between Air Liquide and Siemens Energy in February 2021. Air Liquide and Siemens Energy thus contribute to the rise of a European renewable hydrogen sector, with strong Franco-German roots.

Air Liquide is at the heart of a European renewable hydrogen production ecosystem, combining technology, renewable energy and applications. Air Liquide has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with TotalEnergies aiming at the signing of a long term renewable Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for part of the needs of the Air Liquide Normand'Hy electrolyzer. By implementing this electrolyzer technology for the first time at this scale, the Air Liquide Normand'Hy project will be in a position to provide renewable hydrogen to the industrial companies of the Normandy basin and to contribute to the development of low-carbon heavy duty mobility on the Axe Seine.

The supply of renewable hydrogen will contribute to the decarbonization of the refinery industry in this important French industrial basin, in accordance with the RED2 regulation. Air Liquide has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with TotalEnergies for the use of renewable hydrogen on its Gonfreville refinery. This refinery is connected to the local Air Liquide hydrogen network to which the new electrolyzer will also be connected.

Air Liquide Normand'Hy is part of a wider project to decarbonize the Normandy industrial basin. Air Liquide, Borealis, Esso S.A.F., TotalEnergies and Yara International have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in July 2021 aiming at developing a CO2 capture and storage infrastructure in Normandy with the objective to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 3 million tonnes per year by 2030.

Benoit Potier,Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Air Liquide group, stated: I welcome the French State's commitment to Air Liquide Normand'Hy. This support will allow the realization of a major and innovative large-scale renewable hydrogen production project. It will also contribute to the creation of a competitive European hydrogen sector, which we want to spearhead with our partner Siemens Energy. Air Liquide Normand'Hy is at the heart of a vast ecosystem whose ambition is to decarbonize the Normandy industrial basin, notably by giving access to a low-carbon hydrogen network to major industrial companies such as TotalEnergies, but also by contributing to the development of low-carbon heavy duty mobility on the Axe Seine. The creation of that ecosystem with our partners demonstrates the will and the capacity of industrial companies to bring concrete solutions to the fight against global warming. This is in line with our Sustainable Development strategy, which aims not only at reducing our emissions but also at providing a range of solutions to decarbonize the industry.

A world leader in gases, technologies and services for Industry and Health, Air Liquide is present in 75 countries with approximately 66,400 employees and serves more than 3.8 million customers and patients. Oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen are essential small molecules for life, matter and energy. They embody Air Liquide's scientific territory and have been at the core of the company's activities since its creation in 1902.

Air Liquide's ambition is to be a leader in its industry, deliver long term performance and contribute to sustainability with a strong commitment to climate change and energy transition at the heart of its strategy. The company's customer-centric transformation strategy aims at profitable, regular and responsible growth over the long term. It relies on operational excellence, selective investments, open innovation and a network organization implemented by the Group worldwide. Through the commitment and inventiveness of its people, Air Liquide leverages energy and environment transition, changes in healthcare and digitization, and delivers greater value to all its stakeholders.

Air Liquide's revenue amounted to more than 23 billion euros in 2021. Air Liquide is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange (compartment A) and belongs to the CAC 40, CAC 40 ESG, EURO STOXX 50 and FTSE4Good indexes.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220308005718/en/

Contacts:

Corporate Communications

media@airliquide.com

Investor Relations

IRTeam@airliquide.com
Anglesey Mining plc

8 March 2022

Result of General Meeting held on 8 March 2022

At a general meeting of the Company held at 11.00 am on 8 March 2022, the resolution before the meeting was passed.

The following proxy votes had been received by the Company in respect of the resolutions:

Resolution Votes For % Votes Against % Votes Withheld* Delisting from the Official List and Main Market and the application to trading on AIM 72,751,973 99.49 372,455 0.51 54,592

The Resolution was a Special Resolution.

Notes

* A vote withheld is not a vote in law and is not counted in the calculation of votes 'for' and 'against' each resolution. The percentage of votes cast excludes the Votes Withheld.

As at 8 March 2022, the Company's issued share capital and total voting rights consisted of 248,070,732 ordinary shares each carrying voting rights. There are no shares in treasury. As a result, proxy votes representing 30% of the voting capital were cast for the General Meeting.

The full text of the resolutions can be found for inspection on the National Storage Mechansim, https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism

In accordance with Listing Rule 9.6.2 copies of the resolution passed will shortly be submitted to the National Storage Mechanism, https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism

For further information, please contact:

Jo Battershill, CEO +44 7540 366000

John Kearney, Chairman +1 416 362 6686

LEI: 213800X8BO8EK2B4HQ71
Sanjay Keswani, MBBS, FRCP to join company as Chief Medical Officer bringing extensive experience in drug development and life sciences leadership



Lynne Murray, Ph.D., MBA appointed as Chief Scientific Officer after leading MiroBio's R&D efforts since October 2020

Enhanced leadership team will support the clinical development of lead assets MB272 and MB151 and advance pipeline of checkpoint agonist antibodies designed to treat autoimmune disease



OXFORD, United Kingdom, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MiroBio, a biotechnology company advancing checkpoint agonist therapies to restore immune balance, today announced two key additions to its leadership team. Sanjay Keswani, MBBS, FRCP has joined the company as Chief Medical Officer to lead clinical development activities and strategy, and Lynne Murray, Ph.D., MBA will assume the role of Chief Scientific Officer directing the advancement of MiroBio's discovery platform.

"We are thrilled to have Sanjay and Lynne join MiroBio's executive leadership team as we advance a potentially transformative therapeutic approach for patients suffering from autoimmune diseases," said Dr. Carolin Barth, M.D., CEO of MiroBio. "MiroBio's inhibitory receptor agonist approach represents a promising new mode of action for treating these complex diseases. With our enhanced leadership team, we look forward to moving our therapies into the clinic and delivering our ultimate goal of providing durable remission to patients with autoimmune diseases."

Dr. Sanjay Keswani is an accomplished physician-scientist with broad R&D expertise in multiple therapeutic areas and is a former neurology faculty member at the Johns Hopkins Hospital as well as an elected Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, United Kingdom. Dr. Keswani has held senior executive positions in the pharmaceutical industry, including at Roche, where he was Senior Vice President and Global Head of Neuroscience, Ophthalmology and Rare Diseases Research and Early Development, and most recently Annexon Biosciences, where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer. He has been instrumental in the development of multiple approved medicines, including Cymbalta, Aimovig, Emgality, Risdiplam and Faricimab. Dr. Keswani graduated in medicine at St. Bartholomew's Hospital and holds a First-class Honors degree from St. Mary's Hospital, London in molecular immunology. He completed his residency in neurology at Johns Hopkins, where he also ran a R01-funded neuroimmunology research lab.

Dr. Murray has served as Senior Vice President of Research and Development for MiroBio since October 2020 and brings substantial experience in the discovery and development of pharmaceuticals from preclinical to Phase 2 in both large pharmaceutical and small biotech environments. Prior to joining MiroBio, she served as Head of Regeneration at AstraZeneca's early respiratory & immunology department. Over her tenure, she led multiple large and small molecule programs and gained significant business development experience in the partnering & strategy department at AZ. Before this, she was Director of Pharmacology at a U.S.-based biotech, Promedior, and also held a research position at Janssen, Philadelphia after her postdoc at UCLA. Dr. Murray received her MBA from Judge Business School of the University of Cambridge and holds a Ph.D. in immunology and pathology from Imperial College London. She is an author of numerous publications and patents.

MiroBio's pipeline is built on 15 years of foundational research and focuses on targets with the greatest potential in autoimmunity. The company's lead program, MB272, targets the immune receptor BTLA and will undergo clinical research in 2022. MiroBio's PD-1 agonist program, MB151, is progressing in preclinical development with clinical plans being developed for 2023.

About Checkpoint Agonist Antibodies

MiroBio is creating a new class of therapies for autoimmune disease: Checkpoint agonist antibodies. These therapies are designed to precisely restore a balanced immune response and prevent the body from attacking its own cells. Checkpoint pathways are powerful regulators of immune cell function. Each has its own role in specific types of immune cells and differing activity in disease. By selectively activating, or agonizing, the appropriate checkpoint receptor, MiroBio's therapies can deliver a highly potent inhibitory signal to overactive immune cells without being broadly immunosuppressive.

About MiroBio)

MiroBio is a biotechnology company advancing a new class of precision therapies designed to address the immune imbalance that drives autoimmune disease. Its proprietary drug discovery platform, I-ReSToRE, comprehensively evaluates inhibitory receptors for therapeutic potential and designs checkpoint agonist antibody candidates that precisely modulate immune signalling to restore health. MiroBio's pipeline includes several candidates against validated and novel targets with potential in a variety of autoimmune diseases. MiroBio is based in Oxford, U.K.

For more information about MiroBio contact:

Ten Bridge Communications

TBCMiroBio@tenbridgecommunications.com

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at



https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1faf69a5-3044-465d-80a2-914864773157

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/eb09f0b1-7be3-470f-82b7-1cce623e221b
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2022 / Goodbody Health Inc. (CSE:GDBY)(OTCQB:GDBYF) (Goodbody Health" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, following a pilot project using new technology to deliver accessible, fast (available in less than 10 minutes) blood test results in the local community, it has ordered a first tranche of 100 Abbott blood testing machines (the "Abbott Machines") for its existing UK clinic network.

Using the Abbott Machines, Goodbody Health will administer blood tests with respect to lipids (heart / cholesterol) and diabetes through the Company's clinics. By identifying issues relating to heart health and diabetes through its blood testing, the Company hopes to help customers take control through making healthy lifestyle changes and further the Company's mission of helping people 'know more, live better'.

According to Diabetes UK (https://www.diabetes.org.uk/professionals/position-statements-reports/statistics), more than 4.9 million people have diabetes in the UK with 850,000 currently living with Type 2 diabetes yet to be diagnosed. If nothing changes, they predict that 5.5 million people will have diabetes in the UK by 2023.

According to Public Health England (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-matters-preventing-cardiovascular-disease/health-matters-preventing-cardiovascular-disease), one in four deaths in England, based on data from 2016, was caused by cardiovascular disease. Following this report, Public Health England estimates ongoing Healthcare costs in England will amount to 7.4 billion per year.

In January, Parliament's health and social care committee said the NHS faces an "unquantifiable challenge" to deal with patients who have not been treated because many have health conditions that have yet to be identified. Pointing to figures showing that 5.8 million patients are waiting for planned care like routine operations, he warned that the number "could double by 2025" and that the NHS faces an "unquantifiable challenge in tackling a backlog of cases caused by the pandemic".

With the phase one rollout of the Abbott Machines, Goodbody Health will be able to offer blood testing in over 150 UK locations through its clinic network and its partnership with Superdrug.

Geremy Thomas, Executive Chairman, said: "I am pleased that we are able to use technology, in the local community, to offer customers the opportunity to undertake a fast health check of their blood, the results of which can enable them to make decisions to improve their lives."

The Directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Marc Howells

Chief Executive Officer

Goodbody Health Inc.

+44 (0) 20 7971 1255

enquiries@goodbodyhealth.com

www.goodbodyhealth.com

Anne Tew

Chief Financial Officer

Goodbody Health Inc.

+44 (0) 20 7971 1255

enquiries@goodbodyhealth.com

www.goodbodyhealth.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and may also contain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only the Company's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of Goodbody Health's control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes" "plan is" or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur", "will be achieved" or "shortly". The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein include, but are not limited to: the blood testing provided by the Company; the Company's plans with respect to the Abbott Machines; the identification of issues relating to heart health and diabetes; the incidence of diabetes; expected healthcare costs and the ability of test results to enable customers to make decisions to improve their lives.

Although Goodbody Health believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. This is due to the interrelationship between the future services offered by the NHS at no cost, comparative competitor services and other future health factors as well as the reliance on the growth of the partner clinic network and their ability to deliver the services as planned.

Goodbody Health does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws

SOURCE: Goodbody Health Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/691798/Goodbody-Health-Announces-Blood-Testing-Technology-Roll-Out
COEUR D'ALENE, ID / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2022 / Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc. (OTCQB:NJMC) ("IDR", "Idaho Strategic" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company's common stock has been approved for listing on the NYSE American, LLC ("NYSE American"). Trading on the NYSE American is expected to begin on or about March 11, 2022, under the ticker symbol "IDR".

Concurrent with the start of trading on the NYSE American, Idaho Strategic Resources common stock will cease trading on the OTC Markets. Shareholders are not required to take any action.

Monique Hayes commented, "The folks at the NYSE have been great to work with during this entire process and I appreciate their time and professionalism. We look forward to the future and the platform provided by the NYSE is the perfect fit as our company grows in the months and years ahead."

John Swallow, the Company's President and CEO, stated, "For those of us at IDR, every milestone comes with a moment of reflection (usually over a beer), a collective sigh of relief, and for this one - the across-the-board appreciation that Monique did most of the work. This listing is another example of our boots on the ground and blue-collar approach to just about everything."

About Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc.

Domiciled in Idaho and headquartered in the Panhandle of northern Idaho, Idaho Strategic Resources (IDR) is one of the few resource-based companies (public or private) possessing the combination of officially recognized U.S. domestic rare earth element properties (in Idaho) and Idaho-based gold production located in an established mining community.

Idaho Strategic Resources produces gold at the Golden Chest Mine located in the Murray Gold Belt (MGB) area of the world-class Coeur d'Alene Mining District, north of the prolific Silver Valley. With over 7,000 acres of patented and unpatented land, the Company has the largest private land position in the area following its consolidation of the Murray Gold Belt for the first time in over 100-years.

In addition to gold and gold production, the Company maintains an important strategic presence in the U.S. Critical Minerals sector, specifically focused on the more "at-risk" Rare Earth Elements (REE's). The Company's Diamond Creek and Roberts REE properties are included the U.S. national REE inventory as listed in USGS, IGS and DOE publications. Both projects are located in central Idaho and participating in the USGS Earth MRI program.

With an impressive mix of experience and dedication, the folks at IDR maintain a long-standing "We Live Here" approach to corporate culture, land management, and historic preservation. Furthermore, it is our belief that successful operations begin with the heightened responsibility that only local oversight and a community mindset can provide. Its "everyone goes home at night" policy would not be possible without the multi-generational base of local exploration, drilling, mining, milling, and business professionals that reside in and near the communities of the Silver Valley and North Idaho.

For more information on Idaho Strategic Resources click here for our corporate presentation, go to www.idahostrategic.com or call:

Monique Hayes, Corporate Secretary/Investor Relations

Email: monique@idahostrategic.com

(208) 625-9001

Forward Looking Statements

This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended that are intended to be covered by the safe harbor created by such sections. Such statements are based on good faith assumptions that Idaho Strategic Resources believes are reasonable, but which are subject to a wide range of uncertainties and business risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed, projected, or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others: the risk that the Company's Rare Earth Elements projects are not advanced, the risk that the Company's Rare Earth Element drill program does not return favorable results, the risk that the Klondike Shoot does not go into production, the risk that mineral production from the Klondike Shoot is not economic, the impact of supply chain risks and expanding needs of operations as inventory increases; an increased risk associated with production activities occurring without completion of a feasibility study of mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability; environmental hazards, industrial accidents, weather or geologically related conditions; changes in the market prices of gold and silver and the potential impact on revenues from changes in the market price of gold and cash costs; a sustained lower price environment; risks relating to widespread epidemics or pandemic outbreaks including the COVID-19 pandemic; the potential impact of COVID-19 on our workforce, suppliers and other essential resources, including our ability to access goods and supplies, the ability to transport our products and maintain employee productivity; the risks in connection with the operations, cash flow and results of the Company relating to the unknown duration and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; as well as other uncertainties and risk factors. Actual results, developments and timetables could vary significantly from the estimates presented. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Idaho Strategic Resources disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly such forward-looking statements, whether a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE: Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/691988/Idaho-Strategic-Resources-Approved-for-Listing-on-the-NYSE-American
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2022 / iMetal Resources, Inc. (TSXV:IMR)(OTC PINK:ADTFF)(FRA:A7V2) ("iMetal" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that (as per the original news release dated January 25th, 2022 & the follow up news release dated February 2nd, 2022) it will conduct a non-brokered private placement (the "Placement") of up to 16,666,667 units (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.12 per Unit for gross proceeds of up to $2,000,000. Each "Unit" will consist of one common share of the Company and one common share purchase (each, a "Warrant") warrant exercisable to acquire an additional common share at a price of $0.20 for a period of twenty-four (24) months.

The Company also announces that it will conduct a portion of the placement through issuance of units on a flow-through basis (each, an "FT Unit") at a price of $0.15 per FT Unit. Each "FT Unit" will consist of one common share (each, an "FT Share") of the Company and one Warrant. The FT Shares will qualify as "flow-through shares" within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada).

The Company intends to use net proceeds from the Placement towards exploration activities at the Company's Gowganda West property that is located in the Abitibi Greenstone Gold Belt; exploration activities at the 665 hectares road accessible Kerrs Gold Deposit that lies about 90 kilometres east-northeast of Timmins, Ontario in the Abitibi Greenstone Gold Belt, in the event the previously announced property option is consummated; and for general working capital.

In connection with the Placement, the Company may pay finders' fees to eligible third-parties who have introduced subscribers to the Company. All securities issued in connection with the Placement will be subject to a four-month-and-one-day statutory hold period in accordance with applicable securities laws. Completion of the Placement remains subject to the approval of the Exchange.

The Company also announces that, subject to regulatory approval, it has engaged the services of Independent Trading Group ("ITG") to provide market-making services . ITG will trade shares of the Company with the objective of maintaining a reasonable market and improving the liquidity of the Company's common shares.

ITG will receive compensation of CAD$5,000 per month, payable monthly. The agreement is for an initial term of three months and will renew for additional one-month terms unless terminated. The agreement may be terminated by either party with 30 days' notice. There are no performance factors contained in the agreement and ITG will not receive shares or options as compensation. ITG and the Company are unrelated and unaffiliated entities and at the time of the agreement, neither ITG nor its principals have an interest, directly or indirectly, in the securities of the Company.

About Independent Trading Group

ITG is Canada's only brokerage firm dedicated specifically to professional trading. As Canada's foremost Market Making Firm, ITG provides Market Making and Liquidity Provider services that are objective and focused. With its head office in Toronto, ITG employs real traders and provides real liquidity, with an underlying emphasis on integrity and success.

About iMetal Resources, Inc.

A Canadian based junior exploration company focused on the exploration and development of its portfolio of resource properties in Ontario and Quebec. iMetal is focused on advancing its Gowganda West Project, an advanced exploration-stage gold project located within the Shining Tree area in the southern part of the Abitibi greenstone belt about 100 km south-southeast of the Timmins gold camp. Gowganda West shares a border with both Aris Gold Corp.'s (TSX:ARIS) multi-million oz Juby Deposit as well with Orefinders Resources Inc. (TSX-V:ORX) & Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM) (TSX:AEM) Knight Property.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS,

Saf Dhillon

President & Chief Executive Officer

iMetal Resources Inc.

800 West Pender St. - Suite 550

Vancouver, B.C.

V6C 2V6

Office: 604-484-3031

saf@imetalresources.ca

www.imetalresources.ca

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.

This news release may include forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to: statements with respect to future exploration and drilling of the Company; statements with respect to the Placement, use of proceeds and regulatory approval of the Placement; and statements with respect to the Company's geological understanding of its mineral properties. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include results of exploration, variations in results of mineralization, relationships with local communities, market prices, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required under the applicable laws.

SOURCE: iMetal Resources, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/692004/iMetal-Adds-Flow-Through-Shares-to-Equity-Financing-to-Fund-Development-of-Projects-and-Engages-ITG-as-Market-Maker
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2022 / Coppernico Metals Inc. ("Coppernico" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Tim Kingsley as its new Vice President, Exploration, and the promotion of Michael Henrichsen, P.Geo, to Chief Geological Officer from Chief Geologist.

Mr. Kingsley is an exploration geologist with over 18 years of precious and base metal exploration experience at multiple operations in the Americas (Peru, Canada, Alaska). He has held senior exploration roles at Whitehorse Gold Corp. and Trevali Mining Corp. and has a proven track record of discovery and project development. He holds a Master of Science (MSc) in Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences from the University of Idaho and a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Geology/Earth Science from the University of the Pacific.

Ivan Bebek, President and CEO commented, "We are excited to welcome Tim to the Coppernico team as we build a premier South American exploration company focused on a portfolio of world-class exploration opportunities. Tim has an impressive background that ranges from greenfields through to operating mines, his experience and expertise will play a key role in achieving our ambitious exploration goals."

The importance of Mr. Henrichsen's role in management, and particularly in the identification of the Company's Sombrero Project, is reflected in his title as the Company's Chief Geological Officer (CGO). As CGO, Mr. Henrichsen will be the senior officer overseeing the Company's project evaluation and exploration strategies. Mr. Henrichsen was the global structural geologist at Newmont and has worked extensively at major gold camps in South America.

Michael Henrichsen, Chief Geological Officer stated "I would like to express my appreciation to the Board for their support in my appointment as CGO. I want to add that it is a great pleasure to welcome Tim to Coppernico Metals. His exploration philosophy and skills are the right combination to generate the thinking required to make a major discovery and we look forward to working with him as we move ahead with aggressive plans to explore our projects."

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ivan Bebek

President, CEO and Director

For further information on Coppernico Metals Inc., please visit www.coppernicometals.com or contact Margaux Villalpando at (778) 729-0600 or info@coppernicometals.com.

About Coppernico

Coppernico Metals Inc. is an exploration company focused on creating value for shareholders and stakeholders through careful project evaluation and exploration excellence in pursuit of the discovery of world-class copper-gold and nickel deposits in South America. The Company's management and technical teams have a successful track record in raising capital, discovery, and monetization of exploration successes. The Company is currently focused on the Sombrero and Takana projects in Peru. Coppernico Metals Inc. is currently an unlisted reporting issuer and is seeking Canadian and U.S. listings. For more information, visit www.coppernicometals.com.

No regulatory organization has approved the contents hereof.

SOURCE: Coppernico Metals Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/692002/Coppernico-Metals-Announces-Appointment-of-New-VP-of-Exploration-and-Promotion-of-Michael-Henrichsen-to-Chief-Geological-Officer
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2022 / Vox Royalty Corp. (TSX.V:VOX)(VOTCQX:VOX) ("Vox" or the "Company"), a high growth precious metals focused royalty company, is pleased to provide recent development and exploration updates from royalty operating partners Gold Standard Ventures Corp. (TSX:GSV) ("Gold Standard Ventures"), Genesis Minerals Limited (ASX:GMD) ("Genesis"), Develop Global Limited (ASX:DVP) ("Develop"), Norwest Minerals Limited (ASX:NWM) ("Norwest"), and Alamos Gold Inc. (TSX:AGI) ("Alamos").

Spencer Cole, Chief Investment Officer stated: "The past month of royalty operator newsflow includes the exciting release of the South Railroad feasibility study, ongoing exploration success at Sulphur Springs, Puzzle North and Bulgera, capped off by consistent development guidance for Lynn Lake. Each of these projects are being aggressively progressed by well-capitalized operators towards near-term resource updates and development decisions. 2022 continues to be shaping up as a record year for the Vox royalty portfolio based on these developments."

Key Development Updates

Robust feasibility study released for the South Railroad gold project in Nevada by Gold Standard Ventures;

Exceptional drilling results set to underpin growth at Puzzle North gold project by Genesis;

Strong drilling results at the Sulphur Springs copper-zinc project by Develop are likely to result in a significant resource upgrade;

Positive drilling results at the Bulgera gold project by Norwest; and

Significant capital budget planned in 2022 by Alamos for the Lynn Lake (MacLellan) gold project.

South Railroad (Pre-Feasibility) - Robust Feasibility Study Released(1)

Vox holds a 0.633% net smelter return royalty with advance minimum royalty payments over key portions of the South Railroad gold project, which is located in the prolific Carlin Trend of Nevada;

Vox has been receiving advance minimum royalty payments from Gold Standard Ventures since October 2021;

On February 23, 2022, Gold Standard Ventures announced the following feasibility study results: After-tax IRR of 62% and NPV5 of US$487M at Spot Gold Price (US$1,899.20 per ounce) and after-tax IRR of 44% and NPV5 of US$315M at US$1,650 per ounce gold (" Base Case Gold Price "); Payback of 1.6 years at Spot Gold Price and 1.9 years at Base Case Gold Price; 29% increase in Mineral Reserves to 1.6 million gold ounces; 10.5-year operating life with total gold production of over 1 million ounces, with an average gold production of 152,000 ounces over the first four years; Launch of construction financing process, targeting 75% from non-equity sources, to be completed this year in advance of final construction permits; and Orion Mine Finance to provide Gold Standard Ventures with a term sheet of up to $200 million to support the construction of the South Railroad Project.

Vox Management Summary: These compelling feasibility study results closely match Vox management's estimates formed during due diligence for the South Railroad rancher royalty. This high-return project is being fast-tracked towards a first production target in 2024, based on Gold Standard Ventures management guidance.

Kookynie (Pre-Feasibility) - Exceptional Drilling Results at Puzzle North Discovery

Vox holds a A$1/t production royalty on part of the Kookynie gold project (2) ;

; On February 3, 2022, Genesis announced: Outstanding new results from reverse circulation (" RC ") drilling across multiple areas, confirming potential to expand the mineral resource at the Ulysses Gold Project near Leonora in Western Australia; Broad, high-grade zones of gold mineralisation intersected from shallow depths in RC drilling at the Puzzle North Discovery, including: 21USRC1186: 27m @ 8.18g/t Au from 30m; 21USRC1190: 34m @ 13.36 Au from 42m, including 1m @ 382.6g/t Au from 68m; and 21USRC1192: 29m @ 2.91g/t Au from 52m; Drilling at Puzzle North has now defined mineralisation over 600m of strike and up to 100m width, with the mineralisation remaining open both at depth and along strike; Mineralisation at the southern end of the Puzzle pit extended over 200m south with results including: 21USRC1114: 11m @ 2.20g/t Au from 82m; 21USRC1119: 4m @ 9.07g/t Au from 92m; 21USRC1123: 5m @ 5.98g/t Au from 79m; and 21USRC1127: 47m @ 1.07g/t Au from 95m; A large drilling program is currently being planned for the Puzzle North to Puzzle corridor.

Vox Management Summary: This exciting gold exploration royalty that Vox acquired for less than A$150k in 2020 is being rapidly drilled to include the royalty-linked Puzzle North discovery in an expanded feasibility study at the Ulysses gold project. The potential development timeline for this project from exploration to development continues to exceed Vox management expectations.

Sulphur Springs (Pre-Construction) - Strong Drilling Results Point to Significant Resource Upgrade

Vox holds a A$2/tonne production royalty (capped at A$3.7M) on the Sulphur Springs copper-zinc deposit and an uncapped A$0.80/tonne production royalty on the Kangaroo Caves deposit, which is part of the combined Sulphur Springs project;

On February 10, 2022, Develop announced: It has now received ~60% of the assays from the A$10M resource infill and exploration drilling program at Sulphur Springs; The drilling has been highly successful, with numerous high-grade mineralisation intersections of more than 50m, significantly thicker than anticipated and with two of the intercepts being the thickest intersections achieved in the project's history; The results point to a substantial conversion of Inferred Resources to the higher confidence Indicated Resource classification; The upgrade in Indicated Resource classification will pave the way for Develop to update reserves, mine development plans, project costings and to finalise funding options; Exploration drilling has also returned outstanding results, paving the way for an increase to the total resource; A resource update is scheduled for mid-2022; and Preparations for construction of the exploration decline are proceeding rapidly with the approval request submitted. This will be pivotal because it will enable drilling to be conducted faster, and cheaper and brings forward capital/access to the underground deposit.

Vox Management Summary: Under the new leadership of Northern Star Resources founder Bill Beament, the Sulphur Springs project is on track to be expanded in resource size and fast-tracked into underground decline development within the next 12 months. This drilling success indicates that the potential economics of this high-grade copper project are improving month to month.

Bulgera (Exploration) - New High-Grade Drilling Results

Vox holds a 1% net smelter return royalty over the Bulgera gold project;

On February 3, 2022, Norwest announced: The first three of seven diamond drill holes extend new high-grade gold lode to beyond 400m down dip of the shallow Bulgera open pit; Drill results included: BDD21003: 11.3m @ 3.25g/t gold from 260m (downhole), including 4m @ 4.5g/t Au from 260m and 3.3m @ 5.3g/t Au from 268m; BDD21001: 16.5m @ 1.20g/t gold from 128m and 3m @ 4.10g/t gold from 166m; BDD21002: 6m @ 2.07g/t gold from 195m; It is sourcing a drill rig to undertake the Phase 2 diamond drill program (targeting March/April 2022) which will test mineralisation to ~700m down-dip of the Bulgera open-pit; and Norwest's CEO, Mr. Charles Schaus commented: " Assay results from the first 3 diamond holes confirms that strong gold mineralisation extends beyond 400 metres down dip of the shallow Bulgera open pit. Once the gold assays from the remaining 4 diamond holes are received (over the coming weeks), the Company will commence re-modelling the Bulgera gold resources which should add considerably to the current, 94,000-ounce, gold resource reported in April 2020 ".

Vox Management Summary: Norwest management are now guiding towards a remodelled and expanded resource estimate for the past-producing Bulgera gold project which would increase the value of Vox's royalty. Oxide ore from Bulgera was last processed at the nearby Plutonic gold mine in 2004 and given the haul road remains in place, credible near-term development options are available for Bulgera.

Lynn Lake (MacLellan, Feasibility) - 2022 Capital Budget

Vox holds a 2% gross revenue royalty (post initial capital recovery) on part of the MacLellan deposit at the Lynn Lake gold project;

On February 23, 2022, Alamos announced: the total capital budget for Lynn Lake in 2022 is US$14M, including US$11M for development activities and US$3M for exploration; Development activities will be focused on environmental work in support for permitting detailed engineering and other site access upgrades; and The approval of the Environmental Impact Statement for the project is expected in the second half of 2022, following which Alamos expects to make a construction decision.

Vox Management Summary: Alamos management has been very consistent in guiding towards a 2022 construction decision at Lynn Lake and is currently guiding investors towards 2025 first production in its corporate presentation. Alamos' 2022 capital budget further supports its consistent project development guidance.

Qualified Person

Timothy J. Strong, MIMMM, of Kangari Consulting LLC and a "Qualified Person" under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure contained in this press release.

About Vox

Vox is a high growth precious metals royalty and streaming company with a portfolio of over 50 royalties and streams spanning eight jurisdictions. The Company was established in 2014 and has since built unique intellectual property, a technically focused transactional team and a global sourcing network which has allowed Vox to become the fastest growing company in the royalty sector. Since the beginning of 2019, Vox has announced over 20 separate transactions to acquire over 45 royalties.

Further information on Vox can be found at www.voxroyalty.com.

For further information contact:

Spencer Cole Kyle Floyd Chief Investment Officer Chief Executive Officer spencer@voxroyalty.com info@voxroyalty.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Information

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate" "plans", "estimates" or "intends" or stating that certain actions, events or results " may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements".

The forward-looking statements and information in this press release include, but are not limited to, summaries of operator updates provided by management and the potential impact on the Company of such operator updates, statements regarding expectations for the timing of commencement of development, construction at and/or resource production from various mining projects, expectations regarding the size, quality and exploitability of the resources at various mining projects, future operations and work programs of Vox's mining operator partners, the receipt of future royalty payments derived from various royalty assets of Vox, anticipated future cash flows and future financial reporting by Vox, and requirements for and operator ability to receive regulatory approvals.

Forward-looking statements and information are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions that, while believed by management to be reasonable, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Forward-looking statements and information are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the ability of Vox to control or predict, that may cause Vox's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied thereby, and are developed based on assumptions about such risks, uncertainties and other factors set out herein, including but not limited to: the requirement for regulatory approvals and third party consents, the impact of general business and economic conditions, the absence of control over the mining operations from which Vox will receive royalties, including risks related to international operations, government relations and environmental regulation, the inherent risks involved in the exploration and development of mineral properties; the uncertainties involved in interpreting exploration data; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities; the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with Vox's expectations; accidents, equipment breakdowns, title matters, labor disputes or other unanticipated difficulties or interruptions in operations; fluctuating metal prices; unanticipated costs and expenses; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future; the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses, commodity price fluctuations; currency fluctuations; regulatory restrictions, including environmental regulatory restrictions; liability, competition, loss of key employees and other related risks and uncertainties.

Vox has assumed that the material factors referred to in the previous paragraph will not cause such forward looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, the list of these factors is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors. The forward-looking information contained in this press release represents the expectations of Vox as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. While Vox may elect to, it does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required in accordance with applicable laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Technical and Third-Party Information

Except where otherwise stated, the disclosure in this press release is based on information publicly disclosed by project operators based on the information/data available in the public domain as at the date hereof and none of this information has been independently verified by Vox. Specifically, as a royalty investor, Vox has limited, if any, access to the royalty operations. Although Vox does not have any knowledge that such information may not be accurate, there can be no assurance that such information from the project operators is complete or accurate. Some information publicly reported by the project operators may relate to a larger property than the area covered by Vox's royalty interests. Vox's royalty interests often cover less than 100% and sometimes only a portion of the publicly reported mineral reserves, mineral resources and production of a property.

References & Notes:

The South Railroad Feasibility Study Technical Report will be prepared by M3 Engineering & Technology Corporation ("M3") and filed on SEDAR within 45 days following February 23, 2022. Matthew Sletten, PE, Project Manager of M3 and Art Ibrado, PhD, PE, of Fort Lowell Consulting PLLC, working with M3, are the QPs responsible for the scientific and technical information in the Gold Standard Ventures February 23, 2022 news release, as defined by NI 43-101. Thomas L. Dyer, PE and Jordan Anderson, RM-SME of MDA (a division of RESPEC), are the QPs for the reserve estimate and mine planning in the Gold Standard Ventures February 23, 2022 news release, as defined by NI 43-101. Michael S. Lindholm, CPG of MDA (a division of RESPEC), is the QP for the resource estimates in the Gold Standard Ventures February 23, 2022 news release, as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Ibrado, Mr. Sletten, Mr. Dyer, Mr. Anderson and Mr. Lindholm are independent of Gold Standard Ventures. Kookynie Royalty is split in two separate terms: Kookynie (Melita) Royalty - which covers the Puzzle Deposit: A$1/t production royalty >650Kt cumulative ore mined and treated. Kookynie (Consolidated Gold) Royalty - which covers the Puzzle North Discovery: A$1/tonne (for each Ore Reserve with a gold grade <= 5g/t Au), for grades > 5g/t Au royalty = ((Ore grade per Tonne - 5) x 0.5)+1)

SOURCE: Vox Royalty Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/691930/Vox-Provides-Development-Exploration-Updates
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 8, 2022) - Tartisan Nickel Corp. (CSE: TN) (OTCQX: TTSRF) (FSE: 8TA) ("Tartisan", or the "Company") is pleased to provide additional diamond drill core assay results and an update on Tartisan Nickel Corps. 100% owned Kenbridge Nickel Project, located in the Kenora Mining District, Ontario.

Hole KB21-206 intersected two nickel-copper zones at a drill depth of 975 metres and 996 metres. The two zones are interpreted to represent the downdip extension of two horizons (Zone A and Zone B) intersected in holes KB21-198, KB21-200, KB21-202 and KB21-204. In KB21-206 Zone A returned 2.8 metres of 0.86% Ni and 0.18% Cu including a higher-grade section of 1.5 metres of 1.30% Ni and 0.28% Cu. In the same hole Zone B returned 6 metres of 0.47% Ni and 0.18% Cu including 2.5 metres of 0.74% Ni and 0.19% Cu. Hole 206 is located approximately 150m below the deepest drill hole intersection completed in the 1950's (Drill hole K2011- 4.25% Ni over 3m) and is 125 metres north of hole KB21-204 (see press release November 29, 2021, SEDAR). Hole KB21-204 Zone A returned 1.05 metres of 3.18% Ni and 0.19% Cu including a higher-grade section of 0.35 metres of 7.73% Ni and 0.16% Cu. In the same hole Zone B returned 7.8 metres of 0.85% Ni and 0.54% Cu including 4.0 metres of 1.15% Ni and 0.71% Cu. (see Figures 2 and 3). Hole KB21-205 has also been completed with assays pending.

All drill holes completed at the Kenbridge Nickel Deposit have been surveyed with a downhole TDEM system. Interpretation of the data suggests the mineralization extends to depth below the deepest intersections drilled to date.

Mark Appleby, President and CEO of the Company, commented, "We're encouraged by the current metal prices for nickel and copper. Our drilling at the Kenbridge Nickel Deposit suggests there are additional tonnes to be added to the current mineral resource estimate. The borehole TDEM surveys suggest there are higher grade/conductivity targets at depth and along strike. Drilling these high value targets in 2022 should along with our 2021 results enhance the economics of the project. In our upcoming 2022 work program, the Company will continue to enhance the infrastructure of the project including improving all season access into the property and upgrading the core processing facilities. Tartisan will be putting in the necessary enhancements to facilitate year-round work programs. We are moving the Company towards feasibility and recent metals prices are only fueling encouragement."





Figure 1: Location of the Kenbridge Nickel Deposit and Kenbridge North Targets

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1492/115952_bd18661d545a98c4_002full.jpg





Figure 2: Section (East-West) at the Kenbridge Nickel Deposit looking south. Green outline is the current Mineral Resource. Blue and purple are associated gabbro pyroxenite favorable host rocks. Red and Orange outlines are newly modelled borehole TDEM anomalies which are interpreted to extended below the deepest drill intersections. Hole KB21-206 is located approximately 150m below the deepest drill hole intersection completed in the 1950's (Drill hole K2011- 4.25% Ni over 3m) and 125m north of hole KB21-204.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1492/115952_bd18661d545a98c4_003full.jpg





Figure 3: Long Section in lower portion of Kenbridge Nickel Deposit looking west showing drill hole pierce points. Green outline is the current Mineral Resource.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1492/115952_bd18661d545a98c4_004full.jpg





Table 1: Drill hole intersections for holes drilled at the Kenbridge Nickel Deposit received to date. Assays for hole KN21-205 are pending.

To view an enhanced version of Table 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1492/115952_bd18661d545a98c4_005full.jpg

The Company previously released an Updated Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) of the Kenbridge Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project, Atikwa Lake Area, Northwestern Ontario (SEDAR June 1, 2021). The Company is in the process of updating the mineral resource with the recent results from the 2021 drill campaign. These results will be incorporated into an updated Preliminary Economic Assessment considering recent metal price forecasts. The Company is also planning to begin base line environmental surveys and geochemical kinetic studies in order have sufficient data to move towards permitting for an eventual production decision if warranted.

Borehole TDEM surveys will be completed on the Kenbridge North target during the winter once ground and weather conditions allow and will be combined with a ground TDEM survey over 2 additional identified targets to the east and west of the Kenbridge North Grid.

About Tartisan Nickel Corp.

Tartisan Nickel Corp. is a Canadian based mineral exploration and development company whose flagship asset is the Kenbridge Nickel Deposit located in the Kenora Mining District, Ontario. Tartisan also owns; the Sill Lake Silver Property in Sault St. Marie, Ontario as well as the Don Pancho Manganese-Zinc-Lead-Silver Project in Peru.

Tartisan Nickel Corp. owns an equity stake in; Eloro Resources Limited, Class 1 Nickel and Technologies Limited, Peruvian Metals Corp., New Break Resources Ltd., and Silver Bullet Mines Inc.

Tartisan Nickel Corp. common shares are listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE: TN) (OTCQX: TTSRF) (FSE: 8TA). Currently, there are 109,138,503 shares outstanding (120,434,018 fully diluted).

Dean MacEachern P.Geo. is the Qualified Person under NI 43-101 and has read and approved the technical content of this News Release.

For further information, please contact Mark Appleby, President & CEO, and a Director of the Company, at 416-804-0280 (info@tartisannickel.com). Additional information about Tartisan Nickel Corp. can be found at the Company's website at www.tartisannickel.com or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.

The Canadian Securities Exchange (operated by CNSX Markets Inc.) has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/115952
HAVANA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Rocio Bernal, 13, is among the thousands of Cuban students who return to school on Monday for the start of the new academic year following a two-week break.

Wearing a black N-95 facemask, the secondary school student from Havana's El Vedado district told Xinhua that she was eager to receive her new textbooks, study new subjects, and catch up with classmates and teachers.

The mask and stepped-up hygienic precautions were all part of the post-pandemic new normal, said Bernal.

"I am getting accustomed to this new routine imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic," she said. "By attending school, we are forging our future."

Bernal's classmate Haydel Nunez said students had adapted to the new demands of social distancing to reduce the likelihood of spreading the virus.

"We cannot hug and kiss as we did before the pandemic, but we certainly love each other the same way," she said. "It is great to be here."

Cuba reported 548 COVID-19 infections and one death over the past 24 hours, taking the national counts to 1,073,504 and 8,501 respectively, the Ministry of Public Health said Monday.

Across the country, students and teachers have been provided with sanitizers as mask mandates and social distancing guidelines remain in place in public areas.

In addition, ventilation has been enhanced in classrooms and handwashing stations have been set up as part of the educational system's COVID-19 preventive measures.

Since the pandemic hit Cuba in March 2020, students have been shifting between in-person and remote learning according to the COVID-19 situation.

Biology teacher Sonia Diaz said school staff were entrusted with tasks of not only teaching but also ensuring students with COVID-19 symptoms are sent home to recover.

"We have stepped up measures to protect our kids. They deserve all our attention," she said. "There is no reason to fail to do this. Society as a whole will be grateful."

The Caribbean nation has vaccinated more than 96 percent of children aged 2-18 against COVID-19 with home-grown vaccines, according to official data.

Education Minister Ena Elsa Velazquez said comprehensive measures have been implemented for a successful school year despite the ongoing pandemic.

"We are also paying particular attention to the emotional and psychological wellbeing of students due to the harm caused to kids and their families by the pandemic," she said. 


CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The euro climbed against its major counterparts in the European session on Tuesday amid risk appetite, following a report that the European Union is planning to jointly issue bonds to fund energy and defense spending amid the crisis in Ukraine.



The proposal is expected to be presented next week, after an emergency summit of the EU in France due later this week.



The report stated that EU officials are preparing the details of the plan, which would help fund spending through the debt sales.



Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak warned on Monday that Moscow could impose a ban on gas pumping through the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline to retaliate against sanctions imposed by the West.



Meanwhile, the U.S. is planning to impose a ban on Russian oil imports without teaming up with its allies in Europe, although a final decision has not been made yet.



The euro appreciated to 1.0922 against the greenback, from a low of 1.0849 seen at 5 pm ET. If the euro rises further, 1.12 is possibly seen as its next resistance level.



After falling to 0.8275 at 5:15 pm ET, the euro firmed to a 6-day high of 0.8325 against the pound. Next key resistance for the euro is seen around the 0.86 level.



Reversing from its early lows of 1.0038 against the franc and 125.05 against the yen, the euro climbed to 4-day highs of 1.0114 and 126.21, respectively. The euro is seen finding resistance around 1.10 against the franc and 128.00 against the yen.



The euro touched 4-day highs of 1.4995 against the aussie, 1.6007 against the kiwi and 1.4001 against the loonie, up from its prior lows of 1.4791, 1.5858 and 1.3899, respectively. The euro is likely to challenge resistance around 1.53 against the aussie, 1.62 against the kiwi and 1.44 against the loonie.



Looking ahead, U.S. and Canadian trade data and U.S. wholesale inventories for January will be featured in the New York session.







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PARIS, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In light of the war in Ukraine, SINGA, a global organization that brings together local and newcomers (asylum seekers, refugees..), supports the development of citizen hosting programs for refugees in multiple European countries.

More than one million refugees have already fled Ukraine in the past week. This war could generate the largest migration movement of the century in Europe. This tragedy is provoking a new wave of solidarity throughout Europe. In this context, SINGA plans to expand its citizen accommodation methodology "J'accueille" ("I welcome") in multiple European countries. In France and Belgium, hundreds of families have already come forward to SINGA's program to open their doors to people forced into exile. The registration rate is 20 times higher than usual.

This program allows citizens who have a spare room to host refugees for a few months, so that they can focus on their projects. Created in 2015, this accommodation program has proven its effectiveness: the people who enter the program are four times more likely to have a job and six times more likely to find independent, permanent housing. It has already facilitated the reception of Afghan refugees in August 2021.

SINGA wants to deploy this solution in the countries bordering Ukraine: Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Moldavia; and in the European countries that welcome refugees, especially the UK, Germany, Spain and Italy.

The development in Europe will take place through partnerships and the sharing of SINGA's methodology and know-how by providing social support, networking, mediation skills and tools to all NGOs and citizen groups that express the need. "Citizen hosting is a powerful solution. Having developed a real expertise since 2015, it is important for us to pass it on to any organization wishing to support citizens in this approach" says Vincent Berne, Director of the french hosting program.

SINGA stands for a sustainable inclusion policy for all people in exile, on a long term basis."Migration has been changing in scale. This phenomenon is bound to intensify due to global warming and the multiplication of geopolitical crises. This situation only demonstrates the need to implement a policy of hospitality and sustainable inclusion for all exiled people in the world", declares Benoit Hamon, CEO of SINGA Global.

Link to full Press release - UKRAINE - SINGA deploys citizen hosting platform in multiple European countries - Singa (wearesinga.com)

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1761928/SINGA_Logo.jpg

Media Contact: communication@singa.io
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Calibre Mining Corp. (TSX: CXB; OTCQX: CXBMF) (the "Company" or "Calibre") is pleased to announce assay results from the ongoing resource conversion and expansion drill program at the newly acquired, 100% owned Pan mine ("Pan"), located in White Pine County, Nevada. Numerous results outlined below indicate the potential for resource expansion while focusing on converting known zones of mineralization. These reported results are the initial batch from the Q4, 2021 drill program. During 2022, Calibre is advancing an additional multi-rig 50,000 metre program which is currently underway with five drill rigs operating in Nevada.



Highlights from the Pan drill program include:

Drilling has focused on new zones of mineralization and expanding known zones of inferred mineralization,

1.02 g/t Au over 50.3 metres in Hole PR21-045, 0.83 g/t Au over 34.0 metres in hole PCM21-001;

0.47 g/t Au over 45.7 metres in Hole PR21-044, 0.44 g/t Au over 44.2 metres in Hole PR21-002;

0.46 g/t Au over 56.4 metres and 0.40 g/t Au over 62.5 metres in Hole PR21-001;

0.58 g/t Au over 41.2 metres and 0.68 g/t Au over 24.4 metres in Hole PR21-022;

0.40 g/t Au over 30.5 metres and 0.42 g/t Au over 16.8 metres in Hole PR21-021;

0.65 g/t Au over 9.1 metres in Hole PR21-017, 0.59 g/t Au over 13.7 metres in Hole PR21-048; and

0.48 g/t Au over 45.7 metres in Hole PR21-044, 0.55 g/t Au over 16.8 metres in Hole PR21-056

Note: All holes were drilled at angles of -45 to -90 degrees at azimuths designed to intersect targeted structures as nearly as possible to perpendicular when possible. Some drill holes and intercepts reported here did not cross mineralization perpendicularly, and do not represent exact 'true widths'.

Darren Hall, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Calibre stated: "These initial results indicate that several targets previously identified by the Nevada exploration team have the potential to add to the overall Pan resource and extend the mine life. Calibre's 2022 drill program will continue to advance near mine resource conversion and expansion opportunities and test new targets that have not been drilled within the Pan exploration concession.

The team in Nevada have done a commendable job in establishing Pan as a reliable producer, generating operating cash flow which was prudently reinvested into the business. While it is early, we are seeing the benefits of our muti-rig, 50,000 metre exploration and resource expansion drill program, which will give us valuable new information to optimize the Pan mine production profile. Given Calibre's strong balance sheet and consolidated production guidance of 220,000 - 235,000 ounces gold, the Company will generate significant operating cash flow, providing the capital to reinvest and unlock the ultimate potential at Pan."

Tom Gallo, Senior Vice President, Growth of Calibre stated: "Initial drilling at Pan is focused on high priority growth targets adjacent to known resources. We are encouraged by the early results at Pegasus and other areas proximal to previously reported mineral resources and believe expansion of these areas is favourable. We are excited to continue to drill resource expansion opportunities and accelerate our program to test new targets on the 43 km2 Pan property."

Pan Mine Targets

Initial drilling has focused near mine along strike of the Branham Fault Zone ("BFZ"). Drilling within the Pegasus target ("Pegasus"), located on the northeast edge of the operating South Pan open pit, was carried out to expand and convert resources previously classified as inferred. Three holes, PR21-001 (0.46 g/t Au over 56.4 metres and 0.40 g/t Au over 62.5 metres), PR21-002 (0.44 g/t Au over 44.2 metres) and PR21-045 (1.02 g/t Au over 50.3 metres) show mineralization continuing north-easterly anticipated to expand resources. Stratigraphically controlled zones such as Pegasus are being targeted peripheral to the Branham Fault Zone ("BFZ") which has, historically, been the primary control for ore grade mineralization at Pan. Pegasus represents thick gold intercepts continuing along the favourable host rock horizon remaining open to the northeast. Also, within Pegasus, holes PR21-021 (0.40 g/t Au over 30.5 metres and 0.42 g/t Au over 16.8 metres) and PR21-022 (0.58 g/t Au over 41.2 metres and 0.68 g/t Au over 24.4 metres) show thick gold intervals extending down dip. Many of the holes described within this news release suggest expansion or enhancement potential of the modeled resource (see Updated Technical Report, dated September 8, 2021 (https://www.calibremining.com/site/assets/files/6901/panproject_ni43-101_finalreport_562400_010_20210908_compressed.pdf)). The continuity of Pegasus could lead to significant additions to resources in this area.

Additional Highlights from the drill program include:

Hole PR21-017: 0.65 g/t Au over 9.14 metres indicates shallow mineralization may extend southward and eastward and expands and upgrades the mineralization encountered in historic drilling (see Updated Technical Report, dated September 8, 2021 (https://www.calibremining.com/site/assets/files/6901/panproject_ni43-101_finalreport_562400_010_20210908_compressed.pdf)) and expands a block of inferred mineralization;

Hole PR21-056: 0.55 g/t Au over 16.8 metres including 1.17 g/t Au over 3.1 metres represents thicker and higher-grade mineralization to the west of the BFZ which, as described above, has been the primary mineral controlling structure at Pan;

Hole PR21-048: 0.36 g/t over 15.2 metres and 0.60 g/t over 13.7 metres demonstrate a zone of increased thickness relative to the recent resource model in this target zone;

Hole PR21-045: 1.02 g/t over 50.29 metres represents the addition of resource as it falls within the Pegasus target; and

Holes PR21-027 and PR21-025 from the Black Stallion area confirm shallow oxide mineralization with the potential to expand this 'satellite' open pit. The two holes contain 1.08 g/t (PR21-027) over 4.56 metres and 0.41 g/t (PR21-025) over 9.1 metres with all intercepts falling within 30 meters of the surface.



Pan Gold Mine Overview and Opportunities

The Pan Mine is a carlin-style, open pit, heap leach mine located in east-central Nevada, approximately 28 km southeast of the town of Eureka, on the prolific Battle Mountain - Eureka gold trend. Pan ramped up smoothly after restarting operations in September 2017 and has a track record of reserve and resource replacement. Gold production has increased year over year since 2017 with 2021 gold production reaching 45,397 ounces. During 2022, Calibre is advancing a multi-rig, 50,000 metre resource expansion and conversion drilling program at Pan.

Link 1 - Figures (https://www.calibremining.com/site/assets/files/7000/20220307_pan_exploration_news_release_figures.pdf)

Link 2 - Drilling Tables (https://www.calibremining.com/site/assets/files/7000/20220307_calibre_mining_pan_drill_results_table.pdf)

Quality Assurance/Quality Control

Calibre Mining maintains a Quality Assurance/Quality Control ("QA/QC") program for all its exploration projects using industry best practices. Key elements of the QA/QC program include the insertion of assay standards, blanks, and duplicates in the sample stream to ensure the assay lab results are within specified performance levels. Down hole deviation surveys are provided by International Directional Services, utilizing a surface recording gyroscope, and by trained drill crews operating a north seeking gyroscope supplied by REFLEX. RC drilling was performed by Boart Longyear of Salt Lake City, Utah and Alford Drilling from Elko, Nevada. Assays were performed by ALS, Reno where fire assays were determined on a 30-gram charge with an AAS finish. An additional cyanide leach assay was also completed. ALS carries ISO/IEC 17025:2017 certification.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release was approved by Paul Noland (AIPG CPG-11293), Calibre Mining's Vice President, Exploration, Nevada and a "Qualified Person" under National Instrument 43-101.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Darren Hall"

Darren Hall, President and Chief Executive Officer

For further information, please contact:

Ryan King

Senior Vice President, Corporate Development & IR

T: (604) 628-1012

E: calibre@calibremining.com

W: www.calibremining.com

About Calibre Mining Corp.

Calibre Mining is a Canadian-listed, Americas focused, growing mid-tier gold producer with a strong pipeline of development and exploration opportunities across Nevada and Washington in the USA, and Nicaragua. Calibre is focused on delivering sustainable value for shareholders, local communities and all stakeholders through responsible operations and a disciplined approach to growth. With a strong balance sheet, no debt, a proven management team, strong operating cash flow, accretive development projects and district-scale exploration opportunities Calibre will unlock significant value.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Information

This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements in this news release that address events or developments that we expect to occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are identified by words such as "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "project", "target", "potential", "schedule", "forecast", "budget", "estimate", "intend" or "believe" and similar expressions or their negative connotations, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could", "should" or "might" occur. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to: the Company's expectations toward higher grades mined and processed going forward; statements relating to the Company's 2022 priority resource expansion opportunities; the Company's metal price and cut-off grade assumptions; the Company's plans for the Pan Mine for 2022, including production and exploration and its contribution to production growth. Forward-looking statements necessarily involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond Calibre's control. For a listing of risk factors applicable to the Company, please refer to Calibre's annual information form ("AIF") for the year ended December 31, 2020, and its management discussion and analysis ("MD&A") for the year ended December 31, 2021, all available on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect Calibre's forward-looking statements.

Calibre's forward-looking statements are based on the applicable assumptions and factors management considers reasonable as of the date hereof, based on the information available to management at such time. Such assumptions include but are not limited to: the Company being able to mine and process higher grades and keep production costs relatively flat going forward; there not being an increase in production costs as a result of any supply chain issues or ongoing COVID-19 restrictions; there being no adverse drop in metal price or cut-off grade at the Company's Nevada properties. Calibre does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions should change other than as required by applicable securities laws. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements.






BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - Russian Defense ministry announced the opening of humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians from five Ukrainian cities.



Russia's Sputnik News quoted Major General Igor Konashenkov as saying that a ceasefire is introduced Tuesday from 10 AM local time, and humanitarian corridors from Kiev, Chernigov, Sumy, Kharkov and Mariupol are opened.



Ukrainian authorities confirmed that evacuation has started from Sumy in north-east Ukraine for the stranded people to travel to safer places in the country.



A truce agreed to by the two sides to allow the evacuation is expected to last till 9 PM Tuesday local time, reports say.



Russia warned that it will block its main natural gas pipeline to Germany and cut off supply to Europe if the West goes ahead with a potential ban on Russian oil. However, Germany and the Netherlands rejected the U.S.-led plan on Monday.



U.S. President Joe Biden held a video call with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday. 'The leaders affirmed their determination to continue raising the costs on Russia for its unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine,' the White House said.



Hungarian Finance Minister Mihaly Varga said Hungary will not support the expansion of anti-Russian sanctions in the energy sector as this would threaten both the national currency and welfare of Hungarians.



'Whoever asks for the expansion of sanctions wants to make the Hungarian people pay the price of the war. The Hungarian government will not support such a move in any international fora,' he said on Facebook.



As Russia's invasion of Ukraine entered 13th day, fears are mounting for civilians trapped in the besieged cities of Mariupol, Volnovakha and Kyiv.



Ukrainian Authorities say nine people, including two children, were killed in an air strike in Sumy on Monday.



Human Rights Watch accused Russia of breaking laws of war in Irpin, where its forces bombarded a route that hundreds of civilians were using to flee the shelling.



Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky criticized the West for not keeping promises to protect Ukraine from Russian attacks.



'It's been 13 days we've been hearing promises, 13 days we've been told we'll be helped in the air, that there will be planes, that they will be delivered to us,' Zelensky said on a video broadcast on Telegram.



'But the responsibility for that rests also on those who were not capable to take a decision in the West for 13 days,' he added.



In a video of him speaking from the presidential office in Kyiv, Zelensky said he wasn't hiding, and he wasn't afraid.



UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told BBC that Russian troops have not progressed as they hoped and are now 'getting more desperate' as its forces take heavy casualties in Ukraine.



Filippo Grandi, the head of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), said on Tuesday that the number of refugees fleeing Ukraine has reached 2 million. It represents the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.



The Polish Border Guard agency estimates that 1.2 million people have fled from Ukraine to the neighboring country since the war began on February 24.



According to Ukraine's Foreign Ministry, about 12,000 members of 'Russian occupying forces' have been killed in fighting so far.







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- First-ever NFT world exhibition in a global network of airports

- 22 artists participate in groundbreaking collaboration between VINCI Airports, Code Green, led by Malian artist Inna Modja, and World of Women, led by artist Yam Karkai

- An initiative that highlights the positive impact of mobility for cultural openness and diversity and supports the environmental cause

PARIS, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- VINCI Airports, in collaboration with CODE GREEN and WORLD OF WOMEN, are celebrating International Women's Day by organizing the first-ever NFT exhibition worldwide showing the work of 22 incredible artists into more than 20 airports simultaneously, in Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, France, Japan, Portugal and Serbia.

To view the Multimedia News Release, please click: https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/9023151-vinci-airports-brings-women-artwork-all-over-the-world-on-international-womens-day/

To help bring this to life, VINCI Airports, the world's first private airport operator, is partnering with blockchain-based non-profit, CODE GREEN led by Inna Modja - Malian artist, musician, and climate activist - and WORLD OF WOMEN, led by Yam Karkai, co-founder and artist of the highest-grossing women-centric NFT collection, featuring digital artworks of diverse and powerful women.

VINCI Airports will be presenting its passengers with artworks from digital artists Alexa Meade, Allison Harvard, Amber Vittoria, Diela Maharanie, Dong Lu, Elise Swopes, Inna Modja, Izzako, Jess Bianchi, Lana Denina, Laurel Charleston, Laya Mathikshara, Linda Dounia Rebeiz, Livia Elektra, Marjan Moghaddam, Roya Serwah Attafuah, Shavonne Wong, Synchrodogs, Vaby Vel, Zhuk and Yam Karkai. Some of the artworks were first presented at the World Economic Forum, raising more than $250,000 for women-led climate solutions for the Great Green Wall - an African-led initiative growing an 8000km wall of trees across the width of the Continent from Senegal to Djibouti.

This initiative reminds how much the airport sector, and mobility in general, positively contribute to cultural openness, by enabling human contact and the discovery of others. The activation also highlights the linkages between technology, environmental protection and gender equality - with women and girls by far the biggest victims of the accelerating climate emergency.

The initiative shines a light on the unique role of women in that fight. VINCI Airports is accelerating plans by supporting the careers of women within its network. Women are making up 37% of its workforce and growingly hold leadership positions as airport CEOs in the Dominican Republic, Cambodia, Brazil, the United States and France.

Nicolas Notebaert, CEO of VINCI Concessions and President of VINCI Airports, declared: "We are proud to put our airports at the service of such a strong environmental message from women artists. This collaboration embodies VINCI Airports' strongest commitments: make transportation more sustainable and more inclusive. Diversity and gender equity are in the DNA of aviation: mobility brings people closer and helps to build an open world."

Code Green CEO Inna Modja said: "It's inspiring to see a mobility leader like VINCI Airports embrace the fight to decarbonize the transport sector and champion the role of diversity in its network. It made them a natural partner in showcasing these powerful artworks at airports across the globe on the occasion of International Women's Day, highlighting the linkages between climate justice and gender equality to a truly global audience."

World of Women Co-Founder & artist, Yam Karkai said: "At World of Women, we like to have an impact beyond the NFT Space. And we believe that this is an example of us realizing this, by being able to curate and participate in this first ever worldwide NFT exhibition, beside talented artists. We are proud to be achieving this alongside our partner Code Green, and with VINCI airports, who is accelerating its plans to support more women in leading positions, which is typically the type of change we want to see in the world."

For more information :

www.vinci-airports.com

@VINCIAirports

https://www.linkedin.com/company/vinci-airports/

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1761888/VINCI_Airports_IWD.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1759870/VINCI_Airports_Logo.jpg

Media contacts:

Code Green: Marco Conti, marco@codegreen.earth

World of Women: Yen, yen@worldofwomen.art

VINCI Airports: communication@vinci-airports.com, +33 6 34 78 09 36
CHICAGO, IL and VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2022 / The Planting Hope Company Inc. (TSXV:MYLK)(FRA:J94) ("Planting Hope" or the "Company"), a plant-based food and beverage company focused on producing the world's most nutritious and planet-friendly products, is excited to announce that it has established the Hope and Sesame Barista Board ("Barista Board"), a first-of-its-kind community of baristas and coffee shop owners from across North America, with a mission to bring sustainable ideas and programs to the cafe industry with the motto "Do Better".

Sesame is one of the most sustainable crops on the planet, requiring very little water to cultivate, is naturally drought- and pest-resistant, and can self-pollinate. The recently launched Hope and Sesame Barista Blend is a barista-friendly sesamemilk that tastes great, froths beautifully, and performs like a dream in both hot and iced beverages, offering 4g of complete protein per serving.

"We are creating a community that has never existed before, inviting baristas and coffee shop owners to come together to have a sustainable impact in the cafe industry as a whole," says Julia Stamberger, CEO and Co-founder of Planting Hope. "Everything starts from the inside, and we are proud to have invented a plant-based milk that baristas can feel good about for the body and for the planet, without sacrificing taste or quality. We are honored to work with so many talented baristas and coffee shop owners who share in our commitment to sustainability and nutrition."

Caption: Barista Board member Hyacinth Rio pours a sample of steamed Hope and Sesame Barista Blend at Coffee Fest 2022 NYC

"When the Hope and Sesame team came to me and asked what we need as baristas and coffee shop owners from a milk alternative standpoint I was both intrigued and fascinated by their care for the barista community," said Jackie Nguyen, Hope and Sesame Brand Captain, Director of the Barista Board, and CEO and Owner of Cafe Ca Phe. "What also impressed me was Planting Hope's commitment to helping create a positive environmental impact through something we as baristas use every day - milk. Our conversations led us to the idea of an official Barista Board to generate meaningful conversations about how to make our line of work more sustainable while supporting each other in this tight-knit community. I am thrilled to be a part of this initiative and look forward to seeing our impact throughout this industry."

Today, the Barista Board consists of 11 members, each committed to serve on the board for one full year. Upon completion of the full year, the member will introduce another barista to the community and take on a mentorship role going forward. This will keep the Barista Board current with fresh new ideas and insights and will allow those newer to the industry be a part of the movement. The board members currently represent professional and at-home baristas as well as coffee shop owners. The members of the Barista Board were invited to participate in a comprehensive application process and selected specifically for their commitment to sustainability in the cafe industry. Over time, the size of the Barista Board will expand to span more geographical areas and further representation in the overall coffee community, including roasters. For more information about the Barista Board, including to apply for a position as a future Board member, please email Jackie Nguyen at jackie@plantinghopecompany.com.

Planting Hope has partnered with IOVIA, a female-founded accelerator that builds people-powered, sustainable brands to launch the Barista Board across the United States and Canada. Through decades of experience in crowdsourcing, brand community building, and the creator economy, IOVIA partners with clients to fundamentally transform the way brands scale through people-powered movements. IOVIA works with global brands like LEGO, IKEA, and LUSH, as well as emerging food brands to maximize their relevance, revenue, and impact in today's digital economy. IOVIA's Brand Accelerator Lab for plant-based food brands is a leading-edge growth studio to enable sustainable growth.

"IOVIA has made a long-term commitment to work with plant-based food and beverage brands that are focused on sustainability and are addressing the challenges legacy brands face today," said Rob Dawson, CEO of IOVIA. "We believe the Barista Board will not only accelerate the growth of the Hope and Sesame brand, but also build powerful connections directly with customers, through an industry-leading creator community that will drive the brand's growth for years to come."

Hope and Sesame Barista Blend

4g complete plant-based protein per serving (provides all nine essential amino acids)

Excellent source of Calcium and a good source of Vitamin D and Phosphorus

Vegan / Soy-Free / Dairy-Free / Gluten-Free Certified / Kosher Certified

Froths, foams and steams like a dream, great for latte art!

Delicious in any hot or iced drink

Sesame - One of the Most Sustainable Crops on the Planet

Requires little water to cultivate, thrives in drought conditions

Bee-friendly, self-pollinating

An excellent cover crop, contributing positively to sustainable agriculture

Sesamemilk upcycles the protein remaining after sesame seeds are pressed for oil (traditionally considered a by-product used primarily for animal feed)

About Hope and Sesame

Hope and Sesame has cracked the code on unlocking the dense nutrition in tiny sesame seeds, creating an important new trend in plant milk: sesamemilk, both ultra-nutritious and highly planet-friendly. Sesame is sustainable, requiring very little water to cultivate, is naturally drought- and pest-resistant, and can self-pollinate. Sesamemilk is nutritionally comparable to dairy milk, delivering 8g of complete protein per serving (including all nine essential amino acids) - that's 8x the protein in most nut milks and 3x the protein in most oat milks! Specifically developed for and tested by top baristas, Hope and Sesame Barista Blend froths, steams, and foams like a dream, great for latte art, and delivers 4g of complete protein per 8 oz serving. All Hope and Sesame Sesamemilk products are vegan, an excellent source of vitamin D and calcium, are Certified Gluten-Free and Certified Kosher, are free from soy and dairy, and are Non-GMO Project Verified and Certified by the Plant Based Foods Association. Hope and Sesame was awarded Best Milk Alternative and Best Plant-Based Sustainability in FoodBev's 2021 World Plant-Based Food Awards and signature Chocolate Hazelnut flavor received the 2020 Sofi Award for Best New Product, Plant-Based Milk from the Specialty Food Association.

About The Planting Hope Company Inc.

Planting Hope develops, launches, and scales uniquely innovative plant-based and planet-friendly food and beverage brands. Planting Hope's award-winning and cutting-edge products fill key unmet needs in the skyrocketing plant-based food and beverage space. The Planting Hope brand family includes Hope and Sesame Sesamemilk, RightRice Veggie Rice, Mozaics Real Veggie Chips, and Veggicopia Veggie Snacks. Founded by experienced food industry entrepreneurs, Planting Hope is a women-managed and woman-led company with a focus on nutrition, sustainability, and diversity. For more information visit: www.plantinghopecompany.com.

Contacts

Company Contact:

Julia Stamberger

CEO and Co-founder

(773) 492-2243

julia@plantinghopecompany.com

Media Contact:

Rachel Kay Public Relations

Becca Stonebraker

(818) 383-3929

becca@rkpr.net

Investor Relations Contact:

Caroline Sawamoto

Investor Relations

(773) 492-2243

ir@plantinghopecompany.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.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" (collectively referred to hereafter as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements that address activities, events, or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will, or may, occur in the future, including statements about the Company's ability to execute on its goals, the timing pertaining to these goals the potential demand for the Company's products, the timing and success of anticipated product launches and distribution of the Company's products, and the Company's business prospects, future trends, plans and strategies. In some cases, forward looking statements are preceded by, followed by, or include words such as "may", "will," "would", "could", "should", "believes", "estimates", "projects", "potential", "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "continues", or the negative of those words or other similar or comparable words. In preparing the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to, the assumption that demand for the Company's product will be sustained or increase in accordance with management's projections, that the Company's current business objectives can be achieved and that its other corporate activities will proceed as expected, and that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner. Although the management of the Company believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any forward-looking statement herein will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. Risks and uncertainties applicable to the Company, as well as trends identified by the Company affecting its industry can be found in the Company's annual information form dated January 6, 2022 and the Company's continuous disclosure record available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Such cautionary statements qualify all forward-looking statements made in this news release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

SOURCE: The Planting Hope Company Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/692001/Planting-Hope-Creates-Hope-and-SesameR-Barista-Board-to-Strengthen-Sustainability-Impact-in-the-Caf-Industry
TORONTO, ON and NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2022 / GlobeX Data Ltd. (OTCQB:SWISF) (CSE:SWIS) (FRA: GDT) ("GlobeX" or the "Company"), the leader in Swiss hosted secure communications and secure data management, is pleased to announce that it has completed the launch of its business services for its Sekur suite of secure communications, such as SekurMail, SekurMessenger and Sekur.

Additionally, the Company has launched a new plan called SekurMail which is its Email only plan for consumers and businesses. The new plans are as follows (per user):

Sekur for Consumers: US$10/month or US$100/year

Sekur for Businesses: US$15/month or US$150/year

SekurMail for Consumers: US$7/month or US$70/year

SekurMail for Businesses: US$10/month or US$100/year

SekurMessenger for Consumers: US$5/month or US$50/year

SekurMessenger for Businesses: US$7/month or US$70/year

All plans now come with a feature allowing purchasers to select the exact amount of licenses they want to purchase, giving full flexibility to families and businesses who desire to purchase more licenses.

Additionally, businesses are now able to host their company emails on SekurMail and migrate all their existing email from their ISP to the Sekur platform seamlessly. The launch of Email only plans and business packages signals a next step in the Company's product line roll out and the beginning of the B2B and B2B2C phase of marketing to companies of all sizes, directly and through distributors and platforms specializing in marketing to businesses only.

The Company is continuing to work on its SekurMail application and plans to have a first commercial version no later than April 15 2022. With the new business plans and the SekurMAil application, the Company is ready to market its packages to more than 30 million Small and Medium Businesses in the USA.

Alain Ghiai, CEO of GlobeX Data said: "We are excited to deploy our new SekurMail email service and our new Sekur business plans for securing businesses' emails and messaging communications globally. With over 30 million businesses to target in the USA, we have plenty of opportunities to gain a portion of that market share, as businesses small and large are looking for private and secure means of email and messenger communications. Now that businesses can migrate their emails seamlessly to the Company's Sekur platform, we are ready to start marketing to SMBs in the USA at first, and globally later in the year as we expand our reach. We plan to also complete our first commercial version of our SekurMail application, which we believe will be completed no later than mid-April. As we are not connected, and never have been connected, to any Big Tech platform, we can offer a truly independent, private and secure means of communications through our proprietary technology and our secure servers based in Switzerland. We are looking forward to offer true data privacy and no data mining to all Americans and their businesses and protect their intellectual property, and their privacy, from data miners and malicious hackers."

Sekur , which includes SekurMessenger and SekurMail, is part of a bundle of email, messaging and file transfer into one application, includes the Company's latest SekurMail technology, which includes proprietary anti-phishing and privacy feature called SekurSend. SekurSend lets a user send an email to any other recipient, whether they have Sekur or not, in full privacy and security as the email never leaves Sekur 's encrypted email servers based in Switzerland. The recipient can then click on the notification and reply in the same manner using SekurReply, without the recipient having to register for a Sekur account. The sender can also decide to protect any email sent by adding a password to open it, a read-limit and a self-destruct timer as well. Sending an email with the SekurSend feature allows the senders and recipients to add limitless size attachments to the emails without crowding the recipients' email box. This also eliminates BEC attacks for businesses and email phishing attacks. Additionally, SekurMail includes full control of email delivery, automatic data export for large Enterprises and an automatic Data Loss Prevention technology ("DLP") with real time continuous archiving.

Recent data breaches in messaging applications have created a certain urgency for businesses and data privacy advocates to protect their communications form cyber-attacks and identity theft via mobile and desktop devices.

SekurMessenger eliminates many of the privacy and security risks by not only not requiring a phone number, which would divulge a user's phone device ID, but also by not social engineering a user's phone or computer contact list and infecting the contacts by default as well, eliminating a huge loophole in security and privacy. SekurMessenger issues each user a username and a Sekur number. The Sekur number is the contact ID a user would disclose in order for other Sekur users to be added. The service comes with a self-destruct timer and other features as well, including GlobeX's proprietary VirtualVaults and HeliX technologies with all data stored in Swiss hosted encrypted servers.

Additionally, SekurMessenger now comes with a proprietary feature and technology called Chat by Invites. This feature allows a SekurMessenger user ("SM user") invite a non-SM user, or a group of non-SM users, to chat in a fully private and secure way, without the recipient ever having to register to SekurMessenger or download the app. At the end of the chat, the initiator of the conversation can remotely terminate the conversation and all traces of the conversation are deleted from all users, including the recipient. This unique feature is now fully deployed and functional on all iOS and Android devices and web platforms. The target sectors are numerous, including but not limited to real estate, legal, financial, government, energy, mining, manufacturing, trade and medical sectors.

GlobeX's Data privacy solutions are all hosted in Switzerland, protecting users' data from any outside data intrusion requests. In Switzerland, the right to privacy is guaranteed in article 13 of the Swiss Federal Constitution. The Federal Act on Data Protection ("FADP") of 19 June 1992 (in force since 1993) has set up a strict protection of privacy by prohibiting virtually any processing of personal data which is not expressly authorized by the data subjects. The protection is subject to the authority of the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner.

Under Swiss federal law, it is a crime to publish information based on leaked "secret official discussions." In 2010 the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland found that IP addresses are personal information and that under Swiss privacy laws they may not be used to track Internet usage without the knowledge of the individuals involved.

About GlobeX Data Ltd.

GlobeX Data Ltd. is a Cybersecurity and Internet privacy provider of Swiss hosted solutions for secure communications and secure data management. The Company distributes a suite of encrypted e-mails, secure messengers, secure communication tools, and secure cloud-based storage, disaster recovery, document management, . GlobeX Data Ltd. sells its products through its approved wholesalers and distributors, and telecommunications companies worldwide. GlobeX Data Ltd. serves consumers, businesses and governments worldwide.

On behalf of Management

GLOBEX DATA LTD.

Alain Ghiai

President and Chief Executive Officer

+1.416.644.8690

corporate@globexdatagroup.com

For more information, please contact GlobeX Data at corporate@globexdatagroup.com or visit us at https://globexdata.com .

For more information on Sekur visit us at: https://www.sekur.com .

Forward Looking Information

This news release contains certain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). All statements other than statements of present or historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "achieve", "could", "believe", "plan", "intend", "objective", "continuous", "ongoing", "estimate", "outlook", "expect", "project" and similar words, including negatives thereof, suggesting future outcomes or that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations; they are not guaranteeing future performance. GlobeX cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond GlobeX's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to the future of the Company's business; the success of marketing and sales efforts of the Company; the projections prepared in house and projections delivered by channel partners; the Company's ability to complete the necessary software updates; increases in sales as a result of investments software development technology; consumer interest in the Products; future sales plans and strategies; reliance on large channel partners and expectations of renewals to ongoing agreements with these partners; anticipated events and trends; the economy and other future conditions; and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in GlobeX's prospectus dated May 8, 2019 filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators and available on www.sedar.com. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, GlobeX undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

SOURCE: GlobeX Data Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/692009/GlobeX-Data-Launches-Swiss-Hosted-Sekur-for-Businesses-Including-New-SekurMail-Solutions-for-Consumers-and-Businesses-with-Private-Domains-Hosting
The 15th anniversary of the show is the biggest yet

GREEN BAY, WI / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2022 / Registration is now open for the 15th annual Converters Expo in Green Bay, Wisconsin, April 26th-27th. Taking place at Lambeau Field in the heart of the nation's largest converting corridor, Converters Expo brings converters of paper, film, plastics and nonwovens together with industry buyers, specialists and suppliers.

This year's event will be the largest in the show's history. Hundreds of expected attendees will see a sold-out exhibit space sporting the latest converting technology while also meeting with vendors, networking with industry peers and finding solutions to daily challenges. Advance registration is available through April 8th.

Introduced last year and back by popular demand are vendor education sessions. This year's sessions, presented by Bobst, GEW, Midwest Engineered Systems, and Prophit Co., will educate audiences about the latest products, trends, and solutions in converting. Each presentation will be followed by a Q&A session where representatives will be available to answer questions afterward. Each session will be available online for 12 months at ConvertersExpo.com.

"Last year's Converters Expo was big even though people were still concerned about in-person events. So we're expecting even bigger and better things for this year's Converters Expo. Everyone has been waiting to get out and support the converting industry in-person once again," said Glen Gudino, group publisher for BNP Media's Packaging Group. "We're kicking things off with a welcome reception at the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame on the 26th where people can relax, network and meet the staff of Flexible Packaging and Packaging Strategies magazines. When the show floor opens, attendees will find a sold-out exhibit space with plenty to see. And everyone will be well taken care of thanks to the incredibly generous support of our sponsors, Charter Next Generation, Midwest Engineered Systems, Bobst, Rol-Tec, BST North America, Coast Controls, Motion Controls Robotics, Preco, and Valley Grinding & Manufacturing."

Event registration, agenda and information about travel and accommodations are all available at ConvertersExpo.com.

For information about exhibiting or sponsoring Converter Expo South, contact Emily Patten, event sales manager, at pattene@bnpmedia.com or 847-405-4045.

Converters Expo is produced by the BNP Media Packaging Group, which consists of Flexible Packaging and Packaging Strategies magazines, Converters Expo South and Global Pouch Forum. The event is owned by BNP Media (www.bnpmedia.com) which produces industry-specific B2B publications, as well as national and international business meetings, conferences, trade shows, webinars, and industry events with one goal in mind: providing superior information to help professionals succeed in business.

SOURCE: BNP Media

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/691886/Converters-Expo-Registration-Now-Open
SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2022 / Sharp HealthCare, in collaboration with Nascent Biotech, Inc, announced today, its participation in a clinical trial for a novel investigational immunotherapy treatment for patients with glioblastoma (GBM), the deadliest form of brain cancer.

Pritumumab (PTB) is a unique monoclonal antibody that attacks cancers originating in the cells lining an organ - referred to as epithelial cells. These include cancers of the brain, breast, colon and pancreas, as well as melanoma. Prior Phase I and II clinical trials in Japan focused on the treatment of high-grade gliomas including GBM.

This Phase I clinical trial leverages Sharp HealthCare's comprehensive cancer program in this collaboration when treating all forms of brain tumors. With more than 23,000 new cases of GBM diagnosed in the U.S. every year, Sharp HealthCare's cancer expertise and reputation appealed to Nascent Biotech as they chose additional sites.

"The clinical trial is a good fit for Sharp HealthCare, which is devoted to compassionate patient-centered care, creative innovation, and clinical excellence," said Dr. Charles Redfern, medical director of neuro-oncology at Sharp HealthCare's Laurel Amtower Cancer Institute and Neuro-Oncology Center, "This is an exciting clinical trial with targeted immunotherapy for patients with GBM."

Pritumumab works by targeting cell surface vimentin, a protein expressed on the surface of epithelial cancers. Because vimentin is found in a variety of cancers, the clinical trial at Sharp HealthCare could have implications for more common cancers, such as breast or lung. In fact, the trial will employ a unique Phase I design that can also be used in studies of brain metastases and leptomeningeal cancers arising from breast, lung and other solid tumors.

"There are significant unmet medical needs in a variety of cancers," said Sean Carrick, CEO of Nascent Biotech, makers of the immunotherapy treatment. "Nascent is committed to changing patient expectations and outcomes in one of the world's most debilitating cancers and Sharp is a valuable partner towards achieving this goal. We're highly encouraged by the potential of Pritumumab to deliver an innovative, first-in-class treatment option, and we are delighted to be working closely with the Laurel Amtower Cancer Institute and Neuro-Oncology Center at Sharp HealthCare for this study."

For more information on the research studies and clinical trials at Sharp HealthCare, visit www.sharp.com/clinicaltrials.

ABOUT SHARP HEALTHCARE

Sharp HealthCare, San Diego's most comprehensive health care delivery system, is recognized for clinical excellence in cardiac, cancer, multi-organ transplantation, orthopedics, rehabilitation, behavioral health, women's health, home health and hospice services. Sharp HealthCare has been widely acclaimed for its commitment to transform the health care experience for patients, physicians and staff through an organization-wide performance improvement initiative called The Sharp Experience. The Sharp HealthCare system includes four acute-care hospitals, three specialty hospitals, three affiliated medical groups, a health plan and numerous outpatient facilities and programs. To learn more about Sharp, visit Sharp Health News.

About Nascent Biotech Inc

Nascent Biotech, Inc. (OTCQB:NBIO) is a clinical-stage biotech company pioneering the development of monoclonal antibodies to be used in the treatment of various cancers helping millions of people worldwide. Its products are not yet commercially available. The Company's lead candidate, Pritumumab (PTB), is a monoclonal Antibody (Mab) that is being studied in Phase I clinical trials for the treatment of Brain Cancer.

For further information please visit our website www.nascentbiotech.com.

Safe Harbor:

Statements in this press release about our future expectations constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and as that term is defined in the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time, and our actual results could differ materially from expected results. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, Nascent Biotech Inc's ability to target the medical professionals; Nascent Biotech Inc's ability to raise capital; as well as other risks. Additional information about these and other factors may be described in the Nascent Biotech Inc's Form 10, filed on May 2, 2015, and future subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this statement or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.

Corporate Contact:

Sean Carrick

President | CEO

Nascent Biotech, Inc.

772.713.0541 Cell

sean.carrick@nascentbiotech.com

SOURCE: Nascent Biotech, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/691867/The-Laurel-Amtower-Cancer-Institute-and-Neuro-Oncology-Center-at-Sharp-HealthCare-to-Join-Innovative-Antibody-Brain-Cancer-Drug-Trial
MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) - United Airlines has launched Ukraine Relief Effort, a fundraising campaign to support flying workers and supplies to Ukraine, which is under attack by Russia. United also has paused Russian airspace transit, and suspended interline agreements with Russian carriers. In addition, credit card payments from Russia will no longer be accepted on the United app or united.com until further notice. Towards the Ukraine Relief fund, United said its MileagePlus members can donate cash or miles to the airline's signature relief partners, Airlink, Americares, American Red Cross and World Central Kitchen, by visiting united.com/UkraineSupport. The airline intends to match the first five million donated miles, the equivalent of hundreds of connecting flights to places like Poland, Hungary and Romania. It will also match $100,000 as well as award bonus miles to anyone who gives $50 or more. Airlink is delivering critical aid, such as medical, WASH, shelter, and emergency response and medical teams for 20+ humanitarian organizations to help refugees. Americares is mobilizing large-scale shipments of medicine and relief supplies, and it is also prepared to deploy an emergency medical team to provide essential health services for refugees fleeing Ukraine. World Central Kitchen is teaming with local restaurants, caterers, and food trucks in the region to provide hot, nourishing meals at border crossings, shelters, and other refugee communities across Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Moldova, Romania and Slovakia. American Red Cross supports the global Red Cross network providing humanitarian relief to those affected by the Ukraine crisis. In its efforts, United is joining with many other companies who are providing humanitarian relief to refugees in Ukraine and neighboring countries, while also suspending or withdrawing their services from Russia in protest of Ukraine conflict. Mastercard announced a $2 million contribution to the Red Cross, Save the Children and its employee assistance fund for humanitarian relief. Ford Motor recently said Ford Fund is making a $100,000 donation to the Global Giving Ukraine Relief Fund for humanitarian aid. Further, Rockwell Automation, Inc. said it has made a financial contribution to Project HOPE for the same purpose. Accenture is donating $5 million to nonprofit relief organizations working to help people in Ukraine and those who are being displaced into Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
by Gretinah Machingura

HARARE, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe on Tuesday joined the rest of the world in commemorating International Women's Day, with various speakers at the launch, calling for more efforts to build the resilience of women and achieve sustainable gender equality.

In a speech read on her behalf at the launch of the Day, Zimbabwean Minister of Women Affairs, Community Small and Medium Enterprises Development Sithembiso Nyoni, said Zimbabwe's strides in achieving gender parity were being hampered by many factors among them climate change.

While the international theme for this year is "Gender Equality for a Sustainable Tomorrow", Zimbabwe's commemorations ran under the theme: "Gender Mainstreaming and Women Empowerment in Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management".

Nyoni said in line with this year's theme, the commemorations are focusing on how to achieve sustainable gender equality in the context of climate change, its impact on women and ways to mitigate this.

"Women's vulnerability to climate change is due to a number of factors such as social, economic and cultural. It is therefore imperative to make gender considerations in climate change, disaster risk reduction and environmental conservation strategies," she said.

She said women were more vulnerable to climate change compared to men, with women highly dependent on local natural resources for their livelihoods, particularly in rural areas.

Nyoni noted that women have limited access to and control of resources, environmental goods and services and have negligible participation in decision-making.

They were also not involved in the distribution of environmental management benefits.

"Consequently, women are less able to confront climate change. During extreme weather such as droughts, cyclones and floods, women tend to work more to restore and secure household livelihoods. This will leave less time for women to access training and education, develop skills or participate in the economic mainstream, thus gender equality remains low," the minister said.

She said her ministry was alive to the effects of climate change and disasters on women and has been involved in the formulation of policies and strategies which are gender-sensitive and inclusive of vulnerable communities.

Observing that gender equality is crucial for sustainable development of any country, Nyoni decried that gender-based violence is on the rise not only in Zimbabwe but the world over, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said her ministry has adopted an integrated approach towards eradication of gender-based violence and continues to offer comprehensive Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Services through One-Stop Centers, Police Victim Friendly Units and Safe Shelters throughout the country.

To date, the ministry has established six One-Stop Centers that provide all key services required by a GBV/sexual violence survivor under one roof namely health, psychosocial, legal and police services, she said.

"The ministry is also implementing the mobile one-stop center concept to cater for those who are in hard-to-reach areas to access services. Continuous awareness campaigns on GBV are being carried out in all the provinces and districts across the country," she said.

Nyoni added that it was imperative for Zimbabwe to economically empower its women and girls as a sustainable way to achieve gender equality.

Women, she said, should benefit from the COMESA 50 Million Africa Women Speak platform which is meant to provide access to markets, information and investment opportunities.

To date, over 7,000 Zimbabwean enterprises have accessed the platform, she said.

Nyoni urged Zimbabwean women to also take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which has created a large market for goods and services as well as investment opportunities.

In a speech read on his behalf, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu said the impact of climate change on women and the country's socio-economic development aspirations cannot be overemphasized.

"Women, children, youth and people living with disabilities are disproportionately affected by the impact of climate change and require adaptation and resilience-building support.

"Women and children face greater burdens of climate change. It is important that processes and systems that guide the formulation of climate change policies are gender-sensitive and responsive," Ndlovu said.

Zimbabwe, he said, was making progress in the mainstreaming of gender-sensitive climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.

Acting United Nations Resident Coordinator Esther Muia said gender equality in Zimbabwe is being undermined by multiple, interlocking factors.

"Climate change shocks and the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated gender inequalities," she said.

She said gender equality is a critical economic issue for Zimbabwe as it is linked to growth and poverty reduction outcomes.

Muia noted that out of 5 million people living below the poverty datum line in Zimbabwe, 70 percent are women while maternal deaths in the country, at 490 per 100,000 babies born per year, remained unacceptably high.

She said out of every four people infected with HIV in Zimbabwe, one is a young person and out of the four young people infected, three are girls.

To ensure gender equality and to reap the benefits of engaging women who constitute 52 percent of the country's population, the Zimbabwean government needs to ensure equality in access to education, regulate and legalize informal sector employment and increase the participation of women in governance and decision-making positions, she said. 
MIAMI, March 08, 2022will be present in El Salvador on February 28th, 2022, the country that has been a proponent of the Bitcoin Law in that country. The President MR Nayib Bukele delivered the bill to the Legislative Assembly, through the Minister of Economy, Maria Luisa Hayem.



The executives of Harvest Trading Cap were received by the Deputy for the Department of Santa Ana Mr. Jose Safie and the Rector of Andragogy Autonomous University, Guatemala Dr. Roberto Torres.

The first instance Jairo Gonzalez the MA CEO of Harvest Trading Cap accompanied by the Executive Director of Harvest Trading Cap Academy Lic. Gregorix Polanco and entourage, held a meeting with the mayor of Tepecoyo Mrs. Janneth Gonzalez. Where Gonzalez developed the projection of the educational department Harvest Trading Cap Academy , also expressed his commitment to benefit the people living in the community. He added "that its purpose is to educate and impact every person in the community, making it easy for them to understand the usefulness of new financial technologies (FINTECH)."

They also held a meeting with the president and legal representative of the Jerusalem Foundation, Mrs. Laura Ventura, guests present; the Alternate Deputy of the Department of Santa Ana, Mr. Jose Safie and the Rector of Andragogy Autonomous University, Dr. Roberto Torres.

In this meeting they discussed the enactment of educational services, where the main idea of the meeting is to create sources of employment with the scholarships that will be provided through the Jerusalem Foundation and, that they can have access to all the services that represent Harvest Trading Cap : such as consulting, business management with new financial technology, token development, computer security, NFT and new FINTECH products.

The Bitcoin Law is a law approved on June 8, 2021 by the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador, with 62 votes in favor and 19 votes against. The law meant the adoption of Bitcoin in El Salvador, becoming the first country in the world to approve the use of the cryptocurrency.

The educational proposals by Harvest Trading Cap and its educational department Harvest Trading Cap Academy is to teach the management of technologies and digital assets such as Bitcoin, with such training the Salvadoran population will be able to receive the benefits provided by their country in approval of its financial laws.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at



https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/49bcd8ba-614e-4a7f-a83c-4ddb7a42d206

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/73466363-ebae-457a-a71a-48753059294d



A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f68996a1-69a3-4929-94b9-8e5150e607f7


NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2022 / New America Energy Corp. (OTC PINK CURRENT:NECA), name to be changed to "Third Bench", an industry leader in Kitchen & Bathroom cabinetry and countertops.

Third Bench was formed in 2019, with a goal of consolidating fragmented sectors of the construction industry to become a leading national provider of cabinetry, countertops, and related products. Third Bench is headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and services customers throughout the Southwestern United States.

Our strategy has been and continues to be to acquire and grow complementary acquisitions with a specific focus on the residential sector in high-growth regions throughout the Southwestern and Southern United States. We believe that this industry is suitable for consolidation as many high-quality businesses have owners who are at retirement age with limited exit opportunities.

Third Bench management would like to address the status of several topics and our progression towards our goals of 2022.

$50 Million Revenue - Our current operations are expected to generate about $30M in revenue for 2022. We are still on track with our current pipeline of acquisitions to grow our operation to $50M+ of revenue in 2022. At that size, we will be a dominant cabinet supplier in the Southwestern United States and quickly become one of the top 100 largest operations in the industry. Financial Performance - Next quarter will be the first quarterly reporting which will represent full financial performance from all our operations. We have increased our prices again last quarter and made substantial reductions in expenses, which all have a lag time of several months to be realized. We anticipate a substantial increase in profitably and expense reductions to be fully realized by the end of the calendar year. New Potential Acquisitions Targets - The management team has been continuously engaged with a sizable pipeline of acquisition targets. Third Bench has engaged in several site visits to conduct the necessary due diligence prior to an acquisition. We expect to be in a position to submit an LOI before the end of Q2. The new target markets that have been explored are Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Austin, Denver, and additional locations in New Mexico. Reg-A Offering - As of this date, Third Bench has not raised any capital, nor have we issued any shares from the offering. The offering is in place to support the growth of the Company's operations and to support synergistic acquisition targets.

About Third Bench Holdings, LLC

THIRD BENCH Holdings is a holding company for three subsidiary companies operating as an architectural millwork and dealers in the cabinetry, kitchen, and bath areas. THIRD BENCH, through its subsidiary companies, offers products in categories: Residential Cabinets and countertops and commercial millwork throughout the Western U.S. for customers from California to Texas. THIRD BENCH also provides installation services as a part of its vertical offering. Third Bench employs over 150 people and had revenue of about $24 million in 2021. Third Bench is on a run rate of $30.0 million for 2022 and is cash-flow positive. These projections have been provided by management and do not include the additional acquisitions that are currently under review.

Third Bench Holdings

175 S. Main Street #1410

Salt Lake City, UT 84111

https://thirdbench.com/

NECA Contact:

Investor Relations

770-235-6053

info@thirdbench.com

https://twitter.com/necaholdings

NOTICE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements that include the words "believes," "expects," "anticipate" or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the company to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: New America Energy Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/691907/Third-Bench-CEO-Letter-to-Shareholders
The Wabtec Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Wabtec Corporation (NYSE: WAB), today announced a donation of $100,000 to support Ukrainian refugee relief efforts. The donation will be split equally between the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and World Central Kitchen, which are in the region helping the growing number of civilians leaving Ukraine.

"In times like this, it's important for the world to come together to support those most impacted by this conflict," said Rafael Santana, President and CEO for Wabtec. "By supporting the International Rescue Committee and World Central Kitchen, we hope Ukrainian civilians find comfort and relief in this time of need. Our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine, our employees in the region, and their friends and families."

Currently, the United Nations estimates more than 1.5 million civilians have fled the fighting in Ukraine. It is the fastest growing refugee crisis since World War II. From the start of the conflict, the IRC and World Central Kitchen have been in the region servicing those in need.

The IRC is working to scale up support to the government and civil society and to provide for the basic needs of the refugees. The IRC is working with partners in Poland and Ukraine to quickly mobilize resources and provide critical support to civilians forced to flee their homes. The World Central Kitchen began serving hot, nourishing meals in Poland within a day of when the conflict started. The charity is now set up at eight border crossings, as well in Przemysl-a city receiving many refugee families.

The Wabtec Foundation's "Caring for Our Communities" program works to make the world a better place. It's been a goal and part of the business for over 150 years. To have meaningful, sustainable impact, the foundation takes a holistic approach toward investing in communities Wabtec employees live and work.

About International Rescue Committee

The International Rescue Committee responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is at work in over 40 countries and over 20 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future, and strengthen their communities. Learn more at www.rescue.org and follow the IRC on Twitter Facebook.

About World Central Kitchen

Founded in 2010 by Chef Jose Andres, World Central Kitchen (WCK) is first to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises while working to build resilient food systems with locally led solutions. WCK has served more than 60 million fresh meals to people impacted by natural disasters and other crises around the world. WCK's Resilience Programs strengthen food and nutrition security by training chefs and school cooks; advancing clean cooking practices; and awarding grants to farms, fisheries, and small food businesses while also providing educational and networking opportunities. Learn more at wck.org.

About Wabtec

Wabtec Corporation (NYSE: WAB) is focused on creating transportation solutions that move and improve the world. The company is a leading global provider of equipment, systems, digital solutions and value-added services for the freight and transit rail industries, as well as the mining, marine and industrial markets. Wabtec has been a leader in the rail industry for over 150 years and has a vision to achieve a zero-emission rail system in the U.S. and worldwide. The company has approximately 27,000 employees located at facilities in 50 countries throughout the world. Visit Wabtec's new website at: www.wabteccorp.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220308005380/en/

Contacts:

Tim Bader

682-319-7925

tim.bader@wabtec.com
PPRO, the leading provider of digital payments infrastructure, today announced the acquisition of Alpha Fintech, a next-gen payments technology company. The deal will expand PPRO's offering, strengthen its presence and networks in Asia Pacific (APAC), and allow it to deliver products and services faster to its customers.

Alpha Fintech's cloud-based platform allows for the seamless integration of digital payments products and services, from payment processing and merchant management to risk management, fraud prevention, and data analytics.

The APAC-focussed company has played a pivotal role in accelerating the growth of banks, fintech enterprises, and payment service providers, including New Zealand's BNZ and Southeast Asia's super-app Grab.

By adding Alpha's platform to its infrastructure, PPRO is now poised to offer a plug-and-play orchestration layer that will let its customers integrate products and services faster and at scale. Customers can look forward to more global payment flows, the ability to integrate third-party applications, stronger compliance and risk capabilities, and deeper data insights.

PPRO will also welcome Alpha's 90 paytech experts into its ranks, based primarily in Australia and Argentina, as well as the US and Singapore. Their addition boosts PPRO's regional networks and presence and furthers its mission to become a global payments powerhouse.

Speaking about the deal, PPRO CEO Simon Black said: "The acquisition of Alpha Fintech strengthens our position as both a global payments technology leader and trusted infrastructure partner to payment service providers, enterprises, banks and fintechs."

"Global payments are evolving faster than ever. Together with Alpha, we provide the core infrastructure that organisations will need to build out and expand their payment platform," he continued.

Oliver Rajic, CEO of Alpha Fintech, also welcomed the deal, saying: "We want to shake up and democratize payments. Given PPRO's global reach, reputation, and standing, they're the perfect partner to help us do that. We're really excited to collaborate with Simon and the team to come up with end-to-end turnkey solutions that cover every aspect of digital payments."

The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022. Financial Technology Partners (FT Partners) acted as financial advisors and Noerr as legal advisors to PPRO in the transaction. Morrison Foerster acted as legal advisors to Alpha Fintech.

About PPRO

PPRO is a fintech company that globalises payment platforms for businesses, allowing them to offer more choice at the checkout and boost cross-border sales. Payment service providers, enterprises, and banks that run on PPRO's infrastructure are able to launch payment methods faster, optimise checkout conversions, and reduce the complexities of managing multiple fund flows. Citi, PayPal, and Stripe are just some of the names that depend on PPRO to expand their platforms beyond borders.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220308005787/en/

Contacts:

Molly Leahy

molly.leahy@walkersands.com

630-624-8715
Bullish and Far Peak Acquisition Corp. announce extension of outside date for business combination to May 9, 2022

Bullish, a technology company that operates the regulated cryptocurrency Bullish Exchange, today announced that for February 2022, average daily trading volume on the exchange was US$213 million and annualized monthly trading revenue was US$97 million.

Since the platform opened in permitted jurisdictions to select institutional customers on November 24, 2021, and to the public in late December 2021, total trading volume on the exchange has reached over US$14 billion. The platform offers five trading pairs, with more token listings expected this year.

Bullish Chairman Brendan Blumer, and Far Peak's Tom Farley and David Bonanno present further details in a business update video, which is available at investor.bullish.com.

"The response that we've seen from institutions has been extremely encouraging," said Michael Lau, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Sales of Bullish. "We've attracted world-class, established trading firms as well as crypto native enterprises, who value our differentiated and predictable liquidity profile, in addition to our institutional-grade platform features.

"We are looking forward to introducing additional tokens, enhancing and adding to the platform, and expanding our geographies to permitted jurisdictions during the remainder of 2022," he added.

The Bullish exchange has been launched in 40+ select jurisdictions in Asia Pacific, Europe, Africa and Latin America. The trading platform combines the liquidity pool innovation that is popular in decentralized finance (DeFi) with regulatory compliance frameworks, giving institutional and retail traders access to deep liquidity and low-cost transactions. The Bullish exchange is operated by Bullish (GI) Limited and regulated by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission.

As previously announced, on July 8, 2021, Far Peak Acquisition Corporation (NYSE:FPAC), a special purpose acquisition company, and Bullish entered into a Business Combination Agreement (the "Agreement") providing for a business combination in which Bullish would become publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

Bullish and Far Peak today announced that they have agreed to extend the outside termination date under the Agreement from March 8, 2022, to May 9, 2022, in order to facilitate the completion of the business combination. No other changes were made to the Agreement. Subject to various approvals and conditions, including the approval by Far Peak's shareholders, the business combination is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022.

About Bullish

Bullish is focused on developing products and services for the digital assets sector, and its flagship product, Bullish Exchange, has rewired the traditional exchange to benefit asset holders, enable traders and increase market integrity. Supported by the group's treasury, Bullish's new breed of exchange combines deep liquidity, automated market making and industry-leading security to increase the accessibility of digital assets for traders.

The Bullish Exchange has been launched in 40+ select jurisdictions in Asia Pacific, Europe, Africa and Latin America. The trading platform combines the liquidity pool innovation in decentralized finance (DeFi) with regulatory compliance frameworks, giving institutional and retail traders access to deep liquidity and low-cost transactions.

Bullish Exchange is operated by Bullish (GI) Limited and is regulated by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (GFSC) (DLT license: FSC1038FSA).

For more information, please visit investor.bullish.com or bullish.com and follow Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Far Peak Acquisition Corporation

Far Peak Acquisition Corporation was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination in the financial technology, technology or financial services industries. The Company is sponsored by Far Peak LLC, which is ultimately owned by Thomas W. Farley, the Company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and David W. Bonanno, the Company's Chief Financial Officer.

Forward-Looking Statements

This communication includes, and oral statements made from time to time by representatives of Far Peak Acquisition ('FPAC") and Bullish may be considered, "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or FPAC's or Bullish's future financial or operating performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may," "should," "expect," "intend," "will," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," "predict," "potential" or "continue," or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology. In addition, these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Bullish's business strategy, cash resources, current and prospective product or services, as well as the potential market opportunity. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by FPAC and its management, and Bullish and its management, as the case may be, are inherently uncertain. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: (1) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the definitive agreements respecting the pending business combination of FPAC and Bullish (the "Business Combination"); (2) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against FPAC, Bullish or others; (3) the inability to complete the Business Combination due to the failure to obtain approval of the shareholders of FPAC or to satisfy other conditions to closing; (4) changes to the proposed structure of the Business Combination that may be required or appropriate as a result of applicable laws or regulations; (5) the ability of Bullish to meet applicable listing standards following the consummation of the Business Combination; (6) the risk that the Business Combination disrupts current plans and operations of Bullish as a result of the announcement and consummation of the Business Combination; (7) the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the Business Combination, which may be affected by, among other things, competition, the ability of the Bullish following the Business Combination to grow and manage growth profitably, maintain relationships with customers and suppliers and retain its management and key employees; (8) costs related to the Business Combination; (9) changes in applicable laws or regulations; (10) the possibility that Bullish may be adversely affected by other economic, business and/or competitive factors; (11) the impact of COVID-19 on Bullish's business and/or the ability of the parties to complete the Business Combination; and (12) other risks and uncertainties set forth in the sections entitled "Risk Factors" and "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus included in the registration statement on Form F-4 (the "Registration Statement") filed by Bullish with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), in the sections entitled "Risk Factors" and "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in FPAC's Annual Report on Form 10-K for its fiscal year ended September 30, 2021, as filed with the SEC on December 17, 2021, as well as any further risks and uncertainties to be contained in any other material filed with the SEC by Bullish or FPAC. In addition, there may be additional risks that neither Far Peak nor Bullish presently know, or that Far Peak or Bullish currently believe are immaterial, that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Nothing herein should be regarded as a representation by any person that the forward-looking statements set forth herein will be achieved or that any of the contemplated results of such forward-looking statements will be achieved. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Neither FPAC, nor Bullish undertakes any duty to update these forward-looking statements.

Important Information and Where to Find It

This document does not contain all the information that should be considered concerning the proposed Business Combination. It does not constitute an offer to sell or exchange, or the solicitation of an offer to buy or exchange, any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, sale or exchange would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. It is not intended to form the basis of any investment decision or any other decision in respect of the proposed Business Combination. In connection with the proposed Business Combination, Bullish has filed the Registration Statement with the SEC which includes a preliminary proxy statement prospectus with respect to the Business Combination. The definitive proxy statement prospectus and other relevant documentation will be mailed to FPAC shareholders as of a record date to be established for purposes of voting on the Business Combination. FPAC shareholders and other interested persons are advised to read the preliminary proxy statement prospectus and any amendments thereto, when available, and the definitive proxy statement prospectus because these materials contain and will contain important information about Bullish, FPAC and the proposed transactions. Shareholders may obtain a copy of the preliminary proxy statement prospectus and, when available, the definitive proxy statement prospectus without charge, at the SEC's website at http://sec.gov or by directing a request to: Far Peak Acquisition Corp., 511 6th Ave #7342, New York, NY 10011. INVESTMENT IN ANY SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY THE SEC OR ANY OTHER REGULATORY AUTHORITY NOR HAS ANY AUTHORITY PASSED UPON OR ENDORSED THE MERITS OF THE OFFERING OR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.

Participants in the Solicitation

FPAC, Bullish, and their respective affiliates and the directors and executive officers thereof, other members of management and employees may be considered participants in the solicitation of proxies with respect to the Business Combination described herein under the rules of the SEC. Information regarding persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed participants in such solicitation and a description of their interests is set forth in the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus included in the Registration Statement, which can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above.

No Offer or Solicitation

This communication is for informational purpose only and not a proxy statement or solicitation of a proxy, consent or authorization with respect to any securities or in respect of the potential transaction and shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the securities of Bullish or FPAC, nor shall there be any sale of any such securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such state or jurisdiction. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of section 10 of the Securities Act.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220308005517/en/

Contacts:

Christina Pantin

media@bullish.com

investors@bullish.com

contact@farpeak.com
Kolibri Global Energy Inc. (the "Company" or "KEI") (TSX: KEI), is providing the results of its December 31, 2021, independent reserves evaluation.

Wolf Regener, President, and CEO, commented, "We are very pleased that our proved reserves increased slightly (3% increase on a BOE basis), demonstrating the low decline rates of our production and the quality of our reservoir. The year after year of excellent reserve numbers demonstrates the favorable performance of our wells and the long life we anticipate from our field.

Our Proved Reserves value of US$358.8 million dollars (Net Present Value discounted at 10%), which increased 86% from the 2020 independent reserves evaluation, shows how valuable the Tishomingo Field is for the Company. Also of note is that the current oil strip pricing is far higher than the $73 and $70 oil pricing used for 2022 and 2023, respectively, in this reserves evaluation.

We have drilled two additional wells that are not accounted for in this December 31, 2021 reserves evaluation since they were started in 2022. The first of these two wells is currently being completed. We look forward to bringing these wells on production in the current price environment, which is expected to significantly increase the Company's cash flow at current prices and add incremental value to the shareholders."

The evaluation of the Company's reserves in the Caney formation of the Tishomingo Field in the SCOOP area of Oklahoma was conducted by Netherland, Sewell Associates, Inc. ("NSAI") in accordance with National Instrument 51-101 Standards of Disclosure for Oil and Gas Activities

2021 Gross Reserves Summary

Total Proved Reserves 34.1 million Barrels of oil equivalent (BOE)

- an increase of 3% over the December 31, 2020 estimate

Proved plus Probable Reserves 53.3 million BOEs

- an increase of 2% over the December 31, 2020 estimate

Proved plus Probable plus Possible Reserves 76.1 million BOEs

- a decrease of 1% over the December 31, 2020 estimate

Net Present Value of Reserves discounted at 10%

Total Proved Reserves before tax of U.S. $358.8 million

- an increase of 86% over the December 31, 2020 estimate

Proved plus Probable Reserves before tax of U.S. $492.2 million

- an increase of 87% over the December 31, 2020 estimate

Proved plus Probable plus Possible Reserves before tax of U.S. $642.8 million

- an increase of 76% over the December 31, 2020 estimate

The above total Proved reserves are attributed to 18 of the Caney wells already drilled, four Woodford wells (4.9% working interest for the Company) and the drilling of 55.72 net additional wells over the next 3 years. The Probable reserves are attributed to the drilling of 28.3 net additional wells. The wells in this report are planned at 107 acre spacing (6 wells per section) on approximately 14,350 net acres.

Summary of Oil Gas Reserves Tight Oil Shale Gas Natural Gas Liquids MBOE's Reserve Category KEI Gross (Mbbl) Net (Mbbl) KEI Gross (MMcf) Net (MMcf) KEI (Mbbl) Net (Mbbl) KEI (Mbbl) Net (Mbbl) Proved Developed Producing 2,308 1,805 3,205 2,510 659 516 3,501 2,739 Undeveloped 22,207 17,466 22,598 17,704 4,615 3,615 30,588 24,032 Total Proved 24,515 19,271 25,803 20,214 5,274 4,132 34,089 26,771 Probable 12,691 10,085 17,536 13,955 3,581 2,850 19,195 15,261 Total Proved Plus Probable 37,206 29,356 43,339 34,169 8,855 6,982 53,284 42,032 Possible 16,753 13,431 16,418 13,111 3,353 2,678 22,842 18,293 Total Proved Plus Probable Plus Possible 53,958 42,786 59,757 47,280 12,208 9,659 76,126 60,325

Net Present Value of Future Net Revenue As of December 31, 2021 Forecast Prices Costs Net Present Value of Future Net Revenue ($ millions) Before Income Tax After Income Tax Reserve Category 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% United States Proved Developed Producing 106.1 74.4 57.2 46.6 39.6 106.1 74.4 57.2 46.6 39.6 Undeveloped 855.4 483.8 301.6 198.5 134.1 645.0 394.9 252.7 166.8 111.8 Total Proved 961.5 558.2 358.8 245.2 173.8 751.1 469.3 309.9 213.4 151.4 Probable 571.0 257.0 133.4 74.3 42.3 420.7 204.9 105.8 56.4 29.7 Total Proved Plus Probable 1,532.5 815.2 492.2 319.5 216.0 1,171.8 674.2 415.7 269.8 181.1 Possible 871.1 328.1 150.6 76.4 40.3 641.8 267.8 119.9 56.3 26.8 Total Proved Plus Probable plus Possible 2,403.5 1,143.3 642.8 395.9 256.4 1,813.6 942.0 535.6 326.1 207.9 Note: All dollar values are expressed in U.S. dollars and may not add due to rounding.

The Company's reserves are derived from non-conventional oil and gas activities. The Company's reserves are contained in a shale oil reservoir from which gas and natural gas liquids are produced as by-products. "Tight oil" means crude oil (a) contained in dense organic-rich rocks, including low-permeability shales, siltstones and carbonates, in which the crude oil is primarily contained in microscopic pore spaces that are poorly connected to one another, and (b) that typically requires the use of hydraulic fracturing to achieve economic production rates. "Shale gas" means natural gas (a) contained in dense organic-rich rocks, including low-permeability shales, siltstones and carbonates, in which the natural gas is primarily adsorbed on the kerogen or clay minerals, and (b) that usually requires the use of hydraulic fracturing to achieve economic production rates.

These after income tax net present values reflect the tax burden on the Company's Tishomingo Field interests on a standalone basis, do not consider the business-entity-level tax situation, or tax planning and do not provide an estimate of the value at the level of the business entity, which may be significantly different. The financial statements and the management's discussion and analysis (MD&A) of the Company should be consulted for information at the level of the business entity.

Readers are referred to the Company's Form 51-101F1 Statement of Reserves Data and Other Oil Gas Information for the year ended December 31, 2021, which can be accessed electronically from the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com, for additional information.

"BOEs" refers to barrels of oil equivalent. BOEs/boes may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A boe conversion ratio of 6 Mcf:1 Bbl is based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead. Possible reserves are those additional reserves that are less certain to be recovered than probable reserves. There is a 10% probability that the quantities actually recovered will equal or exceed the sum of provided plus probable plus possible reserves. The present value of estimated future net revenues referred to herein does not represent fair market value and should not be construed as the current market value of estimated crude oil and natural gas reserves attributable to the Company's properties. Readers should be aware that references to initial production rates and other short-term production rates are preliminary in nature and are not necessarily indicative of long-term performance or of ultimate recovery.

About Kolibri Global Energy Inc.

Kolibri Global Energy Inc. is an international energy company focused on finding and exploiting energy projects in oil, gas and clean and sustainable energy. Through various subsidiaries, the Company owns and operates energy properties in the United States. The Company continues to utilize its technical and operational expertise to identify and acquire additional projects. The Company's shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the stock symbol KEI and on the OTCQB under the stock symbol KGEIF.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws, including statements regarding estimates of reserves and future net revenue, expectations regarding additional reserves and statements regarding Caney wells development, including plans, anticipated results and timing. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information. Estimated reserves and future net revenue have been independently evaluated by NSAI with an effective date of December 31, 2021. This evaluation is based on a limited number of wells with limited production history and includes a number of assumptions relating to factors such as availability of capital to fund required infrastructure, commodity prices, production performance of the wells drilled, successful drilling of infill wells, the assumed effects of regulation by government agencies and future capital and operating costs. All of these estimates will vary from actual results. Estimates of the recoverable oil and natural gas reserves attributable to any particular group of properties, classifications of such reserves based on risk of recovery and estimates of future net revenues expected therefrom, will vary. The Company's actual production, revenues, taxes, development and operating expenditures with respect to its reserves will vary from such estimates, and such variances could be material. Estimates of after-tax net present value are dependent on a number of factors including utilization of tax-loss carry forwards. In addition to the foregoing, other significant factors or uncertainties that may affect either the Company's reserves or the future net revenue associated with such reserves include material changes to existing taxation or royalty rates and/or regulations, and changes to environmental laws and regulations. Forward-looking information regarding Caney wells development and expectations regarding additional reserves are based on plans and estimates of management and interpretations of exploration information by the Company's exploration team at the date the information is provided and is subject to several factors and assumptions of management, including that required regulatory approvals and capital will be available when required, that completion techniques require further optimization, that production rates do not match the Company's assumptions, that very low or no production rates are achieved, that the demand for oil and gas will be sustained, that the price of oil will be sustained or increase, that no unforeseen delays, unexpected geological or other effects, equipment failures, permitting delays or labor or contract disputes or shortages are encountered, that the development plans of the Company and its co-venturers will not change, and is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information, including that anticipated results and estimated costs will not be consistent with managements' expectations, the risk of commodity price and foreign exchange rate fluctuations, the Company or its subsidiaries not being able for any reason to obtain and provide the information necessary to secure required approvals or that required regulatory approvals are otherwise not available when required, that capital is not available when required, that unexpected geological results are encountered and that equipment failures, permitting delays or labor or contract disputes or shortages are encountered.

Information on other important economic factors or significant uncertainties that may affect components of the reserves data and the other forward looking statements in this release are contained in the Company's Form 51-101F1 Statement of Reserves Data and Other Oil Gas Information for the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis and the Company's Annual Information Form under "Risk Factors", which are available under the Company's profile at www.SEDAR.com. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements, other than as required by applicable law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220308005565/en/

Contacts:

Wolf E. Regener +1 (805) 484-3613

Email: wregener@kolibrienergy.com

Website: www.kolibrienergy.com
Platform Delivers New Efficiencies and Profitability to the Insurance Carrier, Agent, and Wholesaler Ecosystem

RENO, NV / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2022 / Talage , a provider of digital distribution software solutions for commercial insurance, today announced $9 million in new venture funding. The round was led by Merus Capital, with participation by Calibrate Ventures, Hallador Financial, Advantage Capital, and Reno Seed Fund. The financing will broaden the Talage reach, increase brand awareness and help it become the go-to partner for carriers, agents, and wholesalers that adopt its tools in the commercial insurance industry.

Talage is a digital distribution platform for the commercial P&C insurance industry that automates traditionally manual processes, such as applications or submissions. The solution provides the ability to quickly and easily equip agencies, wholesale brokers and other carrier partners with the digital tools to support automation and growth in the small business segment.

Over the past 12 months, demand has prompted Talage to add the ability to quote additional lines of coverage such as professional liability and cyber insurance and deliver industry-first tools to simplify renewals, book rolls, and cross-sell opportunities. With access to more than 30 API-enabled products for insurance that dramatically reduce quote times, Talage has turned what was an arduous, weeks-long process for agents, into a near-instantaneous turnaround. Agents and brokers can now quickly generate quotes for customers while automating that process through digital platforms and extending their reach and book of business.

"Talage is at the forefront of the digitization of the insurance industry and is becoming a critical part of the industry's foundational technology stack," said Salman Ullah, Partner at Merus Capital. "The team has the experience and technical know-how to address a huge market opportunity. We're excited to partner with them on this journey."

"The new funding underscores how much the industry believes in our mission, and that the Talage platform is the key to digitizing and optimizing what has been a very analog, manual, time-consuming, and costly process," said Adam Kiefer, CEO, and Co-founder, Talage. "We're grateful to Merus Capital and our existing investors for their partnership and continued belief in our mission, and we're excited to deploy these new resources into the areas of our business that will continue to bring value to the entire business insurance ecosystem."

Founded in 2015, Talage has been on a fast growth path, and over the past two years, the company has seen a spike in demand for its technology. The small business insurance ecosystem has rushed to adopt innovations that enable carriers, agents, and wholesalers to generate more business with greater efficiency and profitability than traditionally relied-upon manual processes.

Talage powers the online purchase of workers' compensation, liability, and property insurance by small businesses in all 50 states through carrier partners, including Acuity, Coterie Insurance, Hiscox, Liberty Mutual, and Travelers.

About Talage

Talage is the digital connection that powers digital distribution for commercial P&C insurance via the Talage API platform. With over 30 carrier integrations Talage delivers instant, bindable quotes across five product lines. Today the platform is leveraged by agents, wholesalers, carriers, and technology providers.

For more information, please visit www.talageins.com .

Media Contact

Escalate PR for Talage

talage@escalatepr.com

SOURCE: Talage

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/691997/Talage-Secures-9M-Venture-Funding-To-Instantly-Deliver-PC-Quotes-Through-Digital-Channels
OTTAWA (dpa-AFX) - At 8:30 am ET Tuesday, Statistics Canada will release Canada trade data for January. Ahead of the data, the loonie traded mixed against its major counterparts. While it held steady against the euro and the aussie, it rose against the yen. Against the greenback, it fell. The loonie was worth 1.3993 against the euro, 0.9349 against the aussie, 1.2843 against the greenback and 90.13 against the yen at 8:25 am ET. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
BOSTON, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cybereason , the XDR company, today announced Greg Day has joined the company as Vice President and Global Field Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the EMEA region. A cybersecurity thought leader with more than 30 years of experience, Day will engage regularly with Cybereason's European customer and prospect base of Defenders to help them better understand today's cybersecurity risks and reduce operational and network risks.

Most recently, Day was Vice President and Chief Security Officer (CSO) with Palo Alto Networks in EMEA. He has previously worked for prominent security companies FireEye, McAfee and Symantec. Day is a board member of the World Economic Forum's Centre for Cybersecurity and former Vice Chair of the TechUK Cybersecurity Working Group. Day's career began at one of the pioneering firms in the industry, Dr. Solomon's Software, where he developed his own behavioral anti-virus solutions.

"Greg is a significant addition to our EMEA team of Defenders as he brings a level of experience that is not only inspiring, but necessary for the speed at which we operate. He has had a great deal of success building top-tier field CSO teams that have helped drive pipeline and establish strong executive customer engagements," said Frank Koelmel, Cybereason General Manager, EMEA.

As an advocate for stronger proactive cybersecurity, and with a personal mission of increasing the opportunity that cybersecurity presents within an organization, Day has worked closely with many law enforcement agencies on improving the prevention and detection of cybercriminal behavior. This has included teaching malware forensics to agencies around the world, as well as working in advisory capacities for the Council of Europe Cybercrime convention committee, UK National Crime Agency, the Europol cybersecurity industry advisory board, and NATO (TISP and TVP).

"With more than three decades of experience in the cybersecurity industry, I have seen first-hand how empowering change can be. The environment we are in is complex and constantly evolving, and my passion for helping security teams grow started in my early days when I developed my own behavioral security solution. That same drive and resiliency is what I see every day at Cybereason and what solidified my decision to join. I know that together we will have the ability to help Defenders end cyberattacks," said Day.

About Cybereason

Cybereason is the XDR company, partnering with Defenders to end attacks at the endpoint, in the cloud and across the entire enterprise ecosystem. Only the AI-driven Cybereason XDR Platform provides predictive prevention, detection and response that is undefeated against modern ransomware and advanced attack techniques. The Cybereason MalOp instantly delivers context-rich attack intelligence across every affected device, user and system with unparalleled speed and accuracy. Cybereason turns threat data into actionable decisions at the speed of business. Cybereason is a privately held international company headquartered in Boston with customers in more than 40 countries.

Learn more: https://www.cybereason.com/

Follow us: Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Media Contact:

Bill Keeler

Senior Director, Global Public Relations

Cybereason

bill.keeler@cybereason.com

(929) 259-3261
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 8, 2022) - Thunderstruck Resources Ltd. (TSXV: AWE) (OTC: THURF) (the "Company") advises, further to its press release dated February 14, 2022, that it has closed its previously announced non-brokered private placement (the "Placement").

Gross proceeds of CAD$2,500,000 were raised through the sale of 35,714,285 units at a price of $0.07 per unit. Each unit comprised one common share and one share purchase warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder to purchase a further common share at a price of $0.15 per share for a period of five years. The warrants are subject to accelerated exercise provisions such that if the closing price of the Company's common shares exceeds $0.30 per share for a period of 20 consecutive trading days, the Company may give notice of the acceleration of the warrants' term to a period of 30 days following such notice.

No finder's fees were payable in connection with the Placement.

"This Placement will allow us to aggressively explore the many promising targets on our large property position in Fiji this season, including the three-kilometer-long series of coincident geochemical and geophysical anomaly trend on the Liwa gold prospect," stated Thunderstruck's President/CEO Bryce Bradley. "We look forward to releasing results on a number of exciting targets that have never previously seen a drill bit."

As indicated, the Liwa gold/silver prospect is the highest priority project for the 2022 season. Exploration will focus on diamond core drilling to begin defining the subsurface extent and grade of gold mineralization discovered at surface showings, including up to 6.83 g/t Au and 285 g/t Ag at the Liwa Ridge target, 55 g/t Au at Jensen's target, 41.6 g/t Au and 1,200 g/t Ag at the Vatuvatulevu target, and continuous features grading up to 0.45 g/t Au at the Gun target. These targets cumulatively represent a strike length in excess of three kilometers.

Exploration at the adjacent Rama copper/gold prospect is also planned, with a focus on investigating the possibility of Liwa and Rama together comprising a large porphyry gold-copper system. Previous drilling by Anglo reported a 244-meter interval averaging 0.22% copper (from 6m to 250m), ending in mineralization, with a chargeable feature continuing underneath. The Company's other licenses in Fiji are also being assessed and prioritized for field work during the May-November exploration season.

Please stay tuned for a detailed 2022 exploration program on the Company's entire land package.

All securities issued are subject to a hold period in Canada expiring on July 9, 2022. Additional restrictions may apply pursuant to Rule 144 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, to U.S. investors.

Insiders participated in the Placement acquiring an aggregate of 449,654 units on the same basis as other subscribers. The participation in the Placement by insiders of the Company constitutes a "related party transaction" as such term is defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company is relying on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements under MI 61-101. The Company relied on Section 5.5(a) of MI 61-101 for an exemption from the formal valuation requirement and Section 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 for an exemption from the minority shareholder approval requirement of MI 61-101 as the fair market value of the Placement in so far as the Placement involved interested parties did not exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization.

As previously announced, the completion of the Placement results in the creation of a new insider, Ian Gandel, who will indirectly hold 31,753,203 common shares, representing 25% of the now outstanding common shares of the Company and a further 31,753,203 warrants, which together with the common shares acquired, will represent 40% of the issued and outstanding shares on a partially diluted basis. Prior to the Placement, Mr. Gandel held no securities of the Company. While Mr. Gandel has no specific plans or intentions with respect to the Units acquired, depending on market conditions, general economic and industry conditions, trading prices of the Company's shares, the Company's business, financial condition and prospects and/or other relevant factors, Mr. Gandel may develop such plans or intentions in the future and, at such time, may from time to time acquire additional common shares, dispose of some or all of the existing or additional common shares or may continue to hold common shares of the Company.

A copy of the early warning reports filed by Mr. Gandel will be available on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com or may be obtained by contacting Mr. Gandel at info@thunderstruck.ca.

In connection with this strategic investment, the Company and Mr. Gandel also entered into an investor rights agreement, whereby, subject to certain conditions, including time and ownership thresholds, Mr. Gandel will have certain rights, including the right to appoint one director of the Company.

In addition, Mr. Gandel will have a right to participate in future equity issuances to maintain his ownership in the Company at 25%.

Under the investor rights agreement, for a period of two years, Mr. Gandel has also agreed not to (a) commence a take-over bid; (b) acquire the Company's shares, or direct or indirect rights to acquire any of the Company's shares; (c) make, or in any way participate in any solicitation of proxies to vote the Company's shares; (d) make any public announcement with respect to, or submit a proposal for, or offer of (with or without conditions) any business combination, amalgamation or merger or similar transaction involving the Company.

A copy of the investor rights agreement is available under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

As a TSX condition of Gandel's 25% participation, the Company has received well in excess of the required 51% shareholder approval. We wish to thank our shareholders for their continued support.

Stock Options

The Company also wishes to announce that it granted 2,100,000 stock options in accordance with its stock option plan to various insiders, advisors, and consultants, with each option being exercisable into one common share at a price of .095 cents per share for a period of 10 years.

About Fiji

Fiji is on the Pacific Ring Of Fire, a prolific trend that has produced numerous large gold and copper deposits, including Porgera, Lihir and Grasberg.

Viti Levu, the main island of Fiji, has a long mining history. It hosts not only the Thunderstruck tenements, but also the following active projects:

Namosi (Copper/Gold) Newcrest published proven and probable reserves of 1.3 billion tonnes at 0.37%Cu and 0.12g/t Au (5.2M ounces Au and 4.9M tonnes Cu).

Tuvatu (Gold) Indicated Resources of 1 million tonnes at 8.48 g/t Au (274,600 ounces Au), and Inferred Resources of 1.33 million tonnes at 9.0 g/t Au (384,000 ounces Au) reported at a 3.0 g/t Au lower cut-off.

Vatukoula Gold Mines: Formerly known as the Emperor Gold Mine has been operating for over 80 years, producing in excess of 7 million ounces of Au to date.

About Thunderstruck Resources

Thunderstruck Resources is a Canadian mineral exploration company that has assembled extensive and highly prospective properties in Fiji on which recent and previous exploration has confirmed zinc, copper and precious metals mineralization. The Company provides investors with exposure to a diverse portfolio of exploration stage projects with potential for zinc, copper, gold and silver in a politically safe and stable jurisdiction. Thunderstruck trades on the Toronto Venture Exchange (TSX-V) under the symbol "AWE" and United States OTC under the symbol "THURF."

Qualified Person Statement

Dorian L. (Dusty) Nicol, FAusIMM, RG, the Company's Director of Exploration, is a Qualified Person for the Company's projects as defined by National Instrument NI 43-101. Mr. Nicol has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release.

For additional information, please contact:

Rob Christl, VP Business Development and Investor Relations

Email: rob@thunderstruck.ca

P: 778 840-7180

or, visit our website: http://www.thunderstruck.ca

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange Inc. 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.

This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". Although Thunderstruck believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of Thunderstruck's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by law, Thunderstruck undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/115973
BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday held a phone conversation with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi at the latter's request.

Wang strongly condemned the recent serious terrorist attack in Peshawar city, Pakistan, and once again expressed sincere condolences to Pakistan, saying that China firmly supports Pakistan's efforts to fight terrorism and safeguard national security and stability.

During Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's visit to China and attending the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics in February, the leaders of China and Pakistan communicated in depth on overall and strategic issues, drawing a blueprint and specifying the direction for the future of bilateral relations, said Wang.

China looks forward to working with Pakistan to push forward the implementation of the consensus reached between the leaders of the two sides, deepen strategic mutual trust and cooperation, and join hands to cope with global and regional changes of situation, he said.

For his part, Qureshi congratulated China on overcoming the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and successfully holding the Beijing Winter Olympics, adding that the Pakistan-China friendship is the cornerstone of Pakistan's foreign policy, as well as the guarantee of regional peace and stability.

The Pakistani side stands ready to work with China to implement the consensus reached between the leaders of the two countries, further deepen bilateral cooperation, and safeguard the common interest of developing countries, he said.

The two sides exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine. Wang expounded on China's principles and positions. Qureshi said that Pakistan calls on Russia and Ukraine to resolve their disputes through dialogue and diplomatic means as soon as possible, and strive to avoid further escalation of the situation.

The two sides also exchanged views on the Afghan issue and agreed to strengthen communication and coordination, and leverage the unique strengths and roles of neighboring countries in a bid to make positive contributions to peace and reconstruction in Afghanistan. 
New release equips e-commerce merchants with a broad range of alternative payment solutions, helping them expand their reach to clients in Europe and Asia

TOKYO, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Degica has launched a suite of 20 new payment solutions on its flagship KOMOJU payments platform, enabling its merchant client base to tap into Europe and Asia's large e-commerce markets.

"We are delighted to announce what is a major expansion of our product range," says Keanu Van Hees, Director of Product, Degica. "With this release, we are enabling merchants outside of Europe to tap into the continent's customer base by offering a comprehensive range of payment options that provide trust and convenience to consumers, while businesses around the world, including ones in Europe, can now ensure customers in China, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, and the Philippines are similarly able to use local and familiar payment options to buy their goods and services."

New solutions added to KOMOJU include China's Alipay, which accounts for over 55% of mainland China's digital wallet market share, WeChat Pay, which accounts for 38%, and UnionPay, the largest card network in the world, with more than 7 billion cards issued in China alone.

In Europe, solutions added include iDEAL, the Netherlands' leading payment option, which holds around a 60% share of the Dutch e-commerce payments market. Elsewhere, the platform also adds prominent solutions such as Germany's Giropay, which is used by around 54% of the country's adult population, the BLIK bank transfer solution, which accounts for 53% of all payments in Poland, and Paysafecard's prepaid voucher / code-based solution, which is issued by 660,000 points of sale across 50 European countries.

"Our mission is to create an even playing field for international business, and that starts with simplifying cross-border e-commerce for merchants worldwide," says Jack Momose, CEO, Degica. "Our first step, back in 2014, was to help the Steam platform enter the Japanese market by offering the country's most trusted payment method. Since then, we have worked hard to open up the same service to all merchants selling to customers in Japan and South Korea. Today, however, marks the biggest expansion yet, plugging in a comprehensive range of European and Asian payment methods to our KOMOJU platform and establishing our credentials as a global player."

The full list of products added to the KOMOJU platform is as follows:

APAC:

Alipay ( China )

) UnionPay ( China )

) WeChat Pay ( China )

) Doku ( Indonesia )

) OVO ( Indonesia )

) eNETS ( Singapore )

) GrabPay ( Singapore )

) Dragonpay ( Philippines )

) FPX ( Malaysia )

) POLi ( Australia )

Europe:

iDEAL ( Netherlands )

) Bancontact ( Belgium )

) Giropay ( Germany )

) BLIK ( Poland )

) Przelewy24 ( Poland )

) Multibanco ( Portugal )

) Paysafecard (EU)

EPS ( Austria )

) MyBank ( Italy )

) Sofort (EU)

About Degica

Degica's mission is to create a fair, global marketplace for goods and services - breaking down barriers between different markets and making it easier to do business anywhere in the world. With its origins in the video game publishing industry, Degica found that it needed to build its own in-house payments solution in order to sell games via major platforms to customers in its home market of Japan. The solution worked so well that the team decided that its future lay in breaking down similar barriers for other companies. Today, the Degica offers a series of solutions - ranging from payments to AI translation and logistics support - to enable businesses outside Japan to gain straightforward access to the country's large and valuable market, and businesses in Japan and the rest of Asia to tap into Western markets in Europe and the US.

For further information, please visit www.degica.com .

About KOMOJU

Established in 2016 by Degica, KOMOJU (an abbreviation of the Japanese phrase "???????", meaning "purchasing module") was started with a single aim - to make Japan simple. To this end, KOMOJU provides clients with a global payments platform, active across four regions, with over 50 international partners and more than 4,500 active merchants. Connected to platforms such as Shopify, Wix, Woo Commerce and Magento, it offers merchants access to all major payment methods in Japan, Korea and China and incorporates FX functionalities to enable merchants to receive funds in their desired currency, while processing currencies native to local markets.

Today, following huge initial success for the platform, the initial goal of making Japan simple has expanded. The next step for KOMOJU and Degica is to continue breaking down barriers to doing business not only into and out of Japan, but anywhere in the world - creating a fair and global marketplace for goods and services.

For more information, please visit https://en.komoju.com .

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1630867/KOMOJU_by_Degica_Logo.jpg
Registration opens for FINOS' Open Source in Finance Forum (OSFF) London, taking place alongside partner event Fintech Week London

LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2022 / FINOS , the Fintech Open Source Foundation and financial sector arm of the Linux Foundation, and The Linux Foundation , the nonprofit organization enabling mass innovation through open source, today announced its partnership with Fintech Week London . Their annual event, Open Source in Finance Forum (OSFF), will take place in London on 13 July, during Fintech Week London, which will run from 11 - 14 July.

This partnership highlights the elevated presence of open source software and open collaboration in the financial services industry, and will allow attendees of both conferences an opportunity to learn more about integrating open source software into their technology strategies. Through partnering with Fintech Week London, FINOS bolsters its European footprint - one it is focused on expanding over the course of 2022.

"Partnering with Fintech Week London signifies the growing recognition and appetite for financial services and fintechs to adopt and contribute to open source," said Gabriele Columbro, Executive Director of FINOS. "Each year, our goal with OSFF is to not only inspire attendees to foster the open source community within financial services, but also bring industry leaders from financial institutions, fintechs and the regulatory space together to discuss how open source can drive innovation across the industry. This partnership is a natural way to bridge the efforts of Fintech Week London and FINOS in fostering technological innovation in the financial services industry."

The Open Source in Finance Forum is dedicated to driving collaboration and innovation in financial services through open source software and standards. The first iteration of this conference, previously known as the Open Source Strategy Forum, took place in 2017, and it has since then grown to become the flagship event for the fast growing open source movement in financial services and its unique challenges. OSFF will also be held in New York City, USA on 8 December. The call for proposals is open for both events - view suggested topics and submit talks for each event at the links provided here:

Submit to speak at OSFF London (deadline is 10 April)

(deadline is 10 April) Submit to speak at OSFF New York City (deadline is 12 September)

"The momentum of financial institutions looking to and relying on open source technology to scale and grow their businesses is growing at a rapid rate." said Jim Zemlin, Executive Director, The Linux Foundation. "Holding Open Source in Finance Forum London as part of Fintech Week London will allow us to make even more financial institutions - especially in the UK - open source ready."

Fintech Week London shines a light on the most interesting topics in financial technology. Traditional financial institutions come together with fintechs and other financial services companies, in one of the world's oldest leading financial districts. The event brings together high-street banks, challengers, technology giants, and disruptors, to discuss and showcase fintech's global presence and the forces driving innovation in the industry.

"I'm very excited that we have the Open Source in Finance Forum as part of the official programme this year," said Raf De Kimpe, CEO of Fintech Week London. The overall theme for FTWLondon 2022 is 'The Coming of Age of the Fintech Industry'; the industry is moving past its infancy to be a full-blown player in finance services. With so many mergers, acquisitions and partnerships taking place, collaboration and innovation are cornerstones of our programme. A day dedicated to open source software and standards is essential to have a well rounded view on evolutions in the Fintech Industry for all our attendees. On the third day of Fintech Week London, etc. Venues 133 Houndsditch will be transformed into the place to be for our attendees to learn how to best and safely leverage open source software to solve industry challenges"

FINOS' commitment to fostering the adoption of open source reaches beyond US institutions, with an even distribution of contributors in both the United States and Europe. In recognition of its strong European grassroots, FINOS actively invests in nurturing its relationships across seas. Partnerships such as this bring an increased awareness to the collaborative work of developers, contributors and financial institutions driving adoption around the world.

"Collaborative efforts through open source adoption go far beyond US financial institutions," said James McLeod, Director of Community for FINOS. "FINOS recognizes the potential power that world-wide collaboration possesses to drive innovation on a grand scale, and that's why we continue to nurture relationships with our established European developers, financial organizations and fintechs. To continue this progression, we invest in forming new connections to support and expand the work being done by our community."

Click here to learn more about and register for Open Source in Finance Forum London. To learn more about and register for Fintech Week London, please click here .

About FINOS

FINOS (The Fintech Open Source Foundation) is a nonprofit whose mission is to foster adoption of open source, open standards and collaborative software development practices in financial services. It is the center for open source developers and the financial services industry to build new technology projects that have a lasting impact on business operations. As a regulatory compliant platform, the foundation enables developers from these competing organizations to collaborate on projects with a strong propensity for mutualization. It has enabled codebase contributions from both the buy- and sell-side firms and counts over 50 major financial institutions, fintechs and technology consultancies as part of its membership. FINOS is also part of the Linux Foundation, the largest shared technology organization in the world. Get involved and join FINOS as a Member.

About the Linux Foundation

Founded in 2000, the Linux Foundation is supported by more than 2,000 members and is the world's leading home for collaboration on open source software, open standards, open data, and open hardware. Linux Foundation's projects are critical to the world's infrastructure including Linux, Kubernetes, Node.js, and more. The Linux Foundation's methodology focuses on leveraging best practices and addressing the needs of contributors, users and solution providers to create sustainable models for open collaboration. For more information, please visit linuxfoundation.org .

Linux Foundation Events are where the world's leading technologists meet, collaborate, learn and network in order to advance innovations that support the world's largest shared technologies.

Visit our website and follow us on Twitter , Linkedin , and Facebook for all the latest event updates and announcements.

The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see its trademark usage page: www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage . Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.

About Fintech Week London

The Coming of Age of The Fintech Industry Fintech Week London shines a light on the most interesting topics in financial technology, with a 2-day conference at its core. Traditional financial institutions come together with fintechs and other financial services companies, in one of the world's oldest leading financial districts: London. From high-street banks to challengers, technology giants to disruptors, this five-day event showcases some of the best that London and global fintech has to offer. Mark your calendars for the second edition on July 11-15, 2022.

To learn more about Fintech Week London please visit our website: www.fintechweek.london

FINOS Media Contact:

Ross Stevens

Caliber Corporate Advisers for FINOS

ross@calibercorporate.com

Fintech Week London Media Contact:

Raf De Kimpe

Fintech Week London

raf@fintechweek.london

SOURCE: FINOS

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/691995/FINOS-and-The-Linux-Foundation-Partner-with-Fintech-Week-London-Strengthening-European-Presence
In partnership with Mother London, the campaign harnesses the power of music to reframe the conversation around women's bodies and spotlights the tech their bodies deserve

Leading femtech brand Elvie today launches a new global brand campaign in honor of International Women's Day. "Smart Bodies" aims to bring to life the benefits of Elvie's tech for women's bodies and spotlight their biological complexity beyond their aesthetic value.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220308005336/en/

Smart Bodies cast (Photo: Business Wire)

"Smart Bodies" rewrites the narrative on women's bodies and the power they hold. Eva Lazarus, a multi-genre artist and breastfeeding mother, takes center stage to perform Elvie's new anthem, championing the smartness of women's bodies. Eva and Mother London co-wrote the lyrics that reframe the cultural conversation around women's bodies in a powerful tribute to womanhood and motherhood.

"Elvie continues to hear from women that they want respect and recognition for their bodies no matter their size, shape or stage of life and don't want to be held to societal standards," said Aoife Nally, Chief Marketing Officer of Elvie. "As we celebrate International Women's Day, it's time we bust long-standing taboos and create tech that women deserve. Our goal is to empower and enable women to achieve everything their bodies are capable of."

Elvie continues to advance its mission to close the innovation gap in tech, which has historically been male-dominated, by raising the bar for female health-focused products. Most recently, the company introduced Elvie Stride, a hospital-grade, smart, ultra-quiet, hands-free breast pump broadly covered by insurers, to the US market to increase the accessibility of its game-changing technology. Recognized as a 2021 TIME Best Invention of the Year, the high-performance innovation is the latest example of how Elvie is setting new standards in femtech.

Since introducing the award-winning pelvic floor device, Elvie Trainer and the world's first silent, wearable breast pump, Elvie Pump, the global company has been at the forefront of the rapidly expanding femtech category. Last year, Elvie secured a $97M total Series C fundraise to invest in product innovation, market expansion and operational readiness to support the next phase of rapid growth.

"Smart Bodies" follows Elvie's successful campaign, "Pumping Unplugged," in collaboration with Mother London, where Elvie highlighted the freedom that a wearable, cordless breast pump brings women while encouraging an open conversation around motherhood.

"I wanted to get involved with Elvie on this new project because of the fears I had prior to becoming a mother. Normalizing all of the associated experiences of womanhood/motherhood are so important and as a new mum I found it liberating to celebrate how inspiring it is that our bodies are undeniably smart and strong," said Eva Lazarus. "I would love women to take that away from this campaign and feel emboldened. We are magnificent!"

"Smart Bodies" will run in the US on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, VOD and TikTok, as well as in seven other markets. To view the campaign or learn more about Elvie, visit Elvie.com.

About Elvie

Founded in 2013, Elvie is a British brand developing smarter technology for women.

After realizing the lack of support for new mums, CEO Tania Boler brought together a team of world-class engineers, designers and business minds to redesign the existing unattractive and outdated medical devices in women's health into sleek consumer products that could be used at home. Last year, Elvie received the TIME Best Invention Award for Elvie Stride and two GOOD DESIGN Awards from the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design for its Elvie Curve and Elvie Catch breastfeeding support products. For more information visit elvie.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220308005336/en/

Contacts:

Erin Popielewski

Elvie@Kaplow.com
Keyfactor Establishes Presence on French "Cyber Campus" Amid Record Growth on Global Scale

Keyfactor, the machine and IoT identity platform for modern enterprises, today announced the launch of an office in France at Paris's Cyber Campus. The new location further accelerates Keyfactor's hypergrowth on a global scale and expands the company's ability to secure leading enterprises in France and across EMEA with advanced PKI and crypto-agility solutions.

"France and the broader EMEA region present tremendous opportunities for Keyfactor to continue to redefine how organizations secure their modern digital footprint," said Jordan Rackie, Chief Executive Officer at Keyfactor. "The region has shown a strong appetite for solutions that can seamlessly orchestrate keys and certificates across complex cloud and distributed environments, as evidenced by our impressive local traction. Following our recent merger with Primekey and its strong European employee, partner and customer base, Paris's Cyber Campus is an ideal home to expand our presence in France and beyond alongside leading private sector organizations and public sector agencies. We look forward to advancing the adoption of open source cryptography for use cases requiring a high degree of transparency and interoperability and doing our part to secure modern environments against advanced threats."

Paris's Cyber Campus is a project initiated by the President of the Republic, acting as a cybersecurity hub bringing together leading national and international vendors and agencies dedicated to developing solutions to effectively mitigate cyber risk. Traditional identity management solutions are no match for today's evolving enterprise landscape. The accelerated adoption of cloud-first technologies and the increasing IoT attack surface have created a complex infrastructure to manage. Keyfactor's ability to allow leading enterprises and managed service providers to accurately and easily manage a growing number of keys and certificates across their entire management lifecycle has resulted in 314% YoY growth on a global scale.

Joining leading vendors including Alstom, Cisco, Thales and Orange Cyberdefense, Keyfactor's Cyber Campus office will house regional sales and marketing operations, led by Director of Sales Be-Lux, France Southern Europe, Pierre Codis. Codis brings more than 27 years of tech and cybersecurity sales leadership experience to the position and will focus on scaling a partner model to accelerate Keyfactor's established regional traction with large enterprise, government and SMB customers. Over the past 12 months, Keyfactor has grown its EMEA employee base by more than 50% and regional revenue by more than 60% across key verticals including telecom, energy, transportation, healthcare and additional critical infrastructure and industries.

Keyfactor looks to hire aggressively in France and across EMEA with its new regional location. Explore global career opportunities with Keyfactor here.

To celebrate Keyfactor's new regional office, the company will be hosting a social event and panel discussion with thought leaders at Cyber Campus on April 7, 2022.

About Keyfactor

Keyfactor is the machine and IoT identity platform for modern enterprises. The company helps security teams manage cryptography as critical infrastructure by simplifying PKI, automating certificate lifecycle management and enabling crypto-agility at scale. Companies trust Keyfactor to secure every digital key and certificate for multi-cloud enterprises, DevOps, and embedded IoT security.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220308005341/en/

Contacts:

Jake Schuster

fama PR for Keyfactor

E: keyfactor@famapr.com
Kroll, the leading provider of data, technology and insights related to risk, governance and growth, today announced that Dr. Jay Varma has joined the firm as Chief Medical Advisor and Kroll Institute Fellow.

In his advisory capacity with Kroll, Dr. Varma will serve as a senior consultant providing health and workplace related recommendations to the company's leadership team and clients. Dr. Varma will simultaneously serve as a Kroll Institute Fellow, driving thought leadership and client engagement opportunities surrounding public health and safety.

"We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Varma to Kroll, particularly at a time where institutions are adapting to new workplace considerations in real-time," said Jake Silverman, Chief Executive Officer at Kroll. "I am confident that Dr. Varma's deep expertise in executing strategic health responses both domestically and internationally will add tremendous value not only to our clients and partners but also to the global business community more broadly."

A professor at Weill Cornell Medicine, Dr. Varma brings decades of experience to the firm in the prevention and control of diseases. He has led epidemic responses, developed global and national health policies and managed large-scale lifesaving programs in China, Southeast Asia, Africa and the United States.

Prior to joining Kroll, Dr. Varma served at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for over two decades with postings in Atlanta, Thailand, China, Ethiopia and New York City.

Most recently, Dr. Varma worked as the principal scientific spokesperson and architect for New York City's COVID-19 pandemic response spanning April 2020 to May 2021. During this time, Dr. Varma engineered the largest diagnostic testing and contact tracing programs in the country, the phased re-opening of businesses, the health policies and practices for safe re-opening of the largest public school system in the country and various vaccination campaigns.

"I am honored to join Kroll and bring my insights from years of public health experience to the organization's senior leadership and top-tier clients," said Dr. Varma. "Public health is an essential pillar in all business policy decisions, and I am looking forward to further integrating best practices into our work at Kroll."

As a retired captain in the U.S. Public Health Service, Dr. Varma has been recognized as the U.S. Public Health Service Physician Researcher of the Year (2010) and Physician Leader of the Year (2017), and he has received two of the highest awards in the U.S. Public Health Service: Distinguished Service Medal (2011) and Meritorious Service Medal (2018).

Dr. Varma holds a B.A. in history and science with the highest honors from Harvard University. He completed medical school, internal medicine residency and chief residency at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

About Kroll

Kroll provides proprietary data, technology and insights to help our clients stay ahead of complex demands related to risk, governance and growth. Our solutions deliver a powerful competitive advantage, enabling faster, smarter and more sustainable decisions. With 5,000 experts around the world, we create value and impact for our clients and communities. To learn more, visit www.kroll.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220308005860/en/

Contacts:

Devonne Cusi

Director, Global Communications

Devonne.cusi@kroll.com

Shaina Tavares

Dukas Linden Public Relations

Shaina@DLPR.com


REUTLINGEN (dpa-AFX) - Manz AG said it will not achieve its earnings forecast as well as revenue target for the 2021 financial year due to one-time effect.



As a continuation of the business relationship with the Chinese customer Chongqing Shenhua Thin Film Solar Technology remains uncertain, Manz Board has decided in the course of preparing the consolidated financial statements, to make impairments of 21.6 million euros on goodwill and a brand name in the financial statements for the 2021 financial year. The resulting non-cash one-time effect is attributable to acquisitions made prior to the 2012 financial year.



On a preliminary basis, revenues for financial year 2021 will amount to 227.6 million euros compared to 236.8 million euros in 2020. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) will amount to 18.9 million euros compared to 19.4 million euros in 2020.



For financial year 2022, the company expects a significant increase in revenues in the mid double-digit percentage range, an EBIT margin in the low to mid positive single-digit percentage range, and an EBITDA margin in the mid to upper positive single-digit percentage range.



Manz said it will publish the preliminary key financial figures at segment level on March 10. The company will publish the complete financial report for the 2021 financial year on March 31, 2022.







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Skadden has profited off relationships with Russian oligarchs and government agents for decades yet has refused to comment on Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Today, Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware called on Delaware's government and courts to cease conducting business with Skadden Arps until the firm renounces all ties to Russian oligarchs and commits to closing its office in Moscow following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Since 1992, Skadden has operated an office in Moscow and has developed close ties with Russian oligarchs including Mikhail Fridman and Roman Abramovich. Since 2012, Skadden has been involved with more than $90 billion worth of Russian corporate deals.

The firm's friendliness to Russian agents burst into public view in the wake of the 2019 Mueller report, which revealed that Skadden had authored a report for Ukraine's Moscow-backed government of Viktor Yanukovych that claimed the government did not have political motivations for imprisoning Yanukovych's top political adversary, Yulia Tymoshenko. The report's findings contradicted the positions of both the US and EU governments, which understood the imprisonment to be politically motivated. Skadden eventually paid $11 million to Tymoshenko to avoid a lawsuit over the report.

Since Russia's invasion began, tech, oil, auto and banking industry giants have abandoned Russian businesses or suppliers as the world unites against Russian military aggression, and leading international law firms are doing the same. London-founded Linklaters law firm announced last week that it will wind down its operations in Russia and close its Moscow office. The law firm has over 70 employees in their Moscow office.

Linklaters is the largest firm to confirm its Moscow exit and many international law firms are critically assessing their future in Russia, yet Skadden Arps has refused to comment on its ties to Russian oligarchs and state agents. At the same time, Skadden has been awarded millions of dollars in contracts and no-bid legal fees from Delaware's Government and Court of Chancery to act on behalf of the state in adjudicating legal disputes.

Said Chris Coffey, Campaign Manager for Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware, "Skadden Arps has shown a stunning lack of moral fiber when it comes to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. While other firms with connections to Russia are risking great financial loss to cut ties and demonstrate opposition to the invasion, Skadden continues to ignore what is right so they can keep lining their pockets.

"While Skadden's greed in zealously overbilling clients here in Delaware is bad enough, now they are standing idly by while Russia invades Ukraine so they can keep representing oligarchs and foreign agents to pad their bottom line. As long as Skadden puts profits above all else, Delaware's leaders must take a stand and guarantee that the same firm profiting from Russian aggression does not profit from the state of Delaware. We urge Skadden to immediately cut ties with Russia and Delaware's government and courts to immediately cut ties with Skadden this moral failure must not be tolerated."

Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware is a group made up of more than 5,000 members including employees of the global translation services company TransPerfect, as well as concerned Delaware residents, business executives and others. They formed in April of 2016 to focus on raising awareness with Delaware residents, elected officials, and other stakeholders about the unprecedented, forced sale of TransPerfect. While their primary goal of saving the company has been accomplished, they continue their efforts to fight for more transparency in the Delaware Chancery Court. For more information on Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware or to join the cause, visit DelawareForBusiness.org.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220308005877/en/

Contacts:

Contact: Chris Coffey, ccoffey@tuskholdings.com
On March 5, Premier Li Keqiang delivered a government work report on behalf of the State Council at the opening meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress. The report consists of what the Chinese government accomplished in 2021 and what it plans to achieve in 2022.China's blueprint for government work in 2022 has been outlined.

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
VACAVILLE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2022 / Athena Gold Corporation (OTCQB:AHNR)(CSE:ATHA) ("Athena" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with a drill contractor for the Company's planned 5,000 foot reverse circulation ("RC") drill program (the "2022 Drill Program") at its flagship Excelsior Springs gold project in Nevada (the "Excelsior Springs Project" or the "Project"). The contractor plans to mobilize to the Project site before the end of March, and as previously announced by the Company (see news release dated February 9, 2022), its proposed Notice of Intent drilling and exploration permit for up to 6 drill pads and 11 RC drill holes at the Project has been approved by the Bureau of Land Management. Athena is also planning up to another 9 RC drill holes on patented claims held under lease with a private party.

The Company's 2022 Drill Program is designed to expand known mineralization and further substantiate that the Excelsior Springs Project is a regional-scale, intrusion-related, gold-bearing, hydrothermal system.

John Power, Athena's President & CEO commented, "Our location in the Walker Lane Trend places the Company in the heart of the recent successful resurgence of historic mining districts in Tonopah, Beatty/Bullfrog and Goldfield. The core of the Excelsior Springs Project is the historic high-grade Buster mine, and the Company is excited to commence the 2022 Drill Program as we look to expand on the gold mineralization identified in historic drilling."

Mr. Power continued, "We are fortunate to have a robust dataset from prior operators who collectively drilled approximately 84 RC holes with very encouraging results. However, as 85% of the mapped structures dip north, northeast, or northwest, and only 5% of the historic drill holes had a southern azimuth, our proposed drill program includes several south-directed drill holes to better test these structures."

Excelsior Springs Project Highlights:

The Excelsior Springs Project is in the heart of Nevada's Walker Lane Trend.

61% of the historic drill results show gold mineralization above a typical Nevada, open-pit-mine cutoff grade of 0.25g Au/T.

Numerous prospective drill targets on the land package of nearly 3,000 acres.

Significant mineralization - Figure 1 below shows historic drill holes with reported significant gold grades and thicknesses.

Figure 1. Historic drill holes with reported significant gold grades and thicknesses.

Further information on the Excelsior Springs Property is available in the technical report prepared by Matthew Dumala, P.Eng. and Donald Strachan, MSc, CPG, dated August 26, 2021 (effective July 21, 2021) and entitled "Technical Report for the Excelsior Springs Property, Esmeralda County, Nevada, U.S.A." a copy of which is available on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

About the Excelsior Springs Project

The Excelsior Springs mining claims cover an area of 3.5 km2 including the historic Buster mine, which had estimated historical production of 18,000 tonnes (T) at 37.3 grams gold per tonne (g Au/T) gold to a maximum depth of 70 m. The Excelsior Springs Project is located in the Walker Lane tectonic zone of southern Nevada, which hosts a number of large historic gold mines. Total gold production from the Walker Lane tectonic zone has exceeded 20 million ounces (Moz) including notable deposits by Goldfields (5 Moz), Bullfrog (2 Moz), Tonopah (2 Moz), Mineral Ridge (1.5 Moz) and Comstock (8 Moz Au, 200 Moz Ag).

The reports of past production on the Excelsior Springs Project are historical in nature and may not accurately indicate the extent or grade of mineralization present at the Excelsior Springs Project. Although the Company believes the source of the historical information to be generally reliable, such information is subject to interpretation and cannot be verified with complete certainty due to limits on the availability and reliability of raw data and other inherent limitations and uncertainties. Readers are cautioned that the Company has no interest in or right to acquire any interest in any of the above-mentioned properties, other than the Excelsior Springs Project, and that the mineral deposits, and the results of any mining thereof, on adjacent or similar properties are not indicative of mineral deposits on the Excelsior Springs Project or any potential exploitation thereof.

From the mid-1980s through 2011, several exploration companies conducted drilling programs at the Excelsior Springs Project, primarily on the patented claims, that began to define the near-surface Buster Mine gold zone. Gold mineralization at the Excelsior Springs Project occurs within an east-west trending zone that is 200 to 400m wide and at least 3 km long.

Gold mineralization discovered at the Excelsior Springs Project to date occurs in quartz vein stock-works and silicified zones in hornfels and calc-silicate altered country rock and is generally close to porphyry dykes. The best mineralization (grade and thickness) is found in altered sediments immediately above porphyry dykes that have intruded along existing east- and east-northeast trending faults. The mineralized stock-work vein zones are shallow and have a relatively flat plunge, making them amenable to open pit mining methods.

Most historical exploration at the Excelsior Springs Project has focused on a 2.5 km long section in the central part of the Buster zone where mineralization is at or near the surface. Surface mapping and an Induced Polarization (IP) geophysical survey conducted by Zonge International Inc identified multiple zones of silicification that correlate well with the known mineralization. Many of the silicified zones defined by the IP (resistivity highs) surveys have not been tested by drilling and remain targets for future exploration.

Qualified Person

John Hiner, Licensed Geologist and Registered Member of SME (Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration), a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101, has reviewed the scientific and technical information that forms the basis of this press release and has approved the disclosure herein. Mr. Hiner is not independent of the Company as he is a director of the Company and holds stock options in the Company.

About Athena Gold Corporation

Athena is engaged in the business of mineral exploration and the acquisition of mineral property assets. Its objective is to locate and develop economic precious and base metal properties of merit and to conduct its exploration program on the Excelsior Springs Project, located in Esmeralda County, Nevada, approximately 45 miles southwest of Goldfield, Nevada.

For further information about Athena Gold Corporation and our Excelsior Springs Gold project, please visit www.athenagoldcorp.com.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

John Power

Chief Executive Officer and President

Contact:

Phone: John Power, 707-291-6198

Email: info@athenagoldcorp.com

Cautionary Statement to U.S. Investors

This press release references NI 43-101, which differs from the requirements of U.S. securities laws. NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators that establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects.

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") permits mining companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only those mineral deposits that a company can legally extract or produce. Pursuant to SEC Industry Guide 7 under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, a "final" or "bankable" feasibility study is required to report reserves. Currently Athena has not delineated "reserves" on any of its properties. Athena cannot be certain that any deposits at its properties will ever be confirmed or converted into SEC Industry Guide 7 or any successor rule or regulation compliant "reserves". Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of the historic Buster Mine gold zone will ever be confirmed or converted into reserves or that it can be economically or legally extracted.

The SEC has adopted amendments to its disclosure rules to modernize the mineral property disclosure requirements for issuers whose securities are registered with the SEC under the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These amendments became effective February 25, 2019, with compliance required for the first fiscal year beginning on or after January 1, 2021, and historical property disclosure requirements for mining registrants that were included in SEC Industry Guide 7 will be rescinded from and after such date.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the completion of the 2022 Drill Program, future results from exploration, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: "believes", "will", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "may", "should", "potential", "scheduled", or variations of such words and phrases and similar expressions, which, by their nature, refer to future events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this press release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that there will be investor interest in future financings, market fundamentals will result in sustained precious metals demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future exploration and development of the Company's projects in a timely manner, the availability of financing on suitable terms for the exploration and development of the Company's projects and the Company's ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws.

The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, operating and technical difficulties in connection with mineral exploration and development activities, actual results of exploration activities, the estimation or realization of mineral reserves and mineral resources, the inability of the Company to obtain the necessary financing required to conduct its business and affairs, as currently contemplated, the timing and amount of estimated future production, the costs of production, capital expenditures, the costs and timing of the development of new deposits, requirements for additional capital, future prices of precious metals, changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities, lack of investor interest in future financings, accidents, labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental approvals, permits or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities, risks relating to epidemics or pandemics such as COVID-19, including the impact of COVID-19 on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, title disputes, the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents, approvals or authorizations, including of the Canadian Securities Exchange, the timing and possible outcome of any pending litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, and other factors and risks that are discussed in the Company's periodic filings with the SEC and disclosed in the final long form prospectus of the Company dated August 31, 2021.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this press release or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise required by law.

SOURCE: Athena Gold Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/691965/Athena-Gold-Secures-Contractor-for-Drilling-at-Excelsior-Springs-Gold-Project-Esmeralda-County-Nevada
Kirkland Lake, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 8, 2022) - RJK Explorations Ltd. (TSXV: RJX.A) (OTC Pink: RJKAF) ("RJK," or "the Company") is pleased to announce that RJK and Electra Battery Materials Corporation ("EBM") have agreed to an exchange of mineral claims and related rights, first discussed in November 2021, whereby RJK has agreed to give up its option, previously granted to it by EBM, to acquire any interest in certain mineral claims located within the larger EBM claims block located in Coleman, Gilles Limit, Lorrain, South Lorrain, and Bucke Townships, currently under option to Kuya Silver Corporation, in exchange for outright ownership of certain mineral claims located in Lorrain and Bucke townships.

Upon the closing of the transaction, RJK will gain a 100% interest in three areas, consisting of 42 mineral claims located in Lorrain Township and 11 mineral claims located in Bucke Township, subject to a 2% NSR (base and precious metals) and a 2% GORR (diamonds). The NSR and GORR are subject to a buy-back per claim block of 1% for $500,000 and the remaining interest for $1,000,000. At the same time, RJK will give up its option to acquire any interest in 52 EBM mineral claims in Coleman, Gillies Limit, Lorrain, South Lorrain, and Bucke Townships.

The 1,400-hectare Chown Block contains a large VTEM Conductance Anomaly (refer to Figure 1), similar to the Nicol VTEM Conductance Anomaly which RJK drill tested by Reverse Circulation Drilling in January, 2021. The Nicol anomaly intersected 4.5-5 m of kimberlite, below 2 m of overburden, located at the north-eastern edge of this geophysical feature. The geochemical results of Nicol kimberlite by CFM Labs was highlighted as potential to host large diamonds (>50 carats) and good diamond preservation chemistry. (Refer to RJK Press Release - August 25, 2021) The main body of the Nicol anomaly has not yet been drilled.

The Chown anomaly is located slightly to the north-west of Nicol and has dimensions of approximately 2,000 meters in length by approximately 5-600 meters in width. In 2021, RJK drilled two vertical Reverse Circulation Drill holes on the extreme north-eastern limits of this anomaly, with one intersecting kimberlite at surface before entering bedrock at 1.5 m. Additional drilling will be completed to determine if this anomaly represents a new kimberlite body.





Figure 1: Chown Block showing Claim locations and VTEM Conductance Anomaly

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1526/115975_904d2117c443cae1_001full.jpg.





Figure 2: Updated RJK Property Map

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1526/115975_904d2117c443cae1_002full.jpg.

The Bucke mineral claims located approximately three kilometers west of the town of Haileybury Ontario, contains the Peddie kimberlite pipe. The Peddie Kimberlite was discovered in 1996 with 2 drill holes testing a positive magnetic high having dimensions of 1.8 hectares. In 2006, a shallow trenching program exposed a portion of the kimberlite logged as hypabyssal facies kimberlite. Micro-probe analyses of kimberlite indicator minerals recovered from a 55 kg sample recovered eclogitic garnets with 1 G10 and ilmenite grains indicating a reducing environment favourable for diamond preservation. There was no caustic fusion testing for micro diamonds performed at that time. RJK will evaluate various proposals involving additional bulk sampling using sonic drilling and/or excavator trenching.

Glenn Kasner stated, "This is an important transaction for the Company enabling RJK to acquire a large land package with a known kimberlite structure, as well as, a prospective VTEM anomaly which could represent another substantial kimberlite body. In our historical research of the Nipissing Diamond, the Chown Lake area was another possible location for the origin of the 800 Carat Nipissing Diamond and with this arrangement it now allows us to fully explore this theory. I would like to thank Trent Mell President and CEO of Electra Battery Materials Corporation, David Stein President and CEO of Kuya Silver Corporation and especially David Lewis Exploration Director for Kuya Silver Corporation for their assistance and work to complete this transaction."

Mr. Peter Hubacheck, P. Geo., Project Manager for RJK and the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 has approved the technical disclosure in this release.

Contact Information

Gino Chitaroni, President

Mobile: 705 648 9956

Glenn Kasner, CEO

Mobile: (705) 568-7567

info@rjkexplorations.com

Web Site: https://www.rjkexplorations.com/

Company Information: Tel: (705) 568-7445

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.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release includes certain forward-looking statements, which may include, but are not limited to, statements concerning future mineral exploration and property option payments. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking, including those identified by the expressions "will", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "propose" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied in this news release. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in this news release include, but are not limited to, the financial resources of the Corporation being inadequate to carry out its stated plans. RJK assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/115975
BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Song Tao, head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Tuesday had a conversation via video link with Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of Iran's Expediency Discernment Council.

The two sides exchanged in-depth views on such topics as deepening exchanges of state governance experience and strengthening coordination on international and regional affairs.

Song also briefed Zolghadr on China's ongoing "two sessions" and the main spirit of the sixth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee. 
Cloud DX supplies Virtual Care and Remote Patient Monitoring hardware and services to educate the next generation of nurses and nurse practitioners in Oregon

News in Summary

Cloud DX has signed an 18 month contract with University School of Nursing in Oregon

Company to supply its Connected Health hardware, services, and connectivity to educate nursing students on best-in-class virtual care systems

This is the ninth contract executed or deployed in Q1 2022 for Cloud DX

KITCHENER, ON / ACCESSWIRE / March 8,2022 / Cloud DX (TSXV:CDX) (OTC:CDXFF), Cloud DX, a leading Virtual Care platform, announces today the signing of an 18 month contract as the exclusive vendor for Telemedicine and Remote Patient Monitoring equipment, services, and connectivity with a University Nursing School in Portland, Oregon.

This agreement demonstrates key competitive advantages of the company's Connected Health offering: including easy-to-use medical devices, intuitive and flexible user interfaces, and exceedingly high user satisfaction. Two hospitals using Cloud DX platform, The Ottawa Hospital and Kingston Health Science Center, released results of recent user surveys. Each indicated that over 95% of users were satisfied or very satisfied with Connected Health.

"Patients love our Connected Health platform and Healthcare educators do too," says Robert Kaul, CEO and Founder of Cloud DX. "Our platform lowers the burden on healthcare staff and enables nurses to be closer and more connected to their patients. With a closer circle of care, our virtual care and remote monitoring solutions improve patient outcomes, in turn reducing hospital re-admissions and lowering system costs. Agreements such as this one ensure upcoming generations of nursing students are learning to leverage Telemedicine and Remote Patient Monitoring to make healthcare better, for everyone, the Cloud DX way."

About Cloud DX

Accelerating virtual healthcare, Cloud DX is on a mission to make healthcare better for everyone. Our Connected Health TM remote patient monitoring platform is used by healthcare enterprises and care teams across North America to virtually manage chronic disease, enable aging in place, and deliver hospital-quality post-surgical care in the home. Our partners achieve better healthcare and patient outcomes, reduce the need for hospitalization or re-admission, and reduce healthcare delivery costs through more efficient use of resources. Cloud DX is the co-winner of the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE, a 2021 Edison Award winner, a Fast Company "World Changing Idea" finalist, and one of "Canada's Ten Most Prominent Telehealth Providers." In 2021, Cloud DX became an exclusive partner to Medtronic Canada.

Cloud DX Investor Site: https://ir.clouddx.com/overview/default.aspx

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Social Links

Twitter https://twitter.com/CloudDX

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/clouddxinc/

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/cloud-dx/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cloud.dx/

For media inquiries please contact:

Janine Scott

Marketing Lead

888-543-0944

janine.scott@CloudDX.com

For investor inquiries please contact:

Jay Bedard

Cloud DX Investor Relations

647-881-8418

jay.bedard@CloudDX.com

SOURCE: Cloud DX Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/692054/Cloud-DX-Signs-Contract-with-US-University-Nursing-School
The agreement covers exclusive localizations in Portuguese and German, allowing both parties to expand Lean Six Sigma to key markets.

UTRECHT, Netherlands, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- EXIN, an independent examination institute focusing on competencies required in the digital world, is thrilled to announce its partnership with the Lean Six Sigma Academy (LSSA). Together the two organizations will collaborate to provide the EXIN LSSA Lean Six Sigma Certification program. The program will offer three modules: Yellow Belt, Green Belt, and Black Belt. In addition, it will be launched initially in English in Q2, with localizations in Dutch, (Brazilian) Portuguese, and German to follow. For EXIN accredited partners, early accreditation will be starting soon.

This addition to EXIN's Digital Skills Portfolio will strengthen the range of certifications in the Lean, DevOps, and Agile fields. This offering allows EXIN to provide an even wider range of relevant certifications to our community. Moreover, EXIN's strong presence in the Indian, Brazilian and German markets enables EXIN and LSSA to work together to further expand the Lean Six Sigma community.

Commenting on the added value of this partnership Suzanne Galletly, Portfolio Director at EXIN, remarks:

"We are very pleased to be able to add the Lean Six Sigma program to our portfolio, as it complements our current offerings perfectly. Lean Six Sigma can help organizations to optimize their business processes by providing a holistic approach to continuous improvement. Our partnership with LSSA will enable us to strengthen our broad portfolio of certifications and career paths related to Agile, DevOps, and Lean. These topics are increasingly relevant in the digital context."

Michiel Buysing Damste, CEO at EXIN, further adds:

"At EXIN, we believe that professional excellence boosts organizational performance. We support organizations and their professionals to acquire the right competencies to thrive in the digital transformation, and the Lean Six Sigma program supports this aim. EXIN has a long-standing presence in markets globally which we are very proud of. LSSA is a leading international standard for Lean Six Sigma co-developed by the University of Twente and the University of Grenoble. The program is widely adopted by leading multinationals for their staff. We look forward to this exciting new chapter in our journey to assist organizations in boosting their performance with an extended range of relevant certifications."

The LSSA Academy is enthusiastic about getting started, saying:

"The cooperation with EXIN contributes to LSSA's ambitions to create one uniform Lean Six Sigma standard across the world. By joining our efforts, we can cooperatively establish and grow the Lean Six Sigma standard globally, starting in new regions, such as India, Brazil, and Germany. We are looking forward to the prospect of expanding our certifications into these exciting new markets."

About LSSA

Lean Six Sigma Academy (LSSA) is the Scheme Owner of Lean Six Sigma. LSSA has designed the body of knowledge for Lean Six Sigma training and certification because LSSA believes in one uniform and internationally recognized standard. LSSA aims to create an open, professional, and quality driven community with a network of worldwide Accredited Training Organizations (ATOs) and renowned exam institutions.

LSSA has developed a series of training content for each Lean Six Sigma belt, including but not limited to skill set, study books, presentations, posters, templates and exam questions. These materials are used by the whole LSSA network. For more information, please visit www.lssa.eu.

About EXIN

We are EXIN, an independent examination institute focusing on competencies required in the digital world. We offer an end-to-end solution for certifying professionals. We are proud to be part of the Software Improvement Group (SIG), as together, we are creating a healthier digital world. While SIG focuses on assessing and certifying IT Processes and Technology, we have our focus on People. Together, we cover the trifecta of People, Process, and Technology.

We look forward to helping you in your global certification and accreditation efforts. For more information, please visit www.exin.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1762070/LSSA_EXIN_partnership_image.jpg
Hybrid experience to take place in June

MONTVALE, NJ / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2022 / IMA (Institute of Management Accountants), the global association of accountants and financial professionals in business, today opened registration for IMA's Accounting & Finance Conference, formerly known as its Annual Conference and Expo or ACE.

The event, to be held June 12-15, will be a hybrid in-person and virtual conference. Through its "Reimagine" theme, the conference is designed to inform, inspire, and energize management accountants from around the world. The in-person conference will be held in Austin, Texas, with select sessions and supplemental recordings available for virtual attendees.

This year's conference will feature keynote presentations by leading experts and influential speakers, including:

Vikran Mansharamani, Global Equity Investor and Harvard University Lecturer, Author

Nzinga Shaw, President, TurnkeyZRG and Global Practice Head of DEI

Kai Knight, Classical Violinist-turned-Innovator, Composer, and Entrepreneur

Efrain Rivera, CMA, CFM, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer, Paychex

Sandra Clarke, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Blue Shield of California

Eric Lenard, CMA, CFM, Vice President of Finance for Robotics and Digital Solutions, Johnson & Johnson

In-person participants can choose from more than 40 live and on-demand sessions to customize their learning experience. Virtual attendees will have the opportunity to explore 21 specialty track sessions offered to in-person participants, as well as all six keynote sessions. Track topics include Top Trends in Accounting; Ethical Environments; Technology Integration; Data Analytics; COVID-19 Strategic Risks; Financial Crime; and ESG Management.

IMA's Accounting & Finance Conference will offer in-person attendees the opportunity to earn 18.5 NASBA CPE credits and up to 50 ICMA CPE credits. Virtual attendees will qualify only for ICMA CPE credits. On-demand recorded sessions will be available to view for 30 days after the event and will also only qualify for ICMA CPE credits.

Early Bird Conference registration opens March 8, 2022. For complete information about the IMA's Accounting & Finance Conference and registration details, visit imaconference.org.

About IMA (Institute of Management Accountants)

IMA is one of the largest and most respected associations focused exclusively on advancing the management accounting profession. Globally, IMA supports the profession through research, the CMA (Certified Management Accountant) and CSCA (Certified in Strategy and Competitive Analysis) programs, continuing education, networking, and advocacy of the highest ethical business practices. Twice named Professional Body of the Year by The Accountant/International Accounting Bulletin, IMA has a global network of about 140,000 members in 150 countries and 350 professional and student chapters. Headquartered in Montvale, N.J., USA, IMA provides localized services through its four global regions: The Americas, Asia/Pacific, Europe and Middle East/India. For more information about IMA, please visit www.imanet.org.

CONTACT:

Giuseppe Barone

IMA

(201) 474-1681

giuseppe.barone@imanet.org

Brian Sherry

Stern Strategy Group

(908) 325-3866

bsherry@sternstrategy.com

SOURCE: IMA (Institute of Management Accountants)

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/691999/Registration-Opens-for-IMAs-Accounting-Finance-Conference
Aspen will manufacture and provide the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine under its own brand name per the terms of agreement

Ensuring equitable, global access to COVID-19 vaccines has been a pillar of Johnson & Johnson's response since the earliest days of the pandemic

The production of COVID-19 vaccines on multiple continents is critical to supporting an equitable response, controlling the pandemic, and improving long-term health security

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) (the Company) today announced the completion of a landmark agreement between Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and manufacturer Aspen SA Operations (Pty) Ltd, based in South Africa, to enable the first COVID-19 vaccine to be manufactured and made available by an African company for people living in Africa, with the goal of increasing COVID-19 vaccination rates across the continent.

Expanding global vaccination coverage is critically important to controlling the COVID-19 pandemic and reducing the risk of emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants. Currently, only about 12 percent of people in Africa are fully vaccinated, which is well below the World Health Organization's target of 70 percent population coverage for all countries.

Our response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been guided by the conviction that unless everyone is safe, no one is safe, which is why we worked to develop and deliver a vaccine that can protect the health of everyone, everywhere.

"From the outset of this pandemic we aimed to develop a simple-to-use and accessible vaccine that could be transported around the world through standard vaccine distribution channels," said Martin Fitchet, M.D., Head of Global Public Health, Johnson & Johnson, Cilag GmbH International. "We initiated clinical trials in all regions of the world to generate evidence across multiple geographies and diverse, at-risk populations and forged a strategic partnership with Aspen in Africa and others to manufacture our vaccine globally. We're proud to take our long-standing collaboration with Aspen to the next level, to continue to address the COVID-19 threat and lay the groundwork for a healthier, more secure future for people in Africa."

To date, Johnson & Johnson has shipped more than 200 million vaccine doses to Africa through a combination of our advance purchase agreements with the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust, South Africa and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, on behalf of the COVAX Facility, along with government donations. As one of our contract manufacturers since November 2020, Aspen has been a significant supplier within the Johnson & Johnson global network.

The agreement enables Aspen, using COVID-19 vaccine drug substance supplied by Johnson & Johnson, to produce Aspen-branded finished vaccine and make doses available to the public sector in Africa, including all 55 Member States of the African Union and key multilateral entities supporting Africa's COVID-19 vaccination drive, inclusive of the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT), and the COVAX Facility.

"With the conclusion of this agreement, our vision for Africa's own vaccine has become a reality," said Stephen Saad, Aspen Group Chief Executive. "This has been achieved through tremendous teamwork and collaboration between Johnson & Johnson and Aspen. Through this agreement and their earlier actions, Johnson & Johnson has demonstrated its commitment to our continent. Initially by choosing Aspen, located in Africa, as a core manufacturing partner, and then by showing resolve and dedication to a technical transfer process during the most stringent lockdown periods of the COVID outbreak."

Johnson & Johnson's Equitable Response to COVID-19

A commitment to global equity has guided the Company's response since the beginning of the pandemic, starting with the decision to pursue a vaccine that can provide protection with a single dose and be easily stored and distributed with standard refrigeration globally, including in resource-limited, rural or remote settings.

Johnson & Johnson supported the development of its vaccine with a truly global and inclusive clinical research program that studied the vaccine across the U.S., Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America as we sought to generate evidence across multiple geographies and diverse, at-risk populations, including in resource-limited settings. We complemented this by supporting a large-scale implementation study for our vaccine in South Africa. The "Sisonke" study made the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine available to 500,000 frontline healthcare workers across the country.

In parallel, the Company forged a global supply network that included Aspen and partners in the U.S., Europe and India, and entered into advance purchase agreements with Gavi, on behalf of the COVAX Facility, and AVAT to supply 420 million vaccine doses to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) through 2022.

"The urgency and necessity of developing and delivering our COVID-19 vaccine required our R&D teams to find new and exciting ways to use our novel vaccine technology to rapidly progress our science and maximize our impact for humanity," said Penny Heaton, M.D., Global Therapeutic Area Head, Vaccines, Janssen Research & Development, LLC. "We have proudly contributed to protecting hundreds of millions of people from COVID-19. Our experiences will have major benefits for the future of vaccine development and Johnson & Johnson's ongoing research and development programs as we continue to bring cutting-edge science to bear on complex health challenges."

In 2021, Johnson & Johnson provided its vaccine globally at a not-for-profit price, and through its advance purchase agreements and country donations, shipped approximately 70% of its global vaccine supply to LMICs. The Company remains committed to ensuring its vaccine is accessible to people around the world and continues to advocate that governments with available doses follow the example of the U.S., European Union and others and immediately ramp up dose sharing, particularly through the COVAX Facility.

Johnson & Johnson has also pledged its support to the COVAX Humanitarian Buffer through an agreement with the U.S. Government and Gavi. This agreement enables access to our COVID-19 vaccine for the world's most vulnerable people, such as those living in conflict zones and other humanitarian settings who are at risk of exclusion from traditional vaccination campaigns.

About the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine

The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine has a robust profile in scientific, clinical and real-world studies, generating strong, persistent activity against SARS-CoV-2 and variants such as Delta and Omicron. The vaccine's efficacy, both as a single dose and in boosted regimens, combined with its compatibility with standard refrigeration requirements, uniquely positions it for ease of deployment in any setting.

The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine has an Emergency Use Listing (EUL) from the World Health Organization (WHO) and has been authorized in many other countries worldwide, including 50 countries in Africa. The vaccine is authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) through an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), and has a Conditional Marketing Authorization from the European Commission for use across the European Union (EU).

On February 28, the European Medicines Agency approved an extension of the shelf-life of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to 11 months when refrigerated at temperatures of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius (36 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit). On March 7, Johnson & Johnson confirmed that the U.S. FDA has extended the shelf-life of the Company's vaccine from six months to nine months when stored at these same temperatures. These decisions are based on data from ongoing stability assessment studies. Johnson & Johnson has also submitted these data regarding the vaccine's shelf-life to the WHO, and a decision is expected shortly.

About the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson

At Janssen, we're creating a future where disease is a thing of the past. We're the Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, working tirelessly to make that future a reality for patients everywhere by fighting sickness with science, improving access with ingenuity and healing hopelessness with heart. We focus on areas of medicine where we can make the biggest difference: Cardiovascular & Metabolism, Immunology, Infectious Diseases & Vaccines, Neuroscience, Oncology and Pulmonary Hypertension.

Learn more at www.janssen.com. Follow us at @JanssenUS and @JanssenGlobal. Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., and Cilag GmbH International are part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.

About Johnson & Johnson

At Johnson & Johnson, we believe good health is the foundation of vibrant lives, thriving communities and forward progress. That's why for more than 130 years, we have aimed to keep people well at every age and every stage of life. Today, as the world's largest and most broadly-based healthcare company, we are committed to using our reach and size for good. We strive to improve access and affordability, create healthier communities, and put a healthy mind, body and environment within reach of everyone, everywhere. We are blending our heart, science and ingenuity to profoundly change the trajectory of health for humanity. Learn more at?www.jnj.com. Follow us at?@JNJNews.

Cautions Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding an agreement with Aspen SA Operations (Pty) Ltd relating to the development, manufacture and distribution of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections of Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, and/or Johnson & Johnson. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the potential that the expected benefits and opportunities of the agreement may not be realized or may take longer to realize than expected; challenges and uncertainties inherent in product research and development, including the uncertainty of clinical success and of obtaining regulatory approvals; uncertainty of commercial success; manufacturing difficulties and delays; competition, including technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges to patents; product efficacy or safety concerns resulting in product recalls or regulatory action; changes in behavior and spending patterns of purchasers of health care products and services; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including global health care reforms; and trends toward health care cost containment. A further list and descriptions of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Johnson & Johnson's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 2, 2022, including in the sections captioned "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and "Item 1A. Risk Factors," and in Johnson & Johnson's subsequent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at www.sec.gov, www.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson. None of Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies nor Johnson & Johnson undertakes to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events or developments.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/403394/Johnson_and_Johnson_Logo.jpg
AXIS, Encova Insurance, and Hollard Insurance are each recognized during Formation '22 for delivering powerful technology innovations to the insurance industry

Boston, March 08, 2022, held in Orlando, Florida, March 6-8, 2022. Receiving Duck Creek's Standard of Excellence Customer Award were AXIS, Encova Insurance, and Hollard Insurance.

The SaaS leader dedicated time during their marquee event to recognize the incredible accomplishments of their customers from across the world. The Standard of Excellence Customer Awards were created by Duck Creek to acknowledge the technological innovations happening in the insurance industry from those who have active technology deployments using one or more of the company's modern core solutions. Engraved, glass awards were handed to AXIS, Encova Insurance, and Hollard Insurance for achieving the highest level of excellence through their implementation of Duck Creek solutions and for having a vision to advance their business, while reimaging the future of insurance.

AXIS was recognized for creating its Future Insurance Platform (FIP) program to encompass their digital journey and bring new products to market faster. This new operating platform delivers a collection of business operational improvements and aligns business functions for optimal performance. Through its FIP program, AXIS accelerated and broadened their knowledge base of products and customers by implementing enhancements quicker and eliminating duplicate entries. The Duck Creek Platform enabled greater business intelligence and operational efficiency for AXIS to go to market with new products in an accelerated timeframe.

Encova Insurancewas recognized for modernizing and consolidating agency management functions across all lines of business into a single, integrated platform. The Duck Creek Distribution Management System (DMS) helped Encova establish seamless integrations and provide an enhanced personalized experience for their agents and agencies. The centralization of previously disconnected systems created a single source of truth for agent and agency details. Since going live on the Duck Creek Platform in December 2021, these automated processes have simplified the experience and decreased the timeframe of onboarding significantly.

Hollard Insurance was recognized for their implementation of Duck Creeks' policy, billing and data hub technology solutions that allowed the company to enhance focus on their partners and customers. The low-code configuration accelerated product market entry, and its descriptive nature allowed Hollard to match the core requirements of brokers and clients. Duck Creek's API integrations enabled Hollard to access all the core capabilities and plug them into the existing application landscape quickly, helping them bring their insurance vision into reality.

"Our customers are doing amazing things to bring innovation to the insurance industry. It was an honor to acknowledge this work and celebrate the successes of our customers live onstage at Formation '22 in front hundreds of other members of our ecosystem. Insurance carriers across the globe are rising to the challenge to advance and simplify everyday insurance issues. We're excited about our ongoing work with AXIS, Encova, and Hollard, and we recognize them today and every day for being invaluable partners to Duck Creek," said Mike Jackowski, CEO at Duck Creek Technologies.

About AXIS Capital

AXIS Capital, through its operating subsidiaries, is a global provider of specialty lines insurance and treaty reinsurance with shareholders' equity of $5.4 billion on December 31, 2021, and locations in Bermuda, the United States, Europe, Singapore and Canada. Its operating subsidiaries have been assigned a rating of "A+".

About Encova Insurance

A super-regional carrier ranked in the top 20 mutual insurance companies in the United States, Encova includes nearly 1,200 associates writing in 28 states and the District of Columbia, premiums in excess of $1 billion, a surplus in excess of $1.77 billion and assets in excess of $4.3 billion. The group markets insurance solutions through more than 2,000 independent agencies in the Midwest, Northeast and South.

About The Hollard Insurance Company Australia

Established in 1999, the Hollard Insurance Company Pty Ltd.

About Duck Creek Technologies

Duck Creek Technologies, the company's enterprise software-as-a-service solution, insurance carriers are able to navigate uncertainty and capture market opportunities faster than their competitors. Duck Creek's functionally-rich solutions are available on a standalone basis or as a full suite, and all are available via Duck Creek OnDemand. For more information, visit www.duckcreek.com.
Inkblot Also Named a "Best Workplace for Women" by Great Place to Work

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 8, 2022) - Today, on International Women's Day, Inkblot Therapy (Inkblot) and the Green Shield Association announce the launch of the new Room for Her digital hub. The hub will provide participants with mental health guidance using Inkblot's team of clinical professionals, as well as external experts. Visitors will have access to short expert Q&A videos, quick reads, resilience-building activities, webinars and podcasts, all at no cost. The hub will also be the primary access point for the free Room for Her counselling program, which will be expanded in the coming months.

Funded by the Green Shield Association and delivered by Inkblot, Room for Her was launched on November 9, 2021. The initiative focuses on promoting mental health and well-being for all Canadian women - with an emphasis on BIPOC women in the workplace in the first year of the program. Data shows that BIPOC women not only face disproportionate barriers in the workplace, but also experience higher rates of mental health struggles and/or illness, and significant challenges to accessing mental health support.

"The Room for Her digital hub represents an exciting next step in this groundbreaking initiative and a one-stop experience, with resources, insights and counselling all at visitors' fingertips," says Harriet Ekperigin, Vice President, Mental Health, Green Shield Holdings Inc. "With the disproportionate mental health burden facing women today, it has never been more important to provide access to multi-faceted support."

The Room for Her digital hub will specifically include the following resources:

Mental Health educational materials: The hub will focus on enhancing protective factors (e.g. resilience, coping, social support and social networks) and addressing risk factors (e.g. social isolation, discrimination, stigma and substance use). Educational materials will take the form of short expert Q&As, videos, quick reads and resilience-building activities. The hub will also include links to appropriate resources, tools and apps delivered by publicly-funded organizations.

Webinar and podcast series: In the coming weeks and months, the hub will introduce regular webinars and podcasts focused on specific issues or topics relevant to women's mental health - with a focus on BIPOC women in the workplace. Inkblot will use the webinars and podcasts to engage outside experts in women's mental health, including academics, public policy experts and mental health professionals.

Free counselling support: The hub will be the primary access point for the free Room for Her counselling program. In November 2021, Inkblot released 10,000 free one-hour counselling sessions for anyone in Canada who identifies as a woman. Some hours remain. Those who qualify also receive an initial consultation appointment with a certified therapist of their choice, along with one 60-minute or two 30-minute sessions of additional online counselling. In the coming months, Inkblot and the Green Shield Association will expand this program.

"Pairing counselling services with a suite of educational resources is a formula that we strongly believe in," explains Dr. Rachel Toledano, Inkblot's vice president of clinical services. "It has been incredibly rewarding to see the impact of the free counselling hours over the past few months, and we continue to be here for women facing mental health challenges." Inkblot is also seeking out content and research partners for Room for Her, as well as writers interested in showcasing validated mental health research, tools or commentary. If you're interested in contributing, please contact: sarah@inkblottherapy.com

Inkblot Named a "Best Workplace for Women" by Great Place to Work

Inkblot's commitment to women's mental health starts within its own workforce. The company has consistently prioritized hiring, empowering and promoting women - with nearly two-thirds of Inkblot's senior leadership team made up of women. This week, in recognition of this approach, Inkblot was named a Best Workplace for Women by Great Place to Work.

"We take great pride in fostering a diverse, collaborative workplace," says Luke Vigeant, President of Inkblot. "This award speaks volumes for the talented team of women at Inkblot who continue to drive our business forward."

For more information:

Inkblot contact:

Sarah Mortimer, Marketing Manager

647-518-7106

sarah@inkblottherapy.com

GSC contact:

Deb Quinn, SPPR

647.985.7162

debquinn@sppublicrelations.com

About Inkblot Therapy

Inkblot is on a mission to improve your mental health at home, at work and beyond. From our affordable digital counselling services to our innovative EAP program, we offer effective and accessible solutions for individuals and organizations that care. Our corporate mental health program focuses on offering secure, easy-to-access video counselling that is available anytime, any place. Through our advanced matching technology, individuals can easily find the best counsellors to suit their needs and preferences in just a few easy steps. With mental health insights employers can actually learn from and care that's built for you, we've already helped over a million people start feeling better without the wait.

About Green Shield Canada (GSC)

Green Shield Canada (GSC) is shaping the health care landscape of the future with a unique brand of expertise and innovation. That starts with decades of health and dental benefits expertise and extends - through the GSC group of companies' strategic investments and commercial partnerships - to health services delivery, via an ever-expanding digital health ecosystem, and health and benefits administration. GSC believes all Canadians should have access to services they need to improve their health and well-being, but for too many that's not a reality. With a focus on filling gaps in the Canadian health care system in oral and mental health, GSC will invest $75M in oral and mental health initiatives by 2025 to drive measurable improvements in health outcomes for Canadians - and support a commitment to Better Health for All.

About Green Shield Holdings Inc.

Part of the Green Shield Canada (GSC) group of companies, Green Shield Holdings Inc. is the primary company used to house subsidiaries. Green Shield Holdings Inc. is itself a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Green Shield Association.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/115983
Regulatory News:

ACTICOR BIOTECH (ISIN: FR0014005OJ5 ALACT) (Paris:ALACT), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company specialized in developing innovative treatments for cardiovascular emergencies, is announcing today the strengthening of its Board of Directors.

Corinne Le Goff has agreed to join the Board of Acticor Biotech as an independent director. Her appointment will be submitted for shareholders' approval at the Combined General Meeting on May 12, 2022.

"We are honored that Corinne has agreed to join our Board of Directors as an independent director.The life sciences industry expertise she has gained during her career with major international groups will be invaluable to us, as we seek to support Acticor Biotech's development.What's more, her vision and expertise in neuroscience and cardiovascular diseases will provide tremendous insights for Acticor, as it just announced the positive clinical results of its Phase II ACTIMIS study in stroke", commented Alain Munoz, Chairman of Acticor Biotech's Board of Directors. "I would like to express my gratitude to Corinne on behalf of the entire Board of Directors and Acticor's team for her commitment to developing our company, and I'm thrilled to be working with her."

Corinne Le Goff added: "I'm delighted to be joining Acticor Biotech's Board of Directors at such an exciting time for the Company, with glenzocimab, its drug candidate in the treatment of cardiovascular emergencies, moving through clinical development.I look forward to working closely with the Board of Directors and the senior management team and I am very pleased to have the opportunity to support a company deeply committed to helping stroke victims."

Corinne Le Goff began her career as product manager at Aventis, before moving to Pfizer in the United States as Marketing Director Endocrine Care. Corinne then joined Sanofi-Aventis in the United States in September 2002, before being appointed Senior Director, New Products Commercialization in March 2004 and then Vice President Business Unit Head Central Nervous System Franchise in October 2004. From March 2007 to June 2008, she served as Vice-President, US Empowered Regions.

The next step in her career saw Corinne join Merck in 2008 as President, Global Business Units Neurology Immunology. In September 2011, she moved on to Roche as Senior Vice President Neurosciences Global Product Strategy, before taking the reins of Roche France SAS as President for three years from June 2012.

In 2015, she was named Senior Vice-President and Europe Region President for US-based Amgen. She was then appointed in 2018 as Senior Vice President Neurosciences Global Product Strategy before being promoted in 2019 to head up Amgen's US subsidiary as Senior Vice-President, US Business Organization.

Over the last year, she served as Chief Commercial Officer of the biotech company Moderna.

Corinne was also a director of Compagnie francaise de l'Afrique occidentale from 2014 until 2021 and she is currently a member of Longboard Pharmaceuticals' board of directors.

Corinne Le Goff earned a PhD in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of Paris V and an MBA from Sorbonne University, as well as an MBA from INSEAD. She also holds qualifications from Northwestern University and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. She received the distinction of being named a Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur in 2014.

About ACTICOR BIOTECH

Acticor Biotech is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, a spin-off from INSERM (the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research), that is developing an innovative treatment for acute thrombotic diseases, including ischemic strokes.

Acticor Biotech is developing glenzocimab (ACT017), a humanized monoclonal antibody fragment (Fab) directed against a novel target of major interest, platelet glycoprotein VI (GPVI). Glenzocimab inhibits platelet binding to the thrombus without affecting physiological hemostasis, thereby limiting the risk of bleeding, particularly intracerebral hemorrhage.

Acticor Biotech is supported by a panel of European and International Investors (Karista, Go Capital, Newton Biocapital, CMS Medical Venture Investment (HK) Limited, A&B (HK) Limited, Mirae Asset Capital, Anaxago, Primer Capital, Mediolanum farmaceutici and the Armesa foundation). Acticor Biotech is listed on Euronext Growth Paris since November 2021 (ISIN: FR0014005OJ5 ALACT).

For further information, please go to www.acticor-biotech.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220308005797/en/

Contacts:

ACTICOR BIOTECH

Gilles AVENARD, MD

CEO and Founder

gilles.avenard@acticor-biotech.com

T.: +33 (0)6 76 23 38 13

Sophie BINAY, PhD

General Manager and CSO

Sophie.binay@acticor-biotech.com

T.: +33 (0)6 76 23 38 13

NewCap

Mathilde BOHIN Olivier BRICAUD

Investor Relations

acticor@newcap.eu

T.: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 95
Game changing technology actively neutralizes surface and airborne pathogens including SARS-CoV-2

DALLAS, TX / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2022 / New independent testing conducted by the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), one of the world's top biosafety testing facilities, shows that ActivePure Technology inactivated over 99.9% of highly concentrated airborne SARS-CoV-2 virus-the virus that causes COVID-19-in an enclosed setting to below detectable levels in a 60 second testing period. This recent testing round shows definitively that the technology works even faster than previously indicated. ActivePure's purifying technology provides 24/7 full-coverage air and surface disinfection by deactivating pathogens in the air and on surfaces.

In 2020 after the first UTMB test, Dr. William S. Lawrence, Ph.D., director of the Aerobiology Service Center at UTMB's Galveston National Laboratory, said, "These results clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of this technology in a laboratory setting." With ActivePure's latest test results, he said, "Importantly, the device is still showing a very high level of inactivation after just one minute."

In the wake of the pandemic, ActivePure has become the air purification solution of choice worldwide for commercial, residential, educational, and medical settings where pure air and surfaces are required. While ActivePure has been on the worldwide retail market as an air purifier for over ten years, its commercial use has become more prevalent during the pandemic.

"In addition to our independent testing data, we have real-world data that specifically looks at how our customer's outcomes improved based on ActivePure, which further demonstrates our technology's efficacy," said Joe Urso, chairman and CEO of ActivePure Technologies, LLC. "When it comes to SARS-CoV-2, we know that multi-layered protection strategies work the best to mitigate disease and protect occupants. ActivePure has become an important part of this multi-layered approach."

The tests were done in triplicate. To determine the effectiveness of ActivePure, the live SARS-CoV-2 virus was sprayed into a test chamber at extremely high concentrations (7+ logs, or over 10 million particles per milliliter). In less than 60 seconds, the air purification and disinfection calibrated to the lowest setting of only 29 cubic feet per minute of air movement inactivated the concentration of the virus to below detectable limits of 1.6 logs, a reduction of 99.57 to >= 99.83%% but overall net reduction likely exceeded 99.99%. The testing products only used ActivePure; all other purification technologies found within the testing product were disabled or removed.

Developed over the past 27 years, ActivePure has successfully adapted what happens naturally outdoors for indoor environments. ActivePure is an active purification technology that uses Advanced Photocatalysis. Advanced Photocatalysis technology mimics the organic process of photolysis - in this process, the air is cleansed when sunlight interacts with moisture and creates oxidative molecules. ActivePure brings this atmospheric cleansing phenomenon indoors, allowing the oxidizing particles to neutralize viruses, mold and bacteria in the air and on surfaces. This unique technology is a game-changer as it actively neutralizes surface and airborne pathogens (including SARS-CoV-2) without chemicals, ozone and without the need to trap or filter contaminants.

ActivePure is affordable and customizable. More than 75 products are powered by ActivePure, from standalone portable products to products installed within heating and air conditioning units to handheld travel products. In addition, ActivePure units run 24/7 and can easily be combined for a custom solution serving specific spaces' unique needs.

To learn more about ActivePure, its uses and scientific studies on its proven effectiveness, please visit ActivePure.comor ActivePureMedical.com or call 888-217-4316.

###

ABOUT ACTIVEPURE

Privately held ActivePure has been the global leader in active, continuous surface and air disinfection systems for health care and educational institutions, commercial and public facilities, hospitality and residential applications since 1924. Patented ActivePure Technology has been proven in independent university and laboratory testing to effectively control and neutralize indoor contaminants. It is the only product in its class recognized by the Space Foundation as Certified Space Technology and inducted into the Space Foundation Hall of Fame. In addition, the ActivePure Medical Guardian is registered and cleared as an FDA Class II Medical Device. ActivePure was developed for use in space exploration and has since evolved for use in commercial and consumer products used to reduce exposure to pathogens, including RNA and DNA viruses, bacteria and molds, by up to 99.9% in the air and on surfaces. For more information, please visit ActivePure.com or call 888-217-4316.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Jo Trizila, TrizCom PR on behalf of ActivePure

Email: Jo@TrizCom.com

Office: 972-247-1369

Cell/Text: 214-232-0078

Tonie Auer, TrizCom PR on behalf of ActivePure

Email: Tonie@TrizCom.com

Office: 972-247-1369

Cell/Text: 817-925-2013

SOURCE: ActivePure Technology

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/692098/New-Testing-Shows-ActivePure-Eliminates-999-of-Airborne-COVID-19-Virus-in-Under-60-Seconds
The three companies joined forces to offer fans a memorable immersive virtual experience

ZUG, Switzerland, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Virtual Pangea, the cutting-edge tech company focused on all things blockchain joined forces with Gravit8 - an innovative tech company specialized in designing software exclusively for live events - and Shell , for an exclusive Pennzoil free NFT drop to mark the 5th year anniversary of the annual Pennzoil 400 NASCAR race that took place on March 6, 2022 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The aim of the collaboration was to add to the pre-race activities at Pennzoil Proving Grounds as a virtual and immersive experience. This included Pennzoil 400 releasing its first-ever NFT giveaway drop. As an interactive platform focused on NFT and Blockchain technology, Virtual Pangea helped in developing the limited NFT Edition for Pennzoil, creating the API, and the smart contract, while also acting as the blockchain interface for Gravit8.

Dani Chear, CEO at Virtual Pangea said: "We are extremely proud to have collaborated in this reputable event. This has been a rewarding partnership that is meant to show the world what is possible when combining virtual spaces with blockchain technology. It has taken the consumer experience to a whole new level, one that will stay with them through the unique memorabilia that the NFTs represent."

To make the NFT process as user-friendly as possible, Virtual Pangea developed a handy tool called "yourNFTs" where the users can view all of their collected NFTs.

Adam Price, Head of Sales at Gravit8 said: "Working with VP has allowed us to bring blockchain technology seamlessly into our virtual event platform, making it easy for our clients to add Web 3 elements to their events, whether it be a physical or virtual event. Collaboration with VP has been extremely easy and they are a really fun, responsive team to work with, and most importantly, they have all of the answers when we need them, and are able to build us the right system."

About Virtual Pangea

Virtual Pangea is an interactive platform focused on NFT technology and community. Based in Zug, Switzerland, the company develops Web3 experiences, giving users control and a sense of belonging through blockchain connected art and gaming.

About Gravit8

Gravit8 has a creative team of developers that build bespoke software solutions for physical and virtual events for brands and agencies. With over 15 years experience at the height of event tech, they know a thing or two about making event technology work!

Contact:

Maria Ciubotaru

Head of Marketing Virtual Pangea

Email: marketing@blockmakers.io
Ampligen (rintatolimod) is being evaluated as a monotherapy to treat pancreatic cancer patients in an Early Access Program (EAP) approved by the Inspectorate of Healthcare in the Netherlands at Erasmus Medical Center

Treatment with Ampligen following FOLFIRINOX was associated with improved survival rates in pancreatic cancer patients compared to matched controls of patients who did not receive Ampligen

Phase 2 study in locally advanced pancreatic cancer patients expected to commence in Q2/Q3 2022

OCALA, Fla., March 08, 20221," was published in the peer-reviewed journal, Cancers Special Issue: Combination and Innovative Therapies for Pancreatic Cancer.

In the single-center named patient program, patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) or metastatic disease were treated with Ampligen for 6 weeks, at 2 doses per week with 400 mg per infusion. The study found that Ampligen improved the median survival of these patients.

"We are very encouraged by these data, which we believe reaffirm the potential of Ampligen to offer an important treatment option to patients living with pancreatic cancer. These data now in hand play a key role in the overall advancement of our pancreatic cancer program and provide valuable insight as we continue to execute the path forward. We continue to be encouraged by the favorable results demonstrated with Ampligen and are committed to securing the next phase of development of this important program," commented Thomas Equels, Chief Executive Officer of AIM.

The study's primary endpoints were the Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index (SIII), the Neutrophils to Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR), and absolute counts of 18 different populations of circulating immune cells as measured by flow cytometry. Secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The median overall survival in the Ampligen group was 19 months, compared to a historical control group and subgroup (7.5 and 12.5, respectively) that did not receive Ampligen.

"This is the first study investigating the immunomodulatory effect of the TLR-3 agonist Ampligen in patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer following FOLFIRINOX therapy and these results are compelling. We remain encouraged by the data demonstrating patients who were treated with Ampligen had a longer median PFS and overall survival compared to matched controls of patients who did not receive Ampligen. We look forward to further evaluation of Ampligen as a treatment for pancreatic cancer in our upcoming Phase 2 study," stated David Strayer, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Chief Scientific Officer of the Company and Board Certified in Medical Oncology.

Prof. Casper H.J. van Eijck, MD, PhD, Pancreato-biliary Surgeon at Erasmus MC and co-author of the published manuscript added, "There remains a critical need for more effective therapies to treat this devastating disease. Based on these positive data, I believe Ampligen has the potential to be a meaningful extension to the standard of care for advanced pancreatic cancer and may offer much needed hope for patients and families. Of particular note, we were pleased to see the improved overall survival rates of our patients treated with Ampligen. These initial data suggest Ampligen has the potential to be an important treatment for pancreatic cancer patients, and I look forward to being a part of the planned Phase 2 study."



From January 2017 to February 2019, a total of 42 patients with LAPC or metastasized disease were treated with Ampligen. Twenty-seven of the patients had been treated with FOLFIRINOX prior to Ampligen. Of the 27 patients, 25 patients completed the first cycle of Ampligen. Based on OS after Ampligen treatment, the 27 patients were divided into 11 long-term survivors and 16 short-term survivors.

Ampligen was administered in cycles of six weeks. Patients received treatment for a maximum of three cycles of six weeks or until progression. A treatment cycle consisted of twice per week intravenous administration of 200 milligrams in the first two weeks and 400 milligrams in the last 4 weeks. Laboratory assessments and peripheral blood sample collections for immunology flow cytometry analysis were obtained at baseline and 5 days after the last infusion of the first treatment cycle. Progression of disease was assessed by CT imaging scans according to RECIST criteria 1.1 and serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 examinations every 3 months during follow-up, if clinically indicated or when recurrence was suspected.



Key Results Highlights

While at 6 weeks, the Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index (SIII) and the Neutrophils to Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) values from the long-term and short-term patients combined showed no significant difference compared to baseline, the values were found to be significantly lower in 11 long-term survivors versus 16 short-term survivors.

The numbers of B-cells were significantly increased in long-term survivors. T-cells and myeloid cells were not significantly increased after treatment with Ampligen.

The median PFS was significantly longer (13 months) with rintatolimod compared to both matched controls and the subset of matched controls (5 and 8.6 months, respectively); hazard ratio was 0.51; 95% CI 0.28-0.90, p=0.007.

The median overall survival was significantly longer (19 months) with Ampligen compared to both matched controls and the subset of matched controls (7.5 and 12.5, respectively); hazard ratio was 0.52; 95% CI 0.28 - 0.90, p=0.016.

At the time of analysis in November 2021, a total of three patients with the metastasized disease were still alive.



Based on these data, the Company believes that Ampligen could be a potential effective maintenance therapy after systemic chemotherapy in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

The Company plans to conduct a Phase 2 study of Ampligen as a therapy for locally advanced pancreatic cancer. The planned AMP-270 clinical trial of approximately 90 subjects will be a randomized, open-label, controlled, parallel-arm study with the primary objective of comparing the efficacy of Ampligen versus a no treatment control group following FOLFIRINOX for subjects with locally advanced pancreatic carcinoma. Secondary objectives include comparing safety and tolerability.

Amarex Clinical Research will manage the AIM-sponsored Phase 2 study. The Buffett Cancer Center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and Erasmus MC in The Netherlands are expected to be the primary study sites, although additional sites are anticipated.

About AIM ImmunoTech Inc.

AIM ImmunoTech Inc. is an immuno-pharma company focused on the research and development of therapeutics to treat multiple types of cancers, immune disorders, and viral diseases, including COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.



For more information, please visit www.aimimmuno.com.

Cautionary Statement



This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "PSLRA"). Words such as "may," "will," "expect," "plan," "anticipate" and similar expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events or circumstances) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Many of these forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Among other things, for those statements, the Company claims the protection of safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the PSLRA. While the Company believes that the results of the above discussed single-center named patient program were positive, significant additional testing will be required. Among other things, the study included only a small number of selected patients and lacked randomization. While the Company plans to sponsor a Phase 2 study, no assurance can be given that the study or any future studies will be timely conduced, successful or yield favorable data. Additionally, studies and trials are subject to many factors including lack of regulatory approval(s), lack of study drug, or a change in priorities at the institutions sponsoring other trials. There is also the potential for delays in clinical trial enrollment and reporting because of the COVID-19 medical emergency. We previously noted that the FDA placed a clinical hold on our Pancreatic Cancer IND. However, we have been corresponding with the FDA and we anticipate, but cannot assure, that the hold will be lifted. The Company does not undertake to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof.

Investor Relations Contact

JTC Team, LLC

Jenene Thomas

833-475-8247

AIM@jtcir.com

__________________________________

1Cancers 2022, 14(6), 1377; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14061377 (registering DOI)
This file photo shows a rhinoceros is seen at Akagera National Park, eastern Rwanda, Nov. 16, 2019. (Xinhua/Lyu Tianran)

Rwanda, a landlocked country in East Africa with limited resources, has worked to find its niche in developing the local economy.

KIGALI, March 8 (Xinhua) -- New trailblazing conservation efforts are underway in Rwanda to protect the white rhinoceros and mountain gorillas from extinction while empowering local communities through ecotourism and boosting the landlocked nation's wildlife economy.

Rwanda, dubbed Africa's land of a thousand hills, is in the Great Rift Valley where the African Great Lakes region and East Africa converge. Its natural assets include four national parks, namely the Akagera National Park, Nyungwe National Park, Gishwati-Mukura National Park, and the Volcanoes National Park, and 23 lakes and rare species like the mountain gorillas.

The new conservation efforts have turned out to be sustainable in terms of generating long-term benefits for local communities and ensuring the survival of wildlife species in the future.

This file photo shows gorillas are seen at Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, Oct. 8, 2016. (Xinhua/Yang Mengxi)

COMMUNITY ROLE IN MANAGEMENT OF AKAGERA NATIONAL PARK IN EASTERN RWANDA

Game-viewing in the Akagera National Park, Central Africa's largest protected wetland and the last remaining refuge for the Big Five -- lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant and buffalo -- in the country, has been a key tourist activity.

This wasn't always the case. In the aftermath of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis, during which more than 1 million people were slaughtered by ethnic Hutu extremists in just 100 days, in addition to a devastating impact on the environment, the park was on the verge of being lost forever.

Fresh conservation efforts are being rolled out with the goal of generating long-term benefits for the local communities of Rwanda. Thirty white rhinos were introduced to Akagera National Park from a private game reserve in South Africa in November 2021, through a collaboration between partners including the Rwanda Development Board, and African Parks, with funding provided by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.

The relocation was the largest ever undertaken and aimed at ensuring their survival into the future.

"Akagera National Park is a Rwandan treasure. It's one of the four national parks that we have in Rwanda and the most visited attraction in the country," Jean Paul Karinganire, deputy tourism and marketing manager of the Akagera Management Company (AMC), told Xinhua at his office inside the park. "Last year, our numbers showed that 51 percent of all visitors were Rwandans. This is really an important asset for the country. Economy-wise, Akagera contributes to the community, it's really critical. We have to engage them in our actions, they have to be decision-makers and our partners to understand the management of the park and how they can benefit from it."

"Ten percent of the tourism revenue is given to the community through a revenue-sharing scheme. And 5 percent of tourism revenue is also contributed to the community to what we call a special guarantee fund. It's a national fund that compensates losses from wildlife," Karinganire said.

The park currently employs 286 people, with 95 percent of them coming from the community. The 2021 aerial census resulted in more than 12,000 animals counted, up from less than 6,000 in 2010.

"The park is an amazing jewel that Rwanda has got. This is a huge boost to the economy of the country and a huge boost to us, the citizens of the country and the people who surround the park itself," tour guide Bachu Abdallah said.

An African fish eagle is standing on a branch in Akagera National Park, Rwanda, on March 1, 2022. (Xinhua/Huang Wanqing)

Akagera National Park, which sits along the border with Tanzania, is about a three-hour drive from Kigali, Rwanda's capital. It was not immune to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As countries went on lockdown and international flights grounded to stop the spread of the coronavirus, the tourism sector became one of the hardest-hit sectors in Rwanda. Tour operators, hotel and lodge owners, food and transport suppliers all experienced significant losses.

"Before COVID in 2019, we had 50,000 visitors and around 2.6 million U.S. dollars of revenue. In 2020, we received 15,000 visitors and a revenue of around 1.2 million U.S. dollars. But we were glad that in 2021 the trend was going up again," Karinganire emphasized. "Tourism is the number one source of exchange for the country, helping people get jobs, opportunities for lodge and hotel owners, and marketing Rwanda globally. Because Rwanda was known for the genocide only. Now it's a country where you can see gorillas, you can see the Big Five, you can see chimpanzees."

Rwanda is now also aiming to establish itself as a regional and global hub for conferences and events and is scheduled to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) during the week of June 20 in Kigali.

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Rwanda's economy has rebounded strongly in 2021, and the recovery is expected to continue in 2022.

An impala is standing in Akagera National Park, Rwanda, on March 2, 2022. (Xinhua/Huang Wanqing)

SAVING THE MOUNTAIN GORILLAS

Elsewhere, the Volcanoes National Park in Musanze in the misty Virunga Mountains volcanic range is home to the critically endangered mountain gorillas which number only 1,000 remain in the wild. The park in the northwestern part of the country and covering an area of 16,000 hectares, is home to 364 mountain gorillas or 20 families according to the last census in 2018.

Protecting the primates and their habitat is a top priority, as they are at the heart of Rwanda's tourism industry after decades of habitat encroachment and poaching threatening their existence. Mountain gorilla tourism is also a key driver for economic growth and conservation.

The park has attracted tourists from all over the world for gorillas trekking and hiking in the misty mountains in hopes of coming to a close encounter with the silverbacks and their families. Due to the pandemic, tourists have been required to wear face masks to prevent a COVID transmission from humans to gorillas.

After a dramatic decline in numbers following their scientific discovery in 1902, new conservation initiatives are ensuring that mountain gorilla numbers are now slowly increasing.

"The mountain gorillas in Rwanda are so important to us as tour operators, and they are so important for the country because they bring foreign exchange," Olivier Kanyabikali, manager of Countryside Tours-Rwanda, told Xinhua. "The money paid by the tourists helps a lot in the conservation of the mountain gorillas and many other aspects of tourism and wildlife in Rwanda, and it also benefits local communities. They receive a certain percentage from the earnings from the mountain gorillas and tourism."

The area is also home to the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund which aims to tackle conservation challenges and ensure the survival of gorillas and their biodiverse forest home.

The mountain gorillas can only be found in three countries: Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to WWF International, the mountain gorilla population currently stands at approximately 1,004 individuals and its status is still endangered.

Tour guide Abdallah thinks otherwise. "For the future of Rwanda, I wish this country can do much better and better to develop other parts of the tourism attractive areas because we have several, not only the national parks," he said. 
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2022 / The Power Play by The Market Herald has announced the release of new interviews with CareSpan Health, Alphamin Resources, Red Pine, Neptune Wellness, and Vox on their latest news.

The Power Play by The Market Herald provides investors with a quick snapshot of what they need to know about the company's latest press release through exclusive insights and interviews with company executives.

CareSpan Health (TSXV:CSPN) launches remote patient monitoring service

CareSpan Health (CSPN) has launched its new remote patient monitoring service. Over 100 patients have enrolled to date. To date, the company has identified over 2,000 patients for whom RPM would be a key component of their care plan. The reimbursement for RPM is in the range of US$100 to US$115 per patient per month. Rembert de Villa, CareSpan Health Inc. CEO sat down with Shoran Devi to discuss the news.

For the full interview with Rembert de Villa and to learn more about CareSpan's news, click here.

Alphamin Resources (TSXV:AFM) announces Q4 and FY2021 results

Alphamin Resources (AFM) has announced Q4 and FY 2021 results, including record Q4 EBITDA of US$74M. Tin production is up 10 per cent from the prior quarter to 3,114 tons and sales increased by 13 per cent over the prior quarter. The company reported record Q4 EBITDA of $US 74 million, up 38 per cent from the prior quarter. Maritz Smith, CEO of Alphamin Resources sat down with Shoran Devi to discuss the results.

For the full interview with Maritz Smith and to learn more about Alphamin Resources' results, click here.

Red Pine (TSXV:RPX) provides 2022 phase 1 exploration program update

Red Pine Exploration (RPX) has provided an update on its 2022 phase 1 drilling campaign at the Wawa Gold Project in northern Ontario. The program has completed approximately 30 per cent of the 25,000 meters planned from period January to July 2022. Assays from the Phase 1 program are expected this month. Quentin Yarie, President and CEO of Red Pine Exploration commented on the program's results to date.

For the full interview with Quentin Yarie and to learn more about Red Pine's results, click here.

Neptune Wellness (TSX:NEPT) launches Forest Remedies supplements in Sprouts Farmers Market stores across the U.S.

Neptune Wellness Solutions (NEPT) announced the launch of Forest Remedies Multi Omega 3-6-9 in Sprouts Farmers Market stores across the U.S. Forest Remedies Multi-Omega supplements contain a balanced blend of 100 percent plant-based omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids. Michael Cammarata, Chief Executive Officer and President of Neptune sat down with Shoran Devi to discuss the product launch.

For the full interview with Michael Cammarata and to learn more about Neptune Wellness' product launch, click here.

Vox (TSXV:VOX) provides royalty partner updates

Vox (VOX) has released development and exploration updates from five royalty partners. These include Gold Standard Ventures, Genesis Minerals, Develop Global, Norwest Minerals and Alamos Gold. CIO Spencer Cole sat down with Shoran Devi to discuss the news.

For the full interview with Spencer Cole and to learn more about Vox's updates, click here.

Interviews for The Power Play by The Market Herald are released daily. To learn more about the companies featured in The Power Play or to explore our other interviews visit The Power Play by The Market Herald.

About The Market Herald

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View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/692115/The-Power-Play-by-The-Market-Herald-Releases-Interviews-With-CareSpan-Health-Alphamin-Resources-Red-Pine-Neptune-Wellness-and-Vox
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Crude oil prices climbed higher on Tuesday amid concerns about global oil supply after U.S. President Joe Biden announced a ban on import of Russian energy products. Uncertainty about a revival of Iran's nuclear deal with world powers also contributed to supply concerns. West Texas Intermediate Crude oil futures for April ended higher by $4.30 or about 3.6% at $123.70 a barrel. WTI crude futures rose to a of $129.44 a barrel intraday. Brent crude futures, which rose to $133.09 a barrel, were up $5.52 or about 4.5% at $128.73 a barrel. 'We're banning all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy,' Biden said in remarks from the White House. 'That means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable at U.S. ports and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putin's war machine.' Biden said the decision to ban Russian energy products was taken after 'close consultation' with allies around the world, particularly in Europe. Earlier, the United Kingdom announced its own restrictions on buying Russian oil imports, saying it will phase out the country's imports by the end of the year. The European Union also unveiled a plan to wean itself off of Russian fossil fuels. The third round of peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators failed to achieve significant results in Belarus on Monday. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said the talks will continue, warned that Ukraine must agree to his demands for the conflict to end. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
SEOUL (dpa-AFX) - Samsung Electronics said on Monday that hackers had breached its internal company data and got access to certain source codes of Galaxy-branded devices like smartphones. The electronics giant's statement follows hacking group Lapsus$'s claim over the weekend through its Telegram channel that it has stolen 190 gigabytes of confidential Samsung source code. The South Korean company, however, did not name any specific hackers in its statement nor made public what type of data was stolen. Commenting on the hacking incident, a Samsung spokesperson told CNBC, 'We were recently made aware that there was a security breach relating to certain internal company data. Immediately after discovering the incident, we strengthened our security system. According to our initial analysis, the breach involves some source codes relating to the operation of Galaxy devices, but does not include the personal information of our consumers or employees,' the spokesperson added. Samsung's sells all its consumer products such as smartphones and tablets under the Galaxy brand. Following the hacking incident, the company said that it does not anticipate any impact of the same on its business or customers. Lapsus$ is the same group, which claimed responsibility for hacking chip giant Nvidia last month. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) - In an effort to increase pressure on Russia in response to their unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced a U.S. ban on the import of Russian oil, liquefied natural gas, and coal. 'We're banning all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy,' Biden said from the White House. 'That means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable at U.S. ports, and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putin's war machine.' Biden said his administration made the decision in close consultation with U.S. allies and partners but acknowledged most European countries would not be able to join the ban. 'The United States produces far more oil domestically than all of the European countries combined,' Biden said. 'In fact, we're a net exporter of energy. So we can take this step when others cannot.' He added, 'But we're working closely with Europe and our partners to develop a long-term strategy to reduce their dependence on Russian energy as well.' Earlier in the day, the European Union's executive arm the European Commission had pledged to reduce Russian gas imports by two-thirds by the end of this year. The news of the U.S. ban contributed to a continued surge in oil prices, with crude for April delivery spiking $4.30 to $123.70 a barrel. Gas stations are raising prices along with the spike in oil futures, as AAA said the average price for a gallon of gas has reached a record high of $4.173. The national average gas price is up by nearly $0.11 a gallon from just yesterday and up more than $0.55 a gallon from a week ago. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Herzliya, Israel and Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - March 8, 2022) - Innocan Pharma Corporation (CSE: INNO) (FSE: IP4) (OTCQB: INNPF) (the "Company" or "Innocan"), is pleased to announce that Innocan's CBD LPT injection provided as a treatment to a dog suffering from osteoarthritis of the hip and elbow joint (causing inability of the dog to walk and stand up, as well as intense pain and a low activity rate) led to a decrease in pain and improved activity and vitality, as reported by the dog's owner. The CBD was administered to the dog as Innocan's CBD-loaded Liposome Platform Technology (LPT) remained in the dog's plasma for 28 days, strengthening the promise in the controlled release of CBD using Innocan's drug delivery platform. Following these results, a "detailed case study" is being submitted for publication on a scientific Journal.

Prof. Chezy Barenholz of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said, "This is yet again evidence of the potential efficacy in therapy based on our CBD loaded liposome - LPT. We are humbled to being able to assist this dog and are encouraged by the results."

"As large animals generally react to medical treatment in a similar way as humans do," said Iris Bincovich, CEO of Innocan Pharma, and added, "We are enthusiastic and optimistic that Innocan's drug delivery platform (LPT) demonstrated therapeutic efficacy yet again." The global canine arthritis treatment market in 2019 was estimated at US$1.9 Billion and it expected to grow at a CAGR of ~ 4% during the forecast period of 2019-2029 (Future Market Insights, "Canine Arthritis Treatment Market", October 2019). This market size represents great business opportunity to InnoCan."

Innocan's relationship with The Hebrew University

Innocan Pharma Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, has entered into a worldwide exclusive research and license agreement with Yissum Research and Development Company ("Yissum"), the commercial arm of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, with respect to the design, preparation, characterization and evaluation of hydrogels containing CBD (or other cannabinoids) loaded liposomes. The research and development initiative is led by Professor Chezy Barenholz, head of the Membrane and Liposome Research Department at The Hebrew University, which is the inventor of over fifty-five patent families, two of which underlie Doxil, an FDA-approved drug for breast cancer treatment. This unique liposome platform technology may have a wide range of applications, such as epilepsy, pain relief, inflammation and central nervous system disorders. A patent was filed covering this technology on October 7, 2019.

About Innocan

Innocan Pharma is a pharmaceutical tech company that focuses on the development of several drug delivery platforms containing CBD. Innocan Pharma and Ramot at Tel Aviv University are collaborating on a new, revolutionary exosome-based technology that targets both central nervous system (CNS) indications and the COVID-19 Corona Virus using CBD. CBD-loaded exosomes hold the potential to help in the recovery of infected lung cells. This product, which is expected to be administered by inhalation, will be tested against a variety of lung infections.

Innocan Pharma signed a worldwide exclusive license agreement with Yissum, the commercial arm of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, to develop a CBD drug delivery platform based on a unique-controlled release liposome to be administered by injection. Innocan Israel plans, together with Professor Barenholz, to test the liposome platform on several potential conditions. Innocan Israel is also working on a dermal product that integrates CBD with other pharmaceutical ingredients as well as the development and sale of CBD-integrated pharmaceuticals, including, but not limited to, topical treatments for the relief of psoriasis symptoms as well as the treatment of muscle pain and rheumatic pain. The founders and officers of Innocan Israel each have commercially successful track records in the pharmaceutical and technology sectors in Israel and globally.

For further information, please contact:

For Innocan Pharma Corporation:

Iris Bincovich, CEO

+972-54-3012842

info@innocanpharma.com

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

Caution regarding forward-looking information

Certain information set forth in this news release, including, without limitation, information regarding research and development, collaborations, the potential for treatment of conditions and other therapeutic effects resulting from research activities and/or the Company's products, requisite regulatory approvals and the timing for market entry, is forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. By its nature, forward-looking information is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond Innocan's control. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by Innocan, including expectations and assumptions concerning the anticipated benefits of the products, satisfaction of regulatory requirements in various jurisdictions and satisfactory completion of requisite production and distribution arrangements.

Forward-looking information is subject to various risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results and experience to differ materially from the anticipated results or expectations expressed in this news release. The key risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to: general global and local (national) economic, market and business conditions; governmental and regulatory requirements and actions by governmental authorities; and relationships with suppliers, manufacturers, customers, business partners and competitors. There are also risks that are inherent in the nature of product distribution, including import / export matters and the failure to obtain any required regulatory and other approvals (or to do so in a timely manner) and availability in each market of product inputs and finished products. The anticipated timeline for entry to markets may change for a number of reasons, including the inability to secure necessary regulatory requirements, or the need for additional time to conclude and/or satisfy the manufacturing and distribution arrangements. As a result of the foregoing, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking information contained in this news release concerning the timing of launch of product distribution. A comprehensive discussion of other risks that impact Innocan can also be found in Innocan's public reports and filings which are available under Innocan's profile at www.sedar.com.

Readers are cautioned that undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information as actual results may vary materially from the forward-looking information. Innocan does not undertake to update, correct or revise any forward-looking information as a result of any new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/115988
CHICAGO, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amlan International enhances their support base for Brazilian poultry and livestock producers with the appointment of Eduardo Euclides Baggio as Technical Manager. Eduardo will work with producers to integrate Amlan's natural mineral-based products into their rations to support normal intestinal health and improve the sustainability of poultry and livestock production while adding value to their operations.

Brazilian broiler meat production and poultry exports showed significant growth in 2021 and are forecasted to reach record levels in 2022. Pork production and exports are also expected to follow this trend, even though higher feed, fuel and packaging costs are affecting both industries. These production increases have come despite the increasing restrictions in Brazil on the use of antimicrobials as growth promoters in poultry and swine.

"The experience that Eduardo brings to our team and customers is invaluable," said Margarita Santa, Director of Sales for Latin America. "As animal protein producers face greater demands for efficient antibiotic-free production, we know our customers will appreciate the knowledge and expertise Eduardo can offer them."

Eduardo brings extensive experience in broiler husbandry, dark house technology and zootechnical indicator analysis at all points of the production chain, from layers to slaughter. He previously worked for multinational animal protein production companies for more than 13 years in areas such as rural extension, poultry health, expansion, environment coordination and agricultural management.

High production costs and antibiotic restrictions create significant challenges for poultry and swine producers. Amlan helps producers overcome these challenges by offering natural, drug-free feed additives that can maintain animal health and improve performance while adding value. As the animal health business of Oil-Dri Corporation of America, Amlan leverages Oil-Dri's 80-plus years of mineral science expertise and R&D capabilities to develop scientifically proven mineral-based feed additives.

"Amlan is investing significantly in our people to provide our customers with superior technical expertise and support," said Jay Hughes, Global Technical Director. "Eduardo joins Amlan as a key member of our global technical services team that collaborates with poultry and livestock producers throughout the world."

Eduardo earned a veterinary medicine degree from the University of Passo Fundo and a post-graduate degree in financial management from the University of Caxias do Sul.

Company Information

Amlan is the animal health business of Oil-Dri Corporation of America, leading global manufacturer and marketer of sorbent minerals. Oil-Dri leverages over 80 years of expertise in mineral science to selectively mine and process their unique mineral for consumer and business-to-business markets. Oil-Dri Corporation of America doing business as "Amlan International" is a publicly traded stock on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: ODC). Amlan International sells feed additives across the world. Product availability may vary by country, associated claims do not constitute medical claims and may differ based on government requirements.

Reagan Culbertson

Media Contact

press@amlan.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4dfd73f8-4409-467b-b93d-c4f5b1c671fd
Britannia Mining Solutions Inc. ("BMS") will deliver assay services to global mining companies

BMS is being funded separately from Britannia Life Sciences and is backed by a distinguished group of mining investors and advisors including Eric Sprott and Dr. Quinton Henningh

BMS' focus will be establishing technology-enabled assay labs which will provide faster and more accurate results, and help address the global backlog of mining assays

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 8, 2022) - Britannia Life Sciences Inc. (CSE: BLAB) (FSE: L020) ("Britannia") is pleased to announce the formation of a new subsidiary to service the global mining industry. Britannia Mining Solutions Inc. ("BMS") will operate as a partially owned subsidiary of Britannia with the initial objective of setting up mining assay labs to address the global backlog in mining assays.

In establishing the business, BMS completed a non-brokered private placement for proceeds of $500,000 on March 7, 2022.

BMS is grateful for the distinguished group of investment and mining professionals who participated in the financing and welcomes Eric Sprott as a shareholder, as well as Dr. Quinton Henningh, Director of Crescat Capital, as an advisor to and strategic shareholder in BMS.

"Delays in receiving assay results continue to be a significant bottleneck for mining companies globally, and there are no signs of the situation improving. I look forward to supporting the Britannia team as they begin the roll out of their assay labs," said Dr. Quinton Henningh.

BMS will focus on establishing assay labs that employ a variety of technologically advanced solutions which will provide faster and more accurate results. These increased efficiencies will provide superior and more timely insights to geologists and mining executives, to better inform their ongoing drill programs and mine development plans.

Peter Shippen, CEO of Britannia, stated "Our strategy has been to disrupt the traditional analytical testing and laboratory markets across various industries through the deployment of innovative, cost and time saving technologies. Our objective in establishing BMS is to bring this strategy to the mining industry by displacing legacy processes with technologically advanced solutions."

About Britannia Life Sciences Inc.

Britannia Life Sciences Inc. is a global platform offering an integrated suite of services to assist companies along their product development journey. Britannia's services, including product formulations, safety assessments, analytical and microbiological testing, global compliance, and consumer evaluations are offered to companies ranging from multinationals to startups particularly in the cosmetics, food, and wellness industries. Britannia has garnered significant expertise in the development and regulatory approval of topical and edible cannabis products, including preparation and support for novel food authorizations. Britannia's head office is located at 120 Adelaide Street West, Suite 2400, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 1T1.

For inquiries or more information on Britannia's growing suite of product development, analytical testing, regulatory and compliance solutions across a range of industries, please visit https://britannia.life or contact:

Peter Shippen, CEO

Tel: +1 416 930 7711 or +44 738 744 7441

Email: peter@britannia.life

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/116019
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 8, 2022) - XAU Resources Inc. (TSXV: GIG.P) ("XAU" or the "Company") announces corrections to the Company's news release dated March 7, 2022 (the "Closing News Release").

The Closing News Release announced the closing of the Company's previously announced non-brokered private placement financing (the "Financing") of subscription receipts (the "Subscription Receipts") at a price of $0.25 per Subscription Receipt for gross proceeds of $1,000,000.

The Closing News release incorrectly stated that the Company paid $4,872 and issued 19,488 finder warrants (the "Finder Warrants") to certain finders in connection with the Financing. The Company will in fact pay $5,047 and issue 20,188 Finder Warrants to certain finders upon closing of the Company's proposed qualifying transaction on the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") in accordance with TSXV Policy 2.4 - Capital Pool Companies.

The Subscription Receipts issued pursuant to the Financing, and the common shares of the Company issuable upon conversion of the Subscription Receipts, are subject to a hold period of four months and one day expiring on July 8, 2022. Finder Warrants, and common shares of the Issuer issuable upon exercise of Finder Warrants, will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the closing of the Company's qualifying transaction.

About XAU Resources Inc.

The Company is a "capital pool company" as defined under TSXV Policy 2.4. It has not commenced commercial operations and has no assets other than a minimum amount of cash. Except as specifically contemplated in Policy 2.4, until completion of a "Qualifying Transaction", the Company will not carry on any business other than the identification and evaluation of assets or businesses with a view to completing a proposed Qualifying Transaction.

For further information please contact:

Gary Bay

Chief Executive Officer

Tel: 647-339-4301

Cautionary Notes

This press release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking information" ("forward-looking information") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking information and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that discusses predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information. In disclosing the forward-looking information contained in this press release, the Company has made certain assumptions, including that: the Financing will be completed on the terms set forth in this press release, on acceptable terms or at all; all applicable shareholder and regulatory approvals for the Transaction will be received; the Transaction will be completed on the terms set forth in this press release, on acceptable terms or at all. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations of any forward-looking information will prove to be correct. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include, but are not limited to: availability of financing; delay or failure to receive board, shareholder or regulatory approvals; compliance with extensive financial regulations; domestic and foreign laws and regulations adversely affecting Hank's business and results of operations; the impact of COVID-19; and general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking information contained in this press release. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking information or otherwise.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

Completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, TSXV acceptance. Where applicable, the Transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all.

Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular or filing statement to be prepared in connection with the Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of a capital pool company should be considered highly speculative.

The TSXV has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed Transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES



To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/116035
Allegion (NYSE: ALLE) is a global pioneer in seamless access, with leading brands like CISA , Interflex , LCN , Schlage , SimonsVoss and Von Duprin . Focusing on security around the door and adjacent areas, Allegion secures people and assets with a range of solutions for homes, businesses, schools and institutions. Allegion had $2.9 billion in revenue in 2021, and its security products are sold around the world.

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
KTB management, including President, CEO and Chair of the Board, Scott Baxter; CFO, Rustin Welton; and Vice President of Corporate Finance Investor Relations, Eric Tracy, are scheduled to participate at the UBS Consumer Conference tomorrow, March 9 th , 2022

The Company reaffirms its 2022 outlook provided in its March 1 st , 2022 earnings release, including: 2022 Revenue is expected to approximate $2.7 billion; up high single digits versus FY 2021; 2022 GAAP EPS is expected to be in the range of $4.65 to $4.75 H1'22 Revenue is expected to increase at a low teens rate compared to last year

Additionally, the Company provides greater detail on its first half 2022 outlook, including: Q1'22 Revenue is expected to be in the range of $650 million to $660 million, or flat to up low-single digits compared to last year; Q1'22 GAAP EPS is expected to be in the range of $1.15 to $1.25 Q2'22 Revenue is expected to be in the range of $640 million to $650 million, or increasing 30 percent to 32 percent compared to last year; Q2'22 GAAP EPS is expected to be in the range of $1.25 to $1.35

The Company does not maintain direct or owned business within Russia or Ukraine; a small number of third-party distributors and licensees operate in these countries; this business is not material to Kontoor's European revenue and is de-minimis to total Kontoor revenue

Kontoor Brands, Inc. (NYSE: KTB), a global lifestyle apparel company, with a portfolio led by two of the world's most iconic consumer brands, Wrangler and Lee, ahead of its participation at the UBS Consumer Conference, tomorrow, March 9th, 2022, has reaffirmed its 2022 outlook, as well as provided greater detail on its first half 2022 quarterly outlook. Additionally, in light of recent events in Europe, the Company has provided context to its business in the region.

Detail on H1'22 Quarterly Outlook

Two years ago, the Company embarked on the implementation of its new, global ERP system, which has now been successfully completed. As previously stated, the cutover and transition of the Company's North American ERP system caused timing of shipments to benefit the first quarter of 2021, while negatively impacting the second quarter of 2021.

As a reminder, and per the Company's comments from its Q4'21 Earnings conference call, 2021 was affected by various factors including the aforementioned ERP timing shifts, as well as temporary COVID shutdowns and supply chain disruptions that resulted in quarter-to-quarter volatility. These factors will have an impact on year-over-year growth rates on a quarterly basis but are not expected to impact the full year. The Company expects revenue dollars to reflect normalizing seasonality in 2022, more consistent with its 2019 quarterly cadence.

As such, the Company provides additional detail on its first half 2022 outlook:

H1'22Revenue is expected to increase at a low-teens rate compared to last year, consistent with prior guidance

Q1'22Revenue is expected to be in the range of $650 million to $660 million, or flat to up low-single digits compared to last year

Q1'22GAAP EPS is expected to be in the range of $1.15 to $1.25

Q2'22Revenue is expected to be in the range of $640 million to $650 million, or increasing 30 percent to 32 percent compared to last year;

Q2'22 GAAP EPS is expected to be in the range of $1.25 to $1.35

Commentary on Europe business

In light of recent events within the European region, the Company has provided the following context:

The Company does not operate any direct or owned business in Russia or Ukraine;

A small number of third-party distributors and licensees operate in these countries; this business is not material to Kontoor's European revenue and is de-minimis to total Kontoor revenue;

While the Company does not disclose European regional revenue, its International business represents approximately 25 percent of total Kontoor revenue; China represents approximately 8 percent of total Kontoor revenue; the Company also does business in Canada, Latin America and other Asian countries;

The Company's revenue in Europe is concentrated in developed markets such as France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Scandinavia, Spain and the United Kingdom;

The Company will continue to monitor developments in the region closely in order to ensure our compliance with the evolving legal and regulatory environment;

In support of ongoing humanitarian efforts, the Company will be making a charitable donation through a global philanthropic organization. Kontoor employees have also come together in Europe to donate clothing samples for the ongoing relief efforts related to Ukraine.

"As a global company, we work across borders every day. We take great pride in creating connections and strengthening communities. Taking care of each other is core to our purpose. On behalf of Kontoor, we condemn the recent unspeakable acts of violence on the people of Ukraine," stated President, CEO and Chair of the Board, Scott Baxter.

"We do not own or operate direct business in Russia or Ukraine. Third-party relationships in these countries are not material to Kontoor's European business and is de-minimis to overall Kontoor revenue; however, we will continue to monitor the situation closely," added Baxter.

"We offer our continued thoughts and support for the Ukrainian people, and all people, impacted by these tragic events," concluded Baxter.

About Kontoor Brands

Kontoor Brands, Inc. (NYSE: KTB) is a global lifestyle apparel company, with a portfolio led by two of the world's most iconic consumer brands: Wrangler and Lee. Kontoor designs, manufactures and distributes superior high-quality products that look good and fit right, giving people around the world the freedom and confidence to express themselves. Kontoor Brands is a purpose-led organization focused on leveraging its global platform, strategic sourcing model and best-in-class supply chain to drive brand growth and deliver long-term value for its stakeholders. For more information about Kontoor Brands, please visit www.KontoorBrands.com

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements included in this release and attachments are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements are made based on our expectations and beliefs concerning future events impacting the Company and therefore involve several risks and uncertainties. You can identify these statements by the fact that they use words such as "will," "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "should," "may" and other words and terms of similar meaning or use of future dates. We caution that forward-looking statements are not guarantees and that actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. We do not intend to update any of these forward-looking statements or publicly announce the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements, other than as required under the U.S. federal securities laws. Potential risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results of operations or financial condition of the Company to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements in this release include, but are not limited to: risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, which could continue to result in closed factories and stores, reduced workforces, supply chain interruption, and reduced consumer traffic and purchasing; the level of consumer demand for apparel; supply chain and shipping disruptions; intense industry competition; the Company's ability to gauge consumer preferences and product trends, and to respond to constantly changing markets; the ability to accurately forecast demand for products; the Company's ability to maintain the images of its brands; increasing pressure on margins; e-commerce operations through the Company's direct-to-consumer business; the financial difficulty experienced by the retail industry; reliance on a small number of large customers; the ability to implement the Company's business strategy; the ability of the Company's licensees to generate expected sales and maintain the value of the Company's brands; seasonality; continuity of members of management; the stability of manufacturing facilities and foreign suppliers; the reliance on a limited number of suppliers for raw material sourcing and the ability to obtain raw materials on a timely basis or in sufficient quantity or quality; disruption to distribution systems; unseasonal or severe weather conditions; labor relations; operational difficulties and additional expenses related to the Company's optimization and change management related to its enterprise resource planning software system; the Company's and its vendors' ability to maintain the strength and security of information technology systems; the risk that facilities and systems and those of third-party service providers may be vulnerable to and unable to anticipate or detect data security breaches and data or financial loss; ability to properly collect, use, manage and secure consumer and employee data; the impact of climate change and related legislative and regulatory responses; legal, regulatory, political and economic risks; changes to trade policy, including tariff and import/export regulations; compliance with anti- bribery, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering laws by the Company and third-party suppliers and manufacturers; changes in tax laws and liabilities; the costs of compliance with or the violation of national, state and local laws and regulations for environmental, consumer protection, employment, privacy, safety and other matters; the Company's ability to maintain effective internal controls; the ability to protect trademarks and other intellectual property rights; fluctuations in wage rates and the price, availability and quality of raw materials and contracted products; foreign currency fluctuations; possible goodwill and other asset impairment; disruption and volatility in the global capital and credit markets and its impact on the Company's ability to obtain short-term or long-term financing on favorable terms; the Company maintaining satisfactory credit ratings; restrictions on the Company's business relating to its debt obligations; volatility in the price and trading volume of the Company's common stock; anti-takeover and exclusive forum provisions in the Company's organizational documents; subordination of our common stock to indebtedness and any preferred stock; the failure to declare future cash dividends; and fluctuations in the amount and frequency of the Company's share repurchases. Many of the foregoing risks and uncertainties will continue to be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and any continued worsening of the global business and economic environment as a result. More information on potential factors that could affect the Company's financial results are described in detail in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in other reports and statements that the Company files with the SEC.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220308006330/en/

Contacts:

Investors:

Eric Tracy, (336) 332-5205

Vice President, Corporate Finance and Investor Relations

Eric.Tracy@kontoorbrands.com

or

Media:

Julia Burge, (336) 332-5122

Director, External Communications

Julia.Burge@kontoorbrands.com
GENEVA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- China welcomes the visit by the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights to China, including Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, this May, China's permanent representative to the UN Office at Geneva Chen Xu said here on Tuesday.

"We will work with the High Commissioner's Office to make preparations for the visit," Chen said at the ongoing 49th session of the Human Rights Council.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Tuesday announced that an agreement has been recently reached with the government of China for a visit.

"My Office and the Government of China have initiated concrete preparations for a visit that is foreseen to take place in May of this year," Bachelet said while delivering her annual report to the UN rights body.

"Preparations will have to take into account COVID-19 regulations," Bachelet said.

Chen told the UN Human Rights Council that in the face of various global challenges, the international community must join hands to address them, bridge differences through dialogue, and enhance mutual trust through cooperation.

"We commend the High Commissioner and her Office for making combating inequalities a priority of the Office's work, and increasing input to economic, social and cultural rights and the right to development," Chen noted.

"We expect the High Commissioner and her Office to respect the sovereignty of all countries as well as the human rights and development path independently chosen by countries in light of their national conditions, promote dialogue and cooperation, and make joint efforts to make global human rights governance more fair, just, reasonable and inclusive," he added.

He told the Council that by putting people at the center, China is committed to realizing, safeguarding and advancing the fundamental interests of the entire Chinese population.

"China's historic human rights achievements are there for all to see," he stressed. 
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2022 / Orsu Metals Corporation (TSX-V:OSU) ("Orsu" or the "Company") owns 90 percent of the Sergeevskoe gold exploration project located in the Zabaikalskiy Region of eastern Russia. The property is leased from the Russian Government until 2031.

In February 2022, countries around the world imposed a number of sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine. These sanctions include, but are not limited to, removing certain Russian banks from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication ("SWIFT") messaging system, which will affect the Company's ability to fund its operations in Russia. The Company has some cash reserves in Russia, but prolonged sanctions impacting the Company's ability to fund operations in Russia, specifically the Sergeevskoe project, may jeopardize the viability of the Company's business operations in Russia. The Company is analysing the evolving situation and assessing the risks associated with these sanctions and their impact on the Company's operations.

ENDS

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For further information, please contact:

Sergei Stefanovich, Managing Director of Orsu Metals Corporation

Doris Meyer, Corporate Secretary, Orsu Metals Corporation

email: ir@orsumetals.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.

SOURCE: Orsu Metals Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/692096/Orsu-Metals-Comments-on-Ukraine-Invasion
SEATTLE (dpa-AFX) - Coca-Cola Company (KO) Tuesday announced that it is suspending its business in Russia. The beverage giant joined McDonald's and Starbucks as the latest American corporations to join the mass exodus from Russia, in the wake of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. 'Our hearts are with the people who are enduring unconscionable effects from these tragic events in Ukraine. We will continue to monitor and assess the situation as circumstances evolve,' Coca-Cola said in a statement. Meanwhile, Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson, in a statement, said, 'We continue to watch the tragic events unfold and, today, we have decided to suspend all business activity in Russia, including shipment of all Starbucks products. Our licensed partner has agreed to immediately pause store operations and will provide support to the nearly 2,000 partners in Russia who depend on Starbucks for their livelihood.' In an email to employees and franchisees, McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski said, the company will temporarily close its 850 restaurants in Russia. However, it will continue to pay its 62,000 Russian employees, and its Ronald McDonald House Charities will continue to operate. 'In the thirty-plus years that McDonald's has operated in Russia, we've become an essential part of the 850 communities in which we operate.' Kempczinski said. 'At the same time, our values mean we cannot ignore the needless human suffering unfolding in Ukraine.' Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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Creyon Bio, a San Diego, CA and Research Triangle Park, NC-based drug development company, raised $40M in Seed and Series A funding.

The round was led by DCVC Bio and Lux Capital, with participation from Casdin Capital, Alexandria Venture Investments, and BioBrit.



The company intends to use the funds to continue the optimization of the platform, and expand the team.



Led by Co-founder, CEO and President Chris Hart, and Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer Swagatam Mukhopadhyay, Ph.D., Creyon Bio is a drug development company engineering RNA-based medicines and their components (oligonucleotide-based medicines or OBMs) with predictable safety and efficacy profiles. Creyon Bio creates proprietary, purpose-built datasets that inform machine learning models, rapidly identifying the design rules and engineering principles for safe and effective OBMs.

The Creyon Bio team also includes

Nathan Billings, Ph.D. , Chief Strategy Officer

Monica McArthur, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer

In addition to Hart and Mukhopadhyay, Creyons Board of Directors includes Kiersten Stead, Ph.D., DCVC Bio; Zavain Dar, Lux Capital; and Dennis Langer, M.D., J.D., an independent board member.

With a team that includes chemists, biologists, and computational scientists, Creyon Bios cross-disciplinary approach breaks down silos to tackle the drug design problem from all angles and create an efficient path to patient impact, said Zavain Dar, Lux Capital.

FinSMEs

08/03/2022
Cybord Logo

Cybord, a Herzlya, Israel-based provider of an electronics manufacturing industry software solution that implements AI & Big Data technology, raised $4M in Seed funding.

The round was led by IL Ventures with co-investment by the Israel Innovation Authority.



The company intends to use the funds to advance its R&D and product offering as well as to expedite business growth into additional verticals such as telecom, automotive, defense, and healthcare.



Led by CEO Zeev Efrat and Dr. Eyal Weiss, Cybord provides an innovative software solution that implements AI & Big Data technology for Zero-Trust compliance of electronic components to ensure no counterfeit, high quality, no malware-tempering, and surgical traceability for electronics manufacturers.

The company delivers advanced AI and Big-Data software that inspects, qualifies, and tracks every component and every electronic board. With Cybord, 100% of components are checked and provide surgical traceability, thus eliminating any possible use of counterfeit, damaged, or tampered components.



FinSMEs

08/03/2022
Dianthus, a Cambridge, MA-based tech-forward e-commerce brand builder provider, raised $11.5M in Seed funding.

The round was led by PJC, Underscore VC and Jason Calacanis.

The company intends to use the funds to continue its acquisition efforts and increase recruitment across departments, with a focus on broadening its technology capabilities.

Led by CEO Chris Litster, Dianthus acquires direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands and grows them through its proprietary AI platform.

The company provides founders with a lucrative exit strategy, while giving them the technology, marketing and product development resources needed to effectively scale their businesses. Following acquisition, Dianthus leverages first-party data within its proprietary AI engine to drive consumer engagement and brand impact. Currently, Dianthus is focused on growing its portfolio with DTC consumer packaged goods including pet, outdoor/active life, home and beauty.

Last month, Dianthus announced the acquisition of its first major company, Cuddle Clones, and plans to bring on more brands throughout 2022.

FinSMEs

08/03/2022
Postcard Game Studio, an Irvine, California-based new AAA video game development studio founded by industry veterans that have worked with Sony PlayStation, Microsoft Xbox, Ubisoft, and Electronic Arts, raised $3.5m in seed funding.

Smilegate, the South Korean video game company, made the investment.

Led by Ray Almaden, Founder, Postcard Game Studio an independent developer and publisher of video games for all major platforms and is currently developing an unannounced open world, first-person shooter role-playing game.

CEO and Game Director Ray Almaden has 17 years of experience designing AAA games for Sony PlayStation, Microsoft Xbox, Ubisoft and Electronic Arts. His design handiwork has made its mark across titles such as Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Killzone 2, Halo 4, Uncharted 4: A Thiefs End and The Last of Us: Part II, culminating in an Assistant Game Director role on Guerrilla Games latest release, Horizon Forbidden West.

The studio has now opened operations with a team of key developers ready to bring the next great AAA game to players, including:

Ariadna C. Martinez (formerly of Guerrilla Games, working as a writer on Horizon Forbidden West) serving as Narrative Director;

Glen Darroch (formerly of Rockstar, Blizzard, Turtle Rock Studios and Blind Squirrel Games) serving as Studio Technical Director;

Justin Lippert (formerly of 343 Industries, working as a developer on Halo 4, Halo 5 and Halo Infinite) serving as Lead Designer.

The team also includes:

Martin Teichmann (formerly of Crytek, Rocksteady, Naughty Dog and Blizzard, working on games such as Crysis 2, Batman Arkham Knight, The Last of Us: Part II and Diablo IV) serving as Lead Environment Artist;

Dan Callan (formerly of Bungie, Insomniac, 343 Industries, Square Enix, working on games such as Halo 4, Destiny 2 and Forspoken) serving as Lead Level Designer;

Tommy Blashaw (formerly of Ready at Dawn, working on games such as The Order: 1866, Lone Echo and Lone Echo 2.) serving as Lead Producer; and

Lizzie Siegel (formerly of Iron Galaxy and Guerrilla Games, working on Horizon Forbidden West) serving as Lead Quest Designer.

FinSMEs

08/03/2022
Hard-Working Flagler College Students Presented Their Research at the Florida Undergraduate Research Conference

Flagler College students had an opportunity of a lifetime to present their research at the Florida Undergraduate Research Conference (FURC), known as one of the nation's largest multi-disciplinary research conferences. This year was Flagler's second year of sending students to the conference, and the number of participants has increased five times.

Flagler College students standing in front of the entrance to the Florida Undergraduate Research Conference

This annual conference is open to all undergraduate researchers in Florida to apply to share their ideas and results with the community. Additionally, it provides students the chance to see and learn other people's research from a whole new perspective.

"The purpose of doing research is to encourage people to be intellectually curious to ask questions and be adventurous enough to look for answers on their own. It fosters critical thinking skills as well as sharpens the ability to think outside of the box." - Dr. Kao, Director of Undergraduate Research.

Before students become presenters at the conference, they must first undergo a rigorous review and careful selection process. Then, once accepted, they can present their research in a poster forum.

"Presenting at the Florida Undergraduate Research Conference was indeed an honor. I found it very rewarding to present my research to other peers across multiple disciplines. I highly recommend any student to get involved with undergraduate research while at Flagler. It is hard work but well worth it in the end." - Shane Smith, Coastal Environmental Science Research on Tortoises.

Each student that attends the conference gains confidence as a presenter, exchanges scholarly ideas, and networks with other like-minded researchers across the state.

"It was such a fantastic experience to meet new students, both from Flagler College and other colleges who were interested in researching like I am. I made so many fun memories and grew more confident in my ability as a student! If anyone is thinking about presenting your research, know you'll be a more confident student for it!" - Presleigh Johnson, Public History major presenting First Lady Lou Henry Hoover

Flagler's vast diversity of disciplines, ranging from Mathematics, Public History, Coastal Environmental Sciences, and much more, shows the endless research opportunities that Flagler offers its students.

"What I enjoyed most about the conference was to see so many motivated students that all presented a wide variety of subjects; I was pleasantly surprised to see that students from every field of study were interested in our math research." - Mona Aschenbrenner, Math Research and Foreign Exchange student from the University of Wurzburg.

Below is the list of students that attended the Florida Undergraduate Research Conference (FURC). It includes their poster title, discipline, and faculty mentor that went above and beyond to prepare each student for the conference.

Mona Aschenbrenner

Poster title: On the Analytic and Arithmetic Properties of the mu-Series for the Bertrand Sequences



Discipline: Mathematics



Faculty Mentor: Chris Kao

Presleigh Johnson

Poster title: Self-Forgetful Service: Lou Henry Hoovers Great Depression Relief Efforts, 1929-1933



Discipline: Public History



Faculty Mentor: Kelly Enright

Hunter Makin

Poster title: Sugar: A Pathway to Power in Cuba



Discipline: History



Faculty Mentor: Jessica Howell

Cassie Picard & Shane Smith

Poster title: Ticks and Tortoises: Investigating Ectoparasite Loads on Gopher Tortoises at the GTM Research Reserve



Discipline: Coastal Environmental Science



Faculty Mentor: Ben Atkinson

Emma Wilkinson

Poster title: Anthropogenic Noise Impacts on Frog Vocalization at Anastasia State Park and the GTM Research Reserve



Discipline: Coastal Environmental Science



Faculty Mentor: Ben Atkinson

Tagged As
Tampa, FL (33646)

Today

Rain showers this evening with clearing overnight. Thunder possible. Low 66F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Rain showers this evening with clearing overnight. Thunder possible. Low 66F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
UNITED NATIONS, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Despite its two-year anniversary, the unity government in South Sudan faces stalled constitutional progress and ongoing community violence fueled by armed groups and political groups, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Monday.

"As we enter the remaining 12 months of the transitional period... we are mindful of the accumulation of unfulfilled commitments and the imperative to address them in the limited time at hand," said Nicholas Haysom, the UN secretary-general's special representative for South Sudan, and head of the UN mission there, known as UNMISS.

Recalling that Feb. 22 marked two years since the formation of the Revitalized Government of National Unity, the special representative reported that South Sudan's ceasefire largely continues to hold, and civilian casualties have dropped significantly.

In addition, he outlined significant political progress, including the conclusion of executive appointments at the national and state levels and the reconstitution of the Transitional National Legislature and Council of States.

Some key benchmarks, however, remain unmet, including those related to political and civic space, a secure environment, and the technical and logistical pre-requisites for a free and fair election.

Critically, the constitution-making process bill is still pending, and the process of drafting a new constitution remains stalled, Haysom said.

"Stakeholders agree that the sluggish implementation pace is a cause of disillusionment amongst the people of South Sudan," said the special representative.

The troubling trend threatens to undermine South Sudan's revitalized peace agreement, which was signed in 2018 amid high expectations that the accord would put an end to the young nation's cycles of violence and political strife.

Haysom warned that national frustration is most evident in the high numbers of marginalized young people who have joined tribal militias, further exacerbating the country's undercurrent of violence as a means of settling disputes.

He said the dire economic situation has also led to a rise in criminal activity and xenophobic hostility toward humanitarians and peacekeepers.

Haysom cited both perennial conflicts as well as emerging conflicts spanning the borders between South Sudan's states and regions as evidence that subnational violence continues to spread in some parts of South Sudan.

Meanwhile, the country's overall humanitarian needs are projected to continue growing in 2022 - the third consecutive year of flooding - as the situation continues to be exacerbated by insecurity and the prolonged impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The UN mission has provided humanitarian aid and established 200 temporary operating bases to prevent and respond to conflict hotspots. It is also leveraging its capacities to support political solutions.

Haysom noted that UNMISS's strategic interventions have led to a 42 percent decline in civilian casualties over the past year. 
Flexible employment gains increasing popularity among younger generation in China

People's Daily Online) 10:25, March 08, 2022

As a result of the rapid development of new business models and changes in job seekers ideas about employment in China, many young people are choosing to engage in flexible employment over traditional roles, with some 200 million Chinese now flexibly employed across the country, said Xiang Dong, Deputy Director of State Council Research Office at a press conference about the government work report on March 5.

New technologies create new spaces for employment, said Bai Gengsheng, Member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), adding that high-level technologies such as the Internet, artificial intelligence and big data have created more job opportunities.

A network anchor presents the goods to be sold during a live video stream in Baiyun District of Guangzhou City, south China's Guangdong Province, June 6, 2020. (Xinhua/Lu Ye)

A growing number of young graduates are engaged in new occupations, such as vloggers, Internet-based content writers and podcast hosts. In this new era, young people are provided with opportunities to pursue their own way of life, said Gao Yan, an associate professor at the Zhuhai campus of Beijing Normal University in Zhuhai city, south China's Guangdong Province, calling the trend a departure from the choice of occupations typical of older generations.

Wang Xinge, an enthusiast of handiwork, for instance, became a vlogger and now uploads videos on China's popular video-sharing platform Bilibili. Inspired by other handiwork vloggers, the young man started to learn how to make and edit videos when he was a college student in 2017, and then became a full-time vlogger in Shanghai after graduation. My passion for handiwork gives me the courage to pursue my dreams, he said.

His video about the making of a replica of a gold mask unearthed from a sacrificial pit at the Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China's Sichuan Province with a gold bar became an instant hit online in April 2021. Later in August, he continued to make a replica of a gold stick, another cultural relic unearthed at Sanxingdui.

He admitted that financial problems were his biggest challenge in the early stage of his vlogger career. I could hardly pay for the rent due to unstable income back then, but I never gave up because of my enthusiasm as well as confidence in the prospects for We-media, he said.

While these youngsters pursue their dreams in new fields, they also contribute to the countrys cultural development. Hunyuan, an artist of the suona horn, a traditional Chinese musical instrument, also works as a full-time vlogger. This occupation enables more people to understand the suona, as well as Chinas traditional culture, and helps me earn some income, said the young man born after 2000.

Some net users said that his videos help traditional Chinese musical instrument to reach a wider audience. And he believes this new occupation has infinite possibilities. I just want to seize the moment, he said, who knows when the next new trend will emerge, he added.

Another notable field is Chinas Internet-based content and online literature. Readers and authors of online literature in China now exceed 460 million and 21.3 million, respectively, with many of them born after 1995 and 2000, according to a recent report.

Born after 1995, Tianruishuofu, a two-time winner of the Galaxy Award, China's most prestigious science fiction award, said after reading some works of online literature, he realized that the subject matter of fiction could be quite immense and diverse.

Bai Gengsheng, who is also vice-chairman of the China Writers Association, said that authors of online literature have injected fresh vitality into Chinas literary field. Bai added that many people held the view that online literature was inferior to traditional literature, but now the two kinds of literature interact with each other in a very good way. Online literature is the most dynamic form of literature in todays China, Bai remarked.

I guess todays online literature is like oral literature in ancient times. Everybody participates in, appreciates and spreads it, he said. We live in an era of literature for all.

In addition, China is also stepping up support for the development of flexible employment. Yan Jingming, member of the 13th National Committee of the CPPCC and vice-chairman of the China Writers Association, submitted a proposal on guiding and establishing training sessions for online literature authors at this years Two Sessions. I suggested giving online literature more chances with regard to mainstream literature awards, holding more seminars on outstanding online literature works and improving the rating system to better facilitate the development of online literature, said Yan.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
CAIRO, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Clear double standards have emerged in the Western media's reporting of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Egyptian professor and writer Azza Radwan Sedky said recently.

"The United States got away with invading Iraq in 2003 under false pretenses, and Russia, having the reason of security concern to take actions, is now considered to be a pariah," Sedky told Xinhua and also wrote in her article titled "Double standards on Ukraine," published by Ahram Online, the English news website of Egypt's state-run Al-Ahram newspaper.

"The Western media misled the world into accepting the invasion(of Iraq), siding with the U.S. administration," Sedky lamented, emphasizing that "the Western media chooses its battles and sides with whomever it pleases."

Sedky pointed out the apparent double standards in the U.S. invasion of Iraq and the current conflict in Ukraine.

"While the invasion of Iraq by the United States was considered a liberation, the operation taken by Russia is seen as a cut-throat invasion in the eyes of the Western media."

She also cited American political writers and scientists, such as John J. Mearsheimer and Diana Johnstone. Both blame the West for the current outcome and their use of sanctions, propaganda and other measures to Russia's detriment.

The Egyptian writer pointed out that the issue began in the 1990s when the United States began moving NATO eastwards towards the Russian border and integrating Ukraine economically into the West.

"Due to Ukraine's proximity to Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin sees such moves as an existential threat," Sedky said, quoting the Russian president as saying that Georgia and Ukraine becoming part of NATO is a direct threat to Russia.

Sedky said Western media follow Washington's lead, with a narrative focused on an oppressive Russia.

She considered the Western media's focus on the notion that the operation opens the way for further expansion by Russian military forces into Europe as "a far-fetched assumption."

Sedky hoped that diplomatic dialogue would begin immediately and that Russia, Ukraine, and the Western allies would sit together and negotiate a deal satisfying to all concerned parties. 
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BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese foreign ministry on Tuesday called on the United States to release all-around details of its biological laboratories in Ukraine, and urged relevant parties to ensure their safety.

Recent media reports said those biological laboratories store large quantities of dangerous viruses, and Russia has found in the course of military operations that the United States uses those facilities for biological military programs.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a daily press briefing that for the health and safety of people in Ukraine, surrounding areas and the whole world, all parties concerned should ensure the safety of those laboratories.

"In particular, the United States, as the party that knows the laboratories best, should release relevant specific information as soon as possible, including what viruses are stored and the research that has been carried out," Zhao said.

The U.S. bio-military activities in Ukraine are only "the tip of the iceberg," Zhao said. Under various names, the U.S. Department of Defense controls 336 biological laboratories in 30 countries.

"What is the real intention of the United States? What exactly has it done? These have always been the source of misgivings for the international community," Zhao said.

Moreover, only the United States has for 20 years blocked the building of the Biological Weapons Convention verification protocol, and refused to accept inspections of biological facilities within and outside its borders, further aggravating the concerns of the international community, the spokesperson said.

"We once again urge the U.S. side to fully clarify its biological military activities both at home and abroad, and accept multilateral verifications," Zhao said. 
A crosswalk on the corner of Hill Street and 13th Avenue in Albany is prompting people to ask what the city can do more to protect pedestrians.

Stephen Hodges, who lives on Hill Street Southeast, brought the issue to the attention of the Traffic Safety Commission in written testimony from February. As a father of a 6 month old, he said he worries for pedestrians crossing the street.

"On the days where there is less sunlight, I noticed that drivers are either less willing or less able to see pedestrians looking to cross at this crosswalk," Hodges wrote. "I personally experience having to wait on the corner sometimes for several cars to pass by, especially in the evenings."

Hodges wrote to the commission that the street would benefit from a lighted crosswalk like the one on the corner of Hill and 12th Avenue, one for which he advocated several years ago.

His testimony sparked interest among Traffic Safety Commission members at a virtual meeting on Monday.

"There's definitely times where I didn't notice that person standing on the crosswalk until it's too late for me to start slowing down for them," commission member Steph Nappa said. "If you're just in the zone driving, so I totally get it."

However, the commission came to the consensus on Monday that the city is short on money for crafting solutions.

Albany has no dedicated fund for pedestrian improvements, such as crosswalks, and relies on state grants to finance new projects.

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The city is a regular recipient of the Oregon Department of Transportation's Safe Routes to School grant program, which paid for a sidewalk infill on Geary Street between 34th Avenue and Grand Prairie Road.

A new controlled crosswalk, according to Albany Transportation Systems Analyst Ron Irish, could come with a price tag of $25,000. But, similar projects saw costs soar to four times above initial estimates, mostly due to electrical components, he said.

Traffic Safety Commission member Chuck Kratch said any money the city does get should be earmarked for high priority projects.

"I hesitate to recommend putting one of these on or something or others 350 feet from another one unless it were like an elementary or lower grade school area," Kratch said. "I'd recommend putting it on the list, but putting it on a lowest tier would be my recommendation."

State grants for pedestrian safety are often based on need, which means recipients have to score high when it comes to local crash and accident data.

Based on requested statistics Irish shared on Monday, the crossing on Hill Street and 13th sees fewer than 6,000 trips per day. Most of those trips occur around 5 p.m. when up to 550 cars pass through the area, which carries a 25 mile-per-hour speed limit.

From 2010 to 2019, Albany saw 579 vehicle collisions per year, the Oregon Department of Transportation reported. On average, 440 people were injured and nearly two people were killed in such collisions per year. More than half of those collisions occurred during daylight.

By comparison, Corvallis saw 551 collisions per year over the same timeframe. Those collisions injured 317 people per year and killed at least one person on average, mostly during the day.

Those numbers fall well below the averages in neighboring Oregon cities of similar size. Irish said he wants those numbers to stay low.

"I don't feel too badly that I couldn't find anything that scored really (high)," Irish said. "I hope it'll get harder and harder to score well on some of those grants."

The Albany Traffic Safety Commission's next meeting has yet to be scheduled.

Tim Gruver covers the city of Albany and Linn County. He can be contacted at 541-812-6114 or Tim.Gruver@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter via @T_TimeForce.

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Saying it likely violates the First Amendment, a federal judge this month put an initial stop to Oregon's first-of-its-kind ban on "love letters" in real estate transactions, a state law designed to prevent discrimination which took effect Jan. 1.

The practice is used nationwide by would-be buyers via their agents, hoping sellers will choose their bid. But critics have said the letters can appeal to sellers' implicit biases about race and religion, leading to discrimination.

State lawmakers "could have addressed the problem of housing discrimination without infringing on protected speech to such a degree," wrote U.S. District Judge Marco A. Hernandez in granting a preliminary injunction.

Because it's the first of its kind, the case is likely see action at the federal appeals court or even the Supreme Court, the bill's author said.

Hernandez acknowledged that housing discrimination is an enduring societal problem.

"Greater enforcement is also not particularly persuasive. The record shows that discrimination in housing has persisted despite the passage of local, state and federal prohibitions," he wrote. "Requiring real estate agents to redact love letters is a more precise tool to address the government's interest."

Last year's legislation sponsored by state Rep. Mark Meek, D-Gladstone/Oregon City, is credited with igniting a national debate among real estate agents about preventing Fair Housing Act violations during real-estate sales.

"It's disappointing and very frustrating," Meek said of the federal ruling. "The judge had asked some good questions of the attorney general, but I didn't see them making a good case that this was unconstitutional."

Total Real Estate Group, which took the state of Oregon to court, said a love-letter ban harmed its ability to match potential homebuyers with their dream homes. Letters can prompt sales below the top monetary offer, the Realtors said, creating opportunities for first-time homeowners and giving sellers peace of mind that their home ends up in caring hands.

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Calling the decision "a major victory for free speech and economic opportunity," Pacific Legal Foundation attorney Daniel Ortner said the federal ruling "preserves the opportunity of homebuyers to speak freely to sellers" and make the case why their purchase offers should win out.

"Love letters communicate information that helps sellers select the best offer. The state cannot ban important speech because someone might misuse it. Oregon's overly broad speech restriction is clearly not justified," Ortner said.

Meek's bill sought to ban "love letters" from prospective buyers to home sellers, especially when those letters contain photographs of potential buyers that would reveal the buyers' race, along with statements that could sway sellers to choose a particular buyer based on religion and sexual orientation.

Typical statements in such letters might say something like, "My wife and I would love to buy your house because it's walking distance for our kids to school and the church we attend with their grandparents." Meek's own experience as a Realtor helped shape the bill, he said.

"We are dealing with implicit biases that cause sellers to gravitate to one type of buyer, which can lead to keeping one type of person generally owning homes in neighborhoods," Meek said. "I've sat down with sellers in their living rooms and they've told me, 'I couldn't sell to them because my neighbors would hate me forever.' Not only is that discrimination, but also that seller is about to have different neighbors."

Meek said that the federal judge from the District of Oregon probably won't have the last word, and he hopes that the state will get a more favorable hearing from the federal appeals court based in San Francisco.

"Our attorney general's office has said that they were going to fight this to the hilt, and it's potentially precedent-setting depending on which way this goes," Meek said.

Meek said the bill underwent a thorough analysis for constitutionality prior to consideration by the Oregon Legislature.

"Our legislative counsel who helped me draft this bill made sure that it didn't infringe on the U.S. Constitution or anybody's free speech rights," Meek said.

Prior to the bill's passage Oregon real-estate agents often felt that they had a fiduciary duty to forward these so-called love letters. Meek's bill didn't ban the love letters exactly, which his legal counsel warned would have violated free-speech rights by preventing someone's ability from writing or sending such a letter; the bill simply removed a Realtor's obligation to forward letters that are potentially discriminatory to homeowners. Under the bill, a prospective homebuyer may still send a love letter directly to the homeowner.

Previously, Meek and other Realtors felt they had a fiduciary responsibility to their clients to share "love letters," even though such letters might persuade a seller to choose a buyer at a lower price.

"A seller's agent is no longer required to forward letters from potential buyers, who often included photos of their families, in an attempt to sway the seller's decisions," he said.

Meek's main hope was that eliminating that practice will make homeownership more achievable for groups that have traditionally not had as much access to owning property.

According to late 2019 official statistics, 65% of white people in Oregon owned homes, compared with Black/African Americans at 32.2% and 40.8% for Hispanic/Latino groups.

Meek said he hopes the legislation will open up opportunities for people of color to purchase homes.

"I've heard from some Realtors saying, 'Hey, you're taking away one of our tools,' but my response is that we're not allowed to say in a real estate listing, 'This house is for sale right next to a church,' or 'Buy this property walking distance from a certain political party's office,' so potential buyers shouldn't be able to so easily use these same types of biases to influence sellers."

The legislation says, "In order to help a seller avoid selecting a buyer based on buyer's race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status or familial status as prohibited by the Fair Housing Act, a seller's agent shall reject any communication other than customary documents in a real estate transaction, including photographs, provided by a buyer."

The federal judge wrote that the "customary documents" aspect of the bill was too vague and would potentially include a cover letter from a real estate agent in making an offer, which often has some of the same information as love letters.

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When Oregon's legislative leaders unveiled a plan to address homelessness last month, they stressed that it is not just a Portland, or even an "urban," problem.

"Those who are unhoused and unsheltered are as diverse as our community itself," said Rep. Jason Kropf, a Democrat whose Central Oregon district is flanked by the Deschutes National Forest and includes much of Bend.

The regional concern on display in the capitol last month reflected the views of Oregon residents, most of whom  regardless of ZIP code  want local leaders to make responding to homelessness their No. 1 priority.

More than three quarters of Multnomah County residents and other urban Oregonians said it was very important or urgent for leaders in their communities to make doing something about homelessness their top priority, a recent survey from the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center found.

"Getting the economy back is an important first step. Getting people with addictions and mental health issues treated is the next step," one Multnomah County resident stated.

But even in rural and suburban areas, at least 60% of residents surveyed in November identified homelessness as a topic of high priority.

Most Oregonians identified mental illness, substance abuse or a lack of affordable housing as the top reasons why people become homeless.

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Erin Bunday, who lives in Klamath Falls, said she believed high rental costs were driving homelessness in her Southern Oregon community.

"I have several friends here who are 'career women' and parents, who have often had to stay with friends, family or in run-down hotels, which spends all their income, making saving for a home impossible," Bunday said.

Bunday used to volunteer with the Habitat for Humanity program in Bend, where she lived before the bank she worked at shut down. Briefly homeless, she and her son moved to Klamath Falls in 2013.

"In Bend, programs like NeighborImpact and Habitat were able to include families in the home buying or building process, allowing them to really want and work towards that goal," Bunday said. "I don't see that here."

Klamath County's Habitat program shut down in 2014, and while there still are some services for people experiencing homelessness in her community, Bunday said it's tough "when an individual wants to shower, to get to a job, to make their income, but doesn't have a home base or regular meal, laundry. I've seen many people quickly give up."

Like many Oregonians, Michelle McDaniel is frustrated that more hasn't been done.

"It seems like they keep talking about (solving homelessness) and they aren't actually doing it," said McDaniel, who lives on the small Central Oregon Coast community of Otis. "Then they talk about studies about it."

McDaniel said high rent costs and destructive wildfires were forcing people out of their homes.

Close to 300 structures in Otis were destroyed in the Echo Mountain Complex fire in September 2020  accounting for a small fraction of the Oregon homes lost to 2020 wildfires.

McDaniel said she's "lost faith in Oregon's leadership" in response to the housing crisis.

McDaniel moved to Portland from California in 2015 with decades of experience in property management. Vacancies were snapped up quickly at the rental properties she managed in Portland, despite continually increasing rents.

"People are getting hit with huge increases. People are upset and they say they're going to move, and then they look around and they see that everything is just as high and they're stuck," McDaniel said. "As far as trying to buy a home, it's almost impossible for the average person."

She eventually left Portland, disheartened and exhausted by how difficult the rental market made it for people to survive.

Otis is located just outside Lincoln City, where the local economy is largely driven by tourism.

"The people that work here in this town, primarily housekeeping, hotel workers, people who work in the restaurant industry  they cannot afford to live here, so they drive in from other towns," McDaniel said.

The lawmakers who highlighted their $400 million package to ease homelessness and promote low-cost housing were careful not to claim victory.

"I want to make clear these investments will not solve every problem overnight," Rep. Julie Fahey, D-Eugene, said. "But Oregonians have immediate needs right now."

More Oregonians now see homelessness as an urgent issue

Overall, 70% Oregonians surveyed in November said it was very important or urgent for leaders to make homelessness their top priority. Asked a similar question in an October 2020 survey by Oregon Values and Beliefs Center, 50% of residents answered very important or urgent.

While seven out of 10 Oregonians believed ending homelessness should be a top priority for leaders, only six in 10 agreed that with the right policies and resources, homelessness could be solved in their communities.

Rural Oregonians were slightly more pessimistic than urban and suburban residents. Some respondents favored a harsher approach, forcing homeless people off the streets and into shelters. Others said that while a few people may refuse help, the right policies and resources could get most people into homes.

"Homelessness and lack of affordable housing are problems that we could fix if we had the compassion, understanding and political will," one Multnomah County respondent said.

With local and state elections approaching in May, homelessness is likely to become a key issue throughout the state. And, the survey said, those seeking office are likely to face tough questions as fewer than 12% of Oregonians are satisfied with the homelessness services where they live.

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Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021.
The group claiming responsibility for the hack is the same one behind a recent Nvidia attack.

Samsung has confirmed that hackers have stolen sensitive internal company data and source code for Galaxy devices. The Korean tech giant confirmed yesterday, that the cybersecurity breach took place last week.

Hacked!

A hacking outfit, Lapsus$, claimed responsibility for the attack when it was first reported earlier this month. The same organization was behind the recent breach of Computer systems developer, Nvidia.

According to reports, the group shared screenshots via its Telegram account purportedly showing approximately 200GB of stolen data from Samsung. The stolen data includes source code used in the encryption and biometric unlocking functions on the Galaxy hardware.

But, in a statement confirming the hack, Samsung neither confirmed nor deny the nature of data stolen. It also did not confirm or deny the identity of the hackers.

However, the company stated that the personal data of employees and customers remained intact.Bloomberg News reported Samsung as saying in a statement:

There was a security breach relating to certain internal company data. According to our initial analysis, the breach involves some source code relating to the operation of Galaxy devices, but does not include the personal information of our consumers or employees.

Read more:

 Man Puts An iPhone And A Samsung Galaxy To The Test... By Freezing Them In Coke!

 After she was threatened by hackers, she decided to shock fans by posting this

scandalous photo

 Major Facebook data leak jeopardises 553 million users

No cause for alarm

Samsungs consumer products such as smartphones and tablets are under the Galaxy brand. The company said it does not anticipate any impact to its business or customers.

Currently, we do not anticipate any impact to our business or customers. We have implemented measures to prevent further such incidents and will continue to serve our customers without disruption.

Last month, Lapsus$ attempted to blackmail Nvidia to remove cryptocurrency mining limiters from certain GPUs and make the drivers for these video cards open source, lest it leaks its data online. In the Samsung case, it is not clear what concessions the hacking group was hoping to get.
Gettysburg, PA (17325)

Today

A steady, heavy rain this evening. Showers continuing overnight. Low around 55F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

A steady, heavy rain this evening. Showers continuing overnight. Low around 55F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
SUSPECTED Zanu PF supporters on Saturday burnt Bindura ward 8 councillor Oswell Shambares house shortly after he had hosted an opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) meeting at his home.

CCC welfare secretary Maureen Kademaunga confirmed the incident.

I am travelling to Bindura and will be able to disclose more information tomorrow (today), Kademaunga said.

Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said he was yet to receive a report from Bindura.

Efforts to get a comment from the Zanu PF party spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa were fruitless.

The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum said Shambare was being punished for hosting a party meeting at his homestead.

Suspected Zanu PF supporters on Saturday night torched Bindura ward 18 councillor Shambares house. Shambare had hosted a CCC youth meeting during the day, the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum said.

In a recent statement, Amnesty International deputy director for southern Africa Muleya Mwananyanda urged the government to bring all perpetrators of politically-motivated violence to book.

Cases of political violence are on the rise as the country heads to the March 26 by-elections. Newsday
Gillette, WY (82718)

Today

Cloudy with occasional showers. Low 39F. Winds SE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional showers. Low 39F. Winds SE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.


VICE-PRESIDENT Constantino Chiwenga has denounced all forms of violence and urged Zimbabweans to desist from fighting each other ahead of the March 26 by-elections.

Mr Nelson Chamisa, who leads the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), is on record saying he will use violence if he loses next years elections.

The call by the Vice-President follows recent political violence that erupted in Kwekwe during a CCC campaign rally in which one person died. Police arrested 16 suspects, but five appeared in court in connection with the death.

Social media and opposition elements have been accusing Zanu-PF of instigating the political violence in Kwekwe despite the fact that when violence broke out in the middle of a speech by Mr Chamisa, the partys organising secretary Mr Amos Chibaya could be seen grabbing the microphone inciting party youths to resort to violence.

Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe has said police will leave no stone unturned in hunting for perpetrators of violence and cautioned political actors against prematurely making conclusions or apportioning blame to anyone before investigations are completed.





Addressing scores of Zanu-PF supporters at a rally at Isilwane Youth Centre in Old Pumula suburb on Friday to drum up support for the ruling party candidates ahead of the March 26 by-elections, VP Chiwenga said an election is not justification for any form of violence.

We want the election process to be defined by peace.

We dont want any violence and we say no to violence and we condemn it and give it the utmost contempt it deserves, he said.

VP Chiwenga said Zimbabweans should shun violence and be united in their diversity.

As our late Vice-President John Nkomo said peace begins with you, peace begins with me and peace begins with all of us, we must sing unity, unity, unity and this is how we as Zanu-PF prevail.

We are strong as we continue to be united in our diversity as Zimbabwe.

Let us therefore, love one another and our country Zimbabwe.

We need to keep violence out of our politics because we are a peace-loving people and we cherish doing our business in an environment of peace and unity.

VP Chiwenga, who is also the Second Secretary of the ruling party, said despite political differences, Zimbabweans are one as they are bound by the blood shed during the countrys struggle for independence.

So, we remain as brothers and sisters of one Zimbabwe, bound by the blood that was shed during the struggle to liberate this country and exemplified by the red colour on our national flag.

An election is certainly not justification for any form of violence, he said.

VP Chiwenga said violence is not developmental and reminded citizens, including those in opposition that being in opposition was not permanent.

He urged people to go out in their numbers and vote for Zanu-PF on March 26, saying the ruling partys victory would be a win for the people, democracy and development.

The election season is upon us. As you may be aware, the nation will conduct by-elections for vacant parliamentary and council seats. Our party is known for its symbiotic relationship with the people just like fish are with water, said the VP.

We have come to reaffirm our total allegiance to the spirit of being a party of the people, a party that works for the people and a party that is inspired by the aspirations of the people.

This is why our revered and able leader, the President and First Secretary of Zanu-PF, Cde Mnangagwa always underlines the principle of servant leadership.

Last month, President Mnangagwa launched the Zanu-PF campaign ahead of the by-elections in Epworth, Harare, where he enunciated game-changing policies that his administration is implementing to make Zimbabwe an upper-middle-class economy by 2030.

The elections are also coming at a time when the ruling party is steering the economy towards sustainable growth as is stated in the economic blueprint, the National Development Strategy 1.

Last year, President Mnangagwa gifted urbanites title deeds as the Central Government moved in to end the rot in local authorities that has been in the hands of corruption-ridden and often incompetent opposition parties.

VP Chiwenga said under the Second Republic led by President Mnangagwa, the country has been taken to a new level, punctuated by a raft of development-oriented policies, programmes and projects.

None but ourselves shall build and develop our country, brick by brick, stone upon stone.

Hence, the mantra nyika inovakwa nevene vayo speaks loudly and clearly to the need for each one of us to put both hands on the deck and work for the national development. Chronicle
Emily Mohney, Michael Starr, D. Scott Withers, Blake Patrick Spellacy, Aidan Lutton, Sally Jo Bannow, Derek Luscutoff and Ben Massouras star in Singin in the Rain. (Photo by Reg Madison Photography)
Universities in Maharashtra State India can now verify certificates within 10 seconds

Belfrics to onboard more than 45 universities for issuing certificate

Currently the academic degree verification and certification process used by universities is a manual process requiring human intervention



AVENTURA, Fla., March 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Life Clips, Inc. (OTC Pink: LCLP) (the Company) today announced its Belfrics subsidiary will issue all university level certificates to students in the State of Maharashtra, India on the Belrium blockchain. Mumbai, Indias financial and commercial center, is the capital of Maharashtra state. This will make Maharashtra Indias first state to use blockchain for educational certificates, as well as one of the worlds largest users of blockchain based educational certificates. Belfrics partner will be Maharashtra Information Technology Support Center (MITSC), a company it announced a partnership with last month.

MITSC president, Yashwant Shitole, said, There are 22 million students across Maharashtra state. Initially, we plan to issue 500,000 certificates in 3 years to students who will complete English Proficiency Skills this year, and another 50,000 certificates to students who will complete affordable advanced skill development courses such as cyber security, artificial intelligence, machine learning and blockchain. Each student will receive a digital file containing the original pdf of the certificate and its corresponding blockchain proof file. Our plans call for onboarding 23 state universities and 21 deemed universities that issue degree and diploma certificates. We are also in talks with additional universities who are willing to opt for blockchain based certificates for their students.

Praveen Kumar, Founder & CEO of Belfrics Group, said, Countries like Singapore, Bahrain, Dubai and Malta have already adopted blockchain when it comes to issuing certificates. Our partnership with MITSC is off to a great start, as we initiate this process in India, as well. Our focus is to not only to increase digitization of educational processes, but to also reduce forging of certificates, which is a serious concern for universities and other educational institutes. MITSC has decided to issue blockchain-based certificates to the universities associated with them and also to universities and other autonomous institutes across Maharashtra.

Blockchain based certification effectively reduces the verification process for universities to under 10 seconds. Certificates could be verified by providing the unique identifier of the certificate such as transaction ID, unique exam roll number or cryptographic hash of the certificate. This will ease the verification process for the document receiver, verifying the authenticity and integrity of the certificate. Currently the academic degree verification and certification process used by universities is a manual process that requires human intervention.

Rob Grinberg, CEO of Life Clips, said, We are only seeing the beginning of the real-world capabilities of Belfrics blockchain solutions. I believe we have a more advanced offering than many of our larger competitors, and a Belfrics team with the right relationships to successfully market it.

Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdivision globally. According to the most recent census data, Maharashtra has a population of 112,374,333. It is divided into six divisions and 36 districts, with the state capital being Mumbai, the most populous urban area in India. Spread over 118,809 square miles, Maharashtra is the third-largest state by area in India. Maharashtra is among the most developed Indian states contributing to the national economy with a share of 12% in the country's GDP. The economy of Maharashtra is the largest in India, with a gross state domestic product equivalent to US$350 billion.

About Us

Life Clips is the parent company of Belfrics Global and Cognitive Apps Software Solutions Inc. Belfrics Global is a Malaysian based blockchain provider and cryptocurrency exchange and platform that is licensed and regulated by Labuan Financial Services Authority (LFSA), Malaysia. With 10 operational offices in 8 countries, Belfrics multi-feature trading platform offers digital assets, cryptocurrencies, and crypto derivative contracts to its clients. Belfrics blockchain has been recognized by Gartner as being a top 10 blockchain in terms of real-world projects and has received a patent for its Belrium KYC verification System (BKVS) by the Nigerian patent authority. Cognitive Apps is disrupting the space of mental health with its speech-based, AI-powered mental health analytics platform that empowers businesses to measure, understand, and improve the mental well-being of their employees, patients, and customers. Aiki delivers CBT and IPT therapies using a chatbot which and includes the voice analysis solution that takes in other health data from Apple and Google HealthKit to make a more accurate analysis of ones mental health. Aiki was developed to capitalize on the trend towards artificial intelligence platforms utilized by individuals and companies to raise awareness of employees mental health. Cognitive Apps is developed by a team of licensed psychotherapists that makes use of vocal biomarkers to screen for early signs of mental health conditions, such as stress and depression. Aiki is available on Apples App Store.

For more information on Life Clips visit www.lifeclips.com

For more information on Belfrics Global visit www.belfricsgroup.com

For more information on Cognitive Apps Software Solutions visit https://cogapps.com

Forward-Looking Statement Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements may be preceded by the words intends, may, will, plans, expects, anticipates, projects, predicts, estimates, aims, believes, hopes, potential or similar words. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, and cannot be predicted or quantified and consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements: (i) the initiation, timing, progress and results of the Companys research, manufacturing and other development efforts; (ii) the Companys ability to advance its products to successfully complete development and commercialization; (iii) the manufacturing, development, commercialization, and market acceptance of the Companys products; (iv) the lack of sufficient funding to finance the product development and business operations; (v) competitive companies and technologies within the Companys industry and introduction of competing products; (vi) the Companys ability to establish and maintain corporate collaborations; (vii) loss of key management personnel; (viii) the scope of protection the Company is able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights covering its products and its ability to operate its business without infringing the intellectual property rights of others; (ix) potential failure to comply with applicable health information privacy and security laws and other state and federal privacy and security laws; and (x) the difficulty of predicting actions of the government and its regulations. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date of this press release. The Company assumes no obligation to update any written or oral forward-looking statement unless required by law.

For Media and Investor Relations, please contact:

David L. Kugelman

(866) 692-6847 Toll Free - U.S. & Canada

(404) 281-8556 Mobile and WhatsApp

dk@atlcp.com

Skype: kugsusa

https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkugelman/
GRAND BAIE, Mauritius, March 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alphamin Resources Corp. (AFM:TSXV, APH:JSE AltX)( Alphamin or the Company), a producer of 4% of the worlds mined tin1 from its high grade operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is pleased to provide the following update for the quarter ended December 2021:



Contained tin production up 10% from the prior quarter to 3,114 tons

from the prior quarter to Contained tin sales up 13% from the prior quarter to 3,056 tons

from the prior quarter to Record Q4 EBITDA 3 of US$74m , up 38% from prior quarter actual

of , from prior quarter actual Net cash 3 position increases to US$68m

position increases to FY2021 dividend of CAD$0.03 per share declared and paid

of declared and paid Announcement of Mpama South maiden Resource and positive Preliminary Economic Assessment

Operational and Financial Summary for the Quarter and year ended December 20212

Description Units Actual Actual Quarter ended December 2021 Quarter ended September 2021 Change Year ended December 2021 Year ended December 2020 Change Tons Processed Tonnes 107,981 108,901 -1 % 416,173 366,634 14 % Tin Grade Processed % Sn 3.9 3.5 12 % 3.6 3.9 -10 % Overall Plant Recovery % 75 75 -1 % 74 71 4 % Contained Tin Produced Tonnes 3,114 2,832 10 % 10,969 10,319 6 % Contained Tin Sold Tonnes 3,056 2,710 13 % 11,521 11,474 0 % AISC3 per tonne tin sold US$/t 15,117 14,765 2 % 14,173 11,469 24 % EBITDA3 US$'000 74,347 53,715 38 % 198,592 58,302 241 % Net Cash/ (Net Debt)3 US$'000 68,233 1,036 6486 % 68,233 (59,909 ) -214 % Tin Price Achieved US$/t 38,432 33,704 14 % 30,629 16,336 87 %

________________________



1Data obtained from International Tin Association Tin Industry Review Update 2021 2Production information is disclosed on a 100% basis. Alphamin indirectly owns 84.14% of its operating subsidiary to which the information relates. 3This is not a standardized financial measure and may not be comparable to similar financial measures of other issuers. See Use of Non-IFRS Financial Measures below for the composition and calculation of this financial measure.

Operational and Financial Performance

Q4 2021 contained tin production of 3,114 tons is 10% above the previous quarter and contained tin sales of 3,056 tons increased 13% from the prior quarter. Improved underground mining practices relating to stope planning, delineation and blasting resulted in better grade control with an average tin grade of 3,8% processed during the five months ended December 2021.

EBITDA of US$74.3m for Q4 2021 is 38% higher than the previous quarter of US$53.7m as a result of increased tin production and sales volumes, together with a higher average tin price achieved of US$38,432/t (Current tin price: ~US$48,000/t).

The Group Net Cash position as at 31 December 2021 increased by US$67m from US$1m in the prior quarter.

Contained tin production and sales guidance for the financial year ending December 2022 is 12,000 tons4. Actual contained tin production for the financial year ended December 2021 was 10,969 tons.

On 7 March 2022, the Company announced a maiden Mineral Resource estimate and a positive Preliminary Economic Assessment for Mpama South. In anticipation of further Mpama South resource updates during 2022, including from in-fill drilling, the Company will proceed with the appointment of an EPCM contractor, detailed development scheduling and design work.

Alphamins audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying Managements Discussion and Analysis for the quarter and year ended 31 December 2021 have been filed and are available under the Companys profile at www.sedar.com.

FY2021 Dividend Paid

The Company paid a FY2021 CAD$0.03 per share cash dividend on 11 February 2022.

Changes to Board

Mr. Boris Kamstra has resigned as a non-executive director of the Company. The Company would like to thank Mr. Kamstra for his contributions to Alphamin during his tenure on the board and in his previous service as Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

Qualified Person

Mr. Clive Brown, Pr. Eng., B.Sc. Engineering (Mining), is a qualified person (QP) as defined in National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release. He is a Principal Consultant and Director of Bara Consulting Pty Limited, an independent technical consultant to the Company.

________________________

4Production and sales guidance is based on certain estimates and assumptions, including but not limited to: quantity of material mined and processed, tin grades of processed material and processing recoveries, truck availabilities for tin sales and assumes mining operations will continue to be conducted in the same manner as the previous quarter and will not be further impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Maritz Smith

CEO

Alphamin Resources Corp.

Tel: +230 269 4166

E-mail: msmith@alphaminresources.com





CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

Information in this news release that is not a statement of historical fact constitutes forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements contained herein include, without limitation, statements relating to expected contained tin production and sales for the year ending December 2022, planned exlporation activities and expected outcomes and next steps following the announcement of the Mpama South maiden mineral resources and Preliminary Economic Assessment. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable at the time such statements are made. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Although Alphamin has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from expected results described in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: uncertainties regarding estimates of the expected mined tin volumes and tin grades, processing plant performance and recoveries, uncertainties regarding global supply and demand for tin and market and sales prices, uncertainties with respect to social, community and environmental impacts, uninterupted access to required infrastructure and third party service providers, adverse political events, uncertainty of mineral exploration results, uncertainties regarding the legislative requirements in the Democratic Republic of the Congo which may result in unexpected fines and penalties, impacts of the global Covid-19 pandemic on mining operations and commodity prices as well as those risk factors set out in the Companys Management Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure documents available under the Companys profile at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and Alphamin disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

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 news release.

USE OF NON-IFRS FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES

This announcement refers to the following non-IFRS financial performance measures:

EBITDA

EBITDA is profit before net finance expense, income taxes and depreciation, depletion, and amortization. EBITDA provides insight into our overall business performance (a combination of cost management and growth) and is the corresponding flow driver towards the objective of achieving industry-leading returns. This measure assists readers in understanding the ongoing cash generating potential of the business including liquidity to fund working capital, servicing debt, and funding capital expenditures and investment opportunities.

This measure is not recognized under IFRS as it does not have any standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and is therefore unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. EBITDA data is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS.

Please also see the Companys MD&A dated March 7, 2022 for a reconciliation of EBITDA for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2021 and corresponding prior periods to its most directly comparable finacial measure contained in the Companys financial statements.

AISC

This measures the costs to produce and sell a tonne of contained tin plus the capital sustaining costs to maintain the mine, processing plant and infrastructure. AISC includes mine operating production expenses such as mining, processing, administration, indirect charges (including surface maintenance and camp and tailings dam construction costs), smelting costs and deductions, refining and freight, distribution, royalties and product marketing fees. AISC does not include depreciation, depletion, and amortization, reclamation expenses, borrowing costs and exploration expenses.

Sustaining capital expenditures are defined as those expenditures which do not increase contained tin production at a mine site and excludes all expenditures at the Companys projects and certain expenditures at the Companys operating sites which are deemed expansionary in nature.

NET CASH

Net cash is defined as cash and cash equivalents less total current and non-current portions of interest-bearing debt and lease liabilities.




NEW YORK, March 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of Clarivate Plc (NYSE: CLVT) between February 26, 2021 and December 27, 2021, inclusive (the Class Period), of the important March 25, 2022 lead plaintiff deadline.

SO WHAT: If you purchased Clarivate securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Clarivate class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=3079 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than March 25, 2022. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.

WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually handle securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs Bar. Many of the firms attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Clarivate maintained defective disclosure controls and procedures as a result of a material weakness in its internal control over financial reporting; (2) the foregoing material weakness was not limited to how Clarivate accounted for warrants; (3) as a result, Clarivate failed to properly account for an equity plan included in its acquisition of CPA Global; (4) accordingly Clarivate was reasonably likely to restate one or more of its previously issued financial statements following its acquisition of CPA Global; and (5) as a result, defendants public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.

To join the Clarivate class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=3079 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.

No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investors ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

-------------------------------

Contact Information:

Laurence Rosen, Esq.

Phillip Kim, Esq.

The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.

275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor

New York, NY 10016

Tel: (212) 686-1060

Toll Free: (866) 767-3653

Fax: (212) 202-3827

lrosen@rosenlegal.com

pkim@rosenlegal.com

cases@rosenlegal.com

www.rosenlegal.com
French English

TORONTO and MONTREAL, March 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nexus Industrial REIT (TSX: NXR.UN) (Nexus or the REIT) announced today that it intends to release its financial results for the year ended December 31, 2021 before the opening of the TSX on Wednesday March 16, 2022.



Management of the REIT will host a conference call at 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday March 16, 2022 to review the financial results and operations.

To participate in the conference call, please dial 416-915-3239 or 1-800-319-4610 (toll free in Canada and the US) at least five minutes prior to the start time and ask to join the Nexus Industrial REIT conference call.

A recording of the conference call will be available until April 16, 2022. To access the recording, please dial 604-674-8052 or 1-855-669-9658 (toll free in Canada and the US) and enter access code 8631.

Completion of Name Change

The REIT also announced today the completion of its previously announced name change from Nexus Real Estate Investment Trust to Nexus Industrial REIT. The REITs units are expected to commence trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the new name on or about March 9, 2022, under the existing ticker symbol NXR.UN. No action is needed from current unitholders in relation to the change of name.

Nexus feels that the new name better reflects the nature of the REITs current portfolio and its strategy of acquiring quality industrial assets located in primary and secondary markets across Canada.

About Nexus Industrial REIT

Nexus is a growth-oriented real estate investment trust focused on increasing unitholder value through the acquisition of industrial properties located in primary and secondary markets in Canada and potentially including the United States, and the ownership and management of its portfolio of properties. The REIT currently owns a portfolio of 106 properties comprising approximately 10.5 million square feet of gross leasable area. The REIT has approximately 57,365,000 Units issued and outstanding. Additionally, there are Class B LP Units of subsidiary limited partnerships of Nexus issued and outstanding, which are convertible into approximately 21,230,000 Units.

For further information please contact:

Kelly Hanczyk, CEO at (416) 906-2379; or

Rob Chiasson, CFO at (416) 613-1262.
English Greek

ATHENS, March 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Boyden, a premier leadership and talent advisory firm with more than 75 offices in over 45 countries, is delighted to recognize and celebrate International Womens Day 2022 (#IWD2022) alongside top women leaders across Greece.



Boyden Greece & Cyprus supports and applauds womens endeavors to claim equal rights and opportunities in their professional careers. In support of #IWD2022 to Celebrate women's achievement; raise awareness against bias; take action for equality, Boyden partnered with inspirational leaders from across the country to share valuable insights and advice in order to help advance this years collective #IWD2022 theme of #BreakTheBias:

Greece is fast-forwarding women's leadership excellence, and our Boyden Greece & Cyprus team is thrilled to take part in female empowerment, commented Anna Chatzikonstantinou, Managing Partner of Boyden Greece & Cyprus. Thank you to all 12 leaders here, each one excelling in her field, and to the countless more who continue to inspire the next generation of leadership.

Article Link: https://www.boyden.com/media/breakthebias-12-greek-women-leaders-share-expert-career-insights-25370613/

About Boyden

Boyden is a premier leadership and talent advisory firm with more than 75 offices in over 45 countries. Our global reach enables us to serve client needs anywhere they conduct business. We connect great companies with great leaders through executive search, interim management and leadership consulting solutions. Boyden is ranked amongst the top companies on Forbes Americas Best Executive Recruiting Firms for 2021. For further information, visit www.boyden.com.

Contact

Anny S. Chatzikonstantinou, Boyden

Managing Partner, Greece and Cyprus

T: +30 216 1000 700

E: achatzikonstantinou@boyden.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/82300151-ecfc-46d5-9031-4df48c503b4d
DKI Jakarta, Indonesia, March 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BTRIPS is a smart commerce platform based on the blockchain that promises to give users a global commerce environment within the ecosystem. Aside from an online environment, the platform offers consumers non-contact ordering, booking, and offline payment options. Furthermore, BTRIPS offers its suppliers and seller's options such as reward programs, subscription models, event coupons, discounts, and a range of service models.

The platform creates new values by facilitating global business and addressing the issues that clients confront due to geographical restrictions. This crypto-currency-based payment feature enables customers to experience convenience and transparency.

BTRIPS is investing a significant amount of time and money in establishing an NFT platform that will allow them to enter the NFT industry. This NFT marketplace will not just feature high-end luxury goods but also showcase products with great demand and exclusivity. Furthermore, the marketplace allows users to purchase and sell products with and without internet connectivity. It offers a safe and verified transactional process that includes identity authentication and reliability evaluation through blockchain technology.

With this marketplace development, BTRIPS plans to offer small and medium-sized businesses an opportunity to participate in the process of value consumption easily. Also, the platform is bringing an on-chain hybrid marketplace that eliminates barriers and allows users to have access and participate in the NFT more conveniently.

Apart from luxury goods and collectibles, BTRIPS is pleased to announce a partnership with Mintpang to establish NFT for music. Users will be able to listen to the music of famed R&B performer Chris Brown due to this development. Tory Lanez, a well-known R&B performer, joins Chris Brown in this NFT for music. BTRIPS will collaborate with Mintpang to create a new NFT initiative for KPOP, in addition to luxury products and music, using blockchain technology.

Users willing to whitelist the application to join the NFT can click on this link.

BTRIPS provides its platform users with Smart Order services. Users will purchase, pay for, and receive product and service delivery in an offline environment using this service. Also, they will have access to a range of buying methods and the ability to pay for their purchases using a straightforward payment mechanism, which will include market choices and cryptocurrency.

Small businesses worldwide will benefit from the platform, which aims to provide an alternative and make payment and trading more straightforward. Its smart commerce and payment methods allow users to trade from anywhere in the world, even in areas where the payment system isn't well-developed.

BTRIPS is also pleased to announce the listing of BTR tokens on Indodax. Indodax is Indonesia's first and largest cryptocurrency exchange.

BTRIPS is a well-designed NFT collectibles and luxury goods marketplace platform. Users can trade products using NFT on the platform, including an auction, sales, and lucky draw functions. This platform's primary goal is to deliver a Smart Commerce-based blockchain platform with socially relevant services and exposure to tools for combined sales and marketing enhancements for both sellers and suppliers.

For more information, users can visit the official website here.

Website: https://www.btrips.io/
LONDON, March 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BlockVision.org, a Web 3.0 data infrastructure start-up, has closed a $5 million seed funding round led by Shima Capital, Synergis Capital, and Qiming Venture Partners, with investment from 6th Man Ventures, Collab+Currency and VIABTC Capital. The investment will be used to support the growth of the company, accelerate product development and expand its market. This round is reportedly followed by a successful pre-seed round with investors including Continue Capital, NGC Ventures, Sanctor Capital, and Youbi Capital.



BlockVision strives to become a chain-agnostic data portal for all Web 3.0 developers and users. The data infrastructure pioneers in adopting the HTAP (Hybrid Transactional and Analytical Processing) architecture, a high-performance data processing solution widely used in big data companies, on blockchain systems. With the successful integration of HTAP and its unique 5-layer architecture design (see below), BlockVision has achieved an unprecedented TPS of 200,000 and is able to gracefully handle the huge volume of data synchronization, query and analysis required on any chain ecosystem.

BlockVisions 5-layer Architecture

BlockVisions core products, its data cloud and API services, can benefit developers requiring modern data storage, indexing and computing solutions, allowing them to focus on building their applications without having to worry about high server costs and maintenance. Other derivative products offered such as data visualization and real-time notifications, will also help companies, institutions and individual investors make the most of the power of web3 data and make better decisions on the market.

BlockVisions Product Ecosystem

BlockVision also puts a large focus on GameFi and collectible NFTs and has developed a wide range of original APIs for ERC721 and ERC1155. It also reportedly has become the first among its competitors to have launched enhanced APIs for BSC BEP20, BEP721, and BEP1155.

The future of Web 3.0 depends on infrastructure. Aiming to become the Snowflake of Blockchain, BlockVision is constantly expanding its footprint in the blockchain development market and innovating new products that better serve the industry.

"BlockVision is a highly innovative startup that is trying to solve challenges in the blockchain industry by leveraging the power of cloud and open data" said the co-founder of BlockVision. "We believe that BlockVision will bring more opportunity to developers and provide a better web 3.0 experience for users."

Social Links

Twitter: https://twitter.com/blockvisionhq

Medium: https://medium.com/@BlockVision

Discord: https://discord.gg/Re6prK86Tr

Telegram: https://t.me/blockvision

Media contacts

Brand: BlockVision

E-mail: jade@blockvision.org

Website: https://blockvision.org/

SOURCE: BlockVision
8 March 2022

Foresight Sustainable Forestry Company Plc

Completion of seed assets transaction and update on portfolio

Foresight Sustainable Forestry Company Plc ("FSF", the Company), an investment company that invests in UK forestry and afforestation assets, today announces the completion of its UK-wide seed assets portfolio transaction, the acquisition of an afforestation site at Maescastell in Wales, and the commencement of planting at Mountmill Burn, an afforestation site in Scotland. Together, these developments represent a materially significant milestone in FSFs development.

Seed Portfolio Transaction

On 7 March 2022, FSF completed the seed assets portfolio transaction to acquire Blackmead Forestry Limited (BFL) and Blackmead Forestry II Limited (BFL II) from Foresight Inheritance Tax Solution for a total cost (inclusive of tax and other transaction costs) of 113.4 million. FSF has acquired 27 sites in total; the portfolio consists of 11 afforestation sites, 15 forestry sites and one site which is both afforestation and forestry. By value, the acquired portfolio consists of 29% afforestation sites and 71% forestry sites. By area, the acquired portfolio consists of 41% afforestation sites and 59% forestry sites. The portfolio is located across the United Kingdom and by area is split between Scotland (80%), Wales (13%) and England (7%). The total area of the acquired portfolio extends over 8,117 hectares, of which 4,182 hectares is stocked or stockable with commercial conifer trees. A full breakdown of the portfolio asset list can be found in the Appendix.

FSF continues to actively seek further opportunities in the market and is in exclusivity and transacting upon several additional afforestation sites. Once the acquisition of this immediate pipeline is complete, the percentage by value of afforestation sites in the portfolio will increase to 34%. At this point, FSF will also be substantially invested. Successfully developing land for afforestation (which drives returns through capital appreciation and access to voluntary carbon credits) is a core part of FSFs strategy.

Portfolio Update  Maescastell Acquisition

FSF stated in its announcement of 25 January 2022 that the seed assets transaction consisted of 26 sites. Since that announcement and before the completion of the seed assets transaction, BFL acquired Maescastell, an afforestation site, for a total cost (inclusive of tax and other transaction costs) of 0.5 million. Following this acquisition, the total number of FSF seed assets to be acquired from BFL and BFL II increased to 27.

Maescastell adds to a synergistic collection of afforestation properties in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The site is located within 1km of land acquired from Cwmban Fawr Farm and Pistyll South, both existing properties in the portfolio. The total area of all three sites is 177 hectares, of which 158 hectares is plantable with new forest and woodland.

Consulting closely with the local community, FSF will now further develop the preferred planting design across the three sites and will continue the development and application process in line with national and regional regulations. As with all FSFs afforestation schemes in Wales, no arable land will be planted on and a diverse species mix across the sites is expected to consist of c.75% varied commercial tree species (the trees which create maximum climate change impact) and c.25% non-commercial broadleaves (including rare and endangered species). Each scheme will also include un-planted open ground areas providing additional diversity of natural habitat, complementing the forest and woodland areas. Under FSFs ownership, the sites are expected to deliver material biodiversity improvements. An independent ecologist will be appointed to evaluate the impact on biodiversity of the finalised schemes design using the UK Governments Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Biodiversity Metric 3.0 methodology. Following completion of the above, planting at all three sites is planned to commence later this year.

Wales is one of the least forested countries in Europe with c.14.5% of land area tree covered in 2020. As a result, Welsh timber production is insufficient to support domestic demand, with 80% of timber imported from outside the UK. The three sites will contribute towards the Welsh Governments aim to increase tree cover in the country to c.17.8% - 20.7% by 2050. The Welsh Government, as part of its 2050 Net Zero plan and in response to the climate emergency which has been declared by the Environment Minister in Wales, has a stated target to increase tree planting to at least 2,000 hectares per year.

Portfolio Update - Commencement of Planting at Mountmill Burn

Mountmill Burn, located in Oxton, Scotland, has now received full planning approval and confirmation of grant funding from the Scottish Government. These are key development milestones which have allowed planting activities to commence. Mountmill Burn consists of 119 hectares and has a plantable area of 101 hectares. Planting at the site commenced in February 2022 and is expected to take 6-8 weeks. The project aims to plant approximately 240,485 trees and the commercial tree planting is forecast to deliver 51,000 tonnes of sustainable timber production for each c.35-year rotation. The scheme is registered on the UK Land Carbon Registry and the Woodland Carbon Code ("WCC"). Once planting is complete, the process for full accreditation and award of carbon units by the WCC can take place. Once fully established, the site is expected to sequester 21,000 tCO2 and generate associated voluntary carbon credits.

Richard Davidson, Chairman of Foresight Sustainable Forestry Company, said:

We are delighted to have acquired the seed assets portfolio, the Companys most significant milestone since listing last November. The Company is now 87% invested, with a higher allocation to afforestation properties than we anticipated at IPO and with an exciting immediate pipeline of attractive additional acquisitions. FSFs diverse portfolio (around half of which comprises land which is or can be planted with a variety of commercial tree species to produce home-grown sustainable timber) will directly contribute to the afforestation targets of governments across the UK and will generate material biodiversity net gain, and we will continue to work hard to ensure it delivers tangible benefits to local communities.

Richard Kelly and Robert Guest, Co-Heads of Foresight Sustainable Forestry Company, added:

The completion of the seed assets transaction demonstrates execution of a crucial aspect of the early stage business plan and secures high quality sustainable real assets for the Company. We are also very pleased to announce the acquisition of Maescastell. Its location and afforestation capabilities align perfectly with our strategy and we look forward to working with the local community to develop plans for the sites. The commencement of planting at Mountmill Burn is another key development for the Company and takes the total number of trees to be planted since IPO to nearly half a million.

Appendix: FSF seed assets portfolio

Name Asset Type Country Location Hectares Fordie Estate Mixed Scotland Perthshire 2,150 Whiteburn Forestry England Northumberland 484 Auchenbrack Afforestation Scotland Dumfries and Galloway 470 Shorthope Forestry Scotland Scottish Borders 462 Aberarder Forestry Scotland Inverness 448 Frongoch, Brynglas & Esgair Hir Afforestation Wales Carmarthenshire 416 Central Scotland Portfolio Forestry Scotland Central Scotland 383 Coull Forestry Scotland Aberdeenshire 371 Auchensoul Afforestation Scotland South Ayrshire 350 Upper Barr Afforestation Scotland Dumfries and Galloway 343 Donside Forestry Collection Forestry Scotland Aberdeenshire 339 Annefield Afforestation Scotland Dumfries and Galloway 303 W&C Forestry Scotland Dumfries and Galloway 301 Camps Woodlands Forestry Scotland South Lanarkshire 201 Banc Farm Afforestation Wales Carmarthenshire 150 Glass Rigg Forestry Scotland Dumfries and Galloway 139 Mountmill Burn Afforestation Scotland Scottish Borders 119 Ellenber Farm Afforestation England North Yorkshire 95 Cwmban Fawr Farm Afforestation Wales Carmarthenshire 94 Drumelzie Forestry Scotland West Lothian 76 Waun Maenllyd Forestry Wales Carmarthenshire 74 South Dairy Forestry Wales Pembrokeshire 71 Derry Lodge Forestry Wales Ceredigion 71 Bronnant Forestry Wales Gwynedd 65 Craigwell Wood Forestry Scotland South Ayrshire 56 Maescastell Afforestation Wales Carmarthenshire 49 Pistyll South Afforestation Wales Carmarthenshire 36 Total 8,117

About the Company

Foresight Sustainable Forestry Company Plc (the Company) is an externally managed investment company investing in a diversified portfolio of UK forestry and afforestation assets. Targeting a net total return of more than CPI +5%, the Company provides investors with the opportunity for real returns and capital appreciation driven by the prevailing global imbalance between supply and demand for timber; the inflation-protection qualities of UK land freeholds; and biological tree growth of 3% to 4% not correlated to financial markets. It also offers outstanding sustainability and ESG attributes and access to carbon units related to carbon sequestration from new afforestation planting. The Company targets value creation as the afforestation projects successfully achieve development milestones in the process of converting open ground into established commercial forest and woodland areas. The Company is seeking to make a direct contribution in the fight against climate change through forestry and afforestation carbon sequestration initiatives and to preserve and proactively enhance natural capital and biodiversity across its portfolio. It is managed by Foresight Group LLP. https://fsfc.foresightgroup.eu/

For further information, please contact:

Foresight Sustainable Forestry Company Plc



Robert Guest



Richard Kelly



fsfc@foresightgroup.eu



+44 20 3667 8100 Jefferies International Limited



Neil Winward



Will Soutar



+44 20 7029 8000



Citigate Dewe Rogerson



Toby Moore (toby.moore@citigatedewerogerson.com)



Dominic Tonner (dominic.tonner@citigatedewerogerson.com)



+44 7768 981763



+44 7540 203471

This announcement does not constitute, and may not be construed as, an offer to sell or an invitation to purchase investments of any description, or the provision of investment advice by any party. No information set out in this announcement is intended to form the basis of any contract of sale, investment decision or any decision to purchase securities in the Company.

This announcement may include statements that are, or may be deemed to be, "forward-looking statements". These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms "believes", "estimates", "anticipates", "expects", "intends", "may", "will", "targeting" or "should" or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this announcement, including, without limitation, those regarding the Company's financial position, strategy, plans, proposed acquisitions and objectives, are forward-looking statements.


Hundreds of former mineworkers who were facing eviction from their homes have been rescued by President Mnangagwa after a change of ownership almost rendered them homeless.

The majority of the workers used to work for the now-defunct Broken Hill Proprietary (BHP) Minerals Zimbabwe (Pvt) (Ltd) and are residents in the towns of Chegutu and Norton.

After the collapse of BHP, another mining company stepped in and threatened to evict the former workers from their homes.

However, after being briefed of the workers plight President Mnangagwa intervened, giving the former mineworkers a lifeline.

Speaking in Chegutu last Friday during the Zanu PF Star Rally ahead of the 26 March by-elections, President Mnangagwa warned concerned mining companies against ejecting occupants.

I have been informed by the provincial chairman (Cde) Mary Mliswa-Chikoka and (Chegutu West) Member of Parliament, Cde Dexter Nduna that some companies, including those that are into mining are seeking to evict the former workers. This should stop! You are not going to evict the occupants and this cannot be argued.

Im told that there are also many who have been occupying houses for close to 40 years paying rates but have not been given the chance to buy them. As the Second Republic, we have made it a point that all urban householders should be given title deeds so that the properties help them and the next generations.

We cannot let people be evicted under our watch and these companies should be guided accordingly. Apart from making this firm decree that you shouldnt be evicted; we are also going to ensure that you get title deeds, the President said.

Last year President Mnangagwa launched the Zimbabwe National Human Settlements Policy (ZNHSP), to spearhead the development of modern and affordable urban and rural human settlements and social amenities in a co-ordinated and sustainable manner.

Plans are underway to issue life-changing title deeds for urban dwellers with the first batch of the security documents expected to be issued later this month.

Speaking after the rally, Cde Nduna told The Herald that residents in Chegutu Ward 2 and 11 had been facing an uncertain future before President Mnangagwas intervention.

Regrettably, over two decades down the line, Zimplats is still to donate these houses to the former employees, some of whom are now deceased and left their dependants in occupation of the same . . . I hereby appeal to the President to intervene and direct Zimplats to donate the said houses to the tenants who are either former employees of BHP and or their dependants, he said.

Cde Nduna told The Herald that there were hundreds of families in Ward 10 and thousands in Ward 9 that were occupying Elvington Mine and Chegutu Municipalitys houses for over 40 years but having no entitlement to the properties.

Zimplats undertook to donate housing units surplus to its requirements in the two towns to former employees who had been affected by the closure of BHP in 1999.

However, Zimplats through its lawyers Dube, Manikai and Hwacha legal practitioners, in January this year, were granted the right to evict one Simbarashe Muza who occupied house number 24200, Umvovo, Chegutu.

Muza, who is fighting eviction at the Supreme Court, claimed he has the right to occupy the residence as many other residents who were previously employed by BHP.

In various interviews conducted by The Herald, some former employees who have been staying in the houses since the late 90s applauded President Mnangagwas intervention. Herald
The Annual General Meeting of Iceland Seafood International hf will be held on Thursday 17 March 2022 at 4pm at Hilton Reykjavik Nordica, Suurlandsbraut 2, 108 Reykjavik, Iceland. The meeting will be in Icelandic and will be webcasted live, a link will be published on the Company's website www.icelandseafood.com/investors before the meeting starts. Recording will also be available after the meeting on the Company's website.

Enclosed is the final agenda for the Annual General Meeting 2022 and final proposals. No changes have been made neither to the proposals nor the agenda since the meeting was convened.

Information and documents for the Annual General Meeting can be found on the company's website: Annual General Meeting 17 March 2022 (icelandseafood.com)

Attachments
Dublin, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Savoury Snack Products Market by Product (Potato Chips, Extruded Snacks, Popcorn, Nuts & Seeds, Puffed Snacks, Tortillas), Flavor (Barbeque, Spice, Salty, Plain/Unflavored), Distribution Channel and Region - Forecast to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



According to the publisher, the global savoury snack products market size is estimated to be valued at USD 203.9 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 263.0 billion by 2027, recording a CAGR of 5.2% during the forecast period in terms of value.

The market is primarily driven by factors such as shifting consumer preference to convenience foods. Moreover, In recent years, the savoury snacks market has been highly impacted by innovations as manufacturers are investing in introducing new ingredients, new variants, and processing techniques to meet the increasing demand and cater to the changing consumer preferences.



By product, potato chips were the largest segment in 2021 and anticipated to grow at a significant growth rate over the forecast period



By product, the potato chips segment is estimated to dominate the market for savoury snacks in terms of value, in 2022. Earlier, potato chips were part of western culture; however, due to globalization, the increase in the consumption of potato chips in emerging economies is anticipated to boost market growth.



By flavour, the plain/unflavoured segment is estimated to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecasted period



By flavour, plain/unflavored is estimated to dominate the savoury snack products market in 2022. Plain and unflavored snacks are becoming consumers' first preference. Furthermore, consumers are looking for products with consumer-friendly ingredients, clean label claims, and locally and ethically sourced ingredients, helping companies manufacture products focusing on health and wellness.



By distribution channel, the retail segment dominates the market in 2021



By distribution channel, the retail segment is estimated to dominate the savoury snack products market by 2022. The online store segment is projected to grow at the significant CAGR in the retail sub-category. With the rise in demand for snack products, there has been an increase in eCommerce retail sales and door-to-door delivery of products, which has contributed to the sales of savoury snack products



Asia Pacific is estimated to be the largest region in 2022 and anticipated a significant growth rate over the forecast period



The Asia Pacific accounted for a significant share in the savoury snack products market in 2021. In the Asia Pacific region, savoury snack products are gaining popularity due to busy lifestyles, urging consumers to opt for on-the-go and RTE products. Furthermore, as the concept of pre-dinner appetizers has been gaining popularity, with a proportionate increase in dual-income families, snacks are becoming an integral part of planned purchase, along with an element of indulgence.



The savoury snack products market is segmented region-wise, with a detailed analysis of each region. These regions include North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and RoW (South America, Africa, Turkey, Middle East).



Key Topics Covered:



1 Introduction



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary

4 Premium Insights

4.1 Attractive Opportunities in the savoury Snack Products Market

4.2 Asia-Pacific: savoury Snack Products Market, by Product and Country

4.3 savoury Snack Products Market, by Product

4.4 savoury Snack Products Market, by flavour

4.5 savoury Snack Products Market, by Product and Region

4.6 savoury Snack Products Market, by Distribution Channel

5 Market Overview

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Market Dynamics

5.2.1 Drivers

5.2.1.1 Shifting Consumer Preference to Convenience Food

5.2.1.2 Changing Work Culture is Promoting savoury Snacks Among Consumers

5.2.1.3 Expansion of the Retail Industry Globally

5.2.2 Restraints

5.2.2.1 Health Issues Associated with Consumption of Snacks Products

5.2.2.2 Growing Inclination of Consumers Toward Low Fat and Low Sodium Products

5.2.3 Opportunities

5.2.3.1 Increasing Demand for Healthy Snacks

5.2.3.2 Growing Ecommerce Penetration in the Developing Countries

5.2.4 Challenges

5.2.4.1 Volatile Price of the Raw Materials

5.2.4.2 Intense Competition from Unorganized Local Players

5.3 COVID-19 Impact on savoury Snack Products Ecosystem

6 Industry Trends

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Value Chain

6.2.1 Raw Material Sourcing

6.2.2 Manufacturing of savoury Snacks

6.2.3 Quality and Safety Controllers

6.2.4 Packaging

6.2.5 Marketing and Distribution

6.2.6 End-Use Industry

6.3 Technology Analysis

6.4 Trade Data: savoury Snack Products Market

6.4.1 Nuts and Other Seeds

6.4.2 Nuts & Other Seeds

6.5 Pricing Analysis: savoury Snack Products Market

6.6 Market Map and Ecosystem savoury Snack Products Market

6.6.1 Demand-Side

6.6.2 Supply-Side

6.7 Trends Impacting Buyers

6.8 Regulatory Framework

6.8.1 North America: Regulatory Framework

6.9 Europe: Regulatory Framework

6.10 Patent Analysis

6.11 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

6.11.1 Degree of Competition

6.11.2 Bargaining Power of Suppliers

6.11.3 Bargaining Power of Buyers

6.11.4 Threat of Substitutes

6.11.5 Threat of New Entrants

6.12 Case Studies

6.12.1 Rising Regulatory Policies for Classic savoury Snack Products

6.12.2 Growing Demand for Healthy savoury Snack Products

7 Savoury Snack Products Market, by Category

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Baked Snacks

7.3 Fried Snacks

7.4 Other Categories

8 Savoury Snack Products Market, by Product

8.1 Introduction

8.2 COVID-19 Impact on the savoury Snack Products Market, by Product

8.2.1 Optimistic Scenario

8.2.2 Realistic Scenario

8.2.3 Pessimistic Scenario

8.3 Potato Chips

8.3.1 Increasing Consumption of Potato Chips is Anticipated to Boom Market Growth

8.4 Extruded Snacks

8.4.1 Growing Preferences for Ready-To-Eat Packaged Food

8.5 Popcorn

8.5.1 Health-Conscious Consumers Focusing on Low-Calorie Count

8.6 Nuts and Seeds

8.6.1 Rising Innovation in Healthy Snack Segment

8.7 Puffed Snacks

8.7.1 Growing Focus of Consumers on Reducing Fat Intake

8.8 Tortillas

8.8.1 Variety of flavours Grabbing Attention of Consumers

8.9 Other Products

8.9.1 Inclination of Health-Conscious Consumers Toward Convenient Food

9 Savoury Snack Products Market, by flavour

9.1 Introduction

9.2 COVID-19 Impact on the savoury Snack Products Market, by flavour

9.2.1 Optimistic Scenario

9.2.2 Realistic Scenario

9.2.3 Pessimistic Scenario

9.3 Barbeque

9.3.1 Innovation in flavours by the Key Manufacturers to Drive the Growth

9.4 Spice

9.4.1 Growing Trend of Spicy flavours

9.5 Salty

9.5.1 Salt a Major Contribution to the flavour

9.6 Plain/Unflavoured

9.6.1 Emerging flavours Impacting Proactive Consumers

9.7 Other flavours

9.7.1 Rising Popularity of Exotic flavours

10 Savoury Snack Products Market, by Distribution Channel

10.1 Introduction

10.2 COVID-19 Impact on the savoury Snack Products Market, by Distribution Channel

10.2.1 Optimistic Scenario

10.2.2 Realistic Scenario

10.2.3 Pessimistic Scenario

10.3 Retail

10.4 Supermarkets & Hypermarkets

10.4.1 Different Brands and Packaging Sizes to Escalate savoury Snack Products Market

10.5 Convenience Stores

10.5.1 Addition of On-Demand Delivery Capabilities Provides Good Business Opportunities for Convenience Stores

10.6 Online Stores

10.6.1 Post-Pandemic Era Presents a Huge Business Opportunity for savoury Snacks Through E-Commerce Sites

10.7 Other Retail Stores

10.7.1 Rapid Globalization Has Paved the Way for Business Opportunities in Smaller Retail Stores

10.8 Foodservices

10.8.1 COVID-19 Pandemic Significantly Impact the Sale of savoury Snacks in the Food Service Channel

11 Savoury Snack Products Market, by Region

12 Competitive Landscape

12.1 Overview

12.2 Market Share Analysis, 2020

12.3 Historical Revenue Analysis of Key Players

12.4 COVID-19-Specific Company Response

12.4.1 Pepsico

12.4.2 Kellogg Co

12.4.3 General Mills Inc.

12.4.4 Calbee

12.4.5 Itc Limited

12.5 Company Evaluation Quadrant

12.5.1 Stars

12.5.2 Pervasive Players

12.5.3 Emerging Leaders

12.5.4 Participants

12.5.5 Product Footprint (Key Players)

12.6 Competitive Scenario

12.6.1 New Product Launches

12.6.2 Deals

12.6.3 Others

13 Company Profiles

13.1 Key Players

13.1.1 Pepsico

13.1.2 Kellogg Co.

13.1.3 General Mills, Inc.

13.1.4 Calbee

13.1.5 Itc Limited

13.1.6 Mondelez International

13.1.7 Nestle Sa

13.1.8 Grupo Bimbo

13.1.9 Hain Celestial

13.1.10 Blue Diamond Growers

13.2 Other Players

13.2.1 Conagra Brands

13.2.2 The Kraft Heinz Company

13.2.3 Mars, Incorporated

13.2.4 Universal Robina Corporation

13.2.5 The Lorenz Bahlsen Snack-World GmbH & Co Kg Germany

13.2.6 Campbell Soup Company

13.2.7 Old Dutch Foods Inc.

13.2.8 Amica Chips S.P.A.

13.2.9 Intersnack Group GmbH & Co.

13.2.10 Tropical Heat

14 Adjacent and Related Markets

15 Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/lsgziq

Attachment
TORONTO, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This International Womens Day, the Animal Protection Party of Canada, in the spirit of this years #BreaktheBias theme, asks that people consider female animals who are exploited in the agricultural systems.



Liz White, Party Leader, says As a woman, I could never accept the systemic violence and cruelty perpetrated on the massive number of females for animal-based food, clothing, and other products we dont need. From physical torment, forced confinement and pregnancy, to repeatedly having their new born babies taken from them, their suffering knows no end except death.

Just like us, female animals have families, feel love, care for their children, and want to feel safe. This is politically sanctioned cruelty in the extreme.

White asks, How can we consume them when we are aware of the suffering that this causes them? There is no greater bias than how humans treat non-human animals.

Humans do not require dairy or meat consumption for optimal health. That is why the Canada Food Guide largely removed meat and dairy from its meal plan, no longer making either of them a requirement. Not only is choosing to eat plants more humane for animals, it is more healthy for us, too.

Lets say yes to educating ourselves on the true plight of female animals in our food system this International Womens Day. Lets not turn away and instead make conscious choices with what we consume. Today it is easier than ever to get information about the animals that have unnecessarily suffered for our traditional appetites and to go vegan.

We fought for womens rights and now it is time to fight for female farmed animals and indeed for all animals. We are extending our fight for our sisters in arms. Thats compassionate politics, continues White. Thats why Im so grateful to the women who have run as candidates for our party, encouraging voters to extend that circle of compassion and helping to create meaningful change for the plight of all animals. I am also grateful to our male candidates who are prepared to join us in this most important battle.
ATLANTA and CHICAGO, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Manhattan Associates, a global leader of cloud-native supply chain software, announced it has extended its partnership with leading real-time supply chain visibility platform FourKites . FourKites will add location tracking for ocean and rail shipments to Manhattan Active  Transportation Management (TM), the industrys most technologically advanced transportation planning and execution system. FourKites AI-powered Dynamic ETA  capabilities will further strengthen Manhattans solution with the most accurate predictive estimated times of arrival in the market, empowering supply chain partners to optimize downstream planning, reduce the time and expense of manual track-and-trace efforts, and increase customer satisfaction. Moreover, because Manhattan Active TM combines seamlessly with Manhattan Active Warehouse Management to form Manhattan Active Supply Chain, this enhanced shipment tracking information with projected receipt dates can also be leveraged by distribution centers for better space and labor planning.



One of the reasons Manhattan Active Transportation Management is so revolutionary is because of its openness and extensibility. Using its open APIs, FourKites was able to quickly enhance our integration to cover additional modes and make it easier to add unique data elements for each customer, said Nimesh Patel, Vice President of Global Partnerships at FourKites. By combining over-the-road visibility with ocean and rail shipments, customers receive true intermodal visibility in one single source of truth, eliminating the need for their teams to consult various platforms to understand the impact, for instance, of an ocean container delay on its inland rail transfer and final-leg truckload move.

Our customers are global, and they want a holistic view of inventory as it moves across modes and trading partners, said Gregg Lanyard, Senior Director of Product Management for Manhattan Associates. We built Manhattan Active Transportation Management with both connectivity and intelligence in mind. Leveraging FourKites Dynamic ETA allows our customers to receive better insight, and we use that information to make optimal decisions in future planning iterations.

The two companies first partnered in 2017 to give Manhattans TMS customers access to FourKites real-time, in-transit visibility and temperature tracking information for truckload and less-than-truckload shipments. Mutual customers such as PetSmart and Haworth have realized tremendous value from the real-time visibility afforded by the partnership, and have been able to reduce transportation costs, improve warehouse operations and reduce safety stock.

About FourKites

FourKites is the #1 supply chain visibility platform in the world, extending visibility beyond transportation into yards, warehouses, stores and beyond. Tracking more than 2.5 million shipments daily across road, rail, ocean, air, parcel and courier, and reaching 176 countries, FourKites combines real-time data and powerful machine learning to help companies digitize their end-to-end supply chains. More than 1,000 of the worlds most recognized brands  including 9 of the top-10 CPG and 18 of the top-20 food and beverage companies  trust FourKites to transform their business and create more agile, efficient and sustainable supply chains. To learn more, visit https://www.fourkites.com/.

About Manhattan Associates

Manhattan Associates is a technology leader in supply chain and omnichannel commerce. We unite information across the enterprise, converging front-end sales with back-end supply chain execution. Our software, platform technology and unmatched experience help drive both top-line growth and bottom-line profitability for our customers. Manhattan Associates designs, builds and delivers leading edge cloud and on-premises solutions so that across the store, through your network or from your fulfillment center, you are ready to reap the rewards of the omnichannel marketplace. For more information, please visit www.manh.com .

Media Contact:

Marianna Vyridi

Big Valley Marketing for FourKites

(650) 468-3263

mvyridi@bigvalley.co

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/09094b84-13e7-4541-94b0-3668fe850ed6
NORWOOD, Mass., March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MariMed, Inc. (OTCQX: MRMD) (MariMed or the Company), a leading multi-state cannabis operator focused on improving lives every day, today announced it signed a definitive agreement to acquire a provisional dispensary license from Green House Naturals, LLC. The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, will add a second retail location to MariMeds vertically integrated cannabis operations in Massachusetts. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.



The dispensary will be in Beverly, a suburban City of 42,000-residents located on the north shore of the Boston metropolitan area, and branded Panacea Wellness. Easily accessed via two major roadways, Highway 128 and Route 1A, MariMed anticipates heavy local and tourist consumer traffic to the dispensary. It represents MariMeds second retail location in the Boston area, joining the Companys south shore, Panacea Wellness dispensary in Middleborough, which services both adult use and medical programs.

Adding a second adult-use dispensary in Massachusetts is a key element of our long-term strategic growth plan, continuing our efforts to expand deeper in high-growth states in which we already operate, said Bob Fireman, Chief Executive Officer of MariMed. We expect the Beverly location to be a particularly strong performer in our growing footprint. We anticipate it will contribute this year to our revenue and Adjusted EBITDA growth, while also strengthening the Panacea Wellness brand in the state.

The assets of Green House Naturals to be acquired by MariMed include a provisional adult use dispensary license subject to approval of the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, a Host Community Agreement to operate a dispensary from the City of Beverly, and the assignment of the leasehold approved for the business. The Green House Naturals principals will continue to support the business and assist providing the best of service and products to the residents of Beverly and surrounding municipalities.

MariMed anticipates the Beverly adult use dispensary will be operational during the second half of 2022. As part of its strategic growth plan, the Company plans to develop a third adult use dispensary in 2022. The Company currently operates an adult use and medical dispensary in Middleborough and a 70,000 square-foot cultivation and processing facility in New Bedford, to which it expects to add 70,000 square-feet in 2023.

About MariMed

MariMed Inc., a multi-state cannabis operator, is dedicated to improving lives every day through its high-quality products, its actions, and its values. The Company develops, owns, and manages seed to sale state-licensed cannabis facilities, which are models of excellence in horticultural principles, cannabis cultivation, cannabis-infused products, and dispensary operations. MariMed has an experienced management team that has produced consistent growth and success for the Company and its managed business units. Proprietary formulations created by the Companys technicians are embedded in its top-selling and award-winning products and brands, including Betty's Eddies, Natures Heritage, Bubbys Baked, K Fusion, and Kalm Fusion. For additional information, visit www.marimedinc.com.

Investor Relations Contact:

Steve West

Vice President, Investor Relations

Email: ir@marimedinc.com

Media Contact:

Trailblaze PR

Email: marimed@trailblaze.co

Company Contact:

Howard Schacter

Chief Communications Officer

Email: hschacter@marimedinc.com
VAUGHAN, Ontario, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Martinrea International Inc. (TSX : MRE), a diversified and global automotive supplier engaged in the design, development and manufacturing of highly engineered, value-added Lightweight Structures and Propulsion Systems, announced the release of its 2021 Sustainability Report, highlighting the companys performance on Environmental, Social, and Governance issues throughout the year, as well as ongoing initiatives and goals for the future.



In the face of recent challenges, our team has made great progress toward our sustainability goals, said Pat DEramo, President and Chief Executive Officer. We remain committed to promoting a better future through sustainable business practices that create long-term value for all our stakeholders. I am proud to say that our accomplishments this past year have been the result of the collective effort of all our people.

Achievements and highlights from the 2021 Sustainability Report include:

We reduced Total Recordable Injury Frequency (TRIF) across the Company from 8.48 in 2014 to 1.37 in 2021, demonstrating that Martinrea is an industry leader in safety.



We increased sales penetration on electric vehicle platforms. Today, 8% of Martinreas book of business is specific to electrified platforms, and this is expected to grow to approximately 40% by 2026.



We implemented 2022 greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets, supporting our long-term strategy towards net zero carbon.



We invested in partnerships and strategies to develop Electric Vehicle (EV) batteries enhanced with advanced materials, such as graphene to help improve cycle life and charging time, leading to opportunities to reduce overall product GHG emissions.



We developed an energy tracking database platform that can be used globally across all plants to track and monitor energy usage. This sets Martinrea up for future success in reducing energy usage, which contributes to reducing our overall carbon footprint.



Approximately 35% of the Companys electricity usage globally is sourced through renewable energy (solar, wind, hydroelectric) via utility grids. Our sustainability strategy includes continuing to strive to increase our levels of renewable energy usage.



Through the employment of the SmartWay Certified Carriers program in 2021, Martinrea was able to reduce total shipping distances on planned routes by over 134,000 miles, resulting in increased efficiency and fuel economy, and reduced Scope 3 emissions.



We are pleased to share our sustainability commitments and achievements with our customers, investors, key stakeholders, and employees, said Rob Wildeboer, Executive Chairman. Our Vision at Martinrea is to Make Peoples Lives Better and our progress on sustainability initiatives as outlined in our 2021 Sustainability Report is a demonstration of our commitment to that vision.

To view or download Martinreas 2021 sustainability report, visit:

www.martinrea.com/culture/sustainability/



About Martinrea International Inc.

Martinrea International Inc. (TSX: MRE) is a leader in the development and production of quality metal parts, assemblies and modules, fluid management systems, and complex aluminum products focused primarily on the automotive sector. Martinrea operates in 57 locations in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Slovakia, Spain, China, South Africa and Japan. Martinreas vision is making lives better by being the best supplier we can be in the products we make and the services we provide. For more information on Martinrea, please visit www.martinrea.com Follow Martinrea on Twitter and Facebook.

For further information, please contact:

Media Contact:

Deanna Lorincz, Global Director, Communications and Marketing

E-mail: deanna.lorincz@martinrea.com

Tel: 248.392.9727

Mobile: 586.634.1766

Investor Relations Contact:

Neil Forster  Director, Investor Relations and Corporate Development

E-mail: neil.forster@martinrea.com

Tel: 289-982-3020

Mobile: 647.210.2385




ATLANTA, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kill Cliff , the clean energy drink company, is releasing a second beverage in its trailblazing Octane product line: Laser Lemons. Octane contains 125mg of clean caffeine as well as 25mg of CBD and was launched with the Killer Cliffsicle in November 2020 to rave reviews from the industry and customers alike.



Laser Lemons expands the flavor offering of Kill Cliffs new beverage category that blends high caffeine with high CBD, with a lemon explosion infused with ginger, honey and herbs to make a uniquely refreshing drink.

Kill Cliff CEO and former Navy SEAL, John Timar, said, Consumers are already coupling CBD and caffeine products in their daily regimen, so the Octane line is a natural extension to support this usage occasion in an RTD format. Laser Lemons is a great next step to further cement our position as the trailblazer in an exciting new category. It is also unlike any flavor we've ever created. Enjoy!

John Brenkus, Kill Cliff CMO, adds, We have been innovating in the CBD category since early 2019 and were proud to have built the most dominant CBD beverage company in America. We continue to expand our audience through ground breaking, fresh product innovation. Octanes success stems from giving consumers all the benefits of caffeine smoothed over with CBD.

Founded by a Navy SEAL, Kill Cliff has donated over a million dollars to The Navy SEAL Foundation by donating a portion of proceeds from every order. With signature drinks from Joe Rogan and Israel Adesanya, Kill Cliff is redefining the clean energy space. Laser Lemons is available online at killcliff.com .

About Kill Cliff

Founded by a Navy SEAL, Kill Cliff is the nations best tasting and fastest growing clean energy and CBD beverage brand. Recently recognized as one of the 40 fastest growing middle market companies in Georgia, Kill Cliff is uniquely bold in its approach to making every drinkhole happy. A champion for the peoples, Kill Cliff is crushing the souls of the toxic energy establishment by offering a better lifestyle choice delivered through a mouthwatering cornucopia of flavors. A mission driven company, Kill Cliff honors the dedication and sacrifice of active military and veterans through its partnership with the Navy SEAL Foundation, recently exceeding $1m in charitable contributions. Go to killcliff.com , follow Kill Cliff on social media, and download Kill Cliff TV from the iOS or Android app stores for 100% more American winning! No Drinkhole will be left behind. Own it.

Media Contact

Dani Kraycik

Dani@commodditiesinc.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2cb9bb71-369e-400e-ae41-43c8bbc00aef
TORONTO, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PayMyTuition, a leading provider of technology-driven payment processing solutions for tuition management and campus commerce, announced today the launch of their innovative solution for student payment plans incorporating comprehensive enrollment criteria capabilities for colleges and universities. This launch, adding to their recent all-in-one solution offering, will enable educational institutions to provide students with increased flexibility when paying for tuition and fees through highly personalized installment plans that utilize financial position detection technology to validate student banking information and account balance status in real-time with direct integration into their student information systems.

"This innovative solution enables schools to provide hyper-personalized payment plans to each student due to its industry-first financial verification and comprehensive enrollment criteria capabilities," stated Arif Harji, Chief Market Strategist, MTFX Group. "This functionality provides institutions with full and rich student data for the first time with the goal of optimizing payment plan assignment to the individual needs of each student, truly bringing a first of its kind solution to the higher education category to educational institutions and their student population."

With direct real-time integration into schools' student information systems, this solution's comprehensive enrollment criteria capabilities enable institutions to assign hyper-personalized payment plans to students automatically, removing any need for manual intervention from campus staff.

Through a financial data API, both student data and funds availability will be instantly authenticated for schools, ensuring faster and easier payments. Students will be given the ability to set up personalized payment scheduling with automatic payment withdrawals to help them stay on track.

This solution also enables institutions to support past due payment plans. If at any point a student falls behind on their payments, they would automatically be notified through both text and email alerts with tailored offerings to help get them back on track. This solution allows students to take action themselves without any need of contacting the school, relieving the pressure normally laid upon school finance administrators to make a series of manual adjustments.

PayMyTuition's solution for domestic and international payment plans allows institutions to easily oversee active plans within an all-in-one dashboard with reporting capabilities for easy management. This 360-degree offering allows schools to review payment activities, identify late payments, receive real-time validation of banking information prior to pulling funds, and automatically sync payment data with student accounts due to its real-time integration into institutions' student information systems.

This innovative payment plan offering from PayMyTuition provides schools with a multi-tiered plan enrollment solution allowing educational institutions to provide students with a seamless payment experience with the ability to schedule payments ahead of time while offering various payment types such as credit cards, ACH payments in the U.S. and pre-authorized debits in the Canadian market.

Media Contact

media@paymytuition.com

Related Images











Image 1: PayMyTuition





PayMyTuition is part of the MTFX Group of Companies, a global payments solution provider with a track record of 25+ years, facilitating payments for over 8,000 corporate and institutional clients across North America.









This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

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SAN DIEGO, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via InvestorWire -- Astra Energy Inc. (OTC Pink Sheets: ASRE) (Astra or the Company), today announces the Company has engaged the government of Tanzania in discussions to construct a significantly sized, combined cycle power plant using natural gas as feedstock.



Following meetings last week with the Tanzania Electric Supply Company Ltd. (TANESCO), the countrys vertically integrated electricity utility company, TANESCO provided a formal letter authorizing Astra to prepare a Project Concept Note. The Project Concept Note will provide salient key technical and financial parameters of the proposed project. It will be reviewed for approval by TANESCO and the Ministry of Energy and is the key piece of information used by the Government of Tanzania to trigger a detailed Memorandum of Understanding.

Reaching this milestone is an indication of efforts of Tanzanias new leadership to create a conducive and supportive environment for foreign direct investment in infrastructure development intended to stimulate the countrys aggressive manufacturing sector. Tanzania requires a significant amount of electricity to power its ambitious economic growth and transformation strategy. The country is blessed with an estimated 57 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves.

Astra is pleased to announce the achievement of this milestone, as it is an indication of the willingness of the Government of Tanzania to work directly with Astra Energy to advance this significant project.

About Astra Energy Inc.

Astra Energy Inc. invests in and develops renewable and clean energy projects in markets where demand is high, supply is limited and there is opportunity to address other imminent market needs.

Astras corporate strategy is rooted in securing technologies and assets; identifying viable market opportunities; and bringing together resources, expertise, technology, and defined action plans to execute first-in-class projects that benefit communities, local economies, the planet and the Companys investors.

As a publicly traded company, Astra Energy is dedicated to maximizing shareholder value. In addition, its our goal to create a more secure and sustainable power sector that supports our companys purpose, mission and values to transform the economic, environmental and social landscape for generations to come.

For further information about Astra Energy, please visit: www.astraenergyinc.com

About Tanzania Electric Supply Company Ltd. (TANESCO)

TANESCO is an integrated power utility company engaged in the entire value chain of generation, transmission, and distribution across Tanzania. Its core values are Customer, Safety, Integrity, Teamwork, Innovation and Passion.

In undertaking its core functions, TANESCO is guided by the National Energy Policy of 2003 and Electricity Act of 2008. TANESCO Ltd. functions under the regulatory guidance of the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA) established by the EWURA Act of 2001. In complying with the above directives, the Company has come up with a structure that reduces operational costs without compromising performance and efficiency. It has also considered the National Agenda for Industrialization that aims at transforming Tanzanias economy into middle income.

For more information about TANESCO, please visit: www.tanesco.co.tz

Corporate Communications:

Heidi Thomasen

IR@astraenergyinc.com

1-800-705-2919

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS



This document contains forward-looking statements. In evaluating these forward-looking statements, you should consider various factors including our ability to change the direction of the Company, our ability to keep pace with new technology and changing market needs, and the competitive environment of our business. These and other factors may cause our actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement.
Chico, CA, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Work Truck Solutions today announced CV Showroom to help dealers serve their business customers despite record low inventory levels. With todays inventory challenges, dealerships cannot depend on having upfitted vehicles on their lot. However, its critical that they have the ability to show commercial vehicle shoppers, in an online format, the variety of finished vehicles available for their specific business needs.

Said Kathryn Schifferle, CEO of Work Truck Solutions, Were always looking for innovative ways to help our dealers and CV Showroom is another mile marker on our track record of doing so. By analyzing historical data, such as average days to turn and prior sales volume of specific upfit configurations, Work Truck Solutions will make recommendations for virtual inventory. Dealers can then review the suggestions and tag which ones they want to show, helping them land on a virtual inventory showroom that offers the vehicles most likely to appeal to their customers.

Added Schifferle, CV Showroom provides a way to display vehicle configurations, including details of the chassis and upfits, that have historically been best sellers, providing a path to efficiently get customers into our EZOrder process and complete the sale. CV Showroom helps our commercial vehicle dealers and they in turn help their customers - it truly benefits all parties.

As an added benefit, the display of body manufacturers and configuration specs contribute significant content to a dealerships website. And this content, especially with low on-lot inventory levels, offers tremendous SEO value.

Work Truck Solutions has selected a group of dealers to pilot CV Showroom, and plans to make this service available to all their customers in May.

About Work Truck Solutions

Work Truck Solutions is a smart, technology-based platform for the Commercial Vehicle Industry; an efficient customer-focused end-to-end experience for commercial vehicle buyers, dealers, manufacturers and upfitters. Our innovative technology is the one-stop inventory management, operational analytics, and digital marketing solution that maximizes commercial sales and profitability. Our national marketplace, Comvoy (www.comvoy.com), seamlessly connects the right commercial buyers to vehicles and services they need to run their business. VAST, the Vehicle Acquisition Search Tool, offers access to many inventory sources specifically for the wholesale acquisition of commercial work trucks, vans and pickups for a one-stop-shop experience. EZOrder minimizes customer frustration surrounding inventory shortages and gets their vehicle order to the head of the line.

Learn more at www.worktrucksolutions.com

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The free COVID test store is open once again.

Four more free, at-home rapid COVID-19 antigen tests are available starting now from COVIDtests.gov as President Bidens administration works to get control of case numbers and infections.

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Visitors to the website can enter their home address and order four more tests, gratis, and households that have already received a set can order more.

A Walmart worker shows she tested negative after using one of the new government-issued COVID-19 Antigen Rapid test kits she received to take a self-test while at home on February 8, 2022 in Provo, Utah. (George Frey/Getty Images)

Even if you already ordered free tests tonight, I am announcing that you can order more from COVIDtests.gov starting next week, Biden said in last weeks State of the Union address.

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That proved true, as a Daily News reporter easily put in a second order on Monday night.

Tests will arrive in seven to 10 days, according to NBC News.

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 testing program builds on the one started in January, when the Biden administration made at-home rapid tests widely available as people strive to resume normal social interactions.

Its one of four major components of Bidens stated plan to get the nation moving forward safely, as White House COVID Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said last week in a brief overview on Twitter.

With 215 million, or three out of four, Americans fully vaccinated against COVID, the battle is closer to being won, at least on the home front. Bidens push for worldwide immunity is one of the facets of his plan, Zients said.

Biden is also working on a test-to-treat plan that would supply pharmacies with treatments they could give as soon as someone tests positive on-site.

The goal of the presidents plan is for us to return to our normal routines and no longer have COVID dictate how we live our lives, Zients said.

As of last week the U.S. Postal Service had delivered more than 270 million test kits to households in states, tribes and territories, the USPS announced last Wednesday.

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More than 68 million orders had been placed for the test kit packages, which contain four tests apiece.
CALGARY, Alberta, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canacol Energy Ltd. ("Canacol" or the "Corporation") (TSX:CNE; OTCQX:CNNEF; BVC:CNEC) is pleased to provide the following information concerning its February 2022 natural gas sales, the Carambolo 1 well, near term drilling plans, and the Corporations normal course issuer bid.



Gas sales averaged 188 MMscfpd for February 2022

Realized contractual natural gas sales (which are gas produced, delivered, and paid for) were approximately 188 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscfpd) for February 2022.

Drilling rig mobilizing to drill Chirimia 1 sidetrack

The Carambolo 1 well has been cased as a gas discovery. The rig is currently mobilizing to drill the Chirimia 1 sidetrack with the objective of reestablishing gas production from the Cienaga de Oro ("CDO") sandstone reservoir. Chirimia 1 was drilled in 2018, and subsequently experienced mechanical issues which have prevented the well from being produced since 2019.

Upon completion of the Chirimia 1 sidetrack the rig will mobilize to drill the Cornamusa 1 exploration well. This well will target CDO reservoir sandstones in a faulted anticlinal closure defined on 3D seismic. The prospect also exhibits a signature AVO response indicative of the potential for the presence of natural gas in the reservoir sandstones.

Normal course issuer bid

During January 2022, the Corporation repurchased 5,307,700 Common Shares for CAD$ 3.15 per share under its normal course issuer bid (the NCIB), relying on the block purchase exemption under the NCIB rules. Following this large repurchase the Corporations NCIB was inactive in February.

About Canacol

Canacol is a natural gas exploration and production company with operations focused in Colombia. The Corporation's common stock trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange, the OTCQX in the United States of America, and the Colombia Stock Exchange under ticker symbol CNE, CNNEF, and CNE.C, respectively.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur, including without limitation statements relating to estimated production rates from the Corporation's properties and intended work programs and associated timelines. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. The Corporation cannot assure that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. They are made as of the date hereof and are subject to change and the Corporation assumes no obligation to revise or update them to reflect new circumstances, except as required by law. Prospective investors should not place undue reliance on forward looking statements. These factors include the inherent risks involved in the exploration for and development of crude oil and natural gas properties, the uncertainties involved in interpreting drilling results and other geological and geophysical data, fluctuating energy prices, the possibility of cost overruns or unanticipated costs or delays and other uncertainties associated with the oil and gas industry. Other risk factors could include risks associated with negotiating with foreign governments as well as country risk associated with conducting international activities, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Corporation.

Realized contractual gas sales is defined as gas produced and sold plus gas revenues received from nominated take or pay contracts.

For more information please contact:

Investor Relations

South America: +571.621.1747 IR-SA@canacolenergy.com

Global: +1.403.561.1648 IR-GLOBAL@canacolenergy.com
Virginia Beach, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Virginia Beach, Virginia -

Virginia Beach, VA based Proactive Healthcare Recruiters is looking for nurses who wish to take the next step of their career with Home Health Nursing jobs in Pennsylvania. All those interested are urgently encouraged to get in touch with the recruiter today, and nurses are currently being screened at multiple locations across the state of Pennsylvania. Learn more here: Jobs at Proactive Healthcare Recruiter.

Given the immense strain the country is under at the moment, there is dire need for nurses who can work in a flexible capacity. Proactive Healthcare Recruiters specializes in matching passionate nursing talent with roles where they can do the most good, and they report that many locations are actively looking to fill their ranks with such dedicated individuals. Those interested are also afforded some choice in where they would like to work, but the company clarifies that the most attractive positions will likely go to candidates who respond as soon as possible. At the moment, jobs are available in Hazleton, Pottsville, East Stroudsburg (PA) and more.

The positions in question are open to all Registered Nurses who have direct care experience in a healthcare setting, with competitive salaries based on the extent of the applicants experience. Since some may be unfamiliar with the advantages offered by the field of Home Health Nursing, the company recommends that interested parties get in touch with their team to learn more. Alternatively, they are also advised to check with peers who have experience in this field. Contact James Pemberton - Healthcare Recruiter for further details.

Home Health is one of the fastest growing industries in the US, and opportunities are exploding for capable nurses across Pennsylvania as well. Proactive Healthcare Recruiters explains that one of the main reasons nurses choose to go into Home Health Nursing is the fact that they wish to follow a rewarding nursing career without having to work exclusively in a hospital environment. While the exact terms vary from organization to organization, nurses in this field typically enjoy the privilege of setting their own schedule. Where hospital nurses may be required to adhere to strict shifts, Home Health nurses may find themselves basing their schedule around individual appointments and so on.

As Proactive Healthcare Recruiters mentions in their job listings, Home Health nurses are responsible for providing professional nursing care through skillful assessment, diagnosis and evaluation in accordance with facility or department policies. This ensures the best possible outcomes for patients as they are responsible for directing their charges' needs. As part of their duties, nurses in this role will educate patients (and non-professional caregivers) about their treatments. They will also assess their condition and progress as well as provide counsel where necessary  on top of providing world-class care. The responsibility is great, but the reward is correspondingly sizable given that nurses get to work one-on-one with their patients in a more personal setting. As such, they have a better opportunity to form cohesive relationships with their patients as well as follow their progress much more closely.

Home Health nurses can also use this time with their patients to gain a better understanding of their patients condition. Since they will often be visiting the patient at their home, they will be able to examine the patients day-to-day environment and identify potential dangers that may inhibit their progress. Patients tend to be more comfortable here rather than in a hospital as well, so nurses may generally feel more welcome once they establish a rapport. Proactive Healthcare Recruiters adds that nurses should take the opportunity to engage with a patients support network since these are the people who will be helping ensure the care they provide has the most positive effect on the patients well-being.

If you want to have a more direct impact on the communities you serve, wish to work in diverse environments and want to exercise a degree of autonomy, Home Health Nursing might be what you are looking for, states Proactive Healthcare Recruiters. Follow us on Linkedin and other networks to stay up-to-date with new openings in this field.

Interested parties are invited to contact Proactive Healthcare Recruiters today to learn more about new Home Health Nursing jobs in Pennsylvania. The organizations website and online recruitment portal offers additional details as well.

Head INSERT into Body

###

For more information about Proactive Healthcare Recruiters, contact the company here:



Proactive Healthcare Recruiters

James Pemberton

(757) 780-1616

admin@mypsp.pro

Proactive Healthcare Recruiters

1436 Lake Christopher Dr.

Virginia Beach, VA 23464


GUELPH, Ontario, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Experior Financial Group Inc just wrapped up an exciting three-day Online Convention titled "Your Legacy Starts Now", featuring Keynote Speaker, Kendal Netmaker. Experior Financial Group had over 60 speakers from the Top Leadership. Recognizing achievement, the company presented awards based on team recruiting, insurance sales and investments sales, for teams as well as personal production for each of those three categories and more. Plaques and Awards are being shipped to all the winners.

CEO, Jamie Prickett, announced a company-wide contest for a trip to an undisclosed location (it will be a warm destination), as well as details on how to qualify to win. The contest will run through all of 2022 with the trip taking place in the first quarter of 2023.



As well, Mr. Jamie Prickett announced the launch of his new book: 'You Can't Fall Off The Floor" which is available for pre-order at jamieprickett.com for 99 cents USD.

Event attendees of the convention enjoyed receiving insight from a plethora of speakers and sponsors, participated in contests, and had the opportunity for online networking. In addition, Experior Financial Group's amazing product partners hosted a series of exciting sessions during the convention. Product partners including Platinum Plus Sponsor, Beneva. Platinum Sponsors, CPP, a Forester's Financial Company, Assumption, Foresters (USA), National Life Group (USA), and iA participated in the event by showcasing their products and services.

Also participating with booths this year were Gold Sponsors, Faithlife Financial, Desjardins, Trustage, Edge Benefits, Foresters (USA). Silver Sponsors, Empire Life, and Blendable. Bronze Sponsors, Green Shield, Travelance, Magnes, and Ingle Assurance.

A recording of the convention will be made available for 30 days for all those who attended and would like to watch again.

Here is a behind-the-scenes look at the boardroom of the Guelph Headoffice.

Experior Financial Group sends out special thanks to all the presenters, attendees, award winners and to the marketing team for making "Your Legacy Starts Now" Online Convention and Awards a tremendous success!

Media Contact

Joanna St Jacques

Marketing Director

519-826-0770 ext 122

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Experior Financial Group - Online Convention and Awards 2022

















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NEW YORK, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LatAm logistics startup Nuvocargo , the first all-in-one digital platform focused on U.S.-Mexico cross-border trade, announced today that it has been named to Fast Companys prestigious annual list of the Worlds Most Innovative Companies for 2022. Nuvocargo ranked second as the Most Innovative Company in Latin America in 2022.



This years list honors businesses that are making the biggest impact on their industries and culture as a wholeultimately thriving in todays ever-changing world. These companies are creating the future today with some of the most inspiring accomplishments of the 21st century. In addition to the World's 50 Most Innovative Companies, 528 organizations are recognized across 52 categories.

We are truly honored to receive this recognition from Fast Company. I am extremely proud of the innovations our international teams have created and the impact it's making in the logistics industry and especially cross-border trade. I believe that software coupled with exceptional service in logistics can unlock incredible potential for both people and companies, said Deepak Chhugani, Co-founder and CEO of Nuvocargo. Weve built Nuvocargos offerings with people at its core, to simplify cross-border trade. The U.S.-Mexico route is one of the worlds largest trade corridors, and is expected to grow even larger due to both geopolitical and structural reasons. For this relationship to thrive and along with it individuals and companies across the two nations, excellence in logistics will be key.

Nuvocargo acts as an extension of its customers team so they can outsource all the complexities associated with their cross-border supply chain, and allow them to focus on growing their business. Nuvocargos all-in-one digital platform allows its customers to secure their freight and gain visibility into movements and workflows. They can also find solutions to fit the needs of their cross-border trade including, customs clearance, cargo insurance, trade financing reporting and more. Nuvocargos supply chain financing services, including its newest carrier offering QuickPay, provides best-in-class financial solutions to a massive market that has long been ignored. Nuvocargo continues to provide new products and services that help carriers, SMBs, and enterprises across countries with multiple pain points that go beyond the actual movement of goods.

Nuvocargo recently raised $20.5M, led by Tiger Global Management, at a $180M valuation - nearly tripling the valuation from its last fundraise in April 2021. This additional funding brings Nuvocargos total raised to date to $37.8M since its launch in late 2019. Nuvocargo continues to grow rapidly, expanding its product solutions in the industry, and strengthening its existing carrier and shipper network on both sides of the border. It is also developing new revenue streams and developing additional financial products for shippers and carriers, targeting the $125B+ market for supply chain finance between the US and Mexico. Nuvocargo expects to grow the team to over 250+ employees across the US and Mexico and generate tens of millions of dollars in annual revenue in 2022.

Fast Companys editors and writers sought out the most groundbreaking businesses across the globe and industries. They also judged nominations received through their application process. The Worlds Most Innovative Companies is Fast Companys signature franchise and one of its most highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. It provides both a snapshot and a road map for the future of innovation across the most dynamic sectors of the economy.

The worlds most innovative companies play an essential role in addressing the most pressing issues facing society, whether theyre fighting climate change by spurring decarbonization efforts, ameliorating the strain on supply chains, or helping us reconnect with one another over shared passions, said Fast Company Deputy Editor David Lidsky.

Fast Companys Most Innovative Companies issue (March/April 2022) is available online here and on newsstands beginning March 15. A full list of companies recognized can be found here https://www.fastcompany.com/most-innovative-companies/list .

About Fast Company

Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com .

About Nuvocargo

LatAm logistics startup Nuvocargo is the first all-in-one digital platform focused on U.S.-Mexico cross-border trade  one of the largest trade routes in the world. Modernizing a $2T industry thats been mostly reliant on paper, fast-growing Nuvocargo combines proprietary software with a team of bi-lingual experts to seamlessly and transparently manage end-to-end cargo movement in a single platform. The company has the most experience on both sides of the border, unique access to hard-to-get routes, and add-on services such as warehousing, insurance and financing  everything a shipper or carrier needs to simplify logistics. Learn more at nuvocargo.com/en .
Dallas, Texas, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vaycaychella, Inc. (OTC Pink: VAYK) today confirmed the company has scheduled to close the acquisition of Definancial, Inc., a technology firm that has developed a proprietary cryptocurrency exchange technology solution, this Friday, March 11, 2022.

VAYK has already launched an award winning Peer-To-Peer (P2P) Alternative Finance Application for individuals and SMB operators to source purchase financing for short-term vacation rental properties.

VAYK is an early-stage business building a portfolio of technology solutions to further democratize participation in the tourism market extending more opportunity to individuals and small and medium (SMB) business operators.

VAYK plans to soon release a new version of the P2P Alternative Finance Application and integrate the new version with the ability for individuals and SMB operators to launch and list cryptocurrencies where the proceeds from cryptocurrency sales are used to finance the purchase of short-term vacation rental properties and fund other short-term vacation rental business start-up expenses. Cryptocurrency holders will have a redeemable economic interest in the short-term vacation rental business.

The acquisition of Definancial, Inc. is specifically intended to support VAYKs cryptocurrency strategy with the addition of a cryptocurrency exchange where short-term vacation rental business cryptocurrencies can be listed.

VAYK is developing and scaling its portfolio of technology solutions to further democratize participation in the tourism industry based on its hands-on experience with an initial and ongoing pilot project consisting of ten beach house properties and a small boutique hotel in Cuba where VAYK provided the financing for small businesses to acquire and renovate the real estate.

The company recently deployed a team to Cuba on a three-week trip centered around securing the next ten beach properties it will refurbish and launch as short-term vacation rental properties. These next ten properties will be listed on VAYKs P2P Alternative Finance Application Version 2.0 and participation in the short-term vacation rental business operating the ten properties will be offered through the introduction of a cryptocurrency.

The primary objective of the ten-property expansion is to demonstrate VAYKs P2P Alt Finance APP V 2.0 and Cryptocurrency technology.

VAYK has recently published a comprehensive 2022 Strategic Overview Presentation with more details on how the ten property expansion and the cryptocurrency acquisition fit into the companys overall strategy.

VAYK also confirms today that it continues to work with Alternet Systems Inc. (OTC Pink: ALYI) to develop the opportunity of expanding ALYIs initiative to establish a Formula E race in Nairobi to include the possibility of brining a Formula E race to Havana . ALYI and VAYK anticipate publishing a joint update soon with Waterpure International, Inc. (OTC Pink: WPUR) also working with ALYI on the Formula E race program.

To learn more and keep up with the latest updates at Vaycaychella, and to access the Vaycaychella App, visit https://www.vaycaychella.com/ .

Disclaimer/Safe Harbor: This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act. The statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Among others, these risks include the expectation that any of the companies mentioned herein will achieve significant sales, the failure to meet schedule or performance requirements of the companies' contracts, the companies' liquidity position, the companies' ability to obtain new contracts, the emergence of competitors with greater financial resources and the impact of competitive pricing. In the light of these uncertainties, the forward-looking events referred to in this release might not occur.
CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With record low housing inventory fueling homes selling at breakneck speed and often above the initial listing price, local homeowners ready to sell are discovering new ways to maximize their profit. The sellers' market also makes it difficult for many home buyers to compete with multiple offers.



Whats different now versus past seller markets, according to Helen Adams Realty, is that sellers and buyers have more choices than ever. As with many things, more options mean more information and that can be overwhelming, causing clients to seek expert advice to determine which option is best for them.

To help, family-owned Helen Adams Realty is launching HOMEsolutions, powered by zavvie. The firms HOMEsolutions platform is available to homeowners and buyers throughout Central, North, and South Charlotte. Sellers can now compare and choose from an instant, full cash offer from an iBuyer, a buy-before-you-sell bridge loan option, or other innovative solutions, including borrowing money at zero cost for pre-listing home improvements to list their home on the open market for maximum profit.

HOMEsolutions also helps home buyers, giving them access to programs that provide them with the opportunity to present an all-cash offer. In addition, innovative rent-to-own solutions are now available for home shoppers who need more time to buy.

Helen Adams Realtys HOMEsolutions delivers all the options under one roof, said Jeff Adams, President of Helen Adams Realty. Powered by zavvie, the centralized solutions platform helps connect Helen Adams Realty agents and their clients with selling and buying providers.

Together with our agents, seller clients can find the best way to sell their home thats just right for them, Adams added. They can see how much instant cash an iBuyer would offer for their home, or they can buy their next home before they have to get their current home ready for sale.

Buyers also can gain the advantage in a competitive market with a cash offer. Best of all, every seller and buyer will work closely with a Helen Adams real estate agent, who can answer all their questions and provide the best expert local advice and personalized service available, Adams explained.

Adams notes that many homes throughout Charlotte and South Carolina are still seeing multiple offers and that homes are typically selling for more than their initial listing price.

We use cutting-edge technology, like our new HOMEsolutions platform, to deliver a high standard of excellence throughout everything we offer our clients, said Adams. The key to the success of this technology-based program is the human element: our clients get the best technology with the personal help of a trusted real estate agent to provide the guidance they seek.

With HOMEsolutions, a Helen Adams agent can offer all the choices so buyers and sellers can select the best path for them. For example, a full cash instant offer from an iBuyer requires properties in good condition and within a specific price range. Or a buy before you sell option gives homeowners more time to prepare their current home for sale while first moving into their next home.

Helen Adams agents can also help homeowners sell on the open market  which is the most popular choice because it typically results in the highest sales price and the greatest return for the seller. And home buyers increase their chances of purchasing a home with multiple offers. By offering more choices, our agents provide their clients with the highest level of personal service, Adams said.

The HOMEsolutions platform

Lane Hornung, CEO and founder of zavvie, added, For nearly 50 years, Helen Adams Realty has been committed to providing the highest level of personal service, unmatched local area knowledge, and unwavering ethical standards, backed by cutting edge technology. HOMEsolutions, powered by zavvie, is a new and exciting way to help local clients and extend that commitment.

More information about Helen Adams Realty HOMEsolutions is available online at helenadamsrealty.com or ask any Helen Adams Realty agent.

About Helen Adams Realty

Founded in 1975 by sixth-generation Charlottean Helen Adams, family-owned Helen Adams Realty serves clients throughout Central, North, and South Carolina. Today, Helens son and grandchildren uphold her legacy with a commitment to providing the highest level of personal service, unmatched area knowledge, exceptional real estate expertise, and unwavering ethical standards. A traditional, relationship-based experience with a cutting-edge approach fused with standards of excellence sets Helen Adams Realty and its agents apart. Learn more at helenadamsrealty.com.

About zavvie

zavvie is a software technology company that provides real estate brokerages with a marketplace for buying and selling solutions via their own white-labeled platform that keeps agents at the center of the transaction. Over 65,000 real estate agents in 47 states leverage zavvie's software technology to serve their clients better. Discover more at zavvie.com.

Media Contacts:

Rebecca Adams Starrs | Helen Adams Realty

704-944-9214 | radams@helenadamsrealty.com

or

Kevin Hawkins | zavvie

206-866-1220 | kevin@wavgroup.com

Two photos accompanying this announcement are available at



https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7103ae9b-4e44-4790-b4e0-5660e01d3acc

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7201945b-10e1-42fd-ae88-4c5d5a01a939
TORONTO, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Evergold Corp. (TSX-V: EVER, OTC: EVGUF, WKN: A2PTHZ) (Evergold or the Company) is pleased to report excellent progress in recent months toward drilling the road-accessible Rockland property, located in the resurgent Walker Lane trend of western Nevada. The west side of the property (Rockland West) hosts the historical small-scale Rockland Mine, from which an estimated 50,000 ounces of gold-silver grading as high as 2.8 ounces per ton gold equivalent (96 g/t AuEq) was produced more than a century ago from high-grade epithermal-style veins, commonly encompassed by broad halos of lower-grade stockworks and breccia. The east side of the property (Rockland East) hosts a deeper zone of mineralization, more or less blind to surface and also epithermal in style, first discovered in 1989 and drilled to date along some 800 metres of strike. Historical drilling on the Rockland East zone returned highly encouraging results with all holes achieving drill intercepts, including, for example, 59.4 metres of 1.09 g/t Au encompassing 3.1 metres of 19.80 g/t Au in Romarco hole PG-36C (2008). As at the Rockland Mine area, many of the Rockland East holes bottomed in gold mineralization. Both areas of the property offer excellent resource definition potential and considerable exploration upside, to which end the Company has been methodically exploring and advancing drill targets at the Rockland project in preparation for a potential drill program in 2022.



Highlights of recent work include:

Execution, currently underway, of a 21 line-km Controlled Source Audio Magnetotelluric (CSAMT) geophysical survey over Rockland East. The survey is designed to expand upon previous CSAMT coverage at Rockland East, analysis of which has shown the data to be useful for delineating lithological and structural relationships associated with known zones of mineralization

Completion early last fall of a detailed 1,096 line-km drone airborne magnetic survey over the entire property

Completion of initial 3D geological modelling of the Rockland East gold zone

Completion of a program of prospecting and grid-based soil geochemistry involving the collection of 900 soil samples and 98 new rock samples, assays from which have highlighted anomalies and trends associated with and extending beyond both the Rockland West and East prospect areas

The staking of additional claims to double the size of the Rockland land package to 1,062 hectares

A new and thorough compilation of all previous exploration data for the property

Completion of a draft Plan of Operations for Phase 1 drilling at Rockland East, encompassing 11,000 metres of RC and core drilling in 29 holes, currently under review by permitting authorities. Receipt of this permit is anticipated for mid-year. If so, drilling could occur as early as this fall

Completion of a draft Plan of Operations for Phase 1 drilling at Rockland West, encompassing 2800 metres of RC and core drilling in 12 holes, currently under review by permitting authorities

The Rockland propertys near-term exploration potential and drive-on, year-round access make it strongly complementary to our northern B.C. property assets, said Kevin Keough, President & CEO. The style of the epithermal mineralization is similar, particularly to that of our Holy Cross property in central B.C., and well be able to drill there at times of the year when its simply not possible to drill our B.C. projects. Were very much looking forward to getting a drill turning when our permits come through. In the meantime, we are finalizing this years drill program at Golden Lion, following up on last years end-of-season discovery of our first high-grade gold-silver domain within the large GL1 Main zone mineralized footprint.

About the Rockland Property

The Rockland property is located approximately 25 miles south of the town of Yerington in western Nevada, along the northern portion of the Walker Lane trend. The property is underlain by a large, robust, low-sulphidation, quartz-adularia epithermal gold-silver system with excellent potential for the expansion of known zones of mineralization, and the discovery of new ones.

Mineralization on the property is spatially and genetically associated with Late Miocene-age rhyolite intrusive activity and occurs in intensely altered rhyolites, associated sedimentary and tuffaceous rocks, and pre-Tertiary granodiorite. The best gold grades are associated with quartz veins and rhyolite feeder dikes that cut the basement granodiorite at the Rockland Mine. Alteration and mineralization is primarily controlled by NNE- to NE-trending structures which are common orientations of the high-grade veins at the nearby Aurora and Bodie mines. The strong association of gold mineralization with shallow rhyolite intrusions also suggests comparisons to the Sleeper and Midas high-grade vein districts elsewhere in Nevada.

Rockland Mine Target Area

The historic Rockland Mine is located within the western part of the property. Production between 1870 and the late 1930s was largely undocumented but is estimated by the Geological Society of Nevada to have approximated 50,000 ounces of gold and silver, with grades as high as 2.8 opt gold equivalent (96 g/t AuEq). The Rockland Mine area has yielded surface values up to 50.9 g/t Au and 1,758 g/t Ag, and underground values up to 91 g/t Au. Stopes along the Rockland Mine adit level are reported to be several feet wide and semi-continuous for nearly 1,000 ft. along strike, and up to 1,400 feet down dip.

In the vicinity of the Rockland Mine, drilling by BHP in the late 1980s returned relatively shallow, broad intercepts of low-grade mineralization encompassing intervals of higher grade (true widths unknown), including:

39.6 metres of 1.16 g/t Au including 3.1 metres of 8.56 g/t Au in BHP hole RK-17;

including in BHP hole RK-17; 59.4 metres of 1.03 g/t Au including 6.1 metres of 4.80 g/t Au in BHP hole RK-11; and

including in BHP hole RK-11; and 67.1 metres of 0.34 g/t Au in BHP hole RK-8



Much of the greater than two kilometre strike length of the Rockland Mine en echelon vein system remains untested for high-grade mineralization, particularly below the Rockland Mine adit level. A hole by B2Gold in 2018 intersected a vein with 5.08 g/t Au and 354 g/t Ag over 1.5 metres in hole RK18-27, which is interpreted as the down-dip extension of the main vein historically mined.

Rockland East Target Area

Limited historical drilling indicates a large gold zone at depth at Rockland East, with broad lower-grade intercepts commonly encompassing narrower intervals of high grade. The geometry of this zone is still poorly understood. Map relations coupled with abundant associated pathfinder elements (particularly As and Sb) characteristic of the upper levels of low sulphidation systems found at Nevada mines such as Sleeper, Hollister and Midas, and El Penon in Chile (all +1.5 Moz deposits), indicate that the Rockland East target area is down-dropped relative to the Rockland Mine area western block, and that the entire epithermal system in this area may be largely preserved.

Significant Rockland East historical intercepts include (true widths unknown):

30.5 metres of 1.29 g/t Au including 3.1 metres of 6.13 g/t Au in Inmet hole PG-13;

including in Inmet hole PG-13; 16.8 metres of 1.05 g/t Au and 9.1 metres of 2.82 g/t Au including 1.5 metres of 9.20 g/t Au in Inmet hole PG-15;

and including in Inmet hole PG-15; 109.7 metres of 0.96 g/t Au including 12.2 metres of 1.88 g/t Au in Romarco hole PG-32;

including in Romarco hole PG-32; 182.9 metres of 0.40 g/t Au in Romarco hole PG-33; and

in Romarco hole PG-33; and 59.4 metres of 1.09 g/t Au including 3.1 metres of 19.80 g/t Au in Romarco hole PG-36C



Other target areas with anomalous surface geochemistry occur on the property and have had little or no drilling, including an area with high grade vein boulders containing up to 30 g/t Au and 140 g/t Ag.

Note: The historical assays referenced in this news release have not been independently confirmed. Nonetheless, the historical drilling and sampling is believed to have been carried out by competent personnel working for reputable companies, as cited. Intercept true widths are not known.

Charles J. Greig, P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release.

About Evergold

Evergold Corp. is a Canadian explorer with four wholly-owned precious metals projects in B.C. (Golden Lion, Holy Cross, Snoball and Spanish Lake), and a single project under option in Nevada (Rockland), to which it has the right to earn a 100% ownership position. Company management is proven, with a track record of exploration success, most recently the establishment of GT Gold Corp. in 2016 and the discovery (see SEDAR / news, July 25 and Dec. 15, 2017 respectively) of the Saddle South and North epithermal vein and porphyry copper-gold deposits near Iskut B.C., which hold more than 20 million ounces of gold equivalent in all categories (Saddle North NI 43-101 Technical Report, August 20, 2020). GT Gold was acquired in 2021 by Newmont Corporation. At Golden Lion, the final 3 holes of the 2021 field season delivered the discovery of the first high-grade gold-silver domain within the large-scale footprint of the epithermal-style GL1 Main zone. The results included the highest grades of gold, silver, zinc and lead ever achieved in drilling on the property. Following up on this discovery will be the priority for the approaching field season in northern B.C., to which end a drill program is in planning. Planning is also underway for a future drill program at the fully drill-permitted, road-accessible Holy Cross epithermal gold-silver prospect south of Fraser Lake, B.C.

For additional information, please contact:

Kevin M. Keough

President and CEO

Tel: (613) 622-1916

www.evergoldcorp.ca

kevin.keough@evergoldcorp.ca

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 news release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release includes certain forward-looking statements which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Companys future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as believes, anticipates, expects, estimates, may, could, would, will, or plan. Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet managements expectations. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the Companys objectives, goals or future plans, statements, exploration results, potential mineralization, the estimation of mineral resources, exploration and mine development plans, timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to failure to identify mineral resources; delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals; political and geopolitical risks; an inability to fulfill the duty to accommodate First Nations; an inability to predict and counteract the effects of COVID-19 on the business of the Company; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future; changes in equity markets, inflation, and exchange rates; fluctuations in commodity prices; delays in the development of projects; other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry; and those risks set out in the Companys public documents filed on SEDAR. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release. No assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.








New Orleans, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TeleLeaf, a company based in New Orleans, LA, is happy to announce that they are offering virtual doctor visits in Louisiana for patients to get approved for medical cannabis. This is for people who require a doctors referral for medical marijuana. This is done through the TeleLeaf.com telemedicine platform. Various chronic or debilitating medical conditions may be treated with medical marijuana. These include anxiety, insomnia, chronic pain, arthritis, and many other conditions.

A representative for TeleLeaf says, We connect patients to qualified doctors. Through personal experiences and witness to its efficacy, our team of licensed doctors shares the conviction in the use of medical cannabis to assist their patients in living happier, healthier, and more productive lives. It is our hope that everyone can try medical marijuana for themselves as medicine, free from misinformation and persecution.

TeleLeaf offers a way for people to have access to medical marijuana products by simply using their mobile devices in the comfort of their homes. TeleLeaf CEO Gary Hess, a U.S. Marine veteran who suffers from PTSD, realized that the heavy stigmas surrounding the use of the plant were preventing patients from accessing medical cannabis. Patients were having trouble finding doctors and could not gain access to medical cannabis, which is why the platform for connecting patients to medical marijuana doctors was established. TeleLeaf makes the process for finding a doctor and getting a medical marijuana recommendation very convenient, allowing patients to get a medical marijuana card from the comfort and privacy of their own homes. Hess observed that in the beginning, many physicians were just as stigmatized in recommending medical marijuana. He searched and personally sat down with some of the best doctors in Louisiana and clearly explained the reasons for providing easier access. Today, some of Louisiana's best doctors are now recommending medical marijuana to thousands of patients across Louisiana.

To gain access to medical marijuana in Louisiana, patients will need to be registered as medical marijuana patients. To qualify, they must have a condition that meets the states list of qualifying criteria. Some of these conditions include anxiety; chronic pain; insomnia; arthritis; terminal illnesses; muscle spasms; cancer; glaucoma; various neurodegenerative diseases and conditions, such as Alzheimers disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntingtons disease, and more; HIV; AIDS; cachexia; seizure disorders; epilepsy; spasticity; severe muscle spasms; intractable pain; Crohns disease; muscular dystrophy; multiple sclerosis; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); autism; traumatic brain injury; sickle cell disease; and diagnosis by exclusion for any condition that can be considered debilitating or causing weakness or infirmity.

There are a number of factors that make TeleLeaf stand out from similar platforms. First of all, the system is secure, safe and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant. This is because the patients information and transactions are all securely stored in TeleLeafs HIPAA-compliant electronic medical records (EMR) platform. Secondly, TeleLeaf only provides reliable and registered doctors. These doctors have been screened and personally hand-picked by a respected group of licensed and practicing medical professionals in Louisiana. They understand clearly the efficacy of medical marijuana and see the need for change. Patients who do not qualify will not be charged. Transactions only occur after the doctors evaluation. TeleLeaf also offers same-day appointments, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., from Monday through Saturday. Lastly, once approved for a recommendation, the patient gains immediate access to medical cannabis products and dispensaries.

Founded in 2020 by Gary Hess, TeleLeaf is a leading access platform for medical marijuana that connects patients with qualified physicians. This platform has been designed for the patient by the patient, as a result of a U.S. Marine veterans mission of healing himself and offering alternative treatment options for others. Hess established the company to help those who are not comfortable with requesting medical cannabis for their health condition. With the TeleLeaf platform, patients can speak with a qualified physician and gain access to medical marijuana from the comfort and privacy of their own homes.





Those who are looking for a telemedicine platform in Louisiana in order to get a doctors recommendation for medical cannabis can visit TeleLeaf.com or contact TeleLeaf via phone. They are open Monday through Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

###

For more information about TeleLeaf, contact the company here:



TeleLeaf

Contact Number: (504) 500-4842

141 Robert E Lee Blvd

Suite 301

New Orleans, Louisiana 70124
LONDON, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to The Business Research Companys research report on the battlefield management system market, the growth in military spending (consisting of the army, navy, and air force) is expected to propel the growth of the battlefield management system market. A military expenditure plan, also known as a nation's defense budget, is the number of financial resources committed to the maintenance of an armed force or various defense strategies. In recent years, a rise in military spending and regional tensions among various countries have led to an increase in military spending, research and development, and procurement of advanced military equipment such as battlefield management systems. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), total global military spending in 2020 will be $1,981 billion, up 2.6% from 2019. China, the United States, Russia, India, and the United Kingdom were the top five spenders in 2020, accounting for 62% of worldwide military spending. China's military budget also increased for the 26th year in a row. Therefore, a rise in military spending drives the growth of battlefield management systems.



Request for a sample of the global battlefield management system market report

The global battlefield management system market size is expected to grow from $12.76 billion in 2021 to $13.49 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.66%. The growth in the market is mainly due to the companies rearranging their operations and recovering from the COVID-19 impact, which had earlier led to restrictive containment measures involving social distancing, remote working, and the closure of commercial activities that resulted in operational challenges. According to TBRCs battlefield management system market growth analysis, the market is expected to reach $17.18 billion in 2026 at a CAGR of 6.23%.

Strategic collaborations between companies are a key trend gaining popularity in the battlefield management systems market. Companies manufacturing battlefield management systems are undergoing partnerships and collaboration with other competing companies and government defense organizations, as well as developing new technologies and products. For instance, in February 2020, Saab, a Swedish-based company that manufactures aerospace and defense systems, and the Australian Department of Defense entered into an agreement for the production of battlefield management systems. The partnership will enable the Australian Department of Defense to acquire next-generation combat management systems produced by Saab for their new Arafura class offshore patrol vessels. Also, in December 2019, BAE Systems, a British multinational arms, security, and aerospace company based in London, and the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have formed a partnership to develop new cyber tools designed to prevent cyberattacks on the US Combat Management Systems (CMS). The partnership enables BAE Systems to work closely with the American armed forces and will also gain valuable insights and technology transfer in the field of cyber warfare. With this new development experience and awareness, BAE Systems will be at the forefront of developing advanced CMS and cyber security measures.

The major players constituting the battlefield management system market share are Rolta India Limited, Leonardo S.p.A., Atos SE, Elbit Systems, Thales Group, Rheinmetall AG, BAE Systems, Saab AB, Aselsan, L3Harris Technologies, Cobham Limited, Raytheon Company, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, RUAG Group, and ASELSAN A.S.

TBRCs global battlefield management system market outlook is segmented by components into wireless communication devices, imaging devices, computer software, tracking devices, wired communication devices, computer hardware devices, night vision devices, display devices, identification friend or foe (IFF); by type into dismounted soldier systems, commander systems, communication network systems; by system into computing, communication and networking, command and control, navigation, imaging, and mapping; by platform into armored vehicles, headquarter and command centers, soldier systems; by application into air force, army, navy.

North America was the largest region in the battlefield management systems market in 2021. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the battlefield management market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East, and Africa.

Battlefield Management System Global Market Report 2022  Market Size, Trends, And Global Forecast 2022-2026 is one of a series of new reports from The Business Research Company that provide battlefield management system market overviews, battlefield management system market analyze and forecast market size and growth for the whole market, battlefield management system market segments and geographies, battlefield management system market trends, battlefield management system market drivers, battlefield management system market restraints, battlefield management system market leading competitors revenues, profiles and market shares in over 1,000 industry reports, covering over 2,500 market segments and 60 geographies.

The report also gives in-depth analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on the market. The reports draw on 150,000 datasets, extensive secondary research, and exclusive insights from interviews with industry leaders. A highly experienced and expert team of analysts and modelers provides market analysis and forecasts. The reports identify top countries and segments for opportunities and strategies based on market trends and leading competitors approaches.

Not the market you are looking for? Check out some similar market intelligence reports:

Defense Global Market Report 2022  By Type (Air Based Defense Equipment, Sea Based Defense Equipment, Land Based Defense Equipment, Defense Equipment Maintenance, Repair And Overhauling Services, Defense Support And Auxiliary Equipment), By Operation (Autonomous Defense Equipment, Manual), By Platform (Airborne, Land, Naval)  Market Size, Trends, And Global Forecast 2022-2026

Defense Support And Auxiliary Equipment Global Market Report 2022 By Type (Military Radars, Military Satellites, Other Defense Support And Auxiliary Equipment), By Payload Type (Communication Payload, Navigation Payload, Imaging Payload), By Application (Intelligence, Surveillance, And Reconnaissance (ISR), Communication, Navigation)  Market Size, Trends, And Global Forecast 2022-2026

5G In Defense Global Market Report 2022  By Communication Infrastructure (Small Cell, Macro Cell, Radio Access Network (RAN)), By Core Network Technology (Software-Defined Networking (SDN), Fog Computing (FC), Mobile Edge Computing (MEC), Network Functions Virtualization (NFV)), By Network Type (Enhanced Mobile Broadband (EMBB), Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC), Massive Machine Type Communications (MMTC)), By End Use (Military, Homeland Security)  Market Size, Trends, And Global Forecast 2022-2026

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Agreement Creates a Jointly owned Egyptian Entity to provide Installation, Engineering and Project Management Capabilities in the Middle East



NEW YORK, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DarkPulse, Inc. (OTC Markets: DPLS) (DarkPulse or the Company), a technology company focused on laser sensing systems based on its patented BOTDA dark-pulse sensor technology (the DarkPulse Technology) which provides a data stream of critical metrics for assessing the health and security of infrastructure, today announced it has signed a Joint Venture Agreement with Cairo based Egyptian Electrical & Mechanical Works Co. The agreement in sum and substance describes the creation of a jointly owned Egyptian corporation with revenue split between the two partner organizations as well as an exclusive right for DarkPulses BOTDA systems to be utilized in projects throughout Egypt. The agreement also brings additional capabilities to DarkPulse including infrastructure project management, engineering and installation capabilities for Middle East and North Africa.

EEMW Founder & CEO, Dr. Ehab Eldemeri, one of the leading researchers and developers of fiber optic solutions in Egypt, North Africa, and the Middle East, understands the opportunities to create and deliver a new generation of fiber optic based solutions that can help improve the lives of Egyptians and people around the world. Together, both companies believe a new generation of fiber sensors will change the design, concept and implementation methods of future cities. Mr. OLeary and Dr. Eldemeri believe this joint venture will be the first step towards opening the gates to Africa & the Middle East, since Egypt is the leading technology focused country in the region.

DarkPulse & EEMW plan to deliver solutions in real estate development, infrastructure, utility management, and building information management systems coupled with new innovations based on distributed sensing fiber systems. Plans include building a research and development unit to help understand future demands and market trends of the region.

The Middle East is leading the world in the creation of smart cities. Egypt is particularly of interest with their New Cairo smart city project and an additional 16 smart cities slated to be built. These major projects rival cities such as Dubai and the planned NEOM project, said Dennis OLeary, Chairman and CEO of DarkPulse. Our core business is the monitoring and detection of structural anomalies in Critical Infrastructure /Key Resources. The agreement with EEMW brings DarkPulse more than 23 years of experience in engineering and building infrastructure projects while allowing DarkPulse and EEMW to perform sales and installations of our dark-pulse BOTDA systems into the Middle East and North Africa market accelerating the Companys global market presence.

Selecting Egypt is the right decision for our companies as the future expansion in the region includes hi-technology fiber optics deployments with some of the largest multinational companies in the world currently operating there. The DarkPulse vision extends and covers overseas countries to excel as a global company providing technology focused offerings including manufacturing, sales, installation, operation, and maintenance, said Dr. Eldemeri. From this goal perspective, Mr. OLeary and I, after working on a study to select the best added value regions, which includes stable, growing and high potential to build and renovate infrastructure, will help achieve a vision focused on digitalization and artificial intelligence concepts, and build data centers to support fast-growth in multiple sectors .

The Company continues to explore additional potential opportunities in strategic locations worldwide with the goal of accelerating the adoption of its DarkPulse Technology Products and expand its global market position.

About DarkPulse, Inc.

DarkPulse, Inc. uses advanced laser-based monitoring systems to provide rapid and accurate monitoring of temperatures, strains and stresses. The Companys technology excels when applied to live, dynamic critical infrastructure and structural monitoring, including pipeline monitoring, perimeter and structural surveillance, aircraft structural components and mining safety. The Company's fiber-based monitoring systems can assist markets that are not currently served, and its unique technology covers extended areas and any event that is translated into the detection of a change in strain or temperature. In addition to the Companys ongoing efforts with respect to the marketing and sales of its technology products and services to its customers, the Company also continues to explore potential strategic alliances through joint venture and licensing opportunities to further expand its global market position.

For More Information Visit: www.DarkPulse.com

About Egyptian Electrical & Mechanical Works Co

EEMW Co. provides project management, engineering and construction supervision on refinery, liquefied natural gas, petroleum & chemical pipeline  submarine and above ground, energy and civil infrastructure projects such as ports, industrial cities and plants. It Provides Operations and maintenance activities for its client like Etisalat, British Petroleum, Bechtel, Siemens, Enal Power. The company also specializes in control system technology for Oil & Gas Industry and is pioneer in some major technologies and solutions.

Safe Harbor Statement

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that are intended to be covered by the "safe harbor" created by those sections. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as "believe," "expect," "may," "should," "could," "seek," "intend," "plan," "goal," "estimate," "anticipate" or other comparable terms. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this news release regarding our strategies, prospects, financial condition, operations, costs, plans and objectives are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: our ability to successfully market our products and services; the acceptance of our products and services by customers; our continued ability to pay operating costs and ability to meet demand for our products and services; the amount and nature of competition from other security and telecom products and services; the effects of changes in the cybersecurity and telecom markets; our ability to successfully develop new products and services; our success establishing and maintaining collaborative, strategic alliance agreements, licensing and supplier arrangements; our ability to comply with applicable regulations; and the other risks and uncertainties described in our prior filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

Media contact:

DarkPulse Solutions, Inc.

doleary@DarkPulse.com

1.800.436.1436
Even a mild case of COVID can shrink your brain.

A study of brain scans of people before and after COVID infection has shown that the novel coronavirus changes the brain more often than not.

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Brain scan. (Shutterstock/Shutterstock)

Researchers compared scans and cognition tests from 401 people between ages 51 and 81 who had been afflicted with COVID through April 2021 and found that seemed to cause a significant, deleterious change in the brain.

The data were then compared to that of 384 people who had not been sick with COVID at all, and with data from some other people who had had pneumonia and flu. The study, published Monday in the journal Nature, was the first of its kind to study brain scans of people before and after COVID infection.

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Among the findings: Post-COVID brains showed some decline in overall size, as well as tissue damage, especially in the areas linked to smell and memory.

Breaking News As it happens Get updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts. >

We still cannot be sure with 100% certainty that there is a causal effect of the infection, said Gwenaelle Douaud, a professor at the University of Oxford and the lead researcher in the study. But we can disentangle the effects that we observe from differences that may have pre-existed in the brain of the participants before they became infected with SARS-CoV-2.

Study subjects also showed signs of struggling to complete complex mental tasks in comparison to people who had never had COVID-19, with the most marked effects manifesting in older adults, the researchers said in a statement.

Especially striking was the effect from milder cases of COVID-19, Dr. Ronald Petersen, director of the Mayo Clinic Alzheimers Disease Research Center and the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, told USA Today.

In all, 785 people participated in the study as part of the UK Biobank, a health database begun in 2012 that is collecting data from 500,000 people.

Douaud plans to scan the brains again in a couple of years to see whether there have been improvements. The study authors noted that the findings are but a snapshot, though they raise the possibility that longer-term consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection might in time contribute to Alzheimers disease or other forms of dementia, they wrote, according to CNN.

The study had been published in a pre-print format last June, before being peer-reviewed, and it caused concern even then.

This is concerning, former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told Face the Nation last year when the pre-print came out, reported CBS News. This isnt a benign disease. This is something you want to avoid.
LONDON and NICOSIA, Cyprus and DODOMA CITY, Tanzania, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On the occasion of International Womens Day, Meridianbet dedicated its traditional 8 March campaign in support of expectant mothers and medical staff as its employees are donating maternity hospitals throughout the world.



This is also a follow-up of Meridians series of donations and humanitarian actions to contribute to even better working conditions for medical staff in light of pandemics. It has also become a part of corporate policy to raise awareness on the issue of gender equality.

Women account for 65% of Meridianbet top management

More than 65% of Meridianbet top management are ladies, proportionally represented in all business segments - HR, marketing, retail network, and software development, thus showing no gender equality is possible without the economic empowerment of women.

This years UN Women's Day slogan is "Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Future Tomorrow". These standards are also the foundations of Meridian's corporate policy where March 8 is each day.

Two million dollars in health-related donations alone

Meanwhile, this companys contribution to strengthening national health systems has been substantial so far. Over 2 million euros to Covid-related projects and charities were donated, having reached more than 350 hospitals and medical centers of Europe, LATAM, and Africa.

Corporate Communications and Queries

For more information, to make additional queries and appoint the meeting with the Studios team, contact:

Meridian Gaming Ltd.

Villa Seminia, 8

Sir Temi Zammit Avenue,

Ta' Xbiex XBX1011 Malta

www.meridian.bet

info@meridianbet.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/46ae4c2c-e560-48ac-9d21-b240eb1226cd
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Thunderbird Field II Veterans Memorial, Inc. (TB2), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, is dedicated to preserving the history of aviation in Scottsdale, Arizona, honoring all military veterans, creating unique educational opportunities and scholarships for Arizona veteran and non-veteran students studying all aspects of aviation, and supporting Dogs4Vets. TB2 is pleased to announce the appointment of a new Board of Directors member, Priscilla Nelson Johnson.

Ms. Johnson is a professional artist known for contemporary realism. She owns her own art studio, Nelson Art Studio, in Scottsdale, AZ. Besides her art, Priscilla is passionate about community service. This passion has allowed her to serve on numerous boards the past 40 years. Some of these include Child Protective Services Rainbow Room, Medical Alliance Board, Symphony Guild Board, and several Scholarship Foundation Boards. Most recently, Priscilla has been on the Scottsdale Arts Board of Trustees and the Country Club of DC Ranch Board of Directors.

Included in her community services are murals donated and executed for Children's Health Care of Atlanta, Child Protective Services in Texas, and art therapy sessions for cancer survivors as well as for volunteers in the hospice industry.

Ms. Johnson commented, I didnt have the honor to serve my country, but I come from a family that did. My father was a World War II pilot and my siblings all served, in the Army and the Air Force. By doing so, they allowed me the freedom to follow a different path. It is now my turn and honor to give back to and support those that served and sacrificed for our country, plus help raise donations for TB2 and its aviation scholarship program.

Steve Ziomek, Chairman & President of TB2, stated, Priscillas passion for community service, knowledge of the region along with her varied experience on numerous boards over the years, makes her an ideal addition to the TB2 Board of Directors. I look forward to working with her as we continue to promote the Thunderbird Field II Veterans Memorial mission.

The TB2 Board of Directors is comprised of a dynamic group of accomplished individuals who provide business, financial, aviation, and non-profit management expertise. Current board members include Steve Ziomek, Chairman & President, TB2; Scott Weber, Managing Member, Constant Concepts; Gunnar Buzzard, President & CEO, Systems Integration Plus; Joell Adams, Owner/Accountant, CFA Consultants, LLC; and Nolan de Graaff, Financial Investor.

Rudy R. Miller, Chairman, President & CEO, The Miller Group, serves in the positions of Chairman of the Advisory Board and Chairman of the Scholarship Committee.

About Thunderbird Field II Veterans Memorial, Inc.

Thunderbird Field II Veterans Memorial, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization formed in 2014 and headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. During World War II, an airfield named Thunderbird Field II was built for the sole purpose of training U.S. Army Air Corps pilots in 1942. Thunderbird Field II graduated over 5,500 men and women pilots, many of whom saw military action in Europe and the Pacific. The field and school were deactivated on October 16, 1944, sold to Arizona State Teachers College (ASU), then to the Arizona Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, and finally to the City of Scottsdale in 1966 and is now known as Scottsdale Airport (KSDL).

The Aviation Scholarship Program provides scholarships to veteran and non-veteran Arizona resident students who meet specific criteria and are attending Arizona State University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Cochise College, Pima Community College, or Yavapai College. TB2 has a permanent memorial at the entrance of the Scottsdale Airport and a historical display inside the facilities honoring the service of men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces as well as POW-MIAs. For more information, please visit www.tbird2.org.

About Dogs4Vets

American Service Animal Society, dba Dogs4Vets, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to enabling disabled veterans to live a more productive life through the use of service animals. Dogs4Vets helps disabled veterans train their own dog to be their service dog. They sponsor disabled veterans that qualify with lifetime, at no cost, service dog training and certification. The service dogs are trained to interact with the veteran and notice changes in body language, stress hormone chemicals, and voice.

Contact:

Steve Ziomek

Chairman & President

ziomek.steve@gmail.com

480.664.6604

Rudy R. Miller

Chairman, Advisory Board & Scholarship Committee

rrmiller@themillergroup.net

602.225.0505

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ecdf7f8b-040c-40e9-bdd6-c7086029fb56
French English

Eragny-sur-Oise, Fleurieux-sur-lArbresle, March 8, 2022

Dear Madam, dear Sir, dear Shareholders,

The current geopolitical situation and its consequences on the markets have generated considerable concern among the investment community, affecting all listed companies.

Attentive to the financial environment but resolutely optimistic, Safe Group is pursuing its development and its roadmap. Our innovative platform for spine surgery meets major medical needs that are not affected by the uncertainties of the economic climate and is contributing to a profound and structural transformation of medical practices in this field.

A new page in the history of our company, now integrated, is being written this year.

In this period of uncertainty, we are naturally keen to strengthen our contact with all our investors, both individual and institutional. This is the purpose of this first Letter to Shareholders of 2022.

We would also like to involve you more and more in the exciting development of Safe Group and invite each of you to visit our industrial site in Fleurieux-sur-l'Arbresle on two open days, on April 14 and September 22.

We thank you once again for your loyalty. You can count on our commitment.

The Safe Group management team

A word from the Chief Executive Officer

 A transformed group for a new decade of innovation and success

Pierre Dumouchel, CEO of Safe Group











In 2010, Safe Orthopaedics invented ready-to-use kits. Since the creation of Safe Orthopaedics, we have been reinventing the management of back pain patients by offering surgeons and medical teams ready-to-use surgical kits, combining sterile implants and single-use instruments.

Ready-to-use and easy to use: our technologies are delivered in new, sterile kits that can be used directly in surgery and released within 24 hours, ensuring the safety of the medical act, whatever the operating conditions, whether emergency, outpatient or more conventionally planned. Our technologies are based on an optimized number of high-performance polymer instruments, partly pre-assembled with the implants, offering lightness, precision and ease of use.

our technologies are delivered in new, sterile kits that can be used directly in surgery and released within 24 hours, ensuring the safety of the medical act, whatever the operating conditions, whether emergency, outpatient or more conventionally planned. Our technologies are based on an optimized number of high-performance polymer instruments, partly pre-assembled with the implants, offering lightness, precision and ease of use. Economical: our technologies eliminate 80% of the usual logistics of a surgery, eliminating all the steps of control, cleaning, sterilization and reducing the cost of the devices needed for back surgery by up to 50% for healthcare institutions.

our technologies eliminate 80% of the usual logistics of a surgery, eliminating all the steps of control, cleaning, sterilization and reducing the cost of the devices needed for back surgery by up to 50% for healthcare institutions. Safe: by offering only single-use instruments, we eliminate all risk of cross-contamination and help reduce the risk of infection during surgery by up to 66%.

by offering only single-use instruments, we eliminate all risk of cross-contamination and help reduce the risk of infection during surgery by up to 66%. Eco-responsible: since the integration of Safe Medical, we have been striving to produce our technologies at our integrated production site in Fleurieux by improving our ecological impact. Indeed, the centralization of production allows us to reduce the number of cleaning operations and consequently the consumption of water and energy, the emission of C02 linked to the former multi-supplier supply chain, and we have initiated a redesign of our packaging in order to reduce the waste generated.

As a pioneer in the off-the-shelf market, our SteriSpineTM technology platforms are protected by more than 100 patents and have initiated the global conversion of the approximately $10 billion spine market. Several hundred surgeons trust us with these technologies, more than 20,000 patients have benefited from the clinical advantages of our technologies, and we are proud to see the off-the-shelf model being applied in many orthopaedic areas.

In 2021, we built the Safe Group!

Thanks to your support and that of the French government, through the stimulus plan, we have respectively acquired our historical subcontractor LCI Medical, a company specializing in the machining of implants and instruments, renamed Safe Medical, and built a production, innovation and integrated production site. We are now able to produce our SteriSpineTM technologies, reducing our production time by two, thus providing us with a production capacity linked to our expectations of commercial growth in the coming years and an acceleration of innovation: Hickory, Sycamore and SORA are the fruits of our new group.

Safe Orthopaedics focuses on innovation and commercial deployment of our ready-to-use technologies on a global scale,

Safe Medical is focused on integrated manufacturing, providing industrial know-how and services to Safe Orthopaedics and all other customers,

Safe, as the parent company and 100% owner of the daughter companies, drives our double-digit growth, combining internal innovation and external growth.

Our Safe Group commitment for 2022 and beyond

Continue to innovate and digitalize the surgical act. Initiated by the S.O.R.A (Safe Operating Room Assistant) program, our teams are working with surgeons and hospitals worldwide to deploy the surgical act 2.0, offering digital support from the first patient consultation to surgery and post-operative clinical follow-up, including the design and production of our technologies.

Reducing our ecological impact. Combined with the digitalization of our services and the modernity of our Safe Medical factories, Safe Orthopaedics is working on the validation of its green-kits. Safe Orthopaedics is committed to reducing by 30% the waste generated in the operating room, and more globally the consumption of water, energy and CO2 emissions.

Combined with the digitalization of our services and the modernity of our Safe Medical factories, Safe Orthopaedics is working on the validation of its green-kits. Safe Orthopaedics is committed to reducing by 30% the waste generated in the operating room, and more globally the consumption of water, energy and CO2 emissions. Deploying quality global distribution. Our experienced sales and marketing teams are focused on driving adoption of our ready-to-use offerings and promoting their medico-economic benefits to hospitals, purchasing organizations and national health systems. The first sales in the United States validate the market as a real growth driver for the years to come.

Our experienced sales and marketing teams are focused on driving adoption of our ready-to-use offerings and promoting their medico-economic benefits to hospitals, purchasing organizations and national health systems. The first sales in the United States validate the market as a real growth driver for the years to come. Moving towards financial equilibrium in the medium term. Despite the economic and commercial consequences of COVID 19, limiting the number of spine surgeries performed in healthcare institutions worldwide, Safe Group continues to deliver double-digit growth and is aiming to break even within three years.

Latest news

Shareholder invitation

Two Investor Days will be held on April 14 and September 22, 2022 at our production site in Fleurieux-sur-L'Arbresle, near Lyon.

On these occasions, we will present the group's strategy, show you the group's infrastructures and answer your questions.

To register, please inform us of your coming at the following address: v.ollivier@safegrp.com

The details of the organization will be sent to you by email.

23% revenue growth in 2021 Driven by the Safe Medical subsidiary (subcontracted production) and the German and American markets, where Safe Group has an internal sales force, our company has published a turnover of 4.6 million euros for the 2021 financial year, up 23% compared with 2020, despite the fact that the beginning of the year was still affected by the health crisis.





Financing secured up to 8 million euros In December, Safe Group entered into an agreement with the Luxembourg investment fund European High Growth Opportunities Securitization Fund to set up a flexible bond financing facility. This agreement provides Safe Group with financing capacity of up to 8 million by mid-2024.

Contacts

Safe

Francois-Henri Reynaud

Chief Financial and Administrative Officer

Tel. : +33 (0)1 34 21 50 00 / investors@safeorthopaedics.com

Press Relations

Ulysse Communication

Pierre-Louis Germain / +33 (0)6 64 79 97 51 / plgermain@ulysse-communication.com

Nicolas Daniels / +33 (0)6 63 66 59 22 / ndaniels@ulysse-communication.com

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Dallas, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Associa, the community management industrys largest provider, is pleased to announce that it has renewed its education partnership with the University of Dallas Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business.

Through this partnership, Associa team members  including their spouses and dependents  are eligible for tuition benefits from the University of Dallas. The partnership will provide Associa employees with a special tuition rate of $1,000 per credit hour, which is a nearly 20% discount. The benefits can be applied to the masters programs in the Gupta College of Business and continuing education programs in the college's Center for Executive Education.

To date, seven Associa team members have taken advantage of the discounted tuition rate. Of those, five have graduated. Completion of the program has helped improve their chances for long-term career advancement within the company, underscoring a key reason for Associa renewing its partnership with the University of Dallas.

The Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business is AACSB-accredited and offers degrees and certificates in programs geared toward working professionals, including Master of Business Administration, Master of Science, and MiniMasters, as well as executive education courses. Graduate programs are offered in 12-week terms and many programs are available fully online to accommodate working professionals.

We are proud to renew our corporate partnership with Associa," said Rebecca Almanza, University of Dallas director of corporate relations and partnerships. Their commitment to integrity, customer service, and innovation continues to complement the university's mission to prepare students to become principled and moral leaders. We look forward to empowering Associa's working professionals through our variety of flexible programs across the country as they continue to lead their organization forward.

Associa is thrilled to partner with the University of Dallas. Their wide range of virtual programs and courses directly align with our efforts to help our employees grow and succeed in their careers, stated Chelle OKeefe, Associa executive vice president and chief human resources officer. The virtual element of many of the courses allow Associa employees across North America to take advantage of the world class educational opportunities at the University of Dallas and their impact on professional growth.

About The Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business at University of Dallas

The Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business at the University of Dallas has been perfecting graduate business education for more than 50 years. Located in Irving, Texas, the college was the first in Texas to offer an AACSB-Accredited Doctor of Business Administration, in addition to Master of Business Administration, Master of Science, Bachelor of Arts, and many professional education programs, making it one of the most popular choices among Dallas/Fort Worths business leaders. SB Hall, which opened in January 2016, houses the college, providing students with state-of-the-art technology and practical tools to prepare them for their future career. For more information, visit udallas.edu/cob.

About Associa

With more than 200 branch offices across North America, Associa is building the future of community for nearly five million residents worldwide. Our 10,000+ team members lead the industry with unrivaled education, expertise, and trailblazing innovation. For more than 43 years, Associa has brought positive impact and meaningful value to communities. To learn more, visit www.associaonline.com.

Stay Connected:

Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/associa

Subscribe to the Blog: https://hub.associaonline.com/

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/associa

Join us on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/associa

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QUINCY, Mass., March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Retail Business Services, the services company of leading grocery retail group Ahold Delhaize USA, has wrapped its first Innovation Discovery Days where associates from Retail Business Services Retail Innovation Center of Excellence (COE) and IT alongside colleagues from ADUSA Supply Chain, Peapod Digital Labs and each of Ahold Delhaize USAs local brands, evaluated solutions from 17 start-ups for their potential to enhance the omnichannel retail experience.



As we work with our partners throughout Ahold Delhaize USA companies to innovate the omnichannel retail experience, its important that we not only pinpoint our companies needs and opportunities for innovation, but that were also constantly scanning the marketplace for solutions that will enable us to innovate in ways we havent even thought about yet, said Heather Paquette, VP, Retail Innovation COE, Retail Business Services. The companies we heard from during these sessions brought forward interesting solutions that will help build our innovation pipeline.

A variety of unique and innovative technologies across robotics, artificial intelligence and more were presented during the two-day event, include making the customer shopping experience easier, creating a welcoming, engaging customer experience, and improving retail store processes and execution.

I am excited that we were able to have 17 vendors visit with our teams in just two days, said Brooks Thompson, Director, Innovation Pipeline, Retail Business Services. And we achieved our overall goal, which was to provide Ahold Delhaize USA companies with a look into technologies and other solutions that may be influencing our business in the years to come.

After the event, stakeholders from Retail Business Services and other Ahold Delhaize USA companies will discuss the products and solutions presented and create paths to pilot throughout Ahold Delhaize USA companies.

About Retail Business Services

Retail Business Services, is the services company of leading grocery retail group Ahold Delhaize USA, currently providing services to five omnichannel grocery brands, including Food Lion, Giant Food, The GIANT Company, Hannaford and Stop & Shop. Retail Business Services leverages the scale of the local brands to drive synergies and provides industry-leading expertise, insights and analytics to local brands to support their strategies with services including Business Integrity Services (Legal, Risk Management, Quality Assurance), Business Services (HR Technology Systems and Process Management), Communications & Omnichannel Service, Finance Business Services, Financial Planning & Analysis, Human Resources, Indirect Sourcing, Information Technology, Pharmacy Services, Retail Innovation, Store Development, Leasing and Facilities Support, and Strategy & Business Development. We are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and we foster a community of belonging where everyone is valued. For more information, visit www.retailbusinessservices.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Christy Phillips-Brown

704-310-2221

Erin DeWaters

704-310-3884
Albuquerque, NM, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- George Bush Intercontinental and William P. Hobby Airports in Houston, TX have implemented a fleet of Breezy OneTM disinfecting robots to ensure the safety of their facilities for staff, flight crews, and passengers. Using science and engineering, the team behind Breezy One at Build With Robots, Inc. (BWR) provides nightly disinfection to millions of square feet across airports, schools, and arenas throughout the nation.

Breezy One is designed, built and deployed by Build With Robots, Inc. As fleets are being deployed, the BWR team ensures consistent effectiveness through rigorous testing and validation. With 99.9 percent efficacy, facility managers can be confident that they are providing the best solution for eliminating infectious agents in their environments.

The Build With Robots team are providing us with the best tools to keep our passengers, employees, and stakeholders safe. We appreciate this valuable partnership, said Traci Rutoski, PMP, CM, ACE, Manager Custodial Services, William P. Hobby Airport.

"At Houston Airports, we focus on putting our team members in a position to win every day. This means having the resources, supplies, education, and training that they need to be successful. With the onset of the pandemic, we needed to explore new and innovative solutions so that when people come through the airports, whether for work or travel, they feel safe and secure. Breezy One has been a great tool in helping us achieve this," added Sam Rea, Terminal Manager, George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

It is always a pleasure to work with a team of innovators, and Houstons airports are leading from the front. We look forward to a long successful relationship supporting their entire teams, said Bryan Carey, BWRs Lead Application Engineer for Texas.

Adopting innovation and deploying it well also leads to broad industry recognition. Recently, William P. Hobby Airport became the only 5-star airport in North America, and 1 out of 16 globally. That wouldnt have happened without the innovative disinfecting equipment that the robotic Breezy One provides this airport, said Dawn Hoffman, Terminal Manager, William P. Hobby Airport.

Build With Robots provides tools to help organizations achieve excellence. Video coverage of the deployments at each airport can be found here:

For more information about how Breezy One makes facilities safer, please look at:

https://buildwithrobots.com/industries-we-serve/

About Houston Airports - Houston Airports is the City of Houstons Department of Aviation. Comprised of George Bush Intercontinental Airport, IAH, William P. Hobby Airport, HOU, and Ellington Airport/Houston Spaceport, EFD, Houston Airports served 45 million passengers in 2021 and nearly 60 million in 2019. Houston Airports forms one of North America's largest public airport systems and positions Houston as the international passenger and cargo gateway to the South-Central United States and as a primary gateway to Latin America. Houstons Hobby Airport recently became the first 5-star airport in North America and Bush Airport maintained an exceptional 4-star rating for a fifth consecutive year.

About Build With Robots - Robots and automation are part of our everyday lives and are continuing to grow. Build With Robots is a tech company building robotics solutions that allow workers to do their job safer and more effectively. At Build With Robots, we believe in the dignity and value of work. We are in business to make workers lives better. Working with our communities, our robots enable and strengthen the worlds workforce to be healthier, more productive, and more fulfilled. When people work with Build With Robots, their jobs become safer and less repetitive. By reducing drudgery and eliminating risk we can elevate our partners role.

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NEW YORK, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Greenbacker Capital Management, LLC (Greenbacker Capital or Greenbacker), announced today that its Greenbacker Development Opportunities Fund I, LP (GDEV or the Fund) has completed fundraising at $142 million, nearly reaching its $150 million hard cap. The Fund, launched in October 2020, provides flexible capital and access to Greenbackers best-in-class technical asset management team for growth-stage sustainable infrastructure companies. As of the Funds final closing, GDEV has made its first eight investments across multiple clean energy technologies, including solar photovoltaic electricity generation, hydroelectric generation, and battery storage.



The Funds first institutional investor was a fund managed by Aether Investment Partners, which finalized its commitment in June 2021. This investment was followed by commitments from UK-based asset manager abrdn and other institutional, family office, and high-net-worth investors. Notable investors joining the group as of GDEVs final closing included the Montgomery County (Md.) Employees Retirement System and the pension fund of Ontario Power Generation, the latter of which became the Funds largest limited partner with its $40 million commitment.

Since inception, GDEV has committed approximately $80 million to its existing portfolio companies. It has also spurred $10 million of incremental co-investment directly into these companies, as investors recognized their potential for successparticularly with Greenbackers support.

When we launched, we discovered there was a huge appetite for our niche within sustainable infrastructurefinding management teams on the cusp of significant growth and getting them to the next level, said Ben Baker, Managing Director and Principal of GDEV. That means well be there for a lot of the firsts of our companies. Its more grey hair for us, but its worth it. Our partners really like that we actually have the hands to be hands-on for them.

Partnering with GDEV allows companies to benefit from the resources of Greenbacker Capital, including access to its technical asset management team. This could mean advice on best practices during project development, construction, and operations. It can mean tapping into Greenbackers industry relationships and scale to help secure components like solar modules or steel rackingsomething companies have found particularly attractive during a period of global supply chain dislocation. It can also create opportunities for synergy with other funds managed by Greenbacker.

Two of GDEVs portfolio companies, Chaberton Energy Holdings (Chaberton) and OYA Solar (OYA), have also closed transactions with Greenbackers affiliated infrastructure business since the Fund introduced them. In May 2021, Chaberton was selected to develop over 200 MW of solar projects for Greenbackers infrastructure endeavor and has also agreed to sell it two other projects. At the end of 2021, OYA secured funding from the infrastructure business for a 127-MW community solar portfolio in upstate New York.

One of GDEVs strengths has been finding opportunities in the marketplace that connect innovative revenue models with older renewable energy technologies to make them viable today. A prime example of this concept is small hydroelectric generation which, in certain markets, can take the energy generated by a centralized hydro facility and virtually sell it to consumers in the area via the existing power grid infrastructure.

For hydro, this wasnt always the case. A few years ago, hydro projects could only either sell their power via power purchase agreement or into the grid on a merchant basis. Today, given new regulatory frameworks, they have the opportunity to access the more innovative revenue models that have been created for newer technologies like solar and battery storage.

Hydro is a very underserved and overlooked element of clean energy, Baker said. Its not a shiny, new ideain fact, turbines from the over a hundred years ago are still generating electrons for our portfolio today. Hydro is an older technology, with many existing projects that can benefit from redevelopment.

Baker is also focused on whats next in the renewable energy asset class. One area of interest: mobility. Electric vehicles (EVs) and their associated charging infrastructure have fallen squarely under the clean energy umbrella. There are many private infrastructure funds and companies looking to finance EV fleets and build and operate charging stations, he said.

The transportation sector is one of the main sources of greenhouse gases in the US, accounting for 29% of all emissions.1

Baker is also keeping a close eye on grid resiliency. When we think about the energy needs of hospitals and schools, or even food processing plants that have to toss anything in production when the power goes out, its clear that we need more energy storage and microgrids to keep things running.

One way to improve grid resilience is battery energy storage systems, like those developed by GDEV portfolio company Delorean Power. Such projects are essential for meeting consumers growing energy needs and helping the grid better adapt to increasing adoption of renewable power.

Along with the other technologies GDEV invests in, battery storage is also a critical component of the clean energy transitiona shift that will require considerable capital. According to Bloomberg, achieving zero carbon emissions in the US alone by 2050 will require $2.5 trillion of investment by 2030.2

GDEVs successful fundraising shows that there is significant investor appetite for opportunities to fund the energy transition, said Charles Wheeler, President of Greenbacker Capital. Were incredibly excited about the Funds prospects, particularly as the renewables industry finds increasingly efficient ways to produce and deliver affordable clean power.

1 The United States Environmental Protection Agency website, Fast Facts on Transportation Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

2 Bloomberg Green, Getting U.S to Zero Carbon Will Take a $2.5 Trillion Investment by 2030, December 2020.

About Greenbacker Capital Management

Greenbacker Capital Management LLC is an SEC registered investment adviser that provides advisory and oversight services related to project development, acquisition, and operations in the renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainability industries. For more information, please visit www.greenbackercapital.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to differ materially from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made. Although Greenbacker believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that the expectations will be attained or that any deviation will not be material. Greenbacker undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement contained herein to conform to actual results or changes in its expectations.

Media Contact:

Greenbacker Chris Larson Senior Writer & Media Communications 847.313.9035 c.larson@greenbackercapital.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/46a91eb7-353e-41ee-afa7-65f04c5f958f


VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Optimi Health Corp. (CSE: OPTI) (OTCQB: OPTHF) (FRA: 8BN) (Optimi or the Company), developers of a vertically integrated mushroom brand targeting functional and novel psychedelic compounds for the health and wellness sector, is pleased to announce it has entered into agreements with Kydder Management Group (Kydder) and Generation IACP Inc. (GIACP) to provide services to the Company, subject to approval by the Canadian Securities Exchange (the Exchange). Kydders scope of work will include investor relations activities, as defined in accordance with the policies of the Exchange and applicable securities laws, and GIACPs will include market making services. Kydder will be paid $40,000 per month for an initial 3 month term (with option to renew) and GIACP will be paid $7,500 per month (subject to price escalation of 3% per year) for an initial 6 month term (such term is automatically renewed for subsequent 6 month terms, unless the Company provides 30 days written notice of termination). To the knowledge of the Company, neither Kydder nor GIACP currently hold security positions in Optimi.



On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

Bill Ciprick

Chief Executive Officer

Optimi Health Corp.

ABOUT OPTIMI (CSE: OPTI) (OTCQB: OPTHF) (FRA: 8BN)

Optimi is developing a sophisticated mushroom brand that focuses on the health and wellness markets. With a vertically integrated approach, Optimi intends to cultivate, extract, process and distribute high quality functional mushroom products at its two facilities comprising a total of 20,000 square feet nearing completion in Princeton, British Columbia. To fully investigate the science of mushrooms, the Company has received a research exemption under Health Canada Food and Drug Regulations (FDR) for the use of Psilocybin and Psilocin for scientific purposes via its wholly owned subsidiary Optimi Labs Inc. Optimi has also applied for a dealers license under Canadas Narcotic Control Regulations governing possession, distribution, sale, laboratory analysis of and research and development of Psilocybin and Psilocin formulations. Optimi is committed to expert cultivation and quality production subject to and in accordance with the terms of all applicable laws and governing regulations to ensure safe, superior Canadian fungi production. Find out more at: https://optimihealth.ca/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Investor Relations

Email: investors@optimihealth.ca

Phone: 902 880 6121

Web: https://optimihealth.ca/

FORWARDLOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release may contain statements which constitute forward-looking information, including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company, its directors, or its officers with respect to the future business activities of the Company. The words may, would, could, will, intend, plan, anticipate, believe, estimate, expect and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future business activities and involve risks and uncertainties, and that the Companys future business activities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, fluctuations in market prices, successes of the operations of the Company, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such information will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. The Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking information except as required under the applicable securities laws.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dinant is proud to announce the publication of its first Sustainability Report to use Global Reporting Initiative ( GRI ) standards to measure the economic, social and environmental impact of the Companys operations. The report shows success on all fronts and demonstrates Dinants alignment with many of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ).

Miguel Mauricio Facusse, Dinants Executive President, said, Dinants operations are at a scale where we can drive transformative change in many parts of the country. We are aware of the important role we must play to help tackle climate change, defend human rights, promote gender equality, and contribute to overall social well-being. That is why we are giving serious consideration to the impact we have on the economy, society and the environment. Im delighted to report that we are maintaining very high standards on all fronts, while making progress on several of the UNs Sustainable Development Goals.

Dinants Sustainability Report for the period 2019-20 catalogues many highlights, including:

Dinant is an Engaged Member of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights , an internationally accepted benchmark that strictly governs how organizations vet, recruit and train security men and women. Dinant was the first Honduran company to join the Voluntary Principles, and the first agrobusiness in the world to be accepted.

Dinants high-tech biogas recovery unit at its oil extraction mill in the Aguan uses biomass from the waste of the palm fruit to produce clean energy that is returned to the facility and steam that is used to power the boilers. This facility has generated over 121 million m of biogas since 2008, reducing the use of fossil fuels by nearly 10 million gallons.

Dinant protects many thousands of hectares of tropical rainforest at two Wildlife Conservation Centers in Honduras, and manages breeding, rearing and release programs of endangered indigenous species, including jaguar, tapir, red macaw and green iguana.

Dinants palm oil extraction mills and plantations in the Lean and Aguan regions of Honduras have been awarded two prestigious International Sustainability and Carbon Certifications  ISCC EU and ISCC Plus  in recognition of the sustainability of raw materials and products, the traceability of the supply chain, and control of greenhouse gas emissions.

Since 2007, Dinant has financed the employment of 12 elementary and high school teachers in the Lean and Aguan valleys, providing direct education (as well as infrastructure improvements) that benefit more than 300 children per year and over 3,900 children since the program began.

Dinant is a founding partner of the Honduras Food Bank, and has donated more than 26,000 kgs of food to help support vulnerable people throughout the country.

With consumer demand growing across a range of its products, Dinant has worked hard to expand production capacity while reducing its environmental impact, generating more jobs for Hondurans, supporting an increasing number of independent suppliers, and continuing to meet stringent national and international quality standards.

Roger Pineda Pinel, Dinants Director of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, commented, We have achieved a great deal as we strive to make our business as sustainable as possible, but we know there is a lot more to do to enhance the transparency of our reporting while ensuring that the impact of our operations along the entire supply chain  from the production of raw materials through delivering the final products  is constantly improving. This is a good start, but we look forward to doing even better next year.

For full details of these and other initiatives  including water and waste management, emissions controls, sustainable packaging, equal opportunities for all employees and applicants, and community engagement  read Dinants Sustainable Report 2019-20 in English here:

https://www.dinant.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Sustainabilty-Report-2019-2020.pdf

And in Spanish here:

https://www.dinant.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Reporte-de-Sostenibilidad-2019-2020.pdf

About Corporacion Dinant

Dinants products are sold across Central America and the Dominican Republic. Its operations directly employ 7,600 people  who in turn support approximately 22,000 family members  as well as many thousands of contractors, vendors and suppliers.

The GRI Standards enable organizations to understand and report on their impacts on the economy, environment and people in a comparable and credible way, thereby increasing transparency on their contribution to sustainable development.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals call for improvements in a range areas, including health and education, reduced inequality, and tackling climate change.

This material is distributed by Tricuro LLC on behalf of Corporacion Dinant. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.

*** END ***

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LOUISVILLE, Colo., March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- JumpCloud today announced it has been recognized as part of Forbes Americas Best Startup Employers for 2022 . This prestigious award is presented by Forbes and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider.



Forbes and Statista analyzed more than 8 million data points to identify the top startup employers. In particular, three aspects of each company were assessed during the evaluation: employer reputation, employee satisfaction, and company growth. Out of the thousands of qualified organizations in the United States, 500 companies earned this distinction. 2022 is the third year in a row that JumpCloud has been recognized on Forbes list of Americas Best Startup Employers.

Its an honor for JumpCloud to be considered one of the best startup employers in America for the third consecutive year, said Rajat Bhargava, CEO and co-founder of JumpCloud. Our three core values are Build Connections, 1% Better Everyday, and Think Big. To us, that means creating a human connection with each other regardless of our backgrounds, geographies, religions, languages, gender, race, etc. Working together closely leads to better results and outcomes, and its why we put so much time and attention into building relationships. We strive to improve a little each day, and we use experience and data to get us there, while thinking differently and aiming big every day. Each and every one of JumpClouds employees reflect these values, and its why I believe weve continued to be recognized as a top place to work. We stack our team with people who want to shape our companys future, reject the confines of a traditional role, and work collectively to solve complex challenges.

Resources:

Zero Trust Demystified , an SMEs guide to Zero Trust and actionable tips for successful implementation.

, an SMEs guide to Zero Trust and actionable tips for successful implementation. IT Admins Toolkit for 2022 , a guide to support 2022 planning and ensure IT strategy is secure and ready for the long haul.

, a guide to support 2022 planning and ensure IT strategy is secure and ready for the long haul. JumpCloud Lounge , a Slack channel where IT admins gather, ask questions, and share experiences and expertise.

, a Slack channel where IT admins gather, ask questions, and share experiences and expertise. JumpCloud Blog , where IT admins can review technical articles, follow step-by-step how-to guides, evaluate feature and product comparisons, and learn essential tips and tricks.

, where IT admins can review technical articles, follow step-by-step how-to guides, evaluate feature and product comparisons, and learn essential tips and tricks. JumpCloud University , where admins can enroll in free courses for all skill levels and earn official JumpCloud certification.

, where admins can enroll in free courses for all skill levels and earn official JumpCloud certification. The IT Hour , a weekly community program open to anyone, which focuses on everything in the life of the IT admin.

About JumpCloud

The JumpCloud Directory Platform helps IT teams Make (Remote) Work Happen by centralizing management of user identities and devices, enabling small and medium-sized enterprises to adopt Zero Trust security models. JumpCloud has a global user base of more than 150,000 organizations, with more than 5,000 paying customers including Cars.com, GoFundMe, Grab, ClassPass, Uplight, Beyond Finance, and Foursquare. JumpCloud has raised over $400M from world-class investors including Sapphire Ventures, General Atlantic, Sands Capital, Atlassian, and CrowdStrike.
For the first time in 724 days, New York City students and teachers stepped inside their school buildings Monday without having to wear a mask.

The end of the school mask mandate for staff and kids 5 and above marked a significant milestone in the citys efforts to dial back educational pandemic restrictions that began when COVID-19 first shuttered schools in March 2020, Mayor Adams said Monday.

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A young mother walks her daughter to school Monday morning in Midtown on the first day without a mask requirement. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/for New York Daily News)

Having our children go to school without masks  these are all the symbolic and substantive things that we need to do, Adams said. I keep saying this over and over again: Our prosperity is going to be tied to symbolism and substance.

For students, parents and educators, the mask-rule change brought a mix of joy, anxiety and new questions.

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Trenton Baker, 6, bounded maskless out the door of P.S. 169 in the Bronx during dismissal. He said the new policy felt like a breath of fresh air  literally.

It was good. I can breathe better, the first-grader said.

Meanwhile, at P.S. 368 in Hamilton Heights in Manhattan, another 6-year-old, Sam, decided to take a more cautious approach.

I wear the mask inside because we have connected desks and everyone is so close, the first-grader said.

Were not ready yet  it felt abrupt to me, said Sams mom, Jennifer Rau. We decided as a family to take a couple weeks and see how it goes.

Its unclear how many students and teachers citywide opted to keep their masks on Monday. Mask use varied significantly across schools and classrooms.

At one Brooklyn elementary school, the principal estimated that only 20% of students continued masking.

But in a Washington Heights high school classroom, all but a few students kept their face coverings on during class, according to teacher Jared Fox.

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It felt like a normal day, Fox said. The majority of kids continued to wear masks in some form or fashion.

Students had a wide range of opinions about the mask rule change. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/for New York Daily News)

For many kids and teachers, finding the right balance between keeping up precautions and embracing the new freedom will take some time.

Brian Dornicik, a teacher at P.S. 184 in Chinatown, said he thinks its great this is where were at, but he plans to keep his mask on for now, not because of any personal fear for myself, but because I have a co-teacher who is expecting a baby and I have a mother-in-law at home who has been fighting cancer.

I think the most important thing at this point is respecting each others decisions.

Several parents said they left the decisions to their kids.

I left it up to my son, his comfortability on it, said Theresa Rivera, 31, of Jose, a 7-year-old student at P.S. 20 Anna Silver in lower Manhattan. He kept his mask on, said Rivera proudly. He said I want to be safe, Mom.

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Other parents said they encouraged their kids to keep wearing masks  but knew it would be difficult to guarantee with schools no longer enforcing the rules.

Some students said they preferred continuing to wear masks at school. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

Ahmed Mohamed, 54, the father of an 8-year-old at P.S. 368, was disappointed to learn at dismissal that his son hadnt worn his mask most of the day  and left it in school.

If some people need to wear masks than we all should, he said. Id rather they keep it.

But Mohameds son, Ziyad, said hed lost patience. Its been too long, its enough, he said.

After more than a year and a half of mask mandates for in-person classes, momentum to roll back the requirements built quickly at the state and city level over the past month, with Gov. Hochul announcing the end of the statewide requirement in late February and Adams quickly following suit.

But the new freedoms do not extend to all kids. City children under 5 who are too young to get vaccinated are still required to wear masks for the time being  a sore spot for some preschool parents.

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I dont think its a very scientific decision theyre making for under 5s, said Gabriel Russell, 51, whose daughter is enrolled at Bank Street Head Start.

Adams defended the mandate for young kids, but said hes hoping to roll it back as soon as possible.

United Federation of Teachers president Michael Mulgrew, who has supported the lifting of the mask mandate, called Monday a milestone day, but said union officials will continue to look at all the numbers from the DOEs weekly school COVID-19 testing program.

Eliot Newmeyer, 7, a student at the Earth School in the East Village, said hes soaking up the new flexibility  and the new perspective hes getting on his classmates.

Well, I loved it because I just liked seeing each others faces, said Eliot. Seeing kids whole faces.

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ATLANTA, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Champion Firm, P.C., a Metro Atlanta personal injury law firm, obtained a $17 million settlement in a lawsuit against the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). The lawsuit arose out of the death of a contractor who died on June 3, 2018, while performing work as part of a project to install a cellular wireless system in MARTA's stations and tunnels.



The contractor's surviving wife hired Darl Champion of The Champion Firm, P.C., and co-counsel Rudjard Hayes of Sanchez Hayes & Associates, shortly after her husband's death. The lawsuit against MARTA was filed in Fulton County Superior Court in 2018.

In March 2022, faced with the prospect of a trial for the contractor's death, MARTA agreed to settle all claims against MARTA and its employees for $17 million.

"Our client's husband was a caring father, husband, son, brother, friend, and co-worker who was loved by all. Ultimately, after 3 years and 9 months of litigation, MARTA and its insurer took full responsibility and acknowledged the multiple errors that its employees committed," Champion said. "While no amount of money will ever fill the tremendous void his loss has left in the lives of his wife, children, family and friends, this settlement will allow his wife and her children to have closure and financial security."

Click HERE to read the full case story.

To learn more about The Champion Firm P.C. visit www.thechampionfirm.com.

About The Champion Firm, P.C.: Started in 2014, The Champion Firm, P.C. is a top-rated, full-service Metro Atlanta personal injury firm specializing in motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, wrongful death, and medical malpractice. Led by Attorney Darl H. Champion Jr., The Champion Firm team has successfully litigated and settled over $90 million for clients all across Georgia. If you or someone you know was injured in Georgia as a result of someone else's negligence, contact The Champion Firm P.C. today for a free consultation.

Media Contact:

Emily Truax

etruax@thechampionfirm.com

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Darl Champion

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe6hqoLxAvU

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3a462b66-8ebe-4913-b44c-52c69ab01353
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CALGARY, Alberta, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Wednesday, March 9th, 2022, the Clean Resource Innovation Network (CRIN) will announce an investment of more than $44M through the Reducing Environmental Footprint oil and gas technology competition, which will help solve priority environmental and economic challenges faced by Canada's oil and gas industry.



This competition is the third of three oil and gas competitions supported by the Government of Canadas Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) designed to accelerate late-stage technology innovation projects. In the interest of advancing a sustainable energy system including net-zero emissions targets, each project includes an SME technology solution developer working in partnership with at least one oil and gas producer, and demonstrates the potential for significant reductions in emissions as well as land and water-use intensity.

Media are invited to attend this virtual news conference and panel discussion.

WHO: Parliamentary Secretary, Andy Fillmore

Ginny Flood, Board Chair, CRIN

Project proponents (2)

WHAT: Funding announcement:

CRIN Reducing Environmental Footprint oil and gas technology competition

Panel discussion hosted by Parliamentary Secretary, Andy Fillmore

Participants: Ginny Flood, CRIN Justin Wheler, Emissions Reduction Alberta, Competition Coordinator Representatives from two funded projects This will be followed by Q&A from the media WHERE: Via Zoom. Click here to register by March 9 at 9 a.m. MT. WHEN: Wednesday, March 9, 2022 at 11 a.m. MT  12:00 p.m. MT
Saint-Laurent , March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Increasing Lithium-Ion Battery Demand: Manganese Industry Expert Martin Kepman, CEO of Manganese X Energy Weighs In on Ford Projects $45 Billion Profit from New EV Transit Service.

Tesla is no longer the only player in the electric vehicle sector, with most big-name automobile manufacturers across the world producing electric and hybrid models to keep up with market demand.

Ford Motor Company has recently announced its first electric delivery van, which is set to roll out this month. The medium-duty business van is designed for and marketed towards commercial applications. In addition to selling the vehicles themselves, Ford will be launching software and services  collectively named Ford Pro Intelligence  to help companies manage their delivery fleets. These services are set to include charging depots (to help customers minimize energy consumption while maximizing vehicle run time), cloud-based routing (to increase efficiency and decrease drive time), over-the-air updates for new features, and tailored alerts for maintenance and repairs.

In total, Ford projects a profit of at least $45 billion from their electric transit vehicle program.

The company will be producing and selling 150,000 electric vans (dubbed the E-Transit) each year as of 2023. (Fewer vehicles will be manufactured this year.) The E-transit will be available in three lengths and three roof heights, as well as cutaway versions (which have a cab but no body).

Overall, the demand for medium-duty transit vehicles in the United States is approximately 330,000 vehicles per year. Fords gasoline-powered Transit vans already account for almost half of this market. Though the point-of-sale price for the E-Transit is around $10F,000 more than the gasoline-powered Transit, businesses should be able to quickly make this direct cost back through energy and efficiency savings.

Three of the thirteen gigafactories set to open in the U.S. in the next five years will belong to Ford. These gigafactories will focus on battery production for electric vehicles. Most of Fords existing electric vehicles use lithium-ion batteries, which are the most sustainable, energy efficient batteries that modern technology currently has to offer.

Lithium-ion batteries are a staple of everyday life, powering everything from electric vehicles to electric toothbrushes and smartphones and laptops. As the demand for lithium-ion batteries rises even further due to new products and programs in the electric vehicle sector, so does the demand for one of the key components of these batteries: manganese.

Manganese is an essential component of the lithium-ion battery, but it is also used in the other most common type of battery produced globally, the nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery.



There are plans to re-engineer the chemistry of the current NMC battery by eliminating cobalt and increasing the proportion of manganese in future lithium-ion nickel manganese EV batteries. Some of the reasons that make manganese potentially the mineral of the decade is it doesnt have the ethical sourcing issues of mining cobalt in the Congo, where the majority of cobalt is produced. Economically, cobalt is 10-47 times more expensive than manganese to acquire, based on the commodity markets of fluctuating prices. Safety, manganese is renowned for its stability in nature and has the characteristics of increasing energy density, which ultimately increases capacity and improves driving range. Also, manganese decreases the combustibility of EV batteries, which is problematic with cobalt infused lithium-ion batteries. Our strategically located manganese property in Canada will provide EV battery manufacturers access to a domestic supply with less reliance on China imports,  Martin Kepman CEO of Manganese X Energy Corp.

Locating and mining manganese deposits will be an important goal for the electric vehicle industry. Manganese can be found in rich deposits in North America, such as in the Battery Hill manganese site in Woodstock, New Brunswick, Canada.

About Manganese X Energy

Manganese X Energy Corp. (TSXV: MN) (FSE: 9SC2) (OTC:QB:MNXXF) (FRANKFURT:

9SC2) with its head office in Montreal QC, owns 100% of the Battery Hill property project (1,228 hectares) located in New Brunswick Canada. Battery Hill is strategically situated 12 kilometers from the US (Maine) border, near existing infrastructures (power, railways, and roads). It encompasses all or part of five manganese-iron zones, including Iron Ore Hill, Moody Hill, Sharpe Farm, Maple Hill and Wakefield. According to Brian Ways (2012) masters thesis on the Woodstock manganese occurrences, that includes Battery Hill, the area hosts a series of banded iron formations that collectively constitute one of the largest manganese resources in North America, approximately 194,000,000 tons.

Media contact:

Rene Perras Digital PR Consultant

for Manganese X Energy Corp

514-816-4446

When sharing on social media please help us by using these hashtags:

#ManganeseXEnergyisElectricGold #ManganeseXMinerforElectricGold

#ManganeseisElectricGold #ManganeseXisElectricGold

New Brunswick, Canada

https://www.manganesexenergycorp.com











###

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Neither 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. This news release contains forward-looking information which may include statements with respect to the future exploration performance of Manganese X Energy Corp (the Company). This forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements of the Company, expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks, as well as others, are disclosed within the Companys filing on SEDAR, which investors are encouraged to review prior to any transaction involving the securities of the Company. Forward-looking information contained herein is provided as of the date of this publication and the Company disclaims any obligation, other than as required by law, to update any forward-looking information for any reason. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, and the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking information. We seek safe harbor.





Attachment
Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for release, publication, distribution or dissemination, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, in or into the United States.



VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pure Extracts Technologies Corp. (Pure Extracts or the Company) (CSE: PULL) (XFRA: A2QJAJ) is pleased to announce that it has completed a non-brokered private placement offering (the Offering) of special warrants (each, a Special Warrant). In connection with the Offering, the Company issued an aggregate of 5,937,001 Special Warrants at a price of $0.075 per Special Warrant, for aggregate gross proceeds of $445,275. The Company also closed its offer to settle an aggregate of $206,433in debt owed to certain creditors (the Debt Settlement) in exchange for units (the Debt Units), which Debt Units have the same terms as the units to be issued on conversion of the Special Warrants, all as further described below.

Special Warrant Offering

The Special Warrants will automatically convert to units (the Units) upon the earlier of the receipt for a prospectus qualifying the distribution of the Units or four months and a day from the closing date of the Offering. Each Unit will be comprised of one common share of the Company (each, a Common Share) and one Common Share purchase warrant (each, a Warrant). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to acquire one Common Share (a Warrant Share) at an exercise price of $0.15 per Warrant Share for a period of 24 months following the deemed exercise date of the Special Warrants.

Finders fees of $14,169 cash and 188,930 finders warrants (each a Finders Warrant) were paid and issued in conjunction with the Offering. Each Finders Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one common share of the Company (each a Finders Warrant Share) at an exercise price of $0.15 per Finders Warrant Share until March 7, 2024.

All securities issued under the Offering will be subject to a statutory 4-month plus one day hold period, which expires on July 8, 2022, in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws.

The Company intends to use net proceeds from the Offering primarily for the build-out of the Companys Michigan, USA extraction facility and for general working capital.

The Company may elect to qualify the distribution of the Common Shares and Warrants issuable upon exercise of the Special Warrants by way of a supplement (Prospectus Supplement) to the Companys short form base shelf prospectus dated March 4, 2021. The Company is under no obligation to file a Prospectus Supplement, and may elect to do so in its sole discretion. The Special Warrants and Warrants will not be listed on any stock exchange or overthecounter market.

Three insiders of the Company subscribed for a total of 656,666 Special Warrants in connection with the Offering. Such participation is considered to be a related party transaction as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 (MI 61-101). The transaction was exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101, as neither the fair market value of any securities issued to nor the consideration paid by such persons exceeded 25% of the Companys market capitalization.

Debt Settlement

Pursuant to the Debt Settlement, the Company has issued 2,752,448 Debt Units for a total debt settlement of $206,433. Debt settled by insiders of the Company accounted for 1,035,073 Debt Units representing approximately $77,630 of the Debt Settlement. Such participation constituted a related party transaction within MI 61-101. The issuance to the insiders is exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 as the fair market value of the securities issued, or the consideration paid by such persons, did not exceed 25% of the Companys market capitalization.

All securities issued under the Debt Settlement will be subject to a statutory 4-month plus one day hold period, which expires on July 8, 2022, in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws.

Option Grant

The Company also announces that it has granted incentive stock options to certain directors, officers, and consultants of the Company to purchase up to 4,225,000 common shares in the capital of the Company pursuant to the Companys stock option plan. The options are exercisable on or before March 8, 2025 at an exercise price of $0.075 per share. The grant of options is subject to regulatory approval.

The securities referred to in this news release have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from the U.S. registration requirements. This news release does not constitute an offer for sale of securities for sale, nor a solicitation for offers to buy any securities.

About the Company

The Company holds a Standard Processing License under the Cannabis Act granted by Health Canada on September 25, 2020 to Pure Extracts Manufacturing Corp., the Companys wholly-owned subsidiary. The Company is undertaking the operations of toll processing, white labelling, and developing its own private label of products incorporating its full spectrum THC and CBD based extracted oils. Additionally, the Company is presently expanding its business to include functional mushrooms extraction by working on functional mushroom extraction processes compatible with its existing infrastructure. The Company has a fully built C02 extraction facility built to European Union GMP standards, and intends to seek EU GMP certification of its operations allowing it to export its products for sale in Europe where such products are legal.

Find out more at: https://pureextractscorp.com/

Or contact:

Pure Extracts Investor Relations

Tel: +1 604 493 2052

info@pureextractscorp.com

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

(signed)  Ben Nikolaevsky 

Ben Nikolaevsky

CEO and Director

This information release contains certain forward-looking information, including about the proposed use of proceeds of the Offering, the filing of a Prospectus Supplement, the receipt of CSE approval and the listing of the Warrants. Such information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by statements herein, and therefore these statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. All forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to it as well as other factors. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Due to risks and uncertainties, including the risks and uncertainties identified by the Company in its public securities filings, actual events may differ materially from current expectations. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
HOUSTON, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Targa Resources Corp. (NYSE: TRGP) ("Targa" or the "Company") announced today that representatives from the Company will participate in investor meetings via video conference at the Evercore ISI Elite Energy & Materials Summit on Wednesday, March 9, 2022.



A copy of the slides used for the conference meetings will be available in the Investors section of the Company's website at www.targaresources.com, or by going to https://www.targaresources.com/investors/events.

About Targa Resources Corp.

Targa Resources Corp. is a leading provider of midstream services and is one of the largest independent midstream infrastructure companies in North America. The Company owns, operates, acquires and develops a diversified portfolio of complementary midstream infrastructure assets and its operations are critical to the efficient, safe and reliable delivery of energy across the United States and increasingly to the world. The Companys assets connect natural gas and NGLs to domestic and international markets with growing demand for cleaner fuels and feedstocks. The Company is primarily engaged in the business of: gathering, compressing, treating, processing, transporting, and purchasing and selling natural gas; transporting, storing, fractionating, treating, and purchasing and selling NGLs and NGL products, including services to LPG exporters; and gathering, storing, terminaling, and purchasing and selling crude oil.

Targa is a FORTUNE 500 company and is included in the S&P 400.

For more information, please visit the Companys website at www.targaresources.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this release that address activities, events or developments that the Company expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements rely on a number of assumptions concerning future events and are subject to a number of uncertainties, factors and risks, many of which are outside the Companys control, which could cause results to differ materially from those expected by management of the Company. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, weather, political, economic and market conditions, including a decline in the price and market demand for natural gas, natural gas liquids and crude oil, the impact of pandemics such as COVID-19, actions by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC oil producing countries, the timing and success of business development efforts, and other uncertainties. These and other applicable uncertainties, factors and risks are described more fully in the Companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, and any subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. The Company does not undertake an obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact the Company's investor relations department by email at

InvestorRelations@targaresources.com or by phone at (713) 584-1133.

Sanjay Lad

Vice President, Finance & Investor Relations

Jennifer Kneale

Chief Financial Officer
FILE - Trees grow on forest land adjacent to Mount Rainier National Park on Monday, Nov. 23, 2015, near Ashford, Wash. The land is part of a project of 520 acres on private timberland that allows a private nonprofit to sell "carbon credits" to individuals and companies who are hoping to offset their carbon footprints. According to a report by the NewClimate Institute released on Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, many of the world's largest companies are failing to take significant enough steps to meet their pledges to achieve zero net carbon emissions in the coming years. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
MANSFIELD [mdash] Patricia Ann Thursby-Daniels, 77, of Mansfield, Texas, formerly of Elkhart, Indiana, died Sunday April 10, at Mansfield Hospital in Mansfield, Texas. She was born May 30, 1944, in Elkhart, Indiana, to Robert James and Opal Mae (Allison) Thursby. On Feb. 14, 1965, she marrie
A pair of fraudulent cryptocurrency schemes raked in millions by duping credulous investors, Manhattan and Brooklyn federal prosecutors said Tuesday.

The announcements came in unrelated busts involving five crypto-entrepreneurs.

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In Brooklyn, the U.S. Attorneys Office arrested four men for accused of a scheme involving three virtual currency companies called EmpowerCoin, ECoinPlus and Jet-Coin.

(Shutterstock)

Dwayne Golden, 57; Gregory Aggesen, 58, Marquis Egerton, 58, and William White, 54 falsely claimed to investors during a four-month period in 2017 that they would make deals in crypto overseas and guaranteed solid returns on investments, according to prosecutors.

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But in old-school Ponzi scheme style, the men instead used new investments to pay out returns to other clients  or, when they felt like it, they simply stole the funds, prosecutors said.

The accused fraudsters victims invested more than $40 million in the trio of companies they operated, which collapsed without ever having made any crypto trades, according to prosecutors.

The men are also accused of obstructing justice for allegedly erasing information from a computer when they realized they might be investigated for their crimes, prosecutors said.

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The defendants engaged in a sophisticated scheme that preyed on unsuspecting investors nationwide with false promises of guaranteed returns and virtual currency trading opportunities, said Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Breon Peace.

FILE - In Brooklyn, the U.S. Attorneys Office arrested four men for accused of a scheme involving three virtual currency companies called EmpowerCoin, ECoinPlus and Jet-Coin. (Shutterstock)

The four suspects were variously charged with wire fraud, money laundering and obstruction of justice.

Meanwhile, feds in Manhattan arrested John Barksdale, 40, claiming he lied to investors about the worth of a company called Ormeus Coin by saying it was secured by a $250 million crypto mining operation, which the feds say was not true.

Despite his lies about the value of the coin, Barksdale traveled the country peddling its virtues, including buying a Jumbotron Times Square advertisement to convince people to invest, said prosecutors.

$250 Million Cryptocurrency Mining Farm Revealed in Legal Audit by Ormeus Coin, the ad read.

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Barksdale and an unnamed co-conspirator raised $70 million for their company, Ormeus Global, through the scheme, prosecutors said.

Barksdale was charged with securities fraud and wire fraud.
Mercedes arriving in Bahrain with a very extreme design when it comes to the sidepods of the car, according to the Italian Il Corriere della Sera. The German brand will start the second week of testing with a full B version of the W13.

Mercedes comes with very different car

The latest rumour is that Mercedes has managed to completely remove the "belly" of the car. According to Corriere delle Sera the new version of the W13 has already been tested in the simulator and its performance is impressive. It's suggested that it's already over a second faster than the first version of the W13 that Mercedes tested in Barcelona.

The new design of Mercedes is made possible by the special position of the radiators of the car. These are not located in the side pods, but in the highest part of the bodywork. This makes it possible to design a car that has virtually no side panels.

FIA had to provide clarity

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko also hinted at extreme upgrades Mercedes would bring to Bahrain. The upgrades would be so big that Mercedes would have gone to the FIA before modifying the car to ask if the car was within the rules.
Out of the pandemic fire, into the frying pan of an oil crisis thats making drivers feel more pain at the pump.

Fresh from a newly-announced American ban on Russian oil, motorists braced Tuesday for higher gas prices, even as the average price for a gallon of regular gas hit $4.17  an all-time high, breaking the previous record of $4.11 a gallon.

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Gas prices surpass five dollars at the a Mobil gas station at Horatio Street and Eighth Avenue in Manhattan Tuesday morning. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/for New York Daily News)

Prices rose 10 cents in one day, and have gone up 55 cents since last week, according to AAA.

Ive just seen it. It literally just smacked me, said Sean Scott, 27. I dont know if its because of the new ban on Russian oil, but I see they came out here and slapped the paper over the prices instantly.

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Sean Scott (Ellen Moynihan )

At the Shell station where he was filling up, a gallon of regular cost $4.55, while a gallon of diesel went for $5.79.

Usually Im at $55, $58 to fill up, Scott said. Im definitely over that now.

His total ended up being $67.24.

Were upset, were hurting, Scott said. I dont think Ill ever see $35 to fill up again.

Hours earlier, President Biden announced that the U.S. will ban Russian energy imports to punish the Kremlin and President Vladimir Putin for Russias invasion of Ukraine. The action bans Russian oil, coal and natural gas from entering the U.S.

President Joe Biden announces a ban on Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia's economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine, Tuesday, March 8, 2022, in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

We will not subsidize Putins war, Biden said. Defending freedom is going to have costs. Republicans and Democrats alike have been clear that we must do this.

The ban goes into effect immediately, but gives buyers 45 days to wind down existing contracts, a Biden aide told reporters.

Oil prices jumped on the news.

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Biden signed the energy-banning measure with bipartisan support, even though one lawmaker blamed him for gas prices that were rising even before the Russian invasion.

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U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) called on Biden to ease federal restrictions on extracting natural gas and oil in places like Texas, Oklahoma and North Dakota.

The idea that were seeing higher gas prices just because of the invasion is just not true, Malliotakis said. Were happy to see this ban on Russian oil, but thats only half of whats needed. We need to be energy independent today. We need diversification.

Prices on display at a Shell station in East Harlem. (Ellen Moynihan )

Even though the ban has strong support among lawmakers and the public, motorists said they were having a hard time.

Its hurting everybody, said Christopher Pederson, 59, of Trumbull, Conn., who was filling up a van for work. What, is it going to go up to $10 a gallon? When I fill up my own vehicle, thats an SUV, thats $70.

Joaquin Nieves, 33, of Harlem, said sometimes drivers are paying without even being aware of the increases..

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That explains why I paid so much and I had so little gas today, he said. What used to be like $10 worth is now only like two or three. Its crazy.

The previous record for the average cost of a gallon of gas was set in July 2008, in the midst of the global financial crisis.
China imposes strict punishment on corruption-related crimes: SPC report

Xinhua) 10:36, March 08, 2022

BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- China has imposed strict punishment on corruption-related crimes in accordance with laws, according to a work report of the country's top court made public Tuesday.

Chinese courts concluded 23,000 cases related to corruption, bribery and dereliction of duty in 2021, involving 27,000 people, according to the report of the Supreme People's Court (SPC) submitted to the ongoing session of the national legislature for deliberation.

Efforts were made to bring back illicit money and goods related to duty crimes and over 59 billion yuan (about 9.3 billion U.S. dollars) were recovered, read the SPC report.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Major delivery companies like Amazon and UPS that clog New Yorks streets with trucks will pay less for parking in bus lanes and no standing zones under new rules that go into effect in May, according to a new policy announced Monday by the city Finance Department.

The changes come by way of an update to the citys Stipulated Parking Fine Program, which since 2001 has granted major deliverers big discounts to parking tickets in exchange for an agreement that the companies do not contest the violations in court.

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Companies enrolled in the program have since December 2018 enjoyed a $15 discount on $115 fines issued for vehicles that park in bus lanes. But when the changes go into effect on May 2, they discount will increase to $35, and theyll pay just $80 for blocking the lanes.

A MTA Bus is blocked by a delivery truck double parked in a bike lane on W. 43rd Street in Midtown. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/for New York Daily News)

Blocked bus lanes delay riders and hamper the citys first responders, said Danny Pearlstein, a spokesman for the advocacy group Riders Alliance. The stipulated fine should be calibrated to discourage businesses from making money off other peoples wasted time.

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City officials also announced everyday New Yorkers can once again appeal their parking tickets in administrative court starting May 2. The hearings were shut down during the pandemic, much to the chagrin of smaller delivery companies not enrolled in the program.

Large companies that qualify for the discounts will still be subject to $50 bus lane fines enforced by automated cameras on city streets and on the fronts of some Metropolitan Transportation Authority buses. The $15 discounts on $115 tickets for parking in bus stops issued to companies in the program will go unchanged.

Discounts will also be increased for one of the citys biggest parking violations: No standing in zones where signs prohibit parking. Delivery companies enrolled in the program have since 2018 paid $100 for the violation. Theyll get an extra $10 discount in May and pay only $90.

Companies like FedEx can look forward to discounts on parking tickets under new rules announced Monday. (Getty Images)

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The companies get an even bigger discount for parking in taxi stands. They currently pay $100 for the $115 tickets. Come May they will pay just $60.

Transportation advocate Charlie Komanoff said the changes seem nonsensical.

Its lining the pockets of these companies instead of enhancing essential city services, said Komanoff. Its not as if these companies are going to pack up and move to Westchester or South Carolina or something. Theyre captive. Why we are giving them a break, and not a small one, is beyond me.

The changes also bring some increases to the fines the companies will pay. The city will no longer provide any discount to $115 tickets for parking in bike lanes. And the fine for double parking under the program will increase from $35 to $65, which is still a 43% discount from the $115 fine regular New Yorkers pay for the violation.

A City Council bill introduced in 2018 by former Councilman and current city Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez aimed to abolish the Stipulated Parking Fine Program. The legislation was never voted on by the full Council.

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The Department of Finance did not announce or explain the policy change in a press release. Instead, the department sent emails to the programs participants and provided those notifications to the Daily News.

Hundreds of companies are enrolled in the program. A 2019 report from the city Independent Budget Office found 10 companies with the most discounted parking fines combined to receive more than $20 million worth of discounts in 2018.
Mayor Adams said Tuesday that a teenager shot in the head by a Bronx NYPD cop was driving an SUV forward straight at the officer, and that the teens actions were akin to a terrorist attack.

The teen, Luis Manuel-Monsanto, is now in critical condition at Lincoln Hospital.

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When I received word of the shooting I immediately said, Lets download the videos and let me see it,  Adams said.

There was not a backing up. There was just the opposite. The vehicle was driven directly at the police officer. And in the days where vehicles are used in terrorist attacks to drive into crowds, were dealing with a different moment in policing.

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Mayor Eric Adams (Michael M Santiago/Getty Images /Getty Images)

Manuel-Monsanto, 18, allegedly gunned his black Jeep SUV directly at an officer when he was stopped by cops who boxed his vehicle in with two unmarked NYPD patrol vehicles after the teen blew through several red lights on Boston Road, police said.

An NYPD official said the driver backed up first before driving toward the officer.

As the officers exited their vehicle, the Jeep backed up and sped directly toward one officer who discharged his weapon at the vehicle, striking the driver, NYPD Chief of Department Kenneth Corey said Sunday night.

While NYPD policy frowns on cops shooting at moving vehicles unless something other than the vehicle is being used as a weapon, there are exceptions. Adams said experts are now dissecting video of the incident to determine whether or not proper police procedures were followed.

Police respond to the scene of a police involved shooting Sunday on Boston Road and E. 165th St. in the Bronx. (Gardiner Anderson/for New York Daily News)

Manuel-Monsantos father said he couldnt imagine his son was trying to mow down cops with his car, but said he would wait to see the video and talk with his son.

I just want to know what happened, whats going on, said the father, Eddy Monsanto. He was just joyriding with friends. Thats it. If theres no weapons involved, why do you have to take out another weapon? Maybe the officers did something wrong. Maybe they panicked. I need to see video. Im just waiting for answers, and Im hoping to get them soon.

The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. >

Monsanto, who uses a wheelchair, said his son is his right-hand man, and helps him out with everything. The teen attends Cardinal Hayes High School, just blocks from the hospital where hes now in the intensive care unit.

Its going to be a long process, Monsanto said. Its not going to be easy,

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Luis Manuel-Monsanto, 18, and his father, Eddy Monsanto.

Adams likened the situation to another incident where a car was used to intentionally mow down pedestrians.

In 2017, Sayfullo Saipov used a pickup truck to smash into a school bus and run down pedestrians on a bike path along the West Side, killing eight people.

Adams suggested its that type of vehicular attack that police must now be on guard against.

I know many of us remember what happened on the West Side where you had a terrorist attempt, and an individual used a vehicle to mow down innocent people, the mayor said.

So when you have individuals running red lights, individuals taking some intentional action, you have to make that intentional decision: Is this a terrorist attack, is this an attempt to kill a police officer? he said. Thats whats being analyzed right now.
General Motors and POSCO Chemical are working with the governments of Canada and Quebec to build a new $400-million facility in Becancour, Quebec, to produce cathode active material (CAM) for GMs Ultium batteries, which will power electric vehicles such as the Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC HUMMER EV and Cadillac LYRIQ.

The companies previously announced plans to form a CAM processing joint venture in December 2021, majority owned by POSCO Chemical. (Earlier post.) Construction on the new facility, which the joint venture will operate, will begin immediately and will create approximately 200 jobs. The sites construction will allow for future expansion opportunities as GM continues to pursue many potential future EV supply chain projects.

GM and our supplier partners are creating a new, more secure and more sustainable ecosystem for EVs, built on a foundation of North American resources, technology and manufacturing expertise. Canada is playing an important role in our all-electric future, and we are grateful for the strong support we have received from local, provincial and national officials to grow a North American-focused EV value chain. Doug Parks, GM executive vice president, Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain

The Quebec site will process CAM, a key battery material consisting of components such as processed nickel, lithium and other materials representing about 40% of the cost of a battery cell.

It is so exciting to see GM Canada and Quebec playing a key role in building the emerging mines to mobility EV battery ecosystem in North America. With this new processing facility in Becancour, GM will help lead the EV battery supply chain while also launching Canadas first full EV manufacturing plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, later this year. Scott Bell, president and managing director, GM Canada

By the end of 2025, GM plans to have capacity to build 1 million electric vehicles in North America, and the company targets the majority of components by value to be sustainably sourced, processed or manufactured in North America.





GM has announced a series of actions to create a new and more secure EV supply chain, including projects targeting key EV materials and components:

Lithium with Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR) to secure lithium produced by the first stage of its Hells Kitchen Project in California.

Rare earth materials with GE, to develop a rare earth value chain.

Alloy flakes with MP Materials, who will establish the first North American processing site for alloy flakes. The company will then expand into magnet manufacturing around 2025 at its new production facility in Fort Worth, Texas.

Permanent magnets with VAC, the largest producer of permanent magnets in the Western Hemisphere with nearly 100 years of experience. VAC will establish a North America footprint to support GMs magnet requirements starting in 2024, including locally sourced raw materials and finished magnet production.

POSCO Chemical is a global advanced materials company dedicated to battery for future mobility. It is producing high-capacity Ni-rich cathode materials and low-expansion anode materials for EV batteries, and has a set of technologies such as NCMA cathode, silicon anode and materials for solid-state batteries.
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EAST HAVEN  East Haven Academy, a magnet school serving elementary and middle school students, and Joseph Melillo Middle School were both evacuated Monday morning following a bomb threat allegedly made by a child, school officials said.

Students were able to return to the schools later Monday morning, police said in a Facebook post sent a little before 11:15 a.m., and classes were able to resume.

The threat was made from a cellphone on a school bus en route to the East Haven Academy, Superintendent Erica Forti said in a letter to parents. Both schools were evacuated to a nearby ice rink.

While we do not believe that this is a credible threat, the PD and FD are on-site assisting in ensuring the safety of students and staff, the letter stated.

The call was allegedly made by an elementary school-age child, Capt. Joseph Murgo said in an email Monday afternoon.

Under state law, a child of that age cannot be charged, Murgo said.

The superintendents office was made aware of our findings and will handle the issue internally, Murgo said.

The alleged threat shut down Hudson Street, where both schools are located, and police asked people to avoid the area of North Street and Hudson Street while the incident was ongoing.

Murgo said the Connecticut State Police bomb squad was called to the scene to assist in searching both schools.

While this threat does not seem credible, we are taking every precaution to ensure that all staff and students are safe, Murgo said earlier in the day. Once the scene is determined to be safe, classes will resume.

East Haven police later said no signs of explosives were detected, and no injuries were reported. The incident remains under investigation, police said.

Anyone with information regarding the threat is asked to call East Haven police at 203-468-3820.
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GREENWICH  Funding for major school construction projects proposed for three schools got the green light from the Board of Estimate & Taxations Budget Committee  but there are more hurdles ahead to clear.

During a vote Tuesday, the Budget Committee approved the additional proposed allocation of $2.5 million for architecture and engineering work for a new Central Middle School as well as the previously requested $1.5 million allocations each for design work for renovations at Old Greenwich School and Julian Curtiss School.

Many expected the committee to debate the projects at the elementary schools. But .the only comment came from Budget Committee member Leslie Moriarty, who said the Old Greenwich School project was important and needs to move forward.

Next, the proposed $464 million municipal budget will go to the full BET for a vote March 31, when members can still make motions to reduce or cut budget items. The BET will consider the budget line by line, hearing motions from the Budget Committee and other members, including on $87 million in proposed capital project requests.

It will then go to the Representative Town Meeting in May for a final vote.

Board of Education Chair Kathleen Stowe said she was happy with the Budget Committees approval.

I am pleased to see the Budget Committee moving forward with our major capital projects, Stowe told Greenwich Time. Im glad we could reach consensus on the need to maintain strong infrastructure to support our schools.

Approval for the new allocation for Central Middle School was expected after the building was closed for two weeks in February for emergency repairs after problems were found with its structural integrity.

Scaffolding and netting were installed along some exterior walls, and work will continue over the summer. The plan is make the building safe for use for the next five years while a new building is constructed.

I fully support this, Budget Committee Chair Leslie Tarkington said of the proposed $2.5 million allocation. I think we all are very concerned about Central Middle School and moving forward as rapidly as possible with construction.

Last week, the BET approved $1.6 million to help cover the cost of those emergency repairs as well as $150,000 to begin work on educational specifications for a new school. Those ed specs would form the basis for the plans that would be drawn up under the $2.5 million allocation. The plan would call for completing construction on a new school by January 2026.

A building committee for the new Central Middle School would have to be in place and approved by the RTM by the end of June.

The final price tag for the construction is not yet known. It has been estimated at $67.5 million for a future years budget, but more specifics would become clear through the ed specs as well as the initial architecture and engineering work.

Budget Committee member Nisha Arora said Tuesday that she believes that the cost could be significantly lower.

The Board of Education has no business estimating the cost of this project, Arora said. The fact that we have $67.5 million in here without educational specifications having been drawn up is, to me, really premature. Im not saying thats the wrong number. Im saying its a premature number.

Budget Committee member Laura Erickson said, It may not be the right number, but its not a bad number. Its not like they just made it up out of thin air.

The project for Central Middle School has been accelerated. The $2.5 million for the architecture and engineering work was originally planned for the 2025 fiscal year, with the construction funds in fiscal 2026. But the concerns over the buildings structural integrity vaulted it to the top of the towns priority list.

The $2.5 million budget request for 2022-23 replaces the original call for $250,000 to study the options of replacing or renovating the building. The $250,000 request was cut from the budget Monday, and other reductions were made for future Central masonry work that would no longer be necessary.

School district COO Sean OKeefe told the BET last week that those reductions would allow the $2.5 million addition to be budget neutral since the reductions would offset the new cost.

Construction of the new school would begin in the 2023-24 fiscal year if funding is approved. Arora said Tuesday that the timeline could be accelerated if the community wishes.

She said the project could be eligible for state grants it will be seeking this year instead of next year even without completed design work.

I am very supportive of this project and very supportive of encouraging the acceleration of this  if that is indeed what the community wants. But I do want the community to know the facts, Arora said. And the facts of this matter are that if this project (were to be accelerated) the bottleneck is the financial boards.

The three things required for the grant are educational specifications, an RTM resolution with an appropriate funding source and a commitment from our financial boards that we are going to do our part in this, she said. I am not by any means suggesting we need to do this project in two-and-a-half years but I want the community to understand there are options to accelerate this.

However, others have disagreed, including Superintendent of Schools Toni Jones, that the district would be ready to submit everything by June 30 to be eligible for a state grant this year.

We can consider over the next few weeks if we can move ahead even faster than this. It would take a little bit of a culture change for the BET and the RTM, Moriarty said at Tuesdays meeting.

Advocates for the projects at Old Greenwich School and Julian Curtiss School are expected to lobby the full BET for approval.

Funding for both project has been deferred in the past, and many parents spoke in support of the projects at the initial public hearing on the proposed budget in January. Parents from both schools called for improved accessibility, security and classroom space.

The full BET will hold a public hearing on the budget on March 28.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
NYPD officials are fond of saying the department can fill any key position from its deep bench  but Commissioner Keechant Sewell is looking elsewhere for a confidential advisor, an online job posting reveals.

Whoever gets the job will counsel Sewell on a myriad of highly confidential and sensitive administration issues and agency policies which impact all aspects of Police Department operations, the ad states.

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The advisor will also attend meetings Sewell has with other city officials, an apparent reference to the holistic approach Mayor Adams spoke about when he said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks  a former NYPD chief of department  will work closely with other law enforcement agencies, such as Correction and Probation, to help fight crime.

The NYPD wouldnt answer questions about the posting and why an advisor is being sought. Sewell already has at least one advisor, her chief of staff, Chief Donna Jones.

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A police source speculated the new hire might turn out be someone Sewell worked with in the Nassau County Police Department, where she was chief of detectives until then Mayor-elect Adams in December picked her to replace outgoing NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea, making her the first woman to lead the department.

If that is the case, another source noted, it might indicate Sewell is still trying to get acclimated, coming in as an outsider.

The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. >

The posting says the job pays between $95,912 and $223,761 a year, though the NYPD wouldnt say if the money would come from its budget or will be paid by the Police Foundation, which funds some department costs  including the salaries for consultants hired by Bill Bratton when he became commissioner for a second time in 2014.

In October 2020, when NYPD Chief of Patrol Fausto Pichardo unexpectedly resigned, then-Commissioner Dermot Shea vowed to fill that position internally. We have a deep bench, and well put the call out and it will be the next man or next woman up, he said.

Two weeks later, Shea promoted Juanita Holmes, the NYPDs first Black woman to become a three-star chief, to chief of patrol. The position oversees all the departments uniformed officers.

NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell (Theodore Parisienne/for New York Daily News)

Sewell has kept a relatively low profile thus far in her new role. She has yet to hold a press conference at NYPD Headquarters, 1 Police Plaza in lower Manhattan. Her media availabilities have largely been limited to hastily called press conferences after cops have been shot, including the tragic slayings of Officers Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora in Harlem in January.

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Last month Sewell laid out her vision for fighting crime during the Police Foundations State of the NYPD breakfast. The event was virtual, due to COVID-19 concerns. The media, which usually attends and meets with the commissioner afterward, was not invited.
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Samsungs latest patent is a strange one. LetsGoDigital and Concept Creator imagine the Korean smartphone makers latest L-shaped smartphone in the form of renders. The patent (filed with WIPO) features a folding display that opens out sideways, and this portion of the display wraps around towards the back of the device when in the closed position.

The features that we envision for this kind of device remind us of the LG Wing. The secondary display of the Wing was used to sometimes open secondary apps in a smaller window, or to display additional information while playing a game or watching videos. This unreleased Samsung device could be used while holding it upright or sideways, with the auxiliary display flap opening to the left or top, respectively.

Since the screen folds backwards, this portion of the display could potentially be used as a viewfinder for the rear cameras. According to the patents drawings, there is a triple-camera setup and LED flash, but theres no information as to their exact details.

Other details mentioned in the patent include a two-part battery, and that the folding display would be made of Samsungs UTG (Ultra Thin Glass), the same protective layer thats used on Samsungs Galaxy Z Fold3 and Z Flip3.

One of the challenges with a design like this would be incorporating a folding hinge on the inside of the device, with the screen wrapping around it. Samsung hasn't made an outward folding hinge before. Plus, the hinge would need to take up space - perhaps the reason for the dual-battery setup.

Tech companies often file patents for devices that never go to production. Whether Samsung would ever release a smartphone with an L-shaped design remains to be seen.

Source
Department of Corrections Director Joe Carbullido announced he is leaving his position as director.

I would like to take the time to thank all of you for all you do and your commitment in your chosen profession. I want to announce that today Saturday, March 5, is my last day at the Department of Corrections, Carbullido said in a video that was sent to all DOC employees.

Cabullido then reflected on the accomplishments DOC has achieved during his time as director which included the approval of funding for a new prison and the COVID-19 plans and policies developed.

With Carbullidos departure, deputy director Robert Bob Camacho will be the acting director.

He did a great job so its time for me to take the baton and run with it and continue improving and developing the Department of Corrections, said Camacho, who assumed the position of acting director on Monday.

Camacho said he has been with DOC for the past 24 years, which have included being director before. He plans to use his knowledge bring about improvements.

At the forefront is having our new prison built thats going to be the most prevalent issue at hand and of course just to continue to maintain safety and security for the facility, said Camacho.

GPD

Carbullido said in his announcement to the employees he will be returning to the Guam Police Department, where he worked for three decades.

I strongly believe that I can help advance GPDs mission and then retire as a police officer, Carbullido said.

On Tuesday, Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero in a release announced that Marianas Regional Fusion Center Director Frank Leon Guerrero, a former chief marshal and former U.S. Marshal, will serve as DOC deputy director.

Parks and Recreation

The governor also announced that Warren Pelletier will serve as deputy director of the Department of Parks and Recreation.

As our island moves forward into recovery, strong infrastructure will be essential to securing public safety, the governor said in the release. As the founder and former general manager of Guam Seawalker Tours and Ocean Jet Club, Warren will use his wealth of knowledge in facility management to improve the state of parks and beaches islandwide.
Hagatna should be developed into a pedestrian-friendly city, with new iconic government office buildings at its heart, according to the governments latest master plan for the capital.

Lawmakers are scheduled to hold a public hearing Thursday morning for Bill 246, submitted by the governor, which would adopt the plan.

A 1997 law, the Hagatna Restoration and Redevelopment Act requires the nine-member Hagatna Restoration and Redevelopment Authority to submit a plan to the governor, which then is sent to the Legislature to be adopted, changed or rejected. A draft master plan was created in 2005, but never was adopted.

According to lawmakers, redevelopment will create more housing and jobs and provide an environment for the social, economic and psychological growth and well-being of all citizens.

There are no true cities on Guam, the updated plan states. Establishing Hagatna as a true city will allow it to be self-governing in many regards, supported by city administration and management staff.

Some of the revitalization projects listed in the plan already have been completed, including the construction of the Guam and CHamoru Educational Facility museum and the renovation of the Guam Congress Building.

Aspinall Avenue and Chalan Santo Papa would be the two main streets, the plan states and provides several design options to rebuild the streets to include medians, on-street parking and bike lanes.

The plan also calls for an improved network of sidewalks and walkways in the capital.

Creating or enhancing pedestrian corridors and providing linkages between points of interest will greatly improve Hagatnas ability to attract people and become a vibrant downtown, it states.

Districts

The plan divides the capital into several districts with different purposes: the city center district, which includes public buildings, parks and most existing commercial businesses; the waterfront district, which is the entire shoreline of the village, including the Paseo De Susana; the West Hagatna district, which includes the homes and apartments between the city center and Adelup; and the riverwalk district, along the banks of the Hagatna River.

The plan proposes developing pedestrian trails in the riverwalk and waterfront districts.

Although the whole (waterfront) trail will be improved, most of the improvements will be concentrated west of the Paseo de Susana. This part of the trail is in poor condition and generally unsafe for pedestrians and bicyclists who are looking to stroll along the shoreline.

Complex

According to the plan, the following government agencies would occupy a new centralized Government Civic Center Complex near the Plaza de Espana, with the Palacio as its epicenter: the governors office; the attorney generals office; the Department of Revenue and Taxation directors office; the Department of Labor; the Department of Administration; the Department of Land Management; the CHamoru Land Trust Commission; the Bureau of Statistics and Plans and the Bureau of Budget and Management Research.

The intent is for government of Guam buildings to be relocated to the district to create a government square. The new Palacio will provide community meeting space and historical displays. The reconstruction of the Palacio will uphold the historical context of the area through architectural styles and through the use of the Plaza de Espana, the plan states, noting GovGuam could save millions of dollars a year in lease payments for the relocated offices.
Six men were charged in what one participant described as an all out brawl with weapons that left a man permanently blind in his left eye, according to police and court documents.

The fight, recorded on video and shared on social media, involved drunken men beating one another with fists and skateboards, a bottle of rum being thrown and a car being damaged, according to magistrates complaints filed in Superior Court.

Mali Ios, 19, Kayson Nick, 19, Darwin Fortes, 22, John Jashua, 18, Jame Repwak, 23, and Chesrick Tom, whose age is unknown, were all charged with assault and aggravated assault in connection with the Thursday morning riot.

Witnesses reported the six men charged and two others who were not charged had been drinking beer and Captain Morgan at the park when Repwak and Ios approached another group in an aggressive manner, the complaint stated.

Witnesses told police Repwak and Fortes tackled one of the men and punched him while he was on the ground. Fortes kicked and threw a skateboard at a car, cracking the vehicles front passenger window, the complaint stated.

Nick threw the bottle of Captain Morgan at someone, and Tom and another individual were seen punching people, witnesses told police.

A witness who tried to intervene said Nick tried to punch him. The witness said someone else was swinging a skateboard in the fight. At the time, Ios was seen recording the altercation on his phone, the complaint stated.

Arrests

Officers from the Dededo Precinct were called to the park at 1:15 a.m., but the men fled before they got there, a GPD release stated.

The Community Crimes Task Force took over the investigation, and Ios was interviewed. Police said he described the fight as an all out brawl with weapons. When he was asked if he felt sorry that a man lost an eye, he responded yes, I am sorry, and hung his head low when asked what he was sorry about, the complaint stated.

The injured man, who was with a glass bottle, was examined by officers. They reported swelling, bleeding and permanent blindness to the left eye, while the right eye was sensitive to light, according to the complaint.

Following the arrest of Ios on Saturday, Repwak, Jashua, Fortes and Nick were arrested.

Nick said they were drinking alcohol and were drunk on the night and admitted to punching someone and bashing a man in the eye, the complaint stated.

Jashua admitted to hitting a man with the skateboard at least two times and throwing a skateboard at a man, according to the complaint.

I didnt want to die, so I hit him with the skateboard, Jashua said to the police.

Charges

Ios was charged with aggravated assault as third-degree felony with special allegation of use of deadly weapon in the commission of a felony.

Repwak was charged with aggravated assault as a third-degree felony and assault as a misdemeanor.

Jashua was charged with aggravated assault as a third-degree felony with special allegation of use of a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony and criminal mischief as a third-degree felony.

Nick was charged with aggravated assault as a third-degree felony with special allegation of use of a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony and assault as a misdemeanor.

Fortes was charged with aggravated assault as a third-degree felony, criminal mischief as a third-degree felony and assault as a misdemeanor.

Tom was charged with assault as a misdemeanor.
Sen. Sabina Perez wants the Guam Waterworks Authority to help repair water leaks for low-income ratepayers.

Bill 266 would set up a customer assistance program under GWA aimed at providing leak detection and repair services to low- and fixed-income residents. Waterworks would set the income eligibility requirements.

The program also would provide discounts for water and wastewater services, supplemental bill assistance and the reduction and waiver of fees and late fees.

The delayed discovery of and response to water leaks on private property pose avoidable economic impact to households and unnecessary environmental impact to our precious water resources, Perez said in a news release.

In fiscal 2018, Waterworks didnt get any revenue for about 58% of its water every year because of water leaks, breaks and unauthorized and unbilled consumption, according to a 2019 audit from the Office of Public Accountability.

Early detection would prevent potable water from being wasted, Perez said. According to the bill, customer assistance programs are being implemented in other jurisdictions.

Billing disputes

Perez also introduced a measure, along with Sen. Telo Taitague, to make it easier for ratepayers to dispute utility bills if they see a sudden, unexplained increase in consumption.

The law requires a deposit on any disputed bill to be made before a utility agency can begin investigating a complaint. Bill 267 would eliminate the deposit.

As our island is experiencing significant cost-of-living increases, we must ensure access to clean drinking water for our families, especially during a health emergency, Perez said.
Catherine Bejerana Camacho is a Filipino-American attorney raised on Guam and licensed to practice in Guam and California. She specializes in employment and family-based immigration law, corporate law and family law.
Cain Velasquez, a former two-time UFC heavyweight champion, will remain behind bars as he awaits trial on charges of attempting to murder a man accused of molesting his 4-year-old relative.

Judge Shelyna Brown of Santa Clara County Superior Court denied bail for the 39-year-old former fighter, who is due back in court on April 12.

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Velasquez was arrested in San Jose last week after he chased a pickup truck through several busy streets spanning three different cities across Silicon Valley. Prosecutors said he rammed his own pickup truck into the other vehicle and fired a .40-caliber pistol several times amid the 11-mile, high-speed pursuit.

Cain Velasquez, left, sits with his attorney Mark Geragos during a hearing at the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice on Monday, March 7, 2022, in San Jose, Calif. (Aric Crabb/AP)

Velasquez was allegedly targeting 43-year-old Harry Goularte, who just days earlier was granted supervised release on charges that he molested one of Velasquezs young relatives inside a San Martin daycare, run by his mother. The child told authorities that Goularte would take him into the bathroom and touch him inappropriately, ESPN reported.

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The boy said it happened at least 100 times, and that he was not the only victim.

A photo provided by the Santa Clara County County Sheriff's Department shows Harry Eugene Goularte Jr. Goularte is accused of molesting a 4-year-old relative of former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. (Santa Clara County Sheriff's Departments/AP)

Goularte was released from custody on Feb. 25 without bail, against the wishes of the District Attorney. He was ordered to stay in home detention, remain 100 yards away from any child under 14 and wear an electronic monitoring bracelet. Both of his parents were with him when the high-speed chase unfolded just days later, on Feb. 28.

While Goularte was not injured in the shooting, his stepfather was struck in the arm and torso. His mother in a note read before court said she still has nightmares about the violence. She begged that Velasquez be kept in jail because there is nothing else that will prevent him attempting to kill us again, The Mercury News reported.

The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. >

Prosecutor Aaron French echoed the sentiment, expressing concern for the safety of Goulartes family.

It is pure luck that the three people traveling in that vehicle were not killed, French said in court. Hes a risk to all members of the public who might be around (Goularte).

Cain Velasquez (San Jose Police Dept.)

Celebrity attorney Mark Geragos, meanwhile, argued that a high bail and monitoring would be sufficient for his client, and ensured Velasquez would attend all future hearings.

Is there anybody out there who would say to a father that this is not what you should do? Velasquezs attorney Mark Geragos said outside the courthouse Monday, per KRON 4.

Is there anybody out there who finds it beyond the pale that a father was not consulted when they released the perpetrator back into the public with zero-dollar bail, yet theyre holding Cain on no bail? This is why people are disgusted  and rightfully so  with the criminal justice system.

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Velasquez retired from MMA fighting in 2019 and then moved onto professional wrestling, where he earned title belts in both 2010 an 2012.

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A Las Vegas police officer arrested last month for an armed casino robbery has been federally charged with two more similar hold-ups.

Caleb Rogers, a 33-year-old police officer with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, has been accused of stealing at least $90,000 in three different robberies dating back to November, during which he allegedly used his police-issued gun.

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Rogers was arrested on Feb. 27 after holding up the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Daily News. A security officer chased Rogers out of the casino and held him until police arrived.

At the time time, Rogers, who was off-duty at the time, was charged with burglary with a firearm, assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon.

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[ Las Vegas police officer charged in armed casino robbery ]

Caleb Rogers (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept.)

Police then tied him to two other robberies based on his unique gait, which was also captured on security footage at two other casinos.

On Nov. 12, Rogers allegedly held up the Red Rock Resort and Casino, carrying off more than $73,000 in 20- and 100-dollar bills.

Less than two months later, on Jan. 6, Rogers, again in the same disguise, allegedly held up the Aliante Casino Hotel Spa and walked off with about $11,500.

In each of the robberies, the modus operandi was essentially the same, reads the probable cause affidavit. Additionally, although Rogers appeared to wear somewhat different items of clothing during each robbery, the style of clothing was consistent across all three robberies. Rogers also wore black latex gloves during each of the three robberies.

During a search of Rogers apartment after his Feb. 27 arrest, officers found black latex gloves, paperwork tying him to a car used in one of the robberies and and injury forms about a 2019 knee injury that seemingly explains his walk.

Rogers is due in federal court Thursday. He has been suspended without pay.

His attorney declined to comment when reached by The News Tuesday.




Haiti - Social : Celebration of International Women's Day





The contribution of women and girls to building a more sustainable and egalitarian future for all Haitians is magnified by the Government of Haiti and the UN as part of the celebration of International Women's Day, celebrated every year on March 8.



The day, which will be held around the theme "Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow", recognizes the leading role that women and girls play in building a more equal and sustainable world.



Sofia Loreus, the Minister for the Status of Women and Women's Rights with the support of the UN, is organizing an event on human rights and sustainable development. This event will include addresses by Prime Minister ai Ariel Henry, Minister Loreus, United Nations Resident Coordinator ai Fernando Hiraldo, UN Women Head of Mission Marie Goretti Nduwayo and the representative of the United Nations Humanitarian Fund. Population (UNFPA), Saidou Kabore. Women's organizations and other representatives of civil society as well as technical, academic and financial partners will also contribute to the discussions.



During the event, 30 Haitian institutions, recognized for their "leadership" will be honored.



Gender equality is one of the 17 targets of the globally agreed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDG 5 recognizes that gender equality is not just a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.



The UN says promoting gender equality in the context of the climate crisis and disaster risk reduction is one of the greatest global challenges of the 21st century and that women and girls are leaders effective and powerful that can bring change.



The fight for gender equality is a long-term process. With the support of the United Nations and other partners, the Government and civil society must get involved to initiate the necessary reforms and promote the participation of women in the search for a sustainable future for Haiti.



A group of United Nations agencies from the OneUN Plan in Haiti, in partnership with the Association of Women Entrepreneurs of the Chamber of Commerce and the National Integrated Financing Framework, are consulting on the inclusion of the gender dimension in the support the implementation of public policies such as the National Policy for Social Protection and Promotion (PNPPS).



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - World Bank : Donation of an additional US 90M for the education sector





Monday, March 7, 2022, the World Bank's Board of Executive Directors has approved additional grant financing of US$90 million to the Republic of Haiti for the Promoting a More Equitable, Sustainable and Safer Education Project (PROMESSE), which is expected to benefit about 150,000 students of whom about 69,000 will be girls. The project will also support targeted interventions to help at least 1,500 girls stay and advance in school.



"The World Bank is committed to helping Haiti overcome the multi-faceted effects caused by the political, social and economic uncertainty, coupled with the devastating impact of the August 14, 2021 earthquake https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34479-haiti-flash-magnitude-72-earthquake-in-the-nippes.html and other natural disasters. One urgent need is a coordinated medium-term approach to transforming the Education sector as the average Haitian student is only retaining a total of 6.1 years of schooling, when adjusted for quality," said Laurent Msellati, World Bank Country Manager for Haiti. "This additional financing constitutes a further investment in human capital to support the government's effort to improve learning outcomes by building a more equitable, modern and resilient education system, as well as putting children back to school in the Southern Peninsula affected last year by the Earthquake."



The additional financing (AF) of US$90 million from the International Development Association (IDA) includes US$40 million from the IDA Crisis Response Window (CRW) that will enable the continuity of schooling in areas affected by the August 2021 earthquake. The funds will allow to reconstruct and rehabilitate school infrastructure https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/Seisme-du-14-Aout-2021._-Rapport-de-situation-detape-No-1-du-Coun.pdf and provide nutritional support and improved learning conditions for children. The project will support 262 public schools by funding grants to support their operations, the delivery of kits with teaching and learning materials, training and support to teachers and administrators, and support to students reading in early grades.



The project will also support access to 126 non-public primary schools and improve their teaching and learning environment through a results-based tuition waiver financing mechanism. Furthermore, the AF will be used to improve infrastructure investment planning and upgrade permanent school infrastructure in the longer term to "build back better" with improved earthquake and climate change resilience. The school infrastructure plans will include gender-sensitivity and accessibility for persons with disabilities, planting trees on school campuses to promote water infiltration and natural shade and cooling, and the use of water-efficient technologies and renewable energy.



The parent project, "Promoting an Efficient Education System in Haiti Project", was a US$15.6 million project funded by the Global Partnership for Education with the aim to improve the Ministry of Educations planning and regulatory functions and the learning assessment system. The AF of US$90 million will bring the total project amount to US$105.6 million and will build upon the parent projects efforts to strengthen capacity of the Ministry at the central and departmental levels, and support data collection to inform better decision-making, in synergy with the school-level supports mentioned above.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Social : International Women's Day, message of reflection from Lesly Conde





This Tuesday, March 8, 2022, as part of International Women's Day, Lesly Conde Ex-Consul General of Haiti in Chicago (August 2004 - May 2018), delivered as every year a message of reflections that we invite you to read and share.



Message from Lesly Conde:



"Dear compatriots and friends from everywhere,



In the year 1977, the United Nations designated the eighth day of March as 'International Women's Day'. We all know that women deserve to be honored at all times because all the roles they have played since the beginnings of humanity make them incomparable, irreplaceable beings, worthy of respect and protection.



Indeed, we often consider women as fragile beings, vulnerable both physically and psychologically. We are quite right to think that it absolutely must be protected by society. However, when we consider the attributions, duties and obligations that have only been hers since the dawn of time, we discover that there is an unusual fortitude in her that places her well above man. Even when she is the mother of mankind and the ultimate guarantor of its survival, she behaves with such stoicism and such detachment that she is seen as the weaker sex.



However, even in the most advanced societies, the situation of women still leaves much to be desired. The workplace is, for the most part, male dominated, and sexual harassment is a reality that she must be prepared to face in one form or another at some point in her career. Alongside all these pressures and all the frustrations they generate, there is also the fact that she is still expected to perform equal if not superior to that of the men. It seems to me that equal pay for equal work should be the norm in any industry.



It is also worth talking about the physical violence that many women face by remaining silent. This should not be a taboo subject as this kind of violent behavior in the home is only escalating, and is likely to span generations. By condemning and, if necessary, punishing those who are guilty of violence against women in the home, we will build better societies. Everything is harmonious when the woman is well appreciated.



As for the Haitian woman, I am among those who think that she deserves very special consideration, very special respect. She represents in the eyes of all those who know her, an example of self-sufficiency. She is a caring mother, nurse, accountant, diplomat and much more. Our society has always relied on his resilience, courage, optimism and imagination. It was she who taught us not to be afraid to excel, to always aim high, and never to let ourselves sink into discouragement.



In closing, I wish you all an excellent 'International Women's Day'3 An environment where women flourish is an environment where life is good.



Thank you for your attention !"



Lesly Conde



Message from Lesly Conde in 2022 :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35862-haiti-social-black-history-month-message-of-reflection-by-lesly-conde.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-35702-icihaiti-earthquake-2010-message-of-reflection-from-lesly-conde.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35620-haiti-218th-anniversary-of-independence-traditional-message-from-lesly-conde.html



Messages from Lesly Conde in 2021 :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35584-haiti-social-wishes-from-lesly-conde-on-the-occasion-of-the-new-year.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Diaspora Covid-19 : Daily Bulletin #718





GLOBAL SITUATION 2019-2022:

Epidemiological situation:



Tuesday March 8, 2022 the number of people infected worldwide with the Covid-19 coronavirus and its variants since the start of the pandemic (March 11, 2020) amounts to 448,199,677 cases (+1,458,279 in 24 hours ), the day before (+1,232,923)



Number of infected countries: 224



*Healings: 382,376,008 people have been cured of Covid-19 worldwide (+2,434,445 in 24 hours), the day before (+1,433,099)

*Deaths: 6,027,582 people died of Covid-19 worldwide (+6,736 in 24 hours), the day before (+4,931)

*Active cases (minus deaths and recoveries) in the world is currently 59,796,087 cases (-982,902 in 24 hours), the day before (+205,107)



Average cure rate in the world: 85.31% (+)



Average mortality rate in the world: 1.34% (=)



World: Active cases trend: (minus recoveries and deaths)





(Day-1)



Vaccination: 10.95 billion doses of vaccine injected (+30 million doses injected in 24 hours. Update March 8, 2022 (latest data available).



HAITI:

Epidemiological situation:

According to the Ministry of Public Health, +30 new cases of Covid-19 and its variants have been confirmed in Haiti as of March 5, 2022 (latest partial data available ) for a total of 30,430 confirmed cases throughout the national territory (48.7% women and 51.3% men), since the first case (March 19, 2020 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30319-haiti-health-origin-of-the-first-2-cases-of-covid-19-in-haiti.html ). Previous update (+18 cases as of March 3, 2022).



Healings: 25,729 (+244)



Cure rate: 84.55% (+)



Deaths: 827 deaths (+2) (Center +1, North +1)



Death rate: 2.71% (=)



5th Wave (Omicron Dominant):

Total of the 5th wave (starting December 27, 2021) amounts to 4,435 confirmed cases and 61 deaths



Haiti: Active Cases Trend: (less recoveries and deaths)





(Day-1)



Screening since the start of the pandemic: 181,451 tests (+427 in 2 days) since March 19, 2020, latest data available. Note that the very small number of people screened every day at the national level out of a population estimated at 11.6 million citizens, does not statistically allow us to make a representative estimate of the situation in Haiti, which translates into a < B>number of daily confirmed cases largely underestimated.



TOP 5 of the most affected municipalities in the West (2022):

Delmas: 734 (+5); Petion-ville 613 (+0); Port-au-Prince 405 (+0); Tabarre 285 (+3); Croix-des-Bouquets 232 (+2)



Confirmed cases by department (2022 / 2021 / 2020):

West: 2022: 2,523 cases; (2021: 9.890); (2020: 6,945 cases)

North: 2022: 263 cases; (2021: 664); (2020: 677 cases)

Center: 2022: 220 cases; (2021: 1.001); (2020: 508 cases)

Artibonitis: 2022: 168 cases; (2021: 855); (2020: 593 cases)

Northeast: 2022: 147 cases; (2021: 404); (2020: 314 cases)

Southeast: 2022: 236 cases; (2021: 768); (2020: 274 cases)

South: 2022: 212 cases; (2021: 891); (2020: 262 cases)

North West: 2022: 245 cases; (2021: 383); (2020: 229 cases)

Grand'Anse: 2022: 158 cases; (2021: 861); (2020: 176 cases)

Nippes: 2022: 33 cases; (2021: 249) (2020: 149 cases)



Cumulative deaths by department (2022-2021):

West: 293 deaths (2020: 104 deaths)

North: 54 deaths (2020: 34 deaths)

Center: 78 deaths (2020: 13 deaths)

Artibonite: 40 deaths (2020: 39 deaths)

North East: 7 deaths (2020: 6 deaths)

South: 51 deaths (2020: 6 deaths)

Southeast: 14 deaths (2020: 9 deaths)

North West: 15 deaths (2020: 12 deaths)

Grand'Anse: 7 deaths (2020: 13 deaths)

Nippes: 27 deaths (2020: 5 deaths)



Distribution of deaths by age (since the start of the epidemic):

0-9 years: 15 deaths

10-19 years: 10 deaths

20-29 years: 31 deaths

30-39 years: 54 deaths (+1)

40-49 years: 78 deaths (+1)

50-59 years: 133 deaths

60-69 years: 186 deaths

70-79 years: 181 deaths

80 years and over: 137 deaths



Vaccination:

155,824 Haitians (1.34% of the population) +591 in 3 days have received a 1st dose of vaccine since July 16, 2021, date of the first injection through 149 open vaccination centers and 104,984 Haitians are fully vaccinated (2 doses, 0.9% of the population) +595 in 3 days. Update February 26, 2022 latest information available (source MSPP).



List of the 149 Vaccination Centers open in Haiti (and hours) by department:

(updated October 20, 2021, latest information available)

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35051-haiti-covid-19-list-of-149-vaccination-centers-open-in-the-country.html



DIASPORA:

Epidemiological situation:



USA:

*Cases since first case (February 29, 2020): 80,979,977 cases (+62,455 in 24 hours), the day before (+4,903)

*Healings: 55,013,011 healings (+259,830 in 24 hours), the day before (+158,237)

National Cure Rate: 67.93% (+)

*Deaths: 985,914 deaths (+1,894 in 24 hours), the day before (+183)

National death rate: 1.21% (=)

*Active cases (minus deaths and recoveries): 24,981,052 (-199,269 in 24 hours), the day before (-153,517)

Tests: 958,318,603 last data available.



USA: Number of daily confirmed cases





(Day-1)



Vaccination: 555.53 million doses of vaccine injected since December 14, 2020, the date of the first injection in the United States (+240,000 doses in 24 hours). Updated March 7, 2022 (latest data available).



DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:

Confirmed cases since March 1, 2020: 576,003 cases (+54 in 24 hours) the day before (+66 in 24 hours). First case (March 1, 2020)

Healings: 570,253 healings (+107 in 24 hours), the day before (+419)

National Cure Rate: 99.00% (+)

Deaths: 4,371 deaths (+0 in 24 hours), the day before (+0)

Death rate: 0.75% (=)

Positive rate over 4 epidemiological weeks: 3.48% (-)

Active cases: (excluding deaths and recoveries) 1,379 cases (-53 in 24 hours) the day before (-353)



Dominican Republic: Trend of active cases: (minus recoveries and deaths)





(Day-1)



TOP 5 Provinces with the most new cases in the last 24 hours:

La Altagravia: +38 new cases in 24 hours (-)

National District: +9 new cases in 24 hours (-)

Santo Domingo: +3 new cases in 24 hours (-)

Santiago: +3 new cases in 24 hours (+)

Baoruco: +1 new cases in 24 hours ()



Tests (since the 1st case): 3,148,849 tests (+5,675 in 24 hours), the day before (+5,216)



Vaccination: 15.32 million doses of vaccine injected since February 16, 2021, date of the first injection in the Dominican Republic (+10,000 doses injected in 24 hours). Update March 8, 2022 (latest data available).



QUEBEC:

Confirmed cases since the first case (February 27, 2020): 929,815 (+2,895 in 72 hours), previous (+2,611 in 48 hours)

Healings: 902,741 people (+4,243 in 72 hours), previous (+3,425 in 48 hours)

Cure rate: 97.08% (+)

Deaths: 14,091 deaths (+35 in 72 hours), previous (+40 in 48 hours)

Death rate: 1.51% (=)

Active cases: (excluding death and recovery) 12,983 cases (-1,383 in 72 hours), previous (+854 in 48 hours)



Quebec: Trend of daily confirmed cases:





(average weekly trend)



Test: 16,799,714 people tested since the first case (+35,486 in 72 hours)



Vaccination: 18,481,134 doses of vaccine injected since December 14, 2020, date of the first injection (+24,292 doses in 72 hours), latest data available - MSSS as of March 7, 2022)



FRANCE:

*Confirmed cases since the first case (January 24, 2020): 23,071,822 cases (+14,496 cases in 24 hours), previous (+45,328)

*Healings: 21,738,104 healings (+142,077 in 24h), previous (+26,443)

National Cure Rate: 93.60% (+)

Deaths: 139,451 deaths (+176 in 24 hours), previous (+32)

Death rate: 0.60% (=)

Active Cases: 1,194,267 (+127,757 in 24h), previous (-18,853)

Test: 246,629,975 (last data available February 27, 2022)



France: Number of daily confirmed cases:





(day 1)



Vaccination: 141.21 million doses of vaccine injected since December 27, 2020, date of the first injection in France (+60,000 doses injected in 24 hours. Update March 8, 2022 (latest data available)



Previous bulletin : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36122-haiti-diaspora-covid-19-daily-bulletin-717.html



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30319-haiti-health-origin-of-the-first-2-cases-of-covid-19-in-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30165-haiti-flash-first-case-of-covid-19-in-the-dominican-republic.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





FLASH : registration Scholarships in China

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informs the public that the United Nations Technology Bank informs of scholarship opportunities for students from least developed countries (including Haiti) in the "International Design Education" (IDE) program for the period 2022 a (Zhejiang University in China). Information and online registration form at : https://isinfosys.zju.edu.cn/recruit/login.shtml



South : The Earth trembled

At least 10 earthquakes of magnitude greater than 3 on the Richter scale have been recorded since the beginning of the month matrs 2022, most often at sea off Jeremie. Monday, March 7 at midday, an earthquake of 4.2 on the Richter scale at shallow depth was felt in Jeremie (Grand'Anse) and caused panic. The epicenter was located at sea about 20 km north of Jeremie.



356 stranded Haitians, details

Following the grounding of a boat overloaded with illegal Haitian migrants in front of the Ocean Reef Club in North Key Largo,https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36116-haiti-usa-a-boat-carrying-more-than-200-haitians-ran-aground-near-ocean-reef-key-largo.html Alan Regalado, in charge of communication for the Florida Border Guard, said "158 migrants have decided to swim to the coast [...] The 198 others who remained in the boat were transferred to a US Coast Guard ship [...]" adding that the first group of Haitians is detained by the border police, and the second group is under the responsibility coast guards.



Statement by Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick

"Unfortunately, this ongoing crisis is caused by social, economic, and political instability across the region, and our nations failed foreign policy towards Haiti. To reduce the number of migrants risking their lives to enter the U.S. we must prioritize security in the country. Second, we must allow the people of Haiti to determine their political destiny by supporting consensus among political actors, civil society, religious and private sectors to create a civil society-led democratic transition. Third, incentivize foreign direct investments that would lead to sustainable development and the creation of jobs. In the meantime, I urge the administration to halt the repatriation of Haitian nationals to Haiti," said Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick Democratic Representative of Florida



Reconstruction of civil status documents

Working session with the civil status officers of the communes of Chardonnieres and of Les Anglais in order to identify the difficulties encountered by the local population, in particular the inhabitants of the communal sections : lost, illegible, unregistered, poorly written and/or tainted with irregularities... The Human Rights Office in Haiti is developing, within the framework of the Legal Assistance and Human Rights program and with specific support from the Swiss Embassy, an axis on the reconstitution of civil status documents, particularly accentuated in the jurisdictions of Les Cayes and Coteaux, impacted by successive natural hazards.



31 Haitians arrested in Dajabon

The Specialized Land Borders Security Corps (CESFRONT) arrested 31 Haitians in an irregular migration situation who were living in hiding in an abandoned house in Dajabon.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















By William Schwartz | Published on 2022/03/07

On March 7th the currently airing SBS drama "Business Proposal" released an interview with the show's screenwriter, Han Seol-hee. Though an established name in the world of South Korean media, Han Seol-hee is known mainly for comedy. Such titles include "All my Love" and "High Kick 3, The Short Legs Counterattack" alongside various seasons of Rude Miss Young-ae. "Business Proposal" is, by contrast, a main network drama, and an adaptation of the popular webtoon of the same title.

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According to Han Seol-hee, her job has been to emphasize the comic aspects of the original webtoon to better bring them to life on screen. Han Seol-hee stated that the main appeal of the "Business Proposal" webtoon compared to other contract marriage storylines that abound in fiction is the unique sense of humor. In particular, Han Seol-hee emphasized the need to pull the humor out of bad situations as being critical to the appeal of the story.

Han Seol-hee considered the humor to be so important to the work that she even deliberately deemphasized chemistry as necessary in order to better keep the focus on the jokes. According to Han Seol-hee, the cuteness is critical to making the presentation work, or else there's no real charm. Han Seol-hee also had strong praise for the lead actors Ahn Hyo-seop and Kim Sejeong. Purportedly, they asked constant questions in order to make sure they understood their characters correctly.

Han Seol-hee also expressed gratitude to director Park Seon-ho-I for agreeing to cast Kim Hyun-sook on her recommendation. Han Seol-hee knew the actress from their time together on the Rude Miss Young-ae series of dramas, where Kim Hyun-sook played the title role. Finally, Han Seol-hee emphasized the trifecta of chemistry, laughs, and delicious visuals which was her aim to try and make the viewers happy one hour at a time. "Business Proposal" is currently streaming worldwide on Netflix.

Written by William Schwartz

___________

"Business Proposal" is directed by Park Seon-ho-I, written by Han Seol-hee, Hong Bo-hee, and features Ahn Hyo-seop, Kim Sejeong, Kim Min-kyu, Seol In-ah, Lee Deok-hwa, Kim Hyun-sook. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2022/02/28~Now airing, Mon, Tue 22:00 on SBS.
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Published on 2022/03/07 | Source

New stills added for the upcoming Korean movie "Take Care of My Mom" (2021)

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Directed by Park Kyung-mok

With Kim Young-ok, Kim Young-min, Park Sung-yeon, Kim Hye-na, Lee Jung-eun, Kim Tae-baek,...

Synopsis

Stranger like family, family like stranger

What is 85-year-old Mrs. Jeong Mal-im's choice?

Mrs. Jeong Mal-im, an 85-year-old lady enjoys living alone with her longtime friend's dog in an old Western-style house in Daegu. Her only son, Jong-wook, will visit from Seoul after a long time, and while preparing here and there, her arm broke, and through the accident, a caregiver named Mi-seon was hired. She really hates being indebted to her children, and she doesn't feel comfortable with others so she insists on sending Mi-seon away, and Jong-wook who installed CCTVs due to his worries for her mother is frustrated at what's happening.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Jeong seems to disappear from objects and side dishes after Mi-seon came, but there is no physical evidence, and Mi-seon, who takes care of her more gently than her real son, is proud of her, and the two become like real mothers and daughters.

Then, one holiday, when Jong-wook's family suddenly visited, the conflict in the relationship that had been buried, bursts when they saw Mi-seon wearing the clothes of Mrs. Jeong, which was a gift from her daughter-in-law Yoo-jin...

What's wrong with this family? We'll live together now so "Take Care of My Mom".

Release date in Korea : 2022/04
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A Florida man pleaded guilty Monday to felony battery, nine months after he punched a Dunkin customer for calling him the N-word, causing him to fall and die three days later.

Corey Pujols, 27, was charged with manslaughter in the death of 77-year-old Vonelle Cook in May, but was able to plead guilty to a lesser charge, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

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Cook, a regular client at the Tampa Dunkin, began yelling at employees at the drive-thru on May 4, then got out of his car and went into the store, according to officials. Inside the store, the man continued yelling, then called Pujols, who worked at the coffee and doughnut chain, the N-word.

Pujols told him not to say it again, but Cook did so.

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Corey Pujols (Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office)

Thats when Pujols punched Cook in the jaw, knocking him to the ground.

Cook was hospitalized and died on May 7.

Two of the primary factors were the aggressive approach the victim took toward the defendant and everyone working with the defendant and that the victim repeatedly used possibly the most aggressive and offensive term in the English language, Grayson Kamm, a spokesman for Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren, said, according to the Times.

Pujols plea deal comes with two years of house arrest followed by three years of probation. He also must complete 200 hours of community service and attend an anger management course.
U.S. gross domestic product shrank 1.4% in the first quarter at the same time infl
The Syrian Observatory said that it monitored, within the so-called "De-escalation" zone, according to the Russian-Turkish agreement, missile shelling carried out by Damascus government forces after midnight Monday-Tuesday and early today, targeting areas in the southern countryside of Idlib and northern Latakia.

targeted with more than 25 rocket and artillery shells areas in Sfuhun, al-Fatirah, al-Bara and Falifel within Jabal al-Zawiya, and the Kabana axis within "Jabal al-Akrad", without information about casualties, in conjunction with intense hovering of Russian reconnaissance in the airspace of the aforementioned areas.

The Syrian Observatory indicated that for three days, the so-called "De-escalation" zones have witnessed mutual targeting between the forces of the Damascus government on the one hand and the mercenary groups affiliated with the Turkish occupation on the other.

T/S

ANHA
Henderson, NC (27536)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early followed by scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low near 65F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early followed by scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low near 65F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
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Six teenagers were arrested on murder charges Tuesday after a drive-by shooting outside a Des Moines, Iowa, high school that left a 15-year-old boy dead and two teen girls critically wounded.

The suspects were all charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. Police identified them as Octavio Lopez and Henry Valladares-Amaya, both age 17; Nyang Chamdual, 14; Manuel Buezo and Romero Perdomo, both 16, and Alex Perdomo, 15. All reside in Des Moines.

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Police investigate a shooting outside of East High School in in Des Moines, Iowa, on Monday. (Zach Boyden-Holmes/AP)

Chamdual and Buezo attend ninth and 11th grades, respectively, at Hoover High School, Des Moines Public School district officials told KCCI-TV. Perdomo had attended North High School and Valladares-Amaya attended Hoover High School, though neither was currently enrolled.

Octavio Lopez is not enrolled in Des Moines public schools, KCCI reported, and the district said it was barred from releasing information on the sixth individual, Alex Perdomo, under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

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Police investigate a shooting outside of East High School in in Des Moines, Iowa, on Monday, March 7, 2022. (Zach Boyden-Holmes/AP)

The shooting occurred just before 3 p.m. on Monday on school grounds outside the building. The gunfire came from multiple shooters and emanated from multiple vehicles, reported KCCI. The school was put on immediate lockdown for part of the afternoon as police, fire, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives nd other agencies descended.

The boy who was killed was not a student at the school, but the wounded girls were, police said.

Detectives quickly learned that this was a drive-by shooting, and the deceased victim was the intended target, Des Moines police said Tuesday in a statement. The two surviving victims, a 16-year-old female and an 18-year-old female, were not intended targets. Both remain hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.

Police investigate a shooting outside of East High School in in Des Moines, Iowa, on Monday, March 7, 2022. (Zach Boyden-Holmes/AP)

The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. >

Almost all the suspects had been rounded up within an hour, and the rest over the course of the next several hours after detectives carried out a slew of search warrants to homes and vehicles, recovering multiple firearms, police said. In all, five warrants yielded six firearms seized, KCCI reported.

While this incident occurred outside of a school, it could have occurred in any one of our neighborhoods, the police said in their statement, crediting the rapid response of school staff and authorities for reducing the bloodshed potential. The school is where the suspects found their target.

Members of the Des Moines Fire Department, Iowa State Patrol, Polk County Sheriffs Office, Iowa DCI, FBI and ATF all provided assistance and support, the police said.

Des Moines Public Schools canceled classes at East High School on Tuesday and postponed the ACT for juniors until March 29. Grief counseling will replace the scheduled parent-teacher conferences, which will be held at another date, and school counselors were being made available at other schools as well.

It marked the fourth homicide in the Iowa city this year.

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Real change to gun laws and access would go a long way to help us combat the all too common plethora of school shootings, Superintendent Thomas Ahart said. Our staff and students are forced to train for these incidents, and the trauma associated with the repeated drills and incidents will remain with them for years to come. Its unfortunate that our state and our country have become a place where firearms are far too easily accessible.

With News Wire Services
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, we've all known individuals who have done more than their share to help their neighbors and communities with food, comfort, care, companionship and dozens of other needs. If you know of such a person, you can nominate them to be featured in our upcoming H
The Nebraska man who opened fire inside a Sonic in 2020, killing two people, then grinned in a haunting mug shot pleaded guilty Monday.

Roberto Silva Jr. pleaded guilty to all 15 charges, including first-degree murder in the deaths of 22-year-old Nathan Pastrana and 28-year-old Ryan Helbert, two counts of attempted murder and arson, the Sarpy County Attorneys Office announced.

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On Nov. 21, 2020, Silva drove up to the Sonic Drive-In in Bellevue, just outside of Omaha, set his rental U-Haul truck on fire with an incendiary device, then went inside and began firing, according to police.

Roberto Silva Jr. killed two people in 2020. (AP)

Four employees were shot, including Pastrana and Helbert, who were pronounced dead at the scene.

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Silva was arrested a short time later.

Days earlier, Silva had been arrested outside the Sonic after using someone elses app to buy $57 worth of hamburgers and corn dogs in four separate purchases. He was released on bail.

Despite the guilty plea, Sarpy County Attorney Lee Polikov said he still plans to seek the death penalty for Silva.
Uniontown, PA (15401)

Today

Showers and thundershowers early, then overcast overnight with occasional rain. Low 61F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Showers and thundershowers early, then overcast overnight with occasional rain. Low 61F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Hes a one-man freedom convoy  who wound up in jail.

An Irish truck driver drove his rig through the gates of Russias embassy in Dublin to protest the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to the Irish Times.

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Ive done my bit, lads, driver Desmond Wisley told onlookers Monday afternoon. Its about time the rest of Ireland done their bit.

Wisley  whose family sells ecclesiastical supplies to churches  told protesters outside the embassy he was coming through, one witness told the Times. No one was injured.

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Desmond Wisley has breached the gates of the Russian Embassy in #Dublin. He was overcome after seeing photos of the family killed in Irpin. pic.twitter.com/8SMbZIYxK0  Laura Moth (@EisabelMoth) March 7, 2022

Russias embassy in Dublin has been the site of several protests since President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24. Some demonstrators Monday reportedly cheered Wisley for smashing down the gates. Police were less supportive.

I have to arrest you now unfortunately for dangerous driving, a law enforcement officer said before taking him into custody.

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Embassy officials condemned Wisleys criminal act of insanity and said no people of sound mind could support such senseless and barbaric actions.

[ Landfill worker crushed by bulldozer while using porta potty ]

After initially claiming law enforcement officers stood idle as the truck crashed onto embassy grounds, Russian representatives reportedly said they were appreciative of Irish officials tending to the situation.

The embassy had earlier demanded authorities take comprehensive measures to assure the safety of those inside and their families.

Wisley, a self-described working man, wisecracked that he plowed through the embassy gates to create a safe corridor for the Russian ambassador to leave Ireland.

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has worked to establish safe corridors through which his citizens can flee cities under attack by Russia.

[ Truck driver pulled over for speeding was using his semi as a recording studio ]

The Russian navy reportedly rankled Irish fishermen by scheduling potentially disruptive training exercises off Irelands shores last month. Russias ambassador in Dublin addressed locals complaints by assuring them the naval drills would be moved further out to sea than initially planned.

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Truckers in the U.S. Monday drove around Washington, D.C., to participate in a Peoples Convoy that the Daily Beast said failed miserably. It was modeled after Januarys Freedom Convoy in Canada where truck drivers gathered to blow their horns, play music and construct bouncy castles to protest vaccine mandates.
It was no doubt a very moooving experience.

A broken-down trucker transporting cattle found himself called into service as a vet when he noticed that his cargo was about to grow: One of his charges was in labor.

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Luck was on the side of both the trucker and the cow, in the form of Omaha Police Officer Jackie Sheets, who happened to be the one to respond to the truckers breakdown call on Thursday evening.

Sheets had grown up on a farm, and immediately started channeling her inner James Herriot. Making quick use of those childhood skills, she pivoted from cop to veterinary midwife as she found herself delivering a calf.

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Officer Jackie Sheets was called to assist a semi driver who was transporting cattle to Iowa last night, the Omaha Police Department said in a Facebook post bearing the hash tag Always Answer the Call, complete with adorable photos. While on call, one of the cows went into labor, and Ofc. Sheets childhood experience on a farm kicked in. She was able to help safely deliver the calf.

Officer Jackie Sheets was called to assist a semi driver who was transporting cattle to Iowa last night. While on call,... Posted by Omaha Police Department on Friday, March 4, 2022

Police occasionally are called upon to deliver human children, but a bovine baby was another thing entirely, as KMTV-TV noted.

The healthy bleating babe was wrapped in a blanket in the back of Sheets cruiser, and the driver continued on his way, KMTV reported.
The Olney FFA Conduct of Chapter Meetings Team recently competed in the Section 23 FFA event. The team placed 2nd overall in this years competition. Team members include (L-R) Jacob Beard, Brielle Seiler, Dacota Anderson-Krome, Victoria Rudolphi, Kaitlyn Dowty, Kalli Hancock, and Allison Reed.
Israel uncovers 1,500-year-old magical bowls with spell scripts

Xinhua) 10:39, March 08, 2022

Ancient magical bowls are shown in Jerusalem, on March 7, 2022. Ancient magical bowls, carrying spells and incantations scripts in the Hebrew and Babylonian-Aramaic languages, were uncovered in Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said on Monday. (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua)

JERUSALEM, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Ancient magical bowls, carrying spells and incantations scripts in the Hebrew and Babylonian-Aramaic languages, were uncovered in Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said on Monday.

The bowls, dated to about 1,500 years ago, were seized mong hundreds of ancient finds by the IAA and the Israeli police in a Jerusalem resident's home.

The incantation bowls, known as the "swearing bowls", came from Mesopotamia, now present-day Iraq, and were used as a kind of amulet to fight curses, demons, diseases, and pests.

It was common practice to bury such bowls under the house floor for protection, according to the IAA.

The text was written by artists for a specific client according to their personal needs, it added.

One of the bowls carries a painted figure of the "night demon," representing the individual that the bowl was meant to ward off.

The finds also include 3,000-year-old rare bone and ivory artifacts, decorated in Phoenician style, with Egyptian motifs that included scenes from the animal world, alongside geometric ornaments.

In one of the objects appear two griffons, which are winged lions whose face is human, facing each other, while another artifact has a description of a convoy of four-winged lions marching.

These are decorative items attached to wooden furniture by nails, the IAA explained.

The IAA assessed that the ivory artifacts were excavated illegally in one of the biblical mounds in the Samaria region.

Photo taken on March 7, 2022 shows an ancient magical bowl in Jerusalem. Ancient magical bowls, carrying spells and incantations scripts in the Hebrew and Babylonian-Aramaic languages, were uncovered in Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said on Monday. (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua)

Ancient magical bowls are shown in Jerusalem, on March 7, 2022. Ancient magical bowls, carrying spells and incantations scripts in the Hebrew and Babylonian-Aramaic languages, were uncovered in Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said on Monday. (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua)

Photo taken on March 7, 2022 shows an ancient magical bowl in Jerusalem. Ancient magical bowls, carrying spells and incantations scripts in the Hebrew and Babylonian-Aramaic languages, were uncovered in Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said on Monday. (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua)

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
A former Tennessee sheriffs deputy accused of raping a 14-year-old girl has accepted a plea deal that will keep him out of jail and off the sex offender registry.

Brian Beck, a former deputy with the Shelby County Sheriffs Office, has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of aggravated assault  nearly four years after he was indicted on two counts of rape and two counts of sexual battery by an authority figure, according to the Shelby County District Attorneys Office. He entered the plea as part of a deal reached with prosecutors on Feb. 28

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According to court documents obtained by NBC News on Monday, his punishment will include supervised probation for three years, which requires 150 hours of community service and random drug testing, as well as a suspension of a four-year prison sentence. Despite allegations that he raped a 14-year-old, the deal will not require Beck to register as a sex offender.

Should he violate the terms, he could face up to 20 years behind bars.

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Beck, who served in the sheriffs office since 2004, was relieved of duty in June 2018, after he was accused of repeatedly raping a teenage girl, who was 14 years old at the time. She said the abuse occurred over the course of 20 months starting in 2016.

Brian Beck

This was a best-interest plea. He decided that he didnt want to take a chance to have 12 people decide the case, his lawyer, Leslie Ballin.

Mr. Beck maintained his innocence all the way through, even last Monday when the judge accepted his guilty plea.

While most details surrounding the case are unclear, Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich in a statement said that given the totality of evidence, we ethically could not proceed to trial on the indicted offenses.

Weirich added the decision was made in consultation with the victim.
LGBTQ conversion therapy is not only harmful to young people., but its also costly to the entire nation, according to a recent analysis of more than two dozen peer-reviewed studies.

Medical and mental health professionals have for long stressed the dangers associated with attempts to change a persons sexual orientation or gender identity.

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The widely discredited conversion therapy is opposed by prominent professional medical associations including the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

However, a report published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics on Monday looked beyond how the practice can affect young people and analyzed the economic consequences of the so-called therapy.

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The report, published Monday in the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics sought to identify and synthesize evidence on the humanistic and economic consequences of SOGICE (sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts) among LGBTQ youths in the U.S.

In this Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019 file photo, members of the New York Senate debate protecting LGBTQ rights in the Senate Chamber at the state Capitol in Albany, N.Y. During the session, lawmakers voted to ban gay conversion therapy and add gender identity and expression to the state's anti-discrimination laws. (Hans Pennink/AP)

The study, conducted from Dec. 1, 2020 to Feb. 15, 2021, analyzed 28 published studies involving 190,695 LGBTQ individuals.

According to researchers, 43% of individuals received a form of SOGICE, which can be administered by either licensed or religion-based practitioners.

Those who underwent conversion therapy had significantly higher rates of serious psychological distress, depression, substance abuse, as well as attempted suicide, when compared with LGBTQ individuals who werent subject to the practice.

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According to researchers, an estimated 510,000 young LGBTQ people are at risk of undergoing conversion efforts in 2021.

Costs associated with the implementation of conversion therapy  around $650,000  added to the estimated economic burden linked to the harms caused by it, about $8.58 billion, would total an economic burden of $9.23 billion, the authors wrote.

According to the think tank Movement Advancement Project, 20 states and Washington D.C., as well as several counties and cities have laws in place to protect LGBTQ youth from the dangers of the practice  which means that 32% of LGBTQ individuals in the country live in states with no laws or policies banning conversion therapy for minors.

A peer-reviewed study by researchers with The Trevor Project, the worlds largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ and questioning youth published in the American Journal of Public Health in 2020, found that LGBTQ youth who underwent conversion therapy were more than twice as likely to report having attempted suicide, and more than 2.5 times as likely to report multiple suicide attempts in the past year.

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The United Nations Human Rights Office has also called for a global ban on the practice, calling it an egregious violation of rights to bodily autonomy, health, and free expression of ones sexual orientation and gender identity. Ultimately, when conducted forcibly, they also represent a breach to the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment.

There are already multiple, unambiguous statements from professional societies and human rights groups on the urgent necessity to end conversion efforts due to its discriminatory nature and profoundly harmful effects, the authors wrote.

The report adds an economic dimension to the discussion, they added, urging lawmakers to protect young LGBTQ people from the unacceptable practice by stopping all funding for it, while increasing access to affirmative therapy as a way to promote health by empowering LGBTQ youths with skills and strategies to counteract minority stress.
Yesterday, Hilton (NYSE: HLT) announced the signing of a franchise agreement with Serinatura S.A. to welcome the Curio Collection by Hilton brand to the Galapagos island of Santa Cruz with the conversion of the Royal Palm Galapagos Hotel. The renowned property will remain owned and operated by its current management company, led by Diego Andrade Murtinho, while joining Curio Collection by Hilton, and will maintain the property's storied commitment to sustainable, responsible travel. With an anticipated conversion in July 2022, Royal Palm Galapagos, Curio Collection by Hilton will represent the first international hotel brand name with a presence in the destination and will adhere to Hilton's global environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy known as Travel with Purpose.

Owned by Serinatura S.A. and celebrated for its tradition and legacy in the community of the Galapagos, the existing Royal Palm Galapagos hotel immerses guests into a pristine natural environment on Santa Cruz. The island is one of the most important within the archipelagos and is home to Tortuga Bay, the Charles Darwin Research Station and a port for ecologically responsible cruising. Secluded on a 160-hectare estate in the lush Miconia Highland Forests adjacent to the Galapagos National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the hotel is sheltered within a valley between two extinct cinder cone volcanoes and features nine areas of geological interest from craters to lava tunnels. Sustainability is at the epicenter of the hotel's ethos and woven into the hotel's operations, engagement with guests and the community. Royal Palm Galapagos is the only hotel with a Miconia and Escalesia Reforestation Program and a Rain Harvesting program helping to ensure the destination remains resilient for generations of travelers to come.

Born in 2000 out of a passion for travel, nature and environmental connection, the boutique hotel is comprised of 21 casitas and villas built around nature and brimming with the charm of an Ecuadorian Hacienda. Guests can recharge at the estate's picturesque pool, spa and fitness center, or enjoy the natural wonders of the Galapagos by experiencing one-of-a-kind wildlife encounters from green turtles to beautiful birds, while enjoying the highest level of comfort and services provided within the protected eco-sensitive location. For an extra immersive dining experience, the hotel features the only fine dining restaurant located inside a cavern within one of the property's lava tunnels. This once-in-a-lifetime experience gives guests a glimpse of the incredible forces that created the archipelago, while they enjoy a tasting menu inspired by local culture and ingredients.

Expected to join Curio Collection by Hilton in July 2022, the hotel is currently undergoing a renovation plan including a refresh of the lobby, spa, guest rooms and dining. The renovation will complement and reinforce the hotel's existing sustainable architecture and design, with a continued focus on local sourcing, as well as environmental programs including its water reduction system where it reuses the water from rain and recycles almost 90% of its residues, a Plant-a-Tree Program and on-site produce farm utilized by the restaurants.

The Hilton Effect Foundation, the company's global philanthropic arm that seeks to advance Hilton's Travel with Purpose goals, has been engaged in projects across the region, including partnering with organizations such as The Nature Conservancy to protect native Ecuador fish species and Galapagos Conservancy to feed and protect the critically endangered Floreana Giant Tortoise.

Royal Palm Galapagos, Curio Collection by Hilton will join Hilton Honors, the award-winning guest-loyalty program for Hilton's 18 world-class brands.

Hotel website
Kim Avant has been appointed general manager of the historic Grande Colonial hotel, and the Michelin-recognized NINE-TEN Restaurant, part of the Franklin Croft Hospitality collection. As General Manager, Avant has full operational and directional responsibilities for the Four Diamond, independent, boutique hotel including financial operations, rooms and related services, sales and marketing, and development of the company's policies and staff, as well as management of all food and beverage operations for NINE-TEN, and catering and banquets.

Avant's hospitality career began in 2006 when she joined the team at the Hampton Inn Del Mar, a Franklin Croft Hospitality property, as Front Office Manager. She then joined the Grande Colonial in 2010, spending the next seven years as the Assistant General Manager with oversight of the overall guest experience and hotel operations. In 2017, she transitioned to the position of Director of Human Resources, overseeing the planning, direction and coordination of all human resource management activities including employee compensation, benefits administration, recruitment, personnel policies, and regulatory compliance. In 2022, she was promoted to her current role as General Manager.

Avant's professional affiliations include membership in the California Hotel & Lodging Association, California Restaurant Association, Hospitality Human Resource Association, and Society for Human Resource Management. In 2018, she was awarded the San Diego's Gold Key Hotel Leader of the Year Award by the San Diego County Lodging Association. Additionally, Avant maintains active roles in the community and enjoys serving in all aspects of her life. This includes volunteering as a resource counselor for Sharp Mary Birch's NICU, teaching in her church, volunteering at her daughters' schools, working in the warehouse of Feeding San Diego, and providing meals at Rady's Children's Hospital.

Arriving in San Diego as part of a Navy family, Avant attended Grossmont Community College where she received an Associate's of Science in Forensic Technology. She has continued education on a professional level, earning certificates in hotel revenue management, human resources, and hotel operations. She currently resides in the Rancho Bernardo community of San Diego with her husband Tim and two daughters.
The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, Miami and The Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove, Miami are proud to welcome back Derek Flint with the announcement of his recent appointment to Market General Manager. With 35 years of luxury hospitality experience, Derek brings a wealth of knowledge to this new role, where he will continue to elevate the hotel's guest experience from start to finish.

Derek began his career with The Ritz-Carlton New York, New York as a Front Desk Clerk, and continued to hold positions within the luxury hotel sector at properties such as The Four Seasons Clift Hotel, The Park Hyatt San Francisco, and The Ritz-Carlton San Francisco. Derek went on to serve as The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, Miami's General Manager from 2008-2014, where he was nominated as "Top General Manager of a Luxury Hotel/Resort Worldwide" by the Luxury Travel Advisor's Award of Excellence. He was also responsible for generating $90 million in yearly sales, earning the hotel the recognition as the most "Profitable Hotel Domestically" for The Ritz-Carlton during his time there. Most recently, Derek held the position of General Manager at The St. Regis Beijing, where he was responsible for over $27 million in yearly sales and led the hotel through a $66 million complete renovation.
With over 25 years in hospitality, Scott Bogucki joins Springboard Hospitality as Corporate Director of Revenue Management, where he will focus on maximizing revenue while guiding strategic initiatives across Springboard's 38 properties. Bogucki has extensive experience in revenue management, previously holding positions at properties across the country ranging from select-service to luxury. Most recently, Bogucki served as Coroprate Director of Revenue at Provenance Hotels and HRI Lodging where he oversaw complex independent properties across the nation. Bogucki started his career in Denver at the iconic Brown Palace Hotel and then moved to San Francisco to work with brands such as Hilton Hotels, Omni Hotels & Resorts, and Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts.

Springboard Hospitality

Encino, California

United States Website
Von DeLuna joins Springboard Hospitality as Vice President of Operations, following an impressive 20-year tenure with Kimpton Hotels. Most recently, DeLuna served as General Manager of Kimpton Hotel Born in Denver and navigated its opening in 2017. Prior to that, DeLuna served as Regional Vice President of Operations at Sage Hospitality. At Springboard Hospitality, DeLuna is responsible for leading hotel operations across the growing portfolio and ensuring each hotel meets the high level of service excellence established by company standards and customers' expectations.

Springboard Hospitality

Encino, California

United States Website
Modern lifestyle is inarguably dramatically changing, as it naturally does over time, but now it is vastly due to the 2019 global pandemic that kept most of the population at home. From work environment, socializing, education, and travel, the way the population is learning to interact with the world has significantly shifted, and companies big and small are all learning how to navigate the post-pandemic world. This years Boutique Lifestyle Leadership Conference, held virtually, addressed how the unfortunate events stunted the growth of the industry while speakers also looked towards an optimistic future, facilitating conversations on how the tourism community will adapt to new policies and the ways in which the industry is drastically changing.

During the global pandemic, individuals using public spaces look vastly different as regulations, mask mandates, and hygienic practices are constantly shifting to prevent the spread of Covid 19. On the contrary, it is evident that the desire for community and intrapersonal connections is also prevalent, as the circumstances of quarantine have driven the desire to reconnect. Within the broad diversity of topics discussed, the dichotomy of values would seemingly create a challenge for the tourist space. However, the speakers of this years event gracefully tackled the paradox, proving boutique hotels are at the forefront by quickly and seamlessly adapting to these modern challenges.

Lets evaluate how hoteliers addressed this dichotomy and are leading examples of how the travel industry is creating community-oriented environments in order to utilize pre-existing spaces as well as curate new environments for global travelers to meet and collaborate. This years theme, appropriately named the awakening, symbolized a new chapter of creative ideas, powerful design, and insightful world re-building taking place in tourist operations across the world.

Source: BLLA

How to Turn Your Hotel into a Membership Club, tackled pillars of success for how to design a hotel experience that provides a sense of belonging to consumers. Julia Davis, the founder of Maslin Advisors, and Boren Novakovic, the CEO of PeopleVine, discussed community engagement and the newer generations shift to experience [based consumerism] and a sense of belonging, as Novakovic went on to add,

There are various models being adopted around the hospitality industry and I think the most important thing to highlight is that theyre really done for a few reasons; one is to enhance the experience and the other is to create a new and innovative business model to drive revenue at a higher rate.

Through this conversation, it is argued that by shifting the consumer strategy to offer a membership model, the hotel transforms into a club of like-minded individuals, offering guests a way to experience travel in a refreshing way. Rather than just a place to rest at night, the hotel becomes a place to gather, create, and feel a sense of connection to a larger community. Hotels are often seen as places of privacy and intimacy, but as travel reopens, this team anticipates a greater need for collaborative spaces and shifting mindsets.

While Novakovic and Davis concentrated their time in the fiscal value, strategies, and revenue of adopting these collective models, their approach caters to creating communities from within. By reframing the model in which guests interact with others in the hotel, they are seeking to gather individuals and build a sense of belonging within the walls of a hotel.

Alternatively, some designers are using a different strategy; theyre building their properties in pre-existing spaces full of life and culture. They discussed how to allow guests to become a member and contribute to historic and established communal spaces. While there are many ways to embrace and nourish local communities, using cultural pillars such as art, food, music, nature, and active participation in the creation of localized spaces is a common theme amongst hotel owners and designers. Ariela Kiradjian, BLLAs COO and half of the infamous mother-daughter duo, believes art is, this common connection between the hoteliers and the guests, I feel like they all have a passion for the art in so many different ways, whatever it is; music or painting or dance but theres this common love of art. In the boutique industry, it is clear art is an element of creating collaborative spaces that foster the growth of a community.

A community global purpose-driven company and creative lab at the intersection of culture, media, hospitality, wellness, and progressive social change, Katherine Lo founded Eaton Workshop in 2014. Featured in The Art of Boutique Hospitality, Ariela Kiradijan and Katherine Lo discuss the moral and practical approaches to building hotels that are full of life and appreciate the cultural value of travel. While Los discussion also focused on creating travel-centered and diverse communities, her perspective offers an activist mindset enabling the boutique hotel industry to value integrity when curating localized environments. Our goal is to use the hotel platform as a vehicle for social change, as well as for nurturing the art and creativity, Lo explains,

For each of our properties, we really connect to the local community, history, and heritage of the area in which its built.

When putting together a team of individuals at a new hotel site, Lo brings on local workers to be the director of culture, music, and radio, a director of wellness and of impact. She builds relationships with these individuals and with the population by inviting members of the community to represent the citys needs. This way, Lo is able to understand the space her properties hold on a deeper level in conjunction with the community she is serving thereby elevating the experience for those visiting as well as allowing for the community to be invested in the hotel.

Eaton Workshop Photo by BLLA

Eaton embodies incorporating art into the hotel space, as both of the locations are home to a radio show that features local musicians, and the bar doubles as a venue space where concerts and events can bring guests into the world of the community.

Other hoteliers are taking similar approaches as they expand locations and redesign the boutique industry. Evguenia Ivara is working on creating Cap Karoso, a resort on an island about an hour flight from Bali. This property seeks to preserve the culture and history of the local community in Sumba through designs incorporating art, food, plant medicine, and traditions. The local tribes on Sumba have a rich and affluent culture that inspired Ivara to create a place for those who share her love for travel and adventure and also who are conscious of the locality of the places they visit and respectful of the community and the environment, and at the same, can appreciate some of the finer things in life like; astronomy, music, art because we can be conscious and also somewhat hedonist[ic].

This extraordinary balance between celebrating a local culture and enjoying the luxury of travel is a beautiful and rich way to satiate curious travelers, and cultivate the joy and wonder of globalization, while remaining ethically authentic. All the spaces that we built, were built to create a dialogue between our guests and Sumbas community, she added, its all made in a way [referring to the design of dining experience] that you talk to your neighbor to share your feelings, emotions and to share your experiences around the island.

Cap Karoso Photo by BLLA

Instead of curating spaces of privacy, these examples invite guests to be actively participating in their travel experiences and using the elements of the locations to build authentic experiences for guests.

One of the boldest designs BLLA saw this year is from Steve Wilson and Sarah Robbins conversation about 21c Museum Hotels. 21c doesnt only incorporate local artists into their design, but their hotel is an art exhibit highlighting the work from the community and curating a space for those living with, and visiting these destinations to embrace art. I think its fundamental that we integrate art and life, [], added Steven Matijcio, the curator of 21c. Throughout the discussion, the life, of the space was mentioned a few times and seemed to be heavily prioritized in creating the vision of 21c. The hotels art exhibit is open 24 hours a day, and they often have local schools take trips around or pedestrians stopping in to see new works on their daily commute. The hotel has held yoga classes, workshops, and ballets in their building and is constantly and creatively expanding the type of events they host.

An intriguing part of the conversation titled, Awakening, The Experience, evaluated artwork and the relationship to a tourist environment. Artists express modernity, and by constantly refreshing the rooms, as Steve Wilson put it, the visitors staying at the property can participate in the current conversations being held, following the lead of passionate artists. This also brings concepts from How to Turn Your Hotel into a Membership Club, as guests can continue coming back and interacting with new artwork each time. Transforming their hotel into a community art center has allowed them to both build a culture inside their structure while integrating the voices of local groups. With nine open locations, 21c redefines remaining relevant in the current age.

Art installation view at 21c Museum Hotel, Louisville Photo by Kenneth Hayden

Other insightful examples seen at BLLA that are expanding the definition of the hotel experience are; The Chloe, founded by Robert LeBlanc and Gold Diggers, owned by Dave Neupert. Gold Diggers is a petit boutique hotel, recording studio, music venue and bar focused on the music scene and open to all travelers.

Robert LeBlanc curated The Chloe when he noticed how, people were choosing to stay in [alternative lodging] because they wanted to get deeper into residential neighborhoods, and added, it felt like we could create a boutique hotel that could more deeply embed itself into historically significant and cultural neighborhoods. The Chloe seeks to give visitors a sense of what its like to live in Uptown New Orleans, a place with rich culture that often goes unnoticed by those passing through. This conversation between inspired founders, titled Center Stage: The Chloe, shows how successful this model can be, and the potential to educate and include travelers in thrilling conversations. The two-day conference included many other fantastic speakers and bright ideas for including community-based models in boutique hotels; it seems that inviting guests to interact with the diversity of cultural elements they can encounter is a theme that will continue moving industry minds and imploring curious visitors.

About the Boutique Lifestyle Leaders Association (BLLA)

Founded in 2009, the Boutique Lifestyle Leaders Association (BLLA) is the official association for the world's top visionaries in the boutique lifestyle industry. Membership with the BLLA includes not just a strengthened sense of communityit offers all the resources necessary for small and independent businesses to thrive in this growing sector, including access to distribution channels, marketing tools, webinars, white papers, reports about the evolving boutique landscape, and more. The organization promotes connection, education, and advocacy. As a pioneer in forecasting the boutique movement, the BLLA's network has grown beyond its hotel foundation to welcome more passionate entrepreneurs, businesses, and purveyors that amplify the boutique lifestyle. BLLA is a catalyst for trends and the future of boutique. blla.org

Boutique & Lifestyle Leaders Association (BLLA)

BLLA

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The Business Travel Association (BTA) has today revealed the strongest recovery for business travel since March 2020 compared to the same week in 2019.

Data from Travelogix shows that traveller confidence has returned, evidenced in a 403.13% increase in new business travel bookings versus the same week in 2021.

Week-on-week domestic business travel has seen particularly high levels of recovery, with a 67.79% increase in departures compared to the same week in 2019.

Clive Wratten, CEO of the BTA said: Its encouraging to see business traveller confidence returning once and for all as we begin to live with Covid. Now we must focus on how we sustainably move forward in a post-Covid world.

Data shows that despite a 291.54% increase in departures versus the same week in 2021, there has been an overall 2.72bn GDP loss associated to domestic and international travel* compared to the same week in 2019.

The data shows that in the fourth week of February, the lower levels of business travel to:

Republic of Ireland have cost UK GDP 719 million

have cost Germany have cost UK GDP 493 million

have cost France have cost UK GDP 338 million

have cost USA have cost UK GDP 210 million , and

have cost , and Spain have cost UK GDP 164 million this week.

The data also shows a noticeable reduction in active cases of Covid per 100k of population in 10 of the 11 countries followed by the Business Travel Tracker.

The thirty third edition of the BTAs Business Travel Tracker can be found here.

*Data from leading travel data provider Travelogix shows this decrease in business travel trips across ten key international destinations has cost UK GDP 2.29 billion, and an additional 420.87million from domestic business travel, equalling a total of 2.41 billion loss to UK GDP in the fourth week of February 2022.

About Travelogix

Travelogix is a leader in the world of travel data, reporting and analytics. Founded in 2011 by Chris Lewis and Gary Jones, Travelogix empower TMCs across the globe with accurate, accessible, real-time data that drives success. Travelogix are the standard for data analysis within travel and continue to craft and innovate their solutions to meet the demands of the industry.

About the BTA

The BTA is the authority on business travel. Working collaboratively across the industry and with the government to promote the integral role of business travel and events to the wider economy.

Originally founded in 1967, the BTA has a diverse membership and roster of industry partners. It's TMC membership accounts for over 90% of UK expenditure on managed business travel, delivering value for money and great service to business travellers in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. The BTA focuses on delivering practical solutions to challenges and market changes, as well as supporting best practice, sustainability and the well-being of travellers.

For more information on BTA please visit: thebta.org.uk or call 020 3657 7010.
ROCKVILLE, Md. - In observance of International Women's Day, Cambria Hotels, an upscale brand franchised by Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), announced the official launch of #CheersToHer  a month-long initiative that celebrates and raises awareness of women in hospitality and wine during Women's History Month.

According to the 2022 Women in Hospitality Industry Leadership report, women accounted for just 30% of all hospitality leaders in 2021. Choice Hotels and Cambria Hotels, helmed by Janis Cannon, senior vice president of upscale brands, are actively seeking to raise this number by providing opportunities to women that give them the tools to succeed in leadership roles at every level of the industry. Cambria Hotels is proud that they are already ahead of the curve as 45% of the hotel general managers are comprised of women. In honor of Women's History Month, Cambria Hotels' #CheersToHer initiative aims to drive insight and awareness to encourage women to pursue leadership career paths in the hospitality sector.

Throughout the month of March, Cambria Hotels will spotlight the stories and accomplishments from the brand's own female leaders, as well as female leaders from the development companies behind the brand's most prominent hotels, on its social media channels. Cambria will also tout the leadership behind their women-owned winery collaborators from Cambria Estate Winery, whose wines are offered at Cambria Hotels restaurants, bars and self-serve marketplaces across the country.

As part of this initiative, Cambria Hotels will invest $5,000 in THE Castell Project to sponsor two high-potential women of color to participate in Castell's BUILD or ELEVATE leadership development program. The brand aligns with these programs designed to prepare women to cultivate a strong leadership identity and prepare for high level advancement.

"We look forward to celebrating this accomplished group of leaders in hospitality, while also connecting with a new generation of women entrepreneurs who are the future of our industry," Cannon. "Although we've made progress in recent years, we can't ignore the hospitality gender gap, especially when it comes to female hotel ownership. Both Choice Hotels and Cambria are dedicated to not only addressing these issues  we're actively seeking to inspire change and create new pathways while collaborating and advocating for our female colleagues."

Cambria's #CheersToHer initiative will culminate with a private, women in hospitality and wine networking event on March 30, 2022 at the new Cambria Hotel Calabasas, celebrating its official grand opening on March 29, 2022. This property marks Cambria's fifth property in California, joining Cambria Hotel Anaheim Resort Area, Cambria Hotel LAX, Cambria Hotel Sonoma Wine Country and the recently opened Cambria Hotel Napa Valley.

Guests will have the opportunity to experience both Cambria Hotels and Cambria Estate Winery through a new lens that pays homage to the female entrepreneurial spirit, and will include an interactive panel discussion, a wine pairing and cheeseboard workshop, and locally inspired food and drink. The panel will feature industry insights and inspiring stories of women addressing the gender gap, including:

Janis Cannon, senior vice president, upscale brands, Choice Hotels

Katie Phillips, winery ambassador, Cambria Wines

Leticia Proctor, executive vice president of sales, marketing & revenue management, Donohoe Hospitality Services

Attendees may also participate virtually, as this event will be broadcast via Instagram Live through Cambria Hotels and Cambria Estate Winery's social media platforms.

Choice Hotels is currently an active supporter of the Castell Project, She Has a Deal and Fortuna's Table. Most recently, Choice developed an accelerated management training program in partnership with Concord Hospitality for students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), where they will gain valuable experience in a highly focused hotel environment with the upscale Cambria Hotels brand concluding with a supervisory, management role. The company is proud to support these impactful organizations that encourage women to engage in hotel ownership and fosters continuing education for THE future leaders in hospitality.

For more information on the #CheersToHer initiative and Cambria Hotels, visit Choicehotels.com/Cambria.

About Choice Hotels

Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) is one of the largest lodging franchisors in the world. With more than 7,000 hotels, representing nearly 600,000 rooms, in 35 countries and territories as of December 31, 2021, the Choice family of hotel brands provides business and leisure travelers with a range of high-quality lodging options from limited service to full-service hotels in the upscale, midscale, extended-stay and economy segments. The award-winning Choice Privileges loyalty program offers members benefits ranging from everyday rewards to exceptional experiences. For more information, visit www.choicehotels.com.

 2022 Choice Hotels International, Inc. All rights reserved.

SOURCE Choice Hotels International, Inc.

Forward-Looking Statement

This communication includes "forward-looking statements" about future events, including anticipated hotel openings. Such statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including construction delays, availability and cost of financing and the other "Risk Factors" described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, any of which could cause actual results to be materially different from our expectations.

Addendum

This is not an offering. No offer or sale of a franchise will be made except by a Franchise Disclosure Document first filed and registered with applicable state authorities. A copy of the Franchise Disclosure Document can be obtained through contacting Choice Hotels International at 1 Choice Hotels Circle, Suite 400, Rockville, MD 20850, [email protected].

 2022 Choice Hotels International, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Amanda Allen

Choice
Positioned at the intersection of commerce and travel, American Express Global Business Travel offers its customers a comprehensive network, service dependability, and deep insight to help move people and businesses forward. American Express Global Business Travel provides leading travel solutions, integrated consulting services, proprietary research, and end-to-end meetings and events capabilities. These innovative offerings enable clients to optimize the return on their travel and meetings investments. Learn more at businesstravel.americanexpress.com. American Express Global Business Travel is part of one of the world's largest travel agency networks with locations in 138 countries worldwide.
WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he was banning oil and gas imports from Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, likely driving up gasoline prices on American consumers in a bid to force Russia to pull backs its troops.

The decision came amid growing pressure within Congress to strike back more forcefully against Russian President Vladimir Putin, as the Ukrainian war stretches into its second week.

"The United States is targeting the main artery of Russia's economy," Biden said in a press conference at the White House. "We will not be part of subsidizing Putin's war."

Oil prices rose Tuesday morning on advanced reports of the news, jumping 6 percent to more than $127 per barrel before retreating to settle at $123.70 a barrel in New York. Biden acknowledged that his decision could inflict a blow on American consumers, but said Republicans and Democrats had made clear to him, "We must do this."

"Defending freedom is going cost us as well," he said.

At a gas station north of Houstons Third Ward, motorists were filling up their tanks Tuesday afternoon in expectation of a coming price surge. Zelon James, a 41-year-old alarm technician, said hes been filling up his companys utility van more frequently as a way to space out rising fuel costs after his boss warned him not to keep the vehicle running in idle.

RELATED: Biden torn in competing directions on cutting off Russian oil

Its every day now, and it just adds up, he said. And its going to get worse.

In Texas, Democrats and Republicans alike have called for Biden to increase pressure on Putin. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Sunday that he had urged Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to go after Russia's oil sector.

"That's life blood for Putin, and I believe he's using that money to spill blood in Ukraine," McCaul told CNN during a trip to Poland. "The idea we're funding Putin's war machine, and quite frankly genocide, that has to stop."

The question of whether to expand beyond financial sanctions and attack Russia oil industry, one of the world's largest, has been debated within the White House over the past week amid concerns about the impact on already high gasoline prices. Over the weekend, the average price of gasoline nationally rose above $4 a gallon for the first time since 2008.

Russian crude constitutes an increasingly important piece of American energy. In December, the United States imported more than 405,000 thousand barrels of crude a day from Russia, a 50 percent increase from five years ago.

The growth in Russian imports came as U.S. oil production declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, falling to less than 12 million barrels per day in December, 10 percent below the record levels of late 2019, according to the Energy Department. Expanding domestic production to replace Russian imports, however, is likely to take time, experts said.

Vicki Hollub, CEO of the Houston oil company Occidental Petroleum, said Tuesday that supply chain disruptions and a shortage of investment in recent years is holding back production in the Permian Basin, the prolific oil field in West Texas.

The challenge is pretty significant, here, to get back to growth in the Permian," Hollub said at the CERAWeek by S&P Global energy conference in Houston "And thats the only basin thats going to grow U.S. oil production."

The world's energy sector, meanwhile, is moving away from Russia, the world's third largest oil producer. Exxon Mobil and Shell said they will end their three-decade-long effort to develop Russias deepwater and shale fields. European nations are moving to reduce their reliance on Russian natural gas, foregoing pipelines for domestic wind and solar farms.

"The industry has already taken significant and meaningful steps to unwind relationships, both with respect to assets in Russia, as well as imports of Russian crude oil and refined products," said Mike Sommers, president of the American Petroleum Institute. We share the goal of reducing reliance on foreign energy sources and urge policymakers to advance American energy leadership and expand domestic production to counter Russias influence in global energy markets.

How high?

The question now is how much higher oil prices will go.

Earlier Tuesday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak warned that western nations cutting off Russian crude imports could drive prices to $300 per barrel, saying it was absolutely clear that a rejection of Russian oil would lead to catastrophic consequences for the global market." And what could be hyperbole to deter other nations from following the U.S. lead is backed up by a 2010 paper by economists at Yale University and the University of Houston on the impact were the United States to cut off foreign oil imports.

"Russia exports 7 million barrels per to the world market, about 4 million to Europe," said Ed Hirs, an economist at the University of Houston and one of the authors of the paper. "Seven million barrels is 7 percent of the global market."

Biden indicated Tuesday that other nations were unlikely to follow the United States, the world's largest oil and gas producer, in banning Russian oil and gas imports.

"Many of European allies may not be in a position to join us," he said. "We're a net exporter of energy, so we can take this step where others cannot."

Still, the ban is likely to hit some domestic refineries hard. Along the Gulf Coast, San Antonio-based Valero and other refiners rely on cheaper, so-called unfinished oil from Russia to produce gasoline and diesel, said Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Associates, a consulting firm in Houston. While Russia only represented 8 percent of total U.S. petroleum imports last year, it was responsible for more than 60 percent of American refineries unfinished oil imports, which sell at a discount to other types of crude oil, according to the Department of Energy.

This is bad news for consumers, Lipow said. Prices are going up.

Limited options

Biden is short on options to do much about it. Last week, the Department of Energy announced it was coordinating with countries abroad to release 60 million barrels of crude onto the world market  30 million barrels from U.S. reserves. But the planned release, which represents about two-thirds of daily global demand, did little to move the price of crude.

In his press conference Tuesday, Biden promised to do whatever necessary to keep prices down but acknowledged he was still short on details.

"I know there's a lot of questions, but there's a lot more that has to be made clear," he said before leaving the podium. "I'm going to hold on that until we get more information."

Rob Downen and Amanda Drane contributed to this report.
Comptroller Brad Lander has urged Mayor Adams to back off an effort to shift tens of thousands of retired municipal workers onto a new Medicare plan, making him the highest-ranking city official to oppose the controversial health insurance shakeup, the Daily News has learned.

In a letter dated Monday, Landers office told the mayors team that theres no sense in implementing the new Medicare Advantage Plan considering a Manhattan Supreme Court justice ruled last week that a key component of it is illegal.

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In light of the court decision ... we ask that the Office of Labor Relations strongly consider withdrawing its contract, read the letter, which was signed by deputy comptroller Charlette Hamamgian and obtained by The News via a Freedom of Information Law request.

Adams administration sent over the Medicare Advantage Plan contract to Landers office on Feb. 28  and Hamamgian noted in her missive that the comptroller has 30 days to review whether its up to legal and fiscal snuff. As comptroller, Lander has the authority to refuse to register contracts under certain limited circumstances.

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New York City Comptroller Brad Lander (Shawn Inglima/for New York Daily News)

A spokesman for Adams declined to comment Tuesday.

Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Lyle Frank ruled Thursday that the Adams administration cannot slap a $191 monthly penalty on retired workers who want to stay on their current Medicare coverage instead of being automatically enrolled in the Advantage plan.

The penalty  which would apply to both plan holders and dependents  violates longstanding local administrative law, which holds that the city must offer its retirees premium-free health care for life, Frank ruled.

Retired New York City municipal workers are pictured on the steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall to call on Mayor-elect Adams to preserve their Medicare coverage last December. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/for New York Daily News)

Franks decision dealt a major blow to the Medicare Advantage effort. The city began attempting to switch its retirees onto it last year because it would generate hundreds of millions of dollars in savings per year thanks to a larger influx of federal funds funding. Without the penalty, the savings would likely not be realized, as there would be no disincentive for retirees to remain on their current coverage.

Still, Adams administration has not given up and filed court papers late Friday affirming its plans to appeal Franks ruling.

The Advantage plan was first rolled out by former Mayor Bill de Blasio last year, and Adams has echoed his predecessors argument that health benefits for the citys roughly 250,000 retirees would remain strong under the new coverage.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (Shawn Inglima/for New York Daily News)

But the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees, a group of retired cops, firefighters and other ex-municipal workers, has poured cold water on the citys claim and filed a lawsuit last year that prompted Franks ruling. The retirees have contended that the Advantage plan would shortchange them by, among other issues, instituting new preauthorization protocols for certain medical procedures.

Steve Cohen, an attorney for the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees, said he hopes Landers thumb on the scale will motivate Adams to drop his administrations appeal effort.

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Its terrific. I think hes suggesting the right thing  that the mayor go back to the drawing board, Cohen said of the letter from Landers office. Its the right thing to do.

Concerns about the Medicare Advantage plan have been a significant source of anxiety for many retired city workers. According to data provided by Adams administration, at least count 45,646 retirees had opted out to stay on their current coverage as of Feb. 14, even though the $191 monthly penalty was still on the table at that stage.

Since Franks ruling, the administration has declined to provide an updated tally for how many retirees have opted out of the Advantage plan.
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Ideology and the economy were at odds Monday as the worlds energy leaders and policymakers gathered in Houston for CERAWeek by S&P Global for the first time since the pandemic forced a two-year absence.

Nearly two years ago, as the pandemics lockdowns and other restrictions reached their height and crushed demand for fossil fuels, scientists and energy experts saw an opportunity to accelerate the transition to cleaner fuels. But Russias invasion of Ukraine last month  and the growing pressure to reject oil and gas from Russia  are jeopardizing global energy supplies, which have suffered in recent years from output that had leveled off.

The oil market already was tight going into the Ukraine crisis, said John Hess, CEO of Houston oil producer Hess Corp., calling on investors and governments to recognize the need for more oil and gas projects. Weve had five years of underinvestment; were paying for it now.

U.S. climate chief and former Secretary of State John Kerry and a lineup of energy executives opened the energy conference by momentarily putting aside differences over the future of fossil fuels and agreeing that the war in Eastern Europe has roiled oil and gas markets and complicated the energy transition. The conflict seems to bolster the oil industrys arguments that it remains vital to the global economy and security.

This is obviously a sobering moment for the world with enormous challenges, Kerry said. (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin has undertaken an initiative that is illegal, unprovoked, profoundly dangerous and violates all the norms of behavior that we have all struggled to establish globally ever since World War II.

INSIGHT: Energy transition is underway, but how fast should it proceed?

Marie D. De Jesus/Staff photographer Marie D. De Jesus/Staff photographer Marie D. De Jesus/Staff photographer Marie D. De Jesus/Staff photographer Photos from the first day of CERAWeek on Monday, March 7, 2022, in Houston. (Marie D. De Jesus / Staff photographer)

That is why sanctions are important, he said, noting there will be costs.

Even as oil prices soar because of oil shortages, Kerry said science offers proof that the industry should take significant action to reduce emissions over the next eight years.

We have to do enough in 2020 to 2030 to be able to achieve net zero by 2050, Kerry said. Its too steep a reduction if you dont do what you need to do between 2020 and 2030.

The transition is gonna have to speed up, he added, and the private sector must be at the table.

But energy leaders say the war is responsible for the biggest energy crisis in decades, with crude prices rising to about $120 a barrel on Monday.

Secretary General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, H.E. Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, said the oil supply emergency stemming from Russias war with Ukraine promises to be a game-changer for the worlds energy transition. Supplies are plummeting at a time when global demand for petroleum is returning to pre-COVID levels and is expected to more than double by 2045, he said.

All sources of energy will be required for the foreseeable future, he said. Like other energy leaders, he emphasized that hydrocarbons arent the enemy of the enemy transition  emissions are  and that the diplomacy with Russia is OPECs choice. Russia is among the nations allied with the oil cartel known as OPEC+.

MARKETS: Russia-Ukraine war to keep crude oil prices elevated at high levels

Marie D. De Jesus, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

The world will continue to need these producing countries to work together to ensure stability on a long-term basis, he said.

Other energy producers, however, arent willing to forgive the Russian attack.

Patrick Pouyanne, chief executive of Paris-based TotalEnergies, said his company has stopped investing in projects in Russia and importing the countrys oil. We will not take any more oil from Russia  from the beginning of the crisis weve been very clear.

The shortages come at a time when the industry is being forced to at once invest in the energy of today and the energy of tomorrow, he said. To try to do one too quickly, he said, this is not good for customers.

Since the war broke out, the U.S. liquefied natural gas industry has filled the widening fuel shortage in Europe, where imported LNG is vital to meeting the continents energy demands. The top executive of Cheniere, the Houston-based LNG company, said gas prices are soaring to unsustainable levels, which will impact the energy transition.

I think the turbulence has only just begun, CEO Jack Fusco said.

But there isnt enough infrastructure to meet demand. Fusco said his companys LNG production is maxed out even as the market calls for more.

The war underscores the need for global energy security  one of Exxon Mobils core goals, said CEO Darren Woods. The other core goal: leading the energy transition.

Exxon Mobil is committed to playing a leading role in meeting both needs, he said, noting the companys climate efforts would reduce emissions on a scale not seen before.

Exxon, which plans to move its headquarters to the Houston area next year, may be the clearest example of how the city is at the forefront of the worlds energy transition, Mayor Sylvester Turner said. Through public and private partnerships we have built the worlds largest medical center, put humans on the moon and became the energy capital of the world, he said. And now we are seeking to lead the energy transition as well.

CEO Mike Wirth of San Ramon, Calif.-based Chevron, offered a more subdued outlook on the energy market, saying the rejection of Russian supplies is driving a reoptimization of the system. And that comes at a cost, he said.

Still, he said, the market will prevail. The world is still round.

amanda.drane@chron.com
Houston real estate developer Hines is halting new investments in Russia, adding to the growing list of Houston companies distancing itself from the country in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine.

About 1.8 percent of Hines' $160 billion in global assets under its management are based in Russia. The company has been in the country since 1992, shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Earlier media reports incorrectly said that Hines was considering pulling out of Russia, but the company has not made any formal decisions yet about what to do with its existing properties, which include offices, residential, logistics and retail space, a spokeswoman confirmed.

MORE BUSINESS NEWS: Biden now expected to ban oil imports from Russia over Ukraine invasion

The company, however, has committed to refraining from new investments in the country, the company said. The move was first reported by Bisnow, and later confirmed by CoStar News, Wall Street Journal and Houston Chronicle.

"We are not going to make new investments in Russia," a spokeswoman said in a statement.. "We do, however, have commitments made to our investors, partners, tenants and lenders and we are in discussions with them to determine the best path forward. Our employees in the region are safe, our assets are operational, and we are continuing to monitor the situation as it progresses,"

Hines has about 250 employees in Russia overseeing about 4.4 million square feet of commercial real estate that it owns, as well as third-party owned properties totaling 1.2 million square feet. Its projects in the country are leased by major tenants such as Proctor and Gamble, pharmaceutical firm Abbott and the U.S. Embassy, which has an office located in a project that was developed and is still managed by Hines.

The developer is not currently building any new developments in the country.

"We unequivocally condemn this unjust, unprovoked act of war," Hines said. "This is a humanitarian tragedy, and our deepest sympathies go out to the Ukrainian people whom we stand with in solidarity."
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Its Saturday night at around 7:30 p.m. at Mapojeong (pronounced mah-poh-jong), a new Korean barbecue spot in Heights, and the scene feels like something straight out of a Korean drama. In the back corner of the restaurant, Korean Hangul characters that mean love and prosperity cast red neon glow over the main dining room.

Old-school hip-hop jams set the mood, their beats seemingly synced to the smell and sound of sizzling meat, as black-clad servers zig-zag the space, carrying trays loaded with Korean pancakes, Korean fried chicken bites, thinly sliced tubes of shaved beef brisket, and more.

A new concept by Ken Bridge of Delicious Concepts Restaurant Group (Pinks Pizza, Lolas Diner, Ready Room), Mapojeong is the third incarnation of the space that formerly housed Ritual, and before that, The El. But where The El just didnt take off, and Ritual fell victim to the challenges surrounding COVID-19, this project, even in its early stages, seems poised for longevity.

"I wanted to do this concept for many many years, said Bridge, who is half Korean by descent on his mothers side. Named after the Mapo-gu district in Seoul, which is famous for its Korean barbecue houses, Mapojeong (Mapo is the district, while jeong loosely means a love for) is a deeply personal project for Bridge, who says its a love letter to Korean barbecue, culture and heritage.

Citing time spent living in Los Angeles Koreatown, and many trips to Korea over the years, Bridge, 54, said, I wanted to do something inspirational to me, something that people would respond to.

Its kind of old guard meets new guard, like an ode to all these things I love, he said.

For example, if you drive by at night, youll see the words Korean barbecue in red neon, but Mapojeong is written in Hangul, because in LAs Koreatown, as youre driving down the streets, most of the signage is in Korean.

As a nod to LAs strong street art scene, Bridge commissioned local artist Jesse DeLeon to paint a new mural on the buildings exterior, described as a strong female presence with explosive colors.

Theres also a brand-new, state-of-the-art updraft ventilation system installed throughout the restaurant. To me, it reminds me of my experience of KBBQ in the last decade and a half, he said. The shiny metal hoods  34 total  are installed above in-table gas and charcoal grills, so that you dont leave the restaurant smelling like Korean barbecue.

As for the food, I did the whole menu myself, Bridge said. The menu embodies what most people look for when they go for Korean barbecue.

The appetizers and shared plates represent some of the most popular and recognizable Korean dishes: mandu (Korean dumplings), bulgogi tteokboki (rice cakes), Kim and seafood pancakes, KFC (Korean fried chicken) bites, japchae sweet potato noodles, and kimchi or bulgogi fried rice.

For his meats, Bridge went with what he calls the staples in the highest quality he could find: Marinated prime short rib, lightly marinated prime short rib, beef brisket, kurobata pork belly, Prime Aged New York Strip, Prime Aged Ribeye, A5 Wagyu from Snake River Farms, and marinated chicken.

All the meats come to the table raw form; servers will come and cook them everything for you over a charcoal and gas grill.

As for the complimentary banchan, or side dishes, Bridge uses his own personal kimchi recipe, which he says hes been making since he was young, and enlisted one of his aunts to help with the rest. There will be four regular banchan, and four rotating items. Representative dishes include kimchi, pickled radish, pickled cucumber, Korean fish cakes, seasoned bean sprouts, and sweet glazed potatoes. Also included with all barbecue orders? Egg souffle and cheese corn, which are inlaid in small compartments around the grill.

On the drinks front, the restaurant has a full liquor license, so there are cocktails on tap, beer and soju. The flavored soju is a highlight, offered in flavors like apple mango, pear, strawberry, and served in a tall glass bottle for easy sharing.

Bridge couldnt have picked a better time to open a Korean restaurant. Everything Korean is hot at the moment. BTS, the biggest boy band in the world, just sold out four Vegas shows (about 200,000 tickets) within hours. Squid Game, the most-watched Netflix show of all time, recently took home a slew of SAG awards.

But Mapojeong is not just about being on trend and riding the Korean wave. When you walk into the restaurant, theres a big black statue of a flying pig positioned right in the center. Bridge commissioned the piece, which he named Butch, a few years back in answer to an online commenter who said it would be when pigs fly before he could make that location a success.

Im a dreamer. Im a believer, and I fight for my vision, Bridge said. I feel that for Houston being the large city that it is, that the Korean barbecue game should be stepped up. My vision for White Oak is for this to be the new Korean barbecue destination.

Out front, Butchie, a mini version of Butch, sits high atop a large column with the Korean symbols for Mapojeong emblazoned in neon beneath him. His wings are ready for take off.

Mapojeong is located 602 Studewood and is open for dinner 5-10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Reservations available via opentable.com.

Mai Pham is a food writer in Houston.
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Rosemary McGowen remembers her sister, the late Texas Senator Barbara Jordan, as a serious person who loved debating and public speaking.

She also loved to sing and had a "beautiful alto voice," McGowen said.

The three Jordan sisters (Rosemary, Bennie and the youngest Barbara) sang regularly at Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Third Ward where their father was a minister.

McGowen, Jordan's only living sibling, will join State Rep. Shawn Thierry today on International Women's Day for the unveiling of the Barbara Jordan Memorial Parkway. It's the stretch of Highway 288 from Cleburne, which runs into Texas Southern University where Jordan earned an undergraduate degree, to the Beltway 8.

"I'm delighted this is being done in her honor and celebrates the accomplishments she made," McGowan said.

Thierry wrote the bill to rename the highway. It was signed into law on June 19, 2019, also known as Juneteenth, the day in which enslaved Texans learned of their freedom. Because the state does not appropriate funds for signs, Thierry said CenterPoint Energy is underwriting the cost of the signs.

"We are honoring an iconic woman who was such an inspiration. This is a permanent memorial to a great woman for all to see," Thierry said.

Thierry was just a girl when she found a connection to the late Texas Senator Barbara Jordan. Thierry's father called her "little Barbara Jordan" because of her determination to excel in reading. An elementary school teacher told her Black children couldn't be top readers, and Thierry proved her wrong.

Jordan was born in Fifth Ward in 1936 and earned a political science major at Texas Southern University. She went on to graduate with a law degree from Boston University. In 1966, she became the first African American state senator in Texas since 1883 and the first Black woman. In 1972, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. She was a trailblazer for gender and race equality and captivated audiences with her speaking abilities. In 1976, she became the first woman and the first African-American keynote speaker at a Democratic National Convention.

In 1996, Jordan died at age 59 from pneumonia. Some 2,000 people, including celebrities and politicians, filled Good Hope Church for her funeral. At the service, former Texas governor Ann Richards described her longtime friend as "a constant, as true as the North Star."

McGowen hopes Jordan's legacy will live on for more generations.

"It's very important for all students to know our history and know how my sister helped shaped history, " she said.
Chronicle file

Today's Chronicle front page from 1927 highlights the latest battle in the fight over who can vote in Texas primaries.

The previous day, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a 1923 Texas law that barred Blacks from voting in Democratic primaries. Such a law could disenfranchise all Blacks by keeping them from voting in a election that would ultimately determine who would hold office in Democrat-controlled Texas, according to the Handbook of Texas.
Houston Police Department

A Houston woman who authorities say is responsible for arranging the deaths of three people, including a woman she was dating and her 6-year-old daughter, has been denied bail, according to court records.

Alexus Chenelle Williams, 29, was charged with three counts of capital murder in the June 2021 deaths of Donyavia Lagway, Gregory Carhee and Harmony Carhee, their 6-year-old daughter. Prosecutors have said they believe Williams was dating Lagway and lived at her Fondren apartment with Lagway's family before their relationship ended badly about a week before the deaths.
SAN FRANCISCO  As pandemic restrictions ease, some of the estimated 57% of Americans who have not yet contracted the virus may be wondering: If I start to live more like normal  going mask-free at restaurants, shopping and even parties  what are the odds that I will never get COVID-19?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently estimated that around 43% of people in the U.S., or about 140 million people, have been infected with the coronavirus, which leaves almost 60% never having had it. The estimate counts each person once, so some of the more than 140 million Americans estimated to have had COVID may have been infected more than once.

While during the omicron surge experts and public health officials cautioned that the highly contagious variant would infect many people, they dont think ending up with the virus is inevitable, at least in the near future. But, they say, its going to require a fine balance as we transition into the endemic stage of COVID-19.

From my perspective, no, its not inevitable over the next year or two, said UCSF Chair of Medicine Dr. Bob Wachter, who also hasnt gotten COVID yet. He said when case rates are low, as they are now in the Bay Area, the roughly 60% of the population that has not had COVID is unlikely to get it, since they wont be exposed very much.

Those who are vaccinated and boosted, he added, will remain relatively protected even if they do get exposed.

Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at UCSF, agreed, adding that as long as were in the transition period into the endemic stage of the virus, theres no clear answer for whether youll inevitably get COVID in the long run  but it doesnt have to be now.

Are we all going to get it? Yes, biologically, that might happen, he said. Are we at a time to embrace that philosophy? No, because the virus is still causing a lot of suffering. Almost 2,000 deaths per day is no walk in the park.

But Chin-Hong and other experts agree that  with some vigilance  its still possible to avoid the virus while enjoying life.

THE LATEST NUMBERS: Interactive maps, charts show spread of COVID across Houston

Chin-Hong said for him, that means still engaging with life, still eating indoors and all that stuff, but still having his spider sense up for risky situations. For example, if case counts are high like they were in January, Im not going to jump up and down in a crowded room, he said.

Its a fine balance between anxiety and wanting to go back to what you lost in the last few years, and that balance is tough, he added.

Dr. Abraar Karan, an infectious disease expert at Stanford, also said that easing restrictions doesnt have to  and shouldnt  mean inevitable infection.

Fundamentally, I still think there are things we can get safer, he said, adding the government has an obligation to help people move more toward a normal-seeming life while staying safe by doing things like improving ventilation in buildings, especially places like schools, and to make testing and N95 masks widely available for those who need them.

He noted that for people who are risk averse, immunocompromised or otherwise trying to avoid infection altogether, a high-quality N95 mask allows you to do things like go to the gym or shop and be relatively well protected.

NEWS IN YOUR INBOX: Sign up for breaking news email alerts from HoustonChronicle.com here.

Experts also said there are benefits to avoiding infection for now, even if its possible you contract the coronavirus later: The longer the pandemic goes on, the more we understand about the virus, they said, which means that treatments are likely to be better and more accessible.

Delaying infections is actually an undervalued or underappreciated point, Karan said. Who knows what well have six months or a year from now, right? Well have even more things that we can offer patients.

While there are no guarantees in a pandemic, experts said, the most important thing is for people to start finding ways to return to life while staying flexible as the virus continues to fluctuate.

Even for the highest risk population, theres a balance, Chin-Hong said. Its about engaging with life and not being lonely, but also being responsible at all levels.

Danielle Echeverria is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: danielle.echeverria@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DanielleEchev
NYCHA honchos on Tuesday blamed their failure to maintain the citys public housing projects on a massive drop in rent revenue during the pandemic, angering City Council members who countered that years of internal dysfunction is at fault for the authoritys state of disrepair.

In a Council hearing held to review the NYCHA component of Mayor Adams preliminary budget, New York City Housing Authority Chairman Greg Russ testified that the agency has seen a $311 million rent shortfall since early 2020, amounting to a 30% drop as compared with budgetary projections.

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Russ and his chief financial officer, Anika Lescott, voiced sympathy for tenants struggling to make rent during the pandemic and affirmed NYCHA didnt initiate any evictions between March 2020 and September 2021. But Russ also noted that the outstanding rent revenue amounts to a significant sum that we need to repair and preserve our buildings, adversely impacting some of the agencys maintenance work over the past two years.

Inside an apartment in the Patterson Houses in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx, New York. (Andrew Savulich/New York Daily News)

Some frustrated Council members didnt buy that argument.

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Bronx Councilman Rafael Salamanca said the authority has been dragging its feet on capital projects and repairs for years. He noted that cash he allocated in the fiscal year 2018 budget for work at a NYCHA complex in his district still hasnt been fully executed.

Its unacceptable. Its unacceptable how you guys operate, Salamanca fumed.

Brooklyn Councilman Charles Barron agreed with Salamanca and also took a shot at Mayor Adams for keeping NYCHA funding flat in his budget blueprint despite a campaign promise to dedicate $4 billion per year to housing.

Get the hell out of here. ... Youre the problem, not the residents, Barron told Russ. City Council, we got to get down on this mayor to put billions [into NYCHA].

NYCHA Chair Greg Russ (NYCHA Handout)

The embattled housing authority has been accused of neglecting its buildings for years, ranging from failures to remove toxic lead paint to frequent heat outages.

Last month, the Daily News reported that as many as 300 residents at the Carleton Manor NYCHA complex in the Rockaways had gone without hot water access since November. A Queens judge said that if NYCHA was a private landlord he would be in jail by now over the failure to fix the heat.

Faced with the barrage of criticism from Salamanca, Barron and other members at Tuesdays hearing, Russ acknowledged that their concerns are real and vowed to fix this.

Ill be candid: this is really difficult, he said.

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Brooklyn Councilwoman Alexa Aviles, who chairs the Councils Public Housing Committee, said the federal government also shares some blame for the state of NYCHA, citing a failure to adequately fund the authority.

Had NYCHA been the Pentagon, wed be flush with cash, Aviles said.
Lindsey and David Murff live with two of their children and a giant teddy bear of a dog in a handsome, understated bungalow in Friendswood. It's hard for even the Murffs to grasp that just a month ago, they had to leave their whole lives behind in Kyiv.

The Murff family had spent the last 10 years traveling the world, teaching at international schools in different cities for a few years at time until they landed in Kyiv last June. They were immediately smitten with the Ukrainian capital and its people. It smelled like coffee everywhere  a byproduct of the citys countless mom-and-pop cafes  and new acquaintances would greet them with bear hugs, like family.

Only a few months in, they had grown accustomed to attending bonfires at their friends houses, and hosting some themselves. Kyiv already felt like home. Thats when the whispers started.

Russia was amassing troops on Ukraines eastern border. On Jan. 24, they woke up to an email from the U.S. State Department: families of embassy employees were being evacuated, and other citizens were welcome to join them. The Murffs accepted the offer and packed a weeks worth of clothing, thinking theyd only be gone for a few weeks. They returned to the United States and moved back into Lindseys fathers house in Friendswood.

They had left everything behind  their car, their furniture, the keepsakes from their travels, even Lindseys wedding ring. Now, they dont anticipate ever returning home.

Everything is there, our life is back in Kyiv, said Lindsey Murff. I think weve lost it all.

Annie Mulligan, Houston Chronicle / Contributor

Still, the Murffs consider themselves fortunate for having gotten out at all, and having had a familiar place to run to. More than 1.7 million Ukrainians have fled the country since Russia invaded the former Soviet republic on Feb. 24, and hundreds of civilians have been killed in an onslaught of artillery and missile strikes, including in major cities such as Kharkiv and Mariupol.

They communicate with friends back in Ukraine every day, and help however they can. Lindsey urged her teaching aide, a 24-year-old woman, to go to their home so she could grab their car keys and escape, and is trying to spread the word about aid organizations through her travel blog, Murffbunch.

Everyone is just scared as hell, Lindsey said.

The Murffs play down the struggles theyve had readjusting to life in the U.S., but that does not mean that they dont exist. The couple has four children, two of whom are still at home: Kellan, 14, and Logan, 16. They know Houston mostly as a place to visit family for a week or two during the summer. Lindsey and David are nocturnal; they teach their classes via Zoom from midnight to 7 a.m., and drive their children to swim meets and drivers ed classes in the evenings. They grab a few hours of sleep where they can.

Lindsey and David teach in an international network of schools that serve local students alongside children of diplomats and foreign workers (they asked that their school not be identified for security reasons). While many of their students have evacuated to other European countries, others have logged on to classes from bomb shelters. More have left behind fathers and brothers who stayed in Ukraine to try to fight off the Russian advance.

Lindsey, who teaches fifth graders, has been able to slow down her lessons to allow students the space to process current events. The first couple days back in class were mostly spent playing hangman or other games, though they are now easing their way into multiplying fractions.

David, who teaches Advanced Placement classes to high school students, has had less liberty to ease off the gas. The College Board, which runs the Advanced Placement exams in May of every year, has not yet allowed his students to reschedule their tests, leaving him to stick with his lesson plan while also searching for a place near Houston to enroll Logan, an AP student himself.

By Friday, were physically ill and emotionally drained. But we get up during the day, lounge in the mornings and try to go for a long walk with our dog. We run errands and thats the most bizarre thing, we blend in as if were normal, as if we dont have these horror stories in our heads, Lindsey said.

Their kids are thoughtful and have been able to work around the new schedule somewhat better  Logan goes to class until 3 a.m. and sleeps through the morning, while Kellan does her schoolwork outside of classroom hours  but they miss their friends back home. Logan had already developed a good group of friends to spend time with on the weekends, and met a girlfriend in Kyiv who is now in Virginia. Kellan worries for a classmate of hers, a 13-year-old boy, who has taken up arms against the Russians.

Kellan, in fact, will be starting at Clear Creek ISD on Tuesday to finish eighth grade. Shes nervous about a stricter dress code and a totally new social environment. Shes tired of sharing a bedroom with her older brother; in her spare time she looks up homes in the Houston area on Zillow.

I miss my friends and I miss having a home, Kellan said. I miss having a place to feel safe.

The Murffs check in on their friends every day to make sure theyre alive. The Ukrainians are confused as to why the U.S. hasnt taken stronger action against the Russians, they say, having developed a romanticized notion of American might.

The U.S. and NATO have provided military aid to Ukraine but have steered clear of actions that could expand the war and lead to a direct confrontation with Russia.

I think its just inevitable, at some point in time Russia is going to commit some atrocity that goes too far and everyone will demand a no-fly zone. The terrible thing is that we have friends and connections in Ukraine, and its difficult to communicate to them that they might have to die before somebody wakes up and does something, said David, choking back tears.

sam.kelly@chron.com
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A man suspected of fatally shooting a 47-year old grandfather at a west Houston McDonalds late last month was shot and killed by police after firing on officers attempting to arrest him, Mayor Sylvester Turner said Monday.

Alberto Riascos, 18, was killed by police last Wednesday, Turner said, one week after he allegedly shot and killed Clifton Zeno III following a verbal exchange in the fast-food restaurants lobby. Police said Riascos fired a shot at a sergeant as authorities tried to take him into custody on an outstanding warrant in west Houston, leading officers to open fire. The teen died at the scene.

According to Turner, detectives believe Riascos fired at the arresting officers with the same gun used to kill Zeno.

On Monday, the mayor announced the findings at a news conference surrounded by more than a dozen of Zenos family members, who displayed photos of the grandfather of five whom they described as a fun-loving prankster.

He was the most helpful, funniest person in my life, said Zenos sister, Sandra Zeno. All we did was laugh.

Turner placed a framed photo of Zeno  dressed in a suit and smiling  on the podium and said his administration was laser-focused on combating violent crime. As he spoke, family members held photos of Zeno as a Katy middle schooler in a red-and-white track uniform and posing at a Mexican restaurant in a bright blue sombrero.

Christina Jones, Zenos youngest sister, described him as an avid cook who enjoyed sharing food and grilling barbecue.

He was big on making memories with his family, Jones said.

Zeno and Riascos crossed paths in the checkout line at the McDonalds on Westheimer near South Gessner around 4 p.m. Feb. 23. The two got into an argument, police said. Wearing a hoodie and a mask, Riascos allegedly pulled a gun and fired several shots at Zeno, who died at the scene.

Riascos fled on foot. Within a week, police had identified him as a suspect in Zenos killing and began surveilling the 18-year-old after getting a tip that he was staying at an apartment complex in the 2600 block of Lazy Hollow, near the McDonalds where the shooting took place. Riascos was also wanted on a warrant for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, Turner said.

On March 2, officers saw Riascos leave the apartment complex before 6 p.m. and walk to a parking lot, Houston police executive chief Matt Slinkard said. Not many people were around when he was returning to the complex, Slinkard said, and officers felt that was a good and safe location to try to bring him into custody.

As officers approached Riascos, he produced a gun and fired at the sergeant, Slinkard said. The sergeant shot the 18-year-old. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

Police didnt initially disclose last week that Riascos was a suspect in Zenos killing.

The sergeant  identified as K. Canales, who is assigned to the gang division  was placed on administrative duties, police said. He has been a Houston police officer for more than 12 years, according to police.

Slinkard, who appeared with Turner at Mondays news conference, called the shooting of Zeno senseless and said it was too early in the investigation to determine whether Riascos had any gang affiliations.

I dont think there is a motive, Slinkard said.

Decrying the prevalence of guns on Houston streets, the mayor did not hide his outrage.

Its just evil, Turner said. Thats how I define it.

nora.mishanec@chron.com
A Texas beach has made its way onto a 2022 report of the best beaches in America, and the winner may surprise you.

Trip Advisor's 2022 "Travelers' Choice - Best of the Best" ranks the best beaches in the country that "travelers dream of all year long." Of the top 25 beaches, Texas' Port Aransas Beach cracks the list at No. 20. It is the only Texas beach to make the list.
Republicans in Harris County renewed their calls to fire Elections Administrator Isabel Longoria after the revelation over the weekend that her office had failed to properly count about 10,000 mail-in ballots during last weeks primary elections.

The county Republican Party filed a lawsuit Monday, alleging Longoria violated the Texas Election Code by failing to count all votes within 24 hours of polls closing, as required by law, and for breaching the partys contract with the county to run its primary. The filing also claims that voting machines sometimes malfunctioned and in some cases, Longorias office failed to supply poll workers with necessary equipment.

The party also filed a lawsuit last week, asking a judge to intervene if Harris County did not meet the 24-hour deadline to for counting votes.

The Democrats would tell you last week that we were fear-mongering and that all the votes were correct, and there were no problems, Republican Party Chairwoman Cindy Siegel said Monday. Late Saturday, although we werent notified, there was an, oops, we found 10,000 unexplained, unrecorded mail-in ballots. There are serious problems with this process.

The county Democratic Party agreed that a thorough review of what went wrong is needed. Chairman Odus Evbagharu said that investigation will determine whether Longoria should remain in the role.

There has not been any skirting of party responsibility, and we have been completely transparent in our desire to dig into the details of what went wrong and identify how to make corrections moving forward, Evbhagharu said in a statement.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Harris County took more than a day to report its voting results. That may be the new norm.

A second lawsuit, filed by Democratic and Republican primary candidates, also alleged poll workers were not given proper supplies, and in some cases voting machines malfunctioned, leading to damaged ballots.

Longorias office announced at 1 a.m. Thursday it had completed counting votes for the Democratic and Republican primaries, 30 hours after polls closed at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Harris was the only one of the Texas 254 counties to not finish its tally within the 24-hour deadline set by the Election Code, the secretary of states office said.

Just before 10 p.m. on Saturday, the elections office announced it had discovered 10,000 mail-in ballots that had been scanned but not counted. The missing votes, which account for 4 percent of the total ballots cast, will be added to the count on Tuesday, spokeswoman Leah Shah said.

This was the first primary election in Harris County since Commissioners Court established an independent elections administration office in 2020. Previously, the elected county clerk and tax assessor-collector shared election duties. Full unofficial election results were not available for Novembers low-turnout election until 8:30 a.m. the following morning.

Candidates, voters and political observers have long complained of delayed election results in the largest Texas county. There is no modern precedent for the count process taking more than 24 hours.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Harris County's election day fumbles continue, with 10,000 mail ballots overlooked

A special five-member body called the Harris County Elections Commission oversees the office. It includes the county judge, county clerk, tax assessor-collector and the two party chairs. The group in 2020 voted 3-2 to appoint Longoria as the first elections administrator; Republican Party Chairman Keith Nielsen and Tax Assessor-Collector Ann Harris Bennett were opposed. Only the commission can replace her.

Siegel, the current GOP leader, supports firing Longoria. Bennett, County Judge Lina Hidalgo and County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth did not respond to questions about whether Longoria should be retained or declined to comment.

Republican Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey, who along with fellow conservative Commissioner Jack Cagle, opposes the independent election administrator model, placed an agenda item on Tuesdays Commissioners Court item to discuss the primary election fiasco.

The broad item includes potential action items, including: urging the election commission to dismiss Longoria, returning elections duties to the clerk and tax assessor and ordering an audit of the primary results.

zach.despart@chron.com
Federal money meant to help keep Texans in their homes is slipping away.

Tuesday morning, Montgomery County Commissioners Court had to vote to take back $3.3 million in federal funds it had previously designated for nonprofits to distribute to landlords and renters thrown into financial straits by the pandemic. That was on top of the $7.1 million from the rent relief fund it had already given back.

And that could be just the beginning - Texas is at risk of losing as much as $103 million in rent relief money in the coming months, according to an analysis by the housing advocacy group Texas Housers.

Housing advocates are sounding the alarms, calling on governments like Montgomery County to take steps to keep rent relief within Texans reach.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Montgomery County gives up $7.1 million of its rent relief funds: Theres just not that many people needing assistance

The U.S. Department of Treasury has been clawing back rent relief funds from local governments that have been slow to distribute them to landlords and renters, giving the money instead to governments that have acted more quickly.

(On Tuesday, Harris County Commissioners Court voted to officially accept $8.6 million that Treasury had reallocated to them, which combined with Houstons reallocation will make $13 million available to renters in the city and county.)

The Treasury had set a series of progressive deadlines, by which point funds had to distribute 30, 40, then 50 percent of their initial emergency rental assistance funding or risk having the difference taken back. Governments that spent the money quickly and have since received additional funds will not be at risk. The final deadline is the end of March, by which point local governments are expected to have distributed all of their initial emergency rental assistance funding.

But governments like Montgomery County have a way to keep their rent relief funds within their residents reach. They could voluntarily reallocate the money to the Texas Rent Relief Fund, which renters anywhere in the state can access. Otherwise, the money would go back to the Treasury, which would reallocate the funds as it sees fit.

Rebecca Ansley, director of Grants and Community Development in Montgomery County, said in an email that funds are currently being distributed.

All agencies have contacted all applicants on their list from the portal and are currently assisting those that are eligible, she said. In the past, Montgomery County did reallocate excess funding to (Texas Rent Relief) to ensure those monies stayed in Texas to help our residents statewide.

Ben Martin, a senior researcher at Texas Housers, urged cities and counties in danger of losing funds do the same with this round of reallocations. Once the funds are taken back by the Treasury, he said, No one in Texas will have any say over how those funds are used We really feel its very important for Montgomery County Commissioners to make a plan now and commit to voluntarily reallocating funds to the Texas Rent Relief Fund to serve people in Texas and to keep people housed and avoid evictions.

The need (for rent relief) is outrageous, said Dana Karni, managing attorney for the Eviction Right to Counsel Project at the nonprofit Lone Star Legal Aid. In February, Houston saw 65 percent more eviction filings than it had in an average month between 2012 and 2015, according to Princetons Eviction Lab. It would be terrific if counties that do not distribute all their funds would earmark those funds to go back to Texas.

A spokesperson for the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs said in an email Texas Rent Relief would welcome reallocated emergency rental assistance funds from the Treasury from anywhere in the country, including any recaptured funds from local jurisdictions in the state.

However, she warned those hoping for relief from the statewide fund that it may not receive any reallocations until the summer. Texas Rent Relief is not currently taking new applications because the total requests for assistance already exceed its funds.

The largest Texas rent relief funds that may lose funding include Hidalgo County, which could lose up to $23 million, Dallas County, which could lose up to $17.7 million, Montgomery County, which could lose up to $10.2 million (including the $3.3 million just returned), Cameron County, which could lose up to $9.8 million, Brazoria County, which could lose up to $7.5 million, McLennan County, which could lose up to $6 million, Laredo, which could lose up to $6 million and Jefferson County, which could lose up to $6 million, according to Texas Housers analysis.

Some funds that are in danger of losing funding were slow to distribute funds because of the amount of time that it took for them to launch portals to accept applications online, a process that requires staffing and contracts.

rebecca.schuetz@chron.com;

twitter.com/raschuetz
Chandrika Metivier considers themselves fearless.

Two weeks ago, Metivier was taking a personal safety risk on a bridge above I-45, painting the words 'No War Know Peace' in protest of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine where the infamous "Be Someone" graffiti lived for years.

OnHoustonChronicle.com: Live updates: Ukraine, Russia report progress in talks

This is the third time the mid-twenty-year-old made the risky decision to change the sign and hopes that by claiming their name to the alteration, along with their recent viral TikTok moment, the Houston-based multidisciplinary artist will control the direction their artistic career will go.

"There's probably no other way I wanted to emerge into the public eye," Metivier said. "There have been opportunities to go in a very corporate industry route."

"I never wanted that."

Metivier graduated from Lamar Consolated High School in Rosenberg and started their artistic career in graphic design. As they continued to progress, Metivier's passions and hobbies started to intersect with their art, turning them into a multidisciplined artist that works through different mediums. Metivier now works with the material Mylar, to create, "instinctual, raw, and inimitable large scale sculptures," that, "serve as a reflection of ourselves and our era," according to their artist website.

Staff Photo

Metivier has always been interested in grassroots organizing and calls to action, one of the reasons they first changed the 'Be Someone' graffiti to read 'Vote or Die' before the 2020 presidential election.

"I really just wanted to empower people to vote," Metivier said. "I wanted it to be as neutral as possible but also enough to spark conversation. Something about using that slogan, which was coined by Diddy, gets the conversation going. And that's exactly what happened."

Metivier said they are fully aware of the risks of vandalizing the bridge. According to the Houston Police Department, the city does have a graffiti ordinance that treats the crime as a misdemeanor if the damage is less than $500, and a felony if damages are more than $500. A spokesperson for the Houston Police Department said that the legality of the 'Be Someone' bridge graffiti is tricky because the railway is owned by Union Pacific. The Chronicle reached out to Union Pacific about the graffiti but did not receive a response.

Aside from the legal ramifications, it's also dangerous, from the painting process to getting there in the first place. "There's like a two foot gap where the highway is. So you could fall," Metivier said.

PREVIEW: Dawoud Beys MFAH photography exhibit shows off an American original

For Metivier, the point of painting messages like "No War Know Peace" is to make a difference.

"There have been times when there have been meaningless messages on the bridge," Metivier said. "So I'm like, I'm gonna get my message up there because no one else is going to go up there and do it."

Going viral in Los Angeles

Metivier was in Los Angeles three weeks ago walking along Skid Row - an area in Los Angeles known to have many people who are experiencing homelessness. Metivier came across a man named James Safari Parker who built a makeshift shelter on the street. His home recently went viral on TikTok and Metivier recognized the home and the first thing they thought was, "I should wrap it."

They ordered as much Mylar material as possible and with Parker's permission, began wrapping the home in Metivier's artistic style.

Parker watched Metivier wrap his home for about six hours before they were captured on TikTok.

"That video has over a million likes and it was all unplanned," Metivier said. With their increased popularity, Metivier set up a GoFundMe to help rehouse Parker.

"As far as my activism goes, it couldn't have gone better," Metivier said. "And I don't really view this in particular as fame, I do see a lot more traffic to my page and more people know my name, but I'm like finally, give me the torch because I can do good with it. My intent is pure."

ryan.nickerson@hcnonline.com
Regarding Ted Cruz claims more journalists killed in Mexico than any other country in 2020  and he's right, (March 2): U.S. Sen. Cruzs hypocrisy is once again on full display. He demands details on the Biden administrations stance on Mexico because he is deeply concerned about the deepening civil unrest in Mexico and the breakdown there of civil society. Where is Sen. Cruzs concern over the welfare of the asylum-seeking migrants who are, once again, forced to return to Mexico for indeterminate lengths of time to live in squalor and fear? Sen. Cruz is only worried about appeasing the hateful base that keeps him and other xenophobes in office.

Jeanne Calkins, Weston Lakes

Bike lanes

Regarding There's no stopping Houston, but the city is working on slowing it down with redesigned roads, (Feb. 4): I strongly favor street improvements that will increase the safety of cyclists and pedestrians throughout the city. To accomplish that on 11th Street, however, at the expense of neighborhood safety by forcing the rerouting of traffic off 11th Street and onto residential streets is not the way to go. This has been pointed out repeatedly to city planners to no avail. It appears the city will do whatever they want to do regardless of what residents want and safety requires. It is beyond my understanding why a traffic signal at Nicholson, Michaux and perhaps another intersection would not accomplish what the city wants to do with a lot more concrete. Please refer to the channelization of White Oak Bayou (as well as the current improvements on Studemont) for what more concrete will do for the community.

Ann Derryberry, Houston

Hormone therapy

Regarding Texas Childrens Hospital pauses hormone therapies for gender-affirming care after Abbott and Paxton directive, (March 4): I am sure that this is exactly what Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton wanted: to completely deny gender-affirming treatment for transgender youth by labeling it as child abuse and criminalizing it. I suppose that we are supposed to write this off as election grandstanding but I think that this is part of an effort by conservatives to completely eliminate this helpful treatment for all ages, and to thus somehow eliminate trangender people from Texas.

One thing that is certain is that the small number of people who suffer gender dysphoria as children, and then grow up to live their lives as the gender that is appropriate for them, is not going to change and go away.

You may think you have never met a transender person but I can assure you that you have. It would be much better for our world if we could help transgender chldren at a young age. While it may be true that not all those who start a transition finish it, let's allow that to happen and for those who later decide that it is not right for them to change. Most who have gender dysphoria, transition and later detransition do so because their family or society at large is not accepting. It does not mean that they did not feel that pain of being in the wrong body.

E. Gerald Hensel, The Woodlands

Tackling health disparities

Regarding Its striking: MD Anderson researcher investigates cause of racial disparities in colon cancer, (March 5): While working at MD Anderson I sat through yearly multi-day conferences on health disparities. The same speakers from around the country each gave their PowerPoint talk documenting the disparities  few, if any, talked about concrete solutions.

Now there is a proven solution. According to an NPR report from March 7, 2022, Delaware has successfully implemented a patient navigator program that is now a model for addressing racial inequity in health care.

Delaware used funds from the 1998 tobacco settlement to set up universal cancer screening and treatment for its residents. Its Screening for Life program will pay for all cancer screenings and, if cancer is found, will also cover up to two years of treatment  even for residents who are undocumented, have no insurance or earn up to 6.5 times the federal poverty rate.

From the period of 2003-2007 to that of 2013-2017, the death rate from all cancers declined 26 percent for non-Hispanic Black men in Delaware, compared with a 15 percent decline for white menThe state's colorectal cancer mortality rates declined 37 percent among Black men in that time, compared with 20 percent for white men.

Finally a moon shot that reached its destination.

Mark Adamcik, Sugar Land
The Texas Education Agency will convene a task force to study chronic staff shortages that the states schools face, which predate the COVID-19 pandemic but have been exacerbated by it.

Gov. Greg Abbott announced the formation of the task force Monday, writing that the group will be charged with examining how staff shortages are hurting Texas schools, crafting policy solutions to the problem and exploring whether teacher certification or hiring practices can be changed to allow for easier recruitment.

The ongoing and increasing shortage of full-time and substitute teachers in schools across the state demands a thoughtful, creative conversation to develop strategies to attract, train, and retain the teachers our students need, Abbott wrote.

Staff shortage problems existed in Texas schools before the COVID-19 pandemic, but hiring has been made more difficult during that period, particularly in rural areas, a TEA spokesman wrote in an email. The shortage has especially affected substitute teachers.

Clay Robison, spokesman for the Texas State Teachers Association, said he hopes that Abbott is serious about addressing this issue, but that ultimately staff shortages come down to a lack of pay for Texas teachers. Robison said Abbott has contributed to the problem previously by not approving widespread teacher pay increases  teacher pay in Texas remains below the national average  as well as by the governors ban of mask mandates in schools.

The pandemic made it worse, and the governor didnt help. He was a big hindrance during the pandemic, Robison said. Teachers were struggling. They were being heroic. They were teaching their classes and trying to keep their students and themselves safe at the same time, and the governor didnt even consider allowing mask mandates to help.

There is also a large number of open school jobs created by the $18 billion in federal stimulus funds distributed to school districts.

Decisions on how COVID-19 education funds are to be spent was delegated by the federal government to the school districts around the state that are receiving the funds. The purpose of the funds is to address learning loss for children who missed class time due to the pandemic or were forced into a virtual environment, but districts are given wide leeway to spend the funds how they see fit.

Staff shortages for schools are not limited to the classroom. Nationwide, schools have struggled to hire enough bus drivers, which has caused longer waits for some students as schools around the state are forced to cut back on bus routes.

The members of the task force will be named later this week, a spokesman for the agency said.

In his letter announcing the task force, Abbott mentions a 2017 law that introduced merit-based pay increases for teachers, saying it was part of his effort to retain talented teachers in the workforce. Robison said this step was insufficient, as specific teachers should not be receiving raises until every Texas teacher is paid at least the national average.

Now that hes been safely renominated, were glad that hes doing this, we just wish that hed done this a long time ago, Robison said.

edward.mckinley@chron.com
President Biden announced on Tuesday that the U.S. will ban Russian imports including oil, gas and energy to punish the Kremlin for its invasion of Ukraine.

We will not be part of subsidizing Putins war, Biden said in an address to the nation from the White House, calling the new action a powerful blow against Russias ability to fund the ongoing offensive.

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President Joe Biden announces a ban on Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia's economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine, Tuesday, March 8, 2022, in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

Biden framed the move as part of a successful campaign to push the Kremlin to end the invasion, boasting that financial and technology sanctions have crippled Russias economy.

He conceded that European allies need more time to find more sustainable alternative energy supplies before implementing similar bans.

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Were moving forward with this ban, understanding that many of our European allies may not be able to immediately join us. We can take this step when others can not.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to representatives of the flight crew of Russian airlines as he visits to Aeroflot Aviation School outside Moscow, Russia, Saturday, March 5, 2022. (Mikhail Klimentyev/AP)

Unlike the U.S., which is a major oil and gas producer, Europe relies on imports for 90% of its gas and 97% of its oil products. Russia supplies 40% of Europes gas and a quarter of its oil. The U.S. does not import Russian natural gas.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a tweet praised Bidens action: Thankful for US and @POTUS personal leadership in striking in the heart of Putins war machine and banning oil, gas and coal from US market. Encourage other countries and leaders to follow.

President Joe Biden walks to board Air Force One, Tuesday, March 8, 2022, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., escorted by Col. William Chris McDonald, Vice Commander, 89th Airlift Wing. (Luis M. Alvarez/AP)

Biden sought to ready American consumers to take a hit, noting that the move has wide bipartisan support.

Americans will feel pain, too  at the gas pump  Biden acknowledged, declaring, Defending freedom is going to cost. Republicans and Democrats alike have been clear that we must do this.

A customer prepares to pump gasoline into his car at a Sam's Club fuel island in Gulfport, Miss., Feb. 19, 2022. The Russia-Ukraine crisis is helping to raise oil and gasoline prices to high levels. Gasoline prices are setting a new record, and they're likely to go higher in the coming weeks. (Rogelio V. Solis/AP)

The U.S. imported 245 million barrels of oil from Russia last year  about 8% of all U.S. oil imports  up from 198 million barrels in 2020. Thats less than the U.S. gets from Canada or Mexico but more than it imported last year from Saudi Arabia.

Environmentalists say the crisis is a clarion call for the entire world to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and the autocratic states that produce them like Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Venezuela.

With News Wire Services
A Texas State Bar complaint against Attorney General Ken Paxton is moving forward and will be heard by either a district court judge or an administrative panel, the complainants said Tuesday.

The complaint was filed in July 2021 by the nonprofit Lawyers Defending American Democracy and 16 Texas lawyers, including four former presidents of the state Bar. It alleges that Paxton committed professional misconduct when he filed the December 2020 suit before the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to overturn the presidential election results in four battleground states. The complainants say the suit was frivolous, knowingly false and deceitful.

The deadline for a decision on whether there is just cause to move forward, prescribed by the Texas Rules of Disciplinary Procedure, was Sunday, and the complainants have not been notified of a dismissal.

This is a big step because this rarely happens, said Jim Harrington, one of the Texas lawyers who joined the complaint and a retired founder of the Texas Civil Rights Project, a nonprofit that advocates for voting rights. I just know from being a lawyer for 50 years, this is very rare.

Paxton, in a statement, decried the Bars probe as politically motivated and claimed the group that moved forward with the complaint was comprised of liberal lawyers and activists strategically drawn from deep-blue Travis County.

Today it was leaked that the Texas State Bar is suing me, Paxton said. Im not surprised; everyone knows this organization spends all their time and money on anti-conservative causes. The left then launched a coordinated effort to attack me through their friends at the Texas State Bar.

Paxton added that 19 GOP-controlled states supported his suit in court filings and that two Supreme Court justices voted to take up the case.

He also accused the state Bar of having intentionally waited for the complaint to come out in the middle of an election.

In last weeks primary, the second-term Republican attorney general did not meet the 50 percent-plus-one threshold needed to avoid a runoff and will now face Land Commissioner George P. Bush in a May 24 runoff.

Bushs campaign has zeroed in on Paxtons legal troubles as a vulnerability for Texas Republicans in the general election, warning it would give Democrats their first chance at winning a statewide seat since 1994.

Bottom line: this is just a bid to manipulate elections, Paxton said in his statement Tuesday. But Im not worried. I take their partisan attacks as a mark that Im doing the right thing.

A Bar spokeswoman declined to comment, citing the agencys policy of keeping the complaint process confidential until and unless public sanctions are filed.

Under the disciplinary rules, Paxton has 20 days to decide whether to request the case be heard by a district court, where proceedings are public, or by an evidentiary panel. If he chooses the evidentiary panel, the proceedings will be kept private unless public sanctions are imposed. Dismissals or private sanctions are not made public.

Harrington rejected the claim by Paxton that the complaint was guided by political bias.

Thats the way he always is. Anyone who disagrees with him is on some sort of political witchhunt, he said. It doesnt matter to me what a persons politics are  We lawyers, its very clear we have an ethical responsibility. Its very clear we have to follow the rules.

The complaint is one of three against Paxton to become public in the last 10 months. One was filed in June by a Democratic Party activist making similar allegations about his Supreme Court suit and another was filed last month related to a pressure campaign by Paxton to sway appellate court judges in his favor on a major case involving election fraud prosecutions.

The Supreme Court quickly dismissed the 2020 suit, finding that the state of Texas lacked standing to intervene in elections of other states. The petition contained numerous claims that had already been debunked, including by former President Donald Trumps own Justice Department, which did not find evidence of widespread voter fraud. Once Paxton makes a choice on the type of hearing hed prefer, a petition would have to be filed within 60 days, according to the disciplinary rules.

Harrington said he hopes to see Paxton lose his law license permanently as a result of this process. Any bar action would not affect Paxtons ability to serve as attorney general because membership is not required by law to hold the office.

For the person who is supposed to be the chief law enforcement for our state to do this sort of nonsense I just think is utterly reprehensible, Harrington said.

Gary Ratner, co-founder of Lawyers Defending American Democracy and principal author of the complaint, agreed that the most severe form of discipline would be appropriate.

taylor.goldenstein@chron.com
High Point, NC (27260)

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Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low around 65F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

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This illustration reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically. A novel coronavirus, named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China in 2019. The illness caused by this virus has been named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Quick hits... Hudson School Board March 7 Superintendent Nick Ouellette clarified the enrollment information, as he has noticed some misinformation and misunderstanding. The data suggests that enrollment has been down about 2.2% since 2014. The private schools in the community also are experiencing lower enrollments. The home school numbers have only grown by 39 students. He doesn't believe that it has anything to do with the atmosphere of the district.

Ouellette addressed some comments he has heard about the facilities committee. All homes in the district were alerted to the open call for committee members. There were four calls made. Additionally two teachers from each building, a parent representative and a PTO representative were asked to join the committee. Anyone who asked to be on the committee was added to the committee, he said.

There were four COVID-19 cases across the district last week. Thats down from 250 cases the second week in January. There will not be any more COVID-19 operation updates from the superintendent, unless circumstances call for one.

The Hudson School Board hosted a public hearing at its March 7 meeting on the federal relief dollars equaling $4.4 million. The funds are intended to help safely reopen and sustain the safe operation of schools, addressing the impact of the pandemic on the nations students.

The third set of funds, part of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund grant program, authorized under American Rescue Plan Act, provides additional money for local educational agencies to prevent, prepare for and respond to COVID-19, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction states.

Funds may be used to support response to the pandemic and costs that may be incurred between March 13, 2020 and September 30, 2024.

A required 20% of the funding must go towards evidence-based improvement or intervention strategies, but in Hudson, a majority of the funding will go towards this theme.

Attention to underrepresented groups will be a priority.

We are focusing on student need, not supplies and that type of thing,

Hudson needs were outlined as follows with an estimated dollar amount:

Summer school, professional development and additional school days: $1.1 million.

Technology to meet learning needs: $1.1 million

High quality assessment tools: $328,000.

Curricular materials to meet student needs in literacy, science, social studies, language, music, art and math: $1.8 million.

A Plan for Safe Return is a requirement for the funding, as well, which must be posted on the district website by March 11. The plan must come back every six months for review.

No public comments were made and the board approved moving forward with the plan.

Public participation

Board President Jamie Johnson made a point to clarify the purpose and role of public comment during board meetings, outlined in policy 187.

Its multifaceted, its not just the public comment part, Johnson said about the policy.

He made clear that board meetings are required to be held in the public. They are not a meeting of the public.

A script was developed by district staff to be read prior to public comment, addressing that it is not a time for questions, conversations and discussion. Board members will not respond to comments, but rather listen and note them.

We are barred by law from having a dialogue with speakers, Johnson said. We want to hear from the public.

If folks would like to have conversation with the board, that is an accessible option outside of board meetings. Emails and phone calls are welcomed.

Additionally, no action will be taken on items brought up in the public hearing. The board is required to alert the public of items that will be voted on a week prior to the meeting.
WASHINGTON (AP)  A Texas man was convicted on Tuesday of storming the U.S. Capitol with a holstered handgun, a milestone victory for federal prosecutors in the first trial among hundreds of cases arising from last years riot.

A jury also convicted Guy Wesley Reffitt of interfering with police officers who were guarding the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and of obstructing justice for threatening his two teenage children if they reported him to law enforcement after the attack. Jurors deliberated about three hours and convicted him on all counts.

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The verdict could be a bellwether for many other Capitol riot cases. It could give Justice Department prosecutors more leverage in plea negotiations and discourage other defendants from gambling on trials of their own.

Reffitt, 49, of Wylie, Texas, didnt testify at his trial, which started last Wednesday. He didnt visibly react to the verdict, but his face was covered by a mask.

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This artist sketch depicts Guy Wesley Reffitt, joined by his lawyer William Welch, right, in Federal Court, in Washington, Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. (Dana Verkourteren/AP)

During the trials closing arguments on Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Risa Berkower told jurors that Reffitt drove to Washington, D.C., intending to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Bidens electoral victory. Reffitt proudly lit the fire that allowed others in a mob to overwhelm Capitol police officers near the Senate doors, the prosecutor said.

Reffitt was not accused of entering the Capitol building. Defense attorney William Welch said there is no evidence that Reffitt damaged property, used force or physically harmed anybody.

The defense lawyer urged jurors to acquit Reffitt of all charges but one: He said they should convict him of a misdemeanor charge that he entered and remained in a restricted area.

Reffitt faced a total of five counts: obstruction of an official proceeding, being unlawfully present on Capitol grounds while armed with a firearm, transporting firearms during a civil disorder, interfering with law enforcement officers during a civil disorder, and obstruction of justice.

Jurors saw videos that captured the confrontation between a few Capitol police officers and a mob of people, including Reffitt, who approached them on the west side of the Capitol.

Reffitt was armed with a Smith & Wesson pistol in a holster on his waist, carrying zip-tie handcuffs and wearing body armor and a helmet equipped with a video camera when he advanced on police, according to prosecutors. He retreated after an officer pepper-sprayed him in the face, but he waved on other rioters who ultimately breached the building, prosecutors said.

Before the crowd advanced, Reffitt used a megaphone to shout at police to step aside and to urge the mob to push forward and overtake officers. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nestler said Reffitt played a leadership role that day.

Violent insurrectionists, loyal to President Donald Trump, storm the Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (John Minchillo/AP)

During last Fridays testimony, prosecutors zoomed in on a video image of Reffitt at the Capitol. FBI Special Agent Laird Hightower said the image shows a silvery metallic linear object in a holster protruding from under Reffitts jacket as he leaned forward.

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Shauni Kerkhoff, who was one of the Capitol police officers who tried to repel Reffitt, said she launched pepper balls that didnt stop him from advancing. She testified that Reffitt appeared to be leading the crowd upstairs toward police.

Reffitts 19-year-old son, Jackson, testified last Thursday that his father threatened him and his sister, then 16, after he drove home from Washington. Reffitt told his children they would be traitors if they reported him to authorities and said traitors get shot, Jackson Reffitt recalled.

Jackson Reffitt, then 18, said the threat terrified him. His younger sister, Peyton, was listed as a possible government witness but didnt testify.

Jackson Reffitt used a cellphone app to secretly record his father boasting about his role in the riot. Jurors heard excerpts of that family conversation.

Jackson Reffitt initially contacted the FBI on Christmas Eve, less than two weeks before the riot, to report concerns about his fathers behavior and increasingly worrisome rhetoric. But the FBI didnt respond until Jan. 6, after the riot erupted.

This artist sketch depicts Guy Wesley Reffitt, bottom right, joined by his lawyer William Welch, third from right, listening as prosecutor Risa Berkower, speaks at the podium at center, as a video depicts a handgun on the waist of Reffitt, at left, for members of the jury and audience in Federal Court, in Washington, Monday, March 7, 2022. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

Another key witness, Rocky Hardie, said he and Reffitt were members of Texas Three Percenters militia group. The Three Percenters militia movement refers to the myth that only 3% of Americans fought in the Revolutionary War against the British.

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Hardie drove from Texas to Washington with Reffitt. He testified that both of them were armed with holstered handguns when they attended then-President Donald Trumps Stop the Steal rally before the riot erupted. Reffitt also took an AR-15 rifle to Washington but left it locked up in his car, Hardie said.

Hardie said Reffitt, during their drive to Washington, talked about dragging lawmakers out of the Capitol and replacing them with people who would follow the Constitution. Hardie also said Reffitt gave him two pairs of zip-tie cuffs in case they needed to detain anybody.

Reffitt was arrested less than a week after the riot. FBI found a handgun in a holster on a nightstand in the defendants bedroom when they searched his home near Dallas.

More than 750 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the riot. Over 220 of them have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors. and over 110 of them have been sentenced. Approximately 90 others have trial dates.
Donations needed for Zonta Period Project

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  The Zonta Club of Berkshire County is looking for donations of feminine hygiene products for the organization's Period Project to help women in need.

Donations will be used in making up monthly kits that have six tampons, five pads, one wash item, five panty liners, and one pair of underwear.

"Even if one person has an easier monthly period, and is a little bit supported in that process, I think that would be great," Sandy Carroll, a former president of the club, said. "But I think to raise awareness, really about how much women go through, if they don't have the support of the government, they don't have as much support as they need."

The Zonta Club provides these supplies to different organizations in the area including schools, homeless shelters, churches, and the Elizabeth Freeman Center.

"The last few cycles that we've gone through, we've always focused on social service agencies. We've been getting so many calls from schools, teachers, nurses saying that young women are just without resources, they're without product or without anything," Carroll said. "And so they're trying to make do with toilet paper. And it hurts to think that a woman and a young girl have to go through that struggle just to be clean and not embarrassed. And it seemed like such a worthy goal for us."

Many times teachers buy sanitary products for young girls who get their period, said project Chair Vickie Palardy. "And they don't get paid enough to do that. So, there is a bill in the state at the moment to make schools supply tampons and pads for free. I haven't followed it too much but knowing all these bills and the way they go through. It's very, very slow."

There have been several bills in the Legislature related to this issue and S.2730 was passed unanimously on Thursday by the Senate. It requires disposable menstruation products be made available at emergency shelters and safe houses and also includes that they are provided free in public schools "in a convenient manner that does not stigmatize the individual seeking such products, including, but not limited to, in restrooms for menstruating individuals."

The local club adopted the Period Project from Quaboag Valley Zonta Club four years ago and modified it to accommodate the area's needs.

"The Zonta Club of Quaboag Valley was doing it and we actually had a member mention something about women's hygiene supplies for periods," Palardy said. "We did it with Quaboag to begin with at a district meeting. And then we've been doing it now for three or four years, twice a year, usually in March around St. Patrick's Day and in October."

Through communications with the different organizations, the Zonta Club found that the area's need for period products is so great that holding the collection twice a year to replenish the supplies is necessary.

"What we came to discover was a huge expense that women have to bear and sometimes they're having this expense come at a time when they're choosing between feeding their family and taking care of themselves," Carroll said. "It's not covered under, you know, SNAP or WIC programs, it's not considered a necessity. In some states, it's actually taxed as a luxury item, which is ridiculous."

The Zonta International aims to empower women through service and advocacy while instituting change regarding women's rights. The organization has close ties to the United Nations and its sustainability goals but the local club also aligns with issues in the Berkshires region.

"Much of their sustainability goals for the entire world, according to the United Nations, have to do with women and their children and caring for them and making sure that they have opportunity, make sure they have the right to education, making sure that they have freedom of their body as far as medical procedures," Carroll said. "And so it's been a fascinating alignment where we can get our hands dirty locally, but we are also part of this bigger picture organization."

Individuals can bring donations to the second floor of 99 West St. or by using the club's Amazon wish list . People can also reach out to Vickie Palardy at 413-281-6083 or Sandy Carroll at 413-822-2544 if they would like to have donations picked up. Money donations can also be made through their online card system located on the website

Individuals are also welcome to volunteer on Saturday, March 19, beginning at 9 a.m. at 99 West St. to help assemble the kits.
Bidwell House: The Mohicans of Northwest Connecticut

MONTEREY, Mass.  On March 9 at 7 p.m., join the Bidwell House Museum for the second program in their online winter lecture series focused on the Indigenous Peoples of Western New England.

Dr. Lucianne Lavin, Director of Research and Collections at the Institute for American Indian Studies will discuss the historical Mohican presence in northwest Connecticut.

According to a press release, early European documents demonstrate that Mohican tribal homelands extended east and south into what is now Connecticut, with known villages reported in what would become the towns of Salisbury, Sharon, and Canaan. The documentary evidence reveals stable, peaceful social and political relationships between Mohicans and Housatonic Valley tribal communities to their south, particularly the Schaghticoke (AKA Scaticook) and this archaeology pushes the Mohican presence back even farther, into deep history.

Lucianne Lavin is Director of Research and Collections at the Institute for American Indian Studies, a museum and research and educational center in Washington, Conn. She is an anthropologist & archaeologist who has over 50 years of research and field experience in Northeastern archaeology and anthropology, including teaching, museum exhibits and curatorial work, cultural resource management, editorial work, and public relations. Dr. Lavin is a founding member of the state's Native American Heritage Advisory Council and former editor of the journal of the Archaeological Society of Connecticut for 30 years.
It was a gruesome find.

Law enforcement in Mexico said Monday that searchers discovered 11 bodies hidden in pits near the U.S. border.

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The victims included nine men and two women, the government of Sonora said.

The burial pits were excavated on Sunday and Monday in the desert by the town of San Luis Rio Colorado, which is a few miles from Yuma, Ariz.

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A US border patrol vehicle drives along the U.S.-Mexico border fence on the outskirts of San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico, near Yuma, Arizona. (Guillermo Arias/AP)

The state prosecutors office described the bodies as deeply decomposed and will be identified through genetic and specialized forensics tests.

The volunteer searchers, made up of family members of disappeared people, led authorities to the area, which was near a garbage dump.

More than 98,356 people are considered disappeared by the Mexican government. Many are believed to have been killed by drug cartels and disposed of unceremoniously. An additional 52,000 bodies that have been recovered are still awaiting identification.

With News Wire Services
CHP Names New Clinicians to Practices in Pittsfield, Great Barrington

Shannon Kurzeski, Lauren Young, and Susan Ray-Lamond

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.  Community Health Programs has named three new clinicians to CHP practices in Pittsfield and Great Barrington.

Shannon Kurzeski, family nurse practitioner, has joined CHP Neighborhood Health Center in Pittsfield.

She earned her M.S. in nursing from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and she received her post-master's degree as a family nurse practitioner from University of Massachusetts-Boston. She is board certified as a family nurse practitioner by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.

Before joining CHP, Ms. Kurzeski owned and operated her own family primary care practice in Ludlow, Complete Care for All, for two years. She has also worked in practices in the Springfield area, including Ludlow Pediatrics Inc., Caring Health Center and New England Sports, Orthopedic, Spine, and Rehab.

Lauren Young, family nurse practitioner, has joined CHP Great Barrington Health Center. She earned her M.S. in nursing/family nurse practitioner from Simmons University, and she holds a master's degree in food science, nutrition and health promotion from Mississippi State University. She is certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

She completed family nurse practitioner rotations at medical practices in the Plymouth, N.H. area. and at the New Hampshire Veterans Home.

Susan Ray-Lamond, M.D., has joined CHP Berkshire Pediatrics in Pittsfield. A longtime pediatrician in the Hampshire County area, she owned and operated her own medical practice, Hampshire Pediatrics, for 18 years. She worked previously at practices in Northampton and in Wilmington, N.C.

She is a graduate of Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, and she completed her pediatric residency at the University of Virginia. She is board certified in pediatric medicine.
Berkshire Community Land Trust Welcomes New Board Members

Sarah Downie and Regi Wingo are new board members.

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. The Berkshire Community Land Trust announced two additions to the Board of Trustees: Sarah Downie and Regi Wingo.

Downie Downie joins the Board as a professional representative. Downie is a partner in the law firm of Weil Gotshal & Manges, LLP in New York City, where she concentrates her practice on pension and other employee benefit matters. She is recognized as a leading employee benefits lawyer in New York by Chambers USA, is named among Lawdragon's "500 Leading U.S. Employment Lawyers" and is recognized by Super Lawyers.

She served as Chair of the New York City Bar Association's Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Committee and is a member of the Steering Committee of the New York Chapter of Worldwide Employee Benefits Network. She regularly speaks and writes on all aspects of pensions and employee benefits law, and is active on her firm's retirement plan investment committee.

Downie volunteers her time on numerous pro bono legal matters, including work with Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, International Refugee Assistance Program and Lawyers' Alliance. Downie is a dual citizen of Canada and the United States. After completing her legal education in Canada, she moved to New York in 1999. In 2021, she and her partner moved to the Berkshires.

Wingo joins the Board as a community representative. Wingo is the Prevention Team Leader and Outreach Educator at the Elizabeth Freeman Center. He began working with at-risk youth in 1999 as a founding member of the Railroad Street Youth Project in Great Barrington, where he developed and supervised the Urban Hieroglyphics art program. In 2010 he joined the Elizabeth Freeman Center as Team Leader for its Berkshire Violence Protection Program and has worked in over fourteen Berkshire County middle and high schools and colleges, specializing in programming on health relationships, healthy sexuality, sex education, bystander response, social responsibility and cultural and gender norms. His team was recently awarded one of the first State funded grants to work specifically on healthy relationships in local schools, looking to use dialogue education and harm reductive sex education. He is a well-known community artist who also uses his theatrical talents to effectively engage both youth and adults and to motive action and change.

He recently joined an intentional community in Alford that is looking to focus on food sovereignty and agroforestry. He is a Berkshire native with a deep love for the land and community of the Berkshires.

A Community Land Trust is governed by a three-part volunteer Board of Trustees. The Board is designed to be representative and balanced in its administration of the organization's activities and assets. The Boards of the Berkshire Community Land Trust and Community Land Trust in the Southern Berkshires are twelve residents of Southern Berkshire County. Four leasing member representatives are elected by other leaseholders. Four community representatives are elected by the general membership. Four professional representatives are appointed by the Board itself for their expertise.
After the cheeseburgers were taken away, its now no Coke and no Pepsi for Russia.

Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Co became the latest brands to stop business operations in Russia in response to the countrys invasion of Ukraine.

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Our hearts are with the people who are enduring unconscionable effects from these tragic events in Ukraine, Coke said in a statement Tuesday. We will continue to monitor and assess the situation as circumstances evolve.

An ad for Pepsi is seen in Moscow. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images)

Muscovites wont be doing the Dew anytime soon, either.

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As a food and beverage company, now more than ever we must stay true to the humanitarian aspect of our business, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta wrote to employees Tuesday, according to a memo obtained by CNBC.

The soda titans are just the latest companies to cease operations within Russia.

McDonalds and Starbucks joined the growing number of businesses to publicly denounce the invasion by ceasing or suspending operations or sales earlier in the day.

According to the Yale School of Management, nearly 300 companies have withdrawn from Russia, including Airbnb, Apple, Carnival Cruises, Disney, FedEx, Kellogg, Netflix, Spotify, Uber, UPS, YouTube, Yum (which owns several fast food chains) and many more.
You say potato, they say potahto.

But in France, when you say poutine, some say Putin.

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A small restaurant chain has come under fire after people mistook the name of its signature dish for a tribute to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Poutine (main and Putin (inset). (Shutterstock; AP)

La Maison de la Poutine, or The House of Poutine, has revealed that it received calls of insults and even threats over its namesake cuisine.

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A restaurant employee told France Bleu that theyre receiving three or four calls a day [...] from people who say that it is a shame to work for the Russian state, to have subsidies from Mr. Putin.

Some people resort to shouting insults as they walk by, leaving some concerned staffers frightened that the furor could escalate to vandalism or violence.

Poutine are french fries saturated in cheese curds and gravy, which gained popularity in Quebecs Centre-du-Quebec region some 70 years ago.

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Despite its alphabetic similarities, the cholesterol colossal has nothing to do with the leader who launched an invasion into Ukraine just over a week ago.

It, therefore, seems necessary for us to recall that La Maison de la Poutine is unrelated to the Russian regime and its leader, the restaurant tweeted in a note that featured its logo, a heart emoji, and the Ukrainian flag.

Our dish was born in Quebec in the 1950s. And the stories to tell its origin are numerous. But one thing is certain: poutine was created by passionate cooks who care about bringing joy and comfort to their customers, the restaurant continued in French.

La Maison de la Poutine has two locations in Paris and one in the southern France capitol of Toulouse.

The House of Poutine has worked since its first day to perpetuate these values and today brings its most sincere support to the Ukrainian people who are courageously fighting for their freedom against the tyrannical Russian regime, the statement continued.

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Due to similar events, Laurent Proulx the Quebec restaurant that claims to have invented poutine  announced it will brand itself as the inventor of the fries-cheese-gravy.

Businesses around the globe have cut ties with Russia over its unprovoked invasion of its neighboring country.
Red-hot prices at the gas pump set to soar even higher. Here's why
On International Womens Day 2022, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) takes pause to acknowledge the courage of women journalists fighting for truth, justice and freedom of information in China and Hong Kong. The IFJ stands in solidarity with women journalists and media workers across the Asia Pacific and calls for greater action to address ongoing gender discrimination and inequality in the region.

In celebration of International Womens Day on March 8, the IFJ is profiling five female journalists and activists currently detained in China and Hong Kong. According to the IFJs annual Killed List 2021, at least nine female journalists are currently detained in China, however, due to a lack of access to information, the total number is inconclusive.

Zhang Zhan, the former Chinese lawyer who reported on the early stages of the Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan in 2019, was sentenced to four years in prison in December 2020 over picking quarrels and provoking trouble. Zhang is reportedly suffering rapidly deteriorating health after enduring over one year of intermittent hunger strikes to protest her detention and imprisonment.

Cheng Lei, a Chinese-born Australian news presenter for CGTN, has been detained by the Chinese authorities since August 2020 over allegedly supplying state secrets overseas, while Haze Fan, a Chinese journalist working for Bloomberg's Beijing bureau, was detained on suspicion of endangering national security in December 2020.

Freelance journalist and leading campaigner for Chinas #MeToo movement, Sophia Huang Xeuqin, was imprisoned in September 2021, shortly before she was supposed to travel from China to London for her postgraduate studies. She was reportedly captured by Chinese authorities alongside labour activist Wang Jianbing, accused of inciting subversion of state power.

In Hong Kong, Chan Pui-man, publisher of the now defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, was placed under detention since July 2021 for allegedly conspiring to collude with foreign powers. Chan's case is part of the government's crackdown on independent journalism and press freedom in the city, further detailed in the IFJs latest reportwhich documents the detainment and jailing of journalists after inadvertently crossing invisible red lines set out under the new National Security Law.

Female journalists continue to be disproportionately targeted for their work across the Asia Pacific. On the eve of International Womens Day, the IFJ launched the results of two surveys conducted in early 2022 to assess the work of trade unions and media organisations in tackling online abuse of women journalists, finding that 79 per cent of IFJ unions and associations said they were aware of cases of online abuse among their members. While 75 per cent of these organisations have made online abuse a priority issue, only 16 per cent have collective agreements covering online abuse.

A second survey found that only 20 per cent of media workers said their media employment adopted a protocol or mechanism that allows women journalists and media workers to report online abuse and be supported and protected in such cases.

The IFJ said: Female journalists and media workers, both in the Asia Pacific region and globally, continue to suffer detainment, harassment, online abuse, and disproportionate targeting for their work. On International Womens Day, and in light of the intensification of crackdowns on women journalists by Chinese authorities, the IFJ calls on governments, media organisations, unions and associations to do more to safeguard and end systemic discrimination towards women in the media, worldwide.
A Russian warship famously told by defiant Ukrainian troops to sexually violate itself has reportedly been sunk.

The Vasily Bykov was believed to be one of the ships that opened fire on 13 Ukrainian service members late last month after a loudspeaker request for the outgunned troops to surrender was greeted with the reply Russian warship  go f--k yourself.

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According to British paper The Times, Ukrainian sources confirmed that was the ship seen on video getting the worst of a firefight Monday morning near Odessa. Audio of that exchange appears to record one Ukrainian soldier confirming a successful strike against the Vasily Bykov and another man joyfully recalling the phrase Russian warship  go f--k yourself.

Russian Nav's Project 22160 patrol ship Vasily Bykov was damaged by a Ukrainian multiple launch rocket system in the Black Sea near #Odesa. The ship sank today. There is no information about its crew yet. pic.twitter.com/C5a3pY1IgK  Ukraine Reporter (@StateOfUkraine) March 7, 2022

An outlet called Ukraine Reporter reported the ship is now at the bottom of the Black Sea and the status of its crew is unknown.

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On Feb. 24, Ukrainian troops on Snake Island became a metaphor for Ukraines bold resistance against Russian President Vladimir Putins massive military when they seemingly chose to die rather than surrender after running low on ammunition. After warships opened fire on the small island, Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said All border guards died heroically, but did not give up.

Ukraines Navy later contradicted Zelenskyys announcement and said the troops on Snake Island survived the Russians Navys assault, but had been captured.
For many in the past two years, just about every part of life has been grueling. Stress levels have spiked, job security has been all over the map, families are stretched. The entrepreneurs, who have managed to keep their heads above water during the depths of the pandemic only to now face the dual crisis of the Great Resignation and supply-chain woes, are tired.

But there's opportunity in the chaos. That's the main takeaway from Inc.'s International Women's Day panel discussion featuring female founders. I moderated the panel, which included Trinity Mouzon Wofford, the co-founder of Golde, a wellness brand based in Chatham, New York; Melissa Ben-Ishay, founder and CEO of New York City-based cupcake company Baked By Melissa; and Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code, a nonprofit dedicated to closing the gender gap in tech.

While the pandemic has indeed delivered unprecedented trials, the founders say, it also has offered moments of clarity. And the downtime--which, yes, some people had--helped them recalibrate how they think about entrepreneurship, leadership, and even motherhood.

"When everything is flipped on its head, it gives us the opportunity as entrepreneurs to take that step back and say, 'OK, what is actually working for me? What is working for my team? How do we move forward?' " says Mouzon Wofford. For example, she noted that Golde's remote workers had difficulty taking time off. So last summer, she says the entire company, even the customer service team, took the week off.

Ben-Ishay expresses a similar view. While her cupcake company offered employees paid maternity leave, as well as flexibility on returning to the workplace, Covid-19 forced her to rethink her own behavior. "I try and find the silver linings," she says. "My work schedule actually has changed, as a result of Covid. So now I am back in the office at least three days a week, but when I do work from home, I stop working as close to when my children come home from school as I can, so I can give them my undivided attention." She says she wasn't necessarily conscious about this need for mental, physical, and emotional availability prior to the pandemic. That's something, she adds, won't change once the pandemic slides into history. "I try and lead by example with my team," adds Ben-Ishay.

What's more, it's key to let people see that what you do is hard, says Mouzon Wofford. "There's always this responsibility on us to show what's possible, but then also to reveal our vulnerabilities publicly to say, 'Yes, I've done this, but don't think I did it without all the struggle.' I think it's also worth just acknowledging that all of that is a lot for any human being to do."

Saujani agrees. "We have to radically change how we... as entrepreneurs present ourselves and show ourselves. We have to show the mess behind the scenes," says Saujani. What aspiring women entrepreneurs need from founders at this moment, she says, is an outward rejection of the "Girlboss" mentality, a feminist spin on hustle culture. "Everyone told us that if we just leaned in hard enough, we could Girlboss our way to the top. And we realized that when we got there that we were exhausted and done, and that we were never going to get to equality until we fought for equality at home."

That's where business owners and employers can help, says Saujani. She recently stepped back from Girls Who Code to found the Marshall Plan for Moms, an initiative promoting pro-family policies like paid family leave, affordable child care, and pay-equity policies. Those ideas are also the centerpiece of her forthcoming book, Pay Up. "We have an opportunity to fix the foundation of our workplaces... and make them work for women," she says.

While modeling good behaviors is vital, she thinks it's an employer's responsibility to hit the reset button on the workplace. Don't praise a hard-driving mentality; praise results. You can also foster an equalized view of benefits. For instance, provide paid leave for both women and men who have to care for a newborn or an infirm family member, and encourage everyone--including men--to take advantage of it. Saujani also suggests progressive employers can even help subsidize employees' childcare costs, which clock in at an average of $15,888 annually for basic-quality infant care, according to the Center for American Progress.

For employers who can't afford to pay for part of workers' childcare, she says, they can help a lot by simply offering predictability and flexibility for hourly workers. "When you take care of people's families... you will get people's loyalty," she says.
Walk into government offices and you'll occasionally see official photos on the wall. Sometimes of the president. Or the governor. Sometimes even a local politician.

Clearly the photo is meant to inspire. To encourage. To serve as a reminder of authority and leadership.

But if Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has his way, his portrait will never appear on the wall of any office.

His reasoning is simple. Make decisions with the people you care about in mind, and those decisions are likely to be good ones. You'll act in ways that will make them proud. You'll react in ways they would approve. You're much more likely to be -- in words and deeds -- the person you wish to be.

Because then your decisions will transcend lesser considerations like selfishness or expediency.

Like when the U.S. government offered to evacuate Zelensky from Kyiv. "The fight is here," Zelensky responded. "I need ammo, not a ride."

Like when the Kremlin offered justifications on the eve of their invasion. Instead of speaking like a politician, Zelensky responded like a person. "You've been told I'm going to bomb [the region of] Donbass," he said. "Bomb what? The stadium where me and the local guys cheered for our team at Euro 2012? The bar where we drank when they lost? Luhansk, where my best friend's mom lives?"

Granted, you're unlikely to have a politician's photo on your wall. Or a photo of entrepreneurial icons like Cuban, Buffett, Branson, or Bezos. But you may have photos or images intended to inspire. The vacation you someday hope to take. The car you someday hope to buy. Images of outcomes intended to motivate and inspire.

Which, if that works for you, is great.

But consider putting -- or moving -- a photo of a person or persons you love in a place you can't miss. On your desk. Beside your monitor. On the wall directly in front of you.

Use that photo to inform your decisions. Ask yourself if that person or persons would be proud of what you say. If they would be proud of what you do. If they would be proud of the type of person your actions reveal you to be.

Use that photo to remind you not of what you wish to have, but of the person you wish to be.

Do that, and you'll almost always make the right decision.
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Great Eastern Shipping Company: The firm said its subsidiary Greatship (India) has contracted to sell its 2010 built R-class Platform supply vessel 'Greatship Rohini' for scrapping. Greatship Rohini had suffered damage due to a fire incident on board in February 2021. The vessel is expected to be delivered to the buyer in Q4FY22.Natco Pharma: The pharma company launched its first generic version of Revlimid (Lenalidomide capsules), in the US market. These capsules are available in 5mg, 1Omg, 15mg, and 25mg strengths. The drug is used for the treatment of multiple myeloma in combination with the medicine dexamethasone, certain myelodysplastic syndromes, and mantle cell lymphoma following specific prior treatment.Metro Brands: The company has approved an interim dividend of Rs1.50 per equity share on its face value of Rs5 each for FY22. The record date has been fixed as March 19 for ascertaining the eligibility of shareholders for payment of interim dividend.NLC India: The company has declared an interim dividend of Rs1.50 per equity share for the financial year 2021-22.Dodla Dairy: The dairy company said the board has approved purchase of asset, business, and plant & machinery up to Rs55 crore. It has also approved funding for subsidiaries Orgafeed, and Dodla Dairy Kenya, up to Rs40 crore each.Arihant Superstructures: Deepak Lohia has resigned as Chief Financial Officer of the company. The company has already searched Rajendra Pawar to take the position of CFO. The proposal will be kept in next board meeting for CFO appointment.
K Saravanan (42), an auto driver by profession and city deputy president of the Congress, is set to be the first Mayor of Kumbakonam City Corporation.

Saravanan is also the first mayor of Kumbakonam which was recently upgraded as a corporation. Of the 48 wards for which elections were recently held, the DMK and allies won in 42. Saravanan won from ward 17. After the DMK allocated the Mayor post to the Congress, then the TN Congress Committee chose Saravanan.

Twitter

Sarvanan, who garnered 964 votes out of total polled 2,118 votes, expressed gratitude towards his party and senior leaders for choosing him for the top post.

"I am indebted to my party and our senior leaders in the district and the state for picking me for the top post. I also thank our principal ally, DMK. I take this opportunity to devote my entire time to serve the people hereafter," he was quoted as saying by the Times of India.

Twitter

Along with his wife Devi and three children, Saravanan lives in a rented house at Thukkampalayam and has been riding the autorickshaw for two decades now. He said he knows every nook and cranny of Kumbakonam which helped him get acquainted with people from all 48 wards in the city.



He bought an autorickshaw of his own seven years ago and depends on it for livelihood. According to his affidavit, his movable assets are worth Rs 4.55 lakh, and his wife has a sum of Rs 25,000 with her.

Meanwhile, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and its allies basked in the glory of cornering most of the top positions in the just-concluded urban local body elections.

The Hindu newspapers analysis of the elections in 20 municipal corporations (except Greater Chennai) shows that the BJP contested in 935 seats, won 21 (strike rate 2.3%) and lost deposit in 822 seats (88%). In the three large municipal corporations  Greater Chennai, Coimbatore, and Madurai  the BJP was washed out.
With COVID-19 cases on the decline in the country and around the world, and a significant section of the eligible population fully vaccinated, India has decided to resume scheduled international flights from and to the country.

International flight operations of scheduled international flights, to and from India, are set to resume from March 27, 2022.

BCCL

"After having recognised the increased vaccination coverage across the globe and in consultation with the stakeholders, the government of India has decided to resume scheduled commercial international passenger services," the ministry of civil aviation said in a statement.

Regular scheduled international flight operations were suspended to and from India on March 23, 2020.

Since then only international flights under the air bubble agreement had from and to India.

India had air bubble agreements with 35 countries.

shutterstock

On February 28, the DGCA had extended the ban on scheduled international commercial flights till "further orders" due to the third Covid wave driven by the Omicron variant.

In late 2021, India had announced plans to allow the resumption of scheduled commercial international passenger services from December 15, 2021 with certain conditions.

However, the plan was postponed due to the emergence of the third Covid wave globally.

Much needed relief

The announcement is likely to provide much-needed relief to the aviation industry, which was among the worst-hit due to COVID-19.

AFP

The country's civil aviation sector was significantly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and the sector's loss was around Rs 19,000 crore in the last fiscal ended March 2021.

Last month, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had said that the number of daily air passengers is expected to cross pre-COVID levels in the next two months.

During the pre-COVID times, domestic airlines carried around 4 lakh passengers per day and the number began climbing up after second wave but again declined after the emergence of Omicron infections late last year.

BCCL

In January 2022, domestic airlines carried 64.08 lakh passengers, a decline of 17.14 per cent compared to the year-ago period. In January last year, the traffic stood at 77.34 lakh passengers, according to data from aviation watchdog DGCA.

For more on news, sports and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
After Apple decided to shut down its sales in Russia, the Russian government is now urging its citizens to switch to purchasing Russian-made Ayya T1 smartphones.

Instagram: butina_maria

Also Read: Apple Stops Selling iPhones, Macs And Other Products In Russia

Reported first by IANS, Ayya T1 has been developed by Russia-based Smartecosystem -- a subsidiary of the Scale Research Institute which is part of the Rostec state corporation.



This new device was revealed in a viral video by Butina on Russian social media VK. This is the same Butina who was jailed in the US in 2018 and labelled as a foreign agent before being deported to Moscow. In the video, she called on her fellow parliamentarians to abandon the iPhone and switch to Ayya T1.

In a video on Instagram, Butina said in a statement, You know what, good gentlemen from Apple, but go through the woods! And you, my dears, become an eyewitness of the first contact of the deputy with the domestic smartphone AYYA T1.

The phone features a unique button that disables the camera and microphone to avoid any kind of surveillance whatsoever.

So, baby Aya [AYYA] is the most reliable phone from prying eyes and ears! Let's break through, comrades. Don't even worry. And it wasn't like that, Butina added.

Ayya T1

Also Read: Google Maps Disables Traffic Data That Allowed Russian Forces To Spot Ukrainians



The phone is priced between 15 to 19 thousand rubles and is expected to switch from Android 11 to Russia-made Aurora OS.



The parent company Rostec was established in 2007 by Vladimir Putin and is known to develop innovative products including military technologies to become one of the most affluent Russian brands over the course of the next decade.

Keep visiting Indiatimes.com for the latest science and technology news.
If open source was the rallying cry of the past two decades, open data may be the call to arms for the next two. Or it would be, if only we could figure out what it means.

I recently raised that banner and was met by thunderous applause. Hurray, right? Well, despite the dopamine hit (you like me, you really like me!), everyone seemed to be cheering for different things. Love it or hate it, open source has come to mean something relatively standard due to the efforts of the Open Source Initiative. No such organization exists for open data.

It strikes me that someone needs to help set that standard for open data; that open data, more than open source, will define the next era of computing. But what does open data mean? And will we, as Professor Dirk Riehle posits, still be asking this question 20 years from now?

Source and standards

As I recently argued, its convenient but wrong to assume that open source has lost its salience in the cloud era when managed services, not software/source, are what enterprises want. One reason is that open source helps to foster standards, like OpenTelemetry in the observability space or PostgreSQL in databases. I dont mean OpenTelemetry is a standard in the sense that some standards body has spent years defining rules for accessibility and such. Instead, I mean a project that a variety of vendors accept as a common starting point for their own distributions or value-added software/services.

Software doesnt need to be open source (under the Open Source Definition) to achieve this status, though it helps. SQL, for example, has given rise to a variety of kind of, sort of, mostly compatible implementations by a variety of vendors, and it seems to work. Or take pure proprietary software like Microsoft Windows, which I can get from a variety of vendors. In fact, in 2020 when I worked at AWS, I wrote a post on why Windows runs best on AWS and not Microsoft Azure. Another example of this would be the (admittedly hopeful) suggestion that we make AWSs permissions checker a universal standard down to the fine grain of what resources a program can use. With universal permissions, cloud vendors just compete on priceno nasty software lock-in.

Good luck with that!

And good luck trying to get PostgreSQL running in your data center to map apples-to-apples with Amazon Aurora for PostgreSQL or Google Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL. Theyre all PostgreSQL, right? Sure. But also, not exactly. Different vendors add different things to meet diverse customer needs. So, is PostgreSQL a standard? Yes, in the sense that I mentioned above, but not in the sense of write once, run anywhere.

Similarly, open data quickly devolves into a bevy of conflicting opinions on what it actually means or how to make it matter. Like open source and standards, your mileage may vary, sometimes considerably.

You keep using that word

Part of the problem comes down to vendor priorities. Some, like Nick Heudecker, former Gartner analyst and current senior director of market strategy at Cribl, argue, From AWS to Oracle, Snowflake and Splunk, data lock-in is how traditional vendors protect and grow revenue. The idea of open data is promising for users, but no vendor will give up that lock-in.

Well, that stinks.

Except, those same vendors also see the value in opening on-ramps to their own products. Its hard to completely lock down data egress while simultaneously locking down ingress. On a similar theme, Crunchy Data executive Craig Kerstiens says, speaking of how SQL enables data movement, SQL helps on the app side, but data gravity is the hard part. Even a vendor dead set on lock-in has to let the bridge down at times to cross the moat. It seems, therefore, that everyone has an interest in open data. But again, what exactly does this mean?

For Doug Cutting, founder of a variety of Apache projects (Lucene, Nutch, Hadoop, and Avro), open data is somewhat particular in nature and refers to data that can be shared between people or systems: Some data should be open (e.g. civic finance), but much should not (e.g. cam footage), and some should be selectively shared by trusted parties (e.g. medical records). Theres no one-size-fits-all policy, rather a complex tapestry of practices, carefully codified and modified.

Following that data portability theme, AWS Vice President Matt Wilson likens enterprise data to telephone number portability. In North America, requiring carriers to move phone numbers to rivals increased competition (if marginally, as Wilson rightly highlights).

Then there are other ways of thinking about open data. For example, Florian Wolf, founder and CEO of Mergeflow, calls PubMed one of the biggest success stories of open data. PubMed is a free resource supporting the search and retrieval of biomedical and life sciences literature. Its a database, in other words, or a search engine that makes it easier to find scientific publications which may be stored behind a proprietary paywall. Open discovery of data but perhaps not open access to that data (not without paying, anyway).

See the problem? Open data means very different things to different people.

Defying data gravity and bridging data siloes

Then theres the question of how we want data to move. When I say open data Im guessing that most readers assume that Im talking about moving data somewhere else, like if I wanted to move from AWS to Azure. That might sometimes be the case, though egress pricing, quite apart from any inherent data format lock-in, inhibits the movement of data. However, enterprises often struggle to move data within the four walls of their own data center or cloud.

Subbu Allamaraju, an IT leader who built Expedias Search & Discovery team, argues that data is messy and fragmented for reasons inherent to organizations (fragmented ownership and accountability across organizational boundaries) and to the data itself (glue tech that you need to shovel and transform data around to power analytics use cases, including machine learning). The data may well have open standards or formats, but the organizations tasked with moving data from system A to system B may be even more fragmented than their data.

This is not to say all is lost. We have great organizations such as Open Data Institute working on this and related problems, as well as open source projects such as Apache Arrow (cross-language development platform for in-memory analytics). Companies such as Airbyte (open source data integration) or Databricks (open sourced Delta Lake OSS to create an open source storage layer that brings ACID transactions to Apache Spark) are also tackling this.

It still feels like something more is needed. Figuring out what that more should be, however, will be as important as any particular implementation.
Housing subsidies to lure returning talent to Shanghai

By CAO CHEN in Shanghai (China Daily) 10:45, March 08, 2022

Shanghai has revised its favorable housing policies as the city strives to expand its talent pool.

In Changning district, apartments and housing subsidies will be available for more students studying abroad and returning to Shanghai for work, according to a policy unveiled recently by the district government. The policy applies to those who gained a master's degree from an overseas university ranked in the top 100 or in a major in the top 20 disciplines based on QS World University Rankings and the Academic Ranking of World Universities.

It stipulates the shortlisted candidates should have worked in China for less than a year, and the individuals and their spouses must not own a home in Shanghai.

According to the policy, each eligible applicant will receive a housing subsidy of up to 4,000 yuan ($630) per month. A hundred new flats are available as well, with each covering 15 to 25 square meters with rents of 3,600 to 5,700 yuan a month.

"The revised policies remove the restriction in previous ones where talent could only apply for talent flats located in regions where they were working, and only their employers could apply. Students who haven't graduated are allowed to apply as well," said Zhang Yuan, director of the district's human resources and social security bureau.

"The policy aims to attract talent with specialized skills and support those trying to fit into the city in the short term. The subsidy is only provided for up to 12 months."

As Shanghai sought to expand its talent pool, based on the city's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), 15,655 individuals settled in the city through special talent introduction policies in the first half of last year, a 20 percent surge from the total for all of 2020, official data showed.

The city is in urgent need of educated individuals with professional skills in core industries, including integrated circuits, artificial intelligence and biomedicine, and has been refining its services to offer a suitable living environment.

"Housing is a critical factor when considering where to move," said Duan Zengyue, a 29-year-old from Shanxi province. Duan has been in Shanghai since 2017 after receiving a master's degree in the United Kingdom.

After securing a job in a foreign-funded bank in the Lujiazui financial area, Duan has lived in Lujiazui talent apartments that were offered by the district government. The 2,300 apartments in six buildings cover an average 25 square meters.

"It's way better than the old flats I lived in with failing amenities and water problems when I arrived in the city," Duan said.

"The apartment rent is affordable for a fresh graduate and the neighborhood is under rigid management, bustling with restaurants and stores. It's safe and convenient.

"Selecting the right flat from a wide range of sources online, negotiating rent with landlords, choosing roommates, and traveling across the city to look at the flats is time-consuming. But the talent apartment resolved my concerns."

In Shanghai, favorable policies have covered more top talent with a diverse range of experiences in recent years.

According to policies in Yangpu district this year, employees from local technology companies can enjoy a housing subsidy worth 30 percent of their total annual rent for up to three years. The district aims to offer 30,727 more flats for talented individuals in the next four years.

Dai Shoulei, from Tianjin, settled in the district in 2020 thanks to talent introduction policies. Dai is able to rent a flat of 127 square meters for his family of four, as he receives 8,000 yuan in rent subsidy every month.

"My children receive quality education as well, thanks to the favorable policies," he said. "I will pursue my career goals in the city."

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine celebrated stiff resistance his 30-year-old country has staged against the Russian invasion, declaring late Monday that the invaders had entered a nightmare and promising his country would turn back his neighbors powerful military.

We are all at war. We all contribute to our victory, which will definitely be achieved. By force of arms and our army. By force of words and our diplomacy. By force of spirit, Zelenskyy said in a nine-minute nighttime speech, according to a translation published by his office.

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We must realize that every day of struggle, every day of resistance creates better conditions for us, Zelenskyy added.

But a Ukrainian victory  which Western analysts viewed as the longest of long shots  remained beyond Zelenskyys grasp, and the Russian militarys noose around his countrys south appeared to be tightening.

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The U.S., meanwhile, deployed 500 more troops to Europe, as an official count of Ukrainian refugees who have poured out of their homeland hit 1.7 million.

A valiant defense had blunted Russias northern ground advance on the countrys two largest cities, Kyiv and Kharkiv, but the frustrated Russian Army appeared to be ramping up its air attacks on Ukraines population centers.

Ukraine and Russia have tilted into a battle for the skies. On Monday night, the Ukrainian military said it had shot down two Russian aircraft over Kyiv, the capital, which along with Kharkiv, has been devastated by missile strikes during the 12-day-old war.

A Ukrainian police officer runs while holding a child as the artillery echoes nearby, while fleeing Irpin on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, March 7, 2022. (Emilio Morenatti/AP)

One of Ukraines deputy prime ministers, Mykhailo Fedorov, published a video on social media that showed the aftermath of a missile strike in Kharkiv.

Black smoke gushed out of a large dark gouge in the structure that ran about a dozen floors. TV news reports showed streets littered with building debris in Kharkiv, home to more than 1 million at peacetime.

John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, said the U.S. assessed the Russians havent made any noteworthy progress in the last few days with the exception of down south, where they have captured Europes largest nuclear plant and the city of Kherson.

As they continue to get frustrated, they continue to rely now more on what we would call long-range fires, Kirby told reporters Monday. This is bombardment, missile strikes, long-range artillery into city centers.

Parents accompany children and teenagers as they board a train after leaving Kyiv's Central Children's Hospital, following its evacuation, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, March 7, 2022. (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Zelenskyy, reported Monday that the brutal Russian assault had damaged 202 schools, 34 health care centers and at least 1,500 residential buildings.

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The World Health Organization put its tally of attacked Ukrainian health care facilities at 14, with nine people dead in the assaults, but noted that it believed its ledger was an undercount.

The Russian Army doesnt know how to fight against other armies, Podolyak wrote on Twitter. But its good at killing civilians.

A Ukrainian serviceman has "Mommy" written on his weapon strap as he stands guard at a checkpoint on a main road in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, March 7, 2022. (VADIM GHIRDA/AP)

Still, the United Nations said Monday that 1.7 million refugees had made it out of Ukraine while Europe is facing a refugee crisis ballooning faster than any other since World War II.

With the invasion apparently lagging well behind the Kremlins schedule, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met yet again for diplomatic talks.

And for a third time, they seemed to come up empty, with even basic agreements around humanitarian corridors fragile. President Emmanuel Macron of France said Monday that he did not expect a negotiated solution was around the corner.

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Also Monday, President Biden met virtually with Macron, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Refugees fleeing from Ukraine reunite at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland, Monday, March 7, 2022. (Visar Kryeziu/AP)

The world leaders, who have worked together as the West whips Russia with crippling economic sanctions, affirmed their determination to continue raising the costs on Russia, the White House said in a statement. The statement added that the leaders underscored their commitment to aiding Ukraine.

The U.S. Defense Department said it was deploying more U.S. troops to Europe to shore up NATOs defenses. In all, the Pentagon has ordered about 12,000 service members from various U.S. bases to Europe, with a couple of thousand more already stationed abroad shifting to other European countries.

Biden has ruled out sending any American troops directly into Ukraine, wary of sparking a third World War, but the U.S. offered humanitarian aid and military weaponry instead.

The deployment to Europe represented another signal of American support for NATO, a 30-member military alliance that borders Ukraine and has drawn Russian President Vladimir Putins ire.

People cross an improvised path under a destroyed bridge while fleeing the town of Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, March 7, 2022. (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)

The Russian president has long wished to prevent Ukraine from joining the bloc, though his decision to invade a peaceful neighbor last month stunned the globe.

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As Putins own countrys economy buckles, he has deployed almost the entire 150,000-strong army of troops he massed around Ukraine this winter, and riddled his neighbor with more than 600 missiles, according to U.S. estimates.

In 2014, Russia invaded and annexed Crimea, a Black Sea peninsula on Ukraines southern coast. That seizure has aided Russia in its attack over the past two weeks, as the invaders have charged through sections of southern Ukraine.

Kherson, which had a population of around 280,000 before the war, has fallen to Russian soldiers. Mariupol, a port in Ukraines southeast, has gone for days without water, electricity and heat as Russians bombard the city.

And the seizure of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has raised alarm from the International Atomic Energy Agency.

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The agencys director general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said Monday that Russian forces controlled the plant and made decisions about its operation.

This is not a safe way to run a nuclear power plant, Grossi said in a statement, describing the situation as precarious.

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In Russian-controlled Kherson, residents said food was running low, and that bare grocery shop shelves lack basics like milk, cheese and butter. Cleaning supplies and booze have vanished, they said.

Its a no-mans-land, said Gordey Diachenko, 27, a kettlebell maker and lifelong resident of Kherson.

After Russian troops seized the city last week, Diachenko said that they stopped any entry and exit out of the town. But locals have proved defiant, taking to the streets to protest the Russian occupation over the weekend.

A man waving a Ukrainian flag jumped atop a Russian armored vehicle as demonstrators cheered in one widely circulated video. After the protest, Russian troops have mostly stayed on the citys edge, Diachenko said.

I cant say that they are scared  but for sure they do not feel safe, Diachenko told the Daily News, describing the Russian troops. They basically took the town by force. And now they are standing in it, not knowing what to do with it.
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Just like the expression good fences make good neighbors, you can say that good contracts make good business partners.

Time after time clients come to General Counsel P.C. with a business dispute. We ask to see their contact and they either dont have one, only have a purchase order or similar document or have a horrible contract. In such circumstances, what we can do is limited. When you enter into a business relationship, take the time to look into the future. What are potential disputes? Take the time to think through the relationship. And have an attorney help you create a thorough services agreement.

Here are the top 10 issues that should be addressed within a services agreement.

1. What services will you perform for your client?

Define in detail the services that you will perform for your client. Be as specific as possible. Frequently, if your client refuses to pay, the client will argue that you did not perform the services you were obligated to perform. Specifying the services will help you prove the exact services that you did agree to perform.

2. Who will provide the equipment required to perform the services?

In addition to specifying the services that you will provide, identify who will provide the equipment necessary to carry out your services.

3. How will your client compensate you?

The Services Agreement should specify the amount that the client will pay you, both for the base services and for any additional work (and expenses). Many disagreements arise when more extensive work is required to achieve the clients goals. The Services Agreement should also specify when the client is going to pay you, whether that is within 15 days of receipt of their monthly bill or upon completion of the project.

4. What happens if your client doesnt pay?

Of course, some of your clients will not pay you, regardless of the language of the Services Agreement. You can use the Services Agreement to encourage each client to pay by providing that the client will be charged interest, attorneys fees, and other costs of collection if the bill is not paid on time. Give your client reason to pay you first.

5. How long will this arrangement last?

The Services Agreement should indicate how long your contractual relationship with your client will last. Is it documenting a one-shot deal? Or does the agreement reflect a long-term arrangement where the client will order your services as needed via task orders?

Also, specify the ways in which the relationship may end. You will probably want to build in an escape clause that you, and perhaps your client, may cancel the contract with a particular number of days notice. You will probably also want to provide for the agreement to terminate immediately upon certain defined circumstances.

6. Who will own the intellectual property that you create for your client?

Freelance professionals use their ideas to create value for their clients. Those ideas, and the products of those ideas, may be protectable intellectual property. Specify in the Services Agreement whether you or your client (or both of you) will own the intellectual property created under the Agreement.

7. How will your client and you protect each others confidential information? Will your client and/or you be allowed to publicize this contractual relationship?

The client is hiring you because you have some expertise that they do not have. What you dont want is for the client to use you to develop their own expertise and then not compensate you for the information that theyre taking from you. Similarly, you most likely will view some of your clients confidential information in the course of providing services for that client. Your client and you may bind yourselves in the Services Agreement to keep each others confidential information secret.

Sometimes, you or your client will prefer to keep the existence of your business relationship secret. To avoid misunderstandings, the Services Agreement should include provisions that detail whether the parties may publicize their business relationship and how that publicity may take place.

8. Do you want to restrict your clients ability to hire your workers?

The Services Agreement may include non-solicitation provisions that forbid your client from hiring your workers without compensating you.

9. Will you be restricted from providing services to competing clients?

In the process of negotiating the Services Agreement, your client may request that you not provide services to their competitors. Consider the consequences carefully before agreeing to limit your future client base and ensure that the restrictions are the same as what you discussed with your client. If you agree to such restrictions, make sure you are being fairly compensated.

10. How and where will disputes be resolved?

No matter how well thought-out your Services Agreement, you will have disputes with some of your clients. The Services Agreement should specify the mechanism for resolving disputes: when claims must be made; where the claims will be heard (e.g., in your home jurisdiction or the clients); and who will decide whether the claims or meritorious (e.g., judge or arbitrator).

For help with a Services Agreement, contact a General Counsel, P.C. attorney or email us at askgc@gcpc.com.
As heartbreaking and unimaginable images, videos and reports flood out of war-torn Ukraine, comparisons to World War II Europe are impossible to avoid.

Thousands of families sleeping underground in subway stations, cramming onto outbound trains, air-raid sirens the new normal, beautiful buildings that once lit up a cosmopolitan city now shelled and hollowed out.

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More than 2 million people have fled Ukraine because of Vladimir Putins deadly invasion. According to the United Nations, its the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since the Nazis tried to take over the continent.

Volunteers distribute food to Ukrainian refugees at a makeshift cafeteria in Berlin's central railway station (Hauptbahnhof) on March 8, 2022. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images)

It was hard not to see this coming. Putin, if youve spent any time monitoring his activities in Syria over the past several years, is capable of truly grim and ghoulish violence, even against the most vulnerable. That war has seen the death of tens of thousands of children, thanks in no small part to Putins assistance.

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Having covered other wars and humanitarian crises, theres something else I know without question: This war in Ukraine, and the refugee crisis it is already creating, will take a disproportionate toll on women.

Today, as we think about what International Womens Day means, its hard not to think about the superficiality of these monikers. Sure, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women sounds great, but millions of women in Ukraine are hiding in bunkers, taking up arms to defend their country, fleeing with their children, displaced in countries with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Many will die.

Over the course of numerous humanitarian and refugee crises like the one unfolding in Ukraine, report after report has shown that women are hit hardest, and in ways men often are not.

A UN Global Humanitarian Overview released in 2019 showed that these conflicts exacerbate gender inequalities, particularly against women and girls.

At least one in five women refugees has experienced sexual violence, including unwanted pregnancies, child marriage and other deleterious effects.

In many conflict settings, sexual violence is being employed as a tactic of war, a horrific reality seen most prominently among the 700,000 Rohingya refugees who fled Myanmar to Bangladesh, where women were systematically raped by Myanmar Armed Forces and local militias.

In Syria, where there are more Syrians displaced and living outside of Syrian than inside, girls and young women survive child marriage, sexual assault, family violence  all of which is harder to monitor and stop among refugee populations.

Even when women can stay in their home country and survive the worst of the military assault, many still feel like prisoners. One Syrian girl told the UN Populations Fund that life quickly became an open-air prison after the war. Suddenly we were told not to leave our houses because we might get harassed, raped or kidnapped.

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In Afghanistan, 80% of the Afghans forced to flee the Taliban takeover were women and children, according to the UN. While Afghanistan had U.S. and NATO troops keeping the Taliban at bay, life expectancy of Afghan women grew by 10 years. Maternal death rates were cut in half. More than half of the girls attended primary school.

Under Taliban rule, there are reports of women being whipped in public, girls are no longer taught in the same classes as boys, and they are now under the rule of a ministry for the propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice.

Its also widely evidenced that girls in conflict settings  like war zones and refugee camps  are more likely to be out of school than boys. School-related gender-based violence in conflict situations rises. School-aged girls are often used as bargaining chips. Remember the 200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped in April of 2014.

War takes a toll on everyone. The future that awaits Ukrainian refugees  the vast majority of whom are women and children  is uncertain to say the least. Refugee camps, as vital and life-saving as they can be, are not good, long term solutions for women and girls in particular.

And for those who stay for what may be months of war in Ukraine, or what may become Russian-held Ukraine, the future is potentially even more grim for women and girls. Just ask those who stayed in Syria, as the bombing and airstrikes continue, 11 years later.

This illegal invasion of a sovereign nation is already an immense tragedy, and it will only get worse, especially for women and girls. On this International Womens Day, its hard to celebrate. Instead, we fear for what lies ahead.

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The Vermont Supreme Court has denied a bid by a manufacturer of asbestos products to bypass Vermont law in determining the allocation of losses for insurance purposes.

In so doing, the Vermont court sided with Ambassador Insurance Co., which has been under liquidation in the state since 1987, and against Atlanta-based Georgia Pacific Corp.s Bestwall Gypsum Co., which produced and sold products containing asbestos for decades.

Under Vermonts approach to losses, Ambassador will likely not have to pay any; whereas under Georgia law preferred by Bestwall, the insurer might have to pay millions.

Ambassadors 1983 excess policy for Bestwall was in place for only a short period of time 44 days. Under the Vermont pro-rata approach, Bestwalls total losses would be allocated to Ambassador based on the 44-day period that the policy was in place, which Bestwall contends would not be enough to trigger Ambassadors policy and thus it could receive nothing from Ambassador.

Bestwall had reason to believe that it stood a better chance of obtaining payment under an all-sums, or joint-and-several liability, allocation rather than a pro-rata and it thought Georgia courts would likely oblige. If the all-sums approach were used, Bestwall might receive the policy limit of $10 million from Ambassador.

However, in affirming opinions by both a special master and a superior court, the Vermont high court ruled that Vermonts approach applies in the matter. It noted that the only reason Georgia law might apply is if there were a conflict between the laws of the two states. It found that, in fact, Vermont law is very clear on what allocation formula should be used while Georgia has never addressed the loss allocation question and thus there is no conflict.

Background

From 1965 to 1986, Georgia Pacific (GP) maintained commercial general liability insurance with multiple layers of primary and excess coverage from multiple insurers. GPs insurers included Ambassador, which was incorporated in Vermont in 1965 and had an office in Berlin, Vermont. Ambassador was also licensed in New Hampshire, Arizona, and Nevada, and had offices in several states, including New Jersey. Ambassador was not licensed to sell insurance in Georgia, where GP was headquartered, but acted as a surplus lines insurer.

In 1983, GP negotiated an excess liability policy with Ambassadors Georgia-based surplus lines broker. Under the policy, Ambassador agreed to provide up to $10 million as a portion of GPs total excess liability coverage of $75 million. But GPs losses needed to exhaust the $100 million of GPs underlying coverage to trigger Ambassadors excess coverage.

Ambassadors coverage followed that of the underlying policies, and at least one underlying policy limited coverage to bodily injury which occurs during the policy period. Although the Ambassador policy was written to be effective from April 1, 1983, to April 1, 1984, GP cancelled the policy on May 15, 1983, after it decided to replace its entire insurance program. Ultimately, the policy was in effect for only 44 days, for which Ambassador collected a net premium of $605.

In November 1983, Ambassador was placed into receivership due to its hazardous financial condition. In 1987, the Vermont superior court ordered Ambassador into liquidation.

Since the early 1980s, GP has faced many lawsuits across the country alleging personal injury and death resulting from exposure to GPs asbestos-containing products. GP has incurred approximately $2.9 billion in losses. GPs insurers have covered approximately $850 million of GPs losses. In 2017, GP was restructured, and Bestwall acquired its asbestos liabilities.

Bestwall filed a claim with the liquidator for coverage under the Ambassador policy but the liquidator denied the claim. Bestwall appealed that denial to the Vermont superior court, which appointed a special master to hear the claim. The special master divided the proceedings into two tracks: the first to determine threshold legal questions, including choice of law and the method of loss allocation, and the second to allocate loss under the applicable law.

Bestwall and Ambassador each filed for partial summary judgment on the issues of choice of law and method of loss allocation. At this point, Bestwall argued that New Jersey law should apply since New Jersey was the state where Ambassadors main office was located at the time it issued the policy. Alternatively, Bestwall argued that Georgia law could apply as it was the state of Bestwalls incorporation and headquarters when the policy was issued. Ambassador argued that Vermont law applied.

Special Master

The special master granted partial summary judgment to Ambassador, rejecting Bestwalls argument that New Jersey law should apply and reasoning that either Vermont or Georgia law could apply to the claim. The special master then considered whether Georgia law conflicted with Vermont law regarding allocation of loss. He explained that while Vermont law clearly applies pro-rata (or time-on-the-risk) allocation, no appellate court in Georgia had considered this issue. After considering a Georgia state trial court decision and federal district court decision adopting the pro-rata method under Georgia law, the special master also predicted that Georgia courts would adopt the pro-rata method.

Because Georgia law did not conflict with Vermont law, the special master concluded that Vermont law applied. He further noted that even if the laws conflicted, Vermont law would still apply under a choice-of-law analysis, given Vermonts interest in Ambassadors liquidation and the clarity in Vermonts allocation law.

Bestwall filed an objection with the superior court, which also rejected Bestwalls arguments. Bestwall then moved for interlocutory appeal. Bestwall again pleaded that if Bestwalls losses were allocated to the policy by time under the Vermont pro-rata method, the loss would not exceed the underlying coverage necessary to trigger Ambassadors policy and its claim would fail. Bestwall offered that the Supreme Court of Georgia and Georgi law would not support this outcome where the policy language does not specifically require pro- rata allocation.

The Supreme Court found Bestwalls arguments and evidence supporting Georgia law unpersuasive:

We conclude that in the face of unsettled law, Bestwall must show with reasonable certainty that Georgia law plainly and materially conflicts with Vermont law. Although Bestwall has set forth the Georgia law that exists, Bestwall has not pointed us to a precedential state decision or other clearly established law determining how Georgia courts allocate loss in the same or similar circumstances. Without such proof, Bestwall has not shown, nor can it show with reasonable certainty, that Georgia courts would reject pro-rata allocation and instead apply all-sums allocation. For the reasons set forth in greater detail below, we conclude that Vermont law applies.

The Ambassador liquidation order dates back 35 years to 1987, following state regulators discovery that the company was insolvent by at least $43 million. In addition to collecting reinsurance balances and other debts owed to Ambassador, the liquidator obtained a final judgment against Ambassadors former accountants Coopers and Lybrand for $205 million in 2008. The funds paid under that judgment, along with Ambassadors other assets, enabled the liquidator to pay all court-approved highest priority claims against Ambassador insurance policies with interest a total of more than $352 million.

In 2015, the Vermont Supreme Court denied an order setting a final date to file claims, noting that many asbestos claims tend to be long-tail and Ambassador had the resources to pay lower priority claims, which totaled an estimated $32 million at the time.

Topics Profit Loss Vermont
A single hour of downtime from mission-critical, third-party IT service providers can cost small and medium-sized enterprises tens of thousands of dollars, but traditional insurance often does not cover these significant losses.

Thats why the founders of Parametrix Insurance came up with the idea to cover clients for short-term cloud outages, network crashes and platform failures that last up to 12-24 hours. Its products are designed to close a vital business interruption protection gap by using parametric triggers that pay by the hour.

The product was conceived with the understanding that everything was moving to the cloud, and the cloud was becoming the right place for businesses of any nature to house and process data. But at the same time, there were associated perilslike downtimethat were excluded and restricted from most policies, creating a huge coverage gap, according to Neta Rozy, co-founder and chief technology officer of Parametrix Insurance, a New York-based managing general agent.

We were surprised that this risk wasnt covered before we started operating in this space. But as we built out our product, we better understood the reasons why and structured the company and our solution to make it possible, she said.

Waiting periods for cyber insurance and other tech-related insurance start from at least eight hours and are usually more than 12 hours.

One of the biggest challenges in offering this type of solution is having enough reliable data on outages to develop models to quantify downtime peril, Rozy said in an emailed interview with Carrier Management.

Previously, she affirmed, this data had not been collected in a systematic way with the necessary accuracy and reliability. As a result, the companys first order of business was to create the monitoring systems that would independently verify uptime and downtime for the cloud and other enterprise technologies, Rozy said.

We set out to develop a cutting-edge system to monitor SaaS, PaaS and IaaS systems around the globe for downtime events, such as cloud outages, network crashes and platform failures, she said, referring to software-as-a-service, platform-as-a-service and infrastructure-as-a-service systems.

The goal was to quantify and measure the peril. The millions of data points our system collects daily are the basis for our insurance products. Monitoring is external and objective, which allows us to adopt a parametric model. Its simple, transparent, easy to understand and carries plenty of appeal to businesses, she explained.

By developing these data-driven insights, Parametrix was able to earn the trust of insurers and reinsurers and develop solid, business-critical insurance products, she affirmed. We could ascertain that cloud downtime was uncorrelated with other perils and an entirely new market directly linked the fast-growing categories of cloud and tech spend.

Parametrix further solidified the concept that this was an insurable peril by getting valuable feedback during its participation with Lloyds Lab, the Lloyds innovation accelerator.

Once the monitoring system was in place and we had sufficient data to model cloud outages, we were able to gain the trust of certain underwriters of Lloyds of London and other top reinsurers, Rozy said. The company has previously revealed it has capacity provider relationships with HannoverRe, TMK and other markets at Lloyds, and has broker relationships with major brokers such as Alliant, Arthur J. Gallagher, Brown & Brown, Howden Broking, Hub International, Lockton and Woodruff Sawyer.

Parametrixs monitoring system continuously tracks the availability and performance of all of a clients mission-critical third-party IT services without the need for any IT installations. Once the system identifies a downtime event in one of the services a client has insured, the client is automatically notified and will be indemnified within 15 business days, at the most, according to the companys website.

The company coverage is typically $100,000 to $5 million for an annual policy, but limits can extend to $10 million per insured. Once the policy limits have been met (from one or multiple claim events), clients can renew their policies before the year ends. There is an agreed hourly coverage rate, and the coverage kicks in in as little as one hour.

Parametrix is relevant for businesses of all sizes, from private to public. The only prerequisite is exposure to the cloud or other third-party IT services, Rozy continued.

The product covers damages to intangible and tangible assets during a public cloud failure. This can include lost revenue if a website is down, lost opportunities, lost productivity, tarnished brand reputation, missed SLAs [service level agreements] and customer compensation, she said.

Coverage can kick in as soon as an hour after the start of a downtime event, and there are no cash deductibles. A policy can last up to 12-24 hours, after which other traditional cyber policies could kick in, she explained.

The money can be used to reduce the volatility of a companys revenue stream and support the insureds customers for lack of service, the company explained on its website.

Proof-of-Concept

The company rolled out its first cloud downtime product in 2020 in Israel. As a result of this successful proof-of-concept program, it now also sells an expanded roster of products in the U.S., Israel, Germany, Austria, Italy and Japan (via Sompo).

We started with cloud downtime insurance, as it is often the highest spend item for businesses after payroll and its also one of their fastest growing line items. Moreover, the cloud has become the host of businesses most mission-critical resources, assets and tools, said Rozy.

Howden has had a relationship with Parametrix since its launch. David Rees, executive director for Howden Specialty, said there was massive interest across the globe when the product was first launched, mainly because of this unique product that has a quick and simple payout mechanism and no claims settlement process.

By contrast, if business interruption is purchased under a cyber insurance policy, theres a waiting period on that policy, which stipulates that the computer system has to be down for 12 hours before the policy wording agrees it is a loss and allows a claim to be made, he said in an interview.

This, Rees acknowledged, can be crippling for some insureds whose businesses rely on these third-party services.

Downtime of cloud providers can be covered in certain cases under cyber policies, but the coverage is limited by long waiting periods of 12 hours or more, narrowly named perils and only covering specific losses, which leaves clients exposed without any real chance of compensation, a Parametrix representative explained.

Expansion Plans

This year, the company will be expanding its coverage for outages of content delivery networks (CDNs), which most enterprise sites use to make their sites fast, Rozy said.

She cited a real-life example from June of last year, when CDN provider Fastly crashed and websites such as Twitch, Reddit, GitHub, The New York Times, BBC, Lonely Planet, Shazam, The Rolling Stone and others crashed for more than an hour.

Our plan is to cover more and more enterprise technologies and become the defacto standard for technology downtime insurance, she said, citing other third-party IT services that are key to SMEs such as content delivery networks, e-commerce platforms, payment platforms, customer relationship management services and enterprise resource planning cloud solutions.

This article first was published in Insurance Journals sister publication, Carrier Management.
Bangladeshi seafarer Asiful Islam recalls the moment when a missile struck his cargo ship last week off the Ukrainian port of Olvia, killing his crew mate.

I was just 15 feet away when it hit our ship. Our third engineer, Hadisur Rahman, who was killed, was standing just two feet away, Islam told Reuters from Romania after the remaining crew members were evacuated over the weekend.

Russias Sovcomflot Re-Routes Tankers to Bahamas Amid Growing Sanctions

All we could do was pray out loud. It was the worst night of my life. I had never been to war zone in my life.

Many shipping firms have suspended sailings to affected Black Sea ports and other terminals in Ukraine. Insurance premiums for voyages have soared since Russias invasion on Feb. 24, an action Moscow calls a special operation.

Merchant shipping crew members of several nations are also among the 1.7 million people the United Nations says who have fled or been evacuated from Ukraine since the invasion.

Before the explosion on the night of March 2-3, Islams vessel, the Bangladesh-flagged Banglar Samriddhi, had been stuck in Olvia since Feb. 24 after Ukraine closed its ports.

Ukraine accused the Russian military of targeting the port facilities in a missile strike, while Russias embassy in Dhaka said last week the circumstances of the incident were being established. Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians.

Islam said the Olvia port authority reached the vessel with three tugboats and it took two hours to put out the fire.

We were hiding in the control room (engine room) the whole night, he said. We heard air bombing many times a few kilometers away from our ship.

Hours later, an Estonian-owned cargo ship sank off Ukraines Black Sea port of Odessa after an explosion. At least three other ships were hit by projectiles before those incidents.

Seafarers Stuck

The U.N. shipping agency will convene a special meeting this week to discuss the risks to seafarers and ships in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov as dangers to merchant shipping escalate.

NATO had warned civilian shipping to exercise caution and be on high alert in the area.

Ukraines navy said on Monday that their forces defending the Odessa region had hit a Russian vessel in the Black Sea with gunfire.

Ukraines Maritime Administration has said there are around 100 foreign flagged vessels with hundreds of seafarers still stuck in Ukrainian ports unable to sail or leave partly due to the fighting but also due to control of the waterways by Russia.

Viktor Vyshnov, deputy head of the administration, told Reuters efforts were under way to evacuate other foreign seafarers stuck in Ukrainian ports. In recent days up to 100 mariners had managed to reach neighboring Moldova from Ukraine before heading to their home nations, he said.

Vyshnov said the ability of authorities to evacuate more seafarers would depend on the situation in various port areas, adding that there was heavy fighting in Mykolaiv, with Mariupol further east encircled by Russia forces.

Greece foreign ministry said earlier on Monday that seafarers from the Philippines who worked for a Greek operated ship were among a group of 34 people evacuated from Odessa to Moldova on Monday, without providing further details.

In Bangladesh, Golam Mawla, 21, was hoping the body of his brother Hadisur Rahman, 28, would be repatriated after the strike on the Banglar Samriddhi.

Bangladeshi officials said they were still trying to get Rahmans body back home.

All our dreams are shattered. He was the sole breadwinner of our family, Mawla said.

My brother often called us from the ship but he never told us anything about the situation. He told us everything was fine so that we would not worry. But later we heard from his friends that he was really worried and wanted to leave Ukraine as soon as possible.

(Reporting by Jonathan Saul in London and Ruma Paul in Dhaka; additional reporting by Karolina Tagaris in Athens; editing by Alison Williams)

Topics Ukraine
Insurance broker Gallagher has launched a new business in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) to support clients across the Middle East and Africa with its specialty and facultative reinsurance solutions.

The business will benefit from Gallagher and MIG Groups strategic partnership in ACE Gallagher across the Middle East region. Gallagher has taken a majority share of 51% of ACE Re Ltd. (DIFC) and MIG Group is retaining the remaining 49% stake. The ACE Re (DIFC) team and clients will move into the new business and trade as Gallagher going forward.

The ACE Re (DIFC) clients will deal with the same brokers who know and understand their business with the added benefit of being able to access Gallaghers global scale, said Gallagher in a statement.

Gallagher already has a significant client base in MEA and the creation of a specialty offering locally enables the firm to further expand and maximize the growth opportunities available in the region. A team of more than 20 has been established with in-depth knowledge of specialty and facultative reinsurance across sectors including natural resources, property, financial Institutions, special risks, aerospace, marine, cyber, and construction.

The new business is led by Nadim Semaan, who has been appointed senior executive officer, subject to regulatory approval. Semaan has extensive local experience in the region having been a partner in Gallaghers UK-based global energy team for the last four years with responsibility for supporting existing clients and developing new business in MEA.

Other senior members of the newly established team include: Julian Samengo-Turner who has joined from Willis Limited DIFC as head of Middle East & Africa; Daniel Miller who has joined from Aon as divisional director of Financial Lines; Alastair Climie who has joined from WTW as director of Natural Resources; James Excell who will join as regional director for Sub-Saharan Africa from WTW and Ziad Seifeddine who also joins from WTW as divisional director of Specialty Lines. Nick Peters and Bard Poulsson will move from Gallaghers London-based Specialty team to lead the marine practice. Elie Abboud of ACE Re will take on a new role as divisional director of business development.

The business complements Gallaghers partnership with ACE Gallagher in the region, announced in April 2021. ACE Gallagher is a well-known and long-established insurance /reinsurance broker with operations in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait and Lebanon serving clients across the region.

Gallaghers acquisition of Willis Re in December included a treaty reinsurance team of 10 in the DIFC, and they will be based with the Gallagher team. The treaty team will continue to be led by Chems-Eddine Kassali as head of MENA and will be part of the Gallagher Re global business.

Source: Gallagher

Topics New Markets A.J. Gallagher
A central North Dakota farmer has pleaded not guilty to crop insurance fraud.

Kent Pfaff, 58, of the Washburn area, has been released on a personal recognizance bond. U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland on March 3 scheduled a trial to begin April 19.

An indictment accuses Pfaff of providing false crop insurance claim information to insurance companies and the U.S. Department of Agricultures Risk Management Agency between December 2019 and June 2020 in order to increase his payments, the Bismarck Tribune reported.

Court documents say Pfaff is accused of a fraud scheme known as shifting production. Under the scheme, a person will overstate production in some fields and understate production in others to manufacture or inflate claims to which they are not entitled.

The indictment doesnt list a dollar amount involved in the alleged scheme.

The charge against Pfaff is a felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine, and five years on supervised release.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Fraud Agribusiness
A federal administrative law judge in Washington, D.C., has ordered a Hannibal, Missouri cement company to pay a worker the company penalized for assisting federal safety investigators during a site visit.

On March 1, Administrative Law Judge William B. Moran also ordered Continental Cement Company to pay a $17,500 penalty after the U.S. Department of Labors Mine Safety and Health Administration determined the company punished the worker for acting as the miners representative, an employee representative designated to accompany and provide information to MSHA inspectors during mine inspections. Under the Mine Safety and Health Act, the miners representative shall suffer no loss in pay for this work.

An MSHA investigation determined that Continental Cement paid the worker the hourly rate of a laborer on multiple days in March and April 2020 when she accompanied inspectors at the Hannibal mine, instead of the wages she should have received as a mobile equipment operator, the work she would have been doing had she not been acting as the miners representative. As a result, the company shortchanged the worker $388 in wages. Continental Cement argued it did not have to pay the miner the higher wage since they were not actually operating mobile equipment.

Judge Moran rejected this argument. He determined Continental Cements actions resulted in a loss in pay because of her miners representative duties  in violation of provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act that protects miners, representatives of miners and applicants for employment from retaliation for engaging in safety and health-related activities. These activities include identifying hazards, asking for MSHA inspections, or refusing to engage in an unsafe act.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration investigation found Continental Cement clearly discriminated against the worker for serving as the miners representative, said MSHA District Manager Robert Simms in Madisonville, Kentucky. Federal discrimination laws exist to protect workers from penalties for serving as safety and health representatives while on the job. The judges decision sends the message that retaliation is a costly mistake for employers.

In addition to paying back wages, the judge ordered Continental Cement to expunge any adverse information related to the whistleblower complaint from the employees personnel record and to post information on miners rights in employee areas. The company must pay the penalty to the U.S. Treasury.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor Mine Safety and Health Administration

Topics Missouri
One person was found dead March 6 as firefighters worked to contain a wildfire that burned 12,000 acres in south-central Kansas.

Reno County Emergency Management officials said one person who had been reported missing during the fire was found dead the morning of March 6. The fire began March 5 and burned land east of Hutchinson in Reno and Harvey counties. Several injuries were also reported in connection with the fire.

Another person who had been reported missing was found safe March 6.

Several homes were destroyed in the fire that prompted some evacuations March 5, but Hutchinson Fire Chief Steven Beer said he wont have a complete damage report ready until later this week.

Firefighters were continuing to monitor hot spots and work to ensure the fire was contained March 6.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire Kansas
Insurance technology provider Zywave has agreed to offer an $11 million fund to settle a class-action lawsuit related to a data breach at a company it acquired in 2020.

A proposed class-action suit was filed against Insurance Technologies Corp. (ITC) following a data breach that occurred on February 27. 2021. ITC, which was acquired by Zywave in November 2020, began notifying customers and attorneys general of the breach on May 10, 2021.

Zywave Acquires Insurance Technologies Corporation

The class-action lawsuit was filed in June 2021. It alleged that the ITC breach gave hackers access to names, Social Security numbers, drivers license numbers, dates of birth, and log-in credentials of thousands of ITC customers, potential customers, and other individuals.

Carrollton, Texas-based ITC had more than 250 insurance companies and more than 9,000 agencies as clients when it was bought by Zywave. It claimed to be the largest provider of insurance agency websites in the United States and supported more than two million monthly auto and home quotes through its comparative rater TurboRater.

Court documents said hackers gained access to ITCs AgencyMatrix application, a cloud-based agency management system. According to allegations outlined in the court documents, ITC said it contained the data breach on March 4, 2021.

However, despite first learning of the data breach in February 2021 and concluding the investigation in March 2021, [ITC] did not take any measures to notify affected class members for over two months, on or about May 10, 2021, the lawsuit alleged.

According to settlement-agreement documents filed late last month in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas by one of the plaintiffs lead attorneys, Zywave will pay to notice potential class members, reimburse up to $5,000 per class member for out-of-pocket losses including compensation for lost time, and provide one year of free credit monitoring services.

Plaintiffs counsel intends to present fees of one third of the settlement fund  about $3.7 million  plus expenses not to exceed $30,000, to be paid out of the fund.

Related:

Topics Lawsuits Cyber
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) plans to propose its landmark climate risk rule as early as Wednesday, March 16, said two people familiar with the agencys planning.

One of the people, who spoke anonymously about private agency plans, said the Wall Street regulator is committed to issuing the proposal by month end.

An SEC spokeswoman declined to comment.

Last year, the SEC began working on its new measure that would require U.S.-listed companies to provide investors with detailed disclosures on how climate change could affect their business.

The move to issue the rule, which would be subject to public consultation, comes after a number of delays. The SEC initially said it would publish a draft in October, but Chair Gary Gensler subsequently pushed that deadline to January.

At issue: the agency was trying to decide whether it should require companies to disclose not only their own greenhouse gas emissions, but those generated by their suppliers and other partners. Media reports last month highlighted that the commissioners were divided on how far to go, Reuters previously reported. Read full story

Last month, however, lawmakers, including Democratic U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, criticized the agency and called for quick action on the issue.

Corporate groups have said they will continue to push for a narrower final rule that will make it easier and less expensive to gather and report emissions data, and which will protect them from being sued over potential mistakes.

Advocates, however, will likely herald the agencys measure.

Its great to see the SEC beginning this important effort, said Todd Phillips, director of financial regulation and corporate governance at the Washington-based Center for American Progress.

Investors and asset managers can only make sound investing decisions when they have standardized and comparable information about companies greenhouse gas emissions.

(Reporting by Katanga Johnson and Jarrett Renshaw in Washington; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

Topics Climate Change
More than 50 years ago, nearly a dozen men incarcerated outside of Philadelphia enrolled in an experiment funded by Johnson & Johnson, according to unsealed documents. Now, those studies have come back to haunt the worlds largest maker of health-care products.

In one study, inmates were paid to be injected with potentially cancer-causing asbestos so the company could compare its effect on their skin versus that of talc, a key component in its iconic baby powder.

University of Pennsylvania dermatologist Albert Kligman conducted hundreds of human experiments over two decades at Holmesburg Prison in Pennsylvania. The testing regime, funded by entities such as Dow Chemical and the U.S. government, involved mostly Black inmates and first came to light decades ago in books and newspaper articles. But J&Js involvement in the talc studies focusing on asbestos hasnt been made public in the media before now.

The unsealed prison-testing files came to light in two trials last year over legal claims that J&Js talc-based powder causes cancer, and legal experts say that information could be powerful evidence in future cases, justifying punishment awards.

While they didnt dispute the company hired Kligman in the 1960s to do baby powder tests, J&J officials said they regretted the firms involvement with the dermatologist. Still, they noted the tests didnt violate research standards at the time.

We deeply regret the conditions under which these studies were conducted, and in no way do they reflect the values or practices we employ today, Kim Montagnino, a company spokeswoman, said in an emailed statement. As the worlds largest healthcare company, our transparent, diligent approach to bioethics is at the heart of all we promise our customers and society.

Talc Lawsuits on Hold

Since 2013, J&J has defended itself from accusations that its talc-based baby powder, for years a bathroom staple for women and babies, contained cancer-causing asbestos. It has lost some cases, including one where it paid $2.5 billion in damages and interest, won others and had some suits thrown out.

The company withdrew its talc-based baby powder from the U.S. and Canadian markets in 2020, citing slipping sales. Over the last five years, J&J shares returned about 36% on a total return basis, lagging the S&P 500 index by about 55 percentage points. In 2021, J&J posted returns of less than half the S&P.

Lawyers for talc plaintiffs pushed to get J&Js testing files made public for years. It wasnt until a judge allowed jurors to hear testimony about the documents in a 2021 California case that they surfaced. That jury ordered J&J to pay a woman more than $26 million last year, some in the form of punitive damages, over the companys handling of its baby powder line.

Asbestos, a mineral often found where talc is mined, was identified as a carcinogen by U.S. researchers in the 1950s. J&J has steadfastly maintained there has never been asbestos in its talc, and it hasnt accepted responsibility for any injuries blamed on the product.

Talc litigation is currently on hold while a J&J unit is in bankruptcy. Last year, the company executed a controversial tactic known as a Texas Two Step in hopes of corralling the talc litigations costs. The company set up a separate cosmetics unit under a business-friendly Texas law and put it into bankruptcy. Last month, the judge cleared J&J to proceed with efforts to use the Chapter 11 case to settle more than 40,000 cancer cases.

In the units bankruptcy filing, J&J lawyers noted the company already had paid more than $3.5 billion to cover settlements and verdicts in the eight-year talc litigation. Over a recent five-year period, the company also paid another $1 billion to cover defense costs tied to talc suits.

The Kligman Connection

Even if J&J is successful in resolving most of the talc cases through the bankruptcy case, some victims are likely to opt out of the deal and seek their day in court, said Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond law professor who follows the litigation. He said the testing files could wind up being part of punitive-damages presentations in coming trials.

This is some pretty horrific stuff and the plaintiffs will definitely want to use it to show J&Js handling of its baby powder line over the years hasnt been the greatest, Tobias said. J&J marketed itself as family-friendly company. This kind of testing doesnt seem family friendly to me.

While jurors heard about the results of Kligmans asbestos study, they werent told the test was done on prison inmates or their race for fear of unduly prejudicing the panels against J&J. That could change in future lawsuits, Tobias noted.

Joseph Satterley, a California-based plaintiffs lawyer, represented Christina Prudencio, the California teacher who won $26.4 million from J&J last year after claiming her life-long use of the talc-based powder led her to develop an asbestos-linked cancer. He argues Kligmans talc experiments at Holmesburg show J&J was worried about asbestos in its talc decades ago.

Why else would they pay Kligman to inject asbestos into prisoners? Satterley asked. They didnt just pick asbestos out of thin air.

Asbestos Testing

Kligman, who first came to Holmesburg to treat an athletes foot outbreak in 1951, quickly recognized the research opportunities. Prisoners were paid between $10 and $300 to participate in his studies, said Allen Hornblum, an ex-prison social worker who wrote the first book about the testing. Regular jail jobs paid 25 cents a day, he noted.

For the asbestos test, Kligman recruited 10 prisoners in 1971 to get injections of tremolite and chrysotile asbestos, along with a talc shot in their lower backs, according to the unsealed files.

David Egilman a Brown University medical professor, testified as an expert for plaintiffs in several talc cases about Kligmans December 1971 report to J&J. The chrysotile form of asbestos had the biggest effect on inmates skin, causing granulomas, which are cells clumped together causing a raised area, Egilman said. Such bumps can be an indicator of lung disease or other ailments linked to asbestos exposure, researchers say.

The unsealed files also show Kligman and his colleagues did other Holmesburg studies to evaluate whether the type of containers used to store baby powder had any effect on skin.

In a 1968 report, Kligman noted 50 healthy adult males were selected from the population of Philadelphia County Prison at Holmesburg. The men, 44 of whom were Black, had talc from different canisters, applied to their skin and covered with dressings. Neither sample from the different containers caused a reaction, Kligman wrote.

Leodus Jones, one of the prisoners who signed on to some of Kligmans studies, said in a newspaper interview in the late 1990s the tests left white scars on his back. His daughters first glimpse of the human toll left her shaken.

I was four or five when I first saw my fathers back and it scared me so badly, I ran to my mother and told her that daddy had turned into a monster, Adrianne Jones-Alston said in an interview.

Jones, who died in 2018 at the age of 74, couldnt remember if he was a J&J test subject, his daughter said. Shes pushing Penn to pay reparations to the families of Holmesburg prisoners who participated in the research. Kligmans testing ended in 1974 after a public outcry about the studies.

Last year, Penns medical school apologized for backing Kligmans testing and renamed his dermatology professorship for a Black colleague. Penn Medicine apologizes for the pain Dr. Kligmans work caused to incarcerated individuals, their families, and our broader community, J. Larry Jameson, the medical schools dean, said in August 2021.

Kligman, who died in 2010, never acknowledged any wrongdoing. My use of paid prisoners as research subjects in the 1950s and 1960s was in keeping with this nations standard protocol for conducting scientific investigations at the time, he told the Baltimore Sun in 1998.

(Clarifies asbestos testing in 3rd paragraph, expands quote from J&J spokesperson in 6th paragraph)

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics Lawsuits
Ukraines ongoing tragedy is now having dangerous ramifications in the Middle East, fueled by significant Biden administration policy failures. The United Arab Emirates, normally a staunch American ally, abstained recently on a UN Security Council resolution condemning Russias invasion. The reason: President Biden declined to relist Yemens Houthi rebels, who had repeatedly attacked civilian targets in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, as a foreign terrorist organization. Biden had earlier removed the Houthis, Irans surrogates in Yemens civil war, from the list, purportedly to mitigate Yemens sustained humanitarian crisis.

The UAE pressed to reverse Bidens delisting after early February Houthi attacks on civilian targets in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, but the White House failed to act.

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When Biden pressured the UAE, now a non-permanent Security Council member, to support his anti-Russia resolution, the UAE abstained instead. Embarrassing Biden reversals also include initially waiving, and now supporting, sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 Russia-to-Germany gas pipeline, which may have encouraged Moscows aggression.

Bumbling the Houthi threat reflects Bidens profound misperceptions about what constitutes a serious menace to Middle East and global peace and security. Houthi strikes against civilian targets and threats to international shipping in the critical Bab-el-Mandeb Strait are, unfortunately, nothing new. Using missiles and drones, Houthi attacks increased markedly since mid-2019, along with increased Shia militia attacks on U.S. personnel in Iraq. These dangers would not exist without Iranian weapons shipments, training, targeting and logistics.

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Because of the Yemen civil wars complex politics, deeply-rooted underlying causes and resistance to solution, outsiders often focus on the hardships the conflict has caused. While severe and enduring, these hardships hardly explain the conflicts causes or who is culpable. Instead, pre-existing hostility toward Saudi Arabia and the UAE, unrelated to Yemen, have colored outside judgments. The Houthis played the victim card, and sympathetic Westerners were duped.

Biden announced he was ending American support for the Saudi war effort in Yemen in hopes of ending the conflict, although that military support ad already been considerably reduced. Nonetheless, the Houthis continued their military efforts without evincing any real interest in resolving the conflict.

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Unsurprisingly, therefore, Iran has largely escaped condemnation for meddling in Yemen, and for using the war to establish strategic positions literally in the backyards of its Arab enemies. Eliminating Tehrans support to the Houthis would help end Yemens fratricide, and, equally importantly, end threats to commercial airports, oil infrastructure and other targets where innocent civilians live and work. Major airports are not far from urban population centers, and the reckless use of highly destructive weapons could easily cause mass-casualty events.

The Iran-Houthi alliance is almost entirely terrorist in its aims and methods. From its birth, Irans regime was a state sponsor of terrorism, so designated by Ronald Reagan in 1984. The Trump administration named the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Tehrans external military arm, to the foreign terrorists list in 2019. Irans ayatollahs have consistently pursued terrorism, from seizing U.S. hostages in 1979 to aiding Hamas, Hezbollah and Iraqi militias, and threatening Americans worldwide.

Even so, the Biden administration is still begging Iran to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, an agreement fatally flawed from the outset, and getting worse with age.

The Houthis and their top leaders are also terrorists, as their behavior both inside Yemen and regionally amply demonstrates. As with the IRGC, the only legitimate complaint is that the U.S. government didnt designate them as a foreign terrorist organization earlier. The designation expressly provided ways to ensure it did not impede delivery of humanitarian assistance to Yemeni civilians, UN protestations to the contrary notwithstanding.

Accordingly, while Yemens conflict remains complex and difficult, and not easily solvable, Irans presence is totally self-interested. It is not about Yemen, but about Irans efforts to achieve regional and religious hegemony through its own terrorism, assistance to terrorist groups and its pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

Unless and until Americans understand this reality, grave humanitarian challenges in Yemen will persist, and gullible Westerners will still believe they can make a viable agreement with Iran to limit its determined quest for nuclear weapons. But even if Houthis are returned to the foreign terrorist organization list, it is unclear the Biden administration understands these larger points.

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Bolton is a former U.S. ambassador to the UN and former national security adviser.
AM Best has upgraded the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) to bbb+ (Good) from bbb (Good) and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of B++ (Good) for the members of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Group: Oklahoma Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company and its wholly owned subsidiary, AgSecurity Insurance Company, collectively referred to as Oklahoma Farm Bureau. The outlook for the Long-Term ICR has been revised to stable from positive while the FSR outlook is stable. All companies are domiciled in Oklahoma City, OK.

These Credit Ratings (ratings) reflect Oklahoma Farm Bureaus balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

The upgrade in the Long-Term ICR reflects Oklahoma Farm Bureaus continued improvement in its quality of policyholder surplus. Historically, the groups surplus appreciation and overall investment results have been dampened by aggressive surplus note repayments to take advantage of claw-back provisions and reduce overall interest paid on the notes. At one point, surplus notes had represented a majority of policyholder surplus.

Managements exposure and risk management initiatives combined with several corrective actions to improve profitability materialized favorably as reflected by Oklahoma Farm Bureaus much improved operating performance over the past five years. Pre-tax operating gains, coupled with positive overall net income, enabled the group to pay down $31 million in surplus notes over the past five years with year-end 2021 total surplus notes representing less than 3% of policyholder surplus.

As a single state writer in Oklahoma, the group is exposed to frequent and severe weather-related events and variability in overall results. In 2021, the group was impacted by four storms that tempered overall earnings and resulted in its combined ratio being modestly above break-even for the first time in eight years. Nevertheless, operating performance remains well-positioned within the adequate assessment range.

Source: AM Best

Topics Agribusiness AM Best Oklahoma
The Texas Supreme Court ruled that a Texas Workers Compensation Act (TWCA) provision for what constitutes an employee does not affect the enforceability of an additional-insured provision under the Texas Anti-Indemnity Act (TAIA).

In a March 4 opinion delivered by Justice Brett Busby, the court responded to a certified question from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on the scope of the employe exception to the TAIA. The TAIA generally blocks an indemnitor from indemnifying or insuring an indemnitee against a claim caused by the negligence of the indemnitee or its employees or agents.

The case before the court involved an employee of a general contractor, Skanska USA, Inc. The worker was injured in a crane accident and sued the subcontractor that operated the crane, Berkel and Co. Contractors, and the company that leased the crane, Maxim Crane Works, L.P.. Berkel had named Maxim as an additional insured under its commercial general liability insurance policy, making Berkel an indemnitor and Maxim an indemnitee.

The injured worker recovered workers compensation benefits under Skanskas contractor-controlled insurance program and successfully sued Berkel and Maxim in state court. Berkel and Maxim settled, with 90% of the fault allocated to Berkel and 10% to Maxim. Maxim unsuccessfully sought reimbursement from Berkels insurer Zurich. Berkel appealed and the Fourteenth Court of Appeals reversed the trial courts judgment against Berkel because it concluded the TWCA provided the exclusive remedy for the workers injuries.

In a separate suit, Maxim sought declaratory relief and damages against Zurich for denying Maxim coverage as an additional insured under Berkels policy.

The question in front of the Supreme Court then was whether the injured worker qualified as an employee of Berkel, the indemnitor, under the TAIA. The Supreme Court answered in the negative. Maxims argument hinged on the TWCAs definition of an employer-employee relationship and whether its transferrable to the TAIA. Under section 406.123 of the the TWCA, a general contractor is allowed to be deemed the statutory employer of the subcontractor and the subcontractors employees [only] for purposes of the workers compensation laws. Maxim argued that the court should construe employee in section 151.103 of the TAIA to include any person or entity that the TWCA would treat as an employee of the indemnitor. The Supreme Court shot that argument down, saying the TWCA does not affect the ordinary meaning of employee in the TAIA exception.

Topics Texas
The U.S. Department of Transportations Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has declared Koboat Trucking LLC, USDOT No. 3273682, a Houston-based motor carrier, to be an imminent hazard to public safety and ordered the motor carrier to immediately cease all interstate and intrastate operations. The motor carrier was served the Federal order on March 4, 2022.

On February 3, 2022, a driver operating for Koboat Trucking LLC crashed in Tennessee and killed a Sergeant from the Loudon County Sheriffs Office. The driver ignored a rolling roadblock and crashed into 2 cars before killing the Sergeant, who had stopped to remove a ladder obstructing the roadway. Koboat Truckings driver did not have a commercial drivers license, was prohibited from operating commercial motor vehicles due to a previous positive drug test, and was arrested for being under the influence of marijuana at the time of the crash.

A subsequent FMCSA review of Koboat Trucking found the motor carrier to be egregiously noncompliant with multiple Federal safety regulations, including: Controlled Substances and Alcohol Use and Testing (49 CFR Part 382); Commercial Drivers License Standards (49 CFR Part 383); Driver Qualification (49 CFR Part 391); Hours of Service of Drivers (49 CFR Part 395); and vehicle Inspection, Repair, and Maintenance (49 CFR Part 396).

Koboat Trucking took no action to ensure its driver was eligible to drive; had it done so, it would have discovered that the driver was not properly licensed, and was prohibited from driving its truck due to a drug test conducted in March 2020 that came back positive for marijuana. In fact, Koboat Trucking had no safety management controls in place.

Koboat Trucking did not have a program to detect and deter the use of controlled substances by its drivers, did not have a program to ensure its drivers were qualified and licensed, did not have a program to control its drivers hours of service, and did not have a program to ensure its vehicles were appropriately inspected and repaired. Koboat Trucking exercised virtually no oversight over its drivers or vehicles and thus abdicated all responsibility for safety.

FMCSAs imminent hazard out-of-service order states that Koboat Truckings complete and utter disregard for the [federal safety regulations] substantially increases the likelihood of serious injury or death for your drivers and the motoring public if your operations are not discontinued immediately.

Failing to comply with the provisions of the Federal imminent hazard order may result in civil penalties of up to $28,142 for each violation. Koboat Trucking LLC may also be assessed civil penalties of not less than $11,256 for providing transportation in interstate commerce without operating authority registration, and up to $15,876 for operating a CMV in interstate commerce without USDOT Number registration. Knowing and/or willful violations may result in criminal penalties.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportations Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Topics Carriers Texas Trucking
In a workers compensation case that has been called highly unusual, Employers Insurance Co. of Wausau has avoided having to pay for a new septic tank, a new central air system and vehicle insurance for an injured worker.

The worker died while the case was on appeal, and the Mississippi Supreme Court found that part of the case was rendered moot by the death. But the issue of sanctions and attorneys fees leveled against the insurer was not.

The sanctions were necessary, the claimants lawyer had said, because the carrier had deliberately thwarted and delayed efforts to refurbish the paralyzed workers home in ways that were medically necessary.

In Gamma Healthcare and Employers Insurance Co. of Wausau vs. Estate of Sharon Grantham, the court last week upheld a state appeals court, which had reversed the Mississippi Workers Compensation Commission. A Mississippi attorney said the commissions finding, which ordered the employer/carrier to pay for major household systems and sanctioned the carrier for appealing the commissions ruling, raised eyebrows in the state because it appeared to have had no legal precedent.

The comp commissions decision is without parallel in any jurisdiction and carries the workers compensation law well beyond the sufficiently well balanced bargain that makes the workers compensation law constitutionally valid, wrote Oxford, Mississippi, attorney Reed Martz, in his brief on behalf of the employer and insurer.

An extension of the workers compensation law to this extent would stretch the workers compensation statute beyond its intended meaning,' Martz added.

In the end, the Supreme Court did not address the underlying issue of whether an insurer should replace aging infrastructure systems for a paraplegic claimant. But it did decide that the appeals court correctly relied on federal rules to render part of the case moot, due to the death of the claimant. It also found the comp commission had erred by deciding on its own that the insurer should not have appealed the case and must pay the claimants attorney fees.

The case began in 2015, when Grantham was severely injured in a work-related automobile accident, leaving her paralyzed. The employer/carrier began paying benefits and medical treatment. But within a year, disputes arose over the extent of modifications needed to the womans home.

An administrative law judge ordered Employers Insurance Co. to pay for some significant modifications, to provide Grantham with a wheelchair-accessible van and to pay for part of the insurance on the van.

In 2017, Grantham asked the ALJ to appoint a case manager to assist with the recurring disagreements between the claimant and the insurer on home modifications. The judge agreed. The case manager, a nurse, recommended evaluations that found that Grantham needed a new septic system and new HVAC system, which had stopped working properly.

The insurer argued that those expensive repairs were beyond the scope of the workers comp law and that the system were beyond their useful life before Granthams work injury occurred.

Employers Insurance Co. attorneys also argued that accepting the case managers recommendations had violated the insurers due process rights because the case manager was not qualified to make the decisions and she had not been cross-examined.

The full Mississippi Workers Compensation Commission upheld the ALJ and went a step further. In a sua sponte order, it sanctioned the carriers appeal to the commission as being without reasonable grounds or medical evidence and had caused an unnecessary delay in benefits. The commission ordered the insurer to pay attorneys fees of $200 an hour for 20 hours of work.

Meanwhile, while the matter was on appeal to the state Court of Appeals, Grantham died in 2019. Granthams estate conceded that the employer was no longer obligated to pay for the septic and HVAC systems and van insurance, and the appeals court dismissed that part of the litigation.

But the appeals court found that the sanctions order against the insurer was not moot. It held that the E/C had reasonable grounds for an appeal, and it reversed the commissions order on attorney fees. The state Supreme Court agreed in its Feb. 27 opinion.

Granthams estate argues that this allows parties to escape sanctions and that the Commissions authority to sanction has lost any deterrent effect. We disagree, the justices wrote. The employer/carrier are not escaping sanctions; rather, as pointed out by the Court of Appeals, parties should not be sanctioned for making reasonable legal arguments in support of their positions.'

The majority opinion was written by Justice James Kitchens. The chief justice, Michael Randolph, wrote a strong dissent. He noted that Grantham had been forced to repeatedly face off against the insurer on home modifications, and that the insurers contractor had failed to make all changes recommended by an independent medical evaluation.

Randolph also said that the insurer did not provide any medical evidence as to why the home repairs were not related to her injury or that they were not necessary for a paraplegic. Grantham, on the other hand, produced two medical opinions noting that functioning septic and HVAC systems were medical necessities.

Three other justices joined the chief justice in his dissent.

The attorney for the deceased claimant, Steven Funderburg, could not be reached for comment Monday. But his brief in the appeal sheds light on the years of legal wrangling that led up to the comp commissions unusual decision.

The record demonstrates that Grantham had to repeatedly move to compel orders from the Mississippi Workers Compensation Commission providing relief that has been recognized by the commission and Mississippi appellate courts as available to paralyzed workers for decades, Funderburg wrote.

It is in this context of a paralyzed woman being knowingly subjected to raw sewage and knowingly without reliable air conditioning or heat that the commissions decision to include sanctions must be viewed, his brief continued. Without question, the continued delay and denial by Wausau (the insurer), unsupported by any medical opinion, caused unreasonable delay. Sadly, the delay has now worked in Wausaus favor as Sharon Grantham has passed away and will never have the modifications that were ordered. That does not mean that the Commission was in error when the modifications were ordered or when sanctions were imposed.

Topics Carriers Mississippi
Two weeks after St. Johns Insurance Co. was declared insolvent, Florida regulators have taken steps to begin liquidating Tampa-based Avatar Property & Casualty Insurance Co., making it the second carrier this year to falter and the sixth in the last 30 months.

The Florida Department of Financial Services on Friday, March 4, petitioned the Leon County Circuit Court to approve a consent order making DFS the receiver for Avatar for purposes of liquidation.

Avatar, launched in 2008, is a smaller insurer in Florida, with about 42,000 homeowner policies  about a quarter the size of St. Johns. But the insolvency is the latest blow for the Florida insurance market, which some industry leaders have said is in meltdown with more insolvencies likely this year.

Insurance executives said its unlikely that the Avatar liquidation will follow the same route as St. Johns, with all policies transferred to another carrier. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation last week ruffled some feathers when it became known that Slide, a startup insurtech-turned-insurer, would assume 147,000 policies and unearned premiums from insolvent St. Johns, without other carriers having a chance to bid on the policies.

Avatars receivership may follow the more conventional path, with the state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp. taking the book of business and other insurers making take-out offers in the next few months, one executive said.

The court has not yet approved the Avatar receivership and a transition plan had not been filed by Tuesday morning. But a letter from Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier to DFS, included in the petition to the court, notes: While no insurer has expressed an interest in providing coverage to all of Avatars policyholders, several insurers have expressed an interest in potentially providing coverage to some of Avatars policyholders through direct solicitation by their appointed agents.

The Avatar Board of Directors voted Feb. 28 to begin the delinquency proceedings, due to the companys insolvency.

It became clear that Avatar was facing financial difficulties in mid-February, when the company announced it would stop writing new business in the state. The Demotech rating firm then withdrew its financial stability rating for Avatar.

Avatar and St. Johns are two of seven insurers in the last several weeks to suspend new business or to non-renew thousands of policies in Florida. Others have asked for double-digit rate increases. Industry insiders and CEOs have warned for months that Floridas insurance market is in crisis, with most carriers seeing significant losses from hurricanes, roof claims and litigation expenses.

The latest insolvency will likely require the Florida Insurance Guaranty Association to cover Avatars outstanding claims. Its unclear if that will result in another assessment by FIGA on member insurance companies. After the St. Johns liquidation, FIGA approved a 1.3% assessement on premium for carriers, an assessment that will be passed on to Florida policyholders.

Avatars president, Hidesh John Adhia declined to comment Tuesday.

Topics Carriers Florida
A judge has given preliminary approval to a settlement agreement that would allocate $83 million to individual owners of condominium units at the collapsed Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida. Its the latest of several developments in the aftermath of the tragedy that killed 98 people last summer.

The settlement money would come from the condo associations property and liability insurers and from the sale of the beachfront property, which will be placed into a common fund, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzmann wrote in his order.

The agreement would apply only to condo owners who lost their units and belongings in the collapse and does not address all of the wrongful death lawsuits brought by families of victims who were killed. Objections to the agreement must be filed by March 23. A hearing will be held March 30.

Each unit owner will be paid a proportionate share of the common fund, based upon their ownership share of the condominium, the approval order explains.

After hearing from the parties, the court may (or may not) reduce an owners recovery by any insurance payment received to compensate them for the value of their unit (not contents), the judge wrote. And while the agreement is silent on this point, the unit owners also may be required to pay  out of the aggregate $83 million Common Fund  attorneys fees and costs to compensate counsel for services performed solely on behalf of the economic loss subclass.

Last week, the Miami-Dade County Commission passed an ordinance requiring that financial statements and structural safety reports of condominium and homeowner associations be made public. Inspection documents may prove to be important for insurers who are considering underwriting condo properties and will likely mean that some carriers will non-renew more policies or will decline to provide coverage, agents have said.

Miami-Dade Commissioner Rene Garcia, who sponsored the ordinance, had been working on the issue before the condo collapse after receiving numerous complaints from residents, according to spokesperson Iraida R. Mendez-Cartaya, according to the Associated Press.

But the collapse in Surfside brought the issue of condo transparency into stark visibility, said Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who endorsed the legislation.

The law requires associations to upload financial statements, engineering reports and maintenance documents related to long-term structural concerns about buildings to a publicly viewable county database by February 2023, the Miami Herald reported. Most of the documents were currently available to property owners, but were otherwise not available to the public.

Florida law currently requires condo sellers to turn over financial documents and reports on assessments to buyers once a sales contract is signed, if the buyer requests the paperwork.

I think this is a step that the rest of the state will look to, Cava said. I think this is a very innovative, creative way to address this issue.

A year before the Surfside collapse, the city of Hallandale Beach became the first in Florida to pass an ordinance requiring condo associations to file financial reports for the public to view. The citys website, hallandalebeachfl.gov, has folders for each of the 100-plus associations to upload their documentation.

The state Legislature also has taken the Surfside tragedy into account. Last week, the Florida House unanimously passed a bill that would require statewide recertification of any condo building above three stories high.

Meanwhile, a class-action lawsuit filed against the developers of a high-rise property next door to the Champlain Towers South has added the propertys condo association, the architects and engineers, according to the Miami Herald. The construction of the building, known as 87 Park, damaged the foundation of the Champlain Towers, contributing to the collapse, the lawsuit charges.

The defendants in the suit have denied the allegations and have said they followed proper building standards, but DeSimone Consulting Engineers has already agreed to pay $8.6 million to settle, the Herald reported Tuesday.

On Tuesday, it was revealed that the engineers and the law firm for Champlain Towers had agreed to settle their part of the class-action for almost $47 million, the Herald reported.

The Becker law firm, which has represented condominium associations in South Florida for years and is known for helping condos oppose reform measures, was charged with failing to warn residents of the imminent collapse of the building. It will pay $31 million to settle. The settlement was announced last month but the dollar amount was not disclosed until now.

An engineering firm, Morabito Consultants, will pay $16 million. The firm was hired to examine the Champlain Towers for its 40-year inspection and had recommended major structural repairs. Those were just getting underway when the building collapsed June 24. The condo association and victims families argued that the engineers did not warn residents of the immediate danger.

All of the settlement money will be paid by the law firms and the engineering firms insurance companies, the newspaper noted.

Judge Hanzman must review the settlements before they can be finalized.

Photo: A memorial outside the collapsed Champlain Towers South condominium building. The 87 Park building is seen in the background. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Topics Legislation
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A Seattle, Washington, construction company owner is facing jail time in a case thats holding an employer criminally responsible for a preventable worker death.

Alki Construction owner Phillip Numrich was sentenced today to 45 days in jail for his role in the 2016 trench collapse death of 36-year-old Harold Felton.

The criminal case followed a Washington Department of Labor & Industries investigation that reportedly found Alki Construction knowingly ignored basic safety rules that have been in place since the 1970s. If followed, those practices could have prevented Feltons tragic death, according to L&I, which cited and fined the company for multiple workplace safety violations.

After a state Supreme Court decision cleared the way for prosecution, the King County Prosecutor moved forward with a felony charge of second-degree manslaughter.

Numrich agreed to plead guilty to attempted reckless endangerment and was sentenced this week.

Numrich will also serve an 18-month probation that limits his contact with the Felton family and the type of work his company can perform.

Alki Construction also pleaded guilty to violations of the Washington Industrial Safety & Health Act and will pay a $25,000 fine. This is in addition to a fine issued by L&I in 2016 in connection with this investigation.

After several days of heavy rainfall, Numrich reportedly allowed work to go on in an 8- to 10-foot trench, even though he had only brought enough shoring to protect two of the four sides of the trench from a cave-in.

When the sides collapsed, Felton was buried under more than 6,000 pounds of dirt.

Topics Commercial Lines Business Insurance Washington Contractors
A federal judge has dismissed a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of a Utah man who was shot at nearly 30 times and killed as he ran away from Salt Lake City police in 2020.

U.S. District Judge David Barlow ruled that the civil rights of Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal, 22, were not violated when he was shot and killed by Officers Neil Iversen and Kevin Fortuna, The Salt Lake Tribune reported Friday.

The judge dismissed the lawsuit this week. Palacios-Carbajals family filed the civil suit against the officers and police Chief Mike Brown in September 2020, alleging the officers engaged in gratuitous violence by repeatedly shooting at him after he was already on the ground and incapacitated.

Palacios-Carbajal was struck 13 to 15 times in May 2020 as he ran away from officers who were investigating a gun-threat call and yelled for him to drop a gun, according to prosecutors.

District Attorney Sam Gill later ruled the use of force was justified because Palacios-Carbajal had repeatedly dropped and picked up a handgun while running away. Gill said he was unable to pursue prosecution because the law protects officers if they fear that they or someone else are at risk. That decision prompted street protests in Salt Lake City.

The familys attorney, Nathan Morris, said his clients were struggling with the judges decision and were considering whether to appeal.

Court documents filed Monday said the two officers had heard that Palacios-Carbajal had threatened multiple people with a gun and reasonably believed that Mr. Palacios was an immediate threat to their safety and to any member of the public he might encounter during the chase.

City police Chief Mike Brown said in a statement after the judges ruling that the loss of life is tragic. As police officers, we are charged with the duty to protect our community and each other and in this case, that is exactly what happened.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Legislation Law Enforcement
Climate experts from Oregon, Washington and Idaho say most of the Northwest remains locked in drought and that the region is unlikely to get enough rainfall to end drought conditions.

Britt Parker, regional drought information coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told the Capital Press that 74% of the Northwest is currently in drought. Approximately 18% of the region is in extreme or exceptional drought, the two driest categories.

This reflects long-term precipitation deficits for much of the interior Northwest, Parker said.

It would take 150% to 200% above normal precipitation over the next two months to end drought conditions in the most severely impacted areas, according to the NOAA. Nick Bond, Washington state climatologist, said the odds of that happening are extremely low.

Climate watchers had hoped that a La Nina weather system, which typically brings cooler and wetter winter weather, would help the region.

But a ridge of high pressure that normally sits over the north-central Pacific Ocean was closer to the West Coast than normal in recent months, deflecting storms and pushing them north, Bond said.

That basically dried us out for that period of January and February that were complaining about, Bond said.

In the driest areas of southern and central Oregon, irrigators face another year of water shortages and fire districts are predicting above-normal risk for wildfires as early as May.

The forecasts for the region are not encouraging for March through May, Bond said, but the spring weather is expected to be cooler than last year, allowing snow in the mountains to melt more gradually. That means water will replenish streams and rivers longer into the summer.

Oregon state climatologist Larry ONeill said most reservoirs are averaging between 10% and 30% lower than last year, which could mean problems for farmers and fish.

We are coming into some tough times here in Oregon, ONeill said. Not only are water supply issues going to become more acute, but were starting to grow concerned about the general dryness of the landscape and what it means for wildfire risk.

In Idaho, Idaho Department of Water Resources hydrologist David Hoekema said southern Idaho is definitely heading in the direction of drought, while northern Idaho is doing a bit better. Last year, southern Idaho had the driest spring since 1924, leaving reservoirs much lower than normal.

Despite near normal snowpack, it will take more for reservoirs in the Big Wood Basin to recover after three consecutive years of drought, Hoekema said.

Theres kind of a memory in the system, he said. It takes more than an average year to recover.

Washington state appears to be in a better position. Karin Bumbaco, assistant state climatologist, said overall snowpack, precipitation and reservoir storage in Washington is faring better than Oregon and southern Idaho.

Water supplies in western Washington will likely be in good shape, except for parts of the Olympic Peninsula and Dungeness Valley, which have had low summer streamflows because of lower snowpack over the last several years.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is predicting senior water rights holders in the Yakima Basin will get their full water allotments and that junior water right holders will get about 96% of their normal water allotments.

But dryland wheat farmers in some areas east of the Cascades could face trouble after recent weeks brought only about a quarter of the normal rainfall levels.

We anticipate that there could be a possibility of continued impacts to dryland agriculture if we stay dry, she said.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Benedict Cumberbatch sees the power of The Power of the Dog.

The Oscar-nominated films star spoke out for the first time since actor Sam Elliott ripped the Western drama and its allusions to homosexuality during an appearance on Marc Marons WTF podcast.

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Without naming Elliott, Cumberbatch said he heard about a very odd reaction that was shared on a recent podcast.

Beyond that reaction, that sort of denial that anybody could have any other than a heteronormative existence because of what they do for a living or where theyre born, theres also a massive intolerance within the world at large towards homosexuality still, towards an acceptance of the other, of any kind of difference, Cumberbatch said during a BAFTA conversation.

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And no more so, I guess, in this prism of conformity in the sense of what is expected of a man in the Western archetype mold of masculinity.

Benedict Cumberbatch in "Power of the Dog" (left) and Sam Elliott in the series, "1883."

Cumberbatch, 45, portrays a closeted cowboy in The Power of the Dog, which is set in rural Montana in 1925.

Elliott, who stars in the Western series 1883, compared the cowboys in The Power of the Dog to Chippendales dancers during his WTF appearance.

Thats what all these f--king cowboys in that movie looked like, Elliott said. Theyre all running around in chaps and no shirts. Theres all these allusions to homosexuality throughout the f--king movie.

Elliott, 77, praised the previous films by director Jane Campion, but questioned the New Zealand natives work on The Power of the Dog.

What the f--k does this woman from down there ... know about the American West? Elliott said. And why in the f--k does she shoot this movie in New Zealand and call it Montana and say this is the way it was?

The Power of the Dog leads all films with 12 nominations at this months Oscars, including nods for best picture, best actor for Cumberbatch and best director for Campion.
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Chapters Bookstore, Irelands largest independent bookshop, announced it will reopen its doors again on March 11 after it closed in 2021 after 40 years in business.

The bookshop was bought by Kevin Neary and Mick Finucane, who previously held director roles in Gamestop, from former owner of the bookstore William Willie Kinsella.

While Mick and I were happy to see Willie decide to retire, we were sad to see Chapters close and for Dublin/Ireland to lose a national institution, said the former founder and managing director of Gamestop Ireland Kevin Neary.

We felt this urge to keep the business alive as it is such a much loved brand in Ireland and we had such happy memories of it too and it meant a lot to us, he added.

Mr Neary said it took some persuading for Kinsella to allow him and Finucane to take custodianship of his baby but in the end he agreed.

He felt that with our long term and deep understanding of the Chapters business model, we would look after and protect what has made it great, while help it evolve for the years ahead. We are extremely proud to be given this opportunity and we hope to be able to live up to expectations of preserving a national institution, said Neary.

The deal was finalised in the last few days for a currently undisclosed amount stated Neary. Sara Phelan, who previously managed the store and many of her team will continue to run the new operation, as Neary and Finucane provide guidance and support to help re-establish and grow Chapters to its former glory and beyond said Neary.
Central Statistics Office figures show that the percentage of female farm holders has increased by only 1% since 2010 with 18,101 - or 13.4% - female farm holders in 2020.

However, as International Womens Day approaches on March 8, Maura Farrell, senior lecturer in the School of Geography, Archaeology and Irish Studies at NUI Galway, told the Irish Examiner that when you further break down the figures of female farm holders, there are fewer actively engaged or working in farming.

Meanwhile, many of the women working on farms and contributing to the enterprises are going unaccounted for.

"A lot more women are engaged in agricultural education, particularly third-level education", Ms Farrell said.

"I suppose we think about agriculture directly in farms - but there are a lot of women involved in the industry, a much broader basis outside of just farming.

"[At farm-level], of course, youll get very innovative, forward-thinking farmers who have a daughter who has always worked on the farm and don't question allowing her to inherit it," Ms Farrell continued.

Sometimes, it can be the mother or the woman on the farm who says the work is too hard, the hours are too long, and they are the ones who encourage daughters not to become engaged or involved in the farm.

Overcoming stereotypes

The stereotypes are very much still there, with Ms Farrell warning they often permeate all the way down from very senior cycles to farm level in the industry.

Agriculture is a system that works from the family farm right up to agricultural organisations that we have, the Department of Agriculture, all of these different advisory services, all these bodies are part of the system.

"In this day and age it is bizarre to think that women who work on farms do not have an identity on farms," Maura Farrell, senior lecturer at NUI Galway said.

If we want to see women on farms, then we need to see them within all of these bodies as well.

She welcomes the changes that are being seen, that are making it more accepting of women in farming and agriculture.

For example, Teagasc recently published its first Gender Equality Plan.

Currently, 44% of Teagasc staff are women - however, women were found to have been significantly overrepresented in lower grades and significantly underrepresented in senior positions.

Our long and deep history in the agriculture and food industry has resulted in Teagasc having a male-oriented gender culture, Teagasc director Frank OMara said.

This has to change. While we have made some progress in recent years, we know we have more to do.

Ms Farrell explained one issue was that while women "not excluded" from farming, their effort is often not as documented or acknowledged in the same way as their male peers.

"I think that definitely comes from the family farm, where women tend to do a huge amount of work and that work is not acknowledged," she said.

In this day and age, it is bizarre to think that women who work on farms do not have an identity on farms; we went through this whole course of action in Ireland where we were going through what we would call them - would we call them women farmers or female farmers, for example.

Why arent they farmers? Just say what they are, let it be a man or a woman, theyre a farmer.

So that identity is not there.

Despite this, Ms Farrell said that it is often women that think more strategically when it comes to the farm.

When it comes to farm diversification, its often women who kind of see the family farm and realise much quicker that 'we need this to earn money'; whereas, the male may often think 'but this is my heritage, this is from my family, I need to make sure that we keep this running irrespective of whether its making money or not', she explained.

When it comes to diversification, its often women who drive it and realise okay, we have land here, we can do something different with it to make money."

With fewer services and facilities available in rural areas compared to urban, women are coming from a lower base which presents further challenges.

Even childcare; if a woman takes over or starts a business on a farm, its still a business, she still needs that childcare, she still needs good broadband.

And within a rural context, those things are not as readily available as they are within an urban context.

Irelands CAP Strategic Plan for 2023 to 2027 has been submitted to the European Commission for approval.

Through the new CAP, gender balance is to be addressed through higher rates of aid for women farmers, as well as through female-focused knowledge transfer groups and inclusion as a theme to be addressed by European Innovation Partnerships.

Ms Farrell welcomes this, saying that getting policy change is "really important".

"We can talk and do everything all we like; but unless we get it to policy-level change, then nothing will change."

Through previous research that Ms Farrell had undertaken, she has found that a lot of women who want to start-up businesses "didn't want to be seen any different to men".

"But my thinking on that is it's all well and good if we're all at the same level. But women are not at the same level when it comes to entrepreneurship, when it comes to innovation, women are well down the ladder.

"So to get them to that level they need to be at, they need to be able to accept a helping hand to make a level playing field.

"When we get to the level playing field, yes, we should all be in there together. But until we get to the level playing field, we need to be given an extra addition."

One of the biggest issues that persist in agriculture, Ms Farrell said, is accessing land.

"If your heart and soul is in farming, and you don't get the family farm, what do you do?"

Pushing through the obstacles

Cork dairy farmer Paula Hynes encourages young women who want to enter farming to not give up despite the obstacles.

Ms Hynes, who farms with her husband Peter with the help of their three daughters - Chloe, Becky, and Georgina - in Aherla, said that when she first started farming, she was told by some that she "couldn't do it because you're a woman".

The more you tell me I cant do something, the more Ill do it," Ms Hynes said.

"If your passion is about something, you dont have to come from a farming background; if you want to do it, you go and you do it - and dont ever let anyone stop you."

Before 2014, Ms Hynes said she "hadn't a clue about cows", but always received the full support of her husband.

But, when the farm increased to 180 cows, Ms Hynes said she gave the push that was "needed to invest in technology on the farm to make it easier for ourselves".

"I think there is an awful perception out there that farming is 24/7, a horrible lifestyle," she continued.

"But at the end of the day its all about management on your farm; you can have a perfectly great social life outside of farming while still having a productive farm.

"Thats why we put in the big investment in 2017; we spent over 500,000 putting in a new parlour and a drafting system.

"It was a big investment, but like everything, you have to spend money to make money."

Ms Hynes said she has seen a "big movement" in the past couple of years where women "are standing up more for themselves" to receive the recognition they deserve for their farm work.

"The younger generation is definitely driving that forward; its the older generation of women who will still kind of say sure look, I didnt do anything only block the gap and shes inside milking the cows and then going to her day job," Ms Hynes said.

She feels it is very important to encourage the younger generation; and that her and Peter "100% back" their daughters in pursuing a career in farming.

"They all have a fantastic work ethic; Becky is starting her own herd of cows now, she's big into showing. We backed her 100% because that's what she wanted."
Ireland's culinary world has joined forces to raise funds for a range of humanitarian Ukrainian charities. The auction is being run by DeVeres with no fees added to winning bids and closes this evening at 10pm.

Among the items up for auction include:
Irish families will have to play their part and open their homes to refugees fleeing Ukraine, Senator Timmy Dooley has said following a brief visit to the war-torn country.

The Fianna Fail senator and MEP Billy Kelleher travelled to the Ukrainian city of Lviv for talks with political leaders.

Mr Dooley, the vice president of the EU Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (Alde), travelled 100km from the Polish border into Ukraine on Sunday.

It is understood they are the first Irish politicians to visit the country since the Russian invasion.

The United Nations announced over the weekend that more than 1.5m people have fled Ukraine.

Mr Dooley said there would be much greater numbers fleeing the country over the coming weeks, and that appeals would have to go out to families across Europe, including Ireland, to open their homes.

I have to say the response that I have gotten from people that have contacted me in the last week, there is a huge willingness by the Irish people to open up their homes and assist these people who are fleeing really a terrible situation, he told RTE.

Mr Dooley said he was invited by the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyys Servant Of The Peoples party to visit the country after travelling to the border in Poland.

What we saw on the other side of the border was a 20km tailback of cars. At one particular point, people standing in a line of about 5km, Mr Dooley added.

People protest against the Russian war in Ukraine in Dublin city centre (Niall Carson/PA)

I would say there were people there for probably two days.

Its an appalling situation when you consider the low temperatures at night, recognising that theyre vulnerable people, young families, an absence of men who are back on the warfront, elderly people being pushed on wheelchairs, people with physical disabilities being pushed on wheelchairs.

Mr Dooley said the processing times of Ukrainian refugees needed to be speeded up at the border.

It really is a humanitarian crisis on the other side. I think from a European perspective, there will have to be a more coordinated effort to get people across the border." he added.

Theres technically an open border in that Ukrainian people are allowed free access to Europe. But the processing on the border leaves a lot to be desired at the moment.

We have to try and do something to make that easier for those that are fleeing the bombs of Russia.

The Fianna Fail senator said he spoke to Ukrainian deputy prime minister Iryna Vereshchuk last week.

Our initial mission was to go to the border but we were invited then to travel to Lviv, which is about 100km east of the Polish border.

We had sought the advice of those that invited us and their best advice was that it was safe to travel to Lviv

They wanted us to see the situation first hand and we certainly did that. Well be reporting back to our respective parties across Europe and to those that need to know what we have seen, and the message that we have been given, which is to provide greater assistance to the refugees who are finding it difficult to cross the border.

Mr Dooley defended his decision to cross the border into Ukraine against official advice from the Irish Government.

I accept and recognise that. But I think in the face of such human suffering, it was a calculated risk from our perspective, he added.

We had sought the advice of those that invited us and their best advice was that it was safe to travel to Lviv, which was about 100km on the other side of the border and was about 600 miles from where there was any shelling activity.

We are preparing a report which will go to the Alde member parties.

Well be passing that message back, which is that at European level, theyre very thankful for whats being done to date, but the effort will have to be stepped up, it will have to be easier for those that are fleeing the battlefields.

It will have to be easier for them to cross the border. Obviously then we will have work to do when the refugees ultimately get to our respective countries.

Poland is doing well at the moment, managing the numbers that are there.

It comes as Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney travels to New York for a two-day visit.

He is to take part in a Council of Foreign Relations discussion on Europes response to the events in Ukraine.
A citizens' assembly may be held on Irish neutrality, the Taoiseach has told the Dail.

Micheal Martin said Ireland has never been politically neutral and a discussion on military non-alignment could take place after the war in Ukraine has ended.

Responding to People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett during leaders' questions, Mr Martin said Ireland has a tradition of military non-alignment but that we've never been politically neutral.

Even in 1939, when the German representative came to the then-Irish government, it was made very clear to the German representative of the closeness and how Britain would always have to get consideration," Mr Martin said.

And likewise, as we've evolved through our membership of the European Union, we've developed in 1999 a partnership for peace with Nato in order to sustain interoperability if we were on peace missions, peace enforcement missions, with Nato countries."

The Taoiseach told the Dail: Weve been part of (EU defence arrangement) PESCO. We've been part of battle groups, none of which were ever deployed, but which ensured that Irish Defence Forces were at a certain modern competence and capacity to enable them to do what we do best, which is peacekeeping.

Mr Martin said that Ireland has the longest unbroken record of peacekeeping, but we do need a discussion on this.

"I think we could look at a citizens' assembly to discuss these issues in the fullness of time.

Mr Boyd Barrett said that while Ireland needs to be "clear" in condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it was "worrying" to see a clamour of "media commentators and senior ministers" looking to argue in favour of Ireland joining Nato.

"If we are opposed to and - we must be opposed to - Putin's brutal and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine, we should not respond to that by joining an alliance dominated by powers that, for example, are supporting the Saudi dictatorship conducting an equally murderous war in Yemen that has killed more than 300,000 people over the last four years, and the UN is now reporting brought 14m people to the brink of starvation."

The Taoiseach said that such a "clamour" was evidence of democracy in action.
What has become of Mick Wallace and Clare Daly?

The two Irish MEPs, previously well-regarded and at times admired as political disrupters, have spiralled so far down an anti-US, anti-Europe, pro-Putin radical conspiracy theory black hole that they have become pariahs in Europe, even among some of their own.

While it is easy to dismiss the Independents 4 Change MEPs, whose utterances and actions have gained them notoriety among their parliament colleagues, they were elected to represent voters in two separate Irish constituencies.

One Irish source in Brussels said: MEPs that mightnt know much about Ireland have asked me: Is this the view of Ireland? Because they see two people who are very vocal, obviously democratically elected, advocating the most bizarre nonsense.

They are just obsessed with this anti-neoliberalism, anti-Nato, anti-American ideals and they are aligning themselves with terrorist organisations in some countries  in Iran and Iraq and elsewhere.

Their increasingly extreme views came to a head last week when they were among just 13 MEPs from across Europe who voted against a motion condemning Russian aggression against Ukraine and demanding Vladimir Putin immediately pull his troops out.

The resolution received overwhelming support, with 637 MEPs voting in favour. However, Wallace and Daly immediately pivoted to accuse the EU of manipulating public anger to accelerate militarisation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Picture: Andrei Gorshkov, AP

Both were quick to point out that they had voted on a clause within the motion that denounced the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

So while forthrightly condemning the Russian illegal invasion of Ukraine  and the voting record shows that we voted for those parts of the resolution  what we opposed was the increasing of arms into Ukraine, the acceleration of Nato involvement, and the acceleration of militarism and military expenditure inside the EU, Daly told RTE radio.

While this is true, many members from across the political spectrum had strong reservations about parts of the motion and voted against clauses such as the proposals relating to liquified natural gas. However, the vast

majority went on to act for the greater good in supporting the overall resolution.

If MEPs had adopted the same petty policy as Wallace and Daly, the resolution would have failed and our politicians would have sent out a disturbing message that Europe tolerates the atrocities currently being inflicted on Ukraine.

Wallace and Daly know this.

A Ukrainian serviceman helps evacuees gathered under a destroyed bridge, as they flee the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, on March 7, 2022. Picture: Dimitar Dilkoff, AFP

On Sunday, as Putins army defied a ceasefire agreement and continued to bombard the port city of Mariupol, leaving civilians trapped without water and heat, Daly continued to argue that Russia had genuine security concerns, which are legitimate.

She said: This narrative that somehow the war is happening

because were dealing with some crazed maniac in the form of Putin is a distortion of the reality that one of the contributing factors to this situation has been the constant destabilisation of that region by Nato.

However, their radical views go far beyond the borders of Russia and, since being elected to Brussels in 2019, they have been criticised, ostracised, and sanctioned over their actions.

It is understood that more moderate members of the Left group

to which they are aligned have

expressed unease with their views and have become increasingly frustrated with them in recent times.

Mick Wallace during a visit to the HQ of an Iraqi militia last year.

Last March, when Covid restrictions were still in place, they came in for harsh criticism when they visited a brigade headquarters of the Iraqi militia group Hashed al-Shaabi, with footage later emerging of them viewing a picture gallery wall of martyrs.

Afterwards, Daly described Hashed al-Shaabi as people who answered the call of their religious leaders to fight terrorism, many of them sacrifice with their lives.

However, she went on to say: Theyre actually part of the Iraqi army now, so people in the West and the EU say these are a terrorist organisation, they are not terrorist organisations.

Wallace said those who condemned the trip, including Irish politicians, were simply criticising in order to garner some much-needed attention for themselves.

He suggested that there had been a negative reaction to the trip because mainstream media in Ireland has long supported US

imperialism.

In June 2020, the pair were officially sanctioned by the European Parliament for taking part in a fake election-monitoring trip to Venezuela and Ecuador.

While the EU denounced the elections in Venezuela, which saw the left-wing Great Patriotic Pole alliance win a super-majority on a 30% turnout, Wallace described the vote as very transparent and professional, and suggested the US could learn lessons from the South American state.

Wallace in particular has become well-known for outlandish and unsubstantiated pronunciations in parliament.

He caused fury when he questioned whether a chemical attack on the Syrian city of Doumo in 2018 was carried out by the Assad regime, despite the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons confirming it as fact.

The so-called chemical attack which the US, France, and UK used as an excuse to bomb Syria was most likely staged with the help of the White Helmets, a UK-US propaganda entity, Wallace told the EU parliament.

In 2020, another contribution sparked condemnation when he suggested that Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the main opposition leader to Alexander Lukashenkos dictatorship in Belarus, was a pawn of western neoliberalism.

Pictured in 2017, Clare Daly & Mick Wallace. Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins

Later that year, Wallace told the parliament that reports of 1m members of the Uyghur minority being held in detention in China was just a weapon being used by the West against China.

He caused rancour within his own left group last year when he tried to water down a motion that condemned Russia for shooting down a Malaysia Airlines flight over Ukraine, killing 298 people, in 2014.

This has all been part of a campaign to dismiss any European condemnation of Russia and China, as well as what are seen as other authoritarian regimes by both politicians.

Last Sunday, Daly said it was utter nonsense to claim she was anti-American and instead she said she was pro-peace.

Wallace and Daly may have been elected as Independents 4 Change but now their views have become truly independent of the people who sent them to Europe, questions must now be raised around who they represent.

They certainly are not speaking on behalf of the Irish public, who has made it clear that they are vehemently against the disturbing actions of Russia.

Did you know? Today marks International Womens Day. However, when it comes to the Dail, just 23% of TDs are currently women. In 2012, the Oireachtas adopted a law obliging political parties to select at least 30% women candidates and 30% men candidates to contest general elections. The threshold rises to 40% from 2023 onwards. If the quota is not met, political parties will lose 50% of the State funding they receive on an annual basis to run their operations.

What to look out for this week

Tuesday

The Ukrainian conflict will again dominate discussions this week, but there will be statements in the Dail to mark International Womens day starting from 3.50pm. There will be gender-related discussions at a number of committees throughout the week and in the Seanad on Wednesday. It will be a late one for Higher Education Minister Simon Harris who is taking questions from TDs from 8.15pm.

Wednesday

The ongoing and persistent overcrowding crisis in the hospitals will be discussed at the Health Committee with representatives from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) as well as the Siptu and Forsa unions. The Labour party have a private members motion on flexible working due up in the Dail.The Transport and Communications Committee will examine the Travelling in a Womans Shoes report with representatives from Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and Technological University Dublin.

Thursday

The Taoiseach is due to travel to Versailles in France for a two-day informal meeting of heads of state. The conflict in Ukraine is likely to be top of the agenda. Given a renewed discussion about our neutrality and whether we should consider joining Nato, questions to Defence Minister Simon Coveney from 9am should be interesting.

In the afternoon, the joint committee on foreign affairs and defence will get an update on the crisis in Ukraine from Mr Coveney. A bill, which would require the minister for education to publish regulations of voluntary contributions from parents/guardians will be debated in the evening. Under the bill the total amount collected by schools would be published annually along

with details of how the funds were spent.

with details of how the funds were spent. Over at the health committee the Patient Safety (Notifiable Patient Safety Incidents) Bill 2019 will be examined with Minister Stephen Donnelly.

Friday

The Taoiseach will leave France and travel directly to London, where he has a weekend full of engagements, including the rugby!

 'On The Plinth' appears each week in Tuesday's Irish Examiner (in print and online). Make sure you are up to speed on the major political stories by signing up to the On The Plinth politics newsletter HERE.

- This article originally stated that an amendment table by MEP Clare Daly on cyberattacks "did not single out any country or state". It also stated that Ms Daly also tabled an amendment to take out specific mention of 'China' in another part of the motion.

Clare Daly and Mick Wallace have asked us to clarify that the original section of the amendment to the motion on cyberattacks did in fact single out specific states, namely China and Russia.

Secondly, the amendment did not "take out specific mention of China", but added language about the United States' extra-territorial application of its national security law in the prosecution and attempted extradition of Julian Assange.

The article has been amended to reflect these changes.
It is becoming more and more difficult for Vladimir Putin to disguise how badly his war in Ukraine is going. In the space of two weeks, his epic miscalculation has led to unprecedented losses on the battlefield, economic sanctions that are unsurpassed in their scale and severity, and diplomatic isolation on a global scale.

With an increasingly severe crackdown on domestic dissent, Russia has mutated from authoritarian hybrid to North Korean-style rogue totalitarian state.

It is striking how much of the pre-war commentary focused on the asymmetry in military power between Russia and Ukraine, with the implications this war would prove an easy win.

Coming into the war, Russia could boast of at least 850,000 active personnel, against just 200,000 in active service in Ukraine. Russia had more than 12,000 tanks, compared to just 2,500 for Ukraine, and more than 30,000 armoured vehicles compared to 12,000 for Ukraine.

Nowhere was the stark difference in capacity more evident , however, that in airpower. Russia had 4,173 total aircraft, as against just 318 for Ukraine, 772 fighter aircraft compared to just 69 available to Ukraine, and 544 attack helicopters, against 34 for Ukraine.

Estimates of battlefield losses must be taken with a pinch of salt. Both sides have an incentive to publicise what the other has lost within the information war which is running in tandem with battlefield hostilities.

But the evidence from independent security analysts suggest Russia has almost certainly lost thousands of troops from an active invasion force of about 200,000. Ukraine puts the number already at above 11,000 Russian dead.

John O'Brennan: 'Security analysts are in no doubt that the Olympian corruption practised by Putins kleptocrats seeped, over time, into military procurement, with hugely significant consequences for the performance of Russian forces in the field in Ukraine.'

Even a loss of 5,000 troops over the first two weeks would represent a staggering loss for Russia. In Afghanistan, for example, during the decade of occupation in the 1980s, Soviet forces lost about 15,000 personnel. By further comparison, the United States lost a total of 4,500 troops in Iraq over the period 2003 to 2011.

To add to Putins woes, upwards of 140,000 Ukrainians have returned to defend their country (with more arriving all the time). In addition, up to 15,000 others from around Europe have signed up to join the fight. This in addition to the civilian resisters who have become an iconic part of the Ukrainian response, and may be crucial, if and when an insurgency proper begins.

Ukrainian estimates claim Russian losses include: 290 tanks, 999 armoured personnel carriers, 46 planes and 68 attack helicopters, as well as vast numbers of vehicles and artillery pieces. Indeed, social media is literally swimming with images of captured Russian MRAPs, tanks of every description, an exotic variety of supply trucks, and captured Russian soldiers.

How do we account for what appears to be a dismal Russian performance on the battlefield? In truth, had people bothered to look, there were significant clues to be yielded from analysis of Russias military misadventures over the past 30 years.

The first Chechen war (1994-1996) saw Russian forces humiliated by the Chechen separatists. Estimates of Russian losses range from the officially recorded 5,732 to 14,000 dead. Estimates of civilian deaths range from 30,000 to 100,000 killed.

The second Chechen war (1999-2009) eventually produced a Russian victory but at enormous cost in human life. The Committee of Soldiers Mothers puts the death toll from this phase of war at 14,000, double the official estimate.

Russian shelling of the Chechen capital, Grozny, was of such bacchanalian scale that it was virtually razed to the ground, after urban combat comparable to the Battle of Stalingrad. The fear now is that Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities face the same fate of Groznification in the weeks to come.

The Russian military was barely tested in the takeover of South Ossetia from Georgia in 2008. Similarly, the incursion into Crimea met little or no resistance in 2014. Russia then ran proxy forces in the Donbas and has largely operated through these groups throughout the occupation of Donetsk and Luhansk.

A billboard showing Russian president Vladimir Putin in Damascus, Syria, on Monday. The Arabic poster reads 'The victory for Russia'. Picture: Omar Sanadiki/AP

In Syria, after 2015, much of the fighting was done by the private contractor, the Wagner Group, which was also involved in the Donbas. There is strong evidence to suggest this group was set up by the Kremlin to be sent into zones of geopolitical importance and to give Russia plausible deniability when evidence of atrocities emerged.

They have also been active in the Central African Republic, Libya, Mali and Venezuela. There are plausible claims of war crimes being committed on a massive scale by the Wagner group in multiple locations.

Once the war against Ukraine began on February 24, it became increasingly evident that Russian equipment was frequently malfunctioning, and vehicles breaking down for lack of fuel. Captured or surrendered soldiers told of going hungry and been given only the vaguest command instructions.

Ukrainians have frequently paraded tanks and armoured vehicles abandoned during the fighting which show evidence of poor maintenance by Russian forces.

Social media has revealed that some rations provided to soldiers had expired in 2015, much of the equipment abandoned by Russian forces appears dated and hampered by lack of availability of spare parts, with radio communications transmitting over unencrypted channels.

Far from being a precisely honed military instrument, the long, snaking convoy which has made its way toward Kyiv at glacial pace, was only a convoy because of the multiple and recurring supply problems creating a traffic jam similar to the M50 at its worst. Russias supposed status as a military titan lies in tatters.

Security analysts are in no doubt that the Olympian corruption practised by Putins kleptocrats seeped, over time, into military procurement, with hugely significant consequences for the performance of Russian forces in the field in Ukraine.

The habit of skimming off the top was perfected by Putins acolytes in Saint Petersburg in the 1990s. Once Putin came to power in 2000, he gradually displaced the oligarchs of the 1990s with the so-called Siloviki  individuals who had served (like Putin himself) in intelligence, security, or military services.

Many of them have become obscenely wealthy through exploitation of their positions in the power pyramid. One of the key figures in this group is Sergei Shoigu, the Russian minister for defence. He owns a vast mansion, with an estimated value of about $20m, in the exclusive village of Barvikha, on the western outskirts of Moscow. His predecessor as minister for defence was so corrupt he has to be sacked in 2012.

It is still very difficult to predict how Putins regime will come to an end. It could come in the form of a coup within the state administration or the militarys general staff, like the removal of Nikita Khruschev in 1964.

It could equally come from popular unrest at the alarming costs of what appears to be a deeply unpopular war and the new instruments of totalitarian control being imposed by Putins security operatives.

But one thing is certain: for the foreseeable future, it is Ukraine which will continue to experience the sociopathic violence that has come to define Vladimir Putin.
The province of Van, in the east of Turkey, is a place of unbelievable beauty, where snow-covered mountains sweep out of the country and into Iran. Turkey is building a 6m-high wall across its border there, and as we reached it, we sank knee-deep into fluffy snow, shivering as the temperature fell to -20C and a bitterly cold wind whipped against our cheeks. In every direction, the view was stunning, mesmerising.

But the beauty masks a grim and stomach-turning reality. For many, this landscape is a death trap, part of a terrible and desperate journey that can only be completed by foot.

This is a key route for asylum seekers  mostly Afghans  into Turkey and beyond, which is why the wall that snakes along the border is sometimes described as a gateway to Europe.

I was there with producer Helen Clifford and cameraman Rob Turner, to make a piece for ITVs On Assignment programme, and as we lost all feeling in our fingers and then toes within minutes, we asked: why would people attempt this in winter? Because smugglers told them they were less likely to be caught in such treacherous conditions.

The risks people take using this route become clear in spring when the snow melts, uncovering dozens of bodies, including pregnant women and children.

Their attempts to flee had failed, leaving just a number carved on a headstone in a nameless graveyard in the city of Van, thousands of miles from Afghanistan.

Right now, the story in Ukraine is one of both hell and humanity, with indiscriminate shelling destroying homes, taking lives and forcing millions to flee, and people lining up at borders and train stations with cardboard signs welcoming families into their homes.

But even at a time like this, it is important to remember the terrible plight of those fleeing other conflicts. Their stories must not be forgotten.

The saddest moment

Perhaps the saddest moment in Turkey came as I kneeled on the floor of a play area in a deportation centre, watching a toddler run repeatedly up the green plastic steps of a dinosaur slide and then sliding down. Beside him stood a girl who said she had fled the Taliban because she wanted an education. She and her mother had done that journey, through those same treacherous mountains. She was a child of 10  about the same age as my oldest son.

One man in the same centre told me that those with him died at the border, another described being one of 70 people, packed by smugglers into a vehicle made for 10. Four people were killed when the car started moving due to lack of oxygen, he said.

And that was not an uncommon story  it was one we heard again and again. Like from Fatima, once a law student and make-up artist in Afghanistan, now hiding in Van after she fled the Taliban, who beat her black and blue, twice.

After a harrowing journey into Iran, smugglers took thousands of dollars, only to drop her at a crossing into Turkey they knew was impossible. Then they asked for more money to try again.

Eventually, she scaled the wall and jumped down into a 5m trench. She and others had to climb on each others backs to get out. Then they just ran, to escape the Turkish police. Smugglers took her to the city in a bogus ambulance before holding her in a so-called shock room, where refugees are held for weeks or months on end. There they threatened her with rape.

We later saw one of those rooms when the Turkish police let us accompany them on a raid into a building with holes in the floor, and shards of ice hanging from the ceiling. Up a flight of stairs, along a corridor covered in a sheet of ice, we discovered 12 men packed into a tiny, freezing room.

One man prayed silently in the corner before they were led out into a vehicle that would take them to a deportation centre. Both possibilities  going to the centre or staying with the smugglers  felt hopeless.

Britain has set up a resettlement scheme for those who worked for the British government in Afghanistan, but even that seems to be having difficulties. One man has been messaging me repeatedly from another part of Turkey where his temporary asylum period is running out. He has shared letters that he says are death threats from the Taliban, and proof that he worked for G4S, effectively for the British government.

But he says he has heard nothing since he applied for Britains Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme. In the current crisis, with all eyes on Ukraine, who knows when his circumstances will improve.

Turkeys location means it has been a country into which millions of Syrian refugees have come, with many Afghan refugees now heading in the same direction. Campaigners argue that the hardline response to new refugees is unfair.

The governor of Van defended it to me by arguing that his country is full, and saying the migration crisis needs a global response. The issue is not whether we, or any single country, can cope with crisis, its how many crises can the world cope with at the same time?

Anushka Asthana is deputy political editor, ITV News

 The Guardian
Jessica Chastain is keeping it real.

The Oscar-frontrunner brought a real-life character from The Eyes of Tammy Faye to the Oscar nominee luncheon on Monday.

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Chastain, who plays Tammy Faye Bakker, the campy wife of mega-televangelist Jim Bakker, invited the pioneer HIV/AIDS activist Steve Pieters as her plus-one for the star-studded, insiders-only event at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.

Pieters is a 40-year survivor of AIDS who was famously interviewed by Tammy Faye in 1985. His surprising and controversial appearance on her talk show, on the Christian television network PTL, turned the flamboyant Christian TV personality into an LGBTQ icon and a staunch ally.

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The interview was recreated in the film, which earned Chastain her third Oscar nomination. She was also nominated in 2012, for her supporting role in The Help, and in 2013 for her leading role performance in Zero Dark Thirty.

Steve Pieters, left, and Jessica Chastain attend the 94th Academy Awards nominees luncheon on Monday, March 7, 2022, in Los Angeles. (Danny Moloshok/Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP)

On Monday, Pieters took to social media to celebrate the occasion.

On my way to the Oscar Nominees Luncheon as Jessica Chastains date! How many nominees will be bringing a character from their movie, he wrote.

On Tuesday, he elaborated on the Hollywood royalty affair, posting selfies with Peter Sarsgaard, as well as candid shots of Steven Spielberg, Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, and Tammy Faye stars Chastain and Andrew Garfield.

The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. >

During lunch, I was seated between Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard, with Maggie Gyllenhall on his other side, he captioned his multi-photo post.

The longtime HIV/AIDS activist, whos also a pastor with the Metropolitan Community Church, spoke with Tammy Faye Bakker via satellite from San Francisco about living with AIDS for the past three years, and even surviving a near-death experience.

You know how sad that we as Christians want to be the salt of the earth. And we who are supposed to be able to love everyone are afraid, so badly of an AIDS patient that we will not go up and put her arm around them and tell them that we care, an emotional Faye tells Pieters during the groundbreaking interview.

I know you were sick and thats the only reason we didnt have you come and sit in the studio next so today because you had your chemotherapy treatments, and you needed to get home quickly so you wouldnt miss them. But I want to tell you theres a lot of Christians here who love you, and who wouldnt be prayed and put their arm around you and tell you that we love you and that we care, she added.

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In September, in an interview with the LGBTQ news publication Edge Media Network, Pieters explained that Tammy Faye wanted to interview a gay man with AIDS in 1985, during the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis, an era of rampant ignorance and homophobia.

That was not happening in televangelists circles, he said. So she wanted to be the first and they searched throughout the south and east to find somebody and couldnt. Nobody was willing to go on the show and so when they called the AIDS Project to Atlanta, the executive director there was a friend of mine and he referred them to me, he said. And so thats how it happened.

Tammy Faye Bakker, who became Tammy Faye Messner after divorcing Jim Bakker and getting remarried, died in 2007 at age 65.
Burma At Least 32 Regime Soldiers Reported Killed in Northern Myanmar Clashes

Myanmar junta troops seen in April 2021 during a crackdown on anti-regime protesters. / CJ

Over 30 Myanmar military soldiers, including a captain, were reportedly killed on Monday during several clashes with a combined force of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Peoples Defense Forces in Kachin States Mohnyin Township.

Firefights with junta troops were reported near Nam Mar Village, near Mohnyin University, and close to the bus terminal in Mohnyin Town, as well as in Si Thar Village in Shwegu Township, according to locals.

Myanmars parallel National Unity Governments (NUG) Ministry of Defense said in their daily briefing that at least 20 junta troops were killed and many injured in the battle at Mohnyins Nam Mar Village. A junta vehicle was also destroyed.

Another 12 junta soldiers were confirmed dead during a guerrilla attack on Monday night against junta forces stationed near Mohnyin University, said a resident.

At least 32 junta troops were reported dead on Monday in Mohnyin shootouts. The body of the dead captain was cremated quickly, said the source who requested anonymity.

However, seven resistance fighters were also killed, according to the NUG.

KIA spokesperson Colonel Naw Bu confirmed the fighting but declined to state the number of casualties on both sides.

We are still gathering information [about casualties]. We heard the injured [junta soldiers] were sent to Mohnyin Hospital, but we cant confirm numbers yet, he told The Irrawaddy.

Col. Naw Bu said that resistance forces clashed with more than 100 junta troops on their way to reinforce Mohnyin Town.

The KIA has been involved in increased fighting with the military regime since last years February coup.

In March 2021, the KIA clashed with junta troops as it could not stand by as civilians were killed in the regimes brutal crackdowns. In the years immediately prior to the military takeover, the KIA had mostly maintained a defensive posture.

Fighting is expected to intensify in Kachin State and nearby Sagaing Region due to frequent reinforcement of junta forces in the area and resupply of weapons and food, according to Col. Naw Bu.

Junta troops and KIA fighters are currently locked in a standoff in Sum Pi Yang in Kachins Putao, Myanmars northernmost township. Military tensions have been rising in Putao since December. Last week, Sum Pi Yang residents were displaced by regime airstrikes.

This month, the KIA and junta forces have also clashed often in Mansi, in the east of Bhamo Township, added Col. Naw Bu.



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A shell crater at Sound Du Lars church. / Karenni Nationalities Defense Force

Two women have been wounded in Sound Du Lar village in Kayah State, where more than 100 displaced civilians were sheltering from Myanmars regime artillery.

The regime attacked the Demoso Township village repeatedly on Tuesday, although it is about 5km from the conflict zone.

At around 2am, a fighter jet bombed the village, destroying a church. Junta artillery later targeted the village.

Sound Du Lar is not near the fighting. Only civilians are there. A woman was hit in the head, said a Karenni Nationalities Defense Force representative.

Regime forces have repeatedly targeted civilian homes. On February 28, the regime used aircraft to bomb Lo Bar Kho village in Demoso Township, where around 3,000 displaced civilians are sheltering.

The fighting intensified at the weekends and around 85 junta soldiers were reportedly killed during two clashes with resistance groups in Demoso.

Repeated firefights have occurred in the township since mid-February when around 700 regime troops with armored vehicles moved into the township.

Banyar, director of the Karenni Human Rights Group, said the regime is trying to intimidate civilians by shelling those fleeing the conflict.

Its a war crime. We will include it when we report our evidence of atrocities, he said.

The regime is repeatedly using airstrikes, attacks from armored vehicles and artillery in Demoso, firing hundreds of shells per day.

On January 17, a junta airstrike killed three civilians, including a seven-year-old girl, in a displacement camp in Hpruso Township in the state.



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Regime Imposes New Travel Restrictions on Myanmar Citizens

Myanmar Factories to Close Amid Planned Power Cuts

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Burma Myanmar Factories to Close Amid Planned Power Cuts

Thaketa power station in Yangon. / YESC

Factories in Yangon are planning to temporarily halt operations next week after the junta-controlled Ministry of Electricity and Energy announced there might be 24-hour power cuts from Saturday until March 18.

The regime said it would be carrying out underwater pipework to transport gas from two new Shwe gas project fields off the Rakhine coast from March 12-18.

During the pipework, production will halt at Shwe, which supplies gas to generate 668 megawatts (MW) daily for the national grid, forcing the ministry to halve power supplies to 334MW per day, the ministry announced.

Electricity supplied to the grid has declined by 970MW because liquefied natural gas-fired power plants have suspended operations due to increased gas prices and pylons supplying electricity from Lawpita, one of Myanmars main hydropower plants, were blown up, said the ministry.

The ministry said it could only produce 2.2GW per day at present and it could only supply 873MW, a quarter of the daytime national demand of 3.4 gigawatts (GW), from March 12 to 18.

Myanmar has experienced rolling blackouts since December, becoming worse since late February with random outages lasting up to six hours.

The maximum daily production capacity under the ousted National League for Democracy administration was nearly 4.2GW.

A factory owner from Yangons Hlaing Tharyar Industrial Zone, who asked not to be named, told The Irrawaddy: The difficulty is that we dont know when power outages will strike and thus are suffering losses. They have not notified industrial zones about these planned cuts.

He said the factory would halt operations for a few days because it cost less than operating if electricity was cut for 24 hours.

We dont know how long blackouts will last and production costs may increase by 30 percent if we use generators, said the owner.

The regime did not specify where the power cuts will occur and how long they will last.

Factory owners in Yangon complained about the long, irregular blackouts.

One Yangon drinking water producer said: Because of fuel price hikes, it is not cost-effective to run with generators.

Some water plants have already suspended operations.

Yangon has faced two or three daily blackouts lasting at least five hours. Residents are fearing water shortage next week and storing water in every available container.



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Burma Myanmar Junta Denies Medical Treatment to Prisoners Sick With COVID-19

Obo Prison in Mandalay.

People sick with COVID-19 symptoms in Mandalays Obo Prison are being denied medical treatment, according to their relatives and people assisting political prisoners.

Prisoners are only isolated when they are suspected of contracting COVID-19. They are not given medical treatment. There might also be cases of seasonal flu because of a change in the weather. But from their symptoms, I guess they have COVID-19, said a person who is helping political prisoners.

Over 300 inmates including political prisoners are sick in Obo Prison and are displaying common COVID-19 symptoms such as sore throat, cough, aching muscles, runny nose and high fever, he said.

There were suspected COVID-19 deaths in jails during the second wave of coronavirus, but post-mortems were barely conducted to find out the causes of their deaths, he added.

Some prison staff have also been infected with COVID-19 and they are also not receiving medical treatment despite serious symptoms, according to relatives of prison staff.

One prison staffer from Obo Prison who asked to remain anonymous said: There are many people displaying COVID-19 symptoms [in Obo Prison]. Far from receiving COVID-19 tests, many are not even given paracetamol. There are also coronavirus infections among staff families. But staff are not granted leave and therefore cant isolate.

Prisoners are also not getting proper food in prison, he added. It is not bad for prisoners who are visited regularly by their relatives [who bring them food]. But things are difficult for those who have no visitors, said the prison staffer.

One Mandalay lawyer said: I heard people are sick with flu symptoms in prison. Court hearings of some political detainees have had to be postponed because they are ill.

Prison authorities downplayed the situation when asked by The Irrawaddy about the reports of COVID-19 infections in Obo Prison, saying that there are no coronavirus infections and that the cases are only seasonal flu.

A family member of a prisoner jailed for participating in anti-coup protests said: I dont know exactly what is happening inside the prison because relatives are not allowed to meet prisoners in person. But they have asked us to bring painkillers like paracetamol, as well as antifungal cream. We can only send those things through prison staff. Prison staff say they are healthy and good.

Male prisoners in Dawei Prison in Tanintharyi Region are also reportedly sick with COVID-19 symptoms and are short of medicine. Coronavirus infections have also been reported in Monywa Prison in Sagaing Region.

Up to 10,000 inmates are normally held in central-level prisons, according to the Correctional Departments guidelines. There are normally 7,000 prisoners in Obo Prison, which is a central-level prison.



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Burma Regime Imposes New Travel Restrictions on Myanmar Citizens

A man holds his Myanmar NRC card. / The Irrawaddy

The junta-controlled Ministry of Immigration and Population has imposed new travel restrictions on Myanmar citizens, making national registration cards (NRCs), also known as citizenship scrutiny cards, necessary for travel as of April 1.

Since last years coup, the military regime has continuously imposed new restrictions on the fundamental rights of citizens. The junta did not elaborate on the reason behind the latest restriction, saying only that it was introduced out of necessity.

Under the new requirement, NRCs are required for people to travel or to stay anywhere apart from their homes.

Many believe the latest restriction is targeted at leaders and members of the National League for Democracy (NLD), striking government employees, Peoples Defense Force (PDF) fighters, student and anti-regime activists, and journalists who are on the run or in hiding to avoid being detained.

Just two weeks after the February 2021 coup, the junta reintroduced the overnight guest registration system, which requires citizens to report to authorities if they stay overnight at an address other than the one officially registered on their NRCs or household registration certificates. That ensures that people have to reveal themselves when they show their NRCs at the relevant ward administration office. For those on the juntas wanted list, reporting to the authorities effectively means turning yourself in voluntarily.

The law had been used to hunt down political activists under the previous military regime, as it grants authorities the right to carry out household inspections without the need for a warrant.

The junta immigration ministry is led by U Khin Yi, a former Myanmar military general, who led brutal crackdowns on protesters during the 2007 Saffron Revolution, when he was the Myanmar Police chief under the then regime headed by former dictator Senior General Than Shwe.

U Khin Yi also served as the immigration minister in U Thein Seins quasi-civilian government.

He is also the vice chairman of the militarys proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party. Both before and after last years military takeover, he organized a series of pro-military rallies during which so-called military sympathizers went on the rampage in Yangon, punching and stabbing those who denounced them.

Less than two weeks after the coup, the junta also revoked provisions in the Law Protecting the Privacy and Security of Citizens, enacted in 2017 under the NLD government, that require an arrest warrant and the presence of ward or village administrators and witnesses to detain people. The regime did so to make it easier to arrest striking civil servants charged with incitement, as well as other critics of military rule.

Since the coup, the junta has committed dozens of other rights violations such as the imposition of internet blackouts and inspecting cell phones and arresting their owners if content critical of the regime is found on their phones. The regime has also sealed off the houses of members of the parallel National Unity Government (NUG) and PDFs, as well as their supporters, and revoked the citizenship of some NUG members and their supporters.



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Guest Column Regional Effort Needed to Resist Chinas Renewed Push for Thai Canal

A location on the Kra Isthmus, site of the proposed Thai Canal / Wikimedia Commons

The Thai Canal (previously known as the Kra Canal) refers to a proposed 135-km canal across southern Thailand that would connect the Gulf of Thailand with the Andaman Sea.

China has long envisaged constructing a canal across the Kra Isthmus housing Chinese port facilities and refineries, as part of its energy security strategy to build a string of pearls comprising a series of forward bases. Beijing hopes to save around 80 percent of the current cost of shipping energy imports through the Strait of Malacca by diverting them through the canal once it becomes operational. It continues to push for the construction of the Thai Canal through a web of supporters in the Thai armed forces, both serving and retired, as well as influential businessmen.

In January 2020, perhaps under Chinese pressure, the Thai government formed a 49-member ad-hoc parliamentary committee to study the feasibility of the Thai Canal project. The committee submitted its report to the Thai House for debate on Jan. 21, 2022, and put it up for a vote on Feb. 4. The House rejected the feasibility report with 143 MPs against, 121 in favor and 53 abstentions. Nonetheless, China is perhaps optimistic that the slim margin of defeat gives it enough maneuvering space to eventually push the project through.

Significantly, prior to the submission of the feasibility report to the House, China sent a high-ranking official who reports to senior military and Chinese Communist Party members as a special representative to Thailand, reportedly to revive pending Chinese projects, including a deal to provide three submarines to Thailand, and to push the canal project forward.

If the project comes to fruition, it would be disastrous not only for Thailand but also for neighboring ASEAN countries. For Thailand the strategic costs are likely to outweigh the economic benefits. The project would physically divide the country, cutting off the restive south and exacerbating the volatile situation in the region. A water divide across the Thai landmass could result in Bangkok losing control over the southern provinces bordering Malaysia, which could fuel the Muslim separatist insurgency in the area. Thailands economy could also fall into a debt trap, as China would be keen to employ funds, men and material and ultimately wrest control of operations on the waterway, establishing its footprint in the commercial zone. Moreover, a canal passing through Thai territory open for international maritime traffic could significantly impinge upon Thailands sovereignty and give a boost to drug syndicates and related crimes, as well as terrorism.

The canal is also projected to have an adverse impact on southern Thailands environment and marine ecology, hurting revenue earnings from the lucrative tourism business and also its fishing industry. Further, it could adversely affect ASEAN unity due to the potential benefits to some countries and negative impacts on others. China may exploit this strain within ASEAN to individually single out countries and manipulate them bilaterally on existing contentious issuessuch as competing claims in the South China Seato its advantage.

Above all, the economic viability of the project remains doubtful as the estimated cost of construction is US$28 billion plus another $30 billion for related infrastructure, which may not be recoverable through toll fees in a reasonable time period. Since the canal would shorten distances only up to 1,200 km (unlike the Suez Canal, which saves 7,000 km and the Panama Canal, which saves 13,000 km), the slower speed, need to queue up and toll payment may encourage ship owners to continue using the Strait of Malacca.

Against this backdrop, concerted efforts are needed by all regional countries, particularly ASEAN members and other stakeholders, to influence the Thai government and stop further development of the project due to the adverse implications for Thailand itself and the security concerns of ASEAN nations. Thailand needs to learn lessons from other countries that have been lured by China into supposedly lucrative economic infrastructure projects, only to be forced to cede their strategic assets because of nonpayment of debt when the infrastructure projects turned into white elephants.

Yan Naing is the pseudonym of a writer on Myanmar-China affairs.



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Trinity, TX (77320)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds light and variable.
A 37-year-old Air Force veteran from Florida made history this week as the first transgender woman to appear on the popular reality show Naked and Afraid.

The contestant, known only as Terra, appeared on Sunday nights episode of the Discovery Channel survivalist series, which brings two complete strangers who join forces  and shed clothes  while trying to survive a 21-day stay in some of the most remote locations on Earth.

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She was paired up with a South African farmer named Shaun. The two were asked to tackle the deadly bush of Zambia where territorial elephants, baboons and crocodiles [threatened] their every move, according to a synopsis provided by the network.

Shaun, who described himself as a little bit conservative didnt know that his partner would be a trans woman. But after their first meeting, he said that even though it came as a bit of a shock to him, he welcomed her with open arms, noting that were all unique and special.

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The way he reacts to his partner coming out as trans 



Don't miss an all new #NakedAndAfraid SUNDAY at 8P on @Discovery and @discoveryplus. https://t.co/7naTqc7uCj pic.twitter.com/2RqMz4PSak  Naked and Afraid (@NakedAndAfraid) March 4, 2022

Im open-minded and we are going to do this together, he said. Dont worry. I got your back, he added, before giving her a hug.

The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. >

Terra later said to the camera that she was a hell of a lot more surprised than I thought I was going to be, referring to Shauns welcoming reception.

Shes only the second transgender person to participate in the show, which is now in its 14th season, after premiering in April 2013. In 2019 a transgender man named Mountain made headlines as the shows first openly trans contestant.

Terra is awesome. For someone as unique as that to have the courage to come out, shes a hero in my eyes, already, Shaun said.

Unfortunately, her partner wasnt able to complete the entire 21-day challenge. Shaun got hurt on the third day after a fall and was forced to leave the show.

Terra made it all the way to the end, however.

Im not a gender, Im not a label, Im just a human, she said after completing the challenge.

Its empowering. Im going through my own transitional journey. And I know now that if I just stick with it theres nothing I cannot do in this world, she said.
Ithaca, NY (14850)

Today

A steady rain this evening. Showers continuing overnight. Low around 55F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

A steady rain this evening. Showers continuing overnight. Low around 55F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine is expected to lead to a double-digit contraction of ICT demand in both countries, the technology analyst firm IDC says.

In a statement, the company said, while business operations in Ukraine had shut down, Russia was feeling the early impact of Western sanctions.

Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February after having massed troops and hardware on the border of the latter nation.

"The evolving geopolitical scenario will undoubtedly affect global ICT demand in the coming months and years," said Andrea Siviero, associate research director, European Customer Insights & Analysis.

"A new IDC Global CIO Quick Pulse Survey found that more than half the respondents are reassessing their tech spending plans for 2022, with 10% expecting strong adjustments to their ICT investment plans."

IDC pointed out that countries in Western Europe could spend more on ICT due to expanding their allocations for defence and security.

As more than 100 companies have set up subsidiaries in Ukraine, with many more having operations in Russia, IDC said the conflict was likely to lead to relocation of both skilled individuals and infrastructure.

"The conflict has already displaced tens of thousands of developers in Ukraine and led to the relocation of some services in both countries," the analyst firm said.

"These relationships, along with the physical assets and personnel associated with them as well as any future expansion plans, will need to be reevaluated in light of the conflict."

The export of technology components and finished products to Russia would be hit by the sanctions, IDC noted, adding that however the Western companies would not be that badly affected as the Russian market was small.

"Imports of tech materials from Russia and Ukraine will also be affected, particularly in the semiconductor sector where supplies of neon gas, palladium, and C4F6 used in chip manufacturing will be greatly reduced," IDC said.

"The conflict is also expected to further disrupt global supply chains as cargo is rerouted around the two countries and costs increase."

An IDC paper on the subject will be presented in detail at an IDC webinar scheduled for 17 March at 11am US Eastern time (3am AEDT on 18 March).
Eset Australia will fund $5,000 to a woman enrolled in a graduate or undergraduate program majoring in STEM field following its announcement joining Esets global women in cybersecurity scholarship program.

Eset Australia country manager Kelly Johnson is thrilled to launch the scholarship.

Although the number of women entering the technology sector continues to increase, they remain under-represented, and particularly in the cybersecurity space it is difficult for companies attempting to foster greater diversity in their workforce to find women to fill roles. Weve struggled with this ourselves and with the Eset women in cybersecurity scholarship, we hope to break down some barriers of entry in order to support the next generation of female cybersecurity experts, says Johnson.

An (ISC)2 Women in Cybersecurity Survey conducted across three continents found that men outnumber women three to one in the field of cybersecurity, underscoring the importance of supporting women in their pursuit of a degree in STEM.

The report noted that the more women who succeed in cybersecurity, the more likely they are to attract other women into the field. This would fill an acute need since the cybersecurity skills shortage has reached nearly 3 million worldwide. In Australia, the latest data from the Bureau of Statistics showed that women comprise only 13% of the STEM-qualified workforce.

Throughout my career in IT, Ive seen how difficult it can be for women to break into this industry which is traditionally male dominated. It is getting better, and we hope that this scholarship will inspire women to be passionate about a career in cybersecurity and apply for it this year, says Johnson.

Submissions will be accepted from 9 March 2022  31 May 2022 at 11:59pm. Winners will be announced on 4 July 2022, Monday.

Those ineligible to apply are encouraged to share this opportunity with friends and family.
As the country nears an election, the Australian Information Industry Association has released its Federal Government Pre-Budget and Pre-Election Policy Submission 2022, urging to emphasise on innovation and emerging technologies.

The pandemic has encouraged two years of development and investment in ICT in the country.

According to the Global Innovation Index, Australia ranks 25th in the world for development, innovation and advancement despite being the 13th largest economy globally.

With this data presented, the AIIA says there is still significant amount of work to be done to harness economic possibilities and the governments stated goal to be a leading digital economy by 2030.

The AIIAs Federal Government Pre-Budget and Pre-Election Policy Submission 2022 details 24 key recommendations to ensure Australia meets Federal Government objectives to become part of the top-three global digital governments by 2025.

While the 2021 budget included strong investment in ICT, including $124 million in AI funding, the government is still holding the majority of this funding, failing to quickly transition to execution within the sector.

This is a time for our political leaders to show that they truly understand the benefits that can be derived from a commitment to and support for Australias ICT sector. The growth in ICT is unlimited. It delivers jobs, economic growth, global competitiveness and it protects Australias core industries, stresses AIIA CEO Ron Gauci.

Our geographic location is no restriction on our growth potential. Australia has the opportunity to be a globally leading digital economy, but this is the time for the government to act and support the sector through significant policy initiatives. Given the global trends and how rapidly we are falling behind, this must be the year our Federal Government shows its full support for the ICT sector to achieve the economic benefits on offer. Our industry is full of organisations with the appetite and commercial experience to respond if it can see tangible support from government, Gauci adds.

Australia experiences a labour gap of 60,000 ICT workers annually, related to supply and demand post-pandemic.

Therefore, building a capable workforce is vital to achieving economic prosperity. With international borders re-opening, placing a renewed focus on ICT skills is central to fostering 1.1 million ICT jobs in Australia by 2026.

Further, supporting the development of skills, beginning in schools through to upskilling our existing workforce, needs to be a priority for Australia.

Some recommendations set out by the AIIA in its policy submission on behalf of the ICT industry include:

Australias skills agenda: including recommending reforming the Australian Curriculum to prioritise the Digital Economy and Industry 5.0 capabilities for primary and secondary school students.

Digital government: Continue to support and fund the Digital Transformation Agency to ensure that it can support digital adoption by the government to be a top 3 digital government by 2025.

Emerging critical technologies: Includes a Quantum Strategy to be executed within 12 months, which notes additional funding and establishes a National AI Commercialisation Hub.

Domestic capability: Establish a Made in Australia Office within the DPM&C.

Commercialisation agenda: Undertake urgent work to support globally-viable commercialisation off the back of government-assisted research. Create a separate R&D software tax incentive and expand the limited scope of the proposed patent box.

Digital health: Re-engineer My Health Record to enable true digital health record capability.

Advancing key areas of the digital economy, such as quantum, digital engineering, industry incentives and cyber security is critical. Australia must prioritise these innovative technologies in our critical industries to ensure we are globally competitive. For example, Quantum computing offers strong opportunities for Australia to lead, but there is still no national strategy, comments AIIA general manager public policy Simon Bush.

Now is the time for the Federal Government to act swiftly, support our innovative technologies, activate a full-scale national strategy and in turn, become a leading digital economy by 2030.

The 2022 Policy Submission builds on work the AIIA have undertaken in the past two years, advocating and supporting a range of recommendations adopted by the Australian government including:

Recognising that digitising the economy is critical to our nations success

Increasing the R&D tax incentive and introducing a patent box

Appointing a minister for the Digital Economy

Funding a National Freight Hub

Investment in digital skills

Investing in cyber security resilience

Invest in an AI strategy and funding including a focus on commercialisation

Additional funding to ensure Australia maintains a global capability and skills in Quantum technologies

The AIIA is a not-for-profit organisation aimed at fuelling Australias future social and economic prosperity through tech innovation and remains committed to working with all levels of government to secure Australias digital future.

To view the full set of recommendations by industry please visit Federal Government Pre-Budget and Pre-Election Policy Submission 2022.
Caravan Electrical Solution (CES) has deployed Syspro to automate its processes and ensure that all parts of the business are fully interconnected.

The prolonged closure of international borders has merely been an accelerator for our business, which was what instigated the search for a professional ERP system to address inefficiencies in the business, comments CES director Jason Arter.

CES is Syspros first deal in Asia Pacific for 2022.

The Syspro team clearly articulated the value proposition of its cloud ERP system for CES and had the clear differentiator ultimately and won the deal primarily due to its specific focus on the manufacturing and distribution sectors and its personable approach to get to know us and thoroughly understand our business, says Arter.

The CES branch in Somerton, Victoria posted strong results in the past two years and reflects a broader trend of increased travel adoption via recreational vehicles (RVs) and caravans due to lack of options during Covid-19.

Data by The Caravan Industry Association shows record sales of campers and caravans in 2020 and 2021 are up by at least 15%.

Unfortunately recruiting new employees and training them with the specialist technical RV industry knowledge is an ongoing challenge, CES says. Consequently, CES seeks efficiencies together with its 100 strong workforce.

For the foreseeable future, road trips and caravans are going to be a very popular mode of travel around Australia and sales for CES are only expected to keep on rising, concludes Syspro Asia Pacific CEO Rob Stummer.

CES offers complete electrical systems for recreational vehicles, including the supply of materials, labour and warranty, with aftermarket support. After eleven years of experience in this field, CES has evolved with the key focus to provide quality labour-saving technologies to RV manufacturers and continued ongoing support for consumers who buy RVs with this technology.
This Week in Review

A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more.
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos most consistent roles are that of embarrassing parents.

The Live with Kelly and Ryan host, 51, told the audience of Mondays show that the couples three grown children get very grossed out by us in general, though that reaches new heights when either is eating.

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They are sickened by us, said Ripa, while the Riverdale actor, 50, sat in host Ryan Seacrests usual seat. Im not sure why that is. But they are disgusted by our eating. They make fun of my eating a lot.

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos attend the 92nd Annual Academy Awards on Febr. 9, 2020 in Hollywood. (Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

Consuelos went on to explain that while his wife does generally eat normal food normally, she sometimes has a very interesting way of eating food, wherein shell pick up food with her hands and suck on the tips of her first three fingers.

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Im surprised you werent nursed with the first three fingers of someones hand, Consuelos joked.

The couple  who together share sons Michael, 24, and Joaquin, 19, as well as daughter Lola, 20  have spoken many times about their home life and even about making their kids cringe.

In 2019, the former All My Children stars recalled ruining Lolas 18th birthday after she walked in on her parents getting busy.

It happened again, Consuelos said at the time, also while filling in on the morning show. She opened the door. And it was like late morning and it was Fathers Day.

Afterward, Ripa said that the teen shuts the door and you hear, You just ruined my birthday and my life! and later shared the ordeal with the family.

The kids ... all start sharing stories of when theyve walked [in], Consuelos added at the time. Im like, Does anybody not knock in this house?
Bill Crane is a syndicated columnist based in Decatur. He has worked in politics for Democrats and Republicans, respects the process and will try and give you some things to think about. Your thoughts and responses to his opinions are also welcome, bill.csicrane@gmail.com.
Jacksonville, TX (75766)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.
Homeowners who fell behind on their mortgage payments and other expenses during the pandemic can now apply for help through the Florida Department of Economic Opportunitys website.

The state is urging financially troubled homeowners to apply for assistance available to pay past-due mortgage and utility payments, property insurance, delinquent property taxes, homeowner association fees, case management services and other housing-related costs.

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Qualifying households can receive up to $50,000, but in most cases payments will be made directly to the mortgage servicer, insurance company, or utility that the homeowner owes.

Applications are being accepted at www.FLHomeownerAssistance.org. To be eligible, applicants must document that they experienced pandemic-related financial hardship after January 1, 2020. Theres no deadline, meaning the financial hardship could have begun long after January 2020 or could be ongoing.

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[ RELATED: Florida will distribute $676 million in homeowner mortgage assistance, but state isnt yet saying how you can get it ]

Florida received $676 million as part of a $9.9 billion COVID-19 relief package approved nearly a year ago by Congress and President Biden. The department has pledged to distribute at least $575 million after allocating 15% for allowable administrative expenses. More than $1 million has been provided to 137 applicants through a pilot program launched in November, the department said in a news release.

Registering online is just the first step toward approval. If the programs case workers determine that an applicant is likely to be eligible, the applicant will be asked to provide documentation of the financial hardship, as well as how much they owe.

Homeowners who suffered financial hardships during the pandemic and are past due on mortgage, utilities, insurance, taxes and other expenses can apply for up to $50,000 per household in federal homeowner assistance funding.

Homeowners eligible for mortgage assistance include those who entered forbearance. That means they stopped making payments after the federal government enacted an emergency order requiring mortgage servicers of federally backed loans  about 70% of all home mortgage loans  to allow them to do so.

In Florida, homeowners entered forbearance at rates far exceeding the national average. By June 2020, forbearance rates in South Florida peaked at at 18.9% in Broward County, 22.1% in Miami-Dade County and 15.3% in Palm Beach County. In Central Florida, rates peaked at 20% in Osceola County, 15.1% in Orange County, 10.1% in Seminole County and 11.5% in Lake County.

[ RELATED: DeSantis slammed for picking glitch-plagued unemployment agency to distribute mortgage aid ]

Federally backed loans include those guaranteed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the Veterans Administration, the Federal Housing Administration, the Department of Agriculture or the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The emergency order provides a number of repayment options for consumers with those loans, including shifting the unpaid months to the end of the loan.

But homeowners whose mortgage loans are not federally backed did not qualify for forbearance under the emergency order. While some lenders allowed their borrowers to skip mortgage payments, they were not required to shift unpaid months to the ends of loans and some lenders have been demanding that borrowers repay their debts in a lump sum to keep their loans in good standing.

Here are some eligibility facts

To be eligible to receive funds, homeowners must:

Own a one- to four-unit residence that is their primary residence

Have experienced a financial hardship after Jan. 21, 2020 (including a hardship that began before then but continued after that date)

Have incomes less than or equal to 150% of the area median income or 100% of the U.S. median income, whichever is greater

Funding will be prioritized to ensure assistance is delivered first to the most vulnerable homeowners (targeting incomes of 100% or less of area median income)

[ RELATED: Skipping mortgage payments? Heres what you need to know when its time to resume ]

What expenses can be covered:

Mortgage payment assistance

Financial assistance to reinstate a mortgage or pay other housing-related costs

Assistance for homeowner utilities, internet service, property insurance, etc

Delinquent property taxes

Home repairs necessary to ensure the property remains habitable

Counseling and case management services through a HUD-certified counseling agency

Ron Hurtibise covers business and consumer issues for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. He can be reached by phone at 954-356-4071, on Twitter @ronhurtibise or by email at rhurtibise@sunsentinel.com.
Johnson City, TN (37604)

Today

Cloudy skies this evening followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low 62F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low 62F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
TALLAHASSEE  Floridas taxpayer-supported tourism marketing agency can plan campaigns for the next six years under a bill heading to Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The Senate on Tuesday voted 36-3 to go along with a House proposal to extend Visit Floridas authorization to operate until Oct. 1, 2028. Under current law, Visit Florida would be repealed Oct. 1, 2023, without an extension, and the Senate had previously sought to move the date to Oct. 1, 2031.

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Tourism industry officials from various parts of the state issued statements Tuesday praising the extension.

As a vital economic driver to the prosperity of Floridas residents we are pleased that the Florida Legislature understands the importance of tourism, especially after the turmoil of the past few years, said Santiago Carrada, president and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay.

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Visit Florida has faced opposition from House leaders in recent years and at one point was slated to be eliminated on Oct. 1, 2020. That came in the face of questions about spending that included a $1 million market agreement with Miami rapper Pitbull to promote Florida in social media posts, at his concerts and in a music video called Sexy Beaches.

The conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity-Florida has for years disparaged funding for Visit Florida as corporate welfare.

The agency received $50 million in state money during the current year, while also getting $30 million in federal stimulus money.

Sen. Manny Diaz Jr., R-Hialeah, Sen. Gary Farmer, D-Lighthouse Point, and Sen. Ray Rodrigues, R-Estero, cast dissenting votes Tuesday on the bill (SB 434).
Weather Alert

...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON... * WHAT...Flooding caused by excessive rainfall is possible. * WHERE...Portions of southeast Kansas, including the following areas, Bourbon, Cherokee and Crawford. Portions of Missouri, including the following areas, Barry, Barton, Benton, Camden, Cedar, Christian, Dade, Dallas, Douglas, Greene, Hickory, Jasper, Laclede, Lawrence, McDonald, Newton, Ozark, Polk, St. Clair, Stone, Taney, Vernon, Webster and Wright. * WHEN...From Wednesday morning through Thursday afternoon. * IMPACTS...Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... You should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible Flood Warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop. &&
A Central Florida woman claims she was ripped off at a Cocoa gasoline pump and paid $8 per gallon for regular unleaded gas, according to a local news outlet.

Cynthia Bempah told WFTV she was charged $8 per gallon  more than double the cost of what was displayed on the sign at a Mobil gas station at the intersection of Cocoa Boulevard and Michigan Avenue.

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Bempah was under the impression regular gas was $3.82, according to the report. WFTV reporters interviewed the gas station owner, whom blamed the error on a computer malfunction. The owner chose to remain off camera for the interview, but told WFTV that customers could return to the station with a receipt or bank statement to receive a refund. However, refunds were not distributed Monday due to ongoing computer errors, WFTV reported.

The Cocoa gas station mishap comes while gasoline prices across the country broke a national record of $4.17 Tuesday moring, according to the AAA Auto Club. The U.S.s previous gasoline record average was set in 2008 at $4.10.

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Florida prices surged between Monday and Tuesday by 15-cents, settling on $4.15 Tuesday morning, AAA reports show. Orlando prices jumped just above the state average at $4.16. Tuesdays jump at the pump was predicted by AAA experts, who speculated a 15-cent increase in Florida due to the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, said Mark Jenkins, AAA spokesman.

Sanctions and regulations against Russia have limited its ability to sell its oil on the global market, thus intensifying global supply concerns in what was already a very tight market due to the pandemic, Jenkins said Monday.

During the first full week of Russias invasion of Ukraine, the price of regular gas rose by almost 41 cents, AAA found.

To read the full WFTV report on the Cocoa gas station, click here.

Jpedersen@orlandosentinel.com
TOLLAND  The Town Council on Tuesday unanimously authorized spending up to $50,000 in feder

TOLLAND  The Town Council will discuss a resolution at their virtual meeting tonight at 7 p

Rep. Jaime Foster, D-Ellington, is hosting a virtual forum on well water contamination and o

LOAN APPLICATION

WHAT: The Tolland Town Council unanimously authorized application for a state loan forgiveness program that would fund part of the $13.6 million cost to install a new water line for residents with contaminated well water.

WHERE: The proposed 30,000 foot water main would connect to the Vineyard neighborhood via Tolland Stage Road and Buff Cap Road, also serving the Ivy Wood apartments and the state police barracks.
Chinese firms in Ukraine strive to ensure personnel, project safety

By Yin Yeping (Global Times) 11:12, March 08, 2022

Chinese citizens evacuated from Ukraine arrive at Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport in Lanzhou, northwest China's Gansu Province, March 6, 2022.Photo:Xinhua

Chinese companies in Ukraine are striving to ensure the safety of their employees as well as their projects with corresponding measures in place, amid a fresh warning from the Chinese Embassy in Ukraine on Monday about the deteriorating situation in the country.

With the tense situation in Ukraine continuing to deteriorate, the Chinese Embassy in Ukraine would like to remind the Chinese compatriots still in Ukraine to leave Ukraine as soon as possible, it said, noting that "the vast majority" of Chinese nationals in Ukraine have been evacuated.

An employee at a major Chinese energy infrastructure company told the Global Times on Monday that the company had evacuated all of its employees in Ukraine, with the majority now in Romania, from where they are expected to return to China on a chartered flight soon.

"Our entire project in the country has been suspended," the company's employee said on the condition of anonymity. But facilities cannot be "relocated," and combined with all the other possible costs, the potential losses could be in the hundreds of millions of yuan, the employee said.

A source with a state-owned energy company told the Global Times on Monday that out of consideration for the safety of its employees and its business operations, it is no longer publically discuss the situation in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, an employee with the security department of China Longyuan Power Group, a subsidiary of China Energy, said on Monday that all of the company's employees are safe and projects in Ukraine are running undisrupted.

"Production is so far normal, and because the local power grid is still carrying out normal transmission and distribution, the power plant is also producing electricity normally," the employee said.

The employee declined to share further information, citing safety concerns.

Lian Weiliang, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planning agency, said on Monday that China will continued to push forward the development of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with global partners, including Russia and Ukraine.

At a press conference, Lian noted that both Russia and Ukraine are participants in the development of the BRI and China expects all parties to resolve the issue peacefully through dialogue and keep the impact on the world economy at the minimum.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
A Florida Highway Patrol trooper is home and recovering after she used her vehicle to block a rogue driver that was speeding towards a pedestrian event taking place on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, the agency said in a news release.

The driver, 52-year-old Kristen Kay Watts of Sarasota, bypassed an Interstate 275 closure and failed to stop for multiple law enforcement officers before the crash took place just after 8:45 a.m. Sunday.

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Watts was later arrested on charges of DUI, two counts of DUI with property damage and two counts of reckless driving involving injury and property damage.

" The Florida Highway Patrol applauds the actions of Trooper Toni Schuck, a 26 year veteran of the patrol who, as the last line of defense to the Skyway 10K runners, placed herself in harms way to protect others, the agency said in a news release Monday.

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Dashcam footage released by the agency on Monday shows the moment when Watts BMW sped past one FHP cruiser attempting to block her passage on northbound I-275. Her sedan then crashed nearly head-on into Schucks patrol SUV.

Both Schuck and Watts were seriously injured in the crash, FHP said.

This years Skyway 10K had 8,000 racers participating, organizers of the charity event said on Facebook. On Monday, organizers also shared a public thank you to Schuck.

On behalf of the Skyway 10K, we are beyond thankful for our law enforcement partners and the trooper who risked her life to keep our race participants safe, the post says.

Watts was listed as in custody at the Manatee County Jail on Monday afternoon. She was held in lieu of $52,000 bail.

Schuck continues to recover from her injuries with her family at home, FHP said, and anyone wanting to send her well wishes can send mail to Florida Highway Patrol, 11305 North McKinley Drive, Tampa, FL 33612 or contact the agency on social media.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Germanys federal prosecutor has opened a probe into suspected war crimes by Russian troops since the invasion of Ukraine, authorities said Tuesday, amid international outrage over attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure.

We will collect and secure all evidence of war crimes, Justice Minister Marco Buschmann told the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper.

Germanys federal prosecution office in Karlsruhe has opened a so-called structural investigation to begin collecting evidence, he said.

A source in the office confirmed to AFP that a probe had been opened.

Russias attack on Ukraine is a serious violation of international law that cannot be justified by anything, Buschmann added.

Possible violations of international criminal law must be consistently prosecuted.

A structural investigation does not target particular suspects, but aims to gather evidence of the suspected crimes and identify the structures behind them, such as the chain of command.

The evidence can then be used in future criminal proceedings against individual suspects.

Der Spiegel weekly reported that German prosecutors were spurred into action by reports of the use of cluster bombs by Russia, as well as images of residential areas being targeted, and attacks on a gas pipeline, a nuclear waste dump and a power plant.

Russia has come under intense criticism for its assault on Ukrainian cities, in operations that Kyiv and Western governments say have included attacks on schools, hospitals and residential blocks.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday that Washington has seen very credible reports that Russia has committed war crimes during its invasion of Ukraine.

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague already announced last week that he was going ahead with an investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine since Moscows invasion.

Germany has in the past repeatedly prosecuted atrocities committed abroad, including the war in Syria.

It does so using the legal principle of universal jurisdiction  which allows countries to try people for crimes of exceptional gravity, including war crimes and genocide, even if they were committed in a different country.

A German court in January sentenced a former Syrian colonel to life in jail for overseeing the murder of 27 people and the torture of 4,000 others at a Damascus detention centre a decade ago.
My message to Russia is this: let us settle our disputes like civilized nations. Lay down your arms and present your evidence, Ukraines representative, Anton Korynevych, told the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Monday in The Hague. Directly next to him, the Russian Federations table sat empty. Via its ambassador to the Netherlands, Russia had told the court over the weekend that it had decided not to participate in the oral proceedings.

Ukraine is confronted with an armed invasion by Russia since February 24. Two days after the attack it filed an application before the top UN court saying Moscow had violated the 1948 UN Convention on Genocide when it used the false pretext of genocide to invade its neighboring country. Russia has reduced the genocide convention to confetti, lawyer for Ukraine Jean-Marc Thouvenin said during Mondays hearing.

Ukraine has taken an innovative approach, legal experts say, in using the Genocide Convention to ask the ICJ to weigh in. While the crime of aggression is forbidden by the UN Charter, neither Russia nor Ukraine have signed declarations giving the court jurisdiction, forcing Ukraine to find another route to The Hague-based court. The Convention, created in response to the horrors of the Holocaust, outlaws genocide and is signed by 152 countries, including both Russia and Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian legal team, Russia violated the treaty when President Vladimir Putin claimed the Russian invasion was an effort to stop Ukraine from committing genocide. According to Moscow, Kyivs government has been targeting Russian-speakers in eastern Ukraine since 2014. (The pair have an ongoing case over Russias incursions into those regions pending before the ICJ.)

In this emergency hearing before the ICJ, Ukraine is asking the court to issue several provisional measures, including ordering Russia to cease its invasion, avoid any action that might worsen the conflict, and provide regular updates to the court about its progress. Instead, Russias snubbed the emergency hearings.

Rebutting Russias genocide claim

The idea that Kyiv was committing genocide in eastern Ukraine was absurd, its lawyers said, pointing to investigations by the United Nations and the International Criminal Court (ICC) which have found no evidence of such atrocities. It would be an understatement to say that Russia has provided no evidence for genocide in the course of this conflict, another member of Ukraines legal team, David Zionts, said during his oral presentation.

Ukraine has welcomed the ICC investigation, announced by the ICC Prosecutor on February 28. Kyiv signed a special declaration to give that court jurisdiction in 2014, a needed step as Ukraine isnt a party to the 1998 Rome Statute which created the court. Ukraine was not targeting civilians, lawyer Marney Cheek said during the ICJ hearing, arguing that it was impossible that an ICC investigation would not notice an ongoing genocide.

We are engaging in lawfare, Russia is engaging in warfare, Korynevych told the media. Speaking with him was Ukraines other official representative, called an agent in court parlance, Oksana Zolotaryova, the director of the International Law Department at the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Shes been representing Ukraine in their ongoing legal battles with Russia at the court. The country has also filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights, which issued interim measures telling Russia to refrain from military attacks against civilians and civilian objects last week.

In her closing statement to the ICJ, Zolotaryova kept the focus on the real and tangible impact the war was having on her country. My hometown of Kharkiv suffers for days from indiscriminate shelling, but heroically resists. Churches are ruined, hospitals are ruined, universities are ruined, civil infrastructure is ruined there. None of this can be considered a legitimate military target. On March 8 in the morning, an Al Jazeera reporting team entered Kharkiv  Ukraines second largest city  and described the city as absolutely devastated.

A symbolic victory

As Ukraine is aware, Russia is unlikely to listen to any measures issued by the court. It hasnt yielded to the measures issued by the ECHR. But Korynevych was undeterred. They must listen to the court under international law, he told reporters after the hearing when the entire legal team for Ukraine gathered in the cold on the steps of the Peace Palace to answer questions from journalists, the first time the court had allowed such a press conference in over two years, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. As they spoke, Ukraines delegates could hear a few dozen protesters wrapped in Ukrainian flags chanting No to Putin, No to war.

The court said it will announce its decision on preliminary measures in due course. In December 2019, the ICJ had convened such preliminary hearing in a case where Myanmar is accused of genocide by the Gambia on behalf of the Organization of Islamic States. It took about five weeks before the court issued a decision. In urging the court to act quickly, Zolotaryova reminded the judges of what is at stake if the Russian invasion continues. We dont know yet the true number of Ukrainians that Russia has murdered in the past eleven days. We can only guess how many more will be murdered in the next eleven days if this senseless aggression does not stop.
Broadcasting and publishing images of prisoners of war may constitute a war crime, experts have warned, after the Ukrainian military paraded captured Russian soldiers before the media at the weekend.

Here are rules that institutions are bound by under the Third Geneva Convention.

 Name, rank and serial number 

According to the convention, prisoners of war must at all times be protected, particularly against acts of violence or intimidation and against insults and public curiosity.

Seen in this light, the images broadcast of captured Russian soldiers raise concerns, including whether they could have been coerced into repenting for the Russian invasion and denouncing Vladimir Putin.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which is the guarantor of the Geneva Conventions, says prisoners of war are obliged to give only a bare minimum of information.

The prisoner is only obligated to give their name, military ranking, date of birth and matriculation number, and there can be no coercion when asking for more information from the prisoner, Cordula Droege, who heads the ICRCs legal department, told AFP.

The ICRC also has the right to visit prisoners of war in detention  a right that states, in theory, cannot oppose.

 Inhuman, degrading treatment? 

Images of Russian soldiers such as those whom AFP saw being paraded before the media on March 4, raise some concerns in relation to the respect of their dignity, said Elizabeth Throssell, spokeswoman for the United Nations rights office OHCHR.

Such treatment does appear to be humiliating and degrading, she told AFP.

It could, depending on the circumstances, be a war crime, she warned, but that would of course be for a court to establish.

Marco Sassoli, a professor of international law at the University of Geneva, agreed that images of prisoners of war where you see their face and you can recognise them is a violation of international humanitarian law.

However, he stressed that the simple fact of showing a picture  as long as it is not inhuman or degrading treatment  is not a war crime.

Cases like Abu Ghraib, where images depicting torture and other abuse of Iraqis detained at the US-run military prison shocked the world in 2004, are a different matter, he said.

When you have a detainee, like at Abu Ghraib, naked, on a leash, being threatened by dogs, that is a war crime.

At the same time, he highlighted that such images, broadcast or shared on social media, can be used later by prosecutors as evidence to help bring perpetrators to justice.

They can also provide leads to the fate of people who disappear in the heat of a conflict.

However, informing families about the situation of their loved-ones is no excuse for publishing such images, Sassoli said, stressing that the Geneva Conventions prescribe other forms of communication.

States must provide the names and other details about their prisoners to the ICRC, which in turn passes on information to the families.

 International conflict 

The experts emphasise that the international rules of war, and of how prisoners should be treated, apply to the situation in Ukraine, since it is an international armed conflict.

Soldiers have rights if they become prisoners of war in any international armed conflict, and they are not the only ones.

Members of organised armed groups, sometimes called resistance fighters or rebels, that have a command structure considered a party in the conflict, are also entitled to prisoner of war protections if they are captured, Droege said.

In cases where populations spontaneously rise up to oppose invaders without having time to organise a command structure, those captured are also considered prisoners of war, as long as they wear their weapons visibly and respect the rules of war, she added.
The Spanish public prosecutors office said Tuesday it had opened a probe into possible serious violations of international humanitarian law by Russia in Ukraine.

The aim is to determine the criminal nature of Russias invasion of Ukraine, the office said in a statement, just hours after Germanys federal prosecutors opened a similar probe.

The aggression suffered by the sovereign nation of Ukraine is an unjustified act of war that is not covered by any international regulations, the Spanish prosecutors office said.

It has resulted in serious violations of international humanitarian law, it added.

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague announced last week that he was going ahead with an investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine since Moscows invasion on February 24.

Earlier on Tuesday, Germanys federal prosecutor said it had opened a probe into suspected war crimes by Russian troops since the invasion.

Like Germany, Spain has repeatedly prosecuted atrocities committed abroad using the legal principle of universal jurisdiction.

This doctrine allows countries to try people for crimes of exceptional gravity, including war crimes and genocide, even if they were committed in a different country.

Russia has come under intense criticism for its assault on Ukrainian cities, in operations that Kyiv and Western governments say have included attacks on schools, hospitals and residential blocks.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday that Washington has seen very credible reports that Russia has committed war crimes during its invasion of Ukraine.

Russia calls its actions  which have triggered the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War Two  a special military operation.

More than two million people have now fled Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion, according to the latest data from the United Nations Refugee Agency.
Desperate civilians fled besieged Ukrainian cities on Tuesday as US President Joe Biden looked set to announce a ban on Russian oil imports to punish Moscow for the invasion.

The expected announcement by Biden would further tighten unprecedented sanctions on Russia, targeting the economic lifeline that is bankrolling President Vladimir Putins war.

Russia agreed to set up humanitarian corridors from four cities on the 13th day of the war, even as the UN said the number of refugees flooding across Ukraines borders had passed two million.

Buses streamed out through an evacuation corridor from the north-eastern city of Sumy  where 21 people were killed in air strikes overnight  while civilians on foot took an unofficial escape route out of the bombarded Kyiv suburb of Irpin.

But Ukraine accused Russia of attacking another of the corridors leading from the beleaguered southern port city of Mariupol, where aid workers said tens of thousands were living in apocalyptic conditions.

Kyiv has branded the corridors from four cities a publicity stunt as many of the exit routes lead into Russia or its ally Belarus. Both sides accuse each other of ceasefire violations.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has sparked fears of a wider European or even global conflict, and unleashed the continents fastest growing refugee crisis since World War II.

Sweeping international sanctions have failed to persuade Putin to back down, leading Western nations to consider an energy embargo despite the likely pain to their own economies.

Crude prices surged after the White House said Biden would speak at 1545 GMT to announce actions to continue to hold Russia accountable for its unprovoked and unjustified war on Ukraine.

 Hiding in the basement 

Russian troops are slowly encroaching on Kyiv despite intense efforts by outgunned Ukrainian forces, and moving faster through the east and north of the country.

Despite the sound of nearby shelling in Irpin, seen as a critical point for the advance on the capital, civilians fled in icy wind and a thick snowfall, AFP reporters saw.

People waited in a long line to cross over the Irpin river on makeshift walkways of planks and mangled metal, after the Ukrainians blew up the bridge leading into the capital to hamper any Russian advance.

I didnt want to leave, but theres nobody left in the homes around us, no water, no gas and no electricity, Larissa Prokopets, 43, told AFP.

She said she was leaving after several days spent hiding in the basement of her home, which kept shaking due to bombardment nearby.

Russia had refused calls for a humanitarian corridor in Irpin and the nearby suburbs of Bucha and Gostomel although we had everything ready for this, Ukrainian interior ministry official Anton Gerashchenko said.

Evacuations had however begun in Sumy, near the Russian border and 350 kilometres (218 miles) east of Kyiv, where Russia had formally declared a humanitarian corridor, officials said.

Dozens of buses had already left in the direction of Lokhvytsia, to the southwest, said the interim chief of the Poltava region, Dmitry Lunin. The corridor is designed to evacuate civilians, including Chinese, Indians and other foreigners, officials said.

The evacuation came after 21 people, including two children, were killed in Sumy when enemy planes insidiously attacked apartment buildings, Ukrainian rescue services said.

Three people were killed and three children wounded by landmine in Chernihiv, north of Kiev, officials said.

 Alone, exhausted, frightened 

Ukraines defence ministry has also accused Russia on Tuesday of violating a ceasefire to ease a days-long blockade of Mariupol, describing it as genocide.

A six-year-old girl identified only as Tanya has died from dehydration under the rubble of her destroyed home in Mariupol, the city council said

In the last minutes of her life she was alone, exhausted, frightened and terribly thirsty, Mayor Vadym Boychenko said.

Long queues of cars snaked out of the southern city of Mykolaiv, where sporadic shell fire could be heard.

Were leaving as soon as possible. There are attacks every day, its terrifying, said Sabrina, 19, who had a dog on a lead and a cat in her jacket. She said she had no news from her husband who was on the frontline.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced what he called unkept promises by the West to protect his country, and renewed calls for a no-fly zone that leaders have so far dismissed.

Its been 13 days weve been hearing promises, 13 days weve been told well be helped in the air, that there will be planes, Zelensky said on a video broadcast on Telegram.

Global outrage mounted over the invasion and the plight of civilians caught up in the bloodshed.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said Mariupol residents faced atrocious conditions and were running out of food, water and medical supplies.

The bottom line today is that this situation is really apocalyptic for people, ICRC head of media Ewan Watson said in Geneva.

At least 474 civilians have been killed since the start of Russias assault on its ex-Soviet neighbour, according to the UN, although it believes the real figures to be considerably higher.

 Catastrophic consequences 

The onslaught has created a huge refugee crisis for European countries that have taken in Ukrainians fleeing the conflict, particularly Poland.

It doesnt stop, Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said as he announced that two million people had fled.

Germany and Spain meanwhile said they were probing possible Russian war crimes in Ukraine, adding to an investigation by the International Criminal Court into any alleged crimes by either side.

Russia has warned Western countries against becoming involved in the conflict, and said oil sanctions would have catastrophic consequences.

Putin has equated sanctions with a declaration of war and put nuclear forces on alert. He has pledged the denazification of Ukraine and demands its neutralisation and demilitarisation.

At home, Russia has cracked down on dissent, arresting more than 10,000 people for anti-war protests and clamping down on independent media.

The west has so far steered clear of the no-fly zone demanded by Zelensky, with Putin warning it would be considered as participation in the conflict with nuclear-armed Russia.

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A longer package insert template would also leave room for information thats useful for different people involved in the procurement process, like clinicians, IT staff and others.

That said, Shah isnt convinced yet that a pharmaceutical-style label is the best approach. Its just one idea he wants to see the healthcare industry consider.

Theres the potential for information overload, particularly if there are dozens of variables that make it difficult for providers to sift through and identify what they actually need.

How many patients and doctors read that thin leaflet that comes with every prescription? Shah said. Its fine to report all of this  but what are we going to do with it?

At Stanford Health Care, Shah said theyre working on setting up a virtual testing environment, so that researchers can run AI algorithms on historical medical data held at the health system. That way, the organization can assess whether the tool works as expected with their patients and get a sense of whether a deployment would pay off.

Its basically a try before you buy scenario, Shah said of the process, which he calls a virtual model deployment.

The role of the hospital

Dr. Atul Butte, chief data scientist at University of California Health, said hed suggest hospitals take a page from how they already think about prescription drugs.

Today, hospitals typically have a groupsuch as a pharmacy and therapeutics committeethat oversees the organizations drug formulary, taking on tasks like medication use evaluations, adverse drug event monitoring and medication safety efforts. That approach could work for AI algorithms, too.

Butte suggested hospitals set up a committee focused on algorithmic stewardship to oversee the inventory of AI algorithms deployed at the organization. Such committeescomposed of stakeholders like chief information officers, chief medical informatics officers, medical specialists and staff dedicated to health equitywould determine whether to adopt new algorithms and routinely monitor algorithms performance.

Just like accrediting bodies such as the Joint Commission require medication use evaluations for hospital accreditation, a similar process could be established for evaluating algorithm use.

Instead of inventingor re-inventinga whole review process, why not borrow what we already do? Butte said.

That stewardship process could go hand in hand with a pharmaceutical-style label that explains the subpopulations an algorithm was trained on, outcomes from clinical trials and even what types of equipment and software the tool pairs well withfor example, if theres a developer thats only tested its image analysis software on X-rays from certain vendors.

I can see a complicated label being needed some day, Butte said. Its going to have to be sophisticated.

Thats part of the role hospitals can take on to ensure clinicians are given high-quality AI tools that they know how to use as part of patient care.

Regulators, AI developers, hospital governance committees and clinician users all have a shared responsibility to monitor AI and check that its working as expected, said Suchi Saria, professor and director of the Machine Learning and Healthcare Lab at Johns Hopkins University and CEO of Bayesian Health , a company that develops clinical decision-support AI.

Hospitals and AI vendors should empower clinicians to report when an AI recommendation is different from their judgment so they can assess whether theres a reason why, she said.

They each have a role to play in making sure theres end-to-end oversight, Saria said, including measuring performance over time. Its not on one body alone.
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"Single's Inferno" star Song Ji Ah is using her influence for a good cause.

The YouTuber, who was recently embroiled in a massive controversy, reportedly made a generous donation to help victims of the wildfire in South Korea's eastern coastal area.

Korea Red Cross Reveals Song Ji Ah's Response to Forest Fire Damage

According to the Korean portal TVReport, Red Cross shared that Song Ji Ah, also known as Free Zia, contributed 20 million won or 16,195 USD on March 7.

In addition, the 24-year-old beauty wanted to donate to show her support to those who faced difficulties amid the tragic incident.

Moreover, the influencer turned reality star's donation will be used as "emergency relief in the Gangwon-do and Gyeongsangbuk-do areas affected by the forest fire."

To express their gratitude, the humanitarian organization "thank Song Ji Ah for her warm generosity," adding that the Korean Red Cross is looking forward to her various future activities where she can spread good influence in our society."

On March 5, NBC News noted that several firefighters are struggling to contain the massive fire that hit the eastern coastal area of the country.

It started in the mountains of Uljin and spread across the nearby city of Samcheok, affecting almost 14,800 acres and destroying at least 159 homes, prompting 6,200 people to evacuate.

Apart from the massive fire, the area is also located near the nuclear power station and a liquified natural gas plant.

Due to the effect of this catastrophe, several celebrities have joined forces to extend help to the victims.

Aside from the "Single's Inferno" star, Korea Joongang Daily cited that "Parasite" actor Song Kang Ho, "Squid Game" star Lee Byung Hun, and "Hotel del Luna's" IU have contributed 100 million KRW (around 82,170 USD) as revealed by the Hope Bridge Association of the National Disaster Relief.

Joining the list of South Korean stars who showed their support is Kim Go Eun and Lee Hyeri.

According to the outlet, the "Yumi's Cells" star and Girl's Day Hyeri donated 50 million KRW each.

The association noted that Kim Go Eun hoped that her contribution "can be of help to many victims of the fire and firefighters."

The outlet also mentioned that the affected residents were relocated to local gymnasiums and convention centers.

Meanwhile, the government has deployed over 2,000 firefighters to help alleviate the crisis.

What's Next for 'Single's Inferno' Star Song Ji Ah

The 24-year-old beauty captivated millions of viewers after she officially joined as one of the participants in Netflix's "Single's Inferno."

Her beauty and charm mesmerized not only the audience but also three male participants in the island.

Unfortunately, after the show wrapped its first season, Song Ji Ah faced a wave of backlash, criticizing her for using fake luxury items.

She immediately issued an apology and deleted her Instagram. Free Zia also deleted some of the videos featuring counterfeit goods from her YouTube channel, which has millions of subscribers.

KDramastars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
During the first four months of this school year, Floridas public schools restrained more than 1,500 students with disabilities. Staff held youngsters face down on the floor, forced them into chairs or otherwise restricted their ability to move.

In about 60 of the cases, they used a mechanical device, such as a straightjacket, handcuffs or zip ties, to deal with students in situations with imminent risk of injury, according to data from the Florida Department of Education.

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The Florida Legislature, as well as many parents and advocates for the disabled, want the use of mechanical restraints outlawed, just as the practice of seclusion, or keeping disabled students alone in a room or other area, was banned last year. They argue both practices can traumatize and injure children.

Lawmakers unanimously passed a bill (HB 235) last week that would prohibit mechanical restraint for disabled students. The legislation now heads to Gov. Ron DeSantis office.

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Thats tremendous, said Kila Murphey, an Orange County mother of two boys with autism who has been pushing for public schools to limit the use of restraints on children with disabilities.

The trauma and the impact it has on children is long-lasting, she said.

Though efforts to include mechanical restraint in last years bill that banned seclusion did not succeed, this year the measure won passage easily. The bill faced not a single no vote on either the House or Senate floor or in earlier committee stops.

At the end of the day this is about keeping kids safe and giving families peace of mind, said Sen. Lauren Book, D-Plantation, whose Senate bill was identical to the one that ultimately was passed.

State Rep. Rene Plasencia, R-Orlando. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)

The House version was sponsored by Rep. Rene Plasencia, R-Orlando, a former teacher in Orange County Public Schools.

We want to make sure no parent sends their child to school and the child comes home with bruises or the child comes home with some kind of distress, Plasencia said in a committee hearing on his bill.

It shouldnt have taken this long or been this difficult, said Steve Moyer, a Broward County father whose grown son has autism and who for more than 10 years has been urging school districts and the state to reduce the use restraints. Hopefully the governor will sign it.

DeSantis will make a decision once the bill arrives at this office, said spokesperson Bryan Griffin in an email Monday.

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Only a small number of school districts used mechanical devices last school year, suggesting most Florida schools have figured out how to safely educate kids without relying on them, said Caitlyn Clibbon with Disability Rights Florida, as she urged lawmakers to pass the bill.

Using handcuffs and straight jackets and these types of mechanical restraints on children is harmful to them, Clibbon said.

Some children speak of being terrified, she said. They think theyre going to jail. They dont know when theyre going to see their parents again.

Many of the children restrained are in pre-K to third grade, she said, and sometimes they are restrained for up to an hour.

When children who are non-verbal are restrained, their parents can only guess at how theyve processed what happened, Clibbon added.

Murphey said that is her fear. Her younger son, age 9, is nonverbal and not able to tell her what happened in school. He also can get extremely agitated when he is frustrated.

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Its terrifying, she said.

In her view, schools could reduce all restraints if they focused more on hiring behavior specialists trained to work with children with disabilities.

The bill would not ban all restraints, as even advocates said there is sometimes a need to hold down children who, because of their disability, may try to injure themselves or others, or run away. The bill also would allow mechanical restraints if law enforcement was involved and the child was in middle or high school.

Florida made its first attempt to curtail restraints in 2011 when it started reporting incidents of restraint and seclusion in public schools. At that time, the state urged districts to limit the controversial practices if possible.

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Soon after, Moyer began collecting the data, which showed students by the thousands were being restrained, he said. It was very disturbing.

It also showed the use of restraints varied widely by district.

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Orange schools led the state in documented incidents for much of the decade, he said, holding down children more than larger districts such as those in Miami-Dade and Hillsborough counties.

Last year, the St. Johns County school district, which includes St. Augustine and surrounding areas, restrained students more often than any other Florida school district, though by student enrollment it is ranked 23 out of the 67 school districts.

How could that be? Moyer asked.

A kid with autism is a kid with autism whether hes in Jacksonville or Miami, he said. The answer can only be that it is unnecessary.

lpostal@orlandosentinel.com
FILE - Spain's former King Juan Carlos waves upon his arrival to the Academia Diplomatica de Chile, in Santiago. Spain's Royal House said on Monday March 7, 2022 that King Felipe VI is accepting his father's desire to return to Spain for periodical visits, although former king Juan Carlos I will remain based in the United Arab Emirates where he moved in 2020 following probes into his financial dealings. The prosecutors didn't find evidence to take the former monarch to court because much of the financial misbehavior, involving millions of euros (dollars) in undeclared accounts, happened when Juan Carlos was protected by immunity as king of Spain and other possible fraud fell out of the statute of limitations. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix, File)
More than 400 new homes, in five six-storey buildings, are proposed for this vacant property in Kelowna directly south of Orchard Park mall. Council gave preliminary approval Monday despite some misgivings about what the project might look like.
A man who caused a multi-vehicle crash on Glenmore Road in Kelowna early Monday fought with other drivers who stopped to help, police say. The suspect fired a weapon then carjacked another driver to get away. He was later arrested in West Kelowna, but not before trying to carjack another motorist.
The Montreal police logo is seen on a police car in Montreal on Wednesday, July 8, 2020. Montreal police will be adding nine more security cameras in the city to combat violent crime. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
A panoramic view of the new wildlife bridges on the Wekiva Parkway portion of S.R. 429, commemorated by conservation and project officials during a ceremony near the entrance to Rock Springs Run State Reserve, Monday, March 7, 2022. Located in the Wekiva River Basin in Lake County, the parkway bridges are designed to protect animals including black bears in their natural habitat by providing expanded safe passage underneath S.R. 429. The $1.6 billion Wekiva Parkway will connect to S.R. 417 as the final link to complete the long-planned beltway around Central Florida. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) (Joe Burbank)

The only highway between Mount Dora and Sanford, a two-lane, high-volume and high-speed blacktop through unpopulated woods, was nicknamed a bear killing machine over three decades ago.

Today, that highway, State Road 46, has parted with its bloody past and taken on a new identity as part of the Wekiva Parkway, which is one of the most costly road projects in Central Florida.

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A segment of S.R. 46 that recorded a high toll on bears still slices through pine and soggy forest but it carries vehicles 16 feet above ground.

For three-quarters of a mile, cars and trucks of S.R. 46  and soon of the adjoining tolled expressway, Wekiva Parkway  remain elevated and mostly out of sight as they travel between the publicly owned Rock Springs reserve to the south and Seminole State Forest to the north.

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Whether that 3,900-foot wildlife underpass is the longest in the state that crosses only dry ground is something state officials couldnt answer Monday when they gathered in tribute to the completion of Wekiva Parkway wildlife underpasses.

There were times when I thought it would never get done, said Alan Hyman, retired director of transportation operations for the Florida Department of Transportation in Central Florida.

With 25 miles of roadway and costing $1.6 billion, the Wekiva Parkway is the last piece in a toll-road loop of more than 100 miles and consisting mainly of state roads 417 and 429 encircling Orlando.

The Wekiva Parkway is a portion of S.R. 429. One end of the parkway extends to Apopka and the other ties into Interstate 4 at Sanford.

For 9 miles of its route, the Wekiva Parkway incorporates a stretch of S.R. 46 that crosses the Wekiva River and a busy bear and wildlife corridor that extends south to Wekiwa Springs in Orange County and north to the Ocala National Forest.

Nearly two decades ago, state leaders, politicians and environmentalists agreed to proceed with the Wekiva Parkway  environmentalists were not thrilled that a big expressway would cross the river but they feared S.R. 46 would become only more effective at killing bears.

This has always been a problem corridor through here with the old State Road 46, said Robert Brooks, manager of state conservation lands that include Wekiwa Springs State Park.

Brooks said S.R. 46 cut off wildlife migration, as well as natural drainage and hiking trails, all of which the Wekiva Parkway remedies.

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The Wekiva Parkway bridges over the Wekiva River are monumental and meant to blend with nature.

For a hiker arriving at the 3,900-foot wildlife underpass, the view will be of a bridge but one thats on steroids.

The underpass entails three, parallel spans. One carries northbound traffic of Wekiva Parkway, the other has southbound traffic and the third is for S.R. 46 traffic. Those spans stand on 624 pilings.

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Up close, it has the aesthetics of a public parking garage, but with a dirt floor. From afar, and with a squint, it looks like an enormous comb with its teeth shoved into the ground.

Theres a lot of room there, said Mike Register, executive director of the St. Johns River Water Management District.

The corridor is more than 200 feet wide and all of it has been scraped to bare sand and clay, and that terrain already had logged the tracks of many visitors  sandhill cranes with babies, coyotes, raccoons and deer.

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The Florida Department of Transportation will soon plant native species, including wax myrtle, muhly grass and coontie palm, and some trees.

The S.R. 46 lanes over Wekiva bridges and the wildlife underpass already are open to traffic. The southbound lanes of the Wekiva Parkway will open March 21 and the northbound lanes as soon as late April.

The entire Wekiva Parkway, including the portion that connects with I-4, is to be fully open by next year.

kspear@orlandosentinel.com
Voters arrive at the West Gray Metropolitan Multi-Service Center on Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in Houston. Voters in Texas are ushering in the midterm campaign season with primaries Tuesday. (Godofredo A. Vasquez/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney points to people in the chamber before the speech from the throne is delivered in Edmonton on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension is partnering with the Kenosha Public Library to bring the Nia: Pathways and Purposes for the Future program to Kenosha County youth.

Focusing on students in grades 8-12 in the Black community, Nia is an outside-of-school program that will allow kids to explore their skills, interests, and options for after high school and help connect them with the resources available to pursue their goals and dreams.

Nia is designed to encourage youth to explore opportunities, work with mentors, and learn about college, professional training, and work options before making decisions about their futures. It will take participants on trips around Kenosha County, to other cities, and even to North Carolina to expose them to careers, colleges, and cultural experiences.

Nia is a Swahili word meaning purpose. Kenosha is one of three Wisconsin counties benefiting from the new program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The USDAs Children, Youth, and Families at Risk program awarded $640,000 to the UW-Madison Division of Extension and North Carolina Agricultural & Technical University to launch Nia. The program will focus on serving youth in Waukesha, Rock, and Kenosha counties.

Nia will also serve youth in limited-income rural communities in North Carolina, through historically Black university North Carolina A&T.

The CYFAR funding will span five years. The first year is focused on building strong relationships with schools and community organizations and recruiting teens to participate in a Spring/Summer 2022 pilot program. About 10 youth in Kenosha will participate in the pilot and co-design the program alongside Extension and library staff. The full program will be rolled out this fall.

In Kenosha it will be housed in the Southwest Kenosha Public Library, consisting of dynamic programming every Thursday after school and other trips and activities throughout the year.

The most incredible aspect of the Nia program is the prioritizing of youth voice. said UW-Extension Youth Educator Erica Ness. We are planning a robust program in partnership with dynamic local organizations, business owners, and community leaders. However, it is the youth themselves, and in particular the youth involved in the pilot, who will decide what they want to see and do as part of Nia.

The first event of the NIA program will be a tri-county excursion to Milwaukees Sherman Phoenix, a business incubator that features 30 mostly Black owned businesses on April 2, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Youth will have the opportunity to tour businesses, meet community leaders, discover new locations, learn culture education, and more. To register, complete the youth registration forms at https://4h.extension.wisc.edu/4h-resources/youth-enrollment-paper-form/ and send to justin.lieck@wisc.edu by Friday This event is free of charge and lunch is included.

Youth who might be interested in joining the program or want to learn more should contact Ness at erica.ness@wisc.edu or 262-857-1934.

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Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed a bill that would require students from sixth grade through college to play on teams based on their biological sex and the gender with which they identify. (Kentucky Today/Tom Latek)
Ketchikan, AK (99901)

Today

A steady rain this evening. Showers continuing overnight. Low near 40F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

A steady rain this evening. Showers continuing overnight. Low near 40F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
MOBILE, Ala. (AP)  A Florida woman making a cross-country drive with her boyfriend allegedly let him out on Interstate 10 and then intentionally ran him down, killing him, authorities said.

Johana Suarez, 37, of Miami, was jailed on a charge of murder in the death of Henry Hernandez, 48. The man was found dead early Sunday alongside Interstate 10 west of Mobile, Alabama.

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A judge refused to set bond for Suarez on Tuesday after prosecutors said she had no ties to the area and was a threat to flee, news outlets reported. But the decision could be reconsidered at a hearing Thursday.

The two were westbound for California and spent Saturday night in Mississippi, Capt. Paul Burch of the Mobile County Sheriffs Office told WALA-TV. He said they got up early Sunday and headed off in the wrong direction, resulting in an argument that ended with Hernandez getting out of the vehicle with his belongings just miles (kilometers) into Alabama.

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She drove away. She didnt get too far away, turned around began traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes of I-10 and struck him at a high rate of speed pretty much killing him instantly, Burch said.

He added that evidence from the vehicles computer system showed the car was traveling at 73 mph (117 kph) upon impact.

Suarez was uninjured in the crash. She didnt immediately have a lawyer who could speak on her behalf.
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An interview with Rich DiPentima, MPH, former chief of communicable disease epidemiology at the New Hampshire Division of Public Health.

Rosenberg: As the former chief of communicable disease epidemiology at the New Hampshire Division of Public Health and deputy public health director in Manchester, NH, you wrote an op-ed a few months ago that compared COVID-19 with previous pandemics. Can you elaborate?

Dipentima: With smallpox, the only reservoir was humans, and thus after the last human case the virus in the wild was eradicated. Diseases like COVID-19, influenza, and many others have multiple primary and secondary reservoirs causing the viruses to live, multiply and spread to other animals even when the hosts do not become ill. In some cases, various strains of a virus can mix within a single reservoir and exchange genetic material, creating a novel virus.

Rosenberg: Are these risks growing, and if so, what are the factors?

Dipentima: The risk of the emergence of novel viruses is growing due to greater encroachment of humans into animal habitats, climate change, and increased population growth. There are particular species like bats and migratory birds that are reservoirs for viruses because of their frequent and easy contact with domestic animals such as poultry, swine, and others.

This has been a particular concern in the wet markets in China and elsewhere, where multiple species of wild and domestic animals have close contact, and sanitary conditions are poor. There is a vital need to identify and quickly respond to the development of any novel virus, especially in these settings where various viruses can infect a common host and share genetic material.

Rosenberg: Arent international health groups doing this?

Dipentima: The global surveillance program conducted through the WHO should be greatly expanded, with teams of scientists spread around the globe to monitor unusual deaths in wild or domestic animals and surveillance of unusual cases of human disease presenting to local hospitals. Laboratory capacity must be expanded and easily available. High-risk areas such as the wet markets must be better controlled, and sampling of various species should be conducted to identify any emerging pathogen.

The WHO should hold monthly conference grand rounds with global surveillance teams to share information and establish a rapid alert system when any unusual event is taking place. A central database for all animal and human sampling, similar to the CDCs PulseNet, should be established to identify any common links between samples taken from around the globe. International treaties and agreements should be in place to allow for a swift international response to a possible emerging pandemic anywhere in the world. Greater international funding and cooperation are needed in vaccine and antiviral drug research and development.

Rosenberg: As a public health official, you addressed hazardous waste, water contamination/pathogens, radon, rabies, salmonella, swine flu, Legionnaires disease, Lyme disease, antibiotic-resistant TB, and AIDS. Which challenges have relevance to COVID-19?

Dipentima: For different reasons, different diseases that I have dealt with have relevance to the COVID-19 pandemic. Obviously HIV/AIDS is at the head of the list because it is a pandemic caused by a novel virus. The big difference is that HIV is not easily spread from person to person like influenza or COVID-19. In the very early phase of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, there was a great deal of fear about how it was spread, discrimination against high-risk groups, and politicization of the disease.

The SARS outbreak in 2003 is also very relevant to COVID-19 since both are coronaviruses with similar epidemiological characteristics. The reservoir in SARS was bats, with a secondary reservoir, civet cats, the source of the initial human infections. While with COVID-19, it is suspected that bats are also the reservoir, but no secondary reservoir has yet to be identified.

Lastly, the 1976 swine flu is relevant. Concerns were related to the possibility of a novel virus, like the 1918 Spanish Flu. While the pandemic never took place, the public health response of vaccine development and distribution was very applicable to COVID-19.

Rosenberg: You were a New Hampshire state representative for four years. What are the COVID-19 lessons for lawmakers?

Dipentima: First, all elected officials must understand that the most important function of government at all levels is to protect the safety and wellbeing of its citizen and to, first, do no harm as is said with physicians. One of the most damaging effects of the current COVID-19 pandemic has been its politicization  the spreading of fear, doubt, and lack of respect for science and public health officials. This needs to stop.

Beyond that, especially at the state level, elected officials have a duty and a responsibility to carefully weigh the balance between public health and personal freedoms. When individual personal freedom interferes with the health and safety of the entire community, there must be reasonable accommodations made to protect the public. This has always been the case during times of crisis, like during WW II or after 9/11. The use of a pandemic or any crisis to further any political goals or objectives, either personal or broader, should be rejected.

Rosenberg: Did public health officials drop the ball with COVID-19?

Dipentima: The current pandemic has demonstrated all too vividly how weak our public health surveillance, epidemiological, and laboratory capacity is in the U.S. It also demonstrated how ill-prepared we were to quickly provide the necessary PPE to health care workers and the general public. Public health messaging was also very inconsistent, and much more attention must be given to preparing public health professionals to communicate risks during a crisis.

The leadership of CDC during the current pandemic was a disaster. The director of the CDC is now a political appointee and the system should be changed back to the way it was prior to 1982, when the director was appointed based on public health qualifications and experience. It is inevitable that another novel virus or other pathogen will emerge sometime in the future and the sooner such a pathogen can be identified, the better the chance to stop it before it becomes a global pandemic.

Martha Rosenberg is a health reporter and the author of Born With a Junk Food Deficiency.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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There is a particular pang of regret I get when I think about the patients who I have failed to say goodbye to.

By this, I mean when a physician leaves a group or practice, they are often prevented from sharing their next destination. Like most young physicians, I had left my first employer within five years and was barred from sharing my next job details. I had learned in training that this was standard practice though we were allowed to tell people vague information like if we were staying in the area.

I had accepted without much analysis the premise that I should not steal patients from an old practice to create a new one. In my case, I did my best to tell people I was not moving far and to look on the internet in a few months. Two years on, I still have patients who show up saying, I finally found you!

I am reminded of how my patients must have felt when I meet new confused and upset patients whose previous doctors office suddenly closed their doors, or their doctors stopped working there without explanation. If the office is open, the staff are closed-lipped about the details or do not know themselves. I have too often heard from new patients, Couldnt they have left some bit of information? Did they move out of state? Why dont they take my insurance anymore?

When I hear these distressed queries, I immediately imagine my own former patient asking this to some of their new doctors after they were unceremoniously disconnected from me. The impersonality of this practice undermines any assures we give patients that we care about them. Some patients take it quite personally and have told me they avoided doctors and medical treatment for some time after such an experience.

This lack of courtesy is becoming a frequent phenomenon as competing health care systems buy out practices and trigger doctors to change locales after mergers. Young doctors enter the workforce with eyes open regarding the low likelihood that theyll stay at their first job. Severed physician-patient relationships are now often relayed by staff at call centers who inform patients that no doctor by that name works here or that this doctor no longer takes your insurance since these employees have no relationship to the doctors either. There is no mechanism for input or sanction from the physician. Many of my friends and colleagues have had to contemplate the potential harm caused or distress felt by patients at losing their doctors with no communication. The only exception to this standard is retirement when doctors are allowed to communicate personally because no business interests are threatened.

I am ashamed of the callous, avoidant goodbyes that have been made in my name, and I regret the distress caused by this widely accepted standard. The determined patients will figure it out anyway, and the less-resourceful ones are left confused, hurt, and more likely to avoid important medical care.

Karen Dong is a family physician.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
A Florida teacher is recovering after a 5-year-old student attacked her during an exceptional student education (ESE) class.

A teacher at Pine Lakes Elementary School in Pembroke Pines, who wasnt named in the report, suffered a concussion and other injuries during the Broward County attack last week, according to NBC News.

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Initially, South Florida personnel removed the student from class for throwing objects and flipping chairs. Next, someone took the student to a cool down room, where the attack on the teacher took place, according to the report.

Officers are investigating the incident but are unlikely to file charges on the student.

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Read the full report on nbcnews.com.
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!
On election day college professor Mark Meta waves at cars driving by the voting precinct at Winter Park Christian Church in Winter Park, Fla., Tuesday, March 8, 2022. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel) (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

The polls are closed for election day as voters in five Orange County cities vote for mayors, city commissioners and charter amendments.

Elections were held in Apopka, Belle Isle, Maitland, Oakland and Winter Park. Eatonville already held its election on Saturday during which voters elected Angie Gardner as mayor and chose three other town council members.

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>> Check back at OrlandoSentinel.com/results after or the list below after 7 p.m. for vote totals.

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Here were the contested races Tuesday:

Apopka

In a bid for a second term, incumbent Mayor Bryan Nelson faces a challenge from city commissioner Kyle Becker to lead Orange Countys second-largest city. Becker, a vice president of a financial technology company, served six years on the City Council but had to resign the Seat 4 post to run for mayor.

First-time candidates Erick Mock and Nick Nesta are vying to replace Becker. Both work in real estate.

Incumbent Seat 2 commissioner Diane Velazquez, a retired police detective, is opposed by Wes Dumey, 44, who described himself as a software consultant and aspiring brewer.

Alexander Smith, incumbent Seat 5 commissioner, won a second four-year term without opposition.

Belle Isle

Incumbent Mayor Nicholas Foraker and challenger Holly Bobrowski are the lone candidates on the city ballot.

Council members Anthony Cargno (Seat 2); Karl Shuck (Seat 3); and Randy Holihan (Seat 4) drew no opposition for their seats.

Maitland

Three candidates are vying for one open seat on the Maitland City Council.

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The candidates are Colleen Lilling, a school crossing guard; retired science teacher and former council member Bev Reponen; and attorney Lori Wurtzel.

Oakland

Voters will decide a Town Council race between two-term incumbent Rick Polland and first-time candidate Matthew Bunevich.

The two are vying to occupy Seat 1 for a four-year term. The election is the towns first contested race in 16 years.

Joseph McMullen, incumbent Seat 4 council member, won another term without opposition.

Winter Park

In Winter Park, voters are faced with a half-dozen amendments to the citys charter, which mostly share one theme: supermajorities.

Breaking News As it happens Be the first to know with email alerts on important breaking stories from the Orlando Sentinel newsroom. >

If approved, it would take four commissioners to sign off on moves like selling city land, rezoning park space or increasing density on developments. Currently, three commissioners, or a simple majority of the five-member board, have to approve.

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A sixth amendment would require an additional public hearing if an ordinance or development is significantly changed during the approval process.

Voters also will decide who two of the commissioners are on the dais. Incumbent Todd Weaver, an aerospace engineer, is hoping to hang on to Seat 4, and is opposed by Elijah Noel, a businessman. In Seat 3, Kristopher Cruzada, an attorney, is taking on Anjali Vaya, a business owner.

Related items:

Orlando Sentinel editorial: Vote yes on Winter Park charter amendments

Guest commentary: Winter Park ballot amendments would stifle change

Orlando Sentinel staff writer Richard Tribou contributed to this report.
Yesterday evening, the Spokane County Sheriffs Office SWAT Team responded to assist the Liberty Lake Police Department on a Domestic Violence call. The male suspect was reportedly armed with a gun, had hostages, and was barricaded inside a residence.
Businesses from Kilkenny had the opportunity to meet buyers from all over the world as part of the Local Enterprise Showcase at Showcase 2022 in the RDS in Dublin.

There were over 100 Local Enterprise Office supported businesses from across the country present at the event with two in attendance from County Kilkenny. Start Up Businesses Yellow Deer Designs and David Oliver Bespoke were exhibiting at the Local Enterprise Showcase, part of Showcase 2022 for the first time, that saw over 4,000 buyers from retailers across the globe attend the four-day event in Dublin looking to secure new sales and partners for the year ahead.

Kilkenny businesses also exhibiting at Showcase 2022 included: Fred OMahony Woodturning, Irish Linen Shirts, Cushendale Woollen Mills, Jerpoint Glass, Kilkenny Silver, Kilkenny Crystal and

Nicholas Mosse.

Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council, Cllr Fidelis Doherty said:

It is encouraging to see the return of Showcase to give our talented designers and craftspeople the opportunity to sell their products to national and international buyers. She added It provides them with the opportunity to meet with buyers specific to their market from countries all over the world, opening doors to new export opportunities that they simply would not get anywhere else.

The Kilkenny companies were selected by Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny to take part in this years Local Enterprise Showcase at Showcase 2022. The LEO have been working closely with them in recent months to ensure they are in the best possible position to maximise their appearance at the event including sales technique, marketing materials and stand production.

This was rewarded with David Oliver Bespoke being featured on RTEs Nationwide programme along with another Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny supported client Fred OMahony Woodturning, also based in South Kilkenny. Awards were also presented to Irish Linen Shirts, based in Inistioge, Co Kilkenny who received the Fashion Category Award for their Irish Linen Shirt Dress, whilst Cushendale Woollen Mills received the Home Category Award for their Silare Mohair Throw.

The show, which marked its 46th edition this year ran until March 2 and is one of Irelands largest and most important international trade fairs. Showcase is presented on behalf of Design & Crafts Council Ireland, with support from Enterprise Ireland in promoting the trade show internationally, and the Local Enterprise Offices nationwide.

Fiona Deegan, Head of Enterprise, Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny said: We are delighted to partner with the Design and Craft Council Ireland and Enterprise Ireland to highlight the wealth of talent amongst emerging creative businesses across the country, and in supporting their commercial potential through the Local Enterprise Showcase. For many it is their first time exhibiting and this dedicated area plays a critical role in allowing them to launch new collections, secure orders and connect with national and international trade buyers, enabling them to develop their business and expand their client base.

For more information on Local Enterprise Showcase 2022 and supports available to those operating in the design and crafts sector, log on to www.LocalEnterprise.ie and for more information on Showcase 2022, log on to www.ShowcaseIreland.com
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Mason City police said the body of a missing man was found Sunday near 29th St. and S. Washington Ave. KIMT photo
Dont bother vaccinating your kids against COVID, even though the CDC says its a good idea. Quit fussing; theyll be fine. Dr. Joseph Ladapo promises.

You dont have to wear that mask, either. Dr. Ladapo says its a lie that they save lives, and that doctors who believe otherwise are zombies. That was his actual word.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his recently confirmed surgeon general know they are a lot smarter than all those epidemiologists, virologists, cardiologists and pulmonary specialists at the Centers for Disease Control and state and local public-health officials. They are the heroes of the narrative theyve created and they are ready to deliver the

Gov. Ron DeSantis held this slickly produced event on March 7, showcasing several COVID-denying medical experts. Screenshot from DeSantis' YouTube channel. - Original Credit: YouTube screenshot (Courtesy photo)

message with lights, cameras and snappy catchphrases.

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DeSantis has picked up the phrase COVID Theater and is using it a lot lately. Its an odd choice coming from the office that has stage-managed a public health crisis into a series of sound bites and rants about freedom and jobs.

Political Pulse Weekly Get latest updates political news from Central Florida and across the state. >

Mondays 90-minute roundtable to announce the anti-vax position for kids took things to a whole new level. Shot in a studio, it featured a large table with DeSantis flanked, Last-Supper-style, by a cast of six COVID skeptics. Behind them, a giant, curved video screen displayed more than 200 individual (people pictured on) video feeds. According to the Tampa Bay Times, many of them were state employees, presumably getting paid to serve as living wallpaper. The screen would occasionally be taken over by the giant heads of more experts, including some of the nations most notorious anti-mask, anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine advocates.

All this time and money  taxpayers time and money  was devoted to delivering one message: Parents dont need to vaccinate healthy children against COVID. But there was an insidious, ridiculous subtext that the bulk of the last two years has been an elaborate illusion crafted to make people afraid.

Its a sharp contrast to the message being put out by the nations medical community. After two years of trying to predict an ever-shifting pandemic, health leaders are wearily gathering around this consensus: They are not really sure whats coming next. COVID could be mostly gone by the end of the year. The highly infectious omicron variant could continue to infect people. Or we could see yet another variant  possibly even more contagious, or more debilitating, or more fatal. Which option is most likely? They dont know.

All they can do is recommend the safest decisions, with the most medical support. And that means vaccination, for kids as young as 5. Its true that children dont catch COVID easily at least, not the current variant. Its also true that vaccines arent providing protection for as long as some people thought. Florida has dropped from its 60,000-plus peak of daily new infections to a still-grim 1,800. But COVID is still a threat, and about 170 people die every day. Kids are still getting infected as well. The vaccine reduces childrens chance of getting COVID significantly  up to 91 percent  and it lessens symptoms and duration. If another nasty variant emerges, it could save lives.

That doesnt seem to move Ladapo or his boss DeSantis, who seems more concerned with coming up with new ways to make Fauci into a verb and yelling at high school students to take off their masks. Theyve co-opted a dangerous, highly infectious disease into a political stunt. And now theyre urging parents to ignore the best available protections for their children.

If this is a play, DeSantis is the one writing the script, seemingly blind to the reality that hes directing a farce.

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.
Des Moines police have confirmed that there has been a shooting outside of East High School Monday afternoon.
NORTHWOOD, Iowa-Five firefighters from the Northwood Fire Department assisted Madison County Emergency Management with clean up efforts on Sunday after an EF4 tornado killed seven people.

Fire Chief Blake Severson said he and four other firefighters from the department joined more than 400 volunteers to remove downed debris, such as trees and structural wreckage from Saturdays' storm.

The five firefighters that work roughly 150 miles away spent more than five hours helping community members before returning to Northwood, according to Severson.

2-story building destroyed in Northwood blaze (with photos from the scene) A two-story building which contained some apartments was reduced to rubble Monday after a fire broke out in Worth County.

Severson said the fallout from the storm humbled him and made him realize a disaster of that size could happen in Northwood.

"Being from North Iowa, we know tornados can happen. That can happen anywhere. It is surreal to know that 200 miles north or 150 miles north, that could have been us. It is crazy," Severson said.

Severson said although firefighters wear different patches, they are all part of the same team, highlighting the strong bond between first responders during a time of crisis.
If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.  George Orwell

For a political party that has long championed itself as an ally of liberty and small government, the Republican Party sure likes to be involved in restricting the free exchange of ideas. Make no mistake about what Floridas Parental Rights in Education bill accomplishes, it is a restriction on speech. Critically referred to as the Dont Say Gay bill, the proposal brings forth plenty of issues and questions surrounding what is and isnt appropriate discourse in public schools. At first glance, it appears to be a bill protecting parents fundamental right of child rearing, but upon closer inspection, this is merely a guise to create further restrictions about what can and cannot be discussed in schools.

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Addison Hosner is a licensed Florida attorney and solo practitioner based in Orlando. He is a Young Voices commentator, speaker, and writer. - Original Credit: Courtesy photo (Courtesy photo)

The bill comes in two nearly identical forms, Senate Bill 1834 and House Bill 1557. They require that school districts may not encourage discussions related to sexual orientation and gender identity in primary grade levels or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students. Despite what the language of these bills would have you believe, only 19 percent of LGBTQ students in the southern United States have reported learning about LGBTQ people or issues in school, and putting aside the ambiguity of the language to determine what is and isnt appropriate, what of the fundamental rights of the students to express themselves?

Proponents of the bills argue that according to the text, their purpose is to, reinforce the fundamental right of parents to make decisions regarding the upbringing and control of their children. Parents rights should not infringe on a childs own individual liberty. By advocating for the bill on the basis of promoting parental liberty while simultaneously restricting childrens liberty, it is eerily reminiscent of 1984s concept of doublethink.

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A 2019 survey found that the social climate for LGBTQ students in Florida is already dreadful, yet instead of promoting discourse and understanding, this bill would further stigmas towards LGBTQ individuals. But perhaps the most harmful effects of this bill would come in the form of the unforeseen consequences resulting from its implementation. Notably, students who do not come from supportive households would lose their ability to confide in a trusted teacher or counselor for support and advice.

It is undeniable that school counselors play a vital role in the mental well-being of students. In a 2021 study of 35,000 LGBTQ students, only 1 in 3 found their home to be affirming of their sexual orientation, but 1 in 2 found their school to be. Additionally, the likelihood of suicide attempts among this class of students is 23 percent less when LGBTQ issues can be discussed at school. However, under this bill, counselors would be unable to counsel students with difficulties at home or in life regarding their sexuality or their mental, emotional, or physical well-being, without having to mandatorily report those conversations to their parents under threat of a lawsuit.

Teachers and counselors of Florida public schools do not have unfettered freedom of speech in their roles as government employees, however, the students do. In order to place a restriction on the fundamental right of speech, a law must pass a legal test known as strict scrutiny. This requires the law to be necessary in order to achieve a compelling state interest, and that the law is narrowly tailored and achieved through the least restrictive means.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has openly come out in strong support for the bill and considers discussions in schools about sexuality to be entirely inappropriate. However, DeSantis has said himself that he doesnt think such conversations are going on in large numbers, but that he wants to make sure that [our] schools are really focusing on the basics.

If the goal is to focus on the basics, and the governor himself is admitting that the discussions these bills are aiming to regulate arent going on in large numbers, then is this bill the least restrictive way to accomplish the perceived goals? The answer is no. The regulation of speech does not equate to it disappearing, and in a time in which civil discourse is hard to come by, one of the best basics we can teach our youth is to openly communicate to understand one another.

Addison Hosner is a licensed Florida attorney and solo practitioner based in Orlando. He is a Young Voices commentator, speaker, and writer.
I first came across the concept of intersectionality in a sophomore writing class. The understanding that being a Black woman, or a Black gay woman, meant being faced with multiple, intersecting oppressions empowered me and encouraged me to take more political science classes. I am now majoring in criminal justice and minoring in political science at Florida Atlantic University, as a direct result of having taken this transformative class.

Brianna Beadle is a youth leader at Florida Rising and a criminal-justice major at Florida Atlantic. - Original Credit: Courtesy photo (Courtesy photo)

HB7/SB148, also known as the Stop Woke Act, is a threat to my education, my high school sisters education, and the education of people like us. Thats why I call it the Destruction of Education Act instead.

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This bill would prevent students in K-12 schools and through university from learning about the discrimination and oppression that impact our own lives, just because it may make white students uncomfortable. It would block teachers from being trained on issues of systemic racism, diversity, and inclusion, causing teachers to be less prepared to teach students who experience racism and exclusion on a daily basis. The bill says that it is not possible to be discriminated against on the basis of ethnicity or gender  when we know that isnt true. It redefines who is worthy of an education that caters to their comfort, and whose experience  like mine  matters so little that it cannot be truly taught or valued at all.

I am a Black student. I go to school to learn the history of discrimination and oppression so I can fight these forces in my own life. That is the value of an education for me, and this bill is trying to take that away from me. It is trying to take away my chance at liberation.

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There is no way I can study political science and criminal justice without studying race  specifically, without studying the historical and present systems that oppress Black people and people of color. Can I truly say Im a political science minor if I cant learn about the historical and present efforts to lock Black people out of political power? Can I truly study criminal justice without learning about the ways the criminal justice system disproportionately targets Black people for mass incarceration? To undermine my education in this way is an injustice. Thats why I and other students like me are working with the Florida Student Power Network to challenge this bill.

Education shouldnt be about avoiding the difficult truths and rewriting history to try to make white people feel better. It should be about owning all of our history, all of our diversity, and giving us the tools to build a world free from oppression. That can only happen if our students learn the truth and our teachers are prepared to teach it. It can only happen without these constant efforts to undermine the education we receive in our schools, with bills like this being pushed all across the country. As students, we deserve an education relevant to our lives that helps us know our own stories, our own histories, to ground us as we prepare for the rest of our lives.

Instead, we get bills like this that show us there is a fear of us knowing our own histories. This bill was introduced because politicians like Ron DeSantis are afraid of what people of color can do once we become educated about race and systems of oppression in this country. Education is our key to taking action to end these systems of oppression. These politicians are afraid that once we know the truth, once we fight back, they will lose power. How powerful must we be that legislators are this afraid of us knowing the truth?

Instead of prioritizing these fearmongering bills, prioritize us. Invest in us. Give us the schools that we deserve, the education that we deserve. Give us funding, resources, and a full curriculum where we can see ourselves and learn from our histories. Make sure we are all protected from discrimination in our schools. Let our education be a source of knowledge, power, and liberation for each one of us.

Brianna Beadle is a youth leader at Florida Rising and a criminal-justice major at Florida Atlantic.
Florida Sen. Jason Brodeur's political committee has taken tens of thousands of dollars from out-of-state donors - including tobacco companies and drug-makers. But he has sponsored a bill that would make it a crime for out-of-state donors to give more than $3,000 to citizen campaigns to get amendments on the ballots. (Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP)

If I told you that lawmakers in Tallahassee were considering a ban on big, out-of-state contributions to political campaigns in this state, you might be impressed.

You might think: Wow, Gov. Ron DeSantis  who has taken $1 million and $5 million checks from an insurance lobbying group in Washington and a hedge fund manager in Chicago  is willing to cut off his own out-of-state spigot? How impressive.

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Maybe youd also be impressed by House Speaker Chris Sprowls, who has taken $25,000 and $50,000 checks from special interests in Utah and California and by Senate President Wilton Simpson, who has taken $100,000 from construction and contracting firms in Tennessee and Missouri.

You might think: What character these men are displaying by taking principled stands against their own money-grubbing behavior!

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Except thats not what theyre trying to do.

During the final days of this legislative session, theyre advancing a bill (HB 921) that would make it illegal for out-of-state companies to donate more than $3,000 to causes you might want  like smaller class sizes and civil rights for former felons  while preserving their right to keep rolling around in out-of-state money like pigs in slop.

A $1 million out-of-state check to these guys political committees would still be fine. But an out-of-state check for $3,001 to a citizen-led amendment effort would be a crime.

The move is part of the Florida Legislatures long-running effort to stop citizens from having a direct say in how their state is run.

You voted for smaller class sizes. They hated that. You voted for medical marijuana, Fair Districts, restored rights for ex-felons and environmental conservation, and they tried to undermine every one of those constitutional amendments.

Now theyre doing it again, railing against out-of-state donations while cashing their own checks.

Their behavior isnt just hypocritical; its unconstitutional.

Dont take it from me. Take it from a conservative federal judge  one appointed by Donald Trump  who struck down their last attempt to do this.

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Just last year, lawmakers tried to make it a crime for anyone anywhere to donate more than $3,000 to an amendment petition drive. They wanted to make it a first-degree misdemeanor, meaning you could be imprisoned for donating to a class-size campaign.

Please re-read that last sentence. The politicians of an American state wanted to imprison you for donating to the causes you care about.

A federal judge  one appointed by Trump and who used to work for Republican Attorney General Pam Bondi  said you cant do that in America. He ruled the law unconstitutional, noting that the U.S. Supreme Court has declared political donations are protected speech.

I actually disagree with the high court. I dont believe our Founding Fathers meant to equate speech with campaign cash. Heck, I might even respect a politician who mounted a principled legal challenge to that ruling.

But thats not what Florida lawmakers did. They wanted to preserve their ability to accept unlimited cash to their campaign committees but prohibit it for citizens amendment drives.

Lawmakers knew it was unconstitutional. Their own staffers warned them. But GOP legislators passed the law anyway, and Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into law. The state then used your tax dollars to pay lawyers $675 an hour to defend this dog of a law, knowing theyd lose.

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These guys arent fiscal conservatives anymore than they are constitutionalists.

And now theyre trying again, focusing on out-of-state donors.

The goal is to deny voters their inherent political power, said Glenn Burhans, a Florida attorney who specializes in election law and has worked on past amendment efforts.

Burhans asked voters to think about why lawmakers werent cutting off their own out-of-state sugar daddies. Ask yourself why, he said. The answer is simple: The politicians want to take out-of-state money with one hand while denying it to petition sponsors with the other.

Burhans predicted this years law will be ruled unconstitutional as well. So did Amy Turkel, the interim director of the ACLU of Florida, which helped lead last years successful legal challenge. Turkel noted this years repackaged crackdown has the same unconstitutional restriction on free speech and political association.

Political Pulse Weekly Get latest updates political news from Central Florida and across the state. >

Seminole County Republican Jason Brodeur is the bills sponsor in the Senate. Brodeur stressed that his bill doesnt affect donations to amendment campaigns after the state Supreme Court approves them for the ballot; only in the petition-gathering stage. But that distinction is irrelevant in the eyes of the U.S. Constitution, according to the conservative jurist who tossed last years law.

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Brodeur said his main intent was to ban contributions from foreign countries but that he also wanted to neuter the ability of wealthy donors to influence the constitutions of a state where they do not reside.

Its interesting to see Brodeur so opposed to out-of-state money.

The Friends of Jason Brodeur committee has taken $10,000 from a North Carolina tobacco company and checks for $5,000, $7,500 and $10,000 from health care and pharmaceutical companies in Georgia, Connecticut and Washington D.C. In 2018, the Tampa Bay Times reported that Brodeur was the Legislatures No. 1 recipient of money from opioid-makers.

All these guys crave campaign cash the way zombies crave brains.

So the next time you hear one of them bloviating about the evils of big money and the need to ban it, just respond: Sounds great. How about you go first?

smaxwell@orlandosentinel.com
Jasper, TX (75951)

Today

Isolated thunderstorms in the morning, then partly cloudy late. High 87F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies in the evening, then becoming cloudy overnight. Low 69F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
Columbia City Council votes no to ARPA resolution and yes to student resource officer authorization
China's crackdown on environment-related crimes effective: report

Xinhua) 13:07, March 08, 2022

BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The crackdown on environment-related crimes has yielded good results, according to a work report of the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

China prosecuted 49,000 people for illegal activities jeopardizing the environment last year, the first decline in eight years, said the report submitted Tuesday to the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress for review.

The activities highlighted in the report include illegal dumping of hazardous waste and smuggling imported waste, among others.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
TALLAHASSEE  House and Senate budget negotiators on Tuesday revised a plan that called for shifting $200 million away from school districts, including Orange, Broward and Palm Beach counties, that required students to wear masks last year during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But lawmakers werent able to complete negotiations on all the budget items that will make up the $100 billion-plus state budget, which means the regular session will be forced to go into overtime.

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The initial version of the education funding plan, labeled the Putting Parents First Adjustment, was swapped Tuesday for what is being called the School Recognition Program, which would offer rewards to districts that followed state mask directives.

The change came as House Appropriations Chairman Jay Trumbull, R-Panama City, and Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, continued to negotiate budget details in the final week of the 2022 legislative session.

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Trumbull and Stargel had still hoped Tuesday to avoid extending the session beyond Fridays scheduled end, but House Speaker Chris Sprowls and Senate President Wilton Simpson decided they should quit for the night rather than talk into the wee hours of the morning. They announced plans to resume discussions on Wednesday morning.

State law requires a 72-hour cooling off period before the House and Senate can vote on the budget, which meant lawmakers would have had to complete the budget Tuesday to end the session on time. It was unclear Tuesday if the session would extend into Saturday or next week.

Lawmakers also face a special session to finish redrawing new district lines for Congress after Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would veto the plan approved by the chambers. Those districts need to be in place by June when candidate qualifying begins.

The agreement on the new school recognition program came as talks continued over issues involving public schools, higher education and agriculture and natural resources, including gaps in spending over resiliency projects and land preservation.

The school recognition plan still involves $200 million. However, that money would be placed into a reserve fund and distributed to school districts that did not impose student mask mandates in accordance with directives from Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The initial plan to shift money away from school districts would have been included in the main funding formula for public schools. The $200 million would have been redistributed to the 55 districts that did not impose mask mandates.

Trumbull called the new plan much more clean and said the 12 districts that imposed student mask mandates will be ineligible to receive the financial boosts.

Those 12 districts are in Alachua, Brevard, Broward, Duval, Hillsborough, Indian River, Leon, Miami-Dade, Orange, Palm Beach, Sarasota and Volusia counties.

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An overall House budget offer Tuesday included nearly $24.3 billion in funding for public schools, an increase of almost $1.7 billion over the current year, bringing per-student funding to $8,143.

Political Pulse Weekly Get latest updates political news from Central Florida and across the state. >

Budget chiefs were trying to iron out details of a Senate plan to raise the minimum wage for all school employees to $15 per hour.

The proposed education budget also includes $800 million to continue a plan to raise teacher salaries to $47,500, an increase of $250 million over the current year.

That increase would go beyond the amount that DeSantis requested from lawmakers. The governor in November recommended that legislators earmark $600 million to increase educator pay.

Earlier in the day, Trumbull and Stargel agreed to issues involving funding for cybersecurity, transportation, health care, and civil and criminal justice.

Among those agreements were a 7 percent Medicaid rate increase for nursing homes, base pay raises of 5.38% for state workers, and purchasing a pair of Embraer Phenom 300E executive jets for state leaders as part of a $31.3 million budget-related bill (SB 2512).

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Vicki Hall, president of AFSCME Florida, which represents state workers, issued a statement praising the pay raises.

We applaud the leadership of both the House and Senate for historic increases for the state workers who provide the vital, essential services our communities need, Hall said in the statement. State workers are in need of both living wages to lift families out of poverty and enhanced compensation for professionals whose pay has not kept pace with comparable private-sector counterparts.
JEFFERSON CITY - Missouri residents and business owners got their chance to testify over a bill that would legalize recreational cannabis possession and sales during a committee meeting Tuesday morning.

The Cannabis Freedom Act (House Bill 2704) was introduced by Rep. Ron Hicks (R-St. Charles) in February.

According to the bill text, the bill will "expunge conviction records of offenses or municipal violations pertaining to nonviolent marijuana-related offenses or violations that are no longer illegal in the state of Missouri" and allow "personal use or consumption of marijuana by a person 21 years of age or older."

"We're in a time right now where it's coming whether we want it or not," Rep. Hicks said. "Seventeen other states have legalized it for adult use now, and there's even more that have done it for the medical side of it."

Hicks wanted a big part of his bill to be about criminal justice reform for those who are incarcerated for possession of small amounts of cannabis. Ben Hartley, founder of Real Legalization Missouri, testified on Tuesday particularly about this issue.

"We have people that are currently serving prison sentences for non-violent cannabis offenses. If our opposition's measure is passed, people are still going to be going to prison or serving prison sentences," Hartley said.

People like Eric McCauley - who was released eight months ago after serving a 13-year prison sentence for cannabis possession. McCauley was away from his son during his time in prison. Both of them were at Tuesday's hearing.

"It is really painful having come out and to still think about them in there because I was extremely blessed to get some help and support here in the community," McCauley said. "People shouldn't be jailed for cannabis. You can't look around and see what's going on. He said that to me when I got off the bus coming back from prison when I finally was released, and they picked me up at the bus station. He said 'Dad you're not going to believe it, there's dispensaries on every corner.'"

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Hippos Marijuana Dispensary has one location in Chesterfield and will soon open two more in Columbia and Springfield. The company has sold medical marijuana to patients for years but is excited to sell its product to more people. However, CEO Nick Rinella criticized HB 2704 for not addressing testing of marijuana in the state.

"There's no testing involved. I don't know what's on that product. I don't know if it's safe to consume," Rinella said. "I can hope that everybody's a good actor, but we know that's not the case."

HB 2704 is not the only push for legalizing recreational use of marijuana. Currently there is the Missouri Marijuana Legalization Initiative to try and get the issue onto the ballot come November. Rinella said he supports this initiative because those licensed to sell medical marijuana will be able to now distribute safe product recreationally.

"You're going to have safe access to product. Your friends, your family, your children, if they're using they can find it. This provides safe access," Rinella said.

However supporters of HB 2704 fear the petition will monopolize the current business of marijuana. Some of the people testifying on Tuesday deal with patients needing medical marijuana, including Deb Nash who is a part of Progressive Osteopathic therapies.

"Our patients cannot afford their medication. Our parents have to choose between medication for their child and food, is that a fair choice?" Nash said. "I have patients that are not on the black market. They will not smoke if they cannot get it legally. They're afraid of what will be in that."

Everyone who testified Tuesday was in support of legalizing recreational use of marijuana. It is just the way in which it legalized that people are torn on.

"Missouri, it's coming, and I think it's time we stand up and figure out how do we want it to come," Hicks said.
Dhauli, who benefited from the KOICA-UNESCO project, "Empowering Adolescent Girls and Young Women through the Provision of Comprehensive Sexuality Education and a Safe Learning Environment in Nepal," studies. Courtesy of KOICA



By Kang Seung-woo



The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has been making efforts to empower girls and women in developing countries through diverse projects, the agency said on March 8 in celebration of International Women's Day.



Gender discrimination and gender-based violence are obstacles to development  along with factors such as poverty, health risks and disasters  and are exacerbated by conflict and crises. The international community seeks to achieve gender equality in the form of U.N. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 5, "Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls."



In line with this goal, KOICA has been striving to resolve various inequalities experienced by women in developing countries. Korea's development cooperation agency has been implementing 53 projects related to gender equality in 40 countries, which amount to approximately $350 million (430 billion won), with the goal of strengthening women's economic capabilities; creating opportunities for quality education and employment for women; enhancing women's social status through participation in society; preventing violence against women; and ensuring women's basic rights.



As a key example, in Iraq, KOICA has been implementing, together with the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF), a $2.99-million project that lasts from 2021 to 2023 to assist survivors of gender-based violence (GBV). The project supports in particular those affected by conflict-related sexual violence in the Kirkuk and Nineveh Governorates by increasing access to comprehensive mental health and psychosocial support, as well as other GBV-related services.



As a part of this project, KOICA built a one-stop support center in November 2021 to provide treatment, psychological counseling and legal support for women affected by conflict-related violence in Iraq's Kirkuk Governorate, a region that suffered heavy damages due to conflict.



KOICA plans to build another center in the Nineveh Governorate and will offer a capacity-building program for Iraq's government officials, including those in the health ministry and police force, and consulting services to improve policy. KOICA also plans to carry out widespread campaigns to overcome discrimination against women in local communities. The agency aims to provide services to some 93,000 women and men in Iraq and raise awareness of gender issues.



In Nepal, KOICA has implemented a $5.15-million project together with UNESCO since 2016 to enhance women's capacities and improve environments that marginalize women in schools and local communities.



Specifically, KOICA sought to provide comprehensive education on sexual and reproductive health and the prevention of gender-based violence; enhance women's literacy and participation in education; offer education on employment and entrepreneurship for vulnerable, out-of-school adolescent girls; and improve school bathrooms and drinking water facilities for a safe and healthy learning environment. A total of 73,650 girls and women in Nepal benefited through this project  some 1,458 gained employment, while 1,874 received education from functional literacy classes.



The seven local governments that participated in this project announced pledges for comprehensive sexuality education to take root and for the prevention of gender-based violence, which are expected to act as the foundation for the enhancement of women's rights going forward.



Nepal's gender development index is 0.933, ranking 142 out of 189 countries. Women in Nepal are enrolled in school for an average of 4.3 years, while men average 5.8 years. Gross national income per capita is $2,910 for women and $4,108 for men. The ratio of women in high-ranking government posts and management is 13.2 percent, and the figure is 30 percent for licensed professionals and technical personnel. Literacy rates are 59.7 percent for women and 78.6 percent for men.



In Vietnam, KOICA implemented a $2.5-million project since 2016 to transfer the Korean "Sunflower Center" model of responding to and preventing violence against women and girls. As a result, the center in Vietnam received 13,544 calls last year through a 24-hour emergency line, and relief was provided to 342 cases where violence occurred.



In Laos, KOICA plans to strengthen the response system to violence against women through a $7-million project that lasts until 2024, together with the United Nations Development Programme, UNFAP and the Lao Women's Union.



KOICA plans to establish the first central counseling center equipped with experts who can respond to violence against women in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. Korean experts that specialize in responding to violence against women will be dispatched, and help train local counseling staff. Training will also be provided to the 17 local counseling centers under the Lao Women's Union.



"History may seem to move at a slow pace but it is moving forward," KOICA President Sohn, Hyuk-sang said. "Though we celebrate International Women's Day today at a more chaotic time than ever, I have hope that the day will come when peace will be upheld and human rights will be respected for all."




Bold investment needed to develop vaccine sovereignty



By Baek Byung-yeul



Samsung Biologics, SK Bioscience and other biotech companies here are expanding their vaccine development and manufacturing capabilities, as the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of having vaccine sovereignty, according to company officials Tuesday.



Korea had a hard time securing COVID-19 vaccines when they were first available because the nation was at the mercy of imports from multinational pharmaceutical companies, which were experiencing supply shortages and shipment delays amid soaring global demand.



With the aim of protecting public health through vaccine sovereignty  the ability of a country to develop its own vaccines  and making related businesses become new economic growth engines, Korea is pushing for a plan to become a global vaccine hub.



Under the vision, the country aims to commercialize its first domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine within the first half of 2022 and to invest 2.2 trillion won ($1.79 billion) in the sector to become the world's fifth-largest vaccine-producing nation by 2025.



Officials in the local bioindustry said Monday that the government has shown its willingness to grow the vaccine industry by offering various incentives, such as supporting budgets needed for clinical trials and speeding up the approval period for vaccine development.



They also urged the government to provide policy support from a long-term perspective because developing new drugs and vaccines is a time- and money-consuming task with a low success rate.



"Like the development of new drugs, developing new vaccines could take nearly 10 years from clinical trials to approval. This is one of the areas in desperate need of the government's support," an official from a local biotech company said on the condition of anonymity.



"With the pandemic serving as an opportunity, the country's bioindustry, which had not been attracting much attention, is drawing keen attention. We hope the government will strengthen its efforts further to develop Korea's vaccine industry. The higher the attention to the industry, the more the related industries can grow," the official said.



Among the prominent bioindustry companies here, SK Bioscience is playing an important role in Korea's journey to becoming a global vaccine hub. The company, which has both vaccine development and manufacturing capabilities, is currently conducting global Phase 3 clinical trials of its own COVID-19 vaccine candidate GBP510.



"We are conducting Phase 3 clinical trials of our COVID-19 vaccine candidate with an aim to release it within the first half of this year," an SK spokesman said. "This vaccine will be the first homegrown COVID-19 vaccine. We will do our best to fight COVID-19 by releasing it as planned."



SK Bioscience also seeks commercialization through the World Health Organization's (WHO) global vaccine COVAX Facility project, a worldwide initiative aimed at supporting equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.



In addition to the development of the GBP510 vaccine, the company is producing U.S. biotech firm Novavax's synthetic antigen-based COVID-19 vaccine, Nuvaxovid. In February, SK Bioscience rolled out the first batch of the vaccines, which will be supplied to Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.



Samsung Biologics has also been emerging as a center for the government's plan to make it a vaccine hub, as the world's largest contract-based drug manufacturer has been producing U.S. biotech company Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine since the third quarter of 2021.



Samsung has been in charge of filling and packaging in the production process of Moderna vaccine vials. The company said it is on course to operate the entire vaccine production process, ranging from drug substances for mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines to filling and packaging.



"As we announced before, we signed a contract with U.S. drug maker GreenLight Biosciences to produce drug substances. We expect to begin the production of drug substances within the first half of this year," a Samsung spokesman said.



"We were in charge of the filling and packing process for mRNA vaccines, but if raw materials are produced in our facility, our vaccine business capabilities can be expected to improve significantly. Our customers will relieve their concerns about efficient mass production by entrusting us with vaccine production," the official added.



Relatively small companies are focusing their efforts on vaccine research and development as well. They are not only considering completing the clinical phases of vaccine candidates, but also pushing for a business model that transfers their technologies to global pharmaceutical companies before completing the clinical phase, which requires a lot of cost and time.



CHA Vaccine Institute, a subsidiary of CHA Biotech, is currently conducting Phase 2 clinical trials for candidate substances for chronic hepatitis B and Phase 1 trials for herpes zoster.



"The company has the technology that can strengthen our immune systems. We expect that our HBV therapeutic vaccine will not only increase chronic hepatitis B patients' immunity, but also treat their disease, if the efficacy of the vaccine is confirmed through clinical trials," a company spokesman said.



On a related note, Korea achieved a significant milestone in its goal of becoming a global vaccine hub on Feb. 23 when the WHO designated the country a global biomanufacturing training hub. With the designation, Korea will educate 370 trainees from low- and middle-income countries about manufacturing health products such as vaccines and treatments starting this July.



For the training hub plan, the government will cooperate with local bioindustry firms, including Samsung Biologics and SK Bioscience, universities and the International Vaccine Institute, as well as the WHO.



"By sharing these lessons we've learnt from our own experience in the past, we will strive to support low- and middle-income countries in strengthening their biomanufacturing capabilities so that we can pave the way together towards a safer world during the next pandemic," Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said in response to the U.N.'s designation of Korea as a global training hub.



The local bio-healthcare industry also welcomed Korea's designation as a vaccine training hub. "The designation does not have an imminent effect on the Korean bioindustry," an industry official working for a local biotech company said on condition of anonymity. "However, the designation proves that Korea's bioindustry has reached the level of transferring related technologies to developing countries."



More support needed



With the government and domestic firms trying to foster vaccine capability, Chae Su-chan, a former professor and director of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology's (KAIST) Center for Bio-Healthcare Innovation and Policy, assessed that there is still a long way to go for Korea to become a global vaccine hub.



"It is true that Korea manufactures vaccines well. From biosimilar products to vaccine production, the country has as much production capacity as any other country. In particular, Samsung Biologics has fostered its vaccine production capability. The DNA, which Samsung Group has shown excellence in chip production that requires sophistication and mass production capability, seems to be showing the same performance at its bio unit," the ex-director, who now leads Jeonju City's bio-healthcare innovation project, said.



"However, when it comes to developing vaccines, the country still lags behind advanced countries that have prominent biopharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer and GSK. The reason is very simple. This is because the government and private companies cannot afford to invest the funds and time needed to develop vaccines or new drugs," he said.



"The country's R&D expenditures in the bioindustry, combining government support with private investment, are about one-tenth of the amount invested by one of the global biopharmaceutical companies. Those big companies spend astronomical amounts a year. It doesn't make sense to exclaim that the Korean government aims to become a vaccine powerhouse while investing so little."



As Chae mentioned, Korea's R&D spending in the bioindustry is very low. In its financial disclosure, Pfizer said its R&D spending for 2021 was at $13.829 billion, while Korean bioindustry companies' total biopharmaceutical R&D spending in 2020 was 1.4771 trillion won ($1.22 billion), according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's December 2021 data.




By John J. Metzler





Russia has suffered a stunning political setback from the United Nations as Vladimir Putin pursues his ruthless attack against Ukraine. The diplomatic rebuff came amid Moscow's widening military aggression on Ukraine, which has created widespread civilian casualties and triggered a tragic refugee exodus from the East European country.



In a rare emergency special session of the U.N. General Assembly, one of only 11 held since 1950, the organization's full 193-state membership weighed in on the Kremlin's war against Ukraine's territorial sovereignty and demanded an immediate halt to Russian military operations and a withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.



The vote tally on a tough resolution, "Aggression against Ukraine," was 141 to 5, with 35 abstentions. Though highly symbolic but not legally binding, the assembly vote stings Russia with the moral and political shame for its unprovoked invasion.



Backers of the resolution included the United States, Canada, all of Europe, and most of Latin America and Asia. Only four states backed Russia; Belarus, Syria, Eritrea and North Korea. Many of the usual suspects who can normally be relied upon to support Moscow in such a vote didn't, with China, Cuba, Nicaragua and Sudan among the 35 abstentions. Other abstentions included India, Pakistan and Iran.



Ukraine U.N. Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya stated regarding the Russian forces that "They have come to Ukrainian soil, not only to kill some of us ... they have come to deprive Ukraine of the very right to exist."



President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned, "Russia is aiming to erase Ukraine, its history and people."



However, the embattled president has by chance become the proud symbol of freedom and the fight for Ukraine. His words and, more importantly, his actions have galvanized his nation, and somewhat prepared it for this David versus Goliath confrontation.



Putin and his forces are carrying out war crimes with appalling Soviet-style ferocity to subjugate Ukraine. We are clearly facing real-time evil in Europe from a nuclear armed rogue regime.



Now Ukraine braces for the whirlwind of the Russian onslaught. Already Moscow's devastating attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilian targets constitute war crimes and should be referred to courts in The Hague.



The Irish Foreign Ministry added, "Along with 37 other concerned states, Ireland will now formally refer the situation in Ukraine to the International Criminal Court."



Moscow's military, it seems, may have miscalculated; the Russians expected a quick shock-and-awe blitzkrieg situation to unfold. This strategy however, fortunately failed to gain the momentum it needed it to. Ukrainian forces, many with prior combat experience from Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, have managed to stall and even halt the momentum of the attack, at least for now.



Sadly, despite Ukraine's predicament, Washington is well advised in keeping American troops out of the conflict as well as not implementing a no-fly zone over the disputed region.



More importantly, it seems, the Ukrainians have the will and the courage to fight in epic but uneven battles, not seen since Hungary in 1956.



Recalling the October 1956 Hungarian Revolution, the freedom fighters initially and surprisingly defeated Soviet garrison forces in the country.



Yet, their early exuberance soon turned bitter 10 days later, when, in early November, massive Soviet military forces streamed into Hungary from Ukraine. The Hungarians fought bravely, but the sheer numbers and brutality of the Russians broke their resistance and subdued a sullen land to Soviet communist rule.



Massive numbers of refugees fled and Hungary lost some of its most talented people.



Viewing the conflict from a humanitarian angle, already more than a million Ukrainian refugees and foreign nationals have fled from the intensifying war. Neighboring Poland, Hungary and Slovakia have helped ease this humanitarian wave of people with offers of food and shelter.



The U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned, "The brutal effects of the conflict are plain to see. But as bad as the situation is for the people of Ukraine right now, it threatens to get much, much worse. The ticking clock is a time bomb."



He's right. While Putin's invasion has united NATO and the Europeans as never before  in the modern era  its consequences confront Europe with serious security, humanitarian and energy supply questions, given its dangerous dependence on Russian energy.



While American and European economic sanctions have squeezed Russia's economy, why hasn't Moscow's lucrative energy sector been subject to embargoes? Moreover, why is the U.S. still now importing 710,000 barrels of oil per day from Russia?



Both disgust over the war and pain from the economic sanctions may slowly begin to take effect in Russia. Putin faces domestic discontent, discord and political rumblings. A Pyrrhic victory for Moscow in Ukraine may change Putin's fortunes in Russia itself. Darkness is descending.





John J. Metzler (jjmcolumn@earthlink.net) is a United Nations correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He is the author of "Divided Dynamism  The Diplomacy of Separated Nations: Germany, Korea, China."


POSCO International CEO Ju Si-bo, left, poses with Governor Khayrullo Bozarov of Fergana Region, after signing a memorandum of agreement to form cotton cluster in Uzbekistan, at POSCO International's headquarters in Incheon, Tuesday. Courtesy of POSCO International





By Kim Jae-heun







POSCO International, Korea's largest trading company, signed a memorandum of agreement with Governor Khayrullo Bozarov of Fergana in eastern Uzbekistan to establish a raw cotton cluster in the Central Asian country, the company said, Tuesday.







The cotton cluster refers to the Uzbek government's project to invite companies to cultivate the crop and establish a stable supply chain.







Uzbekistan is one of the world's top five cotton exporters with annual shipments totaling 3 million tons. POSCO International first established a spinning factory in Uzbekistan in 1996 and developed it into the largest cotton producing company there employing about 4,000 workers and generating $37 million in operating profit last year.







Bozarov is currently visiting Korea and met with POSCO International CEO Ju Si-bo to express his gratitude, while requesting investments in food manufacturing facilities and the construction of a business center in Uzbekistan.







"Central Asia is one of the company's strategic areas and we have been discovering hidden value there. Apart from simply processing raw cotton there, we plan to create a sustainable industrial ecosystem by managing the whole process from cultivation to the production of the finished products," Ju said.







POSCO International requested the Uzbek government's support to secure raw cotton plantations while revealing its blueprint to invest in building eco-friendly production lines and modernizing facilities there.







POSCO International has already confirmed a 5,000 hectare cultivation plot in Fergana and is working to secure 2,000 more hectares in Tashkent, the capital city. The company also plans to expand its raw cotton cultivation area to a total of 35,000 hectares by 2025 through the Uzbek cotton cluster project in western part of the country.


Gong cha store in Busan / Courtesy of Gong cha





By Kim Jae-heun







Global milk tea brand Gong cha has gone from strength to strength during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the total number of stores worldwide increasing by nearly 250, up 17 percent, in 2021 alone.







Having continued to rapidly expand its business over the last few years, Gong cha saw its total number of stores jump up from 1,415 at the end of 2020 to 1,661 by the end of 2021.







Gong cha Korea was at the forefront of that global expansion last year, with the operation of 777 stores as of the end of 2021. Korea remains the leading Gong cha market worldwide and is at the forefront of the brand's innovation and international growth.







Gong cha Korea expects to continue its growth with the opening of an additional 87 stores this year.







By country, Gong cha significantly bolstered its presence in a number of key markets last year, including Australia, Japan, the Philippines, New York, and Mexico.







Gong cha Australia entered the 100 club last year, ending the year with 118 stores across the country. The Australian division looks to open an additional 17 stores this year.







Gong cha Japan achieved the same feat, jumping up from 90 stores at the end of 2020 to 113 stores by the end of 2021.







Expansion is set to continue in the Philippines too, where 34 stores will open this year, to take the total from 163 at the end of 2021 to 197 by the end of this year.







"Gong cha Philippines continues to remain focused on continuing store expansion despite the challenges of COVID-19," Gong cha Philippines Master Franchisee Andrew Ong said. "Because of the quality, taste, good service, and multiple varieties of drinks to choose from, Gong cha makes its presence in almost all top locations in the Philippines."







After opening 23 new stores in 2021, New York Master Franchisee Anchal Lamba is expecting to open 25 more stores in 2022. The new additions will increase the number of Gong cha stores in New York to 101, making it the fifth territory in which Gong cha has broken through the 100-store mark.







Gong cha Mexico also started 2022 on a strong note after increasing the number of stores there from just four to 26 last year. By the end of 2022, Gong cha Mexico expects to open 51 stores, almost double the current number.







According to Master Franchisee Cristina Soto, Gong cha's success in Mexico is attributed to the loyal market that the brand was able to establish in the tea-loving country.










A North Korea flag flutters next to concertina wire at the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia March 9, 2017. Reuters-Yonhap





The United States and 10 other countries bemoaned Monday the failure of the United Nations Security Council to condemn repeated missile launches conducted by North Korea this year, saying it eroded the credibility both of the council and the global non- proliferation regime.







U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda-Thomas Greenfield said 11 missile tests this year by the North had violated multiple U.N. Security Council Resolutions.







"While the DPRK escalates its destabilizing actions, the Security Council continues to remain silent," she said in reading a joint statement by the 11 countries after a closed Security Council session that included discussion of North Korea's latest launch at the weekend.







"Each ballistic missile launch that results in inaction by the council erodes the credibility of the U.N. Security Council itself in addressing the DPRK and undermines the global non- proliferation regime," she added, referring to North Korea by the initials of its official name,







Thomas-Greenfield reiterated that Washington remained committed to seeking "serious and sustained" diplomacy with North Korea but Pyongyang had opted instead for an "increasingly escalatory series of ballistic missile launches in total violation of international law."







"We stand ready to collaborate and determine a mutually agreeable approach with other council members to address the DPRK's provocations," she said.







The United States was joined in the statement by Albania, Australia, Brazil, France, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Korea, and Britain.







Neither Russia nor China, which is North Korea's main ally, endorsed the statement.







The United Arab Emirates did not join the countries in issuing the statement, although it backed a similar joint statement last month.







A spokesman for the UAE mission to the United Nations said this was because it was the Security Council president this month.







"We did not join this month because we are respecting the neutrality and impartiality of the office of the President," Shahad Matar said. "Following our Presidency, we will return to joining statements and stakeouts with other Council Members whenever they are in line with our national position."







China has said repeatedly that the key to solving the issue of North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear programs is in the hands of Washington, which should show "more sincerity and flexibility" if it wants a breakthrough.







Regional military authorities reported the launch of a ballistic missile by North Korea, Saturday, the second by the nuclear-armed country in a week. On Sunday, the North called it "another important" test for reconnaissance satellite systems.







The repeated launches have raised fears that Pyongyang may be preparing to conduct a major weapons test in the coming months.







Amid stalled denuclearization talks, North Korea has suggested it could resume testing nuclear weapons or intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) for the first time since 2017.







In Vienna, the chief of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, drew attention Monday to activity at suspected North Korean nuclear fuel enrichment plants.







Grossi said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had continued to observe construction activity at North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear site, including an annex to the reported Centrifuge Enrichment Facility there. It said the purpose of the annex had yet to be determined. (Reuters)


Garrett, IN (46738)

Today

Cloudy with a few showers. Low near 45F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

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Cloudy with a few showers. Low near 45F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Angola, IN (46703)

Today

A few showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low 44F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

A few showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low 44F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
A Northwest Indiana lawmaker is laying the groundwork for next year's General Assembly to tackle a variety of issues relating to county veteran service officers and education support professionals.

At first glance, the two groups don't seem to have much in common.

But state Sen. Rodney Pol, D-Chesterton, believes both play an essential, and often overlooked, role in getting key Hoosiers the services they need, whether military veterans or Indiana school children.

Pol recently won unanimous approval for Senate Resolution 38 urging the Legislative Council to assign a House-Senate study committee to examine the qualifications, training, certification and available workforce for local veteran service officers, including the prospect of creating multi-county offices.

Meanwhile, Pol's Senate Resolution 41 calls for a study of the wage levels, benefits, individuals employed, vacancies, daily and weekly hours and scope of responsibilities for education support professionals, such as bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodians, clerks, administrative services and skilled trades working in Indiana schools.

"I am thankful for the bipartisan support of my colleagues on these two important resolutions," Pol said.

"Veterans are often trained to be tough and resist what they perceive as 'handouts.' We are seeking ways to help our county veteran service officers be more accessible, build more trust and credibility and to be more effective and efficient," he continued.

"Likewise, school staff plays an important role in our kids education and the operation of our schools. Having the necessary bus drivers and school support staff is crucial to ensuring we dont have to go to virtual days. Our students should be in school, in person whenever possible. That's only possible with sufficient support staff."

The Legislative Council will decide in May which subjects to assign for review by House-Senate study committees during the summer and fall.

Study committee findings often serve as the basis for proposed new laws at the General Assembly's next annual session.

Hoosiers living in Senate District 4, which includes northern Porter County and western LaPorte County, can directly give Pol feedback on these issues, or any others pending at the Statehouse, during a town hall meeting scheduled for 10-11 a.m. Saturday in the Blue Spruce meeting room at Woodland Park, 2100 Willowcreek Road, Portage.
Auburn, IN (46706)

Today

Showers this evening becoming less numerous overnight. Low around 45F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Showers this evening becoming less numerous overnight. Low around 45F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Want to know how wealthy Red Velvet's "CF Queen," Irene is? Then keep on reading!

Irene Net Worth 2022

Irene is Red Velvet's dependable leader, main rapper, lead dancer, sub vocalist, visual and center! With her stunning visuals and star aura, Irene is known as one of K-pop's "CF Queens," bagging several commercial and advertisement deals in her career. She is one of the most popular female K-pop idols in the industry.

According to NetWorthSpot.Com, Red Velvet has a net worth of $8.06 million. Though that is their net worth as a group, the members have different individual net worths. This is due to their solo activities, such as endorsements, acting gigs and CF deals.

According to AffairPost.Com, Irene has a net worth of $4 million. Though her net worth is definitely impressive, she is not the wealthiest member of the group. The richest member is actually Joy, followed by Irene, then Seulgi, Wendy and Yeri.

Curious to know how Irene amassed her net worth? Then keep on reading!

How Did Red Velvet Irene Earn Her Large Net Worth?

In February 2021, the film "Double Patty" was released. Irene played the leading lady in Lee Hyun Ji, an aspiring anchor in the movie. In line with her role in the film, Irene released "A White Night" as the official OST. This is Irene's first solo release.

On September 17, 2020, Irene was announced as the new ambassador of Italian fashion house Prada. Before that, Irene was the face of the fashion brand Miu Miu in 2019. She attended Paris Fashion Week in March 2019, appearing at Miu Miu's AW19 show.

In March 2020, Irene became the ambassador of the mid-range beauty brand Clinique. She was the face of the brand's Asia Pacific branches.

In February 2019, Irene became the face of the Italian luxury jewelry brand Damiana. She was the brand's first Asian muse.

In February 2018, Irene was the model of the contact lens brand Cooper Vision. That same month, she became the exclusive model for Hazzy's Accessories. Then, in May 2018, she modeled for LEMONA Vitamin C and was dubbed the "Human Vitamin."

ALSO READ: Red Velvet Irene Sparks Concern After Appearing to Lose Weight

In August 2018, she modeled for EIDER. In November, she and Wendy became official endorsers for Dongwon Yangban Rice porridge. In December, she was selected as the face of Hite Jinro Chamisul.

In January 2017, Irene was the brand model for Nuovo Shoes. In August of that year, she was selected as the promotional model for MMORPG Age of Ring. She was also named the official endorser for the Hyundai Auto Advantage Program.

In 2016, she was the endorser of Maxwell House. In 2015, she, along with EXO, was the model for Ivy Club. In 2014, Irene and Seulgi were the models for Swarovski Braveles.

Before her debut, Irene modeled for Nike Women and Burberry Heritage Trench.

Together with her work with Red Velvet, these activities helped share Irene's net worth to what it is today!

For more K-Pop updates, always keep your tabs open here on KpopStarz.

KpopStarz owns this article.

Written by Alexa Lewis
Law enforcement agencies across the state of Idaho are reporting an increase in drug and drug trafficking cases, particularly when it comes to cases involving fentanyl. Read more
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Libyan officials as well as regional and international organisations on on Tuesday paid tribute to Libyan women for their pioneering role in the society as the North African country marked International Women's Day
BP's Na Kika platform in the Gulf of Mexico, about 140 miles south of New Orleans. Though President Joe Biden announced Tuesday the U.S. would ban oil imports from Russia amid the countrys invasion of Ukraine, the decision should have little effect on Louisiana producers near-term drilling choices or the price of oil in the long term as the conflict drags on, an LSU energy expert said Tuesday. (Photo submitted by BP via The Advocate)
New York, US (PANA) - South Sudans unity government marked its two-year anniversary against a backdrop of stalled constitutional progress and ongoing cycles of community violence  often fuelled by political groups and armed militias, the senior UN official in the country told the Security Council on Monday
BILLINGS, Mont. - A Billings doctor is going to Poland for 10 days to help provide medical care for a refugee camp as part of Crisis Response International.

"My heart is breaking for people of Ukraine, for what's going on right now," Dr. Olga Lutsyk of St. Vincent Healthcare said. "For my homeland being ruined and burned."

Dr. Lutsyk will bring basic medical supplies with her, including medication, antibiotics and ultrasound equipment.

Executive Director of the St. Vincent Healthcare Foundation Tyler Wiltgen said they are doing everything they can to support Dr. Lutsyk's mission.

"We've been working all weekend to get donations from the hospital's supplies," Wiltgen said. "We put together two pallets to send over of medical supplies. And we'll be working throughout the week to send more."

Dr. Lutsyk was a refugee herself when she was in high school.

"I'm at peace," she said. "I know that God was preparing me for this time. I came to United States as religious refugee in 1993. I came because, as a Christian Ukraine, I was not even allowed to finish high school."

Dr. Lutsyk said she has family members in Ukraine right now:

"I have a lot of family in Ukraine. I have family living in Western Ukraine. And I have family living in Eastern Ukraine: my aunts, my cousins, my great-nieces and my great-nephews."

She said she wasn't able to talk to some of her family members for about a week.

"I was able to hear from them seven days later after war started," Dr. Lutsyk said. "They were basically in the cellar. Their house was totally ruined, bombed. So, they were hiding in the cellar for seven days. So, they came out on Day 8 and that is how they let us know they were alive. They sent me a message through Facebook, saying, 'We are alive. We are hiding in cellar. Our house is gone.'"

Dr. Lutsyk's faith is helping her.

"It's very emotional, but on the other hand, I see God's hands in protecting people. We have many testimonies about the power of prayers."

If you want to help, you can make a donation to svfoundation.org. Please note on your donation that it's for the medical mission to Ukraine.
HELENA, Mont. - A solution to help retain and recruit teachers in Montana through the TEACH Act has allocated approximately $2.5 million during the 67th Legislative Session.

The Office of Public Instruction (OPI) released initial data on the TEACH Act, which is a solution to incentivize and boost competitive pay for teachers who are starting their career.

A release from OPI said Montana will pay up to $3,472 per teacher per year during their first three years teaching. The pay raise is measured through the school funding formula component based on MCA 20-9-306.

The statistics gathered this school year will cover the cost of teachers next year, according to OPI.

Montana is among one of the states with the lowest annual starting salary for teachers at $35,000.

As a teacher myself, Montana state superintendent Elsie Arntzen said in the release, I am grateful that the legislature has recognized the need for incentivizing salaries for beginning teachers. Students and families deserve a quality teacher in every classroom for learning to be successful. Montana must look at all solutions.

There are 94 school districts in 33 counties that are participating in the program.

"In 2021, 1,646 new teachers were licensed in Montana. The data reflects that 451 teacher salaries may be supplemented by the TEACH Act beginning the school year of 2022-2023," OPI's release said.
MONTANA - Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester released statements in response to President Joe Biden's announcement Tuesday banning Russian oil imports due to the Ukraine war.

Great, Daines said in a release from his office. Now instead of looking to Iran and Venezuela for oilwork with American producers and unleash American energy production!

"I appreciate President Biden working with our bipartisan coalition to ban imports of Russian oil and gas. This will weaken Putin's regime," Tester posted on Twitter. "Now we've got to increase domestic production and strengthen our energy independence so we can get working families some relief at the pump."
UPDATE, MARCH 11 AT 1:01 PM:

Michael Bigelow was arranged in Yellowstone County Friday morning and is pleading not guilty to all charges.

His bond has been set at $125,000 and will be required to be monitored via GPS.

Bigelow has been ordered to have no contact with his mother or any animals.

MONTANA - After more than a dozen dogs were found dead at one property in Yellowstone County, a man is facing four felonies and multiple misdemeanors related to animal cruelty.

Court documents say an Animal Control Officer responded to the 700 block of Bender road on Thursday, March 3rd, for a report of a loose dog in the area. When the officers arrived, the complainant told the officer that three large Great Pyrenees dogs were harassing her horses and it was not the first time this had happened. She told the officer she believed the dogs belonged to the property across the street.

Documents says the officer was familiar with the property after responding to an animal welfare call at the residence earlier this year.

The officer entered the property and looked for someone to talk to about the loose dogs. As she looked, documents say the officer saw a number of dead dogs, a dead horse, litters of puppies, and adult dogs chained up in poor condition.

The officer met the defendant, Michael Bigelow, on the property and said she was there to discuss the dogs. After observing the man's condition, the ACO reported her observations to a detective who had her remove the suspect from the property while a search warrant was drafted.

Once the warrant was acquired, several members of the Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office, along with a consulting veterinarian, entered the property and began to execute the search warrant.

At least 16 dogs were found dead, most by gunshot wounds. Several dogs were found to be in poor physical condition, with little to no access to food or fresh water. Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter says they received 19 dogs from the one property.

The four felony charges Bigelow is facing are due to the location where the dogs were shot, which caused injury, suffering, and eventual death.

Charging documents say other animals were found on the property that were also in poor condition on the property, with one horse carcass on the property which the consulting vet said was likely a source of food for the loose dogs as it had been partially consumed.

Since his arrest, charging documents say the suspect has made several threats to law enforcement during calls to his mother, and has not expressed any concern for the animals.

The allegations can be read in full below:
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





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Before this past Christmas, I had to walk into the Lake Geneva Fire Department and have my wedding ring cut off. Even though Im happily marri
MILWAUKEE  A second Wisconsin prosecutor has declined to file charges against Wisconsin elections commissioners following requests from Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling.

The first, Racine County District Attorney Tricia Hanson, said it was not within her jurisdiction to charge the commissioners who waived a set of election laws regarding those in long-term care facilities amid the COVID-19 pandemic leading up to the 2020 presidential election. None of their actions occurred within Racine County, even if their decisions did have effects statewide.

The second to decline to press charges was the Milwaukee County District Attorneys Office.

In a Monday letter to Schmaling and RCSO Lt. Michael Luell, Assistant District Attorney Matthew Westphal said: The Milwaukee County District Attorneys Offices statutory mandate is limited to prosecuting crime. Upon a review of the facts and law, it has been determined that there is insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime was committed.

At this time, this office has no basis to issue criminal charges in this matter.

Background

The RSCO requested charges against five of the six appointees to the Wisconsin Elections Commission for their votes to waive the laws that say Special Voting Deputies shall be sent into nursing homes and other similar facilities to carry out absentee voting. Another law waived was a ban on nursing home staff members assisting residents with absentee voting.

Republican elections commissioner says 2020 election was both 'legal' and 'rigged' Wisconsin Elections Commissioner Bob Spindell believes Biden defeated Trump in a legally rigged election because of the legality of things like mail-in voting, ballot collection events and Kanye West's name not being on ballots.

The WEC does not have the authority to waive laws, leading to Schmaling and Luell requesting that charges be filed against five of the six commissioners.

Those the RCSO requested charges against were three Democratic appointees  Julie M. Glancey, Ann S. Jacobs and Mark L. Thomsen  and two Republican appointees  Dean Knudson and Marge Bostelmann.

One commissioner, Republican-appointee Bob Spindell, initially voted to waive the laws, but in subsequent balloting voted against the waiver. As such, the RCSO did not request charges against him.

The WEC has argued that in 2020, SVDs would likely have not been given access to nursing homes in order to carry out the vote due to COVID-19 protocols. As such, the measures they took were necessary, the commissioners argued.

Schmaling and Hanson are Republicans. Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm is a Democrat.

Six DAs now involved

After Hanson declined to file charges, the RCSO contacted the district attorneys of the home counties of each of those five commissioners, seeking the charges including misconduct in public office and election fraud as a party to a crime to be filed.

The Milwaukee County DAs decision to not file charges against those who live in Milwaukee County (Jacobs and Thomsen) is the first such decision made public.

Three other district attorneys  those of Sheboygan, Green Lake and St. Croix counties  have yet to publicly announce their decisions, if any have been made.

In a Tuesday morning email, St. Croix DA Karl Anderson, a Republican, said: I have not quite finished my review of everything.

Sheriff accepts, criticizes decision

The RCSO accepted the decision of the Milwaukee County DAs office to not press charges against the two WEC commissioners who reside in that county, but criticized the decision and the Milwaukee DAs office in a lengthy Facebook post and news release Monday evening.

The Milwaukee DAs decision, as the RCSO put it, found that ... the words shall and not are not mandatory and/or controlling in the interpretation of the statute, but merely directory and not mandatory. It should be noted that the first three cases cited in the support of the (Milwaukee) DAs Office are from rarely referenced cases from 1955, 1966, and 1974.

Those were not the only cases cited by the Milwaukee DAs Office. At least three other cases also were referenced, from from 2001, 2004 and 2010.

Despite the long history of the Milwaukee DAs Office no-charging or under charging criminal cases, the RCSOs statement continued, the Sheriffs Office is appreciative that they had an ADA review the reports.

The post continued by taking a written swipe at Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat who has declined to launch a statewide investigation at the request of the RCSO following the investigation in Mount Pleasant. The Racine County Sheriffs Office further appreciates the review of the Milwaukee DAs Office, at least, unlike AG Kaul/the Department of Justice/and the Division of Criminal Investigation (which includes the Elder Abuse Unit), that Milwaukee DAs Office accepted Racines investigative reports, reviewed the reports and rendered a decision.

Kaul previously called the RCSO investigation a publicity stunt ... a transparently political effort and an abuse of authority.

Reasoning

It  seems clear that, in providing guidance regarding SVDs, the WEC was exercising a discretionary power of office, as the WEC is statutorily authorized to provide guidance and advisory opinions in the administration of elections, the letter from the Milwaukee DA stated.

Among the reasons cited in the letter Monday for charges to not be filed was that it must be noted that the overarching purpose of the election laws is to give effect to the will of the electors. The letter described the laws surrounding SVDs as directory statutes that do not require mandatory compliance.

Westphal later quoted from a 2001 court decision, which said (the courts have) consistently sought to preserve the will of the electors by construing election provisions as directory if there has been substantial compliance with their terms.

As such, Westphal argued, the RCSOs strict reading of the law is inappropriate when faced with how it may have been impossible or at least more difficult for those in nursing homes to vote had the SVD law not been ignored.

Allowing seniors to vote is not a crime, Thomsen said in a tweet Monday.

The letter continued, calling into question the thoroughness of Luells investigative work, which Schmaling has repeatedly defended, at the Ridgewood Care Center in Mount Pleasant.

RCSO did not directly interview Ridgewood residents whom Luell and Schmaling asserted did not have the mental capacity to vote. Rather, the investigation relied on testimony from loved ones of those living in the nursing home. Schmaling repeatedly asserted it would be disrespectful to interview those who were reported to not be able to recognize their loved ones and were hallucinating.

The Milwaukee DAs letter said: Claims have been made that residents who did not request a ballot voted because someone requested a ballot on their behalf and voted on their behalf. There has been no evidence submitted that any of the individuals who received ballots did not request them.

There has been no evidence that someone voted on the behalf of one of the residents. There were interviews done with family members, where the family questioned the ability of their loved one to request a ballot and vote. The familys belief about the residents competency to vote is not the same as a competency determination by a court that the person is disqualified from voting.

The assessment of a layperson, even where that person is close family, is not the equivalent of an adjudication by a court that a person is incompetent. Absent such a court adjudication, a familys concerns about an individuals ability to vote would not disqualify that person from requesting a ballot and voting.

Further, none of the individual electors were interviewed to determine whether they did request a ballot or request someone do so on their behalf. Regardless, the WEC had no role in requesting ballots or voting on behalf of residents. The specific WEC guidance to clerk (sic) was that ballots should only issue to those who request one. There is no evidence they conspired or encouraged anyone to improperly request or submit a ballot.

Reacting to the news Monday, Jacobs tweeted that the Milwaukee DAs letter is an incredibly thorough analysis and debunks the false claims of the Racine Sheriff & (Michael) Gableman. Simply put  there was no crime whatsoever.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Frank Broz has officially announced that his restaurant is now offering pizza, along with a number of other fun changes.

Broz installed a Clock Tower Pizza Home of Franks sign to the outside of his restaurant in early February to reflect the restaurants name change and pizza offerings. The restaurant, 272 Broad St. in Lake Geneva, previously was known as Franks Original.

The name change and pizza items took effect in August 2020, but Broz said he wanted to wait awhile before making those changes official.

We were a little reluctant to make big changes too fast, because we didnt want to scare away the existing customer base, Broz said. We werent exactly sure what to expect with the pizza. It was something we thought would be a good idea and would be a good fit, but you never really know until you get out there and give it a shot.

Broz said, so far, pizza has been a popular item among customers. The restaurant offers a regular 14-inch pizza, personal 8-inch pizza and several specialty pizzas.

You can have your normal mozzarella cheese, sausage and pepperoni pizza. Those are always going to be popular, Broz said. We can do off-the-wall things, too, like pineapple, black olives and different kinds of meats.

Clock Tower Pizza also features several Franks Original items including burgers, hot dogs, Italian sausage, gyros, Italian beef sandwiches, French fries, onion rings and cheese curds.

Thats still the bulk of our business, Broz said. Weve created a good reputation around town.

Broz said some of the menu items are a combination of each other. For example, the restaurant offers smash burger, hot dog, Italian beef and gyro pizzas, and some of the pizza toppings can be included in the burgers, hot dogs and sandwich items.

Were in a cool situation, because we can put pizza toppings on some of our burgers and hot dogs, then we can do the burgers and hot dogs and that kind of stuff on a pizza, Broz said. So theres a synergy between the old menu and the new.

Broz operated the restaurant with Nicolas Carone when it first opened for business, then Carone asked Broz if he wanted to purchase his half of the business in July 2020. Broz currently operates the restaurant with his wife, Cathy Broz.

The rest is kind of history, Broz said. Nick did a good job laying the groundwork, then weve been able to build on that on our own time at the helm here.

Before operating a restaurant, Broz worked in the food flavor industry for about 15 years, selling flavors to industrial food manufacturers. Broz said, while working in the food flavor industry, he traveled throughout the country and was rarely home.

He said, since operating a restaurant, he has been able to spend more time with his family.

I would sell truckloads of this and truckloads of that, Broz said. With this business, its heres a burger or heres a pizza. Its really different.

Brownies recently were added to the restaurants menu. Broz said he plans to add more menu items in the future.

I have things in the works, but theyre not quite ready yet, Broz said. We will be rolling those out during the next three to four weeks.

Broz is in the process of redecorating the interior of the restaurant to feature a Back to the Future theme.

Were huge fans of the movie, and my DeLorean will be parked outside on the street once the weather finally gets better again, Broz said. Thats a good eye catcher. People get excited about that. We got all this memorabilia on the wall.

Clock Tower Pizza is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday; and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday.

For more information, visit www.clocktowerpizza.com.

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Tommy Thompson, the former Republican governor of Wisconsin from 1986 until 2001, spoke at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in front of a group of reporters, students and faculty on Monday afternoon, March 7.

It was a part of a farewell tour he began after announcing his resignation as the University of Wisconsin System President back in January of this year.

He took over as the University of Wisconsin System President on July 1, 2020. His final day in the role is scheduled to be Friday, March 18.

Im going around to all the campuses to say thank you to them for doing their teaching, providing education and the safety to our students by doing the vaccinations and the testing that I set up for all the campuses, Thompson said. Theyve all done that and we have been able to keep our campuses open. We have about 85% to 90% of students in-person.

Thompson admitted that the COVID-19 pandemic has been tough on everyone, but hes very pleased with leaving the position with schools in a lot better shape than when he came in.

As of now, on all our comprehensive campuses, we dont have one case of the virus, he said. Im leaving on a high note. I came in during a pandemic and Im leaving with no positive cases.

He said that when he came into the position as president, they were in lockdown and he wanted that to change.

I made the decision to open up on September 3, 2020, Thompson said. There was a lot of opposition to that, but I did it. I realized that I had to make sure that everyone was safe and healthy, so I set up a masking and testing program.

That program worked so well, according to Thompson, that the federal government asked him to expand that program of testing college students into the communities around the state.

Im happy to report they gave me up to $50 million dollars to do that and we were able to do testing in all the communities on our campuses, we did the vaccinations and everything has worked out very nicely, he said.

Thompsons favorite thing about being the UW System President was opening up the campuses and he has no regrets.

We were able to keep it open and keep it safe, he said. Having no cases (as of March 7) on any of our campuses is a record Im very proud of. I believe were moving forward. I have been able to change a lot of things for the betterment of the Universities. When I came in, there were at least five Universities who were in financial trouble. Im leaving with not one in financial trouble.

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New England ag officials and organizations are convening to find new markets for 89 dairies that are being dropped by Horizon Organic. The farms, in multiple states across the region, will lose their current market on Aug. 3, 2022.
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Weather Alert

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR ALL AREAS DUE TO STRONG WINDS, LOW HUMIDITY AND AN UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE... ...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM TO 9 PM MDT WEDNESDAY FOR THE NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS, NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL PLAINS, SANDIA, MANZANO AND GALLINAS MOUNTAINS, WEST CENTRAL HIGHLANDS, AND MIDDLE RIO GRANDE VALLEY DUE TO STRONG WINDS, LOW HUMIDITY, AND AN UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE... .Strong winds will continue through this evening with low humidity, above normal temperatures, and an unstable airmass. Meager mid level moisture may also initiate some virga showers over northwest NM and along the central mountain chain before sunset. Strong west to northwest winds will develop Wednesday, however cooler and more stable conditions are likely for the northwest while areas along and south of I-40 and along and east of I-25 remain warm, very dry, and unstable. Far northeast NM will see higher humidity Wednesday afternoon as a weak back door cold front sags into the area. ...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING... ...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM TO 9 PM MDT WEDNESDAY... * AREA AND TIMING...Northeast Highlands, Northeast and East Central Plains, Sandia, Manzano, and Gallinas Mountains as well as the West Central Highlands through 9 pm MDT today and again Wednesday from 10 am to 9 pm MDT. * 20 FOOT WINDS...South to southwest 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph today. For Wednesday, west to northwest 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...9 to 15 percent today and 6 to 12 percent Wednesday. * IMPACTS...Outdoor burning should not be done. Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Please advise the appropriate officials or fire crews in the field of this Red Flag Warning. &&

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR ALL AREAS DUE TO STRONG WINDS, LOW HUMIDITY AND AN UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE... ...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM TO 9 PM MDT WEDNESDAY FOR THE NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS, NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL PLAINS, SANDIA, MANZANO AND GALLINAS MOUNTAINS, WEST CENTRAL HIGHLANDS, AND MIDDLE RIO GRANDE VALLEY DUE TO STRONG WINDS, LOW HUMIDITY, AND AN UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE... .Strong winds will continue through this evening with low humidity, above normal temperatures, and an unstable airmass. Meager mid level moisture may also initiate some virga showers over northwest NM and along the central mountain chain before sunset. Strong west to northwest winds will develop Wednesday, however cooler and more stable conditions are likely for the northwest while areas along and south of I-40 and along and east of I-25 remain warm, very dry, and unstable. Far northeast NM will see higher humidity Wednesday afternoon as a weak back door cold front sags into the area. ...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING... ...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM TO 9 PM MDT WEDNESDAY... * AREA AND TIMING...Northeast Highlands, Northeast and East Central Plains, Sandia, Manzano, and Gallinas Mountains as well as the West Central Highlands through 9 pm MDT today and again Wednesday from 10 am to 9 pm MDT. * 20 FOOT WINDS...South to southwest 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph today. For Wednesday, west to northwest 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...9 to 15 percent today and 6 to 12 percent Wednesday. * IMPACTS...Outdoor burning should not be done. Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Please advise the appropriate officials or fire crews in the field of this Red Flag Warning. &&

...AIR QUALITY ALERT... The following message is transmitted at the request of the New Mexico Departments of Health and Environment. * WHAT...Southwest transport winds will carry smoke toward the northeast during the remainder of the daytime hours today before winds shift back from the west Wednesday. Lighter wind conditions and nighttime inversions tonight will focus the greatest overnight impacts close to and down-drainage of the large fires. * WHERE...Smoke will continue to significantly impact areas across much of southern Colfax, Los Alamos, Mora, southern Rio Arriba, Sandoval, San Miguel, Santa Fe, and Taos counties during the next 24 hours. This includes but is not limited to the following communities: Espanola, Kewa Pueblo, La Cueva, Las Vegas, Los Alamos, Mora, Ocate, Ohkay Owingeh, Pojoaque, Pueblo of Cochiti, Pueblo of San Felipe, Pueblo of Santa Clara, Pueblo of Santa Ana, Santa Fe, Sapello, Taos, Watrous and White Rock. * WHEN...Remainder of this afternoon through noon MDT Wednesday. * IMPACTS...Those with conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, interstitial lung disease, lung cancer, and heart disease will be especially vulnerable to impacts from poor air quality, as will adults over age 65, young children, and pregnant women if smoke concentrations become unhealthy. * HEALTH INFORMATION...Remember, your eyes are your best tools to determine if it is safe to be outside. Use the 5-3-1 Method available at https://nmtracking.org/environment/air/FireAndSmoke.html. If visibility is: Under 5 miles, the air quality is unhealthy for young children, adults over age 65, pregnant women, and people with heart and/or lung disease, asthma or other respiratory illness. Outdoor activity should be minimized. Around 3 miles, young children, adults over age 65, pregnant women, and people with heart and/or lung disease, asthma or other respiratory illness should avoid all outdoor activities. Around 1 mile, the air quality is unhealthy for everyone. People should remain indoors and avoid all outdoor activities including running errands. Unless an evacuation has been issued, stay inside your home, indoor workplace, or in a safe shelter. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic affecting New Mexico and with the wildfire season underway, New Mexicans will need to take extra precautions. Smoke from wildfires may cause people to have more severe reactions if they are infected COVID-19. The best way to protect against the potentially harmful effects of wildfire smoke and to reduce the spread of COVID-19 is to stay home and create a clean indoor air space. NMDOH offers tips here: https://nmtracking.org/environment/air/IndoorQuality.html and https://cv.nmhealth.org New Mexicans will also need to take steps to keep their homes cool to avoid heat-related illnesses. NMDOH offers tips here: https://nmtracking.org/health/heatstress/Heat.html. For smoke forecast outlooks from the Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program please visit: https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net.

...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING... * WHAT...South to southwest winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph expected. * WHERE...Central Highlands, Estancia Valley, Far Northeast Highlands, Johnson and Bartlett Mesas Including Raton Pass and Northeast Highlands. * WHEN...From 2 PM this afternoon to 9 PM MDT this evening. * IMPACTS...Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs may be blown down. Expect strong cross winds on area roadways along with areas of reduced visibilities in blowing dust. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Use extra caution. &&
Dubai [UAE], March 8 (ANI/NewsVoir): The Jewellery World Awards (JWA) awarded KGK Group Chairman Navrattan Kothari with the laureate of the Jewellery World Awards' highest honour, the Lifetime Achievement Award, for the year 2021 in Dubai by Ahmed Sultan Bin Sulayem who is an Executive Chairman of DMCC in the esteemed presence of industry stalwarts.

Kothari has been working persistently in the business since the 1960s, not only to raise the KGK Group but also to inspire excellence in the jewellery and gemstone sector. He is a pioneer in the sector, and his experience and knowledge have made a significant contribution.

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He is the one who is behind the expansion of his family's gemstone trading company into a worldwide conglomerate that encompasses the whole spectrum of mining, sourcing, production, distribution, and retailing of Color Gemstones, Diamonds, and Jewellery. KGK Group is also actively engaged in numerous philanthropic endeavours, assisting those in need in the community and helping uplift society. He is a firm believer in the power of morals and always stands by the same.

For him, giving back to society is dharma. He adapted the same as his way of life. Kothari donates and contributes to social causes as he believes that, "It's difficult to be born as a human being. If you are not able to help others, it's a sheer wastage of life." He also started Bhagwan Mahaveer Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Jaipur in 1996 as it was his lifelong mission to help as many people as possible.

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On this special occasion, Sanjay Kothari, Vice Chairman, KGK Group expressed himself, "Carrying forward this legacy is a huge responsibility but I feel proud and honoured to share the name with countless laurels attached to it. My father's zeal inspires all of us to achieve the benchmarks set by our ancestors. It was a very emotional moment for all of us to witness the history in making. We are determined to follow in his footsteps and taking the name to next level is our ambition."

Sandeep Kothari, Managing Director, KGK Group also said, "His legacy will be carried forward for generations. He lives by the saying "You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great", and this is now a part of our lives as well. We hope that this award will immortalize all his contributions to the community and the industry."

Navrattan Kothari has shone in every sphere of his life by constantly setting new benchmarks of success. "O, God! I am dedicating you whatever you have given to me" is one of the tenets of his life which is built upon scriptures. With a passion to be a perfectionist, he has embarked on an endless journey.

Navrattan Kothari also spoke after receiving this honour, "We constantly evolved ourselves and our business to transform the system in which business itself is conducted. Receiving recognition from JWA will surely be an actuator to move forward with greater determination and momentum, keeping the identified philosophy and goals in view. It further encourages us to remain conveners for progressive discussion and collaborators for winning partnerships, resulting in positive business as well as social and environmental impact at scale."

He further added, "Hereon we will continue to achieve responsible growth with a mission to stimulate sustainable development; leading to transformation and improvement in the lives of disadvantaged sections of society. Concurrently, our quest for excellence is incessant."

Kothari was honoured at the award ceremony held at JGT Dubai (Jewellery Gem Technology Dubai) followed by a gala dinner which was attended by the leaders of this industry. World's leading B2B Jewellery exhibitions organizer, Informa Markets Jewellery, and the Italian Exhibition Group SpA. (IEG) organized this spectacular event yesterday.

This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)

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Kochi (Kerala) [India], March 8 (ANI): The Kerala High Court dismissed the plea of accused Malayalam actor Dileep seeking suspension of further investigation into the 2017 Actress Assault Case.

A single bench of Justice Kauser Edappagath considered the plea.

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The court directed the investigation team to conclude the investigation by April 15.

In the plea, Dileep alleged, "Further probe was a willful attempt to protract the trial in that matter. A series of vindictive acts were being carried out by the police under the guise of the further probe. Further probe was not permissible as a final report had been filed in November 2017, charges were framed in January 2020 and only one prosecution witness remained to be examined."

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Dileep is the eighth accused in the 2017 Actress Assault Case. The case pertains that an actress who worked in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu films was allegedly abducted and molested inside her car by a group of men who had forced their way into the vehicle on the night of February 17, 2017. (ANI)

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Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], March 8 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday said that Congress leaders can blow the trumpet just for a few days since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would again be forming the government in the state.

Dhami slammed the Congress leaders for rejecting the predictions made by the exit polls which largely gave the state to the BJP.

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"Congress was nowhere in the contest in the elections. They had no issues to raise before the people. Now that the elections are over they can blow the trumpet till the results are out since the BJP will be celebrating victory on March 10," said Dhami.

Confident about the BJP's victory, Dhami quoted exit polls released by various agencies to back his claim.

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"Most exit polls have shown the BJP government again forming in Uttarakhand. Our actual numbers will be more than what has been projected by the exit polls, and the party will form a majority government... People have given the certificate of the work done by the BJP in the state," he said.

Further, extending wishes on the occasion of International Women's Day, Chief Minister said, "Women of Uttarakhand have contributed in every sector, be it state formation, or any other sphere."

"Women power leads... I extend my wishes to everyone on the occasion of International Women's Day," he added.

The exit polls on Monday predicted a close race in Uttarakhand, with many of them giving an edge to the BJP to form the government.

Some exit polls also predicted that Congress would finish ahead and could cross the halfway mark in the 70-member Assembly.

Polling in Uttrakhand took place on February 14 and the counting of votes will take place on March 10. (ANI)

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New Delhi, March 8: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to chair Union Cabinet meet on Wednesday.

The cabinet meeting comes amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and evacuations of Indian citizens via neighbouring countries. PM Narendra Modi Speaks to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Thanks Him For Help Extended by Ukrainian Government.

According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation on Monday, more than 17,400 Indians have been brought back under 'Operation Ganga' since special flights began on February 22 this year. The number of Indians airlifted by 73 special civilian flights have gone up to 15,206.

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New Delhi [India], March 8 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted time to the Centre till July to study the implication of induction and deployment of ex-National Defence Academy (NDA) women cadets in the Indian Armed Forces.

A bench of Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and MM Sundresh listed the matter for further hearing on July 19 and sought details of the study to be conducted.

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The apex court observed that social revolution does not come overnight and takes time, while also refusing to deal with the issue of reserving seats for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, and Other Backward Classes in the NDA at this stage.

"At present, we are not going to deal with the reservation of SC/ST or OBC at this stage but would only go into the issue of admissions of women in these education institutions which have been only for boys all along," the bench told an intervenor seeking reserve seats.

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The top court also took into note that the affidavit filed by the Centre yesterday which stated that induction of women cadets in NDA has been a major policy decision and it requires at least three months for deliberating implications in the long term for induction and deployment of ex-NDA women cadets in the Indian Armed Forces.

Centre has filed an affidavit in a PIL saying, "The induction of woman cadets in NDA has been a major policy decision. The respondents need sufficient time for deliberating implications in the long term for induction and deployment of ex-NDA women cadets in the Indian Armed Forces. It is, therefore, submitted that the respondents require at least three months additional time towards this."

The affidavit was filed pursuant to the Apex court's January 18 direction on a plea filed by advocate Kush Kalra about the data of the women who have appeared for the NDA-2021 examination and the number of women inducted.

In respect to the number of candidates who took the examination and how many women were successful, it is submitted that a total of 5,75,854 candidates applied for the exam and 3,57,197 candidates took the examination.

"A total of 8,009 candidates, including 1,002 women candidates passed the NDA written examination held during November 2021. The Service Selection Board (SSB) is scheduled with effect from March-April 2022," the affidavit stated.

In respect of the number of women to be inducted for 'NDA-II 2021' and 'NDA-I 2022, it is submitted that each course at NDA has 370 vacancies for the three services out of which 208 will get commissioned in the Indian Army, 120 cadets will get commissioned in the Indian Air Force (IAF) and 42 will get commissioned in the Indian Navy.

Centre, while justifying the number of women cadets for all three forces, said that in respect of the Army, the ratio is to ensure that there is a younger profile and mobility of officer cadre, borne out of its operational role and tasks in difficult areas.

Officers commissioned through NDA have a major component of combat Arms and Women officers are not being inducted in combat arms, added the affidavit.

The Centre said that the average intake in the last four years of women officers in the eight arms and services has been up to 15 per cent of the total cadre strength.

"The Indian Army since has been simultaneously engaged in a large number of operational challenges, especially on Northern Borders which have effected permanent changes in deployment and various other operational facets requiring in-depth analysis and extrapolated impacts in cadre management to include women officers operational employment," it added.

On January 18, the Supreme Court had sought response from the Centre regarding the intake of only 19 women candidates in the National Defence Academy and other military-run schools and colleges for the year 2022.

The Supreme Court had issued notice to the Centre after it was informed that 19 women candidates would be admitted in NDA out of total 370 seats. It had asked the Centre to make its stand clear on restricting the intake of women candidates in NDA to 19, the figure same as last year.

The apex court had asked the Central government to place the figures on record about the total number of candidates including women who have appeared in the NDA examination 2021, for entrance tests for Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) and for Rashtriya Military School (RMS).

Counsel appearing for the petitioner, Kush Kalra, had told the Bench that even for the 2021 examination, the intake of women candidates was limited to 19 for the Army, Navy and Airforce.

Though the Centre had undertaken before the top court to put in place the infrastructural requirements for women candidates by May 2022, it has limited the number of intake to 19 candidates for this year also, the apex court was told.

Last year the apex court had directed that female aspirants be allowed to appear in the NDA entrance examination. (ANI)

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Chandigarh, Mar 8 (PTI) The Haryana government on Tuesday presented a Rs 1.77-lakh-crore Budget for the financial year 2022-23 against the Rs 1.53-lakh-crore Budget in 2021-22.

While presenting the Budget in the state's Assembly, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar proposed no fresh tax.

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The Budget envisioned five developmental forces through the 'Vajra Model' for enhanced economic growth and human development, ease of living for citizens, lifting the poor and disadvantaged from all socioeconomic groups, leveraging productivity through increased adoption of technology accompanied by employment and entrepreneurship.

Among its focus areas are initiatives for women to boost infrastructure, agriculture and overall growth.

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"We have laid a special emphasis on increasing capital infrastructure investment to boost demand, which holds a key role in speedy economic revival with a multiplier effect," said Khattar during his two-and-a-half-hour speech while reading out the 68-page Budget document.

He announced the 'Sushma Swaraj Award' for women, named after the late BJP leader, for their significant contribution or achievements in different walks of life in national and international spheres.

Besides, Khattar, who also holds the finance portfolio, announced the Haryana Matrushakti Udyamita Scheme to provide support to women for becoming entrepreneurs.

Khattar, who presented his third Budget, said a tree census will be started in 2022-23 in the state to count each and every tree and geo-tag it.

Tablets will be provided to all students from Class 10-12 studying in government schools.

Khattar proposed a Budget of Rs 1,77,255.99 crore for the financial year 2022-23, a rise of 15.6 per cent over the Budget size of Rs 1,53,384 crore in 2021-22.

The Budget outlay comprises 34.4 per cent as capital expenditure at Rs 61,057.36 crore and 65.6 per cent as revenue expenditure at Rs 1,16,198.36 crore.

The debt liability is likely to go up to Rs 2,43,779 crore in the financial year 2022-23, from Rs 2,23,768 crore as of March 2022.

In Budget Estimates (BE) 2022-23, the total revenue receipts are projected to be at Rs 1,06,424.70 crore. They comprise tax revenues of Rs 73,727.50 crore, non-tax revenues of Rs 12,205.86 crore, share of central taxes of Rs 8,925.98 crore and a grant-in-aid of Rs 11,565.86 crore. Besides this, capital receipts are projected to be Rs 5,393.89 crore.

The fiscal deficit is estimated to be 2.99 per cent of GSDP in 2021-22 and for FY 2022-23, it is expected to be within the prescribed limit of 3.5 per cent by the 15th Finance Commission, at 2.98 per cent of GSDP as per BE for 2022-23.

Khattar proposed to further increase the capital expenditure to Rs 61,057.36 crore in FY 2022-23. The government has placed a major thrust on capital expenditure, he said.

Khattar said, "The Sushma Swaraj Award will carry a commendation with an award money of Rs 5 lakh."

"Today is International Women's Day. Today, we celebrate the social, economic, sports, cultural and political achievements of our Matrushakti.

"Late Sushma Swaraj, a daughter of Haryana, was an inspiration to all women in India," he said.

The chief minister said women from families whose annual income is less than Rs 5 lakh based on 'Parivar Pehchan Patra' (family ID) verified data and who wish to become entrepreneurs will be provided access to soft loans by financial institutions.

The loans will be to the extent of Rs 3 lakh, for which an interest subvention of seven per cent will be provided for three years through the Haryana Women Development Corporation, Khattar said.

The government has undertaken prudent fiscal measures to address the economic shock induced by the pandemic, said Khattar.

Khattar proposed to set up three dedicated funds.

The Climate and Sustainable Development Fund will undertake targeted activities, including solid and liquid waste management, controlling water and air pollution. The Research and Innovation Fund will promote scientific activity and scholarship in universities and the Venture Capital Fund will promote entrepreneurship and support youth in establishing start-ups.

In another initiative for women, Khattar said working women in large cities face a problem of safe and affordable housing and the government will establish Working Women Housing on land belonging to the government.

Such housing will be taken up for establishment in Faridabad, Gurugram and Panchkula in 2022-23 through the Sahbhagita scheme.

Three new government women's colleges will be established at Kudal and Chhapar in Bhiwani and Gannnaur in Sonipat.

The state government has set a target of setting up and supporting 10,000 self-help groups (SHGs) in 2022-23.

Allocating Rs 5,988.76 crore to agriculture and allied sectors, an increase of 27.7 per cent over FY 2021-22, Khattar proposed to initiate a new programme on natural farming under the existing scheme for the promotion of sustainable agriculture.

The benefit of minimum support declared by the Centre for maize sown in kharif will be extended for maize grown during the summer season.

A new programme has been proposed for crop diversification into orchards, vegetables and spices, specifically targeting paddy growing areas and other cereal crops.

On the environment, Khattar said the government proposes to identify 'hot spots' prone to air pollution in every district and to make necessary interventions to convert them into 'green spots'.

In addition to the existing 29 continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations in the state, 100 air quality monitoring stations across the state will be installed to monitor the air quality as well as to spread awareness among the public.

A new award will be started in the name of prominent environmentalist of Haryana, late Darshan Lal Jain, for recognising excellence in efforts towards environment conservation and promotion. HRS hrs

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Karachi, Mar 8 (PTI) At least three persons were killed and nearly 30 others injured on Tuesday in a blast in Sibi district of Pakistan's troubled southwestern Balochistan province, police said.

The medical superintendent of the district hospital of Sibi confirmed that three bodies were shifted to the medical facility after the explosion near Thandi Sarak in Sibi district, Geo News reported.

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Police said that 29 injured were rushed to the district hospital.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

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Balochistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, is home to a long-running violent insurgency. Baloch insurgent groups have previously carried out several attacks targeting the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects and security personnel in the region.

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo strongly condemned the attack and directed authorities to provide the best possible medical treatment to those injured in the explosion. PTI

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Iowa, Mar 9 (AP) Authorities arrested six teenagers, including a 14-year-old, in a shooting outside a school that killed a 15-year-old boy and seriously wounded two teenage girls, Des Moines has police said.

The suspects are each charged with first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder in the Monday afternoon shooting on the grounds of East High School, near Des Moines' downtown, about a half-mile (0.8 kilometers) from the Capitol. Police said gunshots fired outside the school came from several shooters from multiple vehicles.

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Police on Tuesday named the suspects as Octavio Lopez, 17; Henry Valladares-Amaya, 17; Manuel Buezo, 16; Romero Perdomo, 16; Alex Perdomo, 15; and Nyang Chamdual, 14. All are from Des Moines and the school district didn't identify any as attending East.

Police identified the 15-year-old killed as Jose David Lopez, of Des Moines.

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Lopez, who was not a student at the school, was the intended target of the drive-by shooting, police said. The other two shot were females aged 16 and 18, who both attend East, and were simply bystanders caught in the shooting, police said. Police had not released the surviving victims' names by Tuesday afternoon.

Police said the 16-year-old girl remained hospitalized Tuesday in serious condition, while the 18-year-old remained hospitalized in critical condition.

"While this incident occurred outside of a school, it could have occurred in any one of our neighbourhoods," police said. "The school is where the suspects found their target."

Police said search warrants were conducted at five Des Moines homes and six vehicles in the hours after the shooting. Investigators seized six guns during those searches, police said.

On the day of the shooting, calls started pouring in around 2:50 pm Monday, shortly before classes were scheduled to dismiss for the day, police spokesman, Sgt. Paul Parizek said.

The district said in a news release that the school was immediately put into lockdown and students were kept inside while police investigated. They were dismissed around 3:30 pm after law enforcement gave an all clear.

Principal Jill Versteeg described what happened as "everyone's worst nightmare" and urged parents to "hug your students and love them".

Officials had already suspended classes district-wide Tuesday so juniors could take the ACT college admissions test. The ACT exams and parent-teacher conferences were cancelled Tuesday at East High School. The district also was making grief counsellors available.

Superintendent Thomas Ahart said school shootings have "become too common" and said that "real change to gun laws and access would go a long way to help us".

"Our staff and students," he said, "are forced to train for these incidents and the trauma associated with the repeated drills and incidents will remain with them for years to come. It's unfortunate that our state and our country have become a place where firearms are far too easily accessible."

Police said they do not believe there is a continued threat to the public. A motive was not immediately known. Authorities have recovered shell casings from the scene as they investigate what happened.

Des Moines Police Chief Dana Wingert went to the school after the shooting and expressed frustration at the violence.

"Unfortunately what happened here today was just another pointless tragedy in our community," Wingert told TV station WOI-TV. "People using firearms to settle their differences."

Police said it was the fourth homicide in Des Moines this year. (AP)

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Taipei [Taiwan], March 8 (ANI): Prime Minister John Briceno of Belize will visit Taiwan for five days starting Tuesday to enhance bilateral ties between Taiwan and Caribbean ally.

Belize is one of the 14 diplomatic allies Taiwan has around the world. The two countries have maintained official diplomatic ties since 1989, reported Focus Taiwan.

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Briceno during the visit to Taiwan will be honoured by President Tsai Ing-wen, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a statement Monday.

Tsai will welcome Briceno and his delegation with a military salute and then confer on the Prime Minister the Order of Propitious Clouds with Special Grand Cordon for his role in enhancing ties between Taiwan and its Caribbean ally, the statement said.

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The visit will be Briceno's first trip to Taiwan in 16 years and the first time he visits the country as prime minister, a post he took up in November 2020, it said.

Briceno will also meet with Vice President Lai Ching-te, and the two will head together to Tainan, where Briceno will receive an honorary doctorate from Tainan-based Kun Shan University, reported Focus Taiwan.

Lai and Briceno last met in January when they were in Honduras for the inauguration of President Xiomara Castro.

During his five-day trip, Briceno will also meet with Premier Su Tseng-chang, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu and participate in a Belize business opportunity forum and meet with Belizean students in Taiwan, according to MOFA. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Hong Kong, March 8: Amidst the gravity of bitter fighting in Ukraine as President Vladimir Putin prosecutes his invasion, China announced its defence budget for 2022 on the opening day of its fifth annual session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC). Usually these annual announcements of Chinese military spending grab headlines, but in 2022 the 7.1 per cent rise in Beijing's defence expenditure is overshadowed by war in Europe.

In monetary terms, China's 2022 defence spending is CNY1.45045 trillion (USD229.39 billion). Indeed, the budget revealed on 5 March confirms a continuing rebound in expenditure. Last year, China increased spending by 6.8 per cent to CNY1.355 trillion (USD209.4 billion). Also Read | Russia-Ukraine War: At Least 13 Ukrainian Civilians Killed in Airstrike on Bread Factory in Kyiv, Says State Emergency Service.

The overall increase of approximately USD20 billion this year is actually the largest ever (the second largest was USD13.4 billion in 2021, and the largest was USD13.6 billion in 2014).

Two years ago, China approved just a 6.6 per cent increase in defence spending, which represented a dip due to the onset of COVID-19. In preceding years, the budget had risen 7.5 per cent (2019) and 8.1 per cent (2018) annually.

Furthermore, this is the seventh year in a row where the defence budget has risen in only single-digit percentages, underscoring that the halcyon days of double-digit growth are long gone.

The pretty consistent year-to-year gains for defence expenditure also underscore that the PLA is at heart a political entity. Threat perceptions may change over time, but China continues to prioritize spending on the People's Liberation Army (PLA) no matter what reason it ascribes to the growth.

Typically it paints a narrative that China is merely reacting to events around it, rather than the fact that Chinese spending isringing alarm bells across the world.

Anonymous "analysts" quoted by China's parochial Global Times said the budget was "steady and reasonable at a time when China needs to modernize its military capabilities to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity amid severe external threats and an unstable security environment".

Chinese commentators also quoted "provocative" US actions such as sailing warships - entirely legally, it must be added - through the Taiwan Strait or South China Sea. The border stand-off with India has not been solved either, even after nearly two years, and this requires money to sustain.

Chinese analysts asserted that, despite "military threats posed by the US and others, China is not interested in joining an arms race, and the country's defence policy is defensive in nature".

Such an argument is not sustainable, however. Putting it in perspective, this year's USD20 billion lump-sum increase eclipses Taiwan's total defence budget of USD15.4 billion. To compare further, current Chinese spending is greater than that of India (USD64.8 billion), Japan (USD55 billion), Russia (USD66.8 billion), South Korea (USD48 billion) and Taiwan combined.

In future, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will expect more from the PLA in terms of military capabilities, so it can maintain pressure on neighbours like India, South China Sea claimants and the USA. Chinese leaders affirm they are willing to use violence to maintain (i.e. extend) their territory, so the PLA must be a credible tool and deterrent. The PLA must be ready to achieve the CCP's political objectives,plus it will demand ever greater political loyalty and commitment.There is a stark difference between the PLA and the quality of confused Russian conscripts who now find themselves in Ukraine. It is drummed into the PLA that they must serve Xi Jinping, the CCP and nation.

With such strong ideological indoctrination, there will be no hesitation among Chinese soldiers if ordered to attackTaiwan, for example.

Incidentally, Chinese central government spending on public security will increase 4.7 per cent to CNY194.993 billion in 2022. However, this figure does not incorporate considerable provincial spending on public security and policing. If regional spending is included, the internal-security budget would overtake total PLA spending.The defence budget is yet to be approved by Chinese lawmakers, but this will be a mere formality for a rubber-stamp Congress that has no real power.

China possesses the second-highest defence budget in the world behind the USA, though Beijing still spends less than a third of what the USA does. President Joe Biden is seeking a budget of some USD770 billion for the forthcoming fiscal year. In fact, the USA spends more than the rest of the ten highest countries combined, which is a sign that the USA remains the only true superpower.

Of course, it is difficult to directly compare China and the USA. The PLA benefits from a non-market economy, where equipment is cheaper and the military has greater purchasing power than in competitive markets like the USA. Consider that the USA also deploys troops and assets globally, whereas China's primarily remain at home.

Shrouded in secrecy, China gave no details as to how money will be allocated. It is estimated that approximately 40 per cent goes on equipment, both new material and to sustain existing inventories.

Total secrecy makes it impossible to accurately guess what China's actual defence budget is. Many areas such as China's space program, extra-budgetary revenues from military-owned commercial enterprises, defence mobilization funds and provincial military base operating costs are not reported in its defence budget.

Supplemental funding like military pensions and benefits, civilian/dual-use research and development, and Central Military Commission responsibilities like the People's Armed Police and China Coast Guard are not part of the defence budget either. Both the latter paramilitary organizations would support the PLA in time of war.

Foreign analysts agree that the true budget is much higher than the declared amount, though there is debate as to how much. Some estimate the real budget is 25 per cent more than claimed, while others argue it could be nearly 40 per cent. Undoubtedly, the difference between Chinese and American spending is a lot less than appears on paper.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict had no bearing on China's budget, for it was drafted before Putin invaded Ukraine. In fact, China's financial year starts on 1 January, so the defence budget was decided well in advance of the NPC session.

Beijing stated in its Government Work Report: "In 2021, China made major strides in strengthening national defence and the armed forces, getting off to a good start in this endeavor in the 14th Five-Year Plan period, and in 2022, China will work toward the goals for the centenary of the PLA in 2027, enhance military training and combat readiness, stay firm and flexible in carrying out military struggle, and safeguardChina's sovereignty, security and development interests."

That work report added that the PLA would move faster to modernize military logistics and asset management systems; build a modern weaponry and equipment management system; continue to reform national defence and the military; step up innovations in defence science and technology; implement a strategy of strengthening the military by training competent personnel in the new era; run the military inaccordance with the law and strict discipline; promote high-quality development of the military; and improve the layout of defence science, technology and industry.

Fruit to be seen this year will be the launch of the PLA Navy's next-generation aircraft carrier, the Type 003, currently under construction. It differs from two in- service carriers in that it dispenses with a ski jump ramp and instead uses catapults to launch aircraft. Other 2022 priorities are increased production of J-20 stealth fighters and modernization of the PLA Rocket Force's nuclear arsenal.

The PLA and its political masters will be watching the war in Ukraine with acute attention. Just as China carefully studied lessons from two US-led wars against Iraq in 1990-91 and 2003, so too for years it will be combing over the results of this bitter war between two near-peer adversaries.

Xi already looked down on Russia for the way communism succumbed and crumbled there. The CCP will probably view with disdain the Russian military and how it has atrophied through low morale, lack of political purpose and under investment. On paper, the Russian armed forces look strong, but in fact the military's capability has been somewhat hollowed out.

CCP buzzwords are mechanization, informationization and intelligentization, three prongs of the PLA's modernization as it seeks to dominate the digital, cyber and networked world of military operations. These are some of the areas where Russia is falling down, particularly in terms of joint warfare. The latter is a priority for the PLA, even if it still has a long way to go to coordinate land, sea and air forces into a coherent and integrated force.

In other lessons, Russian logistics have performed poorly, with vehicles bogging down off main roads, supply columns ambushed and vehicles running out of fuel.

This is despite the fact that the Russian Army was able to launch its invasion by simply driving across land borders. This is far different for China in any operation against Taiwan, where the 180km-wide Taiwan Strait must first be crossed by air or water.

Poor use of Russian airborne troops has ended in ignominious defeats, which will be another lesson closely observed by the PLA. Russia is yet to launch a concerted amphibious invasion, something that China will be keen to observe, even if it comes at steep Russian expense.

Putin's choice of strategy will also be questioned. He did not set the prerequisite political and social conditions for an invasion of Ukraine, as evinced by mass protests by the Russian populace. China certainly will not make that mistake, as for years it has been warmongering and shaping Chinese people's acceptance of the need to subjugate Taiwan militarily if necessary.

Nor did Russia kick off its campaign with "shock and awe" operations, which means Ukrainian aircraft and air defences are still active days into the war. Inadequate stocks of cruise missiles and air-to-ground precision-guided munitions are also evident, along with a need for airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

Ukraine is 16 times Taiwan's size, yet Russia fired only 600 or so cruise or short-range ballistic missiles in the first ten days. China would be able to concentrate against Taiwan this amount of missiles in a first attack wave alone.

The PLA has prioritized airborne command and control over the past couple of decades with platforms like the KJ-500 aircraft, plus it is introducing electronic warfare aircraft like the J-16D and various Y-8/Y-9 types. The PLA Air Force has more than 700 modern fighters in service already.

China has many air-launched cruise missiles and ballistic missiles but, significantly, its stocks of precision-guided munitions are limited. It has only one type of 500kg laser-guided bomb in service, for example. For many tasks, a 500kg bomb is overkill, and China is yet to commit to a line of 250kg and 100kg precision-guided munitions so it would have to rely on dumb bombs and unguided rockets.

Therefore, smaller bombs mounted on racks are a desirable package for Chinese strike aircraft, with advantages that more individual bombs can be carried per sortie, and leaving larger and expensive missiles for more important targets. Perhaps we will see China boost its precision-guided munitions stocks in the wake of Russian failings, especially since Chinese industry already has smaller precision-guided munitionsavailable for export.

The PLA has plenty of strike aircraft to carry such precision-guided weapons, including nearly 100 J-20, 200 J-16, 250+ J-10B/C and 300+ J-10A fighters; 200+ JH-7A fighter-bombers; and 120 H-6J/K/N bombers, many with targeting pods. Add to this, drones like the WZ-7 and Wing Loong 1/ 2 family, and one can see that China could deliver a deluge of weapons on Taiwan early on in a future conflict.

Another surprise for Russia and China is the severity of international opprobrium at an unprovoked war, and how NATO and Europe have closed ranks in support of Ukraine. This goes somewhat against the Chinese and Russian narrative that the West is in decline, and that the East is inexorably rising.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Moscow [Russia], March 8 (ANI): Russia on Tuesday declared a ceasefire amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine from 10 am (Moscow time) to provide humanitarian corridors in the cities of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia said in a statement.

The development comes following the third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine in Belarus on Monday, which apparently ended up in failure. In the meeting, both sides addressed the issues of civilian evacuation and the Ukrainian side assured Russia that the humanitarian corridor will start working from Tuesday.

Also Read | International Women's Day 2022: From Kamala Harris to Ursula Von Der Leyen, Here is a List of Powerful Women Leaders Around the World.

"From 10:00 a.m. (Moscow time) on March 8, 2022, the Russian Federation declares a ceasefire and is ready to provide humanitarian corridors," the statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry said, giving further details of the humanitarian corridors to be created in the cities of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol for the evacuation of civilians.

"The Ukrainian side should also inform, in accordance with the established procedure, about the planned humanitarian operation before 03:00 a.m. (Moscow time) on March 8, 2022," the statement said, while additionally seeking written approvals of the proposed humanitarian corridors from Ukrain and also guarantees of security on the declared routes of humanitarian operations by the Ukrainian authorities.

Also Read | Russia-Ukraine War: At Least 13 Ukrainian Civilians Killed in Airstrike on Bread Factory in Kyiv, Says State Emergency Service.

The Russian and the Ukrainian sides are also expected to be in continuous communication starting 9:30 am (Moscow time) for the mutual exchange of information on the preparation and carrying out the evacuation of civilians and foreign citizens.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has confirmed his plans to meet with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on March 10.

Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Moscow recognized Ukraine's breakaway regions, Donetsk and Luhansk as independent republics followed by the announcement of a "special military operation" to "demilitarize" and "de-nazify" Ukraine. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
United Nations, Mar 8 (AP) The United Nations and Yemen's Houthi rebels have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at resolving the environmental threat posed by a tanker carrying more than 1 million barrels of crude oil that has been moored off the coast of the war-torn Arab nation since the 1980s, the UN said Monday.

The FSO Safer tanker's long-term presence in the Red Sea has raised fears of a massive oil spill or explosion that could cause an environmental catastrophe.

Also Read | Tamil Nadu Youth Sainikhesh Ravichandran, Rejected by Indian Army, Joins Ukrainian Army To Fight Against Russian Troops.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the UN mission in Yemen confirmed that the risk of imminent catastrophe is very real indeed, as we have been saying here for quite some time.

Under the MOU, a short-term solution would transfer the oil from the Safer to another ship, along with a longer-term solution, he said.

Also Read | Russia-Ukraine War Latest Updates: IBM Suspends All Business in Russia; World Bank Approves $723 Million in Loans, Grants for Ukraine.

But the MOU, dated March 5, makes clear the proposal's implementation is contingent on mobilizing donor funds.

Yemen has been convulsed by civil war since 2014, when Iranian-backed Houthi rebels took control of the capital and much of the country's north, forcing the government to flee to the south, then to Saudi Arabia.

A Saudi-led coalition entered the war in March 2015, backed by the United States and the United Arab Emirates, to try to restore President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to power.

The MOU was signed by David Gressly, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, and Ibrahim Al-Seraji, chairman of the committee overseeing the agreement established by the Houthi authorities in Sanaa, as well as Abdullah Mohamed Fahem & Co.

It states that the United Nations will make all efforts to mobilise the necessary funds and that all signatories acknowledge that the authorities in Sanaa bear no financial obligations for the project.

But it says the Houthi authorities are committed to providing all facilities for the success of the project.

The MOU states that a temporary tanker may be required to transfer the cargo from the FSO Safer and that the United Nations will provide the temporary vessel which will remain near the Safer tanker.

In the longer term, it says the United Nations is committed to providing and supplying a replacement equivalent to the FSO Safer suitable for export with a target of 18 months.

The Safer tanker is a Japanese-made vessel built in the 1970s and sold to the Yemeni government in the 1980s to store up to 3 million barrels of export oil pumped from fields in Marib, a province in eastern Yemen that is currently a battlefield.

The ship is 360 metres (1,181 feet) long with 34 storage tanks.

The Houthis control Yemen's western Red Sea ports, including Ras Issa, just 6 kilometers (about 4 miles) from where the Safer is moored, and the UN has been negotiating with the rebel group for years to try to get experts on the tanker to examine it.

Internal documents obtained by The Associated Press in June 2020 showed that seawater had entered the engine compartment of the tanker, causing damage to the pipes and increasing the risk of sinking.

According to the AP report, experts said maintenance was no longer possible because the damage to the ship was irreversible.

Dujarric said Gressly reported that the UN is finalising an operational plan for moving ahead with the proposal.

In what he called another positive step, Dujarric said Yemen's ambassador to the Netherlands joined a UN mission to the key port city of Hodeida and the Ras Issa terminal to discuss the proposal with local authorities.

The Netherlands is an important stakeholder in this UN-coordinated proposal, Dujarric said, expressing appreciation for the country's leadership role in trying to get donors and their technological expertise of all things maritime and salvage. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio has donated $10 million to support Ukraine, which is fighting against Russia. DiCaprio also has a personal motive. The actor's maternal grandmother, Helene Indenbirken, was born in Odessa as Jelena Stepanovna Smirnova, reports polishnews.co.uk. In 1917, she emigrated from there with her parents to Germany, where DiCaprio's mother was born. Idina Menzel Extends Her Support to the Ukrainian Girl Whose Video of Singing a Song From Bunker Went Viral  WATCH.

Raised mainly by his mother DiCaprio, he was also very close to his grandmother, who was a supporter of his career from the beginning. His grandmother, who died in 2008 at the age of 93, almost until the end appeared with her grandson and daughter at the premieres of his films, which is reminiscent of the American industry media on the occasion of generous support for Ukraine.

DiCaprio allocated as much as USD 10 million to support Ukraine and did not plan to announce it to the whole world. The information was announced by the International Visegrad Fund -- a project of the Visegrad Group aimed at financial support for international initiatives. Following him, the American media repeated it. Russia-Ukraine War Latest Updates: IBM Suspends All Business in Russia; World Bank Approves $723 Million in Loans, Grants for Ukraine.

Six-time Oscar-nominated actor and producer, winner of a gold statuette for his role in Alejandro Gonzalez Inarrit's 'Revenant', he has been writing "actor and ecologist" in the profession column for years. The artist has long been involved in initiatives devoted to combating the climate catastrophe. Already in 1998, as a 25-year-old, he founded the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation with his family, supporting "sustainable development around the world".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 08, 2022 01:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Big terror strike that kills #Srinagar teen, targets Shias shocks valley



Read: https://t.co/CbOD01NcfM pic.twitter.com/HukOoo3KoL IANS Tweets (@ians_india) March 8, 2022

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United Nations has banned its staff from referring to the situation in Ukraine as a war or invasion, in a move to balance political sensitivities as Russia opposed the use of those words. Staff have instead been instructed to use the words conflict or military offensive to describe Russias invasion of Ukraine, which has killed hundreds of civilians and forced millions to flee the country.

See Tweet:

UN staff members have been banned from using the words "war" and "invasion" when talking about Ukraine. Russia opposes the use of both words pic.twitter.com/17exgUEuPN  BNO News (@BNONews) March 8, 2022

(SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
New Mexico residents can now access free college tuition after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed Senate Bill 140, also known as the New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship Act.

The New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship Act will cover New Mexico public colleges and universities tuition and fees, including part-time and full-time students, according to a CNN news report. Tribal colleges and community colleges are also covered in the newly signed bill.

Lujan Grisham said in a statement said that a "fully funded Opportunity Scholarship" provides opportunities for every New Mexican to reach higher, while also strengthening the economy, families, and communities.

The New Mexico governor added that the signing of the legislation signifies that the state believes in its residents and the contributions they will make for their families and the future of the state.

READ NEXT: SNAP Benefits March 2022: Texas Extends Program With $310 Million Budget, California Payment Schedule Revealed

New Mexico Free College

Residents do not need to apply for the scholarship. If you are an eligible student in any New Mexico public college or university, the financial aid office at your respective higher education institution will work with you to award the scholarship.

The Opportunity Scholarship can also be used to cover up to 100 percent of tuition and required fees at any New Mexico public college or university, according to New Mexico Higher Education Department site.

New Mexico residents with a plan to enroll in at least six credit hours at a public college or university in the state toward a training certificate, associate degree, or bachelor's degree may qualify.

Meanwhile, students are also required to maintain a 2.5 grade-point average. The initial budget for the law is $75 million, with it covering tuition and fees for undergraduate students at two- or four-year higher education institutions.

The budget could support up to 35,000 students this fall alone and allow part-time students and adult learners to be part of the free college tuition program, as well.

Lujan Grisham said in her speech before signing the bill that "college is too damn expensive," according to an LCSUN-News report.

The New Mexico governor also touted more vocational and academic training to the workforce and economic development.

Lujan Grisham said that they need 100,000 workers right now, adding that there is "no wrong door" to any career and opportunity in the state.

She first proposed the New Mexico free tuition fee legislation in 2019, which was her first year in office.

Free College Tuition

CNN reported Republican state Sen. David Gallegos expressed doubts on the law, saying that he does not support the plan as it was not "sustainable."

In 2019, he said that he does not know where the state will take the money from. Gallegos also votes against the bill in February during the Senate vote.

California has also introduced its own version of free college tuition in the state through the California Promise program.

It covers California residents who are pursuing two-year and four-year degrees in California public schools, according to a Forbes report.

The California Promise program is for students who can prove financial need while also being able to stick with an education plan and complete 30 credit units per academic year to receive the assistance.

Oregon also offers its residents financial assistance for its residents, covering community college tuition costs. Students must maintain a 2.5 GPA, earn 30 credits per year or more, and enroll every semester for two years.

READ MORE: SNAP Benefits 2022 Schedule for California, Florida, Texas and More: When to Get Food Assistance Each Month

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Gov. to sign bill giving New Mexicans free college - from KRQE






Free COVID-19 tests are once again available for online order and can be shipped straight to the residence of those people who availed of the tests.

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration's program for testing started in December and is being continued through a partnership with the U.S. Postal Service, according to an NBC News report.

Households that already received a pack of free COVID-19 tests can request once again for a new one from the site after Biden announced last week during his State of the Union Address the additional free tests.

Biden said that people can order more rapid COVID-19 antigen tests starting next week even if they already got their first batch of free tests.

The president urged people to have COVID-19 tests on hand so that "we're prepared no matter what COVID-19 brings."

READ NEXT: CDC New COVID-19 Guidance Drops Mask Recommendation for More Than 90 Percent of American Population

Free COVID-19 Tests

More than half of U.S. households ordered tests in January and February.

White House testing coordinator Tom Inglesby said that they set up the testing program to make sure that every household who wanted tests could get them before they made a second-round available, according to an NPR report.

The free tests program started when cases saw an uptick with the surge of the Omicron variant across states.

The health problem was amplified when tests were lacking accessibility and availability to people who need them.

Biden administration then committed to procuring one billion COVID-19 tests for distribution.

Another reason that the federal government is purchasing COVID-19 tests is to keep the testing infrastructure strong.

The White House has requested $22.5 billion in additional funding from Congress, which would partly go to the purchase of rapid tests.

The budget is also being eyed for use to keep the testing industry viable and fill the nation's reserves.

Getting Free COVID-19 Tests

For those who want to get their second order of COVID-19 tests, visit the USPS website and have the contact information details and shipping details filled out.

If you have never placed an order before, you will have to place two separate orders. Households will not be able to get eight tests in a single package and will likely have to go through the ordering process twice, according to The Verge report.

However, the USPS does not list a specific date when the second round of tests will be available.

People who cannot access the website or have problems placing their orders online can call a hotline, 1-800-232-0233, to order their free tests.

Those who ordered their COVID-19 test kits should receive a confirmation email, according to a CNET report.

Email notifications will also be sent regarding the shipping updates covering a tracking number, as well as an estimated delivery date.

There is not an option to choose which brand of tests households can avail of. All tests will be at-home rapid antigen tests, which are authorized by the Food and Drug Administration.

Some households that placed their order reported that adding an apartment number in the main address line, instead of in the section for apartment number, allowed them to order.

READ MORE: CDC Recommends Shorter COVID Isolation Period for Health Care Workers Amid Omicron Variant

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Order a second round of free at-home COVID-19 tests - from 11Alive






U.S. Marine Trevor Reed has been detained in Russia, with his family calling for a demonstration in Texas outside U.S. President Joe Biden's upcoming speech in Fort Worth.

Reed's relatives said that the White House has declined a meeting with them during the trip, according to a The Hill news report.

Reed's father, Joey Reed, said in an interview that the White House cited schedule restraints in declining the meeting, with Biden scheduled to travel to Fort Worth to visit the local Veterans Affairs facility.

Biden will be talking about extending health care access for veterans affected by burn pit exposures during his address.

Reed's mother, Paula, said that it was devastating as they thought it would be the perfect opportunity to see the president and talk to him for a quick few minutes.

Paula said they were "pretty disappointed," according to a Dallas News report.

Joey said that their plan to demonstrate outside of Biden's site of the visit is "an act of desperation."

Reed's father said that Biden, like all presidents, is "heavily insulated by a staff." He added that their U.S. Marine son is seriously ill and that they need the president to bring him home.

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U.S. Marine Detained in Russia

Reed is currently serving a sentence in a Russian prison for the alleged assault of two Moscow cops in 2019. He is reportedly "coughing up blood" and being denied medical access for tuberculosis, according to his parents.

Paula said that her son sounded terrible and had been coughing up blood every day, according to a Daily Mail report.

She added that their family wants Reed to get home before something bad really happens to the U.S. Marine.

Joey said they were surprised to hear from Reed, adding that it was 3 a.m. when he called, and they talked for around 15 to 20 minutes.

U.S. embassy officials revealed that Reed had prolonged exposure to another prisoner with active tuberculosis in December.

Reed also went on a six-day hunger strike in November to protest his treatment by Russian authorities.

U.S. Embassy spokesperson Jason P. Rebholz revealed at the time that the U.S. Marine has been coughing up blood and has not received medical care for it.

Rebholz then demanded that Kremlin give Reed the proper medical treatment and "better yet, release him."

The Reed family says they hope to share what they have learned about the current treatment of their son in the Russian camp with a personal meeting with the president.

Paula said they miss their son terribly and that Reed has been gone for too long. Reed's father noted then to "imagine your child being kidnapped" and what it would make a parent feel.

The Reeds have also disputed that the charges against Reed were bogus accusations created to "keep the U.S. citizen as a political bargaining chip."

Reed is currently detained in a cell in the penal colony in extremely poor conditions, according to his family.

READ MORE: Former White House Doctor Rep. Ronny Jackson Reiterates Call for Pres. Joe Biden to Take Cognitive Test, Saying "He Is Not Fit to Be President" Amid Russia-Ukraine Crisis

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Every year there is an eternity: Trevor Reeds father on Russian detention - from ABC News


Women have marched in the streets of El Salvador's capital, clamoring for abortion rights and a better response against high femicide rates in the country.

According to BBC, El Salvador currently has one of the strictest abortion laws in the world. Women in El Salvador can be jailed for having an abortion even if their lives are at risk or raped. On top of the strict abortion law in the country, El Salvador is also one of the most dangerous countries for women.

On Sunday, around 2,000 women marched in San Salvador to demand the legalization of abortion in some cases, such as rape, where the fetus is not viable, or if the woman's life is at risk.

The protesters also called the administration of President Nayib Bukele to do more to protect women from violence, citing a number of women whose bodies were found buried in mass graves.

Some of the protesters carried banners that read: "They tried to bury us, but they didn't know they'd planted a seed." They demonstrated in anticipation of International Women's Day on March 8.

According to AFP, many women were prosecuted after seeking medical help for pregnancy complications or suspected of attempting an abortion. At least a dozen women are currently facing sentences for termination of pregnancy.

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Abortion Rights in El Salvador

El Salvador imposes one of the world's most "draconian" anti-abortion laws. For more than 20 years, it had criminalized abortion in all circumstances, even when needed to save a woman's life.

Experts noted that the absolute prohibition of abortion has led to a "systemic practice of discrimination against women who suffer obstetric emergencies or pregnancy loss due to complications," according to the United Nations.

The United States also described El Salvador's anti-abortion laws as "cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment," which led to revictimization.

Women can be charged with the crime of aggravated homicide and sentenced to prison terms of up to 50 years without any respect for guarantees of due process under El Salvador's current framework.

The U.N. also stated that absolute prohibition on abortion violates women's human rights and counteracts the obligations to protect their dignity.

The U.N. has recommended that El Salvador's government's legislative and executive branches decriminalize the termination of pregnancy and ensure safe and legal abortion services in some cases.

Femicide Rates in El Salvador

The country has reported that 67.4 percent of women have experienced at least one instance of gender-based violence in their lifetimes, while 45.8 percent of women under 30 reported being abused within the last 12 months.

In El Salvador, one woman is murdered by a man every 24 hours, which makes the country the highest rate of femicide globally, according to a Yale International Studies in March 2020.

A 2018 study also found that only five percent of femicide cases brought to court end in a sentence, and only three percent of cases carry a guilty verdict.

Femicide in El Salvador is driven by an "ingrained culture of virulent machismo," high rates of gang and narco-violence, as well as a corrupt police force.

Abigail Alvarado, a student at the state-run University of El Salvador, said femicides must stop, adding that women have a right to a safe life.

In 2021, there have been 97 femicides reported in El Salvador, with the previous year recording 130.

READ MORE: Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro, El Salvador's Nayib Bukele Express Support to Joe Rogan

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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Panama is home to six indigenous groups - the Ngobe-Bugle, Embera-Wounaan, Naso Tjerdi, Guna, Bri Bri, and Bokata.

The figure for the Panamanian population sits at 3.4 million inhabitants, of which 12.28% are Indigenous, according to the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA).

Despite the creeping influence of modern society, many of these indigenous communities continue to hold strongly onto their traditional culture and language and are facing great changes, per Anywhere Panama.

Guna

The unbelievable natural beauty of the place, located along the eastern Caribbean coast in the picture-perfect San Blas Archipelago, has drawn tourists for decades.

But Guna have fought wars with the Spanish and Embera-Wounaan, and in 1925 won a revolt against the Republic of Panama. This earned them the semiautonomous status that they enjoy today, and as such, Guna is somewhat wary of outsiders.

Today, this is reflected in their attitude towards tourists. Many welcome the economic opportunity of tourism but hold strong to their belief that visitors should pay for the privilege of visiting their comarca (ancestral lands). Even taking a photo of Guna will cost you $1.

This restraint, on the other hand, has helped in the preservation of their culture, and visitors can get a wonderful glimpse into their world.

Interestingly enough, the Guna is the world's second-shortest people (after the African pygmies) and has the highest percentage of albinism.

Ngobe-Bugle

The Ngobe-Bugle, Panama's largest indigenous group, is made up of two distinct but culturally similar tribes: the Ngobe and the Bugle. Although there are significant ethnolinguistic differences between the two, the differences are often minor, so they are often referred to in conjunction with one another.

Similar to the Guna, the Ngobe-Bugle have mainly resisted foreign influence, have managed to succeed in preserving their culture, and have maintained political autonomy.

The Ngobe-Bugle rely on subsistence agriculture to survive. The men use slash-and-burn techniques to produce corn, rice, bananas, plantains, and cassava; the women raise the children and create handicrafts such as the two most common: Naguas and Chacara.

Embera-Wounaan

Subsistence agriculture and fishing are the Embera-Wounaan's main sources of living. They used to be slash-and-burn farmers and hunters, but the practice is restricted due to their residency within a national park. Rice and maize plantations have popped up in their lands, allowing members of the community to work as seasonal laborers.

The Embera-Wounaan are known for their artistic abilities, particularly in basketry and carving statues. Their highest quality baskets are woven so tightly that it's said they can hold water.

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Naso

The Naso is a small indigenous group that lives in the northeastern reaches of Panama in the Bocas del Toro region. Only a few thousand Naso are estimated to remain in Panama, while some are also found in southern Costa Rica. For decades, the Naso have stayed isolated and relatively autonomous, but their culture is now under threat from youth migration, missionary activities, tourism encroachment, and a massive hydroelectric project.

Bri Bri

Another indigenous community living in Panama's Bocas del Toro region is the Bri Bri.

The group originated in the Talamanca reserve of Costa Rica, and some have made their way to northern Panama; nevertheless, many Bri Bri remain in Costa Rica.

They can communicate in both Bri Bri and Spanish. Most people do not have access to running water or electricity, and they rely on farming, hunting, and fishing to get by. Their isolation has helped them to keep their traditional identity, but it has also limited their access to education and health care.

Bokata

The Bokata is Panama's final and smallest indigenous community. They inhabit eastern Bocas del Toro and northwest Veraguas and number just around a thousand.

The group retained their own language and culture, and there were almost no roads across Bokata territory until the late 1970s.

However, the Bokata are finding it more difficult to maintain their cultural traditions and practices due to the pressures of modern civilization. Every year, the Bokata become more integrated into the Mestizo population.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: Panama's Native Tribe (Embera) - from Drew Binsky
KEY TAKEAWAYS

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was established in response to the threat posed by the Soviet Union during the post-World War II period.

NATO is an international military alliance, the member states of which have agreed to mutually defend all the member states in case of any external harm or attack.

Defence and military issues are related to the commitment arising from Article 3 of the Washington Treaty.

Article 5 of the treaty talks about collective defence of the member states. This is also recognized by Article 51 of the UN Charter.

Article 10 of the Washington Treaty speaks about NATO membership and further imposes geographical restrictions on future NATO members. However, there also persists some other conditions for states aspiring for NATO membership.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

Today, the Russia-Ukraine war has entered its 12th day, and the UN has estimated that it has already claimed the lives of 227 civilians. The second round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are being held on the Poland-Belarus border.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is seeking "direct talks" with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and feels that might be the "only way" to end the ongoing war.

Sanctions imposed on Russia by the EU, US, UK and countries such as Australia, Germany, Canada, Japan, Taiwan whereas South Africa, Brazil and Mexico have refused to sanction Russia.

INTRODUCTION

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was first established by the United States of America along with other states after World War II in the year 1949 for protecting the Western European nations and providing collective security against a potential invasion by the USSR. NATO is an international military alliance, the 30 member states have agreed to mutually defend all the member states in case of any external harm or attack. It was created to maintain a balance of power between the Soviet states and the Western Europe.

When the USSR tried to expand its influence in Europe through the spread of its ideology of communism, while the US saw the ideology of the USSR as a threat to its way of life. That was when the need to form NATO was felt by the U.S.

The current discourse regarding the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war is a result of refusal from NATO to a demand made by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin to NATO, for putting an end to its expansion in the Eastern European countries such as Ukraine, Moldova, etc.

BACKGROUND

After the end of World War II, Western European states suffered massively in the economic sector and the United States of America helped them a lot to recover from these damages and losses in the industries, food production and rebuilding of the destroyed landscapes during the war through investments and establishing markets for American goods for which, George Marshall, the Secretary of State initiated a huge economic aid to Europe, called the Marshall Plan. Since the Soviet Union refused to be a part of the Marshall Plan, it widened the gap between east and west Europe.

During 1947-1948, the American President, Harry S Truman asserted that the U.S. would provide economic and military assistance to any nation struggling against subjugation.

Other than Americas involvement in NATO, events in Germany like the Berlin Crisis brought the United States and the Soviet Union to the verge of conflict and caused U.S. officials to grow increasingly wary of the possibility that the countries of Western Europe might deal with their security concerns by negotiating with the USSR and it was to counter this possibility of turning of events, that the Truman Administration considered the possibility of forming a European-American alliance that would commit the United States to strengthen and support the security of the Western European states.

After President Truman proposed the Mutual Defence Assistance Program which was a military assistance program, appropriating around $1.4 billion dollars for the purpose of building Western European defences, the Korean war occurred and the attack on South Korea by North Korea was viewed as an effort of communist aggression by Moscow.

During the 1950s, one of the first military doctrines of NATO came up in the form of massive retaliation, or the idea that if any member was attacked, the United States would respond with a large-scale nuclear attack. The threat of the United States responding with a large-scale nuclear attack was supposed to serve as a deterrent against Soviet aggression in the continent.

France believed that NATO was primarily dominated by the U.S. and withdrew from the military command structure of NATO during July 1966 but continued to maintain a binding relationship with NATOs military staff, and sit in the council, as well as to maintain and deploy ground forces in West Germany, though it did so under new bilateral agreements with the West Germans rather than under NATO jurisdiction. In the year 2009, France rejoined the military command structure of NATO.

During 2021, tensions between Russia and NATO also arose when satellite images reflected Russia building up forces near the Ukraine border. Although the Russian government had claimed that their forces were conducting a military exercise in the region, NATO allies had remained vary of the claim.

FURTHER DETAILS

Article 1of the NATO Pact discusses peaceful settlement of any international dispute in which they may be involved to be conducted in such a manner that international peace and security and justice are not endangered, and refraining in their international relations to threaten or use force in any manner inconsistent with the purposes of the UN.

Article 2 encourages the members to contribute to the development of peaceful and friendly international relations through strengthening their free institutions, by bringing about a better understanding of the principles upon which these institutions are founded, and by promoting conditions of stability and well-being. They will seek to eliminate conflict in their international economic policies and encourage economic collaboration between the member states.

Defence and military issues are related to the commitment of each member country contributing to collective defence and to improving their own defence capabilities. The nature of this commitment arises from Article 3 of the Washington Treaty, wherein each member state is

responsible for their own defence individually and thereafter collectively.

Besides collectively defending the member states, NATO also serves as a place for discussion about political and military issues or threats under Article 4. Article 4 allows each member state to consult with its partners mainly about the political issues. Bator has argued that Article 4 gives NATO its political dimension and also because of this principle NATO is characterised as a political-military organisation.

Article 5of the NATO states an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all; and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence recognized by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area. This however, excludes conflicts in the colonial territories.

Article 6 mentions what is included inan armed attack on the member states.The treaty covers only member states' territories in Europe and North America, Turkey and islands in the North Atlantic north of the Tropic of Cancer, and French Algeria.

Article 7of the pact says that the member states which are members of the United Nations shall not dishonour the commitments and obligations to the United Nations.

Article 8regulates the relationship between the obligations of the Parties under the Treaty and other obligations of the Allied Nations.

Article 9establishes a Council, on which each of the member states shall be represented, to consider matters concerning the implementation of the Treaty. The Council is expected to be so organised as to be able to meet promptly at any time. The Council shall set up such subsidiary bodies as may be necessary; and in particular establish immediately a defence committee which would recommend measures for the implementation of Articles 3 and 5.

Article 10 of the Washington Treaty answers the question of who can be or who cannot be NATO member, it says that the member states by unanimous agreement, invite any other European State in a position to further the principles of this Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area to accede to this Treaty. Therefore, the Washington Treaty set up geographical limitations for the future members of NATO.

However, there also persists other conditions for states which are seeking NATO membership.

Democratic principles are important for NATO members as well as for the future members of NATO.

Since the NATO ground forces were smaller in comparison to the Warsaw Pact, the balance of power was maintained by superior weaponry, which included intermediate-range nuclear weapons which the NATO withdrew after Warsaw Pacts dissolution and tried to transform the aim of NATO.

THE CURRENT SCENARIO

The former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych had been trying to make Ukraine a part of NATO since he was elected in 2010, but couldnt move ahead with this plan to remain non-aligned. However, he fled the country in February 2014 amid Russian aggression and national unrest.

Since then, Ukrainian leaders have continuously tried to make NATO membership a priority.

NATO had rejected Russia's demand for a new security settlement in Europe, challenging Russia to withdraw troops deployed near Ukraine and join talks on reducing the threat of open conflict. As for the US and EU, Ukraine acts as a significant buffer with Russia. Ukraine also built a naval base in Ochakiv and another in Berdyansk, which posed a threat to Russia in a way.

Recently, Sweden and Finland had also signalled their consideration of joining NATO. This announcement faced a harsh response from Russia which threatened military and political consequences if that was to happen. However, both the countries didnt take this warning seriously.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and Russia had discussed the ongoing situation in Ukraine and its implications for security in Europe at the NATO-Russia Council (NRC) in Brussels. However, there was no clear conclusion to these talks between the representatives of NATO and Russia.

It was in the early morning of February 24, 2022 when Russia launched a full-scale military assault on Ukraine, and bombed major cities such as Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Odesa and invaded from Russia, Belarus, Crimea, and the Black Sea after which there were troop buildups, Russian ultimatums to the United States and NATO, negotiations with the U.S. and European leaders, and U.S. warnings of Russian invasion plans, which was preceded by Moscows recognition of two separatist enclaves in eastern Ukraine as independent.

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg announced on 25th February, 2022 that the alliance will deploy its rapid response force to bolster Ukraine defences. In addition to this, several members such as France and Germany have actively supported Ukraine and sent arms and ammunition to Ukraine.

The Italian left-wingers have protested against NATO and feel that the US and EU are responsible for the crisis and demand peace over the current situation. Italy has good economic connections with Russia and has been criticised by global leaders for failing to agree to isolate Russia from using the SWIFT payment system which is a network that allows international financial transactions.

Since February 24, 2022 when the war began, there has been no breakthrough to this crisis.

Casualties have been reported from both sides. We have come across shocking and upsetting visuals and news of bombings,children sleeping and hiding and women giving birth under the basement of various establishments likes hospitals.

CONCLUSION

Although formed in response to the demands of the developing Cold War, NATO has lasted beyond the end of that conflict, with membership even expanding to include some former Soviet states. It is the largest peacetime military alliance in the world today. The member states of NATO have increased from 12 to 30 today.

Through the actions of Russia, it seems that Putin wants to rebuild Russias influence in the eastern Europe while also demonstrating or proving to the US that Russia is still a superpower.

A viable option for the current situation could be revining the Minsk peace process, thus the West should focus on resuming talks and abiding by their commitments in the Minsk peace process and the US should seek and OSCE mediated process to prevent the damage to the human lives and the destruction that is currently taking place due to the ongoing war.



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Portland, TN (37148)

Today

Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 54F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 54F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
Laois Youth Theatre resumes on Tuesday March 8th on stage in Dunamaise Arts Centre, Church Street, Portlaoise, for what is anticipated to be a fun filled and exciting semester.

New members are always welcome so if you are interested in drama, making plays, learning creative skills and meeting new people, this is the opportunity for you. As well as welcoming back current members, the workshop will be a taster session to allow new members to join.

Membership is open to young people in first to sixth year of secondary school.

Laois Youth Theatre supports opportunities for new experiences and encourages creativity and skills development. Affiliated to Youth Theatre Ireland, members are offered the prospect of travelling to theatre shows, networking nationally with other Youth Theatres, participating in local festivals, collaborating with other youth theatre groups locally and nationally and preparing for an end of year performance.

Established for over 26 years, many past members have gone on to study and pursue careers in theatre nationally and internationally.

Laois Youth Theatre welcomes our new Youth Theatre coordinator Pauline Dunne and assistant facilitator Kate Deegan.

Pauline Dunne is an Animation and Illustration Graduate from TUS (formally Athlone IT). She is a former Laois Youth Theatre member, and was previously assistant coordinator of Laois Youth Theatre. She has worked as a freelance facilitator around the county. She was part a national Young Curators Festival in 2021, run by Dunamaise and seven other regional arts centres and has worked as both a stage manager and SNA.

Kate Deegan is a mixed media artist and animator. She graduated from LSAD with a BA Hons in Animation & Motion Design. She has taken part in a number of art events and exhibitions in Laois, most recently 'In Trust. In Gratitude. In Hope.' at the Laois Arthouse.

The workshops will take place on Tuesdays weekly at 7pm, with the first, Open Taster Session on Tuesday 8th March. As membership grows, senior and junior age groups may be formed with junior workshops from 5-6.30pm and seniors from 7-8.30pm.

The fee per semester is 50 (payment required at first full workshop on 15th March) and covers all workshops through to the end of May.

LTY Members are offered discounted tickets to theatre shows and film screenings at Dunamaise Arts Centre, as well as masterclass opportunities and Q&As with visiting performers, to further their engagement with professional theatre makers.

For any queries, call Pauline on 085-7887303 or email info@dunamaise.ie. Bookings on www.dunamaise.ie and you can check out Laois Youth Theatre on Facebook , www.laois.ie and www.dunamiase.ie
A new festival has been launched in Laois, to celebrate the rich history of aviation and exploration in the county.

The Festival of Flight will run from the 7th to the 10th of April, with music events, arts and science workshops, history talks and films.



One of the main events of the weekend will be a live performance of the Impossible Dream, the piece composed by Martin Tourish and the young musicians of the Music Generation Laois Trad Orchestra to celebrate the life and achievements of the Portlaoise Aviator James Fitzmaurice.

The piece will be performed as part of a special event at St Peters Church of Ireland Church in Portlaoise starting at 3pm on Saturday 9th April and will also feature talks on the history and future of aviation and exploration in Laois and Ireland.

Tickets for the event are available via the Dunamaise Arts Centre, www.dunamaise.ie

More below picture.

'The Impossible Dream' performed by The Music Generation Laois Trad Orchestra led by composer Martin Tourish and directed by Siobhan Buckley. Picture: Alf Harvey

The Portlaoise Plane, the 100 year old artefact built in Portlaoise which was one of the first planes to fly in Ireland, will be on public display during the weekend, and there will be a ceremony to mark the 94th anniversary of the first east west transatlantic flight, including a parade from the Irish Air Corps and a fly past of historic and modern aircraft.



Teddy Fennelly, Chair of the Colonel James Fitzmaurice Commemoration Committee, is one of organisers of the festival.

We are delighted that the Portlaoise Plane will be accessible to the public again during this new Festival. As well as being a valuable artefact on its own right, the Portlaoise Plane is linked to Portlaoises other major aviation story: A young James Fitzmaurice records in his memoirs that he witnessed the construction of the plane and was also present when it made its first short experimental flight. This early exposure to the excitement of flight was credited by Fitzmaurice with inspiring him in his career as a pioneering aviator. This links the Portlaoise Plane directly with the first east-west transatlantic flight  elevating the story and confirming the place of Portlaoise as the centre of Irish aviation history, he said.



Former Chairman of the Heritage Council Michael Parsons also supports the new event.

The Heritage Council encourages national and local exploration and appreciation of Irelands rich natural, built and cultural heritage. The Portlaoise Plane tells a story of exploration, bravery and derring do, that should make the Aldritt, Conroy and Rogers families very proud of their ancestors. All of us in Laois and Ireland can join in celebrating this great story of these pioneers of Irish Aviation. The Heritage Council commends Laois County Council for its warm support of the Portlaoise Plane. I personally wish that the plane will soon be on permanent display where it belongs  here in Portlaoise, he said.

MORE BELOW PICTURE.



Pictured at the wreath laying to commemorate Col James Fitzmaurice in 2019, Teddy Fennelly, Chair of the Col Fitzmaurice Commemoration Committee wit representatives of the Irish Air Corp, Laois County Council and the German commemoration group.



Aircraft Technical Forum

The festival will also feature a networking meeting of senior aircraft technical professionals in the field of aircraft leasing at Bloom HQ in Mountrath, drawing together the history of aviation in Ireland with its bright future.



Alan Phelan, CEO of APTN.aero and committee member of the Col Fitzmaurice Commemoration Committee said Being situated at the crossroads of Ireland, Laois is an ideal venue to bring aviation professionals together outside of their normal work environments in both Shannon and Dublin. It also showcases how Interconnected Hubs such as Bloom HQ can be used by large organisations to embrace the blended working model to improve our work-life balance.



Schools and Family Workshops

As part of the festival, schools and families will be offered the chance to participate in a range of workshops exploring all aspects of flight, from the science of superheroes to the biology of flight in the natural world to flights of fancy in the artistic and creative field.



Catherine Casey, Heritage Officer with Laois County Council said We are delighted to be working with our friends in Midlands Science again to deliver science based workshops, exploring the science of flight, and at the other end of the spectrum we want to really open up everyones imagination to the creative and playful side of flight, with arts workshops supported by Creative Ireland Laois. We have a call out for artists open at the moment and wed love to hear from anyone who can create and deliver workshops that will inspire children & young people to creatively and imaginatively respond to the theme of flight," she said.



Col Fitzmaurice Commemoration Committee

The Festival of Flight is led by the Col Fitzmaurice Commemoration Committee, which is made up of Teddy Fennelly, Alan Phelan, Michael Parsons, Louise Cahill, PJ Kavanagh, Sean Murray and Catherine Casey. The event is being run in partnership with Laois County Council, Laois Heritage Society, Music Generation Laois, the Dunamaise Arts Centre and Midlands Science, and is supported by Creative Ireland Laois as part of the Creative Ireland Programme 2017-2022 in partnership with Laois County Council and the Heritage Council.



For details of all events across the Festival, see www.laois.ie/festivalofflight

The Portlaoise Plane will be on display during the Laois Festival of Flight. Pictured with the plane are Committee members, from left: Teddy Fennelly, Sean Murray, Michael Parsons, Louise Cahill, Alan Phelan and Catherine Casey at the Portlaoise Plane official return in September 2021.Picture: Alf Harvey.
Another two flights taking back Chinese citizens evacuated from Ukraine return safely

Xinhua) 13:50, March 08, 2022

BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Another two temporary flights carrying Chinese citizens evacuated from Ukraine returned home safely on Tuesday.

At 7:25 a.m., the first flight arrived in Zhengzhou City in central China, and the second flight arrived at 12:13 p.m. in Shenyang of northeast China's Liaoning Province.

Prior to today, four temporary flights taking Chinese nationals back from Ukraine have already returned home safely.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
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A victim of child rape has said that the teenager who abused him used him for his own sexual gratification and exploration of his sexuality.

The defendant, a 41 year old man from Co Offaly, was convicted after a trial at the Central Criminal Court of four counts of oral rape on various dates between May 1995 and December 1998.

The defendant, who was aged between 15 and 18 at the time, was also convicted of eights counts of sexual assault of the victim, who was then aged between 11 and 14.

The defendant was further convicted of four sexual assaults of the victim's older brother on dates in 1995 and 1996. The child in that case was aged from 12 and 13 at the time.

The court heard that the two victims were brothers who were placed in foster care with the defendant's family in 1995. The defendant told the Probation Service that at the time he felt resentful about sharing his home and was being bullied at school and finding school difficult.

He said he identified with the younger boy and believed they had a special bond. He said he then groomed this child and what started out as childish games of wrestling between them developed into sexual assaults.

The victim went to gardai in 2014 and made statements describing sexual assaults that began as kissing and developed into heavier and heavier acts of abuse. This culminated in the older boy getting the child to perform oral sex on him repeatedly and regularly.

The victim told gardai in 2014 that in his mind it was consensual and that he didn't know any better.

In his victim impact report he said the defendant took advantage of him in a cruel way in order to explore his own sexuality.

I was used as an experiment by that man to see what his sexuality was. I was just a sad and lonely gay boy desperate to be loved.

He did not want to be gay so he wanted me to be a woman. He wanted to be straight but have me as a sex toy for his satisfaction, he said.

The victim said that he now finds it difficult to enjoy a healthy sexual life with his own husband, saying that sex for me is emotionless.

In his statement the second victim said he turned to drink in his early 20s to hide his low self esteem and said he still suffers from night terrors. He said he has difficulty showing emotions to his wife now.

Defence counsel Bernard Madden SC told the court that a forensic psychological assessment placed his client as a low risk of sexual reoffending. He said his client now accepts the jury verdict and is sorry for and trying to take responsibility for his actions.

Ms Justice Deirdre Murphy noted that initially the man's family believed that he was wrongly convicted. Mr Madden said this the man's wife is now aware that her husband accepts the guilty verdicts.

Ms Justice Murphy adjourned the matter to March 28 for sentencing and remanded the man in custody. The convicted man cannot be named to protect the anonymity of the victims, in accordance with the 1981 Rape Act.
An Athy builder has been convicted of trying to get a woman into her car in the middle of the night by pretending to be a garda and intimidating her.

Declan McGowan, (33), of Branswood, Athy, Co Kildare, told gardai that he pulled his car up alongside the woman who was walking on the Kimmage Road Lower in Dublin city on the night of September 18 last year because he thought she was in danger.

Andra Calauz told the trial that she on the phone having an argument with her husband who was in their nearby home. McGowan told her he was a garda and had a gun in the car, told her she was beautiful, took her hand and kissed it and hugged her.

She said she felt frightened and pressurised by McGowan and that he repeatedly told her to get into his car.

Her husband Daniel Ion said that when he arrived on the scene, McGowan started choking him with one hand and Ms Calauz began crying. He said McGowan was shouting at him to go back inside to his children or he would call Tusla and they would be taken away.

He said McGowan was "screaming" at his wife to get into the car. He said he felt at the time that McGowan was either a corrupt cop or a dangerous man". He said he told McGowan two or three times to let his wife go and said to his wife that, whatever happens, she should not get into the car.

Mr Ion called gardai who arrived within minutes and arrested McGowan.

McGowan had pleaded not guilty to the attempted coercion of Ms Calauz, assaulting her, impersonating a member of An Garda Siochana and assaulting Mr Ion causing him harm.

After a four day trial, a jury took just short of three hours on Monday, March 7, to return guilty verdicts on all four counts.

Judge Patricia Ryan thanked jurors for their time. She remanded McGowan on continuing custody until June 17, when a sentence hearing will take place.

After his arrest, McGowan told gardai that the woman had told him that she was in danger, that her husband kept her locked in the apartment and she didn't want to go back there. Both Mr Ion and his wife denied these suggestions in their testimony to the trial.

McGowan told gardai that when Mr Ion arrived on the scene, he struck his wife in the face. McGowan claimed he only restrained Mr Ion to prevent him from attacking the woman again.

He said he told Mr Ion he was going to call the guards when Mr Ion threatened to shoot him. He said that he never told anyone he was a garda and said this may have been a misunderstanding because of a massive language barrier.

He denied ever kissing or hugging the woman.

Defending counsel Garnet Orange SC told the jury that the only thing his client did wrong was to make a foolish decision to act the good Samaritan.

He made the critical mistake of placing himself between a husband and wife, counsel said.

John Moher BL, prosecuting, said that Mr McGowan's account was fantastical. He said that when the defendant's efforts to get the woman into his car were interrupted by her husband's appearance he flew into a rage and assaulted the man.
An Irish TD is recovering following a serious road accident which saw his car flip and roll on the M7 motorway in Laois.

The incident happened near Junction 21 - Borris-In-Ossory, during a 'freak shower of hailstones' in late February.

Independent Deputy O'Donoghue was returning home to Limerick from Leinster House late at night.

The 51-year-old says he lost control of his Volkswagen Passat when he encountered the extreme weather.

"It was like going from a carpet onto tiles. I was in the fast lane so I hit the (median) barrier on the right hand side - the front of the car tipped the barrier which put me into a 360-spin and took me down the road at a 45 degree angle.

"I crossed the two lanes and the hard shoulder and I hit the earth bank at the other side and she flicked me upside down," he told the Limerick Leader.

Mr O'Donoghue (pictured), who is an experienced driver, says he is lucky not to have been killed or seriously injured.

"When I landed I just started smiling and said to myself I'm alive - Jesus, I'm alive," he said adding that he was worried, in the immediate aftermath, that he would be killed by an oncoming vehicle as his car came to a stop while still partially on the motorway.

However, he managed to move the car to safety and 'walked away' from the accident without any serious injury.

After he returned home he was advised to seek medical attention and subsequently attended University Hospital Limerick where he was kept in overnight for observation. Deputy O'Donoghue was discharged following 24 hours 'stiff and sore' but did not sustain any serious injuries.

His car, however, is a write-off.
Farmers in Laois and other Irish counties are best place to meet a potential supply shortages caused by the Ukraine war but the Government needs to send a clear signal about food security and growth, according to the Laois man who leads Macra na Feirme.

Macra said in a statement that recent reports have suggested that farmers may be required to change their model of farming to meet demands of food security. Threats to food security have emerged over the past number of days as a result of matters escalating in the Ukraine and Russia.

Macra na Feirmes National President is John Keane.

"As world leaders in sustainable food production, it makes sense for Ireland and its farmers to produce additional food to meet these demands. Irish farmers have constantly addressed and met challenges in terms of food demand and security and the sustainability associated with that production.

"A clear signal needs to be sent from government around food security and growth going forward. Only very recently we have had Government Ministers saying that Irish farmers have no obligation to feed the world, we are now seeing a different narrative," he said.

A Macra statement added that the issues of labour, input costs, education, knowledge transfer and land availability remain a barrier in addressing any challenge or change.

Macra na Feirmes National President believes no matter what change is required, farmers are going to need to be supported.

"The above issues need to be addressed hand in hand, whilst asking farmers to do more to meet demand and need as it arises. It reinforces the point that Irish farmers given the climate we are in, are best placed to grow safe sustainable food," said Mr Keane who is an Errill native.

Macra na Feirme representatives are due to meet The Minister for Agriculture along with the other farm organisations to discuss the ongoing food security issues.
A Dublin jewellery designer ended 2021 with a tax bill of more than 500,000 while a Offaly Parachute Club owned more than 100,000 according to the Revenue Commissioners who have also tracked down unpaid Irish taxes to a photographer in the United States.

They are just some of the latest individuals and companies on the new Tax Defaulter list published by the Revenue Commissioners which also reveal that two people were jailed for not complying with the tax laws.

The new Revenue's published List of Tax Defaulters covers the period fomr October 1 to December 31, 2021. During the same three months, investigations resulted in more than 1.015 billion in tax, interest, and penalties who chose not to their way.

While most people pay up when Revenue calls others don't and have to be subjected to extensive audits to find out how much they owe.

Top of that list was Christopher Osborne, of 1 Glen Ellen Park, Swords, Co Dubin. The jewellery designer had unpaid tax of 288,042 following a Revenue Enquiry Case for Under-declaration of Income Tax. Interest was calculated at 128,370 while penalties ran to 86,412.60. The total bill ran to 502,824.60. A total of 72,010.50 was outstanding by the end of December last year.

Another entity with a big bill was the Irish Parachute Club Ltd which had an address at The Airfield, Clonbollouge, Co Offlay.. Listed as a parachute club, it had unpaid taxes of 65,134.15 after a Revenue Investigation Case for under-declaration of

PAYE/PRSI/USC. Interest on this ran to 28,772.07 while the penalty was calculated at 19,540.25. The total owed by the company 113,446.47. None was left to be paid by the end of 2021.

There are some other notables on Part 2. Kevin Abosch, of 9 East, 93rd St, NY 10128, New York, is a photographer who was deemed to owe money for the Ireland. He had a bill of 183,241.10 after Revenue Audit Case for under-declaration of Income Tax.

James Dempsey, a publican in Cadamstown, Co Offaly ended up owing 59,704.36 following a Revenue Audit Case for under-declaration of VAT. A total of 54,098.41 had yet to be paid by the end of Decebmer.

Two medical staff agencies are on the list. Isamsawi Unlimited Company of 74 Castlegate Grove, Adamstown Castle, ,

Lucan, owed 44,622 after a Revenue Audit Case for under-declaration of PAYE/PRSI/USC.

Micdavids - Obioha Medical Services Ltd of 5 Bellgree Rise, Tyrrelstown owed 70,368 after a Revenue Audit Case for under-declaration of PAYE/PRSI/USC.

Another big debtor on the list is Industrial & Protective Coatings Ltd based at Unit 9, Ashbourne Business Centre, Co Meath. Specialising in marine coatings, the company had unpaid taxes of 271,337 and interest of 75,752. Penalties amounted to 79,235 leaving a total bill of 426,324 following a Revenue Audit Case Under-declaration of Corporation Tax and PAYE/PRSI/USC.

There are three farmers on the audit list. James Fennell of Burtontown House, Athy, CO. Kildare owed 83,965 for under-declaring Capital Acquisitions Tax.

John Cunningham, of Kilmacoliver, Tullahought, Piltown, Co Kilkenny, had a bill for 49,676 for under-declaration of Income

Tax.

Patrick Timmins, Killanure House, Tullow, Co Carlow operates as a farmer / machinery supplier. He owed 40,008.82 for the under-declaration of Income Tax and VAT.

They are listed is on Part 2 of the list compiled pursuant to Section 1086 of the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997. The total number of settlements published is 23. The total value of these settlements is 2.8 million. Where a taxpayer has failed to pay or failed to enter into an arrangement to pay the full amount of the settlement, the amount unpaid as at 30 September 2021 is indicated in the list.

The Revenue say Part 2 settlements are not published where the taxpayer has made a qualifying disclosure relating to undisclosed tax, as defined in Section 1077E (1) of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, where the settlement amount does not exceed the relevant threshold, currently 35,000, or where the amount of fine or other penalty does not exceed 15% of the amount of tax.

See FULL PART 2 LIST HERE.

Revenue also publishes a Part 1 list which includes persons in whose case the Court has determined a penalty relating to a settlement, or has imposed a fine, imprisonment or other penalty in respect of a tax or duty offence.

The biggest penalty on this list was accrued by haulier Christopher Hughes, of Nart, Swan's Cross, Co. Monaghan.

The Penalty Determination by the Courts relating to an under-declaration of VAT was 29,172.38. The penalty amount was 21,879.29

Also listed on Part 1 is Mark Aspland of 71 Westbourne Lodge, Templeogue, Dublin 16. The electrical surveyor received a two years prison sentence suspended for three years arising from six charges relating to VAT returns.

Also on the list is John O'Sullivan of 38 The Grove, Hunter's Run, Clonee, Co Dublin. The company director was give an 18 months prison sentence that was suspended for 12 months for the fraudulent evasion of capital gains tax and delivering incorrect tax returns.

Revenue says the Part 1 list contains cases where penalties relating to under-declaration of tax or non-declaration of tax are determined by the Court, and where the tax, interest and penalty are more than 35,000, the penalty exceeds 15% of the total tax.

Fines totalling 153,229.29 were imposed in 69 cases. Other breaches related to the sale and smuggling of of tobacco, misuse of marked mineral oil.

There was one fine imposed for obstruction a tax officer. Nayla R Malachias Diana, a PAYE employee, of 67 Glebe Hollow, Stranorlar, Co Donegal was fined 1,250 for this offence.

See FULL PART 1 LIST HERE

Revenue say these published settlements reflect only a portion of all Revenue audits and investigations.

In the 3-month period to December 31, 2021384 Revenue audit and investigations, together with 14,214 Risk Management Interventions (Aspect Queries and Profile Interviews), were settled, resulting in a yield of yield of just over 1.015 billion in tax, interest, and penalties.

#EXPLAINER AND FURTHER INFO ON LATEST LIST

Part 1: Court Determinations

Court Determination of Penalty: Subject to certain criteria, in settlement cases where there is no agreement to a penalty, or a person fails to pay an agreed penalty, the Court determines the penalty. Details are published when the Court determined penalty exceeds 15% of the total tax and the total of the tax, interest and penalty is more than 35,000 and a qualifying disclosure has not been made:

There was 1 such case in the 3-month period to 31 December 2021 with 21,879.29 being the Court determined penalty.

Court imposed fine, imprisonment or other penalty: Details are published when a fine or other Court penalty is imposed in respect of tax or duty offences. Court penalties may include imprisonment, partly suspended or suspended sentences, community service in lieu of imprisonment, and closure orders.

68 such cases are published and 131,350 is the total of court fines imposed.

These include:

26 cases relating to failing to lodge tax returns, failing to remit VAT, failing to keep proper books and records, delivery of incorrect returns and fraudulent evasion of CGT. Court fines totalling 37,050, two 2-year sentences (both fully suspended on condition) and two 18-month sentences (both suspended for 12 months) were imposed;

19 cases of misuse of marked mineral oil in respect of which Court fines totalling 50,300 were imposed;

22 cases of excise offences for tobacco smuggling, illegal selling of tobacco and possession of untaxed tobacco for sale.

Court fines totalling 42,750, one 5-month sentence, one 16-month sentence, one 18-month sentence (all fully suspended on condition) and 240.5 hours of community service, in lieu of imprisonment, were imposed;

1 case of obstruction of a Revenue officer, in respect of which Court fines totalling 1,250 were imposed.



Part 2: Settlements

Settlements are published when the extensive voluntary disclosure options are not availed of and the default arises because of careless or deliberate behaviour:

23 cases are published today and 2.8 million is the total settlement amount in these cases;

8 cases were for amounts exceeding 100,000of which 1 exceeded 500,000 3 are cases in which the settlement was not fully paid as at 31 December 2021;

159,723.37 was the amount unpaid as at 31 December 2021. In some cases, collection/recovery of the full unpaid amount will not be possible (for example, company liquidation).

Background

Revenue says its compliance programme is carried out under the "Code of Practice for Revenue Audit and other Compliance Interventions" (the Code). The significant benefits of making a qualifying disclosure are set out in the Code and include availing of reduced penalties, avoiding publication in the List of Tax Defaulters, and avoiding possible prosecution.

Publication

Revenue says it publishes the List of Tax Defaulters under the provisions of Section 1086 of the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997, as amended. The list is published in two parts:

Part 1: Court Penalty Determinations and Court imposed fine, imprisonment or other penalty

Court penalty determinations are published where a taxpayer has not made a qualifying disclosure, the Court determined penalty exceeds 15% of the total tax, and the total of the tax, interest and penalty is more than 35,000.

All cases where a fine, imprisonment or other Court penalty is imposed by a Court, in respect of a tax or duty offence, are published.

Part 2: Accepted Settlements (and Settlements deemed to be agreed due to full payment)

Where a taxpayer has voluntarily furnished complete information relating to undisclosed tax liabilities and paid the tax and interest due (made a qualifying disclosure of tax defaults), settlements are not published.

Since 1 May 2017, significant changes and restrictions have come into effect where the case involves matters outside the Republic of Ireland, or 'offshore matters'. These changes limit the opportunity to make a 'qualifying disclosure' and coincide with increased international co-operation whereby Revenue gets more and more information automatically from other jurisdictions.

Legislation introduced in the Finance Act 2016 obliges Revenue to identify settlements where the person has failed to pay within the relevant period.

Settlements are not published where the taxpayer has made a qualifying disclosure relating to undisclosed tax, as defined in Section 1077E (1) of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, where the settlement amount does not exceed the relevant threshold, currently 35,000, or where the amount of fine or other penalty does not exceed 15% of the amount of tax.

Calculation of Penalties

Where a qualifying disclosure has not been made, Revenu say penalties between 15% and 100% are applied, depending on the category of default and whether or not the taxpayer has cooperated fully with Revenue in the course of enquiries. The categories of default are Deliberate Behaviour or Careless Behaviour.

Deliberate Behaviour involves either a breach of a tax obligation with indicators consistent with intent on the part of the taxpayer or a breach that cannot be explained solely by carelessness

Careless Behaviour involves lack of due care, which results in the incorrect declaration of tax liabilities by a taxpayer, or which results in the making of incorrect repayment claims. The level of penalty may be further reduced having regard to the level of cooperation provided by the taxpayer once the default is uncovered. Full details of the level of penalties applicable to audit settlements are set out in Penalty Table 1 (Paragraph 5.6.2) of the Code.

Innocent errors and adjustments due to different interpretations of legislation

Penalties are not applicable where a tax default is not deliberate or is not attributable in any way to the failure by a taxpayer to take reasonable care to comply with his or her tax obligations. Neither is a penalty applicable where an adjustment to liability arises from differences in the interpretation or the application of legislation, and the taxpayer could reasonably have considered her/his interpretation to be correct.
A successful Laois journalist has launched his first book, a young adult detective novel inspired by his childhood love of Enid Blyton's Famous Five series.

Sean Dunne from Clonaghadoo near Mountmellick, is a TV producer on The Tonight Show on Virgin Media in Dublin.

Before that, he wrote for The Irish Times, Sunday Independent, Irish Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.

A DArcy Blake Adventure, A Case for the Tech Detectives is his first book, published with Galway based Book Hub Publishing.

The book focuses on teenage detective DArcy Blake who has recently moved home from Boston in the United States to Salthill, Galway Ireland. Having struggled to fit in at school in America, DArcy sets out to make sure his new life in the West of Ireland is different.

A strong bond with his grandmother Nancy, ensures DArcy has a firm grounding in his new local community. DArcy is a strong willed teenager and alongside his friends, Marc and Claire and new girl in town, Fatima, DArcy and his crew set out to solve a mystery at the local abandoned mansion, Wakefield Manor.

The Manor leads the teenage detective on a dangerous course when they encounter TJ Wakefield, and a daring mission unfolds for the friends.

The pandemic gave Sean time to fulfill his book writing goal.

Like most people I have always wanted to write my own book but finding the time and setting your mind to it always seemed to get in the way until the Covid-19 pandemic hit and we were all forced to stay home. The idea for DArcy was born in the

early days of the pandemic and the adventure for the book began.

"It has been an interesting journey for me to write a book as I spent a long time working as a news reporter for newspapers in Ireland.Its a totally different experience to write a book and one I hope to repeat, he said.

Friendship, diversity and inclusion are the themes Sean hopes younger readers will take from reading his book and provide them with the same enjoyment that the likes of the Famous Five gave him as a child.



An Award-Winning Journalist, Sean was named the 2016 Newsbrands Ireland Young Journalist of the Year as well as being a recipient of awards from The Law Society of Ireland and a Simon Cumbers Funding Recipient.

His book is available from Hodges Figgis in Dublin and other selected book shops like Charlie Byrnes in Galway. Buy it online on www.bookhubpublishing.com for 12.99.
Gardai and political leaders in Ireland have urged anti-war protesters to keep within the law after a truck was driven through the gates of the Russian embassy.

Security has been bolstered at the embassy in Dublin following Mondays incident. A man appeared in court on Tuesday morning charged with dangerous driving and criminal damage.

Tanaiste Leo Varadkar condemned the incident, branding it foolish and unhelpful.



Tanaiste Leo Varadkar branded the incident foolish and unhelpful (Niall Carson/PA)

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris rejected a claim by the Russian authorities that gardai stood idle while the vehicle reversed through the gates.

Tanaiste Mr Varadkar expressed concern that Russian state media could try to use the incident to portray Ireland in a negative light.

Weve obligations under the Vienna Convention to protect diplomats who are here in Ireland, and also that will now be misrepresented in Russian state TV as Irish people being involved in violent acts against Russians, he said.

So, it was a foolish and unhelpful act in that regard, and I would say to anyone being involved in the protests, please do protest, we want you to do that, but peaceful protests  no violence, no criminal damage.

Following Mondays incident, the Russian embassy issued a statement of condemnation.

While the initial statement criticised the response of the gardai, a second statement later welcomed additional security measures put in place by the Garda.

Mr Harris said he did not accept that gardai had stood idly by, noting there was a swift arrest in the aftermath.

Where theres been other incidents as well, individuals are now in the criminal justice system, he added.

Weve made detections in all of those instances, so to say we were standing idly by is not correct.



Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said it was not correct to say officers stood idly by (Niall Carson/PA)

Asked about the cost of the beefed-up security, Mr Harris said: We have a responsibility obviously to protect all the ambassadors and embassies here in Ireland as part of our function as a policing service and so, in effect, these costs are met by our overall budget and our responsibility that we have.

And so with the security arrangements at the Russian embassy they will be regularly assessed.

He said security measures will be proportionate and necessary.

The Commissioner said it is important that protests stay within the law.

Theres a lot of tension and people are protesting, as theyre entitled to do, but it is a time of high emotion and frustration amongst those protesters.

What wed say to them, you are entitled to protest, but you must follow the directions of gardai on duty and obviously you must not commit offences.
Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Peter Burke today announced that he has approved funding of 129,100 for Women for Election to continue their essential work encouraging and supporting women interested in being involved in local government.

I would like to commend Women for Election for their tremendous work over the past year encouraging and supporting women into local politics. Despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, in 2021 the groups training programmes engaged 1,250 participants across the country, significantly expanding their reach, said Minister Burke.

Women for Election is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organisation which encourages and supports women interested in getting involved in politics. The group offers training programmes, events and mentoring supports, which have helped hundreds of women become involved in politics at both national and local level. Founded in 2012, the group has worked in partnership with the Department since 2018, and has seen enormous success, with their programmes engaging more than half of the women councillors who went on to be elected in the 2019 Local Elections.

Todays funding approval is part of a series of measures and initiatives aimed at eliminating barriers to the participation of women in local government," the Minister said.

This announcement comes shortly after the Longford-based SHE Project was awarded 111,072 towards their work in helping to address the significant under-representation of women in local government in rural Ireland. The Department has funded the project since its inception in 2019.

Another key priority is the provision of maternity protection for councillors. In that regard, Minister Burke stated, My Department has engaged extensively with councillors in relation to the maternity supports they need and with the Office of the Attorney General on legal questions arising. A package of maternity-related measures for councillors, including progressive proposals for legislative change, is being finalised by my Department.

Concluding, the Minister said, We are working hard to address the many issues that can act as a barrier to women participating in local government structures and decision making. Women for Election has been an extremely valuable partner to the Department in this work for several years now, and we look forward to continuing to support them as we look towards the local elections in 2024.
Martin Heydon, T.D Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, with special responsibility for research and innovation, has commenced a series of visits to agri-food, forestry and marine research facilities across Ireland. The Minister intends to meet researchers and postgraduate students working on projects funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and to hear first-hand the scientific progress being made across a range of policy areas of relevance to the Department and the wider agri-food sector.

The Minster will also take the opportunity of these visits to highlight findings from this DAFM funded research, particularly those which contribute to the sustainability of the sector in all its dimensions, environmentally, economically and socially, and which help to inform policy and decision making across government and industry.

Minster Heydon began by visiting the Marine Institute in Oranmore, where he was briefed by Mr. Niall McDonagh, Director of Policy, Innovation and Research Services on projects across a broad range of areas including conservation planning of coastal waters and improving the sustainability and safety of shellfish production.

The Minister continued his series of visits by meeting Teagasc at the Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre in Athenry, Galway. There, the Minister met with researchers, staff and students examining new approaches to increasing the productivity, sustainability and competitiveness of Irish sheep production systems. He also met with Dr. Niall Farrelly, who was recently awarded over 2.2million from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marines 2021 Competitive Research Call to investigate adaptation, mitigation and protection strategies to increase resilience of Irish forests.

The Minister said: As Minister of State with special responsibility for research and innovation, I am delighted to avail of this opportunity to get out and see first-hand the fantastic research being conducted across the country, funded by my Department. I am particularly looking forward to meeting the researchers, students and technicians who are involved in these projects and who have undoubtedly had to deal with a range of challenges in conducting their research during the COVID pandemic."

The Minister continued: The Food Vision 2030 Strategy sets out a vision of making Ireland a world leader in Sustainable Food Systems and one of its four Missions is dedicated to research, innovation, technology and human capital. I want to ensure that the research my Department funds is adequately contributing to this Mission. Along with my visits to the Marine Institute and Teagasc Athenry, I am also taking the opportunity to visit University College Cork, where I will learn more about a range of food safety and food waste research projects taking place there.

Concluding, Minister Heydon remarked: the agri-food sector has always been to the forefront of scientific research and innovation. Given the opportunities and challenges the sector is facing over the coming decade, I believe investing in public good research will be a critical enabler to the sector exploiting those opportunities and addressing the challenges."
A judge has warned he will start to strike out cases of illegal drug possession if the gardai continue to seek adjournments.

Numerous cases before Naas District Court have not been dealt with and repeatedly adjourned in the absence of a certificate of analysis indicating the value and quantity of illegal drugs in each case.

This certificate comes from Forensic Science Ireland, which is staffed by scientists and analysts who examine samples submitted from crime scenes and provide expert evidence in criminal trials. FSI also examines on items that possibly come into contact with drugs such weighing scales, knives and equipment from clandestine labs to determine if traces of a controlled substance are present.

Read more Kildare news

Having adjourned a number of cases at the court sitting on February 2, Judge Zaidan said there has to be a meaningful solution to the delay in providing the certs or Ill have to start striking them out.

Sgt Jim Kelly acknowledged the delays but said that meetings have taken place with the Department of Justice in an effort to find a solution, possibly through prioritising cases. He said a system has been up which will allow the gardai to provide a list of priority cases.

In one case where the value of the drugs was estimated at 7,000, there was an application for the issue to be struck out or marker peremptory for the next date, meaning it must proceed on that date.

However Judge Zaidan declined to strike the matter out.

I suspect this is due to a lack of resources but its not satisfactory. I wont strike it out now but there will come a time when I will have to draw the line somewhere.

Solicitor Tim Kennelly said that one defendant had complained of having to turn up in court on a number of occasions and the case has yet to go ahead.

He was referring to delays in the system, largely caused by the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, which limited the amount of people allowed into the courtroom and led to many adjournments.

One of his clients, who is facing allegations of assault, robbery, and the production ofan article, has been in custody for over four months.



Judge Zaidan replied: That's the state we're in. Were supposed to be a first world country. There are people on hospital waiting lists for three years to have an operation and that is more important.

Judge Zaidan likened the delays within the District Court system in County Kildare to having just one medical doctor for the whole county.

Dont get me started on the politicians, he added.
The construction of houses and apartments is taking place at a rapid rate across County Kildare.

But proceeding at a much slower pace is the provision of amenities like parks and playgrounds.

Naas councillor Bill Clear believes that more amenities and open spaces are needed because of increasing population in County Kildare.

At a Kildare County Council meeting he asked how the council is planning to meet the necessary demands for these social infrastructure requirements.

He said KCCs parks department is overstretched and is way too small.

Read more Kildare news

He said South Dublin County Council had 17 indoor staff and 150 outdoor staff with the same population as County Kildare.

He added parks are used by everybody and people are paying Local Property Tax and are entitled to know what theyre getting for this. Green Party councillor Peter Hamilton said Kildare does not have a proportional amenity plan and budget.

Cllr Nuala Killeen said the situation is not equitable across the county in places like Celbridge and Leixlip which have bigger populations.

Cllr Fintan Brett said that dedicated staff are needed in individual areas, rather than being centralised.

KCC official Marian Higgins reported that the population growth over the past decade has seen a substantial demand for public amenities.

In 2012 the parks department managed 12 playgrounds with a staffing of two. In more recent years the remit of the department had increased to cover skateparks, outdoor gyms, climate sustainability actions and tree maintenance.

Within the current infrastructure, she added, the team manages 30 playgrounds, 11 outdoor gyms and three skateparks with a staffing of almost 10.

There are plans for more than 50 projects to support the need for additional social infrastructure such as parks, playgrounds and open spaces.

The staffing complement is currently under review to ensure we are in a position to provide day to day maintenance as well as capital project maintenance. We are looking at increasing staff,  said Ms Higgins.

She said the County Kildare is one of the lowest on a per capita basis but she said SDCC has a much wider brief, including litter control.

She said KCC is conscious of existing and future demands.

She also pointed out that there are a number of procedural stages to go through before a playground is opened, citing the example of the library development in Naas, which has 33 stages - though this is many more than a playground requires.
There is little likelihood of a quick solution to the problems caused by a contaminated water supply at Kilteel, Naas.

A Kildare County Council meeting was told that while a number of solutions are being considered the best long term option is to connect those affected to the public main - though this could take 18 months to two years.

Cllr Fintan Brett told the meeting that a total of 55 families and seven other entities are using the water which has dangerously high levels of arsenic.

Cllr Brett also said that others may yet be affected because of the layout of the aquifer locally.

He said that it was the first time that arsenic has been found in the supply and he also said that the area is isolated enough for a helicopter to be required to rescue an ill person during the last major snowfall event.

Read more Kildare news

KCC official Joe Boland said while the creation of another borehole to secure an alternative had not been ruled out, a public main connection will be time consuming and expensive.

We are liaising with Irish Water and were looking at a number of options. This is new, we haven't had this problem before, said Mr Boland.

He said water tankers are expensive (1,000 per week according to Cllr Brett) and tanker water must be boiled.

Mr Boland also said the primary responsibility rests with the scheme adding that were working with all the stakeholders.

The case of the poisoning remains unknown.

Arsenic is naturally occurring but other reasons may lie behind what had happened in Kilteel.

Referring to the detail of tests, Mr Boland said these remain the property of the committee managing the scheme but if there are wider concerns those likely to be affected will be alerted.

According to Mr Boland because group water schemes are private entities test results are not for the public domain without permission

Arsenic testing takes place on a quarterly basis in addition to an additional three compliance monitoring samples taken three times a year.

KCC gets results from the city laboratory and when there is a problem, the HSE writes the health advice and sends it to the scheme trustees.

Apart from sampling the supply to check on quality, KCC investigates when water quality standards are breached and, in some cases, takes enforcement action.

The Environmental Protection Agency publishes treatment advice and guidance and checks the monitoring programmes operated by local authorities.

KCC has submitted a pre connection enquiry application to Irish Water to establish whether a connection to the public network is feasible in Kilteel and that information is not likely to be available until the end of May.

If its found to be feasible then either IW or the scheme committee will make a connection application to Irish Water.

This will provide details about the level of investment and works required to facilitate a connection.

In a report Mr Boland also said neither KCC nor the Department of Local Government is aware of new technologies which could be installed to address the problem - though this is still being investigated.

He also said while the council is not willing to provide tankers , this could be done out of the annual grant the scheme gets from the council.

KCC will continue to monitor all private group water schemes in the county as often as specified by EU regulations.

However no other scheme had recorded a worrying arsenic reading in 2021.

Mr Boland said that household wells and private wells are exempt from regulations and arsenic testing will be included as a test for any future well grant application received by KCC.

There are no levelated levels of arsenic in the Liffey catchment area near Kilteel.
The historic Jigginstown Castle on the outskirts of Naas could become a tourist attraction - if it is secured and preserved.

Naas Mayor Seamie Moore wants the castle at Newbridge Road to be prioritised as a building of architectural and historic value.

He said that up to now only small sums of money had been spent on the project and this was done on a piecemeal basis.

Cllr Colm Kenny commented that the scaffolding, a feature of the structure for many years, is so long there that it has some historical significance.

Read more Kildare news

No timeline is available for the possible opening of the historic Jigginstown Castle, outside Naas, to the public.

The Office of Public Works is engaged in a long term project to stabilise and consolidate the physical fabric of the building and to preserve as much of the building fabric as is physically possible.

Completed in 1637 at a cost of six thousand pounds, the castle was the brainchild of then Lord Deputy of Ireland Thomas Wentworth, who was executed in London in 1641.

It was built with the intention of becoming a royal palace prior to Wentworth being charged with treason.

Jigginstown Castle was never actually lived in and fell into decay. The castle is almost 100 metres long and has a series of cellars. The building has a first floor and two corridors.
Around 1,800 Ukrainian refugees have already arrived in Ireland since the outbreak of war, the Government has confirmed.

It comes as the Irish Red Cross, working with the Irish Government, launched an online system allowing people to register offers of accommodation for Ukrainian refugees.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin said yesterday (Monday March 7) that around 1,800 people from Ukraine have arrived in Ireland since Russian invaded.

He said that Europe was looking at a major humanitarian crisis.

He said that 486 refugees arrived on Sunday and while around two-thirds of people have family connections in Ireland, that proportion is falling as the crisis escalates.

More and more who dont have connections with families in Ireland are arriving and it is fair to say we can expect that to increase significantly over the coming weeks, Mr Martin told Newstalk.

This is a major humanitarian crisis on the continent of Europe and the response to that will have to be outside of the norm.

This is an exceptional humanitarian crisis brought about by war and it is a wartime situation, and therefore our responses have to be different to a non-wartime situation, Mr Martin predicted.

As the world responds to the assault on Ukraine by Vladimir Putin, countries in Europe are preparing for a surge in refugees.

The United Nations announced over the weekend that more than 1.5 million people have fled Ukraine.

The Irish Government, alongside the Red Cross, have launched a new portal where Irish people can make offers of support and accommodation for Ukrainian refugees.

Equality Minister Roderic OGorman said that all offers are hugely welcome.

Ireland stands in solidarity with all those fleeing Ukraine. Today, my Department, working with the @irishredcross has launched a national accommodation pledge portal to register potential accommodation for Ukrainian refugees. Full details: https://t.co/C29GjSWdVw  Roderic OGorman TD (@rodericogorman) March 7, 2022

Its important that people are aware that not all offers may be called upon immediately.

In thanking people for coming forward, I would also ask for patience as we scale up what will be an enormous logistical response.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly also said that Ireland would provide medical cards and access to healthcare to those fleeing the war.

He suggested that the Government was working on the assumption that a very, very large number Ukrainians could come to Ireland for refuge.

The pledges came on a day of drama at the Russian Embassy, after a man was arrested after a large lorry crashed into the gates of the embassy in Dublin.

Irish police said the lorry hit the gates of the embassy on Orwell Road in south Dublin.

The incident provoked an angry response from the Russian Embassy, with a spokeswoman accusing the Gardai of standing idle as the incident took place.

The Embassy has also accused Ireland of breaching the Vienna Convention by not protecting the premises from any damage.

Earlier, the first Irish politicians to visit Ukraine since the outbreak of war predicted that Irish families will have to play their part and open their homes to refugees.

Fianna Fail senator Timmy Dooley and MEP Billy Kelleher travelled to the Ukrainian city of Lviv for talks with political leaders.

Mr Dooley, the vice president of the EU Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (Alde), travelled 100 kilometres from the Polish border into Ukraine on Sunday.

It is understood they are the first Irish politicians to visit the country since the Russian invasion.

Went at invitation of our political colleagues in the Ukraine. We saw first hand the appalling suffering of people trying to get to European Union. Will ask our Political Parties at European level to request more support for Ukrainian refugees. Lucinda I hope you will too https://t.co/gSSVaGh7ys  Billy Kelleher MEP (@BillyKelleherEU) March 6, 2022

Mr Dooley said there will be much greater numbers fleeing the country over the coming weeks, and that appeals will have to go out to families across Europe, including Ireland, to open their homes.

I have to say the response that I have gotten from people that have contacted me in the last week, there is a huge willingness by the Irish people to open up their homes and assist these people who are fleeing really a terrible situation, he told RTE.

Mr Dooley said he was invited by the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskys Servant Of The Peoples party to visit the country after travelling to the border in Poland.

What we saw on the other side of the border was a 20km tailback of cars.

At one particular point, people standing in a line of about 5km, Mr Dooley added.

I would say there were people there for probably two days.

Its an appalling situation when you consider the low temperatures at night, recognising that theyre vulnerable people, young families, an absence of men who are back on the warfront, elderly people being pushed on wheelchairs, people with physical disabilities being pushed on wheelchairs.

Mr Dooley defended his decision to cross the border into Ukraine against official advice from the Irish Government.

I accept and recognise that.

But I think in the face of such human suffering, it was a calculated risk from our perspective, he added.

We had sought the advice of those that invited us and their best advice was that it was safe to travel to Lviv, which was about 100km on the other side of the border and was about 600 miles from where there was any shelling activity.

We are preparing a report which will go to the Alde number parties.

Well be passing that message back, which is that at European level, theyre very thankful for whats being done to date, but the effort will have to be stepped up, it will have to be easier for those that are fleeing the battlefields.

It will have to be easier for them to cross the border.

Obviously then we will have have work to do when the refugees ultimately get to our respective countries.

Poland is doing well at the moment, managing the numbers that are there.

It comes as Irelands Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney travels to New York for a two-day visit.

He is to take part in a Council of Foreign Relations discussion on Europes response to the events in Ukraine.
The families of Omagh bomb victims will return to court if the UK Government does not commit to a fresh investigation into the Real IRA atrocity, a campaigner has said.

Michael Gallagher, who lost his 21-year-old son Aiden in the 1998 bombing, said the families have had no contact from either the British or Irish Governments since a High Court judge last year recommended that a new probe should take place.

Mr Gallagher was speaking after meetings on Monday at Stormont with the leaders of the DUP and TUV, who committed their support to an Article 2 compliant investigation into Omagh.

In a High Court judgment last October Mr Justice Horner directly recommended that the UK Government carry out a human rights-compliant investigation into alleged security failings in the lead-up to the August 1998 attack.

His ruling came following a legal challenge against the UK Governments refusal to hold a public inquiry into the Real IRA atrocity, which killed 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins.

While having no jurisdiction to order the Irish Government to act on the matter, the judge also urged authorities there to establish their own probe in light of his findings.

Speaking following a meeting with Omagh families, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said: The judge recommended an Article 2 compliant investigation into the Omagh case.

I have consulted within our party and we have come to the view that we support the families call and the recommendation.

There should also be an investigation within the Irish Republic, where there are many questions to be answered.

Mr Gallagher said: All of the parties in Northern Ireland are now on board with the call for an Article 2 compliant investigation into Omagh.

We have already written to the Secretary of State (Brandon Lewis) informing him that if he is not willing to meet us and discuss the way forward, that we will end up back in court seeking another judicial review.

Since the judgment was made on October 8 and shortly after that we wrote to the Secretary of State and to the Taoiseach (Micheal Martin) requesting a meeting to try and navigate a way forward.

We have had absolutely no response from either Government.

It seems that they need to be dragged kicking and screaming to the courthouse doors.

The Northern Ireland Office has been approached for comment.
Carlow student Racheal Diyaolu is on her way across Ukraine trying to reach the Polish border and escape the country that was invaded by Russia nearly three weeks ago.

Her sister Christiana appeared on Ireland AM this morning to speak about her sister's journey and the selfless men, Joseph McCarthy and Gary Taylor from Scotland, who went to Ukraine to help people escape.

"Honestly Gary and Joe are amazing people. Three days ago they were strangers to us and now we're depending on them."

Racheal Diyaolu is 'on her way, hopefully to safety'.



Her sister Christiana gives us an update on her situation. pic.twitter.com/lfjHnOhXby March 8, 2022

Christiana said that 'things change all the time' and as of today, Racheal and the others are heading to Poland, instead of Moldova which was thought to be where she was heading yesterday.

Racheal herself took to Twitter to post a video documenting her journey late yesterday evening.

In the video she explains that they are in the van, a couple of hours out of Sumy and hopes to reach the Polish border sometimes today but says she is doing well.
Primary school students in Leitrim and nationwide are being asked to design a poster that encourages greater conservation of Irelands native fish.

The national poster competition, organised by Inland Fisheries Ireland in conjunction with Blackrock Education Centre, is part of the Something Fishy educational programme and officially kicks off this month.

Open to fifth and sixth class pupils, the winning posters will be used as part of an awareness campaign to promote the catch, photo and release (CPR) method of angling in Ireland. Under the CPR approach, a fish that is caught with a rod by an angler is quickly photographed and then returned safely back into the same water to swim away. As a result, greater numbers of fish can be conserved in rivers, lakes and around coastlines, putting less pressure on fish populations and boosting biodiversity.

To enter, primary school students are being asked to create a poster with the catch, photo and release message, take a photograph of it and then submit it by email before the closing date of Friday, April 15th 2022. The winning students in fifth and sixth class categories will receive a tablet to the value of 500 and will have their work featured in an awareness campaign.

Launching the competition, Suzanne Campion, Head of Business Development with Inland Fisheries Ireland said: Every generation has a vital role to play in taking care of our native fish and that includes protecting and conserving them. Catch, photo and release is just one conservation measure, but its a very important one when you consider that angling is increasingly popular in Ireland with over 320,000 people enjoying it as a hobby or sport. Ireland is also a major angling destination, attracting around 130,000 tourists from all around the world in an average year.

She added: For this years competition, were enlisting primary schools in Leitrim and across the country to help us create a message that will encourage more anglers to practice catch, photo and release the next time theyre going fishing. Were very fortunate to have lots of active angling clubs, associations and federations all over this country. We will be working closely with them to help get the catch, photo, release message out there as widely as possible.

The Something Fishy poster competition has been designed to fit in with the primary school curriculum, according to Niamh Murray, Director of the Blackrock Education Centre. She said: Our children are the future and promoting the simple act of releasing the fish that you catch, shows the power of an individual in conserving our environment.

In 2021, Inland Fisheries Ireland and the Blackrock Education Centre ran a national poetry competition, with two young poets from Tipperary and Carlow scooping the top prizes. To enter the 2022 competition, parents, guardians or teachers are asked to email original entries to outreach@fisheriesireland. ie before Friday, April 15th. Only one entry is allowed per student and all winners will be announced in early June.

Free resources with further details about the competition are available from www.somethingfishy.ie
A NUMBER of events have taken place across the Limerick garda division over the past week ahead of the deadline for applications under the new garda recruitment scheme.

General information was provided to the general public and potential applicants regarding the current Garda Recruitment campaign which was launched earlier this year.

One promotional event, at Bishop Street, Newcastle West last Friday, was headed by Garda Enda Moroney and Gard Cathy Healy when another took place, last week, at Colbert Station in the city.

"If you are of good character, are aged between 18 and 34 and have suitable educational, medical and physical requirements you are eligible to join," said Sergeant Ber Leetch who added a number of changes have been made compared to previous recruitment campaigns.

"For instance the Irish language is no longer required - you must be fluent in Irish or English or both. Huge changes have been made to the uniform and dress code policy and this may be of particular interest to our diverse and minority communities. The new policy includes information about the carrying of religious articles of faith, the wearing of certain items and gender identity and wearing the uniform," she explained.

The recruitment campaign is being run in partnership with the Public Appointments Service and further information can be found at garda.ie or publicjobs.ie.

The closing date for applications is 3pm pm Wednesday, March 16.
MORE than 60 people across Limerick have pledged to provide accommodation to soon-to-arrive refugees from Ukraine.

That's according to the Irish Red Cross, which is in talks with the Irish Refugee Protection programme regarding the accommodation of those who will come to Ireland fleeing the devastating war in their homeland.

The Irish Red Cross will refer to its register of pledges where it seeks spare rooms and vacant properties from the public.

Across the nation, more than 2,000 people have made such promises, the charity says.

On top of this, more than 9m has been donated to the Red Cross appeal from the Irish public.

If you are in apposition to offer support, please visit the Red Cross's register of pledges web site - click here.

In a separate development this week, a lorry-load of donations made by Limerick people has arrived in the Polish city of Katowice, which is a four hour drive from the Ukrainian border.

From here, it will be transported to the country, which is a fortnight into a Russian invasion.

Mayor Daniel Butler paid a warm tribute to Limerick resident Anna Mazeika, who flew over to Poland to co-ordinate the operation.

Along with her friends, Anna had collected hundreds of boxes of donations from Limerick people. These were deposited either at Kala Gel Nails in High Street, or the former Cleeve's factory.

It was from the latter lorries were packed to drive towards Eastern Europe late last week.

Our articulated lorry has arrived in Katowice in Poland. From here it will be transported to Ukraine.



Anna Mazeika flew over last week to make sure all goes according plan. Pictured here proudly flying the #Limerick flag in Katowice. #solidarityWithUkraine #LimerickAndProud pic.twitter.com/T2GRPM8XSz  Cllr Daniel Butler, Mayor of Limerick (@DanielButlerFG) March 7, 2022

The supplies in Katowice were picked up by Michal, who bravely undertook the treacherous journey across the Ukrainian border.
LIMERICK City and County Council has not yet paid a fine imposed on it by the Data Protection Commissioner over its illegal use of CCTV cameras.

The 110,000 fine was imposed last December following a three-year investigation by the DPC into nearly 400 CCTV cameras in public locations across the city and county.

The local authority is working closely with senior garda management in the Limerick division and an application is to be made to the Garda Commissioner in the coming weeks in relation to 376 cameras.

Briefing members of the Limerick Joint Policing Committee, the councils Head of Digital Services, Alan Dooley, said if approval, under the provisions of the Garda Siochana Act, is not forthcoming most of the cameras will have to be switched off before Easter.

He said significant work has been carried out since the Data Protection Commission published its findings and that he is highly confident the application to the Garda Commissioner will be successful  giving a legal basis for the retention of the cameras.

As part of the process to rectify matters, Limerick City and County Council and An Garda Siochana will enter a formal Joint Data Controller Agreement.

A public consultation process will begin this week and a data protection assessment will be carried out in relation to each individual camera.

Inspector Sandra Heelan, who has been working with the council, told the meeting that gardai are fully supportive of the application which will be submitted to the Garda Commissioner.

She said CCTV schemes, such as those in Limerick are very important in assisting gardai with their duties and with solving crimes such as the murder of Rose Hanrahan in 2017 which saw gardai download around 70,000 hours of CCTV footage.

Mr Dooley, who confirmed the DPC fine has not yet been paid, said all of the CCTV cameras included in the application are already in place.

He added that new procedures as to who can access and download footage have been drawn up and that all civilians with access will be garda vetted.

The application was unanimously approved by members of the JPC.
A LIMERICK-BASED engineer has advised aspiring youngsters to : "find your niche, what youre good at and really go for it."

Anna Brosnan who lives in Co Limerick with husband Steven and three teenagers, has urged young people with a head for figures to consider a career in the field.

She's a chartered member of Engineers Ireland and a keen supporter of science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses through her involvement in the Limerick for Engineering initiative.

As a young student, Anna always had a love for engineering, but wasn't sure in which area of the field to branch out into.

As a result, she studied general engineering for her first two years at Dublin's Trinity College, before specialising in civil engineering for her final two years.

"I liked the idea of building things; buildings, roads, bridges. Looking back on my childhood, I had always enjoyed construction related toys like Lego and Meccano. Civil engineering just felt like the right fit for me. During my third year in college, I spent the summer in London working on a bridge building site. I spent many days doing concrete slump tests to make sure the quality of the concrete was correct. I recognised then that the buzz of working in construction really appealed to me," she said.

After graduation, she worked for WS Atkins Consulting Engineers and worked for its water and public health section in Epsom near London's Gatwick Airport.

"My role included surveying the tunnel and making sure that it was being built to the right line and level. The tunnels, up to three metres in diameter and 45 metres in depth, were built using concrete segments to form a ring. While the tunnels were under construction, we travelled underground in locos, which are small train carriages, which also transported excavated materials, tunnel segments and other supplies to and from the tunnel face," Anna explains.

During her time with WS Atkins, Anna also worked on other projects, such as the investigation into the Heathrow tunnel collapse. She was then offered a site-based job directly with Thames Water Utilities.

Anna loved working on site, saying: "There is a great sense of job satisfaction and the team approach of working on site really appeals to me".

One of the site offices Anna worked in was in the residential cottages of an Old Treatment Works site. Back in the 19th Century, when the treatment works was built, cottages were also built for the staff who worked there. They lived in the cottages with their families and operated the treatment works. The cottages were long since abandoned, but one of them was used as a temporary site office and was believed to be haunted!

However, since 2013, she has worked with Irish Water, with her motivation for doing this being the protection of the environment.

When she's not working, Anna enjoys spending time with family and friends and relaxes by walking with her dogs in the Glen of Aherlow and at Lough Gur. She also loves reading, craftwork and is known to enjoy a good jigsaw, all very pandemic compatible pursuits.

I also love travelling and am fortunate to have visited many parts of the world already. But what I really look forward to now is getting back to see live theatre and music performances. Live music and acting, I really cant wait for that again," the engineer added.

Asked if she would recommend a career in engineering, Anna said, Absolutely, there is a great sense of achievement in working as an engineer. There are loads of opportunities and you can go in many directions. Engineers have the ability and opportunity to protect, shape and improve our world.

The best advice is to find your niche, what youre good at and really go for it. Its so important to enjoy what youre working at, as life is short.
THERE is, at best, a four to six week window during which any measures to increase the levels of cereal-growing in Ireland in 2022 can be taken, according to experts.

Farming organisations are due to meet with the Minister for Agriculture, Charlie McConalogue, this Tuesday evening to discuss what these measures might be, given that supplies of cereals and grains from Ukraine and Russia are expected to be disrupted as a result of the invasion of Ukraine.

However, speaking to the Limerick Leader in advance of that meeting, Pat McCormack, ICMSA President, said: It is not going to be compulsory tillage. It is going to be a voluntary scheme. That is our understanding.

It is not that straightforward to plough up a field, he added.

Lack of equipment and know-how, a lack of seed and storage facilities, the suitability and fertility of soils, manpower shortages and the vagaries of Irish weather are all issues and potential problems that would need to be addressed in any attempt to increase cereal production, whether for human consumption or for animal feed.

While Ireland relies on France and the UK for the majority of its milling flour for bread, we rely on Ukraine for almost 50% of our requirements for maize corn which is used in animal feed. In 2019 alone, Ireland imported 481,500 tonnes of agri-food products from Ukraine.

There is also the attendant, complicating issue of fertiliser. Over the past year, Limerick farmers pointed out this week, the cost of fertiliser has almost trebled to close to 1,000 a tonne but now supply has also become a critical issue, given that Russia is one of the main producers of fertilisers. Russia accounts for 40% of international trade in Nitrogen, 17% of Phosphorus and 20% of Potash, all constituents of fertilisers, according to Sean Lavery, Limerick IFA president.

Alternative sources are not readily available as replacements, he said.

We are facing a massive supply shock on fertilisers, on grain for animal feed and on wheat for making bread, added Mr Lavery, summing up the position.

Inevitably, these supply problems will feed into higher prices across the board, in meat, chicken, dairy products and other food.

Nationally, he pointed out, there has been a great drop-off in tillage over the years because of poor returns and land has been converted to grass. Production, he felt, could possibly increase in the south-east where tillage farming has traditionally been strong.

West Limerick was never a tillage area, Mr Lavery continued. Historically, there would have been tillage in the centre of Limerick where land is dry. I could certainly see some tillage coming back for people who have the skills and memory of doing it.

But farmers would need to see a return, he continued, pointing out that tillage is energy-heavy and farm diesel prices are shooting up. Farmers will do their best but the idea that every farmer is going to convert five acres is fanciful, he said. Farming had changed drastically since the compulsory tillage imposed during World War II, he pointed out and there was no easy way to increase grain production.

If you want to grow cereals, your land has to be right. It has to have the right fertility. You have to understand what you are doing: when do you fertilise, when do you sow, when do you harvest.

It will be a challenge to come up with workable solutions in the very short time frame available. Remember all crops have to be sown the next month in Ireland to be harvested in August or September, he concluded.
The Southern Regional Assembly is celebrating International Women's Day 2022 and the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women and a call for accelerating gender parity by highlighting the importance of womens engagement and representation in public roles, particularly as local and regional representatives.

We are also acknowledging the important role of women working in public sector organisations such as ours.

The Waterford-based Southern Regional Assembly operates at regional level within the local government sector and deals with issues such as regional and spatial planning and EU fund management at that level.

The regional level is represented by 33 local councillors serving as Assembly Members who are nominated by either their local authority or as a Committee of the Regions member.

Six women who are local councillors are also Regional Assembly Members, nominated either by their own local authority or due to their membership of the EU Committee of the Regions:

Cllr. Deirdre OBrien and Cllr. Sheila OCallaghan, both Cork County Council, Cllr. Maura Bell, Wexford County Council, Cllr. Siobhan Ambrose, Tipperary County Council, and Committee of the Regions representatives, Cllr. Deirdre Forde of Cork City Council and Cllr. Gillian Coughlan of Cork County Council.

Their work, and that of all Members, is to represent their local authorities at the level of the Southern Region on issues related to regional and spatial planning, and monitoring EU funded programmes, such as the ERDF Southern & Eastern Regional Programme.

The Committee of the Regions members also represent the Southern Region at EU level; the Committee of the Regions is

an EU institution which is the voice our regions and cities in the EU law making process.

The Regional Assembly manages the Southern & Eastern Regional Programme 2014-20 which has seen approximately 600 million from the ERDF and the Irish Government committed to support research and innovation, small businesses development through the Local Enterprise Offices, low carbon retrofitting through the SEAI, COVID health supports, and sustainable urban development projects, such as the regeneration of OConnell Street in Limerick City.

We will also manage the Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme which will see further ERDF supports for the Irish

regions the over the next seven years.

The Assembly is responsible for implementing the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy for the Southern Region to contribute to the objectives of the National Development Plan.

The objectives of the Strategy and the Regional Programme have been aligned to maximise benefits for Irish regions and communities in the coming years.

For further details on the Southern Regional Assembly visit www.southernassembly.ie.

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Stock Market News

GBPUSD - China is willing to work with Europe on Ukraine, according to Xi 08-03-2022 03:05



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Shell PLC said it is withdrawing from dealing in Russian oil and natural gas, saying it would immediately halt all spot purchase of crude from the country and will phase out its other trading and business dealings.

The energy giant previously said it would pull out of a number of joint ventures in the country. On Tuesday, it said it would also shut its service stations and aviation fuels and lubricants operations in Russia, and it wont renew any Russian term contracts. It said it would find alternative supplies of oil as soon as possible, though it cautioned it could take weeks to fully make up the difference, leading to reduced production at some refineries.

Shell faced a backlash last week and over the weekend when it snapped up a cargo of Russian crude at a bargain price, after many other players had started to curtail their purchases, creating an informal embargo from some buyers in response to Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The company on Tuesday apologized for the purchase and said it would commit profits from its Russian oil purchases to humanitarian funds aimed at alleviating the crisis in Ukraine. Shell had previously said it would exit its joint ventures with Russian energy giant Gazprom PJSC.

The U.S. and its allies left energy out of an array of economic sanctions imposed on Moscow in response to the invasion. Many refiners, though, went further, shunning Russian crude. Such self-sanctioning has taken a chunk out of global supplies, pushing prices for international benchmark Brent sharply higher. Traders say it is also causing a backup in Russias energy supply chain, prompting refiners to cut back production.
WASHINGTON : Uber Technologies Inc., Lyft Inc. and other companies that use independent contractors as drivers are launching a campaign to head off Democratic efforts to classify their workers as employees, which would allow them to form unions.

The companies, which also include DoorDash Inc., Grubhub Inc. and several others, plan to run TV and internet ads in the Washington area featuring workers who say they prefer the flexibility of the independent-contractor model over that of a company employee.

If I want to work 20 minutes a week, or 30 hours, I can do that," says one worker in the ad. When I need a day off to study for a big exam, I can do that," says another.

The new advocacy effort by the app-based companies comes as some lawmakers in Congress and in statehouses push measures to reclassify their part-time workers from independent contractors to employees who would be eligible for additional company benefits and be permitted to join labor unions.

Kristin Sharp, the chief executive officer of the advocacy group, called Flex, says the industrys business model is based on using independent contractors to hold down labor costsand the fees charged to customers. The average app-based worker spends about eight hours a week on the job, according to the industrys data.

Workers are voting with their feet and are flocking to app-based work because it gives them better work-life balance," Ms. Sharp said. Our big-picture goal is to ensure that people who want to be flexible can do so."

The group said it plans to spend more than $1 million on the ads.

Labor unions say that Uber and other gig-economy companies exploit their workers by not giving them enough hours on the job to qualify for healthcare and other benefits.

They have the support of Democrats in Congress and President Biden, who in last weeks State of the Union address called on Congress to approve the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which has a provision that could reclassify some part-time, app-based workers as traditional employees.

When a majority of workers want to form a union, they shouldnt be stopped," Mr. Biden said.

The new campaign echoes one that Uber, Lyft and others fought in California in 2020.

The California Legislature in 2019 enacted a law that created a three-step test to determine whether workers should be considered independent contractors or employees.

The companies responded by qualifying an initiative for the November 2020 ballot to exempt drivers from the law. Uber, Lyft and other supporters heavily outspent labor groups and other opponents, and the initiative passed with 59% of the votes in the majority-Democratic state. Appeals of the measure are working their way through the courts.

The industry has waged other battles over employee benefits in Miami, New York and Massachusetts. Now it is turning its focus on Washington, where Mr. Biden and congressional Democrats are increasing their calls to pass the PRO Act. The measure would create new labor rules, increase fines on companies that are found to violate labor laws and generally make it easier for workers to form labor unions.

The House approved the legislation last year, but it has stalled in the Senate. Union leaders and top Democrats say they believe it could win Senate approval partly because it has been endorsed by Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.), a key Democratic vote who has blocked some of Mr. Bidens other priorities.

The creation of the new industry group shows how advocacy from Silicon Valley tech companies is evolving as internet companies priorities diverge.

Some of Flexs members had previously been members of the Internet Association, a trade group created to give internet companies a unified voice in Washington. That group also represented such giants as Alphabet Inc.s Google and Meta Platforms Inc.s Facebook. The association dissolved last year amid tension over its members conflicting priorities on competition policy and other issues.

A separate group of companies including Snap Inc. and Reddit Inc. created their own group in 2020 to lobby against proposed changes to Section 230, a law shielding apps and websites from liability for hosting user-generated content.
Tamil Nadu education department has razed 3,030 old school buildings in the state that were in a dilapidated state and the construction of new buildings is in process.

During the recent rains, some old school buildings that were in poor condition had crashed in Tirunelveli district. Four children had died after a school wall crashed on them in the rains.

The minister had then announced that old school buildings would be razed and new buildings constructed in their places.

State school education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi said that the government is allocating funds for the construction of new school buildings. In a statement on Tuesday, the office of the minister said that the students of the schools that are razed would be accommodated in rented buildings to continue with their education.

The syllabus for the present academic year in all schools has been reduced by 30 to 55 per cent due to Covid-19. Exams would be conducted in the month of May as scheduled, it read.

While speaking to IANS, the minister said: "The old school buildings that were in dilapidated conditions are razed and new ones are constructed as safety of children is of prime importance. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had given the go-ahead after the children lost their lives when a school building crashed on them. Funds are not criteria for the construction of new buildings."
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman held an interaction with leading entrepreneurs of IT/BT, Startups and Semiconductor sectors on Monday, said a press release. Dr CN Ashwatha Narayana, Karnataka Minister was also present.

Founders, Chiefs, and Representatives of many companies including Wipro, Infosys, Mind Tree attended the interactive meeting.The Union Minister got apprised by the entrepreneurs about the initiatives that needed to be taken to facilitate the further growth of the above-mentioned four sectors and to increase their export potential.

During the meeting, expressing her gladness over the Startup ecosystem of the state, she said, Karnataka sets an example to be emulated by others.

"We should make most of the economic opportunities that exist in the semiconductor sector. Considering this the Union Government has come out with specific plans. Accordingly, the Government of Karnataka is also promoting the growth of this sector. The state will also stamp its' mark in this sector also", She opined.

During the meeting, entrepreneurs of the state drew the attention of the Finance Minister on measures to be taken to further increase the exports in the IT sector. They also shared their opinions regarding the existing tax policy.

Rishab Premji of Wipro, Niranjan Roy of Infosys, N Krishna Kumar of Mela Ventures, Debashish Chatterji of Mind Tree, Partha Day Sarkar of HGS Solutions, Dr Ajay Prabhu of Quest Global Solutions, Dattatri Salagame of Bosch Software, KS Vishwanatha and S Nagesh of NASSCOM were present.
Almost two weeks into the Russian invasion of their country, Ukrainian forces have managed to hold up the advance of their foes with resistance that has won plaudits from Western allies.

Analysts say their performance against a numerically far superior army has been fuelled by a combination of good preparation, national solidarity and Russian mistakes.

However, the future remains unclear, with President Vladimir Putin repeatedly declaring that nothing will stand between him and his aims.

"They (the Russians) are basically not going very fast," said a senior French military source, asking not to be named. "At some point, they will have to realign but it will not signify a failure."

AFP looks at five ways Ukraine has been able to stall the Russian advance.

- Preparation -

Ukraine, with Western help, substantially bolstered its armed forces after 2014, when Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in a lightning operation and pro-Russia separatists overran parts of the east of the country.

In 2016, NATO and Kyiv began a training program for Ukrainian special forces, who now number 2,000 and have been able to help civilian volunteers.

"Ukrainians have spent the last eight years planning, training, and equipping themselves for resisting a Russian occupation," said Douglas London, adjunct associate professor at Georgetown University.

Understanding that the US and NATO won't come to its rescue on the battlefield, Ukraine's strategy has focused "on bleeding Moscow so as to make occupation untenable," the CIA veteran wrote in Foreign Affairs.

- Local knowledge -

Russia, relying on Soviet-era familiarity with an area that Moscow controlled under the USSR, appears to have underestimated the Ukrainian forces' home-turf advantage.

This included both knowledge of the terrain -- at a time of the year when tracks can turn to mud -- and the capacity of locals to themselves take up arms against the invading forces.

In such a scenario of irregular warfare, weaker forces can maximise the advantages they have over their stronger opponents -- "advantages of terrain, local knowledge, and social connections," said Spencer Meredith, professor at the College of International Security Affairs.

Challenges will mount further if urban fighting develops when Russia seeks to penetrate inside cities like Kyiv.

"That changes everything," said the French military source. "The Russians will run into trouble at every street corner, building by building."

- Solidarity -

Led by President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has remained in Kyiv despite the risk to his life as Russia enters the region of the capital, Ukrainians have shown the deepest resilience in adversity.

Ordinary citizens have volunteered for the frontline, often after ensuring their families were safely headed to security in the west of the country or outside its borders.

Images circulating online have shown ordinary people making Molotov cocktails or farmers towing away captured Russian military hardware.

Ukraine had no "other choice than to further increase its attrition warfare capacity by rapid training of territorial troops and use of light weaponry," said retired French colonel Michel Goya.

- Strategic errors -

Military analysts say Russia made strategic errors in the early days of the invasion after it was launched on February 24, sending in too few ground troops in the initial phase and failing to get ground and air forces working in tandem.

It appears Moscow expected to achieve military success within days.

"At the outset they thought they could introduce units very quickly into the capital Kyiv... But very early on they got bloody noses," said Michael Kofman, director of the Russia Studies Program at the Center for Naval Analyses in the US.

"The assumptions were ridiculous... how could you take Kyiv in three days? The Russian military has now adjusted and is trying to conduct this as a combined arms operation," he said.

- Psychological fear -

Russia has set alarm bells ringing across the world by keeping tens of thousands of troops deployed close to the border with Ukraine over recent weeks.

But it is possible that few had any idea they were about to be sent to war in a neighbouring country whose inhabitants are fellow Slavs and where many speak Russian as their mother tongue.

Morale will not have been helped by heavy Russian casualties who, according to the French source, have included at least one major general -- a sign the top military elite have felt compelled to visit the frontline.

Tom Pepinsky, non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said evidence so far suggested that Ukraine's treatment of Russian prisoners of war could become harsher as the invaders press further into the country.

"The Ukrainian resistance will be most effective if Russians are on edge, sleepless, and prone to overreactions," he said.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
Denham Springs, LA (70726)

Today

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Tonight

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Newly formed Los Angeles and London-based distribution company Cartel Studios International is making its MipTV debut with a slate of 18 titles spanning mystery dramas, thrillers and romantic comedies.

The outfit, led by Gary Marenzi, Giovanni Pedde and Stephen Tague, was launched in 2021 by prolific genre producer Cartel Pictures whose credits include Creepshow and Unborn.

Highlights of the MipTV slate include Deadly Infidelity (A&E Lifetime), Dangerous Snow Day (Lifetime Movie Network), Deadly Girls Night Out (Lifetime Movie Network), Cheating for your Life (A&E Lifetime), Crushed (Tubi) and Romeo & Juliet Killers (Tubi).

Marenzi said: There continues to be a growing appetite for top quality produced movies for streaming and broadcast audiences. Were looking forward to presenting this accessible portfolio of original programming to international buyers in-person at MipTV.

Stan Spry, co-CEO, Cartel Pictures, added: In addition to this current offering, we have a growing pipeline of premiere programming that will be available for the global market as we continue to invest more in original content. Our production business has grown exponentially and in looking ahead were slated to deliver more than 40 titles across films and series this year, which were excited for our distribution division to discuss directly with international clients.

Cartel Studios International will be available on-site and online at MipTV, which runs Apr. 4-6 at Cannes. Russian companies are unlikely to attend as organizer Reed Expositions will follow government sanctions and policies in each territory where (it) operates.

RX stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, particularly with our employees around the world who have family and friends in the Ukraine, said Reed Expositions. We also stand in solidarity with our Russian employees working in challenging conditions.

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Chris Stapleton delivered one of the most powerful live performances of the 2022 ACM Awards when he sang his ferocious song of revenge Watch You Burn. Stapleton wrote the track, off his 2020 album Starting Over, as an open letter to the gunman who killed 60 country music fans at the 2017 Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting in Las Vegas. On Monday night, Stapleton sang the song onstage at Allegiant Stadium in Vegas  a short distance from the site of the massacre.

That proximity made the performance all the more powerful, as Stapleton, backed by the 16-member All Voices Choir, roared through his indictment. Only a coward would pick up a gun/and shoot up a crowd trying to have fun, he sang in the opening verse, before offering his explosive prediction: Oh, youre gonna get your turn/devil gonna watch you burn.

Stapleton was nominated for five awards at the 57th Academy of Country Music Awards, including the top prize of Entertainer of the Year. This marks the ACMs first time in Las Vegas since the start of the pandemic, when they were forced to relocate to Nashville for a hybrid live and pre-taped show.

The Route 91 shooting remains the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. This October marks the five-year year anniversary of the tragedy.
Two men have pleaded guilty to kidnapping and holding victims for ransom for three days, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

Jesus Ochoa  26, Laredo  pleaded guilty today, while Luis Armando Garcia  29, a Mexican citizen illegally residing in Laredo  admitted his role in the scheme Monday, Feb. 28.

On Nov. 19, 2020, Ochoa and Garcia went to the banks of the Rio Grande in Laredo. There, they encountered a group of individuals who had just crossed the river and offered them a ride to San Antonio in exchange for payment.

They traveled to Garcias residence in Laredo, but told the group they were actually in San Antonio. They then forced all four people to call their family members and ask them to send $4,000 for each persons release.

For three days, Ocho and Garcia held the group hostage at the residence, threatening each person with a firearm. They repeatedly forced them to call family members and beg for ransom money. Held at gunpoint, the victims had to record videos and voice messages, make video calls and send text messages to family. On several occasions, Ochoa and Garcia spoke to the family members directly, telling them if payment was not made, something would happen to the hostages.

Ultimately, family contacted authorities who were able to obtain the general location where the phone calls originated.

Ochoa and Garcia saw law enforcement in the area and panicked. They loaded the group back into a vehicle and transported them to an industrial park in Laredo. They dropped off the group and said they would return later.

The victims borrowed a phone from a nearby truck driver and called for help. Authorities found all four and were transported to safety.

U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo accepted the plea and will set sentencing at a later date. At that time, Ochoa and Garcia face up to life in prison.

They have been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.

Homeland Security Investigations and Laredo Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Makens is prosecuting the case.
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A man accused of fatally shooting a Texas Army National Guard soldier has pleaded guilty in the 111th District Court, according to court documents.

Gilberto Guadalupe Villarreal, 26, pled guilty on Monday to 20 years in the Texas Department of Corrections for one count of murder and five years for an unlawful carrying of a weapon charge. Both will run concurrent with credit for time served.

Villarreal shot and killed John Lydell Tyler, 28, at a west Laredo apartment complex. Tyler was a decorated Texas Army National Guard soldier assigned to U.S. Customs and Border Protection in and around Laredo.

The case unfolded at about 5:21 a.m. March 31, 2019, when Laredo police officers responded to a shots fired report in the 4300 block of Old Santa Maria Avenue. First officers on the scene encountered Tyler with an apparent gunshot wound to his abdominal area. Police said that Tyler was drinking with a woman behind her apartment when a lone gunman opened fire and hit Tyler.

Laredo Fire Department crews took Tyler to Laredo Medical Center, where he was prepared for surgery. He was expected to be airlifted for further care but died at LMC, according to an arrest affidavit.

An investigation revealed that Tyler and other people had been involved in an altercation at Blue Moon Country Bar & Patio at 9802 McPherson Road. Authorities confirmed that an altercation had taken place once they recovered video surveillance from the nearby businesses.

Court documents suggest Villarreal and Tyler may have been involved in an altercation at a local bar prior to the fatal shooting. A bar employee told investigators he overheard Villarreal telling Tyler in Spanish, "Ya estas muerto (You are already dead)," states the affidavit.

Records further stated that Villarreal and two women went looking for Tyler with the intention of assaulting him over the incident at the Blue Moon Bar. Villarreal located Tyler at the apartment complex on Old Santa Maria and fatally shot him, according to court documents.
A 21-year-old from Tamil Nadu, who was rejected twice by the Indian Army, is now fighting in the Ukrainian Army against the invading Russian troops.

Intelligence reports received by the Union government have revealed that the Tamil youth, Sainikhesh Ravichandran of Thudaliyur in Coimbatore is a student of Aerospace engineering at Kharkiv National University in Ukraine.

Sources in the Tamil Nadu Police told IANS that a group of Central intelligence bureau officers had visited the residence of Sanikesh a couple of days ago and collected all the details regarding him and as to why he had joined the Ukrainian military.

His parents, according to police officers, had informed the intelligence sleuths that he had a passion for military and armed training and showed his room plastered full of photographs of Indian military and officers.

Sainiikesh, had according to the police officers, enquired with the US consulate in Chennai to join in the US military but as he knew that it was not possible he had returned home.

The family members, however, said that he was actively pursuing his five year aerospace engineering course and had informed them a few days before the war broke out that he had got employment in a video game developing company.

However, the family came to know that he had joined the Ukraine forces only when the intelligence sleuths visited them. His father Ravichandran when contacted told IANS, "I am terribly upset and I have requested the Government of India to bring my son back to India. He had contacted home a few days ago and said that he was safe and he was not listening to our requests to come back."

The 21-year-old Tamil Nadu youth is fighting for the Georgian National Legion paramilitary unit comprising of volunteers.
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Lockport, NY (14094)

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This past year saw Cllr Uruemu Adejinmis election to the prestigious position of Cathaoirleach for the Longford Municipal District. But the local lady also made national headlines as the first black female to be elected to a mayoral position in Ireland.

Being elected Mayor of Longford Municipal District has been surreal, Uruemu told the Longford Leader.

The pride and inspiration this elevation has brought to my family, friends, Longford Community and the larger society is something I am thankful for every day.

Uruemu has served as a local Fianna Fail councillor for two years but spent many years before that working within the local community.

She is acutely aware of the challenges facing women in Longford and has her own thoughts on how those challenges can be addressed.

Lack of job opportunities, dearth of housing, healthcare and childcare facilities, safety and socialising options are some challenges faced by women in Longford.

Providing social and affordable housing will be a great relief for families currently struggling to meet financial obligations as we emerge from the Covid_19 pandemic, she said.

Securing quality jobs for Longford that will see a retention of young people and families as well as increase spend in our local businesses.

As a strong member of the local community, Uruemu is extremely heartened by the efforts Longford people have put into donations for the men, women and children of Ukraine since the Russian invasion began.

I am deeply saddened for the people who have had to flee their homes and communities and I am enraged that this is an avoidable catastrophe.

Even if the war were to end today, imagine the damage to the mental and physical health of the people that had their lives so violently interrupted, their homes, schools and livelihoods damaged. It takes a moment to destroy and a lifetime to repair, she said.

I am also heartened by the level of support and solidarity shown by the people of Ireland and other global communities.

This has strengthened my resolve to continue my political activism because we need more women, more reasonable, conscientious people in authority courageous enough to choose peace and stability in the interest of the people.

How will you mark International Womens Day on Tuesday, March 8?

I will be giving a talk in TUS Athlone Campus and attending Fianna Fail Womens Network International Womens Day event in Dublin.

What does International Womens Day mean to you?

International Womens Day is a celebration of the contribution of Women in Society.

#BreakTheBias is the theme for International Womens Day 2022. Applying the theme to your own life and career, what might it mean to you and what is your view or interpretation on the theme?

It is of huge significance to me as I have broken many barriers in my professional life to date. Some of these barriers exist because of conscious and unconscious bias. Often these biases are counterproductive and it is important that we continue to challenge them to ensure a better, ethical future for all.

As a woman in politics, what challenges have you faced and how have you overcome them?

Women in politics face many challenges and some I have encountered are cultural, financial and social media related. I work hard to ensure I contribute to the development of my local community and I make sure I am accessible both online and in real-time. I seek support from my colleagues (female and male) and my Party HQ to ensure that I have the relevant information I need to execute my role effectively. I also take advantage of training and development opportunities to increase my knowledge and expertise. Family and friends are also a great support in my role as a politician.

What challenges do you feel women in Longford are facing at the moment and how can they be addressed?

Lack of job opportunities, dearth of housing, healthcare & childcare facilities, safety, and socialising options are some challenges faced by women in Longford. Providing social and affordable housing will be a great relief for families currently struggling to meet financial obligations as we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic. Securing quality jobs for Longford that will see a retention of young people and families, as well as increase spend in our local businesses. Increased Garda resources will also enable women and girls feel safer in the Community.

What are your top three career highlights to date?

Being elected Mayor of Longford Municipal District has been surreal. The pride and inspiration this elevation has brought to my family, friends, Longford Community and the larger society is something I am thankful for every day.

Another career highlight is being a local Councillor and Rep for residents of Longford and Fianna Fail. Helping to improve the living conditions of people in the Community is a huge privilege.

My educational qualifications have helped shape who I am and how I execute my role. I believe in personal growth and development and I am always open to continuous learning.

According to the World Economic Forum, gender parity will not be attained for almost a century. Do you agree?

Gender parity can be attained depending on our willingness and readiness. Once there is consensus, legislation can be drafted in a short period of time to effect gender parity in every area of society including politics. I feel every woman (in my generation and older at least) has experienced some form of gender bias.

The murder of young teacher Ashling Murphy, the subsequent outpouring of grief, solidarity, vigils held worldwide and anger about it firmly put a spotlight on attitudes towards and violence against women. Have you witnessed change? What needs to change?

The news of Ashling Murphys murder was a huge shock indeed and it brought to the fore worries that women have and behaviours that have been normalised because violence against women remains a worrying trend in our society. We certainly need a shift in mindset, one which can be brought about by changes to our education system (for example)  transition away from same-sex schools would be one way of addressing this issue. Ensuring boys and girls are educated together from junior infants right through to leaving certificate year will help ensure the curriculum is gender-neutral. We need to challenge stereotypes and make every effort to encourage young people to explore all career options.

With Covid-19 pandemic restrictions lifting, what have we learned over the past two years and what are your hopes for the future?

I have learned that the quickest route out of adversity is working together and leaving no one behind. Everyone has a role to play in our community and we are stronger when we work together. My hope for the future is to create a world of equal opportunity for all in society through ethical political leadership and inspire others to grow and excel in their chosen field of endeavour.

The invasion of Ukraine has seen men and women go through untold pain and fear. What are your own thoughts on what is happening in Ukraine now?

I am deeply saddened for the people who have had to flee their homes and Communities and I am enraged that this is an avoidable catastrophe. Even if the war were to end today, imagine the damage to the mental and physical health of the people that had their lives so violently interrupted, their homes, schools and livelihoods damaged. It takes a moment to destroy and a lifetime to repair.

I am also heartened by the level of support and solidarity shown by the people of Ireland and other global communities. This has strengthened my resolve to continue my political activism because we need more women, more reasonable, conscientious people in authority courageous enough to choose peace and stability in the interest of the people.

Who are two ladies who have inspired you in your own life and explain why?

Jacinda Ardern for her ethical political leadership and Beyonce for her confidence and excellence.

Check out our other IWD interviews with inspirational Longford women at the link below:
Four women have been fined for their part in a violent row in Longford town which resulted in another woman receiving a number of punches to her body in front of startled shoppers.

Ann Lawrence (59) 17 Camlin Meadows, Farneyhoogan, Longford, Caroline Lawrence (25), 13 The Keys, Market Square, Longford, Mary Lawrence (30), 1 The Hollows, Longford, and Rebecca Lawrence (28) 39 Great Water Street, came before the court following an incident along Longford town's Ballymahon Street on June 5 2019.

The court had previously heard how the incident had stemmed from an ongoing feud with members of a rivalling family.

Fifty-nine-year-old Ann Lawrence was charged with violent disorder, assault causing harm and the production of an article.

Caroline and Rebecca Lawrence were charged with violent disorder and a Section 3 assault.

Mary Lawrence, meanwhile, was charged with violent disorder arising out of the same incident.

The case had been adjourned previously in a bid to ensure there were no further difficulties between either of the parties involved.

When the matter came before Judge Bernadette Owens last Tuesday, the court was told there had been no subsequent incidents of trouble, something defence solicitor John Quinn was quick to vouch for.

They (defendants) were all extremely cooperative and dealt with the case at the first opportunity, he said.

Mr Quinn, in continuing his mitigation, implored Judge Owens to look favourably on each of the accused in view of their strained financial circumstances.

They are finding the cost of living quite difficult, he added.

Judge Owens fined Ann Lawrence, Caroline Lawrence and Rebecca Lawrence 200 each for the section 3 assault charge, taking all of the accompanying violent disorder charges into consideration.

Mary Lawrence, meanwhile, was fined 200 for her sole section 15 violent disorder charge.

Each of the accused were also given six months to pay their respective fines.
With exit polls pointing to a possible hung Assembly in Goa, the Congress is not taking any chances of being pipped to the post and has deputed Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar to monitor and strategise to attain power.

Shivakumar left for Goa on Tuesday after getting directions from Delhi.

Sources in the Congress state that he is going to camp in Goa for three days to ensure that the age-old party, which missed a chance to form the government by a whisker after the last Assembly elections, do not commit the same mistakes again. Shivakumar is going to stay put in Goa till the new government is formed if needed, sources added.

Sources close to Shivakumar said that he will put in maximum efforts to install Congress government in Goa, as he is eyeing for the post of Chief Minister in Karnataka after the Assembly elections in the state 2023. "This is an opportunity at the right time for Shivakumar to impress the high command, which will take him one step closer to the coveted position."

ABP-C-Voter exit polls have projected 12 to 16 seats for the BJP, 13 to 17 seats for Congress, 1 to 5 seats for AAP, 5 to 9 seats for MGA and alliance and two seats for independent candidates this time. Though the Congress had emerged as the largest party in 2017 Assembly elections by winning 17 seats, BJP seized the opportunity and managed to form the government in Goa. BJP had then deputed Union Minister for Road Transports and Highways of India Nitin Gadkari as a trouble-shooter.

Dinesh Gundu Rao, former Karnataka minister, who is in-charge of Goa Congress desk, has said that if his party falls short of the majority mark of 21 seats, it will seek the support of allies from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and Trinamool Congress to form the government.

Shivakumar is regarded as a master strategist and seen as a person who can handle any situation for the party. He played a key role in installing the Congress-JD (S) coalition government even as the BJP emerged as a single-largest party in Karnataka in the last Assembly elections in Karnataka. He has come to the rescue of the party whenever its government is threatened in Maharashtra. He hosted the Congress MLA's in a resort much to the chagrin of the BJP.

Later, Shivakumar was jailed for 50 days in Tihar jail in a money laundering case lodged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Shivakumar had stated that he was sent to jail because he did not join the BJP. With huge resource capabilities, aggressive and bold decisions, Shivakumar could prove to be a shot in the arm for the Congress party in the crucial negotiations with the legislators of other parties in Goa as well.

The BJP has delivered jolt after jolt to the Congress in Goa as its strength has been reduced to two in the House. Even after this, the Congress has made a comeback in the elections and the grand old party is leaving no stone unturned to attain the power in Goa.
County Longford Public Participation Network (PPN) Development Officer, Siobhan Cronogue is an exceptionally busy lady this week with PPN Municipal District plenary meetings taking place across the county and the PPN, alongside the Civil Defence, are also spearheading a humanitarian appeal for Ukraine.

She describes events in Ukraine as heartbreaking. Its difficult to comprehend how this can happen in 2022. Everyone feels so helpless. We have seen in the past week how war impacts differently on men and women.

And asks, I wonder if there were more women around Putins table would we be at war?

Siobhan says International Womens Day provides her with the opportunity to remember the great women who have gone before us, our own mothers, grandmothers, great grandmothers, many of whom reared families in poverty, the brave women who went against the norms of the day, the women today who are suffering around the world in Afghanistan, Africa, Ukraine.

The murder of young teacher Ashling Murphy in January firmly put a spotlight on attitudes towards and violence against women.

Siobhan said violence against women has to stop. We see the impact of it every day on our screens from female genital mutilation to indiscriminate rape in war, on our streets and tragically in our homes where we should be safe. Here in Longford in 2021, over 400 women, who were experiencing violence, went to Longford Womens Link for support.

How will you mark International Womens Day on Tuesday, March 8?

Longford PPN are holding their Municipal District plenary meetings this week. On Tuesday the meeting is in Granard. The new Longford Community Safety Partnership is consulting with community groups on what they see as important regarding the safety of their community. As only two of our county councillors are women (none in Granard ), it will be an important opportunity for women to get their voice heard because the wellbeing of their family and the safety and security of their homes and communities is a priority. Of course there will be refreshments and an opportunity to chat as well.

What does International Womens Day mean to you?

It makes me remember the great women who have gone before us, our own mothers, grandmothers, great grandmothers, many of whom reared families in poverty, the brave women who went against the norms of the day, the women today who are suffering around the world in Afghanistan, Africa, Ukraine.

#BreakTheBias is the theme for International Womens Day - applying the theme to your own life and career, what might it mean to you and what is your view or interpretation on the theme?

To me #BreakTheBias means break the assumption that only an elite group of men have all the answers to the worlds problems. While progress for women has been made on many fronts, it is the decision-making area where women are still in a minority. We have seen this very starkly in the past week in relation to the invasion of Ukraine. All of the meetings to decide what to do have a majority of men, indeed many have no women at all. But we have also seen the impact on women. They are the ones leaving everything they know or have behind and trying to get to safety with their children and sick and elderly relatives. What say did they have in bringing about this?

According to the World Economic Forum, gender parity will not be attained for almost a century. Do you agree? Could it be attained sooner? Have you ever suffered at the hands of or know of a family member or friend that has suffered due gender bias?

Without a massive shift in the sharing of the caring roles, looking after children, the sick and the old and the provision of the services to support those roles, it will not be possible to achieve gender parity.

The murder of young teacher Ashling Murphy, the subsequent outpouring of grief, solidarity, vigils held worldwide and anger and it firmly put a spotlight on attitudes towards and violence against women. Have you witnessed change? What needs to change?

Violence against women has to stop. We see the impact of it every day on our screens from female genital mutilation to indiscriminate rape in war, on our streets and tragically in our homes where we should be safe. Here in Longford in 2021, over 400 women, who were experiencing violence, went to Longford Womens Link for support.

Your thoughts on the invasion of Ukraine?

Heartbreaking. Its difficult to comprehend how this can happen in 2022. Everyone feels so helpless. We have seen in the past week how war impacts differently on men and women. I wonder if there were more women around Putins table would we be at war?

Two ladies that have inspired you in your own life and explain why?

My Mother for her strength and unconditional love. She was diagnosed with Sarcoidosis at 25 and battled illness throughout her life but she still made sure her children wanted for nothing. She passed away 26 years ago and I still miss her gentle smile and caring ways.

In terms of my current work, Tess Murphy is the longest standing female on the PPN Secretariat. Tess is an inspiration to me as she was one of the founding members of Longford Womens Link and although retired she is still actively involved today. I admire Tesss commitment to ensuring women have a voice and are part of decision making at local government level. She sits on the Infrastructural Strategic Policy Committee and is a member of the Midland Simon Group. She has given me the confidence over the years to develop the PPN to what it is today.

A brief overview of the work of the PPN and why groups should become involved?

County Longford PPN links community groups with Longford County Council and other decision making agencies. It enables groups to access funding, have a seat at local government committees, grow their capacity and network with each other.

What PPN activities are ongoing?

We launched the Ukraine Appeal last week with Longford Civil Defence and partners and the response so far is overwhelming. A group of Polish women donated medical supplies last Friday. They wanted to ensure that the medical supplies are delivered to the front line rather than donating online. People want to show their support in different ways. Its so sad to see so many people lose their lives and others being displaced around the world. I also feel bad for the Russian and Belarusian people who dont want this war.

What PPN plans are in the pipeline?

We are planning to review the PPN Community Wellbeing Vision Statements this year. Community groups in county Longford were the first in the country to develop their visions for future generations. They are important because they feed into Longford County Council plans and strategies. They let decision makers know what is important to people in terms of the environment, work, economy, culture, health and so on. Its a way for women to have their voices heard and be part of the decision making process particularly as we have so few female county councillors.

Check out our other IWD interviews with inspirational Longford women at the link below:
If there is one organisation in this county that deserves recognition over and over again, its Longford Womens Link. And CEO Tara Farrell is the driving power behind all the good work LWL has done over the past year, especially.

I was very proud to take over as CEO of LWL in 2021  it is an organisation very close to my heart and which I believe has had a huge impact on the lives of many women in Longford, she told the Leader.

In her position, Tara is keenly aware of the biggest challenges facing women in Longford and beyond this year and, unsurprisingly, violence is still at the top of that list - with LWLs Domestic Violence Unit continuing to assist women who are victims.

Violence against women remains one of the biggest challenges in 2022 and there is a particular impact for women living in rural communities who face increased isolation and additional barriers in terms of reduced services, she said.

In recent weeks, RTE Investigates revealed Longford to be one of nine counties without refuge for victims of domestic violence.

We know that there are eight family places promised for Longford, Tara explained.

The details are yet to be agreed but this is very much a collaborative issue and we look forward to working with the relevant agencies to ensure the best outcomes for women who need refuge space. We need to remember that the provision of refuge space is just one element of the very complex issue that is domestic violence and it is not a panacea for all ills.

Last year, Tara was also elected Chairperson of Irish Rural Link and she was Chairperson of AONTAS, the national organisation for adult learning, prior to that.

This International Womens Day, LWL will be thinking of our sisters in Ukraine, many of whom are fighting on the frontline.

While I think it is always important to celebrate the achievements of women, particularly in our community, it has to be acknowledged that the difficulties faced by many women in our communities do not disappear on International Womens Day, or the day after, said Tara.

There is much to be thankful for in terms of emerging from the pandemic and also in terms of the wonderful work carried out by our team in the last year, but the issues that impact on women and girls in our society still remain.

How will you mark International Womens Day on Tuesday, March 8?

This year, LWL are having a staff gathering to mark the first time we have all been able to come together for two years. It will be a time to reflect on the trojan work that has been carried out by the LWL team during lockdown and look to the future. This IWD will be particularly poignant as we send our support to our sisters in Ukraine, many of whom are fighting on the frontline.

What does International Womens Day mean to you?

While I think it is always important to celebrate the achievements of women, particularly in our community, it has to be acknowledged that the difficulties faced by many women in our communities do not disappear on International Womens Day, or the day after! There is much to be thankful for in terms of emerging from the pandemic and also in terms of the wonderful work carried out by our team in the last year, but the issues that impact on women and girls in our society still remain.

It is also a historical day, when we should remember those women who fought for the many freedoms we now have that perhaps are sometimes taken for granted  the right to vote and the right to equal pay. We also have to acknowledge that there are many countries where women and girls face appalling breaches of human rights and offer our support where we can.

#BreakTheBias is the theme for International Womens Day 2022. Applying the theme to your own life and career, what might it mean to you and what is your view or interpretation on the theme?

There is no place for prejudice in our society. I think it is important for International Womens Day and every day, that we highlight the great work done by women in our communities and in particular, those role models who inspire other women and girls. But I think the theme goes beyond bias and also refers to imbalances, for example, political representation for women, unequal distribution of caring responsibilities among others. So in 2022, I would like to see more women becoming involved in our democratic structures and for those who are interested but perhaps unsure where to start, may I recommend our SHE project www.seeherelected.ie.

What have been three career highlights for you to date?

I was very proud to take over as CEO of LWL in 2021  it is an organisation very close to my heart and which I believe has had a huge impact on the lives of many women in Longford. Last year I was also elected as the Chairperson of Irish Rural Link which was a highlight for me and I look forward to bringing my passion for rural advocacy and equality to the discussions! Prior to that I was the Chairperson of AONTAS, the national organisation for adult learning and that was a wonderful experience as I am an avid advocate of the transformative role of community education in the lives of women.

As CEO of Longford Women's Link, what do you feel are the biggest challenges facing women in 2022?

Violence against women remains one of the biggest challenges in 2022 and there is a particular impact for women living in rural communities who face increased isolation and additional barriers in terms of reduced services. We also need to highlight the Early Years sector  we saw during the pandemic that we cannot have a functioning economy and society without high quality early years care and education so it is critical that this sector is properly resourced to provide that car and that includes appropriate remuneration for Early Years staff.

What challenges does Longford face in terms of securing refuge spaces for victims of Domestic Violence?

We know that there are eight family places promised for Longford, which is one of the nine counties in Ireland without a refuge for women. The details are yet to be agreed but this is very much a collaborative issue and we look forward to working with the relevant agencies to ensure the best outcomes for women who need refuge space. We need to remember that the provision of refuge space is just one element of the very complex issue that is domestic violence and it is not a panacea for all ills.

See Her Elected became the first Irish recipient of the Innovation in Politics Award in the Democracy category late last year. How does it feel to be involved with such a fantastic organisation?

Receiving the Innovation in Politics Award in December last year in Brussels was a fantastic organisation. LWL founded the SHE project in 2019, along with our partners 5050 North West and it has grown from strength to strength since then  with no small thanks due to our brilliant Programme Manager Michelle Maher and the latest addition to the team, Communications Manager Mairead OShea. SHE has shown that there is an enormous appetite for political knowledge in our communities and over 700 women from across the country have taken park in the SHESchool seminars. Watch this space for the Local elections in 2024!

According to the World Economic Forum, gender parity will not be attained for almost a century. Do you agree? Could it be attained sooner?

I think there is an onus on those of us who can, to call out gender bias, to call out damaging and harmful attitudes to women and girls. Coupled with that, we need robust policies which support change and which address inequality and issues such as violence against women. I am hopeful that the Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence will go some way to achieving this but all policies and strategies must be underpinned by sufficient resources to implement them and to effect real and meaningful change.

It is also the case that many women are not in a position to raise issues of sex-based discrimination for fear of retribution or because they do not have access to the required structures. It is important that we listen to the voices of women who are experiencing discrimination and unequal treatment and advocate for change. I believe there has been a change in some attitudes in recent weeks but it remains to be seen if this translates into long-lasting change.

With Covid-19 pandemic restrictions lifting, what have we learned over the past two years and what are your hopes for the future?

I think we have learned the importance of community, the importance of family and the importance of social interaction. We have learned what is actually essential in our society and what we can perhaps do without. We have also learned that things that we were told were impossible pre-pandemic are now possible! We have learned much about digital technology but II think we have also learned that while digital connectivity is important, nothing can replace the benefit of human interaction. I hope that we are emerging into a more tolerant society, recognising that the pandemic impacted everyone differently that that people have been shaped by their experiences.

The invasion of Ukraine have seen men and women go through untold pain and fear. What are your own thoughts on what is happening in Ukraine now?

I think many of us are watching the news in disbelief at the scenes coming from Ukraine  at LWL we have friends and colleagues from Ukraine as well as Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and we stand with them in our support for their families, friends and country. There are very significant implications for the future of the EU and indeed our global future as a result of this invasion and the impact on the people of Ukraine, both at home and abroad is devastating. I am heartened by the Irish response to appeals for aid and am reminded that there is good in the world, even at times like these.

Who are two ladies who have inspired you in your own life and explain why?

I have been inspired by so many women in my own life  I couldnt possibly pick two! My family  grandmother, mother and sister are all strong women who have inspired me and I am fortunate to have some very brilliant women in my circle of friends but I am also inspired every day by the women I meet at LWL, colleagues from across the country at Irish Rural Link, AONTAS, the Centre for Cross Border Studies. There are so many women that I have worked with whose passion for addressing injustice and inequality know no bounds and I am very proud to know them.

Check out our other IWD interviews with inspirational Longford women at the link below:
With the recent reopening of the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) many farmers are wondering if organics is an option for them.

There is no doubt that it doesnt suit everyone but there are many farmers that it will suit. There is a big push within the EU and the Department of Agriculture to increase the area of land that is farmed organically. The EU has a target that aims to have 25% of its land area farmed organically by 2030 and the Department of Agriculture target is to increase our organic area from 2% to 7.5% by 2027.

Why Join?

There are many reasons why a farmer might decide to become an organic farmer, for example, deciding to reduce stocking rate, additional farm payments, interested in the whole ethos around organic and so on, and without doubt it is a very sustainable way to produce food which is really important given the challenges around our deteriorating Environment and the way we have produced food in the past.

Will it suit your farm?

If you are a livestock farmer there are a few questions you may need to consider before joining. Is your stocking rate below 2 LU/ha, can your winter housing be modified to include a bedding lying area and can you see yourself operating without fertilisers or sprays. If you feel you can answer yes to these questions, then you should explore the possibility further. Talk to your local advisor, attend local organic farm walks and talk to local organic farmers in your area, all of which are great sources of information.

There are also a couple of other key points to consider when making your decision. Stock do need to have access to a solid bedded lying area at all times over the winter housing period. It takes two years to convert your farm to organic so therefore it is not until you start your third year that you can sell any produce as organic. Animals must be fed with 100% organic feed at all times. Once in organics you must only buy in organic stock with one exception and that being replacement breeding stock up to a limit. Veterinary treatments are allowed as per your herd/flock health plan drawn up by your Vet, and withdrawal periods for veterinary products are extended.

The closing date for applying for OFS is the 8th of April 2022. Before you apply you must submit an organic conversion plan and associated forms to one of the two certification bodies namely Irish Organic Association and Organic Trust so make contact and start this process. Payment rates are described in the table below.

OFS payment rates

A Webinar will be held on Zoom on the 7th March at 8pm on the New Organic Farming Scheme 2022.

In this webinar local Advisor Enda OHart and Teagasc Specialist Joe Kelleher will outline the steps you need to take to become an Organic farmer and what incentives are available to you.

You can register to view the webinar here; http://bit.ly/RNLDzoom.
DuPont Water Solutions, a business and global leader in water and wastewater treatment technologies, has announced a major transformation of its manufacturing facility in Athlone, Ireland.

The investment in the facilities and employees at the Athlone site will help meet the increasing global demand for MABR (OxyMem Membrane Aerated Biofilm Reactor).

OxyMem was the first company to commercialize MABR technology, which provides unique and differentiated performance for secondary wastewater treatment.

DuPont acquired OxyMem in 2019, expanding its extensive portfolio of industry-leading water solutions that help produce, purify, and extract some of the worlds most commercially important products.

This multimillion-euro investment includes additional training for staff based in Athlone. This project is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.

As we look to a post-pandemic recovery, ensuring balanced regional enterprise development is key and the announcement today of DuPonts multimillion-euro investment at their site in Athlone, Ireland is indicative of their continued success in Athlone, and indeed a testament to the Midlands region as a great place to do business, said Robert Troy, Minister for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation.

This investment will have a transformative impact for the site and the staff, who will all benefit from upskilling. I was delighted to have the opportunity to visit the facility and see first-hand the excellent work being undertaken there. I wish the team the very best in this new chapter.

This investment will allow OxyMem to develop more efficient and more reliable production technology as well as improve our product design to meet the continuously increasing demand by the market said Andreas Gorenflo, General Manager of OxyMem. It is fundamentally important, and it will help us grow the company to meet the increasing global demand for MABR.

Four women fined for violent Longford row Four women have been fined for their part in a violent row in Longford town which resulted in another woman receiving a number of punches to her body in front of startled shoppers.

Barry Heffernan OxyMem Technology Manager added, OxyMems origins and success can be traced back to over 20 years. We began our journey in 2013 as a spin-out from the UCD School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering. This investment will allow us to continue to scale our smart production capabilities, digitization and automation, which will ultimately increase our local footprint both in R&D facilities and headcount.

Denis Curran, Head of Regions, Property and Enterprise Development at IDA Ireland said, This is a very welcome announcement by DuPont and underlines the companys commitment to Athlone and the Midlands region. Transformation of client operations is a key focus area for IDA. This multi-million-euro investment will enable OxyMem to position itself for future growth opportunities. It is also strongly aligned with IDA Irelands strategy of winning investments in regional locations. I wish DuPont and the OxyMem team every success as it scales its operations in Athlone.
Local News, Community, Charity & Cause

By Chris Boyle Published: March 08 2022

These vests are used on vehicle doors and floors to catch shrapnel.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison today announced the donation of nine pallets containing more than 750 decommissioned bulletproof vests to be sent to Ukraine to aid forces during the war with Russia.

This is not the first time the SCPD has donated ballistic vests. In 2004, the Suffolk County Police Department donated hundreds of decommissioned vests to line vulnerable Humvees, that were not otherwise armored, in Iraq, making the vehicles safer for soldiers.

Additionally, Iraqi Police were also outfitted with decommissioned SCPD vests. Many Humvees and other military vehicles are not fully armored, but covered with lightweight aluminum and fiberglass.

Consequently, they are vulnerable to rocket-propelled grenades, roadside bombs and small arms fire. These vests are used on vehicle doors and floors to catch shrapnel.
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A couple of days after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's chartered flight was caught in "mid-air turbulence" while she was returning to Kolkata from Uttar Pradesh, she admitted that the plane averted an impending collision because of the prompt action of the pilot.

Speaking in the Assembly, Banerjee revealed: "Another plane, all of a sudden, came in front of my aircraft. If the situation had continued for 10 more seconds, there would have been a head-on collision. It was due to the efficiency of the pilot that I survived. The plane climbed down 6,000 feet. I suffered injuries on my back and chest. I still have pains.

"The plane didn't fall into any kind of air-pocket," the chief minister added.

The incident that happened on Saturday while she was returning from Uttar Pradesh after completing her campaign for Akhilesh Yadav, had triggered controversy following which the state government sought a report from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The chief minister had injuries on her back and chest in the turbulence.

The state government also sought to know from the DGCA if approval was accorded for the route taken by Banerjee's chartered flight.

On Friday evening, a chartered flight carrying Banerjee from Varanasi to the city faced turbulence, causing the plane to rock violently.

The pilot managed to land it safely at Netaji Subhas Chandra International Airport. However, Banerjee suffered injuries caused by the steep climb-down the flight had to make to cope with the turbulence.

The Chief Minister was on board a Dassault Falcon 2000, which is a 10.3-tonne lightweight plane with a capacity of carrying a maximum of 19 people, including two flight attendants.
LONDON, March 8 (Reuters) - British life insurer Phoenix is talking to its asset management partners to understand how they are managing their Russia and Ukraine risks, it said on Tuesday.

Exposure to Russia and Ukraine is less than 0.2% of assets under administration on behalf of the companies' customers, Phoenix said in a statement.

Phoenix's exposure to Russia and Ukraine is less than 0.1% of its 45 billion pound ($58.98 billion) book of directly managed assets and the insurer said it will look to divest from these assets where possible. ($1 = 0.7630 pounds) (Reporting by Carolyn Cohn Editing by David Goodman )
EKF Diagnostics Holdings PLC - Cardiff-based diagnostics and central laboratory assay maker - Signs partnership agreement with Bethlehem, Pennsylvania-based ABEC Inc, a provider of engineered solutions and services for biotech manufacturing. Agreement provides EKF Life Sciences' South Bend, Indiana facility with customised, large-scale bioprocess equipment and will include a 14,500 litre total volume stainless steel fermenter and an 8,000 litre media preparation system. Says this will enhance EKF's production capacity of enzymes used in a variety of diagnostic and life science applications.

Chief Executive Officer Mike Salter says: "EKF Life Sciences is dedicated to developing new products and capabilities that best serve the in vitro diagnostic market on a global scale. The partnership with ABEC is another important step in accelerating our organic growth strategy. Their innovative equipment and resources will enable us to quickly deliver our specific manufacturing requirements and we look forward to working with them as we continue to expand our biomanufacturing capabilities and capacity."

Current stock price: 45.00 pence

12-month change: down 34%

By Arvind Bhunjun; arvindbhunjun@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - Shell PLC said on Tuesday that it will withdraw from involvement in all Russian hydrocarbons, including crude oil, petroleum products, gas and liquefied natural gas, following Russia's attack on its neighbouring country.

The London-based oil and gas company said the withdrawal would be done in a "phased manner" in alignment with new government guidance.

Shell said it will stop spot purchases of Russian crude oil and shut its service stations, aviation fuels and lubricants operations in Russia.

The UK company also apologise for buying a cargo of Russian oil following the invasion of Ukraine.

"We are acutely aware that our decision last week to purchase a cargo of Russian crude oil to be refined into products like petrol and diesel  despite being made with security of supplies at the forefront of our thinking  was not the right one, and we are sorry," said Shell Chief Executive Ben van Beurden.

"As we have already said, we will commit profits from the limited, remaining amounts of Russian oil we will process to a dedicated fund. We will work with aid partners and humanitarian agencies over the coming days and weeks to determine where the monies from this fund are best placed to alleviate the terrible consequences that this war is having on the people of Ukraine."

Shell shares were up 0.2% to 1,984.80 pence in London late Tuesday morning.

By Heather Rydings; heatherrydings@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - UK members of Parliament will hear from Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky about the Ukrainian plight as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson continues his diplomatic offensive to encourage Western leaders to punish Russia for the invasion.

Zelensky will address the House of Commons at 1700 on Tuesday by video link after Speaker Lindsay Hoyle approved a request for a "historic address" from the Ukrainian president who, according to reports, is at risk of assassination by pro-Russian groups in Kyiv.

He gave an address to the European Parliament last week and imparted a virtual message to the US Senate on Saturday, with the embattled leader expected on Tuesday to renew messages from those speeches to MPs, including pushing for the West to install a no-fly zone over Ukraine and for more arms to be delivered.

The prime minister, who speaks with Zelensky on a regular basis, has consistently ruled out the UK policing Ukrainian skies, arguing it would mean shooting down Russian planes.

On Monday evening, Johnson spoke with US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, with the four leaders vowing to "continue to apply pressure on Russia to isolate Putin diplomatically and economically".

A No 10 spokeswoman said: "The prime minister stressed that our goal must be ensuring Putin's failure in this act of aggression against Ukraine."

The UK foreign secretary met with the Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, on the same evening.

Liz Truss tweeted afterwards that the UK is working to "cripple" Russia's war effort and to rally the international community.

"The UK will do all we can to support the Ukrainian people. Putin must fail," she added.

On Tuesday, Johnson will host leaders of the Visegrad Four of central European nations  the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia  to discuss the conflict.

The diplomatic efforts on the international stage comes as the UK Government faces domestic pressure to speed-up its efforts to grant safety to fleeing Ukrainians, with Labour criticising the process for being "painfully slow".

The Home Office on Friday confirmed that 8,900 applications for refugees to come to the UK via the Ukraine Family Scheme had been submitted since Friday, but that only 300 visas had been issued.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper tweeted: "That's shockingly low and painfully slow. Just 250 since yesterday.

"At this rate it would be weeks before many families reunite. Urgent action needed."

Separately, Michael Gove said Russian president Vladimir Putin could inflict worse pain on the Ukrainian people than he has already.

The Housing Secretary, speaking to LBC's Tonight With Andrew Marr programme, looked to downplay the threat of nuclear warfare but said Putin had "a number of other options, all grisly, at his disposal before he ever goes anywhere near the use of nuclear weapons".

His comments follow after Ukrainian lawyers told the International Court of Justice that Moscow had resorted to "tactics reminiscent of medieval siege warfare" as Kyiv called for Western intervention to prevent further bloodshed.

An update from the UK Ministry of Defence published late on Monday said Russia "continues to directly target evacuation corridors, resulting in the death of several civilians while trying to evacuate Irpin", near the Ukrainian capital.

A further GBP175 million of UK aid for Ukraine was announced on Monday, with Health Secretary Sajid Javid posting on social media that, following a fifth airborne medicines shipment, "around 485,000 items of essential medical supplies" had been delivered to help the war-inflicted country.

Meanwhile, new laws designed to tackle "dirty money" hidden in the UK cleared the House of Commons  although ministers were pushed to go further on seizing oligarchs' assets.

The Economic Crime (Transparency & Enforcement) Bill received an unopposed third reading after it was rushed through in response to Russia's invasion.

Aimed at uncovering Russian state-linked money, the legislation is set to establish a new register of overseas entities requiring foreign owners of property in the UK to declare their true identity.

By Patrick Daly, PA Political Correspondent

source: PA

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Anglo Asian Mining plc / Ticker: AAZ / Index: AIM / Sector: Mining

8 March 2022

Anglo Asian Mining plc

Statement on Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Anglo Asian Mining PLC ("Anglo Asian" or the "Company"), the AIM-listed gold, copper and silver producer focused on Azerbaijan, asserts that the Company and its operations in Azerbaijan are unaffected by the recent international sanctions levied against the Russian state and various Russian companies and individuals. The Company expects no material impact on its supply chain or operations due to the conflict in Ukraine, but will continue to monitor events on a regular basis.

Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Disclosure

Certain information contained in this announcement would have been deemed inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014, which was incorporated into UK law by the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, until the release of this announcement.

For further information please contact:

Reza Vaziri Anglo Asian Mining plc Tel: +994 12 596 3350 Bill Morgan Anglo Asian Mining plc Tel: +994 502 910 400 Stephen Westhead Anglo Asian Mining plc Tel: +994 502 916 894 Ewan Leggat Adam Cowl SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP Nominated Adviser and Broker Tel: +44 (0) 20 3470 0470 Charlie Jack Elfie Kent Hudson Sandler Tel: +44(0) 20 7796 4133

Notes to Editors:

Anglo Asian Mining plc (AIM:AAZ) is a gold, copper and silver producer in Central Asia with a broad portfolio of production and exploration assets in Azerbaijan. The Company produced 64,610 gold equivalent ounces ("GEOs") for the year ended 31 December 2021.

In September 2021, the Company announced a transaction with the Government of Azerbaijan which grants it three additional concessions with a combined area of 882 square kilometres, including the Garadagh porphyry copper deposit, with a Soviet classified resource of over 300,000 tonnes of copper. The transaction is subject to ratification by the parliament of Azerbaijan.

In December 2021, the Company undertook a private placement which acquired 19.8 per cent. of Libero Copper & Gold Corporation ("Libero"). The transaction was completed in January 2022. Libero is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange in Canada and owns, or has the option to acquire, several copper exploration properties in North and South America, including Mocoa in Colombia, one of the world's largest undeveloped copper-molybdenum resources.

https://www.angloasianmining.com/
Weather Alert

...The Flood Warning is extended 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... 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 NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL SATURDAY EVENING... * WHAT...Minor flooding is occurring and minor flooding is forecast. * WHERE...Mississippi River At Red River Landing. * WHEN...Until Saturday evening. * IMPACTS...At 48.0 feet, Access roads will be inundated and evacuation of all river islands must be complete. Protection of people and property in the river bottom land on the river side of the levees must be complete. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - At 12:00 PM CDT Tuesday the stage was 50.0 feet. - Forecast...The river will is expected to fall below flood stage Saturday afternoon. - 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 &&
Once upon a time it actually rained candy. It was in 1948-1949 during the Berlin Airlift. And one of the heroes of the story was an American pilot named Gail S. Halverson, who eventually became known as the Chocolate Pilot.

World War II had ended three years earlier and Berlin had been divided into four sections by the Allies. The eastern sector and East Germany were controlled by Josef Stalins Soviet Union (Russia). Great Britain, the United States, and France controlled the three western sectors of Berlin plus West Germany.

The situation worked well for awhile until Stalin tried to take both East and West Berlin so he could put all of Germany, then eventually all of Europe under his communist regime. Because Berlin was positioned 110 miles into Russian territory, all Stalin needed to do was blockade any route into Berlin to cut off West Berliners from food, clothing, heat and electricity.

So began the Berlin Airlift, one of the most notable humanitarian efforts the world has ever witnessed. For 15 months airplanes flew over Berlin, Germany for 24 hours a day, three minutes apart, to help sustain 2.2 million people for 15 months. To keep West Berliners alive, they needed 4,500 tons of food, coal and other essentials daily. British and American forces flew more than 277,000 missions in this massive effort to aid the West Berliners. The mission was dangerous: 33 Americans, 39 British and nine Germans died during the humanitarian mission.

Tempelhof Airfield was where supplies were unloaded. That was also where a pilot named Gail S. Halverson dropped his special treats for the children.

Halverson made little candy-filled parachutes from handkerchiefs and dropped them from his plane to the eager children below. Once the candy drops became known, people donated handkerchiefs and candy to the effort. Children wrote letters addressed to the Chocolate Pilot at Tempelhof. Lt. Halverson was moved by the numerous letters he received from so many little kids.

A little 7-year-old girl, Mercedes Simon, was one of the children who wrote to Halverson asking if he could drop some candy at her house. She gave him the directions, look for the house with white chickens in the yard. While the Chocolate Pilot did not deliver the candy from his plane, to her surprise and delight, he did mail Mercedes a box of candy along with a note.

Eventually Halversons tour of duty at Tempelhof ended but he would never forget Mercedes Simon or the other children who so appreciated his candy drops. However, as fate would have it, he did return to Tempelhof 22 years later in 1970 as the colonel in charge at the base.

One evening in 1972 Colonel Halverson and his wife accepted a dinner invitation from a Berlin couple he had never met. The young lady was also a pilot. He was greeted warmly by the young woman. She then showed him a note that was one of the treasures from her childhood. It was the little letter that he had included in the package of candy he had sent her during the blockade. What a memorable meeting that must have been! Their friendship continued until he left his position at Tempelhof.

I am very grateful I came upon the book by Margot Theis Raven that chronicles this story, Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot. It is a part of history that deserves to be remembered.

On Feb. 16, 2022 Colonel Gail S. Halverson passed away at the age of 101. He left behind a wonderful legacy of kindness to the many children in West Berlin during the blockade who knew him only as the Chocolate Pilot, the man who made it rain candy.
At least 27 persons were injured at Tandwa in Chatra district of Jharkhand after a violent clash broke out between the district police and the locals protesting since the last 14 months against the construction of a National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) plant.

An angry mob burnt more than a dozen trucks and two-wheelers outside the NTPC plant on Monday.

Senior police and district administrative officers of North Chotanagpur division immediately rushed to the site.

On Tuesday, several MLAs created a ruckus in the Jharkhand assembly over the incident, after which the state government swung into action by launching an investigation into the incident within 24 hours.

The NTPC plant in Tandwa is under-construction since 1999 and has not become fully operational till date.

People living in the area, whose properties have been taken away for setting up this plant, have been holding protests for the last two decades raising demands such as financial compensation, rehabilitation and jobs.

There have been several incidents of violence between the locals and the NTPC management, police and local administration.

Despite agreement on several demands, this matter has not been resolved till date.

For the last 14 months, a large group of displaced locals have been holding protests outside the NTPC plant.

On Monday evening, a tanker loaded with chemicals reached the NTPC plant which was stopped by people protesting outside the plant.

When the police tried to disperse the mob, the latter started pelting stones at the police. The police reacted by resorting to a lathi-charge and fired tear gas shells at the angry mob.

The angry protestors set ablaze eight NTPC vehicles, including a dozen vehicles outside the thermal power plant.

The protestors also attacked the offices and site of the outsourced company engaged in the construction work of the plant and vandalised private property as well.

Of the 27 injured persons, seven are reportedly in critical condition and the doctors have referred them to Ranchi for further treatment after giving first aid.

The NTPC and the firms working for it have suffered heavy losses to the tune of several crores of rupees.

The tents installed at the protest site were removed with the help of JCB machines.

After receiving information about the incident, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Hazaribagh range), Narendra Kumar Singh, Chatra Deputy Commissioner Anjali Yadav, Chatra Superintendent of Police Rakesh Ranjan, Chatra Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Avinash Kumar and Tandwa SDPO Shambhu Singh reached the site along with a police team.

The Jharkhand Assembly held a heated discussion over this incident. Congress MLAs Amba Prasad and Bandhu Tirkey, All Jharkhand Students Union-party leader Sudesh Mahto and Bharatiya Janata Party's C.P. Singh raised the matter on the floor of the Assembly.

The opposition MLAs said the people displaced due to the construction of NTPC plant are being lathi-charged and killed by the district administration which is unfortunate.

On getting no response from the state government over the incident, opposition MLAs continued to create a ruckus in the House.

Later, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Alamgir Alam on behalf of the state government said appropriate action would be taken after investigating the matter within 24 hours.
Throughout the last five years, I set out in an attempt to pay heed to Womens History Month by researching the lives of some of the lesser known women from Manistees past  women whose names were not as locally well-known as people like the Ramsdells or the Filers are today.

As the museum is filled with photo after photo of people who we dont know much about  but are a part of the countys history  I thought it might be interesting to pick a random album or folder, flip through it and with my index finger land on the first photograph of a woman that it willed and attempt to write an article about that woman employing the museums various research resources.

So with that in mind, I am continuing that same process once again this year. For this second article in the sixth volume of the series, I picked a folder from the museums collection titled, Vault Files - L and picked out a photograph of Clara Preston Lines.

There are times when attempting to piece together various bits of information on someones life can be a difficult pursuit as the amount of information that can be found out about said person is frequently shallow. However, there are times (though they are few and far between) when the story essentially writes itself. Such is the case when recounting the life of Lines.

Born in Cascade, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin on Nov. 7, 1855, Clara Preston arrived in Michigan at the age of 9.

Growing up in St. Joseph, she would eventually go on to marry a jeweler, Mr. Smith and together they made the move to Manistee County in 1877. With that, the couple settled in the Onekama area and began to raise a family. However shortly after their son was born, Smith passed away.

As the years passed, Clara would find work as a teacher in Onekama, a profession that she continued at for 30 years.

In 1909, Carrie Filer, the widow of wealthy lumberman, Delos W. Filer, passed away. A stipulation in her will allowed her home, the D.W. Filer Mansion (formerly located at 453 Cedar St., in the city of Manistee) to become The Carrie Filer Home for Aged Women, a residence and apartment complex for older women. In 1927, Clara became a resident of the Carrie Filer Home and continued to reside there for over 20 years.

Upon searching for information about her life, I came across the following article, published in the Manistee News Advocate on Jan. 9, 1947, which picks up Claras story when she was a few months into her 91st year.

The article is in turn humorous and inspiring while also providing a look into the life of an individual who exemplifies the adage, youre never too old to learn something new. Portions of that original article, which also includes how Clara Smith became Clara Lines, follow:

The above picture (which is the same photograph pictured with this column) is more than a study of an elderly lady. It is the portrait of an unusual, individual accomplishment in the person of Mrs. Clara Preston Lines, 91, who learned to type after she lost her sight.

The photograph was taken recently at the Carrie Filer Home for Women where Mrs. Lines is a resident and although she appears to be looking at her keyboard, the typing operation is done entirely by touch. Her sight started to fail five years ago and on June 14, 1943, Mrs. Lines touched the keyboard of a typewriter for the first time. She was given instructions by Mrs. John Bell, a one-time instructor in a local business college and also a resident at the home. She wrote her first letter, to a niece, two months later.

Chuckling to herself in a recent interview she told one one amusing mistake which occurred in one of her letters. Wishing to repeat a remark of her instructor that she was doing as well sighted pupils after two months, her typewritten sentence appeared as follows:

...when I had been here for 620 months I was doing as well as the sighted pupils.

Mrs. Lines explained that her fingers missed a row of keys in spelling out the word two and struck numerals instead.

This year she sent out 125 Christmas greetings enclosing a note in most of them, and has even learned how to address envelopes properly. Her Christmas was a well-remembered one, Mrs. Lines receiving enough cards to fill a basket, flowers, candy and many other gifts.

...Mr. Smith died when their son was still an infant and she remained a widow for 33 years. During that time she also lost her son who died following an accident in Detroit when he was 21.To support herself and her son, Mrs. Lines began teaching school in Onekama and she recalls that her first pay was $20 per month, the salary being boosted to $25 monthly in the second term. She taught school in the county for almost 30 years with the exception of a short time in a western state.

On Sept. 14, 1910, she married Franklin Lines who served the Onekama and Eastlake Congregational Church as pastor. She has been a resident at the Carrie Filer Home since Aug. 19, 1927, and is considered the senior lady there.

To do her part during the recent war she used money from her teachers pension to purchase war bonds for nieces and nephews who were in the services.

Although not able to read like sighted people, Mrs. Lines enjoys the worlds finest literature through the medium of talking books played in record form to her on a fine record-playing machine. She has read the entire Bible this way and always has a new book on hand, volumes being obtained free of charge from the Library of Congress.

She keeps abreast of events and personalities through her armchair radio and hardly a week passes that former pupils, their wives and husbands and children, as well as other friends, do not come to see her. The number of visitors testifies for her love of teaching and explain her remark that the classroom was a home for me.

Lines died on Oct. 21, 1950 at the age of 95 and was laid to rest in the Onekama Village Cemetery.
There has been some controversy amongst Chelsea's fans after a few decided to chant Roman Abramovich's name during a tribute to Ukraine prior to their match against Burnley at Turf Moor last Sunday.

Shortly after the Premier League match, Thomas Tuchel blasted those who decided to dedicate chants towards the Chelsea owner during the Ukraine solidarity gesture, as Abramovich had previously announced his decision to sell the club following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"We take the knee together; if an important person from our club or another club unfortunately dies, we have a minute of respect," said Tuchel.

"It is not the moment to give other messages. It's the moment to show respect. We want to do this. As a club we need our fans to commit to this minute of applause.

"We do it for Ukraine and there is no second opinion about this situation. They have our thoughts and our support and we should stand together."

Roman Abramovich, en el palco / EFE

Hours later, the Chelsea Supporters Trust (CST) released a statement to reiterate their decision to support Ukraine, stressing that this was not the right moment to express their affection towards Abramovich.

"The CST immediately took a clear stance in support of the Ukrainian population," read the statement.

"Chanting Abramovich's name at that time was clearly inappropriate."
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Weather Alert

...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON... * WHAT...Flooding caused by excessive rainfall is possible. * WHERE...Portions of Arkansas and Oklahoma, including the following counties, in Arkansas, Benton, Carroll, Crawford, Franklin, Madison, Sebastian and Washington AR. In Oklahoma, Adair, Cherokee, Choctaw, Craig, Creek, Delaware, Haskell, Latimer, Le Flore, Mayes, McIntosh, Muskogee, Nowata, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Pittsburg, Pushmataha, Rogers, Sequoyah, Tulsa, Wagoner and Washington OK. * WHEN...From Wednesday morning through Thursday afternoon. * IMPACTS...Excessive runoff will likely result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations, especially in areas that have already received heavy rainfall over the past few days. Several main-stem rivers could go into flood. A few locations could see significant flash flooding. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - A slowly moving upper low will move across the area Wednesday into early Thursday. Multiple rounds of thunderstorms are likely with the potential for very heavy rainfall. Widespread 2 to 3 inches of rain is expected with locally higher amounts of 5 to 6 inches. The heavier rain will begin to shift east of far southeast Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas early Thursday afternoon. - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... You should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible Flood Warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop. &&
A massive fire broke out at a factory in the Bawana area of the national capital on Tuesday, a fire department official said.

The official informed that they received a call about the incident around 7.46 a.m. at a factory located at Bawana Industrial area, in north Delhi after which, as many as 15 fire tenders were immediately pressed into the service.

"As the fire was massive, more fire engines were sent to the spot" the official told IANS, adding that 28 fire tenders are currently dousing the flames.

The official confirmed that there have been no casualties or injuries in the incident. However, there was certainly a loss of property. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Thick fumes of black smoke could be seen billowing out of the building.

At the time of filing of this report, the process to put out the fire was still going on.

The incident comes just six days after a fire broke out at a factory in outer Delhi's Narela area. No injuries or casualties were reported then.
Calling for immediate attention to the "worsening situation" in Ukraine, India's Permanent Representative at the UN T.S. Tirumurti reported to the Security Council about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intercession with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine for a ceasefire and a return to diplomacy.

"Our Prime Minister once again spoke to the leadership of both sides today and reiterated our call for immediate ceasefire and the need for both parties to return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy," he told the Security Council on Monday during a consultation on Ukraine.

He spoke of the humanitarian crisis engulfing the country and said: "India has been consistent in calling for an immediate end to all hostilities.

"The worsening situation in Ukraine and ensuing humanitarian crisis deserves our immediate and urgent attention."

In phone calls with Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, Modi called for an end to the conflict and urged direct talks as he heard from them about the negotiations between their countries, according to the readouts of their separate conversations put out by the Ministry of External Affairs.

Both of them briefed Modi about the state of their negotiations and he hoped they would lead to an end to the conflict, the ministry said.

Modi suggested to Putin that he hold direct talks with Zelensky, according to the readout.

In both conversations, the safety of Indian students in Ukraine was uppermost for Modi.

Modi "conveyed his deep concern for the safety and security of the Indian students still remaining in Sumy", the readout said.

Russia's Permanent Representative said later at the Council that his country was offering to set up a safe corridor out of Sumy on Tuesday.

About 700 Indian students are trapped there because shellings have prevented their evacuation.

Tirumurti said of the more than 140 who have died in the conflict according to the UN, one was an Indian student.

"India mourns his death and we convey our deepest condolences to his family, just as we mourn the loss of each and every civilian life in the conflict," he said.
No breakthrough in third round of Russia-Ukraine talks

Xinhua) 14:03, March 08, 2022

KIEV/MOSCOW, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Russian and Ukrainian negotiators failed to achieve major breakthrough during their third round of peace talks in Belarus on Monday, while a negotiator said the fourth round will take place in "the very near future."

"The discussions continued on political and military aspects. However, it remains difficult. It is too early to talk about something positive," Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, also the head of the Russian delegation, said following the third round of talks.

Russian negotiators brought specific agreements to the talks, but the Ukrainian side refused to sign them on the spot and took the documents back home for further study, he told reporters.

"To be honest, our expectations from the talks were not met. But we hope that next time we will be able to take a more significant step forward," Medinsky said after the meeting, which lasted nearly three hours at the Belovezhskaya Pushcha on the Belarus-Poland border.

Both sides addressed the issue of civilian evacuation, and the Ukrainian side assured Russia that the humanitarian corridors would start working on Tuesday, he said.

Leonid Slutsky, member of the Russian delegation and head of the International Affairs Committee of the lower house of the Russian parliament, said that the fourth round of talks would take place in the near future, Sputnik reported on Monday.

"And the next round, given that the rounds take place almost every other day, so the next, fourth round will take place in Belarus in the very, very near future. I can't name the exact date yet," Slutsky said after the third round of negotiations as aired by Russia's Rossiya 24 broadcaster.

On the same day, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a telephone conversation with Josep Borrell, the European Union's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy.

During the conversation, Borrell briefed Wang on the EU's position on Ukraine, saying the most important thing at present is to cease fire and avoid further massive casualties.

The EU supports solving the issue through negotiations, he said.

For his part, Wang said the top priority now is to avoid a humanitarian crisis, adding that China has publicly put forth a six-point initiative on preventing a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine aimed at promoting synergy among the international community to avoid a further deterioration of the situation.

Wang said that Russia and Ukraine should be encouraged to hold peace talks and that the Chinese side has advocated dialogue from the very start.

He said he hopes that the international community can support sincere negotiations between Russia and Ukraine involving a ceasefire, ending the conflict and peace.

On Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba are expected to meet in Turkey's southern province of Antalya on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum, according to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

The meeting would be held in a tripartite format, Cavusoglu said at a press conference on Monday, while hoping it would "be a turning point."

On Monday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova confirmed that Lavrov and Kuleba plan to meet in Antalya. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to the meeting during their recent phone conversation.

Meanwhile, according to the Ukrainian UNIAN news agency, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said that Kiev is exploring the possibility of such a meeting in Turkey.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
India has regretted that despite appeals to Russia and Ukraine, a safe corridor has not been set up for students trapped in the Ukrainian city of Sumy, while 20,000 other Indians have been evacuated on more than 80 flights.

We are deeply concerned that despite our repeated urgings to both sides, the safe corridor for our students stranded in Sumy did not materialise," India's Permanent Representative T.S. Tirumurti told the Security Council on Monday during consultations on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine.

He said that India has "reiterated our urgent demand for safe and uninterrupted passage for all innocent civilians, including Indian nationals remaining in Ukraine".

Russia's Permanent Representative Vasily Nebenza said that Moscow was offering tomorrow a safe corridor from Sumy and other cities in Ukraine.

A statement in Moscow said that the corridor from Sumy would lead to Russia.

Evacuation efforts from Sumy in northeastern Ukraine, about 60 km from the Russian borders, for an estimated 700 Indian students have been put on hold because of shellings and the disputes between Kiev and Moscow on the routes of evacuations.

Ukraine's Permanent Representative Sergiy Kyslytsya accused Russia of carrying out attacks on Sumy among other places to prevent evacuations.

As he and Nebenza traded charges about which country was blocking the evacuations, Moscow announced the offer of safe corridors without conditions on where the evacuees can go leaving the choice to them.

But the statement in Moscow sounded as if the corridor from Sumy would go to Russia.

Tirumurti said India "managed to facilitate the safe return of over 20,000 Indians from Ukraine" as well as citizens of other countries who asked for help and was open to helping them in the future.

"More than 80 evacuation flights have been crisscrossing the skies to bring them home," he said.

Kiev wants the evacuations to be routed to the West, while Moscow had insisted the evacuees go to Russia or Belarus and both diplomats said that the other would take the evacuees hostage.

The Indian Embassy in Ukraine had tweeted on Sunday that the students in Sumy would be evacuated through Poltav to the west but it had not been able to follow through as of Monday.

The students had created a desperate video with the message, "This is our last request".

Tirumurti said India has sent to Ukraine and its neighbouring countries seven tranches of humanitarian suppliers that include medicines, medical equipment, tents, tarpaulin, protective eye gear, water storage tanks, solar lamps, sleeping mats and blankets.

"It is important that humanitarian action is always guided by the principles of humanitarian assistance, that is, humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. These should not be politicised."

Unicef's Executive Director Catherine Russell, who briefed the Council said: "What is happening to children in Ukraine is a moral outrage."

She said that according to the UN Refugee Agency, 1,207 civilian casualties have been recorded in Ukraine and since the war began on February 24, at least 27 children have been killed and 42 children have been wounded.

About 1.7 million refugees, half of them children, have fled to neighbouring countries, she said.

"As the fighting has now reached densely populated areas and across the country, we expect child casualties to increase."

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths said that the "unnecessary" conflict in Ukraine has "an extra sense of dread over the impact this will have on the wider world".

He said that the two sides "must take constant care to spare civilians and civilian homes" and allow people who want to leave the conflict areas.

US Permanent Representative Linda Thomas-Greenfield said: "We are outraged by increased reports of Moscow's attacks harming Ukrainian civilians in its unprovoked, unjustified war against the Ukrainian people."

She along with other members of the Council called for allowing evacuees to leave Ukraine and access for humanitarian aid to that country.

"We need Russia's firm, clear, public, and unequivocal commitment to allow and facilitate immediate, unhindered humanitarian access for humanitarian partners in Ukraine."

Nebenza claimed that the attacks on civilians are being carried out by "radicals and neo-Nazis", who are not allowing civilians to use the safe corridors and using them, including foreign citizens, as "hostages".
The US on Tuesday banned all oil and gas imports from Russia, President Joe Biden said in a Twitter post.

"Today, I'm announcing that the United States is targeting a main artery of Russia's economy. We are banning all imports of Russian oil and gas," he tweeted.

The move to ban imports from Russia is seen as a support to war-torn Ukraine.

In another tweet, Biden said that Americans have rallied to support the people of Ukraine and made it clear that the country will not be part of subsidising Russian President Vladimir Putin's war.

"This decision today is not without costs here at home. Putin's war is already hurting American families at the pump -- and this will drive up costs further. So, I will take every step we can to minimise Putin's price hike here at home," Biden said.

Separately, the US has already announced a collective release of 60 million barrels of oil from the strategic petroleum reserves of the US and its partners. Half of the strategic reserves will come from the US.

"We're taking steps to ensure a reliable supply of global energy. And we're going to keep working with every tool at our disposal to protect American families and businesses," Biden said.
Meadville, PA (16335)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight with light rain possible. Low 53F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy after midnight with light rain possible. Low 53F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Fardeen Khan was last seen on-screen in the 2010 dud Dulha Mil Gaya. Post that, he took a sabbatical from films and now after 11 years, the actor is making a comeback with Sanjay Guptas Visfot co-starring Riteish Deshmukh.

The shooting of the film was recently wrapped and there are also reports of the actor returning to the No Entry franchise with its sequel alongside Salman Khan and Anil Kapoor.

Amidst all the exciting films that he is going to be a part of, Fardeen, for the first time, opened up about the tough times that he went through in the last 11 years and why decided to take a break from films.

 Twitter/Fardeen Khan

In between, Fardeen had also gained a bit of weight and his pictures had gone viral on social media. When pointed out that many on social media believed that he must be going through some tough times, Fardeen told Bollywood Hungama that he indeed went through a dark time in his life.



He said, After my father passed I needed some time off. I went through a tough time, I had a little bit of a health scare myself in 2009, just a few months after my father passed. And then we were very keen to have a family, Natasha and me. And we had challenges having children, so we had to go down the IVF route.

He further talked about how they faced bad experiences with doctors in Mumbai and his wife suffered because of that. In 2011, they decided to move to London and revealed, With Natashas one of her initial pregnancies, we had twins and we lost them at six months. So that was very very hard for us. It was a tough time. You know, she had toshe did a live birth and we lost the babies. It was very very tough.

He then talked about how his daughter was eventually born and she gave us a lot of joy.

 Twitter/Fardeen Khan

The actor further revealed that he had decided to make a comeback to films in 2013 and even planned a campaign but when he saw his daughter, he dropped the plan and decided to become a full-time dad to her.



The couple later gave birth to a baby boy and a few years after his birth, Fardeen decided it was time for him to return to films.
While India is launching operations to bring its students back home from war-torn Ukraine, there is one braveheart who decided to stay back and fight for the country. The 21-year-old youth from Tamil Nadu, Sainikhesh Ravichandran didnt even inform his family before joining the Georgian National Legion, Ukraines paramilitary unit of voluntary soldiers.



 Twitter/NewsIADN

According to reports from TOI, he wanted to join the Indian Army and even attempted twice after he completed his schooling in 2018. However, he couldnt make it into the Indian Armed Forces since he was not of the appropriate height to be selected.



Indian Army requires the candidates to be at least 157.5 cm in height (with relaxation up to 5 cms for candidates belonging to northeastern regions).

 Twitter

Upon failing the height criteria, Ravichandran then enrolled in National Aerospace University, Kharkiv in 2018 where he has been an aerospace engineering student. He also tried to join the US embassy but couldn't. He had been working a part-time job in a video game developing firm for a month.



When the opportunity to take up arms presented itself, he signed up for Ukraine's paramilitary unit to fight against Russia.

 BCCL

His family had no clue that he had taken up arms and got to know about Sainikhesh from the news and other people. A family friend told TOI, When the war broke out, he was incommunicado for four days. Thats when we saw a report about a Tamil Nadu youth joining Ukrainian forces and we were shocked,. His family tried to persuade him to come back home but he refused.



 Facebook/Sainikhesh Ravichandran

This proves that he is a soldier at heart who is fighting for the country he has been living in for almost four years now. We can only pray for his safe return.


When the reality show Shark Tank India was released on OTT, no one wouldve thought that the hype for this investment-related show would be that big.



From judges to contestants to even Ranvijay Singh - the host, everyone was in the limelight, as people went crazy after the Indian version of the show.

While Ashneer Grover might have taken away most of the highlights (and memes), there was one contestant, in particular, that managed to make a lasting impression on not just the judges but also on the viewers.

 Twitter

His name is Jugaadu Kamlesh aka Kamlesh Nanasaheb Ghumare, who had appeared on the show with the idea to make life for farmers in the agricultural sector - a little bit better.



Kamlesh pitched a Pesticides Spray solution to the Sharks, of whom only one had the vision, the compassion and the courage to invest in his idea - Peyush Bansal, founder of LensKart.

Both Kamlesh and Peyush were hailed by the audience and now, as the show has come to an end, people are wondering whether or not Peyush Bansal really is working with Kamlesh on his idea, or was that just a media gimmick.

Finally responding to the curious fans, Peyush recently posted an update on Jugaadu Kamlesh on Instagram, giving a full low-down about the pace at which work has been going on.

He started by addressing, Everyone I meet these days has one question....what is update on Kamlesh from @sharktank.india ? While I don't believe in talking about things till we achieve something, because of popular demand...here is a quick update

He then shared, We have initiated a process of design and consumer validation of the cart with help of a team of professional Industrial designers. Design Team visited Malegaon and nearby farms, spent time with different farmers and different crops, along with @jugaadu_kamlesh, Naru and took a lot of feedback.

 Peyush Basal

Peyush also mentioned their biggest concerns at the moment as well as their next steps.



He wrote, Biggest concerns are: weight of Cart, movement on different uneven terrains and width of cart (as alley size is small in certain crops). Next steps : Find creative solutions to these problems, do design optimisations and go back and test again.

 Peyush Basal

It is heartening to see that a man as hard-working as Kamlesh is finally getting the kind of direction, support and guidance that he needed to become a successful entrepreneur.


Owensboro Downtown LLC, the Matt Hayden company that owns the Alorica Building at 234 Frederica St., has filed suit against Alorica in an effort to get the California-based company to agree to terminate its lease and leave the building so Bell Bank Home Mortgage can move in.

The suit, filed in Daviess Circuit Court and transferred to U.S. District Court, says that the owners and Alorica entered into the lease on Sept. 1, 2016, for the second, third, fourth and fifth floors.

It says that during the COVID-19 pandemic in early- to mid-2020, Aloricas employees began working remotely, leaving the building unoccupied.

In an affidavit filed Monday, Hayden said, Under the current economic conditions and declining demand for office space in the post-COVID-19 real estate environment, credit-worthy tenants willing to lease tens of thousands of square feet of office space are difficult to come by and even more difficult to retain.

He said that last September, Alorica offered $850,000 to be released from its lease on the building.

Hayden said in a prepared statement that Alorica hired his Gulfstream Commercial Services to find a company to take over the lease and the company found Bell Bank, which he has worked to get into the building.

The affidavit says that Hayden had expected to receive $7 million from Alorica by the time the lease was up.

The suit says that on Feb. 16 of this year, Hayden offered Alorica a buyout of its lease for $925,000

The suit says Alorica counter-offered a buyout of $795,000.

It says that the Hayden accepted that offer, saving Alorica more than $1 million.

The suit says that on Feb. 15, Owensboro Downtown LLC entered into a lease with Bell Bank for part of the space formerly occupied by Alorica.

But, it says, Alorica then said it disagreed with some of the details in the termination agreement.

And since then, the suit says, Alorica has failed to pay the rent due and vacate the premises.

The suit says that action has cost the owners more than $5.5 million and it is asking the court for fair and reasonable compensation for its losses.

Sunny Yu, spokeswoman for Alorica, said in an email, Our policy is that we do not comment on pending litigation.

A statement from Haydens companies on Monday said, Bell Bank is a fantastic organization and its move to Owensboro would truly be a win-win-win-win: a win for Alorica  which would save upwards of $1 million in rent and expenses; a win for the Owensboro community which would have a huge number of new jobs, tax revenue and activity in our downtown; a win for the building owner, OWB Downtown LLC, which would have a new tenant to fill the empty space; and a win for Bell Bank, which will thrive given the talent we have in Owensboro to further the Banks business plans.

It added, With office buildings all over the country left empty following the pandemic and current economic conditions, it defies logic as to why Alorica would not honor its agreement with the landlord and openly support a deal that saves Alorica a significant amount of money while simultaneously advancing the best interests of the community where Aloricas home-based employees reside.

Mayor Tom Watson said, We have a hole downtown (in the Alorica Building) that we need to fill. They arent in the building and Bell Bank is in a hurry to move in.

He said, Its almost like theyre trying to hold us hostage. I dont understand. Its a chance for them to get out of their lease.

Watson said Alorica never delivered on the promises it made the city about the number of employees it would hire when it came to town.

The company had said it would eventually employ 840 people.

But last year, Alorica said it had 250 Owensboro employees here who were working from home.

Im excited about Bell Bank coming, Watson said.

Bell Bank of Fargo, North Dakota, said last month that it will open a mortgage servicing office in the building this summer.

And Owensboro Downtown LLC wants the building to be ready before then.

Bell Banks plans will create a $50 million impact in the community, Brittaney Johnson, president of the Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corp., said at the time of the announcement.

She said the company will occupy the third, fourth and fifth floors of the building over the next five years.

And she said theres a possibility that the company will need the second floor as well.

Bell Bank expects to have 37 employees by the end of the year and 178 by the end of 2026.

Im very excited to have them in the community and filling up the Alorica Building again, Johnson said during the announcement.

Bob Smiley, Bells senior vice president/mortgage servicing director, said the bank looked at several large cities including Phoenix and St. Louis, but decided to locate the new office in Owensboro.

Keith Lawrence, 270-691-7301 klawrence@messenger-inquirer.com
The Bad Axe City Council has once again received requests for changing its ordinances to allow marijuana businesses, but it allowed further research into the matter this time around.

Bad Axe City Manager Rob Stiverson and Police Chief David Rothe both said the city had received inquiries about turning three empty buildings into different marijuana facilities.

The three buildings in question are the former Peppers Restaurant on North Van Dyke Road, a former laundromat at the corner of Huron Avenue and Buffalo Street, and the former Thumb Industries building along Sand Beach Road. The inquiries were about turning the former restaurant and laundromat into recreational dispensaries while the former Thumb Industries building was proposed as a growing site.

Rothe said that when the city first voted against allowing marijuana businesses, he felt that was the right decision due to security and legal issues of the time. Since then, the former laundromat buildings owner has contacted the council every year asking it to reconsider.

In my opinion, a lot of the problems that were around five to six years ago are not around anymore, Rothe said. I think eventually, ones going to be in Bad Axe. Whether its next year, three years, five years has yet to be determined. Now it's no different than going into a liquor store and picking out a bottle of liquor. You go into a weed store and pick out an herb.

Stiverson said the citys ordinances currently do not allow any marijuana business in town, medical or recreational. The city could charge licensing fees and benefit from revenue sharing with the state from the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Act. For the 2020 fiscal year, the state distributed $28,000 for each eligible municipality for every licensed store or microbusiness in their jurisdiction.

Stiverson said the council in the past has been hesitant to allow marijuana businesses in town, as the council voted to ban marijuana dispensaries, growing facilities and transportation facilities in the city limits in January 2019 and voted against changing it twice since.

He noted that in a questionnaire mailed out to Bad Axe residents for input on the citys master plan, less than a third of residents had a positive response to the idea of a marijuana business in the city, with them not considering it a priority.

It was the only spot on the survey that had people writing down, You better say no to this, Stiverson said. There is a group of people opposed to seeing it in town.

Rothe offered himself and incoming Police Chief Shawn Webber to do further research into the topic, speak with dispensaries, jurisdictions where they are present, speak with the state Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, and put together a presentation at a future meeting on the pros and cons of having such businesses in the city. After that, the council can make an informed decision.

The council voted 5-2 for Rothe and Webber to do this research, with members Richard Peterson and Clark McKimmy voting against. Rothe said he will get to work on it as soon as Webber returns from new chief school.

When Michigan voters approved Proposal 1 in 2018 that legalized recreational marijuana, Huron County voters voted 8,261 to 5,479 against it, with Bad Axe voters narrowly voting against it by a 541-534 vote.

The city of Caseville was the only Huron County municipality where a majority voted yes, by a 190-179 vote. It is currently the only municipality with an ordinance that allows marijuana dispensaries while others have ordinances that allow growing it for medical purposes.

The council was also planned to further discuss approving its payment to Central Huron Ambulance for its services. Councilman Joel Harrison said the public safety committee agreed to attend Central Hurons board meeting on Wednesday where they will discuss and approve their budget for the year.
According to the latest Michigan State Police data, eight people died on Michigan roadways since last week, making a total of 154 this year. Additionally, 81 more were seriously injured for a statewide total of 628 to date.

In 2020, the latest year for which National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data is available, there were 1,084 fatalities on Michigan roads, an increase of 9.9% over 2019.

Compared to this time last year, there are 14 more fatalities and nine more serious injuries on Michigan roads, according to Michigan State Police.

The NHTSA, pat of the U.S. Department of Transportation, released its 2020 annual traffic crash data on March 2, showing that 38,824 lives were lost in traffic crashes nationwide, the highest number of fatalities since 2007. The number of estimated police-reported crashes decreased 22% in 2020 compared to 2019 and the estimated number of people injured declined 17%.

Fatal crashes increased 6.8%, however, and the fatality rate per 100 million miles traveled increased to 1.34, a 21% increase from 2019 and the highest since 2007. In 45% of fatal crashes, the drivers of passenger vehicles were engaged in one of three risky behaviors including speeding, alcohol impairment or not wearing a seat belt.

"The rising fatalities on our roadways are a national crisis; we cannot and must not accept these deaths as inevitable," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. "People should leave the house and know theyre going to get to their destination safely, and with the resources from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, plus the policies in the National Roadway Safety Strategy we launched last month, we will do everything we can to save lives on Americas roads."

The U.S. DOT released the federal government's comprehensive National Roadway Safety Strategy, a roadmap to address the national crisis in traffic fatalities and serious injuries, in January. The strategy adopts the safe system approach and builds multiple layers of protection with safer roads, safer people, safer vehicles, safer speeds, and better post-crash care, NHTSA stated. Safety funding was also included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed last year.

"The tragic loss of life of people represented by these numbers confirms that we have a deadly crisis on our nation's roads. While overall traffic crashes and people injured were down in 2020, fatal crashes and fatalities increased. We cannot allow this to become the status quo," Steven Cliff, NHTSAs deputy administrator, said in a statement.

Total vehicle miles traveled decreased by 11% in 2020, from 3,261,772 million to 2,903,622 million.
NIH/via AP

There were only 39 new COVID cases and one death reported in seven days across the Upper Thumb, according to the state update March 7.

In the seven-day span, Huron County saw three new cases reported. In the two years since the pandemic began, Huron County has had 6,108 positive coronavirus cases and 123 deaths due to the disease.
MIDDLETOWN  Connecticut education groups have decried an allegedly racist and threatening mailer as an evil and malicious act sent to the citys schools chief that he said contributed to his resignation last week.

Middletown police are investigating a 15-page page document mailed Feb. 24 to the home of Michael Conner, who resigned Thursday as Middletowns superintendent of schools. Conner, who had been on leave since October amid a workplace misconduct investigation, said the packet contained death threats and racist language.

In his resignation letter, Conner cited the recent threats to him and his family, which caused him to reevaluate personal priorities.

Viviana Conner said her family had been living in fear since her husband received the document, which she said police have seized as part of their investigation.

Middletown Police Lt. Brian Hubbs said the case has been sent to the major investigations unit.

It is unfortunate that we must come forward to denounce hate and malice, the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents wrote in a letter of support Saturday.

Latino education leaders and leaders of color continue to face pretextural impediments to elevating them into or removing them from leadership roles in school districts throughout the country, Executive Director Maria Armstrong and President Francisco Duran said.

Such administrators face meritless accusations, claims of insufficient experience as an educator, and baseless assertions of simply lacking leadership, they said in the joint statement.

The Connecticut Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents and Black Leaders and Administrators Consortium also issued statements last week in response to the incident.

We are very saddened and disturbed by the recent hate incident. We strongly oppose any racist, threatening and hostile discriminatory acts targeted by any individuals, CALAS President Evelyn Robles-Rivas said in a statement.

We are devoted to a fully inclusive and equitable society. As an organization, we stand in solidarity with the need to support social and restorative justice to address and create safe spaces and equal rights for all, the statement said.

In a statement, BLAC Founding President Terrell M. Hill said, we stand firmly against any and all acts of racism, intimidation and discrimination.

BLAC works to promote and advocate for the career progression of Black leaders, according to Hill, who called for police to fully investigate the evil and malicious act with all due diligence.

By the nature of their jobs, Hill said school administrators often receive criticism, but he said, we do not forfeit our rights as citizens of this state or country when we take on these leadership roles. We have the expectation, belief, and, quite frankly, the constitutional right to be free of threats and harassment in our homes.

At no time is it ever OK or acceptable for someone to violate the sanctity of our homes, Hill said. It is unfortunate that a portion of our society believes it can do as it pleases to others, particularly people of color, but we are here to emphatically state that we do not allow anyone to treat us with anything other than the utmost respect.

Since no charges have been filed, Hearst Connecticut Media Group is withholding the identity of the person whose name and signature appeared on the cover letter of the packet mailed to Conner. The person has not responded to phone and email messages.

We are saddened, angered and disappointed to hear of yet another incident of a Connecticut superintendent being subjected to personal attacks and an invasion of their policy, the Connecticut Association of Urban Superintendents and Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents said in a joint statement.

They acknowledged that superintendents are public figures, however, they are human beings: mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and neighbors, the statement said. Their privacy must be respected and honored just like any of our community members.

While Michael Conner has declined to be interviewed about the mailer or about the school districts misconduct investigation, he has been tweeting about both issues.

148-day discovery  we need strong and unapologetic leadership. Someone who doesnt need an Alliance to call out racism or even let their first Black superintendent go through five months of what I call scenes from the Mississippi Burning  might be a movie too old for some, he tweeted about the school investigation.

Conner has also alluded to friction with top city officials, and accused the mayor and chief of staff for having not supported us  at all.

Mayor Ben Florsheim said the police and Board of Education are taking their investigations extremely seriously.

I have no response to that beyond we are taking this extremely seriously, as is the Board of Education taking its own investigation seriously. We need to make sure those things continue, Florsheim said.

The mayor, Police Chief Erik Costa, Chief of Staff Bobbye Peterson, the Connors and members of the Ministerial Health Fellowship met Feb. 25 to discuss the matter, Florsheim said. However, he declined to speak about what transpired because of the sensitive nature of the discussions.

The Rev. Deborah Hopkins, who facilitated the gathering, also declined to comment about what was discussed.

Conners attorney, Phillip E. Thompson of Thompson Associates in Maryland, previously issued a statement about how long the school investigation has taken. Thompson said his client is also disappointed in the direction the investigation has gone regarding time and lack of due process. He feels that what was supposed to be an investigation into a handful of anonymous and unsubstantiated claims [that] has morphed into, in his words, a witch hunt.

The truth will eventually come forth, and the school systems desire to beg truth from lies will only bring further financial and academic harm to the school system, the taxpayers, and the students in Middletown, Thompson wrote in the statement.

Board of Education Chairwoman Deborah Cain declined to comment on personnel matters and the ongoing investigation.

Like many in our community, we were shocked and upset by the letter received by Dr. Conner at his home, she wrote in an email last week. The board condemns any threats, harassment or retaliation against any member of our community.
Gene J. Puskar / Associated Press

After gas prices soared to record highs across Connecticut earlier in March after Russia invaded Ukraine, driving up the price of a barrel of oil on the global market, the prices seem to be falling slightly.

President Joe Biden said earlier this month that the United States would no longer import Russian oil, further heightening concerns over gas prices. About 8 percent of the U.S.s petroleum consumption comes from Russia.
Manchester Police / Contributed

MANCHESTER  Power has been knocked out to some in town Monday morning after a car hit a utility pole, according to police.

Shortly after 10 a.m., police said officers were in the area of Hemlock and Anderson streets for a crash involving a utility pole. There was no immediate word on possible injuries to anyone involved in the crash. Drivers are urged to avoid the area.
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MIDDLEFIELD  After The Storm is a nonprofit foundation whose mission is to assist cancer survivors in the aftermath of their diagnosis and treatments by helping restore balance to their lives.

The Rockfall-based foundation, founded by Christine Willett, has several fundraising events scheduled this year, with profits going to help support integrative medicine/therapy programs at several local hospitals, according to a press release. In past years, this has included the Center for Survivorship and Integrative Medicine at the Middlesex Cancer Center in Middletown, Midstate Medical Center, Griffin Hospital, Bristol Hospital and Norwich Hospital.
KEY LARGO, Fla.  A wooden boat carrying hundreds of Haitian migrants in a suspected human smuggling operation ran aground in shallow water in the Florida Keys, where 163 people swam ashore and many needed medical attention, federal authorities said.

The boat teeming with people listed sharply to its side near Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, not far from where another boat carrying 176 Haitians was stopped in January.

Many of the migrants were in need of medical attention, according to a tweet sent by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Chief Agent Walter N. Slosar on Sunday night.

The U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies rushed to help the group of migrants, which included women and children.

Multiple agencies responded quickly & worked closely to protect a lot of lives today, U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Jason Neiman tweeted Sunday night.

It was not immediately know how many people were taken to hospitals. Coast Guard images at the scene showed a large group of Haitians draped in towels on the shore.

Border Patrol officials said human smuggling is suspected and an investigation is continuing.

In the past week, the Coast Guard has stopped two other Haitian boats navigating near the Bahamas with dozens of migrants.

On Feb. 28, crews spotted a Haitian sailboat with 179 people aboard 30 miles (50 kilometers) off Andros Island, Bahamas. Last Friday, the Coast Guard stopped another Haitian sail vessel with 123 people, including 39 minors about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from Anguilla Cay, Bahamas.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has no plans to delay the schedule for adopting its new electronic health records program, even after the system crashed at its test site last week, halting medical treatments and intakes at a major VA hospital.

VA spokesman Terrence Hayes said Friday that the schedule to put the Cerner Millennium system into use would "not be affected by this event," which caused the hospital to pause patient admissions and most appointments at Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane, Washington.

Hospital leaders temporarily halted operations the afternoon of March 3 through the following morning after finding that the data in the system was corrupted or inaccurate.

Read Next: How Believers in the Paranormal Birthed the Pentagons New Hunt for UFOs

Hayes said no surgeries were postponed as a result, and "despite rumors, the facility's Urgent Care Center remained opened" during the outage, while only "minor disruptions took place in pharmacy and laboratory services."

"The [outage] prevents VA from knowing the full extent of appointment cancellations through Cerner Millennium. However, every effort was made to complete all scheduled appointments," Hayes said in an email to Military.com.

The episode marks another chapter in the troubled rollout of the VA's $16 billion planned electronic health records system, developed by Missouri-based Cerner Corp.

VA launched the platform at Mann-Grandstaff in November 2020 following two months-long delays to address the department's information technology infrastructure and training and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Just six months after its introduction at the facility, VA launched a "strategic review" of the system after complaints from medical providers and patients that the platform was not user-friendly and did not improve data sharing, management and workflow.

The concerns have caught the attention of Washington lawmakers, who have requested that VA delay introducing the system later this month at the Walla Walla VA Health System until it is fully functional.

Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers said Friday that she planned to speak with VA Secretary Denis McDonough this week to discuss issues with the system and how such an outage could occur.

"The shutdown of Mann-Grandstaff VA yesterday is another event in a series of challenges that the new electronic health record has created for staff and veterans at the facility," McMorris Rodgers said in a press release. "I stand by the request I made on February 3rd for the go-live in Walla Walla to be delayed until the VA can ensure the facility can maintain the highest levels of service for our veterans."

In September, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., told McDonough she had received reports that veterans had received incorrect medications as a result of the system's complexities and issues.

And she urged VA leadership to provide better support and training to staff members.

On Friday, Murray said she would monitor the launch at Walla Walla, saying that if the facility's ability to deliver care for veterans becomes uncertain, the rollout should be delayed.

"It's absolutely unacceptable that a technical failure by Cerner has led to patients being turned away at Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane," Murray said in a media release.

"Throughout the electronic health record modernization effort, my focus has been, and continues to be, making sure any issues that keep Washington state veterans from getting the care and treatment they have earned are addressed -- period."

Hayes said that system outages, even on the VA's current VistA system, are rare, but they can occur. He added that the department has worked with Cerner and staff members to ensure that employees know what to do during an outage to limit the impact on patient care and productivity.

"VA is contacting all 205 Veterans whose patient record may have been affected by this issue and is providing support and resources to ensure that they continue to get the care they need," Hayes said.

According to a schedule released by VA in December, 12 VA medical centers were to receive the system by the end of this year and 21 more by the end of 2023, with a goal to have it operational at all sites in 2028.

-- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime.

Related: Defense Department Restarts Massive Military Health System Overhaul
The Defense Department will close a massive Navy fuel storage facility in Hawaii that leaked into the tap water in Pearl Harbor, sickening and displacing thousands of military families and civilians, the department announced Monday.

"This is the right thing to do," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a written statement released Monday afternoon.

"Centrally-located bulk fuel storage of this magnitude likely made sense in 1943, when Red Hill was built," Austin continued. "And Red Hill has served our armed forces well for many decades. But it makes a lot less sense now."

Read Next: How Believers in the Paranormal Birthed the Pentagon's New Hunt for UFOs

Prior to Monday, the Pentagon had resisted Hawaiian demands to close the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, filing an appeal in court against Hawaii's order to drain the fuel that argued the department needed more time to study the long-term prospects of the facility.

In late November, military families at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and Aliamanu Military Reservation began reporting their water smelled like fuel and had a visible, oily sheen.

The Hawaii Department of Health and the Navy later confirmed the water was contaminated by fuel spilled from the Red Hill storage facility earlier in the month.

The spill displaced thousands of military families and civilians, while others brought in outside water to stay in their homes. Thousands have also been treated for nausea, headaches, rashes and other conditions.

Hawaiian officials, including the state's U.S. senators and representatives, have been pressuring the Defense Department to comply with Hawaii's defueling order. Congress joined in approving $100 million last month for the Pentagon to follow the order.

"I have said from day one that ensuring the health and safety of the residents of Oahu is my top priority and I share the community's big sigh of relief with this news," Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said in a statement Monday applauding the Pentagon's announcement.

"There is a lot of work to do, including defueling the tanks safely and the long term cleanup efforts that will be required to close down the facility," Hirono added. "I will continue to work very closely with the DoD, the Environmental Protection Agency and the State of Hawaii to make sure this happens."

Hawaii's order called for the Navy to submit a plan to drain the fuel at Red Hill within 30 days.

But a timeline laid out by the Pentagon on Monday could have the process stretching longer than a year.

Operations at Red Hill have been suspended since December, but the facility can't be defueled until it is up and running again, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters. An assessment team expects to have a report by the end of the April on how to safely get the facility operational again, he added.

Under a memo signed by Austin on Monday, the Navy and the Defense Logistics Agency have until May 31 to deliver a plan of action to defuel.

Once the plan is in place, the Pentagon estimates defueling could take up to 12 months.

After the facility is defueled, the department will work on environmental mitigation, Kirby said.

Kirby did not have a cost estimate. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee who took credit for securing the $100 million approved last month, previously described that funding as a first round.

"In order to implement this decision, we're going to have to provide additional resources and hold DoD's feet to the fire through congressional oversight," Schatz tweeted Monday. "I will continue to work with our federal and state partners to see this through."

Red Hill has 20 tanks -- 14 of which are filled right now -- that each can hold up to 12.5 million gallons of fuel used for ships and planes that support U.S. military operations throughout the Pacific region. The facility was built into the side of a mountain during World War II to protect it from attack.

With the facility being drained, fuel reserves will instead be located at unspecified locations on land and at sea throughout the Indo-Pacific region, according to Austin's memo.

The memo also stressed the need to "care for affected military families and the people of Hawaii." But the department did not detail Monday any new assistance that might be provided to them.

"We owe you the very best health care we can provide, answers to your many questions, and clean, safe drinking water," Austin said in his statement. "Quite frankly, we owe you a return to normal. And you have my commitment to that end."

-- Rebecca Kheel can be reached at rebecca.kheel@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @reporterkheel.

Related: DoD Appealing Order to Drain 100 Million Gallons of Fuel from Honolulu Tank Above Drinking Water
Russian aircraft on Thursday destroyed the Ukranian patrol boat Sloviansk, a former U.S. Coast Guard Island Class patrol boat that was transferred to the countrys navy in 2019.

Volodymyr Novatsky, mayor of the port city of Yuzhny, announced March 6 in a video posted to YouTube that the vessel had sunk and an unknown number of crew members were missing, including a resident of his town.

"On March 3, an airstrike was carried out by an enemy aircraft on the Sloviansk patrol boat, as a result of which it sank. People also went missing," Novatsky said.

Read Next: US Troops Are Accumulating in Europe as the Pentagon Eyes Putin's Ukraine War

Known formerly as the Coast Guard cutter Cushing, Sloviansk was homeported in the Ukrainian city of Odessa along with the Starobilsk, formerly the U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat Drummond, which also was transferred to Ukraine in 2019.

The two were joined last November by the former Island Class patrol boats Ocracoke and Washington, renamed as the Sumy and Fastiv.

The vessels were donated to Ukraine under the Coast Guards Office of International Acquisition Excess Defense Articles Program.

As part of the agreement, the vessels crews were trained in the U.S. at the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore by members of the Coast Guard Cutter Transition Division Training Team.

The ships were to be augmented by the former Island Class patrol boat Kiska, scheduled for delivery to Ukraine in January 2022.

The Ukrainian crew of the former Kiska  now called the Kubrak  completed their training in Baltimore on Oct. 22, but its unclear if the patrol boat has left the Coast Guard Yard.

The Coast Guard declined to comment on the loss of the former Cushing.

And Coast Guard spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Brittany Panetta said it would not be appropriate for active-duty service members who served on the ship to discuss the sinking.

The Coast Guard's 49 Island Class vessels were built between 1985 and 1992 to conduct offshore surveillance, law enforcement and search and rescue operations, among other duties. They are armed with a single Mk 38 Mod 0 Bushmaster machine gun system and two Browning M2HB heavy machine guns.

Fifteen remain in U.S. service. Four are serving in the country of Georgias Coast Guard while several others are serving in Costa Rica and Pakistan.

The class is being replaced with 64 Sentinel class fast response cutters, 45 of which are now operational.

Ten days after Russia attacked Ukraine, the situation in the Black Sea continues to degrade.

According to reports and social media, Ukraine scuttled its flagship frigate Hetman Sahaidachny on March 3 in Mykolaiv, while there were reports March 7 of a ship fire off Odessa, with pictures of billowing smoke from the Russian corvette Vasily Bykov, one of the vessels that took part in the assault on the Ukrainian outpost of Snake Island on Feb. 24.

 Reporter Konstantin Toropin contributed to this report. He can be reached at Konstantin.Toropin@Military.com.

 Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Military.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime

Related: Coast Guard Decommissions 2 Patrol Boats in Bahrain, Including 9/11 First Responder
U.S. analysts believe as many as 4,000 Russian troops may have been killed in the 13 days since Russia invaded Ukraine, the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency said Tuesday.

While noting analysts have "low confidence" in the assessment, DIA Director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier told the House Intelligence Committee that, based on a mix of intelligence sources and open source information, his agency believes anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000 Russian troops have been killed so far.

By contrast, 2,461 U.S. troops died during the entire 20-year war in Afghanistan.

Read Next: Pentagon Shuttering Hawaii Fuel Storage Facility that Leaked and Sickened Military Families

The high Russian casualty count underscores the setbacks Moscow has faced since Russian forces launched a massive invasion of Ukraine, reversals that U.S. intelligence officials testified Tuesday would lead to Russian President Vladimir Putin escalating the violence.

"I think Putin is angry and frustrated right now. He's likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties," CIA Director William Burns said.

"He has no sustainable political endgame in the face of what is going to continue to be fierce resistance from Ukrainians," Burns added. "Where that leads, I think, is for an ugly next few weeks in which he doubles down, as I said before, with scant regard for civilian casualties."

The House Intelligence Committee hearing was scheduled as its annual "Worldwide Threats" panel, which typically covers a wide range of global hot spots, but questions Tuesday largely focused on the war in Ukraine that Russia launched late last month.

Russia, which has outlawed reporting that calls the war a war, has been hesitant to acknowledge deaths in the conflict, which it describes as a "special military operation." But its defense ministry said last week that 498 Russian soldiers had died and 1,597 had been injured.

Ukraine puts Russian casualties even higher than the U.S. estimate, with the Ukrainian Defence Ministry saying Tuesday morning that 12,000 Russian troops have been killed since the start of the war.

Despite initial U.S. assessments that Ukraine's capital could fall to Russia in a matter of days, Ukrainian forces have held onto Kyiv, and a Russian military convoy said to be 40 miles long remains stalled about 15 miles outside the city due to a mix of what American officials describe as Russian logistics failures and Ukrainian attacks.

If Russia were to successfully cut off food and other supplies to Kyiv, Berrier estimated the situation inside the city would "become somewhat desperate ... in 10 days to two weeks."

Russia's strategy for the invasion has so far mirrored what the U.S. intelligence community anticipated, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told the committee Tuesday. But Putin underestimated the strength of Ukraine's resistance and Russia's own "serious military shortcomings," she continued.

Haines added that it's unclear whether Russia will continue to pursue a "maximalist" plan to capture all or most of Ukraine, but she echoed Burns' assessment that Putin is likely to escalate the violence.

Russia amassed nearly 200,000 troops along Ukraine's border ahead of the invasion, and a senior defense official told reporters Tuesday that 100% of those forces are now inside Ukraine. If Russia decides to pursue the maximalist approach, it would need to devote more forces to the war, Haines said at the hearing.

"We assess Putin feels aggrieved the West does not give him proper deference and perceives this as a war he cannot afford to lose," Haines said. "But what he might be willing to accept as a victory may change over time, given the significant costs he is incurring."

-- Rebecca Kheel can be reached at rebecca.kheel@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @reporterkheel.

Related: Putin 'Overestimated' Russia's Military in Ukraine, But He's Still a Threat, Air Force Secretary Says
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12:00pm: The Royals have now formally announced the signing.

11:39am: The Royals have signed right-hander Brad Peacock to a minor league contract, per their transactions log at MLB.com. The former Astros hurler was eligible to sign during the lockout because he wasnt on a 40-man roster at seasons end, though he did briefly pitch with the Red Sox in 2021.

Now 34 years old, Peacock has spent the bulk of his career in Houston, appearing in parts of eight seasons as an Astro. He was a particularly versatile and vital member of the pitching staff from 2016-19, when he amassed 320 1/3 innings of 3.48 ERA ball and split his time between the rotation and bullpen  pitching quite well in both roles. Unfortunately for both Peacock and the Astros, shoulder and neck injuries derailed his 2019-20 seasons. Peacock ultimately underwent shoulder surgery in October 2020 after hed been limited to just 2 1/3 innings that season.

Peacock signed on with Cleveland last offseason and was traded to Boston in late August (a post-deadline deal made possible by the fact that hed been on a minor league contract and had not been on the 40-man roster at any point prior). He made two appearances as a replacement player following a Covid-19 outbreak on the Red Sox and was tagged for nine runs in 5 1/3 innings before being returned to Triple-A (and removed from the 40-man roster). Things didnt go much better for Peacock in Triple-A, as he combined for an 8.00 ERA in 36 innings between his two stops.

Theres obviously a good bit of work to do for Peacock to reestablish himself, but its easy to see why a team would take a flier on an arm of his caliber. At his peak, in 2018, Peacock punched out a dominant 35.3% of his opponents against just a 7.4% walk rate. Hes absolutely overwhelmed right-handed opponents throughout his career, yielding an awful .199/.280/.338 batting line in those situations. Lefties have generally been a problem for Peacock (career .265/.349/.480), as has turning a lineup over for a third time. That said, if his shoulder and neck are healed up from his 2019-20 woes, he could prove a similarly successful minor league reclamation project to Trevor Rosenthal and Greg Holland from the 2020 Royals.

As things stand, there are already a few spots spoken for in the K.C. bullpen. Scott Barlow, Josh Staumont, Jake Brentz and Domingo Tapia all likely have spots locked down. Well-traveled righty Joel Payamps had a solid showing in 2021 and is also out of minor league options, which could give him the inside track on a fifth spot. Gabe Speier and Dylan Coleman were strong in small showings but will likely have to earn a spot in Spring Training (whatever form that takes). At the very least, there appears to be an opening for a veteran swingman  a role with which Peacock is quite familiar.
08.03.2022 LISTEN

As the tradition has always been, March 6, has always been a day set aside as a day of remembrance, a day where we cast our minds back to the genesis of freedom, a day when Ghana became a beacon of hope for the African continent.

On this day some 65 years ago, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah announced his acquisition for the entire nation, the priceless gift of freedom.

That day, there were smiles on the face of every Ghanaian knowing that the oppressive and cohesive system of colonialism was sooner a thing of the past.

Decades down the line, one of the notable items on the menu of most Ghanaians is the assessment of the country all along.

In-depth analysis, rhetorical questions, and other case studies are been done by individuals of the religious, creative arts, political and educational fraternities in the country.

Ghanaian comic actor Akwasi Boadi, popularly known as Akrobeto was not left out of the pack as he had a huge word of caution and recommendations for the leadership of the country.

On technology and innovation, Mr. Akrobeto recommended that the two be given premium as he believes that is the way forward for the nation's development.

"Let us inculcate the habit of improving the vocational aspect of Ghana; after 65 years of independence, we have nothing to show because we are not practical and cant be innovative. The world is moved by technology, not just about patriotism.

"School is good but school has always been our problem because it has limited our creative and innovative thinking; take a look around and you will realize that most job creators in the country are mere illiterates," he stated.

He added that given the chance to be the leader of the country he will instill a great change in the educational sector of the country.

"If I were the president of Ghana there will be fewer schools but more innovative and technological programs to help the nation at large.

"We cant manufacture common pens and toothpicks and we are touting ourselves as graduates we must be ashamed of ourselves," he said.
04.03.2022 LISTEN

Princess Evelyn Yeboah is a young talented model, writer, entrepreneur and YouTuber. Princess attended Primary school at Tot- to-Teen School, Adenta-Accra. She continued her High School education at Purpose Girls Christian International High School, Gbawe- Accra. She was the first Head Girl of the school and furthered her tertiary education at the University of Ghana, with Public Administration as her major. Princess is currently undertaking her mandatory national service at Burma Camp  Legal department in Accra.

Her childhood beginnings, families and friends used to say, because of her physique, cuteness and beauty, she should be a model when she grows up. She recalled, she went to an event with her mother, people then asked whether, she was born overseas- the skin, manners and her accent. The mother jokingly replied by saying- she was born right here in Ghana.

Her Modeling journey

The journey of her modelling started around June 2020, when she took a picture with her friends phone and posted it on Instagram and people started liking it. A photographer directs messaged her that he likes her hair, and want to have a photoshoot session with her. Already, Princess has liked and commented on his works- Ram studios. During her first shoot at Ram studios- she was nervous but Ram was surprised because of the kind of posting style she was giving. The pictures came in, it was beautiful. She showed it to her mother. The pictures went viral for a month in countries such as Nigeria, the USA, and other Asian Countries and also on Pinterest. Due to the comments, she got from people, she started with Face Modeling  due to her facial beauty. Again, her photographer linked her to a modelling company- Apricot. She rocked in the clothes and decided to add Fashion Modeling. Later on, her photographer recommended her to a brand company- Ihairbeautysupply, they into hair, which made her add commercial modelling too.

She did a bridal shoot by Claras Makeover and was photographed by creative vision photography. The pictures went viral and got featured on bellanaijaweddings.com and Pinterest. She wanted to develop herself; she joined Malex Agency in 2020 for a contract of one year. So, she can be groomed and polished her modelling skills. She further added, since she joined the modelling industry, it has helped her to be very ambitious and explored her to different places, which has helped her to improve upon herself in terms of her skills and the modelling industry. She stated that Ghanaian models should be paid very well.

Her Entrepreneurial journey

She was waiting for her University of Ghana admission and an idea came into mind, why not start something to earn some money. She went to YouTube to watch videos on how to make Samosa. After watching, she bought a few ingredients at the market. The first Samosa didnt go well; she didnt give up, kept on practising and became perfect. To sharpen the skill, she enrolled at a catering school for a month to learn Samosa and Spring Roll making. After graduation from the catering school, she was now a pro in Samosa and Spring Roll making. She had a few contracts from banks, restaurants, families and friends orders. She has a dream for her business and wants Princesss Crunchy Snacks to be around the world.

Her Blogging and YouTube journey

She wants to be an inspirational writer to encourage people. While waiting for admission at the University of Ghana, she enrolled at Soronko Academy for 3 months, where she was thought how to create a website. This skill, she gained from the training made her start writing on her blog site. Most of her writings and quotes were based on her personal life experiences. She was writing on the Bondage series. She realized most people dont like reading. So, she was like, why doesnt she turn her writing into a vlog so that people who do not like reading will watch on YouTube channel that birthed Princessca Yeboah YouTube channel- a channel that creates content about Princeca diaries, travelling, beauty, fashion, lifestyle, and modelling.

One of her ambitions is to travel around the world. She loves travelling and is a natural person who loves a clean environment. Oprah Winfrey is her mentor, she looks up to most. She aspires to become one of the greatest women who will bring change to the world by influencing the world positively through her talent. She is inspired by Oprah Winfreys quote: Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you. She believes that, if one takes that risk to make his or her passion come alive there is nothing that can stop him or her except she or he decides to give up.

Princess can be reached on the following social media handles

Instagram: @evelynprincessca_ Twitter: @princeca15

LinkedIn: Princess Yeboah Email: [email protected]
08.03.2022 LISTEN

But for recorded videos and TV journals, a greater chunk of youngsters have definitely no idea the way Ghanaians lived after independence.

The dressings seem weird, the music had so much lead guitar and horn if it was highlife but heavy drum, loud techno snares, overriding bass guitars, and a lot of laser effects when it was discotheque music.

Accra, according to older folks was not too crowded, and the easiest ways people catch fun was to be found at dance centers and on some occasions.

One of the outstanding aspects of post-independence fashion was the fact that people wanted to have a touch of the western world and that of the locals, fuse them up, and hit it out their own way.

The confidence with which people walked past each other during events was so indescribable.

During the just-ended independence day celebration, some young Ghanaians lined up the streets of Ghana to give a taste of what the post-independence looked like.

Marching along the Accra High Streets to the independence square the fancifully dressed individuals several fashion forms and models.

Check the highlights out;
Far-right candidate Eric Zemmour presented Marion Marechal as his new political ally on Sunday. The niece of National Rally leader Marine Le Pen officially joined the campaign in a move that may revive Zemmour's floundering bid for the French presidency.

Speaking at a rally in the southern French city of Toulon, Marion Marechal called for a "great union of the right" adding that victory for Zemmour was possible.

In front of 8,000 people gathered at the Zenith events centre, Zemmour gave a hearty welcome to Marechal as she came on stage, her presence ushering in a new chapter in the family feud with Marine Le Pen.

Le Pen said in January she was personally hurt by Marechal's plan to defect, saying: "It's brutal, it's shocking, it's difficult for me."

The 32-year-old pregnant former deputy for the Vaucluse department made her dramatic return to politics after a five-year absence with flashing lights and thunderous music.

Elected as the youngest member of parliament in 2012 at the age of 22, Marechal stepped back from frontline politics to spend more time with her daughter and open a political sciences school focused on nationalism.

On Sunday, she described Emmanuel Macron as a "divisive and woke" president, calling the mix a "dangerous ideology" that leads to "the dominant exploiting the dominated."

War in Ukraine

Zemmour is hoping Marechal's entrance will mark a "turning point" in his campaign after a complicated sequence of events regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Following a series of criticisms, even from within his own camp, Zemmour took advantage of Sunday's gathering to clarify his position on Ukrainian refugees.

The far-right pundit underlined that he still prefers the refugees to stay in Poland rather than France, but he said that "those who prefer to come to France, for example because they have ties here or are French-speaking" should be welcomed until the bombing stops as they are Europeans and are Christians.

To applause, Eric Zemmour also called for a cap on petrol prices at 1.80 per litre in order to "protect the French from the consequences of war".

However, the far-right contender was in trouble again this weekend after it was revealed in the French press that he had two lunch meetings with the influential Russian oligarch Vladimir Yakunin in 2015 and 2016.

Meanwhile, according to images posted on social networks, one participant at Sunday's meeting performed a Nazi salute.

Zemmour's entourage was quick to react, saying the unknown participant was taken out of the rally and that "no such gesture is tolerated in our meetings."

At the end of his speech, Eric Zemmour invited his supporters to an open-air rally, due to take place at the Trocadero in Paris on 27 March.

Polls currently suggest Le Pen and Zemmour are the main contenders to make a run-off against Macron.
Hon. Ivan Esinam Tekpli, Assemblyman of Korle Gonno electoral area, has organised a clean-up exercise in the Ablekuma South Sub Metro under the Accra Metropolitan Assembly in the Greater Accra Region.

The Assembly man told journalists the exercise is in line with the Greater Accra Regional Ministers quest to make the capital one of the cleanest cities on the continent.

I thought it wise as the Assemblyman for the community to celebrate our 65th independence in cleanliness. The exercise was also organised in line with the Greater Accra Regional Ministers operation clean your frontage agenda. I believe we as people should understand that cleanliness is key to our survival, he told journalists after the exercise that lasted over four hours.

Several individuals joined the exercise to clean and desilt gutters around Korle Gonnor area, where indiscriminate dumping of waste has choked the gutters with filth and sand.

Hon. Tekpli also used the opportunity to appeal to members of the Korle Gonnor community to cultivate the habit of keeping their environment clean.
08.03.2022 LISTEN

A member of the Centre for Development Initiatives (CDI) , Alexis Derry has stated that, Ghanas democracy is meaningless if it does not reflect the pertinent issues of the people.

Speaking on the AM show on Joy news, he stated that until democracy carries every single citizen along, it has no value or relevance.

According to him, if democracy does not carry vulnerable citizens like women, children and the excluded who constitute majority of the population then it is of no use.

He indicated that, for democracy to be relevant, those who fall through the cracks of development must be catered for as it was not only about presidential and parliamentary elections, but the heartfelt issues of the citizenry played a key role in it

Democracy is meaningless unless it is linked to the bread and butter issues of the people. it is meaningless unless it is linked to the issues of the ordinary person.

"Democracy is meaningless unless it carries everyone along particularly the vulnerable, the excluded, children, women who constitute the majority of our population.

"Democracy is meaningless until in our quest it is linked to ensuring that in our processes of development those who fall through the cracks pf this so called development are catered for, he stated.

He added that, a chunk of Ghanas 65 years has been spent trying and experimenting with military rule.

He indicated that, with all these problems, Ghana is peaceful.

Mr Derry however noted that peace was not as a result of the absence of war, but because there has not been violence that call for military intervention.

His words come on the back of conversations around Ghanas 65th Independence and the state of the countrys politics.
07.03.2022 LISTEN

A communications team member of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Ralph Apetorgbor, has said President Akufo-Addo must urgently respond to wild sexual misconduct allegations that US-based Ghanaian journalist, Kevin Taylor, has made against him.

In a Facebook comment, Mr Apetorgbor points out that Mr Taylors claim that Akufo-Addo committed a crime against Dome Kwabenya MP, Sarah Adwoa Sarfo and that he touched Adwoa Sarfo in a way that he ought not to, kicks serious dirt on the presidency.

I believe that every Ghanaian is shocked at the revelation and even though many of us are seriously hoping that there is no truth to the allegation, the only person who can lay the matter to rest is His Excellency the President.

President Nana Akufo-Addo must urgently respond to this allegation as matter of duty, Mr. Apetorgbor wrote.

He points out that the allegation borders on a serious felony that would make the president unfit to govern the country if it is true, and therefore must be cleared soonest.

The demand comes in the wake of allegations by Kevin Taylor that the hostage crisis that the Akufo-Addo government, the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the Majority in parliament are having over Adwoa Sarfo is the result of sex abuse the MP suffered.

According to Mr. Taylor, the sex abuse was perpetrated by a big man at the presidency and that it is because of the fear that Adwoa Sarfo will speak up that President Akufo-Addo has not been able to fire her, months after abandoning the Gender Ministry to cool her heels in the US.

The only person who can say Adwoa Sarfo walk out of my government is Akufo-Addo, we are still here, Akufo-Addo came to tell us Adwoa Sarfo is going on an indefinite leave, he could not give us timelines; he is scared. I say who touched Adwoa Sarfo in the Jubilee House? Kevin Taylor said in a broadcast on his With All Due Respect podcast.

He adds, Now lets go to the Jubilee House, Akufo-Addo has committed a crime against Adwoa Sarfo. If he wants to dare me, I will dare him. If he says he is a legitimate president who has not committed a crime against Adwoa Sarfo, he should fire her and the day he fires Adwoa Sarfo will be the beginning of Akufo-Addos end as the president, Kevin Taylor alleged.

Mr. Apetorgbor points out that these allegations are too serious for the president to keep quiet over.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Communications Officer of the NDC Anyaa Sowutuom Constituency branch also added his voice to calls for Assin Central MP, Ken Agyapong, along with Chief of Staff, Frema Opare Osei, to be investigated over Agyapongs revelation that the Chief of Staff parceled a Ghc120,000 bribe to deposit into the account of Adwoa Sarfo to entice her back to Ghana.
'Come back to me' hit maker and Highlife musician, Lucky Mensah has endorsed Odeneho Kwaku Appiah with a campaign song to impress upon delegates to elect him to lead as New Patriotic Party regional chairman in the upcoming elections.

Lucky Mensah joins the likes of gospel musician Brother Sammy and a host of others who have also released songs to endorse Odeneho Kwaku Appiah.

The song, which is already viral on social media, details the political experience of COKA and reasons why he should be elected to lead the affairs of the party.

Lucky Mensah said he is convinced that COKA's ability to organise, his dedication and commitment to party work is a sure bet to break the eight.

"We need strong and committed people like COKA to retain power in the 2024 elections. He has done it at the constituency level and is ready to serve at the Regional level," he said.
08.03.2022 LISTEN

The Regional Education Director of the Ghana Education Service for Savannah Region, Hajia Katumi Natogmah Attah, has disclosed that the lack of adequate teachers and other logistics is gravely affecting the delivery of quality education in the region.

According to her, the lack of adequate teachers has affected pupil teacher ratio especially early childhood education teachers.

She noted that the phenomenon accounts for the weak foundation of children in the early stages of their education which affect them negatively.

She made this disclosure on Friday, March 4, 2022 during a stakeholder consultative forum on Education in Gonjaland under the theme "Improving standards of Education in Gonjaland for Sustainable Development " under the auspices of the Gonjaland Youth Association.

Hajia Katumi added that though there has been a slight improvement pertaining to the teacher situation in the region for the 2021 and 2022 academic years, it's still woefully inadequate to meet the demand for the region at all levels of education.

She also catalogued amongst others, poor attendance and punctuality on the part of teachers and students, inadequate furniture in schools and other logistics such as computers, projectors, printers and photocopiers at the Regional and District offices as some of the factors that militates against the delivery of quality education in the region.

She used the occasion to appeal to the Government to ensure that more teachers are posted to schools in the region and also speedup the construction of the Regional Education office complex to improve supervision.

Speaking at the forum, the Vice President of the Savannah Regional House of Chiefs, His Royal Majesty Buipewura Jinapor II, lauded the leadership of the Gonjaland Youth Association for organizing the consultative forum to discuss education in the region.

He declared the support of the House of Chiefs for the Gonjaland Youth Association to improve on the standard of education in the region.

Lawyer Alhaji Mohammed Osman Amin, President of the Gonjaland Youth Association, in his welcome address urged all stakeholders to bring their relevant expertise to board to improve on the standards of Education in the region.

According to him, education is key in every facet of life and it's imperative to ensure that there's quality education to enhance development in Gonjaland and the entire Savannah Region.
Frederick Opoku, Secretary-General, Tenants Union of Ghana

08.03.2022 LISTEN

The National Tenants Union of Ghana (NATUG) on the occasion of the celebration of Ghanas 65th Independence Anniversary celebrations has called on the ruling government to expedite action on the implementation of the national housing policy.

The group is impressing upon the ruling NPP government under President Nana Akufo-Addo to, as a matter of urgency, help address the housing deficit situation in the country.

According to the group, as it stands today in Ghanas 65 years of independence from British colonial rule, the housing deficit has hit a record high exceeding 3.5 million housing units.

NATUG further indicates that 65 years on, Ghana can only reverse the trend by improving the supply of 200,000 units annually for a continuous period of 10 years.

The group made these revelations in a press release signed by its Secretary-General, Mr. Frederick Opoku, and issued on Tuesday 8th March 2022 after a weekend of some Independence Day activities.

They have also given the government an ultimatum that from now to September 2022, the union will hit the streets in a massive protest to pour out their frustrations if the current state of the SAGLEMI AFFORDABLE HOUSING Project is not fixed.

The Union expressed shock as to why up to date, the National Housing Policy that took Ghana over 40 years to put together has been left unimplemented 7 years after it was launched in 2015.

Below is the full statement:

EXPEDITE ACTION ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL HOUSING POLICY

The Tenants Union of Ghana extends its gratitude and heartfelt sympathies to all tenants in Ghana.

We as a Union assures them our absolute commitments and pledges to stand by them despite the challenges they face in their dealings with landlords, property owners and their cohorts.

The Union is dismayed and disappointed with the pace at which government is working to improve the housing delivery in Ghana.

As it stands today in Ghanas 65 years of independence and nationhood, the housing deficit has hit a record high exceeding 3.5 million housing units. Ghana can only reverse the trend by improving the supply of 200,000 units annually for a continuous period of 10 years.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the HON. ASENSO BOAKYE for opening up to the Association and being a listening minister. We appreciate this symbolic gesture and urge him to remain open to all stakeholders.

The Union in no uncertain terms are not happy about the pace government is working to implement the many promises on housing mentioned in their 2020 Manifesto.

The NPP government promised Ghanaians of creating the enabling environment to support them with soft loans to pay for their rent under their prolific National Rental Assistance Scheme (NARAS).

In 2021, a budget of GHC100 MILLION was approved by Ghana Parliament for this purpose but shockingly, no disbursements whatsoever have been made so far, and we are worried, though the Hon. Minister, Asenso Boakye has confirmed that cabinet is working out for payments to start.

The Union would like to take this opportunity once again, to express its displeasure on the slow pace government has taken to review the rent law which has outlived its usefulness 58 years after its enactment.

It has taken more than a decade for past and present governments to amend the law, though in a recent meeting with Hon. Asenso Boakye, the cabinet has given way for the law to be reviewed.

We hope this assurance does not become a lip service as witnessed in previous years.

On housing delivery, we are pessimistic looking at the governments response to delivering the real affordable housing for low-income citizens to benefit. Once again, the Tenants Union would like to remind the government of its 2020 housing pledges to Ghanaians, where the NPP government sought to build pro-poor and low-income houses relative to social housing.

We want to take this opportunity to remind government of our petition on 21st April 2021, in which we asked that the SAGLEMI AFFORDABLE HOUSING project in which the government secured USD $200 Million to build be converted into a social housing scheme, where over 1,500 housing units have been left to rot under the vagaries of the weather, whilst Ghanaians are suffering to get a place to lay their heads is barbaric and unacceptable to say the least.

We are giving the government from now up to September 2022 to come out and tell Ghanaians what their plans on that project are, or we hit the streets to demonstrate and register our displeasure on the matter.

It is interesting to note that one standard affordable housing unit is sold for GHC99,000, two standard bedrooms going for GHC182,000 and three standard bedrooms at GHC335,000 sadly are not within the reach of 95% of Ghanaians to afford.

The Association is dismayed why up to date, the National Housing Policy that took Ghana over 40 years to put together has been left unimplemented 7 years after it was launched in 2015.

The housing delivery strategy has been spelled out in the policy; yet, the government is reluctant to implement it.

We believe that the surest way to avert the current trend of housing deficit in the country is to implement the policy.

We, therefore, implore the government through the Sector Minister, Hon. Asenso Boakye to take necessary steps to fully implement the only housing policy of the land.

We wish all Ghanaians a happy 65th Independence Day.

SIGNED

FREDERICK OPOKU

SECRETARY-GENERAL

(TENANTS UNION OF GHANA)
08.03.2022 LISTEN

The Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has heaped praise on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for joining commercial flight to the Dubai Expo.

The President on Monday, March 7, 2022, attended the Dubai Expo.

In a statement on the Facebook page of Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, he says his checks have revealed that President Akufo-Addo for the first time in a year decided not to fly in an expensive luxurious private jet.

The North Tongu MP discloses that the President flew First Class on Emirates and must be commended for listening to the cry of Ghanaians.

I sincerely applaud President Akufo-Addo for flying commercial to the Dubai Expo as he left Ghana yesterday.

When our elected officials finally exhibit good judgment, even if it took great struggle from us, we should be courageous and objective to acknowledge their penitent conduct, part of a post on the Facebook page of the Ghanaian lawmaker reads.

The post adds, President Akufo-Addo who has defiantly flown on ultra-luxurious chartered executive jets for all his trips outside Africa since May last year deserves some credit for finally listening to an outraged public and surrendering to legitimate patriotic pressure from struggling Ghanaians reeling under an economy in tatters.

According to Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Presidents decision to fly commercial on his latest trip is saving the Ghanaian taxpayer a colossal amount of over GHS3 million.

Read the North Tongu MPs post below:

I sincerely applaud President Akufo-Addo for flying commercial to the Dubai Expo as he left Ghana yesterday.

When our elected officials finally exhibit good judgment, even if it took great struggle from us, we should be courageous and objective to acknowledge their penitent conduct.

From our unimpeachable and impeccable tracking, this is the first time in at least a year, President Akufo-Addo has jetted out of the continent without using a profligate and sybaritic charter at profound expense to the suffering Ghanaian taxpayer.

President Akufo-Addo who has defiantly flown on ultra-luxurious chartered executive jets for all his trips outside Africa since May last year deserves some credit for finally listening to an outraged public and surrendering to legitimate patriotic pressure from struggling Ghanaians reeling under an economy in tatters.

By commendably opting to fly First Class on Emirates and avoiding another extravagant charter, President Akufo-Addo has saved the Ghanaian taxpayer an impressive US$468,000.00. That is equivalent to a staggering GHS3,306,139.20.

So, instead of doling out another colossal installment of 3.3million Ghana Cedis to a European company, we get to keep it in Ghana, and hopefully, use it for something more prudent.

It is important to bear in mind that Global Jet Luxembourg, operators of the President's favourite flying toy  the Boeing 737-97YER(BBJ3), registered LX-DIO, had earlier informed their clientele that due to prevailing global economic conditions, beginning this month of March, it would now cost approximately US$18,000.00 per hour, and no longer US14,000.00 to rent the ultimate flying symbol of obscene ostentation.

For the first time in about a year, the LX-DIO is resting at the ParisLe Bourget Airport when it's most devoted passenger is on official travels outside the African continent. This is why the latest conduct by President Akufo-Addo is both significant and most refreshing, as we pray it is not a fluke but a permanent change in conduct. Even if he refuses to use Ghana's Presidential Jet, this option presents a more frugal alternative and may help remind Ghanaians that this is a president who once promised to protect the public purse.

But, of course, the biggest credit must go to the overwhelming number of Ghanaians who have been unwavering and relentless in fighting and resisting the blatant, unconscionable dissipation of our taxes just to satisfy the president's lavish fantasies.
08.03.2022 LISTEN

The Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa says President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has saved Ghana a colossal sum of GHS3 million for flying commercial to the Dubai Expo.

The parliamentarian has been criticising the President for flying in expensive private jets when travelling outside Africa.

Following checks, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has revealed that he has learned the President on Monday, March 7, 2022, flew in First Class on Emirates when he left Ghana to attend the Dubai Expo.

According to the MP, the decision by President Akufo-Addo is saving the Ghanaian taxpayer over GHS3 million.

By commendably opting to fly First Class on Emirates and avoiding another extravagant charter, President Akufo-Addo has saved the Ghanaian taxpayer an impressive US$468,000.00. That is equivalent to a staggering GHS3,306,139.20.

So, instead of doling out another colossal installment of 3.3million Ghana Cedis to a European company, we get to keep it in Ghana, and hopefully, use it for something more prudent, parts of the post on the Facebook page of Okudzeto Ablakwa has said.

Meanwhile, the North Tongu MP has commended President Akufo-Addo for listening to the Ghanaian people.

Ablakwa wrote on his Facebook page, I sincerely applaud President Akufo-Addo for flying commercial to the Dubai Expo as he left Ghana yesterday.

When our elected officials finally exhibit good judgment, even if it took great struggle from us, we should be courageous and objective to acknowledge their penitent conduct.

Read the full post on Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwas Facebook page below:

I sincerely applaud President Akufo-Addo for flying commercial to the Dubai Expo as he left Ghana yesterday.

When our elected officials finally exhibit good judgment, even if it took great struggle from us, we should be courageous and objective to acknowledge their penitent conduct.

From our unimpeachable and impeccable tracking, this is the first time in at least a year, President Akufo-Addo has jetted out of the continent without using a profligate and sybaritic charter at profound expense to the suffering Ghanaian taxpayer.

President Akufo-Addo who has defiantly flown on ultra-luxurious chartered executive jets for all his trips outside Africa since May last year deserves some credit for finally listening to an outraged public and surrendering to legitimate patriotic pressure from struggling Ghanaians reeling under an economy in tatters.

By commendably opting to fly First Class on Emirates and avoiding another extravagant charter, President Akufo-Addo has saved the Ghanaian taxpayer an impressive US$468,000.00. That is equivalent to a staggering GHS3,306,139.20.

So, instead of doling out another colossal installment of 3.3million Ghana Cedis to a European company, we get to keep it in Ghana, and hopefully, use it for something more prudent.

It is important to bear in mind that Global Jet Luxembourg, operators of the President's favourite flying toy  the Boeing 737-97YER(BBJ3), registered LX-DIO, had earlier informed their clientele that due to prevailing global economic conditions, beginning this month of March, it would now cost approximately US$18,000.00 per hour, and no longer US14,000.00 to rent the ultimate flying symbol of obscene ostentation.

For the first time in about a year, the LX-DIO is resting at the ParisLe Bourget Airport when it's most devoted passenger is on official travels outside the African continent. This is why the latest conduct by President Akufo-Addo is both significant and most refreshing, as we pray it is not a fluke but a permanent change in conduct. Even if he refuses to use Ghana's Presidential Jet, this option presents a more frugal alternative and may help remind Ghanaians that this is a president who once promised to protect the public purse.

But, of course, the biggest credit must go to the overwhelming number of Ghanaians who have been unwavering and relentless in fighting and resisting the blatant, unconscionable dissipation of our taxes just to satisfy the president's lavish fantasies.
The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has commended President Akufo-Addo for boarding commercial flight to Dubai last night instead of his usual private jet.

In a tweet today, the outspoken MP who has become an albatross on the President's neck for his numerous private jet trips abroad stated that, for the first time in over a year, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo flew at a low cost as a result of an increase in the cost of his go-to jet.

According to him, the president in his trip to Dubai for the Dubai Expo opted to fly first class on Emirates thus saving the Ghanaian taxpayer US$468,000.00 which is equivalent to GHC3, 306,139.20.

He indicated that the presidents favorite jet the Boeing 737-97YER (BBJ3) had its costs increased by its operators, the Global Jet Luxembourg.

It is important to bear in mind that Global Jet Luxembourg, operators of the President's favorite flying toy- the Boeing 737-97YER (BBJ3), registered LX-DIO, had earlier informed their clientele that due to the prevailing global economic conditions, beginning this month of March, it would now cost approximately US$18,000.00 per hour and no longer US$14,000.00 to rent the ultimate symbol of obscene ostentation, he said in his statement.

Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa added that, the President must be applauded for listening to the outraged public and doing the right thing this time after flying luxurious jets for all his trips outside Africa since May 2021.

He added that when elected officials exhibit good judgement it was imperative to acknowledge their conduct.

Find details of his statement here.
The President of the Republic, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has indicated that he does not underestimate the challenges confronting Ghanaians.

In a post on the Twitter page of the President, he stresses that with no shred of doubt, he is confident the challenges will be addressed.

I do not underestimate the challenges with which we are confronted. But I am strong in my conviction that we can overcome them, parts of a post on a Twitter page of President Akufo-Addo read.

H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo further notes that he is confident the years ahead will be great for the people of Ghana to prosper in the great nation.

I know we are capable. I believe in the can-do spirit of Ghanaians. Ours is a bright future, and I am confident that the years ahead will be great, the Twitter post adds.

In recent times, President Akufo-Addo and his government have been accused of mismanaging the Ghanaian economy and bringing untold hardships on Ghanaians.

Amidst the criticism and backlash, the President during his speech at the 65th Independence Day Anniversary celebration over the weekend called on the entire populace to help his government set the country on the path of prosperity.
On February 28, 2022, the learned Professor Raymond Atuguba delivered a public lecture at Erata Hotel, East Legon, Accra under the auspices of SOLIDAIRE Ghana. In his lecture, Prof. Atuguba asseverated that a coup is imminent in Ghana. In his own words, We do not want a coup in this country. Yet, I fear that if we do not act quickly, we may have one on our hands very soon.

This is what many, including myself, find absurd about the learned Prof's lecture. It makes no rational sense for a Professor of Law to say We do not want a coup in this country. Yet, I fear that if we do not act quickly, we may have one on our hands very soon. It is difficult to rationalize how a learned law professor, a supposed custodian and advocate of democracy, constitutionalism and the rule of law, would justify an imminent coup on the basis of a faltering economy. Not too long ago, the Ghanaian economy faltered gravely, yet no one asked for a coup. I shall return to this.

Perhaps, the only way to make sense of Atuguba's 'nonsense' of an impending coup because of the current economic challenges is through a partisan political lens. The stark reality is that in the last 65 years of independence, our politics has been an exclusionary one. It has only gotten worse in the 4th Republic. The group or party that forms government gains everything and those who lose power lose everything, especially things they took for granted while in government. It has been described as the winner takes all politics.

This results in a situation where Ghana is seen as belonging to those who win elections or form government and those who associate with them. Those who lose elections and get kicked out of government only see RED. In opposition, Ghana is abominable, nothing works, and the future is a horrible and dreadful one. They manage to convince the nearly half of the voter population that is associated with them that Ghana has no future. Sadly, this appears to be Prof's situation.

At the public lecture he was introduced as the Dean of the University of Ghana School of Law. This, according to him, makes it difficult to speak the naked truth. However, he deliberately failed to remind his audience that he was once the Executive Secretary to former President John Mahama. And hence he was not just a Dean, but also a politician. And history in Ghana has taught us all what politicians do and say while in government and what they do and say when in opposition.

The Dean of the UG School of Law makes the most fallacious statement that No one speaks the truth in Ghana. This is most unfortunate; but it is understandable. In the partisan political environment that we have created for ourselves, there are many truths. What is true for Atuguba and his political associates is a horrible lie for their adversaries. The reverse is true. Having postulated that we all live a lie, Professor Atuguba exonerated himself and proceeded with his truth about Ghana. All hear him, Atuguba, the POLITICAL PROFESSOR!

I am compelled to agree with Professor Atuguba about the state of the Ghanaian economy. There are monumental challenges. It is not novel to recount these challenges, no additional knowledge is gained by doing that. As Einstein once said, any fool can know, the point is to understand. A proper understanding is important, not a jaundiced one laced with partisan politics.

On page 16 of his lecture, Professor Atuguba tells Ghanaians that we must not accept the lie that the current economic crisis is due to COVID-19. We hear you, Professor. However, in your conclusion, you say among other things that we are living in a really fucked up world today. A third world war is imminent over Ukraine, of all places. A COVID-19 pandemic is ravaging the world. I guess this fucked up world is minus Ghana?! I hope Prof and his political associates can elevate their minds from knowing that a third world war beckons, to understanding that the prospect of that war alone partly explains the rising fuel price.

Professor Atuguba, the rising fuel price is not a Ghana problem. As you try to adjust from knowing to understanding, please read the following article: Rising fuel costs are crippling Africa's economies .[1] You will see that in South Africa, fuel prices have risen by 40.5% in the last one year. In Burkina Faso, fuel prices have risen by 8% this year. The Kenyan government has raised taxes on household goods such as cooking gas, fuel, and food by 14%, while Nigeria, with historically low fuel prices, is in its fourth week of severe fuel shortages.

Prof, your conclusion that Today, things are 10 times worse than they were in 2014 is debatable. It does also underscore your partisan and twisted understanding of reality. The idea that you and your political apparatchiks are right and that all the groups that you accuse of being loudly silent today are wrong, is most absurd and arrogant. Please accept that while we all know what is happening, some have better understanding and appreciation that goes beyond your partisan narratives.

Prof. Atuguba, in 2014, fuel prices were lower than they are today, but do not forget that fuel shortages were regular occurrences in 2014. In June 2014, the country was hit by severe fuel shortage because your government was owing the Bulk Oil Distribution Companies (BDCs) GHC1.8 billion. In October 2014, the country experienced a debilitating gas shortage (Graphic online, October 6, 2014). In December 2012 the country under your darling President John Mahama, was hit by an acute fuel shortage that lasted for several weeks. Today, notwithstanding the fact they are expensive, at least petroleum and gas are available.

Prof. Atuguba, remember that for much of 2014, the country was in the grip of DUMSOR. Businesses were collapsing at an unprecedented rate. Welders could not get electricity to do their welding; cold store operators looked on while their products (fish and meat) rot, wiping out their capital; and mechanics could not do their repair works. School children had to learn under street lights and doctors had to conduct surgeries under phone torches. The night time was a complete nightmare for Ghanaians. The country lost about 2% of its GDP in 2014 to DUMSOR alone. That translates into a loss of USD$680 million (ISSER, 2015). Today, the lights are on for most Ghanaians throughout the day. This costs government a fortune.

Prof Atuguba, you will recall that in 2014, your government cancelled the teacher and nursing training allowances. As you may know, those allowances have been restored by the Akufo-Addo government. Interestingly, you and your boss, John Mahama,  two beneficiaries of the Northern Scholarship  were struggling to pay feeding grants for that scholarship. Threats to close schools were rampant. Today, Ghanaians facing difficulties understand that they do not have to pay for school fees because of the introduction of free senior high school (Free SHS). Yes, Free SHS has its problems, as with all policies, some of which emanates from the economic difficulties we currently have. But the truth is that Free SHS offers parents, guardians and relatives of school going children, enormous financial relief. Certainly Prof, you will agree that it will be most unfair to describe silence of such parents as hypocritical.

Prof. Atuguba, you will again recall that in 2014, your government had already sealed off the public sector to new entrants. Trained teachers and nurses could not be employed by the State even though there were more than 100,000 teacher shortages across the country. The hospitals and clinics needed more nurses. The CHIP Compounds had no trained medical personnel. It might interest you to know that this government has recruited several thousands of teachers and nurses. In November 2021 alone, government gave clearance for the recruitment of an additional 16,000 teachers.

Prof. Atuguba, I am sure you have forgotten that in 2014, your government confiscated the dollar deposit of Ghanaians. Yes, the John Mahama government in its desperate attempt to arrest the depreciation of the cedi restricted access of Ghanaians to their dollar deposits. Yes, a lot happened in 2014 than you want to remember!

Prof. Atuguba, in the period 2013-2017, when you and your darling Mahama were in charge of the affairs of this country, Ghanaians really suffered. According to the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS, 2019), for the period 2013-2017, more than half a million Ghanaians became poor. The first time since 1992, that the absolute number of the poor in Ghana have increased. These were men and women of ruined fortunes; yet they neither called for coups nor revolutions. No Never!

Prof. Atuguba, reflective Ghanaians continue to ask what happened to cause all those miseries? What had happened? Not much adversity had befallen our dear country during your time as the Executive Secretary to the President for all these hardships. If anything, you had inherited an oil economy with fresh injection of petrodollars. Before you resigned in 2014 or thereabout, the country had received more than USD$2billion oil money. You may remember that in 2012, your government allocated USD$165million of the oil money to the Office of the President for infrastructure development. Will you be honest enough to tell Ghanaians which infrastructure projects the Office of the President directly undertakes? Perhaps, you will appreciate a little reminder on the fact that your government led by John Mahama taxed everything there was to be taxed, including condoms and our dear hardworking 'kayaye' sisters.

Prof. Atuguba, we would like you to know that we appreciate the current economic situation is not good. We know the debt level is high and rising. We know that inflation and the general cost of living are rising above the pockets of the ordinary Ghanaian. But, unlike you, we accept that in the 65 years of Ghana's nationhood, no event has had the most cataclysmic impact on Ghana and the rest of the world like the COVID-19 pandemic. Shutting down Accra and Kumasi for three weeks had never happened in our history. Closing the Kotoka International Airport for nearly a year is unprecedented. The land borders remain closed. Compelling hotels and tourist centers to close and banning conferences and workshops have never happened before. Closing the schools and universities for about a year while still paying teachers/lecturers is a big deal with no precedent in our history.

Prof. Atuguba, if you will be candid with yourself, in 2014 the Ghanaian economy was as challenged as it is today. However, for you, in 2014 the time was not ripe for a coup. It was only ripe for Prof Atuguba to quietly exit the Flagstaff House into obscurity back into academia. We definitely want to hear our intellectuals speak on national issues. But when they do speak, they must be honest with their audience and the Ghanaian people.

Nana Akwasi Awuah
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday ordered a crackdown on motorcycle taxis after a group of riders attacked a female motorist in an incident that has shocked the nation.

The young woman was assaulted by the taxi riders -- commonly known as boda-boda -- apparently after a traffic accident last week in the capital Nairobi, according to police.

A viral video of the incident, which occurred in daylight hours, showed the men grabbing at the woman's clothing and groping her as she screamed from inside her car.

"I have instructed the law enforcement officers to use the instruments within the law to punish these perpetrators," Kenyatta said at an event to mark International Women's Day.

"There should never be a repeat of what we saw for this is a blight on the entire Kenyan society."

He ordered that all boda-boda riders must re-register with the transport authorities or face punishment.

Demonstrators staged a protest in Nairobi on Tuesday over the vicious assault.

Thousands of Kenyans have expressed outrage at the actions of the riders.. By Yasuyoshi CHIBA AFP

The protesters, numbering around 150, marched to police headquarters, chanting and waving placards declaring: "Hear my scream", "Today is her!, tomorrow its me," and banners calling for a halt to gender-based violence.

"That kind of madness is becoming too much for all of us," Interior Minister Fred Matiang'i told the crowd.

"We cannot accept to live that way anymore," Matiang'i said, promising a "very ruthless and radical" reorganisation of the motorcycle taxi sector.

Police said they had arrested 16 riders in connection with Friday's incident, which occurred on a road named after Kenyan Nobel peace laureate Wangari Maathai.

'Barbaric act'

Thousands of Kenyans online, including Chief Justice Martha Koome, have also expressed outrage at the actions of the riders.

Koome said the incident was "cruel, inhumane" and lacking in "any sense of humanity".

"I decry this act as barbaric and requiring the highest legal attention," she said in a statement.

Motorcycle taxi drivers in Kenya are typically young men and are notorious for breaching the highway code and assaulting drivers after collisions.

The two-wheelers are a popular mode of transport in East Africa's economic powerhouse, which lacks a proper public commuter system.

Riders of motorbike taxis known as boda-boda are typically young men. By SIMON MAINA AFPFile

There are at least 1.4 million motorcycles registered in Kenya, according to a 2018 government data, with the majority used as taxis.

Nearly 17,000 motorcycles are registered each month, the government's statistics bureau said in 2019, but the sector is heavily unregulated and actual numbers could be much higher.

The riders have often been accused by campaign groups of snatch-and grab robberies and harassing other road users, with abuses often ranging from derogatory comments to rape.

In 2020, a group of riders tried to lynch a former armed forces chief after one of them rear-ended his car, while a deputy governor saw his car torched after a similar accident.

Boda-boda riders were in 2019 classified as a "threat to national security" by an interior ministry research unit.

A crackdown in the capital on Tuesday has seen more than 200 riders arrested for alleged violations of transport rules, police said.
The Women War Photographers exhibition at the Liberation of Paris museum, which opens on International Women's Day on 8 March, takes stock of the huge contribution to war reporting by women in the 20th and 21st centuries. Through the lens of eight photographers from Lee Miller to Anja Niedringhaus, the exhibition shines a light on women's involvement in conflicts, as fighters, victims, or witnesses.

"Women have been on the frontlines for almost a century, taking images without hiding the horror of what they have seen. Some have even died for their profession," says Sylvie Zaidman, historian, curator and director of the Musee de la Liberation de Paris/Musee du General Leclerc/Musee Jean Moulin.

The collection offers visitors the keys to understanding the world today, Zaidman told RFI, explaining that bringing the exhibition, originally shown in Germany and Switzerland, to Paris was an "obvious choice" and long overdue.

Who are these women? How did they work? What sets them apart from their male colleagues? The Women War Photographers exhibition, runs until 31 December, sets out to undermine the established stereotypes of the war reporter.

Faced with prejudice and often overlooked by news agencies, women have nonetheless quietly been shaping the war reporting profession over the years, bringing the public an in-depth understanding of conflicts around the globe on their own terms.

Behind the frontlines

From early on, women photographers, if they had access to war at all, were often relegated to life behind the front lines, taking pictures of hospitals and fleeing civilians.

This was, in the end, something that worked to their advantage, explains Anne-Marie Beckmann, director of the Deutsche Borse Photography Foundation, Frankfurt, who instigated the first exhibition.

"This was a remarkable advantage especially in patriarchal cultures. Female photographers are not perceived as threats and can therefore move about more inconspicuously, which, among other things, allows them to approach women and children," Beckmann told RFI ahead of the opening.

"What we recognised is also that they produce more pictures in which women are depicted not just as victims of war but as active participants," she says.

The Second World War was a turning point for women in this sense, Zaidman says, as women joined the French Resistance in great numbers and were finally given the vote in 1945.

Probably the most well-known photographer in the exhibition is the American Lee Miller (1907-1977). Thanks to her position at Vogue magazine, she was able to travel with American troops in World War II and cover the liberation of Europe and the flight of German soldiers.

A plaque was unveiled in Paris on Monday, in honour of her contributions to war reporting.

Miller's works are joined by those of seven other women photographers who vary in their approach to covering the events they faced. These include: Gerda Taro (1910-1937), Catherine Leroy (1944-2006), Christine Spengler (b. 1945), Francoise Demulder (1947-2008), Susan Meiselas (b. 1948), Carolyn Cole (b. 1961) to Anja Niedringhaus (1965-2014).

The exhibition spans various international conflicts from 1936 to 2011 from Asia, to the Americas, to the Middle East.

Despite restrictions and not always having the same access to battle zones in the same way as men, none of these women shied away from revealing the atrocities of war.

Click on the icon to open the slideshow below:

"At a pace set by the news machinery and under the difficult conditions of war, these photographers have created images full of sensitivity, strength and humanity, which are valid far beyond their status as news supplements," says Anne-Marie Beckmann.

"With their feel for composition and the right angle, the photographers have not only succeeded in concentrating upon the most essential things, they have done it in a way that makes the eye linger on their pictures, despite the harrowing themes.

"Their subtle visual vocabularies allow the photographs to reveal an even more lasting effect, to the point that they become part of our collective memory."

Multiple facets

For Zaidman, an example of this can be found in Francoise Demulder's portrait of a Muslim woman, pleading with one of the Christian militia members in Lebanon, as seen in the main photograph of this article.

"The man dressed in black, seen from the back dominates the scene where people are running to flee ruins in flames. That's where we can really see that these courageous women photographers were at the heart of major conflicts," she explains.

Thanks to lighter equipment and new ways of disseminating information, war journalism has entered a new age. The number of female photojournalists in the field has continued to grow, bringing with it multiple possibilities for sharing stories and understanding the complex facets of conflict.

"As a historian, what strikes me is that with the multitude of photos made possible by new technology, we no longer take the time to really look at a picture. We don't really take note of who took it, or why and not even the meaning attributed to it," Zaidman concludes.

"That's why I think it's necessary to take the time to focus on a subject, the lighting, the framing and the professional perspective, which is what we have done in this exhibition."

Women War Photographers runs from 8 March 2022 - 31 December 2022 at the Musee de la Liberation de Paris-Musee du general Leclerc-Musee Jean Moulin, in Paris.
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THE AVERAGE Ghanaian government worker gets a bad rap when it comes to customer service, sometimes justifiably so. Would you say thats true?

I have worked all my life in the private sector, except for the last 29 months. And having now worked in the public sector, do I think its true that customer service in the public sector sucks? Since I am now a public sector worker? Well.

Yes, the attitude to customer service in government organisations is questionable. And there are so many factors that I believe play into this attitude, none of which I can prove. (Salary, training, culture, attitude, attitude, attitude, attitude). However, I have always been a firm believer that good customer service should be non-negotiable, should come naturally wherever you work, and should start from home. Dont ask me to explain that. Theres almost enough material in that for a whole separate post.

So I was blown away towards the end of 2021 when a government worker in Ghana gave me service that I can only dream about. It was a brief encounter early on a Thursday morning in December, and I feel the need to share it with you. I mention the month because, as you well know, this country grinds to a halt over the Christmas & New Year period, which can last anywhere from a few days to a month. Nobody in the public sector is at their best over this period.

I arrived at a post office to conduct some business. I was there ahead of their opening time because I left home way too early to avoid traffic. The time was 7:10am when I parked my car. I got out of the vehicle to check the opening time written at the entrance, and it was 8am. I settled down back in the car, and started some social media (the addictive kind).

Then I heard a female voice. Hello Sir, good morning. Can I help you? A lady, freshly made up, beautifully turned out, heels, and a smile. Yes, I said, and told her what I was coming to do. She offered to take my cash, carry out my payment, and hold on to my receipt till I could come back. Because 8am is still 45 minutes away you see.

No thanks, I said. My next appointment is at 8:30am, and its just down the road, so Ill wait.

She smiled again and said OK. She went back inside. About 5 minutes later I saw her come outside again, look around, and move back and forth. She called out to someone inside, asking for the location of a particular post box. A male voice directed her, and when she found the box I heard her say that the customer was coming by later and she wanted to be ready to show him the box.

So she had taken the time to find out what I was doing there that early, offer me a way out, and she was preparing for another customer who was not there yet. Ei. A Ghanaian government worker?

I whiled the time away on my phone and reading a novel (Dear Senthuran by Akwaeke Emezi, not an easy read according to subject matter, but sensitively and engagingly written). At 8am exactly, the entrance door was pushed aside, and the post office was open for business. A Ghanaian government institution?

I walk in and the lady is the only one there. She smiles (a very easy and pleasant smile as I was discovering), and asks me to take a seat because the lady handling postal services hasnt arrived yet. I sit and wait for a couple of minutes, then I hear the lady on her mobile phone. My Ga is not the best (I only know the insults), but I gathered she was asking the other lady where she was because there was a customer waiting to be served. A Ghanaian government worker?

After some back and forth (in Ga) the lady says, Excuse me sir, and I walk up to her counter. She then proceeds to serve me quickly and efficiently, obviously following instructions from the absent lady. She makes change for me from her own purse, and wishes me a Happy New Year with a lovely smile. And not the kind of Ghanaian smile or manner that says, Where is my Christmas tip?? By the by, I noticed that she had changed into flat shoes behind the counter, decent flat shoesnot the more common slippers. A Ghanaian government worker?

As I walked out to my car, I felt dazed by what had just happened. What could have been an interaction at a government organisation, fraught with hostility, negativity, frowns, and inefficiency, was instead a memorable start to a Thursday in December. I had been served with the minimum of fuss, obtained what I came for, and ushered on my way with goodwill. I was dying to chat with the lady to find out more about her, but she was already dealing with the next customer. I was almost jealous that she was smiling at him.

Theres hope for customer service in this country, I guess, even in the public sector. Even at the Post Office. Now, if only I could find another reason to go back there. I dont remember how to post a letter, or anything else really.and I need a name for that wonderful woman. A Ghanaian government worker.

(RamiTalks 2022)

BY Rami Baitie
The World Bank has said even though COVID-19 has not helped Ghanas economic standing, the situation started getting bad before the pandemic.

Speaking at the 65th Independence Day Lecture held at the Economics Department of the University of Ghana, Legon, on Monday, March 7, 2022, on the state of the nations economy and politics, 65 years after independence, the path to sustainable development and democratic consolidation, the World Bank Country Director for Ghana, Mr Pierre Laporte, said Ghanas economic situation is very serious.

Is it a really serious situation? Well, the numbers speak for themselves, he noted, emphasising: The situation is very serious.

At the World Bank, weve not hidden the fact when weve held discussions with government officials and even the head of state that Ghana faces a very tough road ahead to restore macro sustainability, Mr Laporte noted.

In his view, although COVID-19 takes some of the blame for the current situation, the signs were on the wall way before the pandemic started.

Yes, COVID-19 has not helped but even before COVID-19, there were signs that the situation was getting a little bit challenging, he noted.

So, the key thing is to be transparent with the people, he advised.

Yes, the figures speak for themselves but not everybody is as educated as we are. Not everyone understands what the numbers mean, so, it is important to talk about it like we are doing. More important is for us to find solutions for the problem, Mr Laporte pointed out.

Source: Classfmonline.com
Rotarian President Charles Okyere and other Rotarians in a group photo with traditional leaders at the sod cutting event

08.03.2022 LISTEN

The Rotary Club of Accra Ring Road Central has cut sod to construct a clinic for residents of Berekuso Township in the Eastern Region.

The project is estimated at GH Ghc 1.4 million cedis and is expected to be completed in 36 months. The new clinic will replace the existing CHIPS Compound.

The President of the Rotary Club of Accra Ring Road Central, Rotarian Charles Okyere, indicated the project when completed, will bring improved health delivery closer to the residents and contribute towards one of the causes of Rotary.

He said, good health care should be accessible to everyone, that is why Rotary invest in treating and preventing disease in underserved communities.

He also noted the Club was moved by the state of the CHIPS Compound in the Community when its project team visited it months ago. As a result, they decided to build a new facility to serve the Berekuso community. The clinic when completed will consist of consulting rooms, an emergency, maternity, male and female wards, as well as modern toilet facilities.

Nana Oteng Korankye II, Chief of Berekuso, commended Rotary Club of Accra Ring-Road Central for the good initiative to improve access to health care in his community.

He said, the people of Berekuso appreciates the gesture of the Rotary Club and promised to work closely with you to complete the project on schedule.

The Rotary Club of Accra Ring Road Central, which was chartered on April 24, 1986, by the Rotary Club of Accra West is the largest club with 90 members in District 9102 which is made up of Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Niger.

To improve the lives of the underprivileged in various communities, the Club has provided educational, water and sanitation facilities, hygiene services, vocational training for young people, and participated actively in immunizations drives.

The Rotary Club of Accra Ring-Road Central is one of more than 46,000 clubs globally that work together to - promote peace; fight disease; provide clean water; sanitation, and hygiene; save mothers and children; support education; grow local economies and protect the environment.
New Delhi, 08 March 2022  Ahead of International Womens Day, the UNs International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Government of Maharashtra in India agreed to invest an additional US $12 million, to socially and economically empower 1 million rural women in the state through the Nav Tejaswini project.

The project will support rural women across Maharashtras 34 rural districts to break the chains of poverty  helping them to start and expand competitive businesses. Nav Tejaswini builds on the successful Tejaswini Rural Women's Empowerment Programme, an initiative of IFAD and the Govt. of Maharashtras Mahila Arthik Vikas Mahamandal (MAVIM) that closed in 2018.

Weve seen 80 per cent of poor women graduate from subsistence farming to becoming small agricultural business owners thanks to this programme, said Ulac Demirag, IFADs Country Director for India.

This work has huge potential, across India and globally in places where women cant get credit and dont know how to set up a business. Plans to set up a Centre of Excellence to teach people in India and people from all over the world how to replicate the programme are underway, he added.

The programme helps women in Maharashtra break into a banking system that has been reluctant to lend to women individually by organising them into associations and training them in basic financial literacy and banking fundamentals. It harnesses the power of community organisations such as self-help groups (SHGs) and village clusters that receive training and business hand-holding from community managed resource centres (CMRCs). CMRCs are self-managed federations of SHGs. Women cover the operating costs of their organizations themselves, ensuring they are the owners of their own development.

Tejaswini established strong institutions, financial discipline and well-functioning micro-entrepreneurial activities for poor rural women. Nearly all of the 90,000 SHGs established during Tejaswini and Nav Tejaswini were able to access formal credit from banks with an excellent 99.5 per cent repayment rate. Tejaswini introduced the successful model of CMRCs, which each federate about 200-300 SHGs and provide a range of social and economic services to its members on a cost-recovery basis. Nav Tejaswini leverages these gains to promote women's enterprise in rural Maharashtra.

Community-level transformation in Nav Tejaswini is led by the CMRCs. The programme builds on a successful partnership with commercial banks (initiated as part of the Tejaswini programme) to start micro-enterprise loans for women entrepreneurs. Women use these loans to set up small businesses, like pig and goat farming, or handicraft-making, and understand balance sheets, cash flow and the financial technicalities that have helped them become small businesswomen and leave subsistence farming behind.

Of the total project size of $421.87 million, IFAD is providing a $50 million loan and a $1.4 million grant for the new project. In addition, the Government of Maharashtra is providing $104.78 million, with a further $4.9 million contributed by project participants themselves. The project is expected to leverage at least $9.9 million in private investment, while an estimated $250.8 million is expected from domestic financial institutions contributing to a bank linkage component.

India is a founding member of IFAD, and IFAD has worked in India for more than 40 years. The current country strategic opportunities programme is fully aligned with the governments policy framework and efforts to ensure that smallholder food and agricultural production systems are remunerative, sustainable and resilient to climate change and price shocks. To date, IFAD has supported 32 rural development projects in India worth $1,211.94 million. These interventions have directly benefitted 6,341,436 families.
Eighteen civilians were killed in eastern DR Congo on Tuesday by a notorious ethnic militia, which attacked a church building where displaced people had taken shelter, local and church sources said.

The incident took place in the village of Kilo, in deeply troubled Ituri province, they said.

An armed group called CODECO "attacked us at around 5.30am," an official in the Catholic church told AFP.

"They started to fire their weapons and we holed up in the house. They entered one of the apartments where displaced people were sleeping... after they left, we found 12 bodies."

The complex houses around 1,000 people who had fled massacres in the nearby village of Matongo, in Djugu territory.

Jean-Pierre Basiloko, who represents an association of local NGOs, said the gunmen first attacked a unit of the Congolese army before raiding the church building.

They then killed another four people nearby and fatally wounded two others, he said.

CODECO -- the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo -- is a political-religious sect that claims to represent the interests of the Lendu ethnic group.

The Lendu and Hema communities have a long-standing feud that led to thousands of deaths between 1999 and 2003 before intervention by a European peacekeeping force.

Violence then resumed in 2017, blamed on the emergence of CODECO.

CODECO attacks since then have caused hundreds of deaths and prompted more than 1.5 million people to flee their homes, while half of the region's population faces food insecurity, according to the Danish Refugee Council.

CODECO has been blamed for a string of killings in Djugu territory. By Sophie RAMIS AFP

On February 16, CODECO detained eight people, including a general, who had been sent by President Felix Tshisekedi to try to negotiate a peace deal.

CODECO is one of scores of armed groups that roam Ituri and neighbouring North Kivu, many of which are a legacy of two regional wars a quarter of a century ago.

The two provinces were placed under a "state of siege" last May.

Under it, senior civilian officials were replaced by army or police officers, in the declared aim of streamlining the crackdown on armed groups. Attacks have continued, however.
 We were taught to avoid being troublemakers. We were taught to believe that its no big deal and that others know best. Im here to tell you that you have lied to your entire life p.73 No matter where you are in the world, though the pathways of life are through conflict, youve been indoctrinated into false beliefs about yourself and the world around you. It is time to uncover the truth. It is time to look within and uncover why. P 73&74"

The space where I am announcing this endorsement, has been dedicated March 8, every year, to the memory of my late friend Dr Bate Besong whose life was snatched from us on the so-called Douala-Yaounde Express Grave way on 8 March 2007. March 8 is also international women day.

Unlike many countries in the world, the International Women Day is celebrated in the Republic of Cameroun for a reason which is inconsistent with honouring women. On this day and occasion, every year in Cameroun, women victims of atrocity crimes are mobilized to celebrate criminal policies which have enslaved, dishonoured and victimised them. The ceremony this year is once more occurring on the blood of thousands of victims of sex and gender based crimes and other forms of atrocity crimes targeting women and the girl child.

The day is an occasion on which traitors, blood mongers and genocide masterminds, fronting as women leaders, politicians, intellectuals and false peace activists will, under tight military supervision, celebrate and dance on the unmarked tombs of thousands of innocent women and children who have been slaughtered in a bloodletting campaign for the sustenance of a regime of personal power which is baying for more blood even on this day and on this occasion.

The memory of my dear friend and the commemoration of the International Women Day will be celebrated differently today. The events will be commemorated by endorsing the book Unraveled: A Personal journey into conflict, war and diplomacy by Dr Emma Osong, D.M . I will provide a complete statement of my endorsement through a review which I intend to publish later.

For the present purpose, I wish to state that as a committed writer, Dr Emma Osong wrote for a world-wide audience. Unravel is a strong indictment of the Post World War Two international peace and security architecture which has failed to live up to its promises to humanity. The failure of the United Nations and the international community to intervene in the genocidal war in the Southern Cameroons is a tacit endorsement of impunity and atrocity crimes. Going by the world-wide mobilisation against the invasion of Ukraine and crimes against civilians not taking part in the conflict, the allegation of discrimination by the UN system and the international community is well-founded. The United Nations bear responsibility for the root causes of the conflict and is primarily responsible for failing to find a solution.

Dr Emma Osong writes:  When it comes to Africa and its own version of tribal wars, the global north throws out their political play book. p 301

Colonizers want a nation that secures their freedom to oppress and dismantle cultures, families, and individuals. They demean, silence, and kill resistance. Exploitation brings poverty, downtrodden people, and lack of hope. Slowly, the oppressed forget the riches that have been stolen and the culture and language dismantled, new ones imposed, imbued, and the new way of life creeps in. p.213.

There is one school of thought among conflict experts, and that is to give war a chance. It is insidious to think in such terms but a theory nevertheless. Some call it conflict ripeness. Why not let the war drag on and get more decisive victory before diving headlong into mediation in hopes of achieving some compromise only for the parties to a conflict to balk at a deal and return to fighting because they believe in wining outright? P 302

There is not a single crime which Russia has committed against Ukraine which Cameroun has not committed in the Southern Cameroons.  We were taking the brunt and genocide . Our villages lay in ruin, and many of my family were displaced or living in terror P 278

Peace Dr Emma Osong writes  is serenity of spirit. It can be attained through sheer willpower as it can be enforced through fiat. It is an ephemeral state when not emanating from and supported by just systems, processes and institutions. This means that, for there to be peace, conflict must be resolved and injustices addressed.

The Church and the state are intricately intertwined, making it difficult for the masses to think beyond the religious lens. Everything is to be prayed about, to be left to God to fix, or to be the work of an angry God. P. 306.

The author enjoins this generation to find sustainable solutions because: posterity will not forgive our generation if we do not correct the historical and legal wrongs we suffer. War knows no friend. p299 And that a child can indeed, teach a mother. I am a believer in the ancient wisdom that when a student is the reader, the teacher will appear. P 309

Dr Emma Osong holds the strong believe that the pathways of life are through conflict(p.73). A significant conflict which she had with a ferocious opponent, who she fought and won is the health insurance industry. This relates also to the miraculous improvement in the life of her daughter Praxie. On this, she writes, many people would read my story and praise my strength in caring for my daughter during her illness. In reality, my daughter is the one reason why I was able to harness strength in the face of so many crushing blows. P.73

The foreword to the book is written by Prof. PLO Lumumba, LLD and Sabastien Nadot ,PhD. Prof Patrick Lumumba is an acclaimed international lawyer and distinguished author. Sabstien Nadot is a well-respected French politician and member parliamentarian.

I will provide brief excerpts from the forwards written by them.

Professor Lumumba writes: In Unraveled, Emma peels the different layers that characterise the festering wound that is the conflict in the Southern Cameroons.

Dr Sabstien Nadot writes: Unraveled: A personal journey into Conflict, War and Diplomacy is a critical mirror on the individual and collective life of a people in profound crisis, conflict, war and atrocities. Dr Emma Osong has cast a wide net for the facts underpinning these grave conditions which she has chronicled in this book.

The following excerpts from the back page, also caught my attention:

The worlds collide in this emotional journey that provides a blue print on how to promote peace and justice amid time of war.

Pauline Eliane Riak, PhD Deputy Vice Chancellor & Professor Rumbek University of Science and Technology South Sudan.

Emma Osong is an example of how mothers, daughters and sisters, through the trials of violence and exclusion mobilize inner resilience transforming themselves into political leaders and warrior for peace.

Emma Leslie. Executive Director, Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, Cambodia

An exciting and profound story that sparks determination and choices.

Maria Da Rosa Rome,

Dr Emma Osong is relentless in her commitment to equality and justice; her intellectual and political openness are embedded in all the struggles she describes.

Beth S. Lyons,

International Human Rights Lawyer, Alternate Delegate to the UN , International Association of Democratic Lawyers.

I wish to congratulate Dr Emma Osong for publishing this book in time of dire need. She is a keen observer and objective chronicler of events in which she is also a victim on multiple occasions.

Unraveled should be a bedside catechism for all classes of persons. The originality of the style in which the book is written, the fair labelling of the facts and issues discussed in it, have greatly enhanced the quality of the book. It is a significant contribution to knowledge, scholarship and international conflict resolution. The book highlights the Africa dilemma within the new world political, economic, social and cultural order.

Although the book was published before the invasion of Ukraine occurred, an anxious and profound analysis of the injustices and the crimes committed in the Southern Cameroons with impunity on the watch of the UN and the International community, militates against the UN and international community, failing to promptly address the root causes of the Southern Cameroons. Additionally, the UN should provide justice and accountability for Southern Cameroons and invite the Southern Cameroons to take its rightful place among nations in order for peace to reign in the Gulf of Guinea. While the invasion of Ukraine is a serious attack on world peace, justice and security architecture, the Southern Cameroons deserves no less attention and international response.

Congratulation Dr Emma Osong.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ashaiman Hon. Ernest Norgbey has donated 1500 pieces of exercise books and sum of money to the overall best school in the cadet cops category, Bright Brains Aflatuon Academy located at Ashaiman Jericho yesterday during the celebration of this years 65th independence day celebration of Ghana held at the Ashaiman Municipality.

Proprietors of the school Mr. Kennedy Owusu and Madam Salomey Nkansah told the reporter they were delighted and much excited for the school being chosen as best in the cadet category.

The Ashaiman District Police Commander also donated a cash sum of money as he was mesmerized by the drills by the youngest cadet cop of the school being first timers participating in the 6th March anniversary.

Several awards were given to the participation schools by the Ashaiman Municipal Chief Executive.

The MCE delivered the 65th Anniversary goodwill speech on behalf of President His Excellency Nana Danquah Akufo-Addo.

Another toast of side attraction from the same Bright Brains Aflatoun Academy was a certainTorgbui Worlasi Maxwel caught on camera mimicking the declaration of Independence by Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as he watch her sister Elorm Maadey participating in the best cadet cops.

Present were other dignitaries including the chief of Ashaiman Nii Tettey Adjor who grace the occasion.
Some 500 people in Obuasi and its environs have become new entrepreneurs after acquiring various skills from a vocational training program organized by Obuasi based NGO, Mama Love Foundation.

Dubbed "Train the hands", the entrepreneurial training program was aimed at equipping the beneficiaries with employable skills to enable them create their own jobs, be self-reliant and reduce the unemployment rate in the country.

They were offered training in various skills such as cake making, pizza, asana, sodium and ice cream making.

Explaining the rationale behind the training program, the President of Mama Love foundation, Love Konadu said it has become increasingly clear that finding white colour jobs now has become a herculean task hence government's all over the world are equipping the youth with employable skills so that they can run their own businesses. " This is what has motivated Mama Love foundation to conduct this free training program for those who are willing to learn"

She said the NGO has over the years supported the vulnerable and less privileged in the society hence deemed this training program as a way of helping people be economically independent.

She admonished the beneficiaries who were mostly women to take the skills acquired from the training seriously in order to set up their own businesses and train others too.

Madam Konadu thanked those who supported her organisation to offer the free training to the people.

She mentioned Obuasi Links Diaspora, Mr.Prince Amoako Adjei, Rich Ventures, Rasta 1, Master Awudu, Touching Life Homopatic and Holistic health center, Bonsu Group of companies, Kofi Appianin of Impressive colors, Honorable Elijah Adansi-Bonah and Hon Faustina Amissah for their immense role they played in making the program a success.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SERVICES PROVIDED BY GEA

The District Chief Executive for Obuasi East, Honorable Faustina Amissah on her part advised the beneficiaries to patronise the services rendered by the Ghana Enterprise Agency formerly NBSSI.

She said " after this training, don't rest on your oars, make sure you put this training into good use by starting your own business. I recommend the GEA for you. Go to their office and explain your business ideas to them. They will help you start your business from scratch".

She felicitated Mama Love foundation for its role in empowering women and less privileged in society.

WOMEN MUST STAND UP AND BE COUNTED

The Queenmother of Akrokerri Traditional Council Nana Serwaa Buruwaa has told women to acquire entrepreneurial and employable skills in order to make them economically independent and empowered. She said " as women we must always persevere and stand up to be counted. We can only make a good impact in society if we are economically independent."

Osei Asamoah, the Vice President of Obuasi Links Diaspora also appealed to the beneficiaries to impart the knowledge and skills acquired from the training unto others.

The beneficiaries who spoke to the Media paid glowing tribute to Mama Love foundation for organising free training for them. One of them, Ken Obeng Joseph from Bosome Freho said such free trainings are difficult to come by. He said " most of the organisers of such trainings charge so much so it makes it difficult for some of us to attend. We thank Mama Love foundation for making it free for us."
Britain says it is sending visa officers to the French port of Calais to help expedite the processing of Ukrainians fleeing Russia's invasion, after the UK's response to the impending refugee crisis was slammed as a "disgrace".

Amid accusations of cynicism in the face of the human tragedy unfolding in eastern Europe, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced an extra 210 million in funding for Ukraine's government, taking its total aid to over 480 million.

Speaking on Monday after talks with Dutch and Canadian prime ministers, Johnson said: "We are absolutely determined to be as generous as we possibly can and as I speak to you all we are processing thousands of applications."

"We are putting people out in all the surrounding countries - into Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, as well as into Calais, France - to make sure we receive people and help people to come," he added.

Meanwhile, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel said the British government was creating a bespoke "visa application centre" in Calais, but away from its main port to avoid a "choke point" after years of cross-Channel migrant passages that have been the source of major diplomatic disputes between Paris and London.

On Saturday, France's Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin accused Britain of a "lack of humanity" after saying that 150 Ukrainian refugees were turned back at the Channel port, and instructed to file applications at UK embassies in Paris or Brussels.

Britain's opposition Labour party said there was still no sign of the promised visa application centres in Calais, and noted that Home Office figures showed only 50 Ukrainian refugees had been allowed in to Britain so far.

One MP within Johnson's Conservative party described the situation as "a disgrace."

Overcoming bureaucratic red tape

It has not gone unnoticed in British political circles that Priti Patel's own family background goes back to the era of mass expulsion of ethnic-Indians who were thrown out of Uganda by dictator Idi Amin, and taken in by Britain.

The home secretary's parents emigrated to Britain from Uganda in the years before the mass expulsion.

However, both Patel and Johnson say Britain can't lift all security procedures of incoming Ukrainians, after expressing concern that undercover Russian agents could infiltrate their numbers.

The UK government has created two pathways for Ukrainians - family reunions with relatives already in Britain, and a new "sponsorship" scheme for organisations and individuals to bring in others.

According to Patel's Home Office, a total of 17,700 applications have been submitted so far under the family scheme.

Some 8,900 applications have reportedly been submitted since last Friday, nearly half of them at visa centres in Poland and across eastern Europe, which have seen a "surge" in staff to help the process..

However the UK opposition claims that only 300 visas have been issued to date.

The United Nations estimates that more than 1.7 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion began on 24 February, with over one million arriving in Poland alone.
The party of Guinean president AlphaConde, who was overthrown last year, has appointed a temporary leader, sources close to the organisation told AFP on Tuesday.

Senior figures in the Rally of the Guinean People (RPG) selected Ibrahima Kassory Fofana to head a provisional executive council until a full party conference can be held.

The arrangement was confirmed by a senior official and outlined in an internal document seen by AFP.

The party has staged very few conferences, but the move has Conde's support, said a former minister who asked not to be named.

It virtually ensures Fofana will take over the leadership, the source said.

Conde, 84, was ousted in a military coup last September following a wave of anger over his plans to secure a third presidential term.

Opponents accused him of manoeuvering to sidestep the constitution's two-term presidency limits.

Fofana is a Conde loyalist who served under him as from May 2018 until the coup.

Fofana's time in office coincided with the crisis sparked by Conde's decision to amend the constitution, a move that enabled him to run for and win a third term in 2020.

Fofana's appointment as RPG leader would signal a further shift away from Conde who ruled the country of 13 million people for 10 years.

Fofana is from the Soussou community and would be expected to see an end to the years of domination by Conde's strong Malinke connections.

"The RPG must set an example to all Guineans and show it is not a single ethnic group party," the former minister said.

Fofana had not replied by Tuesday afternoon to AFP's calls.

Coup leader Colonel Mamady Doumbouya -- who was later declared interim president -- has promised to restore civilian rule after a transitional period, but has so far resisted international pressure to commit to a date.

Several RPG officials face inquiries over their period in power and Fofana himself was questioned last week by investigators. The party is reportedly struggling financially.

Conde has distanced himself from the RPG.

The junta authorised him in January to leave the impoverished but mineral-rich nation for medical treatment in the United Arab Emirates at a time when the investigations were opening into crimes allegedly committed during his tenure.
Ukraine: Newspaper interviews UK radio amateur The Harborough Mail newspaper interviewed radio amateur Peter Rivers G4XEX about the situation in Ukraine



The newspaper says:



Worried radio enthusiasts in Market Harborough and across south Leicestershire are urging their airwave comrades 1,600 miles away in war-torn Ukraine  please stay safe.



The heartrending plea is being sent out to besieged radio hams fearing for their families and their lives in the devastated Eastern European country days after the Russian military invasion.



This afternoon [Feb 28] Peter Rivers G4XEX, 67, secretary of Welland Valley Amateur Radio Society, told the Harborough Mail: Its obviously a very worrying situation out there at the moment."



Our hearts go out to our amateur radio colleagues in Ukraine."



It must be terrible for them right now, I cant imagine what they are going through now the Russians have invaded their homeland."



Read the full story at

https://www.harboroughmail.co.uk/news/people/harborough-radio-enthusiasts-urge-their-airwave-comrades-in-ukraine-please-stay-safe-3590315





http://www.essexham.co.uk/what-is-amateur-radio



Free UK amateur radio Foundation Online training course

https://essexham.co.uk/train/foundation-online/ What is Amateur Radio?Free UK amateur radio Foundation Online training course
The President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has told investors gathered at the ongoing Dubai Expo that Ghana is the safest place to do business.

Speaking at the event on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, the President in an attempt to woo investors said his government has put in place systems to ensure safe business transactions.

As part of the process of formalizing the economy we have amongst others, implemented a digital property address system, issued biometric national identification cards to residents so that every resident will have a unique identification number, ensure paperless transaction at our ports.

Today, we are the safest country in West Africa, we are the largest recipients of foreign direct investments in West Africa. We are ranked 3rd in the ease of doing businesses index in West Africa, President Akufo-Addo said.

The Ghana President who is also chair of ECOWAS continued, We are the new commercial capital of Africa by virtue of our hosting of the Secretariat of the Africa Continental Free trade Area, we are the second-largest cocoa producer in the world, we are the largest producer of gold in Africa, we are endowed with considerable deposits of bauxite, iron ore, manganese, lithium, oil and gas, diamond and timber and we are geographical, closer than any other country to the centre of the planet.

Meanwhile, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been praised for flying commercial to the Dubai Expo.

Unlike in the past where the president had always travelled in charted flights, he flew in First Class on Emirates on Monday, March 7, 2022 to Dubai.
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The 65th Independence celebration in the Atebubu-Amantin municipality was marked with a smart turn-out of school children and trade groups at a colourful ceremony at the Roman Catholic school park in Amantin.

The parade made up of 38 schools drawn from the primary, JHS and SHS categories together with 4 cadet groups thrilled the huge crowd to a variety of marching skills under the command of Corporal Oteng Okra of the Ghana Police Service.

The day which was marked for the first time away from the municipal capital Atebubu was also spiced up by rich cultural displays.

Delivering the keynote address on the theme Working Together, Bouncing Back Better the Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Edward Owusu recounted the state of despair and hopelessness that plagued the entire world with the advent of the covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

He said the pandemic affected commerce and related economic activities thereby adversely affecting government revenues thus throwing the countrys economy out of gear.

He was however hopeful that just as most economies across the world, Ghanas economy is gradually recovering and asked for the support of all to achieve this.

It will take a strong collaboration and team work to be able to bounce back better and faster. As a country we must all come together, devoid of political, tribal or sectional differences so that collectively we can bring our economy and lives back on track, he stated.

Awards were presented to the first 3 schools in the primary, JHS and SHS categories with the Amantin SDA primary, Atebubu Presbyterian B JHS and Amantin SHS emerging tops in their respective categories.

Present were traditional authorities, service commanders, heads of department and representatives of political parties.

The function was chaired by Nana Barima Osei Poku Acting President of the Amantin traditional council.
Sergiy Kyslytsya, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations, speaks during a special session of the General Assembly on March 02, 2022. - Source: Photo by Michael M. SantiagoGetty Images

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In recent weeks the world has witnessed the most tense moments in international relations since the end of the Cold War. This was evident in the deliberations and voting by members of the United Nations on resolutions calling on Russia to halt its invasion and withdraw its forces from Ukraine.

The events have also been a stress test for military and political alliances.

Africa yielded significant influence on the voting outcome with 54 countries , (27,97 % of all votes).

First, was the meeting of the 12-member Security Council on 25 February 2021. The three African representatives, Gabon, Ghana and Kenya, along with eight other countries voted for the resolution . However, Russia used its veto power to block it. This veto prompted the US and 94 countries to call an emergency meeting of the UN General Assembly on 27 February 2022 where a similar, but non-binding motion was tabled. The assembly's first emergency meeting in 40 years.

The resolution included a condemnation of Russia's decision to increase the readiness of its nuclear forces. It was adopted with the required two-third votes of all member-states.

There was less unanimity in African votes at the General Assembly than in the Security Council where the allocation of non-permanent seats, while obeying a certain geographical distribution, does not require representative countries to be their regions' mouthpieces.

The majority of African countries clearly sided with Ukraine  28 out of 54 (51,85%). Only Eritrea voted against the resolution. But nearly a third refrained from taking sides (17 out of 54)  that's if one understands abstention to be halfway between a yes and a no. Eight countries were absent.

My research has investigated the similarities and differences in countries' reactions to crises. For example, I examined the 2015 refugee crisis in Europe and the opposite reactions of Western and Eastern European countries. I explained these through their different identities  or the who we are?.

I also examined the Joint-Valletta Action Plan, an immigration pact signed by the European Union and African Union in reaction to the refugee crisis. I showed that the plan, which has helped reset AU-EU relations , was based on interdependence, a kind of interest whereby parties held to their interests (territorial integrity for the Europeans and economic development for the Africans) but recognised (especially the more powerful Europeans) that they needed each other to advance these interests.

Research carried out by authors such as the Dutch political scientist Erik Voeten also shows that voting at the General Assembly is  generally speaking  motivated by interests. But, as the American political scientist Alexander Wendt has shown, what constitutes interest depends on each government's perception . So much so that, two rival countries can sometimes vote for the same resolution.

Historically, as Voeten showed, voting patterns have been shaped by the big issues of the day. In the 1950s, colonialism pitted European countries against Asian and African countries. From the 1960s to the 1980s, it was the Cold War and the division between Eastern or Western Blocs. More recently, voting patterns have been structured by developing countries' desire to obtain or secure aid from developed countries and increasingly the liberal-illiberal divide between democratic and authoritarian regimes

This divide trumps other potential explanations for voting patterns at the emergency general assembly meeting on the Ukraine invasion. The degree of closeness of the country's ties with either the West or Russia is an additional explanation.

The dividing line

The group of 27 African countries that voted for the resolution was mostly made of western aligned-democracies . They were Benin, Botswana, Cabo Verde, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo , Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tunisia and Zambia.

But the list included a few non-democratic or hybrid regimes too. They were Cote d'ivoire, Gabon, Libya, Chad, Egypt, Mauretania, Rwanda, and Somalia.

They did, however, all have one thing in common: they are all Western allies, with close military ties such as military bases and joint military operations against jihadists.

Conversely, most of the 17 African countries that abstained or, like Eritrea, voted against the resolution, are authoritarian or hybrid regimes. These included Algeria, Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

Some of these have close military and ideological ties with Russia sometimes going back to the Cold War. This list includes Algeria, Angola, Congo, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Mali, Central African Republic.

There were also some exceptions to the rule.

A number of functioning democracies  Namibia, South Africa, and Senegal  also abstained. All have strong affinities with the West. But in the case of Namibia and South Africa, their respective ruling parties,  the South West African People's Organisation and the African National Congress  received support from the Soviet Union during their struggles for independence.

Senegal's case is more puzzling. The country is a darling of the West because of its long democratic tradition. The Senegalese government stated that its abstention conformed to the principles of non-alignment and the peaceful settlement of disputes. However, its president's official statement as the current president of the African Union together with the AU Chairperson could be construed as supporting the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

This liberal or illiberal cleavage conveys three sorts of insights.

Firstly, that the world is convulsed by the kind of clash of civilisations predicted by the American political scientist Samuel P. Huntington who claimed that cultural identity will be the faultline in world conflicts.

This faultline will give way to world-civilizations: Western, Chinese, Islamic, Latin, Slavic and perhaps African. While his idea of a clash  and identity as its engine  appears to materialise, this identity is based on ideology  not culture. Illiberalism having replaced communism.

We simply had not yet arrived at the triumph of democracy proclaimed by the American political scientist Francis Fukuyama in his book the End of History published in 1992 after the fall of the Berlin wall.

Secondly, that authoritarian regimes find comfort and support in the proximity of similar regimes for their survival. This works like an insurance policy. Russia having shown its determination to rescue authoritarian regimes such as Syria, these countries don't want to close off the option of resorting to its help if they faced an existential threat.

Thirdly, that if the war in Ukraine escalates globally and a Cold War 2.0 including China settles in, African countries would split into blocs instead of presenting a common front.

Seen in the context of the EU-AU renewed partnership, this cleavage will take more importance now than at their Brussels summit, a week before the conflict eruption, where they proclaimed a Joint Vision for 2030 and sought a strategic alliance.

The EU's demands regarding democracy and as such alignment would likely increase and it naturally will seek to deepen its relations with like-minded African countries.

Mahama Tawat does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

By Mahama Tawat, Research fellow, Universite de Montpellier
The project Building Economically Sustainable Seed Systems for Cassava, Phase 2 (BASICS-II) organized a day-long National Cassava Business Summit to develop a cassava seed system in Tanzania. The summit was held recently in Dodoma, Tanzania.

The meeting aimed to catalyze Public-Private Partnership sector-led investment in the cassava seed value chain, bringing together about 100 participants from government, public and private sectors, NGOs, institutions, entrepreneurs, farmers, and other key cassava stakeholders.

In her opening remark, the IITA Eastern Africa Hub Director, Dr. Leena Tripathi noted that cassava is at the heart of IITAs work. She lauded the government for putting efforts into developing the crop for commercialization by launching the National Cassava Development Strategy (2020-2030) in 2021 as the crops blueprint.

I am glad that Tanzania and Nigeria are comparing notes on how to develop cassava sector, she said.

Leena also noted that IITA has multidisciplinary experts who work in various areas, including breeding, disease management, agronomy practices, postharvest management, and digital tools such as Nuru and SeedTracker. She reiterated IITAs commitment to collaborating and sharing its expertise and technologies for agricultural development.

The representative of the Minister of Agriculture, Engr. Anna Mwangamulo, advised scientists to research based on the market needs so that the solutions could cater for the consumers needs. She also urged the cassava stakeholders to implement the cassava strategy in their activities for the development of the whole cassava sector.

I appreciate the efforts from IITA and TARI in releasing 25 improved cassava varieties, Anna lauded.

During the meeting, the participants were led through interactive presentations and impactful plenary sessions geared towards tackling the challenges within the cassava seed sector, finding solutions to boosting profitability and efficiency in the cassava seed systems, and making the entire cassava value chain more productive and private-investment friendly.

If we adopt the BASICS model, we will improve production, increase productivity and enhance livelihood through increased income and employment, Dr. Godwin Atser, BASICS-II Advocacy, Promotion & Outreach Lead at IITA, asserted.

Dr. Atser noted that Tanzania needed to increase productivity to attract investments, describing the seed system as a big opportunity for farmers to explore.

The Chairperson of Tanzania Cassava Producers and Processors Association (TACAPPA), Mwantumu Mahiza, who also spoke at the event, urged financial institutions to create feasible and youth-friendly loan regulations to increase youth participation in the agriculture sector.

Cassava stakeholders also shared experiences and showcased their activities across the entire cassava value chain. When I started working on machine designs for cassava processing, many thought that I was wasting my time. But seeing how cassava has become a focal crop and people want to develop the sector, they have started to understand my perspective. reflected Peter Chisawilo, a Processing machines manufacturer at Intermech.

Mama Antonia, a Cassava Seed Entrepreneur, who was initially sceptical about the profitability of the cassava seed business, noted that the training she received from the Building Economically Sustainable Cassava Seed Systems in Tanzania (BEST) cassava project helped her to create a successful and sustainable cassava seed production business. Through this business, I have taken my children to school, built a house and have increased food security in my family, Antonia testified.

Prof Lateef Sanni, Project Manager for BASICS-II, said the burgeoning private investments in cassava processing across Africa had increased the demand for improved cassava seeds, with growers racing to satisfy industries.

He noted that the changing narrative presents an opportunity for growers, especially the private sector, to take advantage of the seed sector.

BASICS-II which is led by IITA aims to provide farmers with access to affordable, quality-assured seed of cassava varieties in demand by local food and processor markets by strengthening a commercially viable seed value chain operating across breeder, basic, and commercial/certified seed levels. This value chain will enable more efficient dissemination and adoption of superior varieties to improve productivity, increase the incomes of cassava growers and seed entrepreneurs, improve gender equity, and contribute to inclusive agricultural transformation in Tanzania and Nigeria.

In Tanzania, BASICS-II builds on BEST, a recently concluded project, which worked with 641 registered Cassava Seed Entrepreneurs (CSEs) from 11 regions. About 1068 hectares under cassava seed production were certified and accessed for seeds by farmers. The project officially released five improved varieties. Four initially released varieties for the Coastal lowland were extended countrywide, and CSEs produced their seed. Tanzanian partners under BASICS-II include MEDA, TARI, and TOSCI.
The Bank of Ghana (BoG) is warning Ghanaians to stay vigilant and not do any business with a firm calling itself BitCash Currency Exchange.

In a press release from the BoG, it has warned that the outfit is fraudulent and has not been granted the license to operate.

Bank of Ghana wishes to bring to the attention of the general public, a money doubling scheme which operates under the name BitCash Currency Exchange and claims to have approval from Bank of Ghana.

By this Notice Bank of Ghana wishes to inform the general public that it has not licensed such an entity or any other cryptocurrency exchange platform, part of a release from the BoG signed by its Secretary Sandra Thompson has said.

The Bank of Ghana warns that the fraudulent scheme does not reward investors as promised.

The general public is advised to avoid opening messages received from BitCash Currency Exchange.

It explains that unsuspecting recipients of such messages who click on the hyperlink or forward such messages compromise the safety of their funds, their WhatsApp accounts, and other social media profiles, as well as those of friends and family on their contact list.

Below is a copy of the Bank of Ghana release:
The European Union on Tuesday pledged to step up its fight against Russian disinformation as fears surge over interference by Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine.

The EU has already banned Russian state media outlets RT and Sputnik from broadcasting across the 27-nation bloc in a bid to curb what Brussels dubs key "weapons in the Kremlin's manipulation ecosystem". On 8 March, the websites of both RT and Sputnik still seemed to be working when accessed from Paris, but the streaming TV function on RT was inaccessible.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he would now propose a new mechanism that could allow the bloc to sanction Moscow's "malign disinformation actors".

"We are witnessing how the Russian assault on Ukraine continues," Borrell told lawmakers at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

"And this assault painfully highlights why we need to pay more attention to foreign interference, and in particular, to foreign disinformation and information manipulation."

Borrell decried the Kremlin's crackdown on independent reporting and blanket efforts by the "Russian propaganda machine" to justify the attack at home and distort what is happening on the ground.

"President (Vladimir) Putin wants his nation to be blind and deaf. More than that, President Putin I think would like the Russian people to be apathetic," Vera Jourova, EU commissioner for values and transparency, told legislators.

"It is more important than ever to reach the Russian people and provide them with information. Every possible channel should be used."

Jourova praised a decision by streaming giant Netflix to halt services in Russia.

"President Putin wants the people to be entertained, not to pay attention to what's happening," she said.

"It would not be right to see Russians being entertained and next door Ukrainians being killed."

Several news organisations in Europe including France Medias Monde (which runs RFI) have been tracking coverage of the crisis, in a bid to debunk fake news stories and footage broadcast by Russian media.

The EU has already bolstered its efforts to counter Kremlin disinformation since Moscow annexed Crimea and began fuelling a war in eastern Ukraine in 2014 with its "EU vs disinformation" website.

(With AFP)
Some 70 percent of Ghanaians living in Ukraine who were stranded in Sunny, close to the Russian border are currently en route to Myrhorod where they will exit the country.

This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration in a statement issued on Tuesday, 8 March 2022.

The statement noted that the Ghanaians who were stranded in Sunny will be transported from Myrhorod to the Western border cities for onward transfer to neighbouring countries.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said some Ghanaians living in Ukraine who were scheduled to be evacuated refused to show up.

The Ghanaians whose COVID-19 tests and air tickets were fully paid for by the government failed to show up to be evacuated home.

The ministry, in a statement said it has noted with grave concern the refusal of some Ghanaian students to show up at the airport after they had expressed their willingness to be evacuated.

The statement continued: This has resulted in the government of Ghana purchasing air tickets which remain unused as well as paying for COVID-19 tests for persons with no intentions of travelling.

The Ministry also warned the Ghanaians that government will only pay for 2 nights hotel accommodation for all those received by its staff and representatives and lodged in hotels in the countries neighbouring Ukraine and in other European countries. They will also be provided with air tickets to Ghana and have their COVID-19 tests paid for.

It added: The government is, therefore, entreating only Ghanaians who are willing to be evacuated to confirm their participation so as to avoid the dissipation of scarce public funds.

Source: classfmonline.com
08.03.2022 LISTEN

First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo has complained about gender bias and inequalities at the workplace, in politics, peacebuilding, and decision-making against women.

Speaking at a ceremony to mark International Women's Day in Kumasi today, Tuesday, 8 March 2022, she noted that the Constitution of Ghana guarantees gender equality but it does not translate into reality.

Mrs Akufo-Addo further noted that although women have made substantial progress in education, they still face inequalities directly and indirectly, through stereotypes and social practices.

While describing bias as not normal and as the antithesis of development, she said women are not only paid less than men for the same work but are also lagging in politics.

Mrs Akufo-Addo said her generation and the generation before have done their part in fighting for gender parity, and, therefore, called on the younger generation to continue with the fight while promising to give them the support.

For her part, the Chief of Staff, Akosua Fremah Osei-Opare called on women including the younger generation to join hands to fight against gender disparity against women.

This years global celebration of International Womens Day is on the theme: Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow, whereas the local theme is Breaking the barrier.

International Women's Day is celebrated every year on 8 March to mark and celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women and raise awareness about equality and the need to accelerate gender parity.

Source: Classfmonline.com
The Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority (NYA) has condemned the double standards women are made to face in society.

According to Akosua Manu, there are different definitions of what is considered acceptable conduct for women and for men, especially in the public space.

She spoke these words to mark International Womens Day today, Tuesday, 8 March 2022, which is a day set aside to deliberate on the strides made by women and to forge a path forward in improving the lot of women all over the world.

The theme for this years celebration is Break the Bias.

In her exposition on the theme, Mrs Manu emphasised the need to consciously understand that gender stereotypes are damaging to women and disproportionately deny women opportunities.

She used the opportunity to further admonish all policymakers, legislators and persons in authority to tackle issues affecting women in society by fostering equal rights to economic resources, promoting the empowerment of women through education and adopting policies that would strengthen and enforce legislation for gender equality.

Source: Classfmonline.com
08.03.2022 LISTEN

It is emerging that the late Constable Emmanuel Osei who was shot in the head in James Town few months ago in the Bullion Van robbery incident was killed by a Police officer with the SWAT team.

This was revealed in an audio available to DGN Online.

The audio revealed some alarming information about the heist, as well as other thefts around the incident.

In the audio, recorded by a Police officer from Koforidua, name not yet available, he said the late Constable Emmanuel Osei's killers are his fellow officers.

The two Police officers have been identified as personnel of the National SWAT team of the Ghana Police Service and an Instructor and armourer at Accra Police Depot.

In June 2021 the Police officer was shot dead by suspected armed robbers in an attack on a bullion van at Adedenpo near James Town in Accra.

According to the narrator, the eight police officers who were arrested on Monday and detained for their participation in the crime, are all from the same police depot.

They were arrested after the prime suspect, identified as Pablo; a member of the national SWAT team was arrested at his hideout by residents of James Town.

He was handed over to the police and tortured for two days before confessing.

The police officer mentioned the name of an instructor at the Accra Police depot and went on to say they were the same folks that tried to rob another bullion van but failed.

He explained in the audio that fearing danger one of them rushed back to Accra Jamestown for protection but he was recognised by several residents in the neighbourhood as one of the bandits who assaulted the van on that day.

He said, They raised an alert, unaware he was a cop. He was taken to the Striking Force Unit and reportedly tortured for two days before admitting his guilt.

The narrator continues that the suspect confessed to shooting Constable Emmanuel Osei in the head because he recognized and named him.

Meanwhile, the six other suspects arrested include the armourer at Accra Police depot, for which Pablo is currently receiving treatment at the Police hospital in Accra.

The Police as gathered will soon brief the media on the said incident as they have already announced.

---DGN online
Pilots maneuver fighters in aerial refueling

China Military Online) 15:00, March 08, 2022

A fighter jet attached to an aviation brigade with the air force under the PLA Western Theater Command flies into position behind the refueling boom of an aircraft tanker to receive fuel during a training mission on February 20, 2022. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Liu Chang)

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
World's oldest radio amateur

ARRL reports a Barbados ham is among the world's oldest, if not the oldest. Winston A. "Woody" Richardson, 8P6CC (ex-VP6WR), has turned 107 years old, placing him among the world's oldest radio amateurs



Jim Neiger, N6TJ, told The Daily DX that Richardson hosted his 1980 - 82 operations (as 8P6J) from his home during the CQ World Wide DX Contest (CW). The Woody Richardson Communications Room at the Amateur Radio Society of Barbados is named for him. Richardson visited the Amateur Radio of Barbados headquarters in 2020.



Source ARRL letter Jan 6, 2022

http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter?issue=2022-01-06



Amateur Radio Society of Barbados

https://www.arsb.org/

https://www.facebook.com/8p6arsb/
08.03.2022 LISTEN

The commemoration of this years International Womens Day on the Floor of Ghanas Parliament has taken on an interesting dive as female parliamentarians are demanding their rightful place.

While lamenting their marginalization at the highest decision-making levels in the country as compared with other African countries, the women representative in the legislative arm of government have made strong arguments that a woman can perform better as Finance Minister than their male counterparts.

Mr. Speaker, I dare to say that when women are in positions; I dare to say that they do better than men at times. Mr. Speaker, I also dare to say that if the Finance Minister were a woman, we would not find ourselves in this situation that we find ourselves. I dare to say that, Mr. Speaker, she stated.

The Member of Parliament for Krachi West constituency Hellen Adjoa Ntoso was contributing to a statement made on the Floor of the House by the Chairperson of the Women Caucus and Member of Parliament for the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency, Lydia Seyram Alhassan.

According to her, a woman can perform better than their male counterparts in many of the leadership positions of the nation if they are given the same opportunity. She is therefore advocating for the next NDC government to raise high the bar in the appointment of women in top government positions.

So, in short what I am saying is that women we can perform; we can do better at times; when we are put in certain positions. So, in the next NDC Government, I am advocating that the Defense Minister should be a woman; the Minister for Education should be a woman; the Minister Interior should be a woman; the Finance Minister should be a woman so that Ghana would move forward in the right direction, she observed.

The three-term Member of Parliament for Krachi West emphasized the need for Ghana to do something about the 30 percent women representation in leadership recommended by the United Nations since Ghanas 14 percent representation is not encouraging at all.
The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says Ghana has moved away from the earlier uncertainties that clouded her path towards progress and prosperity, and the last twenty-nine years of democratic governance in the 4th Republic have generally been the period of the greatest economic growth in our history.

Delivering a statement on Ghana Day at the ongoing Dubai Expo 2020, on Tuesday, 8th March 2022, President Akufo-Addo noted that Our engagement at the Expo is themed on Opportunity, because we are a nation of unquestionably attractive opportunities.

According to President Akufo-Addo, Ghana is, today, the safest country in West Africa, is the largest recipient of foreign direct investment in West Africa, and is ranked 3rd in the Ease of Doing Business Index in West Africa.

We are the new commercial capital of Africa by virtue of our hosting of the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), we are the 2nd largest cocoa producer in the world, we are the largest producer of gold in Africa, we are endowed with considerable deposits of bauxite, iron ore, manganese, lithium, oil and gas, diamonds, and timber, and we are geographically closer than any other country to the centre of the planet, the President added.

He continued, We are a country where investments are secure and protected under a governance system where an independent judiciary upholds the rule of law and respect for private property rights.

Stressing that Ghana is Ready for Business, President Akufo-Addo noted that Government is determined to build a business-friendly economy that will enable Ghana get to the stage where the exploitation of the opportunities that are available will help her build an optimistic, self-confident and prosperous nation.

Indeed, prior to the onset of COVID-19, Ghana, in 2017, 2018 and 2019, that is during my first term in office, recorded annual average GDP growth rates of seven percent (7%), making our economy one of the fastest growing in the world at the time. At the height of the pandemic, in 2020, we were, indeed, one of the few countries to record positive growth, he said.

Through the one hundred-billion-cedi (GH100 billion) economic recovery programme, dubbed the Ghana CARES Obaatampa Programme, the economy grew at a provisional 5.2% in the first three quarters of 2021, with a projected growth rate of 5.6% for 2021.

We are appear to be on the path of sustained economic recovery. We still, nevertheless, have some important challenges, but we see these challenges as opportunities which serve as catalysts for growth and the realisation of Governments transformational agenda. This agenda is hinged, primarily, on creating space for the private sector to thrive, thereby growing the jobs that our young people need, he added.

President Akufo-Addo stated that policies such as 1-District-1-Factory and the development of strategic anchor industries, such as the emerging automotive industry and the coordinated exploitation of our significant bauxite and iron ore deposits, the agricultural expansion through the programme for Planting for Food and Jobs, targeted infrastructural development, especially of roads and railways, and promoting access to digital technology are serving as the main avenues for job creation.

We have been successful at removing some of the constraints of Ghanaian life, that have been sources of frustration in conducting business. As part of the process of formalising the economy, we have, amongst others, implemented a digital property addressing system, issued biometric national identification cards to residents this year, so that every resident will have a unique identification number, and ensured paperless transactions at our ports, he added.
The Vice President of Ghana, H.E Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has called for all biases against women to cease, insisting that they deserved to be treated equally.

Today, Tuesday, March 8, 2022, is being marked all over the world as International Womens Day (IWD).

It is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 to commemorate the cultural, political, and socioeconomic achievements of women.

On the occasion of the IWD, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has celebrated women across the world with a heartwarming message posted on his social media pages.

On this special day, I celebrate all women globally for the God-given love and care they offer the world.

As we mark today we should acknowledge the importance of why women should be treated equally without any bias or prejudice.

Women: we are because they are, Dr. Bawumia said in a post.
The big four consulting firms -- Deloitte, KPMG, EY and PwC -- have announced they were ceasing operations in Russia and Belarus over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

A spokesperson for KPMG International said that they have a responsibility, along with other global businesses, to respond to the Russian government's ongoing military attack on Ukraine.

"As a result, our Russia and Belarus firms will leave the KPMG network. KPMG has over 4,500 people in Russia and Belarus, and ending our working relationship with them, many of whom have been a part of KPMG for many decades, is incredibly difficult," said the spokesperson.

PwC said in a statement that as a result of the Russian government's invasion of Ukraine, "we have decided that, under the circumstances, PwC should not have a member firm in Russia and consequently PwC Russia will leave the network".

"We are also committed to working with our colleagues at PwC Russia to undertake an orderly transition for the business, and with a focus on the wellbeing of our 3,700 colleagues in PwC Russia," said the company.

Deloitte employs 3,000 people, while EY has 4,700 employees in Russia.

EY said the decision was heartbreaking.

"In light of the escalating war, the EY global organization will no longer serve any Russian government clients, state-owned enterprises or sanctioned entities and individuals anywhere in the world. EY has commenced a restructuring of its Russian member firm to separate it from the global network," said the company.

"We continue to support our 700 EY colleagues with financial support, relocation, transportation and immigration services," it added.

Earlier, fintech and digital payments giants like MasterCard, Visa and PayPal have announced to exit the region.

Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article.
On Tuesday, the indices opened gap down and bounced back in the last hour to end with substantial gain. On the National Stock Exchange (NSE), 1,467 stocks advanced, 602 declined, and 53 remained unchanged with advance decline ratio of 2.44.

The trend of the major indices on Tuesdays trading are given in the table below:

Credit Suisse has downgraded India to underweight from overweight on rising crude oil prices.

NMDC has raised prices of its iron ore by Rs 400 per ton, this was the third hike by the company in Q4FY21-22. The stock closed in red.

Eveready Industries has appointed Suvamoy Saha as the managing director (MD) with effect from 8 March for a period of 3 years.

The Bombay High Court allowed Future Enterprises to sell its 25% stake in Future Generali India Insurance Company to Generali for about Rs 1,252 crore. The stock closed 6% higher.

Credit Suisse has maintained 'outperform' call on UltraTech Cement and cut target price to Rs 7,500 from Rs 9,250 per share. The stock closed 2% higher.

Adani Port ended in green after signing an agreement with Indian Oil Corporation to add nine more crude oil tanks in the APSEZ in addition to the 12 existing tanks.

Shriram City Union Finance gained 2% after declaring second interim dividend of Rs 27 per share.

CNG prices were hiked by Rs 0.50 per kg in Delhi and adjoining cities. However, diesel and petrol prices are kept on watch for more clarity on global oil prices.

TTK Prestige closed in red after 30.6 lakh shares or 2.2% equity changed hands. Gold reached its highest level since September 2020, it traded higher than $2,010/oz.

IGL and MGL gained 9% and 6% respectively on reports of CNG price hike.

The top gainers and top losers of the major indices are given in the table below:

The closing values of the major Asian indices are given in the table below:
Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has asked Essel group entity, Dish TV India Ltd (Dish TV), to ensure compliance with regulation 44(3) of the listing obligations and disclosure requirements (LODR) regulations by disclosing the voting results of the annual general meeting (AGM) to both the Exchanges within 24 hours. SEBI has also asked depositories to freeze demat accounts of Dish TV's directors and compliance officer until the voting results are disclosed. Dish TV, however, says it prefers an appeal before the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) against the order passed by SEBI.

In the order passed on 7 March 2022, SK Mohanty, whole-time member (WTM) of SEBI, says, "The compliance officer Ranjit Singh shall immediately, and in any case not later than 24 hours from delivery of this order, ensure compliance with Regulation 44(3) of the LODR Regulations by disclosing the voting results of the AGM to both the Exchanges in the format prescribed. Further, the board of directors of the company is directed to ensure strict adherence to the aforesaid direction by the compliance officer.

"The depositories shall immediately, upon receipt of this order, freeze the demat accounts of the directors and the compliance officer of the company."

"The scrutiniser Jayant Gupta, partner of Jayant Gupta & Associates, shall forthwith, and in any case not later than 24 hours from the delivery of this order, provide a copy of the report on the voting results of the AGM to the Exchanges. In case of non-compliance with the directions, the stock exchanges shall disseminate the scrutiniser's report on their platform for the information of the investors," the order says.

In its order, SEBI also mentions that while Dish TV has filed an intervention application (IA) before the high court (HC) the bench has clarified that the pendency of the IA has no bearing on the disclosure requirements under the LODR regulations.

In a regulatory filing, Dish TV says, "The company is preferring an appeal before the SAT in respect of the (SEBI) order."

The present matter emanates from a complaint on 31 December 2021, filed by Yes Bank Ltd (YBL), alleging that Dish TV has wrongfully withheld the results of voting on various proposals put forth in its AGM held on 30 December 2021.

This complaint was perfected by a representation dated 13 January 2022 of IndusInd Bank Ltd (IndusInd Bank) inter-alia requesting SEBI to direct Dish TV to forthwith disclose the voting results of the AGM. IndusInd Bank also requested SEBI to take appropriate action against Dish TV for non-compliance with the statutory provisions of law by misinterpreting an order passed by the Bombay High Court.

SEBI says it has also received complaints from other shareholders of Dish TV and investors in the securities market on the issue of non-declaration of the results of the AGM by Dish TV.

Dish TV is part of the Essel group which has diversified business interests in India. As per the latest quarterly shareholding pattern disclosed by Dish TV to the Exchanges for the quarter ended 31 December 2021, the promoters hold 5.93% of the paid-up equity share capital and the public shareholders have 94.07% of the paid-up equity share capital of Dish TV.

In the list of public shareholders, YBL and IndusInd Bank are among the largest shareholders holding 24.78% and 3.78% of Dish TV, respectively.
Though Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine is just days old, Russia has been working for years to influence and undermine the independence of its smaller neighbor. As it happens, some Americans have played a role in that effort.

One was former President Donald Trumps campaign chairman Paul Manafort. Another was Trumps then-lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

Its all detailed in a wide array of public documents, particularly a bipartisan 2020 Senate report on Trump and Russia. I was one of the journalists who dug into all the connections, as part of the Trump, Inc. podcast with ProPublica and WNYC. (I was in Kyiv, retracing Manaforts steps , when Trumps infamous call with Ukraines president was revealed in September 2019.)

Given recent events, I thought itd be helpful to put all the tidbits together, showing what happened step by step.

Americans Making Money Abroad. Whats the Problem?

Paul Manafort was a longtime Republican consultant and lobbyist whod developed a speciality working with unsavory undemocratic clients . In 2004, he was hired by oligarchs supporting a pro-Russian party in Ukraine. It was a tough assignment: The Party of Regions needed an image makeover. A recent election had been marred by allegations that fraud had been committed in favor of the partys candidate, prompting a popular revolt that became known as the Orange Revolution.

In a memo for Ukraines reportedly richest man , Rinat Akhmetov, Manafort summed up the polling: Many respondents said they associated the Party of Regions with corruption and considered it the party of oligarchs.

Manafort set to work rebranding the party with poll-tested messaging and improved stagecraft. Before long, the Party of Regions was in power in Kyiv.

One of his key aides in Ukraine was, allegedly, a Russian spy. The Senate Intelligence Committee report on Trump and Russia said Konstantin Kilimnik was both a Russian intelligence officer and an integral part of Manaforts operations in Ukraine and Russia.

Kilimnik has denied he is a Russian spy. He was indicted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller for obstruction of justice for allegedly trying to get witnesses to lie in testimony to prosecutors in the Manafort case. Kilimnik, who reportedly lives in Moscow, has not been arrested. In an email to The Washington Post, Kilimnik distanced himself from Manaforts legal woes and wrote, I am still confused as to why I was pulled into this mess.

Manafort did quite well during his time in Ukraine. He was paid tens of millions of dollars by pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych and other clients, stashing much of the money in undeclared bank accounts in Cyprus and the Caribbean. He used the hidden income to enjoy some of the finer things in life, such as a $15,000 ostrich jacket . Manafort was convicted in 2018 of wide-ranging financial crimes.

We Are Going to Have So Much Fun, and Change the World in the Process

In 2014, Manaforts plum assignment in Ukraine came to an abrupt end. In February of that year, Yanukovych was deposed in Ukraines second uprising in a decade, known as the Maidan Revolution, in which more than a hundred protesters were killed in Kyiv. He fled to Russia, leaving behind a vast, opulent estate (now a museum ) with gold-plated bathroom fixtures, a galleon on a lake and a 100-car garage.

With big bills and no more big checks coming in, Manafort soon found himself deep in debt, including to a Russian oligarch . He eventually pitched himself for a new gig in American politics as a convention manager, wrangling delegates for an iconoclastic reality-TV star and real estate developer.
MISSOULA -- One born and raised Missoulian recently had to help his in-laws escape Ukraine after the conflict broke out last month.





Missoulian, Mat Reesman, moved to Germany in 2014 where he met his Ukrainian wife. His in-laws live in a small village outside of Kyiv.

Lubov and Viktor Melnychenko spent the first six days of the conflict in Ukraine, hiding out in the basement of the home they spent 25 years saving for and another eleven years building.

It was a painful week for their daughter, Vicky Melnychenko and her husband, Mat Reesman, who were urging the Melnychenko's to leave their home.

"For example, my parents would send a message, 'there's bombing right now going on around us, pray for us.' That's it! And then you not hear from them for hours," Vicky said. After listening to gunshots and bombs fall on the city for nearly a week, the couple made the tough decision to leave their beloved home and village behind and make a run for the Ukraine/Romania border. It took them two days to travel by car from Kyiv to the Ukrainian border, a trip that would normally take roughly eight hours. But in an effort to confuse Russian forces, road signs were taken down and roads were destroyed, making it dangerous and difficult journey. "They couldn't find anywhere to overnight either and my mom felt really sick because she has cancer," Vicky said. "They had to sleep in their car in negative nine-degree temperature," Reesman added. After constant security checks, they managed to meet their son-in-law, Mat, at the border on March 4. The Melnychenko's are now living with Mat and Vicky. Vicky said the reality of the situation has yet to set in for her dad. "He's talking about what he needs to do in his yard, and stuff like that like 'this needs to be trimmed' and this needs to be done in like a month you know. He doesn't have the comprehension of what has actually happened or what is happening." Vicky said they're working to try and help her parents find housing and get visas so they can start new lives in Germany. "For me as a Ukrainian, seeing all my hometowns being destroyed and people killed, you don't have the full comprehension of it. I don't know how to explain it," she said. Click here to donate to the International Rescue Committee of the Red Cross for Ukraine.

Click here to donate to the Ukrainian Red Cross.

Click here to donate to UNISEF to help protect Ukranian Children.
UPDATE:

Yuliya Johnson said her mother was able to leave Sumy today (March 9), although she still hasn't made it out of Ukraine.

BILLINGS, Mont. - A Billings woman is concerned about her parents, who are trapped in the Ukrainian city of Sumy.

Yuliya Johnson described the destruction and death her parents are seeing in Sumy right now. She said her mother sees people who have died when she walks her dog.

"She needs to go and walk the dog everyday," Yuliya said. "So, what she saw, she saw a lot of dead bodies. She saw one boy. He was 19 years old. He was, like, staring at sky, and like, nobody covered him. And she saw some jackets next to him and she covered his face. She said, 'I know he's from enemy army, but I am mother. And it could be my son.'"

Yuliya said her mother was supposed to visit Montana at the end of March, but is unable to leave now. She said there are Russian checkpoints all around Sumy and they haven't allowed people to leave.

"My hometown, where is my parents now, is exactly on the border," Yuliya said. "So, it's 40 miles from Sumy (that's the name of my hometown) to the border. It's like from here (Billings) to Columbus."

A power station was blown up a couple of days ago and Yuliya lost contact with her mother for about 24 hours.

"I didn't know when the next time I can hear about her," Yuliya said. "So, right now, I don't know if she's alive or she's not. It was a very scary moment."

Yuliya said her parents have electricity again, but they are still without heat or water.

"My dad goes to the river because next to our house is a big river," she said. "He goes to the river and he brings water."

After Yuliya first spoke to us, she said some of the foreign students were able to leave Sumy. Her mom wasn't able to get out yet, but will try tomorrow, March 9. Her father is under the age of 60 and will be required to fight for Ukraine if he is able to leave Sumy.

In the meantime, Yuliya said her mother inspires her to be strong.

"I know if she does not give up being there, I cannot give up being here," she said.
HELENA, Mont. - The Montana Department of Justice is alerting Montana residents of popular online scams during National Consumer Protection Week.

The three common online scams are rental scams, pet scams and ammunition and firearm scams.

The following are descriptions of the three scams, via release from the attorney general's office:

"For a rental scam, scammers will steal a photo of a local rental or real estate listing that is currently listed and change the contact information before posting the deceptive ad online. Interested renters are then told that the owner is out of town or had to move quickly so the prospective renter never meets the owner of the location. Communicating only through email, the scammer requests first and last months rent and the security deposit via money wiring or payment apps, like Venmo or Zelle.

Online pet scams are similar to rental scams as it is common for scammers to steal photographs from legitimate breeders to create fake websites to advertise expensive specialty breeds for low prices. Oftentimes, they will also demand payment via apps and offer to fly the animal to the buyer.

Ammunition and firearm scams have become more common as shortages and increased prices of the products continue throughout the state. Scam websites may claim to have ammunition and firearms that are hard to find available at prices that are too good to be true  usually half of MSRP. They may also offer products that are difficult to obtain but charge large shipping insurance fees. Typically, they fail to provide a confirmation email to the buyer, require payment via app, and have a lot of grammatical errors."
Celia Jimenez here, still fascinated by the way the VIDA Project started: with people from different parts of Monterey County sharing stories about the obstacles and struggles they were facing during the pandemic. These stories piled up and highlighted the lack of resources that minorities, Spanish and Indigenous speakers, farmworkers and many others were faced with in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.

COPA, Communities Organized for Relational Power in Action, saw the need and proposed a community health worker program that later on became known as VIDA. Its a program through which neighbors, students and farm workers reach out to people outside of churches, schools and grocery stores, or go door-to-door, informing thousands of residents across Monterey County about resources available to help them medically, financially and socially through Covid-19. That includes signing people up to get vaccinated, administering rapid tests and providing resources to those who test positive (a place to isolate, for example) or directing people to apply for rent and food assistance.

VIDA is a chameleon-like program that adapted to the ever-changing pandemic and provided information in English, Spanish and Indigenous languages. It has been extremely successfulit has registered more than 4,600 vaccination appointments and administered over 13,000 rapid tests. The work of VIDA staffers also contributed to a 100-percent vaccination rate in the East Salinas zip code 93905, one of the areas most impacted by Covid. (According to data from the Monterey County Health Department, 100 percent of residents aged 5 and older in that zip code have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.)

These numbers alone are impressive, but its also important to see how VIDA has positively impacted peoples lives.

Among the people who have received help through VIDAs community health workers is Jovita Aguilar, a Mixteco woman and farmworker from Salinas. She got information in Spanish first and then in Mixteco (when VIDA worker Claudia Reyes noticed Aguilar needed further assistance) about vaccines, tests and financial help. Aguilar and part of her family, including her husband and a daughter, tested positive for Covid-19 in December. They couldnt go to work but thanks to VIDA, they received benefits to buy food, get tested and isolate to prevent infecting her other kids.

You make our work happen. The article youre about to read is from our reporters doing their important work  investigating, researching, and writing their stories. We want to provide informative and inspirational stories that connect you to the people, issues and opportunities within our community. Journalism takes a lot of resources. Today, our business model has been interrupted by the pandemic; the vast majority of our advertisers businesses have been impacted. Thats why the Weekly is now turning to you for financial support. Learn more about our new Insiders program here. Thank you. JOIN NOW

Another is Jose Anaya, a single dad of three kids and Castroville resident. He says that when he tested positive for Covid it felt like getting a bucket of cold water, because hes the only one who takes care of his kids and he thought he would have to go work despite being sick. During this time [winter] Im not working a lot, Anaya says, adding he felt more stressed after seeing a paper outside his door reminding tenants to pay their rent on time. I couldn't leave my kids without a home. After getting in touch with VIDA, Anaya got $1,000 toward his rent and was able to get Covid tests for his kids so that they could return to school.

Tomorrow, COPA will go before the Board of Supervisors to request $1.5 million in additional funds to continue the VIDA program with a full staff of 48 until the end of the year. It needs four votes to pass. COPA and the other organizations behind VIDA want to be prepared in case cases rise during the peak of the harvesting season or next winter. The countys previously allocated funds for VIDA will expire by the end of the month; without the county boost, it will continue at a smaller capacity for the next two years (instead of 48 full-time community health workers, it will downsize to 18).

VIDA has done a great job helping residents who need resources the most and reaching out to communities that normally dont have easy access to services. The request for additional funds will be discussed tomorrow, March 8 after 1:30pmyou can tune in virtually, or attend in person, to show your support for the program.

Read full newsletter here.
March 08, 2022

Disarming Ukraine - Day 13 - Lies Do Not Win Wars

One hundred thousand re-tweets is a lot:

It is indeed a 'most incredible' video.

FoxNews:

Russia-Ukraine war: Russian military commander POW claims forces were told 'Nazis' had overtaken Ukraine

Russian Lt. Col. Astakhov Dmitry Mikhailovich, a Ukraine POW, tells reporters: 'This is genocide'

To which Pat Lang remarks:

Comment: Lying to troops going into battle is a really bad idea. When disillusion shows up, they become unreliable like this officer. Officers in the Russian Army have beards?

That 'officer' is not unreliable. He does the job his army assigned him to. And no, officers in the Russian army do not have beards.

Quora tells me:

According to the Chapter 8 Article 344 of the Charter of the Armed Forces servicemen are obliged to regularly bath, brush teeth, cut nails, hair and shave clean.

The Russian regulations have, as usual, exceptions. Chechen units (Muslim) allow beards as do some special forces. But that dude does not look Chechen and he is certainly not fit enough for a special force command.

Someone Marko tells me that he rather looks like this Ukrainian soldier.

The reverse image search service TinEye tells me that the picture above was first uploaded to imgur.com on February 26.

Russia's 'special military operation' in Ukraine had started just two days earlier.

Did that man pictured before or on February 26 since defect to Russia, got commissioned as Russian army officer and then caught be Ukrainian troops?

When in between was he told "that Ukraine's territory is dominated by fascist's regime"?

That claim is, by the way, the only somewhat true element of the whole story.

Posted by b on March 8, 2022 at 9:46 UTC | Permalink

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Ed, 31, also provided examples of when he's cleared aspects of songs with unknown artists, such as sampling a part of a track from 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' from an "unknown composer".

All those examples are not famous artists that we've cleared songs with and that's what I have to say on that.

Ed insisted he was not aware of Sami before the song was written. However, it was claimed in court that the pair had both appeared in videos on Jamal Edwards' SBTV  with the late entrepreneur also posting about Sami on Twitter.



Ed responded by arguing that Jamal - who passed away last month, at the age of 31 - "championed lots and lots of artists" and "it wasn't like [he] watched every single video he uploaded".



He said: "I followed him on Twitter - it doesn't mean I read everything he wrote."



The trial is expected to continue for around three weeks.

Bang Showbiz
Moultrie, GA (31768)

Today

Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 65F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 65F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
(Bloomberg) -- Its the second day of CERAWeek by S&P Global in Houston, one of the energy industrys biggest annual gatherings and one that hasnt been held in person in three years because of the pandemic.

The event is taking place amid massive gyrations in global energy markets following Russias invasion of Ukraine. On Monday, Exxon Mobil Corp. Chief Executive Officer Darren Woods warned conference attendees that oil and other energy markets are in for more turbulence. Hess Corp.s CEO John Hess called on the U.S. and its international allies to release more oil from strategic reserves, while Chevron CEO Mike Wirth said theres no evidence of physical oil or gas shortages yet.

Time stamps are Houston.

Occidental CEO Sees Oil at $150 (12:49 p.m.)

Crude prices could go to $150 a barrel as a result of the Russia situation, according to Occidental Petroleum Corp. CEO Vicki Hollub.

The U.S. is key to replacing Russian oil, but it wont happen immediately, she said in an interview with Bloomberg TV on the sidelines on the conference. Shortages of pipeline equipment, sand, trucking and people are hampering production in the Permian Basin, she said.

To turn things around, the industry need fresh support from the Biden administration, going beyond just regulatory freedom, Hollub said. President Joe Biden must support the industry by winning over consumers through explaining how supply and demand works. Bidens warnings over price gouging damages public sentiment towards the industry, she said.

We produce a lot of low-cost, low-emissions energy in the U.S., Hollub said. We have to have time to prepare for production increases.

BP CEO Says Hes Hired Executives Away From Google (12:49 p.m.)

BP Plc Chief Executive Officer Bernard Looney boasted to a CERAWeek audience on Tuesday about one of his most prized accomplishments: hiring 38 executives into the company from the outside over the past two years.

This is a departure for the energy giant after typically growing its own executive talent from within, he said. The new hires from other companies such as Google, Tesla and Amazon were swayed by the challenge of tackling the energy transition while keeping the world powered with todays fuel needs.

A different leadership style at BP is also gaining ground, he said.

People want to work for real people, I think people dont want to work for heroes, Looney said. Theres something about the realness and the authenticity of being a real person and not somehow this heroic person that knows everything, knows always what to do.

Chesapeake CEO Says Price Spike Is Bad for Industry (12:17 pm.)

Skyrocketing crude prices arent good for the oil and gas industry, and could lead to falling demand for petroleum products and disrupt global markets, Chesapeake Energy Corp. CEO Nick DellOsso said.

You have prices spiking really high and I think thats not actually great for our industry, DellOsso said during an interview at CERAWeek at S&P Global on Tuesday.

We all like to enjoy a nice profit margin but a shock to prices is not good for commodity producers, he said. You have bad things happen in commodity production when you have these kind of spikes.

DellOsso said U.S. shale producers will need six to nine months to ramp up production and meet growing demand in the wake of Russias war on Ukraine. Chesapeake Energy and other shale producers are challenged by the ongoing labor shortage and a tightening market for steel and chemicals used in drilling and production.

We as an industry like to be known as a supplier of energy that can be reliable, he said. When you have these shocks, theres a lag time, and we hate to see that theres a need for the product that isnt being met in the short term.

Related: Oil Rally on Cusp of Destroying Demand, ConocoPhillips CEO Says

ConocoPhillips Says Energy Volatility Is Because of Failed Policy (10:54 a.m.)

The Biden administrations ban on Russian oil imports is not enough to upset the U.S. energy system, but sends a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance said.

In practical terms, the market will equilibrate itself reasonably quickly, but now is the time for the U.S. and other nations to start thinking about energy security over the medium term, he said.

The volatility weve seen in recent days is largely the result of failed policy, with too many countries moving too fast on the energy transition and leaving the system vulnerable to shocks, Lance said.

Any talk from U.S. lawmakers or others about banning energy exports from the country is the stupidest thing you can think of and is an example of the energy illiteracy thats pervasive, he said.

Lance has a very different view on U.S. production than rival Occidental Petroleum Corp., which sees constrained growth.

The U.S. will increase crude and condensate production by 800,000 to 900,000 barrels a day this year and likely next year, he said. Supply-chain constraints are a problem, but at current prices theres so much cash being generated that companies can both grow strongly and return plenty to shareholders, Lance said.

Schlumberger Sees Close to a Perfect Storm (10:54 a.m.)

Problems with the global supply chain have been highly disruptive to the oil industry over the last three to four quarters, said Olivier Le Peuch, CEO at Schlumberger, the worlds biggest oil-services provider.

Logistics is really becoming highly difficult to anticipate, to manage, Le Peuch said onstage at CERAWeek. The combination of a changing industry leaning further into the energy transition along with lingering effects from the pandemic have proved difficult for moving oilfield supplies around the world.

Its not the perfect storm, but close to it, he said.

Aramco CEO Says World Needs More Spare Crude Capacity (10:23 a.m.)

Saudi Aramco Chief Executive Officer Amin Nasser said the world needs more than the current spare crude capacity of about 2 million barrels per day in order to absorb economic shocks, such as Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The head of the worlds largest oil producer said at CERAWeek by S&P Global that hes concerned about the lack of investment in oil and gas projects and declining supplies in an increasingly volatile energy market.

Today, we only have 2% of effective spare capacity, which is an imbalance, Nasser said. You need a resilient and strong spare capacity to make sure that you can absorb any supply shocks. Look at whats happening. Before the Ukraine crisis, the spare capacity was declining fast.

Occidental CEO Says Dont Rely on Permian (9:44 a.m.)

The worlds energy markets cant rely on major growth in the Permian Basin U.S. shale patch to ease oil prices, according to Occidental Petroleum Corp. Chief Executive Officer Vicki Hollub.

Its a dire situation, she said, adding that supply-chain constraints are severely limiting companies efforts to grow in the worlds largest shale basin.

The Permian is also suffering from labor shortages, she said. Companies also dont have enough rigs to support strong growth, and theyve already used up most of the drilled-but-uncompleted wells that provided a quick uplift in growth in previous up cycles.

The call for increased production from the U.S. at this point, especially with supply-chain challenges, cant happen at the level thats needed, Hollub said.

OPEC Meets With U.S. Shale (8:45 a.m.)

Outgoing head of OPEC Mohammad Barkindo met with U.S. shale producers Monday night in Houston and said both groups are aligned in how they see the challenges posed to the oil industry by underinvestment.

Theres no doubt we need to engage the investment community, the financial community, to address the encumbrances that are turning out to be obstacles on our way to access capital, Barkindo said in an interview following the dinner meeting.

The world is gradually but dangerously running out of spare capacity, he said. This is a function of the massive underinvestment in the industry in the last 10, 15 years.

He said the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is on the same page as U.S. shale. In previous years, both groups have eyed each other warily or engaged in outright competition for market share.

2022 Bloomberg L.P.
(Bloomberg) -- Its the second day of CERAWeek by S&P Global in Houston, one of the energy industrys biggest annual gatherings and one that hasnt been held in person in three years because of the pandemic.

The event is taking place amid massive gyrations in global energy markets following Russias invasion of Ukraine. On Monday, Exxon Mobil Corp. Chief Executive Officer Darren Woods warned conference attendees that oil and other energy markets are in for more turbulence. Hess Corp.s CEO John Hess called on the U.S. and its international allies to release more oil from strategic reserves, while Chevron CEO Mike Wirth said theres no evidence of physical oil or gas shortages yet.

Time stamps are Houston.

Pioneer CEO Calls for Biden Support of Fossil Fuels (2:30 p.m.)

President Joe Biden needs to take a public pro-fossil fuel stance immediately if U.S. shale is to have any chance of backfilling Russian oil frozen out of global markets, said Scott Sheffield, CEO of Pioneer Natural Resources Co.

Adopting the position that energy security is just as important as climate change will improve investors mindset toward energy and allow companies to take the steps needed to grow production, Sheffield said in an interview.

For Biden, the big change is fossil fuels are needed for this country, energy security is needed, he said. Thats the biggest item. Hes got to come out publicly and say that.

Pioneer has spoken to investors over the last few days and they dont want us to grow because nobody knows how long this cycle is going to last, Sheffield said. As such, Pioneer is sticking with its plan to limit production growth to 5% long term.

The U.S. will add around 700,000 barrels a day this year, but could double that rate in 18 months time if the Biden administration and investors change their mindset toward U.S. shale, he said.

Biden also needs to convince Saudi Arabia to pump more oil by visiting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler, otherwise crude could trade at $150 to $200 a barrel for the next several years, Sheffield said.

Occidental CEO Sees Oil at $150 (12:49 p.m.)

Crude prices could go to $150 a barrel as a result of the Russia situation, according to Occidental Petroleum Corp. CEO Vicki Hollub.

The U.S. is key to replacing Russian oil, but it wont happen immediately, she said in an interview with Bloomberg TV on the sidelines on the conference. Shortages of pipeline equipment, sand, trucking and people are hampering production in the Permian Basin, she said.

To turn things around, the industry need fresh support from the Biden administration, going beyond just regulatory freedom, Hollub said. President Joe Biden must support the industry by winning over consumers through explaining how supply and demand works. Bidens warnings over price gouging damages public sentiment towards the industry, she said.

We produce a lot of low-cost, low-emissions energy in the U.S., Hollub said. We have to have time to prepare for production increases.

Related: Biden Warns Oil Firms Against Price Gouging

BP CEO Says Hes Hired Executives Away From Google (12:49 p.m.)

BP Plc Chief Executive Officer Bernard Looney boasted to a CERAWeek audience on Tuesday about one of his most prized accomplishments: hiring 38 executives into the company from the outside over the past two years.

This is a departure for the energy giant after typically growing its own executive talent from within, he said. The new hires from other companies such as Google, Tesla and Amazon were swayed by the challenge of tackling the energy transition while keeping the world powered with todays fuel needs.

A different leadership style at BP is also gaining ground, he said.

People want to work for real people, I think people dont want to work for heroes, Looney said. Theres something about the realness and the authenticity of being a real person and not somehow this heroic person that knows everything, knows always what to do.

Chesapeake CEO Says Price Spike Is Bad for Industry (12:17 pm.)

Skyrocketing crude prices arent good for the oil and gas industry, and could lead to falling demand for petroleum products and disrupt global markets, Chesapeake Energy Corp. CEO Nick DellOsso said.

You have prices spiking really high and I think thats not actually great for our industry, DellOsso said during an interview at CERAWeek at S&P Global on Tuesday.

We all like to enjoy a nice profit margin but a shock to prices is not good for commodity producers, he said. You have bad things happen in commodity production when you have these kind of spikes.

DellOsso said U.S. shale producers will need six to nine months to ramp up production and meet growing demand in the wake of Russias war on Ukraine. Chesapeake Energy and other shale producers are challenged by the ongoing labor shortage and a tightening market for steel and chemicals used in drilling and production.

We as an industry like to be known as a supplier of energy that can be reliable, he said. When you have these shocks, theres a lag time, and we hate to see that theres a need for the product that isnt being met in the short term.

Related: Oil Rally on Cusp of Destroying Demand, ConocoPhillips CEO Says

ConocoPhillips Ties Energy Volatility to Failed Policy (10:54 a.m.)

The Biden administrations ban on Russian oil imports is not enough to upset the U.S. energy system, but sends a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance said.

In practical terms, the market will equilibrate itself reasonably quickly, but now is the time for the U.S. and other nations to start thinking about energy security over the medium term, he said.

The volatility weve seen in recent days is largely the result of failed policy, with too many countries moving too fast on the energy transition and leaving the system vulnerable to shocks, Lance said.

Any talk from U.S. lawmakers or others about banning energy exports from the country is the stupidest thing you can think of and is an example of the energy illiteracy thats pervasive, he said.

Lance has a very different view on U.S. production than rival Occidental Petroleum Corp., which sees constrained growth.

The U.S. will increase crude and condensate production by 800,000 to 900,000 barrels a day this year and likely next year, he said. Supply-chain constraints are a problem, but at current prices theres so much cash being generated that companies can both grow strongly and return plenty to shareholders, Lance said.

Schlumberger Sees Close to a Perfect Storm (10:54 a.m.)

Problems with the global supply chain have been highly disruptive to the oil industry over the last three to four quarters, said Olivier Le Peuch, CEO at Schlumberger, the worlds biggest oil-services provider.

Logistics is really becoming highly difficult to anticipate, to manage, Le Peuch said onstage at CERAWeek. The combination of a changing industry leaning further into the energy transition along with lingering effects from the pandemic have proved difficult for moving oilfield supplies around the world.

Its not the perfect storm, but close to it, he said.

Aramco CEO Says World Needs More Spare Crude Capacity (10:23 a.m.)

Saudi Aramco Chief Executive Officer Amin Nasser said the world needs more than the current spare crude capacity of about 2 million barrels per day in order to absorb economic shocks, such as Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The head of the worlds largest oil producer said at CERAWeek by S&P Global that hes concerned about the lack of investment in oil and gas projects and declining supplies in an increasingly volatile energy market.

Today, we only have 2% of effective spare capacity, which is an imbalance, Nasser said. You need a resilient and strong spare capacity to make sure that you can absorb any supply shocks. Look at whats happening. Before the Ukraine crisis, the spare capacity was declining fast.

Occidental CEO Says Dont Rely on Permian (9:44 a.m.)

The worlds energy markets cant rely on major growth in the Permian Basin U.S. shale patch to ease oil prices, according to Occidental Petroleum Corp. Chief Executive Officer Vicki Hollub.

Its a dire situation, she said, adding that supply-chain constraints are severely limiting companies efforts to grow in the worlds largest shale basin.

The Permian is also suffering from labor shortages, she said. Companies also dont have enough rigs to support strong growth, and theyve already used up most of the drilled-but-uncompleted wells that provided a quick uplift in growth in previous up cycles.

The call for increased production from the U.S. at this point, especially with supply-chain challenges, cant happen at the level thats needed, Hollub said.

OPEC Meets With U.S. Shale (8:45 a.m.)

Outgoing head of OPEC Mohammad Barkindo met with U.S. shale producers Monday night in Houston and said both groups are aligned in how they see the challenges posed to the oil industry by underinvestment.

Theres no doubt we need to engage the investment community, the financial community, to address the encumbrances that are turning out to be obstacles on our way to access capital, Barkindo said in an interview following the dinner meeting.

The world is gradually but dangerously running out of spare capacity, he said. This is a function of the massive underinvestment in the industry in the last 10, 15 years.

He said the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is on the same page as U.S. shale. In previous years, both groups have eyed each other warily or engaged in outright competition for market share.

2022 Bloomberg L.P.
Rusty Taco will soon have a location in the San Miguel Square shopping center, serving up authentic street tacos, fresh margaritas, homemade queso, fresh guacamole and warm chips.

Sheila Abussab of Big Spring, a longtime Sonic franchisee, has signed a five-location developmental agreement with the first location to open in Midland, followed by a Lubbock location, according to a press release.
Elise Kitchens

While hiking and looking for great wildlife moments, hiker and photographer Elise Kitchens captured a "once-in-a-lifetime" shot of an American Bittern eating a Red-bellied Mudsnake at Brazos Bend State Park on Saturday, March 5.

Kitchens, a Houston native, told MySA.com she goes to the state park frequently due to the abundant wildlife. Brazos Bend State Park includes 5,000 acres of bottomland and upland coastal prairie just southwest of the rapidly expanding Houston metro area.
A federal grand jury in Midland returned an indictment charging an oilfield company and an executive of the company with worker safety and environmental crimes, according to a release from the Department of Justice.

According to court documents, Aghorn Operating Inc. owns and operates oil wells and leases in Texas. Aghorn and Trent Day, vice president of Aghorn, were indicted for violating the Clean Air Act relating to releases of hydrogen sulfide from an Aghorn facility, as well as obstructing an Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation.

Aghorn was also charged with three worker safety OSHA crimes for causing the death of an Aghorn employee, the news release stated. In addition, Aghorn and Day, along with another corporation, Kodiak Roustabout Inc., were charged with violating the Safe Drinking Water Act and making false statements regarding the mechanical integrity of Aghorn injection wells in forms and pressure charts filed with the Railroad Commission.

The charges are the result of an investigation of the Oct. 26, 2019, death of Aghorn employee, Jacob Dean and his wife, Natalee Dean. Both were overcome by hydrogen sulfide, a poisonous gas, at an Aghorn facility in Odessa.

Our nation's environmental laws are designed to protect our communities and workers from hazardous pollutants, said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Todd Tony Adams of EPA's Southwest Area Criminal Investigation Program in the news release. Today's indictments demonstrate that companies intentionally violating those laws and endangering others will be held responsible for their crimes.

According to the allegations in the indictment, on the night of the incident, Jacob Dean responded to a call to check the pump house at the facility, an enclosed building with two bay doors. His wife, Natalee Dean, knew where Jacob had gone and started calling him when he did not return in a timely manner. When those calls went unanswered, Natalee drove to the station with her two children, aged 9 and 6. A pump had failed in the pump house, causing a leak of produced water containing hydrogen sulfide. Jacob had been overcome by hydrogen sulfide in the pump house, and when Natalee arrived at the station, she exited the vehicle and proceeded to the pump house, where she too was overcome by the gas. Both Jacob and Natalee were found dead by the first responders to the scene.

The indictment stated, Aghorn was aware that its produced water contained high amounts of H2S as well as the deadly nature of the gas. Aghorn and Trent Day allegedly knowingly violated their general duty to prevent the accidental release of hydrogen sulfide and also knowingly placed another person in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury.

The Associated Press reported that a receptionist at Aghorn said the company would have no comment. A law firm that has represented Aghorn in the past did not immediately return a message seeking comment, according to the AP.

OSHA began an investigation two days later. The indictment alleges that Aghorn and Day obstructed the OSHA investigation, arising out of statements made by Day to OSHA in two separate interviews.

If convicted, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

--

Note: An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Empty Bowls took place Sunday at the Mesa Courtyard at the University of Texas Permian Basin.

The annual fundraiser for the West Texas Food Bank featured handmade, glazed bowls prepared by local artists and students. Odessa College, Midland College, the University of Texas Permian Basin, Ector County ISD, Trinity School of Midland and Pots and Prints all contributed by creating bowls. Odessa Arts and Midland Arts Council also contributed to efforts.
Reverend Terry Garrett, in his 64th year, Surrendered his Soul Tuesday from Tulsa. His Sacred Farewell, 10:00 AM, April 30, 2022, Worship Community Center, and until then, he will rest in Oak Hill Cemetery, Talladega, Alabama. biglowfunerals.com
Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher sit in the audience during the ceremony for the unveiling of Zoe Saldana's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, California on May 3, 2018.
Actor and comedian Bill Cosby, right, arrives at the Montgomery County Courthouse for the sentencing hearings in his sexual assault trial in Norristown, Pennsylvania, Sept. 25, 2018.
Clara continued with her political life very actively and took an active interest in the International Socialist movement apart from German politics.

by Pradip Kumar Dutta

It was in the beginning of March 2020 that myself and Anjana were in Liechtenstein on a tour of Europe. Covid 19 was spreading in Europe but it's ferocity could not be foreseen till then. On 8th of March I decided to treat my wife with a trip that she had cherished to partake since long. We came to Zurich by train from our friend's place in Liechtenstein and took the day long satisfying trip to Mount Titlis and Lucern. We were back near the Zurich Haupt Bahnhoff to catch our train when we found the traffic at a standstill making way for a huge demonstration in observance of the International Women's Day. I immediately remembered Clara Zeitkin.





Not very long ago have we started to observe International Women's Day with rallies, festivities, seminars, demonstrations, cultural activities,etc. To speak of Ms. Clara Zetkin, very few of us have known much about her. International Women's Day has been acknowledged as UN Day for Women's Rights and World Peace only in 1977. Since then most of the countries of the world have started observance of this day officially to uphold Women's rights, equality between genders, and overall development of Women.

We have been blessed with such an important Day in the World calendar thanks to the bold, consistent and strong stand taken by some very strong willed ladies who came to the forefront of international politics in post WW1 days. I am speaking of more than one hundred years ago when almost none of the countries in the world even allowed women to vote. Mind you, those countries even included USA,the most advanced country in the world now. Like it or not, it is the world leader today. The Women leaders we are talking about were spearheaded by Clara Zetkin, Roza Luxemburg, and some of their comrades, mostly from Germany, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, USA, and Russia. Let's first get some idea about who Clara Zetkin was. She was born in 1857 in Saxony of Germany to a schoolmaster cum church educator father and a well-educated mother. Having a congenial educative environment at home she could pursue her studies well and went to College in Leipzig. Still a student, she was indoctrinated with socialist ideologies.

We should consider that she was growing up, in the 60s and 70s of the 19th century, Great German Leader and proponent of Communism Karl Marx has just published his famous Communist Manifesto in 1848 in London and the whole world's progressive Forces were rallying behind his ideas. Socialist parties and related organizations started being formed and gained momentum with the novel idea of the "theory of surplus value" put forward by Marx and Engels. The creator of this surplus, the laborers, of course, was being recognized by all free thinkers as a stakeholder of this surplus. On the other hand, Capitalists demanded it to be their profit of investment and risk.

This in short gave rise to the class struggle between the Capitalists and the Proletariat. Proletariat here includes peasants and cultivators too who were landless and had nothing but their hard labor to offer to the feudal landowners, the friends of the Capitalists. As Marx and Engels rightly put it in their Manifesto, "The proletariat of the world has nothing to lose but their chains, but the whole world to conquer". All the Socialist movements everywhere were the frontal organizations of the Communists to put forward their ideas for the people to judge and accept.

The idea being novel, modern, and eye-catching and also beneficial for the most part of the society, socialist ideas started growing fast. Clara soon became a member of the German Socialist Party (SPD) and later a more radical USPD, the Independent SPD. Later she opted for the Spartacist League which was transformed into KPD, the Communist Party of Germany. But in the meantime,Count Auto Von Bismarck of Prussia who unified the German Empire,banned Socialist activities in his territory in 1878. Clara had to flee to Zurich for safety and thence to Paris in 1882 where she pursued her studies further in Law and Languages.

During this period she got herself involved in the International Socialist Movement and became an activist of peace and advocate of Women's rights. She was an ardent German Marxist. Meantime she got married to Russian Jewish Marxist Ossip Zetkin and the pair had two children. Unfortunately for Clara, her husband expired rather prematurely in 1889. Later, she relocated to Stuttgart with her kids and still later got married again to German Artist Georg Zundel,who was 18 years her junior.

They had a busy but happy life. Clara continued with her political life very actively and took an active interest in the International Socialist movement apart from German politics. After Germany's tragic defeat in WW1 in the hands of the Allies, her prediction made in 1915 (that Germany should abandon this unjust war and come out of it) came true. Then came the time for the Weimer Republic in post-war Germany and she, being by then, an active member of KPD (Communist Party of Germany) was a member of Reichstag from 1920 up to 1933.

In the German elections held in 1933, Hitler's Nazi party swept the polls and started pursuing aggressive politics. Clara Zetkin was exiled for the second time in her life and this time she chose Moscow, as it was then the Headquarters of all Communists and Socialists of the world.She was over 75 years of age and could not survive the exiled life for long. The world lost a revolutionary leader who has worked her whole life for justice to Women's cause and Socialism.

Until she breathed her last in 1933 in Archangalskoye, near Moscow,she was a firm believer in Women's Liberty hand in hand with Socialism. She preached that Women's rights and equality will automatically come,once Capitalism is done away with and Socialism in the true sense is established. She was posthumously honored profusely in the German Democratic Republic, USSR, and all other Socialist countries and some of the democratic countries as well.

To complete Clara Zetkin's life sketch I cannot but come back to International Women's Day, since she was one of the(rather the principal) masterminds behind it. In 1909 Socialist Party of America observed a National Women's Day on 28th February in New York. It was observed as civil awareness Day, Anti Sexism Day, Women's and Girl's Day, and anti-Discrimination Day. The turnout of Women was huge and it was a very encouraging and successful day.

Before the Second Socialist International in Copenhagen, a preparatory conference of International Socialist Women was organized in 1910 where Clara Zetkin and Roza Luxemburg with their other comrades raised the issue of observing a Special Women's Day annually as a day of protest against all discrimination against women all over the world including establishing equal rights for them as their male counterparts in voting, wages and all such important aspects of life. It was also to be a day of celebration: to celebrate womanhood. In the Copenhagen Socialist International their proposal was carried successfully and in 1911, 19th March was fixed as the celebration date. Millions of women, girls, and ladies came out on the streets demonstrating, protesting, and celebrating the day in different cities of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Russia, Denmark, and other countries. It went on ever since, every year on different dates set by the organizers. Finally, after the successful Socialist Revolution, when USSR was established in 1917, a fixed date was proposed and adopted.

To commemorate the first successful agitations/demonstrations of garments workers in 1857 in New York (demanding 8hours working shift and same wage as male counterparts) 8th March was declared as the International Women's Day. It is obse rved on that same day even till now. Since the 1920s it was mostly observed in the countries of the socialist world where it was a holiday. Socialist organizations in other countries also absorbed the day in their annual program. By 1967 it became a symbol of the World Feminist Movement. In, 1977 United Nations adopted the Day as UN Day for Women's Rights and World Peace. Ever since 8th March is spreading as a Day on which we renew our vow to treat our Women equally in all spheres of life and share all rights,pleasures and responsibilities of life equally with them.

Long live Clara Zetkin!

Long live her ideals! Let us read and know her more.

Let's observe International Women's Day with due solemnity. Let all men and women be equals in all spheres of life.
A North Korean flag flutters on top of a 160-metre tower in North Korea's propaganda village of Gijungdong, in this picture taken from the Tae Sung freedom village near the Military Demarcation Line, inside the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, in Paju, South Korea, April 24, 2018.
An air conditioning unit at George Washington High School is seen in this Aug. 17, 2017 photo. Guam Department of Education officials are working to cool classrooms as a current maintenance contract is about to expire.
Trojan horse: Palaus bid to become global crypto hub could turn it into scammers paradise, critics warn
The Atlantic Beach Town Council on Monday voted to ban the open carry of firearms in town during festivals, including the Memorial Day Bikefest.

As of last August, it is legal in South Carolina to have handguns visible as long as the owner has a concealed weapons permit. A business or entity may ban carrying concealed weapons if they post the proper notice.

Town Manager Benjamin Quattlebaum said the ordinance is a move to protect the towns residents and visitors. A second vote is needed for the policy to take effect.

Quattlebaum said there has been a record number of inquiries from vendors wanting to participate in this years Bikefest over Memorial Day weekend. The festival was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19.

Town Police Chief Quentin Robinson said he has been in touch with the various state law enforcement agencies who annually provide assistance to the town during the event.

They all are on board with us, he said. Were holding our annual police planning session on April 9.
Dufry International AG / Key word(s): Miscellaneous

Dufry with strong recovery reporting Organic Growth of 53.2% and Adjusted OpeRating Profit of CHF 374.9 million



08-March-2022 / 07:00 CET/CEST

Release of an ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



AD HOC ANNOUNCEMENT PURSUANT TO ART. 53 LR Dufry's full-year 2021 performance was characterized by a re-bound of travel, predominantly in the Western hemisphere. Turnover reached CHF 3,915.4 million, an Organic Growth of plus 53.2% as compared to the same period 2020, providing strong confidence in the overall recovery trend. Most notably, Dufry reported solid Equity Free Cash Flow of CHF -33.4 million for full-year 2021, representing a 73.4% conversion rate on incremental turnover 2020 to 2021. FURTHER HIGHLIGHTS: Adjusted Operating Profit substantially improved in FY 2021, reaching CHF 374.9 million



Savings of CHF 1,919.7 million versus 2019, significantly over-achieving the expected CHF 970 million in Minimum Annual Guarantee reliefs, Personnel and Other Expenses



Strong positive Equity Free Cash Flow performance in second half of 2021 of CHF 241.7 million, same level as 2019



Reduction of Net Debt to below pre-crisis level, standing now at CHF 3,079.5 million, sufficient liquidity position of CHF 2,243.9 million, and extension of Covenant holiday by four quarters



Around 1,970 shops expected to open globally by end-March 2022, representing over 90% of sales capacity compared to 2019



Considerable progress on implementing ESG strategy, including definition of CO2 emission reduction targets for scopes 1-3 in line with SBTi initiative Julian Diaz, CEO of Dufry Group, commented: 'In an environment of gradual recovery for the industry and with travel resuming at different speeds in individual countries and regions, Dufry has continued to flexibly adapt its ways of working to the ever-changing requirements. Supported by the resilient willingness of our customers to travel and their ongoing propensity to visit our stores, our Turnover saw a reassuring acceleration through the course of the year and amounted to CHF 3,915.4 million, equal to an Organic Growth of 53.2% compared to 2020. We had already defined initiatives in 2020, such as negotiating MAG reliefs and tightly controlling Personnel and Other Expenses, and continuously applied these in 2021 as well. This allowed us to save CHF 1,919.7 million in total in 2021, well ahead of the expected levels. We achieved a remarkable Equity Free Cash Flow (ECFC) of CHF -33.4 million for the full year 2021, and even a strong positive performance of CHF 241.7 million in the second half of the year, same as 2019 levels, thus underpinning the resilient Cash Flow generation capability. We also reached a very solid liquidity position at year-end of CHF 2,243.9 million. We see encouraging signs for the ongoing recovery of the industry and our business performance as vaccination levels increase, passenger traffic accelerates, and our sales improve - also supported by higher spend-per-passenger compared to before the pandemic. The overall trends to ease cross-country and domestic air travel continued and were gradually extended. With the successful re-financing measures implemented in 2021, the consolidation of our company organization and the further enhanced financial and managerial flexibility to engage in strategically relevant initiatives and growth opportunities, Dufry is well positioned to drive recovery and accelerate growth going forward.' Julian Diaz further commented: 'On a more personal note, as communicated on 21. February 2022, I will step down from my position as CEO on May 31, 2022. I would like to express my gratitude to all our stakeholders and particularly to the Board of Directors and all colleagues at Dufry for the support I have received during the past eighteen years. Without the strong dedication for execution and tireless commitment of every single employee, we could not have built the leading player of our industry. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity I had to lead and contribute to the development of this great company, and I wish the Dufry family a prosperous future.' FINANCIAL SUMMARY In 2021, Dufry has seen gradual improvements in nearly all its operations as travel started to resume, with a significant pick up in the second half of the year. The Financial Result has significantly improved versus the previous year across all performance indicators. Turnover reached CHF 3,915.4 million, representing organic growth of 53.2% compared to 2020, still impacted by the pandemic-related travel restrictions. The translational FX effect versus 2020 was -0.3%, mainly related to neutralizing effects of weaker USD and stronger GBP. The category mix mirrors the current re-opening patterns, with the duty-paid segment being driven by currently faster recovering domestic and intra-regional flights. Perfumes & cosmetics continued to be the prevalent category, followed by food & confectionery and convenience product offerings. Gross Profit margin stood at 56.5% for Full-Year 2021 and a further normalization is expected in line with business recovery. Retail margin already proved to be very resilient and saw an increase of 1.2% compared to 2019 due to strong demand of returning travelers and supported by the higher share of duty-free for UK inbound customers. During 2021, margin was mainly impacted by the temporary supply of Dufry's Hainan collaboration in China through its Hong Kong-based distribution center. Turnover Growth FY 2021

(yoy) FY 2020

(yoy) Like for Like 39.0% -67.2% New concessions, net 14.2% -2.6% Organic Growth 53.2% -69.6% Change in Scope - - Growth in constant FX 53.2% -69.6% FX Impact -0.3% -1.3% Reported Growth 52.9% -71.1% In CHF million FY 2021 FY 2020 2021 vs 2020 Turnover 3,915.4 2,561.1 1,354.3 vs. previous year 52.9% -71.1% - Gross Profit 2,211.0 1,377.3 833.7 Gross Profit Margin 56.5% 53.8% 2.7pp Lease Expenses 176.4 8.0 -168.4 thereof MAG Relief 847.1 380.3 466.8 Personnel Expenses -635.4 -716.0 -80.6 Other Expenses, net -327.7 -328.1 -0.6 D&A (incl. Impairment) -1,490.5 -2,841.9 -1,351.4 thereof Impairments, net -280.5 -1,193.1 -912.6 Operating Profit (EBIT) -66.2 -2,500.8 2,434.6 Adjusted Operating Profit 374.9 -1,561.6 1,936.5 Net Profit to Equity Holders -385.4 -2,513.7 2,128.3 Adjusted Net Profit 23.4 -1,658.4 1,681.8 Basic EPS -4.39 -43.0 38.6 Adjusted EPS 0.27 -28.4 28.7 Adjusted Operating Cash Flow 147.1 -405.9 553.0 Lease Payments, net -475.3 -401.8 -73.5 Capex -88.1 -106.0 -17.9 NWC Changes 75.7 -314.0 389.7 Equity Free Cash Flow -33.4 -1,027.3 993.9 Net Debt 3,079.5 3,343.9 -264.4 Dufry successfully executed continued Cost Savings in Personnel and Other Expenses of overall CHF 841.9 million compared to 2019, overachieving the initially expected CHF 670 million for the year. Main drivers have been continued cost discipline in addition to variable savings and some continued furlough. Further, Dufry achieved MAG relief of CHF 1,077.8 million in 2021, related to the period affected by the pandemic. Of the total MAG relief received, CHF 847.1 million were accounted as 'MAG relief' under 'lease expenses' in the 2021 P&L. Thereof, CHF 27.3 million have already been considered in MAG waivers communicated to the market in 2020. The remaining part refers to lease modifications, leading to lower Depreciation of Right of Use Assets of CHF 91.3 million, lower lease interest of CHF 47.9 million and lower variable concessions of CHF 33.7 million in 2021. An amount of CHF 85.1 million is benefiting future years. D&A in 2021 was also impacted by some additional impairments of net CHF -280.5 million, required almost mechanically in the current unprecedented environment. However, these impairments mostly relate to depreciable and amortizable assets, only represent a timing shift and will result in lower D&A going forward. Dufry's operating and net results significantly improved during 2021 with Adjusted Operating Profit (Adjusted EBIT) reaching positive CHF 374.9 million in 2021 versus CHF -1,561.6 million in the same period of 2020. Adjusted Net Profit to Equity Holders turned also positive with CHF 23.4 million in 2021 versus CHF -1,658.4 million last year, resulting in an Adjusted Earnings per Share of CHF 0.27 for FY 2021. Dufry's Cash Flow performance also proved solid. Adjusted Operating Cash Flow - a proxy for pre-IFRS 16 EBITDA - reached positive CHF 147.1 million in 2021 compared to CHF -405.9 million in 2020. Based on higher cost savings than anticipated, Dufry concluded the year with an EFCF of CHF -33.4 million. Dufry generated positive cash flows in the months May to October 2021 and reached the same level in H2 2021 compared to H2 2019, namely CHF 241.7 million and CHF 242.9 million respectively. The negative Cash Flow was mainly coming from the first half of the year, where the impact from Covid was still more pronounced. While Turnover versus 2020 improved by 52.9% (reported growth), EFCF improved by 96.7% compared to 2020. CAPEX of CHF -88.1 million came in below the initial estimate and will phase into 2022. EFCF also benefitted from an inflow of working capital of CHF 75.7 million resulting from the relatively steep business recovery of selected regions in the second half of the year. Net Debt amounted to CHF 3,079.5 million at the end of December 2021 compared to CHF 3,343.9 million in December 2020 and reached a lower level compared to December 2019 pre-crisis (CHF 3,102.0 million). Dufry's Liquidity Position amounted to CHF 2,243.9 million as of December 31, 2021. The full set of financial information is provided in Dufry's 2021 Annual Report. Dufry agreed with its lending banks on an extension of the covenant holiday until June 2023. The September and December 2023 testing deadlines require a 3.0x Total Interest Expense/Adjusted Operating Cash Flow and a 5.0x Net Debt/Adjusted Operating Cash Flow ratio before the company will return to its 4.5x Net Debt/Adjusted Operating Cash Flow threshold in 2024. OUTLOOK OUTLOOK In line with easing of travel restrictions by governments and resuming of operations by airports and other landlords, Dufry re-opens its retail businesses gradually, following single-location productivity scenarios. As per end December, around 1,900 shops globally were open, representing around 88% in sales capacity compared to full-year 2019. At the end of March, Dufry expects to operate more than 1,970 shops, representing above 90% of sales capacity. The emergence of the Omicron variant and related restricted measures re-imposed by selected governments caused some slowdown in January and February, but all regions have started to trend upwards already in line with the easing of restrictions in many countries. Dufry sees strong demand for the resuming of travel with shopping as an integral part of the overall travel experience. Given limited visibility and information currently available to management regarding the geo-political environment, pandemic-related developments, government responses and timeline for lifting of measures, Dufry does not provide guidance for 2022 in line with past practice. In the current environment, Dufry focuses on the protection of its Liquidity while engaging in Organic Growth opportunities with a mid-term focus on deleveraging, opportunistic M&A if accretive and a re-initiation of Dividend Payments depending on the recovery trajectory. Therefore, the Board of Directors will propose to the 2022 Annual General Meeting to keep the Dividend payment for the business year 2021 suspended. Dufry continues to focus on strengthening its sustainability approach and has defined science-based-targets (SBT) to achieve climate neutrality by 2025 for scopes 1 + 2 and to considerably reduce carbon footprint of scope 3 emissions by cooperating with suppliers and logistic partners by 2027 and 2030 respectively. Dufry also launched a new sustainable product identification initiative across 128 airports and 171 shops globally, and evolved its diversity & inclusion engagement, among other major initiatives. Further information is provided in Dufry's 2021 Sustainability Report. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT In 2021, Dufry succeeded in winning several attractive New Concessions and expanding important contracts across all regions, thus adding solid contributors to the resilience of the business. Amongst the most important new wins are: the contract at Teesside International Airport (UK) for twelve years, further consolidating the footprint in the UK; the new concessions at Martinique Aime Cesaire International Airport for ten years and at Cayenne Felix Eboue International Airport in French Guiana for five years; the new wins at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica, for five years and six years for the duty-free and the duty-paid concessions respectively, as well as at Salgado Filho International Airport in Porto Alegre (BR) for six years. Extensions of existing contracts have been awarded at Santiago International Airport, the second largest hub for the Dominican Republic, for ten years; at Cardiff Airport (UK) for 12 years and in Cambodia covering the airports of Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville for five and a half years. At the end of 2021, Dufry's pipeline included projects covering 38,700 m2 of potential additional retail space. Amongst the several refurbishment and new openings in 2021, the highlights worth mentioning were the Rio Galeao Dufry Shopping Megastore (BR), several shops at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg (RU), the extensive redesign at Milano Linate International Airport (IT) and the completely renewed Brookstone shop concept in the US. With the opening of the Group's first full-seated restaurant concept 'Plum Market' at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Dufry enhanced its airport F&B footprint in the US. Also in the US, Dufry has launched the new Hudson Nonstop shop concept. It allows customers to enter the shop by just tapping their credit card, choose from a selection of the traditional travel convenience product assortment and leave the shop without going to the till and without any human interaction. Hudson Nonstop uses Amazon's Just Walk Out technology, which is currently in operation at Chicago Midway International Airport and at Dallas Love Field Airport. In 2021, we have also accelerated the deployment of self-check-out tills, which have been well received by our international customer base in 5 countries with over 100 units in operation across 31 shops. Both new developments are testimony to our ongoing focus to drive the company's digitalization to simplify processes and generate efficiencies. In total, Dufry opened 9,800 m2 of new shops and refurbished 19,250 m2 of sales space, corresponding to 2% and 4% of total space respectively. In addition, Dufry was involved in the opening of the Global Duty Free Plaza at the Mova Mall in Hainan - in collaboration with Alibaba and Hainan Development Holdings, which represents a first entry point in the attractive Hainan market. REGIONAL PERFORMANCE REGIONAL PERFORMANCE Europe, Middle East and Africa Turnover in Europe, Middle East and Africa was CHF 1,723.8 million in 2021 from CHF 1,144.5 million one year ago. EMEA saw a significant step-up in June and gradual improvement ever since based on resuming of travel within the region and transatlantic routes. Best performing was the Mediterranean, including Turkey and Greece, Eastern Europe, Russia, Middle East, and Africa benefitting from leisure demand and more flexible travel protocols compared to other countries in the region. Also, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK saw an uptake since June as vaccination campaigns were progressing and authorities were implementing more convenient intra-European as well as transatlantic travel protocols. Departure destinations with inbound travel to UK benefitted from new regulations related to Brexit and duty-free quotas. Towards the end of the year, re-imposed restrictions, and limited alignment between governments around the emergence of the Omicron variant resulted in a slight slowdown. Asia-Pacific Asia-Pacific's turnover reached CHF 99.0 million in 2021 from CHF 160.0 million in 2020. APAC is still largely impacted by the respective governments' zero-case approach, and borders for inbound and outbound travel are mostly closed. Accordingly, shops in Dufry's Asia-Pacific locations such as Hong Kong are closed or operating at very low levels in line with flights and passenger movements. Since the end of 2021, Australia, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Macau started to release restrictions and to allow a soft opening of travel. As soon as restrictions are further being lifted, demand is expected to show a fast rebound. The Americas The America's turnover stood at CHF 1,728.5 million in 2021 versus CHF 1,141.7 million in 2020. North America, especially the US, performed above group average due to the higher exposure to domestic travel. Intra-regional travel from the US to Central America as well as the opening of the transatlantic route in November were also supportive. The performance was driven by Hudson convenience stores, food and beverage and other duty-paid offerings. Central America and Caribbean, including Mexico, Dominican Republic, and the Caribbean Islands, were performing robustly as well, driven by intra-regional travel from the US and South America as well as international travel as more flexible travel conditions met continued demand. The cruise business, located in the region, continued to be impacted. South America started to trend upwards in the second half 2021, especially in Argentina, Colombia, and Ecuador, in line with vaccination progress and an improved health situation. Performance of distribution centers was impacted by temporary supply of Dufry's Hainan collaboration in China through its Hong Kong-based distribution center, which largely transitioned to the local supply chain at the beginning of 2022. Turnover, in CHF million Q4 2021 Q4 2020 Reported Growth Q4 (vs 2020) Organic Growth Q4 (vs 2020)* Europe, Middle East and Africa 654.9 192.4 240.4% 235.0% Asia Pacific 23.8 25.5 -6.7% -8.9% The Americas 591.5 237.3 149.3% 140.3% Distribution Centers 108.5 32 239.1% 367.4% Dufry Group 1,378.7 487.1 183.0% 179.5% Turnover, in CHF million FY 2021 FY 2020 Reported Growth FY (vs. 2020) Organic Growth FY (vs 2020)* Europe, Middle East and Africa 1,723.8 1,144.5 50.6% 49.0% Asia Pacific 99.0 160.0 -38.1% -38.9% The Americas 1,728.5 1,141.7 51.4% 53.4% Distribution Centers 364.1 114.9 216.9% 302.1% Dufry Group 3,915.4 2,561.1 52.9% 53.2% *Organic growth adjusted for FX and regional revenue allocation For the FY 2021 Results Presentation, the FY 2021 Financial tables, details of the FY 2021 Presentation and Conference Call and other related information, please visit our dedicated page: www.dufry.com/en/FY2021 For further information:

CONTACT Dr. Kristin Kohler

Global Head

Investor Relations

Phone: +41 79 563 18 09

kristin.koehler@dufry.com Renzo Radice

Global Head

Corporate Communications & Public Affairs

Phone: +41 61 266 44 19

renzo.radice@dufry.com DUFRY GROUP - A LEADING GLOBAL TRAVEL RETAILER Dufry AG (SIX: DUFN) is the leading global travel retailer operating over 2,300 duty-free and duty-paid shops in airports, cruise lines, seaports, railway stations and downtown tourist areas, in more than 420 locations in 66 countries across all six continents. The Company, founded in 1865 and headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, is offering customers a first-class shopping experience, global brands, a unique market access and landlords a reliable, value-enhancing partnership. To learn more about Dufry, please visit www.dufry.com. Social Responsibility

Dufry cares for children and supports social projects from SOS Kinderdorf in Brazil, Mexico, Kenya, Russia, Jordan and Spain. SOS Children's Villages is an independent, non-political and non-demonstrational organization established for orphaned and destitute children all over the world.

End of ad hoc announcement
Duncan_Andison / Getty Images/iStockphoto

BEARDSTOWN  City Council is scheduled to meet in regular session by 7 p.m. today in City Hall at 105 W. Third St. The meeting will be preceded by a committee meeting at 6 p.m.

Among the items on the agenda are:
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Jacksonville was well-represented during the weekend Illinois Product Expo, with two vendors making an appearance at the event in Springfield.

Bakery Whisk Me Away and Peters Produce, which features several home-made food items, both were first-time participants in the annual event that brings more than 5,000 visitors to the state fairgrounds to sample Illinois-made food products.

Weve been going to food shows for years and that was one of our favorite ones, so when we actually got into the show it was a milestone, said Anastasia Bergner-McNeece, who co-owns Whisk Me Away with her partner, Kay Bergner-McNeece. The only bad part about working it is you dont get to walk around and eat everything.

Whisk Me Away offered samples of its baby cupcakes, cookies, rolls and coffee cake, but the biggest hit was the bakerys brownie bites.

Those are always our first thing to sell out because we make them extremely fudgy and not cakey, and they are amazing, Bergner-McNeece said. They are how I gained 10 pounds our first month we were open.

Whisk Me Away is at 532 S. Main St. but have a presence at many area markets and festivals, including the Thursday night farmers market at the Illinois State Fairgrounds and, most recently, Greene County Days.

The Bergner-McNeeces have been open only a short time but the bakery was a long-term dream for them.

We had been planning a bakery for about 10 years and at the end of 2020 we found out that the lady from the Icing on the Cake was selling off her equipment, Bergner-McNeece said. We saw that as our prime opportunity. It was perfect timing.

Peters Produce was also pleased with the experience.

It was great, they put on a really good show, its very well organized and advertised, Peters Produce owner Paul Barnett said. There were thousands of people there.

Peters Produce offered visitors samples of 25 different kinds of jellies, three kinds of salsa, five flavors of pickles, baked goods, smoked products, and cold smoked cheese. They sold out of one of their favorites, smoked cheddar cheese crackers.

Peters Produce raises about 90% of the fruits and vegetables it uses on land in the Jacksonville area. It buys things like pretzels, crackers and cheese and add flavor to them.

Barnett has been taking part in farmers markets for the last 22 years, and has used the business name Peters Produce for seven years. The products may be found at farmers markets starting in May, including those held Thursday night at the state fairgrounds, Sunday in Rochester, the Saturday morning Alton Farmers Market, and Tuesday afternoons in Jerseyville starting in June.

Peters Produce products are sold in only one retail outlet, the A & A Boutique consignment store in downtown Alton.

But who is the Peter in the company name?

A very good friend of mine had a drywall business called Peters Drywall. I worked with him for 15 years and he passed away from cancer five years ago, Barnett said. He told me never put a business in your own name, so I didnt.

Barnett was glad that he took part in the expo.

I was very apprehensive at first, it took me about a month to really ponder whether I wanted to do that or not, Barnett said, "but Im glad I did. I met so many new people and they loved what we had.



The 23rd annual Illinois Product Expo was hosted by the Illinois Department of Agriculture. The event is designed to bring Illinois food companies and consumers together to explore Illinois by sampling products, enjoying food demonstrations and stocking up on favorite Illinois products.
A consumer advocacy group says a measure that would ban flavored tobacco products in Illinois, including vapes, could do more harm than good, but others are pushing to ban products they say are targeted to children.

State Sen. Julie Morrison, D-Lake Forest, has been a steadfast supporter of banning flavored tobacco products, which she said are intentionally targeted to children with candy-like names. She has introduced Senate Bill 3854, which would prohibit the sale of all flavored tobacco products, including cigarettes, e-cigarettes and chewing tobacco. The measure remains in a Senate committee.

Elizabeth Hicks, U.S. Affairs analyst with the Consumer Choice Center, said enacting a flavor ban for vaping products will push adult consumers to switch back to smoking combustible tobacco at a time when smoking cigarettes has been trending down in Illinois.

"About 12% of adults in 2020 reported smoking, however, if this bill passes, we can certainly expect that number to increase, Hicks said.

Hicks said with more people smoking cigarettes, taxpayers will eventually have to pick up the tab.

This ultimately will lead to increases in smoking-related healthcare costs, which are already costing Illinois taxpayers over $1.9 billion annually, Hicks said.

Municipalities around the state, including Chicago, Skokie and Oak Park, have all passed some kind of ban on the sale of flavored e-cigarette and vaping products.

I applaud the Chicago city council for its decision to ban these products, Morrison said. I urge my colleagues in the General Assembly to take note and to prioritize the passage of a statewide ban.

The Preventing Youth Vaping Act went into effect Jan. 1, and prohibits companies from directing advertisements and marketing materials at people younger than 21 by including cartoons and images from video games.

The annual American Lung Association State of Tobacco Control report tracks the efforts of the federal government and state governments on actions taken to eliminate tobacco use and enact control laws and policies. The study found that nearly 1 in 4 high schoolers use tobacco, which includes the use of e-cigarettes and flavored tobacco.
Fort Lauderdale  Larry Scirotto, Fort Lauderdales top cop fired amid allegations of reverse discrimination last week after just six months on the job, was firing back on Monday, saying any and all options are open  including a wrongful termination lawsuit and reinstatement.

Scirotto, speaking to reporters at a news conference outside the NAACP building in downtown Fort Lauderdale, said city leadership hired him, in part, to bring change to a department whose leaders usually came from inside the agency. Scirotto, tasked with bringing diversity to the agency, says he reviewed prior promotions and saw classic nepotism and favoritism.

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His boss, City Manager Chris Lagerbloom, warned him his efforts to diversify the agency would be met with great resistance, he said. But Scirotto says Lagerbloom promised to back him. And he did, until he didnt.

Lagerbloom fired Scirotto on Thursday, six days after receiving an investigative report by an outside attorney handpicked by the city to look into claims that Scirotto made promotions based on race and gender. The investigation got underway in November, a month after three white officers and one Hispanic officer filed complaints with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

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That attorney, former prosecutor Gregg Rossman, declined to comment Monday.

Rossmans contract with Fort Lauderdale restricts him from speaking to reporters without the citys permission, he said via text.

Fired Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Larry Scirotto, left, with Marsha Ellison, president of the local chapter of the NAACP, during a news conference Monday outside the NAACP office in Fort Lauderdale. Scirotto and Ellison both say he didn't deserve to be fired. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)

City Attorney Alain Boileau said he could not authorize Rossman to comment; Lagerbloom could not be reached for comment.

Scirotto and his swift termination created a media storm, making headlines at news outlets throughout the country.

[ RELATED: Fort Lauderdales police chief fired over discrimination complaints after six months on the job ]

Police departments nationwide are also watching the controversy, and for good reason, said Alex Piquero, a University of Miami professor and criminology expert.

Its going to have reverberations for other police departments, he said. Were talking about race and ethnicity and policing. Fort Lauderdale is not a little town in the middle of nowhere. And this is a big issue.

Fired for promoting diversity?

Scirotto, the son of a white mother and Black father and the departments first gay chief, says hes hired attorney David Di Pietro to represent him.

I will let my legal team determine the next steps, Scirotto told reporters.

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Di Pietro, who was out of town and could not attend the news conference, said hes still investigating the claims that could be filed against the city.

We think the right thing to do is for the city to reinstate him, Di Pietro said. He relied on their representation of what they wanted him to do in this role and he was terminated for doing what he was hired to do.

Larry Scirotto, center, who was fired from his job as Fort Lauderdale police chief last week, huddles into a prayer circle with supporters Monday before the start of a news conference outside the NAACP office in Fort Lauderdale. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Di Pietro questioned why none of the interviews conducted by Rossman were recorded.

The most transparent [approach] would have been to record the interviews or have a court reporter there, he said. Video and audio would be the best evidence, not someones opinion about testimony.

Di Pietro also argued that Scirotto was not given the chance to defend himself against the claims made in the report.

They let Larry read the report and they fired him, Di Pietro said. Thats not due process. All public employees are entitled to due process. I dont care if youre a teacher or a bus driver, everyone is entitled to due process in this country.

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[ RELATED: Gay police chief says he pushed for diversity in upper ranks  and that got him fired. His supporters are wondering why ]

The way his defenders see it, Scirotto was railroaded by a group of high-ranking insiders within the police department who were never going to accept his leadership.

Marsha Ellison, president of the Fort Lauderdale chapter of the NAACP, spoke first at Scirottos news conference. She was on the panel of community leaders who got the chance to meet and interview the top candidates for chief before Scirotto was hired.

We were elated to see there were candidates from the outside, Ellison said. We dont need another insider to further the agenda of the good old boys club. We wanted someone who would be fair.

Apparently, Scirotto did his job too well, she said.

He hired the best people, she said. I guess too many of them were Black. It really seemed like a setup to me. The community is with him. We know that this is wrong. Were all in because what they did is wrong.

In the weeks after he was hired, Scirotto promoted 15 cops. Nine were white men. The other six were all minorities through ethnicity or gender. Four people who were not chosen for promotions  three men and one woman  filed the EEOC complaints.

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Community leader Bill Brown, a retired fire chief from Indiana, came out Monday in support of Scirotto, a retired assistant chief from Pittsburgh.

I think he was railroaded, Brown said. The investigation was biased. Gregg Rossman has connections to local law enforcement and very little experience in employment law.

An opinion piece

On Monday, Scirotto called the report an opinion piece and referred to Rossman as a compromised investigator.

According to Rossmans report, the chief, on more than one occasion, pointed to a wall in his conference room with photos of the departments command staff and said, That wall is too white and Im gonna change that.

Rossman wrote that the chief admitted to making several statements about The wall being too white.

But on Monday, Scirotto said he never used the words too white to describe the wall of photos.

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The wall was part of an overall conversation about diversity, said Scirotto, noting it had a photo of only one Black man, one Hispanic man and one woman before he was hired as chief.

The wall doesnt represent our community, Scirotto said. The wall didnt represent our organization. Our organization is 44% minority.

[ RELATED: All eyes on new police chief. Can he fix Fort Lauderdales troubled agency? ]

Scirotto says he was interviewed by Rossman for 2.5 hours about each candidate and why they were promoted. Rossman reduced the entire interview to six lines in his report and he got some of it wrong, Scirotto said.

When examining how Scirotto chose a new captain, Rossmans report claims Scirotto overlooked a white candidate with 20 years experience and instead said he was picking between two men of color, asking Which one is blacker?

Scirotto denied saying that too.

I never said the blacker comment. Never said it, Scirotto said. Its patently offensive to me.

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Scirotto says he promoted 15 people in all, including nine straight white men.

Capt. Cecil Stone was my first promotion, Scirotto said Monday. He is a Black man. But thats not why he was promoted. He has a masters degree. He was a lieutenant well-respected by the community.

Hostile workplace?

Stone, president of the Fort Lauderdale Black Police Officers Association, sent out a statement over the weekend criticizing what he called Rossmans fundamentally flawed report, saying it failed to provide a comparison of the qualifications, experience and educational attainment of those who were promoted against those who were not.

Stone also argued the chiefs firing has created a potentially hostile work environment for everyone recently promoted because it implies they did not earn their promotion and is exposing them to possible retaliation, insubordination and mistreatment.

Stone encouraged the minority officers promoted by Scirotto to remain positive, saying any effort to disqualify, delegitimize and destroy the reputation of hard-working Black LGBTQ and other minority police officers is reprehensible.

Marsha Ellison, president of the local chapter of the NAACP, speaks Monday during a news conference outside the NAACP office in Fort Lauderdale. Fired Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Larry Scirotto is third from left. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Tonja Haddad-Coleman, the attorney representing the four officers who filed complaints with the EEOC, says one of her clients  a straight white woman  was passed over for promotion to captain.

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Instead, three men were promoted, including two Black men, Cecil Stone and Eddie Cruz.

They have less time on the job [than Lt. Kim Maus], less time as sergeants, scored lower on the test and NO TIME in any division other than road patrol! Haddad-Coleman said via email.

Her other three clients were sergeants skipped over for promotion to lieutenant.

Each had more time on the job, more time as sergeants, and more time in training and in other divisions, Haddad-Coleman said. One white male promoted had an open Internal Affairs investigation, which prevents someone from being promoted [or always did]; the Black male promoted was just recently investigated by Internal Affairs just before he was promoted.

On Monday, Scirotto again defended his promotions, saying they were not at all based on skin color.

Despite his short tenure, Scirotto says hes proud of what he accomplished.

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We have a community that believes in the Fort Lauderdale Police Department now and Im not sure that existed [when I got here] in August, he said. We are better today than when I started.

Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com or on Twitter @Susannah_Bryan
Political parties are a hard habit to break.

According to a Gallup Poll, 62% of Americans dont believe the two major parties are doing a good job of representing Americans. And yet, despite registrations declining, a majority of American voters still identify as members of one of the two parties, and the vast majority limit their voting to candidates from them.

Third parties are seen as spoilers, costing Al Gore the presidency in 2000 and Hillary Clinton in 2016, and not doing much else. The fear of disrupting a system, even one viewed as corrupt, is crippling America.

The indoctrination into the duopoly starts early, and everything in our political culture reinforces the view that no matter how unhappy we are with our choices, the only options are left and right. Little attention is paid, in the climate of our duopolistic system, to the most fundamental purpose of our government  provide solutions that make our lives better. The two parties arent interested in solving problems, as a solved problem cant be used to drum up their base.

The good news when it comes to a course correction might stem, tragically, from the disheartening polarization thats currently gripped our nation. Signs are showing that people are sick of it, and, outside of the partisans in the media and on social media, people are ready for a different approach to politics.

This is why youre seeing so many third parties and non-partisan organizations spring up to engage Americans interested in change. But who are these Americans, and what are their political beliefs? In short, what are they looking for in an alternative party?

Its easy to assume that theres some middle ground inhabited by most Americans between the left and the right, and on certain topics thats true. Most Americans support some common sense gun control measures, whether theyre gun owners or think that gun ownership leads to violence. Most Americans want to minimize police violence while still supporting our law enforcement officers.

However, on other topics, most Americans are more on the left or the right. Most Americans do believe in climate change and think that more needs to be done to combat it, aligning more with the left. But they also believe that unemployment payments should be limited, and work should be encouraged  standing closer to the political right. Most Americans support investing in small businesses while also raising the minimum wage. Its not clear where these voters, when their individual views are analyzed, fall on the left-right spectrum. And while they may say that theyre in the middle, thats not always the case.

So its not alway a middle ground that Americans are looking for. In many cases, its shared ground.

Axios reported on the findings of a think tank, Populace, conducted in 2020 that revealed that Americans are united by nine of the 15 top priorities for voters of each major party, including access to high quality health care, community safety, reforming the criminal justice system, building up opportunity for our middle class, and infrastructure. Eighty percent of voters support term limits. The areas of overlap go on and on. And yet, we hardly see movement in the federal government.

There are many parties and candidates out there fighting for these reforms and attempting to bring Americans together, but the system  built up by the current two parties  makes it harder and harder with each ballot access law and party recognition hurdle for these groups to gain traction. But, outside of that, the biggest hurdle is viability  shedding the image that third parties are spoilers who have no chance of winning elections.

But the only thing thats stopping a party that better reflects the majority of the American population who currently believes theyre not represented well by either party is those Americans deciding that they can do better, and knowing that their vote can usher in change.

By shifting our voting from the binary choice of left versus right, we can find that just right lies not in one party, but in a well-balanced multi-party system where a focus on values and problem-solving become the new political habit. Where elected officials from a variety of parties are willing to work together in good faith to solve problems, and to try out solutions they disagree with but that are proposed by people who truly believe they will work.

Lets restore governance to its fundamental purpose  lifting the nation with solutions for all Americans. Lets move the nation forward.
Watertown, SD (57201)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 38F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 38F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
Senator Mitch McConnell View Photo

U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered remarks on the Senate floor regarding Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.

McConnell was Tuesdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words:

Yesterday morning, I hosted Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the Presidents nominee to replace Justice Breyer on the Supreme Court, in my office.

I was glad to meet with Judge Jackson. We enjoyed a cordial discussion. Like Ive been saying, Republicans fundamentally believe the nominee, the Court, and the country all deserve better than the disgraceful displays that Senate Democrats have routinely visited on the nominees of Republican presidents.

The Senates process should be dignified. But it must also be vigorous, exhaustive, and painstaking. We are talking about a lifetime appointment to our nations highest Court.

This is a moment when issues relating to the law and the judiciary are directly hitting American families  from skyrocketing murders and carjackings; to soft-on-crime prosecutors effectively repealing laws; to open borders.

This is also a moment when the far left has declared open season on the very concept of judicial independence itself.

President Biden even bowed to the radicals and set up a court-packing commission.

Now, Justice Breyer has distinguished himself by loudly and proudly putting these radicals in their place. He has consistently denounced the concept of partisan court-packing and defended the Courts legitimacy.

One would hope his successor would follow suit.

But curiously, the same radicals who want to turn Democrats into the party of court-packing also badly wanted Judge Jackson for this vacancy. Its a matter of record that this nominee was the anointed favorite of these fringe groups. At this time last year they were already spending dark money to raise her profile.

So I intend to explore why groups that are waging political war against the Court as an institution decided Judge Jackson was their special favorite.

Like I said  I enjoyed meeting the Judge. Shes clearly a sharp lawyer with an impressive resume. But when it comes to the Supreme Court, a core qualification is judicial philosophy. Our citizens need Justices who treat all parties fairly, apply our laws and Constitution as written, and leave legislating to Congress.

I raised all these matters yesterday. And I look forward to gaining more clarity about Judge Jacksons positions during the vigorous and thorough Senate process to come.

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML.
A juror told a judge Tuesday that failing to disclose his child abuse history during jury selection at the trial of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was one of the biggest mistakes of his life  but an unintentional one.

I didnt lie in order to get on this jury, the juror said.

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A U.S. judge questioned the juror extensively as part of an effort to decide whether the revelation about his personal history as a sex abuse survivor will spoil the verdict in the sex trafficking trial.

Maxwell was convicted in late December of helping the financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse multiple teenage girls from 1994 to 2004.

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Sitting in a courtroom witness box, the juror repeatedly expressed regret as U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan asked him dozens of questions about why he didnt reveal the abuse on a questionnaire during the jury selection process.

[ RELATED: Ghislaine Maxwell juror likely to get immunity for testimony. Her conviction for sex trafficking teenage girls for Jeffrey Epstein is at stake. ]

The juror said he didnt mention it because he skimmed way too fast through the questionnaire.

This is one of the biggest mistakes Ive ever made in my life, the juror identified only as Juror No. 50 said as he looked directly at the judge.

Lawyers for Maxwell  who was present in the courtroom, clad in a dark blue jail smock  say the verdict should be thrown out. Maxwells lawyers potentially could have objected to the mans presence on the jury on the grounds that he might not be fair to a person accused of a similar crime.

The juror told the judge Tuesday he had been repeatedly sexually abused at age 9 and 10 by two people.

The judge gave lawyers in the case until March 15 to submit legal briefs on whether the verdict should be set aside. Maxwells sentencing is scheduled for June.

The juror did several media interviews after the trial in which he revealed hed been abused. He described persuading some fellow jurors during deliberations that a victims imperfect memory of abuse doesnt mean it didnt happen.

[ RELATED: Billionaire sex offender's 'sweetheart deal' violated our rights, victims tell feds ]

All potential jurors in the case had been asked to fill out a screening form in early November that asked: Have you or a friend or family member ever been the victim of sexual harassment, sexual abuse, or sexual assault? (This includes actual or attempted sexual assault or other unwanted sexual advance, including by a stranger, acquaintance, supervisor, teacher, or family member.)

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The juror checked No. The juror said in the interviews he flew through the questionnaire and didnt remember being asked that question, which was No. 48 on the form.

The judge granted the juror immunity before he answered questions for over a half hour. He said he would invoke his Fifth Amendment privilege without it.

Maxwell lawyers in January asked the judge to immediately order a new trial after the jurors public statements, but Nathan said she could not do so without questioning the juror.

The juror also checked No on a question which asked: Have you, or any of your relatives or close friends, ever been a victim of a crime?

Maxwell, 60, was convicted of sex trafficking and other charges after a monthlong trial that featured testimony from four women who said she played a role in setting them up for abuse by Epstein.

Epstein killed himself in August 2019 as he awaited trial at a federal jail in New York on related sex trafficking charges.

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Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges in Palm Beach County in July 2008. He admitted he hired local underage girls to provide sex and erotic massages at his home. His sentence has been referred to as a sweetheart deal that allowed him lenient work release while he served about 13 months of an 18-month sentence, followed by a year of house arrest.

An investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement focused on former Palm Beach County State Attorney Barry Krischers decision not to aggressively prosecute sex abuse allegations against Epstein over a decade ago; Epsteins generous work release privileges in jail; and allegations that Epstein had sex with young women while under the jails supervision.

The investigation found Epstein received differential treatment in jail, but no evidence was uncovered that suggests county officials broke any laws. Epstein killed himself in a New York jail in 2019 as he awaited a sex trafficking trial.

Maxwells lawyers argued at trial that she was made into a scapegoat by federal prosecutors after his death. Maxwell says shes innocent.
DEAN TREML/AFP via Getty Images

According to VegasInsider, a number of records could be broken at the upcoming 94th Academy Awards, set to take place in March. In addition, there could also be a litany of firsts to occur for the Oscars, including Netflix winning its first Best Picture Oscar with "The Power of the Dog" and "Don't Look Up" nominated.

Here are more of the firsts and records that could be set at this year's ceremony.
Vickie Cartwright will soon hire two new administrators that could each earn more than $200,000 a year as one of her first major decisions as Browards permanent school superintendent.

Cartwright, who was hired last month, asked the School Board Tuesday to approve two deputy superintendent positions, one for teaching and learning and one for operations. The School Board approved the request 7-1, with Lori Alhadeff dissenting and Patti Good being absent.

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The cost of the positions, with salaries ranging from $160,000 to $236,000 each, is expected to be about $278,551 per year for each new deputy, a district analysis shows.

, Until Tuesday, the highest-paying position under the superintendent had a top salary of $209,000.

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These two positions provide focus for the two main areas of the District: Teaching and Learning, and District Operations, said a statement from the office of Chief Communications Officer Kathy Koch.

[ RELATED: State House leaders back $200 million punishment against schools that required masks ]

The move comes at a time when the School Board could face steep cuts in state funding due to enrollment declines. The state House of Representatives has also passed a budget that strips $200 million from school districts that defied a state order and imposed mask mandates last semester. Browards potential cut would be $32 million.

The cut would be equal to every district-level administrator making $100,000 a year or more, said Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, who drafted the plan. However, districts arent required to eliminate the jobs if they can find money elsewhere in their budgets.

The Senate may decide today whether it supports the House proposal, said John Sullivan, the districts legislative liaison. Gov. Ron DeSantis voiced support for the idea. Alhadeff proposed waiting to see if the district will receive this cut before approving the positions.

The two new deputy superintendents will add an extra layer of management to Broward schools, with many positions now reporting to the superintendent  including chief financial officer, chief academic officer and chief human resources officer  reporting to one of the new administrators.

[ RELATED: DeSantis now backs taking $200 million from schools that mandated masks ]

But school district officials say the new positions wont cost the district any more money. The prorated cost of the two jobs for the rest of the school year would be about $144,000. Cartwrights proposal eliminates one job  chief of operations and strategy  and uses savings from other administrative vacancies to pay for the positions for the rest of the year.

I believe it is a good idea, School Board member Debbi Hixon told the Sun Sentinel Monday. It is cost neutral for this year.

The district will likely need to cut more high-level positions to pay for these positions starting with the 2022-23 school year. A statement from Kochs office said the proposal is the beginning of the reorganization of district divisions for next school year. The intended result is to be cost neutral now and moving forward.

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Board Chairwoman Laurie Rich Levinson said during Tuesdays meeting she expects to see a plan in the future that saves money, not just avoids cost increases. But she said most large districts have deputy superintendents.

Its essential we support Dr. Cartwright in the way she wants to organize, Levinson said.

[ LEE EN ESPANOL: Superintendenta de Broward busca dos nuevos administradores con salarios de $200,000 al ano ]
Lupe Tortilla is gearing up to open its third San Antonio location this year, but the popular Tex-Mex restaurant out of Houston doesn't announce opening dates. A new San Antonio location is set to open at the Alamo Quarry Market in the old Canyon Cafe building, but Lupe Tortilla spokesperson Matt Ray says the restaurant has learned not to announce an opening date.

Why? It helps the chain provide quality service on its actual opening day.

RELATED: Torchy's Tacos building first New Braunfels location

Ray says Lupe Tortilla locations tend to do about a week of training for staff once the building is ready and then it does an invite seating preview of the restaurant. Guests are either invited or happen on the restaurant through word-of mouth. The restaurant can then control the volume of customers so as not to overwhelm the staff as they get used to the flow of service.

For example, invite-seating periods will let eight people in every 15 minutes with parties no larger than six, Ray says.

JENNIFER MCINNIS/San Antonio Express-News

"We want to give the best service," Ray says. "The whole idea behind it is the staff doesnt quit on you because they get overwhelmed by the number of people coming through the door."

RELATED: I tried San Antonio's new Kura Revolving Sushi Bar and I can't wait to go back

The restaurant is not officially open during the invite-seating period, Ray says, so it doesn't have to follow normal hours of operation. This allows the restaurant to close for a few hours to assess the staff and or stop serving customers completely. Ray says training and management will gradually up the volume of customers throughout the invite-seating period.

Ray says that this method has worked for Lupe Tortilla in the past because people who love the restaurant are "fanatics."

So what does this mean for the Quarry location? While there is no opening date, Ray says Lupe Tortilla will open at the Quarry sometime this year. Ray says the location is already hiring cooks and training is set to begin next month.

MySA will try to keep readers updated of when exactly the location is officially open, but even so, Ray says the restaurant rarely advertises and has found success in word-of-mouth.
UPDATE: AAA has reported that San Antonio gas prices have surpassed the record high of $3.95, coming in at $3.96 per gallon as of Thursday, March 10. The following tips to find cheap gas still apply.

Original story follows below.

San Antonio's gas prices are going up. As a result of continued sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, San Antonians can expect gas prices to keep increasing.

AAA reports that the average national gas price is $4.17 per gallon of regular unleaded fuel and $3.85 in Texas. Locally, the average gas price is $3.75 per gallon, which is up about 50 cents from last week. If San Antonio continues down this path, it could hit or eventually surpass the record average price of $3.95.

Technology has made it easier to find the cheapest gas prices near you with several apps right at your fingertips. Here are a few ways you can find cheap gas prices.

Boston Globe/Boston Globe via Getty Images

Gas apps

GasBuddy

GasBuddy is one app dedicated to finding cheap gas prices in your city. The app's website says it has saved people about $3.1 billion with its services.

The app is free to download in Google Play and the App Store. GasBuddy works off your current location if your GPS is on and lists the gas station prices near you. You can widen or narrow the search area depending on how far you can drive.

Gas Guru

Another app that was made to find cheap gas prices near you is Gas Guru from The Real Yellow Pages, also known as YP.

The app works like GasBuddy by listing gas stations near you, which you can filter by lowest price and type of gas. Gas Guru also lists if the gas station has an ATM, restaurant, or car wash.

It is available on Apple and Android phones.

OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images

Maps apps

Waze

Yep. The app that lets you have Cookie Monster update you on your route. Waze also lets someone look for nearby gas stations and sort those by price.

Waze relies on others who use the map to report accidents, road closures, and traffic. The same goes for the gas station prices, so the prices may not be as accurate if the last time gas prices were updated was two days ago.

I live outside Loop 1604, so the most recent update to gas prices near me was two days ago. If you look at gas stations closer to San Antonio, however, the prices are updated regularly.

Google Maps

As with most navigation apps, Google Maps also allows you to search gas stations near you. If your GPS is on, you can tap the fueling pump icon and it will show your nearest stations and prices.

It will require a little more searching the map or the list it provides to find the cheapest gas since there doesn't seem to be a filter for "price." As of this afternoon, most prices are hanging around $3.70 to $3.80.

Siri

Of course Siri can tell you where to find cheap gas. As with all technology, it has its quirks. If I asked "Where is the cheapest gas near me?" Siri showed me results for gas stations that didn't have gas prices listed.

So you have to ask more than one question. Start with, "Siri, where are the nearest gas stations?" Once you receive results, you'll want to ask, "Which one has the cheapest gas?" Siri will then sort the results by cheapest.

So it takes a little more conversation, but Siri eventually gets the job done.
Its a thing of the past, Leslie Cochran says in the beginning of the 2019 documentary Becoming Leslie. Clad in his requisite thong and not much else, the cross-dressing activist is dodging a question, Keanu in the Matrix-style, about his history. Its a skill he honed on the corner of Sixth and Congress for years.

When you give up your secrets, people lose interest, he finishes.

And hes right. In the 10 years since he died, residents who caught him telling tales downtown or drinking too much on South Congress still havent solved the riddle of Leslie. How can one homeless, thong-clad activist become a citys most famous resident? How can that same man come to define a city of more than one million?

Since Leslies death on March 8, 2012, Austinites have come to miss more than just the loquacious, half-nude, mononymic street fixture. They now mourn what they have lost alongside his passing: the place that allowed Leslie to exist in the first place.

Andrew Shapter (on behalf of Freckled Fanny Films)

The Power of the Thong

Everyone remembers where they were the first time they spotted the man in the thong holding court on corners in Austin, sometimes drunk, sometimes belligerent, but always there.

Josh Long, now a professor at Southwest University in Georgetown, was a teenager, commuting from Bastrop to his job at Mozarts Coffee Roasters. As he cruised down Sixth Street, he was astonished at what he saw: a man with a huge beard in high heels and a thong holding a sign.

I was like, Is this guy crazy? Or is he kind of a genius? Long says. Why not both?

Long gave him a dollar and kept visiting him, whether that was downtown or elsewhere, after he was pushed out. By the time Long was researching his 2010 book, Weird City, Leslie had long come to define the notion of Austins so-called weirdness. Though he mostly lived on the streets, he was free to (mostly) go where he wanted, do what he wanted, and say what he wanted. Long interviewed him multiple times for his book.

He had strong opinions, Long says. He always said that Austin's not that weird.

For the man who personified such a strong feeling  that Austin was a place where outcasts could be themselves, live humbly, and not conform to even the most basic of societys norms  the notion is relative.

Tracy Frazier, director of Becoming Leslie, first had her Austins Hispanic Elvis sighting on a bus traversing North Lamar Boulevard, back when she was a UT student in the 90s. Leslie was just strutting down the street in a miniskirt, minding his own business, but it was enough to entice everyone on the bus to cram toward one side to catch a glimpse. Frazier remembers everyone looking at each other in awe.

And it connected everyone for a moment, she says.

From that day on, everyone who saw him once saw him a million times  and all over the city. He was a Zelig-like figure. Brently Heilbron, a local comedian and musician who threw a benefit to pay for Leslies hospice bill after he died, remembers seeing him downtown and in North Austin in quick succession, almost as if he teleported.

Austin to me is about the strangers you see on a regular basis, whether it's in our commute, or just when we see people that we pass by all the time and they become our regulars, he says. And Leslie was everywhere.

Becoming Leslie

Its hard to imagine Leslie being from anywhere else, he didnt park his leopard-print thong in Austin until 1996, when he was 45 years old. According to the unofficial Mayor of Austin himself, he didnt even start wearing womens clothing until he turned 40.

Leslie was born Albert Leslie Cochran Jr. in Miami, Florida, on June 24, 1951 as a twinless twin, meaning his identical twin brother died before birth. His mother never got over this loss, and, according to Leslies sister, even blamed Leslie for his twins death.

Leslies childhood was marred by abuse, both verbal and sexual, according to Becoming Leslie  near the end of his life, Leslie refers to his father as a pedophile from hell  and he developed a stutter. Still, he attended Florida State University on an academic scholarship before leaving school and enlisting in the Naval Reserves in 1973.

From there, Leslie lived an entire other life in Colorado as a drifter named Trapper Al. He found his way in Seattle working at a Safeway and as a truck driver and even got married in the mid-80s, to a woman he describes as being into drugs. At some point in there, he was involved in a devastating motorcycle injury that left in him in a coma for over a month. When he woke up, his stutter was gone. After that, he began his life on the streets.

Tracy Frazier

Leslie pulled into Austin, officially  some have him visiting the city much earlier  on January 24, 1996 on a three-wheel bicycle pulling a six-foot trailer. He immediately made his presence known, publicly protesting the Austin Police Departments treatment of the homeless in the city.

He would literally print out on huge signs and spell out the crimes against him perpetrated by the Austin Police and the camping ban and things that we're still talking about, says Heilbron says. And I think that it's easy to laugh off Leslie's dress, to pose with him when you're wasted on Sixth Street for money, and  that's great. But, this guys homeless, and he's got real problems.

APD arrested Leslie multiple times, which so enraged him that he ran for mayor multiple times, even garnering 7.77 percent of the vote in 2000. That race encouraged former DFW resident and reluctant Southerner Mike Wilson to stay in Austin when he arrived that year.

If we were gonna be in the South that was the place for us, he says. Where that guy could come in second.

By the mid-2000s, Leslie had worn out his welcome downtown, for the most part, so he started hanging out down by South First and South Congress. Hed visit the recently closed La Mexicana bakery for a cup of coffee and sit down to do the crossword puzzle. Around then, Bob Biard started spotting him in his neighborhood, and commented to his partner that itd be fun if Leslie entered their lives.

I got out of the car, and I was like, Oh my god, I'm never gonna get rid of this guy, Biard says.

Biard lent Leslie money, but he insists that Leslie always found a way to pay him back, and that Leslie was hesitant to overstay his welcome among his stable of friends in town. He also didnt want to, as some had, impose rules or stipulations on Leslies friendship. Mainly because he knew the idea was futile.

He had a code to live by, kind of like the code of Paladin: have gun, will travel, he says. I respected him for that. He was an honest person, and he had problems. Seeing somebody who was brave enough to go out and live his life like that in front of everybody, I really found it to be inspiring.

Flickr/josh md

The End

Leslie spent 20 days at UMC Brackenridge following a head injury on October 3, 2009. After regaining consciousness he seemed much more fragile and out of sorts.

Long says hed known Leslie for years, but there was a strict delineation between before the injury and after it. He recalls visiting Leslie on the street just after he got out of the hospital.

I don't know if he really remembered who I was, Long says. It was a little weird because we'd always recognize each other.

In physical pain drinking more heavily, Leslie became an issue for some of his friends around town.

I think that some of the folks who knew him really well thought, we're just going to cut him off, we have to stop his drinking. Well, he wasn't going to stop, Biard says.

It was a double-edged sword, because Leslie needed help, but some of his friends felt like they might be enabling his behavior. Some even cut him out of their lives just before his death.

It was very frustrating. I could understand why people said, This is too painful for me. I can't watch him kill himself, Biard says. But I wanted to try to support him in any way that he was willing to be helped, which was difficult.

Becoming Leslie

Leslie ramped up talk about leaving Austin in 2010, telling friends and interviewers that he felt adrift in the city for the first time.

Around that time, the skyline that Leslie peered up at every night had begun to morph at a rapid pace. In 2009, the 34-floor Ashton and 42-story Spring condos followed the towering 2008 construction of 360 Condominium, at the time the tallest residential building in the state. In 2010, the 683-foot Austonian broke that record, opening downtown the same year as the Four Seasons Residences and the W Austin. Downtown became, officially, a place where people like Leslie werent supposed to exist anymore.

I think that when Austin started to change, he lost his purpose, Frazier says. He kept saying, Austin doesnt love me anymore.

In February 2012, Leslie bid goodbye to Austin, telling anyone who would listen that he was bound for Oak Springs, Colorado, a place where, he said, Im loved and respected.

He said he wanted to go to Colorado on a train, Frazier says, because they had a bar on the train.

He never showed up for his train, and in late February, news broke that Leslie was in critical condition at St. Davids South Austin Hospital. He died in hospice care just after midnight on March 8 at age 60, the same day that Mayor Lee Leffingwell had prepared to declare it as Leslie Day in Austin each year. It just happened to coincide with the day of his death.

When they declared it Leslie Day, they had no idea he had just passed, Frazier says. It was already slated for city council to declare it Leslie Day that day. I thought, This is so bizarre.

That evening, clad in boas and tiaras, Austinites paraded from City Hall down Sixth Street in celebration of the icon who personified both Austins weirdness and its constant struggle with homelessness. For those who attended, it felt like a part of what made Austin so special had evaporated with Leslie.

On the one hand, Leslie wasn't all that was weird and and insurgent and radical about Austin, and so whether he was there or not would not have greatly affected Austin's degree of weirdness necessarily, Long says. On the other hand, it's equally true that people put so much of a symbol on Leslie that when he died, a lot of people felt that that weirdness of Austin died with him. Where are the empirical facts? And what are the stories you tell? They're both true if you believe them.

Leslie Fest

Leslie's Austin

Those who bemoaned Austins awkward growing pains 10 years ago might think a couple tech companies, major hotels, and huge condos seem quaint in 2022. The city is now undeniably a tech metropolis, populated by Elon Musk and Samsung and drone-piloted robots that deliver pizza.

Its also a place that is even more difficult for those without homes than when Leslie was protesting for his right to exist. With the passing of the Camping Ban in 2021, Heilbron says, We just kind of made it illegal to be Leslie Cochran.

Its also difficult to imagine Leslie without La Mexicana, wandering amid the East Side condos, tripping over Lime scooters littering the downtown sidewalks.

It was the most perfect time for him to be here, and where he could thrive, Frazier says. I don't think that that could be duplicated now.

Frazier fell in love with that Austin, Leslies Austin.

I think what people miss now is seeing reminders like that  like this is why I moved here, because you could be yourself and be unapologetic, Frazier says. And people need reminders of that in a way that's not forced. They need authentic reminders of that.

Heilbron wants to see a more permanent recognition of the legacy Leslie left in Austin.

I would love to see a statue, you know, like the Stevie Ray Vaughan one, Heilbron says. A temporary mural was created for Leslie Fest, but its long gone. People now dont know.

Becoming Leslie

Hes also a longtime resident trying to keep the weird spirit of the city alive, through his emo puppet band Fragile Rock and an ongoing reminder to emulate Leslies transgressive nature. Looking around, he cant help but think: Where are the new Leslies, though?

While Leslie clearly adored the attention, he was a person first and an icon second, which can sometimes get lost when someone is larger-than-life. The sun goes down. Everyone scampers home. And Leslie is still on the streets, whether or not the city had the object permanence to remember he existed.

Biard remembers both sides, what he calls the Public Leslie and the Private Leslie. He remembers driving him to Sixth Street, Leslie sitting shotgun and just being himself, person-to-person, chatting about his life. Then theyd walk for a bit, still just having a normal conversation, until the people would start crowding around.

And all of a sudden you're walking with him, and it's like a new person invades his body, Biard says. Hes not with you anymore. He's out there in the crowd.
Bandera County Sheriff's Office

Update noon, Tuesday, March 8: The missing 5-year-old-boy has been found safe, Bandera County officials stated in a Facebook post. Officials thank the volunteers, responders and the community for help finding the young child.

"Thank you to all that brought food, water and other donations," officials said. "Also to all of you who showed up to help with the search, and lastly for all your prayers. We couldn't have done it without you."
By Lambert Strether of Corrente

Patient readers, this Water Cooler is truncated because a post I swear I thought was going to be simple wasnt. lambert

Bird Song of the Day

Those insects!

* * *

Politics

But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? James Madison, Federalist 51

They had learned nothing, and forgotten nothing. Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord

When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. Hunter Thompson

Biden Adminstration

We have the most frivolous, delusional, and self-centered political class in the world: Food for thought pic.twitter.com/qmt32Uqyec  Brian Whitmore (@PowerVertical) March 8, 2022 This dude is  wait for it  from the Atlantic Council. He can do all those things. We camnot: We have the most frivolous, delusional, and self-centered professional managerial class in the world: #NewYork artists hold a campaign with a request to make a no-fly zone over #Ukraine Paper airplanes, calling to stop Putin, were thrown from all the floors of @Guggenheim museum  #UkraineRussianWar pic.twitter.com/Qrq5IKbCtd  Worldnews_NWS (@WorldnewsNws) March 6, 2022 I nearly stroked out when I saw this one. Paper airplanes? To support armed confrontation with a nuclear power? Are these people little children? Do they think a No-Fly Zone happens because they wished it into existence? How Dark Money Shaped The School Safety Debate [Walker Bragman, Daily Poster]. The updated CDC guidance signals the Democratic partys shift from beating the virus to surrendering to it as a fact of life  including in schools. The new approach was likely shaped by a number of factors, including declining COVID numbers, concerns about far-reaching public COVID fatigue, and the fact that many of those now most at risk of severe disease have refused to get vaccinated for non-medical reasons. But the end of school masking is also in part due to a campaign by right-wing business interests, including the dark money network of oil billionaire Charles Koch, to keep the country open for the sake of maintaining corporate profits. These interests have been meddling in the education debate, first pushing to reopen schools and then fighting in-school safety measures, even as COVID case numbers were rising and children were ending up in hospitals. For nearly two years, these groups have been promoting questionable science and creating wedges between parents, teachers, and administrators in order to get America back to work  even at the risk of the nations children. As schools started reopening under the new Democratic administration, Koch-affiliated groups adopted a harder line. In the lead-up to the 2021 state elections, the organizations began opposing in-school mask requirements for students and teachers in addition to closures.. Its sort of surprising [or not surprising at all] to us that people want to remove some of these layered protection measures that we know work, said veteran pediatric emergency physician Christina Johns, senior medical advisor and vice president of communications for PM Pediatrics, the countrys largest provider of specialized pediatric urgent care.  The whole article is worth reading in full, though if anything its not cynical enough. Its certainly odd we dont see this covered in the Post and the Times.

Democrats en Deshabille

I have moved my standing remarks on the Democrat Party (the Democrat Party is a rotting corpse that cant bury itself) to a separate, back-dated post, to which I will periodically add material, summarizing the addition here in a live Water Cooler. (Hopefully, some Bourdieu.) It turns out that defining the Democrat Party is, in fact, a hard problem. I do think the paragraph that follows is on point all the way back to 2016, if not before: The Democrat Party is the political expression of the class power of PMC, their base (lucidly explained by Thomas Frank in Listen, Liberal!). It follows that the Democrat Party is as unreformable as the PMC is unreformable ; if the Democrat Party did not exist, the PMC would have to invent it. If the Democrat Party fails to govern, thats because the PMC lacks the capability to govern . (PMC modulo class expatriates, of course.) Second, all the working parts of the Party reinforce each other. Leave aside characterizing the relationships between elements of the Party (ka-ching, but not entirely) those elements comprise a network  a Flex Net? An iron octagon?  of funders, vendors, apparatchiks, electeds, NGOs, and miscellaneous mercenaries, with assets in the press and the intelligence community. Note, of course, that the class power of the PMC both expresses and is limited by other classes; oligarchs and American gentry (see industrial model of Ferguson, Jorgensen, and Jie) and the working class spring to mind. Suck up, kick down. * * *

Clinton Legacy

Theyre b-a-a-a-c-k: remember when they served Ghislaine Maxwell a subpoena when she was attending one of these? that was great https://t.co/m7SoLH4kd9  Oedipa Maas (@bridgietherease) March 4, 2022

Realignment and Legitimacy

TikTok Was Designed for War [Wired]. [T]he current conflict is a very different kind of social media war, fueled by TikToks transformative effect on the old norms of tech. Its more established competitors fundamentally changed the nature of conflict, but TikTok has created a stream of war footage the likes of which we have never seen, from grandmothers saying goodbye to friends to instructions on how to drive captured Russian tanks.  Its digital evidence, ideal for propaganda, especially effective against the child-like entities who manage discoure in the United States. Not a lot of weeping Russian mothers sending their children off to the front. Not a lot of steet violence from the Azov Battalion. The new silent majority: People who dont tweet [Axios].  I frequent some nice quiet little neighborhoods on the Twitter. Its much better at that for me than Facebook ever was (seven or eight years ago when I used it last). But my main timeline is utterly, utterly polluted by wartime propaganda. Its completely useless to me, and therefore very useful to the powers that be.

#COVID19

Case count by United States regions:

Fellow tapewatchers will note that up like a rocket, down like a stick phase is done with, and the case count is now leveling out. At a level that, a year ago, was considered a crisis, but were over Covid now, so I suppose not. I have added a Fauci Line.

NOTE I shall most certainly not be using the CDCs new Community Level metric. Because CDC has combined a leading indicator (cases) with a lagging one (hospitalization) their new metric is a poor warning sign of a surge, and a poor way to assess personal risk. In addition, Covid is a disease you dont want to get. Even if you are not hospitalized, you can suffer from Long Covid, vascular issues, and neurological issues. For these reasons, case counts  known to be underestimated, due to home test kits  deserve to stand alone as a number to be tracked, no matter how much the political operatives in CDC leadership would like to obfuscate it.

The official narrative was Covid is behind us, and that the pandemic will be over by January (Gottlieb), and I know some people seem to not want to give up on the wonderful pandemic, but you know what? Its over (Bill Maher) was completely exploded. What a surprise! This time, it may be different. But who knows?

* * *

The Waning Wall:

In the next few weeks, were going to find out just how much of our immunity wall was actually mask immunity.  Dr. Lisa Iannattone (@lisa_iannattone) March 5, 2022

CDC Data: Stealth Omicron Cases Doubling Every Week in the U.S. [US News]. Cases of a highly transmissible omicron subvariant are doubling in the U.S. every week, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. BA.2, or stealth omicron, was responsible for 8% of coronavirus infections in the U.S. last week, the CDC estimates. Thats up from 4% the week prior and 2% the week before that. Experts have raised concerns that the relaxation of mitigation measures like mask mandates could give the subvariant an extra advantage as it spreads in the U.S., and they have questioned if the country is doing enough sequencing to understand the true number of BA.2 infections. BA.2 is already the dominant lineage in 18 countries, according to the World Health Organization. The subvariants unofficial nickname of stealth omicron stems from a testing response that makes the lineage look like the delta variant, so it requires additional sequencing that the more common omicron subvariant did not.  Here from CDC is the variant tracker:

This is CDCs NowCast. The name and the presentation suggest that we are seeing data, but we are seeing a model. As CDC, to their credit, says:

Nowcast is a model that estimates more recent proportions of circulating variants and enables timely public health action. CDC is providing weekly Nowcast estimates which will be updated every week on Tuesday.

Readers will recall that the last CDC model I encountered went very, very badly  for CDC.

MWRA (Boston-area) wastewater detection:

Flattened out, continues encouraging (and independent from the CDC).

The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) service area includes 43 municipalities in and around Boston, including not only multiple school systems but several large universities. Since Boston is so very education-heavy, then, I think it could be a good leading indicator for Covid spread in schools generally.

* * *

From CDC Community Profile Reports (PDFs), Rapid Riser counties:

Those notes in red at the bottom make me wonder about what else is wrong. (Remember that these are rapid riser counties. A county that moves from red to green is not covid-free; the case count just isnt, well, rising rapidly.)

The previous release:

Here is CDCs interactive map by county set to community transmission:

Continuing slow improvement, assuming the numbers arent jiggered.

Hospitalization (CDC Community Profile):

Sea of green still. From the point of view of our hospital-centric health care system, green everywhere means the emergency is over (and to be fair, this is reinforced by case count and wastewater). However, community transmission is still pervasive, which means that long Covid, plus continuing vascular damage, are not over. (Note trend, whether up or down, is marked by the arrow, at top. Admissions are presented in the graph, at the bottom. So its possible to have an upward trend, but from a very low baseline.)

Death rate (Our World in Data):

Total: 985,914 984,020 . Heading downward. I have added an anti-triumphalist Fauci line.

Covid cases in top us travel destinations (Statista):

* * *

Contact information for plants: Readers, feel free to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) find out how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal and (b) to find out how to send me images of plants. Vegetables are fine! Fungi and coral are deemed to be honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, please place it at the start of your mail in parentheses: (thus). Otherwise, I will anonymize by using your initials. See the previous Water Cooler (with plant) here. Todays plant (LR):

LR writes: Im camping here for 9 days including Christmas and New Years. It is summertime and the weather is beautiful. The waves are a bit rough at the beach and the sun is intense, but there are lovely breezes. Here in this national park as if one is camping within a colony of birds. The park is covered with eucalyptus trees which are full of nests for a variety of parrots. You hear the birds constantly, but in the morning, when the sun comes up, they go crazy!! And then the sun hits the tent and it is time to get up!! Happy Holidays a todos! I should have gotten to this earlier, but perhaps it will bright the month of March!

* * *

Readers: Water Cooler is a standalone entity not covered by the recently concluded and  thank you!  successful annual NC fundraiser. So if you see a link you especially like, or an item you wouldnt see anywhere else, please do not hesitate to express your appreciation in tangible form. Remember, a tip jar is for tipping! Regular positive feedback both makes me feel good and lets me know Im on the right track with coverage. When I get no donations for five or ten days I get worried. More tangibly, a constant trickle of donations helps me with expenses, and I factor in that trickle when setting fundraising goals:









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If you hate PayPal, you can email me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, and I will give you directions on how to send a check. Thank you!
Yves here. This post reviews the main arguments in an important pending case on the authority of the EPA. It even includes issues of standing.

By Lexi Smith, a third-year student at Yale Law School. She studied environmental science and public policy as an undergraduate at Harvard, and she worked as an advisor to the Mayor of Boston on climate policy before enrolling in law school. Originally published at Yale Climate Connections

Oral arguments held February 28 gave attorneys on both sides of West Virginia v. EPA, which concerns the EPAs authority to regulate greenhouse gasses, the chance to present their case before the Justices of the Supreme Court. (For more background on the case, see previous coverage.)

The outcome in terms of a final Court ruling remains uncertain.

On the petitioners side, Lindsey See, Solicitor General of West Virginia, argued for her state, and Yaakov Roth, a partner at the law firm Jones Day, argued for the North American Coal Corporation. On the Biden administrations side, Solicitor General of the United States Elizabeth Prelogar argued for the Environmental Protection Agency, and Covington & Burling partner Beth Brinkmann argued for a consortium of utility companies that support EPAs authority to regulate greenhouse gasses (GHGs).

The Justices asked wide-ranging questions, with particular emphasis on 1) the text of the Clean Air Act, which EPA argues gives it authority to regulate GHGs; 2) whether Congress delegated authority to EPA to create a rule like the Obama administrations Clean Power Plan; and 3) standing (the requirements of injury, harm, and redressability that allow a plaintiff to bring a lawsuit).

But there was no clear sign of how the Court will ultimately rule. Justices Thomas and Barrett, who might be expected to side with the petitioners given their conservative leanings, asked tough questions of West Virginia and the North American Coal Corporations lawyers. And Justice Breyer, who might be expected to have the opposite sympathies, asked some difficult questions of Solicitor General Prelogar for EPA. The oral arguments were therefore more helpful for determining on which issues the Justices are likely to focus, rather than on how they will ultimately decide on those issues.

What Is Core Dispute About Clean Air Act Text?

Much of the oral argument focused on the text of the Clean Air Act, specifically Section 111. Section 111 gives EPA authority to set a standard of performance for air pollutants that reflects the degree of emission limitation achievable through the application of the best system of emission reduction that EPA decides has been adequately demonstrated. Section 111 was used by the Obama administration to create its Clean Power Plan rule, which set carbon emissions performance standards for power plants and gave states flexibility to choose how to comply.

Part of that flexibility was to allow emissions trading across plants (or even across states). For instance, a plant with emissions lower than the standards limit could sell emission credits to plants with higher emissions, which helps reduce emissions overall in a more cost-effective way than regulating each plant individually.

One of the core debates in the oral argument involved whether Section 111 of the Clean Air Act authorizes these types of trading schemes, or instead allows only regulations inside the fenceline of each individual power plant. For instance, if only inside the fenceline regulations were allowed, EPA could require all coal power plants to install scrubbers that reduce emissions at the source, but could not implement broader regulations like emissions trading that operate at a level beyond individual power plants.

EPA and its supporters argued that the best system of emission reduction language (emphasis added) in the Act means EPA can create a system like emissions trading that sets industry-wide limits rather than limits for each plant. West Virginia and the North American Coal Corporation, on the other hand, argued that system should be understood in the larger context of Section 111, which references EPAs authority to create a standard of performance for any existing source. They emphasized that any existing source suggests that EPA regulations can regulate only on the individual source level (that is, at the level of individual plants).

The petitioners suggested that if EPA could regulate on a more systemic level, there would be few limits on EPAs authority. One particularly interesting argument from West Virginias Solicitor General came in response to Justice Kagan, who asked about limitations on EPAs authority found elsewhere in the statute, including the requirement that regulations be cost-effective. Justice Kagan essentially asked why, in West Virginias view, those other limitations are insufficient to constrain EPA. The West Virginia Solicitor General replied, [I]f EPA is looking at the national or grid-wide level, and if its dealing with an issue as massive as climate change, its hard to see what costs wouldnt be justified. So that cost limit isnt really serving as a limiting factor if you take away the source-specific limitation that the rest of the words in the statute clearly put on EPA. While that statement makes sense within the confines of her textual argument, it is noteworthy that the petitioners acknowledged (a) how significant the issue of climate change is, and (b) that its harms could justify almost any regulatory cost.

More broadly, the Justices focused heavily on both sides textual arguments. Justices Breyer, Kagan, and Sotomayor questioned whether the petitioners narrow interpretation of system is correct. Justice Kagan in particular pointed out that the inside the fenceline distinction makes little sense on a practical level, given that EPA could still shift the energy sector away from coal power through individual plant regulations, such as requiring expensive technological modifications to coal plants, thereby making coal generation economically infeasible. Justice Thomas echoed that same argument in a later question. On the other side, Justice Kagan also asked EPAs attorney about the standard of performance for any existing source language that the petitioners cited. Similarly, Chief Justice Roberts asked the attorney for the utility companies supporting EPA about the limits on their broad reading of system.

In short, conservative- and liberal-leaning Justices alike subjected both sides to tough questions about the text of the Clean Air Act, leaving unclear which way the Court will rule on the textual issue. But notably, the liberal-leaning Justices asked more questions about statutory text.

Oral argument is often said to be a conversation among the Justices, with each Justice using their questions to make points to the others. If that is true, the heavy questioning on text from the liberal-leaning Justices may signal that they were eager to steer the conversation away from broader questions of agency authority (discussed more below), and toward the narrower issue of the Clean Air Act and the authority it gives the EPA.

Will Supreme Court Overturn Its Precedent That EPA Has Authority to Regulate GHGs?

When the Supreme Court first decided to hear this case, many commentators expressed concerns the Court would use the case to overturn Massachusetts v. EPA, a 2007 case in which it decided that the Clean Air Act gives EPA authority to regulate greenhouse gasses as air pollutants. (For more on that case, see earlier coverage). But Massachusetts v. EPA was actually discussed very little in the February 28 oral arguments before the Court. (It was mentioned by name only three times.)

So what could explain the lack of discussion of this important and seemingly relevant precedent? One factor is likely that petitioners framed their argument to avoid an explicit request to overturn Massachusetts v. EPA. West Virginia and the North American Coal Corporation acknowledge that the Court has already decided that EPA can regulate greenhouse gasses under the Clean Air Act. They focused instead on howthe regulation is allowed to proceed, namely arguing that it should be limited to inside the fenceline measures. It seems unlikely, therefore, that the Court will overturn Massachusetts v. EPA. But limiting the scope of regulation can still be damaging from environmentalists point of view, because it would disallow systemic regulations like the Clean Power Plan to use cost-effective trading schemes that limit GHGs.

Arguments on Reducing Agencies Power to Exercise Authority Delegated by Congress

Previous coverage emphasized that this case raises two doctrines relating to Congresss and agencies authority: the major questions doctrine and the nondelegation doctrine.

As a quick recap:

The nondelegation doctrine suggests that Congress cannot constitutionally delegate its lawmaking power to federal agencies.

Related but different, the major questions doctrine suggests that courts should presume that Congress wants to make the most important policy decisions itself, rather than delegating them to Executive branch agencies.

Deciding the pending case on major questions grounds could be less damaging to Executive branch agency authority. Under that doctrine, Congress would be required to explicitly delegate authority to agencies, while the nondelegation doctrine would place a constitutional limitation on Congresss power to delegate authority to agencies altogether, whether done explicitly or not. The petitioners in their briefs and in their oral argument shied away from the more radical non-delegation doctrine, and focused instead on the major questions doctrine.

The Justices asked extensive questions about the major questions doctrine (MQD), drawing various analogies between this case and other MQD decisions and inquiring about how the MQD should be applied. One of the biggest debates involved when in the process the MQD applies: only if the court first determines that a statute granting an agency authority is ambiguous, or at the outset of a case? If the court can apply the MQD at the outset of any case, the doctrine is broader than previously thought. And its particularly broad in this case because the Court wouldnt be applying it to any existing regulation. The Clean Power Plan under the Obama administration is no longer in effect, nor is the rule the Trump administration created to replace it. The Biden administration has not put forward a new rule regulating GHGs from power plants. So, the Court would be deciding whether a major question is implicated by what EPA theoretically has the power to do, not what it has done.

The Justices also drew several analogies between this case and other MQD cases. Most notably, the Court recently handed down two COVID-related decision on MQD grounds. In Alabama Association of Realtors v. Department of Health and Human Services, the Court struck down an eviction moratorium created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during the pandemic, writing that [w]e expect Congress to speak clearly when authorizing an agency to exercise powers of vast economic and political significance. Similarly, in National Federation of Independent Business v. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Court struck down a workplace COVID vaccine mandate by OSHA, also on major questions grounds. Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito analogized between this case and both recent COVID MQD cases. But Justice Barrett pointed out that this case might be different because if were thinking about EPA regulating greenhouse gasses, well, theres a match between the regulation and the agencys wheelhouse.

As with the textual arguments discussed earlier, it is unclear where the Court will come down on the merits of the MQD, but the Justices, particularly those with conservative leanings, showed a strong interest in the doctrine.

Could This Case Change Requirements for Bringing a Case to Court?

As discussed in this sites previous coverage, in order to get into court, litigants must prove they have standing. Standing requires that a litigant show they have been injured; that the person or institution they are suing caused the injury; and that the courts can redress the injury. The two sides in this case have debated whether petitioners have standing because, as mentioned earlier, there is no regulation currently in place concerning GHGs under the relevant section of the Clean Air Act. The suit instead involves the power the Biden EPA could exercise, either in reinstating the Clean Power Plan or creating a new GHG rule concerning power plants, but EPA has not yet exercised that authority.

The Justices addressed this issue during oral argument, with Justices Gorsuch and Sotomayor both asking the petitioners to explain why they meet the requirements of standing. Perhaps most notable is a question from Chief Justice Roberts to the attorney for EPA: I gather [the petitioners] position would be its  just because theres no regulation doesnt mean were happy. They would like regulation according to their particular perspective. Theyd like good regulation, which they think they had with [the Trump administrations Affordable Clean Energy rule, which replaced the Clean Power Plan], and now they dont have it. Again, why isnt that a justiciable harm?

A brief discussion of the history of standing helps show why this question is so striking. Standing has long been used to keep environmental advocacy groups out of court, often on grounds that the absence of regulation is not grounds to claim an injury (unless an agency is mandated by Congress to regulate a given problem). But here, there is arguably an absence of regulation because neither the Clean Power Plan nor Trumps replacement is in effect. Chief Justice Robertss question seemed to suggest that the petitioners should be able to challenge the absence of regulation. Allowing such challenges could be a significant change to standing doctrine, and one that could potentially benefit environmentalists in the long run.

Nonetheless, such a change to the doctrine seems quite unlikely. If the Court finds that the petitioners have standing in this case (which it may or may not do based on the questions asked at oral argument), it could do so without changing standing requirements. Petitioners argue that they have standing because when the Trump administrations Alternative Clean Energy rule was struck down by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, the door opened for the Clean Power Plan to be reinstated, even if the Biden administration did not actually reinstate it. If the Court finds that petitioners have standing, it seems likely to do so on these grounds, rather than by changing the requirements. But it is still interesting to see Chief Justice Roberts suggest that the doctrine could be different, and Court observers will watch closely to see if that idea evolves in future cases.

Overall, much like the other issues discussed so far, the Justices questions on standing are helpful in signaling their interest in the issue, but they do not clearly show whether the Court will rule one way or the other.

Bottom Line Looking Ahead

The oral argument questions focused most heavily on 1) the text of the Clean Air Act, especially from liberal-leaning Justices; 2) the major questions doctrine, especially from conservative-leaning Justices; and 3) standing.

If the oral arguments can be used as a guide, it seems likely the Courts decision also will emphasize these issues. But as for the Court majoritys views on the merits, those following this important case will have to await that opinion, unlikely to be released until around the end of this Court session in June.
People gather for a rally against the Don't Say Gay bill at Esplanade Park on Monday, March 7, 2022 in Fort Lauderdale. (John McCall /South Florida Sun Sentinel)

As Floridas so-called Dont Say Gay bill neared the final showdown in the legislature Monday night, educators, students and their families rallied against it in a final display of opposition.

It was a show of camaraderie and support, but on Tuesday just before noon, legislators approved the bill, HB 1557, in a 22-17 vote. The bill will now travel to Gov. Ron DeSantiss desk, where he is expected to sign it.

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Critics fear that the measure, officially called Parental Rights in Education, will chill speech, instruction and open exchange about gender identity and sexual orientation up to third grade, and eliminate discussions of LGBTQ+ history and families.

The bills sponsors have repeatedly argued that conversations and instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity are not age appropriate for young students. Activists warned against conflating LGBTQ+ identity with sexual activity, and argued that discussion of LGBTQ+ families and love is always appropriate.

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The language in the bill that has caused the most concern states, Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.

Parents could sue districts over perceived violations under the legislation that would take effect July 1. Those opposed to the bill say this looming legal threat would cause educators to avoid any mention of LGBTQ identities altogether.

Local reaction

The bills narrow passage follows weeks of lively rallies, walk-outs and protests across South Florida against it. Last week, educators across South Florida wore purple to school to signal their support for their LGBTQ+ students. A plane flew a banner through the skies above parts of Dade, Boca Raton and Wilton Manors reading Defeat Dont Say Gay, and activists held rallies from Miami Beach to West Palm Beach.

On Tuesday, as the debate ran on the state Senate floor, the United Teachers of Dade went live on Facebook, showing teachers from around the state wearing red to protest as they sat in the gallery.

In Broward County, activists gathered at Esplanade Park in Fort Lauderdale on Monday night, where the mood was dampened by a persistent drizzle of rain and the reality that the bills were all but a done deal.

[ RELATED: Florida Senate presses on with dont say gay bill, ignoring protests ]

While its dark right now, and it looks dark ahead, our unity will help us push past this legislation, Tony Lima, CEO of SunServe, said to the crowd of about 50 people, many of whom had draped Pride flags over their shoulders. SunServe is one of Broward Countys largest LGBTQ+ nonprofit organizations.

Ellie Zucker, an eighth grade student in Broward County, spoke out about how LGBTQ+ kids are disproportionately bullied in school, and noted that the bill would make school feel even less safe for LGBTQ+ youth.

Right now theres a certain stigma that we cant be who we are, she said. This law being passed basically says we are not allowed to speak to teachers in class who can help me find my way when Im really lost and really sad about being myself. I feel like my rights are being taken away as a human being.

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Ellies parents attended the rally with her, and said theyve talked about the bill at home.

So many opportunities for open conversations are going to be missed that could prevent bullying or suicide, Ellies mother, Lisa Zucker said. There are children who need to talk to their teachers, who are supposed to be trusted adults in a safe space in the classroom. Talking openly doesnt make someone gay.

Emmy Kenny, a former art teacher at A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, organized last weeks rally in West Palm Beach. When the education bills first appeared in the legislature, she penned a letter opposing the bills, which she said would harm all LGBTQ+ students, especially transgender students.

Dozens of community leaders backed the letter, including the Palm Beach County School District.

So they think that teachers are indoctrinating students and turning them trans and turning them gay, which is absolutely not happening, Kenny said. Whats happening is children are gay. And children are trans. And they come to school and they tell that to their teacher because they trust their teacher.

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The bill simply says there should be an age limit on certain discussions, said Sen. Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrhills. Its not a new concept, nor is it radical or new. Do we teach Macbeth or Romeo and Juliet to kindergarteners? We dont. It isnt because we are opposed to Shakespeare. It is because we recognize there are certain topics that are not appropriate for a child who is 10 years or younger.

The law would also require school staff to notify parents about changes to a students services or monitoring of a students mental, emotional or physical well-being. That provision could result in schools outing gay or transgender kids to their parents, who may not be supportive of their LGBTQ+ identity, activists say.

This bill is about school staff and teachers outing students to their parents, Kenny added.

[ RELATED: Your questions about Floridas Dont Say Gay bill and other proposals, answered ]

On Wednesday, Cypress Bay High School students will walk out of their first period class to protest the bill. The schools Gay Straight Alliance club arranged the walkout.

Sen. Shevrin Jones, Floridas first openly gay state senator, broke down in tears on the Senate floor on Monday night as he described how the bill would harm LGBTQ+ youth based on the personal struggle he experienced growing up as a gay man.

After the vote on Tuesday, he released a statement further elaborating on the rejection he faced from his church, from friends, and from members of his family after he came out publicly.

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That is the last thing any of us should wish upon any individual, the statement reads. This bill is another stain on Floridas history, and history will undoubtedly hold us accountable.

The statement goes on to say that elected officials have a responsibility to improve peoples daily lives, creating safer schools and safer communities. I will keep fighting and keep up the pressure on those colleagues who are on the wrong side of these critical issues of human rights, the statement reads. This isnt about politics, but about the truth of the human condition.

Future ramifications

Activists fear Florida is gearing up for more anti-LGBTQ legislation in the future. They note that both Texas and Florida tend to be testing grounds for potential policy.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott recently ordered parents who seek gender-affirming care for their transgender children to be subjected to child abuse investigations. Critics fear Florida will follow closely in those footsteps.

They also worry increasing anti-LGBTQ legislation could pave the way for eliminating LGBTQ spaces and services in schools, such as Gay Straight Alliance clubs and any LGBTQ content in school library books.

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President Joe Bidens administration released a statement Tuesday saying schools that violate civil rights protecting LGBTQ+ students risk losing federal funding.

The bill is due to go to Gov. DeSantiss desk. Protesters said they would advocate for DeSantis to veto the bills instead of signing them into law.

DeSantis has signaled his support for many of the education bills, including HB 1557. His office added fuel to the fire over the weekend when Christina Pushaw, the governors spokeswoman, dubbed the legislation the anti-grooming bill, pushing the derogatory notion that LGBTQ+ people are pedophiles and suggesting on Twitter that people against the bill support pedophilia.

Activists agreed she said the quiet part out loud  a clear demonstration of the fear and ignorance driving the bills forward.

Brooke Baitinger can be reached at: bbaitinger@sunsentinel.com, 954-422-0857 or on Twitter: @bybbaitinger. Skyler Swisher of the Orlando Sentinel also contributed reporting to this story.
There are many reasons why Palantirs increased involvement in the UKs health care system is troubling, including, first and foremost, the companys close ties with the US military and intelligence industrial complexes.

The U.S. spyware giant Palantir, with intimate ties to defense, intelligence and security industries around the world and a long, proven track record of never once turning a profit, has won another juicy contract with the UKs crisis-ridden National Health System (NHS), this time to help reduce the backlog of 6 million patients waiting for elective care. Heres more from the FT:

The US companys data processing technology will be spread across 30 hospital trusts  bodies that organise healthcare in regions across the country  in March in a bid to help cut NHS waiting lists that have spiralled higher during the coronavirus pandemic. The rollout comes after a recent pilot of Palantirs Foundry system at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Trust helped reduce the inpatient waiting list by 28 per cent  the equivalent of tens of thousands of patients  for all non-emergency surgeries, including for cancer treatments. The expansion will consolidate Palantirs position as the preferred operating system for the NHS, following its use in the management of ventilators and PPE equipment during the pandemic, and the delivery of the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination programme through 2021. While the backlog project is still a proof-of-concept, the NHS is paying 23.5mn for a two-year licence for the technology, expiring in December 2022. Palantir, which employs more than 600 people in the UK and plans to hire an additional 250 this year, processes sensitive health and national security data for UK public authorities, including NHS England, the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Defence.

There are many reasons why this is troubling. One is Palantirs well-documented ties with the U.S. military, the CIA and other intelligence agencies. Through its venture capital arm, In-Q-Tel, Langley provided the lions share of the funds needed to get Palantir up and running back in 2003. The agency was also reportedly Palantirs sole customer during its early years as the company refined its technology.

The day before Palantirs listing on the New York Stock Exchange, an article in the BBC noted that the company  sometimes described as the scariest of Americas tech giants  got its start working with US soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Its main line of business these days is to provide data-mining technology to support US military operations, mass surveillance, and predictive policing. Its technology is also used by ICE to identify illegal migrants before detaining and deporting them as well as by the NSA. In February 2021, Palantirs chief operating officer famously bragged to investors that Palantir was driving towards being inside of every missile, inside of every drone.

The company also supplies software to other public agencies and corporate clients. Like many Silicon Valley giants, Palantir has not posted a single annual profit in its 19-year existence. Following its IPO in Oct 2020 the companys share price surged, reaching a record high of $35.18 in late January 2021, before gradually fluttering back down toward the original IPO price of around $10.

Since the beginning of the pandemic Palantir, like many tech giants, has sought to capitalize on new opportunities in healthcare. As Lambert reported in September 2020, Palantir was one of a number of companies selected to help collect, store, process and share data for the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in a project that poses a grave threat to the data privacy of all Americans, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).

On the other side of the Atlantic, the UK Government signed a deal in March 2020 with an assortment of private tech firms, including Palantir, to help run the NHSs massive COVID-19 data store. It was supposed to be a short-term arrangement but in December of the same year the Department of Health and Social Care awarded Palantir an additional two-year contract, worth up to 23 million, to help run the NHS massive database. The contract, awarded on December 11, paved the way for Palantir to play a major, long-term role in the NHS beyond COVID as well as in other government agencies.

It wasnt clear what precisely Palantir had been given access to, wrote Mary Fitzgerald, openDemocracys Editor in Chief, and Cori Crider, a US lawyer and a founding Director of Foxglove, a new non-profit that exists to make tech fair: the list of NHS datasets that the firm will draw on have been redacted from the contract. What is clear, though, is that the government deliberately struck this deal on the quiet  knowing it would be controversial.

As Fitzgerald and Cirder note, Palantir won three consecutive massive no-bid contracts to manage the largest pool of patient data in NHS history  with the price leaping in six months from 1, to 1m, to 23m. And all of it made possible by the British governments suspension of tedious-but-vital procurement law (which determines who is allowed to bid for government deals) during the early months of the pandemic.

Foxglove and openDemocracy brought two legal actions about the data deals, which led to the publication of the secret contracts while also securing a (grudging) commitment from the UK government not to extend the Palantir deal beyond COVID without first consulting communities.

Palantir wants to diversify into health sciences for obvious reasons: it is a fast growing, rapidly privatizing industry with huge money-making opportunities for technology companies. As a 2019 op-ed in the Guardian noted, the NHS has one of the planets most valuable repositories of data:

Primary care records that cover sometimes decades of consistent, high-quality, trusted data on 55 million individuals, potentially covering their entire health histories. On top of that, an estimated 23 million care records document episodic treatments when patients receive secondary or specialist care. Accountants Ernst & Young estimate its value at 9.6bn annually. For pharmaceutical companies, such comprehensive data is considerably more valuable than any sample. Large, clean, consistent and trusted datasets such as the NHSs are a goldmine. Already, medical researchers are deriving useful results from machine-learning techniques  for instance, in providing rapid diagnoses of cataracts and other common eye diseases. And with progress in medical research increasingly driven by such techniques, the value of NHS data will only increase over time. It is a glistening prize for major health and pharmaceutical providers  or, indeed, big tech companies looking to move into the field. That is why, as the leaked documents* say, obtaining commitments on the free flow of data is a top priority for the US (you can find this on page 22). Free flows of data, including removing barriers to data localisation, imply that very sensitive health data could be taken and placed on servers outside of UK domestic law. *A reference to provisional US-UK trade papers leaked by the Labour Party

While it is clear that good data management has a vital role to play in the future of health and social care provision, it is hard to fathom why the UKs National Health Service  the first health system in any Western society to offer free medical care to the entire population  would partner with a company that deals in death on such a vast scale and whose founder and CEO, Peter Thiel, does not believe that healthcare is even a public good.

It is also clear that NHS Digital is doing a pretty shoddy job of managing and protecting patient data, having already shared vast reams of personal, private data with more than 40 private companies. Now it will be sharing even more of that data with a company that has intimate ties with police and security forces all over the world and which has played an instrumental role in many of the worst security scandals of the past decade, from Cambridge Analytica (allegedly) to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, to the mass surveillance programs conducted by NSA and GCHQ and exposed by Edward Snowden.

According to the FT article, Palantirs technology allows its clients to gather together disparate data, such as number of patients waiting per clinician, operating theatre schedules, staff rosters and patient-specific pre-surgical tests, into a single system that surgeons and other clinical staff  rather than just admin and scheduling staff  could also use:

The dashboard allows clinicians to see which patients needed to be prioritised at a glance, allowing them to make real-time decisions on scheduling surgeries. Highlight text

The solution has been a game-changer for me  its helping me to do my job faster and more efficiently, and has reduced my administrative burden, said Jeffrey Ahmed, consultant gynaecologist at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

He added his team was now in the advanced stages of using the technology to tackle the outpatient waiting list, to achieve the same benefits weve got for elective patients.

The decision to award Palantir more business with the NHS comes just six months after the UKs Department for Health and Social Care announced it was terminating a contract with Palantir over the management of social care data, following a massive protest campaign involving more than 50 groups. This was taken as a tentative sign that the UK government may finally be pivoting away from using Palantirs services, at least in the healthcare sector. That is now clearly not the case.
(Natural News) The most common diseases and disorders we Americans know today are completely preventable, and should you or a loved one acquire them, they are curable. This is information hardly any medical doctors want anyone to understand, and Google (or WebMD) certainly wont allow you to find the remedies. The key to allopathic medicine is to only treat symptoms of health problems, and never the root cause. This keeps clients for life in the system, paying an arm and a leg (sometimes literally) for healthcare, whether they have medical coverage or not. Allopathic sick-care is all about toxic prescription pharmaceuticals, surgery, radiation and chemotherapy (prescribe, cut and burn).

Allopathic care is a dirty well of contaminated care

There is no simple cure for compound health problems, but that doesnt mean its so complicated either. Its not only about what NOT to eat, but also about what NOT to put on your skin, what NOT to clean your home with, and what NOT to medicate with when symptoms of sickness first begin showing up. Most Americans panic and have expensive diagnostic tests run, and that just leads them down the allopathic sick care path, where even 2nd and 3rd opinions come from the same dirty well.

After all, symptoms are signs youre doing it wrong. Doctors are too quick to cover up the signs with pain meds, antihistamines, antibiotics (that kill good gut bacteria) and surgery that removes organs they say you dont need, but you do. Think about it, if a warning sign comes on the dashboard in your vehicle, you dont cover it up or cut the wire to the warning indicator and expect the issue to go away, do you? What if you have low tire pressure, whats next, a blowout that causes a horrible wreck? What if youre low on gas, whats next, a breakdown on a lonely road where you get mugged and beaten?

Dont cover up the warning signs, solve the problem. Find the root cause and address it, and you can avoid and eliminate many of the PREVENTABLE diseases and disorders so common to Americans today.

Top 7 diseases and disorders most people can prevent and cure, despite what the MDs and oncologists claim

#1. Covid

#2. Cancer

#3. Obesity

#4. Depression

#5. Anxiety

#6. Diabetes II

#7. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) & other GI disorders

Indigenous remedies from all over the world can save you from the allopathic plight and blight

Cannabidiol (CBD) is also known as the ultimate preventative medicine and the miracle herb. Often referred to as the forbidden medicine, CBD is a medical wonder, having anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties, including the support of mitochondrial function at the cellular level.

Did you know that oil of oregano is loaded with antioxidants that annihilate the free radicals that cause cancer? One of the most potent remedies in the world, oregano oil beats down viruses and knocks back allergies to pollen.

Do you keep chlorella on hand? If youre stressed about keeping your blood sugar levels in a healthy range, a clinical study proved that superfood chlorella helps maintain healthy blood sugar metabolism, even at the genetic level. Be sure to buy organic chlorella (but not from China, because its contaminated with heavy metals).

Do you use aloe? The aloe plant has been used for thousands of years to heal all kinds of health conditions, including wounds, burns, skin irritations, sunburn and even constipation. Grown in mostly tropical locations, this succulent plant has more than 300 species with over 75 nutrients in the gel, including vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2, B3 (niacin), B6, choline, folic acid, alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene.

Garlic cloves are a key natural remedy for a whole laundry list of ailments. Garlic contains a compound called allicin thats a potent medicine that was used by the Egyptians, Romans, Greeks and Chinese to combat sicknesses, including the common cold.

Got IBS? Licorice root is a Chinese herbal remedy used in over 5,000 formulas for clinical purposes, including in aiding digestion.

GI (gastrointestinal) disorders are often caused by consumption of pesticide-laden food, like GMOs, conventional produce and processed junk science food stuff. Covering up the symptoms leads to much bigger health problems, like ulcers, diverticulitis, Crohns, acid reflux and the list goes on.

Here are some other helpful tips for changing your daily food and beverage regimen so you too can prevent and heal those Americanized diseases and disorders.

-Stop eating anything GMO

-Stop drinking tap water (contains fluoride)

-Avoid vaccines

-Avoid dairy (and most meat)

-Never eat artificial sweeteners (sucralose fuels IBS, and aspartame fuels anxiety)

-Avoid all processed foods and high fructose corn syrup

-Avoid seed oils as much as possible

Stay tuned to find out more about diseases and disorders that Allopathic medicine pretends theres no prevention or cure for, and tune your internet to Censored.news for huge swaths of truth news being censored as you read this.

Sources for this article include:

NaturalNews.com

Censored.news

AuthorityRemedies.com

ThreadReaderApp.com
(Natural News) Without help from the global pandemic people may never have been convinced to inject themselves with an experimental mRNA gene therapy, a scientist bragged during a world health conference.

(Article republished from InfoWars.com)

Speaking at the opening of the World Health Summit 2021 last November, Bayer Pharmaceuticals Division President Stefan Oelrich admitted were it not for the pandemic, the experimental injection may [not] have seen an extremely high rejection rate.

We are really taking that leap [to drive innovation]  us as a company, Bayer  in cell and gene therapies, Oelrich stated.

Ultimately, the mRNA vaccines are an example for that cell and gene therapy, Oelrich admitted.

I always like to say: if we had surveyed two years ago in the public  would you be willing to take a gene or cell therapy and inject it into your body?  we probably would have had a 95% refusal rate, he said, adding, I think this pandemic has opened many peoples eyes to innovation.

Oelrich continued: Our successes over these 18 months [the duration of the COVID pandemic] should embolden us to fully focus much more closely on access, innovation and collaboration to unleash health for all, especially as we enter, on top of everything else that is happening, a new era of science  a lot of people talk about the Bio Revolution in this context.

LifeSite News compared Oelrichs statements to those of globalist World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwabs comments about the Great Reset.

We also need to focus on what is socially responsible outside of Europe and ensure sustainable action there. We pledged, this past year, to give an additional hundred million women access to contraception in the world. Weve invested 400 million this year into new plants that are dedicated to produce long-acting contraceptives for women in low-and-middle income countries  Together with Bill and Melinda Gates were working very closely on family planning initiatives, said Oelrich, implying one of the methods of attaining a sustainable world is by reducing births, and subsequently reducing the planets population. Oelrichs words echo a similar agenda as the infamous Great Reset, a radical socialist plan designed by globalist elites, gathering at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland once a year, which seeks to push the reset button on the global economy. In the announcement of the Great Reset initiative, the WEF also credited the COVID-19 pandemic for putting them in an advantageous position to march towards their global revolutionary goals. COVID-19 lockdowns may be gradually easing, but anxiety about the worlds social and economic prospects is only intensifying. There is good reason to worry: a sharp economic downturn has already begun, and we could be facing the worst depression since the 1930s. But, while this outcome is likely, it is not unavoidable, wrote the WEFs founder Klaus Schwab in June 2020.

Despite doctors and scientists openly admitting the mRNA vaccines fundamentally alter a persons DNA on a molecular level, fact-check sites such as Politifact and the Poynter Institute have continued to insist this is not the case.

Read more at: InfoWars.com
(Natural News) Dr. Robert Malone and Dr. Peter McCullough called for the removal of politics from healthcare during the Conservative Political Action Conference 2022 (CPAC 2022) in Orlando, Florida.

Malone, the inventor of mRNA vaccine technology used in the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines, expounded on this issue during an interview. The government controlling healthcare; whats wrong with that? I think thats where we really have a core problem. Politicians have stepped in and theyre mandating medical care through a menu-driven system, he told Veronika Kyrylenko of the New American.

Theyre trying to implement a strategy  which is a top-down one  that is favored by the insurance companies, Big Pharma [and] the big hospital chains. But [this] is absolutely not the kind of medical care the American people want.

McCullough, meanwhile, said: If anything, we need doctors to work in teams. Doctors cannot sit on the sidelines. [Also], we cannot allow one person to come into a position of visual authority  or maybe even operational authority  when it comes to a complicated problem like the pandemic response.

According to Malone, he went to CPAC 2022 as it was the perfect place to understand the current public policy situation and learn more about the next steps. McCullough remarked that even though he was actually invited to speak at the event, he was drawn, as a doctor, to come forward and work with political leaders for solutions in the future.

Both doctors said they would show up and speak in case the Democratic Party organizes a similar event. If either of us are invited to speak in front of a Democratic convention, we would be glad because this is about saving lives; this isnt about politics, said Malone. The mRNA vaccine inventor added that COVID-19 had been politicized when it shouldnt have been. (Related: CDC double mask study a perfect example of politicized junk science.)

For his part, McCullough admitted to being a centrist voter at first. I previously have been a Democratic voter, but Ive moved  and have been recruited over  to the Republican Party, he said. The Texas-based cardiologist explained that the GOP, in his opinion, has the best hope of representing medical freedom.

CDC owes America an explanation on vaccine safety

Kyrylenko asked the two doctors for comment on a New York Times article that denounced the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) practice of hiding data. According to the Feb. 20 article, CDC spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund said the public health agency had withheld data from the American public for fears that it might be misinterpreted and exploited to discourage COVID-19 vaccination.

Basically, at the end of the day, [the data is] not yet ready for prime time. [The CDCs] priority when gathering any data is to ensure that its accurate and actionable, Nordlund explained.

McCullough said the CDC owes America an explanation on vaccine safety, given that it holds millions of reports about it. He continued: There is a prevailing view in the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration that the vaccine will not be effective until everybody takes it  not just once. I can tell you: That prevailing view, in my personal estimation, is flawed.

Malone dubbed the CDCs actions as scientific fraud, explaining that he would face sanctions if he were to do the same. I think were all owed an apology. It turns out, were completely vindicated, he said.

Ive watched [the CDC] over the years become more and more [of a] political arm and not serve its function. [It has] become purely a political organization, and [an] arm of the executive branch. What [it has] done is, in my opinion, obscene.

The mRNA vaccine inventor issued a stern warning to CDC employees, some of them anonymous. I think they are now at a point of choosing. There are going to be legal consequences and I believe they have a choice. These government employees that have been participating in hiding this data  can either be defendants or witnesses. It is time for them to step up and speak out.

More related stories:

CDC hides COVID data from the public in order to whitewash dishonest COVID narrative.

CDC admits it withheld data from public to avoid spurring VACCINE HESITANCY.

Scientific fraud: Drs. Robert Malone, Ryan Cole react to CDC hiding data.

How the CDC is manipulating data to prop-up vaccine effectiveness.

CDC sued for hiding COVID vaccine safety data.

Watch Veronika Kyrylenkos interview with Dr. Peter McCullough and Dr. Robert Malone at CPAC 2022 below.

This video is from The New American channel on Brighteon.com.

Corruption.news has more stories about how the COVID-19 pandemic has been politicized.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

NYTimes.com
(Natural News) As expected, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has officially authorized Modernas Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine for children aged six to 11, as well as recommended booster shots of Pfizers version for everyone 12 years of age and older.

At a press briefing, Marco Cavaleri, the European Union regulators vaccines chief, claimed that the Moderna injection for younger children will be only a half-dose of what is administered to teenagers and adults.

He further claimed that research shows young children have an immune response comparable to that seen in older populations as measured by the level of neutralizing antibodies against the Fauci Flu.

The Moderna messenger RNA (mRNA) injection will also be recommended as a booster dose in people who have received other jabs, while the Pfizer one was given the green light back in November for children as young as five.

This mix and match approach will ensure that all of the major vaccine players get their share of the spoils, which are now rank in the tens of billions of dollars in terms of revenue and profits.

Because data from countries such as Israel supposedly shows that a third dose of the Pfizer brand is safe and effective for children, Cavaleri said European children should now get injected based on that.

No new safety signal was identified, he said, claiming that scientists have come up short looking for cases of heart and chest inflammation, two side effects that have been widely reported in conjunction with the shots.

Those cases were very rare and most [people] recovered without intervention.

Why is the EMA pushing COVID shots for children but not adults?

In reporting on this, the Associated Press (AP) casually revealed that children have an almost zero risk of testing positive for the Wuhan virus and actually developing symptoms.

Even so, the fake news outlet seems to agree with Cavaleri and the EMA that young children should be forced to get shot with mystery gene therapy chemicals from Big Pharma, just because.

Interestingly, the EMA has not made any recommendations for older people, almost like it wants to intentionally harm the little ones while leaving the older ones alone.

At this stage, there is not enough evidence to establish the need for a second booster dose in the general population, Cavaleri said.

The plandemic is already over, it is important to note, despite Cavaleris rhetoric to the contrary. Childrens DNA does not need to be permanently altered, putting them at risk of autoimmune disease or death, just to stave off a potential Fauci Cold that came from a Chinese laboratory.

This is the most dangerous vaccine ever approved, wrote someone at ABC News.

The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System has been collecting data for 30 years. Fifty-two percent of the adverse effects have been reported in the last year. That means the mRNA shots are more dangerous than all other vaccines over 30 years combined.

In just the last year, this same person added, 68 percent of all vaccine-related deaths occurred, meaning the other 32 percent occurred in the 29 years before that.

Life insurance companies are reporting more payouts in 2021 than 2020. Reuters: The global life insurance industry was hit with reported claims due to COVID-19 of $5.5 billion in the first nine months of 2021 versus $3.5 billion for the whole of 2020, this same person added.

Hospitals, doctors and medical researchers are quiet because the pharmaceutical industry benefits them financially through drug discounts and research grants.

Another person wrote that this is child abuse on a world-wide scale.

The latest Wuhan virus injection news can be found at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources include:

ABCnews.go.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) The National Institutes of Health are obviously run by a pack of ghoulish monsters who continue to spend U.S. taxpayer dollars funding the most hideous experiments straight out of a horror film.

According to a whistleblower group, the White Coat Waste Project, the NIH has been caught funding deadly spinal cord experiments on cats in none other than St. Petersburg, Russia  most likely because the agencys directors would be arrested and jailed for animal cruelty if they were funding such experimentation in America.

WCW exclusively released its investigation to Breitbart News before publishing its findings. The investigation happens to coincide with Russias continued invasion of Ukraine, which has upset geopolitical relations and could cause the displacement of millions of Ukrainians, Breitbart News reported in an exclusive over the weekend.

After combing through various government databases and websites, the WCWP discovered that NIH is funding an experiment known as Rostrocaudal Distribution of the C-Fos-Immunopositive Spinal Network Defined by Muscle Activity during Locomotion. The group says that it involved 18 healthy cats that had a portion of their brains removed while electrodes were implanted in their spinal cords before they were forced to walk on a treadmill during spinal cord experiments.

Taxpayers shouldnt be forced to pay white coats in the Russian government to torture and kill cats in wasteful treadmill experiments, Vice President of WCW Mackie Burr said in an exclusive statement to Breitbart News.

The outlet notes:

The experiments were performed at the Pavlov Institute of Physiology, which is one of four state-run labs in Russia that the NIH has given approval to receive taxpayer dollars, specifically for animal testing. The specific NIH grant, NS100928, was awarded to the Georgia Institute of Technology, which then sub-awarded the funds to the Pavlov Institute, WCW reported.

Government data shows that the grant has received $2,724,022 since 2017. In November 2021, $549,331 of the NIH grant was sent to the Pavlov Institute, and another $221,135 was sent in 2018. The grant is set to expire on May 31, 2022.

As White Coat Waste Project exposed, there are four Kremlin-run animal testing labs that NIH has authorized to receive our money and U.S. sanctions against Russia should include defunding them, Burr continued.

The group previously exposed how NIH funds cruel animal experiments in more than 50 countries including China and Russia. Some of them involve one of the most trusting dog breeds on the planet  beagles.

After the discovery, White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci was pressed by lawmakers, mostly Republicans, in October to explain why he signed off on a grant worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to finance cruel experiments involving drugged beagle puppies.

According to the White Coat Waste Project, 44 beagle pups were utilized for experimentation in a Tunisia lab. Some of the dogs had vocal cords removed, reportedly so scientists could conduct their work without having to listen to constant barking, BizPac Review reported at the time.

Our investigators show that Faucis NIH division shipped part of a $375,800 grant to a lab in Tunisia to drug beagles and lock their heads in mesh cages filled with hungry sandflies so that the insects could eat them alive, officials with the WCWP told The Hill. They also locked beagles alone in cages in the desert overnight for nine consecutive nights to use them as bait to attract infectious sand flies.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), who led the lawmakers letter to the NIH, wrote that the procedures are cruel as well as a reprehensible misuse of taxpayer funds.

We write with grave concerns about reports of costly, cruel, and unnecessary taxpayer-funded experiments on dogs commissioned by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the letter said.

The dogs were all between six and eight months old. The commissioned tests involved injecting and force-feeding the puppies an experimental drug for several weeks, before killing and dissecting them, the letter continued.

Of particular concern is the fact that the invoice to NIAID included a line item for cordectomy. As you are likely aware, a cordectomy, also known as devocalization, involves slitting a dogs vocal cords in order to prevent them from barking, howling, or crying, the letter notes further.

This cruel procedure  which is opposed with rare exceptions by the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Animal Hospital Association, and others  seems to have been performed so that experimenters would not have to listen to the pained cries of the beagle puppies. This is a reprehensible misuse of taxpayer funds, the legislators added.

The NIH should be shut down, period, as a horrendous abuser of taxpayer largess.

Sources include:

Breitbart.com

BizPacReview.com
Hong Kong: Barbers, hair salons to reopen

The Government today announced that in view of the epidemic situation in Hong Kong, most of the tightened social distancing measures will be maintained by two weeks till March 23.

However, barber shops and hair salons will be allowed to reopen on March 10 with the full implementation of the Vaccine Pass. People who enter or are present at these premises must have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose.

Customers of these shops and salons must use the LeaveHomeSafe mobile app. Patrons and staff must also wear a mask.

Except for clubhouses, hotels or guesthouses and barber shops or hair salons, scheduled premises regulated under the Prevention & Control of Disease (Requirements & Directions) (Business & Premises) Regulation must continue to suspend operations.

Catering businesses must continue to cease selling or supplying food or drink for consumption on the premises from 6pm to 4.59am of the subsequent day. The maximum number of people per table is two for the rest of the business hours.

Click here for details.

This story has been published on: 2022-03-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
China-aided hospital to be key life-saving facility for Cambodians

Xinhua) 15:50, March 08, 2022

TBOUNG KHMUM, Cambodia, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Situated in the eastern province of Tboung Khmum, a huge and modern Chinese-aided public hospital, which was put into use on Monday, would serve as a key life-saving facility for locals in the eastern and northeastern regions of Cambodia.

Built by the China Railway Construction Group Co., Ltd. and funded by the Chinese government, the Tboung Khmum Cambodia-China Friendship Hospital is equipped with modern medical equipment for checkups, treatment and surgery.

Such a modern hospital had never existed in these regions previously when patients with moderate to serious conditions had to travel all the way to the capital Phnom Penh, but now it has changed. China has brought hospital close to their houses.

The five-story hospital has 300 beds and is divided into different units, including outpatient, emergency, imaging, endoscopy, laboratory and medicine, surgery, gynecologic outpatient, pediatric clinic, blood bank, pathology, hospitalization, maternity, oxygen plant, and infectious disease ward.

"Such a huge hospital had never been available in Cambodia's provinces before," Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said during the hospital's inauguration ceremony on Monday. "It is the largest modern hospital in Cambodia's provinces, except in the capital Phnom Penh."

Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian believed that the hospital would serve people better as it was equipped with modern medical technologies.

"This is emblematic of the China-Cambodia friendship," he said. "I'm confident that the hospital will play an important role in protecting people's lives and well-being."

Cambodian Health Minister Mam Bunheng said that developed on the land area of 24,300 square meters, the hospital is employing more than 350 medical workers.

It will also serve as a regional hospital for people in neighboring provinces, he said.

Eng Kheang, director of the Tboung Khmum Cambodia-China Friendship Hospital, said the hospital would make medical care more convenient for people, who previously had to travel to Phnom Penh for medical treatment.

"This hospital is a landmark project in Cambodia-China cooperation in public health and it was born of close cooperation between the two countries, especially under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative," he told Xinhua.

"It's a huge gift for the health sector that China has provided to Cambodia, and this new hospital will serve people better as it is equipped with modern medical technology that has not been available in this region before," he said.

With the assistance of medical supplies and equipment, and technologies from China, he believed that people would enjoy quality medical care services, Kheang said.

Lim Pichthearasy, a 29-year-old doctor at the hospital, said China has helped build the modern hospital, provided advanced medical equipment and held training courses for health staff.

"These have greatly contributed to the development of the health sector and the reduction of poverty in Cambodia," he told Xinhua.

"The hospital will not only help improve the people's health in eastern and northeastern regions of Cambodia, but also contribute to deepening people-to-people exchanges between the two countries toward a community with a shared future," he said.

Chheang Rotha, a resident in Tboung Khmum, said he was really elated to see such a huge and modern hospital here.

Previously, when people got moderately or seriously ill, they were very concerned about their conditions because hospitals were far away from their houses, he said, adding that if they were sick at night, it was even more difficult to travel to hospitals and it was sometimes life-threatening for seriously ill patients.

"But from now on, patients with moderate to serious illness will no longer need to travel in a long distance of more than 100 km to hospitals in Phnom Penh," the 36-year-old father of two children told Xinhua.

"It is now very convenient for people in these regions and this hospital will not only rescue our people's lives, but also save them both time and money," he said.

Resident Sout Seanghay, 32, said she was grateful to China for providing a great deal of assistance to Cambodia for the development in all fields, particularly in the public health sector.

"China, your generous support will be in our heart forever," she said.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
FILE - In this Sept. 26, 2020, file photo, Proud Boys leader Henry "Enrique" Tarrio wears a hat that says The War Boys during a rally in Portland, Ore. The leader of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group, Tarrio, was arrested Tuesday on a conspiracy charge for his suspected role in a coordinated attack on the U.S. Capitol to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Bidens 2020 electoral victory. (AP Photo/Allison Dinner, File) (Allison Dinner/AP)

WASHINGTON  The leader of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group was arrested Tuesday on a conspiracy charge for his suspected role in a coordinated attack on the U.S. Capitol to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Bidens 2020 electoral victory.

Proud Boys former chairman Henry Enrique Tarrio wasnt there when the riot erupted on Jan. 6, 2021. Police had arrested Tarrio in Washington two days before the riot and charged him with vandalizing a Black Lives Matter banner at a historic Black church during a protest in December 2020. The day before the Capitol was attacked, a judge ordered the Miami-based leader of the Proud Boys to stay out of Washington. He later served a five-month sentence in that case.

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The new riot-related charges are among the most serious filed so far, but they arent the first of their kind. Eleven members or associates of the anti-government Oath Keepers militia group, including its founder and leader Stewart Rhodes, were charged on Jan. 12 with seditious conspiracy in the Capitol attack.

More than three dozen people charged in the Capitol siege have been identified by federal authorities as Proud Boys leaders, members or associates.

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In this Sept. 26, 2020, file photo, Proud Boys leader Henry "Enrique" Tarrio wears a hat that says The War Boys during a rally in Portland, Ore. The leader of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group, Tarrio, who has ties to South Florida, was arrested Tuesday on a conspiracy charge for his suspected role in a coordinated attack on the U.S. Capitol to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Bidens 2020 electoral victory. (Allison Dinner/ AP File) (Allison Dinner/AP)

A New York man pleaded guilty in December to storming the U.S. Capitol with fellow Proud Boys members. Matthew Greene was the first Proud Boys member to publicly plead guilty to conspiring with other members to stop Congress from certifying the Electoral College vote. Greene agreed to cooperate with authorities.

On the morning of Jan. 6, Proud Boys members met at the Washington Monument and marched to the Capitol before then-President Donald Trump finished speaking to thousands of supporters near the White House.

Just before Congress convened a joint session to certify the election results, a group of Proud Boys followed a crowd of people who breached barriers at a pedestrian entrance to the Capitol grounds, an indictment says. Several Proud Boys also entered the Capitol building itself after the mob smashed windows and forced open doors.

[ RELATED: Proud Boys leader was arrested before Capitol riot in bid to prevent violence, FBI says ]

Prosecutors have said the Proud Boys arranged for members to communicate using specific frequencies on Baofeng radios. The Chinese-made devices can be programmed for use on hundreds of frequencies, making them difficult for outsiders to eavesdrop.

In December, a federal judge refused to dismiss an earlier indictment charging four alleged leaders of the far-right Proud Boys with conspiracy. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly rejected defense attorneys arguments that the four men  Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Charles Donohoe  were charged with conduct that is protected by the First Amendment right to free speech.

Nordean, Biggs, Rehl and Donohoe remain jailed while awaiting a trial scheduled for May.

[ RELATED: Proud Boys leader says they wont back down during Biden presidency ]

Nordean, of Auburn, Washington, was a Proud Boys chapter president and member of the groups national Elders Council. Biggs, of Ormond Beach, Florida, is a self-described Proud Boys organizer. Rehl was president of the Proud Boys chapter in Philadelphia. Donohoe, of Kernersville, North Carolina, also served as president of his local chapter, according to the indictment.

Tarrio didnt immediately respond to a text message seeking comment on his arrest and indictment.

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Proud Boys members describe the group as a politically incorrect mens club for Western chauvinists. Its members frequently have brawled with antifascist activists at rallies and protests. Vice Media co-founder Gavin McInnes, who founded the Proud Boys in 2016, sued the Southern Poverty Law Center for labeling it as a hate group.
(Natural News) The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently released a document proving that Pfizers Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) mRNA vaccine can cause nearly 1,300 adverse events.

The FDA was recently embroiled in a court case over how quickly it can release documents from its Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research regarding Pfizers mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. The relevant documents contain valuable information about Pfizers trials and the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.

The agency wanted the data to be released very slowly over the next 75 years by releasing only 500 pages worth of documents every month. But U.S. District Judge Mark T. Pittman ordered the FDA to release 55,000 pages worth of documents each month starting March 1.

This would allow the public to have all of the FDAs information regarding Pfizers vaccine within eight months. (Related: Leaked top-secret Pfizer document shows COVID-19 vaccine is FAR MORE DANGEROUS than the world knows.)

Among the documents the FDA was forced to release just days ago is a 38-page report titled 5.3.6 Cumulative Analysis of Post-Authorization Adverse Event Reports of PF-07302048 (BNT162B2) Received Through 28-Feb-2021.

This document, which was marked by Pfizer as proprietary and confidential, and warned of possible legal action if released without the Big Pharma companys consent, goes into detail regarding how many people have experienced adverse events after taking the companys experimental mRNA vaccine.

The document has an appendix that is nine pages long and lists 1,291 different adverse events associated with the companys COVID-19 vaccine.

This extremely lengthy list has a whole host of different medical conditions that the Pfizer vaccine can cause, including acute kidney injury, neonatal death, deep vein thrombosis, epileptic psychosis, facial paralysis, liver injury, stillbirth, temporal lobe epilepsy, type 1 diabetes and vertebral artery thrombosis.

Vaccines must be recalled and Pfizer held accountable

Mary Holland, president and general counsel for the health freedom and anti-vaccine mandate organization Childrens Health Defense, called the Pfizer document with the nearly 1,300 adverse events list a bombshell.

These findings should put an immediate end to the Pfizer COVID vaccines, she said. The potential for serious harm is very clear, and those injured by the vaccines are prohibited from suing Pfizer for damages.

She added that this long list of adverse events makes it clear why both the FDA and Pfizer wanted to keep this data under wraps for 75 years.

Holland added that the rollout of Pfizer vaccines must be immediately halted before the mass vaccination of children under five years of age starts. The government has already purchased 50 million dollars of this experimental and deadly vaccine for children and infants in this age group, to be delivered by April 30.

She pointed out the risk of serious injury or death from COVID-19 to healthy children within this age group is practically zero and that evidence shows the vaccine is not effective when used in very young children.

It would be criminal to expose infants and young children to this extremely risky product, added Holland. [Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System] data shows the catastrophic health impacts the vaccine is having on millions of people, yet Pfizer and other vaccine makers are raking in billions of dollars with no fear of being held accountable for injuries and deaths from their vaccines.

More related stories:

FDA wants to release Pfizer vaccine documents slowly while attention is focused away from pandemic.

Pfizer manipulated legal immunity for itself against covid vaccine adverse effects caused by negligence, fraud or malice.

FDA executive reveals truth about agencys extremely close ties to Big Pharma in undercover video.

Pfizer panicking after judge orders accelerated release of COVID vaccine documents amid fears business will be harmed.

Criminal conspiracy unraveling: Pfizer and the government concealed thousands of deaths, mass injuries caused by experimental covid jabs.

Watch this clip from The Highwire as host Del Bigtree and co-host investigative journalist Jefferey Jaxen talk about the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine data dump.

This video is from the The HighWire with Del Bigtree channel on Brighteon.com.



Learn more about how dangerous Pfizers mRNA COVID-19 vaccine truly is at Vaccines.news.

Sources include:

CreativeDestructionMedia.com

PHMPT.org [PDF]



ChildrensHealthDefense.org

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has admitted that large portions of data about the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) are not being published because the world might misinterpret them. And Dr. Robert Malone is warning that this amounts to fraud.

It has been almost two full years since the plandemic was first launched, and only a tiny fraction of the data collected by the CDC has been released for public consumption.

It was The New York Times, of all sources, that ran a big story on this, revealing that much of the withheld information could have been used by state and local officials to get the virus under control.

The CDC is a political organization as much as it is a public health organization, said Samuel Scarpino, the managing director of pathogen surveillance at the Rockefeller Foundations Pandemic Prevention Institute.

The steps that it takes to get something like this released are often well outside of the control of many of the scientists that work at the CDC.

Translated by Dr. Malone, what Scarpino is basically saying is that the CDC has been lying to the public about the Fauci Flu. (Related: Donald Trump also lied betrayed Americans by engaging in vaccine racketeering.)

Basically, a non-governmental spokesperson for the official public health scientific community is throwing Rochelle Walensky under the bus, and saying that the politicians forced us to commit scientific fraud by withholding key data, Dr. Malone writes.

The Global Summit Doctors and other brave medical practitioners who have stood up to the lies and tyranny  who have been harassed, jobs lost, medical licenses lost, smeared and libeled are right. The data are being withheld.

How many lives have been lost because of the CDCs lies?

The Global Summit Doctors, by the way, have been sounding the alarm about all this for quite some time, only to be labeled as conspiracy theorists by the establishment.

It turns out that these folks were righter than right, and chances are there are still many more revelations to come that will fully deconstruct the myth that the CDC, or any other government agency for that matter, is working in the best interests of the general public.

The CDC is using cumulative data from the beginning of the vaccine roll-out in early 2021 to prop up the lie that these vaccines are effective against Omicron, Dr. Malone explains. The CDC is clearly hiding the data about safety.

Dr. Malone says that if the CDC had released proper, age-stratified data for covid, it would be clear as day that Trumps Operation Warp Speed injections are not necessary for most Americans.

If the vaccine risk ratio of those vaccinated and hospitalized were published for Omicron  it would be clear that the vaccine benefit is not observed, he adds.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is also complicit, as it still has not revealed what the efficacy rate is for booster shots in children. This is in spite of the fact that the FDA promised to do this.

They have not released the safety data, Dr. Malone says. They have withheld the safety data on the vaccines for children and adults. This must stop. We are deep into outright Scientific Fraud territory.

Ben Armstrong from The New American released a video where he offers his own take on the situation as well.

We have been manipulated from the VERY start of this pandemic, Dr. Malone further adds. The government has been deciding what has been written, removed, censored by media and the big tech giants. This is propaganda.

The latest plandemic news can be found at Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

RWMaloneMD.substack.com

NaturalNews.com

TheNewAmerican.com
(Natural News) The United States Senate passed a bill to end the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) state of National Emergency in a party-line vote as mask mandates and social distancing restrictions continue.

All Republicans voted for Senate Joint Resolution 38, which would effectively end the national emergency declared by then-President Donald Trump on March 13, 2020. Meanwhile, all Democrats voted against the declaration, which President Joe Biden has already extended twice. With three Democratic and two Republican Senators not present in the session, the resolution ended with a 48-47 vote, passing the bill successfully in Senate. (Related: President Biden to extend COVID-19 national emergency status.)

Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, who introduced the measure, said in a statement after the vote: After nearly two years of living under this state of emergency, the American people are worn out and yearning to breathe free; they long for their God-given freedoms, and for leaders to take their side. There is no doubt, its time for our nation to learn to live with COVID.

However, Democrats opposed the measure, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York claiming that lifting the mandates would prevent the Biden administration from being able to fight the pandemic if a new strain develops. He added that it was too early to lift the emergency measures as it would handicap the administrations ability to fight the pandemic.

The best way to ensure that we keep schools open and cases low is by staying at the ready, and that is what these emergency powers enable us to do, he said. By prematurely terminating the national emergency declaration on COVID, it will be harder to ensure we have enough supplies, enough support for health care workers, and it risks throwing tens of millions of student loan borrowers into needless uncertainty and anxiety.

Biden threatens to veto bill

Meanwhile, the White House pledged to veto the bill if it reaches Bidens desk, saying that the GOP attempt at terminating the pandemic emergency declaration is a reckless and costly mistake to make.

The Democrats argue that the bill could halt COVID-19 policies and protections, such as student loan payment relief, looser telehealth regulations and higher reimbursement rates for providers. All these could also raise funding concerns.

The administration is already asking Congress for $18.25 billion to continue buying therapies, tests and vaccines. This does not include the billions more that the White House could ask for to implement an exit roadmap or other initiatives tied to the COVID response, such as bolstering nursing home oversights or pushing for mental health care plans.

Officials are still concerned about the ongoing effects of COVID, fearing that the chapter is not yet over. Bidens chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci said emergency means different things to different people, and the United States remains in a situation where there are around 68,000 active cases. As the administration launched a roadmap for the pandemics next phase, Fauci noted that the government must always be prepared for the possibility of another variant.

The trends continue to look up, with the CDC saying that COVID-19 shifted its map again, placing roughly 90 percent of the country in low to moderate risk zones. However, there are more cases reported per day now compared to July 2021, when Biden declared a premature success. (Related: Trudeau and Biden EXTENDED national emergencies to create PERMANENT state of emergency for never-ending suspension of civil rights.)

Another factor that the administration is considering to address the state of the pandemic is the vaccination rate of the citizens. The gap between COVID-19 vaccination coverage in rural and urban America has grown wider in the past year, despite the increased availability and improved access to vaccines. In rural areas, only a little over 58 percent got at least one dose of any of the available COVID-19 vaccines, while it is at around 75 percent in urban counties.

This urban-rural coverage gap is similar in all age groups, but was more pronounced among younger Americans. In rural counties, nearly 40 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds have received at least one vaccine dose, compared to about 65 percent in urban counties. For the 5- to 11-year-old age range, the rates were at 15 and 30 percent, respectively.

More related stories:

Dr. Robert Malone calls for immediate end to Bidens national emergency.

Biden using national emergency to allow corrupt feds to rig the 2022 midterm elections.

For decades, U.S. Presidents have signed Executive Orders that activate a DICTATORSHIP during a national emergency.

Its time for the American people to declare our own national emergency and remove destructive Dems from power.

Yes, the Democrats just admitted they plan to declare a national emergency to demand gun confiscation from all citizens.

Watch the video to know why the emergency phase of the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

This video is from the GalacticStorm channel on Brighteon.com.

Follow Pandemic.news for more updates related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sources include:

100PercentFedUp.com

DailyMail.co.uk

Politico.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Adm. Charles Richard, head of the U.S. Strategic Command, said it has become imperative for the United States to have the capability to defend against Russia and China at the same time.

(Article by Frank Fang republished from TheEpochTimes.com)

Today, we face two nuclear-capable near-peers who have the capability to unilaterally escalate a conflict to any level of violence in any domain worldwide, with any instrument of national power, and that is historically significant, Richard told the House Armed Services Committee on March 1.

He pointed out that while the need to deter both China and Russia at the same time was only at the level of major concern in April last year, the concern has now become a reality.

That need is now an imperative.

In April 2021, he told lawmakers at another congressional hearing (pdf) that the United States for the first time in history was on a trajectory to face two nuclear-capable, strategic peer adversaries at the same time.

Months later, he said the United States was witnessing a strategic breakout by China, adding that the Chinese regimes explosive growth and modernization of its nuclear and conventional forces was breathtaking.

Last fall, I formally reported to the secretary of defense, the PRCs [Peoples Republic of China] strategic breakout, Richard said. Their expansion and modernization in 2021 alone is breathtaking.

China and Russia pose a threat to the United States now more than ever, as the two neighboring countries currently boast a no-limits partnership, according to a statement released following a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Feb. 4.

Last summer, China reportedly tested nuclear-capable hypersonic missiles, prompting Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley to say the tests were very close to a Sputnik moment. Additionally, there were reports that China was building hundreds of new nuclear silos.

In November 2021, the Pentagon warned that China might have as many as 1,000 deliverable nuclear missiles by 2030.

So far, China hasnt slowed down in its pursuit of hypersonic weapons, according to Gen. Glen VanHerck, head of the U.S. Northern Command.

Theyre aggressively pursuing hypersonic capability, tenfold to what we have done as far as testing within the last year or so, significantly outpacing us with their capabilities, he said at the hearing.

As for the current U.S. defensive posture, Richard said he felt quite confident.

I am satisfied with the posture of my forces. I have made no recommendations to make any changes, he said. The nations nuclear command and control is in its most defended, most resilient lineup that its ever been in its history.

However, Richard told lawmakers that its important to keep monitoring Chinas development.

We dont know the endpoint of where China is going in terms of the capabilities its developing and the capacities that its developing, he said.

While Im very confident were going to wind up with a very good strategy, I think it will need to be a question that we continue to ask ourselves as we see where China goes, as we see where others go. What are the overall capability and capacity that the United States requires in order to execute that strategy against a changing threat.

Were going to have to ask that question much more frequently than we have in the past.

Read more at: TheEpochTimes.com
(Natural News) A former Pfizer contractor-turned-whistleblower said the Big Pharma company forged informed consent signatures and falsified and fabricated clinical trial data for its Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) mRNA vaccine.

Brook Jackson, who has nearly 20 years of experience in clinical research for the pharmaceutical and medical device industries, was hired by Pfizer to participate in the Big Pharma companys stage 3 COVID-19 vaccine trials in 2020. (Related: Whistleblower: Pfizer vaccine trial data was falsified, participants who experienced adverse effects were ignored.)

According to Jackson, she only worked for the trial for a few days. She had no choice but to quit after the practices she witnessed that were so appalling she had to blow the whistle immediately.

Since then, she has faced more than a year of overwhelming legal intimidation. Jackson was even issued a court order not to speak about what she saw in Pfizers trials until the conclusion of her legal battle  thanks to a legal complaint she said she was tricked into filing.

Despite the gag order, Jackson still agreed to come on to the March 3 episode of the Stew Peters Show to discuss the fraudulent clinical trial Pfizer.

Pfizers clinical trial treated like a quick formality rather than a rigorous and necessary scientific procedure

When Jackson filed a complaint against Pfizer with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), she listed several different concerns that would have ended the Big Pharma companys COVID-19 vaccine trial if the FDA was willing to prosecute Pfizer for negligence during clinical trials.

The main problem with Pfizers trial was that there was a widespread lack of informed consent.

I saw informed consent [forms] that were forged, said Jackson. I witnessed informed consents that were being given to these patients that were not complete.

As an example, Jackson noted that she saw multiple informed consent forms that had massive differences in the signatures, indicating that Pfizer employees or operatives at the clinical trial site were forging the signatures of trial participants.

Jackson explained that this most likely happened because the clinical trial was treated more like a formality that Pfizer had to deal with instead of a proper study into the safety and efficacy of the companys experimental vaccine.

Imagine the study, its supposed to be controlled, she said. But imagine a factory line. These patients were brought in so quickly, and they were moved out just as fast. And so, things are missed, data points were missed, informed consent signatures were missed. So when that was found during an internal quality control process, they would just forge the signatures.

Peters remarked that this lack of informed consent stretches out to the people getting their COVID-19 vaccines at their pharmacists or in their school cafeteria or whatnot.

Other than the forging of informed consent signatures, Jacksons other big concern with Pfizers trial was the complete fabrication and falsification of trial data. She again noted that this was inevitable given the haste and the speed in which they were enrolling [patients] in the study.

Ventavia, the clinical research company Jackson contracted by during Pfizers clinical trial, was paid on a per-patient basis. She noted that this gave the company an incentive to get as many people enrolled in the trial as possible, regardless of whether or not this affects the integrity of the study data.

This, coupled with Pfizers desire to be the first to get a COVID-19 vaccine on the market, completely tore down what little credible data could be gained from the trials.

Just in the rush, missing data points werent collected, said Jackson. When those were found during internal and audit processes  the data would just be made up. So, if it was missing on a worksheet or document or source document from the site level, they would just fabricate the data.

More related stories:

Leaked emails reveal COLLUSION between three major drug regulators to approve Pfizer vaccine.

Karen Kingston tells Michele Swinick: Purpose of COVID-19 vaccine is to be a tool for genetic editing  Brighteon.TV.

Shocking whistleblower recordings show children getting jabbed with poorly mixed COVID vaccines.

Extensive analysis of trial data finds that Pfizer covid jab does more harm than good.

Congress refuses to investigate FDAs failure to look into claims that Pfizer falsified COVID vaccine trial data.

Watch Brook Jacksons full interview with Stew Peters on the March 3 episode of The Stew Peters Show as she discusses the data integrity issues with Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine trials.

This video is from The Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com.

Learn more about Pfizers experimental and deadly mRNA COVID-19 vaccine at Vaccines.news.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

RedVoiceMedia.com
(Natural News) The Biden administration is now applying Mafia tactics to silence the opposition and protect its clan. InfoWars host Owen Shroyer made this assertion as guest host in a recent episode of The Alex Jones Show.

Shroyer should know. He had experienced the bullying before and could see it happening again. This time, though, he isnt the lone target. The coercion has extended to his family  his mother, in particular.

Now, theyre coming after my family. My family, Roger, Shroyer told his guest Roger Stone. This is Mafia gangster tactics that our government is now involved in.

Theyre going after innocent peoples families. And thats mine, Shroyer continued.  And so as far as I know, as the situation stands, I am still the only individual who never stepped foot in the Capitol, never touched a police officer, never touched a barrier, never touched anything that day. And Im facing charges.

Shroyer, a political activist, was among those charged by the government in connection with the January 6, 2021 riot on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

He didnt mind the legal threat since it had been wielded on him before when he disrupted the impeachment hearing of then-President Donald Trump in late 2019 and was made to sign an agreement to refrain from protest activity again.

But Shroyer wont be an idle watcher and was among those seen in the proximity of Capitol Hill when the January 6 incident unfolded. (Related: Jan. 6 incident: Security footage suggests strong possibility of an inside job.)

Going after family just like Mafia

Prosecutors charged him with a misdemeanor for crossing police lines and egging on the crowd during the protest rally. Perhaps to force Shroyer to kowtow, the government, through the House Jan. 6 Committee, issued a subpoena to his mother  Annette Shroyer  on February 10 seeking her phone records.

The reason given is shes a supposed associate of Alex Jones, the owner of InfoWars.

Shroyer refuted the story and threatened to sue Daily Mail for defamation.

According to Shroyer, his mother has never been to Austin, Texas, where Jones is based, and has never met anybody that works in InfoWars apart from him, of course.

Stone, a political adviser to U.S. presidents, including Trump, commiserated with Shroyer.

Yeah, it is absolutely outrageous. Your case seems to me to be a trend travesty, I cant figure out what you allegedly did wrong. In fact, I think you did nothing wrong, said Stone. You didnt hurt anybody. You didnt break anything. You didnt steal anything. You didnt go into the Capitol, you didnt break into the Capitol. Your mere presence on the outskirts of the capital, which by the way is the Peoples House, theyve now decided is a crime.

Stone is hopeful Trump will also extend legal help to the January 6 detainees so that they can have a fair trial, so they can have due process.

After all, according to Stone, they were exercising their First Amendment rights, the right to free assembly, the right to redress the government, until they made the strategic mistake of trespassing.

Stone and Shroyer couldnt understand the lukewarm treatment the political prisoners have been getting not only from the conservative media but the Republicans as well. Either they were bribed just to stay neutral or threatened to remain silent.

And if they chose to be stubborn like Shroyer, their families may have to suffer repercussions as well. Thats the Mafia way.

More related stories:

Feds admit Capitol siege was planned in advance by Trump haters, not Trump supporters.

Democrats continue to lie about the Jan. 6 Capitol attack that was set up by deep state; Schiff alters texts to ensnare Trump allies.

Watch the video below to know more about the allegations of Owen Shroyer that the J6 Committee is targeting the family of the defendants in the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill siege.

This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.

Follow BigGovernment.news for more stories about government intimidation.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

APNews.com

Ballotpedia.org
(Natural News) The husband of an Oregon woman who died last year from a blood clotting disorder just two weeks after getting vaccinated with Johnson & Johnsons (J&J) Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) injection is speaking out about his wifes rare experience.

It turns out that what Stan Thomas other half suffered is not so rare after all. He explained to NBC News that even if the risk is considered small by the governments standards, it is happening more often than people think.

Thousands of similar blood clotting disorders resulting in death have been reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and yet NBC maintains that there is only a 1-in-a-million risk.

When its eight million doses and two people are going to die from it, who thinks its going to be you? Thomas asked hypothetically in an interview.

Monika Melkonian, 52, we now know, received her J&J shot at an injection clinic on April 7, 2021, the same day that both the CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) temporarily paused that brand of injection due to a flood of reports about vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT).

VITT is a sometimes fatal condition characterized by simultaneous acute thrombosis and thrombocytopenia that presents after receiving a COVID vaccine, explains The Defender (Childrens Health Defense) about the condition.

Initially, Melkonian developed a persistent headache and pain behind her left eye. She did not think too much of it and continued to carry out normal daily activities with her husband.

By April 17, Melkonians headache was mostly gone, so she assumed she was in the clear. But by 4 a.m. the next day (April 18), Thomas says he heard his wife hit the floor, which turned out to be a seizure that caused her to no longer be able to move her right arm.

Suspecting a stroke, Thomas called 9-1-1 and had first responders take her to the emergency room. She perished not long after arriving there.

The progression of this was just lightning-fast, Thomas recalled about how he tried to communicate with his wife by asking her to squeeze his hand once for yes and twice for no in response to questions.

The last thing that I said to her was that I loved her and asked her to squeeze my hand twice, he said. She did.

CDC covid jab task force admits that it excludes certain post-injection heart incidents from data to keep numbers low

On April 22, 2021, the CDC launched an investigation into Melkonians death. Later that year, the agencys vaccine advisory panel determined that the benefits of getting the shot supposedly outweigh the risks, claiming that only 54 cases of VITT in J&J recipients, nine of which resulted in death, have been reported.

This blood clot was seen in combination with very low platelets, said the Oregon Health Authority in a follow-up statement following Melkonians death.

Prior to the issuance of the pause, cases of this serious blood clot had been identified among six women around the country who received the vaccine.

Concerning the CDCs declaration that the J&J jab is still safe despite the VITT risk, the agencys COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force later admitted that certain heart events that occur post-injection are excluded from the data. These include reports where [the] only thrombosis is ischemic stroke or myocardial infarction.

Doing this, The Defender noted, significantly reduces the number of blood-clotting cases in the official numbers, which in effect makes the injections appear safer than they actually are.

The CDC website currently states that most strokes, or around 87 percent, are ischemic strokes, which is when blood flow through the artery that supplies oxygen-rich blood to the brain becomes blocked.

More related news about Fauci Flu shots can be found at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources for this article include:

ChildrensHealthDefense.org

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Bayer Pharmaceuticals Division President Stefan Oelrich was heard saying at the World Health Summit in November last year that the mRNA vaccines are an example of cell and gene therapy.

Oelrich said that Bayer had been taking the leap to drive innovation in cell and gene therapies, including the mRNA vaccines against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). Two years ago, if the company asked the public whether or not they would be willing to take gene or cell therapies to be injected into their bodies, Oelrich said that there would have been a 95 percent pushback. However, he also observed that the pandemic has opened many peoples eyes to innovation.

Our successes over these 18 months should embolden us to fully focus much more closely on access, innovation and collaboration to unleash health for all, especially as we enter, on top of everything else that is happening, a new era of science. A lot of people talk about the bio revolution in this context, he went on.

These statements from Oelrich are similar to those of the World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab, who said that people need to focus on what is socially responsible outside of Europe and ensure sustainable action there. However, Schwabs focus had been on contraceptives, where he pledged to give women access to contraception, infested money into new plants dedicated to producing long-acting contraceptives for women in low- and middle-income countries. (Related: CDC encourages pregnant women to take COVID vaccines, citing spike in pregnancy deaths.)

Oelrichs words showed a similar agenda as the infamous Great Reset, a radical socialist plan that seeks to push the reset button on the global economy. The pandemic put this view in an advantageous position.

Schwab also mentioned that despite the easing of COVID-19 lockdowns, there had still been anxiety about the worlds social and economic prospects, which are only intensifying. With an economic downturn already beginning what is probably the worst depression since the 1930s.

One silver lining of the pandemic is that it has shown how quickly we can make radical changes to our lifestyles. Almost instantly, the crisis forced businesses and individuals to abandon practices long claimed to be essential, from frequent air travel to working in an office, Schwab said.

He also added that to achieve a better outcome, the world should be united in revamping all aspects of societies and economies, from education to social contracts and working conditions.

Every country, from the United States to China, must participate, and every industry, from oil and gas to tech, must be transformed. In short, we need a Great Reset of capitalism, he stressed.

Widespread use of mRNA vaccines play huge role in Schwabs goal of reducing births

Oelrich and Schwab are major advocates for the widespread use of the mRNA vaccines. These shots, which do not complete clinical trials until 2023, have been linked to millions of adverse effects and thousands of deaths worldwide.

Apparently, the ultimate goal is to reduce births. Many of the notable adverse effects of the mRNA vaccines are in line with that goal.

World Health Organization data, for instance, shows many cases of stillbirths, vaginal hemorrhaging, irregular menstrual cycles and miscarriages linked to the vaccines. (Related: STUDY: Covid vaccines kill nine out of 10 babies in first trimester of pregnancy.)

Even ex-vice president at Pfizer, Michael Yeadon, said that the COVID vaccines pose a severe risk to your ability to conceive and carry a baby to term. He also said that the infertility rates are deliberate and that he believes whoever is doing it is lying in an attempt to smear the reputations of those who are trying to warn the public of this goal.

Oelrich told the summit in his concluding statements that the global health system is not just about donating medicines at lower prices. It is also being on-site to help put [the Great Reseat] into practice.

More related stories:

Dr. James Thorp tells Pastor David Scarlett: COVID vaccines are causing massive pregnancy loss  Brighteon.TV.

CVS ends religious accommodations, fires employee who refused to prescribe contraception.

DEATH SHOTS: Nearly half a million spontaneous abortions have been caused by covid vaccines.

Hidden Pfizer trial data shows that ALL vaccinated women in pregnancy lost their unborn babies.

VAERS data reveals 50-fold increase in ectopic pregnancies following COVID-19 vaccine shots.

Watch the video below to learn more about Klaus Schwabs Great Reset.

This video is from the Thrivetime Show channel on Brighteon.com.

Follow Pandemic.news for more updates related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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(Natural News) During a recent appearance on Steve Bannons War Room: Pandemic program, Dr. Naomi Wolf fired a shot against those who perpetrated the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) plandemic, accusing them of conspiring to commit mass murder.

Wolf named Tony Fauci from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Rochelle Walensky from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Francis Collins of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as co-conspirators in the genocide campaign.

What is the crime of murder? And its different state by state, but, you know conspiracy to commit murder is pretty loosely defined in California penal code 182, for instance, Wolf told Bannon. And now that weve seen the Pfizer documents, there are nine pages of harms, all the adverse effects.

The fact that people like Rochelle Walensky, Dr. Fauci, Dr. Collins  all the influencers who were paid, as we now know, said safe and effective, this needs criminal charges. This could be conspiracy to murder. And members of the media could also be accessories to murder.

Be sure to watch the below clip of Wolf speaking:

Dr. Naomi Wolf: This Could Be Conspiracy for Murder The fact that people like Rochelle Wolensky, Dr. Fauci, Dr. Collins said safe and effective. This is criminal charges. This could be conspiracy for murder, and [E. Dowd] said the media could be accessories to murder. pic.twitter.com/zLX1a5rypF  The Vigilant Fox ? (@VigilantFox) March 5, 2022

Every plandemic criminal deserves swift and merciless punishment for their crimes against humanity

These are some pretty big words, though Wolf failed to mention Donald Trump, who signed the PREP Act and launched Operation Warp Speed, which has injured and killed millions.

At least she is drawing attention to the need for justice, though, and perhaps eventually the whole thing will unravel exposing all of the vermin involved with this mass depopulation campaign.

Even if Fauci, for instance, is suddenly out of the news cycle, people have not forgotten what this decrepit Josef Mengele wannabe did to the world, terrorizing it for two years with mask and vaccine mandates.

Then we have Walensky, whose husband raked in millions from the plandemic scam.

Back in January, Wolf spoke out against Fauci and the others, accusing them of premeditated manslaughter against millions of people.

Keep in mind that Wolf used to advise Bill Clinton, which makes her an unlikely candidate to be saying these types of things, especially publicly.

The fact that Dr. Fauci grossly perjured himself is hugely apparent, Wolf said at the time about how Fauci repeatedly lied before Congress about gain of function research and other things.

It is the least of the crimes if indeed these are verified documents. I cant overstate this. This is a premeditated kind of manslaughter of millions of people coordinated at the highest levels according to these documents. Treatments that would have saved lives were intentionally or reportedly intentionally suppressed.

Apparently this was not just rhetoric for Wolf, who has continued to press forward in the pursuit of justice against all involved with pushing plandemic tyranny and mass genocide on not just Americans but most of the world.

Everyone involved in pushing these injections should be charged with manslaughter at the very least, wrote someone on Twitter. But as they already knew they were highly toxic and lethal, murder is the correct charge.

There has been a lot of bad that has happened because Trump didnt confiscate the Dominion Voting machines and force the DOJ to do its job and prosecute the massive election fraud, pointed out someone else at Citizen Free Press about how Trumps failures, whether they were deliberate or not, paved the way for all of this to happen under his watch.

The latest plandemic-related news can be found at Pandemic.news.

Sources include:

Twitter.com

NaturalNews.com 1

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NaturalNews.com 3

CitizenFreePress.com
(Natural News) The state of Florida became the first to recommend against injecting healthy children with the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine.

Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo made the announcement on March 7 during a roundtable discussion titled The Curtain Close on COVID Theater. The event, which was organized by Gov. Ron DeSantis, featured several doctors who were critical of COVID-19 vaccines and mandates.

The Florida Department of Health is going to be the first state to officially recommend against the COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children, Ladapo said at the end of the event. Were kind of scraping at the bottom of the barrel, particularly with healthy kids, in terms of actually being able to quantify with any accuracy and any confidence the even potential of benefit.

DeSantis told reporters at a news conference held on the same day: I think what Floridas guidance reflects is the latest research. He added that healthy children are at low risk for the virus, citing studies that show the shots very little benefit for children.

The Sunshine States decision to recommend against COVID-19 vaccines for children is contrary to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) stance. The public health agency claims that children can become very sick from COVID-19, with complications from infection possibly leading to death. However, children have a very high rate of survival from a COVID-19 infection and the vaccines themselves have caused children more harm than good.

Throughout the pandemic, Florida has stood out among all 50 states in the U.S. for its refusal to implement medical tyranny. Whereas other areas implemented lockdowns and other COVID-19 mandates, the Sunshine State went against the grain.

Florida is a free state. We reject the biomedical security state that curtails liberty, ruins livelihoods and divides society. We will protect the rights of individuals to live their lives free from the yoke of restrictions and mandates, DeSantis said during his State of the State Address in January 2022. (Related: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says vaccine passports are a big failure.)

Florida consistently denouncing draconian COVID mandates

In late February 2022, DeSantis and Ladapo issued new guidance dubbed Buck the CDC. The recommendations emphasized a shift away from draconian COVID-19 restrictions toward health freedom.

The guidance called for an end to corporate masking, advising against wearing facial coverings in a community setting. It added that Floridians should not be forced to wear a mask at work. Isolation guidelines for COVID-positive Floridian adults and children should be capped to five days as per the guidance.

The states Buck the CDC guidelines also reiterated the right to try other COVID-19 treatments, such as hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin for both patients and doctors. Practitioners have the flexibility to treat patients with off-label prescriptions if they determine it could help the patient and [if] it is something the patient would like to try, it said.

I still remember very clearly when people  including a lot of people with a lot of degrees  telling us 15 days to stop the spread. These people had no idea what they were talking about, said Ladapo. The Florida surgeon general added that people in power want us to forget that their choices were the wrong choices that basically led to no appreciable benefit.

The White House responded to the top Florida health officials announcement during a Washington, D.C. media briefing on the same day.

Its deeply disturbing that there are politicians peddling conspiracy theories out there and casting doubt on vaccinations, when it is our best tool against the virus and the best tool to prevent even teenagers from being hospitalized, said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.

More related stories:

Florida schools barred from mandating Covid-19 vaccines.

What we know about Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo.

Florida lawmakers pass bill banning vaccine passports in the state.

Florida governor calls for special session to block mask and vaccine mandates.

Florida COVID cases have plunged 88% in the past six weeks with NO MANDATES.

Watch Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis chiding students for wearing face masks below.

This video is from the Mindy channel on Brighteon.com.

VaccineWars.com has more about states like Florida eschewing CDC guidance on COVID-19 vaccines for children.

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CDC.gov

FLGov.com 1

FLGov.com 2 [PDF]

Brighteon.com
TAMPA  A Florida Dunkin employee accused of fatally punching a customer who used a racial slur against him pleaded guilty to felony battery and was sentenced to two years of house arrest.

A Tampa judge on Monday also ordered Corey Pujols, 27, to complete 200 hours of community service and attend an anger management course.

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Vonelle Cook was irate when he entered the Dunkin' store last May and began yelling about customer service, police and prosecutors said. When Pujols, who is Black, asked him to leave, Cook called him a racial slur, and Pujols punched him.

Cook, 77, fell to the floor and knocked his head. He died three days later.

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Pujols was initially charged with manslaughter.

In agreeing to a plea deal, prosecutors considered the totality of the circumstances, including Pujols youth, his lack of criminal history and the fact that he did not intend to cause Cooks death, Grayson Kamm, a spokesman for Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren, told the Tampa Bay Times. He said they also considered the behavior of Cook and what he said.

Two of the primary factors were the aggressive approach the victim took toward the defendant and everyone working with the defendant, and that the victim repeatedly used possibly the most aggressive and offensive term in the English language, Kamm told the newspaper.

Darrin Johnson, an attorney for Pujols, declined to comment after the hearing.

According to court records, Cook was a regular customer who tried to order coffee at the drive-thru on May 4. But the employees had trouble hearing him, and he began berating them for their poor customer service. He was asked to leave, but he parked his car and went inside the store.

When Cook appeared inside the store, Pujols asked a coworker to call police. Prosecutors said Cook began arguing with Pujols. Once Cook said the racial slur, Pujols walked around the counter and told him not to say that again. When he repeated it, Pujols hit him in the jaw and Cook fell to the floor.

An autopsy said he suffered a skull fracture and brain contusions.

Court records show Cook was a registered sex offender. No one from Cooks family spoke at Mondays hearing.
(Natural News) The HighWire host Del Bigtree and guest Tess Lawrie talked about why there is little news about the controversial drug ivermectin.

For me, ivermectin is actually the key to unlocking all the secrets of this pandemic, Lawrie said during the March 4 episode of The HighWire. There would have been no lockdowns, there would have been no masking or any of that necessary because ivermectin is really good at reducing transmission.

In the last two years, the government and mainstream media clamped down on ivermectin, which has been called a miracle cure against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). Big Pharma and the government shut it down in favor of dangerous, untested vaccines.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Anthony Fauci is one of the big players in flushing ivermectin out of the radar.

Lawrie, a bioethics specialist and research consultant, shared her concern about the lack of evidence to support the strategies that the authorities are recommending to mitigate COVID-19.

Pierre Kory, president of the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC Alliance), testified at a Senate hearing in December 2020 about looking into early outpatient COVID-19 treatment using the already expansive and still rapidly emerging medical evidence on ivermectin.

We have evidence that ivermectin is effective, not only in prophylaxis, in the prevention. If you take it you will not get sick, he said, adding that the drug has immense and potent antiviral activity.

Data showed that ivermectin was able to prevent COVID-19 and keep early symptoms from progressing to the hyper-inflammatory phase, and can even help critically ill patients to recover.

Kory said at the time that doctors trying to save lives considered the lack of governmental guidance and research on effective early home preventive treatments unconscionable, considering that hospitals have been overflowing with patients.

Ivermectin should be used for both COVID prevention and treatment

Lawrie herself said that it was clear ivermectin was likely a game-changer that should be used for both prevention and treatment. (Related: Japanese study finds that ivermectin is safe and effective for treating covid.)

Moreover, ivermectin was on the World Health Organizations (WHO) list as an essential medicine. In reports, ivermectin was shown to reduce inflammation and speed up viral clearance, so it can get rid of viruses quickly. In studies with severe infection, there was a 75 percent reduction in mortality in ivermectin users.

But instead of promoting something that seemed to be showing a lot of success, the government with the help of a non-governmental organization that collaborated with the WHO, influenced the conclusion of the studies involving ivermectin.

In the U.S., the use of ivermectin can take away a doctors license. It has become a sort of flashpoint in peoples lives, and the government wants them to agree to defer using it as treatment, essentially destroying ivermectin. (Related: Secret documents reveal FDAs attack on Ivermectin.)

So there would have been no emergency use authorization of experimental novel treatments. And that includes the new gene-based vaccines. So, if you want to understand what COVID is all about, then youve got to start with ivermectin. And that really unlocks the whole mystery.

Bigtree added: Were going to need an investigation into what to me could lead to crimes against humanity, there was a known solution, a miracle drug if you will, that could have saved millions of lives. And it was purposely stopped by some group of people or health departments, then weve really got to question the motives there.

More related stories:

Oklahoma AG declares medical boards cannot punish doctors for prescribing ivermectin.

Medical deep state continues to lie about ivermectin.

Ivermectin is the word that shall not be uttered in the Australian parliament.

Study finds preventive use of ivermectin reduces COVID deaths by 90 PERCENT.

Royal hypocrisy: Queen Elizabeth of England has COVID and shes reportedly taking ivermectin to treat it.

Watch below the full March 4 episode of The HighWire with Del Bigtree to learn more about ivermectin censorship.

This video is from The HighWire with Del Bigtree channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

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NewsWise.com
(Natural News) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is guilty of serious crimes against humanity that have resulted in untold harms and deaths, said Dr. Robert Malone.

In a recent interview with the New American  you can watch a segment of it below  Malone hit the CDC hard for manipulating and withholding data throughout the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) plandemic, which led to millions of people getting injured or killed.

BREAKING NEWS: Dr. Malone calls out the CDC for scientific fraud and criminal activity for willfully withholding data that resulted in harm and death. The CDC is spreading medical misinformation. We are completely vindicated, they were hiding the data.

pic.twitter.com/XMcTz8qta6  Truth Justice (@LakovosJustice) March 4, 2022

In my opinion, withholding scientific data constitutes fraud. This is scientific fraud, Malone said during the interview, as well as in a joint statement he issued with Dr. Peter McCullough.

In my opinion, if I was to publish a study in which I had a large body of epidemiologic data, and I decided to only public publish part of it because I wanted to advance some agenda, I would be guilty of scientific fraud. The paper would be withdrawn. I would be kicked out of my academic institution. I would be guilty of scientific fraud. Thats what this is.

Malone went on to reveal that there will, without a doubt, be legal consequences for the CDC and anyone else who participated in the plandemic sham. He said these entities and people now have a choice about which side of history they want to be on when the house of cards finally collapses.

I believe they have a choice, Malone said. These government employees have been participating in hiding this data. They can either be defendants or they can be witnesses.

CDC lied about COVID vaccine spike proteins: they DO persist in the body after all

The CDCs risk-benefit analysis about the so-called vaccines for the Fauci Flu is also fraudulent. Malone said it makes no sense, and that it covers for the fact that the jabs are far more risky and deadly than the alleged virus itself.

These synthetic pseudouridine-containing RNAs last for 60 days or longer, continuing to make spike, Malone explained in another interview. Watch below:

The CDC Is Hiding Data That Shows the Risk/Benefit Analysis Makes No Sense Dr. Malone: These synthetic pseudouridine-containing RNAs last for 60 days or longer continuing to make spike. The levels of spike that the [shots] are making is higher [than a COVID infection]. pic.twitter.com/SAyFfDItaF  The Vigilant Fox ? (@VigilantFox) March 5, 2022

The levels of spike that the [shots] are making is higher [than a COVID infection], he added.

Everything Malone has been warning about, only to be labeled a crazed conspiracy theorist, is now coming true. What he once described as the largest experiment on human beings in recorded history (referring to the injections), has failed, he said.

Funny how Dr. Death is nowhere to be seen lately, wrote a commenter in response to the news, referring to Tony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Its all downhill from here for our dear Dr. Dr. Fauci, responded another.

Another chastised Dr. Malone for referring to the whole thing as a failed experiment.

Their only failure was their inability to keep it secret, this person contended. But the greatest failure is for people to not see this for what it is and rise to stop the enemy. Were at war on multiple fronts and people of intellect who refuse to accept it may as well be complicit.

Others thanked Malone for at least bringing the issue to the table. Now, will We the People actually do anything about it or will it just get buried in the history books?

More of the latest plandemic news can be found at Pandemic.news.

Sources include:

CitizenFreePress.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Melinda Gates has dropped multiple bombshells about her former husband Bill Gates during an interview. She cited several factors that led to their divorce, including his multiple affairs and his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Melinda elaborated on her former husbands flings during her appearance on the CBS program This Morning. She told program host and journalist Gayle King about Bills affair with a staffer from two decades ago, which his spokesperson confirmed back in May 2021.

I certainly believe in forgiveness, so I thought we had worked through some of that. It wasnt one moment or one specific thing that happened. There just came a point in time where there was enough there when I realized it just wasnt healthy, and I couldnt trust what we had, said Melinda, referring to the 20-year affair.

The former wife of the Microsoft founder remarked that while she never thought she would get divorced, their relationship reached the point where she felt she could no longer carry on.

Unfortunately, I felt like I needed to take a different path. We knew that the divorce was going to be a surprise [to] people, and I felt bad about that. I dont question myself now, not at all. I gave every single piece of myself to this marriage. I was committed to this marriage from the day we got engaged and until the day I got out of it.

In response to Kings question about any other affairs over the course of their 27-year marriage, Melinda answered: Those are questions Bill needs to answer. She clarified that while they are no longer friends, she and Bill are on friendly terms and are collaborating together. I wish him well, she added.

Meanwhile, the Microsoft founder said in a statement: I will always be sorry for the pain that I caused Melinda and our family. I admire Melinda and everything she does to improve the lives of women and girls around the world. Im [also] grateful for the work we continue to do together at [the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.]

Melinda Gates: Epstein is evil personified

During her This Morning interview, Melinda also revealed her explicit disdain toward Epstein. I did not like that he had meetings with Epstein, no. I made that clear to him. (Related: Furious Melinda Gates warned Bill over Jeffrey Epstein escapades: Report.)

She also shared her experience meeting Epstein in person back in 2013. I also met [him] exactly one time. I wanted to see who this man was, and I regretted it from the second I stepped in the door, Melinda said. He was abhorrent, evil personified. I had nightmares about it afterwards. Thats why my heart breaks for these young women. Thats how I felt, and I am an older woman. He was awful.

The Microsoft founders former wife later made it very clear to Bill what she felt about Epstein following their meeting. Meanwhile, Bill said in a statement to CBS that meeting with Epstein was a mistake that I regret deeply. It was a substantial error in judgment.

Melindas concerns about her erstwhile husbands links to the convicted sex offender dated as far back as 2013, according to a former Gates Foundation employee. The same employee confirmed to Al Jazeera Melindas disdain toward Epstein when the Gates couple met him during that year. Despite this, Bill and other foundation employees continued to cultivate ties with Epstein.

When Bills ties with the convicted sex offender became public in 2019, documents reviewed by Al Jazeera stated that Melinda made a number of calls with her legal advisers prior to their divorce in May 2021. Meanwhile, Epstein was found dead in his jail cell in August 2019, while in the custody of a New York correctional facility. His death was ruled a suicide, but theories have surfaced that he was possibly murdered.

More related stories:

Bill Gatess geek dad image falls apart following divorce with Melinda.

Serial sex offender Jeffrey Epstein had extensive ties to Harvard University, review notes.

The Bill Gates and Jeffrey Epstein connection goes deeper, as both shared interests in eugenics.

Jeffrey Epstein, the Clintons, Lolita Express, the MIT Media Lab, and Bill and Melinda Gates: a trail of kickbacks, corruption, child trafficking, and vaccine fraud.

Watch InfoWars founder Alex Jones discussing the divorce of Bill and Melinda Gates below.

This video is from the Mindy channel on Brighteon.com.

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(Natural News) Millions of Americans who have been pining for green energy alternatives for years were hopeful when Joe Biden was installed following the November 2020 election that Donald Trump actually won because of his pledge to aggressively pursue them.

Biden immediately reversed most of Trumps pro-America, pro-fossil fuel development policies and priorities including the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline that a Canadian company had waited for more than a decade to build after spending billions of dollars on construction and supplies.

Democrats who hate fossil fuels dutifully obliged with a multitrillion-dollar infrastructure bill that includes billions to subsidize the purchase of electric vehicles  never mind that our country doesnt have the power grid to handle tens of millions more electric devices connecting to it.

After Trump made our country energy independent for the first time in decades, Bidens energy policy reversals have left us dependent again on volatile regimes including Mother Russia, which is now engaged in a war with Ukraine after invading late last month  an invasion that did not take place under Trump and would have if his reelection had not been stolen.

Russia is one of the worlds top oil producers; with countries now shunning Russian oil, the markets are starved for replacement supplies  which the U.S. could have produced had Biden not cut our capacity to do so.

As such, oil prices are now headed north and in a quick minute, with gas prices following closely behind. In fact, some analysts are predicting $200 oil very soon, along with $10 a gallon gasoline in America (it will be much higher than that in Europe).

Cecilia Rouse, chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said that the regime is also considering cutting purchases of Russian oil (which is helping to finance Vladimir Putins war) while at the same time trying to figure out how to replace it (easy  open up more exploration and subsidize domestic production).

We are considering a range of options but whats really essential is that we maintain a steady supply of global energy, Rouse said.

While there are ongoing talks with Russia and Iran (and, via backchannel, the Biden regime) to purchase Iranian oil (can you imagine if Trump wanted to buy Russian and Iranian oil after he was falsely accused of coddling dictators his entire term?), Pioneer Resources CEO Scott Sheffield said in an interview with the Financial Times over the weekend that oil would easily go to $150-$200 a barrel if the Western world bans Russian oil and gas.

The only way to stop Putin is to ban oil and gas exports, the boss of the largest U.S. shale company told the Financial Times. [But] if the western world announced that were going to ban Russian oil and gas, oil is going to go to $200 a barrel, probably  $150 to $200 easy.

There are additional problems to getting U.S. domestic supply going again, all due to insane Democrat-driven COVID pandemic policies that upset the labor market as well as domestic production of commodities and goods, creating shortages of everything that have not been improved since Biden was installed in January 2021.

Even as he backed calls for an oil and gas embargo against Russia, Sheffield said that the U.S. would not be able to replace lost Russian crude this year.

Im talking about a two- to three-year plan. Because U.S. shale, even if somebody adds a [drilling] rig . . . it takes six to eight months to get first production. Theres labor shortages, theres frack fleet shortages, theres rig shortages, theres sand shortages, he added.

Literally, every economic aspect of our economy Democrats touched or influenced has collapsed, and now the most incompetent person in the country is president, making bad situations even worse.

If youre not convinced America and the world are headed for collapse if we stay on the current course  $200 oil  youve not been paying attention.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

FT.com
(Natural News) Pfizer has finally begun rolling out data about its Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine following a court ruling.

In the March 2 episode of War Room, host Owen Shroyer talked about the Pfizer data that lists the numerous side effects of Pfizers mRNA shot. For all the coverage on vaccine side effects, the data suggests that its worse.

The Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency, a nonprofit that won the court case against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in a Texas district court, promptly released the Pfizer documents, but it did not offer any sort of explanation regarding the information in it.

Some of the documents, such as one labeled as a priority review request, included over 100 pages worth of anonymous safety-related tables of data, while another identified the gender, age and body mas index of the participants. Still, other documents are typical for any drug or vaccine application, including one that showed the standard of nearly $2.9 million user fee payment to the FDA from Pfizer.

Other documents released also included the fast-track designation letter, the confidential nonclinical overview for the vaccine, Pfizers request for a waiver from adding a suffix to the vaccines name and a long list of anonymous trial subjects who did not receive the vaccine as randomized.

While the sheer volume of pages and document types will give readers a good overall sense of the required documentation for vaccine approval at the FDA, it remains unclear whether or not the documents will offer any new insight into the vaccines safety or efficacy, given that real-world data on the vaccine have already been published in major medical journals.

Appendix one of the report shows a list of vaccine adverse events. To put it simply, it is a medical encyclopedia that lists every diagnosis in human medicine. (Related: FDA wants to release Pfizer vaccine documents slowly while attention is focused away from pandemic.)

There is also a section for autoimmune disorders that people are now calling VAIDS, or vaccine-induced AIDS, which is one of the biggest concerns for all those who have been vaccinated.

Anti-vaccination lawyer Aaron Siri, who served as managing partner for the firm that represented the nonprofit organization, said their job was to get the documents. They will be leaving it to the scientists and others to analyze.

Transparent, independent review necessary

The released documents are only the first of many that the company, along with the FDA, is set to release. Despite record vaccination rates of over 96 percent across federal health agencies back in November 2021, the FDAs claim that the vaccines are effective is still disrupting everyday life, bringing into focus the need to involve independent scientists in reviewing COVID data.

Meanwhile, U.S. District Judge Mark T. Pittman of the Northern District of Texas expressed his dismay at the FDAs rate of production, saying he found the duration of the request unreasonable. In his ruling, he recognized the release of the data is of paramount public importance and should be one of the FDAs highest priorities. He imposed a dramatically accelerated schedule of the release of all information  all within eight months from the pronouncement.

This is roughly 75 years and four months faster than the amount of time the FDA said it would take to complete the Freedom of Information Act request by a group of doctors and scientists who sought to acquire an estimated 450,000 pages of material about the vaccine. (Related: FDA asks a federal court to give it 55 YEARS to fully release Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine data.)

Many felt something was suspicious, even nefarious about the FDAs proposed timeline. Making the information public as soon as possible, however, may help assuage the publics concern regarding the vaccines.

More related stories:

Court REJECTS FDA request to hide Pfizer data for 75 years.

Former Pfizer employee flags FDA study, warns that Pfizer vaccine increases COVID by over 300%.

COVID vaccine injury reports jump by 27,000 in one week, FDA pulls bait and switch with Pfizer vaccine approval.

Whistleblower: Pfizer vaccine trial data was falsified, participants who experienced adverse effects were ignored.

Childrens Health Defense to sue FDA over fraudulent Pfizer covid vaccine approval.

Watch the full March 2 episode of War Room below.

You can watch more videos on the InfoWars channel at Brighteon.com.

Follow Pandemic.news for more updates.

Sources include:

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EndPTS.com

Reuters.com
(Natural News) New study has shown that Pfizers vaccine is almost entirely ineffective in children aged five to 11. Now, the so-called health experts are saying that it may have something to do with the dosage.

Researchers at the New York State Department of Health found that vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 infection declined from 68 percent to only 12 percent over the period of December 13, 2021, to January 30, 2022. In contrast, effectiveness for those aged 12 to 16 only declined from 66 percent to 51 percent over the same period.

The Food and Drug Administration recommends that children under 12 receive only a third of a dose compared to the older children, which, according to the researchers, could explain the drop in its effectiveness.

However, Dr. Meryl Nass, a member of the Childrens Health Defense Scientific Advisory Panel, said that Pfizer actually lied about the safety and efficacy data of its vaccines involving young children. According to her, the studies in the 5 to 11 age group are brief and unsatisfying, with inadequate safety and efficacy data that showed no strong support for why the vaccine is necessary.

Pfizer remains confident

When asked about the results, Pfizer said the company is still confident in the protection and safety of their vaccines, adding that they have a robust booster research program for adolescents. It is unclear whether Pfizer will seek authorization for booster doses for kids five to 11.

Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, said it will be hard to determine whether a higher dosage or another shot is necessary for kids five to 11 because the omicron variant has been shown to evade immunity in vaccinated and boosted adults. So despite being vaccinated, it is not guaranteed that Pfizers vaccine can offer any protection to children. (Related: Injecting children with Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine is reckless and dangerous.)

Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is collecting its own data on vaccine effectiveness in children and will be releasing its findings soon.

Risks outweigh purported benefits

Published data suggest that in order to prevent ICU admission among children in the 5 to 11 age range, 1.9 million children will need to be vaccinated with at least two doses of the Pfizer injection. This means that around 7.6 million doses will need to be administered to prevent one ICU admission.

Experts also claim that severe adverse reactions among children are extremely rare and that only two cases of vaccine-related myocarditis are reported per one million doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered. However, even if these numbers were true  numerous reports say otherwise  around 15.2 children in this age range would still develop myocarditis per 7.6 million doses.

In other words, 15.2 children will develop a life-threatening condition for every single ICU admission avoided courtesy of Pfizers mRNA vaccine. (Related: UNKNOWN RISK: Pfizer admits more studies are needed on myocarditis risk linked to COVID vaccines for kids.)

This is especially dangerous, considering that myocarditis weakens the heart to the point where the rest of the body does not get enough blood. Clots can also form in blood vessels that could lead to stroke or heart attack in young children, showing that there is a huge amount of risk in forcing children to get vaccinated against COVID with near-zero benefit.

Also, keep in mind that myocarditis is just one of the many side effects of the experimental injection.

Pfizer has already delayed the timeline for vaccines for children under five, saying that more time is needed to test the third dose. These tested doses are even smaller than that of the five to 11 age group.

More related stories:

Pfizer-sponsored NBC News caught lying about COVID and kids.

IMMUNE TO LIABILITY: Once Pfizers mRNA clot shots are approved for kids, Pfizer will face ZERO liability for injuries, disease, or death caused by them.

Matrixxx Groove: COVID vaccine is a bioweapon that is killing kids.

FDA officially authorizes Pfizer mRNA injections for children as young as 5 in latest grotesque sellout to profit interests of Pfizer.

UKs Pfizer report reveals SHOCKING VACCINE INJURIES and deaths from the covid jab.

Watch the video below to learn more.

This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.

Follow Pandemic.news for more updates.

Sources include:

TheHill.com

ChildrensHealthDefense.org

NBCNews.com

DailyExpose.uk
(Natural News) When Dr. Lee Merritt tackled Russias invasion of Ukraine in the March 2 edition of the Merritt Medical Hour on Brighteon.TV, two things she uttered stood out: Russian President Vladimir Putin is a great magician and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict can be tagged as DNA war against humanity.

Merritt, an orthopedic surgeon, said she considered Putin a great magician just because with a stroke of his mystical wand, the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) is suddenly gone.

The COVID pandemic  the two-year headliner the world over  got buried by the avalanche of information pertaining to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, its fellow former Soviet Union republic and bordering nation. This is despite the recent spike of COVID cases in Russia.

The Russia-Ukraine collision, which started February 24, is largely considered to be a battle of attrition  not only between the two nations, but also the global population and the use of bioweapons.

Because ultimately, were using pathogens like hantavirus and other things, said Merritt. But what this is really about, weve been caught going over to Russia and China and getting DNA from their citizens. The Chinese were caught doing it to us. Everybodys been filtering it from everybody.

DNA can be attacked with multiple targets

Peoples DNA is special. Its not just special to us, obviously. But its special to our enemies. Theres something about it that we can use. And what were finding out is that DNA has signatures like fingerprints, DNA can be attacked with multiple targets. Now weve learned they can be attacked, our DNA can be attacked with the so-called vaccines that are actually viral-based genetic therapies, Merritt explained.

They do get into our DNA. This has been recently shown at [Massachusetts Institute of Technology] MIT. Another big study just came out and showed that it was clearly getting to the DNA. Most of us thought that was true to begin with, but we couldnt really prove it. But its all coming out now.

Merritt then expounded on Putins reasons for disturbing the peace. First, he wants to prevent the further decay of Ukraine; second, the elimination of the U.S. biolabs in Ukraine; and third, the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine.

While Putin is generally regarded as the universal villain in the escalation of tension in Eastern Europe, Merritt thinks he has a point on all fronts.

Ukraine is on an economic decline, mainly because of money laundering and its wealth being siphoned off to Western parties, including the United States.

Russias demand for the shutdown of the biolabs allegedly funded by the U.S. in the fringes of Ukraine went unheeded as the U.S. denies their existence. Russias Ministry of Defense, however, claimed there were lots of evidence to prove the existence of such labs. In fact, Russia said the Ukraines Ministry of Health ordered the urgent destruction of deadly pathogens like plague, anthrax, cholera, tularemia and other lethal diseases infecting agents on Feb. 24.

As to the neo-Nazi allegation, its common knowledge that a pro-Nazi regiment, known as the Azov battalion, allegedly founded by white supremacists, has joined the Ukraine forces in trying to repel the Russian invaders. (Related: Matrixxx Grooove: Putin, Russia want denazification, demilitarization of Ukraine.)

Other related stories:

MIND GAMES: War in Ukraine designed to distract people away from COVID plandemic and vaccine deaths.

Big Tech eagerly blocks virtually all content from Russia while completely refusing to address Chinese propaganda.

Ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict pushing global economy closer to collapse.

Watch below the full March 2 episode of the Merritt Medical Hour hosted by Dr. Lee Merritt. Catch news episodes of the program every Wednesday at 7-8 p.m. on Brighteon.TV.

Follow WWIII.news for more news related to Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

CNBC.com

NBCNews.com

OpIndia.com
(Natural News) During a Sunday press conference, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov claimed employees at Pentagon-funded biolabs in Ukraine urgently destroyed hazardous pathogens being experimented on at the facilities.

(Article by Kelen McBreen republished from InfoWars.com)

In the course of the special military operation, evidence of the Kiev regimes hasty measures to conceal any traces of the military biological program finance by the US Department of Defense in Ukraine has been revealed, he said.

The Russian military official said employees at the labs handed over a copy of a February 24th document from Ukrainian Minister of Health Viktor Liashko instructing them to get rid of the research material.

To prevent the disclosure of facts of violations by the United States and Ukraine of Article 1 of the Biological Weapons Convention, the Ukrainian Ministry of Health sent instructions to all biological laboratories to urgently eliminate stored stocks of dangerous pathogens, he explained.

A Twitter account providing copies of the documents along with English translations noted that if the Pentagon was, or is funding biolabs in Ukraine that are working on these dangerous pathogens, it would violate Article 1 of the UN prohibition on biological weapons.

BREAKING: Russia publishes documents which show Ukraine was working on biological weapons near russian borders  such as Anthrax and Plague & that the pentagon has instructed to destroy them  violating article 1 UN prohibition of biological weapons.  These are US funded labs pic.twitter.com/DngZkGwws2  ASB News / MILITARY?? (@ASBMilitary) March 6, 2022

The notice translated into English allegedly instructed employees at labs across Ukraine to ensure the emergency destruction of biological pathogens at the facilities.

The Russian defense spokesperson continued, Obviously, after the launch of the special military operations, Pentagon became afraid that secret biological experiments in Ukraine will be exposed. We will share the results of the analysis of the documents we have received in the near future. Some of them, in particular the Ukrainian health ministrys instruction to destroy pathogens and certificates of completion from the Kharkov and Poltava biolaboratories we are publishing right now.

On Monday, the Russian Armys Chief of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Forces, Igor Kirillov, discussed the Pentagons Defence Threat Reduction Agencys alleged 30-plus biolabs in Ukraine.

The top Russian military member named the American company Black & Veatch as being involved in the projects.

Always ahead of the curve, a 2015 Infowars article titled, Why Does Pentagon Need Laboratories In Ukraine? touched on Black & Veatchs involvement in the biolabs.

One day after the employees of the Ukrainian biolabs supposedly handed over documents ordering them to destroy evidence, the US Embassy website deleted files documenting the labs existence.

However, the papers were saved online prior to being suspiciously removed from the government website.

Continuing his address, Igor Kirillov explained that one aspect of the research supposedly being done at these facilities focuses on creating genetic-specific bioweapons, an accusation Russia has made several times.

Kirillov also claimed everything the Pentagon needs to continue with its military biological program has already been transferred out of Ukraine.

Read the bombshell classified DoD documents provided by Russia:

Russian Foreign Minister disclosed on Thursday that he has seen information claiming to prove the US has built at least two new biolabs in Ukraine.

In part two of this report, Infowars will dive into the CIA and Hunter Bidens connections to the clandestine, U.S.-run Ukrainian biolabs.

Read more at: InfoWars.com
(Natural News) There are massive hordes of unused Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines stockpiled all across the country, and many state leaders have no clue what to do with them.

As the plandemic finally comes to an end, states are scrambling to figure out how to dispose of the shots. One idea proposed by Dr. Joseph Bresee, director of the COVID-19 Vaccine Implementation Program at the Task Force for Global Health in Decatur, Ga., is to dump them all in Africa.

Pivoting to whats happening now, you have much more production and distribution to low-income countries, Bresee is quoted as saying.

The issue of some stockpiles in the U.S., Germany and Japan, that are not redistributed to sub-Saharan Africa, its less of an acute problem now because vaccine production and distribution is in high-gear right now serving those low-income countries.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), on the other hand, says this is unlikely to happen due to the difficulties associated with transporting the shots to these countries.

The problem is affecting both states that largely rejected the injections (i.e., Indiana and North Dakota) as well as those that saw high uptake of them (i.e., New Jersey and Vermont).

Public health departments everywhere are shuffling around their remaining doses to try to get rid of the vials at warp speed now that the globalist playbook has moved on to the war phase of the plandemic.

State health departments told the Associated Press they have tracked millions of doses that went to waste, including ones that expired, were in a multi-dose vial that couldnt be used completely or had to be tossed for some other reason like temperature issues or broken vials, reported Headline USA.

Nearly 1.5 million doses in Michigan, 1.45 million in North Carolina, 1 million in Illinois, and almost 725,000 doses in Washington couldnt be used.

The medical deep state is still trying to plunge more covid injections into arms

In California, the percentage of wasted doses is only around 1.8 percent, however in a state where 84 million doses were received and more than 71 million were administered, this amounts to roughly 1.4 million doses.

The California Department of Public Health said that providers across the Golden State are being asked to hold on to any excess doses they have until the expiration date. After that, the shots can be tossed.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that the national rate of wasted doses sits at around 9.5 percent. With 687 million total doses ordered as of late February, this amounts to around 65 million unused injections.

Similar problems are occurring elsewhere in the world, including in Guatemala where more than a million of the Russian Sputnik vials expired last week because nobody in that country wanted them.

In Africa, where Bresee and other American doctors want the excess shots to be sent, only around five percent of the continents population has received any type of covid injection.

The latest evidence shows that covid jabs are both unnecessary and high risk. Most, if not all, of the people who received them will probably eventually develop an autoimmune disorder such as VAIDS (vaccine-induced AIDS).

Even so, Katie Greene, an assistant research director at the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy in North Carolina, says that the authorities should still be trying to come up with tactics to get more needles into arms at warp speed.

Given what weve seen in terms of the number of people still unvaccinated, I do think finding any way to get the shot in arms, even at the expense of potential wastage, is still important, she is quoted as saying.

The latest plandemic news can be found at Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

HeadlineUSA.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) The global food supply chain only thrives through respectful cooperation. Free trade relies on strong, peaceful relations between all the nations of the world. In times of war, the interdependence of this global food system becomes a liability that threatens food security for billions of people around the world. As the world goes into a state of war, the exports of each nation become leverage against one another. When food, seed, fertilizer and energy become rationed by each nation and are used as a weapon, catastrophic famine is all but inevitable.

Today, the short-sighted agricultural and economic sanctions that are being imposed on Russia will not only impact innocent Russians but the trickle-down effects of a broken agricultural system will also be felt across the poorest populations in Africa and Asia, with price increases spreading to Europe and the West.

Short-sighted sanctions and de-banking against Russians will threaten food security around the world

In the 1990s, Russia gave up on supporting a domestic seed supply for their people and failed to draft a national Food Security policy. Russias major economic ministries did not support a budget for the development of domestic agriculture and food production. The Russian President at the time, Boris Yeltsin, vetoed a national Food Security policy.

By 2008, Russias Ministry of Agriculture decided that national food security was of utmost importance. The ministry devised a national food security doctrine that promised to ramp up per capita agricultural food production and determine the share of imports in domestic consumption. The doctrine promised physical and economic availability of safe foodstuffs for every citizen in categories such as meat, milk, fish, grain, vegetable oil and sugar. The doctrine was lauded as a first step toward a Federal Law on National Food Security in Russia. However, the doctrine had no legislative power and the Russian government failed to specify any concrete measures for reaching its targets.

Russias biggest weakness in this global trade war is something as simple as seeds. Russia grows its own grains, but the country imports nearly every other type of seed. As Russian farmers are cut off from the global banking system, they are unable to purchase seeds in foreign currencies. During the Yeltsin presidency, all the seed funds were destroyed and the seed stations were shuttered. Russian farmers became reliant on hybrid seeds imported from the Netherlands and the United States.

On February 1, 2022, the Russian Federation Council announced that their dependence on foreign potato and sugar beet seeds would be catastrophic for food security. Russian farmers also rely on imports of farming equipment and agricultural components. The sanctions imposed on the Russian people will threaten their entire farming industry, putting global food supply chains at risk.

Russia will use fertilizer and energy as leverage in the global trade war, putting food security at risk for millions more

The US sanctions against Russia will complicate Russias export of barley, wheat, maize and sunflower oil to nations that depend on these crops. Even more catastrophic, Russia just announced a ban on all fertilizer exports. This fertilizer ban will pummel agricultural operations around the world. As Russia cuts the world off from their supply of crop nutrients, a catastrophic famine is all but inevitable. Farmers in Europe, for example, will not be able to receive all the fertilizer they need to grow a variety of crops. This will lead to more crop failures in 2022, sending a ripple effect of food shortages well into 2023 and beyond.

The collapse of the global food supply is just beginning. Not only are Ukrainian farmers forced to abandon their fields due to Russian invasion, but the nation of Hungary just announced a halt to all their grain exports. This will send wheat prices skyrocketing around the world, while threatening food security in countries such as Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia, which rely solely on Hungarian wheat and other grains.

The interdependence of the global food supply chain is under severe stress, and the implications are yet to be felt to their fullest. Even worse, as fuel prices skyrocket, the price to transport these basic commodities goes up, putting even more pressure on prices of basic foodstuffs. In response to US agricultural sanctions, a beleaguered Russia will use fertilizer and oil to their advantage, causing higher gas prices and further food security issues around the world.

Sources include:

TheCovidWorld.com

Apps.Fas.USDA.gov [PDF]

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com
A married couple was found dead with their throats slashed Sunday, according to the Daytona Beach Police Department, which released video of a person of interest in the case on Tuesday.

Video and still show a man wearing red gloves, white pants, tank top, hiking boots and a black cowboy hat.

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Were looking for this man in connection to the murders of a married couple this past weekend. He is a person of interest, the post reads.

THREAD (1 OF 2): Can you tell us who this is?



We're looking for this man in connection to the murders of a married couple this past weekend. He is a person of interest.#DaytonaBeach #DaytonaStrong #DBPDStrong pic.twitter.com/3vtWj0a6F7  Daytona Beach Police (@DaytonaBchPD) March 8, 2022

Terry Aultman, 48, and Brenda Aultman, 55, of Daytona Beach, were found with multiple stab wounds on the 700 block of North Wild Olive Avenue, just west of State Road A1A, DBPD said.

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Around 2 a.m. two witnesses found their bodies and called 911. The witnesses told detectives they found the man lying face-down and the woman lying face-up in a grassy area next to the sidewalk at the southeast corner of Wild Olive and Riverview.

Daytona Beach couple brutally murdered Sunday morning were identified as Terry and Brenda Aultman. Brendas daughter, Sara Turner, said she is heartbroken by the tragedy. She said her mother and step-father were a fun and loving couple. Stay with @WESH at 10/11 @clairemetzwesh pic.twitter.com/8ZRbSGNssk  Luana Munoz (@Luana_Munoz) March 8, 2022

Two bikes were also discovered near the bodies, and it is believed the Aultman couple were trying to get home after participating in Bike Week festivities when the attack happened.

Brendas daughter spoke with WESH 2 News about the gruesome incident and said she was horrified by the tragedy. She also said her mother was her best friend, and Brenda and her stepfather were a beautiful, fun loving couple.

We will spare no expense and leave no stone unturned in order to solve this case, said DBPD Chief Jakari Young. I assure you that our detectives are doing all they can to bring justice to the loved ones of these victims.

Autopsies are underway to determine the exact cause of death and detectives are still trying to find a suspect whom was only identified as wearing light-colored pants and possibly carrying a backpack.
Using hundreds of acoustic recordings gathered throughout the lives of pigs, from birth to death, an international team of researchers is the first in the world to translate pig grunts into emotions across a wide range of events and life stages.

The study, headed by the University of Copenhagen, ETH Zurich, and France's National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (INRAE), has the potential to enhance animal welfare in the future.

Are pigs grunt worth a thousand emotions?

In a recent study, researchers from Denmark, Switzerland, France, Germany, Norway, and the Czech Republic transformed pig grunts into emotions, as per ScienceDaily.

The recordings were made in a variety of scenarios faced by commercial pigs, both favorable and bad, from birth to death.

Positive instances included piglets sucking from their mothers or being reunited with their families after being separated.

According to Dailymail, missed nursing, brief social isolation, piglet fights, piglet crushed by the mother, castration, and handling and waiting in the butcher shop were among the emotionally draining situations.

The researchers then evaluated the audio recordings to distinguish between good and negative events and emotions.

Also Read: Australian Wild Pig Drinks 18 Beers, Gets in Fight with Cow

'Happy' grunts showed by a short grunt

The researchers also devised numerous pretend circumstances for the pigs in the experimental stables to elicit more complex emotions in the center of the spectrum.

These contained a toy or food-filled arena and a comparable arena with no stimulus. In addition, the researchers introduced fresh and unexpected things into the arena for the pigs to interact with.

The pigs' cries, behavior, and heart rates were observed and recorded along the route.

The scenarios in between the extremes were very intriguing.

The researchers discovered a new pattern after a more comprehensive study of the sound data that indicated what the pigs experienced in specific scenarios in greater detail.

There are substantial differences in pig sounds when they explore positive and bad settings. In the best-case scenario, the calls are much shorter, with just slight amplitude variations.

Grunts, in particular, begin loud and progressively decrease in frequency.

They can identify 92% of calls to the proper emotion by training an algorithm to detect these noises, reveals Elodie Briefer.

Animal emotions are being monitored by farmers

Simultaneously, low-frequency calls (such as barks and grunts) were heard in situations where the pigs were experiencing positive or negative emotions.

Animal emotion study is a newer discipline, having arisen in the last 20 years.

It is now widely recognized that the mental health of livestock is critical to their overall well-being.

Nonetheless, today's animal welfare is largely concerned with the physical wellbeing of cattle. There are several systems available to farmers that can constantly detect an animal's physical health.

Analog technologies for monitoring animal mental health have yet to be created.

The study's researchers anticipate that their algorithm will pave the way for a new platform for farmers to monitor the psychological well-being of their animals.

They have taught the system to decode pig grunts, Elodie Briefer added, and now they need someone who wants to turn the algorithm into an app that farmers can use to enhance animals' well-being.

Related article: Spanish Pig Farms are Being Blamed for the Mass Fish Death in Europe, Here's Why
A man submerged for almost an hour in the icy waters of Cook Inlet, near Anchor Point, Alaska, was rescued after holding to a chunk of ice on the morning of Saturday, March 5.

The 45-year-old man named Jaime Snedden was just walking along the shoreline when the ice beneath him broke off.

Rescue of Snedden

Before being rescued by a fishing boat and Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Snedden had his arms wrapped on a large ice chunk to remain afloat and prevent him from fully submerging after falling into the icy water of Cook Inlet where he was carried by water currents into the sea.

The rescue came after the U.S. Coast Guard notified a local fishing boat about Snedden's dire condition.

The boat was currently fishing in the area when it received the U.S. Coast Guard alert at around 11:45 a.m. on Saturday.

The boat coordinated with the state troopers to rescue Snedden, as per AccuWeather.

Snedden was located 300 yards off the shoreline near the mouth of Cook Inlet and was still conscious when the rescuers pulled him out of the icy waters.

He was sent to the South Peninsula Hospital for treatment of hypothermia and is expected to fully recover.

Also Read: Alaska Polar Bears are Moving to Russia Due to Climate Heating in the Arctic

Warm Weather and Temperature

The ice where Snedden submerged on Saturday was already in a fragile state due to the warming temperatures at that time.

AccuWeather meteorologists said temperatures reached up to 44 degrees Celsius on Friday, March 3, one day before the said incident.

Meanwhile, the temperature on Saturday had ranged between 30 and 40 degrees Celcius, according to Peder Reiland, a friend of Snedden who was also at the rescue site, as cited by AccuWeather.

The temperatures indicated Snedden stepped over ice that was fragile enough to break.

Furthermore, the ice in the mentioned area near Anchor Point was already starting to melt and becoming dangerous due to the current period of warmer weather, according to Robert Mathis, the deputy fire chief of Western Emergency Services, as cited by Anchorage Daily News.

Thinning of Ice in Alaska

Over several decades, climate change and global warming has significantly contributed in the melting and thinning of sea ice in Alaska, according to research conducted by the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, as cited by the Columbia News site owned by the Columbia University in New York City.

Based on the research, the sea on the northwest coast of Alaska is rapidly melting due to potential climate change in the region.

The researchers of the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory were deployed in the area in 2016 and have coordinated with local members of the community.

The thinning of ice is not only evident in Alaska but also in other regions of the world, especially in the melting glaciers of the Arctic north polar region and the Antarctic southern polar region.

Multiple studies have shown that the melting of glaciers has contributed to a global rise in sea level.

Related Article: 'Icemageddon' Warning Declared in Alaska as Temperatures Drastically Dropped
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A Texas man was convicted on Tuesday of storming the U.S. Capitol with a holstered handgun, a milestone victory for federal prosecutors in the first trial among hundreds of cases arising from last years riot.

A jury also convicted Guy Wesley Reffitt of obstructing Congress joint session to certify the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, 2021, of interfering with police officers who were guarding the Capitol and of threatening his two teenage children if they reported him to law enforcement after the attack. Jurors deliberated about three hours and convicted him on all counts.

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The verdict could be a bellwether for many other Capitol riot cases. It could give Justice Department prosecutors more leverage in plea negotiations and discourage other defendants from gambling on trials of their own.

This artist sketch depicts Judge Dabney Friedrich looking out from the bench during jury selection for Guy Wesley Reffitt, joined by his lawyer William Welch, top right, in Federal Court, in Washington, Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. (Dana Verkourteren/AP)

Reffitt, 49, of Wylie, Texas, didnt testify at his trial, which started last Wednesday. He showed little visible reaction to the verdict, but his face was covered by a mask.

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Outside court, his wife Nicole said the verdict was against all American people. Youre going to be convicted on your First Amendment rights. All Americans should be wary. This fight has just begun.

She said her husband was being used as an example by the government. You are all in danger, she said.

During the trials closing arguments on Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Risa Berkower told jurors that Reffitt drove to Washington, D.C., intending to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Bidens electoral victory. Reffitt proudly lit the fire that allowed others in a mob to overwhelm Capitol police officers near the Senate doors, the prosecutor said.

Reffitt was not accused of entering the Capitol building. Defense attorney William Welch said there is no evidence that Reffitt damaged property, used force or physically harmed anybody.

The defense lawyer urged jurors to acquit Reffitt of all charges but one: He said they should convict him of a misdemeanor charge that he entered and remained in a restricted area.

Reffitt faced a total of five counts: obstruction of an official proceeding, being unlawfully present on Capitol grounds while armed with a firearm, transporting firearms during a civil disorder, interfering with law enforcement officers during a civil disorder, and obstruction of justice.

He will be sentenced June 8. He could receive 20 years in prison on the top charge alone, but hes likely to face far less time behind bars. Other rioters have pleaded guilty; the longest sentence so far is five years and three months for Robert Palmer, a Florida man who pleaded guilty to attacking police officers at the Capitol.

The riot resulted in the deaths of five people, including a police officer. More than 100 officers were injured. Rioters caused over $1 million in damage to the Capitol.

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U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich presided over Reffitts trial. Trump nominated her in 2017.

Welch has said Reffitt worked as a rig manager and as a consultant in the petroleum industry before COVID-19 restrictions effectively shut down his business.

Jurors saw videos that captured the confrontation between a few Capitol police officers and a mob of people, including Reffitt, who approached them on the west side of the Capitol.

Reffitt was armed with a Smith & Wesson pistol in a holster on his waist, carrying zip-tie handcuffs and wearing body armor and a helmet equipped with a video camera when he advanced on police, according to prosecutors. He retreated after an officer pepper sprayed him in the face, but he waved on other rioters who ultimately breached the building, prosecutors said.

Before the crowd advanced, Reffitt used a megaphone to shout at police to step aside and to urge the mob to push forward and overtake officers. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nestler said Reffitt played a leadership role that day.

During last Fridays testimony, prosecutors zoomed in on a video image of Reffitt at the Capitol. FBI Special Agent Laird Hightower said the image shows a silvery metallic linear object in a holster protruding from under Reffitts jacket as he leaned forward.

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Shauni Kerkhoff, who was one of the Capitol police officers who tried to repel Reffitt, said she launched pepperballs that didnt stop him from advancing. She testified that Reffitt appeared to be leading the crowd up stairs toward police.

Reffitts 19-year-old son, Jackson, testified last Thursday that his father threatened him and his sister, then 16, after he drove home from Washington. Reffitt told his children they would be traitors if they reported him to authorities and said traitors get shot, Jackson Reffitt recalled.

He said the threat terrified him. His younger sister, Peyton, was listed as a possible government witness but didnt testify. She said that she would talk more later on her own time, but: Kids should never be used against the parents.

Jackson Reffitt used a cellphone app to secretly record his father boasting about his role in the riot. Jurors heard excerpts of that family conversation.

Jackson Reffitt initially contacted the FBI on Christmas Eve, less than two weeks before the riot, to report concerns about his fathers behavior and increasingly worrisome rhetoric. But the FBI didnt respond until Jan. 6, after the riot erupted.

Another key witness, Rocky Hardie, said he and Reffitt were members of Texas Three Percenters militia group. The Three Percenters militia movement refers to the myth that only 3% of Americans fought in the Revolutionary War against the British.

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Hardie drove from Texas to Washington with Reffitt. He testified that both of them were armed with holstered handguns when they attended then-President Donald Trumps Stop the Steal rally before the riot erupted. Reffitt also took an AR-15 rifle to Washington but left it locked up in his car, Hardie said.

Hardie said Reffitt talked about dragging lawmakers out of the Capitol and replacing them with people who would follow the Constitution. Hardie also said Reffitt gave him two pairs of zip-tie cuffs in case they needed to detain anybody.

Reffitt was arrested less than a week after the riot. The FBI found a handgun in a holster on a nightstand in the defendants bedroom when they searched his home near Dallas.

More than 750 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the riot. Over 220 of them have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors. and over 110 of them have been sentenced. Approximately 90 others have trial dates.
Black Rock

Only residents will be allowed to use the citys parks this weekend. Here a group stroll along St. Marys by-the-Sea in Bridgeports Black Rock.

This Bridgeport neighborhood is right on the border with Fairfield, with small local shops along Post Road. In the spring, the trees along the road bloom and scatter pink petals across the sidewalks in front of niche hobby stores like Rogue Comics and the vintage and esoterica shop Pious Bird.

Head further toward the coast and visit Saint Marys by the Sea, a coastal park that provides scenic views of Jennings Beach and several light houses. The neighborhood also plays host to Captains Cove Seaport, a kitschy summer hangout with little boardwalk shops and an indoor-outdoor bar and restaurant space overlooking a marina. Bridgeport was also recently listed as one of 15 Connecticut towns and cities where the real estate market is on fire.
New Castle, PA (16103)

Today

Thunderstorms this evening giving way to periods of light rain late. Low 58F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms this evening giving way to periods of light rain late. Low 58F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
In the Torah, the holiest book of Judaism, we are instructed no fewer than 12 times to take care of the orphans we encounter. We are instructed some 36 times to care for and be loving toward strangers and foreigners in our midst. It is not an exaggeration to say that, to Jews, our treatment of these lost, homeless and powerless souls is the ultimate test of our basic morality. A society that fails these people is a society that fails the most basic standards of decency.

That is why RAC-FL, the Florida chapter of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, opposes Gov. Ron DeSantis executive order 2021-223, which effectively cuts off state funding to any agencies that provide services to unaccompanied, undocumented immigrant children. Simultaneously, the Legislature is considering SB 1808 and HB 1355, bills that would ban state or local government contracts with firms that provide transportation to unaccompanied minors. This order and these proposed laws prevent faith communities, organizations and cities in Florida from exercising their freedom to try to alleviate the suffering of immigrants and refugees. This order, and these bills, prevent people of good will from helping those most in need.

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The anti-immigrant rhetoric that surrounds our state governments actions only serves to inflame anger toward these vulnerable populations, who need our love, support and kindness, not our callousness.

Jason Rosenberg is rabbi of Congregation Beth Am in Tampa and a member of RAC-FLs leadership team.

Even worse, the executive order and proposed law would unconscionably punish agencies that try to help the unaccompanied minors who are caught in this refugee and immigration crisis. The idea that anyone seeking to help children would be punished or sanctioned in any way is an affront to anyone with a conscience. It sends chills down our spine to think that our leaders, either intentionally or incidentally, would endorse this kind of attack on innocent children.

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We are especially distressed at seeing the governors office attack Miamis Archbishop Thomas Wenski. The Archdiocese of Miami, and Wenski himself, have been working tirelessly for decades to provide shelter and care for unaccompanied children, who only want to be reunited with their families. Rather than lecturing the archbishop on sin and standing in the way of the archdioceses holy efforts, the governor should be thanking God for their good work and seeking to support it. We at RAC-FL are inspired by the archbishops leadership and hope to emulate him in his commitment to serving those who need us most.

The actions of the governor should be opposed, and efforts to shame or hinder those who seek only to help those who suffer must be stopped at once. Our state, and all who would lead us, should be ashamed of doing anything less.

Leviticus 19:36 reads, The strangers who reside with you shall be to you as your citizens; you shall love each one as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. We have been given our freedom in order to serve those who are suffering as we once did. To turn our back on them is to turn our backs on our own history, and on one of our most basic tests of morality. Florida must be better than this.

Jason Rosenberg is rabbi of Congregation Beth Am in Tampa and a member of RAC-FLs leadership team.
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Pikeville, KY (41501)

Today

Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.
MBABANE  Last hosted in 2018, the Hipnotik Festival is set to return this July.

This was confirmed by the Festival Founder - Swazi Jives Sakhile Nkambule. The Hip Hop festival which drew thousands of emaSwati to the event will be different this time around.

In a telephonic interview with Nkambule, he stated that, This year, things are different. Instead of deciding what experiences people should have, we would like them to be a part of the journey with us. He mentioned that there was already a website in place for everyone who was interested in being a part of the journey by using the hipnotik.online link. This is where locals can create an account and voice out their thoughts and goals, by participating in competitions which will be held in due course. He further mentioned that there would be a possibility of locals choosing who their headline acts were which can happen through the interaction on the website (hipnotik.online).

Show

With many fans of the festival looking forward to the line-up, Nkambule said the line-up for the July show would be announced soon. According to the Hipnotik website, ticket prices are in three categories. Early bird general costs E200, VIP is at E500 while early bird golden circle tickets cost E1 000. It is worth noting that these tickets will only be available on sale online through the hipnotik.online website until March 10, 2022 which will be this coming Thursday. One of the perks that will come with the early bird tickets include attending the private parties that the festival will be having before the main event in July. The first private party will be hosted at a venue that is yet to be announced to ticket holders on March 26, 2022.

Although the line-up is not out yet, Nkambule urged the festivals patrons to purchase their tickets early as the prices would slightly go higher once the early bird phase elapses. Nkambule further added that, Weve had some great support from people, both local and international so we can expect some collaboration announcement soon but the key thing that we want to support local artists, so everything we do is for our industry and the growth it deserves.

Supporters

He went on to say, Because this is a journey we want our supporters and friends (community) to be a part of the journey, so once you get on that hipnotik.online website and create an account youll be the first to hear every single detail and also participate in our competitions and youth facing initiatives. In terms of uplifting local talent, he said he was open to uplifting upcoming creatives and not just rappers. This included actors, photographers and food vendors to name a few. Nkambule said the aim was to contribute to the local industry that could support young people and in the near future and concluded by saying they needed all the help and support they could get.

This is what some people had to say:

Lizwe Dlamini  I am honestly happy that the event is back. The Hip Hop community has lost a lot of creatives in the past and this year alone. I cannot wait for the line-up to finally come out and see who will be performing. Zipho Tsela  The last time I attended the festival was when Cassper Nyovest headlined the show and I enjoyed myself. Let us wait and see what Sakhile has lined up for us as Hip Hop fans. DJ Stig  I always wished that one day I play a set at the festival. I will surely access that link and register so that I see what this years show will be about.
Reporter

Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk).
Candidates and their staffs line up outside the Illinois State Board of Elections office early Monday morning, the first day major party candidates could submit petitions to get their names on the June 28 primary ballot.
LeConte Nix: We have to normalize that going to therapy is great and is needed  just like going to a movie or your regular doctors appointment. We all have stuff that we hide mentally or avoid. Now, think about a young adult who only knows how to deal with anger by violence of some sort, because he or she has never been taught how to handle certain situations."
Reporter

Debra Pressey is a reporter covering health care at The News-Gazette. Her email is dpressey@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@DLPressey).
The election of the 45th president of the United States(US) set off a witch-hunt against journalists.

Donald Trumps repeated diatribes against the Fourth Estate and its representatives  accusing them of being among the most dishonest human beings on earth and of deliberately spreading fake news  compromise a long US tradition of defending freedom of expression. The hate speech used by the new boss in the White House and his accusations of lying also helped to disinhibit attacks on the media almost everywhere in the world, including in democratic countries.

After the US, was now Frances turn to choose a new president and to see certain politicians assailing the lying media. The French too are falling into the trap of alternative facts and post-truths, and succumbing to a poisonous and violent environment in which it has become normal to hiss and jeer at journalists at meetings, or even throw them out. As emaSwati push for their democratic rights, they need to know that freedom of the press is the most important wheel of democracy. Without a free press, a democracy cannot function. In fact, the press is a great medium that conveys the truth to people.

The real truth must be told, not the truth as per a particular government, lobby group, sponsor or even democratic movements fighting a totalitarian State. That State cannot function fully if the press is not free.

Importance and responsibility of the Press

The press has been given the responsibility of checking facts, balancing stories and reporting on the administration of government fairly and accurately. Whenever there is a social evil lurking or corruption and oppression happens, the press is the first one to raise a voice. When the Kingdom of Eswatini finally has an elected Prime Minister and government, we will expect the media to be just vigorous but still still remain free and fair to point out the ills of the country without fear or favour.

Moreover, we trust the press to collect verify and disseminate the facts and figures which influence peoples decisions. If the press wont have the liberty to do all this, the people will be in the dark and a society in the dark is dangerous . The question now remains How does the press function freely under the threats of violence?

Loss of liberties

If any one of the liberties guaranteed by the Constitution through democracy, is take away from the press, the voiceless will lose their voice. Worse yet, if the press will be denied to do their job, the ones in power will run the country as per their will or those with threats of violence will block any opposing view. This will result in uninformed citizens who will thus become powerless.

Moreover, we see how censorship or even self-censorship (in fear of some form of retribution) of the press is nothing less than a dictatorship, working against all principles of democracy.

When the government imposes censorship on the press, it obviously means they are trying to hide something. The means must justify the ends. Subsequently, when there remains no agency to report the truth, government or those in control of the media will gain absolute power and the citizens remain voiceless. In short, freedom of the press is important for the smooth functioning of democracy. It is important for people to be socially aware of happenings in the world. One must have the power to criticise government or anyone in authority and also put forward alternative views without fear; it will keep the leaders of all organisations, including political parties, aware of the true feeling of the citizens so as to do better for the country.

The influence of free press

As we can conclude from the earlier statements, the press has a huge responsibility and influence on their shoulders. They need to be vigilant and honest. The media has a powerful role to play in any form of a new Eswatini. The information they distribute will help in shaping the views of the public. When you have such a power to influence the views of a whole nation, then you must be careful and honest. In fact, the media is sometimes more powerful than governments. They have peoples trust and support. However, such a power given to any individual or agency is quite dangerous. In other words, any media without restraints can be hazardous. As they have the power to showcase anything, they may report anything and twist the facts as per their agendas. They have the power to cause outrage amongst the people.

A free press can easily manipulate the publics opinion. This is why we need responsible journalism to refrain the media from reporting false facts, which may harm the harmony and peace of a country. The burning of the Times of Eswatini van, indicated that our press is now not free to report balanced stories. This means the quality of our future democracy is compromised and frankly gave a chill down my spine. During the civil war in Mozambique the political parties would cut off the hands of ordinary citizens to punish them for voting for the wrong political party. The idea was to send fear into the citizens so they were forced to vote a special way for particular political party. When acts of violence are used to achieve a specific purpose, then violence never stops, even when that purpose is achieved. Violence breeds more violence.

septembereswatini@gmail.com
Multimedia Specialist

Anthony Zilis is a multimedia specialist at The News-Gazette. His email is azilis@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@adzilis).
One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021
Longview, TX (75601)

Today

Mixed clouds and sun with scattered thunderstorms. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High near 85F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
MBABANE  The High Court has ordered two women to refund Pastor Thulani Dlamini E800 000, which he paid as a trustee of WMT Trust for land at Thubungu to construct a church.

Dlamini, of Tree of Life Healing Church, cited, among other things, that the land was not subdivided and that Baphetsile Mamba and Cebisile Mamba were in breach of the Deed of Sale for failure to give him possession and occupation of two portions of land after paying the deposit. As a result, he decided to stop making payments. The purchase price for one of the portions of land was E2 250 000, which was to be payable on signature to Baphetsile. Dlamini was supposed to pay a deposit of E500 000 and the balance of E1 750 000 was to be paid in instalments of E40 000 per month, beginning on or before March 31, 2014. The pastor demanded E1 060 000 in respect of this claim.

Dlamini, who was represented by Sanele Mabila of S. Mabila in Association with TL Dlamini and Company, told the court that he paid the E500 000 deposit to Baphetsile on signature of the Deed of Sale. He also submitted that he paid monthly instalments of E40 000, totalling E560 000 to C.J. Littler and Company.

Purchase

The purchase price of the other portion of land, according to Dlamini, was E400 000. He said it was payable by a deposit of E300 000 and the balance of E100 000 in monthly instalments of E5 000. The first payment, according to Dlamini, was to be made on or before March 31, 2014 until the full amount was settled. The pastor submitted that he paid the deposit of E300 000 on signature of the Deed of Sale and the instalments of E5 000, totalling E70 000 to CJ Littler and Company. He demanded E370 000 in respect of this claim. The matter was heard by Principal Judge Qinisile Mabuza.

However, he informed the court that he stopped making payments after realising that Baphetsile and Cebisile failed to subdivide the property. He submitted that they failed to transfer the property to the purchaser in terms of the Deed of Sale. Dlamini argued that the women were in breach of the Deed of Sale and he issued summons against them jointly for the cancellation of the agreements and refund of the monies he had already paid at nine per cent interest per annum.

Defend

Baphetsile and Cebisile filed a notice of intention to defend the matter and Dlamini, as a result, filed an application for summary judgment, arguing that they had no bona fide defence to the claims. He said they filed the notice to defend solely to delay the matter. The defendants submitted that Dlamini breached the Deed of Sale by stopping payment, which he was to do until the purchase price had been paid in full without giving them written notice of cancellation.

They also informed the court that Dlamini was given possession of the land after payment of the deposit and that they were still working on the subdivision of the property and were doing everything to have that process finalised. They also stated that Dlaminis case could not be categorised as unanswerable as it was clouded with many disputes. Baphetsile and Cebisile submitted that they were misjoined by being sued in their personal capacities as opposed to have been sued in their nominal capacities as representatives of the parties in the Deed of Sale.

In response, Dlamini told the court that with regard to the point of misjoinder, the defendants had misrepresented to him that they had the necessary authority to represent their siblings and to that end, should have produced a power of attorney from their siblings.

It is the plaintiffs stand that the defendants acted in their personal capacities to defraud him of the amount claimed in the summons, submitted the pastor.

Defendants

Dlamini further informed the court that the defendants did not have a bona fide defence because they misled him into thinking that they had authority to represent their siblings yet there was no proof confirming such representation capacity. He argued that the Deeds of Sale were void for lack of capacity to transfer the real rights in the immovable property and consequently, Baphetsile and Cebisile had enriched themselves unjustly at his expense.

Dlamini denied being given possession and occupation of the land. He said he communicated to the defendants that payment would be stopped. The defendants failed to subdivide the land and could, therefore, not have given the plaintiff possession if the portions were not subdivided. The plaintiff (Dlamini) was misled of such subdivision through diagrams that were not ordinarily from the surveyor general. Such failure to subdivide the land was as a result of defendants untruthfulness regarding their representation of all family members, said Dlamini.

The pastor further submitted that, according to Baphetsile, one of her family members refused to sign a power of attorney authorising the defendants to subdivide the land. The defendants may claim to be working on the subdivision but they are not and there has been no progress after six years with no results, he added. Dlamini argued that the defendants were in breach of the Deeds of Sale, which provided that they should give possession and occupation of the land upon payment of the agreed deposits of E500 000 and E300 000 respectively.

Baphetsile and Cebisile told the court that Dlamini failed to show how the amount he was claiming was computed, save for the amounts of E500 000 and E300 000 which he paid as deposit for the portions of land.

Subdivided

They also said Dlamini was aware that the land had not been subdivided and insisted that transfer was to be made once payment had been made in full. They also stated that they could not be sued in their representative capabilities. In her judgment, Principal Judge Mabuza said the payments of E500 000 and E300 000 to Baphetsile were clear and unambiguous. The judge stated that the claim for balances beyond E500 000 and E300 000 failed and must go to trial. It is not clear how much was paid to C.J. Littler and Company and why the payments were made to them. There is no evidence of any payments made to the second respondent (Cebisile) in respect of those monies.

The third respondent (C.J. Littler and Co.) is mum about moneys paid to it and they need to respond as to what is to be made of the money paid to them, said the judge. The principal judge ordered the cancellation of the agreements and granted summary judgment in respect of the amounts of E500 000 and E300 000, at nine per cent interest per annum, paid to Baphetsile. The court refused the summary judgment in respect of the outstanding balances.
Malaria is a parasitic disease of human beings. It is transmitted in 108 countries, in total affecting around 3 billion people. In 2010, it caused an estimated 216 million cases and 655,000 deaths.

Malaria. Image Credit: Christoph Burgstedt/Shutterstock.com

Malaria is a protozoan disease transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes. The disease is attributed to five species of the unicellular protozoan parasite genus Plasmodium - the P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae, P. ovale, and P. knowlesi. The latter (P. knowlesi) causes zoonotic malaria and is maintained in macaque monkeys in the southeast of Asia. All species share a lifecycle of two parts  infection of the vertebrate host and transmission from the infected vertebrate host to another by an insect vector.

Plasmodium species infecting humans share a similar life cycle. This life cycle consists of an initial development phase in the liver, followed by later proliferation in the blood of the host. These species also show similar susceptibility and resistance to some antimalarial drugs  these include quinine, artemisinin, chloroquine. Systemic control programs that use the appropriate chemotherapy, as well as the appropriate members of the 8-aminoquinones, can reduce the number of malaria incidents caused by a Plasmodium species.

Zoonotic malaria is possible but rare. Malaria caused by P. knowlesi that naturally infect non-human primates has been considered a potential threat to human health through zoonosis.

Malaria and Plasmodium Biology

All Plasmodium species share a similar life cycle of two parts:

Parasite infection of a vertebrate host

Transmission of malaria from the infected vertebrae hosts to another by an insect factor

The Plasmodium life cycle begins when sporozoites, produced in the factor, enter the blood of the vertebrate host after being bitten by a mosquito. Sporozoites deposited in the dermis quickly travel to the liver, where they invade hepatocytes. Here they multiply rapidly, increasing by thousands in a process called schizogeny (asexual multiplication).

The malaria infection cycle begins with the injection of sporozoites into the skin by a female anopheline mosquito.

The sporozoites enter the vasculature and are transported to the liver where they exit through the Kupffer cells and enter a hepatocyte. The sporozoites active invasion is preceded by traverse movement in the liver until a suitable hepatocyte is found. When encountered, they form a parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM) and undergo schizogony until daughter merozoites are released in compartments of merosomes into the vasculature.

Once the merozoites encounter erythrocytes, they begin a chronic cycle of asexual reproduction in the bloodstream. Some of these asexually reproducing merozoites will undergo gametocytogenesis as a consequence of genetic reprogramming. Oocyte stage parasites are responsible for the clinical manifestations of the disease.

Within 15 days, gametocytes are isolated and continue to develop in the bone marrow. Once they have matured, they enter the peripheral circulation. Here, they are ingested by a mosquito and travel to the mid-gut where they form extracellular male and female gametes. Reproduction occurs as a result of the fusion of the male microgamete and female macrogamete to form a zygote. Over 24 hours, this transforms into an ookinete that migrates through the mosquito midgut epithelium where it becomes an oocyst (hardy, thick-walled stage of the parasite lifecycle in which the ookinetes are motile and elongated). The oocysts grow and burst to release sporozoites; these migrate to the mosquitos salivary gland. When sporozoites are inoculated into a new human host, the malaria life cycle continues.

Clinical Features of Disease and Pathogenesis

Malaria infection in a naive individual almost always produces a febrile (showing the symptoms of a fever) illness. The symptoms that accompany malaria are not specific and include headache, nausea, muscle pain, and rigors. Symptoms will go into remission after a few days if the patient is treated with appropriate drugs.

In the case of the falciparum species, treatment will eradicate the infection, with any return of infection symptoms reflecting an incomplete treatment combat resistance to drugs, or a new infection. In the case of P. vivax and P. ovale, relapses can occur from dormant liver resident hypnozoites.

Untreated or partially treated malaria infections often follow the same trajectory. After a period of symptoms with varying severity, the illness gradually wears off and the parasite becomes desensitized and can be controlled at a low level. Symptoms can occur in intervals over the following weeks and months and are associated with an increase in parasitemia. Waves of parasitemia tend to be lower and symptoms are less pronounced until eventually the infection is resolved.

Malaria continues to pose as one of the global leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Plasmodium falciparum employs numerous immune evasion mechanisms and an efficacious vaccine has remained elusive. Recently, however, the World Health Organization has recommended the use of the RTS, S/AS01 (RTS, S) malaria vaccine in children in sub-Saharan Africa and other regions.

Key findings from pilot studies have demonstrated that the vaccine is feasible to deliver combat and shows a strong safety profile. It has the ability to reach previously isolated communities and plans for a broader rollout, with the adoption of the vaccine as part of national malaria control strategies based on individual countries, are underway.

References:

Venugopal K, Hentzschel F, Valkiunas G, et al. (2020) Plasmodium asexual growth and sexual development in the hematopoietic niche of the host. Nat Rev Microbiol. Mar;18(3):177-189. doi: 10.1038/s41579-019-0306-2.

Meibalan E, Marti M. (2017) Biology of Malaria Transmission. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a025452.

Cowman AF, Healer J, Marapana D, et al (2016) Malaria: Biology and Disease. Cell. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2016.07.055.

Milner DA Jr. (2018) Malaria Pathogenesis. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a025569.

Further Reading
Okinawa Prefecture, Japan has experienced a total of six coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) waves as of January 10, 2022. COVID-19 has been caused by the rapid spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SAR-CoV-2).

Okinawa Prefecture contains a large number of remote islands centered around the Okinawa main island in a vast ocean area. In a recent study published on the preprint server medRxiv*, scientists reveal that the pattern of the pandemic may significantly differ between the main island and remote islands.

Study: SARS-CoV-2 IgG seroprevalence in the Okinawa Main Island and remote islands in Okinawa, Japan, 2020-2021. Image Credit: MTX-design / Shutterstock.com

Background

Generally, medical resources in the remote islands are scarce, and, many times, patients are transferred from the islands limited facility clinics to larger well-resourced islands by air or sea according to the patient's condition. As a result of these limited resources, a substantial number of patients who suffer mild to moderate SARS-CoV-2 infection go unreported.

According to a report, 20% of elderly persons can contract COVID-19 asymptomatically. Researchers further estimated that 6.4% of individuals who are above 70 years of age experience severe COVID-19.

Owing to a large number of unreported cases and the poor prognosis of a subset of patients, it is imperative to perform frequent serological surveys to have a better understanding of the disease dynamics caused by SARS-CoV-2.

Scientists have revealed that estimating the proportion of previously infected people is a useful indicator to determine the unreported cases that created biases in previous surveillance systems, the real incidence rate of severe disease, mortality, and extent of herd immunity. Although several seroepidemiological surveys had been conducted in Japan, they were limited to urban areas such as Tokyo, Miyagi, and Osaka, or a single hospital or private company.

Location of Okinawa Prefecture and six healthcare facilities participated in the study.

In addressing this limitation, the scientists of the current study conducted a seroepidemiological survey focusing on the rural population in Japan. Moreover, the scientists perform serological analysis against SARS-COV-2 infection in different island groups in Okinawa, which allowed them to subsequently determine the surge in COVID-19 cases over time through statistical methods.

About the study

The authors performed seroepidemiological surveys at three different periods between 2020 and 2021, which allowed them to estimate the proportion of previously infected people in Okinawa's main island and remote islands. Interestingly, scientists observed that the majority of the population in the Okinawa main island were not infected by COVID-19 as of February 2021, thereby indicating that large-scale transmission did not occur.

In addition, seroprevalence among the elderly over the age of 60 was found to be relatively low. Similar to many countries, the Japanese government also prioritized COVID-19 vaccination for health care workers, followed by the elderly.

During the study period, a majority of the local population, except healthcare workers, had not been vaccinated. Researchers observed that most of the survey participants were at a high risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 infection; thus, they strongly supported the government policy of vaccinating the elderly group with priority.

The scientists estimated the seroprevalence of 0.0% in July 2020 in the Okinawa main island. Interestingly, this result was similar to the seroprevalence of 0.0% in Miyagi Prefecture in early June 2020, which experienced a low attack rate of 0.004% as of May 31, 2020.

However, the seroprevalence in Okinawa could be higher compared to Miyagi Prefecture during the first survey due to the SARS-CoV-2 transmission rate being 2.5 times higher in Okinawa Prefecture than in Miyagi Prefecture. Additionally, the participants associated with Okinawas serosurvey were mainly from the emergency outpatient department, while random sampling was conducted for Miyagis serosurvey.

Similar to previous studies conducted in other parts of Japan, the current study revealed prefectural-level case detection ratios ranging from 2.2 to 2.8. Comparatively, the current surveillance system effectively estimated the real number of SARS-CoV-2 incident cases in a much more efficient manner.

During the second survey, the spread of the epidemic remained limited; however, seroprevalence was higher in the older group as compared to the younger age group. The reports of the third survey indicated that SARS-CoV-2 had spread more widely and that the detection ratios of people between 20 and 29 years of age were much higher than those belonging to other age groups.

The characteristics of the distribution of the attack rate in the remote islands were similar to those of the main island, especially during the third survey, when the epidemic was spreading widely.

Limitations

The current study had some limitations which included a small sample size, owing to which, the uncertainty bounds were quite wide. Further, the estimation of a small number of younger people with COVID-19 could be due to bias, as tests were typically not conducted in younger people due to insufficient testing systems. The study cohort contained emergency outpatients, which might not be the true representation of the local population in terms of their risk of exposure to COVID-19.

*Important notice

medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
As part of their second-year MD curriculum, a group of Feinberg students recently designed and implemented a community quality improvement project, screening patients for food insecurity at their Education-Centered Medical Home (ECMH) site, the CommunityHealth Clinic, on Chicago's West side.

Shruti Trivedi, MD, 03 GME, assistant professor of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine, ECMH site preceptor for the CommunityHealth Clinic, oversaw the project, which was run by second-year medical students Gina Johnson, Christopher Reynolds, Alexander Gorzewski and Bijan Moazezi.

We decided as a group to do our project on screening patients for food insecurity primarily because this is an issue that has been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic and because CommunityHealth serves uninsured patients, a group which may face food insecurity at a higher rate than the general population." Gina Johnson, second-year medical student

The students used the Hunger Vital Sign questionnaire, a two-question survey that helps healthcare providers identify individuals and households at risk for food insecurity. For patients who screened positive, the students referred patients to food pantries near their home address using online resources such as the community referral platform NowPow and the Greater Chicago Food Depository's website.

As part of the students' Community Health Advocacy Initiative (CHAI) project  a recently added component to Feinberg's MD curriculum  the students also decided to spend an afternoon helping distribute food to community members at Onward Neighborhood House, which provides support, resources and assistance to community members in need on the city's West Side.

Second-year medical student Bijan Moazezi helps distribute food to community members at the Onward Neighborhood House. Courtesy of Gina Johnson.

"After implementing the initial stages of our project, our CHAI mentor, Dr. Jill Krissberg, challenged us to reach out to a potential community partner in order to gain a deeper understanding of what happens at a food pantry," Johnson said. "We reached out to Onward Neighborhood House because we thought they would be an ideal food pantry location to refer our patients, as the pantry is located in the same building as CommunityHealth's microsite where some patient visits take place and many of our patients live in the surrounding neighborhood."

Johnson said her experience volunteering at Onward Neighborhood House helped her realize how much hard work, time and dedication is takes to run a food pantry, and will help her and her peers better inform their patients about the process of going to a food pantry and what to expect.

In the future, the students said they hope to recruit more medical students from their ECMH site to volunteer at Onward Neighborhood House and expand their patient screening for other areas of need.

"It was so rewarding to volunteer at the Onward Neighborhood House," said Reynolds. "We want to keep working with them and maybe set up an ongoing schedule to volunteer. Additionally, we would like to screen for other needs like clothing, occupation, or housing and assist our patients in finding those resources that we can connect them with."
In late December 2019, France began administering vaccinations against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to its population. At the end of 2021, 77% of the entire population were fully vaccinated, and 91% of those 18 years or older. During these times, France experienced three epidemic waves caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants Alpha, Delta, and Omicron.

Vaccination administration was stratified among the different population groups due to limited availability, begging with those at most risk of severe COVID-19-related complications and those who work in healthcare. Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca, and Janssen were the four Covid-19 vaccine brands utilized. With the exception of the Janssen vaccine, which only required one dosage, a vaccination program was initially considered complete following two doses.

A complete vaccination cycle had become a prerequisite for obtaining a French health permit, which became effective in June and was first necessary to enter events and places with large crowds. In August, the health pass was expanded to include admission to all museums, bars, restaurants, railways, and other public venues.

Evidence began to point to a significant drop in vaccine effectiveness towards symptomatic disease over time, but only to a smaller scale against severe infections. For example, vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic Delta variant infections declined to 47% and 70%, respectively, 20 weeks after immunization for AstraZeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines, with a higher reduction in individuals aged 65 and older, but a lesser reduction against hospitalizations. Nevertheless, studies show that the booster dose recovers protection against symptomatic infections and severe cases to levels similar to those seen before immunity waned.

Image Credit: insta_photos / Shutterstock

The study

A recent paper published on the medRxiv preprint server utilized data from three national databases containing an abundance of information on Covid-19 screening (SI-DEP), vaccination (VAC-SI), and hospitalizations (SI-VIC) in France to provide additional perspectives on vaccine effectiveness and its evolution over the year 2021 in the French context.

Data from January 1st, 2021, to December 12th, 2021, was used, which allowed the authors to halt the investigation before the Omicron variant's exponential growth. This study focused on individuals aged 50 and over, a demographic that is more likely to have the most severe cases of COVID-19 and who were eligible for vaccination and then booster doses at a younger age.

The authors conducted a two-step study of vaccination effectiveness against severe forms of Covid-19, estimating vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic forms of Covid-19 and vaccine protection against hospitalization and mortality in people with symptomatic forms of Covid-19. The authors focused on the evolution of vaccine protection as a result of the combined effects of the Delta variant's appearance and the loss of immunity over time after the primary immunization scheme was completed. The authors also calculated the booster dose's impact on restoring a significant level of protection.

Between January 1st and December 12th, 2021, 8,881,107 people had been tested by RT-PCR and complained of symptoms at the moment of screening, 2,413,356 of them were over the age of 50, and 2,024,773 of them were successfully linked to vaccination data with non-missing comorbidity data. The test-negative design analysis included 432,117 COVID-19-positive cases and 864,234 controls in the sample group. At the start of 2021, a very small number of the participants were vaccinated, but by May 2021, half had received one dose, and a full dose was administered by July 2021.

Distribution of injection dates for the first and second vaccine doses in control and cases, by age-group Abbreviations: Sympto+ (cases): symptomatic individuals with a laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (cases). Sympto- (controls): individuals with symptoms non-related to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Decreases in risk of hospitalization, admissions to ICU, and inpatient death were observed in infected symptomatic individuals as the vaccination cycle advanced. A 75% reduction in risk of hospitalization and ICU admission and a 54% reduction in risk of inpatient death was seen one month after the second dose of vaccination.

The authors then combined the estimates of vaccine efficacy against symptomatic infections with the supplementary protection offered by vaccination against severe forms of the disease in those with symptomatic infections. Following a primary vaccination cycle, the authors found that vaccine effectiveness peaked at 94 % against hospitalizations, 96% against ICU admissions, and 89% against inpatient deaths.

The vaccine's effectiveness against symptomatic infections reached its peak in the first month following the second dose in individuals aged 50 and up before plummeting to 53% within six months. The added risk reduction for ICU admissions and inpatient deaths between symptomatic patients, on the other hand, reduced only very slowly over time and stayed unchanged for hospitalizations. As a result, vaccine effectiveness against severe disease dropped at a slower and more gradual rate. Nevertheless, more than six months after the second injection, it was still about 90% against the risk of hospitalization.

Between the Alpha variant and wild-type SARS-CoV-2, there was little variation in vaccine effectiveness (91% and 92%) observed 15 days post second vaccine dose. However, the vaccine effectiveness against Beta and Delta was reduced when compared to wild-type and Alpha variants (84% and 79%). Vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic infections decreases for all variants over time. In contrast, irrespective of the variant, vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization has not been shown to decrease in the first three months. This effectiveness is four percentage points higher against the Alpha variant than against the Delta variant at the peak and for two to three months after the second dose.

Covid-19 vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic infections and hospitalizations related to various variants of concern, according to the time elapsed since the injection of each vaccine dose, data collected from January 1st to December 12, 2021 Abbreviations: D1: first vaccine dose. D2: second vaccine dose. DB: booster dose. M: month. S+: symptomatic infection. H: hospitalization. VE: vaccine effectiveness. The numbers in the x-axis indicate the time (in days or months) elapsed since the injection of the dose of interest.

Implications

Following a full primary vaccination cycle, elevated levels of vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic infections and severe diseases were discovered. Protection was strong against every variant that circulated in France before December 2021 and the Delta variant, which did not demonstrate a strong ability to evade vaccine-induced immunity. A booster dose effectively restores the decline in effectiveness over time, which is robust against symptomatic infections but limited against severe diseases.

These results emphasize the importance of tracking vaccine effectiveness over time and optimizing booster dose vaccine uptake.

*Important notice

medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
Minister for Women, Baroness Stedman-Scott, is today (8 March) launching two new initiatives to level up employment opportunities for women as the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Announced on International Women's Day, a new initiative will seek to improve pay transparency in the job application process and help businesses who want to go even further in attracting women to their positions. Evidence shows listing a salary range on a job advert and not asking applicants to disclose salary history provides a firm footing for women to negotiate pay on a fairer basis. This could have a significant impact in closing salary gaps and tackling pay inequality.

The government is therefore leading the way with a pilot scheme, where participating employers list salary details on job adverts and stop asking about salary history during recruitment.

Alongside this, the Government will launch a new returners programme to help women back into STEM (science, technology, engineering & maths) careers. Research and employee feedback shows that returning to STEM roles after taking time out to care for loved ones can present significant challenges. This new programme will help organizations to recruit and retain talented staff who are often overlooked because of a gap on their CV, by providing training, development and employment support to those who have taken time out for caring.

The UK can only grasp its full potential by championing its brightest and best, and ensuring everyone, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to succeed. We believe that increased pay transparency will build on positive evidence of the role information can play when it comes to empowering women in the workplace. It is essential that we keep women at the forefront of the leveling up agenda as we recover from the pandemic and rebuild together. Our second announcement, supporting skilled women to return to STEM careers after care leave, will keep talented minds in STEM and improve the representation of women and marginalized communities in those incredibly important roles." Baroness Stedman-Scott, Minister for Women

International data also shows that job seekers place a strong emphasis on salary when looking for their next career move. In a Glassdoor survey 68% of people say that a salary was the most important factor of a job advert, showing that, where possible, it makes good business sense to share salary details at the very beginning of the application process.

Additionally, a study from the Fawcett Society shows that a requirement to provide salary history makes everyone less confident when negotiating their pay. It has a particularly negative impact on women's confidence, with 58% of women saying that they felt they had received a lower salary offer than they would have if the question had not been asked during the application process.

However, the Government recognizes that many employers do not have agreed pay scales, and that ambiguous pay policies and historic pay decisions may make it challenging for them to include pay information on job adverts. That is why the forthcoming pilot will see the Government work with employers to develop and pilot a methodology which others can adopt, so that all organizations can provide pay information at the recruitment stage and remove their reliance on questions about pay history if they choose.

We are pleased that the government is encouraging employers to remove embedded bias from recruitment practices and supporting our call to End Salary History. Asking salary history questions keeps women on lower salaries and contributes to the UK's gender pay gap - and can mean that past pay discrimination follows women and other groups throughout their career. Evidence from US states which have banned asking about past salary shows that is a simple, evidence-led way to improve pay equality for women, people of colour and disabled people. This is an important first step. We hope more employers will answer this call, and sign Fawcett's pledge, as part of other actions to tackle their pay gaps." Jemima Olchawski, Chief Executive, Fawcett Society

The Government has already run 25 returner programmes across the private and public sector and will use learning from these initiatives to design the new STEM programme.

Unpaid care work, including childcare and informal adult care, is disproportionately performed by women. This can have a big impact on pay and progression, with research showing that returners with degrees are, on average, paid 70% of the hourly wage of an equivalent colleague who has not taken time away from work.

By launching the new returners programme, the government is hoping to support those who are looking to step back into work, particularly in STEM sectors. The 2021 STEM Returners index survey revealed that 61% of returners found the process of returning to the industry difficult or very difficult. Those who did return commented on being overqualified for their role and had entered at levels below where they were prior to their break.

In line with the Government's commitment to level up opportunities, the new programme will support returners across the UK - giving them the opportunity to refresh and grow their skills in sectors where their talents are most needed. It will run for a minimum of two years, and the evidence gathered will enable and provide a base for organizations to provide their own returner programmes.
While the majority of infections with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) will recover, a significant minority progress to severe or fatal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* investigates the role played by neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) formation and degradation in COVID-19.

Study: Multicenter Analysis of Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Dysregulation in Adult and Pediatric COVID-19. Image Credit: Luca9257 / Shutterstock.com

Introduction

COVID-19 is considered primarily a pulmonary disease; however, it has also been associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome, multiorgan dysfunction, thrombotic disease of the microvasculature with tissue hypoxia, and skin manifestations of inflammation. In children, a multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) has been reported to occur in some patients following COVID-19.

Chilblain-like lesions (CLL) have also been reported, mostly in younger people. Otherwise referred to as COVID toes, this presentation will include swelling, redness, or bluish discoloration of the fingers and toes, with vesicles in some cases. CLL is associated with lymphocytic infiltration of the skin glands and blood vessels in the affected area and appears to be independent of the severity of COVID-19.

While the incidence of CLL rose significantly during the current pandemic, many patients tested negative for the virus by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) while also being seronegative for SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies. These lesions are known to be associated with high concentrations of type I interferons (IFNs), and the increased production of IFN-alpha in this patient population appears to indicate rapid clearance of the virus, thus explaining the lack of test positivity.

Earlier research indicates that SARS-CoV-2 infection triggers excessive NET formation, which is central in the manifestations of the disease. NETs are formed by the extrusion of neutrophil chromatin bound to granule proteins and are formed during inflammation, which can be due to infection or other health conditions.

NETosis can trigger vascular injury by initiating the transition from endothelial to mesenchymal tissues, causing endothelial and smooth muscle cells of the vessel walls to die. This leads to the activation of the coagulation cascade.

While severe COVID-19 has been associated with NET complexes by blocking small vessels in the kidneys and lungs, the respective rates of NET formation and breakdown, as well as the exact role of NETs in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 remain unclear.

The current study aimed to determine whether NETosis was present in children with either MIS-C or CLL at higher rates as compared to adults hospitalized with COVID-19. The mechanisms leading to the impaired breakdown of NETs in some COVID-19 patients were also explored.

Study findings

NET remnants were found to be present at higher levels in both MIS-C and CLL, though the levels varied between locations and with specific disease symptoms. In the United States and Italy, pediatric CLL samples showed higher levels of NET remnants than those from healthy controls.

Similarly, Chilean samples from children with MIS-C showed higher NET remnants but not those from Italy. Interestingly, all lesion samples from CLL children in the U.S. showed NETs, mostly around the blood vessels and beneath the skin.

In Chilean MIS-C samples, the extent of NET remnants was related to a greater likelihood of requiring cardiovascular drugs, developing pulmonary complications, or going into shock. Taken together, it appears that NETosis is associated with specific forms of disease following SARS-CoV-2 infection that are related to the severity of the disease, and may also underlie tissue damage in children with CLL.

The breakdown of NETs appears to be reduced in children with CLL and MIS-C but with a distinctive geographic variation. In samples from Italy, the majority of MIS-C samples and less than a fifth of CLL samples showed persistence of NETs beyond the expected time frame. Conversely, in the Chilean MIS-C samples, as well as both CLL and MIS-C samples from the U.S., 97% and 100% showed a reduction in the breakdown of NETs, respectively.

Even the rate of breakdown differed, being higher in Italian than Chilean MIS-C samples, or than U.S. CLL samples. This could be corrected by the addition of DNase1 in most cases, though between 25% and 30% of both sample types continued to show significantly impaired degradation. Therefore, some patients appear to have DNase1 inhibitors or other inhibitory mechanisms that prevent nuclease activity.

Similarly, NET breakdown was impaired in over half of adult COVID-19 patient samples from Italy, mostly if they were symptomatic at the time of diagnosis. This was reduced significantly by three months.

Increased production or reduced breakdown of NETs may be linked to a higher probability of organ damage in COVID-19. In the current study, the spleen, kidneys, and lungs showed the most extensive pattern of NET infiltrates.

Complement activation may also be associated with poor NET breakdown. Anti-NET autoantibodies have been found in adult COVID-19 patients. These autoantibodies, as well as the natural inhibitor molecule G-actin, are also implicated in a poor NET breakdown.

Adult COVID-19 patients with symptomatic illness also exhibit a persistent rise in NET remnants as compared to those with asymptomatic illness, which can persist even three months after infection at equivalent levels. This may correlate with the presence of long Covid symptoms months after the first diagnosis.

Moreover, higher NET remnant levels were associated with more severe disease, especially citrullinated H3-DNA, but not elastase-DNA, which showed varying patterns. The presence of these remnants was more likely with underlying cardiovascular/chronic kidney disease, or solid organ transplantation. The former was associated with liver disease, and the latter with congestive heart failure.

NET infiltrates were more commonly and extensively found in the spleen, kidneys, and lungs, and less commonly in the liver. In half of these cases, NETs were identified in cardiac tissue. These results show that NETs occur throughout the body in severe COVID-19.

As compared to other variants, SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infection is associated with lower levels of NETs, especially in males. Even in those with critical disease with hypertension or on high-flow oxygen and in the intensive care unit (ICU), this difference persisted, showing the variation in NET dysregulation with virus variant.

NET remnants are lower in adult unvaccinated patients infected with the Omicron variant. Plasma levels of (A) citrullinated histone H3 (citH3) and (B) elastase-DNA complexes (ela-dsDNA) were measured in COVID-19 patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 Alpha or Omicron variants (ctrl n= 14, Alpha n=14, Omicron= 21). Kruskal-Wallis analysis was used. (C) Male patients infected with the alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2 displayed elevated levels of citH3-DNA complexes (Alpha, n=12, Omicron, n=13). (D) Patients with critical severity of disease have lower levels of NETs when infected with Omicron infected patients displayed decreased levels of plasma citH3-DNA complexes (Alpha n= 14, Omicron n= 16). (E) COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) displayed decreased elevated levels of citH3-DNA complexes when infected with Omicron variant (Alpha, n=11, Omicron n= 3) (F) COVID-19 patients with concomitant hypertension displayed decreased elevated levels of citH3-DNA complexes when infected with Omicron variant (Alpha n= 7, Omicron n= 6), Mann-Whitney was used. Results are the mean +/- SEM. Mann-Whitney was used. **p<0.01, ***p<0.001, ****p<0.0001. OD: optical density.

Implications

While no genetic factors were found to affect NET formation in this study, other factors were identified that could change the neutrophil response to infection and/or inflammation. The period of follow-up was important in ruling out short-term autoimmune changes; however, considering the geographic differences, further assessments of the MIS-C groups from Chile and Italy will be necessary.

The current study suggests that NETs could be linked to severe or symptomatic COVID-19, other than by direct neutrophil infection. The persistent elevation of NETs indicates an ongoing dysregulation, which should be further examined for association with long Covid symptoms or other long-term complications.

The lower NETs observed with Omicron infection could be due to its lower propensity to elicit NET formation or due to the lower levels of inflammation it induces. Further studies may help uncover the role of NETs in tissue damage outside the lung that leads to severe forms of COVID-19 and its long-term complications.

*Important notice

medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is launching a new 20 million business partnership as the UK continues to lead global efforts to improve girls' access to education in developing countries.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of children did not have any access to school - and girls from disadvantaged families are particularly vulnerable to missing out on education, whether through poverty or prejudice. The pandemic has created even more barriers to education, with a peak of 1.6 billion children around the world having faced school closures.

In the UK's first education partnership of its kind, the UK government is joining forces with the private sector to boost girls' access to education in developing countries. Partners include Unilever, Pearson, PwC, Microsoft, Accenture, Standard Chartered, United Bank for Africa, Coursera, Vodafone, BP and Cognizant. The UK Government will be working in partnership with UNICEF's Generation Unlimited (GenU) to help deliver the programme, with key partners funding GenU being Accenture, Standard Chartered, Unilever, Microsoft, and United Bank for Africa.

Last night [7 March], a reception was held in No.10 Downing Street to mark the announcement and International Women's Day, which was attended by partners, including: Jill Huntley, Global Managing Director, Corporate Citizenship at Accenture; Dr Betty Vandenbosch, Chief Content Officer at Coursera and Marissa Thomas, Chief Operating Officer at PwC.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

The United Kingdom has long been a proud and mighty champion of this fundamental cause and today we take one leap further through our first Global Partnership of its kind - opening the opportunity for one million girls across the developing world to have access to high quality skills training. Ensuring every girl and young woman across the globe receives 12 years of quality education is the greatest tool in our armoury to end the world's great injustices. Delivering on this mission will be one of the best defences against ignorance, ensure the greatest protection from prejudice and put a rocket booster behind our hopes and dreams for global development in the years to come."

Businesses, charities, schools and colleges will shortly be able to bid for funds from the programme. The partnership wants to support projects that will improve access to education for girls, with a focus on providing the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills needed to find work in key sectors such as technology and manufacturing. This could include funding new skills training programmes, improving teaching or redesigning training to make it more relevant to business needs. Initially bids will be encouraged for projects in Nigeria and Bangladesh, two countries where significant barriers to girls' education remain.

Funding from the programme will also help expand GenU's `Passport to Earning' (P2E) platform. This digital skills platform will provide girls with free, certified education and skills training which they can then use to support future employment and entrepreneurship opportunities. UNICEF's precursor to P2E was listed among Time Magazine's 100 Best Inventions of 2021.

Some of the businesses involved will be contributing a range of resources including books, computers and other technology, mentors, advice and access to their networks, skills and training programmes. The private sector involvement will help ensure that education and learning opportunities provide girls with the skills for the future that employers need.

The UK is playing a leading global role to improve girls' education in developing countries. During the UK's G7 Presidency last year it secured agreement to help get an additional 40 million girls into school by 2026; and secondly to help 20 million girls to learn to read by the age of 10 by 2026. In 2021, the UK hosted a successful Global Education Summit, which raised $4 billion in pledges from world leaders to support schools through the Global Partnership for Education. Between 2015 and 2020, the UK supported at least 15.6 million children in developing countries to gain a decent education, including 8.1 million girls.

We have already seen considerable success with similar skills programs such as the Alternative Learning Program (ALP) in Bangladesh. This involved training up marginalized young girls with the skills they needed to be able to secure jobs within demand sectors, which gave these young girls more economic, social and personal freedom. As a result, the programme saw a 62% reduction in child marriage among the girls and families involved.

Similarly, the 'Educate!' programme across Uganda and Rwanda has provided industry-specific (agriculture and tourism) sessions for girls, as well as sessions to boost their literacy skills. This programme saw a 120% increase in income among the female participants.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said:

Supporting women and girls is at the heart of UK foreign policy. We want women to have agency over their own lives and to be free to succeed. Investing in girls' education is vital for a more sustainable, peaceful and prosperous future. That's why we are partnering with the private sector to help girls in developing countries access education and job opportunities."

Helen Grant, Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Girls' Education said:

Every girl everywhere deserves to have an education. From school right the way through to the workplace, our partnership will help give women and girls the skills they need to reach their full potential."

Kevin Frey, Chief Executive Officer of Generation Unlimited said:

The Girls' Education Skills Partnership exemplifies the commitment of the UK government and the private sector in addressing the critical gap in skilling girls for 21st Century opportunities. P2E is an innovative skills platform designed with partners to reach the girls everywhere, every time, preparing them with in-demand market relevant skills."

Background
As severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) began to encircle the world with devastating effects during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, scientists began searching for the right way to stop the spread of the virus by inducing host immunity before or soon after infection.

A new paper reports on the current and future perspectives on messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) technology, the platform on which the first successful COVID-19 vaccine, from Pfizer/BioNTech, was based.

The researchers looked at the global demand for this technology in the fields of drug substance (DS) and drug products (DP), the estimated quantity that will be required and the current aspects in the manufacturing processes that offer scope for improvement.

Introduction

From being investigated for a few key applications, the mRNA platform became known worldwide when it was used to distribute billions of doses of the COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. These companies were already looking into this area to make cancer immunotherapies, protein replacement therapies, and other vaccines.

These plans were rapidly diverted to perfecting and commercializing the COVID-19 vaccines, a feature made possible by the versatility of this platform. The greatest appeal of the mRNA platform is that it is a modular technology. That is, mRNA can be easily tweaked to encode most proteins without a significant alteration in its chemical nature.

Using mRNA, modified nucleosides and lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-based formulations can be produced within the host cell without a whole new delivery system.

Preclinical trials of the current mRNA vaccines were done in mouse models to study dosage ranges. These studies used low amounts of raw materials, thus reducing the supply chain demand and mitigating the limited production of these reagents. In this way, the companies were able to identify the dosages at which high levels of neutralizing antibodies and T cell-mediated immunity was elicited while minimizing the adverse drug reactions.

Mouse models also helped compare the immunogenicity of different candidate vaccines in preclinical trials, but required twice as much RNA-LNPs for the trials, at a dosage of 0.21 g with each candidate. Moderna used four different strains of mouse, varying the spike antigen dosage from 0.002520 g.

Overall, other preclinical studies in nonhuman primates and ferrets used an average RNA dose of over 5,000 g each, which puts a significant strain on RNA production, especially with the growth in such studies.

It is interesting that since 1990, RNA vaccine studies are being ever more frequently published. In fact, the rise from 2020 to 2021 was >400%, vs >300% from 2019 to 2020. If just one in ten of the 2,000 published studies use a second species, the demand would be >1.1 million g of RNA formulation each year.

With gene replacement studies, the RNA doses are 100-fold higher at 101 vs 103 mg/kg for vaccine studies. The dosage goes up to 1 mg/kg with microRNA (miRNA) and small interfering RNA (siRNA). The estimated demand for RNA could thus be much higher in the foreseeable future.

RNA DS and formulated DP demand really took off with the large-scale demand for COVID-19 vaccines. Moderna and Pfizer planned to produce 1 and 2 billion doses of their vaccines, respectively, in 2021  over 100 kg and 60 kg of mRNA-DP formulation, respectively, excluding manufacturing process losses and the consumption of reagents in analytical tests.

Clinical trials also use up significant amounts of RNA. This was estimated from early phase Moderna and BioNTech trials, adjusted for the expected proliferation of clinical trials of other RNA DPs, microRNA and siRNA, gene replacement therapies, CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing and RNA transfected gene therapies. With four studies describing phase 1-2 dosage studies for Moderna and Pfizer mRNA vaccines, they found a mean mRNA usage of 5,500 g.

Extrapolating this to the 75 trials carried out in 2021, this would mean over 400,000 g of RNA was required. At 100-200 g mRNA per mL, this comes to ~2,000-4,000 mL of DPs of many different kinds, at higher expense vs vaccine mRNA because of the lack of economies of scale.

Current manufacture

Three types of processes are used at present for large-scale mRNA production, namely, chemical, recombinant and enzymatic, depending on the required mRNA.

Chemical vs recombinant techniques

Chemical synthesis is a standard automated process of short RNA production, but is costly, and limited to the production of <100 nucleotides, with DNA splint ligation being required for longer molecules.

Recombinant RNA production uses the same principle as recombinant protein production: the DNA of interest is delivered by a vector into the host cell, where it is transcribed to the corresponding mRNA. The transcribed mRNA is vulnerable to breakdown by host nucleases, and cannot incorporate modified ribonucleotides. Recent studies describe shielding the transcribed mRNA and using circular mRNA that has superior stability.

Recombinant technology may be the most cost-effective method. Recombinant protein manufacturing units could be repurposed, since they already comply with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) codes.

Enzyme synthesis and IVT

Enzymatic synthesis of RNA is carried out via either the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or the polymerase chain transcription (PCT). The former, used for decades, produces amplified oligonucleotides, but relies on thermolabile RNA polymerase. Instead, the modified double-mutant DNA polymerase TGK polymerase allows initiation with ribonucleotides.

PCT has been reported to successfully synthesize RNA from unmodified and 2-F-modified rNTP using DNA polymerase. This budding technology may one day allow large-scale RNA production.

In vitro transcription (IVT) of mRNA is the gold standard for mRNA synthesis, using bacteriophage-derived modified RNA polymerases to synthesize the mRNA from chemically modified ribonucleoside triphosphate (rNTPs). It needs sequence-specific promoters, and the terminal regions show variability because of the polymerases non-specific run-off.

It is also costly, and the enzyme is vulnerable to oxidation, fragmenting the mRNA. Nonetheless, the versatile template DNA permits the synthesis of any mRNA. This could speed up regulatory approval for novel DS manufacture.

Altogether, with imperative improvements, IVT is the current state-of-the-art technology that offers cell-free, cost-effective, straightforward, and coherent large-scale production of clinical use mRNA with the help of modified RNA polymerases.

Purification

Purification of mRNA is another essential step to get usable mRNA. Laboratory-grade mRNA is purified by DNases, but for clinical use, chromatography is among the standard pharmaceutical methods, being adaptable, scalable and cost-effective. Various chromatographic methods are suitable for large-scale efficient purification. Any of these can be used depending on the product-specific process developed by the manufacturer.

LNP formulations

LNP-based RNA formulations carry charged nucleic acids across the lipid membrane into the cytoplasm, to exert their bioactivity. A popular technique is continuous self-assembly, in acidic conditions that allow the LNPs to enter the cytoplasm via receptor-mediated endocytosis pathways, from which the RNA is released.

Lipid film hydration is a more established method, but the above method works better for the in vivo production of siRNAs with intact activity compared to the preformed vesicle method. The former is limited by the lack of control, poor reproducibility and the need for further processing.

Microfluidic mixing is another method, used to create RNA-LNPs for use in cancer, protein replacement therapies, gene editing and vaccine production, with good scalability from prototype level to in-line analytic methods. Different techniques are used, including the staggered herringbone mixer (SHM), with the next-generation toroidal mixers (TrM) enhancing the SHM flow rate by an order of magnitude.

The future of mRNA

Scientists look forward to self-amplifying RNA (saRNA), mRNA that can amplify itself on entering the cell. Early research suggests a 6-100-fold increase in potency with saRNA compared to mRNA, while saRNA production reduces the need for RNA and lipids by 6-100-fold.

Thus, in the context of a pandemic, it would theoretically be possible to make 6- to 100-times more doses of a vaccine with the same batch volume and subsequently have a lower cost of and time required for production.

A direct comparison shows the price of each 0.3 mL dose of the Pfizer vaccine to be $19.50, which would mean 4.5 million liters of vaccine fluid  enough to fill two Olympic-size swimming pools! In contrast, saRNA vaccines would require only 0.02 of one pool. The corresponding costs of vaccination for the entire population of the earth would be 150 billion USD vs 1.5 billion USD for the Pfizer vs the theoretical saRNA vaccine, respectively.

Once developed, saRNA could boost plant capacity many-fold for operating plants. Microfluidics also offers large commercial opportunities for scalable high-throughput drug development.

Decentralized RNA production

The ongoing pandemic has shown the limitations of large centralized drug manufacture in times of increased demand. The two mRNA vaccines were distributed from relatively few centers in Europe and the USA, leading to a supply chain crunch. The high demand for COVID-19 vaccines led to a shortage of DS and DP in the world at large, excluding the most developed countries in Europe and the USA.

In response, many countries plan to set up their own mRNA drug manufacturing sites, which will help achieve greater flexibility to adapt to local requirements, including personalized drugs. Precision medicine will likely benefit greatly from this approach. However, a lot of changes will be necessary, including in the regulatory oversight, the need to train highly skilled workers and set up a knowledge database locally, and the higher initial investment for each local site.

This will likely be offset by the ability to produce multiple DPs that use the same technology and manufacturing processes. Again, mRNA DPs are ideal for this model as they retain their chemical properties even with major changes in the nucleotide sequence.

Many companies are investing in this field, while China is likely to be the world leader, once their new plant in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, is set up. It is expected that this single plant will double the companys manufacturing capacity.

Future bottlenecks include a stable scalable lipid supply; mRNA production; and integration of multiple activities into a single suite as smaller plants are set up in different locations.

Envisioning manufacturing facilities that can churn out RNA medicines according to need, the authors compare them to the chip manufacturing revolution that ushered in todays information technology age.

The introduction of semiconductor foundries that employed standardized manufacturing processes, suitable for producing any number of circuit designs, decoupled chip design from manufacturing capabilities and infrastructure. The concept of an RNA medicine foundry, enabled by modular manufacturing technologies such as single-use bioreactors, microfluidics, and in-line analytical capabilities, represents a potential for democratizing the design of future RNA medicines.
In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* pre-print server, researchers evaluated the severity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron (B.1.1.529) infections between December 23, 2021, and February 20, 2022, in Qatar to understand how Omicron subvariants, vaccination, and prior infection status impacted these cases.

Study: Effects of BA.1/BA.2 subvariant, vaccination, and prior infection on infectiousness of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infections. Image Credit: Kuki Ladron de Guevara / Shutterstock

Qatar has an exceptionally young and diverse demographics, where only 9% of its residents are over 50 years of age, and 89% are expatriates from over 150 other countries. Unfortunately, starting December 19, 2021, Qatar experienced a resurgence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases due to Omicron that peaked by the middle of January 2022. During this time, initially, more cases were reported due to Omicron subvariant BA.1, but within a few days, the other subvariant BA.2 became dominant.

During the Omicron pandemic wave, quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) testing, performed at a mass scale in Qatar, helped them diagnose 75% of COVID-19 infections. Every RT-qPCR test recorded the reason for testing, such as contact tracing, random testing campaigns, clinical symptoms, individual requests, routine healthcare testing, pre-travel, at the port of entry, or other. Nearly every resident in Qatar was fully vaccinated against COVID-19 during this time, and the Qatar government had all the COVID-19-related information recorded in their health system. Qatars federated SARS-CoV-2 databases even had information on vaccinations performed elsewhere at the port of entry upon arrival to Qatar.

About the study

In the current cross-sectional study, researchers used the real-time RT-qPCR cycle threshold (C t ) value as a proxy for SARS-CoV-2 infectiousness to investigate the effects of Omicron infections in all the residents of Qatar who had an RT-qPCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection during December 23, 2021, and February 20, 2022.

The researchers sourced all the demographic data from Qatars national COVID-19 databases, including reported clinical infections, vaccinations, RT-qPCR tests, and related demographic details since the beginning of the pandemic.

They used the TaqPath COVID-19 combo kit for subvariant status - a SARS-CoV-2 infection with the Omicron BA.1 subvariant was proxied as a spike (S)-gene target failure (SGTF) case, and with the BA.2 subvariant was proxied as a non-SGTF case.

For each study participant, the researchers selected the first positive RT-qPCR-confirmed test. Later, they derived the average C t value (to be used as the dependent variable) by averaging the C t values of the nucleocapsid (N), open reading frame 1ab (ORF1ab), and S genes.

Overall, they investigated the extent of COVID-19 spread during the study period based on the information of subvariant causing the infection (BA.1 versus BA.2), vaccination type (BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273), vaccination status (doses, time elapsed since vaccination), prior infection status, RT-qPCR testing reason, study-period week of the test, and demographic factors including sex, age, and nationality.

They used univariable linear regression analyses to evaluate the association of each of these factors with the C t value. The multivariable linear regression analyses accounting for all covariates estimated associated 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and p-values. The researchers estimated differences between BA.1 and BA.2 infections using standardized mean differences (SMDs).

Study findings

The study analyses covered 156,202 individuals infected with Omicron. Considering C t values as a measure of SARS-CoV-2 infectiousness, the authors noted that with 3.53 fewer cycles, the BA.2 subvariant appeared substantially more infectious than the BA.1 subvariant.

Proportion of BA.1 (versus BA.2) Omicron infections in the PCR-positive tests assessed using TaqPath COVID-19 Combo Kit during the study period.

C t values decreased as the time elapsed since vaccination increased, a trend observed for both second and third vaccination doses, reflecting waning vaccine effectiveness over time.

C t values were 0.86 cycles higher for those receiving booster doses during the months before the RT-qPCR test than for unvaccinated persons. Similarly, the 1.30 cycles higher C t values among those with a SARS-CoV-2 infection history compared to those with no prior infection signified lower infectiousness of Omicron variant.

Declining C t values (with age) reflected declining ability to clear SARS-CoV-2 with age. Although there were sex and nationality-based differences in C t value, these likely reflected test-seeking behaviors of Qatars diverse population, having different socio-economic status, and cases with undocumented infections.

The authors observed the lowest C t values among individuals who seek the RT-PCR test due to COVID-19 symptoms and the highest among those who tested for travel-related purposes. Similarly, they observed lowest C t values when COVID-19 cases were increasing exponentially during the Omicron wave of December 2021 and were highest after the wave peaked. Later, C t values declined, as only a small proportion of COVID-19 infections remained recent.

Conclusions

Overall, the study demonstrated that compared to the Omicron BA.1 subvariant, the BA.2 subvariant was more infectious. It rapidly disseminated in Qatar to cause more SARS-CoV-2 infections, as reflected by a higher viral load and longer duration of COVID-19. However, like observed for other SARS-CoV-2 variants, previous infection-induced natural immunity and vaccine-induced immunity resulted in lesser infectious breakthrough infections due to Omicron.

*Important Notice

medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
MBABANE  While the nation remains curious about the national dialogue, government will not reveal the committee selected to handle the preparations, at least for now.

Last week, the Prime Minister (PM) Cleopas Sipho Dlamini, assured the nation in Parliament that the much anticipated national dialogue would take place. As he gave the assurance, the PM also revealed that a committee had already been selected to handle the preparations of the dialogue. Following his assertion, this publication sought to find out from the PMs Office the names of the members of the committee and the criteria used in the selection process.

Committee

The PMs Office, through the office of the Governments Spokesperson, was also asked to state what exactly the committee would do. In response, it was stated that the names of the committee members would be revealed in due course. We can reveal, however, that they were selected according to the different portfolios and their work experience. Their duty is to prepare for the upcoming Sibaya process. Further details will be shared as the national dialogue date draws closer, it was stated in the response. During the portfolio committee debate of the three entities under his wing in Parliament last week, the PM was asked to provide answers on the national dialogue by some of the Members of Parliament (MPs).

Lomahasha MP Ndumiso Masimula called for the PM to set the date for the national dialogue as emaSwati needed it. The PM gave assurance that the dialogue would take place and that preparations were at an advanced stage. I-dialogue ikhona, he said. He mentioned that committees assigned to work on the preparations had already been put in place. Elaborating, the PM mentioned that as per the cultural procedure, the Sibaya will be announced and the way forward on the dialogue would be known.

Agenda

He reminded the MPs that there is never an agenda at Sibaya, which meant that emaSwati will attend and that is when they will know the agenda of the day. Meanwhile, during the portfolio committee debate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation annual performance report, government was accussed of being secretive about the proposed national dialogue. Ndzingeni MP Lutfo Dlamini said he had looked into all the reports from the various government ministries, and did not find anything about the mechanism of the proposed national dialogue.

He mentioned that the country needed the dialogue so that all emaSwati could start talking to one another. The MP also said there were issues that needed to be buried and new strategies on growing the country that needed to be agreed upon. He said His Majesty King Mswati III announced the dialogue but no one wanted to explain anything to the nation. In response, Minister Thuli Dladla explained that the issue of the dialogue rests with the Office of the PM and that a task team was in place working on the logistics. Meanwhile, Chairperson of the Multi-Stakeholder Forum (MSF), Thulani Maseko, said they were not aware of the committee and its members. However, he mentioned that there was nothing wrong with government selecting its own committee so long as it will then meet with the pro-democracy groups to discuss how the dialogue should be coordinated.

Preparation

The national dialogue needs a joint preparation, and we will have no problem being invited to a meeting by the select committee. All we want is for the committee to know that there is no dialogue that will take place at the Sibaya. Instead, a neutral venue is what we will advocate for in the event that we get to meet the committee. We insist that the national dialogue is not a government process, said Maseko.
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Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 54F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.
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(Newser)  Lawmakers and media outlets are warning that the war in Ukraine could trigger World War III, but some say it has already startedperhaps even years ago. Among them is billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, who argued Saturday on Twitter that "WWIII has likely started already" while NATO members, fearful of Vladimir Putin, let Ukrainians do the fighting. "We are in the early innings of Putin's global aspirations," Ackerman added, per CNBC. "With each 'victory,' he is emboldened to take more. He is testing us, and we are failing the test each time." Ackerman still sees room for stricter sanctions and tougher negotiations to work, especially if China gets involved, but "time is running short." Among other voices:

Look at history: "We're already in it," said Russia expert Fiona Hill of World War III. She recently told Politico that "we keep thinking of World War I, World War II as these huge great big set pieces, but World War II was a consequence of World War I," much like the Russia-Ukraine war grew out of changes in Russia in the twentieth century. "We are already in a hot war over Ukraine, which started in 2014. People shouldn't delude themselves into thinking that we're just on the brink of something. We've been well and truly in it for quite a long period of time."

"We're already in it," said Russia expert Fiona Hill of World War III. She recently told Politico that "we keep thinking of World War I, World War II as these huge great big set pieces, but World War II was a consequence of World War I," much like the Russia-Ukraine war grew out of changes in Russia in the twentieth century. "We are already in a hot war over Ukraine, which started in 2014. People shouldn't delude themselves into thinking that we're just on the brink of something. We've been well and truly in it for quite a long period of time." 'America's battle, too': "Ukrainians are fighting for us, for the United States, for Europe, for you, for me," writes columnist Trudy Rubin in the Philadelphia Inquirer under the headline "World War III has already started in Ukraine." She understands NATO's desire to avoid a hot war, but urges President Biden to consider options including a no-fly zone to protect Ukrainians from air assaults. "AndcruciallyGOP leaders must finally chastise those in its ranks, including Donald Trump and Fox News' Tucker Carlson, who praised Putin after this war began. They are enabling a war criminal, who feeds off the US political divisions they sow."

'I will be very blunt': "We do feel supported and we are grateful for all the help that we are getting," Ukrainian parliament member Kira Rudik said Friday on MSNBC, adding that "the next step that we see is a no-fly zone over Ukraine. And I know that everybody is saying no, no, no, the Third World War will start. I will be very blunt with you: It has already started, because the attack on a nuclear plant  affects everybody." Disaster at the Zaporizhzhya facility was narrowly averted, but Rudik noted that "radiation doesn't really care what passport you're holding."

"We do feel supported and we are grateful for all the help that we are getting," Ukrainian parliament member Kira Rudik said Friday on MSNBC, adding that "the next step that we see is a no-fly zone over Ukraine. And I know that everybody is saying no, no, no, the Third World War will start. I will be very blunt with you: It has already started, because the attack on a nuclear plant  affects everybody." Disaster at the Zaporizhzhya facility was narrowly averted, but Rudik noted that "radiation doesn't really care what passport you're holding." Article Five: Analysts warn that fighting in Ukraine could easily spark a wider war. "A dangerous and tragic case would be if Russian forces were to inadvertently, and I want to emphasize inadvertently, launch a missile that landed in a bordering NATO country, such as Poland," Glennys Young, Russian expert and chair of the University of Washington history department, told Fortune. "If this were perceived by NATO commanders as an attack, and hopefully it wouldn't, this would trigger the provisions of the NATO alliance's Article Five."

Meanwhile Republican senators Joni Ernst and Marco Rubio are warning that a no-fly zone over Ukraine would indeed trigger world war. "It would be World War III," Ernst said on Fox News Sunday, per Newsweek . "And I don't think that's in the best interest of NATO, our partners and allies and friends." (See why Putin said NATO has pretty much declared war already .)

(Read more Russia-Ukraine conflict stories.)
(Newser)  A truck driver was arrested Monday after ramming the gates of the Russian Embassy in Dublin during a protest of the invasion of Ukrainean attack a mission spokeswoman called "barbaric." Desmond Wisley of Leitrim got out of the truck, the Irish Times reports, and told bystanders, "I just done this to create a safe corridor for the Russian ambassador to leave Ireland." Ukraine officials have asked Russia to provide safe corridors for people fleeing the fighting, but the routes offered mostly lead only to Russia or Belarus, and the firing has continued despite negotiated cease-fires.

The embassy's reaction Monday was to criticize police, saying, "The incident took place in the presence of Garda officers, who stood idle" and calling the lack of protection a breach of the Vienna Convention, per the BBC. "No people of sound mind could support such senseless and barbaric actions," the spokeswoman said. The embassy's tone changed later in the day, when it issued a statement thanking Irish officials. Protests have been held at the compound daily since the invasion, and about 20 minutes before Monday's attack, police cleared demonstrators sitting in the road to let a convoy of diplomatic cars leave the embassy.

Russian Ambassador Yuriy Filatov stirred anger last week when he said Ireland was behind "anti-Russian events" in the European Union. Red paint has been splattered on the embassy entrance several times, and anti-Russian graffiti has appeared. Before his arrest, Wisley handed out photos he said showed Russian atrocities committed in the invasion. Wisley, who with his family runs a church-supply business, said he just wants the Russian ambassador and embassy staff to leave. "I've done my bit, lads," he said as police led him away. "It's about time the rest of Ireland done their bit." (Read more Russia-Ukraine conflict stories.)
(Newser)  The US has joined the effort to build a case that Russia is committing war crimes in its attack on Ukraine, officials said Monday. "We will support accountability using every tool available, including criminal prosecutions where appropriate," a National Security Council spokesperson said, per NBC News. That includes "collecting evidence of possible war crimes, human rights abuses, and violations of international humanitarian law," the spokesperson said. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that the US is aware of abuses committed in Ukraine that "would constitute a war crime," per CNN.

The United Nations is keeping a registry of civilian deaths in the fighting364 by midnight Saturday, including 25 children, per the Washington Post, though the true toll is believed to be much higher. The wounded numbered 707, 36 of them children. Most of the deaths came in attacks involving heavy artillery, multiple rocket launchers, missiles, and airstrikes, the UN reported. Ukraine is gathering evidence, as well, for pursuing a case against Russia at the International Criminal Court at The Hague. Visual teams are deployed to bombed places to collect evidence. "The Ukrainians are mobilized as never before," said a military videographer on one team who said he's "making a record of Russias crimes. We do believe in The Hague."

The court has said it's launching an investigation of its own. Human Rights Watch has suggested Russia might have committed a war crime by using cluster munitions, banned by international agreement, on residential areas of the city of Kharkiv. President Vladimir Putin assured French President Emmanuel Macron last week that its troops were trying "to preserve the lives of civilians," according to the Kremlin. The US has been hesitant to accuse Russia of war crimes before it has built a strong case and considered the issue thoughtfully, per an analysis in the Post. "We're documenting everything," Blinken said. (Read more Russia-Ukraine conflict stories.)
(Newser)  A Saudi prisoner at the Guantanamo Bay detention center who was suspected of trying to join the 9/11 hijackers has been sent back to his home country for treatment for mental illness, the Department of Defense said Monday. Mohammad Ahmad al-Qahtani was flown to Saudi Arabia, to a treatment facility, from the US base in Cuba after a review board including military and intelligence officials concluded he could be safely released after 20 years in custody, the AP reports. His lawyers say the 46-year-old prisoner has suffered from mental illness, including schizophrenia, since childhood. The US dropped plans to try him after a Bush administration legal official concluded he had been tortured at Guantanamo.

With his release, there are now 38 prisoners left at the detention center. He is the second released under President Biden, who has said he intends to close the facility. However, only about half the men held there have been cleared for release, and no decision has been made about what to do with the rest, including those who still face trial by military commission. The Defense Department notified Congress of its intention to transfer al-Qahtani in February, prompting outrage from some Republicans. In August 2001, al-Qahtani was turned away from the US at the Orlando airport by immigration officers who were suspicious of his travel.

The lead Sept. 11 hijacker, Mohammed Atta, was going to pick him up to take part in the plot, according to previously released documents. US forces later captured him in Afghanistan and sent him to Guantanamo, where he was subjected to brutal interrogations that the Pentagon legal official in charge of war crimes commissions said amounted to torture. That treatment included beatings, exposure to extreme temperatures and noise, sleep deprivation, and extended solitary confinement. An FBI official in 2002 observed al-Qahtani speaking to non-existent people, hearing voices, and crouching in a corner of his cell while covering himself with a sheet for hours at a time.

(Read more Guantanamo Bay stories.)
(Newser)  Ukrainian movie star Pasha Lee is reportedly among those killed by Russian shelling in the city of Irpin, west of Kyiv. The actor, also known as Pavlo Li and Pasha Li, was 33, Deadline reports. He had reportedly joined the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to fight against the Russian invasion, and had posted about Russian bombings on Saturday. More of the latest on the conflict:

Russia says a limited ceasefire will take place Tuesday to allow Ukrainians to safely evacuate, but two earlier such attempts have failed, and Ukraine says it is skeptical of the promise, the AP reports. Safe corridors for fleeing Ukrainians are also set to open Tuesday, per the AP, but Ukrainians are also skeptical of that promiseand have pointed out that the evacuation routes only lead to Russia or its ally, Belarus.

Due to "logistical challenges," Nissan is halting production at its Russia plant, the AP reports.

The mayor of Lviv, Ukraine, pleaded for support as tens of thousands of refugees have ended up in the western city; he says the city is struggling to provide food and shelter.

US Congress leaders have come to an agreement on legislation to ban Russian oil imports to the US, according to an anonymous source, and while voting could happen soon, it has not yet been scheduled.

There are fears that the Ukraine-Russia conflict could scuttle the Iran nuclear deal, which negotiators had hoped to revive soon. Russia is insisting it be exempted from US sanctions in any future business dealings with Iran, the Washington Post reports.

As Russian airlines are increasingly being banned from other countries' airspace, Russians face "a future with little or no international air travel," per Al Jazeera.

(Read more Ukraine stories.)
Human rights achievements here never more evident: national lawmaker

Xinhua) 15:51, March 08, 2022

URUMQI, March 8 (Xinhua) -- As a deputy to the National People's Congress, China's national legislature, Cui Jiuxiu is a participant and witness of human rights progress in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

"We have launched a soil improvement project on the Gobi Desert, which meets the growth standards of white mulberry trees and other plant species," said Cui, deputy Party chief of Opal Township in Kashgar, southern Xinjiang. "If plantation and sericulture are launched here, many farmers will enjoy stable employment at their doorsteps."

Cui is now in Beijing attending the annual "two sessions" with thousands of national lawmakers and political advisors. She pays great attention to the topic of rural revitalization and focuses on local tourism development to create income for more locals.

Opal lies at the foot of the Pamir Plateau. Traditionally, the town has been involved in fruit cultivation, forestry and breeding, but a vast population with limited land, as well as dry environment have hampered its development.

Thanks to China's anti-poverty campaign, Opal has undergone profound changes. In 2021, five modern demonstration cattle and sheep breeding projects and 11 husbandry farms were set up in the town, with over 3,500 cattle and sheep added.

Currently, the town is popularizing scientific breeding technology for farmers and herdsmen. Patigul Amat is one of the beneficiaries of this initiative. With the adoption of new breeding methods, under technical guidance, no newborn calves owned by Patigul Amat got sick or died this year.

Like their peers, many young people from Opal used to aspire to move to cities and find a job with a steady income. Thanks to the efforts of Cui and her colleagues, young people from the town now have more career choices.

"In the past, a lot of farmers and herdsmen got into seasonal work. Many of them would come to me asking for stable jobs in the city," Cui said.

To improve the situation, the town provides training to farmers and herdsmen who are willing to work in cities, and helps them contact factories in industrial parks nearby, Cui added. "Many of them have stable jobs now."

Khelbinur Elet has been working in a garment factory in the town for over a year.

"I was a rural housewife with almost no source of income. After I came to the garment factory, the company provided me with social insurance and a monthly salary of about 2,000 yuan (about 316 U.S. dollars)," she said.

By the end of 2020, absolute poverty was eradicated in Xinjiang.

"People in the surrounding towns are busy improving their living standards just like us," Cui said. "The achievements of human rights progress in Xinjiang have never been more evident."

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
MANZINI  The issue of the proposed review of bus fares will be tabled and discussed in Parliament, if the words of Sihlangu Nhlabatsi are anything to go by.

The industry wants to hike bus fares by Wbetween five and 62 per cent, depending on the distance. This was revealed during a special meeting for the public transport industry, which was held at Swazi Commercial Amadoda Hall yesterday. The meeting was attended by representatives from the Swaziland Local Transport Association (SLTA), Manzini Kombi and Minibus Association, Lubombo Kombi and Minibus Association and Eswatini Kombi and Minibus Association, to mention a few.

Ambrose Dlamini, the National Secretary General of SLTA informed the meeting that they heard that there was an order paper which stated that the matter would be discussed in Parliament tomorrow. However, he said as an executive, they were not sure about it. Thereafter, he mentioned that he had communicated with the former Chairman of the National Road Transport Council (NRTC), Sihlangu Nhlabatsi, about it and he agreed to go past Parliament to verify the developments. Later on Nhlabatsi, arrived at the meeting and after some arguments; the former NRTC chairman was given an opportunity to address the leaders of the associations about the information he had obtained in Parliament. He said he found the said order paper.

Thereafter, he mentioned that he asked to see the Speaker in the House of Assembly, Petros Mavimbela. He said the speaker informed him that the matter would be discussed on Wednesday (tomorrow) as it would be tabled as an addendum. However, some of the leaders of the associations raised a concern as to why such information came at a time when they were having a special meeting. They also asked if Nhlabatsi had proof to substantiate what he had just told them and he responded to the negative. It was then that some of them said they smelt a rat. In fact, they suspected that this could be a ploy to derail them from their plans. In response, Nhlabatsi told them that he had tried to take a picture of what the speaker supposedly showed him when they talked about the matter, but the latter refused. Instead, he alleged that the speaker told him that he would rather call and put the cellphone on loudspeaker when he was in the meeting so that he could confirm the developments.

However, Nhlabatsi was not asked to call the speaker. Thereafter, the meeting agreed that they should wait and see what would happen tomorrow and then they would take it from there.

Others suggested that they should take a resolution and increase the bus fares by at least E5 across the board, and elect a select committee that would inform government about the decision. They suggested that the select committee would also engage government on the proposed bus fares, while they would be charging passengers an extra amount. They argued that passengers understood that fuel prices had increased drastically and if the bus fares were not increased, public transport might cease to operate.

At the end, they agreed that they should elect the select committee so that it could engage government on the matter, while waiting to see what would happen in Parliament tomorrow. The secretary general argued that they could not just increase bus fares because they were regulated. On the other hand, some of the leaders of the associations said it was high time that they did away with the current process which goes via Parliament to increase bus fares. Their argument was that this process was taking long. In fact, they said they should find a way to remove the issue of bus fares from being regulated by government. One of them made an example with cross-border vehicles. He said currently, a trip from Manzini to Johannesburg was E270, but soon, after a few phone calls to relevant stakeholders, mainly South African counterparts; it could be increased to E300.
(Newser)  Update: Six teens have been charged with murder in Monday's fatal shooting outside a Des Moines high school, reports the Des Moines Register. Police didn't indicate a motive, but they say the 15-year-old boy killed in the drive-by shooting was the intended target. Two young women, ages 16 and 18, were wounded and remain in critical condition. The suspects, all from Des Moines, include a 14-year-old, a 15-year-old, two 16-year-olds, and two 17-year-olds. Our original story from Monday follows:

One teenager is dead and two more are in critical condition after a shooting outside a high school in Des Moines on Monday afternoon, authorities say. Des Moines Fire Department spokesperson Ahman Douglass says a 15-year-old boy did not survive his injuries after the shooting at East High School, the Des Moines Register reports. A 16-year-old girl and an 18-year-old girl were also hospitalized, Douglass says. Police said the gunfire apparently came from a passing vehicle, hitting the victims on school grounds. "I was just sitting in my friends car and then all of the sudden I heard 11 gunshots and some boys screaming," student Kaylie Shannon tells KCCI.

The school and surrounding streets were locked down after the shooting. Police Sgt. Paul Parizek said that "some potential suspects" have been detained but that charges haven't been filed yet, KCCI reports. "That will be a piece that moves through the night that were going to have to be working on," Parizek says. At the Iowa State Capitol, around a half-mile from the scene, Rep. Ruth Gaines requested a moment of silence before a state House of Representatives debate, reports the Register. " I would like this moment of silence for all of those students, even though you may not know them, and they may not be related to you," said Gaines, who taught in the district for more than 40 years. "They are all God's children." (Read more Iowa stories.)
(Newser)  As Russian shelling continued to kill Ukrainian civilians Monday, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations made a bizarre claim at a Security Council meeting. Vasily Nebenzya accused the Ukrainians of shelling themselves, and his remarks caused outrage and comparisons to similar claims made by Bosnian Serb forces when they bombed Sarajevo, the Guardian reports. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the UN, said that Vladimir Putin "has a plan to brutalize Ukraine" and that the humanitarian toll is mounting, with dozens of children killed and countless more deeply traumatized. "Children are dying, people are fleeing their homes, for what?" she said.

Ukrainian officials said Russia stepped up its shelling of major cities Monday, with one strike killing at least 13 civilians at a bread factory in northern Ukraine. Talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations resumed Monday after the failure of efforts to evacuate civilians from cities under Russian fire, the AP reports. Ukrainian officials said Russian proposals to evacuate civilians to Russia and its ally, Belarus, were unacceptable and "completely immoral." Thomas-Greenfield urged Russia to honor proposals "for time-bound humanitarian safe passage in specific, agreed-upon locations." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia on Monday of destroying buses that were supposed to collect civilians and mining routes that had been chosen for deliveries of food and medicine.

With evacuations canceled and convoys unable to bring aid to besieged cities included Mariupol, fears are growing that thousands more civilians could die in the days to come, the New York Times reports. Russia is "resorting to tactics reminiscent of medieval siege warfare, encircling cities, cutting off escape routes, and pounding the civilian population with heavy ordnance," a member of Ukraine's legal team told the International Court of Justice on Monday. The Guardian reports that for the first time since the invasion began 12 days ago, Zelensky delivered his daily video address from his office instead of a bunker. "I'm not hiding. And I'm not afraid of anyone," he said. (Read more Russia-Ukraine conflict stories.)
(Newser)  A group of experts made more than 250 recommendations to the Biden administration Monday for a more robust response to COVID-19, warning that the disease has not yet faded to "endemic" levels. A report from the group partly builds on the White House plan released last week on achieving a less disruptive life with COVID while specifying additional steps, the Washington Post reports. It's too early to declare victory, said the experts, who warn against "complacency, inaction, or premature triumphalism" in their report. "The nation is not yet at the next normal," they said.

"It's an attempt to have a more disciplined approach to dealing with this crisis, providing a vision for what 'next' might look like," said Luciana Borio, one of the authors, per STAT News. The group of experts includes researchers, former COVID advisers to President Biden's transition team, and former leaders of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Their report recommends steps involving:

Other viruses : The US should shift from concentrating only on fighting COVIDwith prevention, mitigation, and treatmentto focusing on other respiratory viruses as well, including the flu.

: The US should shift from concentrating only on fighting COVIDwith prevention, mitigation, and treatmentto focusing on other respiratory viruses as well, including the flu. Long COVID : The report calls for a more multifaceted approach than is detailed in the White House plan. It would include studies that move more quickly than the government efforts have, creating a long COVID task force, and having the Social Security Administration make sure that long COVID patients can receive disability benefits.

: The report calls for a more multifaceted approach than is detailed in the White House plan. It would include studies that move more quickly than the government efforts have, creating a long COVID task force, and having the Social Security Administration make sure that long COVID patients can receive disability benefits. Air quality : Building codes should be changed, and air-quality results should be posted at buildings. Government subsidies are needed to improve air quality in low-income communities and homes. The group said these recommendations go beyond the White House plan's.

: Building codes should be changed, and air-quality results should be posted at buildings. Government subsidies are needed to improve air quality in low-income communities and homes. The group said these recommendations go beyond the White House plan's. Rebuilding trust: Steps to help agencies such as the CDC restore public trust should include improving transparency about how it makes its decisions and countering skepticism by releasing a "steady drumbeat" of advice based on scientific evidence.

(Read more COVID-19 stories.)
(Newser)  You probably refer to Stolichnaya vodka as "Stoli" anyway, but now it's official: The company that owns the iconic spirit brand says it is turning that nickname into the vodka's actual name. The move is an attempt to distance the brand from Russia, NPR reports. Calling the decision a "direct response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine," the Stoli Group says in a statement, "The three driving factors behind the decision are the founder's vehement position on the Putin regime; the Stoli employees determination to take action; and the desire to accurately represent Stoli's roots in Latvia."

As the AP explains, Russian billionaire and staunch Vladimir Putin critic Yuri Shefler founded Stoli Group in 1997; he was exiled from the country in 2002, and production moved to Latvia at that point. But Eater has a more in-depth look at the vodka itself, the roots of which extend back to the Soviet Union days. The Russian government produces its own vodka called Stolichnaya, but Stoli Group owns the trademark rights to the name (which means "from the capital city" in Russian) in 150 countries including the US. "More than anything, I wish for Stoli to represent peace in Europe and solidarity with Ukraine," Shefler says. (Read more Stolichnaya stories.)
(Newser)  Last fall, Georgia residents were dismayed to make the acquaintance of the Joro spider, a palm-sized, "flying" creature hailing from East Asia that showed up in the Peach State by the millions. Now, scientists say, people further north should prepare, because the 3-inch-long arachnids with bright yellow stripes, also known as Trichonephila clavata, may soon infiltrate the entire East Coast, reports Scientific American. A study published last month in the Physiological Entomology journal notes that the invasive species may be particularly suited to cold weather, meaning it could expand its neighborhood beyond the southeastern United States.

The study compares the Joro spiderwhich gets its name from Jorogumo, a type of Japanese spirit that, as legend has it, takes the form of a stunning woman to lure in unsuspecting mento its cousin, Trichonephila clavipes, or the golden silk spider, which has been web-weaving in the Southeast since the Civil War era. The latter's "thermal limitations" have kept it confined to that region, but scientists found that the Joro spider has a metabolism double that of its relative, as well as a 77% higher heart rate when subjected to chillier temps.

In addition, the Joro spider appears better able to handle a brief freeze than T. clavipes74% to 50%. A release notes that the newer spiderwhose hatchlings are often spotted "flying" through the air on silk strands, a la the babies in Charlotte's Webfirst showed up in the US in 2013, and it doesn't look like there's much we can do to stop them from making further moves, especially because it's apparently an "expert stowaway" in luggage and cars, per Scientific American.

There is some good news: The Joro spider's bite is weak, and its venom harmless to people or pets (unless they have allergies), and it can even serve to cut down on the population of mosquitoes and other pesky insects. In other words, "people should try to learn to live with them," says Andy Davis, one of the co-authors of the study, per the release. "If they're literally in your way, I can see taking a web down and moving them to the side, but they're just going to be back next year." (Read more spiders stories.)
(Newser)  Russia's invasion of Ukraine isn't even two weeks old, but already it's turned 2 million people into refugees. The UN's refugee agency announced the new figure on Tuesday, reports the AP, adding that Poland has accepted the largest number of people: 1.2 million.

Not leaving: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video Monday night that he will not be among those leaving. "I am staying in Kyiv," he said, per NBC News. "Not hiding. And I'm not afraid of anyone. For as long as it takes to win this war! Zelensky spoke from his office from the first time since the invasion began, reports the New York Times.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video Monday night that he will not be among those leaving. "I am staying in Kyiv," he said, per NBC News. "Not hiding. And I'm not afraid of anyone. For as long as it takes to win this war! Zelensky spoke from his office from the first time since the invasion began, reports the New York Times. War crimes? Zelensky also continued to urge his citizens to resist the invasion, and he referred to Russian soldiers as "war criminals," per the Washington Post. The latter stems from attacks that have left civilians dead amid failed ceasefires. A separate Post story details Russian shelling that killed civilians, including children, in a town near Kyiv.
(Newser)  Update: This summary has been updated with confirmation of the ban. The idea had been percolating for days, and it became reality on Tuesday: "We're banning all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy," President Biden said Tuesday at the White House, per CNN. "Russian oil will no longer be acceptable at US ports, and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putins war machine," he said. Bloomberg had reported the news before the official announcement, and the Wall Street Journal and the AP were among the early ones to confirm. Coverage:

The ban: The ban affects Russian oil, natural gas, and coal, per Bloomberg. Russia accounts for about 10% of US energy imports, notes the Hill. Allies in Europe, which are far more dependent on Russian oil than the US, have so far ruled out taking this step, notes Axios. The move is "one of Americas most far-reaching actions to penalize Moscow" since the invasion of Ukraine started, per the Washington Post.

Congress: The White House had been under pressure to act because Congress is already considering legislation, reports Politico. Id love for President Biden to do it on his own," said Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, who has put forward a bipartisan proposal with GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski. It needs to happen. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also has voiced support for such a ban, and the White House risked being seen as lenient toward Vladimir Putin if it didn't move first.

The White House had been under pressure to act because Congress is already considering legislation, reports Politico. Id love for President Biden to do it on his own," said Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, who has put forward a bipartisan proposal with GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski. It needs to happen. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also has voiced support for such a ban, and the White House risked being seen as lenient toward Vladimir Putin if it didn't move first. Political risks: All of this carries risks for Democrats and Biden, according to the Hill. A ban is expected to contribute to record-high gas prices going even higher, and it could give Republicans a boost in efforts to open up protected areas for drilling.

All of this carries risks for Democrats and Biden, according to the Hill. A ban is expected to contribute to record-high gas prices going even higher, and it could give Republicans a boost in efforts to open up protected areas for drilling. US wallets: Biden acknowledged the hit to American wallets. "The decision today is not without cost here at home," he said. "Putins war is already hurting American families at the gas pump," said Biden, adding that "with this action (the price of gas) is going to go up further." But "Im going to do everything I can to minimize Putins price hike here at home." The US has been reaching out to Venezuela as a potential source of extra oil. Other options include Saudi Arabia and even Iran, per Bloomberg.

Biden acknowledged the hit to American wallets. "The decision today is not without cost here at home," he said. "Putins war is already hurting American families at the gas pump," said Biden, adding that "with this action (the price of gas) is going to go up further." But "Im going to do everything I can to minimize Putins price hike here at home." The US has been reaching out to Venezuela as a potential source of extra oil. Other options include Saudi Arabia and even Iran, per Bloomberg. On the conflict: In regard to the invasion, Biden declared: "Ukraine will never be a victory for Putin. Putin may be able to take a city, but he'll never be able to hold the country."

(Read more Russia-Ukraine conflict stories.)
(Newser)  Update: Ghislaine Maxwell's bid for a new trial was rejected Friday, when a federal judge ruled that a juror she argued tainted the conviction was not biased. The juror said he hurried through a questionnaire, giving the wrong answer on whether he had ever been sexually abused. "Even if he had answered each question on the questionnaire accurately," Judge Alison Nathan wrote, the juror "would not have been stricken for cause" from the panel, CNBC reports. Our story from March 8 follows:

One of the jurors who convicted Ghislaine Maxwell of crimes including sex trafficking of a minor admitted Tuesday that he failed to disclose past sexual abuse during jury selectionwhich Maxwell's lawyers argue is enough to warrant a retrial. After Maxwell's conviction, Juror No. 50, who identified himself as 35-year-old Scotty David, told media outlets that recalling his own childhood sexual abuse convinced other jurors to believe the testimony offered by Maxwell's victims, after initial doubts about whether they were recalling events correctly. But in answer to a question about past sexual abuse on his jury screening questionnaire, the juror had checked the "no" box, reports the New York Times.

The jurorwho previously said he didn't recall answering the question"did not truthfully respond to perhaps the most important question put to potential jurors about their personal experiencesa question that pertained directly to the core allegations against Ms. Maxwell," her lawyers argued in seeking a retrial. And if he had, "he would have been challenged, and excluded, for cause." The statements made to the media were "clear, strong, substantial and incontrovertible evidence" that there had been "a false statement during jury selection," added Judge Alison J. Nathan, who questioned the juror at a federal courthouse in Manhattan on Tuesday. He'd been ordered to testify with a grant of immunity from prosecution.

He told Nathan that he was "shocked" and "embarrassed" to learn that he'd made an "inadvertent mistake" while rushing through the questionnaire, believing the question about past sexual abuse applied to family and friends, per the Independent. "If I lied deliberately, I wouldn't have told a soul. It was an honest mistake." He added, "I dont really think about my sexual abuse, period. I don't tell many people." In fact, he said most people in his life weren't aware of the abuse until he spoke out. "I saw the victims on the stand and I said: 'I can do that, too,'" he said. Nathan said his testimony was inconsistent with his statements to the media, per the Independent. The two sides are to present arguments in response to the testimony in a week's time. (Read more Ghislaine Maxwell stories.)
(Newser)  A teacher in Florida was hospitalized after she was attacked by a 5-year-old special needs student her union chief describes as "enraged." According to a police report, the attack happened when the boy was taken to a "cool down" room after he started throwing things and flipping chairs in a pre-K classroom in Pembroke Pines, around 22 miles from Miami, NBC reports. Police said teacher Trisha Meadows called for help on the school radio after the student attacked her, and an officer found her sitting against a wall "dazed" and "unresponsive." She "continued to blink and breathe regularly but at no point was able to vocally respond or show signs of a response," the report said.

Broward Teachers Union President Anna Fusco says the boy "actually ran and attacked and jumped on her with his whole body weight. She fell and hit her head, which caused the severe injury and other bodily injuries where she is going to need surgery." The student weighs 50 to 60 pounds, while Meadows, who is in her late 30s or early 40s, is 5-foot-4 and slender, Fusco says. The union chief tells WSVN that this is the third time Meadows has been hospitalized after an attack from the same Pines Lakes Elementary School student. In one incident, Fusco says, the teacher ended up pinned under a bookcase the student threw at her. The union says Meadows, who suffered a severe concussion, is unlikely to return to the same school.

"This is not the first time this has happened at this school, in this classroom. I feel like there needs to be the proper support," a parent tells WSVN. "This is a special needs class." The parent says the student has also injured classmates. Police say that while the boy is being investigated for "aggravated assault with hands, fist, and feet," charges are unlikely because he's "under the age of reasoning," Local 10 reports. (Read more Florida stories.)
NHLANGANO  Yesterday, Inyatsi Construction Group Holdings had two of its heavy plant machinery burnt in an arson attack by unknown people.

These are a bulldozer and an excavator. While the company could not confirm the value of each of the two heavy plant machinery that were burnt, according to marketbook.co.za, a Volvo EC480 excavator/crawler, 2015 model costs about E3.5 million.This is similar to the model of the excavator that belonged to Inyatsi. The same website states that a bulldozer D85EX, also a 2015 model, costs about E2.6 million if its brand new.

The bulldozer and an excavator were reportedly parked at Sicunusa area along the Nhlangano  Sicunusa Road when they were set alight by unknown arsonists during the wee hours of yesterday. The company had just started re-constructing that road and it was aiming to get it done within the next 18 months. The heavy plant machinery were parked a few kilometers away from the companys site which was set at Gege just past the inkhundla centre.

Targeting

It is worth noting that this was a third arson attack targeting the construction company. In February 2021, vehicles including a tipper truck, were reduced to ashes and an excavator was partly burnt. The second arson attack happened on February 3, 2022 whereby a tractor loader backhoe (TLB), a grader, tractor and trailer were burnt. This incident took place at Hhelehhele area, where the company was busy with constructing a road. This heavy plant machinery belonged to one sub-constructor and the value of the damaged assets was E2.1 million.

No arrests have been made so far in all three arson attacks. In the recent incident, by the time this reporter arrived at the scene at around 8:30am, a group of police officers were found inspecting the scene. The police officers included Shiselweni Regional Commissioner (RC) Tibonisile Mdziniso, Detective Senior Superintendent Clement Sihlongonyane, other senior police officers, some of whom were from the Operational Support Services Unit (OSSU) and Criminal Investigations Department (CID).

Flammable

The two heavy plant machinery were still there and they were severely burnt more, especially on the flammable parts. There were also some of the companys employees who were present, who included the operators of the affected machinery. The operators lamented the incident, fearing for the worst when it came to their job security, as they were employed to operate those machinery. They said what happened was painful because they even left their belongings inside these machinery with the hope that they would return to find them safe, since the vehicles were locked every evening after work.

One of the residents, whose homestead is nearby the scene of the incident, said during the night, they heard a huge explosion and what also seemed to be gunshots, but in fear, they did not come out to inspect what was happening. The resident said it was only in the morning when they learnt that the explosion was due to the attack on the heavy plant machinery. Messages

Efforts to reach the Inyatsi Construction Managing Director (MD) Derrick Shiba proved futile as he did not answer his phone for the better part of the day when called yesterday.

He did not even respond to text messages sent to him. The last call was made at 6pm, but he instead sent a text message that he would call back but he had not returned the call by the time of compiling this report.

Isaac Dlamini, Bucopho from Sidwala Umphakatsi where the incident happened, said they were shocked by the arson attack. He said as a community, they were now hoping that the road would be completed since it has been long overdue, but such attacks were a setback to the project.

Wondered

Dlamini wondered if the site, where the heavy plant machinery were parked, were being guarded by security personnel and if yes what happened to them when the incident occured.

He added that today, he would be meeting with the constituency Indvuna, Mphumzeni Nzima, to discuss the matter further.

Security

He said if there was no security personnel, he would suggest that the company should hire local people to safeguard the sites to avoid such attacks in the future. Meanwhile, Bucopho from Mashobeni Umphakatsi, which forms part of Gege Inkhundla, also wondered who could do such to something that was bringing development in the area. He said as constituents, they were shattered by the incident. Meanwhile, the National Commissioner (NATCOM) of Police, William Dlamini, has condemned the arson attacks taking place in the country, promising that the perpetrators of these acts will be brought to book.
United States Congressman Don Young represents Alaska at large. He is a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and was the committees chair from 2001-2007.

State Sen. Josh Revak is an Anchorage Republican and chairman of the Senate Resources Committee. He represents Huffman, OMalley, Abbott Loop, Independence Park and East Dowling.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The Cabinet has commended the outcomes of the official visit by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to the US, including the talks he held with senior US officials.

During its weekly meeting chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, yesterday at Gudaibiya Palace, the Cabinet noted that the talks have affirmed the strength of the Bahrain-US strategic partnership.

It also highlighted the importance of increasing bilateral cooperation and coordination to meet shared aspirations, which include strengthening regional and international security and stability, peace and development.

The Cabinet noted the agreements and MoUs announced during the visit that will create a productive environment for economic, commercial, and investment cooperation and enhance bilateral trade across various fields, including the industrial, logistics, space sciences, and digital information sectors.

Coordination

The Cabinet also commended His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifas visit to Saudi Arabia.

It noted the outcome of the talks held between His Majesty and the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, on furthering strategic coordination and cooperation across all fields to achieve common interests.

The Cabinet highlighted the joint statement issued following HM Kings visit and its affirmation of the Al-Ula Declaration. This includes elements of economic calibration and shared defence and security systems, to enhance the solidarity and stability of the GCC countries and strengthen their role by unifying policy to promote the growth and development of the GCC states and unity among its members.

Womens achievements

To mark International Womens Day, the Cabinet highlighted the achievements made in the field of Bahraini womens advancement, reflecting the success of the programmes adopted by the Supreme Council for Women, chaired by Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Consort of His Majesty the King and President of the Supreme Council for Women.

The Cabinet welcomed the UN Security Councils decision to renew sanctions on the Republic of Yemen, as well as its designation of the Houthis for the first time as a terrorist group and including them in Yemens sanctions list, as well as imposing an arms embargo on Yemen.

The Cabinet noted that this decision will limit the capabilities of the Houthi terrorist militia and help to foster regional and international security
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Under the patronage of Shaikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Bahrain National Arts Council, and in conjunction with the Bahrain Formula One races, the exhibition will be held from 16 to 18 March at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, offering an excellent platform to introduce and demonstrate the world of NFT technology.

For those wishing to attend the exhibition, registration is free of charge and can be accessed through the following link: www.nftmenaexhibit.com We are pleased to be part of the first NFT exhibition in the Middle East and North Africa said Athena Yu, EVP of Binance NFT, the digital currency revolution is not limited to the world of cryptocurrency and trading platforms, but also to the art world.

We want artists in Bahrain and the wider region to benefit from emerging new technologies. We believe that this exhibition is an ideal platform to exchange experiences and learn from each other. The Chairman of Dar Al Fann Gallery, Mr Abdulrahman Almokla, commented: We are proud to have Binance as the gold sponsor of the NFT MENA Exhibit 2022, and we express our sincere gratitude and appreciation to all who have offered their support to this exhibition.

Such support, from esteemed companies of unparalleled calibre, validates our cause, elevates our brand and consolidates the culture of technology and innovation, not only locally but internationally. This widens our scope and furthers our reach to the world.

Mr Almokla added that the exhibition provides a favourable platform for artists, gallerists, corporations and entrepreneurs on the Blockchain. It also offers investors a firsthand opportunity to learn about the production and trading of artworks, and how this has cultivated a fertile ground to foster technology, art, culture and economy.

In cooperation with Dar AlFan, the RAK Art Foundation announced the launch of the first exhibition of its kind in the MENA region earlier in the year, one that deals with non-fungible tokens (NFT) technology to trade artwork. This demonstrates Bahrains leading role in this global digital trend, of artistic and cultural production.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The High Administrative Court has ordered a Bahraini man and his daughter to pay BD20,000 to the Ministry of Education (MoE) which sponsored her to earn a Masters degree, but she failed to do that.

According to court files, the two agreed with the Ministry to sponsor her to earn a Masters degree as she was one of its employees. And as per the agreement, she was sent to a European country. However, she dropped out, prompting the Education Ministry to order her to pay the amount it covered to sponsor her education.

As per the court files, the woman didnt just fail to complete her studies but also resigned from her post at the Ministry. She rejected all the calls to reach a peaceful settlement by paying the agreed amount, although her father pledged for that when the agreement was reached.

The father is said to have submitted medical papers claiming that she wasnt medically sound enough to continue working or studying, stating that this had caused her to drop out from her studies and resign from her job.

On the other hand, the court rejected such claims in its ruling, adding that the medical report didnt state that she wasnt fit enough to meet her legal obligations. The Court of First Instance had issued a similar verdict, which was appealed by the duo. The High Appeals Court rejected their challenge.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain Royal Court Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa received the National Financial and Administrative Audit Office (NAO) annual report and audited financial statements for the year ending on December 31, 2021, from NAO Chairman Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa to be submitted to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

The minister praised the NAOs efforts in preserving public funds, verifying its safety and legality, and ensuring the highest levels of productivity, efficiency and employment of resources by adopting the latest international practices.

The NAO Chairman stressed the offices progress in performing its tasks thanks to the continuous support of HM the King and the follow up of the Crown Prince and Prime Minister His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

He affirmed the importance of strengthening the principle of partnership with all entities under the office and helping them improve their performance following the approved global standards to preserve public funds and ensure their good management.

He confirmed the NAOs continuous investment in training Bahrain competencies to boost the level of services of all kinds provided to citizens in all locations.

Training courses Meanwhile, NAO held 77 internal and external training courses in cooperation with local, regional and international organisations, institutions and expert entities, benefitting more than 490 participants.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (Derasat) hosted a discussion panel titled EU-Bahrain: A Multi-Dimensional Partnership to discuss further enhancing relations between Bahrain and the European Union.

The event coincided with the first anniversary of the signing of the Cooperation Arrangement between Bahrains Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European External Action Service in 2021 that provides an institutional framework for political dialogue and cooperation in areas of trade, research and innovation, clean energy and renewables.

Panellists included EU Ambassador to KSA, Bahrain and Oman Patrick Simonnet, and Chief of European Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Ahmed Al Qarainees.

Other panellists were Managing Director of Eni in Bahrain and Lebanon, Deputy Managing Director and Head of Geoscience in Eni UAE Dr Andrea Cozzi, and Executive Director of the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Bahrain (FCCIB) Rim Jalali.

The Kingdom of Bahrain views the European Union as a distinguished regional organization and a model for integration and complementarity; one that the Kingdom ensures it develops its relations with bilaterally or holistically," Derasat Executive Director Dr Hamad Ebrahim Al Abdullah said,

He pointed to estimates that indicated a commercial exchange worth 2.5 billion Euros between Bahrain and the EU until the end of 2021, in addition to the numerous European companies operating in Bahrain, and European expertise found in the Kingdoms public and private sectors.

Al Abdullah referred to the increased frequency of exchanged visits between both sides in the past few years, ensuring how keen they are on developing their relations based on the largely entwined interests, as confirmed by regional challenges, especially the COVID pandemic.

Energy security and climate change are additional challenges, and all of them require an extended mutual dialogue to coordinate the efforts in countering these challenges, he said.

Simonnet said that cooperation with Bahrain is multi-dimensional given its importance as an EU partner.

Signing the 2021 Cooperation Agreement was a significant step in developing multi-sector relations, including economic and commercial diversification, research and innovation, human rights, clean energy, and renewable energy sources  a field in which the EU is at the global forefront, the ambassador said.

He pointed to the EUs work on enhancing individual relations through the exchange of students and researchers.

Al-Qarainees stressed the need for strengthened bilateral relations with the EU in all areas and described them relations as rapidly growing in economic, educational, environmental, and parliamentary aspects, thanks to the focus by the Kingdoms wise leadership on cooperating with the EU in constructive aspects.

He said that such meetings are crucial in setting the frameworks for cooperation, based on previous achievements to increase Bahrain-EU partnerships.
US researchers have said "flying" spiders from Japan could soon be thriving up and down the American east coast - but despite the fears of arachnophobes everywhere, it's nothing to be concerned about.

Scientists at the University of Georgia have been studying the joro spiders, which first arrived in the US in 2013 from Japan, likely accidentally transported by humans.

The palm-sized spiders have thrived in the US so far, and researchers now suggest they could spread even further through the country.
Omans Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (Madayn) has signed a cooperation agreement with Oman India Fertiliser Company (OMIFCO) to establish a green buffer zone at Sur Industrial City.

This agreement comes along the lines of Madayns efforts to achieve environmental balance, increase green areas in its industrial cities, and enhance public-private partnership in areas that serve the industrial and environmental sectors in the Sultanate, Madayn said in a statement.

The project aims at contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions at Sur Industrial City and its surroundings. Phase one of the project will be implemented on an estimated area of 10 hectares and will incorporate planting trees of different sizes and types, in addition to construction of walking paths, seating areas, irrigation network and lighting. The agreement was signed by Eng. Abdulqadir bin Salim Al Balushi, Director General of Sur Industrial City, and Qasim bin Mohammed Al Balushi, Director of Strategic Planning for Sustainability at OMIFCO.

It is worth mentioning that the total investment volume in Sur Industrial City by the end of 2021 stood at RO 2.2 billion with 127 projects in operation. Madayn is currently implementing infrastructure development project in Sur Industrial City, which include the construction of 17 km length of water network, 14 km of sewage network, 10.6 km of road network, and 6.8 km of rainwater drainage channel. The project is expected to be completed during the third quarter of 2022.

A workforce township project in Sur Industrial City is in the preparation stage for implementation and will take from two to three years to be completed. The project will be divided into three categories, each with its distinctive standards and specifications that meet the requirements of the operating companies and factories in Sur Industrial City.

More projects are in the pipeline and will be announced in the coming period, which will contribute to enhancing the investment climate at Sur Industrial City. The shipyard complex project is currently in the negotiation stage with the developer, and a usufruct contract will be signed with the developer by the end of this stage. The project is expected to present investment opportunities in fishing industry and contribute to enhancing the fisheries sector in the Sultanate.--TradeArabia News Service
Japan has frozen the assets of dozens more Russian and Belarusian officials and oligarchs in Tokyos latest move to punish Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

The latest sanctions target 20 Russians, including deputy chiefs of staff for President Vladimir Putins administration, the head of the Chechen Republic, and executives of companies with close ties to the Kremlin such as Volga Group, Transneft and Wagner, the countrys finance ministry said on Tuesday.

The list also includes 12 Belarusian government officials and business people, as well as 12 organisations in Russia and Belarus.

Payment and capital transactions with individuals and entities on the list will require government permits from now on, the ministry said in a statement.

Japan is also banning exports of Russia-bound oil refinery equipment and Belarus-bound general-purpose items that could be used by its military, the ministry said. ...continue reading
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, the ultra-low-fare national airline of the UAE, has launched exciting new seasonal routes to Santorini, Greece and Salalah, Oman providing UAE residents new travel opportunities and experiences over the summer period and beyond.

To capitalise on the increasing demand for travel, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is offering an exciting promotion with 20 percent off selected flights from Abu Dhabi until the end of September with bookings made between March 8 and 9.

The marvellous destinations provide affordable, hassle-free travel for tourists and residents in both Oman and Greece. Flights to Santorini start from June 3 on Mondays and Fridays and flights to Salalah start on April 29 on Mondays and Saturdays. Tickets are already on sale on wizzair.com and the airlines mobile app with fares starting as low as AED179*.

The promotion allows travellers to book tickets on all flights from/to the UAE including the recently launched routes to Amman (Jordan), Aqaba (Jordan), Salalah (Oman), Yerevan (Armenia), Santorini (Greece) and Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan).

Michael Berlouis, Managing Director of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, said: We welcome the further easing of travel restrictions around the world and our exciting new seasonal routes allow travellers to plan their summer. Travellers can enjoy 20 percent off our attractive destinations with fantastic ultra-low-fare prices encouraging exploration. Our expanding network includes incredible historic and cultural experiences with safe, efficient, travel awaiting all our customers. We look forward to sharing our love of adventure and seeing you on board our aircraft soon.

Starting from March 17, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi will increase capacity on routes to Tel Aviv, Israel with five flights per week from Abu Dhabi. Flights operate on both Tuesdays and Sundays allowing convenient travel options with fantastic reduced fares for travel lovers. In addition, flights to Manama, Bahrain and Muscat, Oman have changed to a more convenient schedule to stimulate demand, the airline said.

The removal of PCR test requirements has made travel simpler again with the easing of restrictions allowing for more spontaneous travel opportunities.

Strategically located within the UAE, the Wizz Air Abu Dhabi network also provides ultra-low fare, hassle-free and efficient travel options to Alexandria (Egypt), Amman (Jordan), Aqaba (Jordan), Athens (Greece), Baku (Azerbaijan), Belgrade (Serbia), Kutaisi (Georgia), Manama (Bahrain), Muscat (Oman), Sarajevo (Bosnia), Sohag (Egypt), Tel-Aviv (Israel), Tirana (Albania) and Yerevan (Armenia) among others. -TradeArabia News Service
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DANBURY  As police said Monday they expect to arrest multiple people after gunshots were fired at Chilis over the weekend, the city officials said they are looking to improve communication with the public about crime in the community.

No one was injured in the disturbance at the Newtown Road restaurant on Saturday evening, but police said Monday theyve identified and interviewed many of the people involved.

It took about 24 hours for police to release information to the public about the shooting, which occurred after two groups of patrons got into a dispute inside the restaurant. The groups moved outside before a person involved in the fight pulled out a gun and fired, police said.

Det. Lt. Mark Williams said the investigation is going very well.

Were thankful that no one got injured, of course, but as we move forward in this investigation I anticipate the outcome to result in multiple arrests, he said.

Police are working on at least one arrest affidavit that will be submitted to Superior Court for approval for an arrest warrant, he said. He expects the court to grant the warrant.

Police put out a press release around 7 p.m. Sunday  about 24 hours after the shooting  and a second one around noon on Monday with more details about the departments investigation.

We take this type of incident very seriously and are thankful that no one was injured, Williams said in the Monday press release.

However, police couldnt be reached for comment Saturday night or during the day on Sunday to confirm the shooting or provide more details. Meanwhile, information and speculation about the incident spread on social media, including Facebook forums.

The mayors office spokesman confirmed the shooting on Sunday morning and later sent the press release to Hearst Connecticut Media, shortly before police posted it on their Facebook page.

Mayor Dean Esposito said hes considering including funding for a full-time public information officer as part of next fiscal years budget. This could help information get out to the public faster.

It is absolutely something weve discussed as early as last week, he said.

With that funding in the budget, the department would look to hire someone with experience in that type of communication, he said.

Well definitely be open to the press and to the public as soon as possible, like we always have, Esposito said.

Chief Patrick Ridenhour said he hopes the position could be funded. The position would serve all of the public safety departments but as you know the bulk of the work usually comes from the police department, he said in an email. I think it would be beneficial to us, the media, and most importantly the public.

Williams and two lieutenants share public information officer duties on top of their other work. All three were not scheduled to work over the weekend.

Were a 154-person department, at least thats our authorized strength, said Williams, who runs the narcotics and special victims unit, while taking on the lions share of public information duties. However, we never have 154 officers, so we have a lot of people doing multiple different duties. The PIO (public information officer) duty is an auxiliary position, so we try to get information out when we can.

After the shooting, it took the investigating detective and captain some time to confer, Williams said. The detective captain was out, but wrote up a press release on his own time, which Williams then shared on Facebook.

We definitely want to share information and we have no problem with that, he said. I think our history will show our notifications to the public are probably better than they ever been.

Rather than posting press release about arrests directly on the polices Facebook page, the department is considering putting this information on some sort of city account and then sharing the link on Facebook, he said. This way if that case is eventually dismissed, for example, the press release doesnt remain on Facebook.

The department has also launched a new tip line, Tip411, an internet-based tool that enables the public to text an anonymous tip to police. Officers may respond back during the course of the investigation to create an anonymous two-way conversation.

Ongoing investigations

Shootings in Danbury are relatively rare.

However, Saturdays shooting came less than a week after another shooting about a half mile from Chilis on Feb. 28. Police didnt release information about that shooting at the time.

Gunshots were reported, but no one was injured, Williams said.

In that particular incident, it appears a license plate on a non-involved car may have actually received damage from either a bullet or maybe a casing. Im not sure, he said.

Police are reviewing video evidence, he said.

Were at the point where were thankful for video coverage we get from the different areas, Williams said. But were also annoyed with the video coverage because often times its granny, and often times it just gives you a little tease of information. But were sorting through everything we have in trying to determine who the persons were involved in that.

Its unclear if the Feb. 28 shooting is related to the one at Chilis.

We really dont know to be honest, Williams said. Theres always a possibility, but we dont know. We have not connected the shootings up to this point.

Police are continuing to investigate a shooting on Rowan Street at the end of December that injured a man in his 20s, as well as a shooting by Rose Hill Avenue and Ann Drive that hurt two men. Police havent arrested anyone in either case.

In the Chilis shooting, cops have interviewed about 20 to 25 people who either witnesses or were involved, Willaims said.

A manager at Chilis directed questions to corporate spokespeople.

We care deeply about our Team Members and Guests and were surprised and concerned at what happened at Chilis Danbury over the weekend, a Chilis spokesperson said in an email. Because the safety and health of our Team Members and Guests is our top priority, we do not tolerate violent behavior in our restaurants. Weve confirmed that our Team Members are doing well and are relieved no one was injured.

Esposito said the Chilis incident was nerve-racking for those who were there.

Farley Santos, a City Council member who represents the 4th Ward where the shooting occurred, said residents havent reached out to him about the incident.

Any incident like this or occurrences like this are concerning, he said. We want to ensure that every resident is safe in the city of Danbury so we take it seriously. I hope and I know the police department are doing all they can to investigate this matter.

He said he supports providing police with the funding they need to do their work in the best quality possible. A public information officer could benefit the public, he said.

Anything that can create more transparency for the public is a good idea, Santos said. There certainly is a need for more information out to the public in a more timely manner.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Thomas Collins at 203-979-4662 or t.collins@danbury-ct.gov. Anonymous tips can be made through the confidential tips line at 203-790-TIPS or online at www.tip411.com/tips/new?alert_group_id=22782. Anonymous texts can also be sent by texting DANBURYPD and the information to 847411.

Reporter Tara ONeill contributed to this story.
Getty Images / Contributed

ENFIELD  A local man admitted to stealing nearly $70,000 from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs when he pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with a scheme, according to prosecutors.

Derrick Brewer, 37, of Enfield, pleaded guilty during a video conference court appearance last week before Judge Sarala V. Nagala to theft of government funds. The offense carries a maximum term of 10 years in prison.
DANBURY  The citys Board of Education chair, Rachel Chaleski, has announced her run for state representative.

Chaleski, a Republican, is running in the 138th district against state Rep. Ken Gucker, D-Danbury, who is seeking his third term in Novembers state election.

As a proponent of Danburys charter school and increased state funding for the school district, she hopes to capture the Danbury vote through her advocacy of educational issues. She also wants to focus on out-migration in Connecticut, and the states economic health.

I do not believe we are best represented by the current delegation; its time to fully fund the education cost sharing formula and bring a charter school to Danbury; its time to support those who work in public safety; and its time to stop wasteful taxing and spending by the state, Chaleski said when she launched her campaign on Monday evening at Anthonys Lake Club in Danbury, according to a press release.

Michael Safranek, Republican Town Committee chair, called Chaleski a person of the people during his comments at the event.

She truly believes community comes first  all her work on the Board of Education shows she really does care, said Safranek in an interview Tuesday. I think its time for it [the charter school]. Theres a growing movement, and Rachel was on the ground floor of this movement.

Chaleski started thinking about running for a legislative position when she was first elected to the school board. The catalyst, however, was her growing frustration over state education funding metrics for Danbury.

Gucker said he hopes for a spirited fact-based discussion as we talk about the issues facing Danbury as well as the state.

He has opposed the charter school because he believes it would take necessary funds away from the public schools. He said that the current Danbury delegation has worked hard to secure millions more in state education funding for the city thus far.

Im advocating to support our existing school system and make sure we expand on it, he said.

Safranek was confident the RTC has a strong slate of candidates to replace Chaleski on the school board, should that become necessary.

While she doesnt have formal legislative experience, Chaleski said her school board leadership has taught her how to be a good advocate and how to bring everyone to the table. She hopes to take that advocacy to the next level, representing Danbury residents at the state level.

Theyre ready for a change, and I hope I can bring that change, she said.
Lenoir, NC (28645)

Today

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 61F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 61F. Winds light and variable.
While the hospitality industry at-large is taking important strides to address gender equality, only 26% of senior leadership positions are currently occupied by women, despite making up 50% of the workforce.

To facilitate greater progress and in support of International Womens Day on March 8, specifically this years theme of #BreaktheBias, a group of diverse women from Preferred Hotels & Resorts global leadership team shared their insight with women seeking to develop careers in hospitality.

While excellence should not be distinguished by gender and while we are proud that the gender equilibrium within our leadership team serves as a best practice for others, we recognise that the hospitality industry at large has great progress to make before gender bias stops making regular headlines, said CEO Lindsey Ueberroth.

To create impactful momentum on a global scale, it is critical for fellow female executives to share success stories for how they have navigated bias within the industry as a way to champion other women in pursuing their career ambitions without potential prejudice as a hinderance.

For context, the makeup of the Preferred Hotels & Resorts leadership team is unique compared to industry standards, in that 47% of its senior executive team leaders globally are women, including several positions that are traditionally filled by men, specifically CEO, President, and Chief Revenue Officer, with 50% of its wider leadership team also being women.

Female thought leaders at Preferred Hotels & Resorts expressing their opinions are: Michelle Woodley, President; Seema Roy, Area Managing Director - South Asia, Middle East & Africa; Boyana Simeonova, Vice President, Customer Relations; and Roberta Possenti, Vice President - Europe.

To level the playing field for women in hospitality, how can we move beyond recognising bias to actively tackling it?

Michelle: Recognising and acknowledging bias is the first step. Actively tackling it takes time and intention. Training and education is important and should take place through multiple platforms such as online learning, in-person discussions, and sharing experiences.

Roberta: It starts with ourselves. It takes a concerted effort to think differently and challenge the stereotypes that have been set in male-dominated environments. Its about providing space, opportunities, and security for women, enabling them to express themselves freely without the fear of prejudice and judgement.

Seema: We need to make the topic of bias part of daily conversation versus only bringing it up while discussing Diversity & Inclusion. It needs to be at the core of company culture for it to be embraced fully.

What advice would you share with women that might be experiencing unconscious bias in the workplace?

Michelle: Dont be afraid to confront the issue head on. You owe it to yourself to bring it to the attention of the individual that is displaying the bias. The person in question may not even be aware of it or understand why a certain comment or action is demonstrating a bias. The most important part of this is explaining the why.

Boyana: I grew up with a strong female role model - my single mother working as a doctor in Bulgaria, which was a communist country at the time. She instilled in me the confidence as a women to tackle any challenges that Ive faced during my career. My advice is to be confident and demonstrate to your colleagues your invaluable skills. They will recognise and respect you for it.

Seema: As women, we play a crucial role in bringing about positive change to help level the playing field. This can be done by taking charge, making our voice heard, by encouraging and supporting other women, and by embracing diversity. We need to recognise our own self-worth and play to our strengths.

In your opinion, how does gender equality positively impact economic and sustainable development globally?

Michelle: By having a well-balanced senior team of both women and men, we encourage diverse perspectives in important areas of collaboration, communication, and management style, helping us to overcome barriers and make well-rounded decisions. It has been proven that all environments with greater gender quality have more cohesion and connection, leading to a valuable mix of perspectives, which greatly benefits society as a whole.

Boyana: Gender equality provides different perspectives and ultimately better success in any business endeavour. Globally it contributes to more balanced living conditions and development.

Seema: Gender diversity and equality allows us to create a balanced and holistic environment. It helps boost productivity, increase organisational effectiveness, and growth.

How can we address the gender pay gap and what advice would you give to women in our industry seeking to level up in this regard?

Michelle: Be proactive  no one is going to do this for you. Do your homework and understand the competitive landscape. If you are a manager and have influence over pay scale of others, be sure you are being fair and equitable.

Boyana: Skills, performance, and contribution should be awarded at market value. My advice for anyone unhappy with their pay is to know your worth and be prepared to ask for it.

Roberta: Challenge the system and communicate with your peers. Leverage your connections and seek support and guidance to further your well-deserved success.

At Preferred, 47% of senior leaders are women, but in most companies, women are under-represented, what advice in terms of small steps would you give to brands and other female leaders seeking to create more inclusive, representative leadership teams?

Michelle: For internal promotion and advancement of women in the workplace, I strongly encourage participation in development programmes. At Preferred, we currently have two women participating in the Ethnic Future Leaders Program of WiHTL Diversity in Hospitality Travel & Leisure. We also have two senior executives, including myself, participating in a reverse mentees programme, which has been incredibly valuable in understanding the biases that others face.

Roberta: Believe that change is possible. Mentor and train your top management to think differently and be more aware of their team. For example, inviting the team for evening drinks may be appropriate for some, but not for mothers needing to go home and take care of the kids. This inclusive activity can therefore become quite bias, defeating the purpose. Leaders must evaluate consequences of their actions and find ways of being inclusive of all. Its also fundamental to provide flexibility to women in their career path, finding solutions to fit their needs and keep them active in the workplace.

Seema: I am proud that Preferred has so many women in senior leadership positions. For brands to be fully committed to alleviate gender gap issues, diversity and inclusion must be a strategic priority and part of company culture. A few basic tips to be considered include hire diverse at all levels in the company, provide mentorship and training opportunities, strive to provide equal pay for equal work, stay committed and work towards retention of women in the workforce.

What advice would you share with women beginning their careers in the hospitality industry?

Michelle: My advice is the same for everyone, not just for women. Make every day count - reflect on your successes and failures often, ask for feedback, and contribute new ideas to every meeting. Always remember when you are entering the hospitality industry, whether you are going down the path of operations, finance, marketing, or management, that hospitality is the act of hosting guests in an open, friendly, and warm manner. If you are not willing to be the ultimate host in all that you do, think again.

Roberta: Take a seat at the table. Listen. Express your views. Youre not there by chance, youve earned it. Build connections with peers that can support and mentor you in your career path.

Seema: What has helped me navigate through my journey all these years is clarity of thought, and the adaptability and willingness to learn and grow at every stage. Be authentic, positive, and resilient. Stay true to your individuality and to your role. Proactively find a mentor, they can help you adapt to the new culture quickly and be an enabler for your professional and personal development. - TradeArabia News Service
TS'UUBAA-ASATX NATION, BC, March 8, 2022 /CNW/ - Today, Chief Georgina Livingstone and the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, announced that Ts'uubaa-asatx Nation and the Government of Canada have reached an agreement to settle Ts'uubaa-asatx First Nation Unlawful Cut-Off of 22.5 Acres from IR No. 1 specific claim.

The resolution of this claim addresses a longstanding historical grievance where Canada was alleged to have unlawfully cut off 22.5 acres of land, referred to as Lot 54, from Lake Cowichan Indian Reserve 1. The severed land was later sold by the Esquimalt and Nanaimo (E&N) Railway, now known as the Vancouver Island Railway, in 1911.

Through dialogue and negotiation, Canada and Ts'uubaa-asatx Nation reached a settlement of $3,474,135 in compensation.

The successful resolution of this historical grievance is essential for Canada's reconciliation journey with Ts'uubaa-asatx Nation. Canada will continue to work alongside the Nation to rebuild trust and renew the relationship for the benefit of all Canadians.

Quotes

"Today's announcement is an important milestone in Canada's relationship with Ts'uubaa-asatx Nation. This negotiated settlement was made possible through the efforts of the community's leadership and their commitment to work with Canada to address its failure to administer their land. We are looking forward to building on our continued partnership and the future of our nation-to-nation relationship."

The Honourable Marc Miller

Minister of CrownIndigenous Relations

"This resolution to this claim helps to mend the relationship between Canada and Ts'uubaa-asatx. Over the decades our elders insisted on the discrepancy and after three years of negotiations we were able to come up with a settlement that was fair and adequate to allow for Ts'uubaa-asatx to begin to transform their community for future growth."

Councillor Melanie Livingstone

Ts'uubaa-asatx Nation

Quick facts

Ts'uubaa-asatx Nation (previously Lake Cowichan First Nation) is located on the north shore of Cowichan Lake, approximately 80 kilometres northwest of Victoria, British Columbia .

. Ts'uubaa-asatx Nation filed its specific claim on February 23, 2015 , alleging Canada's unlawful cut-off of 22.5 acres from Indian Reserve No. 1.

, alleging unlawful cut-off of 22.5 acres from Indian Reserve No. 1. The settlement agreement was ratified by Ts'uubaa-asatx Nation on December 8, 2021 .

. Since the Specific Claims Program began in 1973 to November 30, 2021 , a total of 588 specific claims totaling $8.8 billion in compensation have been settled through negotiations.

, a total of 588 specific claims totaling in compensation have been settled through negotiations. From January 1, 2016 to November 30, 2021 , 183 claims have been resolved for over $5 billion in compensation. Of these, 178 were settled through negotiation for over $4.8 billion in compensation, and 5 were resolved at the Tribunal for $169 million in compensation.

to , 183 claims have been resolved for over in compensation. Of these, 178 were settled through negotiation for over in compensation, and 5 were resolved at the Tribunal for in compensation. From April 1, 2021 , to November 30, 2021 , 7 claims were resolved for $101 million in compensation.

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SOURCE Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

For further information: For more information, media may contact: Justine Leblanc, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, [email protected]; CIRNAC Media Relations: Email: [email protected], Phone: 819-934-2302
Working with its partners in Colombia, CannabCo has compiled an economic assessment report related to their operations in Colombia. The report outlines CannabCo's 5 major projects in relation to their economic impact on each region of operation. Three of the operations are in the Cundinamarca region approximately one hour outside Bogota, the country's capital, while the remaining two projects are located in the Meta region in the area around Villavicensio.

Colombia has made a significant commitment to the cannabis industry and industry experts are looking at the country as the hotspot for cannabis production moving forward. "The commitment by all levels of government will provide a much needed economic boost in light of global setbacks from the recent COVID-19 pandemic". Said Phillip Chen, the company's Chief Business Development Officer. "We are currently working closely with all key levels of Colombia's government to provide the much needed economic stimulation to the economy".

Colombian agricultural efforts in past years have taken a hit from rising costs of agricultural inputs such as fuel and fertilizer, and further suffered from third world global competition in certain food and flower exports. Focusing on a relatively high value crop in a global emerging market would provide the much needed economic stimulus to the Colombian agricultural sector.

The company is involved with many initiatives in areas involving economic, social, and environmental impact as part of its core mandates in Colombia. In the areas of job creation alone CannabCo estimates the creation of 1500 jobs over a 5 year period associated with its current 5 projects, and over double that number when accounting for ancillary work associated with the initiatives. "Estimates from maturing cannabis markets in North America provide a fairly accurate economical and employment model which can be superimposed on the emerging Colombia cannabis industry" says CannabCo's management. "Impacted areas such as pharmaceutical, distribution, logistical support, transport, agricultural supply chain, and packaging are just a few of the industries surrounding the growth of cannabis in Colombia".

The company further participates in community outreach programs in each of its operating regions including educational and social programs designed to train workers in agricultural practices and cannabis-centric skilled employment positions.

Recently the company announced the pending installation of one of South America's most advanced extraction lines as part of its processing operation outside Bogota. CannabCo is feels this will help Colombia's efforts in becoming a world leader in Cannabis supply and further stimulate the economy.

About CannabCo Pharmaceutical Corp. Colombia S.A.S.

CannabCo Colombia is a Colombia based full service cannabis company with cultivation projects in multiple regions across the country. The company's primary extraction plant is located 30 minutes outside the capital city of Bogota. The company will process both psychoactive and non-psychoactive cannabis and Hemp flower for the production of THC and CBD oil for the medical cannabis market. The Company's state of the art production facilities will have the capability of producing a wide range of end products to meet emerging market supply requirements for Colombia's evolving cannabis industry, as well as global export. The facility is pursuing EU GMP status allowing access to the underserviced global pharmaceutical market. The company currently has multiple social projects as part of its ethical standards and is committed to the highest quality production of medical grade cannabis products in the industry. The company is vertically integrated controlling all aspects of cultivation, extraction, product manufacturing, and distribution of its medical products allowing it full control over the high quality of its end products. The company intends to be the largest producer and manufacturer of THC/CBD based products on a global scale utilizing Colombia as its operating base.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release may contain certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All information contained herein that is not historical in nature may constitute forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements may be identified by statements containing the words "believes", "anticipates", "plans", "intends", "will", "should", "expects", "continue", "estimate", "forecasts" and other similar expressions. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. Although CannabCo Colombia believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. Future events and results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking statements in this press release.

SOURCE CannabCo Pharmaceutical Corp. Colombia S.A.S

For further information: Investor Relations: [email protected]; www.cannabco.co
GATINEAU, QC, March 8, 2022 /CNW/ - Through the National Shipbuilding Strategy, the Government of Canada is providing members of the Canadian Coast Guard with the equipment they need to safely and effectively do their important work to serve Canadians.

On behalf of the Canadian Coast Guard, Public Services and Procurement Canada has awarded a $14.36 million contract ($16.5 million including taxes) to Chantier Davie of Levis, Quebec, for vessel life extension (VLE) work on the Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Louis S. St-Laurent, Canada's largest icebreaker.

This follows an Advance Contract Award Notice issued on October 29, 2020, in which Canada signalled its intention to enter into a contract with Chantier Davie. The shipyard was identified as the only facility in Eastern Canada with a dry dock large enough to perform this work.

Work will begin in the spring of 2022 and will include inspections, regulatory maintenance and equipment upgrades to extend the operational life of the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent until a new ship comes into service. The scheduled VLE work will take place over a 3-month dry-docking period in 2022.

Through the National Shipbuilding Strategy, the Government of Canada is delivering important benefits for Canadian shipyards and suppliers across Canada. This contract was awarded under the repair, refit and maintenance component of the strategy, which continues to provide opportunities for the Canadian marine sector. It will help to create or maintain approximately 50 jobs at Chantier Davie.

Quotes

"The National Shipbuilding Strategy continues to provide important economic opportunities for shipyards right across Canada. Canada's skilled shipbuilding workforce is helping us repair and maintain our fleets, while supporting economic growth across the country."

The Honourable Filomena Tassi

Minister of Public Services and Procurement

"Members of the Coast Guard have the critical responsibility of ensuring mariners' safety and that of the marine environment. The Louis S. St-Laurent has helped keep Canadian waters safe for navigation for more than 50 years, and this work will ensure the Coast Guard can continue this important work, season after season, in dangerous and icy conditions."

The Honourable Joyce Murray

Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

"This announcement is another testament to the invaluable expertise of Davie's workers. Once restored, the Louis S. St-Laurent will continue to proudly serve Canada, ensuring the safety of maritime traffic, the delivery of essential supplies, and the transportation of our Coast Guard members to remote areas of Canada for decades to come."

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos

Minister of Health and Member of Parliament for Quebec

Quick facts

The CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent provides critical icebreaking and emergency response services in Canadian waters. Its home port is in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador .

and . This work on the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent is part of the Canadian Coast Guard's VLE program. The VLE program prolongs the operations of the Coast Guard fleet, including the Louis S. StLaurent, in order to maintain existing service levels before new ships come into service.

Work on the vessel could include inspections, auxiliary equipment renewals, propeller renewal, exhaust lagging renewal, piping renewal, and hull and superstructure painting.

Additional VLE work is planned over the next few years, so that the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent can continue to deliver critical icebreaking services and serve Canada throughout the next decade.

throughout the next decade. In May 2021 , the Government of Canada announced it will move forward with the construction of 2 polar icebreakers under the National Shipbuilding Strategy. This procurement approach will ensure at least 1 polar icebreaker is delivered by 2030 when the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent is expected to retire from service.

, the Government of announced it will move forward with the construction of 2 polar icebreakers under the National Shipbuilding Strategy. This procurement approach will ensure at least 1 polar icebreaker is delivered by 2030 when the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent is expected to retire from service. As of September 2021 , the Government of Canada has awarded approximately $20.87 billion of National Shipbuilding Strategy-related contracts across the country. Of this value, approximately $2.59 billion , or 12.42%, has been awarded to companies in Quebec .

Associated links

National Shipbuilding Strategy

Canadian Coast Guard Ship Louis S. St-Laurent

Chantier Davie

Buy&Sell

Advance Contract Award Notice

Government of Canada issues Advance Contract Award Notice for vessel life extension of Canada's largest icebreaker

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SOURCE Public Services and Procurement Canada

For further information: Olivier Pilon, Office of the Honourable Filomena Tassi, 613-323-6621, [email protected]; Media Relations, Public Services and Procurement Canada, 819-420-5501, [email protected]
Nearly $40M for innovative green projects in Quebec: Woman-owned start-up in Riviere-du-Loup receives $54,720 from CED.

RIVIERE-DU-LOUP, QC, March 8, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ -



Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED)

Supporting innovative SMEs led by women who are committed to reducing our ecological footprint fosters inclusive economic development in Quebec's regions. The Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for CED, took advantage of International Women's Day today to announce a repayable contribution of $54,720 for Malterre (9423-9704 Quebec inc.). This CED support will enable the business to acquire equipment that is better suited to the semi-industrial manufacturing of its spent grain crackers.

As such, to improve its production capacity and productivity, the family-run SME will purchase an automated rolling mill, ovens, and an automated divider. It will also be able to make leasehold improvements to its new facilities.

Malterre specializes in manufacturing traditional crackers from spent microbrewery grain. The business recovers waste malt grain from beer manufacturing, transforming it into an eco-friendly product that is high in fibre and vegetable protein. Its project will lead to the creation of two jobs and to the development of skills and a distinctive know-how in the region.

The Government of Canada recognizes and supports businesses and organizations that are a source of pride in their communities. Quebec's economic recovery relies on the adoption of green technologies and the fight against climate change. Businesses that leverage clean technologies are major contributors to growth with a smaller ecological footprint, as well as key assets in rebuilding a greener, stronger, more resilient, and more just economy for all.

Quotes

"The ingenuity and know-how of our women entrepreneurs gradually leads to the development and marketing of greener productsI witnessed this recently when I met Malterre's founders. On this International Women's Day, I am delighted to highlight the contribution being made by an SME led by three women entrepreneurs who are committed to the environment and health. Our contribution will enable them to develop their innovative nutrition-focused project fostering a circular economy. There is no doubt the success and spin-offs from this business will have an impact on the BasSaintLaurent region's food self-sufficiency. All my congratulations to the Malterre team!"

The Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Member of Parliament for BromeMissisquoi, Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for CED

"Making use of spent microbrewery grain is a healthy, ecological choice. It is important for us to have a business that aligns with our values. Using this co-product enables us to offer crackers that are much higher in fibre and protein than those currently on the market. In addition to fostering short channels, working with local artisans and their products makes for delicious crackers!"

Annick Bachand, Co-owner, Malterre

Quick facts

The funds have been granted under CED's Regional Economic Growth through Innovation program. This program targets entrepreneurs leveraging innovation to grow their businesses and enhance their competitiveness, as well as regional economic stakeholders helping to create an entrepreneurial environment conducive to innovation and growth for all, across all regions.

SMEs account for 99.7% of Quebec's businesses and contribute to 50% of the province's GDP.

businesses and contribute to 50% of the province's GDP. Today's announcement is part of a series of CED announcements that have been taking place since the start of February confirming a total of nearly $40 million in investments in over 20 innovative projects by Quebec businesses and organizations that will contribute to the economy of tomorrow. These are strategic investments in projects that will make it possible to reduce Canada's environmental impact and foster a green, resilient economy.

in investments in over 20 innovative projects by businesses and organizations that will contribute to the economy of tomorrow. These are strategic investments in projects that will make it possible to reduce environmental impact and foster a green, resilient economy. CED is a key federal partner in Quebec's regional economic development. With its 12 regional business offices, CED accompanies businesses, supporting organizations and all regions across Quebec into tomorrow's economy.

Associated links

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SOURCE Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions

For further information: Media Relations, Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, [email protected]; Ariane Joazard-Belizaire, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec [email protected]
Taking a holistic and cultural approach to help increase physical activity and improve overall health

CALGARY, AB, March 8, 2022 /CNW/ - Research shows that 44% of adults in Canada live with at least one chronic disease, such as heart disease, hypertension, cancer, or diabetes. Many chronic diseases are more prevalent among Indigenous peoples, which often reflects broader inequities they face. Healthy living initiatives that centre and celebrate the strengths, cultural traditions, and resilience of Indigenous peoples can help reduce the risk of chronic disease and support overall health and wellbeing.

Today, in Calgary, at the Miskanawah Community Association, George Chahal, Member of Parliament for Calgary Skyview, Alberta, on behalf of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, announced an investment of $886,880 to the University of Calgary. This funding will help improve access to health programs for Indigenous women and two-spirit persons in Alberta and Saskatchewan. The project will enable innovative and integrated approaches to promoting healthy living and addressing the common risk factors for chronic disease.

The funding received will help implement the Wolf Trail Program Expansion Project, a holistic, physical activity-based program designed for Indigenous women. In the program, participants come together to experience new types of exercise, learn about nutrition, and share their personal experiences in a safe, supportive, and culturally appropriate environment. The Wolf Trail Program fosters a sense of social and community connection for participants, while supporting healthier lifestyle behaviours, including physical activity, healthy eating and tobacco cessation.

The Government of Canada will continue to work with the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors to promote healthy living and chronic disease prevention while addressing health inequities to ensure that everyone in Canada has the same opportunities to lead a healthy life.

Quotes

"Our government continues to take important steps to improve health outcomes for all people living in Canada. Through this project, Indigenous women and two-spirit persons in Alberta and Saskatchewan will have access to tools and resources to help maintain a healthy lifestyle while also strengthening cultural connections."

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos

Minister of Health

"Today's funding supports integrating gender equity and cultural relevancy through physical activity and health programming for approximately 1,000 women across ten communities in Calgary, Edmonton, Onion Lake Cree Nation, and First Nation communities in Saskatchewan."

George Chahal

Member of Parliament for Calgary Skyview, Alberta

"The Wolf Trail program exemplifies the impact that research can have when it is anchored by the community it serves. Through deep understanding and a commitment to shared goals, University of Calgary researchers in partnership with Miskanawah have created a holistic program with the capacity for long-term sustainability. We are honoured to partner with each of the communities involved."

Dr. William Ghali

Vice-president (research), University of Calgary

Quick Facts

Funding announced today is being distributed through the Public Health Agency of Canada's Multi Sectoral Partnerships (MSP) program, which has invested $20 million a year since 2013 in innovative projects across the country. It supports projects that aim to lower Canadians' risk of chronic disease by tackling common modifiable risk factors, namely unhealthy eating, smoking, and physical inactivity. The MSP is now known as the Healthy Canadians and Communities Fund.

Multi Sectoral Partnerships (MSP) program, which has invested a year since 2013 in innovative projects across the country. It supports projects that aim to lower Canadians' risk of chronic disease by tackling common modifiable risk factors, namely unhealthy eating, smoking, and physical inactivity. The MSP is now known as the Healthy Canadians and Communities Fund. University of Calgary's Cumming School of Medicine and Miskanawah, in conjunction with the ten Indigenous communities involved, will complete the project called Makoyoh'sokoi  The Wolf Trail Program Expansion Project  Supporting Indigenous Women to Celebrate Good Health. In the program, participants come together to experience new types of physical activity, learn about nutrition and share their personal experiences in a safe, supportive, and culturally appropriate environment.

Associated Links

Multi-sectoral Partnerships

Healthy Canadians and Communities Fund

SOURCE Public Health Agency of Canada

For further information: Marie-France Proulx, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos Minister of Health, 613-957-0200; Kelly Johnston, Senior Communications & Media Specialist, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, [email protected], Cell: 403-617-8691; Public Inquiries: 613-957-2991, 1-866-225-0709; Media Relations: Public Health Agency of Canada, 613-957-2983, [email protected]
GATINEAU, QC, March 7, 2022 /CNW/ - The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impact on Canadian workers; but women have been disproportionately affected, and their economic recovery has been slower. The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of investing in new training and employment supports for women, including eliminating barriers to their inclusion in the workforce, so that the country can achieve a strong and inclusive economic recovery.

Today, on the eve of International Women's Day, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, announced 26 projects approved for funding under the Women's Employment Readiness pilot program. These projects will test and provide foundational and transferable skills training models, such as literacy and essential skills as well as wrap-around supports to access skills training, including child care, transportation and counselling.

The pilot program funds organizations to provide and test pre-employment and skills development supports for women who face barriers to training and employment, as well as new ways to help employers increase inclusivity in the workplace. The pilot targets racialized women and/or Indigenous women, women with disabilities, women from the LGBTQ2 community and women who have been out of work for an extended period.

The pandemic exacerbated pre-existing labour market inequalities for many Canadians, including women. Women experienced disproportionate job losses, partly because many work in hard hit sectors, such as retail, restaurants and hospitality, and partly because of increased caring responsibilities, among other factors. Employment and training supports need to address the unique needs of diverse women so that they can fully benefit from economic recovery.

The pilot program will support women facing barriers across all 13 provinces and territories. The results of the pilot will inform systemic changes to skills and employment programming, to help women across the country gain better access to skills and training opportunities.

Quotes

"On the eve of International Women's Day, we can take stock of the progress that women in Canada have made, and recognize the work still ahead. I'm proud to see our government invest in organizations that are leading that vital work by helping marginalized women overcome barriers to employment. This is about empowering more women to create better lives for themselves, while also building the strong, skilled and inclusive workforce Canada needs."

 Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough

"The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted racialized women, Indigenous women, women with disabilities and the LGBTQ2 community. Today's announcement, on the eve of International Women's Day, is part of our government's commitment to ensure that women are at the forefront of Canada's economic recovery. We will continue to support women and girls and to ensure that their lived experiences are considered and valued."

 Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, Marci Ien

Quick Facts

Funding of up to $50 million , for these 26 projects, was included as part of the 2020 Fall Economic Statement.





, for these 26 projects, was included as part of the 2020 Fall Economic Statement. Women have made great strides in the past decades toward equality in the labour market. However, they still face many barriers and are not yet experiencing outcomes equal to men's. Although women's employment rates increased over the past decades, from 47% in 1976 to 67% in 2020, it has been relatively stable since 2008, maintaining a difference of approximately six percentage points compared to men (73%). Some key barriers to gender equality in the labour market persist, notably the unbalanced sharing of family responsibilities, barriers faced by mothers in the workplace, social norms related to gender roles and discrimination in the workplace. The COVID19 pandemic has exacerbated many of these challenges.





On average, women earn and participate in the labour market less than men and have lower employment rates. For example, women generally earn $0.87 for every dollar earned by men (Statistics Canada, 2018). The earnings gap is worse for women facing multiple barriers, such as racialized women, Indigenous women, women with disabilities and women from the LGBTQ2 community, among others.





for every dollar earned by men (Statistics Canada, 2018). The earnings gap is worse for women facing multiple barriers, such as racialized women, Indigenous women, women with disabilities and women from the LGBTQ2 community, among others. The Government of Canada makes significant investments in programs such as the bilateral labour market development agreements and workforce development agreements with provinces and territories. In addition, federal programs such as the Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program, the Skills for Success program, the Union Training and Innovation Program, the Skilled Trades Awareness and Readiness program, the Apprenticeship Grants and the Apprenticeship Service are helping women get the training and develop the skills they need in the workforce.

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Backgrounder

Women's Employment Readiness pilot program

The Women's Employment Readiness pilot program was included in the 2020 Fall Economic Statement as part of a larger package to strengthen training supports for those most affected by the pandemic. This pilot program funds organizations to provide and test pre-employment and skills development supports for women. The pilot also tests ways to improve workplace inclusivity by working with employers. The results of this pilot will inform systemic changes to skills and employment programming to ultimately improve labour market outcomes for women.

An open call for proposals was launched in June 2021, to identify organizations eligible for funding. Qualifying projects were required to:

test and provide foundational and transferable skills training models (which may include literacy and essential skills) with wrap-around supports to access skills training, such as child care, transportation, counselling, living allowances, access to technology, appropriate work clothing, mentorship or sponsorship for the following four target groups:

racialized and/or Indigenous women;



women with disabilities;



women from the LGBTQ2 community; and



women with prolonged detachment from the labour force.

test methods to improve workplace inclusivity for at least one of the target groups to improve their access to employment and/or retention in the workplace; and

be national in scope (namely to serve participants in two or more provinces/territories) and regional in scope if serving participants located in official language minority communities.

Selected projects begin rolling out as early as March 2022. Below is a list of organizations that have been approved to receive funding:

Organization : Halifax Young Women's Christian Association

Project : ReLaunch Atlantic

Objective : ReLaunch Atlantic will support and empower marginalized adult women with prolonged detachment from the labour force, and other identity factors, to overcome barriers in achieving employment and to foster employment readiness.

Target Population : women with prolonged detachment from labour force, including racialized/Indigenous women, women with disabilities and women from LGBTQ2 community



Organization : Success Skills Centre Inc.

Project : Skills for Success: IEP Women's Digital and Work-related training

Objective : SSC will deliver pre-employment and skills development supports for racialized, unemployed or underemployed newcomer/immigrant women, who may or may not choose to declare their disability or whether they are from the LGBTQ2 community.

Target Population: racialized women, newcomer/immigrant women, LGBTQ2 women



Organization : Maison d'hebergement p our femmes francophones

Project : Socio-economic (re)integration project  Sewing and Small Jobs

Objective : The Sewing and Small Jobs model will help francophone immigrants and refugees and racialized women living in the Greater Toronto Area to develop job-related knowledge and skills and to learn industrial sewinga trade that is likely to offer better possibilities for jobs and income.

Sewing and Small Jobs was designed to offer participants several opportunities to build social and professional networks which would give greater access to jobs while through the project, offering some Canadian workforce experience.

Target Population : racialized women, francophone women



Organization : ETHOS Career Management Group Ltd.

Project : Ready to Rise (R2R)

Objective : Ready to Rise will provide and test pre-employment and skills development supports by way of a unique online experience, with a self-paced, hybrid, pre-employment and skills development supports program.

Target Population : racialized women, women with disabilities, women with prolonged detachment from the workforce and women from LGBTQ2



Organization : The Career Foundation

Project : WorkFair21  Advancing Gender Equity in the Future of Work

Objective : The WorkFair21 - Advancing Gender Equity in the Future of Work project tests a pre-employment and skills development training model that integrates technology, sales and high-performance workplace skills to prepare racialized women for future-oriented careers across Ontario and British Columbia .

Target Population : racialized women



Organization : Women in Resource Development Inc.

Project : Digital ReBoot: Co-Designing Supports with Women

Objective : The Digital ReBoot project provides pre-employment training and supports, including digital literacy, to Indigenous women and women with a prolonged labour force detachment in Newfoundland and Nunavut .

Target Population : Indigenous women and women with prolonged detachment form the labour force



Organization : Eastern Ontario Training Board

Project : JobsNow: Women's Employability Readiness in Cornwall and SDG

Objective : Cornwall and SDG project will provide and test pre-employment training to women in the Francophone OLMCs of Eastern Ontario , and deliver webinars and job fairs to improve diversity and inclusivity of the target groups among local employers.

Target Population : women with prolonged labour force detachment, racialized women and women from LGBTQ2 community.



Organization : Youth Employment Services Foundation

Project : WERQ (Women's Employment Readiness Quebec) Towards Work!

Objective : WERQ towards Work aims to help 50 marginalized women gain skills that will move them closer to the job market and become economically more self sufficient by developing, presenting, and measuring a program that will provide a variety of skills training.

Target Population : Racialized women, women from LGBTQ2 community and newcomers.



Organization : Calgary Immigrant Women's Association

Project : Pre-employment and Skills Development Support for Racialized Immigrant Women

Objective : The project "Pre-employment and Skills Development Support for Racialized Immigrant Women" will provide customized pre-employment and skills development supports for immigrant women from racialized communities and/or women who have experienced prolonged detachment from the labour force in Calgary , Regina , Saskatoon and the Greater Toronto Area .

Target Population : racialized immigrant women and/or women with prolonged detachment from the labour force in Alberta , Saskatchewan and Ontario .



Organization : Elevate Aviation

Project : Women's Employment Skills Training and Aviation Career Exploration

Objective : Women's Employment Skills Training and Aviation Career Exploration will provide individualized essential skills and development training to Indigenous and racialized women, and women with a prolonged detachment from the labour force.

Target Population : Racialized women and Indigenous women.



Organization : Achev

Project : Preparing Women and Workplaces for Success

Objective : The project combines classroom-based SFS training with employability and digital skills training in Ontario , British Columbia and Saskatchewan .

Target Population : Racialized women.



Organization : Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology

Project : SCWIST  Accessing Canada's Employment Future

Objective : SCWIST will deliver pre-employment and skills development training that will engage a minimum of 300 women from the four underrepresented groups. The program will also engage employers in using new approaches to support and train employers in reducing barriers to entry for, and retaining talent from, targeted groups.

Target Population : racialized women, women with disabilities, women with prolonged detachment from workforce and women from LGBTQ2 community.



Organization : UBCJA  Canadian District United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners

Project : Sisters in the Brotherhood Women's Employment Readiness Program

Objective : This project proposes to address both challenges of addressing the shortage of skill trades workers as well as targeting women to give them the necessary supports to be successful in the workplace.

Target Population : Racialized and/or Indigenous women, women with disabilities, women from the LGBTQ2 community and women with prolonged detachment from the labour force.



Organization : PTP-Adult Learning and Employment Programs

Project : Women First: Building Skills for Success

Objective : The Women First: Building Skills for Success project will provide foundational and transferable skills training, and wrap-around supports to primarily racialized and Indigenous women at six sites over five provinces.

Target Population : women from racialized/Indigenous groups, women from the LGBTQ2 community, women with disabilities, women with prolonged detachment from the labour force.



Organization : Up with Women

Project : Rise Up to Readiness Project

Objective : The Rise Up to Readiness Project provides pre-employment and foundational and transferable and entrepreneurship training to women with disabilities and will work with four corporations to improve inclusivity in hiring practices for women with disabilities.

Target Population : women with disabilities.



Organization : Canadian Refugee Initiative

Project : Strengthening the Employment Readiness of Racialized Refugee/Immigrant Women: Montreal Region

Objective : This project includes employers and will provide and test methods of improving workplace inclusivity by providing training workshops to partner employers. Training will include common barriers for women from our target populations in recruitment, hiring, promotion, and retention practices.

Target Population : immigrant/refugee women and members of official languages minority communities.



Organization : CWB Welding Foundation

Project : Women of Steel "Forging Forward"  Connections and Collaborations

Objective : The Women of Steel project will develop a program that will be delivered to 450 women that will increase their access in welding and other skilled trades, through providing training in essential skills, wrap-around supports, and the foundational and transferable skills required to foster a welding career.

Target Population : women facing barriers to enter and succeed in the skilled trades.



Organization : The Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work

Project : Unstoppable: Employment Services for Women

Objective : This project will provide and test effective, trauma-informed pre-employment and skills development and wrap-around supports for women with disabilities, women living at the intersections of race/Indigeneity, the LGBTQ2 community, and/or those with prolonged detachment from the labour force.

Target Population : women with disabilities, racialized/Indigenous women, women from the LGBTQ2 community and women with prolonged detachment from the workforce.



Organization : EcoMaris

Project : Route des possibles

Objective : This initiative aims to revitalize marginalized women, such as racialized women, Indigenous women, women with prolonged detachment from the labour force or facing mental health issues, women with a disability and women from the LGBTQ2 community. The program aims to accompany participants in their business dream, in a practical ways, by providing mentoring and helping them find the motivation they need to integrate into the workforce.

Target Population : racialized women, women with disabilities, women from the LGBTQ2 community and women with prolonged detachment from the labour force.



Organization : S.U.C.C.E.S.S

Project : Integrated Employment Training for Women

Objective : The Integrated Employment Training for Women project provides foundational and transferable as well as sector-specific job skills training to racialized newcomer women across Canada through remote trainings.

Target Population : racialized newcomer women.



Organization : Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology

Project : Career HERizons

Objective : Career HERizons is designed as a program for mid-career professionals whose jobs were threatened by digital disruption, to help them advance in their current role, change career, start their own business venture or re-enter the workforce after an absence. Women will build on the existing bank of content and revisit and refresh it, where appropriate presenting and recording new workshops facilitated by women and in particular, women from the target groups for this project.

Target Population : various target groups.



Organization : Groundswell Operations Society

Project : Communities of Practice for Livelihood Development

Objective : The Communities of Practice for Livelihood Development (CPLD) project will test and provide foundational and transferable skills training and wrap-around supports for livelihood transitions. The project will deliver accessible, effective, and culturally-appropriate training that will reach more women in the target groups with facilitators from those groups.

Target Population : racialized women, women from the LGBTQ2 community and women with disabilities.



Organization : Dress for Success Canada Foundation

Project : Gender-Based First Responder for Economic Recovery

Objective : This project will provide and test pre-employment and job retention skills development in all provinces and territories through 13 affiliate locations across Canada .

Target Population : racialized women, Indigenous women, women from the LGBTQ2 community.



Organization : Prospect Human Services Society

Project : SkillGain

Objective : The SkillGain project will pilot online models for employment and pre-employment skills building for women from all target groups in Alberta , Saskatchewan , and Manitoba .

Target Population: women with prolonged detachment from the labour force, racialized and/or Indigenous women, women with disabilities and women from the LGBTQ2 community.



Organization : Mount Saint Vincent University

Project : Pre-Employment Skills Development in Atlantic First Nations Communities

Objective : This project addresses systemic barriers to access off-reserve resources for women living in Indigenous communities. The evaluation will consider intersectionality relating to disabilities, LGBTQ2 community membership, and detachment from labour force in addition to Indigeneity. Another major objective will be to evaluate success in employment one month and three months post-training. A secondary objective will be to increase self-efficacy and confidence in pre-employment skills among participants.

Target Population : Indigenous women, women with disabilities, women from the LGBTQ2 community and women with prolonged detachment from the labour force.



Organization : MCG Careers Inc.

Project : Women's Essential Skills Training

Objective : MCG's Women's Essential Skills Training (WEST) program objective is to support women with barriers across Alberta and Saskatchewan to increase their transferable, foundational and pre-employment skills.

Target Population : women from the LGBTQ2 community, Indigenous women and women with disabilities.

SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada

For further information: For media enquiries, please contact: Jane Deeks, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, [email protected]; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]
Professional services firm has earned the prestigious recognition for 15 years in a row

TORONTO, March 8, 2022 /CNW/ - KPMG in Canada has been named one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers for the 15th year in a row.

The award, now in its 15th year running, recognizes employers across Canada that have exceptional workplace diversity and inclusion programs for employees in five key groups: women, people of colour, people with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.

"This is a recognition of the work we've been doing to be a truly inclusive employer in Canada not just last year, but for nearly two decades," says Rob Davis, Chief Inclusion, Diversity & Equity Officer and Chair of the Board of Directors of KPMG in Canada. "In our fiscal 2021, we accomplished our 'diversity in the partnership' goal set in 2018 to reach 30 per cent women and 20 per cent people of colour, and we're looking forward to building on that success in the years ahead."

With more than 10,000 employees across Canada, KPMG's Inclusion, Diversity & Equity (ID&E) strategy is composed of three key pillars: an equitable and inclusive workplace, a mentally healthy and resilient team, and a recognition as an ID&E leader.

"We are a firm with passionate people from multi-talented backgrounds, and when these multi-faceted capabilities and perspectives come to the table, our people can make a world of difference for our clients, our communities and one another," says KPMG's Silvia Montefiore, Canadian Managing Partner, Business Enablement and Operations.

The firm was recently named one of Canada's Top 100 Employers 2022, Canada's Top Employers for Young People 2022 and Greater Toronto Area's Top Employers 2022.

Fifteen reasons why KPMG was named one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers for the 15th year in a row include:

More than 30 internal people networks that help create a sense of belonging for employees One-third of employees were born outside of Canada To advance mental well-being among employees, the firm appointed a Chief Mental Health Officer in 2017  a first in corporate Canada 57 per cent of the senior leadership team is female Of new partner promotions this past year, 40 per cent were women and 31 per cent were people of colour, and in fiscal 2021, the firm accomplished its 'diversity in the partnership' goal set in 2018 to reach 30 per cent women and 20 per cent people of color The firm is addressing anti-Black racism through education, inclusion, equity, and supporting the next generation of Black youth through partnerships, mentorship programs, internships and scholarships for high school and post-secondary students Last year, the firm recognized Canada's first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation by closing its offices, giving employees the opportunity to learn about Canada's shared history, take action towards reconciliation, and heal from the intergenerational trauma caused by the lasting legacy of residential schools. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the firm offered more than 16 mental health sessions to support its people KPMG established a new Disability Inclusion Network and Special Family and Friends Networks dedicated to supporting colleagues, parents, family members, friends, and allies The firm has provided 55 scholarships since 2012 to First Nations, Metis, and Inuit students through the KPMG Indigenous Scholarship More than 4,200 KPMG employees attended training to learn how they can actively practice allyship to others The firm has two dedicated roles to lead Talent Attraction with the lens of ID&E In fiscal 2021 the firm introduced a dedicated onboarding experience on Mental Health and Building Resilience KPMG supports newcomers to Canada and their people managers with intercultural competence training and a dedicated channel for newcomers to connect and network with each other The firm is advancing gender inclusion for transgender and non-binary people through education, gender inclusive washrooms and gender affirmation guidelines

About KPMG in Canada

KPMG LLP, a limited liability partnership, is a full-service Audit, Tax and Advisory firm owned and operated by Canadians. For over 150 years, our professionals have provided consulting, accounting, auditing, and tax services to Canadians, inspiring confidence, empowering change, and driving innovation. Guided by our core values of Integrity, Excellence, Courage, Together, For Better, KPMG employs more than 10,000 people in over 40 locations across Canada, serving private- and public-sector clients. KPMG is consistently ranked one of Canada's top employers and one of the best places to work in the country.

The firm is established under the laws of Ontario and is a member of KPMG's global organization of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International, a private English company limited by guarantee. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such. For more information, see home.kpmg/ca

SOURCE KPMG LLP

For further information: For media inquiries: Roula Meditskos, National Communications & Media Relations, KPMG in Canada, (416) 549-7982, [email protected]
''Today, we are launching our first initiative in a positive chain of influence aimed at making our industry more equitable and inclusive. Novacap is proud to take a leadership position in addressing the underrepresentation of women in the private equity industry,'' said Pascal Tremblay, President and CEO, Managing Partner at Novacap. ''These investments are representative of our focus on advancing our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion priorities at every stage of a candidate's career path.''

Novacap will offer recipients the opportunity to attend paid internship programs and access to mentoring as they progress through the program.

Five-thousand-dollar scholarships will be granted to students across several Canadian universities, including Universite de Sherbrooke, Concordia University, McGill University and HEC Montreal. Additional universities across Canada are expected to join the program later this year.

Overall, the recipients will be students who have demonstrated a commitment to education, an interest in finance, and in particular an interest in pursuing a career in private equity.

"As I reflect on the current landscape, I am not only concerned about the lack of representation of women in private equity but also about the sense of marginalization that has been expressed and documented by women in our field," said Jacques Foisy, Chairman of the Board & Managing Partner at Novacap. "It is a priority for all of us at Novacap to work on concrete, actionable approaches that pave the way for women to enter, compete and succeed in our industry.''

''The CVCA's 2021 State of Diversity and Inclusion report revealed that work remains to be done to make the venture capital and private equity industries truly inclusive and equitable," said Kim Furlong, CEO of the CVCA. ''I am extremely pleased with Novacap's initiative and hope that it will encourage others to think about the role we all have to play in empowering women, building diverse teams, and creating inclusive environments.''

''I am proud to lead this initiative at Novacap. It has been shown time and time again that organizations with diverse talent perform better than their non-diverse counterparts, especially in areas such as innovation, profitability and employee retention," said Heather Shantora, Principal at Novacap. ''Beyond the financial aid, I will work with my colleagues to ensure that women receive the mentorship and guidance that will inspire them to pursue a career in private equity. This is an important first step to changing the industry.''

About Novacap

Founded in 1981, Novacap is a leading North American private equity firm with over C$8B of AUM that has invested in more than 100 platform companies and completed more than 150 add-on acquisitions. Applying its sector-focused approach since 2007 in Industries, TMT, Financial Services, and Digital Infrastructure Novacap's deep domain expertise can accelerate company growth and create long-term value. With experienced, dedicated investment and operations teams as well as substantial capital, Novacap has the resources and knowledge that help build world-class businesses. Novacap has offices in Brossard, Quebec and Toronto, Ontario. For more information, please visit www.novacap.ca.

About the CVCA

Our vision

A thriving Canadian economy driven by private capital

Our Mission

CVCA's mission is to help our members fuel the economy of the future by growing the businesses of today. We do this by supporting and connecting a vibrant private capital industry with advocacy, research, and education. CVCA is also the nation's ultimate resource for data on Canadian private capital investments. Please visit: http://www.cvca.ca.

SOURCE Novacap Management Inc.

For further information: Yasmine Sardouk, [email protected], (514) 299-1669
Russia-Ukraine Conflict LIVE Updates: All Indian students have left Sumy, says Hardeep Puri

According to the Union Minister who was responsible for coordinating evacuation efforts in Hungary, all 694 Indian students who were stranded in Sumy have left for Poltava.
Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said that he would talk to anyone so that peace could be established between Russia and Ukraine. The statement comes after the failure of the third round of peace talks between the two countries held in Belarus on Monday.

Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba has confirmed his plans to meet with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on March 10 amid the escalating conflict between the two countries. According to CNN, Kuleba said if Lavrov is ready for a serious substantive conversation then he is ready as well. Kuleba also said that he would talk to anyone so that peace could be established between Russia and Ukraine. The statement comes after the failure of the third round of peace talks between the two countries held in Belarus on Monday.

Expressing Russias discontent with the third round of talks with Ukraine, the head of the Russian delegation Vladimir Medinsky said, To be honest, our expectations from the talks were not met. But we hope that next time we will be able to take a more significant step forward.

Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and offered his countrys service for mediation between Russia and Ukraine. On his way back to Israel, Bennett also held a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelinsky. Zelensky had earlier asked the Israeli PM to help broker peace between Ukraine and Russia.

Meanwhile, India has repeatedly urged both countries in the UN to resort to diplomacy to resolve the conflict. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has talked twice to both the Russian and Ukraine Presidents since Russias recognition of the independence of Luhansk and Donetsk.
A man opens his arms as he stands near a house destroyed in the Russian artillery shelling Sunday in the village of Horenka, which is close to Kyiv, Ukraine.
With this move, IBM has joined the expanding club of American companies that shut their businesses in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine by the country.

American multinational technology corporation IBM has suspended all its business in Russia due to the conflict in Ukraine, CEO Arvind Krishna said. Krishna said on Monday, Ive heard from many of you in response to last weeks announcement regarding the war in Ukraine, and I appreciate your feedback. First, let me be very clear  we have suspended all business in Russia. In addition, I want to give you an update on a few of the efforts underway to support our colleagues in the region. According to the IBM CEOs statement, the company is providing critical support to the most heavily impacted areas.

With this move, IBM has joined the expanding club of American companies that shut their businesses in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine by the country. Earlier this month, PayPal, Mastercard, Visa, and Boeing ceased their operations in Russia.

Paypal President and CEO Dan Schulman said in a letter to the Ukrainian government on Monday, PayPal supports the Ukrainian people and stands with the international community in condemning Russias violent military aggression in Ukraine.

Google and Meta have already banned Russian state-affiliated media outlets from monetizing content on their social media platforms.

Boeing has ceased maintenance services for Russian airlines. The aerospace company has also suspended the supply of spare parts to the airlines.

Mastercard and Visa have announced that their cards issued by Russian banks will no longer work outside the country and all cards issued outside Russia will not work in the country.
Expressing Russia's discontent with the talks, the head of the Russian delegation said, "To be honest, our expectations from the talks were not met. But we hope that next time we will be able to take a more significant step forward."

Russia and Ukraine failed to achieve significant results during the third round of peace talks between them in Belarus on Monday. The meeting lasted nearly three hours at the Belovezhskaya Pushcha on the Belarus-Poland border. According to Mykhailo Podolyak, a member of the Ukrainian delegation, there was small progress in improving the logistics of humanitarian corridors in Ukraine. Podolyak, who is also an advisor in the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said the talks were focused on the main political block of the settlement along with a ceasefire and security guarantees.

Podolyak said in a tweet, The third round of negotiations has ended. There are small positive subductions in improving the logistics of humanitarian corridors Intensive consultations have continued on the basic political block of the regulations, along with a ceasefire and security guarantees.

Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, also the head of the Russian delegation, said, The discussions continued on political and military aspects. However, it remains difficult. It is too early to talk about something positive. Expressing Russias discontent with the talks, Medinsky said, To be honest, our expectations from the talks were not met. But we hope that next time we will be able to take a more significant step forward.

Both sides addressed the issue of civilian evacuation, and the Ukrainian side assured Russia that the humanitarian corridors will start working on Tuesday.

During the second round of talks between the two countries, Moscow had demanded Kyivs recognition of the Luhansk and Donetsk peoples republics within the borders of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, as well as the denazification of Ukraine.
The warring sides agreed to maintain a ceasefire on March 8 from 10 AM to 9 PM. The route designated for safe passage for civilians from Sumy is Sumy-Holubivka-Lokhvytsia-Lubny-Poltava.

Ukraine began the evacuation of civilians, including foreign students, from Sumy on Tuesday after Russia agreed for a ceasefire from 10 AM (Moscow time) to establish humanitarian corridors in the cities of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol. These cities are witnessing the most fighting amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The route designated for safe passage for civilians from Sumy is Sumy-Holubivka-Lokhvytsia-Lubny-Poltava. The warring sides agreed to maintain a ceasefire on March 8 from 10 AM to 9 PM. Meanwhile, the humanitarian cargo route is Lokhvytsia-Andriyashivka-Romny-Nedryhailiv-Sumy, stated the ministry.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine confirmed the beginning of the evacuation window and said in a tweet, We have already started the evacuation of civilians from Sumy to Poltava, including foreign students. We call on Russia to agree on other humanitarian corridors in Ukraine. The tweet added, A humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians, including foreign students, from Sumy to Poltava has been agreed today. We call on Russia to uphold its ceasefire commitment, to refrain from activities that endanger the lives of people and to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid.

The development comes following the third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine in Belarus on Monday where the issue of humanitarian corridors was addressed and small progress was made regarding improvement in the logistics of these corridors.

Russian armed forces had also announced a ceasefire on Monday for the residents of Kyiv, Mariupol, Kharkiv, Sumy to leave the cities.

As per the International Committee of the Red Cross, an evacuation attempt was disrupted on Sunday when a ceasefire was violated in Mariupol.

Earlier, Russia had halted military operations in Kharkiv to let Indian citizens leave the city after requests from the Indian government.




Cutting off energy imports from fossil fuel-rich Russia will translate into a huge gap in the supply chain of fuel for the US and allies that other countries will struggle to fill.

US and allies have imposed several sanctions against Russia, for invading Ukraine, in an attempt to isolate it from the global economy. However, there has been a wide reluctance among countries like US and Germany to cut off oil imports from Russia. Cutting off energy imports from fossil fuel-rich Russia will translate into a huge gap in the supply chain of fuel for the US and allies that other countries will struggle to fill. This will also bring a subsequent and significant rise in oil prices.

The US has yet not decided on banning oil imports from Russia, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said during a press briefing. She said, No decision has been made at this point by the president about a ban on importing oil from Russia, and those discussions are ongoing internally and also with our counterparts and partners in Europe and around the world.

Jen Psaki also said Biden is trying to keep oil prices from soaring high while making sure that Moscow feels the heat of the sanctions imposed by western and European nations. She also said that the US will produce more oil than ever before over the next year. The US produced more oil this past year than in President Trumps first year. Next year, according to the Department of Energy, we will produce more oil than ever before, Press Secretary said.

The Olaf Scholz-led German government has also announced that the country will continue buying Russian oil and gas. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that European nations are heavily dependent on Russian energy imports for meeting their needs. Europes supply of energy for heating, for mobility, for electricity generation and for the industry cant be secured otherwise at the moment, Scholz was quoted as saying by The Wall Street Journal.
Coffee lovers in Norwalk might have a new go-to spot in town. Pausa Caffe, an Italian coffee shop, opened its doors on Sunday.

"People say that when they walk in they feel like they are in a little shop in Italy," said owner Stafano Cutugno, who used to own a coffee shop in Sicily before moving to the United States eight years ago. When Cutugno moved to Connecticut two years ago he decided he wanted to open a shop with his family.
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Tacombi, a Mexican taqueria that originated "on the balmy beaches of the Yucatan" more than 15 years ago, is coming to Westport.

The fast-casual restaurant plans to open at 1680 Post Road East, in the building most recently occupied by AJ's Farmstead. Westport's Planning and Zoning Commission approved the site plan during its meeting on Feb. 28.

This will be the first Connecticut outpost for the fast-casual restaurant, which has multiple locations throughout New York City (including Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens) and in Miami and Arlington, Va. Tacombi features a laid-back menu of tacos, quesadillas, burritos, cocktails and beers.

Representatives for Tacombi did not immediately respond to request for comment on a projected opening date in Westport.

"We have, after searching for quite some time, identified our very first Connecticut position, and we love the community of Westport," said Joe Iazzetta, Tacombi's chief development officer, during the Feb. 28 meeting. "We consider ourselves to be a neighborhood. taqueria, and Westport to us is a phenomenal neighborhood that we would love to be part of."

Iazzetta explained Tacombi's origins as a retrofitted VW Bus, or "combi," as it's known in Mexico, which served as a food truck "slinging tacos" on the beaches of Playa del Carmen. After about five years in Mexico, Tacombi opened its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in Manhattan's Nolita neighborhood in 2010, and tacos are served out of the combi now parked in the Elizabeth Street dining room.

Tacombi's tacos, burritos and quesadillas features fillings like al pastor (marinated pork with pineapple), carne asada, carnitas, pollo Yucateco (marinated free-range chicken) and seared and crispy fish options, along with vegetarian constructions featuring mushrooms, sweet potato, kale, poblano peppers and pinto beans. Beverages include margaritas and other tequila and mezcal drinks, along with beers, aguas frescas and sodas.

Tacombi recently received backing from a prominent investor, announcing a $27.3 million first round of institutional funding in December. Danny Meyer's Enlightened Hospitality is a lead investor in the chain, and Tacombi has plans to open at least five more restaurants in its existing cities and Connecticut in 2022, according to Forbes. The chain is also targeting 2023 openings in Boston, Chicago, New Jersey and Long Island.
HAMDEN  Officials in Hamden and New Haven are exploring the possibility of establishing a regional animal shelter.

If it goes forward, the plan would mean expanding and renovating New Havens current site at 81 Fournier St., according to a release from Hamden Mayor Lauren Garrett.

Hamden, which lacks its own animal shelter, has for over a decade rented space in North Havens facility.

For years, advocates and many officials have said the 60,000-person town needs a permanent space to house its lost and abandoned animals, arguing the approach would be more cost-efficient.

Past proposals to give Hamden a permanent home base for its animal control officers have abounded.

In 2015, for example, officials expressed interest in building a new shared facility for Hamden and North Haven. Five years later, then-Hamden Mayor Curt Balzano Leng floated a new idea: the town could use a prefabricated building as its shelter.

To date, none of those projects has come to fruition. While campaigning during the 2021 municipal election, Garrett pledged that if elected, she would name a site for the animal shelter within 100 days of taking office.

The towns announcement about possibly regionalizing with New Haven comes at the end of that time frame.

Sean Grace, Garretts chief of staff, emphasized the town remains in an exploratory phase of planning.

We dont have numbers yet...It involves probably a somewhat substantial increase in the footprint of the building, Grace said. Because this involves two communities, there need to be discussions (with) all stakeholders in both communities, and thats what were doing now.

But Grace was optimistic.

This is gonna take a number of months, Im sure, to work through details, but Im optimistic that well be able to find a path forward. I think both communities, both Mayor Garrett and (New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker), want to work together on this, he said. Its just a matter of working out the many, many details.

Asked about the towns past failures to build a shelter, Grace said Garretts administration would not suffer from follow-through issues.

Working regionally is always a challenge because there are more parties at the table and more variables, and thats one of the reasons why, in general, Connecticut has not been very successful (with regionalization), New Havens Elicker said. At the same time the benefit, I believe, is significant.

Theres not only potential cost savings but an opportunity for us to work more collaboratively in other ways. If we have small successes, say, with an animal shelter, theres more opportunity for us to have successes in even bigger ways.

The two mayors began discussing the possibility of regionalization early in Garretts term, they said.

Lauren and I connected shortly after she was elected to explore different ways that Hamden and New Haven could work together, Elicker said. (The animal shelter) came up as a potential opportunity, particularly because at this moment our animal shelter is in need of renovations and also because the location of the animal shelter is close to the Hamden border.

City Engineer Giovanni Zinn said whether New Haven regionalizes with Hamden, the Fournier Street shelter needs work. Those updates primarily concern the buildings HVAC system, appearance and some drainage issues, Zinn said.

If Hamden comes on board, then we would also expand the capacity of that building as well, he said. We were planning on investing in it anyway there could be some economies of scale here.

Leonard Young, whose group Gimme Shelter has long advocated and fundraised for the establishment of an animal shelter in Hamden, said he liked the Fournier Street location and was cautiously optimistic about the collaboration.

Weve been here before, he said. Itd be nice this time if an inter-town agreement could come out of this. Im cautiously optimistic.

Gimme Shelter continues to raise money for the towns animal shelter gift fund, dedicated to a future animal control facility. Information about upcoming fundraisers can be found at gimmeshelterhamden.org.

meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com
HAMDEN  P&M Fine Foods  an Italian market, deli and catering company with locations in New Haven and Branford  is opening additional locations in Hamden and North Branford.

A Hamden spot at 3825 Whitney Ave. will offer indoor and outdoor seating, according to co-owner Pino Ciccone.

It will be the first of P&Ms locations to serve wood-fired pizza, he said, adding that he is seeking a beer and wine license for the site.

Were pretty much gonna be running it as a wood-fired pizza place and a deli, Ciccone said. Theres two beautiful wood-fired ovens right from Italy.

The cafe also will serve paninis and may have a small evening tapas menu, he said.

Ciccone owns P&Ms Orange Street Market in New Haven, which he said opened in 2009. His brother, Bruno Ciccone, owns P&M Fine Foods in Branford, which the pairs parents opened in 1985.

While the business has grown and changed over its 35 years, its core recipes remain the same.

We stick true to true with our recipes and our foods from, you know, the beginning times of when our parents started, Pino Ciccone said.

P&Ms marinara sauce, its meatballs, its eggplant, those are recipes that were used from the beginning of times.

Thanks to the North Branford location the brothers are eyeing, some of those recipes will soon be more easily produced.

While the Hamden spot will have more seating than any existing P&M sites, Bruno Ciccone said, the large North Branford space at 2372 Foxon Road will host a central kitchen for the business.

There, P&M will be able to prepare its sauces and other foods in larger quantities.

Its gonna be 150 times more efficient, Bruno Ciccone said.

The front end of the North Branford store will offer groceries and sandwiches and resemble the Orange Street Market in New Haven, he said.

The brothers first priority is getting the Hamden location off the ground, according to Bruno Ciccone. They plan to run it together and hope to open by late April, he said.

Once we get up and running with Hamdenthen well start working on Route 80, he said.

Pino Ciccone said he and his brother have been hoping to expand for some time.

I am feeling super excited, he said. My brother and I have definitely been looking (to expand), you know, in the last four or five years.

When he learned the Hamden space was available, Pino Ciccone said, he made an offer within two days.

meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com
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DANBURY  Seven local food organizations belonging to the Danbury Food Collaborative have been awarded mini grants from the United Way of Western Connecticut and the Age Well Community Council to continue their work in addressing food insecurity among Danburys eldest residents, according to a press release.

In Danbury, awardees included the Association of Religious Communities, Community Action Agency of Western Connecticut, Daily Bread Food Pantry, Danbury Farmers Market and City Center, Interfaith AIDS Ministry, Purple Heart Ministries International, and Real Food Share.
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Every few years, state officials motivate Connecticut motorcycle enthusiasts to descend on the State Capitol by the hundreds in defense of the option not to wear helmets.

The 2022 version of the proposal is different, because with COVID protocols still in place, the legislative Transportation Committee held a virtual hearing on Monday.

And instead of hundreds of riders flooding the Capitol zone, only a few spoke, led by Richard Paukner of Easton, a CPA representing the membership of the Connecticut Motorcycle Riders Association, Inc. who said the organization was giving lawmakers a break. But they still want to enjoy the freedom they have felt since 1976, when the General Assembly repealed the mandatory helmet law.

The riders association is against state Transportation Commissioner Joseph Giuliettiss updated proposal, which is nestled in a larger agency bill that includes administrative initiatives including a ban on alcohol consumption in motor vehicles.

The safety of the traveling public is our No. 1 priority, Giulietti told the committee, adding that among the 68 motorcycle fatalities in 2021, the highest since 1987, 60 percent of the riders were not wearing helmets.

Why is it that there are 31 states currently that allow adults, adults, the right to choose whether or not to wear a helmet, Paukner said. This issue is not the way its been portrayed so many times over so many years as a black-and-white safety issue. It is not that. He said that motorcycle education programs have resulted in sharply reduced rates of fatal crashes.

He said that back in 1982, the first year of rider education programming, there were 80,000 registered motorcyclists and 99 fatalities. The number of motorcycle accidents with injuries was 3,107. In 2019, there were 38 fatal crashes and there were 759 collisions with injuries.

We have made tremendous strides, Paukner said. It took two years after the rider-ed program began to really kick in, but once it kicked-in, it made a dramatic decline in crashes and injuries and serious injuries. We were the only group that was pushing hard for rider education.

Paukner, citing the associations similar position in 2019, left it open to state lawmakers to possibly create a law that would make helmets required equipment for those under 21. One of our philosophical core issues here is the concept that the law should treat minors different than adults, he said. You can haggle over at what age one becomes an adult.

State Rep. Tom ODea, R-New Canaan, who has rejected proposals in the past to enact mandatory helmet laws, admitted that he is inching closer to approving the measure this year. I do see your arguments on freedom, ODea said.

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT
Gov. Ned Lamonts administration has reached tentative contract agreements with 35 state employee bargaining units covering the bulk of the states unionized workforce, union leaders announced Tuesday.

The State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition did not release most details of the tentative contracts, including average wage hikes and any special pandemic-related compensation.

The package does include a voluntary prescription drug program that will save employees taking specialty drugs hundreds or even thousands of dollars annually, the coalition wrote in a statement on its website.

The tentative deals, which would affect about 43,000 employees, are strong agreements that will proudly be reported to the rank-and-file for possible ratification. SEBAC includes all major state employee unions excluding state police.

Coalition leaders added in another written statement that negotiators achieved fair and honorable contracts at each local table and look forward to the role those contracts will play in protecting the critical public services upon which all of Connecticuts communities rely.

The tentative settlement removes a potential source of friction between the Democratic governor and labor before Lamonts reelection campaign shifts into high gear this summer.

The Lamont administration is pleased to have a tentative agreement that honors the states fiscal priorities through positive and productive negotiations with our states workforce, Office of Policy and Management Secretary Jeffrey Beckham, the governors budget director, wrote in a statement Tuesday. The process for ratification by SEBAC will now begin, and it is a process we will respect. Further details on the agreement will be provided upon final ratification and submittal to the Connecticut General Assembly for approval.

Though details were limited Tuesday, a recent arbitration award involving unionized state probation officers and other professional court staff included a 3 percent cost of living raise for the current fiscal year.

Lamonts revised budget proposal for the fiscal year beginning July 1  the first year most of these agreements would affect  includes $171 million in the states reserve for salary adjustments.

The governor also proposed carrying forward $75 million from the current fiscal year for recruitment incentives and to fund hazard or premium pay for front line workers who risked their health during the coronavirus pandemic.

Lamont has had a mixed relationship with labor during his first three years in office.

While Lamont has won praise for supporting minimum wage hikes and a paid family and medical leave program, unions have criticized his refusal to support tax hikes on wealthy households and major corporations. These moves, labor leaders say, are essential to fund major, long-term tax relief for Connecticuts poor and middle class.

Lamont has blocked funding for the State Contracting Standards Board, arguing other state agencies provide a similar watchdog service. Unions disagree and say the board is one of the most important reforms to state purchasing rules following the contracting kickback scandals that led Gov. John G. Rowland to resign amidst an impeachment inquiry in June 2004.

SEBAC also has clashed with Lamont over efforts to shrink the states workforce, particularly as a surge in worker retirements arrives this spring and summer.

According to Comptroller Natalie Braswells office, nearly 1,000 state employees formally filed for retirement between Jan. 1 and March 1. More importantly, at least 2,140 more have notified the state, in writing, of their plans to retire between April and July 1  and officials expect that number to continue to grow rapidly over the next four months.

Estimates from the comptrollers office hold that as many as 12,000 employees, or roughly one quarter of the workforce, will be eligible to retire this spring or summer.
Gov. Ned Lamont said Tuesday the state is ready to help refugees fleeing Ukraine, while Connecticuts two largest hospital networks said they plan to donate $1 million in medical supplies to help the country amid Russias invasion.

Lamont said he would use the same approach for Ukrainian refugees as he did for people who fled from Afghanistan after the Taliban took over in 2021.

"No one has asked about Ukraine yet, about whether people will be coming to Connecticut," he said. "But like the Afghanistan refugees, helping them is the right thing to do. I think we have about 500 people from Afghanistan who have been placed here, in and around New Haven and other places.

"The Ukrainians need help," he said. "These are really great people who are being abused by a dictator, and I want to do the right thing for them."

Connecticuts two largest health networks  Yale New Haven and Hartford HealthCare  said Tuesday they plan to donate medical supplies such as gowns and masks.

Yale New Haven Health has supported many people and countries in times of crisis, like hurricanes and natural disasters, Yale New Haven President Chris OConnor said in a statement. We employ staff from the Ukraine and all feel very strongly that we want to do whatever is in our power to support the people and the nation from this atrocity.

OConnor said Yale plans to donate $1 million in supplies, while Hartford HealthCare said it will send $250,000 of items to Ukraine.

Deanna Humenyj, a postpartum nurse at the Hospital of Central Connecticut, said her family is from Ukraine.

My grandparents were from Ukraine and my upbringing was heavily rooted in the Ukrainian culture, she said. The images coming out of Ukraine are extremely emotional, we are all trying to make sense of what is happening.

Humenyj said she reached out to Hartford HealthCare leadership to help gather supplies, which she said were packed up Monday evening.

Countless people stepped up and donated items, which I packed up, actually last night, she said Tuesday. They will now be flown to Poland and then driven into Ukraine.
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BRIDGEPORT  A former Ansonia man, accused of killing a young Bethel woman he met on a dating app, claims he was acting under a extreme emotional disturbance, at the time of the killing.

More than three years after 25-year-old Emily Todd was found face down in the sand by the city boat ramp, a single gunshot wound to the back of her head, her alleged killer is facing trial.

Brandon Roberts, a 2002 graduate of Ansonia High School, is accused of killing Todd on Dec. 8, 2018.

He is charged with murder, felony murder, first-degree robbery with a firearm and carrying a pistol without a permit.

Police said Roberts gave them a recorded confession to the crime following his arrest.

During a brief hearing Monday, States Attorney Joseph Corradino told Superior Court Judge Alex Hernandez that Roberts lawyer, Public Defender Joseph Bruckmann, will not be contesting his clients recorded statement to police but instead will be raising the defense of extreme emotional disturbance.

Unlike the so-called insanity defense, if a jury is convinced Roberts was acting under extreme emotional distress they could find him guilty of a lesser manslaughter charge.

Bruckmann told the judge he was in agreement with the prosecutors statement as Roberts, who was sitting next to him nodded in assent. Bruckmann declined further comment.

The judge then said that jury selection will begin Tuesday with the trial scheduled to start April 18.

Todds mother, Jennifer Lawlor, was sitting in the back of the courtroom Monday morning with family.

She declined comment on the case.

Police said that after killing Todd, Roberts took Todds car, cellphone and credit cards.

Video surveillance from the day of the shooting allegedly showed Roberts driving Todds car into the drive-through at the Peoples United Bank in Trumbull, where officers said he used Todds debit card to withdraw $400 from Todds bank account.

Delays in the case because of COVID have not decreased Todds familys ardor to get justice.

In January 2020, a large contingent of family and friends loudly protested in the court when Roberts offered to plead guilty to the crime in exchange for a 45-year prison term.

The thought of him having one ounce of hope that he could possibly set foot outside the prison walls is sickening and so unfair to me, Robin Delaney, an aunt of Todds, told the judge. Please your honor, I beg you, no deals.

As a result, a judge turned down the plea offer.

Todds family has also sought an investigation of the way police initially handled the case, contending that Roberts should have been arrested prior to killing Todd.

According to police, Todd decided to end the relationship after dating Roberts for just a few days.

But on Nov. 30, 2018, police got a call from Todd, who said Roberts threatened to shoot himself. She told 911 dispatchers he was driving a Chevrolet with Ohio license plates, and that he owned a gun. Todd also provided police with his cellphone number.

That evening, a Bridgeport police officer said he spotted Roberts car on Fourth Street near Stratford Avenue. Police said they spoke to Roberts by phone. A pursuit began but was called off because Roberts was driving recklessly, reports indicated and police later confirmed.

Disengage, a police supervisor said during the pursuit. Just follow, lights off.

That night, police did not take Roberts into custody.

Police said following his arrest, Roberts confessed to killing Todd, admitting that he lured her to the area of the boat ramp, telling her he needed to speak to her one last time.

Police arrested Roberts at his fathers home in Shaker Heights, Ohio, on Dec. 14, 2018 without incident.

While being questioned at the Shaker Heights police station, police said, Roberts confessed to Bridgeport Police Lt. Chris LaMaine that he had killed Todd and shot another woman near Washington Park a year earlier.

The second woman, who was 43 at the time, was taken to Bridgeport Hospital with a bullet wound in her right shoulder.

Roberts is charged with attempted murder and first-degree assault in that case.

Corradino told the judge that as part of the agreement with Bruckmann he will not be presenting evidence of the second crime during the trial. He said he will also excise Roberts alleged confession to the second crime from the audio confession.
NEW HAVEN  The city lifted the indoor mask mandate for nongovernmental buildings Monday, Mayor Justin Elicker reminded the community in an evening announcement.

Today we lifted the mask mandate for indoor public spaces like retail establishments and restaurants. Our COVID cases and hospitalizations have been decreasing significantly and our Health Department has assessed that at the moment we do not need to require masks in indoor public spaces, Elicker said.

Elicker and Health Director Maritza Bond previously announced on Feb. 25 that the mandate would be lifted in spaces other than municipal buildings and schools on Monday, noting the ongoing decrease in cases.

There were 145 people hospitalized with coronavirus across Connecticut as of Monday, according to the state. On Feb. 10, there were 150 hospitalized with COVID-19 in New Haven County alone.

At the time, Elicker said the vaccination rate in city schools remained concerning to officials.

Approximately 31 percent of students 5-11 and 63 percent of students 12-17 had received a first dose, he said on Feb. 25. School staffers also are required to spend time indoors, he said, unlike in public, where people can come and go more freely.

Though we have made great strides, the COVID-19 virus is still here in our community. So we urge you to be cautious and considerate. Continue to practice COVID safety measures and we encourage you to wear a mask if you are unvaccinated, have a health risk or are around others who fit these categories, said Elicker in the Monday announcement. Please also follow the rules of any business that chooses to require masks in their establishment. And as always, please get vaccinated.

Elicker noted that more information regarding COVID, as well as a full listing of vaccine clinics and testing sites is available at https://covid19.newhavenct.gov.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com
NORWALKRebel Daughter Cookies just opened its storefront on Isaacs Street in February, but is already giving back to the Norwalk community by hosting a pop-up event Tuesday celebrating the areas female business owners.

In honor of International Womens Day, annually celebrated on March 8, Rebel Daughter owner Anne Grossman organized the pop-up event. The event, at 21 Isaacs St., will include vendors and stalls from more than 30 women-owned businesses in Fairfield County, Grossman said.

A total of 32 businesses will be represented, including baked goods, drinks, clothing, event planning and others.

The idea came naturally since uplifting other women is a core tenant of Grossmans business. Rebel Daughter Cookies opened three years ago, but Grossman established her first storefront in Norwalk Center in February.

The first thing I discovered is how many challenges were in place not only for working mothers but businesses in general, Grossman said. There wasnt a lot of information or support. I vowed I would help women in any way I could.

In her store, Grossman rents the commercial kitchen space on weekends and weeknights to other local female-owned businesses, including Lindsays Handmade Ice Cream, which began in 2020.

A long-term goal of Grossmans is to set up an area in her store displaying other womens products, along with a picture of the business owner and some background information. In displaying and selling other women-owned business products, Grossman said she doesnt plan to charge any cost for selling or hosting their wares.

Like her marketplace plan, Grossman requested no fee or charge for vendors of Tuesdays event.

I thought, if Ive got this great parking lot and the landlord is supportive, I can host this event for women on International Womens Day, Grossman said. To give them exposure and promote female entrepreneurs and small businesses we have in the area, to buy their goods and introduce them to these small businesses they might not have heard of.

The event will begin at 12:30 p.m., shortly after Grossman finishes her baking for the day, and run until 4 p.m.

Recognizing the time span may be inconvenient for some shoppers in the area, Grossman said if the event is a success, shed be open to offering other similar events on weekends or during the summer. However, she said she is wary of oversaturating the consumer base.

Were ending at 4 (p.m.) because we dont want people there when its getting dark and cold, Grossman said. It doesnt cost anyone admission or to be a vendor. If people have interest, itd be wonderful to do. I want to make it an annual event because its been so popular, but I dont want to take away from the event.

Many of the vendors were recruited by Grossman through the Fairfield County women-owned business community, Grossman said. Female entrepreneurs in the area often connect for advice and events.

Among the women recruited through the small business grapevine was The Vintage Horse mobile bartending service.

Owned and operated by married couple Jen and Eddie Milano, The Vintage Horse opened in May 2021 and will attend Tuesdays event.

Jen Milano is the face of the operation while her husband, Eddie, manages the behind-the-scenes work such as inventory. Though based out of Trumbull, The Vintage Horses mobile bar setup allows the Milanos to travel where theyre needed.

Milano first connected with Grossman through social media and was asked to join the pop-up event around the Christmas and New Years holidays, she said.

I said Absolutely. Sign me up, Milano said of the invite. I love being a part of other women in business and I think its so amazing to see. When I started my journey of running my own business, I never thought Id get this community behind me.

Since her first gig in mid-May 2021, Milano and The Vintage Horse hosted 48 events in the succeeding six months.

It exceeded anything I thought itd ever be, Milano said. The pandemic was in my favor because a lot of people were doing outdoor events and backyards. My business thrived during this pandemic.

At Tuesdays event, The Vintage Horse will be offering samples of a blueberry mint lemonade, as well as full classes available for purchase.

Milano admitted she was nervous for what Tuesday would bring, but excited, nonetheless.

I dont know what to expect. Ive seen so many people share the event and talk about it, Milano said. I think it is really exciting to see how many women have been so successful in running their companies and Im a mom of two. Its amazing we are able to do all this.

The comprehensive list of vendors at Tuesdays event can be found on Rebel Daughter Cookies social media pages.

abigail.brone@hearstmediact.com
HAMDEN  During a heated meeting Tuesday, when Hamdens Board of Education voted to lift the school mask mandate starting March 21, student representative Ayanna Iovieno had one message for the community:

Act like adults, please.

The boards decision came as a group of students and parents, many unmasked, stood behind board members with signs demanding an end of the policy, according to video footage of the meeting, which was held at Shepherd Glen Elementary School and streamed on Zoom.

As the meeting went on, audience members at times interrupted board members statements with jeers, while board members sometimes appeared irritated.

Some board members expressed outrage over hostile emails they reported receiving regarding the mandate.

After seeing some of those emails, Iovieno said, she felt unsafe attending the meeting in person, instead chiming in virtually.

This is very embarrassing, the student representative said. This is supposed to be a civil discourse ... Its just masks. Its not even a big deal. Theres not even a reason for everyone to be acting like this.

The meeting concluded without any apparent physical confrontations, according to the video footage.

Two police officers were in the room. The district had requested their presence after receiving the hostile emails about the mandate, board Chairwoman Melissa Kaplan said earlier Tuesday.

People are feeling unsafe, she said. Some of the language weve received is very hostile  not all, but some of it has been.

Police Lt. William Onofrio said he did not know of any threats of violence, but that the department planned to send officers as a precaution.

Its not unique  theres always meetings where theres request for police presence just for peacekeeping purposes, but were not censors, Onofrio said. Were there to make sure things are safe and theres no criminal action.

During the meeting, Kaplan told attendees the hateful emails came in the week since the board decided to implement a local mandate. That vote occurred on Feb. 28, when Gov. Ned Lamonts statewide mandate expired.

Board member David Asbery, who last week voted for the mandate, said he had been called an imbecile over the decision. Siobhan Carter-David, whose comments were frequently interrupted by jeers from protesters, said some emails made board members feel unsafe.

Kaplan said her children were unwittingly caught in a crossfire by being verbally attacked over the boards decision.

During public comment, parents said they did not condone the tone of such emails but felt strongly it was time to lift the mandate. Kids said they wanted to see their friends faces again, imploring the board to go mask-optional.

Let parents choose. Thats where the choice should be, one speaker said. This is a country based on freedom and especially parental rights.

The board then debated over when, exactly, to lift the mandate, floating several dates, all within the next few weeks. The meeting frequently erupted into shouts as some audience members expressed wanting the requirement lifted immediately.

Mayor Lauren Garrett came under fire during the meeting for approaching Asbery, who had been in intense conversation with some protesters. Board member Austin Cesare suggested it was not appropriate for Garrett to get involved in the meeting in that way.

Garrett told the audience she had asked Asbery to refrain from directly engaging with the public because she felt it has been a little bit elevated here tonight.

The board eventually took its vote, settling on March 21, with four members favoring the date. Three voted against it, at least some of whom had expressed wanting to end the mandate sooner.

One board member abstained.

Mask choice advocates slowly left the room, live meeting footage showed.
Despite a slight decrease at gas prices at the pump, costs remain near record highs. But there are some apps and tips that can help Connecticut residents reduce the amount of money spent on gas.

Following Russias invasion of Ukraine, gas prices sharply increased globally, causing a spike in the U.S. even though America imports only about 8 percent of its petroleum products from Russia.

The state average price for a gallon of regular gas was $3.884 on Friday, down from $3.897 on Wednesday, according to AAA data. The average cost for a gallon of regular gas in Connecticut on March 9 surpassed the states previous high record at $4.39 on July 9, 2008.

Nationally, a gallon of regular gas costs an average of $4.073, down slightly from $4.083 on Wednesday.

There are a few ways to search for the cheapest gas options near you, and ways to save at the pump by keeping up with some basic driving skills and vehicular maintenance.

GasBuddy

Available online and through an app, GasBuddy offers up-to-date prices on gasoline in any given area of Connecticut with users inputting prices they are paying.

Users can input specific cities or areas, along with ZIP codes, to get the most recent gas prices.

According to GasBuddy, the cheapest gas reported as of Wednesday morning in these areas were:

Bridgeport: $3.75 a gallon at the Citgo on North Avenue.

New Haven: $3.88 a gallon at the Best Gas on Ella T. Grasso Boulevard

Stamford: $3.79 a gallon at the Gulf and BP stations on Hope Street

Danbury: $3.65 a gallon at the Sinclair on White Street

Geico

One of the nations top auto insurance companies also offers a way to search for the best gas prices in a given area.

The website allows individuals to enter their address and search within a specific radius from five miles up to 25 miles. Many of the gas price entries are within the past several hours.

Google Maps and Waze

Google Maps, through its website and its app, offers up-to-date gas prices when people search gas station within a given area.

Waze, the popular GPS app owned by Google, also offers a similar feature and includes gas prices input by users throughout the area.

Tips to use less gas

Mayko said drivers can take the following steps to reduce the need to fill up at the pump as frequently:

Reduce speed: Gas mileage decreases rapidly while driving over 60 mph

Check tires: Properly inflated tires improve gas mileage by more than 3 percent per tire

General maintenance: Properly maintained cars help with overall fuel efficiency

Car pooling: Avoiding making any unnecessary trips and carpooling when possible will help reduce personal costs of gas during this time.

Anyone who suspects price gouging on gas prices during this market disruption should file a complaint with Connecticut Attorney General William Tongs office at www.dir.ct.gov/ag/complaint/ or by calling 860-808-5318
Breeze Airways announced on Tuesday it will add six new non-stop destinations from Bradley International Airport starting in June 2022. The low-cost airline will add new stops in:

The latest additions bring the airlines total routes from Bradley to 10 since it launched at the Windsor Locks airport in May 2021.

The inaugural flights will take off from Bradley to Nasvhille, Akron/Canton, Savannah, Richmond and Jacksonville starting June 3, and the Sarasota/Bradenton flights will start service on June 4, according to a release. Other than the Nashville route, Breeze Airways said the remaining five destinations are new routes to Bradley International. Breeze Airways operates another four routes out of Bradley to Columbus, Ohio; Norfolk, Va.; Pittsburgh, Penn. and Charleston, S.C.

The announcement of the airlines newest destinations comes on the same day that Avelo Airlines unveiled three new flight routes from Tweed New Haven Regional Airport. On Tuesday, the airline announced service to Chicagos Midway International Airport, Baltimore-Washington International Airport and Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Avelo now offers 13 routes from the Elm City airport and offers fares starting at $49.

With two budget airlines at airports in the northern and southern parts of the state, their fares stand in direct competition for Connecticut flyers business. At Breeze Airways, flights range in tier from Nice  which provides flyers with no change or cancel fees, one personal item on board, reusable credit if the flight is canceled and rewards points  to Nicest, which offers better seating, carry-on and checked bags, priority boarding and a drink and snacks, among other perks. They also range in price based on which seating tier flyers select. For example, for a Breeze flight to Nashville on June 2, the Nice seating choice is $59, while Nicer is $99 and Nicest is $149.

Despite similarly priced fares and routes, David Neeleman, the founder and CEO of Breeze Airways, said the airline's newest flight routes have nothing to do with Avelo.

"We essentially doubled our number of routes on sale today, from 42 to 77, with 35 new routes and 10 new cities across the country," he said. "Breeze is not even a year old yet and we have 80 brand-new Airbus A220 planes on order. There's lots of growth to come, but it has nothing to do with what other airlines are doing."

Fellow low-cost airline Frontier Airlines added to the onslaught of new flight routes departing from Connecticut on Wednesday, announcing that its inaugural flight to Cancun, Mexico took off on March 8. The Colorado-based airline also announced it would begin nonstop flight service to Dallas-Fort Worth starting May 27.

According to Neeleman, the arrival of new Breeze Airways routes will likely encourage travel out of Bradley International Airport the same way the airlines earlier additions have.

When we announced service to Charleston last May, I said, There are so many people who don't yet realize they are going to visit Charleston this summer, he said in an email. Sure enough, in July last year, the airport announced its best ever arrivals figures."

Breeze Airways' new routes to Ohio and other southern locales comes from an increased demand for flights out of the Windsor Locks airport  and Neeleman said it likely wont be the last of the airlines flight additions.

We've seen great demand at Bradley, Neeleman said. We started with four nonstop destinations last year and just added six new ones today along with additional frequencies on existing routes. As more and more people fly us, we'll keep adding flights and destinations."

For Neeleman, Breeze Airways growth has to do with increased appetite to travel, and the skys the limit for how much the airline might expand in the future.

There's huge pent-up travel demand out there, he said. And there's plenty of evidence to show that if you give people a nonstop flight that didn't exist before, and a great price, you'll build a market maybe as big as 10 times what where there before. At Breeze, you get there twice as fast for about half the cost. That's an unbeatable situation. It's a game-changer."
Niagara Falls, NY (14301)

Today

Rain likely. Low 49F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Rain likely. Low 49F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
A lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, says the events unfolding concerning the murder of Bamise Ayanwola are intriguing and worrisome. He said foll...





A lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, says the events unfolding concerning the murder of Bamise Ayanwola are intriguing and worrisome.





He said following public outcry, the Lagos State Government hurriedly packaged the Bus Rapid Transfer driver for a media interview, to give the impression that he was innocent of the crime.





His statement on Tuesday noted that further revelations have thrown up very serious questions that Lagos must answer if it is not covering up the murder.





In a homicide matter of this magnitude, how can a prime suspect who was declared missing, be handed over to the government by the security agencies?, Adegboruwa quipped.





The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) observed that a video of his initial arrest showed that the driver confessed to having carnal knowledge of the deceased, in very remorseful fashion.





The rights activist asked who packaged a crime suspect, dressed in Lagos State Government outfit and tutored to claim innocence to set up the cock and bull story of hijack.





Adegboruwa asked the Lagos government to explain its romancing with a murder suspect.





He condemned the parade of the driver on only TV Continental (TVC) which Lagos State has influence through patronage.





He recalled that Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alabi earlier told the press that the suspect confessed to the crime before Lagos State emerged with James Bond storyline.





The lawyer warned the Lagos government against serving the interest of anyone to cover up a clear case of blue murder.





Has there been other cases of ritual killings in BRT buses to which the government has become accustomed?





Why will a driver whose bus was hijacked and has thus become a victim himself then bolt away for days without reporting to his employers?





Adegboruwa declared that Lagos State Police Command cannot be trusted to handle the case.





The SAN wondered why they surrendered a murder suspect still under investigation to the Lagos government for media packaging.





He urged the Federal Government and the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba to take over the investigation before the case is completely compromised.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 52F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch..

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 52F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch.
When they left the house on Prytania Street on March 11, 1904  exactly 118 years ago this week  they were just going for a stroll. And, so, they were dressed for a stroll.

She wore a dress of dark blue serge. He wore a light, salt-and-pepper summer suit topped with a jaunty Alpine hat.

They werent exactly dressed for a wedding  and certainly not for their own wedding, much less one nearly 200 feet off the ground atop what was at the time New Orleans tallest building.

But, in a blend of romance, spontaneity and a dash of the dramatic, thats exactly where Dr. John J. Hanna and Georgiana Houser ended up that day as the sun set over the Crescent City.

The building in question: the old Hibernia Building at 226 Carondelet St., the longtime local financial institutions home before it upsized in 1921 to the one with the landmark, lighted cupola catercorner from it at the corner of Carondelet and Gravier streets.

Completed 15 days after Hanna and Housers impromptu nuptials, the old Hibernia building at the time of the wedding wasnt even yet occupied by the bank, which was still based in what The Daily Picayune described as the dank offices and cramped quarters of its previous home.

But the new building, a fireproof monolith under construction since late 1902, had already started attracting attention. Standing 12 stories (or 13, depending on how you counted its 22-foot first floor and mezzanine), it was viewed by many as an architectural marvel.

In fact, it was two architectural marvels in one, built concurrently  and, to a degree, cooperatively, for cost-saving reasons  with a 12-story annex being built on an adjacent lot by the St. Charles Hotel.

Designed in the neoclassical style by Daniel Burnham, of Chicago  the prolific architectural mind behind New Yorks Flatiron Building, D.C.s Union Station and New Orleans Southern Railway Terminal  the Hibernia building was constructed on a steel frame, with granite blocks lending the bottommost two floors a sense of sturdiness. A lighter-colored terra cotta cladding would be used for the 10 stories above.

The bank and all its bankerly accouterments  safe-deposit boxes, a massive vault, tellers cages  would occupy the first floor. A merchants noonday club would go on the top floor. In between would be rented office space for dentists, insurance men and a raft of others.

Construction began in late 1902, and for the next year-plus the newspapers kept a tab on its progress.

The architecture, both outside and inside, keeps the same general appearance of massive simplicity, The Daily Picayune wrote. The building itself pretends to be nothing but what it is, a plain skyscraper, with no gingerbread finery and shallow ornamentation, but perfectly simple in construction.

It went on to report in awed tones the details of the banks vault, constructed by the Mosler Safe Co. of Ohio: a door of more than 10 tons, 24 locking bolts, 45,000 screws.

The buildings total cost: an estimated $600,000, the equivalent of nearly $20 million in 2022 dollars.

No surprise, then, that Hanna and Houser found themselves impressed upon seeing the building two weeks before its official opening.

Lifelong friends, they had become engaged just a few days earlier upon reuniting for the first time in several years. While they were strolling that day, they decided they didnt want to wait any longer, and they popped in at the Carondelet Street Methodist Church and asked the Rev. H.G. Davis to do the honors.

He agreed, but they still needed to find witnesses, so, off they went. While waiting for a friend and potential witness at Carondelet and Gravier, they looked up at the new Hibernia Building, which they were told was the tallest building in the South.

Immediately, Miss Houser, who has a fondness for original acts, proposed that the marriage should take place thereon, the place nearest heaven in all the South. Her fiance consented, of course, at once.

Soon enough, the happy couple  joined by a variety of bank executives and a handful of emotionally invested bystanders  found themselves waiting for the Rev. Davis in the basement of the building while workmen hammered and plastered around them.

Soon enough, Davis arrived and, rather than walking down the aisle, they climbed aboard one of the buildings five elevators for the ride to the roof.

An unbylined story in the Picayune described the scene in suitably romantic terms:

Arrived on the summit of the building, the bride and her husband-elect selected as their Eden spot the Northwest corner of the roof, from which the very best view could be had of the sun sinking in the west; of the Mississippi River beginning and ending the grand crescent sweep that surrounds and names New Orleans; of distant Lake Pontchartrain, golden under the rays of the declining day; of all the magnificent panorama of the Mystic City, which lay before their eyes for miles on every side.

Just as they were pronounced man and wife, the clocks of the city struck the 6 oclock hour in unison, an unintended but fitting chorus of congratulations.

Three years later, the old Hibernia building would cede its title of the citys tallest building when the 15-story Grunewald Hotel  now the Roosevelt  went up. In 1921, it would give up its name, too, becoming the Carondelet Building with completion of the 23-story Hibernia tower.

Today, the 1904 building is home to the Hampton Inn & Suites downtown.

Its unclear what became of Dr. Hanna and his bride.

But lets just assume they lived happily ever after.

Sources: The Times-Picayune archives; Journal of the American Medical Association Vol. 42; Preservation in Print, Oct. 2016

Know of a New Orleans building worth profiling in this column, or just curious about one? Contact Mike Scott at moviegoermike@gmail.com.

+2 Why did a mob torch this school during the yellow fever epidemic? Here's an old New Orleans story The mob of 400 or 500 people that began gathering at the Beauregard School on Canal Street the evening of Sept. 23, 1897, was an angry one. Bu
Even before the pandemic, a bar that for many is synonymous with St. Patricks Day in New Orleans was on the brink of disappearing, and its block party for the holiday had already wavered.

But now, one of the citys longest-running annual street parties is set to make its first full-fledged comeback in years.

The hub is Parasols Restaurant & Bar, a small corner joint etched into Irish Channel history and carrying a long St. Patricks Day tradition. In more recent years, its been joined by Traceys Original Irish Channel Bar, located one block away and entwined to the Parasols tradition through its own history.

The two bars each host a pair of parties: the first on Saturday when the Irish Channel St. Patricks Day Club holds its annual parade and the streets are teeming with emerald-clad crowds; the second on March 17, St. Patricks Day proper, for a block party that stretches between them.

People have been calling and dropping in for weeks asking about it, said Parasols owner Mark Bruser. St. Patricks Day is what a lot of people think of when they hear Parasols.

While the two neighboring bars both double as po-boy shops and are technically competitors, during this miniseason of St. Patricks, their parties essentially fuse into one.

We feed off each other, said Traceys proprietor Jeff Carreras. On the parade day, were crazy busy with everyone getting close to Magazine Street. On St. Patricks Day, more people are down at Parasols, it all goes hand in hand.

If all goes smoothly, it could be another sign of New Orleans social life getting back to its old rhythms. Elsewhere, however, this St. Patricks Day will be missing some of its other traditional happenings.

Finn McCools Irish Pub in Mid-City has called off its own annual block party, citing concerns over getting police detail officers for the event and enforcing the citys one remaining COVID-19 safety protocol. The city mandate requiring proof of vaccination or a negative test results for indoor service at restaurants and bars won't expire before March 21.

In the French Quarter, the Mollys at the Market and Jim Monaghans Parade, run for decades by the Decatur Street pub, is also on hold again this year, with its organizer citing the unpredictability of city permit fees and the last-minute parade route changes that hit some marching krewes during Carnival.

As of Monday, City Hall confirmed that routes for St. Patrick's parades that are continuing this year could change, pending how many police officers sign up for voluntary, paid detail shifts to to work them.

Back from the brink

In the Irish Channel, though, spirits are high for a return to form this year. For Parasols, its been a long time coming.

Pre-pandemic, Parasols had already fallen on hard times. In 2012, proprietor John Logan had died at age 56, and the bar had been left to his widow to run.

By 2019, Parasols part of the block party had fizzled, with no outdoor accommodations. One bookend of the bash was missing. Later that year, a city lawsuit over back taxes kept the bar from renewing its liquor license.

Parasols soon closed. Its last shift was a boozy, sometimes-tearful sendoff, with some lamenting the pace of change in the city.

But by late fall in 2019, it was back. Bruser and his wife, Kimberlee Banning, both longtime Irish Channel residents, bought the bar and embarked on a round of repairs. By March 2020, they were primed to resume the block party, and fully introduce a revived Parasols. But 2020 had other plans in store.

As COVID-19 descended swiftly, and health safety protocols and government mandates changed frequently, St. Patricks Day became an early flashpoint for pandemic strife in New Orleans.

The city called off the Irish Channel parade a few days ahead of time, when official guidance still allowed for gatherings of up to 250 people. Many took to the streets that weekend anyway to bar hop around the Irish Channel. Before the day was through, New Orleans police broke up a large gathering outside Traceys.

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The following year, with businesses back open under social distancing limits, Parasols and Traceys each voluntarily closed for St. Patricks Day and other days around the holiday, a move to stave off crowds. Finn McCools similarly closed for St. Patricks Day in 2021, also voluntarily.

A party with history

Bringing back the Irish Channel block party now will revive a tradition that goes back to at least the 1950s.

The Irish Channel was long known for its Irish families, riverfront industry and rough-and-tumble politics. All of that flowed through Parasols, which was once as much a clubhouse for a neighborhood as a business. Election nights drew big crowds to the bar, and politicos from tax assessors to congressmen held court.

Before it acquired Mardi Gras-style floats, the St. Patrick's parade wound its way through the side streets of the Irish Channel, with marching clubs progressing from bar to bar. Parasol's became a starting point and fixture for the festivities.

Robert Bongard, whose mother, Myrtle Herzog Passauer, was a founder of Parasols, grew up in a small apartment behind the bar. In a 2019 interview, he recalled how the entire neighborhood seemed to be together for the party.

In the beginning, it was all neighbors, they were all into it. Then they started having people coming from all over, Bongard said. Youd meet people from around the world at that party.

Newspaper accounts of the bash through the years describe revelry, the mingling of generations and local celebrities. Bands like the Dixieland Saints would play outside. Pete Fountain made appearances, and by the 1970s Frank Minyard, then city coroner and a jazz musician himself, would play his trumpet on the street.

Parasol's and Traceys share more than proximity, thanks to one of those less-than-linear paths that many long-lived New Orleans bars have trod.

Carreras, Traceys owner, once operated Parasols, though he did not own it. When Parasols was sold to Hogan in 2009, Carreras was out. He promptly moved one block up Third Street and opened Traceys. He reached into the past for its name  prior to 1952, the bar now known as Parasols was called Traceys.

Though the pandemic has been an uphill slog for restaurants and bars, Parasols has been gradually getting its groove back from its near-death experience in 2019.

Drop ceilings were removed, revealing more of the old barrooms original dimensions. Bruser fabricated a new wrap-around awning, once a fixture of old watering holes like this, based on historic photos of Parasols. The freshly painted exterior is now white as the head on a pint of Guinness.

A successful St. Patricks Day bash will restore Parasols generations-old contribution to the citys social calendar.

I hope were seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, Bruser said. I think everyone wants more signs of normalcy back.

Parasols (2533 Constance St.) and Traceys (2604 Magazine St.) each hold parties that merge into one contiguous bash, both on the day of the Irish Channel parade, March 12 this year, and on St. Patricks Day, March 17, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day.

Between them, youll find music, outdoor bars, roast beef and fried seafood po-boys, Irish sundaes (roast beef debris over mashed potatoes), green beer, Jell-O shots and more.

+6 St. Patrick's Day block parties, Irish music, dance sessions and more around New Orleans In addition to parades, St. Patrick's Day parties and other festivities stretch across several days in March. A few annual events remain on hi
Amid all the green-themed revelry of St. Patricks Day parties, a different sort of Irish celebration returns this year to a venue best known for German heritage.

Deutsches Haus (1700 Moss St., (504) 522-8014) on Bayou St. John is bringing back a St. Patricks Day event party it began just before the pandemic. It returns Sunday, March 13, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

There will be food and music and plenty of beer, though this event is drawn up to be more low-key than the parades and pub crawls that mark other celebrations this time of year.

We modeled this after what you find on St. Patricks Day in a town in Ireland, not the American version, said Mike Larkin, the Deutsches Haus member who is leading the event.

This isnt the place to come for green beer, he said.

Deutsches Haus is a German cultural organization, best known for its annual Oktoberfest. Its membership, however, is not limited to people with German family roots. Periodically, members who are interested in Irish music will gather at the clubhouse for live music sessions.

Thats part of the inspiration for the St. Patricks Day event.

The day will start with a ceremonial handing over of the keys to Deutsches Haus to its Irish contingent, Larkin said, along with a blessing from clergy, the hoisting of the Irish national flag and a singing of Ireland's national anthem.

Food and restaurant news in your inbox Every Thursday we give you the scoop on NOLA dining. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Throughout the day, they will be live music and Irish dance performances by youth groups and others.

The Deutsches Haus kitchen will serve a menu that Larkin described as a tribute to the traditional Irish Sunday supper. Theres no corned beef, but instead cabbage and bacon with parsley sauce, potato soup, Guinness beef stew, house-made soda bread and brown bread and raspberry trifle. Its all for sale a la carte.

Irish beers are hard to come by these days with the more traditional St. Patricks Day destinations stocking up, but Deutsches Haus will have plenty of German beer and suds from other shores to wash it down.

The daytime event is held across Deutsches Haus clubhouse and grounds. Admission is free and the event is open to all ages.

On St. Patricks Day itself, March 17, Deutsches Haus will host the Irish balladeer Danny OFlaherty for a concert at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 ($15 for members), via deutscheshaus.org.

+6 St. Patrick's Day block parties, Irish music, dance sessions and more around New Orleans In addition to parades, St. Patrick's Day parties and other festivities stretch across several days in March. A few annual events remain on hi

+16 St. Patrick's block party at Parasol's, a tradition for generations, plans comeback Even before the pandemic, a bar that for many is synonymous with St. Patricks Day in New Orleans was on the brink of disappearing, and its bl
It's time for another only-in-Louisiana tradition - the annual pardoning of the crawfish.

Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser pardoned Arrigeaux the crawfish during a celebration Tuesday morning in celebration of mudbug season in Louisiana.

The president pardons a turkey at the White House, Nungesser said, "but in Louisiana, we pardon a crawfish."

"Louisiana recognizes that a turkey shouldn't be the only animal to get a second chance," the official pardon declared. "Arrigeaux shall be free to live the rest of his life in our marshes, enjoying fresh water without any spices, boil, seasoning, potatoes, onions or garlic."

After being pardoned, the crawfish will be taken to his new home at Tickfaw State Park in Springfield.

Watch the pardoning live

Can't see it? Watch here.

Where did Arrigeaux come from?

Barry Toups, the owner of Crawfish Haven and Mrs. Roses Bed and Breakfast in Kaplan, is in charge of selecting the lucky crawfish, according to Barry Landry of the state's Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.

See his arrival below.

Food and restaurant news in your inbox Every Thursday we give you the scoop on NOLA dining. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Louisiana State Parks staffers will take Arrigeaux to his new home after the event.

Arrigeaux's namesake

Arrigeaux is named in honor of Paul Arrigo, the retiring Visit Baton Rouge president and CEO, Landry said.

Arrigo, a New Orleans native and graduate of the University of New Orleans, got his start in the tourism industry with the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau.

He then went to Washington, D.C., to oversee a satellite office for the New Orleans CVB there. Then, he moved to Baton Rouge in 1997 and eventually became president and CEO of Visit Baton Rouge in 2002.

After two decades in that role, Arrigo will retire this fall.

6th year for event

The crawfish pardoning has happened for six years. This year it was at "The Green" at Perkins Rowe in Baton Rouge.

It's traditionally held on the Tuesday after Mardi Gras.

This years event, hosted by Nungesser's office and the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, is sponsored by Perkins Rowe, Visit Baton Rouge, Louisiana Hospitality Foundation and Crawfete presented by the Baton Rouge Epicurean Society.
The beauty of Chinese democracy

16:41, March 08, 2022 By Zamir Ahmed Awan ( People's Daily Online

Photo taken on March 5, 2022 shows a view of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China. The fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) held its opening meeting on March 5 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

The world is now witnessing a key moment in China when representatives from all its provinces and regions, all its ethnic groups, and political parties, gather together in Beijing for the Two Sessions, an annual event usually held in March every year.

During this event, Chinese lawmakers and political advisors participate in devising the future course of action in every dimension of China's development and its people's wellbeing. Apart from engaging in further discussion, there is a dialogue on the countrys progress to date and a series of policy measures for consideration. This year the event started on March 4 when the fifth annual session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) formally commenced. Then, on March 5, the fifth annual session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) kicked off. These important sessions are responsible for undertaking a comprehensive review of overall government progress, governance-related matters, and national level policy reports along with making important decisions for implementing the national economic and social development plans. This years sessions will also examine and draft central and local budgets for 2022 at both the national and local levels.

Democracy is not an ornament, it is not to be used merely as a decoration, but instead it should be used to solve the problems that the people are in need of solving. Hence, the Communist Party of China has put forward the grand idea of whole-process people's democracy. The Two Sessions have in turn become an important window for the international community to observe China's people-centered practice of whole-process people's democracy.

Whether a country is democratic or not, the key lies in whether it has truly achieved the people's interests. The people's interests is the unchangeable original intention of people's democracy in the whole process of Chinas government. The whole-process people's democracy of China not only has complete institutional procedures but also has complete participation in practice.

The world has seen delegates from all corners of China, representing all classes, all segments of society, all religions and ethnic groups, coming together to discuss their issues and concerns. They have put forward their proposals and suggestions without any restriction. There are also subject specialists, covering all aspects of economic and social development, to offer advice to the government on their respective areas of expertise. After free and open discussion, the points will be summarized and a consensus will be established. All the agreed points will become a part of the decision process for policy planning and decide the future course of action in the following year to come. The government will implement the decisions and policies formulated by the comprehensive in-depth consultation of the peoples representatives. This is what is meant by the concept of socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics.

The beauty of the Chinese system lies in its people-first approach and its focus on the total welfare of the masses. This spirit was demonstrated to the world in full force at the time of the outbreak of COVID-19, when the government prioritized the lives of its citizens over any economic losses and fought against the pandemic bravely, achieving great success in overcoming the pandemic. The Chinese leadership respects its people and takes good care of them. In return, the people of China have a very high approval rating for its government and the countrys leadership. Another mega achievement of China worth mentioning is that it has reached the milestone of fully eradicating extreme poverty throughout the country. China has successfully lifted almost 800 million people above the poverty line since the countrys Reform and Opening-up policy was initiated in 1978. This miraculous feat is unprecedented in the entire history of the world.

China has adhered to a people-centered development ideology and has made overall plans to promote epidemic prevention and control alongside economic and social development. Following the successful rebound in growth during the initial recovery in 2020, China's economy grew by 8.1 percent in 2021, contributing to about 25 percent of the worlds annual economic growth.

Despite all the tough challenges that the world is facing, and a struggling global economy, China has still maintained positive economic and social development indicators. This was all possible due to Chinas realization of socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics, wherein the Chinese people and the countrys leadership are on the same page and enjoy comprehensive harmony and trust.

China has further expanded its opening up to the outside world, providing a broader platform for all kinds of enterprises around the world to enter the Chinese market and enjoy China's development dividends. A series of international events  such as the China International Import Expo, the China International Fair for Trade in Services, the China Import and Export Fair and the China International Consumer Products Expo  were held as scheduled, sending the world a firm signal that China's door of opening-up will only open wider" in the new era. Many countries hope that while sharing in the development dividends with China, they can also share China's wisdom on global economic governance.

China will continue to advance its science, technology, and innovation, which are key engines for human progress, powerful weapons for tackling many global challenges, and the only path for China to foster a new development paradigm and achieve high-quality development. China will invest more in science and technology, develop an enabling system for innovation as a priority, turn breakthroughs in science and technology into actual productivity at a faster pace, and enhance intellectual property protection, all to foster innovation-driven, higher-quality growth. Scientific and technological advances should benefit all humanity rather than be used to curb and contain other countries development. China will think and act with more openness concerning international exchange and cooperation on science and technology. The country will work with other countries to create an open, fair, equitable, and non-discriminatory environment for scientific and technological advancement that is beneficial to all and shared by all.

Unlike Western-style democracy, which is in decline and has failed to resolve the common challenges of human beings, the Chinese style of governance and its people-centric approach are gaining momentum and many developing countries now regard the model as a ray of hope, with many trying to learn from the Chinese experience. Although the West is unbridled in spreading its propaganda, fake news, and distorted narrative against China, the wider world has seen the Chinese model as successful, which has continued to deliver and gain the people's satisfaction.

Zamir Ahmed Awan is a non-resident fellow with the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) and a sinologist at the National University of Sciences and Technology in Pakistan. E-mail: [email protected]

The opinions expressed in this article reflect those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of People's Daily Online.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Official Opening of the Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming

The University of Gibraltar will host an event on Thursday 10th March 2022 to celebrate the official opening and inauguration of the Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming (CERG).

The invite-only event will include addresses from Minister Cortes and Minister Isola, as well as an overview of the research being conducted within the CERG, delivered by its Chair, Professor Zsolt Demetrovics.

Following the addresses, guests will be invited to take a tour of the CERGs new offices, housed in the North Wing (previously St Christophers School complex), for the formal inauguration by Minister Isola.

Additionally, the event will offer guests the opportunity to learn more about the University of Gibraltars newly-revised Introduction to Remote Gambling online course. All units of the course were developed in close consultation with HMGoG Gambling Division and using feedback collated from Licensed Gambling Operators.

The event will take place on Thursday 10th March, from 15.00 to 16.30 at the University of Gibraltar.

Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming

The Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming (CERG) is a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research institute that aims to study the etiological factors of addictive disorders and contribute to their effective prevention and treatment.

The CERGs goal is to gain a deeper understanding of gambling behaviour and addiction processes through research, and contribute to evidence-based safer gambling interventions.

For more information on the CERG, please visit: https://www.unigib.edu.gi/research/centre-of-excellence-in-responsible-gaming/
Orleans Parish School Board member John A. Brown Sr. announced Monday that he is resigning from his elected seat, saying he believes stepping down is appropriate now that his daughter is a candidate for the soon-to-be-open superintendent post.

Brown, who was a longtime Orleans Parish educator before joining the board, said his resignation will be effective this week. The district includes New Orleans East, parts of Gentilly and the Lower 9th Ward.

In a news release, Brown said he had been informed by his daughter, Jawan Brown-Alexander, that the consulting firm helping the School Board with the superintendent search had recommended that she move to the interview phase of the process.

Brown said he had previously "recused himself" from the search and had been advised that he could continue doing so, but he instead opted to leave the board.

"The most important responsibilities the School Board has are to select, support and hold the Superintendent accountable to supporting our system of schools to ensure a quality education for all New Orleans youth," he said in the statement.

NOLA Public Schools said once Brown's resignation becomes official with the Secretary of State's Office, the board will have 20 days to appoint a replacement. Brown's term expires at the end of 2024.

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The School Board is in the midst of a search for a new leader for the district. Henderson Lewis Jr. announced last year that he would leave the post when his contract expires in June. Lewis became superintendent in 2015.

The School Board's search committee, aided by the headhunter firm Greenwood/Asher & Associates, hopes to have a new superintendent selected in April.

Brown, a U.S. Army veteran, had a 30-year career in New Orleans public schools, which included stints as principal at Alcee Fortier High School, Harriet Tubman Elementary and Phillips Junior High. He is a former principal of the year for the district.

Brown retired in 2003, was appointed to the school board in 2015 and was most recently re-elected in 2020.

As a board member, he pushed for a policy to require at least one parent to serve on charter school boards and led efforts to examine bus pickup times.

We are honored that Mr. Brown chose to dedicate so much of his life to the children and students of New Orleans, Henderson said in NOLA Public Schools news release. Board members Ethan Ashley and Olin Parker praised Brown's commitment and career in the same news release.
GNO Inc., the regional economic development agency, said Tuesday that it will take over the World Trade Center New Orleans and form a new international trade division at GNO to spearhead its trade-boosting strategy for the region.

Michael Hecht, who has led GNO Inc. as its President and CEO for the past 14 years, will oversee the new unit, which will continue to be led by the trade center's current CEO, Edwin Webb. The aim, Hecht said, will be to use the resources of the two organizations to help boost trade and logistics businesses in the region and to create jobs.

"Our combined organizations will be more robust and impactful than before and at the same time more efficient," said Hecht in a prepared statement announcing the combination.

GNO Inc. and the World Trade Center are both non-profit organizations aimed at promoting the region's businesses, attracting companies and boosting jobs.

The World Trade Center, long associated with the city-owned skyscraper it once operated at the foot of Canal Street, served as a key cog in the city's business community for much of the last century. But its standing waned in the decade before Hurricane Katrina as businesses abandoned its aging tower and it suffered through a series of star-crossed redevelopment projects.

GNO Inc., founded in 2004, has become a higher-profile player in recent years in trying to attract businesses to the metro area and promote business-friendly polices at the state and local level.

Some of the World Trade Center's board members, who also sit on GNO's board, had pushed the two to combine. Tuesday's statement said the move was modeled on similar mergers in other cities, particularly Houston, which three decades ago brought its Chamber of Commerce, World Trade Center and economic development agency under the umbrella of the Greater Houston Partnership.

Greg Rusovich, the former CEO of Transoceanic Shipping Company who is a member of both GNO and the trade center's boards, will chair a "trade strategy task force" that will help guide the absorption of the World Trade Center into GNO and set a new trade strategy.

Rusovich said the unit's main role will be to identify and promote opportunities to boost Louisiana exports, as well as to encourage importers and logistics operators to locate in the Greater New Orleans area.

He noted that despite New Orleans' many natural advantages  including the Mississippi River and six Class 1 railroads connecting it to all parts of the country  it has underperformed compared to rival Gulf South port cities, such as Houston and Mobile, Alabama.

An early trade promoter

The World Trade Center traces its start to 1943, when World War II made New Orleans and its port a booming center of global shipping.

Its forerunner was a networking club known as the International House, whose first employee, Hale Boggs, went on to become a revered U.S. Representative from Louisiana. In the late 1960s, it became a founding member of a global network of World Trade Centers, and eventually merged with a second group, the International Trade Mart, which in the late 1960s had worked to build the skyscraper at the foot of Canal.

In its heyday in the 1970s and 1980s, when it was run by former diplomat Eugene Schreiber, the trade promoting group regularly hosted international dignitaries, among them President Ronald Reagan and Russian Premier Mikhail Gorbachev, at its Plimsoll Club events at the top of its eponymous building.

But in the 1990s, as other cities pushed past New Orleans as shipping hubs, the building emptied out and the trade center's cache waned. A series of deals to turn part of the building into a hotel fizzled, and after Katrina, the city of New Orleans paid to remove the World Trade Center organization from its lease of the building.

More recently, the nonprofit, whose members include manufacturers such as Camellia Brand and traders like Goldin Metals, has operated from offices at One Canal Place.

The World Trade Center still hosts trade missions as well as three marquee events a year: the Bertel Awards, for individuals in the maritime industry; Louisiana International Trade Day; and the Schreiber Gala, named for the WTC's first and longest-serving leader.

Port expansion in focus

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Rusovich said that one project the combined economic development agency could help jump-start is the Port of New Orleans' planned expansion of its container-shipping operations at a new site in St. Bernard Parish.

The $1.5 billion project would create a terminal in Violet capable of handling the larger vessels that cannot make it under the Crescent City Connection to the Port of New Orleans' current container terminal at Napoleon Avenue.

The Port Nola project is progressing, but has met resistance from some vocal local residents. Also, politicians at state and local level have been reluctant to formally back the project, known as the Louisiana International Terminal, given the concerns voiced by some residents.

"We really need to quit dithering and get behind this project," Rusovich said. "It is critical for leadership at all levels in Louisiana, both political and on the business and trade side, to get up and say, 'We're doing this in Violet.'"

Proponents of the Louisiana International Terminal have argued that locating it at Violet, where Port Nola has purchased 1,100 acres adjacent to St. Bernard Parish Port's existing facility, will open up many other possibilities to expand logistics operations in that locale, as well as in undeveloped areas of New Orleans East.

'A big opportunity'

Hecht said he's hoping to help create a coherent strategy for the state's ports all along the river, from New Orleans up to Baton Rouge, which are currently run by separate entities with sometimes competing objectives.

That would make it attractive for various operators, from logistics giants like Amazon and Fedex, to petrochemicals companies and light manufacturing, to locate at various points along the river.

"There is a big opportunity if we position ourselves correctly to the world and make the right investments," said Hecht.

"What would success for the new trade unit look like?" he said. "It would be increased trade for Louisiana companies reaching overseas markets.

"It would mean increased investment from overseas companies looking to import into the U.S., especially that middle third. It would also mean public policy initiatives to make Louisiana more attractive for international trade, including investment in the ports up and down the river. And it would mean revitalizing the brand of Louisiana and New Orleans as a global center for international trade."

New Orleans has lost ground in terms of its share of U.S. imports and exports. This can be partly attributable to volatile commodity prices and the U.S. trade war with China. But the city has also lost ground to both Houston and Mobile in terms of its share of container units handled.

"We're way behind Houston and losing ground to Mobile," said Rusovich. "I think the international trade community in Louisiana is fully supportive of (building the LIT at) Violet, there's just some parochial interests that are slowing it down."

Port Nola said Tuesday that it has scheduled a series of community outreach meetings over the next two weeks on the container terminal, starting on Chalmette on Wednesday, Mar 9, followed by Violet on Mar 15, and St. Bernard Historic Courthouse on Mar 17.

"Currently, we are focused on community and stakeholder engagement," said Matt Gresham, head of public affairs at Port Nola. He said they are also working to finalize the public and private financing for the project, as well as permissions needed from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and others.

Meanwhile, Port Nola continues to work on its $125 million modernization project at the Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal, which included the acquisition of four new Chinese-made cranes to expand capacity to allow it to handle a million standard 20-foot containers a year, at least for ships that can make it that far upriver.

Webb said that the container terminal is pivotal to revitalizing the New Orleans brand in the international trade community.

"We live in a world of perception and how that container terminal progresses will say a lot about how we do business in Louisiana," he said. "We've got to get it done."
Jury trials in New Orleans returned on Monday after a nearly two-year-long hiatus, but it was slow-going as the first jurors summoned to Orleans Parish Criminal District Court reported for duty and judges and other courthouse workers sifted through a massive case backlog.

More than a dozen cases were slated to begin Monday, but only two progressed to the process of selecting 12-person juries after several trials were reset.

One thousand jury summons were sent to New Orleans residents in preparation for the first day back, according to Orleans Parish Criminal District Court Chief Judge Robin Pittman. Of those, 47 summons were undeliverable, and more than 600 potential jurors did not respond to their summons.

In the end, of the 150 jurors who were told to report for duty, 132 prospective jurors gathered Monday in the court's basement-level jury lounge, which courthouse workers said was a lower response rate than before the pandemic. They wore masks and sat in every other seat in the lounge  precautions that were taken to try and stymie the spread of COVID-19.

Responses to summons are necessary for us to effectively and efficiently run criminal district court, said Pittman, who posited the pandemic could be at least partially to blame for the underwhelming response.

Jury trials were suspended at the outset of the pandemic. An attempted restart began in October but was halted in January as the highly-transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus surged across Louisiana.

Three jury trials were held last year during the three months the court was open, according to data provided by the Metropolitan Crime Commission, a non-profit watchdog of the local criminal justice system.

On Monday, several had trials on their schedules, but only two judges ultimately called for jurors to be sent to their courtrooms.

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Voir dire, or the selection of a 12-member jury, began in the trials of Demeccio Caston, charged with second-degree murder in the August 2019 shooting death of Patrick Lamar, and Samuel Hunter, charged with second-degree murder in the December 2020 killing of Anthony Bridges.

Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams will prosecute the latter case with Matthew Derbes, who was recently named chief of trials. It will be the first case Williams, a former defense attorney who took office a little more than a year ago, has personally prosecuted.

Trials may not proceed as scheduled for a number of reasons: A last-minute plea agreement could be reached in the moments before trial, for example, or an attorney could request a continuance, which allows for more time to prepare their cases.

In Pittmans courtroom, a trial date will be reset for a defendant who failed to appear in court as requested, she said. In another courtroom, a trial for three defendants was reset after a defense attorney asked that his client be tried separately from the other two defendants.

A court filing by the district attorneys office showed about 150 cases had been scheduled for trial this month. Its unclear how many of those cases will ultimately move to trial. And Pittman said its too soon to speculate whether there will be enough jurors to accommodate the cases that do move to trial.

But even a slow start was a gratifying one after months of waiting, some said.

I think that everyone is a little bit rusty because we havent had jury trials in a little bit, said Derwyn Bunton, chief district defender for the Orleans Public Defenders. Regardless, Monday was a welcome awakening of the criminal legal system.

Bunton added, We are excited to try to get our criminal legal system back up and running full speed again and would plead for patience from our community and urge people to not shirk jury service.
An Orleans Parish judge on Monday ruled a man accused of the 2020 slaying of Brent "Bug" Jenkins not guilty, citing "numerous holes" in the prosecution's case.

Dijon Curtis was acquitted on charges of second-degree murder and obstruction of justice in the Jan. 26, 2020 shooting death of Jenkins, 20. Eighteen months after his March 2020 arrest, Curtis waived his right to a jury trial, instead opting for a bench trial, leaving his fate to Orleans Parish Criminal District Court Judge Angel Harris.

The trial, which was held Feb. 9, was only the second bench trial in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court since jury trials were suspended beginning in March 2020.

When Harris declared Curtis, 22, not guilty, several family members exuberantly clapped. Another was so overcome that she announced she had to leave the courtroom to compose herself.

Its absolutely the right call, said defense attorney Gregory Carter, who represented Curtis alongside attorney Brandon Spann. I dont know how any reasonable person could have returned any other verdict.

Curtis has been incarcerated since his arrest, and his family cant wait to get him home and wrap their arms around him, Carter added.

Prosecutors had accused Curtis of shooting Jenkins that January day at the intersection of Washington Avenue and Dryades Street in Central City. They shared video footage, captured from street cameras, showing a hooded man wielding a handgun and chasing Jenkins. That man fired 12 total shots: two bullets pierced Jenkins leg, while four hit him in the chest, prosecutors said.

Jenkins died at the scene.

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"This court doesn't doubt a murder took place and a tragedy occurred, said Harris. But in her ruling, Harris said prosecutors had presented a case riddled with numerous holes that she would have had to ignore or been forced to fabricate facts in order to deliver a guilty verdict.

In a prepared statement, Matthew Derbes, chief of trials for the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office, said: As in all cases, the states responsibility is to present all available evidence in court provided by law enforcement, and that is exactly what our attorneys did in this case."

Witness testimony appeared to have stunted the prosecution's case. Curtis sister testified that the white Hyundai Santa Fe that whisked the shooter from the scene of the crime was not hers. While she had owned a white SUV in previous years the city had towed, impounded and crushed it years before the deadly shooting, she said.

A second witness, who may have spoken with the killer moments before he chased Jenkins to his death, was unable to positively identify Curtis as the shooter at the trial. The shooter wore a black hooded sweatshirt, which the witness testified was pulled tightly around the shooters face, obscuring his features.

The witness also admitted to being on heroin at the time of the shooting and told prosecutors he couldnt clearly remember that day.

The witnesses lackluster testimony epitomized a case without compelling evidence, Carter said during his closing argument. New Orleans police had failed to find a black hoodie when they arrested Curtis, or the hot-red shoes the gunman had also donned during the shooting, Carter argued.

If we close our eyes and have blind faith in the District Attorneys Office, with all the holes, the gaps and the doubts we have about their case, hell spend the rest of his life in prison, he said.
Gulf of Mexico charter fishing boat operators opposed to federal regulations requiring that they affix tracking equipment to their vessels have taken their case to a federal appeals court.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan in New Orleans upheld the regulations, rejecting the charter operators' lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service.

NMFS says the devices will help make sure logbooks are correct and that data on catches are accurately reported, the agency said in court records. The operators argue that permanent tracking amounts to a violation of Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.

Morgan's ruling noted that the fisheries service has tracked commercial vessels for years. The judge, whom President Barack Obama nominated to the court, said the information collected is limited in scope and that it is gathered at regular intervals  not like an unannounced search.

The suit was filed in 2020 by a group of charter operators from Louisiana and Florida.

Hoping to revive the suit, the operators went to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. No dates have yet been set for filing of briefs or arguments.

The operators argue that permanent tracking amounts to a violation of Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.
A New Orleans man who failed to stop at a school crossing in Madisonville was arrested in what turned out to be a stolen vehicle after leading police on a chase on Louisiana 22 during morning rush hour traffic, police said.

Dedrick Biagas, 21, was booked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail on counts of aggravated obstruction of a highway, aggravated flight from an officer, possession of stolen property over $1,500, reckless operation, no license plate and driving without a license, a spokesperson for the Madisonville Police Department said.

Madisonville police received calls about Biagas' driving after he failed to follow a crossing guard's directions, the spokesperson said. He headed into oncoming traffic on Louisiana 22 and made several U-turns on the highway with officers in pursuit.

Madisonville Police Chief Barney Tierney said that Biagas ran some other motorists off the road during the chase, which he described as only reaching speeds of 40-45 mph.

Biagas was finally stopped when he was boxed in by a Madisonville police car and a St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's vehicle, which were slightly damaged.

His vehicle was reported stolen out of Oklahoma, Tierney said.
New Orleans police are seeking a man who is accused of slapping a woman and stealing her dog, a 2-year-old cocker spaniel and poodle mix named Curly, in the Central Business District.

Police responded to a simple robbery in the 1400 block of Iberville Street at 7:42 p.m. Monday.

Anthony Moore, 22, got out of his vehicle, slapped an 18-year-old woman and snatched Curly by force, police say. Police have issued a warrant for Moore's arrest.

Curly has not been recovered, and Moore remains at large, police say. No other information, including the dog's current condition, was immediately available.

Anyone with information pertaining to this investigation may call NOPD detectives at (504) 658-6010 or call Crimestoppers anonymously at (504) 822-1111.
Climate change poses an existential threat to south Louisiana during the next half-century, promising to deliver human suffering, force a northward migration, and disrupt both the states economy and its infrastructure, according to a number of scientists familiar with the latest UN climate science report.

These dire outcomes are expected even if the world is able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions enough to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2050, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report released on Feb. 28.

The threats facing Louisiana seem like a list of plot lines from a dystopian disaster movie:

More intense hurricanes moving more slowly at landfall, delivering the sort of damage wrought by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Laura, Delta and Ida.

Ocean heat waves and a northward move of fish species, combined with increased saltwater intrusion, that will threaten the states existing commercial fisheries.

Faster sea level rise that will become the main factor for Louisiana wetlands loss, potentially overwhelming communities outside modern hurricane levees and threatening levees abilities to protect communities from the most dangerous surge.

Storm surge, increased rainfall rates, and winds repeatedly wreaking havoc on homes, businesses, roads, and electric power plants and their transmission systems.

Increased temperatures and humidity that will pose a health threat to those working outdoors, children, the elderly and the poor.

An increase in other health threats for residents, including outbreaks of diseases that are presently limited to more tropical settings.

An increase in mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorders and suicides.

A disruption of the ability of state and local governments  and their residents  to afford the dramatically increasing costs of climate change.

To deal with those threats, states and cities need long-term, comprehensive plans, said Sarah Cooley, director of climate science for the Ocean Conservancy and one of the reports lead authors.

Humans are resourceful, but instead of adapting in the moment, making quick decisions, our decision-making needs to be much broader-based and better-coordinated than ever before, so that more people can benefit, Cooley said. If we put our fingers in our ears and ignore the warnings that science is giving us, there will be much poorer outcomes for many more people, and I think nobody wants that.

Chip Kline, chairman of the states Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, agreed that the new report presents stark choices for the state, but said Louisiana has been preparing for those challenges for several decades.

Unfortunately, many of the dire warnings in this report do not come as news to the people of Louisiana, Kline said. The silver lining, however, is that we are better prepared than ever to take on these compounding challenges.

Kline pointed to the states $50 billion/50-year coastal master plan, the governors new Climate Action Plan, and billions of dollars in levee and storm surge protection projects slated for the coming years.

Edwards has also adopted an Adaptive Governance Initiative, he said, that requires state agencies to understand their role in addressing coastal issues, to develop strategies and tools to aid in integrating the master plan in their own planning process, and to figure out how to partner with other state agencies, federal and local agencies and private and non-profit organizations to maximize the states efforts, Kline said.

Relocations likely necessary

The report makes clear that climate changes effects are already occurring, and will only get worse, said Virginia Burkett, chief scientist for climate and land use change with the U.S. Geological Survey. Burkett, based in Many, also is a non-voting member of Gov. John Bel Edwards Climate Initiatives Task Force.

Some clear examples, she said, are the impacts from the loss of coastal habitat and ecosystems on indigenous groups in Louisiana, including the Isle de Jean Charles Band of the Biloxi-Chitamacha-Choctaw tribe in Terrebonne Parish.

That group has moved north from their traditional tribal lands because nearby wetlands have been eroded by subsidence and sea level rise. The community was also left outside a major levee system being built to protect much of the Houma area from hurricane surges.

Sea level rise and the increasing intensity of hurricanes, both a result of warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions, have caused this tribe to lose most of its homeland over a single generation, Burkett said.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Ida in 2021 destroyed all remaining homes in the Isle de Jean Charles community and 68 of the 80 homes of the Pointe-Au-Chien Indian tribe, also in Terrebonne Parish. And about 15,000 members of the United Houma Nation also had damage to their homes, according to tribal officials.

The report said more relocations will be needed if temperature increases arent kept within the targets already set by past UN reports of 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius. It estimates the average cost of such relocations in coastal Louisiana at $100,000 per person.

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Organized relocations are politically and emotionally charged, will not necessarily be undertaken autonomously by exposed populations, and are most successful when approached proactive(ly) and strategically to avoid increasing the socio-economic vulnerability of those who are relocated, the report said.

New Orleans, other parishes, may lose communities

In addition to physical risks, Louisiana must also grapple with financial risks posed by its expected transition from an oil-and-gas-based economy to the low-carbon economy envisioned by the governors climate action plan, said Tulane University professor Jesse Keenan, an author of the UNs next climate change report, focused on mitigation, due out in April.

State leaders are really going to need to manage the transition plan for decarbonization in a way that creates and sustains a new economy that is going to produce the revenue necessary to adapt, Keenan said. Without such a transition, the state will no longer have the tax revenue needed to survive, he said.

Meanwhile, localities will be grappling with those same cost issues while also dealing with risk reduction decisions that might include moving people out of harms way.

Youre looking at some really tough decisions, particularly in southeast Louisiana, that will have to be made about what to protect and what to let go, because theres no amount of public resources available nor will there be from the federal government, that will allow them to protect the totality of what they currently have, Keenan said.

New Orleans, the states most populous city, is faced with both physical and fiscal threats through the end of the 21st century, as continued wetlands loss turns it into a virtual island despite the potential successes of the states billion-dollar coastal restoration plans, Keenan said.

City leaders are going to have to pick areas, zones, which are defensible from an engineering point of view and a political point of view, and concentrate intensity of commercial and housing activities in these zones, Keenan said. Theyre going to have to, essentially, have selective disinvestment and retreat from other areas.

Physical, mental health challenges expected

The climate report also delivers a troubling message about adverse health outcomes driven by climate change, said Dr. Kristie Ebi, a professor of global health at the University of Wisconsin and another of the reports authors.

For one, there is a clear relationship between rising temperatures and adverse pregnancy outcomes, the report states. Increases in Lyme disease, spread by ticks, and West Nile, spread by mosquitoes, are also more likely to affect people as warming occurs.

Ebi said more investments in federal, state and local health systems will be needed to combat those problems. Reductions in carbon emissions, a stated goal of Edwards climate action plan, will also help, she said.

The report also points to increased mental health issues as a major cause for alarm, especially in coastal areas like Louisiana that are expecting repeated rounds of catastrophic storms, heat issues, and other problems, said Edward Peters, who became chairman of the department of epidemiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha in September, after leaving the same position with the School of Public Health at the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.

The combination of mental health and other health problems will likely reduce the major gains made in healthcare during the 20th century, he said.

I wouldnt be surprised if people look back hundreds of years from now and see that during the 20th century, we saw the greatest increases in life expectancy, but during the 21st and 22nd centuries, well be seeing decreases in life expectancy.

Editors note: This story was changed on March 9 to clarify that the homes of 15,000 members of the United Houma Nation were damaged by Hurricane Ida.
Wind-whipped flames are marching across more of New Mexicos tinder-dry mountainsides, forcing the evacuation of area residents and dozens of patients from the state's psychiatric hospital as firefighters scramble to keep new wildfires from growing. The big blaze burning near the community of Las Vegas has charred more than 217 square miles. Residents in neighborhoods on the edge of Las Vegas were told to be ready to leave their homes. It's the biggest wildfire in the U.S. and is moving quickly through groves of ponderosa pine because of hot, dry and windy conditions that make for extreme wildfire danger. Forecasters are warning of extreme fire danger across New Mexico and in western Texas.
Reception for the Essential Services

His Worship the Mayor, Mr Christian Santos GMD hosted a reception for members of the Essential Services in the Mayors Parlour.

The Royal Gibraltar Police; Gibraltar Defence Police; Gibraltar Fire & Rescue Service; Airport Fire & Rescue Service; Borders & Coast Guard Agency; HM Customs; Gibraltar Ambulance Service, and the Gibraltar Port Authority were welcomed to City Hall. Every organisation was represented by members of several departments and ranks.

In his welcome speech His Worship spoke about how these forces and agencies play a crucial role in our community. They work to protect and serve our community on a daily basis, with their diligent efforts ensuring we are safe and can continue to live peacefully in Gibraltar.

His Worship concluded by thanking all for their brave and tireless work.
OKLAHOMA CITY  Oklahoma lawmakers Tuesday vowed that Oklahoma would be the most pro-life state in the nation after learning that the U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to allow states to choose whether to allow abortion access. State abortion rights advocates at the same time said they were terrified at this point.
Sayre, Pa.  A father called Athens Township Police to report that his daughter was being harrassed by her manager at Burger King in Sayre.

An investigation into the accusations indicated that Edwin Glen Keagle, 26, of Sayre had put his hands on the juveniles thighs, bottom, and breasts over a work uniform on several instances. According to the report, Keagle made the advances while the two worked at the front counters, in the back of the store, and in the office area of the restaurant.

The accuser reported to authorities that Keagle sent text messages to her asking for alone time, according to the affidavit. Keagle allegedly told the employee he would send staff home so they could be alone. Authorities said the juvenile was scared and called a relative, who reported Keagle.

According to the report, Keagle admitted to touching the juvenile and sending text messages.

Keagle was charged with third-degree felony corruption of minors and held on $40,000 monetary bail at the Bradford County Prison. Keagle was also charged with second-degree indecent assault without consent of other and summary harassment. Court records show Keagle will face Judge Larry Hurley on March 8 for a preliminary hearing.

Docket sheet

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Muncy -- Shirley Seibert Muffly, 90, of Muncy, went to be with her Lord and Savior Sunday, March 6, 2022 at UPMC Muncy.

Born May 17, 1931 in Williamsport, she was the daughter of the late Dr. Paul R. Seibert and Lena Mae (VanNordstrand) Seibert. On December 22, 1951 she married James L. Muffly, who survives. Together they celebrated 70 years of marriage.

Shirley was a 1949 graduate of Muncy High School and a 1951 graduate of Temple University, where she was the class valedictorian. She began her career as a dental hygienist at the Muncy school district. After traveling with Jim while he served in the Navy, she returned to her career at the Hughesville school district. Shirley then worked for a number of years as a dental hygienist for Dr. Amer in Hughesville and eventually retired from the business of Dr. VanEss, who had taken over the previous practice.

She was a life member of St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Muncy. Shirley was a member of the Laureate Epsilon Pi Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi.

An avid creator, she enjoyed learning new arts beginning with ceramics, which she made and distributed to her friends. Shirley worked with metal decorating tools, perfecting her gold leaf techniques. She was an excellent knitter. Shirley also enjoyed painting and was proud of the paintings she had done of family homes.

Surviving in addition to her husband are a daughter, Karen M. Sebring, of Muncy; a son and daughter-in-law, James L. Jr. and Debra L. Muffly, of Muncy; a brother, Paul R. Seibert, Jr., of Greenville, South Carolina; three grandchildren, Matthew R. Sebring and his fiance, Jessica Immel, Austin J. Muffly, and his wife, Brittnie, and Megan C. Todorow, and her husband Casey; and three great-grandchildren, Brylee, Walker and Connor.

Friends will be received from 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesday at Grenobles, 121 S. Main St., Muncy, where the funeral will be held at 11 a.m. with her pastor, the Rev. Ben Lander, officiating.

Burial will follow in the Muncy Cemetery.

The family will provide the flowers, and suggests, contributions in Shirleys name be made to St. Andrew Lutheran Church, 201 S. Main St., Muncy, PA 17756.

Expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.grenoblefuneralhome.com.

To plant a tree in memory of Shirley Muffly as a living tribute, please visit Tribute Store.

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Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering Gov. Tom Wolf's final budget proposal, which includes raising the minimum wage to $12 an hour by July.

Child behavioral health agencies warn that increasing wages without more funding could affect the quality of care.

Pennsylvania agencies are paid a pre-determined reimbursement rate controlled by the state Department of Human Services and counties.

Samea Kim - vice president of legal and public affairs at the Pennsylvania Council of Children, Youth & Family Services - said providers support a higher minimum wage, but feel it's not financially feasible without also raising reimbursement rates.

"At a really difficult time," said Kim, "when there's already reductions in services, when there's already workforce challenges especially in the human services field, it's likely to have a really significant impact on providers' ability to recruit and retain a really high-quality and high-functioning workforce."

The current state minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.

A Wolf administration spokesperson says many workers in the social-services field already are earning close to or more than $12 an hour.

He adds that rates paid by DHS for services will be set with the costs of the minimum-wage increase in consideration and that layoffs by social-service providers are not expected.

Beth Endy is the director of human resources at at Bethany Children's Home, a Berks County residential facility for young people experiencing behavioral health challenges.

Endy said there's been discussion about exempting human services from a minimum wage increase - and she worries that would lead to more people leaving the field for better pay.

"If a staff can go to a different type of industry, which a lot of times is less draining and make more than they do here, that's what's going to happen," said Endy. "They're going to leave. They're going to go to another type of industry in order to meet their needs and their family's needs, financially."

Endy said to retain workers dealing with burnout during the pandemic, her organization increased starting pay to a range of $16 to $19 an hour for direct support professionals.

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International Women's Day at Westside School

Schools around Gibraltar have been celebrating International Womens Day today. At Westside School, students in Years 7 to 11 have worked on IWD activities during PSHE.

Students have designed posters and activities to raise awareness as well as selling baked goods with proceeds raised going to the Malala fund. Students and teachers have participated throughout the day to make the event a great success.
Napoleon, OH (43545)

Today

Cloudy with a few showers. Low 47F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Cloudy with a few showers. Low 47F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Five Customs administrations in East Africa, namely Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, organized its Regional Joint Coordinating Committee (RJCC) meeting of the Project on Capacity Development for Trade Facilitation and Border Control in East Africa (TF & BC Project) virtually on 25 February 2022. This Project, whose original one started in 2007, has been implemented by the five Customs administrations with the support jointly extended by the WCO and JICA in cooperation with Japan Customs. With the aims at improving efficiency of border procedures and enhancing border control, the five Customs administrations have made continuous collaborative efforts under the Project on (1) effective One Stop Border Posts (OSBPs) operation, and (2) Customs capacity building on three areas, namely (i) risk management (RM), (ii) post clearance audit (PCA), and (iii) Program Global Shield (PGS).

The fifth RJCC meeting in last June was organized to confirm the achievement made through the Project particularly on Customs capacity building component completed in June 2021, although the Master Trainer Programme (MTP), which is the one of the main product of the TF & CB Project in the field of Capacity Building, has been succeeded and carried out in cooperation with the WCO/JICA Joint Project which covers East, Southern and West African Members and the Pacific Islands.

The 6th RJCC meeting this February was to confirm the achievement of OSBP part of the TF & CB Project. The meeting was chaired by the Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) and was attended by Commissioners General, Commissioners Customs and other senior officials from the five Customs administrations, the WCO, the JICA and Japan Customs. WCO Secretary General, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, represented the WCO and addressed at the opening of the meeting.

In his opening remarks, touching that the OSBP has been referred in the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the WCO Secretary General expressed his respect for the experience of East Africa such as successful operationalization of OSBPs and Single Customs Territory and encouraged East Africa to share these achievements with other parts of Africa. He also praised East Africa for its series of successes in Capacity Building activities such as MTP, where about 140 Master Trainers in key Customs matters have been developed, which has helped WCOs vision of developing a pool of experts in each region and has also led to the launch of the MTP on Rules of Origin in Africa last year to support the implementation of the AfCFTA and expanding the coverage to cover the Pacific Islands with 2 new MTPs on HS classification and Customs Valuation. The WCO Secretary General assured that all activities taking place are conducted in full coordination among development partners.

Finally, Dr. Mikuriya expressed his sincere appreciation to the RJCC Members for their commitment and for the progress accomplished in Customs modernization in Africa, including both JICA and recipient Administrations; he invited them to stay in contact to keep the momentum and follow-up in the future to explore the potential of Africa for its sustainable development.

The Members of RJCC meeting commended the good achievements made by the Project for contributing to sustainable development of East Africa and expressed their appreciation to the WCO, JICA and Japan Customs for the quality support offered and expressed their expectation to continuous collaboration, followed by their acceptance of the completion report of the project .

For more details, please, contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org.
One hundred Republican state legislators are urging Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb to call the Indiana General Assembly into special session as soon as possible if the U.S. Supreme Court later this year limits or rescinds the constitutional right to abortion.

In a letter sent to the governor Tuesday, the GOP Hoosier lawmakers say they want the Indiana House and Senate to convene "to protect unborn children" if the nation's high court partially or completely overturns its 1973 Roe v. Wade precedent in favor of giving states more control over abortion access.

"As a state that recognizes that life is a precious gift that should never be neglected, it is our desire that you, as the governor of Indiana, ensure that those values are upheld without delay," the letter says.

"We have a responsibility to Hoosiers to ensure that our state laws are aligned with the Supreme Court's decision if Roe v. Wade is wholly, or partially overturned."

The letter is signed by, among others, House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, and Senate President Rod Bray, R-Martinsville.

The Northwest Indiana lawmakers who signed the letter are: state Rep. Mike Aylesworth, R-Hebron; state Sen. Mike Bohacek, R-Michiana Shores; state Sen. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso; state Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell; state Rep. Julie Olthoff, R-Crown Point; state Rep. Jim Pressel, R-Rolling Prairie; state Rep. Hal Slager, R-Schererville; and state Sen. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso.

The governor did not immediately respond to the letter. Though Holcomb never has failed to enact any abortion restriction approved by the Republican-controlled General Assembly, including several that were clearly unconstitutional and subsequently struck down in federal court.

Under the Indiana Constitution, the governor can call the Legislature back to the Statehouse after it adjourns for the year if, in his opinion, "the public welfare shall require it."

Anti-abortion activists are hopeful Indiana and other states will get the go-ahead to completely ban abortion, or more severely restrict access to the procedure, when the conservative Supreme Court majority cemented by Republican former President Donald Trump issues its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization  likely by the end of June.

"We are deeply appreciative of these legislators taking action to encourage a special session if the Supreme Court opens new opportunities for protecting life in Indiana," said Mike Fichter, president of Indiana Right to Life.

"We come alongside these legislators in encouraging Governor Holcomb to take decisive action if Roe vs. Wade is completely, or partially, reversed."

On the other hand, abortion rights supporters believe there's no need for a special legislative session that will make women's lives more dangerous by taking away access to safe abortion.

"The notion that our 76% male state Legislature should be able to make decisions about womens own bodies and livelihoods on their behalf is ludicrous. The state governments purpose is to enhance peoples lives, not control and legislate their most private and complex decisions," said state Sens. Jean Breaux, D-Indianapolis, and Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington.

"If we call a special session in the name of protecting women and children, it should be to pass laws that fund childcare, support foster services, reinstate the child tax credit and support Hoosier women and children in real ways."

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Avelo Airlines is flying into Midway Airport on Chicago's south side. The Houston-based low-cost carrier is launching flights to southern Connecticut, just a few hours outside New York City and a starting point to visiting New England.

The growing budget airline, which was founded in 2018, has flight operations based out of Los Angeles and New Haven. It now has five Midwestern destinations.

Avelo Airlines will fly from Midway to the Tweed-New Haven Airport in New Haven, the home of Yale University and the second-largest city in Connecticut, for fares starting at $69.

Chicago  say hello to Avelo. Getting from the Windy City to southern Connecticut is now easier and more affordable than ever," Avelo Chairman and CEO Andrew Levy said. "Avelo is thrilled to add Midway as our first Midwestern U.S. destination to our expanding national network.

The flight service starts out of Midwest on May 26. Avelo will fly a fuel-efficient 147-seat Boeing Next-Generation 737-700 aircraft on the route five days a week initially, expanding to a sixth day in June.

"Today's announcement is another clear step toward transforming Tweed-New Haven into a more vibrant and sustainable airport, one that can help grow jobs and serve as an economic driver for our region," said Sean Scanlon, executive director of Tweed-New Haven Airport. For years the people of southern Connecticut have been asking for more options when it comes to flights. Now, with over 100,000 customers served since November and non-stop service to thirteen business and leisure destinations, we've made that a reality thanks to our partnership with Avelo Airlines."

Avelo was America's first new scheduled airline in 15 years when it started four years ago. It now serves 18 destinations across the Midwest. It charges extra for priority boarding, checked bags, carry-on overhead bags, and bringing pets in the cabin.

Customers can choose seats with extra legroom, or by the window or aisle.

For more information, visit AveloAir.com.

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NIPSCO gave more than $2.3 million to charity last year, according to its newly released 2021 Corporate Citizenship Report.

The Merrillville-based gas and electric utility, one of the largest utilities in the Hoosier State, detailed the community causes it supported through the NiSource Charitable Foundation, which its parent company founded "to create strong and sustainable communities where employees and customers live and work."

NIPSCO gave grants and donations to nonprofits for needs like hardship assistance, workforce development, environmental stewardship, public safety and STEM.

Supporting our communities is what we do at NIPSCO, whether we are providing power, or putting our dollars and volunteer hours toward causes to help our neighbors and area organizations, said Mike Hooper, NIPSCO president. Im proud of the contributions our company has made to benefit northern Indiana in the past year.

Last year, NIPSCO employees raised $20,000 through the Charity of Choice program and helped the utility furnish $93,000 through its Hope for the Holidays program.

The company gave Environmental Action Grants to 18 nonprofit groups for wetland restoration, pollination programs, water quality evaluation and other initiatives across its service area.

It supported a number of nonprofits across Northern Indiana, including the Youth Services Bureau of St. Joseph County, Food Finders Mobile Food Pantries, the STEAM Park at Taste of the Arts Fort Wayne, the Girl Scouts Northeast Indiana STEM Conference, TradeWinds, the NAACP Gary Chapter, La Casa De Amistad and Habitat for Humanity Northwest Indiana, Kokomo Family YMCA and Science Central Fort Wayne.

For more information, visit NIPSCO.com/givingback.

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MICHIGAN CITY  A 71-year-old woman faces a felony neglect charge after her bedridden, mentally disabled son was brought to the hospital and later died with multiple pressure wounds that went to the bone and were impacted with feces, charging information reads.

"(An adult protective services worker) then informed me that the blanket Mr. (Jason) Wilke was brought in on was fused to his skin upon reaching Franciscan Michigan City," a court document states.

Mary Lee Wilke, who is charged with a felony count of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, initially told an official in January that her adult son's wounds had only developed days earlier.

"That Ms. Wilke informed her that she was cleaning Mr. Wilke, but he would scream in pain if she touched him anywhere near them," Michigan City police said.

Police said they visited the accused's apartment Jan. 31 and Wilke told them her son was "dumped" on her in 2014 after he had been in an ATV accident in Tennessee. She reportedly said she did not have custody of him from 2012 to 2014 due to her having cancer.

She said her son became bedridden in 2019 and had not seen a doctor since due to his Social Security benefits being revoked and not having health insurance, a court document states.

While Wilke again claimed her son's wounds only had recently appeared, she also said he suffered from bedsores since December, police said.

When asked why she finally called emergency services, Wilke initially said her son was turning gray, according to police. She later said she called because she noticed the wounds.

While Wilke said she had been cleaning her son, police said they pointed out he was covered in feces when arriving at the hospital.

"Elaborating that she did the best that she could," charges state.

"She stated that she did not realize Mr. Wilke was in that bad of condition, and that she did not do anything wrong," a court document reads.

Hospital officials said the wounds in question would have taken months to form and that the man had coded overnight Jan. 27, but was revived, police said.

He also suffered from a wound to his right knee, lost a toenail and "had discoloration that divided his body at the midline," a charging document states. He was in organ failure, on dialysis and was septic before dying Feb. 1, police said.

Relatives of Wilke said she did not want to take custody of him back in 2014 and told them to mind their own business when urging her to seek medical help for her son, according to police. Wilke reportedly said she could not get a doctor's appointment any sooner than two and a half months.

A relative visiting Wilke's apartment two weeks before the man was taken to the hospital reportedly told police "the interior of the apartment smelled like urine and feces."

On March 1, Wilke was booked into LaPorte County Jail, where she remains on a $100,000 cash bond, records show. She has a bail review hearing set for March 22.

The Level 1 charge she faces carries a potential sentence of 20 to 40 years behind bars.

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HAMMOND  Hammond police say an upgrade to its Blue Net license plate reader system will allow officers to respond more quickly when problems are detected.

The system offers police a real-time reading of plates to help make sure no threat goes undetected or case goes cold, Hammond Police Lt. Steven A. Kellogg said.

Businesses are encouraged to register new or existing cameras with police to help widen the city's safety net, he said.

"The system will allow police to respond more quickly to crimes in progress and allow them easier access to recordings in the event of an investigation," Kellogg said.

Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. said, "I'm also proud that the city of Hammond was one of the first in the state of Indiana to utilize this technology to the extent that Hammond does. I truly believe this technology has made the job of a Hammond police officer much easier in spotting stolen and other vehicles possibly involved in criminal activity. This technology is effective already and it's only getting more and more sophisticated."

Blue Net originally began as a license plate reader initiative, police said. It was then expanded to video in parks, at intersections and high traffic areas around the city. The technology was increased to include direct access to city buildings, parks, fire stations and businesses.

"Blue Net will make Hammond safer by allowing the police department to have a real-time view in the event of an emergency and also by having faster and easier access to recordings during an investigation," Hammond Police Chief William Short said.

"The Hammond Police Department has seen a reduction in violent crime as well as more successful investigations and prosecutions in the areas where the technology is installed," according to a news release.

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CROWN POINT  A special judge said Monday he would consider arguments on the Lake County sheriff's motion to dismiss his indictment and issue a written ruling at a future date.

Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr.'s attorneys, Paul Stracci and Michael Woods, accused Special Prosecutor Stanley Levco and an Indiana State Police commander of unduly influencing "the neutral and detached atmosphere" of the grand jury proceedings.

The alleged imposition on the grand jurors' will or independent judgment was so "flagrant," a dismissal of the indictment is required, the defense attorneys said.

Levco's co-counsel, David Thomas, told Special Judge Jeryl Leach during a hearing Monday afternoon that Levco went the extra mile to ensure the grand jury proceedings against Martinez were fair.

Woods said Levco elicited testimony during the proceedings that resulted in the police commander giving a legal opinion about what constitutes reckless driving.

Thomas said the police commander would be qualified to testify as an expert witness and his comments to grand jurors were appropriate.

After listening to the attorneys, Leach said he wanted time to further research the issue. He planned to issue a written ruling in the coming days, he said.

Martinez was indicted in January on one felony count of resisting law enforcement and misdemeanor reckless driving.

He is accused of driving at speeds of up to 50 mph over the speed limit on Taft and Main streets in Crown Point and Merrillville and not stopping for two Crown Point officers, who were chasing his unmarked Jeep TrackHawk with their lights and sirens activated.

The sheriff denied the charges and said the indictment doesn't prohibit him from holding office. If convicted of a felony, he would be automatically removed from office.

Leach said he would approve an agreement between the parties to limit a search of a cellphone seized from the sheriff last week to Sept. 18 and 19, which are dates pertinent to the allegations against Martinez.

The defense had filed a motion to prohibit the search or at least limit it to those two days in September.

Levco said his team always intended for the search warrant to be limited to Sept. 18 and 19.

Leach also agreed to reschedule Martinez's jury trial from April 11 to a later date, possibly in June.

Stracci said the defense was still waiting for responses to its subpoenas.

"We're not done conducting the most basic discovery," he said.

Levco said he still could be ready for trial April 11, but would not object if the defense wanted a continuance.

Leach set a tentative trial date of June 13, but told the parties he would plan a telephonic scheduling conference before finalizing the date.

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A Munster man has been taken into custody after being sought on allegations of torturing a lamb taken from Buckley Homestead County Park in 2018 by shooting it with a BB gun and cutting its throat while it was still alive, officials said.

Nikola Kutansky, 35, was arrested Monday afternoon with the assistance of the Gary Police Department on a felony warrant for knowingly torturing or mutilating a vertebrate animal, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources announced.

The Gary Police Department assisted by locating Kutansky on a traffic stop and arresting him without incident.

The Level 6 felony carries a potential sentence of up to 2 1/2 years behind bars.

Conservation officers filed charges after discovering the crime while investigating thefts that occurred at the Willow Slough Fish & Wildlife Area, the DNR said.

Kutansky can be heard saying, "Red Rum," in a video he posted on Facebook of the alleged abuse, Lake Criminal Court records state.

Kutansky also is accused of using a BB gun to shoot two chickens in the presence of his child. The chickens also were taken from Buckley Homestead, according to court documents.

Kutansky was heard saying, "Good morning baby lamb I sto-," before one video was cut off. In another video, he said, "When you steal a bunch of chickens cause your kid wants a petting zoo," records allege.

In the video where Kutansky said, "Red Rum," which is murder spelled backwards, the lamb can be seen bleeding about the head and face. In another video, the lamb is repeatedly tortured with a BB gun while it is tied to the leg of a patio table, documents state.

In another video, a person believed to be Kutansky cut the throat of the injured lamb, records state.

Kutansky has a lengthy criminal record and is currently on bond in a separate case in which he's accused of holding a gun to a woman's head and threatening to rape her children in April 2019 at his Munster home, court records show.

He pleaded not guilty to kidnapping, two counts of domestic battery, intimidation and pointing a firearm.

Times Staff Writer Sarah Reese contributed to this report.

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VALPARAISO  The Porter County Sheriff's Department has arrested a wanted couple.

The pair are identified by police as David A. Beliles, 33, and Amber M. Eidman, 41.

Beliles was wanted on charges of unlawful possession of a syringe, possession of a narcotic drug, possession of paraphernalia with a prior offense and visiting a common nuisance, according to police.

His fiancee, Eidman was wanted on charges of maintaining a common nuisance, possession of a narcotic drug, unlawful possession of a syringe, possession of paraphernalia and failure to appear on charges of possessing methamphetamine and possessing marijuana, according to police.

Both individuals have ties to Portage and Valparaiso.

Monday morning, the Porter County Sheriff's Department released descriptions of the couple, seeking help in locating them. Early Monday afternoon, the sheriff's department announced both individuals were in custody.

Times Staff Writer Molly DeVore contributed to this report.

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VALPARAISO  Porter Countys steering committee for determining how to spend nearly $28 million in American Rescue Plan Act money will meet for the first time Thursday.

The meeting will be held at 5 p.m. at the Porter County Administration Building. The meeting will focus on organizational issues and go over where a portion of the $33 million total has been spent so far.

Voting members of the committee include Commissioner Laura Blaney, D-South; County Council President Jeremy Rivas, D-2nd; and Councilman Andy Bozak, R-at large. Nonvoting advisers include County Auditor Vicki Urbanik, who also chairs the committee, and County Attorney Scott McClure.

Tuesday is the deadline for citizens to apply to seats on the four subcommittees: Behavioral Health & Social Services; Nonprofits & Employers; Infrastructure & Facilities; and County Government COVID Health Response.

The Board of Commissioners and County Council will appoint one member each to the subcommittees.

Citizens can apply at the countys website, porterco.org.

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On 8 March, the World Customs Organization (WCO) joins the international community in celebrating International Womens Day 2022, focusing on the United Nations theme of Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow, which highlights the vital link between gender, social equity and climate change, and stresses that without the inclusion of half of the world's population, it is unlikely that solutions for a sustainable planet will be realized.

The WCO took the opportunity of this celebration to hold a global virtual launch of its Network for Gender Equality and Diversity in Customs which has been established following an increasing interest from WCO Members to further promote this agenda. The global launch of this Network, which bring together more than 200 participants, constitutes a milestone in the WCOs efforts to further advance gender equality and diversity, a journey that the WCO embarked on already in 2013 when the Women in Customs, Trade and Leadership conference was organized.

The launch of this Network includes two keynote interventions from the Secretary General of the WCO, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, and from the Executive Director of the International Trade Centre (ITC), Ms. Pamela Coke-Hamilton. During his address, Secretary General Mikuriya stresses that Gender equality and inclusion are not only womens issues, but should rather be considered a shared concern and commitment by all. We believe in inclusiveness, diversity and equitable treatment and opportunities for all, which is one of the WCO core values. Afterwards, when the ITC Executive Director took the floor, she says: At ITC, we look forward to working together to eliminate the barriers faced by women in cross-border trade and in promoting inclusive trade for all. We firmly believe that trade policymakers, border regulatory agencies and the business community need to work hand in hand to create a gender responsive business environment.

Through two dedicated panels on the topics of Enhancing organizations through Gender Equality and Inclusion and Advancing Gender Equality and Inclusion through effective stakeholder collaboration, this event provides an opportunity for Customs representatives to share their experiences on implementing gender equality and diversity both in internal policies directed to staff, as well as external policies targeting stakeholders. The panelists include representatives from Customs in Zambia, Ireland, Philippines, Indonesia and Rwanda. Through the intervention from a representative from the World Bank Group, participants are also provided the opportunity to get familiar with the results from a study on the specific challenges faced by women traders.

The launch of this new Network goes in line with the WCO and its Memberships commitment to advance this agenda, which was endorsed with the adoption of the Declaration on Gender Equality and Diversity in Customs in December 2020. This Declaration recognizes that gender equality and diversity are prerequisites for achieving sustainable development, growth and competitiveness and calls upon Customs administrations to share their experiences in this domain.

Customs administrations are encouraged to adopt more gender responsive and inclusive policies both internally, in areas of human resource management, leadership and career development, as well as externally, in their collaboration with stakeholders. They are also invited to share their experiences on monitoring and evaluating of such initiatives to assess progress.

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of taking advantage of the use of technology and digitalization to swiftly adapt to new conditions. However, when implementing these reforms, we must also think of the accessibility of these new technologies, to ensure that they can be used by everyone.

It has also been confirmed that the COVID-19 pandemic caused an accentuation of some pre-existing gender-specific trends leading to increased economic disparity caused by the economic downturn, and increased levels of gender-based violence. This reality also demonstrates the urgency for Customs administrations to mainstream gender and inclusion resilience mechanisms to reduce these risks.

The first edition of the WCO Compendium on Gender Equality and Diversity in Customs [1] was issued last year. With examples from Member administrations, this Compendium can be used as guidance to support efforts in this domain.

In 2017, the Virtual Working Group for Gender Equality and Diversity was also launched to provide a platform for Members to exchange experiences and good practices, as well as to raise awareness of the Gender Equality Organizational Assessment Tool (GEOAT). A blended training package entitled Advancing Gender Equality in Customs has also been developed which includes two dedicated e-learning modules available on the WCO CLiKC! Platform[2].
If you increase your heart rate, will your life span follow?

That possibility is at the heart of an ambitious new study of exercise and mortality. The study, one of the largest and longest-term experimental examinations to date of exercise and mortality, shows that older men and women who exercise in almost any fashion are relatively unlikely to die prematurely. But if some of that exercise is intense, the study also finds, the risk of early mortality declines even more, and the quality of peoples lives climbs.

Scientists have known for some time, of course, that active people tend also to be long-lived people. According to multiple past studies, regular exercise is strongly associated with greater longevity, even if the exercise amounts to only a few minutes a week.

But almost all of these studies have been observational, meaning they looked at peoples lives at a moment in time, determined how much they moved at that point, and later checked to see whether and when they passed away. Such studies can pinpoint associations between exercise and life spans, but they cannot prove that moving actually causes people to live longer, only that activity and longevity are linked.

To find out if exercise directly affects life spans, researchers would have to enroll volunteers in long-term, randomized controlled trials, with some people exercising, while others work out differently or not at all. The researchers then would have to follow all of these people for years, until a sufficiently large number died to allow for statistical comparisons of the groups.
Barely a week after withdrawing nearly all U.S. forces from Afghanistan, President Biden faces, in Haiti, a strikingly similar dilemma, now much closer to home.

In Afghanistan, Mr. Biden concluded that American forces could not be expected to prop up the countrys frail government in perpetuity. His critics argue that withdrawing makes Washington culpable for the collapse that seems likely to follow.

There is no threat of insurgent takeover in Haiti. But, with authorities there requesting American troops to help restore order and guard its assets, Mr. Biden faces a similar choice.

Past interventions in Haiti suggest that another could indeed forestall further descent into chaos. But those occupations lasted years, did little to address (and may have worsened) the underlying causes of that chaos, and left the United States responsible for what came after.
Ukrainian civilians trapped as attacks escalate

Russian forces are stepping up indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets and laying siege to cities across Ukraine. Fears are growing over the fate of thousands of Ukrainians trapped in cities without heat and enough food supplies.

As of Monday, 202 schools, 34 hospitals and more than 1,500 residential buildings have been destroyed since the war began, while nearly 1,000 towns and villages are completely deprived of electricity, water and heat, according to an adviser to Ukraines president, Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ukraine dismissed a Kremlin proposal to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people to Russia and its ally Belarus. Russian forces have kept up shelling of so-called evacuation corridors, where civilians are trying to flee. Follow our live updates.

At dawn, Russian forces unleashed a ferocious artillery attack on the southern city of Mykolaiv, hitting residential neighborhoods with rockets. By evening, the guns had died down, and Ukrainian officials declared that their forces had once again repelled the Russian onslaught.
Soldiers rushed to help, but the woman and children were dead. The man still had a pulse but was unconscious and severely wounded. He later died. (Andriy Dubchak, a freelance journalist, filmed the scene.)

As the mortars got closer to the stream of civilians, people ran, pulling children, trying to find a safe spot. But there was nothing to hide behind, Lynsey wrote.

The attack in Irpin suggested that Russian forces had either directly targeted evacuees or disregarded the risk to civilians. The tactic is being witnessed across Ukraine as Russian forces step up indiscriminate attacks on civilians and lay siege to cities, trapping residents.

An evacuation effort from Mariupol  a port city of a half-million people on the southeastern coast  was twice halted over the weekend as Russian forces kept up shelling. Residents there have no heat through freezing nights, and food supplies are running low. An attempt to bring supplies into Mariupol today failed.

Russia had announced a temporary pause in fighting in some combat zones to allow civilians to flee, but its continued shelling around evacuation paths made the cease-fires all but meaningless. Dominik Stillhart, the director of operations for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told the BBC that the evacuation route out of Mariupol was mined.
ZURICH  Swiss officials were applauded last week when they broke with the countrys tradition of neutrality by joining the United States, the European Union and others in imposing sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. But there was a large loophole in the joint effort.

Switzerland is one of the worlds major hubs for trading commodities, and the government estimates 80 percent of Russias raw material and resources, such as oil, metals and grains, are traded in Switzerland, making the Alpine nation central to the sale of Russian exports.

Although the country closely adopted the European Unions sanctions on banking and trade, commodities trading has been allowed to continue. Its a significant industry in Switzerland, employing around 10,000 people and accounting for over 4 percent of its economy, according to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs.

Major commodity and energy trading companies including Glencore, Gunvor and Mercuria have their headquarters in Geneva and the city of Zug. Rivals, like Singapore-based Trafigura, have major offices in Switzerland.
Ms. Guizzos Constructor Notes (below) do a far better job of discussing this theme than I ever could, so I will use this space just to admire the ambitious construction of this puzzle. Thats a lot of names to squeeze in to a 15-by-15 grid, and Ms. Guizzo pulls it off admirably, with only a sprinkling of crossword glue holding it together.

Given that some of these women may be unfamiliar to solvers, Ms. Guizzo had the added challenge of ensuring that every cross through their names was unambiguous (which is particularly important in an early-week puzzle like a Tuesday). This can be a significant challenge for constructors, but Ms. Guizzo absolutely nails it  there wasnt a single point in the solve where I doubted a letter in one of the names.

Brava!

It was a pleasure to honor the following female Nobelists in this puzzle on International Womens Day: the poet and playwright NELLY SACHS, the biochemist and pharmacologist GERTRUDE ELION, the physicist DONNA STRICKLAND, the peace activist BETTY WILLIAMS and the physicist and chemist MARIE CURIE.

I would like to have packed more diversity into this puzzle with entires such as the novelist Toni Morrison; the Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee; the Guatemalan human rights activist and feminist Rigoberta Menchu; the Yemeni journalist, politician and human rights activist Tawakkol Karman; and the Australian American biological researcher Elizabeth Blackburn.

However, it was difficult to work five different female Nobelists of five different countries from each of the five original Nobel categories into a Tuesday-level grid.

Unfortunately, part of the difficulty has to do with the small number of female laureates. Since the prizes inception in 1901, just 58 women have been awarded Nobel Prizes, 6.2 percent of the 943 total unique individuals bestowed with the honor. (Diversity is a problem as well, with only 17 male or female Black Nobelists, 1.8 percent of the total.)

The dearth of female Nobelists is due in part to the fact that the work of deserving women has so often been overlooked. Rachel Carson, an American marine biologist and environmentalist, is one example. Other women, such as the physicists Lise Meitner and Chien-Shiung Wu, the chemist Rosalind Franklin, the microbiologist Esther Lederberg and the astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnel, have seen their work contribute to their male colleagues Nobel Prizes. Additional reasons for the scarcity of female laureates include specious stereotypes and the STEM ceiling, with its structural and institutional barriers (gender pay gap, work-life balance issues, harassment, lack of networking opportunities and implicit biases such as the Matilda effect).

Who better to work with on this puzzle than someone who has fit five female names into a 15x grid before: Sally Hoelscher. Sally and I started this endeavor together, creating a 21x grid featuring female firsts. Tracy Bennett, a puzzle editor at The Times, responded by saying that the editorial team liked our idea but wanted a 15x grid to run on International Womens Day. We initially declined, having put a lot of thought and work into our 21x grid, and having other projects in the works. (That 21x grid is in the Crosswords Club March packet.) However, I hated to pass up this opportunity and asked Sally if shed reconsider. She didnt have time in her busy schedule but said she looked forward to working on my New York Times puzzle on March 8. Thanks for that vote of confidence, Sally!

I tried to avoid additional names in the fill but wasnt sorry to see ADELE and IDA B. Wells make appearances in the puzzle. I provided alternate clues for INA (Food Networks Barefoot Contessa Garten) and IMA (American philanthropist Hogg, a.k.a. the first lady of Texas).

May this global holiday motivate us to work toward gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow.
At Stuyvesant High School in Lower Manhattan, where 93 percent of students are vaccinated, one of the highest rates in the city, more than half a dozen students said before the school day started that they would keep their face coverings in place. A few said they planned to wear masks indefinitely.

There really is no cure for Covid at this point, Ella Chan, 17, a junior at Stuyvesant, said before the 8 a.m. bell. Theres just too much uncertainty for me.

Eden Di Lella, 15, a sophomore, said: Ive also just been asking around, just being curious about whos really keeping the masks on, and it just has been an overwhelming number of yeses, compared to taking it off. She noted, though, that others had mentioned exceptions for chorus or gym class.

Max Shimbo, 14, was one of the few not wearing a mask. I trust the people in the mayors office, he said of how he made his decision. They know how many cases were getting and how many people are vaccinated, so I trust they made the right choice.

On Staten Island, Richard Kreie, 5, a kindergartner, was so relieved about the end of the mask mandate that on Friday after school he stomped on his and threw it away. On Monday morning before heading into school at P.S. 1 in the Tottenville neighborhood, where 10 percent of the students are vaccinated, he pulled down his lower lip to show why. One of his bottom teeth just had dropped out, and he couldnt wait to mug with the new gap in his smile. I love it, he said. Its fun.
The Smithsonian Institution says that it will expand some of its opening hours in the next week and no longer require visitors to wear a mask at its zoo and its nearly two dozen museums along the East Coast.

Two years after the Smithsonians institutions closed because of the pandemic, two of its most visited locations  the National Museum of Natural History and the National Zoo in Washington  will return to their seven-day-a-week schedules starting on March 14, the Smithsonian said in a statement.

Throughout the pandemic, most of the Smithsonians locations were closed for several days a week.

Another big change is coming for Smithsonian visitors: Starting on Friday, they will no longer be required to wear masks.

The Smithsonian said it had made the changes in response to shifting mask mandates around the country and the recent suggestion from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that most Americans could stop wearing masks.
This interview is part of our latest Women and Leadership special report, which highlights women making significant contributions to the major stories unfolding in the world today. The conversation has been edited and condensed.

Cmdr. Billie J. Farrell, 39, is the first woman commander of the U.S.S. Constitution, a 224-year-old warship nicknamed Old Ironsides and the oldest commissioned warship in the U.S. Navy. The ship is based in Boston, where Cmdr. Farrell lives with her husband, Paul Farrell, also in the Navy, and their two children, ages 6 and 3.

Youre part of a rare circle of women in the Navy to command a ship. How does that feel?

Its not as rare as people think it is. I know of many women, including close friends, who are in commanding positions or second in command all over the world. The first woman in the Navy to command a combatant ship, Cmdr. Maureen Farren, assumed the role in 1998, and more and more have joined the ranks ever since.

You have been in the Navy for 18 years. What was your inspiration for joining?

I was watching television at home in Paducah, Ky., when I was in sixth grade and saw a Naval Academy graduation. I became fascinated with the tradition and ceremony and started looking into joining. I saw that it was an opportunity for a great education and a chance to serve my country. After finishing my senior year of high school, I headed to Annapolis for my first six weeks of training.

Describe your first visit to the Constitution, which was when you were in high school. Theres a great photo of you in front of the ship. What do you remember about that visit and how you felt?
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Teachers in Minneapolis went on strike Tuesday morning, shuttering classrooms for about 30,000 public school students.

For weeks, the teachers union and school district officials have been negotiating over salaries, hiring and resources for students mental health. The talks in Minneapolis failed to reach a resolution by their Monday evening deadline, with the district saying it could not afford to meet teachers demands.

Megan Peterson, a first-grade teacher, demonstrated in southern Minneapolis on Tuesday morning while her son, a first grader, stayed home with her husband.

It is not something any of us want to be doing right now, she said.

But this is important for me as a parent, she added. This is important for me as a teacher. And its important for me, as a resident of Minneapolis, for me to make sure my kids are taken care of.
Although no legislation will reverse the pain and fear felt by those victims, their loved ones and Black communities, this legislation is a necessary step America must take to heal from the racialized violence that has permeated its history, Senator Cory Booker, Democrat of New Jersey and a sponsor of the legislation, said in a statement Monday.

Failure to pass such a measure before this year had become a glaring example of the nations inadequate response to a crime that has long terrorized Black Americans. The N.A.A.C.P. estimated, based on its records, that Black victims accounted for 72 percent of 4,743 lynchings that occurred between 1882 and 1968.

This is the year, now is the time, that we do the right thing, said Senator Tim Scott, Republican of South Carolina and a longtime champion of the legislation, in an impassioned speech on the Senate floor on Thursday. Not for Republicans or Democrats, but for Americans whove watched, with bewildered eyes and confused hearts, their government fall short on issues of importance to them again and again and again. Let this year be the year we put politics to the side and we get it done.

Representative George Henry White of North Carolina first introduced legislation to make lynching a hate crime in 1900; he was the only Black lawmaker in Congress at the time. The bill never made it to the House floor for a vote. In the years since, more than 200 similar bills have been filed, lawmakers estimated.

In 2005, the Senate formally apologized for its failure to act on the issue, including when Southern senators blocked similar legislation during the Jim Crow era. More than a decade later, three Black senators  Mr. Scott, Mr. Booker and Kamala Harris of California  began a renewed effort to see an anti-lynching measure signed into law.
So, administration officials are scouring the world to replace Russias oil output. There are no easy choices: Iran (which is under economic sanctions), Venezuela (also under sanctions) and Saudi Arabia (which is angry with the U.S. for various reasons) have been floated as possibilities.

But as he worries about gas prices, Biden also has to worry about the left. Progressives criticized him last week for saying little about climate change in his State of the Union address. The bulk of his climate agenda was blocked when Mr. Manchin and Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona torpedoed the Build Back Better Act, Democrats social policy bill. Democrats fear that could leave young voters who turned out for Biden in 2020 demoralized in 2022.

Steyer, who founded a group that mobilizes young voters around climate issues, says he is optimistic that Biden will be able to cut a deal with Congress. Over the rest of this year, Im expecting to see concrete actions that will support a robust climate response and give young people a reason to turn out, he said.

The Republican squeeze play

Even as Republicans urge Biden to stop importing Russian energy, theyre redoubling their political messaging blaming him for high gasoline prices. And theyre demanding for him to unleash energy production in the United States.

Republicans arguments are hollow, experts tell us. The surge in global economic activity as the coronavirus pandemic ebbs is the main factor driving up gasoline prices, not Bidens energy policies. Domestic production of crude oil actually increased in 2021. The limits Biden has placed on drilling on federal lands dont affect current production. And, as the White House has pointed out, the industry is sitting on thousands of unused drilling permits.

Allies of the administration note, too, that even though Russia may be a minor supplier for the U.S., it exports around 5 million barrels of crude oil a day. Because oil prices are set globally, taking all of that off the market would send prices soaring. Biden cant just flip a switch and replace Russian oil. It takes months to ramp up domestic production, and in any case he has little say over the market decisions of private companies.

People think presidents have more control over the price of oil than they actually do, said Samantha Gross, an energy analyst at the Brookings Institution.
During a trip through the Eastern European countries that fear they could next face Mr. Putins military, General Milley has consistently been asked the same questions. Why have the Russians performed so poorly in the early days of the war? Why did they so badly misjudge the Ukrainian resistance?

His careful response, before reporters in Estonia: Weve seen a large, combined-arms, multi-axis invasion of the second-largest country in Europe, Ukraine, by Russian air, ground, special forces, intelligence forces, he said, before describing some of the bombardment brought by Russia and his concern over its indiscriminate firing on civilians.

Its a little bit early to draw any definitive lessons learned, he added. But one of the lessons thats clearly evident is that the will of the people, the will of the Ukrainian people, and the importance of national leadership and the fighting skills of the Ukrainian army has come through loud and clear.

While the Russian armys troubles are real, the publics view of the fight is skewed by the realities of the information battlefield. Russia remains keen to play down the war and provides little information about its victories or defeats, contributing to an incomplete picture.

But a dissection of the Russian militarys performance so far, compiled from interviews with two dozen American, NATO and Ukrainian officials, paints a portrait of young, inexperienced conscripted soldiers who have not been empowered to make on-the-spot decisions, and a noncommissioned officer corps that isnt allowed to make decisions either. Russias military leadership, with Gen. Valery Gerasimov at the top, is far too centralized; lieutenants must ask him for permission even on small matters, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters.

In addition, the Russian senior officers have proved so far to be risk-averse, the officials said.

Their caution partly explains why they still dont have air superiority over all of Ukraine, for example, American officials said. Faced with bad weather in northern Ukraine, the Russian officers grounded some Russian attack planes and helicopters, and forced others to fly at lower altitudes, making them more vulnerable to Ukrainian ground fire, a senior Pentagon official said.

Most Russian capabilities have been sitting on the sidelines, said Michael Kofman, director of Russia studies at CNA, a defense research institute, in an email. The force employment is completely irrational, preparations for a real war near nonexistent and morale incredibly low because troops were clearly not told they would be sent into this fight.
Ms. Luria added: I was not satisfied with the budget that came over last year from the White House, especially in regards to China, especially in regards to the Navy or shipbuilding, and Ill be very disappointed, in light of the new world situation, if they come up with a budget like that again.

The rapid shift in thinking is a setback for progressives who had hoped that unified Democratic control of the House, the Senate and the White House would translate into a smaller Pentagon budget and a reduced footprint of American troops around the world.

Representative Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota, said in a brief interview that she believed it was crucial that the United States provide Ukrainians with some defensive weapons, but added: Do I think that there is a point where it becomes too much? Yes.

Ms. Omar said she was particularly worried about the prospect of arming an insurgency, especially as civilians from around the world have flocked to Ukraine to help push back against the Russian Army.

Weve seen what the result of that was in Afghanistan, when we armed so many people to fight against the Russians, said Ms. Omar, who was born in Somalia. Many of those people went back to their own countries and caused a lot of havoc, including the one I come from.

Mr. Biden last weekend authorized a $350 million package of weapons that included Javelin antitank missiles and Stinger antiaircraft missiles as well as small arms and munitions, a shipment that represented the largest single authorized transfer of arms from U.S. military warehouses to another country.
Chicago Public Schools has announced plans to lift a mask requirement in the third-largest U.S. school district starting next week, infuriating members of the teachers union who stopped reporting to school buildings for a week in January to demand additional Covid-19 safeguards.

The decision, announced on Monday, followed a legal fight in Illinois courts over school mask mandates, as well as recent moves by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot to lift other virus rules as case numbers have plunged.

But teachers union officials vowed to file an unfair labor practices charge. They said the decision to roll back the mask mandate was premature, especially amid relatively low student vaccination rates, and said it was a violation of the deal that led them to return to classrooms early this year.

Todays move by Mayor Lightfoot and C.P.S. not only violates the unions agreement with the district, it ignores the impact that Covid-19 has on communities of color, the Chicago Teachers Union said in a statement. Black and Latino students make up more than 80 percent of the roughly 330,000 students in Chicagos public schools.
The Z first drew attention several weeks ago when it was painted a couple feet high on the sides of the thousands of tanks, armored personnel carriers and other military vehicles mustering along the Russian border with Ukraine.

In Russia, the letter then began to pop up all over the place. There are Z stickers on the backs of cars and commercial vehicles, and one talk show pundit recently appeared wearing a T-shirt with a large white Z on it.

Some corporate logos and newspaper names that contained a Z manipulated the letter to highlight it. An advertising campaign using billboards in large cities featured a large Z created out of a black and orange ribbon, the St. George ribbon, which is a symbol of the Russian military.

It is not uncommon for vehicles dedicated to a military campaign to display a readily identifiable mark  U.S. Army vehicles used to repulse the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait were painted with a big white chevron, for example. To see it spread among civilians is another matter.
With Mr. Putin demonstrating resolve to impose Soviet-style suppression to control the narrative of the war at home, most signs pointed to a worsening conflict that risks spilling into Ukraines NATO alliance neighbors. That development would pose an extreme test for President Biden and could put the United States and Russia, which have the worlds biggest nuclear weapons arsenals, on a trajectory toward direct combat.

Dont talk to me about half full/half empty: Im someone whos generally happy theres water in the glass, Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group, a political risk research organization, said in a newsletter to readers and clients about the Ukraine crisis. But Im decidedly worried about where the conflict with Russia is heading.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, who was touring NATOs small Baltic state members on Monday to assure them of the U.S. commitment to their defense, received a somewhat skeptical reception. Lithuanias president, Gitanas Nauseda, told Mr. Blinken that strengthening military deterrence in the Baltics is no longer enough to dissuade Mr. Putin, who has said he wants NATO forces to vacate all the former Soviet-bloc republics in Eastern Europe.

Ukraines president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who has outmaneuvered Russian attempts to portray him as weak and intimidated, said he expected more heavy shelling of Ukrainian cities in the coming days. Already, said one of his advisers, Mykhailo Podoliak, 202 schools, 34 hospitals and more than 1,500 residential buildings have been destroyed since the war began. Nearly 1,000 towns and villages have been completely deprived of light, water and heat, he said.

Mr. Zelensky spoke from his office in Kyiv on Monday night, the first time he had been seen there since the Russian invasion began on Feb. 24. In a video posted on Facebook, he said he was not in hiding and not afraid of anyone.
Mr. Zelensky also criticized Russian troops for attacks on certain sites on Monday, including accusing them of firing at a bread factory in Makariv, about an hour west of Kyiv.

Think about it  to fire at the bread factory. Who should you be to do that? Mr. Zelensky said.

The president also condemned Russian troops for disregarding an agreement on a humanitarian corridor, after shelling prevented evacuation of besieged cities.

Did it work? Mr. Zelensky said of the corridor. Russian tanks worked instead.

In an update on Monday night, Britains defense ministry said that Russian troops continued to directly target evacuation corridors, which had resulted in several casualties of civilians who tried to flee Irpin, just outside Kyiv. It said the town had been without heat, water or power for several days because of fighting in the area.

Mr. Zelenskys nightly video addresses, rallying Ukrainian resistance and world opinion, have become something of a ritual since Russia invaded on Feb. 24. Russian offensives against several major cities have bogged down in the face of logistical problems and unexpectedly fierce defenses.
The Smithsonian Institution, one of the worlds largest cultural organizations, said on Tuesday that it planned to return most of its collection of Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, a sweeping move that would punctuate a monthslong institutional review of its collection practices and the ethics behind them.

The Smithsonian has a collection of 39 Benin Bronzes, a name that is used to cover a variety of artifacts ranging from brass plaques, carved elephant tusks, ivory leopard statues and wooden heads. Many were stolen from what is now Nigeria during the British Armys 1897 raid on the ancient Kingdom of Benin.

A spokeswoman for the Smithsonian, Linda St. Thomas, said most of the 39 pieces would be returned. But she said it was not clear exactly how many of the bronzes were linked to the 1897 raid and that it was possible some pieces in the museums collection had different ownership histories.

The announcement comes five months after the head of the Smithsonians National Museum of African Art, Ngaire Blankenberg, said that she had removed its Benin Bronzes  more formally known as Benin Kingdom Court Style artworks  from display at the museum.
Despite inhabiting characters who have been criticized in the past for their violent version of masculinity, the Birmingham Peaky Blinders say that bloodshed is one aspect of the show that they do not recreate. Theres never been one tiny bit of trouble. Nothing, Brophy said. Its all been respect, shaking hands and acting like gentlemen, acting like ladies.

In the more than eight years since Peaky Blinders first premiered on the BBC, it has become a show beloved by British critics and watched by a global audience in the millions. But its also become a cultural phenomenon, with a fan base dedicated to bringing elements of the shows fictional world to life.

Now the show is coming to an end. The sixth and final season is airing weekly on the BBC in Britain (its U.S. Netflix release date is yet to be announced). Over its seasons, the show has charted the rise and misfortunes of the leader of the Peaky Blinders, Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy), and his family in the period between the two world wars. The show is highly stylized, with occasional slow motion, and set anachronistically to a soundtrack of modern music including Nick Cave, Arctic Monkeys and Black Sabbath.
IN DEFENSE OF WITCHES

The Legacy of the Witch Hunts and Why Women Are Still on Trial

By Mona Chollet

Translated by Sophie R. Lewis

Catalonias left-leaning Parliament recently passed a resolution pardoning the hundreds of women executed as witches between the 15th and 18th centuries. A similar bill is making its way through the Scottish Parliament. Both were inspired by growing outrage about historical  and contemporary  femicide and by a post-MeToo impulse to honor women who were burned, hanged or drowned as heretics.

This same spirit of exoneration runs through In Defense of Witches, a thought-provoking, discursive survey by Mona Chollet, a bright light of Francophone feminism. Chollet celebrates not only the witches of the past, but also the so-called witches of today: independent women who have chosen not to have children, arent always coupled, often defy traditional beauty norms (letting their hair go gray), and thus operate outside the established social order. Thats especially true in France, which may celebrate the femme libre, but which, from its tax laws to its robust public day care, is built to promote the family and motherhood. It is also, not incidentally, a country where a certain vision of femininity supports the economy through the biggest beauty industry in the world.

Clearly, Chollet has struck a nerve. In Defense of Witches, her first book to appear in English, was a best seller when it came out in France in 2018. A Swiss-born journalist and an editor at Le Monde Diplomatique, she has grown a following with work that calls attention to sexism, the gender gap in salaries and the societal pressures placed on French women in a culture with clear ideas about how women are expected to look and act  and of course to make it all look effortless. Anglo-American women have long been obsessed by cliches of French femininity. (Today thats perhaps best exemplified by the series Emily in Paris, in which a naive American is inducted into the worldly ways of the French.) But in todays real France, Chollet has emerged as a quiet revolutionary, pushing back against the cliches and the patriarchy that shapes them.
U.S. bans Russian oil imports

President Biden announced a ban on imports of Russian oil and natural gas into the U.S., an escalation of economic penalties that could have consequences at home and around the world.

The move could raise domestic gas prices past their record-high national average of $4.17 per gallon and was coordinated with Britain, which announced that it would phase out imports of Russian oil by the end of the year.

Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, signed a package of measures aimed at mitigating the pain of sanctions and the departure of international businesses. They include bolstered pensions and the easing of regulations for small- and medium-size businesses.

In Ukraine: According to the U.N., two million people have fled the country in what it has called the fastest-growing refugee crisis in decades. After days of failed evacuation efforts because of Russian attacks, at least one humanitarian corridor lasted long enough to allow hundreds of civilians to escape the war-battered city of Sumy, east of Kyiv.
As China has emerged as a power over the past decade, it has benefited from the political disarray among its global rivals.

The United States organized a Pacific trade pact meant to counter Chinas rise  and then refused to ratify that very pact, because of domestic politics. The U.S. also alienated longtime allies in Europe with Donald Trumps America First policy. The European Union has been even more chaotic, with the departure of one of its biggest members, Britain.

China, all the while, has been strengthening its economic ties with countries around the world. Chinese leaders have been thrilled by the contrast between their own apparent competence and the Wests disorganization. It seemed to augur a new international order, in which China would compete with the U.S. for supremacy.

That scenario still seems likely. But Russias invasion of Ukraine has complicated it. The war is arguably the most problematic international development for China in years.
10. And finally, meet the 10-armed Syllipsimopodi bideni.

When an ancient octopus died 328 million years ago in what is today Montana, its squishy body was buried and perfectly fossilized. The fossil sat ignored in a drawer for decades, until a paleontologist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York took a closer look. Now, a new study shows it may be a new species of vampyropod, a group that includes vampire squids and octopuses.

The new fossil, which has 10 arms, is the oldest known cephalopod with suckers on its arms. The scientists claim they were not intentionally sucking up to President Biden, but commemorating the start of his presidency and his pledge to fund science research. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Have a sensational night.

Angela Jimenez and Jill Foley compiled photos for this briefing.

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After days of silence and seeming reluctance to take a stance while facing rising pressure to respond to Russias invasion of Ukraine, several iconic American food and beverage companies said on Tuesday that they were pausing operations in Russia.

McDonalds, which has been in Russia for three decades, was first to say it would temporarily close its 850 restaurants in the country, including those it owns and those owned by franchisees.

Starbucks soon followed, saying the 130 restaurants it has in Russia, which are owned and operated by the Kuwaiti conglomerate Alshaya Group, would also immediately close. Coca-Cola followed suit.

And late in the day, PepsiCo, whose Pepsi drink has been sold in Russia since the early 1970s, said it would suspend soda sales, including 7Up. But it said it would continue its operations that manufacture milk, dairy products and baby formula and food, partly as a humanitarian effort but also to keep its 20,000 manufacturing and 40,000 farm workers employed.
The New York Times said on Tuesday that it was temporarily removing its journalists from Russia in the wake of harsh new legislation that effectively outlaws independent reporting on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Russias new legislation seeks to criminalize independent, accurate news reporting about the war against Ukraine. For the safety and security of our editorial staff working in the region, we are moving them out of the country for now, a spokeswoman for The Times, Danielle Rhoades Ha, said in a statement.

We look forward to them returning as soon as possible while we monitor the application of the new law, Ms. Rhoades Ha said. We will continue our live, robust coverage of the war and our rigorous reporting on Russias offensive in Ukraine and these attempts to stifle independent journalism.

Earlier, some major English-language news organizations, including Bloomberg News, suspended their journalistic operations in Russia in response to the new law passed by President Vladimir V. Putins government. Under the legislation, journalists who describe the war as a war could be sentenced to prison.
The news that Matt Lambert, the chef who made Musket Room a lonely outpost of New Zealand cuisine in NoLIta, had been replaced by Mary Attea in February 2020 did not exactly echo throughout the land. At least, I didnt hear about it. Then the engine fell out of the restaurant economy a few weeks later, and details like changes of kitchen leadership seemed even less urgent.

Several months ago, I finally got word of Ms. Atteas new post, and sidled into Musket Room. It was the closest Ive ever come to learning that a very good restaurant had been operating at peak levels right under my nose in the heart of Manhattan, without my knowing anything about it. As knowing about restaurants like that is more or less my job, Id like to blame it all on Covid and move on.

The first thing that struck me is that Ms. Attea (pronounced uh-TEA-uh), having dabbled in takeout during the pandemic, has returned to a luxuriantly elaborate style of conceiving a dish, one that she doesnt seem to have toned down to suit the new informality. She is not making food for people who gave up on pants and have dinner out of paper boxes while sinking into the couch to watch Pam & Tommy on Hulu.
The museum was busy on a blustery Sunday morning in mid-February, with families wandering through the displays and some visitors using the museums magnifying glasses to peer at antique timepieces (the museum said there had been 48,000 visitors since its opening last summer). Children gathered at the interactive Watches of Ireland display, which allowed them to point a laser at one of the 70 pocket watches from the countrys four provinces housed in a large glass-topped cabinet. Once the laser dot landed on a watch, a magnified image of it appeared on a screen inside the cabinet, along with descriptions of the timepiece, its maker and the town where it had been made.

The museum also has a fully equipped watchmakers studio, used for restoration work on pieces in its collection.

While most of the exhibits are antiques, the museum also has a few contemporary wristwatches  four from Graeme Haughton of Mileata & SAS watches in Wicklow and two from Brian Leech and Martin Marley at Sidereus watches in County Carlow  a category that Mr. Eneaney, acting as the museums curator, is eager to expand.

There are just a few independent watchmakers operating in Ireland now, but names such as John and Stephen McGonigle and Stephen McDonnell, who has worked with MB & F and Bremont, are recognized internationally.

The museum of time is not just focused on the past, said Mr. Curran, who is not employed by the museum but is a very active volunteer consultant. We also want to promote contemporary Irish watchmaking. For example, he and Mr. McEneaney are talking with the Waterford Institute of Technology about introducing a watchmaking module in its engineering program.

And the museum is planning a public program, too. We are launching the Waterford Festival of Time, from May 19 to 22 this year, said Mr. McEneaney, who hoped to have 20 Irish and international watchmakers demonstrate their watches and lecture on their techniques.
He said he was lucky to have been able to incubate his business within his mothers company, but generally that has been the limit of his parents involvement. My father said to me: Youve got to learn the value of the pound, so youre not allowed into the family business, he said. It wasnt the silver spoon. (He is a JCB director now, however.)

He incorporated Bamford Watch Department in 2009 and now, he said, it customizes as many as 500 watches a year, a number that does not include the limited-edition series created with brands or the watches of Bamford London, his own dial name. Its models start at 350 pounds ($475) with the quartz powered Mayfair Sport collection and peaks at 2,500 with the B347, a new collection of mono-pusher chronographs with Sellita movements, made in Switzerland, and cases in forged carbon fiber.

Mr. Bamford wont disclose figures, but said that over the 12 months to the end of January, revenues across his two watch businesses doubled  profits, however, were down because of investment in the B347 collection and other watches in development, he said. (He employs 11 people, including three watchmakers, at what he calls The Hive, the Mayfair townhouse that doubles as his offices and workshops.)

Data from Switzerland would suggest he has positioned his brand in shark-infested waters: Smartwatches have taken a huge bite out of the lower end of the luxury market. Watches with an export price of more than 3,000 Swiss francs ($3,260) are maintaining total industry revenues, according to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, while those selling for less than that, likeBamford London, are fighting for sales.

Its exciting at that price point, Mr. Bamford said. Major watch brands are not pushing out quirky designs. But look at independents and thats where were seeing the new revolution of design. I want to be in that playground.
It could be argued that leaving Hong Kong and the security of a company job was a risky move, but Ms. Abelsons 11 years in watches has been built on unusual choices. Shes the only woman out there in that space, said Isabella Proia, a watch specialist at Phillips auction house in New York. To go out and do your own thing alone, with your own capital, Zoe has guts.

Hong Kong has long been known as a watch city: For years it was the Swiss industrys largest export market, occupying a larger than usual space in luxury consumer culture. When WatchBox, founded in 2017 in Philadelphia, sent Ms. Abelson there in 2018 to help open its first overseas office, she quickly realized that high-end buyers and collectors in Asia were not comfortable with pre-owned watches. Culturally people thought they were taboo, she said. They didnt want to buy a watch where they didnt know the history of the previous owner.

During her three and a half years in Hong Kong, that perspective changed. WatchBox opened a private retail lounge near the luxury watch row of Queens Road Central in the citys prime business district. There were always a lot of secondhand dealers in the Hong Kong market, in little shops in Mong Kok or Tsim Sha Tsui, Ms. Abelson said. But we were the first to bring a white glove service to that market. And well-financed players such as Watchfinder in Hong Kong, Hodinkee in New York and Watchmaster in Europe established themselves in secondary market sales, too.

Although a combination of political unrest and the pandemic toppled Hong Kong from its top export spot in 2020, Ms. Abelson said it was her biggest sales year. After a few months of Covid, she said, I really saw a lot of collectors saying, I am so bored, and bury themselves in their collections.

But even though she was happy in Hong Kong (and at her former employer, with whom she still trades referrals), Ms. Abelsons love for travel (Its my other passion, after watches) hit the wall of Hong Kongs strict quarantine restrictions, which at one point required 21 days of hotel isolation for anyone arriving from countries designated high risk.
As a teenager in the English town of Hexham, about 300 miles northwest of London, Jonny Garrett aspired to a way of life that probably seemed like sheer fantasy at the time.

Ive always known that I didnt want to be in a corporate office building, having to potentially put a suit and tie on, having to commute into an office, Mr. Garrett, 30, said in a phone interview from Cape Town (where, he said, he was barefoot and wearing a polo shirt and swimming trunks). I always wanted to have a remote, digital nomad kind of lifestyle. The funny thing is  its just so weird  that the universe has sort of almost caught up with what Ive been thinking about for the last 15 years of my life.
On a tense conference call last November with half a dozen doctors and executives at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dr. John Warner relayed a somber message: The only specialty clinic in the state to treat transgender adolescents was facing unrelenting political pressure to close.

State lawmakers had already sent formal inquiries about the clinic, Genecis, which was financed by the public university and housed at Childrens Medical Center in Dallas. Activists calling the clinics treatments chemical castration had shown up at the office of one of the childrens hospitals board members.

And then there was Gov. Greg Abbott.

We received a reach from the governor also requesting information about the clinic, said Dr. Warner, an executive vice president at the medical center, according to a recording of the call obtained by The New York Times. And with that came an expectation that something different would occur.

Time is not on our side, he added. The conversation is intensifying  not the reverse.

The next week, hospital executives closed the clinic, taking down its website before staff members or patients were informed of the change.
Sometimes so many people are vaping in the bathrooms, its hard to do anything about it, Ms. Dhiman said, adding that she doesnt vape.

The F.D.A.s efforts to limit teenagers access to flavored vapes had little effect on Lizzie Burgesss ability to get them over the last four years in the Indianapolis suburbs. Within weeks of starting to vape at 16, she said, she was addicted. There was always a gas station, older friend or website selling e-cigarettes in flavors like banana ice cream or sour apple, she said.

At 19, she said, she was vaping THC and using a device  now advertising tobacco-free nicotine  that has as much nicotine as two packs of cigarettes, every two to three days. She said she fell ill with what started like a cold, which progressed to rapid breathing, almost-gray lips and feeling depleted. By the time she went to the emergency room, her oxygen saturation was 67, far below the normal range of 95 or higher. Ms. Burgess said she was soon in the I.C.U. with vaping-related lung injury.

Shes struggled to end her nicotine addiction and is down to two cigarettes a day.

I think the F.D.A. should take it all off the market now, Ms. Burgess said of the flavored vapes. I think it will be very very hard for them to reel it all in. Its so big and there are so many companies now.

Synthetic nicotine remains far more expensive than the tobacco-derived product, leading some industry experts to question whether a device label of synthetic is accurate.

The unregulated vaping market at this point is a problem of the F.D.A.s making, said Gregory Conley, president of the American Vaping Association, an industry trade group. He said the agency fueled the problem by overregulating a product used by millions of adults who find vaping a safer alternative to smoking.

This country should learn some lessons from past prohibitions that failed miserably, Mr. Conley said. If you dont fairly regulate a market where there is a great deal of demand from legal adults, you will fuel gray and black markets where the operators are not concerned with checking IDs before selling.
Questions for Writing and Discussion

Read the featured article, and then answer the following questions:

1. Mr. Fountain writes that when Shackletons ship Endurance sank in the waters of Antarctica in 1915, it resulted in one of the greatest survival stories in the history of exploration. In your own words, briefly tell the story of Shackletons fateful voyage and whether you agree that it is a truly heroic tale.

2. Why is a team of researchers heading to the Weddell Sea in 2022 to find the 144-foot-long Endurance? Why wont getting there be easy, even for a modern crew with state-of-the-art technology, according to the article? What is particularly challenging about the Weddell Sea?

3. Why was Shackleton hailed as a hero at the time and still lionized today, in books, films and even business school courses, despite failing to achieve his goal of crossing the icy continent? What lessons about leadership do you think can be learned from his efforts?

4. Why is the expedition team aboard a South African icebreaker, the Agulhas II, confident it will be able to locate the long lost ship? How might the expedition be helpful in the fight against climate change, even if the wreck isnt found?

5. Stefanie Arndt, a sea-ice researcher from the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany, who is part of the team of researchers on the new expedition said:

This is a really huge thing. And for me, its really special. The first book I read about Antarctica was one about Shackletons expedition. This was for me the kickoff into polar science.

What does the article make you think and feel? Does learning about Shackletons story make you more interested in the age of Antarctic exploration or polar science in general? Do you think it is worth the effort, and the $10 million dollars the expedition cost, to try to find the fabled Endurance? Would you want to be part of the expedition to find it  or other lost vessels?

7. Make a prediction: Do you think the team of modern adventurers will find the Endurance? Why or why not?

Going Further

Option 1: Explore the Times archive.
Brittany Ramos DeBarros, a member of D.S.A., has endorsed working with international partners to supply and support civil-military defense tactics, and said no when asked directly in an interview if the U.S. should withdraw from NATO. But in 2019, she was listed as a speaker at an anti-NATO event, and acknowledged that she attended a meeting about that in her days as an antiwar activist. Her campaign said that she does not support withdrawing from NATO at this time.

Not at this time means that right now is the time to save lives, and to de-escalate the situation, she said in an interview. If people would like to have a broader conversation about understanding how we got here and diagnosing what we need to do in order to, you know, shape a different future, then that can come once we have removed ourselves from the brink.

Her campaign has noted that her main Democratic primary opponent, former Representative Max Rose, initially voiced skepticism of the first impeachment proceedings against Mr. Trump, citing concerns at the time about a partisan process.

Mr. Rose, seen by party strategists as the likely front-runner, did vote to impeach Mr. Trump and said he took the subject very seriously. But I did not blink in the face of holding Donald Trump accountable for his egregious actions.

He also condemned the D.S.A.s position regarding NATO and called for building an even stronger NATO alliance.

Americas unilateral withdrawal from NATO is perhaps the most harmful, stupidest thing, foreign policy decision, that we could be considering right now, he said. America has to double down on its alliances, particularly its trans-Atlantic ones.

Some left-wing candidates also directly rejected the D.S.A. statement.

I dont agree with the D.S.A.s stance on the U.S. exiting NATO, said Rana Abdelhamid, a member of D.S.A. who is challenging Representative Carolyn Maloney in a New York City district that, under redistricting lines, has shed some left-wing neighborhoods. NATO is one of the primary lines of defense that we have to address Russian aggression towards Ukraine.
Louis A. Molina, the commissioner of the New York City Department of Correction, was harshly criticized on Tuesday by a jails oversight panel for his agencys failure to document two brutal beatings that occurred on Rikers Island last year.

During a meeting of the citys Board of Correction, panel members demanded answers about the incidents, which left one man paralyzed in August and landed another in a coma in December, as well as accountability for reporting breakdowns that mischaracterized one beating and failed to record the other in city records. One board member accused the jail system of a cover-up.

The board also noted that such reporting lapses had happened in the past and took aim at Mr. Molinas recent statements about a need for better collection of data on incidents in the jail system.

Im sure you can improve your data systems, but a data system didnt fail to provide the necessary information to the medical staff and to the board about those very, very serious injuries, said Dr. Robert Cohen, a board member. There were staff of yours who refused, who failed, to let us know that very serious injuries had occurred.
The consequences of such disruption are profound: In my research, I have seen teachers and students unable to build relationships, settle into complex projects, practice new skills or even sustain meaningful conversations from one day to the next. While one missed day or week can feel inconsequential  especially given the dangers associated with Covid-19  when a week of disruption becomes two weeks and then becomes a month or more, learning and relationships suffer. Faced with so much instability, teachers become depleted, moving from ambitious instruction to survival mode. Students check out; teachers burn out.

I have also seen what its like when teachers and students are in a rhythm  when they have sustained time together and know what is happening next. I have seen students who were shy and withdrawn in September become engaged socially and academically by January after forming relationships with their peers and teachers. Its no happy accident; such a change is a result of the schools investment in a powerful set of daily routines.

In December, I spoke at length with a ninth grader in a Philadelphia school that serves mostly students living in poverty. This student confidently explained to me the shift from an agrarian to market economy, describing changes in farming technology and social structure. She was able to do this because her teacher had planned and executed lessons that built on one another, ultimately creating a learning trajectory that made this synthesis possible. Each one of these lessons mattered; each one of the exchanges the student had with her teacher, her peers and the material helped her build upon and expand her knowledge. This is the work of schools, the craft of teaching. This is also what has been badly undermined these past two years.

If Americans truly valued this work, we would have done more to ensure teachers have safe, stable environments in which to practice their craft. This does not mean keeping schools open at all costs or prematurely eliminating mask mandates. But it does mean taking measures to prevent community spread of the coronavirus, even if they are unpopular and inconvenient to adults, as well as investing in adequate ventilation and widespread testing in schools. As the country continues to return to some semblance of normalcy, at least for now, we should remember the price students and teachers paid for Americas decisions over the past two years. We should not make these mistakes again.

As a society, we show we value education not by calling teachers heroes while treating their work as expendable. We do it by paying attention to the conditions that make teaching and learning possible and by ensuring that  despite everything else happening in the world  schools are sites of stability, not chaos.
If it suits him, in other words, war is normal  peace may be nice, but sometimes it must make way for war, even before desperation makes war a last resort. And here survives that medieval frame of mind, under which one did not even think of the state of war as a tragic anomaly, a thing, as we might put it today.

As such, an eye-opening thought one might have in watching events unfold in Ukraine is that this story puts a check on an American tendency to overdo the self-criticism inherent to our experiment. We hear from some who teach that the entire business has gone off the rails, or that the effort was perhaps even mistaken at its beginnings. This perspective extends from the acid (and influential) condemnation of Americas trajectory in the work of the historian Howard Zinn, who wrote, in his book A Peoples History of the United States, that there is not a country in world history in which racism has been more important, for so long a time, as the United States, to those, more recently, who seem to say that the very essence of America has been its enslavement and abuse of Black people: Last week on The View, The Nations Elie Mystal pronounced that our Constitution is kind of trash, written by white people who were willing to make deals with slavers and colonists. Few can miss a guiding sense among many of our writerly class that any intelligent take on America will come with a gloomy, disenchanted, condemnatory shake of the head.

There is a histrionic element to that view, and few things point it up more than watching what can happen under other conditions, to people who experience life just as vividly as we do and yet must undergo the depredations of a society that truly has fallen to pieces. Imagine what the average Ukrainian would say at this moment if hearing someone in America portray it as a tragedy that some truckers have been circling the Washington, D.C., Beltway to protest Covid vaccine mandates, or that a popular podcaster has uttered the N-word when talking about it?

On that last subject, for example, its easy to bemoan the eclipse of free speech in America, what with cancellations, from the left, in the name of social justice and book banning from the right. One might even refer to these things rhetorically, and more expressively, as defenestrations. And while I would certainly defend this rhetorical language, lets face it: In Russia, the very concept of free speech is, at least in practice, an abstraction, bitterly argued for by dissidents as a necessary innovation, not referred to as a reminder of an established value (enshrined, by the way, in the aforementioned trash Constitution). Figures such as Aleksei Navalny and Alexander Litvinenko have understood the perils in doing so. As far as defenestration, it is not even unheard-of in Russia for dissident journalists and lawyers to be reported, quite improbably, to have fallen from windows to their deaths.

Too, its worth remembering that not so long ago, the United States invaded and occupied Iraq. And though that doesnt, in any way, excuse Putins war, or the propaganda he offered to justify it, the threat we were told Iraq posed to the world was a mirage, not entirely unlike Putins claim now that Ukraine poses a threat to Russia. Two decades later, it is reasonable to surmise that Americans learned a lesson from the debacle that the Iraq war and its endless consequences, such as the rise of the Islamic State, have been. Its hard to imagine a future American president of any party heedlessly dragging this country into another quagmire based on such flimsy pretenses. One might not put something like that past former President Donald Trump, but he was, in this, exceptional, leaving many struck by his lack of circumspection or commitment to norms. In Russia, Putin has been the norm for nearly a quarter century.
I was born in Lviv in 1978. Then in the Soviet Union, the city had belonged to Poland for about 400 years and been a place where Poles, Ukrainians, Jews and Armenians lived side by side. In my youth, I was suffused with this borderland identity and thought of myself as existing at the intersection of cultures, never fully beholden to one. So when the Soviet Union fell, I wasnt very interested in the new Ukrainian state. Instead, I longed to see Paris, Rome and Madrid, with their churches and museums, even if it meant half-starving, sleeping in parks and hitchhiking.

After my travels, I wanted to settle somewhere  and chose Poland, fulfilling my grandmothers dream of living in the country. I didnt even call it emigration: My hometown, after all, was only about 185 miles away. But after Poland joined the European Union in 2004, the border between the two countries, previously so easily passed, was garlanded with barbed wire. To get into the country, Ukrainians had to wait in a special line, much longer than E.U. citizens.

I began to dream about the abolition of the border. If Ukraine joined the European Union, say, I would be able to cherish once more my borderland identity  and things could look a bit like the Second Polish Republic, the interwar state where Poles, Ukrainians and other nationalities lived side by side. It was not, of course, an idyll: The Polish state dealt harshly with minorities, and Ukrainians who wanted to study in their own language or practice their religion faced oppression. Between Ukraine and Poland, there are still many no-go areas.

At the time, I didnt really think of myself as Ukrainian. I was from Lviv, spoke Russian, Polish and Ukrainian, and lived in Poland: That seemed like enough. But as I was dreaming about the border falling between us, the Orange Revolution  a series of protests that expressed not only Ukrainians opposition to corruption but also, more profoundly perhaps, their European longings  broke out in Ukraine in 2004. At a solidarity demonstration in Krakow, I found myself, for the first time in my life, holding the blue-and-yellow flag. It was, my friend said, the conception of my Ukrainian identity.

For the next decade or so, it went no further. I have relatives and friends on both sides of the border, and I was regularly here and there. I followed events in Ukraine at a distance, as if wary of what could come from full immersion. I knew some educated, talented young Ukrainians who tried to build the new country. After a couple of years they were broken, burned out and bitterly disappointed by corruption that seemed to be unconquerable. In Poland, meanwhile, I continued to build a life for myself. I married, had children and worked away at my first novel, inspired in part by the colorful Ukrainian revolution.
The second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- China will formulate laws on tariffs and other taxes in 2022, according to a work report submitted Tuesday to the country's national legislature for review.

The move aims at improving the "legal system supporting the development of the socialist market economy," said the work report of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

For this purpose, the country also plans to formulate laws on rural collective economic organizations, energy, futures and derivatives this year, the report said.

China's annual legislative plan also includes revising the Company Law, the Enterprise Bankruptcy Law, the Anti-Monopoly Law, the Railway Law, the Mineral Resources Law, the Animal Husbandry Law, and the Agricultural Products Quality and Safety Law, according to the report. 
The United Nations reports that at least 1.5 million refugees have fled the fighting in Ukraine. Sadly, that figure is likely to grow.

To ease the suffering caused by Vladimir Putins invasion and strengthen our position against him, the United States should open its doors both to Ukrainian refugees fleeing the conflict and to Russians seeking to escape Mr. Putins tyranny.

There are several things we can do quickly: President Biden has taken a valuable first step by making Ukrainians in the United States eligible for temporary protected status, which will shield them from deportation and allow them to seek employment. But this measure applies only to those who arrived in the United States by March 1 and lasts only for 18 months (though that could be extended). He can also protect Ukrainian students in the United States by granting special student relief, which would make it easier for them to remain here. Further, he should grant parole status to newly arriving Ukrainian refugees, allowing them to remain in the United States.

The United States and European nations would do well to give Ukrainians unlimited access to job openings in their countries (without time limits). The United States in particular faces a labor shortage in many sectors that Ukrainian (and other) immigrants can help alleviate. Especially if the fighting in Ukraine continues for a long time or if Russia succeeds in occupying much of the country, many refugees will have to stay in the West indefinitely. In that event, access to employment will facilitate their assimilation to their new homes and enable them to make long-term contributions to our economies. To that end, the European Union would also do well to abolish or suspend its three-year limit on how long Ukrainian refugees can stay under its law.
Marian Litvaitis, a professor emerita at the University of New Hampshire, decided to retire in December 2019. And she wondered what would happen to her worms.

Not just any worms: marine polyclad flatworms. They are visually striking, from the skunk-colored ruffles of Pseudobiceros gratus to the gold-rimmed fuchsia body of Pseudoceros ferrugineus.

Dr. Litvaitis had studied the worms for decades, traveling to the Caribbean and Indo-Pacific seas to collect hundreds of samples of their tissue and DNA, which were all stored in the minus 80 degree Celsius freezer in her lab. But labs at her school are cleared out once researchers leave, and there are often no systems in place to ensure that irreplaceable collections of scientific arcana dont end up in a dumpster alongside old papers and broken lab equipment, which they often do. Dr. Litvaitis remembered some of her colleagues scrambling to find a place for hundreds of hagfish swatches or shelves of bobcat skulls.

Taking them home wouldnt work either.

I didnt want to keep them in the freezer in my basement, Dr. Litvaitis said of her flatworms, adding that blackouts are not uncommon in her New Hampshire neighborhood. She reached out to the Ocean Genome Legacy Center, a marine DNA genome bank near Boston that is part of Northeastern University, to see if it might want her collection of samples from 466 worms.
About 328 million years ago, Fergus County, Mont., was no stranger to monsoons. Back then, the region was a marine bay, much like the Bay of Bengal in South Asia. The tropical storms regularly flushed the bay with freshwater and fine sediments, feeding algal blooms and depleting the water of oxygen in certain spots. Anything that died in these spots could have the rare posthumous luck of being preserved, undisturbed.

When an ancient octopus died in these waters, its soft, squishy body was buried and pristinely fossilized. The fossil was originally donated to the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada in 1988 but sat in a drawer for decades until Christopher Whalen, a paleontologist from the American Museum of Natural History in New York, pulled it out of a drawer and noticed its preserved arms. When he looked under a microscope, he saw small suckers dimpling the rock.

Thats incredibly rare, Dr. Whalen said.

Thomas Clements, a paleobiologist at the University of Birmingham in England, said, The probability of these tiny little bags of water turning into fossils is just astronomically low.

Intrigued, Dr. Whalen studied the fossil, expecting it would resemble other cephalopods found in the Montana limestone. But it turned out to be something quite different. Dr. Whalen and colleagues say the fossil represents the oldest known ancestor of vampyropods, a group that includes vampire squids and octopuses, pushing back the earliest evidence of the group by 82 million years. Dr. Whalen and Neil Landman, a curator emeritus at the museum, describe the new species in a paper published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.
The spread of the film on the internet opened the organization up to all kinds of critiques. People online debated the films racial politics, the ethics of humanitarianism and the utility of slacktivism, the equation of likes and shares with action.

The top criticism that I have read about over the years is the oversimplification of a complex issue, Mr. Russell said. To that I would say, I hear you, but to make something go viral  our goal was to simplify a complex issue  thats what you have to do. In a sense its meant as a criticism, but I saw it as a compliment.

At the time, the attention the film received became overwhelming for Mr. Russell, who was filmed walking naked around his neighborhood, yelling obscenities just over a week after its release. There are very few examples of people who have been publicly shamed and put under that white-hot light that dont have some kind of breakdown, he said.

The footage was sold to TMZ, according to Mr. Russell, and #Horny2012 overtook #Kony2012 in trending hashtags on Twitter, as inaccurate reports surfaced that he had been masturbating in public. What began as an earnest attempt at consciousness raising had become a meme.

But the film clearly struck a chord with viewers, tapping into what Jonah Berger, a marketing professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the author of Contagious: Why Things Catch On, refers to as STEPPS: social currency, triggers, emotion, public practical value and story. These factors appeal to our psychological makeup and basic human motivations, Professor Berger said.
LONDON  Visitors to the Rosetta Stone or the Parthenon sculptures at the British Museum may not realize that just beyond the main entrance and up an intimidatingly long stretch of stone steps is a lesser known display of clocks and watches, looked after by Oliver Cooke.

As curator of horology within the museums Department of Britain, Europe and Prehistory, Mr. Cooke manages the care, storage, display and conservation of a collection exceeding 8,000 pieces, some 200 of which are on show in rooms 38 and 39. He is also an occasional blogger on sites like the Antiquarian Horological Society and a bit of a watch-world YouTube star with a video on how clocks work (which is nearing 100,000 views).

In an interview by email and phone, Mr. Cooke discussed centuries-old and contemporary exhibits, the museums debate over acquiring a smartwatch and how members of the public can get his views on their own timepieces. His comments have been edited and condensed.

How did you become the museums clock curator?

I have always been fascinated by mechanisms and gadgets, including clocks and watches. Id earned a degree in civil engineering and worked in that field and then in business systems. But around 2003-4 I was making a clock from a kit at home and a sibling, Vicky, saw how much I loved it and suggested that I should be doing it as a career. Seed duly planted. After studying clock conservation at West Dean College in the south of England, a job opportunity at the British Museum came up. It appears that my sister was right.
Amazon has quietly stopped letting customers in Russia and Belarus open new cloud computing accounts.

The policy change for Amazon Web Services started over the weekend, according to an internal communication viewed by The New York Times, but was not publicly announced until Tuesday.

Given the current events and the uncertainty and lack of credit available in Russia right now, were not accepting new Russian A.W.S. customers at this moment, Drew Herdener, a top company spokesman, said in a statement.

A.W.S. does not have data centers or offices in Russia, and has said that its biggest customers there are multinational companies with local development teams.
Gina Raimondo, the secretary of commerce, issued a stern warning Tuesday to Chinese companies that might defy U.S. restrictions against exporting to Russia, saying the United States would cut them off from American equipment and software they need to make their products.

The Biden administration could essentially shut down Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation or any Chinese companies that defy U.S. sanctions by continuing to supply chips and other advanced technology to Russia, Ms. Raimondo said in an interview with The New York Times.

The United States, the European Union and other governments have issued sweeping sanctions and export controls in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The export controls prohibit the sale of certain high-tech products, including advanced semiconductors, to Russia and Belarus.

The U.S. export controls apply not just to American companies, but to companies anywhere in the world that use American software or technology to manufacture their products, which include many Chinese companies.
The United States military will permanently close a Navy fuel storage facility in Hawaii that leaked petroleum into the local drinking water supply last year, the Pentagon said on Monday.

A leak at the World War II-era facility in November seeped into a local aquifer, sickening thousands of people and forcing more than 3,000 military families living in and around Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam to move into temporary accommodation.

The Navy later shut down some of its wells in the area and complied with an order from the states Health Department to suspend operations at the facility. On Monday, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said the facility would close permanently  a victory for local and state officials who had warned of the risks that it posed to Hawaiis drinking water.

Mr. Austin said the Navy would also submit a plan by the end of May for removing all of the facilitys fuel, a process that he said would likely take about a year.
The status of executions across the country has been in turmoil for more than a decade, ever since pharmaceutical companies began halting their delivery of the most widely used drugs for executions. State prison systems were left to create cocktails of the drugs they could still get their hands on, often relying on one sedative in particular, midazolam, to start the execution process.

But the lethal new formulations have led to legal challenges across the country, with death row prisoners and their lawyers arguing that the sedative now in use in about half a dozen states is ineffective at its primary purpose: keeping prisoners from feeling pain as they die.

The first full trial on the challenges to midazolam played out this past week in Oklahoma, where a prisoner vomited and shook for several minutes after he was injected with the sedative during an October execution. In the case before Judge Stephen P. Friot of the U.S. District Court in Oklahoma City, a group of prisoners on death row argued that the mix of drugs that awaits them in that state has the potential to cause so much pain as to be constitutionally intolerable.

The U.S. Supreme Court allowed the use of midazolam in a 2015 ruling in the same Oklahoma case, but the current trial has allowed for additional expert testimony and presentations of detailed research about the real-world use of the drug in execution chambers.
Even students with well-trained teachers have had far fewer hands-on hours with them than before the pandemic, which has been defined by closures, uneven access to online instruction, quarantine periods and  even on the best days  virus-related interruptions to regular classroom routines. Now, schools are under pressure to boost literacy as quickly as possible so students gain the reading skills they need to learn the rest of the curriculum, from math word problems to civics lessons. Billions of federal stimulus dollars are flowing to districts for tutoring and other supports, but their effect may be limited if schools cannot find quality staff members to hire.

At Capital Preparatory Harbor Lower School, a charter elementary school in the working-class coastal city of Bridgeport, Conn., about half of the first graders did not set foot inside a classroom during their crucial kindergarten year. Though the school building reopened in January 2021 on a hybrid schedule, many families, concerned about the virus, opted to continue full-time remote learning.

At the beginning of this school year, when all students returned to in-person learning, more than twice as many first graders as before the pandemic tested at kindergarten levels or below in their literacy skills, according to the administration.

Teachers started with the basics: how to orient and hold a book, and where the names of the author and illustrator could be found. The school is using federal stimulus dollars to create classroom libraries filled with titles that appeal to the largely Black and Hispanic students there, like Firebird, about a young, Black dancer by the ballerina Misty Copeland, and Hair Love, about a Black father styling his daughters hair.

The stimulus money is also paying for a new structured phonics curriculum called Fundations. Given the depth of many students struggles with reading, the work has taken on a level of urgency, said Garensha John, a first-grade teacher at the school. Lets get it done. As soon as they know this, theyll excel.

From the start of the pandemic, when schools abruptly shuttered in March 2020, math skills were clearly affected, while some early research suggested that students reading skills were holding steady, perhaps because more parents read with their children at home than practiced math.

But now, What were seeing is that there are a lot of children who didnt get the stimulation they need during the pandemic to adequately develop early speech and reading skills, which are closely linked, Dr. Hogan said.
Photo taken on Jan. 31, 2022 shows a red lantern at the Potala Palace square in Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Chogo)

LHASA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- "Drolma" is the name of a goddess in the Buddhist scripture, and is a popular name that many Tibetan parents pick for their newborns.

Although they share the same name, Drolmas in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region each have different stories that show the great changes that have taken place in the region over the past decades.





BORN IN A COWSHED

Dechen Drolma, 66, was given her name as her parents expected her to live a happy life with the goddess' blessing. However, she did not feel such blessings in her youth.

A former serf, Dechen Drolma was the fourth generation of her family that had been born in a cowshed in Khesum, a serf owner's manor in what is now the city of Shannan in Tibet.

In old Tibet, decrees stipulated that women were "the lowest level among the lowest-ranked people," and the price of a woman serf's life was equal to a straw rope.

As one of the 302 serfs in the manor, Dechen Drolma barely had enough to eat and was often beaten badly by her lord.

Things did not change until March 1959, when Khesum became the first village in Tibet to launch the democratic reform, liberating all serfs from feudal serfdom and abolishing the decrees.

"Gone were the days when I had to live in a cowshed," Dechen Drolma recalled, adding that her family was allocated with farmland, a house and livestock.

Since then, Dechen Drolma has embraced a bright new life. She went to school in the village, and like others, her family later bought a farming tractor. Her eldest daughter is now engaged in the transportation business and her two younger daughters have found jobs in the city proper of Shannan.

"Unlike me, my children no longer had to be born in a cowshed," said Dechen Drolma.

In 2017, all impoverished residents in Khesum were lifted out of poverty.

Photo taken on March 22, 2021 shows Sonam Drolma (C) guides passengers to get on the train at the Lhasa railway station in Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.(Xinhua/Tenzing Nima Qadhup)

WITNESSING FIRST TRAIN IN TIBET

Sonam Drolma, 41, has been working at the Lhasa railway station for 16 years.

As a first-generation Tibetan railway worker in the region, she witnessed the arrival of the very first train in Tibet when the Qinghai-Tibet Railway was put into operation in 2006.

Born in a valley in eastern Tibet, Sonam Drolma remembers how difficult transportation was when she was young. It took her four days to get to her primary school, three days of walking followed by another day traveling by truck. Once she got to junior high, it took her more than 10 days to get to school in central China's Hunan Province.

Construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway section connecting Lhasa and Golmud started in 2001. When she learned that the Southwest Jiaotong University was recruiting students from Tibet to prepare for the railway line's operation, Sonam Drolma sent in her application immediately.

"I wanted to see the train reaching my hometown when I graduated," she said.

Now, railway lines have connected Lhasa, Nyingchi and Xigaze in the plateau region. The 435-km Lhasa-Nyingchi railway, the first electrified railroad operating in Tibet that opened in June 2021, had handled 621,000 passenger trips and carried over 7,900 tonnes of cargo by the end of 2021.

At the Lhasa station, Sonam Drolma saw more students leaving home for school or university. "I envy them very much for the better traffic conditions now. Watching them going to faraway places, I feel that my work is important," she said.

Photo taken on March 13, 2021 shows Losang Drolma (R, back) plays games with students at a children's modeling training school in Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Sui Ruibo)

COURAGE TO PURSUE DREAMS

When Losang Drolma told her mother that she decided to become a model, they had a big quarrel. Though she majored in law at university, she was so into modeling that she borrowed money to pay for the training.

"My mother once thought walking on a stage was not a decent job," said Losang Drolma, 30.

With her efforts, Losang Drolma succeeded in her modeling career and ranked fourth in China in an international model contest in 2011.

She started a children's modeling and aesthetic training institution in 2016. Over the years, her students have stepped onto stages and runways during various fashion weeks.

"I'm lucky that I can do something that I'm passionate about. I hope my students can also find their passion," Losang Drolma said.

From 2016 to 2020, the number of market entities in Tibet more than doubled to 365,000, official figures show. A more open and inclusive social environment has also enabled more women to feel free to pursue their dreams.

Losang Drolma later found out that her award certificate was placed in a prominent area of her home by her mother.

"My name is Drolma. The name represents a group of women with energy. I hope more young people have the courage to pursue their dreams," said Losang Drolma. 
WASHINGTON  American CryptoFed is a new kind of company spawned by the advent of cryptocurrency  one that claims, in a way, not to be a company at all.

There are no owners, officers or employees, according to its stated plan. Instead, American CryptoFed is a decentralized autonomous organization that is supposed to be steered automatically by computer code and governed by a community of users who vote on proposals with crypto tokens.

To their proponents, these types of ventures, known as DAOs, are a new model for commerce, one that could democratize business enterprises and break the hold that Big Tech and other entrenched middlemen have over innovation in the information age. Already, a rapidly growing number of these upstart organizations have emerged online, including financial services operations, news hubs and social clubs.

But they are also coming under fire from multiple angles, reflecting both the disruptive force of the crypto phenomenon and the struggle to prove its practical use beyond financial speculation.
A lawsuit accusing Prince Andrew, the disgraced second son of Queen Elizabeth II and a former friend of the notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, of raping Virginia Giuffre when she was a teenager was dismissed by a federal judge on Tuesday, following a request from both parties.

Andrew, 62, paid Ms. Giuffre an undisclosed sum to settle the suit, her lawyer said on Tuesday. Each party will pay for its own costs and fees, according to documents filed on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

David Boies, a lawyer for Ms. Giuffre, said in a statement on Tuesday that he was pleased the settlement had been completed.

This is an important step, but it should not be the last step in holding Jeffrey Epsteins enablers and participants to account, he said.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand  In an ancient grove in northern New Zealand, the mighty conifer known as Tane Mahuta, lord of the forest, is threatened by the encroachment of a deadly enemy.

It is the largest kauri tree known to be living: 177 feet tall, 53 feet in circumference. Kauri, native to New Zealand, are among the worlds longest-living trees, and Tane Mahuta has been growing in Waipoua Forest for about 2,000 years  longer than New Zealand has been inhabited by humans. It is named after the god of forests in Maori mythology, who is said to have pushed apart the sky father and the earth mother to create space for life to thrive.

But Tane Mahuta stands just 200 feet from another kauri whose roots are infected with an incurable disease. Kauri dieback, caused by a microscopic, fungus-like organism, has reached pandemic proportions and driven an already threatened species closer to extinction. Nearby, five other kauri are also infected.
LVIV, Ukraine  With Russia and Ukraine engaged in an information war that is at times as intense as the clashes on the battlefield, attempts to capture losses and victories by either side are obscured by the fog of conflict and the work of powerful propaganda machines.

Nearly two weeks into the war, it is clear that Russia has failed to seize and control almost any major cities or population centers  including the prize targets of Kyiv, in the center of the country, and Kharkiv in the northeast. Odessa, a vital port city in the south, is bracing for an assault but the Russian land advance in that direction has been thwarted repeatedly.

Still, the Ukrainian government is presenting a picture of Russian losses that is both staggering and hard to verify.

Since the start of the war, Ukraines military claims to have killed more than 12,000 Russian soldiers. In its latest daily update on Tuesday, the military said that it had shot down or destroyed 48 Russian airplanes and 80 helicopters; captured or destroyed 303 tanks and hundreds of mechanized vehicles and cars; taken out two Russian naval vessels, including a warship; and blown up dozens of fuel tanker and mobile missile launching systems.
WASHINGTON  President Biden said Tuesday that the United States was punishing Russia for a vicious war of choice in Ukraine by banning importation of the countrys oil, gas and coal, but warned Americans that the decision would inevitably mean painful, higher prices for energy and at the gas pump.

I said I would level with the American people from the beginning, Mr. Biden said. And when I first spoke to this, I said defending freedom is going to cost. Its going to cost us as well, in the United States.

White House officials said the president signed an executive order on Tuesday that prohibits anyone in the United States from importing Russian crude oil and certain petroleum products, liquefied natural gas and coal. It also bans new U.S. investment directly in Russias energy sector or in foreign companies that are investing in energy production in Russia, officials said.

Mr. Bidens decision effectively shuts off the relatively small flow of oil into the United States, which receives less than 10 percent of its energy resources from Russia. Republicans and Democrats in Congress had been urging the president to take the step to ensure that Mr. Putin was not profiting from American purchases of oil.
BRUSSELS  With negotiators all but finished with their work to restore the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has made an agreement both more urgent and more difficult to get.

Western governments, intent on punishing Russia for the attack, have said they want to wean themselves from Russian oil, which has kept generating revenue for the country even as economic sanctions kick in.

But to isolate Russia and still keep oil flowing, the West would lift the restrictions now in place on Iranian oil sales as part of a revived nuclear deal, and Moscow just put up a hurdle that some fear may scuttle any agreement.

Even before that there remained three or four outstanding issues between Iran and the United States that entail difficult political decisions for both sides regarding the scope of remaining sanctions on Iran, senior European and U.S. officials say.
One trade website, which bills itself as the global authority in superyachting, claims that the vessels owner is known to be a Middle Eastern billionaire. The Scheherazade shares a name with the female storyteller in The Arabian Nights, and it made one brief foray into the Red Sea in September 2020, calling at the Egyptian port of Hurghada. But mostly it stays in Marina di Carrara, where it has been moored since last September.

Locals have their own theory about the ships ownership. Some have heard people onboard speaking Russian. And Scheherazade is also the title of a symphonic work by the Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.

Everybody calls it Putins yacht, but nobody knows whose it is, said Ernesto Rossi, a retired clerk who was taking a walk along the marinas promenade on Friday. Its a rumor thats been going around for months.

In Italy, the phrase Putins yacht has become shorthand for a mysterious and ultra-luxurious ship. Its also a joke among the dozens of crew members, Captain Bennett-Pearce said. Ive heard the same rumors.

Another, smaller vessel, the Graceful, has long been tied to the Russian president and is known as Putins yacht. It was tracked leaving Germany for the Russian port of Kaliningrad just weeks before the invasion of Ukraine. (U.S. government officials point out that Mr. Putin owns little outright; many of the luxurious homes or ships he uses are owned by oligarchs.)

Mr. Putin appears to have a penchant for big pleasure boats. During his time as Russias leader, hes been photographed on yachts from Russias northern reaches to the Black Sea in the south. Last May, he and Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, took a cruise on a yacht at the Black Sea resort city of Sochi.

The Scheherazades builder, Lurssen Group, whose website promises customers complete confidentiality, declined to comment about its ownership. Until June 2020, when the completed ship left the pier in Bremen, Germany, it had the code name Lightning. The same company built the even bigger superyacht the Dilbar. A similar gigantic yacht, code-named Luminance, is now being built at Lurssen, scheduled to be completed next year.
KYIV, Ukraine  A grim scene awaited Dr. Oleksandr Sherbina as he made the rounds of Clinical Hospital No. 7, a medical facility that once specialized in treating strokes but is now suddenly immersed in the atrocities of war. As he passed the operating theater, surgeons were amputating the lower leg of a wounded Ukrainian soldier.

The hospital is near a combat zone in a northwestern suburb of Kyiv, where the booms of incoming artillery can be heard inside the building amid a scramble of activity as triage nurses greet the ambulances arriving every few minutes. In a hallway, an orderly used a rag to wash blood off stretchers.

The flow of wounded is growing, said Dr. Sherbina, a surgeon who is the hospitals director.

In recent days the fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces has crept from outlying towns to the edge of Kyiv, and closer to his hospital. We work and we understand that every day it is getting worse and worse, he added.

This worries Dr. Sherbina deeply. Even as he and fellow doctors treat patients ravaged by the shrapnel that whistles off mortars and artillery shells, they know they are at risk of suffering the same type of wounds.
On the morning after Russia invaded Ukraine, Maria Hawranek did what hundreds of thousands of Poles would soon do: She signed up to host refugees at her home in Krakow.

In the evening, she got a call: A family from Lviv was on their way.

We didnt even discuss it, said Ms. Hawranek, a freelance journalist whose partner, also a journalist, immediately left to cover the war. It was obvious that we were going to do this.

Of the 1.7 million people who have fled Ukraine since the beginning of the invasion, more than one million have made their way to Poland, according to the United Nations.

This huge, sudden influx of refugees has given rise to an enormous grassroots movement across Polish society, as private individuals have mobilized to raise funds and offer free accommodation and transport to the refugees.
LONDON  Charlotte Shevchenko-Knight flipped through old family photo albums and toured the snowy neighborhoods of the Ukrainian capital when she visited her grandparents in Kyiv in January.

Then, their whole world changed.

On Monday, she spoke to them by video chat from her home in England after they crossed the border into Romania, fleeing the Russian military assault. She said she had never seen them so exhausted. Now her grandparents and an aunt are facing another nightmarish hurdle, said Ms. Shevchenko-Knight, 25. But this time, it is a bureaucratic and logistical one as they try to secure a visa under Britains new plan to issue them to Ukrainian families of British residents.

It should just be: Youre fleeing a war. We can welcome you, she said of the British response. I dont understand. Its just really inhuman.

The Russian attack has triggered the fastest displacement of people in Europe since World War II. More than 2 million Ukrainians have fled since last month, according to the United Nations, and many more are expected to join the exodus. Much of Europe has allowed the refugees to enter without visas, but Britain has required visas and an application process that is confusing many and slowing their arrival in Britain.
Highlights of Xi's remarks on protecting women's rights

Xinhua) 17:12, March 08, 2022

BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Tuesday marks International Women's Day. Chinese President Xi Jinping has extended his best wishes to the country's women of all ethnic groups and from all walks of life.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, conveyed his greetings Sunday during a joint group meeting at the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the top political advisory body.

Xi attaches great importance to protecting women's rights and interests and has on many occasions hailed their role in the country's development. His discourse on women-related issues has charted the course for advancing the well-rounded development of women.

Following are some highlights of his remarks in this regard:

-- Women are creators of human civilization and drivers of social progress, and they have made extraordinary achievements in all fields of endeavor.

-- We need to eliminate prejudice, discrimination and violence against women and make gender equality a social norm and moral imperative observed by all.

-- The pursuit of gender equality is a great cause. A review of history shows that without women's liberation and progress, the liberation and progress of humankind would not be attainable.

-- Women's rights and interests are basic human rights. They must be protected by laws and regulations and integrated into national and social rules and norms.

-- [I] hope that women in our country will strive to undertake great causes, be advocates of civility and dream-chasing trailblazers, and make greater contributions to realizing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation on a new journey toward fully building a modern socialist country.

-- Party committees and governments at all levels must fully recognize the significance of women's development and work related to women, attach greater importance and step up support in this regard. Any crime against women must be prosecuted in accordance with the law to safeguard women's rights and interests.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- China is one of the safest countries in the world, according to a work report of the Supreme People's Court (SPC) made public on Tuesday.

The number of eight types of major criminal cases, such as homicide, rape and kidnap, has stayed at a low level, and the proportion of such cases in all criminal cases has steadily decreased, read the report submitted to the ongoing session of the national legislature for deliberation.

In 2021, people's courts at various levels concluded over 1.25 million criminal cases of first instance and convicted about 1.72 million criminals, according to the report. 
GENEVA  The United Nations top human rights official said on Tuesday that China would allow her to visit the country and examine conditions there, including in the Xinjiang region, a startling twist after years of negotiations and stonewalling by Beijing.

If the visit goes ahead in May as expected, the official, Michelle Bachelet, will be the first United Nations high commissioner for human rights in 17 years to visit China, which has faced repeated criticism for its human rights policies.

The visit is not without risk for the high commissioners reputation. As the United Nations top rights official, with a mandate to promote and protect the enjoyment and full realization, by all people, of all human rights, Ms. Bachelet has spoken out effectively against violations in many countries but only timidly against China.

China has long faced criticism for its harsh treatment of dissidents, journalists and activists, but rights groups have said that conditions have sharply deteriorated since President Xi Jinping took power a decade ago.
President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela signaled on Monday a willingness to increase his countrys oil production if Russian supplies are shut out of the international market, as he described a meeting with American officials over the weekend as respectful, cordial, very diplomatic.

Venezuela, a Russian ally whose oil industry is under American sanctions, has emerged as a possible replacement for some of the crude supplies that could be banned as the United States increases its effort to punish Russia. American officials are reportedly looking at easing the sanctions to allow Venezuelan oil back onto global markets and address rapidly rising crude prices.

But such efforts face a host of obstacles. Some members of Congress have been sharply critical of any effort to rekindle ties with Venezuela, saying that efforts to isolate President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia should not boost other authoritarian leaders.

The White House offered to abandon those seeking freedom from Venezuela in exchange for an insignificant amount of oil, Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, said in a tweet.
Sard Verbinnen is handling media for Bed Bath & Beyond as the retailer is pressed by billionaire investor Ryan Cohen to revamp its operations and explore strategic alternatives.

Cohen, co-founder of Chewy Inc., online pet products retailer, and chairman of GameStop, owns a 9.8 percent in BB&B via his RC Ventures investment arm.

BB&B says it will carefully review RCVs letter and hopes to engage constructively around the ideas they have put forth.

It also noted that 2021 marked the first year our bold, multi-year transformation plan, which we believe will create significant long-term shareholder value.

Sard Verbinnen has Jim Barron and Jared Levy working the BB&B account.

The firm is part of Finsbury Glover Hering.
Michael Heinley

FINN Partners promotes senior partner Michael Heinley to global head of client engagement & growth in the health practice. Before joining FINN in 2016, Heinley was VP, corporate communication at WebMD. He has also held senior positions at Johnson & Johnson and Merck. In his new role, Heinley will lead initiatives that focus on quality and providing access to FINNs integrated services, global resources and teams. He is responsible for driving new and organic growth opportunities, providing senior counsel and serving as a relationship leader for health client engagements. He will report to FINN global health practice lead and managing partner Fern Lazar. Collaboration is a behavior and a process that unlocks peoples greatest potential. Thats what clients want from an agency  the best in creativity and ability applied to their urgent needs. Michaels appointment is a reaffirmation of FINN commitment to be amazing, said FINN global health chair Gil Bashe.

Kristin Sommers

Bospar hires Kristin Sommers as VP. Sommers was most recently a SVP and co-general manager at Braya Agency. She has also worked at Weber Shandwick, MWWPR and Ogilvy & Mather. At Bospar, Sommers will co-lead strategy and programming for the agencys B2B SaaS, HR tech, martech and adtech clients, as well as identifying growth opportunities for the agency. She brings a valued skill set and expertise to the team, and we are so delighted she has joined Bospar, said Bospar principal and co-founder Curtis Sparrer.

Dawn Weston

Red Fan Communications appoints Dawn Weston as VP of client success. Weston comes to the agency from Austin Woman magazine, where she was publisher. Before that, she was associate publisher at Edible Austin. In addition to leading Red Fans client success division, Weston will lead its business development efforts. Whether its a brand in need of a media relations campaign or a CEO in need of executive positioning, Dawns expertise elevates our ability to provide our clients with even more creativity and the highest-quality service, said Red Fan president and founder Kathleen Lucente.

Steve Greig

Fundbox, an AI-powered financial platform for small businesses, brings on Steve Greig as CMO. Greig joins the company from Visa, where he most recently served as VP of global marketing. Before coming to Visa, he was head of consumer marketing at The Heineken Company, where he led a team to build customer and consumer demand for brands including Fosters, Becks and Newcastle Brown Ale. In his new post, Greig will lead Fundboxs brand, product and growth marketing and communications functions.
The New York Times is pulling its staff out of Russia due to the countrys suppression of the free press and the new law that threatens 15 years of jail time for those who report fake news, which is generally defined as information that counters Putins propaganda.

The exit from Russia is to ensure the safety and security of the papers editorial staff, NYT spokeswoman Nicole Taylor told the Washington Post.

Taylor said the NYT looks forward to returning its staffers to Russia as soon as possible and promised that the paper will continue its robust coverage of the war in Ukraine.

The Post, which has removed the bylines and datelines from its Moscow-based reporters to protect its correspondents, called the NYT the first major American news organization to withdraw from Russia.
Offaly County Council has welcomed the launch of the Midlands Regional Enterprise Plan (REP), which was launched by Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Robert Troy TD, at the Irish Manufacturing Research, (IMR) Mullingar. It aims to transition the Midlands into a zero-carbon economy.

The new Plan includes projects and initiatives across the four Midlands counties (Offaly, Laois, Longford, Westmeath). Stakeholder consultation sessions attracted attendees from across industry, public sector and higher education sectors from within the region.

The three strategic objectives for the Midlands region to 2024 are: Climate Action - Transition to a zero-carbon economy; Capitalising on strengths of the Midlands through Smart Specialisation and Digitalisation; Positioning the Midlands as the destination of choice to live, work, visit, invest and learn.

The transition to a zero-carbon economy aims to support the activities of the Midlands Regional Transition Team to develop transformative projects to guide emerging low-carbon focused projects across the region.

Capitalising on strengths of the Midlands through Smart Specialisation and Digitalisation includes actions to capitalise and realise business, industry, and skills opportunities presented by TU status; leverage The Midlands Advanced Manufacturing Action Plan to position the region as an advanced manufacturing centre of excellence and develop a Smart Connected Technologies Cluster.

Positioning the Midlands as the destination of choice to live, work, visit, invest and learn includes actions to promote and position the region as a community of choice; to support and develop additional flexible office solutions throughout the region, including the exploration of and the development of vacant properties; to progress and support tourism development, visitor experience development plans and the experience economy across the region and finally to establish a Regional Food and Drink Cluster in the Midlands.

Minister for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Robert Troy TD, outlined the importance of the Plan, saying: I am delighted to launch the Midlands Regional Enterprise Plan to 2024 in Mullingar. This Plan represents the coming together of public and private sectors across Laois, Longford, Offaly, and Westmeath to address the challenges unique to our region, and identify and put in place measures to seize the opportunities for the Midlands now and going forward.

I want to congratulate Anne Cusack, Chair of the Midlands Steering Committee, Sarah Morgan, Midlands Programme Manager, and all the Steering Committee members for their work to develop this new plan for the region. I have had the pleasure of working with Anne and the Committee over the past year on this and am delighted to see the final product.

I have been determined to ensure that funding will be available to underpin the ambitions of the Regional Enterprise Plans and I am very pleased that we have secured up to 180 million in funding over the coming years. This is necessary for the development of collaborative regional projects of scale that will drive delivery of the objectives developed in this Midlands Plan, and I encourage all to look at how best this funding can be used to support regional job creation and enterprise development into the future.
A man who was driving to a funeral in Offaly was driving at what was described in court as an 'outrageous speed'.

Noel Tynan, 63, of 2 Iona Park, Glasnevin, Dublin was charged with dangerous driving at Clonaghdoon, Borris-in-Ossory on February 11 this year. This was reduced to careless driving.

Garda Mark Rabbitte told the court that on February 11 at 11.45am at Derrymore, Roscrea he arrested Mr Tynan and took him to Roscrea garda station. Garda Rabbitte said he was operating a speed check on the M7 Borris-in-Ossory when he detected a car doing 185kph in a 120km zone. He stopped the car at Derrymore.

Appearing for Mr Tynan, solicitor Josephine Fitzpatrick said he regretted his speed. He was heading to a friends funeral.

Garda Rabbitte said that Mr Tynan had been cooperative and very apologetic.

Ms Fitzpatrick said he was going to a funeral in Coolderry, and he had received a call from his sister saying the funeral had arrived.

Judge Alec Gabbett said he was familiar with that part of the motorway and he said it was a dangerous part of the road. He noted it was not a straight stretch of the road.

Garda Rabbitte said the weather was dry and good on the day.

Judge Gabbett acceded to Ms Fitzpatricks application to reduce the dangerous driving charge to one of careless driving.

He noted, however, that that speed was one at which a plane took off.

Ms Fitzpatrick said it was an outrageous speed. Mr Tynan had no previous convictions for road traffic offences. He had a number of public houses and was also involved in real estate.

He was originally from Coolderry and his mother still lived there and he visited at weekends. This was an aberration in his driving.

He had flown in from Bucharest that morning to attend the funeral. He had only learned of the death and rushed home for it.

Judge Gabbett noted his intentions were honourable. He fined him 1,000 and disqualified him for three months.

Recognisances were fixed in the event of an appeal.
Desmond Wisley, of Tully, Ballinamore, Leitrim, has been charged with dangerous driving and criminal damage after a lorry crashed into the gates of the Russian embassy in Dublin on Orwell Road on Monday afternoon.

The 49-year-old, who runs an ecclesiastical supplies company, appeared at Tallaght District Court in south Dublin on Tuesday morning.



Emergency services at the scene after a lorry crashed into the gates of the Russian embassy in Dublin

The embassy has been the scene of protests following Russias invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

Appearing before Judge Patricia McNamara, Wisley was not represented by a solicitor.

He removed his face mask to confirm his name.

He was bailed on a bond of 300 on condition that he does not enter Orwell Road or Aileysbury Road, does not post about the case on social media, and does not contact staff at the embassy.

Speaking to reporters outside court, Wisley thanked Irish police for the professionalism, courtesy, kindness they have displayed since his arrest.

He said: It shows us how democracy should work.



Desmond Wisley leaves Tallaght District Court, where he was charged with dangerous driving and criminal damage

Wisley spoke of a need to keep the pressure on (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, to stop the war in Ukraine, and especially the murder of innocent children.

He also thanked his wife and three children for standing by him.

He will appear in court again on April 26.
The Jennifer Zamparelli Show on RTE 2fm is breaking out of Dublin and visiting listeners all over Ireland in the coming weeks, including Tullamore on Friday.

This month the Jen Z Tour will make its first stop in OConnor Square, in Tullamore, Co. Offaly on Friday, March 11.

The 2fm Roadcaster will be parked in OConnor Square from 9am-Noon where the show will broadcast live, and Jen wants to invite everybody to come along and say hello, grab a coffee, bring the children, everybody is welcome.

There will be special guest interviews with familiar celebrities and live music from local band Chasing Abbey, and of course, there will be a few surprises, and prizes, to give away to people who come along.

The 2fm DJ and Dancing with the Stars presenter, Jennifer says she is "really excited to be getting out of RTE and actually meeting the listeners.

"Its gonna be a lot of fun and Im buzzing to go to Offaly and that a sentence I never thought Id say," she added.

So make a date with Jennifer Zamparelli on the first stop on her Jen Z Tour LIVE in OConnor Square, Tullamore on Friday, March 11.
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths (R) speaks during the Security Council meeting on Ukraine at the UN headquarters in New York, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Xie E)

UNITED NATIONS, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Humanitarians' top priorities are allowing civilians to leave areas under fire in Ukraine and getting desperately needed aid to these areas, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths told the Security Council on Monday.

Together with Catherine Russell, head of the UN Children's Fund, Griffiths briefed the council on how the UN and partners are responding to rising needs since the Russian military operation began.

Griffiths, also the UN humanitarian coordinator, outlined three immediate humanitarian priorities.

First, parties must take constant care to ensure military operations spare civilians, homes and other infrastructure.

Second, people wanting to leave areas of active hostility must be allowed to do so safely and voluntarily.

Third, a constant communication system with the parties to support aid delivery is urgently needed.

A team from his office has been sent to Moscow to work on better humanitarian civil-military coordination, following a phone call on Friday between UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. A first technical meeting with ministry representatives has also been held.

Over the past few days, the World Food Programme has set up supply chain operations to deliver immediate food and cash assistance to up to 5 million people inside Ukraine.

The World Health Organization has sent trauma care, emergency surgery equipment and other supplies. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is assisting people who have crossed into neighboring countries.

Other UN initiatives included the appointment of a crisis coordinator for Ukraine and the launch last week of two "robust" humanitarian plans to support people in the country and those who have fled.

The UN Children's Fund currently has 135 staff in Ukraine, with more being deployed. Teams supported by the agency provide psychosocial care, mental health support and protection services to children in need.

Child and family hubs at border crossings known as "Blue Dot" hubs were established to provide psychosocial support, basic legal counseling and play areas.

Furthermore, the agency and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees have urged greater protection for unaccompanied and separated children leaving Ukraine, as well as for Ukrainians living in care institutions or boarding schools. 

Catherine Russell (C front), head of the UN Children's Fund, speaks during the Security Council meeting on Ukraine at the UN headquarters in New York, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Xie E)
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Mashable 02 Mar 2022
United States lawmakers, from Democrats to Republicans, have agreed to bipartisan legislation that would ban Russian oil imports amid rising gas prices and Moscow's continued attacks on Ukraine. The situation comes as U.S. President Joe Biden has still not decided in suspending trade relations with Russia and Belarus.
BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday that it's important for China and the European Union (EU) to enhance dialogue, stay committed to cooperation, and promote steady and sustained progress of China-EU relations.

Xi made the remarks in a video summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Xi pointed out that the combined impact of major global changes and the pandemic, both unseen in a century, has brought multiple global challenges that need to be addressed through global cooperation.

Noting that China and the EU share much common understanding on promoting peace, seeking development and advancing cooperation, Xi said that we need to shoulder our responsibility to bring more stability and certainty to a turbulent and fluid world.

China's development will create broader space for China-EU cooperation, Xi said, adding that the two sides must, under the principle of mutual benefit and win-win, further deepen green and digital partnerships as well as practical cooperation in various fields.

The two sides need to continue upholding multilateralism and advancing major global agenda, he added. 
All political parties say they will back a bill to ramp up sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, to be introduced under urgency tomorrow. Meanwhile, pressure mounts on the Government to do more to address the escalating...
Buses packed with people fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine are on the move in one eastern city, as a new effort to evacuate civilians along safe corridors finally begins.
The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the UK Parliament on Tuesday and said he was speaking to them "as a citizen, and as a president of a big country with a dream." (March 8)


The Chinese-Russian friendship was to have "no limits," the two declared in a joint statement on Feb. 4. But these days, Chinese President Xi Jinping may not be enjoying China's support for Russia as much.
The US and Britain are banning imports of Russian oil, the latest sanctions intended to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.US President Joe Biden announced the country is "targeting the main artery of Russia's economy" by...
Volodymyr Zelenskyy told British MPs today that Ukrainians will fight Russian invaders "in the forests, in the fields, on the shores, in the streets" in a rousing speech that channeled the spirit of Winston Churchill.Speaking via...
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MrSloty Casino Review

Newcomer to the iGaming scene, MrSloty Casino represents an interesting choice for the fans of online gambling around the globe. Like the name suggests and not similar to a majority of online casinos these days, MrSloty puts a lot of emphasis on its video slots library, seeing how these games are by far the most popular choice among players.

Like many international operators, this casino is licensed and regulated by the Government of Curacao, making it a safe and reliable choice for everyone looking to try their luck in the virtual environment.

The instant-play website of MrSloty Casino is available in English, German, French, Italian, and Swedish, which further emphasizes the operator's goal to compete in the international iGaming market. The site itself is fairly simple in terms of design but features a variety of filters and other convenient navigation options to help players find their favourite games with no effort.

Games

In the gaming department, MrSloty isn't far behind some of its bigger and more established competitors. A number of games and a variety of providers featured on the site are similar to what most online casinos offer these days, with the exception of a few brands that feature virtually every provider under the sun.

Players will have no problems finding their way around the site thanks to user-friendly drop-down menus that allow quick access to main gaming categories such as slots, blackjack, baccarat, keno, roulette, other table games, and, of course, live dealer tables.

For those looking to further narrow down the search, there is also a provider filter that works in a similar fashion. MrSloty Casino features close to 20 game developers, including the likes of NetEnt, Yggdrasil, Merkur, Wazdan, Novomatic, Kajot Games, Konami, Playson, Amatic, Playtech, Quickspin, Aristocrat, Booongo Games, and more.

As mentioned, the focus here is on video slots, and the overall library is quite solid compared to other casinos of similar size and rating. The only thing really missing at the moment are progressive jackpot titles as MrSloty doesn't offer any of these. This comes as a bit of a surprise, considering the operator hosts both NetEnt and Yggdrasil titles.

Other than this, though, the casino offers everything a slots fan could ask for, including the full scope of popular titles such as Book of Ra, Jack and the Beanstalk, Vikings Go Wild, Magic Mirror Deluxe II, Sakura Fortune, etc.

When it comes to other RNG games, MrSloty Casino is somewhat behind other operators as the selection is quite limited. This isn't much of a surprise, seeing how the operator is all about slots, but more variety would still be welcome. At the moment, the site offers a few basic versions of blackjack and roulette, as well as some baccarat games.

Despite this, the operator keeps up with other modern casinos, offering a live dealer section for those looking for some real-time live action. This section is powered by VIVO Gaming, so players won't find as much variety as with some other casinos, but there are still options like blackjack, baccarat, roulette, Casino Hold'em, and Caribbean Stud.

Banking

MrSloty Casino allows players to deposit, play, and withdraw in several mainstream currencies, namely EUR, AUD, and GBP. This isn't as versatile as what you might find with other operators, but it seems the casino has plans to expand this list in the future.

Where MrSloty could and definitely should do better to catch up with the competition is in the payment methods department. We weren't too thrilled to see that the site only accepts Skrill and bank transfers as far as traditional options are concerned. The operator also supports cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Litecoin, and Bitcoin Cash, which is a positive, but more e-wallets, as well as credit and debit cards, would be a welcome addition.

Deposit limits are on the lower side, while withdrawal times and limits are in line with industry standards. It's always important to mention when a casino charges no fees, and that's also the case with MrSloty as players don't have to cover any of the processing costs regardless of the method they use.

Mobile

Offering a mobile option is pretty much mandatory for online casinos these days. MrSloty Casino is no different than most modern-day operators, featuring an instant-play, mobile-ready site that works well across all types of phones and tablets.

Since the platform is entirely web-based, there is no need to download any apps and there are no restrictions in terms of operating systems. Android, Windows, and iOS users can enjoy their gaming sessions on the go without any problems.

VIP & Bonuses

At this moment in time, MrSloty Casino offers a very extensive and rather impressive welcome package for new players. The amount of extra cash on offer, especially for the first couple of deposits, beats pretty much anything we've had a chance to see recently.

Beyond this, though, the casino doesn't seem to offer much in terms of a VIP program or rewards for its loyal customers. Compared to other similar casinos, the operator has some catching up to do in this department. That said, MrSloty is a fairly new operator, so it might just be the case of figuring things out and deciding how they want to shape things.

Security & Fairplay

As mentioned, MrSloty Casino is licensed and regulated by the Government of Curacao. This licensing authority oversees hundreds of online casinos, so this is a pretty good indicator that players are dealing with a safe and trustworthy platform despite its novelty.

The operator sticks to all contemporary laws, regulations, and practices when it comes to handling and protecting the user data. Players can rest assured their information is handled with care and it won't end up in the wrong hands.

Support

Players have a few ways of getting in touch with the support department of MrSloty Casino. The easiest and the fastest one is through the live chat feature that's available around the clock. However, there are alternative contact methods such as email, on-site contact form, and direct phone line.

FAQ

Is MrSloty a safe and trustworthy online casino?

MrSloty Casino is licensed and regulated by Curacao and it operates in line with modern rules and regulations in the iGaming sector. Thus, we can say that MrSloty is a safe and trustworthy operator.

How good is the welcome bonus at MrSloty Casino?

The welcome offer at MrSloty Casino entails one of the more generous bonus packages you can find. There is plenty of extra cash up for grabs, especially on the first couple of deposits, and new players should definitely take advantage of it.

Can I play slots for free at MrSloty Casino?

Yes, you can. MrSloty offers players a chance to play almost all games in a demo (free) mode. However, before you can do this, you will need to open a free account with the site.

Does MrSloty offer any other casino games besides slots?

Despite the name, MrSloty offers other casino games as well. You'll find electronic blackjack, roulette, and baccarat tables, as well as a live dealer section powered by VIVO Gaming.

What banking options does MrSloty Casino support?

At the moment, MrSloty Casino only supports Skrill and direct bank transfers, as well as several cryptocurrencies. The list of banking options is somewhat lacking, but this will probably change in the future.
Opalesque Industry Update - In a new report published by Preqin, the global leader in alternative assets data, tools, and insights, the Women in Alternatives 2022 report shows that although the alternatives industry has not seen a major drop in the proportion of female employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is more work to be done to rectify the marked gender imbalance, especially in senior positions. Gender balance has improved, albeit slowly, across the alternative assets industry as a whole. According to Deloitte, one woman in the C-suite leads to three promotions of women into senior management roles1; simply put, the lack of women in leadership positions can negatively affect the prosperity of women in the industry as a whole. Preqin data shows that an eighth (12.9%) of senior positions in the alternatives industry are held by women. As of January 2022, 20.9% of the alternative assets workforce is female - and when looking at investors alone this rises to 24.2% (up from 20.3% and 24.0% respectively a year earlier). When looking at the female representation in different asset classes, regionally, European private debt fund managers employ the most women - up from 21.6% in 2021 to 22.8% this year. Rest of World real estate fund managers have the lowest proportion of women on staff - down from 17.3% in 2021 to 15.1% in 2022. In terms of asset classes, infrastructure leads the way with 28.6% female workforce, compared with 24.1% globally; and private equity trails the pack, employing 23.6% women in North America and 21.9% globally. As of February 2022, just one-fifth (20.5%) of total private equity fund manager employees were women, the Preqin report shows. While that proportion has increased for the past three years in North America, Europe, and Asia - although by less than one percentage point annually - Rest of World recorded a decline from 18.9% in 2020 to 18.3% in 2021. At senior levels, there are even fewer women; only 9% of CEOs and 8.2% of board members are female. Women Underrepresented in Leadership Roles Among Private Markets Women continue to be underrepresented throughout the workforce in financial services. Deloitte estimates that 24% of senior roles were held by women across financial services in 2021. In alternative assets, the figures are worse still, with Preqin data showing only 12.9% of senior positions held by women. At fund manager level, the proportion of women in the workforce ranges from 18.9% at real estate firms to 21.1% at venture capital, private debt, and natural resources firms. The proportion of women in senior positions ranges from 13%, in venture capital, to just 9.8% in real estate. Interestingly, real estate boasts the highest proportion of female employees at junior level (36.3%), making the drop between junior and senior level even more pronounced. Investors have better female representation throughout the workforce, with 34.4% of junior positions, 26.1% of mid-level positions and 16.7% of senior roles filled by women. Venture Capital Pulls Ahead Women have been more successful at launching and managing venture capital funds than in any other alternative asset class. The number of female-owned funds holding their first close jumped from 32 in 2013 to 158 in 2022, an increase of almost 400% in a decade, which is considerably faster than in private equity (where the increase was 32.1%), and real estate (133.3%) - the only other asset classes where the number of first closes for 2022 is in double digits. Furthermore, female-founded start-ups backed by venture capital funds raised an average $935,000 (compared to men-founded ones: $2.1mn) and generated $730,000 in revenue (men: $660,000). A study by Boston Consulting Group and MassChallenge2, a US-based network of business accelerators, looked at 350 companies and found that start-ups with at least one female founder raised less money than those with male founders, but generated more revenue over a five-year period. The same study found that, expressed in revenue per dollar invested, female-founded start-ups backed by venture capital outperformed their male-founded counterparts by a considerable margin, returning 78 cents per dollar against 31cents for companies with male founders. Jaclyn Bouchard, EVP, Head of ESG Solutions and Corporate Responsibility, at Preqin, says: "Until women are better represented at the most senior level in the alternatives industry, progress will be slow. However, coupled with actions such as casting a broader net when recruiting women in junior positions, developing metrics to track progress, and adding gender diversity metrics to due diligence proceedings - real change can be achieved. As a woman in an executive position at Preqin, I also know the importance of mentoring others and the inspiration that can come from just being where I am - with a seat at the table of senior company leaders." Key Women in Alternative Assets 2022 Facts*: Private Equity:

 20.5% - Women account for one-fifth of total private equity fund manager employees

 23.6% - North America has the highest proportion of female fund manager employees in private equity

 33.4% - A third of junior employees in private equity are women, over double the 13.9% the proportion of senior employees Venture Capital:

 17.4% - China has the highest proportion of female senior employees at venture capital firms in the top 10 locations by aggregate capital raised in the past 10 years

 21.1% - Venture capital fund managers have one of the highest percentages of female employees among alternative asset classes

 8.1% - The proportion of board members at venture capital fund managers who are women Private Debt

 22.0% - The proportion of female senior employees at private debt firms in China - by far the highest of any location

 6.4% - The proportion of female board members in private debt firms

 28.0% - More than a quarter of CFOs at private debt firms in Asia are women, compared to a global average of 20.4% Hedge Funds

 10.0% - of portfolio management staff at hedge fund GPs are female

 18.6% - Chinese hedge fund firms have the highest proportion of female employees in senior positions

 7.1% - of hedge fund firm board members are women Real Estate

 17.4% - France has the highest proportion of women in senior positions at real estate firms

 18.9% - Real estate has the lowest proportion of female fund managers across alternatives

 4.9% of board members at real estate GPs are women Infrastructure

 4.5% - Proportion of board members at infrastructure GPs that are women

 19.1% - France has the highest proportion of female senior employees in infrastructure

 23.4% - Almost a quarter of executive directors at infrastructure firms are women Natural Resources

 18.1% - France has the highest proportion of women among its total employees at natural resources firms

 36.0% - North America is the region with the highest proportion of female junior employees in natural resources

 19.3% - North America also has by far the highest proportion of women in senior positions in natural resources *N.B. all rankings are of the top 10 locations by aggregate capital raised in the past 10 years globally: China, Canada, Hong Kong SAR - China, France, United States, United Kingdom, India, Germany, South Korea, and Japan. For Infrastructure, South Korea is in the top ten by aggregate capital raised, but as there is no data on their proportion of female employees the next country, Switzerland, has been added in its place. The exception to this rule is hedge funds which is calculated by AUM. Press release

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Students line up for COVID-19 tests at the campus of Inner Mongolia Medical University in Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 2, 2022. (Xinhua/Peng Yuan)

BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese mainland on Monday reported 175 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, the National Health Commission said Tuesday.

Of the new local infections, 46 were reported in Jilin, 45 in Guangdong, 31 in Shandong, and 10 in Jiangsu and Gansu respectively. The rest of the cases were reported in other 11 provincial-level regions, the commission said in its daily report.

A total of 150 imported COVID-19 cases were reported Monday, said the commission.

Five new suspected cases, all arriving from outside the mainland, were reported in Shanghai, said the commission. No deaths from COVID-19 were reported on the day. 
ELDON [mdash] A graveside memorial service, with military honors, will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 14, 2022, at the Eldon Cemetery in Eldon, IA for Charles and Irene Stribling. Family and friends are welcome to attend.
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MANISTEE  Students at Jefferson Elementary School in Manistee enjoyed some special guests recently to kick off National Reading Month.

Four cast members from the Manistee Middle High School's production of "Willy Wonka Jr." dropped by on March 1 to read to students.
The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Collin Periatt.

Sunday, March 6

10:57 p.m.  Officers investigated a call of a domestic verbal situation on North Columbine Street.

9:48 p.m.  A deputy issued a 22-year-old Gladwin County man a citation for driving on a suspended license.

7:14 p.m.  A deputy was dispatched to assist a Michigan State Police trooper with investigating a possible suicidal subject in Mount Haley Township.

3:42 p.m.  A Warren Township gas station reported a vehicle drove off without paying for $128.73 in gas. No plate number was obtained.

6:35 a.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a Porter Township residence regarding a domestic assault between a 39-year-old man and his 31-year-old girlfriend. Both parties were separated for the night.

12:12 a.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a Mount Haley Township residence regarding an assault. A 62-year-old Mount Haley Township man was arrested following an altercation with his 61-year-old live-in brother. EMS evaluated the 61-year-old man for a minor injury to his head.

Saturday, March 5

10:20 p.m.  A deputy assisted a Michigan State Police trooper at a Lee Township residence with a verbal argument between a father and his daughter. There was no assault. The father was given a ride home for the night.

10:03 p.m.  Officers investigated a crash resulting in injury involving an intoxicated driver near East US-10 and Stark Road.

8:48 p.m.  A 37-year-old Midland man was arrested for a felony warrant following a traffic stop. The man was issued a citation for driving with no driver's license.

2:54 p.m.  Officers performed a well-being check on Crestwood Court that led to a warrant arrest.

1:07 p.m.  A deputy was dispatched to check on an injured bird in the median of US-10. The bird had an injured leg but could still fly. The bird refused to be caught and was left on the scene.

12:52 p.m.  Officers investigated a domestic verbal dispute on Village East Drive.

Friday, March 4

7:41 p.m.  Officers investigated a case of domestic verbal abuse leading to a warrant arrest on Renee Drive.

6:45 p.m.  Officers investigated a case of larceny on Sandow Road.

12:29 p.m.  A 36-year-old Saginaw man called and was concerned that a female friend may be getting threatened by a co-worker. Deputies made contact with the 30-year-old Saginaw woman at her place of employment in Jerome Township. The woman said the issues were with another Saginaw woman who she used to work with. The 30-year-old woman said she did not believe the other woman was going to come to her place of employment. The 30-year-old was advised to contact her local jurisdiction.

11:59 a.m.  A 29-year-old man was having psychiatric issues at his Mount Haley Township home. The man was later transported to MyMichigan Medical Center ER for a mental health evaluation.
Katy Kildee/Midland Daily News

Midland County Department of Public Health (MCDPH) and Molina Healthcare are offering flu and COVID vaccine clinics for the community from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every Tuesday in March.

Clinics are at the MCDPH on the second floor of the County Services Building, 220 W. Ellsworth St. Midland, MI 48640. Remaining clinics are on March 8, 15, 22 and 29.
Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang attends an interview via video link after the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang attends an interview via video link after the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Journalists raise hands to ask questions via video link in an interview attended by ministers after the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Yin Gang)

Chinese Minister of Water Resources Li Guoying attends an interview via video link after the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

Chinese Minister of Water Resources Li Guoying attends an interview via video link after the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

Xiao Yaqing, China's minister of industry and information technology, attends an interview via video link after the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Xiao Yaqing, China's minister of industry and information technology, attends an interview via video link after the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang attends an interview via video link after the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

A journalist asks questions via video link in an interview attended by ministers after the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Yin Gang)

Journalists work during an interview attended by ministers via video link after the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Yin Gang)
Fundamental to fostering a positive relationship between CEOs and board members is an understanding by the CEO that he or she doesnt work with the board; he or she works for the board. As one CEO said: On any given morning if more than half of our board wakes up and doesnt like the job Im doing, Im roadkill.

In questioning a number of CEOs, conducting a thorough literature review and pulling from my own experience, the following are some suggestions:

Dont keep secrets. There should be no surprises. Board members must be kept informed of news on a timely basis. Bad news as well as good news should be brought to them as soon as possible. And always attempt to mix good news with the bad. Dont get in the habit of only bringing good news.

Ask questions. To board members, perception is reality. You cant know how board members perceive the organizations operations unless you ask. You need to probe them with some frequency. And when you do, dont ask them how youre doing. Ask them what more they think the organization ought to be doing or not doing.

Turn a listening ear. Show your board youre listening. Respond to their requests in writing or verbally within 24 hours.

Make their priorities yours. If a board member places a high priority on some aspect of the organizations operation or the marketplace, then that issue should be a high priority for the staff.

See the board as a package. Work with the entire board. Dont make the mistake of working closely with only the board chair. The strength of the board-CEO relationship is usually the sum of the relationships between the CEO and all board members. There was a CEO who worked closely with his board chair for 17 years, but he didnt develop strong relationships with other board members. When a new board chair was elected, the CEO was terminated 18 months later.

Agree to agree. There should be general agreement between the board and administration about organizational goals. The CEO of a major Michigan health care organization got it in his head their organization should affiliate with a larger health care system. The majority of the board and the community didnt see any merit in such an affiliation, but the CEO persisted in affiliation discussions. The board knew how to solve the problem  they fired him.

Think positive. Develop a can-do attitude. Board members like executives who think they can rather than those who appear to have a defeatist attitude or are indecisive.

Include other staff members. Have key staff members attend board meetings. Some CEOs only allow two or three members of their staff attend board members. Rotate other staff members through board meetings occasionally and have them report about their areas whenever appropriate.

Sing their praises. Give board members recognition. Board members, more than CEOs, should have their pictures in many of the promotional materials produced by the organization. Gail Warden, former president of the Henry Ford Health System and a highly effective executive, said it is impossible to give your board members too much recognition.

Give major decisions some soak time. If possible, bring a major proposal or project to the board for information. Thoroughly review it and tell them it will be put to a vote at their next meeting. It helps reduce the possibility of some board members saying they didnt have time to digest the proposal. As much as possible, you want unanimous support for major decisions.

Avoid frontal attacks. When contentious issues are raised at a meeting of the full board that arent immediately resolved, divert them into the appropriate subcommittee or ad hoc task force.

Establishing and maintaining a board-CEO relationship is hard work, but it is vital to maximizing both an organizations and a CEOs potential.

Terence Moore, former president of MidMichigan Health and author of Lessons in Leadership and Career Survival, authored this column as part of a monthly series focusing on career survival and advancement for the Midland Daily News. He may be contacted at tfm43@speednetllc.com.
Palestine, TX (75801)

Today

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds light and variable.
Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - The United Nations Resident Coordinator to the Gambia, Seraphine Wakana, has stated that women everywhere are playing critical roles in building homes, communities and nations and must be recognised for their contributions and true potential
Photo: (Photo : Tim Boyle/Getty Images)

More than a dozen families are suing NHS Lothian after a report found significant failures at the health board's hearing service for children, as per the BBC News. An independent audit of NHS Lothian's services found the health board misdiagnosed 155 of the 1,113 patients it treated between 2009 and 2018.

The British Academy of Audiology conducted the review, with the independent investigation finding serious problems in how NHS Lothian diagnosed and treated hearing loss. Those failures were devastating for the families of the deaf and partially deaf children as they were identified as such years later than they should have.

NHS Lothian apologized to the 155 families following the report's publication in December of last year, with the health board announcing that it was implementing the review's recommendations.

Affected families suing NHS Lothian following report's release

Following the report's publication and NHS Lothian's apology, the Scottish Government confirmed that the health board had been escalated to stage three of the NHS Board Performance Escalation Framework for paediatric audiology performance and service delivery.

Those actions are not enough for the families affected by the health board's poor services. The families whose children received wrong treatment from NHS Lothian are now seeking compensation with Jonathan Howat, a senior lawyer with Thompsons Solicitors, tasked to represent them in the legal battle.

Howat issued a statement, saying, "The wards and the other families I represent have been treated disgracefully by NHS Lothian. As a result of delays in identifying and treating hearing impairments, the lives of many children have been made significantly more challenging."

Howat added that their legal action against the health board would ensure that these children and their families are properly compensated. Howat and the families will feel confident of their chances of landing a huge sum of money with the British Academy of Audiology blasting NHS Lothian in its report.

The audit identified significant concerns about the hearing tests conducted by NHS Lothian that were not carried out to the required professional standard. According to the British Academy of Audiology, these resulted in consequences for deaf children and their families.

Read Also: Unborn Baby Undergoes Rare Heart Surgery, Born 10 Weeks Later

NHS Lothian's failures in child hearing services had severe impact

The report said that the failings in the standard of hearing tests given by NHS Lothian "adversely impacted the early years spoken language acquisition of numerous children, affecting a number of these children for life."

The report also noted that in some cases, diagnosis of hearing loss or impairment on deaf children might have been missed or delayed by NHS Lothian. The report highlighted five children who were not deemed suitable for cochlear implantation due to delays in hearing loss identification by NHS Lothian. Among NHS Lothian's failures were two children who were assessed as normal by the health board but then eventually referred for cochlear implantation.

Five more children had their cochlear implantation delayed due to a delay in hearing loss identification by NHS Lothian. The report also identified 49 children whose identification and management of a hearing loss was significantly delayed by NHS Lothian.

Related Article: Eight Additional Babies Sickened by Abbott Formula Powder Recall
Editor's note: David Blair is the vice president and senior economist at the Center for China and Globalization. He was commissioned by Xinhua's China Chat Show to write this article.

by David Blair

BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- While visiting the small Tibetan town of Lunang, I happened to spot a building with a sign that said "Maker Center."

I'm used to seeing maker centers -- places where people can build and try out physical tech products such as drones or 3D printers -- at big universities, but was surprised to see one at such a remote location.

It turns out this center was attached to a primary school, giving young kids the opportunity to learn to build things. What impressed me most was a large poster saying "Live Innovative Lives."

What a great message to impress on children so young! But what can be done to ensure that these children and others throughout China, and the world, have the opportunities to turn their innovative dreams into reality?

One important factor is infrastructure. Over the last 20 years, China has invested heavily into building roads, rail lines, airports, and communications capabilities, even into the most remote areas of the country. Tibet now has great road, rail, electric power, and 5G infrastructure.

Without this national investment that created good road and Internet connections, the children in Lunang would be as isolated as were previous generations in the region.

We were also able to visit a small company near Lhasa that produces traditional Tibetan incense. Now, this company has a growing business, much of it direct online sales to customers around the world. Again, this would not be possible without the national investment in roads and Internet connections.

Nobel-prize winning economist Edmund Phelps argues in two recent books, 2013's "Mass Flourishing" and 2020's "Dynamism," that a nation cannot be innovative unless the mass of the population have opportunities to be creative, to realize their inherent innovativeness.

I've had the chance to visit many villages and small cities in China, even in formerly very remote areas, that have become prosperous by producing specialized goods and selling them directly to customers. Without online connections and logistics, none of this would be possible.

The current transformation of China reminds me very much of the era of the 1930s to 1960s when my own country, the United States, was building an extensive infrastructure throughout the nation. It is no accident that the high point of the American economy was exactly this time of infrastructure investment.

It greatly worries me that the U.S. is no longer able to build good infrastructure efficiently. Even when politicians promise infrastructure investment, it turns out to be a false promise.

For example, the 2009 so-called American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was sold as an infrastructure and investment plan. In fact, only 0.1 percent of the act's spending resulted in new infrastructure spending.

Widespread education is also a key factor that enables mass innovation and economic transformation. We were able to visit two high schools in Lhasa. The kids at both schools seemed eager and engaged. They were very familiar with world culture and music.

The schools taught in both Tibetan and Mandarin Chinese, with most students also learning English.

Sometimes, the schools are criticized for requiring native Tibetan students to learn Mandarin. My view is that knowing the national common tongue is important to their future opportunities in life. It would be cruel not to give them these opportunities. Of course, learning English creates further opportunities for them.

Chinese students famously score extremely high on math competency and knowledge. They work extremely hard during their school years. More reform needs to focus on how to encourage kids to be innovative and dynamic without losing the current strengths of the system.

A third key enabler for an innovative, transformative economy is creating a good business environment that makes it as simple as possible for businesspeople to get things done. Of course, infrastructure investment is part of that. National policies that enforce anti-monopolization laws are also crucial.

But, most business is done at the local level. I've been able to talk with many small business leaders who see the local governments as friendly supporters who are eager to see the businesses prosper.

China is now at a crucial point in its economic transformation. It needs to make a big step from a low-wage producer and technological follower to becoming an indigenously innovative, higher-wage economy.

I was lucky to get the chance to see some of the key institutional reforms and real investments needed to make this transformation work. 
Photo: (Photo : Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Newborn babies are the most vulnerable in society, particularly those born prematurely. Their survival and protection are the main priority for their mothers, but that task is proving tough to accomplish in Ukraine right now with Russia's continuing onslaught in the country.

Emine Dzhaparova, Ukraine's first deputy minister of foreign affairs, confirmed last week that Ukrainian women were already giving birth in bunkers. They were forced to do so with Russian armed forces attacking Ukrainian hospitals, maternity wards, kindergartens, and orphanages.

That was the case for Alena Shinkar, who was due to give birth to her baby at a maternity hospital. However, those plans went out the window when Russian troops started bombing facilities as they invaded Ukraine. Shinkar told Reuters from her bed in an underground passageway in Kyiv that they are living in real hell, and she never imagined that something like this could happen in the 21st century.

Newborn babies battling for survival in Ukraine

Shinkar herself witnessed the struggle of other women who had just given birth through Caesarean sections. Instead of recovering in hospitals, the women were brought into the passageways alongside their babies from the hospital ward to avoid the Russian bombardment.

Around 1,000 babies are born each day in Ukraine, about 100 of whom require some form of neonatal intensive care. These newborn babies need round-the-clock care to ensure their survival, but that service is proving difficult to do right now with Russia's non-stop military offensive against Ukraine.

A footage emerged of doctors working in the basement of a makeshift neonatal intensive care unit in Ukraine. According to Dr. Olena Kostiuk, a neonatologist associate professor in Kyiv, they set up the basement unit to help their very young patients in their hospital.

Read Also: Death Toll, Number of Wounded Children Rise as the Ukraine-Russian War Enters Another Day

The struggle is real for Ukrainian doctors to treat sick babies

Kostiuk said that the space in the basement is usually a technical room for electricity, heating, and water. According to Kostiuk, they were forced to transform the basement into a treatment area that is never used in this way. The doctors have no choice but to move here with the daily bombings putting their lives at risk.

Kostiuk added that the switch to the basement is also necessary for the very sick babies, who cannot move far because of their delicate situation. Kostiuk had a grim warning if the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues, saying, "babies are going to die."

An emotional Kostiuk said that she can't even imagine what she thinks, but the reality is these newborn babies "cannot live in these conditions." The main worry for Kostiuk right now is that medical supplies are running out. Among the drugs and treatments already in short supply in Ukraine is caffeine treatment to stimulate newborn babies to breathe, antibiotics, surfactant to help premature lungs, and vital nutrition for babies fed in through their blood vessels.

Related Article: Parents of TikTok Star Accused of Using Filters to Make 12 Kilogram Baby Look Bigger on Viral Video
Photo: (Photo : PATRICK HERTZOG/AFP via Getty Images)

California mom Melissa Ursini visited her OBGYN after complaining of "labor pains" when she wasn't pregnant, but her doctor did not find anything concerning about her test results. She also saw a gastroenterologist, who dismissed her condition as constipation.

Ursini wasn't losing any weight and kept her active lifestyle as a mom in her 30s. She told Today that it never crossed her mind that she would have colon cancer because she thought it was an "old person's disease."

The mom is now one of 18,000 people below 50 years old diagnosed with the condition in recent years, thus breaking down the misconception that colon cancer can only happen to aging people. Since her diagnosis of stage 2 colon cancer, Ursini has advocated getting tested and never disregarding the symptoms as just another stomach issue.

Read Also: Cancer Screening Leads to Woman's Discovery of Many Siblings; Parents Sold Them at Birth

Melissa's Symptoms of Colon Cancer

Ursini relayed that she experienced a lot of pain in her lower abdominal area in early 2021. Initially, the pain would subside and come back, but it progressed into a consistent pain akin to period cramps and labor pains.

While her gastroenterologists tried to figure out what was ailing her, Ursini began to eat less and less because she didn't have any appetite, yet she didn't drop any weight. She was also vomiting whatever she ate and thought this was the effect of the antibiotics.

When her CT scan results were clear, her doctor told her that she might have contracted parasites during her travels. But this was during the height of the COVID lockdowns when she stayed home; thus, the assumption was dismissed.

One day, Ursini threw up something that smelled really bad, making her call up her brother-in-law, who works as an ER nurse. He immediately picked her up at home and brought her to the hospital because he believed there was an obstruction in her stomach as she coughed out bile.

Several tests later, Ursini was finally told of her actual condition: colon cancer. The doctors advised her for an emergency colonoscopy and surgery to remove a 7-inch mass in her intestines.

The young mom completed her chemotherapy in October 2021 and has had her follow-up scans. Her recent colonoscopy reveals she's cancer-free, and she has never been more grateful to embrace her health.

Get Screened for Colon Cancer

Ursini's grandfather had colon cancer, and there weren't much the doctors could do for him when he learned of his condition. Her father, on the other hand, had non-Hodgkins lymphoma. According to the experts, those with a family history of cancer should get screenings as early as possible.

Dr. Michael Hurtuk, a colorectal surgeon at OSF HealthCare, said that if a person has been dealing with gastrointestinal issues for some time, despite the absence of blood in the stool or abnormal bowel movements, they should consider getting tested. Colon cancer has a "very broad spectrum of symptoms" that might seem nothing at first, and these days, younger people's symptoms are not any different than older adults.

Incidentally, Colon Cancer Awareness Month takes place this March, and doctors are reminding the public to "trust their gut" and talk to their doctor if they feel something off in their body.

Related Article: Heartbreak as Toddler Suffering From Constipation Diagnosed With Rare Cancer
Photo: (Photo : Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)

Hollywood star Mila Kunis has launched a fundraiser for Ukraine alongside her actor husband, Ashton Kutcher. The actress wants to secure $30 million in donations and has already reached the halfway mark of $18 million and counting in just four days.

Kunis and Kutcher shared a video on Instagram to update the kind people who have heeded their call to raise money for Ukraine. The couple also took this chance to thank the public for their support.

Kutcher said that at least 14,000 people had made pledges to the GoFundMe page he created with his wife. In the video, Kunis also introduced several company CEOs to speak about how the fundraiser will help finance efforts for displaced families in Ukraine.

Read Also: Russian Police Allegedly Detains School Kids Protesting the Ukraine Invasion

Proud American, Proud Ukrainian

In another video, Kunis said that she is a proud American and has loved everything about the U.S. since her family arrived in the 1990s. Kunis was born in 1983 in Ukraine and said that she is devastated for what's happening in her birthplace. Despite this, Kunis also said that she is a proud Ukrainian as they have shown bravery amid the threats from Russia.

Kunis was only seven years old when her family immigrated to the U.S. Ukraine was still part of the Soviet Union with Russia at that time, but communism was already falling in the region. At that time, Kunis' parents didn't tell them where they were moving until they got on the plane to Los Angeles.

"Nowadays, if you have money, you think Moscow is great," Kunis said in one interview in 2011. "But that's not the reality of the Russia I grew up with."

Speaking on HourzzTV, Kunis said she didn't have any clue about America, the language, and the people. She admitted that the move was "jarring and shocking" that she cried a lot in her sleep during her first year in the U.S.

Soon, Kunis acclimated to American life and landed a role in "That 70's Show" with Kutcher. In 2015 or years after their show ended, Kunis and Kutcher found each other again and married.

The actress, who has two kids with Kutcher, also explained that she and her husband would support the refugees who have left "everything they know and love" as the Russians invade their country. With most families carrying just the clothes on their backs, Kunis said that countless would need basic supplies and housing accommodations.

Besides organizing this fundraiser, Kunis and Kutcher also pledged $3 million for the Ukrainian refugees. Airbnb offered to provide short-term housing for the displaced while Flexport sent care supplies and relief packages in Romania, Moldova, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia. Many Ukrainians have found safer places to live.

Other Hollywood Celebrities Helping Ukraine

Reese Witherspoon has donated to Kunis and Kutcher's fundraiser while husband and wife Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively pledge $1 million to the UNICEF Foundation's fundraising drive for Ukraine.

Top model Gigi Hadid has also donated her Fashion Month earnings to the relief efforts. "Real Housewives" reality TV star Bethenny Frankel's foundation, BStrong, is also doing a fundraiser in partnership with Global Empowerment Mission, which is on the ground in Poland in the border of Ukraine.

Related Article: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively to Match $1 Million Donation for Families Displaced by the Ukraine Invasion
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Vinci Airports, in collaboration with blockchain-based non-profit Code Green and NFT artists community World of Women, is celebrating International Womens Day by organizing the first-ever NFT exhibition worldwide showing the work of 22 artists in more than 20 airports simultaneously in Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, France, Japan, Portugal and Serbia.

NFT stands for non-fungible token, which means that within the artwork there is a unique and non-interchangeable unit of data stored on a digital ledger using blockchain technology to establish proof of ownership.

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VINCI Airports will be presenting its passengers with artworks from digital artists Alexa Meade, Allison Harvard, Amber Vittoria, Diela Maharanie, Dong Lu, Elise Swopes, Inna Modja, Izzako, Jess Bianchi, Lana Denina, Laurel Charleston, Laya Mathikshara, Linda Dounia Rebeiz, Livia Elektra, Marjan Moghaddam, Roya, Serwah Attafuah, Shavonne Wong, Synchrodogs, Vaby Vel, Zhuk and Yam Karkai.

Some of the artworks were first presented at the World Economic Forum, raising more than US$250,000 for women-led climate solutions for the Great Green Wall  an African-led initiative growing an 8,000km wall of trees across the width of the continent from Senegal to Djibouti.

According to Vinci Airports, this initiative illustrates how much the airport sector, and mobility in general, positively contribute to cultural openness, by enabling human contact and the discovery of others. The activation also highlights the linkages between technology, environmental protection and gender equality, with women and girls by far the biggest victims of the accelerating climate emergency.

The initiative shines a light on the unique role of women in that fight.Vinci Airports is accelerating plans by supporting the careers of women within its network. Women make making up 37% of its workforce and growingly hold leadership positions as airport CEOs in the Dominican Republic, Cambodia, Brazil, the USA and France.

Nicolas Notebaert, CEO of Vinci Concessions and president of Vinci Airports, commented, We are proud to put our airports at the service of such a strong environmental message from women artists. This collaboration embodies Vinci Airports strongest commitments: make transportation more sustainable and more inclusive. Diversity and gender equity are in the DNA of aviation: mobility brings people closer and helps to build an open world.

Code Green CEO Inna Modja said, Its inspiring to see a mobility leader like Vinci Airports embrace the fight to decarbonize the transport sector and champion the role of diversity in its network. It made them a natural partner in showcasing these powerful artworks at airports across the globe on the occasion of International Womens Day, highlighting the linkages between climate justice and gender equality to a truly global audience.

World of Women co-founder and artist Yam Karkai added, At World of Women, we like to have an impact beyond the NFT Space. And we believe that this is an example of us realizing this, by being able to curate and participate in this first-ever worldwide NFT exhibition, beside talented artists. We are proud to be achieving this alongside our partner Code Green, and with Vinci airports, who is accelerating its plans to support more women in leading positions, which is typically the type of change we want to see in the world.
Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a video summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday urged joint support for the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, and stressed the need to encourage the two sides to keep the momentum of negotiations, overcome difficulties, keep the talks going and bring about peaceful outcomes.

Xi made the remarks while attending a video summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Xi said that the current situation in Ukraine is worrisome, and the Chinese side is deeply grieved by the outbreak of war again on the European continent.

China maintains that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter must be fully observed, the legitimate security concerns of all countries must be taken seriously, and all efforts that are conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis must be supported, he said.

The pressing task at the moment is to prevent the tense situation from escalating or even running out of control, Xi stressed.

China commends the mediation efforts by France and Germany on Ukraine, he said, adding that China will stay in communication and coordination with France, Germany and the European Union (EU) and, in light of the needs of the parties involved, work actively together with the international community.

We need to call for maximum restraint to prevent a massive humanitarian crisis, Xi said, adding that China has put forward a six-point initiative on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, and stands ready to provide Ukraine with further humanitarian aid supplies.

We need to work together to reduce the negative impact of the crisis, Xi said, adding that relevant sanctions will affect global finance, energy, transportation and stability of supply chains, and dampen the global economy that is already ravaged by the pandemic. And this is in the interest of no one.

We need to actively advocate a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, Xi said.

China supports France and Germany in promoting a balanced, effective and sustainable European security framework for the interests and lasting security of Europe, and by upholding its strategic autonomy, he said.

China will be pleased to see equal-footed dialogue among the EU, Russia, the United States and NATO, Xi added. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a video summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xiang)

Related:

Xi says current situation in Ukraine worrisome

Xi urges strengthening China-EU dialogue, cooperation
A lot of people looking for a solid VPN have one primary consideration: the need for speed. Privacy and anonymity are great, but if it means slow-as-molasses connections most people will opt out in favor of a speed demon. Faster speeds mean a better streaming experience, faster file downloads, quicker website load times, and just a better all-around experience.

Of course, when it comes to speeds there are actually two considerations. Download speeds are the primary concern because most people depend on getting data from remote servers as quickly as possible. For some, however, upload speeds for sending data to the internet is just as important. Gamers, for example, need what theyre doing to hit servers as quickly as possible.

We tend not to publish upload speeds in our reviews as the interest is more often on downloads, but were going to look at the upload speeds in this article. As with our download speeds, well focus on the percentage of the base speed that is maintained (or exceeded). The reason being that numbers can differ so wildly from ISP to ISP, device to device, and connection type to connection type that speed retention as a percentage often captures the experience of most people.

Read on to see the fastest VPN weve found for sending data to the rest of the world, as well as the best choice for upload speeds and the VPN with the best speeds while staying as private as possible. (For even more VPN options, check out our comprehensive roundup of the best VPNs in all categories.)

1. Hotspot Shield  Fastest VPN, period MSRP: $7.99 per month Best Prices Today: To readers of our VPN reviews this first choice will come as no surprise. The fastest VPN weve tested is HotSpot Shield and its not even close. HSS is in a class of its own, retaining 67 percent of the base speed. That is simply a standout score. HSS has its issues, as we havent been fans of the companys privacy policy, though its slowly getting better. Of course, it may simply be that to provide the speeds that it does HSS requires the analytics it collects. We cant really say. Regardless, if youre interested in pure download speeds and nothing else matters then HSS is the one you want. Read our full Hotspot Shield review 2. ProtonVPN  Second-fastest overall, fastest upload speeds MSRP: $96 Best Prices Today: The second place winner is ProtonVPN, which is still quite a ways back at around 57 percent of the base download speed. ProtonVPN is expensive compared to other services, but the privacy policy is better than HSS in terms of the amount of data collected from its users. Its not as fast as HSS, but ProtonVPN is about as close as you can get with an improved privacy policy. Upload speeds are a different story. In that competition, HSS doesnt even crack the top 20. Proton, however, is the leader there, retaining more than 80 percent of the base upload speed. If you want something that offers a higher degree of privacy, and has top-rated download and upload speeds, then ProtonVPN is the way to go. ProtonVPN also has extra features that may interest some, such as a multi-hop VPN, called SecureCore, support for Netflix and other streaming services, and a few TOR-friendly routers to boot. Other honorable mentions for upload speeds include Ivacy, NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Private Internet Access. Any of those VPNs will do the job nicely if upload speeds are a bigger concern than downloads. Ivacy, Nord, and Express are also excellent choices for extra features that go beyond just upload and download speeds, from various locations around the globe. These services also promise features similar to ProtonVPN such as Netflix compatibility, multi-hop VPNs, and more. Read our full ProtonVPN review 3. Mullvad  The most private speed demon MSRP: $6.88 per month Best Prices Today: If you dont want to compromise on privacy and anonymity, while still getting solid speeds, then Mullvad is the best choice. This super-simple VPN supports connections via 38 different countries, and it costs 5 Euros per month (around $5.70 at this writing). Weve often referred to Mullvad as the Swiss bank account version of VPNs, because Mullvad actively resists obtaining any of your personal information. Instead of signing up for an account with the standard email and password, Mullvad assigns you a random account number and thats it. No birth date or anniversary passwords to give you away. One number and thats it. In our tests, Mullvad was sixth place for download speeds, though its upload speeds were on the weaker side, maintaining just under 60 percent of the base speed. After Mullvad, we have to turn back again to ProtonVPN since its so fast, and the privacy promises are good, though you wont get the same amount of anonymity as you do with Mullvad, as email and password combos are the norm. Read our full Mullvad review 4. ExpressVPN  The bronze medalist MSRP: $6.67 per month Best Prices Today: Our current all-star as the best VPN overall is a good choice for speeds. It ranks third overall in our download speed tests, retaining more than 53 percent of the base speed in our testing. For uploads, it ranks in the top 20, though the differences in speeds there are much slimmer than in downloads. ExpressVPN is one of the more costly VPNs out there at $100 per year. For that money, however, you get solid speeds, a promise to work with Netflix, split tunneling, and a wide range of device support. The app is also pretty easy to use and there are a wide range of country locations to choose from. Read our full ExpressVPN review 5. NordVPN  Honorable mention MSRP: $4.92 per month Best Prices Today: Nord regularly appears at the top of many VPN rankings, and its no surprise to see it here. In our tests, NordVPN retained 49 percent of the base speed, which is plenty fast. Its also inside the top 10 for upload speeds. Of all the VPNs here, NordVPN also has to be one of the most feature packed, rivaling ProtonVPN. It supports multi-hop connections, TOR over VPN, ad and tracker blocking at the server level, and a variety of other options. Read our full NordVPN review

What to look for in a VPN

VPNs are a tricky subject. First of all, many security experts often dont have a very high opinion of VPNs. Thats due in part to shenanigans from early VPN companies, as well as the fact that the entire use of a VPN is based on trust. You have no way of knowing for sure if your service is doing what it says its doing, hence the need for trust. VPN companies are going a long way to improve trust with third-party audits and upholding their privacy promises in court.

So how can you put your trust in a VPN? There are a few steps you can take. First, make sure you know who is behind the company. Its easier to trust a company if you know where they are located and who is running the show. Next, consider VPNs that arent in exotic locations half a world away. You can raise objections about the so-called Fourteen Eyes all you want, but if youre using a VPN to access Gmail, Facebook, and Twitter, then far more sensitive information than your browsing history could potentially be exposed under force of law.

Once youre comfortable with the company providing your service, its time to see what kind of information theyre logging from your activity, if any. Some VPNs promise to log nothing, some take minimal data to improve their networks, while others log a surprising amount. Ideally, you want a VPN that logs as little data as possible, especially when it comes to which websites youre visitingthough if speed is your primary concern, you may be able to forgive HotSpot Shield for collecting the TLDs you visit on an anonymized basis.

Next, you may want to consider how many servers a VPN has. The more servers there are, the less chance of congestion and reduced speeds. It also makes it easier to switch servers in the same country when you need to for viewing Netflix or other needs.

Finally, you want to be a paying customer with a VPN when possible. Free and paid VPNs can have differing privacy policies, and free VPNs often have paltry data limits that arent helpful. If you only need a VPN for a limited time, many services have month-to-month commitments at prices ranging from $5 to $10.

How we tested

Testing is pretty simple. We test the speeds in five countries on a given day, testing each country location three times. These countries are typically the U.S., the UK, Germany, Australia, and Japan, but that can change depending on the locations the VPN offers and if there are any unique testing requirements.

The daily speeds are averaged together to get a daily average speed. We test a total of three days at different times of the day to account for any variation. Then we take the average of each testing day to get an overall average. That overall average is then expressed as a percentage of the base speed. That way the test results provide a sense of how much speed a VPN retains versus hard numbers, which can vary based on internet service providers, routers, and other equipment, time of day, and so on.

Final points

After you go down the speed rankings behind HSS and ProtonVPN, the speeds start to group up into tiers pretty quickly within the top 10. ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and Perfect Privacy make up the third tier after the top two leaders. Then Mullvad, Surfeasy, Private Internet Access, Air VPN, and HMA round out the top 10 for download speeds.

The drop-off for upload speeds is much more gradual making any of the services mentioned in the upload section a good choice if this is your primary concern.

Speeds arent the only consideration one can have for a VPN, but for many people its the primary one. Well also be looking soon at the best VPNs for other uses including streaming, torrents, mobile, and more.
A former Minister of Energy, Boakye Agyarko, has disclosed how "a lot of oil companies" in Ghana are owing taxes over a hundred million.



"I know for a fact that a lot of oil companies operating in Ghana are owing taxes . . . some are owing 75m, 100 and over million . . . " he indicated.



Speaking in a one-on-one interview on Peace FM's 'The Platform' programme, on the back of controversies surrounding the E-levy, he cited Tullow Oil, saying, "when I was a Minister, I had a serious challenge with Tullow. They were always fighting the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) because they had not paid their taxes for 5 years".



According to him, "if we don't take the taxes from these oil companies, how can you take from the ordinary Ghanaian trying to make a living? This is where the resistance is coming from".



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
Djouadi, an Algerian also known as Abu Ammar al-Jazairi, was killed overnight from February 25 to 26 around (160 kilometres (100 miles) north of Timbuktu in central Mali, the army said in a statement.



His death "once again weakens Al-Qaeda's governance" in Mali, it added, calling him "a major link in northern Mali and especially the Timbuktu area" to the Qaeda-aligned GSIM group.



A former "emir" of Al-Qaeda's Libyan operations, Djouadi fled to Mali in 2019 and settled in the Timbuktu region, helping organise the group and coordinating supplies, financing and logistics, the army said.



It added that he was killed by ground forces supported by a Tiger attack helicopter and two drones.



France is preparing to redeploy some 2,400 troops away from Mali to other countries in the Sahel region facing cross-border jihadist insurgencies, after falling out with the military junta in Bamako.



While the pullout is set to stretch over six months, the army said that "operations continue against armed terrorist groups, especially against the top leaders of Al-Qaeda, GSIM and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) group."



French forces first intervened in Mali in 2013, but disputes between Paris and Bamako since a 2020 coup have prompted the military government to turn to other allies like Russia's Wagner paramilitary group.



Even with international allies on the ground, the Malian state has struggled to reassert control of territory from the jihadist insurgency that began in the country's north in 2012 and has since spread to neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso.



The fighting has claimed thousands of lives and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.

Source: France 24









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.

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Israeli police stand guard near the scene of a stabbing attack in Jerusalem's Old City, on March 7, 2022. Israeli police said on Monday that they shot dead a man who stabbed two police officers in East Jerusalem. (Photo by Muammar Awad/Xinhua)

JERUSALEM, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Israeli police said on Monday that they shot dead a man who stabbed two police officers in East Jerusalem.

The incident took place near the Cotton Merchants' Gate, known as Bab al-Qattanin to the Arabs, outside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a flashpoint site holy to both Muslims and Jews in the Old City of East Jerusalem, according to a police statement.

The knife-wielding man stormed at two police officers stationed near the site and stabbed them, the statement said, adding that in response, other policemen fired at and killed the suspect.

The two officers, aged 20 and 24 respectively, sustained moderate injuries, according to a separate statement issued by the national Magen David Adom emergency health service.

After the incident, the police blocked roads in the vicinity of the site of the attack.

It was the second stabbing attack in East Jerusalem over the past two days. On Sunday, a Palestinian stabbed an Israeli policeman and lightly wounded him. The suspect, a 19-year-old from East Jerusalem, was also shot dead by police officers at the scene.

Israel captured East Jerusalem, along with the rest of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Middle East war. It later annexed East Jerusalem in a move condemned by most of the international community.

The Palestinians seek to establish an independent state covering the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Last round of peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians broke down in 2014 after nine months of efforts. 

Israeli police stand guard near the scene of a stabbing attack in Jerusalem's Old City, on March 7, 2022. Israeli police said on Monday that they shot dead a man who stabbed two police officers in East Jerusalem. (Photo by Muammar Awad/Xinhua)

Israeli police work at the scene of a stabbing attack in Jerusalem's Old City, on March 7, 2022. Israeli police said on Monday that they shot dead a man who stabbed two police officers in East Jerusalem. (Photo by Muammar Awad/Xinhua)
Months of investigations have revealed that some two policemen are the brains behind some of the multiple robbery attacks on bullion vans in Ghana.



There have been a number of robbery attacks on bullion vans, especially in the Greater Accra Region recently.



Although the police administration is currently silent on the names of the two policemen, it has described the development as a major breakthrough in the fight against bullion van robbery attacks, reports Graphic Online's Emelia Ennin Abbey.



Police investigations are still ongoing and to help not to compromise the investigations, the names of the two suspects, together with other suspects linked to the robbery attacks have not been revealed.



Intelligence-led operations



A statement dated March 7, 2022, signed by the Director of Police Public Affairs, Superintendent of Police, Mr Alexander Kwaku Obeng said the Ghana Police Service, after several months of painstaking intelligence-led operations at the highest level, had made a major breakthrough in the investigations into multiple bullion van robberies recorded in the Greater Accra.



It listed the robbery attacks investigated as including the attack on a bullion van near Kingsway, in February 2021 and in Baatsona, Spintex, in March 2021.



The third robbery attack investigated took place in Jamestown, Adedenkpo, in June 2021 and the recent attempted robbery at North Kaneshie Industrial Area, in February 2022.



It said preliminary investigations established the involvement of the two policemen among a number of other suspects.



The police indicated that investigations were still ongoing and that it would soon bring all culpable persons involved in such crimes to face justice.



It assured the public that the Ghana Police Service would continue to work hard to rid the country of criminal activities that disturb the peace and stability of the nation.



Background



In the first half of 2021, the police recorded four bullion van attacks across the country.



In three of the incidents, the robbers bolted with cash on board the vehicles.



In two of the cases, the police officers escorting the van lost their lives.



On January 18, some highway robbers numbering about 10, attacked a bullion van which, was traveling on the Adansi Fomena road in the Ashanti Region and made away with an amount of GH500,000.



The driver of the vehicle, with registration number GT 543-19, survived while the police officer escorting the van was killed, and his AK47 assault rifle stolen.



On March 1, a bullion van was robbed on the Spintex Road at Baatsona near the Danpong Hospital by some armed men numbering about four.



The driver of the bullion van and one official from the bank escaped while the escorting police officer was assaulted by the robbers.



The robbers broke into the van and escaped with the money.



In June there were two bullion van attacks within three days.



The first incident happened on June 14 at Adedenkpo near James Town in Accra.



A police officer escorting the van and a woman were killed while the driver of the vehicle sustained serious injuries and the robbers bolted with the money.



The second was on June 17 while passengers in a bullion van with registration number GN 6956- 17 were attacked on the Winneba-Accra highway.



The unknown assailants shot at the van at the Okyereko and Dominase portion of the Winneba-Accra stretch.



Aside from the driver, the van was occupied by two policemen with an amount of 550,000 on board.



The policemen escaped the gunshots and were rescued by the Winneba Divisional Police who escorted them back to Accra.



The last incident was foiled by the police when some robbers attempted to attack a bullion van in North Kaneshie Industrial Area in Accra.



The attack was foiled after a police officer who was on duty nearby intervened during the attempted robbery on a bullion van.



While the robbers were fleeing the scene, they fired indiscriminately.



Three people sustained various degrees of injuries and they were admitted at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for treatment.









Source: graphiconline.com









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One suspect has been arrested while the police is pursuing five others for the suspected murder of the Oshipi of Ashalaja at Achiaman, near Amasaman.



The incident happened on Sunday, March 6, 2022.



The Accra Regional Police Command in a statement named the deceased as 42-year-old Joshua Lartey, who was the Oshipi of Ashalaja.



The police named the five suspects as Rashid Mohammed alias Gizzo, Brown Amoah Akwanor, Ni Obene, Ayitey Animle alias Asa Brother and Mushe Akwanor.



They are believed to have attacked and shot the deceased in his car while he was on his way home.



The Police, acting on intelligence gathered, proceeded to the house of one of the suspects, Rashid Mohammed at Sowutoum but met his absence, a police statement signed by Chief Inspector Kwabena Danso of the Accra Regional Police Public Relations Unit said.



A search conducted in the house led to the retrieval of two pump-action guns, one G3 weapon, one revolver and one cap gun from a locked room.



His wife, suspect, Maradia Salihu who was in the house at the time has been arrested to assist in the investigations.



The Police are calling on members of the general public to volunteer any credible information that will lead to the arrest of the suspects who are currently on the

run.









Source: graphiconline.com









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The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers-Ghana (CCT-GH) have called on the government to immediately sit with the leadership of the various worker unions to work towards increasing salaries to commensurate with the upsurge of prices of goods and services in the economy.



Speaking at a press conference in Accra, the President of the NAGRAT, Mr Eric Angel Carbonu said the incessant and interminable increase in the price of fuel had pushed the cost of transportation for both private and commercial upwards, adding that last year by this time, a bag of cement was GH40.00, but today, a bag of cement is GH52.00, GH12.00 more



The escalation of prices for food items on the local market, he added, was evident for all to see, saying that the cost of rent and accommodation are on the rise and have become a huge burden to the Ghanaian worker, yet we dont have any comprehensive housing scheme to support the low-income level of workers in this country.



He said realities cited had become the summary of realities of the Ghanaian worker and that the unions would have expected that even without prompting from the leadership of the workers, the government itself would have initiated concrete moves to ameliorate the effect of these economic hardship on the Ghanaian worker.



Increases



Unfortunately, while we are experiencing huge percentage increases in the price of goods, there is no commensurate upward adjustment in the incomes and emoluments of the Ghanaian worker. In fact, the four per cent and the seven per cent salary adjustment for 2021 and 2022 respectively had been a drop in the pan in the light of the current economic realities.



The real value of the income of the worker has depreciated tremendously, he said, adding that, the engagement that should be taking place today between the Ghanaian worker and the government should be an engagement to recognise the challenges and come up with practical steps to cushion the worker from these price escalations.



He said there was the need for the government to critically and dispassionately look at its expenditure, adding that the worker cannot guarantee a peaceful labour environment when his or her salary cannot take him home.



Worker agitation, Mr Carbonu said, could not end when the worker was the first victim of the current economic situation and that, the answer to our challenges is finding immediate answers to the hard-hitting economic situation.





We call on all labour unions to quickly call for the convening of a new salary negotiating team to come out with new and realistic salary levels to be commensurate with the current economic realities, he stated.



He added that the unions would begin series of actions to knock at the doors of the government to ensure that the situation was improved.



COLA



At the same event, the four teacher unions, the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), NAGRAT, CCT-GH and the Teacher and Educational Workers union (TEWU), have called on the government to institute a cost of living allowance (COLA) for teachers and all public sector workers.



On behalf of the unions, the President of CCT-GH, Mr King Awudu Ali, said the teacher unions recognise the economic challenges facing our members like all other public sector workers.









Source: graphiconline.com









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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has expressed optimism that the country will bounce back from the current economic challenges.



While acknowledging the enormity of the economic challenges, he rallied Ghanaians to work together to ensure that the difficulties were overcome.



I know we are capable. I believe in the can-do spirit of the Ghanaian, the first people in sub-Saharan Africa to rid ourselves of the shackles of imperialism and colonialism. Ours is a bright future, and I am confident that our years in Mother Ghana will be great. Let us work together and bounce back together, the battle is the Lords, he said.



Addressing the 65th Independence Day parade in Cape Coast yesterday, the President said: We will find Ghanaian solutions to our Ghanaian problems.



The anniversary was on the theme: Working together; Bouncing Back Better.



Global challenges



President Akufo-Addo indicated that over the last two years, the world had been confronted with multiple challenges that had dislocated many economies globally.



He traced the economic challenges to the COVID-19 pandemic, the disruption of the global supply chain and the global financial system; the opening up of a huge funding gap for many countries, the erosion of fiscal space, the widening of fiscal deficits and increased public debt levels resulting in the rising crude oil and fuel prices, and depreciation of currencies.



There is erosion of the fiscal space and the widening of fiscal deficit and increased public debt levels. We are seeing rising crude prices, the rising cost of fuel, the rising cost of items and the depreciation of currency.



In as much as these are happening around, the government of Akufo-Addo has not thrown out its hands in despair. We are not looking for the easy way; we are determined to be more reliant and in the process find Ghanaian solutions to Ghanaian problems, President Akufo-Addo said.



Taxation critical



President Akufo-Addo expressed concern that although taxation was a major vehicle to raising revenue to develop the country, many Ghanaians were opposed to the system.



Very few will then take the next further step to accept that revenue mobilization will happen principally through taxation in our society. We have, unfortunately, not yet reached the stage of universal acceptance of taxation as a matter of public good, he said.



President Akufo-Addo said it was unacceptable that less than 10 per cent of the population, that is about 2.4 million people, carried the direct tax burden of 30.8 million people.



He stated that the countrys tax-to-GDP ratio of 12.2 per cent compared unfavourably with its peers in the world.



Citing the Asian Tigers as best practice, the President indicated that economies such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea relied on taxation to finance their development.



Progress



Already, the President said the government had made considerable progress.



For instance, he said, the Free Senior High School programme had increased access to education while the Planting for Food and Jobs programme had increased the countrys food exports, and the One District, One Factory policy had enhanced production.



"We are processing more of our cocoa in Ghana than any other time in our history. The One District, One Factory initiative which has seen the ongoing construction of 278 factories across the country and 106 completed is part of the foundation on which we are building a comprehensive industrialisation programme inspired by the development of strategic anchor industries such as the emerging automotive industry and the coordinated exploitation of our bauxite and iron resources," he stated.



President Akufo-Addo further stated that the government had opened up the country through the construction of roads and increased efforts at digitalization to enhance transparency and efficiency in the public sector.



Guard peace



President Akufo-Addo called on Ghanaians to jealously guard the peace the country had enjoyed and ignore calls for a military intervention.



He said it was worrying that there were some "restless spirits" who sought to exploit the current difficulties confronting the nation and make a call for military intervention.



While calling on all persons and institutions committed to democratic values to resist the claims of "adventurers," the President promised that he, for his part, would employ all legitimate means in a democracy to keep the nation's democracy.



Unity crucial



President Akufo-Addo said despite differences in opinions, unity was needed to forge ahead as a nation.



He stated that there should be no circumstances where anyone or group of persons should run down the country to achieve a narrow and parochial interest.



He said it was time for Ghanaians to re-orient their thought and work to correct all mistakes and strive to achieve national prosperity.



Patriotism



Examining what patriotism held for national development, he noted that it was important to act to set things right and find out where wrong choices were made.



When we make the wrong choices we must act to set it right; when those put in charge of running affairs get it wrong they must have the courage to say so; that is our patriotic duty and call," he stated.



Struggle for independence



Recounting the history of the nation's struggle for independence from the Aborigines Rights Protection Society to the formation of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) and the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) as well as other events leading to the declaration of independence by Dr Kwame Nkrumah, he said the sacrifices the people made in those days must make all Ghanaians love the country.



President Akufo-Addo said the eventual formation of the CPP and the declaration of Positive Action led to the emergence of Dr Nkrumah as the leader of the nationalist movement in succession to Dr J.B. Danquah.



"He led it with verve and on 6th March 1957 stood at the Old Polo grounds to make the historic declaration of Ghanas freedom for which the Ghanaian people will forever remain in his debt," he stated.



The President emphasized that the patriotism of the nation's forebears must compel all and impose on all of us the need to work as Ghanaians with a love for the countrys forward march.



Regional security



On regional stability, President Akufo-Addo said recurrent terrorist attacks which were moving gradually southwards in the region towards the coastal states were worrying.



"All our efforts at transforming the Ghanaian economy and putting our nation back on the path of progress and prosperity would be rendered futile if we are unable to secure our borders and give you the Ghanaian people the serenity to go about your daily activities in an atmosphere of peace and security, he said.



On that score, he gave the assurance that the government was determined to do everything within its powers to guarantee the nation's territorial integrity and ensure the safety of citizens.

Source: graphic.com.gh









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To mark this years National Chocolate Day, Fidelity Bank Ghana has donated boxes of made in Ghana chocolates and an amount of GHS10,000 to the students and staff of New Horizon Special School in Cantonments, Accra.



The donation was made in fulfilment of one of the core values of the bank: serving the community.



The New Horizon Special School provides education for children between the ages of 6 and 18 years old, and vocational training and employment for adults who have an intellectual disability.



Presenting the items to the school, Mrs. Comfort Armoo, Head of Customer Experience at Fidelity Bank, noted that the gesture was to express the banks appreciation for the great support that the school is providing to the community at large.



On National Chocolate Day, it is very important that love is extended to the community. We, at Fidelity Bank, feel that it is a privilege to celebrate this special day with the students and staff of this institution.



Ms. Sylvia Francois, a board member of the New Horizon Special School, who received the donation on behalf of the school expressed her heartfelt gratitude to Fidelity Bank for the kind gesture. We are extremely grateful to Fidelity Bank Ghana for showing us love today. This donation will go a long way to support the school and we promise to put it to good use. We are indeed glad that you have visited us once again and we look forward to working with Fidelity in the future, Ms. Francois stated.



Fidelitys support of the New Horizon Special School is a further testament that the bank is truly committed to the general well-being of Ghanaians.









Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The Managing Director (MD) of Dredge Masters Limited (DML), Captain Ansar Ahmed Khan, has been inducted into the Corporate Ghana Hall of Fame Awards 2022 at the plush Movenpick Ambassador Hotel, Accra.



He was presented with a plaque in recognition of his induction into the Corporate Ghana Hall of Fame.



The induction of the MD of DML into the Hall Fame is in recognition of his significant contribution to especially Ghanas environmental sanitation space.



The awards which were organised by The Business Executive on Friday, March 4, 2022, and it was graced by top CEOs, chairmen and chairpersons.



The Corporate Ghana Hall of Fame is a flagship forum of top-tier executives conceptualised as a grouping of selected current and former chairmen and chairpersons, and overall top CEOs in Ghanas business sectors who individually and collectively contribute to the growth of corporate Ghana.



Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the ceremony, Captain Khan thanked the organisers for the honour done him, and dedicated the award to his family, Jospong Group of Companies (JGC) and his staff members.



He used the occasion to also express appreciation to JGC for its immense support for dredging and environmental sanitation in general.



Earlier, in a welcome address, the Chairman of Corporate Ghana Hall of Fame, Mr. Kwasi Abeasi, who was a former Board Chairman of Ghana Investment Promotion Council (GIPC), said the Corporate Ghana Hall of Fame Awards recognises and celebrates the professional accomplishments of outstanding chairmen, chairpersons and distinguished CEOs of the corporate community.



Other inductees



Among prominent personalities who were also inducted into the Corporate Ghana Hall of Fame were the current Chairman of HSOP, Dr. Derick Amoateng; President of Ghana Employers Association, Daniel Acheampong; Board Chairman of Norpalm Ghana Limited, Dr. Kwwme Sarpong, and; founder of Asanka University College of Design and Technology, Kwabena Asante Asare.



The rest were the CEO of DHL Global Forwarding West Africa and Country Head for Ghana, Serigne Ndanck Mbaye; Chairman of Ruma Fertility and Specialist Hospital, Dr. Rudolf Kantum Adageba; General Manager of Ridge Royal Hotel, Mr. Samuel Obiri Oduman; Commissioner of Insurance, Justice Ofori, the reigning CEO of the year 2021 of the Ghana Leadership Awards, who is also the CEO of Envaserv Research Consult Dr. Emmanuel Lamptey; Managing Director and Chairman of MINECON Resources and Services Limited, Daniel Kenneth Bansah, and; Manager of Adjafash Company Ltd., Prince Williams.



About Dredge Masters



Dredge Masters Limited is a subsidiary of Jospong Group of Companies that offer cutting-edge modern technological dredging services in Ghana and across the African continent.



As a leading provider of cutting-edge modern technological dredging services, Dredge Masters utilises the best industry techniques to eliminate the potential for design failures and expedite its time to clients. The company has expertise in the following areas: lake dredging, land reclamation among others.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says Ghana has moved away from the earlier uncertainties that clouded her path towards progress and prosperity, and the last twenty-nine years of democratic governance in the 4th Republic have generally been the period of the greatest economic growth in our history.



Delivering a statement on Ghana Day at the ongoing Dubai Expo 2020, on Tuesday, 8th March 2022, President Akufo-Addo noted that Our engagement at the Expo is themed on Opportunity, because we are a nation of unquestionably attractive opportunities.



According to President Akufo-Addo, Ghana is, today, the safest country in West Africa, is the largest recipient of foreign direct investment in West Africa, and is ranked 3rd in the Ease of Doing Business Index in West Africa.



We are the new commercial capital of Africa by virtue of our hosting of the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), we are the 2nd largest cocoa producer in the world, we are the largest producer of gold in Africa, we are endowed with considerable deposits of bauxite, iron ore, manganese, lithium, oil and gas, diamonds, and timber, and we are geographically closer than any other country to the centre of the planet, the President added.



He continued, We are a country where investments are secure and protected under a governance system where an independent judiciary upholds the rule of law and respect for private property rights.



Stressing that Ghana is Ready for Business, President Akufo-Addo noted that Government is determined to build a business-friendly economy that will enable Ghana get to the stage where the exploitation of the opportunities that are available will help her build an optimistic, self-confident and prosperous nation.



Indeed, prior to the onset of COVID-19, Ghana, in 2017, 2018 and 2019, that is during my first term in office, recorded annual average GDP growth rates of seven percent (7%), making our economy one of the fastest growing in the world at the time. At the height of the pandemic, in 2020, we were, indeed, one of the few countries to record positive growth, he said.



Through the one hundred-billion-cedi (GH100 billion) economic recovery programme, dubbed the Ghana CARES Obaatampa Programme, the economy grew at a provisional 5.2% in the first three quarters of 2021, with a projected growth rate of 5.6% for 2021.







We are appear to be on the path of sustained economic recovery. We still, nevertheless, have some important challenges, but we see these challenges as opportunities which serve as catalysts for growth and the realisation of Governments transformational agenda. This agenda is hinged, primarily, on creating space for the private sector to thrive, thereby growing the jobs that our young people need, he added.



President Akufo-Addo stated that policies such as 1-District-1-Factory and the development of strategic anchor industries, such as the emerging automotive industry and the coordinated exploitation of our significant bauxite and iron ore deposits, the agricultural expansion through the programme for Planting for Food and Jobs, targeted infrastructural development, especially of roads and railways, and promoting access to digital technology are serving as the main avenues for job creation.



We have been successful at removing some of the constraints of Ghanaian life, that have been sources of frustration in conducting business. As part of the process of formalising the economy, we have, amongst others, implemented a digital property addressing system, issued biometric national identification cards to residents this year, so that every resident will have a unique identification number, and ensured paperless transactions at our ports, he added.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The United Nations (UN) Eminent Peace Ambassador and the Country Director for International Association of World Peace Advocates, Ghana Chapter, Dr Samuel Owusu, has called on the government to bring back the collection of road tolls so that government can still generate money from road users to develop the country.



He observed that ever since the suspension of the collection of the road tolls, a lot of money has been lost, saying that the money could have been used to develop the country.



The Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori Atta, announced that government has abolished all road tolls. Presenting the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of government on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, 17th November 2021, the Minister mentioned that a new levy will be imposed to make the toll paying more universal.



He mentioned that over the years, the tolling points have become unhealthy market centres, leading to heavy traffic on our roads.



He added that the toll booths have also lengthened travel time from one place to another, and impacted negatively on productivity.



Since then, the collection of tolls have been suspended.



Preaching at the Pottersville Church International, East Legon on Sunday, March 6, Dr Samuel Owusu said: If we can, let Parliament bring back the collection of the tolls, no one is complaining that we cannot pay toll fee.



He continued that, For the past two months that we stopped the collection, we could have used that money for something. I have learnt that the school feeding money is being delayed, that of the NHIS is also becoming an issue, Please bring back the collection of road tolls.



Raising money for development



Dr Samuel Owusu urged the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to call on pastors, business men, companies, and rich men in Ghana to support the government raise money to develop the nation.



Although he is not against taxation, he was of the belief that the e-levy should be taken from the aforementioned persons and not the ordinary Ghanaian, hence the call.



You and your leaders should appeal to all pastors and leaders, including rich individuals to help Ghana. You should call on Individuals, pastors and companies to support you financially, he said.



He recalled that most of the former Presidents, including Mr John Agyekum Kufuor, the late John Evans Atta Mills, and Mr John Dramani Mahama called on people in the country for help when they needed it, calling on the President to do same.



We have seen an individual purchase a car with 3 million Dollars, if we call on that person, wont he donate same to help the country? If some individuals can build houses, prison facilities and others, cant they support the government.

Please call all the pastors, and businessmen, call us and we will support you, he said.



He added that, There are men in this country who can contribute to develop this nation without taking money from the poor. Call those who have bought big cars, those who have money, and pastors to help.



Dr Samuel Owusu also said those who flout traffic rules should be given an immediate fine so that when they pay, the money can be used to develop the country.



That, he said, will also serve as a deterrent to others who go against traffic rules.



Free SHS



Dr Samuel Owusu again called on government to make Free SHS a law, so that it would not be changed by incoming governments.



He said if it is changed, some parents cannot afford it due to the hardship they are facing.



Please make free SHS a law before you leave office, so that any President that will come to Ghana cannot just change it, he urged the President.



He also encouraged the President to reshuffle his Ministers in order to preserve his legacy and integrity, saying that most of them are tired already.



Some of your people are tired, when they are presenting statements on the E-levy, look at them, look at the Finance Minister, he is tired, he has implemented all his vision, please do reshuffling, bring in some people, we beg you, he said.



Dr Samuel Owusu continued that, Some others are equally good and capable, some have best ideas, they have best knowledge, sometimes all it takes in leadership is just one alignment, just let some people sit down. There are some people, when they sit down, the work will move up, and the next people will be serious.







Source: 3news.com|Ghana









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Pope Francis has said that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is 'not a military operation, but a war' in his Angelus address to the world.



The head of the Catholic Church led this Sunday's prayer at the Vatican with the Russian invasion of Ukraine as his point of focus, making calls to stop the war and to allow humanitarian corridors to keep people safe.



In his address, the Pope said: 'Rivers of blood and tears are flowing in Ukraine. This is not just a military operation but a war which is sowing death, destruction and misery.'



In a prayer said for the first Sunday of Lent, Pope Francis spoke at the Vatican in the Apostolic Palace overlooking St. Peter's Square in Vatican City, facing thousands of people, with many holding Ukrainian flags or placards with messages of solidarity with the country under attack.



He said of the conflict: 'True happiness and freedom do not lie in possessing, but in sharing, not taking advantage of others but in loving them, not in the obsession of power, but in the joy of service.



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The Ankwansu Anglican Child and Youth Development Centre has climaxed their Child Protection Awareness Campaign with a float through the streets of the Ankwansu Community in the Eastern Region.



The centre is a frontline church partner of the Akuapem Cluster under the supervision and funding of Compassion International - Ghana - an international Christian non-governmental organisation with the aim of releasing children from poverty.



The campaign which took place last Saturday (March 5) was aimed at sensitising and educating caregivers, community folks and beneficiaries on the need to protect children from abuse at all times, as well as, reporting abuse cases when they happen.



The float



The float began from Aboabo through to Ankwansu and Obosono community in the Akuapem South of the Eastern Region.



It attracted a lot of dignitaries such as traditional leaders, religious leaders as well as other youth leaders in the community.



They held placards with inscriptions such as Childhood is not motherhood, Children are too small to earn, If a child says Im scared adults should believe it,  Give children a voice to be that voice, among many others.



During the processing, some of the members also moved into homes to educate parents and guardians on the adverse impact of child abuse.



Rise in abuses cases



Speaking to the Daily Graphic after the exercise, the CPC Chairperson, Mr. Daniel Adu Gyedu, highlighted how successful the campaign has been.



As a result of the campaign, he said caregivers and community folks would now understand that issues of early marriages and child labour were all abuse cases and would begin to desist from such acts.



Mr. Gyedu further expressed discontent on how abuse cases had been on the rise across the country and how it was impeding child progress.



He, therefore, called on government and other related agencies to enforce laws affecting child protection, indicating that that was the only solution to slow down the rushing cases of abuse.



The Project Director, Barbara Osei-Bonsu also highlighted how impactful the campaign had been.

She indicated that the campaign was timely as figures in abuses cases continue to rise, particularly during the era of the COVID-19 pandemic.



UNICEF statistics



Rapid assessments conducted by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and partners in 2020 indicated that violence and abuse at home may be on the rise in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.



32 per cent of adolescents and young people reported having observed increased abusive behaviour within their families including financial abuse (34 per cent), emotional abuse (32 per cent), physical abuse (17 per cent), sexual abuse (10 per cent) and mental/psychological abuse (7 per cent).



Evidence also shows that there is a strong increase in child abuse cases and a decline in violence prevention programming (77 per cent decline) in the Greater Accra and Ashanti regions.





@ a glance

The Ankwansu Anglican Child and Youth Development Centre has embarked Child Protection Awareness Campaign to help reduce abuse against children.

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KIEV/MOSCOW, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Russian and Ukrainian negotiators failed to achieve major breakthrough during their third round of peace talks in Belarus on Monday, while a negotiator said the fourth round will take place in "the very near future."

"The discussions continued on political and military aspects. However, it remains difficult. It is too early to talk about something positive," Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, also the head of the Russian delegation, said following the third round of talks.

Russian negotiators brought specific agreements to the talks, but the Ukrainian side refused to sign them on the spot and took the documents back home for further study, he told reporters.

"To be honest, our expectations from the talks were not met. But we hope that next time we will be able to take a more significant step forward," Medinsky said after the meeting, which lasted nearly three hours at the Belovezhskaya Pushcha on the Belarus-Poland border.

Both sides addressed the issue of civilian evacuation, and the Ukrainian side assured Russia that the humanitarian corridors would start working on Tuesday, he said.

Leonid Slutsky, member of the Russian delegation and head of the International Affairs Committee of the lower house of the Russian parliament, said that the fourth round of talks would take place in the near future, Sputnik reported on Monday.

"And the next round, given that the rounds take place almost every other day, so the next, fourth round will take place in Belarus in the very, very near future. I can't name the exact date yet," Slutsky said after the third round of negotiations as aired by Russia's Rossiya 24 broadcaster.

On the same day, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a telephone conversation with Josep Borrell, the European Union's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy.

During the conversation, Borrell briefed Wang on the EU's position on Ukraine, saying the most important thing at present is to cease fire and avoid further massive casualties.

The EU supports solving the issue through negotiations, he said.

For his part, Wang said the top priority now is to avoid a humanitarian crisis, adding that China has publicly put forth a six-point initiative on preventing a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine aimed at promoting synergy among the international community to avoid a further deterioration of the situation.

Wang said that Russia and Ukraine should be encouraged to hold peace talks and that the Chinese side has advocated dialogue from the very start.

He said he hopes that the international community can support sincere negotiations between Russia and Ukraine involving a ceasefire, ending the conflict and peace.

On Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba are expected to meet in Turkey's southern province of Antalya on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomatic Forum, according to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

The meeting would be held in a tripartite format, Cavusoglu said at a press conference on Monday, while hoping it would "be a turning point."

On Monday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova confirmed that Lavrov and Kuleba plan to meet in Antalya. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to the meeting during their recent phone conversation.

Meanwhile, according to the Ukrainian UNIAN news agency, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said that Kiev is exploring the possibility of such a meeting in Turkey. 
A former Minister of Finance, Prof. Kwesi Botchwey, has proposed a number of solutions for Ghana's current economy.

Delivering a public lecture on the theme, On the State of the Nations Economy and Politics: 65 years after independence  The Path to Sustainable Development and Democratic Consolidation, Prof. Kwesi Botchwey said the country has made some significant progress since independence.



Weve come a very long way in our development journey as a nation since independence. Of course we have made progress since then, a lot of it. To deny this is to do a great disservice. We have grown our GDP significantly, even our HDI has seen some improvements.



But behind all the sounds and furious claims and counterclaims; which may not be borne out of facts, we clearly have not succeeded in liberating our full potential as a nation, he added.



He said with the pace at which the country is going, it will not be able to move a bulk of its poor out of poverty in another generation.



He added that central to the economic distress the country faces is the perception that it is not creditworthy.



When money is borrowed, it is required that we put our public finances in a position to settle our debts. When servicing our debts can only be done at the expense of delivering public services, especially to the poor and vulnerable, then we are in trouble.



This is the predicament that we find ourselves in today. The issue really is not whether we go to the IMF or not. That is a red herring. Indeed, we are a sovereign nation, and a proud one at that and can decide as to whether or not to seek after the IMF. The IMF with all its power and leverage can simply not force a programme on us or any country.



He ruled out the idea of borrowing money from international financial agencies to revive the economy on grounds that borrowed money always comes with strings attached.





Our sovereignty comes with the right to manage or mismanage our economy the way we please. I agree entirely with the principle of national ownership of development policy. But we must know that we will reap the whirlwind if we should fault on account of our own policy choices.



Prof. Botchwey further proposed some solutions for restoring macro-economic stability as elaborated below;



1. It is idle to pretend that we can address our economic issues without some hardship, at least in the short-term. There is simply no silver bullets or magical solution somewhere that can bring lasting relief without some level of pain and sacrifice. The real question is how we distribute this hardship in an equitable or transparent manner.

Throwing more light on this, he said it is inequitable to have grants of about 1.5 million beneficiaries of LEAP programme unpaid for months, because you are in a crisis. That is not where the hardship to hit.



2. The real problem with our public finances is structural and will require a thorough review of all sources of pressure in the budget including every flagship programme and its sustainability and impact, all the options must be on the table. We must not for instance transition temporary spending incurred during the pandemic into permanent public spending, when we are already struggling to collect revenues.



3. We must resist the lure of solutions that will further mortgage the future of young generations to come, such as collatoralising public revenue steams. Above all, we must resist solutions that we delay hard decisions.



4. The country needs to build consensus around the reforms that are necessary to resolve the nations creditworthyness.



The lecture was designed to provide a constructive platform for engaging and shaping solutions for the socio-economic challenges and prospects of Ghana.





Organized by the OneGhana Movement in partnership with the University of Ghana Department of Economics and School of Social Sciences, the event was held at the Cedi Conference Centre at the universitys Department of Economics.

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The police have launched a manhunt for fifteen gunmen who attacked the Dakpema Chief's palace in Tamale on Monday dawn.



Five people including the Dakpema Chief, Naa Bawa Fuseini, sustained injuries and are being treated at the Tamale Hospital.



The gunmen reportedly stormed the palace at about 5 am.



The Dakpema chief upon hearing the gunshots reportedly went out to enquire what was happening and the gunmen were said to have fired at him. He was hit in the leg.



Among the injured are two females and two men, one, a sub-chief.



The gunmen according to eyewitnesses were in masks when they attacked.



Bloodstains and bullet holes are visible on the walls of the palace.



There have been some tensions in Tamale between the Dakpema Palace and Gulkpe Naa Palace over who is the chief of Tamale for some time now.



Whilst the Dakpema Chief claims the title of Chief of Tamale, the Gulkpe Naa holds the same position.



This has led the Overlord of Dagbon to issue a statement outlining the duties of the two palaces.



The Crime Officer of the Northern Regional Police Command, Superintendent Bernard Baba Ananga, in a radio interview with Accra based Citi FM said:



Just this morning our attention was drawn to a shooting incident at the Dakpema Chiefs Palace and which we had information that the chief was hurt among five others.



"So we quickly mobilised, proceeded to the place, our night duty men on patrols, heard the gunshot and quickly moved to the area and when they got there, the people had already left the scene and we saw bullet holes on the palace and we moved to the Tamale Teaching Hospital to visit the injured."



He said according to eyewitnesses,15 people onboard a Toyota Hilux raided the palace and fired, four others and the chief himself sustained gunshot wounds. They are currently in the Tamale Teaching Hospital receiving treatment. We are still investigating and picking up information. We have declared a manhunt for those 15 men, we believe we would find them. The community is calm as we are currently doing police patrols.





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Government and the relevant state agencies have been urged to address the inhumane treatment of domestic workers.



Making the call, Migrant Watch, a human rights advocacy organisation, said domestic workers remained one of the least protected workers due to poor monitoring and implementation of the existing laws.



The call was made during a day's stakeholders symposium in Accra on the theme: "International Labour Organisation (ILO) 189 Convention: Responsibilities of recruitment agencies and other stakeholders".



The event is part of a national awareness campaign against irregular migration funded by the Open Society Foundation (OSIWA).



Measures



The Head of Finance and Administration at Migrant Watch, Mr Samuel Hackman, said Ghana was a signatory to the ILO Convention 189 "and it was incumbent on the government to domesticate the convention".



He said there were other nationals in Ghana who worked as domestic workers who had to be protected. "We have to enforce regulations locally so we can get other states to do the same to protect Ghanaians who travel to work in such countries," he said.



Mr Hackman explained that the 189 Convention was a treaty adopted by the International Labour Conference attended by the government, workers and employer delegates from 183 member states of the ILO on June 16, 2011.



The convention, he said, offered specific protection to domestic workers and required states to take a series of measures to ensure decent work for domestic workers.



Under the convention, he said domestic workers were entitled to some basic rights, including the promotion and protection of their human rights, social security, occupational safety and health, remuneration and information on terms and conditions of employment, including hours of work.



On measures to be put in place to tackle the inhumane treatment meted out to domestic workers, he called for the regulation of the operations of private recruitment agencies and putting in place adequate machinery for the investigation of complaints by abused domestic workers.



Abuses



In a speech read on his behalf, the Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Mr Joseph Whittal, said the number of Ghanaians who moved to other countries to work was in excess of 500,000 in 2020 as against 50,000 in 2017, according to the World Bank.



He said a human rights watch documented an average of one death per week of women migrant domestic workers in the Middle East, mainly due to suicide and falls from buildings.



An official of the Labour Department of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, Rev. Jones Asante, said the department had registered 464 recruitment agencies, with 384 recruiting for local demand and 80 operators undertaking international recruitment.



The Director of the Department of Social Welfare, Rev. Dr Comfort Asare, in a speech read on her behalf said the department was mandated to lead in the inclusion of marginalised and deprived persons into mainstream society.



Victims account



A returnee, Ms Florence Agyimentot, told the Daily Graphic about her ordeal while she worked for two years in Saudi Arabia as a domestic worker.



She said her employer was not paying her while she was made to overwork and subjected to verbal abuse daily.



Ms Agyimentot said her passport was taken from her by her employer and when she wanted to return, her employer defaced the passport to make it difficult for her to return to Ghana.









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A Retired Naval Officer of the Ghana Armed Forces, Commodore Steve Darbo, has urged Ghanaians not to wish for a coup detat as its repercussions are worse than whatever situation exists in a democracy.



He said examples abound from the sub-region that coups had never offered any country a better alternative and as such people should bid their time and change the government through the ballot.



He, therefore, urged those urging the army to take guns to topple the government due to economic hardships to desist from it.



Lecture



Commodore Darbo gave the caution at the Burgess, Kalinauckus and Adu-Amankwa Memorial Lecture as part of activities marking the 70th anniversary of the Opoku Ware Secondary School (OWASS).



The lecture was on the theme: Becoming officers and gentlemen: The fruit of lessons in self-discipline.



The retired naval officer said he was of the conviction that the officers of the Ghana Armed Forces would never take up guns to topple the government as they were much aware of the repercussions, having experienced the effects of wars and civil unrest from their peace keeping duties.



That notwithstanding, he asked that such ideas should not be put forth and given space in the current dispensation to give impetus to some few daring soldiers who may want to exhibit their youthful exuberance.



As part of the solutions to instill discipline in Ghanaians, Commodore Darbo proposed that all tertiary students must be made to undergo a compulsory military service for at least six months to learn the rudiments of self-discipline.





He said he believed that a stint with the military would instill discipline in them and curb the rising incidence of indiscipline in society today.



Discipline



The Guest Speaker, Naval Captain Kwadwo A. Butah (retd), shared his experience from the Ghana Navy and how the training received at the training school helped to shape his life.



He said the regimental training of the army did not only make them officers but also gentlemen.



According to him, as officers, they were expected to exhibit certain traits and one needed to be disciplined in order to be able to do so.



He advised the students not to see self-discipline as a punishment but a way of life and urged them not to do the right thing to avoid punishment but because it is the right thing to do.









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The nation has to be intentional in implementing a sustained national agenda to encourage more women to take up leadership positions in various sectors of the economy, five women leaders have said.

They agreed that there should be a conscious effort to nurture and groom more females into leadership as the country strove to achieve accelerated development.



In their opinion, while women on their own could aspire to climb up the ladder, they would need the push and support to be successful.



The women leaders are the Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Mary Chinery-Hesse; a former First Lady and founder of the Developing Women for Mobilisation (DWM), Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings; the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), Kosi Yankey-Ayeh; the Director-General of Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) Services, Mawusi Nudekor Awity, and the 2020 Presidential Candidate of the Progressive Peoples Party (PPP), Brigitte Dzogbenuku.



They were sharing their thoughts with the Daily Graphic on the commemoration of International Womens Day (IWD) which is being marked today.



They maintained that although the country had made significant strides in pushing the women-leadership agenda over the years, more needed to be done in order to close the gender gap in terms of leadership roles in the country.



The women leaders, who also represent different sets of generations, stressed, however, that it was important for women to build their competence, skills and confidence in order to be supported to rise to the top.



Quota in governance



Sharing her thoughts on what could be done to bridge the gap of less women in governance, Mrs Chinery-Hesse urged the countrys political parties to consider giving quotas to women for top positions in governance and politics to promote more women in positions of authority.



She explained that the situation that prevailed currently where women had to contest top positions with men made them go through harrowing difficulties, including personal attacks.



This, therefore, tends to discourage some of them, resulting in the current situation where we do not have enough women presenting themselves to contest for top positions, she told Daily Graphics Augustina Tawiah.



In Ghana, there are women who put themselves up to compete to go to Parliament. Talk to them and you will hear what they go through is terrible and that deters others from also putting themselves up for similar roles.



However, if the parties have a quota system, it will help to overcome this particular problem. The political parties should have what I prefer to call Womens ticket so that the women would compete among themselves for positions, Mrs Chinery-Hesse explained.



However, she emphasised that appointments should be based on skills and competence.



Ghanaian women are very proud of themselves and hardworking and I think they can compete with the men. However, we should try the quota system. It is not bad, she said.



Experiment



Mrs Chinery-Hesse, who worked with the United Nations (UN) and rose to become the first woman Resident Coordinator of the UN Systems and a Deputy Director-General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), pointed out that some countries in East Africa, namely Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda, had experimented with quotas for women, especially within the political sphere, and it helped.



In Rwanda, for instance, she said because of the quotas they now had more women in Parliament than men and that had gained so much attraction that it was no longer news or a surprise.



Mrs Chinery-Hesse added that if more Ghanaian women were to prove that they could do it on the same terms as the men, the more accepted they would become, for which reason any particular position that women attained would not be news.



Progress on womens empowerment



Touching on the countrys progress made in mooting for womens empowerment, Mrs Chinery-Hesse, who was the first female Chief Director of the Ministry of Finance and Development and in the Ghana Home Service, said even though the world was now better for women against harassment at the workplace, there was still a lot of work to be done.



Call to action



On how to get more women into top positions, the Chancellor of UG suggested that women should have a means of getting their own income in order that they could contribute to the family and themselves.



Additionally, Mrs Chinery-Hesse said society should create jobs for women, make sure the workplace was a happy place for them; one that could improve their lives and that of their families.



For her part, Mrs Yankey-Ayeh said women occupied many leadership positions but to increase the number to an appreciable level, the nation needed to be intentional about her approach, she told the Daily Graphics McClean Kwofi.



She said there was the need to identify the females early, mentor them through various training and provide solid guidance so that when given an opportunity they would excel and drive the growth of the economy.



Mrs Yankey-Ayeh led the successful transformation of the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) into a bigger entity, now called the Ghana Enterprises Agency.



Challenges



Although women often faced a number of challenges in climbing both the academic and career ladder, Mrs Yankey-Ayeh said her story which spanned between Ghana and the United States, was rather different as her gender, complexion and continent of origin played positively to her advantage.



My greatest asset was being a woman, black and African. It has opened doors for me in places that I would not have been accepted.



However, the challenge now is when the door is opened for you, people then ask if it was opened because you are a woman or its on merit.



As it is often said, you have the job now and so you need to prove yourself that you really deserve whatever door that has been opened for you.



To be able to get more females to also take up similar roles, it is important that those of us who have the opportunity, discharge our duties honourably and professionally, so that we send the right message that to have the opportunity, you have to be qualified and when given the opportunity, you surmount the challenges to prove equal to the task or responsibility, she stressed.



GEA supports women



The CEO noted that the GEA was implementing a number of projects such as the Young Africa Works which was deliberately targeting 70 per cent women.



We also have other projects supporting women who are the backbone of the Ghanaian economy.



Up to 60 per cent of our beneficials in general are women and we provide them access to finance.



Majority of the informal sector players are women and if we are able to scale up their operations, they will be able to support the economy positively, Mrs Yankey-Ayeh said.



The value of women



The PPPs 2020 presidential candidate, Ms Dzogbenuku, also urged women to take matters into their own hands and be the agents of change that society deserved instead of waiting to be called.



Speaking to Delali Sika, she said women controlled a lot of things and contributed so much to the growth of a country, stressing that it was wrong for them to sit down and be called before they took initiatives.



When it comes to women in leadership, at a point, it felt like we were picking up, growing, then we fell short again.



Being vocal



Even though there is more room for improvement we must be more vocal. Women by themselves should be more vocal, let us get up and speak up, not to be quiet; we need to let them know that we can lead, we are also capable and indeed we can, Ms Dzogbenuku stressed.



The former beauty queen and business executive noted that when women understood how powerful they were, they would know their value.



Women control a large part of our economy. When you look at our economic activity and big markets, it is predominantly women, so we control a lot and contribute a lot. What we dont realise is our worth and so we are reluctant to make our voices heard.



Challenge



With a quote from Charlotte Whitton, that says, Whatever women do, they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult, she admitted that occupying leadership positions as a woman was very tough.



It is not easy, I must say, and the challenge is not that we are not good enough. Rather, just by virtue of nature that we are women, we have to work to dispel that notion. Even in places where people recognise you as a leader, for example, a presidential candidate, they still have their misgivings and will question the fact that you are a woman and you are soft.



We need some kind of extra thick skin in order to survive. They judge us by our looks and how we dress instead of our competence, Ms Dzogbenuku added.



Women in TVET



The DG of the TVET Services, Mrs Awity, said the future of the world was technology, technical and vocational training and, thus, encouraged more women to get into TVET because it was an avenue for financial self-sufficiency.



She has also asked them to encourage their children, especially the girl-child, to go into TVET because not only would it be beneficial to them, but it could help change the fortunes of the country.



When you put women in leadership, they are able to do well. Women are great movers, they are very innovative and creative. When you give a woman something small, they are able to expand it. They are able to get results. They are team players and goal getters, Mrs Awity explained.



She said so far, Dr Kwegyir Aggreys assertion that if a woman was educated, it impacted positively on the whole society had been affirmed and stressed the need for every girl-child to be given the opportunity to play a role.



DWM



In a statement to mark the day, Mrs Agyeman-Rawlings said without gender equality today, a sustainable future and an equal future would remain an illusion.



DWM adds its voice to the call to governments, especially the government of Ghana, to continue to examine opportunities, as well as constraints, to empower women and girls to have a voice and be equal players in decision-making related to climate change and sustainability which are essential for sustainable development and greater gender equality, the statement said.



Mrs Agyeman-Rawlings, who was at the forefront for Ghana when the UN held the Womens Conference in Beijing in 1995, said the DWM, together with other well-meaning organisations, would continue to challenge gender norms that perpetuated inequality.

Source: graphiconline.com









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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has said some Ghanaians living in Ukraine who were scheduled to be evacuated refused to show up.



The Ghanaians whose COVID-19 tests and air tickets were fully paid for by the government failed to show up to be evacuated home.



The ministry, in a statement issued on Tuesday, 8 March 2022, said it has noted with grave concern the refusal of some Ghanaian students to show up at the airport after they had expressed their willingness to be evacuated.



The statement continued: This has resulted in the government of Ghana purchasing air tickets which remain unused as well as paying for COVID-19 tests for persons with no intentions of travelling.



The Ministry also warned the Ghanaians that government will only pay for 2 nights hotel accommodation for all those received by its staff and representatives and lodged in hotels in the countries neighbouring Ukraine and in other European countries. They will also be provided with air tickets to Ghana and have their COVID-19 tests paid for.



It added: The government is, therefore, entreating only Ghanaians who are willing to be evacuated to confirm their participation so as to avoid the dissipation of scarce public funds.





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The Office of the Speaker of Parliament has described as mischievous and an exaggeration, publications focusing on the travels of Alban Bagbin to Dubai for medical review.



According to a statement from the Speakers Office on Monday, March 7, contrary to claims in the publications, the Speaker did not travel to Dubai with his children and has never included his children in any of his trips.



It says Travel expenses for Mr. Speaker's trip to Dubai is in accordance with what is prescribed for the Speaker of Parliament long before Rt. Hon Bagbin became Speaker, and also for analogous members of government such as the President, Vice President and the Chief Justice.



The figures quoted in the story as per diem are false. The Speaker has no hand in the computation of his per diem and it is available as part of the official records of the State. It is part of the mischief that the publication is aimed at.



What is intriguing is the focus on Mr. Speaker's travel and the efforts at exaggerating the cost. Meanwhile, there is complete silence on the travels of other members of government, the frequency of which is far higher than that of Mr. Speaker.



Even within the hierarchy of Parliament, there are members of the leadership whose frequency of travel is far higher than that of Mr. Speaker. It is also on record that Rt. Hon. Bagbin, in his 14 months as Speaker, is the least travelled of all previous Speakers of Parliament within the same time frame.



The public is advised to see in such publications the political mischief that is intended and ignore such publications with the contempt they deserve, the statement urged.

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Former South Africa President Jacob Zuma has backed President Vladimir Putin in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, describing him as a man of peace.



Western nations have imposed punitive sanctions on Russia, including the freezing of Mr Putins foreign assets over his invasion of Ukraine.



But Mr Zuma said Mr Putins decision was justifiable, according to a statement released by his foundation.



We all need peace in this world. Therefore we would like to urge those involved to bring peace as swiftly as possible so that lives can be saved, the statement said.



Mr Zuma was forced out of office by his own party in 2018, the African National Congress (ANC), over corruption allegations. He denies any wrongdoing.













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The Office of the Speaker of Parliament has denied reports that the Speaker travelled to Dubai with his children.



The office said it has taken note of the publications in both the new and traditional media with respect to the travel of Mr Alban Bagbin to Dubai for medical review.



A statement issued on Monday March 7 said also that the figures being quoted in the reports as per diem are false and should be ignored.



We want to place the following on record: The Rt. Hon. Speaker did not travel to Dubai with his children as is being alleged. Indeed, Mr. Speaker has never included his children in any of his trips. Travel expenses for Mr. Speakers trip to Dubai is in accordance with what is prescribed for the Speaker of Parliament long before Rt. Hon Bagbin became Speaker, and also for analogous members of government such as the President, Vice President and the Chief Justice.



The figures quoted in the story as per diem are false. The Speaker has no hand in the computation of his per diem and it is available as part of the official records of the State. It is part of the mischief that the publication is aimed at.



For purposes of clarity, Mr. Speaker traveled with the medical doctor in charge of Parliament Medical Centre. his spouse as career and two other officials of Parliament as the least in practice. There is no advance party. no children , and certainly no other member on

his entourage. What is intriguing is the focus on Mr. Speakers travel and the efforts at exaggerating the cost.



Meanwhile, there is complete silence on the travels of other members of government, the frequency of which is far higher than that of Mr. Speaker. Even within the hierarchy of Parliament, there are members of the leadership whose frequency of travel is far higher than that of Mr. Speaker. It is also on record that Rt. Hon. Bagbin, in his 14 months as Speaker, is the least travelled of all previous Speakers of Parliament within the same time frame



The public is advised to see in such publications the political mischief that is intended and ignore such publications with the contempt they deserve, the statement said.









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Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, MP for North Tongu has commended President Nana Addo Dankwa-Akufo-Addo for flying a commercial flight to the Dubai Expo 2020.



The North Tongu MP has in recent times chastised the president for flying in luxurious private jet on international assignments at the expense of the tax payer amidst the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the countrys economy.



Ablakwa said Akufo-Addos gesture to fly First Class on Emirates has saved the Ghanaian taxpayer an impressive US$468,000.00. That is equivalent to a staggering GHC3,306,139.20.



I sincerely applaud President Akufo-Addo for flying commercial to the Dubai Expo as he left Ghana yesterday, Ablakwa posted on Facebook.



When our elected officials finally exhibit good judgment, even if it took great struggle from us, we should be courageous and objective to acknowledge their penitent conduct.



From our unimpeachable and impeccable tracking, this is the first time in at least a year, President Akufo-Addo has jetted out of the continent without using a profligate and sybaritic charter at profound expense to the suffering Ghanaian taxpayer, it added.



The expo aims to forge new partnerships and inspire ground-breaking solutions across key industries worldwide. It also seeks to raise awareness about the worldwide issues that mankind faces. It provides several possibilities for networking and the promotion of international connections. Individual pavilions will be set up at Expo 2020, with countries exhibiting their unique cultures and technical innovations.



President Akufo-Addo will deliver a statement on Ghana Day, scheduled for 8 March 2022; hold bilateral talks on matters of mutual interest with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan; participate in a Business Forum under the auspices of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC); and hold meetings with other investors interested in doing business in Ghana.



Akufo-Addo was accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey; the Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen, and officials of the Office of the President and Foreign Ministry.



Akufo-Addo is scheduled to return to Ghana on Thursday (10 March).

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Photo shows the fossil sample of the newly-discovered ancient fish. (Provided by the Lanzhou University)

LANZHOU, March 8 (Xinhua) -- A new Oligocene-aged species of cyprinid fish has been confirmed living some 30 million years ago in northwest China's Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region, providing insights into the evolution of biodiversity and the ancient environment of the plateau.

A team of Chinese researchers from Lanzhou University conducted the study and the results have been published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.

The Qaidam Basin is one of the three major inland basins in China. Its current climate features drought and strong winds. The basin is key to understanding biological changes that have occurred on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. However, information from a palaeontological perspective on this basin is scant.

Yan Defei, a lead researcher of the study, noted that the genus (Paleoschizothorax) of the fossil fish were firstly reported in the Qaidam Basin, northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, in 2018.

The new fossil fish records and phylogenetic analysis suggested that the primitive schizothoracines likely originated in the Qaidam Basin.

The preserved length of the fish is about 15 centimeters.

A preliminary correlation analysis showed that the degree of reduction of body scale size is negatively correlated with habitat mean temperatures among most Chinese cyprinids, according to the research article. 
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, has publicly returned to the presidential palace in Kyiv the first time he has revealed his location since the invasion by Russia .



Since February 24, the location of Zelensky has been a tightly kept secret and he has revealed he is the number one assassination target of the Russia regime.



Speaking to ABC news on Monday night, March 7, Zelensky, 44, warned the West that Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine was just the beginning, saying he wasn't afraid hence he returned to the presidential palace.

He warned the West that Vladimir Putin will not stop once he has conquered Ukraine, telling a U.S. television channel: 'We will come first. You will come second. Because the more this beast will eat, he wants more, more, and more.'

'The more this beast will eats, he wants more, more, and more'



Zelensky, described Ukraine as a 'zone of freedom' that needed to be preserved.



'And when the limits of rights and freedoms are being violated and stepped on, then you have to protect us,' he said.



He added: 'Today, war is here. Tomorrow, it will be in Lithuania, then in Poland, then in Germany.

'This is serious.'United States is far away, but in recent days, I do feel that United States are closer to us.'



The former actor, gave his Facebook audience a tour of the palace, joking: 'We used to say Monday, Monday is a hard day.



'But it is war in our country, so every day is a hard day.'



'We are all in our places working, where we should be. My team is in Kyiv with me.

'We are all fighting, we are all contributing to our victory which will surely happen.'



Also, in an interview from the palace with ABC News, Zelensky once again appealed to the United States to enforce a no-fly zone.



'I told him (Joe Biden) that for us, the most important thing today is the security in the sky,' Zelensky said.



'We cannot allow Russia to be active there only, because they're bombing us, they are shelling us, they are bombing us, they are sending missiles, helicopters, jet fighters - a lot of things.



'But we are not doing this because we don't have the sky.



'We don't control our sky.'



ABC asked if he was concerned about NATO forces shooting down Russian planes, and Zelensky replied: 'What do you mean, to shoot down Russian planes?



'If the missile is flying - yesterday, for example, the missile hit the university in the city of Kharkiv, and the dormitory.



'And the same missile hit the tumor, pediatric clinic in Kyiv, so, if this missile is flying, so, are you thinking whether to shoot it down or not?

'I think there is no any other answer, but to - yes, yes, they need to be shot down.

'You have to preserve lives.'



He added that he was confident U.S. forces were up to the challenge.

'I'm sure that the brave American soldiers who would be shooting it down knowing that it is flying towards the students, I'm sure that they had no doubt in doing so,' Zelensky said.



The U.S. and its NATO allies have so far sent 17,000 anti-tank missiles to Ukraine, as part of a $350 million aid package agreed on February 26 - day two of the conflict.



Yet Zelensky said more could be done.

'I'm sure that the president can do more. I'm sure he can,' he said.

'And I would like to believe that - that he's capable of doing that.'



When asked if Putin himself was a war criminal, Zelensky said;



'I think that all people who came to our land, all people who gave those orders, all soldiers who were shooting, they're all war criminals,' he replied.

'I think he is capable of stopping the war that he started.

'And even if he doesn't think that he was the one who started, he should know one important thing, a thing that cannot deny, that stopping the war is what he's capable of.'









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.

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STC Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nana Akomea, has condemned recommendations for Ghana to return to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for financial remedy of the economy.



Following controversies in approving the government's e-levy proposal, some critics have suggested that the country should go back to the IMF for a loan to improve the economy.



However, IMF financial assistance to recipients always comes with conditionalities.



Speaking on Peace FM's 'Kokroko' programme, Nana Akomea found the IMF not a better option to solving Ghana's economic problems.



He recounted the considerations that the IMF gives before granting loans, stating they would compel the government to widen the tax net for Ghanaians and further impose conditions that will compound the plight of Ghanaians.



" . . . That's what they will tell you. And they will tell you that there has to be transparency and accountability with the money you are collecting. They will tell you that. So, if we know all these, why go to the IMF? Even with the IMF money, the 1 billion and so forth, it's not for free. Ghanaians are the same people who will bear the burden to pay up," he said.



Expressing his dissenting views to the proposition to go to the IMF, Nana Akomea threw his weight behind the government to push for the e-levy to be implemented.



However, he advised that they reduce the percentage of deduction on the e-levy significantly to stimulate Ghanaians to pay this electronic transaction tax.



"We need to sacrifice and share in the economic burden," he stated.



Nana Akomea also advised the government to be transparent and accountable to the citizenry in order to boost their urge to contribute their quotas to the development of Ghana.



He added that the government must put proper mechanisms in place to streamline the economy, stressing, "let's go beyond the trust and look at the mechanisms [to ensure] because you cannot trust any government in the world. As I talk with you today, everywhere you go, UK or America, you will find people accusing the government of not accounting properly for the monies spent".







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.

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Youth of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) are raising funds for Ghanaian students in Ukraine in the wake of the unrest in the country.



The initiative, to be held on March 12, 2022 in the United Kingdom (UK), is in partnership with the NPP-UK wing in UK led by Richard Gyamfi.



The event would be attended by Her Excellency Mrs Samira Bawumia, 2nd Lady of the Republic of Ghana and a host of government officials and NPP leaders.



A statement, signed by National Youth Organiser, Henry Boakye, said the fund raising is to complement the timely and all-encompassing support being offered by Government of Ghana to the affected Ghanaian students.



As a youth wing that has strong working ties with Ghanaian students abroad, we deem it obligatory to offer our widows mite to cushion the victims in these trying times, the statement added.



Below is the full statement:



Following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the subsequent evacuation of Ghanaian Students to neighboring countries, the NPP National Youth wing working with its youth wing in United Kingdom led by Richard Gyamfi intends to raise funds to compliment the timely and all-encompassing support being offered by government of Ghana to the affected Ghanaian students.



It is our understanding that about 700 Ghanaian students have fled Ukraine so far and reports are that some would want to, with the support of Government of Ghana, continue their education in countries like Hungary albeit a dozen of students returning to Ghana some few days ago.



As a youth wing that have strong working ties with Ghanaian students abroad, we deem it obligatory to offer our widows mite to cushion the victims in these trying times.



It is on this premise that we intend using the NPP-UK Branchs Youth Forum 2022 event scheduled for March 12, 2020 in UK to raise funds to support our compatriots.



The aforementioned event would be attended by Her Excellency, Mrs. Samira Bawumia, 2nd Lady of the Republic of Ghana and a host of government Officials and NPP leaders.



We commend the government of Ghana and its foreign missions for their timely intervention and overarching support to our compatriots who have been at the receiving end of the Russia-Ukraine war.



These are extremely unusual and challenging times at the heart of a devastating pandemic and global economic crisis. However, we shall over come it, collectively.



Thank you.



Signed



Henry Nana Boakye ESQ

National Youth Organizer, NPP







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.

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Leona Alleslev rises during Question Period in the House of Commons, Monday, March 9, 2020 in Ottawa. With Sept.10 picked as the date for when the Conservative Party of Canada will have a new leader, time is ticking for prospective candidates and their teams to get into place. The former MP is considering a run. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau waves as he steps off a government plane after arriving in Riga, Latvia, Monday, March 7, 2022. Trudeau is in Latvia today for talks with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg as Russia's invasion in Ukraine nears the two-week mark. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday stressed running the military in accordance with the law and enhancing the rule of law in national defense and military building.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while attending a plenary meeting of the delegation of the People's Liberation Army and People's Armed Police Force, at the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress, China's top legislature.

Xi lauded the major progress achieved in the practice of running the military in accordance with the law after years of unremitting efforts since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012.

Calling for a comprehensive understanding of the strategy of running the military in accordance with the law, Xi said focus should be placed on fully building revolutionary, modernized and standardized armed forces, and building a Chinese system for law-based administration of military affairs.

Xi stressed upholding the Party's absolute leadership over the military, taking combat effectiveness as the criterion, governing the military with strict discipline, and upholding the principal position of officers and soldiers.

He underlined advancing military legislation, stepping up enforcement of laws and regulations, strengthening the management of troops in strict accordance with the law, and enhancing the oversight of the enforcement.

Xi said foreign-related laws and regulations in the military field should be improved to better safeguard national interests with legal means.




BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- China has been taking action to foster the career growth of women in science, an area where they are still underrepresented worldwide.

Yu Xinwei, a national political advisor, delivered a proposal during the ongoing annual session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the top political advisory body, suggesting that the "she" workforce in scientific innovation should be strengthened.

Yu, once a researcher on new techniques in producing fine chemicals, called for more female-oriented policies that help women in science break the "glass ceiling."

A UNESCO survey in 2019 showed that only an average of 29.3 percent of researchers in science worldwide are females.

In China, about 40 percent of human resources in science and technology are those of the fair sex, and they accounted for more than half in Internet and biomedical areas, according to China Association for Science and Technology.

Wang Qihui, a researcher of the Institute of Microbiology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, co-hosted a forum on Tuesday, International Women's Day, in Beijing to discuss opportunities and challenges of female scientists.

"It has still been a pyramid structure for women in science," said Wang. "There is no shortage of female science workers, but we tend to see fewer associate professors and professors."

In June last year, the Ministry of Science and Technology and other organizations issued a document to redress the imbalance. It proposed to set up female scientists-led projects in key national research plans and relax age restrictions for women in task and fund application.

The institutions are encouraged to establish a "return" fund to help pregnant and breastfeeding women come back to science work, according to the document.

More and more female scientists in China have broken the "glass ceiling." Wang Yaping, the first woman who worked in China's space station, has become one of the most inspiring figures for the young generation.

Beate Trankmann, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in China, told Xinhua that Wang overcame numerous challenges as a girl from a rural family in Shandong Province to finally realize her dream, making her a role model that can indeed inspire greater participation from women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Han Xiqiu, China's first female chief scientist of ocean scientific expeditions, is another example. "It's difficult to say, as a girl, we have unique advantages, but girls can do what boys can," said Han. She led a team to tap the resource potential of the deep sea, a job once confined to men only.

Wang Yingjun, a professor of material with the South China University of Technology, expanded her lab from one with a dozen square meters in the 1980s to a national engineering center with over 20,000 square meters.

She still remembered the origin of her first sum of scientific research funds, about 300 U.S. dollars given by her husband. Now her team has obtained tens of millions of dollars from the national funds.

Huawei, China's telecommunication giant, opened a page about women in Huawei on its official website. In the page heading is a statement titled "Science for her, science by her and science with her."

Huawei selected 10 outstanding women in the company, among whom are a 5G lady and an engineer who ramped up digital skills in Kenya.

"The careers and achievements of female scientists alone are a testament to the fact that women can be equally successful in industries that have traditionally been associated with men," said Trankmann. 
Tampons are restocked at Compton's Market in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, June 22, 2016, Student unions and youth advocacy groups across Ontario are calling on the provincial government to ensure free menstrual products are made available on all post-secondary campuses. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Rich Pedroncelli
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Adam Friedman Wins Hard Rock Cincinnatis First Major Tournament for $171K

March 08, 2022 Chad Holloway Executive Editor U.S.

The Hard Rock Cincinnati recently hosted its first major post-pandemic poker tournament, a $1,500 buy-in, $500,000 GTD Main Event, which attracted 632 entries over three starting flights and offered up an $834,240 prize pool.

After a full weekend of play, it was four-time bracelet winner and three-time consecutive World Series of Poker (WSOP) $10K Dealers Choice champ Adam Friedman emerging victorious for

It wasnt the first time Friedman has won a poker tournament in his home state. Back in 2019, hetopped a 596-entry field to win the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) $1,100 Main Event at JACK Cleveland Casino for $121,405.

It always feels good to win a tournament, even if is a two-card poker tournament, Friedman told PokerNews. I've really enjoyed playing some of the local tournaments in Ohio lately, including the Shark Tank Poker Club in Columbus and now the Hard Rock in Cincinnati.

Hard Rock Cincinnati $1,500 Main Event Final Table Results

Place Player Prize 1 Adam Friedman $171,020 2 JB Whitehouse $105,782 3 Brian Hall $77,584 4 Brent Ballentine $57,729 5 Angela Shade $43,464 6 Tim Bishop $33,203 7 Michael McCauley $25,695 8 Peyton Smith $20,189 9 Ray Attiyah $16,017

Adam Friedman wins!

Day 2 saw 77 players return to action, of which the top 72 were slated to get paid. Among those to cash the tournament were Jay Kelley (12th - $12,847), Keven Stammen (17th - $8,593), Allen Kessler (21st - $7,174), Nicholas Dirty Diaper Rigby (33rd - $3,921), Myra Alexander (48th - $2,753), Richard Ali (63rd - $2,586), and Matthew Johnson (72nd - $2,336).

Click here for a look at the full results.

It was run very well, especially considering it was their first big tournament post-Covid, said Friedman, who is fresh of winning a Global Poker Award for Best Final Table Performance, which included defeating Phil Hellmuth heads-up. The people running the tournament were very professional and I spoke with a few of the people individually, very open to suggestions for improvement on future events.

Those sentiments were echoed by perennial critic Allen Kessler, who traveled out for the tournament.

They didnt do everything right here at @PokerCincinnati, but it's refreshing to see a venue that is so open to sugg https://t.co/KltCl2XLUL  Allen Kessler (@AllenKessler)

Hard Rock Cincinnati will continue to host poker tournaments throughout March, including two events daily. Click here for a look at their March tournament schedule.

Sharelines The @PokerCincinnati $1,500 buy-in tournament attracted 632 runners & offered up $834K prize pool.
BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Tuesday marks International Women's Day. Chinese President Xi Jinping has extended his best wishes to the country's women of all ethnic groups and from all walks of life.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, conveyed his greetings Sunday during a joint group meeting at the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the top political advisory body.

Xi attaches great importance to protecting women's rights and interests and has on many occasions hailed their role in the country's development. His discourse on women-related issues has charted the course for advancing the well-rounded development of women.

Following are some highlights of his remarks in this regard:

-- Women are creators of human civilization and drivers of social progress, and they have made extraordinary achievements in all fields of endeavor.

-- We need to eliminate prejudice, discrimination and violence against women and make gender equality a social norm and moral imperative observed by all.

-- The pursuit of gender equality is a great cause. A review of history shows that without women's liberation and progress, the liberation and progress of humankind would not be attainable.

-- Women's rights and interests are basic human rights. They must be protected by laws and regulations and integrated into national and social rules and norms.

-- [I] hope that women in our country will strive to undertake great causes, be advocates of civility and dream-chasing trailblazers, and make greater contributions to realizing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation on a new journey toward fully building a modern socialist country.

-- Party committees and governments at all levels must fully recognize the significance of women's development and work related to women, attach greater importance and step up support in this regard. Any crime against women must be prosecuted in accordance with the law to safeguard women's rights and interests. 
Max Le & Five Others Chop 2022 RGPS Contenders Horseshoe Tunica Main Event

March 07, 2022 Hill Kerby Contributor

The RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) Contenders Tunica $575 Main Event drew 602 entries over three starting flights, with 150 returning for Sunday's Day 2 inside the Horseshoe Casino Tunica. A total prize pool of 301,000 was to be distributed to the top 63 finisher, with $66,849 up for grabs to the next RGPS champion.

Ten hours later, the final table of nine was reached, where three players quickly fell before the remaining six played for another two hours without losing a single player. During that time, stacks got into the middle four times, all of which resulted in the all-in player doubling up; and after that fourth time, all six players willingly agreed to split the remaining prize pool evenly and take home $31,234 apiece for their efforts.

Of the six, Max Le had the chip lead at the time of the deal, and he claimed the victory as a result. For his win, he took home the RGPS Contenders Trophy and will earn a seat into the 2022 RunGood Pro-Am that will be played later this year at the PokerGO Studios in Las Vegas.

Also involved in the chop were Teresa Lammie-Anders, David Lee, Matthew Kassela, Brock McCoy, and Kyle Cartwright, with final counts ending in that respective order after Cartwright doubled Kassela up with ace-queen suited to pocket tens, proving to be the catalyst to the deal.

RGPS Horseshoe Tunica Final Table Results

Place Player Prize 1 Max Le $31,234* 2 Teresa Lammie-Anders $31,234* 3 David Lee (TN) $31,234* 4 Matthew Kassela $31,234* 5 Brock McCoy $31,234* 6 Kyle Cartwright $31,234* 7 Edward Fisher $10,686 8 Myke Hibler $10,686 9 Kenneth Douglas $6,171

*Denotes six-handed deal.

Day 2 Action

Nearly half of the 150 players to return found their way to the rail in the first two hours of play, as just 80 were left by the first break of the afternoon. From there, play slowed down, and it took over an hour for the next 15 players to fall. Then, Walker Miskelly lost with jack-ten to two players' ace-kings in David Lee and Matthew Kassela, both of whom would be among the final six standing nearly nine hours later.

RunGood Ambassadors Preston McEwen, Michael Sanders, and Daniel Lowery all fell short of in-the-money finishes, while others such as Day 1 chip leader Kenny Dang (58th - $1,023), JW Carter (34th - $1,505), and Papa Karn (30th - $1,505) all found the payout desk prior to the redraw for the final three tables.

Moments after three tables were reached, BJ McBrayer went out in 27th ($1,806) with ClubGG Qualifier Hao Zhu (22nd) and RunGood Ambassador Julie Cornelius (19th) following shortly behind in the same payout bracket. An hour later, 15 remained before four eliminations occurred within a 15-minute period to take the field down to 11. Then, Lee began to catch fire, winning back-to-back coin flips to knock out James Hart (11th - $3,913) and Jay Gray (10th - $3,913) and enter the final table with roughly one-third of the chips in play as the clear chip leader.

RGPS Tunica Final Table

Eliminations continued at an insane pace to start the final table, with Kenneth Douglas being the first to fall after his turned trips from the small blind with six-four lost to a full house of eventual champion Le's six-deuce, which made a full house. Less than 15 minutes later, just six remained after Myke Hibler shoved king-queen into Kassela's ace-queen and then Edward Fisher saw his king-nine suited run into two more kings that were held by Lee, on his direct left.

Lee then maintained the chip lead for nearly an hour of six-handed play before losing it to Teresa Lammie-Anders, whose top pair, top kicker held versus an overcard with the nut flush draw against Kassela after she overbet-jammed on the flop with it. For Lammie-Anders, the hold was a microcosm of what wound up being her ticket to glory all day: winning preflop all ins. In fact, Lammie-Anderson found herself down to just 7,000 at one point prior to the bubble bursting and hit a three outer to stay alive before finding a triple and continuing to spin that stack for the remainder of the night.

However, Lammie-Anders then ceded a double of her own when her pocket queens wound up second best against Le's nut flush with ace-jack of clubs, giving him the chip lead. By this time, six-handed play was nearing two hours in length, and average stacks dropped during that time as the blinds continued to rise. Chips went in all directions, with both Kassela and Brock McCoy also finding themselves short. They would both double, with Kassela then becoming the shortest stack before he also doubled with pocket tens to Cartwright's ace-queen suited.

After that final double, all six settled on a deal before another hand could be played, marking the end of the tournament with Le taking home the hardware and the title while all six players became $31,234 richer than they were when they arrived for the day.

RGPS Horseshoe Tunica Side Event Winners

Tournament Prize Pool Entries Winner Prize $165 Seniors $20,010 145 William Rowse $3,855 $135 Guest Bounty $31,760 317 Joanne Cain $4,467 $185 Deep Stack $64,637 452 Kenneth Nicoletti $12,238 $145 One-Day NLH $16,000 125 Frank Wyville $3,900 $200 Double Green Chip Bounty $24,035 207 Chad Marsh $3,295 $300 PLO $16,640 64 Grant Hart $5,324 $145 Turbo Closer $10,815 105 Michael Sanders $2,750

The RGPS will now head to South Florida for a recently-announced stop at Seminole Hard Rock Coconut Creek.

Excited to announce that @RGPokerSeries will return to #CocoPoker on April 21st for a twelve day series in the Poke https://t.co/DnYuGAtscv  Seminole Casino Coconut Creek Poker (@CasinoCocoPoker)

Sharelines Max Le and five others secured $31,234 paydays in @RGPokerSeries @HorseshoePoker Tunica Main Event.
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Two years of COVID-19 precautions have put the brakes on many of the Aiken County Historical Society's activities, but the group took a major step toward its traditional offerings Sunday, holding its winter meeting.

The Aiken County Historical Museum, in keeping with tradition, was the host site, and the featured speaker was Steve Silver, representing Aiken's synagogue, the Adath Yeshurun congregation, which has reached the century mark in its history.

"It's good to be back," said Allen Riddick, the society's president, who confirmed his hope for "no more COVID" and expressed thanks for Silver's contribution to Sunday's program.

Silver has been a major contributor in the effort to assemble "A Source of Light," a new exhibit on display for the next couple of months at the museum, with articles, pictures and other memorabilia relating to the lives of local Jewish residents reaching back into the 19th century.

The exhibit was created in connection with the synagogue's 100th anniversary, which was in 2021, but events were largely postponed to early March of 2022, due to pandemic concerns.

"We've had a great weekend," he said, noting that the exhibit had its opening Friday, and a historical marker was unveiled Saturday on Laurens Street, focusing on the role of Jewish merchants in the local economy, particularly in the 20th century.

"More than that, we've had over 100 people who came in, most of them from out of town, to be with us for those two events, as well as a big gala party we had in the museum last night, and Saturday services at the synagogue and the panel discussion this morning, with most of those 100-some people coming from Boston, New York, Virginia, Florida, Georgia and even California - almost all of them descendants of the early Aiken Jewish families who were here, who are now living elsewhere," Silver said.

"This project is four years in the making," Silver said, recalling an effort that started at a meeting of the Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina.

His talk explored the contributions of such families as the Wolfs, Rudnicks, Efrons and Poliakoffs, as represented through such establishments as Sam's Supermarket, Wolf Liquor Store, Southhampton Saddlery, Julia's Dress Shop and two movie theaters -- the Patricia and the Rosemary.

Silver also fielded questions on a variety of topics such as discrimination, the synagogue's growth, its leadership, along with the roles of individuals, including businessman Mandle Surasky (1898-1986), largely remembered as a two-term Aiken mayor and as the community's "Man of the Year" in 1966.

Laurens Street was particularly important in terms of business, and many of the Jewish families, he said, lived on Pendleton Street, a short walk from the synagogue, which meant that kids in the community had plenty of encouragement to behave themselves, as they had plenty of interested onlookers from day to day.

Sunday's meeting also included input from Riddick on the life of Vermont native Levi P. Morton, the 22nd vice president of the U.S., as the second in command (1889-93) to Benjamin Harrison. Riddick mentioned having recently found an Aiken newspaper article mentioning that "Levi Morton was setting up a ... winter residence in Aiken" - information that Riddick said he hopes to explore further.

He pointed out that Morton also served in the diplomatic corps, as minister to France, and via that role, was selected to place the first rivet to begin construction of the Statue of Liberty, in 1881.

Riddick also noted his fellow members of the historical society's board, including some newcomers, are Coleen Reed, Nancy Wilson, Michael Norton, Coleen Ree, Marty Baily, Bill McGhee, Kathy Widener, Kevin Kerr, Bea Peyser and Gilbert Kennedy.

The meeting also included input from Jackie Bartley, with the Beech Island Historical Society. She promoted the 14th annual Historic Beech Island Tour, set for April 30, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This year's event, a self-guided driving tour, will include 14 sites with Redcliffe Plantation State Historic Site among the most prominent. Among others are such locales as Silver Bluff Audubon Center and Sanctuary, Hammond Cemetery, Silver Bluff Missionary Baptist Church, Ivy Falls and Zubly Cemetery. Tickets are required.

The society, led by Bartley (one of its founders), dates back to 1985 is based at 144 Old Jackson Highway, in Beech Island. Details are at (706) 833-3651 and beechislandhistoricalsociety.com.
Aikenites honked and held peace signs out of their windows while driving past a peace vigil on Whiskey Road Monday afternoon.

Members of Aiken Peace gathered on Whiskey Road, near Bethlehem Lutheran Church, to protest the war and stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

"When something happens, like Russia's invasion of Ukraine, we focus on that for at least two vigils," said Brenda Conway, organizer of the event.

The "No War in Ukraine" vigil was held in conjunction with the long-standing Women in Black Vigil for Peace and Moms Demand Action Vigil Against Gun Violence that takes place on the first and third Monday of each month.

Conway said she would love for their message of peace and unity to succeed, to eliminate the need for vigils twice a month - but every time she starts toying with the idea of having fewer vigils, there is another devastating event that needs attention.

"It just seems to be hardwired in human nature," she said. "I don't understand that. We call ourselves the children of God and we say that we're made in God's image, but when human beings do this kind of thing to each other, it's hard to see how that can be true. It's really heartbreaking."

Lynn Edwards, another vigil attendee, said she participated in many of the past vigils, but hasn't been to one in about a year because world peace can feel irremediable.

"I don't know that I feel hopeless about there ever being peace worldwide, but maybe I do," she said. "Maybe there are always going to be people like Mr. Putin - regardless of how many people gather, regardless of how many people resist him."

Yet, the group - about half a dozen strong, keeps fighting to bring attention to social issues.

Conway said there are things Aikenites can do to aid Ukrainians during this time of war.

"I would like to see our churches do something - however they would feel led to," she said. "They could send money that could be used for clothes or medical supplies; Aiken has such a strong church community."

Conway also suggested political parties band together to organize fundraisers.

"As divided as we have been for the last few years, Ukraine seems to be one issue on which Americans are pretty solidly united again," she said.

"It's falling to the young people"

Conway said the youth hold a lot of power in the community and she hopes more young people will advocate for peace.

"Our generation has made a mess of the world," she said. "It's pretty clear that my generation is not willing to do what it will take to make peace in the world. It's falling to the young people to deal with what they are going to inherit from us - and it's heartbreaking because when they're young, they should be able to feel carefree and just enjoy being young and healthy. But if they don't engage, and do it sooner rather than later, the world may be beyond saving by the time they become adults. That's the thing that I think about as I wake up in the morning and as I go to sleep at night."

A statement from the youth is more bold, Conway added.

"If we had young people out here in numbers, holding up their signs, asking for peace, it would be a lot harder to ignore," she said. "Those of us who are out here twice a month - we're old and easy to ignore, I get that. If I were driving by, I wouldn't be moved enough to change my mind about something. But if I saw young people out holding signs, that would really give me pause."

Conway said young people can influence their parents, who have the power to make policy.

"It's their parents' generation that are office holders," she said. "It's that generation between young people and old people - they're the answer to everything. If the young people got out and became active, their parents could not ignore them."

Conway said seeing the war unfold makes the bigger picture more evident.

"It makes it crystal clear that each one of us has a choice," she said. "Every single moment of our lives, whether you're conscious of it or not, we are making choices about what we will do and how we spend this precious time that we're given."
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COLUMBIA  A bill that would give everyone who files an income tax return in South Carolina a rebate of at least $100 is speeding its way through the state Senate.

The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday unanimously passed the $2 billion bill, which includes a significant cut in the top income tax rate.

The proposal now heads to the Senate floor, where Republican leaders want to get a vote so senators can consider the bill's impact alongside the rest of the $14 billion state budget next month.

The sometimes long-winded Senate Finance Committee debated the bill for less than 20 minutes. It was proposed 19 days ago,

The proposal cuts the state's top income tax rate from 7 percent to 5.7 percent, costing just under $1 billion. The other $1 billion in the bill gives a rebate ranging from $100 to $700 to every person or married couple who files an income tax return regardless of whether they ended up paying any state income tax.

Supporters said the 44 percent of filers who don't make enough to pay state income tax  about 1.1 million total  deserve to get a $100 rebate because they do pay sales tax, which also helped pump a $4.5 billion windfall into the state's bank accounts.

For taxpayers who do pay income tax, the rebate would essentially give them back what they paid for a year with a cap at $700. About 39 percent of taxpayers pay more than $700. About 18 percent would get back about exactly what they pay.

The full House has already passed its own cut which reduces the top tax rate from 7 percent to 6.5 percent next year and keeps cutting to 6 percent over five years. It also collapses all other tax brackets to the lowest group at 3 percent, costing about $600 million in the first year, and $1 billion when fully implemented.

The two sides will eventually have to work out their differences.

Through the committee process in both the House and Senate and in the full House, there hasn't been a single vote against the bill.

"We're all tea party now," joked Democratic Sen. Darrell Jackson of Hopkins after the unanimous vote Tuesday in the Senate Finance Committee.

"Welcome to the party," Republican Senate Finance Committee Chairman Harvey Peeler of Gaffney said. "Big tent."
Boeing Co.'s 787 Dreamliner woes continued to weigh on the company's book of business in February.

Except for a roughly two-month window last spring, deliveries for the South Carolina-based widebody program have been on hold since late 2020. That hiatus continued in February, when Boeing handed over a total of 22 jets  its lowest total since August.

All but two were for 737 Max planes, including Ireland-based budget carrier Ryanair's 50th Max. Boeing also delivered two freighters, one to UPS and the other to DHL.

The Chicago-based planemaker logged 37 new gross orders. Most were for the Max, including a deal for 18 of the 737s from Los Angeles-based Air Lease Corp.

An unidentified buyer ordered five 777 freighters, but no other widebodies were sold.

The 787 hasn't landed a new order since August.

The new bookings were offset by five cancellations, with Air Lease nixing deals for four more Dreamliners it had committed to buy. Last fall, the company scrubbed three 787 orders, citing the lengthy delivery delays.

By the numbers The number of Boeing jets ordered so far in 2022: Total gross orders: 114

114 787 orders: 0 The number of Boeing jets delivered so far in 2022: Total planes: 54

54 787 deliveries: 0 Source: Boeing Co.

Deliveries are a critical source of cash for aircraft manufacturers, and Boeing has been unable to release any of its completed 787s because of production flaws, such as gaps between parts of the fuselage.

The company has declined to provide an estimate of when the handovers could resume, deferring instead to the Federal Aviation Administration, which has to approve a restart.

The 787 delivery hiatus led to exceptionally meager numbers for the program in 2021  21 orders and 14 deliveries.

So far in 2022, Boeing has handed over 54 planes and booked 114 gross orders. Its total commercial aircraft backlog increased to 4,375 from 4,316, according to figures it released March 8.

Despite the costly 787 issues, the company remains a major employer in the Charleston region. Boeing reported that it had 5,521 workers in South Carolina as of the beginning of this year, down about 3 percent from 12 months earlier.

In addition to the main Dreamliner campus off International Boulevard, the aerospace giant operates an engineering and research center and a plant that manufactures interior parts for the 787. All are in North Charleston.
Environmental groups are asking the S.C. Administrative Law Court to reconsider state permission for four beach house owners in DeBordieu Colony to keep sandbags in front of their houses indefinitely.

The South Carolina Environmental Law Project sent a letter to the court March 8 asking it to hear the case.

In January, the board of the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control approved the move under the premise that the bags would be studied in a research project after a sand-replacement project this year covers them. Staff at DHEC had previously declined the request to keep the bags.

Normally, sandbags are only a temporary measure on eroding beaches in South Carolina until sand can be replaced. In this case, they have lingered on the beach since the fall of 2020, behind a degraded wooden sea wall that was installed before the Palmetto State banned such structures on the beach.

Sea walls are banned on beaches because waves ricochet off of them and wash sand away.

Leslie Lenhardt, a SCELP attorney, argued that the DeBordieu sandbags will have the same effect once the sand placed on top of them is carried off by the sea. SCELP is representing the Coastal Conservation League in the case.

"We know how sandbags behave on the beachfront, and what's going to happen when they're uncovered is basically a hard erosion structure," Lenhardt said. "There's no technology that's new or different."

She called the decision by the DHEC board "basically an illegal approval."

One of the attorneys representing the owners of the four homes, state Sen. Stephen Goldfinch, R- Murrells Inlet, declined to comment on the pending litigation.

A spokesperson for DHEC, which would also be a party in the ALC case, declined to comment on the litigation.

SCELP also sent a letter March 8 to the Department of Interior and Department of Commerce that paves the way for a potential federal lawsuit against the bags, under the Endangered Species Act. The main argument is that the bags would harm protected sea turtles that dig nests for their eggs on South Carolina's beaches.

Goldfinch has argued before that the bags won't actually harm sea turtles because they're placed behind a sea wall that would be impossible for the reptiles to climb over. But a turtle conservation group on DeBordieu also claims that the turtles can and have made it over the structure, between sand replacement projects, when erosion in front of the wall isn't so severe.

Emily Cedzo of the Coastal Conservation League said the group is still considering whether it will launch a federal suit over the sandbags. Lenhardt said the letter to federal agencies preserves the group's right to do so, and kicks off a 60-day waiting period in which an alleged violator of the Endangered Species Act can remedy their actions, before a suit is filed.

"This is a big deal, and it sets precedent for all of our beaches," Cedzo said. "This is the sort of thing that tends to have a domino effect and has major implications for the rest of our coastline."

Check back for more on this breaking story.
Wang Shangdian, a deputy to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), attends an interview via video link ahead of the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Wang Xiaofei, a deputy to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), attends an interview via video link ahead of the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) Wang Shangdian (L), Li Hongliang (C) and Wang Xiaofei attend an interview via video link ahead of the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Li Hongliang, a deputy to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), attends an interview via video link ahead of the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Liu Faying, a deputy to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), attends an interview via video link ahead of the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Liu Xiya, a deputy to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), attends an interview via video link ahead of the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Guo Jianren, a deputy to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), attends an interview via video link ahead of the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Ge Minghua, a deputy to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), attends an interview via video link ahead of the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Lu Wenjun, a deputy to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), attends an interview via video link ahead of the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Yang Rong, a deputy to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), attends an interview via video link ahead of the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) Lu Wenjun, Yang Rong and Ge Minghua (from R to L) attend an interview via video link ahead of the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

A journalist asks a question during an interview attended by deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) via video link ahead of the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Yin Gang)

Journalists work during an interview attended by deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) via video link ahead of the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Yin Gang)

Journalists work during an interview attended by deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) via video link ahead of the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Yin Gang)
COLUMBIA  Gov. Henry McMaster announced his office is appealing a federal court ruling halting South Carolina's controversial ban on abortions after roughly six weeks.

The appeal, announced by the governor's office March 8, is an anticipated next step in the lengthy legal battle to defend the ban McMaster signed into law in the spring of 2021.

After a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against implementation of the Statehouse ban last year, McMaster and attorneys representing the S.C. Legislature have amassed tens of thousands of dollars in legal costs appealing the decision.

On Feb. 22, a three-judge panel from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the state's appeal, keeping the stay imposed by the lower court in effect.

Shortly after that decision, McMaster's office responded that his administration planned to appeal the decision as far it can go.

Weve said we will take this case all the way to the United States Supreme Court, and thats exactly what were going to do if we have to, McMaster said in a statement. There is no right more precious and more fragile than the right to life, and we will do everything in our power to protect it.

The lower court argued the states abortion ban was unconstitutional and explicitly written to carry out the ban.

Attorneys for the state argued in their latest appeal that the lower court ignored established legal precedent in reaching their conclusion that could have serious policy implications if left standing.

Namely that the advocates for abortion access based their case on the hypothetical question of what could happen if women were not permitted to receive an abortion after six weeks  when anti-abortion activists argue a fetus produces a detectable heartbeat.

The appeal comes as a conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court weighs the constitutionality of a less-strict, 15-week abortion ban passed in Mississippi in 2018.

Many believe a decision to uphold that state's ban could dismantle the bedrock protections established under the 1972 Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade, which bars state legislatures from restricting abortions before the second trimester of pregnancy.

That pending decision has also had an impact on some Republicans' willingness to support new abortion laws in South Carolina.

On March 3, Charleston Republican Sen. Sandy Senn was one of two lawmakers who walked out of a hearing on an outright abortion ban making its way through the Senate, saying she believed the bill was unneeded at a time when the state is already defending an abortion ban in court.

It takes up so much time every year, Senn said at the time. It is literally like Groundhog Day."

Legislation restricting abortions is a perennial issue in South Carolina. And the same bill has failed repeatedly.
Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations.
The Post and Courier, along with other sources of world news, have conveyed to us Russian President Vladimir Putins attempted takeover of Ukraine, backed by his nuclear threats.

Whats hard to understand is how we can sit idly by while we watch television and witness the destruction of a beautiful, peaceful democracy and the killing of its people without any countrys intervention.

Have we not learned that as each country loses its freedom to choose, its one step closer to us losing ours?

Putin is a proponent of this philosophy, and Ukraine is his stop for today.

What he may not understand is that our peaceful freedom of discord, our freedom to disagree with our country or each other and continue to stay whole, is one of the pillars of our countrys foundation.

The question that the world is now asking is, Does President Joe Biden have the same courage and determination that President John F. Kennedy had in 1962 against Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev during the Cuban missile crisis?

Putin has threatened the use of nuclear weapons, but the U.S. also has a storage of nuclear deterrents.

Perhaps the biggest deterrent of all is that should Putin use one, he and his oligarch friends will never be able to enjoy the spoils of their misbegotten billions.

ALLAN GRODY

Mount Pleasant

Voting in person is best

Third-party facilitation of absentee voting became more commonplace in some states during the last election, which contributed to suspicions of a faulty election that eventually led to the events of Jan 6.

This third-party participation can compromise the secrecy of the ballot and introduces the possibility of vote buying influencing the election, particularly in a large-scale vote-by-mail arrangement as was practiced in some states as an answer to COVID restrictions.

The fundamental requirement for a functioning democracy is confidence in a fair election process in which every vote is secret and certified by official poll managers.

I would feel more confident if all mail-in voting was eliminated and an all in-person election process was implemented and facilitated by a two-week extended early voting period.

The vote harvesters could be of service by transporting the voters wanting to vote by mail to the official polling place to vote just as is done on Election Day.

I have confidence in the in-person voting system with voter ID as it currently operates in South Carolina. If the S.C. model were adopted nationwide, one could feel confident that his vote would not be canceled by a fraudulent vote elsewhere.

DAVID C. CANNON

Edisto Beach

Childhood hunger

As the nation continues to recover from the impact of the pandemic, 1 in 7 children in South Carolina could face hunger this year and may be heading to school with empty stomachs.

Hunger has long-term ramifications on children, including lower test scores, weaker attendance rates and a higher risk of hospitalizations and chronic diseases.

We are fortunate to have a powerful tool to combat childhood hunger at our disposal: nutritious school breakfasts.

School breakfast is a critical way to ensure kids get the consistent nutrition they need to feel better, learn more and grow up strong.

Studies show that students who eat school breakfast are more likely to excel academically, be more alert and have better concentration and memory.

In South Carolina, even as they face an immense set of challenges, including supply chain disruptions and labor shortages, school nutrition staff have adapted to ensure kids get a healthy meal to start the day.

During National School Breakfast Week, which runs through Friday, we celebrate the importance of school breakfast and the critical role school nutrition professionals play in helping children succeed in and out of the classroom.

Feeding kids today is one of the smartest investments we can make to ensure theyre ready to face the challenges of tomorrow.

ERICA OLMSTEAD

South Carolina field manager

No Hungry Kid campaign

Washington, D.C.
Ingram Micro, a global provider of technology and supply chain services, is expanding operations in Spartanburg County.

The expansion is expected to create 203 new jobs and the company plans to invest more than $37 million into the new faculty at 6670 Highway 221 in Roebuck. The regional fulfillment center for customers in the Southeast is expected to ship approximately 2 million packages annually, according to a news release.

Gov. Henry McMaster and the state Department of Commerce made the announcement on March 8. The company already has a presence in Greer, near I-85 at the Greenville-Spartanburg county line.

Ingram Micro is pleased to continue to invest in the state of South Carolina with a new advanced fulfillment center to further serve our customers in the region and play an important role in helping keep the global supply chain moving, said Marianne Zeller, Ingram Micro executive director of global real estate. South Carolina is known for providing access to a dedicated workforce, and we are excited to grow our presence here in the state.

Operations are expected to be online in early 2023. Job development credits related to this project have been approved by the Coordinating Council for Economic Development. The council has given the county a $300,000 grant that will go toward the cost of building improvements.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was produced in collaboration with The Kingstree News, an Uncovered partner.

KINGSTREE  A Williamsburg County official is under investigation by the State Law Enforcement Division after giving herself a $30,000 raise last year from a pot of federal money she controls, an Uncovered examination has found.

Sharon Staggers, who has served as Williamsburg Countys clerk of court for the past decade, showered herself and her nine-person staff with payments from a little-known fund that was created to enhance child support enforcement efforts, according to records obtained by The Post and Courier on March 7 through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Staggers annual pay ballooned to more than $92,900 with the payout, nearly surpassing the county sheriffs salary. Fellow officials say the raise reeks of self-service in a county where the median household income is less than $32,500 and more than a quarter of residents live in poverty.

Im just against stuff like that, Williamsburg County Councilman Eddie Woods said. Maybe legally its not wrong, but morally it certainly is. Thats something the citizens need to be aware of.

Staggers, a Democrat first elected in 2012, didnt return messages seeking comment and declined to speak with a Kingstree News reporter who approached her at her office on March 7, referring all questions to county attorney Billy Jenkinson.

But Jenkinson himself could offer no explanation for the raise, even after spending weeks digging into the matter to respond to the newspapers FOIA request.

Jenkinson said the county has asked the state Department of Social Services, which oversees South Carolinas child support program, to weigh in on whether it was appropriate for Staggers to boost her own pay with federal dollars. Key to answering that question is a vague set of federal guidelines outlining how the states 46 clerks of court can spend mounds of tax dollars.

When you find out more, let me know, Jenkinson told a reporter. Im curious to know myself. We dont know the answers.

DSS officials were unavailable for comment late March 7.

The Post and Courier and Kingstree News dug into Staggers spending as part of Uncovered, an effort to partner with local newspapers to investigate questionable conduct by officials in small-town South Carolina.

Questions about Staggers pay have circulated among Williamsburg County leaders for months, ever since County Supervisor Tiffany Cooks learned of the raise and brought it to the attention of County Council.

Councilman Joe Miller said he was shocked. His outrage grew when he learned County Council couldnt stop it since this pot of federal money is controlled exclusively by the clerk of court.

"That's why faith in the government now is eroding because we really don't act like we're stewards of the citizens' money, Miller said. "We just go around spending money, doing what we want to do, saying nothing can happen to us."

Word of the raise reached SLEDs offices in Columbia.

SLED agents are investigating the Williamsburg County Clerk of Courts Office, SLED spokesman Ryan Alphin confirmed March 7. No additional information is available at this time while agents continue to investigate.

Financial records and emails obtained by the newspaper show county officials struggling to follow the money trail. Payouts came from a fund called Title IV-D  money the federal government sends to states to pay for their child support programs.

Included in the 147 pages of records was a scanned copy of a 1995 opinion from the state Attorney Generals Office about whether counties must follow standard purchasing rules when they spend Title IV-D money.

In January, Jenkinson asked the countys chief of finance, Liz Nelson, for help understanding the flurry of checks and payments.

Is this in addition to regular pay they receive? he asked. Help me get a grip on what is going on with the employees pay please.

I need to get my head wrapped around this, he wrote in a follow-up email.

Records show Staggers provided county officials with a 2015 email from DSS advising the states 46 clerks of court that they could use Title IV-D money to pay salaries for employees in their office, with some exceptions. It did not clearly say whether clerks could boost their own pay with the money.

County emails indicate the payments were distributed in a series of incentive" payments to Staggers and her staff. The clerks Christmastime haul? $8,000.

Brandon Alter of The Kingstree News contributed to this report.
BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has been encouraging women in the country to pursue their dreams in the field of science.

Back in 2010, Xi, then Chinese vice president, hailed women in science worldwide as "an important part of the great force driving the progress of human civilization," speaking at the 4th General Assembly and International Conference of the Third World Organization for Women in Science.

Xi noted that China maintains its basic state policy of promoting gender equality and attaches importance to creating more opportunities for women's career development in science.

Statistics from the China Association for Science and Technology show that around 40 percent of China's scientific and technological personnel are women. Meanwhile, female researchers and engineers account for more than half in the internet and biomedical fields.

Chen Wei, a leading military medical scientist, was awarded the national honorary title -- "The People's Hero" -- for her outstanding contributions to the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. Xi presented a national medal to her in September 2020.

Six months later, at the 2021 annual "two sessions," Chen was once again encouraged by Xi's greetings on International Women's Day.

Xi told her that Chinese women should have the courage to pursue their goals and dreams. Chen said she would convey the message to other women around her and that Xi's encouragement will act as the driving force in their career.

Xi's encouragement has likewise inspired Chinese astronaut Wang Yaping.

During his video call with the Shenzhou-10 mission in 2013, Xi said the first space lecture given by Wang would play an important role in fostering young people's interest in sciences and exploring space.

Last October, Wang embarked on her second trip to space. Over the past five months, she has completed multiple tasks, including a 6.5-hour-long spacewalk, live science lecture, a manual rendezvous and docking test, and set a record for the most cumulative days living and working in space as a Chinese astronaut.

Apart from household names like Chen and Wang, many Chinese women scientists are blazing new trails in their respective research fields.

"As the Chinese people pursue a happy life, every Chinese woman has the opportunity to excel in life and make their dream come true," said Xi when addressing a high-level summit at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in 2015. 
The Biden administrations energy policies could not possibly be less coherent. The administration, from its first day in office, moved aggressively to suppress fossil fuel production in the U.S. The inevitable result has been a sharp rise in the prices of oil and gas. Having caused the problem, the administration has now set out to remedy it by buying gas and oil wherever it can be foundfrom Russia, notwithstanding the Ukraine invasion; from Saudi Arabia; and most recently from Venezuela.

Via InstaPundit, Bryan Dean White sums up succinctly:

Joe Biden is frantically searching the globe to see if anyone but Texas might have some spare oil.  BDW (@BryanDeanWright) March 7, 2022



And the Babylon Bee has a modest proposal that makes sense in the bizarre world of Joe Biden: Biden Sells Alaska Back To Russia So We Can Start Drilling For Oil There Again.

No discussion of incoherence would be complete without a contribution from Kamala Harris. She explains that $4 a gallon gas is part of a grand plan to transition transportationa plan that has now reached a turning point. As always, the Democrats want expensive gas but dont want to take political responsibility for expensive gas:

Kamala Harris says "our transportation sector has reached a turning point" to make a "transition" on energy pic.twitter.com/4UAkYLnwDO  RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 7, 2022



The American people, on the other hand, are not conflicted about $4 a gallon gasoline. They want the price to come down, and they understand, at a basic level, the law of supply and demand. Thus, Rasmussen finds that a whopping 70% of likely voters want the U.S. government [to] encourage increased oil and gas production to reduce Americas dependence on foreign sources of oil and gas, with only 18 percent opposed. That is, only 18% of likely voters agree with the Biden administrations energy policies, to the extent they can intelligibly be described.

Another thing the voters are right about: 88 percent say energy policy will be important in this years congressional elections, including 60% who say it will be Very Important. That spells trouble for the Democrats.
Caroline Glick covers our imminent arrangement with Iran in her Newsweek column Biden Shatters Israels Delusions. She provides a handy summary of the gathering storm (please forgive the long quote):

[L]ast Wednesday, Gabriel Noronha, a former Iran specialist at the State Department, published details of the concessions Malley has already agreed to on his Twitter feed. Noronha wrote that he received the details of the U.S. concessions from his former colleagues at the State Department and National Security Council, as well as from the European Union delegations to the talks. Noronha wrote that his associates, all career officers rather than political appointees, are so concerned with the concessions being made by Rob Malley in Vienna that theyve allowed me to publish some details of the coming deal in the hopes that Congress will act to stop the capitulation.

Malleys capitulation includes delisting Irans Revolutionary Guards Corps from the State Departments list of Foreign Terror Organizations and ending U.S. sanctions on Irans senior terror mastersincluding the terror chiefs responsible for the massacre of 241 U.S. Marines at the Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983 and the 1994 bombing of the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in 1994, where 85 people were killed.

Malley has agreed to end sanctions on 112 entities and people tied to Iranian dictator Ali Khamenei, through which Khamenei has accrued massive wealth and organized Irans global terror and weapons procurement networks. Malley is willing to end sanctions on Iranian entities and individuals involved in the torture and murder of Iranian civilians.

All told, Noronhas colleagues said Malley has agreed to sanctions relief that will provide Iran with an immediate cash infusion of $90 billion, as well as an additional $50-55 billion annually in oil and gas profits.

On the nuclear front, beyond a few formalities, Bidens deal will enable Iran to move full-speed ahead with its development of advanced centrifuges and continue its race to the nuclear finish line. All limitationswhich are largely unenforceablewill be removed in two and a half years. And Irans nuclear program, which constitutes a material breach of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty of which Iran is a signatory, will be legitimated by the UN and the U.S. government.

All of these concessions guarantee two consequences. First, Iran will go to war. As U.S. Army Col. (res.) Joel Rayburn, who served as Trumps envoy to Syria and in a range of senior positions related to the Middle East in Central Command, the National Security Council and the State Department explained in a recent interview with Newsweek, with the JCPOAs implementation in 2015, Iran received billions of dollars in sanctions relief. It used the funds to expand its wars against Israel, against U.S. forces deployed in the Middle East and against Irans Sunni Arab neighbors the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Iran fought its various foes both directly and through its proxies in Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.

The $90 billion that Malley and his colleagues in the Biden administration are poised to now give Iran guarantee that Iran will massively escalate its aggression against these actors.

The second consequence of the new nuclear deal is that Iran will become a nuclear-armed state unless Israel attacks and destroys a sufficient number of Irans nuclear installations to significantly scale back Irans nuclear capabilities.
Western publics support Ukraine in its war with Russia, pretty much unanimously. But that hasnt stopped many news outlets from banning Russian misinformation about the conflict. RT (which stands for Russia Today, just like BP stands for British Petroleum) is a more or less official mouthpiece of the Russian government, and I dont doubt that much of what it reports is false. That has caused YouTube, among others, to ban RT from its platform. Many other outlets have self-righteously banned RT as misinformation or propaganda. Which, in large part, it is.

But so what? The New York Times consists in considerable part of misinformation, in my opinion, and it isin even larger partpropaganda for the Democratic Party. That doesnt cause me to want to ban it, although admittedly the thought is tempting. And in the case of RT, its propaganda has been wholly ineffective. Moreover, nearly every story has at least two sides, and why shouldnt Russias sideweak though most think it isbe heard?

Elon Musk has resisted the tide of censorship by refusing to block Russian news sites from his Starlink network. Musk tweeted:

Starlink has been told by some governments (not Ukraine) to block Russian news sources, the worlds richest man tweeted over the weekend. We will not do so unless at gunpoint. Musk added: Sorry to be a free speech absolutist.

Kudos to Musk. If you are not in favor of free speech for what you think is misinformation, you are not in favor of free speech.
Maritime security is not limited to activities at sea  inland waterways are also part of the maritime domain, says the African Union (AU). Africas Great Lakes, several of which are among the largest water bodies in the world, are the lifeblood for surrounding communities numbering tens of millions of people.

This means that maritime security and blue economies require the attention not just of Africas coastal states but land-linked countries too. The continents lakes and rivers are increasingly threatened by illicit fishing, depredation of marine resources, illegal immigration and territorial disputes emanating from unclear borderlines.

Most larger lakes, particularly lakes Victoria, Tanganyika and Malawi are transboundary bodies of water containing the borders of at least three countries. In some cases, these demarcations are disputed. Unless conflicts are amicably resolved, the waters risk becoming contested, causing insecurity among surrounding communities.

For example, in Lake Edward, the arrest of Congolese fishermen accused of operating in Ugandan waters led to violent clashes between Uganda and Congolese patrols in 2019. At least 13 people died.

Many lakes such as Edward lack a clear border  a legacy of colonial policies and treaties. For similar reasons, there have been occasional clashes between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Lake Mweru over fishing rights. Both countries frequently arrest each others fisherfolk.

Border disputes are rife on Lake Victoria, which is largely divided between Tanzania and Uganda. Kenya has a small yet significant portion as the 2,000 m2 Migingo island sits on the lakes contested Kenya-Uganda border, resulting in tension over ownership.

The fishing industry on Lake Victoria employs about 800,000 people, with 70,000 locally made vessels operating in its waters. The small-scale fisheries sector alone brings in about $300 million in annual fishing revenue among the three bordering countries. Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing by organised crime syndicates endangers the livelihoods of communities around the lake.

Climate change is another threat that has a significant impact on Africas waters. About 38.5 million people in the Lake Victoria Basin will experience climate-induced migration by 2050. Flooding and loss of crops on Lake Tanganyika due to increased rains and topsoil erosion could trigger a humanitarian crisis in Burundi. A similar dilemma confronts Lake Turkana, affecting communities in Kenya and Ethiopia, which border the worlds largest desert lake.

The safety of life on the lakes is also a priority  just as safety of life at sea is the subject of several international conventions. Boat accidents frequently occur on African lakes and rivers, made worse by overcrowding, unseaworthy vessels and a lack of search-and-rescue and life-saving aid.

A January 2022 accident on the Congo River in the DRC claimed 50 lives. The river is one of Africas most important inland waterways, with 14,500 km of navigable water in the DRC alone. Like many of the continents largest rivers, it forms the boundary between several countries and enables agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries and food production, hydroelectric power generation and transportation.

Along with problematic colonial-era borders, the discovery of energy resources in shared lakes such as lakes Chad and Malawi could cause disputes if countries decide to act unilaterally. Significant oil and gas deposits have also been found in Lake Edward. This complicates an already tense situation and increases the pressure on all countries to reach resource-sharing and border-management agreements.

Various organisations aspire to improve governance in these transboundary settings, including the Congo Basin Climate Commission, the Nile River Basin Initiative, the Zambezi River Authority and the Lake Chad Basin Commission.

Several options exist for states and organisations. For instance, Tanzania established mobile courts to help curb illegal fishing in its seas, lakes and dams. To work though, law enforcement must be applied by all lake states, as weak efforts in one might undermine progress in another. The Institute for Security Studies has called for such coordination in response to illegal fishing in West Africa and Lake Kivu.

Legal frameworks exist that oblige African countries to improve maritime security and safety standards. But most have not yet come into force due to insufficient ratifications. African states should throw their weight behind instruments such as the 2010 Revised African Maritime Transport Charter and the 2016 Lome Charter.

Article 4 of the Revised African Maritime Transport Charter strengthens state party cooperation to ensure maritime transport safety along inland waterways. Article 7 defines the role of the Association of African Maritime Administrations, which builds the capacity of national maritime administrations. Article 3 of the Lome Charter commits signatories to improve fishing governance, promote navigation safety and combat fisheries crime.

Initiatives such as the Congo Basin Climate Commission, which focuses on climate change and blue economies in several Central African countries, will help integrate regional efforts to mitigate climate change effects on Africas inland waterways. The commission needs the commitment of government, civil society and the private sector to succeed.

African multilateral mechanisms, especially the AU Border Programme, must be capacitated to help states resolve existing and emerging maritime border disputes. Policies and regulations on illegal fishing need to be implemented not just in Africas seas but also inland waterways.

Failure to do so will mean that blue economies along the continents rivers and lakes will be neither sustainable nor benefit Africans, as specified in Aspiration 1 of the AUs Agenda 2063.

David Willima, Research Officer, Maritime, Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Pretoria

This article is published with support from the government of Norway.

(This article was first published by ISS Today, a Premium Times syndication partner. We have their permission to republish).
Why is gender equity important? Does empowering and educating women really make a difference? Research on gender equity the past few decades is unequivocal: when women are educated through secondary school, everyone in society benefits. Infant and child mortality and malnutrition all decline, and fertility is reduced. But this is just the beginning of the benefits of gender equity.

Many studies around the world have demonstrated the strong, positive linkages between womens empowerment, economic growth and the democratization process. A World Bank study of one hundred developing countries found that countries that promote womens rights and increase their access to economic resources and education grow faster, have less inequality and less corruption than countries that do not support womens rights.

Moreover, additional research has discovered that having more women in government is associated with lower levels of corruption. More women in government and politics equal more honest government. In fact, increasing womens participation in political life, and improving their access to education and health care are so interlinked that scholars now consider them the key elements in building successful, sustainable democracies.

This morning, a group of students from our secondary school came to interview me about gender equity. Their questions were extremely thoughtful and perspective. What is the role of culture in hindering or improving gender equity? How can boys help improve gender equity? What positive examples are there from Africa about improving gender equity? After our discussion, I showed them some data from the World Bank that compares Nigeria to Ethiopia, South Africa , Kenya and Rwanda. After reviewing the data, a ninth grade boy said in a surprising tone, but Nigeria fares worse than all of these countries in infant and child mortality.

They then looked at the World Bank data on maternal mortality which measures the number of women who die in pregnancy and childbirth per 100,000. Nigerias maternal mortality rate is 917; Ethiopia is next at 401, followed by Kenya at 342, Rwanda at 248, then South Africa has the lowest at 119. I asked the students what they thought about Nigerias maternal mortality rate, close to four times higher than Rwandas. We dont care about women, said a 10th grade boy.

The recent rejection of three bills by the Nigerian legislature aimed at improving gender equity, certainly supports this view: we dont care about women. One of the bills that was rejected, to give women constitutionally-guaranteed representation in political parties, and the National Assembly, is what Rwanda did post genocide. In their constitution, which passed in 2003, 30 percent of parliamentary seats were reserved for women. Rwanda, now at 61.3% has more women in Parliament than any country in the world. The global average is 24%. Because of the legal framework supporting gender equity, and the vision of President Kagame, Rwanda is now a role model for gender equity and inclusive development in Africa and the world.

Which policy makers, which politicians in Nigeria are brave enough not only to enshrine gender equity in Nigerias laws and constitution, not only to repeat President Kagames words, but to follow the impressive gender equity policies of a small African country that has made gender equity a hallmark of its development.

As President Kagame said at an International Womens day celebration several years ago:

Women are a cornerstone of prosperity for society as a wholeIt is no accident that the renewal of Rwanda was also accompanied by significant upgrades in the status, roles, and responsibilities of women. The same is true in nearly every country where gender equality has been taken seriouslyIncreasingly, everyone understands that there is an unacceptably high cost to gender inequalityAll over the world, we see that the facts on the ground still dont reflect those good intentions. The recent media attention to the disturbing experiences many women continue to live with is a wake-up call for all of us not to take the gains for granted. Indeed, there is still much more to do to ensure that women feel safe and enjoy equal opportunity.

Indeed, there is much to do to ensure that women in Nigeria enjoy equal opportunity.

Margee Ensign is President of the American University of Nigeria, Yola.
The management of the Nigerian air carrier, Air Peace, has explained why its Abuja to Johannesburg flight was delayed on Sunday.

A Twitter user had tweeted about the delay, writing Unbelievable scenes here at Lagos. Flight delayed by 6 hours now. Passengers tried to storm the plane. 2 passengers passed out and no jet fuel is available so we cant depart to Johannesburg. No Peace on @flyairpeace , said the user, Josh Cahill.

Responding to the tweet, the airline in a statement on Sunday said the delay had nothing to do with lapses in its operation.

Air Peace said the airplane billed for the South Africa trip, a Boeing 777, was first delayed in Budapest, Hungary, where it airlifted Nigerians who were stranded as a result of the Ukraine crisis.

It said the aircraft was subsequently delayed in Abuja when it arrived late.

Air Peace, like many other Nigerian airlines, has faced growing criticisms for its frequent flight delay and cancellations, and customer relations.

Last week, the airline was enmeshed in a wrangling with the Kano emirate over a delayed flight from Banjul, Gambia.

Read the airlines statement on the latest incident below:

Its full statement below:

Our attention has been drawn to a particular post on social media in which Air Peace was said to have delayed its Joburg service(March 6) for 6 hours, and it is important we clear the air.

The aircraft scheduled to operate the Joburg flight, a Boeing 777, was delayed in Budapest, Hungary, where it airlifted Nigerians who were stranded as a result of the Ukraine crisis. Some of the Nigerians reported late at the airport.

On arriving Abuja, the aircraft was also delayed as it arrived late and we had to obtain the necessary operational waivers, given that it was an evacuation flight. The aircraft finally arrived Lagos around 04:00hrs, the same time it was scheduled to depart for Joburg.

As a standard practice, the aircraft had to be cleaned, prepared and fuelled for the next trip. Fuel scarcity was another factor that delayed the joburg flight.

It is also crucial to state that the passenger who had a medical emergency, was rightfully attended to by Port Health and is on-board the flight, which is now airborne.
BRUSSELS, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) is looking at ways to reduce its dependency on Russian gas, oil and coal, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said Monday.

To this end, the EU will accelerate its Green Deal, a roadmap for making the EU's economy sustainable, von der Leyen said when meeting with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.

The EU will work on improving its energy efficiency, she said.

As to the protection of consumers from the price spike amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the president said in the long term the EU will also have to look into its energy market composition, especially as renewables are set to represent a bigger share in the future. 
The Nigerian and African continent cannot thrive when more than half of its population are daily violated, and constantly exposed to violence, which robs them of social, emotional, psychological, physical, economic and general wellbeing. The media is the only institution that can rally all the sectors to work to tackle this problem and CJIDs Gender-Based Violence Reporting Handbook is the tool to help the Nigerian media achieve this.

Book: Gender-Based Violence Reporting Handbook

Publisher: Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID)

Year: 2022

Pages: 270

The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) has filled a huge gap in the practice of Nigerian journalism with its Gender-Based Violence Reporting Handbook, which empowers journalists and newsrooms with the requisite skills they need to tell gender-based violence stories in transformative and impactful ways.

The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID  formerly PTCIJ) today launched a Gender-Based Violence Reporting Handbook,which unpacks the frameworks that entrench gender-based violence in Nigeria and (English-speaking) West Africa. The Handbook analyses the socio-cultural, political and economic contexts that moderate the management of gender-based violence (GBV) by individuals, communities, media and law enforcement agencies. It also reviews the legal and regulatory frameworks that the media and civil society can underpin their reportage and advocacies on, while providing ingenious suggestions on how the mainstream media can report gender-based violence in emancipatory ways.

The 15-chapter handbook by 17 authors from the academia, journalism/media practice, technocrats and the civil society focuses on how journalists in Nigeria (and in West Africa) can harness the power of the media to curb the scourge of GBV on the sub-continent. I dare say that the handbook is late in coming (due to the milestones that have been lost), but it has nonetheless arrived to fill a huge gap at a crucial time when there is a tsunami of gender-based violence in Nigeria, and the world is relying on the media (as forces of change) to raise the conscience of the people and set the agenda that will tackle the menace.

It is interesting that CJID has symbolically chosen to launch this handbook on March 8, the International Womens Day  a day that is observed globally to celebrate womens achievements and/or advocate for their rights. The theme of this years International Womens Day is Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow with a campaign to #BreakTheBias. Unfortunately, women in Nigeria and West Africa have a more dangerous challenge to tackle; they need (as a matter of urgency) to break the tenacious cycle of gender-based violence meted out to them in their homes, communities, schools, religious houses, workplaces, from people in authority meant to protect them, as well as from the criminals that terrorism and insecurity have bred on the sub-continent.

Now, the gems in this handbook are not meant to aid the media in helping only women surmount gender-based violence, as men also experience gender-based violence  but there is unanimous agreement that women/girls and children experience GBV at an alarmingly high proportion, in comparison to men. The focus of the handbook, therefore, is on women, without discounting the various ways that the Nigerian culture undermines the silent struggles of men, due to the expectation that they are strong and should not be vulnerable to abuse or violence.

This beautifully designed handbook makes a very interesting and enlightening read and for the purpose of this review, I have divided its contents into five themes on the basis of the arguments in the chapters, regardless of the order in which the chapters appear in the handbook. The themes are; the conceptual analysis of gender-based violence, legal frameworks against gender-based violence, ethical guidelines for reporting gender-based violence, womens experience of gender-based violence in other English-speaking West African countries, while the last theme is on the tenacious reporting of gender-based violence, until results are achieved.

The handbook, in Chapter five and Chapters seven to 12, discusses, extensively, the various ethical considerations that journalists and news organisations must follow in covering GBV in professional and purposeful ways. Chapter nine is exclusively on the vulnerabilities of children to GBV and the obligation of the media to report and get justice for abused children, without violating their privacy, safety and overall wellbeing.

The first three chapters of the handbook provide a context about what constitutes gender-based violence, Nigerian journalists understanding of gender-based violence and how the Nigerian media reports gender-based violence. Evidence shows that while some journalists appreciate gender-based violence, most do not have adequate understanding of the concept, while others unknowingly re-violate the survivors of GBV due to the poor framing of their stories. The authors of the first three chapters present comprehensive explanations of what constitutes GBV and how patriarchy and the Nigerian socio-cultural, economic and political contexts continue to entrench this malady.

Chapters four and six of the handbook offer comprehensive explanations of the treaties, statutes and legislations that shape the discourse of GBV in Nigeria. These two chapters highlight and explain in detail the various international, regional and national legislations promulgated to protect women from GBV, and if it were based on the strengths of these laws alone, then GBV ought to have been eradicated in Nigeria. But like one of the authors in the handbook observes, there are serious limits to what legislation alone can achieve if the people, the media and other institutions in the country are not empowered to apply these laws in preventing GBV or in seeking justice when the rulings of the laws are violated.

The handbook, in Chapter five and Chapters seven to 12, discusses, extensively, the various ethical considerations that journalists and news organisations must follow in covering GBV in professional and purposeful ways. Chapter nine is exclusively on the vulnerabilities of children to GBV and the obligation of the media to report and get justice for abused children, without violating their privacy, safety and overall wellbeing. The other chapters categorised under this theme provide guidelines that enlighten journalists on reporting GBV in ways that do not harm survivors, glorify GBV or excuse perpetrators.

Two chapters (13 and 14) discuss womens experience of GBV in The Gambia and Sierra Leone and the authors arguments highlight the endemic nature of GBV in the Global South. The similarities in the experience of women in these countries and Nigeria show that governments in the sub-region are weak in implementing the treaties they are signatories to or the laws they promulgate themselves. Corruption, insecurity and poor governance are at the heart of these inadequacies and that is why the media has to hold governments accountable as GBV in Africa cannot be eradicated without good governance. For instance, victims of GBV will not be motivated to report abuse and seek justice if their assailants can easily break out of jail and return to assault or kill them after prosecution. As an example, a prisoner who was among the 1,993 inmates who escaped from Edo prison in October 2020, went to his former residence and killed a neighbour who testified against him. This is a strong deterrence for women and their families seeking justice against GBV.

The editors of the Gender-Based Violence Reporting Handbook saved the best idea for the last, as the most remarkable argument (for me) in the collection is on the RUSH Strategy to tackling GBV. The idea is for journalists to stay on gender-based violent stories, do adequate follow-up on them until justice is served, impunity is exposed and citizens are motivated to act and demand for change. All the previous arguments will amount to nothing if all that the media do is to report the GBV spectacle and move on to the next breaking news without following through.

It is no longer in doubt, therefore, that the knowledge and skills that this handbook offer are in demand in Nigeria, by journalists, editors, journalism educators, communication students, media regulators, policy makers and the civil society. CJID should make this resourceful material widely available. The journalism centre need to liaise with stakeholders in the Nigerian news industry to promote and use this outstanding resource.

The RUSH strategy has gotten professors who harassed students sacked, while I am sure that most Nigerians are not even aware of the case of Aishatu Adamu, a 14 year old internally displaced person (IDP) who was alleged to have killed herself after she was raped by Hussarf Abdurauf, 35, a humanitarian worker in the Kaleri Area of Maiduguri, Borno State. Media reports published on January 19 state that neighbours claim Abdurauf invited her to do some domestic chores for him but they started hearing noise of struggles after she entered his apartment. The girl was already in a pool of blood by the time neighbours forced the door open because the rapist refused to open the door. The perpetrator claimed she killed herself.

Sadly, a dearth of knowledge that this handbook is out to teach is evident in a follow up of the story published on January 30 by a national and highly regarded newspaper, with the headline Its Possible 14-year old IDP got jealous and killed herself after seeing a ladys photo in my room  Borno Humanitarian Worker, even as he insists there was no relationship between him and the teenager. While this may seem like a balanced report of the rapists defence, making it the headline, despite the story not adding up, and with no opportunity for Late Aishatu to defend herself, shows a lack of empathy and compassion for the poor girl that was violated.

No more reports have been written about the incident since January 30. Without media attention, the family of late Aishatu Adamu will not likely get justice. And this might have been an inspiration for Nollywood actor, Olarewaju James, alias Baba Ijesha, to testify on Friday, March 4 before an Ikeja Special Offences Court that he was acting a script in the viral video, which showed him sexually assaulting a minor. Like in Aishatus case, journalists published the defence without any form of interrogation, despite having seen some of the video evidence against him.

It is no longer in doubt, therefore, that the knowledge and skills that this handbook offer are in demand in Nigeria, by journalists, editors, journalism educators, communication students, media regulators, policy makers and the civil society. CJID should make this resourceful material widely available. The journalism centre need to liaise with stakeholders in the Nigerian news industry to promote and use this outstanding resource. Whats more? CJID can also organise seminars, develop online modules or master classes (from the handbook) to educate journalists on how to report GBV in Nigeria better.

The Nigerian and African continent cannot thrive when more than half of its population are daily violated, and constantly exposed to violence, which robs them of social, emotional, psychological, physical, economic and general wellbeing. The media is the only institution that can rally all the sectors to work to tackle this problem and CJIDs Gender-Based Violence Reporting Handbook is the tool to help the Nigerian media achieve this.

Ganiyat Tijani-Adenle teaches in the Lagos State University School of Communication.
The Oluwo of Iwo land, Adewale Akanbi (Telu 1), is set to marry Princess Firdauz Abdullahi of the royal family in Kano.

The wedding is billed to hold on March 19, 2022, at the residence of the Madakin of Kano, in the ancient city of Kano.

A reception, strictly for ladies, will later hold at The Gidan Rumfa, the palace of the Emir of Kano.

The Oluwo, who divorced his Jamaican wife in 2019, found his love again from the Ado Bayero Dynasty in Kano.

On Tuesday, a palace source, who disclosed details of the forthcoming wedding to PREMIUM TIMES, described the bride-to-be as 27-year-old and extremely beautiful.

He also revealed that she is Ado Bayeros granddaughter and the Emir of Kanos niece.

Previous Marriage

Mr Akanbi, who became the Oluwo of Iwo in November 2015, at 48, married his first wife, Jamaican Chanel Chin, shortly after he was enthroned.

According to the monarch, the union which produced a son named Oduduwa, ended due to irreconcilable differences.

Ms. Chin is the daughter of Jamaican reggae star Ludlow Chin, also known as Bobo Zaro, best known for the song Pain, a collaboration with Capleton.

N20m wedding Controversies

In February, a letter surfaced on the internet, suggesting that the Oluwo requested N20m from the governor of Osun state to finance his wedding since it was a marriage of two important institutions in Nigeria.

The letter, stamped and dated February 8 , sparked huge controversy.

In no time, a spokesperson for the monarch disowned the letter, saying the communication did not emanate from the palace.

He said the letter lacked the basic in-house style of Oluwos correspondences.

Oluwo always appends his signature while writing the government. Marriage is a personal affair. There is no marriage venture too big for the Oluwo to finance on his own, the palace official said.
Every night, after the days work, Mansur Shehu would slide N2,500 into a small wooden box that serves as his piggy bank. He does that for seven straight days, and then brings out the money (N17,500) and hands it over to the owner of the tricycle he does business with.

The owner of this Keke NAPEP doesnt care whether I work for the day or not, his only concern is that I must give him N17,500 every Friday. With this fuel scarcity and the sudden increase in the price of fuel everywhere, where does a commoner seek refuge from? Mr Shehu told this reporter.

He was inside the tricycle outside a fuel station waiting for his turn to buy fuel. The queue, he said, was stuck, because fuel attendants were favouring rich people and black marketers.

Go in and see, wallahi some people are paying (extra) to get fuel, he told PREMIUM TIMES.

Some weeks ago, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) urged Nigerians to be patient, stressing that it had distributed petroleum products nationwide, to end the scarcity that had lingered for weeks.

The NNPC said this in a statement by GarbaDeen Muhammad, the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the NNPC Limited.

The corporation urged Nigerians to be patient, saying it has sufficient stock of petroleum products for distribution across the country.

It said it was engaging depot operators to load products round the clock to accelerate the restoration of normal distribution.

Congested and locked stations

This reporter, over the weekend, went round Katsina metropolis and three neighboring areas of Kaita, Mani and Batagarawa local government areas to assess the situation. Most of the fuel stations were locked while those selling were congested.

On the Yahaya Madaki way to the Barhim Estate, there are more than 10 fuel stations but only three were selling fuel  Danmarna, NNPC and A.A Rano. There were double lines of vehicles on all the exits and entry routes of the fuel stations.

From Kofar Kwaya to the Natsinta Barracks roundabout, only two out of the over 15 fuel stations were selling fuel. It was the same story on the new ring road by the GRA area and on the new Internal Revenue Board and KTARDA road.

The situation was the same at almost all the stations selling petrol.

While some of the motorists and fuel users abide by the rules and stay on queues, some try jumping the queues or reaching out to some staff of the station to get help.

Black marketers

To authenticate some of the claims made by motorists that black marketers are using the fuel scarcity to rob them, this reporter visited a fuel station on the popular State Secretariat  Kano Road interchange.

As soon as this reporter stopped his car, two teenagers walked up to him and said they could get him fuel in cans but at a higher rate. This reporter bought two gallons (each five litres) at N4,500.

A gallon that was sold at N900 was now being sold at N2000 or higher because, according to the teenagers, we have to bribe fuel pump attendants to get it in the night when everyone is asleep.

They also said they engage in the business at the risk of being arrested by the police. Katsina State had banned selling of fuel in jerrycans in the state.

Despite the arrest, PREMIUM TIMES found black marketers in some of the fuel stations visited while some of them stayed at strategic areas of the metropolis, hiding their jerrycans in shops while they stand on the streets, waiting for prospective customers.

A driver at a private radio station in the metropolis, Abubakar Ahmad, said he had been patorinising the black marketers because he had no other option. The funny thing is that even the black marketers are not seen everywhere, which makes it more difficult. We buy at an inflated price because we have no option.

No fuel, no service

Ahmad Dida is the manager of VIP Barbing Salon in the layout area of the metropolis. He lamented how lack of fuel is threatening his business.

Forget about electricity, we are even used to not having it. The fuel that we rely on is now unavailable, he said.

Yesterday, I sent two of the shop attendants with our generating set, it took them more than five hours to return. By the time they came back, all our customers had left in anger.

He said the fuel scarcity is affecting their business because people now come to the shop only when there is power supply, which he said is not always.

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Before the fuel scarcity, Mr Dida said he was making more than N20,000 a day but we now open the shop and wait for God knows what. It is, honestly speaking, not good for us, he said.

A commercial motorcyclist, who gave his name as Musa, said he would not bother hitting the road if he did not get the product.

For two days, I have looked for fuel without success. Yesterday, I was on queue for several hours and when it was our turn to enter the station, they just said fuel had finished. I have to go out everyday to get money for what to eat. If there is no fuel, the motorcycle will not work, if it doesnt work, my business is dead, he said.

This reporter also found that the price of fuel per litre differs from one station to the other but mostly sold around N230 to N250.

Even if it is N400 per liter, please let them sell it to us; we will still buy, Balkisu Abdulkarim, a make-up artist said. She owns Billet Touches Make Up Studio and lamented that her failure to get the product would mean her losing most of her clients for the upcoming week.

I had to lie to many of my clients yesterday (Saturday) because you cant work in a make up studio without light. You know, this is a month of wedding, I will be very busy next week because there would be many brides and bridesmaids. Tell me, what will my situation be if this continues?

The scarcity has also hit provision stores across the metropolis.

Abubakar Abdullahi is an attendant at a shop on Mani Road. He said with the absence of stable electricity supply and the scarcity of fuel, customers have been deserting his three refrigerators.

People will come, open the refrigerators one after the other but because the drinks are not cold, they will just hiss and go away. I dont blame them because even me I cant take drinks that are not cold, he said.

Increased fares

As fuel scarcity persists and the price increases, passengers are being made to pay more for services. A school teacher, Rukayya Shehu, told PREMIUM TIMES that she spent N500 to and fro from NYSC camp layout to High Court area.

Imagine, I had to beg the tricycle operator before he even accepted N250 just to take me to High Court area. It used to be N100. You know the distance; a place that I can walk to. I paid N500 to go and come back.

But Mrs Shehu, like several other passengers, did not blame the tricycle operators.

The fuel scarcity that has hit this country is no longer a joke, said Abdurrazaq Ibrahim, another passenger.

NMDRA comments

The acting coordinator of the Katsina office of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority (formerly DPR), Yahaya Ibrahim, did not respond to calls and SMS sent to him by this reporter on the scarcity.

But on a radio programme on Vision FM Katsina last week, Mr Ibrahim said the scarcity was due to several reasons that included the adulterated petrol imported into the country and marketers not buying the products in bulk in the state.

I can say that Katsina is among the states were marketers dont buy fuel in bulk because in Katsina, I can say on average, they hardly buy 10 to 12 fuel tanker in a day. Dont forget that we have 34 local government areas, so the fuel supply is not appreciative, Mr Ibrahim said.

He also said his office had been visiting fuel stations to ensure that they sell at the stipulated rate as well as ensure that there is no hoarding.

My staff have been working round the clock, checking fuel stations to see if there is any case of hoarding and we have not found anything so far, he added.
President Muhammadu Buhari gave the order for Governor Mala Buni to be shoved aside as the All Progressives Congress (APC) interim national chairman, one of the partys governors has told PREMIUM TIMES.

The governor said Mr Buhari, influenced by some APC governors, had no choice but to order Mr Bunis removal following the endless crises and turbulence in the governing party ahead of its national convention slated for March 26.

He was also alleged to be hatching a plot, backed by three governors, to frustrate the convention where new leadership of the party would be elected.

Many Nigerians were shocked when reports of the replacement of Mr Buni by another governor surfaced on Monday. Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger State, also a member of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), was on Sunday night, appointed to steer the affairs of the ruling party.

On Monday morning, Mr Bello made a dramatic entry into the partys national secretariat in Abuja to preside over the caretaker committee meeting. He, thereafter, administered the oath of office on the controversially elected state chairmen of the party.

Although it was not clear what his mission was, PREMIUM TIMES noticed that the Niger State governor, upon arrival at the secretariat, parked his official car on the exact spot reserved for the national chairman of the party.

The parking space is never occupied when the national chairman is not at the secretariat.

Addressing journalists before meeting with the APC Zoning Committee, Mr Bello did not expressly admit that Mr Buni had been removed but merely said he had been acting as the caretaker committee chairman since the Yobe governor travelled out of the country for medical attention.

I have been acting for a while since the chairman travelled, he said, adding that he had the approval of Mr Buhari.

Buni, three other governors working against APC  Gov.

According to our source, Mr Buni, backed by three of the partys governors, namely Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, Hope Uzodinma of Imo State and Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, are against the conduct of the much anticipated national convention.

It was learnt that the Yobe Governor, by proxy, had allegedly conceived a plot to serve the APC a court injunction two days to the convention and thereby, halt the much-clamoured change in leadership.

Though our source did not reveal the entire content of the said court injunction, he said some APC governors leveraged it to force Mr Buharis approval to kick Mr Buni out of office.

He (Buhari) gave the order to us (APC governors) to rejig the caretaker committee and shove aside Mr Buni because he has not committed himself to the job assigned to him, the governor said.

While the governors bank on Mr Presidents statement to rejig the party to initiate the removal of one of their colleagues, the final decision was taken by members of the caretaker committee, who, in turn, appointed Mr Bello as the Yobe governors replacement.

The committee met constitutionally and asked Bello to take over the leadership of the party and ensure that the convention was held as planned, the governor, who was part of the end game, further confirmed to this newspaper.

The governor said before the dramatic takeover, members of the caretaker committee aired their displeasure with Mr Bunis recent political game plan.

With reference to the notice of Zonal Congress sent to INEC the day APC declared March 26 as the date for the convention, one of them said Mr Buni made the decision without carrying them along.

As far as many of us are concerned, there is no letter to that effect. It was not our decision. I can only tell you that March 26 is our agreed date for the convention, anything outside that cannot stand, a member fumed as he disclosed other leadership gaps within the committee.

Buni yet to be informed  Aides

When this newspaper approached two of Mr Bunis aides with the account of how their boss was removed, they refused to confirm or dispute it.

However, the aides, who preferred not to be named, in separate interviews, told PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday, said their principal had not received any official letter indicating that he had been replaced.

They added that they had strict instructions not to comment on the development.

We have not received any communication to that effect but in any case, they said we should not talk on this.

You know that he is not in the country and I can confirm to you that there is no communication from anybody to him, one of the aides said while urging this reporter to be patient and expect a reaction in the next 48 hours.

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Efforts to speak with Mr Bunis spokesperson, Mamman Mohammed, were unfruitful as he did not respond to this newspapers text messages on this development at the time of this report.

From party saviour to alleged sit tight chairman

Amidst applause and relief, Mr Buni and 11 other members of the CECPC were ushered into office in June 2020, after the controversial removal of the Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee (NWC) from office.

His leadership, originally meant to last for six months, has dragged for a year and two months with different excuses and melodramatic twists in party activities.

At the point of his appointment, the Yobe governor, a former national secretary of the APC, was tasked to organise a national convention to elect a new set of NWC officers and unified party members, a feat many party members believe he has not significantly achieved.

Mr Bunis elongated tenure has, however, earned the party three additional governors and more lawmakers at both the state and National Assemblies.

Some members of the APC had alleged that the Yobe governor had been using his position to make some negotiations with interested parties for the vice-presidential ticket in the 2023 election.
The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Tuesday, sacked the Ebonyi State governor, David Umahi, his deputy, Kelechi Igwe, along with 15 lawmakers in the state over their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Messrs Umahi and Igwe, in November last year, defected from the PDP on whose platform they were elected into office in the 2015 and 2019 to the APC.

The 15 lawmakers who were elected on the PDP platform had also joined them in dumping the party for the APC.

Determined to reclaim its mandates, the PDP had sued Messrs Umahi, and Igwe, in one suit, and the 15 lawmakers in another suit, with the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) also joined as defendants in the two suits.

The judge, Inyang Ekwo, declared the seats of the governor and his deputy, and those of the 15 lawmakers vacant in his judgment on the two suits on Tuesday.

Mr Ekwo ordered the governor, his deputy, and the affected lawmakers to vacate their offices immediately.

Mr Ekwo ordered INEC to receive names of candidates from the PDP to replace Messrs Umahi and Igwe.

The votes in any election in Nigeria are to political parties, and not candidates, the judge held.

The judge agreed with the PDP that by defecting from the party on which they were sponsored and elected, they had resigned or deemed to have resigned from office.

The 15 lawmakers whose seats the court declared vacant include Odefa Odefa, Victor Uchukwu, Kingsley Ikoro, Benjamin Jununu, Nkemka Okoro, Anthony Nwegede, and Chinwe Nwachukwu.

The rest are Onu Nwonye, Friday Nwuhuo, Moses Odunwa, Chinedu Awo, Chinedu Onah, Chukwuma Igwe, Chukwu Lucas and Francis Nwifuru.

The judgement is in sharp contrast to last months decision of the Gusau Division of the Federal High Court ratifying the defection of Governor Bello Matawalle, who similarly dumped PDP, on whose platform he became governor, for the APC, last year.

The Tuesdays verdict with the potential of causing a major political change in Ebonyi State is, however, not likely to take immediate effect, as parties to the suits, still have the opportunity to exhaust their rights of appeal up to the Supreme Court level.

Why APC cant govern Ebonyi through Umahi, deputy  Court

Mr Ekwo, in his judgement, held that the governor and his deputy failed to adequately defend the substantive issues concerning their defection.

It would be constitutionally wrong for a person who was not sponsored by one political party, to defect and become a member of another political party before the expiration of the period he was elected, the judge held.

The court noted that the constitution does not treat the issue of defection lightly, referencing Section 221 of the 1999 constitution.

Mr Ekwo pointed out that the constitution is put in jeopardy when the will of the electorate who voted for a political party can be brazenly merchandised by candidates without consequence.

The APC cannot govern Ebonyi State through the 3rd and 4th defendants (Messrs Umahi and Igwe), when it did not win the election that produced them.

Mr Ekwo further held that Mr Umahi and his deputy cannot claim to be unaware of the consequences of their act of defection.

Having defected to another party, they cannot hold onto the votes of the plaintiff (PDP) to remain in office, the court declared.

Declaring the continued occupation of office by Messrs Umahi and Igwe unconstitutional, the court said it is in breach of the provisions of Section 179 (2) (a) and (b) of the 1999 constitution.

INEC to receive fresh candidates list from PDP for swearing in

While ordering the governor and his deputy to vacate office, the court said: The PDP is entitled to submit to INEC, the names of candidates to replace Messrs Umahi and Igwe, for the purposes of utilising the lawful votes cast in favour of the PDP at the March 9, 2019 governorship poll.

An order is hereby made directing INEC to immediately declare the persons nominated to it by the PDP as governor and deputy governor of Ebonyi State. This is the judgement of the court, Mr Ekwo declared.

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INEC ordered conduct of legislative poll within 90 days

In his judgement regarding the 15 lawmakers, Mr Ekwo ordered the electoral umpire to receive names of candidates from the PDP for a fresh election, which must be conducted within 90 days to fill vacancies occasioned by the 15 lawmakers defection.

The court further ordered the clerk of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly to recover monies and other properties in possession of the sacked lawmakers and remit same to the coffers of the parliament.

Governor, others to appeal judgement

Orji Orji, the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, described the verdict as a travesty of justice, assuring that they would appeal the decision.

Mr Orji faulted the Federal High Courts reliance on provisions of the Electoral Act dealing with pre-election and election matters.

The Court of Appeal decision in Amaechi Vs INEC shows that todays judgement was a clear case of an error in law and we must challenge it at the appellate court.

He said a court of coordinate jurisdiction had pronounced on the matter, saying that the Constitution has no provision on defection for governors or has not made it an offence for a gorvernor to defect from one party to another.

We can also test the veracity of the Federal High Court decision today at the Court of Appeal.

I want to tell Ebonyi people that there is no cause for alarm, Mr Orji said.
At least 63 vigilantes from five communities of Kebbi State have been confirmed dead after bandits ambushed them Sunday evening.

Traditional rulers of two of the affected communities told BBC Hausa that the vigilantes were ambushed while chasing the bandits who had attacked the communities.

But two additional sources spoken to by PREMIUM TIMES from Sakaba Local Government Area of the state said the number of casualties was higher.

The state police command also confirmed the killings to this newspaper but said the bandits were fleeing from military airstrikes in Niger State when they were confronted by the volunteers.

The Sunday attacks

The village head of Takita, who refused to provide his name, told BBC Hausa that the bandits had stormed villages in Sakaba local government area in Zuru Emirate, abducted people and rustled some cattle.

Residents were running from the bandits. When the volunteer vigilante members were informed of the attacks, they mobilised and followed the bandits.

You know how dangerous these bandits are. They know all the forest very well, so they decided to hide on the trees and allowed the volunteers to reach the ring after which they encircled them and started shooting sporadically. 63 vigilantes were killed because we counted them before we buried them in the evening. They were from five separate communities of the area, he said.

The traditional ruler, however, said some of the bandits were killed, too.

The areas where the vigilante members were from include Takita, Magajiya, Rafin Zuru, Dabai and Sanci.

An anonymous vigilante leader in Zuru told BBC Hausa that after the evacuation of the corpses, they were taken to the police station where members of the vigilante groups of each village took those belonging to their people.

The attacks affected every village in the Zuru emirate and we suffered a lot in evacuating the dead bodies, he said.

Ahmad Umar, a native of Sakaba who lives in Birnin Kebbi, and Shehu Bello, a native of Zuru, told PREMIUM TIMES in separate interviews that those killed were more than 100.

I can confirm that the number is more than that. Even yesterday (Monday), there were still corpses in the forest where the attack occurred. Those who went to evacuate the bodies couldnt do that on that Sunday, Mr Umar said.

Police speak

The Kebbi police command spokesperson, Nafiu Abubakar, told PREMIUM TIMES that the police did not know the number of those killed yet.

There is an ongoing military operation in Niger state. The areas affected (in Kebbi) share boundaries with Niger, so while the bandits were fleeing from military airstrikes, the volunteer vigilante members confronted them, the spokesman said.

He said the state police commissioner has mandated officers of the command to launch an investigation to unravel the identity of those killed.

They were among those complementing our efforts, he said. They were part of the security setting and helped us a lot in arresting bandits, he said.
Nigerian banks are charging customers above regulatory limits and are making them pay undeclared charges, thereby hampering the countrys effort to reduce financial exclusion, a new report has said.

The report by the Innovations for Poverty Action and the Inclusion for All initiative, Measuring Fees and Transparency in Nigerias Digital Financial Services, released on Thursday contains the outcome of a study that examined compliance levels with existing fee structures, compliance with price transparency requirements, the reliability of transactions and the consistency of information available from customer service channels  highlighting a series of barriers that impact consumer trust in financial services.

Nigerias digital financial services ecosystem has rapidly evolved over the last decade due to increased broadband and mobile penetration and digital payments, which boost financial access in urban, rural, and hard-to-reach areas across the country.

This progress provides underbanked populations with greater access to digital banking products, mobile payments, savings and credit facilities  transforming the financial inclusion landscape. However, between 2018 and 2020, financial exclusion in Nigeria decreased by only 1 percentage point, from 37% in 2018 to 36% in 2020.

The report said the cost of financial services remains a major barrier to access for price-sensitive consumers, especially within marginalised, vulnerable, and lower-income segments of society. In addition, any lack of transparency on product pricing, departures from regulated pricing and limits trust between customers and service providers.

A new collaboration between Innovations for Poverty Action and the Inclusion for All initiative aims to address the challenges and understand the ease of accessing accurate price information from providers and their levels of compliance with the revised pricing guidelines.

At the virtual launch of the report, Rashida Monguno, Director, Consumer Protection Department, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), commended IPA and Inclusion for All for the study, saying: This groundbreaking research provides new evidence and insights on one of the most critical aspects of consumer protection which is pricing transparency. Consumers right to easily access and understand the cost of services they use is one of the most fundamental rights of consumers. The research provides a baseline for future audits and identifies several areas which require improvement. I trust that the results will be instrumental in exploring new conversations that will result in tangible changes in the digital financial services marketplace.

The government regulator, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), recognised the impact of product pricing on financial inclusion outcomes and reviewed pricing guidelines in 2019, issuing lowered pricing caps for electronic banking transactions effective January 2020. In addition, CBN encouraged financial service providers to restructure transaction fees and limits. The action supports Nigerias digital financial services uptake, which increased during the covid-19 pandemic, where government responses such as lockdown restrictions led to the temporary closure of bank branches, reinforcing digital access.

Presenting key findings from the digital financial services audit, IPA revealed multiple areas where improvements may be required to enhance the consumer experience and assure compliance with existing regulatory frameworks. Drawing on the new research, William Blackmon, the Financial Inclusion Research Manager, IPA, said: Most providers do not list their prices on their website  contacting customer care can take a matter of hours. Limited pricing transparency wastes consumers time and comes at a high cost that lower-income customers simply cannot afford.

Without accurate and accessible information  consumers cannot make informed decisions about the services they want to use; this reduces competition in the market. During the panel, Adedotun Ifebogun, Head, Retail & SME, Wema Bank, emphasised the need for a more holistic approach to the transparency of pricing that ensures customers evolving needs are met across all preferred platforms and locations.

We are committed to understanding consumers preferred information points and how well and easily statements can be accessed, especially for communities at the last mile. Customer service has been identified as a preferred platform for consumers to get information. We see the need for training in this area to ensure good customer service since competition between banks and mobile money should be on service delivery and not necessarily on price, which is regulated. The solution will be a collaborative effort, he said.

Speakers also exchanged perspectives on market events such as price fluctuations and promotions that affect price reliability. Jay Alabraba, Chairman of, Association of Licensed Mobile Payment Operators (ALMPO), commented: Even though there are challenges with price transparency and reliability, we need to acknowledge that transparency and reliability are already an industry focus. And in speaking of serving consumers best, business sustainability is critical. In a way forward, sufficient dialogue between industries and telcos is key.

Driving debate on the reliability of transactions and the impact of infrastructure on the financial service provider ecosystem, Gbenga Adebayo, Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), said: Several consumers are connected to Nigerias 2G and 3G networks which offer less reliable data access. Naturally, this impacts access to higher-quality network coverage and influences customers ability to transact. Further, pricing on USSD has not been transparent historically; this is a legacy issue that impacts customer confidence.

Among other key findings, the Innovation for Poverty Action and Inclusion for All Study found that:

Across all transaction types, less than 50% of customer care representatives provided a fee that was the same as the fee our auditors observed.

Auditors were able to find price lists on only 2 providers out of 29 included in the study.

Only 14% of providers offered toll-free lines, and the median airtime charge for non-toll-free lines was 123 Naira.

Deposit money banks provided more inconsistent fee information than mobile money providers.

Mobile money providers were more likely to provide no-fee information at all.

60% of the studys attempted transactions were successfully completed, while 40% failed.

Transactions with deposit money banks were more than 20 percentage points more likely to succeed than mobile money transactions.
Governor David Umahi has said that he remains the governor of Ebonyi State despite Tuesdays Federal High Court judgement which sacked him from office.

He urged the people of the state to remain calm as he was sure of quashing the ruling at the appeal court.

Speaking to journalists in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, he also accused the judge, Inyang Ekwo, of bias against him and Ebonyi State.

He said he has forwarded a petition against the judge to the Nigeria Judicial Council (NJC).

Mr Umahi claimed that the judge lacked the powers to remove him as governor as he is covered by the immunity clause which protects him from any form of litigation that is not a pre-election and tribunal matter.

Claims previous judgements vindicate him

Mr Umahi also noted that there were two other similar cases related to the defection of state governors to other parties, in Ebonyi and Zamfara states. He said the two courts in their separate judgements ruled in favour of the governors.

The constitution stipulates that the only way whereby a governor can vacate his seat is either by death, resignation or impeachment by the House of Assembly, the Ebonyi governor said.

There is no other provision that empowers a hatchet man to turn the constitution upside down. I have listened to the judgement of Ekwo and it is very obvious that he was on a mission. He was making all efforts to upturn the rulings of the Appeal and Supreme courts on issues like this.

We have heard the rumours before now that he was determined to give judgement against all known laws and the constitution to embarrass the APC and the federal government.

For me, I do not feel worried but I feel so sorry for the judiciary. The executive may have problem, the legislature may have problem but the moment justice could be purchased, then we are in trouble in this country. And the ruling this afternoon is a clear evidence that this country is in trouble.

And let me tell you that this same judge has over 10 cases against Ebonyi State Government with him and you can imagine what he is going to rule. We have petitioned him to NJC and we will follow it up to ensure that this man is brought to justice.

I want you to disregard the judgement, it is null and void there is a subsisting judgement in Ebonyi and Zamfara states. So we have chosen the one to obey, we will not obey his ruling, we will obey the ruling of a competent court of coordinate jurisdiction that says you cannot sue a governor.

The sections of the constitution are very clear, no civil or criminal proceedings could be brought against a sitting governor. This is not a pre-election matter, this is not a tribunal matter. So he has murdered justice in this country and he and his generation will be remembered for this jungle justice which has no leg to stand.

I am still the governor of Ebonyi state and he has no powers to remove me, Mr Umahi said

Mr Umahi also argued that the judge lacked the powers to declare the seats of the House of Assembly members vacant.

He said previous judgements have made it clear that it is only the presiding officer of the House of Assembly or the National Assembly that can declare lawmakers seats vacant.

The Sack

PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Umahi and his deputy, Kelechi Igwe, were Tuesday sacked by the Federal High Court, Abuja, for defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Determined to reclaim its mandate, the PDP sued the Messrs Umahi, Igwe, the APC and INEC.

Delivering judgement in the case on Tuesday, the judge, Inyang Ekwo, ordered the governor and his deputy to vacate office.

Mr Ekwo ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to receive names of candidates from the PDP to replace Messrs Umahi and Igwe.

The votes in any election in Nigeria are to political parties, and not candidates, the judge held.

The PDP had prayed the court to make a declaration that by defecting from the party on which the Messrs Umahi and Igwe were sponsored and elected, they have resigned or deemed to have resigned from office.

Although the courts ruling subsists, for now, the governor is expected to remain in office until the appeal process is concluded, likely when the Supreme Court rules on the matter.
Following the killing of 63 volunteer vigilante members in Kebbi State by bandits Sunday evening, President Muhammadu Buhari has called on the security forces to be more proactive in preventing attacks.

Banditry has disrupted the lives of thousands of people in North-west states of Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kaduna and Kebbi and Niger in the North-central.

Thousands of people were killed and hundreds of thousands of others displaced. Cattle and other domestic animals are rustled daily by the bandits who also bar farmers and traders from accessing their farms and local markets.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the bandits ambushed volunteer vigilante members in Sakaba local government area of Kebbi State, killing at least 63 of them.

The vigilantes were from five communities of Takita, Magajiya, Rafin Zuru, Dabai and Sanci.

Its sad  Buhari

In a statement signed by a presidential media aide, Garba Shehu, Mr Buhari described the killing as brutal murder.

The statement quoted the president thus, this egregious level of criminality is shocking and I want to assure Nigerians that I will do all it takes to tackle this monster decisively.

My greatest preoccupation is the threat to life posed by these murderous gangs and remorseless outlaws who have no slightest regard for the sanctity of life.

While extending my sympathy to the families of the victims of this savagery, let me use this opportunity to also call on our security forces to be more proactive and redouble their efforts in order to frustrate the operational plans of the terrorists before they even launch attacks, the President added.
NEW YORK, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Advisers and experts have urged the White House to take additional steps to combat coronavirus and reduce the risk of other infectious diseases, with the goal of avoiding the societal disruptions that have characterized the past two years.

Vaccinate 85 percent of Americans against the coronavirus; ensure that people experiencing long COVID-19 can get disability benefits; develop a plan to restore trust in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) -- these are among the 250 recommendations they issued on Monday.

"The nation is not yet at the next normal," the experts, including six members from the COVID-19 advisory board of U.S. President Joe Biden's transition team, prominent researchers and former leaders of the CDC and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, wrote in their 136-page report.

The group of medical luminaries warned against "complacency, inaction, or premature triumphalism" in the fight against the coronavirus, while trying to lay out a "road map" to help Americans get back to our more normal routines, according to The Washington Post.

NYC DROPS MASK MANDATE

Masks are now optional for public school children in New York City from kindergarten on up. Monday is a day some have yearned for and others think has come too soon, triggered by the decision by Mayor Eric Adams to lift the mask mandate in New York City schools. The move came hours after Governor Kathy Hochul announced she would lift the statewide mandate, reported The New York Times on Monday.

The NYC Department of Education said it will continue to require daily health screenings and that students returning from suspected coronavirus infections must wear masks for several days. In addition, the department strongly recommends that students or staff exposed to the virus wear face coverings, although it does not require them to do so, according to the report.

Since the Omicron surge has been ebbing, pandemic restrictions have been lifted in many states, including New York, allowing local officials to make their own determinations on masks. In Connecticut, the decision was turned over to localities late last month, while in New Jersey, rules similar to New York's go into effect today, said the report.

"Like so many virus restriction rollbacks, this one has been met with an anxious mix of excitement, hope and concern," reported The New York Times, noting that while NYC has a vaccination rate that is above the national figure, rates among children have continued to lag, and are not consistent across schools.

FOUR MORE FREE TESTS

Americans will be able to order more free coronavirus tests from the government starting this week, reported USA Today on Monday. President Biden announced during his State of the Union address that even if you've already ordered free tests, "you can order more from covidtests.gov."

Americans were able to start ordering the free tests from the covidtests.gov website on Jan. 18, part of the Biden administration's purchase of 500 million tests announced in December. Initially, the program allowed for four free at-home tests per residential address.

Starting this week, "every home in the U.S. will be able to order an additional set of 4 tests," the government website said. A credit card isn't needed to order the tests on the government site and there is no cost. Once ordered, tests are expected to be mailed within seven to 12 days.

"Let's stop looking at COVID as a partisan dividing line and see it for what it is: a God-awful disease," Biden said in a tweet following his December announcement of his plan to make half a billion tests available to Americans by mail. "Let's stop seeing each other as enemies -- and start seeing each other for who we really are: fellow Americans." 
An official of the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), Salma Kolo, has said that pregnancy-related illnesses have claimed more lives in Nigeria than the deadly COVID-19 virus.

Ms Kolo, who is the director of Family Health at the ministry, made this known during a three-day virtual media training organised by the Rotary Action Group for Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health (RMCH).

She said at least 40,000 women in Nigeria lose their lives to pregnancy -related issues annually.

She noted that over one million children under the age of five also die as a result of losing their mothers to pregnancy delivery complications.

Maternal-related illnesses kill more than COVID-19 virus. Between 40,000 to 50,000 women die from pregnancy/delivery causes yearly, she said.

Also, over one million children die from maternal-related deaths. If a mother dies of childbirth complications, the chance of the child surviving is slim, she said.

Embracing family planning

Ms Kolo said to end this menace, it is important for women especially those in rural communities to embrace family planning.

She said women should adopt family planning not as a way to reduce the countrys population but as a means to boost their quality of life.

She explained that women are dying as a result of the countrys high fertility rate, low contraception uptake, and lack of access to quality healthcare services, particularly at primary healthcare centres.

She said contraceptives is one of the best ways to prevent maternal mortality and more than 90 per cent of maternal deaths are preventable if women do the right thing.

Family planning is not to control the number of people but for a better life and economic development, she said.

She noted that about 60 per cent of Nigerians pay out of pocket to access healthcare services, noting that such a development further restricts women from seeking comprehensive health services.

We must make sure our primary healthcare facilities are functional and our National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is also there as a safety net, especially for the vulnerable, she said.

Population growth

Meanwhile, in his remarks, the national coordinator of RMCH, Emmanuel Lufadeju, decried the low uptake of modern contraception, which he noted currently stands at 12 per cent.

Mr Lufadeju noted that there exists a huge unmet contraception need among women; 48 per cent for unmarried women, and 19 per cent for married women.

We need to manage our population such that life will be comfortable for all. We are about 200 million now, and it is projected that in 50 years, Nigerias population will be over 400 million.

We have to take more serious efforts into managing our population, he said.

A resource person from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Abubakar Panti, said Nigeria is the most populated country in Africa and ranks 7th in the world.

Mr Panti noted the need for the country to immediately check its population explosion, through family planning methodologies.

He said majority of states with lower contraceptive rate are poorest in the country.

Low contraceptive rate, contributes to high poverty rate, he said.

What is required?

A consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist of college of medicine, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Christopher Aimakhu, said Nigeria needs at least $5 billion yearly to fully meet contraceptive services and maternal and newborn healthcare for women.

Mr Aimakhu said investment in family planning would improve quality of care for current users and coverage for new users.

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If unmet need for modern contraception in Nigeria were satisfied, unintended pregnancies would drop by 77 per cent, from 2.5 million to 555,000 per year.

As a result, the annual number of unplanned births would decrease from 885,000 to 200,000 and the number of abortions would drop from 1.3 million to 287,000, he said.

Mr Aimakhu, who is also the Secretary General Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (SOGON), said that the budgetary allocation for family planning dropped from N1.2 billion to N300 million in 2019.

He said decreasing allocations for family planning and consistent delay in release of funds contributes to the low percentage of family planning uptake in the country.

If a full provision of modern contraception were combined with adequate care for all pregnant women and their newborns, maternal deaths would drop by 68 per cent (from 61,000 to 19,000 per year) and newborn deaths would drop by 85 per cent (from 255,000 to 38,000 per year), he said.

Mr Aimakhu called for collaborative efforts to improve family planning access and uptake in the country.
Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) are striving hard to save Nigeria from being destabilised, a coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) said in a statement last Thursday.

Signed by the representatives of Enough is Enough (EiE) Nigeria, Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and Paradigm Initiative (PIN), the statement was a rejoinder to an earlier assertion made by Lai Mohammed, Nigerias Minister of Information and Culture.

Mr Mohammed had in February accused CSOs of working against the interests of the Nigerians. He alleged that the government was in receipt of reports that some of the NGOs were on the payroll of foreign agents, traducers with ulterior motives to destabilise Nigeria.

The groups dismissed Mr Mohammeds claims as unfounded and false, adding that it is a reckless attempt to incite Nigerians against NGOs and undermine their credibility.

They also challenged the minister to release the list of the NGOs that are not working for the interests of the people of the nation and proceed to prosecute them in accordance with Nigerias laws.

The statement said NGOs were exercising their constitutional right when they challenged the Nigerian government in a court of law over the federal governments indefinite suspension of Twitter in Nigeria.

Last June, a coalition of CSOs, four journalists and other Nigerian citizens sued Nigeria over the suspension of Twitters operations in Nigeria. The group said their action was precisely to vindicate the rights that citizens have to freely express their opinions and an effort to provide relief from thousands, perhaps millions of Nigerians whose sources of income and businesses depended on their ability to use the platform.

Mr Mohammed, however, said, why will they (SERAP) take the Nigerian government to court because it suspended the operations of Twitter, an entity that is a platform of choice for people working to destabilise the country.

In response, the CSOs said they were convinced that the Governments action was illegal and unwarranted. It was further evidence of the commitment of President Buharis administration to close civic spaces and clamp down on the rights of citizens.

We wish to state that Nigerian NGOs that are striving to save Nigeria from being destabilised in the face of relentless efforts by Mr Mohammed and others like him in the government who are afraid of freedom of expression and other fundamental rights that should be enjoyed by all citizens of a democratic country.

Mr Mohammed apparently believes that being a Minister gives him the authority to be the accuser, judge and jury and that anyone who disagrees with him or criticizes him, or the government he serves, is an enemy of the state.

He could not be more wrong! In a constitutional democracy, citizens have a right and indeed a responsibility, either individually or in groups, to criticise their government and to insist that the government respects their fundamental rights and freedoms, within the laws of the land, the statement read.

We know that Mr Mohammed was in charge of propaganda for his political party for many years before his party won the general elections in 2015, so we understand the need for him to counter any opposing view even if it is the truth. However, we wish to remind him that the same NGOs that worked to ensure people like him  and all citizens  enjoy their fundamental rights to freedom of expression are the same ones he is now seeking to suppress.

While the cases are at various stages of the legal process at the Federal High Court and the Economic Commission of West African States (ECOWAS) Community Court, the NGOs said they remain committed to upholding democracy  including the fundamental right to freedom of speech  in Nigeria,

The four NGOs said they will continue to support Nigerias democracy regardless of the reaction of temporary occupiers of various government seats.

We remain committed to universally established democratic ideals and will continue to challenge any breach  or attempted breach  of the fundamental rights of citizens as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999, as amended), supported by other regional and international instruments that Nigeria has subscribed to.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has assured that justice would be served in the death of a 22-year-old fashion designer, Oluwabamise Ayanwola.

Mr Sanwo-Olu gave the assurance in a statement on Tuesday, saying that the life of every resident of the state mattered and would not be taken for granted.

He vowed that his administration would leave no stone unturned in the investigations and arrest of everyone found culpable in the kidnap and death of Miss Ayanwola.

The deceased, 22, boarded a BRT bus on February 26 at Chevron bus stop in Lagos island heading to Oshodi and was later declared missing. Police said on Monday that her body was found on Carter Bridge.

The bus driver was also arrested on Monday, according to the police.

Mr Sanwo-Olu said the management of Lagos Bus Service Ltd has been directed to cooperate fully with security agencies in their investigations, so that the full weight of the law is brought down on everyone involved in this ugly incident.

To Oluwabamises family and loved ones, my thoughts and prayers are with you in. this difficult time, may the Almighty God console you. I hereby give you my word that `justice will be served, the governor said.

READ ALSO: Police arrest two suspects linked to alleged kidnap of lady in BRT

Mr Sanwo-Olu also assured the people of the state that he would follow the investigations closely and ensure that justice is served.

I also assure you all that the BRT services remain safe, despite this condemnable act.

Once again, my sincere condolences to the Ayanwola family. May Oluwabamises soul rest in peace, he said.
A civil society group, the Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP), on Tuesday, called on the National Assembly to break the constitutional bias to ensure gender equality in political leadership.

The group, which expressed dissatisfaction with the recent rejection of gender-based bills by the National Assembly, made the call in a statement commemorating this years International Womens Day (IWD).

LEDAP is particularly worried that the National Assembly missed the opportunity of breaking the bias of gender exclusion in the just concluded voting stage of the Constitutional amendment.

Recall that the National Assembly on March 1, 2022 voted against five gender proactive bills seeking to promote gender equality in Nigerias political space. The Gender and Equal opportunities bill which sought to promote gender equality was also rejected by the Nigerian lawmakers in December 2021, the statement signed by LEDAPs senior programme manager, Pamela Okoroigwe, read in part.

Women and other gender-balance-oriented organisations have been staging protests at the National Assembly in Abuja since the rejection of the bills.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives, on Tuesday, rescinded its decision on three gender-related constitution alteration bills.

The Senate, however, still needs to take a similar stance for the bills to be restored.

LEDAP said earlier on Tuesday that the actions of the National Assembly clearly depicts that our lawmakers are yet to realise that gender exclusion is one of the major setback for economic development in Nigeria.

It described as very disheartening that the National Assembly decided to relegate women to the political background in the very month dedicated for celebrating the cultural, political and socio-economic achievements of women all over the globe.

It noted that Nigerian women are grossly underrepresented in political offices with a paltry 6.9 percent which is one of the lowest gender representation in the world.

Women needed for progress

Citing a report by the International Parliamentary Union (IPU), LEDAP said Nigeria currently ranks 184th out of 193 on the level of womens political leadership in the world.

The statement also quoted LEDAPs National Coordinator, Chinonye Obiagwu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, as saying Our nation can only progress and attain higher development only when both men and women are entitled to equal opportunities.

Women constitute 50% of the countrys population and therefore deserve the space to participate in the political matters of the country, the group added.

It called the Nigerian government to break the bias of gender discrimination and promote gender equity through all its policies and laws whilst empowering women politically, socially and economically.

Together we hope to achieve a nation free from bias, stereotypes and discrimination against women and girls! LEDAP added.

International Womens Day

The International Womens Day (IWD) is an annual commemoration of womens cultural, political, and socioeconomic achievements.

It is observed annually on March 8 to raise awareness about problems like gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.

This years edition is with the theme, Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow.
Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, who was released from prison on Monday by the Benin Republic Government to his medical practitioner, has been given a clean bill of health, his lawyer, Yomi Alliyu, said Tuesday in Ibadan.

Mr Alliyu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), however, made a clarification that it was two professors, Wale Adeniran and Banji Akintoye, who facilitated Mr Igbohos release and not Wole Soyinka, as earlier reflected in his Mondays statement.

Mr Alliyu said Mr Igbohos doctors have declared him hale and healthy.

One of the conditions for his release is to stay in the Republic of Benin for the time being under full security. He is also hale and healthy.

We will ever continue the immense contributions of Prof Wale Adeniran for the laudable role he played in negotiating the conditional release of our client.

Mr Alliyu had on Monday said that Mr Igbohos release was under the agreement that he should not leave the medical centre or Cotonou for any reason.

I am to inform you that Chief Sunday Adeyemo, a.k.a Igboho, has been released from prison to his medical practitioners under the agreement that he should not leave the medical centre or Cotonou for any reason, he said.

The incarceration of Mr Igboho in the Republic of Benin had earlier been extended by six months after spending the initial six months in prison.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Mr Igboho and his wife, Ropo, were arrested on Monday, July 19, 2021, by the International Criminal Police Organisation at the Cadjehoun Airport in Cotonou, the Republic of Benin on their way to Germany.

(NAN)
As part of activities to mark this years edition of the International Womens Day (IWD), the United Kingdom Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has launched a new global partnership with UBA Foundation and 10 other organisations, to improve girls access to education and employment in developing countries.

To this end, the UBA Foundation, together with 10 other global businesses have come together with the UK government who will be working in partnership with UNICEFs Generation Unlimited (GenU) to fund this very crucial programme that aims to provide high-quality skills training to around one million girls around the world.

The UBA Foundation, other private sector players and global businesses who are partnering to fund and resource the initiative to the tune of 11 million are Accenture, Standard Chartered, Unilever, Microsoft, Pearson, PwC, Coursera, Vodafone, BP and Cognizant. The UK government has contributed an initial 9 million to the initiative called the Girls Education Skills Partnership programme.

Explaining its drive to undertake this project which is expected to have far-reaching positive effects for the girl-child across the world, the UK Government pointed out that even before the Covid pandemic, millions of children did not have any access to school  and girls from disadvantaged families are particularly vulnerable to missing out on education, whether through poverty or prejudice. The pandemic has created even more barriers to education, with a peak of 1.6 billion children around the world facing school closures.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who pointed out that this is the UKs first education partnership of its kind where the UK government is joining forces with the private sector to boost girls access to education in developing countries, said, The United Kingdom has long been a proud and mighty champion of this fundamental cause and today we take one leap further through our first Global Partnership of its kind  opening up opportunities for one million girls across the developing world to have access to high-quality skills training.

Continuing, Mr Johnson said, Ensuring every girl and young woman across the globe receives 12 years of quality education is the greatest tool in our armoury to end the worlds great injustices.

Delivering on this mission will be one of the best defences against ignorance, ensure the greatest protection from prejudice and put a rocket booster behind our hopes and dreams for global development in the years to come.

In his speech, Mr Johnson noted that some of the businesses involved will be contributing a range of resources including books, computers and other technology, mentoring, advice and access to their networks, skills and training programmes just as the private sector involvement will help ensure that education and learning opportunities provide girls with the skills for the future that employers need.

The Group Chairman, United Bank for Africa(UBA), Tony Elumelu, who was in attendance at the event, reiterated the importance of educating the girl child and giving back always as we strive towards sustainable development.

We understand first hand, the need to empower young women in African communities to catalyse sustainable socio-economic development. At the UBA Group, we are committed to women empowerment and we continue to champion womens causes in our business and through our work in philanthropy. Working together, we must ensure that our girls are properly educated and attain the necessary skills that allow them to effectively compete as the world becomes increasingly global, he added.

Mr Elumelu thanked the Prime Minister and the UK Special Envoy, Helen Grant, for the laudable initiative that will see more girls globally, being educated.

The UBA Foundation is the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of the United Bank for Africa group. The foundation is focused on initiatives that support education, empowerment and the environment on the African continent. For over two decades, the UBA Foundation has been giving back and changing lives on the continent.
It was a weekend of celebrations for Seinye O.B. Lulu Briggs, executive chairman of Moni Pulo Limited, an upstream Nigerian oil and gas company, as she was honoured with the Daily Independents Personality of the Year Award and the Silverbird Groups Extraordinary Achievement Award.

According to the organisers, the awards are in recognition of Mrs Lulu-Briggss work as a businesswoman and social investor, especially through her role as Chairman of the globally respected O.B Lulu-Briggs Foundation which annually spends millions of naira on philanthropic projects across Nigeria.

This award, which is a recognition of my work and that of the staff of my companies and of the Foundation, is a testimony to the fact that it is good to be good, Mrs Lulu-Briggs told the dignitaries present at the Independent Newspapers Annual Awards ceremony.

A proud daughter of the Kalabari Kingdom, Mrs Lulu-Briggs was born on the 21st of September, 1958, to a distinguished family of educators and community leaders  Ernest and Darling Briggs.

After a career spanning IT, banking and services, she became a businesswoman. Today she runs and holds investments in several ventures in the hospitality, real estate and services sectors. They include the landmark Rachael Hotel in Port Harcourt; Soliyama Limited, an asset leasing, and procurement company, La Sien Bottling Company, producers of the popular La Sien table water, and Asia Town, the go-to Asian cuisine restaurant in Port Harcourt.

For most Nigerians, and internationally as well, Mrs Lulu-Briggs is more widely known and admired for her work as Founder/Chairman of the O. B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation, a humanitarian NGO she established in the name of her beloved late husband to celebrate and institutionalize his legendary prolific charitable and philanthropic giving.

Over the last 20 years of its existence, the Foundation has touched thousands of lives in line with the United Nations Social Development Goals (SDGs). For example, it cares for the upkeep of 200 elders and has reached 132,491 people through 34 medical camps across Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, and Rivers States that offered a wide range of health care services including surgeries, dental and vision care, free of charge.

Over the last few years, Mrs Lulu-Briggs has become a stronger advocate for addressing the travails of widows and their children. The abhorrent treatment she faced as a widow following the death of her husband in 2018, despite her social standing, motivated the Foundation to partner with the African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA) to enable it offer free legal services to embattled widows in the pursuit of their rights and the protection of their dignity as well as that of their children.

On the United Nations International Widows Day June 23, 2020, AWLA launched the first-ever 24/7 toll-free number- 0800 00231111- for Nigerian widows in distress under the aegis of the O. B. Lulu-Briggs Foundation grant.

Last December, she was appointed Chairman of the Fund for the Alliance of NGOs and CSOs in the Global South, an international network of 450-member NGOs and CSOs from around the world who work in collaboration with the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) to deepen the impact of civil society in the Global South.

Speaking on the importance of the Silverbird Extraordinary Achievement Award, Mrs Lulu-Briggs said it was gratifying for her to be considered worthy of recognition by the Nigerian media, which she said represents the voice of the people.
Nigerias minister of interior, Rauf Aregbesola, on Monday, advised Nigerians to embrace the governments autogas recommendation for vehicles use instead of petrol.

Mr Aregbesola, a former governor of Osun State, said doing so will help to survive not just the scarcity identified with the use of petrol but also the accompanying hazards to the environment.

The minister gave the advice in Ibadan, Oyo State capital on Monday, at a book launch by an energy expert and former commissioner for works and transport in the state, Yunus Akintunde.

Mr Aregbesolas position is a reiteration of the campaign by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari for the adoption of autogas towards reducing the nations huge expenditure on fuel subsidy.

The advice is coming at a time Nigerians are going through difficulty accessing petrol following reports of the importation of adulterated fuel into the country and the failure of regulatory government agencies to discover it until reports of various degrees of damage caused many Nigerians rented the air.

Aregbesolas position

The minister, who urged Nigerians to emulate Egypt, said the African country is one of examples of nations where commercial vehicles are powered by gas as an alternative to petrol and diesel.

He said Egypts experience has also shown that apart from eliminating environmental hazards identified with the use of petroleum, autogas also reduces costs of public transportation.

Mr Argebesola emphasised the importance of energy in homes and industries, and how Nigerias addiction to cheap petroleum fuel appears insatiable.

He said: Most of our systems are still dependent on petrol and diesel driving demand crazily for them, with the attendant consequences.

But we can learn a little bit from Egypt where its commercial vehicles, particularly the taxis are powered by gas. These are the old Peugeot and Renault cars that are no longer in use in Nigeria and other parts of the world, but which have been converted to use gas and are still being used because they are well maintained.

It is high time we borrowed from this. If all our commercial vehicles run on gas, a large chunk of the demand for petrol and diesel will drop. The mechanics will take less than a week to learn how to do the conversion and in six months, all commercial vehicles would have gone through the transition.

This will reduce the cost of transportation, especially for the masses that patronise public transport systems.

Nigerias autogas policy

In November, 2021, Nigerias minister of state for petroleum resources, Timipre Sylva, announced the release of N250 billion by the government towards achieving the countrys autogas conversion of vehicles.

Mr Silva said this during the opening ceremony of an autogas technicians training and certification programme.

Represented by a senior technical adviser, Umar Gwandu, the minister said the money was already in the coffers of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and advised those who may be interested in opening conversion centres to access it.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) had quoted the minister to have said: The amount of money government is spending on fuel subsidy is high so the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government, in a bid to ease the pains of Nigerians, decided to look inward and evolved ways to reduce the cost.

If we focus on moving from fossil fuel to Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), it will save us a lot of money because the benefits are enormous.

Apart from the fact that autogas is cheaper, we are also concerned about making the conversion of cars affordable so that Nigerians can indeed reap the advantage of this new policy.

The book launch

The book with the title; Dimensions of Energy Poverty and Rural Electrification in Nigeria, was authored by Mr Akintunde, and its launch was held at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan.

The book launch which was also held in commemoration of the authors 60th birthday was chaired by a former military head of state of Nigeria, Abdulsalami Abubakar.

In his opening remarks, Mr Abubakar, who was represented by an ambassador, Asimiyu Olaniyi, commended the author for his contribution to the subject, noting that the book has highlighted the challenges of power poverty in Nigeria and how to overcome them.

He said: Energy-efficiency and energy management are central to nation-building and the fact that most countries in Africa are still groping in underdevelopment is a sign of energy poverty prevalent in the continent.

The book we are unveiling today has raised very important posers on the challenges of energy poverty in Nigeria and how to overcome those challenges militating against the growth and development of our dear nation, Nigeria.

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I hope that researchers, administrators, and policymakers will find the book a resource material in designing and developing blueprints towards addressing a seemingly intractable problem the country has been grappling with over the years.

The launch was attended by other prominent personalities including the Alaafin of Oyo, Lamidi Adeyemi; Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Rauf Olaniyan; the Olu of Ilaro, Kehinde Olugbenle, among others.

Akintunde at 60

The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, had earlier felicitated Mr Akintunde, who is the first Nigerian to bag a doctorate in Energy and Environment, on the auspicious occasion of his diamond jubilee.

This was contained in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, on Saturday.

Mr Buhari also applauded his meritorious service to Oyo State, and to Nigeria, through his current book, Dimensions of Energy Poverty and Rural Electrification in Nigeria.

The former commissioner was born on March 6, 2022. He started his basic education at the Ansar-Ud-Deen Model Primary School, Balogun Oyo town in 1968 and proceeded to Oranyan Grammar School. Oyo where he obtained the West African Examination Council (WASC) Certificate in 1980.

Mr Akintunde obtained the Ordinary National Diploma Certificate in Physics (with Electronics) and was later admitted to the Lagos State University to study Physics, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science (BSc), Physics in 1990. He obtained a Master of Public Administration (MPA) in 2007 from the same University.

The drive for additional knowledge in the field of energy led him to acquire an M.Sc. degree in Energy Studies (Energy and Environment) in 2014 at the Centre for Petroleum, Energy Economics and Law (CPEEL) and capped it with a Doctorate Degree in Energy Studies (Energy and Environment) in 2018 from the same department.
The #EndSARS panel investigating cases of police brutality in Abuja, on Tuesday, ordered the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba, to produce three persons said to have been detained since December 2019.

Family members had petitioned the panel, alleging that the IGP-Intelligence Response Team (IGP-IRT) illegally arrested the trio  Danjuma Yakubu, Ibrahim Daniel and Choji Dung  on December 13 and 17, 2019.

One of the petitioners, Ismail Mairungo, is said to be a brother to Mr Yakubu and Mr Daniel, and the other petitioner, Blessing Choji-Dung, is said to be the wife of Mr Dung.

They both submitted a joint petition to the #EndSARS panel, raising allegations of unlawful arrest, detention, torture, cruel inhuman and degrading treatment meted out by the IGP-IRT operatives against the alleged victims.

The IGP-IRT, as of the time of the alleged incident, was then being led by Abba Kyari, a suspended deputy commissioner of police, who now faces cocaine charges in Nigeria and fraud charges in the United States of America.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the two petitioners testified on March 3, 2022, appealing to the #EndSARS panel to help them secure the release of their family members from over two years of detention.

The panel had, after their testimonies, adjourned the case until March 8 (today) for cross-examination and defence by the police.

Tuesdays hearing

But, on Tuesday, the police, who were absent during the petitioners testimonies, asked for an adjournment to afford them time to get familiarised with the petition and the records of the previous proceedings with the testimonies.

Police lawyer, James Idachaba, noted that it was hard to link any police officer to the case, as the petitioners, he said, did not mention the names of any police officer involved.

He added that, Blessing Ezeala, the lawyer who is in charge of cases involving the IGP-IRT, was absent.

He, therefore, urged the panel to issue and serve an order on the office of the IGP for the production of the alleged detainees.

Following the request, the #EndSARS panel ordered the IGP, who is named as the second respondent in the case, to produce the alleged victims on March 11 (Friday).

Background

Mr Mairungo had, in his testimony on March 3, told the panel that his two brothers among the three detainess were arrested on December 13, 2019.

He said Mr Yakubu, whom he said was a police officer serving in the police anti-riot unit in Jada, Adamawa State, was arrested after obtaining his commandants permission to visit his family.

He did not elaborate on his other brother, Mr Daniels arrest, other than telling the panel that Mr Yakubu had gone to see him on the day of their arrest.

On her part, Mrs Choji-Dung told the #EndSARS panel how her husband was arrested by the IGP-IRT on December 17, 2019. She said he had received a call from Mr Yakubu, whom he said was his friend, to step out of the house. She said she followed her husband outside only to see him taken by the IGP-IRT operatives.

She added that she immediately went to a nearby police station to report the incident but was told that the team was from Abuja.

Mr Mairungo and Mrs Choji-Dung told the panel that they had not seen the three detainees since their arrest over two years ago.

They said they took the matter to court and got a court judgment ordering the police to release or charge the arrested persons to court, but the police flouted the order.

Panels ruling

In its ruling delivered by its acting chairperson, Garba Tetengi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, the panel ordered the IGP to produce the detainees at its proceedings of March 11 (Friday).

But it fixed March 22 for cross-examination of the petitioners and defence by the police.

The panel set up in the aftermath of the October 2020 #EndSARS protest against police brutality is probing petitions of alleged human rights violation committed by the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), and other police units.

Set up by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the 11-man Independent Investigative Panel, commonly referred to as #EndSARS, is to recommend compensations to victims of police brutality or their family members at the end of its hearing. It is also expected to recommend erring police officers for disciplinary actions or prosecution in deserving circumstances.

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The trial of former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Mohammed Adoke, was on Monday stalled following the withdrawal of the lead counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the matter.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Inyang Ekwo had on February 25 fixed Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for trial-within-trial in the matter.

But at the resumption of trial on Monday, no lawyer appeared for the EFCC even though the counsel for Mr Adoke was in court.

The court was informed that the anti-corruption agency had already sent in a letter of its plan to change counsel.

The EFCC, in the letter addressed to the deputy chief registrar of the court, prayed the court for an adjournment to enable it engage the services of another legal team to prosecute the case.

The anti-graft agency said the lead counsel on record for the prosecution retuned the case files for his personal reasons.

It said in view of that development, there would be need to constitute another legal team that would take over the prosecution of the case.

It said the case files and the records of proceedings had to be property studied and that debriefing the former counsel was sacrosanct.

Justice Ekwo fixed May 9, May 10 and May 11 for continuation of trial.

NAN reports that Mr Adoke is being tried before the court on money laundering related charge.

He is standing trial alongside a businessman, Aliyu Abubakar, the second defendant in the matter.

(NAN)
BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday that China and the European Union (EU) should enhance dialogue, stay committed to cooperation, and promote steady and sustained progress of China-EU relations.

Xi made the remarks in a video summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. 
Less than 1 per cent of the 2022 budget was allocated to womens economic empowerment programmes in a year that President Muhammadu Buhari boasted of gender-responsive budgeting, a report by a civic group states.

An analysis of the 2022 budget by the development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) shows that only N103 billion (0.60 per cent) was allocated to womens economic empowerment when measured as a percentage of the total spending plan.

The 2022 allocation to WEE projects is, however, a 101 per cent (N103 billion) increase compared to the 2021 (N51.3 billion) budget, dRPC said, adding that many of the MDAs have increased funding commitment for WEE.

The organisation defined the concept of Womens Economic Empowerment (WEE) as the transformative process by which women and girls go from having limited power, voice, and choice at home and in the economy to having the skills, resources, and opportunities needed to access and compete equitably in markets and the agency to control and benefit from economic gains.

By this definition, it identified four basic elements: human capital (education, skill and training), financial capital (loan, grants, saving), social capital (mentorship, network, etc.) and physical capital (land, machinery, etc.).

These parameters, dRPC said, are considered necessary preconditions for sustainable economic and social development.

The organisation said it uses these elements to categorize MDAs according to the degree of relationship between their mandate and WEE.

This led us to come up with 17 ministries 5 whose mandates are core to womens economic empowerment. However, if the criterion is extended to ministries with women-specific (and women+) interventions and projects, the number increases to 24.

The analysis is guided by codes that were used to identify and track projects, dRPC added.

These are classified into two categories. (a) Women-core WEE projects with the keywords: female, girl, widow, ladies, and wives. (b) women+others with the keywords: men and women, female and male, women and youth, women and people with disability, women and children, women and graduates, women and farmers, women and artisans, women and elderly, etc.

The data was analysed using a quantitative method including comparative and trend analysis, dRPC said.

Overview of 2022 budget

Tagged Budget of Economic Growth and Sustainability, the 2022 budget is based on the oil price benchmark of $62 per barrel with a daily oil production estimate of 1.88 million barrels.

The exchange rate was pegged at N410.15 per US Dollar while the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth is projected at 4.2 per cent at the end of the budget cycle.

The lawmakers approved a total expenditure of N17.1 trillion against the N16.3 trillion proposed by the president in October. Over N700 billion was added to the proposed appropriation which the president later signed but complained about.

A breakdown of the approved budget figures shows about N869.6 billion was approved for statutory transfers and N3.87 trillion for debt servicing.

The recurrent expenditure was put at N6.91 trillion while capital expenditure was pegged at N5.46 trillion and fiscal deficit at N5.2 trillion.

Increased allocation to WEE

A further breakdown of the dRPC analysis shows that the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development has the highest WEE funding with N33.18 billion. The new figure is a N19 billion (136 per cent) increase compared to 2021.

The Ministry of Women Affairs has the second-highest WEE allocation with N18.82 billion; Ministry of Education, N14.17 billion; Ministry of Labor and Employment, N10.47 billion; and the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, N5.6 billion.

The report recommended sustained momentum for increased budgetary provisions to WEE and the creation of an institutional coordinating mechanism/framework for tracking the gender impact of budget implementation.

It urges the federal government to conduct and publicize a quarterly report on gender impact analysis of programmes and projects. The dRPC also recommends the specification of WEE projects location in the budget to enable civil society organisations to track and report on execution and impact.

The organisation calls for promoting gender sensitivity in the procurement process on WEE projects and ensuring womens inclusion in the budget process (preparation, implementation and monitoring).
The House of Representatives has rescinded its decision on three gender-related constitution alteration bills.

Hassan Fulata (APC, Jigawa) on Tuesday moved a motion to rescind the Houses decision on the following bills: a bill to expand scope of citizenship by registration, affirmative action for women in political party administration and provision for criteria to be an indigene of a state in Nigeria.

The extra seats for women in legislative Houses and the 20 per cent quota for women for appointment into federal and states cabinets were not listed in the motion by Mr Fulata.

The rejection of the five bills had triggered protests at the entrance of the National Assembly, as women groups called for the rescission by the two legislative arms.

As of the time the motion was moved on Tuesday, some women were at the entrance of the National Assembly, protesting the anti-women stance of the lawmakers.

The bills

The bill seeks to amend section 26 (2a) of the 1999 constitution by opening citizenship registration to male and female.

This means that if the bill is passed, foreigners married to Nigerian women can apply for Nigerian citizenship.

Similarly, the other bill seeks to alter Sections 31 and 318(1) (the Interpretation Section) of the 1999 Constitution to allow a woman to become an indigene of her husbands state after at least six years of marriage

Furthermore, Section 223 of the 1999 Constitution to provide 35 per cent affirmative action to ensure women occupy at least 35 per cent in political party and appointive positions at the federal and state levels.

Moving the motion, Mr Fulata asked that the House should suspend its rules to allow it to rescind its earlier decisions on the bills.

In line with our extant rules, I move that we suspend our extant rules to rescind our decision in respect of these three bills and recommit to the Committee of the Whole for reconsideration, he said.

Rescinding for the good of the country Gbajabiamila

The Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, noted that the move by the House is against the established tradition of constitution amendment.

He, however, said the lower chamber in its wisdom decided to revisit the bills for the good of the country.

He noted that the bills will be voted on by the House in the next phase of the constitution alteration exercise.

Mr Gbajabiamila said it will seek harmonisation with the Senate in the event that the lower chamber pass the bill.

Last week, the House voted on the constitution amendment. There are issues arising therefrom and the House in its wisdom has decided to take a cause of action for the good of the country and that action is to rescind three of the decisions that were taken that day and after the rescission, we will list them on the next set of amendments coming up, he said.

If we still at that point have a difference with the Senate, we will go for harmonisation. Now harmonisation may not be the practice when it comes to constitution amendment because I have heard people argue here and there, he said.

Mr Gbajabaimaila said he relied on Section 5 of the Constitution, which allows the House to regulate itself.

But the constitution I believe under section 5, allows the House to regulate its own procedure and we will be relying on the provision of the Constitution to harmonise the differences between us and the Senate and hopefully this will go through, he said.

Meanwhile, the House held an executive session before the commencement of plenary on Tuesday.

Briefing journalists after plenary, Babajimi Benson (APC, Lagos) said the lawmakers had a heart-to-heart conversation on the bills.

He said the House was not under pressure, despite the protests.

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According to Mr Benson, the blocking of the roads by the women had no impact on the decision of the parliament.
As part of the activities to mark the International Womens Day, some Nigerian women have gone to the National Assembly in Abuja to protest the rejection of some bills seeking gender equality in the country.

The women, in their hundreds, gathered at the gate of the National Assembly, to ask the lawmakers to reconsider the bills rejected during the recent voting on the constitution amendment at both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Five of the 68 bills, which sought to promote opportunities for women in politics, governance and the society at large, failed to get the required number of votes to be included in the proposed amendment to the 1999 Constitution.

The women began the protest on March 2, a day after the voting.

On Tuesday, the protesting women, carrying placards with various inscriptions, were led by civil society groups and men who expressed solidarity with them.

The Executive Director, Center for Democracy and Development (CDD), Idayat Hassaan, who spoke on their behalf, urged the lawmakers to reconsider the bills and give women equal rights.

We constitute about 49 per cent of the population and we are all the same, they should sign our bill, she said.

The former Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Peter Ameh, said as a gender advocate, he was in support of the bills. He called on the National Assembly to reconsider the bills, in order to get a greater Nigeria

For Nigeria to move forward, we must include women in governance, we must give them equal opportunity in government, he said.

Samson Itodo, the co-founder of YIAGA Africa, urged women to punish lawmakers who voted against the bill if they do not revisit the bill.

He insisted that women should ignore whatever the legislature said about passing the bills at the second phase of the constitution review process, saying the bills could be passed now.

All they need to do is pass it now, he said

Currently, no member of the National Assembly has addressed the grievance of the protesting women

The rejected bills

Among the bills rejected by the National Assembly on March 1were those seeking to reserve special seats for women at the National and State Houses of Assembly, provide for affirmative action for women in political party administration, and grant citizenship to foreign-born husbands of a Nigerian woman.
Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has warned the judiciary against meddling in the affairs and processes of the legislature.

He reminded the judiciary that Nigerias system of governance is based on separation of powers and as such, all arms of government are not supposed to venture into the activities of another.

Mr Lawan was reacting to a court ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja barring President Muhammadu Buhari, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and the Senate President from tampering with the newly amended Electoral Act 2022.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the judge, Inyang Ekwo, in a ruling on an ex-parte application by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the Electoral Act having become a valid law could not be altered without following the due process of law.

The court restrained Mr Buhari, the AGF and the National Assembly and other defendants in the suit from removing section 84 (12) of the Electoral Act or prevent it from being implemented for the purpose of the 2023 general elections.

The president had signed the amended bill into law in February. He had asked the National Assembly to expunge Clause 84(12) of the Act.

The clause reads: No political appointee at any level shall be a voting delegate or be voted for at the convention or congress of any political party for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election.

The president said the clause constituted a disenfranchisement of serving political office holders from voting or being voted for at conventions or congresses of any political party, for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election in cases where it holds earlier than 30 days to the national election.

But the PDP had sued the President and others against fresh moves to tamper with the newly amended Electoral Act.

He was sued along with the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Senate President, Speaker, House of Representatives, Clerk of the National Assembly, Senate Leader, House of Representatives Leader and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The party asked the court for an order of interim injunction restraining Mr Buhari and other defendants from refusing to implement the duly signed Electoral Act or in any manner withholding the Electoral Act from being put to use including the provisions of section 84 (12) of the said Act pending the resolution of the suit.

In his reaction, Mr Lawan said the court ruling will not stop the legislature from amending the bill again.

I find it very necessary to talk at this point because with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, our governance system is based on the presidential system of government where there is a clear cut separation of powers and exercise of powers.

The Judiciary under no circumstance can stop the legislature, the National Assembly from performing its legislative duties. We know what our due processes are. Just like we wont venture in what the Judiciary does, the Judiciary should understand that we have our processes.

I believe the members of the National Assembly know their work, know their onions and would do what is right. This is due process, we are not doing anything outside the law. It is within our exclusive right to consider whatever request we receive from Nigerians either from the Executive or private member bill, he said during plenary.

Benue senator, Gabriel Suswan, agreed with the Senate President.

Mr Suswam, a member of the PDP, said the problem with the letter from the president requesting amendment to the Act is that there is a part of it that interpreted the law they made.

I think that is the only part that the court can Act on, because he (Mr Buhari) said that the law we (National Assembly) made is ultra vires the Constitution, which is not his responsibility, and, I think, to that extent, the court can comment on that and not on the fact that we are making laws, he said.

But Ike Ekweremadu (PDP, Enugu), cited Order 52(5) of the Senate Standing Rule and asked the Senate to abide by the court ruling.

When we were waiting for the president to assent to the Electoral Act, some of us made a suggestion we believed would help  namely that the president would sign and then we would commit ourselves to amending that section.

I also offered to help in redrafting it, now we have a situation where theyve told us there is a judicial restriction on us to do that.

I agree with you entirely, but the principle as all the lawyers here know, is that if there is a court order, no matter how wrong it is, our responsibility as individuals and citizens is to respect it. The argument you have raised is what we are going to raise in response.

The Senate President ,however, said his comment has nothing to do what happens in the court.

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Mr Ekweremadu, however, advised the National Assembly to discharge the court order.

I think the argument youve raised is valid, but this point is what we have to present in court to discharge that order.

We cannot sit and appeal on a matter that has already been given an order in court. I think we should exercise caution in siting a judgment over a matter that an order has been given.

What we should do is to brief our lawyers to go and discharge the order, instead of sitting here and disobeying court order, it is not good for us and our system, that is calling for anarchy.

Mr Lawan maintained that anarchy is when one arm of government decides to go into the exclusive preserve of the other.

If the Judiciary wants to come into the Legislature to decide when we sit and when we dont, then thats anarchy.

If the Judiciary would simply say we are not to consider this and that, and we obey those kinds of rulings, that is anarchy, because it is emasculating the legislature and that is not supposed to be .

We will continue with what we are supposed to do because that is our calling. We are just advising that the Judiciary should please help us develop this democracy, because this arm of government is the least developed and if we allow these kinds of rulings, we may end up going back 23 years ago.

I believe that what we are saying is the same, but we are emphasising that that judicial pronouncement will not stop us from doing what is right and our work here, he said.

Before now, the National Assembly amended and re-amended different legislations like Petroleum Industry Act, among others.

The lawmakers formally received the presidents request to amend the Electoral Act.

Consideration and passage of the proposed amendment is expected to be done on another legislative day. It is , however, not clear how soon this amendment will be considered.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), formerly Nigerian National Corporation (NNPC) has expressed interest to participate in the acquisition of the power plants put up for sale by the Federal Government through the Nigeria Integrated Power Plants (NIPPs).

The managing director of NNPC, Mele Kyari, who disclosed this when he led top management team of the oil and gas company on a visit to the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) in Abuja on Friday, said the company had the requisite expertise and experience to be an active participant in the power sector in Nigeria.

Mr Kyari said as an oil company and enabler organisation, NNPC was determined to boost power generation and supply to Nigerian homes through increased investment, hence it signed a contract with China Machinery Engineering Company (CME) and General Electric, (GE) to provide 50 megawatts of electricity to Maiduguri, Borno State.

According to him the management of NNPC is determined to run the organisation efficiently and profitably for the benefit of the shareholders, hence it plans to engage in activities that would generate funds; and for the power sector, NNPCL is a partner of choice.

He revealed that the organisation was ready to collaborate with the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) after the audit of some of its assets for the sale and divestment of those assets through the BPE. The GMD added that the planned audit would be carried out by renowned and reputable audit firms.

Earlier, Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Alex Okoh said that the NNPC had indicated interest in the acquisition of some NIPP plants and would be given a level playing ground to compete with other bidders.

Mr Okoh added that the National Council on Privatisation(NCP) would be notified of the desire by the NNPC to bid for the NIPP plants.

The Special Adviser to the president on Infrastructure, Ahmad Zakari was part of the Courtesy visit.
The House of Representatives has urged the Nigerian Foreign Affairs Ministry to supply the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry with the full data of Nigerians trapped in Sumy, Ukraine, to foster speedy evacuation.

The lawmakers also urged the Russian Federation to create a safe corridor for the evacuation of all Nigerians and other nationals, particularly those trapped in Sumy.

In addition, the federal lawmakers urged the government of Ukraine to extend humanitarian needs and exit opportunities to Nigerians, including students trapped in the war-torn area of Sumy.

These resolutions were a sequel to a motion of urgent public importance moved by Tolu Shadipe (APC, Oyo), who is also the Chairman of the House Committee on Diaspora.

Evacuation of Nigerians in Ukraine

Immediately after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the House had reached a resolution calling for the immediate evacuation of Nigerians in Ukraine, mostly students.

The lower chamber had resolved to deploy a team to be led by the Majority Leader, Ado Doguwa (APC, Kano), with a mandate to facilitate the evacuation of Nigerians.

After days of confused messaging by the Nigerian mission in Ukraine, the federal government approved $8.5 million for the evacuation of 5,000 stranded Nigerians.

With the funding, the government has been able to evacuate hundreds of Nigerians and even gave each of them $100 stipends.

However, the shelling and bombarding of Ukraine by Russia continue as Russian forces have continued to capture major cities of the former despite condemnation and sanctions by the worlds major powers.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported that over 300 Nigerians are stranded in Sumy, Ukraine and have called for help.

Aside from the attacks, Nigerians and other non-whites have reported cases of racism and discrimination from officials and citizens of Ukraine and Poland.

The motion

Mrs Shadipe said there is a need for the Nigerian government to explore diplomatic means to ensure that humanitarian needs are extended to Nigerians, especially students who are stranded in Sumy to enable them to exit the country.

She added that Nigerian students, particularly those who are studying medicine in the Sumy State University are however caged, not having the opportunities of exiting Sumy, as Sumy is located close to the Russian border and the bridges and train tracks have been blown by Russian forces.

The lawmaker warned that if urgent action is not taken, the students face a more gloomy future.

If proactive diplomatic steps are not immediately taken to offer humanitarian support, transportation out of Sumy and passage to a safe zone to these Nigerian students within the ceasefire which is just for four days, if not, their situation would become very precarious, he said.

Mrs Shadipe said the Indian government used the same strategy of reaching out to Mr Putin to get their students out of Sumy.

Aljazeera had reported that Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with Mr Putin on evacuation of Indian Students trapped in Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

The Economic Times also reported that Mr Modi spoke with the Russian President on the plight of Indian students in Sumy.

In her motion, Mrs Shadipe said the Ukrainian army are preventing some foreign students from leaving their schools.

Most recent harrowing experience involved where a bus carrying some students was escorted back to Sumy, when they had already travelled 50km close to a neighbouring city and now the hostels are being guarded by Ukraine soldiers who are preventing them from leaving Ukraine, she said.

Speaking in support of the motion, Yusuf Buba, the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, said the students are fast running out of food.

In his contribution, Toby Okechukwu (PDP, Enugu) said the tripartite agreement between the United Nations, Ukraine and Russia provided a safe corridor for civilians.

Members overwhelmingly voted in support of the motion when the motion was put to question by the presiding officer, Deputy Speaker Idris Wase (APC, Plateau).

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Ten ward chairpersons and other leaders have quit their positions in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rano Local Government Area of Kano State.

The officials resigned through separate letters to the local government chairpersons of the party on Tuesday.

They said they want to join former Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso in defecting from the PDP

PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Kwankwaso said he would dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) this month. He is reportedly defecting to the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP).

Yusuf Bala-Usman, the chairperson of Kwankwaso Kafarka Kafarmu (Kwankwaso loyalists in Rano) who spoke on behalf of the group, said they left the PDP over injustice meted to members of the party in the North-west region.

Mr Bala-Usman, in his own resignation letter, a copy of which he sent to PREMIUM TIMES, wrote: We officially withdraw our membership from the PDP due to undemocratic activities from the party from wards to National level, especially, our North-West region.

Mr Bala-Usman, who also resigned as the partys treasurer, said they will join Mr Kwankwaso to any political party he is going because they trust him and his political viability.

All the 10 wards party chairpersons and some leaders in Rano council area have resigned their positions from the party, the official notice said.

They include Muhammad Ibrahim, ward chairperson, Rano Central; Nadabo Muhammad, ward chairperson, Rano Dawaki; Muhammad Kundu, ward chairperson, Rurum Sabon Gari; and Abdullahi Sani, ward chairperson, Rurum Tsohon Gari.

Others are Abdullahi Muhammad, Yarwa ward; Saminu Zurgu and Tasiu Muhammad, Lausu ward; Saminu Abba, Madachi ward; Auwalu Falalu, Saji ward and Muhammad Tukur, Zinyau ward.

Also PDP forums chairperson who resigned include Nasiru Mato, chairperson, civil servants forum Rano; Mamuda Jae, Chairperson, Rano wards Returning Agent forum; and Aisha Saji, PDP Women Solidarity Forum.

However, some members of the PDP in Kano have vowed not to join Mr Kwankwaso in his movement.

Rano, which has 10 political wards and 71,641 registered voters, is one of the 16 local council areas in Kano South Senatorial District.
All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential aspirant, Bola Tinubu, will meet with members of the APC caucus in the House of Representatives next week.

The former Lagos State governor conveyed his request to the lawmakers via a letter read by the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, during plenary on Tuesday.

He stated that the meeting with the members of the caucus will hold on March 16 at the Sheraton Hotel in Abuja.

Mr Tinubu, a former Senator in the short-lived third republic, declared his intention to run for the 2023 presidency after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in January.

His declaration to bid for the presidency continues to be trailed by criticisms over his health status and his age. Many have also questioned his educational qualifications and integrity.

The 69-year- old National Leader of the APC has been moving across the country, particularly visiting traditional rulers.

However, his party, the ruling APC is grappling with internal wrangling. On Monday, PREMIUM TIMES reported the sacking of the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the APC, Mala Buni

This paper had also exclusively reported how the governors under the APC influenced Mr Buhari to sack Mr Buni.

The letter

Mr Tinubu, in the letter, informed the lawmakers that after the consultation with friends, traditional leaders and associates, he felt it was the appropriate time to make a bid for the highest office.

It will be appropriate for me to establish a discourse with members regarding our political and policy ideas for the nation and how we can best bring to the people the security, progress and prosperity they do clearly deserve.

I want to share my vision for the nation with the caucus members and to hear likewise from them.

Mr Tinubu appears to enjoy a friendly relationship with the House. The Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, is believed to be one of his allies.

While he was hospitalised in London, the Northern Caucus of the House, led by the Majority Leader, Ado Doguwa (APC, Kano), paid him a visit.
The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, has condemned the rejection of some gender-related constitution amendment bills by Nigerian legislators.

Ms Laing, who spoke on Tuesday at the maiden graduation ceremony of some young women who participated in a digital technology skills training supported by the United Kingdom, said the development would, among other things, affect the aspiration of young Nigerian women.

The technology training which was codenamed DigiGirls, is an initiative of Cyber Safe Foundation, a non-governmental organisation focused on ensuring inclusive and safe digital access in Nigeria, and Africa by extension.

Concern

The high commissioner said Nigerian women must have enough role models in senior positions, particularly in politics, in order to overcome challenges and break barriers confronting them.

She, however, noted that with the rejection of the bills by the parliamentarians such role models would be scarce in the country.

She said: Sadly we saw in the constitutional amendment, some very good proposals to improve the life of women in places and especially in politics, but they were rejected by men. So until we break these barriers and enable women to take up leadership positions there wont be enough role models for young girls to aspire and see that they too can break the barriers.

She added that the DigiGirls graduation ceremony which coincided with the annual celebration of the International Womens Day, is an indication of individual and institutions quest for change.

She said many countries are still behind in ensuring women occupy their rightful place in the society and that Nigeria is not left out.

Mrs Laing said: In Nigeria and globally, we are facing some challenges to ensure women take their rightful place in leadership roles in politics, business, arts and other areas. But I think this programme is very apt. Technology is going to be the future for Nigeria but its been very difficult for women and girls to get into it. So I believe that this programme will help because it is a practical approach.

The women who are graduating today have now been empowered to take up various positions, to be leaders in their communities, to have a strong livelihood and to drive the future economy of Nigeria.

On rejected bills

Nigerian legislators had last week rejected a total of five gender-related bills including the one aimed at expanding the scope of citizenship by registration and another concerning affirmative action for women in political party administration, and also a bill on provision for criteria to be an indigene of a state in Nigeria.

The bill on a 20 per cent quota for women for appointment into federal and states cabinets was also rejected by the lawmakers.

There are, however, signs that the lawmakers may rescind their decision following the sustained opposition from civil societies and prominent individuals and organisations.

On Tuesday, Hassan Fulata (APC, Jigawa) moved a motion to rescind the Houses earlier decision on three of the bills.

20m for African women

Meanwhile, Ms Laing also commented on the United Kingdom Governments support for women globally, listing politics, technology, among others, as areas receiving attention.

She added that the UK is supporting the DigiGirls programme through its UKaid programme.

She said: Our prime minister today is launching a programme for Africa and other developing countries. It is a 20 million pounds support to partner with businesses to give young girls the kind of skills that DigiGirls offer.

This will enable girls to take up leadership positions in business and politics. We support women who are active in civil society, in climate change and other areas to empower girls and women to aspire to leadership roles and take them up so that Nigeria can take advantage of the amazing talents.

About DigiGirls

On her part, the founder of Cyber Safe Foundation, Confidence Staveley, said she conceived the idea of DigiGirls after the Coronavirus pandemic lockdown.

She said: I looked around and I know that if COVID-19 taught us something, it is the fact that digital skills are required and if we dont give women those skills they are going to be cut off from the digital economy and prosperity, especially seeing that technology is booming in Nigeria. So, we dont want half of the countrys population to be cut off from it.

She said the foundation has built a sense of community with the participants to encourage each other, as part of strategies to build on the knowledge gained.

Ms Staveley said: We also have an alumni community where we will be continually sharing opportunities with these women and ensuring that they continue to grow with the skills they have learnt.

They are getting internship opportunities too which will set them to begin their careers in technology. We currently have more opportunities for these women than we have women that are trained for and open to taking them.

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Because we know that it is challenging being a mother and trying to gain new skills, we have introduced a form of an award at a different level in the programme so as you are growing you are getting some gratification or some points, some pegs for learning to encourage the women and make the programme more interesting.

Women with disability

Speaking about inclusion, Ms Staveley said the foundation has introduced an interpreter for delivering training to hearing-impaired women and has made arrangements for other categories of women with disabilities.

We have also increased the number of intakes from 2,400 in the first cohort to 4,000 for the next cohort, she said.

She said courses offered include data analysis, digital marketing, user interface and user experience, graphics design and e-commerce.

Beneficiary speaks

One of the beneficiaries of the programme, Adeoye Oluwadamilola, a graduate of Early Childhood Education Studies, said she registered for the programme when companies refused to employ her without a digital skill.

Miss Adeoye said she is very happy that she made it. She, however, lamented the rigour of what she described as a very tough and long journey.

She said: Because of my determination I left home to stay with a friend and I slept on a banner I laid on the floor for the 3 months I stayed with her.

I have already started making money because I have been training some women through WhatsApp for a token.

The programme has helped me to become a boss of my own. Immediately after I finished the programme I got a website job to design and I was paid N110,000. Yet, before this programme, I couldnt even operate a computer.

Miss Adeoye who studied User Interface and User Experience, UIUE, said before the programme, she was a teacher with a private school where she was being paid N15,000 monthly but never received N15,000 because of surcharges.
COPENHAGEN, March 8 (Xinhua) -- A World Health Organization (WHO) official on Tuesday urged that health and humanitarian principles should play as key drivers of peace in Ukraine.

"Through personal experience in other conflicts, I firmly believe that health and humanitarian principles remain key drivers of peace, and I am using all diplomatic resources that are at my disposal as elected WHO leader to reduce the impact of this human catastrophe," Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said here during a virtual press briefing.

Kluge noted that the WHO has prioritized ensuring "safe passage" of needed health supplies into Ukraine, making sure that neighbouring countries have "the infrastructure and expertise in place to meet the urgent needs of those arriving," and there is "continuity of care" within Ukraine, specifically through a fully-functioning WHO operations center in west Ukraine.

Although Ukraine has "remarkably" maintained its COVID-19 surveillance and response system, the current conflict could disproportionately affect the elderly in the country, because only one-third of those over 60 have been fully vaccinated, Kluge said.

"We are working to support these essential medical needs though fixed facilities and field hospitals or mobile health services and by making key diagnostics, medicines and medical supplies available," he said.

The official added that the specific health needs of women and girls must be prioritized amid the conflict.

Also on Tuesday, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said on Twitter that about 2 million people have entered neighboring countries from Ukraine since Russia launched a special military operation in the country.

Grandi estimated that around 4 million Ukrainians, or about 10 percent of the country's population, may leave Ukraine because of the conflict. 
The interim national secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), John Akpanudoedehe, has denied report of his resignation.

The former Akwa Ibom senator was reported on Tuesday to have packed his belongings from the partys national secretariat in Abuja amidst the ongoing power play.

Against the backdrop of the reports, Mr Akpanudoedehe told APC correspondents that he remains the party secretary until President Muhammadu Buhari says otherwise.

Despite the confirmation of takeover of the partys affairs by the Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello, the interim secretary said he awaits the arrival of Mai Mala Buni whom he described as National Chairman.

I have read in the social media that I have resigned as Secretary of the APC Caretaker Committee. I want to state that it is not true. I didnt resign. If I had resigned, you would have seen my letter of resignation written by me. Someone cannot just say somebody is dead when he is alive.

I am not bigger than the party or bigger than the President who is a leader of the country. I am waiting for the National Chairman to come back.

We have done reconciliation, ward, local governments and state congresses. And we are about to do the National Convention. This is not the first time you are seeing a power play, the ex-Senator told journalists.

While the news of change in the APC leadership first broke, Mr Akpanudoedehe had issued a statement where he authoritatively dismissed reports of the removal of Yobe State governor on Monday.

However, the party secretary said he will be willing to step down from his position if it comes directly from Mr Buhari in the interest of the party and not through proxy.

I am waiting for the Chairman. If we have a directive from the President that we should resign, we are not bigger than the President, we will do so, if we hear from him. Somebody cannot say go and announce he is resigning. Like MKO Abiola used to say, you dont shave someones head in his absence.

I am stating here that that breaking news is not from me. I dont know who announced it.

Someone cannot say the president said. I have not received any letter from anywhere. As I said, nobody is bigger than the party. The issue is that, have I resigned? The answer is no. I am the National Secretary of the Party, Mr Akpanudoedehe said
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has said women and girls face the brunt of the climate crisis that exacerbates pre-existing inequalities, jeopardises their food security, and feeds instability and migration.

The UN agency, in a statement to commemorate the 2022 International Womens Day (IWD), said the climate crisis mostly affects women in rural communities.

It said women and girls often lack appropriate access to disaster information, financial services, and participation in community decision-making and resource allocation.

The agency said such inequalities undermine the ability of women to prepare for, cope with and recover from climate shocks and stresses.

Women are the bedrock of food security and yet are hardest hit by climate shocks and food insecurity, the assistant Executive Director of WFP, Valerie Guarnieri said.

Ms Guarnieri said a sustainable future is only possible when women and girls have what they need to adapt to the changing climate.

International Womens Day

International Womens Day is an annual commemoration of womens cultural, political, and socioeconomic achievements.

It is observed annually on March 8 to raise awareness about issues on gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.

The theme for this years edition is Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow.

The United Nations said the theme recognises the contribution of women and girls around the world who play a crucial role in climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Collaboration

The statement indicates that the WFP worked with the UN Women and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Nigeria, to implement a resilience development and livelihoods project funded by the European Union (EU).

It said the project supported some 140,000 conflict-affected households in Borno State, including over 53,000 female-headed households, with the skills and inputs to restart their agriculture-based livelihoods activities and enhance food security.

The statement reads in part: The key aims of the initiative are to boost food security and to empower the benefitting households with various inputs to restart agricultural production in the state.

Under the project, WFP provided cash transfers to the supported households to safeguard investments in agriculture and sustain the food consumption levels of the families.

Some of the cash was provided through bank accounts, thereby contributing to financial inclusion among the vulnerable populations. Equally, the fresh food vouchers component of the project helped to link the local farmers to the consumers who are vulnerable to food and nutrition insecurity.

In a year when humanitarian needs are on an upward trend and aid agencies are stretched thin, supporting communities vulnerable to the harsh realities of the climate crisis is the need of the hour.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has submitted replacements for Governor David Umahi and his deputy, Kelechi Igwe, following their removal from office by the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday.

While the opposition party named Iduma Igariwey, a member of the House of Representatives as the replacement for Mr Umahi, it named Fred Udogwu to take the place of Mr Igwe.

The court had earlier on Tuesday, sacked Messrs Umahi and Igwe as well as16 lawmakers in the state following their defection from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

After serving twice as deputy governor of the state, the sacked governor was elected in 2015 and 2019 on the platform of the PDP before dumping the party in November 2021.

He attributed his defection to the partys poor leadership and accused it of playing politics of bitterness and anger.

He also said the main opposition party was not considering zoning the presidency to the South-east geopolitical zone.

Ruling on the suit filed against Mr Umahi and other members by the PDP, the judge, Inyang Ekwo, ordered INEC to receive new names of candidates from the party.

The votes in any election in Nigeria are to political parties, and not candidates, Mr Ekwo said.

Reacting to the judgement, the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, announced that the party has submitted the names of Messrs Igariwey and Udogwu as the new governor and deputy respectively to INEC as directed by the court.

He said the party arrived at the new choice of candidates after consulting with party stakeholders in the state.

We are happy to inform you that, to the position of governor, after due consultation with stakeholders in Ebonyi State, we are putting forward Honourable Iduma Igariwey as the new governor. For the position of the deputy Governor, Fred Udogwu, Mr Ayu announced on Tuesday.

Mr Igariwey currently represents the Afikpo North/Afikpo South federal constituency of the state in the House of Representatives.

Defiance

Meanwhile despite the court judgement, Mr Umahi said he remains the governor of Ebonyi and faulted the position of the judge.

The sacked governor argued that the court lacked the powers to remove him as governor as he is covered by the immunity clause.

He said the constitution stipulates that the only way a governor can vacate his seat is either by death, resignation or impeachment by the House of Assembly.

There is no other provision that empowers a hatchet man to turn the constitution upside down. I have listened to the judgement of Ekwo and it is very obvious that he was on a mission. He was making all efforts to upturn the rulings of the Appeal and Supreme courts on issues like this which protects him (me) from any form of litigation that is not a pre-election and tribunal matter, the governor said.

He added that he has sent his petition against Ms Ekwo to to the Nigeria Judicial Council (NJC).

Mr Umahi recently declared his intention to run for president under the APC, a move he had denied was part of his reasons for leaving the PDP.
The federal government has so far released N10.06 billion to speed up the construction of the Presidential (VIP) Wing of the State House Clinic, Aso Villa, Abuja.

The Permanent Secretary, State House, Tijanni Umar, made this known while giving an overview on the financial status of the project, scheduled to be completed by December.

Mr Umar was addressing members of the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Intergovernmental Affairs, who were on oversight inspection of the ongoing project on Tuesday in Abuja.

He said the N416.6 million budgeted for the project in 2020 and N1.06 billion in 2021, have already been paid in full.

The permanent secretary indicated that out of the N20.8 billion budgeted for the project in 2022, the federal government had paid N8.5 billion.

Mr Umar recalled that in line with due process, President Muhammadu Buhari had granted approval to engage Messers Julius Berger Plc to review and develop the concept design and proceed with the construction of the project as a turnkey contract.

Accordingly, on July 29, 2021, the company was instructed to proceed with the review of the concept design and other site works simultaneously, based on which a roadmap/timeline for the construction of the facility was developed.

In furtherance to this, the site was handed over to M/s JBN on 23rd August, 2021 which proceeded to undertake necessary and extensive site survey and other ancillary works paving the way for the ground breaking and foundation laying that was performed by the Chief of Staff to the President on Nov. 1, 2021.

It is instructive to note that the schedule of payment plan which is linked with the work plan that was negotiated with the company in line with the advice of the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning outlining milestones at which the client is expected to effect regular periodic payment for work done, he said.

According to him, this is in order to sustain the momentum of work and to deliver/commission the project by December 31, 2022.

He, however, noted that this was yet to be fully aligned.

In his remarks, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Character and Intergovernmental Affairs, Danjuma Laah, expressed satisfaction at the progress of work on the Presidential (VIP) Wing of the State House Clinic.

He said: For the remarkable steps so far reached on the project site, I am highly impressed.

The Senator, who described the progress of the work as fantastic, commended the contractors, Julius Berger Plc and the management of State House, led by the permanent secretary, for complying with the time schedule for the completion of the project.

We will take it as a point of duty to keep a tab on this project until it is completed,  he added

Mr Laah recalled that when he assumed the leadership of the committee, he had pledged that the Senate would ensure that the clinic is properly equipped to provide world class medical services to principal officers in the Presidential Villa.

The regional manager of Julius Berger Nigeria, Oliver Berger, who took the lawmakers through the milestones on the projects so far, assured them that the project which is situated on an area of 2800sqm, would be completed on schedule.

The following members of the Senate Committee inspected the project: Istifanus Gyang (PDP- Plateau North) , Mpigi Barinada (PDP-Rivers South-East), Tofowomo Nicholas (PDP-Ondo South) and Nmachi Ama (PDP-Ebonyi South).

Others at the site of the ongoing project included; Gershon Bassey (PDP-Cross River South), Bulus Amos (APC-Gombe South), Dimka Ayuba (APC-Plateau Central), Frank Ibezim (APC-Imo North) and Halliru Jika (APC-Bauchi Central).

(NAN
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will officially communicate his stance on the 2023 presidential election, his spokesperson, Laolu Akande, has said.

Mr Akande fielded questions from State House correspondents shortly after photo sessions with the vice president who marked his 65th birthday on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said that at present, Mr Osinbajo is focused on supporting President Muhammadu Buhari to deliver in addressing Nigerias challenges.

Well, like he has said up to this time, he is committed to the work that he is elected as vice president and to support the president.

 That is what he is focused on now; and like I have also said in my last tweet, whatever will be his activities or whatever he would do will be communicated officially, he said.

Mr Akande said that the vice president, based on his observations in the last seven to eight years, was driven by the notion that the government and governance and leadership ought to have a heart of justice and a heart of service.

He often says in most of the meetings that we hold that the reason why we are here is because people put us here.

 We are here in the interest of the people; so, he is someone that is committed to that notion of service to the people, whether in government, whether as a pastor, whether as a lawyer.

In every aspect of his life, he understands very diligently the idea that we are here to serve.

He said that Mr Osinbajo had always emphasised on the need to create impact for the people.

According to him, the vice president is very inspiring and worthy of leadership.

As you can see there are many more Nigerians today that are yearning to say that this is the kind of man to follow.

So, happy birthday, vice president, he said.

Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Ade Ipaye, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha and Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State who also featured in the photo sessions with vice president, paid glowing tributes to him.

Mr Buhari had earlier in a birthday message, applauded Mr Osinbajo for his loyalty and dedication to duty, especially in supervising the nations economy,

(NAN)
Isa Bayeros disturbing sense of entitlement, as evident in his request that the flight be delayed for the Emir, may have overshadowed an airline customers genuine concerns. But it still doesnt take anything away from the irresponsibility of Nigerian airlines, among which Air Peace is prominent. Nigerians know this; almost everyone who flies regularly in Nigeria knows (and perhaps has experienced) this.

Last week, details of the disagreement between Air Peace and the Emir of Kano dominated news headlines. The Emir reportedly missed his Lagos-Kano flight, after his flight from Banjul was delayed by the airline.

Isa Bayero, an aide to Emir Aminu Ado Bayero, reportedly asked the airline to delay the Kano flight, but Air Peace declined. Bayero later wrote a letter of complaint to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), seeking punitive actions against Air Peace for what he tagged disrespect to the emir and the people of Kano State.

As things began to degenerate between the airline and the Emirs aide, he addressed a press conference in Kano and gave the airline a 72-hour ultimatum to offer an apology for allegedly disrespecting the monarch. But Air Peace reacted, saying that it did not disrespect the Emir of Kano as alleged in the petition.

The issue, quite expectedly, has generated debates on social media, where many Nigerians chastised the Emirs aide, and by extension the Emir of Kano himself, for being entitled.

In the middle of the controversies, I spoke with the Communications Lead of Air Peace and asked him to address a major allegation leveled against the airline by Bayero: that despite having to check into a hotel at personal cost, the airline asked the Emir and his entourage to pay for No Show, when they attempted to rebook another flight after they missed their original Lagos-Kano flight due to the Banjul delay. But the airlines spokesman declined and hung up. To be sure, in all of its media engagements, Air Peace has remained silent on this particular allegation, neither has it explained the cause of the delay in Banjul.

In the past week, I have had two separate (off-the-record) conversations with two top aviation experts, who both agreed that, beyond the media showboating, the path of reconciliation is the most responsible path for Air Peace to take. Due to its potential to generate very, very avoidable (ethnic/political) tension and needless social media noise, it was advisable for the airline, as a business concern, to ensure that peace reigns.

In some ways, whether in politics, culture or business, the Nigerian big man is guilty by default. Although if situated in the context of the class struggle between the rich and the hoi polloi, this is partly understandable. But the fact remains that the big (wo)man can never be on the right side of an issue, any issue whatsoever, especially in the chaotic space of todays social media, where clarity is perpetually in the thrall of emotions, (ethno-religious) solidarity, needless vayolence, faux activism, bullying, and general mob action.

First off, Isa Bayeros disturbing sense of entitlement, as evident in his request that the flight be delayed for the Emir, may have overshadowed an airline customers genuine concerns. But it still doesnt take anything away from the irresponsibility of Nigerian airlines, among which Air Peace is prominent. Nigerians know this; almost everyone who flies regularly in Nigeria knows (and perhaps has experienced) this. Many cant just come to terms with a simple logic: Chastising Isa Bayero for making a mess of genuine grievances with his request and upbraiding Air Peace for being shoddy in its customer service performance are two actions that are not mutually exclusive.

In 2019 alone, the NCAA recorded 41,968 cases of missing and delayed luggage in Nigeria. The agency also recorded the operation of 65,401 flights, of which 37,510 (about 57 per cent!) were delayed and 356 were cancelled! Everyone who flies in Nigeria has stories to tell, and they arent love stories in the main. I wrote, penultimate Saturday, about Ibom Airs suffocating Iberibe-ism. The NCAA regulations on these infractions are clear, but everyone knows that airlines adhere to these regulations  only in the breach! But these things dont matter on cyberia, not even when it does not involve a common man.

In the past week, I have had two separate (off-the-record) conversations with two top aviation experts, who both agreed that, beyond the media showboating, the path of reconciliation is the most responsible path for Air Peace to take. Due to its potential to generate very, very avoidable (ethnic/political) tension and needless social media noise, it was advisable for the airline, as a business concern, to ensure that peace reigns.

That Isa Bayero mishandled genuine grievances wouldnt take anything away from the disturbing concerns within the aviation space. Missing (or sometimes stolen) luggage. Delayed flight. Cancelled flight etc. Penultimate weekI wrote about Ibom Airs Iberibe-ism. So, there are hundreds of other passengers facing similarly poor treatment, yet suffering in silence, partly because they do not have the voice and influence of a Bayero.

In a sense, the darts being thrown at the Emir of Kano, since the crisis broke out, have their roots in ethnic hate, or the attempt to check what some consider the feudal Norths excesses and perceived sense of entitlement. Yet, when we strip the actual issues of emotions, and then move past Bayeros embarrassing theatrics, there are fundamental issues of regulatory concern and consumer protection that remain unaddressed. For instance, why ask a passenger to pay for No Show on another flight of yours that he missed after you delayed his initial flight and even failed to offer any explanation?

In terms of consumer protection regulations, the Nigerian aviation sector is quite messy. In the absence of extant regulatory mechanisms, airlines are at the height of their show of crass irresponsibility in their treatment of consumers. The case with the Emir isnt the first of such controversial treatment of passengers and it wont be the last, only that the airline is dealing with an aide who, bent on showing the Emir his influence within the sector, has failed to keep his excitement in check.

That Isa Bayero mishandled genuine grievances wouldnt take anything away from the disturbing concerns within the aviation space. Missing (or sometimes stolen) luggage. Delayed flight. Cancelled flight etc. Penultimate week, as mentioned above, I wrote about Ibom Airs Iberibe-ism. So, there are hundreds of other passengers facing similarly poor treatment, yet suffering in silence, partly because they do not have the voice and influence of a Bayero.

And so beyond chastising Bayero, we must also realise that the aviation space needs systemic overhaul, especially in the area of compliance to consumer protection regulations.

Oladeinde Olawoyin tweets via @Ola_deinde.
Bandits have released the village head of Guga in Bakori Local Government Area of Katsina, Alhaji Umar, and 35 other residents of the village after collecting N26 million as ransom.

The victims spent 29 days in the kidnappers den before they were released Sunday late evening.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported how the bandits stormed the village on February 7, killed 10 residents and abducted 36 more, including the village head.

The release of the victims was confirmed Monday night by the eldest son and a son-in-law of the monarch.

Ransom

According to the in-law, Nafiu Muhammadu, the bandits had reached out to the family two days after the abduction and demanded a N30m ransom.

They were negotiating with the village heads junior brother and some elders in the community. But when they were informed that the sum mentioned was impossible, they promised to discuss with their leader and revert, which they did after three days, he said.

Mr Muhammadu said when the bandits called back, they asked for N10million, warning that there should be no negotiations.

They said they knew he (the village head) has money so, we should get N5 million for him and N5 million for the remaining 35 residents, Mr Muhammadu added.

But when the ransom payment party took the N10 million to the bandits, it was told that the money would be accepted as compensation for the killing of some bandits by vigilantes in the area.

We were shocked, said Abdullahi Umar, the village heads son. They said we should go and add N20m if we were serious about saving our people. We had to go back again and gather N16 million, after which they told us to go back home and wait for our people.

Mr Umar said the captives returned to Guga in the late evening where medical workers from Bakori local government area examined them.

When asked how they got the N26 million, Mr Umar said they sold all they had and reached out to some influential people in the state.

He added that everyone in the town, including those who had no abducted relatives, was asked to contribute.
Governor Nasir El-Rufai has flagged off the disbursement of N200 million as part of Kaduna State Women Empowerment Fund (KADSWEF) to commemorate the 2022 International Womens Day, making it the third time his administration will empower women entrepreneurs.

The flag-off, which was witnessed by senior government officials, women groups and civil society organisations as well as the general public, was held at Umar Musa Yaradua Conference Centre, Kaduna, on Tuesday.

The governor said the fund is meant to support small traders with capital to grow their businesses, noting that women economic empowerment increases the quality of lives of their families and improves society.

Mr El-Rufai argued that women are the foundation of the society and the APC government of Kaduna state really believes in supporting women because when you empower a women you empower her family and the society. 

He further pointed out that when you give loan to a woman, she pays for her childrens education, feeds her children, and helps her husband. Our women in Kaduna have done very well to make us succeed.

Governor El-Rufai said the Commissioner for Human Services and Social Development, Hafsat Mohammed Baba initiated KADSWEF because  women traders need small amount of capital to increase the sales and their businesses, and she said let us do something specially for women. 

According to him, the commissioner argued that women are afraid of going to the bank to borrow, they are not given the chance. Lets do something just for women and I said,  bring it to the Executive Council.

The governor recalled that the commissioner requested for N100 million but  we doubled it to N200 million, and we have been consistently doing it since 2019. It is only in 2020 that we did not do it due to the covid-19 lockdown.

The governor explained that the government changed the name of the Ministry of Women Affairs to the Ministry of Human Services and Social Development  because there is no humanity without a woman.

Women are the basis of humanity, women are the root of humanity and when the quality of the lives of women is improved the quality of society improves.

Mr El-Rufai also commended the efforts and input of women holding appointive positions in Kaduna State Government, advising women generally to be confident in themselves.

I want our women in Kaduna to be more confident of themselves. Dont think that you can only be wives and mothers, you can be Commissioners, you can be Head of Service, you can be Attorney General, you can be Deputy Governor, you can even be governor if you work hard at it.

Mr El-Rufai praised all members of the State Executive Council for working very hard and for consistently supporting every prorgamme that will empower the less privileged, especially  those that really need the help of government to stand and climb the ladder.
A civil society organisation, the Open Alliance Anambra, has called on the governor-elect of the state, Charles Soludo, to publicise the content of Oby Ezekwesilis Transition Committee.

Mr Soludo, shortly after his election, had set up an 80-man transition committee led by a former minister of Education, Mrs Ezekwesili, to help him manage the transition process and develop a work-plan for his manifesto in the state.

The Coordinator of Open Alliance Anambra, Chris Azor, who spoke in Awka on Tuesday, commended the committee for timely completion of its task.

Mr Azor said making the document public would be in the spirit of open governance standards, as well as demonstrate Mr Soludos willingness to make the people part of his administration.

He is, therefore, expected to make public the committees report in line with Open Governance Principles (OGP); the transition committee has described the document as an Action Plan for good Governance.

Mr Azor said the outgoing governor, Willie Obiano, had signed up to OGP in June 2017, a transparency and accountability mechanism for reform and good governance

He urged Mr Soludo to uphold the principles.

He said OGP in Anambra State was yet to be backed by any legislation, in spite of its success story.

Mr Azor, who is the Open Government Partnership Co-Chair (Civil Society/Non State Actors), urged Mr Soludo to ensure its sustainability by providing legal backing for it when he assumed office.

It is noteworthy that OGP is still a work in progress, it requires institutionalisation, scaling up to legislation, administrative sustainability, adequate funding/resource mobilisation, political will, behavioural change and risk communication, he said.

(NAN)
A human rights lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, has accused the Lagos State government of a cover-up in the death of Bamise Ayanwole.

Ms Ayanwole, 22, got missing while returning to Ota from Ajah on February 26 when she boarded a BRT bus with number 240257 going to Oshodi at about 7 p.m. at Chevron Bus-Stop.

Her body was discovered lying on the Carter Bridge by Ogogoro Community, Lagos Island, Lagos Police said in a statement on Monday.

In the statement on Tuesday, titled Murder inside BRT: IGP and the federal government should take over the investigation, the senior lawyer said the state government hurriedly packaged the driver for media interview following public outcry and media monitoring to give the impression that he was innocent of the crime.

Unanswered questions

Mr Adegboruwa said the government has some questions to answer if it is not covering up this daylight murder.

In a homicide matter of this magnitude, how can a prime suspect who was declared missing, be handed over to the government by the security agencies?

Mr Adegboruwa said in an initial video, before the TVC interview, the driver had confessed to having carnal knowledge of the deceased, in a very remorseful fashion.

In the interview with TVC, the driver, Andrew Nice, dressed in a shirt with the state logo, said he was not complicit in her murder.

Mr Adegboruwa said the suspect was dressed shabbily at the time of his arrest.

Who then packaged a crime suspect, to turn out cleanly shaven, dressed in specially designed Lagos State Government outfit and now well tutored to claim innocence to set up the cock and bull story of hijack? The lawyer asked.

Why was Lagos State Government romancing a murder suspect?

And why was he paraded on a selected media of TV Continental, over which Lagos State has influence through patronage?

What is the business of Lagos State in the interrogation of a murder suspect?

The lawyer also asked if there have been other cases of ritual killings in BRT buses to which the government has become accustomed.

Why will a driver, whose bus was hijacked, and has thus become a victim himself, then bolt away for days without reporting to his employers?

Your employee that was trusted with human carriage took your citizen who boarded the bus innocently, based on trust that its a government outfit, your driver allegedly saw the citizen abducted, your driver drove the bus to you, he did not report the incident but handed over the bus and disappeared and after public outcry he was apprehended and all you do is dress him up for press interview to lie to the public, after killing an innocent girl?

What kind of government will do this wickedness and expect to earn the trust of its people?

IGs intervention

Mr Adegboruwa urged the federal government and the Inspector-General of Police to take over the investigation immediately before the case is completely compromised.

It is clear that the Lagos State police command cannot be trusted to handle this case, given that it surrendered a murder suspect still under investigation to the Lagos State Government for media packaging, he said.

Contacted for reaction, the commissioner of information, Gbenga Omotosho, referred this reporter to Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the state governors statement, where he commiserated with the deceaseds family.
Fazilet Demir, an Istanbul resident, speaks during an interview at a supermarket in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 7, 2022. Turkish people have been flocking to grocery stores and supermarkets across the country to buy sunflower oil for the past couple of days, as there is talk that the supplies are running out and the prices going up. (Xinhua/Shadati)

ISTANBUL, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Turkish people have been flocking to grocery stores and supermarkets across the country to buy sunflower oil for the past couple of days, as there is talk that the supplies are running out and the prices going up.

Videos of people snatching sunflower oil bottles, emptying shelves, and queuing up at stores have gone viral through the weekend.

The price of a 5-liter bottle of cooking oil climbed to 200 Turkish liras (14 U.S. dollars) on Monday, up 35 percent in the country's largest city Istanbul in the last three days.

Turkey's self-sufficiency rate in sunflower oil is about 64 percent, with the rest depending on imports, mainly from Russia and Ukraine.

However, the latest conflict between the two countries has put Turkey's sunflower oil shipments at risk.

Following the developments, Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Minister Vahit Kirisci announced that Turkey stopped its sunflower oil exports to avoid supply problems.

To calm the public, Treasury and Finance Minister Nureddin Nebati said there is enough sunflower oil in stock to last until July "even if we do nothing."

Nonetheless, the jitters are still hanging over Turkish residents, especially in Istanbul.

Fazilet Demir, an Istanbul resident, accused supermarket owners of hoarding the products in warehouses for higher prices, urging authorities to fine speculators.

"During the weekend, I saw a bottle (of 5-liter sunflower oil) cost 145 liras, then they (market owners) changed it to 159 liras, and afterward they removed them from the shelves," she grumbled, noting she and her husband have been struggling for a living with one pension, which is barely 4,000 liras.

"I don't want to come to the market anymore, and I don't want to shop ... Someone should put an end to this. These markets change the labels every day as they wish," added another woman, who did not reveal her name.

Meanwhile, experts suggest large quantities of sunflowers be planted in April to raise production and reduce the country's dependency on imports.

The sunflower oil production in Turkey increased by 17 percent in 2021 year on year, according to Kirisci. However, the pandemic condition gave a fillip to its domestic consumption, forcing Turkey to import more. 

A woman checks prices of sunflower oil at a supermarket in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 7, 2022. Turkish people have been flocking to grocery stores and supermarkets across the country to buy sunflower oil for the past couple of days, as there is talk that the supplies are running out and the prices going up. (Xinhua/Shadati)

A worker arranges bottles of sunflower oil at a supermarket in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 7, 2022. Turkish people have been flocking to grocery stores and supermarkets across the country to buy sunflower oil for the past couple of days, as there is talk that the supplies are running out and the prices going up. (Xinhua/Shadati)

Photo taken on March 7, 2022 shows bottles of sunflower oil for sale at a supermarket in Istanbul, Turkey. Turkish people have been flocking to grocery stores and supermarkets across the country to buy sunflower oil for the past couple of days, as there is talk that the supplies are running out and the prices going up. (Xinhua/Shadati)

A man checks prices of sunflower oil at a supermarket in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 7, 2022. Turkish people have been flocking to grocery stores and supermarkets across the country to buy sunflower oil for the past couple of days, as there is talk that the supplies are running out and the prices going up. (Xinhua/Shadati)

Photo taken on March 7, 2022 shows bottles of sunflower oil for sale at a supermarket in Istanbul, Turkey. Turkish people have been flocking to grocery stores and supermarkets across the country to buy sunflower oil for the past couple of days, as there is talk that the supplies are running out and the prices going up. (Xinhua/Shadati)
The family of Bamise Ayanwole have distanced themselves from a protest planned to take place at Freedom Park in Ojota.

Ms Ayanwole, 22, boarded a BRT bus on February 26 at Chevron bus stop in Lagos Island heading to Oshodi but was later declared missing.

Police said on Monday that her body was found on Carter Bridge and has been taken to a morgue.

In a flyer circulated on social media on Monday, some youth said they would converge on Ojota and storm the Secretariat in Alausa, Ikeja, and BRT terminals in the state.

However, addressing the press on Tuesday at their residence in Ayobo, Iyana-Ipaja area, Oluwapelumi Ayanwole, the deceaseds brother, said the family is not a part of the planned protest.

We heard about the planned protest and I wrote it on Facebook that we did not send them. We only had a press conference, and everybody has gone back home, he said.

What we want is justice.

Mr Ayanwole explained that his sister was on her way to his residence to congratulate him on the birth of his child but met her death.

At Ojota on Tuesday morning, this reporter observed an unusual police presence in the area.

At least seven police vehicles were parked in the area while some police vehicles were seen on patrol.

Justice for the family

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on Tuesday assured that justice would be served in the death of the 22-year-old fashion designer

Mr Sanwo-Olu gave the assurance in a statement, saying the life of every resident of the state mattered and would not be taken for granted.

To Oluwabamises family and loved ones, my thoughts and prayers are with you. this difficult time, may the Almighty God console you. I hereby give you my word that `justice will be served, the governor said.
The mother of the lady who died after boarding the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Lagos, Comfort Ayanwole, has called on the Ekiti State government to support Lagos to ensure those responsible for her daughters death are brought to justice.

She told journalists at her residence in Ayobo, Iyana-Ipaja area of Lagos on Tuesday.

Ms Ayanwole, 22, boarded a BRT bus on February 26 at Chevron bus stop in Lagos Island heading to Oshodi but was later declared missing.

The police said on Monday that her body was found on Carter Bridge and has been taken to a morgue.

Because of Oluwatoyosi, the one the Lord gave me, she entered the Lagos bus and my daughter disappeared. I want justice, I want the truth without hindrance, Mrs Ayanwole said.

Im an indigene of Ekiti, I want the Ekiti state government to support Lagos and help me.

She said she went to the BRT station and learnt that the driver of the bus had visited the office after the incident.

Sympathisers besieged the residence of Lady killed after boarding a BRT in Ayobo, Iyana-Ipaja, demand justice Sympathisers besieged the residence of Lady killed after boarding a BRT in Ayobo, Iyana-Ipaja, demand justice

She accused the driver of being complicit in the murder of her child.

She said if the driver was innocent, he wouldnt have gone back to their terminal without reporting the incident to the appropriate authority.

The driver of the bus, Andrew Nice, in an interview said the deceased was dragged out of the BRT bus by some unidentified gunmen.

Protest

Sympathisers have besieged her residence to demand justice.

Sympathisers besieged the residence of Lady killed after boarding a BRT in Ayobo, Iyana-Ipaja, demand justice Sympathisers besieged the residence of Lady killed after boarding a BRT in Ayobo, Iyana-Ipaja, demand justice

Some of the sympathisers carried placards bearing different inscriptions  Do not sweep it under the carpet, We want justice for Ayanwole Oluwabamise.

Some other sympathisers were seen in groups discussing the circumstances leading to her death. Some others discussed their last moments with the deceased.
The suit filed by Gladys Kanu, one of the three wives of the late former Military Administrator of Lagos and Imo, Ndubuisi Kanu, was on Tuesday stalled in an Ikeja High Court due to a change of counsel.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Gladys in a suit marked LD/3685FPM/2021 is seeking that the Nigerian Navy should calculate the entitlements of the late Mr Kanu into a bank account.

She is also seeking to be declared as the only legal wife and sole widow of the deceased.

According to her, she and the deceased were living together until his death.

She noted that she was married to him for 27 years but was in a relationship with him for 31 years.

During Tuesdays proceedings, the new counsel for the claimant, Wale Adesokan, SAN, announced his appearance as Gladys new lawyer.

Mr Adesokan, the ninth counsel in the suit filed by the claimant following her husbands death from COVID-19 in January 2021, also asked the court for time to amend his originating summons.

Acceding to Mr Adesokans request, Christopher Balogun, the judge, adjourned the case until April 7 for the hearing of all pending applications.

At the last court hearing, the judge fined the claimant N120,000 for delaying proceedings in the suit due to her frequent change of lawyers.

NAN reports that the respondents to the suit are the Nigerian Navy, the children, and other wives of the deceased.

They are Kelly Kanu, the Nigerian Navy, Simone Abiona(Nee Kanu), and Andrey Joe- Ezigbo (nee Kanu).

Others are  Paula Ndidiamaka Kanu and Karen Johnson (Nee Kanu), Jeffery Kanu, Laura Kanu, Stephen Kanu, Josephine Ndubuisi-Kanu (wife) and Christine Kanu (wife).

The eight other lawyers Gladys had engaged since the commencement of suit are Emeka Etiaba (SAN), Ebun Adegboruwa (SAN) and Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN).

Other counsels include C.J Jiapkona, Onyebuchi Ede, John Duru, O.J Owoh, and Udenna Chukwulobe from the law firm of Olisa Agbokoba (SAN). (NAN)
Plattsburgh, NY (12901)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low around 50F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch..

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Cloudy with periods of rain. Low around 50F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch.
Plattsburgh, NY (12901)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies early. A few showers developing later in the day. High 66F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional rain showers. Low 48F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Increase in incidences of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and technological advancements drive the growth of the global implantable defibrillators market.

PORTLAND, Ore., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Implantable Defibrillators Market by Product Type [Transvenous Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (T-ICDs), Subcutaneous Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (S-ICDS), and Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Defibrillator (CRT-D)]: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20202030." According to the report, the global implantable defibrillators industry generated $3.30 billion in 2020, and is estimated to reach $5.61 billion by 2030, witnessing a CAGR of 5.3% from 2021 to 2030.

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Drivers, Restraints, and Opportunities

Increase in incidences of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and technological advancements drive the growth of the global implantable defibrillators market. However, high cost and unfavorable reimbursement policies restrain the market growth. On the other hand, increase in demand for ICDs for patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy presents new opportunities in the coming years.

Covid-19 Scenario

The Covid-19 infection impacts the cardiovascular system. It leads to myocardial injury, arrhythmias, intravascular thrombosis, and sudden cardiac death. As reports have found the link between Covid-19 activity and cardiac arrests, the demand for implantable defibrillators increased during the pandemic.

The cases of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in Covid-19 patients increased and raised concerns for clinicians. The episodes of defibrillator shocks increased during the hospitalization of patients suffering from Covid-19 infection. This, in turn, led to increased demand for implantable defibrillators.

The subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillators (S-ICDs) segment to maintain its lead position by 2030

Based on type, the subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillators (S-ICDs) segment accounted for the highest market share in 2020, contributing to more than half of the global implantable defibrillators market, and is expected to maintain its lead position by 2030. This is attributed to its usage for treatment of heart disorders for high precision and targeted functioning. However, the cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (Crt-D) segment is projected to register the highest CAGR of 5.9% during the forecast period, owing to rise in adoption rate with growing incidences of heart diseases and failures.

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North America to maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period

Based on region, North America contributed to the largest market share in 2020, accounting for nearly two-fifths of the total market share of the global implantable defibrillators market, and is projected to maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period. This is due to surge in incidence of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), increase in the adoption of S-ICDs, and availability of advanced healthcare facilities. However, Asia-Pacific is estimated to witness the largest CAGR of 6.0% during the forecast period, owing to high population base and improvement in patient awareness about ICD devices.

Leading Market Players

Abbott

Biotronik SE & Co. KG

Boston Scientific Corporation

Fukuda Denshi Co. Ltd.

Imricor Medical Systems

Koninklijke Philips N.V.

LivaNova Plc Company

Medtronic Plc

Microport Scientific Corporation

Nihon Kohden Corporation

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TEHRAN, March 8 (Xinhua) -- In the early days after Washington reimposed sanctions on Tehran, there was a family who desperately looked for a pacemaker and was willing to pay three times the price just to save their father.

Maryam, an operating room supervisor at a hospital in the Iranian capital of Tehran who only gave her first name, recounted this bitter story to Xinhua.

The was, however, only part of the predicament the Iranian health and treatment sector and people have been faced with since the United States withdrew from a 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and re-imposed draconian sanctions on the Islamic republic.

"At that time, I was a matron at a hospital. The domestic firms that had the device in their depots refrained from supplying them to the market, lest they sustain losses due to price fluctuations in the foreign currency market," Maryam added.

After the re-imposition of the sanctions, the prices of major foreign currencies in the domestic market were on an uptrend, rising tenfold in some cases, and then stabilized and even demonstrated a downward trajectory after the beginning of President Ebrahim Raisi's new administration in August 2021.

In the early days following the re-imposition of the sanctions, medical items were still available in Iran as importers and distributors had stocks, which were then running out until a black market for such products was created, driving up prices, she said.

In the aftermath of the reinstatement of the sanctions, many foreign companies left Tehran for fear of Washington's penalties, leading to the cancellation of virtually all aftersales services.

Another problem was that a broken device would have to be sent abroad for inconvenient and costly repairs, Maryam said, noting that everything in the health sector has been adversely impacted by the sanctions.

"Despite efforts by the government, the sanctions have led to a shortage of some medicine, such as anesthetics, although the shortages have been addressed to a great extent under President Raisi's administration," she added.

All this has happened even though the United States has always claimed humanitarian items and medicine are not on the list of the sanctions, and that the embargoes do not prevent Iran from purchasing humanitarian items, including medicine and medical devices, she said.

"The truth is the banking sanctions preventing Iran from sending or receiving money to or from other countries make it impossible to import the items," Maryam noted.

After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran in late February 2020, Washington went on with its sanctions despite outcries from Iranian officials as well as the international community for a suspension to enable an effective pandemic response.

The sanctions' impact amid COVID-19 has been alarming, Maryam said. "Many people lost their lives due to sanctions-induced shortages. For instance, in the early months, the price of remdesivir increased substantially. We did not have enough ventilators."

She has high hopes for the future and the removal of the sanctions. "If the sanctions are lifted, foreign currency prices would drop, Iran will be able to import products with greater ease and upgrade its equipment, and companies can import spare parts and repair the broken devices," she said. 
The exhibition, named "Progenie," displayed the paintings of Chinese-Panamanian artists of three different ages, highlighting the contribution of Chinese painters to the multicultural tapestry of Latin America and notably Panama today.

The concept of Chinese craftsmanship has been a key pillar of GAC MOTOR's overseas brand identity for some time now, with the GAC development strategy focusing on bringing outstanding Chinese designs and technology onto the world stage.

Cross-cultural art exhibitions like this one are important in communicating the amazing creativity that Chinese brands and individuals have to offer the world.

Ms. Mai Yap, one of the exhibiting artists based out of Florida, USA, said that "China lives in us, and although we came from and were born in different countries, we carry all that culture within us."

Mai Yap's colorful works were displayed alongside another young visual artist, Nicole Rumaldo Choy, who represents merging these two cultures' creative prowess.

The Spirit of Craftsmanship: Continued Efforts in the Americas

GAC MOTOR has become the top-performing Chinese brand in local sales since entering the Panama market in 2019. The nation is now home to more than 400 new GAC MOTOR owners.

Ever since the launch of the All New GS4 and extensive engagement in car rental projects last year, GAC MOTOR has attracted more attention. It has become a representative of Chinese car brands in Panama.

In the new year, GAC MOTOR will continue to provide Panamanian users with a high standard of travel experience. The brand looks forward to a future of further healthy development in the Americas.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1759656/image_5011064_35841223.jpg

SOURCE GAC MOTOR
SAN FRANCISCO, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), which builds sustainable ecosystems for cloud native software, today announced the addition of 68 new Silver and end user members and end user supporters. These new members will work side by side with over 775 other members to build and use the cloud native technology that is enabling organizations across the world to respond to the challenges of 5G, edge, massive scale, and more.

According to the CNCF Annual Survey , 2021 was the year that Kubernetes crossed the chasm, with 96% of organizations who participated in the survey either using or evaluating Kubernetes. Adoption has also increased measurably across CNCF projects, notably by 500% for containerd, 53% for Fluentd, and 43% for Prometheus.

"We have seen an acceleration in new member growth which we can attribute to the maturation and ubiquity of Kubernetes and container technology," said Priyanka Sharma, executive director of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation. "CNCF's projects have been integral in helping end users like Allianz Direct , Fidelity Investments , and Vodafone respond to pressing and evolving infrastructure challenges. We are thrilled to have so many new members on board to continue our mission to make cloud native computing ubiquitous."

About the newest Silver Members:

Airlock covers all functions of modern application security, combining web application and API protection (WAAP) with customer identity management (cIAM) deployable on-premises, in the cloud, or as lightweight security micro gateway, designed specifically for use in container environments.

covers all functions of modern application security, combining web application and API protection (WAAP) with customer identity management (cIAM) deployable on-premises, in the cloud, or as lightweight security micro gateway, designed specifically for use in container environments. Akuity was founded by Argo co-creators Hong Wang and Jesse Suen and is on a mission to help companies modernize their Kubernetes tooling by leveraging Argo, the leading open-source suite of Kubernetes-native application delivery tools.

was founded by Argo co-creators and and is on a mission to help companies modernize their Kubernetes tooling by leveraging Argo, the leading open-source suite of Kubernetes-native application delivery tools. Amido is the cloud-native consultancy for better business outcomes.

is the cloud-native consultancy for better business outcomes. Argonaut is the first cloud platform that enables engineers to manage infrastructure and application deployments in one place, focusing on developer experience.

is the first cloud platform that enables engineers to manage infrastructure and application deployments in one place, focusing on developer experience. Automat-IT delivers exceptional CI, CT, CD, DevOps, Cloud services, and 24x7 support, to large enterprises, startups and everything in between, to untangle IT complexities and deploy 'time to market' technologies.

delivers exceptional CI, CT, CD, DevOps, Cloud services, and 24x7 support, to large enterprises, startups and everything in between, to untangle IT complexities and deploy 'time to market' technologies. Avisi is a Software Development and Cloud Services Company that offers Managed Services using the Change-mindset, allowing their customers to continuously innovate their mission-critical software.

is a Software Development and Cloud Services Company that offers Managed Services using the Change-mindset, allowing their customers to continuously innovate their mission-critical software. Axcelinno is an IT Technology Consultancy and Professional Services company that helps organizations define and implement their DevSecOps adoption and cloud migration.

is an IT Technology Consultancy and Professional Services company that helps organizations define and implement their DevSecOps adoption and cloud migration. Baolande is a listed high-tech corporation founded in 2008, it focuses on providing infrastructure software, intelligent operation and maintenance products and solutions for innovational digitalized business.

is a listed high-tech corporation founded in 2008, it focuses on providing infrastructure software, intelligent operation and maintenance products and solutions for innovational digitalized business. Clastix is a tech company providing a unique blend of products and services to accelerate the Cloud Native revolution, delivered from 100% upstream open-source components.

is a tech company providing a unique blend of products and services to accelerate the Cloud Native revolution, delivered from 100% upstream open-source components. CloudCasa by Catalogic is a powerful, cyber-resilient, backup service for protecting Kubernetes workloads, cloud databases, and cloud native applications, that is free to start using.

is a powerful, cyber-resilient, backup service for protecting Kubernetes workloads, cloud databases, and cloud native applications, that is free to start using. Cloud Kinetics (CK) is a leading cloud MSP (managed services provider) with operations in Singapore , Indonesia , Vietnam , India , Malaysia , Thailand , USA and Germany .

(CK) is a leading cloud MSP (managed services provider) with operations in , , , , , , and . CloudMatos , pioneering the world of self-governed cloud infrastructure, our solution provides self-healing, awareness, resilience, security, and intelligent remediation to your cloud infrastructure by deploying policy driven governance, security controls, networking controls, and more using IAC or PAC.

, pioneering the world of self-governed cloud infrastructure, our solution provides self-healing, awareness, resilience, security, and intelligent remediation to your cloud infrastructure by deploying policy driven governance, security controls, networking controls, and more using IAC or PAC. CodeZero allows developers to work on software in a Kubernetes cluster creating parity between their local machine and production.

allows developers to work on software in a Kubernetes cluster creating parity between their local machine and production. Cortex gives organizations visibility into the status and quality of their microservices and helps teams drive adoption of best practices so they can deliver higher quality software.

gives organizations visibility into the status and quality of their microservices and helps teams drive adoption of best practices so they can deliver higher quality software. CrafterCMS is an open-source, Git-based headless CMS for enterprises that seek faster and easier development of large-scale, contentrich digital experiences such as global personalized websites, customer portals, employee intranets, OTT video, e-commerce, consumer mobile apps, AR/VR, and more.

is an open-source, Git-based headless CMS for enterprises that seek faster and easier development of large-scale, contentrich digital experiences such as global personalized websites, customer portals, employee intranets, OTT video, e-commerce, consumer mobile apps, AR/VR, and more. Cribl is an observability pipeline company built to reduce, normalize, enrich, and route observability data to where it has the most value.

is an observability pipeline company built to reduce, normalize, enrich, and route observability data to where it has the most value. DataCore Software delivers the industry's most flexible, intelligent, and powerful software-defined storage solutions for block, file, object, and container storage, helping more than 10,000 customers worldwide modernize how they store, protect, and access data.

delivers the industry's most flexible, intelligent, and powerful software-defined storage solutions for block, file, object, and container storage, helping more than 10,000 customers worldwide modernize how they store, protect, and access data. Daugherty Business Solutions is an advisory services and technology consulting firm delivering results through innovation and technology.

is an advisory services and technology consulting firm delivering results through innovation and technology. Era Software observability data management offers modern IT and security organizations the ability to route, ingest, store, and analyze massive amounts of data to get actionable insights in seconds.

observability data management offers modern IT and security organizations the ability to route, ingest, store, and analyze massive amounts of data to get actionable insights in seconds. Expert Thinking is a team of industry-certified cloud experts who will partner with your organisation, supporting every stage of your cloud journey  rapidly optimising your use of the ever-changing cloud technology landscape at scale to maximise value and benefit for your organisation.

is a team of industry-certified cloud experts who will partner with your organisation, supporting every stage of your cloud journey  rapidly optimising your use of the ever-changing cloud technology landscape at scale to maximise value and benefit for your organisation. Finout 's cost management platform combines your AWS, K8s, Datadog & Snowflake invoices into one mega bill, enabling an unparalleled view of your cloud spend in minutes with no heavy lifting.

's cost management platform combines your AWS, K8s, Datadog & Snowflake invoices into one mega bill, enabling an unparalleled view of your cloud spend in minutes with no heavy lifting. Fournine is a leading multi-cloud solution provider empowering enterprises' digital transformation with key cloud native development solutions such as Kubernetes, DevOps, and building and delivering container based applications.

is a leading multi-cloud solution provider empowering enterprises' digital transformation with key cloud native development solutions such as Kubernetes, DevOps, and building and delivering container based applications. GienTech is a leading financial digital consulting and software provider based on full stack information technology in the world, moreover, an expert in digital transformation services in key industries.

is a leading financial digital consulting and software provider based on full stack information technology in the world, moreover, an expert in digital transformation services in key industries. Helios is a production-readiness platform that leverages OpenTelemetry to give developers the power to understand, troubleshoot, and test distributed applications, so they can deliver production-ready code faster - and with more confidence.

is a production-readiness platform that leverages OpenTelemetry to give developers the power to understand, troubleshoot, and test distributed applications, so they can deliver production-ready code faster - and with more confidence. Innogrid is Korea's leading cloud computing solution and service company that supports successful digital transformation based on cloud native environments.

is Korea's leading cloud computing solution and service company that supports successful digital transformation based on cloud native environments. itopia makes hybrid work easy for software teams by delivering containerized developer environments in a browser, enabling companies to onboard developers fast and prevent exfiltration with precise security controls, and devs to launch spaces with all their tools pre-installed and start coding in seconds.

makes hybrid work easy for software teams by delivering containerized developer environments in a browser, enabling companies to onboard developers fast and prevent exfiltration with precise security controls, and devs to launch spaces with all their tools pre-installed and start coding in seconds. KPMG is a global network of professional firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services with 227,000 outstanding professionals working together to deliver value in 146 countries and territories.

is a global network of professional firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services with 227,000 outstanding professionals working together to deliver value in 146 countries and territories. KSOC is an event-driven SaaS platform built to automatically remediate Kubernetes security risks and enforce least privilege access control across distributed cluster infrastructures.

is an event-driven SaaS platform built to automatically remediate Kubernetes security risks and enforce least privilege access control across distributed cluster infrastructures. Lightlytics empowers teams of all sizes to code and deploy configurations with speed and confidence.

empowers teams of all sizes to code and deploy configurations with speed and confidence. Lightrun is the world's first IDE-native developer observability platform, that enables engineering teams to continuously identify and tackle critical issues in live applications without hotfixes, redeployments, or restarts by securely adding read-only logs, metrics, and traces in real-time and on-demand

is the world's first IDE-native developer observability platform, that enables engineering teams to continuously identify and tackle critical issues in live applications without hotfixes, redeployments, or restarts by securely adding read-only logs, metrics, and traces in real-time and on-demand mogenius is a code to cloud platform that deploys and runs any application on a fully automated cloud infrastructure by simply connecting to a code repository.

is a code to cloud platform that deploys and runs any application on a fully automated cloud infrastructure by simply connecting to a code repository. Mondoo is an easy to use security platform for DevOps and Security practitioners who want to automate manual security processes, find misconfigurations, and improve their security posture.

is an easy to use security platform for DevOps and Security practitioners who want to automate manual security processes, find misconfigurations, and improve their security posture. Mycelial is the Edge Native platform for distributed, local-first applications.

is the Edge Native platform for distributed, local-first applications. NHN Cloud is a leading cloud service provider based in South Korea , offering public, private, and hybrid cloud in various industries with reliable, flexible, and secure services.

is a leading cloud service provider based in , offering public, private, and hybrid cloud in various industries with reliable, flexible, and secure services. Okteto enables organizations to instantly spin up pre-configured environments in the cloud and start developing within seconds.

enables organizations to instantly spin up pre-configured environments in the cloud and start developing within seconds. OnGres ("ON postGRES") is a highly specialized Postgres startup, creators of the Open Source project StackGres , the most advanced platform for running Enterprise Postgres on Kubernetes.

("ON postGRES") is a highly specialized Postgres startup, creators of the Open Source project , the most advanced platform for running Enterprise Postgres on Kubernetes. Orca Security provides instant-on security and compliance for public cloud platforms such as AWS , Azure , and GCP  without the gaps in coverage, alert fatigue, and operational costs of agents or sidecars.

provides instant-on security and compliance for public cloud platforms such as , , and  without the gaps in coverage, alert fatigue, and operational costs of agents or sidecars. Oxeye.io delivers an application security testing platform designed for cloud-native apps and modern architectures, offering a contextual, effortless, and comprehensive solution to ensure no vulnerable code ever reaches production.

delivers an application security testing platform designed for cloud-native apps and modern architectures, offering a contextual, effortless, and comprehensive solution to ensure no vulnerable code ever reaches production. Polar Signals is an observability company focusing on continuous profiling, empowering every developer to understand performance measurements down to the source code line number across their entire infrastructure to safe cost on cloud bills, improve performance, and improve the reliability of software.

is an observability company focusing on continuous profiling, empowering every developer to understand performance measurements down to the source code line number across their entire infrastructure to safe cost on cloud bills, improve performance, and improve the reliability of software. Posedio , based in Austria , specialises in the cloud-native journey of enterprise customers in the DACH region, providing deep technical knowledge and hands-on experience in running applications at scale.

, based in , specialises in the cloud-native journey of enterprise customers in the DACH region, providing deep technical knowledge and hands-on experience in running applications at scale. ProfiSea is an Israeli DevOps and Cloud boutique company that implements best practices of GitOps, DevSecOps, Kubernetes-based Cloud environments deployment automation and provides FinOps premium services using a unique AI-based Cloud management platform.

is an Israeli DevOps and Cloud boutique company that implements best practices of GitOps, DevSecOps, Kubernetes-based Cloud environments deployment automation and provides FinOps premium services using a unique AI-based Cloud management platform. RNG Technology is a leading cloud native digital acceleration technology partner that provides fully managed & engineered multi-cloud IaaS, BaaS, DRaaS, BCaaS, Kubernetes and DevOps solutions enabling enterprises to rapidly accelerate the delivery of innovative solutions.

is a leading cloud native digital acceleration technology partner that provides fully managed & engineered multi-cloud IaaS, BaaS, DRaaS, BCaaS, Kubernetes and DevOps solutions enabling enterprises to rapidly accelerate the delivery of innovative solutions. ScaleFlash is a software-defined, cloud native storage for Kubernetes, providing persistent storage for stateful Kubernete under Bare Metal DPU Servers connected with low latency RDMA network to achieve multi-milllion of IOPS performance.

is a software-defined, cloud native storage for Kubernetes, providing persistent storage for stateful Kubernete under Bare Metal DPU Servers connected with low latency RDMA network to achieve multi-milllion of IOPS performance. Scribe makes software trustworthy, by allowing software producers to attest to it and consumers to validate.

makes software trustworthy, by allowing software producers to attest to it and consumers to validate. Seekret is an API-first platform that empowers developers with revolutionary eBPF-powered APIOps through automation, governance, and observability.

is an API-first platform that empowers developers with revolutionary eBPF-powered APIOps through automation, governance, and observability. Spyderbat provides Linux runtime security, protecting dynamic environments by proactively tracking all user activities by their causal connections to detect and resolve external attacks, misconfigurations, and insider threats.

provides Linux runtime security, protecting dynamic environments by proactively tracking all user activities by their causal connections to detect and resolve external attacks, misconfigurations, and insider threats. Successive Technologies is an Enterprise Cloud Consulting Company that helps you leverage most popular container orchestration with their enterprise-class managed Kubernetes services to make cluster management and integration workflows easy and effective.

is an Enterprise Cloud Consulting Company that helps you leverage most popular container orchestration with their enterprise-class managed Kubernetes services to make cluster management and integration workflows easy and effective. True is an Amsterdam -based Managed Service Provider with 20+ years of experience in hosting scalable SaaS applications.

is an -based Managed Service Provider with 20+ years of experience in hosting scalable SaaS applications. Uffizzi is an open-source full-stack preview engine that provides on-demand cloud environments powered by Kubernetes and configured with Docker Compose.

is an open-source full-stack preview engine that provides on-demand cloud environments powered by Kubernetes and configured with Docker Compose. VNET Group , a leading carrier- and cloud-neutral Internet data center services provider in China , provides hosting and related services, including IDC services, cloud services, and business VPN services.

, a leading carrier- and cloud-neutral Internet data center services provider in , provides hosting and related services, including IDC services, cloud services, and business VPN services. Webera has the vision to help innovators build their own platforms by providing DevOps services breaking down silos, improving workflows, and using cloud-native technologies. See what happens when technology gets out of the way.

has the vision to help innovators build their own platforms by providing DevOps services breaking down silos, improving workflows, and using cloud-native technologies. See what happens when technology gets out of the way. Whitestack is delivering unprecedented value to the IT and Telecom industries, changing the existing paradigms by deploying open-source solutions that help Data Centers, Telcos and Corporations to implement hyper-scalable clouds, for mission-critical workloads.

is delivering unprecedented value to the IT and Telecom industries, changing the existing paradigms by deploying open-source solutions that help Data Centers, Telcos and Corporations to implement hyper-scalable clouds, for mission-critical workloads. Wowjoy Technology is dedicated to providing healthcare digital platform construction and data services to governments and medical institutions. All products and applications are developed and served upon cloud native architecture.

is dedicated to providing healthcare digital platform construction and data services to governments and medical institutions. All products and applications are developed and served upon cloud native architecture. Zoi is a cloud-native IT consulting company that bridges the gap between hidden champions and the latest cloud technology - born in "THE LAND", made in the Cloud.

About the newest End User Members:

Bancolombia : Colombian financial group with 147 years of history that provides financial and non-financial services to more than 20 million clients in Colombia , Panama , El Salvador and Guatemala .

: Colombian financial group with 147 years of history that provides financial and non-financial services to more than 20 million clients in , , and . BMO Financial Group is a highly diversified financial services provider - North America's 8th largest bank by assets, providing a broad range of personal and commercial banking, wealth management and investment banking products and services to more than 12 million customers globally.

is a highly diversified financial services provider - 8th largest bank by assets, providing a broad range of personal and commercial banking, wealth management and investment banking products and services to more than 12 million customers globally. Fannie Mae advances equitable and sustainable access to homeownership and quality, affordable rental housing for millions of people across America.

advances equitable and sustainable access to homeownership and quality, affordable rental housing for millions of people across America. Lockheed Martin Corporation , headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland , is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 114,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products, and services.

, headquartered in , is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 114,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products, and services. LSEG : Your trusted global financial markets infrastructure and data provider.

: Your trusted global financial markets infrastructure and data provider. ZenHub helps scaling teams get ship done, with enhanced visibility for software projects, automated agile experiences, and real-team productivity insights.

About the newest End User Supporters:

BitMEX , founded in 2014, is one of the world's leading cryptocurrency derivatives exchanges with a fully verified user base and the creator of the Perpetual Swap.

, founded in 2014, is one of the world's leading cryptocurrency derivatives exchanges with a fully verified user base and the creator of the Perpetual Swap. FATMAP is the leading app for the mountains, featuring thousands of routes and guidebooks, professional terrain tools, national TOPO maps (including a 3D IGN map), and downloadable maps for offline use - it's everything you need for your next adventure.

is the leading app for the mountains, featuring thousands of routes and guidebooks, professional terrain tools, national TOPO maps (including a 3D IGN map), and downloadable maps for offline use - it's everything you need for your next adventure. MasterClass 's mission is to unlock human potential by inspiring a learning lifestyle in everyone.

's mission is to unlock human potential by inspiring a learning lifestyle in everyone. TomTom is a geolocation company that provides maps, navigation software, real-time traffic information, and APIs.

is a geolocation company that provides maps, navigation software, real-time traffic information, and APIs. Vermiculus delivers innovative, modern, and high-quality solutions for clearing houses and exchanges all around the world. Leading the way with cloud-based and AI powered microservices.

About the newest Non-Profit Members:

Cispi 's goal is to promote cloud computing and open source in Israel .

's goal is to promote cloud computing and open source in . The Open Compute Project Foundation (OCP) was initiated in 2011 with a mission to apply the benefits of open source collaboration to hardware and rapidly increase the pace of innovation in, near and around the data center's networking equipment, general purpose and GPU servers, storage devices and appliances, and scalable rack designs, and now being applied to advance the telecom industry & EDGE infrastructure.

Additional Resources

About Cloud Native Computing Foundation

Cloud native computing empowers organizations to build and run scalable applications with an open source software stack in public, private, and hybrid clouds. The Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) hosts critical components of the global technology infrastructure, including Kubernetes, Prometheus, and Envoy. CNCF brings together the industry's top developers, end users, and vendors, and runs the largest open source developer conferences in the world. Supported by more than 500 members, including the world's largest cloud computing and software companies, as well as over 200 innovative startups, CNCF is part of the nonprofit Linux Foundation. For more information, please visit www.cncf.io .

The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see our trademark usage page. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.

Media Contact

Jessie Adams-Shore

The Linux Foundation

[email protected]

SOURCE Cloud Native Computing Foundation
NEW YORK, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Alfred, the largest residential technology company in the U.S., announced the strategic acquisition of RKW Residential, a fast-growing property management firm in the Southeastern U.S. and has concurrently raised a strategic financing round led by Rialto Capital with participation from NEA, 166 2nd Financial Services, Holland Management and others.



The acquisition, Alfred's first in the property management space, speeds adoption of Alfred Operating System (AOS), the most advanced residential management platform, to RKW's 30,000 single-family and multi-family rentals in fast-growing cities including Miami, Charlotte and Atlanta. Alfred already serves over 143,000 units across 44 markets in the U.S. and Canada.

"No matter what end of the real estate spectrum you're on  owner, operator or resident  you want more for your money," said Marcela Sapone, Alfred's co-founder and CEO. "More service, more income, more efficiency, more community, and you want it in one seamless experience. By acquiring RKW, we can more deeply deploy technology to learn, innovate and continually elevate the rental experience for all."

Launched in 2014, RKW quickly became one of the fastest-growing property management companies in the U.S. Headquartered in Charlotte, the company's portfolio is 90% Class A units including 2,200 single family rental units, with 40% representing lease-up in core locations. They've won numerous national and regional awards including Multi-Housing News List of Top 25 Management Firms in the U.S. in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

"RKW and Alfred share a people-first philosophy. We are constantly looking for ways to help owners optimize their investments while making our properties exceptional places to live and work," said RKW President Marcie Williams. "Together with Alfred, we'll revolutionize how we approach property management, with a focus on using the latest technology and resident-focused innovation."

The funding which consists of a $50 million initial closing and access to up to an additional $75 million for future acquisitions, was also joined by Greystar Founder and CEO Bob Faith, Grubhub/Seamless Founder Jason Finger, and RKW Co-founder Jay Massirman.

With Alfred's residential management software, AOS, owners and operators have a single stop to support all aspects of residential living including resident management and communication, management of on-site operations and maintenance, payments, and unique community and resident wellness amenities. Solutions include everything from smart package integrations, digital lease signing, utility and energy management, predictive insight into health and maintenance of a building, white glove moving services, vendor and integration management, renewal boosters and resident retention offerings. AOS will continue being available to all Alfred partners.

Today on average, less than 1%* of a property budget is being put towards technology, unlike other innovative industries which invest closer to 10%*, and owners typically must manage disconnected technology options. As a partner, Alfred creates a customized bundle of technologies on top of its core offering to help owners and operators achieve their desired outcomes while eliminating the need to work with multiple technology partners.



Data shows Alfred clients benefit from increased renewal rates, faster lease-up times, above-market rents and below-market vacancies. Alfred members on average extend their lease an extra three months and communities that utilize AOS can increase net operating income up to 10% a year.

RKW is Alfred's fourth acquisition. Previous acquisitions include HOM, a wellness and events platform; Bixby, property management technology essential to developing the AOS platform; and WunWun, an on-demand service platform.

Contact:

Alfred: Britta Mulderrig, [email protected] 203-524-4404

RKW: Eric Kalis, [email protected] 305-794-5123

About Alfred

Founded in 2014 by Marcela Sapone and Jessica Beck, Alfred is the largest and most advanced residential management platform. Since its inception, Alfred has focused on providing a resident-first experience. With an unparalleled knowledge of what residents want and technology that boosts income and efficiency for owners and operators, Alfred provides a single stop that elevates the rental ecosystem for all involved. Named by Fast Company as one of the Top 50 Most Innovative Companies, Alfred's AOS technology drives lower operating costs and higher returns for property owners and operators. Through strategic partnerships with international real-estate owners and operators such as Hines, Related, RXR, Greystar, Invesco, Brookfield and J.P. Morgan. With RKW, Alfred's portfolio now extends to more than 300,000 residents in 44 cities across the U.S. and Canada and has planned expansions in Europe, Israel and Asia. To learn more, visit www.helloalfred.com

About RKW Residential

RKW is an award-winning third-party multifamily property management firm, headquartered in Charlotte with regional offices in Miami, Orlando, Atlanta and Raleigh. With 30,000 single family rentals and multifamily units under management and consulting, RKW has a growing footprint spanning seven states. Built on the foundation of its People First Philosophy, RKW prioritizes client relationships, employee satisfaction, and top-tier customer service for its residents. The firm's principals have extensive experience in multifamily investments and property management including acquisitions/dispositions, developments, lease-ups, stabilized and value-add assets. RKW was formed out of a partnership between Rivergate Companies, a private real estate investment firm, and KW Property Management, one of the largest condo management companies in Florida representing more than 90,000 condo units. RKW appeared on the Multi-Housing News List of Top 25 Management Firms in the U.S. in 2019, 2020 and 2021 and has also received numerous regional and national awards. To learn more, visit www.rkwresidential.com

* IT spend as share of revenue by industry in 2019, Statista Research Department

* McKinsey Report; The High Rise in 2030 (2020)

* Deloitte Insights 2020: Reinventing tech finance: The evolution from IT budgets to technology investments



SOURCE Alfred
ANAHEIM, Calif., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of Natural Products Expo West 2022  which is returning for the first time in person since pre-pandemic 2020  Apex-Brasil, the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, will bring 12 Brazil-based companies to showcase their unique natural home, beauty, and food products at the Brazilian Pavilion at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California (Booth #1747). Each year, Expo West, which is considered the leading trade show in the natural, organic, and healthy products industry, brings together industry executives, buyers, and other professionals, from large multinational retailers and small independent stores alike, to experience new products and trends firsthand.

Data from Organis, the Association for the Promotion of Organics and partner to Apex-Brasil, shows that 46% of consumers would like to find more organic, natural, and healthy products at their favorite stores and supermarkets. What's more, the Organic Trade Association (OTA) found that the organic food and nonfood product sales in the U.S. reached a record high in 2020, totaling $61.9 billion, which was the first time the market surpassed the $60 billion mark, and early estimates for 2021 indicate sales remained strong last year.

Liane Werneck, Industry Project Coordinator from Apex-Brasil's Miami office, said, "At a time when consumers are demanding healthier options, not just in the food they buy but also other products, like sustainable beauty and home products and even organic pet food, Brazil is perfectly poised to capture this market opportunity. We have a strong track record of producing organic products. We look forward to sharing with Expo West attendees  and U.S. consumers in general  the unique products that are part of Brazil's heritage and come naturally from the country's diverse environment."

Due to a range of factors identified in a ResearchAndMarkets.com report, including but not limited to product innovations, the ever-increasing availability of organic products on e-commerce platforms, and the growing number of people interested in leading healthier lifestyles as evidenced by the aforementioned Organis data, the Brazil organic food market is projected to reach $4.4 billion by 2025, with an annual compound growth rate of more than 20% until 2025. Additionally, as the most biologically diverse country in the world, with nearly 43,020 plant species that are currently known and many new species discovered each year, Brazil has put a focus on health offerings derived from native plants and vegetation, making them completely unique and natural.

Through Saturday, March 12, the following Brazilian companies will have a presence at the Brazilian Pavilion during Expo West, with many offering free product samples:

Acre Nuts specializes in Brazilian nuts grown in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. In addition to high calorie and protein content, Acre Nuts' products provide the full daily recommended level of magnesium and high concentrations of vitamin B, vitamin E, zinc, and fiber.

Cafe 3Coracoes is one of Grupo 3Coracoes' flagship coffee brands and the largest coffee distributor in Brazil , controlling 26.5% of the consumer coffee market and directly employing more than 7,000 individuals.

, controlling 26.5% of the consumer coffee market and directly employing more than 7,000 individuals. Jalles Machado exports a wide range of products including industrial and hydrated ethanol, conventional and organic sugar, yeast, hygiene and cleaning products, electricity, and latex. One of their flagship food products is Acucar Cristal Itaja, a white crystallized sugar sold in Brazil and exported around the world in commercial quantities.

and exported around the world in commercial quantities. Litholife focuses on products containing lithothamnion algae, an organic compound with health benefits. Litholife provides its products to domestic and external markets, which are safe for use in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical production, and pet products.

Britvic ebba provides raw materials of tropical, conventional, and organic fruits  such as pulps in different levels of concentration  for the international industrial market. Ebba (or Empresa Brasileira de Bebidas e Alimentos SA) was acquired by Britvic  one of the largest non-alcoholic beverage companies in the world  in 2015.

Petruz Fruit leverages the health benefits of acai to produce a wide range of products, including organic acai pastes, acai ice cream and energy-boosting acai powder. In addition to its retail offerings, Petruz offers acai paste and powder in wholesale quantities for industrial customers.

Triunfo Yerba Mate has the largest organic yerba mate, a Brazilian herbal tea, crop in Brazil . In addition to fresh and roasted yerba mate for wholesale and consumer sale, Triunfo offers powder and liquid yerba mate extract for food, beverage, cosmetic, and medicinal production.

. In addition to fresh and roasted yerba mate for wholesale and consumer sale, Triunfo offers powder and liquid yerba mate extract for food, beverage, cosmetic, and medicinal production. Qualita Brasil creates high-quality mate and tea products. Qualita Brasil uses an innovative agroforestry system to manage native herbs throughout all steps of an automated, low carbon and smokeless production system. Qualita Brasil is certified organic by the USDA.

Usina Monte Alegre is a pioneer in Brazil's sugar manufacturing sector, leading the way in anti-sulfur sugar production to improve product safety and comply with international health regulations. Usina Monte Alegre operates in the retail market under the brand Acucar Alegre.

is a pioneer in sugar manufacturing sector, leading the way in anti-sulfur sugar production to improve product safety and comply with international health regulations. operates in the retail market under the brand Acucar Alegre. Sylvestre Natural Ingredients develops, produces, and markets natural ingredients and solutions in a sustainable way for the food and beverage, nutrition and health and pet food sectors, with Brazilian ingredients like teas and spices, superfruits, botanical extracts, oils, milks, and more.

Raizes do Campo is a health food company with products including but not limited to specialty chocolates, fruit juices, rice, and more.

is a health food company with products including but not limited to specialty chocolates, fruit juices, rice, and more. Horta da Terra makes healthy, natural products from plants found only in the Brazilian Amazon. The products are freeze-dried and powdered, while still retaining the unique functional, medicinal and nutritional properties, and can be used in a variety of recipes for food and drinks, creative and innovative cuisine, including supplements and functional food.

The Brazilian companies attending Expo West 2022 represent some of the healthiest native products the country has to offer, with a specific focus on food and beverage. Apex-Brasil considers food and beverage as a key priority sector, and is focused on developing new business relationships to increase Brazilian food and beverage exports around the world. To learn more about Apex-Brasil's trade sector projects, visit: http://www.apexbrasil.com.br/en/trade-sectors.

About Apex-Brasil

The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) works to promote Brazilian products and services abroad, and to attract foreign investment to strategic sectors of the Brazilian economy. Apex-Brasil organizes several initiatives aiming to promote Brazilian exports abroad. The Agency's efforts comprise trade and prospective missions, business rounds, support for the participation of Brazilian companies in major international trade fairs, arrangement of technical visits of foreign buyers and opinion makers to learn about the Brazilian productive structure, and other select activities designed to strengthen the country's branding abroad. Apex-Brasil also plays a leading role in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) to Brazil, by working to identify business opportunities, promoting strategic events and lending support to foreign investors willing to allocate resources in Brazil. Apex-Brasil is an agency linked to the Brazilian Foreign Ministry (Itamaraty).

Apex-Brasil has two offices in the United States, in Miami, FL and San Francisco, CA, covering North America.

Media Contact

Savanna Fuller

Ruder Finn  PR on behalf of Apex-Brasil in the U.S.

[email protected]

+1-808-317-8758

SOURCE Apex-Brasil
"Adam is the right person to lead AvaSure and advance its mission," said Playford. "He is an innovator with a strong technology background and a thorough understanding of the healthcare industry."

A proven leader in healthcare technology for more than 15 years, McMullin most recently served as CEO at FDS, Inc., a leading provider of pharmacy software solutions. Prior to that, he was CEO at Voalte, a provider of clinical communications technology for healthcare systems. McMullin was also a senior executive at Hillrom, where he delivered innovative solutions to support clinical workflows and improve patient safety. He began his career at IBM, working in consulting, strategy, marketing and sales.

This transition comes at a time of growth with AvaSure's inpatient monitoring solutions now installed in more than 900 hospitals throughout the United States and Canada, including the ten largest U.S. health systems. The company is poised to more than double revenue from pre-pandemic levels. Along with customer growth, AvaSure's comparative database of video monitoring metrics, ORNA, just celebrated its one-millionth patient monitored.

"I am energized to be joining the AvaSure team," said McMullin. "AvaSure's laser focus on helping health systems operate more efficiently and improving the outcomes of their patients has enabled the organization to deliver exponential growth since its inception and work with the most successful and effective health systems across the United States and Canada. The company's success in addressing the drastic staffing shortages facing healthcare systems has attracted investment from the likes of Goldman Sachs and Heritage Group. The pandemic has only accelerated the need for AvaSure's solutions, and AvaSure continues to position itself as a leader in technology that continually supports patient care and safety, with outcomes unmatched by others in the industry."

About AvaSure

As the pioneer and market leader in virtual patient monitoring, AvaSure has helped hundreds of hospitals and health systems large and small create safer environments for patients, families and caregivers. A large and growing body of clinical evidence proves that by optimizing workforce efficiencies and reducing adverse events, AvaSure consistently improves its customers' key performance indicators. For more go to avasure.com.

Contact:

Angela Klinske

Phone: 616.560.4726

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE AvaSure
"As a leader in the travel industry with a commitment to inclusion and passion for discovering destinations around the world, Beth is an ideal Godmother for our newest ship," said Carol Cabezas, President of Azamara. "We are inspired by Beth's ambition to shape the future of travel, and our decision to name her as our Godmother reaffirms Azamara's commitment to innovative and immersive cruising experiences. We look forward to the many ways in which Beth can deepen our connection with women and destinations around the globe as we continue to grow as an independent cruise line."

While living abroad in Sao Tome and Principe, Santos began Wanderful in 2009 as a travel blog, aiming to capture the diverse and shared experiences of women traveling the world. More than a decade later, Wanderful now connects over 45,000 women travelers through local events in more than 50 cities worldwide, group trips, and its online social network. Both the brand and Santos herself continually advocate for equity and inclusion in the travel industry, a mission that Azamara aims to support and uplift through this relationship with Santos. In addition to founding Wanderful, Santos created the Women in Travel Summit in 2014, the premier event for women and gender diverse travel creators, entrepreneurs, and industry which is now hosted annually on two continents. Santos also started the Bessie Awards, which honor women of impact in the travel industry, and Wanderfest, the first major outdoor travel festival by and for women.

Having first cruised at the age of two with her family, Santos appreciates that cruising has a unique ability to bring people together. As a Portuguese American, Santos is especially excited about Azamara's 16-Night Portuguese Pursuit Voyage, which begins in Lisbon and ends in one of Santos' favorite cities in the world, Rio De Janeiro, allowing travelers to explore many destinations that have been influenced by the Portuguese people and culture.

"I am honored to be chosen as the Godmother of Azamara Onward," said Beth Santos. "I believe travel is about challenging your preconceptions, trying new things, and taking the time to immerse yourself in a destination. I love that Azamara is encouraging travelers to do this through thoughtfully curated itineraries, intimate-size ships, and overnight stays, creating moments for us to look deeper into the world around us."

Santos will christen Azamara Onward in Monte Carlo on the evening of May 2, the first day of the ship's maiden voyage. Ship christening is a longstanding naval tradition dating back thousands of years, and in keeping with maritime tradition, Santos will christen the ship with champagne as a part of the official naming ceremony. Guests will be a part of this historic sailing followed by an 11-night itinerary stopping in iconic Italian cities such as Florence, Rome, Amalfi, and concluding with an overnight stay in the romantic floating city of Venice.

About Azamara:

Azamara is an upmarket cruise line and leader in Destination Immersion experiences. With a fleet of four intimate-style ships, Azamara Quest, Azamara Pursuit, Azamara Journey and its newest ship, Azamara Onward, the cruise line allows travelers to reach marquee ports around the world and dock in smaller, hidden gem destinations. Azamara aims to Change the Way You Sea, through its commitment to creating immersive experiences for guests through longer stays, more overnights and night touring for a deeper and more meaningful travel experience. Guests can experience an intimate hotel at sea with inclusive amenities such as gratuities, select beverages, exclusive cultural events and more. For more information visit www.azamara.com .

SOURCE Azamara
Priya believes that introduction to STEM at an early age is very important to make our kids "Future Ready". "As a mom of two young and energetic boys, I know that every kid is unique in their own way," Priya shared. "I believe in the phrase, 'the learning needs and techniques for every child is different,' and that is why I aim to creatively accommodate kids from a vast variety of backgounds and capabilities when they step into our Code Ninjas."

The PA Stem Ambassador program aims to shape the future of STEM education in the commonwealth by targeting vital policy conversations to legislative leadership in the areas of STEM Learning ecosystems, computer science, state and federal policy for formal and informal education, and workforce needs.

PA STEM Ambassadors met for an inaugural training session on February 28, 2022 at the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) to receive advocacy training from state and national leaders in the field. Representing leaders and emerging leaders in corporate, PreK-12 and higher education, and afterschool programs from 15 counties, PA STEM Ambassadors have agreed to invest 10 months in training and policy development to share expertise and content knowledge with influential stakeholders to help develop a stronger voice in shaping STEM education policy issues.

Code Ninjas turns STEM education into something kids thoroughly enjoying and are excited about, while learning something so valuable in the process. Priya is using the insight that has come from the Code Ninjas center she runs to bring unique perspective and passion to the group of PA STEM Ambassadors.

"We provide a space for kids to learn something that interests them in an environment that encourages them to come out of their shell and truly have fun," Priya explained. "We offer kids the opportunity to explore their interests in technology, and develop not just coding skills but social skills as well. I am excited to work with the other ambassadors to influence the way more kids are going to get to learn from and benefit from STEM education."

PSAYDN collaborated with the Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC), the national STEM Education Coalition, the Afterschool Alliance, 2018 National STEM Ambassador Jeff Remington and staff from the Pennsylvania Department of Education and Pennsylvania Department of Labor to provide training support to the ambassadors. This year, STEM Ambassadors will have an option of a leadership track as well.

ABOUT CODE NINJAS :

Founded in 2016, Code Ninjas is the world's largest and fastest-growing kids coding franchise. In hundreds of Code Ninjas centers, kids ages 7-14 have fun building video games while gaining life-changing skills in coding, robotics, and problem solving. Code Ninjas offers a robust, game-based curriculum made up of nine belts, just like martial arts. The courses are self-paced, but not self-taught; kids get immediate help and encouragement from Code Senseis (teachers) and fellow students as they advance from white to black belt. The program keeps kids motivated with little wins along the way, and "Belt-Up" celebrations where they receive color-coded wristbands to mark their graduation to the next level. By the time a child finishes the program, they will publish their own app, available to the public on an app store.

ABOUT PSAYDN :

Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network (PSAYDN) promotes sustainable, high-quality out-of-school time youth development programs through advocacy and capacity building to enhance the welfare of Pennsylvania's children, youth and families. PSAYDN believes all children and youth deserve access to programs that encourage positive youth development and support the successful transition to adulthood. PSAYDN is managed by the Center for Schools and Communities. More information is available at www.PSAYDN.org.

Media contact: Bailey Feldman, Fishman PR, [email protected] or (847) 945-1300 ext. 267; For PA STEM Ambassador Program inquiries, please contact [email protected] or call (717) 763-1661

SOURCE Code Ninjas
SPRINGFIELD, Mo., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --Through partners across Europe and teams on the ground, Convoy of Hope is providing shelter, food, water, hygiene kits and other necessities to Ukrainian refugees in Poland and other strategic locations. More than 1.7 million Ukrainians have fled to bordering countries after war broke out more than a week ago; the number of displaced persons could reach 5 million, according to the United Nations.

Convoy of Hope is providing shelter, food, water, hygiene kits and other necessities to Ukrainian refugees. Tweet this Courtesy: Convoy of Hope

"The scenes of Ukrainians seeking shelter and refuge from the war are truly heartbreaking," said Convoy of Hope President Hal Donaldson. "Convoy is now calling on its vast experience from disaster responses to bring much-needed help and hope to people fleeing the violence."

A team from Convoy of Hope headquarters arrived in Poland last Wednesday to facilitate the distribution of much-needed aid. Since that time, Convoy has procured a warehouse in which to store incoming supplies and organize a full-scale response.

"We've seen thousands and thousands of people pulling bags, looking for shelter for tonight. There are lots of women and children; the kids look dazed and exhaustedthey cry easily," said Jess Heugel, of Convoy of Hope. "Parents spend lots of time holding and comforting their kids. One boy fell asleep under his dad's chair as we spoke to his father."

One refugee, Valia, spoke to a member of Convoy's team in Poland. She fled the Ukraine with her 18-month-old grandson, leaving behind her husband, daughter, and other family members who stayed behind to fight, or support those who were.

"It's hard for people to decide if they should stay if there's a bombing and hear the shooting, or move here and have your family still behind; your heart is broken," she said. "When we were leaving, my daughter and I just grabbed one of everything: jeans, sweater, a coat, baby formula, diapers. We can skip food for one, two, or three days, but our babies need enough food to get through day by day. When we crossed, we came here. Here the volunteers are helping us and love us. We are safe, we are warm, and I am so grateful to God that volunteers dedicate their time and open their hearts. It's wonderful."

Many fleeing from Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, have traveled five days to reach the border. Under normal circumstances, the trip would take less than one day. However, traffic jams, fuel shortages, and damage to roads have made the journey out of the war zone much more difficult. As the war continues to displace women, children and elderly individuals, Convoy of Hope is hard at work to bring emergency relief.

For B-roll, photo assets and interview requests, contact [email protected].

To support this response and others like it, visit www.convoyofhope.org.

About Convoy of Hope

Convoy of Hope is a faith-based organization with a driving passion to feed the world. With a long history as an early responder in times of natural disasters, Convoy of Hope has been a Four Star Charity as recognized by Charity Navigator since 2002. Convoy of Hope has served more than 193 million people since it was founded in 1994. For more information, please visit convoyofhope.org .

Contact:

Ethan Forhetz

Vice President of Public Engagement & National Spokesperson

(417) 848-8123

[email protected]

SOURCE Convoy of Hope
CALGARY, AB, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Canadian Pacific (TSX: CP) (NYSE: CP) Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer Nadeem Velani will address the J.P. Morgan Industrials Conference on March 15, 2022, at 8 a.m. ET.

CP will provide access to the live audio webcast at investor.cpr.ca. Replays will also be available following the conclusion of the event.

About Canadian Pacific

Canadian Pacific is a transcontinental railway in Canada and the United States with direct links to major ports on the west and east coasts. CP provides North American customers a competitive rail service with access to key markets in every corner of the globe. CP is growing with its customers, offering a suite of freight transportation services, logistics solutions and supply chain expertise. Visit cpr.ca to see the rail advantages of CP. CP-IR

SOURCE Canadian Pacific
NEW YORK, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the data center liquid cooling industry analysis by Persistence Market Research, demand registered in the market is set to surge at a high CAGR of 25.8% from 2022 to 2032. Rising demand for green data centers is one of the major factors driving market growth. The green data center initiative is majorly focused on managing the rising energy costs of data center infrastructure and helps reduce their carbon footprint.

Increasing Internet penetration, growing emphasis on digitization, and rising migration of cloud-based services have led to an increase in IT workloads across the globe, which has eventually increased rack power densities. Data center liquid cooling technology provides better efficiency for high rack densities as compared to air-based cooling systems. In comparison with traditional data center air cooling technology, liquid cooling provides benefits such as higher energy efficiency, lower total cost of ownership, smaller footprint, and enhanced server reliability.

Request for sample copy of report: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/13330

This is a rapidly developing market with frequent developments, such as:

 In September 2021, CoolIT Systems Inc., a world leader in modular, scalable data center liquid cooling technology, announced a joint product launch with GIGABYTE Technology, an industry leader in high-performance servers & workstations.

 In February 2020, STULZ GMBH expanded its business in the Oceania region - Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa, and other Pacific islands. This expansion further strengthened its position as a technology leader, providing resilient and energy-efficient cooling solutions & services for mission-critical applications.

Key Takeaways from Market Study

By cooling type, cold plates are anticipated to account for a leading market share of 33.1%. However, direct liquid cooling (DLC) is estimated to expand at a robust CAGR of 32.1% during 2022-2032.

On the basis of industry, the telecom and IT sector is expected to dominate the market and exhibit the highest CAGR of 30.7% during the forecast period.

Large data centers (more than 5,000 sq. feet) hold the highest market of 56.9%.

North America is projected to lead the global market, closely followed by Europe , in 2022. South Asia & Pacific is anticipated to emerge as the fastest-growing regional market through 2032.

is projected to lead the global market, closely followed by , in 2022. & Pacific is anticipated to emerge as the fastest-growing regional market through 2032. The India data center liquid cooling market is projected to progress at a CAGR of 30.9% through 2032.

data center liquid cooling market is projected to progress at a CAGR of 30.9% through 2032. Across GCC countries, sales are expected to increase at a CAGR of 20.7% over the next ten years.

Get customized report as per requirement: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/request-customization/13330

"Data center liquid cooling technology helps create unprecedented opportunities for data centers. Two-phase liquid immersion cooling (2PLIC) is the latest evolution in data center cooling tech, which is engineered for higher boiling points, without any residue, prevents fluid degeneration, and does not need a pump," says a Persistence Market Research analyst.

Growing Demand for Reducing Energy & Water Usage Driving Demand for Data Center Liquid Cooling Products

Data center liquid cooling is most often viewed as a technical solution for high-density and high-performance computing applications. Reduction in energy consumption across all geographies, deployment in space-constrained and harsh environments, and reduction in water usage are few of the major factors expected to drive adoption of data center liquid cooling across the IT industry.

With increasing business operations relying on data centers, there has been a rise in the demand for efficient solutions for data center cooling. Water scarcity has always been a pressing concern across the globe. Facilities that are located in humid or warm areas tend to consume more water for cooling, which leads to higher cooling expenses.

Companies need to reconsider their water consumption capacities for data centers. Data center liquid cooling happens to be a water-saving alternative for the same, thereby driving market growth.

Get access of full report: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/checkout/13330

More Valuable Insights on Offer

Persistence Market Research's report on the data center liquid cooling industry is segmented into six major sections  cooling type (cold plates, direct liquid cooling (DLC), (immersion, (single-phase immersion cooling and two-phase immersion cooling), chilled water cooling, indirect liquid cooling, (top-of-row cooling and in-row cooling), and rack liquid cooling))), industry (telecom and IT, BFSI, government and defense, research and academia, energy, healthcare, and others), data center size (small and medium-sized data centers (500 sq. feet to 5,000 sq. feet) and large data centers (more than 5,000 sq. feet), end user (cloud providers, colocation providers, enterprise data centers, and hyperscale data centers), service (consultation services, installation and deployment services, and maintenance and support services), and region (North America, Latin America, Europe, East Asia, South Asia & Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa), to help readers understand and evaluate the lucrative opportunities in the market.

Related Reports:

Datacenters Market: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/datacenters-market.asp

Mobile/Micro Data Center Market: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/mobile-micro-data-center-market.asp

Data Center RFID Market: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/data-center-rfid-market.asp

Data Center Optimization Service Market: https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/data-center-optimization-service-market.asp

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Persistence Market Research (PMR), as a 3rd-party research organization, does operate through an exclusive amalgamation of market research and data analytics for helping businesses ride high, irrespective of the turbulence faced on the account of financial/natural crunches.

Overview:

Persistence Market Research is always way ahead of its time. In other words, it tables market solutions by stepping into the companies'/clients' shoes much before they themselves have a sneak pick into the market. The pro-active approach followed by experts at Persistence Market Research helps companies/clients lay their hands on techno-commercial insights beforehand, so that the subsequent course of action could be simplified on their part.

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SOURCE Persistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd.
In the face of profound changes unseen in a century, China on Monday called on countries in the world to stay committed to ceasing conflicts through negotiation, resolving disputes through dialogue, and increasing mutual trust through cooperation. The message was delivered by Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at a press conference on the sidelines of the country's ongoing annual "two sessions." "The right way forward lies in greater solidarity and cooperation under the banner of multilateralism and joint efforts to build a community with a shared future for mankind," said Wang. MAJOR-COUNTRY RELATIONS Responding to China's relationship with Russia, Wang said the two countries will maintain strategic focus and keep deepening China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. He noted that the China-Russia relationship is grounded in a clear logic of history and driven by strong internal dynamics, and the friendship between the Chinese and Russian peoples is rock-solid. On the China-U.S. ties, Wang said the two countries must replace the "competitive-collaborative-adversarial" trichotomy with the three principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation. "Competition between major countries should not be the order of the day and zero-sum game is not the right choice," he said. Noting that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the "Shanghai Communique," Wang said China and the United States need to re-embrace the conviction that helped the two countries break the ice five decades ago, and set out on a new journey. However, the United States is still going to great lengths to engage in intense, zero-sum competition with China, keeps provoking China on issues concerning China's core interests, and is taking a string of actions to piece together small blocs to suppress China, which not only harm the overall bilateral relations, but also undermine international peace and stability, Wang noted. Slamming the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy, Wang said its real goal is to establish an Indo-Pacific version of NATO, and the strategy seeks to maintain the U.S.-led system of hegemony, undermine the ASEAN-centered regional cooperation architecture, and compromise the overall and long-term interests of countries in the region. Lauding China-Europe fruitful cooperation last year, Wang said dialogue and cooperation between China and Europe on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit will add more stabilizing factors to an unstable world. Noting that China-Europe cooperation is rooted in solid public support, extensive common interests, and similar strategic needs, Wang said no force can reverse the cooperation. COOPERATION IN YEAR OF CHALLENGE For the world, the year ahead continues to be full of challenges. At such a critical moment, countries need solidarity, not division; dialogue, not confrontation, Wang told the press conference in his opening remarks. China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have established a model of the most dynamic and promising regional cooperation over the past three decades, Wang said. "China and ASEAN must be forerunners in international cooperation against COVID-19, pacesetters in regional cooperation, and defenders of stability in the Asia-Pacific region," he said. On China-Africa cooperation, Wang said China honors its commitment to cooperation with African countries and never makes empty promises. Over the years, China has built over 10,000 km of railways, up to 100,000 km of highways, nearly 100 ports, and innumerable hospitals and schools in Africa, according to Wang. "These are not 'debt traps,' but monuments of cooperation." Wang hailed the cooperation between China and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region, saying that LAC is a region of promise and vitality and is not the backyard of anyone. "What the people in this region need is fairness, justice and mutually beneficial cooperation, not power politics, hegemony or bullying," Wang said, adding that China will continue to deepen friendship, expand cooperation and work with LAC friends for a China-LAC community with a shared future. The joint construction of the Belt and Road has maintained a sound momentum despite shocks from factors including the COVID-19 pandemic, Wang said, noting that since last year, 10 more countries have signed Belt and Road cooperation documents with China, bringing the Belt and Road family to 180 members. China will work with the international community to continue advancing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, making the initiative a "belt of development" to the benefit of the world and a "road to happiness" for people of all countries, he added. UKRAINE & OTHER ISSUES Calmness and rationality, instead of moves that pour oil on the flame and escalate tensions, are needed to resolve complex problems, Wang said while elaborating on China's position on resolving the Ukraine crisis. The foreign minister put forth a six-point initiative on preventing a large-scale humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, including ensuring humanitarian operations abide by the principle of neutrality and impartiality, giving full attention to the displaced people in and from Ukraine, and supporting UN's coordinating role in channeling humanitarian aid and the work of the UN crisis coordinator for Ukraine. China is willing to continue playing a constructive role in facilitating dialogue for peace, and work alongside the international community to carry out necessary mediation, he said. Wang also answered questions regarding China's stance on other issues, including the situation in the Middle East, the Afghanistan issue, and the Korean Peninsula issue. On the Afghanistan issue, the immediate priorities are to race against time to provide humanitarian aid, Wang said, urging the United States to immediately lift the freeze on Afghanistan's assets in the United States and various unilateral sanctions. China is preparing for the third foreign ministers meeting among the neighboring countries of Afghanistan, and is willing to contribute to the durable stability and security of Afghanistan, he said. Stressing the root cause for the Korean Peninsula issue is that the external security threats facing the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) have remained unaddressed and its legitimate security concerns unresolved for too long, Wang reiterated China's commitment to continuing to play a constructive role in helping promote political settlement of the issue. "We have noticed that the U.S. side has recently stated that it has no hostile intent toward the DPRK and is willing to solve the issue through diplomatic means, which is worthy of affirmation," Wang said.


BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday highlighted the need to run the military in accordance with the law, issuing his call during a plenary meeting of national lawmakers from the armed forces at the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature.

At the meeting, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), noted that strengthening the army should follow the rule of law. He also urged efforts to improve foreign-related laws and regulations in the military field to better safeguard China's national interests.

Over the years, Xi always found time to sit with military deputies at the annual legislative session to hear their views and make further plans to strengthen national defense.

A review of Xi's remarks on such occasions illustrates his focus on military issues.

BUILDING MILITARY STRENGTH

During a meeting with NPC deputies from the military in 2013, Xi put forward the goal of building strong armed forces under new conditions, saying that the people's armed forces should obey the Party's command, be able to fight and win, and maintain excellent conduct.

To achieve this goal, Xi ordered the Chinese armed forces to uphold the absolute leadership of the Party, deepen reforms, boost innovation in technology, cultivate high-quality and professional military personnel, and strengthen combat readiness.

In 2018, Xi told the military deputies that the troops should strengthen their training and be ready to fight at any time, adding that "combat readiness never comes from leisure hours."

Following Xi's orders, the Chinese military has placed great emphasis on combat effectiveness, improved its command systems and capacity for joint operations, and strengthened training under combat conditions.

According to a three-step development strategy for modernizing China's national defense and armed forces, the centenary objectives of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) should be achieved by 2027, the modernization of national defense and the armed forces should be basically completed by 2035, and China's armed forces will be fully transformed into world-class forces by the mid-21st century.

CARING FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL

Not only has Xi emphasized military building at NPC annual sessions, but he has also taken the opportunity to express his concern for soldiers and officers, especially those working in remote areas or under dangerous conditions.

During the NPC session in 2013, Xi met with a deputy from a border security troop in Tibet and asked about working and living conditions of the border guards, inquiring whether they had sufficient oxygen supplies.

In 2015, Xi told a military engineer responsible for the disposal of scrapped ammunition to be cautious while working and stay healthy.

In 2017, Xi received a deputy who spent three decades in the desert conducting military research, and praised his dedication.

"Military personnel are the most admirable people; we shall not make the heroes suffer from both injury and misery," Xi said.

Following Xi's guidance, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs was established to better settle affairs related to veterans, as well as the injured, sick or disabled military personnel.

In Xi's words, these efforts are intended to "make military service an occupation that enjoys public respect."

DEFENSIVE IN NATURE

China pursues a national defense policy that is defensive in nature, as described in the National Defense Law.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the country has never started any war or conflict, and China has voluntarily downsized its armed forces by over 4 million troops, starting from the late 1970s.

Xi has stressed on several occasions that China has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, a defender of the international order and a provider of public goods.

The distinctive feature of China's national defense in the new era is that it never seeks hegemony, expansion or spheres of influence.

The Chinese military has actively engaged in peacekeeping, maritime escort, and humanitarian relief, providing increasing public security products.

In accordance with UN Security Council resolutions, the PLA Navy has provided protection to over 7,000 Chinese and foreign ships in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off the coast of Somalia since 2008.

"The Chinese armed forces will always be a staunch force in keeping world peace," Xi said. 
TSX.V: DME

U.S. OTC: DMEHF

Frankfurt: QM01

VANCOUVER, BC, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - DESERT MOUNTAIN ENERGY CORP. (the "Company") (TSX.V: DME) (U.S. OTC: DMEHF) (Frankfurt: QM01) From the President of the Company.

The Company is pleased to announce that they have been chosen as the recipient of "Best Helium Exploration and Development Company  North America" by the Canadian Business Awards 2022. For the past six years, the Canadian Business Awards honours pioneering industries and businesses that have contributed to the Canadian economy while celebrating those who have pushed the envelope in innovation and have evolved with new technology.

"Desert Mountain Energy Corp. is honoured to be recognized for our hard work and innovation in the helium industry. Our team of extremely talented and hard-working experts has helped move this company forward to become a leader," says Robert Rohlfing, CEO of Desert Mountain Energy Corp. "With our continued efforts, DME will continue to work hard so we can provide helium, a critical gas in the medical and high-tech industries, to those who need it during a perilous shortage."

Desert Mountain Energy Corp. is also pleased to announce that they have spudded Well #7 (3-1) in the McCauley Helium Field this morning and will announce total depth when achieved.

ABOUT DESERT MOUNTAIN ENERGY

Desert Mountain Energy Corp. is a publicly traded resource company primarily focused on exploration, development and production of helium, hydrogen and noble gases. The Company is primarily looking for elements deemed critical to the renewable energy and high technology industries.

We seek safe harbor

"Robert Rohlfing"

Robert Rohlfing

Exec Chairman & CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in polices of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The statements made in this press release may contain certain forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ from the Company's expectations.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward looking statements and information herein include but are not limited to statements regarding the Company's anticipated performance in the future the planned exploration activities, receipt of positive results from drilling, the completion of further drilling and exploration work, and the timing and results of various activities.

Forward-looking statements or information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company and its operations to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such statements. Such factors include, among others, changes in national and local governments, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments in Canada and the United States; financial risks due to helium prices, operating or technical difficulties in exploration and development activities; risks and hazards and the speculative nature of resource exploration and related development; risks in obtaining necessary licenses and permits, and challenges to the Company's title to properties.

Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable, including but not limited to the continued operation of the Company's exploration operations, no material adverse change in the market price of commodities, and such other assumptions and factors as set out herein. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or information, there may be other factors that cause results to be materially different from those anticipated, described, estimated, assessed or intended. There can be no assurance that any forward-looking statements or information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements or information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. The Company does not intend to, and nor does not assume any obligation to update such forward-looking statements or information, other than as required by applicable law.

SOURCE Desert Mountain Energy Corp.
SEATTLE, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- DHL Express and Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced that the world-leading express service provider has placed an order for six additional 777 Freighters. The purchase takes DHL Express' order book total to 28 777 Freighters since it placed its first direct order in 2018 for today's largest and most capable twin-engine freighter.

"With the order of six new, large widebody freighter aircraft, we continue to invest in our future and further enhance the capability and reach of our global air network. The Boeing 777 Freighter is the most fuel-efficient aircraft in its class and will connect DHL's global hubs in Cincinnati, Leipzig and Hong Kong as well as serving other key markets," said Geoff Kehr, senior vice president, Global Air Fleet Management, DHL Express. "We are committed to providing the highest quality and efficient services to our customers while at the same time lowering our carbon emissions by modernizing our fleet with the most efficient aircraft type available. The new aircraft will significantly contribute to our aspiration to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to under 29 million tons by 2030."

The 777 Freighter improves fuel efficiency and reduces CO 2 emissions by 17% compared to legacy airplanes. DHL Express has taken delivery of 15 777 Freighters to date.

"DHL Express' continued confidence in the 777 Freighter is testament to the airplane's outstanding capabilities in supporting global cargo demand," said Ihssane Mounir, Boeing's senior vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing. "The 777 Freighter's unmatched operating efficiency is enabling DHL to meet its sustainability commitments by reducing carbon emissions and contributing to its overall goal of net zero emissions by 2050."

The 777 Freighter is Boeing's best-selling freighter of all time. Customers from around the world have ordered more than 300 777 Freighters since the program began in 2005.

About DHL

DHL  The logistics company for the world

DHL is the leading global brand in the logistics industry. DHL's divisions offer an unrivalled portfolio of logistics services ranging from national and international parcel delivery, e-commerce shipping and fulfillment solutions, international express, road, air and ocean transport to industrial supply chain management. With about 400,000 employees in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide, DHL connects people and businesses securely and reliably, enabling global sustainable trade flows. With specialised solutions for growth markets and industries including technology, life sciences and healthcare, engineering, manufacturing & energy, auto-mobility and retail, DHL is decisively positioned as "The logistics company for the world".

DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group. The Group generated revenues of more than 66 billion euros in 2020. With sustainable business practices and a commitment to society and the environment, the Group makes a positive contribution to the world. Deutsche Post DHL Group aims to achieve zero-emissions logistics by 2050.

About Boeing

As a leading global aerospace company, Boeing develops, manufactures and services commercial airplanes, defense products and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. As a top U.S. exporter, the company leverages the talents of a global supplier base to advance economic opportunity, sustainability and community impact. Boeing's diverse team is committed to innovating for the future and living the company's core values of safety, quality and integrity. Learn more at www.boeing.com.

Contact

Jim Proulx

Boeing Media Relations

[email protected]

+1 206 850 2102 (Seattle)

Keelan Morris

Boeing Commercial Airplanes

[email protected]

+44 (0) 7798 828 790 (London)

SOURCE Boeing
The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Camping World Drag Racing Series' traditional east coast season opener takes place this weekend at the historic Gainesville Raceway with Dodge//SRT and Mopar racers excited to get staged for the Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals. Tony Stewart Racing's Matt Hagan and Leah Pruett will seek a first win for their new team aboard their Dodge Power Brokers machines in their respective nitro categories, while both drivers are also looking to collect their first coveted Gatornationals Wally trophies.

Hagan, a three-time NHRA Funny Car World Champion, arrives in Gainesville, Florida, revving to go after powering his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car from the team's first No. 1 qualifier position to their first final round appearance at the Arizona Nationals.

"After spending three weeks on the west coast, we compiled a lot of data out there between one week of testing and two races," said Hagan. "There is a fair amount of altitude in Phoenix, so we'll have to transition to sea level in Florida. It looks like it may be a bit of a rainy weekend, so it will be fast and cool. I'm looking forward to it. Crew chiefs will have some big changes to make as far as compression and other things they do to make our cars run better at sea level."

Hagan's drive for success at one of the fastest tracks on the NHRA circuit is further amplified by the fact that it remains one of the few venues at which he has not yet turned on four consecutive win lights.

"Gainesville is a track that has always eluded me," added Hagan. "I would like to be able to check it off. We are able to set track records if the temperatures and conditions are there, so I feel like we're going into a racetrack where we can really lay down the performance that TSR is making with my Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat."

Also ready to launch her Dodge Power Brokers Top Fuel dragster and the weekend on a positive note is Pruett, who puts an unfortunate pair of first round losses in the rearview mirror. Before setting her sights on going rounds in eliminations on Sunday, she'll stage her 11,000-horsepower dragster for the Pep Boys NHRA Top Fuel All-Star Callout, a thrilling specialty race among eight competitors with a unique format.

"I am probably more excited about the Callout for various reasons than all of my other competitors," said Pruett. "I personally have been having trouble on the tree when it comes to Sunday eliminations. Therefore, us having 'eliminations' on Saturday will give me the opportunity for redemption I've been chewing on for weeks. That will subsequently make for the most extreme competition this team has yet to offer.

"Gainesville Raceway is one of the most historic tracks in the country," Pruett added. "It's relatively low sea level and high barometer make for recipes of fast passes but the humidity factor really tries to smother that extra horsepower. Given our unique weather forecast ahead, this weekend is definitely shaping up to be the ultimate horsepower war."

Pruett is seeded sixth for the first of three shootout rounds set to take place as part of Saturday qualifying. The initial "callouts" will take place prior to the first round of Friday qualifying on March 11 at 5 p.m. Eastern. The quickest first-round winner will have their pick of the remaining semifinal opponents, automatically locking in the other pairing as well. FOX will provide TV coverage of the NHRA Top Fuel All-Star Callout, including live action of the final round, beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, March 12.

In addition to Hagan and Pruett competing in the nitro ranks, aboard the Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat is two-time Funny Car world champion and 1998 Gatornationals winner Cruz Pedregon. With two drives to the winner's circle last year, the Cruz Pedregon Racing team is continuing to perform well with two top-five qualifying efforts and five round wins in the first two of 22 NHRA events this season.

Access the full release here.

DodgeGarage: Digital Hub for Drag Racing News

Fans can follow all the NHRA action this season at DodgeGarage, the one-stop portal for Dodge//SRT and Mopar drag-racing news. The site includes daily updates and access to an online racing HQ, news, events, galleries, available downloads and merchandise. For more information, visit www.dodgegarage.com.

@DodgeMoparMotorsports on Instagram

The @DodgeMoparMotorsports Instagram channel continues to share content capturing Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers on the track. Fans can see action from the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series and NHRA Sportsman grassroots racers, competing in classes such as Factory Stock Showdown, Stock and Super Stock, as well as additional motorsports series.

Dodge//SRT

For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge shifts into high gear with muscle cars and SUVs that deliver unrivaled performance in each of the segments where they compete.

Dodge drives forward as a pure performance brand, offering SRT versions of every model across the lineup. For the 2022 model year, Dodge delivers the drag-strip dominating 807-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock, the 797-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Redeye, the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world, and the Dodge Durango SRT 392, America's fastest, most powerful and most capable three-row SUV. Combined, these three muscle cars make Dodge the industry's most powerful brand, offering more horsepower than any other American brand across its entire lineup.

In 2020, Dodge was named the "#1 Brand in Initial Quality," making it the first domestic brand ever to rank No. 1 in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS). In 2021, Dodge brand ranked No. 1 in the J.D. Power APEAL Study (mass market)  making it the only domestic brand ever to do so two years in a row.

Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.

Mopar

This year marks the 85th anniversary of Mopar.

A simple combination of the words MOtor and PARts, Mopar offers exceptional service, parts and customer-care. Born in 1937 as the name of a line of antifreeze products, Mopar has evolved over nearly 85 years to represent both complete vehicle care and authentic performance for owners and enthusiasts worldwide.

Mopar made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era with performance parts to enhance speed and handling for both on-road and racing use. Later, Mopar expanded to include technical service and customer support, and today integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance customer and dealer support worldwide.

Complete information on Mopar is available at www.mopar.com. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.

Follow Dodge, Mopar and Stellantis news and video on:

Company blog: blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Media website: media.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Dodge brand: www.dodge.com

Mopar brand: www.mopar.com

DodgeGarage: www.dodgegarage.com

Mopar blog: blog.mopar.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/dodge and www.facebook.com/mopar

Instagram: @DodgeMoparMotorsports, @DodgeOfficial and @OfficialMopar

Twitter: @Dodge, @OfficialMopar and @StellantisNA

YouTube: www.youtube.com/dodge, https://www.youtube.com/c/mopar and www.youtube.com/StellantisNA

SOURCE Stellantis
Dealers on Dominion VUE DMS now have more flexibility in check printing. Tweet this

On-demand printing to secure blank stock that will eliminate out-of-sequence check printing

Checks from multiple bank accounts can now be printed from a single printer

Provides the ability to print checks remotely (ex. remote purchases, used car lots, tent sales)

MICR-printing is less expensive than pre-printed checks, and will eliminate obsolete check stock

"We are excited to provide our dealers with another option that helps them streamline and secure their business processes," - Sharon Kitzman, President of Dominion DMS.

This announcement is yet another reason for dealers to reconsider their current DMS relationship and consider what VUE DMS can offer.

To learn more about VUE and future integrations, visit VUEDMS.com .

About VUE DMS:

VUE DMS, a new cloud-native dealer management system solution, gives US-based retail automotive dealers the digital security, flexibility and efficiency to meet today's rapidly changing market. Built on Microsoft Azure Cloud and decades of experience serving dealerships, VUE DMS enables dealers to deliver a superior buying experience, reduce costs and protect their business. Learn more at VUEDMS.com .

About Dominion Dealer Solutions:

Dominion Dealer Solutions prides itself on providing the automotive industry's most innovative technology. Products include the new cloud-native dealer management system solution offering modern digital security, flexibility and efficiency (VUE DMS), inventory management and merchandising (Dealer

Specialties) and vehicle data solutions (DataOne), vehicle registration reporting (Cross-Sell), and AI-powered Customer intel platform for sales and service, (Activator Dealer Solutions). Every OEM and more than 6,000 dealer partners depend on Dominion's foundation of innovation, integrity, excellence and teamwork to deliver outstanding results. For more information, visit our website , like us on Facebook , LinkedIn and Youtube , and follow us on Twitter .

MEDIA RELATIONS:

Scott Smith

Product & Content Marketing Manager

Dominion DMS

[email protected]

C: 518.222.1676

SOURCE VUE DMS
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Durian Projects Group Sdn. Bhd. ("Durian Projects") today announced the official opening of its new office in Kulai, Johor in Malaysia. The office based near the company's durian plantations in Kulai, becomes the plantations operational base and will welcome visiting clients from across Malaysia.

"Our new office in Johor represents a logical next step in our business growth strategy. It strengthens our physical operations in Kulai and becomes a key destination point for all our clients to visit," said Vincent Goh, director of Durian Projects.

Mr. Goh added that "The newly fitted office is in response to growing demand from clients to visit our durian project. We felt a more welcoming area was necessary to accommodate all the interest from individual clients, as well as wholesalers and distributors. Our new office is also in preparation of our future needs, as we expect significantly more interest once the border opening with Singapore eases further."

Durian Projects durian plantations are based in the town of Kulai which is less than an hour's drive from Johor. Mr. Goh stated that Johor was strategically chosen for its durian project because of its agricultural land properties, the city's support and its geographical closeness to Singapore. Singapore is the world's third largest market for durians and largest market for Malaysian durians. Singapore imports more than 20 million kilograms of fresh durian fruit per year, with over 85% coming directly from Malaysia.

About Durian Projects

Durian Projects is a Malaysian company that sustainably produces high quality Malaysian durians for domestic and export consumption. We specialize in growing and marketing Musang King and other high value durian varieties such as Black Thorn and Tupai King. We believe that with rising demand comes great responsibility. A responsibility to protect our environment while we strive for business expansion and profitability.

Sustainable professional managed plantations are the only way to meet rising durian demand overseas. We are doing our part and strive to bring Malaysian durians to the world. We are proud to be at the forefront of the Malaysian durian industry and are positioned to cater to the growing needs of China, Singapore, Hong Kong and the entire region.

For more information, please visit us at: www.durianprojects.com

SOURCE Durian Projects
OAK PARK, Calif., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Once upon a time, realtors could not answer many questions their clients were asking about the demographics, schools, and other facets of a given neighborhood. Today, Dwellics, a proprietary real estate platform designed to help both agents and consumers find their optimal housing location is answering those questions for realtors while helping find the perfect location for their clients.

By using Dwellics as a tool, realtors can change the trajectory of their searches and help their clients meet their housing needs more efficiently. The National Association of Realtors offers training and certification for realtors, as well as some marketing tools. Membership and certification are important, but they don't elevate the real estate shopping process with an individualized system designed for personalized and flexible research. Before putting in an offer on a home, it's essential to learn more about the area. Industry experts recommend that buyers become their own neighborhood detective and learn as much as possible. Visit the area. Learn about the lifestyles of those that live there by reading a local paper or two. It's much easier to learn about an area before you purchase a home.

Buyer demand is the highest in decades and with a shortage of properties for sale in many cities, competition to secure a property has increased five-fold. To meet this demand and help buyers and sellers find their next home, Dwellics has created a proprietary search portal based on personalized data and preferences. Buyers or their agents can input their starting location and requirements into the system and Dwellics will make location-based recommendations based on the data it analyzes. As your neighborhood detective, it's a powerful tool for finding the right location, the right city, and the right neighborhood at the right time.

"Recently relocating from Cook County, Illinois to Montgomery County, Maryland, I was challenged in a very short period of time to find the right place to live," said Stephanie Friedman. "If I would have known about Dwellics, it would have impacted all my decisions, my move, and more. It would have significantly reduced my anxiety about moving and you can be sure that I will be using Dwellics to learn about my new neighborhood and its surroundings."

Media Contact:

Giselle Sitdykova

[email protected]

SOURCE Dwellics
CENTER VALLEY, Pa., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Olympus, a global technology leader in endoscopy, offers a reminder about the importance of screening for colorectal cancer, which may be preventable and treatable when found early.

Anna Dahlgren was diagnosed with colon cancer when she was 33. She is a survivor and now serves as a colorectal cancer awareness advocate.

March marks Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and Olympus encourages people to talk to their doctors about getting screened. The United States Preventive Services Task Force last year lowered the recommended age for colorectal cancer screenings for adults from 50 to 45.1 The Multi-Society Taskforce, which includes the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), announced its full support of the new recommendation.2

Lowering the recommended screening age will allow more people to be screened, especially those among whom colorectal cancer rates are increasing most quickly.

While the overall death rate has continued to drop, deaths from colorectal cancer among those under the age of 55 had increased 1% a year from 2008 through 2017.3 But the American Cancer Society reports there are now more than 1.5 million colorectal cancer survivors in the U.S. thanks, in part, to screenings that allow gastroenterologists to discover and remove polyps before they can become cancerous or cancers being found earlier when they are easier to treat.3

"The importance of colorectal cancer screenings and being aware of your family health history can't be overstated. CRC is preventable with regular, preventative screenings and knowing whether you are at-risk is key to managing your health," said Dr. Yolanda Scarlett, assistant professor of medicine and medical director of the GI Motility Laboratory at the Univ. of North Carolina School of Medicine. "We must also continue to address medical disparities across both racial and geographic lines and highlight the crucial role of primary care physicians, who typically prescribe colorectal cancer screening once a patient is of screening age."

Between 2014-2018, Native Americans and Alaska Natives accounted for 49 cases of colorectal cancer per 100,000 cases and African Americans accounted for nearly 43 cases of colorectal cancer per 100,000 cases, the two highest rates among all groups.2 Between 2015-2019, African Americans accounted for 18 deaths from colorectal cancer per 100,000 cases and Native Americans and Alaska Natives accounted for 17 deaths per 100,000 cases, also the two highest rates among all groups.2

Colorectal cancer impacts both men and women and is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men and women combined behind lung cancer.4 The five-year survival rate is about 90% when the cancer is found at any early stage.2 Considered the most effective screening option for colon cancer, colonoscopy often gives physicians the opportunity to detect and remove precancerous polyps during screening, potentially before they become malignant.

Other colorectal cancer screening tests are also available, including fecal immunochemical test (FIT), which checks for hidden blood in the stool from the lower intestines. Such a test must be done every year, and a colonoscopy will be necessary if the test returns abnormal results.

"The best test to screen for colon cancer is the one someone is able and willing to take," said Ross D. Segan, Chief Medical Officer, Olympus Corporation. "While colonoscopy remains the gold standard, the procedure may not be readily available to everyone. What's most important is preventative screenings in whichever form is best for the individual. Please speak with your healthcare provider to identify your options and find the screening that's best for you."

Olympus understands the importance of colon cancer awareness and as such supports major national colorectal cancer organizations and initiatives as part of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, including:

Colorectal Cancer Alliance  A national campaign to raise awareness about the new screening age recommendation and address health equity.

 A national campaign to raise awareness about the new screening age recommendation and address health equity. Colon Cancer Coalition  National presenting sponsor of "Tour de Tush" and a start/finish line sponsor of "Get Your Rear in Gear."

 National presenting sponsor of "Tour de Tush" and a start/finish line sponsor of "Get Your Rear in Gear." Bradbury Sullivan LGBT Community Center  Funding provides a colorectal cancer awareness campaign aimed at the LGBTQ+ community to raise awareness and address healthcare disparities.

 Funding provides a colorectal cancer awareness campaign aimed at the LGBTQ+ community to raise awareness and address healthcare disparities. Remote Area Medical (RAM)  Funding to implement a colon cancer program in which select RAM pop-up clinics are outfitted with FIT tests to distribute to patients who are at risk.

" Bum Run Toronto " kick butt sponsor.

" kick butt sponsor. Continuing patient education outreach via updates to colonoscopytoday.com and truetolife.com/blog .

Visit the Olympus True to Life blog to read more about Anna Dahlgren's story and her work as a colorectal cancer awareness advocate.

About Olympus

Olympus is passionate about creating customer-driven solutions for the medical, life sciences, and industrial equipment industries. For more than 100 years, Olympus has focused on making people's lives healthier, safer and more fulfilling by helping to detect, prevent, and treat disease; furthering scientific research; and ensuring public safety. Olympus is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, with more than 35,000 employees worldwide in nearly 40 countries and regions.

Olympus Corporation of the Americas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Olympus Corporation, is headquartered in Center Valley, Pennsylvania, USA, and employs more than 5,500 employees throughout locations in North and South America. For more information, visit https://olympusamerica.com .

1 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, "Final Recommendation Statement, Colorectal Cancer: Screening." May 18, 2021. Accessed Feb. 14, 2022. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/colorectal-cancer-screening

2 "GI Societies Support Starting Colorectal Cancer Screening From 45." American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. https://www.asge.org/home/about-asge/newsroom/news-list/2021/05/18/gi-societies-support-starting-crc-screening-from-45. May 18, 2021

3 American Cancer Society, "Cancer A to Z: Key Statistics for Colorectal Cancer" Updated Jan. 12, 2022. Accessed Feb. 14, 2022. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/colon-rectal-cancer/about/key-statistics.html

4 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "An Update on Cancer Deaths in the United States." Updated Feb. 28, 2022. Accessed Feb. 28, 2022 cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/research/update-on-cancer-deaths

SOURCE Olympus
VANCOUVER, BC, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Eat & Beyond Global Holdings Inc. ( CSE: EATS ) ( OTCQB: EATBF ) ( FSE: 988 ) ("Eat & Beyond" or the "Company"), an investment issuer focused on the global plant-based and alternative protein sector, is announcing the appointment of Justin Osborne to the newly created role of Vice-President of Sales.

With over 10 years of consumer packaged goods (CPG) sales and marketing experience, Osborne will work closely with select Eat & Beyond portfolio companies to accelerate their commercial success in the market.

"I am incredibly excited with the opportunity to join Eat & Beyond to help its portfolio companies redefine the future of food," Osborne said. "We are in the midst of an evolution when it comes to how we feed the world and I strongly believe that Eat & Beyond is uniquely positioned to assist its portfolio companies in capitalizing on these opportunities."

Osborne has over 10 years of experience in the consumer packaged goods industry. Most recently he served as head of sales for Vega Canada, overseeing USA Club and international sales. Prior to this, he held progressively senior sales roles at Vega as well as sales and marketing roles at SC Johnson, Pepsico and Pfizer. Osborne holds an MBA with a double major in Strategic Marketing and Management of Innovation & New Technology as well as an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree both from the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University.

"We are delighted to have Mr. Osborne join the Eat & Beyond team," said Eat & Beyond CEO, Michael Aucoin. "He brings a wealth of experience and an in-depth knowledge of both the traditional and emerging retail spaces. His experience at such leading companies as Vega and SC Johnson will dramatically augment the ability of Eat & Beyond to accelerate the revenue momentum of the portfolio companies that we are able to support and work closely with."

Subscribe to updates about Eat & Beyond Global here: https://eatandbeyond.com/contact/

About Eat & Beyond Global Holdings

Eat & Beyond Global Holdings Inc. ("Eat & Beyond") ( CSE: EATS ) ( OTCQB: EATBF ) ( FSE: 988 ) is an investment issuer that makes it easy to invest in the future of food. Eat & Beyond identifies and makes equity investments in global companies that are developing and commercializing innovative food tech as well as plant-based and alternative food products. Led by a team of food industry experts, Eat & Beyond is the first issuer of its kind in Canada, providing retail investors with the unique opportunity to participate in the growth of a broad cross-section of opportunities in the alternative food sector, and access companies that are leading the charge toward a smarter, more secure food supply. Learn more: https://eatandbeyond.com/

Find Eat & Beyond on Social Media on LinkedIn , Instagram , Twitter and Facebook

The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Neither the CSE nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

This news release includes certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. The use of any of the words "expect", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "objective", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe", "plans", "intends" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking information or statements. The forward-looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Company. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements and information because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. Factors that could materially affect such forward-looking information are described in the risk factors in the Prospectus, and the schedules attached thereto, that are available on the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable laws.

SOURCE Eat Beyond Global Holdings Inc.
SAN DIEGO, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ETHOS ASSET MANAGEMENT INC USA , announced a new long-term financing partnership with Ugur Tekstil, a company founded in 1995 that produces for chain stores, department stores, catalogues and well-known European clothing brands.

UGUR TEKSTIL

Carlos Santos, President, and CEO of Ethos, stated,

"We are thrilled to announce our very important deal with Ugur Tekstil, one of the top manufacturers of ready-made garments in Turkey. With a long established successful track record and as one of the most respected companies in the clothing sector, we are proud to welcome Ugur Tekstil to Ethos. We were very impressed with Founder, Mr Hayri Ugur, his passion, drive and ambition having created a company that today has nearly 500 full time and over 6,500 sub-contracted employees, producing one million garments per month starting out with only two employees back in 1995! Ugur Tekstil have demonstrated to the European market that their very short production and delivery lead times puts them ahead of their main competitors. Ethos' investment will support the purchase of new equipment, develop existing and new manufacturing sites to deliver a minimum expected growth rate of 15% per year over the next five years. The investment will generate new job and career opportunities for local people and impact positively on the communities directly served. We continue our growth in Turkey and the region, where we receive new business opportunities steadily every week."

Hayri Ugur, Founder, CEO, Ugur Tekstil, said,

"We are elated to have met and successfully completed a long term financing facility with Ethos Asset Management Inc. This facility will enable us to expand and modernize our current production capabilities to better serve our worldwide customer base more efficiently, thus provide more business and jobs to the communities we serve. We extend our sincere appreciation and thanks to Mr. Carlos Santos and his great team at Ethos for the opportunity."

About Ethos Asset Management:

Ethos Asset Management (Ethos) is an independent, US-based company with a global reach in resource mobilization and project financing.

For more information, please visit https://www.ethosasset.com/ .

About Ugur Tekstil:

Founded back in 1995 with only two employees, Ugur Tekstil today employs nearly 7000 people either directly or through subcontracted firms. With two major company owned production hubs and countless subcontractor facilities, it is one of the major independent exporters worldwide of ready to wear garments from Turkey.

For more information, please visit https://www.ugurtekstil.com.tr

Contacts:

Ugur Tekstil:

Mr. Hayri Ugur, Founder, CEO

[email protected]

Ethos Asset Management INC:

Press Office

[email protected]

+18585354814

SOURCE Ethos Asset Management Inc
OAKLAND, Calif., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Everlaw has been named to Fast Company's prestigious annual list of the World's Most Innovative Companies for 2022, placing fourth in the Most Innovative Enterprise Companies category.

This year's list honors businesses that are making the biggest impact on their industries and culture as a whole  ultimately thriving in today's ever-changing world. These companies are creating the future today with some of the most inspiring accomplishments of the 21st century. In addition to the World's 50 Most Innovative Companies, 528 organizations are recognized across 52 categories.

"Over the past year, Everlaw has continued to innovate to allow efficient collaboration among legal teams from anywhere. We released dozens of new features, including improvements to Storybuilder, our case preparation tool, and capability enhancements that effectively discover, review, and preserve evidence," said Everlaw CEO AJ Shankar. "As the digital universe expands rapidly with new types of data, our technology has helped legal teams simplify their workflows. We are excited to receive this recognition of the team's hard work and success in the legal technology industry."

In fact, Everlaw launched audio and video redactions feature today, helping customers easily redact A/V evidence without the need for third-party software and bringing together redaction, transcription and translation capabilities into one single environment on Everlaw's platform. The company also recently announced a $202M Series D funding round to continue its innovation and leadership amidst a rapid digital transformation in the legal industry.

Everlaw is fundamentally changing the way law firms, government and corporate legal departments handle case preparation, ediscovery and investigations. Legal professionals clearly prefer Everlaw's AI-powered and cloud-native technology, which has over 230 five-star ratings on G2, more than any other ediscovery provider.

About Everlaw

Everlaw blends cutting-edge technology with modern design to help government entities, law firms and corporations solve the toughest problems in the legal industry. Everlaw is used by Fortune 100 corporate counsels and household brands like Hilton and Dick's Sporting Goods, 76 out of the AM Law 200 and all 50 U.S. state attorneys general. Based in Oakland, California, Everlaw is funded by top-tier investors, including TPG Growth, CapitalG, Menlo Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, H.I.G. Growth Partners and K9 Ventures.

Learn more at https://www.everlaw.com .

Media contact:

Mission North for Everlaw

[email protected]

SOURCE Everlaw
Baithia Evodie Yanguendji, a civil engineer of Anda, a Chinese construction company, is seen at a construction site in Bangui, Central African Republic, Feb. 21, 2022. (Photo by Erick/Xinhua)

by Arison Tamfu and Erick Ngaba

BANGUI, March 7 (Xinhua) -- In Central African Republic (CAR) it's unusual to find female engineers but that's slowly changing as a new crop of trained engineers are being recruited by Anda, a Chinese construction company.

Baithia Evodie Yanguendji is one of them.

Having grown up in a low-income suburb where unemployment is common among the youth, the 23-year-old knows the importance of hard work.

Her diligence paid off one year ago when she was hired by Anda for its mega project to construct an extension for the University of Bangui including four six-storey buildings, which serve for student apartments, and two amphitheaters.

"I always dream to become a civil engineer and so when the opportunity came up, I went for it instantly," she said.

Dressed in a shiny yellow safety jacket and a hard-blue hat, Yanguendji said she is unperturbed about being among the only five women working in the construction site.

"My work here consists of monitoring, supervising and controlling. I am interested in getting the job done. It doesn't matter who I'm working with," said the civil engineering graduate from a public university as she mingled with some male casual laborers while giving instructions on the construction of the extension project.

Just a few meters away, Princia Hillary Koinda Yamanga, a third-year female student in civil engineering, shouting above the din of a concrete mixer said, challenges have never clouded her dream of becoming a successful engineer and improving the living standards of her family.

"(It is) often said that engineering profession is reserved for men. When I was very young, I saw a female civil engineer on TV who inspired me. That's why I opted for this job," said the 22-year old who joined the project three months ago as an intern.

These girls belong to a growing army of skilled female engineers in CAR who are eager to rebuild the country shattered by civil war.

"The war has made it difficult for girls and women to find jobs. Unemployment is high. That is why I am very grateful to the Chinese for offering me this opportunity," said Yamanga.

The Chinese she is referring to is He Yaxian, an Anda manager. She is at the forefront of getting more female engineers design and build the physical infrastructure that sculpts CAR.

"Our project has offered jobs for women, given them the opportunity to learn more things. Some girls were studying civil engineering at university, then we will try to get them to work and communicate with Chinese engineers, so that they can learn technology, and become independent and professional civil engineer, this is our original intention," He told Xinhua.

She said her experience has proven that women are as good as men in construction work.

"We also have technicians, for example, the ones who tie the steel bars are usually men, but when we let the women try it, they also do it very well, and they are very careful. We hope that women can also take the lead in these fields," she added.

Finally, the one-year working experience with the Chinese company has not only provided steady income to Yanguendji, polished her professional skills but significantly empowered her.

"I feel more independent now. I won the respect of workers here because I can do this as well as men," she said.

"Before being recruited at Anda, I was a student and it was my family who pays for transport, but today with what I have, it allows me to pay for transport and take care of my little brothers," said Yanguendji.

For her own part said she is now able to interpret complex designs and operate sophisticated machines thanks to Anda. She even aspires to pursue post-graduate studies in civil engineering.

Few girls complete secondary education in CAR due to widespread poverty and the perception among parents that girls should carry out domestic duties.

If they are in school, girls receive little encouragement to pursue mathematics and science subjects, often considered the domain of boys, said Apollinaire Mokotemapa, head of department of civil engineering of the University of Bangui.

"Anda has really done well to recruit girls in the construction site. This would surely inspire young girls to study mathematics and sciences and take up the profession themselves," Mokotemapa said, adding that cooperation between CAR and China "has been favourable" and has "significantly revamped" the country's economy. 

Princia Hillary Koinda Yamanga, a civil engineer intern of Anda, a Chinese construction company, is seen at a construction site in Bangui, Central African Republic, Feb. 21, 2022. (Photo by Erick/Xinhua)

A female worker ties steel bars at a construction site in Bangui, Central African Republic, Feb. 21, 2022. (Photo by Erick/Xinhua)
DUBLIN, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Food Enzymes Market - Forecasts from 2021 to 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global food enzymes market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.27% to reach US$3.148 billion by 2026, from US$1.926 billion in 2019. Food enzymes are enzymes that are suitable for human consumption and are utilized by the food industry throughout food manufacturing to assist enhance food safety and quality, as well as process efficiency. They are widely used in the production, processing, preparation, and treatment of a variety of food items. Baking, fruit juice, cheese production, and brewing are among industries that use enzymes.



The rise in demand for processed foods is likely to boost the food enzymes industry. Furthermore, technological developments such as enzyme engineering and the introduction of genetically modified enzymes have helped the expansion of the food industry.



Food enzymes are crucial in all aspects of food processing, from protein to starch. Furthermore, they are utilized to enhance raw material processing for dairy and alcohol fermentation. Baking is another notable sector in which enzymes play an essential role. Thus, factors such as the multifunctional advantages of food enzymes in a variety of applications and technological advances to minimize chemical usage all contribute to the market growth. However, a limited temperature and pH operational range may limit market expansion.



North America holds the dominant share of the food enzymes market. During the projected period, however, Asia-Pacific is expected to earn a considerable market share in the global food enzyme market. The immobilized enzyme technology for food applications has gained significant popularity in recent years. Immobilized enzyme technology improves food enzyme properties such as slow reaction rate, short shelf life, and operational stability.



Growth Factors

Increasing demand for processed food

Global demand for processed foods is increasing, owing primarily to expanding economies in Asia. The significant expansion of the processed food sector is mostly due to China and India. The Indian food and grocery market is the world's sixth-largest, according to the Indian Brand Equity Foundation, and its production is anticipated to reach US$ 535 billion by 2025-26. The Indian food processing sector accounts for 32% of the total food market, is a major industry, and ranks fifth in terms of output, consumption, export, and anticipated growth.

Furthermore, according to Food export, China is the fifth-largest market for US processed food exports, totaling about US$1.7 billion in 2020, a 12 % rise over the previous year. The middle-class population is growing, and rising disposable incomes, along with a hectic schedule, contribute to the market expansion. Food enzyme applications increase the freshness of end goods, extending the shelf life of convenience foods while retaining flavor, color, and texture.



Restraints

Restricted temperature and pH operational range

The activity of food enzymes is heavily affected by environmental factors. A reduction in temperature dramatically reduces the reaction rate, whereas thermal agitation degrades the food enzyme structure, rendering it non-functional. Varying the pH outside of the food enzyme's operating range decreases enzyme activity and can eventually lead to irreversible denaturation.



Impact of COVID-19 on the Food Enzymes Market

The COVID-19 pandemic put unforeseen strains on food systems, posing a slew of critical challenges. COVID-19 is expected to have a considerable influence on the food enzyme market since the current pandemic has highlighted the need for safe, healthy, and nutritious eating. The pandemic had put enormous strains on food supply systems, causing bottlenecks in farm labor, processing, transportation, and logistics, as well as significant swings in demand. The majority of these interruptions are the consequence of regulations put in place to slow the spread of the virus. In the face of these challenges, food supply systems have shown extraordinary resilience. While ingredient sales are distributed across nations, prominent players in the food enzymes industry have begun to develop regional production. R&D and sales departments are also improving supply chains for raw material distribution.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Introduction



2. Research Methodology



3. Executive Summary



4. Market Dynamics

4.1. Market Drivers

4.2. Market Restraints

4.3. Porter's Five Forces Analysis

4.3.1. Bargaining Power of Suppliers

4.3.2. Bargaining Power of Buyers

4.3.3. Threat of New Entrants

4.3.4. Threat of Substitutes

4.3.5. Competitive Rivalry in the Industry

4.4. Industry Value Chain Analysis



5. Food Enzymes Market Analysis, By Type

5.1. Introduction

5.2. Amylase

5.3. Protease

5.4. Lipase



6. Food Enzymes Market Analysis, By Source

6.1. Microorganisms

6.2. Plants

6.3. Animals



7. Food Enzymes Market Analysis, By Application

7.1. Introduction

7.2. Beverages

7.3. Processed Food

7.4. Dairy Products

7.5. Others



8. Food Enzymes Market Analysis, By Geography

8.1. Introduction

8.2. North America

8.2.1. United States

8.2.2. Canada

8.2.3. Mexico

8.3. South America

8.3.1. Brazil

8.3.2. Argentina

8.3.3. Others

8.4. Europe

8.4.1. UK

8.4.2. France

8.4.3. Germany

8.4.4. Italy

8.4.5. Others

8.5. Middle East and Africa

8.5.1. Saudi Arabia

8.5.2. UAE

8.5.3. Others

8.6. Asia Pacific

8.6.1. Japan

8.6.2. China

8.6.3. India

8.6.4. Thailand

8.6.5. Taiwan

8.6.6. Indonesia

8.6.7. Others



9. Competitive Environment and Analysis

9.1. Major Players and Strategy Analysis

9.2. Emerging Players and Market Lucrativeness

9.3. Mergers, Acquisitions, Agreements, and Collaborations

9.4. Vendor Competitiveness Matrix



10. Company Profiles

10.1. Amway

10.2. AB Enzymes

10.3. Advanced Enzyme Technologies

10.4. DSM

10.5. Novozymes

10.6. Megazyme

10.7. Biocatalysts

10.8. Dupont

10.9. Amano Enzyme Inc.

10.10. Kerry Inc.



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/r1hoik?

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Nine Mega Trends Leading the Sheconomy" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This comprehensive study covers the nine Mega Trends leading the growth of women's economy.

The study includes both the recent scenario as well as the prospects of socioeconomic trends, such as the annual income, annual wealth and purchasing power of women, new consumption preferences, women's changing social status, women talent pool, women in leadership positions in business and politics, and the rise of women-oriented entrepreneurship.

Women make up 48% of the global population and 35% of the global workforce. In the coming years, the world will witness growing female graduates, postgraduates, and workforce, women in leadership and managerial positions, and the rise of consumer power in the hands of women.

Women are emerging as decision-makers in procuring most consumer durables, health and beauty items, groceries, cars, and houses. Women from emerging nations, such as South Africa, China, and India, represent one of the highest growth opportunities for an investor today.

The main sectors that the investors can focus on, keeping in mind the spending pattern of women, would be food, health and beauty, apparel, financial services, healthcare, consumer durables, telecom services, automobiles, and real estate. The female-powered economy is poised to outpace the economies of the biggest nations in the next 5 years.

Tapping into this growth and understanding women as customers will be essential to business and economic prosperity. Organizations need to have more women-oriented business models to target them as customers. Corporates need to focus on women's empowerment to help them reach the company board seats that can yield more revenue.

Countries need to frame robust policies toward the development of women by reducing the gender gap in the workforce and the gender-based pay gap. Equal male and female employment rates would boost 5% to 9% economic growth in developed nations and could add 30% to the economic output of developing countries.

Increasing the economic power of women will result in a shift in consumption and shopping behaviour and open new opportunities in consumer goods and services businesses. The trend will also impact distribution channels adopted by companies. It will create immense potential for online retail, large-format convenience stores, and doorstep services.



Key Issues Addressed

What are the top nine Mega Trends leading the Sheconomy today and in the next 10 years?

How will each of these Mega Trends shape up today and tomorrow?

How do companies understand women-oriented Mega Trends? What are they changing in their business models to accommodate this change?

What are the key growth opportunities to watch out for in the next decade?

What are the critical success factors for growth for companies seeking to enter this space?

Key Topics Covered:



1. Strategic Imperative

Why is Growth Becoming Increasingly Difficult to Achieve?

The Strategic Imperative

Our Mega Trend Universe - Overview

Growth Opportunities Fuel the Growth Pipeline Engine

2. Growth Environment

Our Mega Trend Universe - Digital Identity Impact

Nine Mega Trends Leading Sheconomy - Key Indicators

Growth Opportunities Critical to Future Success

3. Trend Opportunity Analysis

Trend Opportunity Overview

Mega Trend 1 - Women as Economic Power House

1 - Women as Economic Power House Mega Trend 2 - Surge in Women Purchasing Power

2 - Surge in Women Purchasing Power Mega Trend 3 - Growing Female Labor Force Globally

3 - Growing Female Labor Force Globally Mega Trend 4 - Rise of Female Entrepreneurship

4 - Rise of Female Entrepreneurship Mega Trend 5 - Women Increasing Political Participation

5 - Women Increasing Political Participation Mega Trend 6 - Women Reaching Company Leadership Positions

6 - Women Reaching Company Leadership Positions Mega Trend 7 - Women as New Wave of Consumers

7 - Women as New Wave of Consumers Mega Trend 8 - Female Graduates Outnumber Male Graduates

8 - Female Graduates Outnumber Male Graduates Mega Trend 9 - Change in Social Status of Women

4. Growth Opportunity Universe

Growth Opportunity 1 - Innovative Digital Financial Products and Services for the Economic Empowerment of Women

Growth Opportunity 2 - FemTech Innovations to Address Women's Health Challenges

Growth Opportunity 3 - Gender-based Retail Model to Cater to the New Age Female Consumers

5. Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/u86gay

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets
CHARLESTON, S.C., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Greystar Real Estate Partners, LLC ("Greystar"), a global leader in the investment, development, and management of high-quality rental housing properties, today announced that Kerry Hawkins has joined the company as Senior Director, Life Science Investment Management to expand Greystar's Life Science Asset Management function in the US and the overall life science leasing efforts. Hawkins will report to Todd Wigfield, US Senior Managing Director Development at Greystar.

In July 2021, Greystar teamed up with CPP Investments to form a joint venture to pursue life science real estate development opportunities in target markets in the United States. Hawkins will be responsible for supporting 74M, a project that was acquired as part of the partnership with CPP Investments. The project is a 468,000 square-foot, 18-storey office and lab development located in Somerville, Massachusetts. Hawkins will also handle additional life science developments under contract.

Hawkins has 22 years of commercial real estate experience, including strategic asset repositioning, landlord advisory, corporate strategy, and capital markets. She also has extensive transaction experience coupled with significant valuation and financial expertise. Prior to joining Greystar, Hawkins was Senior Director, Capital Markets at JLL where she was responsible for driving revenue, sales lead generation, and relationship management with owners and capital sources in the commercial real estate industry. Before that, she was First Vice President, Suburban Brokerage at CBRE where she oversaw leasing, property management, project management and development teams for asset operations and additional building development. Hawkins holds a bachelor's degree in Government and Spanish from Colby College as well as a certificate in real estate finance from Boston University.

"As we continue to grow our life science portfolio across each market, Kerry's deep industry background in life science real estate will be key to Greystar's strategic growth opportunities," said Wigfield. "Building on our local expertise is a critical factor to driving Greystar's life science presence nationally."

"We're excited to welcome Kerry as her extensive life science experience will play an important role in delivering our Boston-based life science developments currently in varying stages of planning and construction," said Gary Kerr, US Managing Director Development.

"I am looking forward to bringing my commercial real estate background to Greystar," said Hawkins. "I see great potential and significant growth opportunities for Greystar's life science segment, and I'm thrilled to be part of such a talented and dedicated team."

Greystar is focused on building for the innovation economy, identifying opportunities in the world's top life science and technology clusters that include leading research universities and medical institutions.

About Greystar

Greystar is a leading, fully integrated real estate company offering expertise in investment management, development, and management of rental housing properties globally. Headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, Greystar manages and operates approximately $230 billion of real estate in 215 markets globally including offices throughout North America, Europe, South America, and the Asia-Pacific region. Greystar is the largest operator of apartments in the United States, manages more than 754,000 units/beds, and has a robust institutional investment management platform with approximately $49.9 billion of assets under management, including $22.6 billion of development assets. Greystar was founded by Bob Faith in 1993 with the intent to become a provider of world-class service in the rental residential real estate business. To learn more, visit www.greystar.com.

SOURCE Greystar
SEATTLE, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- HeadLight , the industry's leading visual-based inspection technology, has been named to Fast Company's prestigious annual list of the World's Most Innovative Companies for 2022.

This year's list honors businesses that are making the biggest impact on their industries and culture as a wholeultimately thriving in today's ever-changing world. These companies are creating the future today with some of the most inspiring accomplishments of the 21st century. In addition to the World's 50 Most Innovative Companies, 528 organizations are recognized across 52 categories.

"This award is a representation of our team's commitment to our customers' success and delivering an effective and innovative solution to the infrastructure construction industry," said George White, co-founder and CEO of HeadLight. "I'm incredibly proud of our team's accomplishments as they've supported the modernization of the industry, something that will be critical in executing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act's ambitious agenda. The next phase of U.S. infrastructure will benefit U.S. taxpayers and future generations in countless ways and we are eager to help the industry capitalize on this historic moment and bring infrastructure into the 21st century."

As a photo-driven inspection technology, HeadLight offers a visual source of truth that mitigates risk at each step of the construction process. As of April 2021, HeadLight noted there had been a 110% year-over-year increase in photo and video observations captured from 2019 to 2020. Additionally, HeadLight experienced a nearly 25% increase in observations captured during Q1 of 2021 vs. Q1 of 2020. The substantial growth in observations indicates that construction teams are relying more heavily on HeadLight to capture and manage insightful data as well as collaborate across job sites and office locations.

HeadLight's technology continues to prove its effectiveness by enabling productivity increases, reducing claims, and improving efficiencies. For example, the Louisiana DOTD experienced a 28% increase in productivity, reduced claims by 75%, and estimated it would save 117,000 hours with department-wide adoption of HeadLight's solution.

Today HeadLight is active in 16 states, helping improve project deliveries on more than 2,500 civil construction projects that make up more than $30 billion in construction value. The company is currently in the process of expanding its engagements with several DOTs.

Fast Company's editors and writers sought out the most groundbreaking businesses across the globe and industries. They also judged nominations received through their application process.

The World's Most Innovative Companies is Fast Company's signature franchise and one of its most highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. It provides both a snapshot and a road map for the future of innovation across the most dynamic sectors of the economy.

"The world's most innovative companies play an essential role in addressing the most pressing issues facing society, whether they're fighting climate change by spurring decarbonization efforts, ameliorating the strain on supply chains, or helping us reconnect with one another over shared passions," said Fast Company Deputy Editor David Lidsky.

For the second year in a row, to coincide with the issue launch, Fast Company will host its Most Innovative Companies Summit on April 2627. The virtual, multiday summit celebrates the Most Innovative Companies in business, and provides an early look at major business trends and an inside look at what it takes to innovate in 2022. Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies issue (March/April 2022) is available online here , as well as in-app form via iTunes, and on newsstands beginning March 15. The hashtag is #FCMostInnovative.

About HeadLight

HeadLight is a visual-based inspection technology that provides a visual source of truth about infrastructure projects. Originally designed through collaboration efforts with infrastructure owners and their field inspection teams, HeadLight increases the accountability and effectiveness of construction projects by allowing teams to capture, share and act on data from the job site in real-time. Current organizations using HeadLight include departments of transportation, engineering firms, contractors, and industry-related materials companies. For more information, please visit www.headlight.com .

Media Contact

Christie Melby

Communique PR for HeadLight

[email protected] 206-282-4923 ext. 127

ABOUT FAST COMPANY

Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com.

SOURCE HeadLight
TUCSON, Ariz., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "U.S. News and World Report" just released a list of 15 certifications that can lead to well-paying careers. Of the 15 listed, the majority of those careers were in the medical field. All of those medical careers are available at Pima Medical Institute. While not every program is available at every Pima Medical location, several are.

Medical Assistant and Medical Secretary, commonly known as Health Care Administration Certificate made the list. Each is available at 16 of the 17 Pima Medical Campus locations and offer the opportunity to get into the workforce in under a year.

Medical Assistants handle both clerical and clinical duties. They often prepare patients for examinations, take their medical histories, assist during exams, perform basic lab tests and more. In addition, roles and responsibilities also include welcoming and signing in patients, answering phones and scheduling appointments.

Those studying Health Care Administration can expect to learn how to become key members of the front-office medical staff. This entry-level profession greets patients, triages appointments and provides other assistance. The Health Care Administration certificate is also a great first step for those with aspirations of management careers in the healthcare field.

"Our goal is to not only provide students with job-specific education, but to also make certain they are prepared to advance in their profession," said Fred Freedman, President and CEO, Pima Medical Institute. "We have been serving our communities for 50 years, and will celebrate 150,000 graduates this year. More than just providing an entry to a career, we work hard to make sure our students are set up for success throughout their professional lives. Our world is changing and healthcare professionals continue to be major players."

Another career focused less on patient interaction is medical billing and coding. Offered in Arizona at the East Valley and Phoenix locations, medical billing and coding professionals work on the administrative side of the medical team and ensure that medical procedures are coded accurately so insurance companies and healthcare providers are being compensated correctly. A medical biller and coder's job is crucial to the patient and the healthcare team by making sure everything goes through the system smoothly and efficiently. This certificate can be completed in about nine months.

For those looking to enter the workforce very quickly, phlebotomy is often a good first step. Earning a phlebotomy technician certificate gives you the training you need to obtain blood specimens by venipuncture and micro-collection techniques. While you can sometimes get on-the-job training, it is more likely that employers will look for phlebotomists who have earned their certification through a reputable school. At Pima Medical, the program only takes about three months to complete. The Phlebotomy program at Pima Medical is offered in Arizona at the East Valley and Phoenix campuses as well as El Paso, Houston and San Antonio locations. The San Marcos, Calif. and Renton, Wash. locations also offer this program.

Nurse Aide is another career that made the "U.S. News" list. A Certified Nursing Assistant or Nurse Aide helps patients with daily activities like eating, bathing and dressing. They work in hospitals, long-term care facilities, clinics, retirement communities, home healthcare agencies and more. They play a very important role on the healthcare team, especially regarding caring for the elderly. This program is offered in Arizona at Pima Medical's East Valley location as well as the Denver and Houston campuses.

Pharmacy Technicians also made the list. This job is vital and involves measuring, mixing, and labeling medication doses. Pharmacy technicians also will communicate with insurance companies, and help patients with questions and concerns. The Pharmacy Technician program takes approximately nine months to complete and is offered at the Mesa and Tucson, Ariz. campuses, Las Vegas, Renton, Wash., Chula Vista and San Marcos, Calif., Albuquerque, Colorado Springs, Denver, El Paso, Houston and San Antonio campuses.

While some people want a quick path to their career field, others will be willing to spend a little more time in school, in order to earn an associate degree. Three of the careers in the "U.S. News" list and are offered at Pima Medical. They are Surgical Technologist, Paramedic and Ophthalmic Medical Technician. While these programs take more time than a certificate, they still offer a more direct and often faster path to a career in the medical field.

Surgical technologists prepare patients; get the operating rooms set up with sterilized equipment and assist the surgeon during procedures. This is a demanding career while also being in-demand. The Surgical Technology program is offered at the Phoenix and Denver campus locations and takes less than two years to complete.

Paramedics are needed everywhere, especially in busy urban settings like Phoenix and Las Vegas. Pima Medical offers the degree program in both of those cities. As a paramedic, you will be making an impact in your community every day. Paramedics provide rescue, basic and advanced life support level care in pre-hospital environments. They help extricate victims from entrapment or hazardous environments, care for sick or injured patients in the field, including medical administration. At Pima Medical, you can earn your degree in as little as 15 months.

Ophthalmic Medical Technicians (OMT) are the nurses of eyes. They work with an ophthalmologist (eye doctor) to provide patient care by performing eye-related clinical tasks such as instructing patients about medications, tests and procedures. But, more than just administrative tasks, OMTs can also assist in the performance of vision and diagnostic tests.

Pima Medical's Denver campus offers the OMT associate degree program. It takes less than two years to complete and is the only program of its kind in the state of Colorado.

The need for qualified medical professionals is at an all-time high and the Bureau of Labor statistics expects more than 2.4 million new jobs through 2026. For those considering a career in healthcare with a desire to get into the workforce quickly. Medical and Career Technical schools are a great option.

Go to pmi.edu for more information. For the complete article from US News, go here.

About Pima Medical Institute

Pima Medical Institute is an employee-owned, private, accredited school dedicated to providing students classroom studies paired with real-world training at medical facilities. Established in 1972, Pima Medical Institute helps students become career ready, focusing exclusively on healthcare professions, including medical, dental, veterinary and nursing fields. Curriculum includes certificate, associate, bachelor's and master's degree programs. Pima Medical Institute operates 17 campuses as well as an extensive online curriculum. The medical career college has a presence in eight western states with the following ground locations: Albuquerque, N.M.; Tucson, Phoenix and two campuses in Mesa, Ariz.; Aurora, Denver and Colorado Springs, Colo.; Seattle and Renton, Wash.; Las Vegas, N.V.; Houston, El Paso and San Antonio, Texas; Chula Vista and San Marcos, Calif.; and Dillon, Mont. For more information and a complete list of programs offered at each campus, visit pmi.edu or call 1-888-442-5998.

Media Contact: Diane Smith | [email protected] | o: 480-610-6068 | c: 480-320-0142

SOURCE Pima Medical Institute
Vendor Landscape



The healthcare IT market structure is expected to remain fragmented during the forecast period. Vendors are deploying different organic and inorganic growth strategies to compete in the market.

Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc., Cerner Corp., Dell Technologies Inc., General Electric Co., International Business Machines Corp., Koninklijke Philips NV, McKesson Corp., Microsoft Corp., Oracle Corp., and Siemens Healthineers AG among others are some of the few key vendors competing to maintain their market position in the market.

Various players in the market are engaging in strategic partnerships and joint ventures coupled with launching differentiated products to up their game in the healthcare IT industry.

View more about the market's vendor landscape highlights with a comprehensive list of vendors and their offerings.

Key Market Segmentation

Segmentation by Component:

Services:



During the projected period, the services segment's share of the healthcare IT market will expand significantly. Consulting services, learning and training, development and integration, hardware maintenance and support, IT management, process management, and software support are all examples of healthcare IT services. The need for information and communications technology (ICT) services in the healthcare sector will be fueled by the need to build improved healthcare delivery systems and a cost-effective model.



Software



Hardware

Request a FREE Sample of this report for more highlights into the market segments.

Regional Market Outlook



North America will contribute to 46% of the market growth during the forecast period. The US is a key market for healthcare IT in North America. Market growth in North America will be faster than the growth of the market in other regions.

Apart from regions, if we look at the country-wise market growth, the US, Germany, China, Japan, and UK will contribute to the highest market growth.

Download our FREE sample report for more key highlights on the regional market share of most of the above-mentioned countries.

Latest Trends, Driving the Global Healthcare IT Market

Market Driver:

Rising need for automation across departments:

The growing demand for automation across departments will propel the healthcare IT market to new heights. From the admission of patients, data collection on their medical history, storage of the collected data, examining patients, and after-treatment follow-ups to the transfer of patients and their relevant medical records, information technology plays a significant role in automating the treatment process. Providers are expanding their investments in automation solutions because they play a key role in enhancing efficiency and quality while decreasing time and effort for all healthcare stakeholders.

Market Trend:

Growing integration of Big Data with healthcare IT :

During the projection period, the market will be driven by the rising integration of Big Data with healthcare IT. Factors such as up-to-date electronic health records for better medical care, mandatory documentation as a result of government legislation, and the growing usage of wearable devices to track patients' illnesses are all contributing to the growth of health data. Predictive analytics used to such data can provide healthcare firms with useful insights into how to improve their current business models and increase profitability. As a result, in the next years, the usage of this technology is predicted to rise, boosting the growth of the healthcare IT industry.

Find additional information about various other market drivers & trends mentioned in our FREE sample report .

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Healthcare IT Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2020 Forecast period 2021-2025 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 9.76% Market growth 2021-2025 $ 121.75 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 8.65 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA Performing market contribution North America at 46% Key consumer countries US, Germany, China, Japan, and UK Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc., Cerner Corp., Dell Technologies Inc., General Electric Co., International Business Machines Corp., Koninklijke Philips NV, McKesson Corp., Microsoft Corp., Oracle Corp., and Siemens Healthineers AG Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and future consumer dynamics, market condition analysis for the forecast period, Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

Value chain analysis

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2020

Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025

Five Forces Analysis

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

Market Segmentation by Component

Market segments

Comparison by Component

Services - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Software - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Hardware - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Market opportunity by Component

Customer landscape

Customer landscape

Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 APAC - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

South America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 MEA - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Key leading countries

Market opportunity by geography

Market drivers

Market challenges

Market trends

Vendor Landscape

Overview

Vendor landscape

Landscape disruption

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc.

Cerner Corp.

Dell Technologies Inc.

General Electric Co.

International Business Machines Corp.

Koninklijke Philips NV

McKesson Corp.

Microsoft Corp.

Oracle Corp.

Siemens Healthineers AG

Appendix

Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
JERSEY CITY, N.J., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- InsightAce Analytic Pvt. Ltd. announces the release of a market assessment report on the "Global Hematological Malignancies Drugs Market Trends and Dynamics, Clinical Trial/Pipeline Analysis, Industry Competition Analysis, Revenue Forecast To 2030."

According to the latest market research, the global hematological malignancies drugs market is valued at US$ 13.76 Billion in 2021, and it is expected to reach US$ 42.78 Billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 13.7 % during the forecast period of 2022-2030.

Request for Sample Pages: https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/request-sample/1211

Hematological malignancies are the cancer types that affect the blood, bone marrow, and lymph nodes. Myeloma, leukemia, and lymphoma are the three types of hematological malignancies, and lymphoma is the most common blood cancer. Small molecule inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, bispecific T cell engagers, antibody-drug conjugates, recombinant immunotoxins, and Chimeric Antigen Receptor T (CAR-T) cells are among the emerging targeted therapies that have improved clinical outcomes for blood malignancies.

The growth of the Hematological Malignancies Drugs Market can be attributed to factors, such as the rising prevalence of blood malignancies, rising healthcare expenditure, increasing R&D activities to develop novel cancer therapies, adoption of precision medicine in the field of hematological malignancies, increasing number of drug approvals for treating different types of hematological malignancies, growing innovations in leukemia and lymphoma targeted therapies. According to the Blood Cancer Statistics 2021, around 459,058 leukemia cases and more than 962,304 lymphoma cases are predicted to diagnose in the United States. Also, as per Leukemia & Lymphoma Society 2020, around 85,720 new lymphoma cases were diagnosed in the United States in 2020. Additionally, the newly reported lymphoma cases include 8,480 Hodgkin (HL) and 77,240 Non-Hodgkin (NHL) Lymphoma cases. Thus, the rising incidences of leukemia, lymphoma cases are estimated to upsurge the demand for this market in the coming future.

However, the high cost of treatment and products, adverse effects of therapeutics, unfavourable medical reimbursement policies, and safety concerns are estimated to restrain the market expansion in the upcoming years.

Request for Sample and ToC: https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/report/global-hematological-malignancies-drugs-market--/1211

Regionally, North America is projected to generate the highest CAGR in this market over the forecast period due to the rising R&D activities in cancer research. The Asia Pacific region also majorly contributes to the growth of the Hematological Malignancies Drugs Market. The increasing cancer research funding, high prevalence of blood malignancies, and the rising need for effective therapies contribute to the market growth.

Major market players operating in the hematological malignancies drugs market include AbbVie Inc., Amgen Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Gilead Sciences, Inc., GlaxoSmithKline plc, Immune-Onc Therapeutics, Inc., Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., Novartis International AG, Pfizer Inc., Sanofi S.A., Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, among others.

Key developments in the market:

In October 2021 , Novartis acquired the US FDA approval for Scemblix (asciminib) to treat chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in two distinct indications.

Novartis acquired the US FDA approval for Scemblix (asciminib) to treat chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in two distinct indications. In September 2021 , AbbVie and Genmab A/S published the results of the dose-escalation part of the Phase 1/2 EPCORE NHL-1 first-in-human (FIH) dose-escalation and cohort expansion clinical trial eValueating the safety and preliminary efficacy of the investigational therapy epcoritamab (DuoBody-CD3xCD20) in patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (B-NHL).

AbbVie and Genmab A/S published the results of the dose-escalation part of the Phase 1/2 EPCORE NHL-1 first-in-human (FIH) dose-escalation and cohort expansion clinical trial eValueating the safety and preliminary efficacy of the investigational therapy epcoritamab (DuoBody-CD3xCD20) in patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (B-NHL). In March 2021 , Sanofi SA received the US FDA approval for Sarclisa (isatuximab) in combination with carfilzomib and dexamethasone for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

Sanofi SA received the US FDA approval for Sarclisa (isatuximab) in combination with carfilzomib and dexamethasone for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. In August 2020 , GlaxoSmithKline plc received US FDA approval for BLENREP (belantamab mafodotin-blmf) as a monotherapy treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

GlaxoSmithKline plc received US FDA approval for BLENREP (belantamab mafodotin-blmf) as a monotherapy treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. In July 2020 , Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. received US FDA approval for pevonedistat, an investigational cancer drug for treating higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes.

Market Segments

Global Hematological Malignancies Drugs Market, by Drugs, 2022-2030 (Value US$ Mn)

Monoclonal Antibodies

Blincyto (Blinatumomab)



Besponsa (Inotuzumab Ozogamicin)



Lumoxiti (Moxetumomab Pasudotox)



Mylotarg (Gemtuzumab Ozogamicin)



Opdivo (Nivolumab)



AiRuiKa (Camrelizumab)



Tyvyt (Sintilimab)



Tislelizumab



Gazyva (Obinutuzumab)



Zynlonta (Loncastuximab Tesirine-lpyl)



Darzalex (Daratumumab)



Blenrep (Belantamab Mafodotin-blmf)



Keytruda (Pembrolizumab)



Adcetris (Brentuximab Vedotin)



Arzerra (Ofatumumab

CAR-T Cell Therapy

Tecartus (Brexucabtagene Autoleucel)



Kymriah (Tisagenlecleucel)



Yescarta (Axicabtagene Ciloleucel)



Breyanzi (Lisocabtagene Maraleucel)



Abecma (Idecabtagene Vicleucel)

Global Hematological Malignancies Drugs Market, by Pipeline Products, 2022-2030 (Value US$ Mn)

Monoclonal Antibodies

Teclistamab



Iomab-B



Ublituximab



CS1001

CAR-T Cell Therapy

Ciltacabtagene Autoleucel (JNJ-68284528)

Global Hematological Malignancies Drugs Market, by Indications, 2022-2030 (Value US$ Mn)

Leukemia

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia



Chronic Lymphoblastic Leukemia



Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Lymphoma

Hodgkin's Lymphoma



Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Multiple Myeloma

Global Hematological Malignancies Drugs Market, by region, 2022-2030 (Value US$ Mn)

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America

Middle East & Africa

North America Hematological Malignancies Drugs Market, by Country, 2022-2030 (Value US$ Mn)

The U.S.

Canada

Europe Hematological Malignancies Drugs Market, by Country, 2022-2030 (Value US$ Mn)

Germany

France

Italy

Spain

Russia

Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific Hematological Malignancies Drugs Market, by Country, 2022-2030 (Value US$ Mn)

India

China

Japan

South Korea

Australia & New Zealand

Latin America Hematological Malignancies Drugs Market, by Country, 2022-2030 (Value US$ Mn)

Brazil

Mexico

Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa Hematological Malignancies Drugs Market, by Country, 2022-2030 (Value US$ Mn)

GCC Countries

South Africa

Rest of Middle East & Africa

Why should buy this report:

To receive a comprehensive analysis of clinical trial/pipeline products for the global hematological malignancies drugs market

To receive a market overview and future trends of the hematological malignancies drugs market

To analyze the hematological malignancies drugs market drivers and challenges

To get information on the Hematological Malignancies Drugs Market size (Value US$ Mn) forecast to 2030

Major investments, mergers & acquisitions in the Hematological Malignancies Drugs Market industry

For More Information @ https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/report/global-hematological-malignancies-drugs-market--/1211

Other Related Reports Published by InsightAce Analytic:

Immuno-oncology Cell Therapy Market

Global Allogeneic Cell Therapy Manufacturing Market

Global CAR T-Cell Therapy For Multiple Myeloma Market

Global Allogeneic Cell Therapies Market

About Us:

InsightAce Analytic is a market research and consulting firm that enables clients to make strategic decisions. Our qualitative and quantitative market intelligence solutions inform the need for market and competitive intelligence to expand businesses. We help clients gain a competitive advantage by identifying untapped markets, exploring new and competing technologies, segmenting potential markets, and repositioning products. Our expertise is in providing syndicated and custom market intelligence reports with an in-depth analysis with key market insights in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Contact Us:

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InsightAce Analytic Pvt. Ltd.

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SOURCE InsightAce Analytic Pvt. Ltd
HELSINKI, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ICEYE, the global leader in persistent monitoring with radar satellite imaging and an expert in natural catastrophe solutions, has been named to Fast Company's prestigious annual list of the World's Most Innovative Companies for 2022. ICEYE was ranked number two in the Most Innovative Company Europe, Middle East, and Africa category.

Fast Company's list honors businesses that are making the biggest impact on their industries and culture as a whole - ultimately thriving in today's ever-changing world. These companies are creating the future today with some of the most inspiring accomplishments of the 21st century. In addition to the World's 50 Most Innovative Companies, 528 organizations are recognized across 52 categories.

"We are incredibly honored to be named to Fast Company's annual list of the world's most innovative companies," said Rafal Modrzewski, CEO and Co-founder of ICEYE. "Over the past several years, our ICEYE team has worked diligently to build a solid reputation by delivering concrete results to our customers with unmatched timelines and quality of service. It's incredible for their innovations to be recognized on such a prestigious stage."

About ICEYE

ICEYE delivers unmatched persistent monitoring capabilities for any location on earth. Owning the world's largest synthetic-aperture radar constellation, the company enables objective, data-driven decisions for its customers in sectors such as insurance, natural catastrophe response and recovery, security, maritime monitoring, and finance. ICEYE's data can be collected day or night, and even through cloud cover. For more information, please visit www.iceye.com .

SOURCE ICEYE
NEW YORK, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Maplewood Senior Living today announced that Inspir Carnegie Hill, the new luxury senior living community on Manhattan's Upper East Side, is one of the first buildings in New York State within the assisted living sector, and the largest in the city, to achieve the WELL Health-Safety Rating through the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), the global authority for transforming health and well-being with its people-first approach to buildings, organizations and communities. The WELL Health-Safety Rating is an evidence-based, third-party verified rating for all new and existing building and space types focusing on operational policies, maintenance protocols, stakeholder engagement and emergency plans to address a post-COVID-19 environment now and into the future.

Inspir Carnegie Hill has also received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certification. The LEED certification provides independent verification of a building or neighborhood's green features, allowing for the design, construction, operations and maintenance of resource-efficient, high-performing, healthy, cost-effective buildings. The owners and operators of Inspir Carnegie Hill aim to be environmentally responsible and to use their resources efficiently.

"Achieving the WELL Rating and LEED Certification further establishes our commitment to providing an exceptional senior living experience coupled with incomparable care, all within an environment that promotes complete wellness," said Gregory D. Smith, President and CEO of Inspir, a Maplewood Senior Living brand. "We are proud to be a leader in health and wellness for the senior living industry and appreciate the recognition for our ongoing efforts to create healthier environments."

"COVID-19 has taught us how critical it is to prioritize health and safety in senior living and we applaud industry efforts to give seniors confidence in the places where they live," said Rachel Hodgdon, President and CEO of IWBI. "By achieving the WELL Health-Safety Rating, Inspir Carnegie Hill demonstrates its commitment to delivering a senior living experience anchored in care, health and well-being."

Designed to empower owners and operators across large and small businesses alike to take the necessary steps in order to prioritize the health and safety of their staff, visitors and stakeholders, the WELL Health-Safety Rating can help guide users in preparing their spaces for re-entry in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Inspir Carnegie Hill has also received the LEED Silver Certification. This provides healthier, more productive places, reduced stress on the environment by encouraging energy and resource-efficient buildings, and savings from increased building value, higher lease rates and decreased utility costs.

Inspir Carnegie Hill is a next-generation concept for urban senior living on a luxury level, offering residents a transformative, one-of-a-kind experience made possible by combining expertise and insights from the residential, hospitality and healthcare industries. Featuring state-of-the-art spaces, exceptional care, intelligent technology and immersive experiences, Inspir Carnegie Hill has curated an environment and lifestyle that supports a philosophy of vibrant, intentional living and meaningful connection based on its Nine Core Elements. These elements are grounded on lifestyle commonalities found in areas around the world, known as blue zones, where people live longer, happier lives.

As a commitment to the health, safety and wellness across locations, Inspir Embassy Row  the second location under Maplewood's Inspir brand, and the first Washington D.C. property in the company's portfolio  will also be pursuing the WELL Health-Safety Rating and LEED Certification.

For more information, please call 646-978-9040 or visit https://inspirseniorliving.com.

About Inspir Carnegie Hill

Inspir is a new, luxury senior living brand offering a different approach to living for discerning seniors in urban markets. Inspir is the convergence of luxury accommodations, exceptional hospitality, cutting-edge technology, whole-person wellness and world-class care. The brand's flagship senior living residence, Inspir Carnegie Hill, is located at 1802 Second Avenue at 93rd Street, in the heart of New York City's Upper East Side. Inspir Carnegie Hill boasts a masterfully designed building with state-of-the-art technology and 210 private residences customized to fit the needs of an aging population. The community offers assisted living, memory care and enhanced care options. Inspir is developed by Maplewood Senior Living, in partnership with Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. (NYSE: OHI). For more information, please call 646-978-9040 or visit inspirseniorliving.com.

About Maplewood Senior Living

Maplewood Senior Living is known for its upscale senior living residences, offering a broad range of premier services, amenities and care to its residents. Based in Westport, CT, Maplewood Senior Living operates 16 senior living communities in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Ohio. There is an Upper East Side location in Manhattan, NY, within the company's newest brand, Inspir. This new, senior living offering was launched to provide a luxurious option for seniors looking to join a residential community in major metropolitan areas. For more information, please call 203-557-4777 or visit http://www.maplewoodseniorliving.com.

SOURCE Maplewood Senior Living
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Black Knight, Inc. (NYSE:BKI) announced that Iowa Bankers Mortgage Corporation (IBMC), an affiliate of the Iowa Bankers Association, has signed a contract to use the Black Knight MSP loan servicing system. MSP is a comprehensive, end-to-end platform that supports all aspects of servicing  from loan boarding to default  for first mortgages, as well as home equity loans and lines of credit, on a single system. Currently, the MSP system services approximately 37 million active loans, more than any other in the industry. In addition to the industry-leading MSP system, IBMC will leverage several other innovative Black Knight solutions to support its continued growth and focus on the customer experience.

"At IBMC, we are committed to serving the expanding needs of our banks and homeowners," said Dan Vessely, president of IBMC. "As our company supports a growing number of customers, it's increasingly important to have an established relationship with a trusted technology provider. We're pleased to have Black Knight and its proven software and expertise on our side as we move forward."

IBMC's support representatives will also leverage the innovative Black Knight Customer Service solution, which was developed using a cloud-first approach, to access a detailed, holistic and timely view of the key information needed to deliver exemplary service at the point of customer contact. The solution presents a customer's loan, home and neighborhood information through an intuitive, easy-to-use, end-user interface  helping representatives respond to customer questions more quickly, accurately and efficiently. Customer Service is seamlessly integrated with both the MSP system and Black Knight's Servicing Digital solution.

Servicing Digital is an interactive, user-friendly web and mobile solution for consumers that provides easy access to customized, timely information about mortgages and homes. This powerful application, which was also developed using a cloud-first approach, supports deeper consumer relationships and engagement by enabling customers to make mortgage payments and explore opportunities for refinancing and more  all from the convenience of the web or a mobile device. Since IBMC is implementing both Customer Service and Servicing Digital, the company's support representatives will have a view of what their borrowers are seeing on their side when they call, facilitating an even more productive and enriching conversation.

To streamline default processes, the company is adding Black Knight's full Default Suite of solutions to help reduce cycle times, decrease operating costs and improve efficiencies for nonperforming loans. This includes Loss Mitigation, a feature-rich, web-based solution that supports industry-standard retention and liquidation workouts to help streamline operations and mitigate risk. Loss Mitigation leverages advanced rules and logic to guide users through processes step-by-step, including validation points throughout the workflow, to help reduce missed steps and overlooked information.

IBMC is also now using several servicing-focused data and analytics solutions from Black Knight, including the Actionable Intelligence Platform (AIP). AIP delivers strategic, proactive and actionable analytics to the right people across an organization at the right time, so they know which action to take next. Additionally, the company will leverage Black Knight's McDash industry reports, which provide delinquency and prepayment overviews, roll rates and state-level mortgage performance data. These reports are used to support benchmarking and analysis, portfolio management, strategy development and more.

"Black Knight recognizes that Iowa Bankers Mortgage Corporation is committed to strong relationships  from those it builds with local customers, to those it establishes with providers and third parties," said Joe Nackashi, president of Black Knight. "It's a privilege to serve as one of these trusted and valued providers and an honor to supply the innovations that will help IBMC do even more for its customers."

About Black Knight

Black Knight, Inc. (NYSE:BKI) is an award-winning software, data and analytics company that drives innovation in the mortgage lending and servicing and real estate industries, as well as the capital and secondary markets. Businesses leverage our robust, integrated solutions across the entire homeownership life cycle to help retain existing customers, gain new customers, mitigate risk and operate more effectively.

Our clients rely on our proven, comprehensive, scalable products and our unwavering commitment to delivering superior client support to achieve their strategic goals and better serve their customers. For more information on Black Knight, please visit www.blackknightinc.com.

About Iowa Bankers Mortgage Corporation

Iowa Bankers Mortgage Corporation (IBMC) has served community banks' single-family real estate needs since 1979. The IBMC staff has in-depth expertise in mortgage banking, secondary market requirements and loan servicing. For over 40 years, IBMC has brought this expertise to community banks, offering a variety of channels and competitive tools in order to tailor services to meet each bank's individual needs. To learn more, visit www.ibmc.com.

For more information:

Michelle Kersch Mitch Cohen Black Knight, Inc. Black Knight, Inc. 904.854.5043 704.890.8158 [email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE Black Knight, Inc.
Chinese citizens evacuated from Ukraine arrive at Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, March 8, 2022. Another two temporary flights carrying Chinese citizens evacuated from Ukraine returned home safely on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)

BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Another two temporary flights carrying Chinese citizens evacuated from Ukraine returned home safely on Tuesday.

At 7:25 a.m., the first flight arrived in Zhengzhou City in central China, and the second flight arrived at 12:13 p.m. in Shenyang of northeast China's Liaoning Province.

Prior to today, four temporary flights taking Chinese nationals back from Ukraine have already returned home safely. 

Chinese citizens evacuated from Ukraine arrive at Xinzheng International Airport in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province, March 8, 2022. Another two temporary flights carrying Chinese citizens evacuated from Ukraine returned home safely on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Hao Yuan)
Kessler Topaz is one of the world's foremost advocates in protecting the public against corporate fraud and other wrongdoing. Our securities fraud litigators are regularly recognized as leaders in the field individually and our firm is both feared and respected among the defense bar and the insurance bar. We are proud to have recovered billions of dollars for our clients and the classes of shareholders we represent.

CANNOT VIEW THIS VIDEO? PLEASE CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR TAL LOSSES. YOU CAN ALSO CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK OR COPY AND PASTE IN YOUR BROWSER: https://www.ktmc.com/tal-class-action-lawsuit?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=tal

LEAD PLAINTIFF DEADLINE: April 5, 2022

CLASS PERIOD: April 26, 2018 through July 22, 2021

CONTACT AN ATTORNEY TO DISCUSS YOUR RIGHTS:

James Maro, Esq. (484) 270-1453 or Email at [email protected]

TAL'S ALLEGED MISCONDUCT

TAL provides K-12 after-school tutoring services in the People's Republic of China. Specifically, the company offers tutoring services to K-12 students covering various academic subjects, including mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, history, geography, political science, English, and Chinese.

On April 25, 2021, media reports revealed that the city of Beijing had fined four online education agencies, including TAL, the maximum fine of 500,000 yuan (approximately $80,000) each for misleading customers with false advertising. Specifically, regulators found that TAL's VIE, Beijing Xueersi Education Technology Co., Ltd., had been misrepresenting the un-discounted costs of enrollment in its courses to consumers, thereby deceiving customers into paying full price for courses that they believed they were receiving at a discount. Following this news, the price of TAL American Depository Shares ("ADSs") dropped from $53.14 on May 11, 2021, to $46.25 on May 13, 2021, a 13% decline over the two-day period.

Then, on June 1, 2021, Chinese regulators announced they had fined 15 off-campus training institutions, including TAL, for illegal activities such as false advertising and fraud. The offending companies, including TAL, were hit with maximum penalties for their illegal business practices, totaling a combined 36.5 million yuan ($5.73 million). Following this news, the price of TAL ADSs dropped from $40.51 on June 1, 2021, to $33.27 on June 3, 2021, nearly an 18% decline over the two-day period.

Finally, on July 23, 2021, China unveiled a sweeping overhaul of its education sector, banning companies that teach the school curriculum from making profits, raising capital or going public. This drastic measure effectively ended any potential growth in the for-profit tutoring sector in China. Following this news, the price of TAL ADSs fell from $20.52 on July 22, 2021, to just $4.40 on July 26, 2021, a nearly 79% decline.

WHAT CAN I DO?

TAL investors may, no later than April 5, 2022 seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class through Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP or other counsel, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP encourages TAL investors who have suffered significant losses to contact the firm directly to acquire more information.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE CASE

WHO CAN BE A LEAD PLAINTIFF?

A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of all class members in directing the litigation. The lead plaintiff is usually the investor or small group of investors who have the largest financial interest and who are also adequate and typical of the proposed class of investors. The lead plaintiff selects counsel to represent the lead plaintiff and the class and these attorneys, if approved by the court, are lead or class counsel. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision of whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff.

ABOUT KESSLER TOPAZ MELTZER & CHECK, LLP

Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP prosecutes class actions in state and federal courts throughout the country and around the world. The firm has developed a global reputation for excellence and has recovered billions of dollars for victims of fraud and other corporate misconduct. All of our work is driven by a common goal: to protect investors, consumers, employees and others from fraud, abuse, misconduct and negligence by businesses and fiduciaries. At the end of the day, we have succeeded if the bad guys pay up, and if you recover your assets. The complaint in this action was not filed by Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP. For more information about Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP please visit www.ktmc.com.

CONTACT:



Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP

James Maro, Jr., Esq.

280 King of Prussia Road

Radnor, PA 19087

(484) 270-1453

[email protected]

SOURCE Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP
First Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, Chicago : $5,000 to install a new boiler at the 1888 church on Chicago's Near West Side.

: to install a new boiler at the 1888 church on Near West Side. Effingham County Cultural Center and Museum, Effingham : $4,000 to paint the exterior of the former Effingham County Courthouse, an 1872 structure used today to exhibit local historic artifacts.

to paint the exterior of the former Courthouse, an 1872 structure used today to exhibit local historic artifacts. Preservation, Inc., Springfield : $5,000 to help stabilize the Ursula Hall Music Conservancy, a 1908 building the nonprofit plans to rehabilitate into a community center.

The Preservation Heritage Fund Grant Program provides funding to organizations in Illinois leading historic preservation projects at significant structures that are under threat of demolition, require stabilization and/or reuse or structural evaluation or those that need to be evaluated for landmark eligibility.

Grant applications for this grant fund are accepted four times a year, and the next application deadline is April 15, 2022. Visit our website to learn more about each Preservation Heritage Fund grant recipient.

Timuel D. Black, Jr. Grant Fund for Chicago's South Side Recipient

One grant was awarded through the Landmarks Illinois Timuel D. Black, Jr. Grant Fund for Chicago's South Side:

Pullman Civic Organization, Chicago : $2,500 to aid in documenting historic residential building facades in the northern portions of the Pullman Historic District.

The Timuel D. Black, Jr. Grant Fund for Chicago's South Side provides small planning and capital grants to support organizations and people working to preserve the history, culture and architecture of Chicago's South Side, where the late Mr. Black, acclaimed civil rights leader, spent the majority of his life living and promoting African American history.

Grant applications for this grant fund are accepted four times a year, and the next application deadline is April 15, 2022. Visit our website to learn more the latest grant recipient.

More about Landmarks Illinois grants

The grants awarded through Landmarks Illinois are given on a matching basis, requiring the recipient to raise funds equal or greater to the Landmarks Illinois grant amount. Landmarks Illinois grant funding is used toward preserving historic and significant places in communities throughout the state. Often, these small grants help spark community engagement around the preservation of a place and help boost local fundraising efforts for the preservation project. Visit our website to learn more about our grant programs.

About Landmarks Illinois

We are People Saving Places for People. Landmarks Illinois is a membership-based nonprofit organization serving the people of Illinois. We inspire and empower stakeholders to save places that matter to them by providing free guidance, practical and financial resources and access to strategic partnerships. For more information, visit www.Landmarks.org.

Contact:

Kaitlyn McAvoy

Communications Manager

Landmarks Illinois

312-922-1742

[email protected]

SOURCE Landmarks Illinois
WASHINGTON, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- LexisNexis Risk Solutions today announced it has hired Kelly Hoover Thompson, a national healthcare executive, to lead the new Government Health Team. Thompson is ideal for the role, drawing on her federal and state government service and decades of healthcare leadership. The addition of Thompson, who has spent the past several years advancing interoperability across the nation and serving as an advisor on health information technology, bolsters the company's commitment to the nation's public health needs and advancing interoperability. Thompson will work to build out the Government Health Team at LexisNexis Risk Solutions where she will partner with government leaders across federal, state, and local governments.

Thompson is ideal for the role, drawing on her federal and state government service and decades of healthcare leadership Tweet this Kelly Thompson

Thompson is well-suited to lead the Government Health team given her prior experience as a state regulator and agency head in multiple health and human services agencies in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as well as her time as chief executive officer of the start-up Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative (SHIEC). Thompson adds to her experience as a healthcare advocate and legal counsel, serving in various legislative and healthcare association leadership roles. She has dedicated her career to improving healthcare for patients, families, and those who provide their care across the continuum. "I'm excited about the opportunity," said Thompson. "It gives me a new way to impact our healthcare industry and the much-needed work across our nation."

LexisNexis Risk Solutions continues to invest in our government health business by attracting stellar talent, like Kelly Thompson, with deep subject matter expertise and industry-leading experience. We also continue to innovate with actionable, best-in-class data, linking, and analytics. Our strategic vision to provide the next generation of government health solutions drives us to provide innovative solutions that provide a precise and complete picture of people as they engage across disparate agencies and services. This interoperability will continue to promote transparency and efficiency for healthcare consumers.

"Kelly Thompson's policy expertise and depth on knowledge of interoperability and the government's role in data sharing will further allow us to meet the needs of the industry today and prepare for the emerging challenges of the future." said Haywood Talcove, CEO of the government business at LexisNexis Risk Solutions. "The addition of Kelly to our government health team demonstrates our strong commitment to attracting top talent and leverage key relationships between the public and private sector to produce better healthcare outcomes for all Americans."

Thompson serves as an international leader, advisor and speaker on interoperability and health policy. She serves on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Board of Scientific Counselors, the National Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Technical Committee, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (IUPMC) Patient Safety Committee, and volunteers at her local YWCA, school, and community.

About LexisNexis Risk Solutions

LexisNexis Risk Solutions harnesses the power of data and advanced analytics to provide insights that help businesses and governmental entities reduce risk and improve decisions to benefit people around the globe. We provide data and technology solutions for a wide range of industries including insurance, financial services, healthcare, and government. Headquartered in metro Atlanta, Georgia, we have offices throughout the world and are part of RELX (LSE: REL/NYSE: RELX), a global provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers. For more information, please visit www.risk.lexisnexis.com and www.relx.com .

Media Contact:

Paul Eckloff

LexisNexis Risk Solutions

Mobile: +1.202.941.6986

[email protected]

SOURCE LexisNexis Risk Solutions
LONG ISLAND, N.Y., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- College HUNKS Hauling Junk and Moving, an industry leader in stress-free solutions for moving and junk-hauling needs, today helped to collect and move supplies to be sent to Ukrainian refugees. The Long Island community banded together to provide enough supplies for Ukrainians to fill two 20-foot College HUNKS Moving Trucks.

On March 4, 2022, Dr. David Buchin, Director of Bariatric Surgery at Huntington Hospital, called for donations and created the Long Island-Ukrainian Emergency Response Drive to collect donated supplies to be sent to Ukrainian refugees. Buchin is an immigrant from the former Soviet bloc nation Uzbekistan and is taking a stand to support Ukraine.

"Community support is a core tenant of our brand and our franchise partners, Ted Panebianco and Steven Nickels, jumped to help the community when it was in a time of need," said Nick Friedman , Co-Founder and Visionary of College HUNKS. "This speaks to their embodiment of truly living the brands values and supporting those not only where they have a presence, but also internationally."

Errol Toulon, Jr., the Suffolk County Sheriff, donated nearly 450 pieces of bulletproof body armor from the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office to the people of Ukraine fighting the Russian invasion. Along with medical supplies, first-aid kits, blankets, sleeping bags, and other essentials collected in the drive, the four pallets of armor were delivered by College HUNKS and transported to Ukrainians fighting for their freedom.

"It was a pleasure to work alongside Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon, Jr., the College HUNKS, and all those across our area who have stood with Ukraine and donated critical essentials, first-aid kits, and medical supplies," said Dr. David Buchin, MD and coordinator of the Long Island-Ukraine Emergency Response Drive. "The overwhelming support we have received in this drive, and the College HUNKS help in delivering it, is a testament to our community's desire to help those in need in Ukraine during these tragic times."

"We are honored to be able to help our community and being able to live the brand's purpose of Moving The World seems more literal now than it has ever before," said Ted Panebianco, Co-Owner of the Long Island College HUNKS. "Amid all that is happening in the world, our team prioritizes our desire to give back to our communities and help families in need get through some of their most challenging times."

The Long Island College HUNKS is the flagship New York location for the full-service moving and hauling company. Over the past year, the company experienced incredible growth and sales and the Long Island location has contributed greatly to this success. Their key leaders were honored with the Franchisee of the Year award as presented by the International Franchise Association at this year's annual convention.

"It is the hope of the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office that this body armor can provide some measure of protection to the Ukrainians fighting on the front lines of this bloody war," said Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon, Jr. "We pray for a quick and peaceful end to this conflict."

Over 350 Ukrainians have been killed and over a million displaced since Russia invaded Ukraine. Representatives from the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America and family members of Ukrainian citizens will discuss the need for specifically requested tactile equipment as well as recent first-hand accounts of the conflict, including this weekend's failed ceasefires.

Images from the event here.

About College HUNKS Hauling Junk and Moving

College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving was originally founded by two college buddies with a beat-up cargo van and now has over 170 franchises providing full-service tech-enabled residential and commercial moving, junk removal, donation pickups, and labor services in the United States as well as Canada. H.U.N.K.S., which stands for Honest, Uniformed, Nice, Knowledgeable, Service, is a socially conscious, values-based organization and has a national partnership with U.S. Hunger, which strives to end childhood hunger. For every service the HUNKS complete, two nutritious meals are donated to a family or child in need. Within three years of this partnership, donations have exceeded two million meals. Today, the company strives to become recognized as an iconic brand, renowned for its world-class company culture and service, while also providing a viable employment and franchise opportunity to pursue personal and professional fulfillment. https://www.collegehunkshaulingjunk.com.

Media Contact:

Brianne Barbakoff

[email protected]

786-605-9228

SOURCE College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving
Chris Demuth, Senior Vice President, People Services, ESG, Belonging and Corporate Philanthropy, Neiman Marcus Group, says, "NMG has a long history of empowering, supporting, and celebrating women as seen through our assortment of female designers and brands, our many philanthropic partnerships, and our majority female workforce. This Women's History Month and beyond, the Company is proud to have a women-majority workforce, from the sales floor to the boardroom, and we will continue to highlight and support women-led brands, creators, and visionaries."

In its continued support of female innovators, NMG is also joining forces with Boss Beauties, a women-led global initiative and NFT project, to unveil its new "Role Models" NFT collection, designed to share the story of women who have shattered the glass ceiling throughout history and inspire the next generation of women and girls. This new assortment featuring 25 one-of-a-kinds NFT's will be launched March 9-12 on OpenSea and includes an NFT of Neiman Marcus co-founder Carrie Marcus Neiman alongside other female leaders such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Katherine Johnson, and Frida Kahlo. This assortment of NFT designs will be featured in various Neiman Marcus store windows throughout the month. A portion of the profits from the NFT sales will go to providing scholarships and mentoring programs for girls and women.

To further foster the partnership with Boss Beauties, The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation will be sponsoring young women from their community to visit Dallas and meet with some of NMG's female leaders at the downtown store location later this year. During their time in Dallas, they will also explore the historic and inspiring archives of Carrie Marcus Neiman's work at Southern Methodist University and the University of North Texas.

In honor of Women's History Month, Neiman Marcus will host a series of women's leadership panels in all stores that will showcase the importance of women in leadership positions in business, technology, the arts, design, health, wellness, and their communities. With over 100 women participating in the panels, highlights include Academy Award-nominated actress, screenwriter, and director Maggie Gyllenhaal, FASHIONPHILE Founder Sarah Davis, emerging designer Autumn Adeigbo, Okta Chief of Staff Angela Grady, and "A Girl Named Carrie" author and daughter of Stanley Marcus, Jerrie Marcus Smith, among others.

NMG is also honoring Women's History Month by celebrating women who are pioneering change in the industry. From Brittany Sierra, Founder and CEO of Sustainable Fashion Form, and her global online community that facilitates conversations about fashion's social and environmental effects on our world, to Natasha Franck, Founder of EON, an information technology company that partners with retailers and brands to digitize the life cycle of its products. NMG is also proud to highlight Mindy Scheier, Founder of Runway of Dreams, who challenges retailers and brands to create a more inclusive fashion industry.

This International Women's Day, NMG will be supporting the work of Mindy Scheier and Runway of Dreams by sponsoring "A Fashion Revolution," an adaptive fashion show to support and empower people with disabilities. The show will be held at NeueHouse Hollywood and will include models of varying disabilities, ages, and backgrounds, dressed in major global brands and, for the first time, small up-and-coming businesses.

Throughout March, stores will also be engaging customers and associates alike by hosting panels for women leaders across communities in all Neiman Marcus store locations. The panel guests will range from CEOs, designers, philanthropists, and other influential leaders in their communities.

In addition, women entrepreneurs and trailblazers are showcased on Neiman Marcus' online magazine through a spotlight "The Future Is In Her Hands" story on NeimanMarcus.com highlighting leaders across retail, sustainability, tech, design, and more. The story can be read on www.neimanmarcus.com/editorial. In March, emerging and women-led and designed labels will also be celebrated throughout Neiman Marcus' website, including Eileen Fisher, Lafayette 148 New York, and Vintner's Daughter.

"NMG is a majority women-led luxury retailer with a workforce that outpaces the U.S. population in both gender and racial diversity. We are intentional about how and where we invest to ensure that we are providing equitable access to opportunities. This includes commitments to increasing our spend with women, minority, and LGBTQ-owned business through our new supplier diversity program," said Eric Severson, Chief People & Belonging Officer, Neiman Marcus Group. "NMG was founded by a woman and is currently led by powerful women leaders driving the charge. We are proud of that and will continue to prioritize them as the organization continues to lead with love."

As a woman co-founded and majority-women-led organization, women represent the majority of the Company's Board of Directors, and leaders SVP level and above. Women currently make up 59% of VP level and above, and 68% of all corporate and store associates.

To read more about NMG's philanthropic work, visit The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation.

About The Neiman Marcus Group, LLC

Neiman Marcus Group is a relationship business. We lead with love in everything we do for our customers, associates, brand partners, and communities. Our strategy of integrated luxury retail is about creating long-term relationships. It's this connection that creates emotional and high lifetime value potential with everyone we serve. Through the expertise of our 9,000+ associates, we deliver across our three channels of in-store, eCommerce, and remote selling. Investments in data and technology allow us to scale a personalized luxury experience. Our brands include Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus Last Call, and Horchow. For more information, visit www.neimanmarcusgroup.com.

About Boss Beauties:

A woman-led global initiative, Boss Beauties creates opportunities for women and girls through mentorship programs and scholarships powered by collaborations that empower those at the forefront of technology, leadership, and creativity. Boss Beauties was founded by Lisa Mayer, who for ten years through My Social Canvas has made it her mission to equip the next generation of women to design the life and career of their dreams. They have built a global community of Gen Z women in the US and 15 countries worldwide. Their work has had involvement from Apple and Verizon, as well as inspiring women mentors ranging from Olympians to leaders in fashion and entertainment including collaborations with Rolling Stone, Hugo Boss, Mattel and more.

SOURCE Neiman Marcus Holding Company, Inc.
HOUSTON, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) today launched the Aiming for Zero Methane Emissions Initiative which calls for an all-in approach that treats oil and gas methane emissions as seriously as the industry already treats safety: aiming for zero and striving to do what is needed to get there.

We recognize that eliminating methane emissions from the upstream oil and gas industry represents one of the best short-term opportunities for contributing to climate change mitigation and for advancing the goals of the Paris Agreement.

The Initiative is already supported by the CEOs of Aramco, bp, Chevron, CNPC, Eni, Equinor, ExxonMobil, Occidental, Petrobras, Repsol, Shell and TotalEnergies. OGCI encourages all oil and gas companies to join them in this approach.

Signatories to Aiming for Zero Methane Emissions Initiative believe that virtually all methane emissions from the industry can and should be avoided, building on the following:

We will strive to reach near zero methane emissions from our operated oil and gas assets by 2030, and we will encourage our partners to achieve similar results. We will put in place all reasonable means to avoid methane venting and flaring, and to repair detected leaks, while preserving the safety of people and the integrity of operations. Signatories will report annually and transparently on their methane emissions. As technology evolves, we will supplement methane emissions estimates with more monitoring and measurement technologies, and introduce new solutions to avoid methane emissions. We welcome the continued improvement of measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) mechanisms. We support the implementation of sound regulations to tackle methane emissions and encourage governments to include methane emissions reduction targets as part of their climate strategies.

This leadership initiative supplements important multi-stakeholder initiatives, such as the Methane Guiding Principles, the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 and the Global Methane Alliance.

OGCI has already taken significant action to reduce methane emissions, setting targets, developing and deploying technologies and participating in multi-stakeholder initiatives to raise awareness and improve practices. The member companies have reported collective progress on methane since 2017 and have reduced their aggregate absolute methane emissions by more than 30% in the last five years.

OGCI remains committed to its methane intensity target of well below 0.20% by 2025 and will be reviewing its shared targets for 2025 and onwards, to account for this new initiative and its new strategy launched in September 2021.

"We recognize that eliminating methane emissions from the upstream oil and gas industry represents one of the best short-term opportunities for contributing to climate change mitigation and for advancing the goals of the Paris agreement," said OGCI Chair, Bob Dudley. "The time has come for us to go further, and we believe that the oil and gas industry can and should lead this effort."

Bjorn Otto Sverdrup, OGCI Executive Committee Chair said, "With this leadership initiative, we are calling for an all-in approach that treats methane emissions as seriously as the oil and gas industry already treats safety: we aim for zero and we will strive to do what is needed to get there. We are encouraging all oil and gas companies to join us in this approach."

The Oil and Gas Climate Initiative

The Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) was founded in 2014 and today consists of 12 global oil & gas majors representing around 30% of the world's total oil and gas production.

OGCI's overarching mission is to use its collective resources to accelerate actions that mitigate the greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and gas industry's operations and the use of its products, while still meeting the world's energy needs.

All OGCI member companies aim to reach net zero emissions from operations under their control, and also to leverage their influence to achieve the same in non-operated assets, within the timeframe set by the Paris agreement. OGCI member companies have pledged to stay action-oriented, report transparently, and update the Consortium's ambitions as progress towards net zero is achieved.

SOURCE Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI)
CRANBURY, N.J., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Optometry Times, the leading source of news and information for optometry professionals in the United States, is thrilled to announce that Black EyeCare Perspectives has joined its Strategic Alliance Partnership (SAP).

"There is a growing awareness among industry members about the need to improve diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts, and health equity should be a top concern for all of us," said Mike Hennessy Jr., president and CEO of MJH Life Sciences, parent company of Optometry Times. "Guided by Black EyeCare Perspective, we look forward to strengthening DEI efforts throughout the eye care community and hope to contribute to the change in mindset of the next generation of industry professionals."

The SAP program brings leading medical associations together to achieve national reach and visibility.

Founded by optometrists Adam Ramsey and Darryl Glover, BlackEye Care Perspective fosters lifelong relationships between Black ophthalmologists and optometrists and the rest of the eye care industry. The organization is redefining the color of the industry by creating a pipeline for Black students into the field of optometry. With the first nationally recognized pre-optometry club, Black EyeCare Perspective ensures that not a single future Black student or optometrist is ignored, discouraged or disadvantaged.

The organization prides itself on three core valueshealth care enrichment, transformational impact and the championing of DEI. Through industry partnerships and programming support, Black EyeCare Perspective is dedicated to its 13% Promise, a call for equity in eye care through awareness, actionable change and accountability.

For more information on BlackEye Care Perspective, click here.

The SAP program partners leading medical associations, health plans, advocacy groups and medical institutions with each other for national reach and visibility. By utilizing the MJH Life Sciences communication platform, these groups can showcase cutting-edge initiatives, content, research and thought leadership. The SAP Program also fosters collaboration and an open exchange of information among trusted peers for the benefit of patients and their families.

About Optometry Times

The leading source of news, analysis and reports on emerging optometry research, Optometry Times disseminates information of a clinical, socioeconomic and political nature in a timely and accurate manner. Optometry Times's practical content by optometrists for optometrists can be immediately applied to improve the clinical experience. Optometry Times is a brand of MJH Life Sciences, the largest privately held, independent, full-service medical media company in North America dedicated to delivering trusted health care news across multiple channels.

Media Contact

Michael Altmann

[email protected]

SOURCE Optometry Times
With a rich history spanning decades of industry leadership, Penn Global Marketing has built a strong and dedicated team of highly skilled professionals known for exceptional customer service. Through its knowledgeable and well-trained agent force, the respected IMO offers life and health insurance products, as well as annuities. The organization is directed by an experienced executive council, with members possessing an average tenure of 20 years. With the support of this council, they have worked to build a culture of mentorship coupled with a passion for serving others and improving the lives of the company's clients nationwide.

"Steve and his team understand that the insurance industry is all about creating strong relationships in order to make a difference in the lives of Americans," explained Bryan W. Adams, Co-Founder and CEO of Integrity. "Penn Global Marketing shares our holistic vision for the future of the life, health and wealth industries. With Integrity's proprietary platform supporting their growth, Penn Global Marketing will continue doing what they do best, only at an accelerated pace. In addition, Steve's proven expertise in guiding and mentoring agents will complement Integrity's key leaders as we work to innovate the industry together. We are honored to welcome Steve and his team to the Integrity family."

"Innovation and technology are key to the future of our industry," explained Steve Gaffney, CEO of Penn Global Marketing. "Integrity puts the most cutting-edge insurtech resources at our fingertips, giving us the ability to increase our production to a level that would take us a decade or more to achieve on our own. Our partnership with Integrity gives our agents access to a truly comprehensive platform of products, resources and technology that will help them achieve their goals and take better care of their clients. By partnering with Integrity, we'll not only reach our objectives but go well beyond them. I'm thrilled to join the Integrity family and can't wait to help shape an even brighter future for our industry."

Integrity's partners are thrilled to add fellow industry icon, Gaffney, to the Integrity network. Penn Global Marketing will work to innovate alongside other Integrity partners. Together, the partners collaborate and strategize on solutions that optimize insurance and financial processes, while protecting the life, health and wealth of the Americans they serve.

Penn Global Marketing is eager to extend its reach and product offerings by utilizing Integrity's omnichannel platform of insurtech resources. This one-of-a-kind, end-to-end suite of offerings includes powerful quoting and enrollment systems, convenient CRM capabilities, innovative product development, and insightful data and analytics. The Integrity platform also includes shared business services that will streamline Penn Global Marketing's administrative functions, freeing agency leaders to focus more on growth strategy and execution. These efficiency-driven services encompass Technology & Innovation, People & Culture, finance, legal and compliance, as well as access to a world-class advertising and marketing agency.

Furthermore, Penn Global Marketing can now offer its employees meaningful company ownership through the Integrity Employee Ownership Plan.

For more information about Penn Global Marketing's decision to partner with Integrity, view a video at www.integritymarketing.com/PennGlobalMarketing.

About Integrity Marketing Group

Integrity, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is an omnichannel insurtech leader of life and health insurance, and provider of innovative solutions for wealth management and retirement planning. Through its partner network, Integrity helps millions of Americans protect their life, health and wealth with a commitment to meet them wherever they are  in person, over the phone and online. Integrity's cutting-edge technology helps streamline the insurance and financial planning experience for all stakeholders. In addition, Integrity develops products with carrier partners and markets them through its distribution network of agencies, brokerages and RIAs throughout the nation. Integrity's nearly 5,500 employees work with more than 420,000 agents and advisors who serve over 10 million clients annually. In 2021, Integrity helped carriers place more than $7 billion in new sales and oversaw more than $20 billion of assets under management and advisement through its RIA and broker-dealer platforms. For more information, visit www.integritymarketing.com .

About Penn Global Marketing

Penn Global Marketing, based in St. Louis, Missouri, specializes in meeting the insurance needs of the American public, with special emphasis on the senior market. Through its sales unit of career agents, Penn Global Marketing assists tens of thousands of clients in 43 states and the District of Columbia. An organization built by salespeople for salespeople, their senior sales managers average tenure of 20 years is integral to the leadership, training and development of its agent group. The ideal of being in business for yourself, but never by yourself, resonates throughout the company's culture. Penn Global Marketing is committed to serving the clients who put their trust in the company's services and the career professionals who represent the company. For more information, visit www.pennglobalmarketing.com.

SOURCE Integrity Marketing Group, LLC
GLENDALE, Calif., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Mara Garcia, Chief Financial Officer for marketing automation platform Phonexa , has joined the Forbes Finance Council, an invitation-only organization for senior-level finance executives.

Garcia will provide industry expertise and insight drawn from her day-to-day experiences shaping Phonexa, the all-in-one marketing automation solution for calls, leads, clicks, email, SMS, accounting, and more. Garcia will also participate in constructive dialogue with fellow industry leaders in Forbes' forum.

Mara Garcia

"I'm honored to be a part of an esteemed council of diverse business leaders," said Garcia. "I benefited greatly from my experience working with innovative leaders at Phonexa, and I look forward to sharing my expertise with the next wave of innovators."

Garcia joins Phonexa President David Gasparyan and CEO Lilit Davtyan as part of an elite group cultivated by Forbes. Gasparyan has been part of the Forbes Technology Council since 2020; Davtyan joined the Forbes Council in 2021.

Prior to moving into her new role as CFO in February, Garcia was the Vice President of Finance and Accounting for Phonexa. Garcia has been with the SaaS company since 2020.

At Phonexa, Garcia oversees many of Phonexa's financial practices and procedures including but not limited to supervision of internal and external expenses, budgeting, audit management, and tax preparation. She currently leads Phonexa's tax, accounting, and finance teams.

Garcia received her B.S. from California State University, Northridge, and received her CPA license from the California Board of Accountancy. She obtained a Cybersecurity Advisory Services Certificate from the American Institute of CPAs. She's also one of the Vice Presidents on the Board of Directors for CalCPA's LA Chapter.

For more information about Garcia, connect with her on LinkedIn .

To learn more about Phonexa's all-in-one marketing automation solution for calls, leads, clicks, email, SMS, accounting, and more, schedule a consultation.

About Phonexa: Phonexa is an all-in-one marketing automation solution for calls, leads, clicks, email, SMS, accounting, and more. The software company powers direct advertisers and lead generators alike across all businesses and industries by optimizing inbound web and call campaigns, and outbound call, email, and SMS campaigns  all while having the ability to enhance the consumer journey along every step of the way. Complete with a suite of turnkey marketing products and solutions, Phonexa's customizable tools are uniquely designed to maximize workflow efficiency and revenue. Phonexa has the scalability, tools, and partnerships to serve clients across industries, especially those with high consumer demand products and services.

Media contact:

Manouk Akopyan

[email protected]

818-800-0000

SOURCE Phonexa
CHICAGO, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Point of Care and Rapid Diagnostics Market by Product (Glucose, Infectious Disease(HIV, Hepatitis C), Pregnancy Test), Platform (Microfluidics, Dipsticks), Mode of Purchase (OTC, Prescription), End User (Pharmacy, Hospital, Home) - Global Forecast to 2027", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global market is expected to reach USD 72.0 billion by 2027 from an estimated USD 43.2 billion in 2022, at a CAGR of 10.8% from 2022 to 2027.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Point of Care and Rapid Diagnostics Market"

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The Rapid Diagnostics Market growth is mainly driven by the high prevalence of infectious diseases, supportive government policies and rising number of CLIA-waived POC tests. In addition, healthcare decentralization and greater investments and funding for product development are expected to offer growth opportunities for players in the POC Diagnostics Market. However, issues related to pricing pressure owing to reimbursement cuts and budget constraints are expected to hinder the growth of the point of care diagnostics market during the forecast period.

The Glucose Monitoring Products segment accounted for the largest share of the point of care diagnostics market, by product type, in 2021

Based on products, the Point of Care and Rapid Diagnostics Market is segmented into glucose monitoring products, cardiometabolic monitoring products, COVID-19 testing products, infectious disease testing products, coagulation monitoring products, pregnancy & fertility testing products, hematology testing products, tumor/cancer marker testing products, fecal occult testing products, urinalysis testing products, drug-of-abuse testing products, cholesterol testing products, and other products. In 2021, the glucose monitoring products segment accounted for the largest share of the Rapid Diagnostics Market. This can be attributed to the growing diabetic patient population base, ongoing technological advancements, and the growing preference for home glucose testing.

The Lateral Flow Assays segment accounted for the largest share of the point of care diagnostics market, by platform, in 2021

Based on platform, the point-of-care diagnostics market is segmented into lateral flow assays, immunoassays, microfluidics, dipsticks, and molecular diagnostics. The lateral flow assays segment accounted for the largest share of the market in 2021. The widespread adoption of lateral flow assays in POC testing as a replacement for lengthy, conventional laboratory procedures is a key factor contributing to the growth of this segment.

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The OTC Testing Products segment, by mode of purchase, accounted for the largest share of the global point of care diagnostics market in 2021

On the basis of mode of purchase, the point-of-care diagnostics market is segmented into OTC testing products and prescription-based testing products. The OTC testing products segment accounted for the largest share of the market in 2021. The growing prevalence of lifestyle diseases and the favorable reimbursement scenario for OTC testing products are the major factors driving the growth of this market segment.

On the basis of End Users, Hospitals & Critical Care Centers segment accounted for the largest share of the global point of care diagnostics market, in 2021



On the basis of end users, the Point of Care and Rapid Diagnostics Market is segmented into clinical laboratories; ambulatory care facilities and physicians' offices; pharmacies, retail clinics, and E-commerce platforms; hospitals, critical care centers, and urgent care centers; home care & self-testing; and other end users. The hospitals & critical care centers segment is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period, owing to the increasing adoption of POC devices offering reduced turnaround time. The clinical laboratories segment accounted for the largest share of the Rapid Diagnostics Market in 2021. However, the home care and self-testing segment is projected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period, owing to the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases (requiring long-term care and frequent monitoring), growing awareness about home care, and the increasing availability of user-friendly and advanced POC diagnostic products.

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The Latin America market is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period

The global point of care diagnostics market is segmented into North America (comprising the US and Canada), Europe (includes Germany, France, and the UK), the Asia Pacific (includes Japan, China, India), Latin America (Brazil, Mexico), and the Middle East & Africa. In 2021, North America accounted for the largest share of this market, followed by Europe. The rising prevalence of lifestyle diseases, growing number of product approvals, and government initiatives to support the wider adoption of POC testing products are the key factors driving the growth of the North American point-of-care diagnostics market.

On the other hand, the Latin American market is projected to register the highest growth during the forecast period due to government efforts to increase awareness about the early detection of diseases and regular health check-ups, further promoting point-of-care devices. Moreover, increasing healthcare expenditures, growing number of hospitals and clinical diagnostic laboratories, and increasing collaborations among players in the region are also expected to drive market growth.

As of 2020, the point of care diagnostics market is dominated by Roche Diagnostics (Switzerland), Abbott Laboratories (US), Siemens Healthineers AG (Germany), Danaher Corporation (US), Quidel Corporation (US). Other leading players are Becton, Dickinson, and Company (US), Biomeriux S.A. (France), and Chembio Diagnostics (US).

Browse Adjacent Markets: Medical Devices Market Research Reports & Consulting

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https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/point-of-care-molecular-diagnostic-market-143524127.html

ASEAN and North Asian Point of Care/Rapid Diagnostics Market by Product (Glucose Monitoring, COVID, HIV, STDs, HAIs, Influenza, Tropical & Respiratory diseases), Technique (Rapid test, Molecular diagnostics), User (Hospital, Home Care) - Forecast to 2026

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The report identifies technology developments in labeling as one of the major factors driving the growth of the market. Advances in technology are increasing the scope of the label by making it a portal for information such as downloadable product details and ingredient information, along with coupons and promotional offers. In addition, these advances allow companies to track items across the supply chain and enable fast and accurate inventory management. Another key factor driving the global release liners market growth is the increasing demand for labels, owing mostly to increased demand from the packaged foods sector.

However, one of the key challenges to the global release liners market growth is the availability of substitutes in the market. Packaging printing, which includes direct printing on the product package, also poses a challenge to the market for linerless labels. Printing on the package lowers the cost of raw materials such as paper, as well as the two-step printing process and label application. Such factors are expected to negatively impact the growth of the market in focus in the forecast years.

View Market Report Outlook for More Insights on Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

The Release Liners Market is segmented by Type (Paper and Film) and Geography (APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa). The paper type segment held the largest release liners market share in 2021. The segment will continue to account for the largest market share throughout the forecast period. The growth of the segment can be attributed to the high demand for paper-based-release liners, as most films are derived from petroleum and crude oil feedstock and have low natural degradability. In terms of Geography, 41% of the market's growth will originate from APAC during the forecast period. China, Japan are the key markets for release liners market in APAC. Market growth in this region will be faster than the growth of the market in other regions. The rapid growth in the packaging sector and increasing demand from the infrastructure and construction sectors will facilitate the release liners market growth in APAC over the forecast period.

Download Sample Report for information on each contributing segment.

The release liners market covers the following areas:

Technavio categorizes the global release liners market as a part of the global paper packaging industry. Our report provides extensive information on the value chain analysis for the release liners market, which vendors can leverage to gain a competitive advantage during the forecast period. This report presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources by an analysis of key parameters.

Release Liners Market Sizing

Release Liners Market Forecast

Release Liners Market Analysis



Vendor Analysis and Companies Mentioned

The release liners market is fragmented and the vendors are deploying growth strategies such as M&A to compete in the market. Companies such as Ahlstrom Munksjo Oyj offer release liners, which have the performance characteristics to withstand demanding environmental and converting conditions.

Few companies classified as strong and dominant players covered in the report are:

3M Co.

Co. Ahlstrom Munksjo Oyj

Compagnie de Saint Gobain SA

delfortgroup AG

DuPont Teijin Films

Felix Schoeller Holding GmbH and Co KG

FUJIKO Co. Ltd.

Glatfelter Corp.

Inteplast Group

Laufenberg GmbH

LINTEC Corp.

Loparex International BV

Mitsui and Co. Ltd.

Mondi Group

Nan Ya Plastics Corp.

Neenah Inc.

Polyplex Corp. Ltd.

Siliconature Spa

UPM-Kymmene Corp.

Xinfeng Group

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Paper and Paperboard Container and Packaging Market by Product, End-user, and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2021-2025

Paper Pallet Market by Product and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026

Release Liners Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 7.14% Market growth 2022-2026 $ 37.58 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 6.05 Regional analysis APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution APAC at 41% Key consumer countries US, China, Japan, Germany, and UK Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled 3M Co., Ahlstrom Munksjo Oyj, Compagnie de Saint Gobain SA, delfortgroup AG, DuPont Teijin Films, Felix Schoeller Holding GmbH and Co KG, FUJIKO Co. Ltd., Glatfelter Corp., Inteplast Group, Laufenberg GmbH, LINTEC Corp., Loparex International BV, Mitsui and Co. Ltd., Mondi Group, Nan Ya Plastics Corp., Neenah Inc., Polyplex Corp. Ltd., Siliconature Spa, UPM-Kymmene Corp., and Xinfeng Group Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and future consumer dynamics, market condition analysis for the forecast period, Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market overview

Exhibit 01: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Overview



Exhibit 02: Executive Summary  Data Table on Market Overview



Exhibit 03: Executive Summary  Chart on Global Market Characteristics



Exhibit 04: Executive Summary  Chart on Market by Geography



Exhibit 05: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Type



Exhibit 06: Executive Summary  Chart on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 07: Executive Summary  Data Table on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 08: Executive Summary  Chart on Vendor Market Positioning

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 09: Parent market



Exhibit 10: Market Characteristics

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 11: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 12: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2021

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2021-2026

Exhibit 13: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 14: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 15: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 16: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

4 Five Forces Analysis

4.1 Five forces summary

Exhibit 17: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2021 and 2026

4.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 18: Bargaining power of buyers  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 19: Bargaining power of suppliers  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 20: Threat of new entrants  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 21: Threat of substitutes  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 22: Threat of rivalry  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.7 Market condition

Exhibit 23: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2021 and 2026

5 Market Segmentation by Type

5.1 Market segments

Exhibit 24: Chart on Type - Market share 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 25: Data Table on Type - Market share 2021-2026 (%)

5.2 Comparison by Type

Exhibit 26: Chart on Comparison by Type



Exhibit 27: Data Table on Comparison by Type

5.3 Paper - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 28: Chart on Paper - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 29: Data Table on Paper - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 30: Chart on Paper - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 31: Data Table on Paper - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.4 Film - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 32: Chart on Film - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 33: Data Table on Film - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 34: Chart on Film - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on Film - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.5 Market opportunity by Type

Exhibit 36: Market opportunity by Type ($ billion)

6 Customer Landscape

6.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 37: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

7 Geographic Landscape

7.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 38: Chart on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)

7.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 40: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Geographic comparison

7.3 APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 42: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 43: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 44: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 45: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.4 North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 46: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 47: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 48: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 49: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.5 Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 50: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 51: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 52: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 53: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 54: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 55: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 56: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 57: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 58: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 59: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

and - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 60: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

and - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 61: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.8 US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 62: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 63: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 64: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 65: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.9 China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 66: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 67: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 68: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 69: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.10 Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 70: Chart on Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 71: Data Table on Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 72: Chart on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 73: Data Table on Germany - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.11 Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 74: Chart on Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 75: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)

Exhibit 76: Chart on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 77: Data Table on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.12 UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 78: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 79: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ billion)



Exhibit 80: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 81: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.13 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 82: Market opportunity by geography ($ billion)

8 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

8.1 Market drivers

8.2 Market challenges

8.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

Exhibit 83: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2021 and 2026

8.4 Market trends

9 Vendor Landscape

9.1 Overview

9.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 84: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

9.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 85: Overview on factors of disruption

9.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 86: Impact of key risks on business

10 Vendor Analysis

10.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 87: Vendors covered

10.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 88: Matrix on vendor position and classification

10.3 3M Co.

Co. Exhibit 89: 3M Co. - Overview

Co. - Overview

Exhibit 90: 3M Co. - Business segments

Co. - Business segments

Exhibit 91: 3M Co. - Key news

Co. - Key news

Exhibit 92: 3M Co. - Key offerings

Co. - Key offerings

Exhibit 93: 3M Co. - Segment focus

10.4 Ahlstrom Munksjo Oyj

Exhibit 94: Ahlstrom Munksjo Oyj - Overview



Exhibit 95: Ahlstrom Munksjo Oyj - Business segments



Exhibit 96: Ahlstrom Munksjo Oyj - Key news



Exhibit 97: Ahlstrom Munksjo Oyj - Key offerings



Exhibit 98: Ahlstrom Munksjo Oyj - Segment focus

10.5 Compagnie de Saint Gobain SA

Exhibit 99: Compagnie de Saint Gobain SA - Overview



Exhibit 100: Compagnie de Saint Gobain SA - Business segments



Exhibit 101: Compagnie de Saint Gobain SA - Key news



Exhibit 102: Compagnie de Saint Gobain SA - Key offerings



Exhibit 103: Compagnie de Saint Gobain SA - Segment focus

10.6 Felix Schoeller Holding GmbH and Co KG

Exhibit 104: Felix Schoeller Holding GmbH and Co KG - Overview



Exhibit 105: Felix Schoeller Holding GmbH and Co KG - Product / Service



Exhibit 106: Felix Schoeller Holding GmbH and Co KG - Key offerings

10.7 LINTEC Corp.

Exhibit 107: LINTEC Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 108: LINTEC Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 109: LINTEC Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 110: LINTEC Corp. - Segment focus

10.8 Loparex International BV

Exhibit 111: Loparex International BV - Overview



Exhibit 112: Loparex International BV - Product / Service



Exhibit 113: Loparex International BV - Key offerings

10.9 Mondi Group

Exhibit 114: Mondi Group - Overview



Exhibit 115: Mondi Group - Business segments



Exhibit 116: Mondi Group - Key news



Exhibit 117: Mondi Group - Key offerings



Exhibit 118: Mondi Group - Segment focus

10.10 Nan Ya Plastics Corp.

Exhibit 119: Nan Ya Plastics Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 120: Nan Ya Plastics Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 121: Nan Ya Plastics Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 122: Nan Ya Plastics Corp. - Segment focus

10.11 Polyplex Corp. Ltd.

Exhibit 123: Polyplex Corp. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 124: Polyplex Corp. Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 125: Polyplex Corp. Ltd. - Key offerings

10.12 UPM-Kymmene Corp.

Exhibit 126: UPM-Kymmene Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 127: UPM-Kymmene Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 128: UPM-Kymmene Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 129: UPM-Kymmene Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 130: UPM-Kymmene Corp. - Segment focus

11 Appendix

11.1 Scope of the report

11.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 131: Inclusions checklist

11.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 132: Currency conversion rates for US$

11.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 133: Research methodology



Exhibit 134: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 135: Information sources

11.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 136: List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

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Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
RALEIGH, N.C., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Diveplane , the company keeping the humanity in artificial intelligence (AI) today announced that the company's flagship product, GEMINAI, was used by its partner, Smart Data Foundry , to win the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) High-Level Group for the Modernization of Official Statistics' (HLG-MOS) synthetic data challenge.

Established in 2021, the UNECE HLG-MOS focuses on the needs of the people around it to support clean and ethical data practices. Smart Data Foundry data science team members Paola Arce, Victor Alfonzo Diaz and Euan Gardner represented the organization under its previous Global Open Finance Centre of Excellence name. The week-long synthetic data challenge was put into place to help shape the HLG-MOS's Synthetic Data for National Statistical Offices: A Starter Guide, being published by the UNECE later in 2022.

"We're very pleased to have come out on top in this challenge, considering the competition, and I'm proud of the team and how much they're learning in this space," said Nick Radcliffe, Smart Data Foundry's Chief Data Scientist. "This exercise also gave us the opportunity to explore the capabilities of the GEMINAI software to its fullest extent, and, following this outcome, we're looking forward to continuing this partnership with Diveplane."

Smart Data Foundry is part of the University of Edinburgh and a collaboration with the Financial Data and Technology Association (FDATA) and FinTech Scotland. With roots in Scotland, and supported by UK Research and Innovation's flagship Strength in Places Fund, Smart Data Foundry has a close working relationship with the Scottish government as it seeks to unlock the power of data as a force to improve people's lives.

"This was a fantastic effort on behalf of everyone involved," said Diveplane Chief Commercial Officer Alan Cross. "The Smart Data Foundry team, assisted by our own data scientists, were able to quickly turn in a winning performance, which is a testament to both GEMINAI's capabilities and the Smart Data Foundry's ambition."

"I'm delighted that GEMINAI performed so well in the competition, and helped the Smart Data Foundry team to a successful outcome," said Mike Capps, Diveplane's Chief Executive Officer. "We share common values, specifically the belief that all data must be protected and used responsibly. This win has set a pretty high bar at the start of our collaboration, but we are confident this partnership will only grow stronger from this point on."

About Diveplane

Founded in 2018 by Dr. Michael Capps and Dr. Chris Hazard, Diveplane keeps the humanity in artificial intelligence. The company develops technology that helps businesses and government organizations better understand and leverage the power of their data through AI tools that are trainable, interpretable and auditable. Diveplane is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information on Diveplane, please visit www.diveplane.com or follow the company on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About Smart Data Foundry

Born in the University of Edinburgh, our mission is clear  to open finance for good. We work closely with founding partners FinTech Scotland and the Financial Data and Technology Association (FDATA) - all the ingredients to make collaboration happen when there's normally a host of reasons for not sharing data. We provide a secure data environment where real consumer data from UK financial institutions can be safely shared with organisations working on big societal economic and environmental problems: helping to accelerate research, prove ideas and get to solutions quicker.

SOURCE Diveplane
BOSTON, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston Children's Hospital, the number one pediatric hospital in the nation, has established a specialty pharmacy called Boston Children's Pharmacy.

Conveniently located across Longwood Avenue from the hospital, Boston Children's Pharmacy has engaged Shields Health Solutions ("Shields"), the country's leading specialty pharmacy integrator and care provider, to collaborate in developing a specialty pharmacy program that will provide patients with complex chronic conditions access to specialized pharmacy services designed to lower costs, expand treatment options, enhance medication management, and improve their overall health.

The collaborative arrangement between Boston Children's Pharmacy and Shields will offer new support services to meet the unique needs of pediatric patients with complex chronic conditions. Now, patients who fill their prescriptions with Boston Children's Pharmacy will be guided by specialty pharmacy liaisons who will work with patients on-site in certain Boston Children's Hospital ambulatory programs. Among other things, these liaisons work with teams of experts to assist patients and families with health insurance prior authorizations or securing financial assistance thereby overcoming one of the significant barriers to care.

These expanded patient support services, combined with access to recently approved and newly available drugs, will give Boston Children's Hospital's patients greater availability for onsite treatment options. Shields currently partners with more than 70 health systems around the country and has helped their patients reduce co-pays, promptly receive medication delivery, often within two days, and improved medication adherence greater than 90 percent on average.

"The positive outcomes for our children and families are our top priority," said Kevin B. Churchwell, MD, President and CEO of Boston Children's Hospital. "With the specialized care that Shields Health Solutions will provide, we know that we will be able to provide more families with the outcomes they desire when they are in our care."

"Collaborating with Boston Children's Pharmacy and providing our specialty pharmacy services to the children and families who need it most is truly an honor," said Lee Cooper, CEO of Shields Health Solutions. "We are excited to help patients at Boston Children's achieve their best outcomes so they can live their best lives."

About Boston Children's Hospital

Boston Children's Hospital is ranked the #1 children's hospital in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and is the primary pediatric teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Home to the world's largest research enterprise based at a pediatric medical center, its discoveries have benefited both children and adults since 1869. Today, 3,000 researchers and scientific staff, including 10 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 25 members of the National Academy of Medicine and 12 Howard Hughes Medical Investigators comprise Boston Children's research community. Founded as a 20-bed hospital for children, Boston Children's is now a 415-bed comprehensive center for pediatric and adolescent health care. For more, visit our Answers blog and follow us on social media @BostonChildrens, @BCH_Innovation, Facebook and YouTube.

About Shields Health Solutions

Shields Health Solutions is a specialty pharmacy integrator and care provider, partnering with hospital leaders on every aspect of specialty pharmacy creation, growth and management. The company provides the fastest, lowest risk model for health systems to create a hospital-owned specialty pharmacy program. In doing so, Shields provides health systems with on-site pharmacy and care professionals, a purpose-built specialty pharmacy technology platform, and access to 80+ percent of all limited distribution drugs (LDDs) and most (health insurance) payors in the nation. Shields provides ownership of all specialty pharmacy assets in a health system's name.

Media Contact:

Bethany Tripp

[email protected]

SOURCE Boston Children's Hospital
The app's user base, primarily in the United States, is growing exponentially worldwide, increasing by over 5x in three months to exceed 1.85 million users by the end of January 2022. This exponential growth is due to the network effect at work, as the history of Bitcoin has shown.

As SocialGood App users increase, the value of SG crypto increases, so the app's value also increases as it provides SG. This attracts even more users, creating a positive cycle of growth. Social Good Foundation Inc. has registered 68 patents in Japan for this innovative Crypto Back business model.

Survey data shows that there are 5 billion mobile users in the world, and 55% of them want rewards or cash back when they shop online. On the other hand, the 24-hour exchange volume in crypto exceeded $100 billion in February 2022. Therefore the business model of rewarding in crypto may seem obvious, but Social Good Foundation Inc. has proven its innovativeness with its 68 patents related to the Crypto Back business model. In addition, as the crypto market is said to be growing tenfold every two years, it can be anticipated that SocialGood App's global market will grow to 550 million people in the next two years.

In 2018, the company's founder and CEO, Soichiro Takaoka, established Social Good Foundation Inc. in Tokyo to meet the demands of this large and rapidly-growing market, and to create the cryptocurrency and mobile app with the most users in the world.

A Japanese serial entrepreneur, Takaoka has 23 years of experience in the fintech field. After graduating from Tokyo University, he began his career at Mitsui & Co., one of the most massive global enterprises based in Japan. He then left to start his own fintech company, which rose to become the most successful in its industry in Japan under his leadership, with over $1B total in investment advisory contracts. Takaoka has also authored two publications about finance.

Andrew Tantomo, the CTO of Social Good Foundation Inc., was previously a lead engineer in global app development at Rakuten, after graduating from the Singapore Institute of Management. Tantomo, who is fluent in English, Chinese, and Japanese, is a highly skilled, multilingual, full stack developer.

"Most people in the world do not have the means to gain assets; they keep just losing money from their daily expenses. I wanted to create a world where anyone and everyone could just automatically build up assets. Our goal is to democratize asset-holding," shares Soichiro Takaoka, founder and CEO of Social Good Foundation Inc. "We believe that the SocialGood Ecosystem will make the world a better place, and we aim to expand it globally."

The SocialGood Project's stated mission is "to build the world's largest global platform and to provide financial freedom to all people worldwide." They also state that their "vision is to become the top cryptocurrency and global mobile app with the highest number of users."

Highly-skilled and sincere individuals have come from global companies to join the SocialGood team with a shared passion to achieve this vision and mission. These include a former executive at Amazon Japan, a Goldman Sachs alumnus, a former marketing director at Mercari, a former media planner at P&G, an engineer who worked at Rakuten, a former data analyst at IBM, and more.

Social Good Foundation Inc. supports the growth and personal fulfillment of each team member in a fair work environment where there is no discrimination based on race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, or age, leading to a highly diverse and international team.

As the SocialGood App aims to become the world's largest platform, the app is already available in English, Chinese, and Hindi. The team plans to continue to add more localized versions, partner with more major companies worldwide, and make the app even more useful for all users.

In anticipation of this growth, Miyako Capital has invested $14.2 million in Social Good Foundation Inc. This is the largest equity finance investment ever to be raised by a crypto issuer headquartered in Japan*, and the very first funding for Social Good Foundation Inc.

Miyako Capital is a venture capital firm officially recognized by Kyoto University, a leading Japanese national university. In addition to their offices in Japan, Miyako Capital also holds an office located in Silicon Valley. They invest in and provide support for promising Japanese and international startups. With this investment, Social Good Foundation Inc. plans to further promote its global expansion.

"We are pleased to announce that we have invested in Social Good Foundation Inc., which aims to build an innovative and socially-conscious global platform utilizing the token ecosystem," said Hiro Okahashi, Partner and Founder of Miyako Capital, in a statement. "The SocialGood App has already gained traction and significant transactions internationally. We expect that the SocialGood App will continue to show rapid, significant growth and gain even more widespread use around the world. We will continue to do our utmost to support them in industry-university collaboration for technology and human resources as well as overseas expansion."

About Social Good Foundation Inc.

Social Good Foundation Inc. is an innovative fintech company with 68 Japanese patents related to cryptocurrency and blockchains. They created the SocialGood App, which gives Crypto Back rewards to online shoppers. There are over 1.85 million users from more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, as of the end of Jan. 2022.

In 2021, Social Good Foundation Inc. received approval from the Governor of Tokyo for their business model and in 2022 they were supported by the Japanese governmental organization JETRO.

Social Good Foundation Inc. aims to make the world a better place by connecting the globe with the token ecosystem and creating a win-win-win situation for all consumers, companies, and society as a whole. Social Good Foundation Inc. provides a global platform that allows people to make the world a better place and gain assets just by shopping.

Headquarters: 18F West Tower Otemachi First Square, 1-5-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Founder and CEO: Soichiro Takaoka

Capital: 1.42 billion yen (including capital reserve)*

Business Overview: Cryptocurrency reward platform development and operation with patented Crypto Back model

SocialGood App Website: https://socialgood.inc/

Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/socialgood_inc

Contact: https://socialgood-foundation.com/contact/

*Terms and Conditions: https://socialgood.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/900002031486

*According to a search of previous equity funding for companies headquartered in Japan (including those with offshore subsidiaries as the crypto issuers). Search was conducted by Social Good Foundation Inc., on the startup information platform INITIAL.

*In this article, the total is calculated as $14.2 million USD at the rate of 100 JPY = 1 USD.

SOURCE Social Good Foundation Inc.
ST. LOUIS, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Spartech, a leading manufacturer of engineered thermoplastics and custom packaging solutions, is pleased to announce that Greg Brunson has joined the Spartech team as Plant Manager of the former Crawford Industries plant in Thomasville, Georgia plant. Spartech recently acquired Crawford Industries, leading producer of graphic-quality polyethylene and polypropylene sheet and the industry leader in printing and converting for 50 years.

In his new role that will encompass supervisory responsibilities in all aspects of Thomasville plant operations, Brunson brings over 24 years of comprehensive safety, quality, compliance, operations, and profit and loss (P&L) management experience. Previously, he worked in the food processing industry with Tyson Foods, Pilgrim's, and FPL Foods where compliance to manufacturing practices consistent with USDA standards and food safety are critical to daily operations and long-term growth.

His previous job responsibilities include staff recruiting and training, scheduling and inventory management, continuous operational and profit improvement programs, and overall general management of operations. He is experienced in 5S workplace training, Lean manufacturing practices, and is Six Sigma certified.

Brunson holds a Bachelor of Science in agricultural business from Southern Arkansas University and currently resides in Thomasville, Georgia.

About Spartech

Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri with a unique innovation center and 16 manufacturing facilities located throughout the United States, Spartech is a leading plastics manufacturer of engineered thermoplastic materials and specialty packaging products. Meeting exact standards for everything from food packaging to aerospace and automotive applications, Spartech continues to make a world of difference with sustainable, diverse, reliable, and innovative products including UltraTuf, Royalite, Korad, PreservaPak, and Polycast. https://spartech.com

Media Contact:

For Spartech

Sheldon Ripson

[email protected]

636-751-5733

SOURCE Spartech
ARLINGTON, Va., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Stand Together Trust announced it is convening some of society's boldest changemakers for a series of panels at SXSW and SXSW Edu to discuss how to improve our education and criminal justice systems. Stand Together Trust is part of the Stand Together community of 700 business and philanthropic leaders committed to tackling the root causes of America's biggest problems so every person can realize their potential. The Stand Together community recognizes the country's biggest problems cannot be solved with the same kind of top-down, thinking that created them. Complex problems require comprehensive solutions, designed from the bottom up.

Across the two-week event, Stand Together Trust will host six panels: three focused on education (SXSW EDU: March 8th and 9th), and three focused on criminal justice and public safety (SXSW: March 12th). Each panelist will share their efforts to advance community-based solutions to help solve America's biggest problems.

SXSW EDU attendees will learn from Kelley Williams-Bolar, an Ohio parent who was sentenced to incarceration after using her father's address to send her daughters to school in a better district. 50CAN President Derrell Bradford will highlight some of the most under addressed barriers to educational opportunity in America. Stand Together CEO Brian Hooks will moderate a conversation, highlighting solutions that transform our one-size-fits-all education system into one that allows students to access the education that works for them.

"Stand Together's philanthropic community is committed to the idea that all people are capable of making a contribution to our society and we support changemakers who find new and better ways to help people realize their potential," said Brian Hooks, CEO Stand Together. "SXSW Edu and SXSW bring together a remarkable group of innovators with different perspectives who are doing that.

"Our goal during the two weeks is to help shine a light on solutions to some of the biggest problems that are holding people back to help improve education and reform our criminal justice system."

As part of SXSW's civic engagement track, Stand Together Trust is convening leaders like author and presidentially pardoned criminal justice reform activist Alice Marie Johnson; U.S. Congresswoman and marijuana legalization advocate Nancy Mace; and Devshi Mehrotra, founder of JusticeText, a tech startup committed to ensuring Americans who are arrested receive due process. These panelists will talk about the future of the criminal justice system and discuss real solutions that move us beyond the false choices of either "tough on crime" or "defunding the police," to help make America's neighborhoods safer.

Links to panels and speakers include:

Education

Applying the Lessons Learned of Pandemic Education

Derrell Bradford President, 50CAN

President, 50CAN

Justin Dent Executive Director, Outschool

Executive Director, Outschool

Bernita Bradley Community Engagement Manager, Engaged Detroit

Community Engagement Manager, Engaged Detroit

Andy Rotherham Co-founder and Partner, Bellwether Education Partners

Co-founder and Partner, Bellwether Education Partners Erasing Red Lines : Overcoming Inequity in Schools

Brian Hooks CEO, Stand Together

CEO, Stand Together

Christopher Cleveland Education Resource Strategies and Ph.D. Candidate, Harvard University

Education Resource Strategies and Ph.D. Candidate,

Kelley Williams-Bolar Activist, Documentary Robbed: A Mother's Peril

Activist, Documentary

Derrell Bradford President, 50CAN

President, 50CAN Fueled and Financed: Philanthropy Propels Education

Derek Johnson Executive Director, Stand Together Trust

Executive Director, Stand Together Trust

Meredith Olson President, VELA Education Fund

President, VELA Education Fund

Dr. Todd Rose Co-Founder and President, Populace

Criminal Justice Reform

Women and the War on Drugs, A New Wave of Criminal Justice Reform

Brianna Nuhfer Vice President, Criminal Justice Reform, Stand Together

Vice President, Criminal Justice Reform, Stand Together

Alice Marie Johnson CEO, Taking Action for Good (TAG)

CEO, Taking Action for Good (TAG)

Christina Dent Founder and President, End it for Good

Founder and President, End it for Good

Brittany Barnett Executive Director, Buried Alive Project

Executive Director, Buried Alive Project Post Pot Legalization: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

Vikrant Reddy Sr. Research Fellow, Stand Together

Sr. Research Fellow, Stand Together

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. House of Representatives

Prof. Doug Berman Professor, Ohio State University

Professor, We're Spending Billions Why Don't We Feel Safe?

Sihyun Choi Managing Director, Stand Together Ventures Lab

Managing Director, Stand Together Ventures Lab

Devshi Mehrotra Co-Founder, JusticeText

Co-Founder, JusticeText

Andre McGregor Founder, ForceMetrics

Founder, ForceMetrics

Gabriella Wong CEO and Founder, accesSOS

About Stand Together Trust

Stand Together Trust is a grantmaking organization committed to supporting bottom-up solutions that empower people through the key institutions of society: business, communities, education, and government. Stand Together is a philanthropic community that tackles the root causes of our country's biggest problems. Alongside inspiring partners, we drive solutions on education, economic opportunity, health care, bridging partisan divides, and dozens of other pressing issues. We can all make a greater difference by uniting on areas of common ground than we can by acting on our own. Learn more about the Stand Together community at www.standtogether.org and follow Stand Together Trust from SXSW EDU and SXSW: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

About SXSW

South by Southwest dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of tech, film, music, education, and culture. Learn more at www.sxsw.com.

SOURCE Stand Together Trust
WASHINGTON, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Steward Partners Global Advisory, LLC, an employee-owned, full-service independent partnership associated with Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. (member FINRA/SIPC), welcomes its newest partner firm, Ramapo Wealth Advisors, based in Ramsey, New Jersey. The five-person team, previously with Wells Fargo and managing $600 million in client assets, includes veteran advisors James Sahagian, CFP, MBA, Peter T. Gordinier, and David Puccia, who are all supported by Yan Lin Sim and Maral Sahagian.

"The Ramapo Wealth Advisors team represents the kind of committed, client-centric advisors that have helped Steward Partners grow so large, so quickly," said Michael Drumm, Divisional President, New York Tri-State, Steward Partners Global Advisory. "Though they are coming on board using our affiliate option, rather than being employee partners, they still have access to all of our technology, our full platform of services as well as equity in the parent company."

"My partners and I decided to form an independent firm because this business model allows us to do so much more for our clients. We spent a couple of years on our due diligence before we chose to join Steward Partners," explained James Sahagian, Managing Director and Wealth Advisor, Ramapo Wealth Advisors. "By partnering with Steward, we are aligning ourselves with a forward-thinking independent firm that offers superior technology, a multi-custodial platform, and the potential to offer different solutions that were not previously available to us."

James Sahagian CFP, MBA, began his financial services career in 1999 as a financial advisor with Smith Barney, which later merged with Morgan Stanley's Global Wealth Management Group. He joined Wells Fargo in 2009, where he served as Managing Director, Senior Vice President, and Financial Advisor. In addition to earning the Certified Financial Planner designation, he holds an MBA in Finance and a BS in Accounting from Rutgers University.

"We found that Steward's entrepreneurial spirit dovetailed with our approach and how we envisioned our practice going forward," echoed Peter T. Gordinier, Director and Wealth Manager, Ramapo Wealth Advisors. "We also felt that their multi-custodial approach to the business would allow us to better serve our clients in the manner which they deserve."

Peter T. Gordinier has worked in financial services for over 35 years and has been a financial advisor for more than 25 years. After graduating from Bucknell University in 1985 with a BA degree in Economics, he went to work for Morgan Guarantee Trust Company in New York City, where his last position was Assistant Treasurer in the firm's Institutional Securities Lending department before being accepted into Smith Barney's brokerage training program, where he became securities and insurance licensed as a financial advisor, working in the firm's Paramus, NJ office. After growing his practice for almost 13 years with Smith Barney, Peter accepted the position of Vice President with Wells Fargo Advisors in 2009.

Ramapo Wealth Advisors' third advisor is Vice President and Wealth Manager David Puccia, who brings over 40 years of experience in financial services, having worked for Wells Fargo and its legacy banks since 1979. He is a graduate of Lafayette College with a degree in Economics and earned his MBA from Seton Hall University with a concentration in Finance.

"I spent my entire career with Wells Fargo and was very happy there but found that teaming with Jim and Pete and affiliating with Steward Partners was really the best thing I could do for my clients at this point in time," added David Puccia, Ramapo Wealth Advisors' Vice President.

"I feel like I'm coming full circle by joining Steward Partners," added James Sahagian. "When I joined Smith Barney as a rookie advisor in 1999, Jim Gold, Steward's CEO, was one of my trainers. I have the utmost respect for him and the great business that he and the team here have built. We are all extremely happy to be a part of it."

In addition to Ramapo Wealth Advisors, Steward Partners Global Advisory also welcomed Michael Englehart, CLU, CFP, Senior Vice President & Wealth Manager. An advisor with 37 years of financial services experience, he was most recently with Wells Fargo Advisors, where he was First Vice President-Investment Officer. The addition of Englehart's Bel Air, Maryland office, brings the Steward Partners network to 30 branches in 16 states and the District of Columbia.

About Steward Partners Global Advisory

With offices in Newtown, CT, Washington, D.C., Clearwater, FL, Andover and Boston, MA, Baltimore, Bel Air and Bethesda, MD, Portland, ME, St. Louis, MO, Hendersonville, NC, Keene, Manchester and Portsmouth, NH, Paramus, Morristown, Ramsey and Somerville, NJ, Albany and New York City, NY, Conshohocken, PA, Austin, Dallas and Houston, TX, McLean, McLean II, Norfolk and Richmond, VA, and Mequon, WI. Steward Partners Global Advisory, LLC, is an employee-owned, full-service independent partnership catering to family, institutional and multigenerational wealth. For more information, visit us at www.stewardpartners.com.

About Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.

Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. is a financial services firm supporting independent financial advisors nationwide. Since 1974, Raymond James Financial Services Inc., member FINRA/SIPC, has provided a wide range of investment and wealth planning related services through its affiliate, Raymond James & Associates, Inc., member New York Stock Exchange/SIPC. Both broker/dealers are wholly owned subsidiaries of Raymond James Financial, Inc. (NYSE-RJF) a leading diversified financial services company with approximately 8,400 financial advisors throughout the United States, Canada and overseas. Total client assets are approximately $1.26 trillion as of 12/31/2021.

Steward Partners Holdings, Steward Partners Global Advisory, LLC maintain a separate professional business relationship with, and our registered professionals offer securities through, Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Steward Partners Investment Advisory, LLC, 1776 I Street NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20006. Toll Free: (844) 801-8268.

Media Contact:

Michaela Morales

JConnelly

[email protected]

973.224.7152

SOURCE Steward Partners Global Advisory Group
NEW YORK, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- TBWA\Worldwide has been named to Fast Company's prestigious annual list of the World's Most Innovative Companies for 2022, ranking number one in the Advertising sector and marking the fourth year in a row TBWA has been named one of the most innovative companies in the world.

The list honors the businesses making the most profound impact on both industry and culture, ultimately thriving in today's ever-changing world.

"It's a tremendous honor to receive recognition for the fourth year in a row as one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies," said Troy Ruhanen, CEO, TBWA\Worldwide. "We are thrilled to be number one in the advertising sector. We are especially honored that the editors recognized our ability to use creativity as a catalyst for our clients' business transformation and our commitment to innovating across the total brand experience, all while creating positive social impact as a global creative collective. Thank you to our people and our clients, as it's your dedication and partnership that makes this recognition possible.

Fast Company highlighted several notable projects from across the TBWA global collective, including:

Juniper Park\TBWA's Signal for Help, a hand gesture created for the Canadian Women's Foundation that serves as a distress signal for domestic violence. The signal helped to save an abducted teenager's life after she used it to alert a driver that she needed assistance after learning it on TikTok, where it had been shared millions of times.

TBWA\Media Arts Lab's Hollywood in Your Pocket, which enlisted Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow to introduce iPhone 13 Pro's new cinematic mode by shooting five different genre scenes (romance, war, gangster, space thriller, and Western) in a campaign that extended into an interactive digital experience.

in Your Pocket, which enlisted Oscar-winning director to introduce iPhone 13 Pro's new cinematic mode by shooting five different genre scenes (romance, war, gangster, space thriller, and Western) in a campaign that extended into an interactive digital experience. TBWA sibling agency Lucky Generals created one of the best ads of the 2021 Super Bowl to show off Amazon's new Alexa, putting the virtual assistant in giving her the only body that could possibly compareMichael B. Jordan's on the world's biggest media stage.

The MIC list is Fast Company's signature franchise and one of its most highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. It provides both a snapshot and a road map for the future of innovation across the most dynamic sectors of the economy.

"The world's most innovative companies play an essential role in addressing the most pressing issues facing society, whether they're fighting climate change by spurring decarbonization efforts, ameliorating the strain on supply chains, or helping us reconnect with one another over shared passions," said Fast Company Deputy Editor David Lidsky.

For the second year in a row, to coincide with the issue launch, Fast Company will host its Most Innovative Companies Summit on April 2627. The virtual, multi-day summit celebrates the Most Innovative Companies in business, and provides an early look at major business trends and an inside look at what it takes to innovate in 2022. Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies issue (March/April 2022) is available online here , as well as in-app form via iTunes, and on newsstands beginning March 15. The hashtag is #FCMostInnovative.

About TBWA\Worldwide

TBWA is The Disruption Company. We use creativity to help businesses challenge the status quo and capture an unfair share of the future. Named one of the World's Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company in 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019, and Adweek's 2021 and 2018 Global Agency of the Year, we are a creative company that uses trademarked Disruption methodologies to help businesses address their challenges and achieve transformative growth. Our collective has 10,000+ creative minds in 41 countries, and also includes brands such as Auditoire, Digital Arts Network (DAN), eg+ worldwide, GMR, The Integer Group, TBWA\Media Arts Lab, TBWA\WorldHealth and TRO. Global clients include adidas, Apple, Gatorade, Henkel, Hilton Hotels, McDonald's, Nissan and Singapore Airlines. Follow us on Twitter , LinkedIn and Instagram , and like us on Facebook . TBWA is part of Omnicom Group (NYSE: OMC).

About Fast Company

Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com.

SOURCE TBWA\Worldwide
LOS ANGELES, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- There's never been a better time to be an avid coffee drinker in Portland, Oregon. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf brand, one of the world's leading roasters and retailers of specialty coffee and tea has expanded its footprint and entered the coveted Portland coffee scene. The first of several planned openings, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf opened today in Lake Oswego at 1175 McVey Ave., through its Portland based franchisee, Bambuza Hospitality Group.

The grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place on March 17 at 10am with Joe Buck, Mayor of Lake Oswego and offers three days of grand opening deals, including discounted food and drink offers, limited edition swag items and special giveaways.

"Coffee is a huge part of the region's identity, and we are thrilled to bring this iconic brand and its passionate following to the Portland area," said Daniel Nguyen, CEO of Bambuza Hospitality Group. "The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf's commitment to premium ingredients makes it a great fit for Lake Oswego, and we know the Pacific Northwest loves its tea as much as its coffee. As a local, family-owned franchisee of this global brand, we're excited to forge strong partnerships locally, supporting schools and community causes in Lake Oswego."

The Lake Oswego store offers order ahead through The Coffee Bean Rewards app and delivery through third party vendors, including Grubhub, DoorDash, Uber Eats and Postmates. The new location features the company's vibrant new design and layout, which includes ample indoor seating and outdoor seating. As in all its locations, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Lake Oswego store offers a variety of the finest grades of Arabica coffee from specially selected estates around the world that are custom roasted, in small batches, at its roasting facility in Camarillo, California. The store also offers a wide variety of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf whole leaf teas as well as fresh baked goods.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is widely credited for driving innovation to the coffee and tea industry with the invention of the iconic The Original Ice Blended drink. They are also the first global coffee and tea retailer to offer cold brew tea. From its hero Brewed Coffee to its Lattes and Ice Blended drinks, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf offers the craveable light and sweet taste profiles that loyal guests around the world love and demand.

"Coffee isn't just a beverage in Oregon, it's a culture and a highly desirable market for any coffee retailer," said Sanjiv Razdan, President of Americas and India, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf brand. "We believe we can play an important role in the area's coffee segment with our high-quality, handcrafted coffee. Our opening today in the Portland metro area, underscores our commitment to bringing our beloved beverages to more guests and demonstrates our strength as a leading roaster and retailer of coffee and tea."

The expansion into the Pacific Northwest represents a key growth initiative for The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf with Oregon marking the 15th state to welcome the coffee brand.

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf located at 1175 McVey Ave, Lake Oswego, OR 97034 (phone 503-744-4173) is open seven days a week from 6am to 8pm.

For more information, please visit www.coffeebean.com.

About The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Brand

International Coffee & Tea Leaf, LLC, doing business as The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf brand is a leading global roaster and retailer of specialty coffees and teas. It is widely credited for driving high quality and innovation to the coffee and tea industry. The company sources the finest ingredients and flavors from around the world, and hand blends coffee and tea for the freshest flavors. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf started the frozen coffee drink craze with the invention of The Original Ice Blended drink and is also the first global coffee and tea retailer to offer cold brew tea. The company, its affiliates and their franchisees currently operate more than 1,047 retail locations across the globe, and its products can also be found in grocery aisles as well as specialty locations, including airports and hotels. For more information, visit www.coffeebean.com

Grubhub is a registered trademark of GrubHub Holding Inc. DoorDash is a registered trademark of DoofDash Inc. Uber Eats and Postmates are registered trademarks of Uber Technologies Inc.

Media Contacts:

Tracy Rubin

JCUTLER media group

[email protected]

Erin Frank

Bambuza Hospitality Group

[email protected]

SOURCE The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
DUBLIN, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "The Pharma Mini MBA Training Course" conference has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Working in the highly competitive pharmaceutical industry, with ever-increasing change and pressure, is probably one of the most challenging managerial roles of any industry today. This event has been especially designed to help you transcend these challenges by training you to become equipped to see the bigger picture in all aspects of your role. It will help you build your management skills for the future and prepare you to fulfil your ambitions.

The Pharma Mini MBA accelerated management programme is a distillation of the most valuable parts of an MBA, as applied to the pharmaceutical industry. It will provide you with practical management tools to apply in the workplace, as well as giving a real taste of an MBA course with the pharmaceutical case studies from business schools.

Pharmaceutical industry context  business school pharmaceutical case studies on each module

This intensive three-day course will help you to translate your learning into new behaviours and improvements in your capability and performance and will work through live issues impacting on the industry and on you directly. The individual and group exercises will focus on pharmaceutical/biopharma/generic MBA case studies, and also on your own challenges and examples. The business school case studies will help give the 'feel' of a full MBA and help you understand more about the strategies used in today's pharmaceutical and associated industries.

The Pharma Mini MBA is also an invaluable guide to all that is best and most practical on an MBA course  with specific focus on the pharmaceutical sector. It is also of value either to gain the most useful aspects of an MBA or as an MBA taster, providing a foundation of the essential MBA elements to apply directly to your role. The pharmaceutical industry requires employees to focus on successful leadership and business management skills, which this programme is designed to give you.

The skills you will improve include:

Problem-solving

Seeing the bigger picture

Decision-making,priorities

Strategic leadership

Implementing strategy

Environmental awareness

Cross-cultural communication

Portfolio management

Strategic thinking

Leadership

Commercial awareness

Change management

Team-working

Project management

Increased confidence prioritisation

Key benefits of attending MBA learning style of the programme

The Pharma Mini MBA learning style is 'hands-on' rather than academic. The programme is very practical, without being too theoretical, with industry-relevant case studies drawn from business school cases. The course covers the key areas of an MBA and applies these MBA tools and concepts to the pharmaceutical industry, providing you with a firm foundation of the essential MBA thinking and terminology. Three modules will be covered in just three days of interactive workshops to enhance the value of the course and, to minimise your time away from the office, there is also optional pre- and post-course work set by the programme director.

Develop your understanding of the key techniques of an MBA to apply to your work

Gain a greater understanding of the pharma industry, its drivers, challenges and opportunities

Hear about the latest strategic technology innovations being used and developed in the pharma industry

Understand what strategic thinking is and how to use strategy tools

Develop your leadership and strategic skills

Become more effective in coping with and managing change in the pharma industry

Explore the benefits and costs of doing an MBA

Take away a Mini MBA toolkit to apply to your job

Discuss and learn from real pharma industry case studies

Pre-course work (sent out to delegates prior to the course)

Diagnostic questionnaire  your strategic competencies

Discussions of diagnostic output/other areas of value

Key Topics Covered:

Strategy and strategic challenges in the pharma industry

Strategy and strategic thinking and their importance in the pharma industry

Strategic analysis, planning and implementation

Environmental analysis



Understanding the competitive environment



Strategic options

Applying the MBA toolkit

Stakeholders and their expectations in the pharma industry

Obtaining the value out of strategy in the pharma industry

Commercial management and leadership in the pharma industry

New product development and the target product profile

Portfolio management used in the pharma industry

Understanding business performance

The business plan

Diagnosing specific performance problems

Developing strategic alliances and collaborations in the pharma industry

Benefits, costs of doing an MBA and the different routes

The role of leadership

What are the core competencies of effective leaders in pharma?



Leadership vs management



Leadership style and approaches in the pharma industry

Managing innovation in the pharma industry

Innovation approaches currently being adopted along the pharma value chain

Future innovations in pharma and the life science industries

Leading and implementing pharma strategy and change

Leading successful change

Diagnosis around change



How to create the conditions for successful change



Why people resist change and how to manage this



Change management including leading a structural reorganisation



Creating a team, department and organisation relevant to today's pharma business needs



Team formation and development

Implementing strategy and change, essentials of planning and managing projects

Project management tools and techniques to use in implementing pharma projects



Applying key project management techniques to pharma projects



Understanding of cultural awareness to work more effectively with pharma colleagues

Hot topics in market access strategy

Practical application/review

Personal development action plan to apply the learning within your own organisation

Revisiting your competency assessment - what has shifted?

Recommended further reading

Practical application of tools (toolkit)

For more information about this conference visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/9xynjw

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets
BEIRUT, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon and Iraq have agreed to strengthen cooperation, implement recently signed agreements, and coordinate future activities, according to a statement released by Lebanon's Presidency on Tuesday.

The statement was issued after the meeting between Lebanese President Michel Aoun and visiting Iraqi Minister of Industry and Minerals Manhal Aziz al-Khabbaz here on Tuesday.

During their meeting, Aoun and Al-Khabbaz discussed economic and industrial cooperation between the two countries.

Al-Khabbaz conveyed the Iraqi president's message of support to President Aoun. Aoun expressed gratitude to Iraqi president and officials for supporting Lebanon and their willingness to boost ties in a way that would benefit both countries.

Aoun also emphasized the importance of Lebanon's openness to Iraq and other Arab countries to advance its development, especially in the industrial sector.

The Iraqi official arrived here on Sunday with a delegation of industrialists to discuss new measures of cooperation with Lebanese officials. 
NEW YORK, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Egyptian-born candidate for U.S. Senate Khaled Salem of New York today implored the United Nations, President Biden and the State of Israel to use their military defenses to protect Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy has put himself in the line of fire, not willing to give up sovereign reign of his country, and is imploring the U.S. and NATO forces to provide fighter jets for air support. He recently said, "we need ammunition, not a ride," in response to offers for him to safely leave his country but leaving his countrymen behind.

U.S. Senate Candidate Khaled Salem U.S. Senate Candidate Khaled Salem

"I insist that President Biden and Congress arrange a special extraction force to protect President Zelenskyy, and I urge government agencies to accept some of the 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees fleeing from the war initiated by Putin," said Salem, who is also CEO of American Human Rights Association. "In addition, I urge safety and security on the internet to eliminate YouTube terrorists and crucial cyber security on all fronts, for Americans and the State of Israel. As New York's senator, I will contribute to a beneficial dialogue to bring about change."

Concerning Middle East issues, Salem continued, "I am in a unique position, having grown up in Kuwait and Egypt, to be an intermediary for any political conversation concerning the Middle East. It's time for New Yorkers to elect a senator who can understand and navigate the culture of the Arab world, and be an advocate for the State of Israel."

Salem, who is running against Chuck Schumer, plans to fight for the rights of New Yorkers and all U.S. citizens to have a decent quality of life, education and opportunities for growth. The next general election is scheduled for November 8, 2022. Thirty-four of the Senate's 100 seats are being contested.

Media Contact:

U.S. Senate Candidate Khaled Salem

1 518-348-6868

[email protected]

www.khaled2022forcongress.com

SOURCE U.S. Senate Candidate Khaled Salem
NEW YORK, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- VisitBritain and British Airways have this week launched a multi-million pound campaign in the USA, Britain's largest and most valuable inbound visitor market, titled 'Meanwhile in Britain'. Alongside the campaign, VisitBritain and British Airways have also announced a three-year partnership to market Britain globally.

This co-created, multi-channel campaign will highlight the incredible offerings from the destination now, showcasing another side of Britain full of current, cool and unmissable experiences. The diverse experiences highlighted in the campaign are curated by experts who are embedded into the fabric of British culture; challenging perceptions of the destination and the journey that awaits travelers on their next trip. Given the pent up-demand for travel and with the easing of travel restrictions in the UK, it is an ideal time to fly with British Airways, soak up the airline's quintessentially British service and enjoy the exciting events on offer.

VisitBritain Executive Vice President of the Americas Gavin Landry said:

"Britain is packed full of undiscovered and exciting experiences, and we want people to book a trip right now to come and explore our diverse culture, heritage and offerings across our nations and regions. The landmark events this year, including Her Majesty The Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrating 70 years on the throne, 'Unboxed,' the series of 10 UK-wide events showcasing the country's creativity, and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, offers once-in-a-lifetime experiences that visitors can only have this year, in Britain. Working with a partner like British Airways amplifies our reach as we drive recovery from COVID, turning the inspiration to visit into bookings."

Tom Stevens, Director of Brand & Customer Experience at British Airways said:

"As we recover from the global pandemic, we are ready to be the airline that reconnects Britain with the world and the world with Britain  and are delighted to partner with VisitBritain in our shared goal of encouraging visitors to Britain. We've been working hard to create a more premium, seamless and enjoyable experience for our customers, with sustainability at the heart of our business. With great prices and over 25 direct routes from the USA to London, there has never been a better time for travelers to book their next flight to Britain."

'Meanwhile in Britain' will aim to drive consideration and bookings for Britain on British Airways, while influencing target audiences, including experience-driven travelers. The campaign highlights handpicked tastemakers who are experts in their fields, including Jonathan Heaf, Chief Content Officer at Soho House, Aisha & Oreoluwa Ayoade, co-founders of art platform Yellowzine which champions work by artists of the African, Asian, Caribbean and Hispanic diaspora, Lynsey Verrillo, co-founder of Blackbook Winery, and Matthew Lindley, a British Airways 777 Pilot. The tastemakers will provide their tips and favorite experiences to do in British cities, incorporating food, the outdoors, and British icons with a modern twist. These include everything from trying vegan Butchery at Rudy's Vegan Diner (recommended by Heaf), discovering the creative district of FarGo Village in Coventry (recommended by Ayoade), and getting to new heights with the Dare Skywalk at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (recommended by Lindley).

The campaign will run through social, programmatic display and video, direct partnership, and video direct, amplified through partners including TrueX, GumGum, The Trade Desk and Conde Nast. The creative campaign was developed by British Airways' newly appointed agency Uncommon Creative Studio, while the media planning and purchasing was handled through OMD, VisitBritain's current and British Airways' new media buying agency who has a strong understanding of both brands.

In September 2021, VisitBritain and British Airways entered a three-year Global Airline Partner Framework Agreement. The partnership supports British tourism interests and values, with a shared goal of challenging perceptions of Britain and increasing market share through collaborative activity, driving immediate visits and spend as quickly as possible.

As a global airline and Britain's flag carrier, British Airways has been flying its customers to where they need to be for more than 100 years. The airline operates one of the most extensive international scheduled airline route networks together with its joint business, codeshare and franchise partners. British Airways will fly from 26 USA gateways to London this summer, including a new route from Portland, Oregon to London Heathrow from June. And to create a more seamless experience for those wishing to travel regionally within Britain, British Airways and Loganair recently expanded their codeshare agreement, offering more choice and connectivity for customers.

The 'Meanwhile in Britain' campaign layers into VisitBritain's recently launched, international marketing campaign 'Welcome to Another Side of Britain' that puts the spotlight on the cities hit hard by the absence of international visitors, as well as sharing messages of welcome and reassurance. It also captures the major events this year, set to be global tourism draws.

The USA is the UK's largest and most valuable inbound visitor market, worth 4.2 billion in 2019; 15% of all inbound spending. In 2019, there were 4.5 million visits from the USA, 11% of all inbound visits to the UK in 2019. Flight capacity from the USA to the UK continues to show signs of recovery. In March 2022 airline scheduling activity was -42% behind levels in March 2019, the most promising monthly improvement in capacity since the onset of the pandemic (Apex). Latest figures from Oxford Economics show that visits from the USA to the UK are forecasted to exceed pre-covid levels by 2024. Longer term, visits are expected to increase 30% and spend by 62% between 2019-2030. (Oxford Economics Jan 2022).

SOURCE VisitBritain
OSAKA, Japan, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- An online business negotiation platform "WASHOKU GO" has been launched by a group of specially selected companies manufacturing traditional Japanese specialty food in Osaka, western Japan. The platform is for overseas professionals and buyers to cope with the global coronavirus crisis.

URL: https://www.washokugo.jp/

Overview

The platform is intended for professionals/buyers who are interested in Japanese cuisine all over the world, and is launched by WADAMAN and four other preeminent food companies (Akanemaru, Oguraya, Osaka GYOKUROEN, and Ujien) that represent Japan. It enables negotiations via live chatting, can provide samples, and allows visitors to learn Japanese cuisine and culture easily despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The inaugural members aim to have 100 Japanese food manufacturers participate in the project.

Background to WASHOKU GO

WADAMAN, a sesame manufacturer with 139-year history in Osaka, is a pioneer in the Japanese food export business, winning the Export Excellence Award of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in 2020. It has joined forces with four other time-honored food manufacturers based in Osaka for the project (Akanemaru, Oguraya, Osaka GYOKUROEN, and Ujien) aspiring to promote food exports. The coronavirus disaster has decreased overseas negotiation and exhibition opportunities to almost nil. To break the deadlock, the group has decided to launch its own platform to contact potential overseas customers.

Introduced below are products available and brief profiles of the original five-member companies participating in the WASHOKU GO project.

Products: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/release/202201136015?p=images

-WADAMAN Co., Ltd.:

https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106450/202201136015/_prw_PI1fl_A5gJF3Mg.jpg

A sesame manufacturer founded in 1883. Manufacturing sesame seeds with strong aroma using an advanced roasting technique. Acquired organic certification (*1) and halal certification (*2).

(*1) WADAMAN received an Organic Processed Food Processor Certificate in 2002, and it has maintained the requirements of JAS (Japanese Agricultural Standards) since then.

(*2) Certificate of Halal Authentication was issued in 2018, and renewed in 2021 by Nippon Asia Halal Association.

-Oguraya Co., Ltd.:

https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106450/202201136015/_prw_PI3fl_QBDPtPGM.jpg

Established in 1848. Specialized in "kombu" (kelp). Selling natural kelp for "dashi" (soup stock), salted kelp, tangle flakes of kelp, shredded kelp, "battera" kelp, etc. Natural kombu for dashi strictly selected. Exporting many products to Asia and the EU.

-Osaka GYOKUROEN Co., Ltd.:

https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106450/202201136015/_prw_PI5fl_OP7t16P1.jpg

Started selling "kombucha" (kelp tea) in 1918. Original manufacturer of instant "kombucha" drink. Exporting large number of green tea products (sweetened).

-Ujien Co., Ltd.:

https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106450/202201136015/_prw_PI7fl_458za7V6.png

Since its founding in "Kyoto Yamashiro," the company has built up knowledge and experiences, "single-minded commitment to tea." Tea shop located in Osaka's Shinsaibashi commercial district loved by people all over the world.

-Akanemaru Co., Ltd.:

https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106450/202201136015/_prw_PI9fl_KfPu59W9.jpg

"An" (sweet bean paste) and "dorayaki" manufacturer established in 1940. Exporting to mooncake manufacturers in Greater China such as Hong Kong and Singapore and confectionary manufacturers in the EU.

For inquiries, visit: https://www.washokugo.jp/

SOURCE WASHOKU GO Office
PROVIDENCE, R.I., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wealthbox, a leading CRM software platform for financial advisors, announced today that Frontier Growth, a growth equity firm focused on fast-growing software businesses, has taken a minority stake in the company with a $31M equity investment.

Founded by serial entrepreneurs John Rourke and Dan Ferranti, Wealthbox is a purpose-built CRM technology for financial advisors at wealth management firms and broker-dealers to track client relationships, collaborate as a team, and streamline operations. Launched in 2014, Wealthbox is known for its modern product design, powerful features, and intuitive user experience and is now integrated with leading custodial platforms and wealth-tech products.

"Frontier Growth has an amazing track record in helping rapidly growing companies scale even faster, and we're delighted to partner with them in our Series B round of financing," said John Rourke, CEO of Wealthbox. "The investment capital for Wealthbox will allow us to accelerate product development and innovation so we can continue providing best-in-class CRM and related software solutions for financial advisory firms of all sizes."

"Wealthbox's talented team, impressive growth rate, and excellent business metrics are a great fit for the added support, expertise, and funding we offer," said Richard Maclean, Managing Partner and cofounder of Frontier Growth. "We look forward to the partnership with the Wealthbox team to help financial advisory firms better operate their businesses with Wealthbox as their hub software."

As part of the transaction, Richard Maclean and Matt Williams of Frontier Growth will join John Rourke and Dan Ferranti on Wealthbox's board of directors. Prior to the transaction, Starburst Labs, the parent company of Wealthbox, spun out Wealthbase, a social trading app for retail investors, which is now operating as its own separate company. Wealthbox is now the sole property of Starburst Labs, Inc.

About Wealthbox

Wealthbox operates as a remote-first company with employees located across the United States, and a large part of the team is located in Rhode Island. The Wealthbox CRM technology is purpose-built for the wealth management industry vertical and designed for financial professionals at advisory firms and broker-dealers to manage client relationships and streamline operations to grow their practices. Learn more at www.wealthbox.com

About Frontier Growth

Frontier Growth supports the growth of software companies that have $5M to $30M in revenue by deploying both investment capital and operational expertise. The firm was founded with a culture that puts People Before Numbers, because it's people that lead to real growth. With over 20 years' experience, over $1.5B in AUM, and actively investing its fifth fund, Frontier respects that each of their companies represents someone's life's work. It's why the firm's explicit focus is to help them grow without stifling the innovation that's made them successful. Learn more at www.frontiergrowth.com

SOURCE Wealthbox CRM
ROHNERT PARK, Calif., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- World Centric  has announced today its new compostable 4-can fiber carrier rings. The company's new Fiber Can Rings are made exclusively from annually renewable plant fibers instead of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or low-density polyethylene (LDPE), which are commonly used with beer, soda and other cans, and are harmful to both the environment and wildlife. The new Fiber Can Rings provide a plant-based, compostable alternative that does not require petroleum, helps reduce carbon footprint, and keeps additional microplastics out of our oceans, forests, and landfills.

World Centric new compostable fiber can rings provides a plant-based, compostable alternative that does not require petroleum, helps reduce carbon footprint, and keeps additional microplastics out of our oceans, forests, and landfills.

Made from sugarcane and bamboo, which are both annually renewable resources, the new World Centric can rings also limit use of timber materials in an effort to protect forests and indigenous communities whose livelihoods depend on these forests. World Centric's Fiber 4-Can Carrier Rings give food and beverage service companies a more environmentally conscious way to deliver canned products. They are designed to compost within 2 to 4 months in a commercial composting facility.

"Flexible can rings are still commonly made from plastics despite public concerns about their harm to wildlife, and most people aren't aware that plastic can rings are not always recyclable," said Mark Stephany, World Centric Senior Vice President of Sales. "Beverage can rings contribute to the overwhelming problem of plastic waste that ends up in our oceans annually. Our fiber can rings are part of the solution."

Samples of the World Centric Fiber 4-Can Carrier Rings are available now to test in your operation. In addition to its ground-breaking, innovative products, World Centric annually gives 25% of its net profits to grassroots social and environmental projects that provide basic needs and economic development opportunities for communities. The company is one of the leading mission-driven businesses in the world, giving over $1,728,000 in cash and product donations in 2021.

For more information about World Centric and the new Fiber 4-Can Carrier Rings, please visit www.worldcentric.com/canrings

About World Centric

Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Rohnert Park, CA World Centric provides certified compostable products for the foodservice industry to reduce environmental impact. By innovating in plant-based materials and design, World Centric has developed over 350 foodservice and retail products across tableware, cutlery and food packaging. All of World Centric's products are designed to break down in commercial composting facilities. As a Certified B Corporation and California Benefit Corporation, World Centric upholds rigorous standards of social and environmental responsibility and donates 25% of net profits to organizations addressing social and environmental issues with more than $1,728,000 allocated for donations in 2021. Please visit worldcentric.com for more information.

SOURCE World Centric
DUBLIN, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Lawful Interception Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global lawful interception market size reached US$ 3.10 Billion in 2021. Looking forward, the publisher expects the market to reach US$ 8.66 Billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 17.89% during 2022-2027. Keeping in mind the uncertainties of COVID-19, we are continuously tracking and evaluating the direct as well as the indirect influence of the pandemic on different end use sectors. These insights are included in the report as a major market contributor.



Lawful interception (LI) refers to the legally authorized surveillance or security process in which a service provider or network operator collects and provides law enforcement officials with intercepted communications of private individuals or organizations. It is considered as an essential tool for investigating and litigating criminal activities. It is administered by applying a physical wiretap on telephone lines, emails, mobile data, instant messaging, and other internet-based services. LI simplifies the investigation process by collecting evidence for better inspection. Countries around the world are drafting and enacting laws to regulate lawful interception procedures, as well as standardization groups are creating LI technology specifications.



Global Lawful Interception Market Trends:

Significant Rise in Criminal and Terrorist Activities

The increasing digitalization and the rapid adoption of communication devices, including smartphones and tablets, have taken businesses and connectivity among people to an advanced level. However, such advances have also provided an impetus in increasing illegal online activities. As a result, law enforcement and intelligence agencies are focusing on investigating terrorist networks, criminal operations, drug trafficking, financial crimes, and other illegal activities worldwide. Additionally, the implementation of favorable government policies for the periodic monitoring and controlling of illicit activities across numerous communication systems is further catalyzing the market.



Lawful Interception in the Virtual Environment

With the advancements in cloud computing, the concept of virtualization is gaining traction across the globe. The virtualization of modern data centers improves virtual network security, enabling vendors to offer cloud-based interception solutions and connect cybernetic traffic to physical monitoring tools. In addition to this, developments in data-based communications have led to the expansion of telecommunication networks, which is contributing to the global lawful interception market growth. Furthermore, mobile phone tracking systems are also being set up to assist security agencies in protecting and preserving consumer interest.

Besides this, governments of both the developed and emerging nations are rapidly adopting lawful interception to monitor and decrypt digital and analog information. Moreover, various companies are involving in the research and development of cloud-based interception solutions. For instance, the company named AQSACOM delivers ALIS, its Lawful Cyber Intelligence System, to virtualized network function architectures. It is deployed as a software-based solution and can be readily integrated into any virtualized network.



Introduction of Next-Generation Networks

The capability of networks supporting new services and applications has improved with an increase in digitalization and technological innovations. The conversion from circuit-based switched telecommunication networks to packet-based networks using the IP is the major change witnessed in the communication network.

Such developments have increased the need for new security platforms and an advanced architecture for lawful interception, as security concerns have escalated due to the increasing number of cyberattacks. Therefore, with the introduction of next-generation networks, there is a need for legal interception providers to collaborate with network and application service providers to build an effective collaboration network among countries.



Competitive Landscape:

The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined in the report with the detailed profiles of key players. Some of these players include Aqsacom Incorporated, Cisco Systems, Incognito Software, Net Optics, Netscout, Siemens AG, SS8, Utimaco Safeware, Verint Systems and ZTE Corporation.



Key Questions Answered in this Report:

How has the global lawful interception market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years?

What are the key regional markets?

What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global lawful interception market?

What is the breakup of the market based on the network technology?

What is the breakup of the market based on the device?

What is the breakup of the market based on the communication content?

What is the breakup of the market based on the service?

What is the breakup of the market based on the end-user?

What are the various stages in the value chain of the industry?

What are the key driving factors and challenges in the market?

What is the structure of the global lawful interception market and who are the key players?

What is the degree of competition in the market?

Key Topics Covered:



1 Preface



2 Scope and Methodology

2.1 Objectives of the Study

2.2 Stakeholders

2.3 Data Sources

2.3.1 Primary Sources

2.3.2 Secondary Sources

2.4 Market Estimation

2.4.1 Bottom-Up Approach

2.4.2 Top-Down Approach

2.5 Forecasting Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Introduction

4.1 Overview

4.2 Key Industry Trends



5 Global Lawful Interception Market

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Market Performance

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Market Forecast



6 Market Breakup by Network Technology

6.1 Voice-Over-Internet Protocol (VoIP)

6.1.1 Market Trends

6.1.2 Market Forecast

6.2 Long Term Evolution (LTE)

6.2.1 Market Trends

6.2.2 Market Forecast

6.3 Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)

6.3.1 Market Trends

6.3.2 Market Forecast

6.4 Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)

6.4.1 Market Trends

6.4.2 Market Forecast

6.5 Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)

6.5.1 Market Trends

6.5.2 Market Forecast

6.6 Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)

6.6.1 Market Trends

6.6.2 Market Forecast

6.7 Integrated Services for Digital Network (ISDN)

6.7.1 Market Trends

6.7.2 Market Forecast

6.8 Others

6.8.1 Market Trends

6.8.2 Market Forecast



7 Market Breakup by Device

7.1 Mediation Devices

7.1.1 Market Trends

7.1.2 Market Forecast

7.2 Routers

7.2.1 Market Trends

7.2.2 Market Forecast

7.3 Intercept Access Point (IAP)

7.3.1 Market Trends

7.3.2 Market Forecast

7.4 Gateways

7.4.1 Market Trends

7.4.2 Market Forecast

7.5 Switches

7.5.1 Market Trends

7.5.2 Market Forecast

7.6 Management Servers

7.6.1 Market Trends

7.6.2 Market Forecast

7.7 Others

7.7.1 Market Trends

7.7.2 Market Forecast



8 Market Breakup by Communication Content

8.1 Voice Communication

8.1.1 Market Trends

8.1.2 Market Forecast

8.2 Video

8.2.1 Market Trends

8.2.2 Market Forecast

8.3 Text Messaging

8.3.1 Market Trends

8.3.2 Market Forecast

8.4 Facsimile

8.4.1 Market Trends

8.4.2 Market Forecast

8.5 Digital Pictures

8.5.1 Market Trends

8.5.2 Market Forecast

8.6 File Transfer

8.6.1 Market Trends

8.6.2 Market Forecast

8.7 Others

8.7.1 Market Trends

8.7.2 Market Forecast



9 Market Breakup by Service

9.1 Professional Services

9.1.1 Market Trends

9.1.2 Market Forecast

9.2 Managed Services

9.2.1 Market Trends

9.2.2 Market Forecast

9.3 System Integrators

9.3.1 Market Trends

9.3.2 Market Forecast



10 Market Breakup by End-User

10.1 Government & Public Affairs

10.1.1 Market Trends

10.1.2 Market Forecast

10.2 Law Enforcement Agencies

10.2.1 Market Trends

10.2.2 Market Forecast

10.3 Small & Medium Enterprises

10.3.1 Market Trends

10.3.2 Market Forecast



11 Market Breakup by Region



12 SWOT Analysis



13 Value Chain Analysis



14 Porters Five Forces Analysis



15 Competitive Landscape

15.1 Market Structure

15.2 Key Players

15.3 Profiles of Key Players

15.3.1 Aqsacom Incorporated

15.3.1.1 Company Overview

15.3.1.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.2 Cisco Systems

15.3.2.1 Company Overview

15.3.2.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.2.3 Financials

15.3.2.4 SWOT Analysis

15.3.3 Incognito Software

15.3.3.1 Company Overview

15.3.3.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.4 Net Optics

15.3.4.1 Company Overview

15.3.4.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.5 Netscout

15.3.5.1 Company Overview

15.3.5.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.5.3 Financials

15.3.5.4 SWOT Analysis

15.3.6 Siemens AG

15.3.6.1 Company Overview

15.3.6.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.6.3 Financials

15.3.6.4 SWOT Analysis

15.3.7 SS8

15.3.7.1 Company Overview

15.3.7.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.8 Utimaco Safeware

15.3.8.1 Company Overview

15.3.8.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.9 Verint Systems

15.3.9.1 Company Overview

15.3.9.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.9.3 Financials

15.3.9.4 SWOT Analysis

15.3.10 ZTE Corporation

15.3.10.1 Company Overview

15.3.10.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.10.3 Financials

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/dj5aoy

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

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SOURCE Research and Markets
ST. PAUL, Minn., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- 3M (NYSE: MMM) today announced the following investor events:

J.P. Morgan 2022 Industrials Conference on Tuesday, Mar. 15, 2022 . Monish Patolawala, executive vice president, chief financial and transformation officer, will speak at 3:00 p.m. EDT .

on . Monish Patolawala, executive vice president, chief financial and transformation officer, will speak at . Bank of America Global Industrials Conference 2022 on Thursday, Mar. 17, 2022 . Monish Patolawala, executive vice president, chief financial and transformation officer, will speak at 1:20 p.m. EDT .

These events will be webcast live and a replay will be available on 3M's Investor Relations website at http://investors.3M.com.

About 3M

At 3M, we apply science in collaborative ways to improve lives daily as our employees connect with customers all around the world. Learn more about 3M's creative solutions to global challenges at www.3M.com or on Twitter @3M or @3MNews.

Investor Contact:

Bruce Jermeland

(651) 733-1807

Diane Farrow

(612) 202-2449

Media Contact:

Tim Post

[email protected]

SOURCE 3M
LONDON, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- 42com International LTD (42com), the UK entity of 42 com Telecommunication GmbH, a global voice wholesale specialist, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a commercial agreement to merge 100% of the voice assets of the Swiss-based Switchover AG (SO) assets. The combined powerhouse achieved consolidated revenues of Euro 180 million and terminated over 2 billion minutes in 2021. SO's commercial team will be integrated into 42com to assure the continuity of the business and to facilitate the integration process.

This agreement, which will take effect on May 1st 2022, strengthens 42com's approach to acquire strategic assets that provide a material upside under current market conditions. This acquisition will enhance 42Com's global reach and network in Europe and the CIS, which will complement its recent expansion in the Americas.

"The partnership with Switchover is the result of many weeks of discussions and careful negotiations, with the objective of bringing together two complimentary, quality focused carriers. This new acquisition will further strengthen our position as one of the fastest growing carrier in the industry," says 42com's CEO, Alberto Grunstein.

"Switchover is excited at the prospect of having 42com as its new voice partner, as we are confident that the combined companies will bring great benefits to our existing customers such as enhanced global reach, quality as well as competitive prices. I could not be happier," says Stefano Iannucci, Chairman and CEO of Switchover.

About 42com

42com is a German land line telecom operator, focused on carrier-to-carrier business, with strong relations with European, African and Middle/Far Eastern carriers. It is driven to provide fraud free and high-quality voice termination, supporting mainly Tier-1 telecom operators in achieving full network accessibility with top notch reactive and flexible technical and managed solutions.

www.42com.com



About Switchover

Switchover AG is a Swiss Company that operates in the wholesale telecommunication market. Our story starts in 2003 in London, when Switchward Ltd was established. In 2004 we became a Swiss telephone operator. In 2012, Moldtelecom - the national telecommunication company of Moldova, selected us as the exclusive gateway for the incoming and outgoing international voice traffic until 2021. Our dedicated teams, located in Chisinau and Switzerland, are continuously building fruitful and reliable relationships with our partners and clients.

www.switchover.ch

SOURCE 42com
CHICAGO, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- 66degrees, a Google Cloud Premier Partner, has announced the promotion of Bethany Cook from VP of Professional Services and Delivery to Chief Delivery Officer.

In her new role, Cook is responsible for establishing the company's new services capabilities, growing existing practices and services, and ensuring 66degrees delivers its clients with the highest quality service, on time, and within budget while exceeding client expectations.

Bethany Cook, Chief Delivery Officer of 66degrees

Cook's promotion comes soon after the company's rebrand from Cloudbakers | Qwinix to 66degrees. The merger enables the company to communicate its continued dedication to providing services for both Google Cloud Platform and Google Workspace across client cloud lifecycles and delivering the top services that clients need most.

After joining the company in 2021 as the VP of Professional Services and Delivery, Cook quickly identified the need and opportunity to level up the company's Professional Services organization. She played a pivotal role in the merger, leading the team through rebranding, while simultaneously growing the delivery team and its capabilities, providing energy and practice area alignment.

"Bethany's ability to successfully steer our teams through such a significant moment in our history is a true testament to her professionalism and technical prowess," says Matt Kestian, CEO of 66degrees. "I am confident that she will greatly assist in growing the company's capabilities even further and provide outstanding leadership as the Chief Delivery Officer of 66degrees."

Cook boasts more than twenty years of experience in professional services and technology. Before joining 66degrees, Cook served as head of delivery at another leading cloud professional services company where she participated in its IPO, building and scaling a profitable services business through organic growth and acquisition. She is an Alumni of Gonzaga University and a member of Chief .

For more information about 66degrees, please visit https://66degrees.com

About 66degrees

66degrees helps organizations modernize their infrastructure, apps, data, and day-to-day collaboration using Google Cloud  while making sure everything's done securely. In the current environment, so many companies are looking to modernize that it's hard to find the Google-specific skills or experience needed. To achieve their business objectives, it takes a consulting partner who brings a "build stronger, innovate faster, optimize together" approach. This is why companies ranging from born-in-the-cloud disruptors to world-class enterprise brands all rely on 66degrees  an award-winning Google Cloud Premier Partner. 66degrees. Let's get you there.

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SOURCE 66degrees
NEWARK, N.J., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As per the report published by The Brainy Insights, the global acetic acid market is expected to grow from USD 10.25 billion in 2020 to USD 18.27 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 7.85% during the forecast period 2021-2028.

Acetic acid is used in the processing of cellulose acetate, vinyl acetate, metal acetates, and volatile organic esters (such as butyl and ethyl acetates), as well as widely used as solvents for paints, resins, and lacquers. Biologically, acetic acid is an essential metabolic intermediate, and it occurs naturally in plant juices in body fluids. Acetic acid is also used as a solvent in polyester fiber production and in the manufacturing of synthetic fibers and resins.

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Acetic acid, also known as ethanoic acid, is a colourless organic compound. The diluted form of acetic acid is called vinegar, which is the most common chemical substance available in the market. As acetic acid kills microbes and fungus, it is commonly used for general disinfecting and combating mildew and is found in several conventional cleaning products, such as mold and mildew cleaners, floor cleaners, window cleaners, surface cleaners, cleaning and dusting sprays, and roof cleaners, in the form of vinegar or as an ingredient by itself.

The rapid expansion of the textile industry is one of the key factors driving the growth acetic acid market. Globally, the textile industry is witnessing high growth, owing to an increased standard of living, rising income levels in developing countries, and changing fashion trends and customer preferences. The textile industry uses a variety of chemicals that are made using acetic acid. However, fluctuating raw material prices and the highly corrosive nature of acetic acid, are anticipated to limit the market growth in the upcoming years.

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Major players in the global acetic acid market are Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Wacker Chemie, GNFC Limited, Saudi International Petrochemicals, DuPont, Eastman Chemical Company, Daicel Corporation, Jiangsu Sopo (Group), and LyondellBasell among others. Developing and developed countries are offering more significant opportunities and significant players are continuously focused on strategic partnerships, acquisitions, and venture capital investments to obtain high growth in the market.

In August 2018 , BP and Eastman Chemical Company announced that both companies had signed an agreement, in which BP will take over sales and marketing of the US acetic acid made by Eastman Chemical.

, BP and Eastman Chemical Company announced that both companies had signed an agreement, in which BP will take over sales and marketing of the US acetic acid made by Eastman Chemical. In October 2019 , BP signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with China's Zhejiang Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (ZPCC) to establish a joint venture. Under the joint venture, the companies are planning to open an acetic acid plant in Zhoushan, China , with a production capacity of one million tonnes per annum (Mtpa).

The liquid form segment led the acetic acid market with a larger market share and was valued at USD 7.17 billion in the year 2020

The form segment is divided into liquid and solid forms. The liquid form segment led the acetic acid market with a larger market share and was valued at USD 7.17 billion in the year 2020. The liquid form of acetic acid has many applications such as industrial use, medicinal uses, household, and food industry.

The synthetic route segment accounted for a larger market share and was valued at USD 8.36 billion in the year 2020

The manufacturing process segment includes synthetic route and biological route. The synthetic route segment accounted for a larger market share and was valued at USD 8.36 billion in the year 2020. About 75% of acetic acid used in the chemical industry is made by the carbonylation of methanol.

The vinyl acetate monomer segment held a major market share of 36.85% in the year 2020

The application segment includes vinyl acetate monomer, purified terephthalic acid, acetate esters, acetic anhydride, and other applications. The vinyl acetate monomer segment held a major market share of 36.85% in the year 2020. The vinyl acetate monomer is used in polymer manufacture for adhesives and coatings. The rising demand for these applications across the globe is likely to boost the growth of this segment over the forecast period.

The paints and coatings segment dominated the acetic acid market and held the largest market share of 42.26% in the year 2020

The end-user industry segment is divided into plastics and polymers, food and beverage, inks, paints and coatings, chemicals, and others. The paints and coatings segment dominated the global acetic acid market and held the largest market share of 42.26% in the year 2020. The growth is owing to the increasing demand for acetic acid for the manufacturing of paints and coatings.

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Regional Segment Analysis of the Acetic Acid Market

North America (U.S., Canada , Mexico )

(U.S., , ) Europe ( Germany , France , U.K., Italy , Spain , Rest of Europe )

( , , U.K., , , Rest of ) Asia-Pacific ( China , Japan , India , Rest of APAC)

( , , , Rest of APAC) South America ( Brazil and Rest of South America )

( and Rest of ) Middle East and Africa (UAE, South Africa , Rest of MEA)

The Asia Pacific region emerged as the largest market for the acetic acid market and was valued at USD 5.59 billion in 2020. Asia Pacific region is the largest consumer of acetic acid, owing to its strong industrial base in the region. The textile industry is one of the prime consumers of acetic acid in the region, due to the increased demand for clothes across the region. The textile industry uses different types of chemicals that are made up of acetic acid. In addition to this, China is the world's largest producer and exporter of acetic acid. The European regional market is projected to register the highest growth during the forecast period due to increasing investments in healthcare, along with growing concerns towards healthcare, coupled with the rising consumption of vinegar.

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About the report:

The global acetic acid market is analysed on the basis of value (USD billion), volume (kilotons), export (kilotons), and import (kilotons). All the segments have been analyzed on a global, regional, and country basis. The study includes the analysis of more than 30 countries for each segment. The report offers an in-depth analysis of driving factors, opportunities, restraints, and challenges for gaining key insight into the market. The study includes porter's five forces model, attractiveness analysis, raw material analysis, supply, demand analysis, competitor position grid analysis, distribution, and marketing channels analysis.

About The Brainy Insights:

The Brainy Insights is a market research company, aimed at providing actionable insights through data analytics to companies to improve their business acumen. We have a robust forecasting and estimation model to meet the clients' objectives of high-quality output within a short span of time. We provide both customized (clients' specific) and syndicate reports. Our repository of syndicate reports is diverse across all the categories and sub-categories across domains. Our customized solutions are tailored to meet the clients' requirements whether they are looking to expand or planning to launch a new product in the global market.

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SOURCE The Brainy Insights
BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature, held its second plenary meeting Tuesday.

Chinese leaders Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan attended the meeting.

Li Zhanshu, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, delivered a work report of the NPC Standing Committee to the meeting.

Reviewing the work in the past year, Li said the NPC Standing Committee further improved laws relating to the Constitution and safeguarded its supreme legal status, authority, and force.

Prioritizing the overall work of the Party and the country, the NPC Standing Committee moved faster to formulate and revise laws to provide legal safeguards for building a modern socialist nation in all respects, Li said.

The NPC Standing Committee also exercised more stringent and effective oversight and provided support and safeguards for deputies to perform their duties in accordance with the law, Li said.

He also summarized the NPC Standing Committee's work in advancing the NPC's international exchanges, advancing whole-process people's democracy and intensifying self-improvement efforts.

In the report, Li made arrangements for work in the year ahead, pledging efforts to use a complete set of institutions to ensure the implementation of the Constitution, make legislative work more systematic, integrated, and coordinated, and earnestly conduct oversight of the implementation of the law.

At Tuesday's meeting, lawmakers also heard a work report of the Supreme People's Court delivered by its president Zhou Qiang.

Zhou said the top court in the past year resolutely safeguarded national security and social stability, actively served high-quality economic and social development, upheld a people-centered approach, and pushed forward the reform of the judicial system and the development of smart courts.

For 2022, Zhou pledged efforts to uphold the Party's absolute leadership over judicial work, serve the building of a Peaceful China and rule of law on a higher level, and consolidate reform outcomes, among others.

Procurator-General Zhang Jun delivered a work report of the Supreme People's Procuratorate to the meeting.

Zhang said by fulfilling their duties in the past year, prosecutors have facilitated high-quality development, addressed the most pressing difficulties and problems that were of great concern to the people, and safeguarded fairness and justice.

For 2022, Zhang pledged efforts to further facilitate high-quality development and law-based governance.

Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, delivers a work report of the NPC Standing Committee to the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

Wang Chen presides over the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

Zhou Qiang, president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC), delivers a work report of the SPC at the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

Zhang Jun, procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP), delivers a work report of the SPP at the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

The second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

The second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

The second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

The second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Gao Jie)

The second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

The second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

Deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) attend the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

The second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

The second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

Deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) attend the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

The second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

The second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

Deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) attend the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Gao Jie)

The second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

Deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) attend the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

Deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) attend the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

Deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) attend the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

Members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) sit in on the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) as non-voting participants at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

Members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) sit in on the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) as non-voting participants at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) attend the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

Members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) sit in on the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) as non-voting participants at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Lu Ye)
StreetTrend LLC designs, manufactures, distributes, and sells several footwear brands including P448 sneakers at retail locations and direct to consumer at www.P448.com . "I am very excited to have Mark as a partner and love his view on life. Besides his successes in entertainment, he is a brilliant entrepreneur and an engaged investor. We look forward to collaborating with Mark as we continue to grow the business," said Wayne Kulkin, CEO of StreetTrend LLC.

Mr. Wahlberg joins the two original investment partners who launched StreetTrend, LLC in 2017  Founder and CEO Wayne Kulkin (formerly CEO of Stuart Weitzman) and the international financial services firm Hilco Global, a longtime brand investor run by Jeffrey B. Hecktman  CEO and Founder. In 2020, Karen Katz was added to the team as Non-Executive Chairman of the StreetTrend Board. Ms. Katz previously served as President & CEO of Neiman Marcus Group LTD LLC and has since been seated on several boards, including Under Armour and Humana.

Wahlberg adds StreetTrend LLC and its P448 brand to his growing list of business ventures and brand investments. These include a clothing line - Municipal, a tequila company - Flecha Azul, a fitness chain  F45, a restaurant chain - Wahlburgers, and his film production company - Unrealistic Ideas.

Recently, Mr. Walhberg showed off a pair of his very own P448 sneakers on his social media accounts during a television appearance at the Superbowl LVI. Wahlberg added, "I am excited to be a part of such a unique brand that fits my personal style and cares about sustainability. CEO Wayne Kulkin is a passionate and knowledgeable sneakerhead, and I look forward to being part of this project."

Last week StreetTrend LLC launched its newest P448 retail store located in Paris, France. This follows two other recent openings late last year in New York City and Miami, Florida. Going forward, P448 plans to continue strategically opening additional locations around the world. The P448 brand has also launched in China, with planned openings in Korea, South America, and Mexico in 2022.

During the pandemic, the company grew by 150%. Management indicated that wholesale remains a major focus of the overall business strategy, with very strong growth at independent retailers around the world, and at major department stores such as Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Holt Renfrew, La Rinascente and Printemps.

Hilco Global CEO, Jeff Hecktman, who partnered with Wayne Kulkin in 2017 to finance and expand the business worldwide said, "With the addition of Mark Wahlberg to our investment team we are adding another like-minded entrepreneur and creative visionary to our leadership group which I am certain will help further accelerate our incredible growth to date." Hecktman continued, "Hilco has made significant investments in dozens of global brands over the years, and we appreciate outstanding operators, entrepreneurs and business leaders like Wayne Kulkin and Mark Wahlberg."

More information about P448 is available at www.p448.com. Follow us on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram for the latest news and trends.

About StreetTrend LLC: StreetTrend LLC is a fashion footwear and street wear brand portfolio holding company under the leadership of Wayne Kulkin, former CEO of Stuart Weitzman. The company was formed in 2017 as a JV partnership with Jeffrey Hecktman, CEO of the international investment and financial services company Hilco Global, a firm with holdings in several retail and fashion brands. StreetTrend designs, manufactures, distributes, and sells several footwear brands including P448 luxury sneakers at select boutiques and online at www.P448.com.

SOURCE StreetTrend LLC
MEXICO CITY, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Grupo Aeromexico S.A.B. de C.V. ("Aeromexico") (BMV: AEROMEX) today reported February 2022 operational results.

Grupo Aeromexico transported 1 million 232 thousand passengers in February; a 37.2% year-on-year increase. International passengers carried increased by 135.9%, while domestic passenger increased by 16.7%.

Aeromexico's total capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASKs), increased by 42.5% year-on-year. International ASKs increased by 61.7% compared to February 2021 . Domestic capacity increased by 17.3%.

. Domestic capacity increased by 17.3%. Demand, measured in passenger-kilometers (RPKs), increased by 68.0% year-on-year. International demand increased by 141.3% compared to February 2021 . Domestic demand increased by 11.9%.

. Domestic demand increased by 11.9%. Aeromexico's February load factor was 74.7%, a 8.6p.p. increase versus February 2021 . International load factor increased by 19.9pp, and Domestic load factor decreased by 3.8pp.

. International load factor increased by 19.9pp, and Domestic load factor decreased by 3.8pp. During February 2022 , Aeromexico announced that starting on April it will fly again to the London Heathrow International Airport, with five weekly flights. With this Aeromexico will operate 4 direct routes to Europe from Mexico City . Additionally, Aeromexico announced that it will begin operations from Felipe Angeles International Airport (AIFA), operating daily flights to Villahermosa and Merida .



February

YTD February

2022 2021 Var vs

2021

2022 2021 Var vs

2021















RPKs (itinerary + charter, millions)













Domestic 818 731 11.9%

1,618 1,582 2.3% International 1,352 561 141.3%

2,973 1,451 104.9% Total 2,170 1,292 68.0%

4,591 3,033 51.4%















ASKs (itinerary + charter, millions)













Domestic 1,042 888 17.3%

2,170 2,042 6.3% International 1,882 1,164 61.7%

4,144 2,756 50.4% Total 2,924 2,052 42.5%

6,314 4,798 31.6%















Load Factor (itinerary, %)



p.p.





p.p. Domestic 78.5 82.3 -3.8

74.5 77.5 -2.9 International 72.5 52.6 19.9

72.3 56.3 16.0 Total 74.7 66.1 8.6

73.1 65.7 7.4















Passengers (itinerary + charter, thousands)













Domestic 868 743 16.7%

1,709 1,597 7.0% International 365 154 135.9%

793 394 101.5% Total 1,232 898 37.2%

2,502 1,990 25.7%



Figures may not sum to total due to rounding.

The information included within this report has not been audited and does not provide information on the Company's future performance. Aeromexico's future performance depends on many factors and it cannot be inferred that any period's performance or its year-over-year comparison will be an indicator of similar future performance.

Glossary:

"RPKs" Revenue Passenger Kilometers represent one revenue-passenger transported one kilometer. This includes itinerary and charter flights. The total RPKs equals the number of revenue-passengers transported multiplied by the total distance flown.

Revenue Passenger Kilometers represent one revenue-passenger transported one kilometer. This includes itinerary and charter flights. The total RPKs equals the number of revenue-passengers transported multiplied by the total distance flown. "ASKs" Available Seat Kilometers represent the number of available seats multiplied by the distance flown. This metric is an indicator of the airline's capacity. It equals one seat offered for one kilometer, whether the seat is used.

Available Seat Kilometers represent the number of available seats multiplied by the distance flown. This metric is an indicator of the airline's capacity. It equals one seat offered for one kilometer, whether the seat is used. "Load Factor" equals the number of passengers transported as a percentage of the number of seats offered. It is a measure of the airline's capacity utilization. This metric considers the total passengers transported and total seats available in itinerary flights only.

equals the number of passengers transported as a percentage of the number of seats offered. It is a measure of the airline's capacity utilization. This metric considers the total passengers transported and total seats available in itinerary flights only. "Passengers" refers to the total number of passengers transported by the airline.

refers to the total number of passengers transported by the airline. Grupo Aeromexicos investors presentation is available in the following link: https://www.aeromexico.com/en-us/investors

Grupo Aeromexico confirms that its voluntary process of financial restructuring under Chapter 11 of the legislation of the United States of America , will be carried out in an orderly manner while it continues operating and offering services to its customers with the same quality that characterizes it, contracting from its suppliers the goods and services required for its operation. The Company will use the advantages of Chapter 11 to strengthen its financial position and liquidity, protect and preserve its operations and assets, and implement the necessary adjustments to face the impact of COVID-19.

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that reflect the current views and/or expectations of the Company and its management with respect to its performance, business and future events. We use words such as "believe," "anticipate," "plan," "expect,", "intend," "target," "estimate," "project," "predict," "forecast," "guideline," "should" and other similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements, but they are not the only way we identify such statements. Such statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. We caution you that a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the plans, objectives, expectations, estimates and intentions expressed in this release. The Company is under no obligation and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Grupo Aeromexico

Grupo Aeromexico, S.A.B. de C.V. is a holding company whose subsidiaries are engaged in commercial aviation in Mexico and the promotion of passenger loyalty programs. Aeromexico, Mexico's global airline, has its main operations center in Terminal 2 of the Mexico City International Airport. Its destination network has reach in Mexico, the United States, Canada, Central America, South America, Asia and Europe. The Group's current operating fleet includes Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft, as well as the latest generation Embraer 190. Aeromexico is a founding partner of SkyTeam, an alliance that celebrates 20 years and offers connectivity in more than 170 countries, through the 19 partner airlines. Aeromexico created and implemented a Health and Hygiene Management System (SGSH) to protect its clients and collaborators at all stages of its operation.

www.aeromexico.com

www.skyteam.com

SOURCE Grupo Aeromexico S.A.B. de C.V.
LAS VEGAS, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Alkame Holdings, Inc. (OTC-PINK: ALKM), a publicly traded diversified holding company, is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary, West Coast Copacker Inc. retained eCommerce brand management agency Brand Focus Digital.

Brand Focus based in the Seattle Area, is a full-service Amazon, eCommerce agency with proven success of triple digit sales and ROI increases. With prior Amazon employees as team members, Brand Focus Digital has decades of combined eCommerce, Amazon, and other online retailer industry experience.

Select Brand Focus Digital business managers hold Amazon Advertising Certifications and Brand Focus Digital is a proud member of the Amazon Advertising Partner Network.

"We are very excited about partnering with these e-commerce veterans and their grocery and specialty food experience," stated Robert Eakle, Alkame CEO. Eakle added, "This is another huge step towards our stated goal of providing the Alkame Brand products direct to consumers."

About West Coast Co Packer, Inc.

West Coast Co Packer, Inc., is a wholly owned subsidiary of Alkame Holdings, Inc. and is a specialty liquid and single-serve manufacturer, co-packer, private labeler, and contract manufacturer, and is expected to immediately complement and seamlessly integrate with Alkame's other subsidiaries including Bell Food and Beverage, Inc. Bell Food and Beverage, Inc. is a specialty natural, organic liquid-based hot and cold fill food & beverage manufacturer in glass and PET bottles and jars. To learn more about West Coast Copacker visit www.westcoastcopacker.com.

About Alkame Holdings, Inc.

Alkame Holdings, Inc. is a publicly traded health and wellness technology holding company, with a focus on patentable, innovative, and eco-friendly consumer products. The Company's wholly owned subsidiaries manufacture products with enhanced water utilizing a proprietary technology to create products with several unique properties. The organization is diligently building a solid foundation through the launch and acquisition of appropriate business assets, and by pursuing multiple applications by placement into several emerging business sectors, such as consumer bottled water and RTD products, household pet products, horticulture and agriculture applications, hand sanitizers, and many other various water-based treatment solutions to both new and existing business platforms.

For more information, visit www.alkameholdingsinc.com.

Alkame Holdings, Inc. Investor Relations

Website: www.alkameholdingsinc.com

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (702) 273-9714

Disclaimer/Safe Harbor: This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act. The statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Among others, these risks include the expectation that Alkame will achieve significant sales, the failure to meet schedule or performance requirements of the Company's contracts, the Company's liquidity position, the Company's ability to obtain new contracts, the emergence of competitors with greater financial resources and the impact of competitive pricing. In the light of these uncertainties, the forward-looking events referred to in this release might not occur. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

SOURCE Alkame Holdings, Inc.
SAN DIEGO, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Alliant International University , one of the nation's leading institutions in professional psychology, has announced that it is joining forces with Kaiser Permanente , one of America's leading health care providers, to support its Mental Health Scholars Academy (MHSA) in Northern and Southern California. With the goal to train hundreds of new mental health professionals in California, the Kaiser Permanente initiative seeks to address the increase in demand for mental health services across the state.

The academy works with academic programs that offer graduate degrees in Marriage and Family Therapy, Social Work, Clinical Counseling, or Clinical Psychology. Kaiser Permanente employees who are accepted into the MHSA and into graduate degree programs at participating universities, such as those at Alliant International University, can receive 75 percent tuition assistance as they work towards a career as a therapist, clinical counselor, social worker, or psychologist.

"By 2028, it's projected that California will experience a critical shortage in behavioral health professionals, so it is vital to provide members of our community who are interested in making a difference in people's lives the resources and opportunities to advance their careers now," said David Stewart, Ph.D., dean of Alliant's California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP). "At CSPP, we pride ourselves on preparing some of the best practitioners and respected thought leaders in the field, and we are happy to work with the Kaiser Permanente community to amplify our impact."

This fall, the MHSA will see its first graduates entering the professional mental health community, bringing both institutions closer to a shared goal of bridging the gap between mental and physical health.

"At Kaiser Permanente, we believe that mental health and well-being are essential to total health," said Daniel Gizzo, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and MHSA director. "We are pleased to work with Alliant International University to increase the pipeline of qualified, experienced, and diverse mental health professionals to improve access to mental health care for all who need it."

Alliant International University began enrolling students from the MHSA in 2020, and currently has 63 scholars working towards a master's or doctorate degree in the mental health field. Other participating universities include University of San Francisco; Fielding Graduate University; California State University Long Beach; the Kaiser Permanente School of Allied Health Sciences, and University of Massachusetts Global.

For more information on Alliant International University, visit alliant.edu .

About Alliant International University

Alliant is a private university accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) which offers programs in psychology , education , business management , forensic studies , and law . Alliant's mission is to prepare students for professional careers of service and leadership, and to promote the discovery and application of knowledge to improve the lives of people in diverse cultures and communities around the world. More information is available at www.alliant.edu .

About the Mental Health Scholars Academy

The Mental Health Scholars Academy is a Kaiser Permanente initiative to support the training of hundreds of new mental health professionals who intend to work for Kaiser Permanente in our Northern and Southern California regions. The academy works with participating academic programs and provides 75% tuition assistance to eligible Kaiser Permanente employees. The academy also aims to increase diversity in the professional mental health workforce to address gaps in linguistic, racial, ethnic, and other demographic representation.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve almost 12.5 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health. http://about.kaiserpermanente.org

Media Contact:

Cielo Villasenor

1-858-6354050

[email protected]

SOURCE Alliant International University
BOCA RATON, Fla. and PARIS, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Anthology , a leading provider of education solutions that support the entire learner lifecycle, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today announced Anthology's sponsorship for the World Higher Education Conference (WHEC2022) to be held May 18  20, 2022 in Barcelona, Spain. UNESCO and Blackboard, now part of Anthology, initially formed a partnership to support global digital learning initiatives in 2020 and this flagship higher education event, held only once each decade, marks the organizations' continued collaboration to help define the future of higher education.

The UNESCO World Higher Education Conference aims to break away from traditional models of higher education and open doors to new, innovative, creative and visionary conceptions that not only serve current agendas for sustainable development, but also pave the way for future learning communities. The WHEC2022 will gather representatives from the worldwide higher education ecosystem, from academics to political leaders and youth, to reshape the ideas and practices in higher education for a more sustainable future. More than 2,000 in-person attendees and 10,000 virtual attendees are expected to convene for this year's event, which will focus on themes including the global disruption created by COVID-19 and creating more inclusive education environments for learners. As CEO of one of the world's largest EdTech ecosystems, Anthology's Jim Milton will join fellow leaders as a featured speaker at the conference to help outline and establish an action plan for the transition to a new age of higher education.

"We are honored to participate in such a momentous event and have a voice in the global conversation about the future of higher education," said Jim Milton, Anthology Chairman and CEO. "There is incredible synergy between the work UNESCO is leading and our vision of creating an inspiring and infinite world of learning without boundaries, and we look forward to our continued partnership as we seek the best outcomes for learners and leaders across the education community."

"The third World Higher Education Conference will concentrate on higher education as an agent of social change to contribute to leave no one behind in higher ed," said Mr. Peter Wells, UNESCO Chief of Higher Education. "Anthology's dedication to supporting the entire learning lifecycle for students of all backgrounds makes them an excellent partner for UNESCO, both for this event and in the future."

In January 2021, Blackboard and UNESCO developed the Education response to COVID-19: Distance Learning and Teacher Training Strategies in Caribbean SIDS in conjunction with the Caribbean Centre for Educational Planning (CCEP) at the University of the West Indies. The initiative worked to educate 10,000 instructors in the appropriate use of online education technologies and interactive platforms to engage students in the digital space.

About Anthology

Anthology offers the largest EdTech ecosystem on a global scale for education, recently combining with Blackboard to support more than 150 million users in 80 countries. With a mission to provide dynamic, data-informed experiences to the global education community, Anthology helps learners, leaders and educators achieve their goals through over 60 SaaS products and services designed to advance learning. Discover more about how we are fulfilling our mission for K-12, higher education, business and government institutions at www.anthology.com .

About UNESCO

UNESCO is the only United Nations agency with a mandate to cover all aspects of education. The organization believes that education is a human right for all throughout life and that access must be matched by quality. Its work encompasses educational development from pre-school to higher education and beyond. Themes include global citizenship and sustainable development, human rights and gender equality, health and HIV and AIDS, as well as technical and vocational skills development. UNESCO's mission in education is to lead and coordinate progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) at global and regional levels and to provide technical assistance and capacity development to accelerate progress at country level.

https://en.unesco.org/themes/education

Media Contact:

Chelcee Coffman

Director, Global Communications

[email protected]

SOURCE Anthology
CINCINNATI, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Aprecia Pharmaceuticals announced today that it has hired Garry Hedgepeth as Vice President of Quality. Mr. Hedgepeth's primary responsibility will be to ensure that Quality leads product development and manufacturing at Aprecia's 3DP Center of Excellence in Blue Ash, Ohio.

"We are building a world-class team to support our global mission of meeting unmet healthcare needs," stated Kyle Smith, President and Chief Operating Officer of Aprecia Pharmaceuticals. "Garry offers a proven track record of managing quality issues at all levels and adding him to our senior leadership will be especially important as we build quality systems to support product platforms currently under development."

"Aprecia's 3D-Printing technology platforms create an unparalleled ability to design and develop novel pharmaceutical dosage forms that focus on the patient and the caregiver experience," Hedgepeth stated. "I am honored to join the industry leaders at Aprecia, and I look forward to building strategic relationships with global partners to strengthen our unique capabilities."

Hedgepeth brings more than 20 years of solid oral dose and sterile injectable experience in Quality and Operations, having held roles of increasing responsibility at leading pharmaceutical companies. In addition to his Quality and Operations experience, Hedgepeth's extensive background includes hosting regulatory (FDA and RoW) inspections and CMO partner audits.

About Aprecia Pharmaceuticals, LLC

Founded in 2004, Aprecia received the first and only FDA approved three-dimensionally-printed (3DP) prescription pharmaceutical product approval. This breakthrough achievement opened the door to the FDA for the entire industry. Aprecia's ZipDose Technology creates rapidly disintegrating oral dosage forms that are easy to take and easy to administer including engineered and coated particles for low or high dose products (over a 1000mg). Aprecia directly owns a patent estate for novel 3DP equipment and pharmaceutical 3DP applications. It licenses its exclusive technology platform as a specialty CDMO to pharmaceutical partners to extend product lines, to improve patient reach and experience, and to help address FDA requirements for pediatric delivery forms. For more information, visit www.aprecia.com.

SOURCE Aprecia Pharmaceuticals
BRIDGEPORT, Conn., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Aquarion Company (Aquarion), parent of Aquarion Water Company, and The Torrington Water Company (TWC) (OTC Pink Sheets Trading Symbol: TORW) today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement whereby Aquarion will acquire all outstanding shares of TWC, and TWC will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aquarion. Aquarion is a water distribution company and holding company based in Bridgeport, Connecticut, providing regulated water service to customers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. TWC is a water distribution company based in Torrington, Connecticut providing regulated water service to Connecticut customers in Torrington and to portions of Burlington, Harwinton, Litchfield, and New Hartford.

Under the agreement, which was unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both Aquarion and TWC, the acquisition will be executed through a stock-for-stock transaction that is structured to be a tax-free reorganization. The agreement provides that the stockholders of TWC will receive common shares of Aquarion's parent, Eversource Energy (Eversource) (NYSE: ES), in exchange for their TWC common stock. The exchange ratio implies a $92.81 per share price based on the $86.66 closing price of Eversource Energy common shares on March 7, 2022. In connection with the exchange, Eversource Energy will issue between 885,000 and 925,000 ES common shares at closing. TWC has assets of approximately $65 million.

The merger will add approximately 10,100 customers to Aquarion's base of 226,000 customers. TWC's service area will complement Aquarion's existing footprint in the northwestern part of the Connecticut. Under the agreement, all TWC employees will be retained.

"Both Aquarion and TWC can trace their local water service roots back to the 1800s. This merger will ensure this history lives on and continues to create long-term benefits for customers, employees, and the communities we serve," said Donald Morrissey, President of Aquarion Water Company. "We will make the needed investments in this water system to ensure continued reliability and water quality for decades to come. We also welcome TWC's dedicated employees to the Aquarion team."

Over the last ten years, Aquarion has integrated over 84 water systems into its operations, strengthening the company's ability to deliver high-quality water to communities throughout the region.

"I am pleased with the transaction, as TWC and Aquarion share many common values and strategies, and look forward to working with Aquarion's leadership team on a smooth transition for our customers and employees," said Susan Suhanovsky, President of The Torrington Water Company. She also noted, "Aquarion values TWC's rich history and will continue our tradition of delivering reliable, high-quality water service to our customers."

The completion of the transaction will require approval by the stockholders of TWC, and the TWC Board of Directors has resolved to recommend the adoption of the merger agreement by the stockholders. The transaction is also subject to the approval of the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, and satisfaction of several other customary conditions. The parties plan to file all required regulatory applications over the coming months with an anticipated closing by the end of 2022.

Advisors and Counsel

Ropes & Gray LLP served as counsel to Aquarion Company and Eversource Energy in the transaction. Boenning & Scattergood, Inc. served as financial advisor and rendered a fairness opinion to the Board of Directors of The Torrington Water Company. Pullman & Comley LLC served as counsel to The Torrington Water Company.

About Aquarion Water Company:

Aquarion Water Company is the public water supply company for more than 700,000 people in 68 cities and towns in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. It is the largest investor-owned water utility in New England and among the seven largest in the U.S. Based in Bridgeport, CT, Aquarion has been in the public water supply business since 1857. Across its operations, Aquarion strives to act as a responsible steward of the environment and to assist the communities it serves in promoting sustainable practices. Aquarion Water Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eversource .

For more information on Aquarion Water Company, please visit www.aquarionwater.com or www.facebook.com/aquarionwater .

About The Torrington Water Company

Formed in 1873, The Torrington Water Company is a regulated public water utility that provides water service to just over 10,000 customers, or about 37,000 people, in 5 towns. Located in Torrington, CT, TWC's 18 employees and Board of Directors pride themselves on excellent customer service, environmental stewardship, and community involvement.

For more information on The Torrington Water Company, please visit www.torringtonwater.com .

This news release includes statements concerning Aquarion and Aquarion Water Company's expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, goals, strategies, assumptions of future events, future financial performance or growth and other statements that are not historical facts, including statements regarding the planned merger with The Torrington Water Company, the timing of such transaction and benefits anticipated from such transaction. These statements are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Generally, readers can identify these forward-looking statements through the use of words or phrases such as "will," "estimate," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "project," "believe," "forecast," "should," "could" and other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those included in the forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those included in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: the transaction is subject to conditions to closing, including regulatory approvals, that may not be satisfied; it may take longer than anticipated to consummate the transaction; we may not realize the benefits we anticipate from the transaction; unforeseen liabilities; risks relating to integration of the acquired business; and other presently unknown or unforeseen factors.

Other risk factors are detailed in Eversource Energy's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and updated as necessary, and are available on Eversource Energy's website at www.eversource.com and on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. All such factors are difficult to predict and contain uncertainties that may materially affect Aquarion or Aquarion Water Company's actual results, many of which are beyond our control. You should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements; each speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, except as required by federal securities laws, and Aquarion Water Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement or statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Additional Information

This communication does not constitute an offer to buy or solicitation of any offer to sell securities. This communication relates to a proposed business combination transaction between Aquarion Company and The Torrington Water Company. In connection with the proposed business combination, Eversource Energy will file a registration statement with the SEC. This communication is not a substitute for any registration statement, prospectus/proxy statement or other document Eversource Energy, Aquarion Company and/or The Torrington Water Company may file with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF THE TORRINGTON WATER COMPANY ARE URGED TO READ CAREFULLY THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT, PROSPECTUS, PROXY STATEMENT AND OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT EVERSOURCE ENERGY, AQUARION COMPANY, THE TORRINGTON WATER COMPANY AND THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. Investors and security holders may obtain free copies of these documents (when they are available) and other related documents filed with the SEC at the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov or by directing a request to Eversource's Investor Relations department at (860) 665-5154 or by email to [email protected].

Certain Information Regarding Participants

This filing may be deemed solicitation material in respect of the proposed business combination transaction between Aquarion Company and The Torrington Water Company. The directors, trustees, executive officers and certain other members of management and employees of Eversource Energy, Aquarion Company and The Torrington Water Company may be deemed "participants" in the solicitation of proxies from stockholders of The Torrington Water Company in favor of the proposed merger. You can find information about Eversource's trustees and executive officers in Eversource's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, which was filed with the SEC on February 17, 2022 and its proxy statement for its 2021 annual meeting filed with the SEC on March 26, 2021. Information regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be considered participants in the solicitation of the stockholders of The Torrington Water Company in connection with the proposed merger will be set forth in the registration statement, prospectus/proxy statement or other documents filed with the SEC if any when they become available. You may obtain these documents (when they become available) free of charge at the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov and from Investor Relations at Eversource as described above.

Media Contact:

Peter Fazekas

Director  Corporate Communications

Aquarion Water Company

Phone: (203) 336-7651

[email protected]

SOURCE Aquarion Water Company
HAMILTON, Bermuda, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ardmore Shipping Corporation (NYSE: ASC) ("Ardmore" or the "Company") today announced that it will participate in the Capital Link Company Presentation Series. Ardmore CEO Anthony Gurnee and CFO Paul Tivnan will discuss Company strategy, the current state and future prospects of the product and chemical tanker markets, and the Company's Energy Transition Plan and related initiatives on Thursday, March 10, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

Interested parties can register for the webinar below:

Date: Thursday, March 10, 2022

Time: 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time

Register: https://webinars.capitallink.com/2022/company_presentation/

On the registration page, please register for the presentation slated for March 10, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

An email confirmation will be sent back and will include the link to the Ardmore presentation.

LIVE Q&A SESSION - Submitting Questions

Participants can submit their questions either during the webinar through the online platform or by emailing [email protected].

1x1 MEETINGS WITH COMPANY MANAGEMENT

Institutional investors can request a meeting with ASC management through the 1x1 Meetings Section on the Registration Page or by emailing [email protected].

About Ardmore Shipping Corporation:

Ardmore owns and operates a fleet of MR product and chemical tankers ranging from 25,000 to 50,000 deadweight tonnes. Ardmore provides seaborne transportation of petroleum products and chemicals worldwide to oil majors, national oil companies, oil and chemical traders, and chemical companies, with its modern, fuel-efficient fleet of mid-size tankers.

Ardmore's core strategy is to continue to develop a modern, high-quality fleet of product and chemical tankers, build key long-term commercial relationships and maintain its cost advantage in assets, operations and overhead, while creating synergies and economies of scale as the company grows. Ardmore provides its services to customers through voyage charters, commercial pools, and time charters, and enjoys close working relationships with key commercial and technical management partners.

Ardmore's Energy Transition Plan ("ETP") focusses on three key areas: transition technologies, transition projects, and sustainable (non-fossil fuel) cargos. The ETP is an extension of Ardmore's strategy, building on its core strengths of tanker chartering, shipping operations, technical and operational fuel efficiency improvements, technical management, construction supervision, project management, investment analysis, and ship finance. Ardmore has established Ardmore Ventures as Ardmore's holding company for existing and future potential investments related to the Energy Transition Plan and completed its first projects under the ETP in June 2021.

Investor Relations Enquiries:

Mr. Leon Berman

The IGB Group

45 Broadway, Suite 1150

New York, NY 10006

Tel: 212-477-8438

Fax: 212-477-8636

Email: [email protected]

Or

Mr. Bryan Degnan

The IGB Group

Tel: 646-673-9701

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Ardmore Shipping Corporation
WAYNE, Pa., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Argosy Healthcare Partners ("AHP"), a lower middle market private equity investor focused exclusively on healthcare, and a division of Argosy Capital, a diversified investment firm with over $2.3 billion in assets under management, is pleased to announce that it completed a recapitalization of Specialty Care Management ("SCM" or the "Company"). SCM is a payor services company focused on healthcare cost containment and claims management services for the self-insured market.

Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, SCM supports self-insured plans in managing risk and containing costs. SCM specializes in program design for catastrophic claim categories including dialysis, oncology, air medical ambulance and transplant. SCM helps clients reclaim their claim spend and maximize savings. Craig Clemente, currently President and COO, will lead the Company as CEO. Bob Clemente, Founder and CEO, will continue to actively support the Company as Senior Advisor and Board Member. Over Bob Clemente's four-decade career, he has successfully founded businesses and held senior executive roles in health systems, managed care organizations and other companies in the payor services market.

Craig Clemente commented, "I am thrilled to partner with AHP, build upon our existing foundation, and accelerate growth. Partnering with AHP allows us to reinvest in our team, technology and systems and better serve our self-insured clients and their members. We are excited to continue our mission of building a world class company dedicated to the self-insured market."

Continued rising healthcare costs and an increase in self-insured plans have accelerated the need for SCM's claims management and cost containment solutions. Paul Barrett, Managing Partner of AHP, stated, "We believe in Craig and his vision for the business. Bob, Craig and the SCM team have built an outstanding foundation in a high growth end market. Our goal is to protect culture, reinvest in founder-owned companies, and build world class businesses together and we are grateful for the opportunity to do that with Craig, Bob and the SCM family of employees."

"I am proud of what our team at SCM has accomplished over the last 20 years and am thrilled to partner with AHP for the next chapter of growth. We are excited about leveraging their healthcare experience and our strong value alignment to scale the business through re-investment in SCM's sales team and processes." said Bob Clemente, Senior Advisor and Board Member of the Company.

About Specialty Care Management

Specialty Care Management ("SCM) is a leading payor services company focused on healthcare cost containment and claims management services for the self-insured market. Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, SCM supports self-insured plans in managing risk and containing costs. SCM specializes in program design for catastrophic claim categories including dialysis, oncology, air medical ambulance and transplant. SCM helps clients reclaim their claim spend and maximize savings.

For further information, please visit :

Specialty Care Management: www.specialtycm.com/

About Argosy Healthcare Partners

Argosy Healthcare Partners ("AHP") is dedicated to partnering with entrepreneurial founders and talented management teams and together building market leading platforms. AHP partners with founder owned healthcare businesses anywhere in the US with $1.0 - $3.0 million of EBITDA and executes majority control transactions. AHP is a platform built for founder-owned companies to support their culture, reinvest in their business, and accelerate growth.

For further information, please visit :

Argosy Healthcare Partners: www.argosyhp.com

Contact:

Argosy Healthcare Partners Paul Barrett, Managing Partner [email protected] Specialty Care Management Craig Clemente, CEO [email protected]

SOURCE Argosy Healthcare Partners
Vulnerabilities found in widely-used Uninterruptible Power Supplies could allow attackers to bypass security features and remotely take over or damage critical industrial, medical, and enterprise devices

PALO ALTO, Calif., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Armis , the leader in unified asset visibility and security, announced today the discovery of three zero-day vulnerabilities in APC Smart-UPS devices that can allow attackers to gain remote access. If exploited, these vulnerabilities, collectively known as TLStorm , allow threat actors to disable, disrupt, and destroy APC Smart-UPS devices and attached assets.

Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) devices provide emergency backup power for mission-critical assets in data centers, industrial facilities, hospitals, and more. APC is a subsidiary of Schneider Electric and is one of the leading vendors of UPS devices, with over 20 million devices sold worldwide.

"Until recently, assets, such as UPS devices, were not perceived as security liabilities. However, it has become clear that security mechanisms in remotely managed devices have not been properly implemented, meaning that malicious actors will be able to use those vulnerable assets as an attack vector," said Barak Hadad, Head of Research, Armis. "It is vital that security professionals have complete visibility of all assets, along with the ability to monitor their behavior, to identify exploitation attempts of vulnerabilities such as TLStorm."

Enterprise Risk Exposure

Armis researches and analyzes various assets to help security leaders protect their organizations from new threats. For this research, Armis investigated APC Smart-UPS devices and their remote management and monitoring services due to the widespread use of APC UPS devices in our customers' environments. The latest models use a cloud connection for remote management. Armis researchers found that an attacker exploiting the TLStorm vulnerabilities could remotely take over devices via the Internet without any user interaction or signs of attack.

The discovered vulnerabilities include two critical vulnerabilities in the TLS implementation used by cloud-connected Smart-UPS devices and a third high-severity vulnerability, a design flaw, in which firmware upgrades of most Smart-UPS devices are not correctly signed or validated.

Two of the vulnerabilities involve the TLS connection between the UPS and the Schneider Electric cloud. Devices that support the SmartConnect feature automatically establish a TLS connection upon startup or whenever cloud connections are temporarily lost. Attackers can trigger the vulnerabilities via unauthenticated network packets without any user interaction.

CVE-2022 -22805 - (CVSS 9.0) TLS buffer overflow: A memory corruption bug in packet reassembly (RCE).

- (CVSS 9.0) TLS buffer overflow: A memory corruption bug in packet reassembly (RCE). CVE-2022 -22806 - (CVSS 9.0) TLS authentication bypass: A state confusion in the TLS handshake leads to authentication bypass, leading to remote code execution (RCE) using a network firmware upgrade.

The third vulnerability is a design flaw in which the firmware updates on affected devices are not cryptographically signed in a secure manner. As a result, an attacker could craft malicious firmware and install it using various paths, including the Internet, LAN, or a USB thumb drive. This modified firmware could allow attackers to establish long-lasting persistence on such UPS devices that can be used as a stronghold within the network to launch additional attacks.

CVE-2022 -0715 - (CVSS 8.9) Unsigned firmware upgrade that can be updated over the network (RCE).

Abusing flaws in firmware upgrade mechanisms is becoming a standard practice of APTs, as has been recently detailed in the analysis of the Cyclops Blink malware, and improper signing of firmware is a recurring flaw in various embedded systems. For example, a previous vulnerability discovered by Armis in Swisslog PTS systems ( PwnedPiper, CVE-2021-37160 ) resulted from a similar type of flaw.

"TLStorm vulnerabilities occur in cyber-physical systems that bridge our digital and physical worlds, giving cyberattacks the possibility of real-world consequences," said Yevgeny Dibrov, CEO and Co-founder of Armis. "The Armis platform addresses this hyper-connected reality, where one compromised identity and device can open the door to cyberattacks, and the security of every asset has become foundational to protect business continuity and brand reputation. Our ongoing research secures organizations by providing 100% complete visibility of their IT, cloud, IoT, OT, IoMT, 5G, and edge assets."

Updates and Mitigations

Schneider Electric worked in collaboration with Armis on this matter, and customers were notified and issued patches to address the vulnerabilities. To the best of both companies' knowledge, there is no indication the TLStorm vulnerabilities have been exploited.

Organizations deploying APC Smart-UPS devices should patch impacted devices immediately. More information can be found in the Schneider Electric security advisory here .

Armis customers can immediately identify APC Smart-UPS devices that are vulnerable in their environments and begin remediation. To speak with an Armis expert and experience our award-winning agentless device security platform, click here .

Research Presentations

Armis experts will discuss the TLStorm research during the following virtual and in-person events:

Additional Resources

About Armis

Armis is the leading unified asset visibility and security platform designed to address the new threat landscape that connected devices create. Fortune 1000 companies trust our real-time and continuous protection to see with full context all managed, unmanaged, and IoT devices, including medical devices (IoMT), operational technology (OT), and industrial control systems (ICS). Armis provides passive and unparalleled cybersecurity asset management, risk management, and automated enforcement. Armis is a privately held company headquartered in Palo Alto, California.

Media Contacts:

Dillon Townsel

Sr. Director, Public & Media Relations

[email protected]

512-571-3455

SOURCE Armis
BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The Constitution and Law Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) on Monday deliberated a draft amendment to the Organic Law of the Local People's Congresses and Local People's Governments.

The committee also reviewed a draft decision on the quota and election of deputies to the 14th NPC, as well as draft methods for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) and the Macao SAR to elect their deputies to the 14th NPC.

The documents are being deliberated at the ongoing fifth session of the 13th NPC.

A statement issued after Monday's committee meeting said the draft amendment to the law on local legislatures and governments is relatively mature and the committee submitted a deliberation result report and a draft decision on revisions to the law to the session's presidium, which will decide on submitting the draft decision on revisions to NPC delegations for further deliberation.

Members of the NPC Constitution and Law Committee said the content of the drafts on election of deputies to the 14th NPC is necessary, feasible and relatively mature, according to the statement.

The committee put forward a deliberation result report and the drafts' revised versions. The session's presidium will decide on submitting the revised versions to NPC delegations for further deliberation. 
BROOKLYN, N.Y., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On February 1, 1979, Regine Monavar Tessone recalls running through the Mehrabad airport with her parents and three brothers to board the last flight out of Tehran on the eve of the Islamic Revolution. The pilot announced as they entered the aircraft, "You are the lucky ones! The airport is now closed and the Ayatollah Khomeini has arrived."

Monavar's Journey: Bridge to Hope Author Regine M. Tessone

In this intimate memoir, Monavar (a Farsi name meaning light) recreates the life of her Persian Jewish family before they fled Iran and her own adventures in their new home in America. Always buoyant (her maiden name Omid means hope), she describes reuniting with her mother's family in Brooklyn, visiting Israel and serving as a volunteer, falling in love with a non-Persian Jew, and becoming a successful fashion designer. Her story, at once personal and paradigmatic, reflects her nostalgia for the homeland of her youth and her embrace of the opportunities of her adopted homeland in the United States as a successful Iranian-Jewish immigrant.

"Monavar's Journey is a beautifully written moving memoir that sheds light on Iranian Jews' lives during the Pahlavi era and the Revolution: lifestyle, food, religion, education, Muslim-Jewish relations, and so much more. It impressively offers an account of immigration, adjustment, and daily life in the new home, abroadall as sensitively portrayed by Regine Monavar Tessone."

Daniel Tsadik- Author; Between Foreigners and Shi'is: Nineteenth-Century Iran and its Jewish Minority (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2007).

"Do not worry about your entry card into this world, because life itself is a treasury of OMID/hope. You will surely succeed one day, with patience and forgiveness." Dr. Isaac Omid A"H

REGINE MONAVAR TESSONE is an Iranian American fashion designer. As a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, she founded Aqua Modesta, a unique line of modest women's swimwear and sportswear that attained worldwide success. Her initial professional goals achieved; she wrote this memoir to fulfill a lifelong dream: to share the story of her family's incredible escape on the last flight out of Tehran. She resides with her husband and children in New York and Jerusalem.

Media Contact:

Regine Tessone

718.810.2422

[email protected]

SOURCE Regine M. Tessone
As a long-term advocate for women's empowerment, Johansson will help raise awareness for the critical role Dress for Success plays in helping women advance professionally, thrive personally, care for their families and help rebuild communities. She will participate in select Dress for Success campaigns, events and promotions. The Outset team will also donate their time and expertise to engage with Dress for Success clients on a volunteer basis.

"I believe when we support one another's journey toward discovering self-confidence, the world is a better place"

"I believe when we support one another's journey toward discovering self-confidence, the world is a better place," Johansson said. "I am so honored to partner with Dress for Success; they make it possible for women to achieve their dreams by putting their best foot forward."

In addition to acting as global ambassador for Dress for Success, Johansson is being recognized for her work to support women and advocate for gender equality as part of the organization's annual Your Hour, Her Power campaign. In honor of Women's History Month and International Women's Day, Your Hour, Her Power recognizes inspiring women leaders and asks people to donate the equivalent of one hour of pay to help women achieve economic independence.

"We are thrilled to be welcoming Scarlett as a global ambassador to bring awareness to our mission at such a crucial time for women," Michele C. Meyer-Shipp, CEO of Dress for Success Worldwide, said. "Scarlett's support of women's empowerment, combined with her personal passion for helping us demonstrate our impact as the leading global nonprofit employment resource for women, is, quite literally, a game changer for our organization."

Women are exiting the workforce at an alarming rate, which has resulted in a loss of $800 billion in global revenue. For the past 25 years, Dress for Success has been leading efforts on a global scale to help women achieve economic security and transform their lives. This new partnership with Johansson will help Dress for Success reach even more women and advance its mission and raise awareness for its cause.

Since launching in 1997, Dress for Success has expanded to 144 locations across 23 different countries and has helped more than 1.2 million women work toward independence. Dress for Success has moved beyond the suit and offers a variety of services and access to opportunities to clients. More than 60% of clients identify as women of color, and 56% are mothers.

"We want the world to know, especially in our 25th anniversary year, the myriad of ways we help women get back on their feet, with services and programs that expand well beyond providing professional attire," Meyer-Shipp said. "We are not just a nonprofit; we are an agent of change."

To learn more about Dress for Success Worldwide and the Your Hour, Her Power campaign, visit: yourhourherpower.org.

To learn more about Johansson's new skincare brand, visit: theoutset.com.

About Dress for Success

Dress for Success is a global nonprofit organization that empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. Since starting operations in 1997, Dress for Success has empowered more than 1.2 million women across 144 cities in 23 countries. Visit dressforsuccess.org to learn more.

Contact: Patricia Steele, Vice-President, Global Communications

Dress for Success Worldwide

[email protected]

SOURCE Dress for Success Worldwide
CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of America today announced their approximately 67 million clients made $294 billion in total payments during February, a 16% increase over February 2021. This follows a 5% increase in total payments in February 2021 when compared to pre-pandemic levels in February 2020. This marks a continuation of the strong consumer payments and spending observed in January, as well as a record $3.8 trillion in total payments in 2021.

"We saw a strong continuation of payment and spending trends in February, another positive sign of the strength of U.S. consumers," said Mary Hines Droesch, Head of Consumer and Small Business Products at Bank of America. "Strong spending trends across a variety of sectors such as travel, restaurants, public transportation and gym memberships suggest more consumers are returning to the office and resuming more in-person activities."

Additional February Payments Trends

Bank of America clients' combined credit and debit card spending reached $63 billion in February, up 21% compared to February 2021 .

in February, up 21% compared to . Total credit and debit transactions were up 15% year-over-year, indicating continued strong demand for goods and services.

Travel spending on credit and debit cards was up 95% year-over-year, with airline spend up 153% year-over-year; and spending at travel agencies up 147%, led by Boomers and Seniors.

Increased spending at coffee shops, dry cleaners and public transportation indicated a greater return to the office in February after a seasonal winter slowdown exacerbated by Omicron. Combined, these categories saw 30% growth year-over-year in February, compared to 21% growth year-over-year in January.

Spending at restaurants and gyms was up 38% and 43% respectively in February 2022 vs. February 2021 , as clients resumed more in-person activities, with Gen Z/Millennials driving growth.

vs. , as clients resumed more in-person activities, with Gen Z/Millennials driving growth. Gen Z/Millennials spending on additional in-person activities, such as movie theaters, ticket agencies and amusement parks, strongly outpaced other generations  with spending on these activities up 162% year-over-year in February 2022 , compared to an increase of 94% among Boomers and Seniors.

, compared to an increase of 94% among Boomers and Seniors. Clients continued to gravitate toward convenience when shopping  digital spending on credit and debit was up 22% year-over-year, and adoption of tap-to-pay grew, representing 19% of in-person transactions.

Healthy Deposit Balance Trends Continued in February

Even with the strong growth in spending, Bank of America clients' deposit balances totaled over $1.4 trillion at the end of February, up 15% from February 2021 .

at the end of February, up 15% from . We continued to see growth in deposit balances across all stratifications of deposit customers. Among consumers with an average deposit balance of less than $2,000 before the pandemic, balances were up five times their pre-pandemic levels on average, including an additional 2% growth in February 2022 compared to January 2022 .

before the pandemic, balances were up five times their pre-pandemic levels on average, including an additional 2% growth in compared to . Deposit balance growth remained strong across all age demographics as well  Millennials were up 61% on average in February compared to pre-pandemic levels in February 2020 ; deposit balances among Boomers and Seniors were up 38% on average compared to the same period.

Bank of America is a provider of choice for individuals and businesses when paying for goods and services. The company's award-winning and easy-to-use capabilities help clients budget, save, spend and borrow carefully and confidently. Bank of America reviews aggregate activity across its vast client base to discern important payments trends, including debit and credit spending.

Methodology

This data represents aggregate spend and deposit balances from Retail, Preferred, Small Business and Wealth Management clients with a deposit account or credit card. Deposit balances include checking, savings accounts, CD/IRA and CMA. Total payments include credit card, debit card, ACH, wires, bill pay, person-to-person, cash and checks. Digital credit and debit card spend includes online and mobile transactions. Data is not adjusted for seasonality, processing days or portfolio changes, and may be subject to periodic revisions. Card transactions are categorized by proprietary methods and the Merchant Categorization Code (MCC) defined by financial services companies.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements represent the current expectations, plans or forecasts of Bank of America based on available information. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. These statements often use words like "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "targets," "intends," "plans," "predict," "goal" and other similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as "will," "may," "might," "should," "would" and "could." Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and Bank of America undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect the impact of circumstances or events that arise after the date the forward-looking statement was made.

Forward-looking statements represent Bank of America's current expectations, plans or forecasts of its future results, revenues, expenses, efficiency ratio, capital measures, consumer payments and spending and future business and economic conditions more generally, and other future matters. These statements are not guarantees of its future results or performance and involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict and are often beyond the Bank of America's control. Actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, any forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement and should consider all of the uncertainties and risks discussed under Item 1A. "Risk Factors" of Bank of America's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and in any of the Bank of America's other subsequent Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

Bank of America

Bank of America is one of the world's leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 67 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 4,200 retail financial centers, approximately 16,000 ATMs, and award-winning digital banking with more than 54 million verified digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and approximately 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements and other important information, visit the Bank of America newsroom and register for email news alerts.

Reporters May Contact:

Don Vecchiarello, Bank of America, 770.361.2573

[email protected]

SOURCE Bank of America Corporation
LITTLE FALLS, N.J., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bantec, Inc. (OTCPINK: BANT) ("Bantec" or the "Company"), Bantec, Inc., a product and services company, announces that its subsidiary Howco received a substantial purchase order to supply military vehicle kit parts to a Department of Defense military contractor.

Michael Bannon, Bantec's Chairman and CEO stated: "We are pleased to announce that our subsidiary Howco sold vehicle military kit parts to a Department of Defense Military Contractor. This is Howco's first sale of this kind. Our customer holds a long-term contract with the U.S. Department of Defense. Their DOD contract requires that the parts be exclusively purchased from an OEM Military distributor  which we are. We anticipate that this will the first of many sales as Howco expands into this new, lucrative area.

About Bantec

Bantec, Inc, a product and services company, through its subsidiaries and divisions sells to facility managers, engineers, maintenance managers, purchasing managers and contract officers who work for hospitals, universities, manufacturers, commercial businesses, local and state governments, and the US government. Our difference that matters consists of establishing lifelong customer and supplier friendships, responding immediately to our customers' needs, and providing products and services through a highly technically trained, motivated, and incentivized workforce.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release may be considered "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements may include projections of matters that affect revenue, operating expenses, or net earnings; projections of growth; and assumptions relating to the foregoing. Such forward-looking statements are generally qualified by terms such as: "plans, "anticipates," "expects," "believes" or similar words. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or qualified. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking information. These factors are discussed in greater detail in our Form 10 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Contacts:

Michael Bannon

Chairman & CEO

[email protected]

(203) 410-8924

SOURCE Bantek Inc.
BOSTON, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Burns & Levinson represented client BTR (Boston Technology Research Corporation), a regulatory technology company serving healthcare, life sciences and SaMD, in a $15 million Series A Preferred financing round led by New York-based global venture capital and private equity firm Insight Partners , with participation from existing investors LRV Health , NewStack Ventures and others. The new funding will be used to ensure that BTR's customers are prepared for the FDA's anticipated guidance that will incentivize a move from traditional methods to new technologies.

The Burns & Levinson team was led by partner Andrew Merken, who co-chairs the firm's Life Sciences Group and Securities Group, with assistance from attorneys Alison Harrall, Emmanuel Johnson, Rodney Bedow, Deborah Peckham, and Brooke Penrose.

"We started working with BTR almost three years ago as the company was strategizing its expansion strategy and looking to solidify its international operations. As outside general counsel to the company, it is exciting to be a part of this new phase as CEO Bryan Ennis and Founder and Chief Product Officer Kosal Keo, along with their impressive management team, take the company to the next level," said Merken. "We look forward to supporting BTR's ongoing success as they expand their team and service offerings and explore new growth opportunities."

"Andy Merken and his team at Burns & Levinson have been true partners and have added value to every facet of our business," said Bryan Ennis, BTR CEO. "Their depth of expertise and thoughtful advice have helped us accelerate our growth and the support with our Series A raise was particularly critical. We are thankful for their trusted legal counsel."

About BTR

BTR is a regulatory technology company serving healthcare, life sciences and SaMD. It has been the compliance engine behind leading software vendors such as Veeva, Nuvolo and Benchling, and has helped more than 275 healthcare and life sciences companies transition to the regulated cloud. BTR's enterprise-wide compliance platform is used across leading software vendors and sponsors alike, including customers, like Glaukos, Dermavant, Lexicon and Atsena. BTR is headquartered in Chelsea, MA, with a global workforce located throughout North America, Europe and Asia.

About Burns & Levinson LLP

At Burns & Levinson, we provide high-level, client-centric and results-oriented legal services to our regional, national and international clients. We are a full-service law firm with 125 lawyers in Boston, Providence and London. Our areas of expertise include: business/finance, business litigation, divorce/family law, venture capital/emerging companies, employment, estate planning, government investigations, intellectual property, M&A/private equity, probate/trust litigation, and real estate. We partner with our clients to solve their business and personal legal issues in a collaborative, creative and cost-effective way. For more information, visit Burns & Levinson at www.burnslev.com .

Contact:



Amy Blumenthal or Kristen Weller Blumenthal & Associates

Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer (617) 879-1511

(617) 345-3555 [email protected]

[email protected]

SOURCE Burns & Levinson
MONTREAL, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - CAE (NYSE: CAE) (TSX: CAE) announced that it has suspended all services and training to Russian airlines, aircraft operators and healthcare distributors, in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

CAE is saddened by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, and in support of its people, CAE has ceased to offer training services to pilots of Russian airlines as well as corporate and cargo operators in its training network. The company has also ceased to sell and service simulators for Russian airlines as well as healthcare distributors.

To support the humanitarian relief operations for Ukrainian refugees fleeing war, CAE has donated C$60,000 to the Red Cross. To date, CAE employees worldwide have donated more than C$65,000 to the Red Cross, for a total of more than C$125,000 donated by CAE and its employees. CAE will continue to match employee donations worldwide until March 31.

CAE employees in Hungary and Poland are also volunteering their time to support the Red Cross as well as individually supporting the needs of Ukrainian refugees.

CAE does not have any facilities in Russia. Prior to the suspension, CAE serviced simulators sold to Russian airlines with parts and update services and trained a number of Russian airlines in its global training centre network.

About CAE

CAE is a high technology company, at the leading edge of digital immersion, providing solutions to make the world a safer place. Backed by a record of more than 70 years of industry firsts, we continue to reimagine the customer experience and revolutionize training and operational support solutions in civil aviation, defence and security, and healthcare. We are the partner of choice to customers worldwide who operate in complex, high-stakes and largely regulated environments, where successful outcomes are critical. As testament to our customers' ongoing needs for our solutions, over 60 percent of CAE's revenue is recurring in nature. We have the broadest global presence in our industry, with more than 11,000 employees, 180 sites, and training locations in over 35 countries. www.cae.com

Follow us on Twitter: CAE_Inc

Facebook: www.facebook.com/cae.inc

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/cae

Hashtags: #CAE; #CAEpilot

SOURCE CAE INC.
SYDNEY, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CAI, a global consulting company that provides technical, operational consulting, and project management services to life sciences, data centers, and process manufacturing industries, today announced the promotion of John Wrenn to the APAC leadership team.

"We are pleased to announce John Wrenn as the Australia Country Manager. John brings extensive technical commissioning, qualification, validation, and project and client management experience. Prior to joining CAI, John spent 13 years working in Australia in the Biomedical and medical packaging sectors. His appointment further solidifies our position in the Australian market at the forefront of the data center, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries," said Sam Williamson, CAI Vice President for APAC.

"Recent announcements by the Australian Government on vaccine strategy and patent taxes will likely lead to a boom in the Australian Biotech market. With the growth of CAI, the projects delivered, and knowledge gained, CAI has the experience to support the Australian Biotech market and provide integrated solutions to drive speed to patient. We will also continue to expand our footprint in data center commissioning sector. CAI aims to hire and retain the best talent and as an employee-owned company, the culture is excellent. I am excited to be taking on this new challenge and look forward to growing and developing a world class inclusive team to best serve our clients in Australia." said John.

John has a primary degree in Mechatronics from Dublin City University and has years of hands-on technical experience encompassing areas such as calibration, biomedical engineering, medical packaging sales and validation, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals and has performed project work for multinational companies such as CSL Behring, Cochlear, Aroa, Poly Novo, Vaxxas, Boston Scientific, Genea, Biomedx, Vistakon, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, and MSD. During his career at CAI, he has held a variety of roles starting as a CQV engineer and as an developing client relationships in an account management role.

ABOUT CAI

Since CAI was founded in 1996, we have delivered nearly a billion dollars in services for hundreds of clients across thousands of projects globally. With offices in the US, Canada, Australia, Netherlands, Korea, Switzerland, India, Ireland, Italy, China, Singapore, and the United Kingdom, we are an international team of over 800 professionals providing local support from a global company. Our engineering, technical, and quality consulting services are fashioned to deliver mission critical facilities with a high level of performance and reliability. When operational readiness and startup are critical, CAI delivers to a higher standard. www.cagents.com

Contact:

David Shenberger

+13177219847

[email protected]

SOURCE CAI
The FASTSIGNS  Award is the most prestigious recognition in the franchise network of over 750 locations in nine countries worldwide. It is presented to the franchisees who best represent the FASTSIGNS  brand in their community and the network, as they provide exceptional customer service, mentorship, company culture and employee development.

The IFA Franchisee of the Year award recognizes leading franchisees who exemplify at least one of IFA's " Open for Opportunity " core pillars: Community, Workforce, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Veterans.

"I am honored and humbled by being named the recipient of the FASTSIGNS Award and the IFA Franchisee of the Year award. To have my name included with the other incredible people who have received both of these awards is something I will cherish forever," said Stan Gray. "I am grateful for the drive and determination that my team has shown to allow us to be successful in the face of adversity. Everyone, from myself, my family and my team are thankful to have the backing of FASTSIGNS and the IFA network and their outstanding support of enabling our success."

Gray, a retired Navy Reserve veteran, received undergraduate degrees in Business Administration and Architecture from Mississippi State University and later went on to get a Masters in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University in New York City. Gray's background includes architectural design and management, real estate development, and graphic communications, including his military service.

Gray shared his story of being a veteran business owner as a panelist at the opening general session for the IFA Convention. Where he spoke about how veterans' successes can be attributed to their military service and how Franchising gives them a chance to serve again.

Gray purchased and opened his first FASTSIGNS franchise in 2015 in Long Beach and added a Torrance location in 2017. Due to the pandemic and strict COVID-19 restrictions, Stan and his team took the time to define their processes more efficiently in their collaborative approach. He has made it a priority to discuss and redevelop short and long-term strategies. This includes the business process for his franchises and creating solidarity with his teams, their community, and a network of other local small businesses. Gray believes that a well-educated and trained team that works together is the key to their success.

"Working within the FASTSIGNS network is a lot like my experience serving. From international corporate teams to each franchise, everyone is always on the same page, working toward the same mission," said Gray. "I believe in the process. In the military, there are standard procedures that are essential to follow. When you buy into a process, you stay on the path. I've bought into the FASTSIGNS process and am committed to FASTSIGNS and will continue my path with them."

Gray's passion and energy for the FASTSIGNS brand and his team is unmatched. Gray sees his team as a group of go-getters who make the impossible possible daily.

"Stan Gray is a one-of-a-kind asset to FASTSIGNS. He represents the FASTSIGNS brand with poise and professionalism. He's also an example of what it means to be a meaningful member of his community, our brand and the IFA as an influential leader for all franchise owners, " said Catherine Monson, CEO at FASTSIGNS and the Chair of the International Franchise Association from February 2020 through February 2022. "Stan deserves all the credit for being recognized with these most prestigious honors. Both the FASTSIGNS Award and the IFA Franchisee of the Year Award are an acknowledgement of his excellence in his role and commitment to FASTSIGNS and the positive power of the franchise business model. "

About the International Franchise Association:

Celebrating over 60 years of excellence, education, and advocacy, the International Franchise Association (IFA) is the world's oldest and largest organization representing franchising worldwide. IFA works through its government relations and public policy, media relations, and educational programs to protect, enhance and promote franchising and the approximately 775,000 franchise establishments that support nearly 8.2 million direct jobs, $787.7 billion of economic output for the U.S. economy, and almost 3 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). IFA members include franchise companies in over 300 different business format categories, individual franchisees, and companies that support the industry in marketing, law, technology, and business development.

About FASTSIGNS

FASTSIGNS is a leading national visual ideas company that creates a wide variety of comprehensive sign and graphics solutions. With over 35 years of experience, FASTSIGNS helps you achieve more than you ever thought possible. We are the worldwide franchisor of more than 750 independently owned and operated FASTSIGNS centers. FASTSIGNS locations span across the United States, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, Canada, Chile, Grand Cayman, Malta, the Dominican Republic and Australia (where centers operate as SIGNWAVE). FASTSIGNS is frequently recognized for franchisee satisfaction and through franchising awards which include being ranked #1 on Entrepreneur's Highly Competitive Franchise 500 List For The Sixth Consecutive Year for 2022 as well as being named a 2022 Best-in-Category Franchise by Franchise Business Review.

The total investment for a FASTSIGNS franchise is approximately $233,555 - $307,308 including a $49,750 franchise fee. Ideal candidates have a net worth of $300,000 of which $80K is liquid. Additionally, FASTSIGNS offers a special incentive for veterans and first responders, including paramedics, emergency medical technicians, police officers, sheriffs and firefighters, which includes a 50% reduction on the franchise fee -- a savings of $24,875.

Learn more about sign and graphic solutions or find a location at fastsigns.com . Follow the brand on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/fastsigns , Twitter @FASTSIGNS or Facebook at facebook.com/FASTSIGNS . For information about the FASTSIGNS franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson ([email protected] or call 214.346.5679).

SOURCE FASTSIGNS International, Inc.
VILNIUS, Lithuania, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A CUTTING-EDGE digital information campaign launched today (Tuesday) will personally contact up to 40 million Russians in a bid to stop the war in Ukraine.

The #CallRussia initiative aims to bypass Vladimir Putin's propaganda and information blackouts, activating the Russian diaspora around the world to arm Russians with facts about Putin's brutal and illegal assault on Ukraine.

A global network of professionals in technology, advertising and communications compiled the #CallRussia project's database of 40 million Russian phone numbers and coded a technology platform which assigns them to Russian-speaking volunteer callers. The project was rolled out from Vilnius, Lithuania.

#CallRussia says it now needs Russian speakers around the world to counter Putin's propaganda and break his accelerating information blockade, one phone call at a time.

"While Vladimir Putin rains horror on Ukraine and blacks out information sources that could reveals his lies, #CallRussia will personally connect Russians and volunteers for the most important conversations of their lifetimes," said one of #CallRussia's organizers Paulius Senuta, a creative from Vilnius.

"One conversation cannot overcome Putin's evil propaganda, but 40 million might. Russians empowered with truth and compassion are the only ones who can stand up against Putin's lies and end this war."

The campaign's website www.CallRussia.org will assign individual numbers to each volunteer, provide peaceful and non-confrontational guidelines for conversation designed to combat Russian disinformation, and track the outcome of calls, as well as collect suggestions for further campaigns to end the war and support the people of Ukraine.

"#CallRussia will be the biggest and most important decentralized phone bank in history, because we believe only Russians can stop Vladimir Putin now. Only the truth can stop the killing," added Senuta.

"Putin lies to Russians about where their sons are being sent to die and about the atrocities being committed in their names. #CallRussia is an information service that will bypass Putin's propaganda machine and deliver verifiable facts that empower decent Russians to stand up and forge a path for peace. The world is counting on them."

For more information visit www.CallRussia.org and follow #CallRussia on Twitter , Facebook , and Instagram

SOURCE CallRussia
HERZLIYA, Israel, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cannabotech, a biomedical company developing oncological products based on cannabis and mushroom extracts, reports cell model study results showing that its "Integrative-Colon" products killed over 90% of colon cancer cells. The Integrative-Colon products are based on a combination of several cannabinoids from the cannabis plant and various mushroom extracts.

The study examined the effect of Cannabotech's Integrative Colon products on various colon cancer subtypes, representing different molecular changes common in these colon cancer subtypes. Furthermore, the unique products' composition was compared with the activity of each cannabinoid separately. Results showed that Cannabotech's Integrative-Colon products composition is significantly more effective than each cannabinoid individually, and there is a strong synergy between the active ingredients. These results reinforce Cannabotech's claim that to achieve effective treatment in the oncology field, it is necessary to build a defined, accurate and science-based formula, which cannot be obtained in any cannabis strain that exists in nature.

The study has also demonstrated the different effects of each cannabinoid on distinct subtypes of colon cancer. This result highlights the vital need for medical care personalisation to patients' personal needs - like the personalisation technology which Cannabotech currently develops, due to hit the market, along with the products themselves, towards the end of 2022 in Israel the US, and the UK.

The mushroom extracts contain an enriched and high concentration of an active substance called PSK, extracted from the Trametes mushroom, which is known for its anti-cancer properties and has been approved as an oncology treatment in Japan, Taiwan and South Korea.

The formula's effectiveness will be examined in combination with standard chemotherapies during the next stages. Moreover, the cannabinoid formula will be combined with the mushroom Cyathus Striatus as part of the botanical drug development project led by Prof. Fuad Fares at the University of Haifa.

Cannabotech CEO Elhanan Shaked said: "This is a significant milestone in Cannabotech's growth to becoming a leader in integrative oncology medicine. The integrative products developed by Cannabotech are intended for use in combination with chemotherapy treatment to reduce its side effects. Cannabotech's solutions will be launched in Israel and the US towards the second half of 2022, while the Company's goal is to define a new standard for the medical cannabis industry."

Prof. Tami Peretz, Senior Oncologist: "Colon cancer is one of the most common tumors today, with a significant proportion of patients currently treated with integrative therapies, in combination with traditional methods, including the administration of medical cannabis. Cannabotech's Integrative products are unique in that they are designed to standards similar to those of the pharmaceutical industry and incorporate many active ingredients. The Company's products have demonstrated impressive and very promising efficacy in colon culture cells tested in the laboratory. Based on these experiments, there is room to perform animal studies and, in the future, to examine the possibility of incorporating these products in colorectal cancer patients."

Isaac Angel, Cannabotech's pharmacological consultant, said: "The significant synergistic effect demonstrated by the combination of active ingredients, eliminated over 90% of all types of cancer cells used in the study. Furthermore, this was achieved without the presence of THC, which is the cannabinoid substance producing the "high" effect, whereas each of the other cannabinoids tested individually demonstrated different effects on the various cell types. We are encouraged by these results, which constitute another important milestone in proving the scientific feasibility of the products and highlight the need for medical care customization. We shall continue to work to provide a cure for patients."

About Cannabotech:

Cannabotech is an Israeli biomedical company that develops botanical solutions for integrative oncology and preventive medicine. These solutions are based on combinations of active agents from the cannabis plant and mushrooms that work on two central systems in the human body: the endocannabinoid system and the immune system.

As part of the concept of integrative oncology, in the last two years, Cannabotech has been developing a series of 8 preparations designed to help patients with cancer based on unique combinations of botanicals from medical cannabis and mushroom-based products. Upon completion of their development, the company's goal is to designate the products to be integrated into oncology patients' existing treatment protocol.

Simultaneously, Cannabotech is working to develop a defined treatment protocol made available to physicians and technology for treatment personalisation.

Media Contact:

Lily Smart

[email protected]

07854 766002

SOURCE Cannabotech
by Marwa Yahya, Emad Azrak

CAIRO, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Although challenged by displacement, poverty and discrimination, Arab women have secured more rights in the past two decades, said Fadia Kiwan, chairwoman of the Cairo-based Arab Women Organization (AWO).

Marking the International Women's Day, Kiwan told Xinhua in an interview that several Arab countries have issued laws to expand the rights and freedom for women in recent years.

"More women join scientific education and workforce than ever before based on economic and social reforms undertaken by several Arab governments," she said.

However, in the field of economic empowerment, Arab women only constitute 20 percent of the workforce, a very low rate compared to the rest of the world, Kiwan noted.

The chairwoman added that Arab women have long suffered from discrimination and poverty, and many of them faced forcible deportations and displacement in light of the unstable conditions in some Arab countries.

There are still concerns related to violence against women, she added.

Kiwan hailed Arab women's "pivotal role" in combating the COVID-19 pandemic since they stand on the front lines as doctors and nurses to help the elderly and sick people, in addition to taking care of their families.

She also praised China's efforts in supporting women, highlighting the World Conference on Women hosted by China in 1995, which she also attended, as "a milestone in women's march toward achieving their rights."

Kiwan added that the Beijing approach that focused on the establishment of national institutions and mechanisms for women's affairs achieved a strategic goal for women's participation in decision-making positions.

The AWO chairwoman said she looks forward to cooperating with the Chinese government, with an aim to benefit from China's distinguished experiences through transferring them to the Arab countries.

She highlighted the importance of the Arab-China cooperation in promoting the women's role and coordination with various Chinese institutions.

The Arab Women Organization was established in Cairo in 2000 within the framework of the Arab League, as a governmental organization with legal, financial and administrative independence. It aims to strengthen Arab cooperation in promoting the status of women and strengthening their role in society. 
TEL AVIV, Israel, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Canonic Security , a cybersecurity startup protecting SaaS business applications, today announced the launch of AppTotal , a free community offering enabling security analysis of any SaaS integration, third-party app or add-on. AppTotal lets organizations profile the permissions, posture and behavior of third party apps before connecting them to IT approved applications. It is the first independent and continuously updated index of SaaS add-ons and integrations, starting with Google Workspace, Microsoft 365/Azure and Slack, with Atlassian, Salesforce and others coming soon.

According to Canonic Security, enterprises have hundreds of unique third-party integrations across their business platforms on average, with some going over thousands. More than a  have data access and more than 5% have at least one vulnerability exposing the organization to third-party risk. Canonic Security, which offers industry-first dynamic scanning technology for SaaS apps, is addressing this emerging threat landscape by offering AppTotal for free, as part of the company's ongoing strategic initiative to democratize enterprise SaaS security.

"For the first time in the industry, anyone can quickly look up any third-party app OAuth client ID in a publicly available and familiar search experience," said Boris Gorin, CEO of Canonic Security. "This brings the familiar experience and tools that support threat analysts and security engineers while investigating network and endpoint threats and artifacts into the emerging landscape of SaaS-native attacks"

Recently coming out of stealth , backed by notable investors, Canonic is dedicated to maintaining AppTotal as a free community tool, so that any organization can effectively assess apps, integrations, and third-party add-ons they connect to the business platforms powering the enterprise,

To learn more about, visit www.apptotal.io

About Canonic Security

Canonic Security is a SaaS Application Security platform that continuously profiles apps and user accounts, identifies suspicious or out-of-policy behavior, and automatically reduces the SaaS attack surface. The platform provides access intelligence and vulnerability insight, detects SaaS-native threats, and helps security teams respond quickly. For more information, please visit canonic.security

Contact

John Kreuzer

Lumina Communications

[email protected]

+1 (408) 896-3307

SOURCE Canonic Security
CHICAGO, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (Cboe: CBOE), a leading provider of global market infrastructure and tradable products, today said it will announce its financial results for the first quarter of 2022 before the market opens on Friday, April 29, 2022. A conference call with remarks by the company's senior management will begin at 7:30 a.m. Central Time (CT), 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time (ET).

Conference Call Information:

A live audio webcast for the conference call and the presentation that will be referenced during the call will be available on the Investor Relations section of Cboe's website at ir.cboe.com under Events. The presentation will be archived on the company's website for replay. Participants also may listen to the live conference call via telephone by using the dial-in numbers listed below.

Date: Friday, April 29, 2022

Time: 7:30 a.m. CT (8:30 a.m. ET)

Live Dial-In Information

U.S.: 1-877-255-4313

Canada: 1-866-450-4696

International: 1-412-317-5466

(Participants should dial in 10 minutes prior to the start of the presentation and ask to join the Cboe Global Markets call.)

Replay Dial-In Information

U.S.: 1-877-344-7529

Canada: 1-855-669-9658

International: 1-412-317-0088

A replay of the recording is expected to be available one hour after the conference call ends. The replay access code will be 2639667, which will be accessible through May 6, 2022.

About Cboe Global Markets, Inc.

Cboe Global Markets (Cboe: CBOE), a leading provider of market infrastructure and tradable products, delivers cutting-edge trading, clearing and investment solutions to market participants around the world. The company is committed to operating a trusted, inclusive global marketplace, providing leading products, technology and data solutions that enable participants to define a sustainable financial future. Cboe provides trading solutions and products in multiple asset classes, including equities, derivatives and FX, across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more, visit www.cboe.com.

CBOE-C

CBOE-F

CBOE-OE

Cboe, Cboe Global Markets, Cboe Volatility Index, and VIX are registered trademarks of Cboe Exchange, Inc. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Cboe Global Markets, Inc.
MIAMI, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With a long history of championing diversity and inclusion, Celebrity Cruises today set a new benchmark in the cruise industry, announcing that one third of its bridge officers are now female, in an industry where less than 2% of mariners are women. As a display of its commitment to equality, advancement and the accomplishments of women, the brand is changing its global "X" logo to "XX" on its social media channels in honor of the female chromosome for International Women's Day. Celebrating all those who identify as female, this symbolic display supports this year's #BreakTheBias international theme.

Celebrity Cruises celebrates International Womens Day having achieved 32 percent female bridge officers in an industry where less than 2 percent of mariners are women. For 24 Hours, Celebrity Cruises Changes Famous X logo to XX, Representing the Female Chromosome, and Projects it on Newest Ship, Celebrity Beyond, Helmed by First Female Start Up Captain, Kate McCue Celebrity Cruises celebrates International Womens Day having achieved 32 percent female bridge officers in an industry where less than 2 percent of mariners are women. For 24 Hours, Celebrity Cruises Changes Famous X logo to XX, Representing the Female Chromosome, and Projects it on Newest Ship, Celebrity Beyond, Helmed by First Female Start Up Captain, Kate McCue Celebrity Cruises celebrates International Womens Day having achieved 32 percent female bridge officers in an industry where less than 2 percent of mariners are women. For 24 Hours, Celebrity Cruises Changes Famous X logo to XX, Representing the Female Chromosome, and Projects it on Newest Ship, Celebrity Beyond, Helmed by First Female Start Up Captain, Kate McCue

The "XX" logo was also projected onto Celebrity BeyondSM , the company's highly anticipated luxury flagship under final construction at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France in preparation for its April 2022 debut and set to be helmed by female captain Kate McCue. When Captain Kate maneuvers Celebrity Beyond from the shipyard, she will become the first female Captain to start up a mega cruise ship and the first female Captain to "take out" a ship from Chantiers de l'Atlantique in its 160-year shipbuilding history.

Having a penchant for rising above the industry norms, Celebrity has made maritime history for its progressive thinking and barrier-breaking initiatives. In 2015, President and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, a catalyst for change in the 200-year-old industry, appointed Captain Kate McCue as the first  and still only  American female captain, starting an intentional effort by the brand to attract more women to the industry and into leadership roles across its fleet.

The cruise line further captured the world's attention on International Women's Day 2020, when the first all-female bridge and officer team led by Captain Kate departed on a history-making sailing on board the award-winning Celebrity Edge. Made up of 26 women representing 16 different countries, the all-female bridge and leadership team reunited virtually on International Women's Day 2021, one year after their glass ceiling-shattering achievement, to reflect on the historic sailing and discuss the challenging year that followed amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

Then, on June 26, 2021, Captain Kate led the Celebrity fleet  and the industry  back into operation when Celebrity Edge became the first cruise ship to sail with guests from a U.S. port in more than a year due to the global coronavirus pandemic.

"Looking back at how far we've come in six years is quite extraordinary, and speaks volumes to the leadership and shared vision of the talented men and women I work with every day," said Celebrity Cruises president and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo. "Now, we have incredible women from 19 countries and at all levels of maritime leadership to encourage girls to consider this awe-inspiring industry that opens up the world with the transformative power of travel. We are so proud to pioneer this path and keep at this work so everyone who dreams of a career on board a cruise ship - whether they identify as male or female - encounters a new standard across the seven seas."

"Being a part of this movement, and standing beside my fellow officers both male and female, is definitely an accomplishment I'm extremely proud of. One of my greatest joys is to be able to pay it forward both by example and with opportunities for well-deserving individuals who previously may not have had chances to get their foot in the door," said Captain Kate McCue. "I truly believe that if you can sea it, you can be it."

When Captain Kate takes the helm of Celebrity Beyond this spring, she will be surrounded by an accomplished nine-person Bridge team, including four female officers: Chief Officer Rachel Arnold (UK); Second Officer Dionysia Giapappa (Greece); Third Officer Gifty Adu Gyamfi (Ghana); and Third Officer Antonina Kolodziejczyk (Poland).

For more information on Celebrity Cruises' work to #BridgeTheGap in the cruise industry, visit https://www.celebritycruises.com/about-us/celebrity-cares/international-womens-day .

About Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises' iconic "X" is the mark of a fleet of 14 award-winning ships redefining luxury cruise travel with cool, contemporary design and accommodation; dining, spa and entertainment experiences for modern tastes; and culturally rich and diverse destination experiences, all complemented by warm, personalized service. Celebrity has pioneered many industry firsts at sea, including: the first use of solar panels on a cruise ship; the first to eliminate use of plastic water bottles; the first American female Captain of a cruise ship; the first-ever all-female bridge and officer team sailing; the first West African woman to work on the bridge of a cruise ship; and one of the first legal same-sex weddings performed at sea. Driven by wanderlust and a passion for opening the world, Celebrity journeys to all seven continents, visiting nearly 300 destinations in more than 70 countries. Celebrity Cruises is one of five cruise brands owned by global cruise company Royal Caribbean Group. (NYSE: RCL).

SOURCE Celebrity Cruises
Before joining SpiderOak, Beames held several corporate leadership positions including President of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's Vulcan Aerospace. At Vulcan Aerospace, Charles managed asset allocation of a $1+ billion aerospace and technology investment portfolio, including Stratolaunch, the world's largest airplane. Prior to leading Vulcan and its portfolio of companies, Charles was a member of the Senior Executive Service, holding several executive positions within the Department of Defense. His last position held at DoD was as the Principal Director, Space, and Intelligence Systems, overseeing the execution of a $90 billion annual acquisition budget. Before that and after serving 23 years in space and intelligence leadership positions around the world, Beames retired from the U.S. Air Force as a Colonel.

Charles joins SpiderOak at a critical juncture in the company's history as we move to introduce our recently completed OrbitSecure software to orbital operations. The space business continues to see unprecedented growth in both the commercial and military sectors, and SpiderOak intends to lead in securing these networks with its proprietary Zero Trust platform built on blockchain technology.

Until very recently, the space cybersecurity market had yet to garner the interest and capital this market opportunity warrants. This is changing quickly as investors are seeking new opportunities in the coming multi-trillion-dollar marketplace. Beames' aerospace and business expertise will be essential in developing SpiderOak's strategy as we capitalize on our unique market position as the only supplier of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) Zero-Trust space cyber products.

Recently nominated for the 2021 Satellite Technology of the Year award, SpiderOak is an original in the COTS space cyber market, but the company expects new competition to emerge as it becomes apparent that the COTS model is ideally suited to the security requirements of hybrid space architectures. While traditional space architectures depended on small numbers of large, expensive, and complex satellites, today's hybrid systems take advantage of low-cost commercial and government small satellites and will benefit from the economies of scale, speed, and ease of deployment offered by the COTS model.

"The gravest threat to commercial and national security space success continues to be a cyber-attack from our adversaries. Today, it even surpasses hardware, launch, and all other ground operations challenges. None of us were surprised, for example, when the Director of the National Reconnaissance Office just warned that Russia's military could target satellites to disrupt communications," remarked Beames. He continued, "I am excited to be leading the board of the company that pioneered No-Knowledge encryption systems and will ensure a more secure end-to-end space infrastructure for our country and the private sector."

"We are very fortunate to have an experienced board chairman from the space industry, both military and commercial, with a renowned record of leading companies to great commercial success," said Dave Pearah, CEO of SpiderOak. He added: "His role will be to guide the vision and strategy of the company in this fast-growing industry that he knows so well."

In addition to his new role at SpiderOak, Beames will continue to serve as the Executive Chairman of York Space Systems, Chairman of the SmallSat Alliance, and remain on the boards of other aerospace companies. He continues to be a regular contributor to Forbes magazine, as well as Politico, C4ISRNET, and SpaceNews on all things space.

About SpiderOak

SpiderOak Mission Systems is a US-based software company that builds cybersecurity products and solutions for civilian, military, and commercial space operations. Our commercially available products leverage a unique combination of Zero-Trust encryption and private blockchain, ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of your most sensitive data in the space domain. For more information about SpiderOak and SpiderOak Mission Systems, check us out at https://spideroak.com/ or SpaceCyber.Com

Editorial Contact

For inquiries, please call SpiderOak at (866) 432-9888 ext. 6 or write [email protected]

SOURCE SpiderOak Inc.
"It is an honor to be recognized by the Controllers Council for what my team has accomplished in the past year," said Steinmetz. "While the designation is in my name, the recognition belongs to my team. Every day, they put in the work to achieve the aggressive goals set for the team. It is a pleasure to guide this talented group, and I'm proud of what we've accomplished together. Throughout the pandemic and while shifting to remote work, the team has not missed a beat and continues to operate at an amazing level."

"I am excited that Joe was recognized by the Controllers Council for the many achievements of his team and the leadership he exemplifies," said Beth Cooper, executive vice president, chief financial officer and assistant corporate secretary. "Joe has been the lead in pursuing and implementing various robotics and efficiencies across the finance organization, which has eliminated many manual processes and increased standardization. Every day, he leads by example and drives his team to higher levels of performance."

Steinmetz was promoted to vice president and controller of Chesapeake Utilities Corporation in 2019. He is responsible for general and regulatory accounting and the Company's financial shared services function. He joined the Company in 2003 as director of internal audit and has held various other positions within the Company.

Winners were screened, judged and selected from hundreds of applications based on a combination of 2021 financial performance, work experience, volunteer or philanthropic activities and educational background. Categories included small, medium, enterprise, startup and not-for-profit organizations, along with public or private classifications.

"Once again, Controllers and corporate finance executives proved their importance in 2021, and the Controller of the Year Awards brings much deserved recognition to these hard-working individuals," said Neil Brown, Controllers Council executive director. "The Controllers Council is proud to support the corporate finance industry during these challenging and unprecedented times."

A "Virtual Red Carpet" event will be held at 1 p.m. CST Wednesday, April 27, to meet and interview award winners.

About Controllers Council

Controllers Council is a national member association, community and platform for Controllers, CFOs, and corporate accounting and finance professionals focused on career development and training, peer interaction, recognition and more. Programs include Continuing Professional Education (CPE) and professional certification, a national Career Center, webcasts with expert panelists on trending topics, research studies, articles and whitepapers. Controllers Council produces the annual Controller of the Year Awards, Peer Roundtables and the Seal of Approval program.

For more information, visit www.ControllersCouncil.org, or call Executive Director Neil Brown at 630-710-4710.

About Chesapeake Utilities Corporation

Chesapeake Utilities Corporation is a diversified energy delivery company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange, which is engaged in natural gas transmission and distribution; electricity generation and distribution; propane gas distribution; mobile compressed natural gas utility services and solutions; and other businesses. Information about Chesapeake Utilities Corporation's businesses is available at www.chpk.com.

Please note that Chesapeake Utilities Corporation is not affiliated with Chesapeake Energy, an oil and natural gas exploration company headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

For more information, contact:

Brianna Patterson

Manager, Public Relations and Strategic Communications

302-217-7050

[email protected]

SOURCE Chesapeake Utilities Corporation
ROCHESTER, N.Y., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- After 20 years, the City of Carmel Utilities had determined their once progressive hosted billing solution from Advanced Utility Systems (AUS) needed to be addressed to include meter data management functionality and provide a stronger path to support current and future needs. As the team evaluated vendors, the ability to support water requirements was critical. "A cloud-first criteria knocked out many vendors," said Scott Campbell, City of Carmel Utilities manager of customer service and billing.

The out-of-the-box functionality of Oracle Utilities Customer Cloud Service (CCS) enhanced by ESC Partners' leadership and project implementation experience showcased during the evaluation process provided the City of Carmel with the best possible option to shepherd the transformation. The selection yields a solution that meets the City of Carmel's current needs thoroughly, while the SaaS deployment will keep the utility ready with the latest capabilities as the industry continues to evolve.

The City of Carmel cited confidence in the leadership provided and demonstrated by ESC's history of end-to-end implementation and successful CCS project involvement. In the hands of ESC, masters in the craft of digital transformation and smart city engagement evidenced by four such projects underway globally, The City of Carmel is well positioned for success.

In addition to CCS, the city's utility-wide transformation is enhanced by the inclusion of Oracle Field Services (OFS), delivering advanced mobile capabilities to the City of Carmel. Both initiatives are spearheaded by ESC whose global project ownership skills are well documented over the past decade-plus in the business environment. Pioneering smart city evolution, ESC, as a single point of contact, applies the vision, technical expertise, and both industry and implementation experience to deliver reduced project complexity.

"ESC's capacity to leverage maximum out-of-the-box functionality affords The City of Carmel the most complete meter-to-cash view available in the market today," said RJ Kumar, CEO, ESC Partners. "We appreciate the opportunity to further extend the utility's goals while applying our extensive best practices."

As the utility looks to the future, the team expects many benefits from the Oracle Utilities CCS solution project guided by ESC. At a high level, a main objective of this project for the utility is to aggregate customer and meter visibility into a single interface. Furthermore, The City of Carmel Utilities is looking forward to reducing manual transactions and automating processes to improve efficiency, as well as reducing truck rolls. The utility recently began an AMI program, as it brings in the volumes of new data from those smart meters, the new Oracle Utilities CCS system and associated tailored implementation will allow the utility to easily take in that data and in the future, provide visibility into usage to both customers and customer service reps. This visibility will help the utility provide clear guidance and insights to its customers and continue building on its reputation of service excellence.

About ESC Partners

ESC Partners specializes in partnering with all sizes of towns, cities, and municipalities to enhance their operational capabilities and fuel organizational innovation and efficiency. Leveraging technologies, capabilities, and business acumen to achieve digital transformation, ESC teams with communities to develop adaptable and dependable overarching plans and processes that enable achievement of positive business outcomes. A global provider of a myriad of solutions from system integration to business process engineering and across multiple utility product suites, ESC adds substantial value with services designed with an end-to-end agile solution. ESC, a Minority Business Enterprise, works in dedication to a client-centric philosophy that has proven successful for over twelve years and is a member of the Oracle Partner Network (OPN). With regional headquarters in the US, India, Dubai, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina and the Philippines, the sun never sets on ESC. Learn more at esc-partners.com.

About Carmel, IN

In Carmel, Indiana, often named among the best places to live in America, the City of Carmel Utilities has consistently provided award-winning safe and reliable water and wastewater services to businesses and residents for more than 90 years, much of that time at rates lower than surrounding communities.

As the City of Carmel continues its leadership in innovation in the industry while developing more impactful solutions to better service its customers, keeping pace with available offerings in utility software and methodology is key. The utility sought a digital transformation to completely reinvent its billing and metering systems and build upon its overarching innovation charter

Media Contact:

Lori Waugh

ESC Partners

585.413.4302

[email protected]

SOURCE ESC Partners
SAN FRANCISCO, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The global cleanroom robots in healthcare market size is expected to reach USD 2.69 billion by 2030, based on a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. It is expected to expand at a CAGR of 26.4% from 2022 to 2030. The growing adoption of robots in cleanroom settings, product innovations catering to the market trends, and increased demand for robotic automation in pharmaceutical manufacturing are some of the key factors contributing to the market growth. Robots help in avoiding the risk of contamination in cleanrooms, especially during drug manufacturing procedures.

Key Insights & Findings from the report:

Based on type, the traditional industrial robots segment held the largest share in terms of revenue in 2021 as they are extensively used in large manufacturing processes that rely on continuous assembly lines. They are mainly used in the drug manufacturing processes.

Based on component, the robotic arms segment dominated the market in terms of revenue share in 2021 as the robotic arms are essential for the seamless operations of the robots in cleanroom environments.

Based on end-use, the pharmaceuticals and medical devices segment held the largest revenue share in 2021 owing to the growing adoption by the manufacturing companies for contamination control.

The hospitals and diagnostics end-use segment is likely to grow at the fastest rate over the forecast period. The cleanroom technology was used in the hospitals to control the spread of COVID-19.

In 2021, North America dominated the market in terms of revenue share owing to the growing adoption of robotics and artificial intelligence-based solutions in the healthcare sector. In addition, a rise in COVID-19 cases in the region contributed to the market growth.

dominated the market in terms of revenue share owing to the growing adoption of robotics and artificial intelligence-based solutions in the healthcare sector. In addition, a rise in COVID-19 cases in the region contributed to the market growth. Asia Pacific is anticipated to register a significant growth rate from 2022 to 2030 owing to the increase in the number of healthcare providers, high unmet needs, improving healthcare infrastructure

Read 90-page market research report, "Cleanroom Robots In Healthcare Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Type (Traditional Industrial Robots, Collaborative Robots), By Component (Robotic Arms, Motors), By End Use, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2022 - 2030", published by Grand View Research.

Cleanroom Robots In Healthcare Market Growth & Trends

The collaborative robots type segment is likely to witness the fastest growth during the forecast period due to the features such as rapid installation, cost savings, flexibility, and better safety around manufacturing units. The motors component segment is likely to grow at the fastest rate in the coming years as the robots are attached to the motors and provide a working mechanism to the robots for smoother functioning.

In pharmaceutical and biotechnology manufacturing settings, human operators are the source of contamination. As the risk of contamination is the most challenging factor, automated robots offer seamless operations by eliminating or decreasing manual interventions. The cleanroom technology proved to be useful while dealing with COVID-19 patients as it helped reduce the spread of the virus across the hospitals to a greater extent. Hospitals relied on cleanroom robots to protect the hospital staff.

In cleanroom settings, robots can perform repetitive tasks, enabling smoother operations without human intervention. The manufacturers in the cleanroom robots market are introducing innovative solutions to strengthen their market position. For instance, in February 2021, Epson Robots launched NuTec Tooling Systems, an architect of custom automation solutions to provide efficient, precise, and cost-effective robotics to the syringe manufacturing process. In November 2020, OEM in collaboration with the government agencies utilized a cost-effective procedure for manufacturing large quantities of syringes to fight COVID-19.

Cleanroom Robots In Healthcare Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global cleanroom robots in healthcare market based on type, component, end-use, and region:

Cleanroom Robots In Healthcare Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

Traditional Industrial Robots

Collaborative Robots

Cleanroom Robots In Healthcare Component Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

Robotic Arms

End Effectors

Drives

Controllers

Sensors

Power Supply

Motors

Others

Cleanroom Robots In Healthcare End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

Hospitals & Diagnostics

Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices

Others

Cleanroom Robots In Healthcare Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

North America

U.S.



Canada

Europe

U.K.



Germany



France



Italy



Spain



Russia

Asia Pacific

Japan



China



India



Australia



South Korea



Singapore

Latin America

Brazil



Mexico



Argentina

Middle East & Africa

& South Africa



Saudi Arabia



UAE

List of Key Players of Cleanroom Robots In Healthcare Market

ABB Ltd.

Denso Corporation

FANUC Corporation

Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.

Yaskawa Electric Corporation

Aerotech, Inc.

Nachi Fujikoshi Corporation

Check out more related studies published by Grand View Research:

Remote Patient Monitoring System Market - The global remote patient monitoring system market size is expected to reach USD 6.7 billion by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research Inc. It is projected to register a CAGR of 20.2% from 2022 to 2030. COVID-19 pandemic has a significant impact on the remote patient monitoring system. The main drivers for this market are the increasing geriatric population, cost-effective treatment, and the rising prevalence of chronic conditions. The breakout of Covid-19 has propelled the demand for remote patient monitoring devices and services as healthcare facilities were burdened with Covid-19 infected patients. Key players like Smiths Medical reported that the demand of their home monitoring devices substantially increased during the pandemic.

The global remote patient monitoring system market size is expected to reach by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research Inc. It is projected to register a CAGR of 20.2% from 2022 to 2030. COVID-19 pandemic has a significant impact on the remote patient monitoring system. The main drivers for this market are the increasing geriatric population, cost-effective treatment, and the rising prevalence of chronic conditions. The breakout of Covid-19 has propelled the demand for remote patient monitoring devices and services as healthcare facilities were burdened with Covid-19 infected patients. Key players like Smiths Medical reported that the demand of their home monitoring devices substantially increased during the pandemic. Endoscopy Devices Market - The global endoscopy devices market size is expected to reach USD 81.0 billion by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.4% from 2022 to 2030. Growing adoption of minimally invasive endoscopic procedures by medical professionals to look into the esophagus, colon, and stomach and also its application to perform biopsies and sclerotherapy are some of the factors boosting the market growth. In addition, the increasing trend of adopting disposable endoscopes to reduce the chances of cross contaminations is also anticipated to fuel the growth of the market over the forecast years.

- The global endoscopy devices market size is expected to reach by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.4% from 2022 to 2030. Growing adoption of minimally invasive endoscopic procedures by medical professionals to look into the esophagus, colon, and stomach and also its application to perform biopsies and sclerotherapy are some of the factors boosting the market growth. In addition, the increasing trend of adopting disposable endoscopes to reduce the chances of cross contaminations is also anticipated to fuel the growth of the market over the forecast years. Surgical Robots Market- The global surgical robots market size is expected to reach USD 18.2 billion by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. It is expected to expand at a CAGR of 19.3% from 2022 to 2030. Growing adoption of automated minimally invasive surgery and increasing awareness to use robotic procedures due to the potential benefits provided by these surgeries are the factors positively contributing to the growth of the market. Moreover, the increasing penetration of international players in various geographies is expected to boost the market growth over the forecast years.

Browse through Grand View Research's Medical Devices Industry Research Reports.

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research Helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead.

Contact:

Sherry James

Corporate Sales Specialist, USA

Grand View Research, Inc.

Phone: 1-415-349-0058

Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com

Grand View Compass | Grand View Pipeline

Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter

SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc.
Learn more about the Clearsense and Leidos partnership on-site at ViVE on March 6-9, 2022. Tweet this

"The next generation of healthcare data is here, and we're proud to work with Clearsense to bring their articulated value to our clients," shared Mike Jackman, Chief Operating Officer, Leidos Health Group. "The combination of the Clearsense Data Platform and Leidos will help healthcare organizations across the country use their data to deliver results that benefit the communities they serve."

This new agreement builds upon a prior client collaboration that yielded approximately $20 million in savings for a not-for-profit Catholic health system operating 92 hospitals in 22 states. The client's data transformation program, launched in late 2019, is an enterprise-wide solution creating deep meaning out of archived data.

Clearsense's archiving and application rationalization solution has helped decommission and retire hundreds of applications with high maintenance costs, creating efficiency for organizations looking to better serve their communities. The combination of Clearsense and Leidos matches Clearsense's innovative data management best practices and technology with Leidos' skills and capabilities to deliver these solutions at scale to federal and non-federal customers.

Offering a cutting-edge, intelligent, automated, secure, and scalable platform that transforms how healthcare organizations can leverage their data, Clearsense simplifies the complicated process of parsing, understanding, and implementing data relevance. With the ability to leverage data from disparate systems across the organization, this hyper-flexible tool combined with Clearsense's data-first approach eliminates assumptions. Ultimately, this will establish a single source of trusted data to support data initiatives across the organization, significantly reducing recurring costs freeing up revenue to improve patient care, hire more staff, and more.

"The combination of the Clearsense Data Platform and Leidos' book of clients will help healthcare organizations across the country use their data to deliver results that benefit the communities they serve."

- Gene Scheurer, Chief Executive Officer, Clearsense

Learn more about the Clearsense and Leidos partnership on-site at ViVE 2022 in Miami, Florida, March 6-9, 2022. (Booth #604)

About Clearsense

Committed to leading transformation in healthcare, Clearsense creates a data journey, all the way from number to key insight. Cloud-based, AI-enabled, and HITRUST-certified, the platform of data solutions ensure data governance, implementation, and analytics are rapidly mainstreamed while remaining scalable and secure. Driving faster outcomes in clinical, financial, and operational environments, Clearsense is powering the innovation of tomorrowright now. Learn more at Clearsense.com.

About Leidos

Leidos is a Fortune 500 technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world's toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, civil, and health markets. The company's 43,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Va., Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $13.7 billion for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. For more information, visit http://www.Leidos.com.

SOURCE Clearsense, LLC
JACKSON, Wyo., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Farmers attending Commodity Classic 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana can learn about HYDROVANT-fA, a new activator-sticker technology from Corbet Scientific in Booth 5605. A first-of-its-kind technology for row crops, Hydrovant-fA enhances the performance of crop inputs, including herbicides, liquid fertilizers and bio-stimulants.

When tankmixed, Hydrovant-fA creates a dynamic coating to hold pesticides and fertilizers in place, optimizing the effectiveness of inputs while still allowing water and carbon dioxide to flow through to the plant. It is also a safe and gentle product that has never caused phytotoxicity in any trial on any crop or in any climate.

"There isn't anything like Hydrovant-fA in the U.S. row crop market. And in a year when pesticide and fertilizer prices are skyrocketing, Hydrovant-fA is a unique tool that helps growers manage those costs by amplifying efficacy," said Tom Zangrillo, vice president for Corbet Scientific. "Although Hydrovant-fA is new to this market, we have more than 30 statistically significant efficacy tests with a wide array of pesticides and fertilizers on a variety of crops in different regions and climates throughout the world."

Cornell University research demonstrated that Hydrovant-fA increased retention of bifenthrin insecticide on corn leaves by 35% to 45% following a series of artificial rainfall events, compared to leaves sprayed with bifenthrin only. The research also revealed that Hydrovant-fA significantly increases the presence of bifenthrin in and on both dry and wet corn leaves.

Replicated research trials conducted by AgroCientifica in Argentina showed that when Hydrovant-fA is added to leading commercial glyphosate formulations, the treatments provided more than 95% control against key grass and broadleaf weeds, compared to 68% control for glyphosate alone at 40 days after application.

"Corbet Scientific continues to research applications of Hydrovant-fA in row crops," said Corbet Scientific President and CEO Glenn Pacchina. "We look forward to sharing our results-to-date and introducing Hydrovant-fA to growers at Commodity Classic."

To learn more, visit Booth 5605 at Commodity Classic or visit, https://hydrovant.com/.

About Corbet Scientific

Corbet Scientific is an agrochemical company dedicated to pursuing groundbreaking science to discover and develop solutions that enhance crop production while limiting environmental impact. Headquartered in Jackson, Wyoming, Corbet Scientific has registered products in 14 countries, registrations pending in 16 countries and patents pending in 36 countries. Learn more at https://corbetscientific.com.

SOURCE Corbet Scientific
CONCORD, Mass., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Guild for Human Services, which educates, encourages, and empowers individuals with intellectual disabilities, is premiering its documentary, The World Got Smaller: The Spirit of The Guild during COVID-19 on March 16th at 1 PM EDT online. The short film provides a first-hand look at how the pandemic curtailed the community life of individuals with intellectual disabilities. The film is being released to commemorate the second anniversary of the State of Emergency declared in Massachusetts and the subsequent closing of schools. To view the trailer and register for the free event, go to theworldgotsmaller.com.

The World Got Smaller: The Spirit of The Guild during COVID-19 Trailer COVID-19 Documentary "The World Got Smaller" by The Guild to premiere March 16

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020 brought life as we knew it to a standstill. Mandates left healthcare providers scrambling to create a blueprint for the unknown. The Guild for Human Services, a Massachusetts-based non-profit that provides residential and academic programming for people with intellectual disabilities, was no exception. Almost overnight, school and residential staff pivoted to move classrooms to students' residences, create supplemental day programming for adults, and live with those they served during quarantine. Residents were isolated and separated from their loved ones for months on end, all the while navigating the ever-changing state mandates and policies. Through it all, The Guild's community adapted and grew stronger.

"During this pandemic, we had to make the world of the people we serve smaller," said Amy Sousa, CEO of The Guild. "Their community life was curtailed and their choices reduced. I hope this film will show how individuals with intellectual disabilities are underestimated and how vital it is that we all work to create inclusive communities where people can achieve their full potential and lead high-quality lives."

The film features interviews with Guild staff, students, residents, and community partners. Viamark Video produced the film.

Following the 25-minute film screening, a Q&A will be moderated with the following panelists that appear in the movie:

Amy Sousa, CEO

Maxine Dieudonne, Residential Manager

Nathalie Etame, Residential Manager

Janice Goodwin, Parent of Guild resident

Jennifer Smith, Director of Health Services

The film has received enthusiastic support from the human services sector.

"The World Got Smaller eloquently tells the inside story of a disability agency and school, which had to pivot like others during the pandemic. Seeing how the pandemic stole the day-to-day choices of the residents and students should galvanize us all to keep fighting for inclusion and community life in the post-pandemic era."

Leo Sarkissian, Executive Director, The Arc of Massachusetts

About The Guild for Human Services

Founded in 1952, The Guild for Human Services' mission is to educate, encourage, and empower individuals with intellectual disabilities so they may achieve their full potential to lead high quality lives and participate meaningfully in society. The Guild operates a licensed special-education school that serves 85 students ages 6-22, nine group homes for 65 youth and 12 residential homes for 55 adults. Visit the Guild at guildhumanservices.org.

Media contact:

Rich Greif

[email protected]

781-330-6651

SOURCE The Guild for Human Services
by Lillian Banda

LUSAKA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- As the world commemorates International Women's Day, which falls on March 8, some entities in Zambia have decided to celebrate the day by undertaking community outreach activities.

Interviews conducted with entities and individuals involved in advancing women's causes across Zambia revealed that a good number of them have forgone the usual activities associated with this special day and instead ventured into taking care of the elderly and other vulnerable populations.

Among those that chose to commemorate the day differently is Women's Federation for World Peace (WFWP) in Zambia.

Instead of taking part in a march-past, members of the federation spent time with children with disabilities and helped cheer up the children by engaging them in inspiring discussions.

President of WFWP in Zambia Annie Mwale explained that instead of taking part in the usual parades that characterize the day in Zambia every year, her team decided to reach out to persons with special needs.

"We decided to do something different for a change and donating to the children with disabilities is something that we chose to do instead of marching, which has become the usual thing to do around this time of the year," she said.

Mwale revealed that WFWP in Zambia donated various items to Home of Happiness for Children, a haven for abandoned children with disabilities in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, as a way of celebrating this year's International Women's Day.

She urged the global community to consider using the day to sow seeds of hope in the lives of vulnerable and marginalized populations, the majority of whom are women and girls.

Among the items that WFWP in Zambia donated to Home of Happiness for Children include an assortment of food products, detergents, footwear and clothing. The items came from its members.

Receiving the donation, Home of Happiness for Children executive director Charles Banda thanked the organization for the gesture pointing out that items would go a long way in supplementing the needs of the children.

"I commend WFWP in Zambia for demonstrating willingness to reach out at a time when many women are focusing on receiving accolades for their works in different communities," Banda said. 
BELIZE CITY, Belize, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Belize Tourism Board (BTB), the official tourism marketing organization for Belize, has revised the COVID-19 entry requirements for travelers arriving into the country by air, land borders and sea ports.

Effective March 1, 2022, fully vaccinated travelers, who can show proof of vaccination, are no longer required to present a negative COVID-19 test for entry to Belize. In addition, all curfew mandates have been removed and wearing masks in outdoor spaces is no longer required.

Other important entry protocols still in place include:

Proof of a negative PCR test result taken within 72 hours of arrival or a negative Antigen Rapid test taken within 48 hours of arrival must be presented if unable to show proof of vaccination, or if the traveler is unvaccinated.

A COVID-19 test will be administered at the airport for a fee of USD $50 per passenger, if no negative test is presented.

per passenger, if no negative test is presented. Mandatory testing will be administered at land border points and sea ports for unvaccinated travelers. No test result taken prior to arrival will be accepted at the land borders or sea ports.

All international visitors must purchase Belize Travel Health Insurance and complete the Customs and Immigration form provided on all flights to Belize .

. Belizean nationals, permanent residents, long-stay non-nationals, diplomats, military personnel, Peace Corps, airline crews, travelers with QRP status and persons entering Belize for less than 24 hours are exempted from this mandatory insurance.

for less than 24 hours are exempted from this mandatory insurance. All international tourists must book their stay in Belize at a BTB Approved Property (hotel or accommodation) and present confirmation at immigration.

at a BTB Approved Property (hotel or accommodation) and present confirmation at immigration. If not fully vaccinated, or unable to show proof of vaccination, children ages 5 and older will be subjected to SARCoV2 testing for entry to Belize .

About Belize Tourism Board

The Belize Tourism Board (BTB) is a statutory body within the Belize Ministry of Tourism and Diaspora Relations, and it is governed by a Board of Directors appointed by the Minister of Tourism and Diaspora Relations. The BTB works in conjunction with members of the private sector  including the Belize Hotel Association, Belize Tourism Industry Association and Belize National Tour Operators Association  and is dedicated to building tourism in the most economically and environmentally sustainable manner. As a part of its responsibilities, the BTB promotes Belize as a premier tourism destination to both in-country and international consumers. Among its outreach to the international travel market, the BTB markets the country's unique attractions to travelers, members of the travel trade industry and media outlets in key markets. The BTB is also dedicated to developing and implementing tourism programs that will help strengthen and grow the Belizean tourism industry; promote good destination stewardship, and instill high-quality standards for accommodations and travel experiences. For more information on the BTB and its services, visit www.travelbelize.org .

For more information, please visit travelbelize.org or contact us at [email protected].

SOURCE Belize Tourism Board
Highlighted below are a few of the enhancements included in the Winter '22 update.

Zero Touch Production Release

Reflect Zero Touch  an innovative new approach to interactive experiences  was first introduced as a concept last summer, and the company is pleased to announce it is now available for production deployment. Zero Touch can turn any screen to an interactive digital signage experience via a scannable QR code that allows control of the screen. Users can navigate content, enter information and even shop from their personal mobile device.

For organizations wanting to provide more engaging, interactive experiences, but fighting costly touch screen installs or issues of keeping screens sanitized, Zero Touch provides a cost-effective and safe way to attract and immerse users. Zero Touch also allows brands to extend the digital experience to the user's mobile device even after they leave the proximity of the big screen, providing greater marketing reach and engagement opportunities.

Mobile User Interface (UI) for Reflect Xperience

Launched in January of 2021, Reflect Xperience is a reimagined way to access and use ReflectView , the premiere platform for enterprise-class digital signage. Reflect Xperience allows brands to maintain centralized control of their digital sign content programs, while enabling individual users to easily and quickly schedule content specific to their location  easing the burden on content creation teams, improving the local appeal of content programs and ensuring consistency across locations.

Reflect Xperience's new mobile UI makes scheduling quicker, easier and even more intuitive by allowing any authorized user to update and schedule content directly from their mobile device.

Android Media Player Support

ReflectView has long been the leading digital signage solution for Windows and BrightSign media players, and the company has now extended its reach to support Android media players. In addition to the vast majority of customer applications using BrightSign and the range of specific applications for Windows media players, support for the Android player now allows clients to leverage the system-on-a-chip solutions offered by key manufacturers such as ELO and NEC.

Customers can now deploy any combination of these three hardware platforms using ReflectView  benefitting from the industry's most feature-rich, scalable and flexible digital signage platform.

"This opportunity highlights an advantageous expansion of our work with key partners like BrightSign," said Lee Summers, formerly CEO of Reflect and now member of the senior leadership team, serving as the new company's President of Media and AdTech. "This new capability allows us to deploy BrightSign, or even Windows player solutions, into environments where customers have a legacy investment or need to support Android players as well. Without Android support, it is possible both Creative Realities and BrightSign would be blocked out of these opportunities."

Enhanced API Support

The company continues to enhance its industry-leading network monitoring functionality with the addition of new device information APIs. These new API enhancements support calls to endpoints to regularly retrieve device health information, such as disconnected displays and a variety of media player communications data  including online/offline status, expired content and content playback errors.

This approach significantly reduces the amount of data needed to discern network status and identify endpoints that require attention. In addition, these APIs allow IT management to easily add information on the performance of their digital signage network to existing monitoring tools, such as Power BI, which further simplifies and optimizes network management.

"Reflect's renowned ability to consistently bring new and innovative capabilities to enterprise digital signage customers is just one example of why merging our two companies made so much sense," said Rick Mills, CEO of Creative Realities. "Combining Reflect's world-class software capabilities and Creative Realities' deployment and creative services allows us to deliver outstanding value to our shared customers for many years to come."

About Creative Realities, Inc.

Creative Realities helps clients use the latest omnichannel technologies to inspire better customer experiences. The company designs, develops and deploys consumer experiences for enterprise-level networks, and is actively providing recurring SaaS and support services across diverse vertical markets, including but not limited to automotive, advertising networks, apparel & accessories, convenience stores, foodservice/QSR, gaming, theater and stadium venues. The company has operations across North America with active installations in more than 10 countries.

About Reflect

Now a part of Creative Realities, Reflect provides powerful, cost-effective digital signage platforms and solutions, helping organizations to create compelling experiences that engage staff and keep customers coming back for more. Reflect supplies everything brands need, including strategy, creative services, robust content management and ad trafficking systems, and media sales, all backed by the market-leading ReflectView and AdLogic software platforms.

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and includes, among other things, discussions of our business strategies, product releases, future operations and capital resources. Words such as "estimates," "projected," "expects," "anticipates," "forecasts," "plans," "intends," "believes," "seeks," "may," "will," "should," "future," "propose" and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results. They are based on the opinions, estimates and beliefs of management as of the date such statements are made, and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors, many of which are outside of our control, that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Some of these risks are discussed in the "Risk Factors" section contained in Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and the Company's subsequent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Important factors, among others, that may affect actual results or outcomes include: our ability to effectively integrate Reflect's business operations, our strategy for customer retention, growth, product development, market position, financial results and reserves, our ability to execute on our business plan, our ability to retain key personnel, potential litigation, supply chain shortages, and general economic and market conditions impacting demand for our products and services, including those as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Readers should not place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements. We assume no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

SOURCE Creative Realities, Inc.
SAN DIEGO and RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Creyon Bio , Inc. ("Creyon Bio"), a drug development company engineering RNA-based medicines and their components (oligonucleotide-based medicines or OBMs) with predictable safety and efficacy profiles, launched today with the goal of making precision medicines on demand a real possibility for populations ranging from one patient to millions. Creyon Bio creates proprietary, purpose-built datasets that inform powerful machine learning models, rapidly identifying the design rules and engineering principles for safe and effective OBMs.

Knowledge and understanding of the genetic and molecular causes of disease are rapidly expanding. OBMs are potentially ideal for precision medicine because they directly target these genetic and molecular causes. Creating new OBM therapeutics has been slow and expensive. The full potential of this class of drugs has yet to be realized, both for rare and common diseases. As the diagnostic odyssey ends for more and more patients, Creyon Bio is working to ensure novel OBM therapeutics are rapidly available.

"At Creyon Bio, we have built the company from the ground up to engineer OBMs, rejecting the idea that they need to be discovered through trial-and-error screening. Our mission is to design and offer predictably safe and effective options for patients with any disease amenable to OBM therapies,'' said Chris Hart, Ph.D., Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer and President of Creyon Bio. "No matter how rare or common their condition, no matter the size of the patient population, we believe that the Creyon Platform is creating a fast, efficient, and equitable path to engineering new medicines for patients."

Creyon Bio uses advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence along with optimal purpose-built datasets to connect foundational biophysical properties of OBM chemistry and sequence with accurate predictive models of safety and efficacy. Creyon Bio's purpose-built datasets are orders-of-magnitude more efficient than using retrospective or ad-hoc screening data for building predictive models. This allows Creyon Bio to develop models to engineer optimal OBMs across a broad range of molecular modalities from single-stranded antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) that reduce gene expression levels or change splicing events, to small interfering RNA (siRNA), to DNA and RNA editing systems, to even targeting aptamers. The Creyon Platform creates unprecedented efficiency and will change how precision medicines are created for patients.

"At Creyon Bio, we believe it is time to use modern technologies and methods to engineer safe and effective therapies," said Swagatam Mukhopadhyay, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Creyon Bio. "Our unique datasets are optimized for efficiently building generalizable machine learning models, and we constantly refine our models through active learning. The Creyon Platform ultimately allows us to create safe and effective OBMs with exceptional efficiency, building a world where there is no gap between diagnosis and treatment."

Creyon Bio has secured more than $40 million in seed and Series A financing led by DCVC Bio and Lux Capital. Other investors include Casdin Capital, Alexandria Venture Investments, and BioBrit. The funding supports continued optimization of the Creyon Platform, expanding the team, and laying the foundations for a diverse internal pipeline.

The Creyon Bio team is led by an interdisciplinary group of scientists and engineers with deep expertise in OBM development and machine learning:

Chris Hart , Ph.D. , Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer & President

, Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer & President Swagatam Mukhopadhyay , Ph.D. , Co-founder, Chief Scientific Officer

, , Co-founder, Chief Scientific Officer Nathan Billings , Ph.D. , Chief Strategy Officer

, Chief Strategy Officer Monica McArthur , Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer

In addition to Hart and Mukhopadhyay, Creyon's Board of Directors includes Kiersten Stead, Ph.D., DCVC Bio; Zavain Dar, Lux Capital; and Dennis Langer, M.D., J.D., an independent board member.

"With a team that includes chemists, biologists, and computational scientists, Creyon Bio's cross-disciplinary approach breaks down silos to tackle the drug design problem from all angles and create an efficient path to patient impact," said Zavain Dar, Lux Capital.

"Creyon Bio's groundbreaking approach and long-term planning, including partnerships with advocates and policymakers, is poised to revolutionize treatments for patients of rare disease and likely many common diseases as well," said Kiersten Stead, Ph.D., DCVC Bio. "We are excited to work with the team to realize the full potential of engineering OBMs."

About Creyon Bio, Inc.

Creyon Bio is a pre-clinical stage company reimagining drug development as it should be, using a data-first approach for generating uniquely powerful datasets and developing machine learning models to uncover the engineering principles that make precision oligonucleotide-based medicines possible for patient populations of all sizes. To learn more, visit creyonbio.com .

###

SOURCE Creyon Bio
HERZLIYA, Israel, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cybord, an innovative software solution that implements AI & Big Data technology, announced today that it raised a $4M Seed investment led by IL Ventures, a VC fund focused on transformational technologies for legacy industries, with co-investment by the Israel Innovation Authority.

Cybord Traceability Cybord certifies that the Circuit board assembly includes only electronic components checked for Counterfeit, Quality, Tampering, and lifetime Traceability (PRNewsfoto/Cybord LTD)

Electronic components are the base for all electronic circuit boards. Their authenticity, quality, and reliability are at the core of electronic performance. The sophisticated electronics industry (unlike mechanical industries) inspects an insignificant amount of suspected components without traceability, resulting in product failures, high return rates, and large-scale recalls, costing billions of dollars to the OEMs.

Cybord disrupts the industry by setting a new standard. The company delivers advanced AI and Big-Data software that inspects, qualifies, and tracks every component and every electronic board. With Cybord, 100% of components are checked and provide surgical traceability, thus eliminating any possible use of counterfeit, damaged, or tampered components.

"Today, in the midst of the global supply chain crisis, electronic manufacturers across multiple industry verticals struggle to meet ever-growing customer demand while keeping quality a top priority. The need to acquire components in the free market and not only from well-established suppliers increases manufacturers' exposure and vulnerability to significant quality issues. These issues can have direct, sudden, and costly effects on their ability to produce quality products," said Zeev Efrat, CEO at Cybord.

"Cybord's proven technology allows leading industry players to implement the Zero-Trust approach. As the global shortage in electronic components becomes chronic, this becomes a competitive edge which helps our customers generate more revenues, lower their costs, and increase their profitability," added Dr. Eyal Weiss, Cybord's founder, and CTO.

"Cybord's proprietary technology is already deployed, serving FLEX and other global industry leaders at several manufacturing sites globally. The company has made remarkable technological and commercial achievements to date. By now, Cybord scanned over 1.2 billion components while supporting high production volumes with value delivered every day," said Elad Frenkel, Managing Partner at IL Ventures. "We are confident this genuinely disruptive AI technology will change the entire industry, solving a multi-billion-dollar pain of the electronics industry."

The company will use the proceeds from the investment round to advance its R&D and product offering as well as to expedite business growth into additional verticals such as telecom, automotive, defense, and healthcare.

The investment round was led by IL Ventures and joined by NextLeap Ventures, with co-investment by the Israel Innovation Authority (IIA), through the "Seed Fund."

"The purpose of this highly attractive mechanism of the IIA is to increase the number of seed-stage investments, reduce risk and incentivize more experienced, venture capital investors to invest in young, early-stage startups operating in fields involving complex technologies and market disruption," said Karina Rubinstein, Senior Director for Business Development at the IIA.

About Cybord

Cybord`s innovative software solution implements AI & Big Data technology for Zero-Trust compliance of electronic components to ensure no counterfeit, high Quality, no malware-tempering, and Surgical traceability for electronics manufacturers. https://www.cybord.ai.

About IL Ventures

IL Ventures (ILVP Fund, LP) invests in disruptive yet tangible technologies that offer deep, actionable insights which drive better business decisions. The fund combines capital with incredibly deep operational experience and an unparalleled global network that helps founders rapidly scale and go global. Backed by top-tier global investors and partners, its team of company builders and industry executives is poised to unlock the full potential Israel's most promising startups. For further information- visit www.il-ventures.com.

Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1FJLh5L9Jw

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1761786/Cybord_Certified.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1760311/Cybord_Logo.jpg

Contact:

Asaf Jivilik

Vice President of Marketing

[email protected]

+972543215146

SOURCE Cybord LTD
Light + Fit recognizes the need to support women in balancing career and family and aims to be part of the solution. Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, women have been pulled away from the workforce due to a variety of barriers, from a lack of paid family leave, to limited childcare resources. Nearly half of women have said the pandemic has negatively impacted their career path, making it more important than ever for companies like Light + Fit to provide them with opportunities and support on their journey back, while they find their own rhythm in balancing life and work to help maintain an overall healthy lifestyle. 2

"There are many factors that can make the move to reenter the workforce feel challenging for women. It's critical that companies come together to be a part of the solution by providing the support and balance women need to be successful at work and at home," said Surbhi Martin, VP of Marketing, Greek Yogurt & Functional Wellness. "The Comeback, Light + Fit's Returnship program, is a real-world way for us to help bridge the gap that may exist for women who left or lost their jobs, by making that first step back a bit easier. Our hope is to give participants access to the mentorship and experience they need to kickstart the next chapter of their careers."

The Comeback is a six-week paid summer program that is designed to help reacquaint participants with the workplace and ramp up their professional journey after an extended break through hands-on experience and mentorship. The program is open to all candidates that have been out of the workforce for at least one year and have 3 to 5 years of experience in marketing or sales. Hired candidates will work on the Light + Fit marketing team, receive training and support to further their skills and have the option to apply for full-time employment after successful completion of the program.

As part of this program, Light + Fit has also partnered with Women Back to Work, who have helped numerous, strong women return to work through similar successful return-to-work programs. Through this partnership, Light + Fit is spotlighting some truly inspiring stories from real women who have made their own comeback to the workforce as a way to inspire and empower other women on their return-to-work journey. A photo series of the women was captured by female award-winning documentary-style photographer, Hannah Yoon.

"As someone who left the workforce years ago to raise my family, and faced challenges when trying to re-enter, I understand firsthand the difficulties of being a woman with a resume gap," said Sonu Ratra, Founder of Women Back to Work. "Women Back to Work is honored to partner with Light + Fit to support women throughout their life and work journey. The pandemic has especially impacted women's career paths negatively, so this real-world returnship helps bridge the gap that may exist for women and other job seekers who left or lost their jobs."

Light + Fit is all about creating solutions that help you achieve your goals, like the balanced line-up of yogurt products that provide consumers delicious options to fit their lifestyle. Light + Fit's dedication to supporting those looking to return to the workplace is just one of the ways the brand is committed to supporting women throughout their life and work journey. In January, to bring attention to the issues impacting women, Light + Fit partnered with Dress for Success, the leading global nonprofit employment resource for women, to launch two new flavors  Lemon Cream and Orange Cream Greek Nonfat Yogurts  and donated $100,000 to support them in furthering their mission.

Applications for The Comeback open on March 7, 2022 and close on April 1, 2022. The six-week summer program begins on June 6, 2022. To learn more or to apply for the Light + Fit Returnship program, visit www.jointhecomeback.com.

1 US Department of Labor

2 MetLife survey via CNBC

About Light + Fit

Established in 1988, Dannon's Light + Fit yogurt features a balanced line-up of yogurt products that give you deliciously satisfying snack options that fit your unique lifestyle. Staying on track with your routine can be tough, but we believe it shouldn't be boring or feel like a constant struggle. Thanks to Light + Fit's more than 20 delicious flavors, you can keep your routine exciting and craveable, all while keeping your rhythm. To learn more about Dannon Light + Fit, visit http://www.LightandFit.com.

About Danone North America

Danone North America is a purpose-driven company and an industry leader in the food and beverage category. As a Certified B Corporation, Danone North America is committed to the creation of both economic and social value, while nurturing natural ecosystems through sustainable agriculture. Our strong portfolio of brands includes: Activia, DanActive, Danimals, Dannon, evian, Happy Family Organics, Honest to Goodness, Horizon Organic, International Delight, Light + Fit, Oikos, Silk, So Delicious Dairy Free, SToK, Two Good, Wallaby Organic and YoCrunch. With more than 6,000 employees and 16 production locations across the U.S. and Canada, Danone North America's mission is to bring health through food to as many people as possible. For more information, visit www.danonenorthamerica.com/. For more information on Danone North America's B Corp status, visit: https://bcorporation.net/directory/danone-north-america.

About Women Back to Work

Women Back to Work's mission is to create systematic pathways to facilitate the re-entry of women back into the workforce. WBW enables companies to tap into a diverse career-ready technical talent returning to work from a career pause; a talent pool often overlooked by traditional recruiting practices. As the nation's leading return-to-work organization, WBW Program has a profound impact on the lives and careers of women through Full Service Returnship programs with fortune 1000 companies. WBW is the only organization backed by the full recruiting resources of an award-winning, IT staffing firm, Akraya. Learn more about diversity hiring and how you can positively impact communities at www.womenbacktowork.org.

SOURCE Light + Fit
Vendor Landscape

The global dental services market structure is expected to remain fragmented during the forecast period. Vendors are deploying different organic and inorganic growth strategies to compete in the market.

A.R.C. Laser GmbH, BIOLASE Inc., DEKA M.E.L.A. srl, DENTSPLY SIRONA Inc., Envista Holdings Corp., Fotona d.o.o., Ivoclar Vivadent AG, Lumenis Ltd., Ultradent Products Inc., and Wuhan Gigaa Optronics Technology Co. Ltd. among others are some of the few key vendors competing to maintain their market position in the dental services market.

Various players in the market are engaging in strategic partnerships and joint ventures coupled with launching differentiated products to up their game in the health care equipment industry.

View more about the market's vendor landscape highlights with a comprehensive list of vendors and their offerings.

Key Market Segmentation

Segmentation by Product:

Soft Tissue Dental Lasers:



During the projected period, the soft tissue dental lasers sector will have a large increase in market share. Soft tissue lasers can be used for a variety of dental operations, including hemorrhagic lesion removal, gingivectomy, frenectomy, and gingival sculpting for implant recovery.



All Tissue Dental Laser

Request a FREE Sample of this report for more highlights into the dental lasers market segments.

Regional Market Outlook

North America will contribute to 38% of the dental services market growth during the forecast period. The US is a key market for dental lasers in North America. However, the rate of market growth in North America will be slower than the growth of the market in other regions. The growth of this region can be attributed to increase in the use of lasers for dental surgeries to promote faster healing, minimal pain, and reduced chair time.

Apart from regions, if we look at the country-wise market growth, the US, Germany, China, and Japan will contribute to the highest market growth.

Download our FREE sample report for more key highlights on the regional market share of most of the above-mentioned countries.

Latest Trends, Driving the Global Dental Lasers Market

Market Driver:

Increased prevalence of orthodontic and periodontal diseases:

The prevalence of periodontal illnesses, such as gum bleeding, is significant in both adults and children. Periodontal disorders are caused by a variety of factors, including smoking, poor oral hygiene, diabetes, and a lack of knowledge about dental health. Many people in metropolitan areas attend dental clinics because they are more aware of dental illnesses and the services that are available, which drives up demand for better dental operations. During the predicted period, this will boost demand for dental lasers.

Market Trend:

Rising demand for laser dentistry and painless treatment:

The growing prevalence of oral disorders around the world has prompted a shift away from traditional dental treatment trends and toward enhanced global dental laser trends. The fast use of laser technology in dentistry by patients and oral care professionals has boosted its use in tooth extraction, orthodontics, and periodontal disease therapy. Laser dental care has been widely accepted in countries such as the United States, Sweden, and Australia, resulting in higher patient inflow at laser dentistry clinics compared to normal dental clinics.

Find additional information about various other market drivers & trends mentioned in our FREE sample report .

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Dental Lasers Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2020 Forecast period 2021-2025 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 11% Market growth 2021-2025 $ 206.83 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 10.93 Regional analysis North America, Europe, Asia, and ROW Performing market contribution North America at 38% Key consumer countries US, Germany, China, and Japan Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled A.R.C. Laser GmbH, BIOLASE Inc., DEKA M.E.L.A. srl, DENTSPLY SIRONA Inc., Envista Holdings Corp., Fotona d.o.o., Ivoclar Vivadent AG, Lumenis Ltd., Ultradent Products Inc., and Wuhan Gigaa Optronics Technology Co. Ltd. Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and future consumer dynamics, market condition analysis for the forecast period, Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

Value Chain Analysis

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2020

Market outlook: Forecast for 2020 - 2025

Five Forces Analysis

Five Forces Summary

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

Market Segmentation by Product

Market segments

Comparison by Product

Soft tissue dental lasers - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

All tissue dental lasers - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Market opportunity by Product

Market Segmentation by End-users

Hospitals

Dental clinics

Customer landscape

Customer landscape

Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

North America - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Europe - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 Asia - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

- Market size and forecast 2020-2025 ROW - Market size and forecast 2020-2025

Key leading countries

Market opportunity by geography

Market drivers

Market challenges

Market trends

Vendor Landscape

Vendor landscape

Landscape disruption

Competitive Scenario

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

A.R.C. Laser GmbH

BIOLASE Inc.

DEKA M.E.L.A. srl

DENTSPLY SIRONA Inc.

Envista Holdings Corp.

Fotona d.o.o.

Ivoclar Vivadent AG

Lumenis Ltd.

Ultradent Products Inc.

Wuhan Gigaa Optronics Technology Co. Ltd.

Appendix

Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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Technavio Research

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Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
SAN FRANCISCO, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The global digital transaction management market size is expected to reach USD 61.10 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 25.5% from 2022 to 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The growth of the market can be attributed to the increasing need to manage all document-based transactions digitally. The growing adoption of cloud-based services across various industries and industrial verticals is also expected to propel the growth of the market over the forecast period.

Key Insights & Findings from the report:

The hardware segment dominated the market in 2021 owing to the increasing demand for Point of Sale (POS) systems for digital transaction management from the incumbents of the hospitality, healthcare, and retail industries.

Aggressive investments in electronic documents by enterprises and government agencies across the globe are expected to propel the growth of the electronic signatures segment over the forecast period.

Continued digital transformation across Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) across the globe is expected to drive the growth of the SMEs segment over the forecast period.

The BFSI segment dominated the market in 2021 owing to the increasing adoption of digital transaction management solutions by banks and financial institutions as part of their efforts to reduce paperwork and improve the efficiency of their processes.

Asia Pacific is expected to emerge as the fastest-growing regional market owing to the high internet penetration rate and population density in emerging countries, such as China and India .

Read 160-page market research report, "Digital Transaction Management Market Size, Share, & Trends Analysis Report By End User (Large Enterprises, SMEs), By Component (Hardware, Software), By Vertical (BFSI, Govt.), By Solution, And Segment Forecasts, 2022 - 2030", published by Grand View Research.

Digital Transaction Management Market Growth & Trends

Digital transaction management solutions can potentially digitize, and subsequently, accelerate the process of signing business contracts and agreements accurately and securely.

These solutions can help in signing and transmitting documents online instantly rather than signing the documents physically and dispatching those by post or scanning and emailing the signed documents. Apart from accelerating the overall process of signing contracts and agreements, digital transaction management solutions can also help in reducing mistakes, thereby lowering operating costs. Businesses across the globe are focusing on adopting digital transaction management solutions to reduce errors, and operating costs thereby, while reducing transaction times and augmenting productivity. Moreover, as these solutions are cloud-based, employees can access important business documents irrespective of their device or location.

These solutions can also create digital signatures, which are considered highly authentic and secure, thereby making them more legally applicable than conventional signatures. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to play a decisive role in driving the market. Given the restrictions on in-person interactions, shipping, and traveling in the wake of the outbreak of the pandemic, businesses are gradually switching to alternative procedures for settling down their trade and financial transactions. At the same time, the adoption of document archival and workflow automation solutions is also expected to gain traction across numerous end-use industries and industry verticals as businesses are unable to deliver, examine, and handle physical documents owing to remote operations and the restrictions on the staff allowed to be present within the premises.

Digital Transaction Management Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global digital transaction management market report based on component, solution, end user, vertical, and region:

DTM Component Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

Hardware

Software

Services

DTM Solution Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

Electronic Signatures

Workflow Automation

Authentication

Document Archival

Others

DTM End-user Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

Large enterprises

SMEs

DTM Vertical Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

Retail

BFSI

Healthcare

IT & Telecom

Government

Real Estate

Utilities

Others

DTM Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2030)

North America

U.S.



Canada



Mexico

Europe

Germany



U.K.



Spain



France



Italy

Asia Pacific

China



India



Japan

South America

Brazil



Colombia



Chile

Middle East & Africa

List of Key Players of Digital Transaction Management Market

Adobe

Ascertia

DocuFirst

DocuSign, Inc.

eDOC Innovations

Entrust Corp.

Wolters Kluwer N.V .

. Kofax Inc.

Nintex U.K. Ltd.

OneSpan

Check out more related studies published by Grand View Research:

Digital Payment Market - The global digital payment market size is expected to reach USD 361.30 billion by 2030, expanding at a CAGR of 20.5% over the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market growth can be attributed to the growing volume of cashless transactions worldwide. The rising demand for digital payments has encouraged several smartwatch providers to introduce enhanced smartwatches capable of making contactless payments.

The global digital payment market size is expected to reach by 2030, expanding at a CAGR of 20.5% over the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market growth can be attributed to the growing volume of cashless transactions worldwide. The rising demand for digital payments has encouraged several smartwatch providers to introduce enhanced smartwatches capable of making contactless payments. Contactless Payment Market - The global contactless payment market size is expected to reach USD 6.25 trillion by 2028, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. It is anticipated to register a CAGR of 20.3% from 2021 to 2028. Various benefits, such as improved service delivery and reduction in transaction time offered by contactless payments, are expected to propel the market growth over the forecast period.

- The global contactless payment market size is expected to reach by 2028, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. It is anticipated to register a CAGR of 20.3% from 2021 to 2028. Various benefits, such as improved service delivery and reduction in transaction time offered by contactless payments, are expected to propel the market growth over the forecast period. Payment Processing Solutions Market - The global payment processing solutions market size is expected to reach USD 98.01 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 14.5% from 2020 to 2027, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market growth can be attributed to the emergence of digital technology and customers' demand for immediacy of transactions. The customers are looking for faster and convenient money transfer options, thereby driving the adoption of payment processing solutions.

- The global payment processing solutions market size is expected to reach by 2027, registering a CAGR of 14.5% from 2020 to 2027, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market growth can be attributed to the emergence of digital technology and customers' demand for immediacy of transactions. The customers are looking for faster and convenient money transfer options, thereby driving the adoption of payment processing solutions. Payment As A Service Market - The global payment as a service market size is expected to reach USD 25.7 billion by 2027, expanding at a CAGR of 16.9%, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Digital disruption in the money transfer ecosystem, combined with the rise in need for quick money transfer methods, has transformed the payment gateway model. As a result of digital money transfer methods, consumers now demand secure digital transaction processing systems to transfer money to their merchants and individuals. With the rising digital financial transactions, a need for secure cloud-based architecture has increased among platform providers. The cloud-based money transfer platforms allow industry participants to manage higher volumes of transactions at high speed and low cost.

Browse through Grand View Research's Next Generation Technologies Industry Research Reports.

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research Helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead.

Contact:

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Grand View Research, Inc.

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SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc.
Leveraging key transformational technologies and trends driving emerging opportunities was the underlying theme at Frost & Sullivan's recent event, " Asia Pacific Perspective: What are the Transformational Opportunities in 2022? " It featured key insights into critical developments impacting industries such as energy, healthcare, aerospace & defense and technology. Participants also had the chance to listen to an in-depth panel discussion highlighting the key trends in healthcare.

With digital transformation and new technologies already disrupting multiple industries, organizations must innovate for the future to create value and drive better business outcomes. In the opening session on the 2022 Global Economic Outlook, Shivaji Das, Partner & Asia Pacific Managing Director, Frost & Sullivan, reiterated the need for companies to adopt innovative business models and leverage strategic partnerships and acquisitions to capitalize on growth opportunities.

"Global economic recovery is expected to continue in 2022, although growth scenarios have become weaker in light of restraints such as lingering supply chain disruptions, the prolonged Ukraine-Russia crisis, and cautious reopening in anticipation of new virus variants," Das said. "From a regional perspective, higher domestic spending and improved outlook for the services sector given Omicron's relatively milder impact will help accelerate the growth momentum in Asia Pacific."

Das added: "Organizations today must focus on the development of new business models and revenue strategies that can harness the potential of cross-industry expertise to be incorporated into existing technology solutions and services. As new consumer segments and services evolve, there will be significant corporate investments in transformation initiatives in areas such as product or service design, customer experience, revenue fulfillment, payment, process optimization and data analytics."

Frost & Sullivan's key analysts also shared their insights in selected areas, including:

Growth Trends in Asia Pacific Energy Sector

Future of Supply Chain & Logistics

Key Trends & Opportunities in Chemicals, Materials & Nutrition in APAC

Marketing Trends in 2022

Drones and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Setting New Paradigm in Air Transportation

About Frost & Sullivan

For six decades, Frost & Sullivan has been world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models, and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion

Contact:

Melissa Tan

Corporate Communications

T: +65 6890 0926

E: [email protected]

http://www.frost.com

SOURCE Frost & Sullivan
HELSINKI, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Dispelix, the leader in see-through waveguide displays for AR & MR wearables, and AAC Technologies Holdings Inc. ("AAC", HKEx: 2018) (AAC), the world-leading solutions provider for smart devices, announce a strategic partnership to ensure the AR & MR wearables industry has access to the highest quality see-through waveguide displays in the world.

With the announcement, AAC becomes one of Dispelix's strategic partners for mass manufacturing of Dispelix's see-through waveguide displays to support the growing global demand associated with the Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR) wearables markets. The companies are working together to provide the highest quality waveguide displays designed to deliver industry-leading form factor, image quality and clarity performance for all customers globally.

The win-win partnership brings together Dispelix's unique waveguide technology and AAC's unparalleled expertise in wafer-level optics mass manufacturing.

Antti Sunnari, CEO of Dispelix, said "We're delighted to announce our partnership with AAC, one of the very few mass-manufacturers of high precision miniaturized optical components for high-volume consumer applications. AAC's proven expertise in ramping up, scaling, and efficiently operating novel and highly complex wafer-level manufacturing processes for mass-customized optical components adds a completely new dimension to our offering. The partnership will ensure strength & competitive edge for customers of both companies with highly manufacturable waveguide display solutions featuring unmatched performance and quality." "Any organization developing an AR or MR wearable, understands the quality of the display is critical because without a high quality display their wearable will be a failure in the eyes of consumers."

Dr. Antonino F. Parrinello, Head of Corporate Development of AAC, said, "We are delighted to join Dispelix in their path toward deployment of high-end AR solutions to the consumer market. This partnership will leverage the full potential of AAC's unique manufacturing platform and global operations to support all customers engaged in the development of system-level solutions enabled by Dispelix unique technology. AAC considers this moment of rapid growth of the AR/MR market as an important opportunity to deliver strategic value for our customers and to continue to strengthen our position as a global leader in the precision optics space".

About Dispelix

Dispelix is a waveguide designer and manufacturer that delivers visionary augmented and mixed reality see-through displays for consumer and enterprise solutions. Its patented DPX waveguides unlock new freedoms in AR product design with unmatched image quality, performance, and efficiency. Led by the world's most sought-after experts in optics, photonics, and manufacturing, Dispelix powers AR experiences that push boundaries. Dispelix is headquartered in Finland, with offices in US, China, and Taiwan. Learn more at dispelix.com.

About AAC Technologies

AAC Technologies Group is the world's leading solutions provider for smart devices with cutting-edge technologies in materials research, simulation, algorithms, design, automation and process development. The Group provides advanced miniaturized and proprietary technology solutions in Acoustics, Optics, Electromagnetic Drives and Precision Mechanics, MEMS, Radio Frequency and Antenna for applications in the consumer electronics and automotive markets. The Group has 32 offices in Asia-Pacific area, Europe and US, 13 production sites in China, Czech Republic, Malaysia, and Vietnam, and 19 R&D centers in China, US, Finland, Denmark, UK, South Korea, Japan and Singapore.

SOURCE Dispelix
GENEVA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- People of African descent die at the hands of law enforcement in disproportionately large numbers in many countries, especially in the United States, a United Nations (UN) human rights official said on Tuesday.

Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in her annual report to the ongoing 49th session of the Human Rights Council that in the United States, civil society groups have advanced a figure of 266 killings of people of African descent by the police in 2021.

This indicates that they are "almost three times more likely to be killed by police than white people", Bachelet said, adding that "other research suggests the figure could be even higher."

"I urge national authorities -- in all regions of the world -- to ensure prompt and effective accountability for deaths at the hands of law enforcement," she said.

The UN Human Rights Council has in recent years received reports indicating that racial disparities persisted throughout the U.S. criminal justice system.

For instance, George Floyd, an African American, died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes in May 2020, which soon triggered protests against racism and police brutality across the U.S. and even the world.

"Black lives do not matter in the United States of America," said George Floyd's brother, Philonise Floyd, addressing an urgent debate held by the UN Human Rights Council shortly after George Floyd's death. 
CRANBURY, N.J., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- dvm360, the No. 1 multimedia platform in the animal health industry, is accepting entries for best-in-class architectural design recognition for veterinary facilities and animal shelters now through May 15, 2022.

"Every year, we look forward to showcasing how architectural design elevates veterinary medicine from improving patient care, compassion fatigue and wellness, safety, overall operations, and hospital growth and revenue," said Mike Hennessy Jr., president and CEO of MJH Life Sciences, the parent company of dvm360.

All animal health veterinary clinics, practices, hospitals, and shelters including those owned by publicly traded corporations, and those funded by foundations, government agencies and nonprofit organizations in the United States and its territories are encouraged to enter their facility design project. New builds and renovation projects must have been completed between January 1, 2016, and December 30, 2021, to qualify. Check out eligibility here.

Entries will be independently judged by a selection committee of veterinary hospital design architects and veterinary professionals based on the following best practice criteria:

design to meet best practices for practicing medicine

design for efficiency of space usage while also protecting the wellbeing and safety of people and animals

innovation in architectural design and workflow

setting a high standard for client and patient care

overcoming obstacles to build the project

bridging an effective design to today's technology

Two grand prize winners will be selected 1 in each of 2 categories: facility design projects under 8,000 square feet, and those over 8,000 square feet. Up to 5 merit award winners will also be selected.

"By hosting the Hospital Design360 competition, we're not only celebrating best-in-class facility design in the veterinary industry, but also bringing awareness about how architectural design positively impacts patient care," said Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, and chief veterinary officer, dvm360.

Grand prize winners will receive full conference registration to Fetch, a dvm360 Conference, in Kansas City, Missouri, August 26-28, 2022. Grand prize winners will also be invited to attend the awards banquet held at the conference. All winners will be featured in dvm360 magazine and on dvm360.com.

The entry forms are due no later than May 15, 2022.

Learn more at Hospital Design360 Competition



About dvm360

dvm360 is the leading multi-media provider of animal health care communications, education, and research for veterinary professionals for over 50 years. We engage audiences with top-of-the-line, in-depth digital and print news, medical information, and veterinary resources focusing on every aspect of a veterinary professional's life. With our online learning platform, dvm360 Flex, we also deliver a 360 solution for continuing educationprint, digital, in-person, and on-demand. dvm360 is a brand of MJH Life Sciences, the largest privately held, independent, full-service medical media company in North America. MJH Life Sciences dedicated to delivering trusted health care news across multiple channels.

Media Contact:

Michael Altmann

[email protected]

SOURCE dvm
BOULDER, Colo., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- E Source, the data authority for the utility industry and enabler of The Sustainable Utility, is pleased to announce that it has hired Phillip Taylor as president of E Source Solution Services. In this newly created position, Taylor will use his decades of utility consulting and software implementation expertise to integrate, manage, and optimize the rapidly growing Solution Services division.

"Phillip Taylor is a proven leader and winner, and his experience is just right to help our growing roster of utility clients meet the tremendous opportunities ahead," says Ted Schultz, CEO of E Source. "Well known and respected in the utility space and well versed in the key operational data systems of electric, natural gas, and water utilities, Phillip is adept at managing the life cycle of system selection, implementation, integration, change management, and continuous improvement that we see as crucial to unlocking the exponential value of data for today's utilities."

Taylor's hiring comes at a pivotal time for the company and industry. E Source has grown rapidly over the past two years, expanding its capabilities by acquiring eight companies. Four of those companiesUtiliWorks, Excergy, Water Systems Optimization, and AAC Utility Partnersoffered premier consulting services, establishing themselves as best in class. E Source has combined the collective strengths of those companies with the strengths of E Source Management Consulting to create a single Solution Services group tasked with guiding and accelerating utilities' data-driven transformations. Under Taylor's leadership, this team will offer solutions rooted in unsurpassed expertise with utility operational systems, industry-leading research, and predictive data science capabilities.

"I'm energized by E Source's vision of The Sustainable Utilityone that's committed to environmental responsibility, reliability, rethinking how to equitably serve all customers, and maintaining a bottom line that enables innovation, and supporting communities," says Taylor. "I know from experience that services are often where 'the rubber meets the road' for utility clients, and I'm excited about the opportunity my team and I have to make data-driven transformation real for them. I can't wait to get started!"

Taylor has more than 20 years of experience on both the customer and operations side of the utility business, most recently as an executive vice president with Utilligent. In this role, he managed sales, operations, and resources for the customer engagement practice. From 2007 to 2020, he was a senior leader at Deloitte in the power, utilities, and renewables division. During his almost 14 years at Deloitte, he was a senior manager and managing director. He owned executive relationships with key portfolio accounts and served as the lead consulting partner for many strategic customers. Additionally, he helped grow the company's smart grid, work management, and advisory practices. Prior to Deloitte, he held sales and account management positions with SAP, Indus, and Datastream Systems.

About E Source

E Source is the data authority for the utility industry. From primary research, consulting, and operational data systems selection and implementation expertise to breakthrough predictive data science services and AI applications, E Source enables energy and water utilities to collect, enhance, and use data to transform their operations and solve their environmental, safety, reliability, equity, and cost challenges. With hundreds of clients, an exclusive focus on utilities spanning 35 years, and a growing arsenal of data-driven solutions, E Source brings to each engagement an unrivaled understanding of what works and how to implement it, increasing speed to value. Owned by Align Capital Partners, a growth-oriented private equity firm managing $775 million in committed capital, E Source is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, with offices across the US.

Media inquiries:

Sarah Mees

[email protected]

617-462-8066

SOURCE E Source Companies LLC
"Infants have a high risk of complications from infections with cronobacter and salmonella," says Victoria Uribe, M.D. , pediatrician with Elmhurst Clinic, part of the NorthShore -- Edward-Elmhurst Health system in suburban Chicago. "Parents should call their pediatrician right away if their baby exhibits symptoms of these infections."

Symptoms of a cronobacter or salmonella infection include poor feeding, irritability, temperature changes, jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), grunting breaths, abnormal movements, lethargy, rash and blood in the urine or stool.

The company has recalled the Similac, Alimentum and EleCare powdered formulas in question. Between supply chain delays and the recall, infant formula has been more difficult to find. But there are options:

Check with your doctors. Pediatricians and OB/GYNs often have formula samples in their offices. They can also suggest substitutions or potential new sources.

Pediatricians and OB/GYNs often have formula samples in their offices. They can also suggest substitutions or potential new sources. It's OK to switch brands. Just don't switch types of formula, like swapping cow's milk protein-based formula for soy.

Just don't switch types of formula, like swapping cow's milk protein-based formula for soy. Shop around. Smaller stores may have formula in stock when larger chain stores are out. Infant formula can also be purchased directly from the manufacturer. The Infant Nutritional Council of America warns against buying infant formula from other people, such as at flea markets, on e-commerce websites, or on social media or internet auction sites. The products may have been improperly stored, which can affect the quality. Remember to check containers for punctures, dents and potential tampering, and always check the use-by date on each container before buying and/or using.

Smaller stores may have formula in stock when larger chain stores are out. Infant formula can also be purchased directly from the manufacturer. The Infant Nutritional Council of America warns against buying infant formula from other people, such as at flea markets, on e-commerce websites, or on social media or internet auction sites. The products may have been improperly stored, which can affect the quality. Remember to check containers for punctures, dents and potential tampering, and always check the use-by date on each container before buying and/or using. Don't try to dilute formula to make it last longer. Parents should not try to make their own formula, either. Straying from the recommended usage could cause health problems for your baby.

Get more information at EEHealth.org/services/children.

SOURCE Edward-Elmhurst Health
OAKLAND, Calif., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Eko , a digital health company advancing heart and lung disease detection, has been named to Fast Company's annual list of the World's Most Innovative Companies for 2022 in the Medical Device category. Eko's smart stethoscopes, powered by FDA-cleared artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, detect leading indicators of cardiovascular disease such as atrial fibrillation (AFib) and heart murmurs at any point of care. This technology provides clinicians with a solution to more efficiently and affordably screen for heart disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S.

Eko, an AI heart and lung disease screening solution, top-ranked in the medical devices category

Fast Company's annual list honors businesses that are making the most significant impact on their industries and culture as a wholeultimately thriving in today's ever-changing world. These companies are creating the future today with some of the most inspiring accomplishments of the 21st century. Fast Company's editors and writers sought out the most groundbreaking businesses across the globe and industries. They also judged nominations received through their application process.

"Eko has achieved numerous milestones over the past year, including doubling our clinician user base, developing novel machine learning technologies, and meeting clinical landmarks," said Connor Landgraf, Co-Founder and CEO of Eko. "Our team is proud to be recognized by Fast Company as one of the most innovative companies in the world. We are creating a new standard of cardiac care to ensure all patients have early access to heart and lung disease detection."

Real-world validation of Eko's AI algorithms came from a peer-reviewed publication in the Journal of the American Heart Association that found the performance of Eko's AI for detecting heart murmurs comparable to human experts. It was the largest study on AI analysis of cardiac murmurs to date. In conjunction with the UK National Health Service (NHS), a groundbreaking independent study by the Imperial College of London demonstrated Eko's ability to screen patients for heart failure in seconds using AI during routine physical exams.

The World's Most Innovative Companies is Fast Company's signature franchise and one of its most highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. It provides both a snapshot and a road map for the future of innovation across the economy's most dynamic sectors.

"The world's most innovative companies play an essential role in addressing the most pressing issues facing society, whether they're fighting climate change by spurring decarbonization efforts, ameliorating the strain on supply chains, or helping us reconnect with one another over shared passions," said Fast Company Deputy Editor, David Lidsky.

Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies issue (March/April 2022) is available online here , as well as in-app form via iTunes, and on newsstands beginning March 15.

About Eko

Eko, a digital health company, is changing how healthcare professionals detect and monitor heart and lung disease with its innovative suite of digital tools, patient and provider software, and AI-powered analysis. Its FDA-cleared platform is used by hundreds of thousands of healthcare professionals worldwide, allowing them to detect earlier and with higher accuracy, diagnose with more confidence, manage treatment effectively, and ultimately give their patients the best care possible. Eko is headquartered in Oakland, California, with over $125 million in funding from Highland Capital Partners, Questa Capital, Artis Ventures, DigiTx Partners, NTTVC, Morningside Technology Ventures Limited, Mayo Clinic, Sutter Health, and others. To learn more about Eko, visit ekohealth.com .

About Fast Company

Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com .

Media Contact:

Alexandra Pony

250.858.0656

[email protected]

SOURCE Eko
"We know that ensuring the sustainability, reliability and diversity of our digital infrastructure will require strong collaboration between leaders in the field," said Enchanted Rock's SVP of Sales, Ken Cowan, who will join 35 others as a thought leader and advisors on the iMasons Advisory Council. "Enchanted Rock is excited to contribute our vision for a more resilient, net-zero carbon and sustainable pathway for data centers, and to partner with our colleagues to achieve our common goals."

Although most data centers currently rely on diesel generators for back-up power, natural gas and renewable natural gas microgrids offer a cleaner, affordable alternative capable of meeting the technical requirements for data center uptime. Enchanted Rock's resiliency solutions are helping contribute to growing efforts by the industry to reduce emissions without sacrificing system reliability.

As the newest Foundation Partner of iMasons, Enchanted Rock will join 35 other technology companies supporting its mission to provide infrastructure executives and technical professionals an independent forum to connect, grow and give back to the community.

"We are delighted that Enchanted Rock has joined iMasons through our Foundation Partner program," shares Jeff Omelchuck, Executive Director, Infrastructure Masons. "We look forward to their contributions in our pursuit of advancement of the industry, peer development, and social impact."

About Enchanted Rock

Founded in 2006, Enchanted Rock is the national leader in electrical resiliency-as-a-service, powering companies, critical infrastructure and communities to ensure business continuity during unexpected power outages from extreme weather, infrastructure failures, cyberattacks and other grid disruptions. Enchanted Rock's electrical microgrids use natural gas and renewable natural gas (RNG) to produce significantly lower carbon emissions and air pollutants than diesel generators, capable of achieving resiliency with net-zero emissions. Additionally, the company's end-to-end microgrid software platform, GraniteOS, provides real-time 24/7/365 system monitoring and optimization, including forecasting of electricity market conditions to ensure worry-free reliable power to customers. For more information, please visit www.enchantedrock.com or visit Twitter or LinkedIn .

About Infrastructure Masons

Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) is a non-profit, professional association of technology and business leaders who represent over $150Bn in infrastructure projects in over 130 countries. The organization is guided by an Advisory Council composed of global leaders who manage some of the largest digital infrastructure portfolios in the world. The iMasons vision is to Unite the Builders of the Digital Age by enabling our global membership to Connect, Grow, and Give Back. Members leave their companies at the door and connect as individuals. IMasons has four strategic industry priorities  increase Awareness, enhance Education opportunities, champion Diversity & Inclusion, and inspire Sustainability through deep member engagement. Visit the website at www.imasons.org.

SOURCE Enchanted Rock, LLC
BREA, Calif., March 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Envista Holdings Corporation (NYSE: NVST) today announced that the company will be holding an Investor Day at its Envista Summit on Friday, April 1st from 8:00 am  10:30 am CT. Interested attendees can register at this LINK and select the "virtual" option. Please note - this event will be a hybrid event, with limited in-person attendance. If you would like to attend in-person, please contact [email protected].

The inaugural Envista Summit is a customer focused event designed to offer a premium training and education experience that will highlight Envista's unique and differentiated product portfolio and digitally integrated solutions. This event brings together the popular Ormco Forum and Nobel Biocare Symposium with a brand new "Technology Track" that captures every element of the clinical workflow. For more information about Envista Summit visit www.envistasummit.com or under Events on the Envista website.

ABOUT ENVISTA

Envista is a global family of more than 30 trusted dental brands, including Nobel Biocare, Ormco, and Kerr united by a shared purpose: to partner with professionals to improve lives. Envista helps its customers deliver the best possible patient care through industry-leading dental consumables, solutions, technology, and services. Our comprehensive portfolio, including dental implants and treatment options, orthodontics, and digital imaging technologies, covers a broad range of dental professionals' clinical needs for diagnosing, treating, and preventing dental conditions as well as improving the aesthetics of the human smile. With a foundation comprised of the proven Envista Business System (EBS) methodology, an experienced leadership team, and a strong culture grounded in continuous improvement, commitment to innovation, and deep customer focus, Envista is well equipped to meet the end-to-end needs of dental professionals worldwide. Envista is one of the largest global dental products companies, with significant market positions in some of the most attractive segments of the dental products industry. For more information, please visit www.envistaco.com.

CONTACT

Stephen Keller

Investor Relations

Envista Holdings Corporation

200 S. Kraemer Blvd., Building E

Brea, CA 92821

Telephone: (714) 817-7000

Fax: (714) 817-5450

SOURCE Envista Holdings Corporation
BELLEVUE, Wash., March 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- FBH Corp. and its fully owned subsidiary Moonstone Bank, a robust financial platform to empower fast-growing innovative and disruptive sectors, today announced that it has raised $11.5 million in a private placement from an investment by Alameda Research Ventures.

FBH Corp and Moonstone Bank have committed to making traditional financial systems work for innovative small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) who are underserved by the traditional financial industry. Moonstone Bank's unique platform is designed to break down the barriers that limit the growth potential of trailblazing SMEs looking to increase their footprint - by providing easy access to modern banking features, valuable services and the means to take their businesses further.

"At Alameda Research, we are committed to growing the industry and supporting businesses that are creating real change," said Ramnik Arora of Alameda Research Ventures. "Moonstone Bank offers solutions to address the challenges faced by high potential, fast-growing small and medium-sized enterprises by giving them access to a full suite of banking services. The user-friendly, compliant, regulated and innovative platform, makes Moonstone Bank an attractive and valuable force in a dynamic ecosystem."

Jean Chalopin, Chairman of FBH Corp, said, "Alameda Research's investment into FBH Corp and Moonstone Bank signifies the recognition, by one of the world's most innovative financial leaders, of the value of what we are aiming to achieve. This marks a new step into building the future of banking."

FBH Corp also announced today the appointment of Ronald Oliveira as Moonstone Bank's Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Oliveira will be leading the digital transformation of the organization into a top provider of innovative financial services to fast-growing industries such as blockchain, cryptocurrencies and cannabis.

Before joining FBH Corp, Ron Oliveira was the US CEO for Revolut, a global fintech headquartered in the UK. Ron engineered Revolut's official public entry into the US with a truly global, digital-first platform and established the organization's foothold in New York, Dallas, and San Francisco. As a seasoned banking professional, Ron is a forward-thinking leader with over 25 years of experience in building and shaping organizations from the inside out. Prior to joining Revolut, Ron held positions as the President, Chief Credit Officer and Chief Operating Officer at several banks.

"Moonstone Bank is poised to be market innovator, creating enhanced economic opportunity for millions of unique and innovative businesses that are being excluded or marginalized from the traditional banking ecosystem," said Ron Oliveira, CEO of Moonstone Bank. "This is incredibly exciting! The possibilities ahead for our bank are endless and I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of building the future of finance for the next generations, along with those leading-edge industries."

About FBH Corp:

FBH Corp is a bank holding company, and its Washington State-based Moonstone Bank is a fully chartered bank with roots in the state of Washington since 1887. Moonstone Bank provides a robust financial platform designed to empower the next generation of growing industries.

Moonstone Bank combines first-in-class regulatory, compliance and risk expertise with a simple, yet powerful open-architecture platform built to offer valuable financial products and services in a single ecosystem. We help customers realize the full potential of their unique businesses.

To learn more, visit www.moonstonebank.com

Moonstone PR Contact

Ryan Iwanski

Chief Marketing Officer [email protected]

SOURCE Moonstone Bank
Frey Ranch Distillery Celebrates Women Within American Whiskey Movement Through Inaugural Women + Whiskey Campaign Tweet this

Interestingly, women have more nuanced senses of smell than men  useful when nosing and tasting a whiskey. In fact, scientific estimates indicate that 35 percent of women qualify as "supertasters"  meaning a person who has more taste buds and receptors resulting in tasting certain flavors and foods more strongly than other people.

Timed to coincide with International Women's Day, Ashley will moderate a panel discussion with her whiskey peers, including award-winning writer and podcast host Prairie Rose from Bit By A Fox, Shaylyn Gammon, newly-appointed Whiskey Director at Blue Run Spirits (www.bluerunspirits.com) and award-winning craft cocktail bartender Mimi Burnham, via Frey Ranch Distillery's (@FreyRanchDistillery) Instagram Live from 4:00  4:30pm ET on March 8th dedicated to the power of mentorship.

Additionally, Frey Ranch will turn over its social channels @FreyRanchDistillery to spotlight the many incredible women behind the bar  without who the 21st century cocktail revolution would not be possible. Ashley will also visit San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Las Vegas to host tasting events and pop ups for both the whiskey curious and the connoisseur.

"We believe whiskey is a communal experience, which is why we welcome all whiskey drinkers to join our celebration of Women + Whiskey where we honor the meaningful contributions of women from all facets of the business," said Ashley Frey, cofounder of Frey Ranch Distillery. "In that spirit, we're proud to donate $1 from every bottle of Frey Ranch Bourbon sold at participating retailers to Pinocchio's Moms on the Run  an organization close to my heart that provides financial and emotional support for women battling breast cancer."

To honor the whiskey woman in your life, cheers her with a delicious and refreshing Blackberry Smash.

Muddle lime, blackberries, and mint together. Stir in Frey Ranch Bourbon + simple syrup. Top with club soda, garnish with mint leaves, blackberries, and serve over crushed ice.

Ingredients:

2 Fresh Lime Wedges Squeezed

8 Fresh Blackberries

5 Large Mint Leaves

2 Ounces of Frey Ranch Bourbon

 Ounce of Simple Syrup

1 Ounce Club Soda

To learn more about Frey Ranch Distillery, visit freyranch.com and follow Frey Ranch Distillery on social media.

Instagram: @freyranchdistillery | Facebook: @freyranchdistillery | Twitter: @freyranch

ABOUT FREY RANCH DISTILLERY:

Frey Ranch Distillery was founded in 2006 by Colby and Ashley Frey on the Frey family's 1,500-acre farm in Fallon, Nevada. The family has a deep history of farming in Northern Nevada that dates back over 150 years and continues today with Frey Ranch Distillery, one of only a few distilleries in the world to grow 100% of its whiskey grains on-site. Frey Ranch is a year-round working farm that also offers tours and tastings to the public every Saturday from 12 to 4 p.m. To learn more, visit freyranch.com.

SOURCE Frey Ranch Distillery
WAUKESHA, Wis., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Generac Holdings Inc. (NYSE: GNRC) ("Generac"), a leading global designer, manufacturer and provider of energy technology solutions and other power products, today announced that, effective immediately, the Company is temporarily suspending its branch operations and sales in Russia.

"Generac joins the global community in denouncing the Russian regime's attacks on Ukraine," said Aaron Jagdfeld, president and chief executive officer of Generac. "Our hearts go out to the Ukrainian people, and we stand in solidarity with others around the world in calling for peace."

Sales in Russia comprise less than 1% of Generac's total revenue, and the impact on the Company's financial results is not expected to be material.

Generac does not have any employees stationed in Ukraine.

About Generac

Generac Power Systems, Inc. (NYSE: GNRC) is a leading energy technology company that provides advanced power grid software solutions, backup and prime power systems for home and industrial applications, solar + battery storage solutions, virtual power plant platforms and engine- and battery-powered tools and equipment. Founded in 1959, Generac introduced the first affordable backup generator and later created the category of automatic home standby generator - a market in which nearly eight of ten generators sold is a Generac. The company is committed to sustainable, cleaner energy products poised to revolutionize the 21st century electrical grid.

Contact: Tami Kou

262-544-4811 Ext. 3950

[email protected]

SOURCE Generac Power Systems, Inc.
GOTEBORG, Sweden, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Getinge is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a new Anesthesia contract from Premier, Inc. a leading healthcare improvement company in the United States. The Flow Family's innovative technology provides personalized anesthesia to cover the needs of all types of surgeries and patients.

Premier Inc. is a healthcare improvement company uniting an alliance of approximately 4,400 U.S. hospitals and health systems and more than 225,000 other providers and organizations.

"Premier awarding Getinge this contract is an important milestone for our anesthesia product line. This is the first time we are able to provide Premier members access to Flow Family Anesthesia machines at a contract rate," said Patricia Fitch, President, North America.

Getinge worked closely with clinicians to develop these anesthesia machines designed to facilitate personalization with patient safety in mind. With an intuitive interface, emphasis on ease of use, smart design, and a high level of automation, the Flow Family brings personalized anesthesia delivery and smooth workflow to the operating room.

"Easier access to Flow Family Anesthesia machines means that Premier members benefit from our innovative technology while providing personalized anesthesia to all their patients, but especially to their most challenging patients, neonates and the morbidly obese." said Patricia Fitch.

Every detail of the machines has been meticulously designed to help ensure optimal care with high efficiency. The Flow-e and Flow-c come equipped with the MAC Brain indicator. This unique technology visualizes the difference in agent concentration between the lungs and target organ, the brain.2 The reliability of the data places anesthesiologists in control, allowing planning and delivery of more efficient agent dosing. All models in Getinge's Flow Family include O 2 Guard, the world's first active hypoxia prevention system.3,4 O 2 Guard automatically overrules the settings and increases the flow of oxygen if the inspired oxygen level drops below 21%, minimizing the risk of hypoxia in challenging patient types.4 These innovations provide a smart workspace that makes work more manageable in the busy OR environment.

Read more about Getinge's Flow-e and Flow-c anesthesia machines.

1. Above 1 year of age  see indications for use

2. Hendrickx JFA, De Wolf AM, De Hert S. O2, anybody? Eur J Anaesthesiol. 2015 Jun;32(6):371-3. Hypoxic guard systems  how safe are they? An interview with Dr Jan Hendrickx, Aalst Belgium, MX-6295, Rev03.

4. De Cooman, S, Schollaert C, Hendrickx JFA, et al. Hypoxic guard systems do not prevent rapid hypoxic inspired mixture formation. J Clin Monit Comput. 2015 Aug;29(4):491-7.

Media contact:

Ampy Vasquez

Director, Marketing Communications

862-221-4626

[email protected]

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/getinge/r/getinge-awarded-a-contract-with-premier--inc-for-flow-family-anesthesia-machines,c3520187

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/942/3520187/1545377.pdf Getinge awarded contract with Premier Inc for Flow Family Anesthesia machines https://news.cision.com/getinge/i/getinge-awarded-flow-anesthesia-contract-with-premier-,c3020356 Getinge Awarded Flow Anesthesia contract with Premier

SOURCE Getinge
By Yu Xiaoxuan

The Iranian nuclear deal cannot be postponed any longer, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasized during his visit to Israel on March 2.

March 2 was the deadline for relevant parties to reach a new deal. However, their wide divergences have once again protracted the negotiations on resuming the deal. At present, the negotiations have come to the most critical stage, especially under the circumstances that Europes security and stability has been on the hazard, and oil price skyrocketing worldwide with the escalated conflicts between Russia and Ukraine. People are worried that failed Vienna talks might lead to a nuclear arms race in the Middle East and further jeopardize world peace and stability.

On March 1, Iran pointed out that before a new nuclear deal could be reached, three key issues waited to be solved  the scope of sanctions that the US will lift, whether to halt the probe of uranium traces discovered at undeclared sites, and whether the US will promise not to quit the deal again  on which neither the US nor Europe has made a political decision yet. Washington didnt want to commit itself to the third issue proposed by Iran because, as the Biden administration claimed, there is no way to legally bind a future president to abide by the deal, which is the most difficult part of the negotiations.

According to Jin Liangxiang, associate researcher at Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, what Iran really wants is to avoid any uncertainty after a deal is signed so that it will not have to worry about US sanctions for a long time to come and its foreign economic activities and economic development plans wont be disrupted.

Before Russian President Putin ordered the special military operations toward Ukraine on February 24, resuming negotiations on the Iranian nuclear deal was considered the most pressing diplomatic priority for western countries. Yet, the escalated conflicts between Russia and Ukraine in the past two weeks have made many people uncertain about the destiny of the deal. Its hard to believe that, in the middle of the Ukraine crisis, diplomats from the West and Russia are able to have friendly and calm negotiations toward the same goal in Vienna.

As far as American strategy is concerned, the US needs the Iranian nuclear deal partly because of its so-called Indo-Pacific strategy and partly for the nosediving US-Russia relation. According to Liu Zhongmin, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, Americas current Middle East strategy, whether the withdrawal from Afghanistan or the resumption of the Iranian deal, is aimed at cutting its engagement in the region in order to focus more on the contention with China in the Indo-Pacific and with Russia in Europe.

On a practical note, the new deal may be able to ease Americas current plight caused by the soaring oil price, but in the long run, no new deal would be as valuable as the one concluded in 2015 for two reasons. On the one hand, compared with years ago, Iran has now used more advanced centrifuges and achieved, as the West believes, major technological progress. On the other hand, the new deal wont in any way affect Iranian expanding influence in the Middle East.

Seeing that maximum pressure hasnt taken any effect on Iran, many of Americas Gulf allies that used to object to the deal are singing a different tune now, and Middle Eastern countries have engaged in long-awaited pragmatic dialogues since 2021. Gulf countries begin to engage with Iran, Turkey is breaking the ice with Gulf countries, Egypt and Israel, and UAE chooses to reconcile with Syria  the theme in the Middle East is shifting from competition to pragmatic cooperation.

According to Liu, a new Iranian nuclear deal will temporarily mitigate the US-Iran relation and urge Israel to adjust its Iran policy, thus paving the way for easing the Middle Eastern tension in the past year. In the long term, however, the US-Iran relation, which involves both geopolitics and ideology, cannot be patched up with a piece of paper.

In any case, the new deal wont be able to dispel the deep-seated mistrust between Washington and Tehran that has been building up over more than 40 years since 1979, said Liu, adding that the two countries are far from reaching a real reconciliation. The new deal is just a technical arrangement for the current phase and is by no means the cure-all that will make all concerns over the Iranian nuclear issue go away.

Editor's note: This article is originally published on www.thepaper.cn, and is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
NEW DELHI, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Over 3,000 dilapidated schools buildings have been demolished and the construction of new ones was underway, Indian local government officials said Tuesday.

According to local government minister for education in southern Tamil Nadu state, Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, the funds were being allocated for the construction of new school buildings.

"Most of the 3,030 damaged school buildings across the state have been demolished and work is on to build new ones in their place," Poyyamozhi told the media. "Until the buildings are ready, students will be accommodated elsewhere so their education is not affected."

During the recent rains, some old school buildings that were in dilapidated condition collapsed in the state. Local media reported four children were killed after a school wall crashed on them in one such incident.

Last month the local government ordered the reopening of schools in the state following a decrease in COVID-19 cases.

The schools were reopened for in-person classes after almost two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 
DUBLIN, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Elevator Modernization Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global elevator modernization market reached a value of US$ 8.13 Billion in 2021. Looking forward, the publisher expects the market to reach a value of US$ 11.59 Billion by 2027 exhibiting a CAGR of 5.60% during 2022-2027. Keeping in mind the uncertainties of COVID-19, we are continuously tracking and evaluating the direct as well as the indirect influence of the pandemic on different end use sectors. These insights are included in the report as a major market contributor.

Elevator modernization, also known as lift modernization, refers to the process of upgrading the critical parts of an elevator. The process usually involves modernizing the controller equipment, motors, hoist machines, buttons, and electrical wiring. It enhances the overall safety, performance, and aesthetics of the equipment. It also assists in improving the operational efficiency and reliability of the elevators while reducing energy costs and minimizing electromagnetic noise. In recent years, elevator modernization has gained traction across the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors since it helps eliminate problems, such as breakdowns, slow mobility, and frequent maintenance.

Elevator Modernization Market Trends:

Elevator modernization extends the life of the existing elevators and improves passenger safety and comfort. Due to this, there has been a growing need for an efficient mobility system within buildings, representing the primary factor driving the market growth. Besides this, the rising safety concerns in elevators in high-rise buildings, and the expanding working population, are augmenting the demand for elevator modernization.

Additionally, governments of various nations are taking favorable initiatives for the construction and renovation of buildings due to the aging urban infrastructure. This, in confluence with the increasing investments in the commercial sector, such as hospitals, shopping malls, and airports, is propelling the market growth. Furthermore, the rising commercial usage of elevators is encouraging manufacturers to develop technologically advanced product variants that are faster, more energy-efficient, and compact. Other factors, including the escalating demand for modern amenities, rapid urbanization and industrialization, improving living standards, and rising consumer expenditure capacities, are also creating a positive market outlook.



Key Market Segmentation:

The publisher provides an analysis of the key trends in each sub-segment of the global elevator modernization market, along with forecasts at the global, regional and country level from 2022-2027. Our report has categorized the market based on elevator type, modernization type, components and end user.



Breakup by Elevator Type:

Traction Elevator

Hydraulic Elevator

Breakup by Modernization Type:

Partial Modernization

Full Modernization

Breakup by Components:

Controllers

Door Equipment

Cabin Enclosures

Signaling Fixtures

Power Units

Others

Breakup by End User:

Residential

Commercial

Industrial

Breakup by Region:

North America

United States

Canada

Asia-Pacific

China

Japan

India

South Korea

Australia

Indonesia

Others

Europe

Germany

France

United Kingdom

Italy

Spain

Russia

Others

Latin America

Brazil

Mexico

Others

Middle East and Africa

Competitive Landscape:

The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined along with the profiles of the key players being Champion Elevator Corporation, Fujitec Co. Ltd, Hitachi Ltd, Hyundai Elevator Co. Ltd., Kone Oyj, Liberty Elevator Corporation, Mid-American Elevator, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Olympia Elevators Pvt. Ltd., Pincus Elevator Company Inc., Schindler Group and Stanley Elevator Company Inc.



Key Questions Answered in this Report:

How has the global elevator modernization market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years?

What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global elevator modernization market?

What are the key regional markets?

What is the breakup of the market based on the elevator type?

What is the breakup of the market based on the modernization type?

What is the breakup of the market based on the components?

What is the breakup of the market based on the end user?

What are the various stages in the value chain of the industry?

What are the key driving factors and challenges in the industry?

What is the structure of the global elevator modernization market and who are the key players?

What is the degree of competition in the industry?

Key Topics Covered:



1 Preface



2 Scope and Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Introduction

4.1 Overview

4.2 Key Industry Trends



5 Global Elevator Modernization Market

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Market Performance

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Market Forecast



6 Market Breakup by Elevator Type

6.1 Traction Elevator

6.1.1 Market Trends

6.1.2 Market Forecast

6.2 Hydraulic Elevator

6.2.1 Market Trends

6.2.2 Market Forecast



7 Market Breakup by Modernization Type

7.1 Partial Modernization

7.1.1 Market Trends

7.1.2 Market Forecast

7.2 Full Modernization

7.2.1 Market Trends

7.2.2 Market Forecast



8 Market Breakup by Components

8.1 Controllers

8.1.1 Market Trends

8.1.2 Market Forecast

8.2 Door Equipment

8.2.1 Market Trends

8.2.2 Market Forecast

8.3 Cabin Enclosures

8.3.1 Market Trends

8.3.2 Market Forecast

8.4 Signaling Fixtures

8.4.1 Market Trends

8.4.2 Market Forecast

8.5 Power Units

8.5.1 Market Trends

8.5.2 Market Forecast

8.6 Others

8.6.1 Market Trends

8.6.2 Market Forecast



9 Market Breakup by End User

9.1 Residential

9.1.1 Market Trends

9.1.2 Market Forecast

9.2 Commercial

9.2.1 Market Trends

9.2.2 Market Forecast

9.3 Industrial

9.3.1 Market Trends

9.3.2 Market Forecast



10 Market Breakup by Region



11 SWOT Analysis



12 Value Chain Analysis



13 Porters Five Forces Analysis

14 Price Analysis



15 Competitive Landscape

15.1 Market Structure

15.2 Key Players

15.3 Profiles of Key Players

15.3.1 Champion Elevator Corporation

15.3.1.1 Company Overview

15.3.1.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.2 Fujitec Co. Ltd

15.3.2.1 Company Overview

15.3.2.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.2.3 Financials

15.3.3 Hitachi Ltd

15.3.3.1 Company Overview

15.3.3.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.3.3 Financials

15.3.3.4 SWOT Analysis

15.3.4 Hyundai Elevator Co. Ltd.

15.3.4.1 Company Overview

15.3.4.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.4.3 Financials

15.3.5 Kone Oyj

15.3.5.1 Company Overview

15.3.5.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.5.3 Financials

15.3.6 Liberty Elevator Corporation

15.3.6.1 Company Overview

15.3.6.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.7 Mid-American Elevator

15.3.7.1 Company Overview

15.3.7.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.8 Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

15.3.8.1 Company Overview

15.3.8.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.8.3 Financials

15.3.8.4 SWOT Analysis

15.3.9 Olympia Elevators Pvt. Ltd.

15.3.9.1 Company Overview

15.3.9.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.10 Pincus Elevator Company Inc.

15.3.10.1 Company Overview

15.3.10.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.11 Schindler Group

15.3.11.1 Company Overview

15.3.11.2 Product Portfolio

15.3.11.3 Financials

15.3.11.4 SWOT Analysis

15.3.12 Stanley Elevator Company Inc.

15.3.12.1 Company Overview

15.3.12.2 Product Portfolio

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/xofw10

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets
Get a free sample of this data, download our sample report: https://spendedge.com/procurement-report/industrial-gases-sourcing-and-procurement-intelligence-report

Who are the Top Suppliers in the Industrial Gases Market?

The report analyzes the market's competitive landscape and offers information on several top suppliers. Some of the leading Industrial Gases suppliers profiled extensively in this report include:

BASF

Air Products and Chemicals

Linde

These are a few of the key suppliers in Industrial Gases market. Discover more about these vendors, including the detailed analysis of procurement strategies deployed by major category end-users across several industries while sourcing for Industrial Gases requirements.

Download a free sample of this report: https://spendedge.com/procurement-report/industrial-gases-sourcing-and-procurement-intelligence-report

What are the Most Adopted Procurement Strategies for the Industrial Gases Market?

The research includes a complete analysis of the most commonly used procurement strategies by buyers across sectors, as well as an insight into these strategies' innovation, regulatory compliance, quality, supply, and cost. Adopting these procurement tactics would enable buyers to minimize category TCO and achieve cost savings while sourcing Industrial Gases.

What Are the Most Effective Price Strategy That a Vendor Can Adopt and What is The Forecasted Incremental Spend?

It is critical to monitor current and future pricing changes in order to maximize the value of the purchase. Price forecasts can assist in purchase planning, especially when combined with constant monitoring of price-influencing factors. The market expects an incremental spend of USD 39.46 billion over the forecast period as a result of several market drivers prevalent across multiple geographies. In addition, the sourcing and procurement report discusses different cost-cutting factors by analyzing the following criteria:

Identify favorable opportunities in Industrial Gases TCO (total cost of ownership)

Expected changes in price forecast and factors driving the current and future price changes

Identify pricing models that offer the most rewarding opportunities

Download the free sample report to get detailed insights into few more pricing strategies.

Which are the Key Regions for Industrial Gases Market?

The Industrial Gases market will register an incremental spend of about USD 39.46 billion during the forecast period. However, only a few regions will drive the majority of this growth. Moreover, on the supply side, North America, Europe, and APAC will have the maximum influence owing to the supplier base. The growth is expected to be primarily driven by increasing demand and adoption of the category across those few regions.

To get more information on the volume drivers that are driving the adoption of the category across regions, download our free sample report.

Smart Procurement Starts Here:

SpendEdge's procurement intelligence platform is the go-to tool for companies looking to access latest procurement research insights and supplier data on an easy to use platform:

Subscribe now for free, to get instant access to over 1000 market-ready procurement intelligence reports without any additional costs or commitment.

Table of Content

Executive Summary

Market Insights

Category Pricing Insights

Cost-saving Opportunities

Best Practices

Category Ecosystem

Category Management Strategy

Category Management Enablers

Suppliers Selection

Suppliers under Coverage

US Market Insights

Category scope

Appendix

About SpendEdge:

SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions.

Contacts

SpendEdge

Anirban Choudhury

Marketing Manager

Ph No: +1 (872) 206-9340

https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us

SOURCE SpendEdge
DURHAM, N.C., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Goodwill Industries of Eastern North Carolina, Inc. (GIENC) has announced it will award $1 million in grants this year to various community service organizations throughout eastern North Carolina, including three county school systems.

GIENC's funding will provide these grant recipients with more opportunities to expand their existing reach and impact. The organizations that will receive GIENC grants in 2022 include:

The Family Resource Center South Atlantic / The Carying Place / Ship Community Outreach / TheGifted Arts / A Place at the Table Cafe / Durham Performance Learning Center / Outer Banks Dare Challenge / Esteamed Coffee / Living With Autism / Baptists on Mission / Boys & Girls Club of North Central North Carolina / The Women's Center / AMIKids Infinity Wake County / Wings of H.O.P.E. / My Kids Club / Families Moving Forward

Funds also have been pledged to launch life enrichment initiatives focused on youth in Vance, Bertie, and Bladen County schools, with additional support being provided through the distribution of hygiene and school kits to Tier 1 county schools.

"We're excited to partner with these wonderful organizations as they continue to shape improvements within their communities," said GIENC President & CEO Christopher Hash. "These grant recipients are already driving change through successful programs that complement our employment, education, and life-enrichment initiatives here at Goodwill.

"Our goal is to provide opportunities that transform lives throughout the local and regional communities we serve. These grants will act as a mission multiplier, providing needed resources to organizations and allowing them to expand their scope of service for the various populations they serve."

Hash said GIENC continues to explore innovative ways to partner with organizations to ensure ongoing and sustainable progress in combating homelessness, food insecurity, addiction, human-trafficking, poverty, healthcare disparities, and barriers to employment and education.

"As a broker of conversations, our goal is to ensure that we create opportunities for meaningful discussion, process-driven solutions, and quick strategic implementation," said Hash. "Those in need are often unable to wait for assistance. By partnering with other service organizations, we increase the scope of our outreach efforts while greatly enhancing our ability to serve others as needs arise."

About Goodwill Industries of Eastern North Carolina, Inc. (GIENC)

Goodwill Industries of Eastern North Carolina, Inc. (GIENC) is a Durham-based tax-exempt organization, focusing on employment, education, and life-enrichment opportunities in 51 counties within the Triangle, Sandhills, and greater Eastern North Carolina. GIENC is affiliated with Goodwill Industries International, Inc. (GII), a network of 155 community-based Goodwills throughout the United States and Canada. To donate or learn more information about GIENC, visit www.gienc.org.

SOURCE Goodwill Industries of Eastern North Carolina (GIENC)
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Google LLC today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Mandiant, Inc., a leader in dynamic cyber defense and response, for $23.00 per share, in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $5.4 billion, inclusive of Mandiant's net cash. Upon the close of the acquisition, Mandiant will join Google Cloud.

Today, organizations are facing cybersecurity challenges that have accelerated in frequency, severity and diversity, creating a global security imperative. To address these risks, enterprises need to be able to detect and respond to adversaries quickly; analyze and automate threat intelligence to scale threat detection across organizations; orchestrate and automate remediation; validate their protection against known threats; and visualize their IT environment in order to identify and simulate new threats. The cloud represents a new way to change the security paradigm by helping organizations address and protect themselves against entire classes of cyber threats, while also rapidly accelerating digital transformation.

The acquisition of Mandiant will complement Google Cloud's existing strengths in security. Google Cloud offers customers a robust set of services including pioneering capabilities such as BeyondCorp Enterprise for Zero Trust and VirusTotal for malicious content and software vulnerabilities; Chronicle's planet-scale security analytics and automation coupled with services such as Security Command Center to help organizations detect and protect themselves from cyber threats; as well as expertise from Google Cloud's Cybersecurity Action Team . With the addition of Mandiant, Google Cloud will enhance these offerings to deliver an end-to-end security operations suite with even greater capabilities to support customers across their cloud and on-premise environments.

As a recognized leader in strategic security advisory and incident response services, Mandiant brings real-time and in-depth threat intelligence gained on the frontlines of cybersecurity with the largest organizations in the world. Combined with Google Cloud's cloud-native security offerings, the acquisition will help enterprises globally stay protected at every stage of the security lifecycle:

Advisory Services: Mandiant's proven global expertise in providing comprehensive incident response, strategic readiness and technical assurance helps customers mitigate threats and reduce business risk before, during and after an incident.

Mandiant's proven global expertise in providing comprehensive incident response, strategic readiness and technical assurance helps customers mitigate threats and reduce business risk before, during and after an incident. Threat Detection and Intelligence: Mandiant's experience detecting and responding to advanced adversaries offers customers actionable insights into the threats that matter right now.

Mandiant's experience detecting and responding to advanced adversaries offers customers actionable insights into the threats that matter right now. Automation and Response Tools: Security operations tools within Google Cloud's Chronicle, Siemplify solutions and Mandiant's Automated Defense help customers analyze, prioritize and streamline threat response and leverage Mandiant's expertise as a virtual extension of their teams.

Security operations tools within Google Cloud's Chronicle, Siemplify solutions and Mandiant's Automated Defense help customers analyze, prioritize and streamline threat response and leverage Mandiant's expertise as a virtual extension of their teams. Testing and Validation: Mandiant Security Validation helps customers continuously validate and measure the effectiveness of cybersecurity controls across cloud and on-premise environments, and complements Google Cloud's Security Command Center to help ensure strong risk management.

Mandiant Security Validation helps customers continuously validate and measure the effectiveness of cybersecurity controls across cloud and on-premise environments, and complements Google Cloud's Security Command Center to help ensure strong risk management. Managed Defense: Mandiant's managed detection and response service acts as a seamless extension of customers' security teams, delivering continuous monitoring, event triage and threat hunting that's agnostic to customers' endpoint and network tooling.

"Organizations around the world are facing unprecedented cybersecurity challenges as the sophistication and severity of attacks that were previously used to target major governments are now being used to target companies in every industry," said Thomas Kurian, CEO, Google Cloud. "We look forward to welcoming Mandiant to Google Cloud to further enhance our security operations suite and advisory services, and help customers address their most important security challenges."

"There has never been a more critical time in cybersecurity. Since our founding in 2004, Mandiant's mission has been to combat cyber attacks and protect our customers from the latest threats," said Kevin Mandia, CEO, Mandiant. "To that end, we are thrilled to be joining forces with Google Cloud. Together, we will deliver expertise and intelligence at scale, changing the security industry."

As a pioneer in offering multicloud technology, Google Cloud's security operations suite will continue to provide a central point of intelligence, analysis and operations across on-premise environments, Google Cloud and other cloud providers. In addition, Google Cloud is deeply committed to supporting the technology partners of both companies, including the endpoint ecosystem. This acquisition will enable system integrators, resellers and managed security service providers to offer broader solutions to customers.

The acquisition of Mandiant is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of Mandiant stockholder and regulatory approvals, and is expected to close later this year. For more information, see Mandiant's press release .

About Google

Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. Through products and platforms like Search, Maps, Gmail, Android, Google Play, Chrome and YouTube, Google plays a meaningful role in the daily lives of billions of people and has become one of the most widely-known companies in the world. Google is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.

About Google Cloud

Google Cloud accelerates every organization's ability to digitally transform its business. We deliver enterprise-grade solutions that leverage Google's cutting-edge technology  all on the cleanest cloud in the industry. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted partner to enable growth and solve their most critical business problems.

About Mandiant, Inc.

Since 2004, Mandiant has been a trusted partner to security-conscious organizations. Effective security is based on the right combination of expertise, intelligence, and adaptive technology, and the Mandiant Advantage SaaS platform scales decades of frontline experience and industry-leading threat intelligence to deliver a range of dynamic cyber defense solutions. Mandiant's approach helps organizations develop more effective and efficient cyber security programs and instills confidence in their readiness to defend against and respond to cyber threats.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the ability of the parties to consummate the proposed transaction and the satisfaction of the conditions precedent to consummation of the proposed transaction; the ability of Google to successfully integrate Mandiant's operations, product lines and technology; the ability of Google to implement its plans, forecasts and other expectations with respect to Mandiant's business after the completion of the transaction and realize additional opportunities for growth and innovation; and the other risks and important factors contained and identified in Alphabet's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, any of which could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this release are made only as of the date hereof. Google and Alphabet undertake no obligation to update the forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

SOURCE Google Inc.
Capital Will Strengthen Halo's Balance Sheet to Accelerate U.S. West Coast Expansion Strategy

All Figures in Canadian Dollars unless otherwise stated

TORONTO, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Halo Collective Inc. ("Halo" or the "Company") (NEO: HALO) (OTCQB: HCANF) (Germany: A9KN) today announced that it has entered into a subscription agreement (the "Subscription Agreement") with Global Tech Opportunities 6 (the "Subscriber"), that provides for the issuance of convertible debentures (each, a "Convertible Debenture"). The Company intends to use the proceeds for general working capital purposes as well as to fund various organic and acquisition growth initiatives. The Subscriber is an investment fund managed by Alpha Blue Ocean ("ABO"). Halo is expecting that approximately $15-20 million principal amount of Convertible Debentures will be issued pursuant to the Subscription Agreement through the balance of 2022 to fulfill the Company's business plan, including the opening of Halo's three planned dispensaries in the Los Angeles area.

"The U.S. west coast cannabis landscape is under-going massive disruption just as the opportunity for stronger players is as great as ever," commented Kiran Sidhu, Halo's CEO. "This new capital will allow us to focus on shareholder value creation through strategic investments in retail and indoor grow opportunities in California, new products and increased distribution in Oregon and California, and packaging up and building out our functional mushroom and CBD businesses."

"Halo intends to open three marquee dispensaries in Los Angeles which will further augment the Company's valuation. The Alpha Blue Ocean team has confidence in Halo's senior management team and is providing Halo with access to capital to implement the Company's business plan in 2022 and beyond. We are excited to be Halo's financial partner to help increase value for all stakeholders", said Amine Nedjai, ABO's CEO.

The Subscription Agreement provides for the issuance of up to 24 Convertible Debentures with an aggregate principal amount of up to $65.0 million (including the Debenture Commitment Fee (as defined below)). In addition to the Debenture Commitment Fee, each Convertible Debenture will be issued for proceeds equal to 92% of the face value of the principal amount. The Convertible Debentures will mature on the date that is 24 months from the date of issuance and are convertible: (i) at any time at the option of the holder; and (ii) automatically at maturity. The conversion price of the Convertible Debentures (the "Conversion Price") is equal to the lower of: (i) $1.00; and (ii) the closing price of the common shares in the capital of the Company (the "Common Shares") on the NEO Exchange on the date immediately preceding the date on which a conversion notice is delivered to the Company (or, in the event of the automatic conversion of the outstanding principal upon the maturity of the Convertible Debenture, the maturity date).

In the event that the Conversion Price is greater than the average of the three lowest daily volume-weighted average prices observed over a period of fifteen (15) trading days immediately preceding the date of the relevant conversion notice (or, where no conversion notice is given, the relevant maturity date of the Convertible Debentures) (the "Theoretical Conversion Price"), the Company will be required to pay the Subscriber a make whole amount to compensate the Subscriber for the difference between the actual conversion price and the Theoretical Conversion Price (each, a "Make-Whole Amount").

In connection with the Subscription Agreement, the Company has agreed to pay the Subscriber a commitment fee of $5.0 million (the "Debenture Commitment Fee"), which amount will be added in instalments of $2.5 million to the principal amount of the first two Convertible Debentures issued pursuant to the Subscription Agreement.

Upon the occurrence of certain events of default or a change of control, as set forth in the Subscription Agreement, the Convertible Debentures may, at the discretion of the Subscriber, be redeemed in cash prior to the maturity at price equal to 105% of the principal amount then outstanding. The Subscription Agreement also contains provisions preventing the Company from issuing Convertible Debentures if (i) the issuance of such Convertible Debentures would result in the Subscriber holding beneficial ownership or control of greater than 19.9% of the Common Shares (on a partially diluted basis), and (ii) the issuance of such Convertible Debentures would result in the Subscriber (and certain affiliates thereof) holding greater than an aggregate of $10.0 million principal amount of indebtedness under the Convertible Debentures and pursuant to the amended and restated loan agreement dated February 8, 2022 between Halo and the Subscriber and any convertible debentures issued in connection therewith.

ABO was created in 2017 by Pierre Vannineuse, Hugo Pingray and Amaury Mamou-Mani. ABO is a young and dynamic investment fund manager with the mission of revolutionizing the financial industry by offering innovative financing solutions. ABO implements a direct, rational and efficient approach by offering alternative financing solutions. In other words, flexible solutions for listed companies also referred to as PIPEs (Private Investment in Public Equity). ABO has executed more than 75 transactions since its inception with financial engagements of more than 1.5 billion.

Further information regarding the financing can be found in the Subscription Agreement, which will be posted to Halo's SEDAR profile on www.sedar.com.

About Halo Collective Inc.

Halo is a leading, vertically integrated cannabis company focused on the West Coast of the United States and operates other emerging businesses in CBD and non-psychotropic mushroom functional beverages. In its cannabis operations, the Company cultivates, extracts, manufactures, and distributes quality cannabis flower, oils, and concentrates and has sold hundreds of millions of grams of cannabis in the form of flower, pre-rolls, vape carts, edibles, and concentrates since inception. The Company sells a portfolio of branded cannabis products including its proprietary Hush, Winberry Farms, Williams Wonder Farms, and Budega brands, and under license agreements with Papa's Herb, DNA Genetics, Terphogz, and FlowerShop*.

In Oregon, Halo has a combined 14 acres of owned and contracted outdoor and greenhouse cultivation. The Company also operates Food Concepts LLC, a master tenant of a 55,000 square foot indoor cannabis cultivation, processing, and wholesaling facility in Portland.

In California, Halo maintains licenses for extraction, manufacturing, and distribution. The Company has partnered with Green Matter to purchase the Bar X Farm in Lake County and plans to develop up to 63 acres of cultivation, comprising one of the largest licensed single-site grows in California. Halo is opening three retail dispensaries in Los Angeles under the Budega brand in North Hollywood, Hollywood, and Westwood.

Halo is also expanding into other consumer health and wellness categories expected to experience rapid growth in consumer demand, including functional supplements such as nootropic nutraceuticals. The Company has recently agreed to acquire H2C Beverages, a company focused on cannabinoids and non-psychotropic mushroom functional beverages, and entered into a distribution and manufacturing agreement with Elegance Brands Inc., to propel the national distribution of beverages, capsules, and topical supplements under H2C and Halo's functional mushroom brand, Hushrooms.

Halo has acquired a range of software development assets, including CannPOS, Cannalift, CannaFeels, and a discrete sublingual dosing technology, Accudab. The Company intends to reorganize these entities (including their intellectual property and patent applications) into a subsidiary called Halo Tek Inc., and to complete a distribution of the shares of Halo Tek Inc. to shareholders on record, at date to be determined.

Outside of North America, Halo is the largest shareholder of Akanda Corp. ("Akanda"), an international medical cannabis company whose mission is to be the world's leading platform for medical cannabis and wellness products. Led by an experienced global leadership team and guided by the highest ethical standards, Akanda is building a unique seed-to-patient model that leverages the competitive advantages of its cultivation campus in the Kingdom of Lesotho and a distribution marketplace and other innovative solutions designed to maximize patient access and choice. Halo also operates three Kushbar retail cannabis stores located in Alberta, Canada, leveraging its Oregon and California brands.

For further information regarding Halo, see Halo's disclosure documents on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information and Statements

This press release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and may also contain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only Halo's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of Halo's control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". Forward-looking information may relate to anticipated events or results including, but not limited to the issuance of Convertible Debentures, the payment of any Make-Whole Amount, the future payment of the Debenture Commitment Fee, the filing of the Subscription Agreement, the initial public offering and listing of Akanda Corp., management's plans regarding its portfolio of cannabis businesses, the size of Halo's planned cultivation facility in Northern California, and the proposed spin-off by Halo Tek Inc.

By identifying such information and statements in this manner, Halo is alerting the reader that such information and statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such information and statements. In addition, in connection with the forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release, Halo has made certain assumptions. Although Halo believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. Among others, the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information and statements are the following: inability of management to successfully integrate the operations of acquired businesses, changes in the consumer market for cannabis products, changes in the expected outcomes of the proposed changes to Halo's operations, delays in obtaining required licenses or approvals necessary for the build-out of Oregon operations, dispensaries or Canadian operations, the proposed spin-out with Halo Tek Inc., delays or unforeseen costs incurred in connection with construction, the ability of competitors to scale operations in Northern California, delays or unforeseen difficulties in connection with the cultivation and harvest of Halo's raw material, changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; and the other risks disclosed in the Company's annual information form dated March 31, 2021 and other disclosure documents available on the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information or statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.

The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and Halo does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking information and statements attributable to Halo or persons acting on its behalf is expressly qualified in its entirety by this notice.

Non-Solicitation

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

SOURCE Halo Collective Inc.
HONG KONG, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The international telecommunication services HGC provides to our global wholesalers and customers, including international voice, messaging and internet services, to Ukraine have continued to operate as normal, despite the turmoil the country is currently facing. The traffic is supported via international carrier interconnections that enable telecoms networks to operate as supported by the ITU regulations on international traffic flow.

HGC does not have any domestic operations in Ukraine. It provides international telecom services to global carriers connecting to about 400 carriers, MNOs and ISPs, providing global internet services to both consumers and corporate customers. HGC has been closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine since last month to ensure that international telecommunications service providers can maintain normal operations.

About HGC Global Communications Limited

HGC Global Communications Limited (HGC) is a leading Hong Kong and international telecom operator and ICT solution provider. The company owns an extensive network and infrastructure in Hong Kong and overseas and provides various kinds of services. HGC has 23 overseas offices, with business over 5 continents. It provides telecom infrastructure service to other operators and serves as a service provider to corporate and households. The company provides fully-fledged telecom, data centre services, ICT solutions and broadband services for local, overseas, corporate and mass markets. HGC owns and operates an extensive fibre-optic network, five cross-border telecom routes integrated into tier-one telecom operators in mainland China and connects with hundreds of world-class international telecom operators. HGC is one of Hong Kong's largest Wi-Fi service providers, running over 29,000 Wi-Fi hotspots in Hong Kong. The company is committed to further investing and enriching its current infrastructure and, in parallel, adding on top the latest technologies and developing its infrastructure services and solutions. HGC is a portfolio company of I Squared Capital, an independent global infrastructure investment manager focusing on energy, utilities and transport in North America, Europe and selected fast-growing economies.

To learn more, please visit HGC's website at: www.hgc.com.hk

SOURCE HGC Global Communications Limited (HGC)
CHICAGO, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hilco Global (www.hilcoglobal.com) announced today that it will donate $100,000 through it's Hilco Helps initiative to aid and support the people in Ukraine and its refugees that have fled to other countries.

Jeffrey B. Hecktman, CEO and Founder of Hilco Global said, "The attacks on the nation of Ukraine this past week have been tragic and unsettling. As a global company with offices across the world, we have watched in horror the unprovoked attacks by Russia on the peace-loving people of Ukraine and we condemn the killing of innocent civilians which has caused thousands to flee the country and leave their homes and lives behind."

Hilco Global, through its Hilco Helps (www.hilcohelps.com) initiative, is donating the first $75,000 split equally between Sunflower of Peace and United Help Ukraine, as they represent two organizations the company feels are having an immediate impact. On top of this contribution, Hilco Global is committing another $25,000 (for a total of $100,000) by matching $1 dollar for each like, repost and share on social media that highlights any of the philanthropic organizations listed below:

Gary Epstein, Executive Vice President  CMO at Hilco Global said, "To show solidarity and deliver assistance to the Ukrainian people, Hilco Global is calling upon our colleagues in the financial services industry, and our friends and family to join us in donating and sharing this message of support and solidarity on social media."

Epstein added, "We believe that by sharing our collective voice for good, we demonstrate solidarity with the people of Ukraine and can deliver critically needed help to the victims impacted by this crisis. We urge everyone to consider sharing and donating to these and other impactful organizations."

About Hilco Global: Hilco Global (www.hilcoglobal.com) is a privately held diversified financial services company and the world's preeminent authority on maximizing the value of assets for both healthy and distressed companies. Hilco Global operates as a holding company comprised of over twenty specialized business units that work to help companies understand the value of their assets and then monetize that value. Hilco Global has over a 30-year track record of acting as an advisor, agent, investor and/or principal in any transaction. Hilco Global works to deliver the best possible result by aligning interests with clients and providing them strategic insight, advice, and, in many instances, the capital required to complete the deal. Hilco Global is based in Northbrook, Illinois and has 720 professionals operating in 11 offices around the world and has large offices located in Amsterdam, Boston, Chicago, London, Mexico City, New York, Philadelphia, Sydney -AU, and more.

Hilco Helps (www.hilcohelps.com) serves as a Hilco Global worldwide initiative to support causes and not-for-profit organizations that help enhance the lives and maximize the potential of the world's most important assets: Human Assets. Through many Hilco Helps programs, the organization works to improve the lives of those in need (often children) in communities that are under served and require assistance to maximize their full potential providing millions of dollars of support (through in-kind donations, direct donations, and marketing efforts/sponsorship) to non-profit groups doing outstanding work.

SOURCE Hilco Global
Dominik Beckman, Director of Brand Experience for Hino, had this to say. "A first of its kind solution, Hino INCLUSEV keeps the dealer and customer unified through the ownership journey, leveraging Hino Truck's leadership in delivering the Ultimate Ownership Experience. Unlike other programs, our dealers are engaged every step of the way and consult with customers from start to finish. Our dealers will help determine if EV is the right solution for a fleet and if so, support in setting up what is needed - including a site evaluation, charging solution spec'ing, grant applications, end-to-end financing, installation, maintenance, optimization, and service. Our dealer network is fully equipped to ensure businesses can be electrified seamlessly. This is turn-key in its truest form."

This program is enabled by a collaboration of innovative front-runners in electric vehicle solutions that have teamed-up with Hino Trucks including ChargePoint, EnTech Solutions, and Mitsubishi HC Capital America The partners of Hino INCLUSEV share the common goal of simplifying and accelerating the transition to EVs by providing the best customer experience from first interest through ownership and maximizing ROI.

"Minimizing touchpoints by being centralized around the customer and dealer, Hino INCLUSEV uniquely eliminates the complexity, frustration and inferiority of searching out multiple third parties to achieve the needed solution," shared Glenn Ellis, Hino Trucks SVP of Customer Experience, who also expressed that there is more to come, "INCLUSEV is a solutions portfolio poised for evolution and expansion through innovation, integration, and partnerships."

This is why choosing and partnering with leaders in electrification is important in the success of the Hino INCLUSEV program. We partnered with ChargePoint, a leading electric charging solution company that offers the largest open charging network in the U.S and end-to-end electrification services from deployment to on-going support. Their expertise is unrivaled and allows Hino dealers to have a comprehensive level of support as they help customers electrify their businesses.

When it comes time to start planning your charging infrastructure, there's nobody better to align with than EnTech Solutions. They are nationally renowned for high quality EV infrastructure and are a full solution provider, delivering everything from the initial design work through installation. Once installed, they will work with you to ensure your system is operating at the highest efficiency. Additionally, their charging solutions are scalable and can grow with you into the future as your operations expand. EnTech Solutions provides a straightforward approach to charging infrastructure development, ensuring a smooth process while maximizing ROI.

The final component of Hino's INCLUSEV program is financing provided by Mitsubishi HC Capital America. As a long-time partner of Hino Trucks, Mitsubishi HC Capital America provides a collaborative, partnered approach to developing highly customized programs. They offer a single source of financing for the entire supply chain of EV transition from dealer site assessment and infrastructure development, to financing the vehicle for the end customer. A top priority is providing guidance to dealers and their customers for a smooth transition by aligning the necessary timing and capital investment with their goals, as they all work towards a more sustainable future.

Hino INCLUSEV will also create a new income stream for Hino dealers as they expand into infrastructure development and become technical service points. By having access to ChargePoint's leading charging network, Hino dealers now have access to ChargePoint's networked charging stations, beyond Hino Trucks' customers.

"We are clearly an industry in transition and as the marketplace evolves, so do we," concluded Beckman. "Hino is committed to navigating the future with innovation and a suite of products, including Hino INCLUSEV, that meet our customers' needs now and beyond. Speed, enablement, ROI and low stressthat is what we deliver with Hino INCLUSEV."

About Hino Trucks: Hino Trucks, a Toyota Group Company, manufactures, sells, and services a lineup of Class 4-8 commercial trucks in the United States. Hino Trucks is the premier heavy & medium duty nameplate in the United States with a product lineup that offers fully connected vehicles with low total cost of ownership, superior fuel economy, unmatched reliability and maneuverability and the most comprehensive bundle of standard features in the market. Hino is developing a full range of zero emissions vehicles to meet growing customer demand. Headquartered in Novi, Michigan, Hino has a network of over 230 dealers nationwide committed to achieving excellence in the ultimate ownership experience. Learn more about Hino Trucks at http://www.hino.com or follow us on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and YouTube.

About ChargePoint: ChargePoint is creating a new fueling network to move people and goods on electricity. Since 2007, ChargePoint has been committed to making it easy for businesses and drivers to go electric with one of the largest EV charging networks and a comprehensive portfolio of charging solutions available today. ChargePoint's cloud subscription platform and software-defined charging hardware are designed to include options for every charging scenario from home and multifamily to workplace, parking, hospitality, retail and transport fleets of all types. Today, one ChargePoint account provides access to hundreds-of-thousands of places to charge in North America and Europe. To date, more than 98 million charging sessions have been delivered, with drivers plugging into the ChargePoint network every two seconds or less. For more information, visit the ChargePoint pressroom, the ChargePoint Investor Relations site, or contact ChargePoint's North American or European press offices or Investor Relations.

About EnTech Solutions: EnTech Solutions, a division of Faith Technologies Incorporated (FTI), provides distributed energy capabilities, eMobility charging, innovative sustainable fuel technologies and asset management solutions for businesses looking for reliable, clean energy solutions. We utilize proprietary energy modeling and optimization software to ensure intelligent, comprehensive, and resilient electricity is delivered from an infrastructure that prioritizes the use of all available resources such as renewables, storage and the utility grid. We look to diverge from the traditional idea of energy to achieve energy independence and resiliency  for our customers, the environment and the generations to come. For more information, visit energybyentech.com.

About Mitsubishi HC Capital America: Bringing our consultative approach and expertise to customers of all sizes to help their businesses grow every day. Serving as a collaborative partner, we provide customized financing solutions for a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, construction, work trucks/transportation, IT, staffing, healthcare and clean technology/mobility. We are committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to improve the communities where we operate. Visit https://www.mhccna.com.

SOURCE Hino Trucks
"In high-cost markets like New York, it is essential to ensure housing stays affordable across a broad spectrum of incomes," said Jason Bordainick, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of HVPG. "This ensures families can build strong, lasting communities and the city can attract and maintain the vitality and diversity that make it so special. We thank our partners at the City, as well as HDC and HPD leadership, for their continued support of our preservation efforts by providing the tools to help these homes remain high-quality, affordable housing for many years to come."

Originally acquired by HVPG and partners in 2015, Keith Plaza and Kelly Towers comprise 311 and 302 units, respectively, all originally constructed in 1975 under the Mitchell Lama Housing Program. The properties provide homes for low- and moderate-income families and seniors. The $104.9 million recapitalization enables the Hudson Valley Preservation Fund II (HVPFII), HVPG's real estate private equity fund, to deploy equity and additional debt financing secured through the New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC). As a result, HVPG will be able to extend the existing affordability restrictions at the property by 15 years. The recapitalization also allows for Phase II of the $20M+ renovation to commence. Phase II focuses on improvements that will enhance the overall resident experience, including free WiFi and indoor and outdoor community spaces. The outdoor spaces are highlighted by a transformative landscaped terrace with lounge seating and an elevated, fresh-air activity area.

Existing partners HVPG and Phoenix Realty Group (PRG) will remain in place and HVPF II will enter the new purchasing partnership. Both properties are subject to a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Section 236 Agreement, and 282 apartments at Keith Plaza are subject to a HUD Rental Assistance Program (RAP) contract. At Kelly Towers, 268 apartments benefit from tenant-based Section 8 rental assistance vouchers.

"PRG, as part of its affordable housing business, is pleased to be part of the team that has both previously enhanced the properties with the Phase I improvements and plans to enhance with the Phase II improvements," said Ron Orgel, Managing Director, Principal and co-Founder at PRG. "The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted all New Yorkers and together with our partners, we are excited to continue to preserve these properties, meet the needs of the residents by offering high quality, affordable housing and enhance the overall experience for the families and seniors that call Keith Plaza and Kelly Towers home."

"The recapitalization of Keith Plaza and Kelly Towers will extend affordability another 15 years, while funding important upgrades and renovations throughout both properties," said HDC President Eric Enderlin. "This latest preservation effort reaffirms our commitment to the residents of Keith Plaza and Kelly Towers and is a victory for our city as we work to protect the affordability and quality of our Mitchell-Lama housing stock."

Los Tres Unidos Apartments (Los Tres) comprises 135 units and was originally acquired by HVPG and its partners in 2017 when one of the original owners  a local Harlem not-for-profit organization, Nuevo El Barrio para la Rehabilitacion de la Vivienda y la Economia (NERVE)  was looking for a partner with affordable housing preservation experience and capital to help them retain control of their community asset and invest further into improving the property.

Now, five years later, a $85.1 million preservation deal provides long-term capital for additional property improvements, including sidewalk and ground repairs, roof replacement, and free WiFi as a property-wide tenant amenity, while preserving the affordability requirements. Existing partners HVPG, NERVE, and NCV Capital Partners will remain in place, and Nuveen, an impact investor aligned with HVPG's mission to provide and preserve quality affordable housing, will enter the partnership, investing significant capital alongside HVPG's fund (HVPF II) to support the long-term preservation plan.

All of the apartments at Los Tres are subject to a HUD Section 8 contract and Article XI tax abatement regulatory agreement with the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD).

"Nuveen's business plan includes the implementation of a sustainable, social impact program for the residents of Los Tres to promote health and wellness and financial empowerment to achieve better outcomes with a focus on closing the wealth gap," said Pamela West, Managing Director of Nuveen's Real Estate Impact Investing group. "We strongly believe our long-term collective ownership can deliver a positive impact while preserving and maintaining quality housing for this community."

"NERVE continues to provide low-income housing and housing preservation for our community of El Barrio/East Harlem," added Robert Anazagasti, President and General Manager of NERVE Inc.

"It took quick action and swift insight to complete the initial acquisition of Los Tres Unidos Apartments and we jumped at the opportunity to work in the instrumental partnership of HVPG," said Keith Gordon, Managing Partner of NCV Capital Partners. "NCV Capital's goal is to preserve the identities of these rich and historic communities and safeguard residents who rely on affordable housing from rent hikes. Through this carefully crafted team of developers and partners, we are certain these goals will be reached."

About Hudson Valley Property Group (HVPG)

Hudson Valley Property Group (HVPG) preserves and elevates the quality of affordable housing in the United States. HVPG acquires existing affordable, multifamily properties and strategically invests capital to improve the physical, financial, and social vitality of each home. With improved operations and enhanced service offerings, HVPG properties deliver a better standard of living for its residents and stable investment assets. To date, HVPG has preserved over 9,500 units across more than 50 properties, serving more than 20,000 residents. For more information, visit: https://hudsonvalleypropertygroup.com/ .

About Hudson Valley Preservation Fund (HVPF)

Hudson Valley Preservation Funds are Community Reinvestment Act-eligible real estate private equity funds managed by Hudson Valley Property Group (HVPG), an owner, developer, and operator of affordable housing. We leverage our expertise and relationships to apply a traditional model of investing in real estate to this specialized industry, preserving existing affordable housing while ensuring each asset is optimally financed, renovated, and operated. To date, the Fund has utilized equity and capital to leverage more than $1B of investment into affordable housing.

About Phoenix Realty Group

Phoenix Realty Group LLC ( www.phoenixrg.com ) is a 20+ year old firm focused on multifamily residential properties with three primary business lines: affordable housing, value-added and new construction. As of December 31, 2021, PRG had approximately $1.5 billion in gross real estate assets under management.

Media contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Hudson Valley Property Group
LONDON, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Huobi Global, one of the world's leading digital asset exchanges, today announced the kick off of a special Primebox promotion to celebrate International Women's Day, which is held on March 8. The promotion will last from March 7-14.

International Women's Day is an opportunity for people to celebrate and appreciate the advancements and successes of women throughout history. This particular promotion is designed to raise female engagement in the blockchain and cryptocurrency industries. A recent survey by Blockfi in the U.S. showed that while 24% of American women already own crypto, 75% have only engaged in simple spot trading, meaning that they have yet to take advantage of a full ecosystem that includes earning interest and rewards or engaging in mining and staking. Only one in 20 had reported purchasing NFTs.

This promotion will leverage a unique, interactive user campaign to increase engagement. Users have the chance to win five types of cards, with each representing a different heroine and featuring a unique message. Users can complete a series of tasks to win heroine cards and open mystery boxes. A total prize pool of one million USDT will be divided up amongst the lucky winners.

For the five heroine cards, Huobi Global selected Marie Curie, Cleopatra VII, Mother Teresa, Florence Nightingale, and the archetypal Mother. These figures were chosen for their contributions to society, and to inspire young women to realize their own dreams and aspirations in life.

In addition to the million-dollar prize pool, surprise rewards will be given to ten top-performing female users during the final stage of this promotion. The ten top-performing female users will be invited to create and mint NFTs, and together with the five heroine card NFTs, the collection will be listed on Opensea for sale. Part of the revenue from the sale of NFTs will be used to reward the winners, and the rest of the proceeds will be added to Primebox's existing prize pool of $1 million.

Furthermore, Huobi Global will also launch a series of other events for Women's Day, such as a Derivatives Trading Contest, a Back to Huobi Futures promotion, Huobi Earn Featured, Welcome Bonuses, and four other activities.

This Primebox promotion will last from March 7-14. To learn more, visit: https://www.huobi.com/en-us/topic/activity-sf/guide

About Huobi Group

Huobi Group, a world-leading blockchain company, was founded in 2013 to make breakthroughs in core blockchain technology and further the integration of blockchain technology with other industries. Huobi Group has expanded its products and services to public blockchains, digital asset trading, wallets, mining pools, proprietary investments, project incubation, digital asset research, and more. Huobi Group has established a global digital ecosystem through investing in over 60 upstream and downstream companies across the blockchain industry.

SOURCE Huobi
DHAKA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The 36th session of the Asia-Pacific regional conference (APRC) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) kicked off in Bangladeshi capital Dhaka Tuesday.

The conference brings together 46 Asia-Pacific FAO member states and a wide range of observers such as representatives of United Nations bodies to discuss current country and regional priorities and pressing issues in the region such as the impact of COVID-19, the state of agriculture, natural resources management, food security and nutrition.

FAO officials said government ministers from 42 countries in Asia and the Pacific are expected to join in-person and virtual interactions to reach consensus inter-alia on the way forward, following the damage dealt by the global pandemic to lives and livelihoods of those involved in the food and agriculture sectors in the world's most populous region.

They said it will also pave the way to highlight examples of partnerships, innovation and digital technologies that are helping to improve food security and nutrition across the region as well as regional and global policy and regulatory matters.

On the first day of the conference on Tuesday, senior officials, agriculture secretaries and other high-ups participated in different sessions and discussed regional and global policy and regulatory matters.

"FAO 36th session of APRC is a unique opportunity for FAO to work together with its partners including the governments to promote one health and post COVID-19 recovery in relation to the transformation of sustainable, nutrition-sensitive and resilient food and agriculture system," said Aziz Elbehri, senior economist of FAO.

Bangladeshi Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will officially inaugurate the event at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC), which is also known as Bangladesh-China friendship conference center in Dhaka, on March 10 although the conference opened Tuesday.

The ministerial meetings will be held on March 10 and 11.

On the sidelines of the ministerial meetings, he said stalls will be set up for countries showcasing at the BICC.

"The government of Bangladesh has been so enthusiastic to support Food and Agriculture Organization's 36th session of the Asia-Pacific Regional Conference in Dhaka," Robert D Simpson, the FAO representative in Bangladesh, told journalists on Monday while meeting the press virtually ahead of the conference. 
"At Hyundai, we are committed to addressing the needs of Hispanic automotive buyers, and this award further validates that our class-leading vehicles are resonating," said Olabisi Boyle, vice president, product planning and mobility strategy, Hyundai Motor North America. "The IONIQ 5 has the perfect combination of impressive range, performance, charging speed, advance technology, versatile interior space and cutting-edge design coupled with one of the best warranty and maintenance plans in the industry."

"Hyundai is paying close attention to consumer automotive trends and continues to deliver on attributes that are important for Hispanic drivers and their families," said Ricardo Rodriguez-Long, founder and president, Hispanic Motor Press Foundation. "A core mission of the Hispanic Motor Press is to educate and encourage the adoption of clean and safe transportation, capable of reducing greenhouse emissions, and the Hyundai IONIQ 5 helps us achieve this goal."

Hispanic Motor Press Awards

The Hispanic Motor Press Awards is the only independent Hispanic awards presented in the country for the Hispanic community to help, educate, and pre-select the best vehicle options in the market. This year's jury panel is comprised of 23 national Hispanic journalists, content creators, and influencers who assess the vehicles while considering key purchase drivers for Hispanic families in quality, reliability, style, safety, and value.

Hyundai Motor America

Hyundai Motor America focuses on 'Progress for Humanity' and smart mobility solutions. Hyundai offers U.S. consumers a technology-rich lineup of cars, SUVs and electrified vehicles. Our 820 dealers sold more than 738,000 vehicles in the U.S. in 2021, and nearly half were built at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama. For more information, visit www.HyundaiNews.com.

Hyundai Motor America on Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

SOURCE Hyundai Motor America
The lifesaving screening for colon cancer, colonoscopy, at the age of 45 was postponed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic Tweet this

Nationwide, routine screening colonoscopy screenings remained 50% lower than pre-pandemic times, cited in an article by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in April of 2021.

"A decline in referrals due to avoided, postponed, rescheduled and even cancelled appointment, will impact the opportunity for prevention, diagnosis and early treatment. This interruption in care may very well lead to future later stage cancer detection," said Chapman. "I think we will continue to see an increased severity and a higher-stage shifting ripple effect over the next decade."

Scheduling a colonoscopy at the age of 45, watching for warning signs and issues, attending regularly scheduled check-ups with PCPs and OB/GYNs will help to ensure that pre-cancerous polyps and colon cancer is caught early.

About GI Alliance GI Alliance is a physician-led and majority physician-owned GI services organization supporting the needs of more than 660 independent gastroenterologists operating in Texas, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Utah, and Washington. Practices that are part of GI Alliance are focused on providing the highest-quality care to their patients. In addition to providing operational support for practices, GI Alliance is working to unite gastroenterologists nationwide by aligning interests and improving patient care.

Contact: Dee Dee Brooks

GI Alliance

214.998.3434

[email protected]

SOURCE GI Alliance
To help bring this to life, VINCI Airports, the world's first private airport operator, is partnering with blockchain-based non-profit, CODE GREEN led by Inna Modja - Malian artist, musician, and climate activist - and WORLD OF WOMEN, led by Yam Karkai, co-founder and artist of the highest-grossing women-centric NFT collection, featuring digital artworks of diverse and powerful women.

VINCI Airports will be presenting its passengers with artworks from digital artists Alexa Meade, Allison Harvard, Amber Vittoria, Diela Maharanie, Dong Lu, Elise Swopes, Inna Modja, Izzako, Jess Bianchi, Lana Denina, Laurel Charleston, Laya Mathikshara, Linda Dounia Rebeiz, Livia Elektra, Marjan Moghaddam, Roya Serwah Attafuah, Shavonne Wong, Synchrodogs, Vaby Vel, Zhuk and Yam Karkai. Some of the artworks were first presented at the World Economic Forum, raising more than $250,000 for women-led climate solutions for the Great Green Wall - an African-led initiative growing an 8000km wall of trees across the width of the Continent from Senegal to Djibouti.

This initiative reminds how much the airport sector, and mobility in general, positively contribute to cultural openness, by enabling human contact and the discovery of others. The activation also highlights the linkages between technology, environmental protection and gender equality - with women and girls by far the biggest victims of the accelerating climate emergency.

The initiative shines a light on the unique role of women in that fight. VINCI Airports is accelerating plans by supporting the careers of women within its network. Women are making up 37% of its workforce and growingly hold leadership positions as airport CEOs in the Dominican Republic, Cambodia, Brazil, the United States and France.

Nicolas Notebaert, CEO of VINCI Concessions and President of VINCI Airports, declared: "We are proud to put our airports at the service of such a strong environmental message from women artists. This collaboration embodies VINCI Airports' strongest commitments: make transportation more sustainable and more inclusive. Diversity and gender equity are in the DNA of aviation: mobility brings people closer and helps to build an open world."

Code Green CEO Inna Modja said: "It's inspiring to see a mobility leader like VINCI Airports embrace the fight to decarbonize the transport sector and champion the role of diversity in its network. It made them a natural partner in showcasing these powerful artworks at airports across the globe on the occasion of International Women's Day, highlighting the linkages between climate justice and gender equality to a truly global audience."

World of Women Co-Founder & artist, Yam Karkai said: "At World of Women, we like to have an impact beyond the NFT Space. And we believe that this is an example of us realizing this, by being able to curate and participate in this first ever worldwide NFT exhibition, beside talented artists. We are proud to be achieving this alongside our partner Code Green, and with VINCI airports, who is accelerating its plans to support more women in leading positions, which is typically the type of change we want to see in the world."

For more information :

www.vinci-airports.com

@VINCIAirports

https://www.linkedin.com/company/vinci-airports/

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1761888/VINCI_Airports_IWD.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1759870/VINCI_Airports_Logo.jpg

Media contacts:

Code Green: Marco Conti, [email protected]

World of Women: Yen, [email protected]

VINCI Airports: [email protected], +33 6 34 78 09 36

SOURCE VINCI Airports
DENVER, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Inatech, a Glencore company, is an industry-leading provider of cloud-based energy trading and distribution software. Inatech has now entered into a strategic partnership with cQuant.io, a US-based analytics company that provides innovative and easy-to-use advanced risk analytics.

In fast-paced and complex energy markets, the ability to manage trades and to cover risks in real-time is more critical than ever. Currently, Inatech's intuitive energy trading and distribution system, Techoil, supports the needs of energy traders and fuel marketers. Now, with the integration of cQuant's powerful risk analytics capability, Techoil can offer "out of the box" risk analysis tools like Risk Reduction Value and Stress Testing.

Jean-Herve Jenn, CEO of Inatech commented, "The energy trading landscape is very dynamic and facing new market, operational and credit risks. The addition of new fuels and the partial automation of trading has vastly increased data volumes, reporting and complexity of trades. The management needs to be able to rely on accurate and real time risk reporting and the risk managers need AI-based decision support to create real value for businesses. We are confident that the integration of cQuant.io's innovative technology into Techoil will empower our clients with a seamless and complete solution. Moreover, unlike current counterparts, we offer the assurance of a one-stop solution and unrivalled customer support without the burden of expensive upgrades and product development uncertainties."

David Leevan, the CEO of cQuant.io added, "We are excited to partner with Inatech with whom we share similar principles and a vision to support the industry. Both cQuant.io and Inatech have built cloud-native, multi-tenant, SaaS solutions. cQuant offers sophisticated analytics and a large library of energy models. With this integration, we are confident that we will be able to help utilize data analytics to make the right decisions in this high-stakes, and time-sensitive environment."

About Inatech

Established in 2002, Inatech is a global pioneer in intelligent cloud-based energy trading & distribution and marine fuel management solutions. Part of Glencore, the world's largest commodity traderwe have a strong foundation for innovation, problem-solving and are deeply rooted in commodity trading. We serve the value chains across the energy and fuel markets with scalable, decision-support systems that help the traditional energy trading businesses in their transition journey from hydrocarbon to alternative fuels. Over the last 20 years, Inatech has established a legacy in the energy commodity segment with an expansive global footprint, research-driven innovation, and strong customer support.

For more information, visit www.inatech.com.

About cQuant.io

cQuant.io is an industry leader in analytic solutions for energy and commodity companies. Specializing in Total Portfolio Analysis, cQuant's cloud-native platform enables physical asset, financial contract, market simulation and risk management analytics in one place. cQuant is the leader in analytics for renewable, storage and other clean energy technologies. cQuant's customers have greater insight into their financial forecasts and the drivers of value and risk in their business.

For more information, visit www.cquant.io.

Media Contacts:

Inatech.com

Lakshmi Prasanna

Phone: +971 501432595

Email: [email protected]

cQuant.io

Noelle Demo

Phone: +1-888.313.0303

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE cQuant.io; Inatech
PHILADELPHIA, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Integral Molecular announces a partnership with Philadelphia FIGHT to provide financial and in-kind donations, as well as volunteer efforts to support healthcare access and equity in Philadelphia. An anchor of the Philadelphia biotech community, Integral Molecular has been an active community citizen throughout its 20-year history. Philadelphia FIGHT operates federally qualified community health centers that provide culturally competent and comprehensive health services to all  regardless of income, insurance, or immigration status.

Integral Molecular's mission is to develop and apply innovative technologies for difficult-to-treat diseases, and more recently to apply their technologies to combat COVID-19. The racial inequities in healthcare and beyond were brought into sharp relief during the pandemic. In 2020, Integral Molecular's employees collectively decided to help actively address these inequities, including through the mission of Philadelphia FIGHT.

"Integral Molecular has deep ties to Philadelphia, and for the last 20 years we have been proud to give back through local educational programs including the University City Science Center's BULB lab program, FirstHand STEM program, and the Wistar Institute's Biomedical Technician Training Program," said Sharon Willis PhD, co-founder of Integral Molecular. "We are excited to support FIGHT's vital mission and continue our commitment to the community."

Dr. Mario Cruz, MD, Philadelphia FIGHT's Director of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine has been working closely with Integral Molecular. When asked about working with the company he responded, "It's rare to find a community partner that donates not just money, but also time. In addition to the funds, they donated 60 hours of their time and energy, physically helping to beautify our pediatric and adolescent practices  and they donated 300 books! It's a genuine commitment to support our mission and it is very much appreciated. We are delighted to get to know this team, and the passion for healthcare that drives their research."

Companies or individuals interested in supporting Philadelphia FIGHT should contact Michael A. Marsico, Chief of Staff, [email protected], 215-525-0784.

About Integral Molecular

Integral Molecular (integralmolecular.com) is the industry leader in developing and applying innovative technologies that advance the discovery of therapeutics against difficult protein targets. With 20 years of experience focused on membrane proteins and antibodies, Integral Molecular's technologies have been integrated into the drug discovery pipelines of over 400 biotech and pharmaceutical companies to help discover new therapies for cancer, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and viral threats such as SARS-CoV-2, Ebola, Zika, and dengue viruses.

About Philadelphia FIGHT

Philadelphia FIGHT (fight.org) is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) providing high-quality medical care, including HIV and Hepatitis C primary care, pediatrics, family dentistry, gender-affirming care, behavioral health services, consumer education, clinical research, and advocacy for individuals and families from all walks of life and at every stage of life, REGARDLESS OF ABILITY TO PAY.

Press Contact:

Integral Molecular, Inc.

Soma Banik, PhD, Director of Communications

215-966-6061

[email protected]

www.integralmolecular.com

SOURCE Integral Molecular
"Tuwang-tuwa ang pamilya ko na mayroon na akong hanapbuhay, para mabuhay ko ang pamilya ko," Ricky Viguila, a fisherman in Palawan, shared upon receiving his boat.

120 more fishermen in the list are waiting for their boats.

This is only the first turnover. There will be many more to follow as Island Pacific continues to raise more funds for 120 fishermen in the waiting list. Small to medium-sized boats in Palawan range from $1,000 to $1,500, while large boats in Siargao cost $2,000. On top of the Filipino supermarket's fundraising efforts, Petix Productions is also raising funds for construction materials like plywood, marine epoxy, and bronze nails to repair some boats.

Any amount will be helpful in the recovery of these fishermen and their families. Interested individuals may bring their donations to any Island Pacific branch or donate directly via Island Pacific dedicated GoFundMe page for Project Simon Peter at https://www.gofundme.com/f/island-pacifics-project-simon-peter. 100% of the proceeds will go directly to building boats and rebuilding lives of affected fishermen in Palawan and Siargao.

Project Simon Peter will run until April 17, Resurrection Sunday, just in time for the culmination of the Lenten Season.

What is Project Simon Peter?

Project Simon Peter is Island Pacific Filipino Supermarket's fundraising initiative for the benefit of fishermen in Palawan and Siargao who lost their boats when Typhoon Odette hit the Philippines last December impacting 9.9 million lives and bringing $262 million (P13.4 billion) worth of agricultural damage.

Donate now.

[Island Pacific is supermarket chain dedicated to promoting Filipino Food and Seafood to the rest of the world. It is headquartered in Walnut, California and currently has 16 supermarket branches serving communities in California and Las Vegas.]

SOURCE Island Pacific Market
DALLAS, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jacobs (NYSE:J) was selected by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) as the Prime Designer for Penn Station Access, the largest expansion of Metro-North's regional railroad system in its history. Jacobs will design the expansion and support construction, which will be led by the Halmar International/Railworks Joint Venture (JV).

Penn Station Access will provide direct Metro-North service between the Bronx, Westchester and Connecticut to Penn Station on Manhattan's west side. The project includes the design of four new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible stations in the Bronx, 19 miles of new and rehabilitated track, four bridge rehabilitations and the modernization of signal, power and communication infrastructure. Jacobs will develop a digital model that will allow for the visualization of the complex interfaces between the different facets of the project, enhancing coordination and constructability, as well as communication with the myriad of stakeholders.

"This transformative program will create sustainable and equitable transportation options to and from Manhattan for Bronx, Westchester and Connecticut residents and communities," said Jacobs People & Places Solutions Senior Vice President Gary Morris. "By collaborating with MTA and Halmar International/Railworks JV, we'll be able to deliver another mega-project for the State of New York that also supports Jacobs' commitment to creating a more connected, sustainable world."

Penn Station Access will use existing infrastructure along Amtrak's Hellgate Line and improve regional connections at Penn Station to the Long Island Railroad, New Jersey Transit and Amtrak. This project will strengthen the regional rail system, bridge communities and provide new commuting options for Bronx residents who are currently underserved by public transportation.

The project is expected to be completed in 2027.

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good. With $14 billion in revenue and a talent force of approximately 55,000, Jacobs provides a full spectrum of professional services including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sector. Visit jacobs.com and connect with Jacobs on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements as such term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provided by the same. Statements made in this release that are not based on historical fact are forward-looking statements. We base these forward-looking statements on management's current estimates and expectations as well as currently available competitive, financial and economic data. Forward-looking statements, however, are inherently uncertain. There are a variety of factors that could cause business results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the emergence and spread of variants of COVID-19, the efficacy and availability of vaccines and treatments, and the related reaction of governments on global and regional market conditions and the company's business. For a description of some additional factors that may occur that could cause actual results to differ from our forward-looking statements, see the discussions contained under Item 1 - Business; Item 1A - Risk Factors; Item 3 - Legal Proceedings; and Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, and Item 2 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations; Item 1 - Legal Proceedings; and Item 1A - Risk Factors in our most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, as well as the company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company is not under any duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release to conform to actual results, except as required by applicable law.

For press/media inquiries:

Kerrie Sparks

214.583.8433

SOURCE Jacobs
SAN FRANCISCO, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Kentik, the network observability company, today announced the company appointed Libby Wolfensperger as its first vice president of people and places. She will oversee all aspects of the people operations department, including talent acquisition and retention, team and culture, and diversity, equity and inclusion.

"With global market expansion, Kentik is on track to double the size of our team this year. That's why it's so important to have Libby join us in this new role," said Justin Biegel, co-founder and chief operating officer. "Libby's experience with scaling high-performing teams will be instrumental to supporting our continued growth and recruitment efforts in a competitive talent market, while also progressing our company culture and advancing our people operations."

With her diverse, people-focused values to build and sustain growth-minded organizations, Wolfensperger brings nearly 20 years of experience in human resources (HR) leadership across industries, including gaming, manufacturing and telecommunications. Prior to Kentik, she served as vice president of people at Plume Design, where she spearheaded HR operations to contribute to the company's growth and culture. She has also held several senior global HR roles at Carbon, Clearwire, GREE, and Vodafone.

"I'm excited to join the Kentik team at such a pivotal time for employee growth and global market expansion," said Wolfensperger. "My focus is now on growing a culture strategy to attract and retain top tech talent, while also positioning Kentik as a fast-growing, inclusive company where everyone on our team can thrive and advance their careers."

"One of the many things that attracted me to Kentik is the company's belief to look not for individuals who fit the culture, but rather those who will continue to add it," she said.

As Kentik scales, the company is hiring globally for remote open positions in engineering, marketing, product management and sales.

ABOUT KENTIK

Kentik is the network observability company. Our platform is a must-have for the network front line, whether digital business, corporate IT or service provider. Network professionals turn to the Kentik Network Observability Cloud to plan, run and fix any network, relying on our infinite granularity, AI-driven insights and fast search. Kentik makes sense of network, cloud, host and container flow, internet routing, performance tests and network metrics. We show networking pros what they need to know about their network performance, health and security to make their business-critical services shine. Networks power the world's most valuable companies, and those companies trust Kentik for network observability. Market leaders like IBM, Box and Zoom rely on Kentik for network observability. Visit us at kentik.com and follow us at @kentikinc .

SOURCE Kentik
KTS specializes in providing complete OEM-approved aftermarket Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) services for operators of the Rolls-Royce M250 and RR300 series of gas turbine engines, along with related Honeywell and Triumph accessories plus component, spare parts, and field service support.

"Adding Rolls-Royce RR300 capability to KTS's overall MRO capabilities is the next step in PAG's long-term strategy to expand and strengthen the deep-rooted relationships we have built with key OEM's and customers," said David Mast, President & CEO of Precision Aviation Group. "We're now fully equipped to provide Rolls-Royce RR300 operators complete support which includes rental engines, modules and exchange services."

"KTS has invested over $2.5M to acquire complete rental engines, spare compressors, gearboxes and turbine modules along with upgrading two of our all-digital engine test cells," stated John Fraser, General Manager of KTS. "We are now Rolls-Royce certified to repair, overhaul and test the RR300 engine, and we look forward to providing this new capability to all operators of the R66 helicopter."

Precision Aviation Group (PAG) is a leading provider of products and value-added services to the aerospace and defense industry worldwide. With 16 Repair Stations, and over 650,000-square-feet of sales and service facilities in the United States, Canada, Australia, Singapore, and Brazil  PAG uses its twenty-two distinct business units and customer-focused business model to serve aviation customers through two business functions  Aviation Supply Chain  and its trademarked Inventory Supported Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (ISMRO).

PAG provides MRO and Supply Chain Solutions for Fixed and Rotary-wing aircraft. PAG subsidiaries have MRO and manufacturing capabilities on over 54,000 products in four vertical categories  Avionics, Components, Engines and Manufacturing / DER / Sub-Assembly. (www.precisionaviationgroup.com)

SOURCE Precision Aviation Group
Discovers three new target areas: Smoketree, Ironwood, and Wolverines

Expanded Acacia target to over 1.5 km of mineralized strike with new outcrop areas

Highlights from surface sampling include 1.0 g/t and 0.6 g/t gold

Expanded the existing Powerline target to over 2 km mineralized length

Collected 123 soil and rock samples while mapping previously undiscovered mineralized outcrop between the Imperial deposit and the Mesquite mine  assays pending

Commissioned follow-up man-portable drill program for Q2 2022

Mapping Program Highlights:

Established new vectoring strategy for detecting gold mineralization in areas with little or no surface outcrop exposure

Gold mineralization detected in numerous distinct Tertiary Bear Canyon conglomerates

Incorporated 130,000+ acres of lithologic mapping and data into regional geologic model

Integrated regional structural model encompassing an area over 2,300,000 acres

Established regional hand sample library to standardize regional mapping and allow high confidence identification of rock units

KORE's CEO Scott Trebilcock commented, "With nine high potential oxide gold drill targets identified to date, KORE continues to successfully develop the knowledge and exploration strategies to target and make new discoveries at the Mesquite-Imperial-Picacho district exploration project. The amount of outcrop and anomalous gold at surface continues to exceed expectations."

Regional Scale Interpretation

Gold occurrences on the Imperial Gold Project are primarily controlled by regional scale east to west and west-northwest to east-southeast trending thrust faults that have been interpreted across the entire 28km strike length of the property. These thrust faults bring the sheets of the crystalline basement closer to surface and within economically mineable depths. Along these faults, secondary and tertiary structural and lithological controls periodically create "hot spots" of gold mineralization, each generally 1 to 2km in strike length. Gold grade correlates strongly with degree of brecciation in all known target areas. Brecciation is generally tectonic in nature, although hydrothermal and volcanic mineralized breccias have been observed in some locales. Mapping efforts have revealed that late tertiary alluvial cover units are often mineralized with low grade gold proximal to mineralized gneiss occurrences. This allows for the indirect detection of mineralized gneiss occurrences that have little or no surface expression. Alteration styles observed across all prospect areas mentioned in this report are chloritization of mafic minerals, hematite +- jarosite +- goethite along fractures or brecciated zones, local to pervasive sericitization, kaolinite alteration, silicification, and quartz + carbonate veining.

Powerline Area Prospects (Powerline, Smoketree, and Ironwood targets)

The Powerline prospect area outcrop consists of two east to west trending strongly brecciated thrust sheets of mineralized conglomerate and gneiss, together totaling ~130m of exposure. WorldView-3 spectral satellite data indicated that these outcrops were within a large chlorite alteration zone. Detailed follow up mapping and sampling efforts have since established approximately 2km of mineralized strike length.

While the majority of the Powerline prospect area is covered by the Tertiary Bear Canyon conglomerate, several of these outcrops are strongly altered and mineralized, indicating that they may be overlying mineralized gneiss in the subsurface.

A person portable drill that produces nearly NQ sized core samples up to 30 feet depth will be used in Q2 2022 to further define this zone and improve geologic understanding.

Sandwich Target Area

The Sandwich zone was first identified in 2019 during early-stage reconnaissance mapping and is most notable for having the highest intensity of alteration observed on the property. This target area has a strike length of 1.4km and mineralization is structurally controlled by the regionally extensive, WNW trending thrust faults. The intensity of the alteration is primarily controlled by the degree of brecciation of the host rock. Mineralized veins were observed in the stratigraphically overlying and relatively impermeable Winterhaven Formation, suggesting that the Winterhaven may have acted as a lithocap to ascending gold bearing fluids.

This prospect area terminates against a large-offset strike slip fault, which transported a sliver of mineralized basement 1.5km to the south creating the "Acacia" target area.

Acacia Target Area

In April 2021, a batch of regional reconnaissance stream sediment samples yielded a 1.6km long trend of 12 samples assaying over 0.1 g/t, including one sample assaying 3.7 g/t and two additional samples over 1.0 g/t. Follow-up work led to the widespread discovery of visible gold flakes and nuggets, generally fine grained but some as large as 4mm. Mapping has delineated a 1.8km gneiss outcrop.

The Acacia target is interpreted as a faulted sliver of the Sandwich zone transported via the dextral Gatuna Wash fault. The mineralization in both zones is primarily controlled by E-W trending regionally extensive thrust faults, particularly the Gatuna-Sortan, Chocolate Mountains, and Copper Basin faults.

Wolverines Target Area

SWIR Geo-enhanced imagery, which combines infrared and visible light bands to graphically display differences in rock reflectivity spectra, revealed a ~1km long outcrop of altered and brecciated gneiss. This area is characterized by its widespread evidence of historical mining activity, such as old vibrating screen apparatuses, bulldozer activity, and abandoned camp sites. The prospect area remains dramatically under sampled, with follow up work scheduled for Q2 2022.

East Mesquite Target Area

In 2019, KORE executed a regional ground induced polarization ("IP") survey which interpreted a continuous regional scale structure connecting the operating Mesquite mine to the East Mesquite prospect area. The interpreted structure was drilled by Equinox Gold in September 2021 and resulted in their "best hole drilled year-to-date" with 78 meter of 1.2 g/t  see news September 8, 2021. Given that most of the target area is covered by late alluvial cover units, targeting will rely heavily on geophysics.

Ogilby Target Area

The Ogilby target area is notable for returning one of the highest assays on the property at 1.4 g/t. IP sections from Imperial to Ogilby show anomalies similar in size and character to those at the known Imperial deposit, strongly suggesting that the geology is continuous between these zones. Anomalous samples have thus far clustered along the northernmost line of geophysical anomaly, which includes a 300 meter long trend of faulted and mineralized Bear Canyon conglomerate. Follow up sampling is currently in progress and several assays are pending.

Sampling and Mapping Program Details

KORE has established a new methodology for mapping the Tertiary Bear Canyon conglomerate, which covers the majority of the property and typically overlies the host rock (gneiss) of the Imperial deposit. This new strategy makes it possible to detect gold occurrences in prospect areas that have little to no host rock exposure. By studying these units across the entire property, the program discovered that the Bear Canyon conglomerate can become mineralized through two mechanisms: 1) an offshed type, consisting of mineralized clasts of gneiss in a matrix that may or may not be altered 2) by pervasive fluid flow and/or quartz carbonate veining, especially along faults. Leading researchers were consulted throughout the course of the mapping effort, with one researcher making a site visit to help establish a framework for the program. Sampling of historic core has revealed that Tertiary Bear Canyon conglomerate in close proximity the mineralized gneiss host rock can also become mineralized contemporaneously and can achieve gold values above cut-off grade of the Imperial gold deposit. While the Bear Canyon Conglomerate does not appear to be as good a host rock as the gneiss, mineralized Bear Canyon conglomerate is an excellent indictor for being within close distance to both a mineralizing source and likely mineralized gneiss host rock.

Having the intact Imperial deposit to "tune" or "fingerprint" this method greatly enhances the Company's confidence to target new discoveries under the Bear Canyon conglomerate along the 28km trend. Both types of mineralized conglomerate units are observed near the Imperial deposit, both at surface and in drill core.

Areas that show trace gold mineralization can be followed up on by a person portable drilling system, capable of testing targets to depths of 30 feet. This program was successfully permitted and implemented in 2021.

In 2021, KORE's mapping team collected 94 rock samples and 29 stream sediment samples. Stream sediment samples collected averaged 4.0 kilogram in weight and were taken at an average depth of 0.4 meters below surface.

KORE is committed to operating within the stringent environmental and labour standards of California.

Figure 1 shows the new geologic model compiled from 2021 field work, scientific, and historic data, Imperial gold resource outline, the Mesquite mine, and the 9 property wide targets.

About the Imperial Gold Project

KORE owns 100% of the Mesquite-Imperial-Picacho District which consists approximately 31,000 acres of claims capturing the entire 28-kilometer trend from the operating Mesquite mine (Equinox Gold - TSX:EQX) to the closed Picacho mine and including KORE's Imperial project as depicted on Figure 3. In the District, gold is hosted in local fault structures related to a series of regional faults connecting the known District deposits. Those three District deposits (Mesquite, Imperial and Picacho) were discovered in exposed outcrops and from placer workings. The rest of the District is covered by alluvium and has never been systematically explored.

The Mesquite-Imperial-Picacho District centers on KORE's Imperial project. Imperial is a structurally controlled intermediate sulfidation epithermal gold deposit. The 100% oxide gold deposit is currently defined at 2.44 kilometer long and up to 0.75 kilometer wide and is open both along strike and downdip. It is hosted in a shallowly southwest dipping, amphibolite grade metamorphic rock suite along a west- northwest trending low-angle regional thrust fault system which controls the regional geometry of mineralization. East-west striking, post-mineralization normal faults control the property scale geometry of mineralization. Geophysical characterization of the deposit and regional controlling structures is an essential component of exploration for additional resources.

Imperial has a mineral resource estimate and a positive preliminary economic assessment effective April 6, 2020 with the following highlights:

Robust economics: US$ 343 million NPV5% post-tax with 44% IRR at US$ 1,450 per ounce gold

NPV5% post-tax with 44% IRR at per ounce gold Low capital intensity project with only US$ 143 million pre-production capital cost

pre-production capital cost Average 146,000 ounces gold per year over 8 years for 1.2 million ounces total production

Technically simple project: shallow open pit, run-of-mine heap leach with existing infrastructure

Value enhancement through Mesquite-Imperial-Picacho District exploration and resource expansion

The Company's NI 43-101 compliant resource and preliminary economic assessment is titled "Preliminary Economic Assessment  Technical Report Imperial Gold Project" effective as of April 6, 2020 and revised and amended on June 10, 2021, prepared by Terre Lane and Todd Harvey of Global Resource Engineering and Glen Cole of SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc. can be found under the Company's profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and on the Company's website.

About KORE Mining

KORE Mining is focused on responsibly creating value from its portfolio of gold assets in California, USA. The Company is advancing the Imperial project towards development while continuing to explore across both district-scale gold assets. Management and Board, along with strategic investor, Eric Sprott (26% owner), are aligned with all KORE shareholders with the goal of creating per share value.

On behalf of KORE Mining Ltd

"Scott Trebilcock"

Chief Executive Officer

(888) 407-5450

Investor Relations

Arlen Hansen, KIN Communications

1-888-684-6730

[email protected]

Technical information with respect to the District and Imperial Gold Project contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Marc Leduc, P.Eng, who is KORE's COO and is the qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 responsible for the technical matters of this news release.

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.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the future operations of the Company and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects", "intends", "indicates" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the future plans and objectives of the Company are forward- looking statements.

Forwardlooking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the strategy, timing and implementation of permit regional exploration drilling in the 28-kilometer Mesquite-Imperial-Picacho District ("Regional Exploration Drilling"); the timing of submitting Environmental Assessment report(s) for one or more areas of the Imperial project; potential actions, behavior or position of the Bureau of Land Management (the "BLM"); the underexplored and prospective nature of the Imperial Regional Exploration Drilling area; the results of the preliminary economic assessments for the Imperial Project, including future project opportunities, the projected NPV, permit timelines, the current mineral resource estimate, and the ability to obtain the requisite permits; the market and future price of and demand for gold; the opportunities of expansion at the Imperial Project; and the ability to work cooperatively with stakeholders, including all levels of government. Such forwardlooking statements, and any assumptions upon which they are based, are made in good faith and reflect our current judgment regarding the direction of our business. In connection with the forwardlooking information contained in this presentation, the Company has made numerous assumptions, including, among others: there being no significant change to current geotechnical, metallurgical, hydrological and other physical conditions at the Imperial Project; exploration, permitting, and development of the Imperial Project being consistent with current expectations and planning; the geological, permitting and economic advice that the Company has received is reliable and is based upon practices and methodologies which are consistent with industry standards; and other planning assumptions. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies.

Forward looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forwardlooking information. Known risk factors include, among others: the outcome of BLM's review processes for permitting, including the final outcome(s) of BLM's mineral claim validity examination(s) and administrative review process(es) with respect to the Imperial Zone, including a change to the findings from the mineral claim validity examination conducted in 2002 for the mill sites at the Imperial Zone, resulting in the Company having to move its future Imperial Zone project support facilities to areas that are not within the Indian Pass mineral withdrawal area; the possibility that BLM may require and/or conduct further mineral claim validity examinations with respect to the Imperial project, and the outcome and final determination of such examination could, among other things, invalidate one or more mining claims; the possibility that BLM or other governmental authority review of the Regional Exploration Drilling program, delays or changes the Company's plan for Regional Exploration Drilling permitting, which could result, among other things, in delays, additional project requirements, additional costs and uncertainty of meeting anticipated program milestones; the exploration drill program may not be completed as planned; the need to obtain additional financing; uncertainty as to the availability and terms of future financing; the possibility of delay in exploration or development programs and uncertainty of meeting anticipated program milestones; uncertainty as to timely availability of permits and other government approvals.

Additional risks and uncertainties are described in the "Risks" sections of (i) the Company's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2020 prepared as of April 29, 2021, and (ii) the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, both available under the Company's issuer profile on www.sedar.com.

Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

There is no certainty that all or any part of the mineral resource will be converted into mineral reserve. It is uncertain if further exploration will allow improving the classification of the Indicated or Inferred mineral resource. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability.

SOURCE Kore Mining
ISLAMABAD, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani security forces on Tuesday killed seven terrorists in an intelligence-based operation in the country's southwest Balochistan province, said a statement.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan army, said in the statement that the forces conducted the operation after receiving information about the presence of the "externally sponsored enemies of peace" in the province.

According to the ISPR, once the troops started the clearance operation in Turbat region of the province, terrorists tried to escape from their camp and opened indiscriminate fire at the security forces.

The security forces exchanged heavy fire in retaliation and killed seven terrorists, including two commanders, who were involved in recent firing and attacks on security forces.

"A significant cache of arms and ammunition has also been recovered which was intended to be used in terrorist activities," said the statement, adding that operations to eliminate such perpetrators of terrorist acts in Pakistan will continue and they will not be allowed to sabotage peace, stability and progress of Balochistan. 
"Ginseng is recognized for its benefits for our overall health. As the global leader in ginseng, we are committed to delivering a premium, high quality product to American consumers seeking to support their overall wellness. The U.S. market has a significant appetite for quality ginseng, and we are honored to be at the forefront," said Adam M. Goodman, vice president of sales at Korea Ginseng Corporation.

"With more of us working remotely, millions are sitting more and moving less, causing our legs to feel heavy and tired. Boosting healthy blood circulation is important for us. More consumers are searching for caffeine-free alternatives to get a natural energy boost without disrupting sleep. And we all want to keep our immune systems healthy and strong. KORESELECT focuses on these core wellness benefits," added Goodman.

KORESELECT products are made from six-year-grown Korean Red Ginseng and may promote blood circulation, boost stamina and support immunity. These products may also bolster cognitive function, support skin health and reduce inflammation. The KORESELECT product line includes:

KORESELECT Wellness: the capsules provide immunity for the whole family, improving blood circulation, memory, productivity and lifting mood and energy. The wellness capsule contains Theobroma Cacao Bean Extract, best known for its ability to help reduce blood pressure and energy boosting properties.

the capsules provide immunity for the whole family, improving blood circulation, memory, productivity and lifting mood and energy. The wellness capsule contains Theobroma Cacao Bean Extract, best known for its ability to help reduce blood pressure and energy boosting properties. KORESELECT Energy: a concentrated liquid stick supplement that helps provide healthy sustained, caffeine-free energy throughout the day. Containing six-year-old mature red ginseng root extract, the liquid stick helps enhance focus, energy, memory and mood.

a concentrated liquid stick supplement that helps provide healthy sustained, caffeine-free energy throughout the day. Containing six-year-old mature red ginseng root extract, the liquid stick helps enhance focus, energy, memory and mood. KORESELECT Immune: a concentrated liquid stick supplement that helps provide an extra layer of immunity. Alongside six-year-grown red ginseng, the liquid stick contains elderberry, a vitamin best known for its antioxidant levels and immunity support.

a concentrated liquid stick supplement that helps provide an extra layer of immunity. Alongside six-year-grown red ginseng, the liquid stick contains elderberry, a vitamin best known for its antioxidant levels and immunity support. KORSELECT Stamina: the capsules support men's healthy performance without unwanted side effects from chemicals. Made with all plant-based ingredients, KORESELECT Stamina helps recharge strength and stamina, provides long-lasting energy, supports fatigue recovery and blood circulation.

the capsules support men's healthy performance without unwanted side effects from chemicals. Made with all plant-based ingredients, KORESELECT Stamina helps recharge strength and stamina, provides long-lasting energy, supports fatigue recovery and blood circulation. KORESELECT Balance: the capsules contain high quality, plant-based ingredients that are known in Asia to help relieve common menopause symptoms. The unique herbal blend features Peony Root, Bamboo Leaf and Poria Mushroom. The botanical menopause relief helps enhance blood circulation, energy and productivity, support focus, memory and reduce irritability.

KORESELECT products are GMO free, 100% vegan, caffeine free, GMP quality assured and are made with zero artificial coloring, flavor, preservatives, dairy, fish, eggs and nuts.

Established in 1899, Korea Ginseng Corporation is a highly trusted and reliable ginseng brand and the most reputable manufacturer in the category. The global ginseng leader provides the highest quality, traditionally-harvested Korean Red Ginsengrecognized as the more efficacious form of ginseng.

Korea Ginseng Corporation follows an optimal sourcing process, taking two years to condition and prepare each field for planting, allowing each plant to grow for six years in order to reach its optimal state of maturity, and then allowing each field to rest a full ten years before replanting.

"Our mission at Korea Ginseng Corporation is to make people's lives better every day by providing them with the best, traditionally harvested Korean Red Ginseng products to support our everyday lives," said Goodman. "Our growth into the U.S. market is a priority to us, and we look forward to meeting with other industry leaders at Expo West to discuss our collective commitment and service to the American consumer."

Korea Ginseng Corporation is presenting the complete line of KORESELECT products at the Natural Products Expo West, in Anaheim, CA, on March 10-12 in Hall D, booth #4303.

For more information on KGC's KORESELECT line, visit https://kgcus.com/collections/koreselect.

About Korea Ginseng Corp.

Korea Ginseng Corporation (KGC) is the world's number one ginseng brand. Established in 1899, Korea Ginseng Corporation is a highly trusted and reliable Korean Red Ginseng brand and the oldest and most reputable manufacturer in the category. The global ginseng leader provides the highest quality, traditionally-harvested Korean Red Ginsengrecognized as the more efficacious form of ginseng. KGC's family of brands include KORESELECT, CheongKwanJang, Good Base and Donginbi. KORESELECT products are a plant-based, time-tested, natural solution for core aspects of health and wellness and may support healthy blood circulation, natural energy, and immunity as well as cognitive function, skin health and reduction of inflammation. For more information visit, https://www.kgcus.com/.

SOURCE Korea Ginseng Corporation
Students can apply directly through the NAACP scholarship portal through May 20, 2022 at Scholarships | NAACP . The applicant must be a graduating high school senior enrolling in a 4-year tax-exempt academic institution. Additionally, applicants must be a member of the NAACP and be a registered participant of the ACT-SO program. If awarded the scholarship, students must be available to travel between July 14-17, 2022, for the National Award Ceremony.

"Lancome launched Write Her Future with a mission to empower women through education, mentorship and employment to reach self-fulfillment and happiness," says Lancome USA General Manager Giovanni Valentini. "In the US, we are determined to further this mission by providing equitable educational opportunities for young women of color to ensure that all voices are heard at the table."

NAACP ACT-SO (Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics) is a yearlong achievement program that reaches over 10,000 college-bound students to provide a forum for young students to excel in business, STEM, and writing among the array of programs offered. The Write Her Future Scholarship Fund at NAACP in partnership with ACT-SO will consist of both in-person and online programs at local levels (over 200 across the US). Lancome will also provide mentoring and internship opportunities to the award recipients and continue to foster female growth post-college to ensure success.

On International Women's Day 2022, Lancome USA has activated a multi-platform campaign targeting potential student applicants, as well as those interested in supporting the brand's efforts with the NAACP. Lancome will launch a social media campaign featuring Brand Ambassadress Zendaya speaking candidly on female empowerment as well as several ACT-SO students also sharing their thoughts on the same topics.

At specific moments during the year, such as International Literacy Day and Giving Tuesday and the upcoming International Women's Day, Lancome will donate all the profits from online sales from www.Lancome-usa.com.

About Lancome

Founded in 1935 by the visionary pioneer Armand Petitjean, with the wish of spreading the spirit and taste of French elegance around the world, Lancome immediately embodied the essence of beauty. More than ever before, the brand aims to offer every woman the possibility to blossom and embrace her beauty and femininity whatever her age or skin color. Lancome is present in 135 countries, with about 20,000 beauty advisers in as many points of sale offering sophisticated services and iconic products to an international clientele. Lancome successfully combines scientific expertise, and an intuitive understanding of women's needs to produce major innovations, unique and complementary between skincare, makeup, and perfume. Lancome affirms that happiness is the most attractive beauty. To embody that the brand has chosen charismatic and fully accomplished women such as Julia Roberts, Penelope Cruz, Lupita Nyong'o, Lily Collins, Isabella Rossellini, Zendaya Coleman and Amanda Seyfried.

For more information, please visit www.Lancome-usa.com or follow us Instagram @LancomeOfficial, on Twitter @LancomeUSA, and on Facebook @LancomeUS #WriteHerFuture.

About NAACP

Founded in 1909 in response to the ongoing violence against Black people around the country, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation. We have over 2,200 units and branches across the nation, along with well over 2M activists. Our mission is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.

NOTE: The Legal Defense Fund  also referred to as the NAACP-LDF was founded in 1940 as a part of the NAACP but separated in 1957 to become a separate entity. It is recognized as the nation's first civil and human rights law organization and shares our commitment to equal rights.

For more information, please visit naacp.org or follow us Instagram @naacp.

SOURCE Lancome USA
WHITEHALL, Wis., March 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wisconsin-based Whitehall Specialties Inc. (WSI), a cheese industry leader founded in 1994, is now officially named Ornua Ingredients North America (OINA), completing an integration first announced in October 2021. This acquisition is central to OINA's ambitious long-term growth strategy.

WSI and OINA each have decades-long histories of providing food manufacturers, retail and foodservice customers with customized functional cheese solutions. Each is also known for nurturing long-term customer relationships, best-in-class technical expertise, innovative product lines and experienced teams that pride themselves on excellence.

More about OINA and WSI

An Irish dairy co-op, Ornua may not be a familiar name to most Americans. But they are likely familiar with the parent company's flagship brand, Kerrygold, the number-two selling butter brand in the U.S.

OINA custom formulates and manufactures a complete line of functional and nutritional cheese-based ingredient solutions for leading food manufacturing and foodservice customers across the U.S., Canada, Central and South America. The company has two production facilities in Hilbert and Byron.

WSI contributes its expertise in the development, application and manufacturing of a range of customized processed, analogue and plant-based cheese products in a wide array of great tasting configurations and varieties. The company also has long-standing relationships with food manufacturing, retail, and foodservice customers.

WSI's four advanced production and warehousing facilities, two in Whitehall and one in Hillsboro, WI; the other in Slippery Rock, PA., will now operate under the Ornua name.

The global cheese industry can expect even more innovation from this acquisition

Commenting on the announcement, OINA President, Rick Pedersen said, "Whitehall's expertise, product lines and strong industry relationships make it an excellent fit for OINA."

"This acquisition creates a larger global player in the cheese industry. We expect to see a strong growth trajectory as we capitalize on our shared technical expertise and innovation. With our market share and scale of operations increased, OINA has the added capacity and flexibility to support our existing and new customers' growth plans in new and ambitious ways."

What this means for Whitehall's communities

OINA has an 80-year history of being an employer of choice within the dairy industry, and affirms a strong commitment to the WSI communities in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Together with WSI's 500 employees, OINA now has an 800 strong team.

"Our cooperative ethos is at the heart of how Ornua does business," Rick added. "We are focused on developing and supporting our people and recognize that investing in talent underpins our success. Our mission is to create value for our people, customers and farmer shareholders. We call it Growth for Good."

Media Note:

For additional information or to schedule an interview, contact Media Relations Agency at 952-697-5220

About Ornua

Ornua is a dairy co-operative which sells dairy products on behalf of its members, Ireland's dairy processors and, in turn, Irish dairy farmers. It is Ireland's largest purchaser of Irish dairy products, exporting to 110 countries worldwide. Headquartered in Dublin, it has annualized sales of over 2.5 billion and a global team of 2,900 employees. Ornua operates from 10 business units worldwide, including 16 production facilities, and has sales and marketing teams working in-market across all four corners of the globe.

The Group is structured across two divisions: Ornua Foods and Ornua Ingredients.

Ornua Ingredients is responsible for the procurement of Irish and non-Irish dairy products and for the sale of dairy ingredients to food manufacturing and foodservice customers across the world. Ornua Ingredients is also responsible for managing volatility through de-risking and trading strategies. The business is supported by production facilities in Saudi Arabia, Spain, the UK, the U.S. and by in-market teams in Africa and the Middle East.

Ornua Foods is responsible for the marketing and sales of Ornua's consumer brands including Kerrygold, Dubliner, Pilgrims Choice, Kerrygold Avantage, Forto, and BEO. Markets are served by production facilities and in-market sales and marketing teams in Africa, Asia, Germany, Ireland, the UK, the rest of Europe, the Middle East, and the US.

SOURCE Oruna Ingredients North America
In addition, Yulgang Global is Korea's representative martial arts manga and its IP has been a popular series for 28 years, and holds records exceeding 6 million copies of global martial arts books, 7 million paid digital downloads, and 1 billion paid subscriptions.

Yulgang Global is onboarding to the Wemix platform to be serviced. The industry is paying attention to what kind of synergy will be shown by Wemix, which runs services across the blockchain and Yulgang IP, which is well-known to overseas users.

Yulgang Global applied Tigon Token (TIG), a utility token based on the Wemix platform and P2E currency crystal. Players can earn crystals through various contents and exchange them for Tigon tokens (TIG).

Additionally, Longtu Korea's subsidiary company Tigon Mobile is proceeding a Tigon token airdrop event before the launch to commemorate their pre-registration. 10 Tigon Tokens (TIG) will be awarded through a raffle to players who have completed pre-registration emails and certified Wemix Wallet. Maximum 100 Tigon Tokens (TIG) will be given to players who have shared a friend invitation link by the order of application, and 10 Tigon Tokens (TIG) through a community event.

Yulgang Global is scheduled for global release except for Korea, China, Vietnam and Singapore.

However, you can check the pre-registration page of Yulgang Global through Longtu Korea website.

*Yulgang Global Pre-Registration (https://bit.ly/3K6dEfy)

SOURCE Tigon Mobile
The event has become an annual showcase for the future of life science technologies as well as the latest in market intelligence. The event has attracted close to a thousand in-person attendees with over 200 presenting medtech startups being vetted by hundreds of investors and strategics.

LSI USA '22 will convene at the Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, CA the week of March 15. Having reached capacity the event is extending virtual badges for attendance.

The panel is made up of investors, innovators, and strategics to discuss where intelligent/digital surgery is today and where it is going.

The panel features the following thought-leaders:

David Uffer , Senior Partner & VP, Alira Health (Moderator)

, Senior Partner & VP, Alira Health (Moderator) Rachel Van Stratton-Kirk , Robotics & Digital Solutions, Ethicon (Panelist)

, Robotics & Digital Solutions, Ethicon (Panelist) Tal Wenderow, Venture Partner, Genesis MedTech (Panelist)

Julian Nikolchev , Senior VP Corporate Development & Strategy, Intuitive Surgical (Panelist)

, Senior VP Corporate Development & Strategy, Intuitive Surgical (Panelist) Daniel Hawkins , CEO, Avail Medsystems (Panelist)

"Perioperative processes and procedures are increasingly being digitized with the advent of data analytics and AI in Medtech. Digitization of surgery is being developed in order to capture data at an accelerated pace," shared David Uffer, panel moderator and Senior Partner and VP at Alira Health.

The Digital Surgery panel will explore how new technologies are capturing, sharing, and extracting value out of a data rich environment. High attendance is expected for the panel as investors are looking for answers on the current state and projected future of this new market.

"The evolution of surgery towards becoming more data-driven and digital, thus intelligent, has been a major area of interest for investors and strategics. We brought together the leading voices in the industry to cover what the future holds for investors and how the market landscape will change," commented Scott Pantel , Founder and CEO of LSI.

About LSI USA '22 Emerging Medtech Summit

Held annually in Southern California, the Emerging Medtech Summit brings together the industry's most innovative startups, active investors, and strategic buyers so they can connect, collaborate and build the future of healthcare. Learn more at https://www.lifesciencemarketresearch.com/medtech-summit-2022.

About Life Science Intelligence (LSI)

LSI is a market intelligence & consulting company focused on covering the global medtech and healthtech markets. We help healthcare executives make more informed strategic decisions by better understanding market dynamics, trends, opportunities, and the competitive landscape. https://www.lifesciencemarketresearch.com

SOURCE Life Science Intelligence
BOSTON, March 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Whistleblower Law Collaborative LLC is pleased to announce that the United States, individual states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have settled a False Claims Act case brought by its client James Landolt against Mallinckrodt plc and its subsidiary Mallinckrodt ARD LLC for knowingly underpaying Medicaid rebates for its drug Acthar. Mallinckrodt will pay a total of $233,707,865 (plus interest) in eight installments: the United States will receive $123,642,146 and the Medicaid Participating States will receive $110,065,718. In addition, Mallinckrodt has entered into a Corporate Integrity Agreement.

Mr. Landolt served as Mallinckrodt's Director of Internal Controls, Gross to Net Accounting and Government Reporting from November 2015 until July 2017. In that position, he learned that Mallinckrodt had been misreporting the base Average Manufacturer Price ("AMP") for Acthar to the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program (MDRP), which reduced the rebates Mallinckrodt paid to the MDRP by hundreds of millions of dollars.

Acthar was first approved by the FDA in 1952. In 2001, it cost approximately $50 per 5 ml vial. Since then, Mallinckrodt has increased its price to approximately $40,000 per vial. As a drug approved prior to 1990, Acthar's base AMP should have been reported using its price in 1990. Starting in 2013, however, Mallinckrodt began reporting data to the MDRP as if Acthar had been approved in 2010 (after the enormous price hikes).

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) notified Mallinckrodt in 2016 that it had been reporting an incorrect base AMP for Acthar and directed the company to correct its data reporting. Mallinckrodt, however, continued to report an improperly high base AMP, which deprived the MDRP of approximately $650 million in rebates from 2013 until 2020.

Mr. Landolt resigned from Mallinckrodt in 2017 and filed a qui tam action in 2018 alleging that Mallinckrodt's knowing failure to pay correct rebates for Acthar violated federal and state False Claims Acts. In March 2020, the United States intervened in his lawsuit; in June 2020, twenty-eight states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico also intervened.

In October 2020, Mallinckrodt filed for bankruptcy. On March 2, 2022, the bankruptcy court issued an order confirming Mallinckrodt's reorganization plan. Because of Mallinckrodt's bankruptcy, federal and state governments were not able to recoup the full amount of the unpaid rebates. However, Mallinckrodt finally began reporting Acthar rebates properly in 2020.

Mr. Landolt will receive a 20% share of the settlement amount. In reflecting on his experience, he noted: "It is easy to feel powerless in these types of situations. But individuals have a voice and the power to do something about wrongdoing, thanks to whistleblower laws like the False Claims Act." Mr. Landolt added, "I am very grateful to my attorneys Linda Severin and Suzanne Durrell for their legal guidance and moral support throughout the process. I also deeply appreciate the hard work and commitment that government attorneys and investigators brought to this case."

Mr. Landolt's attorneys applauded their client. Attorney Severin declared that "it was an honor to pursue this case on his behalf," noting that "Mr. Landolt's moral compass would not allow him to stand by and do nothing as Mallinckrodt continued to underpay its Medicaid rebate obligations by hundreds of millions of dollars."

Attorney Severin also praised the outstanding efforts of the government: "This case was fought on multiple fronts  in Massachusetts, where our client's qui tam case was filed; in D.C., where Mallinckrodt unsuccessfully sued CMS to avoid having to report Acthar's correct base AMP; and, finally, in bankruptcy court in Delaware. The Department of Justice and state Attorneys General Offices worked enormously hard to hold Mallinckrodt accountable and secure this victory for taxpayers." Ms. Severin especially commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan Panich and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregg Shapiro of the District of Massachusetts and Department of Justice Civil Fraud Trial Attorneys Augustine Ripa and Michael Hoffman, as well as Katie Wilson of the Wisconsin Attorney General's Office and C. Ian Garland of the Florida Attorney General's Office, who coordinated the efforts of the State Attorneys General.

The United States' press releases can be viewed here (District of Massachusetts) and here (DOJ). Further information about the case is available here.

This is the second major success for the Whistleblower Law Collaborative in a Medicaid rebate fraud case. In 2017, Mylan paid $465 million for misclassifying EpiPen as a generic drug to avoid paying the higher rebates owed on brand name drugs.

The Whistleblower Law Collaborative LLC devotes its practice entirely to representing whistleblowers. For more information, contact the firm at 617.366.2800 or email Linda Severin at [email protected].

SOURCE Whistleblower Law Collaborative LLC
AUSTIN, Texas, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Maven , a platform for cohort-based courses created by the founders of Udemy, altMBA, and Socratic, has been named the #1 education company on Fast Company's prestigious annual list of the World's Most Innovative Companies for 2022 .

This year's list honors 528 organizations across 52 categories that are making the biggest impact on their industries and culture as a whole. Fast Company celebrates organizations that embody creativity, problem-solving ability and fearlessness. This year's honorees are pioneering new business models, transforming industries and shaping society.

"Maven is honored to be recognized by Fast Company alongside some of the most innovative and transformative companies in the world," said Maven co-founder Wes Kao. "Our mission is to enable the world's experts to make a living online and, as a result, increase access to high-quality education for learners. This wave of digitally-native professors are seeing cohort-based courses as a new revenue stream that offers the profit margins of 1:1 consulting with the scalability of a product. This means creators have unparalleled flexibility and control over their earnings."

Founded by veteran founders Gagan Biyani, Wes Kao, and Shreyans Bhansali, Maven centralizes the suite of tools needed to create and run a cohort-based course so instructors can focus on teaching. In 2015, Kao created the category of cohort-based courses when co-founding the altMBA with Seth Godin. Now, she's proving the concept at scale by partnering with content creators and subject-matter experts in the fast-growing creator economy.

Maven has worked with hundreds of the world's leading creators, including Anthony Pompliano, Shaan Puri, Sam Parr, Shivani Berry, and Sahil Lavingia, to help them create online courses centered around interaction, community, and accountability. Cohort-based courses enable creators to deepen relationships with their audience while simultaneously earning significant income. In less than a year, dozens of Maven instructors earned $10,000 or more, with some earning upward of $250,000 for a single cohort.

"The first decade of online learning was about content. The next decade will be about community," said Kao. "For students, cohort-based learning means accountability, community, and hands-on interactivity that can't be matched by existing options in online education. For creators, cohort-based courses provide a new way to monetize their expertise and engage directly with students."

The World's Most Innovative Companies is Fast Company's signature franchise and one of its most highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. Judged by Fast Company's editors and writers, the selections for 2022 sought to identify the most groundbreaking businesses across the globe and industries. The magazine is available on newsstands March 15.

For more information about Maven, or to apply to teach a cohort-based course or learn about open positions, visit Maven.com .

About Maven

Maven is the leading platform for cohort-based courses created by the founders of Udemy, altMBA, and Socratic. Inspired by the simplicity and power of tools like Shopify and Substack, Maven is building a platform that enables the best creators in the world, including Anthony Pompliano, Shivani Berry, Sam Parr, and Shaan Puri, to build the most engaging and interactive courses. These cohort-based courseswhere students learn together in live, real-time cohortsdeliver more impact and higher completion rates than typical online learning, while also providing significant income for instructors. Maven's mission is to unlock the knowledge of the world's leading experts through cohort-based courses.

About Fast Company

Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com

Contact:

[email protected]

SOURCE Maven
The planned 40,000-square-foot hospital will initially feature 30 private patient rooms and is designed to expand to a total of 40 private rooms. It will also include a rehabilitative gym with specialized equipment, a dining room with a dedicated chef and food service staff, and an activity of daily living space to allow patients to receive therapy in rooms that emulate home conditions. The Mansfield hospital is the first of several planned ClearSky Health hospitals that are to be developed by MedCore.

"MedCore Partners' extensive knowledge and expertise within the healthcare sector makes them a natural fit for our ClearSky Mansfield project," says Danny Banks, Chief Real Estate Officer, ClearSky Health. "Working with them is a win/win as we collaborate to meet the community's needs for specialized rehabilitative care."

The project is expected to be completed late in 2022, with an opening scheduled for early 2023.

ClearSky Health is a premier rehabilitative healthcare provider that collaborates with healthcare facilities to improve, expand, or introduce rehabilitative services to communities served. Its management team has expertise in design, development, implementation, and operation of rehabilitative services. ClearSky Health currently owns and operates rehabilitation hospitals in Texas, Louisiana, and New Mexico.

About MedCore Partners, LLC - Based in Dallas-Fort Worth, MedCore Partners is a full-service real estate company dedicated exclusively to the healthcare and senior living industry. By leveraging off both its intimate knowledge of the dynamics of the medical sector and its comprehensive platform of real estate services, MedCore is uniquely qualified to identify and capitalize on healthcare projects around the nation and to maximize the potential profits returned to its investors. Over their careers, the principals of MedCore have led the development and investment efforts for healthcare projects around the country that have been valued in excess of $1 billion in addition to executing brokerage transactions for over 1,500 physicians. This level of experience within the medical real estate industry has allowed MedCore's principals to build trusted relationships with both healthcare providers around the United States as well as numerous capital sources.

SOURCE MedCore Partners
TEL AVIV, Israel and FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Memic Innovative Surgery Ltd. (Memic), a medical device company dedicated to transforming surgery with its proprietary surgical robotic technology, today announced the company has been named to Fast Company's prestigious annual list of the World's Most Innovative Companies for 2022.

This year's list honors businesses that are making the biggest impact on their industries and culture as a whole  ultimately thriving in today's ever-changing world. These companies are creating the future today with some of the most inspiring accomplishments of the 21st century. In addition to the World's 50 Most Innovative Companies, 528 organizations are recognized across 52 categories.

"We are honored to be part of Fast Company's list of World's 50 Most Innovative Companies for 2022," said Dvir Cohen, co-founder and chief executive officer of Memic. "Our priority at Memic is to transform surgery and patient lives with our proprietary Hominis Surgical System, first starting with women's healthcare and use in gynecologic surgery. Our team is driven by the knowledge that there are unmet needs in surgical robotics, and that many patients depend on us and the work that we do. This important recognition comes at a pivotal time at the company as hospital systems in the U.S. adopt Hominis and we expand our commercial footprint across the country."

The Hominis Surgical System is indicated for use in single site, natural orifice laparoscopic-assisted transvaginal benign surgical procedures including benign hysterectomy. It is the first and only FDA-authorized surgical robot that features miniature humanoid-shaped arms, with shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints that provide human level dexterity and 360-degree articulation, replicating the motions and capabilities of a surgeon's arms. Hominis was granted de novo marketing authorization from the FDA in February 2021.

In January 2022, Memic announced that HCA Florida Healthcare's Kendall Regional Medical Center, AdventHealth Celebration and The Women's Hospital at Jackson Memorial, three leading hospital systems in Florida, were the first in the U.S. to acquire the Hominis Surgical System. In February 2022, the company announced a partnership with VirtaMed to develop a new virtual reality simulator program to support surgeon skills development for the Hominis Surgical System. The goal with the new simulation program is to provide a standardized, quantifiable training environment that supports an efficient learning experience for surgeons by providing proficiency-based training that will measure and mirror all aspects of real-world surgery. Memic anticipates that the simulator program will be ready for use by the end of 2022.

Fast Company's editors and writers sought out the most groundbreaking businesses across the globe and industries. They also judged nominations received through their application process.

The World's Most Innovative Companies is Fast Company's signature franchise and one of its most highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. It provides both a snapshot and a road map for the future of innovation across the most dynamic sectors of the economy.

"The world's most innovative companies play an essential role in addressing the most pressing issues facing society, whether they're fighting climate change by spurring decarbonization efforts, ameliorating the strain on supply chains, or helping us reconnect with one another over shared passions," said Fast Company Deputy Editor David Lidsky.

For the second year in a row, to coincide with the issue launch, Fast Company will host its Most Innovative Companies Summit on April 26-27. The virtual, multiday summit celebrates the Most Innovative Companies in business, and provides an early look at major business trends and an inside look at what it takes to innovate in 2022. Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies issue (March/April 2022) is available online here, as well as in-app form via iTunes, and on newsstands beginning March 15. The hashtag is #FCMostInnovative.

ABOUT MEMIC

Memic, founded in 2013 and based in Tel Aviv, Israel with a wholly owned subsidiary based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is a medical device company dedicated to transforming surgery with its proprietary surgical robotic technology. For more information, visit: https://memicmed.com/.

ABOUT FAST COMPANY

Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com.

Media Contact:

Lynn Granito

Berry & Company Public Relations

[email protected]

973-818-3732

Investor Contact:

Greg Chodaczek

Gilmartin Group

[email protected]

347-620-7010

SOURCE Memic
DALLAS, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Meritize , the developer of merit-based financing solutions and a technology platform that connects career starters and mid-career professionals with high-impact skills training, announced that it has been recognized by Built In Dallas as a member of its selective "22 Startups to Watch'' list. The award honors fast-growing startups headquartered in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and founded within the last five years that are poised to make a major impact.

"Even as the broader economy continues to grow and recover post-pandemic, we're seeing a growing number of industries where the demand for skilled talent far exceeds the supply," said Chris Keaveney, founder and CEO of Meritize. "Our mission is to expand access to the sort of skills-based education and training that can help workers-in-transition advance their careersand achieve economic stabilityeven in a fast-changing and unpredictable economy and labor market."

The Meritize platform pairs access to industry-relevant skills training with a proprietary approach to workforce finance that uses an individual's academic and military achievements to enhance credit evaluation and improve financing options. Since launching in 2017, the company has expanded its skill-based training and finance platform to serve more than 12,000 students and trainees participating in 3,000 unique, in-demand training programs at more than 480 high-quality training providers across the United States.

According to BuiltIn.com , Meritize was recognized for its focus on advancing career and economic mobility across a wide range of industries: "From a veteran-led flight school in San Diego to a wind energy technician training program, Meritize is partnering with fast-growing industries to bolster their skills-based mission."

A growing number of training providers in sectors such as automotive, manufacturing, aviation, healthcare, and skilled trades now use the company's financing model to help learners, including working adults, parents, veterans, and young people afford training. And the Meritize Connect platform helps students explore opportunities in these sectors and select a path that best suits them.

Unlike traditional approaches to education credit and finance, Meritize's forward-looking model is based on an individual's potential to succeedrather than simply a credit score or other narrow measures. Its unique three-sided marketplace not only underwrites the cost of education and training for populations who have been historically-underserved, but also fosters connections between training providers, skill-seekers, and employers in search of talent for high-demand roles.

Visit BuiltinDallas.com to learn more about BuiltinDallas's 22 Startups to Watch. For more information on career opportunities with Meritize, visit https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Meritize-3/ .

About Meritize: Meritize is bridging the divide between individual aspirations and today's most in-demand jobs. Our unique, merit-based financing options consider an individual's academic experience or military record to identify career-relevant trainingand financing options that reflect their true potential. For more information visit www.meritize.com .

SOURCE Meritize
YANGON, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's domestic gold price has been surging to 2.01 million kyats (about 1,133.8 U.S. dollars) per tical on late Tuesday due to rising global gold price and appreciating local dollar rate, Yangon Region Gold Entrepreneurs Association Chairman U Myo Myint told Xinhua.

"The gold price will drop back when the Central Bank of Myanmar sells dollars in the market. Today's rise is because of dollar rate appreciating against Myanmar kyats with 2,045 kyats per dollar in local market," he said.

The domestic gold price has been on the rise since earlier this month, registering at over 1.92 million kyats (about 1,084.6 U.S. dollars) per tical (0.578 ounce) while the global gold price was recorded at 1,907 U.S. dollars per ounce on March 1.

The global gold price was scaling up to 2,018 U.S. dollars per ounce on late Tuesday. 
WASHINGTON, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Award-winning mini-series The Family is a fictionalized account of the final three days before the arrest of the former Serbian and Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic on March 31, 2001, which ultimately lead to his extradition to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia to stand trial for war crimes. The series won multiple awards at the Sarajevo Film Festival in 2021, including best drama series and best actor for Boris Isakovic, who depicts Slobodan Milosevic. The Family is part historical fiction, part thriller, and part intimate family drama within the context of a region grappling with how to move on from the bloody Yugoslav Wars. As the drama unfolds, the perspective is a close-up view of family ties and shifting allegiances from both inside Milosevic's Belgrade home and within the fraught halls of a fractured government in the lead-up to his arrest. The Family adds to the expanding depth of content from more countries around the world on MHz Choice and is the first series from Serbia to premiere on the service since the release of The Scent of Rain in the Balkans in 2017.

"The Family" won multiple awards at the Sarajevo Film Festival in 2021, including best drama series and best actor. Tweet this Boris Isakovic in The Family on MHz Choice

Leading the robust April lineup of returning series is the fervent fan-favorite Don Matteo (Italy), a beloved crime-solving priest (played by Terence Hill) who is amply armed with charm and intuition. The roll-out will begin with season nine on April 5, with three subsequent seasons also premiering later in 2022. The new season brings Don Matteo to a new parish in Spoleto, Italy, where he quickly begins to work his sleuthing magic. All previous eight seasons are already available on MHz Choice.

Also premiering in April are new seasons of Murder In (France), Deadly Tropics (France), and Spitfire (Spain), which are respectively set in various picturesque locations in rural France, Martinique, and Mallorca.

The full April 2022 schedule available here: https://mhzchoice.com/premiere-schedule/

APRIL 5

MURDER IN SEASON 9, FRANCE, FRANCE TELEVISIONS, NEW SEASON

A brand-new season of gorgeous mysteries, each one set in a different picturesque region of France.

DON MATTEO: SEASON 9, ITALY, LUX VIDE, NEW SEASON

Terence Hill returns as Don Matteo, a thoroughly ordinary Catholic priest with an extraordinary ability to read people and solve crimes.

APRIL 12

SPITFIRE: SEASON 2, SPAIN, FEDERATION, NEW SEASON

A dark thriller set in Mallorca about a special police unit hunting serial killers.

APRIL 19

THE FAMILY, SERBIA, RTF, NEW LIMITED SERIES

Award-winning five-part miniseries telling the inside story of the three days leading up to the arrest of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic in 2001.

APRIL 26

DEADLY TROPICS: SEASON 2, FRANCE, FEDERATION, NEW SEASON

More fun, female-driven police mysteries on the breathtaking island of Martinique.

About MHz Networks

MHz Networks offers viewers in the U.S. and Canada access to a library of the best television mysteries, dramas, comedies and documentaries subtitled in English through its subscription streaming service, MHz Choice. Select MHz Networks content is also available on DVD and on its free ad-supported service MHz Now, available on Samsung TV Plus and Plex.

New MHz Choice customers receive a free 7-Day Trial. For more information, go to mhzchoice.com.

SOURCE MHz Networks
NEW YORK, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- MJ Unpacked, the first cannabis CPG trade event designed to both drive commerce and integrate access to capital, returns May 18-20 in New York City. MJ Unpacked is the first national cannabis event exclusive to cannabis brand and retail executives with the title Manager or above, as well as accredited investors.

Register Now for MJ Unpacked Register Open for MJ Unpacked

MJ Unpacked is a valuable opportunity that connects high-level industry decision-makers, spanning licensed operators and active investors. The conference offers exclusive networking events, investor pitches, exhibits hundreds of THC CPG brands and more. Ancillary companies can also reserve a limited number of exhibit spaces, and the event is free for retailers.

"MJ Unpacked is an exceptional experience that licensed cannabis executives and investors alike will not want to miss," said George Jage, co-founder and CEO of Jage Media, producers of MJ Unpacked. "Our marquee East Coast event offers highly curated programming featuring vetted professionals with proven success stories working on the front lines of the cannabis industry. Our goal is to facilitate meaningful conversations while amplifying brands from every adult-use market to showcase the driving forces behind industry growth and innovation."

MJ Unpacked hosted its inaugural conference in October of 2021, in Las Vegas, featuring over 100 nationally-recognized THC CPG brands. The event consisted of eleven conference sessions that addressed retail and brand concerns, as well as panel discussions from leaders of the industry.

To learn more, readers can go to mjunpacked.com . To register, please visit https://mjunpackedregister.com/

About MJ Unpacked

All it takes is a spark. Premiering October 21 & 22, 2021, MJ Unpacked is the first cannabis event of its kind that places passionate cannabis retailers and THC CPG brands at the center of it all, with unique opportunities to connect, collaborate, and access capital. In a newly imagined format, executives are free to learn from fellow professionals, explore expansion opportunities, and prepare to be competitive in a national market. For more information, please visit: https://mjunpacked.com .

Jage Media

Founded by George Jage, former president of MJBizDaily/MJBizCon and CEO of Dope Media, and Kim Jage, former EVP & CMO of World Tea Media, Jage Media launched in early 2020 to fill the critical gap where brands and retailers convene to drive the future of the industry, capture the next stage of market growth, and deliver a true return on investment and objectives. https://jagemedia.com

Media Contact:

Mattio Communications

Casey Hansen

925.708.9127

[email protected].com

SOURCE Jage Media Inc.
ALBANY, N.Y., March 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- /PRNewswire/ -- The value of global molecular diagnostics market stood at US$ 14.99 Mn in 2020. The market is estimated to rise at a CAGR of 11.1% during the forecast period, from 2021 to 2028. The global molecular diagnostics market is anticipated to attain the value of US$ 37.19 Bn by 2028. One of the fastest expanding areas of the in vitro diagnostics field is molecular diagnostics. Since the development of PCR tests for HIV and chlamydia trachomatis and neisseria gonorrhea (CT/NG) in the 1990s, the molecular diagnostics business has grown fast. The market has grown significantly during the last 20 years.

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Molecular Diagnostics Market Research Report - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=1783

Molecular diagnostic kits are now being used to diagnose cancer, hepatitis viruses, genetic illnesses, and hospital-acquired infections. In addition, molecular diagnostic kits are widely utilized for hepatitis and HIV screening tests in blood donors. Firms in the global molecular diagnostics market are spending on R&D to allow early illness detection and promotion to raise knowledge about the benefits of early diagnosis of diseases.

In the year 2020, North America emerged as one of the leading regions in the global market. Due to significant expenditures in the field, robust economic growth, and growing prevalence of target chronic conditions, the market in North America is likely to observe significant growth. Besides, technical advancements in the region are also expected to play an important role in the growth of the regional market. Increasing access to healthcare services and arrival of new companies are expected to contribute to the market's expansion in North America during the forecast period.

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Key Findings of Market Report

Novel technologies, including sequencing and RT-PCR, offer a relatively budget-friendly option for patients to receive prognosis, diagnosis, and therapy selection during their treatment course. This aids clinicians in developing effective therapy regimens for individuals with a variety of disorders. The global molecular diagnostics market is expected to be driven by rise in demand for point-of-care services. In comparison with traditional procedures, point-of-care gives speedy and accurate outcomes.

Based on product type, the PCR and real-time PCR category held the largest market share in 2020. The PCR process is a cost-effective manner of replicating or amplifying of short segments of DNA or RNA, which is anticipated to fuel the growth of this product category during the forecast period.

Due to rise in prevalence of chronic infectious disorders, the infectious diseases category held a significant share of the global market in 2020. In addition, the increase in infections, owing to environmental pollution and poor lifestyles among the global population is likely to aid in the expansion of the segment.

The diagnostic laboratories category led the global molecular diagnostics market in 2020, in terms of end-user, since diagnostic laboratories are only dedicated to illness detection. Individuals in developed countries choose diagnostic laboratories for diagnosis, as they are well fitted with advanced tools. However, due to the rising number of molecular diagnostic processes performed in these settings, the hospitals segment is expected to grow at a high growth rate during the projection period.

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Global Molecular Diagnostics Market: Growth Drivers

As the research process becomes more automated, the demand for molecular diagnostic systems has increased. These technologies help in the automation of DNA extraction, amplification, and data processing activities. Furthermore, these systems provide a number of benefits, including as greater data accuracy, efficiency, and reduction in the time it takes to get results, all of which add to market expansion.

Government funding for molecular diagnostic tests has increased in North America , making it one of the leading regions in the global market. Expansion of the regional market is fueled by the increase in the prevalence of cancer and improper lifestyle leading to serious infectious illnesses. Other factors such as the growing elderly population and desire for customized treatments are projected to boost the market in North America .

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Global Molecular Diagnostics Market: Key Players

Some of the key market players are

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.

F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.

Becton, Dickinson and Company

Danaher Corporation

Siemens AG

Global Molecular Diagnostics Market: Segmentation

Technology

PCR & Real-time PCR

Hybridization

Microarray

Transcription-mediated Amplification

Next Generation Sequencing

Others

Application

Infectious Diseases

Oncology

Blood Screening

Microbiology

Genetic Testing

Women's Health

End User

Hospitals

Diagnostics Laboratories

Blood Banks

Academics & Research

Others

Modernization of healthcare in terms of both infrastructure and services have pushed the healthcare industry to new heights, Stay Updated with Latest Healthcare Industry Research Reports by Transparency Market Research:

Veterinary Molecular Diagnostics Market: The global veterinary molecular diagnostics market was valued at US$ 479.3 Mn in 2019 and is projected to expand at a CAGR of ~8% from 2020 to 2030. Molecular diagnostics are laboratory methods to examine the RNA, DNA, or other proteins in animals and identify diseases or the predisposition stage. Different technologies are used in the diagnosis of veterinary diseases, including conventional PCR, singleplex PCR, multiplex PCR, and real-time PCR.

Multiplex Molecular Diagnostics Market: Multiplex molecular diagnostics market may observe a paradigm shift in the growth rate across the forecast period of 2020-2030 due to the growing threat of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The need for effective testing to contain the spread of COVID-19 is on top priority across the globe. Various researchers, scientists, and pharma companies are coming up with novel testing methods for rapid diagnosis.

Infectious Disease Molecular Diagnostics Tests Market: Molecular diagnostics is one of the more dynamic and transformative fields in medical diagnostics, and is often the source of advances in medical treatments as well as further research and development efforts. These efforts benefit the modernization and development of the healthcare industry across broad range of health conditions and infectious diseases.

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SOURCE Transparency Market Research
LONDON, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly one in 10 smartphone users in the UK (9%), as many as 5.7 million people*, have fallen victim to identity fraud in the last 12 months, according to research by GBG, the experts in digital identity.

GBG's State of Digital Identity Report 2022 can reveal that young adults aged 18-to-24 were hardest hit with almost a fifth (18%) becoming victims of identity fraud compared to 9% of 45-to-54-year-olds, and just 3% of consumers aged 55 and over.

The GBG research also uncovered high levels of anxiety, with a large majority of the Brits surveyed worrying that becoming a victim of fraud is inevitable. 93% of respondents (94% of 18 to 24-year-olds) felt concerned that they will fall victim to fraud in the future.

According to the GBG report, among those British consumers personally impacted by identity fraud:

44% had their bank account accessed and money taken

28% had their credit card/bank account stolen and used

23% had their name used to open new credit card/bank account

19% had a new utility account opened in their name

5% had their mobile phone number stolen and cloned

4% had a new loan taken out in their name.

The research, conducted by Censuswide on behalf of GBG, surveyed both consumers, that own a smartphone, and business leaders across Europe  UK, France, Germany and Spain. The report revealed that fraud is major concern across Europe  with 9% of consumers across the continent also being hit in the last 12 months.

Almost half (42%) of European businesses surveyed said they had experienced known or suspected attempted fraudulent activity in the past 12 months, with 33% saying it had increased compared to last year. Those experiencing a known or suspected fraud attempt said the average transactional value of a breach was 16,000. While a quarter (25%) claimed each fraud breach cost their business between 10,000 and 35,000.

Despite this, almost a third of businesses (31%) don't use technology to verify the identity of consumers. As a result, firms are putting both themselves and consumers at risk of fraud, including the growing threat of increasingly sophisticated fraud attempts such as social engineering, SIM swap and synthetic fraud.

Gus Tomlinson, Chief Product Officer, EMEA at GBG, said: "By accurately identifying and authenticating an individual, businesses can stop fraudsters in their tracks and consumers are actively looking to businesses to protect them. There is a real opportunity for businesses to step up  to not just see fraud as just a threat but as an opportunity to build trust, better protect their customers and business, and grow their customer base."

Balancing fraud prevention and friction during 'The Great Switch'

The report reveals that around two thirds (66%) of European consumers signed up to at least one new online account in the past 12 months, with 67% doing the same in the UK.

The research reveals that when signing up for a new account, consumers think it's important that the process is easy (99%), secure (98%) and quick (97%).

Gus adds: "It appears that many consumers are now more than willing to ditch a brand if they have a poor onboarding experience. Most people in the UK, and indeed across Europe, have signed up for goods and services online over the past few years but the fact that so many consumers have opened completely new accounts in the past 12 months may indicate that we're witnessing 'The Great Switch.' With people spending increasingly more time online, they've begun to re-evaluate if they're getting the best service possible - or whether it's time to try a new provider.

"The modern consumer demands a smooth onboarding experience and expects to be able to transact online securely. It's all about finding that balance between fraud prevention and friction online.

"By understanding more about digital identities, layering the right data and having the best technology in place, companies can keep consumers safe in a digital world and keep up with evolving consumer expectations."

For more findings and to download the full report, visit www.gbgplc.com/digital-identity-report-2022

Notes to editor

*1 - "9% of respondents surveyed said they were personally the victim of identity fraud in the past 12 months. Assuming 63.46 million smartphone users in the UK in 2022*, as many as 5.7 million could have been hit by fraud in 12 months

About the research

The independent research, consisting of two separate projects, was conducted by Censuswide, with 2,362 smartphone owners aged 18+ sampled in the UK, France, Germany and Spain between 17-26 January 2022. 160 decision makers in insurance, financial services, ecommerce/retail, fintech, gaming/gambling and the pension sector across UK, France, Germany and Spain were also surveyed between 17-26 January 2022. Censuswide abide by and employ members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles.

About GBG

GBG offers a range of solutions that help organisations quickly validate and verify the identity and location of their customers. Our market-leading technology, data and expertise help our customers improve digital access, deliver a seamless experience and establish trust so that they can transact quickly, safely and securely with their customers online.

Headquartered in the UK and with over 1,000 team members across 16 countries, we work with 20,000 customers in over 70 countries. Some of the world's best-known businesses rely on GBG to provide digital services and keep the economy moving, from US e-commerce giants to Asia's biggest banks and European household brands.

To find out more about how we help our clients establish trust with their customers, visit www.gbgplc.com/apac, follow us on Twitter @gbgplc or LinkedIn.

SOURCE GBG plc
MIAMI, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Miami based pop artist MTStreets, in collaboration with ddblis Group, shares a new single that's a fast-moving insight into self-sabotaging behaviors.. In Driftin' Away, he pinpoints when a lover starts moving away from the relationship and turns to see how much the other really cares that he is leaving.

MTStreets

According research conducted by Amir Levine M.D. and Rachel S.F Heller M.A., "approximately 50% of people in relationships don't engage in self-destructive behavior, they have a sense of comfort, clarity, and ease with their emotions." But the other 50%, is what "Driftin' Away" is all about.

The lyrics in "Driftin' Away" characterize an emotional struggle and a cry out for help. "I've been drowning and all I see is black. For days I've been following my soul. Cause I don't know what else I need to know." And then the big question, "If I move on, will you let me go?" He's looking for a reason to stay, to reverse his actions, but he doesn't find one. Intentionally or not, he has successfully sabotaged the relationship. That's when he puts on his track shoes, when the pace of the song speeds up, and when it's clear this relationship is going to repeat dysfunctional patterns of previous endings. "I've been down this road before, takes a long, long time for a love to dissemble." And poof, the struggle concludes with the hope that his lover will be ok as the relationship and song both come to a quick ending.

"Relationships are hard." MTStreets says with a crack of experience in his voice. "They are especially hard when one person is damaged, and to some extent, most of us are." "Couples often break apart when one person keeps testing the relationship's limits." I wrote this song with the hope that my past experiences could help others see patterns in their own relationships. My intention was simple, why not try to save couples from drifting away by writing a banging song to highlight messed-up patterns." "In a twisted way, it's kinda like a song to save love rather than find love adrift."

Check out MTStreets on Instagram or the official MTStreets website for more information about the artists' unique journey or to gain a deeper insight into MTStreets' heart, talent, and music.

SOURCE ddbliss Group
BELLEVUE, Wash., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Name.com , a domain name registrar and web hosting provider focused on best-in-class solutions for demanding web projects, today announced a partnership with Titan , a professional email suite that gives customers simple, easy-to-use business email. Notable features include email scheduling, customizable follow-up reminders, an intuitive web-based interface, native mobile apps, and powerful security.

Titan complements Name.com's existing suite of tools that make it easy for individuals and small businesses to quickly get online with the right domain name, a website, and productivity-boosting business email, all in one place. Customers will be able to sign up for three months of free business email or choose from paid plans with additional storage and encryption features.

"We are thrilled to team up with Name.com, a trusted brand in the domain registrar space and provide them with the first professional email suite that helps businesses and professionals create richer, more valuable connections with their customers," said Bhavin Turakhia, CEO, founder of Titan. "Our customer-centric email service will enable their users to keep communication going, no matter where they are, and prevent unanticipated business downtime."

Titan email complements Name.com's product suite, which includes Google Workspace for productivity and business email, DigitalOcean cloud hosting, WordPress hosting, cPanel-powered web hosting, Comodo and Digicert SSL certificates to keep websites secure, and all 300+ top-level domains from TrueName by Donuts Inc., a global leader in descriptive domains.

"We were looking for a simple and reliable email service with a dynamic feature set to add to our existing product suite," said Dave McBreen, VP at Name.com. "Titan checked all the boxes. Their flawless IP reputation ensures reliable email delivery, and they keep user accounts safe from attack with advanced security measures. They even make it easy to manage your inbox with webmail and mobile applications and offer impeccable support. Titan was an easy choice."

Key Titan Features



Read Receipts  Notify Titan users when recipients have opened their email

Send Later Feature  allows users to schedule emails for when they're most likely to be read

Follow-up Reminders  gently nudge the user to follow-up on unreplied emails

Email Templates  help save valuable time by saving frequently sent responses as templates

Built-in Calendar  allows users to manage their schedules, share calendars with team members, and send invites to guests on all modern email platforms

Titan helps users easily move from their personal account to their new professional identity by allowing users to import their email from other email platforms, including Gmail

Titan allows access to multiple email accounts in the same interface

Titan offers native apps on iOS and Android

About Titan

Titan is the first professional email suite built to help businesses and professionals create richer, more valuable connections with their customers. Available through leading web hosts, site builders, and domain registrars, Titan provides dynamic tools to effectively build customer relationships over email. For more information, please visit https://titan.email/ .

About Name.com

Name.com is an ICANN accredited domain name registrar and web hosting company based in Denver, Colorado. The company sells DNS domains, web hosting, email services, SSL certificates, and other website products. For more information, please visit https://www.name.com/ .

Contact

Sacha Arts

Bella Vista Communications

(408) 458.6316

[email protected]

SOURCE Name.com
SAN FRANCISCO, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Narvar has been named to Fast Company's prestigious annual list of the World's Most Innovative Companies for 2022, at #10 in the Social Good category for making retail returns more eco-friendly at scale. This is Narvar's third time being named to the list, after being recognized in 2021 at #3 in Logistics and in 2019 at #7 in Enterprise. The list provides both a snapshot and a roadmap for the future of innovation across the most dynamic sectors of the economy.

Narvar has created operational efficiencies for retailers that benefit both our planet and the bottom line. Tweet this One of the best ways to optimize the retail returns process and reduce carbon emissions is to use smart routing to direct return packages based on condition, demand, or geographic proximity. Narvar uses its robust rules engine to automate these operations, and saved one of their retail clients millions of miles of package travel in a year! Learn more about Narvar's efforts to make the post-purchase experience more sustainable at: Narvar.com/Sustainability

"It's humbling to be recognized yet again as one of Fast Company's World's Most Innovative Companies," said Amit Sharma, CEO and founder of Narvar. "I'm proud of everyone at Narvar  our people are essential to forging a culture that encourages taking the smart leaps which yield these innovations. By staying maniacally focused on simplifying the everyday lives of consumers, we've been able to create efficiencies for retailers that benefit both our planet and the bottom line."

Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies list honors organizations that move the world forward by transforming industries and shaping society. It is one of the most highly anticipated editorial rankings every year among future-focused companies and is highly competitive. This year's list honors businesses including Canva, Microsoft, and SpaceX that are thriving in today's ever-changing world with some of the most inspiring accomplishments of the 21st century.

"The world's most innovative companies play an essential role in addressing the most pressing issues facing society, whether they're fighting climate change by spurring decarbonization efforts, ameliorating the strain on supply chains, or helping us reconnect with one another over shared passions," said Fast Company Deputy Editor David Lidsky.

According to a recent MIT study , transportation and packaging are the largest contributors to carbon emissions in retail. Returns is an area ripe for optimization to make the greatest impact on sustainability  the study found that restricting or mitigating returns can save about 13% of emissions. Narvar has long sought to make returns more efficient and cost-effective for retailers while also providing convenience and choice for consumers.

For example, Narvar directs return packages for one of its retail clients to the closest of six facilities across the country instead of to one central facility. Given this retailer's return package volume for 2021, Narvar saved 545 million miles of package travel for the year, which is equivalent to 22,000 trips around the earth.

As consumers seek to make more environmentally conscious choices when choosing which companies to do business with, it's become imperative that retailers evaluate their entire ecosystem to find ways to reduce their impact on the earth. Narvar touches over two billion packages per year, giving the company the unique opportunity to radically improve retailers' logistics and operations efficiencies at scale.

Besides employing its robust rules engine to automate smart routing of returns based on geography, product type or condition, Narvar's other sustainability efforts in 2021 include:

Offering boxless returns with FedEx and UPS, which reduces packaging and shipment weight by leveraging recyclable polybags rather than larger, heavier boxes. About 10% of consumers elect to use this service when available.

with FedEx and UPS, which reduces packaging and shipment weight by leveraging recyclable polybags rather than larger, heavier boxes. About 10% of consumers elect to use this service when available. Increased availability of printerless returns across all major carriers in the US, Canada & Europe . Consumers can show a QR code at drop-off rather than printing a label and packing slip at home, saving effort and paper waste. About 15% of consumers take advantage of this option.

& . Consumers can show a QR code at drop-off rather than printing a label and packing slip at home, saving effort and paper waste. About 15% of consumers take advantage of this option. Providing visibility into what's coming back, why, and from where via data gathered when a consumer initiates a return online rather than having to wait until the item is received back at the warehouse, empowering retailers to make better choices about the speed, method, and destination for its return shipment.

For more information on Narvar's initiatives, visit Narvar.com/Sustainability .

Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies issue (March/April 2022) is available online here , as well as in-app via iTunes, and on newsstands beginning March 15. The hashtag is #FCMostInnovative.

About Narvar

Narvar pioneered how brands engage with consumers beyond the "buy" button through branded order tracking, delivery notifications, returns and exchanges. Today, Narvar's comprehensive Post-Purchase Platform empowers 1,200+ of the world's most admired brands including Sephora, Patagonia, Levi's, Warby Parker, Home Depot, LVMH, and L'Oreal to deliver transparency, build trust, and grow customer lifetime value. Recognized multiple times by Fast Company as one of the most innovative companies, Narvar simplifies the everyday lives of consumers. For more information visit narvar.com .

About Fast Company

Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. The editor-in-chief is Stephanie Mehta. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com .

SOURCE Narvar
As Neotribe's third fund, Ignite has attracted returning limited partners, including J.P. Morgan Asset Management and Common Fund. Ignite is looking to make investments in high growth, Series B or later companies that have both a sustainable technological advantage and evidence of market fit. Unlike Neotribes early-stage funds, Ignite will be looking to help companies scale and execute their go-to-market strategies rather than guiding founders through the phase of technological or market risk. In addition to capital, the fund will provide portfolio companies with ongoing mentorship, product and go-to-market support, as well as exposure to Neotribe's network of partners and potential customers.

Early Ignite Fund investments include BillionToOne and Vendia . BillionToOne is a leader in precision diagnostics and maker of the first and only noninvasive prenatal screening that tests fetal cell-free DNA for cystic fibrosis, spinal muscular atrophy, and hemoglobinopathies through maternal blood. Vendia is a real-time data cloud that leverages blockchain technology and creator of the first serverless platform for Web3 applications.

"As a firm, we consider ourselves sector agnostic," said Rebecca Mitchem, Partner at Neotribe Ventures. "What excites us the most is the opportunity to partner with brilliant founders that are going against the status quo to solve the most complex problems in the world in order to create long-lasting change. The Ignite Fund will be looking closely at bold ideas across computational biology, enterprise security, blockchain technologies, cleantech, and more."

Rebecca joined Neotribe in May 2021, but her work with Kittu began in 2016. They first met when Rebecca's team at J.P. Morgan Asset Management led a growth equity round for one of Kittu's existing portfolio companies. They got to know each other initially through board meetings and then subsequently through her role in general partner diligence when J.P. Morgan Asset Management became a limited partner in Neotribe's first fund. Rebecca's expertise and passion for growth-stage investments combined with her 360-degree perspectivehaving worked on both the direct investing side and the limited partner side of the Neotribe businessmakes her uniquely qualified to co-manage Neotribe's Ignite Fund.

As a firm, Neotribe has already made over 40 strategic investments from Neotribe Ventures Fund I ($138M) and II ($220M) to accelerate the growth of innovative, early-stage companies such as Theta Lake , Hakimo , Metrika , Aira Technologies , ThirdAI , and Climate.ai . When it comes to bringing value to its portfolio companies, Neotribe takes a hands-on approach and cultivates a tribe-like mentality to make sure their entrepreneurs feel they have partners who are supporting and enabling them to confidently pursue new ideas and achieve success.

"Creating a dedicated fund that allows us to continue to help our existing portfolio companies grow by backing their next round was a natural fit for the firm," said Kittu Kolluri, Founder and Managing Director of Neotribe Ventures. "About 80% of the Ignite Fund will overlap with our existing portfolio and will give entrepreneurs the benefit of staying in our tribe. To make sure each company succeeds, our level of involvement is much closer to an incubator than your typical VC."

A portion of the Ignite Fund's investments will come from outside of Neotribe's existing portfolio companies. For these investments, Ignite can either price or participate in a new round of financing. The Fund will provide these companies with a new network of industry expertise, potential customer introductions, and mentorship to scale each business.

To learn more about the Ignite Fund, check out neotribe.vc .

About Neotribe Ventures

Neotribe Ventures focuses on strategic investments in early to growth-stage companies developing breakthrough technologies that stretch the imagination. Founded in 2017, the firm manages nearly $450 million in assets across three funds and has invested in a diverse set of companies including computational biology, enterprise security, blockchain technologies, cleantech, and more. Just as tribes represent small, protective, and caring groups, Neotribe believes that startups with innovative and aspirational teams thrive if provided the security and backing to be unafraid in the pursuit of new ideas, excellence, and success.

To learn more about how Neotribe is partnering with entrepreneurs in the U.S., Europe, Israel, India, and Australia in their quest to solve complex and deeply impactful problems to create lasting change, visit www.neotribe.vc .

SOURCE Neotribe Ventures
WASHINGTON, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is a statement from Jen Judson, President of the National Press Club and Gil Klein, President of the National Press Club Journalism Institute on the dangers of reporting in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

"The journalism coming out of Ukraine is very impressive and a reminder to all of why the role of an independent press is so vital during times of war. Through the courage and skill of Ukrainian, European, American, and other foreign journalists covering Russia's invasion of Ukraine, we are better able to see and understand what is happening to the Ukrainian people as they fight for their democracy. With the Kremlin's censorship tactics and media crackdown reaching depths not seen since the darkest days of the Cold War, it's apparent that the battle for public opinion could be just as consequential for the future of Ukraine as the military and humanitarian assistance that Kyiv is seeking. And a free and unencumbered press -- supported by adequately equipped and resourced newsrooms -- is at the center of determining whether the public receives the facts about what is happening in Ukraine or disinformation and spin.

"We are greatly concerned by reports of a growing number of incidents of journalists coming under fire by Russian forces. On Sunday, Swiss photojournalist Guillaume Briquet was shot at by Russian forces near Mykolaiv. The windshield of his car, which was marked "PRESS," was shattered and he was cut. Russian troops took his passport, gear and $3,000 in cash before allowing him to drive off for medical attention. Early last week near Kyiv, a Sky News team of correspondent Stuart Ramsey and cameraman Richie Mockler were struck with bullets fired by Russian special forces. These incidents under live fire could easily have resulted in death. International humanitarian law states that in times of conflict, journalists are to be treated with all of the same rights and protections as civilians. We urge Russia to remember that and for the international community to hold Moscow accountable for any actions that lead to the arbitrary detention, injuries or death of journalists covering its war in Ukraine."

Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the world's leading professional organization for journalists. The Club has 3,000 members representing nearly every major news organization and is a leading voice for press freedom in the United States and around the world.

The National Press Club Journalism Institute, the Club's non-profit affiliate, promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire civic engagement.

Contact: Rachel Oswald, NPC Press Freedom Team, [email protected], 202-486-9173.

SOURCE National Press Club
TOKYO, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Nippon Express USA, Inc. (hereinafter "NX USA"), a group company of Nippon Express Holdings, Inc., has obtained Good Distribution Practice (GDP) certification for forwarding operations, inclusive of temporary storage, at temperature-controlled facilities in its CFS near Los Angeles International Airport (effective November 23, 2021) and its CFS near John F. Kennedy International Airport (hereinafter "JFK Airport") in New York City (effective December 20, 2021), evidencing its compliance with GDP standards for the proper distribution of pharmaceuticals.

Logo: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/202203038140-O1-aH5fp6M6

Los Angeles Branch:

https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M103866/202203038140/_prw_PI3fl_n43Z828f.jpg

New York Branch:

https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M103866/202203038140/_prw_PI2fl_70e4g835.jpeg

Los Angeles Branch, NX USA

The area of Southern California centered on Los Angeles has become a hub for pharmaceutical development hosting numerous research institutes. At the same time, it is one of the U.S.' leading metropolitan areas, making it a major consumer of medical and pharmaceutical products.

NX USA's Los Angeles Branch has its own CFS near Los Angeles International Airport, a West Coast gateway to the U.S., fully equipped with a temperature-controlled 24 m2 facility dedicated to pharmaceutical products and capable of both refrigerated (2C - 8C) and constant-temperature (15C - 25C) storage. The NX Group's international temperature-controlled transport services will be combined with temporary storage functions at the GDP-certified warehouse to provide customers with a safe and high-quality pharmaceutical logistics platform.

New York Branch, NX USA

The U.S. Northeast is home to a large number of companies involved in the pharmaceutical and medical device businesses, and demand in those sectors is expected to rise in future. NX USA's New York Branch has its own warehouse near JFK Airport that is fully equipped with a temperature-controlled 24 m2 facility dedicated to pharmaceutical products and capable of both refrigerated (2C - 8C) and constant-temperature (15C - 25C) storage, enabling the Branch to provide a safe and high-quality pharmaceutical distribution platform by operating regular shuttle trucking services that deliver cargo to other Nippon Express locations across the Northeast as early as the following morning.

The NX Group, formerly the Nippon Express Group which renamed its corporate group name following transition to a holding company system in January, will continue stepping up its initiatives in the pharmaceutical industry, identified as a priority industry in the Group's Business Plan, and globally enhancing and expanding its services to meet the increasingly sophisticated and diversified pharmaceutical transport needs of its customers.

Names and addresses of facilities

-Name: Los Angeles Branch, Nippon Express USA, Inc.

-Address: 2233 E Grand Avenue, El Segundo, CA 90245 USA

-Name: New York Branch, Nippon Express USA, Inc.

-Address: 230-19 International Airport Center Building, Suite 100, Jamaica, NY 11413 USA

Nippon Express website: https://www.nipponexpress.com/

NX Group's official LinkedIn account:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/nippon-express-group/

SOURCE Nippon Express Holdings, Inc.
NEW DELHI, March 8 (Xinhua) -- With the total number of COVID-19 cases across India falling to below 50,000 mark and new cases per day hovering below 5,000 and deaths per day around 100, the country is almost on the verge of defeating the virus after battling it for over two years.

As many as three COVID-19 waves battered the Indian economy one after the other, leaving behind a gory tale of unemployment and economic tardiness, with demand-supply chains being adversely affected as the manufacturing sector remained badly hit at frequent intervals for over 24 months.

However, recent official data showed that the country's economy is once again beginning to be back on track in an attempt to reach the pre-COVID levels.

GDP growth during the financial year 2021-22 is estimated at 8.9 percent, as against a contraction of 6.6 percent in 2020-21.

Addressing a webinar "Financing for Growth & Aspirational Economy" on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Indian economy is once again picking up momentum after once-in-a-century pandemic and this is a reflection of our economic decisions and strong foundation of economy."

He said that his government had taken many steps to maintain the momentum of high growth in this year's budget.

"By encouraging foreign capital flows, reducing tax on infrastructure investment, etc., we have tried to accelerate financial and economic growth," said Modi at the webinar.

India's gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 5.4 percent during the third quarter (October-December 2021) of the current financial year 2021-2022, showed the official data.

In value terms, India's GDP stood at over 38 trillion Indian Rupees (496 billion U.S. dollars) in October-December 2021, higher than 36 trillion Indian Rupees (470 billion dollars) in the corresponding period of 2020.

Exports, too, appear to be moving northward. Exports of electronic goods rose to 12.4 billion dollars in 2021-22 (during April-January), with mobile phones, IT hardware (laptops, tablets), consumer electronics (TV and audio), industrial electronics and auto electronics being the key exports in this sector, announced the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Feb. 28.

The National Statistical Office in its second advance estimates of national accounts released on Feb. 28 had pegged the country's growth for 2021-22 at 8.9 percent. 
Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Drugs Market 2022-2026: Scope

The non-small cell lung cancer drugs market report covers the following areas:

Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Drugs Market 2022-2026: Segmentation

By product, the market has been segmented into biologics, small molecule targeted therapy, and chemotherapy. The biologics segment will have significant market share growth during the forecast period. The growth of the market is driven by the increased prevalence of non-small cell lung cancer and the availability of biologics to treat the disease.

By geography, the market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest Of World (ROW). North America will have the highest market share growth during the forecast period.

Learn about the contribution of each segment of the market. Download a Free Sample

Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Drugs Market 2022-2026: Drivers and Challenges

The increasing prevalence and incidence of non-small cell lung cancer is driving the non-small cell lung cancer drugs market growth. This is due to the rise in risk factors such as cigarette smoking, secondary smoking, air pollution, and occupational exposure. In Asian countries, rapid industrial development and sub-urbanization, and disease patterns are leading to the increased prevalence of non-small cell lung cancer.

Factors such as high cost of treatment may challenge the market growth. Non-small cell lung cancer can be treated by surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapies, and immunotherapy. However, the cost of these treatments is very high. Immunotherapy for non small cell lung cancer may include immune checkpoint inhibitors such as OPDIVO, KEYTRUDA, TECENTRIQ, and IMFINZI. The overall cost of treatment, including diagnosis, hospitalization, outpatient office visits, and a monthly initial treatment phase, is USD 46,000 per patient.

Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Drugs Market 2022-2026: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Drugs Market, including AbbVie Inc., Amgen Inc., Astellas Pharma Inc., AstraZeneca Plc, Bayer AG, BeiGene Ltd., Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Eli Lilly and Co., F. Hoffmann La Roche Ltd., Innovent Biologics Inc., Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., Merck and Co. Inc., Merck KGaA, Novartis AG, Ono Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Pfizer Inc., Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., Sanofi SA, and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. among others.

Subscribe to our "Lite Plan" billed annually at USD 3000 that enables you to download 3 reports/year and view 3 reports/month.

Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Drugs Market 2022-2026: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2022-2026

Detailed information on factors that will assist non-small cell lung cancer drugs market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the non-small cell lung cancer drugs market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the non-small cell lung cancer drugs market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of non-small cell lung cancer drugs market vendors

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Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Drugs Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 17.1% Market growth 2022-2026 USD 30.23 billion Market structure Concentrated YoY growth (%) 12.28 Regional analysis North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of World (ROW) Performing market contribution North America at 39% Key consumer countries US, Canada, Germany, UK, and China Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled AbbVie Inc., Amgen Inc., Astellas Pharma Inc., AstraZeneca Plc, Bayer AG, BeiGene Ltd., Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Eli Lilly and Co., F. Hoffmann La Roche Ltd., Innovent Biologics Inc., Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., Merck and Co. Inc., Merck KGaA, Novartis AG, Ono Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Pfizer Inc., Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., Sanofi SA, and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and future consumer dynamics, market condition analysis for the forecast period Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Table Of Contents :

Executive Summary

Market overview

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2021

Market outlook: Forecast for 2021-2026

Five Forces Analysis

Five forces summary

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

Market Segmentation by Product

Market segments

Comparison by Product

Biologics - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Small molecule targeted therapy - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Chemotherapy - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Market opportunity by Product

Customer Landscape

Customer landscape

Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Asia - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Market opportunity by geography

Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

Market drivers

Market challenges

Impact of drivers and challenges

Market trends

Vendor Landscape

Overview

Vendor landscape

Landscape disruption

Industry risks

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

Amgen Inc.

AstraZeneca Plc

Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.

Eli Lilly and Co.

F. Hoffmann La Roche Ltd.

Merck KGaA

Ono Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.

Pfizer Inc.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.

Appendix

Scope of the report

Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
"At Olive, empathetic innovation is in our DNA  we've been challenging the status quo since the very beginning," said Rohan D'Souza, chief product officer, Olive. "It is an honor to be recognized by Fast Company as one of the world's most innovative companies for our vision of transforming lives by connecting healthcare. We look forward to continuing to raise the bar on our quest to reshape the health experience for humankind."

In 2021, Olive doubled down on reimagining healthcare by:

Introducing The Library , a healthcare solution marketplace providing developers, independent software vendors (ISVs), system integrators (SIs) and other partners an important distribution channel to list, sell, and grow as part of Olive's network. The Library offerings were further expanded through Olive's first-ever Hack for Health contest .

, a healthcare solution marketplace providing developers, independent software vendors (ISVs), system integrators (SIs) and other partners an important distribution channel to list, sell, and grow as part of Olive's network. The Library offerings were further expanded through Olive's first-ever . Debuting four partnership programs  Develop, Deploy, Distribute, and Alliance  to create more open access in the industry, allowing solutions built on Olive to be immediately delivered to a vast range of hospitals, health systems, payers and patients.

 to create more open access in the industry, allowing solutions built on Olive to be immediately delivered to a vast range of hospitals, health systems, payers and patients. Revolutionizing patient care with healthcare's superhuman sidekick that enhances the speed, quality and impact of healthcare workers, as a free download.

that enhances the speed, quality and impact of healthcare workers, as a free download. Launching Olive Ventures , a strategic in-house studio focused on creating revolutionary companies and specialized products for the healthcare industry.

, a strategic in-house studio focused on creating revolutionary companies and specialized products for the healthcare industry. Adding a full-service clearinghouse to deliver transformative clearinghouse and claims management automation through a value-focused model.

to deliver transformative clearinghouse and claims management automation through a value-focused model. Partnering with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to leverage cloud computing to make healthcare more efficient and affordable for patients and organizations. Running on AWS, Olive's workflow automation solution connects data between disparate systems and networks, including health systems, payers, data, and patient information and history.

Fast Company's World's Most Innovative Companies provides both a snapshot and a road map for the future of innovation across the most dynamic sectors of the economy. This year's list honors businesses that are making the biggest impact on their industries and culture as a whole  ultimately thriving in today's ever-changing world.

"The world's most innovative companies play an essential role in addressing the most pressing issues facing society, whether they're fighting climate change by spurring decarbonization efforts, ameliorating the strain on supply chains, or helping us reconnect with one another over shared passions," said Fast Company Deputy Editor David Lidsky.

Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies issue (March/April 2022) is available online here , as well as in-app form via iTunes, and on newsstands beginning March 15. The hashtag is #FCMostInnovative.

About Olive

Olive is the automation company creating the Internet of Healthcare. The company is addressing healthcare's most burdensome issues through automation  delivering hospitals, health systems and payers increased revenue, reduced costs, and increased capacity. People feel lost in the system today and healthcare employees are essentially working in the dark due to outdated technology that creates a lack of shared knowledge and siloed data. Olive is driving connections to shine new light on healthcare processes, improving operations today so everyone can benefit from a healthier industry tomorrow. To learn more about Olive, visit oliveai.com .

About Fast Company

Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com .

Media Contact

Kallie Kouvelis

312-329-3979

[email protected]

SOURCE Olive
BOCA RATON, Fla., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Omega Healthcare, a leading healthcare management solutions partner supporting the broad healthcare ecosystem, today announced its acquisition of Reventics, a Denver, CO based company.

Reventics is a clinical documentation improvement ("CDI") and revenue cycle management ("RCM") solutions provider that delivers Provider Engagement Solutions to enhance physician reimbursement and compliance, while improving clinical quality measures.

This acquisition enables Omega Healthcare to expand its core coding and RCM offering by leveraging Reventics' proprietary cloud native platforms for CDI and RCM - RevCDI and RevMAX - along with expert clinical resources to drive improved outcomes for its clients.

The transaction is part of Omega Healthcare's strategic growth plan to expand its existing CDI capabilities through technology-driven solutions, giving Omega exceptional scale and proficiency in this specialized competency.

"Reventics brings to our organization clinical excellence, analytic capabilities, and new age technologies to complement Omega's existing technology and automation services," says Anurag Mehta, CEO of Omega Healthcare. "Not only is this a strategic fit that will benefit our clients, but we will be able to expand our CDI and RCM capabilities through this acquisition, while increasing our AI capabilities as well."

"We see our core values of "client first" approach reflected in Omega's own philosophy and are excited by how our clients could benefit from the larger enterprise and its extensive capabilities. We believe the client partnerships we currently enjoy will only be strengthened through this transaction." says Arnab Sen, CEO of Reventics. "

"Omega is excited to welcome the Reventics team and is eagerly looking forward to creating enhanced value for its customers under the combined leadership" added Sumithra Gomatam, Executive Chair of Omega.

Anurag Mehta will continue to serve as the CEO of the combined entity.

About Omega Healthcare



Founded in 2003, Omega helps payers, providers, and pharmaceutical companies eliminate administrative burdens, accelerate cash flow, and reduce health management costs while enhancing patient care. The company streamlines medical billing, coding, and collections processes and provides virtual nursing services, including triage, care continuation, clinical documentation improvement, and re-admittance avoidance. Combining the largest medical coding staff in the world with proprietary technology, analytics, and automation capabilities, Omega provides the most comprehensive outsourced solutions in the industry and is ranked among the top revenue cycle management business process services by industry analysts.

Backed by the Private Equity business within Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Everstone Group, Omega has more than 20,000 employees across the United States, India, the Philippines.

About Reventics

Reventics is a physician-focused clinical documentation improvement (CDI) and revenue cycle management (RCM) company. The company is changing the way the industry thinks about CDI and RCM by placing the provider at the center of its solutions. From the AI that powers Reventics' products to its physician-led delivery approach, Reventics drives an unrelenting focus on clinicians, to improve their operational and financial outcomes. Reventics' approach is based on using its C-A-T model ( C linically focused, A nalytics led & T echnology driven) to deliver Provider Engagement Solutions that enhance physician reimbursement and compliance while improving clinical quality measures.

KPMG Corporate Finance, LLC acted as the financial advisor to Reventics on this transaction. Financial details were not disclosed.

SOURCE Omega Healthcare
ATLANTA, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, OneTrust announced the appointment of Kim Rivera as its first Chief Legal and Business Affairs Officer. Rivera is a strategic advisor, executive and lawyer with a global perspective. She brings over 25 years of business, legal and leadership experience to the company. In this newly created role, Rivera will integrate trust, compliance, and business strategy at OneTrust. She will work with OneTrust's growing community of customers and partners to help position trust at the core of business operations.

A C-suite executive with a proven record of delivering significant business impact through business and corporate development, Rivera has spent over 25 years building trust within organizations spanning technology, healthcare, and consumer products. Most recently, Rivera served as HP Inc.'s President of Strategy, Business Management and Chief Legal Officer, where she led corporate strategy and business development, customer support, corporate functions and the worldwide legal organization, including all aspects of legal and government affairs, brand security, compliance, and ethics. Earlier in her career, Rivera held senior executive positions at DaVita Healthcare, The Clorox Company, and Rockwell Automation.

Rivera is known as a strong and outspoken leader with a passion for developing people, teams, and culture in organizations. She was appointed to the Thomson Reuters Board of Directors in 2019 and to Cano Health's Board of Directors in 2021. She has also held multiple non-profit board positions, including the California Latino Community Foundation and the Denver Metro Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Currently, she serves as Chair Elect of the Board of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity and is a Senior Fellow and Member of the Board of the American Leadership Forum of Silicon Valley. She is an advocate for and frequent speaker on diversity and inclusion (DE&I) in corporations and the legal profession, emphasizing women in leadership.

"Companies and boards of directors are grappling with how to effectively integrate privacy, legal, and governance requirements into their core business strategy and operations because that's where the competitive advantage lies," said Kim Rivera, OneTrust's new Chief Legal and Business Affairs Officer. "OneTrust is building the technology for trust and is uniquely positioned to meet the challenges of these demands by collaborating with customers and partners to design and implement successful strategies. I look forward to building on the company, business, and platform that OneTrust has created as we continue to evolve and define its legacy."

"Kim is an expert at evolving and integrating compliance and governance strategies to build trust as the core of business strategy," said Kabir Barday, OneTrust CEO. "She's the business mind behind what the OneTrust platform helps our customers accomplish: unifying privacy, security, and ethics to build trust. We're incredibly excited for Kim to join our executive leadership team and rapidly accelerate our ability to help our customers build programs centered on trust."

To learn more about building trust at the center of business, register for TrustWeek taking place May 23-26 in Atlanta.

About OneTrust

OneTrust is the category-defining enterprise platform to operationalize trust. More than 12,000 customers, including half of the Fortune Global 500, use OneTrust to make trust a competitive differentiator, implementing central agile workflows across privacy and data governance, GRC and security, ethics and compliance, and ESG and sustainability programs. The OneTrust platform is backed by 200 patents and powered by the OneTrust Athena AI and robotic automation engine.

In 2020, OneTrust was named the #1 fastest-growing company in America on the Inc. 500 with a 48,000% three-year growth rate. According to the IDC Worldwide Data Privacy Management Software Market Shares Report, 2020, "OneTrust is leading the market outright and showing no signs of slowing down or stopping."

OneTrust has raised a total of $920 million in funding at a $5.3 billion valuation from Insight Partners, Coatue, TCV, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, and Franklin Templeton. OneTrust's fast-growing team of 3,000 employees is co-headquartered in Atlanta and London with offices hubs across Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

To learn more, visit OneTrust.com or connect on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

Media Contact Gabrielle Ferree

+1 770-294-4668 [email protected]

SOURCE OneTrust
To understand more about Market Dynamics. Download our FREE sample report

The Online Travel Agencies IT Spending Market ia expected to increase by USD 1.73 billion from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 15.22%. The market to record 14% Y-O-Y growth rate in 2022. 39% of the market's growth will originate from North America during the forecast period. US and Canada are the key markets for online travel agencies IT spending market in North America. Market growth in this region will be slower than the growth of the market in Europe and APAC. The growing baby boomer population will facilitate the online travel agencies IT spending market growth in North America over the forecast period.

For more insights on the market share of various regions - Download a FREE Sample

Product Insights and News-



The Online Travel Agencies IT Spending Market is fragmented, and the vendors are deploying growth strategies such as focusing on product delivery through multiple distribution channels to compete in the market.

Amadeus IT Group SA is a public company that is headquartered in Spain . It is a global company that generated a revenue of USD 2667.72 million and had around 15418 employees. Its revenue from the global online travel agencies IT spending market contributes to its overall revenues, along with its other offerings, but is not a key revenue stream for the company.

. It is a global company that generated a revenue of and had around 15418 employees. Its revenue from the global online travel agencies IT spending market contributes to its overall revenues, along with its other offerings, but is not a key revenue stream for the company. Amadeus IT Group SA - The company offers versatile, travel-intelligent advertising services.

Find additional highlights on the vendors and their product offerings. Download a Free Sample Report

Latest Drivers & Challenges in the Market-

Online Travel Agencies IT Spending Market Driver:

Increasing internet and smartphone penetration:

The increasing internet and smartphone penetration are some of the key drivers supporting the online travel agencies IT spending market growth. Rapid technological advances increased the internet and smartphone penetration globally in the past decade, which played a vital role in the global online travel agencies IT spending market. Internet connectivity has become necessary in homes, offices, or public places. The governments of various countries, such as China, India, and others, provide free Wi-Fi networks for their citizens. With the evolution of smartphones and free Wi-Fi services, the use of the internet through mobile phones has been increasing significantly over the past decade. However, many key players in the market are trying to provide their mobile applications pre-loaded in the phones during sales, which are increasing the reach of their mobile applications

Online Travel Agencies IT Spending Market Challenges:

Disruptions in travel demand:

Disruptions in travel demand is one of the factors hindering the online travel agencies IT spending market growth. According to the weather conditions and other features, the price of the travel, stay, and food varies from place to place. Hence, it becomes difficult for vendors to offer efficient online travel booking services across multiple locations. Customers may book tickets and other amenities well in advance, which may later lead to cancellation due to various reasons. For instance, in 2020, most countries imposed lockdown globally due to COVID-19, which resulted in the cancellation of flights, travel bookings, hotel stays, and transfer facilities. Vendors across the world faced heavy losses due to such disruptions. These sudden disruptions adversely affect vendors in the market, as companies are liable to provide a refund for customers. Other disruptions, such as airline prices or government regulations, restrict travel to certain countries.

Find additional information about various other market Drivers & Challenges mentioned in our FREE sample report .

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Online Travel Agencies IT Spending Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 15.22% Market growth 2022-2026 USD 1.73 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 14.00 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA Performing market contribution North America at 39% Key consumer countries US, Canada, China, Germany, and UK Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled Amadeus IT Group SA, DirectVision SRL, Fourth Dimension, mTrip, Oracle Corp., Pc Voyages 2000 Inc., Sabre GLBL Inc., Tramada Systems Pty Ltd., TravelCarma, and TravelSoft Corp. Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and future consumer dynamics, market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Table of Contents:

***1. Executive Summary

**1.1 Market Overview

*Exhibit 01: Key Finding 1

*Exhibit 02: Key Finding 2

*Exhibit 03: Key Finding 3

*Exhibit 04: Key Finding 5

*Exhibit 05: Key Finding 6

*Exhibit 06: Key Finding 7

*Exhibit 07: Key Finding 8

***2. Market Landscape

**2.1 Market ecosystem

*2.1.1 Parent Market

*Exhibit 08 Parent market

*Exhibit 09: Market characteristics

**2.2 Value Chain Analysis

*Exhibit 10: Value Chain Analysis: IT consulting and other services

*2.2.1 Inputs

*2.2.2 Operations

*2.2.3 Marketing and sales

*2.2.4 Service

*2.2.5 Support activities

*2.2.6 Innovations

***3. Market Sizing

**3.1 Market definition

*Exhibit 11: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

**3.2 Market segment analysis

*Exhibit 12: Market segments

**3.3 Market size 2021

**3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2021 - 2026

*Exhibit 13: Global - Market size and forecast 2021 - 2026 ($ million)

*Exhibit 14: Global market: Year-over-year growth 2021 - 2026 (%)

***4. Five Forces Analysis

**4.1 Five Forces Summary

*Exhibit 15: Five forces analysis 2021 - 2026

**4.2 Bargaining power of buyers

*Exhibit 16: Bargaining power of the buyer

**4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

*Exhibit 17: Bargaining power of the supplier

**4.4 Threat of new entrants

*Exhibit 18: Threat of new entrants

**4.5 Threat of substitutes

*Exhibit 19: Threat of substitutes

**4.6 Threat of rivalry

*Exhibit 20: Threat of rivalry

**4.7 Market condition

*Exhibit 21: Market condition - Five forces 2021

***5. Market Segmentation by Type

**5.1 Market segments

*Exhibit 22: TypeMarket share 2021 - 2026 (%)

**5.2 Comparison by Type

*Exhibit 23: Comparison by Type

**5.3 Software spending - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

*Exhibit 24: Software spending - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

*Exhibit 25: Software spending - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

**5.4 IT services spending - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

*Exhibit 26: IT services spending - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

*Exhibit 27: IT services spending - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

**5.5 Hardware spending - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

*Exhibit 28: Hardware spending- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

*Exhibit 29: Hardware spending Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

**5.6 Market opportunity by Type

*Exhibit 30: Market opportunity by Type

***6. Customer landscape

*Technavio's customer landscape matrix comparing Drivers or price sensitivity, Adoption lifecycle, importance in customer price basket, Adoption rate and Key purchase criteria

**6.1 Overview

*Exhibit 31: Customer landscape

***7. Geographic Landscape

**7.1 Geographic segmentation

*Exhibit 32: Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)

**7.2 Geographic comparison

*Exhibit 33: Geographic comparison

**7.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

*Exhibit 34: North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026($ million)

*Exhibit 35: North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

**7.4 Europe- Market size and forecast 2021-2026

*Exhibit 36: Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

*Exhibit 37: Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026(%)

**7.5 APAC- Market size and forecast 2021-2026

*Exhibit 38: APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

*Exhibit 39: APAC- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

**7.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

*Exhibit 40: South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

*Exhibit 41: South America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

**7.7 MEA- Market size and forecast 2021-2026

*Exhibit 42: MEA - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

*Exhibit 43: MEA - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

**7.8 Key leading countries

*Exhibit 44: Key leading countries

**7.9 Market opportunity by geography

*Exhibit 45: Market opportunity by geography ($ million)

***8. Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

**8.1 Market drivers

*8.1.1 Increasing Internet and smartphone penetration

*8.1.2 Increasing consolidation of online travel agencies

*8.1.3 Differential packaging methods used by vendors

**8.2 Market challenges

*8.2.1 Disruptions in travel demand

*8.2.2 Global economic slowdown

*8.2.3 Threat from offline travel agencies

*Exhibit 46: Impact of drivers and challenges

**8.3 Market trends

*8.3.1 Increasing adoption of online payment platforms

*8.3.2 Expansion of low-cost carriers

*8.3.3 Dynamic cost-effective IT solutions

***9. Vendor Landscape

**9.1 Overview

*Exhibit 47: Vendor landscape

**9.2 Landscape disruption

*Exhibit 48: Landscape disruption

*Exhibit 49: Industry Risk

**9.3 Competitive Scenario

***10. Vendor Analysis

**10.1 Vendors covered

*Exhibit 50: Vendors covered

**10.2 Market positioning of vendors

*Exhibit 51: ?Market positioning of vendors?

**10.3 Amadeus IT Group SA

*Exhibit 52: Amadeus IT Group SA - Overview

*Exhibit 53: Amadeus IT Group SA - Business segments

*Exhibit 54: Amadeus IT Group SA - Key offerings

*Exhibit 55: Amadeus IT Group SA - Segment focus

**10.4 DirectVision SRL

*Exhibit 56: DirectVision SRL - Overview

*Exhibit 57: DirectVision SRL - Product and service

*Exhibit 58: DirectVision SRL - Key offerings

**10.5 Fourth Dimension

*Exhibit 59: Fourth Dimension - Overview

*Exhibit 60: Fourth Dimension - Product and service

*Exhibit 61: Fourth Dimension - Key offerings

**10.6 mTrip

*Exhibit 62: mTrip - Overview

*Exhibit 63: mTrip - Product and service

*Exhibit 64: mTrip - Key offerings

**10.7 Oracle Corp.

*Exhibit 65: Oracle Corp. - Overview

*Exhibit 66: Oracle Corp. - Business segments

*Exhibit 67: Oracle Corp. - Key offerings

*Exhibit 68: Oracle Corp. - Segment focus

**10.8 Pc Voyages 2000 Inc.

*Exhibit 69: Pc Voyages 2000 Inc. - Overview

*Exhibit 70: Pc Voyages 2000 Inc. - Product and service

*Exhibit 71: Pc Voyages 2000 Inc. - Key offerings

**10.9 Sabre GLBL Inc.

*Exhibit 72: Sabre GLBL Inc. - Overview

*Exhibit 73: Sabre GLBL Inc. - Business segments

*Exhibit 74: Sabre GLBL Inc. - Key offerings

*Exhibit 75: Sabre GLBL Inc. - Segment focus

**10.10 Tramada Systems Pty Ltd.

*Exhibit 76: Tramada Systems Pty Ltd. - Overview

*Exhibit 77: Tramada Systems Pty Ltd. - Product and service

*Exhibit 78: Tramada Systems Pty Ltd. - Key offerings

**10.11 TravelCarma

*Exhibit 79: TravelCarma - Overview

*Exhibit 80: TravelCarma - Product and service

*Exhibit 81: TravelCarma - Key offerings

**10.12 TravelSoft Corp.

*Exhibit 82: TravelSoft Corp. - Overview

*Exhibit 83: TravelSoft Corp. - Product and service

*Exhibit 84: TravelSoft Corp. - Key offerings

***11. Appendix

**11.1 Scope of the report

*11.1.1 Market definition

*11.1.2 Objectives

*11.1.3 Notes and caveats

**11.2 Currency conversion rates for US$

*Exhibit 85: Currency conversion rates for US$?

**11.3 Research Methodology

*Exhibit 86: Research Methodology

*Exhibit 87: Validation techniques employed for market sizing?

*Exhibit 88: Information sources

**11.4 List of abbreviations

*Exhibit 89: List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
The Orion  Gaussian Module will help researchers in all fields using electronic-structure modeling software expand their quantum chemistry work by using Gaussian's programs in conjunction with OpenEye's Orion platform, which is built on top of Amazon Web Services' (AWS) high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure. Using Orion, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as any industrial researcher who wishes to perform electronic structure calculations, can gain access to elastic and flexible computational resources in the Cloud.

Users of the Orion Gaussian Module also will enjoy cost savings through the Orion proprietary scheduler, which allows them to monitor computation job expenses in real time and set notifications and cancellation thresholds to lower costs.

Used by scientists globally, Gaussian's software programs provide a wide-ranging suite of the most advanced modeling capabilities. "Now companies using Gaussian in their R&D, for example in pharmaceutical chemistry or materials science, can solve complex quantum chemistry calculations in OpenEye's Orion platform without worrying about the cost of adding hardware capacity," said Dr. Michael Frisch, President of Gaussian, Inc.

Orion is the only cloud-native fully integrated SaaS molecular design platform. The technology accelerates drug discovery science by combining the unlimited storage and computational scalability of AWS with powerful tools for data sharing, visualization, and analysis in a customizable development platform. Orion features an easy-to-use, web-based graphical interface and sophisticated analysis and reporting workflows.

"Scientists often are limited by the computing resources they have available," said Anthony Nicholls, CEO of OpenEye Scientific. "This collaboration between OpenEye and Gaussian will ensure customers have the powerful combination of Orion's turnkey HPC and Gaussian's world-leading quantum codes. As more and more molecular modeling requires quantum-level accuracy, this is a huge win for the community."





For more information about OpenEye and its advanced technology offerings, visit www.openeye.inc .

About Gaussian

Gaussian Inc. develops, licenses, and supports electronic-structure modeling programs used worldwide by chemists, chemical engineers, biochemists, physicists, and others working on molecular-level chemical research. Gaussian's programs enable researchers to study and predict the properties of molecules and reactions under a wide range of conditions, especially those that are difficult or impossible to observe experimentally. Gaussian is headquartered in Wallingford, Conn. For more information, go to www.gaussian.com.

About OpenEye Scientific

OpenEye Scientific is an industry leader in computational molecular design through rapid, robust, and scalable software, toolkits, technology and design services, and Orion, the only cloud-native fully integrated software-as-a-service molecular modeling platform. Combining unlimited computation and storage with powerful tools for data sharing, visualization and analysis in a customizable development platform, Orion offers unprecedented capabilities for the advancement of pharmaceuticals, biologics, agrochemicals, and flavors and fragrances. Founded in 1997, OpenEye is a privately held company headquartered in Santa Fe, N.M., with offices in Boston, Mass.; Cologne, Germany; and Tokyo, Japan. For more information, go to www.openeye.inc .

MEDIA CONTACTS:

OpenEye Scientific: Josh Segal | [email protected] | 617-947-3795

Gaussian: James Hess | [email protected] | 203-284-2501

SOURCE OpenEye Scientific
"LSI has consistently been a lighthouse conference with some of the greatest minds in healthcare technology. I look forward to attending every year to not just learn from experts and catch up with colleagues, but to be inspired. If you want to know about the bright future of healthcare technology LSI is the place to be." shared Osso CEO and founder Justin Barad, MD .

Osso VR is regarded as the world's largest surgical training platform. Traditionally Osso has had a major focus in orthopaedics and this year is emphasizing their growth into additional specialties including spine, interventional cardiology, structural heart and minimally invasive surgery.

"The strategics and investors that attend our meetings are looking for quality deal-flow and cutting edge innovators, like Osso VR. The company has been on an incredible journey and we're looking forward to hearing updates on their growth" commented Scott Pantel , Founder and CEO of LSI.

About Osso VR

Osso VR is an award-winning, clinically validated surgical training platform designed for medical device companies and practicing surgeons of all skill levels. Using cinema quality VR, the scalable platform offers a realistic, hands-on training environment that leads to real world performance gains and ultimately improved patient outcomes. Osso VR is the first training platform to incorporate assessment into its modules, objectively measuring the trainee's knowledge of steps, level of accuracy and overall efficiency throughout the procedure providing a benchmark for proficiency.

Led by UCLA and Harvard trained orthopedic surgeon Justin Barad, MD, the Osso VR team has a deep background in clinical care, medical technology, and VR development. To learn more, visit http://ossovr.com/

About LSI USA '22 Emerging Medtech Summit

Held annually in Southern California, the Emerging Medtech Summit brings together the industry's most innovative startups, active investors, and strategic buyers so they can connect, collaborate and build the future of healthcare. Learn more at https://www.lifesciencemarketresearch.com/medtech-summit-2022.

About Life Science Intelligence (LSI)

LSI is a market intelligence & consulting company focused on covering the global medtech and healthtech markets. We help healthcare executives make more informed strategic decisions by better understanding market dynamics, trends, opportunities, and the competitive landscape. https://www.lifesciencemarketresearch.com

CONTACT: [email protected]

SOURCE Life Science Intelligence
PENSACOLA, Fla., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sunshine Health and the Pensacola Lamplighters are wrapping up their #Up2Youth campaign where youth (kindergarten through grade 12) share in their own voices why they are getting COVID-19 vaccines.

As vaccines became available for youth ages 5-18, the Lamplighters shared their videos on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn and received an total of 94,000 views and more than 100,000 engagements across Florida as well as Texas, Tennessee and New York. The young men mixed in some of their signature dance moves, too.

"They were looking for a way to tell their friends  in their own words  why COVID vaccines and safety were important to them," said Bryan Freeman, Executive Director of the Omega Lamplighters. "The collective effort with Sunshine Health made this campaign our biggest media message to date! We hope that translates to thousands of kids, teens, and families getting their vaccines. I truly believe the campaign influenced many families."

Pensacola Lamplighter President Aaron Waters, a senior at West Florida High School, agreed.

"We just want life to go back to normal, and that's not going to happen if more of us don't get vaccinated," said Waters. "We want to experience all the things kids do  concerts, ballgames, going on college tours  without being scared of COVID. That's why we did this."

The Pensacola Lamplighters also hosted a Family #UP2YOUTH Webinar answering COVID-related questions submitted by kids. Panelists included Community Health Northwest Florida Chief Advocacy Officer Sandra Donaldson, Escambia County Commissioner Lumon May, Florida Department of Health Division Director Dr. Vanessa Phillips, and Sunshine Health Vice President of Pharmacy Operations Moses Allen.

Allen was in the PSA video and worked with the Lamplighters on the campaign.

"We loved working with the Lamplighters. Our fight against COVID-19 isn't over. Keep sharing the videos, talk to your doctor about the vaccine, wash your hands, wear your masks indoors, and don't hesitate to reach out to us and the Lamplighters," said Moses Allen, Sunshine Health VP of Pharmacy Operations.

About Sunshine Health

Headquartered in Broward County and with offices across the state, Sunshine Health is among the largest healthcare plans in Florida. Offering coordinated care and a network of support for our members, Sunshine Health is transforming the health of the community, one person at a time. Sunshine Health is a wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, a diversified, multi-national healthcare enterprise. We offer government-sponsored managed care through Medicaid, Long Term Care, the Health Insurance Marketplace (Ambetter), and Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans (Wellcare). Our specialty plans include the Child Welfare Specialty Plan serving children in or adopted from the state's Child Welfare system; the Serious Mental Illness Specialty Plan for people living with serious mental illness; and the Children's Medical Services Health Plan, operated by Sunshine Health on behalf of the Florida Department of Health for children and adolescents with special healthcare needs.

For more information, visit SunshineHealth.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter @SunHealthFL.

About the Pensacola Lamplighters

The Pensacola Lamplighters are youth, grades kindergarten to 12, who serve as leaders to their peers and community. Through club-orientated activities, Lamplighters Inc. perform projects that expose young men to planning, execution, reporting ideas and simulation group leadership characteristics designed to raise their aspiration levels. All activities and programs are modeled following four principles: Leadership, Academics, Maturity and Perseverance. The Pensacola Lamplighters are one of 16 Florida Chapters of the Omega Lamplighters.

SOURCE Sunshine Health
Bloombox Club's new Austrian e-commerce presence comes under a new domain, https://bloomboxclub.at/ , which reflects Bloombox Club's interactive, intuitive and educational online presence. For purchases made through the Austrian platform, orders will be shipped from a distributor in the Netherlands using the same centralized fulfilment and distribution system as other Bloombox Club operations in Europe.

"We are beyond pleased with the welcoming reception among our consumer base in Austria, as well as the immediate feedback that we are seeing with this latest e-commerce site going live," said PlantX CEO, Lorne Rapkin. "As we look ahead to the future, we are committed to capitalizing on this growth market opportunity by prioritizing customer satisfaction as we continue to share the Bloombox Club experience with our Austrian community."

"Our goal is to have the Austrian Bloombox Club e-commerce platform provide similar customer experiences across the brand," said PlantX Founder, Sean Dollinger. "We are confident that this latest e-commerce platform will be successful."

About PlantX Life Inc.

As the digital face of the plant-based community, PlantX's platform is the one-stop-shop for everything plant-based. With its fast-growing category verticals, the Company offers customers across North America more than 5,000 plant-based products. In addition to offering meal and indoor plant deliveries, the Company currently has plans underway to expand its product lines to include cosmetics, clothing and its own water brand  but the business is not limited to an e-commerce platform. The Company uses its digital platform to build a community of like-minded consumers and, most importantly, provide education. Its successful enterprise is being built and fortified on partnerships with top nutritionists, chefs and brands. The Company eliminates the barriers to entry for anyone interested in living a plant-based lifestyle and thriving in a longer, healthier and happier life.

About Bloombox Club

Bloomboxclub Limited is a UK-based indoor plant and natural product shop and subscription company that brings indoors the great outdoors to boost its customers' health and well-being. Bloombox sources, curates, and tells the story of its indoor plants and superior natural products for the home and delivers them to its customers' doors. Bloombox has created an active community loyal to its brand by curating its products and educating its customers on the plants' genus and benefits.

The Company website is http://investor.PlantX.com/.

To visit the Company's YouTube channel, click here .

Forward Looking-Information

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements contained herein that are not clearly historical in nature may constitute forward-looking information. In some cases, forward-looking information can be identified by words or phrases such as "may," "will," "expect," "likely," "should," "would," "plan," "anticipate," "intend," "potential," "proposed," "estimate," "believe" or the negative of these terms, or other similar words, expressions and grammatical variations thereof, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" happen, or by discussions of strategy. The forward-looking information contained herein includes, without limitation, statements relating to Bloombox Club's operations in Austria and the business and strategic plans of the Company.

By its nature, forward-looking information is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and that give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections or conclusions will not prove to be accurate; that assumptions may not be correct; and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. A variety of factors, including known and unknown risks, many of which are beyond our control, could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information in this press release including, without limitation: the Company's ability to comply with all applicable governmental regulations including all applicable food safety laws and regulations; impacts to the business and operations of the Company due to the COVID-19 epidemic; a limited operating history; the ability of the Company to access capital to meet future financing needs; the Company's reliance on management and key personnel; competition; changes in consumer trends; foreign currency fluctuations; and general economic, market or business conditions.

Additional risk factors can also be found in the Company's continuous disclosure documents, which have been filed on SEDAR and can be accessed at www.sedar.com . Readers are cautioned to consider these and other factors, uncertainties and potential events carefully and not to put undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained herein is made as of the date of this press release and is based on the beliefs, estimates, expectations and opinions of management on the date such forward-looking information is made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, estimates or opinions, future events or results or otherwise or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law.

SOURCE PlantX Life Inc.
KEY WEST, Fla., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wicked Lick  an all-natural liquid nitrogen crafted ice cream company revolutionizing how we interact with ice cream  is looking to grow after great success. The brand provides its guests the opportunity to elevate a traditional ice cream shop visit to something they've never done before, providing a unique experience that activates all the senses. In addition, Wicked Lick offers its franchise partners the opportunity to build a business for themselves with a brand that they look forward to being a part of every day. With their flagship location in Key West, the company is looking to bring their freshly frozen treats to more South Floridians and beyond.

Wicked Lick was founded in 2018 by John Smotryski and Amanda Velazquez after deciding to pack up their lives on mainland Florida and set out for new beginnings in sunny Key West. Retired with a previous career in Real Estate and Construction, John cashed in his retirement plan for a new dream. The couple wanted to open a business that gave back to their community and could think of no better way than introducing them to the concept of Liquid Nitrogen ice cream. Liquid Nitrogen is the most abundant gas on the planet and at 321 degrees below zero, when it is introduced to the cream while being mixed, it freezes into a super smooth and creamy consistency.

"When the ice cream hits your taste buds, you experience the most amazing texture that enhances the flavor and delivers a taste incomparable to anything else," said Smotryski. "But Wicked Lick is more than just delicious ice cream, it's an experience that is rooted in its community. Every customer that walks in our doors is left with a lasting memory that keeps them coming back for more. This is a one-of-a-kind experience that is bigger than Key West and we can't wait to share it with more and more communities."

With a tongue in cheek catchphrase like, "If You Don't Lick It, Someone Else Will", the ice cream brand stands out from the pack. Wicked Lick entices its guest with an inviting and edgy atmosphere, captivating them with clouds of liquid nitrogen billowing out of the shop that are being used to whip up fresh, small batches. Their unique creations, such as ice cream nachos or fresh, warm waffles paired with a scoop, showcase their mouthwatering flavors like Girl Scout cookies and Andes ice cream.

"We started Wicked Lick with a vision of creating a place that would welcome and entice the community on a daily basis," said Velazquez. "I look forward to coming into the shop every morning and interacting with our guests, seeing the joy on their faces when the liquid nitrogen puffs into the air or taking a bite of their treat is so fulfilling. We are ready to spread that happiness we feel every day, getting up to go to work, with even more people through our franchising opportunity."

As the work culture continues to shift, Wicked Lick presents an enticing opportunity to those who have dreamed of owning their own business. As a newly emerging brand in the franchising industry, Wicked Lick works closely with their franchise partners, carefully guiding them and providing them with the tools to succeed. In addition, the brand not only offers its franchise partners the opportunity to spread joy across their communities, but to provide themselves joy as well.

Wicked Lick is actively seeking single and multi-unit franchise partners throughout South Florida, with the goal of awarding ten licenses by the end of 2022. The ideal candidate will have previous business management experience and is passionate about creating a business that they can be hands on with. Including the franchise fee, the initial investment for a Wicked Lick location ranges from $211,500 - $341,200.

For more information about Wicked Lick's franchise opportunity, please visit https://WickedLick.com/franchise/.

About Wicked Lick

Wicked Lick was started as a dream of Founders, John Smotryski and Amanda Velazquez in 2018 to slow down and enjoy life more, while also remaining an active part of their community. With rapid success over the last three years, the brand launched their franchising opportunity with the unique experience of Liquid Nitrogen ice cream, enticing all the senses. You know what they say, "If You Don't Lick It, Someone Else Will." For more information, visit https://WickedLick.com/.

Contact: Ashlyn Jensen, Franchise Elevator PR, (847) 346-9014, [email protected]

SOURCE Wicked Lick
People are seen during their evacuation in Irpin, Ukraine, March 8, 2022. Russian armed forces have declared a "silence regime" and the opening of humanitarian corridors for the safe evacuation of civilians in Ukraine starting 10 a.m. Moscow time (0700 GMT) on March 8. (Photo by Diego Herrera/Xinhua)

MOSCOW, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Russian armed forces have declared a "silence regime" and the opening of humanitarian corridors for the safe evacuation of civilians in Ukraine starting 10 a.m. Moscow time (0700 GMT) on Tuesday.

"Humanitarian corridors from Kiev, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkov and Mariupol are being opened," local media reported, citing Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov.

On the same day, Ukraine started evacuating residents from the northeastern city of Sumy through a humanitarian corridor as agreed with Russia, Ukraine's UNIAN news agency reported.

During the third round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine on Monday, both sides addressed the issue of civilian evacuation, and the Ukrainian side assured Russia that the humanitarian corridors would start working. 

A man holding a bag rests in Irpin, Ukraine, March 8, 2022. Russian armed forces have declared a "silence regime" and the opening of humanitarian corridors for the safe evacuation of civilians in Ukraine starting 10 a.m. Moscow time (0700 GMT) on March 8. (Photo by Diego Herrera/Xinhua)

People walk on a path during their evacuation in Irpin, Ukraine, March 8, 2022. Russian armed forces have declared a "silence regime" and the opening of humanitarian corridors for the safe evacuation of civilians in Ukraine starting 10 a.m. Moscow time (0700 GMT) on March 8. (Photo by Diego Herrera/Xinhua)

People bid goodbye to each other with a hug in Irpin, Ukraine, March 8, 2022. Russian armed forces have declared a "silence regime" and the opening of humanitarian corridors for the safe evacuation of civilians in Ukraine starting 10 a.m. Moscow time (0700 GMT) on March 8. (Photo by Diego Herrera/Xinhua)

People rest by a road in Irpin, Ukraine, March 8, 2022. Russian armed forces have declared a "silence regime" and the opening of humanitarian corridors for the safe evacuation of civilians in Ukraine starting 10 a.m. Moscow time (0700 GMT) on March 8. (Photo by Diego Herrera/Xinhua)
TAMPA, Fla., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Psilera Inc. ("Psilera") , a biotechnology company specializing in the clinical development of psychedelic-inspired compounds and drug delivery systems for treating mental health disorders, was granted more than $130,000 from the Florida High Tech Corridor's Matching Grants Research Program, effectively doubling the life of a study conducted in collaboration with researchers from the University of South Florida ("USF"). This preclinical study focuses on understanding Psilera's non-hallucinogenic N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) derivatives and their therapeutic potential to treat mood and addiction disorders.

Psilera's research team have identified lead candidates from their patent-pending drug library, aided by their proprietary virtual data platform, and have synthesized these compounds for crucial biological testing. The funded study, "Development of New Substituted N,N-Dialkyltryptamines for Treatment of Mental Health and Alcohol Use Disorder," will be led by Dr. Danielle Gulick, assistant professor, Department of Molecular Medicine in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, and supported by USF Health student researchers.

"We're proud to support Psilera's continued collaboration with USF's Morsani College of Medicine as they deliver on a commitment to grow in our region," said Corridor CEO Paul A. Sohl, Rear Adm. USN (ret). "Our matching funds provide a tangible benefit to Psilera and allow USF students to apply skills they've learned in the classroom to solve real-world problems and gain valuable perspectives as they enter our region's high-tech workforce."

Previously, Psilera announced that its first DMT derivative, PSIL-002, did not induce hallucinogenic effects in mice at extremely large doses greater than 100 mg/kg. PSIL-002 can therefore have 10-fold better dose flexibility as compared to moderate hallucinogens like DMT and psilocybin. Psilera has confirmed that PSIL-002 can access and impact regions of the brain critical for mental health, including the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and limbic system. Further behavioral studies focused on antidepressant, anxiolytic, and cognitive effects, showed promising efficacy, with memory and learning having the greatest increase for PSIL-002. A second DMT analogue, PSIL-001, is currently undergoing the same preclinical testing.

"At Psilera, we strive to design leading mental health therapies that avoid the negative side effects often reported with current anxiolytics, antidepressants and similar mood-stabilizing pharmaceuticals," said Dr. Jackie von Salm, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Psilera Inc. "This generous show of support and confidence from The Corridor and USF allows us to accelerate our research to discover next-generation medicines for devastating mental health conditions."

About Psilera Inc.

Psilera is a leading biotechnology company developing proprietary neuromodulators based on traditionally psychoactive compounds targeting mental health disorders. Psilera's next-generation data platform is being used to identify lead compounds with modified psychedelic and therapeutic effects in mood, cognitive, and substance use disorders. New formulations tailoring the therapeutic effects of DMT will improve treatment scalability and patient compliance, further expanding addressable markets. Psilera leverages a world-class scientific and pharmaceutical executive team to repurpose psychoactive natural products into effective and accessible patient-centric treatments.

About the Florida High Tech Corridor

An economic development initiative of three research universities  the University of Central Florida, the University of South Florida and the University of Florida  the Florida High Tech Corridor converges and catalyzes the capacity of high tech, innovation and bright minds across a 23-county region to generate a global ripple effect that advances the lives of people in the communities it serves. Powered by an ethos of collaboration, The Corridor aligns opportunities and resources in academia, industry and economic development to unleash the region's "expotential."

Media Contact: Katie DeMarsh, [email protected]

SOURCE Psilera, Inc
TORONTO, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Quarterhill Inc. ("Quarterhill") (TSX: QTRH) (OTCQX: QTRHF) announces that its auditor, Ernst & Young LLP ("EY"), has requested an extension from Quarterhill to complete its audit of Quarterhill's financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021, as a result of EY's staffing challenges.

Consequently, Quarterhill will now release its financial results for the three- and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2021, on Tuesday, March 22, 2022. Bret Kidd, President and CEO, and Steve Thompson, Interim CFO, will host a conference call and audio webcast at 10:00 a.m. ET the same day.

Webcast Information

The live audio webcast will be available at:

https://produceredition.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1528257&tp_key=1d

Dial-in Information

To access the call from Canada and U.S., dial 1.888.664.6392 (Toll Free)

and U.S., dial 1.888.664.6392 (Toll Free) To access the call from other locations, dial 1.416.764.8659 (International)

Replay Information

Webcast replay will be available for 365 days at:

https://produceredition.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1528257&tp_key=1d

Telephone replay will be available from 1:00 p.m. ET on March 22, 2022, until 11:59 p.m. ET on March 29, 2022, at: 1.888.390.0541 (Toll Free North America) or 1.416.764.8677.

Conference ID: 31380252 and Replay Passcode: 380252

About Quarterhill

Quarterhill is a leading provider of tolling and enforcement solutions in the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) industry, as well as, through its Wi-LAN Inc. subsidiary, a leader in Intellectual Property licensing. Our goal is global leadership in ITS, via organic growth of the Electronic Transaction Consultants, LLC (ETC) and International Road Dynamics, Inc. (IRD) platforms, and by continuing an acquisition-oriented investment strategy that capitalizes on attractive growth opportunities within ITS and its adjacent markets. Quarterhill is listed on the TSX under the symbol QTRH and on the OTCQX Best Market under the symbol QTRHF. For more information, visit www.quarterhill.com

SOURCE Quarterhill Inc.
SACRAMENTO, Calif., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Read Learning Center, leading academic tutoring service providers, has announced their highly anticipated summer school program. The summer program is set to provide students with direct instructional support in reading, writing, and math. This announcement is expected to make waves in and around the greater Sacramento area among parents/guardians and students alike for its blend of engaging activities and effective academic instruction. Interested parties can register today to ensure their student secures a spot.

"We are so thrilled to announce this year's summer school program," said Leah Skinner, Program Director of READ Learning Center. "Students come from all around Sacramento and beyond to take part in our summer program because it's not just good for them academically, but it's also a ton of fun!"

The summer school program is slated to take place July 5 - 28, 2022, Monday through Thursday, from 9 AM to 12:30 PM. In addition to academic support in reading, writing, and math, participants can expect a wide variety of entertaining and captivating activities, including arts, crafts, interactive games, and outdoor games. The program is part of a joint venture between READ Learning Center and READ Academy of Sacramento, their sister company also serving students in need of extra support throughout the Sacramento area.

"We are expecting our summer school program to fill up fast, so we recommend students get signed up as soon as possible to make it in before the placement assessments in May," continued Ms. Skinner. "It's four weeks of intensive learning that is really indispensable for young people, especially given the setbacks so many students have experienced over the last two years."

The announcement of the summer program is part of READ Learning Center's ongoing effort to bring world-class academic tutoring services and evidence-based curriculum to students throughout the year. READ Learning Center also offers after-school tutoring and other intervention classes for students not being adequately served in their current learning environments, including public school, private school, home-school, and distance learning settings. In addition to their tutoring services, they are well sought after for their dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia assessments designed to help pinpoint the possible root cause of a student's academic challenges. For more details, parents/guardians should visit www.readlearningcenter.com today.

About READ Learning Center

Based in Sacramento, CA, READ Learning Center is a leading tutoring service for public, private, and homeschooled students. In addition, they offer Intervention Friday classes, as well as a renowned interactive and engaging educational summer camp. Their highly trained staff is dedicated to ensuring students improve their reading, writing, and math skills through evidence-based curriculum designed specifically to help struggling students from all walks of life. For more information, visit www.readlearningcenter.com or call (916) 234-5880 to speak to a representative.

Media Contact:

Leah Skinner, M.Ed

(916) 258-2080

[email protected]

SOURCE READ Learning Center
SALT LAKE CITY, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Red Door Capital Partners LLC, an independent private equity firm founded in 2019, is proud to announce, with support from their network of High Net Worth Individuals and Family Offices, their investment in Adapt Ideations ("Adapt") (http://www.adaptideations.com), a technology company in the logistic and supply chain management industry.

Adapt Ideations was founded based on the concept that there is a greater need for information digitization to unlock the power of asset intelligence for timely and proactive business decisions. This led the company to implement the most advanced and innovative technology in asset tracking and monitoring solutions to allow companies to remain competitive and achieve greater operational efficiency. Adapt Ideations specializes in providing innovative supply chain and logistics solutions to a variety of industry sectors. They offer a wide range of IoT ("Internet of Things") enabled asset tracking and monitoring solutions to enhance supply chain visibility and ensure adherence to compliance and regulations.

Current clients include; DHL, Pfizer, Bayer, AstraZeneca, Abbvie, PACT Group and CloudLe India.

"We are excited to enter the logistics space," says Richard Wolpow, Managing Director. "After an exhaustive review of the company, we believe that Adapt, with its Internet of Things (Iot) offerings, combining its hardware devices and SaaS model software, will allow them to become a market leader and I believe that are positioned for expansive growth. I would like to thank Don Warriner, a Red Door Senior Advisor and, Jody Radoff, the Chief Revenue Officer for Adapt for all the hard work they provided in getting this deal over the goal line", Wolpow concluded.

"We at Adapt Ideations are truly excited for the support of ambitious forward-thinking investors like Red Door Capital. Red Door understands the disruptive impact of our intelligent supply chain solutions will bring to the market," said Jody Radoff, CRO of Adapt Ideations. "The need to supplant static analog technology as the backbone to data capture and analytics has never been greater, we are excited to take this journey with Red Door Capital," Radoff concluded.

"Finding the right capital partners to fully realize our ambitious goals was essential. Now, being aligned with Red Door Capital Partners, will help us bring Adapt's real time innovations to the market." Said, Anirban Gupta, Co-founder and Director of Adapt Ideations. "The opportunities working together side-by-side with Red Door can truly impact change." Gupta concluded.

About Red Door Capital Partners LLC:

The Red Door team is a group of seasoned entrepreneurial experts from private equity operations, investments & wealth management, and legal services, that have joined together to identify, invest in, and manage private equity transactions. Red Door invests side-by-side along with its network of High Net Worth Individuals, Family Offices and, Registered Investment Advisors (RIA's). Red Door partners with founders and entrepreneurs that seek real capital partners to create collaborative relationships, deploy strategic oversight, implement governance and professionalize operations - all to ensure our family of investors are protected and prepared for a successful exit transaction. For more information on Red Door and its latest transactions visit www.reddoorcp.com or contact Mike Warren, Senior Vice President of Strategy & Partnerships at [email protected] Or, Business Development, Adapt Ideations, [email protected]

About Adapt Ideations:

Founded in 2017 and operating in Singapore, Australia and, the U.S., the company has spent its seed capital in developing its hardware (devices) and software technical platforms that, combined, offer a SaaS model revenue stream. Adapt Ideations is quickly becoming a leading asset monitoring and Internet of Things (IoT) company focused on supplying smart tracking devices and software analytics to its clients throughout the global supply chain. The Company's goal is to be the leader in temperature monitoring for the global supply chain with an initial focus on the BioPharma and food industries. Its technology has played a pivotal role in the distribution of Pfizer's mRNA vaccines across Australia due to its unparalleled ability to monitor the temperature of cargo in real time to ensure it is not damaged.

For more information on Adapt Ideation visit http://www.adaptideations.com, Or contact Jody Radoff, Chief Revenue Officer @ [email protected]

SOURCE Red Door Capital Partners
CHICAGO, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Safe Stays by ReloShare, which is transforming the way social service agencies secure safe emergency hotel options for survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and other crimes, has been named to Fast Company's prestigious annual list of the World's Most Innovative Companies for 2022.

This year's list honors businesses that are making the biggest impact on their industries and culture as a wholeultimately thriving in today's ever-changing world. These companies are creating the future today with some of the most inspiring accomplishments of the 21st century. In addition to the World's 50 Most Innovative Companies, 528 organizations are recognized across 52 categories.

"Safe Stays by ReloShare is the product of creativity and innovation, so our team is especially grateful to receive this honor from Fast Company," said Matt Singley, co-founder and chief executive officer, ReloShare . "Our Safe Stays platform successfully addresses the immense social service challenge of finding emergency hotel housing for survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual assault, and other crimes. We are motivated to continue this lifesaving and life-changing work by innovating on behalf of social service agencies and their clients."

The first-of-its-kind Safe Stays portal enables social services, nonprofits, and governmental agencies to book safe lodging at local hotels under complete anonymity. Accommodations can be obtained for crime victims using alias names and without identification or credit card during their stayensuring private, safe accommodations for those who are often fleeing dangerous situations.

Ranked by Fast Company as a top innovator in the Social Good category, Safe Stays by ReloShare has grown rapidly since the 2020 development and launch of its custom hotel booking platform. Examples include:

Alliances with multiple national hotel brands, aggregating local rooms for emergency booking through the ReloShare platform.

Expansion throughout the entire continental United States , covering thousands of hotel locations across the US.

, covering thousands of hotel locations across the US. Onboarding more than 120 social service and governmental agencies that now are using the custom hotel-booking platform to secure lodging for survivors.

Bookings exceeding 1,000 room nights per month, all via a simplified booking process that saves social workers and advocates administrative hours and costs.

This is the second innovation honor received by ReloShare in the past few months. The company also won the Social Innovator Award in December at the 20th annual Chicago Innovation Award s , Chicago's foremost recognition for the most groundbreaking products and services brought to market each year.

The World's Most Innovative Companies is Fast Company's signature franchise and one of its most highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. It provides both a snapshot and a road map for the future of innovation across the most dynamic sectors of the economy.

"The world's most innovative companies play an essential role in addressing the most pressing issues facing society, whether they're fighting climate change by spurring decarbonization efforts, ameliorating the strain on supply chains, or helping us reconnect with one another over shared passions," said Fast Company Deputy Editor David Lidsky.

For the second year in a row, to coincide with the issue launch, Fast Company will host its Most Innovative Companies Summit on April 2627. The virtual, multiday summit celebrates the Most Innovative Companies in business, and provides an early look at major business trends and an inside look at what it takes to innovate in 2022. Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies issue (March/April 2022) is available online here , as well as in-app form via iTunes, and on newsstands beginning March 15. The hashtag is #FCMostInnovative.

About Safe Stays by ReloShare

Safe Stays by Reloshare offers social service nonprofits and government agencies the ability to find and secure local lodging from national hotel providers in real-time with built-in confidentiality featuresessential for people needing emergency housing due to domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual assault, and other crimes. Safe Stays is a business of ReloShare, the first real-time corporate housing and hotel booking and sourcing marketplace in North America, founded in 2020. The company, based in Chicago, is built on a foundation of technology, housing, and corporate travel experience and expertise. Visit us at https://www.reloshare.com and follow us on Twitter and Instagram .

About Fast Company

Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com.

News Media Contact:

Safe Stays by ReloShare

[email protected]

312-485-1388

SOURCE ReloShare
To coincide with International Women's Day on March 8, Sanderson Farms will celebrate the women who make up a vital part of its workforce for the remainder of the month by featuring a different female member of its workforce each week on its social media channels, along with a link to a brief employee profile on their website.

"Through this special campaign, we will recognize women who have made invaluable contributions to this company's success," said Lampkin Butts, president and chief operating officer of Sanderson Farms. "These leaders are just examples of the many women working behind-the-scenes to keep our company operating at the top of our industry, and I couldn't be more thankful to have their insight and perspective guiding our company decisions each day."

In the U.S., more than half of all farming operations had at least one female operator, according to the 2019 Agricultural Resource Management Survey. The same survey found that women were the principal operator, or the operator primarily responsible for the daily operation of the farm, on 31 percent of farms specializing in poultry.

Today, female leadership is not limited to just farming operations in the agriculture industry. According to a 2019 study conducted by the American Farm Bureau, 27 percent of 3,000 female respondents from 49 states identified their occupation as an agriculture-related business, not including farms or ranches. The same study found that 62 percent of female respondents have the opportunity to lead in the agricultural organization where they are involved.

At Sanderson Farms, the prevalence of women in agriculture is no different. Women account for nearly 45 percent of Sanderson Farms employees and nearly 27 percent of the company's management team, including female directors and division management. Of the new employees hired in fiscal year 2021 at Sanderson Farms, 44 percent were women.

For the nation's third largest poultry producer, Sanderson Farms' evident confidence in female leadership begins at the top with the company's board of directors. In 2021, the Women's Forum of New York recognized Sanderson Farms as a Corporate Champion for having over 40 percent of the company's board seats filled by women.

"Since the very beginning of our company's history over 75 years ago, women have been a crucial part of our success," said Joe F. Sanderson Jr., chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Sanderson Farms. "Throughout my career, I have been surrounded by women who have led with intelligence, integrity and courage, and, together, we have led this company through a period of growth that has been unparalleled in our industry."

For eight consecutive years, the company was also named a Winning 'W' Company by an advocacy and education group, 20/20 Women on Boards, for its inclusion of women on its board of directors and in leadership positions. In 2021, the same organization, now known as 50/50 Women on Boards, named Sanderson Farms to its Gender Diversity Index with the index's highest rating of "companies with gender-balanced boards." Only seven percent of the companies on the Russel 3000 Index earned this highest rating.

First launched in 2018, Sanderson Farms' Women in Agriculture series seeks to spotlight hard-working professionals in vital roles across the company. While these women come from different life, educational and career backgrounds, they all bring unique contributions to our company and the industry.

"Just because the agricultural industry is mostly male-dominated, women should not doubt themselves or their abilities," said Andretta Moore, field employee relations manager for Sanderson Farms and one of the women being featured in the campaign. "Sanderson Farms doesn't just say there are opportunities for women, they are actively placing women into positions of leadership. Whether on the board of directors or as division managers, I have seen Sanderson Farms take the opportunity to place the most qualified people into positions of authority."

In addition to Moore, upcoming features in the campaign include Sanderson Farms employees Shaunta McDowell, debone superintendent; Jennifer Katool, product development manager; and Marley Porter, catch and haul manager.

About Sanderson Farms

Sanderson Farms, Inc., founded in 1947, is engaged in the production, processing, marketing and distribution of fresh and frozen chicken and other prepared food items. Employing more than 17,000 employees in operations spanning five states and 17 different communities, Sanderson Farms is the third largest poultry producer in the United States. As a company, Sanderson Farms is committed to adopting a fresh approach in everything that we do, not only where products are concerned, but companywide as well. Though the company has grown in size, it still adheres to the same hometown values of honesty, integrity and innovation that were established when the Sanderson family founded the company in 1947. For more information about Sanderson Farms, visit www.sandersonfarms.com.

SOURCE Sanderson Farms, Inc.
The ESG Evaluation reflects our assessment of Sanofi's innovation capacity, which we think will help drive the industry forward, as well as the concrete steps it has already taken in implementing its strategy. The group's Play to Win strategy sets a framework for growth, mainly through research and development and operating efficiency improvements. We gave the company a high environmental profile score because we view the health care sector as having relatively low exposure to environmental factors. It also surpasses health care peers in terms of environmental performance.

Sanofi has ambitious targets and applies a value-chain approach to minimizing its environmental impact. Our assessment of its social impact reflects that access to medicine is complex and goes beyond pricing. We view Sanofi as one of the innovators in the industry. The company helps to improve quality of life and has the capacity to bring medicines to patients worldwide. In our view, one of Sanofi's leading differentiators is its creation of a nonprofit unit that aims to improve global health, operating in 40 of the poorest countries and across a range of fields including diabetes, cardiovascular, and oncology.

We believe Sanofi's board is well equipped to guide the company. The board has shown it can take decisive actions. Notably, it discontinued investment in diabetes and cardiovascular in 2019, but increased investment in disruptive technologies (for example messenger RNA). We believe this agility will help Sanofi to accelerate its innovation and remain competitive in the industry.

Sanofi engages in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of therapeutic solutions in the U.S. (37% of sales), Europe (26%), and internationally. Sanofi was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Paris, France. Its operations are divided into three principal activities: pharmaceuticals (sales of 25.6 billion in 2020); vaccines via Sanofi Pasteur (5.9 billion); and consumer health care (4.4 billion).

What Is An ESG Evaluation?

S&P Global Ratings' ESG evaluation is a cross-sector, relative analysis of an entity's capacity to continue to operate successfully. It is grounded in how ESG factors could affect stakeholders, potentially leading to a material direct or indirect financial impact on the entity.

Our definition of stakeholders for a particular entity goes beyond shareholders to include employees, the local community, government, regulators, customers, lenders, borrowers, policyholders, voters, members, and suppliers. A high ESG evaluation indicates an entity is relatively less prone to experiencing material ESG-related events, and is relatively better positioned to capitalize on ESG-related growth opportunities than entities with lower ESG evaluations.

First, we establish an ESG profile for a given entity, which assesses the exposure of the entity's operations to observable ESG risks and opportunities, and how the entity is mitigating these risks and capitalizing on these opportunities.

Second, we assess the entity's long-term preparedness, namely its capacity to anticipate and adapt to a variety of long-term plausible disruptions.

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RUEIL-MALMAISON, France, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Infor, the industry cloud company, today announced that Serge Blanco has chosen Infor CloudSuite Fashion, an ERP solution specifically designed for the fashion, textile and luxury industries, as part of a project to overhaul its information system and implement a true omnichannel customer journey.

Learn more about Infor CloudSuite Fashion: www.infor.com/products/cloudsuite-fashion

With 160 employees  half of whom work in boutiques  the Serge Blanco brand, which belongs to the family group LBY from Toulouse, has been dressing men for 30 years. The brand offers a complete wardrobe for men who break the lines and codes of fashion to create their own style. It is inevitably unique. Serge Blanco defends comfort to allow everyone to feel good, comfortable and free to move forward, to move, to launch themselves. With its experience and original values, in 2020 the brand became the official dresser of the biggest French rugby team, the Stade Toulousain, signing a collaboration with an exclusive collection.

Patrick Silvestri, information systems manager at Serge Blanco, says: "Initiated in November 2020, our project with Infor was triggered by business considerations that we were unable to address due to the obsolescence of our existing system and the increasing complexity of our distribution network."

Other projects are being carried out in parallel by the company, such as the overhaul of its e-commerce site which, like other applications, will be interconnected with the Infor solution for end-to-end orchestration of the supply chain: from order taking through allocation of goods, management of restocking and stocks (including in shops), right up to the warehouse.

Serge Blanco, which offers two collections per year for its various lines, has a network of around 30 own-name shops, including four outlets, throughout France. In addition, the brand relies on a network of franchises, affiliates, 250 multi-brand shops, as well as numerous corners in shopping centres and department stores throughout the world.

Aware of the road ahead in terms of modernising its management system, Serge Blanco chose Infor CloudSuite Fashion in June 2021, a modern, scalable ERP solution with a wealth of functions that, according to the specifications, did not require any specific development for a very good benefit/cost ratio.

"The decision was made in a concerted manner following a series of internal workshops organised by Elcimai, Infor's integrator partner, and involving the various departments concerned: production and purchasing, sales administration and after-sales service, commercial management, retail sales, logistics, accounting/finance and, of course, IT," Silvestri says. "In addition to the fact that the solution covers more than 90% of our needs as standard, the fact that we can rely on a fully integrated solution with a single repository is one of the main reasons for our choice."

Bruno Kientzel, managing director of Elcimai Business Solutions, comments: "Alongside those of Infor, our teams were able to convince the company's management of their ability to support the project as closely as possible to its business challenges and issues. The choice of the cloud, including in terms of e-commerce, was then made naturally for obvious reasons of nonreplication and data centralisation."

Since last July, a dozen users have been working on redefining the processes, while it is now time for the final validation of the requirements and the redesign of the various interfaces with a view to a deployment planned for the third quarter of 2022.

Infor's solution will be connected to five other applications, including expense management, payroll management, the e-commerce site, the multi-brand B2B distance selling platform "The New Black" to which the brand belongs, the WSHOP unified digital commerce SaaS platform, and the cash register management software solution from Polaris.

Philippe Maillet, Infor's sales director for France for SMB & channel, said: "Infor CloudSuite Fashion enables fashion brands to manage all aspects of their business in one integrated, configurable and scalable solution, while easily interfacing with third-party applications. In addition, its multilingual capabilities should provide Serge Blanco with the right solution to support its international expansion, particularly in the US and Belgium, where the company already has a subsidiary."

Silvestri concludes: "In view of the professionalism of the Infor and Elcimai teams, as well as the initial feedback we have received, we are confident this project will go well. As our businesses continue to evolve, we can now approach the evolution of the relationship with all our customers with much greater serenity."

About Elcimai

Elcimai is an independent French group created in 1992 and spread over 14 sites in France. Elcimai employs nearly 380 collaborators in multidisciplinary professions divided into two fields of expertise:

- Elcimai Consulting, Engineering and Architecture

- Elcimai Digital Technologies and Services

With this unique and complementary positioning, Elcimai proposes a global offer and responds to projects combining consulting, implementation, construction, production and IT management. Elcimai has been an Infor partner since 1999. Visit https://www.elcimai.com/

About Infor

Infor is a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry. We develop complete solutions for our focus industries, including industrial manufacturing, distribution, healthcare, food & beverage, automotive, aerospace & defense, and high tech. Infor's mission-critical enterprise applications and services are designed to deliver sustainable operational advantages with security and faster time-to-value. We are obsessed with delivering successful business outcomes for customers, and we are continually innovating to quickly solve emerging business and industry challenges. Over 65,000 organizations in more than 175 countries  from Fortune 500 enterprises to SMBs  rely on Infor's 17,000 employees and their deep industry expertise to help overcome market disruptions and achieve their business goals. As a Koch company, our financial strength, ownership structure, and long-term view empower us to foster enduring, mutually beneficial relationships with our customers, employees and partners. Visit www.infor.com.

Media contact:

Richard Moore

Infor PR Manager, EMEA

+447976111243

[email protected]

Copyright 2022 Infor. All rights reserved. The word and design marks set forth herein are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Infor and/or related affiliates and subsidiaries. All other trademarks listed herein are the property of their respective owners. www.infor.com

SOURCE Infor
SAN FRANCISCO, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Shef , an online marketplace for local, homemade food, has been named to Fast Company's prestigious annual list of the World's Most Innovative Companies for 2022. Shef is also recognized in the top 10 of dining and hospitality companies.

This year's list honors businesses that are making the biggest impact on their industries and culture as a wholeultimately thriving in today's ever-changing world. These companies are creating the future today with some of the most inspiring accomplishments of the 21st century.

"We are thrilled and incredibly grateful for this honor," said Alvin Salehi and Joey Grassia, founders and co-CEOs of Shef. "Shefs are aunties and abuelas, immigrants and refugees, stay-at-home parents and restaurant dreamers  all passionate local cooks who love sharing their food and culture with others. As we continue our mission to enable these talented local cooks to earn a meaningful income, we hope this recognition will inspire more customers to try their authentic, homemade dishes and support inspiring food entrepreneurs in their community."

Over the last 18 months, Shef has made great achievements to further its mission and create a community devoted to economic empowerment and cultural inclusivity that enables anyone to feed their neighbor. This includes expanding into more markets, with Shef now operating in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Austin, Boston, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. To date, Shef has served nearly 2 million dishes to customers across the United States and more than 30,000 people have applied to cook on the platform. 75% of shefs are women and 80% are people of color. Together, they represent 96 countries around the world, from Algeria to Korea, to India, and Venezuela.

Shef has provided free meals for frontline workers, homeless shelters, refugees and food banks. In the wake of the Afghan refugee crisis, Shef provided an immediate opportunity for newly arrived Afghans to earn income as they transition into their new lives in the U.S. In addition to expediting their applications and waiving all fees, Shef sets aside an additional $3,500 for supplies, training, and marketing support to help refugees make a meaningful income more quickly. Should the U.S. start receiving refugees from Ukraine or other countries, Shef stands ready to support them in the same way.

Shef is also part of a growing movement to build a more inclusive food system for all. Shef is proud to support and champion advocacy efforts to expand home cooking laws so that talented cooks everywhere can earn a meaningful income from their own kitchens. Shef has been hard at work collaborating with legislators in states and counties across the country. More than 55 home cooking bills were introduced in 30 states just in the last year alone.

Fast Company's editors and writers sought out the most groundbreaking businesses across the globe and industries. They also judged nominations received through their application process.

The World's Most Innovative Companies is Fast Company's signature franchise and one of its most highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. It provides both a snapshot and a roadmap for the future of innovation across the most dynamic sectors of the economy.

"The world's most innovative companies play an essential role in addressing the most pressing issues facing society, whether they're fighting climate change by spurring decarbonization efforts, ameliorating the strain on supply chains, or helping us reconnect with one another over shared passions," said Fast Company Deputy Editor David Lidsky.

For the second year in a row, to coincide with the issue launch, Fast Company will host its Most Innovative Companies Summit on April 2627. The virtual, multi day summit celebrates the Most Innovative Companies in business, and provides an early look at major business trends and an inside look at what it takes to innovate in 2022. Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies issue (March/April 2022) is available online here , as well as in-app form via iTunes, and on newsstands beginning March 15. The hashtag is #FCMostInnovative.

ABOUT SHEF

Shefs an online marketplace for local, homemade food. Shef helps talented cooks who are food safety certified connect with customers in their community and earn a meaningful income selling their homemade dishes. With its wide selection of global cuisine, including unique and hard-to-find regional specialties from across South Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East, Shef delivers a taste of home for those missing it, and a world of flavor for those looking to try something new. The service is currently available in several markets across the United States, including San Francisco, New York, Seattle, Chicago, Houston, Austin, Dallas, Boston, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and Atlanta. To order food from a local cook in your area, or for more information on how to become a shef, visit www.shef.com .

ABOUT FAST COMPANY

Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com.

SOURCE Shef
BOSTON, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sherlock Biosciences, a company engineering biology to bring next-generation diagnostics to the point-of-need, today announced it has raised $80 million in a Series B financing. The round was led by Novalis LifeSciences and included new investors Illumina Ventures, Albany Capital and Catalio Capital Management, among others. They joined Northpond Ventures, Good Ventures, and other existing investors, bringing $111 million in total funding raised to date.

"Sherlock is dedicated to breaking down diagnostic barriers and bringing health information to people around the world," said Bryan Dechairo, President and CEO of Sherlock Biosciences. "Our novel chemistries combine the accuracy of PCR with the simplicity and convenience of antigen tests, powering a decentralized diagnostic platform for DNA and RNA detection. We are grateful to our funding partners for supporting our mission to ignite a convenience revolution in healthcare and further global public health."

Powered by CRISPR and synthetic biology, Sherlock's proprietary engineering biology tools form the foundation of its decentralized diagnostic platform for DNA and RNA detection. This new funding will drive development of products and partnerships, enabled by this platform, that can operate at ambient temperature without complex instrumentation, opening up a wide range of applications in low resource settings including the home.

"The pandemic undoubtedly shone a light on long-existing challenges in our healthcare system, from inaccessibility to inconvenience and concerns around privacy," said Paul Meister, Partner at Novalis LifeSciences, who will be joining the Sherlock Biosciences Board of Directors. "Diagnostic testing is ripe for disruption and we believe Sherlock is uniquely suited to shift the testing paradigm across a range of applications with unmatched accuracy and speed. Sherlock's dominant IP position, innovative science and visionary leadership team makes it well positioned to decentralize and democratize the at-home diagnostics market."

About Sherlock Biosciences

Sherlock Biosciences is developing products that will empower people to access answers and have more control over their health decisions. Through our engineering biology tools, CRISPR-based SHERLOCK and synthetic biology-based INSPECTR, we are bringing together the accuracy of PCR with the convenience and simplicity of antigen tests for molecular diagnostics at the point-of-need. SHERLOCK and INSPECTR can be used in virtually any setting without complex instrumentation, making it well suited for use in the home and in low resource settings, opening up a wide range of potential applications in areas including infectious disease, early detection of cancer, treatment monitoring, and precision medicine. In 2020 the company made history with the first FDA-authorized use of CRISPR technology. For more information please visit www.sherlock.bio.

About Novalis LifeSciences

Novalis LifeSciences is a boutique investment and advisory firm for the Life Science industry that was founded in 2017 by Marijn E. Dekkers. With a team of experienced operating executives from the Life Science industry, Novalis funds and advises visionary Life Science entrepreneurs. In addition to making financial investments, Novalis provides strategic and operational advice to portfolio companies that are at a critical growth stage in their development. For more information, visit novalislifesciences.com.

Contact

Dean Mastrojohn, Goodfuse Communications

[email protected]

SOURCE Sherlock Biosciences
BERLIN, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The recent discovery of fake COVID-19 vaccination certificates has prompted German police to search 70 homes and company premises, local police in Cologne said on Tuesday.

A physician's assistant is suspected of forging vaccination cards and digital vaccination certificates, and selling them to dozens of buyers, according to the police.

Other cases were also identified in which "fake vaccination cards were allegedly presented at pharmacies or to employers for digitization," the police said.

Germany's COVID-19 rules that required people to present a valid vaccination or recovery pass in many areas of public life have led to a rise in fake health documents. The police already searched 40 homes and a doctor's office in February.

As of Monday, at least 47.8 million people in Germany had received a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, but 19.6 million people are still not vaccinated. 
MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SKYGEN, the leading provider of software as a service (SaaS) and third-party administration (TPA) solutions for dental and vision benefits management, announced today the appointment of Steve Berryman to CEO, SKYGEN USA, LLC. Craig Kasten is relinquishing his role as CEO and will continue as the managing member of the company.

In his new role, Berryman is responsible for creating SKYGEN's strategy as well as driving execution to deliver growth, profitability and client satisfaction. This appointment is part of the company's succession planning process. Berryman most recently served as president of SKYGEN.

As managing member, Kasten will continue to provide guidance on company strategy and to drive innovation to transform the dental and vision administration industry.

"Under Steve's leadership as president, we have experienced consistent sustainable revenue growth, increasing levels of profitability and enhanced customer focus," said Kasten. "Steve is a champion of our company values, our people, and leveraging SKYGEN's technology and benefit management expertise to help our clients be successful."

Berryman joined SKYGEN as chief legal officer in 2016, and was appointed president in 2020. Berryman earned his juris doctorate from Northwestern University School of Law and has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska  Lincoln, where he majored in philosophy, political science and English literature. He also holds a certificate in executive management from the Mendoza School of Business at Notre Dame University. Prior to joining SKYGEN, Berryman spent 20 years with Quarles & Brady LLP - an AmLaw 200 law firm - including 12 years as an equity partner.

"I look forward to taking on this new opportunity, and I am energized about SKYGEN's future. We continue to deliver value to our clients through innovation with new products and services that transform dental and vision administration," said Berryman. "Craig and the team have built a great company, and I look forward to continuing to deliver on his vision of transforming our industry. Among our clients, our people and SKYGEN's solutions-based technology, we have great opportunities ahead of us."

A headshot of Steve Berryman is available for download here.

About SKYGEN

SKYGEN is dedicated to transforming the delivery of specialty benefits through innovative, technology-enabled solutions that drive down the cost of care while promoting better outcomes for all. By developing and employing world-class software solutions, the organization provides unprecedented levels of automation and cost savings, creating the most efficient health plans in the country. The SKYGEN client roster serves over 40 million member lives and includes the nation's largest healthcare insurers, with clients operating in all 50 states plus the District of Colombia and Puerto Rico. For more information, please visit www.skygenusa.com.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Megan McDowell

Branigan Inc., on behalf of SKYGEN

[email protected]

SOURCE SKYGEN
WASHINGTON, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- War crimes, if left unrecognized and unpunished, only lead to more aggression and suffering. There is no better time to reiterate that than today, as we see millions of people- women and children face death and destitution. More than 50 years after the Pakistan Army perpetrated violence and sexual assault on more than 300,000 Bengali women, and killed three million people, the war crimes that were committed have not been recognized as genocide. Not only have the crimes not been recognized, but many of the war-criminals went on to become powerful generals and administrators in Pakistan, influencing decision-making even today.

On International Women's Day, I call upon the US and the international community to recognize the genocide of Bangladeshis by Pakistan and take immediate steps to bring to trial the 195 current and former members of the Pakistan Army, who were recorded as being responsible for perpetrating the violence against women. Prominent genocide prevention watchdogs like Genocide Watch and Lemkin Institute have already recognized what occurred in Bangladesh in 1971 as genocide. I believe that recognition by the US and the International community will send a strong message to modern-day aggressors like the Taliban, that even 50 years from now, they will be held accountable for the crimes that are being committed today.

For more info: https://www.globalstratview.com/a-genocide-forgotten-the-women-victims-of-east-pakistan/

www.hrcbm.org

Contact: Priya Saha, Executive Director, Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM)

[email protected] / 813-550-7880

SOURCE Global Strat View
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., March 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 9-10, the Surfrider Foundation, world champion surfers, ocean advocates and leaders of the coastal recreation and tourism industry will virtually meet with congressional officials and the Biden administration to demand federal action to protect the ocean and coasts for all people. Representing the largest grassroots network of coastal recreation users in the nation, attendees will meet with more than 130 congressional leaders during Surfrider's Coastal Recreation Hill Day to urge comprehensive policies to prevent plastic pollution, protect clean water and drive climate action.

"Our goal is to build bipartisan leadership to protect our nation's coastal ecosystems and the public's ability to enjoy these resources," said the Surfrider Foundation's Environmental Director Zach Plopper. "Hundreds of millions of Americans participate in ocean and coastal recreation each year, supporting millions of jobs and generating over $150 billion annually. Our nation's communities and coastal environments, which these industries depend on, are increasingly threatened year after year. Federal leadership is needed now more than ever to ensure clean water, resilient coasts and a healthy ocean to support public use and our economies for the future."

The Surfrider Foundation's Coastal Recreation Hill Day efforts will consist of 36 regional delegations representing 26 of the nation's 32 coastal states and territories. It will also include support from more than 50 industry groups, a record number of 20 student clubs and notable attendees, such as Big Wave World Champion Greg Long, Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, and Director of NOAA's Office of Marine National Sanctuaries John Armor.

Specifically, the Surfrider Foundation will urge federal support for:

The Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act (S. 984/H.R. 2238) by Senator Jeff Merkley and Representative Alan Lowenthal to reduce plastic pollution at the source

(S. 984/H.R. 2238) by Senator and Representative to reduce plastic pollution at the source EPA funding appropriations for the BEACH Act Grants Program and for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund to provide support for beach water quality monitoring, public notification programs and wastewater treatment upgrades in coastal states and territories

Ocean Climate Solutions legislation such as the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act (H.R. 3764) by Representative Raul Grijalva to leverage the ocean's potential in the fight against climate change

For more information on Surfrider's Coastal Recreation Hill Day or to find a nearby chapter and get involved, visit Surfrider.org .

About the Surfrider Foundation

The Surfrider Foundation is a nonprofit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world's ocean, waves and beaches for all people through a powerful activist network. Founded in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu, California, the Surfrider Foundation now maintains over one million supporters, activists and members, with more than 190 volunteer-led chapters and student clubs in the U.S., and more than 700 victories protecting our coasts. Learn more at surfrider.org.

SOURCE Surfrider Foundation
CHERRY HILL, N.J., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, today awarded a total of $5.8 million through the 16th annual Housing for Everyone grant program. The TD Charitable Foundation selected 33 non-profit organizations across TD Bank's footprint to receive Housing for Everyone grants ranging from $150,000 to $250,000.

As individuals and families across the country faced increased hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic, demand quickly grew for the critical resources and wraparound services housing organizations provide such as eviction prevention, workforce development, housing and financial counseling, childcare and housing search assistance.

"Housing organizations have been on the front lines of both the affordability crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. They have been called upon time and time again over the past few years to do everything from helping people find affordable homes to serving as vaccine clinics. Each time, they've stepped up and expanded their mandates to meet the needs of some of the most vulnerable members of our communities and work towards an equitable COVID-19 recovery," said Paige Carlson-Heim, Director of the TD Charitable Foundation.

Due to this increased demand on housing organizations, the TD Charitable Foundation focused the 16th annual Housing for Everyone grant program on supporting these organizations deliver the resources and wraparound services individuals and families need to access a safe, affordable place to call home.

"The TD Charitable Foundation is proud to support this year's Housing for Everyone grant recipients who worked tirelessly so people could find or remain in safe, affordable homes during these tumultuous times. Without the help of these organizations, and countless others, navigating these difficult times would have been unimaginable for many. Our support will help ensure that affordable housing providers have the capabilities and assistance required to deliver these services for the long-term," added Carlson-Heim.

The 2021 Housing for Everyone grant recipients include:

Connecticut  Grants Totaling $150,000

Columbus House , Inc., Pathway to a Healthy Financial Future  Awarded $150,000

Maine  Grants Totaling $250,000

Avesta Housing Development Corporation, Capacity Management and Cultural Navigator  Awarded $250,000

Maryland  Grants Totaling $150,000

Montgomery Housing Partnership, Inc., MHP Workforce Development Initiative  Awarded $150,000

Massachusetts  Grants Totaling $400,000

FamilyAid Boston, Inc., Reducing Eviction and Poverty for Families Experiencing Homelessness  Awarded $250,000

 Awarded

The Community Builders, Inc., Economic Equity Initiative (EEI)  Awarded $150,000

Michigan  Grants Totaling $250,000

Ruth Ellis Center, Financial Security Programming  Awarded $250,000

New Hampshire  Grants Totaling $150,000

Cross Roads House, Inc., Building Bridges to Permanent Housing  Awarded $150,000

Pennsylvania  Grants Totaling $325,000

Jewish Family and Children's Service of Greater Philadelphia , Community Support Collaborative  Awarded $175,000

,  Awarded

Valley Youth House Committee, Investment in Housing for Young Philadelphians  Awarded $150,000

Rhode Island  Grants Totaling $325,000

Providence Housing Authority, Housing Preservation Response Program  Awarded $175,000

 Awarded

NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley (Formerly the Woonsocket Neighborhood Development Corporation), Comprehensive Resident Services & Financial Power Initiative  Awarded $150,000

South Carolina  Grants Totaling $325,000

Homes of Hope, Affordable Housing Economic Mobility Collaborative  Awarded $175,000

 Awarded

Northside Development Corporation, Tenant Housing Stabilization Program  Awarded $150,000

Vermont  Grants Totaling $325,000

Champlain Housing Trust, Supportive Housing to Address Homelessness Initiative  Awarded $150,000

 Awarded

Downstreet Housing & Community Development, Inc., Partnership to Expand Resident Services in Central Vermont and the Upper Valley Region  Awarded $175,000

Virginia  Grants Totaling $400,000

Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS), Expanding Resident Services to Increase Housing and Family Stability During COVID  Awarded $150,000

 Awarded

Wesley Housing Development Corporation of Northern Virginia , The Housing Stability Initiative: Rapid Expansion  Awarded $250,000

Since its inception in 2005, the Housing for Everyone grant program has awarded more than $42 million to non-profit organizations and helped support over 500 affordable housing initiatives in the communities TD serves.

The Housing for Everyone grant program supports TD's longstanding commitment to community enrichment, as well as the Bank's efforts to help people live with greater financial confidence through the TD Ready Commitment, TD's corporate citizenship platform. Through the TD Ready Commitment, TD is targeting $775 million towards community giving by 2030 across four drivers of change  Financial Security, Vibrant Planet, Connected Communities and Better Health  to open the doors to a more inclusive and sustainable tomorrow.

About Housing for Everyone

Since inception in 2005, the TD Charitable Foundation's annual Housing for Everyone grant competition has awarded more than $42 million to over 500 affordable housing initiatives. The Housing for Everyone grant competition supports TD's longstanding commitment to community enrichment through TD's corporate citizenship platform, The Ready Commitment, which actively promotes inclusivity, economic vitality and environmental wellbeing, enabling people of all backgrounds to succeed in a rapidly changing world. As part of The Ready Commitment, TD targets $775 million in total contributions toward community giving by 2030 in four critical areas: Financial Security, a more Vibrant Planet, Connected Communities and Better Health.

Through this platform, TD aspires to create a more inclusive tomorrow  helping people of all backgrounds feel more confident, not just about their finances, but about their ability to achieve their goals. Visit: https://www.tdbank.com/corporate-responsibility/the-ready-commitment/

About the TD Charitable Foundation

The TD Charitable Foundation is the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, one of the 10 largest commercial banking organizations in the United States. Since its inception in 2002, the Foundation has distributed over $282 million through donations to local nonprofits from Maine to Florida. More information on the TD Charitable Foundation is available at https://www.tdbank.com/corporate-responsibility/the-ready-commitment/funding-opportunities/.

SOURCE TD Charitable Foundation
FORT MYERS, Fla., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- TerraCap Management LLC, a privately held investment firm with its headquarters in Naples, Florida, announced today the acquisition of Estero Oaks, a 280-unit Class-A apartment complex located in the Estero/Fort Myers, FL area.

TerraCap Management

Steve Hagenbuckle, TerraCap Managing Principal, said, "Estero Oaks is a centrally located apartment complex in southwest Florida that we watched come out of the ground. We know the seller well and have respect for what they have done with the asset. We plan on taking Estero Oaks to the next level, further enhancing the living experience for our residents."

Estero Oaks is strategically located in southwest Florida, which has seen rising rents and compressing vacancies in the past year. The property features one, two, and three-bedroom floorplans with an average unit size of 1,124 square feet. The unit interiors feature wood-style plank flooring, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, nine-foot ceilings, and a washer and dryer in all units. On-site amenities include a resort-style swimming pool, fitness center, dog park, lake, jogging trail, attached garages, resident lounge with a kitchen and coffee station, and package lockers.

"We're excited for the opportunity to add Estero Oaks to our holdings in Florida," said Steve Good, TerraCap Partner and Director of Acquisitions. "This property has much to offer residents from a quality, amenity and location perspective. We feel that Estero and southwest Florida will continue to grow both in the long and short-term, and we also feel that this property is well positioned to capture future growth. We enjoyed working with the seller and the JBM team on transaction. We wish all parties the best."

The seller, Royal Palm Companies, was represented by Jamie May of JBM. Greystar was hired as property manager.

About TerraCap Management LLC

TerraCap Management LLC considers thematic factors such as business formation, employment growth and population growth on a market-by-market basis, as most metros and submarkets have different economic-based industries and therefore move through their economic cycles differently. TerraCap makes moderate strategic overweight or underweight to markets, depending on the specific economic drivers influencing supply and demand.

The Investment Manager has been in operation since 2008 with its headquarters located in Naples, FL, the firm also has offices in Tampa, FL, Atlanta, GA, and Denver, CO. As operators, TerraCap believes it can make decisions more efficiently while leveraging expertise from property to property. The firm has over 9 million square feet of commercial assets within its portfolio, with over 1.6 billion dollars of assets under management.

More information can be found at terracapmgmt.com.

For More Information, Contact:

Matthew Hart

239.494.8922

[email protected]

TerraCap Management LLC

SOURCE TerraCap Management
Launching in early 2023, JU Open Plus will join AUA's world-class family of journals as a fully Gold Open Access online-one, peer-reviewed scholarly journal. As editor of JU Open Plus , Dr. Davis will be responsible for making recommendations pertaining to Editorial Board structure, nominations and assignments; establishing the peer review process and transfer mechanism from the AUA's other scholarly journals, The Journal of Urology  ( JU ) and Urology Practice  ( UPJ ) ; sharing input on article types and the creation of the table of contents for JU Open Plus and growing the impact and reach of the journal's content.

"We are excited to work with Dr. Davis as the incoming editor of JU Open Plus," said AUA President Raju Thomas, MD, FACS, FRCS, MHA. "Dr. Davis was selected for this position based on his experience, knowledge and commitment to advancing urologic medicine. We look forward to bringing the much anticipated JU Open Plus to life under his leadership and direction."



An active member of the urologic community, Dr. Davis is currently a professor of urology and director of the Urosurgical Prostate Program at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He brings extensive editorial expertise to JU Open Plus, having served as an associate editor for Oncology and an associate editor for initial triage for the British Journal of Urology International and an online content editor for both JU and UPJ. Dr. Davis also served as editor of BJUI Compass. Additionally, Dr. Davis has published more than 150 peer-reviewed papers, editorials and book chapters.

Dr. Davis obtained his medical degree at the University of Virginia in 1994 and completed his residency training at Eastern Virginia Graduate School of Medicine followed by fellowship training in prostate cancer research in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Cell Biology at Eastern Virginia Medical School. He then completed a clinical fellowship in urologic oncology at the MD Anderson Cancer Center and a fellowship in laparoscopic urology at Charite Hospital in Berlin, Germany. He is a member of several professional organizations and has held numerous leadership positions, including serving as president of the Young Urologic Oncologists and president of the Society of Urologic Robotic Surgeons.

About the American Urological Association: Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological Association is a leading advocate for the specialty of urology and has nearly 24,000 members throughout the world. The AUA is a premier urologic association, providing invaluable support to the urologic community as it pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards of urologic care through education, research and the formulation of health policy.

About The Journal of Urology: The Official Journal of the American Urological Association (AUA), and the most widely read and highly cited journal in the field, The Journal of Urology brings solid coverage of the clinically relevant content needed to stay at the forefront of the dynamic field of urology. This premier journal presents investigative studies on critical areas of research and practice, survey articles providing brief editorial comments on the best and most important urology literature worldwide and practice-oriented reports on significant clinical observations. The Journal of Urology covers the wide scope of urology, including pediatric urology, urologic cancers, renal transplantation, male infertility, urinary tract stones, female urology and neurourology.

About Urology Practice: An Official Journal of the American Urological Association (AUA), Urology Practice focuses on clinical trends, challenges and practice applications in the four areas of Business, Health Policy, the Specialty and Patient Care. Information that can be used in everyday practice will be provided to the urology community via peer-reviewed clinical practice articles (including best practices, reviews, clinical guidelines, select clinical trials, editorials and white papers), "research letters" (brief original studies with an important clinical message), the business of the practice of urology, urology health policy issues, urology education and training, as well as content for urology care team members.

Media Contact:

Caitlin Lukacs, Corporate Communications and Media Relations Manager

410-689-4081, [email protected]

SOURCE American Urological Association

SOURCE American Urological Association
First activated in 2019, The McBride Sisters SHE CAN Fund has invested more than $3 million to date in the professional advancement and career growth of high-potential, professional women, with a particular focus on women of color. Via monetary grants, advertising credits, scholarship funding and mentorship programs, the SHE CAN Fund has received support from corporate partners such as Facebook (Meta), Silicon Valley Bank, Morgan Stanley and Brand Now, plus organizations including the Wine Institute, as well as the support of individual seed impact investors.

The decision to focus this year's investment on professional women in the food and wine industry is based on category statistics, which shine a spotlight on the lack of women in leadership positions within America's hospitality industry. In a National Restaurant Association study, while women account for more than half of all restaurant workers and 71% of servers, only 19% of chef positions are held by women . African American women are paid the least amount of all subset of restaurant workers. With this year's focus, the SHE CAN Fund will award WSET (Wine & Spirits Education Trust) courses and certification or Sommelier certification courses and exam scholarships to high-potential women in the wine & spirits and culinary fields, to enhance their skill sets and to aid in the advancement of their professions.

Understanding that an essential driver of true change is determined by the success of the next generation of leaders, the SHE CAN Fund expanded its reach and impact by launching its first-ever HBCU Initiative and Academic Scholarship Program in partnership with SU Ag. Launched to create a pipeline of HBCU students to lead the wine industry's future of diverse winemakers, grape growers, and industry professionals, the $50,000 awarded to the program in 2021 was dedicated specifically to the school's top female undergraduate prospects' career growth through professional development and research studies. From the Fall 2021 semester to January 2022, SU Ag Center has grown its student population who enrolled in viticulture and oenology courses from 8 to 133 students. This promotion of young talent is boosted by more than $100,000 in funds raised with the support of the Wine Institute, whose mission is to promote American winemaking in all its forms, as well as to advance diversity in the industry now and for generations to come. These first actions by the SHE CAN Fund with SU Ag are but the first in what the McBride Sisters and their partners envision as a robust, multi year investment in young Black talent at HBCUs.

"Wine culture and culinary culture are deeply entwined, not just because the final products enhance each other so magically, but also because of the people who pour their hearts into creating an experience," says Robin McBride, Co-Founder and President of the McBride Sisters Wine Company and Chair of the McBride Sisters SHE CAN Fund. "This year's professional development focus is our Sisters in food and wine who chose to pursue their passion through a culinary career."

This year's focus is just one example of how the SHE CAN Fund is investing in the current and next generation of women leaders.

"What we've accomplished to date has changed the future of wine and we're committed to another fund year of positive change and indelible advancement for women across the industry and beyond," says Agnes Uboma, Chief Impact Officer of the McBride Sisters SHE CAN Fund. "It's imperative to note that the McBride Sisters SHE CAN Fund is not a charity but a call to action, and a direct reflection of women growing women. SHE CAN's seed impact investors, program partners, and champions include ranking women representing impressive organizations," Ms. Uboma continues.

Professional development scholarships are open to all women currently employed or self-employed in food and wine. Recent graduates from an accredited culinary school are encouraged to apply.

Applications open on May 1, 2022 at mcbridesistersfund.org .

About the McBride Sisters Wine Company:

Established in 2005 by founders Robin McBride and Andrea McBride John, McBride Sisters Wine Company is the largest Black-owned wine company in the United States. Its mission is to transform the wine industry, to lead by example and to cultivate community, one delicious glass of wine at a time. These values show up not only in the wines, but in all facets of the company. The signature McBride Sisters Collection wines are direct reflections of the terroirs of Robin and Andrea's youth, with flavors designed for all palates. The fun, fab and eco-friendly SHE CAN collection is inspired by the endless pursuit of all women who are making their dreams a reality and are breaking barriers daily. The Black Girl Magic collection is inspired by the magic and resilience of Black women, to be enjoyed by all. For more information, please visit mcbridesisters.com or follow along on Instagram at @mcbridesisters, @blackgirlmagicwines and @shecanwines.

About the McBride Sisters SHE CAN Fund:

At its inception, The McBride Sisters SHE CAN Fund was created by the McBride Sisters Wine Company founders Robin McBride and Andrea McBride John to promote the professional advancement of women in the wine industry in a concerted effort to help close the gender and race gap. In its first year, the fund awarded scholarships of nearly $40,000 to empower women to strive for change and to create opportunities for themselves and others, where there had not been before. Today, the Fund is rapidly growing, and runs three programs:

#YESSHECAN is dedicated to the professional advancement of women in male-dominated fields. Each year, the Fund shifts its focus to support different communities of professional women via monetary business grants, scholarships for professional training and certifications, and mentorship opportunities to aid in career advancement.

A subset of #YESSHECAN, the Fund's #SHECANTHRIVE program provides programming, resources, and grants for Black women-owned businesses and entrepreneurs. The SHE CAN Fund launched the program in 2020 with rapid relief grants and support services in response to the international COVID-19 pandemic, during which Black-owned businesses were disproportionately hit the hardest. Since the launch, 77 Black women entrepreneurs have received grants and services totaling more than $2.5 million from impact investors.

Launched in 2021, #SHECANGreaux is The McBride Sisters SHE CAN Fund's first-ever initiative and academic scholarship program directed towards Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs), created in partnership with Southern University's College of Agricultural Family and Consumer Sciences (SU Ag). A play on words inspired by the uniquely French heritage of Black Creole history in Louisiana , as well as SU Ag's rally "Geaux Jags," #SHECANGreaux was created with the goal of generating a pipeline of HBCU students to lead the wine industry's future of diverse professionals.

Enjoy Responsibly.  2022 McBride Sisters Wine Company, San Luis Obispo, CA

SOURCE McBride Sisters Collection
"After hours of deliberation, we are hoppy to announce this year's top 10 Cadbury Bunny Tryouts finalists," said the Judges Panel. "Looking at these 10 finalists, we can't wait to see who will be joining us in the Cadbury Bunny Tryouts hall of fame. America, we are counting on you to vote on the 2022 Cadbury Bunny and help decide who will be the star of this year's commercial."

Starting today through March 22, you can help your favorite finalist take home the coveted Cadbury Bunny ears and a starring role in the 2022 Cadbury Clucking Bunny Easter commercial by visiting the website to vote. This year, Cadbury is sweetening the deal by donating $5,000 to the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), and an additional $5,000 for every incremental 5,000 votes cast, up to a total donation of $20,000*.

"We are grateful for the generous support we've received from Cadbury over the past four years," said Rebecca Frommer, Director, Cause Partnerships & Events, ASPCA. "By voting for your favorite pet in the Cadbury Bunny Tryouts, the ASPCA will receive vital donations from Cadbury to help us continue our lifesaving work to rescue and protect animals in need."

With no shortage of creativity and personality from this year's wide range of entrants, the Cadbury brand and Judges Panel were truly wowed by these top 10 loveable pets and can't wait to see who America will vote for. Click HERE to learn more about each finalist [in alphabetical order] and keep an eye on your neighborhood finalist's social media to see if a voting booth might pop-up in your local community!

This year's lucky winner will be announced on March 29, awarded $5,000, and will star in the 2022 Cadbury Clucking Bunny commercial this spring. Voting opens on March 8 and runs through March 22. Do you want to help pick this year's Cadbury Bunny? Visit (bunnytryouts.cadburyusa.com) and get the latest information on Cadbury USA at:

https://www.facebook.com/CadburyUSA/

https://www.instagram.com/cadburyusa/

https://twitter.com/CadburyUSA

https://www.tiktok.com/@cadburyus

Contest Rules

VOTING PHASE: During the Voting Phase, the ten (10) Finalist Video Submissions will be posted on the Website. A person who is a legal resident of the 50 United States or District of Columbia and 18 years or older may vote for his/her favorite Finalist Video Submission. The voter must visit the Website and follow the onscreen instructions to complete and submit the registration page and vote. All eligible Finalist Video Submissions will be randomly displayed and rotated in a gallery on the Website. Each voter may vote one (1) time per day during the Voting Phase. Votes received from any person or e-mail address or household in excess of this limitation will be void. Votes generated by script, bot, macro or other automated means are void. Voting must be completed by the actual person casting the vote. A person may not vote on behalf of another person. Subsequent votes during one calendar day by a single voter or e-mail address will be disqualified. Votes intended to impact the integrity of the voting process as determined by Sponsor in Sponsor's sole discretion are void. Payment or other consideration in exchange for votes is prohibited and if a Finalist does provide payment or other consideration in exchange for votes directly or indirectly, he/she will be disqualified.

Donation to ASPCA*: During the Voting Phase, Sponsor will donate $5,000 to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), and an additional $5,000 for every incremental 5,000 votes received, up to a total donation of $20,000. Regardless of the number of votes received during the Voting Phase, Sponsor will make a minimum donation of $5,000 and maximum total donation of $20,000 to the ASPCA as a result of this Contest. Note: Only the Sponsor will make all of the donations to the ASPCA. Participants are not making any donations in the Contest and will not receive a receipt nor will they be eligible to claim any charitable deductions on their tax returns as a result of this Contest. The Sponsor and Administrator are not tax professionals and do not provide tax advice. For more information, or to contribute to the ASPCA, visit https://www.aspca.org/.

About The Hershey Company

The Hershey Company is headquartered in Hershey, Pa., and is an industry-leading snacks company known for bringing goodness to the world through its iconic brands, remarkable people and enduring commitment to help children succeed. Hershey has approximately 17,000 employees around the world who work every day to deliver delicious, quality products. The company has more than 90 brands around the world that drive more than $8 billion in annual revenues, including such iconic brand names as Hershey's, Reese's, Kit Kat, Jolly Rancher, Ice Breakers, SkinnyPop, and Pirate's Booty.

"The Hershey Company sells Cadbury products under license from Cadbury UK Ltd."

For more than 125 years, Hershey has been committed to operating fairly, ethically and sustainably. Hershey founder, Milton Hershey, created the Milton Hershey School in 1909 and since then the company has focused on helping children succeed.

SOURCE The Hershey Company
JERUSALEM, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Many of the top Evangelical leaders that mobilized the vote that elected the President of The United States united to honor former Vice President Mike Pence for his support of the State of Israel.

On Tuesday March 8, the Friends of Zion Heritage Center and Museum in Jerusalem held an event in honor of former US Vice President Mike Pence, where he was presented with the Friends of Zion Award.

Dr. Mike Evans, FOZ Founder and former Vice President Mike Pence with The Friends of Zion Award. Photo: Yosi Zamir (PRNewsfoto/Friends of Zion)

The Friends of Zion Award, was commissioned by the late 9th President of Israel and former international Chairman of FOZ, Shimon Peres, it has been given to over 20 world leaders, including former US President George Bush and former US President Donald Trump.

The event marks the first time that US evangelical leaders have mobilized to show their support for Pence since January 6.

The leaders who participated with videos of support were the Rev. Franklin Graham, Pastor Robert Jeffress; Pastor Jack Graham; Pastor Robert Morris; Mike Huckabee; Gordon Robertson of CBN; Matthew Crouch of TBN; Rev Doug Clay; and Ralph Reed.

Upon receiving the award former Vice President Mike Pence said: "No matter what the future holds. I want to ensure that wherever I speak or give a speech I will say out loud that the United States supports Israel and will always stand by Israel".

Pence added "When I arrived today I had the privilege of meeting the Chief Rabbi of Kyiv Yonatan Markowitz and his courageous wife Ina, it reminded me of why Israel is here, and how important it is for all of us to stand for freedom and to stand with the people of this beloved country."

Dr. Mike Evans, FOZ Founder said "Vice President Mike Pence played a major role in bringing about the Trump faith initiative for the State of Israel and he wants to congratulate him for that."

For inquiries, contact Tal Marom Spokesperson for FOZ [email protected]

SOURCE Friends of Zion
AUSTIN, Texas, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the Society for Human Resource Management, 40% of people who quit a role do so within the first 12 months of being hired.* One of the main reasons? Misaligned expectations between the recruiting process and what they actually encountered as a new hire.

Research conducted by the JobSage team in 2021 indicates jobseekers especially those from traditionally underrepresented or marginalized groups value transparency. For professionals of all backgrounds, especially those who fear workplace discrimination, the job search is all too often an opaque process where their important questions aren't getting answered.

JobSage is a third-party employee transparency platform whose mission is to provide jobseekers with information that matters most to them. In doing so, we also want to amplify companies who are taking the extra step to provide potential employees the transparency they deserve.

As of today, fifteen Austin companies are taking initiative by allowing JobSage to survey their entire workforce. These companies have committed to ensuring their candidates have access to the most complete, honest insights into what they can expect from their prospective future employers. Because of their commitment to transparency, we call them our Trusted Employers.

Austin's Most Transparent, from A to Z:

AIQUEOUS

CareerPlug

Civitech

Clerk

data.world

Journey Foods

KUNGFU.AI

Notley

OnlineMedEd

PLANOLY

Spot Insurance

The HT Group

Valkyrie

Yonder

ZenBusiness

"Our team is excited to partner with JobSage because the platform gives us another opportunity to be transparent with candidates interested in Clerk," says Caitlyn Conner, Senior People Manager at Clerk + Grocery TV. "We value being as open as possible with each other and creating an environment of trust. With JobSage, our team can now share their experiences with candor and connect directly with potential candidates."

"At Spot Insurance, we commit ourselves each day to create a workspace where our entire team can feel welcome, supported, and respected," says Sacha Lyson, Director of People at Spot Insurance. "While we know we aren't perfect, we strive each day to get better and with JobSage we've been able to create transparency with our candidates throughout the interview process. They don't have to take my word for it when I chat about authenticity being at the center of all we do they can hear directly from verified employees from across our company."

No company is perfect; the best companies are honest. By becoming a Trusted Employer, these companies have made it easier for potential applicants to understand how they live out their mission and values.

Whether you're a CEO or recent hire, head of HR or engineering manager, reach out to us below to partner with JobSage and create more transparent recruiting experiences. To learn more about JobSage's Trusted Employers, read the full blog .

https://www.jobsage.com/contact-us

*Source: https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition/pages/workers-are-quitting-jobs-record-numbers.aspx

About JobSage

JobSage is an employee transparency platform that brings insight to the things that matter most to jobseekers: inclusive workplaces, opportunities for growth, a sense of purpose, meaningful feedback, and flexibility. We do this by partnering directly with employers who value authenticity to elevate the voice of the people who know their workplace best current employees. As a third party, we're able to maintain employee privacy and provide a safe space for employees to share with honesty. Moreover, employees can provide their demographic information, which gives jobseekers more context into these insights. Combined, this approach lets JobSage create authentic, accessible conversations about what it is really like to work somewhere.

SOURCE JobSage
BERLIN, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Prices for standard E10 fuel and diesel at petrol stations in Germany exceeded the 2-euro mark per liter for the first time, the General German Automobile Club (ADAC) said on Tuesday.

The nationwide average price per liter of standard E10 fuel in Germany climbed to just above 2 euros (2.19 U.S. dollars) on Monday, an increase of 18 euro cents within six days, according to Germany's largest motoring association.

At the same time, the price for a liter of diesel even surged 28 euro cents, reaching an average 2.03 euros, making it more expensive than standard E10 despite lower taxes on diesel.

The higher price spike for diesel was caused by the increased demand for heating oil, the ADAC noted. Many consumers would fear supply bottlenecks due to the Russia-Ukraine crisis and were now "filling their tanks in late winter, contrary to their usual habits."

Since Christmas last year, prices for E10 and diesel in Germany have gone up 26 and 35 percent, respectively. The ADAC warned that fuel prices in Germany could rise even further as a result of the Ukraine crisis and associated consequences.

German motorists have been paying an additional carbon dioxide (CO2) tax on gasoline and diesel since early 2021. The CO2 pricing in the country's transport and housing sectors of currently 30 euros per ton CO2 is to be gradually raised to 55 euros by 2025. (1 euro = 1.09 U.S. dollars) 
ORLANDO, Fla., March 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Truck Lite, the leader in LED lighting solutions for commercial vehicles, has unveiled their all-new LED Projector Headlights, its latest advancement in forward lighting to deliver improved performance and modern aesthetics. LED Projector Headlights feature an optimized design ideal for final mile delivery, utility, construction, municipal and waste applications  all of which will likely be among the first segments to adopt electric vehicles.

Improving Headlight Performance Serves Growing Customer Segments

Truck-Lite LED Projector Headlights feature a new beam pattern with a wider beam spread that maximizes light output and increases foreground illumination, leading to better performance especially for vehicles operating in more congested environments like trucks used in final mile delivery, utility, construction, municipal and waste markets.

The growth of e-commerce has accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, and as a result there are more final mile vehicles operating in residential areas at all hours of the day, every day of the week. Now more than ever, safe operation of these vehicles is critical.

Understanding the unique visibility challenges faced by final mile delivery drivers, Truck-Lite focused on design enhancements to improve visibility and ultimately safety.

"We knew developing a winning product would require more than a one-size-fits-all approach," said Shane Brown, General Manager of Truck-Lite. "Truck-Lite's Next Generation Headlights were designed specifically to offer noticeable and highly relevant performance improvements that enable drivers to operate confidently."

With final mile delivery being one of the first market segments expected to adopt electric vehicles, Truck-lite engineers delivered product improvements without sacrificing amp draw as additional parasitic load on a vehicle's battery reduces overall vehicle performance.

While LED Projector Headlights are offered in three sizes  5"x7", 4"x6", and 7" round  these new headlamps are also designed to be modular. This is especially appealing to the emerging electric vehicle OEMs who want to have their vehicles look custom and unique to their brand.

Truck-Lite "At the Speed of Light" Leads Brand Into Future

Given the changes happening in commercial transportation today, Truck-Lite understands the old rules do not always apply. In many ways, this projector design is more than just a next generation headlamp  it's a symbol of the change happening at Truck-Lite to prepare the company for the next generation of transportation.

Truck-Lite recently introduced an initiative called "At the Speed of Light" which underscores its commitment to accelerate innovation to better serve customers. The brand is no stranger to innovation  it was founded in 1955 with an idea for a sealed light that sparked a revolution in truck and trailer safety lighting. While several technology-driven changes have come to the industry since 1955, the changes brought on by electric vehicles will be the largest experienced in a century. Electrification has been a driving force for the decision for Truck-Lite to relocate its headquarters from Falconer, New York to Erie, Pennsylvania on the campus of Penn State Behrend. The new facility is expected to be fully operational this summer and features a state-of-the-art innovation lab, as well as endless opportunities to collaborate with the student talent pipeline and other transportation technology leaders in the area surrounding the university.

"Every day, Truck-Lite engineers are listening to the needs of our customers and finding ways to create solutions that drive efficiency and safety through the current wave of industry change," said Brown. "Our customers want to better understand the impact of electric, autonomous and connected technologies, so we remain committed, just as we've done for decades, to help customers think ahead to stay ahead."

For more information on the Next Generation LED headlights, visit www.truck-lite.com/headlights.

About Truck-Lite

Truck-Lite Co., LLC, a Clarience Technologies company, is headquartered in Falconer, NY, with additional U.S. facilities in Coudersport, McElhattan and Wellsboro, PA and international facilities in Harlow, England and Puebla, Mexico. Truck-Lite is a leading producer of forward and safety lighting, wiring harnesses, turn signals and safety accessories for the medium- and heavy-duty truck, trailer, off-road and commercial vehicle industries.

About Clarience Technologies

Clarience Technologies focuses on developing vehicle and fleet management technology innovations for the commercial vehicle, passenger car, recreational off-road machine and pleasure craft markets. Through our data and insights, we improve fleet management, streamline supply chain management and enhance safety on and off the road. Since our Truck-Lite brand introduced the first sealed marker light in 1955, our companies have unveiled a steady stream of innovations that have turned customers into long-term partners. Today, Clarience Technologies is a global company known for its quality and dedication to sustainability  and to providing the technologies that keep our world moving forward. Learn more at www.clariencetechnologies.com.

SOURCE Truck-Lite
ATLANTA, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- TurningPoint Breast Cancer Rehabilitation recently established The Atlanta Initiative to better support Black women and men with breast cancer. The grant-funded initiative is part of a TurningPoint Global Outreach project to serve survivorship needs of women and men going through breast cancer. It provides community-based, culturally appropriate, and accessible physical and emotional survivorship support that serves the needs of Black breast cancer patients and survivors in Atlanta. Care includes both in-person and virtual physical therapy, as well as virtual counseling, support groups, nutrition, and survivorship education programs. The initiative is supported by a broad community coalition that includes representation from Grady Hospital, the Center for Black Women's Wellness, the Atlanta faith community, My Style Matters support and advocacy organization, and other members of the Black community.

The Center for Black Women's Wellness, is a premier, community-based nonprofit and family service center committed to improving the health and well-being of underserved Black women and their families.

Jill Binkley, TurningPoint founder and Program Director explains that "Significant disparity exists in the diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship outcomes among Black breast cancer survivors. Unmet physical and emotional needs in breast cancer survivors are well documented, but there is mounting evidence that Black individuals have more significant survivorship issues and a greater burden of illness than White counterparts. Barriers to rehabilitation and recovery care exist for all breast cancer survivors but are magnified in Black survivors due to systemic racism, healthcare provider bias and discrimination, lack of culturally relevant care models, and socio-economic barriers."

Through the initiative and a special partnership with The Center for Black Women's Wellness in Atlanta, TurningPoint and physical therapist Janae Finley, DPT, CLT, CES launched a satellite clinic to care for patients going through breast cancer treatment at the Center, located at 477 Windsor St. NW in Atlanta and is joined by community advocate Marlena Murphy. Both women are breast cancer survivors.

"We have been looking for ways to better serve the unmet survivorship needs of Black breast cancer patients and we are excited to partner with an amazing Atlanta organization such as the Center for Black Women's Wellness." said Binkley.

To date, TurningPoint has seen 19 women at the Center, representing 164 total patient visits.

"We are thrilled to partner with a first-class organization in TurningPoint Breast Cancer Rehabilitation and support the incredibly courageous, inspiring, and strong women we support in their respective battles with breast cancer," said Jemea Dorsey, president and CEO of Center for Black Women's Wellness.

The Center for Black Women's Wellness, is a premier, community-based nonprofit and family service center committed to improving the health and well-being of underserved Black women and their families.

Healthcare services are offered by paid staff, volunteer healthcare professionals, and partner agencies. They offer women's healthcare (GYN), primary care, and mental health services. They provide care to those without health insurance on a sliding scale.

TurningPoint Breast Cancer Rehabilitation is a non-profit organization that improves the quality of life for individuals impacted by breast cancer by providing and advocating for specialized, evidence-based rehabilitation while reducing socioeconomic, racial, cultural, and geographic barriers to care.

Media contact: Jill Binkley [email protected] 678-936-0361

SOURCE TurningPoint Breast Cancer Rehabilitation, Inc.
NEW YORK, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- This week, Abu Dhabi is hosting the first-ever Forbes 30/50 Summit, a global event gathering generations of women from both the '30 Under 30' list and '50 Over 50' list to mark International Women's Day.

The summit brings together the most powerful global leaders, including honorees from Forbes' 30 Under 30 and 50 Over 50 lists, with the mission of forming world-changing alliances.

The Forbes 30/50 Summit focuses on creating cross-generational mentorship opportunities to provide leadership, guidance, and insights to women at every stage of their career. It also offers diverse perspectives focused on women in leadership and entrepreneurship,

On International Women's Day itself, hundreds of summit participants will reveal their most important lessons, which will then be shared on the Forbes platforms, "Morning Joe" and others, to empower women across the world.

Adriana Aristizabal is the founder and CEO of iVoice Communications, a New York based PR agency launched in 2014 that helps companies promote their brand and grow their business by connecting with clients with consumers across the global Hispanic market  a market of approximately 600 million people contributing to 10% of worldwide GDP.

On International Women's Day, Adriana will share her most important life lessons based on her life's journey as a journalist and former war reporter in Colombia, her experience as an award-winning author, and her experience launching and growing a leading PR Agency. In addition, in commemoration of International Women's Day, Adriana's revised edition of her book "En Fuego Cruzado: Memorias de una Reportera de Guerra" will be launched across Latin America in collaboration with El Tiempo, a leading media company headquartered in Bogota, Colombia.

For more information on "FORBES 30/50 SUMMIT" visit https://www.forbes.com/connect/event/2022-forbes-3050-summit-abu-dhabi/

Download images here (Credit: iVoice Communications)

https://collect.wetransfer.com/board/sohytoi3n28lgkthp20220308115348/latest

IVOICE COMMUNICATIONS INC

IVOICE COMMUNICATIONS INC. Is a leading Hispanic public relations agency that focuses on US Hispanic and Latam communications strategy, media relations, in the US, and consulting services.

IVOICE COMMUNICATIONS is committed to position your company in the global Hispanic Market. We empower our clients to engage Hispanic and Latino consumers in their access to and purchase of your products and services.

Press Contact

Daniela Botero, [email protected]

SOURCE iVoice Communications
Steve Neorr joined Cone Health in 2011 and led an important effort along with Dr. David Grapey, who was part of the original steering committee focused on clinical integration. Their work helped create Triad HealthCare Network, the accountable care organization ("ACO") affiliated with Cone Health, which has become one of the most successful ACOs in the country. They also contributed to the development, growth and success of HealthTeam Advantage, Cone's own Medicare Advantage insurance company, one of only two 5-star plans in the state. THN as a network through its ACO has ranked among the top in total savings and has consistently produced top tier quality scores. THN joined the newest, most advanced Medicare ACO model  the Direct Contacting Model, that is being replaced by the ACO REACH model.

"Steve and Dave are incredibly talented and experienced healthcare leaders whom I have personally known for several years," announced company founder and chief strategy officer, Fergus Hoban. He added, "They are coming in at a time when our CEO, Dr. Sanjay Doddamani, is assembling a stellar team of nationally acclaimed experts." These include recently appointed company CFO and industry veteran Tom Tran, who formerly led Molina Healthcare as CFO among others.

Cone Health CEO, Dr. Mary Jo Cagle said, "I want to personally thank Steve Neorr and Dr. Grapey for their accomplishments during their tenure. We look forward to continuing to work with them while we build on the past ten years of our community efforts and continue our transformational journey in value-based care, to meet the growing needs of seniors in our communities."

Dr. Sanjay Doddamani, UpStream's CEO and co-founder welcomed Mr. Neorr and Dr. Grapey saying, "I am simply delighted to have a value-based virtuoso duo in Steve and Dave to lead our operations and clinical programs. They have proven experience successfully leading ACOs and clinically integrated networks in Medicare and Medicare Advantage."

"I am humbled by the emotional and heartfelt acknowledgements from my colleagues, staff and physicians associated with Cone Health and Triad HealthCare Network," Neorr said, adding, "I am excited to take on this next phase as UpStream COO so that we can scale what we know works to enable primary care physicians be successful in value-based care."

"As a physician, I know first-hand, many of the struggles faced by primary care physicians, caring for older, sicker patients without adequate resources," stated Dr. David Grapey. "Joining UpStream as CMO will give me the opportunity to better support these doctors and their senior patients while providing powerful financial incentives for better quality and outcomes, not only in North Carolina but across the country."

About UpStream and Cone Health's Services Agreement: In November 2021, Cone Health, THN and UpStream Healthcare executed a five-year affiliation to continue their successful journey in value-based care. UpStream Healthcare is a managed services organization providing physicians with the support and systems they need to provide chronic care management (CCM) services to their Medicare and Medicare Advantage patients. This affiliation will bring a growing team-based advanced primary care model to enable THN to preserve its independent and CHMG primary care physician base through market-leading value-based incentive payments while reducing Cone Health's financial risk.

About UpStream Healthcare

UpStream Healthcare Company is a billion-dollar, global risk, managed services organization providing physicians with the support and systems they need to improve healthcare for seniors. To achieve this, UpStream embeds a powerful support platform that facilitates physicians, pharmacists, and nurses to work together in primary care practices to achieve better outcomes and value.

About Cone Health

Cone Health is a national leader in quality, service, and cost. The integrated health care network consists of Alamance Regional Medical Center, Annie Penn Hospital, Cone Health Behavioral Health Hospital, The Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital, Wesley Long Hospital, Cone Health Medical Group, MedCenter High Point, MedCenter Kernersville, MedCenter Mebane, MedCenter for Women, Triad HealthCare Network, HealthTeam Advantage and various outpatient clinics and programs. More than 13,000 exceptional people provide exceptional care to the people of Guilford, Alamance, Rockingham, Forsyth, Caswell, and Randolph counties in North Carolina.

SOURCE UpStream Healthcare
OAKLAND, Calif., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Leaders from Kaiser Permanente, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Mayo Clinic and The SCAN Foundation will discuss the future of acute care at home during a free, hour-long Permanente Live webinar on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, at 10 a.m. PDT/1 p.m. EDT.

The virtual panel, "The revolution and evolution of acute care at home," is part of The Permanente Federation's Permanente Live programming, which includes webinars, podcasts and live social media chats. Hosted by Stephen Parodi, MD, executive vice president of The Permanente Federation, the series addresses some of health care's most challenging issues.

Physician experts will share how the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the possibility  and the necessity  of delivering acute-level care at home, also known as advanced care at home. Facing challenges that include limited hospital capacity and an aging population, the health care industry must look for innovative, sustainable ways to deliver safe, high-quality and equitable care, now and in the future. While the growth of hospital-at-home programs offers opportunities, questions remain about the role of care teams, equity and accessibility, and taking such programs to scale in the future.

What: Attendees will learn about the evolution of advanced-care-at-home programs and their potential to change the future of health care, including:

How hospital-at-home programs work and their potential to scale; and how they foster person-centered care and the preferences of patients.

The evolution of care team roles and creation of future career paths.

Challenges related to access, social health and equitable care.

Policy issues that facilitate or hinder advanced care at home.

When: Tuesday, March 15, 10 to 11 a.m. PDT/1 to 2 p.m. EDT

Where: REGISTER to attend this virtual event.

Who: Panel speakers include:

Mary Giswold , MD, chief operating officer, Northwest Permanente

chief operating officer, Northwest Permanente David Levine , MD, medical director for strategy and innovation, Brigham and Women's Hospital

medical director for strategy and innovation, Brigham and Women's Hospital Michael Maniaci , MD, enterprise physician lead and medical director, Advanced Care at Home, Mayo Clinic

enterprise physician lead and medical director, Advanced Care at Home, Mayo Clinic Sarita Mohanty , MD, MPH, president and CEO, The SCAN Foundation

president and CEO, The SCAN Foundation Stephen Parodi , MD (moderator), executive vice president of External Affairs, Communications and Brand, The Permanente Federation; and associate executive director, The Permanente Medical Group

Follow the conversation on social media with the hashtag #PLCareAtHome.

To learn more about The Permanente Federation, visit permanente.org/the-permanente-federation.

About Permanente Medical Groups

The 8 Permanente Medical Groups are self-governed, physician-led, prepaid, multispecialty medical groups composed of more than 23,000 physicians. We are dedicated to the mission of improving the health of our patients and communities. Together with the Kaiser Foundation Health Plans and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, we are Kaiser Permanente  an award-winning health care system that delivers Permanente Medicine, care that is person- and family-centered, compassionate, evidence-based, technology-enabled, culturally responsive, team-delivered, and physician-led, to more than 12.5 million Kaiser Permanente members. We work collaboratively to provide world-class preventive and complex care centered in 8 states (California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Oregon, Virginia, and Washington), as well as the District of Columbia.

About The Permanente Federation

The Permanente Federation LLC is the national leadership and consulting organization for the 8 Permanente Medical Groups, which, together with the Kaiser Foundation Health Plans and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, comprise Kaiser Permanente. The Federation works on behalf of the Permanente Medical Groups to optimize care delivery and spread Permanente Medicine  care that is person- and family-centered, compassionate, evidence-based, technology-enabled, culturally responsive, team-delivered, and physician-led. The Federation, based in Oakland, California, fosters an open learning environment and accelerates research, innovation, and performance improvements across the Permanente Medical Groups to expand the reach of Kaiser Permanente's integrated care delivery model and to lead the nation in transforming care delivery.

SOURCE The Permanente Federation
LOS ANGELES, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Westwood Financial, a leading retail real estate investment firm, announced updates today on its financial and operational results for the twelve months ended December 31, 2021, which included:

Same-Store 2021 vs 2020 GAAP Revenue and NOI was +4.8% and +2.9%, respectively

Executed 79 new leases totaling 165,000 square feet in full year 2021; new leasing spreads are 5.0% on a comparable basis

Executed 138 renewals totaling 561,000 square feet in full year 2021; renewal spreads are 4.0%

Achieved year-end 2021 total leased percent of 94.9% vs 92.9% as of year-end 2020 (+200 bps)

Achieved year-end 2021 inline leased percent of 90.5% vs 87.2% as of year-end 2020 (+330 bps)

Amended and extended the terms of its existing $155 million unsecured revolving credit facility, including: increased $60M of commitments to the facility of which $40M is structured as a term loan

Mark Bratt, Chief Executive Officer, commented, "2021 was an exceptional year for Westwood Financial  not only did we achieve record breaking leasing results, but we also conceived and executed on the first fund in Westwood's history, the Hilgard Single Tenant Net Lease Fund. The fund opened in July and acquired 11 properties for $28M by the end of the year." Westwood stayed active on transactions, closing 2 centers for $35M in early 2021 (two Publix anchored centers in Orlando and Charlotte), selling 4 centers for $51M, and putting 2 centers under contract for $37M (one Publix anchored center in Macon, and one Lidl anchored center in Atlanta).

Mr. Bratt continued, "Westwood's grocery-anchored portfolio withstood the economic impact from the pandemic with impressive resilience. The results highlight the stability of our portfolio. Its outstanding performance is attributable to the quality of our assets, the determination of our tenants, and the hard work and dedication of our employees. We are driven to operate as effectively and efficiently as possible. Westwood has a clear focus on growing net asset value and being opportunistic in acquisitions to generate excellent returns for our investors, while providing a dynamic and rewarding culture for our employees."

About Westwood Financial

Westwood Financial owns and operates over 119 high-quality shopping centers located in top U.S. metropolitan markets including Dallas, Phoenix, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Raleigh, Denver, and Charlotte. The centers are primarily anchored by top-tier grocers as well as leading service and experiential-based operators. Established in 1970, Westwood Financial is headquartered in Los Angeles, with regional offices in Dallas, Atlanta, and Scottsdale. More information is available at www.westfin.com .

Contact:

Miki Antunovich

Vice President  Investor Relations, Tax, Treasury

[email protected]

SOURCE Westwood Financial
HACKBERRY, La., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cameron LNG today announced that Whitney "Whit" Fairbanks has been named president of Cameron LNG effective March 9. Fairbanks spent over a decade at Hunt Oil Company, where he managed Hunt LNG Operating Company, the operator of Peru LNG, consisting of a 4.4 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) LNG liquefaction plant, a 400-kilometer natural gas pipeline, and more than 400 employees. While at Peru LNG, Fairbanks led numerous successful initiatives centered around operational excellence, customer satisfaction, stakeholder engagement, and facility expansion.

"Whit's deep strategic, operational and commercial experience in the LNG industry including the successful leadership of complex joint venture companies will be an asset to Cameron LNG as we continue the safe and reliable operations of this world-class facility and advance the development of the expansion project," said Lisa Glatch, Chair of the Board for Cameron LNG.

Prior to joining Cameron LNG, Fairbanks served as a managing member of El Bucare Consulting, LLC, a strategy and management advisory company based in Dallas, Texas. Previously, Fairbanks held various leadership roles at Hunt Oil Company, including vice president for strategy and planning; vice president and general manager, Hunt LNG Operating Company; and general manager, Hunt Marcellus.

The Cameron LNG liquefaction export project in Hackberry, Louisiana, reached full commercial operations of Phase 1 in August 2020. To date, the facility has exported more than 351 cargoes of U.S. natural gas to 29 countries worldwide.

The three-train liquefaction facility has a contracted export capacity of 12 Mtpa of LNG and Cameron LNG has filed for the amended expansion project that will allow the facility to produce up to 6.75 Mtpa of additional low-cost, safe and reliable LNG for export to markets around the world.

Cameron LNG is jointly owned by affiliates of Sempra Infrastructure, TotalEnergies, Mitsui & Co., Ltd. and Japan LNG Investment LLC, a company jointly owned by Mitsubishi Corporation and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK).

This news release contains statements that are not historical fact and constitute forward-looking statements. These statements can be identified by words like "expects", "will", "may", "plans", "intends" or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Future results may differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon various assumptions involving judgments with respect to the future and other risks, including, among others: local, regional, national and international economic, competitive, political, legislative and regulatory conditions and developments; actions and the timing of actions, including issuances of permits to construct and licenses for operation, by the U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and other regulatory, governmental and environmental bodies in the United States; the timing and success of business development efforts and construction, maintenance and capital projects, including risks in obtaining, maintaining or extending permits, licenses, certificates and other authorizations on a timely basis and risks, in obtaining adequate and competitive financing for such projects; energy markets, including the timing and extent of changes and volatility in commodity prices, and the impact of any protracted reduction in oil prices from historical averages; capital markets conditions, including the availability of credit, interest and currency exchange rates; weather conditions, natural disasters, catastrophic accidents, and other events that may damage our facilities and systems; business, regulatory, environmental and legal decisions and requirements; and other uncertainties, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control.

SOURCE Cameron LNG
Austin Kelly, CEO at WV Pie Co., explained, "We've come a long way from our roots as a farmer-owned frozen fruit company, meant to provide stability to local farm families." He continued, "This long-overdue update is the opportunity for our image to match how we've ripened as a brand."

Willamette Valley Pie Co.'s new identity officially goes live today across all the company's platforms and will be displayed in their new packaging, which presents homey blue, craft paper brown and brilliant white coloring to attract consumers while also affirming a natural feel. The farmhouse design underscores their usage of superior quality ingredients, while the window box packaging further emphasizes the brand's commitment to honesty and transparency, allowing buyers to get a glimpse of the pie before purchasing.

Their new line of pies with flakey all-butter crusts are made with half the ingredients of other brands. Consumers will soon be able to find the following fan favorites in the frozen section of select grocers nationwide as well as online:

Dutch Caramel Apple Pie

Cherry Crunch

Oregon Berry Blend Pie

Triple Chocolate Cream

Key Lime Pie

Traditional Pumpkin Pie

All-butter hand pies and an individual all-butter pie crust will also make their debut.

Further, part of what has led them to become so loved amongst consumers is the insistence of only using local sustainably-sourced ingredients. To honor this, Willamette Valley Pie Co. will continue to be committed to making the best all-natural pies while supporting small businesses and their local community.

Kelly elaborates, "Despite our focus on nationwide expansion in retail, we will always remember our roots. He clarified, "Not only is our origin story the core of our identity, but we also very much plan on continuing our regional fundraising efforts supporting small business and our local communities."

For more information, please visit wvpie.com and follow on Instagram @wvpie. And to get a taste for yourself, make sure to visit booth N2237 at Natural Products Expo West March 8-11.

About Willamette Valley Pie Company

Willamette Valley Pie Company, LLC. is one of the original all-natural pie companies. With nearly 100 years of family farming history in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, vertically integrating in 2001 to make delicious pies and desserts was an obvious next step for the company. Made with non-GMO, local and sustainably sourced ingredients, Willamette Valley Pie Co. now offers 9-inch fruit and cream pies, 5-inch mini pies, as well as a variety of hand pies, cobblers, crisps, and IQF frozen fruit. Their new product line includes the first 100% all-butter crust pies in the market, featuring fan favorites like the Dutch Caramel Apple Pie, Triple Chocolate Cream and scratch made Key Lime Pies incorporate farm fresh ingredients you would use at home. Willamette Valley Pie Co. continues to be committed to bringing families and communities together around the table and through their fundraising program. For more information about Willamette Valley Pie Co., visit www.wvpie.com, or @wvpie on Instagram and @WVPIECO on Facebook.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Matt Kovacs

BLAZE PR

[email protected]

(310) 395-5050

SOURCE WV Pie Co.
WithMe Health is tackling the rise in pharmacy spend, creating a better medication experience for members and clients. Tweet this

WithMe Health is tackling the rise in pharmacy spend and creating a better medication experience for its members and clients. Through personalized medication guidance, WithMe is tackling utilization--not just price--by engaging members across their medication journey. WithMe's medication guidance services are automatically included as part of its PBM solution at no extra cost or can be added as an overlay to a client's existing PBM to provide oversight of the PBM and a more engaging member experience.

"Earning these accreditations from URAC through its rigorous review of our business and operations is critical to demonstrating to our many stakeholders WithMe's commitment to the highest standards of pharmacy benefits management and medication guidance. This is also a testament to the expertise and tremendous efforts of our team," said Joe Murad, President & CEO of WithMe Health.

"URAC accreditation shows that WithMe Health is a pharmacy benefit management organization able to adhere to standards that cover important aspects of care such as claims processing, developing proper drug formulary, and consumer access," said URAC President and CEO Shawn Griffin, M.D.

In reference to WithMe's medication guidance services and DTM, Griffin continues, "By meeting rigorous quality standards and measures, URAC has accredited WithMe Health as a recognition of its ability to adhere to the best practices related to factors such as coordinated care, counseling and education, and consumer protection."

About WithMe Health

WithMe Health's mission is to create a significantly better medication experience for all our members, putting their health and needs first as they navigate the complexity of medications. We offer our clinical expertise to members and their trusted providers to save them money and to improve their health. We're unsatisfied with the status quo in pharmacy benefits management and medication guidance. WithMe Health knows that we can provide an easier and more personalized, cost-effective, and equitable experience for members, while helping our clients--those who provide pharmacy benefits--make a more impactful investment in their members' health.

For more information visit www.withmehealth.com . Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn .

About URAC

Founded in 1990, URAC is the independent leader in promoting healthcare quality through leadership, accreditation, measurement and innovation. URAC is a nonprofit organization using evidence-based measures and developing standards through inclusive engagement with a range of stakeholders committed to improving the quality of healthcare. Our portfolio of accreditation and certification programs span the healthcare industry, addressing healthcare management, healthcare operations, health plans, pharmacies, telehealth providers, physician practices, and more. URAC accreditation is a symbol of excellence for organizations to showcase their validated commitment to quality and accountability.

Related Links

http://www.withmehealth.com

SOURCE WithMe Health LLC
PALO ALTO, Calif., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wolfpack, the free mobile app with 12,000+ users on its waitlist, announced its iPhone app is available for download here. The app makes it easy for investors to discover investment opportunities by selecting several investment filters suited to their personal investment needs. An Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven technology provides a list of investment opportunities.

"With Wolfpack, beginner investors discover, trade, and grow their wealth over time with an AI Discovery Engine." Tweet this Grow wealth over time with an AI Discovery Engine that finds trending investments.

"There are many investment apps out there, but they all fail to solve one fundamental problem, 'What should I invest in?' Wolfpack's proprietary AI allows users to discover investment opportunities that enables them to find securities they might otherwise miss," said George Parthimos, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and founder of Wolfpack.

"With Wolfpack, beginner investors discover, trade, and grow their wealth over time with an AI Discovery Engine that finds trending investments. Users receive daily notifications that align with their personal investment goals," according to Nicholas Kapes, Chairman of Wolfpack.

In addition to the AI Discovery Engine, the app offers investors the ability to follow top-performing wolves and receive their top picks, join discussion boards, and receive referral credits when referring friends. The AI tool also ranks the most popular investments across the entire Wolfpack community with the free service.

Brokerage products and services are provided by Apex Clearing Corporation. Apex Clearing is the licensed broker-dealer for Wolfpack and is one of the largest clearing houses in the United States.

WOLFPACK'S TOP FEATURES:

Discovery Engine: Users set their personal investment criteria and receive daily notifications that match their profile.





Users set their personal investment criteria and receive daily notifications that match their profile. Push Notifications: Wolfpack instantly notifies the user via push notification once a match is identified. Users can then decide if they want to trade via Wolfpack's easy-to-use built-in trading feature.





Wolfpack instantly notifies the user via push notification once a match is identified. Users can then decide if they want to trade via Wolfpack's easy-to-use built-in trading feature. Commission Free: Users trade fractional shares commission-free.





Users trade fractional shares commission-free. AI-Driven Top Picks: Users can access a daily list of trending securities across the Wolfpack community with the free service.





Users can access a daily list of trending securities across the Wolfpack community with the free service. Discussion Board: Join a community of like-minded investors sharing their ideas and working together to discover and grow their investment portfolios.





Join a community of like-minded investors sharing their ideas and working together to discover and grow their investment portfolios. Sign Up & Refer a Friend: Users receive a $10 credit towards their first shares when they sign up. Invite friends and receive another $10 credit towards your account.

Users can invest as little as $5. Wolfpack is designed for beginners right through to the most experienced of investors.

"Wolfpack is an incredibly powerful tool with ground-breaking features that can change lives for investors looking to build long-term wealth," said Parthimos.

DOWNLOAD NOW

Wolfpack is available for download from the App Store today.

Android app coming end-March 2022.

About Wolfpack Financial Inc.

Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Wolfpack Financial Inc. has launched its ingenious mobile app, Wolfpack. Designed to empower the millennial generation to build sustained wealth, the app offers investors the opportunity to discover stocks and ETFs which perfectly match their selection criteria.

Contact:

Monica Matulich

PRHollywood

[email protected]

310-383-9502

SOURCE Wolfpack Financial Inc.
BERLIN, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Two German ministries led by Green Party politicians, Robert Habeck and Steffi Lemke, on Tuesday spoke out against extending the operating times of the country's remaining nuclear power plants, despite possible energy supply bottlenecks due to the Ukraine crisis.

"As a result of weighing up the benefits and risks, an extension of the operating lives of the three remaining nuclear power plants is not to be recommended, also in view of the current gas crisis," according to a joint report by the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and the Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety, and Consumer Protection (BMUV) seen by German media.

Extending the operating life-span of nuclear power plants would not generate any additional electricity in the coming winter, but only from fall 2023 after filling with newly manufactured fuel rods, the report said.

In the wake of Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel started a nuclear moratorium including a safety inspection of all nuclear power plants that lead to Germany accelerating its phase-out of nuclear energy.

After the operating license for three nuclear power plants in Germany expired at the end of 2021, the country's last three plants are scheduled to be shut down permanently by the end of 2022 at the latest.

Ahead of a meeting of federal and state energy ministers on Tuesday, a spokesperson of the German utility RWE told Rheinische Post newspaper that "the licensing and technical hurdles for an extension would be very high." 
PHILADELPHIA, March 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- WuXi Advanced Therapies (WuXi ATU), a wholly owned subsidiary of WuXi AppTec, today announced the launch of Tetracycline-Enabled Self-Silencing Adenovirus (TESSA). This technology is a state-of-the-art novel process for transfection-free, scalable manufacture of adeno-associated virus (AAV) at Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) grade. Developed by OXGENE in the United Kingdom, a WuXi Advanced Therapies company, TESSA will expedite AAV manufacturing and significantly reduce the cost for manufacturing cell and gene therapies, enabling global customers to deliver more accessible ground-breaking therapeutics to patients as quickly as possible.

AAV vector is a popular tool for the delivery of gene therapies in diseases such as haemophilia and Alzheimer's. Efficient processes for manufacturing AAV on a large scale are critical to meeting increasing industry demands. TESSA vectors can meet the scalability challenges of AAV production, which has significant implications for expanding patient access to these novel therapeutics.

The new data published in Nature Communications supports the benefits of this technology. It highlights that in the same manufacturing volume, TESSA vectors produced 10 times more AAV than plasmid-based manufacture, producing enough material to treat ten times the number of patients.

"The TESSA system is a game changer for the manufacture of AAV and the advancement of cell and gene therapies to benefit patients." said Dr. Ryan Cawood, Chief Scientific Officer of WuXi ATU. "By improving scalability, reducing process complexity and lowering the costs of gene therapy manufacture, TESSA will better enable our global partners to develop and deliver life-saving gene therapies faster to more patients in need."

As a Contract Testing Development and Manufacturing Organization (CTDMO) with operations globally, WuXi ATU's unique business model integrates powerful testing capabilities with its advanced therapies' process development and manufacturing platforms, such as TESSA technology for AAV manufacturing and Lenti stable solutions for lentiviral manufacturing. This allows all assay development, biosafety, viral clearance and product release testing to be completed in-house, shortening customers' timelines for the approval of advanced therapies.

About WuXi Advanced Therapies (WuXi ATU)

As the advanced therapies business unit of WuXi AppTec, WuXi Advanced Therapies is a Contract Testing, Development and Manufacturing Organization (CTDMO) that offers integrated platforms to transform the discovery, development, testing, manufacturing, and commercialization of cell and gene therapies. Our services and solutions accelerate time to market and support customer programs around the world. For more information, please visit https://www.advancedtherapies.com

About WuXi AppTec

As a global company with operations across Asia, Europe, and North America, WuXi AppTec provides a broad portfolio of R&D and manufacturing services that enable global pharmaceutical and healthcare industry to advance discoveries and deliver groundbreaking treatments to patients. Through its unique business models, WuXi AppTec's integrated, end-to-end services include chemistry drug CRDMO (Contract Research, Development and Manufacturing Organization), biology discovery, preclinical testing and clinical research services, cell and gene therapies CTDMO (Contract Testing, Development and Manufacturing Organization), helping customers improve the productivity of advancing healthcare products through cost-effective and efficient solutions. WuXi AppTec received AA ESG rating from MSCI in 2021 and its open-access platform is enabling more than 5,700 collaborators from over 30 countries to improve the health of those in need  and to realize the vision that "every drug can be made and every disease can be treated."

SOURCE WuXi AppTec
"XCMG has always stressed diversity and gender equality. We're committed to establishing an inclusive culture and providing opportunity of self achievement and sense of gain to all these talented women working in construction machinery whom we've been very honored to have in an industry that's traditionally been dominated by males," said Wang Min, CEO and Chairman of XCMG.

Adriana Rosa is the supervisor of the business management department in XCMG Brazil. Having joined the company in 2020, Rosa has extensive knowledge and experience, and dares to take responsibility and initiative in teamwork. She greatly improved the cost accounting accuracy and inventory aging management in three months, took a lead and launched the budget information system in four months as well as developed three internal training courses that are widely praised among employees. Through the promotion mechanism of XCMG, Rosa gives full play to her potential, receiving the Top Team award of XCMG Brazil in 2021 with her team.

Rosa was recognized as female model of contribution in 2021, she said that thanks to the XCMG platform, she was able to break through herself and unleash so much potential.

Fu Yuqin is a boom design engineer who has worked on developing the super tonnage cranes at the XCMG Crane Research Institute. She has been taking a lead in tackling key R&D problems, and said although boom performance has reached the highest level worldwide, XCMG is constantly seeking continuous breakthroughs in product reliability.

"Technology is evolving all the time, and only by working harder than others can we take a leading position in technological innovation," said Fu. "XCMG has provided a great platform for engineers and technicians like us, especially in its support of female talent to accomplish our own career pursuits. When my child says proudly on the street that 'this is the crane my mother has designed,' I feel a great sense of accomplishment, that the time I spent chasing my dream is now inspiring my child to expect his own."

Lu Yilin is a industrial designer and she has been working at XCMG for 10 years. Her department has an increasing amount of female staff and has won many international and national awards, including four top international awards - iF Design Award, Red Dot Design Award, Japan's Good Design Award and US's IDEA.

"As our industrial design is mostly for supporting products in order to make them better and improve sales, for us, it's the sense of achievement we feel. For example, when a new product enters the overseas market, winning the recognition of customers brings huge self-satisfaction and sense of gain" said Lu.

"The female employees at XCMG, though only take 15% of total number of XCMG's staff, are becoming more energetic, we thank them for all their hardworking, courage and wisdom that supported XCMG to reach the yearly revenue milestone of 100 billion yuan, without their contributions, there wouldn't be the XCMG today." said Wang. "In the future, XCMG will continue to provide more opportunities for women to breaks through biases and stereotypes to achieve even greater accomplishments."

SOURCE XCMG
BUFFALO, N.Y., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- You First Services, Inc. (YFS), a research and product development company specializing in the discovery and development of innovative technologies, has announced an exciting partnership with Tops Friendly Markets to begin offering Lubricity and MetaQil oral healthcare products in 75 of their stores this week.

"By offering our shoppers an innovative product that will bring them the relief they need as it relates to oral care, it continues our tradition of being a one-stop-shop for better health," said Sue Durfee, director of health and beauty. "You'll find everything you need to get well, stay well, and live well right here at Tops."

Starting the week of this week March 6, Lubricity and MetaQil will be readily available for consumers who have different health needs or concerns, such as dry mouth or an altered taste. Both Lubricity and MetaQil are unique products that alleviate dry mouth symptoms and metallic taste.

Tops Friendly Markets, a leading full-service grocery retailer in New York, northern Pennsylvania, and Vermont, has 150 supermarkets throughout its footprint.

"We are honored to partner with a local company, which is known for their dedication to the community," stated Dr. Satish Sharma, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of YFS. "As a Buffalo-based company, we are excited to collaborate and work with Tops to better serve different communities."

Lubricity & MetaQil were developed through collaborative research at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Lubricity is a Premium Dry Mouth spray that provides relief from dry mouth symptoms, and MetaQil is a first-of-its-kind oral rinse that gently cools the mouth and provides instant, long-lasting relief from metallic taste symptoms.

ABOUT YOU FIRST SERVICES, INC.

You First Services, Inc. was formed in May of 2013 for the purpose of acquiring and commercializing unique, healthcare-related technologies with high market potential. These technologies have been successfully developed in a research laboratory setting and have been subject to a full evaluation for commercial value potential with respect to formulation development, stability and safety testing, clinical trial completion, regulatory review, product manufacturing scalability, and product marketability.

Media Contact:

Sean Dwyer, You First Services, Inc.

[email protected]

Photos:

https://www.prlog.org/12907921



Press release distributed by PRLog

SOURCE You First Services, Inc.
NEW YORK, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Zephyr, a subsidiary of Informa plc (LSE: INF), and recognized leader in providing data, insight, and analysis to investment professionals via its financial services platform, announced Global Markets in View, a limited webinar series for financial advisors and wealth managers, focusing on investment trends affecting investor confidence.

The first in the series, 'Global Markets in View: U.S. Equities, the Energy Sector, Worldwide Pension Funds,' will address the impact that Russian sanctions are having on the market, and will air on March 10, 2022 at 1pm ET. Guest panelists Cameron Brandt, EPFR's Director of Research and Ryan Nauman, Zephyr's Market Strategist will join host Christopher Volpe, Director of Wealth Management for Informa Financial Intelligence, for the discussion.

Register for 'Global Markets in View: U.S. Equities, the Energy Sector, Worldwide Pension Funds' here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/7128373997890883596.

Zephyr provides investment professionals access to timely information, exclusive research and comprehensive data to keep their clients engaged and informed. The platform consistently scores high among users for its ease of use, custom client presentation options, portfolio proposal generation and ESG analysis tools. Within Zephyr's innovative wealth management solution, the application also offers a powerful filtering tool to identify funds with exposure to risks in minutes. At the portfolio level, users can elect to run a DNA analysis showing region and country exposure and potential hidden risks.

The Zephyr team is committed to ensuring their customers possess all the necessary resources to exceed their client's expectations. Visit financialintelligence.informa.com to learn more about Zephyr and to request a demo or 14-day free trial on the Zephyr platform.

MEDIA Contact:

Zach Allegretti, JConnelly

973-850-7341

[email protected]

SOURCE Zephyr
Kinetiko Energy Ltd (ASX:KKO) has gas flow testing underway at the Korhaan-4 well, the first of three flow tests from the recently completed three-well program at the project in South Africa, where energy is in strong and increasing demand.

Flow rates to test gas have been sensed through the Korhaan-4 entire production section of around 313 metres.

The gas explorer plans to optimise gas production by undertaking sophisticated completions, casing the production section and perforating only the most gassy zones to reduce water ingress in the next stage of well development, which is expected to increase gas flow rates further.

Repair to damaged pump

Following severe electrical storm damage to the communications systems to a downhole pump, replacement parts were successfully shipped and repairs completed.

The repaired pump has now been run into well Korhaan-4 and de-watering of the well commenced.

Drilled to depth

Korhaan-4 was drilled to total depth as a barefoot completion with no casing or liner set across the production section allowing increased water and geological fluids to flow directly into the wellbore.

The well has been cleaned out and the logs showed significant cumulative gassy intervals and a substantial production section of around 313 metres.

Funding & offtake deals

Significant progress has been achieved in recent weeks towards securing investment from major South African institutions and completing offtake agreements.

In recent weeks, Kinetiko has moved closer to completion of material agreements with a major South African institution for funding to develop a new field of wells, and completing offtake arrangements with Vutomi Energy (Pty) Ltd for first production of gas produced from the Korhaan wells for a gas-to-power.
Zaim Credit Systems PLC (LSE:ZAIM), the Russia focused fintech group, said its business is not affected by the international restrictions on Russian banks.

The company issued a statement about the current situation in Russia, saying it is complying with all UK, US & EU sanctions against Russia.

The company reassured shareholders it has no relationships with any Russian banks and no significant Russian shareholders.

Its Zaim-Express business mainly earns its corn issuing microloans online via its website and mobile application and through a network of its branches in and around Moscow and as such is not affected by international restrictions on using the SWIFT international payment system.

Zaim said it is accelerating its work to expand into other European countries and is actively undertaking an assessment of jurisdictions in which to deploy its technology

Zaim Express and its systems are working as normal and it continues to serve its clients in the normal course of business with as yet no significant deviation in business performance, the company said.
Albert Labs CEO Dr Michael Raymont joined Proactive's Stephen Gunnion with details of the company's listing on the Canadian Securities Exchange on March 10, 2022, under the ticker 'ABRT'.

Raymont telling Proactive that cash raised in the listing will be put towards starting trials this summer and run them through to completion later this year.

He said the listing is also a milestone, marking progress along the company's path to deliver safe and effective medicines for anxiety and depression.
i(x) Net Zero PLC (AIM:IX.) said it will invest a further US$1.5mln cash into an existing Latin America renewable energy partnership.

The energy transition and sustainability investor said it is making an initial payment of US$500,000 into Enphys Management Company (EMC), with the rest of the sum made up of 10 equal monthly payments from July.

Focused on pursuing renewables and energy transition opportunities in Latin America, EMC is a partnership between i(x) Net Zero and Latin America Investment Group (LAIG), a business development and investment group that is focused on Latin America.

EMC has a direct stake in NYSE-listed Enphys Acquisition Corp, a SPAC targeting renewable energy businesses in Latin America, as well as a stake in Enphys Acquisition Sponsor, the sponsor company of the SPAC.

The initial payment to EMC will increase i(x) Net Zero's holding by 3.5% to 14.5%, with a new agreement giving it the right to appoint one director to EMC's board, and could eventually up its stake to 25% by making additional investments or by sourcing investments for its platform companies.

Chief executive Steve Oyer said: "We are excited to collaborate with the EMC and LAIG teams and believe there are many opportunities to foster the next chapter of their strong track record of success in Latin America. EMC has tremendous potential to become the regional champion of energy transition and serve the increasing demand for renewable energy from a growing population in a sustainable manner."
FTSE 100 has rallied after a weak start and is now showing green after losing more than 100 points at the start. The index was up 20 at 7,979 an hour after the open.



Russia will stop its gas supplies to the West if the proposed ban on it exporting oil goes ahead. Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) analysts said this would raise the price of a barrel of crude, which is already at record levels, by over 40% to US$200.



The British taxpayer will pay around 3bn to rescue energy supplier Bulb from collapsing. Around 1.7bn was originally agreed to be paid in November but this figure soared on Russia's continued invasion which sent oil prices flying.



Bakery chain Greggs said it's under pressure, rising costs are putting pressure on its profits. The chain refused to rule out higher prices being passed onto the consumer.



Among the small caps, Harvest Minerals smashed its own internal forecasts after it told investors sales in the year so far totalled 30,161 tonnes. That represents a 1,070% increase from its own expectations and is 20% on the way to the total sales target for the year.



IXICO has won a contract for an open-label phase 1b/2 Huntington's disease (HD) trial worth approximately 800,000. The trials will evaluate the safety, tolerability and efficacy of the drug, and is expected to run for five years.



Oxford Cannabinoid returned positive preclinical results from the study of its lead asset. A study in animal models showed it reduced pain associated with chemotherapy.
Shell PLC (LSE:SHEL, NYSE:SHEL) said it intends to make a phased withdrawal from involvement in "all Russian hydrocarbons", including crude oil, gas, petroleum products and LNG.

While many governments were applying sanctions to Russia and other companies were self-sanctioning, the FTSE 100 oil giant was revealed over the weekend to have purchased a cargo of Russian crude oil.

Although the purchase did not violate any Western sanctions, the decision had received widespread criticism, which was not allayed by the last week that it intends to end its involvement in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project and exit its equity partnerships with state-owned Gazprom.

The West is yet to impose any restrictions on Russian oil and gas, with German chancellor Olaf Scholz pushing back against calls to impose any bans with the threat of stagflation looming, and with the Kremlin threatening to retaliate by cutting off gas supplies.

As a first step, Shell said it will immediately stop all spot purchases of Russian crude oil and begin the process of shutting its service stations, aviation fuels and lubricants operations in Russia.

We are acutely aware that our decision last week to purchase a cargo of Russian crude oil to be refined into products like petrol and diesel  despite being made with security of supplies at the forefront of our thinking  was not the right one and we are sorry," said chief executive Ben van Beurden.

He said that the company's actions "have been guided by continuous discussions with governments about the need to disentangle society from Russian energy flows, while maintaining energy supplies".

Following government statements this week, van Beurden said Shell will, unless directed by governments, immediately stop buying Russian crude oil on the spot market and will not renew term contracts, change its crude oil supply chain to remove Russian volumes and begin removing Russian elements from its supply chain.

He said removing Russia from its crude oil supply chain could take weeks to complete and will lead to reduced throughput at some refineries, due to the physical location and availability of alternatives.

A withdrawal from Russian petroleum products, pipeline gas and LNG is "a complex challenge", van Beurden said, and will "require concerted action by governments, energy suppliers and customers, and a transition to other energy supplies will take much longer".

He said the challenges for other countries underlined the dilemma between putting pressure on the Russian government over its invasion of Ukraine and ensuring stable energy supplies across Europe.

But ultimately, it is for governments to decide on the incredibly difficult trade-offs that must be made during the war in Ukraine. We will continue to work with them to help manage the potential impacts on the security of energy supplies, particularly in Europe," the CEO said.
NEW YORK, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The United States has unilaterally squandered much of its competitive edge and is not bringing its best game to the playing field in the global arena, The National Interest, an American bimonthly conservative international relations magazine, has reported.

"Its economic, technological, and military advantages are at risk; its politics are polarized and dysfunctional; and its social fabric is fraying," said the report authored by Paul Heer, a distinguished fellow at the Center for the National Interest dealing with Chinese and East Asian issues.

"Though the United States seeks to confront these vulnerabilities, heightened awareness of them is driving a preoccupation with the challenge from China, and a tendency to overstate the nature and scope of that challenge," said the article titled "Why Americans Fear China's Rise."

"Washington's assertion (or assumption) that it retains the upper hand in the U.S.-China relationship, to whatever extent it conceals a fear that this may no longer be correct, reflects further resistance to the idea that the United States' global position has weakened," it said.

These circumstances can only push U.S.-China relations further down an adversarial path, said the article, noting that "arresting and reversing this trend will require both Beijing and Washington to retreat to a more realistic and pragmatic posture toward each other." 
Bargain hunters have been out in force today buying up stocks with Russian connections.

Evraz PLC (LSE:EVR), up 20% today, is the big name that will catch the eye but two small-caps  Zaim Credit Systems PLC (LSE:ZAIM) and Amur Minerals Corporation (AIM:AMC, OTC:AMMCF)  have also bounced back strongly today.

Zaim is up 25% today, cutting its decline since 25 February (the time of the Russian invasion of Ukraine) to 33%. The company issued a reassuring statement this morning explaining that its business has not really been affected at all by the sanctions the West imposed on Russia.

READ Zaim Credit Systems says business is unaffected by sanctions against Russian banks

Its Zaim-Express business mainly earns its corn issuing microloans online via its website and mobile application and through a network of its branches in and around Moscow and as such is not affected by international restrictions on using the SWIFT international payment system.

Zaim Express and its systems are working as normal and it continues to serve its clients in the normal course of business with as yet no significant deviation in business performance, the company said.

Amur Minerals, meanwhile, is up 59% today and is down just 15% since the invasion of Ukraine.

The company is focused on base metal projects in the far east of Russia and has previously indicated that the sanctions will not have any effect on its business.

The company is in any case in discussions to sell its Irosta Trading subsidiary, which owns the company's principal asset, the Kun-Manie nickel-copper sulphide project in far-east Russia.

Several Russian companies have lost more than nine-tenths of their market value since the invasion (and the collapse in the value of the Russian ruble), among them OAO Severstal (99.6%), OAO Novatek (99.5%), Sberbank of Russia (OTC:AKSJF) (98.9%), OJSC Novolipetsk Steel (98.8%), Polyus PJSC (95.0%), OAO Tatneft (92.1%) and MMC Norilsk Nickel (2.1%) - te last despite the price of nickel soaring to a record level of US$100,000 a tonne.
Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) says sanctions could meaningfully and sustainably reduce Russian oil exports as the broker raised its guidance for spot prices for this year and 2023.

The broker said the global economy could soon be faced with one of the largest energy supply shocks ever as upward pressure is placed on oil prices even as demand destruction and emergency reserve releases work to ease constraints.

Goldman hiked its 2022 Brent spot price to US$135 a barrel from a previous outlook of US$98, with its 2023 forecast at US$115 up from $105bn prior.

The West will want to avoid such an outcome, but global isolation could instead drive Russia to reduce its current account surplus and energy exports, the broker said.

We believe China will hold a crucial role in shaping how the oil market will rebalance, and how much Russian oil exports end up shrinking, with logistical constraints likely to prevent a full reallocation of flows for months.

In a separate note, analysts at Barclays said the disruption of most Russian seaborne crude supplies could result in Brent surging beyond US$200 per barrel in the worst case.

"In a worst case, oil prices could climb over $200/b and TTF [gas] prices could average 300/MWH over the summer, in our view."

Goldman Sachs updated base-case outlook is based on daily barrel disruption of 1.6mln from Russia, as Western companies are reprimanded for Russian purchases and companies like Shell leave the market behind.

This would align with the 1.6mln barrels a day lost at the peak of the 2011 Libya Civil War.

The broker said the range of possible outcomes remains extreme given the threat that a spike in oils prices causes to the global economy.
Tlou Energy's Colm Cloonan tells the details of agreeing on a conversion price with the Botswana Public Officers Pension Fund (BPOPF) for the loan note for Lesedi, releasing the funds to move ahead with the project.

He says their results for the half-year were in line with expectations and now they have the funding that allows the firm to progress the development of the Lesedi project.

Losses for the six months to end December 2021 were US$1.27mln (US$1.07mln) with cash and equivalents of US$4.29mln at the period end.
The US looks set to go ahead and ban imports of Russian oil, with an announcement expected as early as today, according to reports.

Bloomberg suggests that President Joe Biden has decided to go ahead without Europe, although there was reportedly a consultation between the parties.

That news has driven the price of brent crude oil up slightly, with it now trading at US$124.87 per barrel, with the price likely to go up even further as and when an official announcement has been made.

According to the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers trade association, around 61% of America's oil came from neighbouring Canada in 2021, significantly higher than the 3% that came from Russia in the same year.

Imports from Mexico accounted for about 10% of America's oils needs, with 6% coming from Saudi Arabia.

Europe will not be imposing any sanctions itself at this stage, given it is much more reliant on Russian energy than its ally across the Atlantic.

Imports from Russia accounted for about 40% of EU gas consumption in 2021, according to the International Energy Agency.
Bango PLC (AIM:BGO, OTCQX:BGOPF) said the front cover artwork on its 2021 annual report is available as a range of ultra-limited non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Proceeds from the sale of the NFTs will go directly to the Disaster Emergency Committee, which is coordinating the provision of relief to the refugee crisis caused by the war in Ukraine.

The data-driven commerce company said the move would allow collectors and investors to own a unique version of the artwork, recorded and registered as theirs alone.

The NFTs are available through the OpenSea NFT marketplace ( Bango Limited Edition Collectibles - Collection | OpenSea ), and are priced between 0.1 ETH (Ethereum) and 1.0 ETH at release.

"This is the first time, to the best of my knowledge, that a company has incorporated imagery that is both informative and collectable into the way it reports its business," said Ray Anderson, the executive chair at Bango.

"Bango technology has quickly found favour with companies enabling NFTs to be traded, who want to find new users and collectors and to simplify payments for their customers. It seems very appropriate for a unique Bango asset to become available as an NFT," he added.
1. Footsie fluctuates but closes green

The FTSE 100 index closed 4.63 points, or 0.067% firmer on Tuesday at 6,964.11 amid market uncertainty as the Russia-Ukraine war dominates sentiment.

Read more

2. Shells vows to stop buying Russian oil and gas

Shell PLC (LSE:SHEL, NYSE:SHEL) said it intends to make a phased withdrawal from involvement in "all Russian hydrocarbons", including crude oil, gas, petroleum products and LNG.

Read more

3. GSK undervalued as it nears Haleon demerger

Berenberg believes the pharmaceutical group will come back into investors sights as the demerger begins to receive more attention.

Read more

4. 88 Energy kickstarts Merlin-2 appraisal well drilling

88 Energy Ltd (AIM:88E, ASX:88E, OTC:EEENF) told investors that the Arctic Fox rig has started drilling the Merlin-2 appraisal well, part of Project Peregrine, on Alaskas North Slope.

Read more

5. UK government to ban Russian oil

The UK government is expected to announce a ban on all Russian oil, in a plan that will be phased in over the coming months, as Johnsons latest sanction against Russia following the countrys continued invasion of Ukraine.

Read more
Galileo Mining Ltd (ASX:GAL)s aircore drill program has returned multiple anomalous palladium assays from the Mission Sill prospect at its 100%-owned Norseman Project in Western Australia.

Follow-up reverse circulation (RC) drilling is being planned beneath the palladium intercepts while follow-up aircore drilling is also planned along the 4 kilometres of untested Mission Sill target zone with no previous palladium exploration.

Additional assays are expected in the coming weeks from more than 50 aircore drill holes on the northern side of Mission Sill prospect and from the Jimberlana prospect.

Exceptional potential of area

Galileo managing director Brad Underwood said: Palladium at our Norseman project is now a heavy focus of exploration as results continue to demonstrate the exceptional potential of the area.

We have three prospects all with significant palladium results that urgently require follow up drill testing  Mission Sill, Jimberlana and Mt Thirsty.

The current results from the Mission Sill prospect have revealed the extent of palladium with over two kilometres of strike length and another four kilometres of strike that has never been explored for palladium.

The strongest results to date are centred around the contact between ultramafic and mafic rocks in a similar position to mineralisation at known deposits such as the Lac des Iles mine in Canada.

"All the results are from early-stage aircore drilling and the potential at depth needs to be assessed at multiple locations with a larger RC drill rig.

"Results from a further 50 drill holes have yet to be received from the northern Mission Sill and Jimberlana prospects with additional results from Mt Thirsty and regional drilling expected later in the month.

"Positive aircore and geophysical results from the Jimberlana prospect have previously been reported while the Mt Thirsty prospect is now ready for RC drilling planned in April.

"Further drill testing at the Mission Sill and Jimberlana prospects will be undertaken after the completion of heritage surveys and receipt of statutory approvals.

Results

Significant results along the ultramafic/mafic contact zone at the Mission Sill include

 18 metres at 0.29 g/t palladium from surface;

 22 metres at 0.21 g/t palladium from surface;

 5 metres at 0.28 g/t palladium from surface;

 7 metres at 0.40 g/t palladium from surface;

 6 metres at 0.30 g/t palladium from surface;

 32 metres at 0.20 g/t palladium from surface;

 1-metre at 0.32 g/t palladium from 42 metres;

 1-metre at 0.28 g/t palladium from 2 metres; and

 1-metre at 0.38 g/t palladium from 29 metres.

Numerous aircore drill holes from the Mission Sill prospect have returned anomalous palladium results greater than 0.1 g/t palladium.

The target zone is the contact between the ultramafic and mafic units of the Mission Sill. This contact can be delineated in the magnetic imagery and previous RC drilling at this margin has encountered disseminated sulphides in fresh rock (up to 5% in patches, with up to 74 metres at 0.19 g/t palladium in fresh rock).

The aim of the recent aircore drilling was to define palladium anomalism within the regolith to guide the location of RC drilling targeting sulphide mineralisation in fresh rock.

Analyses of multi-element data and petrography of selected samples will be undertaken to assist in this process.

Magnetic interpretation will also be utilised to select areas with the potential for higher-grade mineralisation along the contact position.

Those assays considered to be significantly anomalous contain greater than 0.1 g/t palladium over the width of the assay interval.

Mt Thirsty Prospect

Statutory approvals have been received for RC drilling at the Mt Thirsty prospect.

Work is expected to begin in April 2022, subject to drill rig availability, with around 1,000 metres of drilling planned.

Previous drilling by Galileo beneath the cobalt-nickel laterite resource at Mt Thirsty intersected a zone of sulphide containing highly anomalous levels of palladium, platinum, copper, and nickel.

This sulphide zone occurs within an ultramafic rock unit interpreted to be an apophysis from the Mt Thirsty sill.

The contact between the intruding sill and the flat-lying stratigraphy is the prospective target zone with potential for higher-grade mineralisation.

The grade within the sulphide zone increases towards the east, supporting the idea that more mineralisation occurs within the target zone.
In this weeks crypto update, eToros Simon Peters discusses crypto's wild mood swings and the correlation between burgers and Bitcoin, while Josh Gilbert looks at the implications of Vias and Mastercards sanctions on Russia.

Crypto goes through another wild swing

Crypto went through another wild swing last week, with bitcoin prices rising to more than $44,000 before dropping back to where it started the week, trading below $40,000.

Ethereum followed a similar pattern, starting the week around $2,600 before rising to around $3,000. It is now trading back down, around $2,500.

Price changes, like those in the stock markets, were driven by the geopolitical machinations in Russia, as uncertainty continued to rule and investors de-risked.

That being said, the swings were seeing are more broadly being caused by uncertainty among investors around the world. Despite regional changes in demand, cryptoassets are ultimately global and reflect that in their price changes.

Institutions turn to Grayscale

Grayscales Bitcoin Trust has seen consistent institutional investment into its flagship fund of late, according to data. Glassnode data has revealed that institutional investors have been consistently adding in millions each week, with nearly $140 million invested in the week ending February 25.

Whilst not consistent with other markets, it seems institutions are looking to increase their exposure to crypto in a time of mass sell-offs in previous cash cow sectors like technology.

Despite the positive inflows, GBTC may need to make hay while the sun shines. With Canada already approving the first bitcoin ETF, Grayscale may well soon see serious competition either at home or abroad. Based on the data it seems the demand is there, so it will be interesting to see what happens over the coming months with regard to increasing access.

Philippines instigates CBDC research

The central bank of the Philippines has launched a research project focused on central bank digital currencies.

In a recent speech, bank governor Benjamin Diokno discussed the project in hand, and how it intends to assess and build organisational capacity, knowledge, architecture, technology and policy. Whilst this project has been hinted at previously, it now seems its full steam ahead in terms of assessing feasibility.

However, it seems the Philippines is in no rush to implement CBDCs due to its heavy reliance on cash; unlike China which showcased its digital Yuan during the Winter Olympics.

It appears that while the race to implement the first properly functioning CBDC has not yet officially caught fire, with many countries in investigating territory and only really China having something close to a model, it wont just be the preserve of major economies.

As seen by the Ukrainian conflict, the movement of money or the ability to access it via a plethora of means could result in a more global uptake perhaps more quickly than planned.

How about a side of bitcoin with that burger?

Shake Shack (NYSE:SHAK) US is offering crypto rewards to customers using the Cash App when purchasing food. Customers using the Cash Apps Cash Card or rewards program will recoup 15% of their purchase in bitcoin.

Whilst the offer is only valid until mid-March, this is just the latest consumer brand dipping its toe in the crypto market. According to executives in the WSJ, this promotion was purely a feasibility test  both in terms of attracting younger customers and whether the broader adoption of crypto makes sense for the business.

Shake Shack is not the first consumer brand to test and learn, and in my opinion, we may well see a raft of other brands trying small-scale promotions as they experiment with how crypto may or may not integrate with their businesses.

With fashion houses such as Gucci or Adidas getting into the NFT space, crypto rebates on purchases or increased purchasing options may soon become a more regular occurrence.

Master restrictions

The latest Visa and Mastercard restrictions will further tighten how Russians are able to access capital, meaning we may well see an increase in demand for cryptoassets.

Bitcoin is borderless, so at times like this, citizens can turn to cryptoassets to store and spend their capital. The restrictions from Swift, Visa and Mastercard could see demand pivot to cryptoassets that specialise in payments, such as XRP, given its ability to instantly and efficiently move money across all corners of the world through its decentralised blockchain.

The last few weeks have highlighted crypto's real-world use cases, and everyday consumers now understand there is much more to crypto than just an investable asset. This could shepherd in a new era of finance; payments in under a matter of seconds, decentralisation away from corporations or governments, and the provision of finances when traditional methods are not available.
NickelSearch Ltd (ASX:NIS), has completed a maiden aircore drill program and started reverse circulation (RC) and diamond drilling as part of an extensive campaign at the flagship Carlingup Nickel Project at Ravensthorpe in Western Australia.

There is a great deal of newsflow to come from NIS, with DHEM surveys also planned, assay results from 28 holes due and an EM survey review underway.

During the current exploration, NickelSearch is primarily focused on shallow resource definition, extensional drilling and metallurgical test-work of the RAV nickel sulphide deposits.

"Consistent newsflow"

We have been active in progressing our extensive exploration activities at Carlingup, focused on resource definition, extensions to known nickel sulphide deposits as well as progressing our greenfield exploration work, NickelSearch managing director Nicole Duncan said.

We expect this period of busy exploration to deliver consistent newsflow as we aim to generate major value catalysts for the company.

Drill program overview

Since listing in October last year, NickelSearch has been extremely active in exploration, completing the following drill programs:

Maiden RC program of 33 RC holes for a total of 3,563 metres completed in December 2021

Maiden aircore drill program of 71 holes for 2,189 metres completed in late February 2022.

RAV-8 deposit

In late 2021, 10 RC holes were completed at RAV-8 for 1,650 metres. Assays from one hole were announced while results from the remaining holes are pending.

At RAV-8, the diamond drill rig is drilling large diameter (PQ) core. Three holes are planned, with one completed at a depth of 110.1 metres and the second hole nearing completion.

The core will provide NickelSearch geologists with an important opportunity to assess the orientation of mineralised zones and structures to better refine the geological model.

RAV-4 West deposit

At RAV-4 West in late 2021, NickelSearch drilled 12 RC holes for a total of 827 metres. Assay results from two holes have been announced while results from the remaining 10 holes are pending.

In February 2022, the company completed 21 aircore holes for 599 metres focused on resource definition in areas of mineralisation that are interpreted to be very close to surface in softer weathered rocks.

Deeper holes were abandoned due to harder than expected host ultramafic rocks.

The RC drill rig is now back onsite at RAV-4 West to focus on drilling two areas of open mineralisation that we were unable to test with the aircore rig.

After this, the RC rig will move to RAV-1 and RAV-4, focusing on areas of open nickel sulphide mineralisation and then to scout drill test the John Ellis target.

Diamond drilling has also been planned, with three holes scheduled for 240 metres.

Drilling at RAV-1 will focus on five areas of open mineralisation, in addition to redrilling at least three of the aircore holes to reach the ultramafic basal contact.

RAV-5 prospect

At RAV-5 11 RC holes were completed for 1,200 metres late last year. Assay results from two holes have been announced while assay results from the remaining nine holes are pending.

NIS says it is excited at the potential to release a maiden resource at RAV-5.

John Ellis high priority prospect

Visual sulphides were observed in the fresh rock drill chips at John Ellis North in addition to encouraging XRF geochemistry results at John Ellis South.

A ground-based Fixed Loop Electromagnetic survey (FLEM) is in progress to identify anomalies that may be indicative of large sulphide mineralisation and further refine drill targets.

Down-hole Electromagnetic (DHEM) surveys are also planned at RAV-8, RAV-5 and RAV-4 West, aiming to identify expansions to existing nickel sulphide mineralisation present at shallow to moderate depths.

Greenfields exploration

While the company pursues the drilling, it remains committed to the progression of greenfields exploration towards the next nickel sulphide discovery at Carilngup.

Along with the FLEM and DHEM surveys, several programs are in progress:

Soil sampling - The sampling crew has completed a systematic ultra-fine soil geochemical coverage over a 15-kilometre length of the Carlingup Nickel Trend. The work has extended into areas where previous soil sampling lacked multi-elements needed for geochemical fertility studies.

The sampling crew has completed a systematic ultra-fine soil geochemical coverage over a 15-kilometre length of the Carlingup Nickel Trend. The work has extended into areas where previous soil sampling lacked multi-elements needed for geochemical fertility studies. Xcite high-resolution helicopter magnetic survey- The final data has been received for the Carlingup Project tenure. The results are under review and will be used to refine and prioritise greenfield nickel sulphide targets to follow up exploration work.

- By Duncan Bailey
Coffee with Samso Episode 128 is with Doug Grewar, CEO of Emu NL (ASX:EMU).

The Emu NL (ASX:EMU) story is an example of a very early stage but highly prospective project.

This story has been and is still flying under the DYOR radar screen of many investors.

Investors are always looking for that undervalued company, and if the management for Emu NL (ASX:EMU) is true to their intentions, this could be the one.

When I looked at their projects, it reminded me of my first Coffee with Samso with Venture Minerals Limited. The similarities are that both companies are diversified mineral explorers with projects that have true prospectivity.

Mineral Exploration is all about having two key components:

1) A good technical story

2) A management that is in tune with the story of discovery.

Emu seems to have been flying under the radar screen and this may be a good time for interested punters to do some serious DYOR.

Doug brings us great insights into the projects within Emu NL (ASX:EMU). As this is at the high end of risks in a mineral explorer, I think this is worth a look. The projects are in new frontier land and it will not take a lot to give it value. The old game of high risks, high returns.

Get ready to take notes here and make some exciting discoveries about a relatively unknown and undervalued mineral explorer.

Chapters

00:00 Start

00:20 Introduction

01:11 The history of Emu NL (ASX:EMU).

02:57 The Badja story, gold, tungsten and base-metals.

06:31 Tungsten and what it may mean for Emu.

08:25 More refined Geophysics in the future?

09:38 Sunfire and the Julimar-style potential.

12:54 The Sunfire potential confirms Emu's excitement.

14:15 The plate margin story.

15:21 Viper and its potential.

17:04 Graceland Project - Wheatbelt story.

20:27 8 Mile Dam Project - Nickel Sulphide Story.

22:11 How are the money people taking the Emu Story?

23:58 Market sentiment and Cash position for Emu.

25:38 The long game of mineral exploration is the only game in town.

25:50 Going back to the Badja project - the Base Metal potential.

27:50 Tungsten grades are worth noting.

28:57 News flow in the next 12 months.

30:01 Review of the projects.

31:40 Conclusions

PODCAST

About Doug Grewar

CEO

Doug is a highly experienced ASX listed company Managing Director and CEO in mining services and civil construction. A successful strategic business leader with broad resources industry background, Doug is also a Senior Executive in mining, mining services, civil and construction materials sector.

He is responsible for both open cut and underground mining projects throughout the Australia Pacific Region in coal, iron ore, gold, base metals, precious minerals. He has executive management experience in civil construction and construction materials, concrete and quarry industries.

As Managing Director CEO, his experience is in both mining services and mining business with exposure to mineral exploration, extraction, beneficiation and marketing.

Doug is a passionate advocate of the mining and mining services sectors. He has achieved success through the development and leadership of teams and the efficient use of capital and assets in operations.

During the the past 4 years he has fulfilled a number of senior roles including Managing Director CEO, General Manager, Registered Mine Manager and Project Director in operations improvement, mine cost reduction, business restructure and recovery.

Doug is currently providing Business Development and PFS/DFS study advice for a major global resource project.

Emu NL (ASX: EMU) is a highly active Australian resource exploration company focused on new discoveries which have the potential to add significant value to investors and shareholders.

In September 2020, following an extensive project generation phase and due diligence, EMU acquired Gnows Nest, a near production gold project which includes the historic high grade Gnows Nest Gold Mine, near Yalgoo in the Murchison Region of Western Australia. The project is situated 27 kms north west of the Scuttles Golden Grove mine, a base metals and gold project that has been operating for 30 years.

Emu also acquired 3 exploration projects in Southwest Western Australia. The package of projects which include Sunfire, Viper and Graceland have a strong history of lead up exploration or historical mine workings and are highly prospective for Copper, Nickel, PGEs and Gold.

Please let Samso know your thoughts and send any comments to info@Samso.com.au. Remember to Subscribe to the YouTube Channel, Samso Media and the mail list to stay informed and make comments where appropriate. Other than that, also feel free to provide a Review on Google.

For further information about Coffee with Samso and Rooster Talks visit: www.samso.com.au

About

Samso is a renowned resource among the investment community for keen market analysis and insights into the companies and business trends that matter.

Investors seek out Samso for knowledgeable evaluations of current industry developments across a variety of business sectors and considered forecasts of future performances.

With a compelling format of relaxed online video interviews, Samso provides clear answers to questions they may not have the opportunity to ask and lays out the big picture to help them complete their investment research.

And in doing so, Samso also enables companies featured in interviews to build valuable engagement with their investment communities and customers.

Headed by industry veteran Noel Ong and based in Perth, Western Australia, Samsos Coffee with Samso and Rooster Talk interviews both feature friendly conversations with business figures that give insights into Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) companies, related concepts and industry trends.

Noel Ong is a geologist with nearly 30 years of industry experience and a strong background in capital markets, corporate finance and the mineral resource sector. He was founder and managing director of ASX-listed company Siburan Resources Limited from 2009-2017 and has also been involved in several other ASX listings, providing advice, procuring projects and helping to raise capital.

He brings all this experience and expertise to the Samso interviews, where his engaging conversation style creates a relaxed dialogue, revealing insights that can pique investor interest.

Noel Ong travels across Australia to record the interviews, only requiring a coffee shop environment where they can be set up. The interviews are posted on Samsos website and podcasts, YouTube and other relevant online environments where they can be shared among investment communities.

Samso also has a track record of developing successful business concepts in the Australasia region and provides bespoke research and counsel to businesses seeking to raise capital and procuring projects for ASX listings.

Disclaimer

The information contained in this article is the writers personal opinion and is provided for information only and is not intended to or nor will it create/induce the creation of any binding legal relations. Read full disclaimer.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends a news conference on China's foreign policy and foreign relations via video link on the sidelines of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 7, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua]

The news conference of State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the annual gathering of the country's top legislators in Beijing on Monday made it crystal clear that China has a strong sense of responsibility and firmly upholds multilateralism.

Answering questions from the media covering almost all the key fields in China's foreign relations, Wang not only displayed his personal charm with his quick-witted responses but also cast light on the vitality of Chinese diplomacy.

Apart from the Ukraine crisis, questions relating to Sino-US relations dominated the news conference. Nearly half of the 27 questions Wang answered were directly or indirectly related to the United States, which appeared 18 times in the transcript of the news conference, in comparison with Russia, which was mentioned 10 times.

Wang summarized the positive statements made by the US leader and different senior officials concerning the US' China policy on various occasions, in which they stated that the US has no intention to seek a new Cold War or to change China's system, and that the revitalization of its alliances is not anti-China, and it does not support Taiwan independence, and the US is not looking for conflict or confrontation with China. Beijing continues to hope that Washington will work with it to reverse the negative development momentum of the bilateral ties. Although those hopes have been repeatedly dashed as these statements have been just verbal assurances that the US has reneged on.

Indeed, as Wang said, the US has been leaving no stones unturned in its attempts to provoke China and force it into a zero-sum game. China is therefore taking all necessary measures to safeguard its core interests and legitimate rights.

Checking the worsening of Sino-US relations is a common desire of the international community and, if it took a step back and reviewed the history of bilateral ties objectively, Washington would realize that it is also in line with the interests of the US.

To reverse the free-falling relations between the two countries, Wang proposed as a prescription that Washington replace its competition-cooperation-confrontation trichotomy in dealing with China with the three principles of mutual respect, peaceful co-existence and win-win cooperation, as many obstacles hindering the development of Sino-US relations could then be overcome.

This harmonious three-principle approach would alter for the better the dynamics of other issues on which Wang answered questions  such as the South China Sea disputes and the Taiwan question, China's relations with its neighbors, the South Pacific island countries and Latin America.

China seeks partners, not allies, and its developing relations with any other parties is by no means to target a third party. While in the eyes of politicians in Washington, differences are reasons for estrangement, conflicts and discrimination, to Beijing, they are reasons for exchanges, cooperation and respect.
by Xinhua writers Deng Xianlai, Sun Ding

WASHINGTON, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Right at the entrance to a campsite in Hagerstown, Maryland, where at least hundreds of truckers gathered Sunday morning and were about to hit the road to protest COVID-related restrictions, participants gave conflicting answers about whether to mask up.

"Hey, this is a mask-free zone," claimed a man sitting inside his car, while just across the street another one was telling reporters holding cameras that masks were required inside the campsite, where apparently no one -- no matter whether they were participants or onlookers -- was wearing one.

Having reached some 70 miles (113 km) northwest of Washington, D.C., from states as far as California and South Dakota, the truckers were joined by those driving ordinary sedans, forming what they called the "People's Convoy" comprising huge container vehicles, compact pickup trucks as well as autos of varying sizes in between.

After an aborted attempt to disrupt traffic in downtown D.C. on March 1 -- for which President Joe Biden's first State of the Union address was scheduled -- the convoy, with a smaller-than-expected crowd, planned to circle the Capital Beltway -- an interstate highway that surrounds the nation's capital -- twice on Sunday, making a 128-mile (206 km) trip before returning to Hagerstown, according to the organizers.

When approached by Xinhua in the morning, one of the organizers said he was in such a hurry directing the convoy to set out for the campaign that he could hardly spare a few more minutes for an interview.

Almost all the vehicles were decorated with American flags, painted words slamming the current administration's handling of the pandemic, or other banners bearing slogans of generalized broadsides against the government.

"This has split my family," Steve Girard said of the mask and vaccine mandates. The self-employed Pennsylvanian senior said while his son shared the same view with him that the restrictions -- many of which have now been loosened, if not outright lifted, across the country -- were "an entire farce," his daughter strictly abided by the rules, injecting herself and his grand babies with the vaccines.

He said that mandates ordered during the pandemic were nothing but the government's "power grab," and that issuing sweeping requirements that deprived people of their right to make health-related choices "absolutely" further divided the United States.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had updated its guidance in late February to free some 70 percent of Americans from wearing masks. However, it appears that the task of assuaging the anti-vaxxers still remains an insurmountable task for top officials.

"My message is that the politicians need to listen to the people," said a retired cement finisher from Illinois who had also joined the convoy. "They got us under their thumb with these mandates, forcing us to put something in our body that I don't personally want, and a lot of these people don't (as well)," said the retiree, who gave his name as Al Kiper.

"I would just want the overreach of the government to end," he said as the trucks fumed thick black smoke and honked in the background. "Every day Congress meets, we lose some of our freedom and it needs to end."

The retiree said he's been doing "OK" as far as his livelihood is concerned, with his sons taking over the small company he used to own. "But it's the inconveniences that everybody faced ... (Our children) need to be free. We all need to be free from this pandemic."

Traveling on the Capital Beltway, also known as I-495, the trucks occupied the right lane and drove at a low speed, and were greeted by hand-waving and cheering onlookers either standing along the emergency lane to escort the convoy or overlooking it from overpasses above the highway. The drivers honked their horns in response.

Ironically, though, the restrictions that those joining the convoy are protesting against have been significantly eased in the very part of the country where they are venting their fury.

D.C. has ended its proof of vaccine mandate and mask mandate previously required in some indoor venues. Marylanders no longer have to wear masks inside state buildings and Virginia parents can now make their own decisions as to whether their children should wear masks in class.

"They're an embarrassment," read one comment beneath a Sunday report by The Washington Post about the convoy. "Do they have any concept of what actual tyranny is? The 'restrictions' they're complaining about have all but expired in most states."

Republicans have minimized the Biden administration's early achievement in immunizing the American population as a natural result of the groundwork laid by the proceeding government's Operation Warp Speed program seeking fast approval and production of COVID-19 vaccines, while Democrats once termed the worsening virus situation as "the pandemic among the unvaccinated" when their push for far-reaching vaccine mandates encountered overwhelming resistance.

Sunday's truckers, galvanized by their Canadian counterparts across the northern border who had staged similar but much more troublesome protests earlier this year that saw Ottawa struggle to cope, vowed to continue holding up the traffic on the outskirts of the capital on Monday. They said they wouldn't stop unless and until their appeals were heeded by 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and Capitol Hill.

"It's not science. It's political science," read a slogan on a paperboard placed on a pickup truck that was parked at the convoy's makeshift headquarters in Hagerstown.

"We're rolling, bro. Record all of this," Girard, the senior from Pennsylvania, said before embarking on his journey. His truck was full of fuel that he had just manually loaded. 
Luxury watch retailer Watches of Switzerland Group PLC (LSE:WOSG)s share price fell this morning despite the company saying it was not affected by Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Watches of Switzerland told investors this morning that it had negligible exposure to the Russian and Ukrainian market, and that its guidance released in early February remained unchanged.

The Watches of Switzerland Group is shocked and deeply concerned by the tragic events in Ukraine. Our thoughts go out to everyone affected by the conflict, and we hope for a swift resolution and lasting peace, the group said.

The group has lost more than a quarter of its value since Putin ordered troops into Ukraine on 24 February.

Luxury goods are in the spotlight due in part to the indeterminate amount spent on them by high net worth individuals with links to the Russian state.

Other luxury brands like Burberry Group PLC (LSE:BRBY) and Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (EPA:MC) have seen sharp contractions in shares since the Russian invasion.

Watches of Switzerland said its guidance of 1.15bn to 1.2bn of revenue was unchanged and likely closer to the top end.

The groups share price fell 1.95% in initial trading before slight recovery to 950p.
Rolls-Royce has secured funding of around 500mln for its SMR development project

Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC's (LSE:RR.) plans to build mini nuclear power stations are moving ahead after the UK government asked the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) to begin design assessment of the companys 470MW Small Modular Reactor (SMR).

The request follows a readiness review of Rolls-Royce's application by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which concluded that the design is ready to enter the Generic Design Assessment (GDA) process, the ONR said in a statement.

The assessment will begin once the necessary arrangements around timescales and resources have been put in place, the regulator added.

This is the first time an SMR will be assessed by the ONR. The process normally takes 4-5 years for large-scale reactor designs, Reuters reported.

The development of SMRs is a core part of the government's plan for a green industrial revolution and to reduce Britains dependence on gas, which on Monday hit record high prices on fears over sanctions resulting from the war in Ukraine.

With the SMR technology, a single power station will occupy just a tenth of the size of a conventional nuclear generation site and power around a million homes, according to Rolls-Royce.

Its SMR power station would generate up to 470MW of low carbon energy, equivalent to more than 150 onshore wind turbines.

Rolls-Royce has secured funding of around 500mln for its SMR development project, including investment from Qatars sovereign wealth fund and 210mln from the UK government.

Tom Samson, Rolls-Royce SMR chief executive, said entering the assessment process was another major milestone for its SMR goal.

The UK regulatory process is internationally recognised and respected. We welcome the scrutiny and challenge that goes into the assessment of our nuclear power plant design, he told the Telegraph.

The company aims to start production of the SMR power stations in the early 2030s. It would charge about 1.8bn for the 470MW units, which will generate enough to power a city the size of Sheffield, the Telegraph reported.

This is a significant step in bringing SMRs into existence. We're proud to back Rolls' plan with an initial 210m to develop their design, commented Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng.

The Nuclear Industry Association said: This is a vital step forward for British nuclear technology. The UK needs the Rolls-Royce SMR to strengthen our energy security and cut our dependence on gas as we move toward net zero.

The SMR can also play an essential role in enhancing British industrial capability, creating tens of thousands of jobs, revitalising the nuclear skills base and boosting the green economic recovery.
Buru Energy Ltd (ASX:BRU) has completed a flow test at its Rafael 1 well in Western Australias Canning Basin.

The oil and gas explorer and producer, which holds a 50% operating interest in the producing Ungani Oilfield, is currently appraising the world-class Rafael conventional gas discovery with the flow test that concluded on Monday.

An independent resource review, using the data from the testing program, is underway and expected to be available in three to four weeks.

As work ramps up, Buru has also decided to bolster its leadership and advisory team with new appointments.

The energy stock has teamed up with recruitment agency Gerard Daniels to recruit a chief executive officer to complement the role of the current executive chairman, while corporate consultancy Poynton Stavrianou have been appointed out of Perth to advise on corporate strategy.

Looking to long-term strategy

Speaking on operations at Rafael 1, Buru executive chairman Eric Streitberg said: This is a transformational time for Buru and the industry generally, particularly with the current resurgence in energy prices and the growth of renewables.

It is very much an appropriate time to add depth and capability to our management team through the appointment of a CEO so I can focus my energy on the longer-term strategic direction of the company.

The board and I are also delighted to have the team at Poynton Stavrianou by our side as we move forward with our various initiatives.

Their experience and perspective will be invaluable in complementing our strong operational skills and deep understanding of frontier project development, and to provide further impetus for our energy transition activity.

Forward program at Rafael

With the all-important flow test completed on March 7, Buru is looking forward to conducting other studies at the gas discovery.

The company needs to test additional zones at Rafael 1 that werent included in the current program.

A workover rig is needed to recomplete the well to provide access to these zones, and Buru will recommend to its joint venture partner that planning kicks off as soon as practicable.

Meanwhile, energy consultancy ERCE is undertaking an independent resource review of the gas and liquids in the Rafael structure, and the final report is expected in around three to four weeks.

Bolstering leadership and advisory experience

As Buru gets a sense of the bigger picture at Rafael, management is eager to set out the energy stocks long-term corporate strategy.

The company is hoping to bring a chief executive on board to support Streitberg in setting and executing that vision.

With a CEO at the helm, Buru believes it will have the appropriate management depth to appraise and develop the significant gas discovery at Rafael while targeting other exploration opportunities in the Canning Basin and onshore Carnarvon Basin.

The appointment will also ensure there is a strong focus on the companys energy transition activities, as well as its core oil and gas business activity.

Following a CEOs recruitment, Streitberg will remain in an executive role to complete the onboarding.

In the long run, its expected that hell relinquish his direct executive management role and continue as non-executive chairman to oversee the execution and monetisation of Burus growth opportunities.

To ensure an appropriate level of corporate focus on its strategic options and business development activity, the Perth-based team at Poynton Stavrianou has been engaged to provide strategic advice and support to Buru.

Poynton will work closely with Burus senior executive team and the board over the coming months to formulate and execute its strategic vision.
Lion Copper and Gold Corp (TSX-V:LEO, OTCQB:LCGMF) said it has appointed Steven Dischler, who has over 40 years of experience in the environmental, reclamation and natural resources sectors, as vice president, ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) of the company.

The company noted that Dischler's experience includes over 13 years working on legacy and new mining projects in the historic Yerington Copper District. He holds a B.S. and an M.S. in Mining Engineering, and has an extensive track record of working with local communities and stakeholders, including Native American Tribes, governmental agencies and NGOs in the region.

"I welcome Mr Dischler to lead our ESG efforts for the company. We accept our company's role in a circular economy as we look to do our part to positively reshape the natural resource industry, said Travis Naugle, Lion Copper and Gold's CEO in a statement.

Filling this important leadership role is one aspect of Lion CG's commitment to our values of developing our Mason Valley copper projects in a sustainable manner. We look forward to continuing to work constructively in partnership and collaboration with the numerous key stakeholders and constituencies within the community in which we operate," Naugle added.

Lion Copper and Gold is a Canada-based company advancing its flagship MacArthur copper project in Mason Valley, Nevada. It is also exploring the Chaco Bear and Ashton properties in British Columbia.

Contact the author at jon.hopkins@proactiveinvestors.com
Lifeist Wellness CEO Meni Morim noted that the CannMart business-to-business (B2B) operation is one of the groups innovative wellness assets

Lifeist Wellness Inc revealed that its wholly-owned subsidiary CannMart Inc has established a supply agreement with the SQDC, the sole retail distributor of licensed cannabis products in Quebec, Canada's second most populated province.

As a result of the agreement, CannMart now has supply agreements with provincial government cannabis control boards and retail bodies in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan, and the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut territories, constituting access to 95% of Canada's population.

The Toronto-based group said that CannMart and the SQDC are currently negotiating purchase orders with a view to getting six stock-keeping units (SKUs) into SQDC's nearly 81 retail stores across Quebec by the end of summer 2022.

READ: Lifeist Wellness sharpens focus on business-to-business recreational cannabis and nutraceuticals

"This agreement solidifies CannMart's position as the preeminent nationwide value-adding platform for the Canadian cannabis market, connecting licensed producers and brands with provincial government control boards and independent retailers," CannMart CEO Daniel Stern said in a statement. "Our innovative model enables CannMart to provide tangible solutions in the Canadian cannabis supply chain."

Lifeist Wellness CEO Meni Morim noted that the CannMart business-to-business (B2B) operation is one of the groups innovative wellness assets.

(It) is uniquely positioned to capitalize on growing consumer demand for recreational cannabis products in Canada, added Morim. We congratulate the team for this latest achievement and look forward to Quebec's contribution to CannMart's growing stream of revenue and gross profits."

Lifeist Wellness has a portfolio of wellness companies. While CannMart operates a B2B wholesale distribution business facilitating recreational sales to Canadian provincial government control boards, CannMart Labs has an extraction facility for the production of high margin cannabis 2.0 products.

The CannMart.com marketplace provides US customers with access to hemp-derived CBD and smoking accessories. It also owns Australian Vapes, Findify, a leading AI-powered search and discovery platform; and Mikra, a biosciences and consumer wellness company seeking to develop innovative therapies for cellular health and recovery.

Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive
Red Pine said that visual gold has been identified in six of the 12 holes (assays pending) completed at the Surluga North, South and in three holes in the Darwin-Grace targets

Red Pine Exploration Inc (TSX-V:RPX, OTCQB:RDEXF) has shared a positive update on the Phase 1 drilling campaign at its Wawa gold project in Ontarios Michipicoten greenstone belt, saying it is progressing faster than planned.

The Toronto-based gold exploration company said that in the first two months of the year, the program has completed over 7,680 meters (m) of drilling, or approximately 30% of the 25,000m planned over the January to July seven-month period this year.

Drilling has been focused on resource expansion targets in the Surluga North and South area and the exploration team has started drilling on the Grace-Darwin target, its first blue sky target within the defined program.

READ: Red Pine Exploration hits new gold zone at Surluga deposit at Wawa project, which could expand current resource

Red Pine said that visual gold has been identified in six of the 12 holes (assays pending) completed at the Surluga North, South and in three holes in the Darwin-Grace targets.

At present, the company has 1,203 assays pending at the lab, representing 32 holes which have either not been previously released or have been partially released. Assays from the Phase 1 program are expected to be received this month and continue thereafter on a regular basis.

We remain encouraged with our focused and sustained drilling program below the existing Surluga and Minto Mine resource, validating our targeted approach, Red Pine CEO Quentin Yarie said in a statement. In the Darwin-Grace Mine area, our current drilling has considerably expanded the footprint of the mineralized systems associated with the historic Darwin-Grace Mine. We have indications that the former mine is located at the intersection of at least three different shear zones, and we have observed indicators of gold mineralization in those three structures, including under the historic Darwin-Grace mine.

Yarie pointed out that the company has increased its workforce to expedite processing of core.

We have begun prioritizing our core logging within our key zones of interest, with shipping of samples to the lab twice a week to expedite the sample positioning into the labs queue, Yarie added.

Red Pines flagship Wawa Gold project is spread over 6,986 hectares (ha) and hosts several former mines with a combined historic production of 120,000 ounces (oz) of gold. The company's attractive Wawa property in Ontario has Barrick Gold's Hemlo mine to the west and Newmont's Borden mine to the east - the two largest gold producers in the world. The project also has other successful neighbors like Alamos Gold and Argonaut Gold.

Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive
Just as we suggested it would be at the end of last month, the nickel market has been thrown into disarray.

Low inventories and concerns about supply forced the London Metal Exchange  still the worlds premier hub for buying and selling base metals  to suspend trading.

Some commentators talked of a short squeeze - although why anyone would be shorting nickel at a time like this is an open question.

Nevertheless, the price did at one point spike over the US$100,000 per tonne mark, an unprecedented all-time high, and almost double the levels nickel traded at the last time supply and demand really got out of kilter, back in the middle of the first decade of this century.

The price was already on the way down, though, by the time the LME got around to suspending trading, and subsequently the prices of other base metals, which had initially followed nickel up, also fell back.

Even so, across the board, all the commodities continue to trade at elevated prices.

Russia is a major producer of metals.

It was the worlds third largest nickel producer in 2020, the last year for which data has been compiled.

During 2020, it produced 270,000 metric tonnes, or roughly one tenth of total global production.

Indonesia and the Philippines filled the number one and two slots respectively, with Indonesia far out ahead at 800,000 tonnes of annual production.

The nickel price was already at a ten year high ahead of the latest moves of Russian troops into the Ukraine, in anticipation of demand fuelled by post-covid stimulus packages and and electric vehicle batteries.

Companies with nickel assets outside of the immediate areas of conflict, like VALE, BHP and Horizonte Minerals might expect to benefit, and old operations like Bindura in Zimbabwe could be brought back on line after decades in hiatus.

Australia also has a well developed in-country nickel exploration scene, fuelled by a plethora of juniors like Mincor, Estrella, Ardea, Western Mines, Auroch, Aldoro and Venture Minerals.

In Canada, Canalaska Uranium Ltd has just started drilling its Manibridge nickel project in the Thomson Nickel Belt in Manitoba.

Russia is also the worlds second largest producer of gold, after China, and the second largest producer of platinum, after South Africa.
Mazoa Hill is one of eight prospects on the Marudi Mountain project, which is located in southwestern Guyana

Golden Shield Resources (CSE:GSRI) Inc announced that it has discovered two new zones of mineralization at the Mazoa Hill target on its flagship Marudi Mountain project in Guyana.

The junior exploration firm recently finished a 2,400-metre, 13-hole drill program on the prospective gold project.

Seven holes drilled at Mazoa Hill confirmed the historical resource on the area, with three holes returning assays of 43 metres grading 1.39 grams per ton (g/t), including 21 metres at 2.12 g/t and 10 metres grading 2.46 g/t gold. Another hole returned assays of 9.75 metres at 11.89 g/t gold.

Both holes are outside of the existing resource and open in all directions, the company noted.

"The recent drilling at Mazoa Hill represents the first systematic program to test for footwall extensions beyond the existing resource and in an optimal direction for modelling mineralization, Golden Shield vice president exploration Colinl Porter said in a statement.

Porter told shareholders that the presence of a series of distinct en-enchelon high-grade zones within a broader QMC (quartz-metachert) alteration zone was confirmed.

The identification of two additional high-grade mineralization shoots outside the existing resource is also extremely encouraging, Porter added. Increased geological understanding at Mazoa Hill will directly benefit our district scale exploration program.

The group is waiting on assays from another four holes drilled in the area.

Mazoa Hill is one of eight prospects on the Marudi Mountain project, which is located in southwestern Guyana.

Contact Angela at angela@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter @AHarmantas
Purchases made through the Austrian platform will be shipped from a distributor in the Netherlands using the same centralized fulfilment and distribution system as other Bloombox Club operations in Europe

PlantX Life Inc. (CSE:VEGA) said its UK-based wholly-owned subsidiary Bloombox Club Ltd has expanded its indoor plant selling business to Austria, adding to its existing e-commerce websites in the USA, Germany, and the UK.

"We are beyond pleased with the welcoming reception among our consumer base in Austria as well as the immediate feedback that we are seeing with this latest e-commerce site going live," PlantX CEO Lorne Rapkin said in a statement.

As we look ahead to the future, we are committed to capitalizing on this growth market opportunity by prioritizing customer satisfaction as we continue to share the Bloombox Club experience with our Austrian community, he added.

"Our goal is to have the Austrian Bloombox Club e-commerce platform provide similar customer experiences across the brand," said PlantX founder Sean Dollinger, adding that the company is confident the latest e-commerce platform will be a success.

The Austrian platform comes under a new domain Erlebe die Welt der Pflanzen mit unserem Pflanzen Abo, which reflects Bloombox Club's interactive, intuitive and educational online presence.

For purchases made through the Austrian platform, orders will be shipped from a distributor in the Netherlands using the same centralized fulfilment and distribution system as other Bloombox Club operations in Europe.

With its fast-growing category verticals, PlantX's platform is the one-stop-shop for everything plant-based, offering customers across North America more than 5,000 plant-based products. In addition to offering meal and indoor plant deliveries, it has plans underway to expand its product lines to include cosmetics, clothing and its own water brand, and the business is not limited to eCommerce.

Contact the author at jon.hopkins@proactiveinvestors.com
Kontrol Technologies Corp (OTCQB:KNRLF, NEO:KNR) said it has completed initial testing of the BioCloud technology in Japan and has delivered a positive detection of the influenza virus.

The BioCloud technology is a real-time analyzer designed to detect airborne viruses and pathogens.

"The BioCloud technology innovation is based on taking a manual laboratory process and automating that process in real-time, with the goal of monitoring ambient air for early viral detection," said Gary Saunders, president of subsidiary Kontrol BioCloud, in a statement.

"Since the inception of our technology development we have indicated our intention to be able to detect multiple virus and pathogens as part of overall area safety. We are pleased with the initial positive testing with aerosolized influenza virus," he added.

Kontrol said the testing was provided through a laboratory in Japan and the initial testing was focused on the ability of Kontrol BioCloud to capture aerosolized influenza virus in the lab's proprietary collection chamber. Based on initial testing, the BioCloud technology was able to successfully capture the virus.

"With a growing movement to monitor air quality in buildings with early viral detection systems, BioCloud continues to be well-positioned to offer solutions that seek to create safer spaces across the global economy," said Paul Ghezzi, CEO of Kontrol.

The company noted that it is not making any express or implied claims that its product has the ability to eliminate, cure or contain the COVID-19 (or SARS-2 Coronavirus).

Kontrol is a leader in smart buildings and cities through IoT, Cloud and SaaS technology. Kontrol provides solutions and services to its customers to improve energy management, monitor continuous emissions, and accelerate the sustainability of all buildings.

Contact the author: patrick@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow him on Twitter @PatrickMGraham
WASHINGTON, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Cases of a highly transmissible Omicron subvariant were doubling in the United States each week over the past month, according to the data updated Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Health experts are keeping close watch on the variant, known as BA.2, urging the public to remain cautious and not let down guard against COVID-19.

BA.2 accounted for only 1 percent of new cases in the week ending Feb. 5, rising to 2.2 percent in the week ending Feb. 12, and 3.8 percent in the week ending Feb. 19, and 6.6 percent in the week ending Feb. 26, CDC data showed.

The variant was responsible for 11.6 percent of coronavirus infections in the country in the week ending March 5, according to the CDC estimates.

BA.2 has slowly, but steadily spread even as the Omicron surge continued to decline in the United States.

New lab and animal experiments suggested that BA.2 may be capable of causing more severe disease than the original Omicron strain.

Early studies showed that BA.2 may be up to 30 percent more transmissible than the original Omicron.

Health experts said that without mitigation measures such as mask-wearing, hand washing, and social distancing, the latest version of Omicron can spread rapidly in communities.

Some experts said it is unlikely BA.2 will trigger a massive new surge because the majority of people in the country now have immunity from prior infections or vaccination against COVID-19.

"The most likely thing that's going to happen is that it might extend our tail, meaning it might slow down the decrease in cases. But it's probably not going to lead to a new wave of cases," said Nathan Grubaugh, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health.

Adding to the concern, one of the remaining antibody treatments for COVID-19 may be less effective against BA.2, according to recent research.

Jeremy Luban, a virologist at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, told the National Public Radio that there are going to be plenty of people getting sick and ending up on respirators and dying because of BA.2, especially among the millions who have not been vaccinated.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky warned Americans not to let down their guard entirely as more states have lifted mask and vaccination mandates.

"We want to give people a break from things like masking when our (COVID-19 community) levels are low, and then have the ability to reach for them again should things get worse in the future," she said.

"We need to be prepared, and we need to be ready for whatever comes next," Walensky said.

The country is now averaging about 40,000 new cases and 1,200 new deaths daily, according to the latest CDC data. 
The Rockland property is located approximately 25 miles south of the town of Yerington in western Nevada, along the northern portion of the Walker Lane trend

Evergold Corp (TSX-V:EVER, OTC:EVGUF) has said it is making good progress towards a drill program on two prospective targets on its Rockland property in Nevada.

Toronto-based Evergold told investors that it is methodically exploring and advancing drill targets on the project ahead to prepare for a planned 11,000-metre drilling campaign.

The program is anticipated to comprise RC and core drilling in 29 holes, and the Phase 1 plan is currently under review by permitting authorities, Evergold told shareholders.

Drilling could occur as early as this fall, the company said in a statement.

Rockland hosts a historical small-scale mine, from which an estimated 50,000 ounces of gold-silver grading as high as 2.8 ounces per ton gold equivalent, or 96 grams per ton (g/t) gold equivalent was produced from high-grade epithermal-style veins, commonly encompassed by broad halos of lower-grade stockworks and breccia, the company said.

Evergold said that the east side of the property hosts a deeper zone of mineralization, more or less blind to surface and also epithermal in style, which was previously drilled and returned results including 59.4 metres of 1.09 g/t gold encompassing 3.1 metres of 19.80 g/t gold.

Evergold has been busy working on the Rockland project, having completed a host of exploration initiatives including a recently conducted airborne magnetic survey over the entire property and a geophysical survey over Rockland East.

"The Rockland property's near-term exploration potential and drive-on, year-round access make it strongly complementary to our northern BC property assets," said Kevin Keough, Evergolds CEO in a statement.

Keough told investors that the style of the epithermal mineralization is similar, particularly to the Holy Cross property in central British Columbia (BC). Evergold will also be able to drill Rockland at times of the year when not possible to drill its BC projects.

We're very much looking forward to getting a drill turning when our permits come through. In the meantime, we are finalizing this year's drill program at Golden Lion, following up on last year's end-of-season discovery of our first high-grade gold-silver domain within the large GL1 Main zone mineralized footprint, Keough added.

The Rockland property is located approximately 25 miles south of the town of Yerington in western Nevada, along the northern portion of the Walker Lane trend.

Evergold also owns four precious metals projects in BC.

Contact Angela at angela@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter @AHarmantas
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A total of 3,759 samples were sent for assay with 3,256 being core samples and 503 additional samples reserved for Quality Assurance and Quality Control

MAS Gold Corp (TSX-V:MAS, OTCQB:MSGCF) said it has completed drilling at the North Lake Deposit on its wholly-owned Preview North property in the La Ronge Gold Belt, in Saskatchewan.

The Canadian mineral exploration company focused on gold exploration projects in the prospective La Ronge Gold Belt, said a total of 4,123.5 meters (m) were completed over 34 diamond drill holes (DDH). Samples are currently being processed and delivered to SRC Lab in Saskatchewans Saskatoon city.

The drill program was successful in completing 24 infill drill holes, four twin drill holes, and six exploration drill holes. A total of 3,759 samples were sent for assay with 3,256 being core samples and 503 additional samples reserved for Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QAQC).

READ: MAS Gold moves closer to closing the deal to acquire Preview SW gold property after Comstock shareholders approve transaction

A robust QAQC program was implemented at the start of the drill program at the North Lake Deposit and all the drill holes were successful in intersecting the felsite unit (also mapped as Arkose), which is known to host previously intersected mineralization hosted in broad zones of sheeted quartz veins. DDH NL22-081 and NL22-083 were successful in extending the felsite by 80m to the northeast and DDH NL22-101 was successful in extending felsite by 50m to the southwest.

"In addition to implementing an aggressive QAQC program the MAS geological team was able to successfully extend the felsite host by 80m to the northwest and 50m to the southwest," MAS Gold CEO Jim Engdahl said in a statement. "We are excited to initiate our next phase of drilling on the Point Deposit and the Preview SW Deposit."

MAS Gold said the drilling is expected to continue in March as the next phase of the program transitions to the Point Deposit and the Preview SW Deposit. One drill rig is currently operating at the Point Deposit on MAS Gold's Preview-North property and has completed three holes (RM22-057 through RM22-059) for a total of 584m with one drill hole in progress (RM22-060).

Point Deposit

The 800m drill program is currently ongoing at the Point Deposit and is designed to:

Test three high-priority targets identified during the 2019 drilling program;

Test a high-priority anomaly identified in the 2021 summer field program; and

Extend mineralization to the south with strategically planned drill holes.

Preview SW property

The drill program at the Preview SW Property is now expected to complete a 1,400m program, which will include expenditures from Comstock Metals Limited. The program is designed to further define the historical resource at the Preview SW Deposit and extend mineralization at the North Zone.

MAS Gold's current projects include the North Lake, Greywacke North, Bakos (Contact Lake), and Point gold deposits and the historically-defined Elizabeth Lake copper-gold volcanic-hosted massive sulphide deposit within four properties totalling 34,703.4 hectares (85,753.8 acres).

Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive
London, March 8 : Beleagured Indian citizens in the south-eastern Ukrainian Mariupol area, particularly Sumy, are said to be still stuck and unable to escape safety from an intensifying war, with Russia and Ukraine continuing to disagree on a a humanitarian corridor for civilians out of the conflict zone. There are around 700 Indians living in Sumy.

About half the people sleeping in underground shelters without food, water, power and heating in Mariupol were supposed to be evacuated on Sunday, but the ceasefire arrangement collapsed.

The news agency Reuters said Moscow "would let residents of Ukraine's two main cities (Kiev and Kharkiv) flee in corridors to Russia and Belarus". Ukraine called this 'an immoral stunt'.

Ukrainians interviewed by BBC at Ukrainian railway stations about to board trains to western Ukraine and beyond to European Union countries said they wouldn't go to either Russia or Belarus.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told media on Monday Russia would cease its military action in Ukraine if the latter stopped fighting, amended its constitution to declare neutrality, recognised Crimea as Russian territory and the pro-Russian Ukrainian rebel regions of Donensk and Lugansk as independent.

Meanwhile, the Russian government on Moday informed its citizens, commercial firms and departments of state from the federal to the municipal that, where they have foreign exchange payment obligations to 'unfriendly countries' exceeding 10 million rubles a month, they may pay in rubles and not in a hard currency, so as to protect the country's foreign exchange reserves.

Russia's foreign exchange reserves are estimated to be around $285 billion. This, though, is under stress following swinging economic sanctions imposed by western countries and their allies.

The Kremlin issued a decree on Monday, which the Russian news agency TASS described as a "new temporary procedure" aimed at what the Russian government listed as unfriendly countries.

According to Moscow, the list of countries "that commit unfriendly actions against Russia, its companies, and citizens" include the US and Canada, the European Union member nations, the UK, Ukraine, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Taiwan.

TASS reported: "The countries and territories mentioned in the list imposed or joined the sanctions against Russia after the start of a special military operation of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine."

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Berlin, March 8 : Germany's seven-day Covid-19 incidence rate increased for the fifth day in a row, reaching 1,952 infections per 100,000 inhabitants, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases said.

The country reported 78,428 new cases within 24 hours, around 16,100 more than a week ago, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the RKI.

According to the German Intensive Care Availability Register (DIVI), the number of Covid-19 patients requiring treatment in intensive care units climbed to 2,436 on Friday, 54 more than on the previous day but still well below record figures during the Delta variant wave.

With only 15,000 vaccinations administered on Sunday, Germany's vaccination campaign continued to slow down. According to official figures, at least 47.7 million people have received a booster dose, while 19.6 million people are not vaccinated.

Although a new protein vaccine has been available in Germany for a week, there has been little demand for this new vaccine, which is not mRNA-based.

"We have not yet seen a run on the new Novavax vaccine in the vaccination centers," Helmut Dedy, chief executive of the German Association of Cities, told local media RND.
Moscow/Minsk, March 8 : Russian and Ukrainian negotiators failed to achieve significant results during their third round of peace talks in Belarus on Monday.

"The discussions continued on political and military aspects. However, it remains difficult. It is too early to talk about something positive," Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, also the head of the Russian delegation, said following the talks.

Russian negotiators brought a large set of documents, including specific agreements, but the Ukrainian side could not sign them on the spot and took all these documents back home for study, Medinsky was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

"To be honest, our expectations from the talks were not met. But we hope that next time we will be able to take a more significant step forward," Medinsky said after the meeting, which lasted nearly three hours at the Belovezhskaya Pushcha on the Belarus-Poland border.

Both sides addressed the issue of civilian evacuation, and the Ukrainian side assured Russia that the humanitarian corridors will start working on Tuesday, he said.

"There was some positive progress when it comes to improving the logistics of humanitarian corridors," Mykhailo Podoliak, advisor to the Head of the President's Office of Ukraine, tweeted after the negotiations.

"Today there were no results that would significantly improve the situation. Nevertheless, I emphasize once again that the consultations will continue," Podoliak said in a video message posted on Twitter.
Jakarta, March 8 : A 5.6-magnitude earthquake rocked North Sulawesi province in central Indonesia early on Tuesday, the meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency said.

The quake jolted at 2:13 a.m. Tuesday local time (1813 GMT Monday), with the epicenter at 65 km southeast of Ondong village located in the Siau Tagulandang Biaro Islands district and the depth at 32 km under seabed, the agency was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

The quake did not potentially trigger a tsunami, it said.

The intensity of the quake was felt at III MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) in Manado city, the capital of the province, Siau island and North Minahasa district, according to the agency.
Lucknow, March 8 : A woman has accused her husband and mother-in-law of duping her of Rs 2.3 crore and usurping one half of a house which was purchased by her.

Hema Kapoor has lodged a complaint at the Ghazipur police station saying that she was married to Abhishek Kapoor of Vibhav Khand in Gomti Nagar in 2003.

She has named Abhishek and his mother Mamta Kapoor in the case.

According to the FIR, she went to Scotland with Abhishek in 2010 as he had to pursue his studies and she had to run a business there. They stayed for over 5 years in Scotland where she successfully ran a beauty parlour.

After shifting back to Lucknow in 2016, they decided to purchase a house for which she gave the money she had earned through her business.

"Abhishek got one half of the house registered in his name even though he did not spend a single penny. He also withdrew Rs 2.3 crore and paid Rs 30 lakh to the seller.

He deposited the money withdrawn from our joint account in his bank account and later showed he paid Rs 2 crore to the house seller," she alleged.

Additional DCP, North Zone, Prachi Singh said that an FIR has been registered under the charges of dishonesty, punishment for cheating by impersonation, forgery for purpose of cheating, fraudulently or dishonestly using a genuine document against the husband and his mother.

She said action would be taken after investigations are completed.
Washington, March 8 : The World Bank announced that it has approved a $723 million financial package for Ukraine as the country is fighting the ongoing Russian invasion.

In a statement posted on its website, the global lender said that World Bank Board of Executive Directors on Monday approved a supplemental budget support package for Ukraine, called Financing of Recovery from Economic Emergency in Ukraine - or FREE Ukraine - for $489 million.

"The package approved by the Board consists of a supplemental loan for $350 million and guarantees in the amount of $139 million and is also mobilising grant financing of $134 million and parallel financing of $100 million, resulting in total mobilised support of $723 million," it said.

The statement went on to say that the "fast-disbursing support will help the government provide critical services to Ukrainian people, including wages for hospital workers, pensions for the elderly, and social programs for the vulnerable".

The initial World Bank support was increased with guarantees from the Netherlands for 80 million euros ($89 million) and Sweden for $50 million, it said.

The World Bank further said that it has also set up a multi-donor trust fund (MDTF) to facilitate channeling grant resources from donors to Ukraine, with contributions from the UK, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, and Iceland in the amount of $134 million thus far.

In addition, Japan is linking $100 million in parallel financing to the support package.

"The World Bank Group is taking quick action to support Ukraine and its people in the face of the violence and extreme disruption caused by the Russian invasion," the global lender's President David Malpass was quoted as saying in the statement.

"The World Bank Group stands with the people of Ukraine and the region. This is the first of many steps we are taking to help address the far-reaching human and economic impacts of this crisis." The statement also revealed that the World Bank Group is preparing a $3 billion package of support for Ukraine in the coming months and additional support to neighbouring countries receiving Ukrainian refugees.

According to the UN Refugee Agency, since the onset of the invasion, 1.7 million Ukrainians - primarily women, children, and elderly - have fled to neighbouring countries.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Bengaluru, March 8 : The Karnataka Police have arrested one of the most wanted Mumbai gangsters, Iliyas Abdul Asif a.k.a Bhackana, in an early morning operation here on Tuesday.

According to police, the accused was wanted by the Mumbai Police in 37 serious crimes -- murder, attempt to murder, extortion, robbery and drug cases.

The team headed by Bengaluru Rural Superintendent of Police (SP) Vamsi Krishna, Additional SP Lakshmi Ganesh and Anekal Deputy SP M. Mallesh got information about the accused person staying in a private restaurant following which a special operation was conducted.

At the time of the arrest, the accused was holding a loaded gun, but the team managed to overpower him. The police have recovered four live bullets, one pistol, 15 SIM cards and six mobiles from the accused person.

The accused was also wanted in a case of assault on businessman Sikandar Raju Luladia with an iron rod at his office in Mumbai. The accused was in hiding in Karnataka after the Mumbai Police intensified search for him in the city and other parts of Maharashtra.
People from Ukraine arrive at a railway station in Bucharest, capital of Romania, March 7, 2022. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua)

MOSCOW, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Russian armed forces have declared a "silence regime" and the opening of humanitarian corridors for the safe evacuation of civilians in Ukraine starting 10 a.m. Moscow time (0700 GMT) on Tuesday.

"Humanitarian corridors from Kiev, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkov and Mariupol are being opened," local media reported, citing Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov.

On the same day, Ukraine started evacuating residents from the northeastern city of Sumy through a humanitarian corridor as agreed with Russia, Ukraine's UNIAN news agency reported.

During the third round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine on Monday, both sides addressed the issue of civilian evacuation, and the Ukrainian side assured Russia that the humanitarian corridors would start working. 
New Delhi, March 8 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the Government of India will keep focusing on women empowerment through its various schemes with an emphasis on dignity as well as opportunity.

In a series of tweets on 'International Women's Day', the Prime Minister said, "On Women's Day, I salute our Nari Shakti and their accomplishments in diverse fields. The Government of India will keep focusing on women empowerment through its various schemes with an emphasis on dignity as well as opportunity.

"From financial inclusion to social security, quality healthcare to housing, education to entrepreneurship, many efforts have been made to put our Nari Shakti at the forefront of India's development journey. These efforts will continue with even greater vigour in the coming times," he said.

The Prime Minister also shared that in the evening he will address a programme being held in Kutch which highlights the contribution of women saints to our society.

The programme is being organised to recognise the role of women saints in the society and their contribution towards women empowerment. Over 500 women saints will attend the Seminar in Dhordo, Kutch.

The seminar will include sessions on culture, religion, female upliftment, security, social status and role of women in India culture. The welfare schemes of central and state governments benefiting women along with achievements of women will also be discussed.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Vienna, March 8 : Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said that a new nuclear research facility in Ukraine's Kharkiv city producing radioisotopes for medical and industrial applications, has been damaged by shelling.

Citing Ukraine's national nuclear regulator, Grossi on Monday said the incident which took place a day earlier did not cause any increase in radiation levels at the site.

"Because the nuclear material in the facility is always sub-critical and the inventory of radioactive material is very low, the IAEA's assessment confirmed that the damage reported to it would not have had any radiological consequence," the Director General said in a statement posted on the regulator's website.

According to Grossi, Sunday's incident has "highlighted once again the risks facing Ukraine's nuclear installations during the armed conflict, adding urgency to an IAEA initiative aimed at ensuring nuclear safety and security in the country".

"We have already had several episodes compromising safety at Ukraine's nuclear sites," he added.

On February 27, Ukraine said Russian missiles hit the site of a radioactive waste disposal facility in the capital Kiev but there was no radioactive release. That came a day after an electrical transformer at a similar disposal facility near Kharkiv was damaged.

On March 4, when the site was taken over by Russian forces, Ukraine said the training centre of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) was hit by a projectile, causing a fire that was later extinguished.

In addition, the regulator said there continued to be no communication with enterprises and institutions using Category 1-3 radiation sources in the eastern port city of Mariupol, including its Oncological Centre.

"We must take action to help avert a nuclear accident in Ukraine that could have severe consequences for public health and the environment. We can't afford to wait," Grossi was quoted as saying in the statement.

In an effort to help protect the country's nuclear facilities, the IAEA chief has expressed his readiness to travel to the Chernobyl, the site of the world's largest nuclear disaster, where around 210 technical personal and guards were still stuck after Russia took over the site on the first day of its invasion on February 24 "I have said I am willing to travel to Chernobyl, but it can be anywhere, as long as it facilitates this necessary and urgent action," he said while addressing an IAEA Board of Governors meeting earlier on Monday.

In another worrying development, Ukraine's regulator on Monday also informed the IAEA that it was currently not possible to deliver spare parts or medicine to the Zaporizhzhya NPP, a day after the country said plant management was now under orders from the commander of the Russian forces controlling the site.

Plant personnel were, however, able to rotate, it added.

Regarding the status of Ukraine's nuclear power plants, the regulator said eight of the country's 15 reactors were operating, including two at the Zaporizhzhya NPP.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Chennai, March 8 : A 21-year-old from Tamil Nadu, who was rejected twice by the Indian Army, is now fighting in the Ukrainian Army against the invading Russian troops.

Intelligence reports received by the Union government have revealed that the Tamil youth, Sainikhesh Ravichandran of Thudaliyur in Coimbatore is a student of Aerospace engineering at Kharkiv National University in Ukraine.

Sources in the Tamil Nadu Police told IANS that a group of Central intelligence bureau officers had visited the residence of Sanikesh a couple of days ago and collected all the details regarding him and as to why he had joined the Ukrainian military.

His parents, according to police officers, had informed the intelligence sleuths that he had a passion for military and armed training and showed his room plastered full of photographs of Indian military and officers.

Sainiikesh, had according to the police officers, enquired with the US consulate in Chennai to join in the US military but as he knew that it was not possible he had returned home.

The family members, however, said that he was actively pursuing his five year aerospace engineering course and had informed them a few days before the war broke out that he had got employment in a video game developing company.

However, the family came to know that he had joined the Ukraine forces only when the intelligence sleuths visited them. His father Ravichandran when contacted told IANS, "I am terribly upset and I have requested the Government of India to bring my son back to India. He had contacted home a few days ago and said that he was safe and he was not listening to our requests to come back." The 21-year-old Tamil Nadu youth is fighting for the Georgian National Legion paramilitary unit comprising of volunteers.
Lucknow, March 8 : Muslim women professionals, in a novel initiative, will now mentor girls from socially weaker sections with 'Rising Beyond the Ceiling' (RBTC) launching its free mentorship programme on the International Women's Day.

RBTC is a group of 100 Muslim women honourees at national-level and 100 at state-level. These women will now mentor girls on professional, educational, emotional, and financial matters.

"Why is a Muslim woman considered illiterate if she is wearing burqa or naqaab? If provided an opportunity, she can achieve anything she desires. This is an opportunity we will provide to young girls from socially weaker sections," said Sabiha Ahmad, RBTC Uttar Pradesh coordinator and UP Sunni Waqf Board member.

Explaining further she said that RBTC is not just helping in breaking the stereotype about the Muslim women but is also contributing to nation building.

"Bringing women from different areas of work, such as the women in uniform, in academics, arts, journalism and others, for mentoring helps in building self-confidence in young girls and gives wings to their aspirations," she said.

"Regardless of religion, any girl with the aspiration to work in any field can get in touch with the organisation to seek whatever help is required. The mentorship is free of cost, and we have started inviting submissions for it apart from the current mentees being guided already," she added.
Lucknow, March 8 : While talks of dynast politics may have seemingly ended with the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, but political leaders continue to encourage nepotism in their parties.

The latest to join the 'family club' is Bahujan Samaj Party president, Mayawati, who has appointed her nephew Akash, as the sole national coordinator of BSP.

Akash was party's national coordinator earlier as well, along with Ramji Gautam, but has now been given the responsibility alone.

Party sources said the move indicates that he is being groomed for a bigger role - possibly an heir apparent to Mayawati.

"While nothing has been said about his future role in the party, this move has made it clear that he is in a special position and will now be groomed for a bigger role ahead," said a senior party functionary.

Sources said that Akash was deliberately kept away from campaigning because Mayawati did not want him to debut at a time when the party was not fully prepared to form government.

However, Akash has been actively involved in party meetings across various other states where his role was better defined.

The BSP will now shift its focus to other states where Assembly elections are due before the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.

Mayawati has divided the country into seven sectors and appointed sector coordinators to monitor party activities.

UP stands alone in Sector 1 for which a coordinator is yet to be appointed.

In sector 2, she has placed Gujarat, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Bengal, Daman and Diu and this will be monitored by senior party member Dharamveer Ashok.

In sector 3 are Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, which will be monitored by former national coordinator Ramji Gautam.

Party MP Siddharth Ashok has been appointed coordinator for sector 4 which includes Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. Uttarakhand, where polls have just concluded, has been placed in the last sector.

Of these, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, MP and Nagaland have elections in 2023 while Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat will go to polls in the end of 2022.

The party will also focus on recovering its lost vote share in almost all states where it has recently contested polls.
Los Angeles, March 8 : Filmmaker Oliver Stone, who is well-known for taking contrarian stands both onscreen and off, has criticised "Putin's aggression in Ukraine" after previously saying there was "no proof" Russia intended to invade.

Stone went to Russia and interviewed its president for a documentary called 'The Putin Interviews', which aired on Showtime in 2017. Now, with Putin and Russia driving the 24-hour news cycle, the director has been offering his perspective on his Facebook page and in interviews, reports deadline.com.

Early last month, Stone told KCRW's Robert Scheer: "The U.S. and its allies in NATO have been provoking Russia for, since two years now -- actually three years - over the Ukraine." In the same interview, the director decried "bloodthirsty" media coverage saying, "they have no proof that Russia intends to invade Ukraine; I doubt that they would. I think Russia is concerned only with the Donbass region." After the invasion, Stone, who had also criticised the media for using the term "invasion" to characterise Russia's plans, came around.

"Although the U.S. has many wars of aggression on its conscience, it doesn't justify Putin's aggression in Ukraine. A dozen wrongs don't make a right. Russia was wrong to invade." Stone, who served in the Vietnam War, has long made films critical of U.S. politicians (W., JFK and Nixon) the media (Natural Born Killers, Talk Radio) and American intervention abroad (Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July).

He's also made a string of documentaries featuring controversial world leaders such as Putin, Fidel Castro and Lula da Silva.

Taking a plot point from one of his more popular films, Stone contended: "Now is the time, as JFK and Khrushchev faced down the perilous situation in Cuba in October 1962, for the two nuclear powers to walk this back from the abyss."

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Thiruvananthapuram, March 8 : With the polls to the three Rajya Sabha seats to be held on March 31, the coming days could be a testing time for the leading political parties in Kerala -- the ruling CPI-M led Left and the Congress-led opposition.

Those who are retiring include 81-year-old Congress veteran A.K. Antony, K. Somaprasad (CPI-M) and M.V. Shreyams Kumar, who leads the Loktantrik Janata Dal, an ally of the Left.

With the ruling Pinarayi Vijayan government enjoying a full majority in the 140-member Assembly, it's a foregone conclusion that the Left Democratic Front will win two and the Congress-led opposition one.

Antony, who was at his home here till a few days ago, left for Delhi, and sources said he has already informed the two-time former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, State Congress president K.Sudhakaran and other senior leaders that he is not interested for another term.

If Antony is not considered in accordance with his wishes, then it would be difficult for the faction-ridden Congress to decide a candidate. The claimants are many, including outgoing state party president and former Union Minister Mullapally Ramachandran and K.V. Thomas, who was deeply upset when he was not given his sitting Ernakulam Lok Sabha seat in 2019.

The other person who might be in the reckoning is Cherian Phillip, who after more than two decades after ditching the Congress party, returned last year.

Phillip was the closest aide of Antony till he left the party in 2001.

With both Ramachandran and Thomas having had a long innings in Delhi, talks have begun that it would be unfortunate if they are considered again and the name of V.T. Balram, a two-time young legislator was defeated by the present Speaker of the Kerala Assembly M.B, Rajesh, is another one who might be considered.

Besides these, there are other hopefuls also, who have started moving their cards.

Unlike the Congress, the ruling CPI-M has a different problem and with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reigning supreme in both the party and the government, the only thing that needs to be looked into is whether the CPI-M will take both the seats or will the second biggest ally in the Left -- CPI - be given a seat.

In all likelihood, with the CPI already having Binoy Viswan in the Upper House, Vijayan will be taking both the seats and like what has been happening in the party.

Last year, Vijayan sprang a surprise when he brought in his closest aide, senior journalist and one who handled the public relation campaigns of the government -- John Brittas and Sivadasan to the Rajya Sabha, much to the surprise of many.

Meanwhile, speculation is rife that of the two seats, one might go to a national leader of the CPI-M and it could be top notch leaders like general secretary Sitaram Yechuri or someone of that calibre and the other one could be a female comrade, as he is not very keen to give chance to leaders like the economist-turned two-time State Finance Minister Thomas Issac, or A.K. Balan, all of whom have had long innings.

A media critic on condition of anonymity said if Antony is not going to be returned, then it could cause utter chaos in the Congress.

"But in the CPI-M, there is not going to be even a whimper of protest because of Vijayan's dominance. The only thing to be watched out is will the CPI or even the NCP stake a claim even as outgoing member Shreyams Kumar will also make a last ditch effort to get the seat. But the CPI-M and Vijayan are determined to increase their party strength in Parliament as they want to be key players when it comes to forming a non-BJP non-Congress political front in Delhi, and hence in all probability the CPI-M will take both the seats," said the critic.
March 08 : The veteran actors Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Danny Denzongpa and Boman Irani are currently busy completing their upcoming film Uunchai. The Sooraj Barjatya directorial is one of the most anticipated films not only because the filmmaker is making a comeback with it but also people are eager to see the four legends in the same frame.

Taking to his Instagram handle, Boman Irani shared a group picture from Uunchai sets with his co-stars Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, and Danny Denzongpa. Sharing the picture, Irani captioned it as, To be part of this iconic picture is an achievement in itself. To be part of #Uunchai makes my heart glow with humble pride.

As soon as the picture was shared fans poured in their excitement and called them the legends. Several Bollywood celebs including Dia Mirza reacted to the photo with heart emojis. Anushka Sharma also liked the post. One of the fans wrote, Legends, while another commented, Congratulations to all big stars.

The senior actors can be seen wearing similar caps as they shot a song sequence.

Ace producer and director Sooraj Barjatya was in Lucknow last month to finalise locations in the old city. The filmmaker was planning for a schedule in Lucknow after the elections are over in Uttar Pradesh. Besides, Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, and Danny Denzongpa, Uunchai also stars Neena Gupta, Sarika, and Parineeti Chopra.

Sooraj Barjatya makes a comeback after six years with Unnchai. He had last directed Prem Ratan Dhan Payo in 2015. Barjatya has written Uunchai as well. The first schedule of the film was shot in Nepal in October last year. Reportedly, the next schedule of Uunchai will include shooting in Lucknow, Kanpur and Agra. The team will reportedly start shooting in the UP cities from the second half of March after the state election results are declared on March 10. The films shooting has been delayed due to the elections and the third pandemic wave in the country. While the makers are targeting a 2022 release, they had earlier planned to complete shoot by March end. But now the schedule has been delayed.
Moscow, March 8 : Due to its war on Ukraine, Russia has become the most sanctioned in the world, according to a New York-based sanctions watchlist site.

Castellum.AI said that sanctions were first imposed by the US and its allies on Russia on February 22 a day after President Vladimir Putin declared the two Ukrainian rebel regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as "independent states".

After Russia announced its military operations against Russia on February 24, hundreds more sanctions followed.

The site said that 2,754 sanctions were already in place against Russia before February 22 and 2,778 additional were imposed in the days following the assault, bringing the total to 5,532.

Russia's number now outranks Iran's 3,616 sanctions, displacing Tehran from the top position, reports the BBC citing Castellum.AI as saying.

According to the site, the countries and regions targeting Russia with sanctions are Switzerland (568), the European Union (518), Canada (454), Australia (413), the US (243), the UK (35) and Japan (35).

Countries across the world are putting sanctions on Russia in an effort to stop the invasion of Ukraine.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Hyderabad, March 8 : Telangana's outstanding public debt is set to touch Rs 3.30 lakh crore during 2022-23.

The state budget presented in the Assembly on Monday reveals that the public debt will mount to Rs 3,29,988 crore from Rs 2,85,120 crore during 2021-22.

Budget estimates show that state will raise debts to the tune of Rs 44,868 crore during the financial year. Thus, the outstanding public debt will go up by more than 15 per cent.

However, the debt to GSDP ratio will remain at 25 per cent.

As per the budget estimates, the state's open market loans will go upto Rs 2,89,873 crore from Rs 2,44,239 crore in the previous financial year.

However, loans from central government are estimated to come down to Rs 7,188 crore from Rs 7,556 crore in 2021-22.

Loans from autonomous bodies will also decline from Rs 14,162 crore to Rs 13,591 crore.

Special securities (small savings) and Provident Fund etc will be Rs 19,336 crore, up from Rs 19, 164 crore.

In the previous financial year, the government raised Rs 47,500 crore loans.

In 2019-20, the public debts were Rs 2.05 lakh crore. Thus, there has been 60 per cent increase in three years.

In 2016-17, the state's outstanding public debts stood at Rs 1.23 lakh crore.

Since this was the last full-fledged budget before next year's Assembly elections, the government is apparently planning to raise more debts for effective implementation of the existing schemes and also the new schemes.

The government has made a provision of Rs 17,700 crore in the budget for the implementation of a new scheme Dalit Bandhu.

Similarly, allocations have been increased for agriculture, health, education and other sectors.
New Delhi, March 8 : Amid speculations on the exit polls, a section within the Congress is of the view that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should be sent to Parliament after her extensive campaign in Uttar Pradesh and other states to take on the Modi government in the House and outside.

The party was earlier mulling to sent her to the Rajya Sabha when Ahmed Patel was alive and Chhattisgarh had two seats, but it was decided that it was not the right time in view of nepotism allegations by the BJP. Now, after Priyanka managed the hectic campaign in the state, she has emerged as a main campaigner of the party. However, if one goes by the exit polls, the results are not encouraging for her in Uttar Pradesh.

Her supporters in the party believe that this is the right time to sent her to the House as the general elections are two years from now and she can take on the government.

The Rajya Sabha polls have been announced for Kerala, Punjab and other states. If the party fares well in Punjab it can send her from the state. In Kerala, the party can send one candidate and the Congress has to decide whether to give a chance to A.K. Antony again because of the age factor. There is also going to be vacancy in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh as she can be sent to the RS from either of these two states. Bhupesh Baghel has been toying with the idea of giving the seat to Priyanaka, as sources said.

But last time when the proposal was mooted, it was turned down because of certain issues as some thought there would be two power centers in the party.

In Uttar Pradesh, she addressed 167 rallies, held 42 road shows and also did virtual rallies.

Being in-charge of the party in Uttar Pradesh, she has lots of high stakes in the state and her campaign in the 2022 Assembly elections has always been in the news. Priyanka's hard work, her energy and positivity-filled campaigns have caught the attention of the people of the state.

Congress insiders say that her slogans have made a place in the hearts of the public, and her campaigns in heavy rain, meeting people, including women working in the fields in Barabanki have gone well with the public.

Priyanka also campaigned in Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur.

Through 42 road shows and door-to-door campaigns, Priyanka interacted with the public during the election campaign and visited states including three to Punjab, two to Uttarakhand and Goa, and a virtual rally in Manipur.

Party Leaders said during the election campaign, Priyanka was constantly seen saying in her speeches that the power in a democracy lies in the hands of the people. She called upon the people to recognise the power of their vote, and vote on the issues.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Seoul, March 8 : The Unicef said on Tuesday it was distributing humanitarian supplies to health facilities in North Korea after their release from the reclusive country's quarantine measures against Covid-19.

The first batch of nutrition supplies for North Korea was released at the western port of Nampo, following the reopening of its western sea routes in October last year, Yonhap News Agency quoted the Unicef as saying in a recent report.

"Humanitarian supplies recently released from quarantine and disinfection procedures are in the process of being distributed to health and nutrition facilities in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health in DPRK," a Uniced spokesperson said in a statement, using the acronym for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The supplies include micronutrient treatments for 160,000 pregnant women and new mothers, tuberculosis treatments and preventative medicines, as well as oral rehydration salts to treat diarrhoeal disease for at least 400,000 children, according to the spokesperson.

"This is an initial step towards addressing some shortages in essential items needed for children and women, and we hope this marks the beginning of a more regular supply operation." The North has implemented strong border controls since early 2020 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
New Delhi, March 8 : David Beasley, head of the World Food Programme (WFP), has warned that the conflict in Ukraine could send global food prices soaring, with a catastrophic impact on the world's poorest, the BBC reported.

Beasley said the conflict was putting more people at risk of starvation worldwide.

"Just when you think hell on earth can't get any worse, it does," the BBC quoted the WFP chief as saying.

Russia and Ukraine, once dubbed "the breadbasket of Europe", export about a quarter of the world's wheat and half of its sunflower products, like seeds and oil. Ukraine also sells a lot of corn globally.

Beasley told the BBC that the number of people facing potential starvation worldwide had already risen from 80 million to 276 million in four years prior to Russia's invasion, due to what he calls a "perfect storm" of conflict, climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said certain countries could be particularly affected by the current crisis, due to the high proportion of grains they currently import from the Black Sea region.

Ukrainian lawyer Ivanna Dorichenko, an expert in international trade arbitration, said some farmers in the country have already abandoned their fields in order to take up arms against the Russian invasion.

"The men who need to work on the land, they're all defending our land right now. Because if they do not defend the land, there'll be nothing to work on at a later stage, and you don't have a single person right now who's not trying to help in any way they can," Dorichenko told the BBC.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Kiev, March 8 : In its latest update on the 13th day of Russia's invasion, Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces on Tuesday said Moscow has continued the "offensive operation", but the "pace of troops has slowed significantly".

In the update posted on its Facebook page, it said that the Defense Forces Group has continued to conduct operations within the south, eastern and northern zones across specific boundaries.

Meanwhile, defence operations are also underway in the city of Chernihiv and capital Kiev.

It added that the country's air defences were successfully repulsing missile and air strikes.

"The occupiers are demoralised, and are increasingly resorting to looting and violating the rules of international humanitarian law on military conflict." The Ukrainian military also claimed that Russia was now resorting to psychological warfare, to influence the local residents.

"According to the available information, there are 10 tactical groups of psychological combatants to conduct propaganda work," it said, adding that Russian forces were also threatening the population of the northern part of Crimea.

As the war continues, heavy shelling is preventing civilian evacuation of from the besieged cities such as Kiev, Mariupol, Sumy and Kharkiv.
New Delhi, March 8 : Union Minister for Women and Child Welfare Smriti Irani has said that traders should come forward to encourage women to adopt technology as a trade and industry venture.

"The business community of India is better suited to implement Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of women empowerment in every nook and corner of the country, and the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has to follow and make this work. Having its wide reach across the country should be taken as a priority in it's agenda.

"The work of women's empowerment will not be completed unless the domestic women in the country are motivated to work according to their ability even at the ground level," said Smriti Irani at a Women Awards event held on Monday evening in the national capital by CAIT.

She further urged the trader-community to make women self-reliant in trade and industry by providing them all possible facilities.

In the event, 16 women from various parts of the country were honoured for their outstanding achievements in their respective fields.

Speaking at the function, Irani further added that technology is the future and women across the country should be encouraged to do technology-related business and set up small and big industries.

"We should not forget that women have shown commendable abilities in almost all the verticals of the socio-economic fabric of the country. Therefore, every effort should be made to empower women and bring them into mainstream of trade and commerce," said Irani She continued that women in every corner of the country are making new and innovative products with their immense skill and art, but sadly they are not getting the right market for their products and at various levels, these women are exploited in terms of the right value of their products.

"The trade associations all over the country-led by CAIT should evolve a working strategy to extend their helping hand in making available the right market and right value of products of such women. Not only that the traders should also handhold various startups, especially of the women." She emphasised that festivals in particular are the best occasion when art and skills of the downtrodden women are most visible and it's easy to identify the products and the women entrepreneurs to encourage them to do more and big business.

She said that women empowerment is one of the prime visions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and if it happens with the wide structure of trade associations in all parts of the country, the whole gamut of trade and commerce of the country will have positive radical changes.

CAIT National President B.C. Bhartia and Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said that CAIT has taken the women empowerment programme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi prominently in its agenda and for the past many years, CAIT is connecting women with business and is helping in setting up domestic industries. The campaign is underway. The women's wing of CAIT provides various types of support, including finance to women working in small towns by motivating them to take up business and industry and enable them to make optimum usage of their skills.

CAIT has played a big role, especially in connecting women from business families to business, while under its flagship programme -- Healthy Lady- Wealthy Family -- campaign launched recently, the CAIT is making immense efforts for women to stay healthy all over the country. Women are 50 per cent human resource in every family, and therefore CAIT is working tirelessly to handover the back office of businesses to the family women and which has shown better results. They should take care of the back office of every business.

The 16 women honoured by CAIT include Arna Srivastava, Shilpi Jain, Bindiya Bedi Charan Noronha, Gunjan Khanna Bansal, Juhi Rajput, Meghali Das, Neeti Seth, Rita Mitra, Sangeeta Patil, Sanya Goyal, Sunita Dhawan, Vandana Seth, Sukhneet Wadhwa Gujral, Namrata Dutta, Nohera Shaik, Aparajita Kulshrestha and Kamya Jain.
New Delhi, March 8 : As the Ashneer-BharatPe fight now on a legal course, the Board of the company is not going to intervene in a new controversy regarding the fintech company's original founder Bhavik Koladiya and his stake in the firm.

Sources told IANS on Tuesday that this is something Bhavik and Ashneer have to sort out among each other and the Board will stick to the internal governance review done by third-party law and risk assessment firms.

Another co-founder Shashvat Nakrani has written a fresh letter to employees, saying that Ashneer tried to create a false narrative about the company that "we have built together with the right spirit".

"While the content of the enquiry report is confidential and as a board member, I am not at liberty to disclose its findings, I am proud of the fact that our board acted quickly and decisively to uphold good corporate governance," he told employees.

"This whole episode is an aberration and not the norm and the company will turn this crisis into an opportunity," he further added.

Ashneer has quit BharatPe as the company accused him, his wife and their relatives of massive financial irregularities to fund their lifestyles.

Nakrani has said that it is time to now stop "rumours and innuendoes from distracting us and go back to building".

"Time to do what we have done in the past and will do best. We owe this to the fine team that works here, our shareholders and this remarkable country that helps us prosper," he wrote.

The Ashneer Grover-BharatPe tussle that hogged the limelight since January has brought to the fore the need to fix corporate governance while maintaining moral integrity at the very top in the burgeoning Indian startup ecosystem.
Jaipur, March 8 : BJP state president Satish Poonia and union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, among others, greeted former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on her birthday which coincides with International Women's Day.

Both the leaders used similar language in wishing the veteran leader which emphasised more on her role as national leader of the saffron party.

Poonia, in his twitter message, said: "Best wishes to BJP national vice-president and Rajasthan's former CM Vasundhara Raje. May God bless you with best health and long life." He also called up the veteran leader and wished her on the phone.

Similarly, union minister Shekhawat in his twitter message wrote a similar message emphasising on the national role of the former CM.

He said: "Best wishes to BJP national vice president Vasundhara Raje and former Rajasthan CM. I pray to God for your best health and long life," he said.

Notably, both the leaders have not been sharing a cordial relationship with Raje.

While the rift between BJP state unit and Raje team escalated with the appointment of Poonia as state president, the leader's strained relationship with Shekhawat started when she opposed her appointment as state party president before the Assembly polls in the year 2018.

Meanwhile, Raje's birthday coinciding with International Women's Day is the much talked about event where her followers have been pitching in workers from across the state to be a part of it.

Her supporters have made strong efforts to gather over a lakh workers, meanwhile, the Bundi BJP team has distanced itself from the show.

Sources said that the BJP state unit is also keeping a close eye as to which MLAs, MPs and other party workers shall attend the event.

This time, Raje shall kick off a two-day Dev Darshan Yatra from Keshavrai temple in Bundi district which will be followed by a rally and other programmes.

Raje's followers are making full efforts to mark another show of strength on her birthday to prove her mettle before the forthcoming Assembly polls.

The party has not yet decided any chief minister face for the polls while her followers want her to be the CM face.

Last year also, Raje had organised a two-day religious tour to temples on her birthday.
New Delhi, March 8 : "I alone cannot take responsibility for the whole of India. But even if two or three villages can be freed from the shackles of helplessness and ignorance, an ideal for the whole of India would be established. Fulfil this ideal in a few villages only, and I will say that these few villages are my India. And only if that is done, will India be truly ours. The scale of our enterprise will never be a matter of pride to us but let us hope its truth will be." A century ago, Rabindranath Tagore set up a centre for rural construction called Sriniketan as wing of his Visva-Bharati International University at Shantiniketan in an attempt to inspire the deprived sections of rural society to self-reliance and to make them economically independent.

"Tagore was not one to accept that all improvements had to wait for our country's political independence. He did not subscribe to that commonplace view. He believed that a great deal could be done, by ourselves, for our own people, even with the colonial government at the helm," historian and Tagore biographer Uma Das Gupta told IANS in an interview of her book, 'A History of Sriniketan - Rabindranath Tagore's Pioneering Work in Rural Reconstruction' (Niyogi Books), concepts that are alive even today, albeit in varying forms.

"He was confident that by making at least a beginning we could shake off our characteristic inertia and take the lead to develop a progressive state of mind. 'Doing, he argued, will also teach us to 'learn' what to 'do'. That is why he asked that the Sriniketan work be judged not by its size, but by its worth," added Das Gupta, a former Professor at the Indian Statistical Institute, who headed the United States Educational Foundation for the Eastern Region and has recently become a National Fellow of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla, and a Delegate of OUP, India.

'A History of Sriniketan' is a detailed presentation about Tagore's ideas and his work on rural reconstruction. The idea of doing something to redeem the neglected village came to him when he first went to live in his family's agricultural estates in East Bengal where his father had sent him as estate manager in 1889. The decade that he spent there was his first exposure to the impoverished countryside. He was then thirty, already a poet of some fame, and had till then lived only in the city.

"He could never forget the angst he experienced on seeing the miserable condition of the villagers," Das Gupta said, adding: "The experience played a seminal part in turning him into a humanist and a man of action. With the years he felt closer to the masses of his society while growing very disappointed with his own class and milieu who were indifferent to the masses. His independent thinking gave him the courage of conviction to work alone with his ideas of 'constructive swadeshi'." The first thing to remember about the Sriniketan's work on rural reconstruction, Das Gupta said, "is that it was a pioneering humanistic enterprise in rural development, and that it was a genuine endeavour to bring hope to the deprived people. A foundational idea was to bring awakening and national consciousness to the villages as the long term goal to freedom".

"It drew attention on the peasantry as the largest class within Indian society who were paralysed by anachronistic traditions and weighed down by poverty and the absence of education," she added.

Noting that Tagore looked forward to the day when his village work would benefit from the contributions of modern science, Das Gupta said that as early as in 1906, he sponsored three young men from Santiniketan to study agriculture and dairy farming at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. They were his eldest son Rathindranath (whose image is on the cover of the book), his son-in-law Nagendranath Ganguli, and his friend Srishchandra Majumdar's son, Santosh Chandra Majumdar, a student of the Santiniketan school, and afterwards a teacher too.

"The plan was that at the end of their higher studies in agricultural sciences, they would bring their newly acquired knowledge to the work of rural reconstruction in the Sriniketan villages. He felt sure from his observation of other agricultural countries that the economic salvation of the village lay in the application of scientific expertise. In 1909, all the three graduates from the University of Illinois returned with their state-of-the-art training in agriculture and animal husbandry and began to introduce scientific methods to the Sriniketan work. Their experiments were carried out jointly with the villagers," Das Gupta elaborated.

As for Sriniketan's achievements, the author listed at least eight: scientific experimentation for agricultural improvement; field-level research work through comprehensive village surveys; collection of economic data on village productivity like rice yields in the district of Birbhum where Santiniketan and Sriniketan were located; research on hygiene and sanitation with projects like introducing the Bored Hole Latrine; collection of statistics on malaria; research on measures for the prevention of malaria; launch of Cooperative Health Societies across clusters of villages where the Sriniketan scheme was implemented; and introducing Scout training among the young villagers.

Education was another important part of the Sriniketan initiative from the very first decade of its existence.

"There were different levels at which education was imparted. There were three separate institutions of education in Sriniketan itself, which were 'Siksha-Satra' for the village boys, the 'Loka-Siksha Samsad' for the village householders, the 'Siksha-Charcha Bhavana' for the village school teachers. Sriniketan also offered 'extension services' at the adult level for research and experiment," Das Gupta pointed out.

This apart, Sriniketan spearheaded a successful movement to integrate art and craft with everyday life-experiences by reviving the traditional crafts but reviving them with new and creative designs to make them both artistic and utilitarian.

"Every student in Sriniketan's scheme of a multi-layered education was compulsorily apprenticed to learn at least one traditional craft along with their chosen programmes of other vocational courses. Tagore insisted that art and craft should play a vital role in social regeneration. That was one of Sriniketan's fundamental goals," Das Gupta said.

At the bottom line, Tagore was never apologetic about the "smallness of his work" on what 10 or 15 advanced villages could do for a country of India's size.

"What he earnestly wanted was to make 'at least a beginning' with the much-needed work of redeeming the Indian village from continuing decline. His hope was that someday, this work could become an ideal for the entire country. With the problems of 300 million people staring him in the face, he hoped that his efforts would touch at least the hearts of his rural neighbours and help them to reassert themselves in a bolder social order," Das Gupta maintained.

This change is very much in evidence today and Das Gupta has done the country an immense service by bringing to light Tagore's work as an educator, rural reformer, and institutional builder that has hitherto been overshadowed by his genius as a poet, song writer and Nobel laureate.

(Vishnu Makhijani can be reached at vishnu.makhijani@ians.in)
Sanaa, March 8 : Some 21 million people in the war-torn Yemen, or nearly 70 per cent of the total population, need life-saving humanitarian assistance, the Unicef said.

"This includes 11.3 million children or nearly 80 per cent of children," the UN agency said in a tweet on Monday.

In the country, nearly 400,000 children under the age of five are slipping from acute malnutrition to severe acute malnutrition, the humanitarian agency said.

According to the Unicef, Yemen remains one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world to date.

Since the civil war escalated in March 2015, tens of thousands of people have been killed, 4 million displaced, while the country remains on the brink of famine.

The Unicef said it requires $484.4 million to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen in 2022.

The war started when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.
Film: 'Turning Red' (Streaming on Disney+ Hotstar); Duration: 99 minutes Director: Domee Shi

Voice Cast: Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Ava Morse, Hyein Park, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Orion Lee, Wai Ching Ho, Tristan Allerick Chen, Lori Tan Chinn, Mia Tagano, Sherry Cola, Lillian Lim, James Hong, Jordan Fisher, Finneas O'Connell

IANS Rating: ***This 2D animated film - 'Turning Red' is an amusingly heart-warming coming-of-age film about mothers and daughters- and growing up to celebrate a growth mindset in accepting who you are.

The story follows an intelligent Meilin "Mei" Lee, a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian, who has been brought up with the notion of "honour your parents." But now, eager to experience what life has to offer her as a teenage kid, Mei finds herself at cross-roads especially - when it comes to her over-protective and concerned mother.

Not wanting to hurt her parents, and at the same time, her pent-up angst literally transforms her into a huge grizzly, red Panda. Mei experiences this whenever she is in an agitated mood or feels a strong emotion, which as a teenager, is quite often. After a shocking revelation about her ancestors, Mei realises that her transformation has more to do with her genes. But this does not stop her from doing what she wants to do. The narrative takes a fantasy route when Mei utilises her mystical power of transformation to further her teen cravings.

Written and directed by Domee Shi, who had earlier directed the sensitive short film 'Bao', this is her maiden feature film. She has done a commendable job. There is a lot of cultural representation among the characters in the film, like Mei's friend Priya who is of Indian Origin and a Sardar Security guard, but they do nothing creditable to enhance the story.

The script, unlike any Disney film, is strangely bold and edgy. The narrative flows smoothly, and the dialogues are never over the top, but some of the humour goes places that one would have never expected in a Disney or Pixar film.

There is no slapstick comedy that could entice the younger audience, but there are plenty of scenes with physical comedy that will make you chuckle, especially when Mei - as the red panda tries to escape from her friends.

Visually the computer-generated animated images are striking. The animators have painstakingly ensured that the facial expressions sync well with emotions, and the fur of the Panda looks real. Each frame is vibrant, with a vast array of colours that would mesmerize you.

What elevates the viewing experience is the voices of the ace star cast which perfectly match with that of the characters.

Ludwig Goransson's background score is lively and foot-tapping. The soundtracks, which include a few songs, aptly fit into the narration. The lyrics are unpretentious and engaging, especially the song, "I've never met anybody like you." Overall, the film is refreshingly delightful for adults and children alike.
New Delhi, March 8 : The Ukrainian military on Tuesday claimed that Russian forces were increasingly resorting to looting and violatiing the rules of international humanitarian law on military conflict in regions currently under siege.

In its latest update on the situation, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said the robberies were reported in the Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv and Kiev regions, UNIAN reported.

Besides the looting, the Russian forces were also resorting to "violent actions against local residents, the seizure of civilian premises, use of agricultural hangars for parking military equipment, arrangement of firing positions in densely populated areas and civilian facilities", it said.

In the regions of Kherson and Mykolaiv, the Russians were reportedly using psychological warfare to influence the local residents.

"According to the available information, there are 10 tactical groups of psychological combatants to conduct propaganda work," it said, adding that Russian forces were also threatening the population of the northern part of Crimea.
New Delhi, March 8 : India has strongly condemned a barbaric terror attack on a camp of the Malian Armed Forces that claimed the lives of 27 soldiers, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Tuesday.

"India extends its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families of the lost ones, and wish speedy recovery of those injured in the terrorist attack," it said.

The attack took place on March 4 in the camp located in Mondoro in the central region of Mopti.

Besides the victims, 33 soldiers were injured, while seven others were reportedly missing.

On August 19, 2021, the militants attacked a convoy of the Malian Armed Forces also in the Mopti region that resulted in the killing of 15 soldiers.

Mali is the eighth-largest country in Africa
Mumbai, March 8 : Actor Atul Tiwari, who is part of the short film 'Every Life Matters', says that his experience of shooting the film was enriched because of the wonderful team and the producer.

The film has been produced by Girish Arora of Sane Insane Pictures, directed by Dadhi Pandey and also stars Satyajit Sharma, Sudeep Sarangi and baby Ayesha.

"It was a wonderful experience. The director is an old friend of mine, he belongs to Lucknow, like me. When he started in theatre, I was already an established theatre artist. I knew him from a young age and it is so heartening to see your juniors doing well. When he approached me to do the film, I didn't ask about anything else. I didn't even talk about money." "It was a day's work and I knew that I would be doing it. When the shooting date came, there was a good cameraman and the producer was so welcoming. So much so that every little green room in Madh island, they had put up a little invite which said - Thank you sir for coming - irrespective of who the green room was for. They were trying to be as warm as possible. The producer welcomed me and thanked me for not asking for a single penny. I was with another wonderful actor Satyajit and that made the atmosphere even warmer," he says.

The film's story is about the plight of people during the first wave of Covid and the subject was something Atul could relate to.

"In 2020, I was in Kanpur with my sister and brother-in-law for seven months during the first lockdown. The country was under lockdown, everyone was very edgy. People were leaving their places of work and travelling on foot to go where they wanted to go. That was very disturbing and I insisted on going and meeting and helping them. We made these packets to give to these migrant workers." "After that, I was so disturbed, that I wrote many pieces on the crises of Covid. When this film came my way, the subject was so nice. I had to do it," he says.

Talking about the challenges faced in a short film format, Atul adds: "The challenges of writing in any format are very big. But I am myself a writer and have also made films. I know that it's possible to do well in the short format as well. The only challenge is the release and how much people see it. But thanks to the OTT platforms and digital media, it's possible that more people see these films now. Now more short films are being made due to this. It's a good time for short films."
New Delhi, March 8 : Amid speculation of a hung Assembly in Manipur, the Congress has dispatched three observers to the state to oversee the post-poll scenario.

In 2017, the party even after being the single-largest party, had failed to form the government in Manipur.

The party has assigned T.S. Singhdeo, senior minister in the Chhattisgarh government, Vincent Pala and Mukul Wasnik.

The Congress has asked all its observers and party in-charges to keep tab on all its newly elected MLAs and inform the central leadership about the same on the counting day on March 10. This is being done to keep its flock together, said sources.

Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar has been sent to Goa to monitor and strategise there. Sources in the Congress said that he is going to camp in Goa for three days to ensure that the age-old party, which missed a chance to form the government by a whisker in the last Assembly elections, does not commit the same mistakes again. Shivakumar is going to stay put in Goa till the new government is formed, sources added.

Apart from the senior observers, the party has also another set of leaders in states where the party is anticipating a close contest or hung Assembly. P. Chidambaram is a senior observer of Goa, Jairam Ramesh in Manipur, Mohan Prakash in Uttarakhand, Bhupesh Baghel in Uttar Pradesh and Ajay Maken is in Punjab. The party in-charges have also been asked to remain in the respective states from March 10.

Sources say that the Congress wants to protect its MLAs from being poached and is likely to shift them after March 10.

The Congress fears poaching as happened in 2017 when despite emerging as a single largest party in Goa and Manipur, the party could not form the governments. The Congress is anticipating a similar kind of poaching in all the four states and in Uttar Pradesh also which might witness a hung Assembly, sources said.
Washington, March 8 : The Pentagon announced that it has agreed to extend National Guard support in Washington, D.C. for two additional days as a convoy of truckers and other drivers returned to the Capital Beltway.

National Guard members will continue to provide support at traffic control points in the city, including around the Capitol area, and they will be deployed through Wednesday, Xinhua news agency quoted Pentagon press secretary John Kirby as saying in a statement.

Last month, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin approved l700 unarmed National Guard troops to be deployed in Washington, D.C. from February 26 through March 7 to help with traffic.

The convoy returned ton Monday after running two loops around the interstate highway in the Washington metropolitan area a day earlier to protest against Covid-19 restrictions.

Organisers of the convoy said they won't go into the US capital's prosper.

Police in the Washington metropolitan area had urged motorists to expect delays over the past weekend due to activities of the convoy that has drawn both support and sharp criticism.

It remains unclear how many more days their demonstration, a spinoff from protests in Canada staged by truckers upset with vaccine requirements, will last.
New Delhi, March 8 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday told the Attorney General (AG) K. K. Venugopal that the way public sector undertakings (PSUs) are behaving is not good, while hearing a matter connected with arbitrator's fee dispute between Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Afcons.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana and comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and Hima Kohli told the AG: "Better, we close arbitration in the country".

Pointing to the exorbitant fee of arbitrators, which comprises mostly retired judges, of Rs 2.5 lakh per session and conducting three sessions in a day, the AG, who was representing the ONGC, told the bench, "You may have to".

The Chief Justice queried the AG, "So, we should ask the arbitrators to work without remuneration? Okay we will ask them".

The AG replied that there should be some uniformity in the fee of arbitrators and added that during the arbitration, the arbitrators passed an order of Rs 1.5 lakh for each sitting and their two sittings in a day amounted to Rs 3 lakh.

Venugopal said 54 sittings are already over and emphasised that the fee should not be fixed unilaterally, as it amounts to misconduct.

The Chief Justice queried the AG, if they do not not agree with the fee, then arbitrators are biased? The AG said, "There needs to be uniformity in this...public sector (companies) are also answerable." Venugopal added that the arbitrators' remuneration under the Fourth Schedule was agreed upon, however, they later differed on conference fees, reading fees, etc.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Afcons, pointed at the cap on fee in the Fourth Schedule. He queried, "If it is 30 sittings, do you want arbitrators who are retired Supreme Court judges to appear for Rs 30,000 per sitting?" Singhvi submitted before the bench that it should ask ONGC to say how much they are paying their lawyers.

The AG replied that the interpretation of the Fourth Schedule is pending before a two-judge bench of the top court. The Chief Justice said he would constitute a bench to resolve this issue. The bench issued notice in the matter, and scheduled it for further hearing on March 23.

Concluding the hearing, the Chief Justice told the AG, "The way PSUs are behaving is not good and not appreciable..." The bench added that at the time of appointing arbitrators, the government should say 'sorry, we don't agree with the fees.' On December 1, last year, the top court warned ONGC of contempt, for declining to pay fees to the arbitrators, retired judges, who have been arbitrating its dispute with Schlumberger Asia Services Ltd.

The top court said the public sector undertakings have so much money that they keep filing frivolous proceedings. The bench noted: "Then you have an issue in paying the arbitrators." The Chief Justice said: "What do you think of yourselves? We will issue contempt notice".

The bench further added, "you are insulting the judges. Why? because you have a lot of money".

The bench said that it was not happy to read the concerns raised by a retired judge in his letter to the court. Expressing displeasure with the ONGC conduct, the bench said: "Look at the arrogance of ONGC. I think they have a lot of money so they think they can do anything. How can this be permitted"?
Patna, March 8 : Bihar police has suspended the Jail Superintendent of Nawada district after suspicious death of an undertrial prisoner, a police official said.

An undertrial prisoner, Guddu Singh died on December 6 in Sadar hospital. He was allegedly facing charges of liquor smuggling and was arrested with 40 litres of country-made liquor at Rajauli checkpost on September 30, 2021.

As per the claims of Nawada jail authority, Guddu was ill for the past few weeks. He was taken to the Sadar hospital on December 6 where he died.

The family members of the deceased found external injuries on his body and filed a complaint before the higher jail authorities. Following this, a team headed by Nawada District Magistrate (DM) Yashpal Meena was constituted for investigation.

During investigation, the role of jail authorities was found to be suspicious.

The post-mortem report of the deceased also revealed that he sustained serious injuries on his body.

The DM also recorded the statement of other officials of Nawada jail as well as the doctor and some prisoners.

It appeared that Guddu was brutally assaulted inside the prison, Meena said.

He prepared a report and sent it to the Home department, DGP office and the ADGP prison office of Bihar.

On the recommendation of the Home department, ADGP prison passed a suspension order for Nawada Jail Superintendent Abhishek Pandey.
Ottawa, March 8 : Indigenous peoples of Alberta in Canada said that 169 potential graves were discovered on the grounds of a former residential school, according to a media report.

The school, known as the St. Bernard Mission School and about 370 km northwest of Edmonton, was opened by the Roman Catholic Church in 1894 and operated until 1961, Xinhua news agency quoted the report as saying.

Previously, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission had heard testimony from survivors about serious sexual and physical abuse, manual labour and the spread of illness at the school, which had a large population of Metis children.

The commission, which documented stories from survivors and issued a final report in 2015, has a record of 10 student deaths at St. Bernard.

An estimated 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Metis children attended residential schools in Canada.

The commission documented at least 4,100 deaths, the report said.

On September 30, 2021, Canada marked its first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honour lost children and survivors of the notorious indigenous residential school system in the country.

The day was made a federal statutory holiday by the government in June last year, as the truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) recommended in its 94 calls to action in 2015.

It will be observed annually on September 30.

An estimated 150,000 indigenous children attended residential schools, which were designed to strip them of their culture and language, between the 1860s and 1996.

Despite the marking of September 30 as a national holiday, several provinces, including Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario, have chosen not to recognise it, meaning that schools and provincial offices in these provinces will remain open.
Gandhinagar, March 8 : The opposition Congress on Tuesday challenged the ruling BJP in Gujarat Assembly to bring in a proposal to declare Nathuram Godse as nation's "first terrorist" and an "anti-national", if they truly believed in Mahatma Gandhi.

Speaking at the motion of Thanks on the Governor's address brought in by a BJP legislator, the Congress MLA from Dasada Naushad Solanki said that the BJP would not dare to show such courage and take up the challenge.

"Yesterday, Education Minister Jitu Vaghani was challenging the Congress, but today I challenge the BJP that if they truly believe in Gandhiji by truth, words and heart and if you have the courage, then bring in a proposal in this house, to declare (the murderer of Gandhi) Nathuram Godse as nation's first terrorist and an anti-national. You (BJP) don't have the guts to accept the truth and now will you teach us nationalism? When your own MPs are considering Godse as a Deshbhakt, how will you now teach us Desh Bhakti?" he asked.

"The institution which you (BJP) considered as your parent, it didn't even accept the country's pride Tricolour. When Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel relaxed the prohibition on the RSS on July 11, 1949, he had put in a condition of 'Explicit Acceptance of the National Flag' in it. Why did he have to put in such a clear and specific condition to accept the national flag? And that same year, the RSS had to hoist the Tricolour at their Nagpur headquarters on January 26. But after Sardar's death, you forgot Sardar and for 52 years didn't hoist the Tricolour. Aren't you forgetting that for 52 years your people insulted the national flag? The challenge by Solanki, however, did not evoke any response from the ruling party members.
Thiruvananthapuram, March 8 : In a fit of rage, a 55-year-old man shot dead his younger brother and seriously injured his uncle, who later passed away in the wee hours of Tuesday following a dispute over selling family property, the police said.

The gruesome incident occurred at the home of popular Karimpanal family at Kanjirapally in Kottayam district on Monday evening.

Karimpanal family for generations are into plantation and owns estates besides resorts in the hilly areas of Kottayam district.

According to police, 55-year-old George Kurian who is settled at Kochi and is into real estate business and is presently going through tough times on account of the Covid pandemic, arrived at his ancestral house where his parents also live during the weekend.

There were a few heated arguments between the siblings and on Monday late evening, George wanted to sell two acre of property of theirs, but was objected to by his 50-year-old younger brother Renju Kurian.

The aged parents unable to see what was happening locked themselves in their room.

George badly wanted to sell the land to come out from the tight financial position he is presently in, but Renju was not agreeable to it and intervening in the dispute was the siblings, 73-year-old uncle Mathew Kurian, who is understood to have supported Renju.

After a heated argument, George pulled out his licensed revolver and fired four times at point blank range at Renju and his uncle.

Renju died soon, while their uncle passed away in the wee hours of Monday at the hospital where he was in Kottayam.

Soon the police came and took into custody George and later his arrest was recorded.
New Delhi, March 8 : As exit polls gave BJP the edge in Goa assembly, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and briefed him about party's electoral chances.

Sawant reached national capital on Monday night and met Prime Minister Modi on Tuesday morning. Sources said that meeting lasted for about half an hour.

"Chief Minister Sawant met Prime Minister and briefed him about BJP's chances in the just concluded assembly polls in the state. The Prime Minister and the Chief Minister held a detailed discussion over Goa assembly polls. Prime Minister wished Sawant electoral success in Goa," sources said.

It is learnt that after meeting Prime Minister Modi, Sawant left for Mumbai to meet BJP election in-charge for Goa, Devendra Fadnavis. BJP Goa in-charge and national general secretary C.T. Ravi has already reached Mumbai.

"Fadnavis, Ravi and Sawant will meet and discuss possible political situation in case of a hung assembly," party insider said.

The BJP, meanwhile, started talks with smaller parties in Goa. Sources said that talks are on with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP).

Party insiders said that the discussion of Sawant and central leadership was to find out ways to cross the halfway mark in case the BJP falls short of majority. The ABP C-Voter Exit Poll has predicted between 13 and 17 seats for the BJP and between 12 and 16 seats for the Congress. The AAP is projected to win 1-5 seats. Goa has 40 Assembly seats with a majority mark of 21.

"After elections, I had not met PM Modi to brief him about the elections. The exit polls are also out, we have our survey too. So, I will give the detailed idea about the result and what can be done. We will also be discussing about formation of our government with the PM," Sawant told reporters in Goa before leaving for Delhi.

"We are fully confident that we are getting a majority and the BJP will form a government. Even if we fall short of one or two seats, I feel winning independent candidates will support us," he also said.

While the BJP had gone into the elections with its slogan '22 plus in 2022', Sawant said that even if the party is stuck at 17-18 seats, it would seek help from Independent MLAs to form the government.
Moscow, March 8 : The Russian Defence Ministry on Tuesday announced the opening of humanitarian corridors from the five besieged Ukrainian cities of From Kiev, Chernigov, Sumy, Kharkov, Mariupol for civilian evaciation amid the ongoing war.

Major General Igor Konashenkov, the Ministry's official representative, said: "In order to safely evacuate civilians from settlements, a ceasefire is introduced today from 10 a.m. (about 12.30 p.m. IST) and humanitarian corridors from Kiev, Chernigov, Sumy, Kharkov and Mariupol are opened," reports Sputnik News.

According to the Ministry, the column with evacuees will travel south along the route from Sumy to Poltava - a Ukrainian city 175 km to the south, the BBC rpeorted.

Earlier Moscow had proposed to evacuate Ukrainians into Russia but this has been rejected by Kiev as a manipulation and propaganda that will put people's life in danger.

The Ukrainian side has called on the Russian authorities to respect the agreement on the ceasefire.

Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk said they were planning to evacuate international students from India, China and other countries as well.
Chennai, March 8 : A 47-year-old firewood cutter in Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu has filed a complaint with the Soorangudi police station, alleging that he was forcibly made to undergo vasectomy at a government primary health centre (PHC) in Sayalkudi, Ramanathapuram.

Muthuserman of Sinthamani Nagar near Vembar in Thoothukudi in his complaint lodged on Monday said four people -- Soorvali, Muniasamy, Kasilingam and Selvaraj -- had met him on February 25 and took him to Sayalkudi PHC in Ramanathapuram district and forced him to undergo vasectomy.

He said a cheque of Rs 1,100 was given to him after the procedure.

However, a PHC doctor on condition of anonymity told IANS, "The procedure was done with his (Muthuserman's) permission and no-scalpel vasectomy method was followed." The doctor said the 47-year-old had given his blood sample before the vasectomy and was given medicines after the procedure.

Doctors said Muthuserman was aware of the vasectomy and that the doctors were not forcefully targeting people to conduct vasectomy procedures in Tamil Nadu.

However, the doctor agreed that Rs 150 was given to field workers, who bring people for vasectomy, as a small incentive.

He said Muthuserman and his wife Panchavarnam had come to the PHC after the vasectomy and had been given counselling.

The doctor added that people from far-off places reach Sayilkudi PHC in Ramanathapuram as it was awarded the best performing PHC of the state for three consecutive years.

However, in several villages touts lure alcoholics and illiterate people for vasectomy for the small incentive they get.

When contacted, the Station House Officer of Soorangudi police station said a complaint has been received and police is investigating the matter.
Bhopal, March 8 : BJP national president Jagat Prasad Nadda on Tuesday reached Madhya Pradesh's Indore where he is scheduled to participate in a series of events, including a high-level meeting with party leaders.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and state BJP president V.D. Sharma, along with several other party leaders, welcomed Nadda at the airport.

Nadda, along with Chouhan and other state BJP leaders, drove to Devas district in an open jeep rally.

A packed convoy of the BJP leaders and workers followed him with usual chanting of party's slogans. Nadda, who is scheduled to hold a high-level meeting with state BJP leaders, will participate in an event organised by the state government on the occasion of International Women's Day.

As per the state BJP office, Nadda, along with chief minister Chouhan, will transfer credit linkage distribution and national food plant to Swayam Sahayta Samukh in Devas. He will address members of the self-help-group (SHGs).

BJP leaders in Bhopal told IANS that before meeting the party leaders, Nadda will visit state organisation general secretary Suhas Bhagat's residence to condole the death of his mother.

A meeting with party leaders is scheduled to take place in the evening at party office in Indore, said a state BJP spokesperson.

According to the party's sources, Nadda will have one-on-one discussion with some senior leaders and Morcha (wing) presidents along with state committee members.
Islamabad, March 8 : Pakistan has expressed its desire to a play a role towards the de-escalation of tensions between Russia and Ukraine via mediation and table talks amid the ongoing Moscow-Kiev war.

Taking to Twitter on Monday, Khan said: "Earlier today I spoke with EU Council President Charles Michel about the Ukraine situation. Shared concern over continued military conflict, highlighted its adverse economic impact on developing countries, stressed urgent need for ceasefire & de-escalation.

"I emphasized the importance of humanitarian relief & reiterated call for a solution through dialogue & diplomacy. We agreed that countries like Pakistan could play a facilitating role in this endeavour. I look forward to close engagement to promote shared objectives." Khan's offer comes at a time when he lashed out at the European Union (EU) and the western bloc for demanding Islamabad to condemn Russia for invading Ukraine, reminding them of not being thankful to Pakistan for entering a war in Afghanistan and sacrificing thousands of its people and soldiers in the process.

The Prime Minister used strong words and rigid tone while addressing the EU, NATO and the US, stating that joining the western bloc was the worst mistake Pakistan made at the time.

Pakistan abstained from voting against Russia at the UN and maintained that the country would want to be a partner in peace.

The country has alsomaintained that it will not become party to anyone in the conflict, a stance that has raised eyebrows in the western bloc.

Pakistan has been carefully positioned itself on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, despite being under pressure from the West to condemn Russia.

The US has maintained that it is evaluating Pakistan's response to the situation unfolding in Ukraine.

Christopher Wilson, the Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia, said that Washington and the EU have imposed sanctions on Russia with an aim to cripple its economy.

On the other hand, Pakistan relies heavily on US and Europe for trade and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) through remittances.

The EU remains as the largest trading partner of Pakistan, a critical fact that may get affected if the bloc and US decide to sanction Islamabad over extending its trade relations with Russia amid external efforts by the west to damage Russian economy.

"The US State Department has called for the need to show strong response against Russia, including economically," said Wilson.

Experts do not believe that Pakistan's offer to play role in de-escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine, would help in filtering down the pressure Islamabad is faced with by the west to condemn Moscow.

However, the western bloc's hint towards possible consequences of not joining their position on the conflict, both diplomatically and economically, should be taken as serious concern for Pakistan going forward.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
New Delhi, March 8: Settled on a Dal Lake Island neighbourhood beside the National Institute of Technology in Hazratbal area of Srinagar, Nazir Ahmad Tinda's family heard in the evening on Sunday (March 6), that his 19-year-old Rafia was among the 25 civilians injured in a grenade attack. The blast had occurred yards away from a bulletproof vehicle of the Jammu and Kashmir Police on the western end of Amira Kadal, a bridge on the river Jhelum.

The entry point of the Gonikhan marketplace, which has witnessed scores of terror strikes in the last 32 years, remains usually crowded with shoppers and commuters. More than a hundred civilians are estimated to have died in such attacks. On January 25 some civilians had sustained injuries in a grenade attack at the nearby Hari Singh High Street. However, since long no major incident of violence had occurred in that business hub, nestled between Hari Singh High Street, Amira Kadal and Maharaja Bazar.

Mohammad Aslam Makhdoomi (70) of the Makhdoom Sahab was the first among the critically injured who was reported dead at a hospital. Hoping against hope, Tinda's family, relatives and neighbours kept awake. They all hoped Rafia would recover at a hospital. In the morning on Monday, they were told that she was no more.

The sprawling Shia locality in the Dal Lake was as usual preparing for the March 21 Nauroz celebrations. Shab-e-Baraat, a festival of candle lights to celebrate the 12th Imam Mehdi's birth anniversary, was also just a fortnight away.

Shias from across the valley descend on these tiny islands to buy the best stocks of the lotus stem Nadru and spinach, the famous Nauroz culinary specialities. Suddenly a pall of gloom descended on Friday (March 4), as around 60 Shias were reported dead and 200 injured in a suicide attack inside an Imambara in Peshawar, Pakistan.

The terror strike in Peshawar neutralised not only the pre-Nauroz festivity but also the special cheer at Tinda's residence. Rafia had lately passed her class 12 exam with flying colours and she was preparing for admission in a women's college. On Sunday, she had walked to Gonikhan to buy some apparel.

Rafia's last rites were conducted amid typical mourning with the hordes of females reciting elegies -- nowha and marthiya--in remembrance of Hazrat Imam Hussain and other Imams of the Shias, beating chests and crying for justice. The anger is perceptibly directed at the separatist guerrillas. Nobody claims the attacks in which civilians die. Nobody knows who exactly hurled the grenade but everybody knows that such fatalities came alongside the guns and grenades from Pakistan in 1988-89.

Due to the fear of reprisals, the valley doesn't protest much against the terror acts done or perceived to be done by the separatist militants. However, the anger and anguish remain writ large on every face even as the Kashmiris are heard cursing such actors of violence at homes and at private gatherings. Still, motley groups of youths went out on the streets to protest the killing of the 60 Shia Muslims. A group of youth was preparing to stage a protest with a candlelight march against the grenade attack at Amira Kadal and in solidarity with the victim families, on Monday evening, from Zero Bridge to the Press Enclave.

The public anger forced reactions even from the mainstream politicians who are otherwise known for being soft to the militants or glorifying militancy and calling for talks with the militants, separatists and Pakistan. A barrage of condemnations poured in from the former Chief Ministers -- Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti -- as also from several leaders of the Congress, Apni Party and the Peoples' Conference. Many of them dismissed it as a 'dastardly attack'.

Srinagar's Senior Superintendent of Police Rakesh Balwal, Inspector General of Police for Kashmir Vijay Kumar and IG CRPF Charu Sinha are sifting through CCTV footage in their attempts to get a clue with regard to identification and whereabouts of the man who lobbed the grenade. However, till late on Monday they were not able to get a lead. Some senior officials insisted that the Police and intelligence agencies had already received inputs about some possible grenade attacks by the militants in and around the summer capital. They had mounted the guard but it failed to pre-empt the one at Amira Kadal.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
Lucknow, March 8 : Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) president Jayant Choudhary on Tuesday rejected the exit poll predictions of the BJP's return to power in Uttar Pradesh.

Choudhary told reporters, "Whatever issues we could take to the public, we did. People have also given their votes. No one can know the results until the EVMs are opened. There is a process of exit polls. I have never seen any people conducting exit polls at booths during the casting of votes. I do not agree with this exit poll process." He said that the SP-RLD alliance will form the government in the state on March 10.

"We saw the enthusiasm and determination of the public during campaigning. They showed faith and confidence in our alliance. I think the survey has yielded different results," he said.

The RLD chief termed the exit polls an attempt to create 'pressure' and said it demoralises people who want a change in Uttar Pradesh.

"There is no doubt that our alliance will form the government in Uttar Pradesh this time. All this (exit polls) is an attempt to create mental pressure. It is a way to demoralise the people who want a change in the state. Sometimes people form their opinions on the basis of others' statements," he explained.

Jayant Chaudhary further said, "Some people went around with bulldozers for their election campaign instead of doing something for the state." The counting of votes will take place on March 10.
New Delhi, March 8 : The Total Fertility Rate, children per woman, in the country has reached 2.0 in 2019-21, compared to 2.2 in 2015-16, according to the National Family Health Survey. This means women are giving lesser number of births in their reproductive period. The Total Fertility Rate in the country has reached the replacement level of fertility which is the number of children needed to replace the parents, after accounting for fatalities, skewed sex ratio, infant mortality, etc. The population starts falling below this level.

The population replacement rate, which is the fertility rate needed to maintain a society's population size, is 2.1 children per woman. Countries with fertility rate below this number may experience an overall older demographic and a decrease in population size over time. According to World Bank data, the global fertility rate was 2.4 children per woman in 2019. This rate is approximately half of what it was in 1950 (4.7), and more economically developed countries such as Australia, most of Europe, and South Korea, tend to have lower rates than do less-developed or low-income countries.

Talking to IANS, Dr Neeta Singh, Professor, Department of Obst & Gynae, AIIMS, says that the urban fertility rate has reached the minimum level of 1.6 which is a major concern, however the rural fertile rate is 2.0 and overall fertility rate is 2.0. But, for a developing nation to keep a balance with death ratio and new population, we need 2.3 fertility rate, she warns. Dr Singh reasons late marriage trends in urban areas as prime factor for declining level of fertility.

"A woman gets married generally after 27-28, then needs time for settle down in life and then tries for child and after one or two years they visit doctors if she does not conceive", says Dr Singh adding that in between they cross the peak period of fertility which is 20 to 25 years. She argues that after this period, fertility remains in plateau condition to 30 years and starts declining after 30 years. After 35 years, female fertility declines faster, she says.

Infertility is "a disease of the reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse, defines WHO. There are two kinds of infertility - primary and secondary. Primary infertility means that the couple has never conceived. Secondary infertility means that the couple has experienced a pregnancy before and failed to conceive later. Globally, most infertile couples suffer from primary infertility, as per WHO.

In male also, fertility begins declining after 40 years. "This is just a myth that a male can remain fertile till 60 years", she told IANS. Most of the couple visits doctors when their fertility rate already starts declining, Dr Singh says.

"Research has found that the ovarian ageing of Indian women is around 5 years advance in comparison to the US and the UK which is a major concern. It means that if a woman can produce a child in the age of 40 in the US and the UK, in India the age will be only 35 years. However, whether the demographic condition or climate or race is responsible for this is not known yet," she told.

Talking about the male infertility, Dr Singh said that it is also increasing with speed due to rising stress, food alterations, sedentary life styles, irregular working styles and others. "Every second or third male is infertile or sub fertile in India. We rarely find 20 millions sperm count in any male, which used to be around 50 to 100 millions earlier. If we find even 15 million sperm count in a male, we consider it okay. Sperm dying is main causes for male infertility", Dr Singh added.

On being asked about whether IVF is solution to this rising infertility, she clearly rejected it and said that if eggs are not being produced, how can IVF work. Fertile eggs and healthy sperm can only make IVF success, opined Dr Singh.

However, Delhi based IVF specialist Dr Archna Dhawan Bajaj said that the cumulative success rate for IVF is around 45 per cent only. Talking about the causes of infertility, Dr Bajaj said that nearly 40 per cent male, 40 per cent female and 20 per cent both in couples contribute for the infertility.

(Avinash Prabhakar can be reached at Avinash.p@ians.in)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Mumbai, March 8 : Three women from Maharashtra have been honoured with the prestigious 'Nari Shakti Puraskar' of the Centre's Ministry of Women & Child Development for the year 2020-2021, to mark the International Women's Day, officials said here on Tuesday.

They include the famous 'snake-woman' from Buldhana, Vanita J. Borade, specially-abled Kathak danseuse from Pune Saylee N. Agavane and a poultry farmer from Osmanabad Kamal Kumbhar.

Known as the 'First woman snake-rescuer of India,' Borade, 47, launched the NGO, Soyre Vanchare Multipurpose Foundation for protecting nature, wild-life and a pollution-free environment.

Over the past few years, she has caught, rescued over 50,000 snakes and released them into their natural habitat, earning laurels, besides conducting training and awareness on snake-bites, first-aid, precautions, etc.

Suffering from Down Syndrome failed to discourage Agavane from pursuing her passion of Kathak and she has performed in over 100 programmes in India and globally, bagging the bronze medal at the Global Olympiad Dance Competition.

She launched the Saylee's Dance Classes and trained more than 50 specially-abled children in dancing to make them face society with confidence despite all odds.

Daughter of a labourer, Kumbhar walked out of a failed marriage and in 1998, turned a woman entrepreneur in the field of animal husbandry, founding the Kamal Poultry & Ekta Sakhi Producer Co.

In the drought-prone district, she helped over 3,000 women become self-dependent, provided solar energy to 3,000 homes and helped 5,000 women start their own micro-businesses to become self-reliant.

"These women have not allowed any form of discrimination or disadvantage to come in the way of their pursuit to accomplish excellence and have thus shown incredible resilience and perseverance," said Union Minister for Women & Child Welfare Smriti Irani, congratulating all the Nari Shakti Puraskar awardees.
Moscow/Kiev, March 8 : Viktor Yanukovych, the fourth President of Ukraine who was ousted from power during the 2014 protests, have urged the country's incumbent leader Volodymyr Zelensky to "stop the bloodshed".

Yanukovych, who currently lives in Russia in exile, said he wanted to "address Volodymyr Zelensky in a presidential capacity and even a little bit in a fatherly one", Ukrayinska Pravda reported citing the Moscow-based RIA Novosti news agency.

"I understand that you have many 'advisors' but it is your personal responsibility to stop bloodshed and reach a peace agreement.

"Ukraine, Donbas, and Russia all expect you to do this. The people of Ukraine and your partners in the West will be grateful to you," the pro-Moscow former leader said.

In November 2013, a wave of large-scale protests, known as the Euromaidan, erupted in response to Yanukovych's sudden decision to not sign a political association and free trade agreement with the European Union (EU), and instead choosing closer ties to Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union.

The protests continued as Russia pressured Ukraine not to sign the Ukrainian-European Association Agreement despite an overwhelming approval by Parliament to finalise it, amid widespread calls for Yanukovych to resign.

In January-February 2014, large scale protests engulfed Kiev which led to the deaths 108 demonstrators and 13 police officers.

In the wake of the most severe violence in the history of Ukraine, the Ukrainian parliament on February 22, 2014, voted to remove Yanukovych from office.

Yanukovych called the vote illegal and possibly coerced and took exile in Russia.

Protests further escalated after his departure in the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine, which led to a Russian intervention, the subsequent annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and the creation of the self-proclaimed breakaway states of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
New Delhi, March 8 : A massive fire broke out at a plastic factory in the Bawana area of the national capital on Tuesday morning, a fire department official said.

The official informed that they received a call about the fire incident around 7.46 a.m. at a plastic dana factory located at I-55, Sector-5, DSIDC, Bawana Industrial area, in north Delhi after which as many as 15 fire tenders were immediately pressed into the service.

"As the fire was massive, more fire engines were sent to the spot" the official said, adding 25 fire tenders were used.

Delhi Fire Service chief Atul Garg told IANS that around 100 firemen have been deployed to extinguish the inferno.

Pertinently, this time the Fire Department has utilised the services of a drone for sizing up the fire. "It is being used for better coordination and utilisation of the resources," Garg said.

The official confirmed that there have been no casualties or injuries in the incident, however, there was certainly a loss of property. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Thick fumes of black smoke could be seen billowing out of the factory.

At the time of filing of this report, the process to put out the fire was still going on but the official confirmed to IANS that the situation is now under control.

"Currently six fire engines are working and the rest have been called back," the official said.

The incident comes just six days after a fire broke out at a factory in outer Delhi's Narela area. No injuries or casualties were reported then.
New Delhi, March 8 : Taking lessons from the 2017 Assembly elections when in two states the Congress could not form the government despite being the single-largest party, the party has asked Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel to camp in Dehradun and senior leader Ajay Maken in Punjab.

The party anticipates a hung House in both the states and therefore is taking steps to keep its flock together and throw its hat in the ring.

Apart from Ajay Maken, the party has also sent its spokesperson Pawan khera to Punjab.

Earlier in the day, the Congress dispatched three observers to Manipur to oversee the post-poll scenario.

In 2017, the party even after being the single-largest party, had failed to form the government in Manipur. Hence, this time it has assigned T.S. Singhdeo, senior minister in the Chhattisgarh government, Vincent Pala and Mukul Wasnik to Manipur.

The Congress has asked all its observers and party in-charges to keep tab on all its newly elected MLAs and inform the central leadership about the same on the counting day on March 10. This is being done to keep its flock together in all the five states which went to polls, said sources.

Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar has been sent to Goa to monitor and strategise there. Sources in the Congress said that he is going to camp in Goa for three days to ensure that the age-old party, which missed a chance to form the government by a whisker in the last Assembly elections, does not commit the same mistakes again. Shivakumar is going to stay put in Goa till the new government is formed, sources added.

Apart from the senior observers, the party has also another set of leaders in states where the party is anticipating a close contest or hung Assembly. P. Chidambaram is a senior observer of Goa, Jairam Ramesh in Manipur, Mohan Prakash in Uttarakhand, Bhupesh Baghel in Uttar Pradesh and Ajay Maken is in Punjab. The party in-charges have also been asked to remain in the respective states from March 10.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Mumbai, March 8 : Summing up his experience of working in the show 'Ziddi Dil Mane Na' as 'amazing', actor Angad Hasija praises the team for their support. The actor was happy to be a part of the show where he played the role of Kundan.

He also expresses his happiness in joining the new mythological show 'Dharm Yoddha Garud' and playing a negative character in it.

"The team work was too good and Sunshine Production is one of the best production houses. I totally enjoyed working with them. After the shoot got over, I called Sudhir [Sharma] Sir (the producer) and thanked him. Working for these two months, I felt that my track never gets over. In a show, teamwork is a must and if there is positivity then you enjoy it more. I have worked approximately for 24 hours in 'Ziddi Dil... as at that time I was also simultaneously working on my other show Garud. I was tired shooting day and night for both shows. But everyone cooperated and treated me well," he says.

Angad will miss going on the sets of Ziddi Dil Maane Na', meeting the creatives and directors.

"Also, when I used to go to my vanity, S Diljot Kaur (Sanjana) used to be there. Since we both are Punjabis, we used to talk in our mother tongue and it felt so good," he shares.

The actor is also enjoying his stint in 'Garud'.

"When I heard about Garud and my character Daxat, I found it really interesting. It is negative and mythological. I had said no to many mythological roles earlier as I used to think it is not my genre. But after I got this offer, I thought of trying it out once. The character of Daxat is strong and the biggest enemy of Garud here. It is a bit difficult as it is pure Hindi, also costumes are a bit heavy, but as an actor you must try all these things," he adds.

This isn't the first time Angad is playing a negative role. His character in 'Ziddi Dil Mane Na' also had darker shades.

"I have just started with the negative roles. I think that when you are portraying a dark character, you get to know more about yourself and get a lot of appreciation. In Ziddi Dil... when I was playing the character of Kundan, it was negative, but people liked me in that and even in the gym they used to tell me that sir hume aap Kundan ke character mein bahut pasand aate ho. Such small things and appreciation are important. It is my first mytho as a negative lead," he says.

Angad believes in working constantly and doesn't repeat himself.

"Since the last 15 years I have been working non-stop and have played different characters. I feel blessed and thankful that the characters I have got are different. In TV, men usually don't get many opportunities, but the performance-oriented characters that I have played till now, I really liked them. I feel grateful," he wraps up.
Mumbai, March 8 : Actress Jacqueline Fernandez, who will be soon seen in the upcoming action-comedy 'Bachchhan Paandey', has urged people in the social sphere to collaborate and work towards improving the level of education for women.

Sharing her thoughts on the occasion of the International Women's Day, the actress said, "The most important thing that people can actually do is to collaborate in improving the world of education for women." Urging people to step forward and work in the right direction, the actress further said, "It would be great if people in that field come forward and be volunteers, help empower the children and women through education and what more they can do to improve their life which would make a huge difference.

Jacqueline also met the young girls of Municipal School and spoke with them on the subject of women empowerment and independence in an engaging way. She also shared a glimpse of her interaction with the young girls at the school.

For any progressive society, it's imperative that women get ample space to express themselves.

"We, as a nation, will prosper only when women are given the right to speak up for themselves and their beliefs, and when nations and organisations work to ensure that every woman is given the same opportunities to grow and progress," she added.

On the work front, Jacqueline will also be seen in 'Ram Setu', 'Kick 2', 'Cirkus' and 'Attack Part 1'.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Srinagar, March 8 : Lt. General D.P. Pandey, General officer commanding (GoC) of Army's Srinagar headquartered 15 corps said on Tuesday that youths are being lured to hurl grenades at busy places as militants have failed to carry out big strikes against the security forces.

The GOC said that the women of Kashmir have started coming on the forefront who otherwise were pushed to the wall in the past and this development will help prevent boys from treading the wrong path.

He was talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function organised on the eve of International Women's Day.

He said since militants are not able to carry out big strikes against the security forces now, young men are being lured to lob grenades at busy public places as seen the other day in the city where an elderly man and a young girl lost their lives.

"We believe society has a great role to play in preventing such incidents. Women were pushed to the wall and kept confined to four walls of the house. Now that they are out, we are sure they will help prevent young boys from choosing the wrong path," he said.

About the situation on the Line of Control (LoC), Lt. General Pandey said since past one year there is peace along the LoC as children are going to school and the people are carrying out agricultural activities without fear.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Bengaluru, March 8 : Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar will leave for Goa on Tuesday evening to handle the situation in case of a hung assembly in the state. "You will see what happenes in Goa on March 10," he said here on Tuesday before rushing to the coastal state.

The results of the assembly elections are going to be declared on March 10.

"I have been instructed to go to Goa by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and I am going. The party has given me a responsibility. I will go to Goa as a party worker," he said.

He said he doesn't trust the exit polls. Barring Uttar Pradesh, the Congress is going to win in all other states.

Shivakumar is scheduled to leave Bengaluru at 8 p.m. on Tuesday and will reach Goa at 9.30 p.m. Sources said the Congress is not taking any chances this time, learning from the previous experience.

Shivakumar is going to camp in Goa till the new government is formed. Sources close to Shivakumar said that he will put in maximum efforts to install a Congress government in Goa, as he is eyeing the post of Chief Minister in Karnataka after the assembly elections in 2023. "This is an opportunity for Shivakumar to impress the high command, which will take him one step closer to the coveted post." ABP-C-Voter exit polls have predicted 12 to 16 seats for the BJP and 13 to 17 seats for the Congress. Though Congress emerged the largest party in 2017 assembly elections by winning 17 seats, the BJP seized the opportunity and managed to form the government in Goa. BJP had then deputed Union Minister for Road Transports and Highways Nitin Gadkari as a trouble shooter.

Dinesh Gundu Rao, former Karnataka Minister who is in-charge of AICC Goa desk, has said if his party falls short of majority mark of 21 seats, it will seek the support from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and Trinamool Congress (TMC) to form the government.

Shivakumar, regarded as a master strategist and a resourceful man, is said to be a great advantage for the party. Shivakumar played a key role in installing the Congress-JD (S) coalition government even as BJP emerged as the single-largest party in Karnataka. He has come to the rescue of the party whenever its government is threatened in Maharashtra. He hosted Congress MLAs in a resort much to the chagrin of the BJP.

Later, Shivakumar was jailed for 50 days in a money laundering case lodged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Shivakumar had said that he was sent to jail because he did not join the BJP. With huge resource capabilities, Shivakumar could prove to be a shot in the arm for the Congress in the crucial negotiations with the legislators of other parties in Goa.
New Delhi, March 8 : The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued notice on a plea in connection with the admission of a child in class 1 in the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) challenging recent criteria on the age restriction.

A single bench of Justice Rekha Palli was hearing the plea by a parent for his child challenging the criteria of KVS on Class I admission for 2022-23 in KVS, in which the minimum age of a child has changed to 6 years instead of 5 years.

Taking submission of the plea, the court sought the responses of the Centre and KVS in the matter.

In the plea moved through Advocates Ashok Agarwal and Kumar Utkarsh, the petitioner alleged that the admission criteria of KVS is arbitrary, discriminatory, unjust, unreasonable, violative of the fundamental right to education of petitioner as guaranteed to her under Articles 14, 21 and 21-A of the Constitution of India read with the provisions of Delhi School Education Act, 1973 and Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.

While considering an interim order in the matter, the court slated the matter for further hearing on March 10.

The petitioner, a kid through her father Pawan Kumar, submitted that as she would be 5 plus age as of March 31, 2022, she was desirous of applying for admission in class I in respondent KVS in the academic year 2022-23. However, on February 24, 2022, all of a sudden KVS has made changes in minimum age criteria for admission in class I from 5 years to 6 years by uploading the impugned guidelines on the portal, just 4 days before the admission process starts.

The petitioner was shocked to find out by the impugned guidelines, that she has been made ineligible to apply for class I in respondent KVS in the academic year 2022-23, as per the plea.
Washington, March 8 : US drugmaker Moderna is set to build a Covid vaccine manufacturing plant in the low income countries in Africa, while also enforcing patents on its jab technology in rich nations.

Moderna plans to invest $500 million to produce messenger RNA, the technology underlying its Covid vaccines, at a facility in Kenya with the goal of manufacturing 500 million doses annually, CNBC reported.

Moderna could fill Covid vaccine doses at the Kenya facility as early as 2023 subject to demand, the company has said.

The biotech company reached the agreement with the support of the US government.

The drugmaker on Monday also announced that it now expects anyone in higher-income countries that want to use its patented technologies to respect the company's intellectual property, the Washington Post reported.

It added that it is willing to license its patents to others in those countries on "commercially reasonable terms", the report said.

Earlier, Moderna faced criticism from activist groups such as Oxfam International and Doctors Without Borders for not sharing its vaccine technology with middle- and lower-income countries.

The company said in October 2020 it would not enforce Covid-related patents during the pandemic and was willing to license its vaccine after the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization in June, last year,established a mRNA technology transfer hub in South Africa to support manufacturers in low- and middle-income countries. Researchers at the hub developed microlitres of the vaccine based on Moderna's Covid shot in February this year.

According to the WHO, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia will be the first six countries that will receive the technology needed to produce mRNA vaccines on the African continent.

Moderna's shot was chosen to replicate because more information on its development was available publicly, compared with Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine.
Patna, March 8 : A postgraduate student was found murdered in his native village in Bihar's Khagaria district on Tuesday, police said.

The body of Rakesh Kumar Thakur, 31, was found near an illegal liquor vend in Dumaria Buzurg village.

"The victim was residing in Patna for his post-graduation course. He had recently returned to his native village," Gogri range DSP Manoj Kumar said.

"According to the vicitm's father Uday Shankar Thakur, Rakesh went for the evening walk on Monday but did not return. They searched for him the entire night and found him dead on Tuesday morning," Manoj Kumar further said.

"The victim's body bore grievous injuries. During investigation, an auto was found parked near the body. It belongs to Pankaj Kumar, a native of Dumaria Khurd village. Another person Babloo Rai was also present at the spot," Kumar said.

Sources said that Rakesh may have indulged in verbal duel with Pankaj or Babloo and they might have probably killed him with sharp-edged weapons.

Pankaj left the vehicle on the spot as he suffered injuries due to which he could not drive, the sources said, adding that both of them are untraceable.

The local police are corroborating the possible sequence of incidents.

"We are making efforts to arrest the said persons," he said.

The body has been sent for post-mortem and further investigation is on," he said.
Sydney, March 8 : Flash floods are continuing to lash Australia's east coast, causing hundreds of people to flee their homes and has so far resulted in the deaths of 13 people in Queensland and seven in New South Wales (NSW), police said on Tuesday.

The police said the latest fatalities include two people, believed to be a mother and her adult son, whose car was swept into a stormwater canal in western Sydney, reports Xinhua news agency.

As of Tuesday, the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) had issued evacuation orders for regions stretching from the state's northern border with Queensland through to its southern border with Victoria, with displaced residents being urged to seek shelter in evacuation centres.

NSW SES commissioner Carlene York told local media that they issued 11 evacuation orders affecting over 60,000 people.

York said many roads remained unpassable with helicopters and boats being used for emergencies and the SES was working with telecommunication providers to restore contact in many cut-off communities.

The relentless deluges have smashed previous records with one of the hardest hit areas being the rural community of Lismore in northern NSW, where five people drowned as waters rose to 14.5 metres over the weekend.

Distressed Lismore citizens and other flooded communities have complained of having had inadequate support during their crises.

Lismore resident Harley Nelson told Xinhua that the "little country town" was a "low-income area, people don't have the money or ability to move far away".

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said he was "incredibly sorry" for the handling of the disaster.

"I don't want anyone in our state to ever feel that they are isolated and abandoned," Perrottet said. "And it's very clear to me, over the course of this period, that's how many people felt." Meanwhile, Weatherzone meteorologist Tom Hough said the east coast could expect the torrential conditions to continue throughout Tuesday before the massive and intense low-pressure system over the region began to ease on Wednesday.

The forecast for the 24 hours up to Wednesday midnight, is for downpours of more than 100mm to hammer the NSW south coast, while other areas can expect between 25mm to 50mm.
Kalaburagi : , March 8 (IANS) The Karnataka Police on Tuesday arrested Congress leader Mukarram Khan in Hyderabad for making a controversial statement on hijab.

Khan had given provocative statements during the protests on the hijab row, which had gone viral. In the video, he had said that those who oppose students wearing hijab will be 'chopped to pieces' and had urged the government to permit the hijab-wearing students to attend classes in Sedam city.

A case was lodged in the Sedam police station on February 16 against him.

As soon as the case was lodged, Khan went into hiding and moved bail petition in the Kalaburagi District Court.

The police arrested him in Hyderabad, but was later admitted to a private hospital because of his his health condition.

Hindu organisations condemned the statements of the accused and demanded his immediate arrest. The police registered cases under IPC sections 153 (want only giving provocation with intent to cause riot) and 293 (whoever, to the annoyance of others; does any obscene act in public place) and 298 (uttering words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person).

The Hijab row, which started as a protest by six students of Udupi Pre-University Girl's College, turned to be a major crisis in the state threatening law and order situation. Students and organisations across the state resorted to protests demanding rights of wearing hijab in the classrooms. The High Court constituted a special bench to look into the issue and the bench has reserved the matter for judgment.
Bhubaneswar, March 8 : The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Odisha police has arrested Tapan Kumar Samanta, a chit fund company director, for duping investors money of around Rs 15 crore, officials said here on Tuesday.

Earlier, the chit fund company's chairman and managing director, Pratap Kumar Biswal was arrested in the case.

Tapan was arrested from Kolkata in West Bengal and produced before the additional chief judicial magistrate, Baruipur, Kolkata on Monday. On the strength of transit remand, the arrested accused has been produced before the designated court, under OPID Act, at Balasore in Odisha, the EOW said.

The accused have been arrested in a case registered on the basis of a written complaint filed by one Sukadev Hota, Balasore against Pratap, CMD of Mass Infra Reality Ltd. and Human Welfare Credit & Thrift Co-operative Society Ltd. and its other six directors, including Tapan.

During investigation, the police found that Mass Infra Reality Ltd. was registered with Registrar of Companies, Kolkata during September, 2010 under the Companies Act, 1956. Pratap Biswal was its CMD and Tapan Samanta is one of the directors.

Subsequently, in 2012, the company changed its name to Human Welfare Credit & Thrift Co-operative Society Ltd. registered under Multi State Cooperative Societies Act, 2012 and Biswal was its president.

The accused have duped the complainant and many other depositors to the tune of Rs 15 crore on the pretext of returning a high rate of interest on deposits under different schemes floated by their company, the police said.
Hyderabad, March 8 : On the occasion of Women's day, the WazirX NFT Marketplace has announced its collaboration with popular Telugu actress Lakshmi Manchu.

Adding to her vision of 'women supporting women', Lakshmi, is on board, as a collector on the platform for the WazriX NFT.

It is also to be noted that the 'Gundello Godari' actress, collected 4 NFTs by some of the most talented female creators on the platform.

'Gangsta Sisters', 'Lockdown Dreams', 'Treasury of Love', and 'AMEYAA' are the NFTs collected by Lakshmi Manchu.

"In a male-dominated crypto world, we need more female role models. Added to this, is our focus and commitment to increasing women's participation in the NFT ecosystem. Lakshmi Manchu shares our vision and I am delighted that she chose the WazirX NFT platform", Vishakha Singh, VP, WazirX NFT Marketplace told the media.

Commenting on her latest venture, Lakshmi Manchu said, "In an exponentially growing world of the crypto, meta, and NFT, I want to encourage and empower more women to explore this new digital universe." "While most are unaware of how it works, there is no shying away from the fact that this IS THE future. My effort is to simplify this universe and create a road map for those who want to explore and invest in the digital future", Manchu Lakshmi's statement says.

On the other hand, Lakshmi Manchu has been busy shooting and has set a stage for her Malayalam debut with 'Monster' starring Mohan Lal.
New Delhi, March 8 : Coinbase, one of the leading cryptocurrency exchanges, has blocked over 25,000 addresses related to Russian individuals or entities engaged in illicit activity.

Coinbase said when a user opens an account, it checks provided information against a list of sanctioned individuals or entities provided by US, the UK, European Union, UN, Singapore, Canada, and Japan, as well as blocking users from sanctioned areas such as Crimea, North Korea, Syria, and Iran.

"If someone has opened a Coinbase account and is later sanctioned, we use this ongoing screening process to identify that account and terminate it. Because sanctions evaders often try to mask their identities, Coinbase also proactively works to map transactions beyond the entities and individuals specifically flagged by governments," it said in a statement late on Monday.

"Through advanced blockchain analysis, we proactively identified over 1,200 additional addresses potentially associated with the sanctioned individual, which we added to our internal blocklist," said Paul Grewal, Chief Legal Officer.

The company revealed that it keeps a list of accounts held by sanctioned people outside of Coinbase.

"When the United States sanctioned a Russian national in 2020, it specifically listed three associated blockchain addresses," it said.

"Through advanced blockchain analysis, we proactively identified over 1,200 additional addresses potentially associated with the sanctioned individual, which we added to our internal blocklist." Coinbase also claimed that digital assets are able to "naturally deter common approaches to sanctions evasion".

Several of the blocked Russian individuals or entities Coinbase identified through its own proactive investigations.

"The Russian government and other sanctioned actors would need virtually unobtainable amounts of digital assets to meaningfully counteract current sanctions. The Russian central bank alone holds over $630 billion in largely immobilized reserve assets," it informed.

That's larger than the total market capitalisation of all but one digital asset, and 5-10 times the total daily traded volume of all digital assets.
Seoul, March 8 : Owners of the Galaxy S22 series, the latest smartphones by Samsung, are gearing up to sue the company for the models' built-in game optimising service, which allegedly limits the phone performance, legal sources said on Tuesday.

The Galaxy S22 series released last month came under intense scrutiny at home and abroad for their built-in game optimising service designed to optimise CPU and other performance to prevent overheating during gaming, reports Yonhap news agency. The service has been applied in other Samsung smartphone models as well, where it can be disabled or removed, but it became impossible to do so on the latest Galaxy S22 models that come with the One UI 4.0 update, triggering complaints that Samsung is trying to artificially limit the phone performance, such as the operation of smartphone apps.

According to legal sources, owners of the Galaxy S22 series have recently opened an internet community to bring together people in order to join a class action suit against Samsung.After hiring a lawyer, the owners plan to file the suit seeking $242.40 in compensation per person.

"We bought a high-end product with a price tag of over 1 million won," one of the community's managers said. "We must exercise our rights as consumers cheated by an exaggerated advertisement." Samsung recently said it is going to soon issue a software update to fix 'app throlttling' issue that is affecting the performance of Galaxy S22 series smartphones.

At the core of the issue is a software called Game Optimizing Service (GOS), which is reportedly throttling the performance of 10,000 apps.

This list includes popular apps like Instagram, Netflix, TikTok, and even Samsung's own apps like Secure Folder and Samsung Pay.

The company said that it plans to add an option in its game launcher app to allow users to prioritise performance through the software update.
Ahmedabad, March 8 : Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) has signed an agreement with Indian Oil Corp Ltd (IOCL) towards augmentation of IOC's crude oil volumes at Mundra.

IOCL shall expand its existing Crude Oil Tank Farm at APSEZ's Mundra Port, thus enabling it to handle and blend additional 10 MMTPA crude oil at Mundra. This will support IOCL's expansion of its Panipat Refinery (Haryana). IOCL is raising the capacity at its Panipat Refinery by 66 per cent to 25 MMPTA to meet India's rapidly growing energy requirements.

"Mundra Port is a major economic gateway that serves the northern hinterland of India by providing multimodal connectivity. It gives us immense pride to strengthen our partnership further and support IOCL, which plays a vital role in ensuring the energy security of the nation. As IOCL's trusted long-term partner, APSEZ is well equipped to handle the additional 10 MMTPA crude oil at our existing single buoy mooring (SBM) at Mundra," said Karan Adani, CEO and Whole Time Director of APSEZ.

IOCL, which accounts for nearly half of India's petroleum products' market share, has a refining capacity of 80.55 MMTPA and over 15,000 KM of pipeline network. Part of IOCL's current crude oil requirement of 15 MMTPA for its Panipat Refinery is handled at the SBM at Mundra Port. The Mundra SBM is located 3-4 km off the coast where Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) unload crude oil. An undersea pipeline then transports this crude oil from SBM to the Crude Oil Tank Farm and thereafter to the refinery at Panipat via the Mundra Panipat Pipeline (MPPL).

IOCL is currently operating a crude oil tank farm in an exclusive area in Adani's Mundra Special Economic Zone, consisting of 12 tanks with a total capacity of 720,000 KL. The addition of 9 new tanks will augment the storage capacity to 1,260,000 KL, thus making Mundra Port by far the largest port based crude oil storage facility for IOCL. This shall be accompanied by augmentation of the MPPL pipeline capacity by IOCL to 17.5 MMTPA. IOCL Board had approved a capital expenditure of Rs 9,000 crore for the crude oil tanks and MPPL augmentation in December 2021.

This expansion project at Mundra Port underlines the trust of state-run IOCL in APSEZ, earned through its strategic approach of modernizing its ports, improving turnaround time, and thus creating value for its customers.
Chennai, March 8 : Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) of South Indian superstar turned politician Kamal Haasan is to felicitate women achievers in various fields.

The party on Tuesday called for recommendations from the public for its Women Achievers Award 2022.

MNM vice president R. Thangavelu in a statement said that women who were excelling as sanitary workers, teachers, doctors, drivers, and in other fields will receive the award from Kamal Haasan.

The party vice president in the statement said that those who wanted to recommend women achievers can do so through the website, www.maiam.com.
New Delhi, March 8 : Union Minister Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Tuesday said that women are given a pivotal role under the 'Har Ghar Jal' as they are the primary stakeholders and are involved in the programme from the very beginning.

"The women are part of planning, monitoring and also receive training to undertake water quality testing from time-to-time under the Jal Jeevan Mission. It is a move to empower the women and reduce their drudgery. The present government ensures 'ease of living' especially for people living in rural areas so that the urban-rural divide is bridged," Shekhawat said.

The Minister was talking ahead of the session he will be chairing as part of the Regional Conference with Ministers from six states and UT of Andaman & Nicobar Islands to review the progress made under Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen on Wednesday.

The conference will be held at Kolkata, attended in person by Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Prahlad Singh Patel, state Ministers along with senior officers from rural water supply and sanitation department, a release from the Ministry of Jal Shakti said.

States of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Mizoram, Odisha, West Bengal and UT of A&N Islands would participate and discuss on issues and challenges they are facing in implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen.

Among the participating states and UT, A&N Islands has provided 100 per cent coverage to all its rural households in 2021. Bihar aims to become 'Har Ghar Jal' in 2022, followed by Chhattisgarh and Mizoram in 2023 and finally Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal in 2024.
Mumbai, March 8 : British-Pakistani actress Zoha Rahman, who received positive response for her work in superhero film 'Spiderman: Far From Home', has been signed for actor Anshuman Jha's directorial debut 'Lord Curzon Ki Haveli'.

She will star alongside actors like Arjun Mathur, Rasika Dugal and Paresh Pahuja in the film, which has been written by Bikas Mishra. The film will go into production in the UK this month.

Sharing her excitement for the project, Zoha said, "Anshuman was a dream to work with, I will be forever grateful that he trusted me with one of his favourite characters and allowed me to make her my own." Every filmmaker has a distinctive voice and strength that adds value to the narrative. Revealing Anshuman's strength, the actress said, "His strength as a director lies in his experience as an actor, this puts us on the same wavelength so he can extract the best possible performance; it's because he thinks as an actor as well as a director!" Shedding light on her character, she further added, "My character was incredibly fun to play with, what ultimately made me say yes to this black comedy was the quiet strength she shows. She's absurdly unhinged and yet she could be any ordinary woman you meet on the street; the balance between the two extremes was why it was so much fun!" For Anshuman, he has found a perfect actor to bring his character to life, as he said, "Having Zoha on board is indeed a blessing as Visa issues had put us in a spot with one of the leads." Commenting on the film's subject and genre, the director said, "The film is a black comedy thriller about South Asians in the UK & she brings an added cultural angle which only adds to the narrative. It's a truly universal story and I am happy that we have a cast that represents that."
Mumbai, March 8 : Actor Aryann Arora known for featuring in shows like 'Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya' and 'Chhoti Sardaarrni' wants to play roles which highlights social issues.

He says: "As an actor I aim to play characters which are highly significant to the story and also highlights social issues.I believe such shows educate society while entertaining them. So I always want to be part of such shows, and play important characters. I want to grow as an actor playing more challenging and promising roles." Aryann, who is currently seen playing the role of an army officer in supernatural fiction series 'Naagin 6' looks forward to play a lead role soon.

He adds: "I'm enjoying and learning while playing important characters in the show. Audience enjoys watching me and shares their love and greetings with me time and again on my social media. They motivate me to perform my best. I'm sure in coming time with my hard work and efforts I'll definitely get the opportunity to play titular characters."
New Delhi, March 8 : For Kerala, the year ahead is packed with absorbing events and festivities including the Kerala Travel Mart in May, Champions' Boat League and literary fests and adventure tourism activities, said VR Krishna Teja, State Tourism Director, here on Tuesday.

He was speaking on the sidelines of a Partnership Meet held here on Tuesday. He said that in a paradigm shift from a one stop location specific approach, Kerala has firmly marked itself as a destination for extended holidays for all segments of visitors with a bouquet of diverse experiences across the state.

Kerala has also launched a major initiative to open up the whole state to tourists in a sustainable manner without disturbing the ecology and cultural mileu of the destinations by partnering with the local communities and civic institutions.

"With the pandemic caused international travel restrictions being lifted, Kerala is in a resurgent mode now and the recently launched products will woo travellers from both inside and outside the country", said Krishna Teja.

Kerala has initiated caravan tourism to host domestic and foreign guests. "Keravan Kerala, the states caravan tourism initiative has elicited tremendous response from the industry within a short span of time, emerging as a major product after Kerala Tourism recorded an exponential rise powered by the houseboat cruise some three decades back, he added.
World's most advanced oil rig at ONGC well in Andhra. Image Source: IANS News

World's most advanced oil rig at ONGC well in Andhra. Image Source: IANS News

Bhimavaram : , March 8 (IANS) Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited (MEIL) has manufactured, delivered and commissioned world's biggest advanced oil rig at Oil and Natural Gas Commission's gas exploration site.

The 2,000-HP land drilling rig equipped with robotic arm is the first of its kind to be used for on land drilling in the world, MEIL officials said while demonstrating the technology to a group of journalists at the oil well on Tuesday.

The oil well is part of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation's Rajahmundry asset covering oil and gas prospects in the East and West Godavari districts in Andhra Pradesh.

An oil rig is a structure with equipment for drilling an oil well.

This is a state-of-the-art indigenous oil rig and can drill up to 6,000 metres (6 km) deep into the earth, said K. Satyanarayana, technical head, oil rigs, MEIL.

With the latest and best in class features in the world, it can give a performance equal to a 3,000-HP traditional rig.

This oil rig has been specifically designed for high pressure area. It can work in 220 degree Celsius temperature and 15,000 PSI (pound-force per square inch) well pressures.

Conventional rigs can handle only 7,500 PSI well pressure.

The rig has the world's best and most advanced hydraulic technology features. "As the energy prices soar, the advanced rigs are very crucial for Indian energy sector to drill the oil and gas wells faster and increase the oil and gas production for domestic use. MEIL is the first private player in India in manufacturing highly efficient oil drilling rigs with indigenous technology under the 'Make in India' and 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' initiatives," Satyanarayana said.

This rig, which is estimated to have cost Rs 200 crore, is part of Rs 6,000 crore order MEIL had won from ONGC for supply of 47 rigs -- 27 land drilling rigs and 20 workover rigs.

A workover rig is a specially designed rig to take out or insert tubing into a well.

The MEIL has supplied 10 land drilling rigs to ONGC. While three of them are already operational, other seven rigs are in final stage of installation and commissioning and these rigs will be operational in 4-5 weeks across various onshore ONGC Fields.

The MEIL will be manufacturing and supplying all the rigs to the ONGC assets in Assam (Sibsagar, Jorahat), Andhra Pradesh (Rajahmundry), Gujarat (Ahmedabad, Ankaleshwar, Mehasana and Cambay), Tripura (Agartala) and Tamil Nadu (Karaikal).

The group has so far supplied first lot of five workover rigs to Mehsana, Ahmedabad, Ankleshwar, Agartala and Shibsagar ONGC fields. They are ready to be operational. The second lot of 5 rigs are also under advanced stage of manufacturing.

The officials said despite the impact Covid-19 had on the manufacturing, MEIL is committed to complete the project with its expertise, dedication and hard work. The problem of getting components from global suppliers is still persisting, however, the supply chain of the industry is slowly recovering which is helping in the timely delivery of the rigs, they said.

"As the Covid-19 is in endemic stage, we have expedited the manufacturing of rigs and their deliveries as promised," Satyanarayana said.

He said, most of the components built indigenously by MEIL along with its sister concerns including its Italian subsidiary Drillmec SpA.

MEIL, the only private player in India to manufacture oil rigs, already has orders worth $2 billion on hands. These include $550 million order from Mexico to supply 5 rigs.

MEIL, which aims to emerge as a global player in energy sector, both upstream and downstream, is setting up oil drilling rig manufacturing hub in Hyderabad.

In January this year, Drillmec SpA, a subsidiary of MEIL, signed a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government of Telangana for setting up its global manufacturing hub in Hyderabad with an investment of $200 million.

The hub includes manufacturing, research and development, and a Centre of Excellence to impart cutting-edge training.
Police and villagers clash outside NTPC plant in Tandwa, a dozen vehicles set on fire. Image Source: IANS News

Police and villagers clash outside NTPC plant in Tandwa, a dozen vehicles set on fire. Image Source: IANS News

Chatra/Ranchi, March 8 : At least 27 persons were injured at Tandwa in Chatra district of Jharkhand after a violent clash broke out between the district police and the locals protesting since the last 14 months against the construction of a National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) plant.

An angry mob burnt more than a dozen trucks and two-wheelers outside the NTPC plant on Monday.

Senior police and district administrative officers of North Chotanagpur division immediately rushed to the site.

On Tuesday, several MLAs created a ruckus in the Jharkhand assembly over the incident, after which the state government swung into action by launching an investigation into the incident within 24 hours.

The NTPC plant in Tandwa is under-construction since 1999 and has not become fully operational till date.

People living in the area, whose properties have been taken away for setting up this plant, have been holding protests for the last two decades raising demands such as financial compensation, rehabilitation and jobs.

There have been several incidents of violence between the locals and the NTPC management, police and local administration.

Despite agreement on several demands, this matter has not been resolved till date.

For the last 14 months, a large group of displaced locals have been holding protests outside the NTPC plant.

On Monday evening, a tanker loaded with chemicals reached the NTPC plant which was stopped by people protesting outside the plant.

When the police tried to disperse the mob, the latter started pelting stones at the police. The police reacted by resorting to a lathi-charge and fired tear gas shells at the angry mob.

The angry protestors set ablaze eight NTPC vehicles, including a dozen vehicles outside the thermal power plant.

The protestors also attacked the offices and site of the outsourced company engaged in the construction work of the plant and vandalised private property as well.

Of the 27 injured persons, seven are reportedly in critical condition and the doctors have referred them to Ranchi for further treatment after giving first aid.

The NTPC and the firms working for it have suffered heavy losses to the tune of several crores of rupees.

The tents installed at the protest site were removed with the help of JCB machines.

After receiving information about the incident, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Hazaribagh range), Narendra Kumar Singh, Chatra Deputy Commissioner Anjali Yadav, Chatra Superintendent of Police Rakesh Ranjan, Chatra Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Avinash Kumar and Tandwa SDPO Shambhu Singh reached the site along with a police team.

The Jharkhand Assembly held a heated discussion over this incident. Congress MLAs Amba Prasad and Bandhu Tirkey, All Jharkhand Students Union-party leader Sudesh Mahto and Bharatiya Janata Party's C.P. Singh raised the matter on the floor of the Assembly.

The opposition MLAs said the people displaced due to the construction of NTPC plant are being lathi-charged and killed by the district administration which is unfortunate.

On getting no response from the state government over the incident, opposition MLAs continued to create a ruckus in the House.

Later, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Alamgir Alam on behalf of the state government said appropriate action would be taken after investigating the matter within 24 hours.
Hyderabad, March 8 : India's first 100 per cent women-owned FLO Industrial Park in Hyderabad began operations on Tuesday, the international women's day.

Promoted by FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) in partnership with the Telangana government, the park announced commencement of operations by 25 women-owned and operated units representing 16 diverse green category industries.

The 50A acre FLO Industrial Park has been established with an investment of Rs 250 crores is the flagship project and first of its kind at a national level with participation open to chapter members, and the national members of FLO. The park has already garnered tremendous interest from women entrepreneurs to run and operate their business, FLO said.

The industrial park conceptualised in 2013 exclusively for women was formally inaugurated by Telangana's Industry Minister K T Rama Rao in the presence of FLO national President, Ujjwala Singhania, FLO Hyderabad Chairperson, Uma Chigurupati, FLO National Governing Body Member, Jyotsna Angara and others.

From the electronic sector to packaging, medical devices, wellness, engineering, and food processing, the park is at its core to demonstrate the power of women in the industry. FLO and its members infused significant investment to build this park, wherein the government provided the roads, electricity, water, sewerage, and sub-station. The park has also created amenities to offer a home environment for women by keeping in mind the necessities of working women entrepreneurs, including designing creches and playschools.

Rama Rao urged the entrepreneurs to think big, start to think about emerging technologies and focus on aerospace, defence, food processing, and forge global partnerships.

He promised another 100 acres for the expansion of FLO women industrial park, subject to the park focus on novel products. He also offered additional 10 per cent subsidy for women entrepreneurs.

Principal Secretary, IT, Jayesh Ranjan, applauded the unique aspect of the FLO Park as it has a very diversified set of industry from manufacturing to services all in green areas. Creating opportunities across spectrum is another area the government will be keen to embark upon.

Singhania said the objective of the park is to propagate and encourage sustainable development and growth. She termed it as a significant milestone which will pave the way to create more integrated business townships linked to the Industrial parks and establish such projects at various chapters.

"The dream-to-reality of this project is the result of the support from the government of Telangana. We are happy to announce today the commencement of 25 green projects totally owned by women, with many more in the pipeline, we expect this industrial park to generate 1600+ jobs in the next 2years of operation," said Chigurupati.

Angara expressed the opinion that India can increase its targeted GDP from 16 per cent to a much higher number by enabling women to participate in the growth of the economy. "This is an opportune time, today being International Women's Day, to convene action and not just a Dialogue on how to promote women's economic empowerment. It is said that the one way to make sure women participate in the economic growth of the country is by creating a healthy eco-system for women entrepreneurs. Such Industrial Parks shall give a tremendous boost to the ecosystem." Established in 1983, FLO is a division of FICCI with its headquarters in Delhi and chapters in Mumbai, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Ahmadabad, Bengaluru, Indore, Ludhiana, Pune, Guwahati, Kolkata, and Lucknow representing over 5,700 diverse members.
Chennai, March 8 : The ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu is in a spot at Nelikkuppam municipality in Cuddalore district after party leader Jayanthi Radhakrishnan who was elected municipal chairman refused to quit the post despite directive from the party high command.

The post was allotted to the DMK's ally Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) but was seized by DMK's Jayanthi Radhakrishnan.

Party supremo and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M.K. Stalin had warned all the DMK councillors and ward members to quit their respective posts if they had seized it from the party allies.

In this context, Jayanthi Radhakrishnan has to quit as the seat was allotted to the VCK. The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi cadres are blocking the street at Nellikkuppam municipality and a heavy posse of police is deployed to prevent any untoward incident.

Interestingly Jayaprabha Manivannan of the DMK who was elected as the Vice-Chairperson of the municipality resigned from the post following the party directive. Vice-Chairman post was also reserved for the VCK.

Of the total 30 wards in the municipality, DMK won in 13 and its allies in 5. AIADMK won 3 wards. DMDK and PMK won one ward each while independents won in 7 wards.

Sources in DMK said that the party local leadership was not willing to part with the post of Chairperson. Jayanti Radhakrishnan of the DMK got 23 votes while the VCK candidate Girija Thirumaran polled only 3 votes. Three votes became invalid and an AIADMK member abstained.

The post of Vice-chairman was also held on March 4 afternoon and Girija Thirumaran contested for the VCK against Jayaprabha Manivannan of the DMK.

While Jayaprabha received 22 votes, Girija Thirumaran got 6 votes. One member abstained from voting while another vote was declared invalid.

After the DMK high command intervened, Jayaprabha Manivannan resigned and Girija Thirumaran will be elected to the post of Vice-Chairman.
Hyderabad, March 8 : On the occasion of International Women's Day, megastar Chiranjeevi has felicitated the production ladies of Tollywood.

Women from different departments of the production team, including the housekeeping section, other day labourers, were awarded a hamper, along with a saree each.

The megastar, who participated in the International Women's Day celebrations organized at the Chiranjeevi Charitable Trust (CCT), recognizes the hard work of the women, who did not step back to serve the industry even during the pandemic.

Speaking on the occasion, the veteran actor spoke highly of his wife Surekha, whom he credits for all his success in life.

"My wife Surekha, was the youngest in her family. But, as we got married, she was drowned with multiple responsibilities, which she took up with grace. Her contribution was immense and hence I was able to focus on career and movies completely," Chiranjeevi stated.

Chiru said that a woman is a backbone for any family, and carries multiple responsibilities even in society.

Additionally, he recalled that his mother had been working hard since she was a child and said today's women are reaching new heights, like flying to the moon and winning Olympic medals.

He urged everyone to work for women's empowerment. To him, feminine power should be something the world can be proud of.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
London, March 8 : While brain-related abnormalities have been observed in cases of severe Covid-19, a new study suggests that even a mild infection can result in tissue damage and greater shrinkage in brain areas related to smell.

Researchers from the University of Oxford looked at changes to the brains of 785 people, aged 51-81, on average of 4.5 months after mild SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The study, published in the journal Nature, identified a number of effects, including a greater reduction in grey matter thickness in the regions of the brain associated with smell (the orbitofrontal cortex and parahippocampal gyrus).

Participants who had Covid-19 also displayed evidence of greater tissue damage in regions connected with the primary olfactory cortex, an area linked to smell, and a reduction in whole brain size.

These effects ranged from 0.2 to 2 per cent additional change compared with the participants who had not been infected.

These findings may be the hallmarks of the degenerative spread of Covid, either via pathways related to the sense of smell, inflammation or immune response of the nervous system, or a lack of sensory input owing to a loss of smell.

"Despite the infection being mild for 96 perA cent of our participants, we saw a greater loss of grey matter volume, and greater tissue damage in the infected participants," said lead author Professor Gwenaelle Douaud, from the varsity.

The participants also underwent two brain scans, on average 38 months apart, as well as cognitive tests, before being infected with SARS-CoV-2, and also after infection.

On average, the participants who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 also showed greater cognitive decline between their two scans, associated with the atrophy of a specific part of the cerebellum (a brain structure) linked to cognition.

Separately, the team studied people who developed pneumonia not related to Covid, showing that the changes were specific to Covid, and not due to the generic effects of contracting a respiratory illness.

The participants "also showed greater decline in their mental abilities to perform complex tasks, and this mental worsening was partly related to these brain abnormalities," Douaud said.

Importantly, all these negative effects were more marked at older ages.

Whether these effects persist in the long term, or are partially reversed, requires further investigation, Douaud said.
San Francisco, March 8 : Google on Tuesday announced to acquire leading cyber defense and response company Mandiant in an all-cash deal of $5.4 billion.

Upon the close of the acquisition, Mandiant will join Google Cloud.

The acquisition of Mandiant will complement Google Cloud's existing strengths in security, the company said in a statement.

"Organizations around the world are facing unprecedented cybersecurity challenges as the sophistication and severity of attacks that were previously used to target major governments are now being used to target companies in every industry," said Thomas Kurian, CEO, Google Cloud.

"We look forward to welcoming Mandiant to Google Cloud to further enhance our security operations suite and advisory services, and help customers address their most important security challenges," he added.

With the addition of Mandiant, Google Cloud will deliver an end-to-end security operations suite with even greater capabilities to support customers across their cloud and on-premise environments.

Mandiant brings real-time and in-depth threat intelligence gained on the frontlines of cybersecurity with the largest organisations in the world.

"Since our founding in 2004, Mandiant's mission has been to combat cyber attacks and protect our customers from the latest threats," said Kevin Mandia, CEO, Mandiant. "To that end, we are thrilled to be joining forces with Google Cloud. Together, we will deliver expertise and intelligence at scale, changing the security industry." The acquisition of Mandiant is expected to close later this year.
New Delhi, March 8 : Four people were apprehended by the Delhi Police for assaulting a man in the national capital, however, the injured in revenge filed a complaint of motor vehicle theft to strengthen the case against the accused.

The accused were identified as Dhimanshu (23), a resident of Madangiri and Nishu (20), Rahul (21) and Jasvinder Singh (19), all residents of Najafgrah, Delhi.

Furnishing details, DCP Shankar Choudhary said a complaint was lodged by Nobit Ahuja on March 6, regarding the theft of his Royal Enfield Motorcycle from Dwarka Mor following which an FIR under section 379 was registered at Police Station Dwarka North.

At the instance of the complainant, CCTV footage of the spot as well as nearby places and routes were analysed but neither the movement of the complainant nor his motorcycle was found at the spot. Hence, the complainant was examined in detail and after the sustained interrogation, he disclosed that on March 3, a quarrel took place with his friends in the area of Chhawla.

"During the quarrel, he took several injuries on his head and other body parts and immediately reached RTR hospital in injured condition and after treatment, he reached the house. Due to body pain, he did not visit the Police Station," the DCP said.

Further Nobit Ahuja stated that he wanted to see his friends in jail and made a plan to book his friend in a theft case of motorcycle which was sold to Dimanshu by him through registered owner but that was not transferred in favour of Dhimanshu in the transport authority so far. As per the plan, an E-FIR regarding the theft of Royal Enfield Motorcycle was registered by him online.

Later on, as per the statement of Nobit Ahuja, another FIR under sections 323, 341 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code was registered at Police Station-Chhawla and all the accused -- Dhimanshu, Nishu, Rahul and Jasvinder Singh -- were apprehended.

During interrogation, the accused involved in the physical assault case disclosed that about 8-10 days back, a heated argument took place with Nobit over a belt that one of them had bought from the latter's shop.

"So to take revenge, they made a plan and called Nobit Ahuja to an abandoned place situated near their locality and assaulted him," the official added.
New Delhi, March 8 : Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan delivered an unsparing speech, at a public coordination campaign in Vehari district's Mailsi tehsil, addressing the Opposition on the planned no-confidence motion against him. He lashed out naming his political rivals individually and questioned their credentials. While some believe that he is very sure of staying in power with support from the military establishment, others claim he is increasingly getting desperate and in a state of panic over the no-confidence move.

The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance of opposition parties, is currently in the process of finalizing the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan, claiming to have the support of enough lawmakers in the Parliament to make the ouster a success. Imran Khan, on the other hand, challenged the PDM to introduce the motion in the Parliament, declaring that after its failure, they would have to face consequences. During his speech, he used extremely derogatory language against Maulana Fazlur Rehman addressing him as 'Fazlu Diesel' beside describing Asif Ali Zardari as '10 per cent and cinema tickets blacker', Nawaz Sharif as 'absconder and offender/Bhagora' and Shehbaz Sharif 'boot polisher of Generals'.

The PDM in response, mainly through social media, made a mockery of Imran Khan for being 'anxious', 'petty' and 'politically immature'. Meanwhile, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has declared a "war" against Imran Khan. They are on a march, which is crossing Punjab presently, and their demand is Imran Khan's resignation. Shahid Masood revealed that after PPP's long march to Islamabad, which is due for March 8, another march by thousands of people, possibly TLP and JUI, will storm Islamabad. He, however, declined to divulge the names of marchers.

Reiteration of anti-US and anti-West stance, during the speech, endorsed reports of Imran Khan's fear of ouster from power. It is said that PM Khan is trying hard to build a narrative should he be removed from authority. In case the no-confidence move succeeds, he can claim that he was thrown out because of his anti-America stance and his fight for civilian supremacy. This may be linked with his strong reaction against European Union for urging Pakistan to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He was referring to a letter sent by the EU envoy earlier this week, urging Pakistan to vote against Russia during the UNGA session. PM Imran Khan specifically questioned if India was sent the same letter on taking sides, asking if EU considers Islamabad their "slave" and also raised the Kashmir issue questioning if they severed ties or halted trade in response to India's alleged international violations.

PM Khan's harsh comments against PDM leaders by name came as a surprise to all with some analysts considering this as part of efforts at his end to project a false sense of confidence. Some others feel that over the last few days there could have possibly been some degree of understanding between the establishment and Imran Khan which is visible in the form of this heightened confidence. However, the fact remains that there is a strong build up against PM Khan all across and the opposition is in its final stages of planning to move a no-confidence motion against him.

According to reports emanating from Islamabad a meeting was held on February 7 at the Zardari residence to finalize the issue with the participation of Asif Zardari, Shehbaz Sharif, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Yousuf Raza Gilani, Ahsan Iqbal, Maryam Aurangzeb and others. In August 2008, a meeting between Zardari and Nawaz Sharif at the Zardari residence decided on impeachment against President Musharraf and Musharraf had to resign after ten days.
New Delhi, March 8 : The BJP has started working on plans to form a government in case of a fractured mandate in Uttarakhand.

As exit polls hinted at a tough fight between the BJP and the Congress in Uttarakhand, the ruling party is now banking on independents and regional outfits to form the government in the state.

The ABP C-Voter Exit Poll indicates Congress is likely to win 35 seats in the 70-member Uttarakhand Assembly, while the ruling BJP is projected to win 29 seats in the state. The Exit Poll also shows that the key to power is likely to be in the hands of Independents and others who are projected to win five seats.

Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is likely to win three seats.

Expressing confidence of winning the majority in Uttarakhand, a senior BJP functionary told IANS that the party will form the government and like-minded individuals will support if fall short of halfway mark. "If we fail to cross the halfway mark then we will seek support from independents and other like-minded people. We are in touch with some people and few will resign to help us form the government," he said.

It is learnt that the BJP will first eye the others which includes independents and Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) and the BSP. "As per the exit polls, others are projected to win three to seven seats in the state and the BJP 29. With the help of others we will easily form the government. If more is required there are some others who will resign to help us," a senior BJP leader said.

It is learnt that the saffron camp is also approaching few Congress candidates for their help if required to form the government in the hill state for the second time. BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya reached Dehradun on Sunday and held a meeting with senior state leaders including Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. Uttarakhand BJP in-charge and party national general secretary Dushyant Gautam also reached Dehradun on Monday.
Agartala, March 8 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said that the northeastern region was once known for insurgency, infiltration, blockades, drugs menace and corruption, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi with ambitious development missions turned the eight states of the region into "Ashtalakshmi".

Shah said that the Prime Minister with his growth mission for the northeastern region developed infrastructure, connectivity and boosted organic farming besides investing crores of rupees.

Addressing a public meeting in Agartala on the completion of four years of the BJP led government in Tripura, the Home Minister without naming the previous Left Front government said that earlier there was militancy, infiltration, bandhs and corruption and today, Modi Ji has taken Tripura on the path of a new development era.

He said: "For 25 years, Tripura had suffered a lot under communist rule. Today under PM Modi and Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, Tripura is known for peace and progress. Tripura, which was earlier plagued by violence, corruption and illegal drug trade, is today moving towards becoming self-reliant." Shah said that the government after several years of uncertainty has been providing a settlement to 37,000 Reang tribal migrants from Mizoram in Tripura. Also, after an agreement all the cadres of the militant outfit, National Liberation Front of Tripura, surrendered and joined the mainstream.

"Under the leadership of Chief Minister Deb, the drug menace was curbed in Tripura and the state will be made a new hub of trade and business making it a drugs free state. The double engine government has increased the per capita income of the people of Tripura to Rs 1.30 lakh in just four years and farmers' income reached Rs 11,000 per month from Rs 6,500." He claimed that during the erstwhile Left government over 39 BJP workers and functionaries were killed.

To develop the National Highways, Rs 7,000 crores are being invested in Tripura and six express trains have linked the state with many big states of the country, he added.

Referring to the surgical strike in Pakistan, the Home Minister said that Prime Minister Modi in a befitting retaliation through this daring action showed the world that India is capable of hitting back at the terrorists.

Mentioning the repeal of Article 370, Shah said that development is not possible where violence, drugs and other adverse activities take place.

He urged the people to give a chance to the BJP to run the government in Tripura for another five years to make the state a model state in the country. Elections to the 60-seat Tripura assembly will be held early next year.

Tripura Chief Minister Deb and other leaders also spoke at the meeting, organised at the Vivekananda stadium here.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Chandigarh, March 8 : Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who also holds the finance portfolio, on Tuesday proposed a populist budget of Rs 177,256 crore for 2022-23, a increase of 15.6 per cent over this fiscal of Rs 153,384 crore.

He also announced a 'Sushma Swaraj Award' for women for their significant contribution or achievements in different walks of life.

The budget outlay comprises 34.4 per cent as capital expenditure of Rs 61,057.36 crore, while 65.6 per cent as revenue expenditure of Rs 1,6,198.63 crore.

Presenting the budget, Khattar said the state has laid special emphasis on increasing capital infrastructure investment to boost demand, which holds a key role in speedy economic revival with multiplier effect.

He announced tablets for all students from class 10 to 12, a scheme to provide soft loans to women entrepreneurs, and setting up three dedicated funds to accelerate growth in various sectors.

A climate and sustainable development fund to achieve green development objectives, a research and innovation fund to promote scientific activity, besides scholarships in universities and educational institutions, and venture capital fund to promote entrepreneurship was also announced.

According to the budget, the State Gross Domestic Product (GSDP) has increased from Rs 370,535 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 588,771 crore in 2021-22, at an annual increase of 6.5 per cent.

The budget's outlay includes revenue expenditure of Rs 61,057.35 crore and Rs 116,198.63 crore, which is 34.4 per cent and 65.6 per cent, respectively.

The total revenue receipts in the budget estimate for 2022-23 are projected at Rs 106,424.70 crore, which comprises tax revenue of Rs 73,727.50 crore, non-tax revenue of Rs 12,205.36 crore, share of Central taxes at Rs 8,925.98 crore, and grants-in-aid of Rs 11,565.86 crore.

Besides, the capital receipts are projected to be Rs 5,393.89 crore.

This budget allocation has been aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). Out of the total budget of Rs 177,255.99 crore, Rs 114,444.77 crore has been allocated for SDG-related schemes.

Haryana has remained successful in keeping the fiscal deficit within the percentage of GSDP as recommended by the 15th Central Finance Commission for the year 2021-22, said the Chief Minister.

Despite the Covid-19 crisis, about Rs 30,820 crore has been borrowed from the market, while the permissible borrowing limit of 15th Finance Commission was of Rs 40,872 crore.

The fiscal deficit is estimated to be 2.99 per cent of GSDP in 2021-22.

For 2022-23, it is estimated to reduce to 2.98 per cent of GSDP. "This is within the limit of 3.5 per cent as fixed by the 15th Finance Commission for 2022-23," Khattar said.

The revenue deficit is also decreasing continuously. This revised estimate is estimated at 1.40 per cent in 2021-22. It has been projected to further decrease to 0.98 per cent of the GSDP in budget estimates of 2022-23.

The debt liability has also been successfully included.

The ratio of debt to GSDP in the Revised Estimates 2021-22 is estimated at 24.98 per cent, while the stipulated limit recommended by the 15th Finance Commission is 32.6 per cent of GSDP.

For budget estimates, the debt stock is expected to be 24.52 per cent of GSDP, below the stipulated limit of 33.3 per cent of GSDP recommended by the 15th Finance Commission.

The capital expenditure has a direct impact on economic development. The government is committed to enhance proportion of capital expenditure in the total expenditure, said the Chief Minister in his third consecutive budget speech in the House as the Finance Minister.

The capital share in the total expenditure has increased to 31.5 per cent with Rs 48,265.49 crore in 2021-22.

It is proposed to increase the capital expenditure by 34.4 per cent with Rs 61,057.35 crore in 2022-23.

In addition to the budgetary allocation for capital expenditure, Public Sector Undertakings are also investing substantial capital for creation and strengthening of capital infrastructure in the state.

Dedicating the budget to women, Khattar announced many significant gifts for them on International Women's Day.

He announced to start an award of Rs 5 lakh in the name of former Union minister Sushma Swaraj, who belonged to the state.

Noting that without women, society cannot even be imagined, he said that the women of Haryana have made their mark in many fields at the national and international level.

In his speech he mentioned about the first women state Speaker, Shanno Devi, and the first woman Deputy Speaker, Lekhvati Jain.

The Chief Minister also announced to increase the participation of women in Panchayati Raj Institutions to 50 per cent seats from 33 per cent.

In addition, to attract women towards entrepreneurship, a new scheme, Haryana Mukhyamantri Udyami Yojana, has been announced. For this, assuming the annual income of the woman and her family members is less than Rs 5 lakh on the basis of the data of the Parivar Pehchan Patra, financial assistance of up to Rs 3 lakh will be given to the self-help group in the form of loan.

Under this scheme, the Haryana Women Development Corporation will give a rebate of up to 7 per cent in interest for three years.
New Delhi, March 8 : One supposedly safe passage out of the besieged southern port city of Mariupol in Ukraine went straight through a minefield, Daily Mail reported.

Russia offered six routes to allow civilians to leave Mariupol, Kharkiv, Sumy and the capital Kiev.

But its words were exposed as a 'cynical stunt' when it emerged some of the routes would lead Ukrainians straight to Russia. The plan was dismissed as 'immoral and unacceptable' by Ukraine and as 'nonsense' by Britain's Europe minister, James Cleverly, Daily Mail reported.

But Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces continued to pummel some cities with rockets even after the announcement, while fierce fighting raged in many places, indicating there would be no wider cessation of hostilities, the report said.

Elderly residents there edged their way over a raging river on a rickety plank after the bridge was blown up by the Ukrainian military to slow the Russian advance.

But refugees trying to escape Mariupol were left stranded as the road they were directed towards was mined, Daily Mail reported.

Dominik Stillhart of the International Committee of the Red Cross told BBC: "So far we have seen, unfortunately, only agreements in principle. But they have immediately broken down because they lack precision. They lack the kind of... agreements over times, over roads, over whether people can go out or goods can come in.As soon as they reached the first checkpoint, they realised that the road that was indicated to them was actually mined." The previous two offers of safe passage, made over the weekend, both broke down in the face of Russian bombing that killed innocents trying to flee.

Moscow announced the proposed escape routes on Monday after Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by telephone on Sunday night, with the Kremlin saying the move was taken after a 'personal request' by the French president.

But Macron issued a furious response. "All this is not serious, it is moral and political cynicism, which I find intolerable," he told French TV channel LCI.

Promises to protect civilians only so that they could flee towards Russia were 'hypocritical', he said: "I do not know many Ukrainians who want to go to Russia," Daily Mail reported.

Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk warned Macron he faced being 'humiliated' should he attempt any further deals with the Kremlin. Moscow officials expected residents of Kyiv to head for Belarus - from where Russia launched its invasion from the north on February 24 - and for citizens of Kharkiv to go to Russia.

Those who go to Belarus would then be flown to Russia too, the Kremlin said.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
New Delhi, March 8 : The Delhi High Court has refused to entertain a plea by Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot, who sought temporary injunction in a case related to low floor bus scam allegations levelled by MLA and BJP MLA Vijender Gupta.

A bench of Justice Asha Menon, in an order passed on Monday, said no case for grant of interim injunction to restrain the defendant (Gupta) from tweeting or publishing his views or to take down or archive the existing tweets, is made-out.

The Delhi Transport Minister had filed a criminal complaint against Gupta for allegedly defaming him in a matter related to the procurement of 1,000 low-floor buses by the Delhi Transport Corporation and sought Rs 5 crore in damages and also removal of media posts by the BJP legislator.

In the order, the court said: "It cannot be overlooked that both, the plaintiff as well as the defendant, are public figures and members of the Legislative Assembly. There is a right vested in the Opposition to question the government on its actions, as the Executive is subject to the Legislature under the Constitution. This is key to the maintenance of the balance of power between the two wings of the state." "While assessing whether the tweets contain a misrepresentation of the facts causing damage to the reputation of the plaintiff, one factor has to be also kept in mind namely, that the defendant claims that there is material in the public domain relating to the tendering for the purchase of the buses as also the AMCs from previous years, which were clouded and which were not taken through and that therefore, the decisions taken by the Government in 2020-21 had to be closely monitored. It was on his public demand that the Minutes of the current tendering process were uploaded. The Committee Report was also in the public domain. Thus, it is clear that defendant seeks to justify his tweets on the basis of public records." the order read.

Gahlot, in his complaint, had alleged that Gupta with "malafide purposes and to gain political mileage, has leveled defamatory, scandalous, mischievous, false and scurrilous allegations on the complainant both verbal as well as in writing on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook through his account." The Minister had also mentioned in his complaint that after getting the charge of the transport ministry in the Delhi government, he took the initiative for inducting around 1,500 new buses since 2017 for the welfare of the people.
New Delhi, March 8 : The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Tuesday honoured the Kung Fu Nuns with the International Women's Day Award at a ceremony here for their extraordinary achievements in the field of women empowerment, disaster relief, environmental conservation and breaking societal barriers.

Several dignitaries comprising Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and women commission chief Swati Maliwal were present on the occasion.

In 2016, the DCW established the International Women's Day Awards to honour inspirational people who have displayed untiring commitment towards the cause of women and girls.

In the past, the commission awarded several women officers from ISRO, the Indian Air Force, the Indian Army, Air India, bike riders of the BSF and the CRPF, public servants, sportspersons and other agents of change.

This year, the award was bestowed upon the Kung Fu Nuns and the commission hopes that their stories serve as an inspiring model of empowering women and girls.

Breaking a centuries-long social order favouring men in leadership, the Kung Fu Nuns are taking on kindness in its fiercest form -- empowering themselves and others to serve the world.

"We are honoured to be recognised for our efforts, and this award will help us spread our message of empowerment and further strengthen our mission to help women and girls to be their own heroes," Jigmet Yangchan Ghamo, a Kung Fu Nun, told IANS.

The Kung Fu Nuns teach martial arts to promote self-defence to young girls in their communities, where reporting violence against women is a rarity.

Their 5,200-km 'Bicycle Yatra for Peace' from Nepal to Ladakh in India took over three months, as they stopped in hundreds of villages for environmental education and to speak out against human trafficking.

After the catastrophic Himalayan earthquakes of 2015, they refused evacuation to deliver critical aid to neglected regions.

They run free health clinics, and to date, the nuns have helped restore sight to over 1,500 Himalayans. They also respond to calls for emergency animal rescue and have removed thousands of pounds of plastic litter.

The Kung Fu Nuns were Vaclav Havel Humanitarian Prize finalists in 2021, Asia Society's Game Changers recipients in 2019 and Atlantic Council's Unsung Heroes in 2020.

Last year, UNESCO International Centre for Martial Arts conferred their Martial Arts' Education Prize to the Kung Fu Nuns.

In 2012, they performed at the Olympic Park before the Olympics in London, the United Kingdom, upon invitation. Since then, they have performed in many places for thousands of people, and their exhibitions draw hundreds of thousands of spectators to their performances.

Kung Fu Nuns is now a household name in many Himalayan regions, and even with over 800 Drukpa nuns in the ranks, there is a long waiting list of women and girls who want to join them.
Srinagar, March 8 : J&K Police on Tuesday arrested a mother-son duo in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district for the murder of an 8-year old boy whose body was found on Tuesday in the woods of the district after almost three weeks.

"Since February 15, we had been probing all angles. We searched wetlands, woods and manholes etc. During the course of investigation we came to know that one Amir Khan and his mother hatched a conspiracy to abduct and kill 8-year-old Talib," SSP Kupwara Yougal Manhas told reporters.

The SSP said that over some personal rivalry with victim's family, Amir Khan and his mother murdered the 8-year-old Talib and buried him in woods in Awoora area of Kupwara district.

The SSP said both accused have been arrested and further investigation is going on.
Mumbai, March 8 : Romantic drama web series 'Made In Heaven' completed 3 years on Tuesday. The show, created by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, presented a fresh narrative style and content.

Zoya Akhtar, who is the co-owner of Tiger Baby Productions, spoke about how she finds pride in the show for its brave choices and the impact it had on the society, "I can't believe it has been 3 years since the release of 'Made In Heaven'. It seems like only yesterday we were in New Delhi shooting with the incredible cast and crew." She further said, "Creating a show like this takes a village. We all came from such different backgrounds and mindsets, but through the course of the making, found a beautiful confluence. I am so proud to have created a show that has left an impact on so many." Zoya's friend and creative partner Reema Kagti broke down the writing phase of the show as she shared, "I still remember when Zoya and I first discussed the germ of the idea, it instantly became apparent to us that a theme like this could lend itself into a delicious drama through which we could make a larger social critique." "While writing 'Made In Heaven', we were only reacting as individuals, but it has been so heartwarming to see how in the last 3 years, people have been able to relate to the show across the world", she added.

Actor Arjun Mathur, who plays the character of Karan Mehra in the series, shared his thoughts on the show's third anniversary, "I owe a lot to this show and it will always be close to my heart! I'm thankful for all the love that has come my way as a result of this show and I am waiting for the second season to hit the screens with as much eagerness as the rest of you."
New Delhi, March 8 : India and China are set for the 15th round of Corps Commander level talks later this week to resolve the border dispute, sources in the defence ministry said on Tuesday.

Source said: "India and China have mutually decided to hold the 15th round of Corps Commander level talks at the Indian side of Chushul Moldo Meeting Point on March 11, 2022. Fourteen rounds of talks till now have resulted in the resolution of the North and South Bank of Pangong Tso, Galwan and Gogra Hot Spring areas.

"Both sides will now focus to achieve resolution of balance friction areas. Recent statements by both sides to find a mutually acceptable solution have been encouraging and positive in nature," the source said.

The 14th round of corps commanders' talks between both the countries took place in January this year.

While engaging in sustained dialogue with the People's Liberation Army to resolve the border issue, the Indian Army continues to maintain the highest levels of operational preparedness.

The talks will happen to resolve the dispute at Patrolling Point 15 (Hot Spring).

In January, China implemented new border law and had also renamed 15 places in Arunachal Pradesh on its map.

Also China had made illegal construction of a bridge on part of Pangong Lake in Eastern Ladakh earlier this year. India has been monitoring this activity closely.

The Chinese have been carrying out construction of a bridge connecting the north and south banks of the Pangong Lake. The bridge connects the north and south banks of the Pangong Lake and will allow the Chinese People's Liberation Army quick access to both sides.

India and China have been engaged in a border dispute for around two years.
New Delhi, March 8 : To send out a strong message of empowerment, safety and security of women, by women and for women, the Delhi police were seen projecting the 'pink' colour through different programmes and initiatives on the occasion of International Women's Day on Tuesday.

The pink colour, according to several surveys, has been most often associated with politeness, sensitivity and femininity.

The International Women's Day is a global festival celebrated annually on March 8 to commemorate the cultural, political and socioeconomic achievements of women. It is also a focal point in the women's rights movement focusing attention on issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights and violence against women.

Actualizing the theme i.e. "Gender Equality Today For A Sustainable Tomorrow", a number of events were organised by the Delhi Police at the district and headquarter levels.

The Pink Booths, which have been set up in all the districts with women staff so that women can approach the police without any hesitation and share their concerns, remained the centre of attraction on Tuesday. Decorated with flowers and balloons, the pink booths projected the women strength of the police force.

The DCPs of all the districts shared their messages to celebrate the women's day with residents of the city.

Six districts of Delhi Police are currently headed by women DCPs, 3 women officers are heading Ranges and 9 women SHOs are presently posted in field formations.

Sharing their message, DCP East Priyanka Kashyap said that an 'attitudinal change' among the force is very important to work in the direction of real women empowerment.

"In this direction only, we have set up women help desks at every police station where women staff is present 24X7 so that any woman can get confidence to approach us without fear," Kashyap said.

She added that on the directions of Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana, the east district police has set up 'pink booths' for women complainants. Apart from this, the police have trained over 500 girls of the district in self defence under the 'Sashakti Programme'.

"We have 356 female staff and I can tell you that they perform very well," the senior officer averred.

A day ago Commissioner Asthana had said that the Delhi Police is committed to enhance women's strength to upto 25 per cent till 2025.

DCP Southeast Esha Pandey, who took charge of the south east district on September 27, 2021, urged young women to choose Delhi Police as their career.

Pandey appointed the first woman in charge of a police post in the history of the south east district. "Woman SI Seema has been doing a very good job in Sriniwaspuri," she said.

The DCP informed that they also started a woman patrolling team called "Jaguar" who patrol the crowded market areas and provide help to any woman in distress. "We are also providing self defence training to young girls and women. All police stations now have women help desks," she added.

Central District DCP Shweta Chauhan said that they have turned 48 police booths into 'pink booths' that are exclusively run by the women staff. "An all women "Veera" squad was also started where women police personnel patrol on scooties," CHauhan said.

She informed that a separate pink complaint box has also been attached to every police station focussing on redressal of women complaints.

"A special women complaint redressal system -- Mahila Jan Sunwayi -- where we listen to the complaints of only women is also carried out twice a month," the officer said.

South district, which is also headed by a woman DCP, Benita Mary Jaiker, has launched several initiatives for women. For the International Women's Day, the Defence Colony police station was turned into an all women police station across ranks and fields.

A special pink booth catering to the problems faced by women was inaugurated in south Delhi on Tuesday.

"The booth has been constructed keeping in view the problems faced by women, who visit Alaknanda market for shopping from nearby areas like Govindpuri, Kalkaji, Tughlakabad and nearby DDA apartments viz. Narmada, Neelgiri, Gangotri Yamuna, Tara etc,'' Jaiker said.

The booth has several facilities including a child friendly room, baby feeding room, baby nappy changing station, air conditioned waiting lounge for women, sanitary napkin vending machine, wheelchair for senior citizens and disabled women, coffee/tea and soup vending machine, water dispenser, instant E FIR/Lost report kiosk, children playing park, complaint/suggestion box and feedback QR Code.

(Ujwal Jalali can be reached at ujwal.j@ians.in)
By Zhang Yuliang

HARARE, March 8 -- The Zambian Ministry of Defense held an awardceremony for the 24th Chinese military medical expert team to Zambia at the General Hospital of the Zambian Defense Force, and conferred 11 members of the military medical team the "International Good will and Cooperation Medal" on March 7.

Brigadier General Dr. Bernard Kapatamoyo , commandant of the Maina Soko military hospital, expressed his heartfelt thanks to the Chinese military doctors for their hard work. He also thanked the Chinese military for their continuous medical assistance and the Chinese people for their love and goodwill to the Zambian people.

Senior Colonel Sun Ming, military attache of the Chinese Embassy in Zambia, said that members of the 24th Chinese military medical team have withstood the severe test of the COVID-19 pandemic and treated nearly 10,000 local patients. They have demonstrated a good image of Chinese military members' loyalty, responsibility and dedication, accomplished their tasks well, and made due contributions to deepening the friendship between the two militaries, said Sun.

Since 1984, the Chinese military has continuously sent 24 batches of military medical expert teams to Zambia, totaling more than 280 people. The 24th Chinese military medical team will return to China on March 16this year after successfully completing their mission. The 25th will arrive in Zambia on the same day to perform the one-year military medical foreign aid mission.
Thiruvananthapuram, March 8 : A total of 1,791 people in Kerala on Tuesday turned Covid positive while the test positivity rate came down to 5.57 per cent, said a statement from Health Minister Veena George.

While there were 1,871 recoveries, the total number of active cases was 12,677 of which 9 per cent of the patients were under treatment at various hospitals.

Four Covid deaths were reported in the state in the last 24 hours taking the total death toll to 66,374.

On the vaccination front, 100 per cent (2.69 crore) eligible population have had one dose, of which 87 per cent (2.32 crore) have taken both the doses.

Likewise in the above aged 15 to 18 years, 78 per cent (11.93 lakh) have been given one dose, while 39 per cent (5.99 lakh) have now received their second dose also.
New Delhi, March 8 : A total of 12 Ukrainian researchers are stuck at Vernadsky research base in Antarctica, unable to return and under severe stress even as their homeland is facing Russian invasion, the media reported.

Vernadsky Station is Ukraine's only research base in Antarctica and home to 12 scientists, engineers, and support staff who were nearing the end of a 13-month-long expedition when Russia invaded their country, Wired.co.uk reported.

"It's really agonising to be here unable to fight the occupation of my homeland," Andrii Khytryi, an anesthesiologist and emergency medicine physician from Poltava in central Ukraine, was quoted as saying.

Khytryi is the expedition's doctor, and his main task is to monitor the physiological and mental condition of the other team members.

Although the polar residents are mostly "holding up" their health, at times the pressure of being unable to help their loved ones and country becomes difficult to contain, he said.

"For some, it is close to unbearable. Sometimes the stress is so strong that I need to assist my colleagues with drugs to normalise the blood pressure or insomnia." Khytryi is desperate to get back to Ukraine and help defend his country.

"I believe that I would have been much more useful treating the wounded in an operating room or emergency room, or in the field," he said.

But the doctor who was due to replace him as part of the next expedition is now fighting in Ukraine. It looks like Khytryi may have to spend another year in Antarctica, the report said.

"I feel that it is my duty to stay here if there is no one to swap with me," he said.

The crew spends most of their time either working, reading the news or keeping in touch with their loved ones back home.

"We communicate via the internet. They are safe. They stay in shelters, sometimes they are at home," Anton, a biologist from Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, was quoted as saying.

The Vernadsky station, earlier known as Faraday station, was sold to the Ukrainian government for a pound, by the British government in 1996, the report said.

This came after Russia declared itself the sole owner of the former Soviet Union's five research stations in Antarctica and denied Ukraine's request to take over operation of one of the bases.

It's still not clear when the scientists and support staff at Verdansky station will be able to return to Ukraine, the report said.

Some researchers who were due to go on upcoming expeditions are trapped in Ukrainian cities under Russian bombardment.

"Some of the team is locked in Kyiv and some of the team is locked in Kharkiv," a press officer at Ukraine's National Antarctic Scientific Center was quoted as saying.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Srinagar, March 8 : J&K Police on Tuesday busted a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) module in Pulwama district by arresting three persons, officials said.

Police, along with 55 Rashtriya Rifles and CRPF's 182 battalion, arrested 3 militant associates of LeT from whose possession a grenade, 15 rounds of AK rifle ammunition, and other incriminating material was recovered.

The arrested trio has been identified as Amir Nazir Hazar, Suhail Ahmad Bhat, and Nasir Hussain, all residents of Pulwama district, police said.
Chennai, March 8 : The Tamil movie 'Jai Bhim', which depicts the torture and trauma faced by an innocent Irular youth, Rajakannu, in police custody and eventually succumbing to the police atrocities cannot be watched without shedding a tear.

While the police torture and death of Rajakannu, who was working in a brick kiln, was a real-life incident that took place in Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu in 1995, the Irular community of the same district, who are now organized, want the police to leave alone three of their community members who are in police custody.

The Iruvar Protection Rights Organisation of Tindivanam demanded that the Villupuram district administration revoke the arrest of three Scheduled Tribe, Irular men arrested by the police on charges of theft.

The organization in a statement said, Three men, E. Ramachandran (40), E. Pandiyan (29), and A. Kumar (35) who were working in brick kilns in Cuddalore were allegedly arrested by the police on February 26 without revealing the arrest details to their families.

A formal complaint was filed by the organization with the District Superintendent of Police, Villupuram on March 2.

The police however denied that the three were innocent and said that the arrests were recorded in the wee hours of March 2 and that four more men were booked in the same case.

A social activist working among the Irular community, Kalyani told IANS, "There was evidence of these men working at the brick kiln at the same time when the theft had taken place. How is it possible for them to be involved in the theft at the same time?" Ramesh, President of the Irular movement, in the statement said, "The police are continuing their atrocities against the hapless Irulas who belong to the ST community and are living in a meagre manner by working in brick kilns and at times collecting forest produce and leading a nomadic life. Why are the police zeroing in on this poor community and foisting false charges." He called upon the Tamil Nadu government to intervene in the matter.

The police however said that the men were arrested after confirmation of evidence and it could only be challenged in a court.
New Delhi, March 8 : Indian Embassy in Kiev on Tuesday asked the stranded nationals to leave the capital city using the 'Humanitarian Corridor' by any available means of transport.

The advisory issued by the Indian Embassy on Tuesday said that considering the security situation and that the next 'Humanitarian Corridor' is uncertain, therefore, they should move out of the city immediately.

"The Humanitarian Corridor for evacuation of stranded people has been announced in various parts of Ukraine from 10.00 hrs on March 8, 2022. All stranded Indian nationals are urged to make use of this opportunity and evacuate using trains/vehicles or any other available means of transport giving due consideration to safety," the advisory read.

Considering the security situation, opening of next humanitarian corridor is uncertain, the advisory further said.

The government of Ukraine has announced the ceasefire to provide a humanitarian corridor for the evacuation of the stranded foreign nationals to return to their countries.

On March 7, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin and requested them to provide safe passage to evacuate remaining Indian nationals stuck in the war torn country of Ukraine.

While, Modi thanked Zelensky for extending support of his government in evacuation of Indians, he also urged Putin to provide humanitarian corridor for the Indians stuck in Sumy and Odessa.

Meanwhile, officials in the government agency said that the plan for evacuating Indian students in the Sumy area is ready and the process of evacuation will start very soon.
Gandhinagar, March 8 : The Opposition Congress in Gujarat on Tuesday staged a walkout from the Assembly during the ongoing Budget session, protesting the alleged physical assault and atrocities carried out on its female workers by male police officers, whom the party accused of directly acting on the orders of the state government.

Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghvi, however, said in the House that no such incident took place and assured that he will share a video document to clear the air.

He alleged that the Congress' female workers entered the 'Sachivalaya' complex when the Budget session was underway, trying to create a ruckus.

Former Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee chief Amit Chavda told the House that on International Women's Day on Tuesday, the party's female workers were demonstrating at the Satyagrah Chhavni in Gandhinagar after obtaining police permission.

However, they were physically assaulted by male police officers under direct orders from the state government, Chavda alleged.

Many of them were beaten up besides being illegally detained by the male officers, he alleged.

"On learning about the incident, when our leaders requested the police officers to release them, they too were detained. This is shameful," Chavda said in the House.

Replying to this, Sanghvi claimed that no such incident took place and that he was ready to share video evidence with the House.

Speaker Neema Acharya said that she has heard both the versions and will take a decision in this matter on Wednesday.

After this, the Congress members started sloganeering and chanting 'Stop atrocities against women' before walking out of the house.

Geni Thakor, the Congress MLA from Vav, said that on a day when people are celebrating International Women's Day, it is really shameful that women are being physically assaulted by male cops.

Thakor said, "We demand immediate suspension of the police officers involved and the MoS Home should apologise in the House for the false allegation that the female members entered the Sachivalaya complex. If proved wrong, we will apologise."
New Delhi, March 8: That is an exceptional person there is no doubt as she is courageous, cool and calm and has a fine sense of humour. The last Radhika Menon, a Merchant Navy Captain from Kerala, displayed when she had Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi laughing during his interaction with the Nari Shakti Puraskar winners of 2020 and 2021 on the eve of International Women's Day on Monday.

Taking the mic, she told the gathering that during her visits throughout the world, the people of the countries who "don't share friendly relations" with India, have always told her: "Your country has a very strong leader." If the Indian PM is strong, so are his citizens like Menon, who has the singular distinction of being India's first woman captain of Indian Merchant Navy and also the first woman to be bestowed the International Maritime Organisation Award for Exceptional Bravery in 2016.

Menon, the Puraskar awardee, richly deserves the recognition not just for breaking the glass ceiling but for the fact that seven fishermen, aged between 15 and 50 years, whom she rescued in 2015 owe their lives to her.

These men had got stranded in the sea in June 2015 as the engine of their vessel Durgamma had failed and lost anchor, off the coast of Andhra Pradesh. Adrift in the Bay of Bengal, they had no clue where they were and were completely helpless in the dangerous waters till the oil tanker, Sampurna Swarajya with Captain Menon at the helm sighted them.

Taking charge of the rescue operation, she faced a daunting task because of the adverse weather conditions and turbulence in the sea. According to the Union Ministry of Shipping's statement the height of the waves was more than 25 feet, the wind speed was more than 60 knots and there was heavy rain. It took Menon and her crew three valiant attempts to get the fishermen onboard from their small boat with the help of a pilot ladder.

The fishermen were glad to be onboard as they had been surviving on cold storage ice as food and drinking water supplies had been washed away. In fact their families had given up all hope and were preparing for their last rites.

Talking about the rescue operation, Menon told BBC World News TV: "The sea was very, very turbulent, there was a depression...which was stagnant for two or three days and it had intensified into a deep depression. It was a very difficult task but we had to do it because if I didn't do that I was knowing very well that these fishermen never stood a chance of rescue, no survival at all." Making no big deal about her efforts, she told TOI: "It is a maritime obligation to save souls in distress at sea, and as a seafarer and master in command of my ship, I just did my duty." Menon born and raised in Kodungallur, Kerala, started her career as a radio officer in Shipping Corporation of India after completing a radio course at the All India Marine College in Kochi.

In 2012 she became the Captain of the Indian Merchant Navy and also its first-ever woman captain of the Indian Merchant Navy and the same year she took charge of the oil tanker Suvarna Swarajya.

Along with other women naval officers, Suneeti Bala and Sharvani Mishra, she has co-founded the International Women Seafarer's Foundation with the aim to encourage young women seafarers.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
New Delhi, March 8 : A massive fire broke out at a plastic factory in the Bawana area of the national capital on Tuesday morning, a fire department official said.

<img src='https://www.iansphoto.in/web/photoimages_new/400/2022/03/08/539abb49a73c12e8777eeed38260fc4c.jpg' hspace='10' align='left' width='171' height='100' data-title='Drscored seven centuries and 33 half-centuries across his first-class career and made his Test debut against Pakistan in October 2018. He played five Tests, scoring 278 runs at 27.8 with his last game against India in 2018 at MCG.

On the upcoming limited-overs series in the sub-continent later this month, Finch said, "It's always nice to go into a series getting some runs but that's still a couple of weeks away so now it's just down to a couple of weeks of training. I feel like I'm hitting it nicely; I'm just tinkering a little bit with my technique and a few really minor changes, so it's just about trying to get them implemented as quick as I can." Australia will play three ODIs and a one-off T20I against Pakistan after the three-Test series.
Bengaluru, March 8 : Putting an end to rumours over Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) factory, located in Kolar district of Karnataka, Large and Medium Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani on Tuesday denied any move to hand over the factory to private companies. He said BEML is under Centre's control and nobody should pay heed to rumours.

Replying to JD(S) MLC Govindraju's question in the Council, Nirani said khata (deed) for 12,500 acres in BEML's 16,000 acre land was done. "The Centre has agreed to hand over 3,500 acre to the state government for industrial purposes. We have conducted another drone survey and this report will be submitted to the Union Minister. I will hold talks with the Union Mines Minister in Delhi on March 10 and take the next decision", Nirani said.

"BEML has 1,149 acres of land. Earlier 979 acre was allotted for industrial area development but the land was not utilised which will be taken back to set up industries. The Centre's economic affairs department has decided against the closure of the factory. State must adhere to the rules since it comes under the central government," the Minister said.

Elaborating further, Minister Nirani said that the factory's additional land will be taken back. "The Centre's parliamentary committee on economic affairs has decided to withdraw stakes from government owned factories so it will be withdrawn in a phased manner. The 47 per cent stake in BEML will remain, Nirani stated.

Nirani announced that the government has taken steps to promote industries in tier two cities by establishing industrial townships in five divisions across the state.

Replying to JD(S) MLC C.N. Manje Gowda's query in the Council, Nirani emphasized on the 'Walk to Work' concept. He said the Government will allow the setting up of satellite towns near factories. And 85 per cent of developed land will be allotted for industries and the rest for townships.

Reiterating the government's stand on giving priority to Kannadigas in jobs, the Minister warned of action if industries violate rules. "As per a clause in the 2020-25 Industrial Policy, the individual units must provide 100 per cent jobs in D group and 70 per cent of total jobs to Kannadigas. As per Dr Sarojini Mahishi report, 85 per cent of jobs in the state must go to Kannadigas. We will take action if industries violate this," Nirani warned.
New Delhi, March 8 : Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana said on Tuesday that International Womens Day should not be limited to being just a specific day in the year, rather it should be observed every day in order to foster the values of dignity and equality towards women.

"We cannot imagine wholesome progress of the society without the active participation of women, who constitute 50 per cent of the population," Asthana said while interacting with around 50,000 women from 1,784 police beats across the city on the occasion of International Women Day through a hybrid platform titled 'Tarangini'.

Asthana informed that Delhi Police have launched various schemes and initiatives to strengthen the safety and security of women in the city and also threw light on measures like SPUWAC and Pink Booths.

Women police officers are deployed in all the Pink Booths which function from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Emphasising that public cooperation is essential for effective policing, the officer said, "It is a matter of satisfaction that a large number of citizens are connecting and supporting the police in maintaining peace and harmony and controlling crime." He also shared that the police department is actively contemplating to set up integrated booths where staff from traffic and local police shall be available to address the concerns of the distressed.

While responding to questions, Asthana said that while those involved in cases of crime against women are being arrested, they often have to be released on bail within the provisions of the criminal justice system.

"Delhi Police have a strong integrated set up to deal with cyber bullying cases and victims can also approach us through www.cybercrime.gov.in. The identity of the complainant will be kept secret and strict legal action will be taken against the perpetrator," the Commissioner added.
New Delhi, March 8 : The Congress on Tuesday alleged that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has ignored the protests of Anganwadi workers, helpers, ad hoc teachers, nurses, doctors without bothering to initiate a dialogue to solve their problems.

Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Chaudhary Anil Kumar said that on Women's Day the women of Delhi feel the most harassed, alienated and neglected, as the Kejriwal government's policies and programmes have all been anti-women.

He said the main victims of the liberalized liquor policy were women, as they suffered the brunt of liquor addiction among family members, including fathers, brothers, husbands and sons.

He said, the Congress was the only political party to give due representation in governance to women and alleged that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal came to power by cashing in on the Nirbhaya case, but women have suffered the worst fate under the Kejriwal government, as not only sexual assaults and crimes against women had gone up for the past eight years, women also suffered untold miseries on account of the Covid-19 pandemic devastation and price rise.

He said the Kejriwal government provided no financial support to housewives to tide over the crisis created by the Covid-19 deaths and destruction. He said the Chief Minister who promised Rs 1,000 to every woman in the states which went to polls recently, has ironically stopped widow pension in Delhi, besides creating other difficulties for women, like denying them ration cards, and flats under the in-situ scheme for the resettlement of those living in JJ clusters.
New Delhi, March 8 : Alarmed by spreading violence in Ukraine, targeted attacks on civilians, ineffective humanitarian corridors and spiralling risks, the United National Security Council called for decisive action to end the conflict.

The Security Council held its seventh meeting in two weeks related to the unfolding situation in Ukraine.

"Simply put, millions of lives have been shattered," said Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.

Indeed, the reach of humanitarian efforts can only go so far without the committed cooperation of Ukraine and the Russian Federation to ensure civilian protection and the maintenance of safe corridors for people wanting to escape the violence and those delivering critical aid.

Some civilians are unable to escape at a time when 1.7 million people have already fled the country since the conflict began on February 24, while those who remain are facing cuts of essential services.

Voicing an extra sense of dread over the impact the conflict will have on the wider world, he expressed deep worry about the consequences on vulnerable people living half a world away, with food prices spiking and supplies uncertain.

"We have the capacity and the know-how to meet the most urgent needs in Ukraine, if the parties cooperate, but make no mistake, we are unable to meet the needs of civilians today; I hope we will not fail them tomorrow," he said, summarizing the widespread ongoing humanitarian efforts alongside enormous and growing needs blanketed by spreading violence.

To address the current situation, he highlighted priority areas, which he had already conveyed to Ukraine and the Russian Federation: the parties must take constant care to spare civilians and civilian homes and infrastructure in their military operations; safe passage must be ensured for humanitarian supplies into areas of active hostilities; and a system of constant communication must be established with parties to the conflict, with assurances provided to enable aid deliveries.

Providing the latest information on the ground, Catherine Russell, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), called upon Security Council members to remind all parties of their legal and moral obligation to protect children and spare them from attack and called for an immediate suspension of ongoing military actions in Ukraine.

In the ensuing debate, Council members agreed that a ceasefire is urgently needed along with safe, guaranteed humanitarian corridors.

Many members reiterated strong calls to end the conflict, with some pointing to violated ceasefire agreements brokered by the parties and broken by the Russian Federation.

Describing the Russian Federation's breaches of humanitarian ceasefires as abomination, the United Kingdom's representative declared: "Let me be clear, we will hold Russia to account for its actions and will investigate thoroughly allegations of war crimes and violations of international law." What the Ukrainian people really need is an end to the invasion, she said, appealing to the Russian Federation to end its war before bringing even more tragedy to Ukraine and even more shame on its proud nation.

In a similar vein, the United States delegate, urging parties to heed the call the humanitarian actors just sounded, called upon Russia to accept and honour time-bound safe passage in agreed upon locations and a safe communication system to ensure that supplies can reach those most in need. Increasingly concerned about civilian protection, especially of women, girls and other vulnerable groups affected by war, she said Washington, D.C., has been warning Moscow for weeks that this war will make the Russian Federation weaker, not stronger.

The Russian Federation's representative called upon the Security Council to keep to the humanitarian context of what is happening in Ukraine and not rely on Ukrainian politicians and mendacious social networks for their political views.

Citing an ongoing disinformation war in the West, he said Ukrainian radicals and neo-Nazis and not the Russian armed forces are holding hostages in towns and cities and using civilians as human shields.

Russian Federation units had declared a ceasefire that radicals in Mariupol violated, as heard in an intercepted radio conversation instructing them to "shoot at the legs" of those heading for the humanitarian corridors, he said. Further, the deployment of heavy weaponry, including bombardment artillery, has become a rule for Ukrainian nationalist battalions, while radicals are continuing to hold over 1,500 foreigners hostage in multiple cities.

Ukraine's delegate said the Council must be decisive in responding to the worst humanitarian crisis seen since the end of the Second World War in Europe.

Raising grave concerns about the reality on the ground, he said the Russian Federation's troops have blocked numerous attempts of the Ukrainian authorities to evacuate civilians through humanitarian corridors, denied access of international organizations to provide humanitarian assistance to the most affected places, opened fire on evacuees and evacuation vehicles and shelled the roads allocated for safe corridors.

Moreover, Moscow has already sent a letter showing humanitarian corridor routes to the Russian Federation and Belarus only, he said, reiterating the call for the previously agreed passages allowing people to leave for Europe.

The fragility of the situation reaches beyond Ukraine, into Europe and across the world, he said, adding that defending his country from the Russian Federation's aggression also protects the world from hunger.

He stressed that people in Ukraine require concrete actions to save their lives, their health and their property.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Agartala, March 8 : Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday laid the foundation for the Tripura campus of Gujarat-based National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), which will be the first such institute in the northeast.

Laying the foundation stone for the permanent campus on a 50-acre land at Srinagar in western Tripura's Anandanagar, Shah said that the institute would be of great benefit to the entire northeastern region to deal with diverse crimes.

Under the NFSU with its headquarters at Gandhinagar in Gujarat, the transit campus of the NFSU was established in Tripura in November last year on the B.Ed College campus here.

There are two other campuses of the university functioning in New Delhi and Goa.

An official of the varsity said that the NFSU under the Home Ministry is the world's first dedicated university for forensic science and its allied subjects.

The Tripura campus would start four courses -- B.Sc Forensic Science, M.Sc Forensic Science, M.Sc Cyber Security and M.Sc Digital Forensics and Information Security -- with an intake capacity of 50 each.

Unique programmes like drone forensic, DNA fingerprinting, wildlife forensic, fraud investigation, cyber crime and digital forensic, narcotics analysis, criminology, forensic food investigation, and homeland security related undergraduate and postgraduate programmes would also be introduced on the NFSU's Tripura campus.

The university is planning to invest around Rs 100 crore in the first phase with a total investment of Rs 250 crore to Rs 300 crore in the next five years, the official said.

The varsity would also provide job opportunities to the local people with 300 to 500 persons getting direct employment and 1,500 persons getting indirect employment.

In the next 4 to 5 years, more than 30 to 40 undergraduate and postgraduate courses related to forensic science and allied branches, including PhD courses, will be conducted here.

On the Tripura campus of the NFSU, a total of 3,000 to 4,000 students would be able to study after 4-5 years and 60 per cent are expected to be girls and 200-300 foreign students are also expected each year.

The official said that the NFSU would also provide training to police officers, judges, security officials, bankers and other government officials.
Lucknow, March 8 : Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav, on Tuesday, alleged that a top official in the Chief Minister's secretariat was telephoning District Magistrates across Uttar Pradesh and asking them to slow down the counting process on Thursday if the Bharatiya Janata Party is losing.

Addressing a hurriedly convened press conference here, he alleged that this was being done especially for 47 seats that BJP had won with a margin of less than 5,000 votes in 2017.

He said that a truck carrying EVMs had been intercepted by party workers in Varanasi while two other trucks managed to speed away.

"If the EVMs were being moved, then the candidates concerned should have been informed as per the Election Commission guidelines. We have videos to prove what we are saying," he stated.

The SP chief said that ballots had been found in Bareilly and Sonbhadra.

Akhilesh Yadav further said that the exit polls were done in a particular manner to create a perception that the BJP is winning so that they can indulge in malpractices during counting.

He appealed to his party workers and "honest officers and journalists" to keep a vigil on strong rooms where EVMs have been kept.

"If farmers can stay in one place for a year, why can't we stay for the next three days in one place. This is the last chance to save democracy, to save your vote. If this chance is gone, then we will have to launch a movement to save democracy," he stated.
New Delhi, March 8 : Fearing major backlash, the US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's (NATO) members have refused to send fighter jets to Ukraine to fight against Russia despite the US having given a "green signal".

NATO was created in 1949 by the US, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the then Soviet Union. There are currently 30 member states.

Ukranian President Volodymr Zelensky wanted his country to be part of NATO to which Russian President Vladimir Putin had opposed, eventually leading to war.

Zelensky sought help from NATO countries in the fight against Russia, but they refused to send jets or directly engage in war. Zelenskiy was also pushing to declare his country a no-fly zone -- which means no Russian aircraft can enter Ukrainian airspace - but the request was rejected by the US and NATO.

Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that NATO members have the go-ahead to send fighter jets to Ukraine to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia's invasion.

"That gets a green light," Blinken said to the media when asked whether the Polish government, a member of NATO, could send fighter planes to Ukraine.

Blinken, who was in eastern Europe meeting with US allies, had said NATO countries and members of the Group of 7 are "working together to raise the pressure on Russia, including through additional sanctions, which will be implemented in the coming days".

The Polish government, however, denied the reports of their willingness to send fighter jets to Ukraine.

There were reports that Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia could be among those who can provide since they used Soviet era fighter aircraft like Mig-29s and Su-25s that the Ukrainian Air Force also uses.

Not only Poland, but Hungary, Bulgaria, and Slovakia have also refuted all the reports of them sending jets to Ukraine.

Seeing the NATO members' reluctance, the Ukrainian President expressed his helplessness and displeasure about NATO not coming forward to help.

"There was a NATO summit, a weak summit, a confused summit, a summit where it was clear that not everyone considers the battle for Europe's freedom to be the number one goal," Zelensky had stated.

On Tuesday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the US-led transatlantic military alliance has a "responsibility" to ensure Russia's offensive "does not escalate and spread beyond Ukraine".

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
New Delhi, March 8 : A recent study on 'Gender' under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) from October 2019 to September 2021 has revealed that the female utilization of AB PM-JAY services stood at 46.7 per cent of the total utilization. States like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Sikkim observed a higher female utilization under AB PM-JAY than males for the stipulated period of time.

Currently women comprise up to 49.6 per cent of the total enrolled AB PM-JAY beneficiaries. States like Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Kerala and Meghalaya have a higher number of Ayushman Cards issued for women as compared to their male counterparts.

"The Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY scheme is setting a great example for promoting gender equity and equal opportunities in access to health benefits and medical assistance for all. The high representation of female beneficiaries in the scheme is a testament to our commitment for this endeavour. I hope we can continue this tradition and keep this inclusiveness alive," said Dr R.S Sharma, CEO, National Health Authority, while releasing the study here on Tuesday.

Apart from expanding and creating a network of almost 27,300 private and government hospitals, AB PM-JAY has also greatly contributed to shifting the gender paradigm, with over 42 percent of the beneficiaries availing treatment under AB PM-JAY being women as per the study.

AB PM-JAY currently provides 59 packages and 77 procedures under the specialty of Obstetrics and Gynaecology for women, enabling increased access to better healthcare services and thus helping in the reduction of maternal and child mortality. The Obstetrics and Gynaecology utilization under the scheme is the second most utilized specialty after general medicine in over 15 states.

The other specialisations like Oncology (58%) and Opthalmology (51%) have also seen a higher female beneficiary utilization than male under AB PM-JAY, the study revealed.
New Delhi, March 8 : The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to act on a plea alleging encroachment on a pond for construction of the Cultural Centre of Sahitya Kala Parishad in the national capital.

Hearing the Public Interest Litigation (PIL), a division bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Neena Bansal Krishna asked the DDA to look into the matter as soon as possible.

"If the encroachment is found, it shall be removed by the authorities in accordance with law as expeditiously as possible and practicable," it said.

As per the petitioner, a resident welfare association, this particular land in Budhela village of west Delhi was in the form of a johad/pond for village people, cattle and flying birds but now has been allotted to the Sahitya Kala Parishad for construction purposes.

In 2002, the authorities took physical possession of the pond of village Budhela, and the petitioner alleged, that the pond land was filled with the soil illegally by the authorities. Several affected people of the village also met the then MLA and made a representation that the DDA and other authorities be stopped from grabbing the land of Johad/Pond, the plea said.
New Delhi, March 8 : The Centre on Tuesday said that 75 special civilian charter flights under 'Operation Ganga' have brought back 15,521 Indian citizens from Ukraine's neighbouring countries.

The Centre had initiated an airlift operation to evacuate Indians, who have found their way to neighbouring countries of war-torn Ukraine.

It had deployed a number of special charter as well as Indian Air Force flights to ferry back the citizens. On Tuesday, 410 Indians were airlifted by two special civilian flights from Suceava, Romania.

"With this, about 18,000 Indians have been brought back through the special flights which began on February 22, 2022. The number of Indians airlifted by 75 special civilian flights goes up to 15,521," the Ministry of Civil Aviation said.

"IAF had flown 12 missions to bring back 2,467 passengers, as part of 'Operation Ganga', and carried over 32 tonnes of relief material." According to the statement, among the civilian flights, 4,575 passengers have been brought from Bucharest by 21 flights, 1,820 from Suceava by 9 flights, 5,571 from Budapest by 28 flights, 909 passengers by 5 flights from Kosice, 2,404 Indians from Rzeszow by 11 flights, and 242 persons by a flight from Kiev.
Belagavi, March 8 : Thirty six-year-old Nagaratna. R from Karnataka tested positive for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) at the age of 17. She has not only fought HIV for two-and-a-half decades but has counselled lakhs of other victims.

She runs 'Ashraya Foundation', a care centre for HIV positive adolescent girls, widows and underprivileged workers, who are above 18 years, in the state.

Nagaratna has been awarded by the State Women and Child Welfare department for her services. She has received appreciation from the India Book of Records and was felicitated by many religious seers for her service.

"It is very important to have peace of mind to fight the HIV infection. If I am leading a normal life, beating symptoms of HIV, it is because of service-mindedness. That gives me strength," she told IANS.

A care centre has been established in the state where there was no such centre, either government or private, to look after HIV positive patients.

"I have seen young girls, who are HIV positive, being sent out of care homes once they turn 18. When they move out of such centres with their parents facing education and age risks, their life could become worse. I have seen many of them even get exploited. Hence, I decided to open a care centre for such girls," Nagaratna said.

The centre run by her provides HIV-positive women and girls with food, shelter, counselling, education, livelihood and medication. At present, 19 girls are living in the centre.

"When the doctors gave my HIV positive report in 1997, they told me that I would live for three months. I had tested positive after five months of marriage and contracted the infection from my husband. By the time the report came, I was pregnant," she said.

"I went through hell and did not come out of shock for many days. Gradually, everyone got to know about it and it made the situation worse. I was looked down upon by people. I loved my child. After the delivery, I raised my son for 18 months with a lot of struggle. Afterwards, he tested negative for HIV," she added.

Today Nagarata and her son run the foundation with the help of donors in a rented building.

"The stigma towards HIV positive patients has been the same since the last two decades. More humiliation is faced by such patients from educated people rather than the uneducated. From my experience I have seen that 75 per cent of survivors will be women as men succumb to the disease because of bad habits," she said.

"Society still thinks that HIV infection is spread only through physical intimacy. The government must give importance to organise vaccination for HIV infection on a war footing like it did for Covid-19. The government should also come to the rescue of HIV patients and care centres," she added.
New Delhi, March 8 : Russian Ministry of Defence plane has twice flown to Syria since the start of the invasion of Ukraine.

On February 24, a Russian plane arrived in Syria, and on February 27, it flew back to Moscow, with a stopover in Armenia, as per online radar data monitored by Ukrayinska Pravda.

On February 27, a plane left from Vladikavkaz for Syria, and on February 28, it returned, again via Armenia, to Astrakhan in Russia.

Syrian Deir Ezzor reported that Syrian mercenaries were offered payments of USD 200-300.

Previously, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said that Vladimir Putin has decided to engage foreign mercenaries in the war against Ukraine.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Russia has already organised a channel to supply Syrian mercenaries for its war against Ukraine.

According to the US government, Russia, which has fought in Syria since 2015, has recruited mercenaries there in the hope that their experience of street fighting can help Russia take Kiev.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
New Delhi, March 8 : Chinas Foreign Ministry has called on the US to disclose information on Pentagons alleged biological laboratories in Ukraine "as soon as possible".

On Monday, the Russian military said Ukrainian authorities had been destroying pathogens studied at its laboratories. Moscow claimed that 30 US-financed Ukrainian biolabs have been actively cooperating with the American military, RT reported.

Kiev has denied developing bioweapons. According to the website of the US Embassy in Kiev, the US Department of Defense's Biological Threat Reduction Program only "collaborates with partner countries to counter the threat of outbreaks" of infectious diseases. In 2020, the Embassy had termed such theories about US-funded biolabs in Ukraine as "disinformation".

Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian claimed that, according to his country's information, the laboratories in Ukraine are just "a tip of an iceberg" and that the US Department of Defense "controls 336 biological laboratories in 30 countries around the world".

This is done under the pretext of "cooperating to reduce biosecurity risks" and "strengthening global public health", Zhao said, RT reported.

It is the first time that Beijing has disclosed the alleged figures. Zhao said that according to data "released by the United States itself", there are 26 US laboratories in Ukraine. In light of Russia's military offensive in the country, he urged "all parties concerned" to ensure the safety of the labs.
New Delhi, March 8 : The Centre, on Women's Day on Tuesday, told the Supreme Court that the mindset has changed in connection with induction of women officers in the armed forces, and also assured the possibility of allocating more seats to women candidates in National Defence Academy (NDA), after deliberating implications in the long term, in the next three months.

At this, a bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M. M. Sundresh said: "Revolution does not come overnight and social revolution takes time to come. Social and logistics aspects also take time." Justice Kaul noted that if an institution has been all boys', changes take time and the court's job is to keep prodding.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, brought on record comparative figures on the percentage of women in armed forces in different countries. According to the Indian Navy's affidavit, women officers in the Indian defence forces are 13.6 per cent, which is fourth largest after US, Australia, and France.

The affidavit said: "That induction of woman cadets in NDA has been a major policy decision. The respondents need sufficient time for deliberating implications in the long term for induction and deployment of ex-NDA women cadets in the Indian Armed Forces. It is, therefore, submitted that the respondents require at least three months additional time towards this".

The top court noted the valuable assistance of Bhati as a law officer, in the matter, as it appreciated armed forces approach on the aspect of gender equality.

After hearing detailed arguments in the matter, the top court scheduled the matter for further hearing in July.

The affidavit said that a total of 8,009 candidates, including 1,002 women, passed the NDA written examination held during November 2021 and the Service Selection Board (SSB) is scheduled with effect from March-April 2022.

"In respect of number of women to be inducted for NDA- II 2021 and NDA-I 2022, it is submitted that each course at NDA has 370 vacancies for the three services. Out of these, 208 cadets get commissioned in the Indian Army (IA), 120 cadets get commissioned in the Indian Air Force (IAF) and 42 cadets get commissioned in the Indian Navy (IN)", added the affidavit.

The top court was informed that the proportional strength of women cadets in the NDA is more than the existing proportional strength of women officers (WOs) in the Indian Army. The affidavit added that the average intake in the last four years of WOs in the eight arms and services has been up to 15 per cent of the total cadre strength. "With the present allotment of 10 women candidates per course in NDA, i.e 20 per year, the women cadre in these arms will witness a growth of 5 per cent i.e. from the existing 15 per cent to 20 per cent,", it added.

The Centre has justified restricting the intake of women cadets in the NDA to 19 per batch for the time being, saying the number is based on sound rationale and current requirement. The NDA exam is conducted twice a year, NDA-I in the first half of the year and NDA-II in the second.

The Centre's response came after senior advocate Chinmoy Pradip Sharma and advocate Mohit Paul complained against a fresh notification issued by Union Public Services Commission for NDA-I exam in 2022, which limited the intake of women cadets to just 19.

On the aspect of determinants of future progressions, the affidavit said that as many as 506 women officers have been granted Permanent Commission in the army against backdrop of the apex court orders.

"The Indian Army since has been simultaneously engaged in a large number of operational challenges, especially on northern borders, which have effected permanent changes in deployment and various other operational facets, requiring in-depth analysis and extrapolated impacts in cadre management to include women officers' operational employment," added the affidavit.
Bhopal, March 8 : On International Women's Day on Tuesday, both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress organised programmes to celebrate the occasion. Leaders of both the political parties claimed to have launched beneficiary schemes for women.

The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh celebrated the occasion at a mega event organised in Dewas district, which was attended by the national president of the party J P Nadda, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, state BJP president V D Sharma and several cabinet ministers, including Yashodhara Raje Scindia and many prominent state BJP leaders.

On this occasion, the government announced that from now on only women associated with the 'Aajeevika Mission' will be making school uniforms. Also, the nutritional food given to children in Anganwadi centres will be prepared by the Federation of Self Help Groups.

J P Nadda, who was the chief guest at the programme, praised Shivraj Singh Chouhan for implementing several women centric schemes in the state in the past one decade of his government.

Addressing the gathering of women and party leaders and workers, Nadda said, "Madhya Pradesh was the first to reserve 50 per cent seats in the local body elections. The MP government has reserved 50 per cent seats for girls in teacher posts, 33 per cent seats in general jobs and 30 per cent in police jobs. I congratulate Shivraj Singh Chouhan for taking steps for empowerment of women in the state with several beneficiary schemes. NDA governments are always committed to women empowerment." The state Congress also organised a programme at the party office in Bhopal. Members of the women's wing of the party hailing from different districts of the state arrived at the party office to attend the programme which was chaired by former chief minister and state Congress president Kamal Nath.

Nath also interacted with women journalists over tea and discussed the current political scenario, women's upliftment and issues of the country and the state.
New Delhi, March 8 : The Centre on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that the Indian Navy has decided to induct women cadets into three branches or cadres through the National Defence Academy (NDA).

The Indian Navy, in an affidavitm, said: "Given the intent of the interim directions from the court, Navy has decided to induct women into three Branches/Cadres through NDA. There are total of four Branches and four Cadres in the Navy which are further sub-divided into 23 subspecialisations." A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M.M. Sundresh was informed that all cadets inducted through the UPSC examination post 10+2 into the NDA are trained towards executive (general service) which is not open for induction of women officers.

"In fact, Navy does not have any direct induction of men and women through NDA (UPSC) entry post 10+2 for the Branches! Cadres! Specialisations which are open for induction of women," added the affidavit.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, submitted that the Navy does not have direct induction of women or men through the NDA. She added however, against the backdrop of Supreme Court direction to give Permanent Commission (PC) to women officers in services, they are allowed entry.

The affidavit added that given the intent of directions by the Supreme Court, Navy decided to have intake of women as PC officers through UPSC examinations into logistics, the Naval Armament Inspectorate (NAI) and the education branch.

"It is important to note that this would be the first instance (whether for male or female) that a cadet will be trained at NDA for direct induction as PC officer into Education Branch, Logistics and NAI Cadres. There are presently no PC male officers being directly inducted into these branches through NDA," added the affidavit.

The top court noted Centre's submission that on an average, 20 to 25 women are already being inducted through IN every six months for all the branches/cadres, which are open for their induction "That at NDA, there will be an economy of training effort with total induction of 19 women cadets per term {after three years the total number will be 114 women cadets (19 women x 2 batches/years x 3 years)}. Upon passing out from NDA, all cadets who are inducted as Naval cadets report at Indian Naval Academy for Navy specific training of 6-12 months (depending on Branches/Cadres/ Specialisations). So effectively, these women cadet trainees are also being routed through IN," added the affidavit.

The Centre's response came after senior advocate Chinmoy Pradip Sharma and advocate Mohit Paul complained against a fresh notification issued by the Union Public Services Commission for the NDA-I exam in 2022, which limited the intake of women cadets to just 19.

The top court was hearing a plea by Kush Kalra, which was filed last year, seeking the induction of women in the NDA. In August, 2021, the apex court allowed women to appear in entrance tests conducted for the NDA.
Chennai, March 8 : A special court in Madurai on Tuesday sentenced 10 persons, including the first accused named Yuvaraj, to life imprisonment for the murder of a Dalit youth named Gokulraj in Namakkal in 2015.

District judge Sampath Kumar ordered that all the accused should serve life imprisonment until death.

Yuvaraj, who is the founder of a caste outfit named Dheeran Chinnamalai Gounder Peravai, was awarded triple life imprisonment to be served concurrently.

The prime accused, Yuvaraj's driver Arun, and fellow accused S. Kumar alias Sivakumar, R. Sathishkumar, S. Raghu, D. Ranjith and D. Selvaraj have been awarded double life imprisonment.

Three other accused -- Giridhar, S. Chandrashekharan and M. Prabhu -- were awarded single life imprisonment.

According to the prosecution, Gokulraj, a Dalit youth from Omalur in Salem district, who was an engineering student, was kidnapped by a gang led by Yuvaraj on June 23, 2015, after he was seen speaking to a girl belonging to Gounder community at a temple in Tiruchengode. The next day his body was found on a railway track.

There were 17 accused in the case and the court acquitted seven while awarding life imprisonment to the remaining 10 men.

The mother of Gokulraj, Chitra, broke down in the court and pleaded that the accused be given the highest punishment that could be awarded.

The special public prosecutor, Bhavani S. Mohan, during his closing arguments urged the court to award the highest punishment to the accused citing the brutality involved in the killing of Gokulraj.

All the convicts broke down in the courtroom on hearing the judgment.
New Delhi, March 8 : Ukrainian territorial defence battalions are holding more than 4.5 million civilians in Ukraine as human shields, said head of the National Defence Control Centre of Russia, Mikhail Mizintsev.

"The militants of the territorial defence battalions continue to hold more than 4.5 million civilians hostage as a human shield," the Russian Defense Ministry said, RT said.

It is noted that about 2,000 foreign citizens, who expressed a desire to evacuate to safe places, are also being held.

Mizintsev reported on the receipt of information about cases of discrimination against human rights on racial grounds by neo-Nazis.

He also stated that the Ukrainian authorities continue to categorically reject all major evacuation routes from a number of Ukrainian cities to Russia.

Official Kiev does not control the state of affairs in Ukraine and does not ensure the fulfillment of its obligations, the Russian Defence Ministry said. The department indicated that the Kiev regime, by its actions, supports chaos and does not notice the facts of looting.

More than 2.5 million citizens of Ukraine and foreigners have asked to be evacuated to the territory of Russia, he said, RT reported.

"In our database, taking into account the past day, 2,541,367 appeals have already been documented through various communication channels from specific citizens of Ukraine, as well as foreigners, with requests to save and evacuate them from 1,917 settlements of Ukraine," Mizintsev said.

The Ministry of Defence said that Russia could not hand over to the UN and the Ukrainian authorities a database of people wishing to evacuate to Russia, because they fear that then it would fall into the hands of Ukrainian nationalists.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
New Delhi, March 8 : The intelligence agencies have flagged the presence of the modules of terror group Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) in Assam and neighbouring states through Bangladeshi jihadis.

According to sources, quoting the intelligence inputs, the AQIS is trying to establish itself firmly in the northeastern states with the help of a few terror groups in Bangladesh and this needs to be checked by the states' police.

The inputs suggested a particular religious group which is actively involved in helping Bangladeshi nationals to sneak into India through the states on the Bangladesh border.

The sources in the security set up said that the Centre has shared the intelligence inputs with the northeastern states and asked them to ramp up the identification of such elements.

The officials in the security set up added that despite the support of Al Qaeda founder Ayman al-Zawahiri and the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS), the AQIS could not establish itself in India barring a few Kashmiris who were sympathizers of the AQIS but that was limited to raising their banners during the anti-government protests in 2016-17.

These terror elements need to be identified and neutralized at the earliest, the officials added.

Recent arrests made by the Assam police had five people, including a Bangladeshi national who is linked to an important Bangladeshi jihadist organization affiliated to the AQIS.

The sources revealed that the arrested Bangladeshi national has disclosed his links with the terror outfits in Bangladesh. They said that he illegally entered India and worked as a teacher in Dhakliyapara mosque under Hauli police station of Barpeta district in Assam.

On Sunday, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that several jihadi terror modules are active in Assam and the state police is working to bust them.

Due to the strict anti-terror policy of the Sheikh Hasina led Bangladesh government, the AQIS could not establish itself there despite the support of local terror outfits.
New Delhi, March 8 : US President Joe Biden is poised to announce a ban on Russian oil imports to 'punish' the country for invading Ukraine, BBC reported.

Despite mounting fears of rising gas prices, the move has found widespread bipartisan political support in the US.

However, the US intends to make the move unilateral, without its European allies, who are much more dependent on Russian gas and oil for their energy needs.

Russia had earlier warned that it may close its main gas pipeline to Germany if the West bans Russian oil.

The EU gets about 40 per cent of its gas and 30 per cent of its oil from Russia, and has no easy substitutes if supplies are disrupted, BBC reported.

In comparison, 8 per cent of US oil and refined product imports come from Russia.

As the world's third largest exporter of oil, Moscow is aware that any move to impose sanctions would badly damage its own economy.

But such action could also send prices soaring. Investor fears of an embargo drove Brent crude oil to $139 a barrel at one point on Monday -- its highest level in almost 14 years.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had previously said that any discussion on a ban would have to consider how to maintain "a steady global supply".

However, the way was paved for the US ban on Monday, when senior Republicans and Democrats in Congress announced a bipartisan agreement to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus, BBC reported.
Gurugram, March 8 : Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ashwini Kumar Choubey on Tuesday, while speaking on the issue of stubble burning, appealed to the farmers from Delhi-NCR to not go for any "short cuts".

"If we all move ahead together in making our environment clean, then it will serve as a great service to our mother nature. If we don't care for mother nature, then it will not care for us as well. It is every citizen's responsibility to work for the betterment of air surrounding them," he said as he discussed steps all citizens should take to ensure a clean and pollution-free environment.

Choubey was speaking on the second day of 'Dialogue towards Clean Air' organised by the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR & Adjoining Areas (CAQM) in association with the Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Ministry.

The second day proceedings involved presentations along with valuable inputs and ideas towards an effective framework of policies and field level actions for a long lasting solution for the air pollution issue in the Delhi-NCR, a Ministry release said.

The two-day interactive session involved stakeholders from Central and state governments, pollution control boards, municipal bodies, NGOs, private sector, academia and industry associations wherein constructive discussions involving stakeholders from different fields were held.

Discussions revolved around shift to cleaner fuels such as PNG in the industries and transport sector, the road map for PNG network, infrastructure and supply in the entire NCR, E-mobility as a potential solution for addressing vehicular pollution, ways to reduce emissions from the vehicles in the transport sector, and regulation of emission from large scale use of diesel generator sets.

The second session centred around sustainable agricultural stubble management, prevention and control of crop residue burning along with strategies, methodologies and schemes for both in-situ and ex-situ management of crop. The discussions also included topics such as greening and plantation measures for abatement of air pollution, including the urban forestry initiatives by the Ministry such as the Nagar Van Scheme, etc., the release added.

The Commission has so far issued 61 directions and seven advisories, besides executive orders to various agencies concerned in the NCR including state governments, GNCTD, and various bodies of the Central and state governments in the region, laying down responsibilities and concrete steps to abate pollution and ameliorate air quality in the region, the release added.
New Delhi, March 8 : Minister of State for External Affairs & Culture, Meenakshi Lekhi, along with Sachchanand Joshi, Member Secretary of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), released Ashish Kaul's research monograph -- 'StreeDesh: The forgotten legendary women of Kashmir' -- here on Tuesday.

StreeDesh is the first research monograph to document the forgotten women achievers of undivided Jammu and Kashmir that chronicles the lives and times of 13 legendary women from J&K.

Kaul said, "The project StreeDesh took me across challenging geographical regions of the world, including Afghanistan and Iran, in search of our history over last six years. Apart from the film and the research monograph, this project includes 13 independent books chronicling the lives and times of these 13 incredible women." He added that the initiative aims to bring forth the legacy of women, their contributions to social, economic, military and political upliftment of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
New Delhi, March 8 : 'Vita Nova, a touring two-city exhibition, will open in Jaipur (March 9-22) and travel to Delhi post-April 20.

The exhibition has been produced by the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre and curated and conceived by Myna Mukherjee and Davide Quadrio.

In Jaipur, it arrives as a collateral event to the Jaipur Literature Festival and is spread across two sites. It is presented in collaboration with the Jawahar Kala Kendra, Rajasthan Department of Art and Culture and Gyan Museum, and is part of the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' celebrations marking 75 years of India's Independence.

Inspired by Dante's literature, Vita Nova is a two-site exhibition exploring transformations, connections and departures in contemporary craft and art between Italy and India. Vita Nova is the title of the poems by Dante, composed in honour of his lover and muse, that shaped the history of poetry in Italy and worldwide.

The curation called six artists from India and Italy to be challenged by this literature hero's extraordinary body of work and explore the territory of "new life" (vita nova) or the transformative life that Dante wrote about. The resulting exhibition lets the viewer enter a realm of mystery and metaphor; the arcane and the magical; nature and humanity; mythology and memory; transformation and preservation; and ultimately the manifestation of something new.

All six artists -- Andrea Anastasio, Francesco Simeti, Marta Roberti, Puneet Kaushik, Raghava KK, and Shilo Shiv Suleman -- blur several distinctions as they work with a range of 'handmade' techniques from woodcuts, block prints, embroidery, tapestry, metal forging, blue pottery, miniatures, bidri, ceramics, clay and even cardboard making.

Together, they create a hothouse of new works that expose the conjunctions and disjunctions inherent in these contemporary hybridised artworks. They generate questions about the role of craft in their evolutionary shift to the 'dematerialised' and conceptual while retaining their historical and cultural significance.

These works claim contemporary craft as a dynamic critical position for understanding the most immediate political and aesthetic issues of our time.

Encompassing tapestries, carpets, sculptures, miniatures, textiles & artisanal objects, moving from magic realism to metaphors of political protests, 'Vita Nova' is an eclectic immersion into the "conceptual craft futures" referenced and celebrated by artists promoting new ways of thinking about the role of craft in contemporary art and significance of the 'handmade' within conceptual art-making practices.
New Delhi, March 8 : Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday launched a short film on women empowerment, released a booklet on women in science & engineering (WISE) and announced three important programmes for the WISE category.

Announcing the three programmes under WISE-KIRAN scheme to celebrate the International Women's Day, he said the first one, 'Industrial Research Fellowship for Women' will provide opportunity to young women researchers to work in the industry for short and long durations. This programme will be a one time grant for women scientists.

Similarly, the 'aSenior Women Scientists Fellowship' programme is proposed to provide dignity to senior women scientists, in age group 45-60, who are performing well in research but are not in regular employment due to various circumstances. Under this programme, five years' project will be given to women scientists along with fellowship and other research grants.

The Minister said that the third programme of 'Overseas Fellowship for Women' will provide exposure to research scholars and young women scientists to upgrade their skills in various countries. This 3-6 months overseas visit will include monthly stipend, return air fare, health insurance, contingency etc.

Singh also released a short film on 'Women Empowerment Atlas of India: Science & Technology Perspective', a film on various programmes under WISE-KIRAN Scheme, a booklet on aWISE-KIRAN: At a Glance', success stories of 75 women scientists in Intellectual Property Rights (WOS-C programme) and a brief report on study of 'Women Technology Parks (WTPs)' for integrated development of rural women, a release from the ministry said.

Secretary, Science and Technology, Dr Srivari Chandrasekhar and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Director General, Dr Shekhar Mande also spoke on the occasion, the release added.
New Delhi, March 8 : All Indian students who were stuck in Sumy area of war-torn Ukraine have been successfully airlifted through Operation Ganga, the government said on Monday.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that they had apprehensions but their mission to evacuate Indian students was successful.

"Happy to inform that we have been able to move out all Indian students from Sumy," he tweeted.

The Indian students were first taken to Poltava, from where they boarded trains to western Ukraine, and were finally airlifted.

Union Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju also said all the students from Sumy were taken out.

"It was very worrying but finally all Indian students from Sumy have been taken out. The intervention from the highest level & effective coordination of the team at the ground have saved our young students," he said in a tweet.
New Delhi, March 8 : Three persons, including a woman, have been arrested for allegedly beating a 35-year-old man to death, whose body with rat bite marks was found inside a flat in Delhi two days after the murder, the police said on Tuesday.

The accused have been identified as Chandrawati (44), a resident of Kakrola Housing Complex, Delhi, her son Dheeraj (19) and his friend Satish (22).

Furnishing the details, DCP Sagar Singh Kalsi said that an information was received at the Sarai Rohilla police station that a man was lying naked in a flat at DDA Flats, Sarai Basti.

The police reached the spot and found that one person was lying naked in the second room of the flat.

"The body was found lying in the flat with injuries on the back and rat bite marks," Kalsi said.

During investigation, it was learnt that three persons, including a lady, were seen near the flat of the deceased, and were murmuring something.

"Sensing foul play, one person staying in a nearby flat took their photographs with his mobile phone, which he provided to the police during the investigation," the officer said.

Accordingly, raids were conducted and the suspect Chandrawati was apprehended and interrogated, who confessed about committing the murder with the help of his son Dheeraj and his friend Satish, who were also arrested then.

During interrogation, it was revealed that on the evening of March 3 at around 4 p.m. the deceased called Chandrawati to clean his flat.

"When she reached the flat, some argument ensued between them and the deceased thrashed her mercilessly and also made a video of the beating," the DCP said.

After this incident, Chandrawati left but she was afraid of the video shot by the deceased. So she called her son Dheeraj over phone and apprised him about the incident.

Dheeraj then called Satish, who worked in a factory with him, and narrated the whole story to him. The trio then went to the deceased's flat and badly thrashed him.

"They then locked the door from outside and threw the key inside the flat from the bottom of the front door," the officer said.
New Delhi, March 8 : The US on Tuesday banned all oil and gas imports from Russia, President Joe Biden said in a Twitter post.

"Today, I'm announcing that the United States is targeting a main artery of Russia's economy. We are banning all imports of Russian oil and gas," he tweeted.

The move to ban imports from Russia is seen as a support to war-torn Ukraine.

In another tweet, Biden said that Americans have rallied to support the people of Ukraine and made it clear that the country will not be part of subsidising Russian President Vladimir Putin's war.

"This decision today is not without costs here at home. Putin's war is already hurting American families at the pump -- and this will drive up costs further. So, I will take every step we can to minimise Putin's price hike here at home," Biden said.

Separately, the US has already announced a collective release of 60 million barrels of oil from the strategic petroleum reserves of the US and its partners. Half of the strategic reserves will come from the US.

"We're taking steps to ensure a reliable supply of global energy. And we're going to keep working with every tool at our disposal to protect American families and businesses," Biden said.
Srinagar, March 8 : 'The Voice for Peace and Justice', a local NGO, on Tuesday organised a brainstorming conference on the occasion of International Women's Day in J&K's Ganderbal district.

The one-day conference was organised at the Sheikh-ul-Alam Hall on the banks of the Manasbal Lake in Ganderbal district, and it was organised in collaboration with the Central University of Kashmir and the United Kingdom-India Education and Research Initiative.

Farooq Ahmad Shah, Vice-Chancellor of the Central University of Kashmir, inaugurated the conference which started with a Kashmiri song sung by Nargis Khatoon.

Saniya Zehra, a blind by birth scholar who has achieved heights in academics, told the conference, "Being a girl is not a crime. Our society needs to understand that girls can perform miracles if supported by their families." Farkandha Rehman, a veterinary surgeon, said she was taunted by men for being a veterinary doctor.

"I have proved myself as a successful veterinary surgeon who is now recognised by the society", she asserted.

Esra Bint-e-Qaiser, an international karateka, said, "Kashmiri women have represented the motherland at international competitions." Mansha Bashir, an international taekwondo player, said women must take part in every field of life and prove their ability.

Farooq Ahmad Shah said he is impressed by the work being done by the Voice for Peace and Justice.

"This NGO has been doing a lot for the empowerment of women. Time has come when we should not focus on gender inequality, but must work for the eradication of gender insensitivity." Farooq Ganderbali, President of the Voice for Peace and Justice, read the vote of thanks.

He said, "It is a matter of pride for Jammu and Kashmir and the country that our women are now representing the nation at international events. Some radical elements are continuously strategising to cage the women folk of Kashmir, but our girls are breaking those shackles."
New Delhi, March 9 : The Indian government on Tuesday said that all 694 Indian students stuck in Ukraine's Sumy have left the city through a humanitarian corridor provided by the Ukrainian government.

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri also confirmed that the process of evacuation of stranded Indian students in Sumy and they have been taken to Poltava by buses.

Puri also said that last night, he checked with the control room set up in the Ministry of External Affairs and that only 694 students were left in the city.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that they had apprehensions but their mission to evacuate Indian students was successful.

"Happy to inform that we have been able to move out all Indian students from Sumy," he tweeted.

The Indian students were first taken to Poltava, from where they boarded trains to western Ukraine, and were finally airlifted.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju also said all the students from Sumy were taken out.

"It was very worrying but finally all Indian students from Sumy have been taken out. The intervention from the highest level & effective coordination of the team at the ground have saved our young students," he said in a tweet.

The development came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the Presidents of Ukraine and Russia to provide a safe passage to evacuate remaining Indian students who were stuck in Sumy. The humanitarian corridor was provided on Tuesday morning from 10 a.m.

Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Kyiv on Tuesday asked the remaining Indian nationals to leave Ukraine's capital immediately using the announced 'Humanitarian Corridor' by any available means of transport, considering the security situation and that the next 'Humanitarian Corridor' is uncertain.

The Ukrainian government announced the ceasefire to provide a humanitarian corridor for the evacuation of the stranded foreign nationals to return to their countries.

The government also said that over 17,100 Indian nationals have been brought back to India from the neighbouring countries of Ukraine so far.

Officials also informed that the two Union Ministers and Special Envoys, Puri and Gen V.K. Singh (retd) have returned to New Delhi from Poland and Hungary, while the other two Union Ministers Rijiju and Jyotiraditya Scindia are still there in Slovakia and Romania.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Washington, March 9 : North Korea will continue to stage missile tests to develop and advance its missile capabilities but also to drive a wedge between South Korea and the United States, a US government report said on Tuesday.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) also said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un believes his nuclear weapons are the "ultimate guarantor" of his regime and that he will eventually be accepted as a nuclear power over time, Yonhap news agency reported.

"Kim probably will continue to order missile tests -- including of short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs), cruise missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and HGVs (hypersonic glide vehicles) -- to validate technical objectives, reinforce deterrence, and normalize Pyongyang's missile testing," the ODNI said in its Annual Threat Assessment report.

"Kim also aims to achieve prestige as a nuclear power as well as strategic dominance over South Korea. Kim probably will continue to try to undermine the U.S.-South Korea alliance by vacillating between periods of escalatory behavior and symbolic gestures toward the South to exploit differences between Washington's and Seoul's approach to solving the Korea problem," added the report.

North Korea staged nine rounds of missile tests since the start of the year, including two test-firings of a hypersonic missile and the launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile.

"Kim is continuing to prioritize efforts to build an increasingly capable missile force designed to evade US and regional missile defenses," said the report.

North Korea has maintained a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile testing since November 2017.

The report, however, noted Pyongyang has laid the groundwork for a possible intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) or a nuclear test this year.

Pyongyang said in January that it will consider restarting "all temporarily-suspended activities." "Kim remains strongly committed to expanding the country's nuclear weapons arsenal and continuing ballistic missile research and development. North Korea's continued development of ICBMs, IRBMs, and SLBMs demonstrates its intention to bolster its nuclear delivery capability," said the report, noting the North flight tested a new SLBM in October.

"Flight tests are part of North Korea's effort to expand the number and type of missile systems capable of delivering nuclear warheads to the entire United States," it added.
Beijing, March 9 : Chinese President Xi Jinping had a virtual summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday.

Xi pointed out that the combined impact of major global changes and the pandemic, both unseen in a century, has brought multiple global challenges that need to be addressed through global cooperation, Xinhua news agency reported.

Noting that China and the EU share much common understanding on promoting peace, seeking development and advancing cooperation, Xi said, "We need to shoulder our responsibility to bring more stability and certainty to a turbulent and fluid world." Xi said it is important for the two sides to enhance dialogue, stay committed to cooperation, and promote steady and sustained progress of China-EU relations.

The two sides need to continue upholding multilateralism and advancing major global agenda, he added.

"The European side values the important and positive role of China in global affairs, and is willing to engage in close cooperation with China to jointly tackle climate change, public health and other major global challenges," Macron and Scholz said.

The two leaders said the European side is ready to work with China for a successful EU-China summit, and to move forward France-China, Germany-China and EU-China relations.

The leaders exchanged views on the key issue of the current situation in Ukraine.

Macron and Scholz shared their assessment and positions on the current situation in Ukraine, saying that Europe is facing the worst crisis since World War II.

France and Germany support reaching a settlement through negotiation and giving peace a chance, they noted.

Xi stressed that the current situation in Ukraine is worrisome, and the Chinese side is deeply grieved by the outbreak of war again on the European continent.

China maintains that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter must be fully observed, the legitimate security concerns of all countries must be taken seriously, and all efforts that are conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis must be supported, he said.

The pressing task at the moment is to prevent the tense situation from escalating or even running out of control, Xi stressed.

China commends the mediation efforts by France and Germany on Ukraine, he said, adding that China will stay in communication and coordination with France, Germany and the EU and, in light of the needs of the parties involved, work actively together with the international community.

"We need to call for maximum restraint to prevent a massive humanitarian crisis," Xi said, adding that China has put forward a six-point initiative on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, and stands ready to provide Ukraine with further humanitarian aid supplies.

The leaders also exchanged views on the Iranian nuclear issue.
Copenhagen, March 9 : A World Health Organization (WHO) official has urged that health and humanitarian principles should play as key drivers of peace in Ukraine.

"Through personal experience in other conflicts, I firmly believe that health and humanitarian principles remain key drivers of peace, and I am using all diplomatic resources that are at my disposal as elected WHO leader to reduce the impact of this human catastrophe," Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

Kluge, during a virtual press briefing, noted that the WHO has prioritised ensuring "safe passage" of needed health supplies into Ukraine, making sure that neighbouring countries have "the infrastructure and expertise in place to meet the urgent needs of those arriving," and there is "continuity of care" within Ukraine, specifically through a fully-functioning WHO operations center in west Ukraine.

Although Ukraine has "remarkably" maintained its Covid-19 surveillance and response system, the current conflict could disproportionately affect the elderly in the country, because only one-third of those over 60 have been fully vaccinated, Kluge said.

"We are working to support these essential medical needs though fixed facilities and field hospitals or mobile health services and by making key diagnostics, medicines and medical supplies available," he said.

The official added that the specific health needs of women and girls must be prioritised amid the conflict.

Also on Tuesday, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said on Twitter that about 2 million people have entered neighboring countries from Ukraine since Russia launched a special military operation in the country.

Grandi estimated that around 4 million Ukrainians, or about 10 percent of the country's population, may leave Ukraine because of the conflict.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Swiderski herself is a shining example of what women can achieve in business. Having created her own family with the help of a surrogate, she was inspired to establish Family Source Consultants. On March 8, Family Source Consultants will celebrate International Women's day to show support for women everywhere and let them know that their hard work is recognized.

Celebrating women's achievements has always been important for Family Source Consultants, and they are determined to show it.

On March 8, Family Source Consultants will show support for women everywhere and let them know that their hard work is recognized.

This year's theme, #BreakTheBias, encourages women to actively call out gender bias, discrimination, and stereotyping in our communities, workplaces, and educational institutions.

Family Source Consultants CEO and owner Staci Swiderski says that it is a timely occasion to celebrate the significant contribution of all women in the world.

"By joining this celebration, Family Source Consultants is showing our support for women everywhere and letting them know that we recognize their hard work," she says.

Swiderski herself is a shining example of what women can achieve in business. Having created her own family with the help of a surrogate, she was inspired to establish Family Source Consultants, a gestational surrogacy and egg donation agency. Staci then decided to "pay it forward" by becoming an egg donor herself. She found incredible joy in helping another woman welcome a son and daughter.

"I am eternally grateful for the woman who carried our son and I am blessed to have been able to give back to another family by becoming

an egg donor," Swiderski shared.

Women's empowerment is a big part of the Family Source philosophy. With a female founder, owner and CEO, and twenty-two women staff members, this is one company with a strong female voice. It's also a company with empathy: about 90% of its staff have had some form of personal experience with surrogacy, egg donation, infertility, or IVF.

Swiderski explains that Family Source has worked hard to break the stereotype that gestational surrogates in the United States are uneducated or exploited.

"Our surrogates are from all walks of life  from high-level executives to stay-at-home mothers," she says. "But they all have one thing in common: a love of pregnancy and a desire to help others."

Rachael Smith, FSC Director of Client Services, was the recipient of the 40 Under Forty for young professionals and leadership award in 2020. Rachael has been a gestational surrogate three times and demonstrates compassion and drive in all aspects of her life.

"My heart is in surrogacy and helping others. I have a great passion for surrogacy. My favorite part is seeing the process come full circle," she says. "Other than having my children, there is no greater feeling than seeing photos of a baby in their parents' arms!"

Family Source believes in helping all women on their journey to parenthood, regardless of background, sexual orientation, or marital status. As well as empowering women to help other women by making dreams come true for those who long to be mothers.

Ronda Blair is currently in her fourth surrogacy journey. As the Director of Case Management for Family Source, Ronda guides surrogates and intended parents through their own journeys with a unique insight that only someone who has experienced the journey could have.

"I am constantly learning and educating myself on changes in the industry. It's imperative that I am aware of the industry's newest updates and that my team continually adapts to the changes," she says.

At Family Source, all surrogates are protected by a contract that ensures she has control over her own body and birth experience. FSC is proud to support women who birth with different providers and choose alternative birthing environments. While some agencies require their surrogates to give birth in a hospital, surrogates with FSC have the option of giving birth in their own home or a birthing center with the assistance of a trained and experienced midwife.

Surrogates are also paired with an experienced surrogacy support advocate who is available throughout the journey and have the support of the entire Family Source team, including current and former FSC surrogates.

Surrogacy support manager Denise Conner has experienced both sides of the journey. She became a gestational surrogate after conquering her own infertility struggles.

"I enjoyed pregnancy so much, and I couldn't imagine how a woman must feel not being able to experience the feelings and joys of pregnancy. I knew I had to do something to help this group of women," Denise says.

TeamFSC is enormously proud of its surrogates and will continue striving to #BreaktheBias once and for all.

About Family Source Consultants

Family Source Consultants, LLC is a leading gestational surrogacy and egg donation agency in Chicago that has tirelessly worked with parents from over 30 countries. The agencys staff are experienced in assisted reproduction and fully know the process and the complexities of surrogacy. FSC also has fluent International Coordinators ready to serve clients from South America, Latin America, Asia, and Europe.
The incredible creativity, passion and perseverance of these young drama students and their dedicated educators make us very proud to recognize these outstanding high school teachers and drama departments.

The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts (NYCDA) today proudly announced the recipients of its fourth annual Your Start in the Arts grant awards. As a prominent performing arts conservatory, the New York Conservatory is committed to supporting underfunded high school drama and theater departments and clubs through its yearly Your Start in the Arts grant. The program offers a series of $1,000 grants each year to help drama educators purchase equipment or produce plays, to be used at the discretion of the high school drama faculty.

Each fall during National Arts & Humanities Month, The New York Conservatory accepts nominations from high school students around the country who answer a short online questionnaire about what drama education offers them and why their school should receive the grant. A panel of senior NYCDA faculty review the submissions and vote for the most compelling cases for support.

This years Your Start in the Arts grant submissions continue to illustrate the growing challenges faced by our school systems and their drama departments during the past two years, said Richard Omar, president and artistic director at The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. At the same time, they reveal so much resiliency. The incredible creativity, passion and perseverance of these young drama students and their dedicated educators make us very proud to recognize these outstanding high school teachers and drama departments.

The New York Conservatorys Your Start in the Arts 2022 grant winners are:



Baltimore School for the Arts, Baltimore, MD.: The school will allow the grant to revitalize its drama department's script library, focusing on plays of the moment, written by a contemporary, diverse group of playwrights; update its pedagogical resources, focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion in theatre education; and finally, provide a new text department-wide that helps broaden its students' worldview and cultural sensitivity.

Denzel Washington School of the Arts, Mount Vernon, NY: The high school drama department will use the grant to help to continue its efforts to convert the drama classroom into a semi-black box theater space and purchase sound, lighting equipment, and props/costumes.

Ironwood High School, Glendale, AZ: The grant money will be used to enhance the schools production of The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore, including the purchase of hair and makeup special effects, props, and building materials for the scenery and pay for costume rentals.

Gate City High School, Gate City, VA: The New York Conservatorys Your Start in the Arts grant will go toward making sure the schools talented drama students are given the opportunity to continue doing what they love by providing the drama department with better equipment, software and costumes.

Gorham High School, Gorham, ME: The grant funding will help the school address much-needed improvements to its lighting system in order to make full use of the meaning and power that excellent lighting design contributes to storytelling on stage. It will also enable technical theater students the opportunity to learn on equipment that would be relevant to the theater world outside of the schools auditorium.

Mount Vernon High School, Mount Vernon, MO: With this grant, the school will be able to perform a yearly musical -- the first time in the school's history that they will be able to perform two musicals two years in a row.

Pinckney Community High School, Pinckney, MI: The school will use the grant funds to replace its microphones, provide up-to-date training on the lighting system, and fulfill one of the students biggest wants -- a solid, functioning ghost light.

Phil Campbell High School, Phil Campbell, AL: The monies from the grant will be used to further the students' love of the dramatic arts with much-needed funding for costumes, props, scripts, and more.

Stilwell High School, Stilwell, OK: The "Your Start in the Arts" grant will enable the school to produce its first full-length production since 2019. This will not only provide a valuable experience for the students but will also serve to bring the Stilwell community together to experience theatre.

To learn more about the Your Start in the Arts grant program, please visit https://www.nycda.edu/your-start-in-the-arts/. Full grant and participation rules can be found here https://www.nycda.edu/your-start-in-the-arts-grant-contest-full-rules/

About The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts enables students to define their unique brand as an actor by discovering who they are as a person. We practice a highly personalized approach to training--placing acting and storytelling at the core--offering immersive, disciplined, and focused professional training programs designed to give students the tools and techniques they need for successful careers in todays industry. Our living curriculum is writing itself every day, created and shaped by NYCDAs working actor faculty and student community to deliver a dynamic learning experience. The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts is an institutionally accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Theatre. NYCDAs Associate in Occupational Studies (AOS) degree programs in Film and Television Performance, and in Musical Theater Performance are registered by the New York State Board of Regents. Learn more about NYCDA at http://www.nycda.edu.
Stay in touch with your family's digital habits For far too long, Big Tech has paid lip service to the scourge of mental health issues they are causing, says Suren Ramasubbu, founder and CEO of Mobicip. Not anymore! The voices of parents have reached a crescendo, and Big Tech has no choice but to listen and act on it.

Researchers, pediatricians, teachers and even the US Senate have decried the influence of Big Tech on kids and teens. A deluge of social media, screen time, and internet has invaded the lives of families across the world. From phone manufacturers to streaming media to social apps and websites, Big Techs goal is to do everything in its power to increase user engagement, despite its own internal research and employee feedback pointing out the harmful effects on children. How can busy parents deal with this challenge, amidst everything else going on in the world and in their families?

Mobicip, a pioneer in parental control software, has launched the most comprehensive solution for families to build better digital habits. Schedule screen time, check. Flag harmful social media posts, check. Track location, check. Block harmful apps, check. Lock device remotely on-demand, check. AI-powered internet filter, check. All types of smartphones, tablets and computers in the household, check. Protect anytime, anywhere, on any public WiFi, private or cellular network, check. Mobicips sole mission is to be that one-stop-solution that a digital parent needs to ward off the evils of Big Tech.

For far too long, Big Tech has paid lip service to the scourge of mental health issues they are causing, says Suren Ramasubbu, founder and CEO of Mobicip. Not anymore! The voices of parents have reached a crescendo, and Big Tech has no choice but to listen to and act on it.

Mobicip has advocated for more transparency and open APIs that allow third parties to hold addictive tech products and the companies that make them accountable. It is high time that parents take matters into their own hands and use tools like Mobicip to simplify their familys lives. In a post-pandemic world, it is time to return to the basics - free play time away from screens, real social engagement in lieu of virtual, and protection from the caustic echo chambers of the internet and social media.

About Mobicip:

Mobicip makes parental control software that helps parents protect their children on iOS, Android, Kindle, Chromebook, Windows and MacOS devices. Learn how Mobicip simplifies digital parenting and helps build better habits at http://www.mobicip.com.
2022 Ronati Spring and Summer Guide to Trade Fairs and Shows for Sellers of Art, Vintage and Antiques "Trade fairs and shows are a key component of the antiques industry, and we want to help them flourish." - Stacey Tiveron, Ronati Founder and CEO

Tech firm, Ronati, today announced the launch of the 2022 Spring and Summer Guide to Trade Fairs and Shows for Sellers of Art, Vintage, and Antiques. The company teamed up with Antiques News & Fairs (ANF), the leading one-stop portal for trade fairs in the UK and now US. The biannual publication is designed as a quick reference piece for the trade to help dealers more easily understand and navigate the many choices and benefits of exhibiting. It features a curated selection of 60+ exhibition-quality art and antiques fairs, inspiring decorative antiques fairs, and flea markets.

From inspiration to human interaction, trade fairs and shows are a key component of the antiques industry, and we want to help them flourish, notes Ronati Founder and CEO, Stacey Tiveron.

The new guide will be produced twice a year with a Spring and Summer edition, followed by Autumn and Winter. Categories include Antiques + Collectors, Art, Antiquarian Books + Maps, Decorative + Textiles, Flea Markets, Jewelry, and Vintage + Salvage.

ANF publisher and editor, Gail McLeod, has been involved in publications, shows, fairs, and associations for twenty-five years: We are delighted to partner with Ronati to provide up-to-date dynamic information for the 2022 Spring and Summer Guide to Trade Fairs and Shows for Sellers of Art, Vintage and Antiques, an essential resource for the antiques, vintage, and design industries.

The guide is available now free of charge to trade and dealers at http://www.ronati.com/guides

About Ronati: Celebrating the Unique

Ronati designs and builds technologies to help the art, vintage, and antiques industries thrive. Its debut product, the Ronati eCommerce Manager (eCM), is the industrys only comprehensive inventory and multi-marketplace management tool. It enables dealers and sellers of one-of-a-kind items to manage their stock online and offline from a single location. Ronatis technologies connect, support, and complement all industry constituents. The more we work together, the stronger our industry becomes. http://www.ronati.com

About Antiques News and Fairs (ANF):

Antiques News & Fairs publishes the top-ranked antiques fairs calendar for the UK & US together with up-to-date industry news and feature content. ANF works to establish worldwide contacts between private and trade buyers and sellers by acting as a portal site for respected antique dealers and event organizers. http://www.antiquesnews.co.uk
Leon Keshishian

Autosled, the modern automotive digital retail logistics marketplace, announced that it has appointed former Tesla and SolarCity executive Leon Lee Keshishian as Chief Executive Officer to spearhead its leadership team.

Keshishian joined Autosled initially as a board advisor to assist the company through its strategic planning and funding efforts. During that process, he was asked to join full time to lead the company into its next stage of growth in automotive logistics. As CEO, he is focused on talent acquisition, scaling the business for accelerated growth, and securing funding. A marketing and business professional with high growth operations experience across consumer products, renewable energy, and logistics, Keshishian is uniquely positioned to move the company forward.

Having known Lee since high school, I was excited to initially get him involved in Autosleds mission to transform the automotive logistics market as an advisor, noted David Sperau, co-founder and Autosleds Chief Revenue Officer. After working with him over several months in that capacity, and witnessing his ability to develop strategic plans, hire top talent and position operations for scalable growth, we were excited to have him join us full time.

A former executive at Tesla, Keshishian is no stranger to the opportunities available in automotive transport, nor the fast-paced environment of a company thats in demand. Early in his career, he managed brands like Dial Soap, launched new housing developments for Pulte Homes and co-founded one of the first renewable energy companies in the Mid-Atlantic region. After the acquisition of Clean Currents Solar by SolarCity, Keshishian grew from one location in Maryland to over 30 facilities and over 3,000 employees that sold and installed residential and commercial solar and energy storage systems on the East Coast, building the largest region in the largest solar company in America. After SolarCity was acquired by sister company Tesla, he integrated his team and supported the expansion of Tesla products, such as EV charging, energy storage and new roofing products. The team also helped build automobiles in California, construct battery lines in Nevada and delivered autos at quarter endings, exposing him to the logistics challenges. After leaving Tesla in 2018, Keshishian founded an asset management company for SolarCity customers, KWH Care. This quickly merged with Palmetto Solar- bringing Keshishian on board as Chief Operating officer. At Palmetto, he hired and grew its fulfillment and field operations teams- resulting in a 400% growth in 2 years. As a result, the company has become one of the top companies in the United States. As Covid hit, Keshishian reconnected with his former classmate David Sperau on his new venture, Autosled. Spending time with David and his brother Dan, he became convinced of the market potential and began advising the company.

Lee has really helped us prepare for growth- bringing funding partners who share our vision of changing the way automotive vehicles are transported, said Dan Sperau, co-founder and Chief Financial Officer. He has helped set us up for an exciting 2022.''

About Autosled

Autosled provides seamless digital vehicle shipment options for dealers, transporters, auctioneers, brokers, and individuals. As a tech first company, Autosleds web and phone platforms create a marketplace between shippers and transporters that are faster, cheaper and more reliable. Services include custom price quotes, secure online payments, electronic accounting and invoicing, online vehicle shipment scheduling, verified transporter insurance and a vetted network. Vehicles delivered through Autosled are trackable, with real-time GPS and communication with transporters throughout the process. For more information, visit:http://www.autosled.com/http://www.autosled.com.
Francesco Stipo In 6th Latin America Energy Forum, Dr. Stipo forecasts that oil prices may reach $180/barrel

Last Thursday, March 3, the Houston Energy Club held the 6th Latin America Energy Forum, featuring speeches by Hon. Aldo Flores Quiroga, former Secretary General of the International Energy Forum, and several CEOs from the United States and Latin America: http://www.latinamericaenergyforum.com

The speakers discussed the energy outlook in Latin America for 2022, with a focus on developing infrastructure projects in the region.

Dr. Francesco Stipo, President of the Houston Energy Club, declared that "oil prices may reach $180, setting a new record, triggered by the war in Ukraine and the rebound of energy demand after the COVID 19 pandemic.

The previous record of $145 was set in 2008 ($179.90 adjusted for inflation).

Dr. Stipo declared that high oil prices will benefit oil exporting countries such as Brazil and Mexico, but will have a negative impact on oil importers such as Argentina and Chile.

Venezuela will gain from high oil prices but the economic sanctions on Russia will reduce the financial support it receives from Russia."

The Houston Energy Club is a public policy analysis organization composed of energy experts and executives based in Houston.

The organization has held the Latin America Energy Forum since 2016.
FOND Bone Broth founder and CEO, Alysa Seeland The journey from rural farmers markets to being in more than 2,000 stores, triple-digit growth and a booming online business has been challenging and also extremely rewarding, especially as a woman in a traditionally male-dominated industry. - Alysa Seeland, founder and CEO of FOND Bone Broth

FOND Bone Broth, the woman-owned maker of flavor-infused organic bone broth tonics, today announced the company topped off a milestone-filled year of rapid expansion by becoming the fastest growing shelf-stable brand in the natural bone broth category. Over the past year, San Antonio-based FOND tripled its revenue, expanded its product offering with additional SKUs and a new product line, grew its retail business by 860% and increased direct-to-consumer sales by 373% compared to 2020  all while deepening one of the brands core value-based commitments to address climate change and heal the planet.

In line with increasing consumer demand for natural and clean products, the natural bone broth category grew by 56% in 2021. According to SPINS, a wellness-focused data company and advocate for the Natural Products Industry, FOND was the number two brand driving category growth in the natural retail channel by velocity and distribution. In 2021, FOND added four SKUs to its existing product offering and introduced a new line of organic, 100% grass-fed and regeneratively-raised beef bone broths. The company increased its retail presence by adding 900+ stores across the natural and traditional grocer channels  including Sprouts Farmers Market, The Fresh Market, Bristol Farms, and many more  and grew retail sales by more than 2,100%. Via direct-to-consumer, this marks the second consecutive year that FONDs online sales topped over 300% YoY growth.

The journey from rural farmers markets to being in more than 2,000 stores, triple-digit growth and a booming online business has been challenging and also extremely rewarding, especially as a woman in a traditionally male-dominated industry, said Alysa Seeland, founder and CEO of FOND Bone Broth. The incredible growth we experienced in 2021, combined with the category overall, is validating and highlights that more than ever, consumers really do care about the quality of the food they consume, the sourcing of ingredients, and the impact of both on their own health as well as the planet.

FOND kicked off 2022 by becoming the first and only bone broth brand to be accepted into the Savory Institutes Land to Market program, which exists to differentiate regeneratively grown products  giving the land a voice in the marketplace. Regenerative agriculture is a nature-based approach that goes far beyond sustainability to continuously improve the entire ecosystem  soil, water, air and animals. A gold standard of land health, products with the Land to Market seal are sourced from farms and ranches showing positive environmental outcomes. As part of the partnership, FOND will incorporate Land to Market-verified regenerative ingredients into its organic broths.

Regenerative agriculture has a critical role to play in impacting the climate emergency, and Land to Market tracks and measures these crucial outcomes, said Chris Kerston, co-leader of Land to Market. By joining Land to Market, FOND Bone Broth is taking real action as a leader in its commitment and making a direct impact on the climate crisis by restoring the land through regenerative agriculture.

FOND makes ready-to-sip, organic bone broth tonics that combine responsibly sourced bones with fresh herb and botanical infusions to nourish the body and delight the palate. Based in San Antonio, Texas, the female-founded and female-led company makes the first bone broth to marry a flavor-centric and nutritionally-healing approach using sustainable ingredients for flavorful, functional combinations that work synergistically to support good health. Available at fondbonebroth.com and in select retailers nationwide, FOND offers 12 shelf-stable organic chicken and beef bone broth tonic flavor options that are Certified Organic, gluten and dairy-free and non-GMO, as well as Keto and Paleo Certified and Whole30 Approved. Visit fondbonebroth.com for more information, including where to buy FOND in a store near you.

About FOND Bone Broth

FOND Bone Broth was born from a mothers search for healing, easy-to-digest nourishment to soothe her chronic health issues. Based in San Antonio, Texas, the female-founded, female-led company makes ready-to-sip, organic chicken and beef bone broth tonics that combine pasture-raised bones with fresh herbs and botanicals to nourish the body and delight the palate. Named for the French term for foundation, FOND is the first and only bone broth to combine a flavor-forward and nutritionally functional approach to create food-as-medicine tonics with ingredients that work synergistically to support good health. The broths are packaged in glass, utilizing a 100% plastic and aluminum-free process - from brew to jar, without any preservatives, additives, acids or artificial flavorings. FOND Bone Broth is Certified Organic, gluten and dairy-free and non-GMO, as well as Keto and Paleo Certified and Whole30 Approved. Zero added sugars, hormones or GMOs, and every jar sold supports local farms. Available in 12 flavors, FOND may be purchased online at fondbonebroth.com and in select retailers across the country. http://www.fondbonebroth.com

About Land to Market

A leader in the regenerative agriculture movement, Land to Market is the worlds first outcomes-based verified regenerative sourcing solution. The programs Land to Market Verified seal has attracted some of the worlds leading consumer packaged goods companies, apparel brands and retailers. A program of the Savory Institute, Land to Market uses a science-based approach working directly with raw material producers to enhance transparency and traceability mechanisms across the entire value chain. To see the full list of Land to Market members, visit http://landtomarket.com.
It is exciting to have both the technical understanding of the enterprise security world along with broader reporting skills Jessica brings to the table,

Lyons Hardcastle comes to Situation Publishing after more than two decades in journalism. After cutting her teeth at alternative weekly newspapers in California, where she covered everything from state politics and crime to environmental news, she moved into business reporting in 2009. Lyons Hardcastle worked as a freelance editor and writer covering clean tech for publications including Silicon Valley Business Journal, Solar Novus Today, and Environment + Energy Leader.

In 2017, she joined SDxCentral. As a senior editor and then managing editor, Lyons Hardcastle covered a range of enterprise IT topics including cloud, networking, and data center infrastructure, before focusing exclusively on cybersecurity. As cybersecurity editor for Situation Publishing, Lyons Hardcastle will continue covering technologies, trends, and threats in this space.

Im looking forward to my new role at Situation Publishing and growing the cybersecurity coverage and team at The Register and the rest of Situation Publishings news sites, Lyons Hardcastle said. Its such a dynamic field with a constantly changing threat landscape, evolving tools and frameworks on how to best protect organizations, and, of course, plenty of hype around the next best buzzy acronym that promises to solve everyones biggest security challenges in one magical product."

I cant wait to cut through the marketing buzz and advance the discussion with infosec professionals about how to address companies toughest cybersecurity pain points. Im excited to help position Situation Publishing and The Register as the No. 1 cybersecurity news source for enterprise IT leaders.

Were so pleased Jessica is joining The Register to set the direction of our cybersecurity coverage, which will reflect the real-world challenges our readers face, and the opportunities they can seize, said Chris Williams, Editor in Chief, Situation Publishing.

It is exciting to have both the technical understanding of the enterprise security world along with broader reporting skills Jessica brings to the table, said Nicole Hemsoth, Deputy Editor in Chief, Situation Publishing.

As a leader in IT security reporting, The Register will benefit dramatically from this expertise and direction. We are thrilled to see coverage get even stronger with her at the helm.

Jessica Lyons Hardcastle can be reached at jessica.hardcastle@sitpub.com.

About Situation Publishing

Situation Publishing is a leading global force in B2B technology publishing headquartered in London with offices in San Francisco, Boston, Sydney, and Singapore.

Situation Publishing operates a growing portfolio of titles and events, including The Register, DevClass and the Next Platform, which serve the global enterprise technology community.

Situation Publishing works with the worlds leading technology businesses to shape and deliver against their marketing objectives. Our services span account-based marketing, go to market content solutions, demand generation, data driven display advertising and live events.
The United States Mint (Mint) 2022 American Women Quarters Proof Set (product code 22WP) will be available for purchase on March 8 at noon EST.

Priced at $21.00, this set consists of five proof finish American Women Quarter coins with reverse (tails) designs honoring:



Maya Angelou  celebrated writer, performer, social activist  Depicting Maya Angelou with her arms uplifted. Behind her are a bird in flight and a rising sun, images inspired by her poetry and symbolic of the way she lived. Inscriptions are UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, MAYA ANGELOU, E PLURIBUS UNUM, and QUARTER DOLLAR.

Dr. Sally Ride  physicist, astronaut, educator, and first American woman to soar into space  Depicting Dr. Ride next to a window on the space shuttle, inspired by her quote, But when I wasnt working, I was usually at a window looking down at Earth. The inscription E PLURIBUS UNUM is intentionally positioned over the Earth next to America, indicating that out of all women in the United States, Dr. Ride was the first into space. Additional inscriptions are UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, QUARTER DOLLAR, and DR. SALLY RIDE.

Wilma Mankiller  first woman elected principal chief of the Cherokee Nation and an activist for Native American and womens rights  Depicting Wilma Mankiller with a resolute gaze to the future. The wind is at her back, and she is wrapped in a traditional shawl. To her left is the seven-pointed star of the Cherokee Nation. Inscriptions are UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM, QUARTER DOLLAR, WILMA MANKILLER, PRINCIPAL CHIEF, and CHEROKEE NATION, which is written in the Cherokee syllabary.

Nina Otero-Warren  a leader in New Mexicos suffrage movement and the first female superintendent of Santa Fe public schools  Depicting Nina Otero-Warren on the left, flanked by three individual Yucca flowersNew Mexicos state flower. Inscriptions are UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, QUARTER DOLLAR, E PLURIBUS UNUM, NINA OTERO-WARREN, and VOTO PARA LA MUJER, the Spanish counterpart for the suffragist slogan Votes for Women.

Anna May Wong  first Chinese American film star in Hollywood, who left a legacy for women in the film industry  Depicting Anna May Wong with her head resting on her hand, surrounded by the bright lights of a marquee sign. Inscriptions are UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM, QUARTER DOLLAR, and ANNA MAY WONG.

Each coin in this series features a common obverse (heads) design depicting a portrait of George Washington. This design was originally composed and sculpted by Laura Gardin Fraser as a candidate entry for the 1932 quarter, which honored the bicentennial of George Washingtons birth. The inscriptions are LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST, and 2022.

The coins are minted at the United States Mint at San Francisco, and each set comes with a certificate of authenticity.

The Mint will accept orders for the 2022 American Women Quarters Proof Set online at https://catalog.usmint.gov/american-women-quarters-2022-proof-set-22WP.html and at 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). Additional products containing the American Women Quarters Program coins are available through our American Women Quarters Program page.

This set may also be purchased through the Mints Product Enrollment Program. Enrollments work like a magazine subscription. After enrolling, you will receive the next product released in the series and continue to receive products until the end of your enrollment. Enroll today by visiting https://catalog.usmint.gov/coins/coin-programs/american-women-quarters-program and never miss a set in the series.

About the United States Mint

Congress created the United States Mint in 1792, and the Mint became part of the Department of the Treasury in 1873. As the Nations sole manufacturer of legal tender coinage, the Mint is responsible for producing circulating coinage for the Nation to conduct its trade and commerce. The Mint also produces numismatic products, including proof, uncirculated, and commemorative coins; Congressional Gold Medals; silver and bronze medals; and silver and gold bullion coins. Its numismatic programs are self-sustaining and operate at no cost to taxpayers.

Note: To ensure that all members of the public have fair and equal access to United States Mint products, the United States Mint will not accept and will not honor orders placed prior to the official on-sale date of March 8, 2022, at noon EST.

To reduce the risk of employee exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace, the Mints sales centers are closed until further notice. Please use the United States Mint catalog site at: https://catalog.usmint.gov/ as your primary source of the most current information on product and service status.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Visit https://www.usmint.gov/learn/coin-and-medal-programs/american-women-quarters for additional information about the American Women Quarters Program.

Visit https://www.usmint.gov/news/image-library/american-women-quarters-program for images of the 2022 American Women Quarters.

Visit https://www.usmint.gov/about for information about the United States Mint.

Visit https://catalog.usmint.gov/email-signup to subscribe to United States Mint electronic product notifications, news releases, public statements, and our monthly educational newsletter, "Lessons That Make Cents."

Sign up for RSS Feeds from the United States Mint and follow the Mint on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

United States Mint  Connecting America through Coins
American Council on Renewable Energy ACOREs Accelerate members are blazing a trail for more renewable energy companies owned and operated by women and people of color to enter into the renewable energy space.

The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) announced today that ten companies have been selected to join the Accelerate membership program.

Launched in 2021, ACOREs Accelerate membership program is designed to support the success of small emerging renewable energy companies owned and/or operated by leaders who identify as Women, Asian-Indian, Asian-Pacific, Black, Hispanic, or Native American. ACORE supports Accelerate members through a complimentary two-year ACORE membership, dedicated staff, access to ACORE events, targeted industry briefings, exclusive tools, connections and advocacy.

ACOREs Accelerate members are blazing a trail for more renewable energy companies owned and operated by women and people of color to enter into the renewable energy space while also delivering transformational clean energy technology, development, socio-economic and restorative justice advancements our industry and country need the most, said ACORE Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Programs Constance Thompson. Achieving a just transition to a renewable energy economy means breaking down the systemic barriers to equity and inclusion within our industry, and I am so proud of the strides our Accelerate members have already made toward ensuring that all people reap the benefits of the energy transition. I am delighted to welcome ten new companies to our Accelerate family today, and I look forward to watching them flourish in the years to come.

ACORE is thrilled to welcome the second cohort of Accelerate member companies to our organization, said ACORE President and CEO Gregory Wetstone. In less than a year, our Accelerate program has already facilitated hundreds of business-to-business interactions, helped several of our Accelerate members scale their enterprise, invited Accelerate members to speak at our signature events, and connected many of our Accelerate members with pro-bono legal counsel and other helpful resources. While we are proud of this progress toward achieving a more diverse and inclusive renewable energy sector, we recognize that we have a long way to go. The ACORE team is excited to continue supporting our growing network of Accelerate members.

The ten companies joining ACOREs Accelerate membership program include:

Dai Technologies Corporation, based in Washington, D.C., which aims to provide urban communities with equitable access to the electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Emery Power LLC, based in Santa Clara, California, a consulting firm specializing in innovative technology solutions serving the energy and infrastructure industries.

Emrgy, Inc, based in Atlanta, Georgia, which connects proven technology with innovative commercial models to bring dependable, cost-effective distributed hydropower to more people globally.

Ensight Energy Consulting, based in Denver, Colorado, which helps clients manage their project risk by providing them with insight and solutions required to achieve success throughout the lifecycle of an energy project.

Front Door Development LLC, based in Webster, Minnesota, which partners with mission-oriented organizations including non-profits, Housing Authorities, and communities to develop affordable housing and housing-oriented renewable energy projects.

High Road Energy Marketing LLC, based in Austin, Texas, offers turn-key solutions for large-scale renewable energy buyers.

NSAI Energy, based in Lewes, Delaware, brings the power of clean energy and clean energy jobs to forgotten people in forgotten places as a Power Marketer with authorization to sell energy, capacity and ancillary services across the United States.

Solstice, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, connects businesses and households to local clean energy sources, with a mission to make affordable solar energy accessible to every American, regardless of their income.

Synergy Grid, based in Columbia, Maryland, is a real estate development company working to build net-zero microgrid communities throughout underserved areas of Baltimore City and the greater Maryland region.

Wildgrid, based in Brooklyn, New York, is a marketplace to find trusted, local solar providers. Users create free profiles, get matched to solar providers based on their situation and can schedule virtual sales calls, compare quotes, & sign contracts on our platform.

These ten companies will join the first cohort of Accelerate members: 548 Capital, Clearloop, Full Service Solar LLC, IberSun North America, Lyssy Energy Enterprises, Navajo Power, Panamint Capital, Reneu Energy, Solar Stewards, Sole Trader Renewable Energy, SUNTEX, Terran Material Resources, The Booker Group, Upepo Group, and WeSolar.

The ACORE Accelerate program is made possible through the generous and sustained support of our Accelerate sponsors and program partners. ACORE extends its gratitude to the Accelerate Sustaining Sponsors: Amazon Web Services, BHE Renewables, BlackRock, J.P. Morgan, Meta, and Stonepeak.

To learn more about the ACORE Accelerate program, click here.
I would like to thank FANUC America for once again recognizing Applied Manufacturing Technologies with a Sales Growth Award. Our decades-long partnership has given us the tools and support to stay at the forefront of robotic technologies in the manufacturing industry.

Applied Manufacturing Technologies (AMT), North Americas largest independent automation engineering company supporting manufacturers, robot companies, system integrators, line builders and users of robotic automation worldwide, today announced the company has once again received the Sales Growth Award for Authorized System Integrators from FANUC America Corporation. AMT is recognized for outstanding year-over-year robot sales growth in 2021 and was previously recognized in 2018 and 2015.

The Sales Growth Award for Outstanding Robot Sales is awarded annually at the FANUC Automated System Integrator (ASI) Conference. The 2021 recipients were announced February, 16, 2022 at the 23rd annual ASI Conference in Miami, FL.

Applied Manufacturing Technologies received FANUC America Corporations 2021 Sales Growth Award in recognition of their robotic sales achievement and yearly growth, said Lawrence Marino, account manager for FANUC America Corporation. The award is presented to FANUC Americas Robotic Authorized System Integrators who achieve a minimum of 50 percent growth in robot unit sales over the prior year.

I would like to thank FANUC America for once again recognizing Applied Manufacturing Technologies with a Sales Growth Award, said Michael Jacobs, president and CEO of Applied Manufacturing Technologies. Our decades-long partnership has given us the tools and support to stay at the forefront of robotic technologies in the manufacturing industry.

AMT offers full-service systems integration, specializing in end of line solutions, complex material handling systems, and engineering support such as turnkey industrial controls, robotic programming, and automation consulting. Bringing together best-in-class technologies and custom automation, AMT provides high-quality, cost-effective automation solutions. The companys solutions have benefited manufacturers in automotive, aerospace, medical, alternative energy, fabricated metal, industrial machinery, rubber and plastics, food and beverage, and many other industries.

About Applied Manufacturing Technologies

Founded in 1989, Applied Manufacturing Technologies is an industry leader in automated end of line solutions, complex material handling systems, and engineering support globally. More than 120 experienced and highly-trained controls and automation engineers with over 1,250 combined years of experience are engaged in automation projects across an array of industries. With a deep bench of experienced, innovative automation engineers, consultants, and programmers, AMT assists customers with projects at any stage of development, from conceptualization and design to troubleshooting and expansion. From AMTs Orion, Michigan headquarters, the company has engineered more than 25,000 automation systems worldwide on 5,500 projects for more than 600 customers. For more information, visit AMTs website, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

About FANUC America Corporation

FANUC America Corporation is a subsidiary of FANUC CORPORATION in Japan, and provides industry-leading CNC systems, robotics and factory automation. FANUCs innovative technologies and proven expertise help manufacturers in the Americas maximize productivity, reliability and profitability.

FANUC embraces a culture of Service First which means that customer service is our highest priority. We are committed to supplying our customers with parts and support for the life of their FANUC products.

FANUC America is headquartered at 3900 W. Hamlin Road, Rochester Hills, MI 48309, and has facilities in: Auburn Hills, MI; Atlanta; Boston; Charlotte; Chicago; Cincinnati; Houston; Huntington Beach, CA; Los Angeles; Minneapolis; Montreal; Pine Brook, NJ; Pontiac, MI; Birmingham, AL; San Francisco; Seattle; Toronto; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Sao Paulo, and Manaus, Brazil; and Aguascalientes, Monterrey, and Queretaro, Mexico. For more information, please call: 888-FANUC-US (888-326-8287) or visit our website: http://www.fanucamerica.com. Also, connect with us on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.


Avenue7Media joins forces with Cascadia to accelerate its growth strategy. With the recent acquisitions of Marketplace Seller Courses, Volitant Consulting, and now Cascadia Seller Solutions, we continue to execute on our strategic priority of making acquisitions in markets and business models that enable us to expand and enhance our service offerings.

Avenue7Media, a leading provider of fully managed services, strategies, and execution for brands selling on the Amazon and Walmart online marketplaces, announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Cascadia Seller Solutions, a Seattle, Washington-based company. Cascadia offers fully-managed services and consulting to brands selling on the Amazon and Walmart marketplaces. The addition of Cascadia positions the powerhouse firm to accelerate its growth strategy, further enhance an already-robust suite of service offerings, and expand into new marketplaces, both domestically and internationally.

"Cascadia's team of exceptionally talented people and its mission completely align with our Avenue7Media mission of helping to change the lives of sellers and brand owners," said Jason Boyce, CEO, and Founder of Avenue7Media. "We believe the acquisition of Cascadia, along with the two recently completed acquisitions of Marketplace Seller Courses and Volitant Consulting, is another huge leap forward for us in terms of our ability to grow, scale, and provide exceptional service to our valued clients."

Boyce continued, "I've been a professional admirer of Cascadia's founder, Rachel Johnson Greer since we were both interviewed for the PBS Documentary, Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos (full film) | FRONTLINE. During that process, I learned that we share a passion for seller and consumer advocacy. I am in awe of the unique seller-focused agency she and her team have built at Cascadia, and we are honored to have them as a huge part of our A7M family."

Avenue7Media, with decades of combined Amazon selling experience, now adds the experience of several former Amazonians to its talented staff. Their team of both, successful ex-sellers and successful ex-Amazon employees will combine forces to navigate the Amazon Jungle for its clients. This latest acquisition has strengthened A7M's leading position and reputation for thought leadership within the industry and amplified its ability to meet the rapidly growing needs of brand owners in the digital age.

Avenue7Media President, Dale Dabbs added, "With the recent acquisitions of Marketplace Seller Courses, Volitant Consulting, and now Cascadia Seller Solutions, we continue to execute on our strategic priority of making acquisitions in markets and business models that enable us to expand and enhance our service offerings. The talent, capabilities, and scale we acquired with the Cascadia team will create great value for our clients and shareholders."

When asked about the acquisition of Cascadia, Johnson-Greer said, The first time I met Jason, a fellow PROSPER board member, I could tell he was a person of integrity, kindness, and humor, all of which are critical to success when helping sellers navigate Amazon! We are thrilled to be partnering with a former Amazon seller of his stature. With the combination of Cascadias strength in Amazon policy and Amazon systems, as a team of former Amazonians, and the Avenue7Media team's background as successful Amazon sellers, we are an unstoppable force! A7M shares our commitment to Amazon Sellers, teamwork, innovation, and extraordinary customer service, making them the ideal partner for us."

About Cascadia Seller Solutions

Since 2016, Cascadia has helped brands grow their revenue, curate their marketing message, and handle challenging Performance compliance issues on the Amazon Marketplace. Based in the Pacific Northwest and founded by former Amazonians, they believe in strong collaborative relationships with clients -- because Amazon is not your friend. By understanding the back-end systems upon which Amazon is based - some of which they built - they have helped hundreds of sellers to be successful on the marketplace, in some cases growing sales at a rate of 4x! Since its inception, Cascadia has helped get 1000+ accounts or ASINs back, launched thousands of new products for clients, some from the initial idea to live on Amazon, and managed millions in growth with great ads, engaging Posts and content that converts.

Founder and Managing Partner Rachel Johnson Greer is a global Amazon Marketplace strategist who specializes in helping entrepreneurs increase their internet product sales, curate their brand image online, and avoid catastrophic legal threats. After getting her MBA in international business at Seattle University, she spent nearly a decade at Amazon working in product development and product safety. Since then, Rachel has founded companies that reached both multi-six figure and multi-seven figure growth in under three years. Rachel is the author of the upcoming book, No Dead Babies.

About Avenue7Media

Avenue7Media is a software-enabled service business that provides every aspect of Amazon, Walmart, and other eCommerce marketplace managed services supporting its clients' growth and sales strategy.

Founder Jason Boyce is a former U. S. Marine, a former top 200 Amazon Seller, a former Top 1000 direct-to-consumer eCommerce seller, and co-author of The Amazon Jungle. He started Avenue7Media with the mission to change Sellers' lives by harnessing the power of Amazon for direct-to-consumer product brands. Our proven methods, informed by 20 years of top-ranking eCommerce and online marketplace success, put our organization in the shoes of the talented leaders and entrepreneurs they represent. Avenue7Media's high-performing teams dramatically improve brand presentation and sales performance for seven, eight, and nine-figure brands.

Follow Avenue7Media on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook, and engage with us on LinkedIn. Learn more at https://avenue7media.com.

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With a visionary CEO, a strategic leadership team, and a rapidly growing team of brilliant employees who are committed to the companys important mission, BDV is geared up for success. I am energized to join BDV and help shape the companys continued growth.

BDV Solutions, a tech-enabled, turnkey provider of employment-based immigration services to foreign nationals and employers whose solutions help resolve labor shortages across the United States, today announced that Nhu-Y Y (pronounced E) Le has joined the firm as senior vice president of operations.

Recognized by Business Insider as one of the top U.S. immigration lawyers for startups, Le brings more than a decade of experience to BDV Solutions. She joins from immigration services provider Legalpad, where she served as vice president of client services and director of legal. In 2020, Le received Legalpads Most Valuable Player Award, given to one employee in the company who made the most significant impact that year.

Since I founded the company 10 years ago, BDV has helped more than 5,000 foreign nationals secure their green cards via the EB-3 employment visa and almost 100 employers fill much-needed positions, noted founder and CEO Britt Vergnolle. With the addition of Y to our team, we are poised to maximize our growth and take the company to the next level as the labor shortage rages on.

Before Legalpad, Le worked as an immigration attorney at Microsoft, where she managed a high volume of visa cases and led internal training on immigration law and best practices. Previously, she was an associate attorney with Fragomen and Erickson Immigration Group, where she was responsible for high-volume business immigration caseloads. She received her B.A. magna cum laude from Bucknell University and her J.D. from Boston College Law School.

Noted Le, With a visionary CEO, a strategic leadership team, and a rapidly growing team of brilliant employees who are committed to the companys important mission, BDV is geared up for success. I am energized to join BDV and help shape the companys continued growth.

BDV Solutions helps source employment for foreign nationals via the federal governments EB-3 green card program. BDV helps place these employees in a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, restaurant franchise groups, cleaning and maintenance companies, warehousing, distribution centers and food preparation.

EB-3 Unskilled Visa is a visa preference category for U.S. employment-based permanent residency that requires a sponsoring employer. It is intended for businesses that are unable to find U.S. workers for unskilled positions. The program was established by Congress in 1990 to help address persistent labor shortages and to offer prospective foreign immigrants a pathway to legally work in the U.S.

About BDV Solutions

Headquartered in Greenville, SC, BDV is the largest independent company in the U.S. that specializes in closing the countrys chronic and growing unskilled labor gap utilizing the EB-3 visa program. The company is uniquely positioned to assist U.S. companies and foreign nationals navigate the complex U.S. immigration system. More information can be found at http://www.bdvsolutions.com.
Man or woman doesnt matter, quality of work does and thats what you get from the people here at Boak & Sons

Boak & Sons, Inc. is a residential and commercial exterior contracting company based in Youngstown, Ohio, specializing in roofing, gutters, sheet metal, siding and insulation. The company covers projects from Cleveland, Ohio to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and many places in between. As a predominately male industry, Founder and President of Boak & Sons, Inc., Sam Boak, wanted to recognize the women of the company for National Womens Day.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women make up less than 10% of the construction labor industry. Times have continued to change to level the playing field for women and men alike, which has increased the opportunities available for women to join the construction field. At Boak & Sons, job availability covers everything from shingle installers to flat roofing technicians, siding installers, insulation installers, sheet metal installers, and many more.

Construction is notorious for being a mans field, but we want to change that stereotype, said Chris White, vice president of operations at Boak & Sons, Inc. We encourage women to join the trades. In the office or the field there is opportunity for success just as the women of Boak & Sons have shown. The women who work here continue to succeed in so many ways because of their hard work and expertise in the industry, and were proud of the example they set to women across the construction industry.

Over 13% of Boak & Sons employees are female, which is higher than the industry standard. Several women trades people are members of the Commercial Roofing Department. The other women of Boak are office employees who handle administrative work, marketing, commercial roofing sales, estimate scheduling, contract administration, accounting and many other crucial roles.

Man or woman doesnt matter, quality of work does and thats what you get from the people here at Boak & Sons, said Boak. I would hire any woman who can provide the Boak standard to our customers, whether thats in the field or in our office. I cant give enough credit to the women who work for this company. It takes thick skin to work in this field and the women and men at Boak & Sons work together with mutual respect and skill, as well as with the same goal and commitment of providing our customers with the best service we have to offer. I strongly encourage women of any age to consider the construction industry if thats what theyre passionate about.

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About Boak & Sons:

Boak & Sons, Inc. was founded by Sam Boak in 1974 as an insulation contractor. With the high energy costs of the 70's, Boak & Sons expanded early on into the roofing business. They offered economical roof installations through cutting edge technology and equipment, allowing customers to recoup even more in energy savings. Today, Boak & Sons is a residential and commercial contractor for roofing, insulation, sheet metal, siding, and gutters. Based in Youngstown, Ohio, the company serves customers in surrounding areas from Cleveland, Akron, and Canton to Cranberry and Pittsburgh. For more information on Boak & Sons, visit their website at: https://www.boakandsons.com/.


Bob Garrison always been moved by thoughtful travel writing, wherein someone with an eye for the inspiring (and the amusing) moments of their own adventures is able to capture their essence and describe them in a manner that truly connects with the reader, that speaks to them personally. He wanted to write about his own experiences in a similar way, one that he hopes will remind people of something positive in these darkly partisan times: that we live in a great nation made up of 50 interesting and wonderful states that are home to genuinely good, decent people. It is for this reason he now releases Around the Map At Last: Stories of Travel to All 50 States of the U.S.A. (published by iUniverse), a unique travel book inspired by his visits to each state in the nation.

Over the course of his lifetime, Garrison managed to visit every state and find something thoughtful or funny (sometimes both) to write about each one. The more he traveled, the more he realized that the message he wanted to share with America was a simple one: our nations greatness lies in the wonderful diversity of its people, its geography and its history, and the myriad ways that they comprise what we and the world knows as the USA. By writing about where he traveled, what he did and saw, and with whom he talked  and, uniquely, where he plans to go when he returns to each state  Garrison hopes to encourage everyone to remember that if we can focus on the wonderful spirit of our nation, which is the product of our collective contributions, and not obsess over negative reasons for our differences, we can be reminded why were called the UNITED STATES of America.

As a nation, were tired and worn down, not only because of the COVID-19 pandemic but also because were exposed on a daily basis to a toxic political atmosphere that has so many of us questioning what is happening to us as a country. By describing unique people, places and experiences Ive had in every state, I hope to remind all of us that we live in a great country and in our diversity lies our strength. Only in America, a United States of America, could I have had such experiences, Garrison says.

When asked what he wants readers to take away from the book, Garrison answers, That my lifetime of travel to every state in our nation has confirmed my unshakeable faith that we live in a great country, whose strength comes from each of us contributing in our own unique ways. Were all real Americans. For more details about the book, please visit https://www.iuniverse.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/836030-around-the-map-at-last

Around the Map At Last: Stories of Travel to All 50 States of the U.S.A.

By Bob Garrison

Softcover | 5 x 8in | 172 pages | ISBN 9781663231215

E-Book | 172 pages | ISBN 9781663231222

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Bob Garrison is a veterinarian who has worked in private practice and public health, taught at the college level, served in the U.S. Air Force, holds a black belt in combat hapkido, is certified as an EMT and is still trying to learn juggling. This is his first book.

iUniverse, an Author Solutions, LLC, self-publishing imprint, is the leading book marketing, editorial services, and supported self-publishing provider. iUniverse recognizes excellence in book publishing through the Star, Rising Star and Editors Choice designationsself-publishings only such awards program. iUniverse is headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana. For more information or to publish a book, please visit iuniverse.com or call 1-800-AUTHORS.
This legislation is a game changer for small businesses, including commercial properties, nearly doubling the funding available for critical investments that can deliver modern, smarter and more energy efficient buildings and move the needle on carbon reduction.

To view this press release online, visit the BOMA International Newsroom.

The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International has endorsed bipartisan legislation expanding the maximum allowable amount businesses may borrow through the U.S. Small Business Administrations 504 Certified Development Company (504/CDC) loan program for energy efficient investments and upgrades. The bill, introduced by U.S. Representatives Jason Crow (D-Colo.) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.), is titled the Small Business Energy Loan Enhancement Act (H.R. 6921) and has been referred to the House Small Business Committee.

The legislation would nearly double the loan amounts available to small businesses making energy investments through the Small Business Administrations 504/CDC loan program, increasing the maximum amount from $5.5 million to $10 million. The program provides small businesses with long-term, fixed-rate, low-cost loans that can be used to finance renovation and retrofit projects, as well as the purchase of major fixed assets, such as land, equipment and machinery. Among the small businesses that will benefit from this legislation are commercial properties seeking to increase operational efficiency through capital-intensive investments, particularly older building stock.

The average age of a commercial building in the United States is more than 50 years old. To meet the rapidly evolving needs and expectations of today's tenants, the commercial real estate industry faces a growing demand to operate more energy efficient, technologically enhanced buildings. However, commercial real estate companies often do not have capital for crucial and extensive retrofit and renovation projects, many of which exceed the current 504/CDC loan cap of $5.5 million. The Small Business Energy Loan Enhancement Act would put the necessary funding within reach.

BOMA International is proud to endorse the Small Business Energy Loan Enhancement Act and applaud the leadership of Representatives Crow and Bacon to significantly expand access to funding through the Small Business Administration, said BOMA International President and Chief Operating Officer Henry H. Chamberlain, APR, FASAE, CAE. This legislation is a game changer for small businesses, including commercial properties, nearly doubling the funding available for critical investments that can deliver modern, smarter and more energy efficient buildings and move the needle on carbon reduction.

The groundbreaking Small Business Energy Loan Enhancement Act will provide much-needed financial resources for commercial buildings to invest in vital renovations and retrofits that both increase operational efficiency and help the commercial real estate industry advance its sustainability objectives, added BOMA International Chair and Chief Elected Officer Mark Dukes, BOMA Fellow, CCIM, RPA, senior vice president of Asset Management at Physicians Realty Trust. BOMA International commends Representatives Crow and Bacon for their work to expand the funding available for property professionals to move forward with necessary investments that will modernize the built environment.

BOMA International boasts an extensive history as commercial real estates leader at the intersection of business interests and environmental policies, and it continues to pave the way in developing strategies that proactively address pro-business considerations, such as high-performance building best practices, energy efficiency and carbon reduction. The Small Business Energy Loan Enhancement Act will allow the commercial real estate industry to make the upgrades necessary to address these key considerations.

BOMA International looks forward to working with Representatives Crow and Bacon and members of the 117th Congress to advance this legislation.

***

About BOMA International

Founded in 1907, the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International is a federation of U.S. local associations and global affiliates. The leading trade association for commercial real estate professionals for more than 100 years, it represents the owners, managers, service providers and other property professionals of all commercial building types, including office, industrial, medical, corporate and mixed-use. BOMA International is the partner individuals in the commercial real estate industry choose to maximize value for their careers, organizations and assets. Its mission is to advance a vibrant commercial real estate industry through advocacy, influence and knowledge. Learn more at http://www.boma.org.
Brighton Fire Rescue District joins the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System The Brighton Fire Rescue District invites all potential vendors to register online.

The Brighton Fire Rescue District announced today that it has joined the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System, a regional purchasing group that helps local governments post, distribute, and manage RFPs, quotes, addendums, and awards online. bidnet directs Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System provides notification to registered vendors of new relevant solicitations and any addenda or award information from over 325 participating agencies from across Colorado and Wyoming. All potential Brighton Fire Rescue District vendors are encouraged to register online with http://www.bidnetdirect.com/colorado/brightonfirerescuedistrict to access upcoming solicitations.

The Brighton Fire Rescue District joined the purchasing group in March. In joining, the Brighton Fire Rescue District has become the 333rd participating local government agency utilizing the system to streamline the purchasing process. The Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System is a single online location for managing sourcing information, and activities which provides local Colorado and Wyoming government agencies a method to minimize costs and time delays associated with the procurement process. The Brighton Fire Rescue District was distributing bids and managing the procurement process manually before joining the system. In joining, the Brighton Fire Rescue District looks to save time, increase competition, and achieve cost savings over the traditional paper-based bid process.

The Brighton Fire Rescue District now has access to an extensive vendor pool, thereby enhancing competition without increasing distribution costs. In addition to the existing vendors on the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System, all vendors looking to respond to bids with local government agencies can register online at: http://www.bidnetdirect.com/colorado/brightonfirerescuedistrict. The Brighton Fire Rescue District invites all current vendors not already registered on the purchasing group to do so today. Vendor registration is easy and takes only a few minutes online.

In addition, the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System offers a value-added service to notify vendors of new bids targeted to their industry, all addenda associated with those bids and advance notice of term contract expiration. A robust NIGP code category list allows vendors registering to find the correct codes and receive matched bids.

By using the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System, our valued vendors can now access not only our open bids, but those from other municipalities, counties and school districts throughout the state. In addition to the time savings, we anticipate our vendors will also benefit from registering in one location for all local bid opportunities.

bidnet directs vendor support team is available to answer any questions regarding the registration process or the bid system at 800-835-4603 option 2.

Other local Colorado and Wyoming government agencies looking to switch from a manual bid process, please contact the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System for a demonstration of the no-cost sourcing solution.

About the Brighton Fire Rescue District:

The Fire District protects the City of Brighton, Town of Wattenberg, part of the City of Commerce City, and parts of the towns of Henderson and Lochbuie. In addition, our area includes large unincorporated areas of Adams and Weld counties. Our service area consists of 150 square miles protected by 5 fire stations.

About bidnet direct:

bidnet direct, powered by mdf commerce, is a sourcing solution of regional purchasing groups available at no cost to local government agencies throughout the country. bidnet direct runs regional purchasing groups, including the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System, across all 50 states that are used by over 1,600 local governments. To learn more and have your government agency gain better transparency and efficiency in purchasing, please visit https://www.bidnetdirect.com/buyers
Aligned with our localized approach, and backed by the strength of our global innovation scale, this new research station is focused on helping address the unique regional needs of our farmer customers.

Corteva Agriscience today announced the opening of a new seed research station in Navasota, Texas. The site will focus on capturing field data and characterizing grain sorghum and corn hybrids, applying an analytics-based approach to the challenges facing farmers in South Central Texas. By leveraging local data, Cortevas Seed Product Development team can bring new, locally tested, high-performing genetics to market faster.

The new research station opened in February, expanding research, pre-commercial product testing, and characterization efforts for sorghum and corn products optimized for the southern Plains and Coastal regions. Its close proximity to Texas A&M University is expected to bring opportunities to collaborate with world-class sorghum experts as Corteva continues to advance agricultural research technology. In addition, the new research station will provide educational opportunities for K-12 and university students in the area.

Using its robust germplasm pool with industry-leading performance, Corteva strives to develop seed products with higher yield potential and improved defensive traits. Leveraging the global knowledge and strength of Cortevas worldwide R&D engine, scientists at the new station will deploy predictive analytics tools to gather better data more efficiently.

Focused Intensively Managed Product Advancement, Characterization and Testing (IMPACT) plot management on grower farms, improved agronomic understanding of product performance, and expanded trait characterization and genetic understanding of issues such as grain sorghum head sprout, will help speed the commercialization of the best-performing products. Coupled with insight from local agronomy experts, the new station is expected to enable Corteva to create a broader suite of innovative seed products to meet Texas growers needs.

Aligned with our localized approach, and backed by the strength of our global innovation scale, this new research station is focused on helping address the unique regional needs of our farmer customers, said Geoff Graham, Vice President, Seed Product Development for Corteva Agriscience. Our investments and ongoing focus on R&D systems and seed breeding methods such as predictive analytics, precision phenotyping, centralization and horticulturalization are changing the way we bring products to market. This station, like others across the United States, is focused on getting local data, putting us in an even better position to deliver best-in-class seed products to farmers, helping them meet their yield and productivity goals.

About Corteva Agriscience

Corteva, Inc. (NYSE: CTVA) is a publicly traded, global pure-play agriculture company that combines industry-leading innovation, high-touch customer engagement and operational execution to profitably deliver solutions for the worlds most pressing agriculture challenges. Corteva generates advantaged market preference through its unique distribution strategy, together with its balanced and globally diverse mix of seed, crop protection, and digital products and services. With some of the most recognized brands in agriculture and a technology pipeline well positioned to drive growth, the company is committed to maximizing productivity for farmers, while working with stakeholders throughout the food system as it fulfills its promise to enrich the lives of those who produce and those who consume, ensuring progress for generations to come. More information can be found at http://www.corteva.com.

Follow Corteva on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

TM  SM Trademarks and service marks of Corteva Agriscience and its affiliated companies.

3/8/22
Cranberry Marketing Committee I look forward to learning more about Americas Original Superfruit, cranberry farming and am excited to get to know and work with many of our 1,100 cranberry growers across the United States.

The Cranberry Marketing Committee (CMC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Daniel Danny E. Raulerson as its Executive Director effective March 23, 2022. His hiring is the culmination of an extensive search process by the board of directors to replace Michelle Hogan who retired at the end of February.

Raulerson offers more than 20 years of experience in agriculture and has held positions including the director of the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, director of field services for the Florida Farm Bureau Federation and chief of the Bureau of State Farmers Markets for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

He is a 1996 graduate of the University of Florida and holds bachelors degrees in agricultural operations management and animal science. He also has an extensive list of professional affiliations, which represents his dedication and devotion to agriculture.

Being appointed as CMCs new executive director allows me to be part of a historical agricultural industry, Raulerson said. I look forward to learning more about Americas Original Superfruit, cranberry farming and am excited to get to know and work with many of our 1,100 cranberry growers across the United States.

A sixth-generation Florida native, Raulerson will be relocating to Massachusetts and will be the primary contact for the organization. He will be responsible for working with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), CMCs board of directors and other cranberry industry leaders. He will also provide management and oversight for all of CMCs international, domestic and trade policy programs.

The Cranberry Marketing Order was established as a Federal Marketing Order in 1962 and is a quasi-governmental agency under the USDAs Agricultural Marketing Service. Its mission is to ensure a stable, orderly supply of good quality products in domestic and international markets. Working with the USDA, the Cranberry Marketing Committee develops global marketing and promotional activities, and may issue volume control regulations when needed and as authorized. Authority for its actions are provided under Chapter IX, Title 7, Code of Federal Regulations, referred to as the Federal Cranberry Marketing Order, which is part of the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, as amended. This Act specifies cranberries as a commodity that may be covered, regulations that may be issued, guidelines for administering the programs, and privileges and limitations granted by Congress. For more information about CMC, visit http://www.uscranberries.com.


Dudley Stephens Selects Centric PLM for a New Fleece on Life With Centric you can specify attributes of a fabricthat's already pre-built into the system, so it's just a click of a button to say which of my fabrics are recycled, and what are their eco-friendly features.

Dudley Stephens, the DTC responsible fashion brand, today announced it has adopted Centric Softwares Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution, Centric PLM, to support its rapid growth. Centric Software provides the most innovative enterprise solutions to plan, design, develop, source and sell products such as apparel, footwear, sporting goods, furniture, home decor, cosmetics, food & beverage and luxury to achieve strategic and operational digital transformation goals.

Dudley Stephens, headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut, designs stylish wardrobe essentials and performance clothing for women, children, and men, made from recycled fleece and beyond. The brand was founded in 2015 by sisters, Lauren Stephens and Kaki McGrath, with a mission to make everyday wear both fashionable and eco-conscious.

Lauren Stephens, CEO and co-founder, describes the situation that led them to search for PLM. As with any startup, weve been super scrappy from the get-go, making things work in Excel. Kaki McGrath, COO and co-founder, expands, Our process was very manual. Everything was in spreadsheets or PowerPoint, and there were multiple locations where information lived, so it was hard to keep track. As weve grown over the past six years, it has become even more complicated because we have more styles and greater quantities, which demand more efficient planning.

Director of Production, Jessica OShea, joined Dudley Stephens in 2021. She agreed that PLM was the way to go, but did not recommend the platforms she had previously worked with. Following demos from other vendors, they found Centric to be most up-to-date and aligned with the companys needs. Stephens says, We dont require the same service as a company that's been around for 30 years. Our setup is more streamlined. We're trying to do things differently and better by asking: How can we set ourselves up for the best growth possible? And what are those modern technologies out there that can really adapt to that?

Practically speaking, OShea says, We can tailor Centric PLM to fit our business, which is appealing. She describes the support she got from the implementation team. The team was super helpful and very patient. They went through everything with usit went very smoothly. They were also there for questions afterward.

Regarding responsible fashion, Stephens says, When we were creating the whole concept of the brand, we knew we would use recycled fabrics. And since then, it's become part of our DNA as a company that any fabrics we use and source, and any styles that we design, are carefully considered from top to bottom. We're even starting to source recycled and natural buttons made from non-manmade material. We continue to take specific steps toward doing our part in eco-friendly manufacturing.

OShea remarks, With Centric you can specify attributes of a fabricthat's already pre-built into the system, so it's just a click of a button to say which of my fabrics are recycled, and what are their eco-friendly features.

Of the benefits of Centric PLM, McGrath says, As we continue to grow, expand our line and add categorieswere up to eight nowwe want to make sure that we're set up for that growth and that nothing gets lost in translation by having all of our data in one location.

Having everything in one place was the biggest goal for usgetting out of Excel, having costing connected to the styles. We also have a need to issue POs and that will also be automated in Centric, says OShea, explaining the main expectations.

Stephens concurs. We are a small, lean team and time is our most important asset. Just knowing information is easily accessible, reliable and user-friendly is key. This solution will help us be more efficient with our time as we grow.

Chris Groves, President and CEO of Centric Software says, We are gratified that Dudley Stephens has entrusted their business to Centric PLM, our powerful and functional solution that grows as a companys needs do. We look forward to accompanying Dudley Stephens as they continue their successful journey.

Learn more about Centric PLM

Request a Demo

Dudley Stephens (http://www.dudley-stephens.com)

Dudley Stephens is a collection of ready-to-wear everyday pieces reimagined with elevated styling and created using innovative recycled fabricsfleece and beyond. The brands original designs uniquely combine timeless appeal with a modern aesthetic to deliver ultimate outfitting ease and effortless chic. Launched in 2015 by sisters Lauren Stephens and Kaki McGrath with their mother, Bonnie, the line has grown from the signature collar and considered details of the flagship Cobble Hill Turtleneck, to tops, dresses, outerwear and accessories for women, children and men. For more information, please visit Dudley-Stephens.com and follow Dudley Stephens on Instagram.
This investment will allow OxyMem to develop more efficient and more reliable production technology as well as improve our product design to meet the continuously increasing demand by the market said Andreas Gorenflo, General Manager of OxyMem.

DuPont Water Solutions, a DuPont de Nemours, Inc. (NYSE:DD) business and global leader in water and wastewater treatment technologies, today announced a major transformation of the OxyMem Membrane Aerated Biofilm Reactor (MABR) at its manufacturing facility in Athlone, Ireland. The investment in the facilities and employees at the Athlone site will help meet the increasing global demand for MABR.

OxyMem was the first company to commercialize MABR technology, which provides unique and differentiated performance for secondary wastewater treatment. DuPont acquired OxyMem in 2019, expanding its extensive portfolio of industry-leading water solutions that help produce, purify, and extract some of the worlds most commercially important products.

This multimillion-euro investment includes additional training for staff based in Athlone. This project is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.

As we look to a post-pandemic recovery, ensuring balanced regional enterprise development is key and the announcement today of DuPonts multimillion-euro investment at their site in Athlone, Ireland is indicative of their continued success in Athlone, and indeed a testament to the Midlands region as a great place to do business, said Robert Troy, Minister for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation. This investment will have a transformative impact for the site and the staff, who will all benefit from upskilling. I was delighted to have the opportunity to visit the facility and see first-hand the excellent work being undertaken there. I wish the team the very best in this new chapter.

This investment will allow OxyMem to develop more efficient and more reliable production technology as well as improve our product design to meet the continuously increasing demand by the market said Andreas Gorenflo, General Manager of OxyMem. It is fundamentally important, and it will help us grow the company to meet the increasing global demand for MABR.

Barry Heffernan OxyMem Technology Manager added, OxyMems origins and success can be traced back to over 20 years. We began our journey in 2013 as a spin-out from the UCD School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering. This investment will allow us to continue to scale our smart production capabilities, digitization and automation, which will ultimately increase our local footprint both in R&D facilities and headcount.

Denis Curran, Head of Regions, Property and Enterprise Development at IDA Ireland said, This is a very welcome announcement by DuPont and underlines the companys commitment to Athlone and the Midlands region. Transformation of client operations is a key focus area for IDA. This multi-million-euro investment will enable OxyMem to position itself for future growth opportunities. It is also strongly aligned with IDA Irelands strategy of winning investments in regional locations. I wish DuPont and the OxyMem team every success as it scales its operations in Athlone.

About DuPont Water & Protection

DuPont Water and Protection is a global leader in creating water, shelter, and safety solutions for a more sustainable world; enabling its customers to win through unique capabilities, global scale and iconic brands including Kevlar, Nomex, Tyvek, Corian Design, GreatStuff, Styrofoam, and FilmTec.

About DuPont

DuPont (NYSE: DD) is a global innovation leader with technology-based materials and solutions that help transform industries and everyday life. Our employees apply diverse science and expertise to help customers advance their best ideas and deliver essential innovations in key markets including electronics, transportation, construction, water, healthcare and worker safety. More information about the company, its businesses and solutions can be found at http://www.dupont.com. Investors can access information included on the Investor Relations section of the website at investors.dupont.com.

# # #

DuPont, the DuPont Oval Logo, and all trademarks and service marks denoted with , SM or  are owned by affiliates of DuPont de Nemours, Inc. unless otherwise noted.

3/8/22


They [Faye] continue to be one of Sugar's most award-winning partners, with an incredible track record of helping customers leverage the Sugar platform to deliver a high-definition customer experience." - Craig Charlton, SugarCRM's CEO

Faye, a global leader in software strategy, deployment, integrations, and ongoing management, today announced it has been awarded the 2022 SugarCRM Presidents Club Partner of the Year award. This award recognizes Fayes sales accomplishments, overall growth, technical expertise, customer service, support, and marketing efforts that helped advance the position of SugarCRM in the global marketplace during the past year. Faye was also recognized for a number of other achievements in the Sugar ecosystem including Highest New Order Revenue, Most Add-On Revenue, and Largest Multi-Product Platform Opportunity.

Were honored to be recognized by SugarCRM as their 2022 Presidents Club Partner of the Year for the third year in a row, said David Faye, CEO of Faye. This award is a reflection of our teams incredible commitment to growing our Sugar business and our investment in innovative products and services.

These awards demonstrate Fayes commitment to meeting the most advanced certification requirements, offering unparalleled expertise, helping their clients leverage Sugar to build extraordinary customer relationships, and dedicating resources to technological innovation.

"We're pleased to recognize Faye as the SugarCRM Presidents Club - Partner of the Year, said SugarCRMs CEO, Craig Charlton. They continue to be one of Sugar's most award-winning partners, with an incredible track record of helping customers leverage the Sugar platform to deliver a high-definition customer experience. We couldnt be more excited about our partnership moving forward. In addition to Partner of the Year, Faye also brought home awards for Highest New Order Revenue, Most Add-on Revenue and Largest Multi-product Platform opportunity.

About Faye

Faye is a global leader in software strategy, deployment, integrations, and ongoing management for mid-market companies through to enterprise.

An Inc. 5000 award winner eight years in a row, Fayes team works with brands in more than 25 countries to optimize and integrate CRM, CX, marketing automation and ERP platforms into complex tech stacks.

Headquartered in California and with teams across four continents, Faye makes the best software in the world even better by supporting Zendesk, SugarCRM, Salesforce, HubSpot, Asana, and more.

As the SugarCRM Partner of the Year and the Zendesk Sell Partner of the Year, Fayes depth of CRM and CX expertise is showcased through a library of custom-built software enhancements, tools and integrations used by thousands of users every day.

For more information, please visit https://fayedigital.com/ .

About SugarCRM

The SugarCRM sales, marketing and service platform helps businesses deliver a high-definition customer experience by eliminating the blind spots, busy work, and roadblocks that plagues legacy CRM. For growth companies and anyone who wants to work smarter not harder, Sugar provides the clear view of the customer that teams need to reach new levels of business performance and predictability.

More than 4,500 companies in over 120 countries rely on SugarCRM. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, SugarCRM is backed by Accel-KKR.


Were so proud to partner with PacerPro and, as always, were excited to serve the judicial and legal communities of Delaware.

Filing in Delawares Chancery and Superior Courts just got one step simpler, thanks to a partnership between legal technology companies File & ServeXpress, LLC (FSX) and PacerPro.

The partnership combines FSXs File & Serve alert tool with PacerPros advanced automated alert and workflow capabilities to simplify the procedural hurdles law firms encounter when filing court documents electronically in Delaware.

The new Delaware service is the first step in a collaboration between the two companies to enable law firms to streamline and optimize court filing processes and workflows in federal and state courts throughout the U.S.

In Delaware, the court system mandates that all cases be electronically filed by local counsel licensed in the state, and that any electronic notices be distributed via that local counsel.

This new partnership gets those critical filings in front of the full case team within seconds, eliminating that extra step of notifying out-of-state counsel and others on the case team. Thanks to the collaboration between File & Serve and PacerPros PDF2Go service, notices of new filings can now automatically be distributed to all members of the team, ensuring all parties are kept up to date on case developments.

Brian E. Farnan, a partner with Farnan LLP in Wilmington, Delaware., says of the improvement:

It cuts out steps and ensures that everyone gets the filing, that everyone is on the same page. It makes it error- and idiot-proof.

File & ServeXpress has been the providing eFiling and eService for Delaware since 1991. The new partnership with PacerPro allows FSX to add automated filing notices to their long list of features designed to make the eFiling process more efficient for legal professionals, along with drag-and-drop uploads, batch filing capabilities, and monthly billing.

Weve been in Delaware for a long time, and we never stop looking for opportunities to make eFiling easier for everyone, says Tammy Carter, CEO of File & ServeXpress. Were so proud to partner with PacerPro and, as always, were excited to serve the judicial and legal communities of Delaware.

For more information about this collaboration and eFiling and eService in Delaware state courts, visit http://www.fileandservexpress.com/delaware
Charles Palmer-Cook had always wanted to write good fictional novels especially concerning folklore that had a Celtic theme. As a child, he was exposed to the traditions and oral history of Scotland the myths, the legends and the beliefs passed down from generation to generation. It is for this reason he has written Ringleye (published by AuthorHouse UK), a fictional novel brings some of the old tradition and literature together in a tale of conflict between the supernatural and the real world.

Set against the glorious spectacular backdrop of the Firth of Clyde in Ayrshire Scotland, in and around Castle Culzean and the shoreline of Croy Bay, this is the story of two differing factions, one human and the other mythical water kelpies. One faction faces defeat devastation and ridicule while the other faces total annihilation and extinction. Locked in conflict, one faction tries desperately to escape and the other is in deadly pursuit.

An excerpt from the book reads:

At that moment, I saw something move. At first I thought it was a cat prancing about on its hind legs. Then a chink of light caught it, and I just froze! My flesh crawled, for there right in front of me, was a kind of hideous dwarf with these terrible, evil eyes.

This book will appeal to readers because this genre fascinates them as creatures from antiquity suddenly become real and materializing in a modern world, having to battle for survival and fleeing through a hostile world fraught with many dangers, Palmer-Cook says. When asked what he wants readers to take away from the book, he answers, A sense of wonder and imagining, not just about the characters, but the country, the geography, the Scots and Irish are a close kin Celtic in origin, their culture and poetry and music are unique. For more details about the book, please visit https://www.authorhouse.com/en-gb/bookstore/bookdetails/787913-ringleye

Ringleye

By Charles Palmer-Cook

Softcover | 6 x 9in | 296 pages | ISBN 9781728381794

E-Book | 296 pages | ISBN 9781728381787

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Of Scottish/Irish descent, Charles Palmer-Cook was born in Ayrshire, reared, and nurtured in Celtic history including myths and legends. He is married to Patricia with four children and five grandchildren. He loves reading the classics, writing, and fond of classical music. His favorite composer is Mozart. He enjoys all ball games and horseracing. He had a lifetime association with horses, including nine years served in the Household Cavalry. He has a keen interest in all aspects of paranormal having experienced a close encounter and spiritual phenomena. He firmly believes that we are not alone in the cosmos.

AuthorHouse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is a leading provider of book publishing, marketing, and bookselling services for authors around the globe and offers the industrys only suite of Hollywood book-to-film services. Committed to providing the highest level of customer service, AuthorHouse assigns each author personal publishing and marketing consultants who provide guidance throughout the process. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, AuthorHouse celebrates over 23 years of service to authors. For more information or to publish a book visit authorhouse.co.uk or call 0-800-014-8641.
GeoComm received the New Collaboration Award at the 2022 Esri Partner Conference (EPC) held in Palm Springs, California March 57, 2022. This award was presented to GeoComm for their innovative technical and business collaboration with Esri and with their business partners.

GeoComms Public Safety Location Intelligence Platform puts the right location data, on the right map, for the right people at the right time to enhance public safety emergency response. GeoComm is an Esri Platinum Partner in the Esri Partner Network and has produced many products and services built on the ArcGIS system that help 9-1-1 authorities build and maintain locally authoritative GIS data for 9-1-1, respond to 9-1-1 calls for service faster, route 9-1-1 calls based on location, and validate locations used by 9-1-1 and Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems.

Esri is the global leader in location intelligence with a network of over 2700 partners around the world. EPC awards recognize partners that have demonstrated innovative and creative ways to solve complex problems by using Esris ArcGIS software and those who have done exceptional work in advancing geographic information systems (GIS) technology. GeoComm was one of 26 Esri partners that received an achievement award at the conference.

Esri congratulates GeoComm on their 2022 EPC award in recognition of their innovative work leveraging ArcGIS software, said Robert Laudati, Director of Global Partners and Alliances at Esri. We are proud to partner with GeoComm to foster the use of GIS technology in support of our mutual customers.

GeoComm is honored to be receiving this award from Esri, a longtime partner. This relationship has enabled us to provide innovative and effective solutions to our customers. Our partnership has been built on integrity and a common goal of providing customers with industry leading public safety GIS solutions, John Bryant GeoComm President and CEO.

About Esri

Esri, the global market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, location intelligence, and mapping, helps customers unlock the full potential of data to improve operational and business results. Founded in 1969 in Redlands, California, USA, Esri software is deployed in more than 350,000 organizations globally and in over 200,000 institutions in the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, nonprofits, and universities. Esri has regional offices, international distributors, and partners providing local support in over 100 countries on six continents. With its pioneering commitment to geospatial information technology, Esri engineers the most innovative solutions for digital transformation, the Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics. Visit us at esri.com.

About GeoComm

GeoComm, provider of Public Safety Location Intelligence, serves local, regional, statewide, and military agencies in forty-nine states, helping keep more than 100 million people safe. Over the last 26 years, GeoComms public safety GIS systems have routed emergency calls to the appropriate 9-1-1 call centers, mapped the callers location on tactical emergency response mapping displays, and guided emergency responders to incident scenes on in-vehicle mapping and navigation applications within police, fire, and ambulance vehicles. In addition, in 2021 our statewide NG9-1-1 GIS project footprint has expanded to include 17 statewide projects across the country. To learn more about GeoComm and our Public Safety Location Intelligence offerings visit http://www.geocomm.com.
Information Technology World Awards by GLOBEE The IT World Awards are open to all Information Technology and Cyber Security organizations from all over the world and their end-users of products and services.

The Globee Awards organizer of the worlds premier business awards programs and business ranking lists is now accepting nominations and entries for the 2022 IT World Awards honoring achievements and recognitions in the information technology and cyber security industries worldwide.

IT industrys premier excellence awards program, IT World Awards honors achievements in every facet of the information technology and cyber security industries. This annual industry and peers program now has several major sections making this one of the most and only complete IT recognitions and achievements award programs in the world. There are many categories for which your organization and the people behind its success can be nominated. Categories are classified under the following groups:



Company-Organization Awards categories

Corporate Communications and Public Relations Awards categories

Creative, Social and Traditional Media Awards categories

Customer Service & Support Awards categories

Best Deployments and Customer Success of the Year Awards categories

Executive & Professional Awards categories

Chief Technology Officers Awards categories

Human Resources Awards categories

Information Technology Users Awards categories

Marketing Information Technology Awards categories

New Product & Service Awards categories

Product Development and Engineering Awards categories

Sales and Business Development Awards categories

COVID-19 Business Response Awards categories

A worldwide judging panel of executives and professionals representing a wide spectrum of industries will determine the winners. Winners will be presented and honored in a virtual ceremony attended by the finalists, winners, judges, and industry peers from all over the world. Industry experts and end-users of information technology products and services can participate in the judging process.

Learn more about the 2022 IT World Awards and how to nominate here: https://globeeawards.com/it-world-awards/

A special category group for startups of the year will include the achievements of new startups formed since 2018 in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, IT Cloud/SaaS, IT Hardware, IT Hybrid, IT Services, IT Software, Security Cloud/SaaS, Security Hardware, Security Hybrid, Security Services, Security Software, and Telecommunications.

Apply here to participate as a judge and an industry expert to help decide the winners: https://globeeawards.com/it-world-awards/judges/

Winners of previous years are listed here: https://globeeawards.com/it-world-awards/winners/

Stay posted and read success stories of organizations by subscribing to the Globee Newsletter: https://globeeawards.com/subscribe/

IT World Awards will also recognize Chief Technology Officers from all over the world for their achievements in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, IT Cloud/SaaS, IT Hardware, IT Hybrid, IT Services, IT Software, Security Cloud/SaaS, Security Hardware, Security Hybrid, Security Services, Security Software, and Telecommunications.

About the Globee Awards

Globee Awards are conferred in eleven programs and competition: the American Best in Business Awards, Business Excellence Awards (Best Employers), CEO World Awards, Communications Excellence Awards, Customer Sales & Service World Awards, Cyber Security Global Excellence Awards, Disruptor Company Awards, Golden Bridge Awards, International Best in Business Awards, IT World Awards, and Women World Awards. Learn more about the Globee Awards at https://globeeawards.com

Follow Globee Awards on twitter https://twitter.com/globeeawards

All trademarks belong to their respective owners.
Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP is expanding its Litigation and White Collar Crime & Special Investigations practices in its Chicago office, adding Natalie F. Wayne as of counsel. Wayne joins the firm from Mayer Brown LLP where she was an associate in the Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice.

Wayne represents corporations and individuals in complex federal white collar and regulatory defense and internal investigations, as well as in complex litigation in federal and state courts.

We are delighted to welcome Natalie to the Chicago office, where she will bring even further depth to our award-winning Litigation Practice, Chicago Co-Managing Shareholders John F. Gibbons and Rita M. Powers said. Her exceptionally versatile legal talent and significant experience will undoubtedly prove invaluable to our clients.

Waynes white collar and investigations practice spans a wide range of sectors and subject areas. She advises clients in matters involving the False Claims Act (FCA), fraud, and consumer protection. Her civil litigation practice involves matters related to business disputes, FCA, qui tam, mass torts, and antitrust issues. She has experience advising clients at all phases of litigation, including initial fact investigation, written discovery, defending and taking depositions, briefing and arguing dispositive motions, and preparing for trial. In particular, Wayne has deep experience in eDiscovery, including designing and implementing procedures for preserving and producing electronically stored information.

During her time at Mayer Brown, Wayne worked closely with William Michael, Jr. who joined Greenberg Traurigs Minneapolis and Miami offices in June 2021 as co-chair of the firms Trial Practice Group. They will continue their collaboration, representing individuals and corporations in complex federal white collar civil and criminal cases, regulatory defense, and internal investigations. She will also work with Michael in the Minneapolis office, representing clients in the Twin Cities.

I am thrilled to join Greenberg Traurig, Wayne said. I have been impressed by their dedication to client service and their long-standing commitment to cultivating and retaining talent. I look forward to collaborating with my new colleagues and leveraging the firms global platform to grow my practice. I am also excited to help build synergies between the Chicago and Minneapolis offices and to strengthen the firms already strong presence in the Midwest.

Wayne earned her B.S., cum laude, from Georgetown University and her J.D., magna cum laude, from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.

About Greenberg Traurigs Litigation Practice: Greenberg Traurigs Litigation Practice includes a team of more than 600 attorneys. The firms trial lawyers regularly appear in state and federal courts throughout the country, as well as in appellate courts and before international arbitration panels. They work closely with in-house counsel to develop a strategy that best fits a litigation cost and proficiency model appropriate to the clients unique needs and goals.

About Greenberg Traurigs White Collar Defense & Special Investigations Practice: Greenberg Traurigs White Collar Defense & Special Investigations Practice defends companies and individuals in a wide range of criminal, civil and regulatory enforcement proceedings around the world. Our team of over 70 lawyers in the U.S., Europe, Latin America, and Asia Pacific are at the forefront of white collar defense, with representative experience involving alleged securities and commodities fraud, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations, health care/pharmaceutical fraud, environmental crimes, money laundering, financial services fraud, public corruption/campaign finance, tax corruption, defense contracting, and bankruptcy fraud.

About Greenberg Traurigs Chicago Office: Greenberg Traurigs Chicago office strives to be as dynamic and diverse as the city it calls home. Since its inception in 1999, it has grown from three attorneys to more than 170 today. Attorneys in Greenberg Traurigs Chicago office represent a wide range of clients, from Fortune 500 companies to innovative start-ups, and practice in nearly every major practice area and industry. Offering local knowledge and broad experience, Greenberg Traurigs Chicago lawyers work with their colleagues in Greenberg Traurigs other offices in the United States and abroad to help clients achieve their objectives locally, nationally, and globally.

About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP has more than 2400 attorneys in 42 locations in the United States, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. The firm, often recognized for its focus on philanthropic giving, innovation, diversity, and pro bono, reported gross revenue of over $2 Billion for FY 2021. The firm is consistently among the top firms on the Am Law 100, Am Law Global 100, NLJ 250, and Law360 (US) 400. On the debut 2022 Law360 Pulse Leaderboard, it is a Top 15 firm. Greenberg Traurig is Mansfield Rule 4.0 Certified Plus by The Diversity Lab and net carbon neutral with respect to its office energy usage. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com.
The Philadelphia office of global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP announces the addition of Shareholder Sherman W. Smith III to its Corporate Practice.

Smith has built a portfolio practice, advising and representing clients ranging from some of the nations largest financial institutions to privately-held businesses and investors to commercial real estate developers of all sizes.

Sherman helps further fill out the corporate services this office offers local clients as well as globally-situated ones, said Curtis B. Toll, managing shareholder of Greenberg Traurigs Philadelphia office. He is a well-experienced middle market practitioner whose finance knowledge is as comprehensive about private equity issues as it is about real estate matters.

We value his local and national relationships with long-standing clients and businesses as well as his commitment to community uplift, and know he will play a strong role in further serving the wide range of sectors we continue to cultivate, Toll added.

Smith built much of his three-decades-long career at Buchanan Ingersoll as a corporate attorney with a diverse portfolio of clients and transactional matters, sans time spent as associate general counsel for Don King Productions, Inc., from 1999-2002. In private practice, Smith has routinely handled complex matters involving mergers and acquisitions, formation, and capital raises of private equity funds, including capital deployment, among others.

The broad experiences and insights Sherman possesses and deploys enhances our offerings in Philadelphia, advances our strategic growth, and furthers our commitment to providing high-level, sophisticated services, Greenberg Traurig Global Corporate Practice Co-Chair Bruce I. March said. He has the acumen to leverage our platform to benefit and elevate our clients and, by extension, our firm.

Smith, who grew up bicoastally between Philadelphia and Los Angeles, graduated from Central High School, Morehouse College, and the Howard University School of Law with honors  the third generation of his family to do such. Both his father and grandfather served as judges on the Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Since 2016, Smith has served on the board of directors for Philadelphia Opportunities Industrialization Center, the workforce and education development nonprofit founded by pioneering civil rights activist and corporate tactician the Rev. Dr. Leon H. Sullivan. Sullivan, who believed in and preached economic emancipation, developed the first Black-owned and managed commercial shopping plaza in the United States, served as a Fortune 500 corporate board member, and was an early proponent of corporate social responsibility doctrines. In Sullivans mold, Smith focuses a considerable segment of his practice to real estate finance work centered on creating opportunities for visionary commercial developers of color nationwide. Those range from affordable housing to commercial corridor creation and expansion efforts led by nontraditional real estate development and investment teams.

In Sherman we have a seasoned lawyer who does not see client service and project profitability as mutually exclusive to creative solutions for civic challenges, said Joshua D. Cohen, co-chair of the Philadelphia Real Estate Practice. His deep knowledge of the development community in this region  its players, trends, and possibilities  will serve this firm and our clients well. Were excited to have him on the team.

About Greenberg Traurigs Philadelphia Office: Founded in 1997, Greenberg Traurigs Philadelphia office is home to some 50-plus attorneys and more than a dozen practices including Real Estate, Litigation, Restructuring & Bankruptcy, Corporate, White Collar Defense & Special Investigations, Environmental, Immigration & Compliance, Investment Regulation, Labor & Employment, Public Finance, Government Law & Policy, Private Wealth Services, and Tax. The Philadelphia office represents clients in the manufacturing, health care, real estate, energy, financial, and insurance industries, state and local governments, professional service, and energy firms, and individuals.

About Greenberg Traurigs Corporate Practice: Greenberg Traurigs Corporate Practice comprises more than 500 lawyers in the United States, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America who regularly advise public and privately held companies, entrepreneurs and investment funds on global mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings, private equity and venture capital, underwritten and syndicated offerings, commercial finance and syndicated lending, cross-border transactions, and general corporate matters. The groups industry experience includes transactions in a wide range of fields, from the pharmaceutical, medical devices, and life sciences fields, to representations involving clients in the aviation, banking, consumer products, energy, food and beverage, health care, manufacturing, media, technology, and telecommunications sectors.

About Greenberg Traurig's Real Estate Practice: The Greenberg Traurig Real Estate Practice is a cornerstone of the firm and recognized leader in the industry. The firms real estate attorneys deliver diversified and comprehensive counsel for property acquisition and investment, development, management and leasing, financing, restructuring, and disposition of all asset classes of real estate. The team draws upon the knowledge and experience of more than 450 real estate lawyers from around the world, serving clients from key markets in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. The groups clientele includes a broad range of property developers, lenders, investment managers, private equity funds, REITs, and private owners. The firms real estate team advises clients on a variety of matters across a broad spectrum of commercial, recreational, and residential real estate, including structured equity and debt and the hybrids.

About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP has more than 2,400 attorneys in 42 locations in the United States, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. The firm, often recognized for its focus on philanthropic giving, innovation, diversity, and pro bono, reported gross revenue of over $2 Billion for FY 2021. The firm is consistently among the top firms on the Am Law 100, Am Law Global 100, NLJ 250, and Law360 (US) 400. On the debut 2022 Law360 Pulse Leaderboard, it is a Top 15 firm. Greenberg Traurig is Mansfield Rule 4.0 Certified Plus by The Diversity Lab and net carbon neutral with respect to its office energy usage. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com
Home Instead, the global leader in home care for older adults, continues to deliver on its prestigious reputation, earning new accolades for its industry-leading franchise network on an international stage. Most recently, Home Instead was recognized with the highly respected Global Franchise Award 2022 in the competitive Nursing & Care category.

The award celebrates excellence within the field of international franchising, as well as the companys commitment to advancing the cause of international franchising through innovative marketing and promotions plans and its supportive relationship with its International Franchise Partners.

Judges for this years award program indicated three key areas where Home Instead stood apart from its competition, including:



The unique culture of togetherness that ensured the whole organization responded effectively to the new and exacting demands of the COVID pandemic.

The level of strategic and practical support provided to international partners in the areas of marketing, learning and development.

The sheer scale and continued success of a business firmly rooted in building solid partnership relationships and driven by a clear mission.

Home Instead also has been consistently recognized as a leading franchise network by Franchise Business Review, earning top spots on lists including The Top 50 Franchises for Women and The Best Franchises for Veterans. Earlier this year, the company was named one of Franchise Business Reviews 50 Most Profitable Franchises, based on owner income, satisfaction and return on investment.

With demand for in-home support on the rise, Home Instead franchisees are seeing a direct impact on their individual operations. Bruce Mahony, Owner and Executive Director of the Home Instead office serving Toronto Centre, recently achieved $1 million in revenue at one office location in December  the first single office in the Home Instead network to reach this milestone and a testament to the growth in demand for in-home care.

"This is a truly exciting time in home care. Home Instead has always known that home is the safest place for older adults, and this growth in revenue speaks to the importance of in-home care and our role in reducing the burden on healthcare systems, said Mahony. We are really proud of the growth we have achieved in Toronto Centre and are grateful for the support of the Home Instead network to continue our mission to support older adults and their families.

Spurred by increasing need, the home care industry is positioned to be one of the largest avenues for job creation with opportunities for a broad cross-section of career opportunities, including care professionals, office and operations staff, franchise owners, and engineers who are designing the care management tools of the future.

The caregiving industry is primed for entrepreneurs and compassionate individuals seeking a career shift. For more information on opportunities to join Home Instead in its mission to expand the worlds capacity to care, visit franchises.homeinstead.com.

ABOUT HOME INSTEAD

Founded in 1994 in Omaha, Nebraska, the Home Instead franchise network provides personalized care, support and education to enhance the lives of aging adults and their families. Today, the network is the world's leading provider of in-home care services for older adults, with more than 1,100 independently owned and operated franchises that provide nearly 90 million hours of care annually throughout the United States and 12 other countries. Local Home Instead offices employ nearly 100,000 CAREGivers worldwide who provide relationship-based care services that enable older adults to live safely and comfortably in their own homes for as long as possible. Home Instead franchise owners partner with clients and their family members to help meet varied individual needs. Services span the care continuum  from providing personal care to specialized Alzheimers care and hospice support. Also available are family caregiver education and support resources. Visit HomeInstead.com. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. Each Home Instead franchise office is independently owned and operated. Home Instead, Inc. is a subsidiary of Honor Technology, Inc.
By connecting aspiring and current superintendents through the Workshop, we want to help fill the gaps many school districts have yet to address and strengthen the leadership pipeline.  Doug Roberts, Founder and CEO, IEI

The Institute for Education Innovation, an organization that serves as the bridge between district leaders and organizations driving change to support the greatest challenges in K-12 education, today announced the organization is co-hosting the Cultivating Leaders for Equity and Inclusion Workshop on July 22-24, 2022 with Dr. Luvelle Brown, Superintendent of Ithaca City School District.

Creating a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) for students begins by developing and promoting the leaders of color they look up to. Through the Cultivating Leaders for Equity and Inclusion Workshop, influential changemakers in the education field will gather in Ithaca, New York to support the professional growth of future and current leaders, engage in learning opportunities, and become part of a diverse network of individuals who are passionate about ensuring equity in education, from the superintendents office to the classroom.

During the symposium, principals, district administrators, and superintendents can participate in round table discussions, panels, and shared experiences that feature a roster of speakers in addition to Dr. Brown, including:



Doug Roberts, Founder and CEO of the Institute for Education Innovation (IEI) and IEI: Lead Aspiring Superintendents Institute

Dr. Gustavo Balderas, Superintendent, Edmonds School District in Washington and president-elect for the National Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents

Dr. Mark Bedell, Superintendent, Kansas City Public Schools in Missouri

Traci Davis, Superintendent Emeritus, Washoe County School District in Nevada

When building a DEI program for their districts, school leaders need to first take a step back to see who is  and is not  sitting at the conference table alongside them, said Dr. Brown. Research has found Black and Latino students perform better when their districts are led by those with similar racial identities, but only eight percent of superintendents are people of color. The Cultivating Leaders for Equity and Inclusion Workshop is focused on bringing together individuals with a shared goal of supporting greater representation in leadership to improve student outcomes.

For too long, the career trajectory of talented educators has been blocked by a lack of professional development opportunities for people of color, Roberts remarked. By connecting aspiring and current superintendents through the Workshop, we want to help fill the gaps many school districts have yet to address and strengthen the leadership pipeline.

The Cultivating Leaders for Equity and Inclusion Workshop is free for educators to attend. Participants will enjoy a complimentary two-night stay at the Ithaca Marriott Downtown and are only responsible for their travel to the symposium. To learn more or to register, visit: https://instituteforedinnovation.hubspotpagebuilder.com/cultivatingleadersforequityandinclusionworkshop.

About the Institute for Education Innovation

Superintendents are defenders of our childrens right to a high-quality public education, and lead their teams toward effective, sustainable solutions to age-old problems. They must be at the center of discussions around when, where, and how innovation will affect teaching and learning. Many education solution providers, funders, researchers, and thought leaders are mission-driven: they do what they do to improve student outcomes. The Institute for Education Innovation bridges gaps between the individuals and organizations committed to seeing students succeed in school and life, creating a safe space for constructive problem-solving and innovative thinking. http://www.instituteforedinnovation.com.
We represent best-in-class technology manufacturers and believe Inventus Power is a great fit for our portfolio as a leading and trusted source for advanced battery and power solutions. - Dean Akiyama, Partner at AKI GIBB

Inventus Power, a global leader in the design and manufacture of advanced battery systems for medical, military, and commercial/industrial markets, today announced it is partnering with AKI GIBB, a leading Manufacturer's Representative technology firm serving the Rocky Mountain Region of the United States.

AKI GIBB will leverage its existing network of OEM customers and distribution channels to support the sales and market growth of Inventus Power across Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming.

AKI GIBB has over 50 years experience establishing strategic relationships with leading OEMs in our region, said Dean Akiyama, Partner at AKI GIBB. We represent best-in-class technology manufacturers and believe Inventus Power is a great fit for our portfolio as a leading and trusted source for advanced battery and power solutions.

We are excited to partner with AKI GIBB to support the growth of our medical, industrial, and commercial sectors, said Bob Zielke, Senior Director of Business Development for Inventus Power. The AKI GIBB team is comprised of highly technical and experienced sales professionals and I am confident that they will be effective in communicating Inventus Powers expertise and capabilities in advanced battery pack design & manufacturing in order to drive future growth within their established OEM customer base."

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About Inventus Power:

Inventus Power, founded in 1960, is the leading provider of advanced battery systems for global OEMs. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of battery packs, chargers, and power supplies across a broad range of portable, motive & stationary applications.

With multi-country locations across four continents and manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Mexico, Brazil, China, & Malaysia, the company is strategically positioned to support the needs of global brands.

From design & engineering to performance testing & mass production, Inventus Power provides accelerated end-to-end solutions. Its broad market/application expertise, technology-agnostic approach, global footprint, and vertical integration enable the delivery of safe, reliable & innovative power solutions at an exceptional speed to market.

For more information about Inventus Power, please visit http://www.inventuspower.com.


Keon Foundation We see a tremendous opportunity to utilize the same underlying blockchain and automated market maker (AMM) technologies of DeFi with traditional assets... That's what's most exciting to us"

The directors today announced the inception of the Keon Foundation Ltd. (the "Foundation) which will serve as the virtual asset service provider (VASP) for the Keon Finance Ecosystem (Keon) and will provide initial development, governance, and compliance for Keon.

The Foundation will initially focus on the development of a low transaction cost decentralized exchange, KeonX, and related Keon liquidity farms as well as the launch of KeonFi, which will be a marketplace where investors can discover and subscribe to investment strategies on a non-custodial basis. By utilizing institutional, low transaction fee blockchains and launching this effort as a non-profit, we will be able to provide investors with the lowest-cost DEX in the market and better attract talented investment managers and developers to grow the Keon ecosystem, stated Kunall Parmar, a Foundation director.

Phase 2 products include a derivatives DEX (KeonXD), IDO LaunchPad, Farm Auctions and the Keon NFT marketplace, each of which will integrate with the Keon Finance Ecosystem. Once the software is developed, the Foundation intends to seek a digital assets business license in Bermuda to enable users to access the products and services.

While there are many DeFi products and decentralized exchanges (DEXs), very few are regulated because following applicable local regulation and adhering to Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations is difficult and costly, therefore requiring scale and sophistication, explained Lawrence Newhook, a founding director of the Foundation. Anyone with decent development skills can spin up a DEX on some blockchain, but the real opportunity in DeFi is with institutional investors. Having developed the alternatives program and traded for a large pension plan, I can tell you that no institutional investor is going to participate on some unregulated DEX operating in the shadows, continued Mr. Newhook.

Coming from traditional asset management, we are used to working in regulated environments, noted Nicole Biernat, a Foundation director and Goldman Sachs alum. Bringing DeFi technologies to regulated markets will open the door for institutional adoption and lead to a paradigm shift in asset management. This is the future of investing, and we are at the vanguard of it, Ms. Biernat asserted.

Natalie Neto, Partner at Walkers (Bermuda) Limited, which acts for the Foundation, states "Bermuda is a natural fit for the Foundation and its ambitions, with the ability to develop the software and seek regulation under the Digital Assets Business Act, 2018 which offers certainty with respect to the specified digital assets business activities that require a license. We look forward to working with the Foundation as it launches the protocol and develops its unique VASP solution."

While initial products and investment strategies will focus on digital assets, Keon is also expected to facilitate non-digitally native assets and strategies in later releases. We see a tremendous opportunity to utilize the same underlying blockchain and automated market maker (AMM) technologies of DeFi with traditional assets. We can apply KeonFi to non-custodial management of investment strategies consisting of tokenized equities, fixed income or commodities and also create virtual funds of tokenized real-world assets  thats whats most exciting to us, added Rahul Parmar, Foundation director.

About the Keon Foundation Ltd.

The Keon Foundation is organized as a non-profit Bermuda exempted company limited by guarantee which will develop the software and serve as virtual asset service provider for the Keon Finance Ecosystem. The team includes talent from blue chip firms across the investment industry, including Goldman Sachs and Point72 Asset Management. The company was founded in 2022 and is headquartered in Bermuda. The Foundation does not yet conduct digital asset business activities' as such term is defined under Bermuda's Digital Asset Business Act 2018 ("DABA") that would require it to be licensed under DABA. The Foundation has therefore not yet applied for and is not licensed under DABA. For more information, visit keonfoundation.org.

Media Contact

info@keonfoundation.org

+001 332 240 6100


As we begin to partner with Upbeat and utilize the engagement data, its important for us to improve our teacher retention numbers. Every teacher retained counts, especially during this challenging time.

The collaboration reflects the district's commitment to address the factors contributing to teacher turnover and utilizes state funding from the Rural Recruitment Initiative administered by the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA).

Rural Recruitment Initiative (RRI) funding can be utilized by eligible districts for specific recruitment and retention initiatives. Laurens County qualified for the RRI funding during the 2021-22 school year.

In their partnership, Upbeat will administer a comprehensive survey to Laurens Countys certified staff each spring that examines research-based categories that impact teacher retention, including school climate, hiring and onboarding, professional development, and teacher appreciation.

After analyzing the data, Upbeat will equip district leaders with data and key insights into the districts current retention and engagement efforts. Upbeat will also provide the district with exit surveying and analysis into why teachers are leaving the district.

Were looking forward to gaining a better understanding of teachers satisfaction with their schools and how district and school leaders can best support educators, Dr. Ameca Thomas, Superintendent of Laurens County School District 55, said. As we begin to partner with Upbeat and utilize the engagement data, its important for us to improve our teacher retention numbers. Every teacher retained counts, especially during this challenging time.

Upbeat has partnered with Greenville County Schools and Fairfield County School District since 2018. Within the first year of partnership with Upbeat, Greenville County reduced turnover from 11% to 10.2% within the district and Fairfield Countys turnover rate decreased from 16.8% to 11% between 2018 and 2020. Additionally, Upbeat began a partnership with Beaufort County School District in spring 2021 and has worked with Lexington County School District One since the fall of 2020.

As school districts across both South Carolina and the country are challenged with hiring shortages, retention has become more important than ever before, Henry Wellington, founder and CEO of Upbeat said. Were excited to partner with Laurens County and provide district leaders the data they need to best support their staff.

Upbeat continues to build strategic partnerships with schools and districts across the country in an effort to improve teacher engagement and retention using data. More information about the company and its approach can be found at teachupbeat.com.

About Upbeat

Upbeat works with K-12 districts across the country to administer a research-grounded survey to elevate teacher engagement and retention by fostering strong school environments. Founded and led by former educators, we bring together data scientists, technologists, and experienced former school leaders to deliver a research-backed solution. Our surveys paired with tailored toolkits and intervention strategies, surface real-time insights so that principals and district leaders are able to better understand and uncover the conditions affecting employee morale and establish actionable plans to improve teacher and staff retention. More information about the company and its approach can be found at teachupbeat.com.
Results by Country Were working to provide free and open data that enables citizens and nations to better understand each element of the Rule of Law and, in this case, world opinion on Russias breach of Rule of Law.

LexisNexis Legal & Professional, a leading global provider of information and analytics, today released global data and public sentiments regarding the Ukrainian invasion. The ongoing feedback is being collected via the LexisNexis Rule of Law Monitor, which continuously surveys the worlds population on issues related to the Rule of Law.

The results demonstrate that 67% of the people polled disapprove of Russian military operations in the Ukraine  a number that increases to 76% outside of Asia.

Key Takeaways



Within Russia, less than half (47%) of the people polled approve of the invasion (27% disapprove)

Within the Ukraine, 88% of those polled disapprove, with 6% approving

Australia has the highest disapproval rating (96%) and the lowest approval rating (0%); Argentina also showed 0% approval towards the conflict

India had the highest approval rating (50%)  more than Russia itself

China and India had the lowest disapproval ratings after Russia (33% and 34%, respectively)

Across the globe, strong gender differences with female respondents (72%) significantly more likely to disapprove than males (62%)

The LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation strongly condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine, said Ian McDougall, President of the LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation. This is a clear violation of international law and the Rule of Law. We hope that by continuing to shed light on the global public condemnation of this war that it will help end the conflict sooner and restore peace and justice in Ukraine.

We believe that the Rule of Law is defined by equality under the law, transparency of law, an independent judiciary, and accessible legal remedy  and the stronger each of these components, the stronger the Rule of Law. Were working to provide free and open data that enables citizens and nations to better understand each element of the Rule of Law and, in this case, world opinion on Russias breach of Rule of Law. said Steve Carroll, VP Customer Insights at LexisNexis Legal & Professional.

Methodology



2,346 respondents were surveyed across 90 countries from March 1 to March 3, 2022

Respondents were asked: What do you think about the Russian military operation in Ukraine? (strongly approve, approve, no opinion, disapprove, strongly disapprove) and Why?

Surveys were conducted in English, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian & Ukrainian

Respondents were prompted for feedback via apps on their phones (via a network of 150,000 apps)

For more information about the LexisNexis Rule of Law Monitor, visit http://www.rolmonitor.org.

About the LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation

The LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation is the not-for-profit entity established by LexisNexis Legal & Professional to further achieve its mission to advance the rule of law around the world. The foundation plans and executes projects which enhance one or more of the key elements of the rule of law: equal treatment under the law, transparency of the law, access to legal remedy, and independent judiciaries. These projects focus on a range of local, national, regional and multiregional jurisdictions around the world.
TIDE Academy This is an example of the successful design and execution of a school that supports the learning needs of present and future students, said jurors. It is a beautiful school. Bravo!

The American Institute of Architects California (AIA CA) and the Coalition for Adequate School Housing (CASH) honored LPAs design of the TIDE Academy, a Menlo Park public high school focused on new ways of teaching STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics), with an Award of Excellence at CASHs 43rd Annual Conference, Feb. 25., in Sacramento.

TIDE earned the top honor in the New Built category at the annual awards event, which recognizes the top achievement in California school design. Located on a two-acre site in a rapidly changing industrial area, the TIDE campus promotes student choice, critical thinking and inquiry-based learning, as well as the interdisciplinary instruction necessary to support STEAM curriculums.

Unanimously selected by jurors for an Award of Excellence, the TIDE Academy is an example of cutting-edge school design located in the heart of the Silicon Valley and its forward-looking ethos," jurors said. This is an example of the successful design and execution of a school that supports the learning needs of present and future students. It is a beautiful school. Bravo!

With the addition of the Award of Excellence for TIDE, LPAs K-12 team has earned 43 CASH awards  more than any other firm. Over the past three decades, the K-12 practice has master planned and designed projects for more than 100 districts, focusing on a collaborative, research-driven approach to school design.

TIDE  the acronym stands for technology, innovation, design and engineering  was developed through extensive engagement with the teachers, students and the community. LPA designers worked with educators to develop a learner profile for the school and explore how to better support career learning and foster connections with local institutions.

It was a pleasure collaborating with teachers, students and the community to develop a school that supports TIDEs approach for teaching STEAM, said Helen Pierce, design director at LPA. The spaces will help students use their creativity to explore the known and unknown.

TIDEs learning environments challenge the traditional ways of teaching science, engineering and math. Learning environments support project-based learning, different forms of collaboration and team teaching. Every classroom has access to outdoor space through roll-up garage-style doors. Think tanks and huddle spaces are associated with every learning studio. Designated labs focus on science, coding, design, arts and physics. Spaces are designed to facilitate three different types of learning: collaboration, contemplation and concentration.

We really looked for new ways to use the space, says Kate Mraw, LPAs director of K-12. Our goal was to support the programming and the way that they were going to teach.

Earlier this year, Mraw was elevated to LPAs director of K-12 after years working with districts around the country to better integrate behavioral science and sustainability with educators goals and helping develop a collaborative design process centered on supporting the whole student. As part of LPAs K-12 team, she has helped develop a wide range of innovative, efficient campuses, including the e3 Civic High School in downtown San Diego, the first high school in the country co-located in a public library; and the historic preservation and renovation of Lanier High School in San Antonio, Texas.

In addition to the TIDE Academy, LPA recently completed work on the elementary and middle school campuses for Agnews, a pre-K-12 campus on a historic 55-acre site in San Jose, one of the largest projects of its kind in the state. In 2021, LPA earned awards of honor from CASH in the New Built category for Corona-Norco Unified School Districts Eastvale STEM Academy (eSTEM), a three-story campus designed to prepare students for work in the real world, in Eastvale, California, and for the Encinitas Union School District facilities master plan in Encinitas, California.

Last year, for the second year in a row, LPA was recognized with the industrys highest national award for educational facility design, an award of excellence from the American Institute of Architects' (AIA) Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE), for the Environmental Nature Center Preschool  a LEED Platinum, net-zero facility in Newport Beach, California. In 2020, LPA was honored with the CAE national award for the campus expansion of Tarbut VTorah Community Day School, an independent K-12 school in Irvine, California, focused on a student-centric curriculum.

About LPA

Founded in 1965, LPA specializes in creating innovative environments that work better, do more with less and change peoples lives. An integrated national design firm with six studios in California and Texas, LPAs team includes more than 400 in-house architects, master planners, engineers, interior designers, landscape architects and research analysts, working across a wide array of sectors. In 2021, LPA earned AIA Californias Firm Award, the organizations highest annual honor for an architectural firm. For more information, visit lpadesignstudios.com.
Bobby and Shirley A. Smith left behind a monumental legacy in Montgomery County, and beyond. (Photo c/o Smith Family) Gratitude matters greatly in our community, and we at MedStar Montgomery are deeply grateful for the giving spirit of Bobby Smith and his family. Because of his deeply held gratitude for those in his community, Mr. Smith has left behind a monumental legacy in Montgomery County, and beyond.

MedStar Health, today announced that it has received its largest individual donation to date for Medstar Montgomery Medical Center. The gift, valued at $1.8 million, is through a planned posthumous donation from Robert (Bobby) E. Lee Smith, Jr. of Olney, MD.

The transformational gift will be allocated towards the Oncology Pavilion at MedStar Montgomery, with the goal of providing better-than-ever care to the Montgomery County community. As the number of individuals and families impacted by cancer rises steadily, so does the need for critical oncology services such as surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation, and more.

The spirit of philanthropic gratitude embodied by Smith and his late wife Shirley is essential to many of the services that MedStar Health provides. Shirleys final days were spent in MedStar Montgomerys care, inspiring Bobby to fund various cancer-fighting initiatives at the hospital in the years after her passing. Their shared commitment to combating cancer is reflected in each funded program, including the Shirley A. Smith Infusion Center.

Bobby appreciated life and lived life to the fullest. Everything always had to be top-notch, said Todd Greenstone, a lifelong friend of Bobbys who has served on the Philanthropy Committee of MedStar Montgomery. He was always concerned about others and making sure that their needs were met.

The Oncology Pavilion and other donor-funded MedStar Health projects ensure a lasting impact beyond the lives of the philanthropists who make them a reality. Upon completion, the Oncology Pavilion will optimize coordination of patient care, enhance effective communication between providers, decrease length of time between medically necessary day-of services, increase patient care capacity, improve wayfinding, and more.

Gratitude matters greatly in our community, and we at MedStar Montgomery are deeply grateful for the giving spirit of Bobby Smith and his family, said Thomas J. Senker, FACHE, president of MedStar Montgomery Medical Center. Because of his deeply held gratitude for those in his community, Mr. Smith has left behind a monumental legacy in Montgomery County, and beyond.

When I visited him shortly before his passing, we talked about his gift, said Greenstone. Though it was difficult for him to communicate by then, it was obvious that he realized the positive impact his gift would have on the community, and that made him happy.

For more information on MedStar Healths cancer care, visit https://www.medstarhealth.org/services/cancer.

About MedStar Montgomery Medical Center and MedStar Health

MedStar Montgomery Medical Center is a not-for-profit, acute care community hospital serving Montgomery County, Maryland. For 100 years, MedStar Montgomery has served as a medical care provider and community health resource offering high-quality, personalized care. MedStar Montgomery provides a broad range of healthcare specialties, advanced technologies, and treatments not traditionally found at community hospitalsincluding cutting-edge care in obstetrics, orthopedics, breast health, and oncology. MedStar Health is the region's largest non-profit and most trusted integrated healthcare delivery system, giving patients access to the latest in modern medicine and medical technology within a community hospital setting.
For more than eight decades, a gathering has occurred on the beautiful and peaceful grounds of the Mesa Arizona Temple in downtown Mesa during the Easter season. Many gather as an audience while the cast and crewgiving countless volunteer hoursshare the Biblical account of the life, death and glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ on an outdoor stage. Together, all see and feel Christs powerful message of forgiveness, hope and peace.

In May of 2018, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the Mesa Temple would close for the renovation of the structure and surrounding grounds. During this time, presentation of the pageant was suspended. In the interim, plans were implemented to move the pageant stage to the northeast side of the temple grounds.The stage was also redesigned to accommodate new landscaping and better facilitate stage construction and cast movement.

Pageant leaders are thrilled to now announce that the FREE in-person Mesa Easter Pageant is slated to resume in April 2022 with new sets, script and music.

The pageant script and score have been rewritten under the direction of writer and composer Rob Gardner. The music for the soundtrack was recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra in January, followed by the singing voices and narration locally. The massive stages construction began Jan. 10 and cast rehearsals begin in March.

Our purpose is to bring others closer to the Savior, said pageant creative director Jenee Prince. We want others to get to know Him, to feel His love and to feel more hope and peace.

Gardner, whose recent work includes Lamb of God: The Concert Film, said, Its been an intense last few months taking on the weighty task of writing a new soundtrack for the Easter Pageant. But the writing is done and it was exciting to record with the London Symphony Orchestra. Making music with them is always a thrilling experience, they bring such artistry and power to everything they perform.

The Mesa Easter Pageantnow recognized as the largest annual outdoor Easter pageant in the worlddraws tens of thousands of people at this free community event during the two weeks before Easter. All are invited to gather and celebrate the story of the life and resurrection of Jesus Christ taken from the King James Version of the New Testament.

This is a very different production from its humble beginnings as a sunrise service in 1938, said Jill Adair, communications director for Mesa Temple events. On that Easter morning, young men and women of the Mesa Maricopa Stake hosted a statewide convention, and the culminating event of this festive weekend was an Easter Sunrise Service on the grounds of the temple. From that time on, it became an annual event and a beloved community tradition, moving from sunrise to an evening production in 1977.

The new Mesa Easter Pageant premieres April 6, followed by eight additional evenings of performances.Pageant dates and details are as follows: April 69, 12-16; each nights show begins at 8 p.m.

Other important info:

No tickets or reservations needed.

Come early to sit on some of the 9,500+ chairs provided. Attendees are also encouraged to attend during the first week of performances to avoid the generally larger crowds closer to Easter weekend.

The outdoor area is located on the north lawn of the Mesa Arizona Temple, 101 S. LeSueur in downtown Mesa.

Attendees are encouraged to use Valley Metro Light Rail, which has a stop at Mesa Drive/Main Street, within a short walking distance of the venue.

Follow the event on social media: #mesaeasterpageant #mesaeasterpageant2022 #greateststory

For more info, please visit MesaTemple.org.

MEDIA: To schedule interviews or request photos, email: Mesatempleevents@gmail.com.


This alarming study illustrates that subjecting LGBTQ young people to conversion therapy continues to have deep and detrimental costs from both a humanistic and economic standpoint.

Research scientists at The Trevor Project, the worlds largest suicide prevention and mental health organization for LGBTQ young people, in partnership with health economists at Cytel, a multinational research organization, published a new peer-reviewed study today in JAMA Pediatrics that found the practice of conversion therapy on LGBTQ youth, and its associated harms, cost the United States an estimated $9.23 billion annually. The full article, Humanistic and Economic Burden of Conversion Therapy on LGBTQ Youth in the United States: A Systematic Literature Review and an Economic Evaluation, can be found here.

Conversion therapy refers to a range of dangerous and discredited practices aimed at changing ones sexual orientation or gender identity. The study estimates that 508,892 LGBTQ youth in the U.S. were at risk of being subjected to conversion therapy last year, and that the direct cost of conversion therapy annually is an estimated $650 million. However, the study finds that the harms associated with the practice, such as substance abuse and negative mental health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, and suicide attempts, are significantly higher  an estimated $8.58 billion annually; bringing the total estimated cost of conversion therapy to $9.23 billion annually.

This alarming study illustrates that subjecting LGBTQ young people to conversion therapy continues to have deep and detrimental costs from both a humanistic and economic standpoint, said Amit Paley (he/him pronouns), CEO and Executive Director at The Trevor Project. The Trevor Project urges policymakers to protect LGBTQ youth from the dangers of this so-called therapy and to also expand access to LGBTQ-affirming therapy as a means to empower young people to accept themselves for who they are and promote positive health outcomes. Doing so would drastically reduce these reported economic burdens.

To calculate the economic costs of conversion therapy and its associated harms, a comprehensive model was developed in collaboration among leading health economists and research scientists, leveraging tools and methods of health economics and outcomes research.

The mental health risks of conversion therapy have long been suspected, but this scientific research quantifies, for the first time, the staggering cost of this therapy in financial terms, says Dr. Anna Forsythe, principal scientist for this investigation. Our study uses the most advanced economic techniques and analysis to comprehensively review the data, and to systematically uncover the significant harms of conversion therapy. It is our hope that this peer-reviewed analysis can be an objective tool to help decision makers evaluate the massive impact this therapy continues to exact on not only the victims, but on society as a whole.

This is the first known study to apply a comprehensive model to assess the socioeconomic impacts of conversion therapy in the U.S.

We know conversion therapy has long been a burden on LGBTQ young people and their families, as the practice has consistently been associated with poor mental health and greater risk for suicide. But the economic costs this practice has on society are just starting to be understood, said Casey Pick (she/her pronouns), Senior Fellow for Advocacy & Government Affairs at The Trevor Project. We must ensure that taxpayers' dollars are never again spent on this dangerous and discredited practice and that we are instead investing in LGBTQ-inclusive health and education programs to uplift the well-being of LGBTQ youth.

Through its corporate collaboration with The Trevor Project, Bristol Myers Squibb provided a financial grant and limited health economic consultation.

The Trevor Projects 2021 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health, capturing the experiences of nearly 35,000 LGBTQ youth across the U.S., found that 13% of LGBTQ youth reported being subjected to conversion therapy, with 83% reporting it occurred when they were under age 18. Further, a peer-reviewed study by The Trevor Projects researchers, published in the American Journal of Public Health, found that LGBTQ youth who underwent conversion therapy were more than twice as likely to report having attempted suicide and more than 2.5 times as likely to report multiple suicide attempts in the past year.

For journalists looking to learn more about how to cover the issue of conversion therapy, here is a guide on best practices.

If you or someone you know needs help or support, The Trevor Projects trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386, via chat at TheTrevorProject.org/Get-Help, or by texting START to 678678.

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About The Trevor Project

The Trevor Project is the world's largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people. The Trevor Project offers a suite of 24/7 crisis intervention and suicide prevention programs, including TrevorLifeline, TrevorText, and TrevorChat as well as the worlds largest safe space social networking site for LGBTQ youth, TrevorSpace. Trevor also operates an education program with resources for youth-serving adults and organizations, an advocacy department fighting for pro-LGBTQ legislation and against anti-LGBTQ rhetoric/policy positions, and a research team to discover the most effective means to help young LGBTQ people in crisis and end suicide.

About Cytel

Cytel enables decision-makers in the life-sciences to unlock the full potential of their products. From navigating uncertainty to proving value, Cytels thirty years of global expertise in consulting, data-driven analytics and industry-leading software helps biotechs and pharmaceuticals transform intelligence into confident decisions. Cytel has an uncompromising commitment to scientific rigor and high standards of operational excellence, which are channeled through its locations in North America, Europe, the United Kingdom and Asia.


Michigan Behavioral Health Mediation Services is a free conflict-resolution program that offers qualified participants an impartial way to resolve conflicts through mediation. Mediation through Michigan Behavioral Health Mediation Services is a free, conflict-resolution option that will save time, money, and stress for clients, Community Mental Health staff, and providers.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services awarded Oakland Mediation Center a grant to manage and administer a statewide mediation program, Michigan Behavioral Health Mediation Services. The program, which launched in September 2021, is underway for qualified Community Mental Health participants.

In partnership with Michigan Community Mediation Association, Oakland Mediation Center developed the brand-new program to ensure Community Mental Health clients have access to a neutral, independent mediation professional to resolve matters related to their services or service providers.

We know that by offering this much-needed service, we will be helping community members statewide resolve matters through mediation, said Charity Burke, Executive Director of Oakland Mediation Center. Mediation through Michigan Behavioral Health Mediation Services is a free, conflict-resolution option that will save time, money, and stress for clients, Community Mental Health staff, and providers.

Mediation is a structured process where an impartial, third-party assists disputing parties in resolving a conflict through specialized communication and negotiation techniques.

The use of mediation has a proven record of successful outcomes in resolving disputes and allows the patient to be an active participant, said Elizabeth Hertel, Director of Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. It is exciting that we are able to provide mediation services to resolve complex behavioral health treatment needs in a meaningful way by bringing all parties to the table.

Qualified parties include Michigan residents who receive mental health services from a Community Mental Health provider or a Prepaid Inpatient Health Plan. Oakland Mediation Center connects residents with their local Community Dispute Resolution Program center that can help resolve the dispute for free.

To learn more about Michigan Behavioral Health Mediation Services, visit mibehavioralhealthmediationservices.com.

About Michigan Behavioral Health Mediation Services: Michigan Behavioral Health Mediation Services, in partnership with the Michigan Community Mediation Association, is a free conflict-resolution program that offers qualified participants an impartial way to resolve conflicts through mediation. Funded by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Oakland Mediation Center currently manages and administrates Michigan Behavioral Health Mediation Services. Visit us at http://www.mibehavioralhealthmediationservices.com.
Each awardee is a stellar representative of the larger community of two million amazing military kids, all of whom should be tremendously proud of the strength they add to their families, their communities, and our nation." Brig. Gen. (ret.) John I. Pray Jr., President and CEO, Operation Homefront

Operation Homefront, the national nonprofit celebrating 20 years of building strong, stable, and secure military families, has named the eight recipients of the esteemed 2022 Military Child of the Year Award, the nations premier recognition of the outstanding achievements of our military children.

Now in its 14th year, the Military Child of the Year Award reflects the incredible impact these exceptional young people have made on their military families, their schools, and their communities. An awards gala is scheduled for April 7 in Arlington, Virginia at the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City. In addition to two days of touring Washington, D.C., each recipient will receive their award, a $10,000 grant, a laptop computer, and other donated gifts.

The life of a military child calls for a special blend of resilience and strength of character, and I am thrilled to congratulate these eight extraordinary young people for how they have been able to channel both of these attributes to sustain their journeys, said Brig. Gen. (ret.) John I. Pray Jr., President and CEO of Operation Homefront. Each awardee is a stellar representative of the larger community of two million amazing military kids, all of whom should be tremendously proud of the strength they add to their families, their communities, and our nation."

The seven branch recipientsArmy, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Guard, and Space Forcewill represent the armed forces branch in which a parent either serves or has served. Selection was based on scholarship, volunteerism, leadership, extracurricular involvement, and other criteria. Each awardee was selected by a panel of independent volunteer judges with deep roots in the military community.

The eighth award is the Military Child of the Year Award for Innovation, presented by global technology and consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton. This award goes to a military child who has designed a bold and creative solution to address a local, regional, or global challenge.

This years Military Child of the Year Award recipients have moved a combined 40 times and lived through 115 months of deployments. Theyve logged 1473 volunteer hours in the 12 months before nominations.

The awardees are:



Air Force: Anna Cummins, 16, Colorado Springs, CO

Army: Elena Ashburn, 18, Pembroke Pines, FL

Coast Guard: Kathryn Alonso, 17, Vienna, VA

Marine Corps: Sophia Jordan, 13, Fort Worth, TX

National Guard: Andrew Stone, 15, Germany

Navy: Mitchell Matella, 16, Rockville, MD

Space Force: Grant Benson, 18, Burke, VA

Innovation (Air Force): David Lee, 18, South Korea

Elena Ashburn was a semifinalist in 2021. Sophia Jordan is the sibling of two past Military Child of the Year Award recipients, Michael-Logan in 2014 and Jaxson in 2019.

Pratt & Whitney is the programs presenting sponsor. Additional sponsors include Booz Allen Hamilton, Nike, Leonardo DRS, Procter & Gamble, University of Cincinnati Online, WarnerMedia, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc., and Johns Hopkins Healthcare.

Learn more about the Military Child of the Year Award.

# # #

About Operation Homefront: Celebrating 20 years of serving America's military families, Operation Homefront is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families so that they can thrive  not simply struggle to get by  in the communities they have worked so hard to protect. Recognized for superior performance by leading independent charity oversight groups, 90 percent of Operation Homefront expenditures go directly to programs that support tens of thousands of military families each year. Operation Homefront provides critical financial assistance, transitional and permanent housing and family support services to prevent short-term needs from turning into chronic, long-term struggles. Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the support from thousands of volunteers, Operation Homefront proudly serves America's military families. For more information, visit OperationHomefront.org.
This film truly underscores the crucial sense of urgency needed to address this devastating disease and the importance of clinical trials, said OBrien. Im grateful to have this platform to share my story and help others cope with some of the things I face all the time along with my family.

Veteran producer/director Steve Ecclesines (Chasing Happiness: Jonas Brothers (Amazon), Sliders (Universal/Fox TV) latest film-the original documentary feature Have You Heard about Greg? (HYHAG), a heartfelt portrayal of Greg OBrien, an award-winning journalist who was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers at the age of 59 after a traumatic brain injury-has been set for release in select theatres nationwide including Los Angeles and New York on May 6, 2022.

Greg OBrien is an old-salt-of-the-earth investigative reporter whos written for many national and regional publications, including AP, Time, The Washington Post. He penned the international award-winning best seller, On Pluto: Inside the Mind of Alzheimer's, which inspired the documentary Have You Heard About Greg, A Journey through Alzheimers with Faith, Hope and Humor that connects the audience to a diagnosis that is all too often silenced.

There are over 6 million people living in the US who have been diagnosed with Alzheimers/Dementia. The goals of the film are to get people talking about a far more impactful and much more damaging quiet pandemic that threatens to destroy the US health care system along with millions of lives by 2050. This threat is real.

The idea for this remarkably candid documentary happened at a 50-year high school reunion when a childhood friend asked Ecclesine, Have you heard about Greg? Turns out both of their mothers had died of Alzheimers and after reconnecting at a caregivers conference in Scottsdale, Arizona where Greg was the keynote speaker, Ecclesine realized he wanted to tell this powerful story about a real-life hero on a real-life heros journey and attempt to put a human face on this most dreaded disease.

Thirteen years since his diagnosis, Gregs tenacity as an investigative reporter has taught him to live with the disease, not to die from it. He is still thriving because he decided early on to share his story with faith, hope and humor. Surrounded by his family, Greg introduces us to many dedicated experts he has befriended on his journey and together, they challenge the audience to push aside the stigma of Alzheimers and get the conversation started with the family members, friends and caregivers who are all impacted.

Best-selling author Lisa Genova offers her insight throughout the film as a neurologist/ writer and her book Still Alice was made into an Academy Award winning feature film. Chapter 13 of her most recent release--Remember! Is dedicated to Greg OBrien. Rudy Tanzi, PhD, Professor Neurology, Founder of the Cure Alzheimers Fund, offers actionable steps that can help patients delay the onset of Alzheimers.

This film truly underscores the crucial sense of urgency needed to address this devastating disease and the importance of clinical trials, said OBrien. Im grateful to have this platform to share my story and help others cope with some of the things I face all the time along with my family.

The film will begin rolling out May 6 in select theaters nationwide via veteran film distributor Scott Kennedys Falling Forward Films, Inc. An updated list of playdate theaters can be found on the films website. Brad Ball serves as executive producer. Greg OBrien, Tim Lowry and Andrew Towe serve as Co-Producers. Tim Lowry edited and Andrew Towe was the director of photography. The film was written and narrated by Greg OBrien and directed and produced by Steve Ecclesine p.g.a.

# # #
Since 2014, companies that have pitched at the Angel Capital Summit have received funding at nearly 10 times the national average.

Rockies Venture Club, the longest running angel investing group in the U.S., today announced it is hosting its 15th annual Angel Capital Summit from March 22 to 24 in Denver.

This year, the Summit will focus on The Power of Startup Ecosystems. The hybrid event features influential keynote speakers, pitches from innovative early-stage startups seeking funding, syndication, local and international investing, and networking opportunities with founders, funders and service providers. With more than 300 people in attendance, the Summit is a celebration of startups, investors and big ideas. Since 2014, companies that have pitched at the Angel Capital Summit have received funding at nearly 10 times the national average.

The 2022 Angel Capital Summit will present experts who shine a light on activating business ecosystems. Keynote speaker Wendy Lea, CEO of Energize Colorado, is on the forefront of the structural changes and innovation that will aid small businesses in their uphill battle to remain competitive and thrive.

Also speaking at the event is Samer Yousif, Chief Program Officer of BLCK VC and Managing Director of the Investors of Color Network. BLCK VC is transforming the venture capital industry to mirror the diverse demographics of the U.S.

Along with these speakers, the Summit will feature pitches from up-and-coming startups seeking funding, an investor forum for accredited angels to discuss the deals, and opportunities to network with angel investors and entrepreneurs in the national angel investing and startup community.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available. To register or learn more about the Angel Capital Summit, please visit https://rockiesventureclub.wildapricot.org/event-4630634

The conference is open to the public and free to RVC active, corporate and keystone members. Visit http://www.rockiesvc.org for more information on membership options. The Angel Capital Summit will be offered virtually this year with an emphasis on networking and engagement for audience members, wherever they may be.

About Rockies Venture Club: Rockies Venture Club is the longest running angel investing group in the U.S., founded in 1985. Its mission is to advance economic development by actively connecting the most promising entrepreneurial companies with angel investors, venture capitalists and other community members. Each year, Rockies Venture Club offers more than 140 educational programs, mastermind groups, angel forums and two major conferences for both investors and entrepreneurs leading to 25 investments per year.

Contacts:

Pam Peccolo

(720) 479-8217

pam@rockiesventureclub.org

Rockies Venture Club Director of Partnerships

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Moscone Center. Courtesy SOM  Tim Griffith By opening a COVID testing center, we are making it easier for travelers and meeting attendees to get convenient and affordable testing and for international travelers to meet travel requirements to return home.

San Francisco Travel Association, the official destination marketing organization for the City and County of San Francisco, today opened a dedicated COVID-19 testing facility at Moscone Center to provide visitors, meeting attendees, and residents quick and easy access to affordable testing seven days a week.

Located in the heart of the city, the San Francisco Travel COVID Testing Center provides testing daily from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Testing hours can be expanded based on demand or to cater to attendees of mega-events in the city.

Operated by RokketMed, a certified COVID testing provider, the center offers rapid antigen tests for $40 and rapid PCR tests for $150. Formal documentation for international travel or access to venues requiring proof of a negative COVID test is provided upon request at no additional charge.

By opening a COVID testing center, we are making it easier for travelers and meeting attendees to get convenient and affordable testing and for international travelers to meet travel requirements to return home, said Joe DAlessandro, the president and CEO of San Francisco Travel. We are focused on driving tourism recovery, and this center helps remove a potential barrier for visitors to San Francisco.

San Francisco Travel is believed to be the first DMO in the U.S. to provide visitors and city residents access to COVID testing.

As a company dedicated to removing friction in accessing healthcare, RokketMed is thrilled to be partnering with SF Travel and the City of San Francisco to welcome back visitors and tourists safely. Providing affordable, and easily accessible COVID testing for visitors will set San Francisco apart as a destination, said Tracy Baldwin, founder and CEO of RokketMed.

The San Francisco COVID Testing Center is located on the ground floor of Moscone Center at 749 Howard Street. Testing takes less than five minutes, and results are texted or emailed; formal supporting documentation for the test result is provided upon request. The rapid antigen test provides results in 10 minutes or less, and the rapid PCR results take 30 minutes. Certified or licensed healthcare professionals will administer tests.

Appointments are recommended but not required and can be booked online at https://calendly.com/rokketmedtesting.

California recently became the first state in the U.S. to treat the coronavirus as a manageable, endemic risk. The states new Smarter plan emphasizes prevention and adaptability. In San Francisco, more than 84% of San Francisco residents are fully vaccinated. The city has been hailed as a U.S. model in managing COVID-19 under Mayor London N. Breeds leadership.

About San Francisco Travel

The San Francisco Travel Association is the official destination marketing organization for the City and County of San Francisco. Tourism is San Francisco's largest industry. More than 25.8 million people visited the destination in 2019, spending more than $10 billion. Over 86,000 jobs are supported by tourism in San Francisco.

San Francisco is one of the metropolitan areas in the U.S. that has consistently kept Covid-19 largely under control. The COVID-19 Prevention & Enhanced Cleaning Guidelines put forth by the Hotel Council of San Francisco ensure that the citys hospitality businesses adhere to the most elaborate cleaning and safety protocols. San Francisco Travel invites all visitors who are planning to come in 2022 to contribute their part to a safe and enjoyable experience by taking its Safe Travel Pledge.

For information on reservations, activities and more, visit http://www.sftravel.com. Follow SF Travel on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Please use hashtags #sftravel and #AlwaysSF.

About RokketMed

Launched in 2015, by a healthcare industry executive and former Army Registered Nurse, RokketMed is a San Francisco-based healthcare fintech company dedicated to removing friction and driving down the cost of healthcare. RokketMed has a healthcare fintech product allowing for point-of-care payments. It has a directory of same-day providers that support price transparency, self-pay, and affordable healthcare. RokketMed delivers onsite affordable COVID testing for businesses. At RokketMed we believe removing friction is the key to Next Generation Healthcare. For more information, visit http://www.rokketmed.com.

Note to editors:


WHAT

Digital Summit Phoenix 2022 will be held on Tues., March 15, 2022 - Wed., March 16, 2022 at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, AZ. The two-day, in-person conference will feature a line-up of industry thought leaders and visionaries from Spotify, Adobe, Footlocker, HarperCollins Publishing, Harlem Globetrotters and TikTok  in addition to local and regional companies and marketing agencies  who will present the newest and best practices in email marketing, content management, digital advertising, lead generation, social media, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), analytics and more. Each of the 30+ 30-minute speaking sessions are formatted to be instructional how to talks that provide attendees with unparalleled digital marketing expertise to help catalyze their companies' growth and refine their understanding of digital marketing strategy.

WHO

Top Speaker Sessions at Digital Summit Phoenix include:



The Power of Sound and Silence: How to Create Audio Worth Listening To, presented by Jenny Hoffman, Spotify (Keynote speaker)

Mixing Art and Science  How to Build a Data Driven Social Content Strategy, presented by Alyssa Rolfe, IBM

SEO Tips for Pinterest and YouTube to Increase Site Traffic, presented by Jerri Helms, HarperCollins Publishing

The Holy Grail: Building Brand Loyalty and Consideration, Brandon Raper, Foot Locker

Improve Your User Experience with These Email Preference Center Dos and Donts, presented by Angie Weyman, Arizona Cardinals

Mental Health in the Social World: How to Survive, Thrive, and Enjoy Your OOO Time, presented by Maria DeCabooter, Northern Arizona University

Lessons Learned from The Harlem Globetrotters Rebrand, presented by Sunni Hickman, Harlem Globetrotters

How to Develop Sales and Marketing Alignment for Long-Term Business Success, presented by Julz James, Adobe

To view a complete list of speakers and presentation topics, go to:

https://phoenix.digitalsummit.com/2022/agenda/

WHEN/WHERE

Tues., March 15, 2022 - Weds., March 16, 2022

Phoenix Convention Center

North Ballroom | North Building  100 Level

100 N 3rd St, Phoenix, AZ, 85004 | (602) 262-6225

To purchase passes to attend, go to: https://phoenix.digitalsummit.com/tickets/

About Digital Summit Series

Digital Summit Series is "Where Marketers Stay on Top of Their Game." Founded in 2008, the series is held in more than 20 U.S. cities each year and features speakers from the most creative and innovative companies and brands who present the newest and best practices in email marketing, content management, digital advertising, lead generation, social media, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), analytics and more. Produced by Naylor Association Solutions, a leading provider of innovative tools and services for associations that strengthen member engagement and increase non-dues revenue, Digital Summit Series convenes 1,200+ sessions, workshops and seminars annually, attracting more than 15,000 marketing professionals each year who seek to further their knowledge and skill set in the ever-changing and evolving digital ecosystem for marketing communications. To bring all key digital marketing industry players together in one place, Digital Summit also teams up with an extensive network of standout sponsors that offer innovative products and that solve business problems of all kinds. Digital Summit attendees come from a diverse list of industries, including business services, engineering, accounting, research, management, & related services, manufacturing, wholesale/retail, finance, insurance & real estate and more. For more information, go to https://digitalsummit.com/ and follow on Twitter @DigitalSummits.
SemaConnects new ICPA contract simplifies the purchase process to help public entities save time and money on premium products.

SemaConnect, leading provider of electric vehicle charging amenities to the North American commercial, residential, and fleet market, announces a new statewide Intergovernmental Cooperative Purchasing Agreement (ICPA) with the State of Maryland for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations and Equipment. The new ICPA contract streamlines the purchasing process for the state and other eligible government entities who are looking for new workplace, public, and fleet EV charging stations.

SemaConnect is a Maryland-based manufacturer and network provider of electric vehicle charging stations with over 15,000 Level 2 stations installed nationwide. Five Level 2 commercial models  the Series 5 Personal, Series 6 Commercial/Shared, Series 7 Fleet, Series 7 Plus High-Powered Fleet, and Series 8 Retail  and DC fast charging stations are included in this non-exclusive purchasing contract. Now public entities can choose from SemaConnects 30-80amp portfolio and buy EV charging stations at a standardized bulk price. In addition, qualifying agencies can apply for the statewide Charge Ahead Grant Program to receive funding for up to 60% of total purchase and installation costs.

Maryland governments are looking for the best electric vehicle charging stations, said Tony Sargent, vice president of sales at SemaConnect. SemaConnects new ICPA contract simplifies the purchase process to help public entities save time and money on premium products. We look forward to supporting Marylands electrification goals and helping more Maryland drivers stay charged.

SemaConnect charging stations are now available for Maryland public entities using Sourcewell contract 042221-SEM. For more information, visit semaconnect.com.

About SemaConnect:

SemaConnect is a leading provider and pioneer of electric vehicle charging infrastructure solutions to the North American commercial, residential and fleet market. A complete EV support partner, SemaConnect is making transportation electrification possible in this decade through innovative, elegantly designed charging stations, a robust and open network platform, and an unparalleled charging experience for drivers and station owners. Since our founding in 2008, SemaConnect has installed thousands of smart charging stations at top companies like CBRE, JLL, Hines, Greystar, Nike, Electrify America, and SP Plus. SemaConnect remains the preferred charging solutions partner to municipal, parking, multifamily, hotel, office, retail and commercial fleet customers across the United States and Canada. For more information, visit semaconnect.com.
The Chianti Classico Consortium returned to New York City on February 28th to celebrate the recent introduction of the UGA (Additional Geographic Units) classification system, which differentiates and highlights the 11 units of the Chianti Classico region. This system was introduced to strengthen the relationship between Chianti Classico wines and their unique territorial origins, reinforcing quality and local identity.

The Walk-around Tasting was held at the Altman Building from 12 to 5 pm with 60 producers pouring their Chianti Classico wines for over 300 attendees, including trade professionals and media, a great success in terms of attendance despite all the Covid-19 regulations, with tickets sold out weeks before. The tasting event focused on increasing the awareness of the UGAs, the term used to indicate additional geographical units, identified within the production area of the denomination. The floor plan of the Altman Building was arranged in order to group the wineries of each UGA and it also featured a large wine bar where attendees could taste 65 Chianti Classico wines from the 11 UGAs.

The event also featured two educational seminars, one for the media and one for the trade, No Wine is an Island hosted by the renowned Italian Cartographer, Alessandro Masnaghetti to discover how the project developed and how the UGAs reflect defined expressions of the Chianti Classico territory. The media seminar was accompanied by the tasting of 11 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, representing the 11 UGA villages.

"The introduction of the additional geographical units (UGA) that divide the Chianti Classico territory into more specific areas represents an epochal turning point for the denomination. A change of perspective that leads producers and their wines to be no longer single actors, but expressions of a territory in relation to each other. A decision destined to leave its mark. said Alessandro Masnaghetti.

The new classification system, approved in June 2021, as for now applies only to the Gran Selezione (GS) category, which are the only ones allowed to add the specific UGA mention on the label. The 11 villages were identified based on specific criteria such as oenological recognizability, historical authenticity, renown, and significance in terms of volumes produced: San Casciano, Greve, Montefioralle, Lamole, Panzano, Radda, Gaiole, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Vagliagli, Castellina, San Donato in Poggio.

The UGA project was received with great enthusiasm by the media and the trade who attended the event, said the President of the Chianti Classico consortium Giovanni Manetti. "The phrase The territory makes the difference has always been one of our favorite mottos," he continued, "Chianti Classico is a truly unique territory, which is covered two third by woodland and only one-tenth is devoted to wine growing, with more than 50% dedicated to organic farming (52.5% of the area under vine). As I have often said in my three years as President, wine reflects the territory like a negative photographic image, and this is why it is so important to preserve its environmental context and landscape and be able to communicate this to the consumer in all its various facets, also through the label.

About the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico:

The Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico exists to protect, oversee, and valorize the Chianti Classico denomination. Since the Consortiums founding in 1924, the organization has changed its name and the design of its logo, the Black Rooster, which since 2005 has been the trademark of the whole denomination. As one of the premier institutional organizations in the European Union in the grape-growing and winemaking sector, the Consortium represents 96 percent of the DOCG production. The entire production chain is supervised by a public tracking system, which enables consumers all over the world to check the bottle theyve purchased via the Consortiums website. The Consortium also conducts research and development in the agronomic and enological fields, in collaboration with prestigious educational and research institutes. For more information, please visit http://www.chianticlassico.com.
Nationwide has been on our side for many, many years, and we are thrilled to continue our partnership by providing scholarships to those who are in need in order to accomplish their lifes dreams, said Joe Handy, president and CEO of the National Black MBA Association.

The National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) has officially announced its inaugural recipients of its Nationwide Scholarship, presented in partnership with Nationwide Insurance.

As a result of the partnership and Nationwides $20,000 gift, 10 HBCU scholars from across the country will receive an all-expense paid trip to the 44th NBMBAA annual conference in Atlanta (Fall 2022). The conference scholarship will cover airfare, baggage fees, ground transportation, accommodations and a stipend for food and incidentals.

Scholarship recipients will also receive an internship interview for career opportunities with Nationwide.

Nationwide has been on our side for many, many years, and we are thrilled to continue our partnership by providing scholarships to those who are in need in order to accomplish their lifes dreams, said Joe Handy, president and CEO of the National Black MBA Association.

The students, exclusively selected from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, were chosen based on their academic standings (a GPA of 3.0 or higher) and personal essays. The 10 recipients represented institutions Florida A&M University, Howard University, Johnson C. Smith University, Livingston College, North Carolina A&T State University, Shaw University and Virginia State University.

The Nationwide Scholarship was awarded as part of NBMBAAs Collegiate Partnership Program. The program was designed to establish long-term, holistic partnerships with institutions of higher education, with the ultimate goal of increasing placement rates of student members. The program supports NBMBAAs mission to lead in the creation of educational, wealth building and growth opportunities for those historically underrepresented throughout their careers as students, entrepreneurs and professionals.

The Nationwide Scholarship recipients were announced at this years CIAA conference in Baltimore, Maryland. To learn more about NBMBAA, its College Partnership Program and membership opportunities, visit nbmbaa.org.

About National Black MBA Association: NBMBAA is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) member-based professional organization which leads in the creation of educational, wealth building and growth opportunities for black students, professionals and entrepreneurs. Representing more than 20,000 members, 41 professional and 33 Leaders of Tomorrow chapters, and over 500 corporate, academic and non-profit partners, the Association is dedicated to developing alliances that create intellectual and economic wealth in the Black community through its five channels of engagement: career, education, entrepreneurship, leadership and lifestyle. To learn more about NBMBAA, please go to nbmbaa.org and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

2022 NBMBAA X Nationwide Scholarship Recipients


Tortora Brayda Women have served as the unsung heroes of the tech industry for too long. Now, more than ever, it is imperative for women to be valued for their talents, cultivated in their current roles, and provided growth and advancement opportunities to drive the fields of cybersecurity and AI forward.

Tortora Brayda Institute, a non-profit independent organization, for multi-stakeholder partnerships in Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, and Cloud, today announced its enhanced program in the Talent Gap task force with additional focus on women in cybersecurity.

The AI and Cybersecurity Talent Gap task force is adding to its program through the addition of events, promoting female speakers and cybersecurity professional women. It recognizes their actions to achieve equality between women and men and highlights their roles and contributions. Contributions to national and global economies as well as those that consolidate development, security, innovation, and opportunities in the cyber and technology sectors.

The Tortora Brayda Institute is proud to announce this commitment in honor of this years International Womens Day. IWD2022 global theme is, Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow, recognizing the contribution of women and girls around the world, who are leading the charge on climate change adaptation, mitigation, and response, to build a more sustainable future for all. The global campaign is #BreaktheBias.

Women have served as the unsung heroes of the tech industry for too long. Now, more than ever, it is imperative for women to be valued for their talents, cultivated in their current roles, and provided growth and advancement opportunities to drive the fields of cybersecurity and AI forward, said Sarah Storelli, Board Member of Tortora Brayda Institute and Worldwide Public Sector Marketing Leader at Amazon Web Services, Inc. It is on all of us to help close the gender gap in our lifetime so little girls everywhere can grow up in a world where they are viewed as equals and freely pursue their dreams to help advance technology and humanity.

Two special events addressing the gap are being held by the Institute this month:



Women in Cybersecurity: Bridging the Gender Gap- A diverse panel of impressive women will be discussing their journey in cybersecurity and their thoughts on changes that need to be made to open the field to more women. This Hot Topic discussion will be moderated by the Chair of our AI and Cybersecurity Talent Gap task force.

Athenas Podium - a new thought leadership platform that uses the TED talk format. Our first speaker, Danielle Jablanski, is a Cyber Security strategist that contributed to the creation of the Stanford Cyber Policy Center at Stanford University. She will share about the challenges and opportunities that she has found throughout her career, and about the impact that women are making in this sector.

For more information about these events visit our website.

There are some fantastically talented women in the STEM industry, and many already have the right skill sets to jump into operational and leadership roles in the cyber industry. Organizations such as the Tortora Brayda Institute are to be commended for finding ways to feature these talented females with their webinars and Athenas Podium speaking series. The more we can put the word out that it is possible for women to have meaningful careers in cyber and cybersecurity the more we can entice operational and thought leadership into the industry while growing a much-needed pool of diverse cybersecurity professionals. Diversity in the workforce equals diversity in ideas and approaches. said Alycia Farrell, Board Member of the Tortora Brayda Institute and a member of the Association of US Cyber Forces (AUSCF) Executive Committee.

"As we move from the traditional work environment to more nimble organizations, I believe that the use of AI in the workplace is going to open so many doors for people. AI is being used to identify skills that people have that may not readily appear from one's resume. Nimble organizations recognize and embrace the need for skill sets as opposed to black and white credentials to survive and excel in today's world. Our Institute embraces the concept of diversity, equity, and inclusion and I'm very excited to be a part of it," said Dianna McCarthy, Member Tortora Brayda Institute; Vice President Women in Cyber Leadership, Inc.; Partner Kaufman Borgeest & Ryan, LLP.

One of the Institute's prioritized United Nations Sustainable Development Goals is UNSDG Goal 5  Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. The 2030 deadline requested by the United Nations to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals is getting close and Goal 5 on gender equality seems far from being achieved. Recent research indicates that at the current pace of change, closing the global gender gap will take a staggering 108 years, and 202 years for economic gender parity. The Tortora Brayda Institute is working to find innovative ways that we can help meet this goal.

To be part of, and impact the changing future through technology innovation, please visit our website.

About Tortora Brayda Institute

Tortora Brayda Institute for Partnership Excellence is an International Organization for Partnership Development. The organization engages business, cultural, government, and thought leaders worldwide to reshape and develop collaboration and partnering practices with a view to improving and securing business and economies. It is established as a not-for-profit entity and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. To learn more about Tortora Brayda, visit https://www.tortorabrayda.org/.

Contact:

Susanne Runald

Media Relations

Tortora Brayda Institute

media@tortorabrayda.org
Innovative companies like Piasecki Aircraft (their PA-890 shown here) are developing novel helicopter, airplane and VTOL aircraft designs powered by hydrogen fuel cells. With hydrogen fuel cell technology making rapid advances over the past decade, VFS sees a pivotal moment in aviation for vertical and conventional flight aircraft.

The Vertical Flight Society (VFS), the worlds leading non-profit organization working to advance vertical flight, is holding the first public event in the United States on the use of hydrogen and fuel cells for aviation applications. The event, the 1st H2-Aero Symposium & Workshop, is being held March 29-31, 2022, in Long Beach, California. Southern California was selected as the location for this inaugural event due to the states forward-looking vision and national leading progress to date to support hydrogen for ground transportation. See http://www.vtol.org/h2workshop for details.

The first day and a half of the Symposium features ground-breaking keynote presentations by executives from aircraft developers Airbus, Bartini, Piasecki Aircraft and ZeroAvia, as well as hydrogen companies Shell, Plug Power, Universal Hydrogen and ZEV Station. There will be key national government agencies represented to talk of the plans and progress in this area from the US Department of Energy (DOE) through Argonne National Laboratory, as well as the Department of Defense (DOD) and NASA. International hydrogen aviation developers will also be speaking, including one of Europes key aircraft and space research organizations, DLRThe German Aerospace Center, and aircraft developer H2Fly.

Representatives from the California government and the California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP) will be sharing their wealth of experience in zero emission vehicles and infrastructure deployment opportunities. The president of the Massachusetts Hydrogen Coalition will also be speaking of the hydrogen & fuel cell developments in the Northeast.

The meeting will also feature representatives from academia (the University of Maryland), a major standards development organization (SAE International), a private capital investment bank (NEXA Capital), and a fuel cell technology innovator (HyPoint).

The afternoon of Wednesday, March 30, will be a kickoff workshop to gain public input to finalize the scope of the Vertical Flight Societys H2-Aero Team. The near-term goal of H2-Aero is to develop demonstration project(s) between hydrogen infrastructure and hydrogen aircraft, seeking to catalyze a public-private partnership (PPP) to accelerate the decarbonization of aviation. A further goal would be to leverage scale and develop a roadmap to H2-Hubs at airports.

On the morning of Thursday, March 31, there will be tours of the Shell heavy-duty hydrogen refueling station at the Port of Long Beach which fuels zero-emission fuel cell electric trucks.

In 2014, the Vertical Flight Society held the worlds first public meeting on electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, and VFS has been leading eVTOL efforts ever since. With hydrogen fuel cell technology making rapid advances over the past decade, VFS sees a similar, pivotal moment in aviation for vertical and conventional flight aircraft.

Battery-electric and hybrid-electric energy systems are well known to be heavier and larger than comparable fossil-fuel based aircraft powerplants. But the capability for power-by-wire, distributed electric propulsion, zero tailpipe emissions and extremely low noise have engendered more than 600 eVTOL concepts from 350 designers worldwide, as cataloged in the World eVTOL Aircraft Directory. The directory is part of the VFS Electric VTOL News website, http://www.eVTOL.news, the worlds first and foremost online resource on eVTOL aircraft and technology.

Hydrogen (H2) holds the promise for abundant, clean, sustainable energy, with water vapor as the only byproduct. However, there are many challenges for use in aircraft, including the cost, weight, volume and complexity, as well as generating the hydrogen and transporting it to the point of need, affordably and without burning carbon fuels to do so.

The European Union, the United Kingdom and China have all announced major government initiatives to support hydrogen for aviation. And the Biden Administration has allocated $64B to expand the hydrogen infrastructure in the US, though targeted toward ground transportation. In the past year, several traditional aircraft manufacturers (including Airbus, Mitsubishi and De Havilland) have partnered with hydrogen fuel cell makers to support retrofit and certification of hydrogen-electric propulsion systems on existing airplanes as demonstrators for potential future products.

VFS recognized in early 2020 that hydrogen fuel cells were nearing the point of viability for small electric aircraft, so we formed an H2eVTOL Council to study the potential, said Mike Hirschberg, VFS Executive Director. Weve now initiated the H2-Aero Team to build on the momentum and look towards a demonstration project that could help accelerate the transition to hydrogen in aviation.

Although initially focused solely on eVTOL, in recent years, VFS has expanded its support to electric short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) and electric conventional takeoff and landing (eCTOL) aircraft. The past few years has seen a blurring of the lines between rotorcraft  certificated by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under Part 27 and Part 29 airworthiness regulations  and other small airplanes that are certificated under Part 23. Nearly all of the eVTOL aircraft developers are targeting FAA certification as a Part 23 small airplane and nearly all of the supporting technologies are highly common, whether developed for eVTOL, eSTOL and eCTOL. This is also true for hydrogen fuel cells powerplants for smaller Part 23 aircraft.

When VFS launched the first eVTOL meeting in 2014, the idea of VTOL aircraft was greeted with widespread skepticism, but growing technical progress, flight demonstrations, government validation and private investment have helped reverse public perception. It is now recognized that the vertical flight market is poised for significant expansion over the next few years as eVTOL aircraft enter service that can have higher performance than conventional helicopters for certain missions, as well as lower operating costs and lower noise.

Similarly, the Vertical Flight Society has supported eSTOL and eCTOL aircraft developments over the years in a collaborative environment. VFS helped run the CAFE Foundations Electric Aircraft Symposium (EAS) for the past several years and has now taken over full responsibility for the event. VFS will hold this years 16th Annual EAS as a hybrid meeting on July 2324, 2022, in conjunction with AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. See http://www.vtol.org/eas for details.

VFS was founded as the American Helicopter Society in 1943 by the visionaries of the early helicopter industry, who believed that technological cooperation and collaboration were essential to support this new type of aircraft. Today, history is repeating itself, with VFS playing a similar role helping to advance todays revolutionary electric flight aircraft.

VFS is @VTOLsociety on social media: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Vimeo and YouTube
Students from the VIA New York Course - March 4-6, 2022

VIA welcomed 18 students for two intensive days of tastings and masterclasses. With the support and patronage of ITA - Italian Trade Agency, the students tasted 38 wines under the guidance of VIA Faculty member Henry Davar, IWE. On Sunday the students submitted required video projects and faced the challenging 2.5-hour exam, composed of 2 blind tastings, a series of short answer questions, and 100 multiple-choice questions. At the end of the day, VIA was proud to announce the certification of four new Ambassadors for the USA, bringing the total to 97 in the country and 271 in the world.

This edition of VIA was the second to include a tuition waiver program for Diversity and Inclusion, which was awarded to two participating students. Tuition was waived for these students, who came highly recommended by professionals in the USA wine sector. Stevie Kim, Managing Director of Vinitaly International has committed to rectifying the under-representation of women and people of color in the wine industry. As she explained, Under-represented groups have not received appropriate support and attention during the development of the VIA program and we continue to look to make up for lost time by offering a tuition waving program.

Recipient Nicole Rodriguez remarked, I started to study Italian wine back in 2009 when I fell in love with an exclusively Italian wine list in Baltimore. Since then, Ive continued to build on my Italian wine knowledge and this opportunity for professional development on Italy, the country with the most indigenous grape diversity, is something I loved exploring. Joining the certification course is a wonderful opportunity to acquire more credentials to teach and spread the word on Italian wine.

Students came from all across the USA, including students with Turkish, Japanese, Mexican, and Norwegian nationality. New Italian Wine Ambassador Larissa Lawrence commented, I was absolutely thrilled to read of the VIA Certification Course. As an importer of artisanal Italian wine into Mexico, I work directly with 17 wonderful traditional family producers from across Italy. I read endlessly about Italian winemaking, grapes, and regions, and visit our producers at least once a year. To be able to supplement my personal and practical studies with structured classroom instruction alongside other students, equally as passionate as I about Italian wine, is truly a dream!

VIA New York 2022 warmly welcomes our four new Ambassadors; we are very proud of their achievement. The following students passed the difficult in-depth exam: Sunny Gandara, Larissa Lawrence, Jennifer Spiering, Catalina Vieira. Congratulations! Following the success of VIA New York, Vinitaly International Academy looks forward to the return of its annual flagship course in Verona, which will be held from 4-7 April with over 50 students selected from around the world.

_____________

About: Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) aims to be the gold standard of Italian wine education. It offers a complete educational path with standardized courses that will teach professionals and educators to master the diversity of Italian wine in a rigorous, organized manner. VIAs main objective is to foster a global network of highly qualified professionals such as Italian Wine Ambassadors and Italian Wine Experts: in turn, they will support and promote Italian wine throughout the world. VIA was founded by Stevie Kim, Managing Director of Vinitaly International. The new VIA ecosystem avails of the guidance of Italian trade associations Federdoc, Federvini, Vignaioli Indipendenti FIVI, and Unione Italiana Vini as members of the Institutional Advisory Board. Italian vine genetics scholar, Prof. Attilio Scienza, oversees VIAs scientific and educational direction as the Chief Scientist. VIA Faculty Sarah Heller MW and Henry Davar teach the flagship Italian Wine Ambassador course. To date, there are 271 Certified Italian Wine Ambassadors of which 15 are also Italian Wine Experts.
The ongoing port congestion has led to substantial increases in unfair detention and demurrage fees that are beyond the control of cargo owners and other supply chain stakeholders, said Ned Monroe, president and CEO of the Vinyl Institute.

The Vinyl Institute (VI) has signed a coalition letter, along with 89 other companies and trade associations, in support the reforms included in U.S. Senators Klobuchar (D-MN) and Thune (R-SD) Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 (OSRA22). The bill seeks to address the long-standing, systemic supply chain and port disruption issues that the COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated, especially the issue of detention and demurrage.

The ongoing port congestion has led to substantial increases in unfair detention and demurrage fees that are beyond the control of cargo owners and other supply chain stakeholders, said Ned Monroe, president and CEO of the Vinyl Institute. These fees are costing cargo owners and truckers millions of dollars, which ultimately lead to increased costs of goods for consumers.

While the VI and its allies welcome the Interpretive Rule of Detention and Demurrage as published by the Federal Maritime Commission, this legislation seeks to formalize this rule to go beyond guidance and define the parameters for these charges.

This bill enjoys strong bipartisan support. We encouraged the Senate to act quickly to pass the bill and reconcile the differences with the House version, added Monroe.

About the Vinyl Institute:

The Vinyl Institute (VI), founded in 1982, is a U.S. trade association representing the leading manufacturers of vinyl, vinyl chloride monomer, vinyl additives, and modifiers. The VI works on behalf of its members to promote the benefits of the worlds most versatile plastic, used to make everything from PVC piping to flooring, roofing and vinyl siding. The vinyl industry in the United States employs over 350,000 highly skilled employees at nearly 3,000 facilities and generates an economic value of $54 billion.
Virtuosi powered by QxP is the worlds first and only comprehensive multi-language virtual reality-based education program for pharmaceutical manufacturing employees. the only way forward if the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries want to reduce training times for new entrants, lower batch error rates, improve employee satisfaction in their jobs, and deliver an improved bottom-line

Virtuosi, the worlds first virtual reality-based training program for pharmaceutical manufacturing employees, has earned biopharma consulting firm Quality Executive Partners, Inc. (QxP) distinction as one of Fast Companys 2022 Most Innovative Companies in Manufacturing.

The worlds most innovative companies play an essential role in addressing the most pressing issues facing society, said Fast Company Deputy Editor David Lidsky. QxPs Virtuosi is a groundbreaking solution for reducing the training bottlenecks and cleanroom error rates that prevent pharmaceutical manufacturing operations from achieving productivity gains and assured capability in meeting global demand.

The pharmaceutical industry aims to embrace Industry 4.0 advancements as part of the push to improve efficiency, but also as a necessary component in the development of the many new Advanced Therapies being commercialized. This revolution in advanced manufacturing requires an equally disruptive revolution in education and upskilling of the pharmaceutical workforce.

We created Virtuosi for the pharma industry because the conventional way of training through rote teaching and memorizing technical procedures just does not deliver consistently, said QxP COO Brian Duncan. Trainers do their best to share their knowledge with the next set of trainers, who do their best to train new employees, but consistency is lost. This is important in traditional large-scale manufacturing, but in Advanced Therapies products, the importance of effective education and training is even more pressing.

Virtuosi educates employees through its catalogue of engaging, robust video-based educational programs with virtual reality practice sessions and assessments. The Virtuosi platform assures consistent education across technical content matter, even across languages. Virtuosi is available in English, French, German, Spanish, and Swedish.

Virtual reality-based training combined with on-demand video-based education sessions is the only way forward if the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries want to reduce training times for new entrants, lower batch error rates, improve employee satisfaction in their jobs, and deliver an improved bottom-line, Duncan said.

The pharma industrys human error rates have remained stubbornly high over the years, certainly too high for cell and gene processing, noted Duncan, It has to be as close to zero as possible. The data we are seeing so far demonstrates that newly hired employees can consistently achieve a less than one percent error rate when trained using Virtuosi as a central component of their onboarding programs. This data also illustrates that immersive training in particular helps reduce training time by one-third and time to competency by fifty percent, thus addressing the bottlenecks facing the industrys expansion into advanced therapies.

About Quality Executive Partners, Inc.

Quality Executive Partners, Inc. (QxP) is a global management consulting and technology firm providing the pharmaceutical industry with innovative solutions and revolutionary technical education programs, including Virtuosi, an immersive educational platform leveraging the power of virtual reality to train pharmaceutical manufacturing employees. QxPs experienced team of experts advises pharmaceutical and life sciences companies all over the globe. https://www.qualityexecutivepartners.com/

About Virtuosi

Virtuosi powered by QxP is the worlds first and only comprehensive multi-language immersive training platform for pharmaceutical manufacturing operators in aseptic processing, microbiology, and cell and gene therapy processing. The immersive platform combines in-depth, precision-focused teaching videos with virtual reality experiences through which employees apply and practice the techniques they learn. Practice makes perfect. Virtuosi is available in English, French, German, Spanish, and Swedish. https://www.virtuosivr.com/
Western University of Health Sciences President Robin Farias-Eisner, MD, PhD, MBA "I am excited to begin my journey with our campus community and engage with WesternUs world-class students, faculty, and staff. And I am equally looking forward to connecting and building relationships with our communities in Lebanon, Pomona and beyond." - WesternU President Dr. Robin Farias-Eisner

Western University of Health Sciences (WesternU) welcomed its new president, Robin Farias-Eisner, MD, PhD, MBA, on March 1, 2022, during a transformational moment in health care in which opportunities abound for WesternU and its students. He brings a dedication to uniting and bonding with the communities of Pomona, California and Lebanon, Oregon.

Dr. Farias-Eisner joins WesternU most recently from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, where he was the Director of the Henry Lynch Comprehensive Cancer Research Center and Chief Academic Officer in the School of Medicine. He was also Associate Dean of Womens Health and Professor and Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the School of Medicine at Creighton.

Prior to his appointment at Creighton, Dr. Farias-Eisner spent much of his career at the University of California, Los Angeles. In 1992, he completed a fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology and spent the next 30 years working to improve the health of women in underserved communities in South Los Angeles who were critically ill, many of whom were battling cancer diagnoses. Throughout his career, he has been a pioneer in surgical procedures being used to treat gynecologic malignancies. Not only a skilled clinician, Dr. Farias-Eisner is also a skilled researcher and fundraiser.

Dr. Farias-Eisner, who is of Latin origin and fluent in French, Italian, Spanish, and English, has a decorated academic pedigree that includes a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from UCLA, a medical doctorate degree from the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland, a PhD in Molecular Biology from UCLA, and an MBA from the Graziadio School of Business Management at Pepperdine University.

I am humbled and honored to be the next president of WesternU, Dr. Farias-Eisner said. WesternUs mission of producing health care professionals in a humanistic tradition instantly drew me to the institution. Not only is WesternU guided by core values that deeply align with mine, but my entire career has been about advocating for equity, inclusion, respect, empathy and trust. I am excited to begin my journey with our campus community and engage with WesternUs world-class students, faculty, and staff. And I am equally looking forward to connecting and building relationships with our communities in Lebanon, Pomona, and beyond.

Dr. Farias-Eisner is WesternUs third permanent president in its nearly 45-year history. Founding President Philip Pumerantz, PhD, launched WesternUs founding college, the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP), in 1977 in Pomona, California. Dr. Pumerantz led COMPs growth and restructuring into Western University of Health Sciences in 1996. He retired in September 2015. President Emeritus Daniel R. Wilson, MD, PhD, served as WesternU President from 2016 to 2021.


The Texas Library Association has announced the formation of a grassroots coalition, Texans for the Right to Read, to "amplify and unify the voices of librarians, educators, parents, students, authors, and others" who oppose the growing effort to ban books from schools and libraries across the state of Texas.

TLA officials say the coalition will seek to educate the public, as well as work to oppose any "legislation, regulations, or executive orders" that would subjectively infringe upon the freedom to read. The move comes as efforts to ban books, primarily books involving race or LGBTQ issue, have increased dramatically.

In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott has publicly demanded that the state agencies that oversee education and library funding keep "inappropriate books out of Texas schools, specifically calling out two books involving LGBTQ themes that have been featured in complaints in other states: Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe, and In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado. According to the Texas Tribune, Abbott has even directed agency officials to open criminal investigations over the offending titles. Abbotts directive follows a headline-grabbing inquiry, launched in October by a Texas state representative that included a list of some 850 books singled out for scrutiny.

The right to receive an education is something that is foundational to America, said Daniel Burgard, TLA president, in a statement. Possibly the most important skill students learn is how to develop a curious mind and think critically about a broad spectrum of subjects. Removing books based on the subjective opinions of elected officials has no place in our state or our democratic republic.

 No one book is right for everyone, but one book can make a significant difference in one life. 

Furthermore, TLA officials point out that there are already well-established processes for concerned parents to challenge books they may find inappropriate. Officials also called out the blatantly political aim of recent legislative efforts to ban books, including a so-called parental bill of rights proposed by Abbott, which calls for the potential prosecution of persons alleged to be supplying minors with what might be deemed "inappropriate material."

TLA officials say such a law would lead to frivolous prosecutions and do irreparable harm to educators and professional librarians. It doesnt take much to read between the lines and see what is going on here, said Mary Woodard, TLA president-elect. Proponents of banning books claim to have childrens best interests at heart, but it is clear that this is about winning votes at the ballot box.

Woodard emphasized the important role professional librarians play in a students life, and called proposals like Abbott's "Parental Bill of Rights" an "all-out attack" on librarians and educators. Librarians have masters degrees and receive ongoing training that qualifies them to develop collections to meet the broad and varied interests and needs of students and communities," Woodward said. "The implication by government officials that librarians would intentionally select books that are harmful to students undermines their best efforts and erodes public trust. When librarians are constrained in their ability to choose books, it is students who suffer.

Burgard said that school libraries must remain "places for voluntary inquiry," adding that "subjectively banning books that make one person uncomfortable" is harmful to communities. "No one book is right for everyone, but one book can make a significant difference in one life.
The West Lafayette City Council discussed opting the city back into an opioid settlement it helped pioneer before backing out in 2018 and tabled a new, revised bill banning facial recognition technology until the April meeting Monday night.

They also heard from Karrie Driscol, owner of Joeys Enterprise Services, about reevaluating the caps placed on towing companies.

Facial recognition technology

Councilmember David Sanders brought another ordinance banning facial recognition technology to the council and tabled it until the councils next meeting in April when both absent members, Gerald Thomas and Larry Leverenz, would be there.

The concern is about the technology and about the discriminatory effects of the technology," Sanders said. "Also, about the fact that, when the technology is used, it means that data from the city of West Lafayette about the people in West Lafayette wind up in the control of private entities.

Christopher Hegarty, a local community activist, shared these concerns. The rise of authoritarianism across the world makes it of the utmost importance to be careful with how this technology is used, Hegarty said. He added that the Russian governments use of facial recognition is an example of how unregulated technology could be used in the wrong hands.

A previous ordinance by Sanders with the same goal passed through the city council in November before West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis vetoed it over concerns that a complete lack of facial recognition technology would make it more difficult for police to catch perpetrators of violent crimes, according to previous Exponent reporting.

It was expressed by numerous people that the issue with the last ordinance was that it did not make exceptions for cases of crimes of violence," Sanders said. "So this ordinance has those exceptions incorporated into the ordinance.

Opioid settlement

Council members unanimously passed an ordinance to bring the city back into an opioid settlement that attempts to hold opioid providers financially responsible for the damage done to the community.

West Lafayette was among the first cities in Indiana to put the idea forward four years ago but opted out when a state law passed, West Lafayette City Attorney Eric Burns said, making cities pay 70% of the settlement back to the state of Indiana, rather than the community.

That law just changed, though, he said.

The state legislation did change the law to our favor, Burns said. Im going to go out on a limb and say almost all if not every single community government will hop back in because of that shift, which gives us safety in numbers.

The changes in the law allow local governments to take 35% of their settlement earnings and legal fees would go from 33.3% down to 8%, he said.

Towing caps

Karrie Driscol, a Tippecanoe County resident and owner of Joeys Enterprise Services, requested a re-evaluation of the allocation of funds and fees placed on towing companies.

The caps that are put in place were put in place back in March of 2003, Driscol said. Costs have increased dramatically for all of us since that year and it has been almost 20 years since we have revisited the caps placed on us for towing fees.

Towing companies in West Lafayette are allowed $85 per car towed as of this month, Driscol said. That cap is now $32.32 less than what is currently needed for each job when inflated costs of diesel, insurance and operating are factored in.

Vacating what used to be a road

The Purdue Research Foundation submitted a bill to vacate what was formerly a part of McCormick Road on the west end of the Purdue campus near the Intramural fields, and it passed unanimously.

(The PRF) plans to have housing for Purdue University students, staff and young professionals constructed on (the) property, the PRFs petition to the council reads.

What is now indistinguishable from the grass plot just west of the McCutcheon Parking Garage used to be a road decades ago, according to the petition the PRF filed.

The street no longer serves its original purpose, so the PRF plans on repurposing it, attorney Marianne Owen from Stuart and Branigan LLP, the law firm representing the PRF, said.
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21 February 2022



A selection of UKOWLA reports and publications in the collection 1989-1989 [Ref. OWLTD/UKOWLA/publications]

United Kingdom One World Linking Association (UKOWLA, 1983-) is an organisation established as a national advisory body for those involved with linking with international communities in the geographical South. UK communities could be paired with communities from the continents of Africa, Asia and South America. The concept became popular in the early 1980s and linking aimed to create partnerships to support education and cultural exchange, for political campaigning and working for justice by understanding the causes of poverty. One of the earliest links was between Bo District in Sierra Leone and Warwick District Council established c 1981 and by 1985 100+ links had been established.

UKOWLA was proposed at the first UK wide conference in 1982 on how to link successfully, how to overcome the obstacles to linking including fighting racism and logistical hurdles. This conference was organised by OXFAM and other non-government organisations (NGOs). At the end of that conference it was agreed to form UKOWLA in order to have a national advisory body. It was confirmed at the second conference in 1983. Members of UKOWLA included Oxfam, European charities and Local Government Associations.

Similar projects and interest in linking in European countries including Germany and the Netherlands also rose in popularity in 1980s with a focus in local councils. UNESCO organised a European conference with local councils and national governments in Florence in 1984. This was followed in 1985 by the first NGO led joint conference for local councils in Cologne. It was here that Towns and Development was founded in 1985. This was supported by the Local Government International Bureau, which assisted UK local authorities over twinning and linking in Europe and worldwide c 1990-. Towns and Development ceased to exist in 2000.

The collection includes UKOWLA records like reports, conference proceedings and the newsletter "One World Linking" and photographs of conferences. It is also includes Towns and Development records including reports, newsletters, leaflets (1985-2000) and photographs of conferences. Along with organisational records the collection has publications, leaflets and papers related to "linking" and related research (1982-2019).

The collection was owned by Jane Knight who was a participant and organiser of UKOWLA and Towns and Development until she generously deposited the collection with Queen Mary University of London Archives in 2021. To get a box list of this collection or to make an appointment to view it email us at archives@qmul.ac.uk and you will find a collection level description on our catalogue here.
WASHINGTON, March 7 (Xinhua) -- One teenager died and two others remain in critical condition after a shooting outside a high school in Des Moines, the capital city of midwestern U.S. state of Iowa, authorities said on Monday.

The victim who died was a 15-year-old boy and the two injured were females, aged 16 and 18, emergency officials told reporters.

Police said they started receiving calls around 2:48 p.m. CT (2048 GMT) on Monday and have detained possible suspects. The gunfire reportedly came from a passing vehicle.

Des Moines police tweeted earlier that there were "multiple shooting victims" outside East High School, located about 1.5 miles (about 2.4 km) northeast of the city's downtown.

Officials have not released the victims' identities, nor have authorities confirmed whether they were students.

The school was temporarily on lockdown, but has been given the all-clear, Des Moines Public Schools said in a statement on Monday afternoon.

"Police are actively investigating," the statement read. "Students are dismissing on time."

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Kansas City Field Division, which covers states including Iowa, tweeted that special agents from its Des Moines field office are assisting police with the investigation.

"This is a dark day for the city of Des Moines," police chief Dana Wingert said Monday evening. "Another tragic loss of life. Everyone of them is tragic, everyone of them is pointless."

As of Monday, more than 9,100 people in the United States have died or been injured due to gun violence this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

The incident at the Des Moines high school was the 24th school shooting in 2022 in the United States, a nonprofit search group tweeted Monday evening. 
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 03/07/2022



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GINO and JASMINE

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KIM and USMAN

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RELATED LINK: '90 DAY FIANCE: BEFORE THE 90 DAYS' COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS SPLIT? WHERE ARE THEY NOW? (PHOTOS)

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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

: Before the 90 Days featured Kim Menzies dumping Usman "SojaBoy" Umar after discovering he had lied to her, Mike Berk fighting to save his relationship with Ximena Morales, Mahogany questioning Ben's past and character, Hamza Moknii officially proposing marriage to Memphis Smith, and Gino Palazzolo planning to propose marriage to Jasmine Pineda during the fifth-season episode Sunday night on TLC.: Before the 90 Days' new season stars Usman, a 32-year-old from Sokoto, Nigeria, and Kim, a 50-year-old from San Diego, CA; Gino, a 51-year-old from Canton, MI, and Jasmine, a 34-year-old from Panama City, Panama; and Memphis, a 34-year-old from Muskegon, MI, and Hamza, a 28-year-old from Kairouan, Tunisia.The series also stars Mike, a 34-year-old from Thiells, NY, and Ximena, a 24-year-old from Pereira, Colombia; Ella, a 29-year-old from Idaho Falls, ID, and Johnny, a 34-year-old from Jinan, China; Ben, a 52-year-old from Fraser, MI, and Mahogany, a 24-year-old from San Bartolo, Peru; and Caleb, a 28-year-old from Chandler, AZ, and Alina, a 27-year-old from Saint Petersburg, Russia.Usman was previously married to Lisa Hamme , 54, whom he had met on Facebook two years before filming : Before the 90 Days' fourth season.Lisa struggled to trust Usman during their relationship and they split in May 2020. Usman later served Lisa with divorce papers in December 2020 and Lisa has since remarried with a childhood friend.: Before the 90 Days follows long-distance relationships and documents how each couple found each other as well as their first in-person meeting in a foreign country "and the countless surprises, drama and culture clashes along the way."In most : Before the 90 Days cases, lovebirds are hoping to get engaged and begin the K-1 Visa process.After traveling across the world, the couples will determine if love can conquer all as they experience challenges such as language barriers, interfering families, cultural differences, age gaps, ex partners, and "shady pasts," according to TLC.Below is what happened on the twelfth episode of : Before the 90 Days' fifth season:Gino was preparing to meet Jasmine's mother Cecilia and sister Liz, and he was extremely nervous. Gino knew he needed Cecilia's blessing to propose marriage to her daughter, but he was uncomfortable about the things he was and wasn't allowed to bring up -- and he also hated the idea of having to take his hat off, which he wasn't really willing to do.When Cecilia finally met Gino, he gave her the chocolates and card, but she immediately noticed the large age gap between Jasmine and her boyfriend. Cecilia admitted she's overprotective of her children, and so she was definitely after some answers.For instance, Gino had to explain why he didn't have any children at his age, and Gino replied, "It just didn't happen for me," and then Jasmine joked how Gino was about 18 years old when she was born. Gino, however, noted how couples come in all ages these days.Jasmine assured Cecilia that Gino loved her and treated her well, but Cecilia was only a year or two older than Gino, which made for the gathering pretty awkward and "tense," according to Gino.Gino refused to take his hat off at the dinner table, even when Cecilia was about to say a prayer, and so Cecilia seemed disappointed and displeased. Cecilia, however, told Gino that he could keep his hat on if it made him happy."My future depends on Jasmine's mom approval, so I cannot leave here tonight without her mom's blessing," Gino noted.After a nice meal, Cecilia brought out her family photo album, and then Gino announced how he loved Jasmine and wanted Cecilia's blessing before proposing marriage.Cecilia asked Jasmine if she really wanted to move to a different country, and Jasmine said "yes" because Gino was a committed man who wanted something serious with her."Well, if that's your decision, Jasmine," Cecilia said, although she was worried about her first-born daughter traveling to a foreign country and being in a strange new world by herself.Cecilia didn't want to see her daughter hurt and/or alone, but she could see the happiness all over Jasmine's face when she talked about her future with Gino. Cecilia called Jasmine her "treasure" and asked Gino to take care of her daughter, and so she said, "Okay."Jasmine was so relieved her mother approved of Gino, but she thought it might be a little soon for Gino to pop the question since they had just survived a blowout fight over Gino's inappropriate communication with an ex-girlfriend.After a huge weight had been lifted off Gino's shoulders, he felt a lot of excitement and energy, and Jasmine tried to teach him how to dance."Gino is the worst dancer -- ever," Jasmine admitted. "It's not working, but the good thing is, it makes me feel very happy."The couple then showered together, and Gino said their bond was getting stronger. Gino recognized no one's relationship is perfect, and he began planning the perfect marriage proposal.Gino's brother thought Gino was rushing into marriage, but he thought Jasmine was worth the risk of getting hurt.Usman told Kim that when they started getting to know each other, he actually began dating a woman named Zara, who ended up becoming the subject of his upcoming hit song for which he had just filmed a music video.Kim asked why Usman wanted to ruin her day, but he said he just needed to be honest."I tell you everything! How dare you keep a secret from me! And I've been loyal to you this whole f-cking time?! Are you f-cking kidding me?!... You're making me feel like a f-cking fool," Kim complained.Usman previously told Kim that Zara was essentially just a name he had picked out of a hat to represent all of the women across the world, and so Kim was absolutely shocked the pair had dated. To make matters worse, Usman said Zara had broken up with him only four months prior."We've been talking for a year!" Kim pointed out. "That's crazy as hell, because I thought I was the one who was repairing his heart and rebuilding his trust... I feel stupid I even came down here."Kim was furious and stormed off from Usman, especially since they had spent so much time texting, talking and videochatting. Had she known about Zara, Kim said she would have dumped Usman."I was cheated on and I would never do that to somebody else," Kim explained. "I'm worried now that he might do the same thing to me that he did to Zara, and I will not allow myself to be cheated on."Kim told Usman to "get the f-ck out of here" with his lies and suggested they should maybe go their separate ways. She couldn't believe she had watched him film a music video inspired by another woman he had dated simultaneously when they were getting to know each other.Kim determined her relationship was based on a lie, and she said she had no idea what could fix their romance.Kim later texted Usman that she wanted to end their romance and not see him again. She asked for his laptop back, but Usman said he had always tried to make her happy. He claimed he deserved more respect from her, but Kim appeared over Usman and done with him."It's too much stress. I'm going to go back home to my regular life," Kim told Usman as she packed up her hotel suite.Usman insisted he had broken up with Zara before he began dating Kim and they just started out as friends. Usman waited until their in-person meeting to become an official couple, but Kim was frustrated he didn't understand that she was upset about the lie itself, not the fact he had dated Zara.Usman questioned whether he should fix things with Kim because he didn't want to repeat the same mistakes, seemingly referring to his failed relationship with Lisa. Usman therefore gave Kim space instead of trying to win her back."I don't understand how he tells me he loves me. I feel like everything is a lie now," Kim cried in a confessional.Ben had been in Peru for several days and was losing trust in Mahogany since she had not been transparent with him.Ben confirmed to his friend Jason that Mahogany was real and sweet as ever, but he expressed his concerns about Mahogany's expensive condo -- that was clearly not her house and seemed to be a rental -- and the fact she had lied about being 22 years old.Jason advised Mahogany to look for a pattern of deceit, but Ben wasn't willing to give up on his love yet."There are things that don't add up, and so I'm trying to create some emotional distance right now. But that's really, really hard because my heart is in this," Ben shared, "and so I want to investigate this even further."Mahogany then asked Ben to meet her two best girlfriends, who both said Ben looked as old as their parents. She only had a couple of weeks to get to know Ben, and her parents were already suspicious of him.Mahogany's friends told Ben that Mahogany was someone they could trust and always count on, but they pointed out how Mahogany had called Ben her "friend" and not her "boyfriend." Ben therefore flat out asked Mahogany to give him a label, and she continued to call him a "friend" since he had never asked her to be exclusive and serious.Ben admitted he was surprised by this news because the pair had been planning on marriage and having children together. He felt very confused and didn't know what to say or do.Mahogany had texted Ben "I love you" before and said she'd love to have many children with him, and so he didn't understand what had changed.Ben wanted to give Mahogany the benefit of the doubt since she's young and their relationship was fairly new, so he asked her to join him for a trip so they could fall in love again and bond on a deeper level.But the three-plus hour car ride was awkward and quiet, and Mahogany said she didn't feel like she knew Ben at all. The pair only had small talk and they were not affectionate with each other at all.Ben said he studied the Bible and spoke Hebrew, and then Mahogany asked him questions about his faith and how Jesus lived. This reminded Ben of their core values and why they got together to begin with, but Mahogany wanted to sleep in separate bedrooms that night.Ben planned to keep the next day light and fun before diving into deep conversation.The next day in Huacachina, Peru, Ben and Mahogany hopped in a dune buggy ride through the dessert, and Ben planned to surprise her that evening with a nice dinner in the sand. Mah finally felt "connected" to Ben as he spoiled her with a beautiful meal and view.Mahogany asked Ben if he had a good relationship with his ex-wife, and Ben said a lot of therapy and counseling helped them along but she had yet to forgive him for ending their marriage.Ben confessed it hurt him when Mahogany had just called him a friend, and Mahogany apologized but pointed out how he had never asked her, officially, to be a couple. She was also a little concerned about Ben welcoming a 22-year-old into his life.Mahogany wanted Ben to admit to his mistakes and faults in the past, but Ben said he didn't have to defend his past since those days were behind him now."I can't imagine a pastor not taking responsibility for his mistakes," Mahogany said in a confessional. "It's very immature, very strange. I'm a little worried that Benjamin isn't the same person I thought he was."Ben didn't think Mahogany questioning his past was fair since he opted to ignore all of the holes in her story. He apparently didn't like how the conversation was going.Ximena had just admitted to Mike that she wasn't in love with him. She said, "I do love you, but I'm not in love with you -- because we haven't lived together for a long time and love is a very big word."Mike told Ximena she had always expressed love to him and how he's her "life," but Ximena just repeated how it takes a long time to fall in love with someone.Mike felt "devastated" and "confused" because Ximena had been so excited about marrying him during his last visit to Colombia. Ximena explained how she was just having doubts about things, and so Mike asked her to communicate with him.However, Ximena just wanted to go to bed and sleep, to which Mike replied, "Okay.""A couple of months ago, I was super in love with Mike. I was super happy," Ximena said in a confessional."But I don't know what happened now... I appreciate him but I don't feel good with him. There are things that make me uncomfortable and annoy me, and I can't lie to him."Ximena said she didn't want to hurt Mike but they had a lot to work through as a couple.Mike was very upset and disturbed going to bed, saying a relationship takes compromise and that Ximena wasn't perfect either. He didn't even want to be in her house that evening and had to sleep alone.The next day, Mike called his friend John for advice considering John wouldn't sugarcoat anything for him.Mike shared how Ximena desired space and he had been sleeping in a kid's bed, adding how Ximena wanted to postpone the wedding ceremony and said she didn't love him anymore."Man, I would be out of there!" John complained."You just spent countless amount of time and energy and money to make it happen during a pandemic. Who is benefiting from everything that you're doing? She is!... Her true colors are starting to come out. I don't think she's truly looking for a companion."Mike agreed that Ximena wanted him to change and do everything but she also needed to put in some effort, and John noted how Ximena probably realized after a few months he's not The One for who and so she was panicking and starting to see flaws in him.Mike remained "slightly hopeful" he and Ximena could work things out, but John asked Mike to get on a plane and return home as a single guy.Still, Mike wanted to figure out Ximena's concerns and hopefully address any issue she had.Ximena was bothered by Mike's "slobbish and piggish" tendencies, and she didn't seem happy with him at all.Ximena also planned to start working again after Mike had done everything to support her and her children through the coronavirus pandemic.Mike had been paying Ximena's rent and everything, and so his friend -- who speaks Spanish and translated for the pair -- advised him to stop paying for stuff. Mike learned that Ximena was essentially disgusted by him, didn't have love for him, and wasn't in the relationship for the right reasons.Mike appeared to decide that he needed to fly back to America right away, and so he told Ximena that he'd like to remain friends."Are you ending it with me?" Ximena asked, before the episode ended on a cliffhanger.Things had been off between Hamza and Memphis for a few days after Memphis shared how she had slept at her ex-husband's house for four days while she was dating Hamza. Due to their language barrier, Memphis decided they should have a conversation with a translator to improve their communication.The translator, Hamadi, explained to Memphis how Hamza was uncomfortable with the idea of her spending so much time with her ex and he didn't understand her culture. Hamza also expressed fear Memphis would do this again, even if they got married.Memphis insisted that would never happen again but she needed to maintain a relationship with her children's father. As Memphis got louder in the conversation, Hamza said he didn't like how she got so angry and yelled at him -- and Memphis acknowledged she would work on that.Memphis wanted Hamza to know how much she had been doing and sacrificing for their relationship, including going against some family and friends because she loved him. Memphis said she really wanted to marry Hamza, who then gave his fiancee a kiss."You are a part of me," Hamza noted.Memphis and Hamza were both happy with the conversation, but she hoped they could communicate better in the future since they wouldn't always have a translator to help them out.Hamza then took Memphis to Zriba Olia, a historical place. It's a beautiful city surrounded by mountains, and Hamza wanted to show Memphis how people used to live there in the past. The couple explored the city filled with chickens and stray dogs, and then Hamza suddenly left her alone.Once Hamza returned, he was dressed in white and surprised Memphis. Hamza apologized for being sad before, and then he got down on one knee and presented her with a ring."Baby, you are my happiness. Do you want to marry me?" Hamza asked.Memphis giggled and answered, "Do I?... Do you trust me? Do you trust me with everything?""Yes," Hamza replied. "Yes.""Okay," Memphis said. "I will marry you."Although the couple had gotten engaged online, he wanted to propose to her in person and show that he was serious about their relationship and his doubts had been resolved.Hamza gushed about Memphis' "great soul" and "strong personality," and he added, "That's why I love her."Memphis wasn't expecting this at all, so she was smiling ear to ear and noted how she's very excited and happy.Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage!
Kacey Musgraves will be honored at the 2022 GLAAD Media Awards in April.

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GLAAD said in a press release Tuesday that Musgraves, 33, will receive the Vanguard Award at the awards show April 2 in Los Angeles.

The Vanguard Award is presented to allies who have made a significant difference in promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people. Previous recipients include Beyonce and Jay Z, Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears.

Musgraves has vocally supported the LGBTQ community and advanced conversations about LGBTQ acceptance in country music. She recently joined GLAAD and Equality Texas to raise awareness about anti-LGBTQ bills proposed in the Texas state legislature.

"From speaking out about anti-LGBTQ legislation in her home state of Texas, to raising awareness about bullying affecting LGBTQ youth, to uplifting the work of LGBTQ artists, Kacey continues to raise the bar for what it means to be an authentic ally and to inspire her fans to do the same," GLAAD president Sarah Kate Ellis said.

RuPaul 's Drag Race alums and We're Here stars Bob the Drag Queen, Eureka O'Hara and D.J. "Shangela" Pierce will host the GLAAD Media Awards. Special guests will include JoJo Siwa , Jeopardy! champion Amy Schneider and Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Meredith Marks.

In addition, Andrew Garfield will present the Stephen F. Kolzak Award to Pose star Michaela Jae Rodriguez.

Marvel's Eternals, The Mitchells vs. the Machines and West Side Story are among this year's nominees.
Regina Hall discussed how she is preparing to co-host the Oscars while appearing on Good Morning America on Tuesday.

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Hall is set to co-host the Oscars on March 27 from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles alongside Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes

"It's a lot of writing, talking, brainstorming like getting to know each other. Feeling each other's comedic vibes," Hall told the GMA crew.

Hall joked about how the trio have been drinking together and mentioned how she was looking forward to meeting Andrew Garfield as she is a fan of his work.

The actress was also asked if the three hosts will each host an hour of the event.

"That's not it. I think it will be a little bit of everything. Sometimes three, sometimes two, maybe one," she said about how many hosts will be featured at the same time.

Hall then said that she plans on talking to former host Whoopi Goldberg about the experience.

Hall stars in new horror film Master, which is coming to Amazon Prime Video on March 18.
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People gathered in Harmony Parking lot in Brattleboro on Friday, April 22nd for a street festival and parade in celebration of Earth Day. According to Nancy Braus of 350 Brattleboro, the goal was to celebrate the ways in which the community is working towards climate justice and to empower 
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SOUTHBURY  Despite the pandemic and its effect on the supply chain and inflation, new companies continue to flow into Southbury, with three new businesses set to open later this month.

Two of the new business owners agree two factors led them to open in Southbury  location and people.

Southbury has a great location off of a major highway (I-84) and it has become a destination spot for people, said Roy Khalil, who is opening Hudsons Cafe & Bistro at 466 Heritage Road in Heritage Village. He owns the popular Southbury Seafood Market. It is one of the many reasons businesses come here. My business gets a lot of customers from Oxford, Milford, Rox b ury, from all over.

Hudsons Cafe & Bistro is expected to open in two or three weeks. Meanwhile, KRU juice bar on 385 Main St. South (Union Square) is targeted to open March 28.

Southbury gets a retail boost with national womens apparel store Athleta coming to town on 775 Main St. South (Southbury Green). The grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. March 22.

What to expect at the new eateries

Khalil said Hudsons Cafe & Bistro will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner offering high end stuff that includes cappuccino lattes, pastries, fresh ground coffee, salads, fresh bread and baked goods.

Southbury is my town, I love it and my son goes to school here, Khalil said. His new business is named after his 3-year-old son Hudson. People are nice here and I have found that even more to be true with my Southbury Seafood Market business.

Khalil said the biggest drawback to opening a new business these days is getting the necessary amount of employees to run it, and he is still in the hiring process.

We need to hire more people to open, especially kitchen help, Khalil said. Anyone interested in applying can go to the restaurants Facebook page and message Khalil at https://www.facebook.com/Hudsonscafebistro.

Natoya Smith, who owns KRU Juice Bar with Marlon Taylor, said the target date for opening is in late March due to ongoing renovations.

Marlon and I did some research, we looked around and we didnt find any juice bars in Southbury. Southbury needs a juice bar, Smith said. There are so many reasons to open a business here. We love the Southbury environment. We like the people there, they are so friendly. Southbury is a progressive town, it has a great location and the community supports its local businesses. All these things are a plus.

Why businesses are moving to town

Despite national and global events and their effects on the economy, Southbury Economic Development Director Kevin Bielmeier said the town shows no sign of slowing down with new businesses opening steadily, from restaurant to retail.

We are excited to have Athleta opening soon in Southbury Green, Bielmeier said. Owned by GAP, this womens clothing brand reflects the active lifestyle of our community. When the weather is nice, the sidewalks that line downtown Main Street are filled with walkers.

Retailers count on this foot traffic, he added. The award-winning streetscape is one of the draws of the town.

These active residents helped attract the juice bar to Union Square plaza, he said.

Bielmeier echoed the sentiment of the business owners when it comes to the attraction of being in Southbury.

These businesses are coming in because of the community, Bielmeier said. The residents support local shops and restaurants.

The pandemic brought a boom to the residential market, he said. Heritage Village, which typically has 4050 units available on the market, today has two.

The commercial market follows the residential, he said. One feeds the other. Another factor is Southbury has four exits off I-84.

Southbury First Selectman Jeffrey Manville believes financial stability and the towns quality of life have been an attraction for new businesses.

I am not surprised that new businesses keep coming to Southbury, Manville said. Southbury continues to demonstrate financial stability that attracts businesses and people here. The quality of life in Southbury remains high and is recognized for this. It is exciting that nationally-renowned chains (Athleta ) are choosing Southbury. I think that this shows Southburys commercial strength.

Bielmeier said business growth will continue in Southbury.

There are more businesses coming to Southbury, while others are still in negotiation, Bielmeier said. Its important to have prospects in the pipeline.
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Authorities in the Turkish city of Istanbul closed the Hira Uyghur Elementary School abruptly last month, turning away more than 300 students. School officials said the closure of the school, opened in 2015 by Uyghurs from the Xinjiang region of China, came after China had filed complaints. The move has raised concern that Turkey, host to a Uyghur diaspora estimated at some 50,000 people, might cave under pressure from Beijing and become less hospital to Turkic Muslims who have fled persecution in China.
Authorities in China have painted over a mural and deleted accounts and memes supporting the woman found chained by the neck in the eastern province of Jiangsu, as internet users used her image to mark International Women's Day.



A mural painted on the outside of a building in Benxi city, in the northeastern province of Liaoning, featuring an image of the woman from Jiangsu's Feng county known as Yang Qingxia, alongside the word "freedom."



An investigation by Jiangsu provincial authorities said Yang was a missing woman known by the nickname Xiaohuamei who was trafficked out of the southwestern province of Yunnan in 1997 and sold twice by human traffickers in Feng county. Nine people have been arrested for crimes linked to her trafficking, including her "husband," who was identified by his surname, Dong.



Harrowing video footage of Yang, who is believed to have given birth to eight of Dong's children, chained by the neck in an outbuilding went viral in China last month, prompting widespread public anger over the rampant trafficking of women and girls, aided and abetted by local ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials.



The artists who made the mural, known by their online nicknames @Jorsin- and @revos_one, had their accounts muted, with no content visible on .



Internet users on reposted photos and text about the "Feng county mother of eight," to call attention to the lack of respect for women's rights in contemporary China.



"The case of the chained woman hasn't been resolved openly and transparently, despite all of the comments it received online," Wang Qingpeng posted on overseas social media. "In an online call for International Women's Day, please comment and leave a message below this tweet."



Internet user jason hu@jason27873170 wrote: ", we're not celebrating International Women's Day, because we don't even know if the woman in chains is dead or alive, and women and children continue to be abducted."



"The law has been unable to eradicate this dark cancer in our society, which is very deep-rooted," the user wrote. "The irony is that ... International Women's Day was initiated under socialism ... and yet the end result of several decades of socialism is that women are being chained up."



Yan Geling, lead producer and writer of Hu Xueyang's new film, "SOS (Save our Sisters)," calls the woman in chains an extreme embodiment of the demand for women's rights in China. Credit: RFA Disappearances reported

The user added that "a large number" of people who spoke out about the Feng county scandal had been called in to "drink tea" with the state security police, or just disappeared.



Beijing-based rights activist Ni Yulan said she still worries about Yang.



"I'm concerned about her too," she said. "I saw someone with a chain around their neck and a lock, engaging in performance art [posting it online]."



"I have also seen a lot of paintings, all kinds of them, and I have also forwarded them."



Ni said Yang had lost most of her life to the trafficking gangs and her abusive husband and his family.



"She was unable to live a normal life for 26 years," she said. "She was abducted when she was still so young, and has gone through so much suffering."



"We didn't even have the opportunity to hear her speak," Ni said.



Hubei rights activist Wu Lijuan said many online activists had switched their usual avatar for one depicting the chained woman.



"We need to learn the truth about what happened, if we are to protect everyone," Wu told RFA. "Without that ... there will be no safety or security for any Chinese woman."



Independent journalist Gao Yu added: "Even the Winter Olympics and Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine haven't detracted from the attention of the Chinese public and the rest of the world on the case of the chained woman."



"It's not going to be fixed by the ministry of public security simply announcing a special campaign against the trafficking of women and children," she told RFA, calling on China's rubber-stamp parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC), to take concrete action.



'SOS (Save our Sisters)'

Meanwhile, Chinese film director Hu Xueyang screened a new film on to mark International Women's Day in Paris, supported by Chinese-American writer Yang Geling, her husband Lawrence Walker and Germany-based artist and writer Yoyo.



The film tells the story of a woman who escaped from North Korea and lived in hiding in northeastern China. But instead of being rescued by South Koreans as they had hoped, they wound up in the hands of a trafficking gang.



Forced to become a sex worker in a hair salon, the heroine meets a man who falls in love with her and wants to rescue her. Despite warnings, he goes under cover to discover a number of shady stories at the crossover between the trafficking and organ-smuggling gangs and the corrupt local police officers who collude with them.



The film ends as a North Korean agent posing as a South Korean missionary escorts the heroine back to North Korea, as she sings a North Korean folk song, "The Ballad of Kikyo," moving the agent to the extent that he takes off her handcuffs.



Poet Yang Lian read out a poem written for the Jiangsu chained woman at the film's premiere.



"Please delete the word mother in Chinese," the poem reads. "Because mother has been chained, dragged ... raped, injured, soiled, ruined, hollowed out, trampled, left cold and hungry, bullied, mutilated, consumed, destroyed and discarded."



Hu arranged the screening as a form of protest at the treatment of Yang Qingxia, according to the event invitation.



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Dong Ru, like the woman recently found chained up in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu, was trafficked from a poverty-stricken rural areas in the southwestern province of Yunnan during the 1980s and sold to a man in marriage for 2,000 yuan. After divorcing her abusive husband with the encouragement of her son, Dong (a nickname used to protect her safety) now works in a factory, but she still lives with the aftereffects of the trafficking and domestic abuse, which she told RFA's Mandarin Service remains an entrenched way of life in rural China:



Dong Ru: I'm from Dali, Yunnan province. I was born in the 1960s. At that time, there was no TV, and I didn't know what the outside world looked like. Once I got into a fight with my brother; I got angry and said I was going to run far away. I was only 17 years old. An older woman next door said she knew someone from Anhui, and she wanted to introduce me. I was young at the time and didn't know anything about the world. I was angry, so I said sure, the farther away, the better.



RFA: How did these people start looking for wives in your village?



Dong Ru: It was my through my ex-husband's brother, who brought a wife back from our village, and the whole family abused her. After she became mentally ill, my he sent her back ... then her family took her to try to get some treatment. But after her medical problems were cured, she was still very depressed, and she jumped into a river, committing suicide. Then my husband's brother found another, older woman in our village, who had five children. When my husband wanted to get married he went to his brother, and others introduced him to me.



RFA: How much did they pay your family to take you away?



Dong Ru: I had initially told the matchmaker that I would go, but then I changed my mind, because I couldn't leave my parents and my hometown. So they got a gang of people to come to my house to "discuss things." I got angry and told the matchmaker she had promised me 2,000 yuan, and she handed it over. I had to go then, because my brother was short of money. I didn't see my husband till I got to Anhui, and I was repelled and didn't like him when I met him.



People from Yunnan who marry in Anhui are considered inferior, that is, they are like second-class citizens. If you go to the police station [because you are beaten], they will beat you even hard when you get back. Especially men like my ex-husband and his brother. They are clever, and have a good relationship with village officials. So it wouldn't have been dealt with even if I had reported it. They won't help you if you are an outsider.



When I got there, his sister would follow me around everywhere, even when I went to the toilet, watching me 24 hours a day. He hadn't started hitting me yet; just deprived me of my freedom. After I gave birth to my son, he started beating me and demanding I give him back the 2,000 yuan ... or I could forget about living a normal life. There were no phones back then, and he wouldn't let me leave. He just kept hitting me, whenever he felt like it. One freezing day it was seven or eight below zero and snowing, he took my quilt away. He told me I should write to my mother and ask for money.



Everything they told my family before I left was a lie. He said he was four years older than me but I later found out he was 20 years older. He also swore an oath not to beat me, then he beat me half to death.



RFA: It sounds as if trafficking followed by domestic violence was very common for the women around you?



Dong Ru: In 99 out of 100 cases. One of my relatives from Yunnan bought a wife, a student from Sichuan and tricked her into taking a summer job. He paid 4,000 yuan for her, in the year I gave birth to my youngest son. When I went to see her she took off her clothing to show me how broad her husband's belt was, and the breadth of the scars all over her body.



She also had mosquito bites all over her body. She looked so pitiful that I secretly sent her a bottle of mosquito repelling toilet water, but the family wouldn't let me go near her after that. [Later], someone saw how badly beaten she was, and called the police, and they came and took her away.



There was a man surnamed Feng [in my village in Yunnan] whose family bought him a wife and kept her chained to the bed for three years. There was also a woman from Sichuan or Yunnan in her 20s, the man was in his 50s. She was reluctant when she got there, so the man stripped her naked and beat her half to death, hanging from this big tree in the village. She didn't even have underwear on. It was so cruel. She eventually escaped. If she hadn't, she'd have died for sure.



RFA: Were there many others like you who were trafficked from your village?



Dong Ru: There was a woman in our village whose eldest son bought a wife from Sichuan. He abused her, and the girl wanted to run away, but she ... couldnt remember the way, so she ran into the cornfields instead. It was a huge field, and she still hadn't come out by nightfall. The next day, they found her and brought her back, where branded her all over her body with a red hot cooking scoop that had been left to heat up in the stove. The fabric from her summer clothes was stuck in her flesh. She couldn't sleep for the pain. Her second son bought a wife, but she was pretty feisty and she ran away.



There was a girl ... born in the same year as me; we grew up together. Her brother sold her to [a man in] Anhui for 2,000 yuan. The man had bronchitis and was infertile, and she was expected to do everything for him, and when she couldn't she was beaten. Once when I went to see her, her mother-in-law was abusing her and she was so frightened I saw urine running down her trousers into her shoes. Then they gave her some kind of medication and she couldn't even speak after that.



RFA: What did your husband do to you?



Dong Ru: I might get a few slaps in the face, or he would take a stick to me, or the sole of his shoe. He beat me half to death. Once his father beat me, at eight o'clock in the morning, after he suddenly pointed at me and scolded me about something. I said I didn't hear what he said, so he started to beat me. He started by slapping my face. He got tired of doing that, so then he grabbed my hair and stomped on my feet. After that beating, I couldnt get up for a week. The old lady of the house went to ask him why he beat me, and he didn't even have a reason. He just said I was in the wrong. The old lady said I could have died, and he replied that I didn't die. He said if they bought [a wife or daughter-in-law] and they died, well, too bad.



RFA: What was the worst thing?



Dong Ru: The thing that saddens me the most was the sterilization. His younger brother ... knocked on the door of the house one day and called my husband out, and I figured nothing good could be going on. I heard him talk about having my tubes tied. Later, I was beaten to the point of being unable to move, and then tied up for this sterilization operation. My husband and his brother went to the family planning person and told them to tie my tubes so I couldn't have another baby. After the surgery, I was walking around bent double; that surgery was awful. I couldn't straighten up for several weeks. I was 26 years old.



RFA: Did you see the news about the woman chained up in Jiangsu?



Dong Ru: I did ... it reminded me of my past. I didn't even want to watch it. I thought I would faint; it reminded me of stuff that happened to me. It's hard to talk about. Sometimes I fall asleep and these scenes play through my mind in a daze, and I can't sleep the whole night. I hated him so much. But my son taught me not to hate. He said they don't know about it but it affects your mental health. My two sons and my daughter-in-law are such good people: I'm so lucky. I look at photos and videos of [my grandson] first thing in the morning, before I go to bed, at lunchtime, several times a day.



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
South Koreas election comes with a twist: the ability of voters to actually choose their leader.

South Koreas presidential race, which culminates in a national vote this Wednesday, is giving many North Koreans living in China a first look at an election in which citizens actually get to decide the outcome, sources in China told RFA.

North Korea does have elections for various government positions, but only one pre-approved candidate is on the ballot. Coverage of the South Korean presidential campaign is almost completely nonexistent in isolated North Korea. But news of the race can be easily found on the internet in China, where tens of thousands of North Koreans live and work.

The fact that Wednesday will be South Koreas 20th presidential election is not lost on the North Koreans who are able to tune in, as their homeland has only had the three hereditary rulers of the Kim Dynasty since both Koreas were founded in 1948.

Sources told RFA that North Koreans in China are glued to coverage of the South Korean presidential campaign, intrigued that candidates are able to freely criticize each other, the sitting president and past presidents as they vie to convince their countrymen that they would be the best choice to lead the country. The South democratized rapidly after emerging from military rule in the late 1980s.

Yesterday, I had a meal with a friend in Dandong who is a North Korean trade official. When I brought up the topic of the 20th presidential election in South Korea, I was surprised that he said he was watching the campaign on the internet in his spare time, a Chinese citizen of Korean descent from Dandong, across the Yalu River from North Korea, told RFAs Korean Service March 3.

My friend said it was surprising to see so many presidential candidates in South Korea, said the source, who requested anonymity for security reasons.

There are 14 registered candidates in South Koreas presidential election this year, but only two  Lee Jae-myeong of the ruling Democratic Party and Yoon Suk-yeol of the main opposition People Power Party  have a realistic chance of winning.

The trade official told his friend that he was flabbergasted that each presidential candidate can give speeches in public to argue their cause.

My friend confessed his honest feelings to me, saying this kind of thing would be totally unimaginable in North Korea, said the Dandong resident.

He said he is really taken aback by the fact that nobody tries to stop the presidential candidates who claim that the country is in need of serious changes or political reforms. He criticized how North Koreas political system is a hereditary dictatorship, saying that the election of North Koreas supreme leader should be done as it is in South Korea, said the Dandong resident.

North Koreans in China also have more free time these days to pay attention to the South Korean presidential race. Trade between North Korea and China has not fully resumed after a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus. Many traders from North Korea have been able to tune into to news of the campaign in the morning, a source in Jilin Province, east of Dandongs surrounding Liaoning province, told RFA.

I heard from a North Korean counterpart that the internet news they watch every morning is all about the 20th presidential election in South Korea, said the second source, who requested anonymity to speak freely.

Today I invited a North Korean trading partner to my house for a drink. He immediately started talking about the election. I was surprised when he said that North Korea will only become a prosperous country if they can escape their current political system, in which only the Mount Baekdu hereditary bloodline retains power, he said.

The so-called Baekdu line refers to all descendants of national founder Kim Il Sung. The name refers to the mountain on the Sino-Korean border that is sacred in Korean culture as the birthplace of the mythical figure Dangun, the first Korean according to legend.

The Kim family is tied to the mountain through modern day myths that Kim Jong Il, the father and predecessor of current leader Kim Jong Un, was also born there, in a secret military camp, during the time that his father Kim Il Sung was fighting guerilla campaigns against the occupying Japanese.

Though stories of the Kim familys divinity may only be myths, it has maintained tight control over the country for three generations.

Among the North Koreans I am close to, it is unimaginable for them to think that they can elect the leader by a democratic voting process, a third source, from Donggang, a city near Dandong, told RFA.

In the parliamentary election of the Supreme Peoples Assembly, where all matters of the country are discussed and decided, only candidates who have good songbun and who will be blindly loyal to the authorities are pre-selected, the third source said, referring to official loyalty records that the North Korean government keeps on every citizen and their families.

The residents are told to vote for the pre-determined candidate unconditionally. Some criticize that they are voting for scarecrows who cannot voice any concerns or competing ideas.

Translated by Claire Lee and Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
Lao women, whose faces have been blurred to protect their identity, work as 'bar girls' in the Golden Triangle SEZ in northern Laos' Bokeo province, February 2022.

On International Womens Day, members of the official Lao Womens Union say that women in the Southeast Asian country still lack equality and suffer significant exploitation, violence and human trafficking  especially those who are recruited to work in a Chinese-run special economic zone.

Poverty has driven many to seek purportedly well-paying jobs in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone in northern Laos Bokeo Province. Dominated by the Chinese-owned Kings Romans Casino, the SEZ is notorious for illegal drug activity and human and wildlife trafficking.

Businesses operating in the SEZ recruit Lao women to work as barmaids or chat girls who text casino customers over web applications like Line, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, promising them healthy rates of return if they invest in the company. They often have ambitious sales quotas that are difficult if not impossible to meet while they pile up debts for food and housing.

Many of our women and girls are exploited, abused and victimized by human trafficking, said a member of the Lao Womens Union of Nomo district in neighboring Oudomxay province. Theyre from poor families, uneducated, unaware of the risk, and sold.

When the women cannot pay their debt, they are forced into prostitution and held against their will by their employers, who know that local authorities cannot easily enter the Chinese-run zone, which operates largely beyond the reach of the Lao government. The employers also have used the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to hold the women, even though they tested negative for the virus or had been vaccinated.

During the last two years, or during the COVID-19 pandemic, many Laotians have lost their jobs, and in the last five months, hundreds of them, especially women, have been attracted by online ads about well-paying jobs with free food and free accommodations at the Golden Triangle SEZ and decided to take the jobs, said a member of the central government-level Lao Womens Federation.

In reality, its the opposite, and many of the women are forced to sell sex, she said. So far, at least 19 women have been rescued from the SEZ.

Members of a special provincial task force were able to rescue the women earlier this year only after they formally requested authorities help and could prove their identities.

But hundreds of others remained trapped by their employers in the SEZ and are still trying to get out, though they have request help from Lao authorities, according to women who got out.

Wanted! Good-looking girls

A 22-year-old from Luang Prabang province who is among the women trapped in the SEZ told RFA that she and her younger sister responded in November 2021 to an online ad that said, Wanted! good-looking girls and women, 18-35 years old, able to speak Chinese, Lao, Thai and English, can earn up to 5,000 yuan (U.S. $767) a month.

They initially were hired that month as online chat girls at the SEZ, but when they could not perform their job duties, they were sold two weeks later to a brothel, she said.

Besides us, many other Lao women have also been lied to, said the women who declined to provide her name for safety reasons. All of us have been requesting help or to be rescued from the authorities for weeks since Feb. 9.

The woman said she contacted members of Bokeo provinces special task force on Facebook multiple times, leaving her phone number and messages asking them to call.

They never did, she said. Now, were still waiting.

Since I first contacted the authorities, more than 30 other women in the Golden Triangle SEZ have come up to me and asked me how to get help, said the women. I gave them the contact numbers. So far, none of us have been helped. Weve lost all hope for the rescue from the authorities

The woman also said that she and her sister have no money to buy food. She called her mother to tell her that the authorities had not responded to her request for help, but her mother didnt know what to do.

Both of us cried, the woman said. She just told me to be patient and just listen to the employer. How can I listen to my employer? Hes forcing us to do this [work as prostitutes].

If we refuse to serve customers, well be scolded, she said. We dont deserve to do this kind of job. Were forced to do it every day and every night, even when we have menstrual periods or are sick.

'Just work to pay back debt'

A 26-year old from Xayaburi province who has been trapped in the SEZ for more than three months along with her 23-year-old sister said she contacted the authorities countless times because they wanted to leave and return to their home.

We cant stay here any longer because the longer we stay, the more debt we owe, she said. We cant do anything or go anywhere. For example, if we go out to buy food, well be fined. If we stay, we wont make any money. Well just work to pay back debt.

When the woman, who owes her employer 16,400 yuan (U.S. $2,516), asked where the debt came from, she was told that it stemmed from COVID-19 tests and blood tests.

Her sister told RFA that she has been confined to her room several times after she went out to buy food.

The employer said that I was trying to escape, she said.

When RFA contacted Bokeo provinces special task force in late February about women still trapped inside the SEZ who wanted to leave, an official said to give him their phone numbers. He also said to provide the women with his phone number so they could call for help.

When RFA called the police department in Bokeos Tonpheung district, where the SEZ is located, an officer said to give the trapped women the departments phone number and that officers would instruct them as to what to do.

Our district has a specific task force whose job is to help those women, said a member of the Lao Womens Union of Tonpheung district.

Im going to call the team right now and ask them to call the women.

Reported by RFAs Lao Service. Translated by Max Avary. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Capt. Zay Thu Aung said he left because he could no longer tolerate the culture in the service.

Capt. Zay Thu Aung is an air force pilot who recently defected from a base in Myanmars capital Naypyidaw and joined the anti-junta Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) after relocating to an area controlled by one of the countrys armed ethnic groups. Speaking to RFAs Myanmar Service in an exclusive interview, he alleged that Myanmars air force is rife with corruption, with officers at every level selling black market fuel to earn extra income. Zay Thu Aung also suggested that international sanctions targeting Moscow for invading Ukraine are likely to impact Myanmars junta, whose air force fleet is comprised of fighter jets that require regular maintenance by the Russians who built them.

RFA: Why did you defect from the Air Force?

Zay Thu Aung: There is widespread corruption in the air force. Many members of the air force are doing tasks that they are not professionally trained to do. There are unfair practices. Leaders from the air force only fight for power and promotion. The low-ranking officers die in disgrace and live in shame. Their relatives are ashamed to have a military officer in the family. I joined the CDM because I cant abide by the general conditions in the air force.

RFA: What is your opinion of the military coup?

Zay Thu Aung: It was planned all along. The evidence supporting [junta] allegations of voting fraud [by the deposed National League for Democracy (NLD)] is not concrete. They just wanted to use it to justify the planned military coup.

RFA: How does the Ukraine conflict impact the militarys use of Russian aircraft?

Zay Thu Aung: Myanmars military has purchased several aircraft from Russia. The MiG-35 fighter jet I flew requires being sent back to Russia for maintenance on a regular basis, whenever the engine has been used for 1,000 hours. Because of the armed conflict with Ukraine, it has become difficult to send them back. It is uncertain if the fighter jet can continue to be used after 1,000 hours of flight. If they are still using the jets, there is no guarantee for the safety of the pilots.

Brainwashed or trapped

RFA: What is your view of the military using air raids as part of their offensives [in remote border regions]?

Zay Thu Aung: I dont like it. I joined the CDM because I dont approve of the militarys actions. Many other officers are either brainwashed by propaganda or trapped by personal ties. The pilots consider those who taught them how to fly as their commanders. They idolize them as much as they do their parents. They cannot break out of those personal ties. They also must consider what might befall the family members they would leave behind. Officers have been trained with the ideology that the military is defending the country, and everything will fall apart once they step aside. These are the reasons that hold them back [from defecting].

RFA: How have military leaders persuaded Air Force officials that the coup was justified?

Zay Thu Aung: [Then-Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Air Force] Gen. Maung Maung Kyaw briefed us shortly after the coup. He said NLD officials ignored the advice of the military leaders and made decisions without consulting them. He also said that the NLD had taken a path that would destroy Buddhism. They persuaded us to support the military coup, based on these principles.

RFA: What can you say about the culture of misappropriating fuel in the Air Force?

Zay Thu Aung: All members of the air force rely on revenue from illegal sales of fuel. It has become standard in the air force ... to siphon fuel for illegal sale on the black market [and report longer flight hours]. The revenue from the sales is shared with every single member of the air forces to facilitate their living costs. They cant survive without this income. A pilot receives between 30,000 and 40,000 kyats (U.S. $17 and $23) on a weekly basis. The commander in chief of the air force is aware of the issue.

Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
As key members of the resistance, the women hope their sacrifices will break down barriers across society.

Female forces in Myanmar's fight: The Myaung Women Guerrilla Group (L), former actress Mya Hnin Yee Lwin (C), and the Dove KK Southern Shan/Kayah PDF medics team (L).

More than a year after Myanmars coup, women are joining the ranks of anti-junta paramilitary groups and assuming key posts within the opposition, a trend they say is crucial to ending military rule and rebuilding a more equitable country.

Since the military seized power from Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy on Feb. 1, 2021, life is worse in Myanmar by nearly every measure. The nations economy is in shambles, government services have ground to a halt, and rule of law is nearly nonexistent.

Security forces have arrested at least 9,500 people and killed 1,620  mostly during peaceful anti-junta protests, according to the Bangkok-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Dozens of those killed were women, according to the group, while rights organizations have decried the militarys use of sexual violence as a weapon against its opponents since the coup.

As the situation in Myanmar becomes increasingly desperate, women from all walks of life have assumed roles more typically associated with men in the effort to end military rule  whether by advancing the nationwide Civil Disobedience Movement, organizing street protests, or taking up arms as members of prodemocracy Peoples Defense Force (PDF) paramilitary groups.

Tin Tin Nyo, chairwoman of Burmese Womens Union, told RFAs Myanmar Service that women are more likely to sacrifice their families and even their lives to take part in the resistance movement because the stakes have never been higher. She said that women are needed in these roles if the opposition hopes to remove the junta from power and ensure that all stakeholders have a seat at the table when order is restored.

[Women] will not give up and will keep fighting to eliminate military rule  we need to acknowledge that as a nation, she said. Women are participating in the cause to build a better future for Myanmar. They need to participate in leadership roles. Their labor is crucial to advance our society, which is deteriorating in every area.

Women with the Dove KK Southern Shan/Kayah PDF medics team organize supplies in an undated photo. Credit: Citizen journalist RFA spoke with several female leaders in the resistance movement who said that they were driven to action out of a sense of duty to protect their nation from junta misrule. They said that they hope their contributions will help to break down barriers that limit the role of women in society.

Amaya joined the Myaung Women Guerrilla Group (MWGG) in Sagaing regions Myaung township and regularly fights against the military alongside her male counterparts.

She said she and other women paramilitaries could no longer stand by and watch while junta soldiers shot and killed young people in the street, particularly after those in Myaung township began moving from one village to another, committing every crime imaginable, on a daily basis.

We were protesting peacefully but they were killing us lawlessly, so we decided that armed resistance was the only option, she said. Slogans such as Down with the fascist authoritarian regime and Our cause is Federalism motivated us to participate in the movement.

MWGG members have told RFA that the group was launched in October to empower women who might otherwise be preyed upon by raiding troops. They said that MWGG fighters now regularly participate in operations using explosives and exterminating military informers.

Members of the Myaung Women Guerrilla Group (MWGG) in Sagaing regions Myaung township, in an undated photo. Credit: MWGG Fighting to protect the people

Htet Htet Naing, a female commando from a PDF group based in the seat of Sagaing region, said that after witnessing death and destruction in her region, she felt compelled to fight on the frontlines.

There are many challenges, and it is more challenging for women. It is very exhausting to take part in the training. The food we are eating is substandard, she said. We keep in mind that only by fighting, will we succeed. We remind ourselves that the people are behind us, and we are fighting to protect them.

Cinderella, a fighter from the Dove KK Southern Shan/Kayah PDF medics team of doctors and nurses from Kayah state, said it isnt difficult to remind herself of why she joined the armed resistance.

This revolution has emerged to eliminate the reign of a class of people who rule by violence and lawlessness, in a time of injustice where human rights exist only in books, she said.

All of Myanmars people, both men and women, must take part in this revolution. I am here to contribute physically and intellectually for our collective future. No matter what kind of challenges lie ahead, we will do whatever we can to succeed.

Mya Hnin Yee Lwin, a former actress who joined the armed resistance, said that she gave up a comfortable life to help motivate her countrymen not to give up on the revolution.

We are living a lifestyle that I could never have imagined, but I no longer think, Whats in it for me? I can only think about how I can contribute to the revolution, she said.

I believe [justice] always prevails in the end and I believe we will reach our destination one day.

Reported by Khin Khin Ei for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
A Chinese policeman patrols in front of the Intermediate People's Court in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, in a file photo.

Two reports released by officials in Xinjiang  one by the regions highest court, the other by a group of prosecutors  show Chinas strategy for constraining the Uyghur population is shifting from so-called re-education camps to prison.

The reports, which were published on March 3 on Tengritagh (Tianshan), the official website of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) government, are largely a dry recitation of judicial statistics for the year. But scholars and analysts say the numbers represent a shift in strategy to use more official but still corrupt means to prosecute Uyghurs and other members of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.

Public prosecutors, who collectively are known as the Procuratorate, detained nearly convicted more than 44,600 people in 28,490 cases involving about 12,900 different crimes, according to a work report read by Li Yongjun, who is the head of the XUAR Peoples Procuratorate, at the fifth session of the 13th Peoples Congress of the XUAR on Jan. 24.

Li noted that the construction of a safe Xinjiang was effectively promoted.

In a readout of the 2021 work report, Chief Justice Bahargul Semet said that the regions courts handled 668,900 cases. Of those, 606,200 were closed to public review. The top-level Supreme Court, meanwhile, took up 5,820 cases  5,271 of which were closed.

German researcher Adrian Zenz, who has documented Chinas abuses against the Uyghurs, said the number of cases and investigations in Xinjiang courts has nearly doubled since 2018.

That, and the fact that Uyghur-language translations are also increasing during trials, shows that, Beijings oppression in the region is shifting from mainly re-education to sentencing large numbers of Uyghurs to prison terms, Zenz said.

Uyghurs are not released from the camps, but instead shifted into prisons, he said.

Xinjiang continues to hide how many criminals are sentenced each year, he said. It stopped reporting this figure in 2018. This unfortunately indicates that the state is concealing its strategy of shifting Uyghurs from re-education camps to prisons to the outside world.

Teng Biao, an academic lawyer and visiting professor at the University of Chicago, who is an expert on Chinas judicial and legal systems, told RFA that that courts have become a tool of repression in Xinjiang.

Numbers are shocking

Ilshat Hassan Kokbore, a U.S.-based analyst and vice chair of the World Uyghur Congresss executive committee, said he was shocked by the numbers of cases mentioned in the two court reports.

This [new information] confirms these numbers, because there are so many people who still have yet to be sentenced, who are being detained indefinitely, he said. They have committed no crime that would see them sentenced.

Even those Uyghurs who have been sentenced have committed no crime, he said. As a matter of fact, China is extralegally detaining Uyghurs in concentration camps. These numbers [in the 2021 work reports] represent just one small fraction of reality. Even so, the numbers are shocking.

Kokbore suggested that the figures are a testament to the increased repression of Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities in Xinjiang in 2021, noting that many of the cases were related to counter-terrorism and stability maintenance, which are indicators of repression.

The numbers are very large, which shows the scope of the genocide, he said. We cannot see any clear details about these cases, because China is keeping them secret. What we do know is that many Uyghurs have disappeared or gone into concentration camps without having gone to trial, without anything from the courts.

In her readout, justice Bahargul said that courts operated by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), a state-owned economic and paramilitary organization, handled 80,800 cases, 71,000 of which are now closed.

The corps, which also is known as Bingtuan, has been sanctioned by the U.S. for its involvement in human rights violations against Uyghurs.

That the Bingtuan tried such a high number of cases on behalf of the XUARs Supreme Court shows the significance of the role that the XPCC is playing in repressing the Uyghurs, Kokbore said.

In particular, the Bingtuan is responsible for a large number of these [cases], he said. The Bingtuan is being used in the repression of the Uyghurs in carrying out a genocide against them.

China is believed to have held 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities in a network of detention camps in Xinjiang since 2017. Beijing has said that the camps are vocational training centers and has denied widespread and documented allegations that it has mistreated Muslims living in the region.

The report from the Peoples Court also noted the rise in court cases handled online.

Kokbore of the World Uyghur Congress said there are problems with putting the legal process online.

Looking at this in theory, the judge and the accused will not meet one another face-to-face, he said. That will have an influence on the judges verdict in the case.

In China, in a context where there is no independent law, the verdict of the judge or the court is simply not taken into account in a large number of cases, and instead the word of the government organs or party organs behind them is what actually counts, he said. This situation is widespread in China.

In her readout, Bahargul said the political role of the courts is to strictly and firmly rule by law and to maintain stability by paying close attention to ethnic separatism, religious extremism, and other acts of violence and terrorism, and always to ensure a high-pressure environment.

Translated by the Uyghur Service. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Recruiting fighters in Southeast Asia may prove difficult for Kyiv despite local enthusiasm.

Two foreign fighters from the UK pose for a picture as they are ready to depart towards the front line in the east of Ukraine following the Russian invasion, at the main train station in Lviv, Ukraine, March 5, 2022.

Ukraine is setting up a foreign legion, and thousands have reportedly volunteered from countries across the world. But recruiting fighters in Southeast Asia may prove difficult for Kyiv.

I lived in the former Soviet Union, including Ukraine, for two decades. I love Ukraine and the Ukrainians, I want to support their just cause, said Pham Van Hai, a Vietnamese army veteran from the southern province of Vung Tau who has volunteered to join the foreign legion in Ukraine.

Hai, who studied at the Kyiv Institute of Civil Aviation in the 1980s, has sent a couple of petitions to the Vietnamese government asking to be allowed to leave for Ukraine.

I will pay my own air ticket and all expenses, I only need their permission, he told RFA, adding: No reply yet but I suspect they wont give it to me.

Vietnam had endured many wars in the past, and tens of thousands of Vietnamese were among the Indochinese contingent fighting in the French foreign legion in World War I and World War II.

Hai is one of dozens Vietnamese citizens who have been communicating online to express their willingness to fight for Ukraine  notwithstanding the growing death toll and destruction following the Russian invasion. The actual number of Vietnamese volunteers is unknown as their action may be illegal under Vietnams Criminal Code.

Article 425 of the code stipulates that any person who works as a mercenary to fight against a nation or sovereign territory shall face a penalty of 5 to 15 years' imprisonment.

In fact, there are differences between mercenaries, who are contracted to fight but are not formally part of the military of the state they are fighting for; and legionnaires who are recruited as members of a states armed forces although they are not its citizens.

Regardless of those distinctions, Russia has warned that all foreigners who want to fight for Ukraine are not combatants under international humanitarian law and not entitled to prisoner of war status but will be treated as criminals.

On March 3, the Russian Ministry of Defense said: We urge citizens of foreign countries planning to go to fight for the Kyiv nationalist regime to think twice before the trip.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the nation in Kyiv, Ukraine, 09\March 7, 2022. Credit: Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP Ukraines international legion

The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Feb. 27 said his country was establishing an "international legion for foreigners who want to fight for the nation and appealed to international volunteers to join.

By March 7, more than 20,000 people from 52 countries have already volunteered to fight in Ukraine, according to Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

Kuleba, however, did not say how many of them had already arrived in Ukraine. Nor did he name their home countries.

Ukrainian embassies and consulates across the world have been actively rallying support, and a website was launched to provide detailed step-by-step instructions on how to join the international legion.

People with combat experience are encouraged to join what Ukraine calls the resistance against the Russian occupants and fight for global security.

According to media reports, volunteers are already arriving in Ukraine, mostly from European countries such as Lithuania, the Netherlands, the U.K. and France.

Ukraine received more than 3,000 applications from U.S. citizens who want to join the fight against Russia, according to a defense official at the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington, D.C. The U.S. State Departments travel advisory still formally advises all Americans not to travel to Ukraine.

Southeast Asias response

Zelenskyys appeal was also heard in Southeast Asia, where some citizens want to join the Ukrainian defense legion although governments are generally against the idea.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday said his government will not allow anyone to go to Ukraine.

Speaking at a hospital inauguration ceremony, Hun Sen urged Cambodian citizens to not pour gasoline on the fire

I will not allow our people to die in Ukraine. Our constitution does not allow that, the prime minister said.

The only ones who can go abroad for [such] missions are our Blue Helmet troops, but its under the auspices of humanitarianism of the United Nations, he added.

Singapore is taking a similar stance with Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan saying on Feb. 28 that Singapore cannot support the promotion or organization of armed groups, whatever their justification, into other countries.

Balakrishnan reminded Singaporean people that your duty is to Singapore, and to defend our national interests.

Thailand seems to be the only country that doesnt hold its citizens back.

Thai government spokeswoman Ratchada Thanadirek was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying that there is no law preventing Thai citizens from joining foreign volunteer forces.

But people should consider the potential grave danger as Russian forces pound Ukrainian cities with heavy weapons, she was quoted as warning the Thais.

Hundreds of Thai citizens have sent the Ukrainian embassy emails to apply to sign up for the international legion, according to a Facebook group created about the endeavor.

A Ukrainian embassy official told BenarNews last week that scores of Thai citizens had phoned the embassy in Bangkok, and around 40 of them had shown up there to express interest in volunteering.
More than 100 people who were evacuated from a steel plant in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol have arrived in Zaporizhzhya, the Mariupol city council said, as Russian forces resumed their assault on the complex.

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.

The council said in a statement that the people who arrived in Zaporizhzhya -- a city about 230 kilometers northwest of Mariupol -- were receiving assistance after emerging from weeks in the bunkers of the sprawling Azovstal plant.



Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said 156 people were evacuated. She said several hundred more people remained inside the plant and tens of thousands of women, children, and elderly remain in Mariupol.



"There is no medicine, water, or communication services," she said at a briefing on May 3, adding that the authorities needed to rescue everyone who wants to escape.



The United Nations and International Committee of the Red Cross coordinated the evacuation of women, children, and the elderly from the steel works.

"We would have hoped that many more people would have been able to join the convoy and get out of hell. That is why we have mixed feelings," Pascal Hundt of the ICRC told journalists on a video conference call.



Osnat Lubrani, UN humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, said that 101 women, men, children, and older people could finally leave the plant, and several dozen more joined the convoy in a town on the outskirts of Mariupol. Some evacuees decided not to stay with the convoy and headed to destinations other than Zaporizhzhya, Lubrani said.



A few women who arrived in Zaporizhzhya held up handmade signs calling on the Ukrainian authorities to evacuate soldiers still holed up in the plant and their relatives and loved ones who are trapped.



UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he hoped the continued coordination with Kyiv and Moscow will lead to more humanitarian pauses that will allow civilians safe passage from the fighting.

WATCH: Current Time reporter Borys Sachalko comes under fire as he accompanies a Red Cross team attempting to evacuate a village that lies between Russian-occupied Kherson and Ukrainian-held Mikolayiv in southern Ukraine.

Despite the calls for additional evacuations, Russian troops began to storm the plant soon after the latest group of people got out, Ukraine's Center for Strategic Communications under the National Security and Defense Council said in a statement on May 3.



According to the Vereshchuk, Russia purposely resumed the assault after some civilians got out.



"This was their plan: to allow some civilians to leave and then continue bombing. However, civilians remain there, there are people who did not have time to get out from under the rubble because the blockages were so heavy that in two days they simply could not lift them physically. We need to continue the humanitarian operation, including Azovstal," Vereshchuk said.

French President Emmanuel Macron also urged that evacuations from the steel plant be allowed to continue.



Macron spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone on May 3, calling on Russia to rise to the level of its responsibility as a permanent member of the UN Security Council by ending its devastating aggression, an Elysee statement said.



The storming of the plant comes days after Putin said he had called off plans for such an operation. Putin instead said he wanted Russian forces to blockade the sprawling plant "so a fly can't get through."

Later on May 3, Russian strikes began targeting the western city of Lviv. The strikes happened just before 8:30 p.m. local time. It wasnt immediately clear what was targeted.



Mayor Andriy Sadoviy wrote on social media that people in the city should take shelter. Train service out of Lviv was suspended.



Sadoviy acknowledged in another message that the attacks had damaged power stations, cutting off electricity in some districts.



The governor of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine said Russian troops shelled a coke plant in the city of Avdiyivka, killing at least 10 people and wounding 15 more.



"The Russians knew exactly where to aim -- the workers just finished their shift and were waiting for a bus at a bus stop to take them home," Pavlo Kyrylenko wrote in a Telegram post. "Another cynical crime by Russians on our land."

Kyrylenko said 11 more people were killed in the shelling of four towns in the region. The number includes five killed in the town of Lyman and four in Vuhledar.



Kyrylenko said the death toll on May 3 was the highest on a single day since a Russian strike on a train station in the city of Kramatorsk killed 57 people on April 8 and injured 109 others.

WATCH: Ukrainian troops southeast of Kharkiv survey heavy damage to a community cultural center, reflecting on the impact on locals, now all but gone.

Ukrainian officials say the Russian military also struck railroad infrastructure across the country on May 3.



Oleksandr Kamyshin, head of the state-run Ukrainian railways, said the Russian strikes hit six railway stations in the countrys central and western regions, inflicting heavy damage.



The governor of the Dnipro region, Valentyn Reznichenko, said Russian missiles struck railway infrastructure in the area, leaving one person wounded and disrupting train service.

Earlier on May 3, in a video address to the parliament in Kyiv, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced 300 million pounds ($376 million) worth of extra military aid for Ukraine.

Britain has already sent military equipment, including missiles and missile launchers, to Ukraine. The new aid will consist of electronic warfare equipment, a battery radar system, GPS jamming equipment, and thousands of night vision devices.



In his speech, Johnson referred to a 1940 address by World War II leader Winston Churchill as Britain faced Nazi Germany's aggression.

"The British people showed such unity and resolve that we remember our time of greatest peril as our finest hour," Johnson told the Verkhovna Rada. "This is Ukraine's finest hour, an epic chapter in your national story that will be remembered and recounted for generations to come."

"We will carry on supplying Ukraine...with weapons, funding, and humanitarian aid, until we have achieved our long-term goal, which must be so to fortify Ukraine that no one will ever dare to attack you again," Johnson said.

In Brussels, the EU's executive indicated it was prepared to propose another sanctions package to punish Moscow for invading Ukraine. But Slovakia and Hungary will not support sanctions against Russian energy, including on oil imports.



The two countries say they are too reliant on Russian oil and there are no immediate alternatives.

The sanctions will also target the Russia's largest bank, Sberbank, which will be excluded from the global banking communications system SWIFT, unnamed diplomats said.

Fighting also raged in the strategic port city of Odesa and across Ukraine's east. A 15-year-old boy was killed in a fresh Russian strike on Odesa, the city council said.

Ukraine's second-biggest city, Kharkiv, was under shelling, the military said on May 3, while the General Staff said Ukrainian forces were defending the approach to Kharkiv from Izyum, some 120 kilometers to the southeast.



Since Russia launched its unprovoked war on February 24, its troops have failed to completely take over any major Ukrainian city.

On the diplomatic front, Germany's conservative opposition leader traveled to Kyiv on May 3 for meetings with Ukrainian officials, but Chancellor Olaf Scholz made clear that he wouldn't be visiting Ukraine any time soon.

Friedrich Merz, who heads former Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right Union bloc, visited the town of Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, which has been heavily bombarded by Russian forces.

Scholz refused to go to Ukraine because of Kyiv's refusal to invite Germany's head of state, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, whom Ukrainians accuse of cozying up to Russia during his time as foreign minister.

"It can't work that a country that provides so much military aid, so much financial aid...you then say that the president can't come," Scholz told public broadcaster ZDF late on May 2.

The United States warned that Moscow was planning to formally take over regions in Ukraine's east.



Michael Carpenter, the U.S. ambassador to the OSCE, said Russia is planning to imminently annex the territories of Luhansk and Donetsk in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, using referendums after failing to overthrow the government in Kyiv.



Russia encountered surprisingly staunch resistance in the north around the regions of Kyiv and Chernihiv, which forced it to redeploy its troops in the south and east, where fighting has intensified in recent days.



Ukraine's east and south are seen as key strategic goals for Russia, allowing it a land link to Crimea.

Separately, Russia's state news agency TASS quoted the Defense Ministry on May 3 as saying that more than 1 million people, including nearly 200,000 children, had been taken from Ukraine to Russia in the past two months.



Defense Ministry official Mikhail Mizintsev said those civilians "were evacuated to the territory of the Russian Federation from the dangerous regions" of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, and from other parts that came under Russian control.

No details were provided on the location or circumstances of the moves.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, BBC, and dpa
A flurry of high-stakes diplomacy -- with growing calls by Western officials for China to use its influence to pressure Russia to end its war in Ukraine -- has shifted the focus on Beijing's role as a potential mediator in the crisis.



The conversation for China to take the diplomatic mantle accelerated following a March 5 statement by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in which he said he had received assurances that "China is interested in stopping this war."

"Chinese diplomacy has sufficient tools to make a difference and we count that it is already involved and that their efforts will be successful," he said.



The statement from Kuleba was echoed by Western officials, such as Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who called on China to join the effort to stop the conflict, and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who told the Spanish newspaper El Mundo that Beijing could be a mediator in helping to find a diplomatic solution.



"We [Europeans] cannot be the mediators, that is clear.... And it cannot be the [United States] either. Who else?" Borrell said during the March 5 interview. "It has to be China, I trust in that."



While Beijing's potential role in brokering peace is under the spotlight, in large part due to its close ties with the Kremlin, some experts and diplomats have questioned China's credentials, motivation, and levers for influence to mediate and push for a diplomatic solution for the war.



"China is unlikely to play any serious mediating role in Ukraine," Ryan Hass, a Brookings Institution senior fellow and former director for China on the National Security Council, told RFE/RL. "At most, it may seek to burnish its diplomatic credentials by masquerading as a reliable channel, even as it continues to lean toward Moscow."



China's Diplomatic Dance



With doubts about Beijing's willingness to lean on Moscow, the EU appears to be focusing on pressuring China to use its influence with Russia to help broker a cease-fire and bring Moscow to the negotiating table, with Borrell speaking about the issue on March 7 with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.



"China has the potential to reach out to Moscow because of their relationship, and wed like China to use its influence to press for a cease-fire and make Russia stop the brutal, unprecedented shelling and killing of civilians in Ukraine," a European Commission spokesman said on March 7.



Beijing has built warm ties with Russia over the years, which were reaffirmed during a February 4 meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at which the two leaders declared a no limits partnership.

China has tried to distance itself from Russia's offensive since it started on February 24 -- especially as the Kremlin shifted tactics and civilian areas were targeted -- while avoiding any criticism of Moscow.

Live Briefing: Russia Invades 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.

China has refrained from calling the war an "invasion" and said it recognized the "legitimate security concerns" of Russia. During a March 7 press conference, Wang referred to China's relationship with Moscow as "rock-solid" and hailed future prospects for cooperation.



At the same time, Beijing has tried to edge slightly away from Russia in statements, speaking about its "unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty," while adding that China is ready to make "every effort to end the war...through diplomacy." It has also expressed "regret" about the military action and concern for civilian casualties, signaling it could play a role in trying to broker a cease-fire.



"China still wants to occupy an in-between, gray area that allows it to keep relatively good relations with all parties," Francesca Ghiretti, an analyst at the Berlin-based think tank MERICS, told RFE/RL.

"The statements from Beijing have been rather consistent throughout.... At the moment, there is little to gain for China out of the role of mediator."



Some Western officials are hoping that, by adding public pressure on Beijing and calling its global image into question, China will shift its calculus.

During a visit to Lithuania on March 7, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Beijing of hypocrisy, saying that, despite its rhetoric about "upholding the international order, stability, and respecting sovereignty," it still stood behind Moscow and that its "actions are speaking much louder than its words."

Despite the recent push on China, little progress seems to have been made.



An EU diplomat familiar with the issue told RFE/RL that there was currently nothing concrete about formal mediation involving China, despite the outreach from Brussels.



"Everybody who reaches out to Putin is welcome to do so," the diplomat said. "So far, he has not shown nor expressed to anyone any readiness to enter into any negotiations [or] mediation."



If Not A Mediator, Then What?



China and Russia have been drawn together by a shared antagonism toward the United States and a desire to push back at what they feel is Western pressure targeted against them.



While many experts and former officials say Beijing is highly unlikely to drop Moscow as a partner, they acknowledge that Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the human and political crisis it has caused does not sit well with China and that Beijing is currently recalibrating its position.

"China may have believed that this conflict was in its interests because it had the potential to distract the United States and sow transatlantic division," the Rhodium Group's Noah Barkin told RFE/RL. "Instead, it has brought the EU and [United States] closer together and triggered a foreign policy rethink in Europe that could boomerang on Beijing."



Citing a Western intelligence report, The New York Times reported that Chinese officials told their Russian counterparts in early February not to invade Ukraine before the end of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, though it was not clear whether Putin told Xi directly of any specific war plans for Ukraine.



Chinese officials rejected the report as "pure fake news," but it highlights the reputational and strategic risks that Beijing faces as it looks to save face with its public tethering to Russia and trying to shield itself from blowback to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and its rising civilian death toll.

"Either Beijing misjudged Putin and the effect his attack on Ukraine would have on Western resolve, or it judged that the long-term benefits of this conflict would outweigh the short-term risks," Barkin said. "What seems clear is that China will have to start recalibrating its rhetoric soon or run the risk of losing Europe. Ukraine could well be a tipping point for EU-China relations."

This leaves Beijing with a difficult balancing act.



Chinese policymakers are wary about U.S. pressure in the Indo-Pacific region that could impede its continued global rise and they still see Russia as a needed partner in any future confrontation. But the fallout from Moscow's invasion is already proving to be a strategic headache for China.



According to Hass, who oversaw China policy on the National Security Council under U.S. President Barack Obama, "Beijing seems committed to sticking closely with Moscow" but there are still roles short of being a peace broker that China could be willing to play to help stabilize the situation in Ukraine.



"The United States and others would be best served engaging Beijing on discrete issues where China could make a constructive contribution," Hass said. "[Such as] humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, avoiding backfilling global sanctions on Russia, and not standing in the way of global efforts at the UN to ensure future accountability for [Moscow]."
Roman Kalgin left his job in IT to pick people up from the crowds of displaced Ukrainians at the Lviv train station and take them in his van to the Polish border. "The people come broken, in tears," he says. "You need to calm them down, talk to them, and tell them everything is going to be OK."
The United States has banned imports of Russian oil over Moscow's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine as thousands tried to flee cities around the country through humanitarian corridors with limited success as continued Russian shelling and artillery fire cut off some of the exit routes.

Live Briefing: Russia Invades 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.

With the 13th day of Russia's attack on its neighbor again darkened by reports of residential areas being targeted, U.S. President Joe Biden on March 8 announced a ban on oil and other energy imports from Russia, putting pressure on his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, who is being pushed further and further into isolation by crushing sanctions from countries around the globe.

In concert with Washington's move, Britain said it would also phase out Russian oil by the end of the year while the EU, which is heavily dependent on Russian energy supplies, planned to slash gas imports by two-thirds.

Oil and gas exports account for a significant portion of Russia's budget revenues and are a key source of foreign currency to defend the ruble.

The U.S. ban on Russian oil imports is adding to existing concerns about the legal and financial risks of buying and trading Russian energy, says Ben Cahill, an energy analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Russia could see its oil exports -- which stood at around 5 million barrels a day -- decline sharply, he said.

"This is part of a bigger challenge for Russia. Around the world -- whether it's in Europe, the United States, or even Asia -- a lot people just don't want to take Russian oil and [oil] products," even if it's a cheaper alternative, Cahill told RFE/RL.

Russia may be forced to cut back on oil production if it can't find buyers, he said. China "can't soak up" all of Russia's oil and gas that currently goes to the West and won't pay the same high prices Europeans historically have, Cahill said.

Meanwhile, Western companies continued their exodus from Russia, with oil giant Shell announcing its exit, while global fast-food icon McDonald's and coffeehouse Starbucks joined more than 200 other firms that have indefinitely suspended operations in Russia.

Biden said Russia's military may continue to "grind out its advance at a horrible price, but this much is already clear: Ukraine will never be a victory for Putin."

"Putin may be able to take a city, but he'll never be able to hold the country," he said.

Some buses in Sumy managed to transport hundreds of civilians out of the besieged Ukrainian city through a humanitarian corridor, but thousands in the southern city of Mariupol were still trapped when their route out of the city was blocked, with the government accusing Russia of shelling the area.

The evacuation came hours after Russian air strikes overnight on Sumy killed 21 people, including two children, according to the Ukrainian Prosecutor-General's Office. At least four Ukrainian soldiers were also killed, the military said.

Mariupol has been without water, heat, sanitary systems, or phones for several days, one of the most desperate scenes of the nearly two-week-old war. An estimated 200,000 people -- nearly half the population of 430,000 -- hope to flee the city.

"The enemy has launched an attack heading exactly at the humanitarian corridor," the ministry said on Facebook, adding that the Russian Army "did not let children, women, and elderly people leave the city."

UN officials reported on March 8 that 2 million people had fled Ukraine since the unprovoked Russian attack started on February 24, sparking Europe's worst refugee crisis since World War II.

Since the invasion began, more than 400 civilian deaths have been recorded by the UN human rights office, which said the true number is likely much higher as it continues to process the situation.

Elsewhere, efforts continued to evacuate the Kyiv suburb of Irpin, which, according to residents, came under some of the most intensive Russian shelling overnight.

About 3,000 people have been brought to safety from the embattled Ukrainian town of Irpin so far, according to the authorities.

WATCH: Thousands of people are trying to flee the Ukrainian city of Irpin for the capital, Kyiv, almost 25 kilometers away. Ukrainian forces have blown up bridges near the city to stop advancing Russian tanks. Current Time filmed local residents trying to escape Russian shelling and flee in any way possible.

With Russia's initial plan for a rapid strike to topple the government seemingly failing and signs of growing discontent in Russia over the war, senior U.S. intelligence officials warned Putin may dig his heels in even further and ratchet up his offensive in the country.

"Our analysts assess that Putin is unlikely to be deterred by such setbacks and instead may escalate," U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a hearing on global security threats at the U.S. House of Representatives.

Corridors to let civilians escape and allow aid reach besieged areas have been the main subject of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations, but there has been little success in opening them.

Kyiv has branded the corridors a publicity stunt by Moscow as many of the routes lead into Russia or its ally, Belarus.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called for the expansion of humanitarian corridors, and more support from the Red Cross to help keep them open and to move people out of harm's way.

In a video address from an undisclosed location on March 8, he said a child died of dehydration in Mariupol, in a sign of how desperate the citys population has become.

Later on March 8, he released a selfie video of himself standing near the presidential offices in Kyiv, with piles of sandbags, a snow-dusted fir tree, and a few cars in the background. It was the second video in 24 hours showing him near the country's seat of power.

In a soft voice, he said: "Snow fell. It's that kind of springtime. You see, it's that kind of wartime, that kind of springtime. Harsh. But we will win."

WATCH: RFE/RL has acquired drone footage said to be of Russian truck-mounted Grad rockets being launched in Ukraine's Kyiv region on March 5. The footage is understood to have been shot by volunteers assisting the Ukrainian military. The group would not give a more specific location for security reasons.

Zelenskiy again pleaded for air support from Western countries, which NATO and its allies had previously ruled out fearing a major escalation in the conflict.

But in a potentially major policy shift, Poland said on March 8 that it was ready to hand over all its MiG-29 jets to a U.S. air base in Germany and urged other NATO members with the same type of Russian-made warplanes to do the same to allow the alliance to come together and make a decision on whether to send offensive weapons to Ukraine.

So far, many NATO countries, along with other Western allies, have supplied only defensive weaponry to Kyiv amid threats from Moscow that it would make the donors a direct party to the conflict and thus open to retaliation.



Ukraine's military, meanwhile, said on March 8 that it had managed to slow down the Russian attack, saying that although "the enemy is continuing an offensive operation, the pace of advance of its troops has slowed significantly."



The Ukrainian General Staff said early on March 8 that Ukrainian forces were still defending their positions in the southern, eastern, and northern sectors on the country and that Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv were still in Ukrainian hands.



The statements could not be independently verified.



The United Nations refugee chief said on March 8 the number of people fleeing Russia's advance into Ukraine had reached 2 million.



Filippo Grandi, the UN's high commissioner for refugees, made his remarks at a press conference in Oslo after visiting Moldova, Poland, and Romania, all of which have received refugees pouring across the border from Ukraine since Russia invaded the country on February 24.



Grandi said that, by comparison, the Balkan wars in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo saw "maybe 2 to 3 million people, but over a period of eight years."



While other parts of the "world have seen this," Grandi added, "in Europe it's the first time since the Second World War."



More than 1.2 million of those refugees have crossed into neighboring Poland, including 141,500 on March 7, the Polish border guard said on March 8.

Russia and Belarus should not be permitted to host, bid for or be awarded any international sporting events after the invasion of Ukraine, the United States and allies said in a statement released by the U.S. State Department on March 8.

The statement calls on international sporting federations to limit sponsorship opportunities for companies tied to Russian and Belarusian governments.

The statement was signed by officials from 37 countries including the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Canada, Belgium, and the United States. China, India, and countries in Latin America and Africa were not listed as participating in the statement.

The statement urged the international sporting community to show "solidarity with the people of Ukraine."

Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has been widely condemned and left Russia largely internationally isolated. Belarus has been a key staging area for Russian forces.

Russia's central bank on March 8 announced that citizens with foreign-currency accounts would not be allowed to withdraw more than $10,000 until September 9 and said banks could not sell hard currency.

The bank, which earlier in the day announced a series of steps to help financial market players hit by foreign sanctions, said in a statement that regardless of what foreign currency clients held in their accounts, withdrawals would be paid in U.S. dollars.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, TASS, the BBC, and dpa
Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, starting some of the worst fighting in Europe since World War II and wreaking death and destruction on the neighboring country. More than 2 million Ukrainians have fled their homeland, and many others have been displaced.



According to the United Nations, at least 406 civilians have been killed, although officials say the true figure is likely "considerably higher." Ukraine's emergency service estimated civilian deaths at more than 2,000 several days ago, adding in a March 2 statement: "It is unknown how many people are actually still under fire and debris. There is no exact figure." Ukrainian officials have said about 40 of those killed were children.



RFE/RL's reporters have gathered the voices of some of the women whose lives have been upended by the war, letting them tell their stories in their own words.

Yulia Sukhovyeyeva

Yulia Sukhovyeyeva is a resident of Kharkiv, an eastern city that is the second-largest in Ukraine and has been hit hard by Russian attacks in recent days. RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service spoke with her on March 7 in Lviv, in western Ukraine, as she and her son, Nikita, were fleeing to Poland.



When the war started, it took me a while to realize what was happening. My mom called and said, "Yulia, it's a war." I didn't believe her. Now I'm in Lviv. My son and I are headed for the Polish border. I had to leave my home, my work, and my parents in order to save my child. It's a shock, it's a tragedy, and a catastrophe on a global scale. I will never forget the sound of a rocket flying by. It's impossible to forget, even if it's a split second. You grab your child, throw him down on the stone floor, and cover him with your body. My legs are all bruised, to be honest. It lasted for three days....



I have an aunt and a sister in Estonia, and I want to leave my child with them and get back home. My parents are still in Kharkiv. I'm worried about them all the time. They live in a high-rise building, so I'm praying every second that they are OK.

Hanna

Hanna, who asked to be identified only by her first name, is a 36-year-old Belarusian who fled political repression in her country in 2020 and settled in the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, north of Kyiv and not far from Belarus. When Russia invaded Ukraine, some of the Russian troops crossed in from Belarus, whose authoritarian ruler, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, is Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest ally in the conflict. Hanna decided to stay and help fight. RFE/RL's Belarus Service spoke with her on March 6.



Ukraine gave me refuge a year and a half ago, accepted me into their family. Now I am repaying a debt. If I am capable and if I am not stone-hearted, how could I leave? When the artillery barrages started, I went down into the shelters. I thought I would help out there for four hours or so. But I ended up staying for four days. There were so many children; some of the women were carrying newborn babies. Someone had to wash those children, help make them some porridge. Bring things, distribute them, talk to people, help to calm them.

I was on the Internet [on the night the invasion was launched before dawn], looking to see what people were writing. It was terrifying. And at 6:30 a.m. I sensed the attack was under way. They came to us through the Chernobyl exclusion zone. At first, they just shelled the city. Then there was intense fighting. Then the Grad rocket launchers appeared. It was terrifying. On March 3, they began bombing from the air. We evacuated residential areas, theaters, hospitals, maternity wards. It was horrific. Imagine bombing a maternity hospital -- a place where people should be born, not die. I was furious.



There is broken glass everywhere. Ruined houses, bombed-out buildings. In recent years, everyone commented that Chernihiv had become much prettier. New sidewalks, fountains, flowers everywhere in the spring and summer. And now, look. It is horrible to see. But those are only buildings that can be replaced. Pity the children, pity those who have lost loved ones. I have a friend who lost her whole family -- her husband and two children. There is nothing left of their house but a chimney. She ran and was shouting for her children. How can the heart bear it?

Lyudmila Bukhantsova

Lyudmila Bukhantsova is a Russian mother who lives in the settlement of Dragunskoye, about 50 kilometers from Russia's border with Ukraine. Her son, Roman, was part of the Russian invasion force, and he was taken prisoner near the eastern city of Sumy on February 26. She spoke with Current Time on February 28.



Every one of us has relatives in Ukraine, family in Ukraine. Everyone. There used to be the Soviet Union and we were all the same. Why is it that now brothers should go fight against brothers? What is the point of this war? I don't know. I just want it to end as soon as possible. I want my son to come home. That is all that I want. I want peace on Earth and for innocent people not to suffer.

Svitlana

Svitlana, who asked to be identified only by her first name, is a native of Kyiv who now lives in Roth, Germany. Her 87-year-old mother still lives in the Ukrainian capital. Since the war began, Svitlana has been working at an aid center, gathering medicines and other vital goods to send to Ukraine and to Ukrainian refugees. RFE/RL's Idel.Realities spoke to her on March 6 about Germany's response to the unfolding humanitarian crisis.

People can see that there are women and children here. And it has touched their soft, German hearts. Moreover, there are already a lot of Ukrainians in Europe. And they were the ones who started this wave of giving. The Germans mostly joined in later.



Svitlana described how her German mother-in-law wanted to help:



"I can give my white skirt, and a striped blouse." I asked her: "Do you understand that there is a war there? Who needs a white skirt and a blouse, even a striped one, when there is a war? Let's think for a minute about what people there need and not about what we have lying around." In the end, my mother-in-law donated a warm sweater. She was happy to think that her warm turtleneck would really help someone.

Unidentified Displaced Women From Kharkiv

RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service on March 6 spoke with three women from Kharkiv who had made their way to Lviv after heavy fighting in their city.

One woman broke down in tears while appealing to the women of Russia:

I am begging you, please, think of your children. We gave birth to them for ourselves and not for some politicians who can't figure out what they want. Please, please, stand up and defend your children. Only mothers can defend their children. Only the heart of a mother can stand up and defend her children. There is no other way.

Another woman expressed defiance and admiration for Ukrainians defending their country, saying that Putin is attacking cities to break Ukrainian resistance:



But we won't surrender. We said we will not give up our city. We have good men who are going up against tanks with their bare hands. There are women, men. It is impossible to even look at it. We saw with our own eyes who is shooting at us. We saw those soldiers ourselves. We saw the columns approaching and surrounding us on all sides.

A 79-year-old woman born during World War II likened the current situation to the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany in 1941:



This is a catastrophe. Hitler never did the things that they are doing now. They are led by a psychopath who has zombified his whole country so that they don't believe what is being done to us here. I have a friend who lives in Russia, and I told her about all this, and she just said, "It is your Nazis who are doing it." That is how those bastards have zombified them. It is horrible. They are bombing our Kharkiv. It is a catastrophe there. A catastrophe. They are killing people. Bombing everything.



My life began during a war, and unfortunately it is ending with this horrible war.

Halyna Vyhovska

Halyna Vyhovskaya is a pensioner who lives in Kyiv with her husband, Petro. Their eldest son is in prison in Russia's Kirov region for purported "espionage." RFE/RL's Idel.Realities spoke to her on March 3:



I haven't shed a single tear. I just keep praying for Ukraine. And I pray for the Russians too, because I don't want young Russian boys to die in Ukraine. They are victims too. Russian mothers simply don't know what is happening here. If they knew, they wouldn't let their children come here. But they believe Russian propaganda as if they don't have their own brains to think with. I have a friend in Moscow, and I spoke with her recently. "Halya, I love you, but Putin is good and Kyiv will be ours." I answered her: "I love you too, but Kyiv will never be yours. We may die, but we will never surrender."

WATCH: Thousands of women in Ukraine have been fleeing war and Russian shelling with their children. Many vowed they would return to their homes when the war was over, with one woman saying, "Ukrainian women have the strongest spirit."

Valentyna

Valentyna, who asked to be identified only by her first name, is a 27-year-old shop clerk from the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhya. RFE/RL's Russian Service spoke to her on March 7 as she and her two small children were making their way through Poland toward Germany. She spoke about the night of February 26, which they spent in a makeshift shelter in the basement of her apartment block.

People were panicking. My mother-in-law had a panic attack right on the stairs. It was really hard. There were so many people. I counted eight people on one bunk. I slept on a bunk and my 2-year-old daughter, Yulyana, was on the floor. She was crying and refused to sleep on the bunk. She was terrified. My 7-year-old son, Vova, was sleeping on an upper bunk with two other children. It was suffocating and there was little water. We boiled some, let it cool, and then drank it. Everyone drank from one bottle -- no one worried about hygiene. In the doorway, people were smoking cigarettes. It was hard to breathe. One woman vomited. We sat in our underwear.

At the station in Lviv, we were met immediately by volunteers. They gave us cookies and water. There were tents there where they were handing out sandwiches.

The bus driver said he'd give us 10 or 15 minutes to say goodbye to our husbands. We took our seats on the bus, and the driver wrote down our names. When he was done, he said: "God be with us. We're off." He said there was no time to say goodbye. My husband remained at the station. He was crying. My son started crying. Even now, Vova keeps asking when papa is coming.

Written by Robert Coalson based on reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Russian services, Idel.Realities, and Current Time.
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A previous version of this story quoted from a California officials email describing attorney Patrick Webb, who represents opponents of the casino, as a semi-vexatious litigant. No court has found that Webb is a vexatious litigant, and Webb disputes that officials characterization. See Webbs letter to the editor.

The judge overseeing hearings on whether to grant Hollywood Casino in Jamul a permanent liquor license has recused himself.

Administrative Law Judge John W. Lewis presided over two state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control hearings in November.

In a letter to concerned parties and formally addressed to county Supervisor Dianne Jacob, Lewis said he was concerned that emails that had been sent to him could prevent a fair hearing.

The emails made several references to information presented to Lewis by attorney Patrick Webb, who represents opponents of the casino, about whether the Jamul Indian Village is a proper tribe.

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The emails also included:

Ramona Prieto, the acting director of the ABC

Peter Williams, attorney for the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency

Joginder Dhillon, senior advisor to the governor for tribal negotiations. He is also the former acting director of the California Gambling Control Commission.

Williams wrote to Dhillon that despite ABCs protest, (Lewis) took it under consideration, even though it was far outside of his jurisdiction.

The casino opened in October with a temporary license to serve alcohol. The casino is on land belonging to the Jamul Indian Village and its gaming facilities run by San Diego Gaming Ventures, LLC.

The hearings are part of a long application process that casino management must go through in order to get an ABC-approved alcoholic beverage license.

Jacob Rambo, chief counsel for ABC, said a new judge, yet to be chosen, will decide the matter on existing record.

A new hearing is neither desirable or necessary, he said.

Then it will be up to Prieto at the ABC to approve or reject the finding. Appeals are likely to follow..

Those who have protested against the Jamul Indian Village and Hollywood Casino over the years include a group called the Jamul Action Committee. That group has been fighting the casino since 1988.

In the past year, more than 1,000 residents of Jamul sent letters of protest to the ABC. Many of them said casino patrons who have been drinking will make Highway 94 more dangerous. More than 180 letter-writers were invited to attend the November licensing hearings.

The $360 million venue off Highway 94 is open 24 hours a day and currently serves alcohol from 10 a.m. until 1:30 a.m.
Imperial Beach Administrative Services Director Doug Bradley was shot to death Thursday while vacationing in the resort city of Ixtapa in southern Mexico, Imperial Beach city officials confirmed Friday.

Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina said Bradley, a Huntington Beach native, was shot during a robbery. Bradley, who lived in Playas de Tijuana, would have celebrated his 50th birthday Friday.

Doug was a wonderful person, said Dedina, who described him as a world-traveling surfer.

Bradley was hired by the city in 2013. As administrative services director, he oversaw the city budget and fiscal functions. In that post, he also served as the city treasurer.

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He was brilliant at his job. He was always positive, Dedina said. You couldnt have asked for a better person to work with.

Dedina said everyone who knew Bradley held him in high regard.

Doug Bradley was loved by all that knew him, he said. He was always positive, loved to surf, and had helped to turn around the City of Imperial Beachs financial management as well as restructure city administration to make it more efficient and resident friendly. He will be missed by everyone who knew him and worked with him.

According to Mexico News Daily, witnesses told local media Bradley was being chased by gunmen when he was shot with a 9-mm handgun about 4 a.m. Thursday in the hotel zone of the Pacific Coast city in the state of Guerrero. His body had lain in a parking lot for four hours before police received a report of the killing, according to the Mexico News Daily report.

Dedina said the city was working with the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City and U.S. Consulate General in Tijuana to bring Bradleys body to the U.S.

Bradley was not married and did not have children.
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RTHK: Polish Mig-29 decision a surprise, says US diplomat

Poland's decision to put all its MiG-29 fighter jets at the disposal of the United States was "a surprise move" by Warsaw, the US State Department's No. 3 diplomat said on Tuesday, after Ukraine asked European countries to provide aircraft to help it fight Russia's invasion.

"To my knowledge, it wasn't pre-consulted with us that they planned to give these planes to us," State Department Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. "So I think that actually was a surprise move by the Poles," she said.

Poland is ready to deploy all its MiG-29 jets to Ramstein Air Base in Germany and put them at the disposal of the United States, and urges other Nato members that own planes of that type to do the same, the Polish Foreign Ministry said earlier.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last week made a "desperate plea for European countries to provide Russian-made planes" for Ukraine's fight against Russian invaders during a video call Saturday with US lawmakers.

US lawmakers have been pushing the Biden administration to facilitate the transfer of fighter aircraft to Ukraine from Poland and other NATO and Eastern European countries.

The administration has been discussing Ukraine's request with Poland. US administration officials said there were logistical challenges both in moving aircraft into Ukraine and providing replacement US planes.

Nuland said the main issue was to assess what Poland's immediate needs would be given it is adjacent to the conflict.

"Poland -- they benefit from full air security from the Nato alliance. ... The main issue is to evaluate what Poland's immediate needs are in the context of being a neighbour of this conflict," she said, adding that Washington was also looking at putting some Patriot missile batteries into Poland.

Poland is supporting Kyiv with defensive weapons, but has said it would not send jets to Ukraine, as it is not a direct party to the conflict between Ukraine - which is not a Nato ally - and Russia. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2022-03-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
ADEN, Yemen, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Yemeni authorities said on Monday that four workers of the international medical charity Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres/MSF) were kidnapped by suspected al-Qaida gunmen in the country's southeastern province of Hadramout.

"Gunmen suspected of belonging to the al-Qaida terror group kidnapped four foreign employees of MSF on March 5 in Hadramout," an official of Yemen's intelligence authorities told Xinhua.

The gunmen set up an ambush and intercepted the aid workers when they were travelling from Seiyun city in Hadramout Province toward the oil-rich province of Marib, the source said on condition of anonymity.

The four kidnapped were identified "as Chrisstan Gustolf of Germany, Cindar Fernado of Mexico, Aidah Hamed of Syria, and Catherine Wen Sirua of Kenya," whose fate still hangs in the balance, according to a statement by Yemen's Interior Ministry.

Last month, Russell Geekie, senior communications advisor to the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, confirmed that five UN staff members were kidnapped in Abyan Province "after having completed a field mission."

The UN staff members are still held by unknown gunmen as a mediation conducted by local tribal figures failed to get them released despite a series of negotiation rounds with an armed group responsible for the kidnapping incident.

So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the two kidnapping incidents. 
Psychology graduate becomes president of American Academy of Forensic Sciences

When Carl McClary was just a kid, he never considered solving crimes, being president of an international science academy or being featured on a true-crime television show.

In fact, it would have made sense for McClary to have become an artist like his mother and sister, working with mediums like watercolor, ink and sculpture.

Psychology alumnus Carl McClary is a nationally renowned document examiner and president of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Instead, he became a forensic scientist who helps solve violent crimes, including crimes that shook the nation. But the artistic gene didnt escape McClary completely. He uses his creativity in the way he approaches his scientific work.

I grew up around paper and ink, McClary says. I saw a job posting about getting to work with those same materials, and I knew immediately that was something I wanted to do.

That job listing was as a trainee forensic document examiner  a kind of detective who examines ink, paper, handwriting and other evidence to determine origin, writership or authenticity. That was all it took to set McClary on a path that would lead to where he is now: nationally renowned document examiner and president of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Origins of a Gamecock

Growing up in Summerton, South Carolina, McClary says small-town values influenced him in a big way.

I learned the value of respecting people and valuing their backgrounds, McClary says. Im very proud of that.

He carried those values with him when he enrolled at the University of South Carolina as a psychology major in 1980.

My time at UofSC afforded me the ability to collaborate and socialize with many different types of people, McClary says. It started me off on the right foot. I learned how to come to a consensus with other individuals.

As time would tell, these particular skills would come in very hand for McClarys eventual leadership position at the AAFS, where they publish forensic science standards, among many other programs.

After graduation, McClary worked for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division in computer operations. But it wasnt long before he discovered that examining documents was a calling that allowed him to use both his logical and artistic sides.

Forensic document examination looks at the creative side of people as well as the investigative side, McClary says. Im very detail-oriented, and this job definitely appeals to that.

McClary spent two years training with the SLED in courses offered by the FBI and U.S. Secret Service, learning to examine and compare hand printing, indentations on paper, ink comparisons and even piecing together shredded documents  skills hed use to help obtain guilty pleas from criminals like the Olympic Park Bomber and convictions of arsonists and illegal arms dealers.

Modern day Sherlock

Whats important to know is what handwriting cant tell you, McClary says.

Handwriting cant tell if someone is right or left-handed, their age or their race, he says. But it can reveal a lot about a persons habits and writing patterns, given enough information. He says an extensive and contemporary writing sample from a person is vital to being able to determine if they are the creator of a piece of evidence.

For the document analysis itself, McClary uses a variety of high-tech devices to examine the different properties of the materials he is studying. A video spectral comparator detects differences in inks and paper by using alternate spectral wavelengths of visible and invisible light. At about the size and shape of a toaster oven, the comparator works a bit like one as well, too. Only instead of heat radiating down, light shines onto the document through different filters. The document is then viewed through a camera and computer monitor, and as the wavelength of the light is adjusted, the picture changes.

My time at UofSC afforded me the ability to collaborate and socialize with many different types of people. It started me off on the right foot. Carl McClary, psychology alumnus

McClary also uses an electrostatic detection apparatus to expose indented writing and a light box to aid in the discrimination of papers. The apparatus works by applying an electrostatic charge to a document containing suspected indented writing. A clear film is stretched over the document and then charge-sensitive toner reveals areas of indented writing. The image is made permanent as a lift by placing clear sticky plastic over the toner, producing a fixed transparent image.

And, of course, among the more recognizable tools McClary uses: a microscope.

In his career case, McClary used handwriting examination in the Eric Rudolph case, also known as the Centennial Olympic Park Bomber, in Atlanta in the mid 1990s. The bomber was suspected to have written and mailed several long letters to local news agencies. McClary compared those and other writings to documents bearing Rudolphs known handwriting and determined that Rudolph may have written some of the letters.

In another case, authorities discovered husband and wife law enforcement agents were selling firearms illegally out of their home. McClary spent five months piecing together shredded documents that were used to help convict the couple.

In addition to more than 45 court appearances, McClary contributes some of his expertise to the AAFS. He has worn many hats at the academy, including chairing the Questioned Documents Section, which studies documents to determine their authenticity. He has served on the board of directors, as vice president and finally president starting in February 2021.

In his presidency, McClary has worked to uphold the AAFS mission to provide collaborative research, quality education and recognize leadership to advance forensic science. He helped implement a strategic plan that included a rebranding initiative and website overhaul, pivoting to digital and hybrid conference models, and continuing to digitize content into an on-demand format  making it easier for those domestically and internationally to gain access.

The annual AAFS Scientific Conference in Seattle, Washington, typically draws over 3,000 world-renowned professionals. This year, the conference will consist of virtual and in-person workshops and individual scientific presentations thanks to McClarys leadership. Hundreds of experts from around the world will present content in the 11 forensic disciplines, including anthropology, criminalistics, psychiatry, questioned documents and toxicology.

Whats next

McClarys term as president ended in February, but he will still chair on two of its committees. Hell also soon be retiring from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Forensic Lab in Atlanta after 26 years serving as senior questioned documents examiner.

As far as retirement goes, McClary doesnt plan to slow all the way down. He says hell stay involved professionally through various groups he is a member of, possibly assist with case peer-reviews and maybe a speaking engagement or two around the country.

McClary is also looking forward to a very special episode of Forensic Files  he recently was interviewed for the documentary-style television show that highlights how forensic science is used to solve crime.

I think 10-year-old me would be very proud that Ive reached this point in my life and career, McClary says.

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A Palo Alto software company announced the death of one of its workers in Ukraine who was killed together with her two children by Russian mortar artillery on Sunday.

SE Rankings Chief Accountant Tatiana Perebeinis and her children were attempting to evacuate from Irpin, near Kyiv, after the citys water, electricity and heating systems were shut off.
As California eases some of its COVID-19 restrictions, state courts have started to move in the same direction, tightening timetables for civil trials and criminal court hearings. Judicial leaders are also considering restoring rules for in-person criminal trials, but may ask lawmakers to continue to let defendants appear remotely.

After Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted most of the states indoor masking requirements Feb. 15, Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye said last week she would withdraw, effective April 30, several court emergency orders she imposed in March 2020.

One order allows judges in felony criminal cases to hold a preliminary hearing 30 days after a defendant is charged, instead of the previous 10-day deadline. At a preliminary hearing, the judge decides whether prosecutors have presented enough evidence to proceed with their case. Another order extended by 60 days the previous deadlines for starting trials in civil cases.

Cantil-Sakauye said she would also revoke orders that gave local courts broad authority to conduct proceedings remotely, and that allowed courts to adopt pandemic-related rules without 45 days of public comment, as previously required.

Citing Newsoms orders, the chief justice said, these events mark an important and hopeful change as the residents and government of our state transition to a semblance of pre-COVID-19 California.

In a follow-up action, the state Judicial Council, chaired by Cantil-Sakauye, said it would meet Friday to consider repealing the remaining emergency court rules as of June 30.

One rule allows criminal defendants to appear remotely at court proceedings and waive their right to be physically present at trials that their lawyers attend in person. But the council said it would consider sponsoring legislation that would preserve, by state law rather than regulations, the current system authorizing remote appearances.

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Another rule that could be withdrawn increased the duration of court orders prohibiting individuals from possessing firearms if they had committed acts of domestic violence, or if a close family member or law enforcement officer persuaded a judge that the person would be dangerous if armed.

Before the pandemic, the orders had been limited to 21 days. The 2020 rules, now being reconsidered, authorize an initial ban on gun possession of up to 90 days. With either deadline, a judge could extend the ban for five years after a hearing.

The council said it would also consider repealing rules that extended deadlines for filing lawsuits.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
Four months after raiding Dominic Foppolis home, the Sonoma County Sheriffs Office has passed off a portion of its criminal investigation into the former Windsor mayor to the California Attorney Generals Office for review.

Sgt. Juan Valencia, a spokesperson for the Sheriffs Office, called the hand-off a first major step in nearing the completion of the investigation into sexual assault allegations against Foppoli, 39, a rising politician in Wine Country before a series of Chronicle investigations documented the womens accusations last year.

Valencia said they are working closely with the Attorney Generals Office, which is reviewing part of the case to see if additional follow up is needed. He declined to provide details on which part of the investigation had been handed over or when the inquiry would be complete, saying there was no timeline yet for when the report is going to be finalized.

When the investigation does conclude, the Attorney Generals Office can decide whether to pursue charges against Foppoli. A spokesperson for the state office declined to comment, saying in an email, To protect its integrity, we're unable to comment on an ongoing investigation.

Foppoli, who has previously denied sexually assaulting any of the women, did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.

This decision by the Sheriffs Office comes months after its investigators raided the former mayors Windsor home in November, seizing laptops, iPads and cameras. Weeks earlier, a woman had made a new allegation of sexual assault against Foppoli that, if pursued by prosecutors, would fall within the legal statute of limitations, the Sheriffs Office confirmed at the time.

Jessica Christian / The Chronicle

Thirteen women have accused Foppoli of sexual assault or misconduct. The alleged incidents, which include rape, groping and nonconsensual oral copulation, were said to have occurred between 2002 through 2021.

The Sheriffs Office launched its criminal investigation on April 8 in response to The Chronicles first investigation, which documented four womens allegations against Foppoli. Within a week, the Sonoma County District Attorneys Office recused itself; Windsor Vice Mayor Esther Lemus, who was a deputy district attorney at the time, told law enforcement that Foppoli had sexually assaulted her following a night of drinking in February 2020. The Attorney Generals office began working with the sheriff.

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Foppoli is also facing a second ongoing criminal investigation in Florida. Former reality TV star and social media influencer Farrah Abraham filed a report with the Palm Beach Police Department last year, accusing Foppoli of sexual battery in March 2021.

Foppoli resigned as mayor last year hours after Chronicle reporters sent him questions about the Palm Beach investigation. He has also been stripped of two political appointments, and stepped down as the chief executive of Christopher Creek Winery, the estate he co-owns outside of Healdsburg.

Despite the scandal, Foppoli has not ruled out running for mayor again in the November election.

Alexandria Bordas and Cynthia Dizikes are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: alexandria.bordas@sfchronicle.com cdizikes@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @CrossingBordas @cdizikes
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An 84-year-old San Diego man with an ignominious past won the endorsement of the state Democratic Party over the weekend, despite a history that includes spousal abuse, legal sanctions for being a slumlord and a restraining order keeping him away from an actor on a beloved TV sitcom.

Michael Mike Schaefer, who calls himself The Equalizer, is running for re-election to the state Board of Equalization, a post he first won in 2018. Schaefer represents five Southern California counties  San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Imperial. The largely unknown board regulates and administers property taxes, alcoholic beverage taxes and taxes on insurers.

The oldest Californian to hold a state constitutional office, Schaefer has a lengthy political past  much of it unsuccessful. An attorney by training, Schaefer has also run afoul of the law multiple times, and has been disbarred in California and Nevada.

The California Democratic Party did not weigh in on the race in 2018, when Schaefer faced Republican Joel Anderson, who was fresh off his own scandal in which he was reprimanded by state Senate leaders for confronting a Capitol lobbyist and threatening to bitch slap her. Anderson went on to win a seat on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors in 2020.

But during its convention held over the weekend, the Democratic Party voted to support Schaefer in his re-election bid.

In his speech to the convention, he said that he deserved the partys endorsement because he spent the last four years fighting for tax justice and equity for all Californians and that he worked with Newsom to help small businesses avoid tax penalties during COVID.

When the pandemic struck, I worked with Gov. Newsom to initiate an executive order that helps small businesses by delaying penalty statements for property tax statements and lead deadlines and that helped to keep many small businesses afloat during trying times, he said. I co-led a 50 person statewide COVID tax force that created many innovative solutions to protect our taxpayers and reform our tax laws.

But the endorsement is surprising, given Schaefers past.

He was accused  and eventually acquitted  in a 1970 Yellow Cab bribery scandal in San Diego, when he served on the City Council. He was convicted of misdemeanor spousal abuse and jailed in 1993, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune, and was ordered by a jury in 1986 to pay $1.83 million to former tenants in Los Angeles who sued because they said their apartments, rented from Schaefer, were overrun with rats, cockroaches, sewage and street gangs, according to the Los Angeles Times. And in 2013, a Nevada court ordered him to stay at least 100 feet away from actor and comedian Brad Garrett, who played a cop and brother in Everybody Loves Raymond, after he allegedly stalked the actor following a dispute over a complimentary ticket to a Las Vegas show.

Gary Gartner, Schaefers chief deputy, said people should focus not on Schaefers colorful past but his performance on the tax board over the past four years.

I dont see the value in going back into some of his colorful past because he has served four years advocating for taxpayers, he said. Hes 84 years old. If any of us look back, there are things weve moved on from.

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According to various media reports, he served on the San Diego City Council from 1965 through 1971 and has been a perennial candidate for offices around the state  running for Congress, state attorney general, district attorney in San Francisco and San Diego, San Diego mayor, Palm Springs mayor as well as various offices in Nevada and for the U.S. Senate, as a Republican, in Maryland.

An opponent for the Board of Equalization seat, Republican Randy Economy, says hes tallied the number of races Schaefer has entered at 33, and calls his opponents constant runs for public office a mockery of the system.

I think the circus is in town, said Economy, who was a senior adviser and chief spokesperson for the unsuccessful campaign to recall Newsom. He snuck in on a lark and a whim last time, and now the Democratic Party is adopting his bizarre idiotic demeanor and his past.

In a brief interview before he filed papers for his re-election Tuesday, Schaefer told The Chronicle that if his past were so bad, How did I get elected four years ago?

He said voters should see the very strong job Ive done the past four years.

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@ctuan

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Schaefer as a former member of the Tustin City Council.
A little-known California law bars drivers from honking their horns, except to warn other motorists or pedestrians. In the case of a woman who beeped in support of political protesters, a federal appeals court pondered Monday whether some applications of the law violate freedom of expression.

Susan Porter was pulled over by a San Diego County sheriffs deputy in October 2017 after honking a number of times while driving past a weekly demonstration outside the office of Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista (San Diego County), protesting his support of President Donald Trump. The citation against her, punishable by a fine, was dropped when the officer failed to appear in court, but Porter then sued for violation of her free-speech rights. Issa, meanwhile, decided not to seek re-election in 2018, then returned to Congress after winning election in a nearby district in 2020.

U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel  the same judge Trump called a biased hater in 2016 while Curiel was presiding over a fraud suit by students at the now-defunct Trump University  ruled that the officer who stopped Porter had legitimate concerns about noise and public safety. But in an appeal by Porter, a panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals seemed divided Monday on whether the law was overbroad and whether enforcement could be limited to honking that caused actual harm.

You could pass a more targeted statute, like one that limits the number of honks, Judge Marsha Berzon told a lawyer for the state at a hearing in Pasadena. Youre not protecting clear speech in a public forum.

Deputy Attorney General Sharon OGrady replied that the law, passed more than 100 years ago, is directed to conduct, not speech, and that narrowing its enforcement would subject neighborhoods to more noise.

She appeared to draw support from Edward Korman, a federal judge from New York temporarily assigned to the appeals court, who said exempting protests from the law would require police to decide why drivers were honking their horns. People in the neighborhood have rights as well, he said.

Berzon acknowledged that it could be difficult to distinguish between expressive and disruptive honking. And the third panel member, Judge Michelle Friedland, said that when you honk your horn, nobody knows what youre saying.

Porter was backed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the First Amendment Coalition. David Loy, legal director of the First Amendment Coalition, said courts, and neighbors, can usually tell the difference between free expression and disruptive or dangerous noise, even when the sound is wordless.

People understand in context when a horn is used to express a message, Loy told the court. The point of the First Amendment is to protect freedom of expression, not the convenience of the government.

He said Porter had previously taken part in a number of protests outside Issas office but, after her traffic stop, had been deterred from honking her horn at other demonstrations. The Vista office was alongside a freeway, Loy said, and the chanting of the protesters was matched or exceeded in noise volume by a counterprotesters loudspeaker.

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While OGrady said 40 states have horn-restriction laws similar to Californias, Loy said a New Mexico community, Rio Rancho, has effectively narrowed its law to prohibit only honking that distracts other drivers or disturbs the peace. He also said courts have refused to enforce laws against standing on traffic medians when they are used to arrest political protesters, but allowed their enforcement against those who try to camp on medians.

But OGrady said the state law can be enforced without interfering with free speech.

Nothing was preventing Ms. Porter from expressing her message, the state lawyer said. All that is at issue in this case was the noise made by her horn.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
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The Palm Beach Police Department has suspended its criminal investigation into a sexual battery allegation made against former Windsor Mayor Dominic Foppoli, a spokesperson for the agency said Tuesday.

All of our investigative leads at this time have been exhausted, but should future investigative leads come to light the case could be reopened, Capt. Will Rothrock told The Chronicle. He declined to provide further details.

Last April  days before The Chronicle published an investigation detailing four other womens allegations against Foppoli  former reality TV star Farrah Abraham filed a police report accusing the then-mayor of sexual assault while they were both in Palm Beach in March.

While Foppoli denied the allegations, and has said he never assaulted anyone, he resigned from his post as mayor hours after Chronicle reporters sent him questions about the Florida police investigation. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story.

Abrahams lawyer, Spencer Kuvin, said she was frustrated after learning that the criminal investigation had stalled. He said he plans to file a lawsuit against Foppoli on behalf of Abraham.

We will seek justice through the courts regardless of what the Police Department has decided, Kuvin told The Chronicle in a phone interview.

The Sonoma County Sheriffs Office, meanwhile, is working to complete its criminal probe into other sexual assault allegations against Foppoli, a co-owner of Christopher Creek Winery outside Healdsburg. Sgt. Juan Valencia said investigators recently passed off part of their case to the California Attorney General.

This is a first major step in nearing the completion of the investigation, said Valencia, a spokesperson for the Sheriffs Office. There is no timeline yet for when the report is going to be finalized.

The move by the Sheriffs Office comes months after investigators raided Foppolis Windsor home in November, seizing laptops, cameras and iPads. Weeks earlier, a woman had made a new allegation of sexual assault against Foppoli that, if pursued by prosecutors, would fall within the legal statute of limitations, the Sheriffs Office confirmed at the time.

Valencia declined to provide details on which part of the investigation was given to the Attorney Generals Office or when the inquiry would be complete.

A spokesperson for the Attorney Generals Office confirmed Tuesday that it had started to receive investigative details from the Sheriffs Office, but declined to comment further.

Traci Carrillo, a former prosecutor representing several of the women who have accused Foppoli of sexual assault, said she was encouraged by the development.

I wish it would move faster, Carrillo said. But it is the type of case where they are going to be methodical.

Kuvin said he did not know why police in Palm Beach suspended the case, but that the decision would not deter him from moving forward in suing Foppoli. The West Palm Beach-based attorney, whose clients have included women who brought civil cases against Jeffrey Epstein and Bill Cosby, said that many sexual assault investigations become one persons word against another, making it difficult for police to move forward with a criminal case.

The Chronicle previously reported that Abraham alleged that Foppoli had committed sexual battery with his hands/feet/teeth at a home in Palm Beach, according to an April 2 police incident report.

Kuvin shared more details of the allegation on Tuesday, saying that Abraham was cognitively incapacitated at the time of the alleged assault. Once Abraham regained consciousness, she immediately ran out of the home where she had been with Foppoli.

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She was completely unable to consent, Kuvin said. When she woke up from that state she was devastated at what happened.

Abraham provided investigators with photographs, video and audio supporting her account, Kuvin said, and received medical attention in California in the weeks that followed.

She was incredibly traumatized by the event, Kuvin said. She has since been trying to get help, improve herself and get treatment for what shes gone through.

On a video posted to her personal Instagram account on March 1, Abraham said she would be taking a break from social media to enter a 28-day trauma treatment center.

I am taking time for my healing since I have ignored people for over 11 months after having a sexual assault, Abraham said in the video. I am looking forward to understanding more medically what I can do for myself.

Thirteen women, including Abraham, have accused Foppoli, 39, of sexual assault or misconduct. The alleged incidents include rape, groping and nonconsensual oral copulation and were said to have occurred between 2002 through 2021.

Foppoli was stripped of two political appointments and stepped down as the chief executive of Christopher Creek Winery. He has not ruled out running for mayor again in the towns November election.

Alexandria Bordas (she/they) and Cynthia Dizikes (she/her) are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: alexandria.bordas@sfchronicle.com, cdizikes@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @CrossingBordas, @cdizikes
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Chardonnay can be the best wine. It can also be the worst wine.

In its highest form, most wine experts will agree, Chardonnay can be complex, expressive and deeply flavorful, with the potential to age gracefully for 10 years or more. White wines from Frances Burgundy region, almost always made from Chardonnay, are considered the pinnacle of what this grape variety can achieve. Unfortunately, those wines are no longer accessible to the average wine drinker, with bottles from sought-after producers easily exceeding $100. (Bottles from the most sought-after producers, like Coche-Dury, can cost several thousand dollars.)

At the low end, meanwhile, Chardonnay is often fashioned into a cloying, flat, off-putting specimen. In an effort to pander to a certain type of consumer, wineries making inexpensive Chardonnay often overemphasize two specific flavors: oak and butter. Weve all tasted a Chardonnay like this, one that smells exactly like movie-popcorn butter and tastes like a toasted-vanilla cookie. Lets be honest: More often than not, Chardonnays in this style come from California.

Theres a big audience for this kind of Chardonnay, of course; otherwise the wineries wouldnt bother making it. But theres also a not-insignificant share of the wine-drinking population that hates the oaky, buttery profile and has  alas  sworn off California Chardonnay entirely because of it. So vocal is this contingent that theyve given themselves a name: the ABC Club, for Anything but Chardonnay.

Heres the good news. It is indeed possible to find not-disgusting Chardonnay  yes, even from California  without paying white Burgundy prices. In fact, its possible to find quite delicious Chardonnay in this range. I sifted through a few dozen bottles that are widely available at retail for under $20. Several were predictably oaky and buttery; I poured them down the drain. Many were bland, as if they were trying so hard to avoid the oaky-buttery cliche that they ended up not tasting like anything at all.

But a select few were lovely. Whether they were made in a richer, creamier style or a leaner, more restrained one, all of these wines tasted balanced. Some showed traces of oaky and buttery flavors, but they never overpowered the core of the wine. All had enough bright, refreshing acidity to make me want another sip.

The prices on each of these wines may fluctuate by a few dollars depending on the retailer, but I purchased all of them for $20 or less. I purchased about half from K&L Wine Merchants and the rest from Wine.com.

The best California Chardonnays for $20 or less

Esther Mobley / The Chronicle

Chamisal Stainless Chardonnay Central Coast 2019 ($14.95, 13.5%): This winery in San Luis Obispo Countys Edna Valley has produced a laser-like Chardonnay that still manages to express plenty of flavor. Flinty rock, lime zest and white flowers come through on the nose, leading into the impression of hazelnut.

Olema Chardonnay Sonoma County 2019 ($15.95, 13.8%): A surprisingly multifaceted wine for the price, the Olema Chardonnay smells like beeswax and lemon verbena. Its on the more restrained, steely side, not at all rich, leaning into the herbal, floral side of this grape variety.

Le Ptit Paysan Jacks Hill Chardonnay Monterey County 2018 ($20, 12.5%): Ian Brand, a onetime Chronicle Winemaker of the Year, has made a serious Chardonnay thats aligned stylistically with much more expensive bottlings. It smells flinty and minerally, and tastes like a just-ripe slice of pineapple. Beautifully crisp acidity and a mercifully low alcohol content make this a wine that you could shamelessly drink at lunch.

Presquile Chardonnay Santa Barbara County 2019 ($18.95, 13.2%): Toasted almond, green apple and papaya coalesce in this beautiful wine from a dependable Santa Barbara winery. It tastes full and round without conveying any of the oak-butter flavor complex.

Foxglove Chardonnay Central Coast 2018 ($14.95, 13.6%): Foxglove, a spin-off label of the venerable Varner winery, perennially produces some of Californias best-value wines, and this Chardonnay is a great example. This is a medium-rich wine, with subtle hints of toasty vanilla and a creamy mouthfeel. Sharp acidity and a light sprinkling of salt keep the wine in balance.

True Myth Chardonnay Paragon Vineyard Edna Valley 2019 ($18, 14.2%): Orange blossom and vanilla notes come through on this charming Edna Valley wine, which strikes a nice mix of soft creaminess and citrus-driven focus.

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Bloodroot Chardonnay Sonoma Coast 2019 ($19.99, 13.8%): This companion brand to Healdsburgs Reeve Wines proves its possible to offer a delicious Chardonnay from the pricey Sonoma Coast growing region without charging a fortune. Aromas of clean linen and sandalwood lead into a lightly creamy palate that veers toward vanilla and Meyer lemon.

Buehler Chardonnay Russian River Valley 2018 ($14.95, 13.9%): Buehler Vineyards is located near Napa Valleys Howell Mountain, but the winery sources these Chardonnay grapes from Sonoma County. Crunchy Golden Delicious apple and salted caramel mingle in this fuller-bodied but still balanced wine. Its a good choice for someone who wants a small dose of the oaky-buttery profile but not too much of it.

Wente Chardonnay Riva Ranch Vineyard Arroyo Seco ($18.99, 13.5%): This very tropical Chardonnay recalls papaya, kiwi and even Pez candy, with firm acidity and medium weight. Although Wente Vineyards is primarily based in Livermore, this wine comes from its Monterey County vineyard, Riva Ranch.

Artesa Chardonnay Carneros 2019 ($19.99, 13.1%): A restrained Chardonnay from a Spanish-owned estate in Napas Carneros region, this wine tastes like apricots and apples, with a creamy mouthfeel that finishes with a note of salted caramel.

Saintsbury Chardonnay Sangiacomo Vineyard Carneros 2019 ($19.99, 13.5%): One of Napas best producers of single-vineyard Pinot Noir also shows a deft hand with Chardonnay. This wine gives the impression of butterscotch, sea salt and apple pie, yet doesnt burden the drinker with any of the sweet richness that those notes might imply. Bright acidity and a clean finish hold it all in check.

Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicles senior wine critic. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley
Regarding Car-free roads arent just for young, fit and affluent (Bay Area & Business, March 6): Not every disabled or older person can afford or have the wherewithal to use a mobility cart as pictured in Heather Knights column.

This is such a short-sighted argument to make it look like a solution for the older people and the disabled who want to go to museums in Golden Gate Park. I hope you never have to escort a parent in the early stages of dementia who is unable to walk far or stand for long periods, climb steps to get on public transportation or figure out where to go. Its heartbreaking to watch. Yet, with accommodations and easy access  yes, by automobile  its a joy to see the smile on their faces when they get the opportunity to go to a museum show.

For me, taking my late mother to see Bouquets to Arts at the de Young was a delight and wonderful memory that would never have been possible in a car-free park.

KT Jakel, Lafayette

Bridge not golden for all

Re: Grand visions laid foundation for Golden Gate Bridge glory (Bay Area & Business, March 5): While the writer waxed poetic about the Golden Gate Bridge, he failed to mention one key fact: This bridge is one of the top magnets for suicide in the world. Having lost my 17-year-old daughter to this bridge, I and thousands of others whove lost children and loved ones to the Golden Gate see nothing glorious about it.

John Brooks, Fairfax

Mandate vaccinations

Regarding Public schools in S.F. reverse course on masks (Front Page, March 5): While I welcome the ability to speak to my classes unmuffled, I am perplexed that the San Francisco Board of Education mustered the courage to repeal the mask mandate but continues its inaction on any serious vaccine mandate.

Everyone entering school buildings ages 5 and up, those medically exempted aside, should be vaccinated.

Period.

As Mayor London Breed selects her nominees for recalled school board members, I hope she prioritizes a robust commitment to science on the question of mandatory vaccines.

Much hay was made last summer about the vaccines emergency use authorization and whether the school district had legal authority, which led to our weak tea, staff-only, utterly optional mandate.

The school board should levy the mandate today, check vaccine cards at the door and have shots available for all who need them. The time has passed for sophistry. Its time for action.

John Lisovsky, San Francisco

Population is a problem

Regarding Overpopulation is not the issue, (Insight, March 6): When I read Matthew Fleischers column, I couldnt help but feel he was doing his readers a grave disservice.

Fleischer correctly points out that increased urban density is preferable to suburban sprawl, but more urgently, we are Earths dominant species on the brink of overpopulating ourselves into nonexistence. Worse, well be dragging other higher life forms along for the ride.

For an editorial page editor to write a column under such a misleading headline without even mentioning the crisis of overpopulation is very discouraging.

David Kelso, Oakland

Take back oligarch cash

News reports suggest that over $100 trillion of Russian funds have been frozen by the international banking system. A lot of that money has apparently been stolen by the kleptocrats and oligarchs who have been systemically bleeding the Russian people for years.

I propose that the estimated sum be published as a bar graph in your newspaper daily. In addition, we should call on the leaders of the free world to ensure that those funds be returned proportionately to each individual in Russia in a fair manner once it can be assured that it would not be taken from them again.

This is an economic stimulus that Vladimir Putin could never provide his people, but we could. Money talks.
The Bay Area town of Woodside recently found itself in the international spotlight, and not in a good way. Officials in the town of 5,000 in the heavily forested foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains wanted to pause housing applications under SB9, a law meant to encourage construction, because they believed Woodside is habitat for mountain lions and wanted to await a determination from the state on whether the species would be protected.

The issue raised a question that has garnered widespread mockery: To what extent should developed areas with single-family homes be considered habitat for mountain lions?

California Attorney General Rob Bonta gave his unequivocal answer in a statement he issued last month chastising Woodside officials. Habitat is land that has the capacity to support a specific species, including providing food and shelter, he said. Land that is already developed  with, for example, a single-family home  is not, by definition, habitat.

Bontas tone was undoubtedly meant to send a message to all California communities who have been reluctant to get on board with the states new housing laws. But his rationale in rebuffing Woodsides claim is incorrect.

Bottom line: Building a house  or a duplex  on a plot of land does not eliminate the ability of that land to support wildlife and native plants.

For those who have never been, Woodside isnt the lawn-filled suburban enclave you might have guessed from its recent media depiction. The town is adjacent to large, natural open spaces, part of whats called the wildland-urban interface  that is, a place where people and wildlife share space and resources. In these areas, homes are intermingled with redwood forest and coast live-oak woodland, accessed via narrow, winding mountain roads. Deer are much more common than transit stops (the only bus that serves Woodside only runs on Saturdays). And not coincidentally, these heavily wooded hillsides with their challenging terrain are also wildfire hazard zones.

Whatever you may think of state housing policies, one thing is true: Woodside is indeed mountain lion habitat, and treating that habitat responsibly is critical to the survival of this species.

Mountain lions, also knowns as cougars, once freely roamed the hills, forests and grasslands of the Bay Area. Their habitat has been severely degraded by development. But these big cats still live here. There are only around 2,000 to 3,000 cougars left in California. They are currently a candidate species under the California Endangered Species Act, giving them the same protection as threatened and endangered species. Mountain lions are at the top of the food chain. A robust cougar population keeps the whole ecosystem in balance.

That ecosystem includes many California neighborhoods. Unfortunately, the controversy in California over housing density has raised the political stakes to the extent that it has generated gravely misinformed public statements about wildlife habitat. The assumption that anything short of a state or national park isnt habitat and has no conservation value is inaccurate and damaging to efforts aimed at preserving biodiversity.

Indeed, the Bay Area is a biodiversity hotspot equal to Madagascar, and towns in the foothills to the west of Interstate 280 contain much of that biodiversity. These areas are threatened by human development; they make up just 2.5 percent of the planets surface but represent an outsize opportunity to protect a large variety of species. This demands land use planning with extra care.

Woodside inarguably has areas of mountain lion habitat. We therefore have a particular obligation to take account of the habits and needs of cougars when building here. Most importantly, we should prioritize protecting key wildlife corridors when planning for development. Our plans should account for the needs of wildlife, especially large mammals, that require room to roam, feed and breed.

This issue is not unique to the Peninsula. Ventura County just passed ordinances requiring environmental review for projects that may hinder wildlife connectivity. Wildlife crossings being built across Highway 17 in the Santa Cruz Mountains and across Highway 101 northwest of Los Angeles show efforts to connect wildlife habitat are necessary and possible. Both wildlife crossings will save human and animal lives and increase efforts to keep species from dying out by allowing cougars and other animals to access additional habitats and populations. Recognizing the ecological crisis caused by divided habitats across the U.S., Congress recently allocated $350 million to support these types of crossings.

In other words, habitat is not something only found in remote wilderness areas.

Even as we must plan for adequate affordable housing for all Californians, we must also protect sufficient habitat for our states wild animals and plants to survive, particularly in the wildland-urban interface.

No, that doesnt mean mountain lions will drop dead if we build duplexes. But it does mean housing goals can and should exist alongside our obligation to preserve our environment, keep people safe in an era of increasing wildfires and create housing policies that recognize the importance of wildlife in our extraordinary state.

As our planet faces an existential biodiversity crisis, lets remember that mountain lions deserve a place to live, too.

Nancy Reyering is a 35-year resident of Woodside and is president of the San Mateo County Harbor District.
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A jury found San Francisco Police Officer Terrance Stangel not guilty of assault and battery charges he faced for striking a man with a baton while on duty in 2019, closing a chapter on a landmark police use-of-force case in the city.

The verdict came on what was the fourth day of deliberations after weeks of testimony from officers, experts, witnesses, Stangel and the alleged victim, Dacari Spiers.

Jurors said they were unable to reach consensus on a charge of assault under the color of authority, with nine jurors voting not guilty and three voting guilty. Judge Teresa Caffese declared a mistrial on the fourth count, and prosecutors did not immediately announce whether they plan to refile that charge.

Stangel was the first known San Francisco officer to be criminally tried for allegations of excessive force while on duty.

He was acquitted of charges of battery involving serious bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon and assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury  with an allegation that he did in fact cause great bodily injury. Stangel faced up to seven years behind bars, had he been convicted.

Upon the jurors reading of the third not guilty verdict, Stangel and his attorney, Nicole Pifari, jumped up and hugged each other, while spectators throughout the courtroom gasped or murmured cheers.

Pifari, who addressed reporters outside the courtroom shortly after the verdict was read, said the trial was based on a garbage case and the political motivations of progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin, who has made police accountability a central tenet of his administration.

This is a matter that should have never ended up in front of a judge, let alone a jury, Pifari said. At the end of the day, (Stangel) is a highly trained officer who did exactly what he was trained to do.

Rachel Marshall, a spokesperson for the District Attorneys Office, said the jurors inability to reach a verdict on the fourth count showed that there were issues of great concern.

This case is a reminder of the many challenges, the uphill battle, to hold police accountable, Marshall said. Among these challenges, she said, was a tendency to criminalize victims and a lack of diversity on the jury, she said.

There were no Black members of the jury. Stangel is white, and Spiers is Black.

Curtis Briggs, an attorney for Spiers, said that despite the verdict, the trial was a victory for our community to bring these types of cases to the jury. ... We have a long way to go to make our community safe from unnecessary police violence, and this trial was a huge step in the right direction, Briggs said.

The case stemmed from an incident on the evening of Oct. 6, 2019, when police received a domestic violence call about a man choking and dragging a woman on the street near Fishermans Wharf.

Stangel and his partner, Officer Cuauhtemoc Martinez, approached Spiers and his then-girlfriend, Breonna Richard, touching off a confrontation that culminated with Stangel striking Spiers up to eight times with his baton, including at least five times while Spiers was on the ground.

Throughout the three weeks of testimony, prosecutors and defense attorneys laid out starkly different versions about who was the aggressor in the scuffle, whether Stangel followed his police training and whether Spiers had actually abused Richard that night before police arrived.

Spiers was never charged with a crime and was later awarded a $700,000 civil settlement from the city.

Both Stangel and Spiers took the stand during the trial. Stangel maintained his use of force was justified because Spiers was battering his partner, Martinez, when Stangel arrived.

Spiers said the officers didnt identify themselves and that he was never aggressive toward them.

Boudin, who was elected among a wave of progressive prosecutors across the country, vowed since the beginning of his campaign to hold officers accountable for wrongdoing. He is currently prosecuting five other officers in use-of-force cases, though none of the others have gone before juries yet.

During impassioned closing arguments last week, defense attorney Pifari called the case a politically motivated prosecution, without mentioning Boudins name.

Pifari said Stangel had jumped to the defense of Martinez, whom Pifari said was being battered by Spiers.

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All (Stangel) had to believe was that he or Martinez was in imminent danger of suffering bodily injury or being touched unlawfully, Pifari said, adding that Stangel immediately stopped the beating as soon as he could neutralize the threat.

In the prosecutions closing arguments, Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Young said Stangel failed to give Spiers a reasonable command before he started beating him with the baton, and that he had multiple occasions to reassess the situation and to stop striking Spiers.

Five strikes when hes lying on the ground, in the fetal position, writhing in pain, is proof beyond a reasonable doubt of assault and battery, Young said.

Young, who spoke to the jury after the verdict was read, said jurors felt Martinez had initiated the confrontation, used poor police tactics, and that Stangel was confronted with a bad situation.

They also said the fact that Stangel didnt strike Spiers again after the officer held Spiers legs down was enough reasonable doubt to whether Stangel used excessive force, Young said.

Lt. Tracy McCray, acting president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association, said the police union was very relieved at the verdict.

Our jobs are very complex, she said. Sometimes were compelled to take action on limited information and make a split-second decision that could have far-reaching consequences.

Stangels case triggered the most visible rift to date between District Attorney Chesa Boudin and Police Chief Bill Scott, with pretrial testimony prompting Scott to pull out of an agreement that names Boudins office the chief investigator in the police departments serious use-of-force cases.

Scott alleged that the District Attorneys office withheld from police evidence that would have been favorable to Stangel. Boudin fired back his own allegations that it was police who withheld evidence from prosecutors. A judge in a related civil case recently found that police had improperly kept evidence from Spiers attorneys, and sanctioned the department.

Boudin and Scott are currently working to renegotiate an agreement that would keep Boudins office as the lead investigator in police cases.

Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, prices at the pump are exploding across the United States. The national average for a gallon of gas hit $4.17 on Tuesday; that's 55 cents more than a week ago, AAA said.

California's average price rose above $5 a gallon for the first time ever, hitting $5.44 on Tuesday. News of shockingly high prices across the Golden State is spreading. The Chevron in the town of Mendocino was selling regular gas at $8.45 a gallon on Tuesday.

Is there an end in sight to the high gas prices?

That's the million-dollar question, said Patrick de Haan, head of petroleum analysis at Gas Buddy.

Gado/Gado via Getty Images

De Haan said significant gas price increases are expected to continue through the first part of this week, but there are signs that the rate of increase could slow by the end of the week. "The biggest of increases are maybe behind us," he said. "I could say likely, but oil markets are very volatile."

A slowdown in the price increase is promising, but when will we actually start to see a drop?

De Haan told SFGATE that he doesn't see a drop coming yet, if at all, noting that California's average could near $6  and an increasing number of stations in the Golden State may charge over $8 a gallon.

Photo courtesy of Edward Thomas

"We really don't know at this point what will happen and what escalation could happen next to drive oil prices up again," de Haan said in a video news update posted on Facebook. "And when could this peak? Again, these are really tough questions to accurately answer because the situation is unfolding. We could think that this week will peak, and then next week there could be something else that completely changes the situation. It's hard to give any assurances on where we're going, how high we'll get and when we'll get there."

Severin Borenstein, an energy economist at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, echoed this sentiment.

"I cannot tell you when gasoline prices will start to decline, because I can't tell you when crude oil prices will," Borenstein wrote in an email. "And anyone who claims they can, you should be highly suspicious of. It all depends on whether Russia continues its aggression in Ukraine and how the U.S. and Western Europe choose to punish Russia for that. I continue to hope that Putin will see that this is not worth the damage he's doing to Russia and will figure out a way to declare victory and pull back, but that isn't looking likely."

The price of crude oil drives the cost of gas and it has risen dramatically as the U.S. and other countries impose sanctions on Russia, removing millions of barrels from the global supply. On Tuesday, the Associated Press reported President Joe Biden will ban Russian oil imports. The supply crunch is putting pressure on a market that was already squeezed as demand rebounded after a lull during the COVID-19 pandemic.

AAA spokesperson Aldo Vazquez said the price of a barrel of oil was about $60 in August and last month was hovering around $90 a barrel for several weeks. After the invasion of Ukraine, it rose to $100, and this week it's over $115 a barrel. In early trading on Tuesday, the price of crude had already soared to over $127 a barrel.

Now that Russia has invaded Ukraine, the United States and its allies have imposed more significant financial sanctions on Russia, Vazquez told SFGATE last week. Russia is retaliating by keeping away its oil from the global oil market, and that is having significant impact on the price of crude oil.
A Northern California lawmaker was found with a loaded gun inside his travel bag, Politico reported Monday afternoon.

Democratic Assemblymember Jim Cooper, who represents the 9th District  which includes parts of Sacramento and San Joaquin counties  was found with a loaded pistol last week, Transportation Security Administration officials confirmed to Politico.

Cooper, a former sheriffs deputy, told the political news outlet he was legally able to possess a firearm in an airport. His office also said that the pistol was in his bag by accident.

TSA regulations forbid the possession of a loaded firearm in checked or carry-on baggage but permit carrying a firearm and ammunition separately in checked baggage. Politico also notes that a retired peace officer with authorization can carry a concealed weapon, but it remains illegal to possess one on a flight, even for a former officer.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office was alerted to the gun in Cooper's possession and held the weapon until Cooper returned from his trip. It is unclear where he was going, or what airport he was departing from.

Cooper is currently running to be Sacramento County's sheriff, with endorsements from many Sacramento-area mayors and the Sacramento County District Attorney, KCRA reports. The election is scheduled for June.

The progressive criminal justice news site The Appeal reported last year that Cooper has dealt with many scandals during his 30-year career, being accused of sexual harassment and conflicts with the Elk Grove mayor and city attorney during his stint as sheriffs deputy.
In February, the only remaining Woolworths lunch counter in America, located in downtown Bakersfield, poured its last cup of coffee.

Or did it?

The Woolworths buildings new owners, Sherod Waite and David Anderson, say this isnt the end for the historic lunch spot or the structure that houses it. And theyve assured the community theyre dedicated to the buildings restoration  and ostensibly to breathing new life into the citys downtown.

To do it, theyve enlisted the help of Page & Turnbull, the San Francisco-based architecture firm that played a key role in restoring the citys waterfront in the wake of the Loma Prieta earthquake.

Photo Courtesy Sherod Waite

This isnt a nostalgia play, its revitalization of a landmark, Waite, 46, says of the decision to buy the Woolworths building and fund its restoration. We wanted the [lunch] counter. We want to use the whole space. Its an icon.

To stand in front of the three-story concrete, steel and glass structure, located in the citys central business district on the corner of 19th and K streets, is to realize Waite isnt exaggerating.

On a recent weekday afternoon, there was no downtown foot traffic. The only signs of life were an old restored truck parked in front of the hollowed-out building and an empty food carton tripping down the sidewalk like a tumbleweed.

Photo By Andrew Pridgen

The Woolworths space was used primarily as an antique shop for the past quarter-century. The diner continued to run after the original department store, built in 1949, shuttered in Bakersfields downtown district in 1994 as the Woolworths company was going bankrupt, and later reopened as an antiques mall. In the decades to follow, most of the remaining Woolworths stores in the U.S., more than 4,000 locations around the world in the chains prime, were gutted or destroyed.

Not the one in Bakersfield  which in 2022 appears completely intact, down to its exterior signage.

The building is super cool, Waite says. The family that [owned it prior to us] preserved it. Theres been no remodeling. The upstairs still has a lot of the original finish work. Its just in really good shape.

Peeking inside through the original plate glass windows, one can glimpse the empty flat top grill, the stainless steel fixtures, the Formica countertop and the red vinyl stools standing guard among several thousand square feet of empty space.

Downtown Bakersfield: A little dilapidated and abandoned

Though not the tallest in the district, the three-story Woolworths building may be the most imposing.

A low-slung deco marvel, the contoured concrete facade stands out among a few stunningly intact pre- and post-war structures that have anchored the citys retail and business corridor for the better part of the past century. Theyre still there and are now either empty or used as antique storefronts or some kind of liquidation shop.

Photo By Andrew Pridgen

Downtown is a little dilapidated and abandoned, Waite says, but in that, its preserved. Weve been looking [to move our business there] for a while.

Waite says the Woolworths building became available over the summer, and he and his business partners closed escrow in November. He helps helm Moneywise Wealth Management, which, according to its website, is an independently owned, fee-based financial + investment advisory firm that is rooted in Bakersfield, CA.

The firms headquarters are on Stockdale Highway, an arterial road that stretches out to Interstate 5. Waite says hes witnessed the effects of rampant new development in the towns southwest corridor  where he grew up  noting its come at the price of a downtown that has endured decades of neglect.

Now he says he and a handful of others are attempting to reverse that trend.

Every good city needs a thriving downtown, and Bakersfield is on the brink of breaking through, he says. Were hopeful that others are interested. Some buildings were leveled in the quake of 52  but the few that are around, theres nothing like them.

A really big deal

Because they wanted to be as historically accurate as possible, Waite says he and his business partners immediately reached out to San Francisco-based Page & Turnbull, the architecture and design firm that specializes in restoration and revitalization of historical sites, including the Exploratorium at Pier 15, the Strand Theater, 140 New Montgomery, St. Josephs Church and the Ferry Building.

Photo By Andrew Pridgen

Were unusually excited about this project, says Carolyn Kiernat, a principal at Page & Turnbull. Were really thrilled when any town outside the major metros can have this kind of focus and investment. Turning the building into offices, a ground-level market hall and lunch counter with a music venue in the basement  this a really big deal for downtown Bakersfield.

Kiernat says her firm is working with Bakersfield-based architect Daniel Cater to provide preservation consultation and help him with any questions with how to treat the historic fabric of the building and determine which spaces are most important.

Daniel knows how to treat the building in a sensitive way, she says, And its great to see young architects and designers [go to work on] their towns. Were seeing a lot of money and investment in the Central Valley right now and were proud to be a part of [this] project and others like it.

While restoration work is slated to start as early as this summer, Waite notes the process thus far to get the building registered as a state and national landmark has been moving along smoothly albeit with lots of boxes to check.

Photo Courtesy Sherod Waite

We were [just in] Sacramento meeting with state Office of Historic Preservation, he says. When youre doing the work to register a building and do it right ... there are procedures [you] go through that [you] wouldnt normally. But these are parts that are interesting to us, and there are so many things we went to keep intact, and theres a process to do it right.

Waite says its sometimes overwhelming the amount of ephemera left in the building, and the task becomes more about knowing what to keep and where to put it.

The previous owner, they were collectors, they didnt throw away a thing, he says. Theres all the original stainless steel containers and storage and food preparation equipment and stools. And theres a lot of great signage throughout the building. Theres military supply kits that are up in the stockroom from the 50s and 60s. Yeah, theres some cool things.

Then, after a brief pause: Its a lot.

An active symbol of the civil rights movement

Waite acknowledges the importance of the lunch counter beyond its aesthetic and kitsch value, referencing the civil rights sit-in on Feb. 1, 1960, where Black students protested at the Woolworths lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Bettmann/Bettmann Archive

Franklin McCain was one of the original four men who walked into the segregated diner. Fifteen seconds after  I had the most wonderful feeling, he told NPR in 2008. I had a feeling of liberation, restored manhood. I had a natural high. And I truly felt almost invincible. Mind you, [I was] just sitting on a dumb stool and not having asked for service yet.

The Greensboro sit-in attracted more than 300 protesters and spread to Woolworths lunch counters across the US. Waite says a component of the research on the Bakersfield lunch counter includes civil rights activity at that particular counter, including giving local students tours of the space and educating them about the sit-ins of the early 60s. The [counter] is important because its the last one, but also because of events that may have taken place there.

Photo Courtesy Sherod Waite

It was a huge moment for the civil rights movement, he continues. And now, [this Woolworths counter is] the last in the world. Keeping that lunch counter just like it is but repurposing the rest of the building to a place where people want to go and to be  its important work that extends beyond us.

It is a two-pronged effort, Waite says, continuing and verifying research on the buildings past, alongside the actual work of restoration.

And while Waite says he doesnt have an exact timetable for when the work will be finished, hes optimistic the reopening will take place by the fall of 2023. Were really glad it came about, and to be heading downtown, he concludes. Anyone can throw up a stucco office building, but where else are you going to get a property like this?
Around 58% of Russians approve of the invasion of Ukraine, while 23% oppose it, according to a poll conducted across Russia a week into Moscow's full-scale assault.

The telephone survey, carried out last week by a group of independent survey research organizations, found relatively modest support for Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine compared to typical levels of public support in the early stages of past incursions.

The poll offers rare insight into public opinion in Russia as authorities there crack down on protests against the invasion and stifle independent media coverage.

Gary Langer, a polling expert who runs a research firm, obtained the results of the study from the Russian research organizations and shared them with The Washington Post. He declined to name the Russian firms involved due to the risks they face as Moscow tightens censorship, but said he has partnered previously with the organizations, which he described as "strong, independent survey research firms."

The national survey was conducted between Feb. 28 and March 1 among a random sample of 1,640 adults across the country. Participants were asked whether they support the Russian military operation on Ukrainian territory. The research firms released the full questionnaire and data set publicly.

Forty-six percent of respondents said they firmly supported the action and 13% said they somewhat supported it. Roughly 23% opposed the operation and 13% had no opinion or declined to answer.

Among young people, support for the war is significantly lower, according to the study. In the 18 to 24 age group, 29% indicated they back the war, while 39% were opposed. Peak support for the war, at 75%, was among respondents aged 66 and older.

Fewer than half of respondents who live in cities of more than 1 million people - 48% - supported the invasion. A higher proportion of Russians who reported that their personal finances had improved or remained steady in the past year backed the war, compared to respondents who said their financial situation has worsened.

The results are all the more striking given the dearth of reliable information inside Russia about the invasion and its bloody consequences, Langer said. The Kremlin and state media refer euphemistically to the attack on Ukraine as a "special military action" meant to "liberate" Ukrainians and "denazify" the country.

Truth is difficult to find. Some of the few remaining independent news outlets in Russia have shuttered or suspended operations, and the Kremlin has restricted foreign websites and completely blocked Facebook. A "fake news" law that Putin signed last Friday criminalizes contradiction of the official Kremlin line. Merely describing the war as such could lead to a 15-year jail sentence, posing obvious challenges for those seeking to conduct accurate polls there.

"Considering the government control of media and information in Russia, and the natural tendency of populations around the world to rally around their leadership in times of crisis, it is surprising to see this comparatively limited level of support for Putin and his government's actions," Langer said.

Before the invasion, as Russian troops massed around Ukraine's borders, a poll published by independent Russian polling agency Levada Center found that 56% of Russians said a global war was one of their biggest fears.

Still, there is plenty of evidence of public support for the Russian invasion - or at least the absence of widespread criticism. While some Russian celebrities and oligarchs have voiced opposition to the war, and thousands of protesters have been arrested in cities across Russia, others are celebrating. Outside of liberal circles, public criticism has come at a relative trickle.

The results diverge from those of a survey conducted by the government-owned polling firm VCIOM, which says it found 71% support for the "decision to conduct a special military operation." That's compared to 75% of Russians who supported Moscow's military action in Chechnya in 1999 and 91% for Putin's annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Though the VCIOM survey found higher support for the invasion of Ukraine than the independent poll, notable trends emerge from both, Langer said - "those are considerably lower support for the war in Ukraine among younger adults in Russia, among city dwellers and among people who are struggling financially or economically."

The apparent level of public backing for Russia's invasion at the start could spell trouble for Putin if the war drags on, Langer said, pointing to the downward trajectory of support for past Russian incursions and American wars in Vietnam and Afghanistan.

"Wars of choice that drag on tend to quickly lose public support," Langer said. "Add to that the vulnerability of war support when it has not only dreadful human consequences but also broad economic consequences, and you have a recipe for potential difficulty for Putin in terms of maintaining public support moving forward."
Midway through a white nationalist's conference in Orlando last month, one speaker drew applause calling for gruesome violence against "traitors" after excoriating critics of the "honorable" Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and proponents of the "bioweapon" coronavirus vaccine.

"We need to build more gallows," the speaker said, adding that such a deadly fate would "make an example of these traitors who've betrayed our country."

The speech via video at the Feb. 25 conference organized by far-right activist Nick Fuentes, who has espoused racist and antisemitic views, wasn't from another online agitator or fringe radio host.

Rather, it was delivered by Arizona state Sen. Wendy Rogers, a Republican lawmaker who represents tens of thousands of constituents and has found a rising national profile as a face of the radicalized wing of the GOP.

Rogers's trajectory shows the political and financial incentives of going to extremes. After losing her earliest races as a mainstream Republican, she moved farther and farther right until she beat an incumbent by campaigning as the more conservative choice. Now, after a year of fanning bogus allegations about election fraud and other false claims, she is the most successful fundraiser in the Arizona state legislature.

She raised nearly $2.5 million in 2021, outraising even statewide candidates for governor, attorney general and secretary of state, according to campaign finance records. Nearly $2 million of that money came from small donations from outside Arizona as she traveled the U.S. calling for the 2020 election to be overturned and demanding audits of the vote without credible evidence of fraud.

While her support for former president Donald Trump's election falsehoods puts her in line with many Republicans, Rogers has moved unapologetically farther to the edges of American politics: Calling for jailing and executing her political opponents, identifying herself as a member of the Oath Keepers militia group, and attending a conference organized by a group linked to QAnon, the violent anti-government ideology.

Her latest speech to Fuentes's group earned her a rare official rebuke from Republicans, via a 24-3 Arizona Senate vote to censure her. But she made it clear she believes such blowback only strengthens her message, as she quickly decried the elites for trying to silence her and refused to apologize or back down.

Like fellow GOP provocateurs in Congress, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., Rogers's inflammatory rhetoric has gained her widespread notice in the pro-Trump media ecosystem and on social media, making her a sought-after endorsement well beyond her rural home district around Flagstaff. Of the 20 candidates she has endorsed in this year's midterms, only two are from Arizona.

"She's so great," said Trump, who has endorsed Rogers's reelection, at an Arizona rally in January.

Rogers, 67, has now emerged as a dividing line for the GOP in Arizona and beyond. One of the party's gubernatorial candidates, former U.S. representative Matt Salmon, on Thursday called for her to resign. A spokesman for his Trump-endorsed rival for governor, Kari Lake, did not respond to a request from The Washington Post to comment.

Rogers, who declined an interview request from The Post and did not respond to a detailed list of questions, has made it clear that she had no regrets about speaking to Fuentes's group.

"This censure is nothing more than an attempt to limit my speech," she said on the Senate floor Tuesday before casting one of the three no votes. "In the end, I rejoice in knowing I do and say what is right, and I speak as a free American regardless of the actions of this corrupted process today."

- - -

A decade before she became known for her scorching rhetoric, Rogers was viewed as a traditional conservative. A retired U.S. Air Force pilot who reached the rank of lieutenant colonel, Rogers once said Arizona Sen. John McCain, who died in 2018, inspired her to seek public office.

She ran and lost five times before she found her message and moment.

In her first state Senate race in 2010, she ran on the kind of resume coveted by the political establishment: co-owner of a small business, military veteran and mother of two children. Republican supporters recall an indefatigable campaigner, biking all over the Tempe-area district to knock on thousands of doors.

Her priorities, according to an archived version of her website: create jobs, improve schools and reduce crime. Her slogan: "Work Hard. Follow Through."

She won endorsements from mainstream business groups. She talked about raising teacher pay and expanding the use of solar energy. She publicized support from Democrats.

"She was not one to make the kind of polarizing statements she makes now," said political consultant Bert Coleman, who worked on the campaign, which Rogers eventually lost to a Democratic opponent. "There were no alarms bells."

In 2015, Rogers was an early and enthusiastic supporter of Jeb Bush's presidential campaign, raising enough money to join other bundlers at his family's home in Kennebunkport, Maine. She tweeted a Post story about a Bush campaign event where he attacked Trump for not being a true conservative.

But by the spring of 2016, as the former reality television star improbably headed toward the nomination, Rogers had become a loyal Trump supporter.

After four more failed congressional bids, she turned her sights back to the state Senate in 2020. Rogers's top priority: cracking down on "illegals," according to her website.

She didn't receive an endorsement from the Arizona Chamber of Commerce - as she did in 2010 - but she didn't need it to win in 2020. Unlike a decade earlier, when she campaigned for a Tempe-area seat, Rogers was seeking to represent a more conservative and rural Senate district surrounding Flagstaff.

Rogers and her husband own a 2,900-square-foot home with a pool in Tempe, according to public records. But since 2015, she has been registered to vote about 160 miles away in Flagstaff, where records show she owns a 700-square-foot mobile home.

"Anyone with practical logic, and an open mind, can see that [her] claim of a legitimate primary residency in Flagstaff is a scam," wrote Gila County Republican Chairman Gary Morris in a news release during the 2020 campaign. At the time, a Rogers spokesman denounced the attack as a "smear" and said she lived in Flagstaff and only went to her other home to visit her grandchildren.

Absentee ballots for the primary and general elections that year were mailed to Rogers's Tempe address, according to public records. State law requires candidates live in the county they represent for at least one year before election, but the rule is rarely enforced.

Republicans who have watched Rogers over the past decade wonder if her views have changed or if she is merely opportunistic. Either way, Rogers's MAGA-charged rants helped her achieve a long-elusive victory at the polls.

"When she first ran, she was nothing like she is today," said Rick Romley, a Republican and former Maricopa County attorney. "My wife gives me hell to this day for having supported her."

Her shift to the far right has coincided with an outpouring of grass-roots, small donors. Nearly 40,000 individuals contributed to her campaign last year, of which only a handful gave the $5,300 maximum. That means Rogers can keep dipping into this large pool of donors in 2022.

In a feat remarkable for one of 30 state senators, Rogers is even outraising statewide incumbents running for higher office. She narrowly bested Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, who is running for governor and collected nearly $2.4 million, and she overshot Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich, who is campaigning for U.S. Senate and has raised about $1.8 million. Her 2021 fundraising also surpassed totals collected by other Trump-endorsed contenders in the state, including gubernatorial candidate Lake, with about $1.5 million, and secretary of state candidate Mark Finchem, with roughly $663,000.

Arizona, which Biden won by about 10,500 votes, has been at the forefront of Trump's push to undermine the 2020 election. Rogers has been pushing for "decertification," a process election experts say is not possible under state or federal law.

"There is no way to nullify the election, yet that is how she is raising money, being disingenuous with the voters," said Sylvia Allen, the Republican Rogers beat in 2020.

Rogers is the prime sponsor of about a dozen voting-related bills, including some that experts say would make statewide elections virtually impossible. She has proposed eliminating electronic vote-tabulating machines and requiring hand counts in a state that cast more than 3.3 million ballots in 2020. Rogers has echoed Trump's baseless assertions that mail-in voting is a major source of fraud, and backed another bill that would do away with early voting, except when a voter is physically unable to cast a ballot in person. In 2020, the vast majority of voters statewide and in Rogers's own district cast ballots before Election Day.

Rogers herself has been on the state's permanent early voting list since at least 2006, public records show. That means an absentee ballot is automatically mailed to her for every election in which she is an eligible voter. In her previous campaigns, she repeatedly urged supporters to meet absentee ballot deadlines.

None of her election-related bills are expected to pass. In the closely divided Senate, her bills need unanimous support from Republicans.

"I don't know of a single one of her election bills I can support, and I am not the only Republican who feels that way," said state Sen. Paul Boyer, one of a few GOP lawmakers who have openly repudiated conspiracy theories about the 2020 vote. "If her bills passed, elections would be Helter Skelter."

- - -

Rogers posts constantly on six social media accounts, ranging from mainstream platforms like Twitter to sites favored on the right, including Telegram and Gab. She has more than 700,000 followers between the six accounts. In a sign of how her social media presence dwarfs that of other Arizona Republicans, her Twitter following exceeds 276,000, while Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey counts fewer than 152,000 followers.

While the 2020 election remains her signature issue, she also has spread false claims about former first lady Michelle Obama and the Sept. 11 attacks. In the three months leading up to her speech to Fuentes's event, the America First Political Action Conference, about a half dozen posts suggested sending political foes to the gallows. She expressed support for Fuentes more than 30 times.

At this year's AFPAC, Fuentes said that his group's "secret ingredient" was "young white men." He led the crowd in a cheer for Russian President Vladimir Putin, days into the deadly military assault on Ukraine. Fuentes noted Putin has been compared to Adolf Hitler. "They say that's not a good thing," he said, adding with a chuckle, "I shouldn't have said that."

Republicans have widely spurned Fuentes. Even Greene, one of the most right-wing members of Congress, tried to distance herself from Fuentes after attending the conference, saying she did not know him but wanted to talk to "his very large following." AFPAC claims 1,000 people attended.

Rogers, though, called the conference "a major success" and posted a meme depicting her and Fuentes crouching in a field holding a rifle, with a dead rhinoceros splayed out in front of them labeled "CPAC." The acronym had been tweaked so that inside one of the letters was a Jewish star.

The Anti-Defamation League, which battles antisemitism, had already added Rogers to its list of extremists in January, citing her support for Fuentes along with her association with the Oath Keepers militia group and interviews with a website that has espoused antisemitism.

"Our broad concern is with the normalization of extremist ideas, hateful rhetoric and the type of narrative geared toward undermining democratic institutions," said Oren Segal, vice president of the ADL Center on Extremism. "Even blatant support for extremist movements is no longer disqualifying in the eyes of many voters."

Rogers boasted about widening the boundaries of the political mainstream, the so-called Overton window, in response to the ADL's admonishment. "Just moving the ol' Overton window," she said, "Thanks for the award losers." She added: "#JesusIsKing."

In the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Rogers's online commentary has leaned into antisemitic tropes. She has blamed international financiers and Jewish investor and activist George Soros for the war in ways that seem to echo the long-standing slur that the world's problems are caused by an international cabal of Jews.

"I stand with the Christians worldwide not the global bankers who are shoving godlessness and degeneracy in our face," she wrote on Feb. 27 on Telegram.

She also has criticized Ukraine's Jewish president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who has received global acclaim for inspiring his country and refusing to flee in face of death threats. "Zelensky is a globalist puppet for Soros and the Clintons," she wrote.

Rogers is following the path paved by other online provocateurs whose profiles have risen since Trump's election in 2016, said Jared Holt, a domestic extremism expert at the nonpartisan Atlantic Council.

"This is what the base wants," Holt said. "The fringe has totally captured the conversation."

When Ducey was pressed last month to comment on Rogers's impending speech to the Fuentes rally, he spoke of the "governing majorities" needed to advance his agenda. "She's still better than her opponent Felicia French," Ducey said, referring to the Democrat Rogers defeated in 2020.

She addressed the Fuentes conference the following day, along with Greene and GOP Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona. After the members were rebuked by a handful of prominent Republicans, Rogers lashed out on social media.

"I will not apologize for being white," she said. "I will personally destroy the career of any Republican who partakes in the gaslighting of me simply because of the color of my skin or opinion about a war I don't want to send our kids to die in."

By Tuesday, under pressure to take a stand, the Arizona Senate voted to censure one of its own. The chamber has not done so in at least three decades, according to a Senate official.

"What we do not condone is members threatening each other, to ruin each other, to incite violence, to call us communists," Republican Senate President Karen Fann said on the Senate floor.

Rogers's online followers reacted with fury, and in some cases, threatened her colleagues with violence. In a letter Rogers posted on social media, constituents Rose and Richard Sperry, wrote, "Up until Senator Rogers came on the scene, there was NO voice for us and it appears that with these actions you have made it pretty clear that we still don't have but ONE voice and that is the voice of Senator Rogers. May she never yield to your class of warfare."

An early draft of the censure accused Rogers of "inciting general racial and religious discrimination," but that phrase was stricken before the final tally. The censure rebuked her for "conduct unbecoming a Senator" and "encouraging violence."

Ducey, who had faced criticism for declining to reproach her took to Twitter Tuesday night, saying "Anti-Semitic and hateful language has no place in Arizona." But his remarks did not call Rogers out by name.

Arizona Republican Party Chairwoman Kelli Ward, a leading voice in the "Stop the Steal" movement to deny Biden's victory, did not respond to requests for comment on the censure. A Trump spokesman did not respond to questions about her either.

Less than 24 hours after the Senate reprimand, Rogers was leveraging it in a fundraising email.

"It used to be that if someone said something crazy, they would get slapped down by the party leaders in a way that could hurt," said Chris DeRose, a longtime Republican election law attorney in Phoenix. "Now it's a badge of honor if people are mad at you."

- - -

The Washington Post's Anu Narayanswamy and Isaac Stanley-Becker contributed to this report.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Florida state senators on Tuesday approved legislation that regulates school lessons about sexual orientation and gender identity, defying demands from some of their youngest constituents and pushing the state deeper into the nation's culture battles.

The legislation, which Florida Democrats and LGBTQ activists refer to as the "don't say gay" bill, now advances to Gov. Ron DeSantis, R. In recent days, DeSantis has indicated he is likely to sign the measure, saying it will shield Florida's youngest students from exposure to sensitive topics in the classroom.

"We are going to make sure parents are able to send their kid to kindergarten without having some of this stuff injected into some of their school curriculum," said DeSantis, who accused the media of misinterpreting the bill.

The legislation, officially called the Parental Rights in Education bill, would prohibit Florida schools from teaching students in kindergarten through third grade about topics involving sexual orientation or gender identity.

Lessons for older grades would have to be "age appropriate," which Democrats argue is so vague that it will stifle all conversations about LGBTQ issues. Republicans played down that risk, saying the legislation prevents "planned lessons" but does not ban discussions between students or prevent teachers from answering specific questions from a student.

The measure also allows parents to sue school districts if they think their children have received inappropriate lessons. Democrats said that could result in a wave of lawsuits against cash-strapped school systems.

"I believe this will be another stain on the history of Florida," said Sen. Shevrin Jones, D, who in 2018 became the first openly gay member of the Florida Senate. "Whether you disagree with the messaging or not, when it comes to people calling it the 'don't say gay' bill . . . it hurts people."

The Florida legislation is one of a raft of bills around the country designed to put new restrictions on teachers and administrators related to sexual orientation and gender identity. Lawmakers in at least nine states are considering proposals such as banning library books with LGBTQ content or prohibiting teachers from discussing words such as "transgender" in the classroom, according to according to Pen America, a freedom of expression advocacy group.

On Friday, the Oklahoma Senate advanced a bill that bans books from school libraries if the "primary subject" deals with "sexual lifestyles or sexual activity" or anything "of a controversial nature that a reasonable parent" would object to.

Within minutes of Florida's bill passing by on a largely party-line vote of 22 to 17, LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Florida vowed it will pursue legal action if the bill is "interpreted in any way that causes harm to a single child, teacher or family." The Biden administration also said it will closely monitor how the legislation is implemented, noting that federal civil rights law prohibits sex-based discrimination in education.

"The Department of Education has made clear that all schools receiving federal funding must follow federal civil rights law," Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement. "We stand with our LGBTQ+ students in Florida and across the country, and urge Florida leaders to make sure all their students are protected and supported."

The Senate vote followed two days of emotional debate in which Democrats pleaded with their Republican colleagues to consider the impact the legislation would have on gay and transgender children, as well as students who have two parents of the same sex.

Although two Republicans voted against the bill, most GOP senators countered that legislation was needed to clarify that it was up to parents to decide when and how their children learn about matters involving sexual orientation and gender identity.

"Growing up today is very hard. Raising kids today is so challenging," said Sen. Danny Burgess, R. "In these uncertain times, our default position should be to trust parents to do what is best for their children."

At one point during the debate, Sen. Dennis Baxley, R, a sponsor of the bill, suggested the legislation was also designed to try to slow the numbers of young people who are coming out as a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

"All of the sudden, overnight, they're a celebrity when they felt like they were a nobody," Baxley said as he described hearing stories of young people coming out. "I know parents are very concerned about the departure from the core belief systems and values," he added.

Sen. Tina Scott Polsky, a Democrat, responded to Baxley. "There seems to be a big uptick in the number of children coming out as gay or experimenting, and therefore we need not to discuss it in younger grades?" she asked.

In a survey released last month, Gallup found that a record 7.1% of U.S. adults self-identify lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or something other than heterosexual. The increase was especially pronounced in Generation Zers who have reached adulthood, with 21% of them identifying that way.

In Florida, high school students who make up part of Gen Z have led the fight over the parental rights legislation, staging several classroom walkouts across the state in protest of it.

Mason Steinberg, a 10th-grader at Gainesville High School in Gainesville, Fla., estimated that three-fourths of the students walked out of class last Thursday.

"This bill would not affect me directly, but I have many LGBTQ+ friends who would be impacted significantly," said Steinberg, 16. "People who were not directly affected by the bill walked out because they care about their friends, and will do whatever they can to make them feel safe."

Will Larkins, a gay and nonbinary 11th-grader at Winter Park High School in central Florida, helped organize the walkout at their school Monday.

In an interview after the Senate vote Tuesday, Larkins said they were "really scared" that lawmakers had "validated these bigoted ideas" by supporting the legislation.

"Growing up, I wasn't exposed to queer people and I hated myself by fourth grade. . . . Knowing that I'm different and not knowing why, and not having an explanation was awful for me," Larkins said. "And knowing that we're solidifying that into law is so disturbing."

The school curriculum bill is just the latest in a series of measures approved by the Florida legislature in recent years that are seemingly at odds with the wishes of the state's younger residents. Florida students have also walked out in opposition to looser gun regulations as well as a bill last year that cracked down on protests in wake of the Black Lives Matter demonstrations.

The leaders of some major corporations, meanwhile, are being asked to pick a side in the state's increasingly bitter cultural divisions.

Two weeks ago, dozens of Disney World employees demonstrated outside the theme park demanding that the company speak out in opposition to the legislation.

Although Disney's former CEO Robert Iger spoke out against the legislation, some employees were incensed that the company's current leadership appeared hesitant to get involved in the debate. On Monday, Disney chief executive Bob Chapek released a companywide statement defending the company's decision to remain silent.

"I do not want anyone to mistake a lack of a statement for a lack of support," Chapek wrote. "We all share the same goal of a more tolerant, respectful world. Where we may differ is in the tactics to get there. And because this struggle is much bigger than any one bill in any one state, I believe the best way for our company to bring about lasting change is through the inspiring content we produce, the welcoming culture we create, and the diverse community organizations we support."

Since DeSantis became governor in 2019, however, Florida's Republican-controlled legislature has been moving steadily to the right by embracing divisive legislation that state GOP lawmakers in the past had largely shied away from.

Last week, the legislature gave final approval to a bill that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Later this week, the Florida Senate is expected to give final approval to a bill that would limit how teachers and employers discuss race and diversity.

During Tuesday's Senate debate, Sen. Randolph Bracy, D, accused his Republican colleagues of engaging in a "culture war against the LGBTQ community" in hopes of furthering DeSantis's political career. DeSantis has been widely mentioned as a possible GOP presidential candidate in 2024.

"I actually appreciate the discipline, and sometimes I wish our party would do the same thing," Bracy said while looking at his GOP colleagues. "But in your effort to elect Ron DeSantis and send him to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, I just ask you: Is it worth it? Is it worth it if one child is affected by this legislation? Is it worth a child being outed or bullied or potentially becoming suicidal?"

Democrats are also outraged over comments that DeSantis's spokeswoman Christina Pushaw made on Twitter last week. Pushaw suggested that only "groomers" would oppose the legislation, an apparent reference to child predators.

"The bill that liberals inaccurately call 'Don't Say Gay' would be more accurately described as Anti-Grooming Bill," Pushaw wrote, adding, "If you're against the anti-Grooming bill, you are probably a groomer or at least you don't denounce the grooming of 4- to 8-year-old children. Silence is complicity. This is how it works, Democrats, and I didn't make the rules."

During Tuesday's debate, Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book, D, and others lashed out at Pushaw, saying her comments were an insulting betrayal of the state's LGBTQ residents.

"The governor's communications director accused us of being pedophiles for being against this bill. Boy, oh boy, I got news for you: You can't teach gay and you sure can't pray away gay," said Sen. Gary Farmer, D.

Sen. Ileana Garcia, R, countered that children have their entire lives to sort out their sexual orientation or gender identity, so there is no need to have "tough conversations" in elementary school. "This is not about targeting, this is about rerouting responsibility back to the parents and allowing children to be children," she said.

But Democrats argue that the legislation will hurt gay Floridians and endanger the state's reputation around the world.

"Who in the world have we become? Who in Florida have we become?" asked Sen. Janet Cruz, D, who noted that she has a daughter who is gay who was in the chamber to watch the floor debate. "I feel like I had a dream of a bad version of 'Back to the Future.' I mean, there is no time machine here. We can't roll back 40 years; we are here."

- - -

The Washington Post's Rachel Hatzipanagos contributed to this report.
Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows registered to vote in 2020 using the address of a North Carolina mobile home he has never lived in, a move scrutinized as potential voter fraud.

According to The New Yorker, Meadows filed his voter registration in September 2020, three weeks before North Carolina's deadline for the general election, listing his residential address as a mobile home in Scaly Mountain, North Carolina.

Neither the home nor the address have belonged to him, and he has never lived there, the magazine said.

It is unclear if Meadows has spent even one night at that address. The small mobile home belongs to a Lowe's retail manager, who bought it last summer from a widow living in Florida. The woman, whom The New Yorker did not identify by name, told the magazine that she had no idea Meadows had listed the home as his address in his voter registration form.

Ben Williamson, a spokesman for Meadows, did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Meadows, who served as a congressman for North Carolina's 11th District from 2013 to 2020, sold his official residence in Sapphire, North Carolina, shortly before becoming President Donald Trump's chief of staff in March 2020.

After the election, Meadows pushed Trump's false claims that widespread voter fraud cost him the election that he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

Meadows did not purchase a new home in North Carolina after that, nor did he register as a voter for the general election until Sept. 19, 2020, when he filed his registration using the address of the mobile home, The New Yorker said. In his form, he wrote that he would move into the mobile home the next day.

But Meadows "did not come. He's never spent a night in there," the former owner told The New Yorker.

It is illegal to provide false information on a voter registration and, while Americans can have multiple residences, they can only have one official domicile, which is tied to their voter registration. To register to vote in North Carolina, a citizen must have lived in the county where they are registering and have resided there for at least 30 days before the date of the election, according to the state's board of elections.

Steven Greene, a professor of political science at North Carolina State University, said that, after reading The New Yorker's reporting, he found it "honestly hard to see how this is not a clear violation of federal law."

Greene said a voter needs "to actually spend some time living [in their domicile], including spending a night" to register it as their address.

"Proof of residency for voter registration typically requires some form of proof of residency along the lines of a utility bill or any government information listing that as your address, e.g., car registration, driver's license, those same sorts of proof would be expected," Greene told The Post.

The North Carolina voter registration form lists the following as acceptable for proof of residence: "A current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and address."

There is, however, no real system to check a resident's credentials when they sign up to vote. Melanie D. Thibault, the director of Macon County's Board of Elections told The New Yorker that, while she was "dumbfounded" by Meadows's registration and address, she said he registered by mail and was sent a voter-registration card to a post office box that Meadows had listed as his mailing address.

"If that card makes it to the voter and it's not sent back undeliverable, then the voter goes onto the system as a good voter," she told The New Yorker.

At the time Meadows was filling out his voter form, he was also pressuring FBI Director Christopher Wray to pursue voter fraud. On Sept. 25, 2020 - just six days after sending in his North Carolina registration form - Meadows criticized Wray after Wray told a congressional panel that he had seen no evidence of widespread voter fraud as early voting was underway in some states.

"With all due respect to Director Wray, he has a hard time finding emails in his own FBI, let alone figuring out whether there's any kind of voter fraud," Meadows said. "Perhaps he needs to get involved on the ground and then he would change his testimony on Capitol Hill."

After the election, Meadows continued pushing the false narrative of widespread voter fraud. He sent emails to the then-acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen in the waning weeks of Trump's presidency as part of a campaign to strong-arm the Justice Department into investigating the false claims of widespread fraud.

In December, Michael Pillsbury, a former Trump adviser who helped research some of the fraud claims but ultimately found them without merit, told The Washington Post that Meadows was eager to present Trump with a new theory or new information about election fraud, knowing Trump was hungry for any tidbits that would help him claim victory.

"He was trying to please the president," said Pillsbury of Meadows. "He was living and breathing to serve Trump."
Lumen, a leading American Internet provider to Russia, announced Tuesday that it was severing business relations in the country, a move likely to increase Russia's isolation as its citizens slip behind what some analysts are calling a new digital Iron Curtain.

Lumen became the second top carrier to make such a move in recent days, following Friday's announcement by Cogent Communications. Taken together these moves are likely to make it harder for Russians to gain access to international services, such as news sites and social media based in the West, said telecommunications experts. Access to internal networks within Russia would not be affected.

American technology and telecommunications companies have been cutting services in Russia ever since it invaded Ukraine last month. In the same period, Russia's government has throttled or blocked popular U.S.-based services such as Twitter and Facebook while imposing new criminal penalties for news coverage that doesn't follow the Kremlin's strict censorship policies. Many leading Western news organizations have ceased operations there, further weakening the flow of information from the country that's being roiled by punishing international sanctions.

Lumen said in a statement posted to its website, "We decided to disconnect the network due to increased security risk inside Russia. We have not yet experienced network disruptions, but given the increasingly uncertain environment and the heightened risk of state action, we took this move to ensure the security of our and our customers' networks, as well as the ongoing integrity of the global Internet."

The company tried to downplay its importance to the Russian market, saying, "The business services we provide are extremely small and very limited as is our physical presence. However, we are taking steps to immediately stop business in the region."

But telecommunications analysts said it is one of Russia's top sources of data from international sources. The company's customers include some of Russia's biggest providers of Internet to companies and customers based there, including the nation's state-owned telecommunications companies, Rostelecom and TransTelekom.

With Cogent and Lumen leaving, the remaining top five sources of international data are Western companies based in Sweden, Italy and the United Kingdom, according to an analysis by Internet monitoring firm Kentik.

"We're in uncharted territory here," said Doug Madory, director of Internet analysis at Kentik. "This is going to add up. It would be noticeable, I think."
A Republican candidate favored to win a seat in the Michigan House said he tells his daughters to "just lie back and enjoy it" if raped, as he attempted to make an analogy about abandoning efforts to decertify the results of the 2020 election.

Robert Regan, who is running to represent Michigan's District 74 in the state legislature, made the comments during a Facebook live stream Sunday. The discussion was hosted by the Michigan Rescue Coalition, a conservative group that supports former president Donald Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him. The Justice Department found no evidence to support Trump's baseless allegations.

During the discussion, fellow panelist Amber Harris, a Republican strategist, told the group that it is "too late" to continue challenging the results of the 2020 election, suggesting that Republicans should instead move on and focus on future races, to which Regan replied: "I tell my daughters, 'Well, if rape is inevitable, you should just lie back and enjoy it.' "

Regan then moved on to other comparisons, drawing a parallel between his recent victory in the Republican primary and the biblical story of David and Goliath.

A shocked Harris, however, tried to cut in as Regan and the discussion's host, Michigan Rescue Coalition founder Adam de Angeli, moved on. When de Angeli gave Harris the chance to speak, she said Regan's comments were "shameful."

"I've got advice to give to your daughters: Don't do that," Harris said. "Fight all the time."

Regan's three daughters urged voters not to elect him to office in a viral tweet during his 2020 bid for the state House.

"If you're in Michigan and 18+ pls for the love of god do not vote for my dad for state rep. Tell everyone," Stephanie Regan wrote on Twitter.

Regan, who last week advanced to the general election after winning the special Republican primary by 81 votes, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. On Monday, he told Bridge Michigan, a local news outlet, "sometimes" his words "aren't as smooth and polished as the politicians are because I'm not a politician."

"I'm working on it," Regan said. "The only reason the left trolls attack you is because they know you're directly over the target, dropping direct hits on an issue. If you're not scoring hits, they leave you alone."

He said his comments on rape and the election only meant that "nothing is inevitable."

De Angeli told The Washington Post in an email conversation Tuesday that it was clear to him that Regan was "speaking extemporaneously."

"Upon reviewing the video, I think he was actually talking about the 2020 election and saying that Republicans shouldn't concede that (Joe) Biden won fairly," De Angeli said, adding that Regan apologized for his comment.

During the discussion, Regan also said that, if elected, he'd push for the decertification of the results of the 2020 election in Michigan. Under both state and federal law, a state can't decertify an election.

"We do want to decertify this election and we do want it returned to the rightful owner, just like if someone stole your car or stole your jewelry," Regan said. "It goes back to the rightful owner. You decertify and you give it to the rightful owner, and that's Donald Trump, and that's what I'm pushing for and we're going full bore on that."

Other comments by Regan surfaced online after a clip of the live stream went viral, including a 2021 Instagram post from the candidate in which he claimed that feminism is a "Jewish program to degrade and subjugate White men." Regan has also called the Russian invasion of Ukraine a "fake war just like the fake pandemic."

Regan's comments drew criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike, with Michigan GOP co-chair Meshawn Maddock calling them "offensive and disappointing."

"I'd like to think he didn't mean what he said," Maddock told Bridge Michigan. "If I could control what our candidates say all the time, that would be a great thing."

The state party's other co-chair, Ron Weiser, a former U.S. ambassador to Slovakia, also criticized Regan.

"Mr. Regan's history of foolish, egregious and offensive comments, including his most recent one are simply beyond the pale," Weiser said in a statement. "We are better than this as a Party and I absolutely expect better than this of our candidates."

Regan will face Democrat Carol Glanville, Walker City commissioner, in a May 3 special election to fill the vacant Michigan House seat in the state's Kent County.

The chair of the state's Democratic Party, Lavora Barnes, said in a statement Monday that the state's GOP should denounce Regan's remarks and make clear that the 2020 presidential election will not be decertified.

"This type of language is disgusting and Michigan Republicans have got to stand up and denounce Regan's remarks and what his candidacy represents," Barnes said. "If they don't, Regan will be the face of the Michigan Republican Party. His extreme views and reckless comments on the Russian invasion, 2020 election results and now rape show he is totally unfit for office."

In 2012, Republican Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri lost his bid for the Senate after a remark about "legitimate rape" that touched off an outcry among Republicans and Democrats. Akin, an abortion rights opponent, had suggested in an interview that women's bodies could stop a pregnancy in cases of "legitimate rape." "The female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down," Akin said.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has driven more than 2 million people out of the country, the United Nations said Tuesday, equaling in less than two weeks the historic flow of mainly Syrian refugees into Europe in 2015 and 2016.

Half of the 2 million from Ukraine are children, according to UNICEF.

In its scale and speed, the exodus has stunned even veteran humanitarian workers, including U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. In announcing the 2 million milestone on Tuesday, he paused and repeated the distressing figure: "Two million."

"What's significant is the timing," said UNHCR spokesman Chris Melzer, who has been at the Polish border. "We reached 2 million refugees in just 12 days. I can't remember a similar situation - but definitely not in Europe."

About 500,000 refugees have fled into neighboring countries in just two days since Sunday, even as Ukraine has accused Russia of shelling civilian evacuation routes.

Millions more people are displaced within the country, though the exact number is hard to know for sure. The United Nations estimates that ultimately as many as 4 million people may leave Ukraine - roughly 10% of the population.

Train stations have been filled with massive crowds. In many cases, mothers and children are saying goodbye to male family members who are staying behind to fight.

Border posts along Ukraine's arcing 1,600-mile western border have been overwhelmed. Lines to get into Poland have stretched as long as 20 miles, with people waiting through achingly long days and frigid nights, often without food and water. Physically and emotionally beat, many of those crossing wept as they were offered a hot bowl of soup or a warm car to thaw their feet in.

Local governments in Poland, the country that has received the largest portion of Ukraine's refugees, have organized reception centers - teeming places where refugees sleep in open rooms on cots under bright lights.

The onward journey from the border depends largely on the connections refugees have elsewhere in Europe. Those without family or friends to go to often have little more than an inkling of where to head first. Europeans from as far afield as Spain and Germany have come to border posts in vans filled with aid material and have offered rides back to their countries in their emptied vehicles.

In the hectic, packed Warsaw central station on Tuesday, mothers and their children, university students and grandparents sat on their torn suitcases, sipped plastic bowls of hot tomato soup and tried to figure out where to go next.

Anastasiya Kravchenko, 22, had just completed a three-day journey from Kyiv, including 15 hours waiting in the cold at the border. She and her mother - along with their cat, Trixie - planned to continue on to Paris, driving a family friend's car. Her father was still at home, where he could hear the explosions closing in.

"I'm so scared for my dad," she said. "I just want to go back as soon as possible."

The Ukrainian government has accused Moscow of indiscriminate shelling of residential areas, as well as shelling of humanitarian corridors. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday cited reports of Russian forces hitting an evacuation route out of the hard-hit port city of Mariupol in southern Ukraine. "Ceasefire violated!" the Foreign Ministry tweeted. "Pressure on Russia MUST step up to make it uphold its commitments."

While Russian officials said that evacuees from Kyiv would be flown to Russia after arriving in Gomel, Belarus, officials in Ukraine have rejected the idea of evacuation corridors leading to Russia or its ally in the war, Belarus.

Ukraine said Tuesday that the only routes on which there is agreement are for reaching regions inside the country. Officials in the northeastern city of Sumy said the first buses of evacuees had left for the Ukrainian city of Poltava.

Besieged areas of the country have sought a cease-fire to restore basic services such as electricity, heat and tap water. Local officials such as Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko have warned of a humanitarian catastrophe for those who remain in cities surrounded by Russian forces.

Of those who have managed to leave Ukraine since Russia's invasion on Feb. 24, more than 1.2 million people have gone to Poland alone, U.N. data shows. Hundreds of thousands have fled to other European countries, including Hungary and Slovakia. Nearly 100,000 people have fled to Russia as of Tuesday, according to the United Nations.

The European Union has enacted unprecedented measures to help the new refugees within its borders. Under rules announced last week, Ukrainian nationals will be offered temporary protection anywhere within the 27-country bloc for up to three years, depending on conditions. They will have the right to live, study and work within the E.U.

"It is heartbreaking to see the people of Ukraine leaving their whole life behind to escape from Putin's bombs," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. "Supporting them is our moral duty."

The rules, known as "Temporary Protection," allow Ukrainians to bypass the normal asylum system - a system that has left migrants from elsewhere, particularly Africa and the Middle East, in years-long limbo after arrival.

Although Europe appears united in its desire to help Ukrainians, the welcoming tone has led to questions about why the same rules were not used to assist fleeing Syrians, Afghans and others. Some of the same governments that were most resistant to previous waves of asylum seekers are now opening their doors.

On Monday, Grandi said the outflow of Ukrainians illustrates the need for better international coordination on resettlement of refugees in Europe and elsewhere.

"This is where we need a more structured system in the E.U. and certainly beyond the E.U. [for] . . . how to share this responsibility," Grandi said, pointing to Britain, the United States, Canada and other nations. "I do hope that this, in the end, is the silver lining of this crisis, that Europe understands that any country can become [a] recipient of large numbers of refugees and need the help of others."

Melzer of UNHCR praised the support for refugees in Poland. "It's a fantastic effort that is running well," he said. "But no one knows what will happen. If the figures keep rising it will be challenging."

After noting that 1 million of the 2 million Ukrainians fleeing the country are children, UNICEF spokesman James Elder on Tuesday acknowledged the deep impact the crisis is having on Ukrainian children.

"A dark historical first," he tweeted.

- - -

Timsit reported from London, Bella from Washington, Bearak from Lviv, Ukraine, and Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff and Zoeann Murphy from Warsaw. Emily Rauhala in Brussels contributed to this report.
Up to 4,000 Russian troops may have died since President Vladimir Putin launched Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, a senior U.S. military officer said Tuesday, as the Kremlin's military forces continued to face fierce resistance.

Lt. Gen. Scott D. Berrier, director the Defense Intelligence Agency, told House lawmakers that the best estimate is between 2,000 and 4,000 Russian fatalities. But he said he had low confidence in that figure, citing "some intelligence sources, but also open source" information. The general's reference to open source information probably refers to assessments made public by credible outside groups monitoring the conflict.

The estimate is a significant indication of how badly the much smaller Ukrainian military has exacted a toll on Russian forces, even as the Kremlin wages a bombardment of both military and civilian targets in numerous Ukrainian cities. By comparison, the entire 20-year U.S. war in Afghanistan resulted in 2,461 American combat fatalities, according to Pentagon figures.

Avril Haines, the director of national intelligence, told the House Intelligence Committee during the same hearing that the conflict's human toll already is "considerable, and only increasing" on all sides.

"Thus far, the Russian and Ukrainian militaries have probably suffered thousands of casualties along with numerous civilian deaths," Haines said. "And of course, well more than a million people have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded."

The comments came as Russia's bombardment of numerous cities continued, and as Russian forces attempt an advance on Kyiv, Ukraine's capital. A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the Pentagon, said Tuesday that the Pentagon is examining a range of estimates for Russian fatalities in the war, and that Berrier did the "best he could" to answer the question during the congressional hearing.

For days, a miles-long convoy of Russian vehicles has been stalled beginning at the Hostomel airport about 15 miles northwest of Kyiv. But Russian forces also are now about 37 miles to Kyiv's east, after they advanced southwest from the city of Sumy, the senior defense official said.

"This is a line of advance that we haven't seen much of recently," the official said. "They're still farther away than the main advance coming down from the north."

To the south, Russian forces continue to attack Mykolaiv, a city of about 485,000 near the Black Sea, having seized the cities of Kherson and Berdyansk. As of Tuesday, they appeared to be about 25 miles northeast of the city, whose seizure would appear to pave the way for a follow-on Russian assault of Odessa, a port city of nearly 1 million.

The senior U.S. defense official indicated that Russia has launched nearly 670 missiles since the invasion began. That figure has increased incrementally by a few dozen each day since Russia's initial salvo before its ground forces crossed the border.
WASHINGTON - The Biden White House inched closer Monday to a modest rapprochement with oil-rich Venezuela, a bitter foe due to the oppressive policies of President Nicolas Maduro, as it urgently sought ways to stave off the economic, diplomatic and political impact of soaring gas prices that nudged over $4 a gallon.

The potential thaw arrives as the White House sent a delegation to Venezuela over the weekend to discuss energy sanctions imposed by the United States several years ago and to address the fate of American citizens who have been jailed in the country, including six oil executives from Citgo.

The "Citgo 6" were interviewed by the U.S. delegation, according to a person with direct knowledge of the case who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss closed negotiations. The visit was coordinated by the Maduro government, according to the person. A U.S. diplomat met with some of the prisoners in December.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Monday declined to comment on whether the need to boost the oil supply would be worth reinstating a relationship largely severed after Maduro's 2019 seizure of power.

"I think that's leaping several stages ahead," Psaki said. She insisted the talks about the prisoners, which also include two former Green Berets and a former Marine, were not intertwined with discussions about easing sanctions but on parallel tracks.

The potential for warming relations between the Biden administration and Maduro's regime, which is being investigated by an international criminal court for crimes against humanity, illustrates how global relations and values are being scrambled during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

President Joe Biden faced some strong pushback from allies on Capitol Hill. Late Monday, Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, urged the White House not to go forward with any kind of deal.

"Nicolas Maduro is a cancer to our hemisphere and we should not breathe new life into his reign of torture and murder," Menendez said in a statement. "The Biden administration's efforts to unify the entire world against a murderous tyrant in Moscow should not be undercut by propping up a dictator under investigation for crimes against humanity in Caracas."

The decision to extend even a very tepid hand to Venezuela comes with political risk for Biden and Democrats. Florida is home to more than 200,000 Venezuelans, including many who have recently the regime and resettled in Florida, a perennially important political state.

Biden's critics pounced quickly. "I think it's disgusting," Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said in an interview. "He's a dictator. He's murdering his own citizens. He's starving citizens. He's stolen everything. He's stolen democracy."

Scott, who heads the Senate Republicans' campaign operation, said Biden may lose credibility with voters who emigrated from placed like Nicaragua and Cuba and can relate to the suffering that Venezuelans have gone through. "They've all lost their freedoms over this stuff," Scott said.

It wasn't just Republicans who threw shade on Biden's move. Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.), who was at one point vetted to be Biden's vice president, also distanced herself from Biden's move. "I am deeply skeptical of the new talks in Venezuela," Demings said in a statement. "Maduro and his corrupt cronies must not personally profit from any deal."

But as Biden works to isolate Russia - in large part by imposing sanctions that curtail its energy sales - his team is painfully aware of increasing gas prices at home and is searching the globe for other potential suppliers.

Regarding the Venezuela visit, "the purpose of the trip that was taken by administration officials was to discuss a range of issues, including certainly energy, energy security, but also to discuss the health and welfare of detained U.S. citizens," Psaki said.

The trip has symbolic significance as well, since Venezuela is Russia's most important ally in South America. Experts said Venezuela is not in a position to ramp up oil production quickly enough to have an immediate impact on gas prices.

"I think this is outreach of convenience, given sky-high pump prices," said Scott Modell, a managing director at Rapidan Energy Group. "I don't think it will do all that much even if it succeeds to affect gas prices in the near time."

In November, the International Criminal Court announced it was opening a formal investigation into the alleged torture and extrajudicial killings of political opponents at the hands of Maduro's security forces, acts that U.N. investigators have described as "crimes against humanity." It is the first probe of its kind in Latin America.

In 2020, the top U.N. human rights body released a report documenting how Maduro and his inner circle gave orders and supplied resources for arbitrary detentions, torture, disappearances and extrajudicial killings. The United States has imposed sanctions against the Venezuelan government or Venezuelan individuals for more than 15 years, but significantly tightened them in early 2019, after accusing Maduro of winning the 2018 presidential elections through fraud.

The Trump administration sanctioned Venezuela's state oil company, the central bank and key government officials, and the United States recognized Juan Guaido, who was then the president of the country's National Assembly, as its legitimate president.

Then in August 2019, the United States imposed a total economic embargo. It froze the property and interests of the Maduro government in the United States and prohibited Americans from engaging in transactions with the government.

The sanctions have had a crippling effect on Venezuela's economy, blocking access to essential services like electricity, housing, water, gas, fuel, medicine and food, according to a 2021 report from a special rapporteur in the U.N. human rights office.

In February 2021, the special rapporteur urged the U.S. government, along with the United Kingdom and Portugal, to unfreeze assets of the Venezuela Central Bank to purchase medicine, vaccines, food, spare parts and other essential goods.

Biden has also had uneasy personal relations with Maduro. As vice president, he publicly accused Maduro of concocting "outlandish conspiracy theories."

For his part, Maduro has railed against the United States, accusing Biden of trying to create an anti-Venezuelan coalition across South America, and frequently condemning the U.S. sanctions. In a speech before the U.N. General Assembly in 2021, Maduro called it "a ferocious attack against the right to buy what our country needs and against the right to sell what our country produces, especially the great oil and mining wealth."

But if Biden's main goal is finding more oil supply, it's not clear that Venezuela has the ability to produce enough oil to bring down prices, even if the United States does relax sanctions.

Before the U.S. sanctions, Venezuela exported between 400,000 to 500,000 barrels of oil per day to the United States, Modell of Rapidan Energy Group said. In a best-case scenario, that could be ramped up to somewhere between 600,000 barrels to 1 million a day in about three months, he said.

"It's a drop in the bucket of the world market," said Francisco Monaldi, the director of the Latin America Energy Program at Rice University. "It's unlikely to make a dent in the price of oil or avoid an increase at the pump for Americans."

Still, there is reason to believe Venezuelan oil would easily plug into the current system. U.S. refineries in the Gulf Coast were designed to process the heavy oil that comes from Venezuela, Monaldi said.

Monaldi is a member of a "Venezuela working group" of the Atlantic Council, which has been discussing for months ways of exchanging Venezuelan oil for U.S. humanitarian aid. The talks had been moving at an excruciatingly slow pace, he said, given the United States' insistence that Maduro would have to make major democratic concessions.

Suddenly, that has changed. "I know the world has changed in the last two weeks dramatically," Monaldi said. "But it's shocking to see that they seem to be going down there and offering him a carrot."

As support grows in the United States for a ban on Russian oil, experts note that many purchasers have already stopped buying Russian oil since the invasion, given the uncertainty surrounding its supply. "We're only getting a trickle at this point of Russian oil because we're not buying it by choice," said Paul Bledsoe, a strategic adviser to the Progressive Policy Institute who served as a climate official in the Clinton White House.

Saudi Arabia has the greatest ability to quickly ramp up production, he said. "The Saudis are the classic swing capacity in the global system," Bledsoe said. But "so far the Saudis have not increased production."

The difficulty with Saudi Arabia is part of why Biden is turning to Venezuela, Bledsoe said.

But the quality of that country's oil is not consistent, he said, and Venezuela faces electricity disruptions and problems with civil order. "It seems really tenuous to rely on the Venezuelans to increase oil production enough to really affect global prices in a meaningful way," Bledsoe added. "So that leads us back to the traditional producers."

- - -

Schmidt reported from Bogota, Colombia. Herrero reported from Caracas, Venezuela. The Washington Post's Tyler Pager and Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.
Iowas most expensive home sits right in the heart of the capital city.

The 10,241-square-foot mansion in West Des Moines, IA, is on the market for $8.9 million.

When we looked at it, and we looked at the location, the land, and the price per square foot, it very much is in line with other multimillion-dollar homes, explains the listing agent, Shane Kennedy with Exp Realty, LLC. This home just has that much more to offer. We feel that price is very fair, and it's worth every penny.

It sits on nearly 10 acres and is the largest private residence in Polk County. Beyond its convenient location in Iowa's biggest city, the quality of the build is a key selling point.

It's a magnificent house, with marble floors and 20-foot ceilings. Everything is all high-endwhether it's appliances, countertops, flooring, everything, Kennedy says. They spared no expense on it.

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Inside, the main house features six bedrooms and six bathrooms, highlighted by a large primary bedroom.

Kennedy told us his favorite part of the house is the basement, with its theater room, easy access to the backyard pool, as well as access to the showroom garage with room for 11 cars.

It has kind of been parceled to include a weight room, plus storage for cars in there," the agent says. "Its all heated and air-conditioned. Its just a wonderful space.

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The flooring leading from the lower level into the garage space comes with a unique inky-black pattern.

The original builder was a big car guy. [The current owner] liked the look of it, so he left it. It's kind of a little river that is supposed to be [an] oil spill on the walkway out to the showroom garage, Kennedy explains.

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A 3,800-square-foot guesthouse is much larger than the average American home.

It's a full two-bedroom and a full kitchen. Its basically its own two-bedroom apartment, with a garage, Kennedy says.

Construction on the mansion began in 2005, and the current owners took over the project in 2009.

It was not completely finished. The builder had filed for bankruptcy and did not complete the house, he adds.

Then the current owners came in and put in a lot of work.

"They basically brought it down to the studs and made it completely different from what the builder had originally planned, Kennedy says.

In the past few years, the owners have made additional improvements to the home. They spent approximately $300,000 to redesign the pool, patio, and poolhouse.

The roof is also new, along with new gutters, a drainage system, and seven HVAC units.

We feel like whoever wants this house, and can afford to buy it, will get not only a quality house, but a place that they can call home for a very long time, Kennedy says.

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The post Des Moines Delight: Iowa's Most Expensive Home Is Listed for $8.9M appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
In April of 2020, the city of San Francisco blocked off the Great Highway and JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park to cars, giving pedestrians a safe haven for outdoor activities during the earliest days of the pandemic. Along with the Slow Streets program and outdoor dining, this infrastructure change was undoubtedly one of the silver linings of a very difficult two years. San Francisco park and transit officials have recommended that this change become permanent.

Although the Great Highway has reopened to cars on the weekdays, it remains pedestrian-friendly on weekends. However, an upcoming vote by city supervisors may put the car-free status of that street  as well as JFK Drive  in jeopardy.

Last week, a 15-minute documentary advocating for continued street closures was uploaded to YouTube by Community Space SF. The group that has been sharing testimonials from San Franciscans in hopes of influencing city supervisors in their impending decision.

In addition to stressing the ways the initiative bolsters community, the documentary attempts to address many issues that critics have with the program, including that the closures restrict access to Golden Gate Park for disabled people and those traveling from more distant corners of the city.

Jason Corning / Courtesy

In the film, one child identified as Kingston (last names are not disclosed in the video) says he considers the park as a safe place to bike, away from the crime that takes place near his home. Another of the more poignant testimonials in the video comes from Holly of the Saint Francis Wood neighborhood, explaining how the Great Highway closure has benefited Trevor, a disabled teen.

"The ocean's a very powerful place. You don't get access to that if you're in a wheelchair or stroller. It's changed our lives," Holly says.

David Miles, the Godfather of Skate, is also featured prominently in the video.

"Every city should be copying this and should be encouraging this," he says.

Patricia Chang/Special to SFGATE

Lucas Lux, the director and host of the video, closes by expressing hopes that San Francisco will continue the program and that other cities take note.

"So where does that leave us? In San Francisco, we need six supervisors bold enough to invest in spaces dedicated to communities instead of cars. And the world is watching," Lux says.

Stream the full video below.
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Moved by the tragic events in Ukraine, five Connecticut chefs are banding together for a collaboration fundraiser dinner in early April.

Carlos Perez, the executive chef at @ The Corner in Litchfield, is organizing an April 4 "Chefs 4 Ukraine" event at his restaurant, featuring four guests from across the state. He'll be joined by Xavier Santiago of The Place 2 Be in Hartford and West Hartford, Emily Mingrone of Tavern on State in New Haven, and Ashley Flagg and Kristin Eddy of Millwright's in Simsbury.

All proceeds will go to World Central Kitchen, the organization founded by chef Jose Andres, to support its mission feeding Ukrainian refugees.

Lisa Nichols/ Hearst Connecticut Media Lisa Nichols / Contributed photo Left, @ The Corner and ATC South St. executive chef Carlos Perez. Right, Emily Mingrone is chef-owner of Tavern on State in New Haven. (Lisa Nichols for Hearst Connecticut Media)

Perez said Monday that he's been affected by the "gut-wrenching" events in Ukraine since Russia began the attack.

"It's just the whole idea of this free nation, these free people...losing their homes, being pushed out of the country, literally murder on the streets," he said.

Andres' team is feeding people in Ukraine and at a border crossing in southern Poland, according to the World Central Kitchen website. WCK has also expanded its efforts to serve people across the region in Romania, Moldova and Hungary.

Inspired by the team's work, Perez decided to text his chef friends to put something together.

"It's almost like a moral obligation to just do anything to help," he said. "It's just such an unjust type of thing."

Each chef will prepare one course with "a little Ukrainian flair to each dish," Perez said. The menu isn't officially set yet, but he said he'll be handling the main course. Mingrone will be preparing a fish course, a nod to Fair Haven Oyster Co. the oyster bar she plans to open in New Haven this spring.

Flagg, the executive chef at Millwright's, and Eddy, Millwright's pastry chef, said they were both happy to participate however possible.

"With so many Americans following the situation in Ukraine, now is the perfect time to help raise money and awareness," Flagg said. "I think it's easy for a lot of Americans to see themselves in Ukrainian people, and empathize with what they are going through. It would be great to see this same sympathy and concern for everyone trying to escape violence and tragedy."

"I think thats why it's so great that Carlos chose World Central Kitchen as his means of donation to Ukraine," she added. "World Central Kitchen does an amazing job of going where they are most needed and supporting all communities in need."

The dinner will kick off at 6 p.m. with a cocktail hour at @ The Corner's sibling restaurant next door, ATC South St. The cost is $100, all inclusive. Seating is limited to 50 people.

"I think most importantly we all need to have compassion and empathy for our fellow humans," Eddy said in a text message. "If we dont try to do what we can to help support the Ukrainian people right now, while we as Americans safely sit by watching and waiting for whats to come next, how could we move forward with any type of dignity?"

"Food is our craft and provides the basic needs of nourishment to so many," she said. "I hope that any little contribution we make to World Central Kitchen helps and can make even the smallest difference."

"We were all on the same page; it was one of those things we had to do," Perez said. "We found it morally necessary. We're lucky enough [that] we all have a voice and we have a tiny bit of a platform to work on. And people watch us and look at our food every day, so any chance to use that to do something good, we're going to try to do it."

Perez said reservations will be taken by phone @ The Corner, at 860-567-8882. Those wishing to donate directly to World Central Kitchen can do so at wck.org.

In Derby, A.M. Bagel hosted a fundraiser for the United Ukrainian American Relief Committee on March 5, donating all proceeds from the day's sales. Co-owner Myron Seniw was born in Ukraine, and still has family members in the country. A.M. Bagel announced Saturday that they'd raised $21,809 through sales and donations.
The spicy chicken market is getting hotter, as Dave's Hot Chicken recently announced plans to open several new franchise locations in southern Connecticut.

The Los Angeles-based, fast-casual hot chicken brand has signed a deal with franchise owner Chris Johnson to open eight locations in Connecticut, specifically in the New Haven and Fairfield areas. Johnson is an experienced franchise restaurateur, having opened and operated nearly 70 Burger King stores across seven different states.
A bridge serves an important function. It connects one side of land to another. Its the quickest way across - over water, a ravine, even a busy street.

Westport has two main bridges. The one named for William F. Cribari gets all the love. Spanning the Saugatuck River for over 130 years, it is historic. It is the last surviving swing bridge of its kind in the state (some say, the nation). Its narrow width keeps big trucks off it  important, considering the tight streets and heavy traffic that already clogs Saugatuck.

The fate of the Cribari Bridge is as precarious as its deteriorating state. It may be renovated moderately or drastically; it may also be torn down and replaced entirely. Who will do what, and where the money comes from, will play out over the next few months. The fight will be fierce. The battle over the future of the Cribari Bridge - and by extension, Saugatuck and the rest of the Westport - pits different factions against each other. Friends and neighbors have different views. While most bridges bring people together, this one will pull them apart.

But this story is not about the Cribari Bridge. Its about Westports other span. The Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge - the one on the Post Road, linking downtown with Riverside Avenue, Wilton Road, Norwalk and points west - gets no love. Its utilitarian, not architecturally important. It leads to one of the worst traffic chokepoints in the state. If were not overlooking it, we hate it.

Yet the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge is more than a teeth-gnashing trip over the river. It does exactly what a bridge should do. It brings people together.

For years, in good (non-winter) weather, dozens of American flags fly, on both sides of the bridge. On jUNe Day, and four months later on United Nations Day, flags of many nations take their place. Both are colorful, important reminders that while some of us may be proud Americans, all are citizens of the world.

But Westports main bridge does not always unite us. As the go-to site for political protests, it sometimes has the opposite effect.

For half a century, folks have stood on the bridge protesting wars: Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan. Theyve protested presidents: Johnson, Reagan, Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump. Theyve protested nuclear energy and warned about climate change; other people have counter-protested those protestors. For half a century, drivers have slowed to read the signs. Theyve honked their horns in agreement, and lifted their middle fingers in disagreement.

In the summer of 2020, the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge was the site of a few Black Lives Matter rallies. Coming in the midst of COVID, those were particularly fraught days. Tensions ran high. But in a telling moment, with police departments everywhere a major focus of protestors anger, the Westport police chief took a megaphone, and addressed the crowds. Not everyone agreed with the BLM statements or goals, but peace prevailed.

Last Saturday, another group gathered on the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge. This time there were no divisions. Democrats, Republicans and independents; old and young; Americans, Ukrainians, and people who trace their heritage to other lands all over the globe (including Russia) - all stood on the bridge, to condemn Russias invasion of Ukraine.

They held signs, in a variety of languages. They chanted slogans about peace, peacefully. They acknowledged the near-constant honking of supportive horns. Then they walked a few yards over to Jesup Green - another traditional gathering place for political activity - and heard heartfelt speeches. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Rep. Jim Himes described their meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Westporter Stephan Taranko talked about his Ukrainian familys experiences with Russia during the Cold War.

The situation on the ground in Ukraine changes hourly. Many Westporters feel helpless, paralyzed by events overseas and not sure how to help. Joining together, supporting Ukrainians in the crowd and throughout the world, was one small thing, in one small town. And it added one more page to the history of the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge.

So who was Ruth Steinkraus Cohen? A gifted musician captivated by the United Nations when it was founded in 1945, she dedicated her life to those two passions. She founded the International Hospitality Committee of Fairfield County, along with Westports jUNe Day which has brought thousands of UN delegates, employees and their families here. She even hosted Eleanor Roosevelt here in 1952, on the UNs seventh birthday.

Ruth Steinkraus Cohens bridge is aptly named. As sad as things are today, how wonderful that it can be a gathering spot when we need it, for Westports many citizens of the world.

Dan Woog is a Westport writer, and his Woog's World appears each Friday. He can be reached at dwoog@optonline.net. His personal blog is danwoog06880.com.
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Employers placing workers accused of misconduct on administrative leave typically should make the time off paid, particularly if the accused employee is exempt, to avoid wage and hour as well as discrimination claims. Alternatives to paid administrative leave for alleged wrongdoers often should be considered first.

"I would never recommend a policy that automatically places all employees accused of misconduct or unlawful harassment on administrative leave," said September Rea, an attorney with Polsinelli in Los Angeles.

Alternatives



"To immediately place one party or the other on unpaid administrative leave potentially creates an adverse employment action or punitive conduct before an investigation is even underway," Rea said.

Her preference is to place the accused employee on paid administrative leave or separate the complainant and accused and closely monitor their interactions during the investigation. Monitor all e-mail communications between the complainant and the accused employee, for example, and tell them not to communicate other than in writing during the investigation, she recommended.

"I have had a complainant temporarily report to a different supervisor during the investigation of his current supervisor to avoid retaliation allegations pending the investigation," she noted.

An employer may switch the alleged wrongdoer's shift so the accused employee does not work with the complainant while the employer conducts an investigation, wrote Alba Aviles and Kathleen Caminiti, attorneys with Fisher Phillips in Murray Hill, N.J., in a joint e-mail. "Alternatively, if possible, the alleged wrongdoer could work from home."

When Should the Accused Be Placed on Paid Administrative Leave?

"We generally see the targets of an investigation placed on leave when the individual is accused of criminal activity, ongoing harassment, workplace violence or fraudulent activity," said Natalie Groot, an attorney with Mintz in Boston.

Employers may place the target of an investigation on leave to diffuse tension, separate the complainant and the accused employee, maintain workplace safety, or ensure that the investigation and any witnesses are not subject to any undue influence, she said.

Leave "also can be an effective tool for protecting the well-being of the person who reported the concerns or complaint and messaging to that person and others in the workplace that the company takes such matters seriously," noted J.T. Holt, an attorney with Reed Smith in Pittsburgh.

If the allegation involves suspected theft by a person in a financial control position, an employer may place that person on leave to protect against future loss and allow auditors access to materials without employee interference, said Thomas Johnson II, an attorney with Faegre Drinker in Philadelphia.

The leave often takes effect on the employer's receipt of the complaint and lasts through the duration of the investigation.

If the employer places the employee on leave, it often will make the leave paid because the allegations have not yet been corroborated and the employer wants to avoid litigation.

Such paid administrative leave is different from an unpaid suspension for an employee who is found to have violated company policy, Groot noted.

"Using paid leave is consistent with the idea that leave pending an investigation is not a form of discipline," Johnson said, adding that paid administrative leave also allows employers to avoid potential issues under applicable wage and hour laws, including the Fair Labor Standards Act. "This is an important issue, especially with respect to exempt employees and maintaining their classification."

Exempt employees generally must be paid a fixed amount per workweek that does not change based on their hours worked, Aviles and Caminiti explained. If an exempt employee performs some work during the administrative leave, the employee is entitled to the employee's full salary for the workweek.

Leave Without Pay

Johnson added that when the investigation is expected to be short and the employer is almost certain that the employee placed on leave has engaged in a significant violation of workplace policies or the law, the employer may be more likely to consider using unpaid leave, despite the risks of doing so.

Leave without pay for hourly nonexempt workers is more common than for exempt workers because it does not raise the same wage and hour issues as placing exempt employees on leave, he said. "Employers still need to check to see whether there is any applicable collective bargaining agreement that would limit their ability to place an hourly nonexempt worker on leave," he cautioned.

"In the limited circumstances where unpaid administrative leave is warranted pending an investigation, I recommend that the employer let the accused know that if no unlawful conduct is found at the conclusion of the investigation, the employee will be paid for the time spent on administrative leave," Rea said.

Even if an employee is placed on unpaid leave, the worker must be compensated for the time spent participating in an interview or other aspects of an investigation, said Karla Kraft, an attorney with Stradling in Newport Beach, Calif. "Such compensation should be at the employee's usual rate of compensation," she said.



Paid Administrative Leave for the Complainant

It's far more complicated to put a complainant on paid administrative leave than an accused employee, as placement of a complainant on leave is likely to lead to a retaliation complaint, noted Mike Clarkson, an attorney with Ogletree Deakins in Boston.

Nonetheless, if a complainant is under duress, an employer may offer that employee paid leave or another accommodation pending completion of the investigation, Groot said. "If offered, the employer must be clear that taking leave is an option that the complainant may elect but is not required to take," she said. "If the complainant requests time away from work during the investigation, employers may grant such request."

If a complainant is offered and accepts paid leave, the complainant may want to return to work prior to completion of an investigation, noted Kristen Gallagher, an attorney with McDonald Carano in Las Vegas. "In those circumstances, employers will want to evaluate whether supervisory or reporting structures should be modified in order to avoid, for example, further harassment, discrimination or other alleged conduct of the accused."


For decades, International Womens Day has been celebrated on March 8 to mark women's social, economic, cultural, and political achievements in various spheres. The day also represents a focal point in the womens rights movement, attention to gender equality, violence and abuse against women, reproductive rights, and action for accelerating gender parity.

Every year, the United Nations give a powerful theme to demonstrate the role and status of women in our society. Hence, the United Nation's theme for International Women's Day 2022 observance is "Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow" in honour and celebration of the women and girls who are leading the charge on climate change adaptation and response and acknowledging their leadership and contribution towards a sustainable future. "The year 2022 is pivotal for achieving gender equality in the context of climate change and environmental and disaster risk reduction, which are some of the greatest global challenges of the twenty-first century. Without gender equality today, a sustainable future, and an equal future remains beyond our reach.," UN Women's website says.

In addition, the campaign theme for the year is #BreakTheBias. Whether deliberate or unconscious, bias creates difficulty for women to move ahead. Knowing that bias exists isn't enough. Action is required to balance the playing field.

A Glimpse of the Journey

Over the years, the world has witnessed the impact of the day and evolution towards women, with the first one in 1911. On March 8, 2022, it will be the 111th International Women's Day. The hundred years' journey would not be as easy as it looks. Let's look back at the IWD themes over the years to glimpse the journey and tribute to the people's contribution.

The theme for International Womens Day, 8 March 2021, was Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world. The UN demonstrated the theme to celebrate the tremendous efforts of women and girls worldwide in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was also associated with the priority theme of the 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, "Women's full and effective participation and decision-making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls", and the flagship Generation Equality campaign, which calls for women's right to decision-making in all areas of life, equal pay, equal sharing of unpaid care and domestic work, an end all kinds of violence against women and girls, and health-care services that respond to their needs.

The theme for International Womens Day (8 March) 2020 was, I am Generation Equality: Realizing Womens Rights. The theme was allied with UN Womens new multigenerational campaign, Generation Equality, which marks the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platforms for Action. Adopted in 1995 at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China, the Beijing Platform for Action was renowned as the most progressive roadmap for empowering women and girls everywhere.

The theme for International Womens Day (8 March) 2019 was Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate for Change. It placed innovation by women and girls, for women and girls, at the heart of efforts to reach gender equality.

Achieving a gender-equal world needs social innovations that work for all gender and leave no one behind. From urban planning that concentrates on community safety to e-learning platforms that take classrooms to women and girls, affordable and quality childcare centres, and technology shaped by women, innovation could take the race for gender equality to its finishing line by 2030.

It begins with ensuring that women's and girls' requirements and experiences are integrated at the inception of technology and innovations. It implies building smart solutions that go beyond acknowledging the gender gaps to addressing the needs of people, unlike genderizing. And ultimately, it needs innovations that interrupt business as usual, paying attention to how and by whom technology is used and accessed, and ensuring that women and girls play a significant role in emerging industries.

The theme for International Womens Day, 8 March 2018, was Time is Now: Rural and urban activists transforming womens lives. The theme came on the heels of the unprecedented global movement for womens rights, equality, and justice in that year. Sexual harassment, violence and discrimination against women had captured headlines and public discourse, propelled by a rising determination for change.

People worldwide were assembling for a future that would be more equal. It had taken the shape of global marches and campaigns, including #MeToo in the United States of America and its companions in other countries, protesting against sexual harassment and violence, such as #YoTambien in Mexico, Spain, South America and beyond, #QuellaVoltaChe in Italy, #BalanceTonPorc in France and #Ana_kaman in the Arab States; Ni Una Menos (not one less), a campaign against femicide that originated in Argentina; to name a few, on issues ranging from equal pay to womens political representation.

The 2017 theme for International Womens Day, 8 March, focused on Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030. The world of work is transforming, with substantial implications for women. Even though technological advances and globalization bring unprecedented opportunities for those who can access them, there is still expanding informality of labour, income inequality and humanitarian crises. Against this backdrop, only 50 per cent of working-age women were represented in the labour force internationally, compared to 76 per cent of men.

Reaching gender equality in the world of work is crucial for sustainable development. The United Nations observance on 8 March would urge the actors to Step It Up for Gender Equality towards a Planet 50-50 by 2030 by confirming that the world of work works for all women.

Nevertheless, we could not assure that all the themes have entirely succeeded in their time. The themes are still in process, and I believe every individual is participating at their best to make the world better for humanity. Moreover, the year's most significant achievement is the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS 2019-21); India has 1,020 females per 1,000 males. It shows a step closer towards a better world to live in. And we wish a very Happy International Women's Day to all the ladies out there.
MSRvantage, a start-up, was founded by MSRcosmos, a company located in the United States. The start-up provides AI-enabled blockchain solutions such as anti-counterfeit management, intelligent supply chain solutions through improved traceability, asset digitization, and reward deployment, among others. It is all set to fundamentally transform the logistics industry by leveraging Artificial Intelligence and blockchain to overcome the myriad of challenges faced by the industry, like supply chain management, maintenance of documents, and coordinating the management of vehicles at multiple places.

Globally, there is an increasing demand for supply chain and logistics solutions. Due to insufficient visibility of a product's origin, asset mishandling, limited transparency, and authentication and security concerns, the global supply chain business face various challenges. This has resulted in more knowledge and examination of the supply chain than ever before. This examination has shown the modern supply chain's fragility, and many organisations have simply found themselves unable to quickly adapt, triggering a crisis in and of itself. While managing the finances and operations, almost two-thirds of logistics expenditures are accounted for by fuel and freight. To boost the bottom line, supply chain and logistics managers must optimize those expenses. MSRvantagesBlockchain technology has the capacity to overcome all these challenges as it offers transparent and reliable data that can assist shippers in transitioning from reacting to market changes to controlling transportation costs and outcomes proactively and effectively. Shippers can establish a revolutionary strategy for their firm by introducing greater transparency into fuel and freight expenses.

MSRvantage also offers exceptionally efficient Supply Chain Management as it utilizes blockchain to facilitate communication among parties which makes the process more straightforward, with shorter lead times, less redundancy, fewer delays, and, ultimately, a leaner supply chain. Blockchain also ensures that quality standards are met, giving the seller greater control over the manufacturing of the product from beginning to end.

MSRvantage also offers Blockchain as the ideal tool for managing the extensive databases on clients, partners, delivery history, and catalogs that every logistics firm maintains as every transaction that occurs on a blockchain network is accessible to everyone on the network. Nothing can be eliminated if it is not detected. This transparency eliminates areas of fraud, such as double brokering. With blockchain shippers can securely track the creation and modification times of a document or transaction using the widespread practice of notarization and nonrepudiation, verifying authenticity.

Geolocation tracking is an unquestionable necessity for operating automobiles in the logistics industry as it ensures reliability. MSRvantagefulfils this requirement by utilizing blockchain for coordinating the management of vehicles at multiple places as ELDs can communicate a stream of driver behaviour and route data to a blockchain. Combining this information with traffic and weather data provides carriers and shippers with a tool for improving routing.

MSRvantage also ensures supply chain transparency, which is one of the utmost priorities of the logistics industry, and it necessitates the collaboration of numerous stakeholders toward a single goal. This becomes even more difficult in a global and fast-paced setting. Their blockchain is the perfect technology for overcoming this challenge as it is a distributed database that encourages genuine transparency. Accurate data collected digitally enhance responsibility and confidence amongst parties. This results in a simplified process with shorter lead times, less redundancy, fewer delays, and, eventually, a leaner supply chain.Blockchain also ensures that quality standards are met, providing greater control over logistics.

Mr.SivaGopal M, Founder & Chairman at MSRvantage commented on why Blockchain is the future of the logistics industry, Sustainability is emerging as one of the top priorities of all industries, and this includes the logistics industry as well. MSRvantage can help save significant amounts of energy, reducing carbon emissions, without sacrificing profits and industry development, by making the supply chain more transparent and efficient with services like smart contracts, tracing solutions, asset digitization, incentives, and loyalty programmes. This is why it is a matter of time before the entire industry adopts Blockchain technology, as sustainability will become increasingly important in the future.

MSRvantage'sBlockchain, as a digital ledger, can help to reduce energy consumption by creating a database that can store vehicle information to aid in the selection of the proper fuel for the right vehicle. Furthermore, Blockchain and the Internet of Things may be utilised for vehicle-to-vehicle communication, allowing freight vehicles to communicate as a platoon, enhancing safety and fuel efficiency.

What the logistics industry requires above all else is security, which MSRvantage can provide as their blockchain is built on the concept of secure "blocks", which are temporally maintained versions of the document that are linked to prior blocks. As a result, they are extremely secure and impossible to counterfeit. This is significant because as data storage moves to the cloud, there is a pressing need to protect cloud data and applications. Failure to manage cloud access exposes organizations to major IT risks, such as giving users excessive privileges or, worse, leaving cloud storage repositories open and accessible to anybody. Employee inventory theft, particularly at distribution centres, continues to be a major concern to supply chains. Because blockchain provides a good authentication route with verification, no one can tamper with the data. Furthermore, because it is possible to keep track of all deliveries and track them in real-time, blockchain has the capability to dramatically improve the consumer experience in the logistics business.

Another issue that businesses face is the difficulty to dispute high accessorial rates. Carriers are invoicing accessorial such as residential, liftgate, and inside deliveries more than ever before, which can make audits a frustrating and time-consuming procedure. MSRvantagesblockchain can assist the logistics industry in the resolution of freight transportation disputes. Disputes are unavoidable in cargo shipping. This can occur if the products are misplaced or arrive late. Disputes are difficult to resolve and might persist for weeks before they are resolved. All of this necessitates an increase in the company's resource spend. With immutable data and real-time cargo information, their blockchain services can help resolve conflicts more quickly. Many disagreements may be resolved in minutes using automation and reliable data. It also assists businesses in resolving client issues.

By implementing MSRvantage'sblockchain into its supply chain, the logistics sector stands to reap a plethora of benefits. The combination of lower costs, more efficiency, and increased security make blockchain an excellent fit for the logistics business. The need for AI-enabled Blockchain will continue to rise as the logistics sector acknowledges this, and MSRvantage will be at the forefront of meeting it.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended his greetings on International Women's Day saying that the government will keep its focus on women empowerment through various schemes with an "emphasis on dignity as well as opportunity." "On Women's Day, I salute our Nari Shakti and their accomplishments in diverse fields. The Government of India will keep focusing on women empowerment through its various schemes with an emphasis on dignity as well as opportunity," PM Modi tweeted.

PM Modi said that many efforts have been made to bring women to the forefront of India's development journey.

"From financial inclusion to social security, quality healthcare to housing, education to entrepreneurship, many efforts have been made to put our Nari Shakti at the forefront of India's development journey. These efforts will continue with even greater vigour in the coming times," the Prime Minister said in a tweet.

Later in the day, PM Modi will also address a seminar on International Women's Day, at women saint's camp at Dhordo, Kutch at 6 pm through video conferencing.

The seminar is being organized to recognise the role of women saints in society and their contribution towards women empowerment. Over 500 women saints will attend the seminar in Dhordo, according to PMO.

The seminar will include sessions on culture, religion, female upliftment, security, social status and the role of women in Indian culture. The welfare schemes of central and state Governments benefiting women along with achievements of women will also be discussed.

The seminar will also witness the participation of Union Minister Smriti Zubin Irani, Union Ministers of State Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti and Bharati Pravin Pawar. The event will be graced by Sadhvi Rithambara, Maha Mandleshwar Kankeshwari Devi among others.

Earlier on Monday evening, PM Modi also interacted with winners of the Nari Shakti Puraskar.

'Nari Shakti Puraskar' is an initiative of the Ministry of Women and Child Development to acknowledge the exceptional contribution made by individuals and institutions, to celebrate women as game changers and catalysts of positive change in society.

International Women's Day is celebrated worldwide every year on March 8 to recognise the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women across the globe.
News and Upcoming Events

Spring 2021-2022 Steinbeck Fellows Virtual Reading

Wednesday, May 11, 7:00 p.m.

Zoom registration required

Join the Steinbeck Center for our virtual spring 2021-2022 Steinbeck Fellows reading with Fellows Ariel Chu, Tammy Heejae Lee, and Timea Sipos. Don't miss out on hearing what these Fellows are currently writing. All are welcome to this free event.

Reading followed by Q&A

John Steinbeck Presentations at the 2022 Meeting of the American Literature Association

The International Steinbeck Society will be fielding two scholarly panels at the upcoming American Literature Association Conference in Chicago from May 2629. The first is a traditional panel titled Reading Steinbeck in a Troubled Time, which will feature work from Danica Cerce, Brian Duchaney, and Jean Jaures. The second is a roundtable titled Steinbeck and the Living World," which will feature work from Richard Astro, Lori Newcomb, Naama Cohen, Carter Davis Johnson, and Daniel Lanza Rivers. Please look for us if you are attending the conference. If you are unable to attend, you will be able to find adaptations of these talks in upcoming issues of the Steinbeck Review.


Jameelah Abdul-Rahman Mujaahid is a mother of five, works three jobs and runs ultra distance races. According to the Ultrasignup website she ran 26 ultra distance races in 2021 and that is the most races anyone has done through their site that year. She was looking for a balance and a place to escape the daily demands and found ultra running.



ST: Thank you for your time Jameelah.



Jameelah: Of course.



ST: But we all know time means different things to different people. What does time mean to you?



Jameelah: Time is my kids. I'm constantly going through my brain what needs to be done for them and did I do enough. [laughs] This became one more project to do. I'm doing laundry and cooking while answering your questions. As a single mom with kids I never have enough time it seems.



ST: Talk about your family.



Jameelah: My kids, my parents, my sisters and their families - that's my support. Always grew up thinking everyone has what I had. I had support and love overflowing in my house. You see being the baby you get everything you want. My family went on extended vacations every summer in my dad's new car. He had to get a new one all the time. My dad's favorite word we had to recite everyday was think. My family taught us love, patience and kindness. We were in the Baha'i faith so universal truth and kindness was all we knew. From my mom's side the Baptist church came into play and from my dad traveling all across the country Muslims were everywhere he went, so Islamic teachings were thrown in too. Our life was - you help others, you love others, and I teach my children the same. I try my best to set that example so it's not just my words they hear. My children even as growing young adults we still have our check-in and family love talks.



ST: Last year you seemingly ran an incredible number of Ultra events. How and when did that all get started?



Jameelah: Ah the running. [laughs] I just wanted to test my strength and my ability to commit to one thought, so running each weekend was the thought and once my older kids agreed to help with the younger ones it was game on.



ST: But wouldnt have 5k and 10k races sufficed to test your strength?



Jameelah: A 5k or 10k is merely training. It's takes about 40 miles before I even warm up. I just wanted to see if I could break my body down to zero and not want to run at all. It didn't happen.



ST: And which race did you do this first March weekend?



Jameelah: I ran the CGG 155. It's a coastal race in Georgia from St. Mary's to Savannah. Ahmad Aubrey was killed for running through a neighborhood in Brunswick, Georgia which is about 40 miles of the course. It scared me so I signed up. The RD were wonderful. Dan and Kerry would not let me be alone for more than an hour. It seems they were either texting or boom showing up checking on me. The support for my color by some of the locals when I run rural races like that can be less than kind, but such is life sometimes. I believe you can't let anyone steal your joy no matter how scary it can be. You just pray and god leads the way.



ST: How do you pick your events?



Jameelah: I pick according to my paycheck. [laughs] If I can afford it - I go. That's why most times I'm last minute, because I try not to let what I do take away from my household money.



ST: Of all the ones you have done so far which one was the hardest or most memorable?



Jameelah: I'm not sure because I have extreme short-term memory, so I only remember when I'm in the moment. I remember what I have to do daily because I write myself notes and they're everywhere. My room is full of papers telling me what to do and when. Most times I don't miss stuff, but if it's not written down - I'll forget. I should take medicine but no - I'll stick with writing myself a love letter reminder. Now of course some race directors have become friends and we keep in touch. I'll keep going to their races based on the fact they tell me when it is and I'll put it on my calendar and keep sending myself little love reminders to sign up.



ST: What is your weekly mileage?



Jameelah: I don't run between races - well I kind of do. I run a 10 mile cool down after a race sometime all at once or if the kids have something then I might have to break it up. It's rare I have down time after a race no matter how long it is. It seems I'm constantly rushing home to get back to work and my life taking care of my kids. Also because I teach water aerobics, spinning and other fitness classes I don't have time to just run. I use my races as training.



ST: Teva running sandals?



Jameelah: I grew up racing my boy cousin BB Anthony who was my favorite cousin and we ran barefoot down my grandmas street. I was three legged because I ran so much and fast. My granddaddy gave me that name. My feet feel free in sandals and it seems I can run faster too.



ST: When running on trails we are mostly alone with our thoughts and that is quite opposite of the daily hustle and bustle. Can you tune out or do you think about all the stuff yet to do?



Jameelah: I think about my kids and talk to god on the trails. I sing out loud too.



ST: I believe you have multiple jobs. Can you talk about what you do?



Jameelah: I've always kept multiple streams of income. My father taught us if one fails have something already in place so you're not starting from zero. He owned a Texaco gas station, he was one of the first black men in Western New York to do so. I work at Waffle House, Ladies Workout Express and the YMCA all in Stone Mountain and Lee Haney Gym. All were nice enough to let me work and bring my kids. I was still nursing so if I couldn't bring my kids I couldn't work for you.



ST: For those not familiar with Waffle House. How would you describe it? I guess at the YMCA and the Workout Express some coworkers and customers might know about and have a grasp about your running, but how is it at the Waflfle House?



Jameelah: At Waffle House I didn't talk about my running nor anything outside of work because it wasn't that mentality. Actually it's the kind of restaurant where most people assume you're a former addict or you just got out of jail because that's whom they hire. The restaurant itself is fantastic opportunity for those who otherwise have limited opportunities. Some take advantage of it, but most don't unfortunately. To keep my sanity, I kept my personal life outside of the restaurant.



ST: I believe you were robbed once at a Waffle House but it did not go so well for the robber.



Jameelah: I wasn't scared that night because I felt god, not in a bold way but really I was trying to get through to him more so than even thinking about the robbery. I was like really bro you're going to shoot me over syrup? He left before the police got there.



ST: Is there anything else we should know?



Jameelah: Next year is today so live and love now. I love you all Jameelah.... peace






The second edition of CLASH Endurance Miami is here, with professional athletes taking to the entirety of the speedway this Friday, March 11th. The race will be livestreamed on Facebook, with additional coverage being broadcast on FS1 come March 17th. The deep field will be competing for a $50,000 prize purse, paying from first to eighth place.



Missing from this weekend's festivities are names including defending champions Jan Frodeno and Jodie Stimpson, Lionel Sanders, and Heather Jackson. But we're still left with more than 75 athletes vying for victory along the banked turns of Homestead Miami. Let's take a look at some of the names we expect to see atop the leaderboard on Friday.



Men

: Long has been a long-time advocate of racing with Challenge/CLASH, and has had many successes at Daytona International Speedway. He looks to translate that success here in Miami, using his new partnerships with Trek and Zoot to bring him to victory.

Ben Kanute: The highest ranking finisher returning from last year, Kanute looks to improve upon his third place performance here. Kanute tends to turn up for larger races -- given the depth of field here, expect to see his name high on the leaderboard early and often.



Jackson Laundry: The Canadian, ranked 12th overall by the PTO as of this writing, finished off 2021 in strong fashion. He took victory at 70.3 Ecuador, 5th at 70.3 Worlds in St. George, and had a very strong showing at the Collins Cup. Laundry's yet to have a strong showing at a CLASH race, but his form to close 2021 would suggest a top performance is possible in Miami.

Magnus Ditlev: Ditlev comes into Miami as a bit of a dark horse, although he should becoming a bit more of a household name given the way he ended 2021. Five podiums in six races (with the exception being an 8th place finish at 70.3 Worlds) to close a year should raise your name profile a bit. Yet he flies a bit under the radar. Probably just how he likes it. Don't be surprised if he takes his maiden CLASH victory.



Other notable names include Justin Metzler, Andrew Starykowicz, occasional author at Slowtwitch Ben Deal, Tyler Butterfield, Sam Appleton, Chris Leiferman, and Andreas Dreitz.

Women

: It's hard to see anyone else standing atop the top step come Friday afternoon. Pallant-Browne won nearly 50% of the races she entered in 2021, and was otherwise on the podium at the remainder with one exception: 70.3 Worlds. Still, with that staggering consistency, if you had to bet the house on one competitor, this is where the smart money goes.

Sara Perez Sala: Perez Sala's name often turns up when it comes to CLASH / Challenge events. Perez Sala had a good start to 2021, including a 4th place at Miami, but two DNF's in three races to end the year were a disappointing conclusion. We'd expect a bounce-back performance here.

Ashleigh Gentle: It's been a long-time since we've seen Gentle at a long-course race, as she focused on qualifying for the Olympics for a second time. And with the COVID-19 pandemic making travel difficult, it's the first time we'll see Gentle race in the US since 2019.



Pamella Oliveira: The Brazilian national champion twice over, Oliveira's had mixed results in recent events, with a 4th place at last year's IRONMAN Lake Placid the likely highlight. Historically, though, Oliveira's opened her season stronger than she closes it, making her a stronger podium contender than if this were a late season event.



Other names to watch include Chelsea Sodaro, Dede Greisbauer, and Sophie Watts.



For all information regarding this Friday's race, visit CLASH Endurance's pro hub.
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The competition watchdog has raised concerned that budget airline start-up Bonza has been locked out of Sydney Airport and that tight control of the gateways landing slots could be stifling new carriers.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commissions latest aviation monitoring report, released on Tuesday, says travellers are getting cheaper airfares thanks to Rex Airlines challenging incumbent airlines Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin on nine major city routes.

Bonzas full route map includes 25 trips to 16 destinations all across Queensland, NSW and Victoria. Around 80 per cent of the routes are not currently served by any carrier. Credit: Supplied

Bonza, an ultra-low cost new carrier that aims to start flying around the middle of this year, will give consumers even more options but will not initially fly to Sydney due to high fees and a lack of available landing slots.

Rex, the regional airline which launched jet services between capital cities last year, has also been unable to secure permanent slots at Sydney, even as it operates at reduced capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Links to slavery from a couple of hundred years ago have been researched and apologised for. Carbon emissions have been offset. Work-life balance has been prioritised, racism awareness courses made mandatory and every form of microaggression clamped down on. And, heck, lets not get into the whole issue of what pronouns the board should use in its annual report.

Over the past decade, the corporate social responsibility movement has exploded, increasing its power and influence and jumping on every fashionable bandwagon it can.

McDonalds outlets in Russia continue to operate. Credit:Bloomberg

But hold on. Right now it is facing a real test. If firing thermobaric bombs at civilians isnt a contravention of your corporate social responsibility code, and if shelling nuclear power plants doesnt contravene your environmental and governance standards, it is hard to know what does.

True, many companies have stepped up to the challenge magnificently, closing units in Russia no matter what the cost to their shareholders.
Despite being the worlds largest oil producer and a major exporter of oil and gas the US, because it consumes so much energy (more than 17 million barrels of oil a day), is a net importer of oil to the tune of about 8.5 million barrels a day. The majority of that comes from Canada but it imports about 210,000 barrels a day of Russian oil and about 500,000 barrels a day of other products, like fuel oil and distillates, that it doesnt produce itself. The voluntary sanctioning of Russian exports is impacting a global oil market that was already very tight even before the invasion. Credit:Getty In the context of Russias 10 million barrels a day of oil production and more than seven million barrels a day of oil exports, the US purchases are almost immaterial. The Wests sanctions are, however, having some significant impacts on Russias energy exports even though they were specifically excluded from those measures to try to protect the Europeans.

There are estimates that as much as half of Russias exports, and perhaps more, have been frozen by the unwillingness of buyers and traders to buy it, or shipping companies to ship it, either on moral grounds or, more likely, because they and their financiers are concerned about being unwittingly caught up in the maze of financial sanctions. Loading While the steepness of the oil price rise (it was just above $US90 a barrel before the invasion after starting the year below $US80 a barrel) might seem to compensate Russia for the reduced export volumes, thats not quite the case. Shell recently generated controversy and criticism when it bought a cargo of 100 metric tonnes of Russias flagship Urals oil. The price it paid was the equivalent of a record discount of $US28.50 a barrel to the international market price for Brent crude. That trade was revealing. Russia is losing significant volumes of oil exports but isnt reaping anything close to the full benefit of the higher prices.

The voluntary sanctioning of Russian exports is impacting a global oil market that was already very tight even before the invasion. OPEC  and its associates, like Russia -- cut back their production heavily in 2020 in response to the impact on demand of the pandemic. Loading As the worst of that impact passed, the cartel members decided to increase their output by a combined 400,000 barrels a day each month but have struggled to achieve that target, partly because of the big slump in investment during the pandemic. The White House has been urging OPEC, and Saudi Arabia in particular, to add more supply to dampen the prices rises and offset the impact of any sanctions on Russian oil but, whether they are reluctant to help sanction another major producer with whom theyve coordinated global supply or arent physically able to pump more oil, so far theyve stuck to their existing plan of incremental increases.

The Biden administration has also been talking to both Iran and Venezuela about lifting, or lightening, US sanctions on their economies in exchange for increased oil production.

Irans oil output has been heavily constrained by sanctions against it because of its nuclear program and Venezuelas by US attempts to undermine the Maduro regime. The Biden administration has been trying to revive the 2015 deal with Iran that Donald Trump blew up in 2018, which would clear the way for Iran to produce and sell about 1.2 million barrels a day more oil than it does today. Venezuela only produces about 800,000 barrels a day now but, before it was sanctioned, produced about three million barrels a day. Putin might win the battle in Ukraine but ... the loss of Russias remaining oil and gas revenues would mean losing the economic war and the destruction of whats left of its economy. While it might take quite some time for more oil to flow  Venezuelas run-down industry would probably require significant investment  the countries could help offset the losses of Russian volumes from the global market and make it less daunting for Russias biggest customer, the EU, to stop buying its oil. Russia, if its energy sector is sanctioned, could divert its oil exports to India or China but their high sulphur content means refineries would have to be reconfigured to handle it, limiting the volumes the likely customers could accept, particularly in the near term.
LESLIE LONSDALE-COOPER, January 17, 1924 - December 12, 2021

Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper, who has died aged 97, was one half of the translating team, with Michael Turner, who adapted the original French of Herges famous adventures of Tintin comic strip into English.

The pair were junior members of Methuens staff when the publishing firm was offered two works by the Belgian author and illustrator (real name Georges Remi). We saw straight away that they were something quite special, Lonsdale-Cooper recalled. The artwork and drawings were very, very skilled. However, there were some problems with it being a cartoon. The publishers had to persuade teachers and libraries that these were attractive books, as at that time they thought cartoons meant horror comics.

The first Tintin book to be translated.

Their superiors at Methuen were opposed to getting involved in a genre seen as a bad influence on children. The childrens editor also objected to the extra costs of translation. The pair got their way only by volunteering to do the translating for nothing.
Outbreaks of gonorrhoea are spreading rapidly through Melbournes outer suburbs, with doctors warning that the municipalities of Melton, Casey and Brimbank are now battling an evolving epidemic of the sexually transmitted disease that has alarmed and perplexed experts.

New research from Alfred Health has, for the first time, tracked the geographical distribution of gonorrhoea over a decade, finding growing clusters of the sexually transmitted infection were infiltrating some of the most socioeconomically disadvantaged areas of Melbourne.

Associate Professor Eric Chow Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui

Alfred Health epidemiologist and biostatistician Eric Chow, who led the study, said while the disease previously circulated among men who had sex with other men, a growing number of women were becoming infected.

Why this is occurring is the million-dollar question, Associate Professor Chow said. We really dont know whether it is because of the lack of sexual health literacy and services, or whether it is more risky behaviour in those areas. But definitely the outer suburbs are becoming our greatest area of concern.
The torrential rain afflicting Sydney is expected to ease significantly on Wednesday, but not before dangerous winds compound the wild weather which has sent flood waters on their way to eclipsing last years levels and prompted evacuation alerts from Manly to Mulgoa.

Wind gusts exceeding 90 km/h were forecast for Sydney and the Illawarra, while heavy rainfall was still forecast for the metropolitan area on Tuesday night, especially in the citys north.

Flash flooding in Manly Vale on Tuesday. Credit:James Brickwood

Sydneys northern suburbs copped the brunt of Tuesdays downpour, with Mona Vale recording more than 100 millimetres in just three hours during the early afternoon and Mosman receiving 128 millimetres in the six hours until lunchtime.

Senior meteorologist Dean Narramore said the heavy rain would continue on Tuesday night before easing in the early hours of Wednesday and drying out further during the day. Some sunshine is even forecast for Thursday.
Sydneys record-busting deluge has killed at least two people, forced thousands to abandon their homes and will trigger a sharp climb in insurance claims, as authorities warn of a new danger to the city on Wednesday from gale-force winds.

The 820 millimetres of rain that has fallen on Sydney since the beginning of January is more than double the year-to-date average and smashes the previous record, set in 1956, of 782mm. Some areas recorded more than 120mm in six hours on Tuesday, turning roads into rivers and causing chaos for commuters.

The SES helps to evacuate children from a childcare centre in Manly. Credit:James Brickwood

Major roads across the city were impassable for much of the day. Two cars were submerged on a flooded Roseville Bridge, three key crossings in the Hawkesbury-Nepean valley were closed, and water was cascading down cliffs at the Spit, with almost 130mm falling at Mosman in six hours.

The torrential rain is forecast to continue overnight but will ease significantly on Wednesday, although dangerous winds will continue to cause chaos. Wind gusts exceeding 90 km/h were forecast for Sydney and the Illawarra into Wednesday morning.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Shock has now turned to fury for some residents of the flooded northern NSW town of Woodburn who feel they have been abandoned by authorities and left to fend for themselves for too long. Eight days after Woodburn started disappearing underwater, many of its 800 residents are now returning to find a town destroyed. The grocery store is covered in sludge and cafe kitchens have turned upside down. Fences are stuck in neighbours washing lines and decaying fish have dried up on doorsteps. A dead cow is carried through the river in the middle of town on Tuesday afternoon. The putrid stench is intensifying. Friends, family and community volunteers all help to clean up the damaged shops in Woodburn. Credit:Janie Barrett The water has started receding and army boots have finally hit the ground. But the hundreds of people shovelling mud, ripping out walls and bagging up kilos of rotting food on Tuesday are mostly residents, their families or volunteers. Michelle Chave arrives home for the first time on Tuesday morning and sees young women from around Lismore sweeping mud off her front step.

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There is nothing left to save for her daughter Emily, a disability support worker and aspiring writer who lives downstairs. Her room was submerged for almost a week. Its just rotting, and mouldy, and the roof is non-existent, Emily says. Emily Chave is overwhelmed by the destruction of her home in Woodburn - which she renovated herself - as she enters it for the first time. Credit:Janie Barrett Michelle isnt ready to look inside. What do you say? Its just carnage. Strangers are beautiful and the government should be charged. It is criminal. You know who saved us? Volunteers saved us. Volunteers fed us. Volunteers have been the backbone of the whole area, she says. Michelle, Emily, and her father Phil - who is battling lung cancer - were rescued alongside their neighbours, who have a baby, from their top deck by community members on a boat at about 5am on the morning tides rose. We have been so abandoned. The army is just here, now. They should have been here day one, Michelle says. Many residents went home to Woodburn for the first time on Tuesday to find the town destroyed. Credit:Janie Barrett

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On the other side of the block, Kim Rees helps clear out her fathers home. She cant yet bear to see her own, which is still half-submerged. I think there were only three houses in the whole community that didnt have water in them. No-one really has flood insurance. Ive got no idea where the community goes from here, whos going to open their business. Its just trauma, devastation, Ms Rees says. Volunteers and family clear Kim Rees fathers home. Credit:Janie Barrett Ms Rees believes there are still people missing but she cant be sure. We dont have any phone service, water, power. Theres nobody aside from some army guys dropped off yesterday, she says. Were just doing it ourselves. I think thats where people are feeling desperate and helpless. Theres no one here saying: were going to help and support you. Responding to criticism from Northern Rivers communities who say Australian Defence Force personnel took too long to arrive, Major General David Thomae - the commander of the joint task force - says he understands their frustration. Strangers are beautiful and the government should be charged. It is criminal ... volunteers saved us. Volunteers fed us. Michelle Chave

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I am very sorry for all those people who have felt that they havent been supported and I empathise completely with their plight, he said on Monday. Loading What I can say is, from an ADF perspective, we have thrown the resources we had available immediately to respond and that has saved lives. Woodburn on Tuesday rings with the sound of clanking hammers, shattering glass and the thud of heavy furniture as its thrown to the side of the road. The town is bustling. Some families take a moment to stand hopelessly and survey the wreckage, while neighbours hose the sides of their homes from the balcony or throw sodden possessions through their windows. Footpaths are caked with dead worms and maggots crawl through old food. Two neighbours catch up as they survey wreckage around their homes. Credit:Janie Barrett Alex Clark, who owns a cafe on the main strip, had eight fridges and freezers in his shed out the back. They lifted the roof off and theyre all over the yard. Its quite horrifying to say the least, he says. We dont know what were going to do or where were going to go.

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A hundred metres behind the shops, water is still thigh-high and at least a dozen homes are isolated. A group of men from Lennox Head wade back and forth through flood water with a dinghy to clear the possessions of an elderly couple who have been living inside their home for the past few days. Im the builder thats told them they have to go, theres mould setting in and you need a mask to be in there. I think the reality is just setting in, says Nathan Linton-France. Bernard Walter, left, and Nathan Linton-France, right, are among volunteers from Lennox Head who have been helping people over the last week. Credit:Janie Barrett The army comes for three hours, dilly-dallying around. Theyve been at the SES hall and havent lifted a finger [at times] because they didnt have a commander to give them direction. We were charging hard for three days and then you see army personnel there taking photos. Theres going to be a very angry community. Half-an-hour later, a group of army personnel show up to the couples house hes working in and ask how they can help. The young ADF personnel cart waterlogged carpets down the staircase, while family and friends charge through the house ripping up floorboards. Within another half-hour, the troops are back walking the streets. Members of the ADF join up with community volunteers to clear the house of an elderly couple. Credit:Janie Barrett

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Diseases caused by mosquito bites, fungal infections and human waste in water are all likely to afflict flood-hit communities in NSW, experts say, as heavy rain continues to batter the sodden state.

With hundreds of patients locked out of their usual GPs and pharmacies, health workers on the ground said maintaining ordinary healthcare services was currently of most concern. Mental health support was also needed as locals deal with the trauma of the past week.

Flood-hit communities are likely to be affected by water and mosquito-borne diseases, experts say. Credit:Brook Mitchell

Professor Karin Leder, co-lead of the division of planetary health at Monash University, said the immediate health risks from floodwaters were drowning and injuries, including lacerations and broken bones or sprains.

Respiratory infections may also occur due to inhalation of water-borne pathogens, or [staying] in overcrowded evacuation hubs, she said.

James Cook University microbiologist Jeff Warner said there are three types of infection likely to occur in a flooded area: contamination with human waste, such as gastroenteritis and skin infections; those fuelled by organisms liberated from their environment by extreme rainfall, such melioidosis, an infection by bacterium which usually lives in deeper soil; and mosquito-borne diseases (commonly Ross River virus).

The clearest example in recent weeks has been the mosquito-borne Japanese encephalitis virus detected in Victoria and southern NSW. Following Brisbanes 2011 flood, there was a significant outbreak of West Nile, a similar virus, among horses.

Read the full story here.
Two bodies found in a stormwater canal in western Sydney are believed to be a devoted mother and her adult son, whose car was found in the same canal on Monday afternoon.

Hemalathasolhyr Satchithanantham, 67, and her son Bramooth, 34, could not be located by police who were called to Coopers Creek at Wentworthville about 4.30pm on Monday, after being alerted that a white Mazda 3 was in the stormwater canal.

A Mazda 3 in the canal where two bodies were found by police during a search on Tuesday. Credit:Nine News

Officers checked the vehicle and found personal possessions inside, but were unable to find Ms Satchithanantham or her son, who they understood was with her. Police launched an investigation and called for public assistance in finding the missing pair, with a search re-commencing at first light.

About 8.20am on Tuesday, emergency services were called to the same canal after a report from a member of the public that a womans body had been sighted in the water, near Hopkins Street in Constitution Hill.
Brisbanes lord mayor and Queenslands Transport Minister will meet on Wednesday to discuss what will happen to a restaurant washed up onto a riverside bikeway by the floods.

Major Brisbane landmarks decimated by the south-east Queensland floods are now the centre of political quarrelling, with a minister accusing the council of dithering and not fixing damaged infrastructure.

Drift restaurant along the Brisbane River was displaced and ruined by the flood. Credit:Twitter

Queenslands economic activity was expected to plummet about $1 billion as a result of the floods, while more than $930 million private insurance claims were made following the disaster that battered regions from the south-east city of Gympie down to NSW towns and cities.

Residents across several regions continue to clean up homes, restaurants and businesses, while flood-damaged property remains in front yards and on streets.
Days after insurer Suncorp accused governments of dragging their feet on flood protection, leaving cities exposed to risk, Queenslands Deputy Premier says the state will consider alternative plans for future disasters.

The flood in late February destroyed more than 4200 Queensland homes, while almost 100,000 insurance claims have been made across south-east Queensland and NSW.

Personnel from Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, the Rural Fire Service and the State Emergency Service are briefed before assisting with the flood recovery. Credit:Twitter

But despite the estimated billions in damage inflicted to Queensland, Defence Minister Peter Dutton on Tuesday said the NSW floods, where two bodies were pulled from a stormwater canal in western Sydney earlier in the day, had been more difficult than those in his home state.

The figures were announced as the state government named Major-General Jake Ellwood to head Queenslands disaster recovery.
Members of an alleged major drug-trafficking syndicate are attempting to have evidence against them thrown out after it was revealed undercover police were not properly authorised to purchase the illicit drugs used to lay charges against them.

The Age can reveal details of the drug investigation that uncovered the unlawful swearing in of more than 1000 Victoria Police officers over seven years after a barrister raised concerns over police powers.

Chief Commissioner Shane Patton explains how the officers were sworn in incorrectly. Credit:Wayne Taylor

The force is now in the process of reswearing in its affected members and the government has introduced retrospective legislation after an internal police audit found acting assistant commissioners were performing some duties without proper authorisation.

The new legislation, introduced into Parliament on Tuesday, creates a special exemption for the drug-trafficking case and potentially casts doubt over the future of the entire prosecution.
A 56-year-old man is accused of sexually assaulting two teenagers and holding them against their will at a Perth motel in the early hours of Monday morning.

The female victims, aged 17 and 19, were rescued by police after witnesses said they were found hysterical and partly clothed outside the Ship & Dock Inn in Henderson.

Nine News Perth journalist Mia Egerton-Warburton said forensic officers were combing the scene on Monday.

Both teens were taken to Fiona Stanley Hospital - we understand their injuries werent life-threatening, but both were incredibly shaken, she said.

Detectives believe the man in his 50s met the duo in Perth and drove them here overnight - but his relationship to the women is unclear.
What an infuriating spectacle the senseless defamation proceeding between billionaire pest Clive Palmer and WA Premier Mark McGowan is turning out to be.

The money, the time, the resources of the court  and the distraction: a mixture of petty politics and ego at a moment when we actually have a whole bunch of real problems to deal with.

Clive Palmer and Mark McGowans war of words has finally ended up in court. Credit:WAtoday

The Premier certainly didnt start this fight but he has done almost nothing to mitigate it, inflaming things in the lead up to the March 2021 election for reasons including electoral advantage, secure in the knowledge the taxpayer would pick up the tab whatever the outcome.

The general principle is that a politician can have legal expenses met where an action arises in the course of their ministerial responsibilities, but the pursuit of defamation actions (for example Joe Hockey), and the defence of other private matters (for example Christian Porter) are not expenses to be covered by taxpayers.
The introduction of national paid leave for parents of newborn children was an important step forward for gender equality. It also brought Australia into line with comparable nations which had adopted paid parental leave much earlier.

Under the scheme, introduced in 2010, eligible parents who earn less than $151,350 a year receive a Commonwealth payment equivalent to the national minimum wage ($772.55 a week) for up to 18 weeks. About 180,000 parents benefit each year, mostly women on low and middle incomes. Without the scheme tens of thousands of workers would receive no income when they take time off work to have a baby.

While Australias paid parental leave policy has been a success, there is scope for improvement.

Given the yawning gap in retirement savings that opens up between men and women in their 20s and 30s, one obvious enhancement to the national paid parental leave system would be the payment of superannuation to recipients.

A 2020 federal review of retirement incomes, conducted by former Treasury official Mike Callaghan, found paying superannuation to those receiving government funded parental leave would make a modest but worthwhile contribution to reducing gender inequality in retirement savings. It estimated this change would cost the budget around $200 million a year, increasing as the super guarantee rate rises.
The Democratic Labour Party, a political tantrum that lasted 65 years, appears to have finally sputtered out.

Unable to muster the required 1500 members to the satisfaction of the Australian Electoral Commission, the party, formed originally to fight what its leaders perceived to be communist influence in the ALP, has lost its party registration.

The Democratic Labor Party is no more. Credit:Fairfax Media

Though the old Cold War outfit never managed to get a member elected to the House of Representatives in all the years of its existence, it managed to keep the Australian Labor Party out of government through the 1950s and 1960s, largely by directing its preferences to the Liberal and Country parties.

Its current deregistration is the second time in six years the AEC has called time on the DLP. It was stripped of its registration in 2016, but after a review, the AEC decided the party did have at least 500 members, as required under the rules at that time.
Minister for Western Sydney Stuart Ayres has shot down calls to relocate people from floodplains, arguing residents are acutely aware of the risk they take by choosing to live in a flood-prone area.

Mr Ayres on Tuesday told a budget estimates hearing it was a farcical proposition to buy out homes in major flood-affected areas like the Hawkesbury-Nepean valley in his electorate.

He said it was better to mitigate flooding in established communities through weather mapping, flood modelling, improved evacuation routes and raising the Warragamba dam wall.

NSW Minister Stuart Ayres fronted a budget estimates hearing on Tuesday. Credit:Janie Barrett

Choosing to live in those locations does come with a consequence and people need to be aware of what that consequence is, Mr Ayres said on Tuesday.
The NSW government will encourage people to move away from floodplains by offering subsidies such as stamp duty concessions as deputy police commissioner Mal Lanyon is tasked with driving northern NSWs recovery.

Premier Dominic Perrottet announced on Tuesday that Mr Lanyon would be the northern NSW recovery coordinator and will work under the direction of Resilience NSW commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons.

NSW Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon will lead the flood recovery in northern NSW. Credit:Brook Mitchell

His appointment comes as Australian Defence Force troops continue to work on the clean-up in the northern rivers and extra recovery centres open to help people access government services to get them back on their feet.

The government is also working on a proposal for residents of flood-ravaged areas such as Lismore to not pay stamp duty if they buy in an area away from floodplains. The plan will be considered by cabinets expenditure review committee this week.
London: Prince Andrew was not given a penny of public funds to pay off his accuser, the British Treasury insisted, as the settlement was finalised on Wednesday AEDT.

A joint order filed with the New York court called for the civil action to be dismissed. It stated that each side would cover its own costs and fees.

The financial deal is understood to exceed 12 million ($21 million), including a 2 million contribution to Giuffres sex trafficking charity thought to have been paid by the Queen. Her Majesty has privately funded Andrews legal fight since he was first cast adrift by the royal family in late 2019, following his disastrous Newsnight interview.

Prince Andrew in 2015. Credit:AP

Prince Charles, heir to throne, is also said to have made a hefty financial contribution to the settlement in order to allow his brother to draw a line under the case and avoid further damaging the reputation of the monarchy, particularly in the Queens Platinum Jubilee year.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Galyna Rasstanna couldnt run to take cover when her apartment block was hit by a Russian airstrike. The 86-year-old lifelong Kharkiv resident is frail and can no longer walk. So, she just lay there. Her daughter was seriously injured in the attack on February 27, but she cant visit her in hospital. Rasstanna desperately wants to get out of her building now but she cant. Unable to walk, Galyna Rasstanna, 86, lies in her bed and weeps and begs for the shelling to stop. Credit:Kate Geraghty The Russian air force was targeting a nearby military school in the Kholodna Hora area in the citys west, and Rasstannas five-storey Soviet-style apartment block was collateral damage. Rasstannas apartment on one of the top floors was practically destroyed, so the owner of the orange-brick building has moved her down to an apartment on the ground floor. Entering the one-bedroom apartment through a midget hallway, the Russian-speaking white-haired Rasstanna summoned the strength to lift her head up from her mattress on the ground before delivering a single plea: Please stop this war, she told us, crying. This war is sadism at the expense of civilians.

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She seemed to only have enough energy for one cry for help at a time, before receding back under her blankets as she braced from the bitterly cold weather which failed to reach zero degrees. Asked what her message was for the Russians who attacked her home, she said: I dont care who is shelling, but whoever they are  they are shelling us. In Kharkiv, there are mainly Russians... I dont know why this is happening. Kharkiv is in north-eastern Ukraine, a 45-minute drive from the Russian border. Its residents are predominantly Russian-speaking. It is precisely the type of community Vladimir Putin claims to be liberating from Ukraine. On the streets, it is clear that Putins troops have not come to liberate the city, but to destroy it.

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A bomb aimed at military police building in the city centre of Kharkiv also levelled nearby apartments and a park. Credit:Kate Geraghty In the centre of the snow-covered city on Novobavarskyy Avenue, a rocket attack on Sunday night reduced a city block to a bombed-out wasteland. The Russians were targeting a military police centre, but civilian buildings, cars and an adjacent park were wiped out. At least eight buildings were hit. On Monday, ash still filled the air as Ukrainian soldiers began shovelling the rubble out from the ruins. The remnants of a car, desks and chairs lay waste in an eight-metre-wide crater carved out by one of the bombs. The park, too, is cratered and choked with dust like a moonscape. A Ukrainian soldier stands at the edge of an eight-metre crater where people once lived. Credit:Kate Geraghty A man who lives across the road said he saw the aftermath of the air strike from his window. It was like a great sound and then fire. I saw fire from my window, he said.

I dont know if we will be able to recover from this problem in the next 10 or 20 years. I dont know how this can continue. For anyone with a cursory knowledge of modern military capabilities, one of the first things that draws attention amid the desolation of Kharkiv is the lack of precision that has been shown. Instead of guided missiles, the Russians are dropping what the military call dumb bombs  bombs that simply rely on their freefall trajectory to wreak maximum destruction.

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And they are big. The Russians may have landed a direct hit on the military police centre, but they also destroyed the nearby buildings and flattened the urban park. The destruction is evidence the Russians are using dumb bombs for wanton destruction, not guided missiles for precision strikes. Credit:Kate Geraghty There are also reports that Russia has been using cluster munitions  rockets or missiles that deploy a large number of small explosives that scatter over wide areas. However, we found no evidence of this on Monday. In other parts of Ukraine, the highways are banked up for days with people trying to leave. But the road between Dnipro and Kharkiv is not busy. You get a sense here that those who want to flee, already have. The train station is no longer crushed with people as it was on the first day. During the day, those who have decided not to flee this besieged city freely walk the streets to get their groceries and go to work, while many volunteer to help aid the war effort. Residents carry bags of what they could salvage from their building, destroyed by an air strike. Credit:Kate Geraghty

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On its Telegram account, the city council posts alerts about local athletes at the Paralympics, where to find functioning ATMs and the challenges of repairing water leaks in buildings where the residents have fled, taps running and doors locked. In the streets, crews work to repair powerlines, and shops, somehow, reopen. Loading The residents who stayed are fatigued and scared, but insist they are here for the long haul. Back in the west of the city, a Russian air strike completely wiped out a factory, ravaged a building across the road and damaged a nearby hospital. Volodymyr Bratslavets, who lives in the partially destroyed building, said he watched six of his neighbours die in the attack. He estimates 20 people were killed. Volodymyr Bratslavets watched six of his neighbours die in an attack. Now he looks for somewhere else to sleep. Credit:Kate Geraghty Carrying out a bed frame from his wiped-out apartment, the 40-year-old said he believed four bombs in total were dropped in the attack on March 1.

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The US and the UK will ban the importation of Russian oil amid growing pressure to stop inadvertently financing Russian President Vladimir Putins bloody invasion of Ukraine.

As Russia continued its attack for a 14th day, President Joe Biden said the US would boycott Russias oil, liquefied natural gas, and coal in a bid to thwart Putins war machine and further punish him for his unprovoked attack.

President Joe Biden announces a ban on Russian oil imports. Credit:AP

Soon after, Britain also announced it would phase out imports of Russian oil and oil products this year, a move Prime Minister Boris Johnson said was aimed at delivering another economic blow to the Putin regime following their illegal invasion of Ukraine.

The latest sanctions are designed to target a top source of income to Putins economy. But the move is politically dicey, partly because it could further shake global energy markets and cause petrol prices to soar at a time when many Americans are already struggling with record inflation rates and rising prices on everything from fuel and food, to rent and furniture.
PHILIPSBURG (DCOMM):--- The Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department in the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA), would like to inform the general public, the COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic is closed this week.



It is anticipated that services will resume on Monday, March 14.



Persons with scheduled appointments are requested to check back on Monday, March 14.



CPS apologizes for any inconvenience that this may cause.



The telephone number 914 will be operating from Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM and on Saturdays 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament for the United Peoples Party the honorable Grisha Heyliger-Marten sings praises to women as part of her celebration of International Womens Day.

In a press release issued to local media on Monday evening, MP Heyliger-Marten said as women we all have this unsuspected reserve of strength inside that emerges when life puts us to the test. In our society, as daughters, mothers, aunts, wives, nieces, and partners we still endure many gender-specific challenges and obstacles that try to make us feel like the weaker sex

We are stronger because at times we need to be. Our children look up to their mothers for love, confidence, and guidance while sometimes needing guidance herself.

Growing up we go thru so many transformations, from playing as young girls to the growing pains of teenage life, starting a career and family during adulthood, and then seeing the fruits of that career and family during our golden years. Let us continue to encourage and look out for each other during our journey as women thru life. We are wiser because of our past experiences.

As women, we must traditionally pass down our experiences but also allow our young women the opportunity to experience this new world in their own way. We are smarter because of what we learned.

Time has shown that despite hundreds of years of oppression against women we have fought for and claimed our place in this world. Now whatever obstacle we may face today to break us down we know there is nothing stronger than a woman who can rebuild herself.

On behalf of the Parliament of St. Martin, I wish each and every one of us a Happy International Womens Day.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Women, both locally and internationally, are making a difference in our society today - whether economically as hard-working entrepreneurs or by participating in almost every field, including the most difficult role we play as mothers and leaders in our families. Women have made strides in research, science, medicine, politics, education, business, culture, arts, sports, and in leadership roles within the private sector, social sectors and within governments various organizations. All this has been achieved despite the inequalities and prejudice which still exist in our society and around the world.

Yet, on March 8, the world recognizes that all women everywhere deserve to be celebrated for the extraordinary contributions we make in our communities, our triumphs despite obstacles brought about by societys rules, norms, and inequalities, and our unmatched courage in the face of current challenges.

We recognize the late Mavis Brooks-Salmon and Daniella Jeffry, living legends Jas Labega-Bryan, Elaine Gumbs-Vlaun, Maria Liberia Peters, and current leaders Clara Reyes, Nicole de Weever, Dr. Rhoda Arrindell, Prime Minister Mia Mottley, Vice President Kamala Harris as role models throughout history and today; examples of unprecedented strength, commitment, and courage. These women have brought recognition and honor to the value of women in leadership and their contribution to the development of society will go down in history. Today we join the international community in the celebration of International Womens Day under the theme Break the Bias.

Women everywhere continue to strive for our voices to be heard, to be judged according to the quality of our work, and to be treated equitably in and outside the workplace. To do so we recognize that we must continue to challenge any system, which deliberately or unconsciously, allows gender biases to exist.

St. Maarten joins in the fight for a world free of bias against women, and envisions a world where differences are valued, respected, and even celebrated - A world where we measure a woman by the content of her character and actions, and not by her gender.

Women of St. Maarten, we are called upon to exceed expectations and continue to lead by example within the region. Since 10-10-10, St. Maarten has surpassed quotas of women in leadership with equal pay, including Presidents and members of Parliament, Prime Ministers, Ministers in Government, and in leadership throughout the organization at all levels.

Our best effort to achieve our goal of promoting gender equality and thereby Breaking the Bias is our determination to continue to uplift each other and celebrate positive examples of female leadership and inspire young women and girls. Simultaneously we must teach our boys and men that they have a key role in fighting for equality, uplifting, celebrating, and supporting our women, as mothers, sisters, colleagues, and friends. I challenge and encourage us all to take time to honor the women in St. Maarten making a difference during the entire month of March.

As Prime Minister of St. Maarten, a woman leading in these unprecedented times, I wish a Happy International Womens Day 2022 to all women around the world, but especially the women and girls of Oualichi  Land of Strong women. Together we can make a difference!

Women belong in all places where decisions are being made.  Ruth Bader Ginsburg
BONAIRE:--- The Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) recently supported the attendance of representatives from the Protected Area Management Organizations of Aruba (Fundacion Parke Nacional Aruba), Bonaire (STINAPA), Saba (Saba Conservation Foundation), and Sint Maarten (the Nature Foundation) to a five-day BirdsCaribbean Landbird Monitoring Workshop in Jarabacoa, the Dominican Republic where participants were trained in increasing the capability to monitor land birds in the wider-Caribbean Region.



Monitoring the health of land bird populations is vitally important to understand changes in population sizes and distributions of species in response to environmental changes and threats, such as climate change, pollution, invasive species, development, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, and more. Through the monitoring of the health of land bird populations in the Dutch Caribbean, conservation managers will be better able to tell how these species, and the natural areas in which they live, are doing. The data they gather will help decision-makers to plan conservation and management actions to ensure the Dutch Caribbeans amazing birds will be around for our children and grandchildren to see and enjoy.

We are grateful to Birds Caribbean for organizing this Training of Trainers workshop. With the skills learned during this workshop we will be able to increase the way we protect our natural areas on land which are some of the most threatened spaces on our islands, commented Tadzio Bervoets, Director of the DCNA.

The participation of qualified local conservationists to the workshop was made possible through the support of the US Fish and Wildlife Service Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Fund, Environment and Climate Change Canada, US Forest Service International Programs, Optics for the Tropics, and the DCNA.



Photo caption: From left to right: Kai Wulf, Director at the Saba Conservation Foundation; Caren Eckrich, Biologist at STINAPA Bonaire; Melanie Meijer Zu Schlochtern, Manager of the St. Maarten Nature Foundation; Tadzio Bervoets, Director Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance; Giancarlo Nunes, Conservation Manager Aruba National Parks Foundation; Jilly Sarpong, Terrestrial Park Ranger STINAPA Bonaire at the BirdsCaribbean Terrestrial Bird Monitoring Workshop in Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic (Credit: Giselle Dean, Bahamas National Trust- all rights reserved
SABA:--- Commissioner of Infrastructure and Finance Bruce Zagers and the harbor project team provided an update on the Saba harbor project during a recent visit of Dutch State Secretary of Kingdom Relations and Digitization Alexandra van Huffelen and a delegation of the First Chamber of the Dutch Parliament. The team presented the latest design and explained the next steps to be taken.

In order to move the project forward, the Public Entity Saba wants to propose to the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (IenW) to decide on the final project scope and to get permission to start tendering, so that a contractor can be appointed by the end of the year. Meetings are scheduled with the Ministry of IenW later this month when a delegation of the Public Entity Saba visits The Hague.

The final scope includes keeping Fort Bay Harbor as the main cargo harbor and developing a new harbor for all other harbor users at the Black Rocks. An assessment showed that with relatively limited investments, the existing cargo pier at Fort Bay could be upgraded to a future-proof and hurricane-proof cargo facility. The complete separation of small vessel/tourist activities from industrial cargo activities improves the (navigational) safety and will lead to a much more attractive and tourist-friendly Black Rocks Harbor.

Meanwhile, road works are progressing. The provisional road to Black Rocks is almost ready. The first part of the existing dirt road has been widened and a new section of the road was cut towards the new harbor area by Work Monster. Saba Roads started building a Saba-style rock wall along the provisional road. Paving of this road will take place after the completion of the new harbor, to avoid damage by construction traffic. A reforestation project is scheduled to start shortly. The first phase of this project will focus on planting trees on the rock catchment benches that were created along the first part of the road.

To get an impression of the future development of the new harbor area, a draft master plan has been drawn up for the land-side facilities. This master plan describes which facilities are needed in the near and distant future for the various harbor users. The master plan also provides guidelines for the design of the harbor area and gives impressions of the desired architecture. The aim is to make Black Rocks Harbor an attractive, welcoming, user-friendly, and safe harbor, integrated into the Saban landscape and architecture.

Stakeholders were consulted in the design phase of the harbor and the drafting of the master plan. Meetings were held with the local users, including fishermen, dive shop operators, and the Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF).

For the master plan, meetings were also held with the safety partners (police, fire department), the Dutch Government Rijksvastgoedbedrijf, the Dutch Royal Marechaussee, several stakeholders within the government such as the harbormaster and the Tourist Bureau, as well as with the landowners in the Black Rocks area.
Somerset, KY (42501)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Cloudy skies after midnight. Low 56F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Cloudy skies after midnight. Low 56F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Enterprise, AL (36331)

Today

Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 66F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 66F. Winds light and variable.
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The Good Doctor 5x09 Yippee Ki-Yay is about family and what we are willing to sacrifice to fight for it. The episode brought tears to my eyes like only this show is capable of. Time for a review! A new week, a new review!5x09 Yippee Ki-Yay is about family and what we are willing to sacrifice to fight for it. The episode brought tears to my eyes like only this show is capable of. Time for a review!





Here we go!





The Good Doctor 509 Yippee Ki-Yay: Shaun and his decision. Things have gotten out of hand too soon...and Shaun's right. Shaun may have been confused by what was happening with Lea, but his instinct told him that surgery shouldn't be done. Meanwhile, Andrews, despite what he tried to tell to convince himself, was swayed by the new position Salen had given him and the expectations that come with it. So Andrews wanted to impress Salen and didn't listen to his instinct or the instinct of his subordinates. Let's start with the elephant in the room of509 Yippee Ki-Yay: Shaun and his decision. Things have gotten out of hand too soon...and Shaun's right. Shaun may have been confused by what was happening with Lea, but his instinct told him that surgery shouldn't be done. Meanwhile, Andrews, despite what he tried to tell to convince himself, was swayed by the new position Salen had given him and the expectations that come with it. So Andrews wanted to impress Salen and didn't listen to his instinct or the instinct of his subordinates.





Everything went wellbut it was luck. And I think Andrews knows that. Everything Shaun said in the middle of the operation (and after) is true, it just wasn't the time or the place to say it but he said nothing but truths. Andrews was hell-bent on performing that surgery, despite the risk, intending to impress Salen and prove to himself that she didn't give him the Chief of Surgery job just because he's sleeping with her. To that end, he agreed to perform an extremely risky operation, convincing the patient that it was more than possible that everything would work out. And his patient almost died.





The operation may have gone well, but what Andrews did is not what a good doctor would have done, nor was it good medicine. And I can't stand the Andrews twist. He used to be cool.





Shaun's decision is the most dignified that he could make. And he has to be very brave to do it since he hasn't finished his residency yet and he may not find a job easily. Im tremendously proud of Shaun.





The Good Doctor 5x09 Yippee Ki-Yay really surprised me. They just needed to talk about how they felt and what it meant to Shaun what Lea did. For her, it was a mistake made for wanting to protect the person she loves but for Shaun it was different. For him, it meant feeling undervalued and humiliated again, and it brought to the surface very unpleasant memories. That's not Lea's fault but she has to understand how he felt and Shaun has to understand how Lea felt. Shea is back together! Honestly, I didn't expect the reconciliation so soon but5x09 Yippee Ki-Yay really surprised me. They just needed to talk about how they felt and what it meant to Shaun what Lea did. For her, it was a mistake made for wanting to protect the person she loves but for Shaun it was different. For him, it meant feeling undervalued and humiliated again, and it brought to the surface very unpleasant memories. That's not Lea's fault but she has to understand how he felt and Shaun has to understand how Lea felt.





Now he understands, Lea just wanted to help and protect him, even if it wasn't the right way, she did it for the right reason and now Lea understands what it means to Shaun for someone to help him like that. He trusts her, of course, he does, he always did. He trusts that she loves him and he trusts that, knowing how it affects him, she won't try to help him that way again. And he loves her, just the way she is (by the way, I melted at these words) but there is still work to be done.





Throughout their life together, the two of them will feel insecure and there will be problemsand they can't tear them apart like this argument almost does, they have work to do, theyre far from perfect because perfection doesnt exist. But theyre imperfect together. And that's the important thing, that they choose each other and they choose to work together in their relationship. Love is not about perfection, its about choosing every day to stay by the side of that important person and work together, even in difficult times, especially in difficult times.





The Good Doctor. The best team ever just had me on the verge of tears. That father made two difficult and risky decisions, but he gave everything to his family, he fought for it. And he won. His son walked again and they can continue togetheras a team. Although the cost was very high, he gladly paid it. And he didn't decide because of what Morgan said. No other show makes me feel a lump in my throat and brings tears to my eyes like. The best team ever just had me on the verge of tears. That father made two difficult and risky decisions, but he gave everything to his family, he fought for it. And he won. His son walked again and they can continue togetheras a team. Although the cost was very high, he gladly paid it. And he didn't decide because of what Morgan said.





Yes, she influenced by giving him hope, but there was hope, even if it was tiny. And she took it upon herself to make it clear to her patient. So Park's claims are unfounded. Before Morgan was a cold person who didn't care about anything but herself and her ambition and everyone criticized her for it.





The character has grown enough to show that all this was a facade and that Morgan cares and her patients come first. She wants to help them in any way she can. And now Park throws that in her face too. I can only forgive him because I know he was affected by what happened but he needs to be clear about boundaries because something going wrong is not an excuse to treat Morgan badly.





The Good Doctor 5x09 Yippee Ki-Yay is proof why. It takes a lot of courage to turn down a job where her talent would be rewarded and recognized to stay and fight for what has been her home for seventeen years. But, as she says, your house needs to be defended. She can't let Salen finish her off without a fight. I admire Lim. Seriously, I love her. And5x09 Yippee Ki-Yay is proof why. It takes a lot of courage to turn down a job where her talent would be rewarded and recognized to stay and fight for what has been her home for seventeen years. But, as she says, your house needs to be defended. She can't let Salen finish her off without a fight.





That's why I was surprised by Glassy's attitude at first. It's as if he didn't want to fight for what is also his house and he just settled for lowering his head and saying nothing. Although I understand him. He went through a lot in a short time and he still feels a bit out of place and like no one is there for him. And he's just tired of fighting. They all need to realize what's going on with Glassy and show him that they are there for him.





And Glassy can't let Salen bring his house down. She has to join Lim and fight. That's why I'm glad he agreed to do it. That hospital is part of him, not only did he work there, he ran it and the people who work there are his family, just as they are Lim's family. And you fight for your family.





As for the attitude of the others, I like Park's bravery and I understand Jordan's refusal, Park is finishing his residency, he would have a better chance of having a future if something goes wrong than Jordan, who is just starting and struggled with tooth and nail to get there. As for Shaun, I don't think it was a complete denial, at that moment I felt his mind was somewhere else... but his final decision indicates that he joins the revolution.





The only one who made me roll my eyes on this thing was Morgan. I mean, I get that she's ambitious and now Salen owns the hospital so it's smart to keep her mouth shut and support her but Morgan cares. She cares about patients, she cares about people, the case of this episode is proof of that, so I don't understand this attitude soindifferent about the death of that baby.





There is no way in the world that Morgan thinks that was a minor mistake and that things will get better with time. I think it's something she tells herself to try to make herself feel better about refusing to join Lim's revolution and stand up to Salen. I think it's the excuse she makes for herself to feel better about not doing anything.





PS: Freddie Highmore speaking Spanish is sexy.





The Good Doctor review ends. We will be back next week with a new one. Stay tuned! This is where ourreview ends. We will be back next week with a new one. Stay tuned!





Agree? Disagree? Dont hesitate to share it with us in the comments below!




New Zealand, 08, March 2022 (SPS) - The Commission in Solidarity with the Saharawi People of New Zealand called on the government of their country to stop following a policy of double standards, abandoning its involvement in the plundering of the natural resources of the Western Sahara.

In a statement made public yesterday on the occasion of the arrival of a ship carrying phosphate stolen from Western Sahara, the New Zealand commission "condemned the attitude of its government, inviting it to stop importing natural resources from an illegally occupied territory."

The statement adds that this stolen cargo, imported by the Ravensdown company, is added to another that arrived last January imported by the Ballance Agri-Nutrients company, pointing out that New Zealand's involvement in the looting of the natural resources of the occupied territories of Western Sahara negatively affects the country's reputation and contradicts its position of support for Ukraine. SPS

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A bill that purports to mandate a study into one of Connecticuts foremost affordable housing policies appears to be a veiled attempt to weaken the statute, advocates and legislators said.

The bill would require that the Commissioner of Housing study the effects of a 1990 law commonly known as 8-30g. That law gives affordable housing developers the ability to challenge towns in court if their housing proposals are denied, even if they dont meet local zoning regulations.

Municipalities that have at least 10 percent of total housing units set aside as affordable or government-assisted units are exempt.

If passed, the commissioner would need to produce a report on the law by Jan. 1, 2023.

Despite the bills innocuous language, public comment by supporters led some housing advocates to believe the study was intended as an attack on one of the states affordable housing policies.

I have serious concerns that those who support S.B. 169 intend to use it as a vehicle for the dismantling of affordable housing legislation that has been enormously effective for more than three decades, Greenwich resident Alma Rutgers said at the public hearing Thursday.

Typically, housing is considered affordable if a person spends up to a third of their income on housing costs. Connecticut lacks nearly 87,000 units that are affordable and available for renters with extremely low incomes, according to estimates from the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

Rents and housing prices have been rising in Connecticut, particularly over the past couple of years. Housing costs spiked in 2021, and experts expect them to continue to rise this year.

Rep. Jennifer Leeper, a Democrat from Fairfield, sponsored the bill. She said 8-30g had disproportionately affected a handful of towns, including Fairfield, where housing projects are adding a tremendous amount of density.

There may not be a single issue that has been as divisive in our community of Fairfield as 8-30g has, Leeper said.

Groups that submitted testimony in favor of the study included the Connecticut Association of Realtors, the Connecticut Council of Small Towns and Save the Sound, among others. Save the Sound requested that the study examine the climate resiliency of housing.

Other legislators, many from Fairfield County, spoke about problems with 8-30g such as a lack of local control and difficulty meeting the 10 percent threshold that exempts towns from the court appeals process outlined in 8-30g. Those legislators pushed for the study.

Rep. Laura Devlin, a Republican who lives in Fairfield, also gave testimony arguing for the bill. She said it had failed at its objective and said some existing neighborhoods that are affordable are not counted toward the 10 percent threshold.

What 8-30g has done is create a path for incredible wealth-building among developers, as they are able to circumvent local zoning and exploit the statue for their own financial gain, Devlin said in written testimony.

Rep. Raghib Allie-Brennan, a Democrat from Bethel, also spoke about the flaws in 8-30g and suggested taking it a step further than a study.

I question the value of this additional step, Allie-Brennan said of the study. The longstanding deficiencies which have plagued this process are already extensively documented. What we need now is action.

He asked the Housing Committee to consider an amendment to 8-30g that would award the equivalent of five housing units toward the 10 percent threshold to localities that develop, review and amend an affordable housing plan and enact regulations under 8-30g.

Housing advocates and some legislators spoke against the bill and in favor of 8-30g.

Rep. Roland Lemar, the Democratic majority caucus chair and a New Haven resident, said he resented attacks on the affordable housing law.

Its done exactly what it was supposed to do, which is create tens of thousands of private market affordable housing units across our state, Lemar said. Its done exactly what we wanted it to do.  We didnt become one of the most segregated states in the country on accident. It was through local control that that happened.

The law has also kept housing affordability at the forefront of local officials minds, Sean Ghio, policy director at the Partnership for Strong Communities, said in an interview.

Advocates and officials have said that restrictive zoning makes it difficult to construct new multi-family housing in Connecticut. Multi-family housing is typically more affordable for families with lower incomes.

Without it [8-30g], towns really could just continue to ignore the need for affordable housing in their region, Ghio said.

Representatives from other groups including Desegregate CT, the Connecticut Fair Housing Center and the Open Communities Alliance, among others, spoke against the proposed study.

Karen DuBois-Walton, president of Elm City Communities/Housing Authority of the City of New Haven, spoke about the need for more housing she sees in her work. She said the housing authoritys waiting list has more than 17,000 families, and some wait for years for assistance.

I urge this committee to vote against this bill, which will serve only to distract from our states fundamental failure to provide enough affordable housing, DuBois-Walton said in written testimony. There are bills before this committee this session that would help solve problems  this one does no such thing.
STAMFORD  What kind of a hit could the citys finances  and its taxpayers  take from implementing a schools master plan?

It depends on a host of factors, which the Board of Finance discussed for nearly two hours during a meeting last week.

At the top of the meeting, Chair Richard Freedman said the board needed to address two critical questions: How much funding is the city going to provide for its aging school buildings? And how will the city raise that money? The draft schools master plan, which assumes a certain amount of state and federal funding, proposes between $415 million and $541 million in bonding over 12 years.

There is no one right answer, Freedman said. And there's a lot of intersecting factors here. How much are we willing to raise taxes? What assumptions do we think are going to come to pass? How much risk are we willing to take? How much debt are we willing to take on on behalf of the city?

Eventually, the board needs to come up with a financial plan, he said.

We cant bind  future Boards of Finance, including ourselves next year. We certainly can't bind future boards with different members. We can't bind future mayors or future Boards of Representatives, Freedman said. But I think what we can do is set in motion what we think the  responsible long-term fiscal plan is, and we can certainly set that plan in motion in this fiscal year.

Freedman showed the board a spreadsheet with past budget numbers  including debt service, retiree benefits and operating expenses  as well as projections for the next 11 years. In recent years, Stamfords grand list  its list of taxable property  has grown more than $235 million per year on average, according to the spreadsheet. But Freedman said the board shouldnt assume that the grand list will continue to grow at that rate.

Construction costs have gone up a lot recently We don't know how that's going to roll through into development in the city There's a long lag time, he said. Obviously, there's a strain of anti-development in this city, right? There was just an op-ed that we should have a development moratorium. So if this number drops ... it definitely changes  what we can afford to bond.

Freedman said the city also has to keep an eye on its debt service as a percentage of general fund expenditures. To maintain a triple-A rating, it must be below 10 percent, he said.

The percentage has fallen over the years from roughly 9.6 percent to 8.3 percent, according to Freedmans spreadsheet.

When that percentage drops, you have the flexibility to handle bad things, he said. So, the mold crisis  that was a big, expensive crisis. The reason we were able to bond $60 million to pay for all that work is because we had gotten this number down.

Bonding isnt the only funding option, Freedman said. The city could also set an incremental tax levy to create a reserve fund dedicated to school facilities.

Once you increase the mill rate and you create that increment, that money is raised every year thereafter, every year after you do that, so it creates this kind of ongoing stream of additional cash revenue, he said.

The citys director of administration, Sandy Dennies, said having cash available is important because there are lags between when expenses come in and when the state provides reimbursement for school construction projects.

Mary Lou Rinaldi, the finance boards vice chair, said an incremental levy would need to be clearly communicated to taxpayers.

It's got to be clear so that people understand that we're planning for the future, and this is all part of a plan that's going to be 10 years or more, Rinaldi said.

A key factor also in the mix is how much state and federal funding could be secured for school buildings.

Rinaldi said she thought the assumptions included in a presentation by architecture and design firm SLAM Collaborative were a little too optimistic.

Having been through this process for many years, we're not going to get that much money from the state. We're just not, Rinaldi said.

For one, the firm assumed a reimbursement rate of 95 percent for a new Westhill High School, but so far the state has only agreed to a 20 percent rate. Stamfords delegation to Hartford could potentially push for special legislation to secure additional funding. In all, the Westhill project is expected to cost more than $250 million.

Board member David Mannis said that, in general, Mayor Caroline Simmons needs to step in.

The effort to upgrade Stamfords school facilities is so big and so important that it must be driven by and represented to the outside world by our mayor, Mannis said. It's completely unfair to ask the superintendent to pull all the levers of power and all the things that go into getting this thing funded.

Geoff Alswanger, another Board of Finance member, said Stamfords pitch in Hartford should be: This is beyond school construction. This is economic development.

These projects are necessary for the continued vitality of Stamford, which is the economic engine of the state of Connecticut, Alswanger said. That's how it has to get framed, in my opinion.

Includes prior reporting by staff writer Ignacio Laguarda.

brianna.gurciullo@hearstmediact.com
At some point, the COVID-19 pandemic will be declared over, but health care professionals and educators say that, for many people, its effects on our psyches will not fade for years.

Depression and anxiety have been major symptoms of mental health disorders, they say, along with increased alcoholic consumption and use of other substances, learning and social lags among children, and even more cracked teeth from grinding them at night.

There also has been an increase in suicide attempts among young people, although one social worker sees them not so much as a result of serious depression as a cry for attention. Monica Rosado, a social worker in Stamford, said she also has seen an increase in cutting, which she said is not a suicide attempt. Both are reactions to a lack of social interaction and a growing addiction to video games, and she does not see the trend decreasing.

Not having social interaction in person is probably the worst thing we can do to ourselves, Rosado said. There were some kids who were anxious who did well during the pandemic, but the majority were growing more and more distraught. We as human beings need novel experiences. We need to go outside ourselves.

Students suffer out of school

Tanya Bulls, elementary grade dean of students for Bristol Public Schools, said many students who faced difficulties at home from financial or family issues that pre-COVID they were really able to leave at the schoolhouse door built up when they were isolated at home. A lot of times the kids get off the bus, this is their safe place. They can kid of relax, regroup and get away, she said.

One positive thing Bulls sees continuing is it pushed us to technology a lot sooner that it would have if we had planned it out ourselves. Now that students are back in school, parent-teacher conferences can be held online, making them easier to schedule.

Martin Schwartzman, chief of program operations at Bridges Healthcare in Milford, said the increases in anxiety and depression brought on by COVID itself, as well as isolation and changes in family relationships, jobs and declining health will continue for some time because I think those are related to some longer-term family relationships and developmental issues for children.

Anxiety, depression last long after trauma

Stephen Wanczyk-Karp, executive director of the Connecticut chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, agreed that anxiety and depression are huge and likely to linger. A decade after 9/11 you could still find therapists who were treating people from the aftereffects of that event.

The same was true after the March 2011 nuclear accident at Fukushima, Japan, he said. While those crises had a definite end, the end of the pandemic may be harder to pin down, he said.

Wanczyk-Karp said substance use has increased and for those who have been recovering, the addictions have basically returned. Who knows how many of those people will be able to recover? he asked.

I dont think any of us deal with change exceptionally well, Schwartzman said. And I think theres just been an extraordinary number of changes that have gone on and will continue.

Child development slowed

The biggest risk moving forward for children is about developmental milestones, Schwartzman said. Skills learned in preschool include fine and gross motor skills, speech and language skills, emotional and cognitive skills, and they may be delayed when youre not allowed to consistently play with others, learn how to share, taking turns, the things you learn in preschool and kindergarten.

Bridges has clinicians at middle and high schools in West Haven and Milford and provides prevention education at Jonathan Law and Joseph Foran high schools in Milford, which Marcy Hotchkiss, Bridges communications director, said is a service likely to expand in order to meet students needs.

Whats been so successful about school-based services is that it provides services to students in the schools during the school day, without a dependence on transportation by parents after school or in the evening, Schwartzman said.

Alice Forrester, executive director of Clifford Beers clinic in New Haven, said a second-grade teacher told her her second-graders were really first-graders. They had missed a whole year of interpersonal development and you cant get that back.

The peer development and interpersonal interactions are as critical as education and there have been a lot of stresses and behaviors in the schools, Forrester said.

She said Clifford Beers emergency crisis calls are almost 100 percent higher than they were in 2020  The suicide rates and the substance abuse and the social ills that our kids are suffering with are actually very apparent right now. Truancy rates also have risen, she said.

Fear of contagion

Mark Gaynor, a licensed social worker in New Haven, said people will have to address how do I negotiate the change in my life?  Will we feel comfortable being in large crowds, being in festivals, events on the Green?

Many employees are taking their retirement now, even though they want to be at work because they fear for their health, he said.

He said a fear of contagion and exhaustion brings on anxiety, and then I think its going to be difficult for people to return to the office, the marketplace. There also has been social fallout among friends groups, family members over mask wearing and vaccines. Recovering from the pandemic is not going to be turning a switch, Gaynor said.

Jennifer Fiorillo, president and CEO of Bridges, said she sees a silver lining in the pandemic with more of a focus on mental health. Im more hopeful now, she said. Im feeling that theres a lot more attention being paid to mental health. And people, now that weve seen this sort of deluge of people who need help as a result of COVID, I think what were seeing is our policymakers are paying more attention.

Wanczyk-Karp of NASW said private therapists are not easy to find, either. All the members I talk to, theyre all pretty much backed up to capacity and the agencies will say the same thing, he said.

Mask wearing is normal

The public health measures everyone has been asked to take have had a positive effect, according to Kate Nere, senior human resources manager at Ashcroft, a manufacturer of pressure gauges that has 400 employees in this country, mostly at its Stratford headquarters.

I think weve had some pluses in that mask-wearing has become normal for us, she said. There were few flu cases or stomach viruses, she said. The company just relaxed its mask policy in February after reinstating it when COVID cases began rising. But employees dont resist if they are asked to wear a mask because they have a cough, even if it might be allergies.

I think theyre definitely used to it and theres not as much pushback as there was in the beginning, Nere said.

Cracked, broken teeth

During the last two years, especially in 2020, people put off medical and dental appointments. A lot of people have been neglecting their teeth or grinding their teeth  and as a result, a lot of teeth are being broken, said Dr. Mariya Malin of Wilton Smiles. Literally were seeing emergencies every day.

We do see a lot of broken teeth. We see a lot of chipped front teeth from stress that contributes to grinding, said Dr. George Discher of Savin Dental Care in West Haven. The stress definitely has amplified the problems that we see. We make a lot more night guards than we ever used to.

edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com; 203-680-9382
A mobile app that is meant to improve communication between police departments and the public has been picked up by two Connecticut police departments, with a handful of other departments considering it as well.

The app, Atlas One, is currently in use by the Rocky Hill Police Department, the first to launch it in the state, and the Manchester Police Department, who recently also announced they were using the app.

Atlas One grew out of an earlier police communications app the company had developed, called Mobile PD, explained Jamieson Johnson, the companys co-founder and vice president. The project began after they were approached by a North Carolina police chief in 2018 to build a new platform for residents to stay connected to the police department.

We built all of this new Atlas One technology from the ground up in partnership with them, with the eventual goal that we would release it for them but then also launch the app nationwide, Johnson said. The app went live about a year ago, and the company re-branded itself as Atlas One in order to reflect that it no longer exclusively focused on police services.

He described the new app as Mobile PD on steroids.

Whereas the old app would allow police agencies to provide links to resources and its social media sites, the new app lets police send out alerts about crime or other public safety information for a specific area.

The app also allows users to follow departments and receive alerts about activity even if theyre out of the immediate area, Johnson said. Some departments have also implemented an automated feature that alerts residents when certain 911 calls are made, though service calls for incidents of domestic violence, or those involving minors are not included, Johnson said.

Our focus is if youre in danger, or your familys in danger, or if theres just police activity in the area that you should know about, he said.

While the app relies on users location data to send them alerts, Johnson made it clear their location data is not shared back to government agencies.

We dont even track location over time, either, so pretty much our system when an alert goes out, it says whos there right now, lets send it to them, and thats the end of that, he said. We go to great length to focus on that because at the end of the day our goal is to improve trust and partnership between the government and the community.

Aside from giving emergency services a way to provide updates and alerts to residents, the app also allows agencies to get information back from the public.

The goal is that its real-time public safety information, Johnson said. Departments can decide whether to open alerts up for public comment. For example, if departments alert residents to shelter in place for an emergency, they may not want the public to ask questions. But in other scenarios, such as a missing person, the app allows departments to crowd source information after putting out information on the person, according to Johnson

Johnson said the company is in talks to expand the app into four or five more police departments in Connecticut. Some cities outside the state have also added other public safety or municipal agencies on to the app as well, such as fire departments, mayors offices, or even utilities.

Atlas One is really, from a day-to-day perspective, is an operational public safety tool, Johnson said. The app gives departments tools to get real time information to the community, and collect real time information back in.
A former Connecticut resident will spend more than two years in federal prison for his role in trafficking narcotics in the Hartford area, according to prosecutors.

Neliobet DeJesus, 44, of Orlando, Fla., was sentenced Monday by Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 30 months in prison. The prison sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release.

He pleaded guilty on June 3, 2021, to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine.

The charge stems from an investigation that was launched in 2018.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Services Narcotics and Bulk Cash Trafficking Task Force started looking into a Hartford-area narcotics trafficking ring where members shipped parcels of drugs and drug proceeds, prosecutors said.

Investigators learned that Israel D-Nice Mendoza supplied Michael Copeland, of Bloomfield, with large amounts of cocaine. Prosecutors said Copeland, at Mendozas request, mailed parcels of cash to individuals in California.

In September and October 2018, U.S. Postal Inspectors in California intercepted two parcels, each with about $13,000 in cash, that prosecutors said Copeland mailed in Connecticut to addresses in the Fresno area. Investigators identified dozens of additional parcels connected with the drug trafficking network.

In February 2019, investigators seized a parcel with nearly 500 grams of cocaine that was mailed from California to a Bloomfield residence associated with Copeland, prosecutors said.

Mendoza worked with others, including DeJesus and Danny Rhodes, in the Hartford area to distribute heroin and cocaine, prosecutors said. After DeJesus moved to Florida, investigators searched a parcel destined for an Orlando residence connected with him and found about 500 grams of cocaine and about 5 grams of fentanyl inside, prosecutors said.

DeJesus was arrested on Oct. 22, 2020.

Copeland and Rhodes, who is also a Bloomfield resident, have also pleaded guilty to related charges.

On Dec. 8, 2021, Rhodes was sentenced to 87 months in prison.

Copeland was sentenced to 30 months on Dec. 16, 2021.

Law enforcement continues to seek Mendoza, who was last living in Reading, Pa.
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TORRINGTON  Torrington Parks & Recreation Department is now accepting registration forms for this years Northwest Kids Rock Contest. The event is open to youth age 7-14 from Torrington and other surrounding towns. Past Northwest Kids Rock winners are not eligible to participate.

All contestants are required to fill out an application form before auditioning and submit an audition video clip. Auditions should be a one-minute introduction followed by an acappella performance. Contestants can also showcase any other talents along with their singing; such as dancing and playing an instrument. Forms are available at the Torrington Parks and Recreation Department, 153 South Main St., or online at www.torringtonct.org under Parks and Recreation. Registration forms are due by 4 p.m. March 10, and can be emailed to brett_simmons@torringtonct.org.
Milton, PA (17847)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 53F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 53F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
Hazleton, PA (18201)

Today

Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low 47F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low 47F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
Ashtabula, OH (44004)

Today

Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm this evening, then some lingering showers still possible overnight. Low 48F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm this evening, then some lingering showers still possible overnight. Low 48F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
Twenty-nine migrants from Africa and Asia were discovered, in the past 24 hours, by the authorities in the Border Crossing Point Nadlac II, while trying to illegally exit the country, hidden in two tractor-trailers going to the Netherlands.

The drivers, Turkish citizens, were transporting, according to the documents accompanying the freight, furniture and metal products for companies in the Netherlands.

"On the basis of the risk analysis, border guards conducted a thorough search of the two vehicles. Thus, they discovered, hidden in the freight compartment, in the storage crates on the lateral sides of the trailer, 29 foreign citizens. The persons were taken over and transported to the headquarters of the sector for investigations where, following checks, the border guards have established they are citizens of different states (Syria, Turkey, India, Bangladesh, Guinea, Congo, Yemen, Eritrea, Somalia), with ages between 18 and 40 years old," informed, on Tuesday, the Arad Border Police.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs informs on Tuesday that, since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, 3,469 Ukrainian citizens have applied for asylum in Romania.

At this moment, the occupancy rate of the accommodation centers of the General Inspectorate for Immigration stands at 66.2%, shows a press release sent to AGERPRES.

As regards traffic through the border crossing points, in the last 24 hours 29,636 Ukrainian citizens entered the country, and 26,551 left Romania's territory.
The General Inspectorate of the Border Police (IGPF) informs on Tuesday that on March 7, during a 24 hour interval, through border crossing points nationwide, 80,044 persons have entered Romania, including 29,636 Ukrainian citizens (dropping by 12.7% from the previous day).

10,769 Ukrainian citizens (lower by 1.6%) entered from the Ukrainian border, and 17,079 Ukrainian citizens entered from the Republic of Moldova (going down by 19%), according to a press release sent to AGERPRES.

89,164 persons have carried out formalities to exit the country, including 26,551 Ukrainian citizens (slight drop of 0.3%).

Since the crisis launched until March 7, as many as 291,081 Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania and 208,863 have exited.
Romania's Chief of Defence (CoD) Daniel Petrescu on Monday met visiting Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joly at the 57th Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base to discuss regional security and NATO support to the management of the humanitarian crisis triggered by the war waged by the Russian Federation in Ukraine.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Defence (MApN), Petrescu thanked Joly for the participation of Canadian comrades in NATO commands deployed in Romania and for the participation of the Royal Canadian Air Force in five deployments of NATO enhanced air policing missions in Romania, Agerpres.ro informs.

"The presence of the Canadian military across NATO's full range of defensive measures underscores the strength of the transatlantic link among the allied nations. Canada's participation in the enhanced air policing missions in Romania since 2014 confirms Canada's commitment to the defence of the NATO space and the interoperability of the Romanian and Canadian air forces," Petrescu is quoted as saying.

Petrescu also praised the excellent co-operation ties between the Romanian and Canadian troops as visible in the mission under the auspices of the UN in the Mali war zone.

Canada is a NATO member with a strong contribution to initiatives to reinforce NATO's deterrence and defence posture in the Black Sea region.
Custodian of the Romanian Crown Margareta, the president of the Romanian Red Cross, on Tuesday stated, during her visit to the Suceava County, that the war in Ukraine is "hallucinating, terrible," and the news about the armed confrontation came as a "shock," but this tragedy united us.

"Everyone felt, I think, that what they saw happening was impossible. We didn't grow up like that. We thought it was over with this war and the suffering, but it is hallucinating, it is so awful, horrible, it shouldn't have happened! (...) The first reaction was one of shock, after which we got mobilized. (...) This human and humanitarian tragedy has united us," said the Custodian of the Romanian Crown, who visited, together with His Royal Highness Prince Radu, the Siret Customs and the mobile refugee camp in Siret, Agerpres.ro informs.

On this occasion, Her Majesty Margareta showed that the Romanian volunteers are "wonderful, full of courage and humanity."

"We have a lot of support from the UN Commissioner for Refugees and other organizations that my foundation works with, such as royal suppliers, people who benefit from the royal patronage... It's a national and international effort and that's nice because we may have not looked so united in the recent years," said the Custodian of the Romanian Crown.

At the same time, the Custodian of the Romanian Crown said that the situation will be more difficult when we face the second wave of refugees.

"This first wave is made of the people who travel further and leave our country. Then we will have to see what needs to be done in terms of social integration, education... Now I think that more than 60pct or 70pct just travel on (...) But wait for the second wave and it will not be as fashionable then as it is now to help. Because now everyone wants to help. There will be a very serious situation later," said Her Majesty Margaret, the Custodian of the Romanian Crown.

The general director of the Romanian Red Cross, Ioan Silviu Lefter, stated that so far 20 trucks have been sent with aid from the Romanian Red Cross and other companies that have supported this effort, with a new humanitarian transport to be organized this week to Chernivtsi, probably consisting of 10 trucks with aid.

The president of the Suceava County Council (CJ), Gheorghe Flutur, announced that he requested more medical staff in the refugee assistance tents, but also for a quick takeover of the children.

"We are interested in the children being picked up very quickly because it is still cold. We asked for a better organized system, we ask for the SMURD to take over the children, especially those who already have a cold or show other signs of illness and take them to the County Hospital. We do not have many cases, but I asked for the supplementation of the medical staff, including in the tents, this morning," said Gheorghe Flutur.

He also said that talks had been held with cable operators to broadcast Ukrainian national stations so that refugees could be informed about the situation in their country.

"We have some solutions for two new routes to the Suceava airport (...) because the road we have to the airport will not cope on its own if we open this hub. We asked for a roundabout at the airport to make it an emergency exit, in order to direct the traffic at the entrance because it is heavy there (...) and a roundabout or another lane at the intersection with the National Road 29," the president of the Suceava County Council also said.
Chief of the Defence Staff General Daniel Petrescu on Monday met chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States Army, General Mark A. Milley, at the 57th Air Base in Mihail Kogalniceanu.

The meeting was part of a series of co-ordination activities between the two officials meant to strengthen the Allied position of deterrence and defence on NATO's Eastern Flank, according to a press release sent by the Ministry of Defence to AGERPRES on Tuesday.

In this context, the Chiefs of Defence of Romania and the USA condemned the offensive actions of the Russian Federation and underscored that the invasion of Ukraine represents the most serious threat to European security in the last decades. According to the Romanian ministry, "the analysis of the dynamics of the regional security situation has led to measures intended to increase vigilance and supplement land, air and sea capabilities on the entire Eastern flank of NATO."

In this context, General Petrescu thanked General Milley for the prompt reaction of the US leading to an increase in the number of American troops in Romania. The Chief of the Defence Staff appreciated that in the context of the rapid deterioration of the security situation in Ukraine, the addition of troops sends a strong and unequivocal signal of the US determination for collective defence and represents a direct contribution to strengthening Romania's defence, Agerpres.ro informs.

"The measures adjusted to possible threats, taken by the United States and allied states, have demonstrated NATO's solidarity and commitment to the defence of the entire allied territory," General Daniel Petrescu concluded, according to the Ministry of Defence.

General Milley's programme also included meetings with the US military stationed at the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base.
The first busses with Ukrainian citizens have crossed Albita Border Crossing Point (PTF Albita), on Monday evening and throughout the night, receiving support from the authorities and the volunteers present in the border area.

The refugees were taken over by volunteers with the Husi Bishopric and the Red Cross, and by employees with the Husi City Hall and the Vaslui County Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (ISU) and were directed to the specially set up places, depending on requests and needs.

"There were persons who left directly to other cities, being only in transit through PTF Albita. They received food, warm tea and other strict necessity products, and some chose to stay overnight and rest, in order to continue their road later," said the representatives of the Vaslui County Inspectorate for Emergency Situations.

The authorities have set up in Husi and Barlad modular camps for Ukrainian refugees. Furthermore, representatives of the Husi Bishopric have prepared several accommodation spaces in monasteries in the county and other spaces of the institution.

Several NGOs, but also individuals, mobilized in the past days, collecting aid for Ukrainian citizens that enter Romania through PTF Albita.
Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said on Tuesday that from March 8 the first six ministries coordinating reforms and investment in Romania may submit projects and access funds under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).

Ciuca on Tuesday attended a signing ceremony of financing agreements between the Ministry of European Investment and Projects (MIPE), and six ministries coordinating reforms related to PNRR: the Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity; the Ministry of Energy; the Ministry of Health; the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure; the Ministry of Family, Youth and Equal Opportunities, and the Ministry of the Environment, Waters and Forestry.

"The first activity consisting of signing financing agreements between the Ministry of European Investment and Projects and six other ministries took place today at the government headquarters. Underway as we speak is the reform and investment coordinating ministries being able to submit projects. They will be able to access the money that has been allocated to us under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan," Ciuca said on Tuesday at the Government House.

He added that currently, four billion euros under PNRR are in the country, and another six billion euros will come by the end of the year.

Ciuca added that there are 110 billion lei in the MIPE budget.

He further underscored the importance of starting the process of accessing PNRR funds.
Five more Ukrainian helicopters set up for civilian and unarmed missions are on their way to Brasov County for planned maintenance operations, the Ministry of National Defence said on Tuesday.

According to a Ministry of Defence release sent to AGERPRES, a total of 14 helicopters received overflight approvals from the Romanian authorities for the trip to Airbus Helicopters Romania for maintenance, Agerpres.ro informs.

"Following the receipt of overflight diplomatic approvals from the Romanian authorities, five more Ukrainian helicopters configured for civilian and unarmed missions are currently on their way to Brasov County for planned maintenance operations at Airbus Helicopters Romania. For these aircraft, flight plans in the civil air traffic system were also submitted in accordance with the national air regulations, and in total, diplomatic overflight approvals were granted for the flight to Airbus Helicopters Romania for 14 helicopters, the rest of the aircraft will arrive in the next period," the Ministry of National Defence informed.

The first four helicopters arrived in Romania on Tuesday around noon.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) informs on Tuesday that the alert level for the Republic of Belarus has been raised to 5 out of 9, "Avoid non-essential travel!" from the level 3 out of 9, "Zones or time intervals that may be dangerous."

According to an MAE release sent to AGERPRES, the decision was made in the context of the deteriorating security situation in the region, caused by the illegal military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, including through the use of the territory of the Republic of Belarus, Agerpres.ro informs.

The MAE states that, through this approach, Romania is aligning itself with the travel alerts recently issued by most of the EU member states that have diplomatic representation in the Republic of Belarus.

Detailed information regarding the new alert can also be found on the website: mae.ro/travel-alerts/55081.

According to the new alert level, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends that Romanian citizens avoid non-essential travel to the Republic of Belarus, and that those who are temporarily in this country consider leaving the territory of the Republic of Belarus as soon as possible, by available means of transport (by air on commercial flights still available or by road).

At the same time, the MAE instructs the Romanian citizens to completely avoid any movement in the areas near the border of the Republic of Belarus with Ukraine.

The MAE, through the Romanian Embassy in Minsk, is prepared to provide protection and consular assistance to Romanian citizens on the territory of the Republic of Belarus.

Thus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates the request to the Romanian citizens who are in the Republic of Belarus to notify them the coordinates of their presence in the Republic of Belarus through the e-consulat.ro platform, available both on PC or laptop and on mobile phone, or by contacting by phone Embassy of Romania to the Republic of Belarus: +375291060090 (emergency telephone line).
Women will build the diplomacy of the future, French Ambassador in Bucharest Laurence Auer told a debate on Tuesday during which she spoke of her own experience and underscored the importance of building one's own personality in an environment full of preconceptions.

She participated in the online debate "Women in diplomacy - what does the future look like for young people in Romania? Lessons for the new generation," dedicated to students and organized by Europuls - European Centre of Expertise, in partnership with the Faculty of Political Science, the University of Bucharest, and with support from the French Institute in Romania and the French Embassy to Romania.

"Beyond violence, we are talking about preconceptions. It was only very late when we had the first women in the system. As for France, when I entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we had not even one woman ambassador. It is not a fight, but rather one needs to be able to build her/his own personality in the given environment, and this is very important because you, as a young generation, will experience other forms of violence. For instance, if you looked at my career, I studied Arabic language and culture and I even studied at an Arab university for a year. I entered the Ministry with one of the best CVs in Arabic studies. I was ready to be a university professor of Arabic," Auer said.

The Ambassador underscored the importance of self-confidence in this field.

"I have never been sent to work in an Arab country. Ambassadors refused me. When I was younger, they were afraid that I would not have much credibility. These things have happened until recently. In retrospect, when I first wanted to take a job as an ambassador, I was refused to have one in Oman, in the United Arab Emirates. The motivation back then was different. They said: "You have never worked in an Arab country before, you cannot be an ambassador, how could you negotiate contracts as a woman, etc.? What I want to say now is that no one should take such things personally, while we all need to know exactly what we want to do. In the difficult moments, one must stay true to himself/herself, regardless of the circumstances, and one must have strong personal values, while sticking to her/his principles," she showed.

According to Laurence Auer, "women will build the diplomacy of the future." "I was a student, I was 25 years old, now I'm 60 years old and I'm the same person, brave, proud. I don't stress about these things, I have given my best. When you draw the line, things are as they are. If you feel resentment and look back, if you feel guilty - these things are useless. Look at the current crisis. No one would have imagined it would happen. That would be my advice. Your journey in diplomacy will be different, women will build the diplomacy of the future and you will be a part of it, I am certain of this," she said.
The price of fuels in Romania has exceeded these days the threshold of 8 RON per litre, shows the data analyzed by AGERPRES based on the Fuel Prices Monitor, an application launched by the Competition Council.

(1 EUR = 4.9490 RON)

Exceeding the threshold of 8 RON per litre represents a record for the Romanian market and comes in the context of the high demand for fuels and high prices for all the world.

Thus, a litre of premium gasoline costs 8.14 RON at OMV gas stations in Cornu and MOL commune in Busteni, on DN 1 (national road 1).

Other nearby gas stations also sell fuel at almost 8 RON. For example, a litre of premium gasoline at the Rompetrol station in Comarnic costs 7.91 RON, at Petrom Busteni it costs 7.85 RON, and at Lukoil Azuga 7.92 RON.

The premium diesel also costs over 8 RON at the same OMV and MOL gas stations (8.08 RON per litre) and very close to this threshold at Rompetrol, Lukoil and Petrom.

The barrel of oil on the European market exceeded 130 RON on Monday and was trading on Tuesday by 125 USD, amid the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
COVID testing will continue, and assessment centres will remain operational, Health Minister Alexandru Rafila told a press conference on Tuesday.

Referring to the hospitals, Rafila said that they will operate in a "combined system" - they will treat patients infected with the novel coronavirus, but also patients with other pathologies - and as the number of patients decreases, so will the activity of those medical units be resumed the same as before.

Rafila also said on Tuesday that after lifting the restrictions imposed in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, people diagnosed should continue to self-isolate at home, out of "common sense," although they will no longer be controlled and fined by the authorities, Agerpres.ro informs.

The alert for the coronavirus pandemic will not be extended beyond March 8. Romania has been under a state of health alert for almost two years, from May 15, 2020 and until March 8, 2022.
The image of hundreds of thousands of women forced to flee from the war in order to shelter their babies is painful in the 21st century, says Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca, in the message sent on March 8 - International Women's Day.

"This year, the 8th of March is strongly overshadowed by the future that has suddenly become uncertain and extremely dangerous for mothers and daughters in Ukraine. The image of hundreds of thousands of women forced to flee from the war in order to shelter their babies is painful, in the XXI century, when no one believed that humanity can still live dramas like this," the prime minister said.

The head of the Bucharest Government says that "those who started this roller-coaster of aggression without thinking about the humanitarian consequences and all the other large-scale consequences of this war must understand that it is time to hear and listen to the voice of their mothers or daughters, who ask them to stop the war and to give a chance to life and peace".

"Women all over the world are for us the symbol of life and hope. Today we must enjoy the spring and celebrate them. Let's tell them "Happy Birthday!" and thank them for the warmth and sensitivity they bring to the life of each of us. (...) Reason will eventually overcome irrational ambitions. I wish all women, mothers, grandmothers, sisters, wives, daughters, colleagues much health, happiness and to enjoy in peace and serenity all that is dear to them! At the same time, I convey a message of solidarity with the refugees from Ukraine, most of them women, and with their families that remained home to defend their country," prime minister Nicolae Ciuca said.
Interior Minister Lucian Bode on Tuesday thanked Romanians for the observance of the COVID-19 restrictions during the pandemic and for choosing to get vaccinated, adding that although it was a challenging time the joint effort paid off in the end.

On March 8 at 00:00hrs, Government Decision 171 of February 3, 2022 extending the state of alert in Romania and establishing rules to be applied during it to prevent and combat the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic ceases to be applicable.

"Thus, starting at 00:00hrs, all restrictions cease, as well as the restriction or prohibition of certain activities as provided for in the mentioned piece of legislation, for example: the obligation to wear protective masks in public spaces; the restriction or prohibition of the organisation and unfolding of rallies, demonstrations, processions, concerts or other types of public gatherings; restricting or prohibiting the movement of persons and vehicles in places and within certain hours; remote working," says the Ministry of Interior (MAI).

Also coming to an end is the involvement of the local Police in the activities carried out by the police units, as well as the operational subordination of the voluntary services for emergency management and the ambulance services.

At the same time, the border crossing points temporarily, totally or partially closed during the state of alert will reopen, as follows:

* At the Romanian-Hungarian border: Carei - Satu-Mare County

* At the Romanian-Bulgarian border: Lipnita, Dobromir - Constanta County.

MAI reminds that documents such as the identity card and driving license whose validity was extended during the alert will expire after a period of 90 days from the end of the state of alert. MAI departments issuing such documents will inform the citizens on how they are issued, so as to avoid long queues at the counters.

The provisions regarding the European Union's digital COVID-19 certificate and the digital passenger form to enter Romania remain in force. AGERPRES
President Klaus Iohannis says that the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the new security reality defined by the massive military presence of the Russian Federation in Ukraine and in Belarus confirm in the most eloquent way the necessity and urgency of strengthening NATO's position on the Eastern Flank.

"Romania has strongly pleaded, in recent years, for the consolidation of NATO's deterrence and defense posture on the entire Eastern Flank, in a unitary and coherent way. The Russian aggression against Ukraine and the new security reality defined by Russia's massive military presence in Ukraine and in Belarus confirm in the most eloquent way the necessity and urgency of this consolidation of the posture on the Eastern Flank. I welcome the measures recently adopted at NATO level, namely the addition of forces, including in Romania, the activation of the Gradual Response Plans and the deployment, for the first time, of the NATO Response Force as part of the collective defence. We appreciate the Allied contributions in Romania and we want to thank Poland and Turkey for being part of these efforts to ensure a robust NATO position in our country and in the Black Sea region. We want, in this context, that the Allied decision to set up a Combat Group in Romania to be approved as soon as possible and we count on the support of your countries in this regard," the Romanian president said on Tuesday, in the beginning of the trilateral Romania - Poland - Turkey at the level of presidential advisers for national security.

He also said that Romania will strengthen its own defense capacity, by increasing military expenditures from 2 pct of GDP, as they are currently, to 2.5 pct.

"It is important to ensure better conditions for the endowment of our armed forces, in order to better train and respond more efficiently to the operational needs of the Romanian Army and to the current and prospective security challenges," Klaus Iohannis said.

He stressed that it is the worst crisis since the Second World War and that Romania strongly condemns the Russian military aggression on Ukraine, firmly supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and will continue to provide multidimensional assistance to Kiev in these difficult times for the Ukrainian people.

The president reminded that, recently, it was decided to set up in Romania a distribution center for international humanitarian assistance for Ukraine, which would allow the collection and transport of donations to Ukraine and its citizens.

President Klaus Iohannis noted that Romania, Poland and Turkey are three important states within the North Atlantic Alliance and that individually, but especially in the Allied context, these countries have complex responsibilities in ensuring security and stability in the Black Sea region and on the entire Eastern Flank of NATO.

"I am convinced that, especially in the current security context, through an intensified trilateral dialogue, on multiple dimensions, we will better coordinate our efforts, we will be able to initiate new cooperation projects and we will obtain beneficial results for Romania, Poland and Turkey and for the regional security. At the same time, together we can do more for the eastern partners, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia, who need our political and practical support to resist the different forms of pressure from Russia," the president said.

Klaus Iohannis drew attention to the need to support the Republic of Moldova, which is facing increased difficulties in managing the increased flow of refugees and a new possible energy crisis.

"The unity of position and action of NATO, the European Union and the Allies as a whole gives us an unthinkable force. Therefore, we must remain united and in solidarity, committed to defending the values and principles that bind us, but equally to collective defence, as provided for in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty," he said.

The president pointed out that the agenda of the trilateral Romania - Poland - Turkey at the level of presidential advisers for national security is aimed at the scheduled NATO Summit, the security situation on the Eastern Flank, migration and terrorism, as well as climate change.

At the same time, the president said that Romania particularly appreciates the strategic partnerships with Poland and Turkey and the excellent bilateral cooperation with these countries in multiple areas of common interest.

"I am convinced that the friendship and the special connection between Bucharest, Warsaw and Ankara represents a solid basis on which we can further develop our collaboration, including in this trilateral format," said Klaus Iohannis.
Social Democratic Party (PSD) MEPs and ministers endorsed, in talks with European officials, the one year extension of the period of using European funds from the 2014-2020 financial exercise.

"At the request of the European Parliament, the European Commission will propose the extension by one year of the period of using European funds from the 2014-2020 financial exercise. More exactly, one additional year to the N+3 rule and it will cover, among others, cohesion funds, social funds or those devoted to border and refugee protection," PSD MEP Victor Negrescu wrote on Facebook.

He added the measure was going to be included in the European budget, on which he was working as Social Democrat alternate rapporteur.

"The proposal has been endorsed by the PSD MEPs and minister on occasion of the talks carried out with European officials. This decision is going to be approved by the member states, and PSD wishes Romania approves the proposal soon," said Negrescu.
The Minister of Internal Affairs with the Government of the Republic of Moldova, Ana Revenco, calls for emergency assistance from the member states of the European Union, in order to face the wave of Ukrainian refugees, against the background of the war in Ukraine.

In an interview with AGERPRES, the Minister of Internal Affairs from Chisinau talks about the pressure of refugees at the eastern borders of the Republic of Moldova, but also about the way she is collaborating with the Romanian authorities on this subject.

"Moldova has not encountered such situations for 30 years. We learn, we create on the go, we evaluate, we adjust, we correct. And this every day. We need, we need expertise, knowledge, information, the experience of those who have managed such phenomena and who understand, know the pressure on the internal affairs system," said the official from Chisinau.

Ana Revenco also refers to the involvement of Moldovan citizens, who, according to her, have "opened their homes and arms" to help Ukrainian refugees.

According to the Moldovan minister, there is a lot of pressure on the entire internal affairs system.

"With this massive exodus, which is driven by war, the system is running at full speed, which is why we need support from external partners here as well," says Revenco.

Ana Revenco says "We have addressed and talked to several development partners in the European Union. We were assured that assistance is close, but time is already playing against us. We understand that the flow will continue and there is still a lot of pressure on the internal affairs system. "

Obviously, the Moldovan Minister of Internal Affairs relies on the support of the Romanian authorities.

"From the very first day I was in contact with my counterpart, Mr. Lucian Bode, we have operationalized a common cell quite quickly. It allows us to exchange, in real time, information, analyses, to adjust where intervention is necessary, because the emphasis we are placing now, as an authority, is to facilitate transit corridors so that refugees do not stop in their way, those who intend to pursue it. At the same time, we also ensure their safety, and here it is very important to have an agreement with our colleagues from Romania so that the crossings on the Romanian side will be smooth enough.

"Moldova is a small country, but with good-hearted people. That is why the first wave, so to speak, was taken by my citizens, my fellow citizens. Many families, many volunteers opened their homes and arms. That's why a lot of people are now in families, in households. It is certain that there are a lot of families with friends, relatives, cousins...", Ana Revenco adds.

"Today, we have more than 100,000 Ukrainian citizens here in the Republic of Moldova alone. Most of them are Ukrainians now stationed here in the Republic of Moldova. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of people have passed through our borders from east to west."
President Klaus Iohannis attended on Tuesday a videoconference coordination meeting with European Council President Charles Michel and the Prime Ministers of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, Hellenic Republic, Kyriakos Mitsotak, Republic of Croatia, Andrej Plenkovic, and Republic of Estonia, Kaja Kallas, in preparation for the informal European Council meeting to be held in Versailles on Thursday and Friday.

According to the Presidential Administration, the talks focused on current security developments in Ukraine, efforts to manage and support refugee flows, humanitarian assistance measures for Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, sanctions on Russia and Belarus, and proposals to tighten them. There was also talk of strengthening the European Union's defence dimension, energy security, with a focus on reducing dependencies, diversifying supplies and finding European solutions to rising energy prices. Recent proposals have also been addressed to increase the resilience of European economies and to promote a European model of economic growth, designed to meet multiple challenges, Agerpres.ro informs.

The Presidential Administration points out that in his speech President Iohannis supported the role and impact that unity and coordination, not only within the European Union, but also with the United States, NATO and other strategic partners have in the reaction and the rapid response to Russia's aggression against Ukraine and stressed the importance of maintaining them firmly.

The head of state presented the measures taken by Romania in support of Ukraine, including the decision of our country to host a logistics center for the coordination and collection of international humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, respectively, currently in the making, with the first humanitarian convoy to Ukraine be carried out in the next few days.

President Iohannis also stressed Romania's support for Ukraine's, Moldova's and Georgia's accession to the European Union family and the importance of a message of support at European level for all three states.

According to the quoted source, in the context of the discussions on energy security, the head of state referred to the short-term measures to manage the current situation, in terms of supplying member states, support to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, but also to medium and long-term ones, aimed at ending dependence on Russia and diversifying energy supplies.

"The President of Romania highlighted the role of ensuring the interconnections at the level of the member states, mentioning in this sense the interconnector between Greece and Bulgaria and the use of BRUA. Also, President Klaus Iohannis underlined the special importance of making the best use of the potential of transition fuels in ensuring energy security," shows the Presidential Administration.

The head of state also referred to the situation of energy prices, which remains a priority issue, from the perspective of the impact on the population, but also on the economies as a whole, and it is necessary to further identify solutions at European level to protect consumers as well as economic competitiveness at EU level.

President Klaus Iohannis also supported the need to strengthen the defence sector at European level, welcoming initiatives aimed at increasing investment in defense capabilities and innovative technologies. The head of state also announced the decision to increase spending on the defence sector to 2.5% of GDP in 2023.
President Klaus Iohannis will hold political consultations on Friday at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace with US Vice President Kamala Harris, who will be on an official visit to Romania, according to the Romanian Presidential Administration.

The presence of Vice President Harris in Romania is said to reconfirm the strength of the bilateral strategic partnership and the firm commitment of the US to supporting the security of Romania and NATO allies on the eastern flank, while reflecting the appreciation of the US Administration for Romania's responsible and committed approach amid the current security threats generated by the illegal aggression of the Russian Federation, as well as in the management of refugees from the borders and the provision of humanitarian assistance.

The Presidential Administration notes that the meeting between the two officials is part of close NATO and transatlantic co-ordination efforts to manage the security situation, especially in the Black Sea, with an impact on Euro-Atlantic security, and continues consultations at the highest level of the leaders of the allied nations of February 11, 18 and 28, attended by President Klaus Iohannis and initiated by the President of the United States, Joseph R. Biden, Agerpres.ro informs.

"President Klaus Iohannis and Vice President Kamala Harris will discuss NATO measures to reinforce NATO's deterrence and defence posture on the eastern flank, including the prospect for further increasing the US and NATO military presence in Romania, as additional safeguard. Security in Romania and the whole region will also be addressed. The coordination of the transatlantic community on the adoption of new sanctions against Russia will be further addressed," the Presidential Administration points out.

Vice President Kamala Harris' visit also takes place as part of the 25th anniversary in 2022 of the bilateral strategic partnership between the US and Romania, a relevant anniversary to boost further deepening of all the dimensions of the strategic partnership.

Also, the meeting between Iohannis and Harris will be a good opportunity to reconfirm the common commitment to strengthening the transatlantic relationship and promoting democratic values and resilience, according to the Presidential Administration.
The executive president of Salvatii copiii Romania [Save the Children], Gabriela Alexandrescu, who went to the mobile refugee camp in Siret on Tuesday, told AGERPRES that, so far, the organization she represents helped, in various ways, 6,000 refugee children from Ukraine, and wants to extends its activities, as it estimates approximately 10,000 children from the neighbouring country will need support.

"Right now we are operating in 11 points, in this mobile camp in Siret, but also in the one in Radauti, in the reception centres, asylum and refugee centres in Galati, Somcuta Mare, Radauti, Timisoara and Bucharest, at the border crossing points in Isaccea, Siret, Sighetu Marmatiei and, since last night, in the Bucharest North railway station, for there are very many families accommodated there, waiting to take the train and they are very tired for waiting long hours. And we are organizing spaces especially designed for children. We have volunteers and staff playing with them, trying to help them forget about this extremely difficult time there are crossing, trying to make them smile a little, help them enjoy their childhood a little. Besides that, we are also providing information to adults regarding the Romanians laws, the asylum application, the places where they want to go, transport etc," said Alexandrescu.

She specified that Salvatii Copiii organization tries to be helpful on multiple level, including by providing psychologists for mothers and children both, Agerpres.ro informs.

Moreover, the president of Salvatii Copiii Romania assures that its social programmes focused on the Romanian children will continue.
Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca on Tuesday spoke with representatives of Romelectro, Hidroconstruct, Hidroelectrica, Oltenia Energy Complex and Hunedoara Energy Complex to identify solutions for developing the national electricity production capacity, analyzing the measures to increase the level of energy independence of Romania starting this year.

According to a Government release, the working meeting was also attended by the Secretary General of the Government, Marian Neacsu, the Ministers of Energy, Virgil Popescu, Environment, Tanczos Barna, and Justice, Catalin Predoiu, Agerpres.ro informs.

"Thus, from May, Oltenia Energy Complex will increase its production capacity by 300 MW, and by the end of the year, the commissioning of the Iernut Power Plant will provide another 210 MW. Investments to obtain energy from the hydro system will provide another 200 MW starting next year," the release reads.

At the same time, the Government will intensify investment plans in the Modernization Fund for the development of energy production capacities, including from renewable sources.

"Thus, since the beginning of this year, Oltenia Energy Complex has submitted projects worth 1.4 billion euros, of which 895 million euros from the Modernization Fund. Another 400 million euros will be allocated to the projects submitted by Transelectrica, and 1.1 billion euros will be added to the development of the electricity distribution network. As of this month, 960 million euros worth of project calls will be launched, which will generate additional electricity generation capacity of 260 MW. Another 2.8 billion euros will be made available this autumn from the Modernization Fund for the development of energy production capacities", the release also reads.
Refugees from Ukraine will be accommodated in the central pavilion of the Romexpo exhibition complex, according to a decision adopted on Tuesday, unanimously, by the General Council of the Municipality of Bucharest.

At the beginning of the meeting, Bucharest general mayor Nicusor Dan declared that taking over the Romexpo space in order to house the refugees is an important project, in the context of the crisis in Ukraine.

"It's a big space that we're going to operate, that we need," he said.

The expenses entailed by utilities, security, cleaning or the arrangement of the necessary facilities will be borne by the local budget of the Municipality of Bucharest.
As many as 12 citizens from Ukraine were discovered on Romanian soil by the border police and have requested asylum, Border Police Inspectorate (ITPF) Sighetu Marmatiei spokesperson, Iulia Stan, informed on Tuesday.

"Yesterday, March 7, 2022, at different times, our workers within the Sighetu Marmatiei Border Police sector have identified 12 Ukrainian citizens, male, with ages between 36 and 56, who crossed through the Tisa river, from Ukraine to Romania. They were identified in the direction of border cities of Sighetu Marmatiei and Tisa. The border police from Sarasau and Valea Viseului have also identified a Ukrainian citizen each in the direction of Sarasau and Valea Viseului, male, both 30 years of age," the representative of ITPF Sighetu Marmatiei specified.

According to the same source, all Ukrainian citizens have requested a form of protection from the Romanian state, which is why specific procedures were launched in these cases.
BRENTWOOD  A health care provider for senior living communities is opening a new laboratory at its headquarters here, and eyeing ambitious growth.

EmpowerMe Wellness has clinics in about 400 senior living communities in 20 states, primarily at assisted living and memory care facilities, said CEO Josh Stevens.

By end of year, he projects it will be in 760 communities in 22 states.

Our growth might seem ambitious, Stevens said. But the growth of the population we serve is enormous.

In each community it serves, the company establishes a clinic overseen by a nurse practitioner. The clinics offer physical, speech and occupational therapy, and now also lab testing.

Under EmpowerMes model, someone is on site ready to administer testing all the time, so residents dont have to go to a hospital or outpatient clinic, or wait for a phlebotomist to come to them.

Its on site, on demand, any day of the week, by people you already know, Stevens said.

The company has 1,100 employees across the country, and aims to more than double that by the end of the year, Stevens said.

Residential numbers at some senior living communities have dipped during the pandemic as virus fears pushed people toward home health care. But Stevens still sees opportunities for growth, as the U.S. population ages.

Personally, I think theres no replacing the social model of congregate care, he said.

EmpowerMe Wellness started in 2017 under a parent company: The Dover Companies. In August 2020 it spun out from Dover, and in November 2021 it acquired a majority of EverSpring Pharmacy so that it could provide pharmacy services to its clinics. Then it moved from Clayton to a new corporate office in Brentwood.

Stevens said 80% or so of the companys revenue comes from Medicare and 20% from commercial insurance.

The corporate office in Brentwood was connected to a 5,500-square-foot former gym that was being used as a warehouse. Construction started in autumn to convert the space into a laboratory, and the first samples were tested on Feb. 22, said Tyler Witges, president of EmpowerMes diagnostic business unit.

At full capacity, the new lab could run about 2.5 million samples per year, Witges said, a similar amount to a hospital.

Witges said EmpowerMe tried to center its test offerings around the most commonly ordered lab tests in senior living communities. It offers basic blood tests for things like cholesterol and thyroid hormone levels, as well as wound cultures, urine tests, and molecular respiratory tests for things like COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.

EmpowerMe said its lead investors are Bob Hermann Jr. and Rick Holton of Hermann Companies, and Jim McKelvey of Square. Holton said the investors were drawn to EmpowerMe by the range of services it provides under one umbrella, and by Stevens vision.

The company held a ribbon-cutting Tuesday for the new lab, which was attended by Gov. Mike Parson.

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ST. LOUIS  The chief executive at Major Brands, one of the top alcohol distributors in the state, is stepping down following a sale to a New York-based conglomerate.

CEO Sue McCollum announced her departure in a letter Tuesday morning. The past 11 years as EVP and then CEO of Major Brands has been an incredible journey, she wrote. I couldnt be prouder to have taken every step with the Major Brands family firmly in front of me, by my side, and protecting my back.

She took the top job after her husband, Todd Epsten, died in 2012. That same year, two major suppliers switched to Major Brands rivals, taking around half of the companys spirits business with them.

Major Brands responded by buying fellow distributors Garco Wine Co. and Missouri Beverage Co., and battling it out with its one-time partners in court.

It eventually forced a substantial payment out of liquor giant Diageo.

That legal success continued last year, when the company won a nearly $12 million verdict against the maker of the German liqueur Jagermeister, which had transferred its business to an out-of-state company. Major Brands successfully argued the move broke Missouri law.

Then in January, New York-based Breakthru Beverage said it was buying Major Brands to bolster its presence in the Midwest as it works to grow across the continent.

Breakthru, the product of a 2015 merger between family-owned distributors in Chicago and New York, already had operations in more than a dozen other states and Canada, and boasted more than 7,000 employees and $6 billion in annual sales.

It didnt say how much it paid for Major Brands, which had roughly 600 employees and $400 million in annual sales.

McCollum will leave in April. She told the Post-Dispatch shes excited to spend more time working with her nonprofit, Clever Little Girl Foundation, on equity issues in St. Louis. Shell also continue to own two distributors in Florida.

Editors note: This story has been updated to correct the name of McCollums husband.

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CLAYTON  An urban developer is pitching its second $100 million project in Clayton, this time a hotel and condominium development that will remake one of the county seats most prominent corners.

Green Street Real Estate Ventures and its partner, Maryland Heights-based hotelier Midas Enterprises, plan to build a glass and steel tower on the corner of Forsyth Boulevard and South Central Avenue. Several small businesses at the corner, including the newsstand and convenience store World News, have closed to make way for the project.

The new development follows a wave of construction worth at least a half-billion dollars in Clayton over the past few years that will add offices, apartments, hotels and  developers hope  nightlife.

Whats missing is ... this vibrancy that youre seeing in other parts of the city, said Phil Hulse, CEO of Green Street. Its a wonderful community, but its kind of quiet.

Some residents, however, are concerned about worsening traffic and how projects like this will change the character of Clayton.

The economics will be good for the city, said resident John Beuerlein, but the downside is the impact it will have on the small-town feel.

Green Street and Midas plan to build 73 condominiums and 180 hotel rooms at 4 South Central Avenue in Clayton. A restaurant, rooftop bar, retail, 400-vehicle parking garage and 300-person event space also are planned. The developers have the property  from 2 South Central Avenue to 22 South Central, and from 7814 Forsyth Boulevard to 7818 Forsyth  under contract to buy.

Green Street and Midas officials said the project is one of several in the works that could collectively shift the dynamic in Clayton, from a button-down daytime office scene toward one where young people will want to live and hang out. Among them:

 Green Street is planning a second $100 million project, an apartment and retail development at 50 South Bemiston Avenue.

 A trio of developers, including St. Louis-based Koplar Properties, has pitched an AC Hotel at the former Clayton police headquarters on South Central Avenue.

 US Capital Development is nearing completion on its $250 million dual office buildings at Forsyth and Brentwood boulevards.

 St. Louis-based Balke Brown Transwestern will build 237 apartments at Bemiston and Maryland avenues.

 Midas is planning a Residence Inn three blocks west.

Green Street and Midas hotel, which would be among the first new hotels built in Clayton in 30 years, is pitched as a luxury boutique brand under the Hilton flag, said David Robert, co-founder and CEO of Maryland Heights-based Midas.

The developers are expecting travel to resume. Roberts company, which owns and operates 45 hotels around the country, reported 2021 revenues that were 85% of what they were in 2019. And Midas expects 2022 revenues to match 2019s and see growth in 2023, he said.

Green Street and Midas held a community information session Monday at the Center of Clayton.

Resident Jan Spalding said hes happy to see new projects proposed though he is unsure how he feels about this one. He wasnt happy with the deal Clayton cut with Centene Corp. for its $770 million expansion and wants the city to be a better steward when it comes to development, he said.

Clayton is a significant anchor for St. Louis, Spalding said. Its like New York City but without the crime and filth.

Green Street plans to begin the rezoning process before the end of first quarter 2022. Construction is expected to follow this fall and take about two years.

The developers are not sure if they will ask for incentives, they said.

Green Streets architecture firm, HDA, is designing the project.

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The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moved three high-profile destinations to its highest-risk Level 4 category for travel on Monday.

Hong Kong and New Zealand have spent much of the pandemic in near isolation with relatively few infections and had been lauded as Covid success stories. However, the Omicron variant has caused massive spikes in cases in both places.

Hong Kong is late in playing out a now-familiar scene: Morgues near capacity, hospitals overwhelmed and supermarkets stripped bare by shoppers. Hong Kong has tightly restricted travel since the start of the pandemic and recently suspended many incoming international flights.

The spike comes in New Zealand just as it is beginning to shift toward plans to open up its borders to select international vacationers later this year. It has maintained some of the strictest isolation measures in the world during the pandemic.

Joining those two is Thailand, one of the crown jewels of world travel and the No. 1 Asian earner of tourism revenue in 2019. Thailand restarted its "Test & Go" program on February 1, which allows vaccinated international travelers from all countries to enter without lengthy quarantines.

The CDC places a destination at "Level 4: Covid-19 Very High" risk when more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents are registered in the past 28 days.

To recap, the destinations added to Level 4 on March 7 are:

 Hong Kong

 New Zealand

 Thailand

All three destinations were previously listed at Level 3, considered "high" risk.

Global case numbers have been declining since peaking in late January, but experts caution that the pandemic is not over.

CDC: Avoid Level 4 destinations

There are about 135 destinations currently at Level 4. While the number of places in the "very high" risk category has dipped slightly since topping around 140 in February, there are still more places in the Level 4 category than in all the other categories combined.

The CDC advises avoiding travel to Level 4 countries. CDC thresholds for travel health notices are based primarily on the number of Covid-19 cases in a destination.

The CDC does not include the United States in its list of advisories, but it was color-coded at Level 4 on March 7 on the agency's map of travel risk levels.

Last week, Vietnam was the only destination added to Level 4.

Other tourist favorites stalled on Level 4 include Canada, Egypt, France, Greece, Peru and Singapore. The United Kingdom has been there since July 2021.

You can view the CDC's risk levels for any global destination on its travel recommendations page.

In its broader travel guidance, the CDC has recommended avoiding all international travel until you are fully vaccinated.

Changes at Level 3

Tourists looking for some news that's trending in a good direction will find it on this level.

The Level 3 "high" risk category -- which applies to destinations that have had between 100 and 500 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days -- saw six additions from various spots around the globe on Monday. They were:

 Anguilla

 Cape Verde

 Fiji

 Mexico

 Philippines

 United Arab Emirates

All six had previously been at Level 4. Mexico has stayed open to tourists throughout the pandemic. It doesn't have any vaccination or testing requirements to enter.

Levels 2, 1 and unknown

On Monday, there was good news for people who are dreaming of a trip to Africa.

Destinations carrying the "Level 2: Covid-19 Moderate" designation have seen 50 to 99 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 28 days. Nine destinations representing all sections of the continent moved to Level 2 on March 7:

 Angola

 Djibouti

 Equatorial Guinea

 Ethiopia

 The Gambia

 Mauritania

 Mozambique

 Namibia

 Senegal

Last week, all of these destinations were at Level 3.

Africa continued to be a bright spot with the Level 1 category as well, including the popular safari and cultural favorite Kenya.

To be in "Level 1: Covid-19 Low," a destination must have fewer than 50 new cases per 100,000 residents over the past 28 days. Eight places moved to Level 1 on Monday:

 Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)

 Kenya

 Lesotho

 Niger

 Rwanda

 Republic of Congo

 Togo

 Uganda

The only destinations now listed at Level 1 outside of Africa are China and Taiwan.

Finally, there are destinations for which the CDC has an "unknown" risk because of a lack of information. Usually, but not always, these are small, remote places or places with ongoing warfare or unrest. The CDC made no new additions to the category on Monday.

Tanzania, Cambodia and Macau are among the more-visited locations currently listed in the unknown category. The CDC advises against travel to these places precisely because the risks are unknown.

A medical expert weighs in on risk levels

Transmission rates are "one guidepost" for travelers' personal risk calculations, according to CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen.

"We are entering a phase in the pandemic where people need to make their own decisions based on their medical circumstances as well as their risk tolerance when it comes to contracting Covid-19," Wen said in mid-February.

"You should interpret Level 4 to mean this is a place with a lot of community transmission of Covid-19. So if you go, there is a higher chance that you could contract the coronavirus," said Wen, who is an emergency physician and professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.

Some people will decide the risk is too high for them, Wen said. "Other people will say, 'Because I am vaccinated and boosted, I am willing to take on that risk.'

"So this really needs to be a personal decision that people weigh understanding that right now the CDC is classifying the different levels based on community transmission rates, and basically only that," Wen said. "They're not taking into account individual circumstances."

The-CNN-Wire

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Top image: An aerial view shows buildings from the Mid-Levels area of Hong Kong on May 25, 2021. (Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images)
Update: Citing "health reasons," Little Feat's show March 11 has been postponed to July 24. Original tickets will be honored for the new date.

Think of it as Feat, phase III.

Thats more or less how Little Feat keyboardist and founding member Bill Payne talks about the most recent edition of the band, which is on tour celebrating the 45th anniversary of its landmark live album Waiting for Columbus.

Ive been calling it the third act, Payne says by phone from his home in western Montana.

Little Feat has gone through many changes over the years but seems to have settled on a lineup thats built to last. Thats especially important now that Payne has ankled his sideman role with the Doobie Brothers and said in a letter to fans that he would be committing 100% to Little Feat from here on and promising reissues of the bands catalog, previously unreleased recordings and, importantly, new material as well.

Its like, youve got to be careful what you wish for, Payne says with a laugh. Its a lot of work. But its a good place to be.

For the uninitiated, heres a brief history lesson. Little Feat formed in 1969 in Los Angeles, consisting of Payne, guitarist Lowell George and bassist Roy Estrada (both former members of Frank Zappas Mothers of Invention), and drummer Richie Hayward. That lineup recorded the bands eponymous 1971 debut album but split soon after.

Payne, George and Hayward re-formed the group in 1972, adding guitarist Paul Barrere, percussionist Sam Clayton and bassist Kenny Gradney. That lineup recorded the bands major works, including the albums Sailin Shoes, Dixie Chicken, Feats Dont Fail Me Now and in 1978, Waiting for Columbus.

Among the bands best-known songs are Willin, Dixie Chicken, Rock & Roll Doctor, Sailin Shoes and Fat Man in the Bathtub.

George died of a heart attack in 1979 while on tour for a solo album. That effectively ended Little Feat, though one last album, Down on the Farm, came out later that year.

The band spun off into various solo projects and collaborations. Payne took to session work, playing with the Doobies, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Seger, Linda Ronstadt and many others.

Feat re-formed in 1987, the core membership adding guitarist Fred Tackett and vocalist/guitarist Craig Fuller (late of Pure Prairie League). In 1993, Fuller was replaced by vocalist Shaun Murphy, who stayed until 2009. That period  Feats second act, by Paynes account  saw the band release a number of studio and live albums including Highwire Act: Live in St. Louis 2003, which was recorded at the Pageant.

Hayward died in 2010, Barrere in 2019. The band carried on with vocalist/guitarist Scott Sharrard (ex-Gregg Allman Band) joining in 2019 and drummer Tony Leone (Ollabelle) in 2020.

Were building from the ground up again, Payne says. Its highly unusual for a band to be able to do that.

Still, for a band whose heyday produced such great music, a little looking back is warranted. In 2019, the band toured in celebration of its 50th anniversary. And this year (more or less) marks the 45th anniversary of Waiting for Columbus, which is rightly regarded as one of rocks greatest live albums.

I really dont remember how (Waiting) came about, Payne says. My instincts tell me that Warner Bros. (the bands record label) suggested it. We were known as a great live band. We had a great following in London and also in Washington, D.C. (where the album was recorded, at the Rainbow Theatre and Lisner Auditorium, respectively).

By that time, Little Feat had a really good collection of songs. So it made perfect sense (to do a live album). The icing on the cake was bringing in the Tower of Power horns to join us.

Over much of that first phase of the band, George and Payne butted heads over which direction the music should go. Payne refers to those arguments as the (screw) you-isms.

Its not even a word, but I coined that to refer to the tension, he says. But the tension actually helped us. Being in a band is like going to the table to eat dinner with a family of 10. You know, whoever goes to reach in first gets the chicken legs, right?

Payne is effusive in his praise of the new energy that Sharrard and Leone are bringing to the band and of the continued fine playing by Gradney, Tackett and Clayton.

This is a great band right now, which makes it special to tour behind Waiting for Columbus, a wonderful album, and a challenging record at that.

The original album was already known for its sharp ensemble playing and white-hot soloing, reasons why Feat has long been acknowledged as a precursor to jam bands such as Phish, String Cheese Incident, .moe and others.

We are a jam band, Payne says. But were a jam band that writes great songs.

That will continue to be the case, Payne insists. He says hes been especially prolific of late, and despite Little Feats long history, he is looking forward to a bright future for the band.

I hope we have a couple, three albums in front of us, to be honest with you, he says.

The band has released a newly recorded version of Fat Man in the Bathtub, which had to be done remotely  the musicians emailing files back and forth across the country  due to the pandemic. Payne is pleased with the results, though.

Its a great way to get people into what we are able to do with this band, he says. The synergy and the energy that was put into this thing is very much alive and well.

What Little Feat, Ida Mae  When 7:30 p.m. July 24  Where The Factory, 17015 North Outer 40 Road, Chesterfield  How much $49-$89  More info ticketmaster.com
UPDATED at 2 p.m. with statement from hospital

ST. LOUIS  A security guard and a teenager were shot late Monday night outside South City Hospital. The gunmen took off in a sedan, and police have made no arrests.

The guard, a 30-year-old woman, was shot in the hand; the teen, an 18-year-old man, was shot in the side of his head.

They were shot about 11:25 p.m. Monday outside the hospital, at 3933 South Broadway.

St. Louis police did not release their medical conditions, other than to say they were conscious after being shot and are considered stable.

The incident began when the teenager walked into the hospital and asked the security guard for help finding his lost phone on the parking lot on the southwest side of the hospital, police said.

As the guard walked onto the parking lot with the teen, a silver Chrysler 300 came toward them, police said. Two men got out and fired shots toward the guard and teen, then drove away.

On Tuesday morning, police were still searching for three men in connection with the shooting. Authorities did not release a detailed description of the suspects.

Heather Husek, a spokeswoman for South City Hospital, said the hospital is cooperating with police and "it appears to be an isolated, targeted incident."

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ST. CHARLES  A St. Charles man will serve 10 years in prison for causing a wrong-way crash on Valentines Day in 2020 that killed four people.

Elijah Henderson, 31, pleaded guilty Monday to four counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter. In exchange for Hendersons pleas, prosecutors dropped four counts of armed criminal action.

Circuit Judge Michael Fagras accepted Hendersons pleas and sentenced him to four concurrent 10-year prison terms.

The crash was on Highway 40 (Interstate 64), west of Highway 364, when Hendersons eastbound pickup crossed the median cable barrier into the westbound lanes, hitting a minivan carrying four people, the Missouri Highway Patrol has said. Henderson told investigators he lost control while reaching to manually roll up the passenger window.

The four people killed were: Carrie McCaw, 44, and her daughter Kacey McCaw, 12, and Lesley Prather, 40, and her daughter Rhyan Prather, 12, all of Louisville, Kentucky. They were heading to a weekend volleyball tournament in Kansas City. Lesley Prather was a Louisville firefighter.

The patrol concluded Henderson made an inappropriate steering maneuver which caused him to lose control and that drug use was a contributing circumstance. Four witnesses told investigators the truck wasnt speeding before the crash.

Blood tests showed Henderson had THC, ketamine and norketamine in his system after the crash, according to the Missouri Highway Patrol. THC is the psychoactive component of marijuana.

St. Charles County prosecutor Tim Lohmar said his office couldnt prove that Henderson was impaired at the time of the crash despite the presence of THC in Hendersons system.

Henderson was given ketamine in the ambulance. Court records said Henderson admitted to police that he had smoked marijuana the night before.

At the time, Henderson was on supervised probation after pleading guilty in a 2016 drug possession case in St. Charles County, according to court records. He had been caught with LSD and marijuana while sleeping in a car at a traffic light at South First Capitol Road and Zumbehl Drive about 3 a.m. on Dec. 17, 2016.

Henderson has been in prison since August because a judge revoked his probation in his previous case and sentenced him to five years in prison. The 10-year term will run concurrently to one he began serving in August.

At Mondays sentencing, a St. Charles County prosecutor read four letters from the victims relatives that described their grief. The relatives expressed their hope that Henderson would get help while in prison in order to reform his life.

Henderson apologized to the victims families, saying he knows theres nothing he can do to change what happened.

I would instantly give my life for theirs, he told them. I hope you guys know this.

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ST. LOUIS  Prosecutors on Monday charged a man with illegally possessing a gun at the site of a weekend homicide downtown.

Police arrested Jerome Cannaday, 43, of the 600 block of Charmont Drive, roughly six blocks from the site of the fatal shooting of his wife, Lisa Cannaday, 48, around 10:45 p.m. Saturday at Washington Avenue and North Fourth Street.

Police called the shooting a "domestic" incident and said in court documents Jerome Cannaday acknowledged being at the scene of the homicide armed with a semi-automatic pistol.

He had previously been convicted of felony drug and weapons charges, making it illegal for him to possess a gun.

Lisa Cannadays death marked the first homicide in downtown St. Louis in 2022, St. Louis Public Safety Director Daniel Isom told reporters on a meeting on downtown crime Monday.

Our homicide division is working diligently on this case, Isom said.

Cannaday is being held in the St. Louis City Justice Center. An attorney has not yet been listed in his case.

Post-Dispatch reporters Katie Kull and Erin Heffernan contributed to this report.
JEFFERSON CITY  The chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court lent his support Tuesday to legislation aimed at protecting the safety of the states judges.

In an address to a joint session of the Missouri General Assembly, Chief Justice Paul Wilson said a bill moving through the House that would block the release of the personal information of judges could avert attacks on judges and their families.

We owe it to those who serve in Missouris judiciary not to learn  in the worst possible way  that we, too, did too little, too late, Wilson said.

In calling for action on the bill, Wilson recounted the attempted murders of judges and their families in other states and an assassination attempt of a judge in Texas.

Those of us in public service are increasingly vulnerable, Wilson said. Missouri judges have been harassed online and at home, theyve been threatened and theyve had their personal information posted on the web.

Wilson said Missouri should follow the lead of 11 other states in passing the so-called Judicial Privacy Act, which specifies that a government agency will not publicly post or display a judicial officers personal information if the agency receives a written request from the officer to refrain from publishing the information.

The legislation, which is sponsored by Rep. Bruce DeGroot, R-Ellisville, would bar people, businesses, and associations from publicly posting or displaying on the internet a judicial officers personal information as long as the person, business, or association receives a written request to refrain from publishing the information.

Violations of the law would be a class D felony.

The legislation, House Bill 2037, has not yet been scheduled for a committee hearing.

The proposal is among a number of measures proposed by Missouri lawmakers that would alter the Missouri Sunshine Law, affecting the cost, lifespan and accessibility of various government records.

Supporters argue that many of the measures are needed to better establish a balance between privacy and government accountability.

Wilsons request came during the annual State of the Judiciary address, where he outlined a number of other initiatives he wants lawmakers to address.

Among them is an expansion of a special treatment court for veterans.

With Fort Leonard Wood, Whiteman Air Force base and many other military installations, Missouri ranks ninth in the nation as home for retired soldiers, some of whom may have mental illness and substance abuse problems.

Although the state has 15 programs serving 40 counties, Wilson offered to work with lawmakers to expand into more areas.

Today, veterans courts serve only a third of our local jurisdictions, largely clustered around (Veterans Administration) hospitals and clinics, he said. Outside of those areas, however, resources are scarce.

We can work together to fix this, and I hope you will agree we owe it to these men and women as the very least we can do to honor the sacrifices theyve made, Wilson said.

Originally posted at 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 8.

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JEFFERSON CITY  The Missouri Senate gave initial approval to a plan Monday that would forbid homeowners associations from banning residential solar panels.

The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Eric Burlison, R-Battlefield, would allow homeowners associations to regulate solar panels. But his plan gives property owners the right to generate solar energy on their own roofs.

Burlison said Missouri residents, when it comes to collecting energy from the sun, should not have their neighbors completely and totally prohibit their ability to do so.

Bills have been filed for years in Missouri that would give homeowners the right to solar panels. Similar protections exist in several other states.

Illinois since 2011 has required homeowners associations to approve solar installations. A law signed last year by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker expanded the protections.

In Missouri, solar panels have sparked fights between homeowners and their property associations.

Burlisons proposal says restrictions, covenants or similar binding agreements placed on someones property may not limit or prohibit, or have the effect of limiting or prohibiting, the installation of solar panels or solar collectors on the rooftop of any property or structure.

It says associations would be able to adopt reasonable rules regarding solar panels so long as the rules do not prevent the installation of the device, impair the functioning of the device, restrict the use of the device, or adversely affect the cost or efficiency of the device.

Sen. Karla May, D-St. Louis, attached an amendment to the legislation so that it would take effect Jan. 1 instead of Aug. 28, giving associations more time to prepare for the change and adopt policies.

The Senate must take another vote on Burlisons measure before it advances to the House for consideration.

The legislation is Senate Bill 820.

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JEFFERSON CITY  A measure advancing in the Missouri House would transfer millions in funding from public schools to charter schools in St. Louis.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Doug Richey, R-Excelsior Springs, would adjust the education funding formula, splitting funding between public and charter schools based on enrollment.

In St. Louis, this would transfer $18 million from public to charter schools, according to the bills fiscal analysis.

Were just trying to work out a fair solution, Richey said. So that the kids attending these school districts as well as the charter LEAs (Local Education Agencies) ... are being fairly funded.

Kansas City and St. Louis have the only charter schools in the state. Other areas would not be subject to the funding changes. The bill faces at least one more vote in the House.

With the mechanism largely already accepted in Kansas City, St. Louis was the focus of much of the debate.

People in St. Louis City tend to be divided over this issue, said Rep. Shamed Dogan, R-Ballwin. Those who send their kids to charters feel very passionately, very supportive of those charters. And as has been noted, thats about 40% of the parents in that district right now. And those kids are not receiving an adequate amount of funding for their schools right now.

Opponents argued that public schools need funding to get back on their feet.

Richey added an amendment to delay the implementation of the new formula in St. Louis for five years, calling it a compromise.

City leaders, school board members, charter members have called for a citywide plan for education, said Rep. Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis. So I appreciate the gentleman adding the five-year delay into it so we can continue to have these conversations in the city of St. Louis.

An amendment sought by Rep. Peter Merideth, D-St. Louis, would allow for local taxes passed by voters, like the desegregation tax, to be allocated to specific school funding. The amendment was voted down.

Merideth also highlighted the need to provide funding for transportation to charter schools. If the charter schools were to be publicly funded, Merideth argued, providing transportation would be a key piece of creating more equitable access to the schools.

Richey said an overarching issue was that representatives for St. Louis Public Schools hadnt been willing to come to the table to negotiate on the bill.

Several St. Louis-based lawmakers kept coming back to the point that, regardless, legislating for an area without the input of that area wasnt reasonable.

Im not going to just go and make bills without talking to people, said Rep. Kimberly-Ann Collins, D-St. Louis.

The legislation is House Bill 1552.

Grace Zokovitch gzokovitch@post-dispatch.com
JEFFERSON CITY  Hospitals and nursing homes in Missouri would lose some of their ability to restrict visitors during a pandemic under legislation that won preliminary approval in the House Tuesday.

The package of bills now awaiting final action aims to address concerns that patients and elderly residents lost valuable contact with their loved ones when the spread of COVID-triggered prohibitions on visitors.

Health care facilities essentially became prisons for our loved ones. It was arbitrary, said House Floor Leader Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres.

Republicans believe theyve crafted a law that will balance the needs of patients and doctors.

This is not going to affect our ability to provide care, said Rep. Jon Patterson, a Lees Summit Republican who also is a physician.

Rep. Rusty Black, R-Chillicothe, who is sponsoring the so-called No Patients Left Alone Act, said health care providers took the pandemic restrictions a step too far when they barred all visitors in an attempt to stop the spread of a deadly respiratory virus.

Under one provision, patients would be able to designate at least three essential support people in addition to spouses or legal guardians to be able to visit during a hospital stay.

Hospitals and nursing homes are against the changes, saying they need to have flexibility to control what goes on inside their doors.

Democrats said Republicans are interfering in medical decisions.

When youre trying to save peoples lives, that should be the focus of their efforts, said Rep. Trish Gunby, a west St. Louis County Democrat.

I like trusting health professionals, generally speaking, said Rep. Peter Merideth, D-St. Louis.

The GOP was not in lockstep over the changes.

Rep. Allen Andrews, R-Grant City, also expressed concern about the change, saying medical professionals should be able to make rules about patient safety.

The legislation is among dozens of proposed changes in law that came out of the global response to the pandemic. Republicans have floated plans to end mask mandates, vaccination requirements and business closures.

The legislation is House Bill 2116.

Posted at 1:25 p.m. Tuesday, March 8.

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JEFFERSON CITY  Cannabis activists lined up Tuesday to urge Missouri lawmakers to move quickly to fully legalize marijuana and derail a competing ballot initiative backed by existing medical marijuana businesses.

The Cannabis Freedom Act, sponsored by Rep. Ron Hicks, R-Defiance, combines numerous marijuana-related bills into one but at its core legalizes possession and use of the drug for individuals 21 and older.

Supporters said Missouri lawmakers should blunt momentum for Legal Missouri 2022, a campaign currently collecting signatures for the Nov. 8 ballot. That plan would give current medical marijuana businesses the first shot at full recreational sales and keep in place the states ability to limit licenses.

Hicks, during a hearing of the House Public Safety Committee, cast his bill as the last best shot for lawmakers to weigh in on the topic before voters do so through a proposed change to the state constitution. Medical marijuana was approved in 2018 when Missouri voters approved a constitutional change.

Im sure that every single one of you sitting here has received some type of an email, Hicks said, or has heard from somebody in this state about the rollout of that program, whether it was dishonest or not fair to someone.

Hicks proposal doesnt limit marijuana business licenses. It would allow home cultivators to possess up to 12 flowering plants and would permit dispensary sales to be taxed at up to 12%.

It eliminates civil asset forfeiture for marijuana and places regulation of the adult-use program under the control of the Cannabis Enforcement Authority, which would be housed in the Department of Agriculture.

The medical program is currently under the jurisdiction of the Department of Health and Senior Services, and Hicks bill doesnt seek to alter the constitutionally approved system.

Hicks plan directs tax revenue to fund teacher salaries, first responder pensions and the Missouri Veterans Commission.

He said he was open to amendments. One possible change, Hicks said, involves some sort of license cap after speaking with a young man who was part of the industry. The business owner said the market already has enough marijuana, Hicks said.

He would like to see that they get first dibs, maybe up front  in front of the line, Hicks said. I can understand why they want that and I can actually even  Im in talks with that.

Speakers Tuesday morning railed against Legal Missouri 2022.

This initiative (Legal Missouri 2022) eliminates nearly all competition through constitutionally protected license caps, said Christina Thompson, with ShowMe Canna-Freedom, who spoke in favor of Hicks proposal. Recreational licenses created under the initiative will go straight to established businesses as well, meaning instead of opening up more business opportunities for others, money only goes to those who are already profiting.

The lack of competition and artificially inflated prices fuel the black market, she said. Millions in lost revenue for our state is instead funding drug cartels, human trafficking and more while desperate patients are victimized.

Adela Wisdom criticized the states current prohibition on adult-use cannabis.

Wisdom is facing criminal charges after she and her husband, Aaron, were arrested in 2020 following a law enforcement raid of their Callaway County property. Law enforcement reported marijuana plants on their land, with a sheriffs office lieutenant stating he saw Adela Wisdom rapidly uprooting the plants and Aaron Wisdom lighting them on fire, KRCG-TV reported. A jury trial in the case is scheduled for July.

At the time of her arrest, Adela Wisdom was running for Congress in the 3rd Congressional District; Aaron Wisdom was running for lieutenant governor.

She said Missouris current medical marijuana laws create two systems in which people without resources are still criminalized for the drug.

The people (of) this state who are unable to pay, who are too sick, too poor and too ill to comply with your rules and your laws and your regulations are criminals because they couldnt afford a license, Wisdom said. Thats a regulatory issue, not a felonious crime.

Trade group

Meanwhile, the group Real Legalization Missouri, posted a link to audio apparently recorded of Thomas Robbins, lobbyist for the Missouri Medical Cannabis Trade Association and Legal Missouri 2022, strategizing with opponents of Hicks bill.

In the audio, Robbins compared proponents to a clown car and said opponents would come off as the adults in the room during the hearing. Robbins didnt immediately respond to a message seeking comment on Tuesday.

Among those testifying against Hicks legalization bill was Joe Delia, chief operating officer of Root 66 Cannabis.

With about 38 grow operations, the current supply has outpaced the demand, Delia said. Thats without factoring in the roughly two dozen cultivators expected to come online sometime in the future.

Delia said, We really probably have, right now, about half the capacity that were going to have in the current medical market.

When this market first opened, pounds of marijuana were selling for about $4,000, he said. Now pounds of marijuana are selling for around $1,600, for medium- to lower-grade cannabis.

Were going to be at $800 a pound before this stops, and thats going to be very comparable to what you see on the West Coast, he said.

If you open that market up, Im not sure what youre going to have, other than what Oklahomas having right now, he said. (Opponents deride the states medical program as the Wild West.)

Supporters of the states medical marijuana program, such as MoCannTrade, have hailed it as a success, calling attention to more than 6,000 industry jobs.

The industry reported its eighth straight month of sales exceeding $20 million in February, according to DHSS data.

Missouris medical cannabis industry is delivering on its promise of not only providing safe, affordable and convenient access for patients but also helping to infuse the states economy with sizable investment and millions in new tax revenue, Andrew Mullins, executive director of MoCannTrade, said in a press release last month.

The Legal Missouri campaign has said that while current medical marijuana licensees would be able to convert their medical licenses into comprehensive ones, so-called microlicenses would be available to historically disadvantaged groups in the recreational programs first days.

All new licenses for the first 548 days will be microlicenses reserved for smaller operators and individuals and groups who have been adversely affected by our current, unjust laws prohibiting marijuana, said John Payne, campaign manager for Legal Missouri. As in most states, medical marijuana facilities will also start to convert their licenses to comprehensive licenses.

Hicks proposal had 21 co-sponsors as of Tuesday, including eight Republicans. House Speaker Pro Tem John Wiemann, R-OFallon, and Reps. Chuck Basye, R-Rocheport, and Shamed Dogan, R-Ballwin, are backing the measure.

The legislation is House Bill 2704.

Originally posted at 11:50 a.m. Tuesday, March 8. Updated at 2 p.m.

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Just weeks ago, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley excoriated the Biden administration for what he said was too much focus on deterring Russian aggression  comments that, as the White House noted, parroted the Kremlins own talking points in the run-up to Russias invasion of Ukraine. Now Hawley is again blasting the administration, this time saying its unprecedented sanctions against Russia dont go far enough and that it should have moved sooner to assist Ukraine.

This is the same senator, remember, who was OK with former President Donald Trump threatening to withhold crucial military aid from Ukraine unless its government helped him win reelection. What chutzpah.

In early February, while the administration warned that Russia was about to invade Ukraine, Hawley made his own position clear: While he favored sanctions on Russia, containing the economic threat posed by China should be Americas focus because Russia poses a far greater threat to Europe than it does to the United States. He also called on the administration to oppose Ukraines entry into NATO.

Contrast that Neville Chamberlain routine with Hawleys new Winston Churchill schtick: I cannot believe that the Biden administration continues to keep our energy production turned off and allow the Russians to move forward, he glowered to Fox News last week.

Hawley says the U.S. and NATO should expand the sanctions to squeeze Russias oil and natural gas markets, which isnt a new or necessarily bad idea. But, as always, he has to dress it up with partisan gamesmanship, promoting the Republican myth that the administration has turned off domestic energy production and could simply turn it back on to counter the price hikes that would normally accompany a ban on Russian energy imports.

Neither assertion is true. As multiple fact-checks have noted, the administrations early attempt to temporarily pause new federal oil and gas leases on government land was struck down in court before it could go into effect, and it would have had little impact on overall production anyway. In fact, the U.S. is currently nearing pre-pandemic domestic oil production levels.

As for the notion that the administration could just flip a switch and ramp up domestic production to offset the effects of a ban on Russian oil and gas: That, too, is a myth, as Vox and other outlets have painstakingly explained in recent pieces. Though Russian oil makes up a relatively small portion of U.S. energy imports, banning it would likely spur some level of price hike at the gas pumps  at which point Hawley would, right on chameleon cue, blame the administration. Its his only consistency.

As serious U.S. and global leaders work that delicate balance between aiding Ukraine and avoiding nuclear war with Russia, Hawley is reminding everyone, as he frequently does, that his main contribution to the conversation will be self-serving, grandstanding and ultimately counterproductive.
Throughout the Cold War, the Radio Free Europe broadcast service found ways to frustrate Moscows best efforts to censor all news that threatened to provide Soviet bloc citizens with the truth. The network is now a victim of Russian President Vladimir Putins effort to crack down on all media  foreign and domestic  that contradict his governments version of whats happening in Ukraine. Correspondents and producers can be arrested merely for referring to the war as a war. They are required instead to call it a special operation.

The draconian restrictions are putting strains on the ability of all Western news media to get around the Russian propaganda machine, which is working overtime to convince its citizens that the invasion is just a limited campaign to root out Nazis. CNN and other international broadcast outlets have had to impose their own signal blocks inside Russia to avoid putting their reporters and producers at risk.

The same applies to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Since its inception, the entire mission of the nonprofit, congressionally funded outlet was to get around the various hurdles that Moscow and its satellite governments imposed to prevent their own people from hearing real news from the outside. That mission is as crucial now as it was during the days of the Iron Curtain.

Putin relies on maintaining the ignorance of his own people to minimize domestic opposition. The Russian people are largely unaware that thousands of Russian troops are being killed in Ukraine as they meet strong resistance. Protesters who dare to speak the truth in public are quickly whisked away by police.

While the world gasps in horror at videos of civilians killed by Russian bombs, domestic news in Russia makes it appear as if Ukrainians are grateful to Putin for rescuing them from Nazi oppression. Even when Ukrainians report to their family members in Russia about what is happening, the reported response from the family members is utter disbelief, as if the Ukrainians witnessing the bombings and destruction firsthand are lying.

Radio Free Europes website directs listeners who might be affected by the Russian blackout to access the networks broadcasts via the dark web using a virtual private network and encryption software. Its not clear whether Russia is blocking its citizens access even to the instruction page explaining how to get around the blocks.

Meanwhile, subscribers to the electronic editions of thousands of international and U.S. publications, including the Post-Dispatch and The New York Times, were unable last week to access those publications after a cyberattack brought down the service provider Pressreader.com. The attack occurred shortly after Pressreader announced it had blocked several Russian publications and offered free access to its site so Ukrainians could stay informed.

The attack hardly seems coincidental  or surprising, given the Russian leaders penchant for internet mayhem and aversion to anything that smacks of the truth.
Regarding "Russia-Ukraine War: What to know about the war in Ukraine" (March 7): Ukraines request for a no-fly zone is a humanitarian request. As Russia demolishes Ukraine's major cities, NATO air support would provide a safe haven for the old, women and children of Ukraine fleeing the devastation.

I believe a solution might be to let the neutral powers of Europe  Austria, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland  organize a no-fly zone over the western half of Ukraine. This would allow the separation of NATO and Russian forces. The Dnieper River should be the dividing line.

The non-NATO fly zone would be able to protect the city of Odessa and give the western part of Ukraine access to the sea and a border with Europe. This is a terrible choice with risks of further incursions by Russia in the eastern portions of the former Soviet empire, but would keep NATO out of it. [Russia has declared that the creation of a no-fly zone by any outside country would constitute as a hostile act that could justify a Russian military response.]

A demarcation on the Dnieper River would also give the valiant fighters of Ukraine a place to retreat, the elected government to be recognized and to perpetuate the right of the people to choose how to govern themselves. Then, like East and West Germany, time would address the larger issue of people choosing how they want to live.

I believe to do less is unacceptable.

Mike Costello  University City
At the end of 2019 the United States established a sixth military service, the Space Force. There was an image problem with this move because few people consider Space Force a military organization. Personnel are called guardians while other services call their people soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen. Their symbol is similar those used by the fictional Stark Trek star fleet. Space Force leaders explained that the term guardians was first used in the 1980s to describe air force efforts to protect American use of orbital space as guardians of the high frontier. The space force symbol used by the military predates science fiction use.

Dealing with attitudes towards guardians as being a non-combat force are more difficult to explain. In general, only about ten percent of military personnel have combat jobs; everything else is combat support. All military personnel are given some weapons training during their initial (basic) training. Even Space Force guardians will receive instruction on how to use of individual weapons during basic training. This will continue to be handled by the air force.

A lot of these negative attitudes come from fictional representations of future space travel, which feature a lot of combat. That may be the case during the development of space travel but currently it is more efficient to put satellites into orbit and defend them with robotic systems. It is currently too expensive and dangerous to use people. Early space program managers were aware of this but it was easier to obtain public support for the enormously expensive space programs by putting some people up there, even if some of them would be lost.

Not surprisingly the Space Force is the smallest military service, with about 10,000 personnel initially. Space Force is a separate service controlled by the Department of the Air Force. This is a similar arrangement to the Department of the Navy controlling two military services the navy and marine corps.

Personnel strength will soon reach over 15,000 as the other services transfer their personnel who currently do space force jobs. Space Force currently controls 77 spacecraft (satellites) plus two reusable X-37 OTVs (Orbital Test Vehicles) or space places that are put into orbit like a satellite but return and land like an aircraft. Unlike the Space Shuttle, the X-37 has no crew and is robotic. Space Force also controls billions of dollars worth of space development programs. Most of the Space Force personnel, units and programs came from the U.S. Air Force Space Command.

Borrowing another feature of the Marine Corps, the Space Force will receive many support services from the air force. Initially this support will be more extensive than the logistics, medical care and transportation services the navy provides to the marines because the Space Force will also depend on the air force for recruiting and training of new enlisted personnel

The Air Force and other American defense organizations transferred existing weapons systems that are suitable for the Space Force. One of these is an upgraded (in 2014) version of CCS (Counter Communications System) the air force has been using since 2004 as a ground-based satellite communications jamming system. With CCS version B10.2 the United States has a satellite jammer comparable to systems used by other countries, especially Russia.

Similar Russian systems are something of a mystery. Since 2014 many EW (electronic warfare) devices have been used in eastern Ukraine and Syria for testing under combat conditions. This is a unique opportunity to discover weaknesses, fix them and then promote export sales with a combat proven item. Equipment still in development is also tested. One example of that was the truck-mounted Tirada-2 orbital jamming system that showed up during early 2019 in eastern Ukraine. Tirada-2 was there help to hack the control signals and video feeds from American RQ-4B Global Hawk UAVs that regularly operate over eastern Ukraine. A successful hack would provide a look at what these UAVs see when they monitor Russian activity. Some RQ-4Bs are equipped with space satellite quality electronic sensors and the Russians were hoping to get an opportunity to monitor and perhaps hack those systems. Ukrainian and Western intelligence was aware of the existence of Tirada-2 if only because a less capable export model was being offered for sale. A more capable non-export Tirada-2 later showed up in Eastern Ukraine (Donbas). As one would expect, no one provided any details of who has been able to do what to whom. The fighting in Ukraine escalated in 2022 with a Russian effort to take control of all Ukraine. So far, the Ukrainians are holding their own when it comes to hacking Russian systems and civilian space-based systems like the photo satellites that provide journalists with current satellite photos of what is happening on the ground. In this sense these commercial satellite operators are guardians of the truth.

Hacking and jamming satellites is nothing new. Even Islamic terrorists are active in this area. For example, in 2015 a major French TV network (TV5) was hijacked by hackers working for ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant). Calling themselves the CyberCaliphate, this group had apparently spent weeks getting past the formidable network security and did some major damage. TV5 satellite feeds send programming to over 250 million individual and business customers worldwide. All eleven TV5 channels were dark for three hours before a temporary data feed was established to put something on customer TV screens. It took over a week to clean the network of all the hacker malware and begin work on improving security. Other French media companies were informed of the threat and joint efforts were underway to improve security. Whatever enthusiasm there was for better security will probably not last because this was not the first time something like this happened. The Space Force is supposed to monitor this situation and take action as needed.

Its not that the satellite control threat was ignored or underestimated. Officially the hacker threat is taken very seriously by media companies, especially those who broadcast via satellite. Starting in the late 1990s, growing reliance on data networks and satellite distribution of programming resulted in more and more attacks on these networks by groups seeking to get some attention by briefly seizing control of or shutting down these systems.

These attacks reached something of a crescendo in 2007 when a Chinese satellite television channel was taken over by hackers. For about 90 minutes, the government had no control over the feed, which was replaced by anti-government material. The Chinese government tried to keep details of how this happened out of the news but, because over 130 million Chinese then had access to the Internet and even more had cell phones, it was impossible to completely blackout details of what happened. Senior officials were quite upset, especially because since 2002 there had been over a dozen incidents worldwide of hijacking satellite television signals. Several of these took place in China, but until 2007 the government assured everyone that the "problem" was fixed.

After 2000 the increasing number of incidents of space satellites being "hacked" was believed to be largely the result of an increase in the number of satellites up there, and the number of ground stations broadcasting information up into the sky. Many of these early "hacks" turned out to be satellite signals interfering with one another. Same with cases where people believe their GPS or satellite communications signals were being jammed. On further investigation, the real reasons tend to be less interesting and a lot more technical. All this usually had a large element of human error mixed in. But some of the disruptions were deliberate.

The 2007 China incident clearly indicated a security problem. If you have the proper passwords and security information, you can send commands to the satellite and do whatever you want. The Chinese had a security problem and to Chinese rulers that was more frightening than, well, just about anything. China has since greatly improved its satellite security but as TV5 discovered that is not always enough. Russian EW developers watched all this with great interest and considered the possibility of improving and weaponizing these hacking capabilities.

All of the accidental jamming incidents demonstrated to hackers how easy it was to do it on purpose. There were a growing number of examples of that. In response, the U.S. Air Force has long (decades) been developing electronic tools for attacking and defending satellite communications, and the satellite operators themselves were already training people to attack and defend space satellites. This effort involved figuring out new or improved ways to jam satellites. Then you keep that stuff secret, in case potential enemies have not figured this out themselves. Next, you work on ways to defeat the weapons developed. Most of this is playing around with the signals. You can unjam a jamming signal with another signal. However, a lot of trial and error is required, and you want to get that done way in advance of any actual war. When you do have to use this stuff for real, you have to expect that the enemy may well have come up with some angle you missed. There will be some rapid improvisation, and you will have more time and resources for this if you have worked out, ahead of time, the details of disasters you have already anticipated. No one releases much information about this, for obvious reasons. There isn't much discussion from any government unless there is a terrorist attack using these techniques. Now that has happened in a very public fashion, and it was done using clever and determined hacking of the ground-based networks that control the programming and the satellites. This mobilization of resources in an emergency capability is another task Space Force can handle.

Some satellite hacking problems have been solved. For example, it has been shown that if there is government jamming that could be identified as such. This was demonstrated back in 2003 when satellite broadcasters transmitting television shows to Iran found their signals being jammed. The source of the jamming was quickly traced to Cuba. A satellite signal is very difficult to jam as it comes down from the satellite. But if you are close to the ground station that beams the signal up to the satellite, you can more easily interfere with that. At first, it was thought that the Cuban government, using an old Soviet era electronic eavesdropping facility outside Havana, was doing the jamming as a favor to Iran, which buys Cuban support with supplies of cut-rate oil. Back then the Chinese had already paid Cuba a lot of money to take over and revive the old Soviet facility electronic monitoring. The Cuban government denied it had anything to do with the jamming and said it would find out where the jamming was coming from, and they did. Soon the Cuban government reported that they had traced the jamming signal to a suburban compound owned by the Iranian embassy. The Cubans ordered the jamming to stop, and it did.

There have been few additional efforts like this, mainly because it was obvious that you could not easily hide a jammer. Satellite broadcasters also took measures to make such jamming much more difficult to do. There were also efforts to improve defense against hackers, but for TV5 the defenses were not robust enough.

Russia quietly worked on ways to not only hack satellite control and data signals but to easily eavesdrop and monitor them. Encrypted signals can be decrypted and if you can do that you do not talk about it. But now the Russian satellite signal monitoring and hacking equipment are coming out of the development shadows and practicing on American equipment.

The U.S. Space Force and its guardians have inherited most American efforts in this area. This is an effort to make these offensive and defensive efforts more efficient and effective. That remains to be seen, as is the case with any major reorganization.
U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning IIs assigned to the 495th Fighter Squadron, return to Royal Air Force Lakenheath, United Kingdom, after concluding a training exercise, Feb. 22, 2022. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Rachel Maxwell)

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What Do You Need for a Successful Virtual Event?

Virtual events are here to stay, from basic one-way webinars to highly produced, interactive simulations of the in-person experience. Here's how each of the three levels of virtual event production works.

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It's spring of 2022 and it has now been more than two years of dealing with Covid. Working remotely may end up a permanent thing for many companies who realized that they don't need to pay for large corporate offices and expensive cubicles and equipment if people can be just as productive at home. Meanwhile employees have enjoyed not needing to waste 2 hours a day commuting to and from work, then getting settled in to be productive. Many have also realized additional productivity as they are able to do some home tasks while "at work."

Despite all this, companies still have a need to gather people to share information. Face-to-face collaboration still works better than Zoom. Industries still have a need to gather companies in conferences and events to introduce new products, services, showcases, and more. Hands on with the press and customer works much better than a video because each reporter has a different take on it- as opposed the one corporate view.

So, whether it be a quarterly meeting, an annual marketing show, or an industry event like CES or the International Auto Show, we still have the need for events. But how these events recognize and incorporate remote presenters and remote audiences will need to change from what we all did before COVID. There are what I call "Three Tiers of Hybrid," different ways to try and bring local and remote people together.

Companies and services mentioned here are based on my working experiences the past two years. There is no connection or compensation between any company or service mentioned here and me or this article.

Zoom and other conferencing platforms can never replicate face-to-face meetings and conferences, but they've improved their feature sets and functionality significantly in the last two years.

The High-Level Hybrid Event

In these two years I've produced completely remote productions with my own tools and cloud-based tools, I've taken feeds from and produced shows into various cloud applications like Zoom, Teams, Webex and more. And I've also produced fully hybrid events with on-site production with local presenters, local audience, as well as remote presenters and a remote audience. These fully hybrid events are where anyone remote needs to be able to speak into the room with the local audience and presenters. Any audience member needs to be able to stand up and be recognized- either in the local auditorium or the remote audience, and be seen and heard by all.

In addition, the cloud events I have produced have been more than just a "meeting" or a "seminar" they have been entire events- where the doors to get in don't get unlocked till 8 a.m. Everyone can come in, look around, and mingle with others at tables in the lobby- where instant person-to-person, face-to-face conversations can happen at these tables. It could be 2, 3, 5, or 8 people around that table. Everyone is free to move from table to table just like a real lobby. You're able to read the "Hello My Name Is" tag on whomever is at the table before you even sit down with them.

There is a separate exhibits area where vendors rent booths. They have their own tables for face-to-face mingling, answering questions, demonstrating their products. They can have their own scheduled demonstrations, seminars, literature you can click and "take home" and more. The seminars can be one track or multi-track. You can build your own schedule, or sign up for certain sessions in advance- just like a real, in-person event.

This virtual event lacks only the immersive VR that the "metaverse" portends to offer us. It happens on the computer screen in front of you and, at its most basic, is a web browser for watching videos and seminars, and chatting with others like Zoom, with sidebars for text chat as well as Q&A, polls and more interactive elements.

It takes a lot of people to manage a fully hybrid eventfrom registration and staffing the "ticket booth" for those who registered with a different e-mail than they are trying to use to get in, etc. There are backstage personnel operating the cloud platform to start and stop sessions, bring speakers onto stage, and even elevate any of the audience onto the stage to speak (and, if necessary, take them off when they've said enough).

If there's local production, there are onsite producers like myself who switch between multiple cameras, replace backgrounds, incorporate videos, stills, slides and other media into the "broadcast" that goes into the cloud platform either as RTMP or as a virtual camera. This detail depends on whether the local presenter would need to stand on stage next to someone who is remote. This is only possible with virtual camera ingest. We use digital voice backchannels that tie the local and remote crews together.

We make announcements over the event's "PA system," meaning pop-up alerts appear on the screen of the attendees: "Session 101 is starting," "The exhibit hall is now open," "Join us in the Arena to mingle with the leadership team at 3 p.m.," etc. We have a run of show with separate columns for local stage, what's on IMAG locally, what's being broadcast to the cloud event platform, what announcements get posted to the whole event, what announcements get posted in each session, and what gets posted and pinned in the session chat, and more.

Full virtual event platforms like Hopin, which recently acquired Streamyard, offer a wide range of features like multiple stages, breakout rooms, "PA announcements," virtual exhibit halls, and more.

If a high-level hybrid event sounds like it takes a lot of people, that's because it's no different than a big, in-person event. That also takes a lot of people, and a lot of organization to make it all come together properly. Now it has the added wrinkle of combining two events, a cloud event and an in-person event, at the same time. Yes, it is complex.

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FILE PHOTO: Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines testifies before a House (Select) Intelligence Committee hearing on diversity in the intelligence community, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., October 27, 2021. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

By Patricia Zengerle, Jonathan Landay and Doina Chiacu

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Leaders of U.S. spy agencies said on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin may intensify the assault on Ukraine despite military setbacks and economic hardships resulting from international sanctions, setting up "an ugly next few weeks."

They estimated that 2,000 to 4,000 Russian troops had died and said Russia was feeling the effects of sanctions, but the situation could become much worse for Ukrainians, with food and water supplies in Kyiv possibly running out within two weeks.

"Our analysts assess that Putin is unlikely to be deterred by such setbacks and instead may escalate," Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told the annual House of Representatives Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats, where she testified with other intelligence agency directors.

Haines said Putin's announcement that he was elevating his nuclear forces' readiness was "extremely unusual" since the 1960s, but that intelligence analysts had not observed changes in Russia's nuclear posture beyond what was detected during previous international crises.

"We also have not observed force-wide nuclear posture changes that go beyond what we've seen in prior moments of heightened tensions," Haines said.

William Burns, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, echoed Haines' assessment that Russia is unlikely to back down.

"I think Putin is angry and frustrated right now. He's likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties," Burns said.

Burns said he and CIA analysts do not see how Putin can accomplish his goal of taking Kyiv and replacing President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's government with a pro-Moscow or puppet leadership.

"I fail to see how he can produce that kind of an end game and where that leads, I think, is for an ugly next few weeks in which he doubles down ... with scant regard for civilian casualties," Burns told the committee.

'DESPERATE' IN KYIV

Given reports that Russia is cutting off basic supplies to Kyiv, home to 2.8 million people, Lieutenant General Scott Berrier, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, said the situation in Ukraine's capital could worsen quickly.

"I don't have a specific number of days of supply that the population has. But with supplies being cut off, it will be somewhat desperate in, I would say, 10 days to two weeks," Berrier said.

Berrier said the United States did not have evidence that Russia had committed war crimes beyond what has appeared on social media. Berrier said that "the bombing of schools and facilities that are not associated with the Ukrainian military certainly would indicate that he is stepping up right to the line if he hasn't done so already."

Burns said China's leaders are "unsettled" by events surrounding the assault on Ukraine, despite refusing to condemn Russia or call the attack an invasion.

"They did not anticipate the significant difficulties the Russians were going to run into. I think they are unsettled by the reputational damage that can come by their close association with President Putin; second by the economic consequences at a moment when they are facing lower annual growth rates than they've experienced for more than three decades," Burns added.

"I think they're a little bit unsettled about the impact on the global economy. And third, I think they're a little bit unsettled by the way in which Vladimir Putin has driven Europeans and Americans much closer together," Burns said.

The United States has done "intensive intelligence-sharing" with Ukraine, Burns said.

Berrier said his "low confidence" assessment was that 2,000 to 4,000 Russian troops have been killed.

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its southern neighbor's military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists.

At the hearing, Democratic and Republican committee members praised the work done by the U.S. intelligence community ahead of the Russian invasion.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, Jonathan Landay and Doina Chiacu; Additional reporting by Michaek Martina and David Brunnstrom; Writing by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Will Dunham)
WALTHAM, Mass., March 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bentley University will celebrate the inauguration of E. LaBrent Chrite, PhD, an experienced educator who believes business can change lives for the better, as its ninth president during a two-day celebration that will feature prominent business and higher education leaders.

Over his career, President Chrite has helped governments, universities and foundations to develop programs and research aimed at bolstering emerging markets and entrepreneurism and reducing poverty. Throughout the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, President Chrite has been called upon as an expert in strengthening economic conditions and improving business education. Before joining Bentley, he served as president of Bethune-Cookman University, dean of the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver, and dean of the Feliciano School of Business at Montclair State University.

"Brent Chrite embodies our strong belief in the power of business to create solutions to human problems," said Paul Condrin '83, P '19, '22, chair of the Bentley University board of trustees. "He has dedicated his career to improving business education and expanding economic opportunities for people in the U.S. and around the world. President Chrite is the right leader at the right time for Bentley University."

The inclusive, two-day inauguration celebration will welcome students, alumni, faculty, staff, trustees, friends of the university and representatives of other colleges. The events will also be livestreamed for those unable to attend in person.

The celebration will kick off on April 5 with an armchair conversation hosted by President Chrite with alumnus Marcelo Claure '93, an entrepreneur and investor who created Brightstar, the world's largest global wireless distribution and services company, and served as president, CEO and executive chairman of Sprint. Claure also served as CEO of SoftBank Group International and COO of SoftBank Group, where he launched the $8 billion Latin America Fund, the largest VC fund in Latin America; and the Opportunity Fund, the largest fund of its kind with a $100 million commitment to invest in companies led by underrepresented racial minorities. During his tenure at Sprint, Claure also launched the 1Million Project, one of the largest corporate social responsibility initiatives in history providing 1 million internet-connected devices to low-income high school students across the United States who do not have internet access at home.

The conversation will focus on the current state of the business world, the trajectory business leaders expect for the decade ahead, emerging technologies and innovations that will define how businesses operate, and why the future of business is good business.

The formal installation ceremony will take place on April 6 in the Bentley Arena and will feature three prominent keynote speakers:

Michael L. Lomax, PhD, a leading advocate of college readiness who is the CEO and president of the UNCF and former president of Dillard University.

Debora Spar, PhD, the Jaime and Josefina Chua Tiampo Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and senior associate dean for Business and Global Society. She previously served as president of Barnard College and is a member of the Bentley University board of trustees.

Joe White, PhD, president emeritus and professor emeritus of the University of Illinois and dean emeritus and professor emeritus of the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, where he also served as interim president. Dr. White hired Dr. Chrite at the Ross School of Business.

About Marcelo Claure '93:

Marcelo Claure is an entrepreneur and investor. He founded Brightstar in 1997 and built it into the world's largest global wireless distribution and services company, with revenues exceeding $10 billion, making it the largest Hispanic-owned business in U.S. history. During his tenure as Sprint's CEO and executive chairman, Claure is credited for delivering the best financial results in the company's 120-year history and delivering the $195 billion merger with T-Mobile that was approved in 2020. As CEO of SoftBank Group International and COO of SoftBank Group, Claure was part of the team that launched the $100 billion Vision Fund and oversaw SoftBank's operations and strategy alongside CEO Masayoshi Son, with full operational responsibility for over $300 billion in assets. He also founded and launched the now $8 billion SoftBank Latin America Fund, the largest VC fund in Latin America, and grew it to become one of the best performing funds at SoftBank. Claure earned a bachelor's degree in Economics and Finance from Bentley in 1993 and an honorary PhD in Commercial Science in 2004. He has also served on the university's board of trustees. Read Claure's full bio.

About Michael L. Lomax, PhD:

Since 2004, Michael L. Lomax has served as president and CEO of the United Negro College Fund, the nation's largest private provider of scholarships and other educational support to African American students and a leading advocate of college readiness: students' need for an education, from pre-school through high school, that prepares them for college success. Under his leadership, UNCF has raised more than $3 billion and helped more than 110,000 students earn college degrees and launch careers. Read Dr. Lomax's full bio.

About Debora L. Spar, PhD:

Debora Spar is the Jaime and Josefina Chua Tiampo Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and senior associate dean for Business and Global Society. Her current research focuses on issues of gender and technology, and the interplay between technological change and broader social structures. Spar tackles some of these issues in her latest book, Work Mate Marry Love: How Machines Shape Our Human Destiny. Read Dr. Spar's full bio.

About B. Joseph White, PhD:

B. Joseph (Joe) White is president emeritus and professor emeritus of the University of Illinois and dean emeritus and professor emeritus of the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, where he also served as interim president. He is the author of The Nature of Leadership (2007) and Boards That Excel (2014). He has practiced and taught, as well as written, spoken and advised on leadership and management, corporate governance and human capital development. Read Dr. White's full bio.

About Bentley University

Bentley University is more than just one of the nation's top business schools. It is a lifelong-learning community that creates successful leaders who make business a force for positive change. With a combination of business and the arts and sciences and a flexible, personalized approach to education, Bentley provides students with critical thinking and practical skills that prepare them to lead successful, rewarding careers. Founded in 1917, the university enrolls 4,000 undergraduate and 1,000 graduate and PhD students and is set on 163 acres in Waltham, Massachusetts, 10 miles west of Boston. For more information, visit bentley.edu.

For more information about the inauguration ceremony, visit bentley.edu/inauguration.

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SOURCE Bentley University
WHITEHALL, Wis., March 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wisconsin-based Whitehall Specialties Inc. (WSI), a cheese industry leader founded in 1994, is now officially named Ornua Ingredients North America (OINA), completing an integration first announced in October 2021. This acquisition is central to OINA's ambitious long-term growth strategy.

WSI and OINA each have decades-long histories of providing food manufacturers, retail and foodservice customers with customized functional cheese solutions. Each is also known for nurturing long-term customer relationships, best-in-class technical expertise, innovative product lines and experienced teams that pride themselves on excellence.

More about OINA and WSI An Irish dairy co-op, Ornua may not be a familiar name to most Americans. But they are likely familiar with the parent company's flagship brand, Kerrygold, the number-two selling butter brand in the U.S.

OINA custom formulates and manufactures a complete line of functional and nutritional cheese-based ingredient solutions for leading food manufacturing and foodservice customers across the U.S., Canada, Central and South America. The company has two production facilities in Hilbert and Byron.

WSI contributes its expertise in the development, application and manufacturing of a range of customized processed, analogue and plant-based cheese products in a wide array of great tasting configurations and varieties. The company also has long-standing relationships with food manufacturing, retail, and foodservice customers.

WSI's four advanced production and warehousing facilities, two in Whitehall and one in Hillsboro, WI; the other in Slippery Rock, PA., will now operate under the Ornua name.

The global cheese industry can expect even more innovation from this acquisition Commenting on the announcement, OINA President, Rick Pedersen said, "Whitehall's expertise, product lines and strong industry relationships make it an excellent fit for OINA."

"This acquisition creates a larger global player in the cheese industry. We expect to see a strong growth trajectory as we capitalize on our shared technical expertise and innovation. With our market share and scale of operations increased, OINA has the added capacity and flexibility to support our existing and new customers' growth plans in new and ambitious ways."

What this means for Whitehall's communities OINA has an 80-year history of being an employer of choice within the dairy industry, and affirms a strong commitment to the WSI communities in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Together with WSI's 500 employees, OINA now has an 800 strong team.

"Our cooperative ethos is at the heart of how Ornua does business," Rick added. "We are focused on developing and supporting our people and recognize that investing in talent underpins our success. Our mission is to create value for our people, customers and farmer shareholders. We call it Growth for Good."

Media Note: For additional information or to schedule an interview, contact Media Relations Agency at 952-697-5220

About Ornua Ornua is a dairy co-operative which sells dairy products on behalf of its members, Ireland's dairy processors and, in turn, Irish dairy farmers. It is Ireland's largest purchaser of Irish dairy products, exporting to 110 countries worldwide. Headquartered in Dublin, it has annualized sales of over 2.5 billion and a global team of 2,900 employees. Ornua operates from 10 business units worldwide, including 16 production facilities, and has sales and marketing teams working in-market across all four corners of the globe.

The Group is structured across two divisions: Ornua Foods and Ornua Ingredients.

Ornua Ingredients is responsible for the procurement of Irish and non-Irish dairy products and for the sale of dairy ingredients to food manufacturing and foodservice customers across the world. Ornua Ingredients is also responsible for managing volatility through de-risking and trading strategies. The business is supported by production facilities in Saudi Arabia, Spain, the UK, the U.S. and by in-market teams in Africa and the Middle East.

Ornua Foods is responsible for the marketing and sales of Ornua's consumer brands including Kerrygold, Dubliner, Pilgrims Choice, Kerrygold Avantage, Forto, and BEO. Markets are served by production facilities and in-market sales and marketing teams in Africa, Asia, Germany, Ireland, the UK, the rest of Europe, the Middle East, and the US.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/leading-us-cheese-ingredient-supplier-whitehall-specialties-officially-becomes-ornua-ingredients-north-america-301497323.html

SOURCE Oruna Ingredients North America
BOSTON, March 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Whistleblower Law Collaborative LLC is pleased to announce that the United States, individual states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have settled a False Claims Act case brought by its client James Landolt against Mallinckrodt plc and its subsidiary Mallinckrodt ARD LLC for knowingly underpaying Medicaid rebates for its drug Acthar. Mallinckrodt will pay a total of $233,707,865 (plus interest) in eight installments: the United States will receive $123,642,146 and the Medicaid Participating States will receive $110,065,718. In addition, Mallinckrodt has entered into a Corporate Integrity Agreement.

Mr. Landolt served as Mallinckrodt's Director of Internal Controls, Gross to Net Accounting and Government Reporting from November 2015 until July 2017. In that position, he learned that Mallinckrodt had been misreporting the base Average Manufacturer Price ("AMP") for Acthar to the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program (MDRP), which reduced the rebates Mallinckrodt paid to the MDRP by hundreds of millions of dollars.

Acthar was first approved by the FDA in 1952. In 2001, it cost approximately $50 per 5 ml vial. Since then, Mallinckrodt has increased its price to approximately $40,000 per vial. As a drug approved prior to 1990, Acthar's base AMP should have been reported using its price in 1990. Starting in 2013, however, Mallinckrodt began reporting data to the MDRP as if Acthar had been approved in 2010 (after the enormous price hikes).

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) notified Mallinckrodt in 2016 that it had been reporting an incorrect base AMP for Acthar and directed the company to correct its data reporting. Mallinckrodt, however, continued to report an improperly high base AMP, which deprived the MDRP of approximately $650 million in rebates from 2013 until 2020.

Mr. Landolt resigned from Mallinckrodt in 2017 and filed a qui tam action in 2018 alleging that Mallinckrodt's knowing failure to pay correct rebates for Acthar violated federal and state False Claims Acts. In March 2020, the United States intervened in his lawsuit; in June 2020, twenty-eight states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico also intervened.

In October 2020, Mallinckrodt filed for bankruptcy. On March 2, 2022, the bankruptcy court issued an order confirming Mallinckrodt's reorganization plan. Because of Mallinckrodt's bankruptcy, federal and state governments were not able to recoup the full amount of the unpaid rebates. However, Mallinckrodt finally began reporting Acthar rebates properly in 2020.

Mr. Landolt will receive a 20% share of the settlement amount. In reflecting on his experience, he noted: "It is easy to feel powerless in these types of situations. But individuals have a voice and the power to do something about wrongdoing, thanks to whistleblower laws like the False Claims Act." Mr. Landolt added, "I am very grateful to my attorneys Linda Severin and Suzanne Durrell for their legal guidance and moral support throughout the process. I also deeply appreciate the hard work and commitment that government attorneys and investigators brought to this case."

Mr. Landolt's attorneys applauded their client. Attorney Severin declared that "it was an honor to pursue this case on his behalf," noting that "Mr. Landolt's moral compass would not allow him to stand by and do nothing as Mallinckrodt continued to underpay its Medicaid rebate obligations by hundreds of millions of dollars."

Attorney Severin also praised the outstanding efforts of the government: "This case was fought on multiple fronts  in Massachusetts, where our client's qui tam case was filed; in D.C., where Mallinckrodt unsuccessfully sued CMS to avoid having to report Acthar's correct base AMP; and, finally, in bankruptcy court in Delaware. The Department of Justice and state Attorneys General Offices worked enormously hard to hold Mallinckrodt accountable and secure this victory for taxpayers." Ms. Severin especially commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan Panich and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregg Shapiro of the District of Massachusetts and Department of Justice Civil Fraud Trial Attorneys Augustine Ripa and Michael Hoffman, as well as Katie Wilson of the Wisconsin Attorney General's Office and C. Ian Garland of the Florida Attorney General's Office, who coordinated the efforts of the State Attorneys General.

The United States' press releases can be viewed here (District of Massachusetts) and here (DOJ). Further information about the case is available here.

This is the second major success for the Whistleblower Law Collaborative in a Medicaid rebate fraud case. In 2017, Mylan paid $465 million for misclassifying EpiPen as a generic drug to avoid paying the higher rebates owed on brand name drugs.

The Whistleblower Law Collaborative LLC devotes its practice entirely to representing whistleblowers. For more information, contact the firm at 617.366.2800 or email Linda Severin at [email protected].

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SOURCE Whistleblower Law Collaborative LLC
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., March 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 9-10, the Surfrider Foundation, world champion surfers, ocean advocates and leaders of the coastal recreation and tourism industry will virtually meet with congressional officials and the Biden administration to demand federal action to protect the ocean and coasts for all people. Representing the largest grassroots network of coastal recreation users in the nation, attendees will meet with more than 130 congressional leaders during Surfrider's Coastal Recreation Hill Day to urge comprehensive policies to prevent plastic pollution, protect clean water and drive climate action.

"Our goal is to build bipartisan leadership to protect our nation's coastal ecosystems and the public's ability to enjoy these resources," said the Surfrider Foundation's Environmental Director Zach Plopper. "Hundreds of millions of Americans participate in ocean and coastal recreation each year, supporting millions of jobs and generating over $150 billion annually. Our nation's communities and coastal environments, which these industries depend on, are increasingly threatened year after year. Federal leadership is needed now more than ever to ensure clean water, resilient coasts and a healthy ocean to support public use and our economies for the future."

The Surfrider Foundation's Coastal Recreation Hill Day efforts will consist of 36 regional delegations representing 26 of the nation's 32 coastal states and territories. It will also include support from more than 50 industry groups, a record number of 20 student clubs and notable attendees, such as Big Wave World Champion Greg Long, Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, and Director of NOAA's Office of Marine National Sanctuaries John Armor.

Specifically, the Surfrider Foundation will urge federal support for:

The Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act (S. 984/H.R. 2238) by Senator Jeff Merkley and Representative Alan Lowenthal to reduce plastic pollution at the source

(S. 984/H.R. 2238) by Senator Jeff Merkley and Representative Alan Lowenthal to reduce plastic pollution at the source EPA funding appropriations for the BEACH Act Grants Program and for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund to provide support for beach water quality monitoring, public notification programs and wastewater treatment upgrades in coastal states and territories

Ocean Climate Solutions legislation such as the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act (H.R. 3764) by Representative Raul Grijalva to leverage the ocean's potential in the fight against climate change

For more information on Surfrider's Coastal Recreation Hill Day or to find a nearby chapter and get involved, visit Surfrider.org.

About the Surfrider Foundation

The Surfrider Foundation is a nonprofit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world's ocean, waves and beaches for all people through a powerful activist network. Founded in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu, California, the Surfrider Foundation now maintains over one million supporters, activists and members, with more than 190 volunteer-led chapters and student clubs in the U.S., and more than 700 victories protecting our coasts. Learn more at surfrider.org.

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SOURCE Surfrider Foundation
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan  The 36th Airlift Squadron celebrated women in aviation Tuesday in western Tokyo by taking Yokota High School students aloft and talking about womens achievements in the air.

Air Force women from the squadron shared their stories at the Fly Girls event on International Womens Day. About 80 students  young women and men  buckled into a C-130J Super Hercules for a flight over Tokyo and nearby Mount Fuji.

The vice commander of Yokotas 374th Airlift Wing, Col. Julie Gaulin, opened the event with a history lesson on the Woman Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs, of the World War II era. They ferried aircraft from factory to flightline, tested and delivered planes for repair, towed targets and taught male pilot cadets to fly, according to Army.mil.

These were the first women to fly for the U.S. military, paving the way for those who came after them, Gaulin said.

The Fly Girls Women in Aviation Operations event demonstrates how women serve in todays Air Force, said Master Sgt. Lucy Vieira, a Super Hercules loadmaster.

I think it's important to showcase what we do, the 41-year-old Chicago native told Stars and Stripes. When I came in, there was not a lot of women in Air Force, let alone a lot of women in flight suits. This is my second time in this squadron and there was a period of a couple of months where I was the only female operator in this building across three career fields.

A lot has changed over the past five years, Vieira said.

Im really glad to see that more women are coming in, she said.

Of nearly 329,600 active-duty Air Force members, 70,246 are women, or 21.3%, according to the Air Force Personnel Data Center. Women make up 22.8% of the officers and 21% of the enlisted ranks.

Women first entered pilot training in 1976, navigator training in 1977 and fighter pilot training in 1993, according to the personnel center. As of February, of the 12,451 pilots with the rank of lieutenant colonel or below, 960 are women, or approximately 8%.

The Air Force is a place where a persons gender doesnt affect their job or success in the military, said Capt. Madeline Atkinson, a Super Hercules instructor pilot and the squadrons chief of training.

I wanted to be a pilot since I was like 8 years old, Atkinson, 29, of San Anselmo, Calif., told Stars and Stripes at the event. I was lucky enough that there have always been men and women in the roles of pilots, commanders, and leaders. I've always seen that and just to continue to propagate that and to make sure that they see that it's both genders. It's not just men, it's not just women, it's both.

The students split up into two groups and boarded the Super Hercules. During the flight, they took turns viewing the cockpit, Atkinson said.

They get to see what the view is like and what we do, she said, smiling. And what it looks like in an airplane and why our job is awesome.

Ninth-grader Kayla Bogdan, 15, said flying over Mount Fuji was her favorite part of the event.

That was a unique experience that I will always remember, she told Stars and Stripes. Today I learned about some interesting career paths to take in aviation that I had never heard of before.

After the flight, the students ate lunch and the women of the 36th Airlift Squadron answered their questions.

Vieira described her job as an Air Force loadmaster. She oversees loading the aircraft, passenger handling, helping perform air and emergency evacuations and maintaining the cargo compartment, she said.

Events like Tuesdays show young women that the military is a possible career choice for them, Vieira said.

About five years ago I ran to a super store after work, and I was still in uniform, she said. And there was a little girl there who was probably 6 years old, and she looked at me wearing my uniform. And she looked at her mom and she said, Mommy I didn't know we could be in the military.

That really struck a nerve. At 6 years old, she already had the notion that she would be excluded based on her gender alone. So, I think it's important that she realizes she can do whatever she wants.
(Tribune News Service)  Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and one of its most important missions, the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC), will have roles to play in upholding U.S. interests in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, U.S. Rep. Mike Turner said Monday.

Turner, a Dayton Republican and the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, declined to say if NASIC is playing a part in sharing actionable intelligence with Ukrainian forces in their fight against invading Russian forces. But he did say Wright-Patterson remains integral to Air Force operations.

"It certainly has a significant contribution to our intelligence community," the congressman said. "We're working diligently to get intelligence into the hands of the Ukrainians so they can defend against the Russians, and certainly Wright-Patterson Air Force Base has a role in that."

Turner, also a member of the House Committee on Armed Services and the Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces, spoke during the Ohio Cyber Dialogue with Industry event at Sinclair Community College on Monday, an exploration of what businesses and organizations can do to protect themselves and customers in an era of cyber attacks.

While the event was closed to the press, it drew more than 130 attendees, including agents from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.

When a company's cyber presence is attacked, it should be viewed as a crime and reported to the FBI, Turner said, adding that his office can help companies do that.

"This is a community issue, and we need to approach this as a community," he said.

While there have been no reports of widespread Russian malware or ransomware attacks against the United States or Europe in recent days, Turner cautioned against complacency. Cyberattacks can be hard to accurately attribute, and Turner said some organizations may hesitate before reporting suspected attacks.

"I think everybody has been amazed that Russia's offensive cyber tools have not appeared to have been used, even in Ukraine," he said. "I think that should make everyone just a little bit more concerned and diligent to understand that there is a great risk, both from China and from Russia."

Both countries use cyber-tools to attack American businesses and infrastructure, he said, adding, "We need to make certain we're protected."

A cyberattack against a NATO member state could trigger Article 5, its collective defense clause, a NATO official warned on Feb. 28.

Jeff Hoagland, president and chief executive of the Dayton Development Coalition, which organized Monday's event, said no company of any size can be complacent.

"People should be aware, with everything that's going on in their lives, from a small business of two or three, up to a company of 2,000, it's very, very critical that they understand the risks," he said.

(c)2022 the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio)

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NAHA, Okinawa  A Japanese court sentenced two U.S. Marines to three-year suspended sentences Tuesday after they pleaded guilty to importing cannabis by mail and selling it to fellow service members.

Cpl. Deshane Fox, 26, and Lance Cpl. Alfred Johnson, 25, admitted violating Japans Cannabis Control Act and Customs Law in Naha District Court on Feb. 17. Both men attributed their decision to financial hardship.

It is unclear where the men are stationed on Okinawa. The Marine Corps did not respond to email inquiries about the case in December and again in February, and it was not mentioned at trial.

Judge Naoyuki Kimijima sentenced the pair to three years with hard labor and a $4,300 fine but suspended the sentence for four years because the crime was not highly organized, he said in court.

They both admitted to what they have done and showed remorse, Kimijima said.

Customs officials intercepted a package at the Camp Kinser post office April 21 with just over a quarter-pound of marijuana and about 4  grams of cannabis liquid inside, Japanese prosecutors said. The parcel was sent from California by unidentified individuals and had arrived at Haneda International Airport the day before.

Fox and Johnson were charged Nov. 9 with violating one count of the control act, prosecutors said. Prosecutors sought three years imprisonment and about $4,000 in fines for each man.

The pair will likely not serve jail time unless convicted again in Japan.

Fox in court admitted contacting drug dealers in the United States, importing marijuana and selling it to service members before they were caught. He said he was facing financial hardship due to a divorce and the subsequent cut in pay. Johnson said he was trying to support his mother back in the U.S. who had lost her job due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Johnson admitted to pitching in money for the marijuana and selling it to service members.

I am deeply sorry for what Ive done, Johnson said in court in February. Being desperate at that time, I thought that was the only option I had.

Two other Marines were sentenced in the same court in February for similar but unrelated offenses.

Lance Cpl. Scott Drebsky, 21, received a 2  year suspended sentence on Feb. 28 after pleading guilty to violating the control act.

Cpl. Nicholas Garner received two years in prison with hard labor and a $4,344 fine in Naha District Court on Feb. 18.
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WASHINGTON  Navy officers said they cannot deploy a Norfolk, Va.-based warship after a federal judge ruled the service commanders are prohibited from acting against the ship's captain for refusing the coronavirus vaccine despite their insistence they have lost faith in his ability to command.

The Navy commander, identified only by his rank in court papers, filed a lawsuit in the Middle District of Florida in October with several other service members seeking relief from the militarys coronavirus vaccine mandate on religious grounds.

The commander later broke off from the class-action suit, refiling in January with an unnamed Marine lieutenant colonel to challenge the militarys vaccine mandate.

Last month, District Judge Steven Merryday granted a preliminary injunction barring the Navy from requiring the commander or the lieutenant colonel to take the vaccine or issuing any punitive or retaliatory measure against [them] pending a final judgment in the case.

The Navy on Feb. 28 asked Merryday for an emergency stay on the injunction, arguing the order prevents the service from removing an officer from  commanding officer billets who the military has deemed unfit for command, according to court documents.

The order is an extraordinary intrusion upon the inner workings of the military that presents a direct and imminent threat to national security during a global military crisis, and it indefinitely sidelines a Navy warship, the service said in its appeal on the injunction.

The ship is a guided-missile destroyer. The Navy has already sent at least four similar warships from Norfolk to Europe as Russia's war on Ukraine intensifies, the service has said.

In the judges response, Merryday accused the Navys attorneys of attempting to evoke the frightening prospect of a dire national emergency resulting from allegedly reckless and unlawful overreaching by the district judge and denied their appeal.

The denial forces the Navy to keep the commander in his position and bars the Marine Corps from canceling the lieutenant colonels upcoming assignment to command a combat logistics battalion  a job that would require her to visit ally nations across the world, many of which require U.S. service members to be vaccinated, according to the court papers.

While the judge held the military is trampling on the commanders and lieutenant colonels religious rights, the Navy argued in its appeal that the threat to military readiness and national security outweighs the impact on these plaintiffs of additional military proceedings while an appeal is pending in this matter, especially in the commanders case.

Its not just the commanders lack of vaccination stopping the Navy from deploying him. Higher ranking officers have also lost confidence in [the commanders] ability to lead and will not deploy the warship with him in command because of several reports of failed leadership, according to court documents.

The courts order effectively requires the Navy to leave a subordinate commander in command of a warship despite his senior officers questions related to his fitness to discharge his duties as ordered, Vice Adm. Daniel Dwyer, the commander of 2nd Fleet, said in written testimony to the court.

Capt. Frank Brandon, commodore of Destroyer Squadron 25, said in written testimony that he lost faith in the commanders leadership after he showed up to work Nov. 9 and Nov. 10 while exhibiting coronavirus symptoms, violating a Navy order for symptomatic personnel to get tested.

The commander could barely speak and had a sore throat, yet still attended a navigational meeting with 50 to 60 other people. After the meeting, Brandon ordered the commander to take a coronavirus test, which resulted in a positive diagnosis.

If there was any question on the need to get tested, then he should have taken the test to remove any doubt and protect his crew from the spread of [the coronavirus,] Brandon said in his testimony.

Brandon then issued the commander an administrative letter of instruction intended to document deficiencies and prescribe corrective action.

Two months later, the commander reportedly lied to Brandon about a leave request, promising he would stay in the local area while off duty to spend time with family. However, Brandon later learned the commander instead took a flight to testify in his Florida court case.

I consider [the commanders] failure to notify me that he was traveling out of area to be an egregious breach of trust, Brandon wrote in his testimony. I believe that [he] intentionally misled me. This is cause alone for removal.

The commander also failed to fill out a risk assessment of his travel before his leave, which the Navy requires prior to any travel and in most cases requires unvaccinated sailors to quarantine upon their return, according to the testimony.

If I cannot trust the commanding officer of a guided-missile destroyer to honestly apprise me of his whereabouts, I cannot trust him with command of the ship or [its] crew, Brandon said.

Further, allowing the commander to continue to lead the ship would place him in charge of enforcing policies from which he is immunized, Brandon said, leading the commodore to question whether the commander would enforce Navy orders to require his roughly 320-person crew to get vaccinated.

In my professional judgment, I cannot leave him in command of a Navy warship, regardless of his vaccination status or religious exemption request, Brandon said. [The commander] put his crew at risk due to his personal actions and failed to comply with the Navy's [coronavirus] policies.

Though the judge denied the services request to issue an immediate pause in the temporary injunction, he will hold a hearing Thursday to further review the Navys appeal.

This peculiarly subjective determination of lost confidence, arriving suddenly after 17 stellar years of service by [the commander] and after, to say the least, tense exchanges with his superior officer about vaccination and about his religious exemption claim does not warrant immediate deference but, rather, demands a closer examination, Merryday said in his response.
Thirty years ago this month as western capitals toasted Francis Fukuyamas end of history, eternal peace and the apparent triumph of liberalism, the Times of London published the first eyewitness account of a tragedy at Khojaly, Azerbaijan  where advancing Armenian forces had accelerated their war in the weeks immediately after the Soviet Unions fall. Bodies mark site of Karabakh Massacre said the Times, reporting mainly civilian dead, mostly women and children  including a small girl of which only her face was left. Reuters, on the scene shortly after, relayed how child victims had their heads cut off, and many had been burned.

What happened that day to over 600 civilian victims, the further 2,000 more wounded or taken hostage and the 150 who today still remain missing is little known internationally. So too is the immediate aftermath of Khojaly, which saw close to a million refugees and internally displaced persons forced to flee their homes, and a further 5,000 Azerbaijani civilian deaths across the Karabakh region.

Indeed, neglected is any international acknowledgment that Khojaly was part of a more expansive, and organized, plan to cleanse the Karabakh of ethnic Azerbaijanis. Yet former Armenian military and political leaders have themselves publicly confirmed it was precisely so. According to Serzh Sargsyan, then-Armenian minister of defense and later president: Before Khojaly, the Azerbaijanis thought that they were joking with us, they thought the Armenians were people who could not raise their hand against the civilian population. We needed to put a stop to all that.

Armenians and Azerbaijanis are ethnically incompatible, said Robert Kocharian, another former president, in a highly criticized speech to the Council of Europe only months after the end of the 1990s conflict.

That this is overlooked is wrong. Today, the 1994 genocide of Rwandan Tutsi and the 1995 Srebrenica massacre are universally acknowledged, their instigators, directors and designers tried in international courts. For thousands more  victims and perpetrators  there has been organized reconciliation, a form of justice. This has led to admission for some; for others, acceptance; for a few, forgiveness even.

For Khojalys victims of 1992 there are no trials of the army commanders who executed them, or the politicians who gave the orders. For survivors there is neither truth nor justice. There is nothing.

Few make the connection between the human horrors of the Soviet collapse and the events in Rwanda and Bosnia in the same decade. For those of us who felt the implosions of those years, the thread that links them all is easier to see. It does not excuse it, but at the time of Khojaly (and for some years later until they were awakened by Rwanda and then Bosnia) the West had little interest in disturbing their narrative that the only side effect from communisms collapse was a surfeit of freedom.

We should revisit what occurred during those months after the Soviet disintegration, including at Khojaly  not least as a reminder that when nothing is done, and no one is held accountable, then the repeating of history is rarely avoided. Indeed, sure enough it was with the purposeful, intentional targeting of civilians in the 44-day Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict of 2020 when Azerbaijani cities and civilians hundreds of miles from the military front line were struck by Armenias SCUD and Iskander ballistic missiles.

This should be no surprise when the perpetrators of crimes committed in Khojaly and elsewhere on Azerbaijani territory during the war of the 1990s today enjoy impunity, and in some circles are even glorified. Compare this to the Balkans where no one now considers that acceptable, the trials of perpetrators from that wider conflict continue in the Hague to this day.

Fortunately, there is hope for change. Defeat in the conflict of 2020 has brought a new realism to Armenia and fresh determination to Azerbaijan to find a way to future peaceful coexistence. The Azerbaijani president and Armenian prime minister met one-to-one, last December. Azerbaijan has suggested starting negotiations for a peace treaty and normalization of relations, though at their earliest stage, have agreed to the building of a railway and other means of connectivity. Two Azerbaijani parliamentarians recently visited Armenia for the very first time.

These advances are promising. But they cannot overlook the fact that in the aftermath of the catalogue of horrors of the 20th century, the Khojaly massacre reminds us that ending impunity and seeking justice have been unmistakable components of reconciliation and lasting peace. History is not fully written when both those who caused it, and survivors who feel it, are still alive. Justice must be sought. Our two countries must find a way.

Hikmet Hajiyev is an adviser on foreign affairs to the president of Azerbaijan.
(Tribune News Service)  Virgin Islands National Guard Lt. Col. David McCoy Ginn was arrested Sunday and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, according to V.I. Police.

Ginn was arrested at around 6:30 p.m. and charged with driving under the influence of an intoxicating liquor and negligent driving. He posted his V.I. driver's license in lieu of $1,000 bail and appeared in V.I. Superior Court for his advice-of-rights hearing Monday.

The incident occurred on Melvin H. Evans Highway in the area of Carino's Water when a police officer noticed a blue Jeep Wrangler driving erratically and conducted a traffic stop.

The officer said the driver, later identified as Ginn, was "swaying and holding on to his vehicle for support," and smelled of alcohol, according to the probable cause fact sheet filed by police.

The officer asked for Ginn's driver's license, and he provided her with his military identification. Ginn said he had just left Leatherback Brewing and had asked a friend to drive him home, but the friend wasn't ready to leave, according to the fact sheet.

Ginn told the officer he had two beers, adding that, "If you do this to me, you are going to end my career. We all make mistakes," and "admitted to me that he was wrong for driving while intoxicated," according to the fact sheet.

The officer said she saw two empty plastic cups in the center console of the vehicle.

Ginn kept moving his head while the officer was trying to perform a horizontal gaze nystagmus test, in which he was instructed to follow her pen with his eyes only, and refused to perform other field sobriety tests, according to the fact sheet.

While waiting for another police unit to arrive, "Mr. Ginn started to talk in an aggressive manner stating, 'Call the governor. Call Poleon. Call Officer Griffin. I have a top security clearance. I want the chief of police here immediately," and told her to "Call my commanding officer," Adjutant Gen. Kodjo Knox-Limbacker, according to the fact sheet.

Ginn refused to sign the document advising him of his rights, and refused to submit to a chemical blood alcohol content test. Police said he was released to the custody of Major Jerry Smith and advised to appear in court via video conference Monday.

In court, defense attorney Pamela Colon said police did not have probable cause to stop Ginn, and "all of the driving activities could be accounted for in potholes and nothing further."

Assistant V.I. Attorney General Amie Simpson said the officer stopped Ginn after watching him swerve between lanes, and stop and turn the vehicle suddenly. When she stopped him, the officer said he was swaying and smelled of alcohol.

Magistrate Judge Ernest Morris Jr. agreed that the officer presented "cumulative reasons for the initial traffic stop, and then according to the officer she detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage."

Ginn is lieutenant colonel of the 23rd Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team in the V.I. National Guard, Colon said, adding "for example, they responded to some of the Limetree incidents where there is public danger for any sort of chemical or release, fire, etc."

Morris said the statute does not call for Ginn to surrender his driver's license, and ordered him to post $1,000 cash bail. Arraignment is scheduled for March 23.

scarlson@dailynews.vi

(c)2022 The Virgin Islands Daily News (St. Thomas, VIR)

Visit The Virgin Islands Daily News (St. Thomas, VIR) at www.virginislandsdailynews.com

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CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea  North Korea appears to have launched a construction project at the site of a nuclear testing facility dismantled during inter-Korean negotiations in 2018, according to commercial satellite imagery seen by U.S.-based analysts.

Two analysts from the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies saw very early signs of activity at the Punggye-ri site, including construction of a new building, repair of another building, and what is possibly some lumber and sawdust, according to the report published Monday.

The construction and repair work indicate that North Korea has made some decision about the status of the test site, Jeffrey Lewis, director of the center's East Asia Nonproliferation Program, and Dave Schmerler, a senior research associate, wrote in the report. One possibility is that North Korea plans to bring the test site back to a state of readiness to resume nuclear explosive testing.

Punggye-ri is in the mountains of northeast North Korea, where Pyongyang has conducted six known nuclear tests since 2006. The communist regime conducted its last and largest nuclear test on Sept. 3, 2017, in what it claimed was a successful hydrogen bomb test. It triggered a 6.3-magnitude earthquake as measured by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Punggye-ri was supposedly dismantled by North Korea following the inter-Korean summits in 2018. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met for the first time at the border of the two countries on April 27, 2018, rekindling hopes of warmer ties and lowered tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

In the following month, North Koreas state-run news agency claimed the country invited international journalists to observe as it blew up the Punggye-ri site. Although journalists documented the explosion, experts were not invited to observe and assess whether the site was permanently disabled.

North Korea in January indicated it would resume its tests of long-range ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons. On Jan. 19, the state-run Korean Central News Agency called for immediately bolstering more powerful physical means to address hostile moves from the United States.

The KCNA article mentioned the possibility of restarting suspended activities, a reference many experts believe alluded to North Koreas five-year moratorium on nuclear weapons testing.

In the same article, North Koreas Political Bureau of the Party Central Committee unanimously recognized that we should make more thorough preparation for a long-term confrontation with the U.S. imperialists.

The researchers note that the test site is many months, if not years from being able to conduct nuclear tests and that North Korea may still conduct its testing at another location.

North Korea is banned by the U.N. Security Council from conducting nuclear and ballistic missile tests. The communist regime has conducted nine missile tests so far this year, including an intermediate-range missile capable of reaching the U.S. territory of Guam.

The U.S. slapped additional sanctions against the regime as recently as January. The Treasury Department imposed sanctions against six North Koreans, a Russian and a Russian company for aiding Pyongyangs weapons program.
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea  The South Korean navy fired a warning shot at a North Korean patrol boat chasing a vessel carrying seven unarmed North Koreans at the maritime border between the two countries on Tuesday, a South Korean military official said.

The North Korean patrol boat crossed the Northern Limit Line at around 9:30 a.m., a South Korean military official told Stars and Stripes by phone Tuesday. It was sailing near Baekryeong Island on the western coast and violated the disputed maritime boundary, forcing a high-speed South Korean navy vessel to fire a warning shot.

Its customary in South Korea for some government officials to speak to reporters on condition of anonymity.

The North Korean patrol boat appeared to be chasing a steel vessel that crossed the maritime border 15 minutes earlier, South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday, according to the Yonhap news agency.

The North Korean boat retreated after the warning shot.

The steel vessel was seized by the South Korean navy. In it, they found seven unarmed North Korean sailors, some wearing military uniforms, according to Yonhap. The North Koreans reportedly said they did not plan on defecting and had unintentionally crossed into South Korean territory.

It was unclear if the seized boat was of military use and an investigation is underway, the South Korean military official said.

The Northern Limit Line is a de facto maritime border between North and South Korea. Its origins following the 1950-53 Korean War are in dispute, according to the Wilson Center think-tank; however, North Korea refuses to recognize the boundary.

Stars and Stripes reporter Yoo Kyong Chang contributed to this report.
A former American astronaut and the head of Russias space agency have been fighting a bilingual battle in cyberspace over the war in Ukraine.

Former NASA astronaut and Navy Capt. Scott Kelly started slugging it out last week on Twitter with Dmitry Rogozin, head of Roscosmos, the state corporation in charge of Russias space program.

Rogozin, a former Russian deputy prime minister and ambassador to NATO, on March 3 tweeted a video of workers covering up the flags of the U.S., Japan and other nations on a Soyuz rocket at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

"The launchers at Baikonur decided that without the flags of some countries, our rocket would look more beautiful," Rogozin tweeted in Russian.

In response on Sunday, Kelly tweeted, also in Russian: "Without those flags and the foreign exchange they bring in, your space program won't be worth a damn. Maybe you can find a job at McDonald's if McDonald's still exists in Russia."

That set off a volley of tweets between the pair, with Kelly calling Rogozin a child and the Russian describing the former astronaut as defiant and destructive." Rogozin eventually blocked the ex-astronaut on the platform.

On Monday, Kelly shared a screenshot of a deleted tweet in which Rogozin wrote in English: Get off, you moron! Otherwise the death of the [International Space Station] will be on your conscience.

In the post-Cold War era, the U.S. and Russia cooperated to build and operate the space station. For several years, after NASA retired its space shuttles, Russian rockets alone carried American astronauts to space.

However, sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine have raised questions about future cooperation.

Roscosmos had already suspended launches of its Soyuz rockets from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, The Independent newspaper reported Feb. 26.

Rogozin, on Monday, tweeted at Kelly in English:

"Perhaps the dementia and aggression that you have developed is a consequence of the overload and stress of four flights into space, he wrote. I invite you to undergo an examination at the Brain Institute of our Federal Medical and Biological Agency.

Kelly, a former shuttle pilot whose brother, Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, is also a former astronaut, has commanded the space station several times and speaks fluent Russian. He spent 340 days aboard the space station, from March 2015 to March 2016, on his last mission.
STUTTGART, Germany  NATOs top official on Tuesday acknowledged indications that the Russian military is committing war crimes in Ukraine by targeting civilians, which is contributing to Europes worst refugee crisis since World War II.

There are very credible reports of civilians coming under fire as they try to evacuate. Targeting civilians is a war crime, and it is totally unacceptable, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said during a stop in Riga, Latvia for high-level talks.

In recent days, news organizations and social media posts have shared images of residential areas cratered by missiles and civilian deaths in the streets of several of Ukraines cities.

Stoltenberg called on Russia to allow for humanitarian corridors to allow safe passage of civilians. Russia proposed some civilian evacuation routes Tuesday, according to Russian state media, but Ukrainian officials rejected several of them for leading to Russia or its ally, Belarus.

So far, more than 2 million people have fled Ukraine for border countries such as Poland, Slovakia and Romania since Russia launched its full-scale invasion nearly two weeks ago.

Stoltenbergs comments, made ahead of talks Tuesday with the prime ministers of Latvia, Canada and Spain at a NATO battlegroup base in Latvia, came as the alliance continues to assess ways to further reinforce its territory in Russias periphery.

Since Russias new invasion into Ukraine, the U.S. and other allies have increased the numbers of forces up and down NATOs eastern flank, including in Latvia. Late last month, 300 soldiers with the Vicenza, Italy-based 173rd Airborne Brigade were dispatched to the Baltic state to enhance defenses.

Thousands of other U.S. troops also have taken up positions in Poland, Romania and Germany.

Still, allies in the Baltics have been vocal about wanting more NATO presence.

On Monday, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda made the point directly to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a meeting in Vilnius.

Antony, I must say deterrence is no longer enough, and we need more defense here, because otherwise it will be too late, Nauseda said. Putin will not stop in Ukraine; he will not stop.

What such a shift  from deterrence to defense  would entail isnt yet clear, but last week Stoltenberg said NATO is considering a significant troop increase in the region.

Meanwhile, Stoltenberg on Tuesday said allies remain committed to defending every inch of alliance territory.

The suffering we now see in Ukraine is horrific, he said.
WASHINGTON  Russian forces have started a new line of advance on the Ukraine capital of Kyiv despite losing approximately 5% of its combat forces deployed for the invasion, a senior defense official said Tuesday.

As a 40-mile Russian military convoy to Kyiv remains stalled about 15 miles from the citys center, other Russian forces are now advancing toward the Ukraine capital from the northeast, the official said on condition of anonymity.

This is a line of advance that we havent seen much of recently, the official said. Theres been a Russian advance from the northeast, kind of skirting Chernihiv and skirting Kharkiv, and kind of moving on Kyiv from that direction.

Those troops remained about 37 miles from Kyivs center as of Tuesday morning, but they have stepped up the bombardment of the city through a mixture of missile and rocket and artillery fire, the official said.

Weve seen nothing that would tell us that they are not still interested in encircling and enforcing the surrender of Kyiv. We still assess that that is a main objective of [Russias].

The new advance comes as Russia has nearly all its forces amassed for the Ukrainian invasion now in the country, the official said. Russian President Vladimir Putin spent months this winter stacking more than 170,000 troops and combat capabilities along Ukraines borders with Russia and Belarus before launching the war.

Putin has lost about 5% of those forces in the conflict so far, the official said, without indicating how much of that percentage included troops.

If you count [Putins] estimated losses just in terms of aircraft and vehicles that are either inoperable or not moving or not available to him, he still has a lot of combat power available, the official said.

The U.S. has declined to estimate how many Russian troops have died in the conflict, and the official could not confirm recent media reports that an estimated 3,000 Russian troops had been killed.

On Monday, Ukrainian Defense Ministrys main intelligence directorate reported Ukraine troops had killed and wounded a number of senior Russian army officers, but the U.S. defense official could not confirm the claim Tuesday.

Among those reportedly killed was Russian Maj. Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov, chief of staff and first deputy commander of the 41st Army of the Central Military District of Russia. The major general had received a Russian medal for the return of the Crimea for his efforts in Russias 2014 Ukraine invasion that resulted in the Crimean Peninsulas annexation, according to the Ukraine intelligence directorate.

Russian troops also continue to advance on and isolate Chernihiv and Kharkiv also in the north as Ukrainian forces continue to battle to keep control of those cities, the official said.

Russia has had better success in southern Ukraine, where it has taken control of the coastal cities of Kherson in the southwest and Berdyansk in the southeast, chief Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Monday. They also continue to control a nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia in south-central Ukraine after firing on and capturing the facility Thursday night.

Russian forces are about 25 miles northeast of Mykolaiv, also in south-central Ukraine, but the Russian shelling and violence on the city is obviously picking up again, the defense official said Tuesday.

The Russians could want Mykolaiv to better facilitate a land attack to compliment an amphibious assault on the southwest Ukraine port city of Odessa, the official said, but the U.S. has not yet seen evidence of an imminent assault on the city of 1 million people.

As of Tuesday, Russia had launched nearly 670 missiles at Ukraine, the official said. Most of those missiles were launched from Russian and Ukrainian territory, but more than 70 were launched from Belarus and about six from Russian vessels in the Black Sea.

Though NATO has denied Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyys repeated pleas for the alliance to enforce a no-fly zone over the country to thwart air assaults, the airspace over Ukraine remains contested, the official said.

Much of the airspace of Ukraine  north and south  is under some umbrella of a Russian surface-to-air missile capability  [yet] the Russians have not achieved air superiority over the entire country, the official said. The Ukrainians still have at their disposal viable and effective air and missile defense and they are still able to and are flying aircraft in that very contested airspace.

While the U.S. will not enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine because it would draw American troops into combat with Russia, President Joe Bidens administration this week has discussed contributing to international efforts to supply Ukraine with fighter jets.

The U.S. would not send its own aircraft to Ukraine, but Biden was very, very actively considering a proposal that would have Poland supply Kyiv with Soviet-made jets from its stockpile, which America in return would restock with F-16s to make up for the loss, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday.

On Tuesday, Polands Foreign Affairs Ministry announced it would donate all its MIG-29 fighter jets to Ramstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the government of the United States and urged other NATO allies  owners of MIG-29 jets  to act in the same vein.

In return, Poland requested the U.S. provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities.

U.S. European Command helps facilitate international efforts to donate weapons to Ukraine using an established coordination network of allies.

Poland is ready to immediately establish the conditions of purchase of the planes, the defense ministry said.

However, the Pentagon said Polands offer was not tenable because of logistical and other concerns.

The prospect of fighter jets at the disposal of the government of the United States of America departing from a U.S./NATO base in Germany to fly into airspace that is contested with Russia over Ukraine raises serious concerns for the entire NATO alliance, Kirby said Tuesday. It is simply not clear to us that there is a substantive rationale for it.

He said the Defense Department was now in touch with the Polish government following its statement and emphasized the decision about whether to transfer Polish-owned planes to Ukraine is one for the Polish government.

We will continue consulting with our allies and partners about our ongoing security assistance to Ukraine, because, in fact, Polands proposal shows just some of the complexities this issue presents, Kirby said.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Monday said those challenges include how to deliver the jets to Ukraine because NATO forces cannot fly them into Ukrainian airspace and how the U.S. would backfill the Polish jet supply, because returning new planes and transferring serious weapon systems often takes years to do from the United States.

Were looking at all of those factors, but we are not certainly preventing or blocking or discouraging Poland, Psaki said Monday. They are a sovereign country  they make their own decisions, but it is not as easy as just moving planes around.

Biden has repeatedly said he will not send U.S. troops into Ukraine to fight the Russians. Still, the U.S. so far has more than 90,000 U.S. troops in Europe, the majority of who were already stationed on the Continent or there on a rotational basis.

The most recent deployment announced Monday will send an additional 500 troops and equipment to NATOs eastern flank. Kirby said 150 of them and an undisclosed number of KC-135 refueling aircraft would deploy from Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane, Wash., to Greece. However, they will instead deploy to Germany, the defense official said Tuesday.

Theres now been a subsequent decision by [EUCOM commander] Gen. [Tod] Wolters that he wants to move them to Spangdahlem, Germany, so thats where theyre going to go, the official said. The decision about where these enablers go is up to Gen. Wolters.

The rest of the 500 will continue with their deployment plans announced Monday, including 40 personnel from Fort Stewart, Ga., to staff air support operations centers in Poland and Romania, and 300 troops from Fort Stewart and Fort Bragg, N.C., to form ordnance and maintenance companies in Germany.
(Tribune News Service)  As persistently as Ukrainians demand a no-fly zone to protect them from Russia, the U.S. and NATO just as steadily insist it cant be done.

The calls for a no-fly zone frame it as existential: protecting millions of desperate Ukrainian civilians trapped in besieged villages from the might of Russias air force and its arsenal of cluster bombs. The pleas became more urgent when Russian forces attacked and captured Europes largest nuclear power plant, located in southern Ukraine and one of several scattered around the country.

Yet leaders including President Biden and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg have repeatedly turned aside the pleas from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, populations throughout Europe and even some U.S. lawmakers.

All the people who die from this day forward will also die because of you, because of your weakness, Zelensky said bitterly last week, addressing leaders who again opposed military restrictions of Ukrainian airspace. The alliance has given the green light to the bombing of Ukrainian cities and villages by refusing to create a no-fly zone.

Why are so many Western officials so adamant?

A no-fly zone, many Western officials say, say, would draw the U.S. and its NATO allies into direct combat with Russia, as fighter pilots from the two sides in theory would try to shoot each other down  an escalation that many liken to a world war, one involving two major nuclear powers.

The only way to implement a no-fly zone is to send NATO fighter planes into Ukrainian airspace, and then impose that no-fly zone by shooting down Russian planes, Stoltenberg said. We understand the desperation, but we also believe that if we did that, we would end up with something that could end in a full-fledged war in Europe.

In one scenario that some analysts have raised, a U.S. or NATO fighter jet would find itself in the position of firing on a Russian transport aircraft dropping paratroopers onto the battlefield. The Russian death toll in such a case would not be limited to the relatively few members of a crew but could include possibly dozens of soldiers.

Not just fighter jets

Its even more complicated than that. To enforce a no-fly zone, air combat missions would have to be supported by ground-based operations that provide intelligence, targeting guidance and other information. These could be set up in Poland or other NATO countries in the vicinity, or possibly from aircraft carriers offshore, but it represents another level of involvement.

And the U.S. and its NATO allies would also have to be prepared to go in over land to rescue downed pilots and perhaps take out anti-aircraft weapons within Russian or Belarusian territory.

At least initially, it would be a one-sided fight because U.S. and NATO airpower has a marked advantage, said Alexander Downes, co-director of the Institute for Security and Conflict Studies at George Washington University. But the risk is escalation. Its a slippery slope from there to a shooting war.

What about a limited no-fly zone over, say, a humanitarian corridor for fleeing Ukrainians? No, was the one-word answer from a senior U.S. Defense official on Monday.

Later, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby described the state of play in the skies over Ukraine. Russia has yet to establish air superiority over the entire country, he said.

It is dynamic, Kirby said. It changes day to day. But Ukrainian aircraft are flying. Russian aircraft are flying. Missiles from both are also in the airspace.

Russian forces are increasingly using long-range fires with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and even artillery launched from the air, the ground and ships and submarines in the sea, Kirby said. They claim a mounting number of civilian lives.

Warning from Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has already warned against aggressive U.S. or NATO actions; even economic sanctions, he says, are tantamount to a declaration of war.

And late last month he told Russias military to place nuclear forces on high combat alert. The U.S. has not changed its alert level, with the Biden administration accusing Putin of manufacturing threats.

Still, momentum for a partial protection of the airways is growing. A group of foreign policy experts, including many former U.S. government officials, stated in an open letter released Tuesday that a limited no-fly zone executed by the U.S. and NATO allies over humanitarian corridors delivering aid and allowing people to escape was not only possible but imperative.

 NATO leaders should convey to Russian officials that they do not seek direct confrontation with Russian forces, but they must also make clear that they will not countenance Russian attacks on civilian areas, the letter states.

The 27 signatories include former ambassador to NATO and Ukraine special envoy Kurt Volker and two-time U.S. ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor.

In theory, Russia has agreed to allow such protection for humanitarian corridors, but trust in Moscows promises and intentions is at a low point.

Is there a history of successful no-fly zones?

Some military historians point to the controlled skies over Iraq in the 1990s in connection with the first Gulf War.

But the architecture was substantially different from Ukraines situation. In the 1990s version, the zone was set up not between two warring superpowers fighting each other but among numerous countries working more or less in concert to contain a common enemy, Iraq, and prevent it from flying its aircraft.

Similar zones were established during the civil war in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1993-95, and during the Libyan civil war in 2011  with varying degrees of success and complications.

Opinions from Congress

A rare congressional voice in favor of a no-fly zone surfaced over the weekend. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican from Illinois and a former Air Force combat pilot, said it was urgent to stop Putin now before his takeover of Ukraine is irreversibly entrenched.

Theres risk, he said on CNN. We obviously look at that with eyes wide open. But I think theres risk in inaction.

His fellow Republican, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, sided with the naysayers.

A no-fly zone has become a catchphrase, he told ABC. Im not sure a lot of people fully understand what that means. Its not some rule you pass that everybody has to oblige by. Its the willingness to shoot down the aircrafts of the Russian Federation, which is basically the beginning of World War III.

A tricky line

For now, the U.S. strategy is to send large amounts of weaponry into Ukraine  a $350-million tranche is being delivered now  that will aid Ukrainians in defending themselves.

Most of the damage being done is by artillery and rocket fire, not by the Russian Air Force. So an NFZ, which I originally supported, will not solve the problem, yet it brings all the risks of escalation, retired U.S. Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, former commanding general of the U.S. Army in Europe, told The Times.

We want to get the UAF [ Ukrainian Air Force] the capability to knock down drones and helicopters, he said. We should be looking for longer-term solutions.

He suggested Stingers, Avengers and Patriot surface-to-air missile systems as ideal weapons.

Even as the U.S. increases the amount of weaponry it sends to Ukraine, it must do so without appearing to be directly involved in the war. How Putin assesses that participation is another question, said Downes, of the Institute for Security and Conflict Studies.

Its a very tricky line to walk, he said.

2022 Los Angeles Times.

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LONDON  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the British Parliament on Tuesday via video, receiving a standing ovation. He recounted events from each of the last 13 days since Russia invaded and repeated calls for tougher sanctioning of Russia and for a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

We will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost, Zelenskyy said. We will fight in the forests, on the shores, in the streets.

The refrain echoed a line from a stirring speech by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill during World War II.

The question for us now is to be or not to be, Zelenskyy said, evoking Shakespeare. I can give you a definitive answer: Its definitely to be.

After Zelenskyys speech, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reiterated that British humanitarian aid, military support and sanctions against Russia would continue until Ukraine is free. He did not address Zelenskyys repeated calls for a NATO-administered no-fly zone, which Western countries have rejected as a step that could escalate into a larger confrontation with Russia.

In previous speeches to Western leaders, Zelenskyy has struck a similarly emotional and defiant tone. When he spoke to members of the U.S. Congress last week over Zoom, he told the politicians that it might be the last time they saw him alive.

Its been 13 days weve been hearing promises, 13 days weve been told well be helped in the air, that there will be planes, that they will be delivered to us, Zelenskyy said Tuesday in a video posted on Telegram. He suggested that those who have not secured the Ukrainian skies from the Russian assassins bear some responsibility for the resulting carnage.

When a Ukrainian activist pleaded with Johnson on March 1 to support a no-fly zone, the British leader said: Unfortunately the implication of that is that the U.K. would be engaged in shooting down Russian planes, engaged in direct combat with Russia. Thats not something we can do.

As of Tuesday, the United Nations said that some 2 million civilians had fled Ukraine and that 474 have been confirmed killed and 861 injured, although it said the actual casualty toll is undoubtedly much higher.

The video of Zelenskyy, wearing an olive-green military T-shirt, was projected onto big screens set up in Parliament for British lawmakers, who wore headsets to hear an interpreter.

Lindsay Hoyle, speaker of the House of Commons, said before the speech that it would be historic and that every parliamentarian wants to hear directly from the president, who will be speaking to us live from Ukraine, so this is an important opportunity for the House.

Zelenskyy addressed U.S. lawmakers on Saturday and made a direct appeal for additional military aid, including by helping him secure more Soviet-era fighter jets to counter Russian air raids.

During the call over Zoom attended by more than 280 members of the Senate and House, Zelenskyy described the urgent need for more military support and humanitarian aid, as well as for a worldwide ban on the purchase of Russian oil, according to statements and people on the call who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the meeting was private.

In a speech this month to the European Parliament, Zelenskyy described how Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, was being pummeled. The English-language interpreter for the president briefly choked up during the remarks.

Last week, Zelenskyy thanked Britains Prince William and his wife, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, for courageously opposing Russias invasion after the couple made a rare foray into politics by tweeting that they stand with the President and all of Ukraines people as they bravely fight.

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Tuesday that Russias invasion of Ukraine is not going as planned and that Russias military is taking heavy casualties.

Its not going particularly well for the Russians, Wallace told Britains Sky News. Its day 13, way off their timetable.

Probably the biggest single casualty so far are Russian military soldiers, he added, who have been let down by appalling leadership and appalling plans.

Wallace also said a 40-mile convoy of Russian military vehicles headed from the north on a route toward Kyiv is still stuck outside Ukraines capital. American officials attribute the apparent stall in part to logistical failures on the Russian side. They have also credited Ukrainian efforts to attack parts of the convoy with contributing to its slowdown. But they warn that the Russians could regroup at any moment and press forward.

We can see that the Russians are having real logistic problems, so that affects morale; theyre not getting through, theyre getting more desperate, Wallace added. Russia has built itself a trap.

Wallace also said that Britain is increasing our support of both lethal and nonlethal aid to Ukraine, and that it would offer military support to neighboring Poland, a fellow NATO member, if London decided to provide Ukraine with fighter jets.

I would support the Poles and whatever choice they make, Wallace said, but he noted that Britain could not offer aircraft that the Ukrainians would be able to use. Poland will understand that the choices they make will not only directly help Ukraine, which is a good thing, but also may bring them into direct line of fire from countries such as Russia or Belarus.

Wallace said he expected Zelenskyys speech Tuesday to be incredibly powerful and called Ukraines president an amazing guy.

Johnsons government has faced criticism for approving only 300 visas for Ukrainian refugees, as other European leaders agree to temporarily waive restrictions to allow easier entry.
(Tribune Content Agency)  Colorado Springs defense contractor Vectrus announced Monday it will merge with a rival to create a military-focused giant that will be based in northern Virginia.

The transaction with Madison, Miss.-based The Vertex Co. will form a defense contractor that will be among the nation's 20 largest, with annual revenue totaling $3.4 billion, the companies said in a news release. Though the combined company will be headquartered at Vectrus' McLean, Va., office, the Colorado Springs and Madison workforces should not be significantly impacted, Vectrus CEO Chuck Prow said.

"Our intent is not to have a wholesale shift of people," he said. "People at Vectrus and Vertex will remain where they are. We will take advantage of technology to work in a hybrid way. Our relationships with the communities and charities that we support are highly valued. We are a big supporter of charities that benefit veterans, and both companies employ many veterans."

Under the deal, Vertex shareholders will own nearly two-thirds of the combined company, which has yet to be named, while Vectrus shareholders will own the remaining one third. The merger is expected to be completed in the third quarter.

The combined company expects to save about $20 million a year by eliminating duplication in information technology, computer networks and "some consolidation of people."

Vectrus' Colorado Springs office, with about 200 employees working in sales, finance and human resources, will remain, Prow said.

Vertex, meanwhile, operates an office near the Colorado Springs Airport that supports a contract the company has to manage a radar station in Alaska that feeds data to the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

Vectrus management and directors will control the combined company  Prow will become CEO, Vectrus Chief Financial Officer Susan Lynch will hold the same post in the combined company and Vectrus board members will hold six of the 11 seats on the combined board, including the chairman's post. Vertex CEO Ed Boyington will serve on the board and remain with the combined company until retiring after an unspecified transition period.

The combined company will have more than 14,000 employees in more than 300 locations worldwide, with a contract backlog of more than $11 billion extending through 2027. Vectrus, which specializes in logistics, information technology maintenance and operating military bases, is slightly larger than Vertex, generating about $190 million more in revenue and employing 2,400 more people, mostly at military bases around the world. Vertex specializes in aircraft maintenance, systems engineering and training.

"Vertex and Vectrus share mission-oriented foundations and cultural alignment," Boyington said in the release. "By joining forces with Vectrus, we will be better positioned to help the Department of Defense and government agencies achieve their objectives, and in the process, create a stronger organization with greater career development and advancement opportunities for our employees."

The deal, which still must be approved by Vectrus shareholders and regulators, also gives the combined company $1.1 billion in tax writeoffs from previous transactions that can be used during the next 15 years. Vectrus shares fell 10.4% Monday on the New York Stock Exchange in a bad day overall for the stock market to $41.49; it's the company's lowest price in more than three months.

Prow said Vectrus has been aware of Vertex since it was created in 2018 and that the companies have "complementary" operations with little overlap. He declined to say when the companies began talking about merging, but said during a conference call with stock analysts that "it became clear over the past couple of months that there is enormous value for shareholders and a platform for future growth."

Vectrus, the largest company based in Colorado Springs with publicly traded stock, was spun off in 2014 as a separate company from Exelis, which had been spun off three years earlier by ITT. Exelis was later acquired by Harris, now called L3Harris Technologies. Vectrus has grown by making several acquisitions, including two in late 2020, and winning two major logistics contracts in 2019 valued at $1.38 billion.

Vectrus also announced Monday it boosted profits last year 23.6% from 2020 to $45.7 million, or $3.86 a share; revenues were up 27.8%, or nearly $400 million, to $1.78 billion. Fourth-quarter profits were down 55.4% from a year earlier to $7.49 million, or 63 cents a share, despite an 18% increase in revenue to $419.4 million; that decline was mostly because 2020 profits benefited from tax deferrals included in pandemic-related legislation.

Vertex had been known as Vertex Aerospace until shortening its name Friday in the wake of acquiring the technology and training operations of Raytheon Intelligence & Space in December for $900 million. Those operations generate $1 billion a year in revenue. The privately held company was formed in 2018, when New York private equity investment firm American Industrial Partners acquired the aerospace services operations of L3 Technologies in 2018 for $550 million.

(c)2022 The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)

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It was not clear what would come from the meetings, but after days of staying at arm's length from Washington on the Capital Beltway, convoy leader Brian Brase said the trip to the nation's capital was a large step forward in the campaign.

"I got what I was hoping for," Brase said after meeting with Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Ron Johnson, R-Wis. "I got two respectful members of the Senate here. And I got all the media to come in this room and start covering it. That's a win for me. That's a win for the People's Convoy."

The group arrived in the D.C. region after a 2,500-mile journey that took its earliest members from Adelanto, Calif., to the Hagerstown Speedway more than an hour outside Washington. In the days since  amid repeated loops around the Beltway in protest  the convoy has gained the attention of Republican lawmakers, many of whom share their opposition to federal vaccine and mask mandates.

During Tuesday's meeting with the two senators, which was livestreamed for other members of the convoy to watch, Cruz and Johnson encouraged organizers to keep pushing Democrats in Congress.

"The challenge is this: This is where you guys, your voice, is so important, because you've got to get some people willing to cross party lines," Cruz said.

Though many pandemic-related restrictions at the federal and local levels have been blocked or rescinded, Brase has rallied supporters by calling mandates an infringement on their freedoms. He said they will continue their fight until mandates for health workers, federal employees and military personnel are eliminated.

Convoy members also are calling for an end to the national emergency declaration in response to the coronavirus  first issued by President Donald Trump in March 2020 and later extended by President Joe Biden  and for Congress to hold hearings investigating the government's response to the pandemic.

"We're not going anywhere," Brase said Tuesday. "We're not going to leave. We're going to stay put. We're going to keep doing what we're doing until we start getting more meetings like we just had today."

Representatives from the convoy also met with some Republican members of the House Transportation Committee on Tuesday afternoon, discussing their shared opposition to pandemic-related restrictions and vaccine mandates.

"We've been dictated to, as well," Rep. Garret Graves, R-La., said in the meeting, which was also live-streamed. "Up until the public showcase of the State of the Union, we had to wear a mask."

The lawmakers said Republicans, in the minority in Congress, have limited options for setting federal policy.

"Don't forget, though, where the mandates come from. They come from the administration," said Rep. Sam Graves of Missouri, the top Republican on the committee. "We can pass a bill to override what the president's done through regulation, but he has the option to veto it."

A separate group of truckers met Tuesday with Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky.

As Brase and others made the rounds on Capitol Hill dressed in flannel button-down shirts and boots, other members of the convoy were circling the Beltway in continued protest. A caravan of trucks, SUVs and cars made a single loop around the 64-mile Beltway, blaring horns along the way.

"We're making our statement," one trucker said in a radio transmission as he drove the loop. "Just be safe."

Law enforcement officials in Maryland and Virginia reported no incidents Tuesday and said traffic continued to flow with only minor convoy-induced congestion. The demonstrations over the past three days have occurred after the morning rush and often have blended with normal Beltway traffic.

Brase, who said earlier that the convoy intended to remain in Hagerstown through at least Saturday, hinted Tuesday that convoy members might stay in the Washington area longer while seeking to meet with more lawmakers.

The group also has picked up additional members. Monday night, truckers were joined by another convoy of nearly 150 trucks and cars, blaring their horns when they arrived at the speedway, where crowds display support for Trump and disdain for Biden.

Brase, a 37-year-old trucker from northeast Ohio, told the crowd Monday night there have been small victories already, listing mask mandates that have dropped since the first members of the convoy departed last month from California.

While a faction of the group has expressed support for taking the protest into the nation's capital, Brase has said there are no plans to do so.

Corinne Geller, a spokeswoman for the Virginia State Police, said Tuesday there have been no issues related to the convoy's Beltway actions.

"We haven't had any problems with them the whole time they've been here," she said.

Maryland State Police said despite some congestion as the group moved around the Beltway, there have been no arrests, towed vehicles or infractions given as a result of the convoy.

- - -

The Washington Post's Jasmine Hilton and Paul Duggan contributed to this report.
U.S. nuclear forces are prepared for any mission, the commander in charge of Americas nuclear arsenal said Tuesday, warning senators that new Russian aggression in Europe and Chinas emerging nuclear power could place the world in unprecedented danger.

Today, we face two nuclear-capable near-peers who have the capability to unilaterally escalate to any level of violence in any domain worldwide with any instrument of national power at any time including nuclear weapons, Adm. Charles Richard, who has led U.S. Strategic Command since 2019, told the Senate Armed Services Committee. We have never faced a situation before like that in our history.

Recent actions by Russia and China have alarmed Richard and other top U.S. officials, including their tests of next-generation hypersonic weapons, investments in other nuclear modernization efforts, their recent increases in nuclear drills and training, and Russias attack on Ukraine.

In the days after Russias unprovoked invasion of Ukraine last month, its President Vladimir Putin placed his nuclear forces on heightened alert raising the specter that he was prepared to use nuclear weapons, U.S. officials have said. Richard on Tuesday declined to answer most senators questions about the ongoing conflict until they met later Tuesday in a classified briefing. Nonetheless, he told them that he would look to Putins past actions to determine what he is likely to do in the future, but he did not elaborate.

Richard said his command has long prepared for similar scenarios to those Putin has launched since the Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine. STRATCOM has trained to respond to the limited nuclear [weapons] use in a conventional aggression scenario, such as Putins attack on Ukraine, he said. So far, the admiral said, nothing has happened that we didn't anticipate, that we hadn't thought about and hadn't prepared for.

If it came down to it, Richard said his forces are ready right now to do anything [President Joe Biden] asked us to do.

Meanwhile, Richard told lawmakers that China became a fully nuclear capable power last fall and has continued breathtaking expansion of its nuclear enterprise with opaque intentions about how it might use such forces and capabilities. Despite its growing nuclear power, Chinas arsenal remains much smaller than that of Russia or the United States.

Nonetheless, its new capabilities mean the Pentagon must work harder than ever to deter nuclear war, he said.

Every day we're thinking about their decision calculus, and what we have to do to influence that so that, basically, they say, Not today, Richard said. Right now you have to look at whats happening in one place, and then walk over and see what that does to change decision calculus, and change your messaging, potentially change your posture.

And STRATCOM must do so with dated nuclear weaponry and infrastructure, Richard said, imploring lawmakers to pass a full fiscal year 2022 budget, which would boost funding for the Pentagons efforts to build modern nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles, and new classes of nuclear bombers and submarines. The federal government, including the Pentagon, has operated since Oct. 1 under temporary spending measures passed by lawmakers who have failed to pass a 2022 budget. The stopgap funding measures largely provide the military identical funding levels to fiscal year 2021 and stop the Pentagon from starting some new modernization programs.

While Russia and China have fielded some advanced nuclear weapons, the United States has continued to use decades-old nuclear weapons, including the Minuteman III ICBMs and B-52 bombers that were first fielded in the 1960s and the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines in use since the 1980s. It will be years before the Pentagon fields next generation nuclear weapons, including the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent ICBMs, the Columbia-class nuclear-armed submarines and the B-21 Raider bombers.

Today's nuclear force is the minimum required to achieve our national strategy, Richard said. We must modernize the nuclear triad, the nuclear weapons complex and supporting infrastructure to meet presidential objectives. And while modernization must be the priority, please make no mistake, STRATCOMs forces are ready today.
Changes to the SunCommercial's back end processing means the e-edition is getting a facelift. The biggest change is the e-edition, by default, is now presented in Text view.
Tauranga City Council Commissioners have recommended to Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta that local government elections in the city be delayed by a year.

The four-person Commission, chaired by Anne Tolley, have also suggested a Crown Manager should then oversee Council after elections until 2025.

The recommendations come in the most recent report from Commissioners to the Minister, submitted on December 31 last year and released to the public last month.

The Commission was appointed by Minister Mahuta, coming into effect in February 2021, to address what she called significant governance problems among the elected representatives for Tauranga.

The Commission's term was due to end with Octobers elections but the Commissions recommendation is that this should not happen.

In the report, the Commissioners suggest community engagement has seen concerns raised that a return to elected officials could again see dysfunctional governance impacting Council effectiveness.

We have assessed the perceived risk of that scenario to Councils work programme (as defined through the 2021-31 LTP), activities and capability and we believe the risks involved can best be managed by delaying the citys local government elections by one year (until October 2023) and appointing a Crown Manager to oversee Council governance through until the next scheduled local government elections in 2025, reads the report.

This approach, according to the Commissioners, would allow the significant work programmes required to address the citys growth issues and infrastructure and community facility deficits, and the funding and financing arrangements required to support them, to be further progressed.

The final decision will rest with Mahuta however several organisations around the city are opposed to the Commission staying on.

Sustainable Bay of Plenty executive director Glen Crowther penned a letter to Minister Mahuta last week expressing his desire for elections to return.

The community has now lost its voice and the city has lost any sustainability guidance that it once had, with only a small group of influencers included in council decision-making processes, he says.

Councillors expressing different viewpoints should never result in the removal of the democratic process. In fact, such a situation is the very time to implement the most robust democratic processes.

There are times when a council needs to lead by making decisive decisions that some residents may not like. However, the fundamental principle of any representative democracy is that elected politicians are there to represent the views of their constituents.

Several members of Tauranga's business community have expressed a desire for the Commission to remain for at least one more year. Former Mayor Tenby Powell told SunLive he was of the same opinion last month.

However, Local Government New Zealand president Stuart Crosby told SunLive last month that he also supports a return to elections this year.

"While the Commissioners do consult the Tauranga community, it is very clear that theyre operating under a terms of reference set down by the Minister of Local Government which can conflict with long term and sustainable community development," said Crosby.
The Ministry of Health is reporting 23,894 new community cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand. Of these, 1691 new cases are in Bay of Plenty and 660 in Lakes.



There are 756 people in hospital, with 25 in hospital in the Bay of Plenty and seven in hospital in the Lakes District Health Board region. There are 16 people in ICU.

Director of Public Health Dr Caroline McElnay has been addressing the media providing an update on New Zealand's response to the Omicron outbreak and says the number of people in hospital will grow.



Of the 23,894 new community cases, there are 718 in Northland, 9881 in Auckland, 2146 in Waikato, 1691 in Bay of Plenty, 660 in Lakes, 707 in Hawkes Bay, 632 in MidCentral, 166 in Whanganui, 525 in Taranaki, 366 in Tairawhiti, 136 in Wairarapa, 1787 in Capital and Coast, 1061 in Hutt Valley, 435 in Nelson Marlborough, 1903 in Canterbury, 129 in South Canterbury, 914 in Southern, 30 in West Coast, and seven unknown.

There are 19 new cases identified at the border.

Of the 757 cases in hospital, the breakdown is Northland: 8; North Shore: 146; Middlemore: 191; Auckland: 196; Waikato: 70; BOP: 25; Rotorua: 7; Hawkes Bay: 10; Taranaki: 4; MidCentral: 17; Whanganui: 3; Wairarapa: 5; Hutt Valley: 13; Capital and Coast: 33; Nelson Marlborough: 4; Canterbury: 17; Southern: 8.

As the outbreak progresses, we are continuing to see a larger proportion of unvaccinated cases in hospital with Covid-19, says a Ministry of Health spokesperson.

Just three per cent of eligible people aged 12 and over in New Zealand have had no doses of the vaccine. However, of those aged over 12 in Northland and Auckland hospitals with Covid-19 for whom we have vaccination data recorded, 19.4 per cent have had no doses of the vaccine.

Even early in the Omicron outbreak, the figures show that, based on the data available, unvaccinated people are significantly over-represented in the current hospitalisation data.

The numbers send a clear message: getting vaccinated will help to keep you out of hospital if you catch Covid-19 and could save your life.

Cases reported today

Today the Ministry of Health is reporting 23,894 community cases.

This is an increase from daily cases reported from Saturday to Monday, which were below 20,000.

Health officials says that care needs to be taken when interpreting daily reported cases, which are expected to fluctuate.

We are still seeing a daily increase in Covid-19 hospitalisations and the seven-day rolling average of community cases.

From March 1 to March 7, the seven day rolling average increased from 10,698 to 17,921, and over the same period, hospitalisations increased from 373 to 696.

These numbers clearly show that Omicron is still spreading in our communities. We all need to continue to wear a mask, physical distance, and get tested where required to reduce the spread of the virus.

Contributing factors to the decrease in case numbers seen in the previous few days are likely to have been either a lower level of testing, and a lower level of self-reporting of RAT test results over the weekend, or a combination of both.

There are already a large number of people reporting their rapid test results online and wed like to both thank them as well as continue to encourage people to self-report their RATs online (both positive and negative results) on My Covid Record  as soon as they have the test result, says a Ministry of Health spokesperson.

Leaving isolation

There have been some reports of people with Covid-19 undertaking rapid antigen testing in order to return a negative result so they can leave isolation.

Everyone who tests positive for Covid-19, and their household contacts, needs to isolate from the community to help slow the spread of the virus. However, the Ministry of Health says its not necessary to then return a negative test once your isolation period is over in order to return to work or school. Its also important to note that some people may continue to test positive on a RAT for some time, even once they are past their infectious stage or have recovered.

This guidance does not extend to those household contacts covered by the Close Contact Exemption Scheme who are able to continue going to work during their isolation period so long as they return a negative test before work each day.

COVID-19 vaccine update

Vaccinations administered in New Zealand

 Vaccines administered to date: 4,021,580 first doses; 3,964,710 second doses; 34,076 third primary doses; 2,470,222 booster doses: 250,299 paediatric first doses and 5,500 paediatric second doses

 Vaccines administered yesterday: 265 first doses; 609 second doses; 41 third primary doses; 10,450 booster doses; 608 paediatric first doses and 310 paediatric second doses.



People vaccinated

 All Ethnicities (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 4,066,659 first dose (96.6%); 4,007,696 second dose (95.2%), 2,471,864 boosted (72.5% of those eligible)

 Maori (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 520,249 first dose (91.1%); 500,662 second dose (87.7%), 214,359 boosted (59.9% of those eligible)

 Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 281,307 first dose (98.1%); 275,505 second dose (96.1%), 128,595 boosted (59.5% of those eligible)

 5 to 11-year-olds all ethnicities: 250,133 first dose (52.5%); 5,419 second dose (1.1%)

 5 to 11-year-olds - Maori: 38,146 first dose (33%); 907 second dose (0.8%)

 5 to 11-year-olds - Pacific Peoples: 22,296 first dose (45.1%); 675 second dose (1.4%).

Note that the number for People vaccinated differs slightly from Vaccines administered as it includes those that have been vaccinated overseas.

Vaccination rates for all DHBs*

 Northland DHB: first dose (90.4%); second dose (88%); boosted (70.2%)

 Auckland Metro DHB: first dose (97.4%); second dose (96.2%); boosted (70.2%)

 Waikato DHB: first dose (95.4%); second dose (93.7%); boosted (68.4%)

 Bay of Plenty DHB: first dose (95.4%); second dose (93.5%); boosted (69.2%)

 Lakes DHB: first dose (93.7%); second dose (91.6%); boosted (69.7%)

 MidCentral DHB: first dose (96.9%); second dose (95.4%); boosted (74.8%)

 Tairawhiti DHB: first dose (93.5%); second dose (90.9%); boosted (70.1%)

 Whanganui DHB: first dose (92.5%); second dose (90.6%); boosted (74.6%)

 Hawkes Bay DHB: first dose (97.3%); second dose (95.4%); boosted (72.5%)

 Taranaki DHB: first dose (94.9%); second dose (93.3%); boosted (69.7%)

 Wairarapa DHB: first dose (96.8%); second dose (95.2%); boosted (75.8%)

 Capital & Coast DHB: first dose (98.8%); second dose (98%); boosted (80.9%)

 Hutt Valley DHB: first dose (97%); second dose (95.8%); boosted (77%)

 Nelson Marlborough DHB: first dose (96.9%); second dose (95.5%); boosted (76.4%)

 West Coast DHB: first dose (93.1%); second dose (91.3%); boosted (74.5%)

 Canterbury DHB: first dose (99.9%); second dose (98.8%); boosted (75%)

 South Canterbury DHB: first dose (95.5%); second dose (94.2%); boosted (76.3%)

 Southern DHB: first dose (98.2%); second dose (96.9%); boosted (74.9%)

*Partially and second doses percentages are for those 12+. Boosted percentages are for 18+ who have become eligible 3 months after having their second dose.

Hospitalisations*

 Cases in hospital: total number 757: Northland: 8; North Shore: 146; Middlemore: 191; Auckland: 196; Waikato: 70; BOP: 25; Rotorua: 7; Hawkes Bay: 10; Taranaki: 4; MidCentral: 17; Whanganui: 3; Wairarapa: 5; Hutt Valley: 13; Capital and Coast: 33; Nelson Marlborough: 4; Canterbury: 17; Southern: 8.

 Average age of current hospitalisations: 56

 Cases in ICU or HDU: 16

 Vaccination status of current hospitalisations (Northern Region only, excluding Emergency Departments): Unvaccinated or not eligible (90 cases / 18.59%); partially immunised <7 days from second dose or have only received one dose (16 cases / 3.31%); double vaccinated at least 7 days before being reported as a case (169 cases / 39.92%); Received booster at least 7 days before being reported as a case (118 cases / 24.38%); unknown (91 cases / 18.8%)

*While still early in the Omicron outbreak, the figures show that, based on the data available, just 3% of eligible people aged 12 and over in New Zealand have had no doses of the vaccine, however, of those aged 12 and over in Northland and Auckland hospitals with COVID-19 for whom we have vaccination status recorded, 19% have had no doses of the vaccine.

Cases

 Seven day rolling average of community cases: 18,669

 Number of new community cases: 23,894

 Number of new community cases (PCR): 596

 Number of new community cases (RAT): 23,298

 Location of new community cases (PCR & RAT): Northland (718), Auckland (9,881), Waikato (2,146), Bay of Plenty (1,691), Lakes (660), Hawkes Bay (707), MidCentral (632), Whanganui (166), Taranaki (525), Tairawhiti (366), Wairarapa (136), Capital and Coast (1,787), Hutt Valley (1,061), Nelson Marlborough (435), Canterbury (1,903), South Canterbury (129), Southern (914), West Coast (30); Unknown (7)

 Number of new cases identified at the border: 19

 Number of active community cases (total): 192,452 (cases identified in the past 10 days and not yet classified as recovered)

 Confirmed cases (total): 263,448

Please note, the Ministry of Healths daily reported cases may differ slightly from those reported at a DHB or local public health unit level. This is because of different reporting cut off times and the assignment of cases between regions, for example when a case is tested outside their usual region of residence. Total numbers will always be the formal daily case tally as reported to the WHO.

Tests

 Number of PCR tests total (last 24 hours): 4,108

 PCR tests rolling average (last 7 days up to 03/03): 12,656

 Number of Rapid Antigen Tests dispatched (last 7 days): 12.2 million
Greenpeace Aotearoa is throwing its support behind a peace flotilla planned to converge on Russian oligarch Alexander Abramovs luxury coastal retreat in Helena Bay, Northland later this week.

The SV Windborne skippered by Avon Handsford, set off from Whitianga on Saturday, and will be joined by the veteran protest yacht SV Vega.

Vega has a long history of peaceful protest and a close connection with Greenpeace having been involved in nuclear free Pacific protest voyages to Moruroa and more recently in New Zealand with flotillas to stop deep sea oil.

We are looking for a downtown berth in Auckland while the historic vessel Vega prepares for sea, says Avon.

We will escort her out of the harbour on Thursday morning and head towards Kawau.

Avon Hansford at the helm of Windborne on Sunday. Photo: Supplied.

Its fantastic news that Greenpeace is on board, says veteran peace flotilla protester Thomas Everth. We hope that more skippers will now join us too."

Thomas skippered a boat that took part in the 1995 Mururoa anti-nuclear Peace Flotilla.

This extends a long tradition of sailing for peace and environmental issues, which was the start to Greenpeace in the 70s," says Thomas.

On Saturday, Greenpeace called on the Government to immediately freeze the New Zealand assets of Russian oligarchs close to Vladimir Putin, until the Russian President ends his war against Ukraine. Over 6,000 people have signed the petition to support that call over the last 24 hours.

Russian oligarch Alexander Abramov, has a $50 million palatial estate at Helena Bay on Northlands east coast.

Alexander Abramov's property in Helena Bay. Photo: Supplied.

Abramov is one of Putins close advisers and mates, says Avon. Its a multimillion dollar lodge. For Putin to move aside, its going to have to be done from inside the Kremlin, so our encouragement is to help those guys elbow him out of the way.

On Saturday around noon SV Windborne left Whitianga on its first leg of the voyage to Helena Bay. On board Avon and partner Mihaela Vlainic experienced beautiful sailing through the Colville channel, anchoring in a bay at Waihiki Island on Sunday night. Two flags fly from Windbornes rigging, one honouring Ukraine and the other the flag that once flew from the mast of the Vega during the nuclear free Pacific protest voyages.

They plan to rendezvous with other boats from Auckland and Matarangi at Kawau Island before sailing on together to Helena Bay. They are delighted that SV Vega will be joining them as part of the peace flotilla protesting the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Windborne. Photo: Supplied.

The world has watched in horror as Vladimir Putins military war on Ukraine threatens millions of lives and an unprecedented nuclear disaster, says Greenpeace Aotearoa programme director, Niamh OFlynn.

The international community has scrambled to apply pressure on Vladimir Putin to end the invasion and here we have the luxury lodge of a Russian oligarch, right in our backyard.

We applaud the Governments announcement yesterday of The Russia Sanctions Bill, but if they are serious about using sanctions to pressure Putin, then they must go for the big fish quickly. That means freezing Alexander Abramovs assets, as New Zealands richest Russian investor, says Niamh.

Aotearoa has a long and proud history of standing up for peace. We pushed back against the might of the nuclear powers and declared ourselves a nuclear free zone. Now is a time when we must stand up again.

To end a violent invasion without further violence, we need to be creative about affecting change. If you dont want to add more bombs to the situation, then you need to pressure the money and power behind it, and thats what we aim to do with sanctions on Alexander Abramovs Helena Bay estate, says Niamh.

Niamh will sail aboard the SV Vega, and join SV Windbourne skippered by Avon Hansford, who also sailed to protest oil exploration in New Zealand waters. Other yachts are expected to join.

The flotilla will set sail from Aucklands Waitemata Harbour on Thursday, to convene in Whangaruru Harbour, and sail into Helena Bay together to take a stand against the war.

Abramov is a steel magnate, and considered to be the 24th richest man in Russia. His superyacht has recently sailed to the Maldives, apparently to avoid sanctions.

Greenpeace Aotearoa stands in solidarity with the organisations and activists taking to the streets around the world to peacefully demand an end to this disastrous war, especially those in Russia, who are risking their safety and freedom to do so, says Niamh.

The Peace Flotilla is posting updates and calling for support via a Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/662779728293658

Avon Hansford and Mihaela Vlainic on board the Windborne. Photo: Supplied.
Police have released the name of a man who died in Taupo on the weekend.

A homicide investigation has been launched following the death of Ryan Whare Woodford.

Detective Sergeant Andy Livingstone says the 30-year-old died at Adelphi Motel on Sunday, March 6.

"Police extend condolences to Mr Woodfords friends and whanau who are requesting privacy at this difficult time to prepare for his tangi.

"An autopsy was completed on Tuesday in Auckland and police are continuing to investigate Mr Woodfords death under Operation Dell."

Andy says the investigation started about 6.30am on Sunday after Ryan died at the Adelphi Motel on the corner of Kaimanawa Street and Heuheu Street in Taupo.

He would like to acknowledge the efforts by other residents of the motel who came to Mr Woodfords aid and promptly called emergency services for assistance.

Taupo Police always receive community support in such investigations, and I appreciate the time and assistance members of the community are giving as our team of detectives piece together the events of that morning.

Anyone who has information relevant to this matter can call 105 and quote Operation Dell, Taupo.

Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
A strong new team has been selected for the 2022 Surf City El Salvador ISA World Junior Surfing Championships.

Apart from Kora Cooper (Rag) who returns to the competition in the U18 Boys, Ava Henderson (Chch) and Natasha Gouldsbury (Tara) returning in the U18 girls the Junior Surfing Team sees the debut of nine of New Zealands best junior surfers.

Veteran team member Natasha Gouldsbury returns for the last time in the Under 18 Girls Division.

I am over the moon and so stoked to be chosen for the team especially alongside three close friends of mine from Taranaki.

Off the back of some great results this season including two wins in the Billabong Grom Series, Gouldsbury says her hard work has finally paid off and she is stoked to be representing New Zealand again in her last year of junior surfing.

This will be the first time the Junior Team has been away since 2019 and the first World Junior Championships since that year due to the ongoing global pandemic.

In the Under 16 Boys Division talented goofy footer Tao Mouldey (Mnt), off the back of three straight wins in the Billabong Grom Series and Under 16 Boys Division National Champion Jack Tyro (Chch) make their debut into the New Zealand Junior Team.

A few years ago, I set myself a goal to get into the Canterbury Team, says Jack.

And to think I have now been chosen to represent New Zealand in the ISA Junior World Championships is unbelievable. This will be my first time travelling to another country apart from Australia, so I am stoked and really excited for this opportunity.

El Salvador is no stranger to top level competition, being the latest venue for the World Surfing Games/Olympic qualifier where Paige Hareb placed 11th in 2021.

It will again be the host for the 2023 Olympic Games qualifications.

Ava Henderson also returns to the team in the Under 18 Girls Division alongside Liv Haysom (Piha) and Natasha Gouldsbury (Tara). Tao Mouldey (Mnt), Jack Tyro (Chch) and Spencer Rowson (Tara) represent the Under 16 Boys while Leia Millar (Piha), Pia Rogers (WGM) and Skylar McFetridge (Tara) make their debut in the Under 16 Girls Division. After a hard-fought New Zealand Grom Series, Finn Vette (Gis), Kora Cooper and Kalani Louis (Tara) will represent the Under 18 Boys Division.

The team will compete at the 2022 Surf City El Salvador ISA World Junior Surfing Championships from May 27 - June 5.

New Zealand has been represented at ISA World Junior Championships since 2003 when the junior divisions were separated from the World Surfing Games.

Prior to this time the New Zealand Junior Surfing Team attended the World Grommet Titles since its inception in 1989.

The championship is the largest junior surfing event in the world playing host to over 340 surfers from 44 nations in 2022.

Tao Mouldey, Under 16 Boys. Image courtesy of Coastal Surf Images

The 2022 New Zealand Junior Surfing Team is as follows:

Under 18 Boys Division

Finn Vette (Gis)

Kalani Louis (Tara)

Kora Cooper (Rag)

Non-travelling Reserve: Tyler Perry (Kaik)

Under 18 Girls Division

Ava Henderson (Chch)

Liv Haysom (Piha)

Natasha Gouldsbury (Tara)

Non-travelling Reserve: Anna Brock (Mnt)

Under 16 Boys Division

Jack Tyro (Chch)

Spencer Rowson (Tara)

Tai Mouldey (Mnt)

Non-travelling Reserve: Rakiatea Tau (Chch)

Under 16 Girls Division

Leia Millar (Piha)

Pia Rogers (WGM)

Skylar McFetridge (Tara)

Non-travelling Reserve: Sophia Brock (Mnt)
Do you already have a paid subscription to any of the SWNewsMedia newspapers? If so, you can Activate your Premium online account by clicking here. Activation will allow you to view unlimited online articles each month. To activate your Premium online account, the email address and phone number provided with your paid newspaper subscription needs to match the information you use in setting up your online user account. If you are having trouble or want to confirm what email address and phone number is listed on your subscription account, please call 952-345-6682 or email circulation@swpub.com and we'll be happy to assist.
Seminole, FL (33772)

Today

A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 70F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low around 70F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph.
Jeremy Boutor removes personal items from his home on an air mattress along Eldridge Parkway in Houston.
shinuak BHPian



Join Date: May 2013 Location: Bangalore / Tvm Posts: 188 Thanked: 131 Times

Re: Is the after-sales service still a nightmare for Skoda? My Skoda Rapid ownership started in 2016 and the inferences as below



1. Initially the service as well as sales were not at all customer friendly and gave a feeling that you will be left in the lurch in case of issues. In a years time, I was able to find few good Service advisors who were genuinely helpful, which was a huge relief.



2. Over the years I have seen that not just the service , but the process and even followup after a service improving drastically in favor of the customer



3. From a cost perspective, contrary to the common perception, I have felt that the cost of ownership for my Rapid TDI is either comparable or even lesser than models from rival manufacturers



4. With new Sales and service centers being opened by reputed dealership groups, I believe the experience shall improve further.



5. As a silver lining you do have a very social media friendly and active brand director which helps the cause further. I kept this as the last point since I would prefer overall customer satisfaction due to a culture/process change rather than depending on the goodwill of one person. Last edited by shinuak : 8th March 2022 at 12:19 . Reason: Typo
silverstreakcbe BHPian

Join Date: May 2021 Location: Coimbatore Posts: 42 Thanked: 253 Times

Royal Enfield Meteor Ride | Coimbatore to Pune | Long ride review as i have Ladakh ride to accomplish.



The ride: Coimbatore - Pune - Coimbatore



The Plan: 2 stages. Day ride only. Start early and reach destination early.



1. Coimbatore to Davangere

2. Davangere to Pune (Tingre Nagar)



The setup:



1. Rynox Expedition (1 Bag)

2. Rynox Tankbag

3. Full Riding gear on (RE Jacket, Rynox Evo Pants, Orazo Boots, RE Gloves)

4. SJCAM mounted on Handlebar



Return stages also the same. Booked my hotel 4 days earlier. Previous day i got all things checked (oil, Petrol, Air, chain lube, clutch, etc.



Started early (5:45 AM) from Coimbatore. Smooth Roads,was on the highway in 20 mins. No hassles early morning. The roads were at its best. Infact, the roads were best till i reached outskirts of Bangalore. Then the usual Sunday Traffic. Took the Nice road for Tumkur exit. The traffic till Tumkur was bit tight, had to maintain at lower speed.



Once i crossed Tumkur, the road opened wide which was to a rider is all one wants. Complete open roads with minimum traffic and all that i could see was lorries from TN and few cars now and then. Till i reached Davangere it was a wonderful ride. Totally had 3 breaks before i reached Davangere. I reached my Hotel on time as planned at around 15:45. Had few hiccups, even though i had booked earlier, by finally Checked in and took rest. Had dinner and called it a night.



Woke up early, refreshed and hit the road spot on 5:45 again. First 10-15 kms were rumbling and lots of potholes. Then the road widened up but was very cold, i could feel the chillness on my bones even though i had all my riding gears on. I think it was till Haveri i felt the chillness. Continued my ride and wherever i could take some snaps and break, i took. The road till Belegavi was perfect with no stress.



Once i crossed Nipani, i was able to feel the traffic and also the roads were not good. Too many rumblers on the highway and also vehicles from all over the place crossing your path. Had to be watchful and the final leg from satara to Pune was more stressful due to roads that were new in patches. I had to slowdown every 250m to jump down to old roads and jump up to new roads. But all for Good, after heavy traffic within the city, i reached my destination at around 15:45 again. Was very happy with the ride. Was not so tired but bit stress due to the last leg of my journey up.



Stayed there for 2 weeks with my nephews, visited lot of eateries. Had a good company as a family and stayed together. Had lots of home made food.



Day to return. Had my biked cleaned washed up and coated. Checked for Air, Fuel, Oil,etc., Started early as planned and reached Davangere as planned, no hassles. Had to circle a bit inside Dharwad to buy authentic peda. Had dinner and called it a night. Next morning left as planned. First 3 hours was very smooth. Then started with the traffic. As i neared Tumkur, the traffic was very heavy. Being a sunday, everyone were returning back to Bangalore and also the lorries entering bangalore.



Somehow managed to cross Bangalore and by the time i reached hosur it was 10:30. The real pain started at around 3. I could sense the butt ache pinching me to stop. Sensing it would not do good for my mind, i stopped somewhere near Perunthurai and took a long break. Then started my last leg of the journey. Reached home by 16:30, extending by one and half hours. Return from Davangere to Home took 11 Hrs.



I thanked the almighty, my family and the bike for bringing back me home safely, absolutely no glitches(oh no, there was one. I lost my left rear view mirror, it fell down and broke while on return).





























































My daughter's Final exam gave me a window to do a Solo ride to Pune. It was pending for more than a year to meet my nephew who also owns a Meteor. I also wanted to do a long ride to see how would i cope up at this ageas i have Ladakh ride to accomplish.: 2 stages. Day ride only. Start early and reach destination early.1. Coimbatore to Davangere2. Davangere to Pune (Tingre Nagar)1. Rynox Expedition (1 Bag)2. Rynox Tankbag3. Full Riding gear on (RE Jacket, Rynox Evo Pants, Orazo Boots, RE Gloves)4. SJCAM mounted on HandlebarReturn stages also the same. Booked my hotel 4 days earlier. Previous day i got all things checked (oil, Petrol, Air, chain lube, clutch, etc.Started early (5:45 AM) from Coimbatore. Smooth Roads,was on the highway in 20 mins. No hassles early morning. The roads were at its best. Infact, the roads were best till i reached outskirts of Bangalore. Then the usual Sunday Traffic. Took the Nice road for Tumkur exit. The traffic till Tumkur was bit tight, had to maintain at lower speed.Once i crossed Tumkur, the road opened wide which was to a rider is all one wants. Complete open roads with minimum traffic and all that i could see was lorries from TN and few cars now and then. Till i reached Davangere it was a wonderful ride. Totally had 3 breaks before i reached Davangere. I reached my Hotel on time as planned at around 15:45. Had few hiccups, even though i had booked earlier, by finally Checked in and took rest. Had dinner and called it a night.Woke up early, refreshed and hit the road spot on 5:45 again. First 10-15 kms were rumbling and lots of potholes. Then the road widened up but was very cold, i could feel the chillness on my bones even though i had all my riding gears on. I think it was till Haveri i felt the chillness. Continued my ride and wherever i could take some snaps and break, i took. The road till Belegavi was perfect with no stress.Once i crossed Nipani, i was able to feel the traffic and also the roads were not good. Too many rumblers on the highway and also vehicles from all over the place crossing your path. Had to be watchful and the final leg from satara to Pune was more stressful due to roads that were new in patches. I had to slowdown every 250m to jump down to old roads and jump up to new roads. But all for Good, after heavy traffic within the city, i reached my destination at around 15:45 again. Was very happy with the ride. Was not so tired but bit stress due to the last leg of my journey up.Stayed there for 2 weeks with my nephews, visited lot of eateries. Had a good company as a family and stayed together. Had lots of home made food.Day to return. Had my biked cleaned washed up and coated. Checked for Air, Fuel, Oil,etc., Started early as planned and reached Davangere as planned, no hassles. Had to circle a bit inside Dharwad to buy authentic peda. Had dinner and called it a night. Next morning left as planned. First 3 hours was very smooth. Then started with the traffic. As i neared Tumkur, the traffic was very heavy. Being a sunday, everyone were returning back to Bangalore and also the lorries entering bangalore.Somehow managed to cross Bangalore and by the time i reached hosur it was 10:30. The real pain started at around 3. I could sense the butt ache pinching me to stop. Sensing it would not do good for my mind, i stopped somewhere near Perunthurai and took a long break. Then started my last leg of the journey. Reached home by 16:30, extending by one and half hours. Return from Davangere to Home took 11 Hrs.I thanked the almighty, my family and the bike for bringing back me home safely, absolutely no glitches(oh no, there was one. I lost my left rear view mirror, it fell down and broke while on return). Last edited by GTO : 7th March 2022 at 09:48 . Reason: Spacing :)
Every month it feels like our bank cards are pillaged by subscriptions. Netflix, Spotify, YouTube Plus, the list goes on, and - yes - it can hurt!





You might be thinking you're thrifty with that free VPN. Yes, you can save a few bucks with a VPN chrome extension or a provider you heard about from a friend. But you have to ask yourself if you arent paying with money, whats the real cost?













How Do Free VPNs Make Money?





If you arent paying, you are the product.





Free VPNs are in the business of collecting user data and selling it to advertisers. They dont all do this, but you can bet that they are making money in some way.





VPNs arent in the charity business, and its expensive to run a VPN server that can handle hundreds of concurrent connections. Not to mention the cost of developing a client with the current cost of engineers and developers.





Slow Services That Funnel You Towards Paying For A Service





If VPNs arent selling your data, they are likely offering you an extremely throttled service with only a few servers.





The option to increase your speed is always a button click away. On the next screen, youll be asked to enter your credit card details.





Some of these free VPNs will only let you connect for an hour at a time, or theyll say youre connecting to a US server, while in reality, your connection is going through a server in Iran or Mongolia.





If you can put up with the slow speeds, questionable servers, and constant ads encouraging you to upgrade then go right ahead. You have to ask yourself though, why not just cough up the little bit of money and get it over and done with. Its worth it for the peace of mind.





Free VPNs Come With Security Concerns





When a VPN logs your data, and all the bad ones do, a record exists somewhere of what you do online.





Now, you are trusting that this VPN provider will never be hacked and expose your browsing history to the world. Its not spoken about much, but you trust a VPN provider just as much as you trust your ISP. Unless the government is asking them to, your ISP has no real reason to keep a record of what their customers do online, and you can be reasonably confident that with all their technical experience no one has built a back door into their network.





Imagine youre sending data over HTTP, passwords and usernames, and credit card information is all transiting that VPN server as clear text. If theres any variability in that server then a hacker can see all that information. They can set up a bot that listens for HTTP communication, and saves it automatically.





A CSIRO study found that 72% of free VPN providers used embedded third-party trackers for analytics, tracking, or advertising purposes.





Free VPNs Have Outdated Or Ineffective Encryption





That same CSIRO study found that 84 percent of the analyzed apps didn't properly encrypt the online data of users. This means that it could be easier for snoops to track what users are doing when browsing the Internet.





Thats pretty scary. If youre using a VPN with faulty encryption youd be way safer with no VPN at all. These vulnerabilities expose you to data leaks, identify theft, phishing scams, MITM attacks and other cybersecurity issues.





If you have any cryptocurrency, please stay away from free VPNs. Traffic to metamask and other wallets can be identified and then the fraudsters know to target you. You might start receiving emails that look suspiciously like legitimate exchanges asking you to log in by entering your private keys. All it takes is one fat-fingered mistake after a long day at work, and theyll clean you out.





The VPN provider could be infected with malware





A VPN server is a computer, and it can download software just like any other computer.





That CSIRO study we keep mentioning found that of the 10 VPNs most likely to be infected with malware, six were free ones. Malware in your VPN is never good. It can lead to malware in your computer, and once you have malicious software in the application layer then every single keystroke you perform on your computer can be recorded. Once that happens, nothing is safe. All your passwords, bank login details, photos, company emails and more are privy to international shadowy super coders. And they know exactly how to use these details.





Does This Mean That A Paid VPN Is Automatically Safe?





Nope. Every problem that can affect a free VPN can also inflict a paid one. The thing is that paid VPNs trade on their reputation. They hire proper IT professionals, conduct regular audits and arent incentivised to sell customer data to advertisers. The more reputable the VPN the better.





Although wed recommend staying away from the biggest VPN providers as they tend to be targeted. Surfshark is a good choice. Its reputable but not so well known that all the IP addresses are flagged because they are on all the VPN blacklists. Here is their VPN for Windows if you are interested.





In Summary





A free VPN really isnt worth it. They are either incredibly slow, riddled with ads or malware, or they sell your data to advertisers. Now that everyone is internet banking, and identities can be stolen with a photo of a passport, we need to be careful online. If you cant afford a paid VPN, our advice is dont use one at all.








Why it matters: In the days since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, a growing list of tech and media companies have suspended business in the country. Recent reports indicate that the Russian government is considering decriminalizing piracy to some degree in order to maintain access to products from those companies.

Russian publication Kommersant gained access to a document laying out plans for Russia to defend its economy against the wave of sanctions levied against it since its invasion of Ukraine took place.

The document (translated in English here) covers multiple subjects, including possible changes to technology regulation. Sections 6.7.2 and 6.7.3 mention canceling punishments for using unlicensed software from companies based in countries levying sanctions on Russia. This could be directly aimed at companies that stopped selling their products in Russia like Microsoft, Netflix, Apple, Amazon, EA and many others.

Section 6.8.3 says Russia might import foreign goods without consent from copyright holders among those companies.

According to a since-deleted tweet from Gazeta.ru, Russian politician Dmitry Ionin suggested unblocking popular BitTorrent tracker RuTracker. Russians would likely use it (regardless of the ban) to download movies from companies like Disney, Sony, and Warner Bros. that have paused new releases in Russia.

However, pirating software might have limited effectiveness in today's world of software-as-a-service. Even if Russians can download programs, they can no longer register or pay for subscriptions, especially since Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal suspended operations in Russia as well. And a growing number of software and services these days run on the cloud, so they can't be downloaded in the first place.
Forward-looking: It's become evident that Samsung is the biggest proponent of foldable phones, as well as the only company that's been able to sell them in any significant quantities. The South Korean electronics giant is still improving on the original Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Flip designs, but behind the scenes it's also exploring new form factors like a phone with a sideways foldable upper half.

When it isn't busy battling ransomware gangs, lower-than-expected chip manufacturing yields, and blowback from fans for throttling the chipsets on Galaxy phones, Samsung is trying to delineate more quirky concepts for foldable phones.

According to a patent uncovered by Let's Go Digital, the tech giant envisions a new kind of foldable phone that would have a sideways wrap-around screen. The patent was filed in 2021 with the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO), and describes a device that is L-shaped when unfolded, with the top half of the screen protruding to the side.

When folded, the device looks almost like a regular Galaxy S phone, and the patent seems to suggest the screen may also be active when folded to the back of the device.

Like with the LG Wing --- which is admittedly a dual-screen swivel phone --- the idea behind Samsung's hypothetical device is that you can use its oddly-shaped screen to multi-task.

The patent suggests a scenario where you may be on a Zoom or Teams call and need to interact with a calendar app or access something from cloud storage at the same time. Instead of the picture-in-picture functionality offered by apps like Telegram, Skype, or YouTube, you would use the protruding portion of the display instead of having a floating window covering something on the main portion of the display that needs to be constantly moved around.

The screen would utilize the same Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) that Samsung employs on the successful Galaxy Z Flip3 and Galaxy Z Fold3, and a special hinge with three magnets would prevent the folding portion of the display from detaching accidentally.

Samsung may also never release such a device, but it's still an interesting concept, just like the Westworld-esque Galaxy Fold concept the company showed off at the IMID expo last year.

Masthead credit: Let's Go Digital
WTF?! Laptop mining farms and various workarounds for Nvidia's hash rate limiters helped miners navigate the GPU shortage with ease last year at the expense of many angry gamers. This year, a Chinese company has started transplanting mobile Ampere GPUs onto desktop graphics cards, which is every bit as worrying as it sounds.

Nvidia may have a new problem on its hands that comes just as the company is dealing with a massive ransomware attack. According to a post on Weibo spotted by cnBeta, a Chinese company is currently selling modified GeForce RTX 3060 graphics cards on one of the country's most popular online second-hand marketplaces.

The modded graphics cards reportedly use recycled RTX 3060 laptop GPU dies as a way to circumvent Nvidia's Ethereum hash rate limiter, known as Lite Hash Rate, or LHR for short. Nvidia applied this solution with the RTX 3000 series GPUs in an attempt to make them less appealing to cryptocurrency miners. However, the company didn't do this with all Ampere GPUs, and one such exception is the RTX 3060 laptop GPU.

Most miners believe Nvidia's effort was pointless, and for a while they've continued to buy LHR RTX 3000 graphics cards without worrying too much about the hash rate limitations. Back in August 2021, mining software NBMiner was updated to improve the hash rate to around 70 percent of what it would be without the limiter in place. A few months later, another solution popped up online that went even further than that. The trend even inspired a malware campaign designed for people who were desperately looking for the ideal solution.

What's interesting about the modified RTX 3060 graphics cards is that a company was somehow able to secure GA106 dies destined for laptops and turn them into desktop graphics cards. While companies like Nvidia and AMD also do this to bring entry-level desktop graphics cards to market with minimal R&D and production costs (the infamous RX 6500 XT comes to mind), this is a rather unexpected development.

It's worth noting the GA106 die used in the Chinese RTX 3060 contraption has 3,840 CUDA cores, slightly more than the 3,584 CUDA cores found in a regular desktop RTX 3060 GPU. However, the company that makes it only paired the mobile GPU with six gigabytes of GDDR6 memory, which is enough for mining purposes.

Miners can apparently grab these cards for as low as $540, and one seller demonstrated nine of them in a single rig mining at almost 250 MH per second using 910 watts from a wall socket. It's not quite as crazy as the mining farms based on Ampere laptops we saw last year, but it does beg the question if a similar treatment will be applied to other RTX 3000 laptop GPUs in the future.
What just happened? Google has announced plans to purchase cybersecurity firm Mandiant in an all-cash deal valued at approximately $5.4 billion. Per the terms of the agreement, Google will pay $23.00 per Mandiant share, representing a 57 percent premium over the 10-day trailing average as of February 7, 2022, when rumors first surfaced of a potential sale.

Mandiant was founded in 2004 by Kevin Mandia and has been instrumental in the investigation of several major cybersecurity incidents over the years. In 2013, The New York Times hired the firm to look into an attack it believed originated from China. HBO enlisted Mandiant's help in 2017 after hackers stole 1.5TB of data, as did Equifax following its devastating security breach. Robinhood and Arby's are also former Mandiant clients.

The deal between Google and Mandiant is expected to close later this year and is subject to customary closing conditions. Should everything go according to plan, Mandiant will join Google's Cloud division.

We are excited to announce that we've signed an agreement to join the @GoogleCloud family --- bringing together some of the best minds in security! Read more here: https://t.co/SaDIwDUOM5 pic.twitter.com/FrCH2fE4wd --- Mandiant (@Mandiant) March 8, 2022

"Organizations around the world are facing unprecedented cybersecurity challenges as the sophistication and severity of attacks that were previously used to target major governments are now being used to target companies in every industry," said Thomas Kurian, chief executive officer of Google Cloud.

Mandiant CEO Kevin Mandia echoed similar sentiments.

"There has never been a more critical time in cybersecurity. Since our founding in 2004, Mandiant's mission has been to combat cyber attacks and protect our customers from the latest threats. To that end, we are thrilled to be joining forces with Google Cloud. Together, we will deliver expertise and intelligence at scale, changing the security industry," Mandia said.

Google said the acquisition will help enterprises globally remain protected at every stage of the security lifecycle, providing customers with advisory services, enhanced automation and response tools, real-time threat detection and intelligence services, and improved managed defenses.
In context: It would be a massive understatement to say the rest of the world's relationship with Russia has become 'strained' in recent weeks. Following an unprovoked invasion into Ukraine by its larger neighbor, countries all over the globe have slapped Russia with unprecedented sanctions, and many major American corporations have followed suit.

Oil giants like Shell have now refused to purchase Russian fuel, and fast food chains like McDonald's have elected to close all the restaurants they've opened in Russia. Even tech giants are joining in -- with a few notable exceptions, such as Cloudflare. Despite public pressure, Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince refuses to disable access to its services in Russia following a round of discussions with "government and civil society experts."

Cloudflare, for the unaware, is best known for providing websites and web services with protection against DDoS attacks, hackers, bot swarms while improving site load times and caching for ordinary users (among other things).

Right now, Cloudflare still provides its services to Russian citizens and businesses. However, it blocks access for entities affiliated with Russian financial institutions, influence campaigns, and government organizations related to Donetsk and Luhansk.

Prince explained why it refuses to shut off access to those first two groups in a lengthy blog post published on Sunday. In it, he notes that "Russia needs more Internet access, not less." He elaborates as follows:

As the conflict has continued, we've seen a dramatic increase in requests from Russian networks to worldwide media, reflecting a desire by ordinary Russian citizens to see world news beyond that provided within Russia. We've also seen an increase in Russian blocking and throttling efforts, combined with Russian efforts to control the content of the media operating inside Russia with a new "fake news" law. The Russian government itself, over the last several years, has threatened repeatedly to block certain Cloudflare services and customers. Indiscriminately terminating service would do little to harm the Russian government, but would both limit access to information outside the country, and make significantly more vulnerable those who have used us to shield themselves as they have criticized the government.

In short, Prince fears that terminating Cloudflare's functionality in Russia "indiscriminately" would lead to fewer Russian citizens seeing past the propoganda and put those same citizens at risk of government reprisal should they choose to fight back digitally. Indeed, Prince goes on to say that Russias's government would actively "celebrate" Cloudflare's shutdown in the country.

Overall, the Cloudflare crew (or at least its leadership team) believes providing average Russians with a more "open, private, and secure internet" is more important than punishing the country as a whole, and will ultimately do more good for Ukraine.

Even if Prince's beliefs are well-founded, Cloudflare will undoubtedly continue to receive pressure from the public and Ukrainian officials until its Russian services are canceled outright. Whether or not Cloudflare can withstand that level of heat long-term remains to be seen.

Regardless of what Cloudflare or any other individual corporation does, we hope the conflict in Eastern Europe comes to a peaceful end sooner rather than later.
Google aims to release its Chrome version 100 for all versions, but its macOS type claimed it is faster than Apple's Safari, having its speed unmatched by the built-in browser. Many users regarded Chrome as the inferior of the two, but it is the slowest compared to Microsoft and Apple's browsers, as per several reports.

Google Chrome version 100 for the macOS is Faster than Safari

Google released a blog post via its Chromium platform that discussed version 100's upcoming availability that will bring the latest browser update of the company. Currently, it is in beta testing mode, and it focuses on introducing the different features that will change the current state of the browser and its capabilities.

Reports from Tech Crunch claim that this new Chrome 100 is faster than the Safari despite running over a foreign operating system which is the macOS. Google tested its Chrome via the Speedometer 2.0 benchmark that scored 300 points, faster than any browser available to the public.

That is version 99, and it is not yet its next-level release coming soon.

It said that the new version would run faster than Safari, and it aims to bring new features for the users that have it installed on their devices, prioritizing it over the Apple brand.

Read Also: Google Chrome to Kill Lite Mode as Data Gets More Affordable

Google Chrome v 100 is Releasing in a Few Weeks

Chrome version 100 is currently in beta testing mode, and it is finishing up several works on its features and functions that will soon be available for public use. The release will come in a few weeks and focus on the many offers that Google aims to bring in the coming weeks, featuring its faster browser functions and new bids.

Google Chrome, Safari, and other Web Browsers

Google Chrome released its 98th version that adds more layers of security for its web browser and avoids different attacks that could steal data and information from people. However, several attacks proved it can access Google's browser systems that need more updates for the public to protect their needs.

Now, it is leading up to its 100th version and release available to all platforms it supports, including the Windows OS, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. The company is also enacting change on its Chrome platform as it focuses on new apps that will feature its offers and what it brings to the table, compared to competitors.

Chrome has many rivals in the current industry, including Mozilla's Firefox, Apple's Safari, Microsoft's Edge, and many more web browsers used by many. Other platforms focus on security and light use, which avoids using cookies in almost everything to prevent longer load times and storage.

Google's 100th version of Chrome aims to be its charmer when it releases, as it is a milestone to achieve this much.

Related Article: Three Billion Google Chrome Users Warned of 'High' Level Attack: 28 Attacks Across Windows, Linux, and Mac

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Isaiah Richard

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Mars Curiosity rover is known for its unique discoveries, which point out ancient life, among many things. As such, many rock formations appear to be a part of distant life on the red planet.

The latest subject that the robotic vehicle revealed was a bizarre formation that resembles a flower. Could this mean that there was water on Mars a million years ago?

Curiosity Rover Snaps Photo of Eerie Flower Formation

Space exploration over the previous years has paved the way for experts to comment about Mars' watery past.

It is to note that many rock formations could hint at such a possibility, although there's no strong link that could prove that this was true on the other line.

It could be remembered that sometime around 1976, the Viking 1 Lander spotted pyramid-like structures on the red planet.

After a few years since this discovery, it was found out that these pyramids were mirages. The scientists concluded that they were also some natural formations on Mars.

According to a report by The Debrief, the recent image that Curiosity captured was somewhat similar to the photo that the NASA Perseverance rover spotted last month. The latest photograph appears to be a rock formation with a strong resemblance to a flower.

The international space agency wrote on its post that the photo was captured using the MAHLI or the Mars Hands Lens Imager camera. This equipment was situated on the end of the machine's robotic arm.

Moreover, this photo was issued on Feb. 24, which marks the 3,396th day of the Mars exploration of the Curiosity rover.

We could see that it is somehow a rock artifact that existed a million years ago regarding its uncanny appearance. To add, this might signify that the Martian lands once contained mineral-rich water, as per NASA's statement.

"Curiosity has in the past discovered a diverse assortment of similar small features that formed when mineralizing fluids traveled through conduits in the rock," the space agency said.

Related Article: NASA Mars Curiosity Rover Catches Glimpse of Unusual Rock Feature in Gale Crater

Flower Formation Not a Sign of Life in Mars

The Debrief also stated that the recent image of a flower captured by Curiosity might not be the "sign of life" that experts are looking at on Mars.

Regardless, it's still an important piece to be added to their future research regarding the scope of the wet Martian land in the past.

Specifically, the features on the photo could be a guide for the scientists to learn more about the liquid water that was once present in Gale Crater.

In another report from Tech Times, ESA's ExoMars rover faced another series of delays because of the happening in Ukraine. It was previously set for flight in September 2022.

Elsewhere, NASA gave a green light for the early-stage funding for futuristic tech that could allow humans to breathe on Mars.

Read Also: NASA Curiosity Team Discovers 'Mother of Pearl' Clouds on Mars--Iridescent Cloud Formation is Colorful in Martian Sky

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Joseph Henry

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Tesla's China EV sale in February increased by more than 200%. Thanks to the automaker's dedication to creating more EV models in the Asian country, the company was able to sell 56,515 units.

This is a massive increase compared to the recent record of the giant EV maker. Back in February 2021, the automaker was only able to sell 18,318 electric cars in China.

Now, the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) released new data, revealing that the carmaker was able to generate revenues after delivering 33,315 EV units to foreign territories outside China.

On the other hand, Tesla also sold 23,200 electric vehicles to local consumers.

Tesla China EV Sale Increases by 200%

According to Teslarati's latest report, the latest Tesla China EV sale is 208.5% higher compared to its February 2021 record.

Also Read: Elon Musk Says Tesla FSD to 'Amplify Traffic to Insane Levels,' Agrees FSD Highway Needs Work

Because of this massive increase, the giant EV maker is now one of China's premier automakers. However, it is still not the top carmaker in the Asian country.

As of the moment, the top car manufacturer in China is still BYD Auto Co., which has a wholesale figure of 87,473 this February alone.

Meanwhile, SAIC-GM-Wuling is in 2nd place since it was able to sell 26,046. This means that Tesla is now the third carmaker in China for sold units.

Aside from these three automakers, Geely (14,285 units sold locally) and Chery (10,271 units sold locally) are also included in China's 2022 premier automakers.

New Tesla Shanghai Plant Now Confirmed

Tesla is making huge efforts to enhance its EV manufacturing business in China. Reuters reported one of the company's major upcoming projects, the new Tesla Shanghai plant.

Once the new manufacturing facility becomes fully operational, the yearly production capacity of Tesla is expected to increase by more than 2 million cars in China.

In other news, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the world needs more oil, which is quite surprising since his goal is to electrify the entire car industry.

Meanwhile, German officials finally provided their permit to Tesla Giga Berlin construction.

For more news updates about Tesla China and other related car topics, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Tesla Oklahoma Service Centers, Stores Might Shut Down Due To Possible Direct Sale Ban

This article is owned by TechTimes

Written by: Griffin Davis

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
[News only] "If there is no concession, only fight"... A dog owner who is proud of the 'floor dog noise'?
UPCOMING

 Hopkins County Retired Teachers Association will meet at Brothers BBQ on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Meeting begins at 10:30 am.

 Hopkins County Women of Note will be presented by Linda Thomas on March 10th at 6:30 p.m. in the Government Building-56 N. Main St.

 The Bible Baptist Church Bible Conference will be held Friday, March 18 at 7:00 p.m., Saturday, March 19 at 6:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 20 at 10:00 a.m. Speakers will be pastors Don Bell and John Chapman. Bible Baptist Church is located in Madisonville at 2015 Beulah Road.

 The next meeting of the Pennyrile Chapter of Kentucky Public Retirees (KPR) will be the 4th Thursday in March 24th, 2022 at 11:30 am to 1 pm at Country Cupboard.

 Madisonville Community College will be hosting a Vendor Showcase at the Madisonville City Park on Sat. April 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. featuring retail vendors, crafts and food trucks.

ONGOING

 Hopkins County Local History Classes will be held the first Monday of each month at the Hopkins County Regional Senior Activity Center located at 200 N. Main St. Classes will last from 10:00 to 11 a.m. with Spencer and Linda Brewer.

 The Madisonville City Council meets on the first and third Monday night of each month, at 4:30 p.m. at the City Council Chambers. If the regular meeting falls on a legal holiday, the meeting will take place on the next day at the same time.

To submit items to The Messenger for publication, email us a mhughes @the-messenger.com. Town Crier notices are for non-profit and community oriented events only. Due to spacing, items submitted may be edited as needed.
Madisonville, KY (42431)

Today

A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 52F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 52F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.
Baton Rouge Entrepreneurship Week will be held March 9 and March 10 at the Bon Carre Business Center. BREW, as the conference is commonly known, is returning to an in-person format this year after a break in 2020 and a virtual event in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ASX 200 broke a three day losing streak with tech and telco stocks taking the lead, while surging commodity prices continued to support pockets of our resource-heavy market.

As the US and UK governments announced sanctions on Russian oil, Australias listed energy sector continued to rise, up 25 per cent so far this year, helping the ASX to repeatedly defy weak leads and outperform global markets.

The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 gained 1 per cent on Wednesday, up 72.7 points to 7053. The S&P/ASX 200 was down 5.3 per cent so far this year, but outperforming a 12.5 per cent decline in the S&P500 and 13.4 per cent decline on the MSCI Global Index.

The ASX snapped a 3-day losing streak on Wednesday. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Head of equities at the RBC Capital Markets institutional trading desk Karen Jorristma, said Wednesday was a bit of a recovery bounce back after Tuesdays 0.8 per cent decline, but warned the higher commodity prices supporting the ASX would not last.

I still think this is all very short term, she said.

It is all very day to day at this point - I think the overriding theme of inflation and oil over $US200 per barrel is a bigger concern.

She noted the US and UK government boycotts of Russian energy sources implied the conflict in Ukraine was not short-term.

Ten companies go ex-dividend this week, including Rio Tinto on Thursday, which was paying $6.63 per share. It dropped 0.5 per cent to $119.88 on Wednesday.

Petrol retailers Ampol and Viva energy improved, as did Woodside and Paladin Energy, but Santos, Whitehaven, and Beach Energy all declined. Sims Metal closed at an 11-year high of $19.67 after an analyst upgrade and rising pig iron prices.

The mining sector was overshadowed by a 23 per cent drop in Nickel Mines, before it recovered to close 4.8 per cent lower at $1.40 after reassuring the market its partner - global steel giant Tsingshan - would not be selling down.

The technology sector out-performed the rest of the market with Novonix up 8.3 per cent and WiseTech Global up 6.4 per cent before going ex-dividend this week.

The big banks all improved and Telstra gained 3.2 per cent to $3.92. Aristocrat Leisure gained 4 per cent after confirming it was suspending operations in Ukraine and Russia and re-locating 1000 staff.

A small gain in CSL and 2.6 per cent gain in Sonic Healthcare off-set a 2.3 per cent fall in ResMed and 0.5 per cent decline in Ramsay Health Care.

Biggest gains:

Mesoblast 17%

Paladin Energy 10%

Novonix 8.3%

Gold Road Resources 7.7%

Life360 7.5%

Biggest losses:
If we dont have another setback on the COVID front between now and May, it seems likely Scott Morrison will escape having his various fumbles in handling the pandemic loom large in the federal election campaign. Even so, the coronavirus pandemic was a stark reminder of how much the running of this nation is down to the premiers, not the Prime Minister.

The premiers took full advantage of this opportunity to raise their political profiles. And theyre likely to stay more assertive for years to come.

Illustration by Simon Letch

Weve all lived all our lives with Australias federal system of government. We all know it doesnt work so well. We long ago tired of the eternal bickering, buck-passing, duck-shoving and cost-shifting between the two levels of government. But just as were learning to live with COVID, so we long ago got used to living with a dysfunctional federation.

Does a nation of 25 million people really need one federal, six state and two territory governments? Well, if you were starting with a clean sheet of paper, you wouldnt design it that way.
The women often have their eyes closed, heads arched back, breathing out, as though unaware they are being observed; their imagined breath is depicted. Intimate and compelling, these photographs give no clue as to what the women are doing, but the effect is mesmerising. As a viewer you feel slightly complicit, like youve happened upon a private moment.

Julie Rraps ambitious Blow Back documents 33 female artists, an intriguing series in black and white that raises more questions than it answers. Showing at Fitzroys Centre for Contemporary Photography, it continues the Sydney-based artists practice of examining women and their depiction in art and in society. Its an evolving concept, something she might add to over time.

Rrap at the Centre for Contemporary Photography. Credit:Simon Schluter

Originally, Rrap planned to create a picture of her own breath, but the idea evolved into featuring my sort of community in Sydney, I guess.

Although she came up with the idea before Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins hit the headlines and well before the pandemic, the work references those high-profile women and the blowback against them, as well as articulating the power of breath. Once a sign of life, breath under COVID has also morphed into a threat. The breath is elusive and fugitive, much like photography, she says.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Cases of a rare tropical virus have been discovered across Australias east coast  the first time the mosquito-borne Japanese encephalitis has spread below the countrys northern tip. The virus is rarely fatal but a number of people have been hospitalised, and two men have died, since authorities discovered it had been spreading undetected for weeks in piggeries across Australias southeast. A man in his 60s died from the disease last month in Victoria, after an autopsy revealed the virus, and a man in his 70s from NSW also died from the virus in February. As of March 14, seven cases had been confirmed in Victoria, along with six in NSW, four in South Australia, and one in Queensland. The federal health department has declared the outbreak an incident of national significance and warned people to guard against mosquitoes as floodwaters and unusually humid conditions attract more of the insect down south. Were not going to see thousands of cases, this is not another pandemic, says infectious disease physician Associate Professor Paul Griffin. But we need to be on our guard. Were seeing more of these tropical diseases flare up [in Australia] because of climate change. The Culex annulirostris mosquito carries Japanese encephalitis. Credit:Image altered, original from QIMR What is Japanese encephalitis and how does it spread? Known as JEV for short, the Japanese encephalitis virus is a mosquito-borne disease related to dengue and yellow fever. While waterbirds are its natural host, it mostly infects pigs and horses  but it can spread to people too.

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Named for its first outbreak in Japan in 1871, JEV can be transmitted only from mosquito to human  not between people or animals directly nor by eating pork. Pigs are now being monitored closely as an early warning for the virus and because they can act as amplifying hosts, Griffin says. That means they tend to get a lot of it in their blood if infected, which, in turn, can infect the mosquitoes feeding on them and so increase those spreading it in an area. Humans and horses, meanwhile, are whats known as dead-end hosts. They dont get enough in their blood for mosquitoes to pass on an infectious dose, he says. While the virus can crop up in warmer climates such as parts of Asia and India, depending on rainfall, we dont expect to see it in Australia, Griffin says. Until now, it had been detected only in Australias northern tropics such as Cape York. A federal government spokesman said the virus was first picked up in Australia when sick or stillborn piglets emerged in piggeries. As of March 8, JEV had been reported in 21 farms across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. Why is it spreading in Australia? Scientists say the viruss life cycle is complicated, dependent not just on the particular kind of mosquito carrying JEV (Culex annulirostris) but on the migratory waterbirds on which it feeds. We dont truly understand how its made it to our shores to this degree but, without question, the [La Nina event] and the recent rainfall, what thats done to mosquitoes is likely to have played a significant part, Griffin says. Potentially, something also has changed how the birds that carry this virus may have moved around to deliver it to more parts of the country. That theory is now being rigorously studied to determine exactly how the virus got so far south undetected, according to viral immunologist Dr Ali Zaid at Griffith University. But as habitat for mosquitoes expands in a warmer, wetter world, we would expect the area of the virus to expand as well. What was considered tropical 20 years ago might be very different to today and in 20 years time, he says. That means in Australia, which has already warned 1.5 degrees since the Industrial Revolution, places that have never had to worry about tropical viruses before could now see seasonal outbreaks, adds Professor Greg Devine, head of the Mosquito Control Laboratory at QIMR Berghofer. But he says that as temperatures drop in the coming months it will likely become more difficult for JEV to incubate and circulate in the southern states. Of course, if we continue to get warmer and wetter summers then these diseases will become more common.

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By March 8, seven cases had been confirmed in Victoria and the death of a man on February 28 had also been confirmed as JEV, with investigations underway into how he contracted the virus. A Victorian government spokeswoman said young children and older people have a higher risk of developing more severe illness with JEV. While there is no specific treatment for the virus, there are two vaccines available. The federal government says these will be given to high-risk workers and areas (like people working in those piggeries, says Griffin, but not everyone needs to be vaccinated). Doctors have been put on alert to test for the virus if symptoms emerge, particularly in mystery cases of encephalitis. The federal government spokeswoman said there was enough supply of JEV vaccines for high-risk groups and the general population does not need to seek advice on vaccination at this stage but as surveillance progresses and geographic area of risk become clearer, a vaccination strategy will be developed through [Australias expert vaccine advisory group] ATAGI. There are some concerns flood waters may attract more mosquitoes (Its really bad timing, Griffin says) as well as stir up other diseases. We have good surveillance here in Australia, he says. And like weve tailored our response with COVID ... it will now look not only at the pigs but if human cases cluster in a certain demographic or location, then we might use our vaccine to address those as well. How can we avoid it? Griffin says that, just as we put up physical barriers to stop the coronavirus spreading, wearing long sleeves and pants can act like masks  in this case, to protect against mosquito bites. Spraying a strong insect repellant (at least 20 per cent DEET, Griffin says) and avoiding outdoor activities during peak biting times (dawn and dusk) are also crucial. Open tents or windows without screens can let in mosquitoes and bodies of water, even pools or ponds in backyards, can attract them.

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If youre just joining us, heres what you might have missed from Ukraine (where it is now nearly 8am).

Late on Tuesday night (Ukraine time), Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the leaders of the US and Britain for signalling they would ban Russian oil imports (Britain will phase out Russian oil imports by the end of the year).

This is a powerful signal to the whole world, Mr Zelensky said, according to an English translation of his remarks.

Either Russia will respect international law and not wage wars, or it will have no money.

An elderly woman is carried in a shopping cart after being evacuated from Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday. Credit:Vadim Ghirda/AP

The Pentagon rejected Polands offer to give the United States its MiG-29 fighter jets for use by Ukraine, in a rare public display of disharmony by NATO allies seeking to boost Ukrainian fighters while avoiding getting caught up in a wider war with Russia.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Polands proposal to deliver the jets to the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany raised the concerning prospect of jets departing from a US and NATO base to fly into airspace contested with Russia in the Ukraine war.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby says Russian troops are running out of food and supplies. Credit:AP

We will continue to consult with Poland and our other NATO allies about this issue and the difficult logistical challenges it presents, but we do not believe Polands proposal is a tenable one, he said in a statement.

Any decision to provide the MiGs would be a morale booster for Ukraine as Russian attacks on its cities deepen the humanitarian catastrophe. But it also would raise the risks of a wider war.

Starbucks became the latest mega-brand to join the corporate exodus from Ukraine in response to Russian President Vladimir Putins invasion.

McDonalds, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and General Electric  all ubiquitous global brands and symbols of US corporate might  have joined more than 200 companies suspending their businesses in Russia in recent days.

Britain banned all Russian aircraft from entering its airspace, following similar moves by US authorities and the European Union in recent weeks.

British transport minister Grant Shapps said in a tweet on Tuesday (GMT) that it would now be a criminal offence for any Russian aircraft to enter UK airspace.

I have made it a criminal offence for ANY Russian aircraft to enter UK airspace and now HMG [Her Majestys Government] can detain these jets, Shapps said.

Britain had previously barred Russias largest airline Aeroflot and other Russian carriers from entering its airspace. Russia quickly retaliated, banning virtually every country in Europe from its own airspace.

with AP, Reuters
An elite soldier who served alongside Ben Roberts-Smith in Afghanistan has told the Federal Court that he did not believe his former comrade deserved the Victoria Cross, Australias highest military honour, for his role in a highly publicised battle.

Person 18, a serving Special Air Service soldier whose identity cannot be revealed for national security reasons, gave evidence in Mr Roberts-Smiths defamation case on Tuesday that it had been my opinion for the last 12 years that the decorated former soldier was not deserving of the award. He agreed that he had told people in the SAS of his view.

Ben Roberts-Smith outside the Federal Court in Sydney last month. Credit:James Alcock

Asked whether he ever told Mr Roberts-Smith his opinion, Person 18 said: Not in those words. I definitely told him that this award had made me extremely uncomfortable.

Mr Roberts-Smith received the Victoria Cross in January 2011 for his part in a 2010 battle in Tizak, Afghanistan, during which members of his patrol came under sustained fire from Taliban machine gunners.
Its a genteel spot, the Mornington Peninsula, and the contest for the seat of Flinders at the upcoming federal election has shaped up as a suitably civilised affair.

The independent challenge in the seat of retiring Health Minister Greg Hunt didnt get off to such a hot start when former Mornington Shire mayor Despi OConnor abandoned the Voices movement and launched her own tilt.

Sarah Russell and Despi OConnor are both running as independents in the seat of Flinders.

But official Voices of the Mornington Peninsula candidate Sarah Russell has been pouring oil on troubled waters, inviting her rival independent out recently for a coffee and a chat.

Russell told CBD the idea was to get the two women working together for a common purpose: breaking the Liberals four-decade hold on Flinders.
A council ban on people erecting political signs in the hotly contested federal seat of Goldstein is at odds with state planning regulations, with the government saying on Tuesday that Victorians were free to promote candidates.

Bayside City Council had banned election signage in February, citing state laws and insisting an election must first be officially called.

Tim Wilson and challenger Zoe Daniel. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen, Simon Schluter

Independent candidate Zoe Daniels campaign director will challenge the ban in the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Planning Minister Richard Wynne would not comment specifically on the ban because it is before the Supreme Court, but he said on Tuesday that the states planning controls were clear and political signage was allowed.
Russian President Vladimir Putins press secretary and pro-Kremlin journalists have been slapped with travel bans and financial sanctions by the Australian government, as western countries crackdown on the firehose of disinformation surrounding Russias illegal invasion of Ukraine.

The information war has been a key front in Putins bid to justify his attempted take over of Ukraine, with Moscows propagandists pushing the false narrative that Russia is seeking to de-Nazify the country.

A screenshot of Russian news agency News Fronts website. The founder and financier of the site have been hit by financial and travel sanctions by the Australian government for their role in disseminating pro-Kremlin propaganda.

In total, Australia has sanctioned 10 individuals regarded by the federal government as promoters of pro-Kremlin propaganda. This list includes Putins spokesman Dmitry Sergeyvich Pesko, and the Kremlins director of information and press Maria Vladimirovna Zakharova.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne, who signed sanctions regulations naming the individuals and their role in Russias propaganda machine on Monday, said they had been targeted for trying to legitimise the unprovoked, unjustified invasion of Ukraine.
The Andrews government was forced to push back its booster deadline for essential workers at the eleventh hour because 15,000 healthcare workers would have been stood down under the mandate, causing a significant staffing crisis.

Most Victorians working in healthcare, aged care, disability support, emergency services, corrections, quarantine and food distribution initially had until February 12 to get their third COVID-19 vaccine shot.

Victorians line up at the Royal Exhibition Centre vaccination hub. Credit:Eddie Jim

Documents tabled in the Victorian Parliament on Tuesday detailed for the first time the significant staff shortages that mandate would have caused, as workers struggled to get their third doses while they worked overtime and isolated during the peak of the Omicron wave.

The workforce health risks here are readily apparent. There are a number of people who genuinely havent received their third dose yet due to demands on their work, because they were in isolation or quarantine, Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton advised Health Minister Martin Foley, according to a transcript of a recorded meeting on February 9.
Australian foreign exchange platform OFX has come under fire for abruptly cutting off payments to Ukraine, putting a barrier in front of foreign start-ups paying wages to their staff in the country when they need cash most.

Brad McEvoy, co-founder of loyalty program start-up Kademi, said he was furious at OFX, which was formerly known as OzForex, for blocking payments to his Ukrainian workers when some had been forced to flee their homes.

Many Ukrainians, such as these residents of Irpin, have been forced to flee the violence of the Russian invasion. Credit:Getty Images / Chris McGrath

You expect a level of integrity, dont you, from Australian companies, and they have done the exact opposite, Mr McEvoy said.

The international community has worked in lockstep to introduce some of the most punitive sanctions in history to hobble the Russian economy following the countrys invasion of Ukraine. Focussed on people and companies involved in the war, the sanctions have made the payments environment more complex.
In Mariupol, hundreds of thousands of people have been sheltering under bombardment without water or power for more than a week. Ukraines foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenk claimed on Twitter: Ceasefire violated! Russian forces are now shelling the humanitarian corridor from Zaporizhzhia to Mariupol. Thirty buses had been sent for evacuations. Russia opened a separate corridor allowing residents out of the eastern city of Sumy on Tuesday, the first successful evacuation under such a safe route. The Ukrainian city of Sumy was given a green corridor, the first stage of evacuation began, the Ukrainian state communications agency tweeted.

Those buses are headed to other cities in Ukraine, but many people have chosen to flee the country instead. Safa Msehli, a spokesperson for the UNs International Organisation for Migration, tweeted that 2 million have now fled the country, including at least 100,000 people who are not Ukrainian. Four days in a row, Russia has offered a ceasefire to allow an evacuation, but civilians have been attacked as they fled. These people are trying to leave Irpin, near Kyiv. Credit:Getty Images / Chris McGrath With the invasion well into its second week, Russian troops were making significant advances in southern Ukraine but stalled in some other regions. Soldiers and volunteers fortified the capital, Kyiv, with hundreds of checkpoints and barricades designed to thwart a takeover. A steady rain of shells and rockets fell on other population centres, including the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, where the mayor reported heavy artillery fire. We cant even gather up the bodies because the shelling from heavy weapons doesnt stop day or night, mayor Anatol Fedoruk said. Dogs are pulling apart the bodies on the city streets. Its a nightmare. In one of the most desperate cities, the encircled southern port of Mariupol, an estimated 200,000 people  nearly half the population of 430,000  were hoping to flee.

Russias coordination centre for humanitarian efforts in Ukraine and Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk both said a cease-fire was agreed to start on Tuesday morning to allow some civilians to evacuate, but it was not clear where all the corridors would lead to, amid disagreement between the two sides. Russias coordination centre suggested there would be more than one corridor, but that most would lead to Russia, either directly or through Belarus. At the UN, however, the Russian ambassador suggested corridors from several cities could be opened and people could choose for themselves which direction they would take. Vereshchuk, meanwhile, said only that the two sides had agreed to an evacuation of civilians from the eastern city of Sumy, toward the Ukrainian city of Poltava. Those to be evacuated include foreign students from India and China, she said. She reiterated that proposals to evacuate civilians to Russia and its ally Belarus, which was a launch pad for the invasion, were unacceptable.

Later, Ukrainian presidential aide Kyrylo Tymoshenko posted a video of yellow buses with a red cross plastered on the side that he said showed evacuations from Mariupol toward the city of Zaporizhzhia. He said that humanitarian aid was also being sent in to Mariupol. Demands for effective passageways have surged amid intensifying shelling by Russian forces. The steady bombardments, including in some of Ukraines most populated regions, have yielded a humanitarian crisis of diminishing food, water and medical supplies. Through it all, Zelensky said Ukrainian forces were showing unprecedented courage. The problem is that for one soldier of Ukraine, we have 10 Russian soldiers, and for one Ukrainian tank, we have 50 Russian tanks, Zelensky told ABC News. But he noted that the gap in strength was diminishing and that even if Russian forces come into all our cities, they will be met with an insurgency. A top US official said several countries were discussing whether to provide the warplanes that Zelensky wants.

Ukraines military announced what it considered a significant tactical victory late on Monday (Tuesday AEDT): Ukrainian forces killed a Russian general near the besieged city of Kharkiv, the second Russian senior commander to die in the invasion. Major General Vitaly Gerasimov, first deputy commander of Russias 41st army, was killed on Monday, the Chief Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraines defence ministry said in a statement. Russian officials have not confirmed this death but the Executive Director of investigative journalism site Bellingcat, Christo Grosev, said he had confirmed it with a Russian source, and identified the Russian Mariupol was short on water, food and power, and mobile phone networks are down. Stores have been looted as residents search for essential goods. Police moved through the city, advising people to remain in shelters until they heard official messages broadcast over loudspeakers to evacuate.

Hospitals in Mariupol are facing severe shortages of antibiotics and painkillers, and doctors performed some emergency procedures without them. Loading The lack of phone service left anxious citizens approaching strangers to ask if they knew relatives living in other parts of the city and whether they were safe. In Kyiv, soldiers and volunteers have built hundreds of checkpoints to protect the city of nearly 4 million, often using sandbags, stacked tires and spiked cables. Some barricades looked significant, with heavy concrete slabs and sandbags piled more than two stories high, while others appeared more haphazard, with hundreds of books used to weigh down stacks of tires. Every house, every street, every checkpoint, we will fight to the death if necessary, said mayor Vitali Klitschko.

In Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, with 1.4 million people, heavy shelling slammed into apartment buildings. I think it struck the fourth floor under us, Dmitry Sedorenko said from his Kharkiv hospital bed. Immediately, everything started burning and falling apart. When the floor collapsed beneath him, he crawled out through the third story, past the bodies of some of his neighbours. Picking through the ruins of a bombed cottage in Horenka, the rescue worker wondered what the motive could be: Come and see what they have done. Credit:EFREM LUKATSKY/AP In the small town of Horenka, where shelling reduced one area to ashes and shards of glass, rescuers and residents picked through the ruins as chickens pecked around them. What are they doing? rescue worker Vasyl Oksak asked of the Russian attackers. There were two little kids and two elderly people living here. Come in and see what they have done.

In the south, Russian forces also continued their offensive in Mykolaiv, opening fire on the Black Sea shipbuilding centre of a half-million people, according to Ukraines military. Rescuers said they were putting out fires caused by rocket attacks in residential areas. Loading At The Hague, Netherlands, Ukraine pleaded with the International Court of Justice to order a halt to Russias invasion, saying Moscow is committing widespread war crimes. Russia is resorting to tactics reminiscent of medieval siege warfare, encircling cities, cutting off escape routes and pounding the civilian population with heavy ordnance, said Jonathan Gimblett, a member of Ukraines legal team. Russia snubbed the court proceedings, leaving its seats in the Great Hall of Justice empty.
Nothing in war ever is certain. Since the Russian invasion, the Ukrainians have surprised many with their military excellence and global influence operations. The strategic leadership of President Volodymyr Zelensky has also been a revelation. The Russians, on the other hand, have appeared clueless about many aspects of 21st century warfare. There will be more surprises ahead.

A Ukrainian serviceman mans a checkpoint in Kyiv on Monday. Credit:AP

Military leaders must plan for the worst case in all situations. There are (we assume) military leaders in Ukraine and in the West who are currently preparing for Russian battlefield successes, and considering how Ukraine might continue to resist in that event. The Ukrainians must build and sustain an insurgent campaign that is conducted in urban and rural areas.

What preparations might give an insurgency the best chance of success?

It is important, upfront, to define what success looks like. It must be a long-term political success. As French military officer and counterinsurgency theorist Dave Galula wrote: Insurgency is the pursuit of policy by a party, inside a country, by every means. Therefore, a successful Ukrainian resistance would deliver the retention of national sovereignty, the removal of all Russian (and other hostile combatant) troops, and the freedom to decide the nations destiny. Other Ukrainian political aims might include war reparations from Russia and membership of international organisations. These are important.
Washington: A Saudi prisoner at the Guantanamo Bay detention centre who was suspected of trying to join the 9/11 hijackers has been sent back to his home country for treatment for mental illness, the US Department of Defence said.

An unidentified detainee is led by military police to be interrogated at Camp X-Ray at the US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in 2002. At the time the image was taken the facility held 158 al-Qaeda and Taliban prisoners. Credit:AP/File

Mohammad Ahmad al-Qahtani was flown back to Saudi Arabia, to a treatment facility, from the US base in Cuba after a review board including military and intelligence officials concluded he could be safely released after 20 years in custody.

The 46-year-old prisoner has suffered from mental illness, including schizophrenia, since childhood, according to medical examinations and records obtained by his lawyers. The US dropped plans to try him after a Bush administration legal official concluded he had been tortured at Guantanamo. The New York Times reported the prisoner had been tortured so badly by US interrogators that he was ruled ineligible for trial.

With his release, there are now 38 prisoners left at the detention centre. He is the second released under US President Joe Biden, who has said he intends to close the facility.
On February 18, 1965, James Baldwin and William F. Buckley Jr. went to the Cambridge Union to debate the question, "Has the American Dream been achieved at the expense of the American Negro?" Baldwin was already a star writer, author of the novels Go Tell It on the Mountain and Giovanni's Room, as well as searing tracts on race like "Letter From a Region in My Mind" (which provoked so much of the ire of his opponent). Buckley was the founder of the National Review and arguably the most eloquent spokesman for American conservatism, with the ability to sheath that often cruel ideology in 10-dollar words spoken through a patrician purr. Their debate (argued alongside two Cambridge undergrads) is one for the ages, and can still be viewed today. So what can a live staging of the transcript add to our understanding of the event?

The American Vicarious gives audiences a palpable sense of the electricity, animosity, and history coursing through the room with Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley, now playing at the A.R.T./New York South Oxford Space in a wood-paneled room that evokes the hallowed halls of England's second most important university. Director Christopher McElroen and video designer Adam J. Thompson frame the live staging with video of the original debate, played on a fuzzy old black-and-white TV. With the exception of Baldwin (Teagle F. Bougere in a smart gray suit), the debaters wear black tie, prepared at a moment's notice to adjourn to billiards and brandy (historically accurate costumes by Elivia Bovenzi). Baldwin's less formal attire and his Blackness in this overwhelmingly white setting would seem to make him the outsider  and yet it he who receives the warmer reception.

After a brief opening round by David Heycock and Jeremy Burford (Spencer Hamp and Charlie O'Rourke, both convincingly playing undergraduates, albeit with suspiciously American accents), the main event begins with Baldwin: Bougere takes an already impassioned speech and infuses an extra shot of emotion, strategically adding breaths, sighs, and pauses to emphasize the exhausting work of explaining his oppression to an audience that will never feel it personally. This is not vocal mimicry: Bougere has far more range and resonance than Baldwin, and never attempts his subject's sophisticated, slightly nasal tenor. Yet the unforgettable line from his 24-minute speech lands with as much incontrovertible power as it always has: "I picked the cotton, and I carried it to market, and I built the railroads, under someone else's whip  for nothing." When so much of America as we know it has been built through slave labor, how could we not agree that the American Dream has been at the expense of Black people?

It is in the wake of a house-wide standing ovation that Buckley (Eric T. Miller) rises to rebut the motion. Miller comes much closer to re-creating the actual voice of Buckley, the knife-like diction, the genteel rage animating every syllable. With cool precision he cites statistics ("a greater degree of material well-being to the American Negro than that which is enjoyed by 95 percent of the other peoples of the human race"). He excoriates Baldwin's anarchic disdain for civilization (a fundamental misrepresentation of his opponent's argument). He even wears the damn cummerbund  and yet he knows he is in hostile territory, fighting a lost cause before these spoiled children of British aristocrats who would dare sneer at the inequities of his beloved country. For one hour, Miller fully embodies the resentment of the American man who has done everything he was taught to do, and is still being shunned for it (just as he did for a very different kind of American male in Mope).

Teagle F. Bougere plays James Baldwin and Eric T. Miller plays William F. Buckley Jr. in Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley, directed by Christopher McElroen for the American Vicarious at A.R.T./New York South Oxford Space.

( The American Vicarious)

The result of the evening (Baldwin wins the house vote in a landslide) is a foregone conclusion, even for those encountering the debate for the first time. McElroen and his team (including artist-in-residence Jaymes Jorsling) still find ways to make the live event dramatic, to make the heart skip a beat through the arrival of the unexpected and old words heard in a new way. The actors are not tethered to their lecterns and are free to wander the room and connect with every audience member (and they do). Unfortunately, McElroen has not devised a compelling way to end Debate, a creative liberty the audience would certainly allow him after such an excellent display of acting and rhetoric.

Ultimately, it is the novelty of the source material that makes Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley worthwhile. It is difficult to imagine such a debate ever taking place in 2022  Nicole Hannah-Jones going head-to-head with Ben Shapiro on the question of America's immutable foundation in racism. Certainly, the speakers would not be as edifying as Baldwin and Buckley. And they would never be given so much time to state their case without being interrupted by some showboating moderator. Yet the question of "systemic racism" is more central to American race relations than it was in 1965, even as our notions of reality have become so divergent as to preclude our meeting on the same stage to discuss it. This is the "turning away" that Baldwin so presciently warned about in his remarks  and it is a disengagement Americans of all races are embracing.
San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin holds a report at a news conference in San Francisco, Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. Boudin's stunning assertion that police crime labs are using rape and sexual assault survivors' DNA without their consent to investigate unrelated crimes and storing the DNA indefinitely has shocked prosecutors nationwide, as sexual assault victims' groups decry the chilling effect it could have on people willing to report sexual assaults. (AP Photo/Olga R. Rodrigues)
Associate Editor

Brent Addleman is an Associate Editor and a veteran journalist with more than 25 years of experience. He has served as editor of newspapers in Pennsylvania and Texas, and has also worked at newspapers in Delaware, Maryland, New York, and Kentucky.
Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley speaks to the House Education Committee on Monday, July 13, 2020, in Baton Rouge, La.
Gas prices in U.S. climbed above $4 a gallon in the past week. Here, a CITGO station is seen in Westchester County, New York, on Sunday.
Protesters and police face each other during a demonstration outside a private event attended by President Donald Trump, Thursday, June 11, 2020, in Dallas.
Staff Reporter

RaeLynn Ricarte is the author of two books and an award-winning editor and reporter with more than 25 years in the newsroom. She now covers government in Eastern Washington for The Center Square.
Police work outside the Molson Coors Brewing Co. campus in Milwaukee on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020, after reports of a possible shooting.
Democratic Sen. Lena Taylor, left, of Milwaukee, speaks on the Senate floor in this 2014 file photo. Seated next to Taylor are Sens. Tim Cullen, D-Janesville, and Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton.
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A 22-year-old St. Helens woman has died following a two-vehicle cash on Highway 30 near Scappoose, according to Oregon State Police (OSP).

At approximately 8:15 a.m. Monday, March 7, OSP Troopers and emergency personnel responded to a report of a two-vehicle crash on Highway 30 near milepost 14, east of Scappoose.

Preliminary investigation revealed, that a silver Mini Cooper operated by Laysea Liebenow, 22, of St Helens, was traveling westbound on Highway 30 when her vehicle struck the westbound guardrail and then crossed into the eastbound travel lanes.

Liebenow struck an oncoming Toyota Camry traveling in the eastbound lane and was subsequently ejected from the vehicle after impact. Liebenow suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Thomas Price, 58, of St. Helens, the driver of the white Toyota Camry was transported by ambulance to Portland's Legacy Emanuel Hospital with minor injuries.

Highway 30 was closed for approximately three and a half hours.

The Columbia County Sheriff's Office, Scappoose Fire Department and the Oregon Department of Transportation assisted OSP at the scene of the crash.
Towanda, PA (18848)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 53F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 53F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
Oneonta, NY (13820)

Today

Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low around 50F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low around 50F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
UNION SPRINGS - Leonard L. Beers, 90, formerly of Norwich and Otego, passed away Jan. 18, 2022. A memorial graveside service will be held at 11 a.m., Friday, May 6, in Evergreen Cemetery in Otego. Arrangements are with Lewis, Hurley & Pietrobono Funeral Home, Oneonta.
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Steven Long is associate professor of Political Science and Global Studies, University of Richmond. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
Meet Trooper! Trooper is 5-years-old. His favorite activities include sleeping, going on walks and sticking his head out of the car sunroof. T
Liam and Luke Hemsworth have been seen pictured helping flood victims with the cleanup following the severe flooding in Lismore.

While locals have become frustrated at the lack of support from the government following the disaster, the Hemsworth brothers have stepped up to the plate as they are seen sifting through debris and helping with the cleanup efforts.

Local Ben Gordon posted photos of the cleanup efforts, featuring two of the Hemsworth brothers, captioned "Luckily we have a very strong and supportive community that is showing up big time. Lets keep it going and do what we can to help."
10,000 Uncounted Ballots Found in Texas County: Officials

Officials in Texas said they discovered about 10,000 uncounted ballots in last weeks primary election, which led to a delay in the results.

The Harris County Elections Office said that some 6,000 Democratic votes and 4,000 Republican votes werent counted and will be added to final tallies.

While the votes were scanned into our tabulation computer, they were not transferred and counted as a part of the unofficial final results as they should have been, the Harris County Elections Office stated over the past weekend. They blamed an oversight for why the votes werent counted in the county, which is home to Houston.

The office also told local news outlet KHOU-TV that officials are focused on ensuring that every ballot cast is accounted for through this canvassing process, and they will continue to be transparent in that process through our updates but as you can imagine it is most critical that everyone on our team stay focused and commit all of their time to the task at hand.

We will be discussing at commissioners court and that will be an opportunity for broadcast to hear from our office, the Harris County Elections Office continued.

The March 1 primary was the first Texas election that took place in the state under tighter voting laws that were passed last year. Thousands of mail-in ballots were rejected across the state for not having new information.

Following the discovery of the uncounted ballots, the Harris County Republican and Democratic party chairs told KHOU that they believe the issue will be fixed soon.

Every voter regardless of party should be able to have confidence that their vote has been properly counted. Unfortunately, this is another example of the serious mismanagement of [Harris County Judge] Lina Hidalgos unqualified Elections Administrator. Isabel Longoria owes all Harris County voters an explanation, Harris County GOP Chair Cindy Siegel said, according to the news outlet.

On Monday, the Harris County GOP filed a lawsuit against Longoria and her office for committing the worst elections fiasco in Texas history by not counting the ballots.

Meanwhile, Harris County Democratic Party Chair Odus Evbagharu released a statement saying his party is also concerned with the balloting problem.

We called for a post-election review of all processesthere has not been any skirting of party responsibility, and we have been completely transparent in our desire to dig into the details of what went wrong and identify how to make corrections moving forward, Evbagharu remarked.

The Harris County Elections Office hasnt immediately responded to a request for comment.
A QR code is seen at the entrance of a restaurant in Sydney's CBD, Australia, on July 13, 2021. (Jenny Evans/Getty Images)

500,000 Addresses Leaked From Australian State Government Database

Over half a million addresses collected by New South Wales (NSW) as part of its COVID-19 safety program were leaked last year, according to data obtained by 9News.

The 566,318 addresses included the details of businesses, organisations, and government departments who were registering as COVIDSafe with the NSW Department of Customer Service.

Less than one percent of those addressesaround 428were considered sensitive, according to the department, including the location of a defence site, missile maintenance unit, domestic violence shelters, prisons, and critical infrastructure like power stations and tunnel sites.

The dataset was discovered on a government website by a technology specialist, Skeeve Stevens in September 2021 who alerted cyber experts, who in turn, told the NSW government.

If the wrong people got hold of this it couldve been used for bad things, Stevens said in comments obtained by 9News.

Some of the scary things we were searchingfirearms, armoury, federal police, and where storage locations wereperhaps someone shouldve thought about what should and shouldnt have been disclosed.

NSW Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello has also been criticised for not immediately alerting the state premier, according to a state budget estimates hearing on March 7.

While he was updated twice about the matter in September, Dominello said he did not tell the premier because it was being resolved by the privacy commissioner.

The agency did the right thing, it reported up to the privacy commissioner, they notified the relevant stakeholders and then contacted all those affected to the satisfaction of the privacy commissioner and the matter was resolved at that point, he told the hearing.

I definitely didnt (tell the premier). And ultimately, the buck stops with me.

The committee also heard that 428 sensitive locations were made public.

Concerns have plagued the safety of data collected by government contact tracing and COVID Safe systems.

In June 2021, West Australian and Queensland police were found to have accessed contact tracing data to aid in ongoing investigations. While police in Victoria tried on three occasions to access data but were blocked by the states health department.

Yet, it was later revealed that data collected under the Victorian governments system could be accessible to third parties such as police, government agencies, or the public health service in life or death situations.

I want to be very, very clear that that is a very, very narrow base thats provided for in the legislation, that is only there for those extreme circumstances, Victorias then-Acting Premier Jacinta Allan told reporters on Dec. 29.

The Australia Institutes Centre for Responsible Technology called on state governments to regain the publics trust to ensure privacy rights were not whittled away by the widening use of technology in COVID-19 compliance measures.
A picture shows the Amazon logo on the frontage of an Amazon's centre in Bretigny-sur-Orge, on Dec. 14, 2021. (Photo by Thomas SAMSON / AFP) (Photo by THOMAS SAMSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Amazon Suppliers Linked to Forced Labor in Chinas Xinjiang: Watchdog

At least five companies in tech giant Amazons supply chain are linked to forced labor in China, according to a new report by a corporate accountability watchdog.

Three of Amazons suppliers, Luxshare Precision Industry, Acbel Polytech, and Lens Technology, are alleged to have directly engaged in the use of forced labor in China, according to a report by the Tech Transparency Project, a research initiative of the Washington-based Campaign for Accountability (CfA).

Two other firms, GoerTek and Hefei BOE Optoelectronics, were supplied by factories implicated in the use of forced labor, the report said.

Amazon hasnt gotten as much attention as Apple on the issue of suppliers using forced labor, but Amazon deserves just as much scrutiny, CfA Executive Director Michelle Kuppersmith said in a statement.

If Amazon wants to retain the privilege of selling its proprietary goods to U.S. consumers, it has both a moral and legal obligation to deliver more than empty assurances that its operating a clean supply chain.

An Acbel Polytech spokesperson said the company was audited in 2019 and 2021 through the Responsible Business Alliances Validated Assessment Program, and that neither review found violations of human rights.

As a long-established corporation, Acbel are duty-bound to abide by international human rights norms and to respect and promote human rights and all our subsidiaries explicitly prohibit any violations of human rights, including forced labor, arbitrary detention, human trafficking, and child labor, the person said.

Acbel will continue to practice and protect the human rights of all our employees and is more than welcome to open for any public and official examination.

U.S. businesses have proven eager to stay in business in Chinas far west Xinjiang region, where the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has engaged in a vast campaign of repression against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, described by the U.S. government and others as a genocide. More than 1 million ethnic Muslim minorities are estimated to be detained across a network of internment camps, where theyre subjected to forced labor, torture, and political indoctrination.

Last June, a group of lawmakers called on Apple to divest itself of suppliers that used forced labor in China, after it was found the tech giant used seven suppliers that participated in programs believed to be linked to the CCPs genocide.

Apple flatly denied that its suppliers used so-called labor transfers, in which people from Xinjiang who have been forced into reeducation camps are then transferred to factories elsewhere and forced to work, despite video evidence suggesting the transfers took place.

A previous analysis by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute found that some 80,000 Uyghurs had been moved out of Xinjiang using such programs.

The CfA report suggests that Amazons suppliers are involved in the same practice. Its supplier Luxshare Precision was one of the companies that were originally implicated in the complaint against Apple last year.

Amazons own supplier guidelines state that Amazon suppliers must not use forced labor and that Amazon does not tolerate suppliers that traffic workers or in any other way exploit workers by means of threat, force, coercion, abduction, or fraud.

Yet, in June 2021, the company maintained all five companies listed in the report as suppliers, even as their connections to forced labor were made public, the report said.

Notably, a sixth supplier, the Esquel Group, remained on Amazons supplier list for more than a year after the U.S. government sanctioned one of its subsidiaries for using forced labor in China.

The suppliers implicated in the forced labor are responsible for creating products for Amazons private brands such as Amazon Basics and Amazon Essentials.

The issue of forced labor is likely to become more pressing for Amazon and similar companies, since the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which was signed into law in late 2021, bans all imports from Xinjiang unless the U.S. importer can prove the item isnt made using forced labor.

As of March, Amazon still lists stores on its website that advertise their products as being 100 percent Xinjiang Cotton.

The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act not only empowers but directs U.S. Customs officials to no longer operate under the presumption of innocence with companies importing goods tied to Xinjiang, Kuppersmith said.

Substantial evidence suggests Amazon has not done even the most basic due diligence. If Amazon continues to ignore this problem, customs officials have no choice but to intervene.

Thus far, Amazon has rejected any assertion that its breaking any laws or using forced labor.

Amazon complies with the laws and regulations in all jurisdictions in which it operates and expects suppliers to adhere to our Supply Chain Standards, an Amazon spokesperson said.

We take allegations of human rights abuses seriously, including those related to the use or export of forced labor. Whenever we find or receive proof of forced labor, we take action.

The representative didnt respond to a question about why Esquel Group remained on Amazons supply chain for more than a year after being subject to U.S. sanctions.

Luxshare and Lens Technology didnt respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.
American Lockdowns Began 2 Years Ago Today

Commentary

Certain dates should live in infamy. One is March 7, 2020. That is the date that the Austin, Texas, Mayor, Steve Adler, acting on his own at least in public, canceled the in-person conference South by Southwest (possibly attracting as many as a quarter million people) that was set to begin in the city five days later.

There were zero cases in Austin at the time. Later, he along with most mayors and governors, imposed stay-at-home orders, imposed curfews, and eventually shut bars and restaurants.

The cancellation did not stop the virus from coming to Austin. In November, while Adler was ordering citizens to stay home and stay safe, and Austin was by then flooded with cases, he and 20 friends boarded a private plane to Cabo San Lucas in Baja, California, and had a glorious time. He even made a video while vacationing that brazenly ordered citizens to do what he was not doing.

The Austin-American Statesman reported:

In early November, as health officials warned of an impending COVID-19 spike, Austin Mayor Steve Adler hosted an outdoor wedding and reception with 20 guests for his daughter at a trendy hotel near downtown. The next morning, Adler and seven other wedding attendees boarded a private jet bound for Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where they vacationed for a week at a family timeshare. One night into the trip, Adler addressed Austin residents in a Facebook video: We need to stay home if you can. This is not the time to relax. We are going to be looking really closely.  We may have to close things down if we are not careful.

Once found out, he apologized for misjudgement.

So far as I know, this was the first instance of American lockdown. Thus began the executive decision making, the compulsion, the unscientific overreaction, the hypocrisy, and the age of calamity in which weve lived for two years.

On that day, I had expected massive protests from all tech companies, artists, the hospitality industry, and airlines. I figured that left, right, and center would all unite and decry this decision as a flat-out violation of American liberties and property rights. We are not China. We have a Bill of Rights. Instead, there was near silence. I simply could not believe it.

At the time, I wrote: Based on the Austin, Texas, precedent, any mayor of any town in America can right now declare a state of emergency, cancel events, shut malls, and close parks. Who is to stop them from shuttering stores, restaurants, schools, and churches, and quarantining whole neighborhoods?

Below I reprint the column I wrote on March 8, 2020. The reaction to my column was floods of outrage that I could have imagined this conference going ahead in the midst of a dangerous pandemic. We know now that 1) the demographics of danger did not affect what would have been the typical attendee of the event, 2) the presence of international travel made no difference since the virus was here anyway, and 3) such cancellations at best only delayed the time at which endemicity would have arrived due to exposure and recovery. I maintain to this day that the conference should have gone ahead.

The following year, the conference took place entirely online, which is to say that it did not really take place at all.

Here is my original column as written:

Imagine if you are the organizer of a major arts and tech event that attracts a quarter-million attendees. One week out from the conference, the mayor cancels your event. Your event is not named specifically, just that all events involving more than 2,500 people are officially banned. He does this using emergency powers, justified in the name of containing a virus.

And thats it. This is what happened to South by Southwest, one of the most important events in the world in Austin, Texas, which has thus far not reported a single case of COVID-19. Based on last years numbers, Its the end for:

73,716 conference attendees and 232,258 festival attendees;4,700 speakers

4,331 media/press attendees

2,124 sessions

70,00 trade show attendees occupying 181,400 square feet of exhibit space

351 official parties and events

612 international acts

1,964 performance acts

Local merchants are devastated. All hotel and flight reservations are lost. Countless contracts have been voided by executive fiat. Its a financial calamity for the city (last year brought half a billion dollars for local merchants) and for untold millions of people affected by the abrupt decision.

Draconian, to say the least.

Making matters worse, a vicious and completely false report published by Variety said that the festival was aching for the city to make the call so that the festival could collect insurance money. This turns out to be entirely wrong: South by Southwest had no insurance against infectious disease. It was a smear and response to mass frenzy. After all, a petition on Change.org signed by 55,000 people had demanded the cancellation.

The city acquiesced to the mob. A grand and glorious conference was destroyedthe first of many this season.

Italy now has 16 million people under quarantine, which is to say that they are prisoners.

Anyone living in Lombardy and 14 other central and northern provinces will need special permission to travel. Milan and Venice are both affected. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte also announced the closure of schools, gyms, museums, nightclubs and other venues across the whole country. The measures, the most radical taken outside China, will last until 3 April.

Americans have been quarantined on cruise ships and then forced to pay for their later hospitalization. The government that quarantines you has zero intention to pay the costs associated with your care, to say nothing of the opportunity costs of missing work.

The press isnt helping. The New York Times has cheered it all on, aggressively advocating that governments go Medieval on this one.

In six months, if we are in a recession, unemployment is up, financial markets are wrecked, and people are locked in their homes, well wonder why the heck governments chose disease containment over disease mitigation. Then the conspiracy theorists get to work.

The containment strategy was never debated or discussed. For the first time in modern history, governments of the world have taken it upon themselves to control population flows in the hopes of stemming the spread of this diseaseregardless of the cost and with scant evidence that this strategy will actually work.

More and more, the containment response is looking like global panic. Whats interesting, Psychology Today points out, is that your doctor is not panicking:

COVID-19 is a new virus in a well-known class of viruses. The coronaviruses are cold viruses. Ive treated countless patients with coronaviruses over the years. In fact, weve been able to test for them on our respiratory panels for the entirety of my career. We know how cold viruses work: They cause runny noses, sneezing, cough, and fever, and make us feel tired and achy. For almost all of us, they run their course without medication. And in the vulnerable, they can trigger a more severe illness like asthma or pneumonia. Yes, this virus is different and worse than other coronaviruses, but it still looks very familiar. We know more about it than we dont know. Doctors know what to do with respiratory viruses. As a pediatrician, I take care of patients with hundreds of different viruses that behave similarly to this one. We take care of the kids at home and see them if the fever is prolonged, if they get dehydrated, or if they develop breathing difficulty. Then we treat those problems and support the child until they get better.

Meanwhile, the New England Journal of Medicine reports as follows:

On the basis of a case definition requiring a diagnosis of pneumonia, the currently reported case fatality rate is approximately 2 percent. In another article in the Journal, Guan et al. report mortality of 1.4 percent among 1,099 patients with laboratory-confirmed Covid-19; these patients had a wide spectrum of disease severity. If one assumes that the number of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic cases is several times as high as the number of reported cases, the case fatality rate may be considerably less than 1 percent. This suggests that the overall clinical consequences of Covid-19 may ultimately be more akin to those of a severe seasonal influenza (which has a case fatality rate of approximately 0.1 percent) or a pandemic influenza (similar to those in 1957 and 1968) rather than a disease similar to SARS or MERS, which have had case fatality rates of 9 to 10 percent and 36 percent, respectively.

Slates piece on this topic offers more perspective:

This all suggests that COVID-19 is a relatively benign disease for most young people, and a potentially devastating one for the old and chronically ill, albeit not nearly as risky as reported. Given the low mortality rate among younger patients with coronaviruszero in children 10 or younger among hundreds of cases in China, and 0.2-0.4 percent in most healthy nongeriatric adults (and this is still before accounting for what is likely to be a high number of undetected asymptomatic cases)we need to divert our focus away from worrying about preventing systemic spread among healthy peoplewhich is likely either inevitable, or out of our controland commit most if not all of our resources toward protecting those truly at risk of developing critical illness and even death: everyone over 70, and people who are already at higher risk from this kind of virus.

Look, Im obviously not in a position to comment on the medical aspects of this; I defer to the experts. But neither are medical professionals in a position to comment on the political response to this; mostly they have assiduously declined to do so.

Meanwhile, governments are willy-nilly making drastic decisions that profoundly affect the status of human freedom. Their decisions are going to affect our lives in profound ways. And there has thus far been no real debate on this. Its just been presumed that containment of the spread rather than the care of the sick is the only way forward.

Whats more, we have governments all-too-willing to deploy their awesome powers to control human populations in direct response to mass public pressure based on fears that have so far not been justified by any available evidence.

Based on the Austin, Texas, precedent, any mayor of any town in America can right now declare a state of emergency, cancel events, shut malls, and close parks. Who is to stop them from shuttering stores, restaurants, schools, and churches, and quarantining whole neighborhoods?

For this reason, we have every reason to be concerned.

Are we really ready to imprison the world, wreck financial markets, destroy countless jobs, and massively disrupt life as we know it, all to forestall some uncertain fate, even as medical professionals do know the right way to deal with respiratory illness in general from a medical point of view? Its at least worth debating.

From the Brownstone Institute

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki speaks during the daily press briefing in the White House on Feb. 25, 2022. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Approve Our Permits: US Oil Industry Responds After Biden Cuts Imports From Russia

White House blames Russia, faults oil industry, for record high gas prices

On March 8, while President Joe Biden announced a ban on Russian oil and gas imports, regular gasoline at one BP gas station on Chicagos South Side was nearly $5 a gallon.

$25 is only giving you half a tank, Dacia, a customer who was buying a few dollars of fuel, told The Epoch Times. I probably have to go to Indiana to find somewhere else cheaper. People dont really have that much money.

On March 7, average national gas prices had shattered the record set in 2008, reaching a new high of $4.104, according to GasBuddy. That number surged even higher on March 8, reaching $4.173, according to AAA.

Gas is now officially more expensive than the movie I Am Legend imagined it would be during the apocalypse, PragerUs Taylor Trandahl wrote on Twitter.

Patrick De Haan, GasBuddys head of petroleum analysis, said, Its a dire situation and wont improve any time soon. GasBuddy now expects the yearly national average to rise to its highest ever recorded.

The Energy Information Administrations (EIAs) latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) also reflects the costly new normal.

While EIAs February STEO projected Brent crude, a key international benchmark, would average $83 per barrel in 2022 before falling to $68 per barrel in 2023, its March 8 STEO revised those estimates upward to $105.22 in 2022 and $88.98 in 2023.

Brent crude hit $139 per barrel on March 7. Some traders are betting that oil will reach $200 per barrel during March.

The most recent uptick in prices has to do with the RussiaUkraine war, according to De Haan and other experts. Yet experts who spoke with The Epoch Times said prices had been increasing long before that conflict began.

Russias war against Ukraine has added a premium to the price of crude on the global market of $15 to $20 per barrel, and promises to add more if the conflict is extended. But the oil price was $37 per barrel when Biden was elected and had already risen by $60 before Russias invasion due to supply and demand factors, David Blackmon, editor of SHALE Magazine and co-host of the radio show In The Oil Patch, told The Epoch Times in an email.

The fact is the market has been under-supplied for months now, and Biden has contributed to that greatly by his efforts to hamstring the U.S. oil industry. Thats the truth.

Shubham Garg, founder and CEO of White Tundra Investments, told The Epoch Times, The geopolitical risk and fear in the market does play a role. However, I think the bigger problem is a fundamental problemwe were already in an undersupplied market with a very low inventory.

American domestic production and Canadian production have been unfairly targeted.

Karr Ingham, a petroleum economist with the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers (TAEP), told The Epoch Times that a slow recovery from the COVID-19 production downturn partly accounted for the long-range rise in pricesa conclusion similar to that of EIA Administrator Steve Nalley, who testified before the Senate in November 2021 that rising oil prices are driven by global petroleum consumption outpacing production.

The question is, why werent we growing production on the heels of that much faster than we were? Ingham asked. I think its quite safe to say that the political, legislative, and regulatory environment is openly hostile, or has been, to growing or re-establishing U.S. domestic crude oil production.

Its quite disingenuous to simply blame our current price levels on what Russia did, because we had a $90 base of crude oil pricing in place before this happened.

Yet when the Biden administration has been pressed on rising gasoline prices, which have trended upward since November 2020, it has blamed Russia and exempted its own policies from fault.

At a March 4 press conference, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters, The reason why the price of gas is going up is not because of steps the president has taken. They are President [Vladimir] Putin is invading Ukraine, and that is creating a great deal of instability in the global marketplace.

At a March 7 press conference, Psaki doubled down. Asked whether post-pandemic supply chain factors were already a driver of increased gas prices before the invasion, she said, The anticipated continued increase  is a direct result of the invasion of Ukraine.

Federal policies are not limiting the supplies of oil and gas, she later said at the same press conference.

In his Tuesday press conference announcing the Russian energy restrictions, Biden said, Its simply not true that my administration or policies are holding back domestic energy production.

He cited the fact that almost 90 percent of onshore oil production doesnt occur on federal land, as well as the fact that oil and gas firms have more than 9,000 unused permits.

In a Fact Check released on March 7, the Institute for Energy Research (IER) pointed out that oil exploration on federal lands rapidly declined under the Obama administration.

The reality is that federal lands vastly underperform on oil and gas production versus state and private lands because the federal government owns the majority of the mineral estate, the IER wrote.

You can hold a lease without deciding to develop or produce it based on the economics of that lease. Companies have always made decisions based on lease economics, Ingham said of TAEP. To suggest theyre not going to offer more leases until companies drill what they have nowthats making decisions on behalf of companies that the administration is neither qualified nor authorized to make.

Tim Stewart, president of the U.S. Oil and Gas Association, had a straightforward response to Bidens March 8 comments.

Cut the crap and approve our permits.

Biden administration officials are making overtures to Venezuela, Iran, and Saudi Arabia in the hopes that those countries will boost production and reduce oil prices.

Venezuela has probably some of the dirtiest oil in the world, Garg said. Even if they remove the sanctions, that industry is in such a collapsed state that its going to require hundreds of billions of dollars and expertise from America.

Higher oil and gas prices make electric vehicles and renewable energy more price competitive, Blackmon said. This is illustrated by the fact that officials like Pete Buttigieg continue to double down on that agenda as the solution to our high gasoline price issue. Thats why you see him, Biden, and Kamala Harris advocate for more oil from Venezuela and Iran, but not from our own domestic industry.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the Treasury Department to see if Bidens ban on Russian oil and gas would still allow for energy-related U-turn transactions, as described by the U.S. Treasury Department in a March 2 statement on the sanctions on Russia. U-turn transactions would allow the United States to continue purchasing Russian oil and gas through a third-country financial institution.
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)

Aussie PM Calls Beijing and Moscow Partnership Chilling

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called the partnership between Beijing and Moscow chilling and said it was critical European and Indo-Pacific nations remain clear-eyed on the current global security climate.

Speaking at the Lowy Institute on March 7, Morrison said he was deeply concerned about the similarities he was seeing between autocratic regimes in the Indo-Pacific region and the Russian authorities.

I found it quite chilling when I spoke to other leaders about conversations that theyve had with President Putin about these issues, and theyre subjected to a rather lengthy lecture on nationalistic aspirations of Russia and what is rightly theirs, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

That has a chilling reverberation with similar lectures that I have been on the receiving end of about situations in the Indo-Pacific and what people claim to be theirs, he said.

Australias Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks to the media to announce sanctions on top Russian officials following the invasion of eastern Ukraine, during a press conference in Sydney, Australia, on Feb. 23, 2022. (Steven Saphore/AFP via Getty Images)

So I think we have to be eternally vigilant on this, and this is very important for Australia. You know, we cant step back from this. I know it comes at a cost. I know it means that we have been targeted. But we must look clear-eyed about the threats in our own region and whats occurring in Europe.

Morrison also dismissed media reports that Putin was acting irrationally or that this was a ruse by Moscow to gain an advantage in some negotiation.

We hear the theories, Its just hes all gone mad. No, he hasnt, Morrison said. Hes an autocrat and hes following through on his plans. And for all of us in the West and more broadly, I think we need to understand that autocrats dont play by the same rules as the rest of us. Their mindset is very different.

Morrison also called out China for its hypocrisy over Russias attack on Ukraine, pointing out it was insincere for Beijing to claim to be a major power while supporting Russia through easing wheat restrictions and avoiding condemning its actions.

The prime minister also noted however that the partnership was driven by convenience rather than strategy.

China and Russia have got a fairly interesting history in terms of their engagement. I dont think anythings changed about that. But there does seem to be some alignment in the sort of world order that they would prefer, to the one that has been in place since the end of the Second World War. And weve seen that play out over a long time. So there has been a convenient fellow travelling, I think, and thats how I would describe it, he said.

Morrison also said the international communitys response to any incursion of Taiwan would be vastly different from the Ukraine situation.

His comments come in response to Beijing reinforcing relations with Moscow.

The Associated Press reported on March 8 that the Chinese communist regimes foreign minister, Wang Yi, said Chinas relations with Moscow was iron-clad and that it was one of the most crucial bilateral relationships in the world.

Meanwhile, Australia has announced another wave of sanctions aimed at putting pressure on the Russian military.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in a media release on March 8 that the new range of sanctions would target the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in addition to travel bans being placed against six senior Russian military commanders responsible for implementing naval, ground, and air attacks on Ukraine.

Australia and partners will continue to impose costs on Russias egregious, unlawful and completely unjustified war on Ukraine. We again call upon Russia to withdraw its military forces immediately from Ukraine, Payne said.

Fire is seen in Mariupol at a residential area after shelling amid Russias invasion of Ukraine on March 3, 2022, in this image obtained from social media. (Twitter @AyBurlachenko via Reuters)

Additionally, the Australian government is placing new sanctions on those responsible for disseminating Russian disinformation aimed at legitimatising its invasion efforts with narratives such as the de-Nazification of Ukraine.

Russias invasion of Ukraine has been accompanied by a widespread disinformation campaign, both within Russia and internationally, Payne said. Tragically for Russia, President Putin has shut down independent voices and locked everyday Russians into a world characterised by lies and disinformation. The addition of sanctions on those responsible for this insidious tactic recognises the powerful impact that disinformation and propaganda can have in conflict.
Service members of pro-Russian troops in uniforms without insignia are seen atop of a tank with the letter "Z" painted on its sides in the separatist-controlled settlement of Buhas (Bugas), in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on March 1, 2022. (REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko)

Australia Rolls Out New Sanctions Targeting Russian Disinformation

The Australian government is topping up existing sanctions against Moscow with a new round of measures to combat an alleged Russian disinformation campaign.

The sanctions were announced on March 8, in a statement by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT). This follows the previous tranche of sanctions already declared on Feb 28.

The new measures aim to push Russia and its partners, complicit in the war on Ukraine, out of the Australian economy, supply chain and airwaves.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in a media release on March 8 that the new range of sanctions will target financial restrictions to be imposed on the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in addition to travel bans being placed against six senior Russian military commanders responsible for implementing naval, ground and air attacks on Ukraine.

The Australian Government is placing new sanctions on Moscows propagandists and purveyors of disinformation, who are trying to legitimatise Russias unprovoked, unjustified invasion with false narratives such as the de-Nazification of Ukraine, Payne said.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne speaks at the 2022 Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on Feb. 19, 2022. (Alexandra Beier/Getty Images)

Australia and partners will continue to impose costs on Russias egregious, unlawful and completely unjustified war on Ukraine. We again call upon Russia to withdraw its military forces immediately from Ukraine.

Payne also noted that Australia was working with international partners to stop the dissemination of Russian propaganda and disinformation and was working to drive Russia out of our economies, supply chains and airwaves.

According to DFAT, the invasion of Ukraine has been accompanied by a disinformation campaign that is international in scope, with DFAT alleging that Russian President Vladimir Putin has shut down independent voices and restricted access to outside information to everyday Russians.

To counter the alleged disinformation campaign, the Australian government is imposing sanctions on 10 people of strategic interest for their role in encouraging hostility towards Ukraine and promoting propaganda that legitimises Russian military action.

This includes promulgating narratives that Russia is helping with the de-Nazification of Ukraine, allegations of genocide against ethnic Russians in eastern Ukrainian territories, and promoting the recognition of the Donetsk Peoples Republic and Luhansk Peoples Republic as an independent region.

People run for cover in front of a burning house during shelling in the city of Irpin, outside Kyiv, on March 4, 2022. (Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images)

The Australian government is also collaborating with tech platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Google to clamp down on content generated by Russian state media within Australia. In addition, SBS and Foxtel have already suspended broadcasting of Russia Today and NTV Moscow in response to community feedback.

On Feb 28, the Australian government announced it would work with NATO and other partners to provide military equipment, medical supplies and financial assistance to Ukraine.

Australia has already pledged US$50 Million to support non-lethal military equipment and medical supplies to Ukraine.

More than 350 Russian individuals, including MPs and military commanders, have already had sanctions placed on them by Australia for their role in facilitating the war. Additionally, 13 Belarusian individuals and entities, including Minister of Defence Viktor Khenin, have also been targeted.

The Australian government has previously expressed in a media statement support for economic sanctions announced by the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. Some of these measures include removing selected Russian banks from the SWIFT financial system, restrictions against the Russian Central Bank, and establishing a trans-Atlantic task force to identify and freeze assets of targeted individuals and companies.
Australian Army aircrewman prepares to conduct a rescue by winch of a community member from an MRH-90 Taipan, over Lismore, Australia, on Feb. 28, 2022. (Australian Defence Force)

Australian Defence Force Boosts Flood Support

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is ramping up support for flood-affected communities along the Australian east coast as residents criticise the government for not providing enough help.

The ADF will more than double the number of personnel on the ground, from around 2,300 to 5,000 over the week, who will help with rescues, dropping off supplies, and clean up efforts, including clearing up roads and fixing telecommunication networks.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton said there was absolutely more to do, but that the ADF had responded to all events as they unfolded and have helped many communities despite the emergence of some negative stories.

There are literally hundreds of stories where defence has been able to drop food, drop baby formula, drop medications, and those people respond with kindness, with gratitude, he told ABC radio on Tuesday.

Dutton added that rather than a flood, the weather event in northern New South Wales (NSW) resembled more of a cyclone type event.

This is a torrent of water that has shredded communities apart and roads that were there are no longer there, he said. And thats the circumstances in which theyre dealing [with] and it will take time to respond and to rebuild.

However, the shadow minister for disaster and emergency management, Senator Murray Watt, heavily criticised the federal government for lack of support.

The one thing you wont see behind me is anyone from the federal government. Theres not army personnel helping with this cleanup, Watt said in Lismore on Tuesday. I want to pay tribute to the army personnel who are here, but theres just not enough of them.

Australian Army soldiers from the 41st Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment, unload crates of refrigerated milk as part of Operation Flood Assist 2022 in Ulmarra, Australia, on March 2, 2022. (Australian Defence Force)

An Australian Army MRH-90 Taipan helicopter from the School of Army Aviation flies over flood-affected properties in Lismore, Australia, on Feb. 28, 2022. (Australian Defence Force)

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said the images he had seen of the flood-affected community were devastating. He also acknowledged that people felt abandoned and isolated.

No one should feel that way, he told 2GB radio. What were doing is making sure were getting as many people on the ground.

Perrottet said there were currently around 1,600 emergency service and government service personnel on the ground and the additional support was coming in from the ADF.

The premier added that without the courage and heroism of many people who were going out and looking after strangers, it could have been much worse.

A second wave of intense rain began falling over Greater Sydney on Tuesday, prompting the State Emergency Services (SES) to issue evacuation orders to 13 suburbs, affecting around 60,000 people in Sydneys southwest and west along the Georges River.

Sydney has received 16 consecutive days of rain, with the first rays of sunshine expected on Thursday.

However, the Bureau of Meteorology warned that the saturated soils could lead to landslides, which already occurred in Katoomba.
Police make an arrest on the 21st day of the trucker protest against COVID-19 mandates and restrictions, after the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act, in downtown Ottawa on Feb. 17, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Justin Tang)

Banks Froze Convoy Protesters Accounts Beyond RCMPs List: Canadian Bankers Association

The Canadian Bankers Association told a parliamentary committee that its members froze Freedom Convoy protesters bank accounts during the public order emergency not only to comply with RCMP disclosures but also based on their own determinations.

We primarily relied on the names provided by the RCMP, but there were obligations under the order separate from that, that required banks to make their own determinations, said Angelina Mason, general counsel and vice-president of the Canadian Bankers Association (CBA), as she testified before the Finance Committee on March 7.

Mason said banks did not rely on lists of convoy donors information leaked online. Crowdfunding platform GiveSendGo, which collected over $10 million for the Freedom Convoy, was hacked around Feb. 13 and some media outlets then leaked the donor information.

What banks were obligated to do, though, was apply their normal risk-based approach in monitoring their accounts as they would do for money laundering or what have you, said Mason.

And if something then was flagged that was suggestive, again, looking through the eyes of the activities in Ottawa, then there would be, again, an obligation to freeze.

Mason said the number of accounts frozen unilaterally was small, but didnt provide an exact figure. A small donation wouldnt have been caught by our normal risk-based approach, she said.

Since the revocation of the Emergencies Act, which was in effect from Feb. 14 to Feb. 23, all accounts have been unfrozen except those under court orders, and no accounts were frozen by mistake, Mason said.

The Emergencies Act was invoked by the government to deal with cross-country protests and blockades demanding the lifting of COVID-19 mandates and restrictions.

The freezing of bank accounts without a court order was one of the most controversial measures put in place under the Act, with some opposition MPs questioning the necessity of the measure given its serious impact on peoples lives and Charter rights.

Banks froze 180 accounts based on RCMP disclosures, according to Mason. RCMP officials also testified at the committee that at least 257 accounts were frozen by financial institutions, which includes banks and credit unions.

Mason also said that clients who had their accounts frozen will now have a marker on their file indicating as much.

How that impacts the relationship, that would depend on the particular risk scenario of any bank. There wouldnt be a blanket approach, she said.

No Written Guidance From Feds

Some MPs on the committee honed in on how the government provided information to financial institutions that led to the freezing of accounts without the normal legal process required to obtain a court order and did so while providing banks with immunity.

Mason said the institutions didnt receive any written guidance from the government and were only briefed verbally on how the emergency powers would be applied.

Several of our members did have discussions with [the Department of Finance]. We were given a heads up that this was coming, but we did not have the specific details. We received the regulations at the same time as the general public, said Mason.

From my point of view, its very difficult to have clear rules when they are not written down. What guidance were you given about joint accounts? asked Bloc Quebecois MP Gabriel Ste-Marie, seeking clarity on the potential impact for someone who shared an account with a protestor but was not involved in the protests themselves.

Mason said joint accounts would not be exempt and the entire account would be frozen since there was no related guidance in the order. She added the CBA raised the issue of humanitarian exceptions with the Department of Finance but it became moot when the Act was revoked.

I would say there were details that were missed out in terms of the detailed execution of the order. I really find that really unacceptable. Sorry, for me, that really poses a serious problem, Ste-Marie said, noting protestors children and spouses could be harmed by the measures.

Mason said they also havent received any guidance on how long the financial institutions should retain the information provided by the RCMP.

There are obligations under privacy legislation to only hold information for the purpose for which was provided as long as necessary, said Mason.
A view of the empty beach and a lifeguard station in Malibu, Calif, on April 01, 2020. (Jean-Baptiste Lacroix/AFP via Getty Images)

Beached Whale Rescued in Malibu Has Been Euthanized

MALIBU, Calif.An injured pygmy sperm whale that was initially rescued by Los Angeles County lifeguards and firefighters at a Malibu beach ultimately had to be euthanized, wildlife officials said Monday.

[Marine Mammal Rescue]  At approximately 4:40 pm Lifeguards and @LACOFD responded to the Malibu Surfrider Beach for a report of a pygmy sperm whale stranded on the beach. Lifeguards and fire removed the whale off the shoreline and transferred care to California Wildlife Rescue. pic.twitter.com/D68VbIx4Ko  LACoLifeguards (@LACoLifeguards) March 7, 2022

Lifeguards were called about the beached whale at Malibu Surfrider Beach, in the 23000 block of Pacific Coast Highway, around 4:40 p.m. Sunday, according LA County Fire Department Dispatch Supervisor Michael Pittman.

Lifeguards and firefighters loaded the whale onto a truck about 5:15 p.m., and it was taken to be treated by wildlife experts, Pittman said.

The whale was visibly injured, with multiple bloody cuts and abrasions. Officials with the California Wildlife Center confirmed Monday that the whale had to be euthanized.

With the invaluable assistance of Los Angeles county lifeguards and fire department, we were able to remove the whale from harms way on the beach, according to the center. The whale was in poor health and had sustained many injuries as a result of hitting against low tide rocks. Working with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), we opted to humanely euthanize the animal, in order to prevent additional suffering.

According to the center, based in Calabasas, the whales body was sent to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County for further study.
Clients shopping in the Spar supermarket in Helecine, Belgium on March 7, 2022. (Eric Lalmand/Belga Mag/AFP via Getty Images)

Belgium Scraps Almost All COVID-19 Measures

BRUSSELSBelgium began easing most COVID-19 restrictions Monday in the biggest move to relax measures since the pandemic began some two years ago.

Gone are the coronavirus passport that allows entry into bars, restaurants, theater, and cinemas as well as capacity limits.

Masks will no longer be mandatory except on public transport and in the health care sector.

The government announced last week that the nation of 11 million will go from code orangethe second-toughest for virus measuresto code yellow as of Monday.

Other European countries are also relaxing their pandemic measures, as more and more governments design protocols to co-exist with the coronavirus.
In this photo illustration a computer and a mobile phone screen display the Netflix logo in Arlington, Va., on March 31, 2020. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

Benchmark Sees Minimal Impact From Netflixs Operations Suspension in Russia

Benchmark analyst Matthew Harrigan does not consider Netflix Inc.s suspension of operations in Russia a significant blow to the streaming giants overall business.

There is a clear crisis fallout that could affect Netflixs stock valuation and international growth numbers, but its Russian subscriber base is paltry compared to other countries and regions.

The isolated financial effect is minimal, Harrigan said, noting that less than an estimated 1 million of [Netflixs] 222 million [subscribers] reside in the Russian Federation.

Harrigan remained bullish on the global direct-to-consumer streaming TV market.

However, Harrigan acknowledged that Netflixs strong position in the streaming TV market was vulnerable to the growing competition.

By Anusuya Lahiri

 2021 The Epoch Times. The Epoch Times does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
The Occidental Petroleum logo is displayed on a screen at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York on April 30, 2019. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

Berkshire Hathaway Reveals $5 Billion Occidental Stake as Icahn Exits

Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway Inc. revealed a more than $5 billion stake in Occidental Petroleum Corp., as oil prices soared to their highest level in about a decade.

Berkshire said it owns 91.2 million Occidental shares, or nearly 10 percent of those outstanding, including 61.4 million bought from March 2 to March 4.

Buffetts company disclosed the stake in a Friday night filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Occidentals share price, which jumped 45 percent last week, rose as much as 4.7 percent on Monday before retreating.

The shares were down 4.8 percent at $53.45 in early afternoon trading. Occidental traded below $9 as recently as October 2020.

Oil prices have surged higher following Russias invasion of Ukraine last month, prompting fears of supply shortages.

Berkshire also has warrants to buy another 83.9 million Occidental shares at $59.62 each, or $5 billion.

It obtained these in 2019, when it also purchased $10 billion of preferred stockwhich throws off $800 million of annual dividendsto help finance Occidentals $35.7 billion purchase of Anadarko Petroleum Corp..

News of Berkshires latest investment came as billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn, a critic of the Anadarko merger, last week exited his own Occidental stake.

Berkshire did not immediately respond on Monday to a request for comment.

Buffett had lamented in his Feb. 26 annual shareholder letter that we find little that excites us in equity markets.

The billionaires Omaha, Nebraska-based company, whose businesses include Geico car insurance and the BNSF railroad, ended December with $146.7 billion of cash and equivalents.

It also invested $350.7 billion in equities such as Apple Inc., Bank of America Corp., American Express Co. and Coca-Cola Co..

Berkshire did not say whether Buffett or his portfolio managers Todd Combs and Ted Weschler made the latest Occidental investment, though larger investments are normally Buffetts.

Combs and Weschler recently invested a combined $34 billion.

Buffett has gone six years without a major acquisition, and Berkshire has slowed share repurchases following a record $27 billion in 2021.

James Shanahan, an Edward Jones & Co. analyst who rates Berkshire buy, in a research report said we are becoming more optimistic about cash deployment at Berkshire.

He said Berkshire could buy the 8.9 percent of Berkshire Hathaway Energy it does not already own.

By Jonathan Stempel
Biden Admin Sends Home Man Suspected of Trying to Join 9/11 Hijackers

A Saudi prisoner who was being held at the Guantanamo Bay detention center has been released from U.S. custody, according to the Department of Defense in a statement issued Monday.

Mohammad Ahmad al-Qahtani, who was previously accused of trying to join the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attackers, was sent back to Saudi Arabia from the U.S. military base in Cuba after a review board, including intelligence and military officials, concluded he can be safely released after spending about 20 years in federal custody. He will have to receive psychiatric treatment in his home country, the agency said.

The United States appreciates the willingness of Saudi Arabia and other partners to support ongoing U.S. efforts toward a deliberate and thorough process focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing of the Guantanamo Bay facility, the Department of Defense said.

Medical examinations and records obtained by his attorneys suggest that al-Qahtani has suffered from mental illness, including schizophrenia, since he was a child, according to reports.

After his release, there are now 38 prisoners left at the detention center, according to the Pentagon. Al-Qahtani is the second Guantanamo prisoner to be released under President Joe Bidens administration.

Seven of them are eligible for a Periodic Review Board; 10 are involved in the military commissions process; and two detainees have been convicted in military commissions, the statement said.

The Defense Department in February told Congress of its intention to transfer al-Qahtani to Saudi Arabia, prompting criticism from some Republican lawmakers.

We write with grave concern regarding your administrations reported decision to transfer terrorist Mohammed al-Qahtani from Guantanamo Bay to Saudi Arabia, Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) said in a letter to Biden dated in February. We urge you to immediately reverse this decision as we believe this detainee continues to pose serious threats to U.S. national security.

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), a member of the House GOP leadership, wrote that she opposed his release, saying that it shows weakness on the world stage.

The Defense Department had previously stated that al-Qahtani had been trained by al-Qaeda and attempted to participate in the Sept. 11 attacks. However, his attempt to enter the United States earlier in 2001 was unsuccessful, according to reports. He was eventually captured in Afghanistan in December 2001.

Al-Qahtani was one of the first individuals who was sent to the Guantanamo Bay facility in January 2002.

A top Bush administration official, Susan Crawford, previously said that Guantanamo officials tortured Qahtani, according to a 2009 Washington Post report. As a result, his case was dropped by the federal government.
President Joe Biden speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on March 8, 2022. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Biden Announces Ban on Russian Oil

President Joe Biden announced a ban on all Russian oil imports Tuesday in the latest move from the United States to isolate Russias economy in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

This latest measure comes in addition to sanctions already placed on Russian financial systems and individuals in Russian President Vladimir Putins inner circle.

This is a move that has strong bipartisan support in Congress and I believe in the country, said Biden. Americans have rallied to support the Ukrainian people and made it clear that we will not be part of subsidizing Putins war.

Biden acknowledged the move would cost Americans as well. It comes as gas prices in the United States reach record highs. The national average cost for a gallon of gas reached $4.17 Tuesday, according to the American Automobile Association.

West Texas Intermediate crude futures were trading at more than $128 per barrel Tuesday, having reached its highest level since 2008, $130, in the previous session.

Phil Flynn, an analyst for Price Futures Group, told The Epoch Times Tuesday that Bidens move will likely leave a void in the oil and gas market.

I think its going to cost you at the gasoline pump. Its going to cost you at the diesel pump, said Flynn. It gets into the way that Russian oil is refined by these refiners that use this heavier oil. Its gets a little bit wonky, but its going be more difficult for refiners to replace that oil.

Some major oil companies have also said they will not buy from Russia, including ExxonMobil, BP, and Shell.

Russia provides 10 percent of the U.S. supply of natural gas and oil, and roughly 40 percent of the European Unions.

We have to apply maximum pressure on Vladimir Putin and Russia until it ceases and desists with respect to its aggression and the slaughtering of innocent individuals in Ukraine, House Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told reporters in Washington. There may be some sacrifice that will be required across the world.

Countries from all over the world have imposed sanctions against Russia since the start of the invasion but have drawn the line at banning Russian oil.

Germany, the biggest buyer of Russian crude oil, has rejected plans to ban energy imports. Germany is accelerating plans to expand its use of alternative energy sources but cannot halt imports of Russian energy overnight, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Monday.

Biden met virtually with leaders from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom Monday.

In an attempt to help stabilize the market, Biden on March 1 authorized the Department of Energy to release 30 million barrels of oil from the U.S. strategic petroleum reserves, representing half of a coordinated 60-million-barrel release from International Energy Agency (IEA) member states.

But the 60 million barrels released amounts to a drop in the bucketequivalent to 2 million barrels a day for 30 days, while the United States consumes an average of about 20 million barrels per day.

U.S. officials have said more options remain on the table to stabilize gas prices but have not detailed those options. Officials have been in talks with major oil producers around the world including Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Iran, but have yet to announce any new oil deals.

Some U.S. senators are warning the Biden administration against seeking any oil import deal from socialist dictator Nicolas Maduros regime in Venezuela.

The Biden administrations efforts to unify the entire world against a murderous tyrant in Moscow should not be undercut by propping up a dictator under investigation for crimes against humanity in Caracas, said Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, in a statement Monday. The democratic aspirations of the Venezuelan people, much like the resolve and courage of the people of Ukraine, are worth much more than a few thousand barrels of oil.

Some members of Congress and the press have called for the United States to increase its domestic oil production as a means of stabilizing gas prices, though this would run counter to the Biden administrations effort to move the United States away from fossil fuels.

We need to produce energy of all forms and all types here in the U.S., and do it better than anybody else, Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) said Tuesday.

Flynn seconded that sentiment in his interview with The Epoch Times Tuesday, saying that Biden needs to get off the back of the U.S. energy industry and reverse course.

Biden signed an executive order during his first days in office putting a halt to new fossil fuel drilling leases. White House press secretary Jen Psaki has continually pointed to already approved leases untapped by the oil industry.

Weve actually produced more oil, it is at record numbers, and we will continue to produce more oil. There are 9,000 approved drilling permits that are not being used, Psaki said on Monday. So the suggestion that we are not allowing companies to drill is inaccurate.

Biden says the United States is continuing to supply Ukraine with shipments of defense weapons and humanitarian aid, noting the war has turned 2 million Ukrainians into refugees.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
A boat that ran aground in the Florida Keys off Key Largo, on March 6, 2022. (United States Border Patrol via AP)

Boat Carrying Haitian Migrants Grounds Off the Florida Keys

KEY LARGO, Fla.A wooden boat carrying hundreds of Haitian migrants in a suspected human smuggling operation ran aground in shallow water in the Florida Keys, where 163 people swam ashore and many needed medical attention, federal authorities said.

The boat teeming with people listed sharply to its side near Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, not far from where another boat carrying 176 Haitians was stopped in January.

Many of the migrants were in need of medical attention, according to a tweet sent by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Chief Agent Walter N. Slosar on Sunday night.

The U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies rushed to help the group of migrants, which included women and children.

Multiple agencies responded quickly & worked closely to protect a lot of lives today, U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Jason Neiman wrote on Twitter Sunday night.

It was not immediately know how many people were taken to hospitals. Coast Guard images at the scene showed a large group of Haitians draped in towels on the shore.

Haitian migrants on shore wrapped in towels after a boat ran aground in the Florida Keys off Key Largo, on March 6, 2022. (United States Border Patrol via AP)

Border Patrol officials said human smuggling is suspected and an investigation is continuing.

In the past week, the Coast Guard has stopped two other Haitian boats navigating near the Bahamas with dozens of migrants.

On Feb. 28, crews spotted a Haitian sailboat with 179 people aboard 30 miles (50 kilometers) off Andros Island, Bahamas. Last Friday, the Coast Guard stopped another Haitian sail vessel with 123 people, including 39 minors about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from Anguilla Cay, Bahamas.
The three Bs of classical music, Bach, Beethoven and Brahms lived in the baroque, classical and romantic eras of music respectively. While Ludwig von Beethovens music saw success during his life, he couldnt really enjoy said success since by the end of his career, he was completely deaf. Johann Sebastian Bachs music was neglected for years after his death until Felix Mendelssohn brought it back to life. Johannes Brahmss music wasnt always accepted but towards the end of his life, he was a celebrity in Vienna and he knew it. He could walk down the street and be recognized by his fans.

Brahmss Early Education

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) grew up in a simple family. His father, Johann Jakob Brahms, was a struggling musician and his mother was a seamstress. He was the oldest of three children.

As a child when he was studying piano with his first teacher Otto Cossel, he already had the aspiration to compose. Cossel had no skill in teaching composition so he introduced Johannes to his own teacher at one time, Eduard Marxsen. Marxsen saw Brahmss talent but wanted him to focus on the piano, composing would come in due time. But Brahms would not relent. He continued to prod Marxsen about it until he finally gave in.

Brahms, the Composer

According the the book, Brahms: A Biography by Jan Swafford, Brahms was known to put himself at the forefront of his mind when composing. He composed for himself first, his friends second, and lastly for his audience.

He lived in an era when music was changing drastically. The New German School of music believed that music should convey a story. They felt that Beethoven was great, but music should not stop progressing beyond Beethoven. The head figures of this school were Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner. Some of Liszts later works bordered on atonalism, as The New German School paved the way for impressionist composers like Claude Debussy.

Johannes Brahms and Robert Schumann, the leading figures of absolute music, believed that what the listener perceived of music should be up to them, and not determined by the composer. Music should be enjoyed purely for musics sake. In other words, progressing towards impressionism or dare they imagine, losing a tonal center, was out of the picture. Brahms appreciated Liszts virtuosity; he knew he could never match Liszt in that regard, but he despised Liszts music. He thought it was too emotional and still lacked substance. It wasnt music that made him feel good. He felt that music should convey pure emotions. Now if things should be going badly with you, music is always the great consolation, he would say.

When Brahms met Robert and Clara Schumann in 1853, the couple immediately took a liking to the dashing young lad. The Brahms that we picture today is the older, plumper Johannes Brahms sporting a large beard. He in fact had trouble growing facial hair in his younger days. He was lithe, boyish, and he was a bundle of nerves when he played a piece he composed, for the Schumanns.

The Schumanns loved his music and it wasnt before long that Robert Schumann wrote about Brahms in a music journal, calling him the savior of German music and the successor of Beethoven. Schumann believed that Brahms would be the leader and the protector of the traditions that Beethoven and Mozart had left behind. Brahms adored these two composers.

There were many who expected Brahms to fill in the shoes of Beethoven, and that led him to think and rethink his music. Brahms was compared to Beethoven all his life. His first symphony took him over twenty years from conception to completion and people called it Beethovens 10th. In fact, Brahms taking over twenty years to complete a piece happened not once, but thrice. The criticism on his music was often that he was trying to copy Beethoven. Once a reviewer said, One of your themes was very similar to one of Beethovens! And Brahms famous response was, Of course it was. Everyone steals  the important thing is to do it brilliantly.

Brahms, the Man

When Robert Schumann became ill, he developed hallucinations and threw himself into the Rhine river. After being rescued, he was sent to an asylum where he died a year later. During this time, Brahms spent more and more time with Clara and her children. They fell in love but never married. Brahms struggled with his feelings for talented women all of his life but he was unable to devote his life to another.

After Brahms made his name in Vienna, he fully had the means to buy and furnish a comfortable and lavish home for himself. It was almost an expectation for a composer of Brahmss caliber to live in luxury. Lavish apartments at the time were decked with peacock feathers and made to look exotic. Richard Wagner was said to be a great admirer of that style of decor. Brahms apartment however, resembled a students apartment, as described by Max Kalbeck, Brahmss chosen biographer. His landlady was also his housekeeper. The landlady provided the furniture he used, and most of the furniture was old and shabby.

Brahms wasnt poor. In fact, he could be considered one of the most financially stable composers in history. He composed when he wanted and he didnt have to bind himself to an employer like many composers before him. He wasnt a greedy man either. It is entirely possible that his great economic independence was directly related to his single status all his life. He didnt have a wife or children to provide for. He could therefore aim his money in other directions.

After Robert Schumanns death, Clara had to raise their children on her own. She was a spectacular pianist and she was able to support her children as well as her husband while he was in the mental asylum with the money she received performing concerts. She was a sensational woman. After she became ill and the pain in her hands grew unbearable for her to continue performing, Brahms would sometimes transfer some money to her secretly. They were such good friends and Clara would have been embarrassed to ask for money so Brahmss generosity to her was greatly appreciated.

Perhaps Brahmss choice of living space was also connected to his preference for a very private life. After he read biographies about the composers who preceded him, particularly Beethoven, he was acutely aware and perhaps afraid that his name and life would befall the same fate. His secrets would literally be an open book for everyone to read. So starting from his early days of composing, if he wasnt satisfied with something he wrote, he would destroy it.

When Brahms gave compositions of his to a friend, there were several occasions when he asked for them to be returned. He would then destroy those compositions was well. His letters were the same. Near the end of his life, he destroyed the letters that were sent to him and wrote to Clara Schumann asking her to destroy his letters as well. Perhaps Clara refused, or maybe she forgot, for a portion of their correspondence has survived.

He knew his shortcomings well. For instance, he knew he wasnt strong in writing counterpoint so he pored over Bachs music to study from the great master. Brahms had once said, Study Bach, there you will find everything. And he knew that he couldnt touch a noble woman but he struggled with his feelings regardless.

Johannes Brahms was one of the greatest composers who ever lived. And while he has his fair share of imperfections, but he had his virtues as well. He didnt flaunt his wealth, living a simple lifestyle and he was generous with sharing his wealth too. He didnt only help Clara Schumann in her struggling years but also young, promising artists. His legacy is the sublime music that he has left the world. As much as he wanted to avoid public speculation, the complexity of Brahmss music spoke volumes about him.
A woman carries her pet cat as evacuees cross a destroyed bridge as they flee the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 7, 2022. (Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images)

Braving Bombs and Shellfire to Rescue Ukraines Animals

People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has received a lot of criticism for promoting veganism and leather alternatives, but in the past two weeks, the international animal rights organization has braved bombs and gunfire to help puppies, dogs, cats, and kittens that have been left homeless in the wake of Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Petya Petrova, PETAs campaign coordinator for Eastern Europe, initially spoke to The Epoch Times on March 2 while riding in a van with other animal rescuers traveling to Lviv, Ukraine, and other surrounding towns to pick up stray and abandoned animals, as well as pets and their owners, and drive them back to the border.

Petrova is specifically working with Viva!, an animal sanctuary located just outside of Warsaw, Poland, while other PETA field operators have teamed up with shelters in other border countries.

Im very determined to go, said Petrova, a native of Bulgaria. Animals do not think in terms of borders. They are terrified, hungry, and confused and just want the noise and chaos to stop.

A Ukrainian refugee holds her pet cat as she and others arrive by bus at the GreekBulgarian border at Promachonas, Greece, on March 7, 2022. (Sakis Mitrolidis/AFP via Getty Images)

On March 4, after waiting for 12 hours at the Poland border with a van full of dogs and cats, Petrova spoke again with The Epoch Times, confirming that she had made it back safely. On March 6, she said she was readying for another trip into Ukraine.

Petrova is one of the luckier rescuers trying to reach the most helpless of the victims of Russias attack on Ukraine, which also includes zoo animals still trapped in cages. At least six animal rescuers have reportedly been killed just this week as they were working to help some of the thousands of Ukrainian animals caught in the violence of the war, according to Petrova and various media outlet reports.

Three of the volunteers were reportedly shot to death in their car on March 5 as they were returning from the town of Bucha, Ukraine, where they had delivered food to a dog shelter.

The shelter, which is just 18 miles outside of Kyiv, Ukraine, had been without food for three days. One of the shooting victims was 26-year old Anastasiia Yalanskaya, whose husband told Canada-based Global News that she was close to home when the car she was traveling in came under heavy gunfire.

Border countries to Ukraine, including the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Romania, Poland, and Slovakia, have agreed to permit entry of the Ukrainian animals without documentation, according to PETA.

Bulgaria is also taking the Ukraine animals without documentation under an emergency agreement with PETA. But with an already high stray population before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the border and outlying countries are only temporary havens for Ukrainian animals.

Petrova told The Epoch Times that the ultimate goal is to get the animals to western Europe. But unlike the central European countries, the UK, Italy, and others are requiring documentation and quarantining, which has thwarted efforts by animal rescue groups to help the Ukrainian animals.

The UKs refusal to lift its steep custom tariffs has especially drawn ire from animal advocates there.

I am sickened that in this moment of serious conflict we can not just be waved through and get this aid to where it is needed, Jason Yorke, who runs a small dog rescue group in England, posted on Facebook.

A woman carries a pet rabbit as she exits a train arriving from Kyiv, Ukraine, at Przemysl main train station in Poland on Feb. 23, 2022. (Omar Marques/Getty Images)

Yorke said that while the UK has a special code for humanitarian aid, it doesnt classify pet food under the category.

Hes a volunteer with Dogbus, a UK-based animal transportation and rescue organization.

It operates a rescue shelter in Bucharest, Romania, but that shelter is already at capacity and has been told by the UK government that it has to wait weeks before bringing animals from Ukraine to its UK shelter.

It is frustrating, Petrova told The Epoch Times.

She said a league of veterinarians remain at the border, working around the clock checking rescued animals. None of them have shown any sign of disease, only injuries sustained in the fighting, malnutrition, and dehydration.

Before the arrival of PETA and other organizations, individual animal rescuers had taken to social media asking for food and water for the animals and posting pictures of them huddling in makeshift shelters.

As many evacuated Kyiv, Andrea Cisternino, well-known among locals for his animal rescue work, stayed behind to care for his rescuesposting last week on his Facebook page about his challenges to keep the animals calm during early morning bombings, artillery barrages, and aircraft flying overhead.

We live with anxiety, but we try to be positive, he said.

For the past 13 years, Cisternino, a photographer and native of Italy, has been running an animal sanctuary for more than 400 animals. They include domestic pets, as well as goats, chickens, and sheep. As of March 6, Cisternino said all of the animals were still alive and managing.

While many Ukrainians took their animals with them when they fled, many were left behind. Some operators of animal shelters also left without making any provisions for the strays they were housing, leaving a few volunteers who stayed behind to step in to do what they could for the animals abandoned at the shelters, according to Cisternino. Horses and large animals were largely abandoned.

Petrova said many pet owners fleeing Ukraine dont have cars and have walked for miles to get their pets out of the country.

Satabdi Sharma told The Epoch Times that she walked 36 miles to the border with her tiger cat Crimsee under her jacket.

I collapsed at the border, where people fed me while people took turns holding Crimsee for me, she said.

Other animals werent as lucky. Several dogs died from exhaustion as they walked long distances to the border with their owners, according to Petrova. Others died from acute stress caused by loud explosions from bombs and missiles being dropped around them.

On the same day that Petrova was traveling from Germany to Ukraine, a Berlin resident voluntarily drove 20,000 tons of pet food into Ukraine. Many animal rescue shelters in border countries are helping, including Casa lui Patrocle in Romania, which has dispatched animal ambulances to the border to help pet owners and animals no matter their species.

Animal rescuers across the globe say they wish they could go to Ukraine and help the animals and people there.

One of them is Mohammed Aljaleel, an ambulance driver in Aleppo, Syria, who inspired the pictorial book The Cat Man of Aleppo by feeding hundreds of cats and dogs who became strays during the Syrian War.

Aljaleel, who now runs a cat sanctuary in Syria, told The Epoch Times that hes worried that Ukrainians will end up suffering through an endless war like Syrians have and that the victims will be the same as they are in his country.

War is the word that causes us pain, Aljaleel said. It causes great harm to children and pets and the elderly.

And to animal rescuers.

Yalanskayas final Instagram post, made just hours before she was killed, is a picture of herself smiling while sitting next to the bags of dog food she was delivering.

Donations can be made here to help PETA in its efforts in Ukraine. The following organizations are also legitimate organizations helping the animals in Ukraine in need of donations: Casa lui Patrocle, Dogbus, and International Fund for Animal Welfare.
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (L) poses with Latvia's Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins ahead of their meeting in Riga, Latvia, on March 8, 2022. (Toms Norde/AFP via Getty Images)

Canada Extends Military Mission in Latvia as War Rages in Ukraine

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau concluded his visit to Latvia today where he announced his government was renewing its military operation in the country a year in advance to support NATO.

This mission was set to expire next year and in light of the situation in Europe, we decided to renew it ahead of schedule, Trudeau said in a joint press conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins, and Spanish Primer Minister Pedro Sanchez.

Operation REASSURANCE is the CAFs [Canadian Armed Forces] support to NATOs assurance and deterrence measures. The troops here are not only defending Latvia or Eastern Europe, theyre defending all NATO allies, including Canada.

Trudeau said 540 CAF personnel are currently in Latvia and will be joined by approximately 130 others in the coming weeks. Canada is leading the NATO battlegroup in Latvia.

In response to Russias invasion of Ukraine, some western countries have been providing military hardware to Ukraine. Some of Canadas contributions have come out of CAF inventory, such as 100 Carl Gustaf anti-tank weapons and corresponding ammunition.

Trudeau was asked during the press conference if he would commit to an urgent procurement to replace those weapons and if he would meet the 2 percent GDP defence spending benchmark set by NATO. Canada currently spends 1.4 percent of its GDP on defence, according to the World Bank.

Those weapons are much more useful right now, and in the coming weeks, in the hands of Ukrainian soldiers fighting for their lives, then they would be in Canadian hands, Trudeau answered.

But of course, we need to make sure we replace those weapons rapidly and that we continue to invest in the equipment that leads our armed forces to be able to continue to contribute not just in places like here in Latvia, but everywhere around the world where we are called on to do.

Trudeau also announced his intention to strengthen relationships with the Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania, of which he met the prime ministers on March 8. The leaders agreed to a yearly meeting of foreign ministers, the first of which will take place in Quebec this spring, according to a statement from the Prime Ministers Office.

Deterrence, Not Provocation

Stoltenberg said a priority for NATO is keeping the conflict from growing further.

Our ultimate responsibility is to keep our 1 billion citizens safe. This means we must do everything possible to prevent the conflict from spreading beyond Ukraine, he said.

Commenting on the reinforcement of NATOs eastern flank, Stoltenberg said the purpose of that deterrence is not to provoke a war, but is to prevent the warits to preserve peace.

He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted less NATO, but now hes getting more NATO.

Russia has cited Ukraines alignment with and arming by the West, and its desire to join NATO, as key motivators for its invasion.

On March 7, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia would stop its military operation under three conditions, one of which was that Ukraine changes its constitution to enshrine neutrality, reported Reuters.

The other conditions are that Ukraine recognizes Russian sovereignty over Crimea, which it annexed in 2014, as well as recognizing the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk.

They should make amendments to the constitution according to which Ukraine would reject any aims to enter any bloc, Peskov said.

Peskov also said Russia was finishing the demilitarization of Ukraine, pledging we will finish it.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney speaks at the United Conservative Party annual meeting in Calgary on Nov. 20, 2021. (Larry MacDougal/The Canadian Press)

Canadian Premier Says Biden Should Opt for Oil From His Province Over Saudi Arabia, Venezuela

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says the United States should be seeking his provinces oil instead of getting it from Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.

Responding to a report by Axion that U.S. President Joe Biden may travel to Saudi Arabia in the coming months to request more oil amid the RussiaUkraine crisis, Kenney said he would be delighted to welcome the president should he decide to visit Alberta.

We could discuss how to ship nearly 1 million barrels of day of responsibly produced energy every day from the USAs closest friend and ally! he said in a tweet on March 6.

The United States is the worlds largest oil producer ahead of Saudi Arabia and Russia, but its also the biggest oil consumer, and it cant meet that staggering demand with domestic crude alone.

The United States imported 245 million barrels of oil from Russia last yearabout 8 percent of all U.S. oil importsup from 198 million barrels in 2020. Thats less than it gets from Canada or Mexico but more than it imported last year from Saudi Arabia.

Russias invasion of Ukraine has sparked a price hike in gasoline in the United States. On March 6, the price of gas surpassed $4 (C$5.12) per gallon for the first time in nearly 14 years.

Oil prices soared early March 7 before retreating. In midday trading, benchmark U.S. crude was up 2 percent to about $118 (C$151.12) per barrel, and the international price gained 4 percent to around $123 (C$157.52) per barrel. Major U.S. stock indexes were down about 2 percent.

With calls to ban the import of Russian oil and concerns that such a move would exacerbate the prices of gasoline and oil, Biden has been hesitant to make a decision.

Kenney proposed a solution.

All it would take is [Bidens] approval for Keystone XL. Easy, the premier said in his tweet.

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at the White House campus on March 4, 2022. (Patrick Semansky/AP Photo)

The Keystone XL cross-border pipeline project was held up for more than a decade by environmental opposition and regulatory hurdles. In 2021, Biden scrapped the project by revoking a presidential permit that had been approved by President Donald Trump in 2017.

If Keystone XL had been allowed to proceed, it would have carried 830,000 barrels per day of oil from Alberta to the U.S. Midwest.

Attempts to revive the project were made by U.S. House Republicans, who introduced the American Independence From Russian Energy Act on Feb. 28, a measure meant to authorize the Keystone XL pipeline and boost domestic oil and gas production.

But the bill was defeated in a 221202 vote on March 1, almost entirely along partisan lines.

Responding to a report by The Wall Street Journal that U.S. officials have met with Venezuela officials face to face over the weekend to discuss possible oil exports to replace Russias, Kenney questioned the thinking behind Bidens administration.

What is going on with US energy policy? Without the Biden veto, #KXL would have added 840,000 BPD [barrels per day] of [Canadian] supply to the US later this year, he said in another tweet on March 6.

Now the US is importing +600,000 BPD from Putin & may replace that by lifting sanctions on oil from the Iranian & Venezuelan dictatorships!

If the discussion between the United States and Venezuela comes to fruition, the oil sanctions imposed on Caracas by the Trump administration in 2019 will be eased, meaning Venezuelan crude oil will be back on the international market.

In a statement to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Foreign Relations in 2019, Carrie Filipetti, former deputy assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere Affairs, said the purpose of the oil sanctions was to eliminate funding that enabled a patronage network used to retain the regime of Venezuela leader Nicolas Maduro.

The Maduro regime has been described by Amnesty International as a repressive government that created an unprecedented human rights crisis in Venezuela.

The regime is determined to retain power, and it needs money to do so, Filipetti told the senators.

This is a large reason why we have implemented sanctionsto cut off those sources of financial income and prevent the oil industry from being exploited for patronage.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Capitol Report (March 7): US Considers Cutting Out Russian Oil

Were seeing the highest gas prices in decades. But the White House is saying U.S. oil companies are not producing enough. Whats the administration doing next for energy security?

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting Eastern Europe amid Russias invasion of Ukraine. He is also pressing China to condemn the invasion.

As Russia has picked up its offensive in major cities throughout Ukraine, the United States has given the go-ahead to Poland to offer fighter jets to Ukraine. But could this provoke Russia even further?

Elected officials debate whether to ban Russian energy amid soaring gas prices. There might be a solution, but can our elected officials agree?

As the situation in Ukraine plays out, what is communist Chinas next move, and will how the United States responds to Ukraine be the playbook for how the Chinese Communist Party asserts itself into Taiwan?

The National Guard is on standby for the Trucker Convoy in the D.C. area that is protesting pandemic restrictions.

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CCP Exposes Its Fascist Nature Through the Chained Woman Case

Commentary

For more than 20 years, she was chained, beaten, and gang raped. Her teeth were pulled out with pliers and the tip of her tongue was cut off. She was treated as a birthing tool and bore eight children. She likely suffered more than what we know, but the regime will not tolerate the revelation of any more details. However, what we do know is enough to suffocate any conscientious mind.

The outraged public forced the Xuzhou city government to respond. But, several official statements were ill-logical and conflicting, their only purpose was to stop more truth from being told. Reluctantly, a provincial level investigation team was dispatched. But the first task of the team wasnt to find the facts about the perpetrators of the crimes, it was to find out who leaked the photo of the marriage certificate that clearly showed the chained woman was not the woman on the certificate.

Two young ladies wanted to visit the chained woman in Xuzhou, but the police kidnapped them like the mafia would do, and charged them with the crime of picking quarrels and provoking troublea typical allegation towards any Chinese who tries to exercise their right to find the truth.

Among the demands for truth, we didnt hear comments from any Chinese public welfare organizations. All we heard was more more details about the police going after truth seekers.

Subsequently, there was a large-scale deletion of internet posts, deletion of online accounts, subpoenas, telephone warnings and threats, some universities and units receiving verbal notices of no discussion, and so ontypical shady tactics used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The 1989 publication titled, Ancient SinsDocumentary of Women Trafficking in China, which detailed the kidnapping of 48,100 women in just the six counties of Xuzhou, in the three years from 1986 to 1989, was removed from bookshelves.

The CCPs state media, on the other hand, was overwhelmingly silent.

Dongji Village, where the chained woman was found, is now surrounded by iron walls, and all roads are strictly guarded. No one is permitted to enter the area, even if you are well prepared with documents necessary for travel during the pandemic, such as a negative nucleic acid test.

This fascist act by the CCP is blocking people from pursuing the truth and exposing the inhumanity, something that matters a great deal to hundreds of millions of Chinese people.

None of the entire CCP machinery spoke up for the victimnot the bureaucratic agencies, not the media, not the grassroots governments, not the social elites.

The crime of human trafficking has been rampant under CCP rule because the CCP has never cracked down on the criminals, even though reports of missing people have been constantly heard, and even footage of criminals conducting kidnaps in broad daylight posted online.

For such crimes to exist the CCPs permission or endorsement would be required in China today. When the crimes of human trafficking have clearly formed and operated as a large national network, shouldnt we ask how this happened?

Playing cards showing details of missing children are displayed in 2007 in Beijing, China. The cards, showing photographs and information of 27 missing children, were created by Shen Hao, the founder of a missing persons website, and are to be handed out in areas notorious for child trafficking. China has just been put on a list of countries of serious concern for human trafficking. (China Photos/Getty Images)

When the regime started a campaign to crack down on underworld forces in 2018, it claimed the key emphasis of the was targeting the crime protection umbrellas. The size and ubiquity of human trafficking in China clearly shows the existence of a large umbrella, which the special campaign hasnt targeted. Why?

At a superficial level, it is because the victims are civilians who pose no threat to the regimes power or its vested interest group. But, public opinion about the chained woman has a different take this time. Local authorities statements only drew much wider criticism and cries for truth.

The cover-up of the chained woman incident exposes the CCPs fascist face and cannibalistic evil nature. People need to wake up and see that even clamoring and winning glory for todays China is deceiving innocent people both domestically and internationally, and whitewashing the evil conduct of the CCP.

The demise of the CCP is no longer wishful thinking.

In June 2002, deep into the Zhangbu River Valley of Pingtang County, Guizhou Province, a local Party cadre found a naturally formed boulder, inscribed with six Chinese characters that said Death to the Chinese Communist Party, inside the local National Geology Park. Chinese experts confirmed that it was a rock formed more than 270 million years ago, and verified that the boulder fell from the cliff on the left bank of the river valley about 500 years ago.

Just as I was ready to conclude this article, the local provincial investigation report was made available. As expected, we didnt hear a word from the chained woman, whose true identity remains a mystery; all else was as stated in previous official reports, except for the so-called punishment of 17 relevant staff, in residence registration, marriage certification, and family planning, for negligent oversight.

If anyone accepts this token treatment of the chained woman incident, I would encourage people to read The Epoch Times editorials entitled Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and The Ultimate Goal of Communism.

These publications will help remove the toxic ideology instilled by the CCP from peoples minds, will prevent the innocent souls from being deceived by the specter, and gain the blessing of God.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
CDC Warns Against Travel to New Zealand as COVID-19 Cases Soar

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning Americans against traveling to New Zealand, which has failed in its attempts to eradicate COVID-19.

The CDC on March 7 added Hong Kong, Thailand, and New Zealand to the highest-risk category. Americans are told to avoid travel to such destinations.

If people must travel to one of the countries labeled very high risk, they should make sure theyre not only vaccinated, but up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines before traveling.

That means that people should have received a booster dose if eligible, to combat the waning effectiveness of vaccines.

Brunei, Bhutan, Malaysia, and Vietnam are among the other countries in the highest-risk category.

New Zealand was once heralded by many experts for its approach to the COVID-19 pandemic, which included strict isolation of even small numbers of COVID-19 cases, a widespread vaccination push, and the goal of eradicating the disease, which is caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

That approach worked to keep cases down until the winter of 2021 when case counts began soaring.

New Zealand recorded just 464 cases on Feb. 11 but the numbers spiked after that, reaching nearly 24,000 on Tuesday.

Many people have contracted the illness despite being vaccinated, though authorities dont disclose the exact figures.

Approximately 60 percent of the COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized in the country have been vaccinated, including some 254 who received a booster, according to the New Zealand Ministry of Health.

Still, Dr. Caroline McElnay, the ministrys director of public health, told a briefing on March 8 that the agencys figures show unvaccinated people are four times overrepresented in hospitals.

Just 3 percent of eligible people aged 12 and over in New Zealand have had no doses of the vaccine. However, of the eligible people hospitalized since community transmission of Omicron was detected, 17 percent have had no doses of the vaccine, she said.

Omicron is a variant of the CCP virus that is better able to evade protection from vaccines. It became dominant around the world in late 2021.

Before the updated designations, the CDC considered Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Thailand high-risk destinations.

The U.S. agency also shifted six countriesAnguilla, Cape Verde, Fiji, Mexico, the Philippines, and the United Arab Emiratesfrom the top risk category, moving them to the high-risk group. Nine destinations, all in Africa, were moved from the high risk to the moderate risk category, and eight countries, also all in Africa, were shifted from the moderate risk group to the low risk.
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines speaks during a House Intelligence Committee hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, on March 8, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

China Is Leading Threat to US, Will Seek Taiwan Unification: Intelligence Community

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is a leading threat to the United States and will continue its attempts to coerce Taiwan into unification with the mainland, according to leaders of the U.S. intelligence community.

The [Peoples Republic of China] is coming ever closer to being a peer competitor in areas of relevance to national security, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said during a hearing of the House Intelligence Committee on March 8.

It is pushing to revise global norms and institutions to its advantage. And it is challenging the United States in multiple arenas, but particularly economically, militarily, and technologically.

The hearing follows the March 7 publication of the Office of the Director of National Intelligences annual threat assessment, which found that China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia would be the leading threats to the United States in the coming year.

The report said that the CCP is using every lever of power available to challenge the United States position as leader on the world stage, and that CCP leadership has sought to replace Western norms with their own autocratic means of governance.

Beijing sees increasingly competitive U.S.China relations as part of an epochal geopolitical shift and views Washingtons diplomatic, economic, and military measures against Beijing as part of a broader U.S. effort to prevent Chinas rise and undermine CCP rule, the report said.

Haines reiterated the reports findings that CCP leadership would continue to aggressively pursue the forced unification of the island of Taiwan with the mainland, preferably through coercion but with military conquest if necessary.

President Xi Jinping and Chinas other leaders are determined to force unification with Taiwan on Beijings terms, Haines said.

China would prefer coerced unification that avoids armed conflict, and it has been stepping up diplomatic, economic, and military pressure on the island for years to isolate and to weaken confidence in its democratically elected leaders. At the same time, Beijing is preparing to use military force if it decides this is necessary.

The CCP has considered Taiwan to be a breakaway province since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949. Taiwan is self-governed, however, and has maintained de facto independence since then.

Xi, who serves as the CCPs general secretary, has made the unification a priority in his plan to achieve a so-called great national rejuvenation.

The CCP, according to the report, is thus attempting to fracture the United States commitment to Taiwan through influence operations. These operations are designed to sow internal strife in America by amplifying narratives critical of the United States itself, particularly those that focus on sowing racial tensions.

The report said the CCP was likely learning from Russian influence operations, studying how to use social media and other technologies against societies in Asia and elsewhere.

To this end, intelligence leaders expressed that CCP leadership is watching events in Ukraine unfold with some concern and likely arent pleased with the unified response to the war in Ukraine demonstrated by the West.

Ukraine is likely to reinforce Chinas understanding of the seriousness with which the United States would approach the situation in Taiwan, Haines added, as well as the general standing of unity between the U.S. and Europe, and the potential impact of Western sanctions.

While Taiwan is a flashpoint in SinoU.S. relations, its far from the only factor driving the intelligence community to classify the CCP as a leading threat to national security.

Indeed, the report highlighted that the CCP is rapidly expanding space, cyber, nuclear, economic, and diplomatic efforts, and was seeking to further expand its military footprint through new bases on foreign soil.

To that end, committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said that the growing tension between the United States and China is emblematic of a much broader conflict: between representation and repression.

In the midst of all these threats, there is a global struggle between democracy and autocracy, he said. Authoritarian governments are emboldened, using force and technology to enforce their will while ignoring human rights and fundamental freedoms, and spreading dangerous misinformation.

To meet any of the threats before us today effectively, the United States must remain committed to our values and to the promotion of democracy and fundamental human rights.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) shakes hands with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during a welcoming ceremony at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of State in Qingdao on June 10, 2018. (Sergei Guneyev/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)

China Shares Common Goal With Russia to Undermine US, Cant Be Trusted to Mediate End to Ukraine Crisis: Lawmakers

The Chinese Communist Party is an ally of Russia and cant be trusted to help resolve the Ukraine crisis, U.S. lawmakers told The Epoch Times.

The warning comes amid growing calls from Ukraine and elsewhere pressing the regime in Beijing to use its influence with Moscow to mediate an end to the conflict.

Chinas stance on the war has been under intense international scrutiny since Russia first opened fire against Ukraine. Despite the repeated urging of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken for Beijing to make its voice heard, and Kyiv calling for the regime to leverage its diplomatic relations with Moscow to press for a ceasefire, Beijing has carefully sidestepped the topic, refusing to denounce Russias aggression or join Western sanctions on Moscow.

Its now the only major country in the world that refuses to call the Russian action an invasion.

China has been deliberately, consistently, and deeply unhelpful throughout this crisis, a spokesperson for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) told The Epoch Times.

The Chinese Communist Party uses sovereignty as an excuse for its aggression across Asia, but has refused to condemn Russias further invasion of Ukraine, the spokesperson added, referring to the regimes claim that it holds sovereignty over the self-ruled democratic island of Taiwan, which it seeks to absorb by force if necessary.

Beijings stance shouldnt be surprising in view of the mutual interests of the two countries leaders, the spokesperson said. Chinas leader Xi Jinping views Russian President Vladimir Putin as an ally in their mutual goal of undermining the United States and our allies.

Hypocrisy

On day 12 of Russias attack, Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi described the countrys friendship with Moscow as rock solid, an affirmation stated after Xi and Putin announced a no limits partnership between the two countries in early February.

Wang also for the first time signaled Chinas willingness to provide necessary mediation in the conflict, but rejected the possibility that a diplomatic fallout would hinder Chinas relationship with Russia.

No matter how precarious and challenging the international situation may be, he told reporters, China and Russia will steadily advance our comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era.

Wangs remarks showed plainly enough that the world cant put its hopes on China to end the bloody conflict, said Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.).

While the world works to rally support for Ukraine, Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi called Russia his countrys most important strategic partner, she told The Epoch Times.

As authoritarian regimes seek to undermine freedom and democracy around the world, we know Xi Jinpings regime cannot be a trusted mediator.

A rescuer pushes a cart with an elderly woman during the evacuation by civilians from the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, on March 8, 2022. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images)

Theres also a touch of irony in Chinas tacit support for Russia.

Ukraine is exposing the hypocrisy of the Chinese Communist Party. They preach non-interference in internal affairs of other countries but refuse to condemn an invasion of a sovereign state, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) told The Epoch Times.

And they condemn Taiwans desire to separate from the mainland but support Putin recognizing breakaway republics in eastern Ukraine.

They hypocritically support Russias criminal invasion because they share a common goal with Putin, to impose a new global order with them at the top and America relegated to becoming a second-rate power.

The island of Taiwan faces a similar predicament to Ukraine due to the growing threats from its larger neighbor. Chinese warplanes have continued to harass Taiwan on a regular basis since the Ukraine war started, and the regime has held multiple military drills in the South China Sea, heightening anxieties for the island.

People who fled the war in Ukraine wait in line to board a bus behind removable barriers as Police officers and Polish Territorial defense soldiers help to manage the crowd after crossing the Polish Ukrainian border in Medyka, Poland, on March 8, 2022. (Omar Marques/Getty Images)

The Chinese regime has come to Moscows aid as the latter sustains punishment from the West.

After Mastercard, Visa, and American Express cut off their services in Russia, the countrys banks turned to China for alternatives.

Bilateral trade has surged. In the first two months of 2022, Chinas exports from Russia rose 41.5 percent from the year-earlier period, a growth rate exceeding all other countries, according to Chinese customs authorities.

China lifted all import restrictions on Russian wheat on the first day of Russias invasion. By 2024, the two countries are aiming to boost total trade to a record $250 billion.

Meanwhile, theres growing evidence that the Chinese regime knew of Putins plans months ago.

Concerned that Putin would mount a reckless invasion, White House officials had engaged China in advance entreating its officials to help avert a war, but China declined, a top U.S. policy adviser recently said in a panel event.

Instead, senior Chinese officials reportedly asked Russia to postpone making a military move until the end of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Such reports have prompted analysts to argue that the Chinese regime had privately supported Putins plans as part of a mutual bid to counter the West.
Chinese Hackers Penetrated at Least 6 US State Governments, Cybersecurity Firm Says

A hacker group backed by the Chinese regime has exploited vulnerabilities in the online systems of at least six U.S. state governments in order to compromise and gain access to those networks, cybersecurity firm Mandiant said on March 8.

Mandiants lengthy report presents the findings of an investigation that began in the spring of 2021, in response to a breach by a hacker group known as APT41 of an unnamed state governments system, and continued through last month.

Our investigation into APT41 activity between May 2021 and February 2022 uncovered evidence of a deliberate campaign targeting U.S. state governments. During this timeframe, APT41 successfully compromised at least six U.S. state government networks through the exploitation of vulnerable Internet facing web applications, often written in ASP.NET, the report stated.

ASP.NET, developed by Microsoft, is an open-source web framework enabling users to construct internet apps and services on the .NET platform. The weaknesses and vulnerabilities of some versions of ASP.NET have been public knowledge for years. The website CVE Details has even published lists of various design flaws, such as the inability to handle an unencrypted view state or the vulnerability to a denial of service transmitted via a SOAP message, that might allow hackers and other bad actors to attack and disrupt apps and services utilizing ASP.NET.

Despite these vulnerabilities, some states in the U.S. continue to utilize the platform for web-facing systems. The Mandiant report did not name the six states known to have suffered APT41 breaches during the period under review.

The motive for the attacks is financial, and specifically the hackers personal gain, according to Mandiant.

Cyberespionage on the part of APT41 is not a new phenomenon, the report stated, referencing the organizations long record of mass scanning and exploitation of vulnerabilities. APT 41 is known to have targeted computer and internet systems and networks in industries and sectors as diverse as banking, defense, education, the legal industry, oil and gas, real estate, telecommunications, and travel.

In 2020, five Chinese nationals from the hacker group were indicted in the United States on charges relating to sprawling hacking campaigns to steal trade secrets and sensitive information from more than 100 companies and entities worldwide.

What sets apart the breaches detailed in the new report is their deliberate targeting of U.S. state governments.

Mandiants report detailed how a favorite target of the Chinese hackers has been the USAHerds app, which 18 states utilize to keep track of the health of animals and coordinate responses to any outbreaks. Three investigations carried out in 2021 led to findings that APT41 had seized upon a zero-day vulnerability in the USAHerds app to breach its security.

Mandiant also relays the surprising finding that, even after a highly similar vulnerability had come to light in Microsoft Exchange Server, which made use of a decriptionKey and static validationKey, USAHerds installations relied on the same machineKey values.

The new report comes amid warnings that the Chinese regime is on track to becoming a global cyber superpower. It is also the latest in a string of breaches allegedly attributed to Chinese state-sponsored hackers.

Chinese hackers are widely suspected of having orchestrated the long-running cyberattack announced last month which targeted News Corp., publisher of the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post.

Last year, the United States formally attributed the massive breach of Microsofts email server to hackers affiliated with the regimes top intelligence agency, the Ministry of State Security. The hack compromised tens of thousands of systems globally.
Local residents remove debris of a residential building destroyed by shelling amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine in Zhytomyr, Ukraine on March 2, 2022. (Viacheslav Ratynskyi/Reuters)

Chinese National in Ukraine Slams Fellow Countrymen for Cheering Russian Invasion

A Chinese national in Ukraine strongly rebuked his fellow countrymen for embracing Russian leader Vladimir Putins invasion of his host nation amid a deepening humanitarian crisis.

Odessa-based Chinese citizen Wang Jixian, a young entrepreneur and programmer, posted on social media his first-hand news of the affected area where he lives. However, his posts drew a flood of pushback from pro-Putin mainland Chinese.

In their messages, his critics claimed that there are justifications for Putins action in Ukraine, which they called a self-defense war. Meanwhile, they described Wang as Chinas traitor and Ukrainians as terrorists. Some said Americans had given him money and instructed him to release anti-Putin posts.

In the nationalistic context fueled by the Chinese communist regime, domestic citizens call Putin a hero for confronting the United States. They rave about Russias invasion of Ukraine on social media; some rush to buy Russian products online to prop up Russias sanction-hit economy.

China has a long-term partnership with Russia, considering it a close political ally against U.S.-led democracies. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi told reporters on March 7 that the prospects for China-Russia cooperation are broad and that both sides will continue to power an all-out strategic partnership no matter how sinister the international situation will be.

Hopefully Youll Be on the Side of Lives

Why are you so incredibly happy when Putin sends his troops coming here and firing? the Beijing-born man questioned his critics on his YouTube channel. Pray tell me: is there any country that launches a self-defense war at another countrys capital?

Ukrainians crowd under a destroyed bridge as they try to flee crossing the Irpin river in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 5, 2022. (Emilio Morenatti/AP)

Wang noted that some of his Russian colleagues arent big supporters of Putin and that the Russian leader cannot represent all Russians. He challenged his critics back in China, Do you guys support Putin more than Russians?

Moreover, he dismissed the accusation of him receiving financial benefits from Americans. He said he cared nothing about money because his life could come to a full stop tomorrow.

As a resident on war-torn soil, Wang hit back any theories that place political claims ahead of human lives.

As humans, we should respect lives first of all, he said. We have a right to live. We are not scary but angry. We worked and lived as normal but missiles were flying at us! Just near my office! Whichever side you guys take, hopefully youll be on the side of lives. Regular citizens dont want war.

In his videos. Wang, in tears, told stories of residents that stayed, including a Chinese young man who was killed by Russian soldiers in another city, a local elderly woman who was blown apart by a Russian bomb when she was out emptying garbage, and uncles and aunts who walked toward looming Russian tanks to block their advance with their bodies. He said he has taken pictures of horrific scenes.

He also said that he donated money to the Ukraine defense troops, who he said are protecting his life.

To erase doubts about his identity, Wang showed his Chinese passport and his local resident document.

As of midnight on March 6, 2022 local time, the Russian invasion has claimed 406 civilians, including 15 children, and injured 801 Ukraine citizens since it started on Feb. 24, according to the U.N. human rights office.
COVID-19 Vaccine Risks May Outweigh Benefits for Healthy Children: New Florida Guidance

New guidance from Floridas top health official says parents should know healthy children might be more at risk from a COVID-19 vaccine than from COVID-19 itself.

The guidance (pdf), issued a day after it was announced, notes that children without comorbidities are at little risk of developing severe COVID-19 and that youth are at heightened risk of experiencing heart inflammation following receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The guidance also points to how many children across the country have contracted COVID-19 and recovered, granting them some level of immunity, and that some studies have indicated that people with such immunity are more likely to suffer side effects if they then get vaccinated.

Health care practitioners need to analyze existing data on the COVID-19 vaccine alongside parents when deciding to vaccinate children, Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo said in a statement.

Based on currently available data, the risks of administering COVID-19 vaccination among healthy children may outweigh the benefits. That is why these decisions should be made on an individual basis, and never mandated, he added.

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

Ladapo on Monday, during a roundtable he hosted with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, informed the public that Floridas Department of Health would become the first health agency in the nation to recommend against COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children.

Some other countries either bar some children from getting a jab or recommend they receive a certain shot because of concerns of side effects coupled with the fact youth face a much lower risk of hospitalization and death when compared to older age groups.

Dr. Tracy Hoeg, a researcher who co-authored a study that found risks are higher than the benefit for healthy boys for the second shot of a messenger-RNA-based vaccine, and that the risks are higher after even one shot for healthy boys who have natural immunity, said during the roundtable that the argument for vaccinating children for that for the societal benefit is not what it used to be because of waning effectiveness and more knowledge concerning side effects.

For the estimated 58 percent of children who have already had COVID-19, We dont know if they benefit from from being vaccinated on top of already having infection, she said.

Recently published studies indicate that Pfizers vaccine, the only one authorized in the United States for those aged 17 and younger, doesnt protect well against infection after several weeks or months.

The data prompted Dr. Cody Meissner, who voted in 2021 with nearly every other Food and Drug Administration vaccine advisory panel to recommend vaccines for virtually all children, to tell The Epoch Times that it appears the benefit roughly equals the risk of harm for many children.

Pfizer didnt respond to a request for comment.

Many health professionals continue to urge parents to get their children vaccinated.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says all children aged 5 and older should get Pfizers vaccine, and all children between the ages of 12 and 17 should get a booster at least five months after the second shot of the primary regimen.

COVID-19 vaccines for children have proven to be extremely safe and effective, Dr. Paul Spearman, the director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center, told The Epoch Times in an email.

Regarding the new studies, Spearman said the findings that many children still had protection of 51 percent or higher against hospitalization means the benefits of vaccination for our children continue to far outweigh the risks.
CRT in Schools: Canadians Would Do Well to Discern the Chasmic Difference Between Equity and Equality

Commentary

Critical race theory (CRT) is a divisive cluster of notions that reduces human beings to cogs in an identity wheel, segregates them according to DNA, and strips them of individual agency and rights. But it has penetrated all our institutions with incredible speed and efficiencyon the horizon one day, ubiquitous the next. The public educational system, its intellectual and union leadership already imbued with Marxist fervour, has embraced CRT with particular enthusiasm.

Deer in the headlights, we have been slow to react to the creeping shifts in K-12 curricula that are turning schools into re-education camps in which children are assigned moral status and social value according to their racial, cultural, or gender identity.

In the United States by contrast, thanks to the vigorous resistance of a few brilliant and tactfully adroit anti-wokeness fighters, notably Christopher Rufo, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, 87 curriculum-transparency bills have been filed by legislators in 37 states since the beginning of 2022. Curriculum-transparency legislation has been introduced in 20 or more states. As Rufo writes in a newsletter, The race is now on to see which governor will become the first in the nation to sign curriculum transparency into law.

In Canada, were moving in the opposite direction, straight into the open maw of illiberalism disguised as social justice activism. Under the aegis of Premier Doug Fords nominally conservative stewardship, for example, the Ontario legislature will soon pass Bill 67, the Racial Equity in the Education System Act, now headed for third reading before a final vote.

The law will entrench anti-racist instruction and training programs in schools. The bill defines its policy of anti-racism as opposing racism including anti-Indigenous racism, anti-Black racism, anti-Asian racism, antisemitism and Islamophobia. The law omits any opposing of anti-Caucasian racism, so we know that expressed hatred of white people will be permitted. This is the essence of CRT. In fact, CRT is a deeply racist ideology that stipulates whiteness as the source of all social injustice.

The average Canadian whose life doesnt revolve around politics can be forgiven for reading this bill and taking no special notice of the 54 times, including the title, the word equity is mentioned. To the average Canadian, equity looks a lot like equality. In fact, the two words hold opposite meanings. So legislators, especially conservative ones, whose job it is to know the difference between their own philosophy and the philosophy of radical leftists cannot be easily forgiven for doing likewise. The word should have leapt from the title, causing escalating alarm at every iteration.

Equality refers to the same start line for individual advancement, while equity refers to proportional group representation at the finish line. Equity theory insists that any failure to meet proportional representation in outcomes is due to racism alone. Which isnt the case, but the theory prevails. Thus, equity is only possible through social engineering and heavy state interference. Practically speaking, it means individual merit and skillsets get short shrift. It encourages perpetual grievance in designated student victims and compels perpetual guilt in white settler students.

The equity mafia is very clever. The word equality does not even appear once in Bill 67, as even a singular appearance might arouse the zombified reader from his or her coma of compliancy. The bills drafter, MPP Laura Mae Lindo (NDP, Kitchener-Centre), former head of equity at Laurier University, is a cunning student of discourse duplicity, too experienced in radical leftism to make such an amateur error. (It was Lindos draconian sexual violence policy that, in 2017, resulted in Laurier graduate student Lindsay Shepherd being subjected to a verbal inquisition, and charged with transphobia for showing her students a balanced TV panel discussion of gender pronouns.)

The bill calls for teachers and administrators to hew tightly to the guidelines for instructions set down by experts in anti-racism, i.e., CRT dogmatists. Such equity clerics rank freedom of speech far lower than the right of designated victims of social injustice not to be offended. Offensiveness is defined subjectively by the victims, an invitation for grievance-fuelled white-bashing.

White students will learn early and definitively to shut up and keep their eyes on their shoes when anti-racism is under discussion. Which it will be, frequently and intensively. The bill makes clear that such training is key to career advancement. Anyone versed in CRT can see at once that the schools will be grooming studios for woke indoctrination that brooks no dissent.

Bad enough that Fords people were gaslighted by the word equity. But its narcotic effect extended even to MPP Rick Nicholls, who was booted from Fords Progressive Conservative government for dissenting from the vaccine mandate, and subsequently found his way to the fledgling populist Ontario Party. Nicholls was beguiled by the anti-racist messagewhats not to like about anti-racism?but was oblivious to the toxicity inherent in the word equity.

The irony here is that the Ontario Party has an admirable education policy in its platform, whose principles robustly repudiate everything Bill 67 stands for. It would:

Make it illegal for any teacher, school administrator, or any school board official to teach, disseminate or promote materials to students that explicitly or implicitly state: Men (male) and women (female) do not exist as separate, biological, realities; An individual, by virtue or the individuals race or sex, is inherently privileged, racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or subconsciously; An individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment because of the individuals race or sex; An individual, by virtue or the individuals race or sex, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex; A particular Canadian province or Canada itself is fundamentally or irredeemably racist or sexist.

Establish a government office empowered to investigate and discipline school personnel who breach this new education legislation protecting students from ideological indoctrination.

To his credit, Nicholls apologized profusely for his error in a letter sent out to Ontario Party members. Still, that error must give all conservatives pause. If a politician like Nicholls, existentially opposed to Marxist outcome doctrines, can be gaslighted by the woke machine into lending his name to the pedagogical travesty Bill 67 represents, where does hope for a return to classic liberalism lie?

With the proles, as Orwell famously suggested in his dystopian novel, 1984? In this case, that would be the parents. We can see a glimmer of hope in the United States, where here and there even progressive parents are beginning to rebel against CRT, with encouraging results.

In Canada, the sheeple effect endures.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
People take part in a demonstration to support the government of the Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel in Havana, on July 11, 2021. (Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images)

Cubas Anti-Communist Movement Stays Strong Despite Hundreds of Demonstrators Disappearing: US Army Veteran

Cubas anti-communist movement is staying strong despite hundreds of people disappearing or being thrown in jail for protesting against the governments strict communist dictatorship, according to Johnny Lopez de la Cruz.

Lopez de la Cruz is a retired colonel in the U.S. Army and a veteran of the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion where he joined thousands of Cuban exiles in an attempt to overthrow Fidel Castros communist dictatorship.

In an interview with EpochTVs Crossroads program, Lopez de la Cruz said that he believes that the people of Cuba want freedom, and that sooner or later, theyre gonna get it, adding that he believes there is light at the end of the tunnel in regards to the situation in the country.

Cubas communist government controls everything and has placed severe restrictions on individuals basic civil liberties while reportedly threatening and intimidating those who criticize the government.

But in summer 2021, the largest protest the country has seen in decades broke out nationwide as people called for greater freedoms and an end to the communist political structure, which has been in power since 1965.

Cubans also protested against ongoing shortages of food and other goods, the lack of access to economic, social, and cultural rights, as well chronic inflated prices and constant power cuts, all of which were reportedly further exasperated by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.

According to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), as of Feb. 7 more than 700 people who took part in the demonstrations were arrested after participating.

The conditions in which these people are being held include high levels of overcrowding, lack of access to drinking water and adequate food, substandard medical care, and the use of isolation measures, according to IACHR, which said that many of the individuals who were arrested were being tried for unspecified crimes and on unfounded and disproportionate criminal charges.

Cuban exiles rally at Versailles Restaurant in Miamis Little Havana neighborhood in support of protesters in Cuba, in Miami, on July 12, 2021. (Marta Lavandier/AP Photo)

People react during protests in Havana, Cuba, July 11, 2021. (Stringer/Reuters)

Hundreds more who took part in the demonstrations have gone missing, according to both IACHR and Lopez de la Cruz, who said that their families simply dont know where they are.

But despite the governments attempts to silence Cubans, Lopez de la Cruz says the anti-communist movement is still going strong and that those opposed to the communist government will not stop until the country is rid of it.

I think were seeing a little light at the end of the tunnel. And now the people are expressing their desire to be free because that regime doesnt work and its [been] abusing for 63 years, [which] like I say, has been a tragedy, Lopez de la Cruz said.

Because the Cuban people have been abandoned basically in their quest to get free, and I think now they are demonstrating because thats what they want; they dont want communism, they dont want to be a slave of the regime.

Lopez de la Cruz noted that Cubas Communist Party knows how to survive but that we have to stop that, we have to stop any action for them to take over again and to continue.

The retired colonel pointed to Cubas government being under immense economic and social pressure.

Cuba currently owes billions of dollars in foreign debt and has consistently sought to postpone repayments over the years, most recently asking the Russian Federation to postpone debts worth a total of $2.3 billion, to which it agreed.

Now, with the pressure that they have economically, socially, and the people against them, perhaps they will try to change things around, maybe instead of one piece of bread a week, you know, theyre gonna give the people two pieces, he said.

So they say, you know, were changing. But those changes are  so that we [the communist government] can remain in power. Thats it, you know, so we have to be clear that thats  what the future will be, but we are committed to it. Well continue on to see Cuba free of communism.

Lopez de la Cruz also called on the armed forces of the Cuban regime to remember where they come from and that they have a responsibility to the people of Cuba.

They have the responsibility not only to defend the nation but also to defend those people that are brothers to them, its time that the armies take active involvement in what will become the freedom of Cuba and its people.

Katabella Roberts Follow Katabella Roberts is a reporter currently based in Turkey. She covers news and business for The Epoch Times, focusing primarily on the United States.
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) speaks during a hearing with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo where he testified during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in Washington on July 25, 2018. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Democrat Sen. Menendez Tells Biden Not to Ease Sanctions on Venezuelan Oil

As gasoline prices continue to reach record highs across the country, President Joe Biden is considering lifting sanctions on the oil-rich communist nation of Venezuela. The move faced backlash from Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), who called Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro a cancer to our hemisphere.

In 2019, President Donald Trump imposed tough sanctions on Venezuela after Maduro, with the assistance of Chinese and Russian actors, defeated a presidential rival in an election widely viewed by external observers as having been rife with fraud. With Americans focused on Russia and Ukraine, Maduro has undertaken a campaign to have some of these embargoes lifted.

Menendez warned Biden not to do so, arguing that the United States should not support a state that has continued to carry out human rights abuses against its citizens.

Nicolas Maduro is a cancer to our hemisphere and we should not breathe new life into his reign of torture and murder, Menendez said on Monday. As such, I would strongly oppose any action that fills the pockets of regime oligarchs with oil profits while Maduro continues to deprive Venezuelans of basic human rights, freedoms, and even food.

Maduro tried to encourage the United States to lift its sanctions in a March 3 speech, saying, here lies the oil of Venezuela, which is available for whomever wants to produce and buy it, be it an investor from Asia, Europe, or the United States.

A U.S.Venezuela partnership could go far toward easing the burdens on the United States energy sector.

Venezuela has the most known oil reserves of any nation in the world. At 18 percent of all known oil reserves, the country has more oil at its disposal than Saudi Arabia. Despite this natural abundance, Venezuelas economy has plummeted over the past decade due to the economic policies of Maduros socialist regime and Western sanctions.

On Tuesday, Biden announced that he would ban Russian oil imports.

However, Biden has given no indication that he will heed demands from Republicans and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to increase domestic oil production to fill in the gap left by the embargo. Rather, Biden has looked to Venezuela as a solution to lower gas prices ahead of the midterms.

Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.) was lukewarm toward the Russian oil ban in an appearance on a Yahoo News podcast.

If we really wanted to shut down Russian oil exports, we could try to do thatwe could try to shut down their exports to Europe and Asia too, Malinowski said. But that would absolutely have a huge impact on global energy prices and gas prices in our country.

Some of my Republican colleagues have been urging Biden to do that while preparing to then blame Biden for the inevitable rise in gas prices, he asserted.

Even before Bidens ban on Russian oil, gas prices have risen dramatically in recent weeks.

According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, when President Donald Trump left office, gasoline cost an average of $2.42 per gallon across the nation.

On March 8, according to the American Automobile Association, the average gasoline price across the United States was up to $4.17. On the West Coast and in some densely populated states, including New York, Connecticut, Illinois, California, Oregon, and Washington, the rise in prices was particularly pronounced; in Los Angeles, prices nearly hit $7, an unprecedented cost.

Despite the massive increase in gas prices, the White House and Democrats in Congress have been reluctant to increase U.S. oil production.

In an interview with ABC News, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that boosting domestic oil production through ending the oil lease moratorium and restarting the Keystone pipeline is a misdiagnosis.

I would also note that, on oil leases, what this actually justifies, in President Bidens view, is the fact that we need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, on oil in general, and need to look at other ways of having energy in our country and others, Psaki argued.

On March 2, House Democrats blocked a bill, with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosis (D-Calif.) approval, that would have restarted construction on the Keystone pipeline in order to promote American energy independence from Russia.

During a press conference, Pelosi said that she agreed with banning Russian oil but opposed Manchins demands that the United States increase its own domestic energy production.

In an effort to combat rising prices, Menendez has put forward legislation that would bar American oil companies from exporting their own oil, forcing the oil to stay in the American market.

American families deserve to know that oil produced from land belonging to American taxpayers is used to increase the supply here at home, not sent to the other side of the world, Menendez said. When we talk about increasing the domestic supply of oil, this is something that can be done and done quickly to adjust the supply-demand balance here in the U.S. more in favor of American consumers.

However, he stopped short of calling for Biden to reverse his energy policies or placing the blame on Biden for rising costs on these policies.

Rather, Menendez blamed unchecked speculation on the oil trading markets for the rise in prices. Like the White House, Menendez has pushed for the United States to break [its] dependence on oil through renewable energy and advanced alternative fuels instead of increasing its oil production.
Richard 'Bigo' Barnett poses for photos in the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Jan. 6, 2021. He would have received roughly six to seven years in prison under a plea offer that his attorney called "ridiculous." (U.S. Department of Justice/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

DOJ Offers 70- to 87-Month Prison Sentence to Man Photographed With Feet Up in Nancy Pelosis Office

Richard Bigo Barnett, the Arkansas man photographed with his feet on a desk in House Speaker Nancy Pelosis (D-Calif.) office on Jan. 6, 2021, rejected a plea agreement offered by the Department of Justice that would have seen him spend 70 to 87 months in prison.

Barnett, 61, of Gravette, Arkansas, faces three charges stemming from the U.S. Capitol breach, including knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds while armed with a dangerous weapon, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, and theft of public money, property, or records.

Barnetts attorney, Joseph McBride, rejected the plea offer, calling it ridiculous. Barnett will proceed to trial in the fall, he said.

The very general question is, Does the punishment fit the crime? McBride told The Epoch Times. There is no standard of reasonableness under which 70 or 87 months of incarceration for a 61-year-old man with no criminal record can ever amount to justice.

In this situation, it is egregious. It is disgusting. It is a criminalization of the First Amendments right to participate in political speech. While it was not a perfect day, he certainly should not spend years of his lifebasically the entire decade of his 60sbehind bars. Its ridiculous.

Richard Bigo Barnett holds up an envelope he took from House Speaker Nancy Pelosis office on Jan. 6, 2021. He said he took the envelope because he got blood on it from a cut finger. (U.S. Department of Justice/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

According to federal prosecutors, Barnett entered into the conference area of the Speakers office on Jan. 6, 2021, at about 2:50 p.m. and left at 2:56 p.m. He put his feet up on a desk and posed for photographs that went viral on the internet later that day.

Theft Charge Came From an Envelope

Barnett picked up an empty envelope addressed to Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.), then carried it out with him because a cut on his finger dripped blood on the paper, according to McBride. Barnett gave the envelope to FBI agents when he first met with them in January 2021.

Barnett cut his finger when a crowd pushed him through the Capitols Columbus Doors a short time before he entered Pelosis office, McBride said.

We received the Governments plea offer this week: 70-87 months for a glorified trespass. No criminal history.

Non violent on J6.

Pushed in to the Capitol. They can stick it where the  don't shine. On to trial we go. Visit my website to fund @BigoBarnetts freedom fight.  pic.twitter.com/0G4L5ymWqe  Joseph D. McBride  (@McBrideLawNYC) March 7, 2022

Law enforcement got a tip that Barnett was carrying a stun gun in the photos taken in Pelosis office. It was later determined to be a ZAP brand Hike N Strike aluminum walking stick with a built-in flashlight and a 950,000-volt stun gun.

McBride said the stun function was disabled the day prior, and there were no batteries in the device on Jan. 6, 2021. Barnett only used it as a walking stick that day.

Its clearly not working. So for them to use this as an excuse to give him an exorbitant amount of time, its ridiculous, McBride said. Theyre just using it as a pretext to hit him over the head with a hammer because of the fame that came along with his picture.

Barnett described the situation with a bit more color in the governments charging documents.

I did not steal it. I bled on it because they were macing me and I couldnt [expletive] see, he said. So I figured, I am in her office. I got blood on her office. I put a quarter on her desk, even though she aint [expletive] worth it.

And I left her a note on her desk that says, Nancy, Bigo was here, you [expletive].

Sentencing in the Spotlight

The sentencing of nonviolent Jan. 6, 2021, offenders became a nationally discussed issue last week with the Feb. 25 suicide of Matthew L. Perna, 37, of Sharon, Pennsylvania. Perna hanged himself in his garage after learning that the Department of Justice would seek sentencing enhancers that could have put him in prison for 41 to 51 months.

Matthew Perna was scheduled to be sentenced on April 1 on one felony and three misdemeanor charges. (Photo courtesy of Geri Perna)

Perna spent 20 minutes in the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He wasnt accused of vandalism, violence, or engaging with police. His plea deal included a felony for obstructing an official government proceeding, the certification of electoral votes by Congress.

McBride said excessive sentencing recommendations are part of a strategy.

They want to crush all things January 6-related, when it comes to you being on the opposite side of the political spectrum, he said. They are merciless, they are soulless, they have evil in their hearts.

Its very unfortunate. And thats why were in this fight. Theyre not going to pitch a shutout. Theyre not going to win all these trials. Theyre going to start to take losses at some point. They know that, so they are getting their pound of flesh now.
Dr. Peter McCullough (L) and Dr. Bryan Ardis (R) speak about the COVID-19 pandemic at a Lions for Liberty Science Uncensored forum at Hershey Lodge in Hershey, Penn., on March 4, 2022. (Beth Brelje/The Epoch Times)

Dr. Peter McCullough: Findings From Early COVID-19 Vaccine Studies Potentially Alarming

'This is getting into human chromosomes'

How safe are COVID-19 vaccines? Should everyone be taking them? Are people who get vaccines more likely to get COVID-19? Can genetic material in the vaccines be incorporated into the human genome? These are some of the unknown questions that researchers around the world are currently investigating.

With more initial findings and hypotheses now released to the public, a group of free speech and information advocates last week during a presentation in Pennsylvania gave their uncensored take of the current science. They are currently traveling around the United States sharing concerns about how public health policy and debate throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been handled.

The speakers were Dr. Peter McCullough, a renowned cardiologist whose own research is highly-cited; Dr. Bryan Ardis, a chiropractor; attorney Thomas Renz; and Steve Kirsch, a Silicon Valley philanthropist who supported early efforts searching for COVID-19 treatments in medicines already on the market. They were invited by the Lions for Liberty, a group of Penn State University students, faculty, and staff that sprang up in response to the universitys pandemic mitigation policies that require employees to get vaccinated for COVID-19.

The four spoke on numerous occasions; at Toftrees Resort in State College on March 3 and at Hershey Lodge on March 4 before which they testified at the Capitol Building in Harrisburg in a hearing hosted by state Sen. Doug Mastriano, who is a Republican running for governor.

They presented data from peer-reviewed studies, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and government documents, and expressed their concerns that the COVID-19 vaccines recommended for all Americans were problematic from the start.

It was clear vaccines werent sufficiently tested and important groups were excluded, like pregnant women, McCullough said in Hershey. With no data on safety and efficacy, pregnant women were encouraged, then later forced, to take the vaccines.

He called the results of a newly released study disturbing. The study, titled Immune imprinting, breadth of variant recognition, and germinal center response in human SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination, shows that messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) from the vaccine stays in the body much longer than expected. Messenger RNA is a single-stranded molecule that carries genetic code, usually from the DNA in a cells nucleus, to ribosomes, the cells protein-making area.

It shows the messenger RNA is in the lymph nodes months after the vaccine had been received. This is proven, McCullough said. The vaccines are not leaving the body. Its found in the lymph nodes at 60 days. The thought in the FDA briefing book was that these vaccines were going to be in the body for a day or two, generate immunity, and then be out.

He cited another paper published in February by a team of researchers led by Associate Prof. Yang De Marinis at the Department of Clinical Sciences of Lund University, Sweden, that shows reverse transcription is happeningthat is, an enzyme makes a copy of DNA from RNA.

This is getting into human chromosomes, at least this segment is. If it turns out that the entire code goes into human chromosomes, and if it expresses spike protein within cellsspike protein is an abnormal protein, it is not a human protein if this protein is expressed within human cells on a regular basis or on demand, and its passed from parent cells to daughter cells, and its passed to the developing embryo, were in trouble.

Now, the race is on to confirm this finding with additional studies, McCullough said.

On the CDC website, it says the vaccines dont change the human genome. This paper that just broke in the last week is strongly suggesting the CDC was gravely wrong, McCullough said. We should have had monthly safety reports to America. If were going to ask Americans to take an experimental vaccine or investigational vaccine, there should have been a safety report.

Coming out of the clinical trials, what was reported in the briefing booklet looked OK, McCullough said. Through October, over 220 million people took a vaccine.

The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) has now recorded as many as 24,000 reports of people dying shortly after taking a COVID-19 vaccine, over 34,000 reports of myocarditis or pericarditis after taking a vaccine, and 44,000 reports from people permanently disabled with a host of conditions after taking a vaccine. These reports, which can be made by any member of the public, have yet to be definitively linked to COVID-19 vaccines and further research is needed to quantify the risk.

Now, a new study in The Lancet is pointing to potential multi-inflammatory syndrome in COVID-19 vaccinated children, McCullough said. Some kids are on ventilators. These were perfectly healthy kids and now theyre on the ventilator fighting for their life.

State Legislation

During the hearing in Harrisburg, a number of COVID-related bills were mentioned.

Mastriano is the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 471, dubbed the Medical Freedom Act, which proposed that the state government shall not impose a vaccination requirement on adults or children without consent. It also proposed to make it illegal for the government to mandate employers to require vaccination of their staff and ensures unemployment compensation for unvaccinated workers. The bill moved out of the Health and Human Services Committee in November, committee chair state Sen. Michele Brooks said at the hearing. She also advocated for her own legislation, Senate Bill 937, which prohibits the state from requiring COVID-19 vaccines for students in kindergarten through grade 12. It is now in the House Education Committee, Brooks said.

A companion bill, SB 1091/HB 1741 would increase access to off-label FDA approved medications in the early stages of COVID-19. This would allow physicians and pharmacists to prescribe and dispense drugs already approved by the FDA for off-label treatment of COVID-19, without penalty from licensing boards. And it would clarify that a pharmacy may not decline to fill a prescription of a COVID-19 early treatment drug based solely on their opinion of the drug. Mastriano is the prime sponsor of this Senate bill and Rep. Dawn Keefer sponsors the House version.

Ardis made a plea to lawmakers at the hearing, on behalf of doctors.

Please let them practice medicine. Never in the history of the world has there been one protocol for every human. We are all genetically different, Ardis said. Please allow doctors, once again, to be protected to practice medicine. They are the only ones that have known the history of their patients. You cannot tell me theres one solution or protocol for every American who gets a respiratory infection right now; its impossible. And then youre going to take their license from them, destroy their livelihood and then slander them with their reputation, because theyre holding to their oath to do no harm? Please. Put legislation in place that they can never be punished for doing their best to do no harm, to treat their patients.

Penn State Snubbed Event

Lions for Liberty invited two university policy makers, Penn State President Eric Barron and Provost Nick Jones, to attend the forum. But Barron and Jones were not among the combined 700 attendees.

It is disconcerting, to say the least, that leadership from the universitys administration were unwilling to attend or engage in either of these events, Arielle Girouard, Lions for Liberty press secretary told The Epoch Times. It is unfortunate that one of the nations top universities in research, education, and innovation has repeatedly denied our attempts to have a discussion on the science that has driven public health and institutional, including university, policies over the past two years. President Barron acknowledges a growing lack of public trust in higher education. It is hard to see how refusal to engage with credentialed academics and professionals, from both within and outside of the Penn State community, does anything but sow further distrust in the public. Regardless, Lions for Liberty isnt going anywhere. We are committed to fostering a community, open to all who seek truth, so we may make well-informed decisions regarding our health, among other individual liberties.

Penn State did not respond to a request from The Epoch Times to explain why they did not attend.

The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons and the Penn State chapter of Turning Point USA co-hosted the speakers with Lions for Liberty.
The trucker convoy officially reached Washington, D.C., on Sunday. However, instead of going into D.C. proper, the convoy made several slow loops around the DC Beltway, tied up traffic, and then headed back to their staging area in Maryland. And according to the convoy organizer, they will continue doing this, every day, until their demands are met.

Meanwhile, while I was in Florida a few days ago, I took the unique opportunity to sit down and speak with Jim Jordan, a congressman from Ohio, and we discussed the deeper implications of what was presented in John Durhams most recent court filingregarding the spying that was done against Trumps campaign, and potentially, the Trump presidency.

Stay tuned for our newsletter so you wont miss out on our exclusive videos and private events.

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The high price of gasoline is displayed at a Los Angeles gas station on Nov. 24, 2021. (Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images)

Federal Officials, Not Energy Executives, Are Behind Soaring Gas Prices, House Panel Told

President Joe Bidens green energy policies are the key cause of skyrocketing gasoline prices, not the Russian invasion of Ukraine or the fact that federal leases for oil and gas exploration arent being fully utilized, according to an energy industry expert.

Wide swaths of the elected government and administrative state have decided that investments in oil and gas must be minimized and eventually eradicated. There must be steady downward pressure on oil and gas investments, said Institute for Energy Research (IER) Chairman Tom Pyle. The IER is an independent nonprofit research group that favors continued reliance on fossil fuels.

Pyles comment came in testimony on March 8 before the House Energy and Commerce Committees subcommittee on energy during a hearing on electric vehicles (EV).

Even as recently as two weeks agoat the height of the [Biden] administration scrounging around for liquified natural gas they could send to the [European Union]the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued two policy statements making it clear that the hurdles to permit liquified natural gas (LNG) terminals and their feeder pipelines would be getting higher, not lower, Pyle testified.

He said oil company executives and investors have listened and watched all of this and concluded that some significant portion of both the elected government and the administrative state are going to be actively hostile to their products into the foreseeable future.

It should surprise no one, therefore, that these executives and investors are unwilling to make decisions on projects that may take decades to break even.

In short, when you are looking for who or what is responsible for high prices for oil and natural gas, whether in the United States or the EU, look no further than the government and its officials who have made, and make, decisions every day to drive up the cost of gasoline and natural gas by driving away investment in oil and natural gas.

Pyle told the subcommittee that energy prices began falling in 2010 as U.S. production expanded.

Global production went up by 12.1 million barrels per day, while U.S. production rose by 9.97 million barrels per day.

The average price of a gallon of regular gas in the United States a few days before Biden was inaugurated was $2.46, compared to todays $4.19, according to the Department of Energy.

Unfortunately, but not surprisingly  President Biden made it clear that he intended to be an energetic advocate against the oil, coal, and natural gas that makes modern life possible, Pyle said. Oil markets, now faced with an existential threat, responded as one might expect. The price of oil went up.

In response, Biden inexplicably asked Russia and OPEC for more oil. National security adviser Jake Sullivan issued a statement calling on OPEC Plus to produce more oil.

OPEC Plus includes the original Middle Eastern member-states, as well as Russia and Venezuela.

Pyle said the request for more oil production by OPEC Plus nations directly conflicts with Bidens multiple initiatives aimed at reducing United States reliance on fossil fuels.

They included the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline on his first day in the Oval Office, effectively suspending processing of domestic oil and gas leases on federal lands, and not challenging a federal courts cancellation of offshore oil and gas leases.

In response to a question from the committees ranking Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), Pyle said the United States should learn a lesson from Europes failing attempt to replace fossil fuels entirely with renewable sources such as wind and solar.

People are struggling right now because gas prices are higher than most people can remember, Pyle responded.

If you look at what has happened in Europe, this rush  to green the grid, to convert to renewablesto wind energy in Germany, for exampleis a huge wake-up call to Europe that they were moving way too fast.

As a result of failing to diversify their energy sources, Pyle said, the Europeans became dependent, to the tune of 40 percent, on Russia for their natural gas. That is why they are not going to impose sanctions on that energy as they reiterated again today.

He was referring to media reports that European leaders told Biden earlier this week they wont halt imports of Russian oil.

Our energy problems didnt start with Russias invasion of Ukraine, or even with Joe Bidens embargo against U.S. and Canadian energy. They started in 2008 when then-candidate Barack Obama said under his plan energy prices would necessarily skyrocket.

Ever since the government adopted Climate Change as its official religion, this was inevitable. Europe was already converted, and we see their weakness. Now it is afflicting us, Pyle told The Epoch Times in a separate comment.

Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) said in his opening statement to the hearing that the transition to electric vehicles is good for consumers, our economy, and our environment, and blamed Russias Ukraine invasion for rising gas prices.

These prices remind us yet again that we must kick our oil habit and free ourselves from the price volatility of fossil fuels, said Pallone, a former chairman of the committee.

He also predicted that converting the nations transportation system to EVs is one of the ways we can save consumers money.

Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) told the hearing that the United States cannot drill its way out this crisis, and he said he believes the country should, in addition to developing green energy sources, also invest in expanded hydrogen production.
The control tower at Yellowknife Airport on Aug. 21, 2001. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chuck Stoody)

Fines Issued After Plane With Russian Nationals on Board Grounded in Yellowknife

Transport Canada says a plane carrying two Russian nationals that was grounded in Yellowknife last week broke airspace restrictions.

It says the planes two pilots and the Russian who chartered the plane each have been fined $3,000, while the Geneva-based aircraft operator has been fined $15,000.

Transport Canada said the plane is not Russian-owned or operated, but it still broke Canadian aviation regulations.

Transport Canada immediately began an investigation to determine whether any violations of the airspace restrictions occurred.

As a result of this investigation, it has been determined that the aircraft, although not Russian-owned or registered, had, in fact, operated contrary to the airspace restrictions announced on Feb. 27, 2022, Transport Canada said in a statement.

Canada closed its airspace to Russian-owned or operated aircraft on that day due to Russias attack on Ukraine.

Transport Canada said the plane has been cleared to leave Yellowknife, but without any passengers.

The department will not hesitate to take further enforcement action should additional incidents of non-compliance with the regulations and restrictions be found, the statement said.

The plane was on its way to the High Arctic when it was grounded March 1.

Those on board were planning to take an overland expedition to Nunavut in all-terrain vehicles.

The two Russians have not been identified, but the territorys transport minister, Diane Archie, told the legislative assembly they are part of a project called TransGlobal Car Expedition.

The N.W.T. government has also said it did not know who was on board the plane until it was grounded.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 7, 2022.

By Emma Tranter
Former Pakistani President Rafiq Tarar hoists the Pakistani flag at the Presidential palace in Islamabad on Aug. 14, 2000. (B.K.Bangash/AP Photo)

Former Pakistani President Rafiq Tarar Dies at 92

LAHORE, PakistanRafiq Tarar, a former Pakistani judge who served as the countrys President from 1997 to 2001, died on Monday in the eastern city of Lahore after a prolonged illness at the age of 92.

Tarars grandson, Azam Tarar, announced on Twitter that his grandfather had died.

Pakistans President Arif Ali, Prime Minister Imran Khan, and prominent politicians expressed their grief, along with the countrys military chief, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Tarar was elected the countrys president after the party of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif backed him in the presidential election in 1997. Tarar was a close friend of Sharif, who won the parliamentary elections in 1997.

Sharif was ousted from power by a former military dictator Pervez Musharraf in 1999 in a bloodless coup. However, Musharraf allowed Tarar to continue working as President until 2001 when he forced Tarar to resign and replaced him.

Musharraf is currently living in self-imposed exiled in Dubai after being forced to resign in 2008 when politicians backing him lost parliamentary elections. Sharif, who was ordered out in 2017 by a court over charges of corruption, has been living in exile in London.
As the conflict unfolds in Ukraine, youll notice how swiftly the media is pivoting all our attention onto war and Eastern Europe  just forget about COVID and all the harm that ill-advised pandemic policies have caused citizens. (Remember the Johns Hopkins study which found that lockdowns have had little to no public health effects but have imposed enormous economic and social costs?)

But many of us will NOT forget  we who have watched our loved ones suffer from the extreme impacts of mandates, socially-acceptable discrimination, job loss, and of course, COVID-19 itself (for which Big Pharma strongly suppressed early and innovative treatments). And we will be watching carefully as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other agencies continue to push for more and more COVID shots  including what might turn out to be a yearly booster shot.

Follow the Science or Do They Just Mean Follow the Agenda? FDA Reportedly Looking Forward to Annual COVID Shots

Citing the Wall Street Journal, the United Kingdoms Daily Mail recently reported that the FDA has laid out possible plans to recommend yet another COVID shot dose for the general public within the next few weeks. Allegedly, the government agency may even end up recommending an annual booster shot for most people.

This is despite the fact that local and state officials around the country are dropping vax and mask mandates like hot potatoes and that COVID cases in the U.S. have plummeted by nearly 90% since a mid-January 2022 surge and nearly 50% within just the past few weeks.

In the United States (and certain other countries, like Israel), a fourth dose of the mRNA COVID shot from either Pfizer or Moderna is already available and recommended for some Americans. As the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) note on their website, anyone aged 12 years and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised should receive a total of 4 doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

Thats four doses of a novel gene therapeutic in under a year, at least for some individuals (and possibly most individuals soon enough). Remember, this is a drug that:

Was originally sold to the public as the only way to end the pandemic and the best way to prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that supposedly causes COVID-19

Was quickly found to NOT stop transmission, but (at best) reduce the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19  all of which are extremely unlikely, to begin with for the VAST majority of people

Has yet to amass any long-term safety data and has triggered a meteoric rise in adverse event reporting to the official U.S. vax safety surveillance system

This is also a drug that has been shrouded in secrecy by the very agencies tasked with researching its effectiveness and safety.

More and more doses  despite lack of transparency about shot safety evidence

A genuine question: have ANY COVID shot recipients been able to provide true informed consent to their first, second, third, and perhaps fourth dose? We ask this, knowing that the CDC now admits to withholding COVID shot data in fear that it will lead to misinformation.

One has to wonder: what does this information contain, exactly? Wouldnt the public deserve to get as much official information as quickly as possible to make informed decisions about their personal health?

Wouldnt the public also want to know, for example, that the CDC recently found that booster shots are not beneficial for people between the ages of 18 and 49? Moreover, wouldnt this information be of the utmost importance to the small but growing number of hospital systems around the United States mandating booster shots for their employees?

Bottom line: why mandate a drug that has not been shown to be helpful? I thought we were supposed to follow the science.

Republished from NaturalHealth365

Sources for this article include:

Dailymail.co.uk

Moneycontrol.com

CDC.gov

NYpost.com

JHU.edu

Beckershospitalreview.com
The Iranian flag flutters in front the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna, on July 10, 2019. (Lisi Niesner/Reuters)

France Warns Russia Against Blackmail Over Iran Nuclear Talks

VIENNAFrance on Monday warned Russia not to resort to blackmail over efforts to revive a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, after Moscow demanded a United States guarantee that sanctions it faces over Ukraine would not hurt its trade with Tehran.

Iranian regime in turn said it would not allow others to impede its interests as, following the potential stumbling block raised by Russia on Saturday, a deal over reviving the 2015 pact that seemed within touching distance after months of indirect talks between Tehran and Washington threatened to unravel.

Irans Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said the Iranian regime will not allow any foreign parties to undermine its national interests, Irans state media reported, while the foreign ministry said it was awaiting an explanation of the Russian demand via diplomatic channels.

On Saturday, a senior Iranian official speaking to Reuters had called Russias move unconstructive.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday that Russia wanted a written United States guarantee that Moscows trade, investment, and military-technical cooperation with Iran would not be hindered by Western sanctions imposed since Russia invaded its neighbor.

A French presidency official told reporters late on Sunday that diplomats tended to treat each issue on its merits and not conflating them.

Because otherwise, in reality, its just blackmail and not diplomacy, he told reporters.

All parties involved in the talks say progress has been made toward the restoration of the pact to curb Tehrans nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, which the United States abandoned in 2018. But both Tehran and Washington have said there are still some significant differences to overcome.

Western officials say there is a common interest in avoiding a non-proliferation crisis, and they are trying to ascertain if what Russia is demanding regards only its commitments to the Iran deal. That would be manageable, but anything beyond that would be problematic, they say.

However, diplomats told Reuters that at least two key issues remained unresolved between Tehran and Washington, including the extent to which sanctions would be rolled back.

Irans top security official, Ali Shamkhani, called on Washington on Monday to make political decisions.

Priority of Iranian negotiators is to resolve remaining issues that are considered (a) red line. Rapid access to a strong deal requires new initiatives from all parties, Shamkhani tweeted on Monday.

Trying It On

The French presidency official urged Russia to assess what was at stake in Vienna, that is to say Irans return to respecting its obligations under the JCPOA, referring to the 2015 deal by its formal name, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

A European diplomat added: The Russians are really trying it on and the Iranians arent happy although of course not saying too much publicly. Were trying to find a way through.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought on Sunday to dispel talk of obstacles, saying the sanctions imposed on Russia over Ukraine had nothing to do with the nuclear deal.

I believe its not for communication with journalists at this stage, sorry to say, Russias chief negotiator Mikhail Ulyanov said when asked to clarify Moscows position on Monday.

European negotiators have temporarily left the talks as they believe they have gone as far as they can and it is now up to the two main protagonists to agree, three diplomats said.

Russias concerns about the impact of Western sanctions on its dealings with Iran follow a push by senior Iranian officials for deeper ties with Russia since the election of Irans hardline president Ebrahim Raisi last year.

Irans top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, has been calling for closer ties with Russia due to his deep mistrust of the United States.

By John Irish, Parisa Hafezi and Francois Murphy
A Mobil station in Los Angeles shows gas prices are rising to record highs on March 7, 2022. (Jill McLaughlin/The Epoch Times)

Gas Prices Skyrocket in Los Angeles

The price of gasoline in Los Angeles County rose to a record average price of $5.42 on March 7, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.

As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues, crude prices rose to record highs in the United States, making California the nations most expensive market for gasoline, followed by Hawaii, Nevada, and Oregon.

The national average for a gallon of gas was $4.0645 cents more than a week ago, 62 cents more than a month ago, and $1.30 more than a year ago, the American Automobile Association (AAA) reported.

The nation hasnt seen gasoline prices this high since July 2008, according to AAA.

Beverly Center Mobile station in Beverly Hills reached $6.95 for a gallon of regular unleaded and $7.55 for super on March 7.

Its insane, Milton Cabrera, of Simi Valley, told The Epoch Times. Its going to affect me a lot.

Cabrera stopped to get a photo of the stations electronic sign at the corner of Beverly and La Cienega boulevards.

As an Uber driver, Cabrera uses his car for work. If the price of fuel stays high, he will look for another kind of job, he said.

I wouldnt buy gas here, Cabrera said.

In Los Angeles County, the average price for gasoline has risen 33 times in the past 36 days, jumping 76 cents. Thats nearly 70 cents higher than a month ago and $1.62 cents more than last year.

Burbank, a Los Angeles suburb, had lower prices but drivers were still suffering sticker shock.

Im from the East Coast and its a lot higher out here, said Susan, who was filling up her car at the 76 Station at the corner of Victory Boulevard and Buena Vista Street in Burbank March 7. She spoke on the condition that her last name is omitted from publication.

The stations price ranged from $5.59 a gallon for regular gas to $5.99 for renewable diesel, if using a credit card.

A 76 station in Burbank, Calif., reflects gas prices are rising to record highs on March 7, 2022. (Jill McLaughlin/The Epoch Times)

Next to her, another driver, Mariah, who declined to provide her last name, said she drives to Burbank to fill her car because the price is usually less. She passed by the Burbank station two days earlier and the price was 60 cents-per-gallon cheaper.

Jose Duarte said he drives 15 miles to work every day. If the prices continue to increase, he will start taking the bus.

For me, its very expensive, Duarte told The Epoch Times while filling several red gas cans for his work. The total cost was more than $245.

In Orange County, the average price rose over the weekend to a record $5.42 per gallon.

The Automobile Club of Southern California said the region was hit hard from concerns over Russian oil imports to western markets and supply issues.

In addition to oil prices spiking due to concerns about Russian oil supply being removed from Western markets, Southern California is experiencing some supply issues that tend to happen during the spring when refineries typically undergo maintenance, Auto Club spokesman Doug Shupe told The Epoch Times.

The California Energy Commission reported that the states gasoline stocks are down by about six percent, which also puts upward pressure on gas prices, Shupe said.
German Minister of Food and Agriculture Cem Oezdemir speaks to the media during a virtual party congress for the Greens in Berlin, on Jan. 28, 2022. (Christian Mang/Reuters)

Germany to Host G7 Meeting on Ukraine Invasions Impact on Food Security

BERLINGermany will host a virtual meeting of agricultural ministers from G7 countries on Friday to discuss the impact of Russias invasion of Ukraine on global food security and how to best stabilize food markets, the government said.

The provision of foodstuffs in Germany and the European Union is safe but greater shortages can be expected in some countries outside the EUespecially where scarcity already reigns today due to issues like drought, German Agriculture Minister Cem Oezdemir said in statement.

Price hikes for agricultural products cannot be excluded in industrialized nations either.

Germany holds the rotating presidency of the Group of Seven most advanced economies this year.

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a special operation that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its southern neighbors military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists.

By Holger Hansen
In this file photo, Senate Minority Leader Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), right, speaks to reporters as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) listens, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Aug. 4, 2020. (Alex Wong/file/Getty Images)

GOP Expects Midterm Sweep as Gas Prices Spike

Democrats are blaming rising gasoline priceswhich have reached unprecedented levels in various parts of the countryon monopolies and price gouging. Republicans have called this political cover for the midterms, which they are increasingly optimistic will see a GOP sweep.

According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, when President Donald Trump left office, gasoline cost an average of $2.42 per gallon across the nation. Since Biden entered the White House, the price has increased dramatically. Data gathered by the American Automobile Association shows that as of March 8, gasoline costs an average of $4.17 per gallon.

Western states like California, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada have been especially hard hit, with the price of gas averaging around $5.44 per gallon in California. In Los Angeles, prices have come close to $7 for the first time in U.S. history.

Democrats and Republicans have widely varying interpretations of the reasons for this rapid increase in gasoline prices.

On March 3, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) blamed rising gas prices on Russias invasion of Ukraine and chided Americans for caring more about domestic gas prices than for the far-off Eastern European conflict.

I heard a parliamentarian from Ukraine today saying, Our people are being killed, our country is being overrun, and people are complaining about paying a little more for the price of gas, Pelosi said, indicating that she agreed with the sentiment.

However, gas prices have been rising steadily since well before the Russian troop buildup along Ukraines eastern border began.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) blamed the rising prices on price gouging and monopolies.

The bottom line is this: The real problem with increased gas prices is gouging and monopolies, Schumer said on Tuesday. Youre going to hear a lot more from us on those issues in the near, near future.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) similarly blamed the situation on the greed of fossil fuel companies.

Republicans have placed the blame on the White Houses energy policies, which they have called anti-American.

Upon taking office, Biden, citing an alleged climate crisis, overturned several Trump-era policies that had boosted the United States to energy independence for the first time in decades.

Most notably, Biden ended construction on the Keystone XL pipelinewhich has been staunchly opposed by environmental groups since the administration of President Barack Obamaand placed a moratorium on the leasing of federal lands to oil and natural gas producers.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) contended that Democrats are simply using the excuse of Russia, monopolies, and price-gouging as political cover ahead of a midterm season that was already projected to be favorable for Republicans.

I will note that people promoting this tend to be Democrats who are up for reelection, looking for a way to offset the fact that they have been opposing development of Americas traditional fuels, Cassidy said in a statement to Fox News. Instead, now that weve got a spike in prices, theyre looking for political cover, if you will. Another excuse not to do what is politically inconvenient.

House Minority Whip Steven Scalise (R-La.) argued that, President Biden should immediately reverse his devastating policies that are causing gas prices to skyrocket and are giving Putin leverage against the rest of the world and return to the policies that were working under President Trump to create American energy dominance with gas prices below $2 a gallon.

Speaker Pelosi and President Bidens radical Green New Deal agenda will be a major issue in Novembers elections, Scalise predicted.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.), a Democrat who has often struck out positions against the White House and the rest of his party, has also placed the blame on Bidens energy policies.

On March 3, Manchin led a bipartisan effort to ban Russian oil imports to the United States, which had continued to import 500,000 barrels of Russian oil per day despite the governments condemnation of Russias military actions, which Manchin condemned as hypocritical.

However, Manchin also emphasized that to make up for the loss in Russian oil, the United States would need to increase its own domestic production.

The United States has the ability to backfill and help all of our allies around the world as [Russia] uses energy as a weapon, Manchin said.We [produce energy] cleaner than anybody else; we do it in a better fashion than anyone else.

We have the ability with [U.S. oil] reserves to do much more during this crisis, he added.

In the past, Manchin has called on Biden to restart construction on the Keystone pipeline and to reverse his energy policies, which Manchin has called short-sighted.

However, there have been no indications yet that the White House or Democrat leaders will heed the calls coming from members of both parties. Rather, Democrats have seemed to double down on their energy policies.

In an interview with ABC News, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that boosting domestic oil production through ending the oil lease moratorium and restarting the Keystone pipeline is a misdiagnosis.

I would also note that, on oil leases, what this actually justifies, in President Bidens view, is the fact that we need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, on oil in general, and need to look at other ways of having energy in our country and others, Psaki argued.

On March 2, Democrats blocked a bill, with Speaker Pelosis approval, that would have restarted construction on the Keystone pipeline in order to promote American energy independence from Russia.

During a press conference, Pelosi said that she agreed with banning Russian oil but opposed Manchins demands that the United States increase its own domestic energy production.

Still, without a change in domestic energy policies gas prices look to be on track to continue to rise moving into the midterm season.

Though Biden slightly reduced gas prices for a short period in November 2021 by pulling from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR)a move that was dismissed by Manchin at the time as a policy Band-Aid which could not be relied upon in the long termthe SPR does not have the capacity to sustain Americans longer-term energy needs.

Because Democrats have nearly-unilateral control of the White House, Senate, and House of Representatives, voters are likely to place the blame with the majority party.

On Tuesday, Biden announced that he would place an embargo on Russian oil. The move, without a simultaneous increase in U.S. energy production, could see Americans paying ever-higher prices at the pump.
Grim Future for Our Less Educated Sons

Commentary

In his latest book, The Boy Crisis, Warren Farrell makes this chilling point. For the first time in American history, our sons will have less education than their dads.

Farrell explained that when girls were doing badly in maths and science, it was decided that the trouble was with the schools. His country tackled the problem and girls are now thriving. But now boys are doing badly in almost every subject and what do we conclude? The trouble is with the boys.

Its that darned toxic masculinity, thats the problem. Our entire education system in Australia, with unrestrained glee, now has that firmly in its sights, ignoring the increasing gender gap between boys and girls.

Education bureaucrats have been carefully ignoring whats happening to boys for over half a century.

Nearly 40 years ago, I was interviewing a senior New South Wales (NSW) bureaucrat about how badly boys were doing in schools. What do we do if we find girls continue to draw ahead of boys? I asked her. We wait 2,000 years and continue to analyse the results very, very carefully, said this director of the curriculum.

She later claimed that it was a joke, but that appears to have been the approach of many feminists who are involved in the running of the nations education system since that time.

This was in the mid-1990s and theyve been sitting pretty ever since the 1972 Whitlam government introduced strategies to encourage girls achievement in schools. Girls were surging ahead across the board.

School children at The Domain in Sydney, Australia, on April 2, 2014. (AAP Image/Daniel Munoz)

But the endless promotion of girls achievement threatened to come unstuck when suddenly parents started to notice what was happening to the boys.

Robert MacCann from the NSW Board of Studies released a startling report on gender differences in final school results which showed girls thriving while boys results dropped through the floor.

Suddenly, the newspapers were full of stories of irate parents demanding to know what was going on. Parents sent me cuttings from local newspapers showing the smiling faces of girls winning all the prizes in school speech days whilst boys filled the remedial classes or dropped out of school.

Unsurprisingly, after launching his bombshell report, theres no sign Robert MacCann appeared in public again.

It was obvious that girls education strategies had more than levelled the playing field. But was that the main goal for the feminists now firmly entrenched in our education departments?

A letter I received in response to my articles on boys education spelled out their goals very clearly.

Girls today are far beyond needing equality. They need compensation for 2,000 years of being repressed, mutilated, enslaved, raped, and treated as inferior, a hostile reader wrote.

Similar sentiments, more tactfully expressed, were published in an education department gender equity magazine, But the Girls Are Doing Brilliantly, suggesting that increasing girls performance in maths and science wouldnt provide girls with career success, nor better paying jobs or increased workforce participation. More had to be done.

This mob wasnt at all happy when governments responded to the massive community disquiet about the boys being left behind with two parliamentary inquiries.

The first, led by Liberal backbencher Stephen ODoherty in NSW made worthy recommendations only to have the project shelved when Bob Carrs Labor government came to power, kowtowed to the teachers union, and buried the whole thing.

Australian Swimmer Ariarne Titmus talks to students at St Patricks College in Launceston, Australia, on Sept. 15, 2021. (Steve Bell/Getty Images for TLA)

Next came the Howard Governments House of Representatives Inquiry where the bipartisan committee unanimously recommended programs to assist boys, especially in literacy.

The Deputy Chair, Labor MP Rod Sawford, spoke out about the state of denial the committee encountered in education bureaucrats and academics, due to the fear that addressing boys issues would undermine ongoing support for strategies for girls.

Federal Education Minister Brendon Nelson announced boys Lighthouse programs to develop strategies to improve their achievement.

But naturally, Labor wasnt having a bar of this and funding for boys initiatives rapidly dried up when the Coalition lost power.

Here we are 20 years laterwith boys education totally off the agenda.

The 2019 Alice Springs Education Declaration setting out Australias current goals for education didnt mention boys in the entire document.

Students attend a class at Alexandria Park Community School in Sydney, Australia on May 4, 2016. (AAP Image/Paul Miller)

Additionally, most of the data showing how bad boys are slipping behind in school never sees the light of day.

Evidence that is available reveals a dire picture of boys in trouble:

Dropping out of school: For every 17-year-old girl not going to school in 2020, there were 1.5 boys. That trend has been getting worse for the last half-century.

Left behind: NAPLAN results tracking basic skills show more boys falling below minimum standards in every subject. Year 7 NAPLAN results show that in most subjects, boys are about twice as likely to be in trouble compared to girls. Overall, 11 percent of teenage boys cant read at a minimum standard. And even in numeracy, more boys are below par.

Final school results slipping: Last year in NSW, girls were awarded 58 percent of all the high scores in the HSC results, with about 6,300 more top scores than boys received. Most states simply dont publish final year results by gender.

No longer going to university: In 2021 there were 1.4 females for every male doing a degree or graduate study. More girls than boys have been going to university since 1989, with the gender gap increasing steadily.

Over the past two decades, we have seen more and more measures introduced which favour girls achievement, such as the inclusion of one compulsory English unit in the calculation of NSW tertiary entrance marks in 1994, and a second seven years later.

Theres long been a shift to assessment methods that favour girls, like ongoing assessment rather than exams. Further, as male teachers are now outnumbered 2.8 to 1, there are also concerns that female teachers will have a bias against boys with female teachers more likely to mark boys down, an OECD study found.

In view of our coming election, parents need to start asking politicians tough questions driving boys education back onto the agenda.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A stock chart on a monitor in a stock photo. (Pexels/Pixabay)

Heres How Goldman Sachs Views NVIDIA

Goldman Sachs analyst Toshiya Hari reinstated coverage of NVIDIA Corp. with a Neutral rating and a $245 price target, representing a 7 percent potential upside.

The analyst continues to view NVIDIA as an industry leader in accelerated computing.

He expects the proliferation of artificial intelligence and machine learning to drive earnings growth and a valuation multiple that exceeds the industry average over the long run.

However, Hari believes the risk/reward on the stock is fairly balanced on a 12-month basis.

By Anusuya Lahiri

 2021 The Epoch Times. The Epoch Times does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Women ride by a large Ukrainian flag with the slogan "We Support Ukraine" written on it in Chinese characters on the outside wall of the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, China, on March 1, 2022. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

How Ukraine May Have Saved Communist China

Commentary

Russias war with Ukraine saved the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its Peoples Republic of China (PRC).

The isolation of Russia as part of the U.S.-led global information warfare campaign has driven Russia back into the arms of Beijing, just as Chinas economy was imploding, and China desperately needed Russian energy and food.

So the PRC now becomes more dependent on Russia, allowing the CCP to survive.

China, as the worlds largest importer of food and energy, now has diminishing foreign currency reserves, and sees that Russia has nowhere else to go except to sell to the PRC.

It took several decades to reach the point where the world had once again become strategically bipolar.

The wake-up call for Beijing came with the May 7, 1999, accidental strike by U.S. direct attack munitions (DAM) on the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, during U.S./NATO Operation Allied Force. The strike did far more than just anger Beijing and the Chinese people; it triggered a sober internal assessment of the state of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA). The incident had a similar impact on Russian strategic planners.

That may have been the single most important U.S. act of self-inflicted damage since President Jimmy Carter withdrew the United States from control of the Panama Canal in 1977.

From that point, both Beijing and Moscow began examining ways to leapfrog U.S. technological leadership and operational doctrine in the military sphere, creating, as a result, capabilities which have overtaken the United States in many areas.

The watershed of the 2022 Russian action against Ukraine has stimulated the next phase of Beijings evaluation of the prospects of conflict and competition over the coming decade.

What, then, are some of Beijings concerns?

Moscow Now Dominates the Eurasian Balance

Beijing recognizes that Moscow emerges stronger from the Ukraine war, militarily and strategically, even if it is isolated from Western markets and capital.

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures after signing a treaty to incorporate Crimea into Russia in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on March 18, 2014. In his New Years Eve televised message to the nation, Putin hailed the annexation of Crimea as a historic achievement and the rightful return of the peninsulas people to the bosom of Russia. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo)

This is not universally positive for Beijing, but it gives China short-term comfort.

Beijing understands that Moscow now dominates the Sino-Russian relationship in the way that the Cold War USSR dominated the Sino-Soviet relationship. Then, during the massive post-Cold War growth of the Chinese economy, a weak post-Soviet Moscow was desperate for trade and support from Beijing. Russia had to sell its crown jewelsits latest military and space technologyto the PRC, and to tolerate Beijings theft of Russian intellectual property.

Chinas economic difficulties since about 2012 gave Moscow an opportunity to regain dominance over the relationship, particularly following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. Russia rapidly rebuilt influence in Central Asia, and Beijing gained far less than it had hoped from that event.

Russian isolation from the Western world offers profound relief for Beijing, including the prospect that Russias significant strength in global grain markets could be turned to providing food for China, along with more Russian energy.

There has been, for several years, a great impetus to create an internal marketplace between China, Russia, Iran, and smaller states in Central Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

What Lessons on the Taiwan Question?

There are few military parallels between the Russian military operation in Ukraine and a proposed amphibious operation by the PLA to conquer Taiwan, other than to assess the merits of various weapons systems, particularly air defenses. But Taiwans air defenses are far more sophisticated than those of Ukraine.

The real focus for the PLA would be on the success and challenges of the Russia-Ukraine cyberwarfare, but it would be clear to Beijing that Russia had, by early March 2022, scarcely deployed anything like its full cyber (or military) capability.

Of far greater importance to Beijing would be the extent to which the Ukraine crisis stimulated Western cohesion, and whether this would be indicative of a possible response to a Chinese attack on Taiwan.

Beijing is paying attention to the positioning of Russian nuclear and hypersonic capabilities to compel the United States/NATO onto the sidelines of the Ukraine dispute. Beijing would also raise nuclear deterrence with regard to Taiwan. Not deterrence of the United States from directly undertaking a nuclear first strike against China, but to intimidate Washington away from supporting Taiwan; to create paralysis in Washington.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will need to determine whether Ukraine conflict exhaustion could be used to dampen U.S. resistance to a PLA Taiwan operation. Alternately, the CCP must consider whether the Wests reluctance to commit more to the defense of Ukraine means that it merely continues to keep its powder dry in readiness for a Chinese break-out.

Beijings key consideration for a Taiwan operation relies more on the independent responses of India and Japan.

A Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) H-6 bomber flies on a mission near the median line in the Taiwan Strait, which serves as an unofficial buffer between China and Taiwan, on Sept. 18, 2020. (Taiwan Ministry of National Defense/via Reuters)

In any event, Beijing is aware that the correlation of forces, despite the anticipated sanctions, has moved in favor of a strong Eurasian bloc under Russia.

Minimizing Sino-Russian Competition

A new economic framework will be needed for the new Eurasian bloc. This has been considered for some time.

Russia was able to counter the loss on March 1, 2022, of access to the SWIFT financial transfer system. Moscow had been preparing for some years for the final rupture of what it had hoped would be a Russian integration into the Western-dominated trading system.

The introduction of the Financial Message Transfer System of the Bank of Russia (SPFS) some six years earlier, was well thought out, and has been perfected in operational use by banks in Belarus, Armenia, and the Kyrgyz Republic. Beijing is negotiating to join the system.

The new Eurasian bloc is now divided from the Western trading system. Russia, however, has high reserves of gold to provide a solid underpinning of the ruble, and this will eventually begin to tell as Western debt levels begin to erode confidence in the U.S. dollar and the euro. It also explains why Russia and China focus efforts on developing good relations with gold-producing states such as Mali and South Africa.

The world has, anyway, been moving back to a greater bilateralization of trade since the end of the Cold War, and this lends itself to barter and countertrade, which will again feature heavily for Moscow and Beijing.

Forcing the US/West to Focus on the Euro-Atlantic Theater

Beijing has for some time attempted to find Euro-Atlantic distractions, which would force the United States and United Kingdom to diminish their Indo-Pacific focus. The Ukraine conflict, then, has been a major success for Beijing.

The correlation of forces it faces in the Indo-Pacific has been altered by a U.S. political need to refocus on NATO. This will make it more difficult for the nascent AUKUS bloc of Australia, the UK, and the United States, to gain traction in Washington.

Even within the Quad alliance of India, Japan, the United States, and Australia, India is now in an ambiguous position with Russia, which had long been its major national security partner. The August 2021 withdrawal by the United States from Afghanistan reawakened the Great Game, allowing India to compete against Moscow and Beijing for influence in the Central Asian states in a way not possible since the late 19th century.

India now may find itself having to find a new modus vivendi with a consolidated Eurasian power bloc. This may dampen Indias ability to directly challenge China on the Tibetan Plateau, or over Pakistani-occupied Kashmir, as easily as might have been the case when Russia was less intimately linked to China. This, in turn, positions Pakistan in a new light. It might now once again be seen as a stable link for China into the Indian Ocean.

Everything has, again, become ambiguous, and this works well for Beijing. Its certain decline has been given a safety net.

The Ukraine war has stabilized the position of the CCP as Xi Jinping moves toward consolidating his domestic position in history at the Party Congress in October 2022.

What had helped end the Cold War was the Wests ability to exploit Sino-Soviet differences, including promises by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to Russia, and U.S. President Richard Nixons earlier promises to Beijing.

But the West is not in a position to use those same tools so easily in the future.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Dark Genome May Hold Key to the Fight Against Congenital Heart Disease

An Australian university researcher, investigating the relationship between a persons genes and their propensity for heart disease, has been awarded an $8 million (US$5.8million) fellowship from the Snow Medical Research Foundation.

University of New South Wales (UNSW) researcher, Emily Wong PhD, intends to illuminate the relationship between the dark genomeregions of a genome that are understood less than the regions that encode proteinsand the development of the bodys heart.

The genome is an organisms complete set of genetic information and for humans, 98 percent of that information is a part of the dark genome.

I feel incredibly honoured to be a Snow Medical Fellow. This level of support is transformative. My research vision would not be possible without this level of sustained funding, said Wong in a UNSW media release on March 2.

Im thrilled to be able to expand this research, which has the potential to alter our understanding of heart disease and shine light on the dark genome and its disease-causing variations, she said.  I look forward to contributing to world-leading research in this crucial field.

Wong is mainly investigating how the regions of the dark genome known as enhancers function or malfunction. Enhancers are sequences in the genome, they are responsible for turning genes on and off and they are critical to developing the human body as they determine whether a cell becomes a heart or liver cell. They are also important because a lot of disease-causing variation takes place in the enhancer regions of the genome so understanding how they work is believed to be crucial in comprehending what role they play in heart disease and aging.

A researcher holds up a vile of DNA. (By Cryptographer/Shutterstock

Wong said that she would use the fellowship funding to map each individual enhancer involved in the development of the human heart, attempting to discover what variants are causing diseases such as congenital heart disease.

The cause of congenital heart disease is unknown in roughly 80 percent of cases, so comprehending what parts of the dark genome are causing the condition will enable doctors to provide heart disease diagnoses and hopefully new treatments.

Additionally, Wong will use her background as a computational biologist to develop the new technologies that she requires to study the dark genome, establishing new tech that will further the field of disease research. Her study will also investigate the molecular reason why exercise improves heart health, which she believes could develop a new field of healthy aging therapeutics for those that are not able to exercise.

Wong is well equipped for this research project as she is not new to the study of enhancers. Her study of prehistoric sea sponge genomes significantly furthered understandings of genome sequencers as she determined that prehistoric sea slugs, humans, and mice shared similar enhancers, proving that these sequences had been maintained in genomes for over 700 million years.

At the University of Queensland, we extracted DNA samples from the sea sponge and injected it into a single cell from a zebrafish embryo, said Wong in a Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute media release from Nov. 6 2020. Without harming the zebrafish, we then repeated the process at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute with hundreds of embryos, inserting small DNA samples from humans and mice as well.

What we found is despite a lack of similarity between the sponge and humans, we identified a similar set of genomic instructions that controls gene expression in both organisms. We were blown away by the results!

Research technicians prepare DNA samples to be sequenced in the production lab of the New York Genome Center in New York City, on Sept. 19, 2013. (Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

Wongs 2020 discovery is important to the scientific community because enhancers are incredibly difficult to find as they evolve rapidly and can not generally be identified by comparing sequences as can be done with genes.

Trying to find these regions based on the genome sequence alone is like looking for a light switch in a pitch-black room, said Wong. And thats why, up to this point, there has not been a single example of a DNA sequence enhancer that has been found to be conserved across the animal kingdom.

Wongs research provided a better comprehension of enhancers and how the human genome can be read and understood, which helps in understanding human processes that have a genetic basis such as congenital heart disease.

Dean of UNSW Science, Professor Emma Johnston said in the UNSW media release that by providing Wong with the time and security to test her hypotheses, the fellowship will help millions of people suffering from heart disease.

Dr Wongs research will shed light on our understanding of the heart and has the potential to transform the diagnosis of heart disease and genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of healthy ageing, said Johnston. I applaud her on this significant Fellowship and look forward to witnessing her remarkable research that will lead to new therapies to improve clinical care.

Make giving part of your personal money management program. (SewCream/Shutterstock)

Professor Jason Kovacic, Executive Director of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute said UNSW media release that the fellowship was a great opportunity for both Wong and the Institute.

I want to thank the Snow Family and the entire team at Snow Medical for believing in Dr Wongs work and for providing her with the independence that will allow her to expand her team and to deliver on the potential of her incredibly exciting research, said Kovacic.

The Snow Medical Research Foundation offers the largest philanthropically funded biomedical research fellowship in Australia. Snow fellowships are funded by the Snow family through Snow Medical, a foundation that has donated $91.1 million since its establishment in 2020.

The Snow Medical Research Foundation fellowship is offered to three researchers who are entitled to receive $1 million every year for eight years. Chairmen, Tom Snow, said in a foundation media release that in addition to funding, the researchers host universities have committed outstanding labs, leadership development opportunities and ongoing management.

This year we were again faced with some of the worlds best emerging scientists working here in Australia, said Snow. They have all worked in excellent labs in the UK, the U.S. and the Netherlands, have published in the worlds best journals, and have brought their worldwide expertise to Australia.

The Snow Fellowship is designed to back the brightest and best of their generation to take bold risks. We want our researchers to have the guts to fail before they succeedand we give them eight years to deliver their vision, he said.
The roadway to the entry of All American Asphalt in Irvine, Calif., on Dec. 9, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Irvine Plans to Move Asphalt Plant Amid Health Concerns

IRVINE, Calif.Despite Irvine officials plan to move an asphalt plant out of the city, concerns still arise as to how long it will take to move the plant and what measures will be taken in the meantime.

Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan announced on Feb. 22 that the city, in its lawsuit with All American Asphaltin northeast Irvineis pursuing a settlement with the plant, which, if achieved, will require the plant to move outside Irvine.

It could take up to 24 months to move the plant out of the city, Irvine City Manager Oliver Chi told The Epoch Times.

Prior to the move, the settlement would also require the plant to take immediate measures to limit emissions and odors, including a more robust air monitoring system, Chi said.

We are optimistic that the initial discussions weve had with All American Asphalt have been positive and favorable regarding the possibility of having them relocate out of the city, Chi said.

For around three years, residents near the All American Asphalt have complained of itchy eyes and headaches resulting from the plants operations.

Despite the move, Kim Konte, a resident who lives within the affected area and founder of activist group Non-Toxic Neighborhoods, said anything less than an emergency injunction to immediately stop plant operations is not enough.

We cant let our kids breathe that air, Konte said.

Konte also called the alleged mitigation measures to reduce air toxins smoke and mirrors.

Konte is looking to relocate her family solely due to the plants emissions because she does not want to risk her childrens health anymore after three years of exposure.

We love Irvine, but its not safe for kids. So we need to go, she said. We fought this as hard as we could, but Khans solution is not one that is going to help any of the children that have already been exposed for three years. We dont even know the damage thats been done already.

Councilman Larry Agran, an outspoken opponent of the plant, said the plant has quadrupled its production in the last few years. He thinks more needs to be done in the meantime to provide relief to residents who have dealt with the toxins.

Agran said the council should be hiring special legal counsel to seek an injunction to shut down the plant or at least sharply curtail its operationsrolling back those operations by 75 percent.

While All American Asphalt has not agreed to move yet, Irvine Vice Mayor Anthony Kuo told The Epoch Times he believes a settlement could be reached within 6 to 10 weeks.

There is an openness and a willingness from All American [Asphalt] to move if the terms presented were right, Kuo said. That idea did not originate from our making that up out of thin air.

All American Asphalt did not reply to an inquiry from The Epoch Times for comment.
This artist sketch depicts Guy Wesley Reffitt, joined by his lawyer William Welch, right, in Federal Court, in Washington on Feb. 28, 2022. (Dana Verkouteren/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Jury Convicts Texas Man in First Jan. 6 Case to Go to Trial

The first person charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol breach to go on trial was found guilty on March 8.

A jury declared Guy Reffitt guilty on all five counts, including obstruction of an official proceeding, civil disorder, and obstruction of justice.

The jury in Washington returned the unanimous verdict after just two hours of deliberation.

Reffitt faces up to 20 years in prison, although defendants rarely get the maximum sentence.

Reffitt is not believed to have entered the Capitol itself, but was captured outside the building wearing a helmet and a camera when it was breached.

One video clip played for jurors showed Reffitt repeatedly urging rioters to drag House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other lawmakers out of the Capitol building.

I didnt come here to playIm taking the Capitol, the video showed Reffitt saying at one point. I just want to see Pelosis head hitting every stair on the way out.

Risa Berkower, one of the prosecutors, claimed during closing arguments that Refitt was a leader on Jan. 6, adding, When the defendant stepped to the front of the crowd, he forced the Capitol Police into an impossible last stand to protect the people inside. William Welch, Reffitts lawyer, said his client was only guilty of entering a restricted area. This case has been a rush to judgment, most of it based on bragging and a lot of hype, Welch told jurors. Be the grown-ups in the courtroom. Separate the fact from the hype.

Guy Wesley Reffitt rinses his eyes after police doused him with pepper spray at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (U.S. Department of Justice via The Epoch Times)

Approximately 13 witnesses testified during the trial, including former and current U.S. Capitol Police officers and Reffitts teenage son.

He said, If you turn me in, youre a traitor,' Jackson Reffitt, 19, told jurors during his testimony. And traitors get shot.'

Reffitt, who has been held in federal detention since his arrest on Jan. 16, 2021, did not take the stand.

Jurors were told before deliberating that every defendant is presumed to be innocent and that prosecution must prove a defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Some 200 defendants have already pleaded guilty to charges relating the breach, while over 775 people have been arrested for allegedly being involved. The latest, Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, was set to appear in federal court in Florida on Tuesday.

The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Matthew Graves, told news outlets in a statement that the jury held Guy Reffitt accountable for his actions and thanked jurors for upholding the rule of law.

Reffitts wife, Nicole, told reporters outside the courtroom her husband was convicted on his First Amendment rights and that the verdict was against all American people.

The jury was attempting to intimidate other members of the 1/6ers, she alleged, urging other Jan. 6 defendants not to take plea deals.

Joe Hanneman and Reuters contributed to this report.
Protesters supporting U.S. President Donald Trump gather near the east front door of the U.S. Capitol after groups breached the building's security in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Judge Dismisses Obstruction Charge Against Texas Defendant Charged in Jan. 6 Breach of US Capitol

A federal judge on Monday dismissed an obstruction charge against a man accused of breaching the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, ruling that he himself had not directly interfered with Congress certification of Electoral College votes.

Officials have accused Garret Miller of being an active participant in the January breach and on May 12, 2021, a grand jury issued an indictment that charges him with twelve different criminal offenses, several of which are felonies.

According to court documents, federal prosecutors had argued that Millers alleged involvement in the breach obstructed, influenced or impeded Congress ability to certify the Electoral College vote of the 2020 presidential election, or attempted to do so.

But in a 29-page opinion (pdf) published on Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Carl Nichols said that ambiguities in the wording of the law require him to take a narrow reading of it.

Under that narrow interpretation, the court ruled that the defendant must have taken some actions with respect to a document, record, or other object in order to corruptly obstruct, impede or influence an official proceeding, in order to be charged with obstruction.

But Nichols said that because prosecutors had not alleged that Miller took such a direct action, and instead had simply joined the large group of people who breached the Capitol building, the obstruction charge against him must be dismissed.

Miller, however, is not alleged to have taken such action, Judge Nichols wrote.

Instead, count three of the second superseding indictment alleges only that he attempted to, and did, corruptly obstruct, influence, and impede an official proceeding, that is, a proceeding before Congress, specifically, Congresss certification of the Electoral College vote, Nichols wrote.

Nothing in count three (or the indictment more generally) alleges, let alone implies, that Miller took some action with respect to a document, record, or other object in order to corruptly obstruct, impede or influence Congresss certification of the electoral vote, he added.

The judge said that because of this, the obstruction charge against Miller, who is from the Dallas suburb of Richardson, must be dismissed.

The ruling leaves open the possibility that prosecutors could potentially seek a new indictment against Miller which alleges that he specifically interfered with Congress records.

It could also change how the government prosecutes future Jan. 6 cases in the future.

The Epoch Times has contacted a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Millers attorney, Clint Broden of Dallas, said Judge Nichols had made the right decision and noted that it could potentially affect future cases related to the Capitol breach.

In charging Mr. Miller with violating this statute, the government obviously believed that the ends to be accomplished somehow justified charging him with a statute that was not applicable to his alleged conduct. Judge Nichols correctly decided otherwise, Broden said in an emailed statement to Politico. This could result in a significant change as to how the government prosecutes the January 6 cases going forward.

The obstruction of justice count is one of 12 charges that Miller faces, including assaulting a police officer and posting violent threats, including a call to assassinate Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

Lawmakers have accused former President Donald Trump of encouraging violence at the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol, a claim that he strongly denies.

His last Facebook post called for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful and nonviolent and to respect law and order.

Trump also has repeatedly insisted that he requested to bring in the National Guard ahead of the Jan. 6 demonstration, but that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) rejected the request.
The Orange County Department of Education in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Feb. 23, 2022. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Judge Tentatively Rules Against Allegations That Education Board Trustee Was Illegally Appointed

COSTA MESA, Calif.A judge tentatively ruled against allegations that Orange County Board of Education Trustee Tim Shaw was illegally appointed to his vacant seat.

The tentative ruling from Superior Court Judge Martha Gooding arrived on March 4three days prior to the hearing on March 7giving the prosecution and defense time to formalize their arguments and sway the judges decision.

While a final decision was not made on March 7, the ruling is expected soon, according to Gooding, but the date was not clear.

The legal challenge was filed in Orange County Superior Court on Jan. 28 by local resident Michael Sean Wright, alleging Shaw shouldnt have been reappointed to his former seat on the school board due to a state law that says, the local board may not re-appoint to the office the person whose resignation caused the vacancy in the first place, according to the lawsuit.

Shaw resigned from the board of education in November 2021 after facing a legal challenge that accused him of partaking in a conflict of interest by holding incompatible offices for serving simultaneously on the county board of education and La Habra City Council.

Shaw didnt agree with the allegations but stepped down to avoid costly legal fees.

The board had 60 days to either hold a special election or fill Shaws vacant seat. However, the board reappointed Shaw in December 2021 after interviewing seven eligible candidates.

To avoid potential conflicts, Shaw resigned from the city council the morning before being reappointed.

On Feb. 10, Wright was set to request that the judge shorten the time the board had to respond to the legal challenge, require a special election to fill Shaws seat, and temporarily prohibit Shaw from serving on the board until a hearing on the lawsuit is granted.

We want the case expedited, and to prevent Mr. Shaw from serving while the case is pending, attorney Lee Fink, who is representing Wright, told The Epoch Times in a previous interview.

If the judge rules in favor of Wright, Shaws seat will be left vacant with the fourth district being unrepresented once again.

I won the election seat, fair and square, Shaw told The Epoch Times in a previous interview. Legal actions are all about overturning the election results. One lawsuit after another is trying to get me unappointed.

Orange County Board of Education Trustee Beckie Gomez was served a lawsuit during a March 2 board meeting for the same reason. The lawsuit claims Gomez is unlawfully holding two incompatible offices by serving as a trustee on the board of education and a councilwoman on the Tustin City Council.

The board of education trustees are unable to comment until a final decision is made.
LA City Council Condemns Russian Invasion of Ukraine

LOS ANGELESThe Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved a resolution on March 8 to strongly condemn the egregious actions of [Russian] President Vladimir Putin for ordering the invasion of Ukraine.

The resolutionwhich was led by Councilman Paul Koretz and introduced by five council membersalso includes a call for international or federal divestment of all holdings from, and investments in, Russia.

It further condemns Putins actions and those of any country that supports Russia, or supports publicly traded Russian companies, real estate, or private equity.

Whats happening in Ukraine right now hits close to home for me. My mothers family fled Kyiv 100 years ago to avoid the Russian pogroms. And Ive been sick to my stomach seeing the photos of innocent men, women and especially children who have been murdered in this invasion, Koretz said before the vote.

An 18-month-old boy killed by the shelling. The 6-year-old girls shot to death in a car. A 14-year-old boy bleeding to death after being hit by a shell fragment. All pointless, senseless, useless deaths at the hand of a megalomaniacal madman, he added.

Koretz introduced the resolution with Council President Nury Martinez, Councilwomen Monica Rodriguez and Nithya Raman, and Councilman Kevin de Leon.

The city of Los Angeles stands firmly with Ukraine and its people and strongly condemns President Putins reckless actions against Ukraine, the resolution states.

Councilman Mitch OFarrell said before the vote that Putins invasion endangered not only Ukraine but the whole global community due to the veiled threat of nuclear war.

Councilman Bob Blumenfield similarly said, this isnt just about Ukrainians fight for sovereignty  this is really about the future of the world, whether we are going to be progressing as a world or whether were going to regress in many ways. Its about world stability.

The resolution includes support and celebration of Los Angeless Russian community, culture, and local Russian-owned businesses, recognizing that Putins actions are not representative of Russians and Russian-Americans.

Councilman Joe Buscaino, who seconded the resolution, also introduced a motion on March 1 aimed at declaring Ukraines capital city Kyiv a Los Angeles Sister City as a gesture of solidarity. If Kyiv is declared a sister city, Los Angeles would be able to send retired city goods, including fire trucks and ambulances.

The world continues to be horrified by the images and videos coming from Kyiv, Ukraine; however, people across the globe have also been inspired by the resilience and fortitude of the people of Ukraine, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyeveryday citizens who have taken a stand for their country, democracy and freedom, Buscaino said.

A sister cities relationship is a people-to-people program aimed at establishing greater friendship and understanding with peoples of other nations, he added. Los Angeles should do everything in its power to support the people of Ukraine in their fight for our shared values of self-determination, democracy, and freedom.

The motion to make Kyiv a Los Angeles Sister City was not immediately scheduled for a vote.
Vivek Ramaswamy, founder of a multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical company and author of Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America's Social Justice Scam," in Orlando, Fla. on March 8, 2022. (Tal Atzmon/The Epoch Times)

Labels Matter Less Than Coming Together to Save Democracy: Author of Woke Inc.

Speaking on the current economic and social climate in the West, author of Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate Americas Social Justice Scam, Vivek Ramaswamy said people need to look past the artificial problems promoted by the left and the superficial solutions presented by the right and come together as Americans to save democracy.

He believes the United States and other Western societies have two directions they can go, one in which the managerial elites gain ultimate control over all institutions, the other, where people take back their power.

Were in a moment where labels matter less than actually the movements that call for either the everyday people being heard or the institutional elites ultimately wielding power. Thats the real defining struggle of our time, Ramaswamy told the host of American Thought Leaders, Jan Jekielek during a recent interview.

And whether its the woke movement or the left versus right question, those are distractions to the real question of our time, which actually goes to the inherent true power of a democracy.

Ramaswamy said the woke movement was embraced by the managerial elites to deflect attention from people protesting their financial corruption.

The Occupy Wall Street movement represented a threat to Wall Street, said Ramaswamy. Thats why they used the woke movement born in the post-2008 era to defang Occupy Wall Street.

Ramaswamy said corporations embraced woke ideology to get the attention away from economics and instead said, No, it was systemic racism, and misogyny and bigotry, that are the more pressing issues facing America.

He sees corporate adoption of agendas like Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), or Governance, Inclusion, and Equity (GIE), which have allowed corporations to get in the back door with the government.

Corporate social responsibility, call it what you want. It is the apologist model of capitalism that merges state power with corporate power to create the modern form of fascism.

What this new movement is about is about using private power to accomplish through the private sector, what government could not do through the front door, and in return private companies using government to gain competitive advantages that they couldnt have actually gained in a true free market.

Ramaswamy said former secretary of state and President Joe Bidens climate czar John Kerry meeting with banking leaders to sign a climate pledge is an example of how corporations and government collude to each gain more power.

Thats using governmental power to do through the back door what government couldnt do through the front door, said Ramaswamy on using a corporate climate pledge to implement the governments Green New Deal climate legislation.

According to Reuters, more than 160 Western firms with assets of at least $70 trillion have signed up, of which 43 are banksas part of the Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA)including Barclays, Morgan Stanley, HSBC, and Citi.

He said this type of partnership has a more nefarious goal, which is being implemented through the Build Back Better agenda or what some call the Great Reset.

President Joe Biden delivers remarks as U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and former Secretary of State John Kerry listen during day 2 of the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate at the East Room of the White House in Washington, on April 23, 2021. (Anna Moneymaker-Pool/Getty Images)

The Great Reset is the use of COVID-19 and other catastrophes to be able to achieve something that people would have otherwise never accepted, which was a merger of power across the different institutional spheres of our lives, Ramaswamy said.

He said the elites who are trying to consolidate power are meeting with resistance from people like the truckers Freedom Convoy, who are starting to realize their rights are being taken away. He said we are at a critical moment in history, where we will see either the corporate elite solidify their power or the people will get back their power.

The truckers you see in Canada who smell whats happening, and they know that they see not just a political movement, but a pan-institutional movement that is set up to permanently exclude them in the name of inclusion, and theyre not going to stand for it. And these two great resets, I think, are coming to a head.

He said the next two years will be telling and allow conservatives to hone a message that centers around saving Americas democratic republic.

Crowds gather in support of a trucker convoy in Missouri, on Feb. 28, 2022. (Enrico Trigoso/The Epoch Times)

Or is it because we actually care about the integrity of a democracy, where the will of the people is ultimately representative, the people who elect to put in charge are actually the people who are in charge, rather than a bureaucratic layer that is insulated from political accountability.

I think were ready for countermovement, said Ramaswamy but cautioned that it needs to bring people together, not divide. He believes people are hungry for meaning, purpose, and identity, and the solutions to counter this reset have to be high quality, uniting, and grounded in true respect for the individual.

Ramaswamy said strong leadership is needed in the time ahead because the old bureaucratic structures will have to be taken down and replaced.

When you get in charge of the alphabet soup, from the NIH to the FBI, to the FTC to the SEC, the answer isnt to incrementally reform those bureaucracies it is to shut them down and to replace them with something new because theres managerial cancer thats insulated from political accountability.

Ramaswamy said he is hopeful and wants to see the United States strive toward exceptionalism and away from victimhood.

We want robust universalist American alternatives, for example, the unapologetic pursuit of excellence, said Ramaswamy. I do want companies that tell me that the American Dream is alive and well.

Hundreds of people gather by TransCanada Highway 20 to show their support to truckers heading to Ottawa to protest against COVID-19 restrictions in Levis, Quebec, on Jan. 28, 2022. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)

If the lefts Great Reset succeeds, Ramaswamy sees an end to democracy and the United Statess founding vision.

I think thats the disappearance of democracy as we know it. It is the institution of modern monarchy, where we dont have one king, we have kings that together, with a bureaucratic layer, collectively represent a technocratic King.

I think that our times call for great leaders who are willing to do extraordinary things, and if those great leaders dont rise to the occasion, then I think its the beginning of the end of the American vision.

Masooma Haq Follow Masooma Haq began reporting for The Epoch Times from Pakistan in 2008. She currently covers a variety of topics including U.S. government, culture, and entertainment.
A Chinese coast guard ship (back) sails next to a Vietnamese coast guard vessel (front) near China's oil drilling rig in disputed waters in the South China Sea on May 14, 2014. (Hoang Dinh Nam/AFP via Getty Images

Russia-Ukraine (March 8): As Russia Attacks Ukraine, China Eyes the Indo-Pacific: Australia Intelligence Boss

The latest on the RussiaUkraine crisis, March 8. Click here for updates from March 7.

As Russia Attacks Ukraine, China Eyes the Indo-Pacific: Australia Intelligence Boss

A troubling new strategic convergence between Beijing and Moscow has developed and the risk of major power conflict had grown since Russia invaded Ukraine, Australias intelligence chief said on Wednesday.

Andrew Shearer, director general of the Office of National Intelligence, said Chinese leader Xi Jinping appears to be planning to dominate the Indo-Pacific region and use it as a base to overtake the United States as the worlds leading power.

The comments reinforce warnings that the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has met near-universal condemnation by the West, may spread into a regional or global conflict. This week Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called on liberal democracies to stop an arc of autocracy reshaping the world.

Were going to have to work much harder to maintain the liberal quality of the rules-based order in Europe and here in the Indo-Pacific region, Shearer said at a conference hosted by the Australian Financial Review.

We see a leader whos really battening down and hardening his country for this struggle to overtake the United States as the worlds leading power, he added, referring to Xi.

The base camp  is to establish primacy in the Indo-Pacific region.

___

Russia Underestimated Ukraines Resistance, US Officials Say

The United States believes Russia underestimated the strength of Ukraines resistance before launching an invasion that has likely caused thousands of Russian casualties, the Biden administrations top intelligence official told lawmakers Tuesday.

The testimony, in a hearing before the House Intelligence Committee, amounted to the first public assessment of the 2-week-old war by the nations senior intelligence officials, who offered their insights into the thinking and motives of Russian President Vladimir Putin as his forces continue their march through Ukraine.

The officials made clear that Russias assault has been slowed by unexpected resistance by Ukrainian defenders and that it was now uncertain if Putin would proceed with a maximalist strategy to try to capture all of Ukraine or would settle for something short of that. Either way, they said they believed he was determined to press his invasion forward despite mounting casualties, global sanctions, and efforts by Western nations to isolate the Kremlin, including a U.S. ban on Russian oil imports.

We assess Putin feels aggrieved the West does not give him proper deference and perceives this as a war he cannot afford to lose, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said. But what he might be willing to accept as a victory may change over time given the significant costs he is incurring.

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McDonalds, Starbucks, Coke, and Pepsi Halt Sales in Russia

McDonalds, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, and Starbucks stopped sales of their best-known products in Russia on Tuesday.

All four companies have major operations in Russia.

McDonalds said it would go on paying salaries to its 62,000 employees in Russia as it closed 847 restaurants.

Starbucks Corp. is temporarily closing hundreds of stores. PepsiCo Inc. will suspend all advertising in Russia and stop the sale of its drinks brands while continuing to sell essentials such as milk and baby food. Rival Coca-Cola Co. said it will suspend its business there.

Scores of other companies also have rebuked Russia, and Amazon.com Inc. said on Tuesday it would stop accepting new customers for its cloud services in Russia and Ukraine. Universal Music suspended all operations in Russia, and online dating service Bumble Inc. will remove its apps from stores in Russia and Belarus.

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Pentagon Says Polands Offer to Send Fighter Jets for Ukraine Is Not Tenable The Pentagon said late on March 8 that Polands offer to send fighter jets is not tenable, after Polands Foreign Ministry announced it would deploy MiG-29 jets to the U.S. Air Forces Ramstein Air Base in Germany and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America. The deployment of the 28 MiG-29s would be immediate and free of charge, the Foreign Ministry added. At the same time, Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities, it said in a statement. The Polish government also called on other NATO member nations that own MiG-29 planes to transfer their planes to the United States. In a statement late on March 8, Pentagon press secretary John F. Kirby said: The prospect of fighter jets at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America departing from a U.S./NATO base in Germany to fly into airspace that is contested with Russia over Ukraine raises serious concerns for the entire NATO alliance. It is simply not clear to us that there is a substantive rationale for it. We will continue to consult with Poland and our other NATO allies about this issue and the difficult logistical challenges it presents, but we do not believe Polands proposal is a tenable one, he said. ___ US Commerce Secretary Warns Chinese Firms Not to Help Russia Skirt Sanctions U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on March 8 bluntly warned Chinese companies not to contravene trade sanctions against Russia by supplying the belligerent nation with chips and other supplies needed to sustain the war effort against Ukraine. Firms that do not abide by the sanctions can be essentially shut down, she said. Raimondo, in an interview with the New York Times, said that Russia is certainly going to be courting other countries to do an end run around our sanctions and export controls, but issued a harsh ultimatum to companies not to cooperate with any such circumvention. The commerce secretary emphasized the ease with which the Biden administration could shut down Chinas largest chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) or any other firms that make their technology available to Russia, adding it does not make sense from the companies own point of view to flout U.S. sanctions. They have their own self-interest to not supply this stuff to Russia. So theyre not doing it out of the goodness of their heart. It would be devastating to Chinas ability to produce these chips, Raimondo said. ___

Los Angeles City Council Condemns Invasion

Lawmakers in the second most populous city in the U.S. on Tuesday approved a resolution condemning the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin in waging war against Ukraine.

The Los Angeles City Council voted 14-0 to pass the resolution, which also urges international divestment of holdings in Russia.

The Board of Supervisors in neighboring Orange County unanimously passed a similar resolution Tuesday. It encourages the county to sever ties with any Russian-backed bank or financial institution. The county currently doesnt have any direct investments in Russia.

In Los Angeles, members of the City Council expressed support for Ukraine, denounced horrific acts against humanity and expressed concern that history is repeating itself.

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Belarusians in Ukraine Preparing to Join the Fight Against Russia

Belarusians living in Ukraine have formed a military unit and are preparing to join the fight against Russia.

Jan Derbeiko, 26, said he has been living in Kyiv since November 2020 after being forced to leave Belarus for participating in protests against President Alexander Lukashenko.

I had a job and I had plans for future, but the war happened here, Derbeiko said. At that moment, I decided to stay here. Ive already lost my homeland and now my new home is being destroyed.

Derbeiko urged all Belarusians who have a conscience and honor left to provide maximum support to the Ukrainians.

He said the squad of Belarusians, which grows each day, is preparing to take their positions when the Russian soldiers attack Kyiv.

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Russian Currency Restrictions Tightened

Russias Central Bank has sharply tightened currency restrictions amid crippling Western sanctions over the Russian war in Ukraine.

The bank ordered the countrys commercial banks to cap the amount clients can withdraw from their hard currency deposits at $10,000. Any withdrawals above that amount would be converted to rubles at the current exchange rates.

It also told commercial banks to stop selling hard currency to clients, a measure that will likely foment a black market for foreign currency. The draconian restrictions are unprecedented since Soviet times when the authorities maintained strict hard currency controls.

The Central Bank noted that the currency controls were tightened because of the Western sanctions that froze a large share of the Central Banks hard currency reserves. The crippling blow to the countrys financial system also prevented Russia from getting foreign cash.

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Poland to Send All MiG-29 Fighter Jets to US Base

Polish officials announced on March 8 they would deploy the countrys MiG-29 fighter jets to the U.S. Air Forces Ramstein Air Base in Germany amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

After consultations between the President and the Government, officials are ready to deployimmediately and free of chargeall their MIG-29 jets to the Ramstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry.

Poland then requested the United States provide it with its used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities, adding that Warsaw is ready to immediately establish the conditions of purchase of the planes.

The Polish government also called on other NATO member nations that own MiG-29 planesSoviet Union developed aircraft first operational in 1985to transfer their planes to the United States. Ukrainian pilots are trained to fly Soviet-era fighter jets.

Read the full article here

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Antony Blinken Meeting With French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris to discuss the response to Russias war with Ukraine.

Macron was briefing Blinken on his most recent round of conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin who is pressing ahead with the Ukraine invasion despite global condemnation and severe sanctions being imposed on his country.

The two men were also to discuss the Iran nuclear talks in Vienna, which are nearing an end with conflicting signals about whether the 2015 deal limiting Irans atomic program can be salvaged.

Blinken arrived in Paris for a two-hour stop from a tour of the Baltic states, Moldova and Poland, where he heard firsthand dire concerns about Russias actions from leaders.

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Moscow Warns Oil Could Reach $300 a Barrel due to New Sanctions

Crude oil prices could reach more than $300 per barrel if the West goes ahead with its plan to sanction Russian energy supplies, Moscow warned in a statement on state television.

It is absolutely clear that a rejection of Russian oil would lead to catastrophic consequences for the global market, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said. The surge in prices would be unpredictable. It would be $300 per barrel if not more.

Novak said that it will take Europe over a year to replace the quantity of oil it imports from Russia. Moreover, Europe will also have to pay a significantly higher price for it.

Read the full article here

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Russia Says it Destroyed Around 900 Ukrainian Armored Vehicles

The Russian armed forces have destroyed almost 900 Ukrainian tanks and other armored vehicles since the start of what Russia calls a special military operation on Feb. 24, the Russian defense ministry said on Tuesday.

It has also downed 84 drones, it added.

The ministry said that after the end of the agreed silent regime around the strategic port city of Mariupol on Tuesday, an offensive was renewed there by the forces of the pro-Russian Donetsk region.

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Russias Central Bank Offers Crisis Support to Finance Firms

Russias central bank announced on Tuesday a series of steps to help financial market players such as private pension funds and management companies cope with the current crisis situation, including relaxing some regulations.

Russias financial markets have been thrown into turmoil by severe economic sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine.

The central bank has more than doubled its key interest rate to 20 percent and provided extra liquidity to banks, and the government has rolled out some support measures, but the rouble has tanked and securities like bonds have sold off heavily.

In a statement on the Telegram messaging app, the central bank said its new measures included adapting regulatory requirements to the new economic conditions, waiving penalties for some regulatory violations if they are linked to the current market situation, and extending timeframes for market players to implement some rules.

It added they were part of efforts to lower the regulatory and supervisory burden.

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Britain Joins US in Banning Russian Oil

Britain is joining the United States in announcing a ban on imports of Russian oil.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng says oil and oil products from Russia will be phased out by the end of the year. He said the transition period will give the market, businesses and supply chains more than enough time to replace Russian imports, which account for 8 percent of U.K. demand.

Kwarteng said the U.K. would work with its other oil suppliers, including the United States, the Netherlands, and the Gulf states, to secure extra supplies.

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Biden Announces Ban on Russian Oil

President Joe Biden announced a ban on all Russian oil imports Tuesday in the latest move from the United States to isolate Russias economy in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

This latest measure comes in addition to sanctions already placed on Russian financial systems and individuals in Russian President Vladimir Putins inner circle.

This is a move that has strong bipartisan support in Congress and I believe in the country, said Biden. Americans have rallied to support what made it clear we will not be part of subsidizing Putins war.

Biden acknowledged the move would cost Americans as well. It comes as gas prices in the United States reach record highs. The national average cost for a gallon of gas reached $4.17 Tuesday, according to AAA.

Read the full article here

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NATO: Russias War Must Not Escalate Beyond Ukraine

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday there were credible reports that Russia was targeting civilians in Ukraine and urged Moscow to end the conflict, also vowing not to let it spread.

We have a responsibility to ensure the conflict does not escalate and spread beyond Ukraine, Stoltenberg said. We will protect and defend every inch of all allied territory, he added.

Speaking alongside Latvias President Egils Levits, Stoltenberg said Russias invasion was causing horrific suffering and that the humanitarian impact was devastating.

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Latvian Lawmaker Travels to Ukraine to Fight Alongside Ukrainians

A Latvian lawmaker has traveled to Ukraine to fight alongside Ukrainians, the Baltic countrys Justice Minister Janis Bordans said Tuesday.

Juris Jurass, who is the chairman of the Saeima assemblys Legal Affairs Committee and a member of the same party as Bordans, has volunteered to defend the territory of Ukraine and to fight against the invaders, the justice minister said.

He made the decision based on his private and moral principles, Bordans told the Baltic News Service. He was not immediately available for comment.

On Twitter, Ukraine 4 Freedom, a volunteer project by students of international relations at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, wrote that he had joined a foreign legion unit for international volunteers.

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Zelensky Open to Compromise on NATO, Crimea, and Separatist Republics

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signaled openness to a compromise with Russian President Vladimir Putin on some of his key demands for halting the offensive in Ukraine, including on NATO membership and the status of Crimea and the breakaway pro-Moscow territories, but the Ukrainian leader insisted his forces would not capitulate.

Im ready for a dialogue, but were not ready for surrender, Zelensky said in an interview with ABC News published on Tuesday.

The Ukrainian president said he was not prepared to give in to what he described as ultimatums put forward by Russia in the latest round of peace talks, but insisted hes ready to open discussions on issues including NATO membership and the status of the separatist-controlled regions of Donetsk and Luhansk and Russia-annexed Crimea.

Read the full article here

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UK Says It Will Back Poland if It Decides to Send Jets to Ukraine

British defense minister Ben Wallace said on Tuesday that Britain would support Poland if it decided to provide Ukraine with fighter jets, but warned that doing so might have direct consequences for Poland.

I would support the Poles and whatever choice they make, Wallace told Sky News, adding that the United Kingdom could not offer aircraft that the Ukrainians would be able to use.

We would protect Poland, well help them with anything that they need, he said. Poland will understand that the choices they make will not only directly help Ukraine, which is a good thing, but also may bring them into direct line of fire from countries such as Russia or Belarus.

Britain has provided Ukraine with defensive weapons as well as other military and humanitarian aid.

Wallace said he would make a statement to parliament on Wednesday setting out what further lethal and non-lethal aid Britain would be providing, as well as what measures the British government would urge other countries to do.

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Civilians Flee Ukrainian City as One Safe Corridor Opens

A new effort to evacuate civilians along safe corridors finally got underway Tuesday.

The route out of the eastern city of Sumy was one of five promised by the Russians to offer civilians a way to escape the Russian onslaught.

Video posted by the Ukrainian state communications agency showed people with bags boarding buses, but it was not clear how long the effort would last.

Earlier on Tuesday Ukraines Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk confirmed the humanitarian corridor for civilians to flee the city would be organized and a ceasefire would be declared on the route at 9 a.m. Kyiv time.

The Russian Defence Ministry also said a ceasefire would be observed from 10 a.m. Moscow time and humanitarian corridors would be open from Kyiv, Chernigov, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Mariupol.

Previous attempts to lead civilians to safety have crumbled with renewed attacks.

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Nickel Trade Halted in London as Prices Soar

Trading in nickel, much of it produced in Russia, was suspended Tuesday on the London Metal Exchange (LME) after prices doubled to an unprecedented $100,000 per metric ton.

Nickel is used mostly to produce stainless steel and some alloys, but increasingly it is used in batteries, particularly electric vehicle batteries.

Russia, facing severe economic sanctions after invading Ukraine, is the worlds third-biggest nickel producer. The Russian mining company Nornickel is a major supplier of high-grade nickel used in electric vehicles.

Nickel prices had quadrupled in a week due to supply issues and the spike Tuesday forced the LME to shut down electronic and floor trading.

Trading in nickel will not resume Tuesday and the halt could last longer than that given the geopolitical situation which underlies recent price moves, the LME said Tuesday.

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Zelensky Calls for Expansion of Humanitarian Corridors for Ukrainians Fleeing War

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for the expansion of humanitarian corridors for Ukrainian civilians fleeing war, and more support from the Red Cross.

In a video address Tuesday from an undisclosed location, he said evacuation buses have been sent to Mariupol, but said there was no firm agreement on the route, so Russian troops can simply shoot on this transport on the way.

Zelensky accused the International Red Cross of forbidding the use of its emblem on our cars, but did not give details. Videos of buses heading out of Sumy and toward Mariupol have had signs with a red cross on the side but its not clear who pasted them there.

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Russia Summons the Irish Ambassador Over Embassy Truck Crash

Russia says it has summoned the Irish ambassador to Moscow a day after a truck was driven through the gates of the Russian embassy in Ireland during a demonstration against the war in Ukraine.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it told Irish ambassador Brian McElduff that Russia demanded an apology from the Irish authorities and for Ireland to pay compensation.

Russia likened the incident to a tactic widely used by terrorists and said Irish law enforcement had not acted to stop it. The Irish Times newspaper reported Monday that the driver of the truck was arrested.

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Ukraine Says Aircraft Bombed Cities Overnight

Russian aircraft bombed cities in eastern and central Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian officials said. Shelling pounded suburbs of the capital, Kyiv.

In Sumy and Okhtyrka, to the east of Kyiv near the Russian border, bombs fell on residential buildings and destroyed a power plant, regional leader Dmytro Zhivitsky said. He said there were dead and wounded but gave no figures.

Bombs also hit oil depots in Zhytomyr and the neighboring town of Cherniakhiv, located west of Kyiv.

In Bucha, a Kyiv suburb, the mayor reported heavy artillery fire.

We cant even gather up the bodies because the shelling from heavy weapons doesnt stop day or night, Mayor Anatol Fedoruk said. Dogs are pulling apart the bodies on the city streets. Its a nightmare.

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World Bank Approves $723 Million Emergency Finance Package for Ukraine

The World Bank says it has approved more than $700 million in emergency support for Ukraine.

Dubbed FREE Ukraine, it includes nearly $500 million in loans and guarantees and $134 million in grants, with Japan promising another $100 million in financing. The aid is meant to help the Ukrainian government pay wages to hospital workers, pensions, and other social programs. Bundling the aid into a package is intended to streamline and speed the provision of the funding, the World Bank said in a statement.

The World Bank also said it is preparing a $3 billion package of support for Ukraine and the region to help it cope with the flood of displaced people fleeing the fighting.

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Russian No Show at UN Court Hearing on Ukrainian Genocide

Ukraine sought an emergency order from the United Nationss highest court on Monday to halt hostilities on its territory, arguing that Russiawhich boycotted the hearinghad falsely applied genocide law to justify its invasion.

The hearing was held at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) without legal representation for Russia.

The fact that Russias seats are empty speaks loudly. They are not here in this court of law: they are on a battlefield waging an aggressive war against my country, Ukrainian envoy Anton Korynevych said.

The court said it regretted Russias non-attendance. After Ukraine presented its arguments Monday the court said it would start deliberations and rule as soon as possible.

Countries usually, but not always, follow the courts orders, which are legally binding. A spokesperson for the Russian Embassy in the Netherlands did not reply to a request for comment.

After the hearing, Korynevych stressed that Russias absence would not impact the proceedings and Moscow would have to heed any court orders.

They need to listen and they must listen to the court, under international law, he told reporters.

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Ukraine Claims 2nd Russian General Killed

A Russian general was killed in the fighting around Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, which Russian forces have been trying to seize since the invasion began, the Ukrainian military intelligence agency said.

The agency identified him as Maj. Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov, 45, and said he had fought with Russian forces in Syria and Chechnya and had taken part in the seizure of Crimea in 2014.

It was not possible to confirm the death independently. Russia has not commented.

Another Russian general was killed earlier in the fighting. A local officers organization in Russia confirmed the death in Ukraine of Maj. Gen. Andrei Sukhovetsky, the commanding general of the Russian 7th Airborne Division.

Sukhovetsky also took part in Russias military campaign in Syria.

Nick Ciolino, Jack Phillips, Tom Ozimek, Naveen Athrappully, The Associated Press, and Reuters contributed to this report.
Ground crew unloads weapons and other military hardware delivered by the United States military at Boryspil Airport near Kyiv, Ukraine, on Jan. 25, 2022. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Military Aid to Ukraine Continues Amid Plea For Fighter Jets

Officials from the United States have discussed sending fighter jets to Ukraine as weapons, ammunition, and supportive defense equipment continue to flow into the European nation while Russias invasion nears the end of its second week.

The Ukraine Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, requested on March 4 that Europe, the United States, Canada, and Britain, impose new sanctions on Russia and also send military aircraft to the embattled nation immediately.

President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated Kulebas plea for fighter jets the following day in a Zoom call to the U.S. Congress. Zelensky also called for tougher sanctions on Russia.

Kuleba said, Russia tries to turn Ukraine into Syria. The tactics they employ are very similar to the ones they excelled [at] in Syria.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba speaks at the General Assembly in New York on Feb. 23, 2022. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)

More US Firepower

Meanwhile, the House is set to approve an additional $10 billion aid package for Ukraine this week, over half of which is slated to be used for defense and military support.

U.S. President Joe Biden gave the state department authorization on Feb. 26 to send $350 million in weapons to Ukraine two days after Russia launched a full-bore attack on the European nation.

Built into the new Ukraine support package is an allotment for weapons system upgrades.

Top Republican on the House Armed Services Committees readiness subpanel, Florida Rep. Michael Waltz said, Zelensky needs more ammo now!

Waltz added Bidens deterrence strategy relies too heavily on soft power diplomacy in hopes Putin wont escalate the conflict.

He also pointed out President Zelensky and other Congressional members called for weapons to be shipped to Ukraine before Russia launched the invasion on Feb. 24.

Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) holds the rank of Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve and serves in the Maryland National Guard. (Courtesy Michael Waltz)

The List Goes On

Concurrently, nations worldwide continue sending weapons and defensive equipment to Ukraine, with Australia, Poland, Japan, Croatia, Slovenia, Norway, and Denmark, offering sizable contributions.

Other countries besides the United States delivering artillery and supplies to Ukraine since Feb. 24 include Canada, Sweden, France, United Kingdom, Belgium, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Romania, Spain, and Finland.

Australia

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the shipment of $50 million in lethal military assistance for Ukraine on March 1.

We will work with, and through, our closest partners and allies to supplement the already substantial support from the international community, Morrison said.

Japan

On March 4, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the Asian nation would deliver bulletproof vests along with other defense supplies as part of a comprehensive aid package, including humanitarian assistance, to Ukraine.

Kishida spoke with Zelensky personally and relayed the plan to send support.

During the same call, Kishida told the Ukraine president Japan strongly condemns Russias attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.

Japans prime minister called the assault on the facility, which is the largest in Europe, totally unacceptable and outrageous.

A damaged administrative building of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine on March 4, 2022. (Courtesy of National Nuclear Energy Generating Company Energoatom/Handout via Reuters)

Croatia

Minister of Defense Mario Banozic announced an $18 million security assistance package on Feb. 28, including infantry weapons like rifles and machine guns, associated ammunition, and protective equipment. The minister said the country would send enough to outfit four brigades.

We are talking about rifles and machine guns with the calibers requested by the Ukrainian side, Banozic clarified.

Slovenia

The European countrys government shipped rifles, ammunition, and helmets to Ukraine on Feb. 28, which is a fast shift in policy from earlier last month when Defence Minister Matej Tonin said the country would ship supportive equipment but no weapons.

Tonin said military support for Ukraine has become essential and must arrive quickly. Every day is important. Every day that Ukraine endures raises the chances for peace talks [] and the price of the war for Putin.

Norway

In a rare move, the Scandanavian nation decided to send 2,000 M72 anti-tank weapons to Ukraine on Feb. 28.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre said, The Government decided this afternoon that Norway will offer arms support to enable Ukraine to defend itself against the military attack from Russia.

We are therefore aligning our actions with our close allies and the other Nordic countries.

Norway has a restrictive policy with regard to exporting defense-related products, but Ukraine is now in a desperate and extraordinary situation.

U.S. Army Spc. Fernando Jimenez (R) engages a target with a Javelin shoulder-fired anti-tank missile during a live-fire exercise in Slovenia, on March 9, 2016. (Paolo Bovo/Department of Defense)

Denmark

On Feb. 28, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen confirmed a shipment of 2,700 anti-tank missiles being sent to the Ukrainian army.

This is the first time in recent history that Denmark has donated weapons to a country at war, Frederiksen noted.

Though the Danish government admitted they were considering sending more artillery.

I will certainly not deny that there may be more, but we look at it continuously, Defense Minister Morten Bodskov said on March 2.

Poland

The country is a critical lifeline for refugees fleeing the conflict and also the primary route for supplies being shipped into Ukraine. Polish officials have donated weapons and defensive equipment to the embattled nation amid its delicate political waltz.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the majority of military support Poland is sending to neighboring Ukraine are defensive weapons.

Russia has committed a criminal attack on Ukraine and is a threat not only to its territorial integrity but also to its sovereignty and independence, Morawiecki added.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a press conference ahead of a two-day meeting of the alliance's defence ministers at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Feb. 15, 2022. (Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images)

NATO Must Ensure Conflict Doesnt Spread Beyond Ukraine: Stoltenberg

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday that the transatlantic defense pact must ensure that the conflict in Ukraine doesnt spill over into neighboring states, an outcome he warned would be more dangerous and destructive than the localized hostilities now roiling the country.

We need to end this conflict, not expand it, the NATO chief said in remarks during a March 8 joint press conference alongside Latvian President Egils Levits, in Riga, Latvia.

Key to achieving this objective, Stoltenberg said, is to bolster NATOs eastern flank with additional forces as a deterrence to Russia.

Therefore, we are increasing our presence, also in Latvia  and the eastern part of our alliance, to make sure that Russia understands that we are here to protect and defend all allies, every inch of allied territory, he said, referring to NATOs Article 5 pledge, where an attack against one member country is considered an attack against all of them.

Russian officials have warned that direct involvement of any NATO country in the conflict in Ukraine would be considered an act of war, effectively drawing the other allies into the mix. NATO-allied countries have taken pains to make sure it sends a clear message to Moscow that it wont send troops to Ukraine.

We have no hostility toward the Russian people, and we have no desire to impugn a great nation and a world power, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a recent op-ed.

This is not a NATO conflict, and it will not become one. No ally has sent combat troops to Ukraine, he stressed.

But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he believed some Western leaders were angling for a war against Russia. He also said on Tuesday said that the goal of Russias military actions are to stop any war that could take place on Ukrainian territory or that could start from there, suggesting that if the war doesnt go the Kremlins way, it could spill over into NATO countries.

Stoltenberg also said the conflict has driven around 2 million people in Ukraine from their homes, describing the humanitarian situation in the region as Europes fastest-growing refugee crisis since the Second World War.

Local residents cross a destroyed bridge as they evacuate from their town in Irpin, near Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 7, 2022. (Jedrzej Nowicki/Agencja Wyborcza.pl via Reuters)

At least 47 civilians, including 29 children, have been killed in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began 13 days ago, according to the latest figures from the United Nations Human Rights Office. A further 861 people have been injured in the hostilities, bringing the total civilian casualty toll to 1,335, according to the agency, which added that the true figure is probably considerably higher but intense hostilities in parts of Ukraine make accurate tallying difficult.

Most of the civilian casualties, the U.N. noted, were from explosive weapons with a broad impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multi-launch rocket systems, and missile and air strikes.

U.S. and British defense officials have said that, as Russias incursion has stalled in parts of Ukraine, Russian forces have ramped up the use of long-range fire, like rocket and artillery strikes, against civilian infrastructure, leading to more civilian casualties.

Stoltenberg touched on this in his remarks, saying that there are very credible reports of civilians coming under fire as they attempt to evacuate from conflict zones.

Targeting civilians is a war crime and its totally unacceptable, he said, while calling for the establishment of humanitarian corridors that are fully respected.

Residential houses which were destroyed by shelling in Markhalivka, Ukraine, on March 5, 2022. (Anastasia Vlasova/Getty Images)

Russia has denied targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told a Monday briefing that its impossible to say whether Russian forces are deliberately targeting civilian areas or whether such strikes are incidental versus intentional. He added, however, that the end result in terms of human suffering is the same.

The bottom line is, more civilians are being killed and wounded, more civilian infrastructure is being damaged or destroyed, Kirby said. And Mr. Putin still has a choice here, not to escalate, not to be more aggressive in the use of these long-range fires and in his capabilities, but to find a diplomatic path forward and to end the invasion.

Stoltenbergs remarks came on the same day that Ukrainians boarded buses to flee the besieged eastern city of Sumy, the first evacuation from a Ukrainian city through a humanitarian corridor agreed with Russia. Prior efforts to evacuate via corridors fell apart, with Ukrainian and Russian sides blaming each other for ceasefire violations.

The suffering we now see in Ukraine is horrificit affects us all, Stoltenberg said.

We have a responsibility to ensure the conflict does not escalate and spread beyond Ukraine. That would be even more dangerous, destructive, and even more deadly. The situation could spiral out of control, he added.

Accordingly, the NATO chief said, its necessary to bolster the eastern flank of the alliance to make sure there is no room for miscalculation in Moscow.

We have 130 jets at high alert, over 200 ships from the high north to the Mediterranean, and thousands of additional troops in the region, Stoltenberg said, adding that allies including Canada and the United States were sending troops to assist with the effort.

U.S. soldiers walk in Poland near the border with Ukraine on March 3, 2022. (Wojtek Radwanski/AFP via Getty Images)

Latvia, along with neighbors Estonia and Lithuania, commonly referred to as the Baltic states, were once part of the Soviet Union and joined NATO in 2004.

Estonia and Latvia, in particular, have significant Russian-speaking minority populations, and there are concerns that Russia could leverage this in its pressure campaigns, much as it has in other former Soviet republics, such as Georgia, and now Ukraine.

Russia considers NATOs presence on its doorstep a major security threat. One of the Kremlins key conditions for ending hostilities in Ukraine is for the country to pledge never to join NATO and enshrine neutrality in its constitution.

Russia considers the independence of the Baltic states and their active role in NATO and the EU as threats to Russias security, sovereignty, and autonomy, Mark Galeotti, a senior fellow at the Institute of International Relations Prague and previously head of its Center for European Security Studies, wrote in an analysis.

That the Baltic states are under constant Russian pressure is undeniable, from official denunciations to unofficial disinformation and from overt shows of military strength to covert intelligence operations, Galeotti added.

Stoltenbergs visit to Latvia follows a visit on March 7 to neighboring Lithuania by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who said NATO is also considering additional permanent bases in the Baltics, which have been rattled by Russias invasion of Ukraine and fear they may be next in line.
A picture of Australia's current Collins Class Submarines joined in formation by United States Navy Submarine USS Santa Fe in the West Australian Exercise Area in February 2019. (Courtesy of LSIS Richard Cordell/Department of Defense)

New Australian Nuclear Sub Base Significant for Indo-Pacific: Defence Expert

Australias earmarked $10 billion nuclear-powered submarine base will have ramifications across the Indo-Pacific region and demonstrates the magnitude of AUKUS in action, according to a defence expert.

On March 7, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the government was investigating the development of a new east coast-based hub to house nuclear-powered submarines Australia is due to acquire from the United Kingdom and the United States.

Such a facility would be built from the ground up and will become a major employment, technology, and tourism hubbecause of visiting allied vessels.

Morrison outlined three potential sites for the base, Brisbane, Newcastle, or Port Kembla, the latter two being just north and south of Sydney.

Funding for the base will be included in the upcoming federal budget, and a final decision made in 2023.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks about his management of the pandemic at the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia, on Feb. 1, 2022. (Rohan Thomson/Getty Images)

It shows the scale of this endeavour between Australia, the U.S. and the UKbecause it will be a significant new military base for the Indo-Pacific that starts to show that AUKUS is real and the serious work to deliver the nuclear submarines and other technologies are actually happening, Michael Shoebridge, defence director at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, told The Epoch Times.

Construction of the base would also demonstrate the sheer size of the program to locals and the long lead time needed for the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines, he said.

The benefits to the chosen site will be enormous economically and as a means of generating high technology skills and employment, he said. That should be even more the case if the new base is built to do deep maintenance and sustainment, not just have wharves and do routine maintenance.

Australias current base for its Collins-class submarine fleet is in Fleet Base West near Perth in Western Australia. While it is a strategically important area, an ongoing difficulty has been the recruitment of submariners and lack of infrastructure, which an east coast base is expected to alleviate given the more extensive population base.

Establishing a second submarine base on our east coast will enhance our strategic deterrent capability, with significant advantages in operational, training, personnel and industrial terms, Morrison told the Lowy Institute.

An optimal east coast base would provide home-ported submarines with specialised wharves, maintenance facilities, administrative and logistics support, personnel amenities, and suitable accommodation for submarine crews and support staff.

Salvatore Babones, associate professor at the University of Sydney and expert in the Asian political economy, said that while the move seemed to be prompted by the upcoming federal election, he noted there was a need for a new base outside of existing facilities in Sydney Harbour.

The location of Australias Fleet Base East in Sydney is crowded and obsolete, he told The Epoch Times in an email. A new submarine base might be the prompt for moving the Australian navy out of Sydney to somewhere more useful and secure.

But theres a lot of opposition in the navy to leaving its highly desirable location in the tourist centre of Sydney, he said.

Meanwhile, Independent Senator Rex Patrick, a former Australian naval officer, accused the government of pork-barrelling.

Its a pre-election announcement that offers the prospect of jobs and economic activity, he told ABC Radio on March 8. Obviously, the (base) is a nice carrot for anyone that might consider voting for the Coalition (government).

The three options that he picked were scored very low in the analysis, he added.

The first cab off the rank or the best city for a future submarine on the east coast was Sydney, followed by Jervis Bay.

Patrick was referring to a 2011 analysis (pdf) carried out by Australias Department of Defence that created a shortlist of 19 sites for a potential new submarine base.

The study, however, was created prior to any possibility of Australia acquiring nuclear-powered submarines, and placing highly-sensitive nuclear technology hubs close to Sydneyalready the financial hub of the countrywould present a strategic risk.

Further, two earmarked sites, Newcastle and Port Kembla (electorate of Cunningham) are both controlled by the Australian Labor Party (ALP). In turn, Brisbanes Bonnerwhere the Port of Brisbane is locatedis presided over by Liberal MP Ross Vasta.
Emergency use authorizations for drugs that have not proven to be effective in trials, public mask mandates for which there is no scientific evidence and the suppression and censorship of health information has boosted public fear over a viral illness with a survival rate of over 99%.

Unfortunately, many of the early effective treatment strategies that can be used at home have also fallen victim to censorship. Ivermectin is one of those strategies. In a computational analysis of the Omicron variant against several therapeutic agents, data show that ivermectin had the best results.

Yet, as you look objectively at whats been happening across the world, the fear being generated is not one-sided. The suppression of information by corporations, government agencies and the pharmaceutical industry is one indication of their concern and how far theyre willing to go to ensure the level of fear remains high enough to manipulate behavior.

Consider the statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2019, 4.6% of the U.S. population was diagnosed with heart disease. The population at the end of 2019 was 328,239,523. This means there were 15,099,018 people with heart disease in the U.S. in 2019. There were 696,962 people who died that year from heart disease, which is a death rate of 4.6%.

This is 20 times greater than the death rate from COVID-19. Yet these same agencies were not lobbying for mandates against soda or sugar-laden foods; they werent banning smoking and they werent mandating exercise  all heart disease risk factors.

The censorship and suppression of information has hobbled early treatment of COVID-19 in many western nations. Through 2020, public health experts and the mainstream media warned against the use of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin. Both are on the World Health Organizations list of essential drugs, but the benefits have been ignored by public health officials and buried by the media.

Newest Ivermectin Study Showed Best Results Against COVID

This study on Cornell Universitys preprint website has not yet been peer-reviewed. Researchers used a computational analysis to look at the Omicron variant, which has demonstrated a lower clinical presentation and lower hospital admission rates.

After having retrieved the complete genome sequence and collecting 30 variants from the database, the researchers analyzed 10 drugs against the virus, including:

Nirmatrelvir

Ritonvir

Ivermectin

Lopinavir

Boceprevir

MPro 13b

MPro N3

GC-373

GC376

PF-00835231

The researchers found that each of the drugs had some degree of effectiveness against the virus and most were currently in clinical trials. They used molecular docking to find that the mutations in the Omicron variant didnt significantly affect the interaction between the drugs and the main protease.

An analysis of all 10 drugs found that ivermectin was the most effective drug candidate against the Omicron variant. The testing included Nirmatrelvir (Paxlovid), which is the new protease inhibitor for which the FDA provided an emergency use authorization against COVID in December 2021.

In other words, Pfizer released a new drug which cost the U.S. taxpayers $5.29 billion or $529 per course of treatment and which received an EUA despite the availability of a similar drug that has proven to be more effective and is cheaper, priced between $48 and $95 for 20 pills depending on your location.

How Ivermectin Works

Ivermectin is best known for its antiparasitic properties. Yet, the drug also has antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. Studies have shown that ivermectin helps to lower the viral load by inhibiting replication. A single dose of ivermectin can kill 99.8% of the virus within 48 hours.

A meta-analysis in the American Journal of Therapeutics showed the drug reduced infection by an average of 86% when used preventively. An observational study in Bangladesh evaluated the effectiveness of ivermectin as a prophylaxis for COVID-19 in health care workers.

The data showed four of the 58 volunteers who took 12 mg of ivermectin once a month for four months developed mild COVID symptoms as compared to 44 of the 60 health care workers who declined the medication.

Ivermectin has also been shown to speed recovery, in part by inhibiting inflammation and protecting against organ damage. This pathway also lowers the risk of hospitalization and death. Meta analyses have shown an average reduction in mortality that ranges from 75% to 83%.

Additionally, the drug also prevents transmission of SARS-CoV-2 when taken before or after exposure. Added together, these benefits make it clear that ivermectin could all but eliminate this pandemic.

Early Intervention Lowers Long COVID and Hospitalization

Some people who have had COVID-19 seem to be unable to fully recover and complain of lingering symptoms of chronic fatigue. Others struggle with mental health problems. One study, in November 2020, found 18.1% of people who had COVID-19 received their first psychiatric diagnosis in the 14 to 90 days after recovery. Most commonly diagnosed conditions were anxiety disorders, insomnia and dementia.

These symptoms have come to be called long COVID, long-haul COVID, post-COVID syndrome, chronic COVID or long-haul syndrome. They all refer to symptoms that persist for four more weeks after an initial COVID-19 infection. According to Dr. Peter McCullough, board-certified internist and cardiologist, 50% of those who have been sick enough to be hospitalized will have symptoms of long COVID:

So, the sicker someone is, and the longer the duration of COVID, the more likely they are to have long COVID syndrome. Thats the reason why we like early treatment. We shorten the duration of symptoms and theres less of a chance for long COVID syndrome.

Some of the common symptoms of long COVID include shortness of breath, joint pain, memory, concentration or sleeping problems, muscle pain or headache and loss of smell or taste. According to McCullough, a paper presented by Dr. Bruce Patterson at the International COVID Summit in Rome, September 11 to 14, 2021:

 showed that in individuals whove had significant COVID illness, 15 months later the s1 segment of the spike protein is recoverable from human monocytes. That means the body literally has been sprayed with the virus and it spends 15 months, in a sense, trying to clean out the spike protein from our tissues. No wonder people have long COVID syndrome.

It should come as no surprise that studies have also confirmed that early intervention improves mortality and reduces hospitalizations. Perhaps one of the greatest crimes in this whole pandemic is the refusal by reigning health authorities to issue early treatment guidance.

Instead, theyve done everything possible to suppress remedies shown to work. Patients were simply told to stay home and do nothing. Once the infection had worsened to the point of near-death, patients were told to go to the hospital, where most were routinely placed on mechanical ventilation  a practice that was quickly discovered to be lethal.

However, as the featured study and others have demonstrated, ivermectin is one of the successful treatment protocols that can be used against SARS-CoV-2.

Africa Has Lowest Case and Death Rate, Likely From Ivermectin

Across the world, countries have taken different approaches to address the spread of the virus. The steps taken in Africa varied depending on the country, yet the infection and death rates were relatively stable and low across the continent.

In the last year there have been reports of small areas in the world where the number of infections, deaths or case-fatality rates have been significantly lower than the rest of the world. For example, Indias Uttar Pradesh State reported a recovery rate of 98.6% and no further infections.

However, the entire continent of Africa appears to have sidestepped the massive number of infections and deaths predicted for these poorly funded countries with overcrowded cities. Early estimations were that millions would die, but that scenario has not materialized. The World Health Organization has called Africa one of the least affected regions in the world.

There are several factors that may influence the infection rate in Africa. A study from Japan demonstrates that after just 12 days that doctors were allowed to legally prescribe Ivermectin to their patients, the cases dropped dramatically.

The chairman of the Tokyo Medical Associatio had noticed the low number of infections and deaths in Africa, where many use ivermectin prophylactically and as the core strategy to treat onchocerciasis, a parasitic disease also known as river blindness. More than 99% of people infected with river blindness live in 31 African countries.

In addition to ivermectin use in Africa, other medications are also commonly available, such as hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, which have long been used in the treatment and prevention of malaria, also endemic in Africa. In America, Dr. Vladimir Zelenko has published successful results using hydroxychloroquine and zinc against COVID-19.

Finally, Artemisia annua, also known as sweet wormwood, is an herb used in combination therapies to treat malaria. It was used in traditional Chinese medicine for more than 2,000 years to treat fever. Today artemisinin, a metabolite of Artemisia, is the current therapeutic option for malaria. The plant has also been studied since the 2003 SARS outbreak for the treatment of coronaviruses, with good results.

In other words, whether by design or default, the medications that have proven to be successful against the virus are commonly used in Africa for other health conditions. While Pfizer tests the short- and long-term effects of a genetic experiment on Israels population, it appears one continent has demonstrated administration of a 30-year-old, inexpensive drug with a known safety profile could reduce the cases, severity and mortality from this infection.

The question that must be asked and answered to get to the bottom of this pandemic is what is blinding mainstream media, government agencies, public health experts, medical associations, doctors, nurses, and your next-door neighbor from recognizing and speaking out in support of science?

References
A South Korean marine takes part in a military exercise on South Korea's Baengnyeong Island, near the disputed sea border with the north, in this handout picture provided by South Korean Marine Corps and released by Yonhap on Sept. 7, 2017. (South Korean Marine Corps/Yonhap via Reuters)

North Koreas Patrol Vessel Retreats After South Korea Fires 3 Warning Shots: Report

South Koreas military said Tuesday that a North Korean patrol vessel that attempted to cross the two countries maritime boundary retreated after three warning shots were fired.

The North Korean patrol vessel was trying to intervene after South Koreas military seized a North Korean fishing boat that breached the maritime border at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Yonhap News Agency (YNA) reported.

South Koreas military fired three warning shots using a 40-millimeter gun to ward off the North Korean patrol vessel, which traveled just over half a mile south of the maritime border before retreating.

The North Korean fishing boat was towed to South Koreas Baengnyeongdo island for inspection, where the military discovered seven unarmed North Koreans aboard, six of whom were wearing military uniforms.

The seven North Koreans told the military that their ship accidentally veered into South Korean waters while transporting materials for relocation, and that they had no intention of defecting to South Korea.

The military added that South Koreas government has communicated with the North Korean authorities about the border crossing incident through commercial and military communication lines.

North Koreas state media did not issue a statement following the border-crossing incident.

The incident occurred ahead of the March 9 presidential election in South Korea, and just days after the North Korean regime carried out an important test for a spy satellite.

North Korea has conducted nine missile tests since the start of the year, the most recent being on March 6 when a suspected ballistic missile was fired from North Koreas east coast near Sunan. South Koreas military said the missile traveled about 270 kilometers (168 miles) at a maximum altitude of 560 kilometers (348 miles).

South Koreas government urged Pyongyang on Monday to respect its disarmament obligations with the international community, following the International Atomic Energy Agencys (IAEA) report that it detected activity at North Koreas nuclear facility in Yongbyon.

An unnamed government official confirmed to YNA that South Korea is working closely with the United States and the IAEA to monitor North Koreas missile activity at Yongbyon nuclear complex, though the official stated that there had been no significant activities at the site.

South Korea has been pushing for a declaration to end the 195053 Korean War, which ended in an armistice, to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula. But North Korea insists that any formal treaty to end the war must first be preceded by an end to the United States hostile policies.

Earlier this year, South Koreas military claimed that a North Korean defector was spotted crossing the Military Demarcation Line into North Korea. The man, who appeared to be in his 30s, had climbed the barbed wire fence and entered the demilitarized zone.

The South Korean military surveillance footage showed that the man appeared to be the same defector who entered South Korea via an eastern front-line route in November 2020.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at Florida International University in Miami, Fla., on May 24, 2021. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Parental Rights in Education Bill Goes to DeSantiss Desk

PUNTA GORDA, FloridaThe Florida Senate voted on March 8 to advance the Parental Rights in Education bill, which limits classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity. The next stop is the governors desk.

Although Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has not said he would sign the bill, he has signaled approval by saying he thinks it will shield elementary-aged students from inappropriate lessons on sex. He also accused the news media of creating a false narrative about the intended meaning of the legislation.

Were going to make sure that parents are able to send their kid to kindergarten without having some of this stuff injected into their school curriculum, the Republican governor said at a Feb. 28 press conference.

National Democrats, LGBTQ advocates and other groups have opposed the measure, saying it marginalizes LGBTQ people.

President Joe Biden called it hateful. Students statewide walked out of classes in protest on March 4, and Saturday Night Live turned the subject into a comedy skit, making it the most contentious bill of the 2022 legislative session.

The language in the bill that has stirred the most controversy reads: Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3, or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students, in accordance with state standards.

Republican Sen. Dennis Baxley, sponsor of the bill, said that more children are experimenting with their sexual identity, and parents need to be in control of what children learn about sex.

I think 75 percent of people I see polled on this bill  agree with me that theres something wrong with how were emphasizing this. Baxley said during debate on the bill.

Opponents contend that the bill singles out the LGBTQ community.

It sends a message that they dont matter, Sen. Tina Polsky, a Democrat when debating the bill in Senate chambers. They need to be hidden, that it doesnt need to be talked about, that they need to be shamed.

Sunshine State Standards, the states academic standards public schools must follow, do not include sexual orientation and gender identity as topics for primary grades kindergarten through third grade.

The bill would prohibit lessons on those topics that are not age-appropriate and ensure that parents have access to information about their childrens mental, emotional, physical health or well-being.

Parents can also sue districts over violations under the legislation, which would go into effect July 1.

Senators voted 22-17 mostly along party linesto pass the legislation on to DeSantis. Two Republican senators, Jeff Brandes and Jennifer Bradley voted against the bill.
Poland to Send All MiG-29 Fighter Jets to US Base Amid Ukraine Conflict

Polish officials announced on March 8 they would deploy the countrys MiG-29 fighter jets to the U.S. Air Forces Ramstein Air Base in Germany amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

After consultations between the President and the Government, officials are ready to deployimmediately and free of chargeall their MIG-29 jets to the Ramstein Air Base and place them at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry.

Poland then requested the United States provide it with its used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities, adding that Warsaw is ready to immediately establish the conditions of purchase of the planes.

The Polish government also called on other NATO member nations that own MiG-29 planes, which were first manufactured in the 1970s by the Soviet Union, to transfer their planes to the United States. Ukrainian pilots are trained to fly Soviet-era fighter jets.

A U.S. official said later Tuesday that the announcement wasnt pre-consulted with us.

I saw that announcement by the government of Poland as I was literally driving here today, Victoria Nuland, the U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs, told a congressional committee in Washington.

I look forward, when this hearing is over, to getting back to my desk and seeing how we will respond to this proposal, she added.

The decision follows statements made by U.S. and Polish officials about whether Warsaw would offer its fighter planes to Ukraines military.

Marcin Przydacz, a deputy foreign minister, told Radio Zet on March 7 that we will not open our airports and Polish planes will not fight over Ukraine. Another government spokesman, Piotr Mueller, said the move to provide planes was still being discussed within NATO.

A man looks at a Ukrainian armored personnel carrier (APC) BTR-4 destroyed as a result of a fight near the center of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, located some 50 km (31 miles) from the Ukraine-Russia border, on Feb. 28, 2022. (Sergey Bobok/AFP via Getty Images)

On March 6, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had said Poland was given the green light to send fighter planes to Ukraine.

In fact, were talking with our Polish friends right now about what we might be able to do to backfill their needs if, in fact, they choose to provide these fighter jets to the Ukrainians. What can we do? How can we help to make sure that they get something to backfill the planes that they are handing over to the Ukrainians? Blinken told CBS News.

Since the war began on Feb. 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskys government has often asked NATO and the United States to send fighter planes and other weapons, while also calling for a no-fly zone. NATOs chief and White House officials say they arent considering the request for a no-fly zone, as that would mean NATO or U.S. planes would shoot down Russian ones.

During a Zoom call on Saturday with U.S. members of Congress, Zelensky reiterated that Ukraine is seeking military planes, and he asked specifically for Russian-manufactured planes, according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

As Ukraine has asked for warplanes, Russias Ministry of Defense issued a warning on Sunday that any nation that allows Ukraine to use their respective airfields to carry out attacks on Russian assets can be considered as having entered the conflict.

The use of the airfield networks of these countries to base Ukrainian military aircraft and their subsequent use against the Russian armed forces may be regarded as the involvement of these states in an armed conflict, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told Russias Interfax news agency on March 6.

Russias Defense Ministry, he added, is aware of Ukrainian combat planes which earlier flew to Romania and other neighboring countries, without elaborating.
Proud Boys Leader Enrique Tarrio Charged With Conspiracy in Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

The leader of the Proud Boys group was indicted on March 8 on charges including conspiracy related to the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.

Enrique Tarrio, 38, was hit with seven counts, according to court papers, including obstruction of an official proceeding, civil disorder, and destruction of government property or aiding and abetting such destruction.

Tarrio wasnt in Washington on Jan. 6 as he complied with a court order to stay out of the nations capital after burning a Black Lives Matter banner several weeks prior.

But prosecutors are pursuing him for allegedly conspiring with Proud Boys members who took part in the breach, which occurred while Congress was certifying the 2020 electoral votes.

Tarrio continued to direct and encourage the Proud Boys prior to and during the events of Jan. 6, 2021, and that he claimed credit for what had happened on social media and in an encrypted chat room during and after the attack, the Department of Justice said in a statement.

As one example, Tarrio posted online after the building was breached that he was enjoying the show and instructed members to do what must be done. In another post, he urged people not to leave; in a third, he said that the Proud Boys were a militia.

Court documents did not outline the alleged claims made in an encrypted chat room.

Tarrio did not have a lawyer listed on the court docket. He said when leaving jail in January that he was not worried he would be charged.

The Proud Boys said on Telegram that the indictment was ridiculous.

He wasnt there and he had nothing to do with anything that happened at the Capitol that day. The government knows that, the group said.

Authorities said Tarrio was arrested in Miami, Florida, and was set to make his initial appearance in court on March 8.

Tarrio was sentenced to more than five months in prison for the burning of the flag, to which he pleaded guilty, but was released in early 2022.

More than 775 people have been arrested in nearly 50 states for alleged crimes related to the breach. Some defendants have pleaded guilty to obstruction or similar charges and been sentenced to probation, jail time, or both; others are headed to trial.

Jurors who heard arguments in the first trial of a Jan. 6 defendant are currently weighing whether to convict the man, Guy Reffitt, on charges including obstruction of an official proceeding and obstruction of justice.
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Security Council via teleconference call at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, on Feb. 18, 2022. (Mikhail Klimentyev / Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)

Putin Says Russia Not Sending Conscripts to Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday said that Russia is not sending, and will not send, conscripts or reservists to fight in Ukraine.

I emphasize that conscript soldiers are not participating in hostilities and will not participate in them. And there will be no additional call-up of reservists, Putin said during a televised event for International Womens Day.

Putin also said that the invasion of Ukraine is being carried out by professional servicemen, according to state-run media. I am convinced they will reliably ensure security and peace for the people of Russia, he added.

Since the start of the Feb. 24 conflict, there has been speculation that Russia is using conscripted soldiers, namely after Russias Committee of Soldiers Mothers claimed that some men were forced or pressured to sign contracts to become soldiers.

Mothers are telling us that their sons have been calling them and saying theyre being forced to sign contracts. We believe its wrong to force a conscript to become a contract soldier, Olga Larkina, the director of Russias Committee of Soldiers Mothers, told Russian media. The parents who have gotten in touch have told us their sons were just taken by military officers, stamped, and thats itnow theyre contract soldiers.

Putins claim comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Tuesday for the expansion of humanitarian corridors, and more support from the Red Cross.

In a video address from an undisclosed location, he said a child died of dehydration in Mariupol, in a sign of how desperate the citys population has become. He said there was no firm agreement on the route out of Mariupol, so Russian troops can simply shoot on this transport on the way.

Zelensky then accused the International Red Cross of forbidding the use of its emblem on our cars, but did not give details. Videos of buses heading out of Sumy and toward Mariupol have had signs with a red cross on the side but its not clear who pasted them there.

The president again pleaded for air support from Western countries. On Monday, Polish officials indicated that they will not provide fighter planes to Ukraine, while the United States and NATO have said that enforcing a no-fly zone over Ukraine is a nonstarter.

On Monday, Moscow again announced a series of demands to stop the invasion, including that Ukraine recognize Crimea as part of Russia and recognize the eastern regions controlled by Moscow-supported separatist fighters as independent. It also insisted that Ukraine change its constitution to guarantee it wont join international bodies like NATO and the EU.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A police officer smashes a truck window as police deploy to remove protesters in Ottawa on Feb. 19, 2022. (Dave Chan/AFP via Getty Images)

RCMP Say Freezing Convoy Protesters Accounts Necessary as Opposition MPs Question Why Court Orders Not Used

RCMP officials say the freezing of the Freedom Convoy protesters bank accounts without a court order was a necessary and targeted measure during the public order emergency, but opposition MPs are questioning why existing laws werent applied.

RCMP Assistant Commissioner Michel Arcand told the House Finance Committee (FINA) on March 7 that the freezing of accounts enhanced the effectiveness of law enforcements investigation pertaining to border blockades, and helped bring a peaceful and timely end to the public emergency.

Conservative MP Ed Fast asked Arcand why the RCMP had not obtained a court order to freeze bank accounts earlier if that measure was judged as effective at discouraging protesters.

Arcand replied that the RCMP wasnt the lead agency on the issue, it was rather the Ottawa Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police.

Did you ever ask the federal government to avail itself of existing legal and police authorities to bring an end to the protest? pressed Fast.

To my knowledge, no, responded Arcand.

The government invoked the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14 to deal with the Ottawa protest and related border blockades in several provinces demanding the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions. In the end, the act was only used to clear the Ottawa protest as the border demonstrations had mostly ended by then.

Freezing Process

A measure in the emergency order allowed police to disclose information to financial institutions without a court order, which the RCMP says was necessary and acted as a deterrent. Financial institutions in receipt of police information about their clients proceeded to freeze the accounts.

RCMP explained during the FINA hearing how it identified accounts to be frozen, and said some entities were warned beforehand.

We contacted [protesters] before providing information to financial institutions. During this time, a lot of people wanted to leave, but were not in a position to leave because the streets were not cleared, said Superintendent Denis Beaudoin, director of the RCMPs financial crimes division.

Arcand said the action was directed at key protest figures to discourage the people that are influencing the protests.

So how many of the key leaders and influencers of the protest actually did stand down as a result of the banks freezing their account or the threat of their accounts being frozen? asked Fast.

To answer directly your question, I dont have the specific numbers, replied Arcand.

Fast asked Arcand to provide this information to the committee, saying, We want to know, did the Emergencies Act actually achieve what it was intended to do, which was to get the influencers and the leaders to back down?

The police operation to clear the protest began on Feb. 18, with organizers calling for trucks to leave after police used force to dislodge a participant.

One of Freedom Convoy Canada drivers had his truck windows smashed by Ottawa Police, guns drawn & dragged out of his vehicle by force. Its time to leave. Ottawa Police please allow the remaining trucks to leave in peace, organizer Benjamin Dichter wrote on Twitter on Feb. 18.

A contingent of trucks left but some remained, and police continued clearing protesters from the area for the rest of the weekend.

257 Accounts Frozen

Arcand said that at least 257 accounts were frozen by financial institutions after the RCMP provided them with information on 57 entities.

A drawn-out battle between convoy organizers and authorities around the issue of fundraising for the truckers saw online platforms that collected millions being shut down or frozen by court order. During the tumult, fundraising shifted toward cryptocurrency to avoid scrutiny, but this was also targeted.

Arcand said the RCMP identified and disclosed 170 Bitcoin wallet addresses linked to crowdfunding for the convoy, which had raised 20.7 Bitcoins valued between $1 to $1.2 million during the period of the public order emergency.

The freezing of accounts only targeted protesters in Ottawa and the list was partly developed based on information gathered by the Ottawa Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police on 15 entities, Arcand said, as well as from information taken by the RCMP from licence plates and names of companies and drivers.

No Terrorist Activity

During the Freedom Convoy demonstration, some federal ministers alleged the protesters were extremists who had ties to overseas influence operations and sought to overthrow the government.

Conservative MP Philip Lawrence asked the RCMP if it saw any evidence of terrorist activity in the funding of these illegal protests and blockades?

I have not, replied Beaudoin.

Liberal MP James Maloney asked the RCMP where the frozen accounts were located, and Arcand said it was a mixture of people from Ontario and other places.

Those other places, I assume, overseas as well? asked Maloney.

I dont know about overseas  it was mainly in Canada, replied Arcand.

Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair had claimed that the protest movement was a largely foreign-funded, targeted and coordinated attack. However, crowdfunding platform GoFundMe told the Public Safety Committee on March 3 that 88 percent of donations to the Freedom Convoy fundraiser originated within Canada.
Ukrainian Military Forces servicemen of the 92nd mechanized brigade use tanks, self-propelled guns, and other armored vehicles to conduct live-fire exercises near the town of Chuguev, in Kharkiv region, on Feb. 10, 2022. (Sergey Bobok/AFP via Getty Images)

Russia Again Offers Humanitarian Corridors Leading to Russia, Belarus: Report

Moscow has again proposed to set up humanitarian corridors out of key Ukrainian cities that would lead mostly to Russia and Belarus starting from 9 a.m. local time, Russian news agencies reported.

According to Interfax news agency, civilians departing the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv, Chernigov, and Kharkiv would travel to Russia, some via Belarus. The outlet cited a statement by a Russian committee charged with humanitarian coordination in Ukraine.

It comes a day after Kyiv rejected Russias offer to establish humanitarian corridors leading to the same countries. Mondays announcement was Russias third attempt at creating humanitarian corridors in Ukraine, and came amid reports that its military had violated previous ceasefires.

Russias military said on Monday morning that humanitarian corridors would be opened in the cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Mariupol, effective from 10 a.m. Moscow time.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected that proposal to evacuate Ukrainian citizens into what he has described as occupied territory in Russia and Belarus.

This is unacceptable option of creating humanitarian corridors [only in Russia and Belarus]. Our people from Ivankiv, Dymer, Vyshhorod, Kyiv wont go to Belarus to fly later to Russia, Ukraines Deputy Prime Minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, also said in a video statement.

A spokesperson for Zelensky called the move completely immoral, saying Russia was trying to exploit the situation for propaganda by using peoples suffering to create a television picture.

They are citizens of Ukraine, they should have the right to evacuate to the territory of Ukraine, the spokesperson told Reuters.

Tuesdays proposal would allow people leaving the city of Sumy and Mariupol to depart to either Russia or to Ukrainian cities Poltava and Zaporizhia, Interfax reported.

Interfax said Ukraine had been given until 3 a.m. Moscow time to agree to the terms. Ukraine officials.

The Ukrainian ambassador to the United Nations Sergiy Kyslytsya told a U.N. Security Council meeting earlier that Russia had undermined arrangements for humanitarian corridors on Tuesday by insisting all routes would go through Russia or Belarus.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov outlined four conditions that it said Ukraine must meet in order to halt military action in the country.

He told Reuters on Monday that Russia is demanding that Ukraine halt military action, change its constitution to enshrine neutrality, acknowledge Crimea as Russian territory, and recognize the separatist republics of Donetsk and Lugansk as independent territories. He said that Russia had told Ukraine it was ready to stop its military action in a moment if Kyiv met the requirements.

Zelensky in an interview with ABC News said the requirements amount to an ultimatum.

We are not prepared for ultimatums but we have the possible solution, resolution for these three key items, Zelensky said. What needs to be done is for President [Vladimir] Putin to start talking instead of living in the information bubble without oxygen.

Reuters contributed to this report.
The logo of U.S. social network Twitter on a smartphone screen in Moscow on Oct. 12, 2021. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images)

Russia Denies Cutting Off From Global Internet, Web Infrastructure Provider Disconnects Service in Country

Moscow has refuted media reports that suggest Russia is attempting to disconnect from the global internet, although the country had earlier successfully tested the idea, and a major infrastructure provider has now cut off services as part of international sanctions.

Russian websites are continuously being attacked by cyberattacks from abroad, the Russian Ministry of Digital Development told Interfax on March 7. We are preparing for various scenarios to ensure the availability of Russian resources. There are no plans to turn off the Internet from within.

The ministry has sent a letter to government agencies, laying down a set of recommendations on cyber hygiene. These recommendations are supposed to help organize government work more effectively, thereby protecting resources from malicious traffic, ensuring control over domain names, and maintaining the operation of various services.

Earlier, Belarus-based media outlet Nexta had reported on Moscows disconnection plan. #Russia began active preparations for disconnection from the global Internet, Nexta said in the tweet. No later than March 11, all servers and domains must be transferred to the #Russian zone. In addition, detailed data on the network infrastructure of the sites is being collected.

Russia has been working toward making its own version of the internet, completely independent from foreign control. In 2018, Moscow implemented the Digital Economy National Program that sought to protect the countrys digital infrastructure in a scenario where Russia was cut off from the global internet.

In 2019, Russia adopted the Sovereign Internet law, which gave the ruling administration powers to partition the countrys online access from the rest of the world, including the national fork of the DNS. Kremlin had deemed the move as countering the aggressive nature of Americas national cyber security strategy.

Free speech activists lambasted the policy as a move to increase government oversight over Russian cyberspace. Professor Alan Woodward, a computer scientist at the University of Surrey, had called the Russian alternative as another step in the increasing fragmentation of the world wide web.

Increasingly, authoritarian countries which want to control what citizens see are looking at what Iran and China have already done, Woodward told the BBC. It means people will not have access to dialogue about what is going on in their own country, they will be kept within their own bubble.

In June and July last year, Russia conducted a series of tests, which saw the participation of major domestic telecom firms, where the country successfully disconnected itself from the internet.

Meanwhile, Cogent Communications, an internet backbone provider, cut off its services in Russia as a protest against Moscows invasion of Ukraine. Backbone providers are responsible for providing high-speed data transmission lines and related infrastructure. Though the move will not fully disconnect Russians from the world, it will potentially result in slower connectivity.

However, Cogents decision was severely criticized in a tweet by Eva Galperin, the director of cybersecurity at the digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Cutting Russians off from internet access cuts them off from sources of independent news and the ability to organize anti-war protests. Dont do Putins dirty work for him, Eva said.
A view of the exterior of the JPMorgan Chase & Co. corporate headquarters in New York City, on May 20, 2015. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

Russia Will Be Excluded From All JPMorgan Fixed Income Indexes

NEW YORKRussia will be excluded from all of JPMorgans fixed income indexes on March 31, the bank said in a statement on Monday, joining rival index providers that had excluded Russian securities from their indexes after Moscows invasion of Ukraine.

JPMorgan had placed Russia on index watch on March 1 after sanctions were imposed on the country.

The Wall Street bank runs the widely followed family of sovereign hard-currency indexes EMBI, as well as a corporate debt counterpart CEMBI. It also has the GBI-EM benchmark for local debt in emerging currencies and the JESG index governed by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors.

Russia will be excluded from the EMBI indexes, including the investment grade and other credit bucket sub-indexes, the bank said on Monday.

Local-currency denominated Russian bonds will be excluded from the GBI-EM indices and accrued interest for such bonds will be set to zero and suspended as of March 7, it said.

Russia and Belarus will be excluded from the JESG EMBI, JESG GBI-EM, and JESG CEMBI indices, it added.

Global assets worth $842 billion are benchmarked against JPMorgans indexes, according to the bank. Russia has a weighting of 0.89 percent in the EMBIG Diversified index, and a 1.03 percent weighting in the ESG version of the index.

Russias weighting in key emerging market indexes took a sharp hit after sanctions were imposed in the wake of Moscows annexation of Crimea in 2014. The weightings subsequently recovered some ground, only to take another dive this year as tensions over Ukraine sharply escalated in recent weeks.

Index providers FTSE Russell and MSCI said last week they were taking similar steps as deepening sanctions and public pressure isolate Russias economy from Western investment and trading partners.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon in the District of Columbia on Feb. 1, 2022. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)

Russian Convoy Near Kyiv Still Stuck: Pentagon

The Russian convoy heading towards Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, remains stalled, Press Secretary John Kirby said in an update on Monday.

The convoy, which stretches for as much as 40 miles from near Prybisk in the north to the southern end near the Antonov airport, was moving steadily south at the onset of the war. But last week, progress appeared to all but stop.

Its a very, very long convoy. We dont even know if its all, we cant even say that, that its all one convoy and not several. But it does remain as our best assessment as it remains stalled, Kirby said during a press conference.

The Pentagon believes the convoy purpose for heading to Kyiv is to resupply, Kirby said, noting that the Pentagon doesnt have perfect visibility on the convoy.

When you look at the images from the air, you can see a lot of it but they dont look like armored vehicles so much as they look like resupply trucks. Thats not to say that there arent combat vehicles in there, he said.

We dont have perfect visibility on it. But the assessment is that it was largely meant to help resupply and it is still stalled. Its still stuck, Kirby told reporters.

The Pentagons press secretary previously said the Russians appear to be regrouping and reassessing the reasons for their slow progress, and how to make up for lost time. He said they likely did not anticipate such problems or the extent of Ukrainian resistance.

Kirby told reporters on Monday that morale continues to be a problem for many of the Russian forces, especially in the north and east of Ukraine, 12 days into Russian President Vladimir Putins full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

He added that nearly all of Russias combat power is now in Ukraine.

As they continue to get frustrated, they continue to rely now more on what we would call long-range fires, Kirby said.

The long-range fires are causing more damage to infrastructure and more injuries due to their lack of precision.

We think its because, again, they have not been able to make up for the lost time that they continue to suffer from on the ground, Kirby said.

Kharkiv, Ukraines second largest city, is really becoming victim to a lot of these long range fires, he said.

The Pentagon also said it had no reason to discount a report by the Wall Street Journal that Russia is seeking foreign fighters to assist in its invasion of Ukraine.

Were in no position to refute the accounts that they might be seeking to recruit Syrian fighters, he said.

I cant begin to speculate why he [Putin] would find it necessary to seek help from foreign fighters, he added, noting that the Pentagon believes Russian forces are having morale problems, supply problems, fuel problems, and food problems.

They are meeting a very stiff and determined Ukrainian resistance. And we still maintain that they are several days behind what they probably thought they were going to be in terms of their progress, said Kirby.

But I cannot get inside Mr. Putins brain as to why he would find it necessary to seek support from foreign fighters.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak speaks at a press conference following talks with Ukrainian Energy Minister Yuriy Prodan and European Union Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger over the future of Russian natural gas deliveries to Ukraine in Berlin, Germany, on Sept. 26, 2014. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Russian Deputy PM Threatens to Cut Gas to Europe via Nord Stream 1

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak warned on Monday that the country could potentially cut gas supplies via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany.

In connection with unfounded accusations against Russia regarding the energy crisis in Europe and the imposition of a ban on Nord Stream 2, we have every right to take a matching decision and impose an embargo on gas pumping through the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, Novak said in a statement broadcast on state television.

But so far, we are not taking such a decision.

The Nord Stream 1 pipeline, laid in 20112012, is 759 miles in length and is the longest undersea pipeline in the world. It supplies Europe with Russian natural gas, running through the Baltic Sea to northern Germany. It has a total annual capacity of about 55 billion cubic meters of gas.

A helicopter flies over the Nordstream gas pipeline terminal prior to an inaugural ceremony for the first of Nord Streams twin gas pipeline through the Baltic Sea, in Lubmin on Nov. 8, 2011. (John MacDougall/AFP via Getty Images)

Nord Stream 2, laid in 20182021, was expected to double the flow of Russian gas direct to Germany. The pipeline, worth $11 billion, was finished in September 2021. It was pending certification from Germany and the European Union, but Germany halted the project on Feb. 22, citing the escalating crisis in Ukraine at the timeafter Russian Vladimir Putin moved to recognize the independence of two separatist-held region in Eastern Ukraine, challenging Ukrainian sovereignty. The United States on Feb. 23 announced sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG, the operator the pipeline.

The sanctions came prior to the special military operation that Putin announced on Feb. 24, after which Russian troops mounted an incursion into Ukrainian territory. Putin hasnt specified when his peace-keeping operation will end, but has said that Russia does not plan to occupy Ukraine in the long term. Russia is demanding guarantees that Ukraine will never join NATO.

Germany, with an annual gas consumption of about 88 billion cubic meters, gets around half of its gas from Russia. Prior to the decertification of the Nord Stream 2, Germany argued that the pipeline would diversify energy supplies for Europe. But the European Union the United States opposed the pipeline on the grounds that it would increase Europes energy dependence on Russia as well as denying transit fees to Ukraine, which is host to another Russian gas pipeline.

Nord Stream 2 AG on March 1 announced it had to fire all of its employees due to the Ukraine-Russia crisis that led to it being sanctioned by the United States. We very much regret this development, the operator told Reuters in an emailed statement at the time.

Nord Stream 2 AG is registered in Switzerland and wholly owned by Russian state-owned company Gazprom. Nord Stream 1 is owned and operated by Nord Stream AG, with Gazprom as the majority shareholder.

Separately, construction of a pipeline that would link Poland to Norwegian supplies of natural gas has resumed, Denmark-based grid operator Energinet announced on March 1.

The gas pipeline seeks to reduce Polands reliance on Russian gas. Poland currently gets half of its 20 billion cubic meters of total annual gas consumption from Russias Gazprom. The long-term contract between Poland and Gazprom expires at the end of this year and Warsaw doesnt plan on renewing it.

Tom Ozimek contributed to this report.
Neighbors and relatives help remove the rubble of a house destroyed with shelling in Markhalivka, Ukraine, on March 5, 2022. (Anastasia Vlasova/Getty Images)

Russian Forces Grow More Desperate as Offensive Stalls, Double Down on Brutality: UK Defense Chief

British and American military officials said that as Russias offensive in Ukraine has faced setbacks, Russian forces have ramped up the use of rocket attacks and other long-range fires, increasingly striking civilian infrastructure, leading to more civilian casualties.

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told the BBC on Tuesday that Russian forces were becoming frustrated by the lack of progress in parts of Ukraine and were increasingly resorting to what he described as brutal tactics.

Wallace told the BBC Breakfast program that Russian forces were getting more desperate and we are seeing the Russians just double down on brutality.

Russian troops have made significant advances in southern Ukraine but stalled in some other areas. The British defense chief said Russian troops are behind schedule in their offensive, in particular in the north, near the capital Kyiv, where a miles-long convoy has made little progress after its initial thunder run in the early days of the invasion fizzled.

Russia has still not been making its advances, its day 13. That northern column that we have often talked about is still pretty much stuck, I mean really stuck, so thats not advancing, he said.

As Russian ground forces have met what many analysts describe as unexpectedly strong resistance from Ukrainian troops, they have increasingly relied on long-range fires, including shelling and bombardment, which has hit civilian infrastructure, according to the Pentagon.

We absolutely assess that the reliance on long-range firesand I know thats a very wonky termbut artillery missile strikes  rocket attacks, are having an increased effect on civilian casualties, and the damage and destruction of civilian infrastructure, be it homes, churches, hospitals, schools, we see that increasing for sure, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told a Monday briefing.

Residential houses destroyed by shelling in Markhalivka, Ukraine, on March 5, 2022. (Anastasia Vlasova/Getty Images)

Kirby added that its impossible to say whether Russian forces are deliberately targeting civilian areas or whether such strikes are incidental versus intentional, but he said the result in terms of human suffering is the same.

The bottom line is, more civilians are being killed and wounded, more civilian infrastructure is being damaged or destroyed, Kirby continued. And Mr. Putin still has a choice here, not to escalate, not to be more aggressive in the use of these long-range fires and in his capabilities, but to find a diplomatic path forward and to end the invasion.

Russia has denied targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure. And despite calls for deescalation, there are signs of a different trajectory of the conflict.

British intelligence said on Tuesday that they have noticed a notable intensification of Russian accusations that Ukraine is developing nuclear or biological weapons, suggesting the Kremlin may be building a case for escalation or, as the UK Ministry of Defense put it, a retrospective justification for Russias invasion.

Local residents cross a destroyed bridge as they evacuate from their town in Irpin, near Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 7, 2022. (Jedrzej Nowicki/Agencja Wyborcza.pl via Reuters)

French President Emmanuel Macron said, after speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin several days ago, that he believes the worst is yet to come in the conflict.

Statements by Russian officials, too, suggest no immediate end in sight to the hostilities. Several days ago, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he believed some Western leaders were angling for a war against Russia and that Moscow would press on with its special military operation to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine until the end.

Lavrov on Tuesday said that the goal of Russias military actions are to stop any war that could take place on Ukrainian territory or that could start from there, suggesting that if the war doesnt go the Kremlins way, it could spill over into NATO countries.

He also accused Washington of pulling Ukraines strings in the conflict, claiming Kyiv is not independent at all, while Russias ambassador to the UK complained that Britain had become a hostile environment and also warned of a potential spillover of the war to NATO countries.

There is a risk of drawing NATO into conflict in the event of arms supplies to Ukraine through the Polish border, he said.

Poland, a staunch ally to Ukraine in the conflict, has been a key supplier of weapons and ammunition to Ukrainian forces, with speculation whether this military aid might include the provision of fighter jets.

So far, the Polish government has been adamant that its planes would not fight in Ukraine nor would its airfields be used to launch sorties into Ukraine, but Polish officials have said discussions continue with NATO partners about some form of providing the jets to Ukrainian air force.

Polish Lt. Col. Krzysztof Przypiorka was asked in an interview on Monday with Polish media outlet Super Express whether supplying the fighter jets to Ukraine risked being perceived by the Russians as a provocation that could spark world war three.

Not if we transmit the fighter jets in the same way we convey other weapons, like we do with anti-tank and anti-aircraft [systems], Przypiorka replied, according to a translation of his remarks, suggesting Polish authorities were drawing a distinction between providing the planes in the form of sale or gift to Ukraine versus the jets engaging in the conflict while flying Polish colors.

Its not like Polish pilots would fly them, but Ukrainians, and they wouldnt take off from Poland but from Ukrainian airfields, he said.

In other signs that the conflict is likely to roil on for some time, U.S. intelligence officials said Monday that they believe Russia may be recruiting Syrian fighters with considerable experience in urban combat to fight for them in Ukraine, suggesting Russia expects to have to engage in grinding urban battles once its forces breach Ukrainian cities.

Fire is seen in Mariupol at a residential area after shelling amid Russias invasion of Ukraine, on March 3, 2022. (Twitter @AyBurlachenko via Reuters)

So far, Russian forces have managed to take just one key city, Kherson, but they have yet to control Kyiv, while heavy fighting continued on Monday outside another major city, Kharkiv, which is really becoming victim to a lot of these long-range fires, Kirby said.

The third round of peace talks ended with little progress on Monday, while Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with Reuters that Russia was ready to end war immediately if Ukraine met several conditions.

Peskov also said Ukraine must recognize Crimea as Russian, recognize the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk as independent, that its forces must lay down their arms, and Kyiv signs a neutrality agreement that would prohibit it from entering NATO.

We really are finishing the demilitarization of Ukraine, Peskov said. We will finish it. But the main thing is that Ukraine ceases its military action. They should stop their military action and then no one will shoot.

So far, around 2 million people have fled the fighting in Ukraine, according to the U.N.
A general view of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague, Netherlands, on Dec. 9, 2019. (Eva Plevier/Reuters)

Russian No Show at UN Court Hearings on Ukrainian Genocide

THE HAGUERussia boycotted hearings at the U.N.s highest court on Monday during which Ukraine is seeking an emergency order to halt hostilities, arguing that Moscow has falsely applied genocide law to justify its invasion.

Hearings began at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) without legal representation for Russia.

The fact that Russias seats are empty speaks loudly. They are not here in this court of law: they are on a battlefield waging an aggressive war against my country, Ukrainian envoy Anton Korynevych said.

He urged Russia to lay down your arms and put forward your evidence.

The court said it regretted Russias non-attendance. A hearing initially set for Tuesday for Russia to present its case is expected to be canceled. In earlier cases before the ICJ where a party did not show up to present its side the court ruled without input from such parties.

Countries usually, but do not always, follow the courts orders, which are legally binding. A spokesperson for the Russian Embassy in the Netherlands did not reply to a request for comment.

No Evidence of Genocide

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Russias special military action is needed to protect people who have been subjected to bullying and genocidemeaning those whose first or only language is Russianin eastern Ukraine.

Russian-backed separatists have fought Ukrainian forces in two eastern breakaway regions of the country since 2014, with some 15,000 people killed, according to the government in Kyiv.

A leading association of genocide scholars has backed Ukraine and Western powers view that Russia was misappropriating the term genocide to describe the treatment of Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine.

There is absolutely no evidence that there is a genocide going on in Ukraine, Melanie OBrien, president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, told Reuters.

Russias new invasion of Ukraine began on Feb. 24. Moscow has repeatedly denied targeting civilians in the assault. The official U.N. civilian death toll is 364, including more than 20 children, though officials say the true toll is probably higher.

Putin lies and Ukrainiansour citizensdie, Korynevych told the court.

The case centers on the interpretation of a 1948 treaty on the prevention of genocide, signed by both countries. The treaty names the ICJ as the forum for resolving disputes between signatories.

Kyivs envoy stressed on Monday that Moscow was violating and abusing the treaty by using it as a justification for war.

Russia must be stopped and the court has a role to play in stopping it, Korynevych told the judges as he asked for them to impose emergency measures.

The ICJ is the highest court for resolving disputes between states, and while cases there usually take years, it has a fast-track procedure to look at requests for provisional measures, to prevent a situation from worsening.

By Stephanie van den Berg
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a news conference in Moscow, Russia on Jan. 14, 2022. (Maxim Shipenkov/Pool via Reuters)

Russias Special Military Operation is to Prevent War in Ukraine, Claims Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested on Monday that Russias so-called special military operation launched by President Vladimir Putin on Feb. 24 is intended to prevent a war in Ukraine.

The goal of Russias special military operation is to stop any war that could take place on Ukrainian territory or that could start from there, Lavrov said in a statement, according to Britains Russian Embassy.

Lavrov was pushing the Kremlins line that the invasion launched by Putin is a special military operation to disarm Ukraine and detain leaders it claims are neo-Nazis. Ukraine and the West argue this is a false pretext used in an attempt to justify the invasion.

His comments come after Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with Reuters on Monday that Russia could end war immediately if Ukraine agreed to sign a neutrality agreement that would prohibit it from entering NATO.

Peskov also said Ukraine must recognize Crimea as Russian, recognize the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk as independent, and cease all military action.

Ukrainian officials were told that all this can be stopped in a moment, Peskov noted.

We really are finishing the demilitarization of Ukraine, Peskov said. We will finish it. But the main thing is that Ukraine ceases its military action. They should stop their military action and then no one will shoot.

We have also spoken about how they should recognize that Crimea is Russian territory and that they need to recognize that Donetsk and Luhansk are independent states. And thats it. It will stop in a moment.

Peskov added, They should make amendments to the constitution according to which Ukraine would reject any aims to enter any bloc.

A Ukrainian soldier keeps position sitting on a ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun at a frontline, northeast of Kyiv on March 3, 2022. (Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shut down Russias demands, telling ABC News on Monday that recognizing the territories as Russian is more difficult than Moscow is making it out to be.

Russias demands are an ultimatum, he said.

We are not prepared for ultimatums but we have the possible solution, resolution for these three key items, Zelensky said. What needs to be done is for President Putin to start talking instead of living in the information bubble without oxygen.

Just days earlier, Lavrov said he believed some foreign leaders were preparing for war against Russia and that Moscow would press on with its military operation in Ukraine until the end.

Lavrov also said Russia had no thoughts of nuclear war.

Offering no evidence to back up his remarks in an interview with state television, a week after Russia invaded Ukraine, he also accused Zelensky, an ethnic Jew, of presiding over a society where Nazism is flourishing.

Lavrov is set to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, in Turkey on Thursday, according to the Turkish foreign minister.

Putin on Monday said that only professional military service members will be involved in carrying out his special military operation in Ukraine.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi speaks during an AFP interview in Vienna, Austria, on Nov. 30, 2020. (Alex Halada/AFP via Getty Images)

2nd Ukraine Nuclear Facility Damaged: UN Nuclear Watchdog

A nuclear research facility in Ukraine has been damaged by Russian shelling, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.

There was likely no radiological consequence to the facility in Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said in an update late Monday.

Ukraines national nuclear regulator told the IAEA that the incident did not cause any increase in radiation levels at the site, the Vienna-based U.N. body said in a statement.

The IAEA said that the facility in north-eastern Ukraine, which is part of the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology, is used for research and development and radioisotope production.

The nuclear material in the facility is always subcritical and the inventory of radioactive material is very low, it noted.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi noted that the incident highlights the risks facing Ukraines nuclear installations during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

We have already had several episodes compromising safety at Ukraines nuclear sites, he said.

It comes just days after Russian shelling hit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Enerdohar, Ukraine, causing a fire that has since been contained.

Ukrainian authorities said Russian forces had seized control of Zaporizhzhia, which is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and among the 10 largest in the world.

While the fire at Zaporizhzhia was quickly extinguished and there was no damage to its reactors, it highlighted concerns about the potentially disastrous consequences should the conflict damage one of Ukraines four operating nuclear power plants.

Only two of the facilitys six reactors are operating currently.

A damaged administrative building of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in Enerhodar, the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, on March 4, 2022. (Press service of National Nuclear Energy Generating Company Energoatom/Handout via Reuters)

Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), points on a map of the Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Vienna, Austria, on March 4, 2022. (Joe Klamar/AFP via Getty Images)

The IAEA said on Sunday that the Russian forces that seized the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant have now placed staff running the facility under their command and restricted communications with the outside world.

It said it was extremely concerned about developments at the nuclear plant.

Ukraine reports that any action of plant managementincluding measures related to the technical operation of the six reactor unitsrequires prior approval by the Russian commander, the IAEA said in a statement.

In a second serious development, Ukraine has reported that the Russian forces at the site have switched off some mobile networks and the internet so that reliable information from the site cannot be obtained through the normal channels of communication, it added.

Grossi voiced concerns over the reports that Russian forces have placed staff under their command.

In order to be able to operate the plant safely and securely, management and staff must be allowed to carry out their vital duties in stable conditions without undue external interference or pressure, he said.

Reuters contributed to this report.
(L to R) Brian Brase, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) at the Senate Visitor Center in U.S. Capitol on Mar. 8, 2022. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times)

Senators Say Peoples Convoy Fighting for Freedom After Meeting on Capitol Hill

Convoy traveled to Washington, DC, area from California

WASHINGTONSens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on March 8 praised The Peoples Convoy for fighting for freedom and awakening Americans during their meeting with leaders of the group, which traveled across the country from California.

Johnson said the truckers are taking extraordinary measures to get the unbiased news out. To him, what the convoy is trying to convey is to lay out the damage being done by these emergency orders [and] all these mandates, he told The Epoch Times.

Doctors, nurses, truck drivers, and grocery clerks are heroes who kept the U.S. economy going early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson said. Unfortunately, they werent a part of the workforce that could work on virtual platforms and be immune from lockdowns and mandates, he said, lamenting that these workers were being fired from their jobs because they chose not to comply with COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

The convoy left from Southern California on Feb. 23 and arrived in the Washington area on March 4.

The group is protesting against vaccine mandates, President Joe Bidens continuation of the COVID-19 national emergency, and other issues.

At least 1,000 vehicles are estimated to be part of the convoy, which circled the Capital Beltway for the third day as its leaders met with the senators.

Cruz said the group is standing up for freedom, standing up for a very basic and simple principle: that it ought to be your decision how to live your life, it ought to be your decision how to treat your body and what to do with your own health.

If you choose to get the COVID vaccine, God bless you. Thats your choice, you can make that choice. Im glad that choice is available to you. But if you choose not to, thats your choice also, he said.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) at the Senate Visitor Center in the U.S. Capitol on Mar. 8, 2022. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times)

Dr. Pierre Kory (L) and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) at the Senate Visitor Center in U.S. Capitol on Mar. 8, 2022. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times)

A statement from Johnsons office announcing the event said the senators would be meeting with convoy organizers to discuss the harmful effects of President Bidens vaccine mandates.

Brian Brase, a co-organizer who drives trucks in Ohio, told reporters after the meeting that were not going anywhere.

Were going to keep looping the Beltway until were heard, he said, referring to the 64-mile road that encircles Washington and primarily runs through Maryland and Virginia.

Organizers later met with Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), and hope to hold more meetings with members of Congress as well as the White House.

Law enforcement officials have said the convoy hasnt disrupted Beltway traffic. Washington Police Chief Robert Contee told reporters on March 7 that the department is keeping close tabs on the convoy.

People can peacefully express their First Amendment freedoms in the District of Columbia, but there are certain things that were not going to tolerate, he said.

Dr. Paul Alexander, part of the convoy delegation, told The Epoch Times that the meeting with the senators was excellent and went well. He expressed hope that the two senators would spark a discussion in Congress for rolling back the emergency declaration and the mandates.

The Senate has recently approved legislation to block enforcement of Bidens mandate for health care workersone of the few not blocked by courtsand declare an end to the emergency, but the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives isnt expected to take up the measures.

The White House said the latter bill would be vetoed if the House does approve it, and without strong Democratic support, Congress doesnt have enough votes to override a veto.

Democrats have largely expressed opposition to the convoy and others like it, including similar groups that protested earlier this year in Canada.

Ron Coleman, another member of the U.S. convoy delegation, shared touching notes he received along the way. He recalled how a little girl hugged him and gave him a handwritten crayon note that said, We love you, truckers. Thank you for fighting for our futures.

A mother of three was said to have written: Dear truckers, I admire your courage and your determination in doing this. I will support you and pray for you. Thank you for fighting for all of us.

Coleman said he was determined to take peoples messages, tears, hearts, and love, and let them be heard.

Dr. Pierre Kory, a member of the convoy, told The Epoch Times: We are calling attention to a critical ill in society and said the emergency declaration is propagating policies which have hurt America.

Terri Wu Follow Terri Wu is a Washington-based freelance reporter for The Epoch Times covering education and China-related issues. Send tips to terri.wu@epochtimes.com.
Shell to Stop Buying Russian Oil and Natural Gas

Shell on March 8 said it will stop buying Russian oil and natural gas.

Shell said it would immediately stop all purchases of Russian crude oil and shut down much of its business in Russia, including all of its gas stations.

Shell also plans to work on removing Russian gas from its supply chains, which could take weeks, and will begin a phased withdrawal from Russian petroleum products other than crude oil.

Shell CEO Ben van Beurden said the companys recent decision to buy a shipment of Russian crude oil was not the right one and we are sorry.

Shell had already moved to end its involvement in Nord Stream 2, a pipeline that runs from Russia to Germany, and exit partnerships with Russian companies like Gazprom. It also pledged to send the profits from the rest of the Russian oil it will process to a dedicated fund that will eventually go towards helping Ukrainians who are suffering from Russias invasion of their country.

Our actions to date have been guided by continuous discussions with governments about the need to disentangle society from Russian energy flows, while maintaining energy supplies, van Beurden said in a statement.

These societal challenges highlight the dilemma between putting pressure on the Russian government over its atrocities in Ukraine and ensuring stable, secure energy supplies across Europe. But ultimately, it is for governments to decide on the incredibly difficult trade-offs that must be made during the war in Ukraine. We will continue to work with them to help manage the potential impacts on the security of energy supplies, particularly in Europe.

Shell is based in the United Kingdom.

Shells moves come as many Western countries weigh banning Russian oil and gas as a way to punish the country for its invasion of Ukraine.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters Monday that all options are being considered when asked about a possible ban.

The White House, meanwhile, said it had not yet made a decision, though some members of Congress were already moving to enact a ban.

The bill that would bar imports of Russian oil and similar products will send a clear message to Putin that his war is unacceptable and the United States stands firmly with our NATO allies, House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.), the panels top Republican Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and the finance committees ranking member, Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), said in a joint statement.

Russian officials warned this week that a ban on Russian products would send the price of oil, already soaring, even higher.
People walk past shopfronts with signage in Cyrillic script at a trading center known as the Russia Market in Beijing on March 3, 2022. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images)

Sino-Russian Trade Boom in War Wont Last Long: Expert

China asserted it will continue to trade with Russia amid multiple economic sanctions against the country for invading Ukraine. Chinese nationalists rushed to snap up Russian goods, and China-Russia trade concept stocks hit a contiguous five-day spike. However, the bilateral trade booms wont last long, experts say.

A Russian e-commerce store authorized by the Russian Embassy in China recently sold out various kinds of snacks and tea, with some popular products labeled as pre-sold, and the stores followers surged by 200,000 in one day.

Sergei Betsev, ambassador of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation in China, expressed his gratitude in a video posted on the stores home page but called on Chinese people to buy rationally.

Li Yuanhua, former associate professor at Capital Normal Universitys College of Education and Science, told The Epoch Times that under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) system, irrationality has become the norm for some Chinese people, who in the past have boycotted iPhones, KFC, Japanese cars, and Canada Goose, a brand of down jackets, in the name of resisting foreign forces and guarding China.

The CCP has positioned the Russia-Ukraine war as a rebellion against the West and a rebellion against the Nazis, indoctrinating the Chinese people in an information-blocking environment created by Chinas internet firewall and harsh censorship.

The Chinese people do not have access to real information, so some of them would follow the CCP and support Russias just war, Li said.

But this kind of political direction would not last long, people are unlikely to keep buying things they might dislike, Li added, citing that people normally buy favorable goods for themselves.

Frank Xie Tian, professor at the University of South Carolinas Aiken Business School, told The Epoch Times that such a boom is just a gimmick that will not last long.

Russia has very limited goods, like vodka and chocolate, being exported to China, while they import high-end wine and chocolate made by Europe, Xie said, adding that usually, imported consumables that are low-end are imported from China and the high-end ones are from Europe.

Russia mainly sold energy resources, fighter aircraft, and heavy equipment to China, Xie said.

China-Russia trade concept stocks are also sought after due to Chinas pro-Russia stance.

Jinzhou Port (600190.SH) and Xinjiang Tianshun Supply Chain (002800.SZ), the two concept stocks of China-Russia trade, have seen a Yizi daily limit of five consecutive days starting on Feb. 25, the day after Russia invaded Ukraine, according to Sina, Chinese portal site.

The daily limit is the maximum amount of price increase allowed on a trading day. The Yizi daily limit is a term in the Chinese stock market that refers to a stock that soars with a daily limit and continues until the closethe trend in K-line pattern, a stock price forecast chart resembled the Chinese character (zi) for the number one (yi), so it is called the Yizi daily limit. It is a rare phenomenon where the more a stock rises, the harder it is to sell, because many investors are bullish on the stock and a large number of buy orders prevents the stock from soaring, while sell orders are fewer, making it almost impossible to buy the stock during this period.

Professor Xie believes the surge in China-Russia trade concept stocks is a short-term phenomenon and will not last long. Xie explained that under the international sanctions, Russias dependence on China increased and it will need to buy a massive number of products through China. Thus, it is normal for speculators to take advantage of this opportunity and push the stock price higher.

However, in the long run, the China-Russia trade prospect is full of uncertainties, because we dont know how long the war will last, how deep Russia will fall [into the war], and whether it will have the funds to purchase large quantities again, Xie said.

On March 4, Jinzhou Port, which is mainly engaged in bulk cargo transportation including oil, grain, metal ore, and steel and has direct routes to Russia, released its third risk alert on the companys abnormal trading fluctuations, warning that high stock price volatilities may prompt investment risks.

Xinjiang Tianshun Supply Chain, a bulk logistics company located in Xinjiang, a region in northwest China bordering Russia, also issued two announcements of abnormal stock trading fluctuations. The company cautioned investors about investment risks, citing that its Russian-related business gains account for a relatively small proportion of its total operating revenue.

If the war continues, it will have a negative impact on the economies of both China and Russia, Xie said.

Xie maintained that if the CCP continues to support Russia in violation of international sanctions, it may be sanctioned as well.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in speaks during a press conference marking his first 100 days in office at the presidential blue house in Seoul, South Korea, on Aug. 17, 2017. (Jung Yeon-Je-Pool/Getty Images)

South Korea Joins Sanctions Against Russian Central Bank and Belarus

South Koreas government said Monday that it will join the international move to suspend transactions with Russias central bank and impose sanctions on Belarus over Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The [South] Korean government has decided today, March 7, to join other nations in imposing additional sanctions including the prohibition of transactions with the central bank of Russia, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said that it will review and announce details of the sanctions after consulting with relevant government agencies.

Belarus, an ally of Russia, will also be subject to new sanctions. The South Korean government said Sunday that it will implement export controls against Belarus for substantially enabling Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The ministry did not specify what sanctions will be implemented against Belarus, but stated that they would be comparable to those already taken by South Korea against Russia.

The [South] Korean government strongly condemned Russias armed invasion against Ukraine and decided to take export control measures on Russia for a peaceful resolution of the situation, the ministry said in a separate statement.

The government has previously halted financial transactions with seven major Russian banks and their subsidiaries. The banks include Russian state development corporation VEB, state-owned financial institution Sberbank, PSB, VTB Bank, Bank Otkritie, Novikombank, and Sovcombank.

Local public and financial institutions were also urged to discontinue trading in Russian state bonds. South Korea also banned Russian banks from the SWIFT global interbank network and imposed a restriction on strategic item shipments to Russia.

Russia retaliated by adding South Korea to its list of countries that have engaged in unfriendly measures. The Russian government, businesses, and citizens will be able to pay foreign exchange debts to foreign creditors from unfriendly countries in rubles under this decree, the Tass news agency reported on Monday.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed gratitude for the South Korean governments commitment to joining the international communitys efforts to impose sanctions on Russia, according to the foreign ministry.

Meanwhile, South Korean multinational conglomerate Samsung announced a temporary ban on product exports to Russia. The company pledged to donate $6 million to fund humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, including $1 million in consumer electronics.

Samsung was forced to stop shipments to Russia due to various factors, including logistics issues and unstable exchange rates, like many other global companies, Samsungs spokesperson told Yonhap News Agency on Monday.

The move follows a request from Ukraines Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov for the company to temporarily stop supplying Samsung services and products to the Russian Federation, including blocking access to the Samsung Pay, Samsung-Galaxy Store, and Samsung Shop.

We believe that such actions will motivate the youth and active population of Russia to proactively stop the disgraceful military aggression, Fedorov said in a letter to Samsung.
South Korea Presidential Election Will Decide Countrys Stance on Communist China: Former State Department Official

As South Koreans head to the polls on March 9, they should be alert to a progressive movement that seeks to distance their country from the United States, according to former U.S. State Department official Morse Tan.

The former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, speaking to EpochTVs China Insider program, stressed how the upcoming presidential election outcome would decide whether the country pivots closer to the United States, or North Korea and China instead.

Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative People Power Party and Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party are the forerunners of the extremely tight race. Both bring different foreign policy approaches to the tabe: Yoon is seen as hawkish on China and North Korea, while Lee is viewed as favoring cooperation.

Tan, who had also previously served as South Korean Ambassador to the United States, said the conservative politicians recognize that the U.S. commitment to defend South Korea is the biggest deterrent against North Korea seeking to take over the peninsula by force and aggressively attacking.

In contrast, left-leaning figures have tended to be reluctant to further defense and trade ties with the United States, Tan said, despite the threat posed by North Korea and its intention to take over South Korea by force.

The former official said any move by South Korea distancing itself from the United States would be a fatal mistake.

North Korea wants to drive a wedge there and separate South Korea from the alliance with America, Tan said at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, on Feb. 27.

It would be a very treacherous road for Korea to go on that would jeopardize potentially the continued existence of South Korea, he added.

That path would also allow the Chinese communist regime to further exert its influence in South Korea, which Tan said everyone should be very concerned about.

The Chinese Communist Party is looking to become the next world superpower, displacing the United States and exerting its malign influence, in many ways, all across the world, he said.

Hannah Ng China Reporter Follow
Russell Pareti SVP marketing Stoli Group USA (L) and Hugues Pietrini global president and CEO, Stoli Group, speak onstage during Stoli Vodka hosts "Loud And Clear" global advertising campaign launch event at Marquee Club in New York City on June 14, 2018. (Taylor Hill/Getty Images for Stoli  Vodk)

Stolichnaya Vodka Rebrands as Stoli in Direct Response to Russian Invasion of Ukraine

The company that owns Stolichnaya vodka, one of the most iconic vodka brands, on Monday announced that it is rebranding in the wake of Russias invasion of Ukraine.

In a statement, Luxembourg-based Stoli Group said the major rebrand is in direct response to Russias invasion of Ukraine.

From now on, the vodka will exclusively be sold and marketed globally as Stoli with the exception of Russia where Stolichnaya is owned by Soyuzplodoimport, a firm owned by the Russian state.

Stoli Group did not state exactly when the rebrand would take effect.

Yuri Shefler, the billionaire founder of Stoli Group was exiled from Russia in 2000 because of his opposition to President Vladimir Putin and said he has personally experienced persecution by Putins regime.

Shefler bought the struggling Stoli brand in 1997 but in 2000, in what Shefler says was one of the first examples of the regime identifying a valuable asset and attempting to wrest control of it, Putin waged a battle for the companys trademarks.

While I have been exiled from Russia since 2000 due to my opposition to Putin, I have remained proud of the Stolichnaya brand, Shefler said in a statement on Monday. Today, we have made the decision to rebrand entirely as the name no longer represents our organization. More than anything, I wish for Stoli to represent peace in Europe and solidarity with Ukraine.

Along with Sheflers opposition to Putin, the company said it had made the decision to rebrand because of the Stoli employees determination to take action and the desire to accurately represent Stolis roots in Latvia.

While Stolichnaya originally began as a Russian brand in the former Soviet Union, since Shefler was exiled from Russia, Stoli Vodkas production facilities have been located in Latvia and it is there that all bottling, packaging, and distribution, among other things, are handled.

Despite this, the Russian government established FKP Soyuzplodoimport, also known as FTE Soyuzplodoimport, and continued making a state-owned version of the brand sold and marketed within the country.

According to Shefler, the two products are easily distinguishable because the Russian governments version states it is made in Russia.

The Epoch Times has contacted Soyuzplodoimport for comment.

This is very personal to us. As a former Royal Marine commando, I know all too well the horrors of war, said Damian McKinney, global CEO of Stoli Group. We have employees, partners, and distributors in the region directly impacted. They are asking that we take a bold stand. This is one actionable, meaningful thing we can do to make it clear that we support Ukraine.

Stoli Groups announcement comes amid an international boycott of Russian products as lawmakers across the United States and the rest of the world call for Russian-made products to be removed from shelves.

Governors from the states of Texas, Utah, Ohio, Virginia, New Hampshire, and others have pulled Russian products from stores as a sign of solidarity with the former Soviet nation of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Finland have also pulled such products.

According to data from IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, a global firm that tracks alcohol sales, less than 1 percent of vodka consumed in the United States is produced in Russia, while Russian vodka accounts for less than 3 percent of all vodka consumed in Europe.
Supreme Court Denies GOP Redistricting Plans in North Carolina, Pennsylvania

The Supreme Court late Monday rejected requests from Republicans in North Carolina and Pennsylvania to halt new congressional maps approved by courts in those states that are more favorable to Democrats.

In North Carolina, the map most likely will give Democrats an additional House seat in 2023.

The Pennsylvania map also probably will lead to the election of more Democrats, the Republicans say, as the two parties battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the midterm elections in November.

The justices late Monday denied the GOP-led requests in two separate rulings, providing no explanation for their actions, as is common in emergency applications on what is known as the shadow docket.

Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, and Neil Gorsuch dissented from the action concerning North Carolina.

We will have to resolve this question sooner or later, and the sooner we do so, the better. This case presented a good opportunity to consider the issue, but unfortunately the court has again found the occasion inopportune, wrote Justice Alito joined by Justices Gorsuch and Thomas.

There must be some limit on the authority of state courts to countermand actions taken by state legislatures when they are prescribing rules for the conduct of federal elections, Alito wrote.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh made a similar point, but said he didnt want to interfere in this years electoral process, which already is underway. He said it was too close to the May 17 primaries. The filing deadline in the state was Friday.

The issue is almost certain to keep arising until the Court definitively resolves it. Therefore, if the Court receives petitions for certiorari raising the issue, I believe that the Court should grant certiorari in an appropriate caseeither in this case from North Carolina or in a similar case from another State, Kavanaugh wrote. If the Court does so, the Court can carefully consider and decide the issue next Term after full briefing and oral argument.

Kavanaugh noted that this Court has repeatedly ruled that federal courts ordinarily should not alter state election laws in the period close to an election.

Democrats are now likely to gain more seats than they would have under maps approved by Republican-controlled state legislatures, which they had sought to restore.

According to an analysis from Project 538, Pennsylvanias new 17-district map has one less Republican-leaning district and the same number of Democratic-leaning districts compared to the current 18-district map Pennsylvania is living under. It is still solidly a battleground state, with eight republican leaning districts and six democratic leaning districts, and three highly competitive districts.

Beth Brelje and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Denton County Courthouse on the eve of primary day, March 1, 2022. Total Texas voter turnout was less than 20 percent of registered voters. (Patrick Butler/The Epoch Times)

Texas Primaries Largely Quiet as Voters Continue a No-show Trend

In the much anticipated first primary of the 2022 election cycle in one of the nations most populated states, the platforms of both parties are being decided by a small percentage of voters.

Historically, primary elections in Texas have not seen a strong turnout in recent years and the March 1 primary continued that trend.

Counts show that more than 80 percent of registered voters in Texas did not make their voices heard.

Just 17 to 18 percent of about 17 million registered Texas voters cast ballots, according to results posted by the Texas Secretary of State.

Less than two million Texas primary voting Republicans in a state of 29 million are steering a state where many Republicans rule. But not all Republicans agree on the direction Texas should take in the near future.

I cant see re-electing Abbott after how he shut down the state for so long [during COVID-19] and hurt business the way he did, said Republican Steven Moitz, 22, who was campaigning at a poll on election day.

At a Republican voting site at the North Texas Fairgrounds, about five people an hour were arriving to vote, said Moitz, who is the President of the Young Conservatives of Texas at the University of North Texas.

It hasnt been that busy, he said. Hopefully, it will pick up as the day goes on.

But the state-wide pulse of the primary was barely visible at the end of the day, and some races in the Republican primary were close as a result.

In Texas House District 64, a close race in Denton County where Moitz was campaigning, longtime incumbent Republican Lynn Stucky was barely holding off challenger Andy Hopper.

The race was decided by 102 votes. At stake was Hoppers new, and tougher he said, direction on the U.S. border.

On the voter guides Moitz was handing out was the selection for Hopper and Dan Huffines for governor.

The race for House District 64 was settled by 102 votes. (Patrick Butler/The Epoch Times)

On March 7, the final numbers of Republicans voting for incumbent governor Greg Abbott totaled nearly 67 percent of just 1,937,943 total votes cast.

Challengers Don Huffine and Allen B. West received 11.98 and 12.28 percent, respectively, in a weak primary turnout.

Abbott will face Democratic challenger Beto ORourke in November.

ORourke trounced his primary challengers with 93 percent of the vote, but only 1,057, 637 votes were cast in the Democratic primary for governor.

On primary day at a Republican voting site at Hill City Church in Denton, The Epoch Times saw no one entering the building from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. to vote.

The turnout was low across the board in the Dallas, Fort Worth, Denton Golden Triangle, as well.

In Dallas County, 15.3 percent of registered voters turned out, with much of the same in nearby Tarrant County.

The largest county in Texas, Harris, had a meager showing of only approximately 13 percent of voters casting ballots.

Incumbent Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton was forced into a state-wide runoff election to be held May 24 when he got 42.74 percent of 1,910, 233 votes cast, short of the 50 percent needed to avoid the runoff.

His nearest challenger George P. Bush came in at 22.78 percent.

In the 2018 midterm primaries in Texas, less than 15 percent of voters cast ballots.

Recent general elections havent fared much better.

In the 2016 presidential contest between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, not even half of eligible Texans voted and was ranked among the lowest five U.S. states at the end of the voting scale.

But that changed in the 2020 election when early voting and voting by mail during the pandemic reached 66 percent of 17 million registered voters, the highest total of votes cast for a presidential election in Texas since 1992.

But on March 1, 2022, low voter numbers returned in Texas.

Democrat Kennan Keffir, 54, said, Its pathetic. Countries new to democracy have 70 or 80 percent turnouts. We, who pride ourselves on democracy, cant get 20.
Robert Brownings poem, Andrea Del Sarto, is written as a monologue from the eponymous Italian painters perspectivewho critiques the inaccuracies of Michelangelos work. Del Sarto says the arm is too muscular and the wrong shape, but hes nonetheless gripped by the passion of its subject (Ay! But the soul!). The poem conveys the idea that the key to truth lies not necessarily in technical accuracy, but in the ability of art to capture the spirit of the thing.

So it was for most of Chinas art history. Pre-Qing dynasty artistic endeavors were concerned with capturing the spirit and nature of its subject. The art was at peace with the natural world from which it was composed and inspired. Rarely was it a technically proficient reproduction of its subject.

The Qing dynasty marked a turning point in Chinese history. For a very long time, the Chinese empire was uninterested in interactions with the outside world. The Qing emperors, who were part of an ethnic minority known as the Manchus, oversaw such international integration that some Qing subjects launched wars and rebellions in an attempt to reclaim the Chinese nature of the homeland. Amid this turmoil, greater integration saw Western notions of technical accuracy reflected in Chinas artwork. In turn, Chinese art, fashion, and culture reentered the global consciousness.

Its likely for this reason that the vast majority of Western representations of Chinese fashion, such as in film, art, and literature, is fashioned from the Qing dynasty onward. The qipao imposes its mark, but the bright and heavy silken robes of the Qing Dynasty aristocracy are conspicuous signifiers of powernot simply because they were worn by those with power, but because of the social structures that dictate visibility across time and fashion.

Its evident from their composition that satins and silks were the clothing of the imperial court, and not of the farmer or fisherman. But in a historical dualism between those remembered and those forgotten, its visibility to the record keepers that dictates memory. When foreign visitors came to China during the Qing dynasty, they would witness citizens don their finest garments to greet the royal court at daybreak. The fascinating colors, fine silk stitching, andfor the first time in Chinas historythe technically accurate renderings thereon, spoke to the imaginations and taste of the time. The imperial court and the people in attendance, were, by their fashion, remarkable and worthy of history.

When citizens returned back home and stripped themselves of colored silk, opting instead for clothing that would allow them to engage meaningfully with their day, they became once again anonymous. Their fashion, their preferences, their hopes, and their dreams were forgotten by history. Despite the technical representational accuracy, the clothing of the Qing Dynasty which we remember didnt accurately capture the lives of those who lived in that time. Instead, it captured the spirit of an imperial dynasty. Ultimately, that spirit may be, as Andrea Del Sarto says, the truth, and thats all poetry and history care for.
Los Angeles police officials arrive for a media briefing outside the police administration headquarters in this file photo. (Jonathan Alcorn/Getty Images)

3 LAPD Employees Fired Over Vaccine Mandate, 7 Pending

LOS ANGELESThree Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) employees have been fired for violating the citys mandate to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or receive a religious or medical exemption, LAPD Assistant Chief Dominic Choi told the Police Commission Tuesday.

Seven other employees are pending termination proceedings, and a total of 14 personnel13 sworn and one civilianhave been found to not be in compliance with the vaccination mandate, Choi said.

About 83 percent of the department is fully vaccinated, 0.4 percent is partially vaccinated, and 16.2 percent is not vaccinated. More than 2,000 exemptions are pending. Medical exemptions are available to people who tested positive for COVID-19 recently, as those individuals get a 90-day exemption.

City Councilman Joe Buscaino, who is running for mayor, on Friday called for the citys employee vaccination mandate to be repealed, saying he believes it should be a matter of personal choice and that we should respect our employees civil liberties and allow them to make their own personal medical decisions.

The mandate for city employees to be vaccinated was approved by the City Council on Aug. 18. Employees were required to be inoculated against COVID- 19 by Dec. 18.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau waves as he steps off a government plane after arriving in Riga, Latvia, March 7, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld)

Trudeau to Meet NATO Leader in Latvia After Pledging Support to Baltic Leaders

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived Tuesday at one of NATOs military bases on the Russian border after telling three Baltic leaders that Canada will stand with them to fight the Kremlins war on Ukraine and its cyberattacks on their countries.

You are literally on the front lines of this challenge with Russia, he said earlier Tuesday in the Latvian capital of Riga.

He made the remarks after meeting with the leaders of three Baltic NATO allies on Russias border as President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine entered its 13th day.

Quite frankly, you have been living not just with the military threat, not just with the history of occupation  but also, the daily use of propaganda and disinformation to try and undermine the democracy and the values you have, he added, something that is right now being weaponized against Ukraine, but also used very actively in all democracies around the West.

After a meeting with Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins, Trudeau made the remarks in an expanded session via teleconference with their counterparts from Lithuania and Estonia.

Canada leads the NATO battlegroup, which is part of NATOs long-standing deterrence efforts against Russia  a mission that taken on has new significance in light of the Russian invasion.

Trudeau and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg are to meet on the Adazi Military Base, where NATO troops are stationed in a mission led by several hundred Canadians.

The NATO mission in Latvia is one of four such efforts in the Baltics and Poland, designed to demonstrate the strength of the NATO alliance in the region against Russia.

Putin takes great offence at the NATO buildup on his countrys borders. He has opposed NATOs expansion into countries that were once in the sphere of the former Soviet Union.

Ukraine is not a NATO member but was seeking membership in the 30-country transatlantic alliance as well as closer ties with the European Union. Russia annexed Ukraines Crimean Peninsula in 2014 after the overthrow of the Kremlin-backed administration in Kyiv.

That marked the most significant breach of Europes borders since the Second World Wara milestone now eclipsed by Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Trudeau says the ongoing show of unity among NATO allies and other democracies to back Ukraine and is a critical part of bringing the crisis to a close.

Karins told Trudeau the Russian invasion did not succeed in driving a wedge between Europe and North America, driving a wedge between NATO partners. Instead, he said, the exact opposite happened and there has been a coming together of minds.

Trudeau told the Baltic leaders that Canada has the third largest population of Ukrainians in the world after Ukraine and Russia, so we are deeply, deeply troubled and engaged by this conflict in Ukraine.

But he added impact of Russias actions are extraordinarily challenging for their citizens because they are so close to Russia.

We are demonstrating that, unlike what Putin thinks or mistakenly thought, democracies can and will defend not just themselves and their territory, but the principles and rules and the and the values that actually make us successful, Trudeau said.

The Latvian Freedom Monument and the countrys Foreign Ministry building were both lit up in Ukrainian blue and yellow light as Trudeau arrived in early morning hours of Tuesday. The entry to the Latvian PMO was framed by two massive blue and yellow banners that stretched several floors.

Defence Minister Anita Anand joined Trudeau for the meeting as a phalanx of cabinet ministers are fanning out across Europe during the prime ministers four-country whirlwind visit.

His arrival in Riga came after a daylong visit to the United Kingdom for meetings with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

By Mike Blanchfield
President Joe Biden announced Tuesday a ban on Russia oil and gas imports to the United States, in response to Russias invasion of Ukraine.

McDonalds is pulling out of Russia, shuttering hundreds of locations. Its joining a growing group of companies severing ties with the country.

Amid U.S.-China trade tensions, do U.S. companies in China want to stay or not? A new survey gives some insights.

An online university is facing a hefty fine. A judge says it misled students about the cost of education.

Small businesses in Chicago are raising funds for victims of the conflict in Ukraine. Theyre doing it through culinary creativity.
Maj. Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov, the first deputy commander of Russia's 41st army. (Ukraine Ministry of Defense)

Ukraine Claims It Killed Top Russian General, but US Cannot Confirm

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense claimed that a Russian general was killed near Kharkiv, but a senior U.S. military official said that the United States cannot confirm it.

A short statement from Ukrainian Defense officials offered no proof of the death of Maj. Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov and provided few details on when he was killed. They said he was killed during fighting in Kharkiv.

Ukraine said Gerasimov is a Russian military commander, major general, chief of staff and first deputy commander of the 41st Army of the Central Military District of Russia and added that he was a veteran in Russian campaigns in Syria and Chechnya.

A number of senior Russian army officers were also killed and wounded, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry statement added.

In a call with reporters on Tuesday, the U.S. military official, who requested anonymity, said that we cannot confirm that the general has been killed, referring to Gerasimov. The Department of Defense has not reached out to Russias Ministry of Defense.

The official also said the United States had no knowledge of a family relationship between the general and Valery Gerasimov, who is the chief of staff of the Russian Armed Forces.

Neither the Russian Ministry of Defense nor Russian state-run media released a statement on the claims.

Russian state media reported last week that Andrei Sukhovetsky, deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District, was killed in combat last week.

Ukraines Defense Ministry also alleged they had procured data suggesting significant problems with communication within Russias army and problems with the evacuation of their broken units in Ukraine.

Alongside its statement, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry released what it claimed to be audio of an intercepted phone call between two Russian Federal Security Service officers discussing the death of Gerasimov.

Gerasimov previously met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on Feb. 27 to discuss the Ukraine conflict, according to the state-run TASS news agency.

U.S. intelligence officials told members of the House Intelligence Committee that Moscow is likely to escalate its military actions across Ukraine.

We assess Putin feels aggrieved the West does not give him proper deference and perceives this as a war he cannot afford to lose, but what he might be willing to accept as a victory may change over time given the significant costs he is incurring, National Intelligence Director Avril Haines said Tuesday.

The Epoch Times has contacted the Russian embassy in Washington for comment.
Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu speaks after receiving the Silver Commemorative Medal of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic in Prague on Oct. 27, 2021. (David W Cerny/Reuters)

Ukraines Fight an Inspiration for Taiwan, Foreign Minister Says

TAIPEIUkrainians fighting against Russian invaders have inspired the people of Taiwan, the self-ruled islands foreign minister said on Monday, as he announced millions of dollars in aid for Ukrainian refugees.

Despite great adversity, the government and people of Ukraine have been fighting with tremendous courage and determination, the minister, Joseph Wu, told a news conference.

Let me say this from the bottom of my heart: You have been an inspiration to the Taiwanese people in facing threats and coercion from authoritarian power.

The Chinese communist regime claims the island as its own, despite the fact that Taiwan is a de facto independent country, with its own military, democratically-elected government, and constitution. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has vowed to bring the island under its control, by force if necessary.

While some people have drawn parallels between the plight of Ukraine, trying to fend off invading Russian troops, and Taiwan, facing the threat of invasion by Chinese forces, the CCP rejects the comparison.

Taiwan has also said the islands situation is fundamentally different, citing the natural barrier of the Taiwan Straitwhich separates it from Chinaand Taiwans key role in the global semiconductor supply chain.

Taiwan has stepped up its alert level since the war in Ukraine began but it has reported no unusual military movements by the Chinese regime.

Wu said many people in Taiwan sympathized with the people of Ukraine.

Many Taiwanese people will say as I do now: Im Ukrainian, Wu said, sitting in front of a large Ukrainian flag emblazoned with the message: Taiwan Stands with Ukraine.

Russia calls its action in Ukraine a special operation that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its southern neighbors military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists in power there.

Wu said Taiwan has raised more than NT$300 million ($10.6 million) to help displaced Ukrainians since his ministry set up an account for donations, and Taiwans representative office in Poland on Monday made the first disbursement of NT$100 million to a refugee agency.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, Vice President William Lai, and Premier Su Tseng-chang have said they will each give one months salary for humanitarian relief.

Polands de facto ambassador in Taiwan, Cyryl Kozaczewski, attended the news conference and thanked Taiwan for its help, including a recent shipment to Poland of 27 tonnes of medical supplies for refugees.

Taiwan has also joined Western-led sanctions on Russia though its own trade with Russia is minimal.
Ukrainian Refugees and the Multiculturalism of Displacement

Commentary

As war intensifies in Ukraine, the toll of human misery and suffering is rising. Civilians hurrying to flee the fighting are once again crossing European land borders, taking with them any possessions they can carry, in search of a respite from conflict.

The tragic impact of this is already being felt in many countriesincluding in Australia, even though we are separated by many thousands of kilometres from the war.

According to estimates by the United Nations, nearly 700,000 people have fled to neighbouring countries with almost another million people displaced within Ukraine itself.

Displacement of populations tears up family and neighbourhood ties. Relocation compelled by war can mean that new roots have to be set down; often in alien communities with very different legacies of culture, language, and history.

As borders change, so also do the communities living within those borders. When conflict comes to an end, people can end up living, unexpectedly, as citizens of one state whilst striving to retain a sense of another national identity.

Situations such as that generated by war in Ukrainewhere people who claim one nationality can eventually find themselves living alongside those who claim anothergive rise to very particular challenges for multiculturalism.

People fleeing war-torn Ukraine arrive on a train from Poland at the Hauptbahnhof main railway station in Berlin, Germany, on March 6, 2022. (Carsten Koall/Getty Images)

Multiculturalism is a term used in a wide range of ways and sometimes is taken to mean no more than the fact of a populations cultural and ethnic diversity.

For example, this is one of the ways in which multiculturalism is used commonly in Australia. By contrast, we can think of the challenges posed by forced relocation of populations as characteristic of the multiculturalism of displacement.

Of course, many people do come to Australia as fugitives from war and persecution. Yet multiculturalism in Australia essentially describes the situation whereby people who arrive here may retain a sense of another national identity but accept the priority of their new national identity as Australians; and, when granted permission to remain, also accept their newly conferred status as citizens of the Australian state.

This Australian experience of multiculturalism, whereby migrants from varied backgrounds all contribute to Australian society, is very different from the challenges facing people who live with the experience of the multiculturalism of displacement.

For example, one provision of the 1920 Treaty of Trianon, which formally ended the Allied Powers war with Hungary, altered the borders of that country by transferring the region of Transylvania to Romania.

For Hungarians who continue to live in Transylvania a century later, a sense of Hungarian nationality is far more significant for their identity than their legal status as citizens of the state of Romania.

Cultural tensions persist over the use of the Hungarian language, the teaching of Hungarian history in schools, and even with the coexistence of different forms of Catholic Christianity.

As the world watches the unfolding horror in Ukraine, it is far from clear what the outcome of Russias invasion of that independent sovereign nation will be. Some refugees who have fled the war may return to what remains of their old home; others will end up relocating permanently to new countriesincluding, possibly, Australiato build lives in unfamiliar communities.

Residents of Irpin in Ukraine flee heavy fighting via a destroyed bridge as Russian forces entered the city on March 7, 2022. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Their experience of multiculturalism as they rebuild their lives will greatly depend on where, and in which communities, they settle.

But in whatever way borders are redrawn once fighting ceases, it is unthinkable that either Ukrainians or Russians living in whatever becomes of that region will ever lose their strong sense of national identity.

Indeed, retaining a strong sense of a national and cultural heritage is an essential component of living successfully with the multiculturalism of displacement.

This heritage is often transmitted through the very localised institutions of family, school, and community association, such as a church congregation. But it also depends upon the capacity of members of the displaced community to live successfully with a high degree of ambiguity.

Living with ambiguity in the context of displacement means, in turn, acquiring the civic skills to accept the legal and social constraintssuch as may be placed upon freedom of religion or freedom to use a languagethat may be entailed by living as citizens of another state. But it also means understanding that one consequence is learning to live with unresolved cultural, social, and political differences.

In situations of displacement, where national identity and identity as a citizen do not readily coincide, the experience of ambiguity will, at times, be acute and the need to acquire skills to live with it will be all the more urgent.

The trauma of war will only add to the burdens refugees fleeing Ukraine will have to bear.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Unaccompanied child immigrants are seen at the site of a former oil field workers camp which is being used as a temporary housing facility in Midland County, Texas on April 8, 2021. (Paul Ratje/Reuters)

US Considering Deferring Deportation for Some Illegal Immigrant Minors Over Abuse, Neglect Concerns

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Monday said they are considering deferring the deportation of illegal immigrant children who are subject to state juvenile court proceedings related to abuse, neglect, abandonment to better protect them.

The policy update will expand the number of children in the United States who are eligible for Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) status.

SIJ, which was first established by Congress in 1990, allows illegal immigrants under the age of 21 to apply for lawful permanent residency in America if a court determines they need protection and that returning to their home countries would not be safe.

According to USCIS, the SIJ classification is available to noncitizen children who are subject to state juvenile court proceedings related to abuse, neglect, abandonment, or a similar basis under state law.

The new policies would provide immigrant minors who are the victims of such abuse or neglect with an easier path toward receiving green cards, according to Reuters.

However, USCIS said in a statement that such a deferred action would not necessarily result in obtaining lawful status in the United States and does not result in eligibility for employment.

Updates to the policy will be effective as of May 6, and deferment will be considered on a case-by-case basis, officials said. If deferment is granted, it will be valid for a period of four years.

USCIS noted that updates to the policy were in part due to the unavailability of visa numbers.

Due to ongoing visa number unavailability, the protection that Congress intended to afford SIJs through adjustment of status is often delayed for years, leaving this especially vulnerable population in limbo, USCIS said.

Therefore, USCIS is updating its policy guidance to provide that USCIS will consider granting deferred action on a case-by-case basis to non-citizens classified as SIJs who are ineligible to apply for adjustment of status solely due to unavailable immigrant visa numbers.

USCIS added that congress likely did not envision that SIJ petitioners would have to wait years before a visa became available, since, for many years after the implementation of the program, SIJs did have visas immediately available and that the updates to the SIJ program, furthers congressional intent to provide humanitarian protection for abused, neglected, or abandoned noncitizen children who court officials have determined are safer staying in the United States.

The updates adopted on Monday are also designed to streamline the process for applicants and make it clear what type of documents they need to prove whether or not they are eligible for SIJ status. They also include updated regulations to clarify that individuals who are younger than 21 can apply for the program.

Since 2010, more than 130,000 applications have been approved under the special immigrant juvenile program, according to Reuters.

However, critics believe the program makes it too easy for non-citizens to obtain a green card and encourages more migration to the United States at a time when the country is already experiencing an influx of immigrants.

Under the Trump administration, USCIS increased requests for documentation and many of the applicants petitions were denied if they were over 18-years of age because state family courts determined they didnt have jurisdiction over such cases.

Today, we are taking action to help immigrant children in the U.S. who have been abused, neglected, or abandoned and offer them protection to help rebuild their lives, USCIS Director Ur Jaddou said in a statement on Monday. These policies will provide humanitarian protection to vulnerable young people for whom a juvenile court has determined that it is in their best interest to remain in the United States.

Reuters contributed to this report.
There are many possible reasons being put forth as to why Vladimir Putin chose to go to war with Ukraine. They range from the threat of further NATO expansionwhich many strategic thinkers and statesmen have been warning about for the past 25 yearsto Putin slipping into irrationality, as the White House is now suggesting, or Ukraines omnipresent neo-Nazi problems, as has been suggested by the Kremlin.

Contrary to what the corporate media and intelligence officials claimed for five years in relation to the Russiagate scandal, the truth is that we cannot know what is going on in Putins mind.

But what we do know is the role played by neoconservatives and Americas political elite in the destabilization of Ukraine and how those efforts also helped to destabilize and destroy U.S. relations with Russia.

Welcome to Truth over News with Jeff Carlson and Hans Mahncke.

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken (L) meets with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Vilnius, Lithuania on March 7, 2022. (Olivier Douliery/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

US Tells China to Take Actions to Condemn Russias Invasion of Ukraine

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on March 7 that China is all talk and no action when it comes to the Ukraine crisis, as Beijing refuses to condemn Moscows invasion of its neighbor.

Beijing talks a lot about the importance of upholding international order, stability, respecting sovereignty, Blinken said in Vilnius during a joint press conference with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.

But from its coercion of Vilnius to its failure thus far to condemn Moscows flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, today and in 2014, Beijings actions are speaking much louder than its words, he said.

China gave tacit support for Russias invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. That support has included refusing to call Moscows attack an invasion and abstaining twice in United Nations votes.

Weeks before the invasion, China and Russia declared their partnership had no limits, following a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

On Monday, China reaffirmed its partnership with Russia, when Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the two neighbors enjoyed a rock-solid relationship. When asked if Western sanctions against Russia could have an effect on bilateral ties, Wang said the relationship is free from interference or discord sown by third parties.

He added that the two nations will steadily advance our comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era.

Wang also said China was prepared to act as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia.

Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, questioned Chinas desire to play the mediation role in a Twitter post on Monday.

#China pretends its neutral on #Russias invasion of #Ukraine, but Xi Jinping has picked a side#Putins, Risch wrote. China is only offering mediation to lessen intl criticism of its ties with Russia. All those who #StandWithUkraine shouldnt trust this.

Landsbergis compared Russias motive for invading Ukraine to Chinas coercion against Lithuania.

Both cases are about defending a similar principle. One power is challenging the rules-based order when it comes to the borders of other countries, when it comes to geopolitics, when it comes to the security architecture ofone might say Europe, he said.

Landsbergis added, The other top power is trying to bend globally agreed rules of trade and is trying to use trade as a political instrument, in some cases even as a weapon, to force countries to change the course.

The relationship between China and Lithuania began to deteriorate last summer, after Vilnius agreed to allow Taipei to open a representative office in the Baltic nation under the name of Taiwan. Beijing retaliated against Vilnius decision by downgrading its diplomatic ties with the Baltic nation.

The Chinese regime has also resorted to economic coercion tactics against Lithuania, including blocking Lithuanian goods in Chinas ports.

Blinken made similar calls to China over the weekend, about the need for the regime to be vocal about the Ukraine crisis.

On March 5, he told Wang in a phone call that the world is watching to see which nations stand up for the basic principles of freedom, self-determination, and sovereignty.

A day later, Blinken told CNN that China needs to stand up and make its voice heard.
War in Ukraine and the Iran Nuclear Deal

Commentary

Manyeven House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)are suddenly complaining that the United States and most of Europe are still buying Russian oil amid the invasion in Ukraineessentially financing Russian President Vladimir Putins war machine and prolonging the carnage while pretending to oppose him.

The conventional explanation of this murderous hypocrisy is that the aforesaid nations are so wedded to the cult of green energy that they wouldnt dare produce their own oil and gas. This is particularly true of the United States, where President Joe Biden turned off virtually every spigot the minute he got into office and has continued to do so.

But this isnt all about whether sometime in the 24th century well finally find alternative energy sources to replace fossil fuelsIll wager they wont be solar or wind.

Something far more sinister might be afoot here.

Could it be that the United States and its putative partners in the renewed Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) are buying Russian oil so that Russia will cooperate on the closing of the new Iran deal?

That deal, supposedly on the brink of being signed in Vienna, promises to be even worse than the original one, which Trump deemedwith considerable justificationto be the worst deal ever.

The details of that original deal were almost impossible to ascertain by the public because it had so many hidden codicils. It also had no enforcement provisions of any significance, so it basically wasnt an actual deal. It was also never ratified by the Senate, and therefore Trump could legally rescind it by executive orderand he did.

(The Iranians are apparently looking for a way to avoid this eventuality in the new deal. They can read Bidens poll numbers too.)

Melanie Phillips, on her substack, published an extraordinary litany of horrors in the new deal, but before I get into them, allow me to air something in macro that has always puzzled me.

Doesnt Iran already have the bomb, at least in some form? After all, the atomic bomb was invented by us in 1944.

Since then, seven other countries have been acknowledged to have nuclear weapons. The Chinese got them in the 1960s while still basically amounting to a third-world country. Pakistan tested its first bomb in 1998.

Several other countries may actually have nuclear weapons without admitting itthey certainly have the technology.

My guess is Iran already has something. Theyve been working pretty hard. Israeli intelligence sneaked away one ton of Iranian nuclear materials, including compact disks, videos, and detailed designs in black binders, from Tehran, Iran, in 2018.

When shown to Trump in a private White House viewing by then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the information was said to have been instrumental in the presidents decision to withdraw from the first deal.

Why would anyone expect Iran to adhere to a second one?

They probably dont. Deep down, they must know that most of this is for show. Everyone assumes that Iran will get the bomb sooner or later. This new deal reportedly only lasts for 2 1/2 more years.

The Israelis are naturally concerned, and their new prime minister, Naftali Bennett, has gone to Moscow to importune Putin.

Nevertheless, the speculation is that our people and the Europeans dont believe the world would allow for the destruction of Israel, repeatedly called for by the mullahs (along with Death to America, of course).

Oh, really? In 2001, former (now deceased) Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani referred to Israel as a one-bomb country, meaning one bomb could wipe out the Jewish state, as opposed to larger countries, such as Iran, that could take several bombs and still survive.

He was correct, of course. The Israelis know it, and the Iranians obviously know it.

So back to Phillipss discussion of the current deal. She quoted at length from Gabriel Noronha, who worked on Iran policy at the State Department under Trump. This is Noronha, taken from a series of tweets:

1. My former career colleagues [State Department, National Security Council, and EU] are so concerned with the concessions being made by [Rob Malley] in Vienna that theyve allowed me to publish some details of the coming deal in the hopes that Congress will act to stop the capitulation.

2. Whats happening in Vienna is a total disaster, one warned. The entire negotiations have been filtered and essentially run by Russian diplomat Mikhail Ulyanov. The concessions and other misguided policies have led three members of the U.S. negotiating team to leave.

3. This is a long and technical thread, but heres what you should know: the deal being negotiated in Vienna is dangerous to our national security, it is illegal, it is illegitimate, and it in no way serves U.S. interests in either the short or long term.

4. Heres why: Led by Rob Malley, the U.S. has promised to lift sanctions on some of the regimes worst terrorists and torturers, leading officials in the regimes WMD [weapons of mass destruction] infrastructure, and is currently trying to lift sanctions on the IRGC [Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps] itself. Lets dive in.

Theres a lot more worth reading if you still have any hair left. It gets worse.

But first, nota bene, three members of the U.S. negotiating team have left. How often does that happen? And why do you suppose they did it? Unfortunately, its obvious.

If this is correct, then under cover of the Ukraine crisis, an act of supreme treachery is being perpetrated by the Biden administration against America and the west in empowering the Iranian regimean enemy of civilization that has been at war against America, Israel, and the west since it came to power in 1979, Phillips said.

Why is this all happening? Do I have to quote H.L. Mencken again?

When somebody says its not about the money, its about the money.

Yes, of course its that. Huge amounts of sanctioned money are being remanded to the Iranian regime, the greatest state sponsor of terrorism, by the same administration that took the Houthis off the terror list just days before they started rocketing Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

And, to inhale the pot, well be buying oil from mullahs (along with the Russians) so we dont sully our magnificent ecological record.

But its also about a dislike for Israel that started in the Obama administration and is still being carried forth by those who seem to obey the 44th president more than anyone.

Barack Obama didnt just despise Netanyahu, as is well-known. He had a distaste for the Jewish state in general, which wasnt only reflected in the statements of his pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright. It also appeared in his administrations policies and, to an as-yet-unknown degree, in an event I wrote about in April 2010Why Is the LA Times Burying the Obama/Khalidi Tape?

Thats a mystery yet to be solved. Meanwhile, well soon have to deal with the new JCPOA. If there were ever anything for Congress to oppose, this is it.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Ola Kaellenius, chairman of Daimler AG attends the presentation of the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class at the Daimler production plant in Sindelfingen near Stuttgart, Germany, on Sept. 2, 2020. (Ralph Orlowski/Reuters)

War in Ukraine Putting European Carmakers in a Tight Spot

Russias invasion of Ukraine has further disrupted global supply chains with automakers facing challenges like shortages of components and rising material costs, leading to an overall decline in availability of cars in international markets.

European carmakers Mercedes-Benz and Audi have announced plans to scale down production at their plants due to supply disruption of auto parts from Ukraine, especially wire harnesses.

Ukraine has been a popular place to manufacture wiring systems owing to its cheap labor, well-educated workforce, and proximity to European car factories. Wiring harnesses tend to be one of the first components installed in a vehicle. As such, their shortage means that vehicle production essentially grinds to a halt.

Wire harnesses are the most critical near-term bottleneck, in our view, already causing significant production interruption amongst all German OEMs, UBS analyst Patrick Hummel said in an investor note. We think significant downtimes in the next few weeks are likely, but limited to European production because wire harnesses are typically sourced regionally.

The supply of semiconductor chips, which were already constrained, could get even tighter because of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Ukraine is one of the major suppliers of neon gas crucial for lasers used to manufacture chips.

Kyiv accounts for over 90 percent of U.S. semiconductor-grade neon supply. The neon gas mostly comes as a byproduct of Russias steel industry, which is then purified in Ukraine.

Russia accounts for around 35 percent of the global supply of palladium, a metal crucial for semiconductors. The prices of palladium hit record highs in Monday trading, reaching $3,440 an ounce. The metal is also used for making catalytic converters in cars.

Nickel, a metal used for producing stainless steel, crossed the $100,000-per-ton level for the first-time ever on March 8. Though Russia only accounts for five percent of overall nickel production worldwide, around 20 percent of the worlds high-grade nickel is sourced from the country.

Nickel is a critical metal for manufacturing car batteries in electric vehicles (EV). Any disruption has the potential to impact EV sales and climate emission targets. Batteries are one of the most expensive parts of an EV.

Thats the main concern for the battery supply chain in that youve got record high lithium prices, and very, very high cobalt and nickel prices, Caspar Rawles, chief data officer at specialist consultancy Benchmark Mineral Intelligence (BMI), told Reuters. This is just adding to battery mineral woes.

European car production for the year is predicted to be down by 700,000 due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict according to Jeff Schuster, President, Americas Operation and Global Vehicle Forecasting at LMC Automotive.

Vehicle production in Russia and Ukraine is expected to halve this year as per estimates by AutoForecast Solutions, declining to around 800,000 units.
We Were Just Happy: Ukrainian Refugees Find Safe Haven in Australia

Some of the first Ukrainian refugees have found sanctuary in Australia as the Russian-Ukraine war continues to escalate.

Maryna Tyshchenko, a Ukrainian Australian resident, was on the brink of tears when reuniting with her sister and mother at Sydney airport on March. 6.

Raisa Ptashnyk, 58, and Iryna Ptashnyk, 30, spent their last night in a bomb shelter at their home in Kyiv. After being granted Australian visas last week, they packed a small suitcase with documents and some clothes on March 2, before embarking on a five-day journey to flee their homeland.

I was about to cry and I was surprised, we were just happy this war, we got stronger I thinkbecause we are stronger we didnt cry, Tyshchenko told AAP.

Her mother and sister are among more than 1.5 million Ukrainians estimated to have run away from their country since the Russia-Ukraine situation deteriorated, with the department of home affairs issuing more than 1700 visas since Feb. 23.

Iryna Ptashnyks boyfriend drove her and her mother to western Ukraine, where they passed the Romanian border and caught a bus for refugees to Suceava County. They then took a train to the capital city Bucharest, before boarding a Singapore Airlines flight for Sydney via Turkey and Singapore.

Tyshchenkos father decided to stay despite the danger while her sisters boyfriend has to stay in Ukraine due to the decision of the Ukrainian government to enact martial law which currently prohibits male citizens aged 1860 years old from leaving the country.

Tyshchenko kept in touch with her family through WhatsApp, and she said while her sister finally feels safe, she has suffered trauma and may need psychological help.

Ukrainian refugees at the Western Railway Station wait in warming buses for the night as they flee Ukraine on March 7, 2022 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Janos Kummer/Getty Images)

However, as the number of Ukrainian residents fleeing to Australia increases, some of the Ukrainian families with small children are facing obstacles in obtaining visas.

Iryna Zaietss family fled Ukraine when the Russian invasion began. The family secured visas and flights to Sydney, but when they went to board a flight in Poland last week, they were not allowed to board because their nine-month-old baby did not have travel documents.

Zaiets sister in Sydney Olha Lyeskakova had spent a week dealing with authorities in Poland, Ukraine, and Australia. She said her family is set to land in Australia this weekend.

I am the first one but there is a queue of people in the same circumstances and they are looking at me for how to manage all this, she told AAP.

Stefan Romaniw, the federation co-chair of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations, said it is working with welfare organisations to offer support for Ukrainian refugees, especially Ukrainian women and children who have suffered trauma.

Australia is 20,000 km away, theyve come from a war zone those children obviously have seen things, he told AAP.

Most Ukrainian refugees are expected to arrive in Sydney and Melbourne, along with Adelaide and Brisbane.

Meanwhile, Immigration Minister Alex Hawke has announced that any Ukrainians who is currently in Australia and has a visa that is due to expire by June 30, 2022, will be given an extension.

All Ukrainian nationals in Australia with a visa due to expire by 30 June will be given an automatic extension for six months, Hawke said.

The government is progressing visa applications from Ukrainian nationals as a priority.

AAP contributed to this article.
Russian marines take position during Russia-Belarus military drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus, in a photo provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Feb. 19, 2022. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

Weighting the Russian Army Carefully

Commentary

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has sparked a flurry of social media postings, semi-informed news media articles, and much speculation.

The Fog of War has extra dimensions to it, but remember some simple home truths about the Russian Army. Notwithstanding our admiration for the courage and determination of the Ukrainians, the issue might not be hanging in the balance.

Putins key general in this war is Colonel General Alexander Alexandrovich Zhuravlyov, commander of the Western Theatrewhich is to say, all of Russias military assets being used against Ukraine. With 40 years of experience, General Zhuravlyov is extremely professional. Except during Stalins reign of terror, Russian generals have tended to be very good at operational planning.

Remember, Russias generals took the Czars Armies from Moscow in 1812 to Paris in 1814, driving Napoleon to his exile in Elba. An 18-month drive that liberated Prussia and Austriaon Napoleonic-era logistics? This was quite the achievement!

In World War 2 on the Eastern Front, Hitler came to overrule his generals while Stalin, after months of disastrous defeats, eventually learned to listen to his. Once the balance swung in the fall of 1942, the Red Army hammered its way to Berlin.

Like the armed forces of just about all European and North American nations, the size of the Russian Army has shrunk enormously in the last 40 years. The Russian armies (which approximate Western corps) in the last decade of the Cold War were frighteningly armedthe formations that spent so long poised to spring into West Germany still exist, but have a quarter of the manpower they once did.

Russias armed forces are the smallest they have been since the 18th Century, and the 200,000 troops earmarked for the invasion of Ukraine are an enormous share of their 1,027,000 regular personnelincluding the Strategic Rocket Forces, the Navy, Aerospace Forces, etc. Russia economized the most on their manpower in one areathe Army is very short of infantry units right now, and most are under-manned.

Since the Napoleonic Wars, cities have had the ability to soak up infantry like a sponge. A modern infantry platoon can cover a kilometer of frontage in open ground easily enough, but would be hard put to defend (or capture) a tenth of that in a city. High rises, concrete construction, open streets a defenders paradise, and an attackers nightmare.

The Russians have concentrated on tanks, artillery and helicopters to make fast, flexible formations for fluid maneuver in open ground tanks and helicopters are easy meat in urban areas. That leaves artillery.

The Russian army has long loved artillery, and has ever since the days of Ivan the Terrible in the 16th Century. Russians are not good gunners, but mass has often made up for poor quality. In recent years, Russian artillery in Grozny and in Syria has turned whole cities into gravel-sized ruins. They can do this to the cities of Ukraine; and the process has already started.

Where the Russians are not so good are logistics not that they are inept, but that there is a traditional discounting of the welfare of troops and a belief that combat troops are, well, expendable. Reports of stranded convoys out of fuel and hungry troops looting grocery stores should not be discounted.

Such accounts should not also be overweighted. Russian generals advance in echelons (waves, if you like, though it is not accurate). When a leading battalion has stopped, another one takes over the lead and drives on. Only then is the stalled battalion refueled, given rations, and a pause to absorb reinforcements. This may be hard on the troops, but this has always been thus.

What is more variable is Russian morale. When inspired, Russian soldiers have done great things; when not, not so much. Stalin learned the stick of coercion was not working so well in 1941 and early 1942, and successfully invoked the carrot of patriotism. However, in 1916, after the failure of the Brusilov offensive, Russian troops started to desert en massea scene vividly portrayed in the film Dr. Zhivago.

Most of the rank and file in the Russian Army have always been conscripts, and life as a conscript soldier is hard. Rations are bad, bullying (still) by older cohorts is endemic, and Russians are not like many Western troops, who expect to be told what is going on.

However, even in Putins Russia, much of the Worlds modern spirit has percolated through. Are Russian conscripts prepared to believe Putins truths, or are they likely to be unwilling to make their despotic president and his chums even more wealthy? Russian conscripts dislike being lied to as much as the rest of us, and the interventions in Hungary in 1956 and in Czechoslovakia in 1968 did a lot of harm to the state of mind of Russian soldiers.

Finally, while the average Russian family in World War 2 had four children, and their society wasjustable to bear the wars massive casualties. The world is different now. An average Russian conscript has no siblings and is the sole hope of his two parents and four grandparents. If Ukrainian statistics about Russian casualties are true, Russia might be in for a startling demographic shock.

The Russian plan to invade Ukraine may workit is well-designed and has sufficient resources (except for infantrymen). However, will Ukrainian resistance, despite the incredible damage being wrought by Russian firepower, be enough to undo Russian military morale? We will all know the answer to that soon enough.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
What You Should Do If a Valuable Employee Decides to Quit

During the Great Resignation, this concern is especially important

I have been in business for over 20 years and have employed more than 30,000 people.

Ive had my fair share of employees who decide to quit. After these experiences, I have some suggestions on what to do when an employee that is extremely valuable to the team decides to quit and have boiled them down to three general suggestions.

1. Hold Them Tight

I often hear that if a person decides to quit their job, they will do it sooner or later, no matter what you do. You cant stop it, and you probably shouldntafter all, there are no irreplaceable people. I strongly disagree with this notion.

Quitting is always stressful. You cant know what a future will hold. Of their own free will, a person, if everything is in order, usually does not want new troubles. They want to stay in their comfort zone (if you have created one for them). Therefore, most likely, there are grave reasons that pushed them to come to this decision. It is always worthwhile: Maybe you will find something to improve within your company and try to help. Experience tells us that there are practically no unsolvable situations.

Sometimes employees quit for the weirdest and easiest-to-solve reasons ever. Ive had a software engineer that didnt like the way his manager spoke to him in the chat and just decided to not tell anybody. Ive had developers quitting because they got tired years ago and didnt know how to take a break. Ive had the head of digital marketing quit because they thought their pay was too high for the quality of the job they were doing. Employees can be weird. The only way to know whats going on is to ask them calmly and be mentally prepared to receive any answer.

If a person is truly valuable to the business, your pride is secondary. You should try to keep them no matter what. It is rarely only about salary. Often giving them new positions in the company or giving them some fresh tasks is even more important.

Then what about the former tasks of this worker? This is still terrible, right? Who will do their job? But think about it like this. If they quit, you will still have to distribute all of their former duties, so it is the same thing. But your trusted employee is a keeper of the knowledge, traditions, and culture of your company. They have some authority among their colleagues and they are an opinion leader. Keeping them is important. Losing them will be like losing a finger or toe. Your company can continue, but the quality of life will be reduced.

Related: A Record 4.5 Million People Quit Their Jobs in November: Report

2. Continue Talking to Them

What do people usually regret on their deathbed? Judging by what I heard, it seems like disappointing your boss is somewhere at the bottom of that list. Most people regret not having spent enough time with their family and friends.

But, in fact, quitting is a form of death. Of course, thankfully, everyone remains alive and well, but the connection you had is broken. You no longer have this person in your life. They are dead to you.

But it is within your power to avoid this. Continue talking to thempeople want to feel needed.

Even better would be if you start talking to them before they quit. Often the lack of a positive assessment of the persons work by their managers is the core reason for them quitting their job. That is why in some big successful companies such as Adobe and Intel, supervisors are encouraged to spend at least an hour every month with each of their subordinates discussing random topics, preferably not related to work. This way they can better feel the mood and understand the plight of their employees.

If the subordinate sees that you are grateful, theyll be happyand it wont cost anything. Providing people with moral support is hard work, but it is free, and it is the most important. If they are fulfilled, they have no reason to quit, even if their salary is not the best.

Managers need to understand that your company has already paid a premium for searching, interviewing, onboarding, and training this specialist. If they are still valuable and if their job is still needed, it would be foolish to not fight for them at all.

Related: You Dont Have to Quit Your Job to Combat Burnout

3. Wait for Their Return

Lets imagine that your efforts were not successful. The person leaves. My firm conviction is that, no matter what, you need to part on good terms. Make this your complete priority. Do not burn any bridges. Them deciding to quit might not be the end of your joint work. The world is small, after all, and the world of quality workers in your field is even smaller.

If they are quitting, first and foremost, it is worth getting any feedback you can. What was their favorite thing about working for you? What was their least favorite? What would they want to change? Who would they like to replace them and why? This person has nothing to lose now, so they are invaluable. They are ready to share their experience and tell you honestly about the situation at the workplace. Dont neglect this information.

Now your attention needs to be on those people who stayed with you. Carefully consider how to distribute new responsibilities between the people who are still with you. The load will most likely increase for everybody, at least for a short while. People need to be prepared for that.

More than once Ive encountered an opinion that once an employee leaves your company, it is incredibly hard for them to return. They will be too ashamed, and moreover, you should not accept them (because they are a traitor, in a way). This is complete nonsense. When someone tells you something like this, just remember Steve Jobs, who was fired from his own company with a scandal, but returned triumphantly just a few years later. Now the companys name is synonymous with him, and the company is all the more successful for it.

If you create a welcoming environment, and if they know they will be accepted, you would be surprised by how many want to come back after just a few months. People left my company, Smartbrain, for other companies, for higher positions, and for higher salaries. But hundreds of those whom I sincerely offered their job back after a few months actually returned. Even on the same conditions and on the same salary they had before. I know of a few cases in large IT companies when some employees quit and came back up to several times.

If a truly valuable person quits working for you, you must assure them that you will always be happy to see them come back. This will be extremely valuable in the long run. Especially since finding new employees that fully fit your business and onboarding them right now is extremely tough.

In general, hold on to your talented people. Try to make the life of your workers as carefree as it can be. A happy, nurtured person can grow, fully realize themselves and create an additional value for everybody around them.

Related: 7 Signs Your Employees are About to Quit
White House press secretary Jen Psaki holds a press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, on Feb. 25, 2022. (Paul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

White House: No Decision on Whether to Ban Russian Oil

The White House says no decision has been made on whether the United States will ban Russian oil imports in response to Russias invasion of Ukraine.

This comes as oil and gas prices reach record highs, the Biden administration continues talks with large oil producers around the world, and a bipartisan group of lawmakers announce plans for legislation banning Russian energy imports.

No decision has been made at this point by the president about a ban importing oil from Russia, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Monday.

Earlier in the day, members of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee announced plans for a bill that would provide U.S. President Joe Biden the authority to increase tariffs on goods from Russia and Belarus, and would require U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to seek suspension of Russias participation in the World Trade Organization (WTO). Tai would also be required to push for a halt to Belaruss proposed accession to the WTO.

Taking these actions will send a clear message to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin that his war is unacceptable and the United States stands firmly with our NATO allies, the lawmakers said.

The statement was issued by House Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal (D-Mass.) and Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and their Republican counterparts Rep. Kevin Brady (Texas) and Sen. Mike Crapo (Idaho).

The White House has said it is seeking to strike a balance on Russian sanctions that maximize the squeeze on Russian President Vladimir Putin while minimizing the cost to American consumers.

The average price for a gallon for gas in the United States hit a record high of $4.104 on Monday, breaking the record of $4.103 set in 2008, according to GasBuddy.

On Sunday, oil prices soared to their highest since 2008 due to delays in the potential return of Iranian crude to global markets.

Biden on March 1 authorized the Department of Energy (DOE) to release 30 million barrels of oil from the U.S. strategic petroleum reserves, representing half of a coordinated 60-million-barrel release from International Energy Agency (IEA) member states.

But the 60 million barrels release is equivalent to 2 million barrels a day for 30 days, while the United States consumes an average of about 20 million barrels per day.

Read More Alberta Oil Can Be a Solution to US Energy Supply CrunchMinister

Since before Russia decided to invade Ukraine, the White House has said it was in discussions with large oil producers around the world to negotiate ways to stabilize the energy market. These have included Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Venezuela.

Reports from over the weekend noted high-level Biden administration officials travelling to Venezuela to meet with the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

The United States broke off diplomatic relations with Maduro and closed its embassy in Caracas in 2019. The Trump administration accused the authoritarian leader of election fraud, placed sanctions on Venezuelan oil exports, and recognized the opposition leader, Juan Guaido, as Venezuelas lawful president.

When asked on Monday whether bringing down gas prices was worth doing business with Maduro, Psaki responded by saying that was leaping several stages ahead in any process.

There was a discussion that was had by members of the administration over the course of last several days. Those discussions are also ongoing. And part of our focus is also on the health and welfare of detained U.S. citizens. While that is a separate process, that is part of our engagement with them, she said.

Psaki also said that energy conversations with Iran have occurred alongside ongoing nuclear discussions and those with Saudi Arabia were part of a meeting a few weeks ago with U.S. officials to discuss a range of topics.

Some members of Congress and the press have called for the United States to increase its domestic oil production as a means of stabilizing gas prices, though this would run contrary to the Biden administrations effort to move the United States away from natural gas consumption.

Biden signed an executive order during his first days in office putting a halt to new fossil fuel drilling leases. Psaki has continually pointed to already approved leases untapped by the oil industry.

Weve actually produced more oil, it is at record numbers, and we will continue to produce more oil. There are 9,000 approved drilling permits that are not being used, Psaki said on Monday. So the suggestion that we are not allowing companies to drill is inaccurate.

Russia provides 10 percent of the U.S. supply of natural gas and oil, and roughly 40 percent of the European Unions.

If the U.S. moves to ban Russian oil, it may be acting alone. Germany, the biggest buyer of Russian crude oil, has rejected plans to ban energy imports. Germany is accelerating plans to expand its use of alternative energy sources but cannot halt imports of Russian energy overnight, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Monday.

Reuters contributed to this report.
This photo combo shows from top left, Kaleb Franks, Brandon Caserta, Adam Dean Fox, and bottom left, Daniel Harris, Barry Croft, and Ty Garbin, who were charged by a federal grand jury with conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. (Kent County Sheriff via AP File)

Whitmer Kidnap Plot Trial Starts With Jury Selection

GRAND RAPIDS, MichiganThe trial of four men accused of plotting to kidnap Michigans governor started March 8, with the parties making their way through a list of more than 200 potential jurors.

Adam Fox, Barry Croft, Daniel Harris, and Brandon Caserta face federal charges of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020. Fox, Croft, and Caserta are further accused of plotting to use weapons of mass destruction, while Croft and Harris also allegedly possessed an explosive device.

Two of the initial codefendants, Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks, switched their pleas to guilty and will cooperate with the government in the trial.

The federal trial is separate from a state case involving defendants Joseph Morrison, Pete Musico, and Paul Bellar, who are accused of providing material support to the kidnap plotters. Their trial is set to begin in September.

With at least 12 undercover FBI informants or agents involved in the group, the defendants claim they were entrapped by federal law enforcement.

U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker started the trial March 8 by noting that the case will likely last up to six weeks because of its complex and politically charged nature.

This isnt your average criminal case, he said.

Accordingly, the court selected a pool of more than 200 candidates from all around western Michigan. Some of those potential jurors waited in an overflow area separate from the main courtroom, while members of the press covered the proceedings via video feed from a floor above.

Jonkers clerk started by picking the first 18 potential jurors.

Several were excused for logistical reasons. For example, one person said English is his second language, while another was still recovering from lung issues associated with COVID-19.

Jonker questioned the remaining candidates about their political views, probing whether theyd be biased in the case.

I dont care too much for the governor, said one man.

Judge Jonker asked the man whether his views would prejudice him as a juror.

Id probably be pretty biased, yes, the man replied before getting excused by Jonker.

Similarly, another man was excused after revealing that he had personal issues with the governor.

A third man said he has strong opinions against the government, but said hed do my best to make sure hes not biased.

Two others revealed biases in favor of government. One man said hes watched a lot of news coverage about the case.

I think theyre guilty, the man said.

One woman said she has a cousin in the FBI, and that shes prejudiced against the defendants. She also said shes a fan of Whitmer.

Meanwhile, a man who identified himself as a glass blower and marijuana farmer said he had an undisclosed bias.

Judge Jonker excused the first two men who said they dont like Whitmer, but broke for lunch and had yet to rule on the others before this articles publication. Jonker said the jury selection could take a full two days.
World Bank Announces $723 Million Emergency Finance Package Providing Critical Services to Ukraine

The World Bank on Monday announced a package of emergency loans and grants for Ukraine worth over $700 million as the country continues to battles the Moscow-led military invasion.

According to the World Bank, the loans and grants will help the government provide critical services to Ukrainian people, including wages for hospital workers, pensions for the elderly, and social programs for the vulnerable.

The package includes a $350 million loan supplement to a prior World Bank loan, officials said in a statement, augmented by about $139 million through guarantees from the Netherlands and Sweden.

It is also made up of $134 million in grants from Britain, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, and Iceland, as well as $100 million of financing from Japan, resulting in the total mobilized support of $723 million.

The World Bank Group is taking quick action to support Ukraine and its people in the face of the violence and extreme disruption caused by the Russian invasion, said World Bank President David Malpass. The World Bank Group stands with the people of Ukraine and the region. This is the first of many steps we are taking to help address the far-reaching human and economic impacts of this crisis.

The statement did not state when the funds are expected to be transferred to Ukraines government but referred to the funds as fast-disbursing. A World Bank spokesperson told Reuters that the funds would be transferred to the former Soviet nation within the next few days.

Ukraine joined the World Bank in 1992, and since then the international financial institution has provided more than $14 billion to the country in around 90 projects and programs.

The bank said it was also working on another package of support for Ukraine in the coming months, totaling $3 billion, as well as additional support for neighboring countries that are taking in Ukrainian refugees.

More than a million people have fled Ukraine to seek refuge in neighboring countries since Russian military forces invaded the country, according to U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.

On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested that President Vladimir Putins so-called special military operation was launched with the intention of preventing war in Ukraine.

The goal of Russias special military operation is to stop any war that could take place on Ukrainian territory or that could start from there, Lavrov said in a statement, according to Britains Russian Embassy.

The Kremlin has repeatedly said that the invasion launched by Putin was meant to disarm Ukraine and detain leaders it claims are neo-Nazis.

On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said officials have seen very credible reports of actions that would constitute war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine and said the Biden administration is committed to supporting investigations into such actions.

Blinken told CNNs State of the Union, Weve seen very credible reports of deliberate attacks on civilians, which would constitute a war crime.

And what were doing right now is documenting all this, putting it all together, looking at it and making sure that as people and the appropriate organizations and institutions investigate whether war crimes have been or are being committed, that we can support whatever theyre doing, Blinken said. So right now, were looking at these reports. Theyre very credible and were documenting everything.

Last week, the International Criminal Court announced it has launched an investigation into allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide committed in Ukraine.

As the invasion of Ukraine continues, President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on Eastern European countries to provide Russian-made planes in its efforts to fend off attacks from the Russian military.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrives for the opening session of the rubber-stamp legislatures conference in Beijing, China on March 5, 2022. (Leo Ramirez/AFP via Getty Images)

Xi Jinping Continues Efforts to Strengthen Chinese Regimes Military

At the latest Chinese Communist Party rubber-stamp legislature, regime leader Xi Jinping told the military to step up the use of law in military engagement with foreign countries.

Improve the use of law in foreign-related military affairs, Xi told representatives from the Chinese military and armed police forces at the annual conference in Beijing.

Make an overall plan [in foreign countries] that combines military operations and fighting by using the law, Xi, who is also Chinese militarys Commander-in-Chief, added. Complete the laws and regulations governing military engagement with foreign countries.

This is the new order following the Chinese regimes announcement of the proposed 2022 defense budget on March 5, which saw the biggest increase in defense spending to date.

Defense Budget

Chinas defense budget in this year [2022] is 1.45 trillion yuan ($229.4 billion), which is 7.1 percent higher than the budget in 2021, Chinese state-run media quoted Chinas Ministry of Finance, who reported the data after reviewing it at the 2022 government rubber stamp legislatures conference on March 5.

In 2020, Chinas defense budget increased 6.6 percent, and in 2021 was hiked by 6.8 percent, according to the official data.

In fact, Chinas defense budget has increased continually starting 34 years ago, when the Chinese regime first announced its defense budget in 1988. The pace of increase is always faster than the countrys gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate.

Attendees, many from the Chinese military, listen in the gallery at the opening session of the rubber-stamp legislatures congress in Beijing, China on March 5, 2022. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Su Tzu-yun, Director of the Institute for National Defense and Security Research in Taiwan, estimated that Chinas defense budget has increased 206 percent since 2012 the year Xi took office as Chinese leader.

The budget has been spent on military personnel, equipment and weapons maintenance, and investment in new devices and systems. The first two aspects each share 30 percent of the budget, and the investment in new weapons shares 40 percent of the budget, Su told the Chinese-language Epoch Times on March 6.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) calculates Chinas military expenditures every year, which is always higher than the defense budget Beijing announces.

Military expenditure may be funded from a number of extra-budgetary or off-budget sources  This is the case in China, the worlds second-largest military spender, SIPRI wrote in 2017.

Military delegates stand in formation after the commemoration of the 110th anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution which overthrew the Qing Dynasty and led to the founding of Communist China in Beijing, China on Oct. 9, 2021. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images)

Preparing for War

At the March 7 meeting, Xi asked the military and armed police forces to make preparations for war.

On March 5, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also emphasized preparing for war when he delivered the Government Work Report at the rubber-stamp legislatures conference.[China will] comprehensively enhance military training and combat readiness, Li said. Execute the military fights firmly and flexibly.

Li explained that the military focus in 2022 should be modernizing the weapons and equipment, strengthening technical innovations, and training the experts for the new era.

Governments at different levels must give strong support to the development of national defense and the armed forces, so unity between the military and government and between the military and the people will remain rock solid, Li said.

Indian Army soldiers demonstrate positioning of a Bofors gun at Penga Teng Tso ahead of Tawang, near the Line of Actual Control (LAC), neighbouring China, in Indias Arunachal Pradesh state on Oct. 20, 2021. (Money Sharma/AFP via Getty Images)

The instructions came amid increasing aggression by the Chinese regime towards self-ruled island Taiwan, as well as heightened military activity in the disputed South China Sea.
Zelensky Open to Compromise on NATO, Crimea, Separatist Republics but No Surrender

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signaled openness to a compromise with Russian President Vladimir Putin on some of his key demands for halting the offensive in Ukraine, including on NATO membership and the status of Crimea and the breakaway pro-Moscow territories, but the Ukrainian leader insisted his forces would not capitulate.

Im ready for a dialogue, but were not ready for surrender, Zelensky said in an interview with ABC News published on Tuesday.

The Ukrainian president said he was not prepared to give in to what he described as ultimatums put forward by Russia in the latest round of peace talks, but insisted hes ready to open discussions on issues including NATO membership and the status of the separatist-controlled regions of Donetsk and Luhansk and Russia-annexed Crimea.

I think that we can discuss and find a compromise on the points about the temporarily occupied territories and unrecognized republics, which are not recognized by anyone except the Russian Federation, Zelensky said.

A key question is the treatment and status of Ukrainians in the contested regions who dont want to be in Russias sphere of influence, he said.

Whats important to me is how the people in those territories who want to be part of Ukraine are going to live, Zelensky said.

Service members of pro-Russian troops in uniforms without insignia are seen atop of a tank with the letter Z painted on its sides in the separatist-controlled settlement of Buhas (Bugas), in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on March 1, 2022. (Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)

The Kremlin has said its ready to end its military campaign immediately if Ukraine recognizes the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk, acknowledges Crimea as Russian, signs a neutrality agreement prohibiting it from entering NATO, and if Ukrainian forces surrender.

But while Zelensky said hes ready to talk about the status of the contested regions, he said the question is more difficult than simply acknowledging them, adding that Russias demand to recognize the regions as independent or, as in the case of Crimea, part of Russian territory, are another ultimatum hes not prepared to succumb to.

Im ready for dialogue; were not ready for capitulation, he said.

On the matter of NATO membership, which Russia sees as a key security threat and wants to prevent by having Ukraine enshrine neutrality in its Constitution, Zelensky also signaled a willingness to compromise.

I lost interest in this issue after we realized that NATO is not ready to accept Ukraine, Zelensky said.

He called for discussions with Putin, saying the Russian president needs to start talking, start a dialogue.

I think hes capable of stopping the war that he started, Zelensky said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Security Council via teleconference call at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia, on March 3, 2022. (Andrey Gorshkov/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)

Putin has called the invasion a special military operation to remove from power what he claims are dangerous nationalists leading Ukraine, while seeking to degrade the countrys military capability. Putin hasnt specified when the operation will end, but has said that Russia does not plan to occupy Ukraine in the long term. Russian officials have, in recent days, said the campaign will continue until Moscow has met its campaign aims.

Western leaders, like French President Emmanuel Macron, who has spoken with Putin by phone several times since the hostilities broke out, have warned that they believe the worst of the conflict is still to come.

U.S. and British defense officials have said that, as Russias incursion has stalled in parts of Ukraine, Russian forces have ramped up the use of long-range fire, like rocket and artillery strikes, against civilian infrastructure, leading to more civilian casualties.

It comes as Ukrainians boarded buses to flee the besieged eastern city of Sumy on Tuesday, the first evacuation from a Ukrainian city through a humanitarian corridor agreed with Russia. Prior efforts to evacuate via corridors fell apart, with Ukrainian and Russian sides blaming each other for ceasefire violations.

Ukrainian authorities said a separate convoy of 30 buses was headed to the southern port city of Mariupol to evacuate residents. The city has been encircled without food, water, power or heat, and subjected to relentless shelling for a week.

The United Nations has said the number of people who have fled Ukraine had surged past 2 million, describing the flight as one of the fastest exoduses in modern times.
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NORWALK  A Norwalk man and a Newington woman were arrested over the weekend after they were caught by a home security system as they attempted to break into a house, police said.

Brendan Prince, 25, and Lea Fuller, 30, were taken into custody on third-degree burglary charges Saturday evening, according to Norwalk Police Department records and Sgt. Sofia Gulino.

The attempted break-in, Gulino said, was foiled when the homeowner, who was out of state at the time of the incident, observed two unknown individuals trying to gain access to the residence from the rear of the property.

Gulino said footage captured by the homeowners surveillance camera shows the two standing in the backyard before approaching the home. It also captured the moment Prince allegedly attempted to open one of the back doors.

The homeowner said something to the individuals via the camera, which prompted them to walk away, Gulino said.

Price and Fuller were later arrested on Gregory Boulevard, in an area Gulino said is near the site of the attempted break-in. They were picked up by officers who were provided a description of the pair seen in the security video, according to Gulino.

Gulino said Price was in possession of a lock-picking set and a variety of keys when he was detained. He was also allegedly in possession of a pipe for smoking crack cocaine.

Fuller, meanwhile, was also found to be in possession of drug paraphernalia at the time of her arrest, according to Gulino.

Prince was charged with third degree-burglary, possession of burglar tools and the use of drug paraphernalia, police arrest records show.

Fuller was charged with third-degree burglary and the use of drug paraphernalia. She was also charged with violation of probation on a pending arrest warrant out of Newington, Gulino said.

Prince and Fuller were transported to police headquarters for processing where they were both held on a bond of $35,000. Fuller was also issued a court-set bond of $50,000 for the probation warrant. They are scheduled to appear in court on May 18, court records show.

richard.chumney@hearstmediact.com
NORWALKMore than 30 women-owned businesses gathered on Isaacs Street Tuesday to partake in an event honoring International Womens Day.

The event, hosted by Rebel Daughter Cookies, was to showcase Fairfield Countys female-owned businesses. The pop-up event was a marketplace of sorts, offering food, beverages, clothing and services such as event planning and party balloons.

Anne Grossman, who owns Rebel Daughter Cookies, said she hopes to make the event an annual pop-up.

The event ran from 12:30 to 4 p.m. with a total of 32 businesses in attendance.

abigail.brone@hearstmediact.com
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Sitting atop three-quarters of an acre of land in Branford is a nearly 2,500 square-foot home surrounded by trees and water views. While there are other Branford homes that overlook the water, this one is surrounded by it. Its located on Wheeler Island, one of Branfords Thimble Islands, and it recently sold for nearly $3 million.

Referred to as the Queen of the Thimble Islands, Wheeler Island was among three Thimble Islands listed by William Pitt Sothebys International Realty in 2020, joining Beldon and Jepson Islands on the market, according to a release. Jepson Island sold in July 2020 for $715,000, and Belden Island followed less than a year later when it sold in May 2021 for $1.25 million. Wheeler Island sold in mid-February 2022.

According to listing agent Margaret Muir, this isnt the first time these island homes have been on the market.

I listed two of these islands eight years ago and worked hard on them, but at that time there really wasnt a market for them, she said in an email. This time, the pandemic created a ready-made market for a secure beautiful vacation option. We saw a significant uptick in interest.

Daniel Milstein Photography / Contributed Photo Daniel Milstein Photography / Contributed Photo Daniel Milstein Photography / Contributed Photo Daniel Milstein Photography / Contributed Photo Wheeler Island in Branford, Conn. sold in February 2022 for nearly $3 million. / Daniel Milstein Photography / Contributed Photos Wheeler Island in Branford, Conn. sold in February 2022 for nearly $3 million. / Daniel Milstein Photography / Contributed Photos

Out of the three islands, Wheeler Island had the largest home, containing eight bedrooms and four full bathrooms. Built in 2001, the Victorian-style home has two wraparound porches, an outdoor dining area, an outdoor fireplace and dock made of granite from Branfords Stony Creek Quarry, according to its listing. Inside, theres an eat-in kitchen and a third floor than can be converted from a guest room space to create a large primary suite. The home is also outfitted with year-round electricity, water and a generator.

Wheeler Island is just one of 365 islands part of the Thimble Island chain in Stony Creek Harbor, according to ConnecticutHistory.org. The chain was first documented in town records in 1739, but the islands didnt draw attention until the 1800s when Connecticut History notes William Bryan built the Thimble Island Hotel on Pot Island in 1846.

The introduction of the railroad in the 1850s connected New Haven and New London and facilitated travel for city dwellers to the area, making them a popular vacation destination, according to Connecticut History. While a 1938 hurricane wiped out many of the islands homes, resorts and ferry service, Connecticut History notes the Thimble Islands have been developed over the years to include 81 houses over the 23 inhabited islands. In that time, the Thimble Islands attracted some famous residents, including P.T. Barnum circus performer General Tom Thumb and President William Taft.

While Wheeler Island wasnt owned by a previous president, it does have notable ties. It was sold by Christine Stoecklein, the widow of John Svenningsen who founded Amscan Holdings, Inc., which manufactures party supplies, costumes and balloons. She came to the Thimble Island in the 1970s, according to a release, and she later purchased several islands in the late 1990s and early 2000s after Svenningsens death.

Wheeler Island is the latest of the Branford islands to sell. A fourth island not part of the Thimble Islands known as Green Island was sold in December for $2.35 million.
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Nearly two years after Madison County reported its first case of COVID-19, the numbers continue to trend in a positive direction.

According to the Madison County Health Department, eight new confirmed or probable cases of COVID were reported on Monday, with 32 new cases over a three-day period from Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

That is a significant drop from the seven-day rolling average of 288 new cases on Feb. 2, and an even bigger drop from the year-long, single-day high of 1,300 new cases reported on Jan. 6.

The seven-day rolling average as of Monday was 22 new cases.

The Community Level in Madison County remains classified as low, said MCHD Director Toni Corona, who announced the first COVID case in the county on March 17, 2020. This new metric replaced community transmission rates about three weeks ago.

It is intended to help individuals and communities determine which COVID prevention measures could help limit severe disease and reduce strain on our healthcare systems. The metric looks at COVID hospital admissions, ICU beds occupied by COVID patients, and number of new COVID cases over a seven-day period.

The MCHD did not report any new COVID-related deaths on Monday, leaving the total at 778 deaths in the county since the start of the pandemic.

There have been 127 COVID-related deaths in the county so far this year, following 286 deaths in 2021 and 365 deaths in 2020.

Madison Countys 10-day case positivity rate, meanwhile, was 2.11% on Monday, a sharp decline from a rate of 20.4% on Jan. 26.

The highest 10-day case positivity rate this year was 25.59% on Jan. 12.

The seven-day percent positivity rate for the county is 1.84%.

Statewide, the Illinois Public Health Department reported 1,329 new COVID cases on Monday, bringing the total to 3,037,199 since the start of the pandemic.

The two highest daily totals this year for new COVID cases were 42,903 on Jan. 7 and 40,642 on Jan. 21.

There were 40 new COVID-related deaths, bringing the total to 32,926. There have been 331 COVID deaths in the last week.

The seven-day statewide rolling average for case positivity rate was 1.2% on Monday, while the test positivity rate was 1.5%.

Region 4, which includes Madison County, has had 11 consecutive days under the 8% threshold for test positivity.

The seven-day case rate average was 67 cases per 100,000 population.

There were 843 COVID patients hospitalized as of Monday, a drop of 38 from the 881 patients reported on Friday.

The number of COVID patients hospitalized on Jan. 10 was 7,353.

The IDPH reported on Monday that 11,793 new vaccine doses were administered. A total of 8,136,287 Illinoisians are fully vaccinated.

The percentage of all Illinois residents fully vaccinated is 63.9%, including 76.7% for ages 18 and over and 87.4% for ages 65 and over.

The IDPH noted that 86% of COVID-related deaths statewide have been people ages 60 or older.

According to the IDPH, the omicron variant still accounts for 99% of the COVID-19 cases in Illinois.
Emergencies dont take vacations. They dont even take off nights and weekends.

But no matter when they strike, the compassionate actions of Greater St Louis volunteers, blood donors and community partners help ensure that families and individuals never face crises alone.

The Red Cross mission wouldnt be possible without these community heroes, and we are proud to honor their dedication in March during our annual Red Cross Month celebration.

Throughout the past year, in spite of the challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic, our volunteers stepped up to continue to answer the call to help those in need. The work never stops for our volunteers from responding to local disasters like home fires to providing immediate relief following disasters like the tornado that ripped through Edwardsville, Illinois last December and even providing vital services to our Service Members, Veterans and family members. Volunteers continue to dig deep to help at local blood drives, while blood donors rolled up their sleeves to donate, ensuring that our blood supply remains as stable as possible. These community heroes are the true heart of service of the American Red Cross.

On behalf of those we serve, we thank everyone who makes our lifesaving work possible in the Missouri Arkansas Region, across the country and around the world.

You can join in their commitment during our Red Cross Month celebration by visiting redcross.org to make a financial donation, schedule an appointment to give blood or platelets, become a Red Cross volunteer or take a class to learn lifesaving skills like CPR and first aid. With a donation on March 23, youll also be part of our annual Giving Day campaign (redcross.org/givingday) to help provide shelter, food, relief items, emotional support and other assistance for people affected by disasters big and small.
Salida, CO (81201)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 37F. WSW winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 37F. WSW winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.
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That release could not be found.
The legal team of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has stated that IPOB's leader, Nnamdi Kanu has been suffered by extraordinarily renditioned to Nigeria, adding that no court in Nigeria, has the jurisdiction to proceed on his case.

Ifeanyi Ejiofor, the lead counsel of IPOB disclosed this to journalists today in Owerri, after he and his colleagues visited Kanu, at the Department of State Service (DSS) facility in Abuja, last Sunday.

Ejiofor argued that the extraordinary rendition was not in conformity with subsisting Nigerian laws.

According to him: Our exclusive interaction offered us the unique opportunity to brainstorm on the strategic legal dynamics on all pending IPOB cases, with particular regard to the envisaged possible outcome of the 8th April 2022 scheduled proceedings.

Needless to reiterate the fact that no Court in Nigeria has the jurisdiction to proceed with the trial of Onyendu, who was extraordinarily renditioned to Nigeria. This is a grave infraction, which is in clear violation of Nigerian Law, specifically Article 12 (4) of the ACHPR (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Cap A9 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. We need not reopen our argument here.

Onyendu was extensively briefed on pertinent developments, and his words of encouragement and reaffirmation of trust/confidence in our legal team are all we need to keep up with the legal fireworks.

Onyendu was further assured that no stone will be left unturned in ensuring that justice is done in his case because he has committed no offence known to law. His present incarceration represents a punishment for an offence he never committed, this would explain the amendment of the Charge six consecutive times in search of phantom/non-existent offences.

Onyendu commended his followers, especially those who have remained unshaken and undistracted in their undiluted loyalty to him and those steering the ship on his behalf. Onyendu remains firm in spirit and strong in conviction, even as he implores UmuChineke to continue to abide by best practices. He also specially commended you all for your peaceful conduct," he narrated.
Cancelled flights leave Russians stranded in Phuket

PHUKET: The Russian Consulate in Phuket is providing assistance to Russian nationals stranded on the island unable to fly home.

RussianUkraineimmigrationtourismtransport

By The Phuket News

Tuesday 8 March 2022, 09:32AM

The notice was posted under the Rostourism logo. Image: Russian Consulate Phuket

The move comes as two major airlines that bring Russian tourists to Phuket  S7 and Aeroflot  have suspended all flights to and from the island.

It also comes as many Russia-based airlines have chosen to cease all flights outside Russian airspace as much of their fleet is leased and may be seized on landing under sanctions being imposed over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

If you are a tourist and have difficulty returning to Russia, please fill out our feedback form at the State Services, said the notice posted by the Russian Consulate in Phuket.

The form asks for location data and return ticket information, which will allow Rostourism and the Federal Air Transport Agency [Rosaviation] to correct the lists of Russian tourists and help them return home, it added.

Together with the Ministry of Transport, the Federal Air Transport Agency [Rosaviation] and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we continue to work on organising the return of tourists on a daily basis. Regular and charter flights return tourists every day, the consulate assured.

However, the Russian consulate then recognised the difficulties Russian nationals may have in returning home, even with Russian Government assistance.

In short, stranded Russian nationals unable to support themselves for an extended stay while waiting for the Russian Government to organise a flight home may have to arrange their own flights home through a third country, the consulate admitted.

Unfortunately, the coordination of special flights is a long process. Therefore, if you have the opportunity and do not have time to wait, the fastest and best option is to take a ticket through third countries on your own. Route options are in our memo, the notice read.

VISA EXTENSIONS

The Russian consulate yesterday announced that it will continue to issue letters to Russian citizens in need of extending their stay for one month at Phuket Immigration.

The consulate will issue the required letters, which formally request the Immigration Bureau to extend the applicants stay, at the consulate office at Royal Phuket Marina tomorrow (Mar 9), from 2pm to 6pm.

In the first half of the day, citizens will be received on general consular issues, the consulate explained through a notice posted late yesterday.

Personal appearance at the Consulate General to receive letters is required (with the exception of minors), it added.

Please note that Russians who arrived in Phuket on tourist visas or visa-free stamps [visa exemption status] have the right to apply to the Immigration Service for a covid extension for 60 days. To obtain such an extension, it is not required to apply for letters to the Consulate General, the consulate explained

Letters from the Consulate General are necessary primarily for those citizens who do not have the opportunity to receive "covid" stamps, and whose flights to Russia have been canceled, it added.

P.S. The Thai side charges a state fee for extending the stay of foreigners, which is 1900 baht, the notice said.
Nearly all Russia forces deployed, US says as it adds troops to Europe

WASHINGTON: Russia has committed nearly all its combat power stationed along the border into Ukraine, the Pentagon said yesterday (Mar 7) as it announced 500 more US troops were deploying to Europe to boost NATO security.

RussianUkraineviolencepolitics

By AFP

Tuesday 8 March 2022, 08:48AM

More US troops - like these military personnal deploying from Fort Bragg, North Carolina on Feb 3 - are bound for Europe to help boost NATO security amid Russias war in Ukraine. Photo: Allison Joyce / AFP

With President Vladimir Putin intensifying operations, the US Defense Department also warned that Russian strikes on civilians were mounting and that Moscow was seeking to recruit foreign fighters, notably Syrians, for the war.

But the deadly invasion has slowed to a slog, and apart from some wins in southern Ukraine, Russian forces really havent made any noteworthy progress in the last few days, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.

The United States has already deployed 12,000 additional soldiers to Europe since February, but President Joe Biden has stressed that US troops will not engage in a conflict with Russian forces in Ukraine.

Over the weekend, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered roughly 500 additional military personnel to locations in Europe, particularly NATOs eastern flank, to augment US forces that are already in theater, Kirby told reporters.

These additional personnel are being positioned to respond obviously to the current security environment caused by Russias unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, and certainly to help reinforce and bolster deterrence and defense capabilities of the NATO alliance.

Kirby said the Defense Department has assessed that of the Russian forces built up along the border - estimated by Western nations at over 150,000 troops - Putin has got nearly all the mass combat power that he had assembled inside Ukraine.

With Ukrainians trying to hold the assault at bay, Russia has engaged in more long-range attacks - a mix of bombardments, rocket launches, artillery strikes and more than 625 missiles - to make up for their lack of movement on the ground, the Pentagon said.

We do believe... that they are having morale problems, they are having supply problems, they are having fuel problems, theyre having food problems, he added.

Theyre meeting a very stiff and determined Ukrainian resistance.

Bombardments have increased around the capital Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv in the north, and Mykolaiv and Mariupol in the south, and they are having an increased effect on civilian casualties and destroying homes, churches, hospitals and schools, Kirby said.

The bottom line is, more civilians are being killed and wounded, he added.

And Mr. Putin still has a choice here: Not to escalate... but to find a diplomatic path forward and end the invasion.

With enormous firepower at Putins disposal, the Pentagon said it was noteworthy but nevertheless unclear why he would find it necessary to bring in foreign fighters.

We know that theyre trying to recruit Syrians for the fight, a senior US defense official said.

Meanwhile concern has grown that Odessa, the countrys main port and a crucial economic hub, is in Russias sights.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Sunday that Moscow was preparing to bomb Odessa.

But the US official said the Pentagon has not seen any evidence of a movement on Odessa yet.

Zelensky says Russian forces scuppering civilian evacuations

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday accused the Russian army of scuppering the evacuation of civilians through humanitarian corridors agreed after talks with Moscow.

There was an agreement on humanitarian corridors. Did that work? Russian tanks worked in its place, Russian Grads (multiple rocket launchers), Russian mines, Zelensky said in a video posted on Telegram.

The Ukrainian leader said Russian forces mined the road chosen to bring food and medicine to the besieged city of Mariupol in southern Ukraine.

Accusing Moscow of cynicism, Zelensky also said Russian troops destroyed buses that were due to evacuate civilians from the combat zones.

They ensure that a small corridor to the occupied territory is open for a few dozen people. Not so much towards Russia as towards the propagandists, directly towards the television cameras, he said.

But Zelensky added that Kyiv would continue to negotiate with Russia to reach a peace deal.

Im staying here, Im staying in Kyiv... Im not afraid, he said.

Russia yesterday morning had announced the creation of corridors to allow civilians to leave several besieged Ukrainian cities, with the humanitarian situation deteriorating as supplies start to run low.

But Ukraine refused to evacuate civilians to Russia as four of Moscows six proposed corridors led to Russia or its ally Belarus.

Last night Russia announced that local ceasefires in Ukrainian cities including the capital Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mariupol and Sumy would begin from 07:00 GMT today to facilitate the evacuation of civilians.

Moscow has said the routes are still due to be approved by Ukraine.
No-quarantine travel with Malaysia to start this month

BANGKOK: Quarantine-free vaccinated travel lane (VTL) entry is planned for air travel between Thailand and Malaysia, with at least 10 daily return flights from mid-March.

CoronavirusCOVID-19tourismVaccinetransport

By Bangkok Post

Tuesday 8 March 2022, 04:05PM

Travellers queue to book-in on flights at Suvarnabhumi airport in Samut Prakan on Feb 27, 2022. Photo: Wichan Charoenkiatpakul

Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said today (Mar 8) that good progress was being made in finalising the details at talks between the two countries.

The VTL scheme was agreed to at talks during the Malaysian prime ministers official visit on Feb 25, reports the Bangkok Post.

VTL was likely to be in place by mid-March for fully vaccinated travellers. There would be up to six daily flights between Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur and four daily flights between Phuket and Kuala Lumpur, Mr Thanakorn said.

There could be more routes later, depending on further discussions.

Malaysia already had VTL with Singapore. That arrangement required arrivals in Malaysia to pass an RT-PCR test for COVID-19 no more than two days before their trip, and another test on arrival. They could then enter Malaysia without being quarantined, the spokesman said.

A similar arrangement between Malaysia and Thailand would help the economies of both countries, he said.
Phuket plants seeds for cannabis cash crops

PHUKET: Dr Yongyot Thammawut, Director-General of the Department of Thai Traditional Medicine, was in Phuket yesterday (Mar 7) to promote the development of medical marijuana as a key industry to helping the countrys economy back onto the road to recovery.

agricultureeconomics

By The Phuket News

Tuesday 8 March 2022, 04:34PM

Dr Yongyot yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Prince of Songkla University, Phuket Campus, to promote, support and develop research studies on technology and innovations for health tourism.

The current expansion of the herbal market is in line with the countrys clear policy to promote the herbal industry, Dr Yongyot said.

The goal is to develop the stability, prosperity and sustainability of the country by establishing guidelines for promoting the development of Thai herbs Under the National Herbal Action Plan, he said.

The key goal is becoming a leading exporter of quality medicinal raw materials and herbal products in the ASEAN region, and increase the value of medicinal raw materials and herbal products in the country, he added.

It also supports the governments policy on building competitiveness, he said.

Dr Yongyot also visited the Herbal Health Tourism Community Enterprise Phuket Province in Soi Dechanarong, in Phuket Town.

Enterprise President Wandee Petchchu explained that the community enterprise project grows cannabis for medical and scientific benefit.

Its purpose is to promote and develop medical and scientific cannabis cultivation, to deliver quality cannabis inflorescences to the cannabis raw materials warehouse of the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, she said.

The raw foliage supplied is to be used to produce Thai traditional medicines that contain cannabis extract, Ms Wandee added.

The community enterprise is rearing its first seedlings, Ms Waandee said.

The plan is to rear 1,608 seedlings a year, or 804 seedlings per production cycle, she said

The seeds are provided by the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, she added.

There is a lot of research showing that cannabis can be used to make medicines for many diseases, such as Alzheimers, Parkinsons, Tourettes, psoriasis, etc., as well as many diseases that modern medicine cant cure, Ms Wandee said.

It can also be used to make a wide variety of products including food and cosmetics. Cannabis has become an economic crop that could make a lot of money, she added.

Recognising the medical and economic importance of marijuana, the Thai government has now legalised marijuana for medicinal uses. The roots, leaves, stems and branches of cannabis are no longer classified as a Category 5 drug, so people and agencies have the idea of using cannabis in food business, lots of cosmetics and medicines.

Therefore, there must be systematic quality control. Growing cannabis for long-term results requires knowledge and research support, which requires personnel with knowledge of agriculture, as well as funds and time, including having real intentions to achieve goals, Ms Wandee added.
Thailand offers aid to stranded tourists

BANGKOK: More than 7,000 tourists from Russia and Ukraine in Thailand are allowed to extend their visas without an application fee* as the government is considering measures to offer humanitarian assistance to those affected by international flight cancellations.

tourismRussianUkraineimmigrationtransport

By Bangkok Post

Tuesday 8 March 2022, 10:30AM

Ukrainians in Thailand stage an anti-war protest in front of the Russian Embassy in Bangkok on Monday morning (Mar 7). Photo: Apichit Jinakul / Bangkok Post

Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Yuthasak Supasorn said the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) asked related authorities to explore the impact of the Russia-Ukraine crisis and propose to the Cabinet meeting today (Mar 8) solutions to help tourists stranded in Thailand, reports the Bangkok Post.

He said there are roughly 7,000 tourists from the two countries in four tourism areas, comprising Phuket, Koh Samui, Pattaya and Krabi.

To mitigate the short-term impact, tourists can extend their 30-day visa without paying the application fee, which costs B1,900 for both Ukrainians and Russians*, he said.

Tourists unable to return home due to suspended flights or political unrest and cannot afford to stay in Thailand, the government plans to offer them shelter, Mr Yuthasak added.

The possible locations are Phuket and Pattaya, depending on a survey tourism operators were sending out to their guests this week, he noted.

Regarding transactions via Russian banks and credit cards that are blocked, tourism operators are working with UnionPay, a payment platform from China, to offer this channel to Russian visitors, Mr Yuthasak explained.

Tourism associations also suggest the government consider the emergency use of cryptocurrencies to let tourists have an alternative payment system in this situation and for similar crises in the future.

Mr Yuthasak said another concern is tourists health insurance, with some private hospitals reluctant to offer medical services for COVID-19 patients from Russia because of financial sanctions and interrupted payment methods. (See story here.)

The government has to seek solutions to ensure that patients will receive proper treatment if needed, he said.

For those who want to return, the Russian government may arrange repatriation flights for their citizens, however Thailand will not deport any tourists back home without their consent, he said.

Bhummikitti Raktaengam, President of the Phuket Tourist Association, said flight cancellations by two Russian airlines  S7 Airlines and Aeroflot  had definitely affected the Russian market as their direct routes covered a large part of Russia, sharing around 70% of this market with Phuket.

At present, there are 3,500-4,000 Russian tourists and 300-400 travellers from Ukraine remaining in Phuket, said Mr Bhummikitti.

From March 1-6, Russia was the top market for Andaman resorts with a total of 3,500 visitors. The average length of stay was around 10 days per trip.

During the next two weeks, tourism operators, state authorities and the Russian consulate have to work together to facilitate tourists who remain in the country, he said.

The tourist shelter in Phuket might see demand from Ukrainians who want to seek temporary asylum if they cannot return to their country, said Mr Bhummikitti.

He said even though 30% of the Russian market flies via the Middle East, most of this market may have to cancel their trips because of surging costs from the higher exchange rate and sanctions.

* The Russian Consulate in Phuket has already explained that Russians who arrived in Phuket on a tourist visa or visa exemption status may apply for a COVID visa extension, which costs B1,900. See story here.
Witnesses lying over Tangmo death

BANGKOK: Conflicting accounts of the circumstances surrounding the death of TV actress Pattarathida Tangmo Patcharaveerapong, who drowned after falling from a speedboat into Chao Phraya River in Nonthaburi on Feb 24, have cast a cloud over a number of key witnesses, said Pol Maj Gen Udon Yomcharoen, deputy commissioner of the Provincial Police Region 1, yesterday (Mar 7).

deathmarinepolice

By Bangkok Post

Tuesday 8 March 2022, 09:13AM

Pol Maj Gen Udon Yomcharoen, deputy commissioner of the Provincial Police Region 1, speaks to reporters at the regional police office in Bangkok yesterday (Mar 7). Photo: Pornprom Satrabhaya

Each witness was interviewed separately and the stories they told us were different. It is certain that at least one must have been lying, he said.

Pol Maj Gen Udon, assigned to the case by the commissioner of Provincial Police Region 1, said that so far two charges have been laid.

Tanupat Por Lerttaweewit, the boats owner, and Phaiboon Robert Trikanjananun, the driver, are both accused of operating an unlicensed vessel and negligence leading to death, reports the Bangkok Post.

However, he said a third suspect may be charged following statements by others present that contradicted findings by the forensics team.

Pol Maj Gen Udon said that officers had raided the house of Nitas Job Kiratisoothisathorn, one of the five on the speedboat, and are now investigating whether liquor they found is linked to the incident.

He said that police are looking at the boats GPS and telecommunications footprint, but have yet to find any evidence of a sexual cause behind the tragedy nor any use of recreational narcotics.

Meanwhile, Krissana Sriboonpimsuay, the lawyer representing Pattarathidas mother, has called on Khunying Porntip Rojanasunan, former director-general of the Central Institute of Forensic Science, to perform a fresh autopsy.

The lawyer said he would seek a meeting with Khunying Porntip, who is now a senator as his client, Panida Sirayootyotin, expressed confidence in her abilities following doubts over the veracity of the earlier post-mortem.

Tangmo, 37, fell into the Chao Phraya River near Pibul 1 pier in Muang district of Nonthaburi around 10:40pm on Feb 24 while travelling in a speedboat with five other people. Her body was found about 1pm on Feb 26.

Police are currently holding daily media briefings on the state of the investigation.
Southern Pines, NC (28387)

Today

Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Its the unofficial first day of spring for me, said Tony Floyd of the first day of trout season March 1. Ive been going [to Montauk] for 
Justin Arthur competed in both local and district-level competitions. At the local tournament, Arthur and seven other students competed by building roof frames.
Sting has shared a new performance of his 1985 song "Russians" in support of Ukraine.

"I've only rarely sung this song in the many years since it was written, because I never thought it would be relevant again," Sting said in his video.

"But in the light of one man's bloody and woefully misguided decision to invade a peaceful, nonthreatening neighbor, the song is, once again, a plea for our common humanity."



"For the brave Ukrainians fighting against this brutal tyranny and also the many Russians who are protesting this outrage despite the threat of arrest and imprisonment: We, all of us, love our children. Stop the war."



Sting's video caption also included the shipping address for a warehouse in Poland that is distributing care packages in coordination with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Watch the full video above.
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From an office in the Press Corps of the Indiana Statehouse, the journalism majors of Franklin College's Pulliam School of Journalism work alongside the best reporters in the state, digging into the behind-the-scenes stories of Indiana politics. We're a student newsroom, but our work doesn't sit on a professor's desk. We create daily content for this website and 35 professional media partners around the state.
Montreal, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Rain. Low 19C. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

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Rain. Low 11C. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
Heber Springs, AR (72543)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 53F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 53F. Winds light and variable.
The tears still flow.

I met Chip Gass for lunch at a Springfield diner March 4. I hadnt seen him for decades, but we have something in common that places us in a unique community: those with dyslexia.

I first met Chip 30 years ago when I was a young reporter in the Quad-Cities and he was a political operative helping people get elected to city councils and the Rock Island County Board.

When we met at the diner, he left his Mercedes sedan in the restaurants parking lot. He has a salary north of $100,000 and a title of executive within a state agency. But he is still haunted by his childhood struggles in school.

The Springfield man said as he munched on his horseshoe that teachers didnt appreciate his struggle. Tears raced down his face as he recalled being held back in the second grade and the toll it took on his self-esteem.

But no one in Rock Island schools diagnosed or sought to address his dyslexia. The story was much the same for me. When I was in the third grade, I encountered a cruel teacher who would pick me up like a rag doll and shake me when I struggled to recognize a word. Never once did she offer any individual attention or help  only threats and punishment.

If I made a mistake Id expect to be shaken. It was a pretty rough way to deal with a 7-year-old. Her mantra was continuous: Youre just not trying.

My mother didnt buy into this nonsense. She could see how much I tried. So, she spent two hours a day reading with me all through the third grade. I would read one page of the library book and shed read the next.

Then the teacher decided I would only be allowed to check out picture books from the school library. What a pedagogical gem she was.

My mother then hauled me weekly to the public library and within a year and a half, I was not only a proficient reader but in love with it. Today, I read three or four newspapers a day and a book a week.

Other teachers had to know what was going on in that classroom. But they did nothing. The principal was aware, but he did little to alleviate the situation.

My parents took me for an evaluation at the University of Iowa Hospitals and came back with a diagnosis: dyslexia. Still, the school district did nothing. Their reasoning? My IQ was too high to receive special help.

Although I was diagnosed in the third grade, the first time one of my teachers discussed with me whether I was dyslexic was my junior year of college. And the professor had a degree in journalism  not education.

Its tempting to throw the same words back at teachers that they once threw at me: Youre just not trying.

But that would be unfair. Many do care but they operate within systems that fail to equip them to recognize dyslexia or act upon it when they see it.

Anne Brewster is the director of the Childrens Dyslexia Center in Springfield, a charitable endeavor of the Scottish Rite Masons. Historically, the center has offered its services at no cost to children.

Specially trained tutors at the center help words come alive for youngsters. Reading proficiency often follows.

You don't see the word dyslexia used that often in the school settings, Brewster said. And I think that that might have to do with misconceptions and confusion around exactly what it is. And maybe its because there is not a really clear diagnostic tool that says you're dyslexic or you're not dyslexic. . I think sometimes people actually think it's just fake or made up or not real. Or they just think only rich people have dyslexia because a lot of people in schools dont get support for it. So, they seek private tutoring because it's not always acknowledged or addressed in schools as dyslexia.

Im left thinking of a family friend, Larry Chadwick. He was a brilliant optometrist in my hometown of Galesburg and a friend of my fathers. He died last month at the age of 90.

In his obituary, I read these words: His education began in a one room elementary school where he excelled in math and did not learn to read. His unconventional mother took matters into her own hands and began to search for a school that could teach her brilliant son how to read. She found a reading expert at Roosevelt Military Academy who taught dyslexic students how to read before dyslexia was even understood or diagnosed. At age 13, Larry boarded a train from Detroit to Aledo, Illinois, where he began the next stage of his life. Larry learned to read, then excelled in school.

Id never realized that Dr. Chadwick and I had the same condition. It makes me admire him all the more.

But I cant help but wonder, If they were successfully treating kids with dyslexia in the 1930s, why do so many youngsters fail to get the help they need today?
GRANITE CITY  A Granite City man has been featured by the Navy for his work aboard the USS Harry S. Truman.

In a Navy photo, Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Mason Drake, from Granite City, is shown removing a circuit card from a weapons adapter test unit aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) on March 5.

According to its Facebook page, the USS Harry S. Truman conducted fixed-wing flight operations in the North Aegean Sea on March 4-5.

The USS Harry S. Truman supported NATO enhanced Air Policing missions, bolstering the defense of the NATO Alliance. It was joined by the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS San Jacinto (CG 56); Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Gonzalez (DDG 66), USS Cole (DDG 67), USS Bainbridge (DDG 96), USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109), and USS Mitscher (DDG 57); the Norwegian Royal Navy Fridjof Nansen-class frigate HNoMS Fridjtof Nansen (F310); and Italian Navy Bergamini-class guided-missile frigate ITS Carabiniere (F 593).

Conducting enhanced Air Policing from North Aegean waters further illustrates NATOs continued ability to share and pool existing capabilities, said Rear Adm. Curt Renshaw, commander of Carrier Strike Group Eight. We set out to prove that this dynamic employment of an Aircraft Carrierin pretty restrictive waterscould be done, and in doing so, we have demonstrated the enduring U.S. commitment to Allies.

The USS Harry S. Truman supported NATO enhanced Air Policing missions, bolstering the defense of the NATO Alliance. It was joined by the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS San Jacinto (CG 56); Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Gonzalez (DDG 66), USS Cole (DDG 67), USS Bainbridge (DDG 96), USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109), and USS Mitscher (DDG 57); the Norwegian Royal Navy Fridjof Nansen-class frigate HNoMS Fridjtof Nansen (F310); and Italian Navy Bergamini-class guided-missile frigate ITS Carabiniere (F 593).

The Truman and Carrier Air Wing One sailed into the northern Aegean Sea conducting fixed-wing flight operations to support NATOs enhanced Air Policing mission, demonstrating our ability to operate dynamically throughout the theater, said Capt. Gavin Duff, Trumans commanding officer. This team performed flawlessly as we continued to send a clear signal of our ironclad commitment to NATO.

The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HSTCSG) departed Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, and Mayport, Florida on Dec. 1 for a regularly scheduled deployment in support of naval operations to maintain maritime stability and security, and to defend U.S., Allied and Partner interests in Europe and Africa.
EDWARDSVILLE  Madison County States Attorney Tom Haine on Tuesday announced the county has filed a Notice of Appeal on Illinois Seventh Judicial Circuits ruling on the recently-passed judicial subcircuit legislation.

This subcircuit law is unjust, unconstitutional, and riddled with problems, Haine said. We can discern no legitimate reason why it needs to be implemented on such a rushed timeframe in Madison County but not elsewhere in the state.

"This sudden, unexplained rush has forced Madison County into court, where a bipartisan and overwhelming majority of the cunty board resolved to defend our fundamental commitment to a fair and equal justice system," he said. "That legal fight continues with this appeal.

Madison County is joined on this appeal by all plaintiffs: Christina Wiley, Daniel McConchie, Judge Amy Sholar and Judge Christopher Threlkeld.

On Jan. 21, Haine filed a lawsuit on behalf of the citizens of Madison County challenging the constitutionality of House Bill 3138, the Judicial Circuits Redistricting Act of 2022. This bill, which was signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Jan. 7, divided Madison County into three subcircuits and removed countywide elections of judges.

Of the 16 counties affected by this legislation, Madison County is the only one that will have county-wide judicial elections removed immediately, before the 2022 elections. The remainder of the affected circuits are not required to implement these changes until 2024.

Following a Jan 24 hearing in Springfield, Circuit Judge Ryan Cadagin issued a temporary restraining order on the legislation, which halted the implementation of the subcircuits. The state appealed the halt in implementation, and following the lifting of order by the appellate court on the states appeal, Cadagin dismissed the case on Feb. 24.

We continue to call upon the Illinois legislature to rethink its sudden departure from over a century of precedent and reconsider this subcircuit scheme until after the 2022 elections, Haine said Tuesday. Lets let cooler heads prevail, allow the public an opportunity to comment, and ensure any subcircuit scheme applied to Madison County is constitutional.
One of the top legislative initiatives that the Biden Administration is addressing is Climate Change aka global warming. The United Nations recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) gives loud support for that effort.

In the past our elected officials have dealt with climate change via a number of political maneuvers which have resulted in insufficient progress in dealing with this increasingly obvious threat to the planet. Lets quickly review.

While most environmentalists began serious warnings decades ago, conservative members of Congress and Donald Trump dismissed the idea as either a hoax, needless hysteria, or simply a natural occurrence to be passively endured. Rejected out of hand was the notion that warming was occurring due to post-industrial, manmade activity.

The number of deniers of the existence of global warming appears to have been reduced by study after study, each confirming that the planet is getting warmer. The increasing occurrence of severe weather patterns of fire and drought and flood and hurricanes gives greater evidence of the effect.

Anyone living in the Riverbend knows what happened when a freak tornado hit Edwardsville in December. And the people of Houston have become recurring victims of hurricanes that are becoming more frequent and more deadly over warming ocean waters.

The IPCC report has been dubbed the Your House is on Fire report by one of the scientists, but UN representatives have cautioned that the report is intended to illustrate areas of hope, not doom. Therefore, the report identifies actions that can be avoided or initiated which might ameliorate climate change.

What is shown in the report is that the intergovernmental goal of keeping warming below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, stated within the Paris accord of 2015, is insufficient to avoid catastrophic, natural disasters.

According to the IPCC report, the planet is at 1.1 degrees above pre-industrial levels, with only 0.4 of additional warming to go before rising seas swallow up island nations, a process that has already begun to be witnessed. And when you consider that most of the State of Florida is less than 20 feet above sea level, it takes little imagination to view the possible future for coastal dwellers.

This is the scientific backdrop, the reality which elected officials and political parties should logically acknowledge and deal with. And denying that human activity is not to blame is absurd.

Images of planet cooling during the pandemic due to a severe reduction in human activity were stark reminders that our reliance on fossil fuels is perhaps the most significant factor in creating global warming. And yet, the deniers, the short-term opportunists, and the acolytes of corporate greed continue to block efforts to deal with climate change in exchange for profit margins.

The drill baby drill crowd continues to chant their message, and trumpets the short-term goals of increasing corporate profits, alleged lowering of gasoline prices, and the unstated benefits of energy independence via domestic oil and gas production. However, it becomes increasingly hard for them to sell their message when farms are under water, drought ravages the West, wildfires in Florida consume thousands of acres and homes, and deadly tornados sweep through the Midwest.

Making the drillers case even harder to sell is the disconnect between oil prices and the numbers on the pump. When oil prices for crude tanked to below $30 a barrel not so long ago, the price at the pump only went down by a disproportionately measly percentage. Meanwhile, the price of gasoline is rising rapidly now although the flow of oil has not yet been affected by the Ukrainian crisis. For oil companies the chant is bill baby bill and consumers are paying the price in dollars and in the assault on common sense.

For example, unhinged conservatives point to President Biden as the source of rising gasoline prices as though he can command the international oil market to do his bidding in increasing oil production or lowering gasoline prices. Although President Biden may be able to do something about Big Oils price gouging of American consumers, President Biden would need the assistance of a recalcitrant GOP to take such a stand.

The fact is that collectively we Americans will have to suffer some sacrifices to assist in addressing climate change. However, the one thing we dont have to suffer, is the insufferable and childish chant of drill baby drill. Its time to grow up and wise up.
To the Editor,

I reject the slanderous attacks on former President Trump or other conservative leaders still going on.

Dr. Rance Thomas in the March 1 Opinion page of this newpaper says we should expect President Trump to be a dictator if reelected since he is friendly with the Russian and North Korean leaders, and since he said Putin is smart and a genius.

But this was easily fact checked by me. I search on Trump calls Putin a genius and hear a recording and it is easy to realize that he is praising only his cleverness in declaring parts of Ukraine independent, not praising the move itself. Anyone should know this is Trumps personality and business background speaking, not his approval.

I also know (if it is not your belief you are welcome to your opinion) that a President Trump would now be harsher against the Russian invasion than President Biden.

It is again easy to think so because Russia tried no invasion while Trump was president, but did so before (Crimea) and after (Ukraine). Then there is the instance where candidate Biden kept referring to President Trumps comment in Charlottesville, that there were some very fine people on both sides trying to put Trump in with white supremacists, but not taking into consideration what else he said at that time, Theres blame on both sides I am not talking about the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists, because they should be condemned totally.

Or how about the flack and calls for resignation congresswoman Mary Miller received when she said Hitler was right on one thing  whoever has the youth has the future. I can use my brain and think that in her saying one thing she meant one thing, not that she

admires Hitler or any of his atrocities. She could easily despise him while using a small quote to make a point, that indoctrinating children will change the future.

It seems some critics expect us to stop thinking and just go along with what they say about current events. I choose to think rather and do a little research on my own.

Michael Fox

Alton
Scranton, PA (18503)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to cloudy skies and rain overnight. Low 52F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to cloudy skies and rain overnight. Low 52F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
London, KY (40741)

Today

Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Low 58F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Low 58F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Westerly, RI (02891)

Today

Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low 48F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low 48F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
John Menzies is still in takeover talks with a potential Kuwaiti suitor, which has now been given a fresh deadline to make a firm offer for the group.

The FTSE 250 group revealed that the UK Takeover Panel has extended the deadline for National Aviation Services to either make an offer or walk away so that the companies can continue talks.

The aviation-services group last month received an improved 558.8million takeover proposal, which the board said it would be prepared to recommend to shareholders.

The deal now has a deadline of 30 March, having been extended from the original deadline of 9 March.

Deal? John Menzies is still in talks with a potential Kuwaiti suitor

Under the latest proposal, NAS is offering 608p for each John Menzies share, up from a previous proposal of 605p a share.

John Menzies said there was still no certainty that any firm offer would be made.

The group posted underlying operating profit for the year ending 31 December of 76million, compared with a loss of 24million a year earlier. At the height of the pandemic in 2020, the group unveiled plans for 17,500 global job losses.

Edinburgh-based John Menzies, which is among the biggest providers of fuelling, ground handling, and maintenance services with operations in around 38 countries, suffered heavy pandemic-led losses in 2020 but has since recovered amid cost cuts and restructurings.

It has also benefited from new business wins as demand in the travel sector ramps up again.

While it does not expect to return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024, the group forecasts steady growth in passenger air travel this year and beyond, helping bolster revenue for its fuelling and ground services business.

John Menzies now targets net new revenues of $100million this year and around $200million to $275million over the short-to-medium term.

The group, which operates at more than 200 airports globally, added that it is monitoring the wider impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on air travel but it was difficult to assess at this time. It does not operate in either countries.

John Menzies shares have fallen today, and were down 2.76 per cent or 14.00p to 494.00p at 9.30am.

But, over the past year shares in the FTSE 250-listed group have risen by over 110 per cent, and stood at 235.00p a year ago.

John Menzies was founded in 1833 when John Menzies opened a bookshop on Edinburgh's Princes Street.

This store started selling The Scotsman newspaper over the counter and Menzies became famous in the UK for retailing and wholesaling.

It was a major British high street name until the late 1990s, when it reinvented itself as a global provider of fuelling and cargo handling for airlines.
SPARKS [mdash] Mrs. Mattie L. Clements Martin, 93, of Sparks, Georgia, passed away at her granddaughter's home on April 25, 2022. Mrs. Martin was born on January 17, 1929 in Colquitt County to the late Ivey Lane Hart and Ola Gay Hart. She lived most of her life in Cook County and was of the 
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Barre, VT (05641)

Today

Showers this evening, becoming a steady rain overnight. Low 48F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

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Kingsport, TN (37660)

Today

Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Low 64F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

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ALBANY  The FBI told U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko it will never reveal any information about its dealings with Shahed Hussain, the notorious bureau informant who owned the unsafe stretch SUV limousine involved in the 2018 crash in Schoharie that killed 20 people.

Many of the victims were from Tonko's hometown of Amsterdam, and so the letter, sent to Tonko on Feb. 18, is a devastating blow to the families of the victims, who have been seeking answers about how the tragedy  one of the worst U.S. highway transportation disasters in decades  could have happened.

Following years of reporting by the Times Union and a recent article published in New York magazine, Tonko wrote a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Jan. 31, asking the bureau to reveal anything that could shed light on how Hussain skirted responsibility for the deadly crash and was allowed to run an illegal limousine service in Saratoga County for years.

The FBI's assistant director in the Office of Congressional Affairs, Jill Tyson, wrote Tonko last month telling him that was never going to happen, citing "national security" concerns and worries of protecting the "safety and privacy" of undercover sources like Hussain, who has been accused of lying under oath and entrapping fellow Muslims in federal anti-terrorism stings.

"The FBI does not comment on, confirm, or deny the existence of current or past relationships with confidential human sources," Tyson wrote Tonko, who had told the bureau he was willing to be briefed by the FBI in a secure facility in order to review any classified information the FBI did not want to be shared with the public.

Tonko spokeswoman Rachel Dejean told the Times Union he found the letter to be "disappointing and wholly unsatisfactory" and that Tonko would seek alternatives to force the FBI to open up Hussain's FBI file.

"The congressman is continuing the push for meaningful answers, and is exploring next steps to get information and an explanation from the FBI that the families deserve," Dejean said.

Actually, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, was trying to get Wray, the FBI director, to answer those questions immediately on Tuesday.

Wray was testifying before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence when Stefanik appeared to take Wray by surprise by asking him about Shahed Hussain and his involvement in the Schoharie limo crash.

I believe that this deadly limo tragedy, the biggest transportation tragedy in this country, could have been avoided had we addressed the acts, the illegal acts, of this FBI informant, Stefanik told Wray. And the FBI owes families answers. Theres been extensive reporting on this issue.

Stefanik asked Wray, who said he is "generally aware" of the case, if the FBI allows undercover informants to commit crimes unrelated to an FBI sting or investigation. The FBI does allow informants to participate in criminal acts with its knowledge, such as drug deals or fake terrorist plots, in order to get targets to commit crimes that can be prosecuted in court.

But in general, informants can be prosecuted for crimes they commit outside the parameters of an FBI investigation.

"Does the FBI allow an informant to engage in criminal behavior that is not related to the case, in this case, the anti-terrorism cases or investigations that they are informing on. Yes or no?" Stefanik asked.

Wray hestitated and told Stefanik the answer was "somewhat detailed and lengthy" and required him to "go into some depth" and that he had to "tread carefully." He said he would have his staff get back to her, which clearly did not sit well with Stefanik.

"I expect you to follow up with me directly," Stefanik told Wray. "We're talking about 20 innocent lives."

The FBI declined comment late Tuesday on its written response to Tonko.

The bureau has previously used the same explanation it gave Tonko in its Feb. 18 letter when pressed on its relationship with Hussain by the Times Union, which has uncovered a pattern of troubling behavior by Hussain since he became an informant 20 years ago for the FBI's anti-terrorism efforts.

The only person to be arrested in connection with the crash was Hussain's son, 32-year-old Nauman Hussain, who was charged with criminally negligent homicide and manslaughter in April 2019 for failing to properly maintain the brakes on the 2001 Ford Excursion stretch limo.

Nauman Hussain faced the potential of years in prison but avoided any jail time in the case, instead receiving five years of probation after pleading guilty last September to 20 counts of criminally negligent homicide. The prosecutor, Schoharie County District Attorney Susan Mallery, made a plea bargain with Hussain after telling families of the victims she could not obtain a guilty verdict at trial.

Mallery never tried to charge or interview Shahed Hussain, though he was the legal owner of the limo and the business, which the Hussains ran out of their ramshackle motel in the town of Wilton. The motel had its license revoked by the state after years of neglect.

The four secondhand stretch limos the Hussains owned, including the Excursion, were also in disrepair, according to DOT inspection records, and the Hussains never obtained the operating authority required to run the business legally.

The DOT also repeatedly sent notices of violations to the Hussains for lacking operating authority, which they repeatedly ignored until a month before the crash when they paid a $500 fine to avoid having the Excursion's registration suspended.

Yet even then, the Hussains still did not have a state permit to carry passengers for hire and hadn't submitted the required paperwork to DOT.

Shahed Hussain left New York for his native Pakistan just days before the state Department of Transportation ordered the Excursion off the road after it failed a commercial vehicle roadside inspection in March 2018, seven months before the Oct. 6, 2018, crash, which occurred when the brakes on the nearly seven-ton, 34-foot Excursion failed as it descended a steep stretch of Route 30 just outside the village of Schoharie.

The limo, which reached speeds exceeding 100 mph, crashed into the parking lot of a popular restaurant and tourist destination that was packed at the time. Two bystanders in the lot died, along with all 17 passengers and the driver.

The driver, who was not licensed to operate such a large limo, was taking a group of friends and siblings to Cooperstown for a 30th birthday party for Amy Steenburg.

Her husband, Axel Steenburg, had rented the limo that morning not knowing that the DOT had again found it unsafe and ordered it off the road after a second failed inspection just a month before.
ALBANY  For a column about gerrymandering, it feels necessary to start with a few caveats.

First, Republicans and Democrats both do it, and, despite what either side claims, neither has the moral high ground when it comes to redrawing legislative districts. Both parties use political power, when they have it, to ensure future political power.

Second, there is nothing new about gerrymandering. It's a tactic that dates back to at least the days of Elbridge Gerry, who was governor in Massachusetts when the state's Legislature in 1812 drew up new districts that were outrageously partisan. Gerry was opposed to the plan, actually, but that didn't stop history from attaching his name to the practice.

But the caveats don't excuse gerrymandering or render it ethical.

In fact, the worst examples of gerrymandering are fundamentally unethical, which brings me to the new maps drawn by the Democrats who control the state Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

For anyone who cares about democracy, New York's new maps are an outrage. They are terribly partisan and horrendously cynical. They are inexcusable.

Yet we're seemingly stuck with them, at least for now. Last week, a state judge indicated that this year's elections will go forward with the new maps, despite a Republican lawsuit claiming they violate provisions added to the state constitution in 2014.

Whether or not that's true, it is widely agreed that the maps are an example of blatant gerrymandering. The website FiveThirtyEight, for example, examined New York's new congressional districts and decided "that they were designed to give Democrats a huge advantage." The plan, the website added, "severely" tilts the playing field and is "egregiously biased."

As a result, Democrats are nearly assured to win in 22 of New York's 26 congressional districts. Democrats will control about 85 percent of the seats in a state where the party is not nearly that dominant among voters.

Of course, blue partisans say New York has to gerrymander its congressional districts to counter the gerrymandering happening in Republican states. With control of Congress at stake, New York Democrats have to fight fire with fire, they say.

Fine, but even if we accept that argument from a national perspective, it doesn't excuse the gerrymandering of state Assembly and Senate districts. What Democrats have done on the state level can only be described as a power grab designed to expand veto-proof majorities the party already enjoys.

Consider what's happening to James Tedisco, the Republican from Glenville. Under the new maps, he'll move from the 49th district to the 51st, will no longer represent Niskayuna and Schenectady, and will pick up areas rural areas to the west.

Tedisco's new district will be significantly more Republican, but there's a problem: The 51st is already represented by state Sen. Peter Oberacker, another Republican, forcing Tedisco into a primary. Meanwhile, the area represented by Sen. Daphne Jordan, the Halfmoon Republican, will gain Democratic voters in Niskayuna, Schenectady and Troy as part of a new blue-leaning district.

The end result is that only one Republican incumbent of the three is likely to survive, which is probably the point.

"They went with the nuclear option," Tedisco told me in a phone conversation, arguing that since Democrats knew they'd struggle to win in the districts, they eliminated competition.

State Senator Michael Gianaris, a Democrat from Queens who helped lead redistricting efforts, defends the maps by saying they simply undo gerrymandering undertaken when Republicans controlled the Legislature. "If they were drawn fairly, they probably would have looked like this 20 years ago," he said.

That isn't really true, given how far the maps go toward consolidating Democratic control. In reality, it's like a big game of tit-for-tat, but the voters never win. And this time around, it isn't just Republican voters who are losing.

Democrats in the North County might have figured they had a chance to beat U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, the Republican who has become much more controversial since winning reelection in 2020. But state lawmakers added Republican voters to Stefanik's district in order to make other districts safer for Democrats.

The party, in other words, gave up on beating Stefanik to boost its odds elsewhere. But by doing so, it disenfranchised thousands of Democrats in the district, rendering their congressional vote essentially meaningless.

And that gets to the real problem with gerrymandering. It intentionally renders districts uncompetitive, stealing choice from voters while exacerbating polarization. And once voters are robbed of choice, with the outcome predetermined, why should they bother showing up? Why should they care?

Democrats keep telling voters they're the party that cares about democracy and is trying to save it. But New York Democrats have rendered their rhetoric hollow with a redistricting plan that undermines democracy.

What they really care about is obvious. They care about power.

cchurchill@timesunion.com  518-454-5442  @chris_churchill
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ALBANY  No, it's not made of vibranium.

But a rare example of Captain America's signature shield signed by four stars of the Marvel Universe is being auctioned off by Make-A-Wish Northeast New York to benefit "wish kids" battling critical illnesses.

Actor Sebastian Stan, who plays Bucky Barnes and his alter ego The Winter Soldier in a half-dozen Marvel movies as well as a spinoff Disney Plus series, donated the shield to the regional chapter. It was signed by Stan as well as actors Chris Evans (who plays Captain America/Steve Rogers), Anthony Mackie (The Falcon/Sam Wilson) and Wyatt Russell (who plays a newly recruited Captain America in the streaming spinoff).

There are only six of these shields made and this is the only one with these signatures on it, Stan said in a statement. It is unique in that perspective. There is no other one like it.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

Raffle tickets are $25 each, or five for $100. The winner of the 25-inch shield, which comes with leather straps and a carrying case, will be announced at the chapters March 26 Spark Joy Gala, though the winner does not have to be present.

Those entering the drawing must be 18 or older. Call the Make-A-Wish office at 518-456-9474 or visit during business hours Monday through Friday at 3 Washington Square in Albany. (Tickets will be mailed to callers; online sales are prohibited.)
When it comes to representation in brewing, women have a disadvantage. Statistics on the number of women in American brewing were only officially recorded less than a decade ago, and the first data sets on female representation in brewing were released in September 2021 at the national Craft Brewers Conference, held by the Brewers Association.

The data confirmed what many in the brewing world long understood: Female participation lags far behind that of men. The Brewers Association found that men outpace women in brewing industry jobs 3 to 1, comprising 76 percent of all brewing-related jobs in the American workforce. The numbers are more dismal for women when it comes to brewery ownership: Only 2 percent of the 8,000 breweries in the U.S. are owned (in whole or part) by women.

The craft beer industry feels really isolating as a woman, said Pam Pradachith-Demler, co-founder and CEO of Bound By Fate Brewing in Schuylerville. The lack of access to female mentorship and skill sharing led Pradachith-Demler to collaborate with Erika Anderson, co-owner and brewer at Unified Beerworks in Malta, and Megan Veltman, media and marketing coordinator for Indian Ladder Farms Cidery and Brewery in Altamont, to start an upstate New York chapter of the Pink Boots Society.

Anderson participated in the March 2021 New York State Brewers Association Craft Beer Conference panel focused on women in the brewing industry, and it sparked a new fire under me, she said. Pink Boots Society is a nonprofit organization to help women advance their careers in brewing. It was founded in 2007 and has 1,035 members, according to the organizations website. New York City and Buffalo have chapters, but the rest of the state  from Poughkeepsie to Rochester  falls within the Upstate chapter territory. The chapter launched in July and has 53 members, all of whom are female-identifying and make at least a portion of their income from the brewing business or are students enrolled in a brewing program.

I think about how the world might be different for me if I had a network I could reach out to and learn from," Pradachith-Demler said. "Women have a history of working together in society, in motherhood, and in the professional world. We just needed to create the space.

The Upstate Pink Boots chapter has offered plenty of opportunity for member connections, including workshops on package design, hop harvesting and manufacturing led by women in brewing, trips to visit breweries in the region and collaborative brew days, including for the Think Pink Drink Pink Pale Ale.

A riff off the New York State Brewers Associations motto, Think NY Drink NY, 15 Upstate Pink Boots Society members from nine beer-related businesses and breweries participated in making the beer last month at Common Roots brewery in Glens Falls. The beer is made from all New York products with a 4.7 percent ABV. All of the ingredients were donated and sales of the beer benefit scholarships and educational opportunities for women in brewing. The beer is available in cans and at the taprooms of participating breweries and is officially released this week at the NYSBA Craft Beer Conference in Albany, set to take place Wednesday through Saturday.

Think Pink Drink Pink is the second collaboration brew for the chapter, as the first was part of the national movement to produce Brave Noise Pale Ale, a beer made to show support for inclusive and safe workplaces and environments in the brewing industry. The project was launched after Brienne Allan, head brewer and production manager at Notch Brewing in Salem, Mass., posted on Instagram May 11 about a sexiest experience she had while at work. Allan asked followers, What sexist comments have you experienced? which resulted in thousands of comments and direct messages (many of which Allan shared with permission on her Instagram page) and exposed the rampant sexual harassment that occurs in the brewing industry. Two hundred fourty-five breweries produced Brave Noise, including eight breweries in New York state.

A year earlier, 1,221 breweries from all 50 states (including 42 breweries in New York) and 22 countries produced Black is Beautiful Stout, a project headed by Weathered Souls brewery in Texas as a response to the George Floyd murder in 2020 and ongoing police brutality and civil rights violations.

There was momentum around other cause-related brews, but not that one, Pradachitch-Demler said. The lack of support for Brave Noise as compared to other projects was encouragement to grow the chapter.

Other New York chapters have faced backlash, whether from men in the industry or from non-binary and female-identifying members of the brewing community because they believed a female-only organization perpetuated an us versus them gender bias in brewing and stigmatized the people the chapters aim to benefit. That experience has not been felt by the Upstate chapter founders.

Everyone has been very excited and sees it as a benefit to breweries. Some were skeptical at first, but they see the benefit, said Veltman, at Indian Ladder.

I think were lucky in the Capital Region that there are plenty of men who support women in the industry. The men are kind of jealous of our programs, but we tell them that youve had all sorts of opportunities to do things that women never did, Anderson said.

Think Pink Drink Pink Pale Ale is available in cans and on draft starting Thursday at Common Roots Brewing, Unified Beerwords, Bound By Fate Brewery, Indian Ladder Farms Cidery and Brewery, Frog Alley Brewing, Plan Bee Farm Brewery, Delaware Supply, Bolton Landing Brewing Company, Slate Town Brewing Company, Whitman Brewing Company, Freight Yard Brewing, Black Snake Brewing Company and Hudson Valley Malt.
The 18th century Stissing House in Pine Plains has been a lot of things in its day: most recently a French restaurant; before that it was one of the oldest operating inns in the country, the site of many local weddings, a rowdy watering hole with back-room gambling, and an overnight resting spot for Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette. And now, chef Clare de Boer seeks to bring the good bones of the place back to life in her first solo restaurant, opening Thursday, March 10.

Im not launching a new restaurant concept at all, she says on a Sunday morning while offering a peek behind the refreshed curtains of the Stissing House, which was built in 1782. The French restaurant that last occupied the space for 15 years closed in February 2021. People have loved this place for years, and were continuing that tradition as its caretakers.

The wood shed room off the front entrance is home to cozy settees, green velvet chairs, and one of five working fireplaces for guests to warm themselves as they wait for a table. A vintage secretary desk flips open to reveal a hefty bowl of in-shell peanuts for guests to help themselves, while high-backed upholstered chairs encircle a weathered wooden chess board near another fireplace and window.

Mostly original flooring and hand-hewn beams harken back to another era. De Boer points to a small hole in one floor plank. A woman said she remembers coming here as a child and tossing rocks down this hole. She wanted to see if it was still here.

Courtesy Little Nine Partners Historical Society Tony Adamis The Stissing House in the 1890s and today. During the heyday of the railroads, the inn and tavern was a popular place for people from New York City to spend summer vacations. (Photos: Little Nine Partners Historical Society/Tony Adamis) The Stissing House in the 1890s and today. During the heyday of the railroads, the inn and tavern was a popular place for people from New York City to spend summer vacations. (Photos: Little Nine Partners Historical Society/Tony Adamis)

Not interfering too much with the history of Stissing House is part of de Boers plan. Shes been reviewing Shaker, Revolutionary War-era and other cookbooks to think creatively about the ingredients that were once foraged, grown, and hunted for years in the area, and ways to prepare them.

But make no mistake  Stissing House will not be a dining experience overly steeped in history. Well be doing easy tavern food with some little nods to history, but we wont be a research project, she says. These hat tips to early American cooking include spit-roasted game birds prepared in one of the kitchens two fireplaces, for example.

At the end of the day, people still want a place to get a good steak and a Caesar salad.

Those items are on the menu, as are a celery and pear salad with buttermilk dressing, game pie, a seafood chowder with giant saltine, and pork shoulder in cider with apples and celeriac. Pastry chef Suzanne Nelson, formerly of Chez Panisse, is creating modified classics like rum-roasted pineapple with vanilla ice cream, while Oliviero Borgna is de Boers chef de cuisine. The team is sourcing ingredients from Allen and Robin Cockerline at Whippoorwill Farm in Connecticut, as well as Fat Apple Farm in Pine Plains.

A burger is coming, but not right away, and perhaps only on Monday nights. You have to make sure you get burgers right because everyone has an opinion of the way they should be, de Boer says. I know the beef well use, and the bun must be homemade. We need to get buned up first.

The bar room with its open kitchen is the heart of the 6,000-square foot restaurant, doubling as the main dining area with seating for 36 at tables adorned with creamy tablecloths and candles. A handful of smaller dining rooms unfold off the tavern room on the first floor.

Upstairs, once home to boarding rooms for travelers, is now a series of open spaces to accommodate future events  or feasts as de Boer calls them  and Sunday kids programming that will include toys, books and a Stissing House take on a Happy Meal to keep the place family friendly. One corner is home to a Victorian-era marble-topped bar that was once part of the Opera House across the street that shuttered in 1916, while an old piano awaits tuning along another wall.

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Chris Mottalini

We want to evolve in a very organic way, says de Boer, who is actively trying to keep the restaurant from feeling too precise and polished when the doors open. We want to see how people use the spaces to tell us how to evolve.

Stissing House will be open Thursdays through Mondays. De Boer, who owns a home in Dover Plains with her husband, Luke Sherwin, will be at the helm Thursdays through Sundays, then will return weekly to New York City for her original gig: chef at SoHos King, an Italian restaurant that she co-owns with chef Jess Shadbolt and Annie Shi, who runs the front of the house. Shadbolt and de Boer were named to the 2018 class of Best New Chefs by Food & Wine magazine, and de Boer was nominated for a James Beard Rising Star Award that year.

The trio also is opening a second restaurant together this summer, Jupiter at Rockefeller Center.

Its a full slate for the British de Boer, who says shes enjoyed getting to know people in Pine Plains who are eager to see the latest incarnation of the Stissing House.

She foresees serving people who have been living here for generations as well as residents and visitors from within a 30-minute radius seeking a night out or somewhere you can celebrate  all eager to dine again in the place theyve known for decades.
Government officials representing Ulster and Orange counties have called for investigations into Central Hudsons billing practices after a new system has resulted in higher-than-normal bills or no bills at all for roughly 11,000 utility customers.

The billing snafu comes at a time of historically high energy costs and inflation in the U.S. and abroad, exacerbated by a surge in oil and gas prices amid Russias invasion of Ukraine. Central Hudson, which provides electricity and natural gas to hundreds of thousands of customers in Ulster, Orange, Greene, Dutchess, Putnam and Albany counties, announced on Feb. 14 that electricity bills would rise 46 percent and natural gas bills would increase by 19 percent. The utility on March 1 said that energy costs would remain elevated in March in light of events in Eastern Europe.

The utility has blamed price hikes on higher demand for power in cold weather and in the pandemic, increased demand for natural gas in Europe, and constrained pipeline capacity. The utility also cited a greater reliance on natural gas following the closure of the Indian Point nuclear power plant.

In a letter dated March 3, Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan called upon the Public Service Commission, an oversight group, to launch an official probe, while state Sen. James Skoufis, a Hudson Valley Democrat who chairs the senates investigations committee, on March 4 opened a formal investigation into not only Central Hudson, but also Orange and Rockland Utilities, ConEd and other power suppliers. The Public Service Commission has already launched an investigation into how Central Hudson responded to the early February ice storm that left thousands without power for days in Ulster County.

Billing glitches only part of the problem

Central Hudson has blamed its new billing software, which went into effect in August 2021, for unpredictable over- and under-billing, or a lack of bills altogether for thousands of customers. In some cases, the new system has led to higher than normal automatic withdrawals from customers accounts without warning.

The failed implementation of Central Hudsons new billing system compounded by unexpected and unprecedented bill surges has resulted in extensive damage to the confidence of our community as consumers, all of whom are without any other choice of provider for their utility needs, said Ryan in a news release.

This is not entirely unique to Central Hudsons service area, said Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, who still took issue with their new billing system and supports an investigation into the utility. We need to be honest about that. Whether you live in ConEd, NYSEG, or Central Hudson regions, you are experiencing astronomical increases in electric costs.

On March 3, State Assembly member Jonathan Jacobson also held a virtual forum for constituents to ask Central Hudson representatives questions about their utility bills. In the past few weeks, my office has been hearing nonstop from constituents unhappy about their utility bills, Jacobson said in a news release. I have been working with constituents to try to resolve their individual problems about their recent bills, but the problems go beyond individual billing glitches.

Central Hudson will fully cooperate with investigations into the supply chain issues that have led to an increase in energy prices, said utility spokesperson Joe Jenkins. Higher energy prices do not benefit Central Hudson  Central Hudson and other utilities do not mark up or profit on these costs. Our customers pay the same energy costs as Central Hudson does.

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Jenkins also said Central Hudson will continue to cooperate with any investigation that includes the new billing system within its scope. He said they are making progress in addressing problems with the new billing system and the utility hopes to have issues fully resolved by spring.

To assist customers affected by higher usage and energy prices, the utility is offering no-cost and interest-free extended payment options to pay off balances over time.

I think of the people who are more vulnerable than I am, said New Windsor resident Vivian Milczarski, who saw a bill as high as $2,500 in the fall, compared to her usual $200 to $300 combined gas and electric bill. You feel frustrated and that no one is listening to you, and it can take a lot of time and research to see whats happening. The average person doesnt have time to file a complaint or wait to talk to someone.

Skoufis, along with other mid-Hudson senators Pete Harckham, Michelle Hinchey and Elijah Reichlin-Melnick, are hosting a virtual utility rights forum with the Public Utility Law Project on Thursday, March 10.

The Public Utility Law Project, a state consumer advocacy group, has estimated that more than 12 percent of all Central Hudson customers are behind on their bills by 60 days or more. The forum will inform local residents on their rights as utility consumers and what financial help is currently available, including utility arrears.
KINDERHOOK  Two of the three candidates for village of Kinderhook mayor talked about local problems and larger issues during a candidate forum Sunday, with the Village Board incumbent touting his experience in the Marines and local government and his opponent presenting new ideas and chiding his competitor for not doing more while in office.

Mike Abrams, a war veteran, business owner and current village board member, talked about lessons he learned while serving in Afghanistan and starting his business, FourBlock, which helps veterans find employment after serving, during his opening statement.

Abrams, who wants Kinderhook to stay a "family-oriented" community, said the village needs a leader who reflects its values, and challenged everyone in the village to "love their neighbor."

Quinn Murphy, who commutes from his village home to Siena College to study political science and pre-law, said in his opening statement he is a lifelong resident, contrasting himself with Abrams, who moved to the village a few years ago.

"I know [Kinderhook] inside and out  and I'm proud of that," Murphy said.

A third candidate, Barry Knights  who admitted to telling his wife to "get my piece" before placing his gun on his front porch when he alleges he saw a Black Lives Matter protester spit at a police officer during a July 2020 march in the village  did not participate. Knights was never charged in the incident.

Murphy, who said he would be "available all day, every day" for constituents, mentioned several initiatives he wanted to undertake if elected, including improving the village's website to include a forum where residents could list their concerns and communicate with the village government. He also said the website could "put Kinderhook on the map" by orienting visitors riding the Empire State Trail to businesses in the village.

Murphy also wanted to regulate short-term rentals in the village, saying Kinderhook was not capturing tax revenue from people renting out properties on Airbnb and other websites.

Murphy wants to either cap the number of short-term rentals in the village or only allow rentals in properties the owner occupies, according to his campaign site.

When asked what he would do to fight climate change if elected, Murphy said he wanted to install solar panels on the village firehouse and add more chargers for electric vehicles, which would also help attract visitors.

Abrams called climate change a "broad" issue that was difficult to solve on the municipal level but said a plan to install solar panels on the village Department of Public Works garage was "already in the works" and the village board was looking to do the same to the firehouse.

He also pointed to a $900,000 state Water Infrastructure Improvement grant he helped apply for while on the village board to replace water mains and sidewalks on two of the village main roads and improve drainage. The board will be hearing back from the state about the grant in the next few days, Abrams said.

When asked how the village could grow while still maintaining its character, Abrams pointed to his work on the Historic Preservation Committee, which regulates how residents in the village's Historic District can alter their homes.

Murphy interrupted, saying he had heard of residents being "harassed" by the committee when they wanted to make minor improvements to their homes, such as installing a window or fence.

Abrams took issue with this, saying the committee had not harassed anyone, but that sometimes residents came to the committee without understanding how it operated.

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People who bought property in the village did so because of its historic character, Abrams added, and said decommissioning the committee would lower property values. The committee could be voted out by referendum, but Abrams said he doubted a vote would come out against the committee.

Murphy brought up sidewalks in the village several times, saying sections were impassable after last month's snowstorm.

The village should not "fine" residents unable to shovel, Murphy argued on his campaign's Facebook page.

Abrams took issue with the assertion, saying the fee leveled on residents who do not shovel their sidewalks is not a fine, but is collected to pay a contractor to shovel the sidewalk for them. Residents have 24 hours to shovel after a storm, then are notified and given an additional 48 hours to shovel before the contractor is called, according to Abrams.

The village, which has 5 miles of sidewalks, had requested quotes for clearing them en masse, but the price came back as $60,000-$70,000 a winter.

Abrams said he was going to talk to the surrounding town of Kinderhook to try to come up with a better solution.

The Kinderhook mayoral election is March 15. Votes can be cast at Village Hall from noon until 9 p.m., or residents can vote by absentee ballot.

CORRECTION: Mike Abrams said solar panels on the village firehouse are forthcoming. The water infrastructure grant has been applied for, but the village has yet to hear back.
ALBANY  The volunteers lifted the lids off the pots, and steam carrying the aromas of cumin, caramelized onions and cardamom permeated the air.

In assembly line fashion, the volunteers passed down plastic food containers, plopping spoonfuls of biryani, roasted chicken legs and chickpea salad into one meal, then handing them off to the Afghan refugees waiting in line.

Since Thanksgiving, this has been the scene every Sunday at an Albany hotel where dozens of Afghan refugees have been temporarily housed. As over 350 Afghan evacuees have arrived to Albany since the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August, around 100 volunteers with the Muslim Soup Kitchen Project have been preparing and delivering meals for the refugees in hopes of giving them a taste of comfort and home.

We have the Muslim community here, and we just want to get involved with them, make relations with them and then help them, said Meme Zin, who has been coordinating the weekly effort since its start in November.

About one or two dozen refugees came to the conference room last Sunday to get their meals. Because of the shortage of affordable, quality housing and sudden arrival of the refugees, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants has had to temporarily place them in the hotel as they await for more permanent housing options to open up. But while there were at one point last month more than 50 refugees residing at the hotel, Executive Director Jill Peckenpaugh said 98 percent of the evacuees here have now been moved into apartments.

Bringing food to the hotel, where the families don't have kitchens in their rooms, is a way to make the refugees feel more at home  and while other volunteer groups have done similar efforts, Muslim Soup Kitchen is the only one that has been cooking and delivering food on a weekly basis for months. For many of the volunteers, most of whom came to Albany as refugees themselves from Burma in the early 2000s, they see themselves in the Afghan newcomers arriving in Albany.

In Burma, we had a dictator killing innocent people, said Khin Maung Oo, who is Shen and came to the U.S. in 2001. So we feel what they feel, you know?

Beyond the cause of displacement, Khin Maung Oo is familiar with the challenges that come with being new to a country, and trying to make it home. When he arrived to the U.S., he said, it was an isolating experience for him as a Muslim immigrant  he couldnt find a mosque to pray at, he didnt speak much English initially, he didnt know where to buy halal meat.

I dont want them to suffer like us, he said.

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 foods spread out on the long table were vibrant: a pot of multicolored rice with cashews, raisins and cumin seeds that pop in your mouth; Burmese-style chicken legs stacked on top of each other, marinating in different curries, tomatoes and caramelized onions; a chickpea salad tossed with olive oil and onions, and homemade subs with halal deli meat.

Typically, the volunteers try to cook Afghan dishes, such as the biryani, and go easy on the spice.

Its so that they can feel comfortable, homey, said Rafeena Muthuvappa, a volunteer with the Muslim Soup Kitchen. These people were traveling for how many hours, how many days, how many months? So the least thing we can do for them is cook their food that theyre comfortable with.

For Karimi, who asked the Times Union to withhold his first name to protect his family remaining in Afghanistan, the weekly meals are enjoyable. But all he has been able to think about since he arrived to Albany in January is his family back home  how can he support them financially, how can he ensure their safety, how can he get them to the U.S. with him?

I was the guy who supported my family, I had a salary to support them, the 28-year-old said, who was training to become a pilot fighter for the Afghan military when Kabul fell to the Taliban. Having served in the military, Karim, his brothers and his father are all in danger of being targeted by the Taliban  but hes the only one who has been able to seek safety in the U.S. so far.

Theyre trying to leave, he said, but its hard.
SCHENECTADY  A jury has convicted a man who works as a barber and DJ of second-degree murder in the 2019 hit-and-run of a man who prosecutors said died after the defendant ran him down three times over a stolen wallet.

The panel on Monday also found Ishwarnand Goberdhan, 37, guilty of leaving the scene of an incident resulting in death without reporting, a felony.

On the top murder count, he faces 25 years to life in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for April 26.

Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney said the the video and medical evidence against the defendant in the death of Alejandro Melendez during the early morning hours of Christmas Day 2019 was irrefutable.

"Actions speak louder than words, and notwithstanding Mr. Goberdhan's testimony that he accidentally hit Mr. Melendez, this jury concluded through video and medical evidence that when he struck Mr. Melendez with his car three times, and then ran over him twice, his intent was to kill him," said Carney.

The case was prosecuted by Christina Tremante-Pelham and John Carson.

"The video spoke volumes, the medical completed the story about what happened to him (Melendez) as far as being run over," said Tremante-Pelham.

Defense Attorney Brian Mercy said Monday his client was stoic at hearing the verdict.

"We're disappointed in the verdict, the video evidence here was strong - there was video evidence where two hits were captured on video, and that was obviously very damaging," said Mercy. "We're disappointed the jury didn't see our way, we do plan on an appeal, but Mr. Goberdhan still maintains that he really never set out to hurt anybody."

Prosecutors argued during the trial that it was a case of a life for a wallet, and that Goberdhan struck Melendez, 51, three times, each with more force, and then left him lying dead in the cold as he drove out of the parking lot of a business on State Street.

At trial, Mercy had described the incident as a "tragic accident," arguing during trial that Melendez snatched Goberdhan's wallet as Goberdhan prepared to give him a few bucks as Melendez had requested.

Goberdhan took the stand, telling jurors that only after seeing the footage did he recall hitting Melendez with his wifes Nissan Rogue once in a bid to get him to stop, even though prosecutors contend that he struck the man three times.

The second and third strikes were caught on camera, along with audio of some of the violent encounter.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

After reviewing a surveillance recording in court, Goberdhan acknowledged he hit the man once, but he told jurors he was so overcome with emotion and scared while weeping uncontrollably that he couldn't remember many details.

Goberdhan said Melendez was on the ground mumbling something when he took his wallet back, hopped into the SUV and drove to his home in the nearby Hamilton Hill neighborhood.

The wallet contained the defendant and his daughter's green card and social security cards, as well as a large sum of cash.

Goberdhan said he believed Melendez was still alive and that he didnt call 911 because he said he was scared.

He also testified he went back to the parking lot later in the day, didnt see the mans body and concluded he was alive.

The next day, on Dec. 26, 2019, Goberdhan and his daughter flew to Guyana to visit his ailing father. Goberdhan is from the South American country.

He said it wasnt until he spoke with his wife on the overseas trip that he learned of Melendez's death. Schenectady police were looking for him in connection with a homicide investigation. Goberdhan flew back to the U.S. and was charged with murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene of a fatal motor vehicle crash.
SCHENECTADY  The city is poised to settle with a couple who sued the city and more than a dozen members of the police department  including its future chief  alleging excessive force and false arrest from a 2014 confrontation.

Its a monetary settlement with no admission of liability by the city or any of its officers, said Arthur R. Frost, who represented Ronald and Denise Sheridan. It was a mid-six-figure settlement.

The City Councils Claims Committee discussed the matter in executive session Monday.

Frost said he and his co-counsel, Steven P. Shultz, reached the deal with the city earlier this year.

Its unclear if the approval of the settlement was voted out of committee, which would clear the way for a vote by the full council next Monday. City Corporation Counsel Andrew Koldin did not immediately respond for comment on Tuesday, nor did Claims Committee Chairwoman Carmel Patrick.

A source familiar with the negotiations put the settlement figure at $500,000.

The pending agreement stems from an altercation the Sheridans had with at least 19 plainclothes and uniformed police officers outside their home in 2014.

It named four police officers, including Police Chief Eric Clifford, who was then a lieutenant in the detective division.

Court documents allege that on the afternoon of Sept. 18. 2014, a large group of police officers showed up at the couples Carrie Street residence looking for a man named Joseph Helligis, who police identified as their son.

Police spotted Helligis walking down the street and were able to nab him after a pursuit. Police then returned to the Sheridan home and "physically manipulated" the husband and wife, according to the filing.

It contends that police had no right to take the couple into custody and bring them to the police station because they had not committed a crime.

Police released Denise Sheridan without charging her with anything. Ronald Sheridan was charged with crimes, but the alleged offenses were "ultimately dismissed in the interest of justice," states the civil action, which is accompanied by a video of the encounter that was filmed by a bystander.

Frost said the complaint alleged false arrest, malicious prosecution, deprivation of civil rights and physical injury.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

Clifford declined to comment on Tuesday.

Court papers accuse the police of violating the couple's constitutional rights and roughing them up because of "evil motive or intent and/or with reckless or callous indifference."

The suit also stated that the pair suffered physical and emotional harm from the encounter.

The Sheridans are very relieved the matter is over and they feel fully vindicated for how it was resolved, Frost said.

The pair, he said, plan on leaving the city.

They simply dont want to live under the police authority in Schenectady any longer, Frost said. They dont trust them.
SAND LAKE  State Police are searching for the owner of a dog that was shot, its dead body left near the power lines off Stewart Lane.

Troopers said a community member found the dog on Friday. They describe the dog as an older, neutered male German shorthaired pointer. The dog has brown coloring on its head and rear while the body was mainly white with brown spots. The dog also had a large cyst on its front left paw.
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ALBANY  The Legislature voted Monday to allow voters to request an absentee ballot on the basis of COVID-19 concerns in school district elections this year, even as the latest strain of the coronavirus dwindles across the state.

The state Senate version of the legislation was passed in January amid heightened concerns over the omicron variant. Around the same time, the Legislature agreed to a bill that would allow voters to request absentee ballots because of the pandemic during the general election; Gov. Kathy Hochul swiftly signed that measure.

The Assembly's passage of the school district bill came as Hochul and federal agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been rolling back pandemic-related mandates. Monday morning in Rochester, the governor said the pandemic is in the "past tense" and the state was "on the cusp of entering a whole new era."

Even so, Assembly Democrats said a significant number of New Yorkers remain anxious about contracting the coronavirus at the polls.

"I have to believe that there are some people who appreciate their right to vote but still have not gone back to their church congregation yet because they're still concerned," Assembly Majority Leader Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes, D-Buffalo, said on the chamber floor.

Peoples-Stokes' comments came in response to questions from Rockland County Republican Mike Lawler.

"There has to be an end point and we have to get back to the normal course of action," said Lawler, who touted his own vaccination status and the need for the state to continue to push for increased vaccinations among the public. "But let's stop using this as a bludgeon to change every law we don't like."

Lawler pointed to a ballot proposition from November's election that asked voters if they wanted to permanently allow no-excuse absentee ballot voting. It failed.

"Once again we're showing complete disregard for the will of the voters," Lawler said of the Democratic majority. "This body is once again trying to redefine what an excuse may be."

The sponsor of the legislation, Assemblyman Harry B. Bronson, a Rochester Democrat, said the bill would not create permanent no-excuse absentee ballot voting.

Voter turnout generally increased in New York following the expansion of access to absentee voting during the pandemic in 2020. Good government groups often cite increased turnout as healthy for a democracy. Republican-led states like Florida have long had no-excuse absentee voting as a part of their state's laws.

Lawmakers, most if not all of whom are vaccinated, were generally not wearing masks in the chamber.

The bill now heads to the governor's desk.
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SCHUYLERVILLE  Bound by Fate, a 2-year-old brewery and taproom in the village, has launched Haan Lao, the Capital Region's first restaurant serving cuisine from Laos. It took over the food program in the taproom three weeks ago.

The name Haan Lao translates to "Lao kitchen" or "Lao table," according to Pam Pradachith-Demler, a native of Laos whose husband, Brett Demler, is part of a multigenerational Schuylerville family that launched Bound by Fate with her in February 2020. Pradachith-Demler is the CEO.

"We thought we would grow organically into having a full kitchen and food by year four or five," Pradachith-Demler said, but a pair of factors combined to speed things along. First, with a Schuylerville population of only 1,300 people, the taproom would need to draw from a wide area, and once customers were there, they'd want food as a reason to stay.

Second, Pradachith-Demler's sister is Seng Luangrath, a James Beard-nominated chef in Washington and champion of Lao food. She cooked for a Bound by Fate pop-up event a year ago that Pradachith-Demler describes as a huge success, attracting people from throughout the greater Capital Region, Vermont and even Rochester.

"It was incredible. We didn't know if Schuylerville would be ready for our food, but everyone was so enthusiastic," said Pradachith-Demler. "We needed a full kitchen, and we wanted to do Lao food,"

Her nephew Boby Pradachith, Luangrath's son, is a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef and director of operations for his mother's restaurant company. He offered to be the founding chef of Haan Lao, visiting regularly in recent months to create the menu and train staff.

"The food is going to be so unfamiliar to most people that the staff has to be ambassadors," Pradachith-Demler said.

Working alongside Pradachith for the past five weeks has been Timothy Wooster, who is the head chef of Haan Lao after spending time during last year's culinary transformation of Jack's Oyster House in Albany as sous chef.

Wooster and Pradachith-Demler describe Lao food as similar to the cuisine in neighboring Vietnam and Thailand, but with stronger, more pungent savory flavors. Among the items on the small menu are chuenh mun falang (french fries with a salt flavored with tamarind and dried shrimp), chuenh muu (citrus-brined pork belly, spicy tamarind sauce, Fuji apple and serrano chile), chicken wings glazed with fish sauce, gaeng phet (curry stew with a choice of chicken, brisket, shrimp or tofu and mushrooms) and roasted chicken with spicy tamarind sauce, shallots, cilantro, cucumber and coconut rice.

"It's still chicken and rice, but it's with our flavors, and they're unique in this region," said Wooster.

He and Pradachith-Demler said Lao food pairs well with beer.

Said Pradachith-Demler, "It's food we want to eat with beer we want to drink, and we want to share it with people."

Haan Lao serves from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday to Friday, noon to 8 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, with the bar staying open an hour later. After the restaurant's grand opening on March 24, Sunday hours will be extended. Call or 518-507-6246 visit boundbyfatebrewing.com. Haan Lao and the taproom are at 31 Ferry St.
Families of healthcare workers who died of Covid-19 during the pandemic are to receive a 100,000 payment.

The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly confirmed Government approval for the scheme to make a tax-free payment of 100,000 to the estate of any healthcare worker who has died having contracted Covid-19 in the course of their work.

All healthcare workers who were designated essential during the first phases of the pandemic will be included.

This includes GPs and others working in primary care, including administrative staff. It also includes disability services staff, private staff in nursing homes and throughout the healthcare system.

This payment is in addition to any other arrangements a person may have in place or benefit that may be payable on death and does not impact their legal rights. It will be made in addition to any other benefit that may be payable and will be open to the families of workers from across the healthcare system who have passed away.

The Department of Health is working with Pobal, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), and other relevant parties to put in place a straightforward application process for impacted families.

In developing this scheme, consideration was given to the arrangements that are in place in other countries, including the NHS and Social Care Coronavirus Life Assurance Scheme 2020, which makes a payment of 60,000 to families in similar circumstances.

Minister Donnelly said: When this pandemic began, there were no vaccines, and our understanding of Covid-19 was limited. Nevertheless, we had to ask healthcare workers to come to work in workplaces where we knew Covid was present. They were required to assume an unknown level of risk in their work, a level that had not existed before, and they took on that risk. The Government has already taken steps to recognise this phenomenal dedication; but in a small number of cases, the worst happened, and something more is appropriate.

Many healthcare workers contracted Covid-19 (over 39,000 according to the HPSC). Most of those cases were reported in the most recent waves of infection, and, thankfully, vaccinations have meant that the vast majority of people recovered. Unfortunately, a small number of healthcare workers contracted Covid-19 in work and sadly passed away.

Since the first death occurred, this has been of significant concern to myself and my colleagues in Government and I am now putting in place this scheme to try to alleviate any short-term financial hardship the families of healthcare worker who lost their lives may be suffering; and as a gesture of further recognition on behalf of the people of Ireland.

This payment is in addition to any other arrangements a person may have in place, for example HSE employees may be entitled to an Injury Grant based on a multiple of salary.

Minister Donnelly said: I am keenly aware of tragic cases where families have been left without any income, for example where a worker was a locum or temporary worker. This payment will mean that these families will have some support from the state to provide for their needs and serves as an acknowledgement of our debt of gratitude to the extraordinary sacrifices their loved ones made to protect others.
The Sinn Fein leader is calling on the Taoiseach to reduce excise duty on fuel to combat "spiralling" price increases caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Deputy Mary Lou McDonald made the call during Leaders' Questions in the Dail, and said the government should introduce the measure "as a matter of urgency".

She said, "The price of energy and fuel has soared over the last year and prices have risen even more rapidly following the criminal Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has resulted in an unprecedented interruption in the global energy market.

The cost of petrol at the pumps has gone up by 70 cents (58p) a litre since January of last year and we are now at a point where many people can no longer afford to put fuel in their car to get to work.

In that same timescale, the price of home heating oil has doubled and households are now being charged more than 700 euros (580) for a half-fill of oil. Families now struggle to keep their homes warm. I know that many people are layering up with clothes, some are just heating one room or not heating their home at all.

These fuel cost hikes are not sustainable for any worker or any family or small businesses. People are already hammered by extortionate rents, unaffordable house prices and ever rising costs of insurance and childcare.

It seems you are not ready to take action this week to reduce the cost of fuel.

She added: The government needs to cut the price of petrol and diesel through an immediate reduction in excise duty. At the pumps, we can get prices down by 25 cents (21p) per litre immediately by cutting excise duty immediately.

The spiralling cost of home heating oil could be cushioned with the immediate removal of excise duty.

These measures need to be introduced now as a matter of urgency.

I am asking that the Government does this now so that people will see an instant price reduction at the pumps and in their home oil bills by midnight.

In response, Taoiseach Micheal Martin said the government was actively considering how it can help those struggling with energy costs.

Mr Martin said: Prior to the war, we already had significant increases in fuel prices. There is no question that the war on Ukraine is going to increase further the escalation of fuel prices.

The Government is acutely aware of this issue. We dont argue that the impacts on people are not sustainable at the rates that these increases are occurring because Russias systemic role in energy supply will have significant impact on prices.

I can say that there is an EU Commission paper on this emerging, hopefully within the next day or two. Also, the Government is giving this very active consideration.

Mrs McDonald told the Taoiseach that the crisis is now.

She said she is well aware that the EU Commission is bringing forward proposals but said: I am asking again that a financial resolution be brought before the Dail this week, tonight or tomorrow night, that will have the effect of reducing excise on petrol and diesel and removing excess from home heating oil. I am asking you to do this now.

The Taoiseach responded: Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, the Government has been very actively considering the response to the crisis.

The impact of the war will be very serious and significant for all nations across the European continent and will be a long haul in terms of our response to it.

What we would normally do, in normal times, will no longer be the approach we will have to take as a society.

The Government is keeping this under very active consideration and will be responding once that consideration has concluded.
In this quick post we chronicle the aftermath of local murder scenes, alleged misdeeds and other stories involving police and courts from across the metro.



Check TKC news gathering . . .



KCPD looking for armed suspect in Family Dollar attempted robbery KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City Police Department is looking for an armed burglar who fire a shot inside the Family Dollar on Meyer Boulevard on March 1. KCPD posted a video of the incident that took place at about 8 p.m.

KCPD: Man kills alleged intruder at Northland apartment complex SOURCE: KMBC Kansas City, Missouri police say a man killed a person who he says was an armed intruder inside his Northland apartment Sunday morning. The apartments are on Northwest 85th Terrace off Northwest Barry Road and Green Hills Road.

Blue Springs man charged with fatally shooting friend last Thursday KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A man has been charged in connection with a fatal shooting that happened inside a house in Blue Springs last Thursday. According to the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office, 43-year-old Jared M. Bailey has been charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action.

Man dies in Monday afternoon Kansas City, Kansas, shooting KANSAS CITY, Mo. - One man is dead and a woman is in jail after a Monday afternoon shooting in Kansas City, Kansas. Police said they found the man with gunshot wounds just before 3 p.m. inside a vehicle in the 3800 block of Leavenworth Road. He died later at a hospital.

Man pleads guilty after being caught smuggling meth on a bus in Kansas City KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A California man has pleaded guilty after he was caught with a large amount of meth on a bus in 2019. According to court documents, 63-year-old Gary Aquerrebere plead guilty Monday to one count of possessing meth with the intent to distribute.

Belton man charged with kidnapping in Raytown AMBER Alert RAYTOWN, Mo. - A Belton, Missouri man is charged with child kidnapping after he stole a vehicle at a Raytown gas station with a 2-year-old inside. Robert Mitchell, 34, faces a count of child kidnapping and one count of stealing a motor vehicle in an incident that prompted an AMBER Alert on Monday, March 7.

How Kansans can address racial equity in their criminal justice system - Kansas Reflector The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Tiffany Anderson, superintendent of Topeka USD 501, and Shannon Portillo, associate dean and professor at the University of Kansas, served as co-chairs of the Governor's Commission [...]

Missouri considers plan to make drunken drivers pay child support JEFFERSON CITY - A Jefferson County woman whose family members died in an alleged drunken driving crash called on state lawmakers Monday to help children who lose parents in similar circumstances. In tearful testimony before the House Crime Prevention Committee, Cecilia Williams called for the passage of "Bentley's Law," which would require drunken drivers to pay child support if they kill the parents of a minor.

Isolation in places like rural Kansas can leave women more vulnerable to violence HAYS, Kansas - For women in abusive relationships, taking that first step to leave is often distressing enough. Now imagine facing that decision in a sparsely populated part of western Kansas where you're miles from the nearest neighbor and hours from the nearest help.

Kansas City man charged after Sunday fatal shooting KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Kansas City man has been charged after a Sunday afternoon shooting left one dead and one injured at 29th Street and Montgall Avenue. Brandon Bowman, 21, faces felony charges of second degree murder, first degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and three counts of armed criminal action.

Prescription drugs stolen from CVS in Gladstone, police looking for suspect KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The authorities are looking for a man who stole from a CVS pharmacy in Gladstone on Monday morning. According to the Gladstone Police Department, the suspect entered the store at 7107 N. Oak Trafficway just after 11 a.m.

Anonymous donors step up to help pay the funeral expenses of Kansas City crime victims Amapola Garcia's son, Carlos, was 16 when he was shot and killed in Kansas City, Kansas - just three days before Christmas. Carlos was on the steps of his grandmother's porch near 27th and Parallel when four men in a black car drove by and shot him.

'I'm innocent!' Desperate pleas in fatal arson that killed 6 KC firefighters in 1988 KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - There are some undisputed facts about what happened the morning of Nov. 29, 1988. Firefighters were called to a construction site at 71 Highway and 87th Street and found two separate fires. Six firefighters were killed instantly when the trailers exploded. The cause of the fires was ruled "arson."

Developing . . .
Right now hottie Lindsey reminds us to pay tribute to her body of work and women everywhere who struggle to make career progress.

Accordingly, we share info regarding pop culture, community news and top headlines.



Check-it . . .

Cowtown Equity Celebration

Current celebrate International Women's Day by crossing arms KANSAS CITY, Kan. - The Kansas City Current are joining in the celebration of International Women's Day with a campaign to "Break the Bias". The new campaign features images of players crossing their arms to show solidarity against stereotypes and discrimination of women.

Local Irish Comeback

Kansas City St. Patrick's Day Parade returns after 2-year hiatus A long-standing Kansas City tradition will return after a two-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 48th annual Kansas City St. Patrick's Day Parade will begin at 11 a.m. on Thursday, March 17, at West 33rd Street and Broadway Boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri.

Second Look At Vaporware

Plans Unveiled for Kansas-Missouri Bi-State Transit Corridor in the USA A group of Kansas and Missouri local elected officials including Emanuel Cleaver and Sharice Davids, along with Mayors Eileen Weir and Tyrone Garner, recently announced plans for the construction of a 24-mile Kansas-Missouri Bi-State transit corridor.

Building Community

KC Black-owned lumber yard honors loved one, revitalizes city's east side KANSAS CITY, Mo. - For decades, Deloris Henderson got his building materials from Albert Tamm Lumber Company to rehab and remodel homes. "I've been coming here because friendly people and the lumber is pretty good," Henderson said. "You can buy lumber right here in your neighborhood."

Start The Party NOW!!!

St. Patrick's Day celebrations underway in KC KANSAS CITY, Mo. - There's no reason to wait until March 17 to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. The party is already underway, with even more events scheduled over the coming week. Shenanigans Popup Bar Shenanigans opened in Lee's Summit Friday night. The bar is open Wednesdays and Thursdays 5-10 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 5 p.m.

Lindsey Fashions Hotness

Model Lindsey Pelas channels Pamela Anderson while wearing white, strapless monokini in Malibu photo shoot Lindsey Pelas took being a doppelganger to a whole new level. The sexy model, 30, recently embodied Pamela Anderson when she wore a tiny white monokini during a photoshoot on the beach and she couldn't have looked more like 90's Baywatch star.

Prez Champions Ladies First

Biden announces $2.6B request to promote gender equity on International Women's Day President Biden on Tuesday announced he will ask Congress for "$2.6 billion for foreign aid programs that promote gender equity worldwide, more than double the size of last year's request," The Associated Press reports. News of the president's planned request conveniently arrived on International Women's Day, "which is set aside to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women around the world."

CUTTING OFF VLAD!!!

Biden to announce ban on US imports of Russian oil President Biden is expected to announce a ban on Russian oil imports to the U.S. on Tuesday morning amid bipartisan pressure, FOX Business has learned, as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine for a thirteenth day.

MAGA 'Perfect Call' In Retrospect

Russia's invasion puts a new light on Trump's Ukraine pressure campaign subscribe to The NPR Politics Podcast podcast A " perfect" call, it was not. Then-President Donald Trump was withholding hundreds of millions of dollars in aid for Ukraine's defense as he was asking its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to investigate Trump's potential 2020 rival, Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter Biden.

Capitol Riot Consequences Cont'd

Proud Boys leader indicted on conspiracy charge over Jan. 6 A federal grand jury on Tuesday indicted the leader of the right-wing Proud Boys on a conspiracy charge stemming from the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, the Justice Department announced. Enrique Tarrio, 38, was arrested in Miami for conspiring to obstruct an official proceeding, a felony charge that federal prosecutors have brought against hundreds of Capitol riot defendants and carries a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison.

European Walking Papers

Ukraine refugees fleeing Russian invasion reaches 2 million, UN says As the Russian invasion of Ukraine stretched into its 13th day on Tuesday, the number of refugees fleeing to neighboring countries has reached at least 2 million, according to the United Nations. Safa Msehli, a spokeswoman for the U.N.'s International Organization for Migration, tweeted that 2 million people have now fled, including at least 100,000 people who are not Ukrainian.

Far East Directive

China's Xi calls for 'maximum restraint' in Ukraine BEIJING, March 8 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for "maximum restraint" in Ukraine and said China is "pained to see the flames of war reignited in Europe," state media reported, in his strongest statement to date on the conflict.

COVID STILL KILLS!!!

U.S. far from normal with Covid deaths 10 times higher than seasonal respiratory viruses, report says The U.S. has a long way to go before the pandemic is over and life returns to semblance of normalcy as deaths from Covid-19 remain far higher than seasonal respiratory viruses such as the flu, a group of health experts said on Monday.

Boozy Switcheroo

Stolichnaya Vodka rebrands as 'Stoli,' trying to distance itself from Putin As many people around the world move to boycott Russian products, one of the most iconic vodka brands will be officially changing its name. The company that owns Stolichnaya vodka announced that it is officially adopting the drink's unofficial nickname, and will now brand the vodka as Stoli.

Cup Runneth Over

I was forced to fork out 6k for breast op after 32K boobs made me 'overweight' A WOMAN says she was forced to fork out 6,000 for a private breast reduction after the NHS said she was too overweight - despite being a size 8. Emily Legge, 23, from Cardiff suffered from agonising back and shoulder pain from her huge 32K boobs since she was 15.

MLB Strike Guide Revisited

A history of shortened Royals seasons Owners have drawn another line in the sand, saying that if a deal isn't done by today, there is no possibility of a 162-game schedule (although to be honest, I thought that's what they said last week!) If games are canceled for good, it wouldn't be the first time we've seen a truncated Royals schedule.

Funny Man Also Helps People

Comedian Yakov Smirnoff and wife work to help family, friends in Ukraine BRANSON, Mo. - If you've been to Branson, Missouri you may know the name Yakov Smirnoff. He's been in movies, television, on Broadway and is also from Ukraine. Some of his family has fled from the country and others are still there. He's known for his catchphrase "What a country!"

Meth Town Lucky Bastard Shares His Origin Story

'Babe, I won $2 million': Man buys lottery ticket in Independence, wins top prize The Missouri Lottery said a man has won a $2 million Scratchers prize.Lottery officials said the man bought the winning "24K Gold" ticket at QuikTrip at 11201 East Truman Road in Independence, and scratched it off in the car while talking on the phone to his wife."I was sitting in the car, and I just go, 'Babe, I won $2 million,'" he said.

Kansas City Beer Reexamined

Carolator | Kansas City Bier Company Every year since the brewery opened in 2014, Kansas City Bier Company has brewed a Doppelbock in the winter to be blessed and released around the time of Lent, following Bavarian brewing traditions established in the 1600s. The bier was called Blessed Doppelbock, as it was brewed and then blessed by a local priest for the Lent season.

Slight Warmup Today

Warmer Today, Chance For More Snow Thursday Sunshine this morning with increasing afternoon clouds. High 44. Scattered clouds Wednesday morning with a cloudy sky Wednesday afternoon. High 43. Accumulating snow is becoming more likely Wednesday night through at least Thursday evening. Cold and blustery. High 29. Additional round of light, accumulating snow possible Thursday night especially southeast of Kansas City.

Lesley Gore - You Don't Own Me is the International Woman's Day song of the day and this is the OPEN THREAD for right now.
From the comfort of a home offices or a sad P.O. box on the Country Club Plaza, today the Kansas City Star took aim at an officer who many people are calling a hero.

To wit . . .

THE KANSAS CITY STAR REVEALS A STUNNING HATRED FOR POLICE WITH AN EDITORIAL SCREED THAT QUESTIONS THE HEROICS OF AN OLATHE EAST OFFICER!!!

Apparently, they're waiting for student mobile phone video and some rhetorical acrobatics that will blame everybody besides the adult shooter who has been charged with attempted capital murder.

Here's the crux of their argument . . .



"But we still dont know all that happened in the moments before Olathe Officer Erik Clark shot Jaylon Elmore, whod allegedly produced a gun in the school office where Assistant Principal Kaleb Stoppel was also shot.



"Were waiting for the completion of the official investigation into the incident and exchange of gunfire. Did the officer prevent another mass school shooting, or was this something else?"

In fairness, here's a more serious response in the aftermath of the crisis from a suburban law enforcement police leader . . .

It was a textbook response with the absolute maximum desired result, short of the fact that three people were shot said former Overland Park Police Chief Jon Douglass.



But no matter how you prepare the challenges of an active shooter are difficult to handle.



If you have an active shooter, multiple jurisdictions often respond and that gives a substantial immediate impact, and enough people to do the job, Douglass said.



The suspected shooter detained, the threat, neutralized and the district's multifaced plan did what it was supposed to do, that according to Douglass.



We have massive responses and going straight to the source and no fooling around whoever gets there first goes right to find them because an active shooter in a school is a killing machine, he said.



The public needs to stop and take pause for a minute, and recognize the heroism of the admitted school administrators and teachers and the police officers who respond to these things, Douglass said.



Accordingly . . .

If or when the Star chooses to give credit where it's due, it'll be far too late. Today's screed was an insult to so many people across partisan lines who believe that school shootings are of the utmost concern given that EVERYONE wants to keep students safe.



Honestly, this missive from the fading daily newspaper isn't even a good troll.

Defending a school shooter and raising suspicions about the bravery of an officer is pretty much the bottom of the barrel and the lowest that any pundit could go.

If this rant came from anyone else, the offending social media account would likely be in suspended.

Still, we want to keep a serious subject as light as possible because we're really just discussing the decline of metro journalism.

Something to consider for a laugh . . .



THE KANSAS CITY STAR BELONGS IN FACEBOOK JAIL!!!

Meanwhile . . .

Adults are talking about new gun tech, better protections for youngsters and, yes, community praise for an officer who saved lives - A fact that contradicts so much culture war anti-police hatred.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Is Olathe school officer who shot student a hero? Maybe, but it's too soon to know OPINION AND COMMENTARY The school resource officer who shot an Olathe East High School student with a gun last Friday has been heralded as a hero, and that might be exactly right. But we still don't know all that happened in the moments before Olathe Officer Erik Clark shot Jaylon Elmore, who'd allegedly produced a gun in the school office where Assistant Principal Kaleb Stoppel was also shot.

Further reading . .

Experts say security measures worked in Olathe East shooting OLATHE, Kan. - Days after the shooting at Olathe east High School there is the burning question: How could this have been prevented? One option being talked about, medal detectors, this after Olathe schools reconfigured entrances to tighten security.

District attorney says Olathe East High School shooting suspect reportedly used 'ghost gun' The Johnson County, Kansas, district attorney says that the gun used by the suspect in Friday's Olathe East High School shooting was a ghost gun. County DA Steve Howe said incidents involving the nearly untraceable weapons are becoming more common in Johnson County. "This is the second (shooting) in a week where it's a ghost gun.

What is a 'ghost gun?' What experts say about weapon used in Olathe East shooting OLATHE, Kan. - What is a ghost gun? The ATF said they're guns that lack serial numbers to identify them, and they are typically assembled by the user. Law enforcement and AFT agents are concerned as companies send people - sometimes with little experience or ill intent - kits to put together these ghost guns.

Former Kansas Attorney General Morrison to represent suspect in Olathe East school shooting The suspect in the Olathe East school shooting remains in critical condition and was not able to attend his first hearing Monday on a charge of attempted capital murder. Paul Morrison, now in private practice in Olathe, has been appointed to represent him.

Parents talk increased security measures in Olathe schools following shooting OLATHE, Kan. - After a shooting rocked the Olathe community last week , conversations are now turning toward what they can do next to prevent this from happening again. KSHB 41 News talked to one dad who says he's always felt his kids were safe, but there is always room for improvement.

You decide . . .
Okay, so maybe a long-ago, local, all-lady enclave isn't as sexy as iconic celeb photographs.

However . . .

That doesn't mean it's not important.



Here's the story and a promo for upcoming documentary that hopes to garner tens of viewers . . .



Some depictions of Womontown describe an idyllic place. It was a community inhabited by womyn-loving-womyn along with other residents such as elderly single people, young families of color, and hospice patients, according to one out-of-town visitor in 1995.



Other representations paint a different picture. Some claim Womontown was a lesbian separatist community that rejected all contact with men. One person left Womontown because I didnt feel comfortable in a place that didn't consider my son a first-class citizen, according to a 1994 Kansas City Star feature on the community.



In the documentary, former resident Barbara Lea laughs off such allegations. The rumor went around  that we were separatists, says Lea. I never thought that word was so bad until I started hearing it from these gay men who said we were separatists in the neighborhood. Like, so what, we got this little tiny piece of the world? And we don't like to be around men too much.



Despite the feeling of community, Womontowns heyday only lasted several years. Eventually, the duties of running the community became overwhelming.

Spoiler alert . . .

It all ends with a developer cashing in and charging some naive hipster couple $300K to live in a drafty house.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link . . .
Brevard, NC (28712)

Today

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Tonight

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Johnstown, PA (15901)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain, some heavy early. Low 57F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch..

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Tribune-Star/David Kronke Ivy Tech President Sue Ellspermann, Ivy Tech Terre Haute Chancellor Lea Anne Crooks, Union Health Foundation Executive Director Joel Harbaugh and Steve Holman, president and chief executive officer for Union Health, appeared Tuesday at the first event held at Union Health Hospital since February of 2020. Union Health Foundation gave Ivy Tech Terre Haute $1 million to expand its School of Nursing. It is the largest gift in the school's history.
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The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) released a video with a Russian POW who stated that the Russian army had a direct instruction to shoot civilians in Ukraine.

"The Russian Army has a direct instruction to shoot civilians in Ukraine. The same carte blanche  to shoot Russian military, who refuses to kill women and children. One of the Russian invaders, who was shot dead by his fellow soldiers, speaks about this on video taken by SBU, the SBU press service informed on Telegram.

It is noted that on the first day of the war, the column of this invader was ordered to encircle Kharkiv, and that all civilians who tried to leave were shot. "But when Ukrainian security forces arrived on the scene and a fight broke out, two Russians came to the aid of the wounded woman. Their colleagues did not appreciate such a manifestation of humanity and opened fire on their fellow soldiers. A woman and an officer were killed, and a soldier on video was wounded in the legs. And he survived, because he was taken away by the daughter of the murdered Ukrainian woman," the special services informed.

The SBU notes that this man is an important witness to the atrocities of the invaders, which are documented by SBU investigators and will be brought to court

"Retribution for the war in Ukraine is inevitable! And our victory is just as inevitable! Glory to Ukraine," the SBU added.

The war against Russian invaders has been going on in Ukraine since February 24.

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Major General Vitaliy Gerasimov, Chief of Staff of Russias 41st army, was killed in action on the outskirts of Kharkiv, a major city in Ukraines east that is being attacked by Russian invaders.

Thats according to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Ukrinform reports citing the agencys press service.

"Another loss among the invading armys senior command. During a battle near Kharkiv, Vitaly Gerasimov, a Russian senior military commander, major general, chief of staff and first deputy commander of the 41st army of Russias Central Military District, was killed. A number of other Russian senior officers were also killed and wounded," the statement said.

It is noted that Vitaly Gerasimov took part in the second Chechen war and Russias military operation in Syria. He is also known to have received from the government a medal of the return of Crimea."

Intercepted calls also proved significant issues with communication among the invading army units, as well as with the evacuation of their defeated forces.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has signed a decree on recalling Ukrainian peacekeepers from across the world, along with their weapons and hardware, to strengthen the Ukrainian Army in repelling Russian aggression.

The photo of the relevant decree was published by Deputy Head of the Presidents Office Andriy Sybiha on Facebook, Ukrinform reports.

"President of Ukraine V. Zelensky has decided to recall Ukrainian peacekeepers, highly professional soldiers, from all missions around the world, along with their hardware, to strengthen our Army now in response to Russian aggression," Sybiha said.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine and launched a large-scale invasion. Russian troops have been killing civilians, shelling and destroying key infrastructure, and their missiles have been hitting Ukrainian households.

Martial law was imposed in Ukraine and general mobilization was announced.
In the Sumy region, the Ukrainian Armed Forces stopped four columns of enemy vehicles using Bayraktar combat drones.

The head of the Sumy regional military administration, Dmytro Zhyvytskyi, published photos of the destroyed columns of the Russian military equipment on Telegram.

"Whoever came to our land with the war will die on it! This is what the columns of enemy equipment destroyed by a Bayraktar drone look like. Glory to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and all those involved!" Zhyvytskyi wrote.

According to him, the region received support from the Armed Forces of Ukraine last night in the form of bombing by Bayraktars. As a result, four large columns of armored vehicles moving through the region, most of them moving towards Sumy, were stopped.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops have been shelling and destroying key infrastructure and residential areas of Ukrainian cities and villages using artillery, multiple launch rocket systems and ballistic missiles.

Martial law was imposed in Ukraine and general mobilization was announced.

Ukraine filed a lawsuit against the Russian Federation to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
In the city of Mariupol, for the first time in decades, perhaps for the first time since World War 2, a child died of dehydration as a result of a humanitarian catastrophe.

Thats according to President Volodymyr Zelensky, who shared the tragic news in a video address on March 8, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"Mariupol is a peaceful and hard-working city without any internal malice. It was surrounded and blocked. It is being deliberately exhausted, deliberately tortured. The occupiers are deliberately cutting off communications. They have deliberately blocked food supply, water supply, and electricity. For the first time in decades, apparently, since the Nazi invasion, a child has died of dehydration in Mariupol," the head of state said.

Read also: Invaders once again thwart evacuation of civilians from Mariupol

He went on to address international partners: "Hear me out today, dear partners! A child died of dehydration in 2022!"

As Ukrinform reported earlier, as of March 8, defenders of Mariupol are holding back the enemy's attempts to break into the city. Electricity, water, and gas supplies have been disupted, and communications  cut off.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine and launched a large-scale invasion. Russian troops have been killing civilians, shelling and destroying key infrastructure, and their missiles have been hitting Ukrainian households.

Martial law was imposed in Ukraine and general mobilization was announced.
The International Committee of the Red Cross prohibits the use of its emblem on vehicles carrying out humanitarian missions in Ukraine.

This was announced by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in a video address March 8, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"We have seen concrete consent of the Russian side to set up an evacuation corridor from the city of Sumy - not just for our people but for hundreds of foreigners, citizens of India, China These are students. I was told that the Red Cross, the International Red Cross, prohibits us from using the emblem on the vehicles carrying out humanitarian missions. The Red Cross prohibits this as if it is their property. And this is significant. This says a lot. That some people, very influential people, have decided to put a cross on Ukrainians. But I shall not allow this. We shall not allow this," Zelensky said.

Read also: Invaders once again thwart evacuation of civilians from Mariupol

As Ukrinform reported, On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine and launched a large-scale invasion. Russian troops have been killing civilians, shelling and destroying key infrastructure, and their missiles have been hitting Ukrainian households.

Martial law was imposed in Ukraine and general mobilization was announced.

Ukraine formally filed a lawsuit against Russia with the UN ICC in The Hague.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has issued a statement on the shelling of foreign diplomatic missions in Ukraine by the armed forces of Russia.

MFA Ukraine strongly condemns the shelling of the premises of foreign diplomatic missions in Ukraine by the Russian armed forces, Ukrinform reports.

As a result of the Russian armys rocket and bomb strikes in Mariupol, the building housing the Greek Consulate General and the office of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission was damaged, and so were the premises of the honorary consulates of Slovenia, Azerbaijan, and Albania in Kharkiv, diplomats recall.

Russia's armed attack on the premises of diplomatic missions is a gross violation of international humanitarian law, the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic and Consular Relations, MFA explains.

We call on the international community to condemn Russia for the barbaric shelling of civilian objects in Ukraine, which kills and injures civilians, including children, the statement reads.

The Ukrainian side will add the facts of the destruction of the premises of foreign diplomatic missions on the territory of Ukraine to the lawsuits filed against Russia with international courts in order to bring Russia to maximum responsibility for its crimes.
The United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Canada will continue to provide defence support to Ukraine to repel the Russian invasion.

We call on the international community to stand by Ukraines right to self-defence and to respond to calls by Ukraine to strengthen its capabilities to defend itself. We will continue to do so and are bringing in further packages of defence support to Ukraine, reads the trilateral statement.

The three countries also pledged to tighten sanctions against Russia over its military invasion. We have also worked with partners to bring in an unprecedented package of purposeful and punitive sanctions to isolate Russias economy and will continue to impose severe costs on Russia given this unconscionable attack, the document says.

On Monday, March 7, Canada announced it would expand sanctions against Russia by imposing restrictive measures against Kremlin propagandists and other supporters of the Putin regime.

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Lithuania, Poland, Estonia and Germany have launched an investigation into the Russian Federation's war crimes.

Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova wrote this on Twitter, Ukrinform reports.

Four European countries are already investigating Russian war crimes. Thank you Lithuania, Poland, Estonia and Germany, she wrote.

Venediktova noted that the world coalition is growing daily. Together we will be victorious on legal fronts! she stressed.

As reported, on February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine and launched a large-scale invasion. Russian troops have been shelling and destroying key infrastructure. Missiles hit residential buildings.

Martial law was imposed in Ukraine and general mobilization was announced.

Ukraine officially filed a lawsuit against the Russian Federation with the UN International Court of Justice in The Hague.

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The United States is banning Russian oil and gas imports to the U.S. market.

U.S. President Joe Biden said this in his address from the White House on Tuesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

Today I am announcing the United States is targeting the main artery of Russia's economy. We're banning all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy," Biden said in remarks on further measures to bring Russia to justice for its unprovoked and unjustified war in Ukraine.

He specified that Russian oil will no longer be acceptable at U.S. ports and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putin's war machine."

Biden stressed that despite the negative consequences for the American economy itself, this decision was made with strong bipartisan support from the U.S. Congress and the country as a whole, as America will not stand aside and will continue to support Ukraine.

In addition, he said, the U.S. decision was discussed with allies and partners, particularly in Europe.

On February 24, Russia declared war on Ukraine and launched a large-scale invasion.

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The humanitarian convoy delivering aid for the city of Mariupol has come under fire from Russias Grad multiple rocket launcher systems.

The relevant statement was made by Advisor to Mariupol Mayor Petro Andriushchenko on his Facebook page, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

We have come under targeted fire from Russias Grad systems. All of us are alive; goods have not been damaged. Delivering goods to a safe parking, Andriushchenko noted.

In his words, the Red Cross office has been also bombarded today, and this does not seem to be a coincidence.

The destination of the humanitarian convoy has been kept secret intentionally. Thus, the occupiers logically assumed it would go to the Red Cross warehouses, Andriushchenko wrote.

In his words, there is a big team, from the head of Donetsk Regional Military Administration to people who attempt to deliver goods bypassing the Russian occupiers, working to provide the city with humanitarian aid.

Unfortunately, our damaged infrastructure makes transportation complicated. But we are not losing hope, Andriushchenko added.

A reminder that Ukraines humanitarian convoy has been shelled by Russian invaders for three days in a row.

According to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories Iryna Vereshchuk, on March 9, 2022, the Ukrainian side will again request that Russian invaders open a humanitarian corridor between Mariupol and Zaporizhzhia. Ukraine is attempting to deliver 90 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Mariupol residents, including water, drugs and food products.

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Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba announced an embargo on Russian oil and gas to be imposed by foreign governments, which so far do not include European nations, as they are yet to find alternative energy sources.

This was stated by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, in a video report on Facebook, Ukrinform reports.

"It will be there, but so far without Europeans. Europeans have not found an alternative. We will now be closely monitoring this. If we see that they are really looking for an alternative to Russian gas and oil and just need some time, that's one thing. We will treat this with understanding," he said.

At the same time, the head of Ukrainian diplomacy noted that if MFA Ukraine sees that "they are simply finding an excuse and have no real plans for any replacement, then we will have a serious problem on the diplomatic front on this issue."

Kuleba also stressed that there are several other extremely powerful sanctions that nothing prevents Europeans from adopting, and Kyiv is now insisting that they introduce them immediately.

The Minister stressed that, if they refuse to adopt them, it will be a clear signal of fatigue on the part of certain nations Europe from fighting off Russian aggression.

"But I do not want to underestimate the decisions already made by the European Union since the launch of Russia's aggression. They are powerful, they are unprecedented, and they are systematic. We are grateful for that, but the war goes on, so new decisions need to be made," the Foreign Minister stressed.

According to sources, the United States is looking into imposing an embargo on Russian oil imports without the participation of European allies.
 UNHCR

We have passed the shocking milestone of 2 million refugees fleeing Ukraine in just 12 days, mainly into five neighbouring countries. Over half are fleeing to Poland alone.

After five days on the ground in the region - meeting refugees, humanitarian workers, local responders and Governments  while I am heartened by the welcome shown, I am deeply saddened for Ukraine and its people.

At the borders I saw an exodus of people, mostly women and children, along with older refugees and people with disabilities. They arrived shocked and deeply impacted by the violence and their arduous journeys to safety. Families have been senselessly ripped apart. Tragically, unless the war is stopped, the same will be true for many more.

The response by Europe has been remarkable. The EUs temporary protection directive offers the refugees security and options, a chance for stability during a time of great upheaval.

Poland has received over 1.2 million refugees. Both the Polish Government and local communities have mounted a commendable, well-organized welcome. The same can be said for both the Republic of Moldova and Romania, which I visited during my mission, as well as other neighbouring countries, which have generously kept their borders open. At the borders with Ukraine, I saw an unmatched outpouring of spontaneous solidarity by communities and humanitarians from across each country: local responders were busy, mountains of donations had been built, all effectively organized by border guards, local authorities and communities.

UNHCR has also ramped up its response, supporting the coordination of the humanitarian response, as well as deploying scores of experts and tens of millions of dollars of aid to support governments response through the provision of material and cash assistance. We have also reinforced our protection teams to address the needs of women and children, about whom we are particularly concerned.

It is, however, imperative that the international community steps up to provide much more support for the refugee response and for host communities, particularly in Moldova. All European states must continue to show generosity. Other countries, beyond Europe, also have an important role to play to help people in need and share the international responsibility for millions of refugees.

Yet behind the warm welcome lies despair and unimaginable suffering. The refugees who have crossed are safe from the violence, but none were spared huge loss and trauma. Behind the monolithic statistics are 2 million stories of separation, anguish, and loss.

With regard to reports of unacceptable discrimination of people fleeing Ukraine, I raised my concerns with relevant authorities as any acts of discrimination or racism must be condemned and all people must be protected. All authorities fully agreed and have given assurances, at the highest of levels of government as well as from those operating on the ground, that states are not and will not discriminate or turn away people fleeing Ukraine.

Inside Ukraine the picture is shocking. People are on the move or sheltering from the brutal war as best they can. Teams from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, along with our local partners are delivering aid where and when they can but access is restricted and unsafe. With the ICRC, the UN is trying to negotiate safe passages, but to do that we need the guns to fall silent.

BROLL links

Released March 8, 2022 (Poland) https://media.unhcr.org/Share/fvtc415v2153bp56qa5tq0nb8fw07700

Released March 4, 2022 (Romania & Moldova) https://media.unhcr.org/Share/7uny6m17045t0udt076p8m018tbx6bv3

For further information, please contact:
Things were looking bleak for Vicenta Gonzalez, the 73-year-old owner of a cacao plantation in northern Costa Rica, near the border with Nicaragua.

Several years ago, the waters of a nearby river spilled over, flooding her property. And to make matters worse, many of the more than 1,000 cacao trees that dot her densely forested land had been hit by a blight that spoils their valuable seed pods  the raw ingredient for chocolate.

Vicenta, her husband, their two biological and five adopted children had stewarded the 18-hectare plantation in Costa Ricas northern district of Upala for decades. But the couples brood had long since grown up and scattered, and Vicentas husband had suffered a devastating illness shortly before the double whammy of flood and blight.

Alone on the plantation, with a bad knee, Vicenta could not see a path forward until one day in 2015 she attended a training course, run by a local NGO, on preventing domestic violence.

There, she and several of the other participants struck upon an idea: they would band together to tend to the plantation, making and selling chocolate and other products derived from cacao. The profits would be divvied up between them, allowing the members to help provide for their families in an area where much of the land has been turned into vast pineapple plantations and steady jobs are scarce.

An all-womens cacao cooperative was born, which they named Cacaotica  a mashup of the Spanish words for cacao and Tica, the common way of referring to someone or something from Costa Rica. Most of its 10 members are survivors of domestic violence. They include local Costa Rican women and women refugees from Nicaragua who fled widespread persecution following a wave of anti-government protests that started in 2018.

Being in the cooperative has shown us that we have the skills to succeed.

Its heartbreaking to see the women who are arriving from Nicaragua, said Vicenta. They arrive with nothing and are extremely traumatized and afraid.

She herself moved to Costa Rica from Nicaragua some 50 years ago, after her Costa Rican husband sold her on the idea of running a farm together. While her own move was made for love, Vicenta has a long history of helping refugees from her country. During Nicaraguas civil war in the 1980s, she opened her home to those fleeing into Costa Rica. And in the aftermath of the 2018 protests, which have seen more than 120,000 Nicaraguans seek refuge in Costa Rica, she did so again.

Vicenta, hard at work in the kitchen of her farmhouse, checks on a batch of handmade chocolates.  UNHCR/Nicolo Filippo Rosso

Cacaotica's procucts include everything from chocolate bars and chocolate-flavoured tea to lip balm and hand lotion.  UNHCR/Nicolo Filippo Rosso

Dara Arguello makes the rounds on Vicenta's cacao plantation, tending to the trees and looking out for ripe pods.  UNHCR/Nicolo Filippo Rosso

Members of Cacaotica hope to place their products in hotels throughout Costa Rica.  UNHCR/Nicolo Filippo Rosso

Working together, the women care for the trees, cutting off beans that show the telltale stains of blight, and harvesting the ripe yellow ones. They shun chemical fertilizers and pesticides in favour of natural alternatives, such as a nutrient-rich compost made from cow patties from the small herd of cattle that wander the property, as well as from the bean husks and dead bark and leaves shed by the cacao trees themselves. Their efforts have won the cooperative organic certification, which allows their products to fetch a better price.

We use absolutely all of the pod, said Vicenta, adding that in addition to classic chocolate bars, the collective makes products such as chocolate toffee, cacao-butter lip gloss, and hand lotion. All of them are concocted in the kitchen inside Vicentas wood-frame farmhouse, pending the completion of a proper workspace the group is currently building.

See also: Nicaraguans strive to support themselves in exile in Costa Rica

In addition to a modicum of financial security, the cooperative is giving its members a newfound sense of empowerment. Dara Arguello, a 35-year-old Costa Rican who joined the cooperative a few years ago, said being in a group where women not only do all the work, but make all the decisions, has dramatically improved their feelings of self-worth.

Being in the cooperative has really shown many of us that we have the skills to succeed and to be leaders, said Dara, adding that it has also shown many of us who have been really affected by machismo that there are other ways of living.

Weve all helped each other.

The group has also learned that together they are stronger. They have chipped in to help with the fees that the asylum-seeking members must pay periodically to have their documents renewed, Dara said. The group also comes together to attend workshops on everything from violence prevention to leadership.

It was after taking part in a workshop for budding entrepreneurs, run by Fundacion Mujer, a partner of UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency, that Cacaoticas members began selling their products at markets throughout Costa Rica.

See also: Refugees find safety and a new life in Mexico

Their hard work was just starting to pay off, and the women were beginning to bring home modest but regular earnings, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Markets shuttered amid lockdowns that also made it all but impossible for members of the group to reach Vicentas plantation.

The pandemic was very, very hard, Vicenta recalled. We lost most of our products and even lost some members who dropped out because they became so discouraged by the situation. Weve essentially had to start over from scratch.

Initially, they responded by tweaking their business model, selling cacao saplings in response to the lockdown-driven surge in demand for houseplants. But since the easing of restrictions, they have slowly but surely rebuilt their stocks of chocolate bars and beauty products, which they are now aiming to place in high-end hotels across Costa Rica and beyond.

Theyve really helped me, said Vicenta of her co-workers in the collective before shaking her head and adding, Actually, I suppose weve all helped each other.
Jennifer Ann Hancock was born Nov. 20, 1956, in Atlanta, to William Roy and Martha Jones Hancock. She went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, April 26, 2022, in Gray. She was preceded in death by her father, William Roy Hancock, and her brother, Timothy Roy Hancock, as well as grandparents
Several members of the UNO School of Music, from faculty to students to alumni, were honored this week at the Nebraska State Bandmasters Association (NSBA).

UNOs Director of Bands, Dr. Karen Fannin was elected to serve on the executive board as the next NSBA President. Joining her on the board will be UNO alumni Chaz Fonda (Bachelor of Music Education, 2012) and Zac Konrad (Bachelor of Music Education, 2006 and Master of Music in Music Education, 2011). Fonda will serve as the new Treasurer of the organization while Konrad will serve as the Junior High/Middle School Chair.

Chaz Fonda also received a Citation of Excellence from the National Band Association and was selected as the recipient of the Don Johnson Continuing Education Scholarship and the Band Director Scholarship.

Four UNO alumni received the Jack R. Snyder Young Band Director Award, given to outstanding Nebraska band directors in their third through seventh year of teaching. Recipients included Brian Nelsen from Elkhorn South (Bachelor of Music Education, 2018), Lauren Milbourn from Millard South (Bachelor of Music Education, 2018), Stacey Sailors from Minatare (Bachelor of Music Education, 2012), and Austin Sailors from Mitchell (Bachelor of Music Education, 2010 and Master of Music in Performance, 2013).

Beth Myers (Bachelor of Music Education, 2018) is in her third year as band director at Omaha Central High School. Under her direction, the Central Jazz Band was selected through a competitive recorded audition process to perform at the NSBA Conference. Selection for performance at the NSBA Conference is one of the highest honors that can be bestowed on a high school band.

Current UNO Music Education major Lydia Kirkland was selected as the recipient of the NSBA undergraduate scholarship, presented to a college student who has completed a minimum of five semesters in a Nebraska college or university music education program, with a wind or percussion instrument as their primary area of study.

Congratulations to faculty, students, and alumni for representing UNO so well at the state level!
(@FahadShabbir)

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on Tuesday said that failure of the opposition in no-confidence motion was written on the wall, and the PTI government would complete its five years tenure

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Mar, 2022 ) :Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on Tuesday said that failure of the opposition in no-confidence motion was written on the wall, and the PTI government would complete its five years tenure.

He said this during a meeting with Members National Assembly in Islamabad. Matters pertaining to the political situation in the country, no confidence motion of the opposition and chalking out future line of action came under discussion during the meeting, said a handout issued here.

Those who met the CM included Chief Whip Malik Amir Dogar, Makhdoom Syed Sami-ul-Hassan Gillani, Dr. Muhammad Afzal Dhandla and Ghulam Bibi Bharwana. The MNAs reposed their full trust in Prime Minister Imran Khan and CM Sardar Usman Buzdar during the meeting.

The CM vowed to collectively counter the no-trust motion of the opposition. "We are all united and would remain so in future as well," he added and emphasized that the propaganda being hatched by the opposition could not create anarchy.

He said that the opposition lacked the number for moving no-trust motion and maintained that Prime Minister Imran Khan was confident earlier and was brimming with confidence even today.

He underscored that those moving no trust motion did not trust each other.

Prime Minister Imran Khan enjoyed utmost support of all assembly members and would continue to enjoy it in future, Usman Buzdar said and remarked that the masses would elect Imran Khan as Prime Minister for the next five years tenure as well.
PLEASE NOTE THIS EVENT WILL BEGIN AT: 1:00 PM PST

Roundtable Discussion: Distributional Effects of Trade and Trade Policy on U.S. (332-587)

Theme: Impacts on Underserved Communities

Location: Fresno, CA | California State University, Fresno (Fresno State)  North Gym | 5241 N. Maple Ave, Fresno, CA 93740

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Format: HYBRID -- In Person / Virtual (The virtual component will be held using the WebEx platform)

Individuals and organizations interested in participating in the roundtable discussion must submit a request no later than February 22, 2022 by emailing DE@usitc.gov or by calling (202) 536-9960.

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What's up Vol Nation?! Check out @Sami_whamiii on this weeks episode of the Weekly Wrap-Up for news involving @tpusautk and their guest speaker @tomilahren, the largest increase to the HOPE Scholarship since its founding, @josiah.j.james declaring for the draft. As always, a wrap up of our 
Valdosta, GA (31601)

Today

Widely scattered showers and thunderstorms this evening. Clouds lingering later. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%..

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Widely scattered showers and thunderstorms this evening. Clouds lingering later. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
One of the women volunteers who prepare material for the defense of Ukraine, makes a heart with her hands, in Odessa, Ukraine (ANSA)

British Ambassador Chris Trott speaks of the importance of promoting women as mediators of peace and dialogue, especially in light of the horrors occurring in Ukraine.

By Francesca Merlo



A seminar entitled Church and Society: Women as builders of Dialogue seeks to highlight the powerful message that its important, when you build a dialogue of any kind within a society, and in particular in a peace process, that you engage women in that dialogue from the very beginning and at every level, in order for that dialogue to be successful.

The British Ambassador to the Holy See, Chris Trott, whose embassy is supporting Caritas Internationalis in the joint seminar marking International Womens Day on 8 March, spoke to Vatican News ahead of the event, explaining its aim in emphasising the vitality of women as builders of hope, in all contexts and throughout society.

Mediators of peace

Ambassador Trott noted that as all our thoughts turn to the war in Ukraine, there is no doubt at all that women have a critical role to play both in the response to the crisis and then in terms of trying to find a solution to that crisis.

Women must take part not just by sitting around the table, or in the second row, he added. Their voices must first be listened to as you design your process and solution, and "women must then be empowered to participate in the actual discussions.

Listen to our interview with Ambassador Trott

Ukraine

Tetyana Stawynchy, President of Caritas Ukraine, will be also addressing participants in the seminar, and according to Ambassador Trott she will be able to give a critical insight of a very live situation.

He noted that, with regard to Ukraine, as well as clear and excellent information, there is also very much disinformation.

To hear from someone on the ground will be very powerful, he says, and her advocating for womens involvement in dialogue is "a message I hope the world will hear," he adds.

Victims of war crimes

Ambassador Trott then spoke of the heinous crime of rape being used as a weapon of war.

This," he says, "is absolutely abhorrent. Women, girls and boys are victims of this and it has to stop. The international community has to come together and make its voice absolutely clear that this is utterly unacceptable."

Stopping these crimes is difficult, he says because war in itself is totally unacceptable." Even more, he concluded, using rape as a weapon of war is something that we should not be tolerating in the 21st century.

Finally, Ambassador Trott wished a happy Womens Day to all women.
UNIDOs Akemi Ishikawa speaks to Vatican Radio in the wake of the Empowerment of Women in Conflict Areas Conference marking the 80th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Japan and the Holy See.

By Linda Bordoni

As an Industrial Development Expert involved in agribusiness projects that aim to empower women and displaced persons in developing communities and conflict areas, Akemi Ishikawa says there are too many women across the globe who continue to suffer discrimination and lack of opportunity simply because they are women.

Speaking to Vatican Radio at the conclusion of a Conference organized to mark the 80th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Japan and the Holy See, Ishikawa speaks of the struggle, in some countries, to reach the women that these development projects aim to empower. She also highlights the fundamental role and value of religious communities that are rooted in local life, not only to implement the projects but to keep them going.

The Conference at the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome on Friday, 4 March, was promoted by the Japanese Embassy to the Holy See and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). It highlighted the fruitful collaboration between these entities thanks also to the collaboration of the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco Gumbo, near Juba in South Sudan.

Listen to Akemi Ishikawa

Akemi Ishikawa, explains that her specialization in the livelihood of people in conflict-affected areas has led her recently to focus on three nations ravaged by conflict and displacement: South Sudan, Yemen and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Internally displaced persons in Kivu, north DRC

She talks about how UNIDO provides technical training and explains that according to each countrys security and political issues, and to the needs of the communities who are receiving the training, each project is specifically tailored.

In Yemen, for example, she says, in the south, we are providing maintenance training of outboard engines for the fishermen, while in the north where the people are facing serious energy shortages, we will provide technique and training related to solar energy.

The difficulties of involving women

If we target conflict areas we try to support the livelihoods or income-generating opportunities, she says, noting however that in many cases it is very difficult, to involve women directly because of cultural or religious barriers.

In those cases, Ishikawa continues, as UNIDO we make sure we involve at least 40% of women as beneficiaries, but some situations refrain us from reaching them.

And expressing her personal opinion she says: I really dont get and do not want to understand why women are so discriminated or excluded from society. Some people, she continues, treat women so badly, even violating or assaulting them Why? Women are strong but very, very vulnerable!

Women in Yemen are amongst the most vulnerable bearing the brunt of a 7-year war

Religious communities ensuring implementation and continuation

Illustrating the focus of her intervention at the Conference on Empowerment of Women in Conflict Areas Ishikawa said she highlighted the good results obtained from the collaboration between the government of Japan and Catholic organizations, namely the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco in Gumbo, near Juba (South Sudan.)

The title of that project, she explains, was Enhancing social stabilization and cohesion through agro value chain development. This project was implemented from April 2019 to August 2020 aiming to support agro value chain development to create employment and income opportunities for IDPs and their host communities.

Ishikawa explains that she has been in contact with the Japanese Ambassador to the Holy See, Seiji Okada, ever since she met him in Kabul, at a time when he was Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Japan to Afghanistan, and she was involved in a development project in the country.

She says that he was subsequently appointed to Juba in South Sudan and he approached UNIDO to conceptualize a project for that country.

We were very very lucky to find the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco, Gumbo, as our implementing partners of the project, she says.

In fact, she notes, the project has ended, but the sisters are still there and they continue to support the beneficiaries of the project.

Without their commitment and dedication to supporting the most vulnerable in South Sudan, UNIDO would not have been able to implement the project and see it be successfully completed, she says, especially regarding the continuity of the activity.

The fact, she explains, that the sisters are rooted in the communities, ensures the sustainability of development projects.

It is valuable and critical to have partnerships with locally rooted organizations, she says.

I appreciate the dedication of the sisters based on their religious faith.

From woman to women

Concluding, Ishikawas thoughts and solidarity go to those millions of women in South Sudan and in other countries who continue to be violated, excluded from their communities and treated very unfairly.

I hope I can contribute to solving such kind of situations, and also improve the social and economic status of women, in particular in conflict-affected countries.
Victoria, TX (77901)

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Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 74F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph..

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Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 74F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph.
Vietnams airport infrastructure is set to undergo major expansion and upgrades in the medium to long term.

As the pandemic hit all sectors, including government revenue and foreign capital, upgradation of Vietnams airports will need around US$18 billion by 2030.

Vietnam Briefing looks at Vietnams current airport infrastructure including future plans by the government and the opportunities for investment.

Following a rapid pre-pandemic recovery in passenger numbers, the demand for airport infrastructure during the next five years is expected to be twice of what it was in the past five years.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Vietnam is the worlds fifth fastest-growing aviation market and is forecast to cater to 150 million passengers by 2035.

The countrys Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) which manages civilian airports, reports that over VND 25 trillion (US$1 billion) has been invested in expanding airport infrastructure over the past five years to facilitate passenger and cargo growth, but it will need around VND 120 trillion (US$5.2 billion) from 2021 to 2025 to complete infrastructure projects.

From 2020 to 2030, the civil regulatory body Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) estimates the average annual growth rate will reach 7.5 percent to 8.5 percent for passengers and 8.4 percent to 9.7 percent for freight traffic.

By 2030, passenger air traffic is expected to reach 280 million per year and freight traffic is forecast to reach 6.8 million per year while the designed capacity of airports will reach 308 million passengers per year and 7.5 million tons of cargo per year.

In order to respond to the growing demand, Vietnam is making large investments in airport construction and upgrades, air traffic service enhancements, aircraft maintenance, overhaul capacity, and service development.

Nonetheless, there are questions about the selection of infrastructure projects, their location, and whether traffic forecasts have been exaggerated. There are also concerns about financial sources and investment and operating experience.

Vietnam Briefing highlights Vietnams airport infrastructure, undergoing plans as well as its objective towards foreign investment in the aviation sector so that investors can make an informed choice.

Vietnams airport capacity

Vietnam has 22 airports, of which 10 are international and 12 are domestic.

Major airports in Vietnam include Ho Chi Minh Citys Tan Son Nhat International Airport, the capital Hanois Noi Bai International Airport, Da Nang International Airport, Nha Trangs Cam Ranh International Airport, Phu Quoc International Airport, and Hai Phongs Cat Bi International Airport.

The busiest and most important airport in the North is Noi Bai, located around 35km to the north of the capital. Despite having a designed capacity of only nine million, it is the largest in the country in terms of cargo transport and capacity, serving almost 30 million passengers in 2019.

In the Central region, Danang International Airport is the largest airport with two runways and traffic connectivity. The airport can serve six million passengers per year.

The biggest airport in southern Vietnam, Tan Son Nhat International Airport, is located around 7km to the north of the city center. It was the 25th busiest airport in the world in 2020, serving over 41 million passengers in 2019. Additionally, the airport accounts for nearly two-thirds of international arrivals for the whole country.

While Vietnam has plenty of airports nationwide, they are constantly overloaded with the real number of passengers and cargo exceeding their designed capacity. At the same time, the quality of airport infrastructure also varies from region to region.

Government proposal and airport development

Vietnam is looking to spend VND 400 trillion (US$17.65 billion) on the development of airports nationwide from now until 2030 with a vision to 2050, according to a proposal that the Ministry of Transport (MoT) has submitted to the government.

Anticipated airport infrastructure investments, upgrades, and expansions between 2021-2030 are as follows:

Phase 1 construction (2021-2025) of Long Thanh International Airport valued at US$4.72 billion including a 4km long and 75m wide runway, a taxiway, an apron system, a passenger terminal, a 1.2-million-ton cargo terminal as well as an air traffic control tower;

US$482.6 million investment in T3 Terminal at Tan Son Nhat airport (2021-2023);

Estimated VND 4.98 trillion (US$218 million) worth investment plan in T3 terminal at Noi Bai International Airport and T2 expansion;

The expansion of the T3 terminal at Da Nang airport;

US$65 million runway and taxiway upgrades in Dien Bien Phu airport;

VND 1.3 trillion (US$57 million) of investment to upgrade Quang Binh provinces Dong Hoi into an international airport, with a new terminal and an expanded apron, bringing its service capacity from the current 500,000 passengers per year to three million;

VND 2.3 trillion (US$100 million) at Con Dao airport to bring its capacity to two million a year by expanding its runway and adding three more new taxiways.

New construction of Phan Thiet, Sa Pa, Quang Tri, and Lai Chau airports.

According to the CAAV, the countrys top priorities feature Noi Bai, Tan Son Nhat, and the under-construction Long Thanh airport in Dong Nai Province, which will be Ho Chi Minh Citys new airport eventually replacing Tan Son Nhat.

In addition, 22 other airports across the country are planned to receive major upgrades while six new airports are to be built to bring a combined capacity to 278 million passengers a year, ensuring that 95 percent of the population can access airports within 100km.

The plan also put great emphasis on the expansion and construction of airports in remote, mountainous, and island areas, such as Dien Bien, Con Dao island, Sa Pa, and Pleiku.

By 2050, the country expects to have 29 airports in total, including 14 international and 15 domestic ones with one more airport being built in southeast Hanoi.

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) will be maximized for the delivery of the new airports, except for those of national significance and strategic military and security and those in border and island areas, which will be invested using the State capital.

The MoT also proposes the amendment and supplement of relevant legal provisions and regulations to facilitate the involvement of private investment with the local government being the public sector partner.

Long Thanh Airport: International aviation hub

The proposed Long Thanh International Airport will be located around 40km to the east of Ho Chi Minh City. The airport is designed and constructed to match the 4F standard (the highest airport class), with a total area surface of 5,000 meters square and another 25,000 meters square for the surrounding infrastructure.

The airport will have four terminals and four runways and in its final phase, the airport will be capable of serving 100 million passengers and 5 million tons of cargo every year by 2040.

Once completed, it will contribute 3 to 5 percent of Vietnams GDP and serve as an important international hub, connecting Vietnam with other countries.

The first phase of the airport is expected to be completed by September 2025.

Opportunities for foreign investors in the aviation sector

Since 2020, under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Vietnam has permitted foreign investment in the aviation sector, including local and international air services, through capital contributions or stake acquisitions.

Under regulations on the conditional business lines in the aviation sector, effective from January 1, 2020, Vietnam has raised the foreign ownership cap in domestic air carriers to 34 percent from 30 percent.

The investment, however, will have to meet certain restrictions, including a 30 percent cap on foreign ownership in an airline and some regulations on the legal representatives of such airline companies.

Until recently, Vietnam has been working on a scheme to attract private investment in airport projects in the future. As per Document No.1061/VPCP-CP dated February 18, the Prime Minister asked the MoT to quicken the scheme on attracting private investment in airport infrastructure.

The scheme expects to further relax policies regarding the cap on foreign ownership as well as the minimum capital requirement for aviation enterprises. If properly regulated, this can help make the aviation sector more appealing to foreign investors.

For now, foreign investors can invest in add-on services at airports. As per the Decree 92/2016/ND-CP, later replaced by Decree 89/2016/ND-CP in 2020, foreign companies can invest in ground handling services, food and beverage services, maintenance, repair and overhaul services (MRO), and aviation petrol as long as their investment shall not exceed 30 percent of the total capital plus the minimum capital for these service businesses shall be VND 30 billion or US$1.3 million at least.

However, this appears to be not as attractive to investors when compared to Vietnams neighbors such as Thailand and Malaysia where the cap on foreign investment for these services is at 49 percent and 45 percent, respectively.

More recently, the government issued Decree No 05/2021/ND-CP (Decree 5) which replaces Decree No 102. Decree 5 which came into effect on March 10, 2021 guides the management and operation of airports in Vietnam. The Decree also sets the framework for private investment in airports in the future.

PPP models for aviation infrastructure underway

In January 2021, the CAAV submitted proposals to the MoT for PPP airport development and private investment in aviation service facilities at airports managed by ACV. The PPP proposals cover the development of six airports at Dong Hoi, Rach Gia, Ca Mau, Sa Pa, Lai Chau, and Quang Tri.

A build-operate-transfer (BOT) PPP model is currently being used at Dong Hoi as a pilot project, from 2021 to 2025. A similar model has already been applied to the development of Vietnams first private airport  Van Don International Airport by Vietnamese conglomerate Sun Group.

A PPP model is also being built in the central province of Quang Tri with an estimated cost of US$257 million. The domestic airport, located in Gio Linh district with a total area surface of 265 hectares expects to cater to one million passengers and 3,100 tons of cargo annually.

For now, passengers heading to Quang Tri have to fly to Thua Thien  Hue or Quang Binh province, both 100km away; thus the airport will help shorten travel time for passengers and freight.

As per Decision 236/QD-TTg, on the planning of airport transport from the 2020-2030 period Quang Tri airport is one of the domestic airports is on the list and expected to be put into operation.

Takeaways

The governments support for upgrading airport infrastructure in Vietnam shows that it wants to make headway in this area. Decree 5 bodes well for foreign investors as it looks to streamline procedures on the management of airports. Despite the pandemic, Vietnam is expected to be one of 10 countries with the fastest growth in air passengers until 2040.

It is also expected that the government may amend other regulations to give local governments more authority to attract private investment. To this effect, the PPP model is likely to play a significant role in the aviation sector in Vietnam. With the right regulations and procedures, the aviation industry will be another avenue for foreign investors to enter the Vietnamese market.
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Woburn, MA (01801)

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Partly cloudy this evening followed by mostly cloudy skies and a few showers after midnight. Low near 45F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

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Partly cloudy this evening followed by mostly cloudy skies and a few showers after midnight. Low near 45F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
More than 100 hungry and weak Rohingya Muslims were found on a beach in Indonesia's northernmost province of Aceh on Sunday after weeks at sea, officials said.

The group arrived on Jangka beach near Alue Buya Pasi, a fishing village in Bireuen district, early Sunday. The villagers who saw the 114 ethnic Rohingya on a rickety wooden boat helped them to land and then reported their arrival to authorities, said Badruddin Yunus, the leader of the local tribal fishing community.

"They look very weak from hunger and dehydration after a long and severe voyage at sea," said Yunus, adding it wasn't clear where the group was traveling from or where it was headed because none of them could speak English or Malay.

The 58 men, 21 women and 35 children were given shelter and received help from villagers, police and military, while local authorities including the coronavirus task force were helping to process them, Yunus said.

More than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled from Buddhist-majority Myanmar to refugee camps in Bangladesh since August 2017, when the Myanmar military launched a clearance operation in response to attacks by a rebel group. Myanmar security forces have been accused of mass rapes, killings and the burning of thousands of homes.

Groups of Rohingya have attempted to leave the crowded camps in Bangladesh and travel by sea in hazardous voyages to other Muslim-majority countries in the region.

Muslim-dominated Malaysia has been a common destination for the boats, and traffickers have promised the refugees a better life there. But many Rohingya refugees who land in Malaysia face detention.

Although Indonesia is not a signatory to the United Nations' 1951 Refugee Convention, the UNHCR said that a 2016 presidential regulation provides a national legal framework governing the treatment of refugees on boats in distress near Indonesia and to help them disembark.

These provisions have been implemented for years, most recently in December when 105 Rohingya refugees were rescued off the coast of Bireuen toward its neighboring Lhokseumawe, a coastal town in the North Aceh district.
U.S. President Joe Biden announced plans to ban the import of Russian oil as Moscow continues its war against Ukraine. Plus, how long will the majority of Russians back even a special military operation as Western economic sanctions bite and helping those affected by war.
Robert Palmer was sentenced to 63 months in a federal prison with three months supervised parole upon release. He could be paroled in less than four years.

Palmer has four children, who are split on supporting their father. Two appeared at his sentencing hearing in October 2021.

They are Christians like I am, and I know that in time, that (relationship) will heal, Palmer says.

Palmer was a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump in part because he was doing well financially. His cleaning and restoration company  Son Bright Diversified Services, Inc.  was having its best three years yet, and he was able to rent a house.

Palmer says when he leaves jail, I have to start out, (at) almost 60 years old, from ground zero, from nothing. He says he will have to work longer than planned before he retires.

He does not have a college education and hopes to take some courses while incarcerated and see where that leads me. He says he will take the time to read without a worry about bills, having to get this paid and that paid. He plans to take prison counseling to better handle his emotions, specifically anger management.

Other January 6 inmates housed near him believe Trump will get reelected as president in 2024 and pardon all of them. Palmer says he told them, Guys, that is not going to happen. He says for that insistence, he carries a stigma of being a negative Nancy in the jail.

As a felon, Palmer cannot vote. But he says if his rights were restored, he would never vote for Trump. He says he voted for him in 2020 because Trump was different from a typical politician, and he liked his blunt way of getting things done. Now, he resents the former president for urging the crowd to join him and march to the Capitol but never followed them.

Palmer says Trump is living his happy life at Mar-a-Lago and I'm sitting here, you know? I'm one of the little people. One of the expendable-level people.

He still cannot decide if the Capitol breach was justified.

I think there is 50-50 blame to go around. I dont think it was just a breach, he says.

Palmer talks about some police allowing rioters to enter the building, but ultimately, he knows he will carry what he did for the remainder of this life on this Earth.
The United Nations humanitarian chief appealed Monday for safe passage for civilians fleeing Ukraine and for humanitarians delivering urgent assistance to the country.

"The parties must take constant care to spare civilians and civilian homes and infrastructure in their military operations," Martin Griffiths told the U.N. Security Council. "This includes allowing safe passage for civilians to leave areas of active hostilities on a voluntary basis, in the direction they choose. All civilians, whether they stay or leave, must be respected and protected."

Efforts by the parties to evacuate about 200,000 people from the southern city of Mariupol collapsed on Saturday and Sunday. Each side blamed the other.

Griffiths also called for safe passage for humanitarian supplies going into conflict areas.

"Civilians in places like Mariupol, Kharkiv, Melitopol and elsewhere desperately need aid, especially lifesaving medical supplies," he said, urging parties to respect their obligations under the laws of war.

"Third, we urgently need a system of constant communication with parties to the conflict and assurances to enable the delivery of humanitarian aid," Griffiths said. "A humanitarian notification system can support delivery of aid at the scale needed."

A small team of U.N. officials from the humanitarian affairs department have arrived in Moscow for talks with officials at the Russian Defense Ministry civil-military cooperation and the sharing of information for the safe delivery of humanitarian assistance.

Despite immense challenges and danger, the U.N. and partner agencies are scaling up their response and delivering food, water, medical supplies, blankets and other items in several parts of Ukraine.

No Russian guarantees

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield urged a sustained pause in hostilities to allow for the safe departure of civilians and the distribution of humanitarian supplies.

"We need Russia's firm, clear, public and unequivocal commitment to allow and facilitate immediate unhindered humanitarian access for humanitarian partners in Ukraine," she said. "Very specifically, we call for the Russian Federation to agree to and honor in good faith Ukrainian proposals for time-bound humanitarian safe passage in specific agreed upon locations."

The U.S. ambassador also echoed the call for establishing a notification system to facilitate the safe movement of humanitarian convoys and flights.

Russia's envoy claimed, without evidence, that it was the Ukrainian authorities who would not let civilians leave towns and cities via humanitarian corridors.

"We want to emphasize that safety for civilians in Ukraine is not a problem for Russia, because we are not bombarding them but rather Ukrainian radicals and neo-Nazis who are holding hostage whole towns and cities and are making use of citizens as human shields," Vassily Nebenzia said.

He also said that offers for open humanitarian corridors to Russia had been ignored and dismissed by Ukrainian officials.

"Russia is advocating humanitarian corridors towards Russia," French Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere noted. "I don't know of too many Ukrainians who wish to seek refuge in Russia. This is hypocrisy."

Ukraine's ambassador said that Moscow was blocking attempts to evacuate civilians and disregarding the rules of war.

"They denied access of international organizations to provide humanitarian assistance to the most affected places," Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya said. "It is even more appalling that the Russian troops open fire on evacuees and evacuation vehicles and shell the roads allocated for humanitarian corridors."

He said Russian forces shelled a bus depot with evacuation buses near Mariupol and blew up a railway near Irpin, a suburb of the besieged capital, Kyiv.

'A moral outrage'

The council also heard from Catherine Russell, the new executive director of the U.N. children's agency. She just returned from a mission to the Romania-Ukraine border.

"What is happening to children in Ukraine is a moral outrage," Russell said.

"I met with mothers and children who had to flee their homes at a moment's notice," she said of her trip. "They told me how it felt to leave everything you know behind. To leave husbands, fathers and elderly loved ones, not knowing when or whether they would see each other again."

UNICEF says that half of the more than 1.7 million people fleeing Ukraine are children. Children have also been casualties of the conflict, with at least 27 confirmed killed and 42 wounded.

"Countless more have been severely traumatized. As the fighting has now reached densely populated areas and across the country, we expect child casualties to increase," Russell warned.

The U.N. Human Rights Office says that since the start of Moscow's invasion on February 24, it has verified 1,207 casualties in Ukraine, including at least 406 people killed. Most of the casualties were due to shelling, missiles and airstrikes. Real figures are likely "considerably higher," the office says.
The U.S. Senate has given final approval to legislation that would make the act of lynching a federal hate crime.

The Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act cleared the Senate Monday night by unanimous consent, a week after it was approved by the House of Representatives by an overwhelming vote of 422-3.

The legislation was named after Emmett Till, the 14-year-old Black teenager whose torture and murder in Mississippi in 1955 was one of the galvanizing events of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s.

The Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act is the latest of more than 200 bills introduced in Congress since 1900 to make lynching, a brutal act of murder carried out specifically against Black Americans across the United States, a federal hate crime. The civil rights group National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) says more than 4,700 Blacks were lynched in the United States between 1882 and 1968, while the Equal Justice Initiative says there were nearly 6,500 lynchings between 1865 and 1950.

The House passed an anti-lynching bill in 2020 following the murder of Ahmaud Arbery at the hands of three white men in Georgia, but it was blocked in the Senate by Kentucky Republican Rand Paul, who said it would elevate lesser crimes with lynching.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer praised the bills passage Monday, but said it was a bitter stain on America that it took more than a century to do so.

Once it is signed into law by President Joe Biden, a person convicted of lynching could be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press.
American biotechnology firm Moderna has announced plans to build a $500 million vaccine production facility in Kenya. Once built, the facility will produce about half a billion doses of vaccines per year, including vaccines for COVID-19 and HIV. Health experts say the U.S. and African Union-supported facility will help address vaccine inequity in Africa.



Speaking Monday in Nairobi, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said the partnership with Moderna can help his country and Africa respond to future health crises.

"The idea of companies in the west coming to set up vaccine production centers in Africa is a move in the right direction because it's going to ensure that we are close to the rest of the world in terms of disease prevention," said Rosemary Sang, a virologist based in Kenya.



"I think we have learned what happened in the world during the COVID pandemic, how Africa was also affected when it came to intervention and their distribution mobilization of resources, especially vaccines," said Sang. "Africa was nowhere, almost nowhere, and we only received vaccines after other regions in the world started to do their vaccination and had almost adequate coverage."

Moderna has said it will spend at least $500 million to set up the facility at a yet-to-be-determined site in Kenya. The center will be used to supply vaccines to 55 African countries.

African countries have some of the lowest rates of vaccination in the world  a problem caused partly by the absence of vaccine production plants on the continent.

Sang says an African facility will convince more people to get vaccinated against viruses.

"It's important that we develop this capacity, and we develop the confidence and even to give confidence to the population to accept vaccination as a way of disease control, when they see that vaccines are being made in their own continent, they are not just injected with things that are brought from foreign countries that they may not understand," said Sang.



The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been pushing for pharmaceutical companies to set up a manufacturing plant in Africa.

"The more capacity we have to manufacture the vaccines thats spread across the world, then the faster it is to meet both current but also future demand for vaccines in instances, like the last two years where we had the pandemic and the global supply cannot keep up with the need," said Catherine Kyobutungi, the head of the African Population and Health Research Center.



"I think the other good thing is that it's not just focused on the COVID vaccine. The partnership includes consideration for other products such as the HIV vaccine, vaccine around other viruses," she said. "It may be one way in which Africa is able to meet its demand for those vaccines at some point in future."



Moderna and Kenyas leaders have not said when construction on the new facility will begin.
In Cameroon, thousands of women protested on International Womens Day Tuesday demanding more political power and government jobs. Women make up more than half of Cameroons population, but there is not a single female among the countrys 10 regional governors or council presidents.

Thousands of women turned out at the 20 Boulevard in Cameroons capital singing that they do not want to be treated as inferior to men any longer.

The Cameroon government said it expected between ten thousand and fifteen thousand women for International Womens Day celebrations on Tuesday. But Cameroons Ministry of Women's Empowerment said more than 20,000 came out in Yaounde to protest.

Similar protests took place in towns and villages across Cameroon, in both French- and English-speaking areas.

Nicoline Nwenushi Wazeh, founder of the NGO Pathways for Womens Empowerment and Development, PaWED, says Cameroons government is not doing much for women to gain more political power or reach representation goals set by the United Nations and African Union.

All four ministers of state are men. Out of the 39 ministers we only have six women. All ten governors of the regions are men. Of the 58 divisional officers we have only two women. The lack of political will has made it that Cameroon government neither respects the universal quota of 30% nor the African Union quota of 50-50, she said.

Nwenushi said there are only 61 women in the 180-member the lower house of parliament and the Senate has 26 women against 74 men.

Mumah Bih Yvonne of the Cameroon Womens Peace Movements says both President Paul Biya and Cameroons electoral laws make it difficult for women to climb to leadership positions.

The electoral code does not clearly spell out what quota is reserved for women. It just mentions that gender should be taken into consideration. Women need to be pushed by political will so I think this government can do better by appointing women who are very apt in different positions, Bih said.

Marie-Therese Abena Ondou is Cameroons Minister of Womens Empowerment and the Family. She says the ministry she leads has been educating men to consider women as equals. She says she also educates women to contest for elected positions and not to be scared of intimidating men.

Many men feel threatened when we talk about equality and we want to reassure them (men) that it is not that they [men] will be pushed aside, it is working together. Men and women are born equal and we should try to remember that both have the same potential if given the same opportunities, Ondou said.

The U.N. marks International Women's Day on March 8 to bring attention to womens contributions to development and stop inequities.

This years theme was Gender Equality today for a sustainable tomorrow.
Authorities in Pakistan said Tuesday at least five members of the security forces were killed and up to 30 were injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up near a high-profile government convoy in southwestern Baluchistan province.



Islamic State took responsibility for the deadly attack Tuesday in the town of Sibi, the second suicide bombing carried out by the terrorist group in less than a week.



The bomber detonated his explosives on a Sibi road, just minutes after Pakistan President Arif Alvis cavalcade had driven past it, according to local security officials. It was not immediately known whether the president was the target.



Alvi was returning from an annual cultural festival in a nearby open area where he delivered a nationally televised speech in which he talked about a recent spike in terrorist attacks in Baluchistan and elsewhere in Pakistan.



We understand that some more (sophisticated) weapons have fallen into the hands of terrorists following the (military) withdrawal of the United States (from Afghanistan), the president said in the speech without elaborating.



Alvi told the local DAWN news channel last month that the withdrawal of foreign troops from the war-torn neighboring country has led to a situation where weapons such as night-vision goggles and guns have reached the terrorists who are waging cross-border attacks against Pakistan.



On Friday, a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a packed minority Shiite Muslim mosque in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistans northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The ensuing powerful blast killed 63 worshippers and injured nearly 200 others. Islamic State took responsibility for the bombing, saying one of its Afghan members carried it out.



Meanwhile, the Pakistan military said Tuesday its forces had raided a suspected terrorist hideout in Baluchistans Turbat district and the ensuing heavy firefight killed 7 terrorists, including two key commanders. The raid also seized a significant cache of arms and ammunition, it said.



Ethnic Baluch insurgents also routinely stage attacks on civilians and Pakistani security forces in the province. Last month, the insurgents killed at least 19 soldiers in separate attacks.



Baluchistan, a natural resource-rich region, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa border Afghanistan, where the regional affiliate of Islamic State, IS-Khorasan, has its bases.



Fugitive leaders and fighters of the outlawed Pakistani Taliban also have taken refuge on the Afghan side after fleeing security operations in Pakistan. Officials in Islamabad say the militant outfit plots cross-border attacks from its Afghan sanctuaries.
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Ugandas decision to withdraw from the International Coffee Organization has led to a split among coffee producers in the country. Halima Athumani reports from Kampala on the controversy roiling Africas second largest coffee exporter. Camera: Mukasa Francis Produced by: Mary Cieslak
Australia announced a set of new sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, including against people identified as Moscows propagandists and purveyors of disinformation.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in a statement Tuesday that Canberra is sanctioning 10 people of strategic interest to Russia for encouraging hostility towards Ukraine and promoting pro-Kremlin propaganda to legitimize Russias invasion.

Payne said the propaganda includes driving and disseminating false narratives about the de-Nazification of Ukraine, making erroneous allegations of genocide against ethnic Russians in eastern Ukraine, and promoting the recognition of the so-called Donetsk Peoples Republic and Luhansk Peoples Republic as independent, referring to the two disputed areas in eastern Ukraine.

Payne also announced a new round of financial sanctions against the Russian armed forces, which prohibits the export of goods from Australia to entities that supply Russias military. She announced financial sanctions and travel bans against an additional six senior Russian military commanders responsible for implementing naval, ground and air attacks on Ukraine.

In a related matter, Australian oil refiner Viva Energy announced Tuesday it would stop buying Russian crude oil, saying it was appalled by the events in Ukraine. Australias only other oil refinery, Ampol, said it has not purchased Russian crude oil or products since the start of the conflict.

Some information for this report came from Reuters.
Duke University doctors say a baby is thriving after a first-of-its-kind heart transplant  one that came with a bonus technique to try to help prevent rejection of the new organ.

The thymus plays a critical role in building the immune system. Doctors have wondered if implanting some thymus tissue that matched a donated organ might help it survive without the recipient needing toxic anti-rejection medicines.

Easton Sinnamon of Asheboro, North Carolina, received his unique transplant last summer when he was 6 months old. But Duke waited to announce it until Monday after doctors learned the specially processed thymus implants appear to be functioning like they'd hoped -- producing immune cells that don't treat the tot's new heart like foreign tissue.

Doctors eventually will try weaning Easton off the immune-suppressing drugs required after a transplant, said Dr. Joseph Turek, Duke's chief of pediatric cardiac surgery.

The research is in very early stages and just one possible method scientists are testing in hopes of inducing what's called immune tolerance to a transplant.

But Turek says if it works, it could be attempted with other organ transplants, not just the heart.

Easton was a candidate for the experimental transplant because he had two separate health problems. He was born with some heart defects that surgeries right after birth failed to solve. And he suffered recurrent infections that doctors eventually realized meant his own thymus wasn't working properly.

Some babies are born without a thymus, which stimulates development of part of the immune system known as T cells. Separately, Duke researchers had been working with Enzyvant Therapeutics to develop lab-grown implants of donated thymus tissue to treat that rare disorder.

Easton got a combination of the two procedures. First surgeons implanted his new heart while the donated thymus was sent to a lab. About two weeks later, he had a second operation to implant the processed thymus tissue. His own partially working thymus was removed, to clear the way for new immune cells to take hold.

About six months later, testing shows the thymus tissue is building Easton well-functioning new T cells, said Turek.
President Joe Biden's trip Tuesday to Fort Worth, Texas, is personal  a chance to talk with veterans and their caregivers and push for more help for members of the military who face health problems after exposure to burn pits.

In last week's State of the Union address, Biden raised the prospect of whether being near the chemicals from pits where military waste was incinerated in Iraq led to the death of his son Beau.

"We don't know for sure if a burn pit was the cause of his brain cancer, or the diseases of so many of our troops," Biden said in the speech. "But I'm committed to finding out everything we can."

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that Biden will be traveling with Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough to Texas. They'll visit the VA clinic in Fort Worth, with remarks to follow at the Tarrant County Resource Connection on "expanding access to health care and benefits for veterans affected by exposure to harmful substances, toxins and other environmental hazards," including those from burn pits, plots of land where the military destroyed tires, batteries, medical waste and other materials.

Biden, a Democrat, will also call on Congress to send him a bill that protects veterans who face health consequences after burn pit exposure. The House last week passed a bill that would provide VA health care to millions of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who meet that criteria.

Biden's son Beau was a major in a Delaware Army National Guard unit that deployed to Iraq in 2008. The two-term Delaware attorney general was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2013 and died two years later at age 46.

It is difficult to link toxic exposure to an individual's medical condition. The concentration of toxic material is often well below the levels needed for immediate poisoning. Still, the VA's own hazardous materials exposure website along with scientists and doctors say military personnel do face risks and dangers after being exposed to contaminants.
A one-minute video of Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying urging peace in Ukraine has racked up some 19,100 likes on her country's popular WeChat social media service. In the clip, she makes a single comment: "If you see two people arguing and about to fight, do you give them weapons or first help them to work it out and find out what happened before? I think the concept is very simple."

Hua's comment came from a ministry news conference last week after Russian troops entered Ukraine on February 24. It was picked up by the state-run China Central Television website and viewers spread it onward to WeChat. It is an example of how Beijing's messaging machine works.

The spokesperson's comment and its migration from traditional to social media are also typical of how Ukraine-related news has flowed in China over the past 10 days, analysts say.

The state-run mass media and state-monitored social media are restricting war coverage as part of China's effort at making peace and backing Russia's right to defend its interests, observers say. They are using Russia's label for the war, "special military operation," instead of the term "invasion," which is common in the West. Analysts say domestic media have been given specific orders about how to portray the conflict.

Mass media within China was ordered on the war's first day not to cover news disadvantageous to Russia, Radio Free Asia reports.

Social media outlets in China are also censoring content, said Yaqiu Wang, New York-based senior China researcher with the advocacy group Human Rights Watch.

New story, same media controls

Coverage of Ukraine reflects China's way of controlling its media since the late 1990s, when the internet became a tool of the public, experts say. China has blocked selected websites, ordered certain content to be removed and asked mainstream media to cover stories according to strict guidelines for keeping social order at home and sustaining public confidence in Beijing's Communist leadership.

Social media are blocking anyone who talks of organizing war-related protests, for any cause, and stopping posts that include vulgar and sexual comments about Ukrainian women.

"What they are censoring is changing and the kind of propaganda they are pushing out is changing," Wang said, referring to the newness of Ukraine-driven content. But she said that "in terms of methods, the level or control, the way they control has not changed. It's just the content that's changing."

Communist Party personnel continue to manage the media according to a "fixed" structure "as an important pushout for the narrative," said James Gomez, regional director of the Bangkok-based Asia Centre think tank.

"Given that there has been a fragmentation with the rise of social media, especially within China, those narratives are being pushed out through the new platforms such as social media. It is the same news but just consumed over different platforms and different bite sizes," he said.

Support for Russia?

Chinese media have stressed China's assertion to "neutrality" in the conflict and downplayed the "importance" of the Ukraine story by shifting focus to domestic issues, said Alexander Vuving, a professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, in Hawaii.

"Chinese media appear to be banned from using the word 'war' or 'invasion,' so they have to use the official Russian definition of that, which is a 'special military operation,'" he added.

Sino-Russian ties have grown closer over the past year, but China positioned itself this week as a mediator between war-divided Russia and Ukraine rather than a backer of Moscow.

"As far as I can tell, people around me are paying attention mainly to the Russia-Ukraine situation's progress and the incident's impact on global politics and economics," a Beijing-born WeChat user told VOA last week. He does not want to be named in case the comment attracts Chinese internet censors.

Traditional media meet social media

Like the ministry spokesperson's comment about peace, war-related content often migrates quickly from news websites onto WeChat, Tik Tok and Weibo microblogs  outlets that are based in China where authorities can scan content for keywords.

In the social media space, after actor Louis Liu had joined an anti-war protest in Los Angeles, his photos on a Weibo page were removed after garnering 3.4 million views and 20,000 likes, VOA's Mandarin service reported.

China's censors have allowed pro-humanitarian Ukrainian posts to stay on social media. Another Chinese man's one-minute video plea for greater understanding of Ukraine's history and economic influence posted March 2 to WeChat picked up 39,400 likes and has not been taken down. It talks about how the scale of Ukraine's economy compares to Guangdong province's economy, a business hub for China, the video says. The Ukrainian-friendly spot includes one image of a missile soaring through the air and the sound of a child crying.

China's state-run English language cable news service, CGTN television and web media, are putting out short news items about the war expressly to let social media redistribute the stories, Asia Centre's Gomez said. On Monday, for example, CGTN carried small blurbs about Ukraine-Russia negotiations and the growing number of war refugees, similar to news consumed outside China.

CGTN however, among other Chinese media, also ran stories on their news homepages Monday about Russia declaring a list of "unfriendly" countries and regions, including the United States.

Most news websites led with statements from the National People's Congress, a congressional-style body that's meeting this month in Beijing, along with images from the Paralympics that opened last week in China.


With Russia intensifying its war on Ukraine, killing civilians and triggering a mass refugee crisis, President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced a U.S. ban on imported Russian oil. Critics of Russia have said that sanctioning its energy exports would be the best  perhaps only  way to force Moscow to pull back.

A full embargo would be most effective if it included European allies, which are also desperate to stop the violence in Ukraine and the danger Moscow poses to the continent. Yet it's far from clear that all of Europe would take part in an embargo, though Britain announced Tuesday that it would phase out Russian oil imports by year's end.

Unlike the United States, Europe is deeply reliant on energy it imports from Russia, the world's second-largest crude oil exporter behind Saudi Arabia. While the U.S. could replace the relatively small amount of fuel it receives from Moscow, Europe could not, at least not anytime soon.

What's more, any curbs on Russian oil exports could send already skyrocketing oil and gasoline prices ever higher on both continents and further squeeze consumers, businesses, financial markets and the global economy.

Here is a deeper look:

What will happen with a U.S. ban on Russian oil?

Amid rising gasoline prices in the U.S.  the average price reached a record $4.17 a gallon on Tuesday  the Biden administration has faced growing pressure to impose further sanctions on Russia, including a ban on oil imports.

For now, a broad U.S.-European ban appears elusive. On Monday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made clear that his country, Europe's single-largest consumer of Russian energy, has no plans to join in any ban. In response, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman hinted that the U.S. could act alone or with a smaller group of allies.

"Not every country has done exactly the same thing," Sherman said, "but we have all reached a threshold that is necessary to impose the severe costs that we have all agreed to."

Even with a ban on Russian oil, the Biden administration and Congress "remain laser-focused on bringing down the higher energy costs for American families and our partners stemming from Putin's invasion," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.

Pelosi, who has expressed support for a U.S. ban on Russian oil, nevertheless also cited Biden's action in leading U.S. allies to release 60 million barrels of oil from strategic reserves, including 30 million barrels from U.S. reserves, to try to stabilize global markets.

Would a U.S.-only ban on Russian oil hurt Moscow?

The impact on Russia would likely be minimal. The United States imports a small share of Russia's oil exports and doesn't buy any of its natural gas.

Last year, roughly 8% of U.S. imports of oil and petroleum products came from Russia. Together, the imports totaled the equivalent of 245 million barrels in 2021, which was roughly 672,000 barrels of oil and petroleum products a day. But imports of Russian oil have been declining rapidly as buyers shunned the fuel.

Because the amount of oil the U.S. imports from Russia is modest, Russia could potentially sell that oil elsewhere, perhaps in China or India. Still, it would probably have to sell it at a steep discount, because fewer and fewer buyers are accepting Russian oil.

If Russia were eventually shut off from the global market, rogue countries such as Iran and Venezuela might be "welcomed back" as sources of oil, said Claudio Galimberti, senior vice president of analysis at Rystad Energy. Such additional sources could, in turn, potentially stabilize prices.

A team of Biden administration officials were in Venezuela over the weekend to discuss energy and other issues, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. She said officials discussed a range of issues, including energy security.

"By eliminating some of the demand, we're forcing the price of Russian oil down, and that does reduce revenue to Russia," said Kevin Book, managing director at Clearview Energy Partners. "In theory, it is a way of reducing how much Russia earns on every barrel it sells, maybe not by a lot, but by some. The most important question is whether there's going to be more pressure on the other side of the Atlantic."

How could a Russian oil ban affect prices?

The news of the looming U.S. oil ban sent gasoline prices to their highest level ever recorded, with a gallon of regular selling for an average of $4.17 Tuesday.

A month ago, oil was selling for about $90 a barrel. Now, prices are surging around $130 a barrel as buyers shun Russian crude. Refiners had already feared being left with oil they couldn't resell if sanctions were imposed.

Shell said Tuesday that it would stop buying Russian oil and natural gas and shut down its service stations, aviation fuels and other operations there, days after Ukraine's foreign minister criticized the energy giant for continuing to buy Russian oil.

Energy analysts warn that prices could go as high to $160 or even $200 a barrel if buyers continue shunning Russian crude. That trend could send U.S. gasoline prices past $5 a gallon, a scenario that Biden and other political figures are desperate to avoid.

Are Russian imports already falling?

The U.S. oil industry has said it shares the goal of reducing reliance on foreign energy sources and is committed to working with the Biden administration and Congress. Even without sanctions, some U.S. refiners have severed contracts with Russian companies. Imports of Russian crude oil and products have tumbled.

"Our industry has taken significant and meaningful steps to unwind relationships" with Russia and voluntarily limit Russian imports, said Frank Macchiarola, senior vice president of the American Petroleum Institute, the oil and gas industry's largest lobbying group.

Preliminary data from the U.S. Energy Department shows imports of Russian crude dropped to zero in the last week in February.

The petroleum institute hasn't taken a formal stance on legislation to ban Russian oil imports. But it says it would comply with any restrictions imposed.

Will Europe go along?

A ban on Russian oil and natural gas would be painful for Europe. Russia provides about 40% of Europe's natural gas for home heating, electricity and industry uses and about a quarter of Europe's oil. European officials are looking for ways to reduce their dependence, but it's going to take time.

Britain's business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, said his country will use the rest of the year to phase out its imports of oil and petroleum products to "give the market, businesses and supply chains more than enough time to replace Russian imports," which account for 8% of U.K. demand.

Germany's economy minister, Robert Habeck, on Tuesday defended the European decision so far to exempt Russian energy from sanctions.

"The sanctions have been chosen deliberately so that they impact the Russian economy and the Putin regime seriously, but they also have been chosen deliberately so that we as an economy and a nation can keep them up for a long time," Habeck said. "Ill-considered behavior could lead to exactly the opposite."

"We have maneuvered ourselves into an ever-greater dependency on fossil energy imports from Russia in the last 20 years," Habeck said. "That is not a good state of affairs."

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak underlined that urgency, saying Russia would have "every right" to halt natural gas shipments to Europe through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline in retaliation for Germany halting the parallel Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which was not yet operating. He added that "we have not taken this decision" and that "no one would benefit from this." It was a change from earlier Russian assurances that they had no intention of cutting off gas to Europe.

Oil is easier to replace than natural gas. Other countries could increase production of oil and ship it to Europe. But much oil would have to be replaced, and this would drive up prices even more because the oil would likely have to travel farther.

Replacing the natural gas that Russia provides to Europe is likely impossible in the short term. Most of the natural gas Russia provides to Europe travels through pipelines. To replace it, Europe would mostly import liquefied natural gas, known as LNG. The continent doesn't have enough pipelines to distribute gas from coastal import facilities to farther reaches of the continent.

In January, two-thirds of American LNG exports went to Europe. Some ships filled with LNG had been heading to Asia but turned around to go to Europe because buyers there offered to pay higher prices, according to S&P Global Platts.

While U.S. oil and gas producers could drill for more natural gas, its export facilities are already operating at capacity. Expanding those facilities would take years and billions of dollars.
The majority of immigrants living in Ukraine come from neighboring countries in Eastern Europe. But there are those from other continents too. Cristina Caicedo Smit spoke with some families who arrived from Latin America and face an unfolding war.
Iran will not back down on its red lines in nuclear talks with major powers, President Ebrahim Raisi said on Tuesday, after the European Union said the time had come for Washington and Tehran to take political decisions needed to reach an accord.

Eleven months of negotiations to revive the 2015 nuclear deal which lifted sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear program have reached their final stages.

Iran has sought to remove all sanctions and it wants guarantees from the United States that it will not abandon the deal once more, after then-U.S. President Donald Trump walked out of the deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions.

Iran's top negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, returned to Tehran on Monday for consultations.

"The government pursues nuclear negotiations in full accordance with the principles and framework set by the Supreme Leader," Raisi said, referring to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in Tehran's decision.

"It has not and will not back down on any of these red lines," the semi-official Fars news agency quoted Raisi as saying.

Talks coordinator Enrique Mora of the European Union said on Monday that the political decisions needed to conclude the negotiations successfully must be taken in the next few days.

Diplomats say several differences still need to be overcome in the talks, which were also hit by a last-minute demand from Russia for a guarantee from the United States that Russian trade, investment and military-technical cooperation with Iran would not be hindered by sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken played down the issue during a visit to Estonia, saying Russia has a self-interest in preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear arms.

"We continue to work to see if we can come back to mutual compliance with Iran on the deal. Russia continues to be engaged in those efforts and it has its own interest in ensuring that Iran is not able to acquire a nuclear weapon," Blinken said.

Should the talks collapse, it could carry the risk of Tehran getting to within a short sprint of nuclear weapons and igniting a fresh war in the Middle East. It could also prompt the West to impose more harsh sanctions on Iran and further escalate world oil prices already strained by the Ukraine conflict.

Parties involved in the talks said last week that a deal was expected to be reached within days.

European negotiators from France, Britain, and Germany had already temporarily left the talks as they believed they had gone as far as they could go and it was now up to the two main protagonists to agree on outstanding issues, including the extent to which sanctions on Iran would be rolled back.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is under U.S. sanctions, successfully put a second military satellite into orbit, state media said on Tuesday, in what would be another advance for Iran's military.
Kenyan women were in the streets of Nairobi Tuesday in protest of motorbike taxi drivers who allegedly assaulted a woman last week.

The protesters, organized by the Federation of Women Lawyers, gave the capitals police chief a petition seeking assurance of their safety and protection from all forms of harassment.

A video widely circulated on Kenyan social media platforms showed a woman motorcycle driver being manhandled by a dozen angry men and screaming for help in Nairobi last week.

The incident prompted a public outcry, and many women called on police to take action against drivers who act without regard to the law.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta also called for a general crackdown on motorcycle riders. Kenyan radio station Capital FM quoted police chief Hilary Mutyambai saying officers have arrested 229 riders and seized at least 900 bikes over the past two days.

The relationship between motorcycle riders and the public has deteriorated due to a perceived tendency for drivers to not follow traffic rules and to use violence to intimidate motorists and pedestrians.

The Federation of Women Lawyers has called for the creation of a task force to curb rogue riders.
Videos of an alleged massacre in central Mali are circulating on social media, with locals saying those killed were ethnic Fulani men whom security forces arrested in late February and early March. Mali's military this week denied any responsibility for the killings; however, VOA spoke to a man who said he witnessed troops arresting a close friend.

Last week, the videos began circulating on social media in Mali, showing the burned corpses of dozens of men, blindfolded, with their hands tied behind their backs.

Fulani in villages around Diabaly, in central Mali, say that the victims were recently arrested by the Malian army.

The Fulani are a traditionally pastoralist ethnic group spread across West Africa and have for years accused the army of unfairly targeting them for supposed ties to extremism.

A local man, who did not wish to be identified for fear of reprisal, told VOA via a messaging app from his village that he witnessed troops arresting the men who disappeared, including a close friend and six of his acquaintances.

It was the Malian army, he said. They are the ones who took them. He said they were wearing uniforms; they were on motorbikes. They chased us away, and they called in reinforcements. Then, he said, they took all these seven guys that I know myself, in their vehicles.

He said he witnessed the arrests of around 35 men, although others in the area say there were more. He said the army came to a field where the men were tending to their cattle on the morning of March 1st, and he believes the men were killed that evening in the scene that was later captured on video.

The army released a written statement on Saturday denying any culpability in executions that occurred near Diabaly on the night of March 1-2, 2022.

VOA attempted to reach a Malian army spokesman for comment, but he did not return phone calls.

The United Nations confirmed to the Reuters news agency last week that it will be investigating the allegations.

Corinne Dufka, the Sahel region director at Human Rights Watch, said via a messaging app from Washington that her team has been investigating the incident.

We have, in the last several months, been investigating a number of very serious incidents involving armed Islamists and the army, which have resulted in over a hundred people being killed. It appears as though abuses by the army are trending up, and this latest incident is, again, the most serious that we have heard in many, many years, she said.

Dufka said Human Rights Watch is calling on Malian and international authorities, including the U.N., to conduct a credible investigation.

Aly Tounkara, a security analyst based in Mali, said via a messaging app from Bamako that he has not yet been able to authenticate the video. But, he said regardless of what happened on the ground, the situation could worsen the already tense relationship between the Fulani and the armed forces.

He said this kind of video will push certain people to lose confidence in the armed security forces, and even to accuse them of ethnic cleansing.

Human Rights Watch says it will be publishing a report next week on alleged killings by both armed Islamist groups and state security forces in Mali.
SYDNEY  A groundbreaking law enabling New Zealand to freeze the assets of those associated with Russia is expected to pass this week.

The new Russia Sanctions Bill  in response to its invasion of Ukraine  would allow authorities to target individuals, services, companies and assets. The new legislation would allow New Zealand to impose sanctions on an individual country for the first time.

The South Pacific nation can now implement sanctions only when the United Nations Security Council has imposed them. Russias veto in the council, however, has prevented that from happening.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said her governments unilateral penalties  prompted by the invasion of Ukraine  would freeze Russian assets in New Zealand and stop superyachts, ships and aircraft owned by targeted individuals from entering the countrys waters or airspace. The measures would extend to Russian oligarchs and countries that support Russia, including Belarus.

The government in Wellington has also released a list banning 100 individuals from traveling to New Zealand.

Ardern said Monday the new laws would strike a financial and political blow on Russia.

It will target those of economic or strategic relevance to Russia, including oligarchs. The sanctions will freeze assets located in New Zealand, she said. It will also prevent those who are sanctioned from moving assets to New Zealand or using our financial system as a backdoor to get around sanctions increasingly imposed by other countries.

New Zealands Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nanaia Mahuta, said Tuesday that international sanctions placed on Russia would act as a wall of resistance and send a message to Moscow that the invasion of Ukraine was wrong.

The Australian government said it would be introducing more punitive action on Russias propagandists and purveyors of disinformation.

Its foreign minister, Marise Payne, said Tuesday that financial sanctions would target members of the Russian military who were responsible for implementing naval, ground and air attacks on Ukraine.

Payne said the Canberra government was also working with Facebook, Google and Twitter to take action to suspend the dissemination of content generated by Russian state media within Australia.
Israeli police shot dead a Palestinian man after he stabbed two officers at a gate to Jerusalem's walled Old City on Monday, a police statement said. It was the second such incident in two days.

Police said the two officers suffered light to moderate wounds and were taken to hospital.

Hamas, the Islamist group that rules Gaza, claimed the attacker as a member.

It praised the stabbing attack as a response to what it called Israel's "extrajudicial killings" of Palestinians in Jerusalem without arresting them or putting them on trial.

"These operations will continue as long as the occupation continues its aggression and its violations against the sacred sites in Jerusalem," Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said.

A video on social media showed several police officers shouting and pointing their guns at the man as he lay on the ground at the Cotton Merchants' Gate.

Photos distributed by police showed a bloodied knife on the ground.

The state-run Palestinian news agency WAFA identified the man as Abdulrahman Qasem from Jalazon refugee camp near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

On Sunday, a Palestinian man who stabbed and wounded an Israeli policeman in the Old City was killed when officers fired at him, police said.

Later that day, Israeli soldiers shot a Palestinian who threw a fire bomb at an army post outside Jerusalem, a military spokesman said. Palestinian officials identified him as a 16-year-old who later died of his wounds.

Israel captured East Jerusalem and the Old City, along with the West Bank and Gaza in a 1967 war. Palestinians seek those areas for a future state. Israeli-Palestinian peace talks collapsed in 2014.


The former leader of the far-right Proud Boys group was arrested and charged Tuesday for his alleged role in the January 6 Capitol riot.

Henry "Enrique" Tarrio wasnt present at the riot, but the U.S. Justice Department says he was involved in the conspiracy to stop Congress from certifying results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

"Although Tarrio is not accused of physically taking part in the breach of the Capitol, the indictment alleges that he led the advance planning and remained in contact with other members of the Proud Boys during their breach of the Capitol," the Justice Department said in a statement.

Tarrio, 38, had been arrested two days before January 6 for vandalizing a Black Lives Matter banner at a historic African American church. He was found guilty and served five months in jail.

More than three dozen Proud Boys members have been arrested and charged for their roles on January 6. Eleven members of another group, the Oath Keepers, have also been charged.

Around 775 people have also been arrested for their roles.

Tarrio is scheduled to appear at a federal court Tuesday afternoon in Florida.

Some information in this report comes from The Associated Press and Reuters.
Russian efforts to flood the information environment and rally support for its invasion of Ukraine appear to be hitting a wall as many of Moscow's media outlets have been blocked in Europe and elsewhere.

But Russia's propagandists are still trying to seize on developments that could boost the country's fortunes in Africa.

Analysts at the Washington-based Alliance for Securing Democracy tell VOA that after initially ignoring the story, Russian-affiliated outlets have tried to amplify reports of Africans and other people of color meeting with racism as they try to flee the fighting in Ukraine.

The effort, so far, appears to be small, but has involved spreading the accounts in English, French and Arabic.

In one tweet February 28, Redfish, which describes itself as a "digital content creator," shared a compilation video posted to Twitter days earlier of Africans waiting to leave Ukraine, including what appears to be a mother and an infant.

"They have not allowed any Black people to enter outside the gates," a voice says on the original video.

That same day, Russia's Sputnik published a story with the headline, "Indians & Africans Fleeing Ukraine Accuse Ukrainian Border Security of Violence, Racism  Videos."

The article reported on statements from Indian officials and politicians and included videos of Ukranian border guards allegedly harassing Indians and Africans.

Days later, articles about the alleged racism and discrimination at the Ukraine border appeared on Sputnik's French-language website and RT's Arabic language site.

Ukrainian officials and others in the West, including the U.S. State Department, have condemned the reported discrimination.

"Any act of racial discrimination, particularly in a crisis, is inexcusable," a State Department spokesperson told VOA late last month, after the initial reports of racism began to emerge.

"We're engaging closely with the U.N. agencies on the ground to ensure that every single person crossing into neighboring countries is received equally," the official added.

Analysts say it is too early to tell whether Russia's efforts to play up racism are resonating with audiences, especially as recent data suggest Moscow's current influence operations, overall, are having trouble gaining traction.

But U.S. officials and lawmakers note Russia has had some degree of success in its long history of trying to amplify racial divides.

"We have seen them exploit racial fissures through a variety of means  including notable examples of Russian-linked disinformation activities that targeted U.S. elections  to undermine the United States and the West by sowing internal societal discord," the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Democratic Representative Adam Schiff, told VOA.

Russia could try to use the reports of discrimination against Africans, both verified and unverified, to further divisions in the West. They could also prove useful to Russia in Africa, as Moscow seeks to enlarge its military footprint there at the expense of the United States and other Western nations.

"These incidents could prove to be a propaganda gold mine for Russia," Schiff said.
U.N. and international aid agencies are calling for an end to hostilities in Ukraine as the number of civilian casualties grows and more people flee in terror to safety in neighboring countries. The latest U.N. figures put the number of civilian casualties at 1,335, including 474 people killed and 861 injured.

The U.N. office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, which compiles the figures, believes the true number of casualties is much higher than what is recorded. That has led U.N. rights chief Michelle Bachelet to reiterate her call for a quick and peaceful end to the conflict, which she says has triggered a humanitarian crisis.

Her spokeswoman, Liz Throssell, says it is not possible to verify cases of civilian deaths and injuries in many parts of Ukraine because of ongoing hostilities.

She says most of the casualties are from airstrikes and explosive weapons used by Russian forces. She says heavy artillery and multiple rocket systems used in many cities have damaged and destroyed hundreds of residential buildings.

We are alarmed by numerous reports of threats and actual harm against journalistsWe are also concerned by reports of arbitrary detention of perceived pro-Ukrainian people in areas that have recently come under the control of armed groups in the east, and by reports of violence against those considered to be pro-Russian in Ukrainian government-controlled territories, Throssell said.

The U.N. refugee agency says more than two million people have fled Ukraine to neighboring Poland, Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and other European countries. However, Ewan Watson, spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, says hundreds of thousands of people trapped in the port city of Mariupol are unable to escape.

We stand ready to act in terms of our neutral intermediary role to facilitate the safe passage of civilians out of the city. But the bottom line today is that this situation is really apocalyptic for people. It is getting worse. They are running out of essential supplies. And so, our call today is for life-saving aid to reach these people, Watson said.

A Russian proposal to create humanitarian corridors to allow people to safely leave Mariupol failed after a cease-fire agreement was not honored.

Aid agencies say priority needs include emergency shelter, health care, food, water and sanitation, and psychosocial support to help people deal with what aid groups call an epidemic of trauma and grief.
The chair of the Somali Women Association, Batulo Ahmed Gaballe, does not have much to celebrate this International Womens Day.

Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Roble appointed her to spearhead efforts to reach a 30 percent quota for women lawmakers in the countrys long-delayed indirect, parliamentary elections.

But as the world marks the global holiday celebrated annually on March 8, female candidates have secured only half the needed seats to reach the quota.

Gaballe says the way the elections took place is different from what was agreed upon, as well as the procedure for the plan's implementation. Gaballe said each community with three or more seats should have allocated one seat for the womens quota.

But some clan elders, who play a key role in selecting potential lawmakers, have been blocking women from seeking office.

Out of the 275 seats for Somalias Lower House, clans have so far selected only 44 women.

They would need to choose another 40 women by March 15 to meet the 30 quota, but only 65 seats remain to be filled.

Gaballe said reaching the 30 percent quota at this point is very unlikely.

Many women who were prepared to run in the elections were rejected, Gaballe said. She added that the problems were created by state election commissions and regional presidents who chose to break the law.

The spokesman for Somalias Federal Indirect Elections Team, Ahmed Safina, argued that the electoral body has done its best.

He maintains that 30 percent of the seats should be allocated to women only, and that women could then also compete for the remaining 70 percent of the seats, just as men do.

But some female candidates say patriarchal beliefs among the clan delegates mean many women are overlooked.

Aisha Omar Geesdiir is competing for a seat in Somalias south-central Hirshabelle state. She said traditional beliefs means women are not viewed as leaders of their clan, but instead as being under their husbands clan.

She said another challenge is that her children are not viewed as being from her clan.

Men have always dominated politics and power in Somalia, a country still recovering from years of civil war and battling terrorism.

Somalias elections were to take place a year ago but fell into turmoil after President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and his allies pushed a term extension through parliament.

The move was repealed after deadly clashes in the capital, Mogadishu, and under international pressure.

Somalias elections have since been delayed several times because of political wrangling between the president and prime minister, the last time on Feburary 25.

If completed by the new deadline of March 15, the lawmakers chosen by clan delegates will then pick the next president of Somalia.
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA  South Koreas military fired warning shots at a North Korean patrol boat that crossed the de facto inter-Korean sea border off the peninsulas west coast, South Koreas military reported Tuesday.

The skirmish occurred as South Korean authorities detained another North Korean vessel that had also crossed the so-called Northern Limit Line (NLL), according to a statement from South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The North Korean patrol boat, which was pursuing the first vessel, retreated after South Koreas military fired warning shots, the statement added.

South Koreas military detained the other vessel and brought it to nearby Baekryeong Island. South Koreas Yonhap news agency reported that six of the seven crew members were wearing military uniforms.

A South Korean military spokesperson told VOA that Seoul was investigating the nature of the detained boat.

Small skirmishes occasionally break out along the inter-Korean border. But it is the first time a North Korean military vessel has crossed the NLL since the two countries signed a 2018 military agreement meant to reduce tensions, according to Chun In-bum, a retired South Korean lieutenant general.

Its a touch-and-go situation out there, Chun told VOA.

The incident comes a day before South Koreans head to the polls to choose a successor to President Moon Jae-in, who pursued better relations with Pyongyang.

Ruling party candidate Lee Jae-myung promises to continue Moons outreach to the North, while Yoon Seok-youl, his conservative rival, vows a more adversarial approach.

In the past, North Korea has often tried to raise tensions just before South Korean elections. But Chun says the timing of the latest sea border skirmish is likely coincidental.

Since 2019, North Korea has rejected South Koreas offer to improve ties. Instead, the North has increased missile tests. This year alone, North Korea has fired 13 missiles during nine rounds of launches.

North Korea says its last two missile tests have been in preparation for the launch of a reconnaissance satellite, a move that may significantly raise tensions.

North Korea insists its satellite launches are peaceful, but the United States, Japan and South Korea see them as disguised long-range missile tests. Pyongyang last launched a satellite in 2016.
The Taliban pledged Tuesday to protect the rights of women in Afghanistan under Islamic law to mark International Womens Day, even as critics decried the erosion of human rights since the Islamist group retook control of the country nearly seven months ago.

The Islamic Emirate is committed to upholding the Sharia rights of all Afghan women, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a tweet. The hardline group calls its interim government in Kabul the Islamic Emirate.

International Women's Day is a great opportunity for our Afghan women to demand their legitimate rights. We protect and defend the rights of our Afghan women, God willing, he added.

The Taliban had banned women from education and work, among other severe human rights violations, when they ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, leading to the global isolation of the South Asia nation.

The group has attempted to portray a reformed image, however, since seizing power from the now-defunct Western-backed Afghan government in August. Taliban leaders repeatedly have since assured the international community they would respect womens rights and would give them access to education, as well as work.

But rights groups reject the Taliban claims and accuse the group of cracking down on human rights, particularly those of women. They say the men-only insurgency-turned-government has rolled back womens rights in almost every area, including crushing womens freedom of movement.

Human Rights Watch noted in a statement issued in connection with International Womens Day that women are not allowed to share transportation with men or take long trips without a close male relative. Taxi drivers are told not to provide a ride to female passengers who are not wearing hijabs. Most Afghan girls secondary schools have been closed, and women are banned from most paid employment.

Several countries proudly claim a feminist foreign policy. But the international response to these developments has lacked urgency, and there is little sign of an effective coordinated plan to protect the rights of Afghan women and girls, lamented the global rights defender. On the contrary, governments pandered to the Taliban by sending all-male delegations to meet them, the statement says.

The United Nations said Tuesday that combined with entrenched gender inequality and discrimination, women in Afghanistan are disproportionately affected by a legacy of conflict, drought, and a collapsing economy.

Everyone in the country is affected by the current crises, but the situation for women and girls is particularly concerning as their rights and access to opportunities have become increasingly challenged, lamented Deborah Lyons, the head of the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

Amnesty International is urging the world to stop the Talibans suppression of womens and girls rights.

More than 80,000 global supporters and activists have signed a petition calling on the international community to urgently stand up for womens rights in Afghanistan and hold the Taliban accountable for their unrelenting suppression of women and girls rights," Amnesty said on International Womens Day.

A report submitted Monday to the United Nations Human Rights Council finds the human rights situation for many Afghans has worsened since the Taliban returned to power, noting that actions taken by de facto authorities have curtailed womens rights and freedom.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, who presented the report, said people perceived by the Taliban to be a threat, including human rights defenders and media workers, have been killed, arbitrarily detained and forcibly disappeared.

No government has yet recognized the Taliban as the legitimate leaders of Afghanistan, citing human rights and terrorism concerns, along with a lack of political inclusivity in the interim government the hardline group has installed in Kabul.

For their part, the Taliban reject all allegations against their interim government. Despite financial constraints, the group says it has opened all universities to women students across Afghanistan, and it intends to allow all girls to return to school later this month. The Taliban defend separate classrooms for male and female students, as well as other restrictions on women, saying they are in line with Islamic principles.
Coffee farmer Robert Kabushenga in Ugandas Wakiso district is among the coffee producers who are upset about the countrys decision last month to withdraw from the International Coffee Organization, or ICO.

Uganda says tariffs and other barriers restricting its coffee exports triggered the decision to withdraw from a two-year extension of ICOs 2007 international coffee agreement.

But Kabushenga describes the decision as reckless and illegal, telling VOA it will harm Uganda coffee farmers.

How does that affect the farmer? It means that the coffee buyer who has been buying can only buy the coffee he can sell because there he is sure he has a contract," Kabushenga said. "Hes not sure he can take it to warehouses in the International Commodities Exchange. And because of that, we could quite easily end up with surplus crop here because theres no buyer.

But the National Union of Coffee Agribusiness (NUCAFE), which includes some 1,500 coffee farmers, supports the governments decision to withdraw.

Executive director Joseph Nkandu says farmers now have the opportunity to take ownership of their product and to invest and upgrade their coffee.

The farmer has been getting far less than five percent of the retail value," Nkandu said. "Where does the 95% go? And the only way for this farmer to enhance the value that hes getting from this coffee value chain is to upgrade.

Ugandas withdrawal does not mean an end to exporting coffee, according to the managing director of Ugandas Coffee Development Authority. Emmanuel Iyamulemye says Uganda small and medium-sized enterprises can now focus on promoting their coffee in other markets.

We are looking at specialty markets," Iyamulmye said. "We have our young youth, SMEs, which are looking at entering big markets like the United States, Japan, South Korea, Australia and of course, the Scandinavian countries and Europe.

ICO officials say the organization has tried to resolve Ugandas complaints but has not received a response, adding that the reasons for the withdrawal were not strong or related to the agreement.

Speaking to VOA via Zoom, ICO operations head Gerardo Patacconi says the organization is looking at the integration of the private sector and a public-private task force in a new draft coffee agreement with Uganda.

This is a new opportunity," Patacconi said. "And this opportunity, to me, is unique and I guess thats why its supported by donors, its supported by the industry. So, Uganda is a leading producer of coffee. Its so sad it doesnt see that as an opportunity. And whatever concerns should be discussed within. This is a coffee diplomacy.

Uganda is currently Africa's leading exporter of Robusta coffee, exporting 6.1 million bags annually.
An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy said a small amount of progress had been made during a third round of talks Monday between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators.

The talks discussed establishing safe corridors that would allow civilians to flee the war, but Mykhailo Podolyak said there was no major breakthrough that could help end the conflict.

"There were some small positive shifts regarding logistics of humanitarian corridors," Podolyak said, but he gave no further details following the talks in Belarus.

Russia announced another limited cease-fire Monday to allow Ukrainians to leave some besieged cities, after efforts to set up a safe passage for civilians fell apart over the weekend.

However, there was no indication Monday night that Russian shelling in Ukraine had stopped.

A Russian negotiator said Russia expects another round of talks with Ukraine to take place soon.

"The next, fourth, round will take place in Belarus in the very, very near future," Russian negotiator Leonid Slutsky told Russian state television. "I will not name the exact date yet. It will be determined, perhaps tomorrow."

Ukrainian officials had earlier slammed Moscow's proposed civilian evacuation routes to Russia and Belarus and requested that civilians fleeing the battle zones be allowed to reach western Ukraine or European Union countries.

In a tweet minutes before the latest talks, Podolyak denounced Russia's "large-scale violence against civilians."

Ukrainian and Russian delegations have met three times in Belarus since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

On the diplomatic front, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Russia to end attacks on civilians.

"Let the food and medicine in. Let the people out safely, and end this war of choice against Ukraine," Blinken said during a news conference with Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics in Riga. Blinken cited "relentless bombardment" and reports of attacks by Russian forces on agreed-upon humanitarian corridors.

While in the Latvian capital, Blinken also met with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid who told reporters, "Israel is totally committed to do everything possible to stop the war in Ukraine."

Blinken thanked Israel for its efforts to end the war and said the United States is working with its close partners and allies to try to find a solution that gives the Ukrainian people "their sovereignty, their independence and their territorial integrity."

Blinken's meeting with Lapid comes a day after Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy separately in an effort to mediate a cease-fire.

Blinken is heading to Paris on Tuesday. His meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron would come after the latter's diplomatic outreach to both Putin and Zelenskyy.

"There's certainly no change in our message to Moscow, our message to Russia, to President Putin: End the war. End it now," urged Blinken.

The White House said President Joe Biden held a video call Monday with the leaders of France, Germany and Britain to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

"The leaders affirmed their determination to continue raising the costs on Russia for its unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine," according to the White House.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the leaders discussed the possibility of imposing a ban on importing oil from Russia. She said Biden has not yet decided whether to take such an action.

"No decision has been made at this point," she told reporters, while adding that European countries have "different capacities and capabilities."

At the United Nations, the Security Council met Monday afternoon to discuss the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Ukraine. The U.N. humanitarian chief, Under-Secretary-General Martin Griffiths, called for civilians in Ukraine to be granted safe passage "in the direction they choose."

On the ground, Russian forces bombarded cities in northern and southern Ukraine on Monday, as Ukrainian officials warned that Russia may be moving closer to storming Kyiv.

Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces said Russian forces were focused on encircling Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mykolayiv. A statement Monday accused Russia of violating international humanitarian law by shelling civilians and of creating a humanitarian crisis in occupied areas.

A senior U.S. defense official told reporters that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is still stalling in parts of the country's north.

"We're not seeing a lot of progress, at least over the course of the past couple of days," the official said on Monday, adding that Russian forces "continue to be frustrated by a stiff Ukrainian resistance, as well as their own internal challenges."

However, the official said that Russian forces are having more success in southern Ukraine and noted that Russia still has superior numbers.

"I don't think we should underestimate that," the official said.

Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby said Monday U.S. military officials believe that Russia's lack of progress in Ukraine's north and east is leading Moscow to carry out more long-range strikes, which are leading to more civilian casualties.

"The bottom line is more civilians are being killed and wounded.  And Mr. Putin still has a choice here  not to escalate," Kirby said.

In a video address, Zelenskyy accused Russian forces of "deliberate murder" and said anyone who "committed atrocities" would be punished.

Putin on Sunday contended his military campaign in Ukraine was proceeding as planned and would not end until the Ukrainians stop fighting.

In a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who appealed for a cease-fire, Putin expressed readiness for dialogue with Ukraine and foreign partners but said any attempt to draw out negotiations would fail, according to a Kremlin statement.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Monday that Beijing "is willing to work with the international community to carry out necessary mediation when needed."

He said Russia was China's "most important strategic partner" and added "friendship between the two peoples is iron clad."

China has voiced opposition to sanctions imposed by the United States, the EU and others in response to Russia's invasion.

More than 1.7 million refugees have fled Ukraine, according to data from the U.N. Refugee Agency, with more than 1 million of those going west to Poland. Data for Russia and Belarus was last updated late last week but showed just more than 50,000 people going to those countries.

VOA chief national correspondent Steve Herman, national security correspondent Jeff Seldin, Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb, Istanbul foreign correspondent Heather Murdock, White House correspondent Anita Powell, and senior diplomatic correspondent Cindy Saine contributed to this report.

Some information also came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and Reuters.
Civilians in some parts of Ukraine besieged by Russian forces were able to evacuate Tuesday, fleeing in buses or on foot amid temporary cease-fires.

In one instance, people were leaving the eastern city of Sumy, where hours earlier a Russian airstrike on a residential street killed at least 21 civilians, according to local authorities.

People were also seen departing the town of Irpin, near the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

Russias Defense Ministry said additional evacuation corridors would be in place in Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Mariupol.

Several previous attempts to set up a way for people to get out of areas that have been subjected to Russian attacks during the nearly 2-week-old Russian invasion of Ukraine fell apart, including one for those in Mariupol, the target of renewed shelling, according to reports.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Tuesday accused Russia of holding 300,000 people hostage in Mariupol, a city of about 430,000, and preventing humanitarian evacuations.

I urge all states to publicly demand: RUSSIA, LET PEOPLE GO! Kuleba tweeted.

Red Cross buses carrying water, medicine and food Tuesday surrounded the southern part of Mariupol. Shortly after Ukrainian officials announced the buses were approaching the city, however, the officials said they had been made aware of shelling along the escape route.

It was not clear if the supply convoy arrived at Mariupol, and it seemed unlikely that civilians would be able to board the buses for evacuation, as stated by Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

The United Nations refugee agency said Tuesday that more than 2 million people have fled Ukrainian cities as Russian forces cut off food, water, heat and medicine, sparking Europe's worst refugee crisis since World War II. More than half have gone to Poland.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg described the civilian impact in Ukraine as devastating and called for real humanitarian corridors that are fully respected.

There are very credible reports of civilians coming under fire as they try to evacuate, he said Tuesday. Targeting civilians is a war crime, and its totally unacceptable.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Russia to allow humanitarian access for civilians in Ukraine and said Ukraine's allies will do "everything we can" to ensure Ukrainians have what they need to defend themselves.

"This is (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin's war to subjugate a sovereign, democratic country. And until he ends it, the world will hold him accountable," he said during a joint news conference Tuesday with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas in Tallinn.

This image contains sensitive content which some people may find offensive or disturbing. Click to reveal This image contains sensitive content which some people may find offensive or disturbing - Click to reveal The dead bodies of people killed by Russian shelling lay covered in the street in the town of Irpin, Ukraine, March 6, 2022.

Kallas said the conflict demands our continued and united support for Ukraine, including military and humanitarian support, and closing loopholes in sanctions against Russia.

We will keep finding new tools in our toolbox until Putins war machine has been neutralized, she said.

A day after U.S. President Joe Biden and the leaders of France, Germany and Britain pledged on a video call Monday to continue to hold Russia accountable for its invasion of Ukraine, Biden announced a ban on U.S. imports of Russian oil and gas.

Britain also announced Tuesday it would ban imports of Russian oil, saying they will be phased out by years end.

Hours before the bans were announced, Blinken said there is ongoing work to ensure a steady global supply of energy from other sources.

"There is a significant, not only opportunity, but imperative in this moment to finally move off a dependence on Russian energy, because Russia uses it as a weapon," he said.

Blinken was heading to Paris for talks Tuesday with French President Emmanuel Macron, who has spoken in recent days with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Russian attacks overnight included bombings of cities in eastern and southern Ukraine and shelling that hit several suburbs of Kyiv.

Britains Defense Ministry said Ukrainian forces are resisting Russias advance toward Kyiv with pressure in towns outside the capital city.

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Tuesday such resistance and supply problems are making Russian forces more desperate. He said as a result, Russia is conducting indiscriminate shelling of civilians.

Leaders of U.S. government intelligence agencies also said Putin is likely to intensify attacks on Ukraine, despite Russias military setbacks and growing economic woes stemming from global sanctions.

"Our analysts assess that Putin is unlikely to be deterred by such setbacks and instead may escalate," Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said at Tuesdays annual House of Representatives Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats.

Haines also warned of the possibility of "unintended escalation" as international tensions escalate.

U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns told the lawmakers he believes Putin is angry and frustrated and likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties."

Kuleba and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov were due to meet Thursday in Turkey to discuss the situation. Kuleba said he will propose a direct meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin.

We want talks between the president of Ukraine and Vladimir Putin since he is the one who makes the final decisions, Kuleba said on Ukrainian television.

A series of lower-level talks between the two sides yielded no major breakthroughs in resolving the conflict.

VOA chief national correspondent Steve Herman, national security correspondent Jeff Seldin, Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb, Istanbul foreign correspondent Heather Murdock, White House correspondent Anita Powell, and senior diplomatic correspondent Cindy Saine contributed to this report. Some information also came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and Reuters.
The U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet is urging the Ethiopian government, Tigrayan forces and other armed groups to end the violence and abuses that are keeping northern Ethiopia in crisis.

U.N. rights chief Bachelet expressed alarm Tuesday at the growing human rights and humanitarian crisis in northern Ethiopia. She said the 16-month conflict between Ethiopian government forces and the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front, or TPLF, has spread into the neighboring regions of Afar and Amhara.

This, she said, has increased the number of civilian deaths and casualties and the destruction of civilian property throughout the region. The high commissioner said no one in this war has clean hands.

The comments come as the U.N. human rights office released a new report on the Tigray conflict, covering the period from November 22nd of last year to February 28th. Bachelet said her office has documented hundreds of killings and injuries of civilians due to multiple airstrikes by the Ethiopian air force. At the same time, she said, the Tigrayan forces and other armed groups have carried out devastating attacks in Afar and Amhara, resulting in scores of deaths and hundreds of injuries.

She accused the warring parties of gross violations of human rights, of looting, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure, including schools and health facilities.

The attacks that I have cited, and many others, raise serious concerns under international humanitarian law, which prohibits the deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian objects, as well as indiscriminate attacks that strike military objectives and civilians, without distinction. I again urge the government, Tigrayan forces, and all other parties to the conflict to cease such violations, she said.

Ambassador Mahlet Hailu Guadey is Ethiopias deputy permanent representative to the U.N. in Geneva. She took umbrage at the report, saying it was based on rigged narratives that had nothing to do with the reality on the ground.

She said it was unfortunate that human rights were being cynically used to bolster what she termed terrorist groups to the detriment of the Ethiopian government. She added Ethiopia abided by its human rights obligations and was prepared to engage in a constructive dialogue to resolve the conflict.

High Commissioner Bachelet spoke of the growing humanitarian crisis in the region. She notes hostilities and insecurity continue to block the delivery of humanitarian supplies into Tigray. This, she says, has led to growing food insecurity, poverty, and displacement.

During the reporting period, OHCHR recorded more than 15,000 arbitrary arrests and detentions in connection with the state of emergency decreed by the government. Most appeared to be ordinary citizens of Tigrayan ethnicity. I am encouraged by the authorities recent decision to lift the state of emergency, she said.

Ethiopia launched its military offensive in Tigray on November 4, 2020, to oust the TPLF from its northern stronghold. The U.N. says 40% of Tigrays population of 6 million suffer from acute hunger, with 400,000 on the verge of famine.
The United Nations high commissioner for human rights says she will visit China, including Xinjiang province, in May.



Michelle Bachelet told the U.N. Human Rights Council on Tuesday that the long-delayed trip would occur.



I am pleased to announce that we have recently reached an agreement with the government of China for a visit, she said.



Many Western countries accuse China of genocide against the approximately 1 million ethnic Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Human rights groups accuse Beijing of operating re-education camps, using forced labor and committing forced sterilization.



China denies the accusations, saying Uyghur re-education camps are to combat extremism within the Muslim group.

China has long said it welcomed a visit by Bachelet but appeared to balk at her demands for meaningful and unfettered access.



Bachelet told the council Tuesday that an advance team from the OHCHR would leave for China next month.



"We welcome the high commissioner's visit to Xinjiang in this May. And China will work together with [her office] to make good preparation for this visit," said Chen Xu, China's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva.



Missing from Bachelets announcement was an update on an impending report from the U.N. rights office on the situation in Xinjiang.



It reportedly has been ready since last August, and an OHCHR spokesman said in December it would be released within a few weeks.



Amnesty International on Tuesday called for Bachelet to release the report without further delay.



The Chinese governments crimes against humanity targeting Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other predominantly Muslim minorities in Xinjiang are well documented, but we are yet to see the situation meaningfully addressed by the U.N. Human Rights Office, the group said in a statement.



Some information in this report comes from Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
The U.S. is banning all imports of Russian oil and gas, President Joe Biden announced Tuesday  a move that he said "will deal another powerful blow to Putin's war machine" as Russian forces under the command of President Vladimir Putin continue their assault on Ukraine.

"This is a step that we're taking to inflict further pain on Putin," Biden said. "But there will be costs as well here in the United States."

Gas prices have already surged to over $4 a gallon, the highest seen in the U.S. since 2008. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said these higher prices can be blamed on one man.

"Americans are paying a higher price at the pump because of the actions of President Putin," she said. "This is a Putin spike at the gas pump, not one prompted by our sanctions."

But California Republican Representative Kevin McCarthy criticized Biden for not encouraging more American oil production.

"Democrats want to blame surging prices on Russia," he said. "But the truth is, their out-of-touch policies are why we are here in the first place. On Day One, the President canceled the Keystone Pipeline and stopped new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters. Then he gave the greenlight to Putin's pipeline. These knee-jerk decisions had damaging effects up and down the supply chain."

The oil ban, outlined in an executive order, is the latest move by Washington to squeeze Putin and limit his ability to fund his attack on neighboring Ukraine. Putin, one of the world's wealthiest individuals, has been accused by critics of filling his pockets with ill-gotten gains from his energy-exporting nation.

Under the executive order, the U.S. is also banning all imports of crude oil, petroleum products, natural gas, coal and coal products and banning any American from investing in Russia's energy sector. The ban is immediate; existing contracts will have 45 days to wrap up, White House officials said.

Last year, the U.S. imported nearly 700,000 barrels per day of crude oil and refined petroleum products from Russia  a far cry from the 4.5 million barrels of Russian oil that Europe imports each day.

"We're moving forward on this ban, understanding that many of our European allies and partners may not be in a position to join us," Biden said. "The United States produces far more oil domestically than all the European countries combined. In fact, we're a net exporter of energy. So we can take this step when others cannot."

Meanwhile, Britain on Tuesday said it would phase out imports of Russian oil and oil products by the end of this year.

Kristine Berzina, head of the geopolitics team at the Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund, said the impact of this ban depends on market forces.

"This is a very major additional step," she told VOA. "I think that it's hard right now to say exactly how much it's going to hurt, partially because the second piece of the puzzle is how much does each unit (of) that gas or oil cost? And paradoxically, the more you ban ... all of that becomes more expensive per unit. Russia can still make a significant amount of money with a little bit of gas. So actually, the ban has to be big enough to where the volume not sold is significant enough for it to hurt."

Biden also announced Tuesday that International Energy Agency members agreed to a collective release of 60 million barrels of crude oil from strategic petroleum reserves, with the United States committing half the amount.

"We believe that the impact of this oil ban we announced today will be not long term," Psaki said. "And what we're working to do is to take steps to mitigate it, which is in part the release from the strategic petroleum reserve, continuing to coordinate and communicate with global energy suppliers and continuing to consider a range of options."

Biden said he had received support from his political allies and critics. Republican U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer of North Dakota said, "This action is a necessary step for the world. Vladimir Putin's war chest is dependent on revenue (that) comes from selling energy  some of it to Americans, when we have more than enough oil and gas for ourselves and most of the rest of the world."

He added, "Because of this, oil is a weapon for Putin. It's about time the Biden administration recognized this weaponization of energy. This import ban is designed to further cripple Putin's financial stream to wage war on the freedom-loving people of Ukraine and a host of other mischief."

Biden has repeatedly said that he has no intention of sending U.S. troops to Ukraine, and that these economic moves are a strong deterrent for Putin.

"Yesterday I spoke with my counterparts in France, Germany and the United Kingdom about how Russia is escalating violence against Ukraine, and the steps that we're going to take together with our allies and partners around the world to respond to this aggression," Biden said.

"We are enforcing the most significant package of economic sanctions in history, and it's causing significant damage to Russia's economy."

Some information in this report came from Reuters.
The tension between nature and modern development is being played out in Kenya. Along Nairobi Expressways construction site, workers can be seen wrapping marigolds and other greenery onto industrial beams, a contrast to ongoing welding and excavation activities.

Its been nice working with some greenery for a change, said 32-year-old Julian Wandera, who has been working on the expressway since May 2021. Especially as the weather gets hotter, he added.

Aside from the greenery, Kenyan authorities are asking for more trees to be planted by the China Road and Bridge Corporation as part of the Kenyan governments attempt to uphold higher environmental standards.

In late January, the Director-General of the National Environment Management Authoritys (NEMA), Mamo Boru Mamo, ordered CRBC to plant at least 3,000 assorted tree seedlings over the span of three months. The order was publicized in mid-February; the contractor has until the end of March to not only replace those uprooted during the construction process but also to contribute to Nairobis beautification process.

Neither the Chinese Embassy in Nairobi nor CRBC responded to multiple requests for comments. The beautification process is part of their compliance with the Kenya governments greening orders.

Last October, China announced a Second Belt and Road initiative which aims to bring a more environmentally friendly approach to building land and sea infrastructure projects from Asia to Africa.

Mamo noted that the seedlings must be in compliance with Kenya Forest Service guidelines to prevent introducing invasive species. In a phone interview with VOA, he said the contractor had no option other than to comply with this order.

We understand they have already engaged in undertaking the activities as directed, he said. Mamo added that the directive is indeed part of the initial environmental impact assessment that was approved alongside the management plan of the expressway.

The Nairobi Expressway is Kenyas first major public-private partnership, which started in October 2019. The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has collaborated with the Chinese company, China Road and Bridge Corporation, for the design, construction, and financing of the 27-kilometer road.

Kenya hopes the $600 million toll road sparks modernization and increases tourism as it links Jomo Kenyatta International Airport east of the capital city with the Nairobi-Nakuru highway west of the capitol.

In an interview with state outlet Kenya Broadcasting Corportation (KBC), Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia said the road will cut down on the citys notorious traffic from as long as three hours during rush hour to as fast as 20 minutes. Macharia added it would save money lost in bad traffic and create more jobs.

Wandera is one of an estimated 6,000 Kenyans employed by the project. We should be done by September 2022, he told VOA. Ive learned a lot in the process, and weve all gotten along (with the Chinese) for the most part.

Throughout the construction, CRBC felled an estimated 2,500 trees, according to the National Environment Management Authoritys (NEMA) environmental impact assessment. Trees are needed to mitigate air pollution, improve water quality, provide urban habitats for birds, small invertebrates, and insects, and cultivate the overall livability standard of a city.

Lestan Kimiri, the project manager of the Mukogodo Forest Association, believes that the Kenyan government is right to demand replanting as they have evidence that biodiversity was affected. In an email response to VOA, he said that this is part of the construction companys corporate social responsibility.

In the modern era, everyone is working to green our cities and towns. Nairobi being Kenyas capital, its right to green it, Kimiri said. Remember the polluter pay principle where the company releasing carbon emissions pays for it? Planting of trees and other vegetation is part of it. He believes that NEMAs order will set a precedent for the environmental standards expected from foreign contractors.

As Chinas engagement with African nations deepens, particularly in the infrastructure development sector, questions about Chinas level of commitment to advocating for environmental standards arise.

Elijah Munyi, an assistant professor of International Relations at the United States International University-Africa, focuses on the politics and regimes development in foreign direct investment, particularly in the context of China-Africa relations. In a phone interview with VOA, he said that as African countries are developing internal infrastructure and environmental regulations, the convergence of development and sustainability goals remains a critical matter.

Munyi doubts whether China is committed to upholding high environmental standards. Im not completely convinced. Since this is just on Waiyaki Way, its super visible. It could be an aesthetic coup over the government and [the] Chinese, he said. I wouldnt think of this as a groundbreaking development. Its a little addition to mark a very politically important project.

Tyson Nuthu works in the outdoors industry in Nairobi and is also skeptical whether NEMAs order extends beyond a public relations stunt. The fundamental problem has to do with accountability. Who will ensure that NEMA follows through with its own environmental regulations, he asked.

The major anticipated users of the expressway include embassy employees, politicians, and other high-level individuals, given the tolls that will be required for expressway access.
Like in much of Africa, women in Kenya own only a small fraction of property, and less than 14% of Kenya's real estate brokers are women. For VOA, Juma Majanga reports from Nairobi on the challenges women face in the real estate industry.
WASHINGTON  Civilians in some parts of Ukraine besieged by Russian forces were able to evacuate Tuesday, fleeing in buses or on foot amid temporary cease-fires.

One evacuation saw people leaving the eastern city of Sumy, where hours earlier a Russian airstrike on a residential street killed at least 21 civilians, according to local authorities.

People were also seen leaving the town of Irpin, near the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

Russias defense ministry said additional evacuation corridors would be in place in Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Mariupol.

Several previous attempts to set up a way for people to get out of areas that have been subjected to Russian attacks during the nearly two-week-old Russian invasion of Ukraine fell apart, including one for those in Mariupol.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Tuesday accused Russia of holding 300,000 people hostage in Mariupol and preventing humanitarian evacuations.

I urge all states to publicly demand: RUSSIA, LET PEOPLE GO! Kuleba tweeted.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called the civilian impact in Ukraine devastating and called for real humanitarian corridors that are fully respected.

There are very credible reports of civilians coming under fire as they try to evacuate, he said. Targeting civilians is a war crime and its totally unacceptable.

The U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday more than 2 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion on February 24. More than half have gone to Poland.

U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said there has not been such an exodus in Europe since World War II.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Russia to allow humanitarian access for civilians in Ukraine, and said Ukraine's allies will do "everything we can" to ensure Ukrainians have what they need to defend themselves.

"This is President Putin's war to subjugate a sovereign, democratic country. And until he ends it, the world will hold him accountable," he said during a joint news conference with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas in Tallin.

Kallas said the conflict demands our continued and united support for Ukraine, including military and humanitarian support, and closing loopholes in sanctions against Russia.

We will keep finding new tools in our toolbox until Putins war machine has been neutralized, she said.

Amid discussion of the possibility of imposing a ban on Russian oil, Blinken said there is ongoing work to ensure a steady global supply of energy from other sources.

"There is a significant, not only opportunity, but imperative in this moment to finally move off a dependence on Russian energy because Russia uses it as a weapon," he said.

Blinken is heading to Paris for talks Tuesday with French President Emmanuel Macron, who has spoken in recent days with both Putin and Zelenskyy.

The White House said President Joe Biden held a video call Monday with the leaders of France, Germany and Britain to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

The leaders affirmed their determination to continue raising the costs on Russia for its unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine, according to the White House.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the leaders discussed the possibility of imposing a ban on importing oil from Russia. She said Biden has not yet decided whether to take such an action.

No decision has been made at this point, she told reporters, while adding that European countries have different capacities and capabilities.

Russian attacks overnight included bombings of cities in eastern and southern Ukraine and shelling that hit several suburbs of Kyiv.

Britains defense ministry said Ukrainian forces are resisting Russias advance toward Kyiv with pressure in towns outside the capital city.

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Tuesday such resistance and supply problems are making Russian forces more desperate. He said as a result, Russia is conducting indiscriminate shelling of civilians.

Kuleba and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are due to meet Thursday in Turkey to discuss the situation. Kuleba said he will propose a direct meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

We want talks between the president of Ukraine and Vladimir Putin since he is the one who makes the final decisions, Kuleba said on Ukrainian television.

A series of lower-level talks between the two sides yielded no major breakthroughs in resolving the conflict.

VOA chief national correspondent Steve Herman, national security correspondent Jeff Seldin, Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb, Istanbul foreign correspondent Heather Murdock, White House correspondent Anita Powell, and senior diplomatic correspondent Cindy Saine contributed to this report. Some information also came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and Reuters.
(AP) - Jarred by discriminatory treatment and left to evacuate themselves from Ukraine, people from African, Asian and Latin American countries who succeed in getting out are forming impromptu networks to help thousands of others hoping to flee.

Stepping into the gap was an easy decision for Alexander Somto Orah, 25, a Nigerian student in Ukraine who, like some others, described xenophobia and threats of violence as he approached the border with Poland shortly after Russia's invasion.

Ukrainian border guards separated Africans, together with Indians, from the rest and directed us to the Romanian border scores of miles away, Orah said. They told us that if we try to push our way through, they are going to shoot us. Video shared with The Associated Press shows the confrontation.

United by fear and outrage after days in the freezing weather, the young foreigners started to protest. We raised our hands and told them we are students and just want to go home, Orah said. Eventually, they were allowed to cross.

Since reaching Poland's capital, Warsaw, he has returned to the border multiple times to help other foreigners leave Ukraine, drawing on his experience.

Almost 80,000 third-country nationals from 138 countries have fled, the International Organization for Migration said Friday.

Some have reported being denied access to bomb shelters, transportation and even access to consulates of their countries of origin in neighboring countries, the U.N. special rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, Tendayi Achiume, said Thursday, calling the racist and xenophobic treatment life-threatening.

The experiences are shaping the grassroots efforts to help others leave.

Ojonugwa Zakari, 21, a medical student from Nigeria, said she and hundreds of other foreigners remain stuck in Sumy, a city in northeastern Ukraine. As they wake to the sound of shelling, their phones now fill with tips on how to escape: Phone numbers of friendly locals across the border. Guidance on emergency supplies and what documents to show at checkpoints.

Basically, the basic war advice, said Zakari, whos never been in war before.

She added: Its no longer about where people are from. People are just trying to make sure that if youre a foreigner in Ukraine, you get to safety."

Ukraines government has addressed allegations of discrimination against fleeing foreigners amid sharp comments like the one by the African Union continental body, which called dissimilar treatment of Africans shockingly racist and in breach of international law.

Africans seeking evacuation are our friends and need to have equal opportunities to return to their home countries safely, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted Wednesday,. He later shared on Twitter a hotline number established to help African, Asian and other students wishing to leave.

Within 12 hours, the phone number had been retweeted more than 21,000 times. The following day, however, the hotline rang unanswered.

Other official statements of aid, even from foreigners' home countries, have felt remote as well.

Shortly after Russias invasion started on Feb. 24, Zimbabwes government told its citizens in Ukraine to contact their embassy in Germany, on the other side of Poland. Kenya's government suggested its embassy in Austria, similarly far away.

Since then, some countries have announced deals with Ukraines neighbors to facilitate the entry of their citizens. Others are trying to evacuate those who cant make it out. But the death of an Indian student in Russian shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, created new urgency.

Worried students and others have created WhatsApp and Telegram messaging groups for Africans, Brazilians and other populations with large numbers trying to leave. Some platforms offer financial or even mental health assistance.

Faith Chemari said she has helped over 50 Zimbabwean students by coordinating their bus travel toward Poland.

I was putting students in groups, with boys leaving first, so as to give feedback to the rest of the students on whether it was safe," she said.

Along Ukraine's borders, a global community has begun to gather to welcome exhausted countrymen making their way out. Others inside Ukraine assist travelers to the next destination. In Odesa, our Azeri people welcomed us and they helped us get to the Moldova border, said Elxan Salmanov Ilham, a 28-year old student from Azerbaijan who fled Kharkiv.

As support grows, some locals in Ukraine's neighboring countries are taking part.

After spending the night at the train station in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, Nigerian student Sanusi Salihu urgently needed food and shelter. He found both from a resident he met shortly after entering Slovakia.

We are seven in his house, Salihu said. He just took us all out for lunch (and) ... has been very nice.

Now, Salihu, too, does what he can from his new position of safety, messaging foreigners still in Ukraine.

___

Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi in Harare, Zimbabwe, and Grace Ekpu in Lagos, Nigeria, contributed.
A clash between locals and immigrants in Alexandra township in Johannesburg has left several people injured, hawkers stalls destroyed and many businesses shut down.

According to eyewitnesses, the fight broke out when a group of South Africans went around the township forcibly shutting down businesses owned by foreigners and asking locals to take over their vending stalls.

Police have since calmed down the situation, but residents have vowed to shut down the township until all foreigners are forced to leave the place.

Police say at least five people were injured and two of them were hospitalized.

Members of the Alexandra Dudula Movement, which is part of #PutSouthAfricaFirst calling for the removal of all illegal foreign nationals from the country, claims that they retaliated when they were attacked by immigrants.

Agnes Malatjie, said, We are scared of our lives here because a Zimbabwean was overheard saying some people will be killed in this place before the violence started.

But a Zimbabwean, who requested anonymity, claimed that Operation Dudula proponents attacked foreigners while they were selling their wares at the local market.

We are capable of hitting back hard but we have a lot of respect for local people. What they are doing is wrong. Its unlawful, he said.

A Mozambican, who also requested anonymity, said, We are not afraid of these people. No. We have given a lot of time for them to change their minds about harassing foreigners. Enough is enough. We no longer respect them and so we will make sure that this place is shutdown. They need to respect us if we are to reopen the market.

But unhappy locals are vowing to shutdown the market until all foreigners are forced to leave.

Alexandra police chief, Brigadier Max Masha, said South Africans are free to protest but not allowed to evict foreigners from work places, markets and other places.

They are free to protest peacefully but its unlawful to harass people. We will arrest all those that break the law, he said.

#PutSouthAfricaFirst claims that illegal immigrants have grabbed most of the jobs in South Africa and as a result, they should be forced to leave the country.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has in the past appealed to South Africans to avoid taking the law into their own hands on immigration and other issues.

VOA Correspondent Thuso Khumalo contributed to this article
Robert Lee Stier, age 86 of Alexandria, died on Sunday, May 1st. A visitation will take place on Wednesday, May 4th from 5 to 8 PM at the Anderson Funeral Home and then continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Thursday. A Funeral service will be held on Thursday, May 5th at 1 
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.
Major General Igor Kirillov, the Russian Armys Chief of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Forces (RCB), recently held a press conference in Moscow focusing on the bioweapons laboratories in Ukraine.

In January, Journalist Dilyana Gaytandzhieva had published Pentagon documents attesting to the dangerous nature of the experiments conducted: Georgian and Ukrainian human guinea pigs who were inoculated with these products were likely to die very quickly [1].

About fifteen laboratories of this category exist in Ukraine, though not all are operational. Those in Lviv, Kharkov and Poltava experimented with plague, anthrax and brucellosis pathogens, but also those related to diphtheria, salmonellosis and dysentery. The Russian military carefully destroyed 320 containers.

As a signatory to the United Nations Biological Weapons Convention, officially the United States does not develop biological weapons. However, the Pentagon subsidizes research in third countries which are not party to the Convention or are flippantly violating it. This is particularly true of Ukraine and Georgia.

In 2018, a pathogen cultured in a Georgian laboratory on behalf of the Pentagon was transported out by Belgian soldiers and unleashed a swine fever epidemic in Belgium [2].
If Vladimir Putin and Moscow's attack on Ukraine spilled into a NATO member nation that could trigger a response based on the alliance's Article 5 principle.
Massive spike in gas prices has North Alabama drivers worried about how high prices will get
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Italy celebrates women with Festa della Donna on 8 March.

International Women's Day, or Festa della Donna, is marked with events in Rome and across Italy on Tuesday 8 March to commemorate the cultural, political and socioeconomic achievements of women.

Women will have free entry to Italian state museums and archaeological sites throughout the day, with numerous cultural events being held in Rome, Milan and across Italy.

Recognised by the United Nations since 1977, the annual day is also a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.

There are demonstrations - organised by the feminist movement Non una di meno, trade unions and other associations -taking place in cities around Italy on 8 March.

Happy #WomensDay! Here in Italy it is called #FestadellaDonna and the traditional gift is a sprig of yellow mimosa flowers. #8Marzo2022 pic.twitter.com/9BlYwoZoaz  Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome) March 8, 2022

In Rome there will be demonstrations in Piazza della Repubblica from 16.30 to 17.30, and in Piazza Madonna di Loreto, near Piazza Venezia, from 18.00-19.30.

In Milan a demonstration will be held at 09.00 in Largo Cairoli and again at 18.00 in Piazza Duca D'Aosta.

The Giornata Internazionale della Donna coincides with a national general strike, affecting public transport across Italy, calling for an end to discrimination against women in the workplace.

The traditional gift to women on Festa della Donna in Italy is mimosa, with Italian florists selling an estimated 12 million sprigs of the bright yellow flower on the day each year.
Superbarocco: Art in Genoa from Rubens to Magnasco runs from 26 March until 3 July.

Rome is to host a new "Super Baroque" exhibition at the Scuderie del Quirinale, organised in collaboration with the National Gallery of Washington.

The show is billed as "a journey among the aristocratic families, the splendour, the wealth, the power, the magnificence, the masterpieces and works of an entire era in the city that has become the centre of the world, Genoa, the Superb."

Comprising about 120 works from major Italian and American museums, as well as prestigious private collections, the exhibition traces the extraordinary period of artistic explosion and economic boom in 17th-century Genoa.

The show features magnificent portrayals of pomp, luxury and landscapes by masters of the age including Rubens, Van Dyck, Castiglione, Piola, De Ferrari and Magnasco.

Tickets for the exhibition, which follows the recent Dante show, are on sale now. For full details see Scuderie website.
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Russian gas and oil had, until now, mostly been spared from sanctions introduced by the U.S. and European countries to protest Russias invasion of Ukraine. Thats due to concern over the economic impact, particularly on Europe, which has greater dependence on Russian oil and natural gas. But under pressure from Congress, where legislation to ban Russian oil was advancing, U.S. President Joe Biden took action.

1. What is being banned?

Crude oil, petroleum, petroleum fuels, oils, liquefied natural gas, and coal from Russia. The ban doesnt include Russian uranium, which made up about 16% of U.S. uranium imports in 2020. The order allows for a 45-day wind down period for deliveries of existing purchases that are already under contract, a senior administration official told reporters Tuesday. Americans will also be prohibited from participating in foreign investments that flow into Russias energy sector.

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2. How big an impact will that have?

Purely by the numbers, not much. U.S. refiners were already voluntarily curbing imports of Russias high-sulfur crude, which represented about 3% of U.S. crude imports last year. So far this year, the imports have been on the the slowest annual pace since 2017, according to the intelligence firm Kpler. On natural gas, the Biden ban is little more than symbolic since the U.S. has grown into a leading exporter of LNG and therefore hasnt accepted gas from Russia since 2019. As for coal, the U.S. bought some 307,000 metric tons of anthracite coal from Russia in 2021.

3. Will this ban hurt Russia?

The ban is a blow to Russias status as one of the top global producers of oil and gas -- but it might not make much of a dent economically unless other countries follow suit. Bidens decision to ban U.S. imports of Russian oil is noteworthy, but movement toward a European ban on imports of Russian oil and gas would be the real show-stopper, given Europes relatively high dependence on energy supplies from Russia, said Jason McMann, head of geopolitical risk analysis at Morning Consult. Russia was the source of 27% of Europes crude oil imports in 2019, according to the European Commission. Gazprom PJSC supplies about a third of all gas consumed in Europe.

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4. Why is Biden doing this?

His hand might have been forced. Legislation in Congress to ban Russian crude was rapidly gaining traction among both Republicans and Democrats. However, by acting independently, Biden can more easily dial back the restrictions later. Pressure to act increased after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy asked lawmakers to ban the import of Russian oil during a call on March 5.

5. How do Americans feel about this?

Seven in 10 Americans said they would support a ban on Russian oil even if it meant higher gasoline prices, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released on March 7.

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Russian gas is attractive to Europe because its usually cheap, easy to transport and almost always available. Some European Union countries depend on it because they are shutting coal plants, and Germany is even planning for the end of nuclear power. Russias dominance has been enhanced by the depletion of North Sea fields controlled by the U.K. and the Netherlands. Gazprom PJSC supplies about a third of all gas consumed in Europe and, before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, was on track to become even more important as the continent shrinks its own production. In March, however, Russia threatened to cut supplies, and the European Union began mapping out a path to reduce its dependence.

1. How did Russia become so significant?

With its vast Siberian fields, Russia has the worlds largest reserves of natural gas. It began exporting to Poland in the 1940s and laid pipelines in the 1960s to deliver fuel to and through satellite states of what was then the Soviet Union. Even at the height of the Cold War, deliveries were steady. But since the Soviet Union broke up, Russia and Ukraine have quarreled over pipelines through Ukrainian territory, prompting Russian authorities to find other routes.

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2. How vulnerable is Europe?

A supply crunch in late 2021 provided a vivid insight into Europes reliance on gas flows from Russia. Storage tanks in the EU fell to their lowest seasonal level in more than a decade after longer-than-usual maintenance at Norwegian fields and Russia rebuilding its own inventories. Benchmark gas prices more than tripled. The EU vowed a decade ago to reduce its dependence on Russian energy, and continuing purchases by member nations have been a contentious issue within the economic bloc and caused rifts with the U.S.

3. What role does Ukraine play?

About a third of Russian gas flowing to Europe passes through Ukraine. Even as the crisis in the region escalated into war, analysts said Russia, with a history of supply disruptions over price disputes, probably would strive to be seen as a reliable supplier. Gazproms shipments to Europe and Turkey were about 177 billion cubic meters in 2021, according to calculations by Bloomberg News and BCS Global Markets based on the companys data. When Ukraine and Russia reached a five-year gas transit deal in December 2019, assuring supplies until 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the nation would earn at least $7 billion from transit fees.

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4. How has Russia disrupted the market before?

In 2006 and 2009, disputes with Ukraine over pricing and siphoning of gas led to cutoffs of Russian supplies transiting through the country. The second shutdown lasted almost two weeks in the dead of winter. Slovakia and some Balkan countries had to ration gas, shut factories and cut power supplies. Since then, the most vulnerable countries have raced to lay pipelines, connect grids and build terminals to import liquefied natural gas, a supercooled form of the fuel that can be shipped from as far as Qatar and the U.S.

5. What supply networks are there?

Outside supplies, mostly from Russia, Norway and Algeria, account for about 80% of the gas the EU consumes. Some of the biggest economies are among the most exposed, with Germany importing 90% of its needs -- much of it via a pipeline under the Baltic Sea called Nord Stream, which has been fully operational since 2012. (This was the supply line Russia on March 7 suggested could be cut as part of its response to sanctions imposed over the invasion of Ukraine.) Belgium, Spain and Portugal face the problem of low storage capacity, as does the U.K., which no longer is part of the bloc and closed its only big gas storage site. The continent has a mass of pipelines, including Yamal-Europe, which runs from Russia through Belarus and Poland before reaching Germany, and TAG, which takes Russian gas to Austria and Italy. Many cross several borders, creating plenty of possible choke points.

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6. What about the Nord Stream 2 pipeline?

It was against this background that Nord Stream 2, a new Russian pipeline alongside the first, was completed in late 2021. But it has become entangled in politics and a lengthy regulatory process. There was strong opposition from the U.S., which imposed sanctions that delayed construction. Following the eruption of the war in Ukraine, Germany suspended its certification process for Nord Stream 2, and the EUs executive arm readied a revised energy strategy for the bloc to substantially reduce our dependency on Russian gas this year.

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If you had a billion dollars to spend, how could you best help the world? It is a question I hear a lot, and with the intensification of the conflict in Ukraine, it has only become more urgent. There is a philosophical movement, Effective Altruism, devoted to this issue, but mostly the debate about charity has been set in a world with a relatively stable geopolitical order. How should war change the answers?

I dont know how best to help the immediate victims in Ukraine, but I have some ideas about how the conflict should change broader philanthropic priorities. In times of war, it is all the more important to focus altruistic efforts on two issues: food and migration.

During wartime, basic human needs become more pressing, most of all food. For instance, Ukraine supplies much of the worlds grain, including to many of the worlds poorer countries. The largest importers of Ukrainian grain are Egypt, Turkey, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Pakistan, and in percentage terms Yemen, Libya and Lebanon are especially dependent. To the extent the conflict and sanctions disrupt Russia as well, Russia is not only a major grain exporter but also the largest exporter of fertilizer.

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With so much of Ukraine under siege, these supplies are a mix of blockaded or endangered, thereby creating hunger and malnutrition risk for grain importers.

Increasing the productivity of agriculture, especially in poorer countries, now should be a higher priority. When food supply from one source such as Ukraine is shut off, poorer nations should have other supply options. The Green Revolution has been wonderful for India and Pakistan by increasing crop yields  but it turns much more agricultural innovation is necessary.

One danger is that a more conflict-prone world will become more protectionist and restrictionist, to ensure the availability of domestic supplies, whether of food or other commodities. That would make it harder for the poorest and most victimized societies to find alternate supply sources when faced with crises. The goal should be a world of food plenty and relatively free trade, not national self-sufficiency.

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The important point is how the relative calculus changes in times of major conflict.

In a world at peace, public health interventions yield high returns, and they probably still will in wartime. But their relative benefits, compared to other interventions, may diminish. Saving lives with medicine is worthwhile, but many medicines are expensive. If lives can be saved by the mere shipment and trade of food, and at a profit at that, that will be preferred over saving lives with medicine.

The transfer of public health services also may be less damaged by wartime conditions. Often the public health remedies come from the U.S., Western Europe, or a small number of other relatively wealthy countries. Those countries are less likely to be affected by major wars. So if a major war does come along, the flow of such public health remedies probably requires less repair work than does the flow of food. Unlike advanced medicines, foodstuffs are very frequently traded from one poor or middle-income country to another.

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Another philanthropic priority in wartime is the discovery and reallocation of talent. Before, during and after World War II, for instance, a significant portion of Europes cultural and scientific talent moved to the U.S. or other Anglo countries. Both the U.S. and the global scientific community were much better off as a result.

It is thus all the more imperative that talented people leaving Russia, Ukraine and Belarus have good options. Not only could their talents be squandered if they stay, but their productivity could be improved if they leave. Russia, Ukraine and Belarus have reasonable education systems and long histories of producing gifted artists and scientists.

How good is the infrastructure for getting people out of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus? How readily can the refugees be matched to where they ought to go? Is there supportive infrastructure along the way? What about the Russians who are outside of Russias border and dont want to go back  what kind of legal status might they hope to achieve?

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Heroic efforts are being made to help the Ukrainian refugees, but much of it is improvised. The world can do much better, including for citizens of Russia and Belarus, and I hope we will.

Related at Bloomberg Opinion:

 Britain Must Find the Right Way on War Refugees: Therese Raphael

 Plight of Ukrainian Refugees Is a Moment of Unity: Lara Williams

 Putins Refugees Will Make or Break Europe: Andreas Kluth

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Tyler Cowen is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is a professor of economics at George Mason University and writes for the blog Marginal Revolution. His books include Big Business: A Love Letter to an American Anti-Hero.

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The White Houses roadmap for the next phase of the pandemic covers all the usual suspects, including Covid-19 surveillance, testing, vaccination and treatment. But theres also a happy surprise tucked in there: a series of proposals to help improve indoor air quality. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight This marks an essential shift toward acknowledging that cleaning the air can help mitigate the spread of Covid. Its overdue, says Virginia Tech engineering professor Linsey Marr.

Under the proposal, the Environmental Protection Agency is to create a clean air checklist that recommends steps to filter air and increase the supply of fresh outdoor air in buildings of all kinds. A new rating system for building ventilation and filtration, akin to sustainability certifications such as LEED, is to be developed. And government agencies would be tasked with increasing the publics understanding of air hygiene and how it can reduce Covid transmission.

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These are good ideas that will foster awareness about the need to keep indoor air fresh and clean. But the administration could go further. So could companies, businesses and schools.

Air hygiene took a backseat for much of the pandemic as we focused on medical and social interventions such as vaccines, treatments, testing and masks. Those have been critical but often divisive, because they have involved persuading individuals to act for the greater good. Improving indoor air quality, on the other hand, is an innocuous way to improve health outcomes now and well beyond the pandemic. Youre not cleaning surfaces, youre not telling someone to wear a mask, says Joseph Allen, a professor at Harvards T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Its operating all the time in the background.

Part of the difficulty in carrying out this change is the large menu of options for improving ventilation and filtration, including some that dont work. Different buildings have different needs, and people have struggled to sift through the complexity.

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Weve seen how efforts at improvement can go wrong. Some schools that used money from the American Rescue Plan to try to improve ventilation wasted it. And its no wonder they struggled. Products like plasma sterilizers or ionizing purifiers made lofty, unsubstantiated claims. And some classrooms went all in on plexiglass dividers, which in almost all situations actually hinder ventilation, Marr says.

In the past year, Kim Prather, an aerosols expert at University of California, San Diego, who has been helping schools correct their mistakes, says that without more money, many schools simply cant afford to make substantive improvements to ventilation and filtration. Overhauling older HVAC systems, or buying portable air filters for every room is expensive.

Yet the investment is worthwhile because it can reduce the spread of respiratory viruses of all kinds. Researchers have amassed plenty of case reports suggesting that ventilation and filtration can prevent superspreading events. Several ongoing and planned studies will give better information on the value of specific ventilation improvements for different settings.

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A University of Leeds study of 30 primary schools in northern England, for example, will compare various approaches to ventilation and filtration, whether simply opening windows, incorporating air filtration or using ultraviolet disinfection devices.

A similar study underway in the U.S. will focus on how ventilation can affect flu infections. Donald Milton, an environmental health expert at University of Maryland, and his team will put people with flu symptoms (who should be shedding a lot of virus) in rooms outfitted with differing methods of air-cleaning to see how they affect virus transmission to others.

Lockdowns and masks have given most people a two-year reprieve from the worst of the flu, but infection rates will surely creep back up once people have returned to regular routines.

And everywhere, but especially in schools, seasons will play a role. A Canadian study showed that hospitalizations in children with asthma increase like clockwork about 18 days after Labor Day. Thats peak ragweed season, but its also when kids are back together and mingling with all the other little viral vectors. When they do so in stagnant, unfiltered classroom air, viruses spread easily.

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Clean air is not a panacea. Infected, maskless people can still transmit virus particles to others near them. But this passive measure could reduce incidences of many respiratory infections, and have other long-term health benefits.

Congress should ensure that Bidens plan gets the funding it needs to take the first small steps toward improving indoor air quality, and make it a more prominent part of the nations Covid mitigation strategy. School districts should consider investing some of their unspent Covid relief funds on effective upgrades. They should also follow the Boston Public School systems lead by monitoring indoor air quality in schools and making those measurements public.

As people return to spending many of their waking hours in offices, states should create incentives for businesses to improve ventilation and openly share air quality measurements with their employees.

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We take for granted the clean water flowing from our taps, and government oversight of the outdoor air we breathe. Having experienced two years of Covid-19, we should have learned enough to demand better indoor air quality, too.

More from other writers at Bloomberg Opinion:

 Where Will We Find the Next Covid Outbreak? Check the Sewers: Therese Raphael

 China Should Prepare to Live With Covid-19: The Editors

 To Vaccinate the World, We Need to Look Beyond mRNA: Mihir Sharma

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Lisa Jarvis, the former executive editor of Chemical & Engineering News, writes about biotech, drug discovery and the pharmaceutical industry for Bloomberg Opinion.

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When Steve Jobs led Apple Inc., the company was famous for making products that would impress and even delight its customers. The uninspiring iPhone SE unveiled today shows how far Apple has strayed from that standard. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Thats unfortunate, because the worlds richest technology giant certainly has the means to do better. The Apple iPhone SE, introduced in its current form in 2020, was designed to appeal to budget-minded consumers who might otherwise gravitate to competitors such as the Google Pixel. At $399, the SE cost around half the more popular flagship models. But for that price, consumers got a smaller screen and a weaker camera.

On Tuesday, Apple revealed its newest update to the phone, one of several new and upgraded devices rolled out at a product event. The new SE features a faster processor and higher-speed 5G wireless capability instead of the 4G used on the prior model, among other incremental improvements. But thats about it. The phone has a similar design to its predecessor, and Apple raised the price to $429.

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A snappier experience from new chips and better wireless network access are welcome. But most SE users will barely notice the change. Nearly all the commonly used mobile apps, including TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, work nearly as well on 4G networks, and there arent yet any killer apps that require the faster speeds.

Overall, the SE will be a letdown for Apple customers who have been waiting for a while for an updated affordable iPhone. The design, based on a 5-year-old configuration, feels stale. Its clear that Apple isnt prioritizing customers at the lower end of the market, which is disappointing for a company with an annual R&D budget of $22 billion.

Apple could have been more aggressive with the SE either by sharpening the design, improving the screen or camera, or even cutting the price. IPhones account for just 28% of the global smartphone market, compared with 71% for Android-based phones, according to StatCounter. A superior SE phone could have made significant inroads with the competition.

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Why did Apple opt to do so little with the new SE? The company presumably expects its sticky ecosystem of software and services, including iMessage, enhanced security and reliable customer service, to keep users in the Apple fold.

Apple also might be worried that a dramatically improved iPhone SE would eat into demand for the more expensive iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro Max. Those two models cost about $800 and $1,100, respectively, for the base phones. Wall Street analysts estimate that the SE will account for only around 30 million out of the annual 245 million iPhones expected to ship this year.

But Apple probably wasnt in much danger of cannibalizing its higher-end phones. The majority of iPhone users are likely to keep buying premium models no matter what Apple does with the SE. Meanwhile, Apple customers wanting an affordable, full-featured phone either have to put up with the lack of innovation or take their money elsewhere. And some might: Midprice competitors such as Alphabet Inc.s $599 Google Pixel 6, which has a considerably better camera system and vibrant OLED display, stand to benefit from Apples complacency around the SE.

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Apple has decided that when it comes to the affordable segment of the market, minor upgrades will suffice. Thats quite a comedown for a company once known for making every detail count.

More From Writers at Bloomberg Opinion:



Apple Must Embrace This Word in Tackling Climate Change: Tim Culpan



Spying on Big Tech Is Better Than Breaking It Up: Parmy Olson

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Tae Kim is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering technology. He previously covered technology for Barrons, following an earlier career as an equity analyst.

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Singapore is tightening the screws on how many expatriates it will let in  and of which nationalities. But is that bad news for the financial centers condominium landlords? Not necessarily. Thats because, unlike in the past, it isnt your average expat thats driving the rents higher in the financial center. Excess local demand in the public housing market is spilling over into condo rentals.

Condo leasing in the city-state used to be dominated by bankers, asset managers, business owners and technologists from around the world. When global trade and finance prospered, rents for private homes tended to rise and influence the secondary market for subsidized Housing Development Board projects, highly sought after by Singapore citizens. Right now, though, the pressure valve is working the other way.

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Covid-19 social-distancing restrictions and border controls caused a shortage of construction workers from Bangladesh, India and other countries. The pandemic also disrupted the supply chains for precast components, tiles, doors and other other building materials. Contractors ran into cash-flow problems. As the wait for HDB apartments grew longer, one group of Singaporeans decided to rent from existing owners. That caused the rental gap between public housing and private dwellings to narrow, tipping some of the local demand into condominiums.

An index that tracks the median asking prices of all rental listings on PropertyGuru Pte.s Singapore portal has jumped 37% in four years. All fingers point to locals fueling the rental market, says a research report by the popular online real-estate marketplace.

During the past two years, expats couldnt have done much for landlords, anyway. By June, the number of professionals, managers, executives and technicians from overseas on so-called employment and S-passes had dwindled to about 330,000, shrinking by 16% from pre-pandemic levels in 2019. Add the 7% drop in the number of non-citizens holding permanent residency permits  to roughly 490,000  in the same period, and the two major sources of private residential demand were missing in action.

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Even going forward, Singapore may be picky about expats, lest the local population gets restive about too many better-paid jobs going to foreigners. From next year, the government will require employment-pass seekers to score more than a minimum on a new points-based system, which will consider, among other things, how the applicants nationality contributes to the diversity of their firm. This scrutiny will be in addition to foreigners clearing a salary threshold that will go up in September to S$5,000 ($3,700) per month, from S$4,500 now. The bar for finance-industry workers has been set a further S$500 higher.

Then theres the housing availability factor. According to Bloomberg Intelligence, the supply of private residential units could surge 76% from last year to 11,247 in 2022. It may further increase 54% to 17,276 homes in 2023, more than a third higher than the average in the previous decade. As a result, BI analysts Patrick Wong and Kristy Hung expect the vacancy rate to rise from about 23,000 at the end of last year toward the 30,000 average seen between 2016 and 2017. If a prolonged war in Ukraine slows the global economy, employers in the city might turn cautious about expanding their expat workforce, leading to a sudden glut of unoccupied homes.

More immediately, though, landlords have little to worry about. For one thing, the citys labor situation is tight, with the unemployment rate sliding back toward the pre-pandemic level of about 2%. For another, the influx from Hong Kong might also push rents higher. The expat population of the Chinese special administrative region is abandoning the city, frustrated by its isolationist zero-infection policies. To many of them and their families and employers, Singapore has emerged as a more practical option: At least children can go to school, and residents can fly to other parts of the world for business and leisure on vaccinated travel lanes.

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In some ways, Singapores leasing market is still playing catch-up. The price of private non-landed residential property is already 13% higher than its previous 2013 peak; rents are still 2% lower. While the construction-worker shortage may ease in a few months, enabling HDB to deliver more public housing to waiting youngsters, it may not eliminate all of the spillover demand for renting private residences.

In 2022, more than 31,000 existing HDB apartments will reach the minimum occupation period of five years when they can be resold, almost double the average in the previous nine years, according to OrangeTee & Tie Pte. The resale market is booming. More flats will be put on the market for resale and more families may upgrade to private homes, says the real-estate agency. Theres a catch, though. If citizens sell their HDB units first, they can avoid the additional buyers stamp duty of 17% on second homes. However, after theyve sold their residence, the temporarily displaced homeowners have to live somewhere until their private apartments are ready to move in. So they might rent.

With local demand calling the shots, Singapores controls on its expat population may not cool condo rentals. At least not this year.

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Singapores Must-Do Tax Increase: Andy Mukherjee



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Hong Kongs Distress Signals Are Rising: Matthew Brooker

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Andy Mukherjee is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering industrial companies and financial services. He previously was a columnist for Reuters Breakingviews. He has also worked for the Straits Times, ET NOW and Bloomberg News.

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Javelin and Stinger missiles, Molotov cocktails and nowcrypto war bonds. To support its life-or-death struggle against Russia, Ukraine is seeking to tap the rapidly expanding potential of cryptocurrencies. If it succeeds, other nations facing dire circumstances may follow.War bonds are a tried and tested concept. Used to finance military efforts, they were widely available in World War I (like the U.K.s National War Bonds and U.S. Liberty Bonds) and World War II, when some 84 million Americans bought one of these debt instruments.

Last week, the Ukrainian government raised $277 million on a war bond with an 11% yield and one-year maturity, with plans for a second such offering March 8. While there is retail interest (read: Reddit) in the Ukrainian war bonds, the primary buyers are institutional investors.

The crypto equivalent of a war bond could become another weapon in the countrys financial arsenal, helping Ukraine to broaden its reach to more would-be funders. First, though, it must fix some of the flaws in its fledgling efforts to tap the market.

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Two days after Russias invasion, the official Ukraine Twitter account tweeted out Bitcoin and Ethereum addresses to accept crypto donations. In the first week, Ukraine reportedly raised some $50 million; on March 4, Mykhailo Fedorov, the countrys vice prime minister and minister of digital transformation, said it was targeting another $100 million in the second week.

Historically, profit has not been a key motivating factor for war bonds. The rate of returns on WWI and WWII bonds were below market; patriotism and personal morality were clearly part of the calculus. Channeling those impulses into a crypto-native war bond might induce even more people to contribute.

With any crypto project, one should ask do we actually need crypto for this? The Ukrainian example suggests yes, across three dimensions:

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 Accessibility: While 20th-century war bonds were bought mostly by the issuing countrys citizens, the retail appetite for Ukraines war bonds is global. You cant exactly buy one of these on the Robinhood app. But for crypto, you only need a wallet address.

 Censorship-resistant: Crowdfunding platforms can also offer rewards for donations, but the type of funding is restricted. GoFundMe doesnt allow campaigns for weaponssupplies to soldiers, and propaganda. Patreon removed a Ukrainian fundraiser for violating its policy on funding weapons or military activity. Conversely, Ukraines Minister of Defense says the crypto funds have been used to buy weapons and are easier, not complicated, transparent, and faster than traditional SWIFT bank transactions.

 Signaling: Visual artist Jack Butcher, who sold 62ETH (~$163,000) of NFTs for Afghanistan relief and has raised more than $50,000 with NFTs for Ukraine, says that in the context of internet communication, broadcasting your support with digital artwork is less gauche than tweeting out hey, look at this $X donation I made. (Full disclosure: I co-host a podcast with Butcher.) And as Butcher also points out, For those that dont want to broadcast, theres the permanent blockchain record of their contribution that anyone can search.

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Ukraines Twitter account floated the outlines of a possible crypto war bond instrument on March 1: Airdrop confirmed. Snapshot will be taken tomorrow, on March 3rd, at 6pm Kyiv time (UTC/GMT +2 hours). Reward to follow! In laymans terms, that meant that anybody who donated Ether to the Ukraine government by the deadline was eligible to receive a reward that would be airdropped to the donors Ethereum wallet.

What would that reward be?

Mario Gabriele, who writes on Web3 at The Generalist newsletter, tells me that the airdrop could have been either a fungible (say Ukraine Coin) or non-fungible (digital artwork) token.

In other words, a nation-state at war offered to reward crypto donors with an NFT. Try explaining that to someone in 2019. The absurdity of the situation was not lost on many Twitter users, whose replies to the scheme were along the lines of we live in a simulation (a popular phrase for when something ridiculous happens).

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The proposed airdrop did attract more money. It also drew thousands of microdonations  as low as 0.0001 ETH per CoinDesk  that looked like an attempt to game the airdrop by creating eligible wallets at the lowest cost possible.

Ukraine ultimately canceled the idea, and in the wake of the 180-degree turn, another popular Web3 phrase started circulating: rug pull, which refers to when a crypto project makes a future promise to attract new users, only to not deliver on said promise.

Theres a version of [the airdrop] that seems like it could work, says Gabriele. Instead of receiving interest on a traditional war bond, potential returns for a crypto wartime contribution could be:

 Tokens: When peace is restored (lets hope) token holders could be promised discounted travel to Ukraine or other perks, issued through a tourism agency. Or, these individuals could have some sort of voting power over new construction projects that could pay an eventual dividend.

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 NFT art: You could involve famous artists or projects to produce NFTs for this occasion that could lend their inferred value. (Separate from the airdrop, Fedorov said there will be a NFT to support Ukrainian Armed Forces.)

Gabriele acknowledges that a crypto-native war bond can get very thorny, both legally and logistically and could be either fantastically beneficial or grimly dystopian. To name just one legal hurdle: The SEC is probing whether certain token offerings or NFTs should be classified as securities, which have more regulatory oversight.

But nations have good reason to refine the idea, starting with the growing ubiquity of crypto money. Two years ago, the total crypto market capitalization was ~$250 billion. Its now at ~$1.7 trillion. That crypto-native wealth is looking for crypto-native ways to interact with the world. For nations facing existential crises, satisfying that desire could help to spell the difference between salvation or disaster.

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More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 Crypto Isnt Sanctions Haven Its Jump Suggests: Jonathan Levin

 When War Hits, Even Crypto Cant Stay Neutral: Lionel Laurent

 China Can Bypass SWIFT by Going Digital: Andy Mukherjee

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Trung Phan is the co-host of the Not Investment Advice podcast and writes the SatPost newsletter. He was formerly the lead writer for the Hustle, a tech newsletter.

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Prospective buyers at an open house in Star, Idaho, in June 2021. (Kyle Green for The Post)

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Beware, Vladimir Putin: Spring is coming. And when it does, youll lose much of whatever leverage you had left.

Before Putin invaded Ukraine, I might have described the Russian Federation as a medium-size power punching above its weight in part by exploiting Western divisions and corruption, in part by maintaining a powerful military. Since then, however, two things have become clear. First, Putin has delusions of grandeur. Second, Russia is even weaker than most people, myself included, seem to have realised.

Putins Fortress Russia is showing its cracks. Credit:AP

It has long been obvious that Putin desperately wants to restore Russias status as a Great Power. His already infamous there is no such thing as Ukraine speech, in which he condemned Lenin (!) for giving his neighbour what Putin considers a false sense of national identity, made it clear that his aims go beyond re-creating the Soviet Union  he apparently wants to re-create the czarist empire. And he apparently thought that he could take a big step toward that goal with a short, victorious war.

So far, it hasnt worked out as planned. Ukrainian resistance has been fierce; Russias military has been less effective than advertised. Ive been especially struck by reports that the early days of the invasion were hampered by severe logistical problems  that is, the invaders had a hard time providing their forces with the essentials of modern war, above all fuel. Its true that supply problems are common in war; still, logistics is one thing advanced nations are supposed to be really good at.
Seizures demand a civil or criminal legal process that needs court approval, said Alex Iftimie, a partner at Morrison & Foerster and a former senior national security official at the Justice Department. A common basis is violating money-laundering laws. In the pursuit of Russian wealth, efforts to seize assets will likely involve gathering information from other countries, according to Anders Aslund, a professor at Georgetown University who has written about the effectiveness of past rounds of sanctions against Russia. Property rights in the US, UK and elsewhere are the foundation for legal challenges to seizing assets. Youve got to be very, very clear on what those assets are. Are they proceeds of a crime? If so, what is the crime? said Justine Walker, global head of sanctions, compliance and risk at ACAMS, a trade organisation for specialists in detecting financial crimes. Even for assets frozen under sanctions, not seized, individuals can appeal to be delisted or sue to be unblocked, said Ori Lev, a partner at Mayer Brown who formerly led the enforcement division of the Treasurys office of foreign assets control.

Still, courts have held that individuals without a US presence dont have due process rights under the Constitution, Lev said. Concerns over due process can be addressed by limiting asset seizures to people connected to Putin and maintaining a high threshold for targets, said Gabriel Zucman, a University of California at Berkeley economics professor who researches wealth, inequality and tax havens. Taking assets is especially tricky when dealing with Russia, where tycoons amassed the foundation for their wealth decades ago and have reinvested proceeds from Soviet privatisations into legitimate businesses. Blocking boats Two brushes with superyachts in the EU this week illustrate how sanctions dont go as far as seizures.

In France, customs officials blocked Rosneft chief executive officer Igor Sechins superyacht from an urgent departure from the Mediterranean port of La Ciotat, near Marseille, according to the French Finance Ministry. Sechin was sanctioned by the bloc on Monday. However, the asset has not been seized by the state. In Germany, Usmanovs superyacht is docked in Hamburg and will need an export waiver to depart. A local ministry said no yacht leaves port that is not allowed to do so. Meanwhile, many Russian-owned luxury yachts are out of reach of countries that have imposed penalties. Among those vessels cruising around the Maldives right now is the 465-foot Nord, owned by Alexey Mordashov, a steel billionaire who was sanctioned by the EU on Monday.

Shell game Loading Superyachts and private jets are one thing. Other forms of wealth -- bank accounts, trust funds, or apartments cocooned inside a series of offshore companies -- are less conspicuous. Regulators that need to track down assets and transactions en masse may be overwhelmed by their volume, said Yuliya Guseva, a professor at Rutgers Law School. One formidable obstacle: shell corporations.

Its quick and easy to set up companies and to combine hundreds of such companies into complex networks across the globe, often in highly secretive offshore jurisdictions, said Rebecca Lee, chief impact officer at OpenCorporates, which maintains a global database of corporations. It is often impossible to find out who has ultimate control, she said. The UK this week introduced new legislation that would, among other things, create a registry of foreign owners of British property and expand government powers to investigate the source of their wealth. The laws would require anonymous overseas owners to disclose their identity so they cant hide behind secretive chains of shell companies. Theres precedent for Russian elites to evade sanctions this way. The popularity of cryptocurrencies in Russia has further complicated the global drive to seize assets. Credit: Shell companies linked to Arkady and Boris Rotenberg, two brothers close to Putin, transferred more than $US120 million to Russia during a four-day window in 2014 after the annexation of Crimea, according to a 2020 report by the US Senates Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.

The brothers, who were again sanctioned by the US on Thursday, also used an intermediary to buy art for companies they owned or funded, according to the report. The purchases, at auction houses and through private dealers in New York, amounted to $US18.4 million. The targeted individuals use sophisticated ways to hide their assets, Lev said. The international, multilateral approach to this can only increase its effectiveness. Cryptocurrency challenges Cryptocurrencies further complicate the effort to enforce sanctions. They bypass traditional financial institutions, giving criminals and those suspected of wrongdoing a new way to conceal the illicit origins of funds. We are at a crossroads with cryptocurrency, and frankly we need to focus on a new category of crime and thats the use of cryptocurrency to conduct criminal activity, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said Wednesday on Bloomberg TV.

Law enforcement agencies have recently scored wins in tracking down crypto wealth. Still, it took the US more than five years to seize the $US3.6 billion in Bitcoin stolen during a hack of the Bitfinex currency exchange. Speeding up To exert pressure on Putin, governments will have to act fast. To some experts, the cooperation through a transatlantic task force is reason to think potential seizures will be swifter this time around. The authority asserted by the Justice Department to muster resources of other government branches will also help ensure the effort doesnt get mired in court fights, Iftimie said. The wheels of justice turn slowly, so the key with this task force is to serve as an accelerant, he said.

So-called asset reshuffling by targeted Russian tycoons can be a potential issue, Zucman said. That could be addressed by pushing offshore centres to join the effort. Switzerland, which has long been attractive for wealthy Russians because of its discretion and light-touch regulation, has already followed in the EUs footsteps. Monaco has also adopted sanctions. Loading The Financial Action Task Force, an inter-governmental body that sets standards on anti-money laundering, has been talking about priority jurisdictions that will receive additional scrutiny to ensure Russian capital isnt able to evade recent penalties, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News. If avenues are closed off in the UK, and the US, even Switzerland, Singapore, where is the money going to go? said Justyna Gudzowska, director of illicit finance policy at the Sentry, an organisation that investigates global networks that benefit from conflict and kleptocracy. Its going to go to the weakest link. Bloomberg
Being female still just doesnt equate with what most of us expect to see in leaders, including thought leaders like economists or economic journalists. What special anguish it is to live in a system that teaches you to reject elements of yourself Like a bear riding a tricycle, it just attracts natural attention. Bears dont generally ride tricycles, after all. Is that bear even qualified? Ive been told I smile too much. Im too nice. What special anguish it is to live in a system that teaches you to reject elements of yourself. How dispiriting, indeed, to regularly stand up at the microphone to ask your question knowing that even before youve drawn breath to speak, the vast majority of the audience have already quietly questioned your credentials to ask the question in the first place  not least of all yourself.

Of course, the question, when it inevitably does arrive out your lips, is usually a complete zinger, polished by all the internal contortions youve done to make sure its perfect and beyond reproach. Loading Although god forbid you do muck something up. Then youll get emails from male readers not only informing you of the simple error, but also obliged to question what credentials you possess to be called a senior economics writer. Nearly two decades in the job, mate. I dont reply. But I do read them. And they accumulate. Slowly. Over time. Drip. Drip. Drip. Recently, I also noticed how the impact of internalised gender bias not only leads you to reject elements of yourself, but how you start to reject the same perceived weaknesses when you see them in other women.

So yes, when I get your exclamation point-laden email clad in pink tones inviting me to celebrate women at your corporate International Womens Day (IWD) event, complete with goodie bags of eye-masks and shopping vouchers at the door, it rankles. Guys, we are not drawing attention to that girly stuff. Loading I did attend my first ever IWD event two years ago under duress  more out of curiosity than enthusiasm, and wearing jeans and a pair of Vans trainers in silent protest. Ive rejected probably hundreds more invitations, including one super fund who chose to brand their event in a particularly lurid pink. Ick. Super funds are the worst when it comes to inane boosterism for bridging the retirement gap. Why dont women have as much retirement savings as men? Because we still take more time out of the workforce than men to raise children and when we do work were paid nearly a quarter less. I dont think your breakfast is going to solve that!

As a journalist, I have to also admit I am something of a magnet to powerful people. I seek them out. I try to ask them questions; I try to win their confidence to find out what is happening in the corridors of power. And when those corridors are filled with men, what use is there to me in hanging out with a bunch of women? Ouch. I cringe, too, reading that. But its the truth. When I get an invitation to a room full of women, I just dont see power  at least not in the traditional sense of people occupying the top echelons of the ruling hierarchy. And when I do speak to powerful women, Im more likely to ask them about their personal lives. Bears riding tricycles are fascinating, right? Im not immune to the curiosity of that. And if this all strikes you as something quite awful, I can only furiously agree. And vow to do better. The theme of this years IWD is break the bias and I reckon the first step is to simply recognise it and to call it out. Starting with me. So, this week, Ill be attending my second ever IWD event. Better yet, Im speaking at it. Probably in Vans.
The evacuation of civilians from at least two Ukrainian city has begun after plans for humanitarian corridors failed over the weekend and on Monday.

So far, more than 150 people have been evacuated from Irpin, near Ukraines capital, Kyiv, the regions government Oleksiy Kuleba said on Tuesday morning, Kyiv time.

Residents of Irpin fleeing heavy fighting via a destroyed bridge as Russian forces enter the city on Monday. Credit:Getty Images / Chris McGrath

In Sumy, a convoy going to the Ukrainian city of Poltova would be followed by civilians in personal vehicles, Ukraines Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

Russia said it would also open evacuation corridors for people in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv and the besieged city of Mariupol, where about 200,000 people are waiting to leave.

Over the weekend, evacuation attempts failed, with both sides blaming the other for failing to halt fighting. On Monday, an offer by the Russian government to evacuate Ukrainians into Russia and Belarus were rejected by Ukrainian officials.

People being evacuated on Tuesday have been given the choice of going to other Ukrainian cities.

More than 1.7 million refugees have left Ukraine between February 24, when the Russian invasion began, and March 6, according to the UN refugee agency.

with Reuters
Vladimir Putin eventually might win the battle. But he is losing the war. The point of Putins war? To prevent any further expansion of Americas military alliance with 28 European nations and Canada, the NATO treaty, he claimed. If so, his relentless use of violence and intimidation is backfiring.

A week of indiscriminate Russian killing has achieved what decades, even centuries, of European history could not. Public opinion in Finland and Sweden, countries that have been prepared to take their chances with Russia for centuries, has transformed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is pushing European nations towards NATO. Credit:AP

For the first time, opinion in the two militarily non-aligned nations has moved emphatically in favour of joining NATO. Swedens former prime minister Carl Bildt remarked: The unthinkable might start to become thinkable.

The Atlantic Councils Anna Wieslander, formerly an official in Swedens Defence Ministry, observes: Clearly, Russias unprovoked war is pushing the two countries closer to NATO membership than ever before.
We have recently found out that none of their requests were accommodated. The bridge will be only 54 metres in length, there will be over 150 pylons in the river and the billabong will be infilled and culverted. Rock shelter near the Helena River. We are not asking for no bridge  we are asking for a better bridge that does not destroy a conservation wetland and a registered Aboriginal heritage site. Transport Minister Rita Saffioti needs to explain why she wont spend the money to protect this site but she will spend money to destroy it.

It doesnt make sense. Dr Stimpfl said Ken Wyatt had been visibly absent from the debate despite public claims from the City of Swan Mayor and the Swan Chamber of Commerce that Minster Wyatt supported the design. The Aboriginal Cultural Material Committee considered the Main Roads proposal in February 2021. It was the WA Aboriginal Affairs Minister who then granted consent for the works on 10 June 2021. Mr Wyatt declined to respond to WAtoday questions on whether he had had discussions over the concerns of traditional owners, stating the federal government had contributed $20 million to the WA government to work with the council to deliver the project.

I have been advised that section 18 had been granted for this project, and that the City of Swan and state government were going to proceed, he said. Greens senator Dorinda Cox. A state government spokesman said the bridge received Aboriginal heritage approval in 2020, during which process the design provided to the government by the City of Swan was amended in response to traditional owners concerns. But at Wednesdays council meeting, Greens Senator Dorinda Cox, speaking on behalf of three of the seven Whadjuk people involved in the consultation, said the bridge design did not include any of the things they asked for. The bridge will still be built in the same place, it will still infill most of the floodplain, the billabong will be buried in a pipe and there will still be pylons in the river, she said.

We thought it would be a long suspended bridge connected to the roads that were already built, with very little infill in the floodplain. We have now learned that the floodplain will be buried with at least 100,000 metres cubed of infill and 150-plus pylons will be inside the embankments. To us, the river includes everything from one bank to the other bank  the floodplain is the same as the river. The Whadjuk people said they felt pressured into making a final decision with little time to digest the information presented to them, describing the process as overwhelming and stressful. It left the group feeling as though they were at loggerheads with Main Roads, and Senator Cox said the bridge project should be halted.

If this project was presented under the new legislation [passed in December 2021], given the information I have about its suggested improvements to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage  I guarantee it wouldnt meet the requirements and that has been the problem all along with Section 18s, she said. Loading The report on Juukan was pivotal, it shone a light on industry and its destruction of our cultural heritage and our environment. She called on the government to halt the project using a sunset clause under Section 18. If the state government are serious about their relationship with traditional owners they should scrap all existing Section 18s and enact the current legislation to enable the Local Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Plan to be developed as per the new legislation, she said.

Is this piece of infrastructure so important that we are willing to desecrate a significant cultural and environmental site; and have we all exhausted all other avenues? The state government spokesman said one-in-100-year flood modelling showed the bridge would have a negligible impact on the flood plain. A redesign that significantly changed the scope of the project for a longer bridge structure, would mean piers, he said: our advice is piers into the river would not be acceptable. Such a project is likely to exceed the current cost estimate by tens of millions of dollars, he said, noting current approvals  including Aboriginal heritage approval  would become invalid. The state was undertaking this project on the request and on behalf of the City of Swan. There have been briefings and consultation along the way, he said.

If the City of Swan wants to walk away from decades of proper planning, and expose its ratepayers to significant cost that is up to them. They will need to source the extra funding, and start the approvals process from scratch. The City of Swan had been working to progress the bridge project for more than 20 years to create a new entry into the rapidly growing region and reduce the traffic gridlock through Guildford. Main Roads provided the Lloyd Street bridge concept design to the city for endorsement as part of its wider plans for the $380 million Great Eastern Highway Bypass Interchanges project due for completion in 2024. In a report to council ahead of the vote, staff warned a redesign of the Lloyd Street Bridge would cause delays, prove costly and may result in the bridge being removed from the overall Bypass Interchanges project.
Some big things came out in the wash today.

Loading

Aside from the obviously salacious text exchanges between the WA Premier and Attorney-General constantly referring to Clive Palmers weight the biggest revelation came from who Mark McGowan thought to message when he had big news to share.

We saw Mr McGowan decided to give one of the states richest men, Kerry Stokes, a quick heads-up via text about the extraordinary Palmer legislation a minute before it was actually introduced to Parliament.

This was despite Mr McGowan and Attorney-General John Quigley warning each other while drafting the legislation that it needed to be kept secret to avoid alerting Mr Palmer before it hit Parliament.

The legislation even came as a surprise to members of the Labor party.

Later in the text exchange the Premier and the media mogul joked with each other about front pages from the Seven West Media chairmans newspaper The West Australian that depicted Mr Palmer as a cane toad and cockroach.

Mr McGowan said he appreciated the support from Mr Stokes over that period.

The exchange was a rare insight into the domes of power that loom over the state and another example of the political clout media proprietors can wield in the Australian political landscape.

With the extraordinary evidence from both Mr McGowan and Mr Palmer now on record the court will meet again later in March to discuss the tender of documents before making final submissions in April.

Thanks once again for reading and have a great Wednesday.
A Danish firm wants to install 200 wind turbines off the coast of Western Australia between Mandurah and Bunbury.

The plan will compete with four other proposals to power the state with offshore clean energy.

A wind farm off the Danish coast. Credit:AP

Copenhagen Energy plans to survey 4200 square kilometres of ocean to decide where to locate its Leeuwin Offshore Wind Farm, which at its maximum output would generate more than three times the power of the Muja coal-fired station in Collie.

Copenhagen Energy chief executive Jasmin Bejdic said there was a need for offshore wind to supplement the clean energy from solar panels and onshore wind farms.
Median house prices have topped the $2 million mark in more than a quarter of Sydney suburbs, with areas such as Eastwood, Matraville and Caringbah South among the latest to join the club.

Buoyed by Sydneys booming property market, prices across dozens of suburbs hit and surpassed a $2 million median house price last year, Domain figures show.

Median house prices in Croydon and more than a dozen other suburbs topped the $2 million mark late last year. Credit:Peter Rae

Cherrybrook and Glenhaven in the citys north-west, Blakehurst and Woolooware in the south, and Croydon and Five Dock in the inner west were among the suburbs that made it into the growing cohort last quarter after their median prices increased by hundreds of thousands of dollars in 2021.

They follow the likes of Byron Bay, West Pennant Hills, Cromer and Mona Vale, where typical house prices crossed the $2 million threshold earlier last year.
London: Former British prime minister Theresa May has suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin exploited the Wests increased focus on combating China to launch his invasion of Ukraine.

In a public talk with former prime minister Julia Gillard, May said the challenge posed by the culture of strongmen leaders was that it bred a politics of absolutism.

Its a world of absolutism - either youre 100 per cent with me or youre 100 per cent against me, May told Gillard who was at the Global Institute for Womens Leadership for International Womens Day event.

Former PMs: Julia Gillard talks to Theresa May in London on Tuesday. Credit:Latika Bourke

I think President Putin is an opportunist, a lot of eyes were on China, May said.
Reffitts wife, Nicole, briefly spoke to reporters as she and her daughter, Peyton, left the courthouse. If youre going to be convicted on your First Amendment rights, all Americans should be wary. This fight has just begun, Nicole Reffitt said. Reffitt faced a total of five counts: obstruction of an official proceeding, being unlawfully present on Capitol grounds while armed with a firearm, transporting firearms during a civil disorder, interfering with law enforcement officers during a civil disorder, and obstruction of justice. Violent insurrectionists, loyal to President Donald Trump, storm the Capitol in Washington on January 6, 2021. Credit:AP He will be sentenced June 8. He could receive 20 years in prison on the top charge alone, but hes likely to face far less time behind bars. Other rioters have pleaded guilty; the longest sentence so far is five years and three months for Robert Palmer, a Florida man who pleaded guilty to attacking police officers at the Capitol. The riot resulted in the deaths of five people, including a police officer. More than 100 officers were injured. Rioters caused over $US1 million in damage to the Capitol.

US District Judge Dabney Friedrich presided over Reffitts trial. Trump nominated her in 2017. Jurors saw videos that captured the confrontation between a few Capitol police officers and a mob of people, including Reffitt, who approached them on the west side of the Capitol. Proud Boys leader Henry Enrique Tarrio wears a hat that says The War Boys during a rally in Portland, Oregon in September 2020. Credit:AP Reffitt was armed with a Smith & Wesson pistol in a holster on his waist, carrying zip-tie handcuffs and wearing body armour and a helmet equipped with a video camera when he advanced on police, according to prosecutors. He retreated after an officer pepper sprayed him in the face, but he waved on other rioters who ultimately breached the building, prosecutors said. Before the crowd advanced, Reffitt used a megaphone to shout at police to step aside and to urge the mob to push forward and overtake officers. Assistant US Attorney Jeffrey Nestler said Reffitt played a leadership role that day.

Loading During last Fridays testimony, prosecutors zoomed in on a video image of Reffitt at the Capitol. FBI Special Agent Laird Hightower said the image shows a silvery metallic linear object in a holster protruding from under Reffitts jacket as he leaned forward. Shauni Kerkhoff, who was one of the Capitol police officers who tried to repel Reffitt, said she launched pepper balls that didnt stop him from advancing. She testified that Reffitt appeared to be leading the crowd up stairs toward police. Reffitts 19-year-old son, Jackson, testified last Thursday that his father threatened him and his sister, then 16, after he drove home from Washington. Reffitt told his children they would be traitors if they reported him to authorities and said traitors get shot, Jackson Reffitt recalled. He said the threat terrified him. His younger sister, Peyton, was listed as a possible government witness but didnt testify.

Jackson Reffitt used a cellphone app to secretly record his father boasting about his role in the riot. Jurors heard excerpts of that family conversation. Jackson Reffitt initially contacted the FBI on Christmas Eve, less than two weeks before the riot, to report concerns about his fathers behaviour and increasingly worrisome rhetoric. But the FBI didnt respond until January 6, after the riot erupted. Proud boys arrest Meanwhile, the former chairman of the US right-wing group the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, was arrested on a conspiracy charge for his alleged role in plotting the January 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol. Tarrio, 38, appeared in a virtual Miami-based federal court hearing from a cellblock in a nearby local jail, and prosecutors said they were seeking to have him detained pending trial because they believe he is a danger to the community and poses a risk of flight.

Tarrio told the judge he has absolutely no savings, and that he only recently got a job printing T-shirts that earns him $US400-500 per week. Andrew Jacobs, a federal defender, was appointed to represent Tarrio, and a detention hearing was set for Friday at 10am. An attorney for Tarrio did not respond to requests for comment. Tarrio is one of the most high-profile of more than 775 people criminally charged for their roles in the attack on the Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump. Tarrio was not on the Capitol grounds on the day of the assault, but is charged with helping plan and direct it.

Other members of the Proud Boys removed Tarrio from their private chatrooms early on Tuesday after learning of his arrest, said a member of the group who asked for anonymity. Eleven people affiliated with the Oath Keepers militia, including that groups founder, Stewart Rhodes, were charged in January with seditious conspiracy for their alleged roles in planning the attack. Tarrio was added as a defendant to a case naming other Proud Boy members Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Charles Donohoe, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola. That case is tentatively slated to go to trial on May 18. AP, Reuters
Salisbury, MD (21801)

Today

Cloudy this evening with showers after midnight. Low 53F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

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Wilmington, DE (19810)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low 52F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low 52F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Pictured: Allyn Bryant pleaded not guilty to wanton endangerment and criminal trespassing in court in Louisville, Ky., on March 8, 2022.
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Quincy, IL (62301)

Today

Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 43F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph..

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Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 43F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
Fund Raising Associate (Data Analyst & UX), Mexico City, Mexico

Organization: UNICEF - United Nations Childrens Fund

Country: Mexico

City: Mexico City

Office: UNICEF Mexico

Closing date: Tuesday, 15 March 2022

Re-advertisement: Fund Raising Associate (Data Analyst & UX), GS-6, Mexico City, Mexico #118845 [Temp Appointment]

Job no: 547953

Position type: Temporary Appointment

Location: Mexico Division/Equivalent: Latin America and Caribbean Regional Off

School/Unit: Mexico

Department/Office: Mexico City, Mexico

Categories: Alliances and Resource Mobilization, Private Fundraising and Partnerships

UNICEF works in some of the worlds toughest places, to reach the worlds most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, hope

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to childrens rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias, or favouritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life in its social, political, economic, civic, and cultural dimensions her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education, and protection of a societys most disadvantaged citizens addressing inequity not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. Therefore, the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

MCOs Fundraising operation focus on monthly donors acquisition by different channels. For the past few years, Digital Fundraising has been a growing area and a key role to sustain the expansion of the fundraising operation in the country.

The growth and consolidation of this important channel requires the specialization of the team and a variety of new roles within the area. One of the most important tasks to ensure the growth of the area is precisely the focus on converting visits to donors and leads to donors. Some lead nurturing flows and a standard process for maintaining a sales funnel are already in place.

However, having clarity in the analytics and a position dedicated to review and optimize all the processes that influence the conversion of the website, as well as the user experience through a diversity of channels, is required to continue increasing the revenue of this channel and continue to increase the number of donors acquired through the website.

For information of the work of our organization in Mexico, please visit our website: UNICEF Mexico

How can you make a difference?

This role will support the development, implementation, and evaluation of digital fundraising activities, as well as form part in the creation of new donation campaigns. Under the direct supervision of the Digital Fundraising Officer and in close collaboration with the different functional areas of the Individual Giving Team, this post will focus on the conversion rate optimization across paid and organic marketing channels.

The Fundraising Associate works in close collaboration with a range of staff in the CO, external partners, and suppliers to support the digital fundraising strategy. The staff member provides regular feedback on the status of projects through monitoring milestones and advises on improvements to keep activities on track.

Manage and implement digital analytics, CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization), attribution and A/B testing solutions as required

Support with content architecture and collaborate with the Campaign Creation Specialist to generate new fundraising campaigns

Ensure timely and accurate operation of the website, managing its content and developing improvements that impact conversion. (WordPress)

Assist the area to optimize a variety of processes related to donor acquisition and retention, developing tests, and deploying best practices

Assist on the continuous optimization of the Lead Nurturing cycle KPIs

Provide visibility of website analytics & revenue

Support to generate a more accurate attribution model for fundraising, define and apply it

Review and optimize the donor journey for digital donor acquisition and retention

Help to standardize campaign tagging, tracking, metrics and pixel implementation c8vu4ZI Dh7qKS

Build a digital analytics dashboard to extract data from all paid marketing activities and generate insights for CRO

Assist digital team in acquiring and enhancing specific digital knowledge or providing technical support on implementation of digital fundraising campaigns

Support the digital team to ensure a streamlined and optimized experience for visitors coming from social media and SEM campaigns

Work with agencies and suppliers related to analytics, CRO, UX and technology implementation

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have...

The Fundraising Associate is accountable for the optimization of a variety of processes that will ensure that the digital fundraising activities are on track. Managing digital fundraising reporting through Google Analytics and the implementation of new technologies with special focus on the website is expected to improve the ROI of the Individual Giving channel.

Education:

Completion of secondary education is required, preferably supplemented by technical or university courses related to the work of the organization.

Experience:

A minimum of 6 years of progressively responsible relevant experience, preferably in digital campaigns and marketing is required.

Prior experience in digital fundraising is an asset.

Relevant experience in a UN system agency or organization is considered as an asset.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in Spanish and proficiency in English is required. Candidates with fluency in English will have an advantage.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEFs values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA).

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are: Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness, Works Collaboratively with others, Builds and Maintains Partnerships, Innovates and Embraces Change, Thinks and Acts Strategically, Drive to achieve impactful results, and Manages ambiguity and complexity.

To view our values and competency framework please visit the following links: Our Values and Our Competencies.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Candidates must be citizens of Mexico or Non-Mexicans in possession of an existing Mexican FM3 visa.

Advertised: Feb 28 2022 Central Standard Time (Mexico) Application close: Mar 14 2022 Central Standard Time (Mexico)

Link to the organizations job posting: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1646080233974
Information Technology Assistant , Tunis, Tunisia

Organization: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Country: Tunisia

City: Tunis

Office: Bureau Sous-Regional de la FAO pour lAfrique du Nord

Closing date: Friday, 18 March 2022

CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST - VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT : 2200111

Information Technology Assistant

Job Posting: 25/Feb/2022

Closure Date: 18/Mar/2022, 10:59:00 PM

Organizational Unit : SNE

Job Type: Staff position

Type of Requisition : General Service

Grade Level : G-4

Primary Location: Tunisia-Tunis

Duration : Fixed term: one year with possibility of extension

Post Number : 2002256

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are bas ed on date and time settings of your personal device

Staff in the General Service category are recruited locally from the Primary Location area, which is where the office is located

FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender and nationality

People with disabilities are protected from any type of discrimination during any stage of employment, including the recruitment phase

All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality

Organizational Setting

FAOs Subregional Office for SNE is responsible for developing, promoting, overseeing and implementing agreed strategies for addressing subregional food, agriculture and rural development priorities. It develops and maintains relations with subregion-wide institutions including Regional Economic Integration Organizations (REIOs). The Subregional Office is a subsidiary of FAOs Regional Office for SNE.

This position is located in FAO sub regional Office for North Africa based in Tunis, providing information technology support services to the users.

Main Purpose

The Information Technology Assistant provides a large variety of standard Information Technology (IT) support services that contribute to the smooth and effective running of the IT equipment, systems and software applications in line with established IT procedures and Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

Supervision Received/Exercised

The Information Technology Assistant reports to a senior professional staff and follows technical standards and procedures established by the IT Division. He / she acts independently in routine matters, in line with established policies and procedures. Supervision received is focused on offices IT priorities, in particular the meeting of timelines and the quality of support given to clients, and ensures learning opportunities.

Working Relationships

The incumbent has frequent interaction with staff at all levels within the work unit to resolve routine IT-related problems and coordinate IT service delivery. He /she works closely with the IT Division to ensure problem resolution and service delivery.

Key Functions/Results

Receive and log all requests from users relating to IT services in the Service Desk System;

Provide first and second level support* (*see below) to resolve IT-related issues pertaining to FAO standard equipment; escalate those issues that cannot be solved to more experienced IT staff and/ or the technical team in the IT Division; monitor progress and ensure problem resolution;

Deploy and configure standard desktops and laptops in line with established policies and procedures; assist in implementing procedures for data backups;

Ensure user access to the corporate/ office IT infrastructure: set up network services according to established policies and procedures (e.g. e-mail accounts and user access profiles, file share security); manage divional/office shared drives and public e-mail folders;

Operate and troubleshoot a variety of office equipment, such as personal computers, printers, photocopiers, PDAs and smartphones, and maintain IT stationery supplies;

Provide user guidance and training on IT services and contribute to the IT knowledge base;

Manage the divisional/ office pool of IT equipment and local stock of IT supplies and materials: maintain the inventory and assets in the Service Desk System and GRMS fixed assets; ensure that software licenses are legally acquired and formally recorded;

Provide hands-on assistance to users in organizing presentations and setting up audio-visual equipment;

Assist in the planning and procurement of IT-equipment and software, based on established equipment life cycle processes: provide specifications for the purchase of hardware, software and peripherals and assist users in the preparation of IT-related Purchase Requisitions, Low Value Orders and Local Orders in Oracle for hardware, software and peripherals; liaise with the IT Division for clearance of non-standard equipment and software;

Process separation clearance as per established procedures;

Perform other related duties as required.

Impact Of Work

The incumbents work impacts on the timely and efficient delivery of the divisions/officess work output. Actions reflect on the effective provision of the Organizations IT Service.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

Education: Secondary School Education

Experience: Three years of relevant experience in IT-support work

Languages: Working knowledge (Level C) of English and either Arabic or French

IT Skills:

Very good knowledge of the MS Office applications and Microsoft O365, systems installation and configuration, Internet and office technology equipment;

Networking and IT Equipment support;

Basic UNDSS IT Security Awareness or equivalent;

At least MD-100 exam of the Microsoft Modern Desktop Administrator Associate certification

Competencies

Results Focus c8jnR7P Dh7qKS

Teamwork

Communication

Building Effective Relationships

Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical Skills

Good knowledge of IT governance policies and procedures

Good problem solving skills related to IT issues

UNDSS Information Security Awareness  Foundational;

Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) for Windows 10 (latest version) installation and configuration

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified applicants may include an assessment exercise and a technical / competency-based interview.

FAO staff are expected to adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO,

Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing)

Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/

The length of the appointment for internal FAO candidates will be established in accordance with applicable policies pertaining to extension of appointments

Selected candidates need to reside within commuting distance from the FAO office. "Commuting distance" means the distance within which staff members can travel daily between their place of work and their residence.

No international benefits will be payable as selected candidates are recruited locally and paid in the local currency of the office location

Other similar positions may be filled from this vacancy notice

For additional information visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/

REMUNERATION A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. For information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits, click on the following link: http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/salaries allowances/salary.htm

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. Once completed, please apply and submit your application, with language certificates as attachments. Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications. FAO reserves the right to request candidates to undertake a language test in the future, as appropriate

Incomplete applications will not be considered

Only applications received through the recruitment portal will be considered

If you need assistance please contact: Careers@fao.org

Link to the organizations job posting: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1645901101845
Normally, it is my husband saying squirrel to me when in mid-sentence I change gears to a new topic. But, last weekend, it was yours truly yelling at my husband to help me with a squirrel situation.
Willmar, MN (56201)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 36F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 36F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is proposing three options to make the intersection of Va. 7 and Route 601 at the Clarke/Loudoun County line safer.
The sunburger is back, but this time its being served above ground.

The sunburger is back, but this time its being served above ground.

Wendy Murray, owner of the former Underground Cafe, has returned to the Exchange District and is now slinging her iconic veggie burgers out of the kitchen at the Royal Albert Arms. The live music venue is a stones throw from her previous location on Arthur Street.

To say shes glad to be back is an understatement.

"I love this neighbourhood," says Murray, sitting in the sunlit atrium of her new dining room. "After I closed the restaurant, I was too depressed to come down here."

"I love this neighbourhood. After I closed the restaurant, I was too depressed to come down here."  Chef Wendy Murray

She had been running the Underground  a basement cafe with bright murals and mismatched chairs  for 23 years when she made the decision to close up shop in the fall of 2016. Murray had hit a financial and administrative wall.

"I was opening, working all day, closing, doing all the paperwork, all the business meetings and I just couldnt do it anymore," she says. "One morning I was brushing my teeth and I was like, Were done."

Murray has spent the intervening years making sunburger patties for friends, cooking at a seniors home and working in a large hotel restaurant.

Winnipeggers can finally get their sunburger cravings satisfied at Wendy Murrays new cafe. (Mikaela MacKeznie / Winnipeg Free Press)

The corporate kitchen world was the antithesis of her approach to cheffing.

"Id rather go back to making a little bit less money, being in the Exchange and doing what I want to do," she says. "No more crappy, premade frozen food."

The opportunity to return to her old stomping ground came by way of Royal Albert manager David McKeigan, who also owns the Pyramid Cabaret. McKeigan took over the historic hotel and music venue in 2019 after the building went through a series of closures and reopenings. The pandemic has been spent hosting shows when restrictions allowed and restoring the spaces heritage features to their former glory.

"Id rather go back to making a little bit less money, being in the Exchange and doing what I want to do. No more crappy, premade frozen food."  Chef Wendy Murray

Murray opened the 40-seat street-facing restaurant last Thursday, a little over a week after she and McKeigan decided to partner up.

For now, she is serving a pared-down Underground menu with plans to bring in more vegan and gluten-free items in the future. Former regulars should be pleased to see the return of favourites such as the sunburger, a seed-filled vegetarian patty served on a bagel with creamy dill sauce; the Wendy, an egg salad sandwich; and the spicy tuna and chicken salad sandwiches.

"Im sort of anti-food trend," Murray says. "I believe in comfort food done well, freshly made every day with whole ingredients, and who cares if theres butter and cheese in it?"

Former Underground Cafe chef Wendy Murray is happy to be back in the Exchange District for her new venture, the Royal Albert restaurant. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press)

The new cafe opened with a similarly pared-down staff, with Murray in the kitchen, until traffic in the neighbourhood picks up again.

"Maybe as, you know, the record snowfall melts and it warms up and after two years of COVID youll start to see people on the streets again and the (area) come alive again," she says.

Working at the Royal Albert, a place she spent many late nights as a youth, feels like proper homecoming. "I dont know if its the neighbourhood or these old buildings with their creaking floors, I just feel so comfortable here," Murray says.

The Royal Albert restaurant, located at 48 Albert St., will be open Wednesday through Saturday for lunch, dinner and late-night service. Visit royalalbertarms.net for more information.

eva.wasney@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @evawasney
MONTREAL - After a gruelling two years, Air Transat and Porter Airlines have signed a code-sharing agreement they hope will draw customers to a wider range of connecting flights in Canada and abroad.

Air Transat and Porter Airlines have signed a code-sharing agreement for the busy summer travel season that will give their customers a greater selection of connecting flights in Canada, the U.S. and internationally. A Porter airlines flight makes its final approach as it lands at the airport Tuesday July 2, 2019 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

MONTREAL - After a gruelling two years, Air Transat and Porter Airlines have signed a code-sharing agreement they hope will draw customers to a wider range of connecting flights in Canada and abroad.

The first phase of the agreement will focus on connecting Porter's operations at Toronto's Billy Bishop airport and the Halifax airport to Air Transat's hub in Montreal, the airlines say.

Expected to take effect this summer as travel demand rebounds, the code-sharing agreement will see each airline sell, under its own code, flights operated by its partner. The deal enables travellers to combine flight segments on a single ticket and check their baggage just once.

Porter Airlines chief executive Michael Deluce says the agreement complements his airline's own growth plans, which include the addition of jets and flights out of Toronto Pearson International Airport later this year.

"The introduction of seamless access to international markets, where Air Transat has made its mark, is an especially great benefit for our passengers," he said in a joint release.

Both airlines could use a boost.

Porter resumed flights in September for the first time since March 2020 after grounding its fleet due to COVID-19 restrictions. The 16-year-old carrier operates flights to more than a dozen cities in Central and Eastern Canada and five U.S. destinations.

Transat AT, which depends on trips to sun destinations in winter and European cities in summer, lost $886 million in its last two fiscal years as the pandemic bled cash from the tour operator. Porter is a private company that doesn't disclose its financial results.

The code-share deal also comes as Canadian carriers seek to expand their footprint after the pandemic upended the aviation sector.

Last week WestJet Group announced an agreement to buy Sunwing Airlines and Sunwing Vacations, bolstering its presence in the holiday tour market amid rising competition. The deal is subject to reviews by the competition commissioner and Transport Canada, and final approval rests with the transport minister.

Several budget carriers have also been beefing up since the summer in preparation for a clash with WestJet and Air Canada  and with each other  particularly for domestic flights and sun destinations.

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Flair Airlines has added more than a dozen Boeing 737s to its fleet, with plans to grow its fleet to 50 planes by 2025. WestJet subsidiary Swoop is tacking on routes and Lynx Air is joining the fray as well, poised to make its maiden voyage April 7.

Meanwhile, Porter has ordered 30 Embraer jets with an option for 50 more, for a total value of US$5.8 billion based on list prices.

While the pandemic saw billions of dollars in industry revenue go up in smoke over the past 24 months, it also burned down barriers to entry for upstarts.

Plummeting demand for aircraft meant carriers could access them more quickly and cheaply. A pilot shortage that had plagued the industry is no longer as severe. And greater availability of airport slots has given companies leverage when striking deals with airport authorities.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2022.

Companies in this story: (TSX:TRZ, TSX:AC)
CALGARY - Canadian oil producers have some capacity to immediately increase exports to the U.S., industry insiders and analysts say, but anything they can provide in the short-term won't be enough to fill the gap left behind by Russia.

President Joe Biden announces a ban on Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia's economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine, Tuesday, March 8, 2022, in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Andrew Harnik

CALGARY - Canadian oil producers have some capacity to immediately increase exports to the U.S., industry insiders and analysts say, but anything they can provide in the short-term won't be enough to fill the gap left behind by Russia.

In the wake of U.S. president Joe Biden's move on Tuesday to ban the import of Russian energy products, some have called for an increased role for Canadian oil and gas.

In Houston, Texas, where he was attending the international energy conference CERAWeek, Alberta premier Jason Kenney said he was spreading the message that his oil-producing province is ready and willing to help the U.S. fulfil its need for energy.

"Instead of replacing conflict oil from Russia with conflict oil from Saudi, Iran and Venezuela, work with us," Kenney said on Twitter on Tuesday. "Alberta is the solution."

In recent days, Kenney has also called on Biden to reinstate the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline project, which Biden cancelled shortly after his inauguration, in order to increase Canadian oil exports to south of the border.

According to figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the United States imported almost 700,000 barrels per day of crude oil and petroleum products from Russia in 2021.

The U.S. imported far more than that from Canada, almost 4.3 million barrels per day.

Tristan Goodman, president of industry group the Explorers and Producers Association of Canada, said this country has the ability to immediately increase that number, either through existing pipeline networks or crude-by-rail shipments.

"Theres an immediate ability to add some degree of production, and I do mean immediate  weeks to months. It will be a small amount, but it will be noticeable," Goodman said.

However, Goodman said due to under-investment in pipeline infrastructure and the Canadian energy sector as a whole in recent years, the most Canada could expect to supply would be a maximum of 400,000 barrels per day, "if we're lucky."

"Can we help? Yes. Will it be the silver bullet to replace the entire production of Russian crude going into the U.S.? No," he said.

On Tuesday, the White House said it has already committed to releasing more than 90 million barrels from its strategic reserves in the current fiscal year, as well as the emergency sale of 30 million barrels just last week.

Members of the International Energy Agency have also agreed to a collective release of an additional 30 million barrels.

Kevin Birn, a fellow with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and the chief Canadian oil market analyst for IHS Markit, said the immediate need in the U.S. will likely be filled by inventories, strategic petroleum reserves, and OPEC member nations.

"Canada is able to produce a heck of a lot more oil, but it's just not going to be able to be the first one to respond to this," Birn said. "To increase supply on a consistent basis, Canada would need some time."

While Canadian oilsands producers have been running at near-capacity so far in 2022, they may look at deferring scheduled maintenance projects this spring in an effort to increase output and capitalize on record high prices, said Richard Masson, executive fellow with the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy.

"But oilsands projects don't easily increase production  it takes time," Masson said.

Where the industry can move quickly, Masson said, is in the conventional drilling sector. But even there, the significant labour shortage that has been affecting the industry this year may make it hard to staff rigs and quickly drill more wells.

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"Practically its going to be a real challenge," he said. "We just dont have the supply chains to deliver that in a hurry."

In recent years, oil producers in Canada and around the globe have been razor-focused on paying down debt and increasing dividends to shareholders, and there has been little appetite from investors for major capital projects or industry expansion, Masson added.

"We've had a bunch of years where we just haven't invested a lot, and that's why the price has been so high, even before (Ukraine)," he said.

"It's not like there's a bunch of spare capacity sitting around anywhere, so to just turn on the tap now is going to be really tough."

-- With files from James McCarten in Washington

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2022.
The clock is ticking on the looming closure of Hudbay Minerals almost century-long operations in Flin Flon, with the zinc plant to close in May and the companys flagship 777 mine to close in June.

The clock is ticking on the looming closure of Hudbay Minerals almost century-long operations in Flin Flon, with the zinc plant to close in May and the companys flagship 777 mine to close in June.

While the company publicly stated the operation would close a couple of years ago it was only last month that the precise dates of the closures were revealed.

Peter Kukielski, CEO of Hudbay Minerals Inc.

Of the approximately 700 people currently working for Hudbay in Flin Flon, it is anticipated that after transfers to Hudbays growing operations in Snow Lake and those eligible for retirement that about 280 people will likely be laid off.

Peter Kukielski, CEO of Toronto-based Hudbay Minerals Inc., said in an interview with the Free Press, "We are aware of the companys history in Flin Flon and we absolutely understand the impacts and do not make light of it. It is something that is very significant."

But having said that, union officials are less than impressed with how the process is being managed.

Tom Davie the president of United Steelworkers local 7106, the local representing the largest number of Hudbay workers in Flin Flon, said a memorandum of agreement signed with a new contract that was agreed to in the fall, said that the fate of all workers was to have been decided by the end of last year.

But that has not been the case.

"To this day they have still not completed that task," Davie said. "If we had known they would not meet with us until February or March we would have made them put it in the MOA. We have about six active grievances and the agreement is only five or six months old. They have not lived up to much of anything. It is horrible."

As well, he said its the first time in Hudbays history that it has not offered incentives for those eligible for retirement.

"Its not enough notice for people to start applying for jobs or find out about Employment Insurance benefits or if they are entitled to or any extra training packages," he said.

Davies comments are in contrast to Kukielskis contention that the company has a good relationship with the union, which he claims "are good partners."

"The relationship (with the unions) is fine," he said. "We have worked hard to reach an agreement in very difficult times. It is always difficult to do when facing change like this."

The difference in the perception between management and the unions in this case may have something to do with the fact that things are going very well corporately for Hudbay these days, notwithstanding that it is being forced to shut down a large mine because it is at the end of its productivity.

The company just opened up the New Britannia gold processing plant in Snow Lake, close to the Lalor mine, its large copper, zinc and gold mine, after spending about $150 million to refurbish the plant that had been idle for more than 15 years.

The new processing facility dramatically increases the volume of gold that can be produced at a time when gold prices are high due to the volatile environment in global markets.

It is also planning to ramp up production at Lalor.

The company has also increased its exploration budget for 2022 by about 50 per cent and intends to spend about $20 million of that in Manitoba (with the balance split between Arizona and Peru where Hudbay has significant operations.)

Hudbay has discovered and operated more than 20 mines in its history in Manitoba and Kukielski said they hope to find 20 more.

"The mining industry is pretty vibrant right now," Kukielski said.

Metal prices are up due to a growing demand for metals related to de-carbonization and electrification and the shortage of new mines coming into production globally.

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The company has had to bring in contract workers to supplement its own workforce in Snow Lake and Kukielski said that scenario in Snow Lake makes him think that the 280 or so Flin Flon workers who seem likely to be laid off might be able to find other job opportunities elsewhere in the industry.

"I think you will find folks in Flin Flon will have lots of opportunities elsewhere in Canada," he said. "Places like Timmins are really, really humming now. That might mitigate the impact of the need to lay people off."

That will likely be cold comfort for workers in Flin Flon who are just being told now that they will be laid off in June.

"We have very upset members who dont know if they have jobs or not," Davie said.

"Ive been a union rep since 93 and president since 2004 and I have never seen the company this unorganized and this uncaring in my whole career," he said. "It is absolutely disgusting what they are doing with peoples lives."

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  A federal judge in Texas overstepped his authority when he blocked President Joe Biden's requirement that all federal employees get vaccinated against COVID-19, an attorney for the administration told a federal appeals court panel Tuesday.

FILE - In this Tuesday, July 9, 2019 file photo, People wait in line to enter the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to sit in overflow rooms to hear arguments in New Orleans. President Joe Biden's requirement that all federal employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 is awaiting judgment from a federal appeals court after arguments in New Orleans. An administration attorney told the court Tuesday, March 8, 2022, that a federal judge in Texas overstepped his authority when he blocked the mandate. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

NEW ORLEANS (AP)  A federal judge in Texas overstepped his authority when he blocked President Joe Biden's requirement that all federal employees get vaccinated against COVID-19, an attorney for the administration told a federal appeals court panel Tuesday.

Department of Justice lawyer Charles Scarborough noted that district judges in a dozen jurisdictions had rejected a challenge to the vaccine requirement for federal workers. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown, who was appointed to the District Court for the Southern District of Texas by President Donald Trump, issued a nationwide injunction against the requirement in January.

Scarborough argued that the Constitution gives the president, as the head of the federal workforce, the same authority as the CEO of a private corporation has to require that employees be vaccinated. This is the president exercising his authority as an employer, Scarborough said.

He also argued that the case does not belong in federal court because federal employees have administrative civil service remedies they must exhaust first before heading to court.

Arguing for those challenging the mandate, lawyer Trent McCotter said it was the administration that was exceeding its statutory and constitutional power. McCotter referenced the recent Supreme Court opinion that the government cannot force private employers to require employee vaccinations. He said the federal employee mandate was the same kind of coercive choice struck down in that case. It's a sort of freestanding, ongoing constitutional injury, McCotter said.

It was the second time in a month that the 5th Circuit dealt with the issue. A different panel refused last month to block Brown's ruling pending appeal. That panel's vote was 2-1, with no reasons given by the majority but a lengthy dissent by Judge Stephen Higginson, who said a single district judge lacking public health expertise and made unaccountable through life tenure, should not be able to block the president from ordering the same type of COVID-19 safety measures many private sector CEO's have ordered.

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In Tuesday's hearing, Judge Carl Stewart questioned whether Brown was right to order that his ruling apply nationwide. McCotter defended the scope of the ruling. Unless he makes this a broad, clear injunction, then individuals entitled to relief are going to fall through the cracks."

Tuesday's panel members gave no indication when they would rule. The panel consisted of Stewart, an appointee of President Bill Clinton; Rhesa Barksdale, appointed by President George H.W. Bush; and Judge James Dennis, another Clinton appointee.

The federal employee vaccination requirement is one of multiple related vaccine mandates being tested in federal courts. Biden's order that private employers force workers to get vaccinated was struck down by the Supreme Court. But on the same day, the high court removed lower court blocks on enforcement of a mandate that a wide array of health care providers funded through Medicate or Medicaid require that their employees be vaccinated.

A requirement that federal contractors and subcontractors require employee vaccinations is on hold. A federal judge in Georgia blocked that mandate nationwide and the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit appeals court is to hear arguments in that case April 8.

___

Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
OTTAWA - Rookie Ontario MP Leslyn Lewis is taking a second run at the Conservative leadership.

Conservative member of Parliament Leslyn Lewis rises during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA - Rookie Ontario MP Leslyn Lewis is taking a second run at the Conservative leadership.

She confirmed her candidacy in a 45-second video shared on social media Tuesday and emailed supporters asking for help to collect the 500 signatures she needs to officially enter the race. She also launched her campaign website with a link to purchase memberships to support her and make donations.

"I'm running to lead our party and our country based on hope, unity and compassion," Lewis wrote on Twitter.

She is the second declared candidate in the race. Ottawa-area MP Pierre Poilievre, announced his candidacy last month just days after Erin O'Toole was voted out of the leadership by the Conservative caucus after just 17 months in the role.

Former Quebec premier Jean Charest has scheduled a campaign launch event in Calgary Thursday, where he will formally announce his candidacy.

Several others are still mulling it over, including former Conservative MP Patrick Brown, now the mayor of Brampton, Ont., former Ontario MP Leona Alleslev, current Ontario MP Scott Aitchison and independent Ontario MPP Roman Baber.

Lewis, a former Bay Street lawyer who moved to Canada as a child from Jamaica, ran in the 2020 leadership contest as a relative unknown, having never before served in elected office. She was the only woman in the race and placed third behind O'Toole and Peter MacKay, a former Tory cabinet minister who led the Progressive Conservative party before it merged with the Canadian Alliance in 2003.

She has been a vocal critic of COVID-19 vaccine mandates and a Liberal campaign promise to revoke the charitable status of anti-abortion pregnancy centres.

She pulled a lot of support from the party's base in Western Canada and members of its well-mobilized social conservative network, some of whom are already backing her again.

"I can say with confidence we will 100 per cent be endorsing Leslyn Lewis in the upcoming Conservative Party leadership race," said Alissa Golob, co-founder of the anti-abortion political group RightNow.

"Lewis is currently the only candidate who can truly unite the party and win the demographics the party needs to target to win."

Lewis was elected as an MP just last fall in the rural southwestern Ontario riding of Haldimand-Norfolk but was not given a role in O'Toole's shadow cabinet.

That omission drew the ire of the party's social conservative wing, many of whom moved their votes from Lewis to O'Toole in the 2020 leadership's final ballot, helping him secure the victory.

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In November, O'Toole was critical of some comments Lewis made on social media, questioning the value of vaccinating children against COVID-19.

Lewis has declined to identify her vaccination status publicly, saying she believes such information should be private.

She publicly supported the trucker convoy which blockaded Ottawa streets for more than three weeks this winter to rally against COVID-19 restrictions, vaccine mandates and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government.

She is also backinga private member's bill brought by Alberta Conservative MP Garnett Genuis that would add political beliefs to the list of protections under the Canadian Human Rights Act.

Genuis introduced that bill last week suggesting protesters participating in the blockades who had their bank accounts frozen were the victims of discrimination because of their politics.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2022.
ADAZI, Latvia - Justin Trudeau joined NATO allies Tuesday in staging a theatrical rebuke of Russia's war on Ukraine from a heavily armoured war-games field and in a floodlit news conference from one of the alliance's eastern European bases.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau waves as he steps off a government plane after arriving in Riga, Latvia, Monday, March 7, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

ADAZI, Latvia - Justin Trudeau joined NATO allies Tuesday in staging a theatrical rebuke of Russia's war on Ukraine from a heavily armoured war-games field and in a floodlit news conference from one of the alliance's eastern European bases.

The prime minister promised Baltic leaders on a whirlwind trip to Latvia that Canada will stand with them to fight Russia's military aggression against Ukraine and its cyberattacks on their countries.

Trudeau and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg made clear that NATO's purpose is defensive, but that the core NATO agreement  that an attack on one member is an attack on them all  is very much in play.

"We are here to protect every inch of allied territory, of Latvia and all other NATO countries," Stoltenberg said at a joint news conference on the Adazi military base northeast of Riga, Latvia.

The Norwegian politician's voice thundered over a loudspeaker at a joint news conference with Trudeau and Defence Minister Anita Anand, along with the prime ministers of Spain and Latvia, Pedro Sanchez and Krisjanis Karins. The event was held outdoors in near-freezing temperatures as a steady snowfall dusted the politicians on their podiums, positioned in the foreground of more than a dozen tanks, heavy armour and other imposing military vehicles.

"This demonstrates, really, NATO solidarity," Stoltenberg said, in case anyone missed the point.

"The purpose of that deterrence is not to provoke a war but to prevent a war. It is to preserve peace."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau smiles at Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins as they leave a photo op before a meeting at the prime ministers office in Riga, Latvia, Tuesday, March 8, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Trudeau said Russian President Vladimir Putin made a mistake thinking Ukraine and NATO were weak and divided.

"He's been shown how wrong he is," Trudeau said. "Ukrainians are strong and courageous and standing up to defend their land. And NATO has never been more united and determined than we are now. I know I can speak for all NATO members when I say we will all abide by Article Five."

Sanchez, echoing earlier remarks by Anand, tore a page from the Canadian feminist foreign policy play book and paid tribute to International Women's Day.

"Eight March should have been a day of celebration of women and girls in Ukraine," Sanchez said, adding that Putin's "brutal aggression is forcing them to flee their country or fight for their lives."

Sanchez said he wanted to "pay an homage today to all of them," pledging NATO would stand by their side.

Earlier, the group drove over bumpy roads, dwarfed by tall coniferous trees to a NATO training ground called French Hill for a tour of a massive battlefield scattered with a dozen heavy tanks and artillery pieces on a base that was once a Cold War outpost of the former Soviet Union.

Canadian defence chief Gen. Wayne Eyre joined them for a tour and briefing on the war gaming.

Canada leads the NATO battle group in Latvia, which is part of its long-standing deterrence efforts against Russia  a mission that has taken on new significance in light of the Russian invasion.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister of Defence Anita Anand pose with soldiers deployed as part of Operation Reassurance as they visits the Adazi Military basein Adazi, Latvia, Tuesday, March 8, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

It is one of four such efforts in the Baltics and Poland, designed to demonstrate the strength of the NATO alliance in the region against Russia.

Navigating dirt that was at times ankle deep, the entourage of politicians and military officials visited with soldiers from the 10 NATO countries that are stationed here.

"They see renewed purpose. It's the front line of freedom," Eyre said.

Trudeau asked questions of a Latvian commander from a hilltop bunker that overlooked the massive plain of rutted dirt.

Trudeau said that Canada's mission in Latvia, dubbed Operation Reassurance, wasn't set to be renewed until 2023, but given the Russian invasion in Ukraine, Canada was announcing a multi-year renewal immediately.

Trudeau arrived in Latvia in the wee hours of Tuesday before an early morning meeting with Karins. It was followed by an expanded teleconference with leaders from Baltic NATO members Estonia and Lithuania on what was the 13th day of the Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Trudeau said Russia has "weaponized" misinformation not only against Ukraine but in all "democracies around the West."

"Quite frankly, you have been living not just with the military threat, not just with the history of occupation  but also, the daily use of propaganda and disinformation to try and undermine the democracy and the values you have," Trudeau told the three Baltic leaders.

Putin takes great offence at the NATO buildup on his country's borders. He has opposed NATO's expansion into countries that were once in the Soviet sphere.

Ukraine is not a NATO member but was seeking membership in the 30-country transatlantic alliance as well as closer ties with the European Union. Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 after the overthrow of the Kremlin-backed administration in Kyiv.

That marked the most significant breach of Europe's borders since the Second World War  a milestone now eclipsed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Trudeau said the ongoing show of unity among NATO allies and other democracies to back Ukraine is a critical part of bringing the crisis to a close.

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Karins told Trudeau the Russian invasion did not succeed in "driving a wedge between Europe and North America, driving a wedge between NATO partners." Instead, he said, "the exact opposite" happened and there has been a "coming together of minds."

Trudeau told the Baltic leaders that Canada has the third largest population of Ukrainians in the world after Ukraine itself and Russia, "so we are deeply, deeply troubled and engaged by this conflict in Ukraine."

"We are demonstrating that, unlike what Putin thinks or mistakenly thought, democracies can and will defend not just themselves and their territory, but the principles and rules and the values that actually make us successful," Trudeau said.

Trudeau flew to Germany Tuesday night for meetings Wednesday with Chancellor Olaf Scholz. He will be joined in Berlin by Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.

He will end his trip to Europe in Poland later this week.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2022.
What do they mean by true conservative?

What do they mean by "true conservative?"

Sown into the narrative of the September Conservative Party of Canadas leadership campaign is yet another a debate about who or what is truly conservative. Or, to be completely accurate in the context of the current leadership race, "truly Conservative."

Leadership hopeful Pierre Poilievre has become the latest advocate of the true Conservative movement. Fluently bilingual, born in Calgary, and now holding a seat in the greater Ottawa area, Poilievre is a fiscal and social conservative with strong libertarian sensibilities, a skepticism about climate change and a refined grasp of retail politics.

Poilievre is considered the front-runner in the race to replace former leader Erin OToole, although hes also the only declared candidate right now. But even without a formal opponent to battle, hes clearly concerned about reports suggesting that former Quebec premier and Progressive Conservative Party of Canada leader Jean Charest is considering a run.

Pierre Poilievre is considered the front-runner in the race to replace former leader Erin OToole. (Michael Bell / The Canadian Press files)

Perhaps to discourage him from entering the race, Poilievres forces are letting the party members know that Charest is not a "true Conservative."

The rhetoric is becoming dangerously unstable. Recently, Tory MP Shannon Stubbs, who is from Alberta, Tweeted a meme of Charest and Trudeau together with the message that "our leader must share our values and respect our policies."

Statements like this start to sound dangerously sectarian. It doesnt matter whether youre talking about race, religion or political ideology, anyone touting the "one true way" is really just trying to bludgeon dissent and debate within an institution.

How do Poilievre and his supporters come to this conclusion about Charest?

Once a leader of the now-defunct federal Progressive Conservative party, Charest left federal politics and went on to become the premier of Quebec and leader (gasp!) of the Quebec Liberal party. Western conservatives may gag at Charests career path but informed sources closer to the scene of that bit of political history know the Quebec Liberal party has very little in common with the federal Liberal party.

Moreover, Quebec political pundits understand that many federal Conservatives park their provincial votes with the Liberals. Disparaging Charests time as a provincial Liberal may help Poilievre win support from Western Canadian party members, but it wont help his partys flagging fortunes in Quebec.

Disparaging Charests time as a provincial Liberal may help Poilievre win support from Western Canadian party members, but it wont help his partys flagging fortunes in Quebec.

None of that stopped MPs, Senators and strategists supporting Poilievre from assailing Charest as having questionable Conservative credentials.

Poilievre supporters have accused Charest of unforgivable sins of supporting gun control, advocating for carbon pricing to combat climate change and otherwise embracing "anti-energy" policies that would devastate Canadas oil and gas industry. Its almost as if the entire party failed to embrace the painful lessons dealt to them in the last federal election.

Once a leader of the now-defunct federal Progressive Conservative party, Jean Charest left federal politics and went on to become the premier of Quebec. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press files)

In a bid to defuse the Liberal partys tenuous hold on power, OToole tried to muzzle ugly socially conservative notions, moderate his partys position on climate change and pandemic management and avoid getting drawn into the quagmire of debates on things such as gun control. When he lost, he was labelled a turncoat by many of the people who are now lining up behind Poilievre.

Those people simply will not accept that OTooles failure in last falls election was not due to his refusal to adopt far-right values; his defeat was sown by a party that refuses to give up values and policies that only appeal to a small, angry constituency.

The biggest problem facing the CPC now is that there appears to be very little chance of going back and making the party more moderate, and thus more competitive.

The evolution of the CPC  from Progressive Conservative through the Canadian Alliance party  has shown an increasing appetite to lurch the party to the right. Former leader and prime minister Stephen Harper tried soft-selling true Conservatism to voters until, in 2015, he let the country see just how far right of centre he really was.

To borrow heavily from Monty Pythons infamous Dead Parrot skit, the progressive conservative movement that married the ideas of socially progressive and fiscally conservative has simply "expired." Its metabolic processes are now history. Its kicked the bucket, shuffled off its mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleeding choir invisible. This is an ex-movement.

Former leader and prime minister Stephen Harper tried softselling true Conservatism to voters until, in 2015, he let the country see just how far right of centre he really was.

And what will replace it?

It looks increasingly likely the CPC is headed to the far-right fringes of the political wilderness. Under Poilievre, its easy to see the party attempt a raid on the ranks of the Peoples Party of Canada to create a new and potent right-wing movement, a la Donald Trumps "Make America Great Again" juggernaut.

The problem is that to achieve true power as a true Conservative in Canada, he needs to win more seats than any other party. If Trump had to win seats, as opposed to votes in a popularity contest, he would not have become president. Poilievre seems destined to follow a political strategy that simply does not work in a Canadian context.

Perhaps Charest, or another viable moderate, will run against Poilievre and make the CPC a truly national political party.

More likely is a scenario where he wins the leadership, alienates conservative voters outside of Western Canada, and allows the Liberals to continue governing on the slimmest of electoral margins.

Apparently, this is the fate that awaits the true Conservatives.

dan.lett@winnipegfreepress.com

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Coun. Brian Mayes has resigned from the Winnipeg Police Board, deeming its relationship with city council dysfunctional.

Coun. Brian Mayes has resigned from the Winnipeg Police Board, deeming its relationship with city council dysfunctional.

In a tweet Monday morning, Mayes revealed he would no longer serve as a member of the civilian board, which oversees the Winnipeg Police Service.

Earlier today, I resigned from the Winnipeg Police Board. While I continue to support the efforts of the chair, Coun. (Markus) Chambers, I believe the boards relationship with city council has become dysfunctional, with ongoing arguments over respective roles and jurisdiction, Mayes posted on his Twitter account.

In a Monday interview, The St. Vital councillor declined to elaborate on why he framed the relationship using that term.

Mayes noted the police board is required through provincial legislation. He urges the Manitoba government to consider other alternatives for civilian oversight of policing.

I do think (the province) should look at something other than what weve got now, thats for sure, he said.

Heated debates over the police board have taken place during recent public meetings.

In November, Coun. Sherri Rollins complained about the board answering some budget questions on behalf of the WPS, which she claimed impeded the finance committees ability to get details directly from police.

I think this meeting will go down in history as the moment where we cease to have civilian oversight in the police, Rollins said at the time.

During the most recent Winnipeg Police Board meeting, on March 4, Rollins suggested board members should either ask tough questions over the police response to a recent anti-COVID-19 mandate protest in the Manitoba capital or resign their roles.

The weeks-long demonstration near the legislature triggered complaints over noise, verbal harassment and traffic offences.

The chairman of the police board said some dysfunction has been created by the fact the city hasnt updated its bylaws to clarify the board doesnt, and shouldnt, report directly to a standing policy committee at city hall.

It is dysfunctional because the bylaws have to be updated (We need to) update those organizational bylaws to ensure that theres no meddling from other standing policy committees, with respect to the work thats being undertaken by the Winnipeg Police Board, said Chambers.

He noted there are two clear exceptions to that rule: finance committee handles WPS budget overrun requests; council sets the overall size of the WPS budget.

Chambers said the police board is an effective oversight body that should not be eliminated.

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Were nowhere near at that stage where people need to consider a mass exodus of the Winnipeg Police Board. There is room for improvement and with (those) improvements will come greater accountability, the St. Norbert-Seine River councillor said.

A spokesperson said WPS Chief Danny Smyth met Monday with Mayes for a private conservation and would not comment publicly on the resignation.

After the March 4 meeting, Smyth said the board does hold police accountable: We spend a lot of time on finance. They set the strategic direction.

Council selected Mayes to join the police board in November 2020. Council can fill the board position with a council member or citizen or opt to leave it vacant, said Felicia Wiltshire, Winnipeg communications director.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga
The number of fires in Winnipeg requiring first responders action has increased year-over-year since 2019  with many residential blazes considered suspicious.

The number of fires in Winnipeg requiring first responders action has increased year-over-year since 2019  with many residential blazes considered suspicious.

From 2019 and 2021, the number of fires the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service responded to increased by 58 per cent, according to City of Winnipeg data obtained by the Free Press.

In 2019, a total of 1,804 such fires were logged; in 2021, that number had jumped to 2,857.

Over the course of 2019-2021, there were a total of 2,221 structure fires, the majority of which were in one-or-two family residences. In the same period, there were 4,465 non-structure fires. (That category includes brush, garbage bins, vehicles and miscellaneous outdoor property.)

In 2019, there were 746 structure fires, compared to 696 in 2020, and 779 in 2021.

In 2019, there were 1,058 non-structure fires, compared with 1,329 in 2020, and 2,078 in 2021.

May is typically the month with the most fires, the data show (although July 2021 edged it out 309-307).

"It has been a busy 12 months here, in particular over last summer with the drought conditions. So in part, not too surprising to see some of these numbers, given the fact some of our front-line crews have been responding to these on a daily basis," WFPS Chief Christian Schmidt told the Free Press.

High numbers of fires impacts the services overall ability, he said.

"When vehicles are engaged in firefighting duties, theyre not available for other fire calls or medical calls for that matter," Schmidt said.

"The other thing to keep in mind here, in particular over the past few weeks, weve seen some major fires here in Winnipeg. Weve had to rotate through many crews  in some cases, every crew or near every crew thats been on duty for the shift."

Thats largely due to extreme cold impacting firefighters; while the inverse is a concern in the summer heat.

The departments analysis notes a number of potential reasons for the increase in recent fires: overall population growth, old housing stock, vacant buildings being sought for shelter, and the increase in the number of vulnerable people living in encampments or outdoors.

The analysis also notes socioeconomic factors, such as poverty and addictions, lead to increased fire risk.

However, when isolating residential fires  including rooming houses, single-family homes and apartments  the No. 1 cause was "incendiary," indicating the fire was set intentionally or was "suspicious," according to the departments analysis.

Those fires are first investigated by WFPS, then passed to the Winnipeg Police Service if determined to be arson. (Careless smoking and cooking, electrical failures, or appliance and mechanical issues are among other main causes.)

The data didnt surprise long-time community activist Sel Burrows.

He recently launched a local fire safety campaign, after a number of inner-city blazes in January. A house fire on Simcoe Street on Jan. 27 hospitalized nine people, including five children. A five-year-old boy later died in hospital.

Burrows said he was moved to action for three main reasons.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS (Pictured) Winnipeg firefighters were called to an apartment block under construction on Kimberley to fight a fire in January.

"No. 1: people die. Nothings more important than peoples lives and people die in fires No. 2: it dislocates people, a huge number of these fires are in the inner city, theyre poor people who dont have any insurance, so they lose everything," he said.

The third is something he thinks is often ignored: loss of housing stock. Burrows noted there are 560 buildings officially boarded up in the city, many of which are multi-family homes.

"If the city took the position that these houses, if theyre kept boarded up or vacant, that the cost to the owner was such that it would put pressure to either bring them back into the market or sell them to someone who would, we could have 500 more low-cost housing units in Winnipeg at no cost to government," Burrows said.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS (Pictured) When isolating residential fires  including rooming houses, single-family homes and apartments  the No. 1 cause was incendiary, indicating the fire was set intentionally or was suspicious, according to the departments analysis.

Of the major causes of local fires the last three years, Burrows said: "Youve got arson, which is crime. Then youve got two that are government-regulation oriented: one is house wiring and the other is its really about heaters falling over and stuff like that but they call it appliances.

"Those three categories all need action, now that we know what they are. Im going to be kicking butt."

Schmidt noted work with community groups is important in reducing fire risk, pointing to back lane patrols reporting hazardous debris.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS (Pictured) Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service crews battle a garage fire that jumped to a house on Burrows Avenue last year. The service is planning to ramp up work with community partners in the coming months to reduce fire risk, WFPS Chief Christian Schmidt said.

"This obviously not only has an impact on our service, its got a greater impact on the community, in particular the neighbourhoods that see higher fire activity," the WFPS chief said.

The service is planning to ramp up work with community partners in the coming months to reduce fire risk, Schmidt said. Details will be announced soon, he added.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @erik_pindera

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Eighteen First Nations in Manitoba are eligible for compensation as part of an $8-billion class-action settlement over contaminated drinking water.

Eighteen First Nations in Manitoba are eligible for compensation as part of an $8-billion class-action settlement over contaminated drinking water.

A year-long claims process started Monday as part of the national settlement, which was reached in part because of a northern Manitoba First Nations legal fight.

Tataskweyak Cree Nation (Split Lake) is one of the lead plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit, which was launched in Manitobas Court of Queens Bench in November 2019. Now, more than 250 First Nations across Canada, and their 140,000 members, may get financial compensation for being subjected to long-term boil-water advisories without access to clean water.

Tataskweyak and the 2,300 people who live on-reserve have been under a boil-water advisory for more than four years. Stomach illness and skin rashes from contaminated water are common in the community.

Chief Doreen Spence, who has been calling for change for years, couldnt be reached for comment Monday. As of last year, more than 50 First Nations in Canada were still under boil-water advisories.

Class-action co-counsel Michael Rosenberg commended the First Nations plaintiffs for their courage in standing up against the federal government.

This is the first day of a future of safe drinking water for class-member First Nations, Rosenberg said Monday. The Toronto lawyer, a partner at McCarthy Tetrault, is co-counsel along with retired judge Harry LaForme. LaForme is Anishinaabe from Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation in southern Ontario. There was no access to clean drinking water there when he was growing up.

I remember very vividly, when I was a child, my mother carrying water from the local streams, said LaForme, who was the first Indigenous appeal-court judge in Canada and is now senior counsel at Olthuis Kleer Townshend Law. He said he couldnt turn down the chance to work on this case, hoping to right a historic wrong.

It needed to be fixed and a lot of it was personal, he said.

The settlement includes more than $1.8 billion in compensation for First Nations communities and individuals, and $6 billion for construction and upgrading of water-treatment infrastructure.

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As part of the settlement, the federal government has legal obligations to provide and maintain safe drinking water for all First Nations communities. Canada agreed to repeal and replace the federal 2013 Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act with legislation that reflects consultations with Indigenous communities.

The settlement will only compensate communities that were under boil-water advisories for a year or more, but many other First Nations have seasonal water-advisories or short-term contamination issues. Lawyers said they hope this settlement will be a template for other drinking-water disputes.

I hope this class-action is sort of a guide post for people, LaForme said. There is no need to give up if your drinking water issues are different.

Communities that were under long-term boil water advisories (lasting at least one year between November 1995 and June 2021) have until Dec. 2, 2022 to accept the settlement, and individuals have until March 2023 to make their claims for compensation. More information about the claims process is at firstnationsdrinkingwater.ca.

The Manitoba communities that are eligible include Berens River, Canupawakpa Dakota, Fox Lake, Gods Lake Narrows, Hollow Water, Kinonjeoshtegon First Nation (Jackhead), Lake Manitoba, Little Grand Rapids, Little Saskatchewan, Long Plain, Pauingassi, Pinaymootang (Fairford), Pine Creek, Sagkeeng, Sapotaweyak, Shamattawa, Tataskweyak and Wuskwi Sipihk.

katie.may@winnipegfreepress.com
A judge has ordered that a Manitoba internet pharmacy pioneer who faced charges in the U.S. involving importing and selling counterfeit drugs be given back his licence to practise pharmacy.

A judge has ordered that a Manitoba internet pharmacy pioneer who faced charges in the U.S. involving importing and selling counterfeit drugs be given back his licence to practise pharmacy.

The Council of the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba cancelled Kristjan Thorkelsons pharmaceutical licences in November 2019 following his conviction on charges in the U.S.

"The College was not able to point me to any decisions where conduct of a comparable nature, at least in terms of the degree of seriousness, resulted in a pharmacist losing their licence," Queens Bench Justice Colleen Suche wrote in a 25-page decision last month.

"In fact, looking at the decisions from the College and elsewhere, conduct which arguably is as serious has resulted in nothing more than fines," Suche said.

Thorkelson was one of six Canadians arrested by U.S authorities in July 2017 and targeted for extradition in connection to the drug investigation.

KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES The Council of the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba cancelled Kristjan Thorkelsons pharmaceutical licences in November 2019 following his conviction on charges in the U.S.

Thorkelson has been a licenced pharmacist since 1991 and is the former chief executive officer of now-defunct CanadaDrugs.com. In its heyday, the CanadaDrugs.com Group of Companies, which included U.K.-based wholesale pharmacy River East Supplies Ltd., made up the largest international pharmacy business in the world.

In October 2011, River East purchased a cancer drug, Avastin, from Caremed, a wholesale pharmacy in Denmark, then resold some of it to a clinic in the U.S., says Suches decision.

Within weeks, the U.S. clinic contacted River East and reported the drug appeared suspect. River East arranged to have the drug returned and quarantined and notified Caremed, who then contacted its European regulator.

U.K. regulator Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority launched an investigation, as did the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, who found in 2012 some of the Avastin contained no active ingredient.

Thorkelson "had no direct involvement in these events," Suche said. "They appear to have been relayed to him as they unfolded by the pharmaceutical manager of River East."

They (regulatory authorities) appear to have been relayed to him (Thorkelson) as they unfolded by the pharmaceutical manager of River East.  Justice Colleen Suche

The U.K. regulator found no evidence of misconduct by River East or CareMed. Both Health Canada and the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba completed investigations in 2012, but took no action.

In 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice filed an indictment against Thorkelson, CanadaDrugs, River East, two other corporations in the business group and several employees, and charged them with smuggling, money laundering, and conspiracy.

JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES CanadaDrugs.com building at 24 Terracon Place off Dugald Road. In its heyday, the CanadaDrugs.com Group of Companies, which included U.K.-based wholesale pharmacy River East Supplies Ltd., made up the largest international pharmacy business in the world.

In a deal with U.S. justice authorities, Thorkelson agreed in 2018 to plead guilty in a Montana court to one charge of misprision, a U.S. offence in which a guilty person has knowledge of an offence, did not notify authorities as soon as possible, and took steps to conceal it.

The basis for the charge rested on a March 2012 email Thorkelson sent to CanadaDrugs.com employees claiming CanadaDrugs had "absolutely no connection to selling and offering Avastin given that CanadaDrugs.com has never offered that product for sale."

CanadaDrugs, River East, and a third company in the business group, Rockley Ventures, pleaded guilty to introducing and delivering misbranded pharmaceuticals and selling and dispensing counterfeit drugs in exchange for all other charges being dropped.

Thorkelson was sentenced to five years probation, including six months house arrest, and agreed to pay a fine of $250,000 and $30,000 in restitution.

Thorkelson has no prior disciplinary history and has been punished for his actions, including the shuttering of CanadaDrugs.com, Suche said.

Cancelling a professional licence is an "extreme penalty" that needs to be considered in the light of the conduct underlying the offence in question, Suche said.

"While (Thorkelson) did not take steps to notify (the U.K. regulator), he was told River East and CareMed agreed that CareMed would do so" and was told that the FDA was also notified of the situation," Suche said.

"Thus, while he failed in a legal obligation to notify an authority that the Avastin was defective, it seems fair to say that he believed that both the U.K. and American authorities were notified, and in fact they both were notified," she said.

A call to Thorkelsons lawyer for comment was not returned by deadline Monday.

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca

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Manitobas justice minister  who is preparing to introduce new legislation to reform the Police Services Act  says hes looking forward to speaking with the city councillor who publicly aired his frustration while resigning from the Winnipeg Police Board.

Manitobas justice minister  who is preparing to introduce new legislation to reform the Police Services Act  says hes looking forward to speaking with the city councillor who publicly aired his frustration while resigning from the Winnipeg Police Board.

"I dont know the reasons why he resigned," Tory MLA Kelvin Goertzen told reporters Monday.

Coun. Brian Mayes, a lawyer, announced his move on social media, blaming dysfunction between the board and city council, and "ongoing arguments over respective roles and jurisdiction."

In a tweet Monday, Mayes said the provincial government needs to consider "other alternatives for civilian oversight of policing" in new legislation.

In a scrum outside the chamber, the justice minister said hes known Mayes a long time and respects his opinion. "Id be curious to know some of the concerns that he has."

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Winnipeg City Councillor Brian Mayes during an EPC meeting in the council chambers Wednesday morning. 211020 - Wednesday, October 20, 2021.

Goertzen, who has a law degree, said he couldnt yet speak about imminent changes to the Police Services Act. "It will modernize the act in many ways when it comes to policing and standards."

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In terms of governance and complaints made publicly about operational issues  such as the handling of recent so-called "freedom convoy" blockades  "police used their discretion" and the events ended without arrests, said Goertzen.

After being briefed Monday on the new Police Services Act, Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said the changes dont address what needs to be addressed.

"We dont have adequate civilian oversight of police in this province," said Lamont.

Political leaders and civilian overseers shouldnt be directing enforcement, but they should have some say when it comes to setting policy, he added.

"For example, right now, the City of Winnipeg cant set a policy to require the reduced use of force They should be able to do that."

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Folkloramas long-running Russian pavilion has cancelled its participation in the upcoming 2022 multicultural festival, in protest of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Folkloramas long-running Russian pavilion has cancelled its participation in the upcoming 2022 multicultural festival, in protest of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Sofia Barklon, pavilion co-ordinator, said the local boards decision was unanimous.

SASHA SEFTER / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Dancers at the Russian Pavilion during a Folklorama event held at the Holy Cross Gymnasium Hall in 2019.

"It is not the time for dancing and fun now," said Barklon, who grew up in the Soviet Union in what is now Russia, later moving to Latvia, before emigrating nearly 30 years ago.

"Our community opposes the military action in Russia against Ukraine."

The pavilions board  which includes members with origins outside Russia, including Georgia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine  has decided to refocus its efforts toward gathering humanitarian aid, Barklon said.

"We will help Ukrainian people with every means available to us," she said Monday. "We think now, our pavilion is better to spend our money on this stuff than on Folklorama."

The group dispatched its first package of food, diapers and medical supplies March 1.

Barklon has been the Russian pavilion co-ordinator for 20 years, with the group not missing a festival during her tenure.

Folklorama was cancelled in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the 2021 event was presented in an online format only.

Its important Russian communities abroad speak out against the war, Barklon said, acknowledging concerns those who have family in Russia may face repercussions by doing so.

"Canadian people have to know were against it, and for peace," she said.

Svitlana Maluzynsky  a Canadian of Ukrainian descent who has volunteered at both the Ukrainian and Russian Folklorama pavilions and has family and friends in Ukraine  commended the boards decision.

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"I thought it was the right move. I dont think its an easy decision, and I dont think its fair that theyre put in that kind of a position, but I do think that it shows the Russian community in Manitoba is standing in solidarity with Ukrainians," Maluzynsky said.

"It feels like its necessary to take a large step like that and make space for Ukrainians at this time."

Folklorama director of communications Tanya Williams said the organization respects the decision and looks forward to the eventual return of the Russian pavilion.

Folklorama, which bills itself as the largest and longest-running multicultural festival of its type in the world, has been active since 1970.

The 2022 edition is scheduled for July 31-Aug. 13.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca
Manitoba school boards will have the final say about whether masks are required or recommended in their local K-12 classrooms come March 15.

Manitoba school boards will have the final say about whether masks are required or recommended in their local K-12 classrooms come March 15.

Late last week, the education department informed division leaders COVID-19 mandates in schools will soon disappear, in line with the rest of society, to start to return to normal.

Education Minister Wayne Ewasko was not made available for an interview on the subject Monday.

(The province) strongly recommends school and child care facility officials follow the guidance of the chief provincial public health officer, including removing mask mandates in indoor settings as the public health focus shifts to individual risk assessment, Ewasko said in a prepared statement.

At the same time, he acknowledged school boards are made up of elected officials.

Trustees are charged with decision making that addresses their local needs, including if they choose to continue requiring the use of masks.

Seven Oaks School Division administration has informed families it is following public health guidance and in turn, face coverings will be recommended in its north Winnipeg schools, as of next week.

Individual staff, students and families will now make their own choices on masks. We need to respect one anothers choices, superintendent Brian OLeary wrote in a community update Monday.

OLeary noted the division will ask staff and students with flu-like symptoms to remain home, maintain cohorts in elementary schools, and distribute masks and rapid antigen tests to community members, among other limited pandemic measures, for the foreseeable future.

River East Transcona, Louis Riel, and St. James-Assiniboia leaders indicated they are all awaiting a meeting scheduled with provincial officials this week before confirming plans.

Spokespeople for Winnipeg and Pembina Trails said board deliberations must take place before either releases details.

The Manitoba Teachers Society has made clear its stance: it is premature to lift mask requirements in schools.

Lets think about this logically, from the perspective of the school environment and working with children. Its easy to loosen restrictions  and I sympathize greatly with those who struggle greatly with wearing a face mask  but its way more difficult to (reinstate rules), said MTS president James Bedford.

Bedford said the unions preference is masks remain universal requirements.

Winnipeg mother Lindsay McDonald, who indicated her kindergartener is not bothered by masking in the slightest, echoed those sentiments Monday.

McDonald said she feels abandoned by the province, given it is prioritizing so-called freedom over the lives of immunocompromised Manitobans like herself.

She is hopeful LRSD will continue going above and beyond provincial measures, as it has done throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

(LRSD ensured two metres of distancing was in place between all students throughout 2020-21. The division was also a leader in establishing vaccine requirements and promoting outdoor education with tents throughout the pandemic.)

(Masking) is something easy we can do as a precaution to lower risk, said McDonald. Its sad that my five-year-old recognizes the importance of wearing a mask but our government doesnt.

While the loosening of restrictions is raising some community members anxiety levels, others are celebrating them.

We are completely against them to start with I dont think we will be wearing them anywhere (after March 15), said Christina Kitson, a mother of three young boys  the eldest of whom attends Grade 1 in Sunrise School Division.

Kitson said her first grader has been complaining about headaches, owing to the mask he wears to school. Since her youngest child was born during the pandemic, the mother from Lac du Bonnet added she worries his facial recognition and speech skills may be delayed because of widespread masking.

Meantime, the overwhelming majority of students who streamed out of Sisler High School in Winnipeg on Monday afternoon, all donned masks as they walked to cars, bus stops and doorsteps.

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Its like second nature to me now, said Grade 12 student Kayla Johnston, who plans to continue masking indefinitely.

Francheska Reyes, 17, said she is hesitant the mandate is being lifted too quickly and in turn, cases will spike and disrupt Class of 2022 graduation ceremonies.

For Grade 11 student Devon Bolton, however, an end to mandatory masking in class cannot come soon enough. Its really uncomfortable to wear for six hours a day in class, everywhere in the halls, said the 16-year-old.

Devon said he will continue wearing a face covering in public places outside school to protect the elderly and young children who remain ineligible for vaccination, but he noted his classmates are primarily healthy teenagers.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie
As the Ukrainian community watches its embattled homeland face down invading Russian forces, a Winnipeg tattoo artist is making a mark raising money for a cause thats close to home.

As the Ukrainian community watches its embattled homeland face down invading Russian forces, a Winnipeg tattoo artist is making a mark raising money for a cause thats close to home.

Heather Mellor, who operates out of Ink Noir  a downtown boutique shop  is offering Ukrainian-themed tattoos to support an important cause.

SUPPLIED Heather Mellor has been tattooing for six years and normally specializes in black and white floral art.

The response for it has been unreal, Mellor said.

Over three days, the 24-year-old has earned more than $7,000 and is donating it all to the Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal. The federal government is matching donations to the Canadian Red Cross fund until March 18.

Despite living more than 8,000 kilometres away from the besieged European nation, Mellor was determined to make a difference.

I thought it was the perfect thing to use my business for and get people who maybe wouldnt have donated on their own to want to support the cause, she said.

Mellor grew up in a Ukrainian household. She took Ukrainian dance lessons for 12 years and her grandparents were born in Ukraine.

Ive always been surrounded by it, she said. Its a beautiful culture.

Mellor said she felt helpless when the invasion began, though shes heard stories of war before from her father, who served in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Thinking about the atrocities that people are facing right now makes me emotional, she said. Its hard to think about because in North America we would never imagine something like that happening here.

Mellor, who has been tattooing for six years and normally specializes in black and white floral art, said the initiative has challenged her artistically and physically.

The designs, which took over 20 hours to create, emphasize the art of cross-stitching  an ode to her Baba, who died before Mellor was born  and several other traditional details, including a woman wearing a vinok (traditional Ukrainian wreath) in one piece and sunflowers, poppies, and cornflowers in others.

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She said shes received over 200 emails about her Ukrainian-themed art since last week and has been working 11-hour days to fit in as many clients as possible. Mellor expects to have tattooed nearly 50 people by the March 18 donation deadline, twice the number of clients she typically serves in a month.

Mellor has also released three digital prints for sale on her website as another way to support the cause and has raised an additional $2,800 since Sunday evening. She plans to continue donating proceeds from her digital prints as she resumes her regular work.

Though her efforts leave her without income, Mellor said she couldnt imagine doing anything else.

Being able to do this every day makes me so happy and seeing the peoples responses who get tattooed, theyre so grateful.

Looking at that tattoo for the rest of your life will remind you of such a beautiful thing you did.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca
A Tataskweyak Cree Nation elder says staff at a Thompson furniture store accused him of being drunk and called police to intercept him after a contentious exchange because hes Indigenous.

A Tataskweyak Cree Nation elder says staff at a Thompson furniture store accused him of being drunk and called police to intercept him after a contentious exchange because hes Indigenous.

The Feb. 19 incident left him in shock, Edwin Samuel R. Beardy said Monday. I dont know how I felt mad, angry.

Edwin Beardy, who suffers from Kennedys disease, was told by a staffer in a Thompson store to come back when youre sober.

The 70-year-old suffers from Kennedys disease, which causes muscular degeneration in the face and legs. As a result, Beardy uses a cane, and his speech is affected.

Beardy said hed driven to Thompson from Tataskweyak to pick up a bed hed ordered. When he arrived, staff told him some parts hadnt yet arrived.

The senior asked if the store could ship him the bed, free of charge, since he was told it would be ready that day and the drive takes nearly two hours one-way.

When staff said no, he asked for a refund, which was eventually processed after some discussion, Beardy said.

It was around this time, Beardy said, a male staff approached him and said: Come back when youre sober. Youre drunk.

Intending to report the man, Beardy said he approached a second male staff member, who refused to give his colleagues name, before levelling his own accusations.

He said, You reek of alcohol come back when youre sober, Beardy said. I said, I dont even drink.

Staff told him to leave the premises and threatened to call police, Beardy said. Returning to his truck, he called family to get advice on what to do about the incident.

As he sat there, an RCMP cruiser pulled up with its lights flashing.

Police officers then told Beardy to submit to a breathalyzer test. Officers showed him the result on the monitor was zero, the Cree man said.

A RCMP spokesperson confirmed Monday a traffic stop and breath sample in the area resulted in a zero reading.

Beardy said he believes all of this only happened because hes Indigenous. I think they were stereotyping, he said.

On Monday, the owner of the Brick furniture retail store in Thompson, Keith Sanburn, called the situation unfortunate.

It was an error. It never shouldve happened, he said.

Sanburn said hes spoken to Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief Garrison Settee and has accepted an offer for cultural proficiency training.

Were going to make all our staff take that, he said.

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Weve definitely discussed the situation, and we also let them know that under no circumstances are the RCMP or law enforcement to be called unless there are circumstance that prove that something was going on.

He said the store has reached out to MKO to apologize to Beardy, and has written a formal letter of apology.

In a news release Monday, the MKO condemned the actions of the staff as racist, and commended Beardy for speaking out.

Settee said businesses on First Nations territory must respect First Nations citizens and realize the significant economic role such communities play in Thompson.

We encourage business leaders be conscious of our collective identity as MKO First Nations people and to ensure that serious incidents like this do not occur in the future, he said.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca
Politics is a mean game, but this goes too far.

Opinion

Politics is a mean game, but this goes too far.

During question period in the Manitoba legislature last Wednesday, Flin Flon NDP MLA Tom Lindsey suggested the Stefanson government is responsible for the accident that killed NDP MLA Danielle Adams last December.

In his first question, he said this: "As we all know, our friend and colleague Danielle Adams passed away as a result of a collision on Highway 6, December 9th, just south of Thompson.

"We should commit ourselves to ensuring highway conditions on Highway 6 and other northern roadways are improved. Winter conditions make travel difficult at the best of times. Now, with the added pressure of more heavy vehicles headed for winter roads and also headed for northern mines, the situation is just getting worse.

"Will the minister bring forward a plan to address concerns regarding Highway 6 and other northern highways, and will the minister commit to that today?"

That sounds like a reasonable question, but then, in his supplemental question, he said this: "Madam Speaker, mourning her loss and the other Manitobans whove lost their lives travelling on treacherous roads that arent maintained properly simply isnt enough.

"Madam Speaker, dozens of positions in highway maintenance are vacant. It doesnt matter what the budget is for snow clearing, theres no people to do the work. Northern roads and highways like No. 6 are not being cleared quickly enough and are not being cleared properly. In some instances, travellers in both directions are forced to travel a narrow lane down the middle of the highway.

"Will the minister commit to filling those vacant positions today and ensure roadways are maintained?"

With that question, Lindsey blamed the provincial government for Adams death. Its a serious accusation, but does it square with the facts as we know them?

No, it doesnt.

I wrote about this exact issue 10 years ago ("Snows coming, and fewer plows on highways," Nov. 1, 2012). That column is still available for viewing on the Free Press website.

In that piece, I discussed the Selinger governments decision to eliminate the 11:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. snow-clearing shift for the Trans-Canada and Perimeter highways, provincial highways 6, 10, 16, 59 and 75, and Inkster Boulevard during non-storm conditions.

As Lindsey indicated, Adams was driving on Highway 6 when the collision between a semi and Adams car happened.

In my 2012 column, I asked these questions: "If an accident happens on a blustery winter night in rural Manitoba and a victim requires urgent medical care that is only available in Winnipeg, what will happen? Will the highway be closed? If it isnt, will the ambulance crew be willing, or even permitted, to make the trip on highways that have not been plowed, sanded or salted?"

I ended the piece with this warning: "If the Selinger government has done even the most rudimentary cost-benefit analysis of its plan to park the plows, it will know that the potential costs far exceed the theoretical savings, and that the lives of Manitobans are being put at risk."

The reality is we dont know if the current road-clearing schedule is better or worse than the schedule implemented by the Selinger government in 2012. All we know is that the RCMP say that driving conditions were poor at the time of the crash, and that neither speed nor alcohol appears to have been a factor.

We also know, however, that the adequacy of snow clearing on Manitoba highways has been a hot-button issue in Manitoba politics for decades, with the government of the day always being accused of not doing enough to keep roads clear in the winter.

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And we know that its impossible to keep every mile of all of our highways clear 24 hours per day, especially at a time when we are receiving near-record levels of snowfall. Thats why most Manitobans check road conditions before they venture out.

Lindsey knows that too, which means he should know better than to make such an outrageous accusation.

Politics is often described as a blood sport, but a line is a crossed when a politician literally uses the blood of a deceased colleague to score the cheapest of political points. Lindsey crossed that line last Wednesday.

Deveryn Ross is a political commentator living in Brandon.

deverynrossletters@gmail.com

Twitter: @deverynross
Heather Stefanson was unaware critically ill COVID-19 patients were being prepared for transfer to a Thunder Bay hospital last spring and, as health minister at the time, insisted local intensive-care units could handle the growing surge.

Heather Stefanson was unaware critically ill COVID-19 patients were being prepared for transfer to a Thunder Bay hospital last spring and, as health minister at the time, insisted local intensive-care units could handle the growing surge.

Stefanson, Manitobas premier since November, acknowledged Monday that it wasnt until after the first Manitoban was sent out of the province May 18 that her office learned of the move; earlier that day she told reporters the province could expand ICU capacity to 170 beds.

Mondays disclosure came after the Opposition NDP tabled the calendar of Shared Health chief executive officer Adam Topp in question period, claiming Stefanson misled Manitobans about the provinces ability to care for the sickest patients and was planning for imminent out-of-province transfers.

The calendar, obtained through a freedom of information request, shows Topp held a meeting on May 13 on the topic of intensive-care capacity at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and met earlier that day with Stefanson to discuss ICU capacity.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS If we have to redeploy staff, well redeploy staff to ensure we handle the capacity. Health-care officials are working on that internally, Premier Heather Stefanson had said.

Stefanson rejected suggestions she misled Manitobans when she went on the record stating work was underway to add more critical-care nurses to ensure the health system could respond to the pressure of COVID-19.

"I was made aware of the first out-of-province patient transfer after clinicians made those decisions in rapidly evolving environment," Stefanson said in a statement in response to questions from the Free Press. She did not hold a media availability after question period Monday.

"I understood Manitoba needed additional ICU capacity and as such was having daily briefings and incident command meetings with Shared Health and public health officials to be briefed on contingency plans," the statement continued.

Documents obtained by the Opposition NDP through a freedom of information request show Shared Health chief executive officer Adam Topp held a meeting last May 13 on the topic of intensive-care capacity at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. Topp and Premier Heather Stefanson met earlier that day to discuss ICU capacity.

"Elected officials do not make clinical decisions about moving patients, those decisions are made by senior health leaders."

NDP Leader Wab Kinew argued the premier ought to have known critically ill patients would be sent out of province during her meeting with Topp. The Opposition leader said the severity of the crisis in the province should have been clearly communicated by the former health minister.

"We know that this is one of the most difficult periods of the pandemic in Manitoba. It affected so many folks, and to see that the premier, who was then the health minister, mishandle and misled Manitobans on this file is a big concern," Kinew said.

As health minister, Stefanson should have been aware the pressure building in Manitobas intensive-care units was too great to handle locally, based on the multiple briefings she had with health-care executives, Kinew said.

"It was very clear that the premier knew when she made these comments to the public that everything was fine, she knew better than that," he said.

At the time, Stefanson said health-care leaders were focused on increasing staffing to meet critical-care demand.

"As the ICU numbers continue to grow, as we expect them to, over the course of the next couple of weeks we will continue to ensure that we are staffing to be able to handle that capacity," Stefanson told reporters on May 18. "If we have to redeploy staff, well redeploy staff to ensure we handle the capacity."

Documents show Premier Heather Stefanson met with Shared Health chief executive officer Adam Topp in the evening on May 18. The following day, Stefanson said the decision to send critically ill Manitobans out of jurisdiction was made by health-care professionals following a surge in demand for beds.

The day prior, then-chief nursing officer Lanette Siragusa told reporters sending patients to Thunder Bay was an option Shared Health was exploring if capacity in Manitoba was exceeded, and cautioned local capacity was dependent on staffing. According to the province, up to 173 critical-care spaces could be functional if staff were available and assigned.

"I have not had any discussions with Ontario or Saskatchewan on helping us out but I think any possibility could be available to us if we would want to explore, if we needed to," Siragusa said at the time.

However, front-line health-care providers were already raising alarms over intensive-care unit capacity, adding there wouldnt be enough trained staff to care for patients as COVID cases rose, regardless of how many beds and ventilators were available, the Free Press reported.

In a statement Monday, a spokesperson for Shared Health said as part of contingency planning "to prepare for any and all circumstances," conversations began with jurisdictions across Canada regarding critical-care capacity in May 2021.

We all knew the ICUs were on the verge of being overrun, and so did the government.  NDP Leader Wab Kinew

Documents show Stefanson met with Topp the evening of May 18. The following day, Stefanson said the decision to send critically ill Manitobans out of jurisdiction was made by health-care professionals following a surge in demand for beds.

Between May 13 and 17, there were 34 COVID-19 patients admitted to ICU beds in Manitoba, representing nearly half of the pre-pandemic capacity.

"We all knew the ICUs were on the verge of being overrun, and so did the government," Kinew said. "Thats what these documents show. The government was making plans because they knew that the ICUs were about to run out of space."

Over the course of the third wave, a total of 57 COVID-19 patients were transferred out of Manitoba and 12 died while being treated in facilities elsewhere.

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca
The Opposition NDP has accused Health Minister Audrey Gordon of deliberately misleading the house.

The Opposition NDP has accused Health Minister Audrey Gordon of deliberately misleading the house.

On March 3, Gordon told the Manitoba legislature the provinces surgical and diagnostic backlog task force would be providing an update the following day.

"There was no update," said NDP health critic Uzoma Asagwara, who raised the issue as a matter of privilege in the house Monday.

There were no government officials announcing detailed task force plans and responding to media questions March 4. Instead, a summary of the task forces progress since its last update Jan. 19 was posted on a provincial government website in the late afternoon. No new initiatives were announced.

Asagwara said Gordon broke the rules of the house, by telling members during question period March 3 a task force update was planned for the next day, then didnt deliver one.

The NDP MLA asked the health minister to apologize to the house, and that the "failure of the government to set a deadline to clear the backlog be moved to a committee for immediate consideration."

Speaker Myrna Driedger said she would take the matter under advisement.

On March 4, a spokesman for Gordon said the PC government had to reconsider what information it could announce, because of Election Financing Act rules governing communication during the lead-up to the Fort Whyte byelection.

The legislation limits government advertising and funding announcements during an election period.

Gordon did, however, tell the house Monday that Manitobans have started getting spinal surgeries at a Sanford Health facility in Fargo, N.D.

In a statement later in the day, the health minister said an agreement with Sanford provides for a pilot phase, where a small number of Manitoba patients will receive care. "This process will enable both organizations to get the patient referrals and transitions in place so that this can be a safe and effective care experience," the statement said.

The diagnostic and surgical recovery task force will provide updates on patient volumes and costs as part of future briefings, it said.

During question period, NDP Leader Wab Kinew pressed Premier Heather Stefanson to announce a date for when the surgical and diagnostic backlog in Manitoba would be cleared.

Stefanson wouldnt commit to a date. She said her government knows the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic have been very hard for residents, but the situation is not unique to Manitoba.

She thanked health-care providers "for the incredible work they do."

Neither Stefanson nor Gordon spoke to reporters after question period.

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Kinew said in a scrum Manitobans waiting for surgeries and procedures deserve to know what the backlog task force is doing.

"I think what we saw last Friday was a sad example of Manitobas government using this blackout as an excuse to cover up for its own failings when it comes to health care," the NDP leader said.

Government house leader Kelvin Goertzen told reporters abiding by election blackout rules is a balancing act.

"The challenge between trying to make sure an election is fair and seen to be fair and that government isnt using the power of government to tip the scales of an election one way or another  and your desire and the publics desire for information  thats never going to land in a perfect place," said Goertzen, who is also the justice minister.

"There was a feeling there was new programming put in place that might run afoul of this."

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
MARIUPOL, Ukraine (AP)  Corpses lie in the streets of Mariupol. Hungry people break into stores in search of food and melt snow for water. Thousands huddle in basements, trembling at the sound of Russian shells pounding this strategic port city.

A Ukrainian police officer runs while holding a child as the artillery echoes nearby, while fleeing Irpin on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, March 7, 2022. Russia announced yet another cease-fire and a handful of humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to flee Ukraine. Previous such measures have fallen apart and Moscow's armed forces continued to pummel some Ukrainian cities with rockets Monday. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

MARIUPOL, Ukraine (AP)  Corpses lie in the streets of Mariupol. Hungry people break into stores in search of food and melt snow for water. Thousands huddle in basements, trembling at the sound of Russian shells pounding this strategic port city.

Why shouldnt I cry? Goma Janna demanded as she wept by the light of an oil lamp below ground, surrounded by women and children. I want my home, I want my job. Im so sad about people and about the city, the children.

A humanitarian crisis is unfolding in this encircled city of 430,000, and Tuesday brought no relief: An attempt to evacuate civilians and deliver badly needed food, water and medicine through a designated safe corridor failed, with Ukrainian officials saying Russian forces had fired on the convoy before it reached the city.

Nearly two weeks into the invasion, the Russians have advanced deep along Ukraines coastline in what could establish a land bridge to Crimea, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014. Mariupol, which sits on the Azov Sea, has been surrounded by Russian soldiers for days.

Mariupol, said Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, is in a catastrophic situation.

A Ukrainian police officer helps people as artillery echoes nearby while fleeing Irpin in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, March 7, 2022. Russia announced yet another cease-fire and a handful of humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to flee Ukraine. Previous such measures have fallen apart and Moscows armed forces continued to pummel some Ukrainian cities with rockets Monday. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

In other developments in the Russian invasion:

 Poland offered to give all of its MiG-29 fighter jets to the U.S., apparently agreeing to an arrangement that would allow them to be used by Ukraines military. But Pentagon press secretary John Kirby later said the plan is not tenable and raises serious concerns for the NATO alliance. He said the U.S. would discuss it further with Poland.

 U.N. officials said that 2 million people have now fled Ukraine.

A volunteer of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces looks at a dead body of a soldier lying in a forest in the outskirts of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, Monday, March 7, 2022. Russia announced yet another cease-fire and a handful of humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to flee Ukraine. Previous such measures have fallen apart and Moscows armed forces continued to pummel some Ukrainian cities with rockets Monday. (AP Photo/Andrew Marienko).

 Russias economic isolation deepened as U.S. President Joe Biden announced a ban on Russian oil imports and Shell said it will no longer buy oil and natural gas from the country. Also, Adidas and McDonalds said they are suspending their operations in Russia.

For days, as Moscows forces have laid siege to Ukrainian cities, attempts to create corridors to safely evacuate civilians have stumbled amid continuing fighting and objections to the proposed routes. Ukraine has rejected Moscows offers of corridors that lead civilians to Russia or its ally Belarus.

The Russian military has denied firing on convoys and charged that the Ukrainian side is blocking evacuation efforts.

Ukrainian women sit inside a van as artillery echoes nearby, as people flee Irpin on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, March 7, 2022. Russia announced yet another cease-fire and a handful of humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to flee Ukraine. Previous such measures have fallen apart and Moscow's armed forces continued to pummel some Ukrainian cities with rockets Monday. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

One evacuation did appear successful Tuesday, with Vereshchuk saying that 5,000 civilians, including 1,700 foreign students, had been brought out via a safe corridor from Sumy, an embattled northeastern city of a quarter-million people where overnight strikes killed 21, including two children.

Natalia Mudrenko, the highest-ranking woman at Ukraines U.N. Mission, told the Security Council that the people of Mariupol have been effectively taken hostage, by the siege. Her voice shook with emotion as she described how a 6-year-old died shortly after her mother was killed by Russian shelling. She was alone in the last moments of her life, she said.

Authorities in Mariupol planned to start digging mass graves for all the dead, though the number is unclear. The shelling has shattered buildings, and the city has no water, heat, working sewage systems or phone service.

Women and children, fleeing from Ukraine, arrive on the platform of the train station in Przemysl, Poland, after disembarking from a bus which traveled from the border, Tuesday, March 8, 2022. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has set off the largest mass migration in Europe in decades, with more than 1.5 million people having crossed from Ukraine into neighboring countries. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Theft has become widespread for food, clothes, even furniture, with locals referring to the practice as getting a discount. Some residents are reduced to scooping water from streams.

With the electricity out, many people are relying on their car radios for information, picking up news from stations broadcast from areas controlled by Russian forces or Russian-backed separatists.

Ludmila Amelkina, who was walking along an alley strewn with rubble and walls pocked by gunfire, said the destruction had been devastating.

A train with refugees fleeing Ukraine crosses the border in Medyka, Poland, Monday, March 7, 2022. Russia announced yet another limited cease-fire and the establishment of safe corridors to allow civilians to flee some besieged Ukrainian cities Monday. But the evacuation routes led mostly to Russia and its ally Belarus, drawing withering criticism from Ukraine and others. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

We dont have electricity, we dont have anything to eat, we dont have medicine. Weve got nothing, she said, looking skyward.

Across the country, thousands are thought to have been killed, both civilians and soldiers, in nearly two weeks of fighting. Russian forces have seen their advances stopped in certain areas  including around Kyiv, the capital, where a vast armored column has been stalled for days  by fiercer resistance than expected from the Ukrainians.

Late Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy released a video showing him standing near the presidential offices in Kyiv. Behind him were piles of sandbags, a snow-dusted fir tree and a few cars.

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Masha Fesenko, from Kyiv, arrives at the border crossing in Medyka, Poland, Poland, Tuesday, March 8, 2022. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has set off the largest mass migration in Europe in decades, with more than 1.5 million people having crossed from Ukraine into neighboring countries. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

It was the second video in 24 hours showing him near the countrys seat of power, apparently made to dispel any doubts about whether he had fled the city.

Snow fell. Its that kind of springtime, he said in a soft voice. You see, its that kind of wartime, that kind of springtime. Harsh. But we will win.

___

Associated Press reporters from around the world contributed to this report.

___

Follow the APs coverage of the Ukraine crisis at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Irish Holiday to help fund an elevator at Old Main
A Sauk City man charged with threatening an attorney, a law firm and the new property owners of a parcel of land previously owned by his family appeared Monday during a hearing in Sauk County Circuit Court to enter into a deferred prosecution agreement.

Cary Trudell, 56, entered a not guilty plea during his arraignment immediately before the hearing to the single felony charge of threats to communicate derogatory information, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 3.5 years.

Trudells attorney, Nils Wyosnick, and the Sauk County District Attorneys Office had proposed a deferred prosecution agreement by joint recommendation. However, Circuit Court Judge Michael Screnock decided against accepting the proposed agreement, noting that he could not make the decision at that time that the agreement is in the best interest of the public.

Screnock specifically pointed to questions regarding an anger management assessment and other examination of Trudells mental well being. He instead asked for more information before he makes a ruling. A new hearing is set for May 10.

Trudell was charged in September after he allegedly hand-delivered a manifesto outlining his intent to cause harm to an attorney who implemented the sale of a former family parcel of land at S10387 Roeser Road valued at $9,000.

According to the criminal complaint, the parcel was sold to Wallo Brands of Middleton after none of the family members contested the sale, which they were given a window of time to do by the attorney. The $40,000 gained from the sale was placed in a trust for the family, which was also approved by all beneficiaries.

The attorney contacted an officer with the Sauk Prairie Police Department June 3, the same day Trudell came to the law office with paperwork and an envelope with his name and address on it. Inside, there was a 15-page letter which instructed the attorney to purchase the land for $75,000 and transfer the parcel to Trudell. He also said the new property owners were required to give him $11,000 in compensation, which Trudell would then use to prove he purchased the property at its appraised value.

Trudell wrote in the letter that neither the property owners nor the lawyer had any choice against following his directive.

This is not a request, Trudell wrote. This is an ultimatum for complete and unconditional surrender to a superior power.

Trudell demanded the parcel be given to him by the end of that month and threatened to find a way to get the attorneys law license taken away.

If I have to pay one thin dime for that property it back I will be coming after your Bar License like a freight train bearing down on a penny because you will have proven hands down to ME you are not worthy to possess it, he wrote.

He threatened the use of public forums to ruin the attorneys reputation, specifically by leaving bad reviews, and said he would take away a property where the lawyer works to turn it into a museum for MY TRIUMPHS emphasizing that it was not a joke.

Follow Bridget on Twitter @cookebridget or contact her at 608-745-3513.

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JUNEAU  A 47-year-old Horicon man was placed on a $25,000 cash bond on Monday for multiple charges including vehicular homicide stemming from a crash on Highway 33 last summer.

Daniel Bryfczynski faces additional felony charges of injury by use of a vehicle while under the influence of a controlled substance, causing injury while operating a motor vehicle under the influence of a controlled substance and his second offense of possession of marijuana. Bryfczynski also faces two misdemeanor counts of possession of drug paraphernalia. He could face up to 62 years in prison if convicted of all charges.

Bryfczynski appeared before Dodge County Court Commissioner Steven Seim. Seim set several conditions for the bond. Bryfczynski may not use, possess or control any controlled substance without a valid prescription nor be in the presence of anyone who does. He must maintain absolute sobriety and shall not go upon the premises of any establishment whose primary business involves the sale or distribution of alcoholic beverages. He shall not operate a motor vehicle without permission of the court. .

A 50-year-old woman was killed in the crash near Grove Road west of Horicon that happened at 12:52 p.m. on June 16. The name of the crash victim has been withheld by authorities based upon their interpretation of Marsys Law, an amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution meant to protect victims that was passed by voters in 2021.

According to the criminal complaint, Bryfczynski said he was coming home after fishing and had fallen asleep while driving.

The initial investigation showed that a Buick sedan was traveling west on Highway 33 and Bryfczynskis Ford truck traveling east crossed the center line striking the Buick.

The Lake Mills woman who was driving the Buick was pronounced dead at the scene by the Dodge County Medical Examiner. A 12-year-old passenger in the Buick, also of Lake Mills, sustained life threatening injuries and was transported to Childrens Hospital Madison via LifeNet Air Methods.

Bryfczynski was the driver of the Ford and sustained serious injuries and was transported to Aurora Summit Hospital in Oconomowoc by Flight For Life helicopter. A 44-year-old passenger in the Ford, also from Horicon, was transported to Marshfield Medical CenterBeaver Dam with minor injuries.

Bryfczynski allegedly admitted to smoking marijuana earlier in the day while fishing but said he believed the effects of the drug wore off. According to the criminal complaint, tackleboxes that were in the boat that Bryfczyski was driving had marijuana and drug paraphernalia in it.

The Wisconsin Crime Lab report also listed cocaine metabolites, ketamine and opiates in Bryfczynski system.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 14.

Follow Terri Pederson on Twitter @tlp53916 or contact her at 920-356-6760.

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Although the crowd was small, Wisconsins 39th District Assemblyman Mark Born addressed big issues at public office hours Monday at The Watermark.

A total of seven people shared concerns regarding gerrymandering, voting results and alleged bad medical service at a local facility.

Isaac Dornfeld opened with his concerns about alleged partisan redistricting and concerns regarding unfair allocation of voting districts to benefit either Democrats or Republicans.

Why is this not a fair state? Dornfeld asked. Its cheating to win. We both know that these maps for the past 10 years have not been fair. If youre going to be a leader, I dont know why you dont speak out against it? These maps should be fair.

Born said there is more talk than substance in that regard.

Most of what youre hearing are talking points that dont have any basis in reality, Born said.

The states redistricting process, which began with maps drawn by the Republican legislature has draw objections and court challenges from Democrats led by Gov. Tony Evers. In a court challenge, Evers submitted his own set of maps that last week, the Wisconsin Supreme Court choose in a 4-3 vote over the legislatures maps.

That decision will be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

On the topic of elections, Jack Yuds suggested that election results should be reported all at once so voters would not be swayed by early results.

Born suggested that perhaps starting the counts earlier and not having huge dumps of numbers late at night might be considered, although a law would need to be changed to prevent the early release of numbers.

In Dodge County, election results are released starting after 8 p.m. from the county clerks office. The final results are typically released within an hour or two of polls closings.

On that topic Born said he has had many calls regarding a lack of faith in the voting system.

One concern that I hear over and over again is that people have lost confidence in the voting system, he said.

He questioned whether volunteers are qualified to gather votes at parks or at nursing homes, and suggested that voting be conducted in a more controlled and ethical manner.

Things like that make people around here say, Is that legal? It doesnt seem right, Born said.

Dornfeld pressed Born to deny election fraud.

Thats a false narrative, Dornfeld said. What a guy like you should do is admit that there is no fraud. There is no proof of fraud.

As far as you know, Born interjected. One thing I know is true is that they may not have violated the law in nursing homes, but there were residents that were not capable of voting and were helped to do it.

Dornfeld, a regular attendee at Borns meetings, left the meeting.

Regarding alleged mistreatment at a local health facility Born urged the woman to pursue the complaint protocol, or to take it to a higher authority if she is not satisfied. Born will contact the facilitys administrator to insure that he or she is aware of the circumstances.

Hopefully they are isolated incidents that are being corrected, he said.

In the remaining minutes of the hour-long session Born clarified an earlier point.

People have concerns about the vote, he said. Now were probably all of them legal votes? Yes, maybe all of them were. We dont know. What if there are 50 ballots that one person collected at the park in the back of their car in a duffle bag? Maybe they pulled them out and there are one or two who chose not to vote for president. Did they still not vote for the president or did that change by the time it got to the clerk? We dont know.

Im not saying it happened. Im not saying it didnt happen. We have no idea because of the chain of custody and what did we do to protect those ballots. Maybe there are safer ways to do that with sworn poll workers, and they seal the ballots after theyre completed. But they didnt do any of that. They just sent 170-some volunteers out to the parks who drove around with the ballots in the back of their cars and dropped them off at City Hall however many hours or days after they were collected. Its not unreasonable for people to question that.

Accusations of voter fraud came after Donald Trump lost the election in November 2020 to Joe Biden.

A recount and court decisions have affirmed that President Joe Biden defeated former President Donald Trump in Wisconsin by almost 21,000 votes. Reviews by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau and the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty found no evidence of widespread fraud. Multiple court rulings have also found no evidence of irregularities.

Further, the results of the 2020 election have been confirmed by county canvassing boards, recounts in Dane and Milwaukee counties, post-election audits by local and state election authorities and a voting equipment audit by the elections commission.

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A Portage man will serve two years in prison after pleading guilty to stalking, making false statements under oath and simulating the legal process.

Michael OGrady, 62, Portage was sentenced in case that began in 2018 when he as charged with stalking two law enforcement officers.

A sentencing hearing was held in a Dane County Courtroom last week following OGrady pleading guilty to five felony counts in December. He pleaded guilty to two counts of stalking, a class I felony, two counts of making false statements under oath, a class H felony, and one count of simulation of legal process.

Two additional counts of felony simulation of legal process and one count of misdemeanor false swearing were dismissed but read in for sentencing. The case was moved to Dane County due to the involvement of the Columbia County Sheriffs Office.

Dane County Judge John Hyland sentenced OGrady to one year of state prison for each count of stalking to be served consecutively with two years of extended supervision. OGrady was also sentenced to six years of probation.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation and attorney generals office filed a complaint in Columbia County in September 2018 with information dating back to 2014.

According to the criminal complaint, the first count of stalking was related to a Portage Police Detective beginning in 2014. The complaint states OGrady made two false statements under oath on June 1, 2016. The second count of stalking occurred in 2017 and 2018.

In 2014, OGrady spoke with the police detective at a public meeting and asked to speak with them about their criminal activity. The victim told OGrady to direct his concerns to former Columbia County Sheriff Dennis Richards.

In March 2015, OGrady filed a lawsuit in Columbia County alleging victim 1 was a very aggressive law enforcement official armed with several military type weapons. The lawsuit was dismissed in December 2015.

In 2018, the victim saw OGrady at a track and field meet in Baraboo. The victim reported OGrady was staring at the victim and their spouse and alleged OGrady was following him at the event. Then at the Portage graduation ceremony, the victim was helping set-up for the event and OGrady was in the bleachers filming the victim.

The victim stated both of these events made him concerned about his familys safety.

The second stalking count was also linked to a law enforcement officer who went to the same gym as OGrady. Victim 2 said OGrady would constantly stare at them and was uncomfortable about OGrady.

The complaint outlines a similar story of OGrady staring at the victim and their spouse. Victim 2 filed for a restraining order which was signed in June 2018.

Later that month, Victim 2 received letters from OGrady asking a number of questions including if they used steroids and to provide the names of persons who have been killed by you or your coworkers. The victim said the letters were meant to harass them.

The complaint also states OGrady sent a false subpoena in the case listing himself as the presiding official. According to the complaint, OGrady does not have authority under Wisconsin statutes to issue subpoenas.

Victim impact statements filed in the case state OGrady was filing false claims against everyone in the Portage Police Department on an almost weekly basis. The statement also said some members of the department were caused immense stress and hardships caused by these false claims.

A Portage City Hall employee also provided a victim impact statement in the case which said OGrady is a public nuisance and menace to Portage public employees and officials. The statement says OGrady filed 11 separate complaints and notices of damage against employees and officials in Portage. The complaints cost the city over $20,000 in legal fees.

Terms of the sentencing conditions ordered by Judge Hyland include OGrady is not allowed to have any contact with over 30 people associated with the city of Portage and Columbia County. He cannot be within 100 feet of the victims named in the case unless it is a bona fide public safety emergency. OGrady is not to park his car within the visual/physical proximity of a Portage Police or Columbia County Sheriffs Office squad car.

There are a number of locations OGrady is not allowed to visit without approval including the Portage Police Department or any other city building. He is not allowed on the premises of the Columbia County Sheriffs Department, Courthouse, Administration building or any other county premise without approval from the Department of Corrections.

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Wits audience get a virtual tour of the JOIDES Resolution research ship

Virtual linkup was done live from the ship while the ship was on an expedition to conduct science operations on the Walvis Ridge, off the coast of Namibia.

A Wits audience got a special tour of the JOIDES Resolution research ship as the ship was conducting science operations on the Walvis Ridge, off the coast of Namibia in February.

Arranged by Professor Susan Webb, from the Wits School of Geosciences, the audience was treated by a virtual guided tour of the ship, including the Bridge and the laboratories. The tour was partly led by Dr Mbili Tshiningayamwe, who completed his PhD in Geology at Wits in 2021.

The JOIDES Resolution is a 143 metres long ocean-drilling research vessel that drills into the ocean floor to collect and study core samples. Scientists use data from the JOIDES Resolution to better understand climate change, geology and Earths history. It is a part of the International Ocean Discovery Programme and is funded by the US National Science Foundation.

The ship undertook a 62 day expedition from 6 December 2021 to 5 February 2022 to the Tristan-Gaugh hotspot track (Walvis Ridge), which is said to be one of the most complicated hotspot tracks on Earth, in an attempt to understand why volcanoes occur in certain places, and how they affect Earths crust.

The Walvis Ridge is a large mountain under the oceans surface, created by active, ongoing activity. In geology, hotspots are volcanic locales thought to be fed by underlying mantle that is anomalously hot compared with the surrounding mantle.

Webb arranged the virtual ship visit after seeing a picture of the ship in Cape Town harbour on Twitter.

Ive always wanted to join one of these expeditions, and when I saw a tweet from the ship with Table Mountain in the background I immediately tweeted back and asked whether there are South African scientists on board, says Webb.

The response came immediately, saying that there were no South African scientists on board. However, there were two Namibians, including Dr Tshiningayamwe, the Wits Alumni, who got a spot on the ship through answering a call for applications in an advertisement.

The advertisement to participate in the Joides Resolution, expedition 391 project was forwarded to us, the Geology department of the University of Namibia (UNAM) by the head of department and it was from the JOIDES Resolution expedition project manager. I applied by submitting the requested documents and that is a letter of interest as well as my CV, says Tshiningayamwe.

Tshiningayamwe sailed as an igneous petrologist. His duties included describing igneous rocks and analysing their chemical compositions using a portable x-ray machine. He also had to take images of rocks and measure the magnetic susceptibility and the colour reflectance of drilled rocks.

What attracted me to the project was because it was about drilling the Walvis Ridge volcano located in the south of Atlantic Ocean, in order to test hypothesis of mantle plume zonation, hotspot drift and the formation of the Walvis ridge using geochemistry, geochronology and paleomagnetic measurements, says Tshiningayamwe.

Mantle plume is a large column of hot material rising from deep within the earth s structure which can result in volcanic eruptions when it reaches the earths surface.

The virtual tour of the ship was especially arranged for the Wits Community on February 3, and while several of these tours are hosted at schools around South Africa, Webb asked for a more focussed talk on the science and the labs aboard the ship.

It was especially impressive to see how tough the drilling process is as they have to drill down to 4km below the ocean surface, while holding the ship completely steady, says Webb.

It was also impressive to see the facilities on board the ship. The lab equipment they have on board is almost as much as we have in the Geology department.

What excited Webb the most, however, was that opportunities such as joining an expedition on board a research vessel such as this exist, and is easily attainable for South African researchers.

The JOIDES Resolution expeditions happen every two months with each expedition having its own objectives, says Tshiningayamwe.

People who want to participate should visit the JOIDES Resolution, International Ocean discovery program website at iodp.tamu.edu. Information regarding the need for scientists to participate as well as expedition objectives can be found there.

More information about the JOIDES Resolution and opportunities for talks and research can be found here: https://joidesresolution.org
One more international award for Thuso Mbedu

Wits alumna awarded Best Female Performance at 37th Independent Spirit Awards.

Wits alumna Thuso Mbedu (BADA 2014) has added one more prestigious award for her performance in the television series The Underground Railroad.

On Sunday, 6 March 2022, the 30-year-old walked away with the Best Female Performance in a New Scripted Series at the 37th Film Independent Spirit Awards in Los Angeles.

What a day! (I think Ill need to take a nap for 3-5 business days to fully wrap my head around today), Mbedu wrote on Instagram.



A big thank you to @filmindependent for allowing me to be part of such an important and brilliant group of people. Im humbled. Thank you for this recognition.

Mbedu has mesmerised Hollywood with her performance of Cora Randall, based on Colson Whiteheads novel The Underground Railroad. Last year she tied for Outstanding Performance in a New Series at the Gotham Awards and won the award for TV Breakout Star at the Hollywood Critics TV Awards. She recently returned to South Africa to film the upcoming feature film The Woman King alongside Viola Davis and John Boyega.

At Wits Mbedu excelled and earned numerous academic honours including the Golden Key International Honours Society Membership (2012), the University Council Merit Scholarship (2012) and the New York University Summer Programme Scholarship (2012). She participated in a number of Wits Theatre productions not only as a performer, but also as stage crew member, stage manager, assistant director and choreographer. Read her profile interview in the October 2021 edition of WITSReview.

The Spirit Awards are the primary fundraiser for Film Independents programmes, which cultivate the careers of emerging filmmakers and promote diversity and inclusion in the industry. Traditionally held the Saturday before the Oscars, the 2022 date places the Spirit Awards squarely in the corridor leading into Oscar voting.

In January this year, The Underground Railroad also won Best Miniseries or Television movie at the 79th Golden Globes Awards.
From left, Jill Rae Venerra (Jill Rae Signs), Casey Bayes (Administrator at The Mohawk Homestead), Debbie Marley (Board President of The Mohawk Homestead) and Tim Daley (Board Member of The Mohawk Homestead).
3 students are in critical condition after a shooting at an Iowa high school
A global outlook on health: Iyabo Obasanjo brings experience from Africa, veterinary medicine to COVID-19 policy work

Double duty: In addition to teaching public health courses, Dr. Iyabo Obasanjo helps craft W&Ms response to the pandemic as part of the Public Health Advisory Team. Photo by Alfred Herczeg Photo - of - Hide Caption

The following story originally appeared in the winter 2022 W&M Alumni Magazine. - Ed.

When she first heard there were concerns about a new virus from China, Dr. Iyabo Obasanjo was at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, leading a group of 15 William & Mary students on a study-abroad program.

During a session about health issues on Jan. 6, 2020, a presenter mentioned an emerging virus and left the room. Later, the William & Mary group entered a situation room while on a tour and briefly saw a map with red arrows pointing out of Wuhan, China, before the screen switched to a regular world map.

It was showing all the flights that had left China already, says Obasanjo, an assistant professor of kinesiology at William & Mary since 2017. I thought, Thats not good. But even I could not have predicted how bad it would get.

Obasanjo helps craft William & Marys response to the COVID-19 pandemic as part of the universitys Public Health Advisory Team (PHAT). Since summer 2020, the team chaired by Chief Operating Officer and COVID-19 Director Amy Sebring M.P.P. 95 has provided guidance on how to safeguard the health of the universitys approximately 9,000 students and 700 faculty and staff members.

Along with fellow epidemiologist and kinesiology assistant professor Carrie Dolan, physicians David Dafashy and Virginia Wells, and Chief Technology Officer Corinne Picataggi, Obasanjo has made policy recommendations for mask wearing and physical distancing, COVID-19 testing and case management, and vaccination requirements.

Discussion in a Dec. 2, 2021, meeting focused on COVID-19 testing for students prior to arrival for the spring 2022 semester and concerns about whether COVID-19 vaccines would continue to protect against the omicron variant.

Originally from Lagos, Nigeria, Obasanjo is the daughter of former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo. In 2003, she survived an ambush by unknown attackers that killed five people on the day of her fathers election.

Undeterred by the horror of that experience, Iyabo Obasanjo went on to serve as a senator and state health commissioner in her native country, making her exceptionally well positioned to offer a global perspective on health matters.

She has also served on the board of UN Women USA, a nonprofit that supports United Nations womens programs, and she often speaks on issues related to womens health.

As a health commissioner in the Nigerian state of Ogun, Obasanjo once managed a cholera outbreak.

We had to tell a whole part of the city to stop drinking water and to supply them with bottled water until there was no cholera, she says. She made that determination through wastewater testing  a tool that was also used at William & Mary to help identify where COVID-19 was present and accelerate tests in those areas. If the virus appeared in wastewater samples, Obasanjo checked records of on-campus positive cases to find out where it might be coming from.

Before earning a doctorate in epidemiology from Cornell University, Obasanjo received a doctor of veterinary medicine degree from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and a masters in preventive veterinary medicine from the University of California at Davis. Her knowledge of veterinary medicine proved to be useful in evaluating COVID-19 trends.

A farmer looks at the population of animals, and that translates to managing epidemics, Obasanjo says. You are not looking at the individual, youre looking at the population. I monitor the national, state and county levels  are cases rising or are cases falling? Where are cases coming from? Is there a pattern, and how do we break that pattern?

Obasanjo has emphasized that vaccines need to be available throughout the world to keep new COVID-19 strains from developing and to stop the pandemic.

As part of her role on the Public Health Advisory Team, Obasanjo serves as William & Marys liaison to the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), sending a weekly summary about instances of COVID-19 on campus.

In a way, it takes me back to working directly with public health in addition to teaching it, she says.

Among the courses she teaches are a large lecture class called Introduction to Global Health and a freshman writing seminar focused on community health research.

The connection with VDH led to one of her current research projects, which involves a community health workers program serving low-income housing areas in Richmond, Virginia. With help from student researchers, Obasanjo is studying data and conducting interviews with health care workers to evaluate the impact that the program has had since it was launched 10 years ago.

Such programs came about as a way to serve poor communities outside the United States where there are not enough health professionals to take care of the population, she says.

The idea is you train people with connections to the community in basic preventive health measures, she says. Its a low-cost intervention in poor communities. When health care workers who understand the residents lives are talking to them, they find it more acceptable.

During the pandemic, for instance, community health care workers in Richmond have offered guidance to residents about issues such as the importance of vaccination and COVID-19 testing.

Another of Obasanjos research projects looks at COVID-19 trends in African countries and whether those countries implemented measures such as lockdowns or closing their borders in response to the pandemic. Students are assisting by researching data from organizations such as the World Health Organization and World Bank and from news reports.

Unlike early projections, rates of infection have not been as high in many poorer nations as they are in wealthier countries, despite the lack of access to vaccination and health care generally, she says. Thats because there is less movement in and out of the poorer countries.

The research is to find out what factors are associated with COVID-19 rates in African countries so we can predict what will happen with other diseases, she says. How do you manage your health system for future pandemics?

Obasanjo says there is debate, for example, about whether shutdowns and lockdowns cause more harm than good, considering their economic impact. But data shows that they can be effective in protecting public health, she says.

Shutdowns that prevent generalized infection save lives. In saving lives, you save your ability to turn the economy around, she says. From a policy perspective, what I do is evaluate what policies countries should put in place to prevent not just COVID but pandemics in the future  what can be done short-term and long-term to improve health outcomes.
The Red Detachment of Women, China's first original ballet production by the National Ballet of China which premiered in Beijing in 1964, will be staged at Beijing's Tianqiao Theater on March 8, International Women's Day.

Based on the film of the same name, it tells the story of a rural woman, Wu Qionghua, who escapes a life of slavery and joins an all-women Communist Party army battalion led by Commander Hong Changqing on Hainan Island during the civil war in the early 1930s.

The classic ballet has been staged worldwide thousands of times and is still popular today. From March to May, the ballet piece will be staged in several Chinese cities including Guangzhou and Shenzhen, both in Guangdong Province, and Nantong, Jiangsu Province.

It will also kick off the National Ballet of China's nationwide tour, which will feature classic ballet works such as Giselle and Onegin, as well as the company's contemporary works, including Dunhuang and The Crane Calling.

The company's annual creative workshop, which brings together young choreographers, will be held at the Tianqiao Theater on April 12 and 13.

Besides ballet works, the company's symphony orchestra will perform three concerts on April 9, May 8 and May 23 at the National Center for the Performing Arts and Beijing Concert Hall.

(Source: chinadaily.com.cn)
BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua)  Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a message of condolence to his Pakistani counterpart, Arif Alvi, over a serious terrorist attack in Pakistan.

In his message, Xi said he was shocked to learn of the deadly terrorist attack in Peshawar City, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, which had caused heavy casualties.

On behalf of the Chinese government and people, Xi expressed deep condolences to the victims and sincere sympathy to the injured and the bereaved families.

The Chinese side strongly condemns the terrorist attack and firmly supports the efforts of the Pakistani government and people to combat terrorism, maintain national stability and protect people's lives, Xi said.

On the same day, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also sent a message of condolence to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan over the attack.

(Source: Xinhua)
, 100 year old Gage, passed Sunday, May 1, 2022 . Funeral services are 10:00 a.m. Thursday, May 5, 2022 at the First Baptist Church of Gage. Burial will follow in the Fargo Cemetery. Read obituary at www.billingsfuneralhomewooward.com
Also referred to as Te Awahou in the native Maori language, Foxton is a small town situated in the Horowhenua district in the Manawatu-Whanganui region on the lower west coast of North Island of New Zealand. Foxton has been named after Sir William Fox, who served as the second premier of New Zealand. The town has preserved both its Maori and Pakeha heritage through several museums, parks, and heritage buildings.

Geography Of Foxton

Panorama of Foxton Township in New Zealand from SH1 to the windmill and Easton Park. Editorial credit: Philip Armitage / Shutterstock.com

As per Statistics New Zealand, Foxton is described as a small urban area that covers a total area of 11.57 sq. km. The town is situated near the banks of the Manawatu River, on State Highway 1, approximately halfway between the countrys capital city Wellington and the Tongariro National Park. Foxton is located approximately 30km southwest of Palmerston North and 19.3km north of Levin. Located on the Tasman Sea coastline, about 6km to the west of the town, the small coastal settlement of Foxton Beach is also considered to be a part of Foxton.

Climate

According to the Koppen climate classification, Foxton experiences a maritime temperate climate, with short and comfortable summers and cold and wet winters. The warm summer season lasts from December to March, with February being the hottest month, having an average high temperature of 21.1C and a low temperature of 14.4C. The cold season lasts from June to September, with July being the coldest month, having an average low temperature of 7.2C and a high temperature of 12.2C. The town receives an average annual precipitation of 900mm and has an average of 2000 sunshine hours per year. The winds in Foxton blow from the west to northwest direction and drive the sand back from the coast, creating New Zealands most extensive sand dune system.

The Population And Economy Of Foxton

Two bottles of Foxton Fizz on a model pickup truck in Foxton, New Zealand. Editorial credit: Ross Gordon Henry / Shutterstock.com

As of June 2021, Foxton has a population of 3,330 inhabitants. The towns population has increased from the 2018 New Zealand census, which showed that the town was home to 3,147 inhabitants. Foxton has a population density of 290 inhabitants per sq. km. About 79.1% of the towns population were European/Pakeha, 3.6% Pacific people, 2.8% Asians, and 1.0% other ethnicities.

At present, Foxton serves as a commercial and economic center. Some of the most important economic activities of Foxton include processing of flax fiber, sawmilling, manufacturing of wool packs, cloth, matting, ropes, etc. The town is also well known for producing a famous soda drink named Foxton Fizz. The main street of Foxton hosts many historic buildings, boutique shops, cafes, and antique stores. Located close to Foxton, the beautiful Foxton Beach offers several outdoor recreational activities for visitors, including swimming, fishing, biking, skateboarding, etc.

Tourist Attractions In Foxton

The Te Awahou Riverside Cultural Park

The Foxton windmill on a sunny day. Editorial credit: Philip Armitage / Shutterstock.com

Located at the center of Foxton, the Te Awahou Riverside Cultural Park includes a Maori carving workshop, a Dutch windmill, and the Flax Stripper Museum. The Te Awahou Riverside Cultural Park is also home to the award-winning Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom, which serves as a multi-cultural community and visitor hub. The Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom consists of two museums (Piriharakeke museum and Oranjehof museum), a library, a council service center, a cafe, a heritage room, and an i-SITE. More than 150,000 local and international tourists visit the facility every year.

Foxton Flax Stripper Museum

Located on Foxtons Main Street behind the windmill and the Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom, the Flax Stripper Museum tells stories about the history of the flax industry in the area and why Foxton can claim to be the flax capital of New Zealand. The museum exhibits the countrys only working stripper and scutching machines. In addition to this, there are many photographs, woven flax pieces, newspaper cuttings, etc., that reveal amazing stories about the history of the flax industry.

National Museum of Audio-Visual Arts & Sciences

Audio Visual Museum in Foxton, New Zealand. Editorial credit: brackish_nz / Shutterstock.com

Also referred to as the MAVTech Museum, the National Museum of Audio-Visual Arts & Sciences is located in a restored movie theatre in Foxton. The museum houses a vast collection of different types of equipment that are related to audiovisual arts and associated sciences.

Foxton Courthouse

Foxton Courthouse Museum in Foxton, New Zealand. Editorial credit: brackish_nz / Shutterstock.com

The Foxton Courthouse is a historic building that was constructed in 1929 in Foxton. As per historical records, the court heard civil and criminal cases until 1948. The courthouse was closed in 1971 and eventually became home to the vast collection of the Foxton Historical Society Museum. In 2013, the Horowhenua District Council closed the building due to earthquake risk.

Brief History Of Foxton

All Saints Anglican Church is located at 53, Main Street in Foxton, New Zealand. Editorial credit: Molly NZ / Shutterstock.com

Foxton initially began as a Maori settlement along the Manawatu River estuary. Since then, many tribes have occupied the area, including Rangitane, Ngati Ara, Ngati Mamoe, Ngati Toa, Ngati Ngarongo, and Ngati Takihiku. In 1855 after an earthquake destroyed the original white settlement of Paiaka, the settlers moved to the Maori settlement of Te Awahou. The town was then renamed Foxton in honor of New Zealands Premier Sir William Fox. The town served as a popular shipping port and trading post. From 1869 onwards, the town thrived on the flax boom. However, with the arrival of Palmerston North-Wellington Railway, the city of Palmerston North took over as Manawatus most important center. With the opening of the proposed railway line in 1886, Foxton lost its status as a port. The towns position further deteriorated after the Wellington and Manawatu Railway got incorporated into the national railway network in 1908.
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New plan unveiled to get more people in Wales into work

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Mar 8th, 2022

A new plan to help more people in Wales to find and stay in work has today been unveiled.

The Employability and Skills plan sets out the actions Welsh Government ministers will take to deliver the Young Persons Guarantee, support people furthest away from the Labour market to find work  and focus on improving labour market outcomes for disabled people, Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic people, women, and those with low skills.

It also sets out measures to help people stay in work, through raising skills levels and preventing people from not taking up work or falling out of employment because of a health condition.

Economy Minister Vaughan Gething said the plan will help pave the way for a fairer, more equitable Wales where nobody is left behind or held back, helping to change peoples lives for the better.

The new plan sets out five key areas of action over this government term, which will propel Wales towards meeting the Welsh Governments longer term milestones.

The five areas include:

Delivering a Young Persons Guarantee  in order to protect a generation from the impacts of lost learning and delayed labour market entry, and to help make Wales a place where more young people feel confident in planning their future.

Tackling economic inequality  by shifting the focus of employability programmes to helping those furthest away from the Labour market to find work, and improving labour market outcomes for disabled people, Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic people, women, and those with low skills.

This includes building on the successful community based approach in partnership with Local Authorities.

Promoting Fair Work for all  by using the levers available to the Welsh Government to improve the offer for workers, and encouraging employers to make work better, fairer and more secure.

More support for people with a long term health conditions to work  better anchoring the health service both as an employer and part of the delivery network to prevent people falling out of work, or getting into employment because of a health condition.

Raising skill levels and adaptability of the workforce  by expanding flexible and personal learning opportunities for people in and out of work so they have the chance to improve their skills, find work or retrain throughout their lives.

As part of the plan the Welsh Government will work with its partners to help ensure that 90% of 16-24 year olds in Wales will be in education, employment, or training by 2050. It will also work to eliminate the pay gap for women, Black, Asian and minority ethnic individuals, and disabled people and eradicate the gap in the employment rate between Wales and the UK with a particular focus on under-represented groups.

Economy Minister, Vaughan Gething said: Our new Employability Plan sets out our vision for a fairer and more equal Wales, where we work to ensure nobody is left behind or held back, and with a commitment to changing peoples lives for the better.

Through the plan we want to lift people out of poverty and help everyone  particularly those furthest from the labour market  to navigate and respond to the work related challenges they will face throughout their lives, whether that is through training, retraining, upskilling, changing career or starting a business. It will build on the significant labour market and skills improvement in Wales since publication of the last plan in 2018.

It will also help us meet the skills required by Welsh businesses by driving workforce diversity, making the most of our talent in Wales, and shaping an economy that works for everyone.

Lets be clear, we cant fully replace the missing millions lost through the fact that the UK Government has not kept its funding promises to Wales following EU Exit, although we have prioritised budgets to smooth the transition and to boost our investment in people and skills.

We will continue to press the UK government to back our Team Wales ambitions to invest in the talent of our people and restore Wales lost 1 billion.

The Minister is today announcing the launch of Jobs Growth Wales+  a 200m programme specifically for young people. This will replace the Welsh Governments existing Jobs Growth Wales and Traineeship programmes.

Under Jobs Growth Wales+, young people will receive individualised support to equip them with the skills, qualifications and experience to find a job and remain in employment.

Flexibility and tailored support is at the heart of the new programme and contractors will work with young people to make sure they have everything they need to access opportunities, including flexible training hours, as well as help with travel, childcare costs and specialised equipment.

Wage subsidies of up to 50% of the first six months wages, and on-the-job training will be available for businesses employing young people aged 16-18 through the scheme.

In the coming weeks, the Welsh Government will also launch ReAct+  a new programme to upskill and support young people who are not currently in education, training or employment, and unemployed adults, into work.

The minister said: Supporting Welsh businesses to adapt, grow their workforce and develop skills for the future will be essential.

These new programmes have been designed to help businesses with recruitment and workforce planning, creating more job opportunities in the sectors we need to grow, while supporting young people on their journey into employment. Importantly, they form part of our Young Persons Guarantee, to ensure no young person in Wales misses out on the opportunity of a fulfilling career as a result of the pandemic.
1 student is dead and 2 are hospitalized after a shooting at an Iowa high school
An outbreak at Australian National University (ANU) last month saw 12 percentaround 660of the 5,500 students residing on campus contract COVID-19. The outbreak spiralled out of control after opening-week orientation events with students returning to campus from summer break.

Situated in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), which hosts the nations capital Canberra, ANU is one of Australias largest universities. Many of its over 21,000 enrolled students travel from around the country and internationally to study at the institution, living in cramped student accommodation.

The Australian National University in Canberra [Source: ANU, anu.edu.au]

Over 200 cases had been recorded across 12 ANU residence halls over the weekend of February 1920. By February 25, the number of positive cases had surged past 600. Throughout the outbreak, ANU management refused to give an accurate figure for the number of positive cases.

ANU Chief Operating Officer Paul Duldig said face-to-face classes would continue despite the outbreak. We dont see any reason why case numbers in the halls will impact on us being able to teach on campus. It would really be a much broader community concern to make us reconsider that, he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

After initially being moved to a dedicated quarantining facility on campus, COVID-positive students were required to self-isolate in their rooms. The university indicated that students in self-isolation would be provided with meals, medical and wellbeing support, and would attend classes online.

However, reports soon emerged that isolating students were struggling to get meals delivered and have their rubbish disposed of.

Third-year student Lily Hassett told the ABC during the outbreak that she was still at the residence hall and had to ask friends to bring her food. I don't know where Im supposed to be or what Im supposed to be doing, she said, adding, Ever since Ive tested positive Ive tried calling the office, Ive emailed them and got no response.

Charlotte Carnes, a senior resident at ANUs Wamburun Hall, told the Canberra Times there was confusion over the meal deliveries process at her self-catered hall. After being told isolating students had received dinner at the same time as lunch, Carnes received calls and texts from residents at dinner time asking when meals would be delivered.

The ANU Students Association reported that quarantining students struggled to find spaces in online classes and recording equipment in some classrooms was inadequate for studying remotely.

Students, academics and other members of the community have come out on social media to express their anger at the outbreak at ANU.

Twitter user @telesoritas tweeted that classes were continuing Because we have to learn to live with covid; which means spreading illness and death.

On February 21, Professor Meghan Miller, ANU Research School of Earth Sciences, tweeted: Day 1 of our academic year and less than a week since new incoming students arrived on campus: Over 200 COVID cases linked to outbreak in ANU residential halls. So many things I could say

Dr. Katie Freund, an education researcher at ANU, wrote on Twitter: Is the vibrant on campus experience worth the health of the #ourANU community? Its only Day 2 of semester! We are not meeting our duty of care for students.

Echoing these sentiments, @gary_williams tweeted Look folkssure 200+ students at ANU have COVID following orientation week, and are now isolating in one of the colleges (reported in The Australian). However, whats important is the campus is/was VIBRANT! That is what is essentialvibrancy and profit, before health.

Another Twitter user, @JonesHowdareyou, said that her Granddaughter is at ANU, triple vaxed and now has Covid for the 2nd time in 6 weeks.

Scientist and former teacher Dr. Henry Madison tweeted: On top of the total radio silence on actual details of Covid in schools, is the vacuum of reporting on whats happening on university campuses right now, with infection. Particularly residential colleges. In response, Twitter user @JaniceB72627796 wrote: Other unis management are ruthlessly directing older academics back to the campus with threats of breach of contract if they don't return. Even those with health issues. Shocking. NTEU [National Tertiary Education Union] is in on it too. Set it up so any opposition is shut down. Many academics frightened of covid.

Despite ANU case numbers reportedly dropping to single figures by the beginning of March, the outbreak is an indictment of the pro-business reopening of universities around the country to in-person teaching. As hundreds of thousands of students nationwide are forced back into lecture theatres, classrooms, and overcrowded accommodation, the surge of COVID-19 which has already seen mass infection and death in Australia since the beginning of 2022 will only worsen.

The majority of universities around the country have remained tight-lipped about infections resulting from the return to campus. But, on February 22, the University of Canberra reported six active cases among the 1,560 students living on-campus. As of February 21, there were a total of 939 positive cases reported at Western Sydney University. Of those, 549 were students, 340 staff and 50 unspecified. The University of Sydney, while not reporting case numbers, published 170 confirmed COVID case locations on campus between 22 February and 1 March. Across the Tasman Sea, New Zealands Victoria University Wellington has seen 850 students in its halls of residenceabout 30 percenttest positive for COVID.

Completely behind the murderous drive to reopen universities for in-person teaching has been the NTEU. The pro-business union has made the issue of mass infection on university campuses one of individual choice.

NTEU ACT division secretary, Dr Lachlan Clohesy, and ANU Branch president, Millan Pintos-Lopez, penned a statement on February 25 in which they wrote that the NTEU has placed pressure on management to facilitate working from home for those who wish to, and that requests by staff to work from home will be assessed on a case by case basis, looking at factors including the requirements of the work.

The return to campus is bound up with the broader profit-driven junking of all public health and safety measures by governments across Australia and internationally. And the disastrous outcome was entirely predictable and preventable.

An ACT Health spokesperson said, It is not unexpected that there has been an increase in COVID-19 cases with the return to university after the summer break. In a statement to ANU campus newspaper Woroni, a university spokesperson said COVID outbreaks are now part of life for a campus the size of a small town in the midst of a pandemicparticularly as our young population returns and wider restrictions begin to lift.

In comments to the CanberraTimes, University of South Australia professor of biostatistics Adrian Esterman warned of the consequences of reopening universities. Therell be a certain percentage, and it will be somewhere between 10 and 30 percent, who end up with long term health problems, Esterman said. You dont really want that.

The ACT has suffered over 400 new COVID-19 infections every day for the last two weeks. For the first time in six weeks, the ACT recorded over 1,000 new cases last Tuesday. The territorys Labor Party Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the spike in cases was very strongly driven by the outbreak at ANU.

However, Barr, in line with other Liberal-National Coalition and Labor state and federal governments, has continued with the territorys removal of any safety restrictions to stem the viruss spread and sought to blame outbreaks on young people.

Barr also echoed the unscientific use of the term endemic by politicians and the media around the world to justify the homicidal live with the virus program of the ruling elite. Were in the phase of the pandemic, he said, where there is clearly a transition to COVID becoming an endemic disease.

Even as the outbreak at ANU was spiralling out of control, the territorys Labor government moved to end indoor mask mandates at most venues.

The ANU outbreak also came amid a spike in COVID infections in schools, with 981 cases reported in 122 ACT public and private schools in the last week of February. There were 1001 cases of COVID-19 reported across 120 ACT primary and high schools for the week ending February 22.

The sudden rise in cases at ANU, at other universities, and in schools vindicates the International Youth and Students for Social Equalitys call for students and youth to oppose this homicidal drive. The push to reopen universities has nothing to do with the mental health or education of students. It has everything to do with the profit interests of the tiny, wealthy minority in society. The consequences of the drive will be further illness, misery and death. Students and young people must take up a fight for scientifically-determined public health measures to end COVID and save lives.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is currently on a four-country European tour to discuss Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine and the US-NATO war drive against Russia. Prior to his departure, Trudeau told the media that Canada and NATO do not want to get into a direct conflict with Moscow.

The thing that we have so far avoided, and will continue to need to avoid, is a situation in which NATOs forces are in direct conflict with Russian soldiers, Trudeau stated Friday. That would be a level of escalation that is unfortunate.

Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau, gestures as he speaks at a joint press conference attended by Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte, where they gave an update on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, at Downing Street in London, Monday, March 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, Pool)

Trudeaus comments are a pack of lies. His trip is in fact aimed at escalating the US-led drive to war with Russia, which Canadian imperialism has helped spearhead. Since Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Canada has, together with the United States and Britain, been among the Western powers pushing for the most aggressive and provocative measures against Moscow.

Trudeau held talks Monday with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, an arch-Thatcherite whose government has overseen the deaths of more than 180,000 people during the COVID-19 pandemic due to its herd immunity policies. The pair discussed options for supplying further weaponry to Kiev to further fuel NATOs proxy war with Russia.

At a joint press conference, Trudeau unveiled new sanctions against ten Russian oligarchs, who he bragged had been selected from a list compiled by jailed opposition figure Alexei Navalny. A far-right Russian nationalist and US imperialist asset, Navalny has called people from the Caucasus and Central Asia cockroaches, and participated in marches with fascist political forces. The Prime Minister concluded his announcement with the declaration, We continue to stand with Ukraine, united in struggle.

Trudeau pointed out that Ottawa has supplied Kiev with $1 billion in financial aid in recent years. Over the past three weeks, the Trudeau government has sent tens of millions of dollars worth of lethal weaponry to the Ukrainian military, including anti-tank weapons, grenades, carbines, and rifles. It has also announced a further build-up of military personnel in Eastern Europe, including sending a second warship to the Black Sea region, and placed 3,400 troops on stand-by for immediate deployment to the continent.

Along with his Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who was photographed carrying a Ukrainian fascist banner at a recent demonstration, Trudeau pushed for the harshest possible sanctions against Russia from the wars outset. Freeland reportedly played an important role with her US colleagues in persuading the European powers to sanction Russias central bank and exclude the country from the SWIFT payment system. These acts of economic warfare have crashed the value of the ruble, devastating the living standards of millions of workers across Russia.

From the standpoint of Canadian imperialism, there is nothing unfortunate about the escalation of direct military tensions with Russia, which carry the real danger of triggering a third world war. On the contrary, this is an outcome which the Trudeau government and its Conservative predecessor have been working towards for years. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union over three decades ago, Canada has played a major role in almost every US imperialist-led war of aggression around the world, from the NATO bombardment of Serbia to the wars in Libya and Syria. Successive Canadian governments have supported NATOs expansion right up to Russias borders, and the alliances isolation and encirclement of Russia with high-powered military forces. Ottawa has also given crucial backing to far-right Ukrainian nationalists.

Shortly after the fascist-led Maidan putsch in 2014 that brought a pro-Western regime to power in Kiev, Canadas Conservative government, led by Stephen Harper, dispatched fighter jets to Romania and a warship to the Black Sea. Ottawa began sending military aid to Kiev in August 2014, and initiated a military training program for the Ukrainian national guard and military in 2015 involving the deployment of 200 Canadian Armed Forces personnel to western Ukraine.

When Trudeau came to power in 2015, his Liberal government picked up seamlessly from where Harper left off. Trudeau ratcheted up pressure on Russia at the 2016 NATO summit in Warsaw, announcing that Canada would lead one of NATOs four battlegroups stationed in Poland and the Baltic republics of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

After the NATO summit, Trudeau travelled on to Ukraine, where he vowed to support the far-right regime of Petro Poroshenko to reconquer the territory in eastern Ukraine taken over by pro-Russian separatists following the 2014 Maidan coup. We are giving significant support to the Ukrainian military to be able to be more effective in defending and reclaiming Ukrainian territory, Trudeau said at the time. Trudeau twice lengthened Canadas training mission in Ukraine, including earlier this year when he increased the troop contingent to 400. Leaked documents late last year revealed that Canadian military personnel provided training to members of the fascist Azov Battalion and officers belonging to the neo-Nazi Centuria group.

In October 2017, Canadas House of Commons adopted a Magnitsky Act law with all-party support. The law contained provisions to freeze the Canadian assets of corrupt foreign officials and block their entry into Canada. Earlier that year, the Liberal government unveiled a plan to hike military spending by over 70 percent in less than a decade, and cited the threat posed by Russia and China as justification.

In March 2020, a high-level defence policy conference held in Ottawa discussed how Canada was already at war with Russia. Speakers at the gathering demanded massive upgrades to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a Cold War-era bilateral continental defence system operated by Canada and the United States, to prevent Russian incursions from the Arctic.

Canada played an important part in US-led efforts to incite the Putin governments reactionary invasion of Ukraine. It was an active partner in a series of provocative NATO exercises throughout 2021, including the Seabreeze military drills in the Black Sea. Then in January 2022, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly travelled to Kiev and added to the Biden administrations efforts to goad Putin into a war by refusing to acknowledge any of Russias security concerns. Canadas position has not changed, she proclaimed. We believe that Ukraine should be able to join NATO.

Trudeau will visit several key NATO allies this week to plot the next stage in the imperialist powers aggressive drive to war with Russia. In addition to Johnson, he is scheduled to have talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, before travelling on to Poland and Latvia. His meeting with the German Chancellor will no doubt touch on Scholzs tripling of Germanys defence spending for 2022 in what has been labelled the beginning of a new foreign policy epoch.

The Trudeau governments position as one of Washingtons attack dogs in the drive to war with Russia has been welcomed with enthusiasm by top military and defence policy experts, who see the war in Europe as an opportunity to push for an even larger rearmament program. In particular, the cost of NORAD modernization, which was not included in the 2017 round of military spending hikes, is front and centre. The key upgrade for military planners is bringing Canada into the US ballistic missile defence system, which is aimed at making a nuclear war winnable.

Heres a perfect moment to announce that were coming on board with all forms of ballistic missile defence  and we are going to discuss the positioning of new radar systems and new missile interceptors on Canadian soil, said Tom Lawson, the former deputy commander of NORAD and Canadas chief of the defence staff from 2012 to 2015. Andrea Charron, director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at the University of Manitoba, commented, Ukraine has made NORAD even more important, because we are the back door to NATO.

Leading Globe and Mail columnist John Ibitson wrote Saturday that increasing Canadas defence budget to more than 2 percent of gross domestic product is in the national interest. He proceeded to present a shopping list of items to be procured, including new fighter aircraft, combat surface vessels to replace the retired destroyers, cutting-edge sensors, satellites, and software to upgrade NORAD, and new submarines.

Calls for more military spending are supported by all major parties in parliament, from the Liberals and Conservatives to the sovereignist Bloc Quebecois. The New Democratic Party has waged the past two election campaigns on platforms demanding defence spending increases, and denouncing the Liberals and Conservatives for allegedly not increasing the military budget enough. More importantly, the NDP has provided the minority Liberal government with the parliamentary votes it needs to secure a majority in the House of Commons since 2019, helping it enforce its defence spending hike and provocative anti-Russian policies.
Seizing upon Russias invasion of Ukraine to implement long-standing military plans, the European Union (EU) powers are recklessly escalating the crisis. Beyond delivering arms to Ukraine to attack Russian troops, they are discussing a possible cut-off of energy trade and preparing for nuclear war.

A Ukrainian serviceman has "Mommy" written on his weapon strap as he stands guard at a checkpoint on a main road in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, March 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

This weekend, for the first time since the Cold War ended, France raised the number of its nuclear missile submarines on patrol to two. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, only one of Frances four ballistic missile-launching submarines based at LIle-Longue island off Brittany is on patrol at any given time. Now, however, Le Telegramme wrote, Never has there been this much tension at the Breton base since Frances sea-based nuclear deterrent began in 1972.

A French ballistic missile submarine holds 16 M51 missiles, each of which carries 6 independently-targeted warheads, each exploding with the force of 100,000 tons of TNT. This sub can thus launch 800 times the destructive force of the US bomb that obliterated the Japanese city of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Washington has 14 ballistic missile subs, each carrying 20 Trident II D5 missiles with 14 independent 100-kiloton warheadsaround 2,300 times the power of the bomb that killed 140,000 people at Hiroshima.

There is an enormous danger of that nuclear war could erupt as NATO escalates its confrontation with Russia, intervening to arm Ukraine. This danger is now widely discussed, after Moscow placed its nuclear forces on high alert this weekend in response to NATO arms deliveries to Ukraine.

An opinion piece by former US State Department policy planning official Jeremy Shapiro in Londons Financial Times noted that Moscow might use nuclear weapons in a scenario in which a superior conventional force such as NATO attacked Russia. Russia, he added, is now particularly vulnerable to a NATO conventional attack in Belarus and western Russia, as well as in Ukraine.

The Russian military, Shapiro wrote, may view NATO troop concentrations in states on Ukraines eastern flank as potential intervention forces and they may lack sufficient precision-guided weapons in their already very depleted inventory to attack them conventionally. They may, he added, even believe [a NATO attack] is already happening given European and American arms deliveries and NATO troop movements to eastern Europe. The firing of smaller nuclear bombs could lead to nuclear escalation to the strategic level (i.e. the end of the world).

While these dangers are clearly on the mind of the military staffs of all the major powers, the EU is nonetheless recklessly arming the Ukrainians and threatening to strangle Russias economy.

On Monday, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht announced new arms deliveries to Ukraine. Everything that is possible is under consideration and we are also talking about it in the cabinet, she told ZDF. So far, Berlin has sent Kiev 2,700 Strela surface-to-air missiles, 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles. Ukraines embassy in Berlin has now also asked for tanks, self-propelled howitzers, air defense systems, helicopters, reconnaissance and combat drones, transport aircraft and warships.

Berlin is also strengthening its presence in Eastern Europe. It is establishing a mission in Slovakia as in Lithuania, Inspector General Eberhard Zorn said last week. In Lithuania, Germany has led a 1,000-strong NATO battlegroup since 2017, which has been strengthened by another 350 soldiers and 100 vehicles and weapons systems. Germanys air force sent six Eurofighter jets to Romania.

Other EU powers are also arming Ukraine. Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles told Antena3 that Madrid will send Ukraine 1,370 anti-tank grenade launchers, machine guns and 700,000 rounds. Italy is sending Stinger missiles and machine guns. The Netherlands is sending 200 Stinger missiles, Norway 2,000 M72 anti-tank weapons, Sweden 5,000 anti-tank weapons and Finland 1,500 rocket launchers and 2,500 assault rifles.

French Defense Minister Florence Parly confirmed last week that Paris is delivering lethal weapons and fuel to Ukraine, but refused to reveal the type and quantities supplied.

The NATO powers are also preparing a cut-off of Russian oil and gas exports to Europe that are at the heart of Russias economy. Oil prices soared to $140 per barrel yesterday after Washington announced it might embargo Russian energy supplies. Yesterday German Chancellor Olaf Scholz postponed the measure, however.

While provocatively stating that the EU intends to find alternatives to Russian oil and gas, Scholz said, this wont happen overnight. To compensate for Russian gas imports, Germany alone would need to import the full capacity of the worlds 600 liquefied natural gas tankers. Calling Russian oil and gas essential to Europes economy, he concluded: Its therefore a conscious decision on our part to continue the activities of business enterprises in the area of energy supply with Russia.

Moscow warned such a cut-off would devastate the world economy. It is absolutely clear that a rejection of Russian oil would lead to catastrophic consequences for the global market, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said. The surge in prices would be unpredictable. It would be $300 per barrel if not more.  European politicians need to honestly warn their citizens and consumers what to expect.

The EUs growing involvement in the war in Ukraine shows that, after the experience of two world wars, the European ruling class is again tobogganing towards a new catastrophe. It is using Putins reactionary invasion of Ukraine as an opportunity to put long-prepared military plans into action.

In an article published by Project Syndicate titled Putins War Has Given Birth to Geopolitical Europe, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell boasted: In the week since Russias invasion, we have also witnessed the belated birth of a geopolitical Europe. For years, Europeans have been debating how the EU can be made more robust and security-conscious  We have now arguably gone further down that path in the past week than we did in the previous decade.

He called to develop the EU as a major military power, capable of waging wars with heavy losses in Ukraine and beyond. First, we must prepare to support Ukraine and its people for the long haul, he writes. Second, we need to recognize what this war means for European security and resilience more broadly. He added, Third, in a world of power politics, we need the capacity to coerce and defend ourselves.  Yes, this includes military means and we need to develop them more.

Borell is proposing a massive military build-up, subordinating social life to the armys diktat. The core task for geopolitical Europe is straightforward, he concludes. We must use our newfound sense of purpose first to ensure a free Ukraine, and then to re-establish peace and security across our continent.

Who is Borell trying to fool? The EU is not securing a free Ukraine, but escalating a NATO war drive against Russia that is spiraling out of control. Behind empty propaganda phrases about peace and security, the NATO powers are headed straight towards World War III.

The militaristic and essentially fascistic character of the European rearmament and war drive emerges most clearly in Germany. There, the ruling class has seized upon Putins invasion to launch a long-planned rearmament programme worth hundreds of billions. The defence budget is to increase by at least 24 billion to over 71 billion annually. After the unspeakable crimes of the Nazis, Germany seeks once again to become Europes dominant military power.

A catastrophe can only be avoided through the development of the international class struggle and the construction of an anti-war movement in the international working class, on a perspective for the conquest of power and the establishment of world socialism.
Australias fortnight-long flood crisis continues as heavy rainfall and damaging winds batter the east coast. Parts of Sydney, the countrys largest city, have already been submerged, and thousands have been forced to flee their homes.

The worst affected areas are predominantly working-class suburbs in the citys southwest, where 11 evacuation orders were issued yesterday afternoon and overnight, impacting more than 60,000 people. Evacuation centres have been set up in Canley Vale and Menai.

SES rescue crew on a flooded arterial road in Chipping Norton, in southwest Sydney (Credit: Facebook / NSW SES Liverpool)

There are currently warnings of minor to major flooding throughout eastern New South Wales (NSW), from Queensland to the Victorian border.

In the 24 hours to 9 a.m., Sydney, the Hunter and the South Coast received a massive 50150 millimetres of rain, and similar rainfall is expected for Sydney and the South Coast today.

In the 24 hours to 6:30 a.m. today, the State Emergency Service (SES) had performed 100 flood rescues and responded to 2,400 calls for help.

Statewide, up to 80,000 people are subject to evacuation orders or high alert warnings. As has been the case throughout the crisis, many of these orders have been issued very late, often after heavy rainfall has already made evacuation routes dangerous or impassable.

There is major flooding in parts of the Georges, Hawkesbury and Nepean Rivers, with the latter two already exceeding heights reached in the March 2021 floods.

Already, parts of Camden, on the southwest outskirts of Sydney, are completely inundated. Flood warnings are in place for all roads in the Sydney metropolitan area.

Multiple landslides have occurred in Emu Heights, in Western Sydney and in the Blue Mountains.

The bodies of a man and a woman were found late this morning in Western Sydney. Emergency crews had been searching the area for a 67-year-old woman and her 34-year-old son after her car was found in a stormwater canal at 4:30 p.m. yesterday.

Across NSW, at least seven people have died in the floods, while 13 are confirmed dead in Queensland.

More than a week after the northern NSW city of Lismore was devastated, thousands in the region remain without power, running water, phone and internet service. Many roads are still impassable, limiting access to food, fuel and medical care.

The lack of internet and mobile phone service has also taken out online banking and payment systems, forcing whole regions to function on a cash-only basis.

Two Byron Bay chefs spontaneously built a volunteer effort which has prepared and delivered 60,000 meals for flood victims, some of whom had gone without food for four days. They told the Guardian they were concerned that, while emergency services were slowly beginning to arrive in the region, there was still no sign of food relief.

Pip Sumbak said: Weve had no one tell us theyre taking care of this, food wise. Theres no official government service being offered.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet this morning acknowledged that people trapped in the floods felt isolated and abandoned, and noted, had neighbours not got in boats then I believe the death toll would have been much higher.

While Perrottet issued some vague promises to look at better planning and more flood mitigation, he continued to characterise the floods as an unpredicted, freak catastrophe. All of this is aimed at covering up government culpability and creating conditions for nothing to be done to improve mitigations and preparation for future disasters.

Around 800 people are in emergency accommodation in the Lismore region and 56,000 homes damaged in the flood still need to be assessed for safety. Of around 5,600 buildings already checked by SES crews, some 2,500 were found to be uninhabitable.

In Queensland, where more than 15,000 homes were flooded in Brisbane alone, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and state Labor Premier Anna Palaszczuk jointly announced a $558.5 million financial support package on Saturday, targeted at farmers, small businesses, sporting clubs and local councils.

No further government assistance for individuals has been announced, beyond the woefully inadequate $1,000 per adult and $400 per child one-off payment announced by Morrison last week.

As the clean-up finally gets underway in the city, after being delayed due to continued heavy rains, more details have emerged about the failure of state and federal governments to prepare for catastrophic floods.

While the federal Liberal-National government established a $4 billion Emergency Relief Fund in 2019, most funding applications for flood mitigation projects by states and territories have been declined. The fund was structured, with the backing of Labor, to allocate just $50 million each year to these types of projects.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporations 7.30 program, Queensland, the most disaster-affected state in the country, labelled its 2020 application for a $14 million upgrade to the Flood Warning Infrastructure Network a priority, but the project was not funded, while others not considered as urgent were.

The response of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to the crisis in Lismore and surrounding areas has attracted sharp criticism.

Last Monday, as hundreds of residents were left clinging to their rooftops, desperately waiting for help, the ADF declared the weather too dangerous for its aircraft to operate.

As a result, the local population was left almost entirely to its own resources, and the rescue effort was left up to the heroic and self-sacrificing acts of ordinary people.

Major General David Thomae, who coordinated the ADF flood response, was compelled to issue an apology this morning, saying: I am very sorry for all those people who have felt that they havent been supported and I empathise completely with their plight.

Now, more than a week after the floods hit, the region has been descended upon by some 1,800 troops, who according to some reports, are slowing down the recovery efforts due to their lack of knowledge of the local area.

On Channel 7s Sunrise this morning, federal Defence Minister Peter Dutton refused to apologise for leaving thousands of people waiting for a neighbour to show up in a dinghy in the absence of any official rescue effort. Dutton said this was a great example of the Australian spirit and declared he would not cop criticism of the ADF.

The fact that the military is now deployed in response to almost every disaster is a result of decades of cuts to civilian emergency services. The ADF, with its ever-growing budget, is now the only force available.

This is also bound up with the campaign to normalise the presence of soldiers in Australias cities and towns amid widespread opposition to the entire political establishment. Troops were deployed in the 20192020 bushfires as well as in the working-class suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne to purportedly enforce compliance to the lockdown measures during COVID-19 outbreaks.

Having left flood victims to fend for themselves for days, thousands of troops are now being sent in as anger mounts over the failure of Australian governments to respond to the flood crisis.

While extreme weather is a natural phenomenon, the flood crisis cannot be explained merely as an unfortunate and unavoidable accident. The multitude of failures on displayfrom the lack of timely warnings, inadequacy of rescue services, ongoing absence of basic supplies and services, and the pitiful financial assistance on offerare all products of the subordination of society to the demands of corporate profit.

Even the increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters is a result of climate change, itself a product of the destructive practices of the worlds largest corporations, backed by every national capitalist government.

The current flood disaster is just one in a string of catastrophic examples of the existential crisis confronting the global population. The urgent task of the working class, in Australia and around the world, is to take up a political fight to establish workers governments and socialist policies.
Professor Yaneer Bar-Yam is an American scientist born in Boston, Massachusetts, who received his Bachelor of Science and PhD in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the founding president of New England Complex Systems Institute. His research has focused on formalizing complex systems science and applying it to social challenges.

He is one of the founders of the World Health Network, a global coalition of scientists and researchers and community groups that have come together to protect individuals and societies from harm caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We spoke at length with Professor Bar-Yam in April 2021, at a time when Delta was emerging as a threat to the globe. In the following interview, we continue the discussion on the pandemic and the impact of Omicron during the present global emergency. The interview was conducted on February 21, 2022.

Benjamin Mateus: Professor Bar-Yam, thank you again for accepting the interview. It is good to see you again.

You have been working diligently through your organization, the World Health Network, to bring awareness to the dangers posed by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the pandemic. Its been more than two years since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak that erupted in Wuhan, China, a public health emergency of international concern.

Until even their most recent meeting at the World Health Assembly, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said the pandemic remains a public health emergency.

We are fast approaching one-half billion reported COVID cases and six million reported deaths. Excess deaths, however, are higher by three to four times. And despite the continued spread of the virus, countries are waving the white flag or declaring the pandemic over as Prime Minister of the UK, Boris Johnson, officially decreed despite significant opposition from many scientists.

Having followed the pandemic very closely, can you elaborate on these developments?

Yaneer Bar-Yam: Hi Benjamin. Thank you for having me.

I think that the first step is to really try to anchor ourselves in the incredible amount of suffering that is going on around the world as a result of this pandemic. The different pieces of it remain, the sickness itself, where even mild cases are not mild according to the person who is experiencing the symptoms.

The term mild is a medical definition, which means that you dont have to be in the hospital, but that surely doesnt mean that its an easy disease to tolerate. Of course, there are some cases that are not difficult and even some cases that are asymptomatic. But there are many cases that are quite difficult for those infected.

And then of course there are hospitalizations and deaths. But the large, ignored problem is Long COVID, and the suffering from the change in life that results if people are disabled, theyre unable to do normal daily tasks, people have brain fog. And even the experience of symptoms is not the whole story because theres organ damage that people may not recognize. For instance, four percent of people who have COVID are, within the year from their infection, at risk for severe cardiovascular eventsstrokes, pulmonary embolisms, heart attacks and other life-changing events. And thats just within a year.

BM: Thats four percent above the background risk, correct?

YB: Yes, four percent  just for cardiovascular events, not including all the rest of the stuff that I talked about. And the point is that this happens also for mild cases, people that are not hospitalized, so medically mild cases have about three percent of these above baseline events.

Now, when we talk about the possibility that its really people with prior conditions that might be having these events, it turns out the opposite is true. People with prior conditions actually have less above baseline [because they are already at higher risk for these events]. In other words, the baseline is of the events that they are at risk for without COVID. If you subtract their baseline, healthy people have more of these events.

So, this is quite a claim that this is something we can live with and tolerate this level of harm to people. It is simply astounding. And its surely not consistent with what people want. Even though governments are declaring we have to learn to live with COVID, it is clearly not what the people want.

At least most of the people, there are some people who do, but the polls, for example, in the US now that mask mandates are being repealed, the polls say that people want to keep the mandates. There is a vocal, small minority that is advocating against, but the vast majority of people seem to be unhappy with whats going on. And I think thats the key to the future, but the piece thats not, that is surely not included in the public policy declarations is the dynamics of this disease.

Even if we were to come to the conclusion that the current situation is somehow tenable, which is not reasonable according to our standards of human life before the pandemic, the dynamics of variant introduction are surely not consistent with it.

We already have a stealth variant, BA.2, which is the second variety of Omicron, which is tremendously different from the first variety of Omicron. Whats been happening is people have been studying BA.1 by using a specific feature of it, which is the S dropout. Using standard PCR tests, one can identify the presence of the BA.1 variant. But BA.2 doesnt have that feature. If you just do PCR testing it looks like Delta.

It has only been recently that there have been additional studies of BA.2.

First, its growing 40 percent faster than Omicron, which was already transmitting incredibly rapidly. Second, data from studies suggest that infection with BA.2 will cause substantially more severe disease.

BM: If I may ask, the study you are referencing is the one recently done at the University of Tokyo in Japan? They were comparing BA.2 to BA.1.

YB: Yes, they compared BA.2 to BA.1. What they did was to look at five different properties.

The first thing that they did, which you know is very clear and simple, is they just looked at the extent of genetic difference. People think that because Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 are both called Omicron then they must be similar genetically. And in fact, I recently read an article where they say the genotype is very similar, which is very wrong. Their genotypes are actually very different.

One of the confusions is that if you look at the distance of BA.1 and BA.2 from the original variant theyre different. But if you look at the difference from each other, because genetic space is a very large space and you can go in different directions, its like going north and south by the same distance. If you measure the distance from where you started its the same, but your distance from each other is twice as much as your distance from where you started.

What happens with BA.1 and BA.2, and I can show you a picture of this  is that in fact, theyre really dramatically different.

Figure 1: BA.1, BA.2 vs variants of SARS-CoV-2. Source Professor Yaneer Bar-Yam.

Here we have the figure that is in their paper [see figure 1] in the Japanese study that reported on the difference between BA.1 and BA.2. Now you look at the solid area, the bar shows you the difference in the spike protein and all the way out to here, the end of the open space shows you the full genome differences, the number of amino acid differences.

If you look at it and compare Alpha-Beta-Gamma-Delta [variants] to BA.1 and BA.2, you see that this difference is much larger than the difference between the other variants. But when you look at the difference between BA.1 and BA.2 

BM: They are essentially two different variants altogether. They may have started with the same parent, but they have certainly traveled a long way apart.

YB: And if you look over here, Ive made this triangle to show pictorially how it works. Ive taken these distances and mark them here with BA.1 in one direction and BA.2 in another. And the distance between them is almost, not quite as much as the difference between BA.2 and the original variant, but its twice as large as the difference between any of the first four variants and the original.

In the lower right-hand corner, the arrows delineate the distance from the original variant and the previous variants of concern before Omicron and you see how much smaller they are than these arrows [pointing to the figure in the upper right-hand corner], which is the difference between BA.1 and BA.2.

The question then becomes what are the properties that distinguish BA.1 and BA.2. And in this study, which was done by a research group in Japan, they extensively analyzed multiple properties of BA.1 and BA.2 in order to compare them.

Among the things that they did is they looked at the transmission around the world. And what they found is that BA.2 transmits 40 percent faster than BA.1. Now, BA.1 is probably  Its a little bit hard to visualize because the cycle time is different  but lets say its compared to the original variant. The R [Reproductive number] would be about 10 now. Again, Im not correcting for the transmission time difference, so it may be a little bit different, because the cycle is shorter for BA.1, but if we use that scale for a moment, BA.2s R number would be 14. Thats a huge difference in the transmission rate. And the result of that is that BA.2 is now growing to dominate cases globally.

The second thing is that they showed that its more vaccine evading than BA.1. If you recall, BA.1 was more vaccine evading than Delta. But BA.2 is more evading than BA.1 by a significant amount.

The third thing is that infection by BA.2 is resistant to previous infection by BA.1.

BM: Can you explain that further?

YB: If you were previously infected by BA.1, the level of protection to BA.2 is not the same as BA.1. BA.2 will bypass immunity after infection by BA.1 and lead to [higher risk] of another infection.

BM: Can we think of BA.2 as a completely new coronavirusSARS-CoV-3? What would need to happen to make it a different virus?

YB: People have argued that you should consider Omicron as different.

Serologically, its quite different from the original variant. It has a somewhat different mechanism for invading cells. The biology is noticeably different. But theres no doubt that it originated genetically from the original variant.

So, to declare it as a completely different virus, I dont know if that helps. But BA.2 is different enough from BA.1 that it should be given its own designationits own Greek letter according to the current numbering scheme. But thats politically not very comfortable, because people are declaring this to be over and having a new Greek letter would raise questions that require us to reevaluate whats going on.

And it really should be reevaluated because the last thing that they did is that they found that its substantially more severe in their animal models and severe in many different dimensions.

Figure 2 Slides of lung tissue from animals infected with BA.1 and BA.2 sub-variants. The BA.2 demonstrates more extensive inflammation and lung injury. Source Professor Yaneer Bar-Yam.

Here is the image of lung tissue after the animals were infected with the sub-variants taken at one, three, and five days after infection. The two panels (See figure 2) are dramatically different. Lets just compare. You can see that BA.1 has much less injury to the lungs. BA.2 from this study shows it is much more severe.

The scientists looked at a lot of different measures from the underlying biology to the specifics of the lung damage measures, hemorrhage, and damage to different parts of the lung. BA.2 is much worse than BA.1 in this study.

Now, obviously this is something that we still need to see in people, but if you realize that this is whats happening in hamsters, you should stop assuming that its okay and you should go back and look at whats going on now.

Even before BA.2, the claims about BA.1 being mild are overstated. This is mostly a marketing ploy and not based on evidence. BA.1 is still quite severe even if it is not quite as severe as Delta, which one can argue the point because many more people are being infected. Measuring severity relative to each other  Lets say 10 people get infected by Delta and you look at what would happen to the same 10 people if they got infected by Omicron, its about the same severity. Theres almost no difference.

BM: If I recall correctly, there are two studiesone from the Imperial College and the other from South Africaand they both essentially came to the same conclusion that the intrinsic virulence of BA.1 to Delta was about 75 percent.

YB: The point is the reason why people keep saying that its milder is that Omicron (BA.1) infected a lot of people that would not have been infected by Delta, such as people that have either previously been vaccinated or with prior infection. And these people that would have avoided infection with Delta are now being infected by Omicron and those cases tend to be milder.

If you take the cases that would have happened by Delta and compare them with previously unvaccinated and infected individuals, its about the same severity. But when you add Omicron infections in people with prior immunity, then its not an actual comparison of the severity of the disease. There is a mathematical statement called Simpsons paradox  where we are averaging over different stuff.

[Simpsons paradox is a phenomenon in probability and statistics where a trend that appears in several groups of data disappears or reverses when the groups are combined. In this case, the intrinsic virulence of Omicron is misstated because it infects people who would not have been infected by Delta because of prior immunity, so averaging those cases with the people who would be infected by both Delta and Omicron is making an apples and oranges comparison.]

One way to imagine it is, lets say you have a river, and it overflows its bank. And because of the overflow, the plain just above the bank floods over. If you now measure the average height of the flood using the flooded plain and river, then the overall result is that the flooding appears very shallow. But of course, it isnt shallow; it isnt a small river. In fact, it is massive deluge, and thats a better way to think about Omicron versus Delta.

Again, its affecting more people and the number of deaths in the United States is extraordinarily high even though people are claiming that were facing a milder disease.

BM: In January, the COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Hub, based out of Penn State, which provides the White House with updated estimates, said that from mid-December to mid-March, they expected 190,000 people would die during the Omicron wave. They were quite accurate. Meaning that the White House knew in December that another 200,000 people would be dead in three months, and they didnt do anything.

YB: Thats a fifth of all the deaths all together.

BM: Yes, 20 percent of all the deaths over two years of the pandemic in the United States.

YB: Lets be clear  First, COVID-19 continues to be a severe disease. People are continuing to get infected, which leads to severe cases and deaths. Many are ending up with Long COVID in large numbers, which is already affecting the labor pool, not to mention the fact that it affects key employees and companies. There is a severe impact on the brain in many cases that leads to brain fog. There are people having strokes, heart attacks, and an assortment of all other secondary diseases caused by their infection. There are all kinds of things that are happening. So thats number one.

Second, theres this other narrative about the suggestion that this only affects unvaccinated people. Or its only vulnerable people. The absence of compassion is astounding. But another issue with simply ignoring the fact that people who are vulnerable are dying from this disease, is that the vulnerable people today may have been healthy young people at the beginning of the pandemic who became infected earlier. Now they have Long COVID and are vulnerable and can get infected, reinfected with Omicron. People infected with Delta are now being infected with Omicron.

What we know now, the second version of Omicron, BA.2, will infect people who were previously infected with BA.1. And the next variant, we dont know what that will be, but because we have all this massive amount of virus around the world, we already see the genetic divergence is occurring much more rapidly than when previous variants were spreading.

To assume that we wont get another variant that will be either more severe or even the same severity doesnt make sense. We will, essentially, surely get such a variant. Youd have to win a lottery to not have that happen.

The natural expectation today is not that were going to end up with a baseline number of a few hundred thousand cases a year, which we would have, even if we kept going the way we are, but there are going to be new variants that are going to cause things to be much worse.

There is a fundamental loss in the value of life.

Also, there is a fundamental narrative that is being amplified by the press that we cant do anything about this. And because we cant do anything about this, were going to have to live with it. And because were going to have to live with it, were going to have to accept all this death and disability.

And the suggestion that this is a viable future trajectory even though theres an accumulation of harm and we havent yet even talked aboutwhether its to the heart, the brain, the lungs, or the kidneys and other organsthis is going to have very long-term effects on people. This will undermine life and health. And though life is the most important thing, ultimately, it will affect economic activity, which is what many people are trying to protect. So, the narrative by the media, by the government, which is clearly driven by business considerations rather than health considerations, is undermining even what theyre trying to protect. This has been true since the beginning [of the pandemic] and all the evidence continues to line up with that.

To be continued
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi refused to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine at a leadership summit of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) last Thursday. The meeting of the US-led quasi-military alliance of India, Japan and Australia against China was hosted by US President Joe Biden. While Japan and Australia had already fully endorsed the US-NATO war drive against Russia, Biden hoped to pressure India into publicly condemning the Russian invasion.

Indian Prime Minster Narendra Modi addresses a gathering ahead of Bihar state Assembly elections in Patna, India, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Aftab Alam Siddiqui)

The Modi government is attempting to balance between New Delhis strategic partnership with Washington and its historic defence ties with Moscow. Indias ruling elite regards its strategic partnership with the US that has developed over two decades under Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP) and Congress governments, as the best means of advancing its regional and global ambitions. Indias defence ties with Russia, however, have been a crucial factor in its foreign policy.

In early February, Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar avoided making any comment on the looming Ukraine war at a Quad foreign ministers meeting by insisting that the Quads geographical area was the Indo-Pacific.

Last Thursdays summit, however, was specifically called by Biden to discuss the war against Ukraine and its implications for the Indo-Pacific. Prior to the summit Biden insisted that there was no room for excuses or equivocation on the issue.

A joint statement issued after the summit declared that Quad leaders discussed the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and assessed its broader implications and agreed on a new humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mechanism which will enable the Quad to meet future humanitarian challenges in the Indo-Pacific and provide a channel for communication as they each address and respond to the crisis in Ukraine.

A separate press release issued by the India government, which is desperate to avoid taking sides in any direct military conflict between the US and Russia, said that the Quad discussed developments in Ukraine, including their humanitarian implications, but that Modi had emphasised the need to return to a path of dialogue and diplomacy. The statement added that the Quad must remain focused on its core objective of promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

New Delhis precarious balancing between the US and Russia, however, is becoming increasingly untenable with the rapid escalation of the conflict in the Ukraine.

Washington is not ready to accept anything short of full support for its the war drive against Russia. This was made clear in remarks last Wednesday to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by Donald Lu, the US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia.

At that point India had repeatedly abstained on motions condemning Russia over the Ukraine invasion: twice in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC); once at a special emergency session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA); and in a procedural resolution at UNSC for convening the UNGA session.

All of us have been working to urge India to take a clear position, a position opposed to Russias actions, Lu told the Senate hearing, and warned that India needed to further distance itself from Russia.

In another significant move, the US State Department sent a cable to its diplomats advising them to raise the issue of Ukraine with their counterparts from India and the UAE. The cable reportedly said that the UAEs and Indias position of neutrality on Ukraine put them in Russias camp. At the Wednesday meeting of the UNGA, the UAE voted in favour of the resolution condemning Russia, having previously abstained in two UNSC votes. India, however, continued to abstain.

Although the State Department withdrew the cable later on Wednesday, saying it had included inaccurate language and was released in error, the fact that Washington sent such a cable further highlights pressure being applied to India by the US.

Even as it continues to maintain its neutral position, India has inclined towards the US position.

A US State Department statement issued on Thursday night noted that India has said all member states of the UN are not only obliged to follow the UN Charter but to respect international law and territorial integrity and sovereignty of states. This phraseology echoes Washingtons pretext for preparing war against Russia that it was defending the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.

The harsh economic sanctions now imposed by the US and EU against Russia have forced India to scale back its dependence on defence equipment and supplies from Russia which comprise significant portion of New Delhis military hardware.

As Lu told the Senate committee hearing, It is going to be very hard for any country in the globe to buy major weapon systems from Russia because of the sweeping sanctions now placed on Russian banks. Lu enthusiastically noted a 53 percent decrease in Indias purchase of Russian arms, but insisted that further reductions were required.

Sections of the Indian elite, although still a minority, are demanding the Modi government fully embrace the US war drive against Russia. On March 2, senior Congress party leader P. Chidambaram, tweeted: The Government of India should stop its verbal balancing act and sternly demand that Russia stop immediately the bombing of key cities in Ukraine.

Chidambarams position is not a surprise. The Congress-led government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, from 2004 to 2014, initiated significant ties with the US that developed into a strategic partnership. The current USIndia partnership was further advanced by the Modi government, which has since 2014, transformed the country into a frontline state in Washingtons war drive against Beijing. The US is now demanding that this be extended to include Moscow.

On March 3, Foreign Policy published an article entitled India must take a stand on Russias war in Ukraine by Indiana University Political Science Professor Sumit Ganguly. He argued that New Delhis fence-sitting no longer serves its diplomatic or security interests and warned that there may be limits to the tolerance of the United States and other partners

Indias failure to stand with the United States and other democracies on the Ukraine question could lead to some diplomatic isolation, Ganguly said. He called on the Indian government to muster the fortitude to make costly choices and take a stand.

Notwithstanding Modis appeals for dialogue and diplomacy to avoid taking sides against Russia, the US war drive, driven by the deep economic, social and political crisis at home, will drag in the whole globe, including India and rest of South Asia, and threatens to trigger a nuclear catastrophe.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the deployment of an additional 500 troops to Eastern Europe, amid mounting demands in the US media for a more direct military intervention by the United States against Russia.

The announcement, made public by the Pentagon on Monday, brings the total number of US troops deployed to NATO countries in Eastern Europe to 14,500, spread from Estonia and Latvia on Russias border, through Romania in Southern Europe.

A senior defense official said that the move was supportive of our efforts to be able to defend NATO airspace if needed.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley greets a soldiers of the U.S. Army, at the Training Range in Pabrade, some 60km.(38 miles) north of the capital Vilnius, Lithuania, Sunday, March 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

The Pentagon revealed that Mark Milley, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, last week went to, in the words of CNN, an undisclosed airfield near the Ukrainian border that has become a hub for shipping weapons, to supervise firsthand the running of weapons into the country.

In addition, the United States is considering supplying critical air defense systems to NATO allies in eastern Europe as anxiety mounts that the Russians could consider launching missiles or aircraft against the alliances eastern flank, CNN reported Monday.

CNN wrote that the idea centers around the concern that Russian missiles or aircraft might deliberately attack targets inside NATO territory at some point if Russian President Vladimir Putin decides those nations are a risk to his invasion because of their support for Ukraine.

The report added, The most likely systems that could be deployed by the US are likely to be the Patriot and the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) system.

The announcement that the Pentagon is considering stationing these anti-aircraft systems in NATO territories adjacent to Ukraine comes as demands grow from figures within both US parties and the military for the imposition of a no-fly zone over Ukraine, which would be an effective declaration of war with Russia.

The figures calling for this action include Democrats Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman and former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger, Republican Senator Roger Wicker, and four-star US Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove.

Over the weekend, they were joined by West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, as well as Evelyn Farkas, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia and also a Democrat, who condemned to the Hill the Biden administrations refusal to support a no-fly zone.

I dont want to telegraph to Putin ahead of time what we want to do, especially because we know hes capable of practically anything and we are trying to deter him from further horrific action, from cutting off future options for Ukraine, assistance to Ukraine or our defense of NATO, she said.

Despite these demands, the White House has for now resisted calls to directly engage Russian aircraft, preferring to funnel a torrent of weapons to Ukraine and wage scorched-earth economic warfare against Russia.

Politico reported that There is growing support on both sides of the aisle for a ban on oil imports from Moscow, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday indicated that the U.S. was working on the prospect with European allies.

The US and NATO have up to this point sent Ukraine 17,000 anti-tank missiles and 2,000 stinger anti-aircraft missiles, CNN said it was told by a US official.

The staggering pace of US weapons transfers to Ukraine was spelled out in a report in the New York Times Monday morning, when the president approved $350 million in military aid on Feb. 26 70 percent of it was delivered in five days.

The rapidity of the deployments makes clear that the gun-running operation was prepared well in advance of the Russian invasion.

As the Times wrote, The military was able to push those shipments forward quickly by tapping into pre-positioned military stockpiles ready to roll onto Air Force C-17 transport planes and other cargo aircraft, and flying them to about half a dozen staging bases in neighboring countries, chiefly in Poland and Romania.

The article expresses significant unease about the scale of the weapons transfers into Ukraine, warning, So far, Russian forces have been so preoccupied in other parts of the country that they have not targeted the arms supply lines, but few think that can last.

The Times notes that the US has made an effort to avoid being seen as a co-combatant in the war, engaged in a direct conflict with a nuclear-armed Russia.

But the Times warns that as the weapons flow in and if efforts to interfere in Russian communications and computer networks escalate, some US national security officials say they have a foreboding that such conflict is increasingly likely.

The article concludes, ominously, In the case of Ukraine, a senior American official said, the question resonating around the White House is more like: Tell me how we dont get sucked into a superpower conflict.

Meanwhile, the war is already being seized upon as the pretense for massively expanding US military spending, coupled with attacks on bedrock social programs.

NATO Needs More Guns and Less Butter, blared an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, demanding that Social Security and Medicare be gutted by means-testing them.

In an accompanying editorial, the Journal demands, Any conflict would require enormous amounts of munitions, and on current plans US forces could run out of some of the most lethal and important stuff in weeks. The Pentagon needs to ramp up planned purchases of long-range anti-ship and joint air-to-surface standoff missilesnow.
On Sunday evening, House Sergeant-at-Arms William Walker, the former commander of the Washington D.C. National Guard, announced that the Capitol Police Board had issued an emergency declaration in response to the arrival of the anti-vaccine, pro-Trump Peoples Convoy.



In a letter addressed to all members of Congress and their staff Walker wrote: The Capitol Police Board has issued an emergency declaration to ensure that the US Capitol police are able to operate and respond as necessary. According to CNN, Walker advised members and staff to consider telework options and use public transportation if they do have to come to the Capitol.



Walker was a major-general in command of the D.C. National Guard during the January 6, 2021 attack on Congress by pro-Trump elements seeking to delay the certification of Joe Bidens victory in the 2020 presidential election. Following the attack, Walker was nominated by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to be the new sergeant-at-arms.



In testimony before Congress, Walker has claimed that senior military leadership delayed the deployment of troops under his command, even as police and lawmakers at the Capitol were pleading for help. Walker has repeatedly insisted that urgent requests for National Guard support from then Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund were unnecessarily delayed by two senior Army generals, Walter Piatt and Charles Flynn.



In justifying their refusal to allow Walker to deploy a quick reaction force of soldiers to assist the purposely undermanned Capitol Police, Walker has testified that Piatt and Flynn complained about the optics of sending soldiers to the Capitol as it was under attack by neo-Nazi and fascist paramilitaries, such as the Oath Keepers, 11 of whom have been charged with seditious conspiracy.



There is no question that it has been impressed upon leaders of the Peoples Convoy that any attempt to mimic the occupation of Ottawa, Canadas capital, in Washington D.C., will be met with a swift response from the police and military. The current deployment of National Guard soldiers has been extended through Wednesday and steel security fencing remains in place around the Capitol Complex.



For the second straight day, participants in the convoy avoided entering Washington D.C. proper and instead did another 64-mile loop of the Capital Beltway to show their opposition to any public health measures aimed at combating the spread of the coronavirus, which continues to kill an average of over 1,500 people a day in the United States.



Local WTOP Traffic reports claimed that there were not nearly as many participants compared to Sundays drive, which itself caused no significant traffic disruptions or delays. Unlike Sunday, the convoy, comprised of semi-trucks, recreational and personal vehicles adorned with American flags and pro-Trump slogans, made only one loop around D.C., not two, before returning to the Hagerstown Speedway in Maryland.



Co-organizer of the convoy and Republican operative Brian Brase expressed the concerns of many in the crowd during a mass meeting Monday morning: Im fearful ... of them trying to do to us what they did to those involved in January 6. It is our belief that they will try to do that.



Some 750 low-level thugs and direct participants in the attack on the Capitol have been charged for their actions. But former president Donald Trump and other high level co-conspirators remain uncharged, some 14 months after attempting to block the certification of the election and overthrow the Constitution to keep Trump in the White House.

Trucks and other vehicles with the ultra-right "People's Convoy" head South on Interstate I-270 Sunday, March 6, 2022, in Frederick, Md., toward the Capital Beltway. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)



So with that said we are making diplomatic moves, Brase said. That means that we are not, at this time, meaning today and tomorrow, we are not and will not, go into D.C. proper, he said. As murmurs of discontent began to grow within the far-right group, Brase quickly acknowledged the divisions, adding: Again ... I know some here really, passionately want that to happen.



While the anti-vaccine caravan continues to remain encamped outside of D.C., at a later meeting, Brase claimed that Republican Senators Ron Johnson (Wisconsin) and Ted Cruz (Texas) would be meeting with the convoy on Tuesday.



Just got word Ron Johnson has officially confirmed meeting with us and hes working with Ted Cruz, Brase tweeted. Cruz was one of seven Republican senators who voted to overturn the election of Biden following the attack on the Capitol on January 6. Both Johnson and Cruz have adopted Trumps fascistic lie that the attempted coup was nothing more than a protest in favor of election integrity that simply got out of hand, due to the involvement of deep state agents provocateurs and amorphous antifa elements.



While the far-right network Right Side Broadcasting News reported that organizers for the Peoples Convoy would be meeting with far-right Republican representatives Matt Gaetz (Florida), Thomas Massie (Kentucky) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (Georgia) on Monday, this was apparently delayed until Tuesday.



As Republican lawmakers weigh backing the convoy in the midst of the war drive against Russia and the rapid scrapping of any remaining COVID-19 mitigation measures, the Democrats maintain their stony silence on the growth and nurturing of the far right by their Republican colleagues while upholding the police and military as the ultimate defenders of democratic rights.



Democratic D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton issued a press release headlined, Norton Thanks Capitol Police Chief for Prompt and Thorough Briefing as Trucker Convoys Reach National Capitol Region. She said that Chief J. Thomas Manger informed her that there were two convoys in the area: one based out of Hagerstown and one parking at the Dominion Raceway.



She said that Manger told her, he was more worried last week, before the State of the Union, prior to making contact with the convoys, and he currently does not expect either of the groups to cause security problems in the area.



In an interview with the Washington Post, Norton admitted that with the Democrats overseeing the elimination of the few extremely limited vaccine and mask mandates in the US, and the rewriting of CDC mask mandates, most of the convoys central pro-pandemic demands have already been met.



Referring to the ultra-right protesters, Norton observed, It seems their cause has dissolved with masks coming down, and covid no longer quite the problem it has been nationwide. She made no reference to the more than 1,300 people in Washington D.C. who have died from coronavirus so far.




Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison yesterday exploited the Russian invasion of Ukraine to launch another major military buildup, starting with building a $10 billion base for US, UK and Australian nuclear-powered submarines on Australias east coast, clearly directed at preparing for war against China.

Scott Morrison speaking at the National Press Club in February [Source: Facebook/Scott Morrison]

While spending virtually nothing on relief and assistance for the tens of thousands of victims of the floods devastating people throughout large areas of Australias east, the Liberal-National government is pouring billions of dollars more into military preparations.

Morrison, who has supported every US-led invasion and regime-change operation for decadesfrom the Balkans to Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syriadeclared that Russia and China constitute an arc of autocracy that is threatening the rules-based international order.

This turns reality on its head. Washington and its allies are resorting to militarism, including the expansion of NATO to Russias borders, to seek to provoke confrontations with the states regarded as a threat to the hegemony the US gained through World War II.

The rules-based order, which Morrison falsely depicted as one of peace and stability and free from coercion, is actually one dominated by the US imperialism that sets the rules according to its economic and strategic interests.

The label arc of autocracy is a warning of war plans. It is reminiscent of former US President George W. Bush calling Iran, North Korea and Iraq an axis of evil in 2002, as the US pretext for the invasion and destruction of Iraq, which caused an estimated one million deaths.

In a speech to the Lowy Institute, a Sydney-based think tank, Morrison ramped up his Coalition governments accusations against China, depicting it as complicit in the Ukraine invasion, as part of a plot to dominate the globe. He alleged that Beijing was providing Putins government with a lifeline by allowing wheat exports from Russia and by refusing to line up with the condemnation and sanctions against Russia by the US and other imperialist powers.

The prime minister emphasised that Australia is actively participating in the developing war against Russia, boasting that our missiles are on the ground now. That was a reference to the $70 million already sent to NATO to supply the Ukrainian regime with lethal weapons.

The construction of a nuclear submarine base on the east coast, to operate in addition to the existing Indian Ocean submarine base near Perth, Western Australia, is part of plans for a US-led military conflagration with China. Morrison said the base would enable the regular visiting of US and UK nuclear-powered submarines.

This flows from the AUKUS agreement signed between the three countries last September for a closer integration of their forces against China, including the provision of nuclear-powered attack submarines to Australia for the first time.

The strategic significance of the new base was underscored by the Wall Street Journal, which began its report as follows: Australia is planning to build a new naval base on its east coast that could offer resupply and maintenance to American nuclear submarines, increasing the capabilities of both countries in countering China in the Indo-Pacific region.

The article noted that the US wanted to make Australia more central to its strategy for the Indo-Pacific against China. It reported: During bilateral talks between Australia and the US last year, officials said they wanted to enhance air, land and sea cooperation, including increasing logistics and support capabilities of US naval vessels in Australia.

Without providing any details, Morrison said the base would provide submarines with specialised wharves, maintenance facilities, administrative and logistics support, personal amenities and suitable accommodation for submarine crews and ancillary staff, including from the US and UK.

While complaining of not being briefed in advance, opposition Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese, reiterated his partys support for AUKUS and the acquisition of nuclear submarines. His only criticism was that the government was acting too slowly.

Todays announcement is really an announcement about an announcement, he said yesterday. What we actually need is announcements that lead to actual infrastructure and announcements that lead to actual defence materiel being realised.

Ordinary people in the three port cities short-listed by the government as sites for the baseBrisbane, Newcastle and Wollongonghave already raised concerns. Fears are being expressed throughout social media that the nuclear submarine base could become a target in any nuclear war, along with existing US facilities, such as the Pine Gap satellite communications base in central Australia.

In these cities, as elsewhere, there is a long history of working-class opposition to nuclear war and preparations for it. As a result, the three city councils have formally declared themselves nuclear-free zones since the 1980s or 1990s. However, they have no legal power to enforce bans on nuclear weapons and infrastructure against the federal and state governments.

The governments $10 billion allocation for the base will be part of boosted military spending to be unveiled in the planned March 29 federal budget, just weeks before a scheduled national election. Morrison said the government was already investing $578 billion in the nations Defence Force over the next decade, including over $280 billion in enhanced defence capability.

On Sunday, Defence Minister Peter Dutton, who is vying to replace the increasingly unpopular Morrison, again sought to outbid the prime minister in anti-China witch hunting. Dutton said he was concerned by the alliance between China and Russia and claimed Beijing was amassing nuclear weapons.

Interviewed on the Australian Broadcasting Corporations Insiders television program, Dutton suggested providing direct military support to Taiwan, which is still recognised by the US and its allies as part of China. He outlined a Cold War-era domino theory that Russia and China would seek wider conquests if they succeeded in Ukraine and Taiwan: The question is, as it is in the Ukraine at the moment, if its Taiwan does it just stop there?

Dutton said a decision on whether to purchase US or UK submarines would be made within the next couple of months, that is, before the next federal election due by May, dramatically cutting short the timeframe previously announced by Morrison.

Morrisons speech failed to win the backing of some prominent figures closely associated with the US. Greg Sheridan, the foreign editor of the Murdoch medias Australian, today said it was one of the most profoundly disappointing prime ministerial speeches in modern times.

Like Albanese, Sheridan insisted that the submarine-acquisition and basing plans were too far into the future. In announcing a never-never base for a never-never sub, the government has determined it will do nothing in the immediate or even middle distance future, he wrote.

Sheridan did not stop there. He declared that Australias military force structure had not changed despite the Ukraine crisis and apparently will not change under this government.

This is a further warning, on top of the recent promotion of Albanese by Sheridan and the Australian Financial Review (AFR), that elements within the ruling class are moving to back a Labor-led and trade union-backed government as a means of prosecuting war and imposing the resulting deep attacks on working-class conditions, as Labor governments did in both world wars.

The editorial in todays AFR provided a whiff of how the wealthy corporate elite is already seizing on the Ukraine crisis to intensify its decades-long offensive against workers and social spending. It said the seismic global shock in Ukraine had produced the jolt needed to pursue incentive-sharpening structural tax and workplace reform.

Invoking wartime language, the editorial said hard guns versus butter choices were needed. That meant doubling military spending, while ending the addiction of the political system to promising more money for endless worthy causes.
A Norfolk Southern freight train was partly derailed on Saturday, forcing Amtrak to suspend service between Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia for the weekend. The derailment occurred on the Northeast Corridor, which, in addition to serving as a pathway for freight, is the busiest passenger rail line in the United States.

Two Norfolk Southern locomotives (Credit: Jud McCranie/Wikimedia)

Norfolk Southern is a Class I railroad that operates 19,300 miles of track in 22 states and the District of Columbia. It is a major transporter of coal from Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. In a filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, the company reported railway operating revenue of $11.1 billion for 2021.

The derailment occurred at 2 a.m. on Saturday in Perryman, Maryland, which is about 20 miles north of Baltimore. The Norfolk Southern train was hauling 130 cars, and 20 of them derailed, spilling coal onto almost a mile of track also used by Amtrak. The county and local police were not immediately informed of the accident, spokespeople told the Baltimore Sun. No one was injured in the accident, and Norfolk Southern is investigating its cause.

Because of the derailment, Amtrak suspended all service between Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia for Saturday and Sunday. It also operated a modified schedule with limited Acela Express service between New York and Philadelphia. At least 20 trains on the Northeast Corridor were canceled or postponed. Amtrak also canceled the Palmetto service between Savannah, Georgia, and New York. Service between Philadelphia and Washington was scheduled to resume on Monday.

Derailments are a daily occurrence among freight railroads in the United States. A total of 1,042 freight train derailments, which excludes Amtrak derailments, occurred in 2021, according to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). This total yields an average of three derailments per day. During the five years before the pandemic, the annual number of derailments averaged about 1,300. In 2020, the number decreased to just above 1,000. This number, while still high, reflects the spread of the virus among workers and decreased traffic at the onset of the pandemic.

In the past four weeks alone, the following incidents occurred:

On March 6, two Union Pacific trains derailed near Pittsburg, Texas. The trains had been coupled together at a length of more than 13,000 feet. Four locomotives were pulling the trains.

On February 24, a train derailed in Joplin, Missouri, rolling onto the road and blocking traffic for hours. News reports did not name the company.

On February 21, 20 cars on a Union Pacific Train derailed near Coolidge, Arizona, spilling cyclohexanone, a solvent used for metal degreasing and spot removal.

On February 17, a BNSF train derailed in Frazee, Minnesota, striking and derailing a second train, which was stopped. Some of the cars were hauling lithium batteries and petroleum, and nearby residents were evacuated as a precaution.

On February 12, seven empty cars derailed on a BNSF train leaving Denver, Colorado. Three cars fell into the South Platte River.

Excessively long trains, overworked crews and reduced maintenance teams contribute to derailments. The dangerous policies that the freight railroads have adopted are having predictable results. At BNSF, these conditions have been compounded by a new points-based attendance policy that exacerbates workers already grueling schedules.

Instituted last month, the policy is intended to ensure that workers are available for duty around the clock, which will increase stress, fatigue and the risk of accidents. Many workers have resigned since the policy was implemented, and reducing employee head count was doubtless among the companys motivations.

Norfolk Southern alone had 144 derailments in 2021, which is approximately 14 percent of the total for the industry. In the five years before the pandemic, Norfolk Southern averaged about 180 derailments per year.

The railroad has been involved in several serious accidents in recent years. In September 2018, a Norfolk Southern train derailed and fell onto the Station Square T station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was carrying 23 rail cars, each one loaded with two containers. The fallen cars damaged the rails to such an extent that light-rail cars could not pass through the station for weeks. An FRA investigation concluded that a defect in the rail, which a recent inspection had not detected, had caused the derailment.

An even more serious incident occurred in October 2006, when a Norfolk Southern train derailed while crossing the Beaver River in New Brighton, Pennsylvania. The train carried 83 tank cars full of denatured ethanol, a flammable substance. Twenty-three of the tank cars fell, and about 20 released ethanol, which ignited and burned for two days. Homes in the area were evacuated until the fires were extinguished. The National Transportation Safety Board found that Norfolk Southerns inadequate rail inspection and maintenance program had caused the derailment.

The Station Square derailment involving 23 double-stacked cars reflects the railroads ongoing efforts to boost profits by increasing the amount of freight that trains carry. Trains now haul more cars than they did previously and can extend for as long as three miles. At the same time, the companies have reduced crews from five workers to two over the past decades to cut expenses. This prioritization of profit above all else places a heavy burden on the infrastructure, leading to rail breakages and derailments.

Indeed, the railroad tracks themselves have been the most frequent cause of derailments in recent years, according to FRA data. The freight railways are owned and maintained by the railroad companies.

But since Amtrak travels mostly on track owned by the freight railroads, the latters cost-cutting also jeopardizes the riding publics safety. Passengers who had planned to travel on the Northeast Corridor last weekend were forced to make alternate arrangements at the last minute, or to cancel their trips altogether. The freight railroads thirst for profit thus interferes with workers ability to commute to their jobs or to visit their families.

The adequate maintenance of the railways collides with the profit motive, which pushes the wealthy investors who own the railroads to drive down expenses as much as possible.
The so-called NSU 2.0 trial began at the Frankfurt Regional Court on February 15. Between August 2018 and March 2021, hundreds of threatening letters were sent to artists, lawyers, and politicians under the acronym NSU 2.0, which is a reference to the neo-Nazi terrorist group National Socialist Underground (NSU) responsible for the murder of nine immigrants and a policewoman.

The recipients were insulted and threatened with murder, among other things. Of particular concern is that the letters contained protected personal data about residential addresses and family members of those affected, which were known only to the police.

Already, a familiar pattern is emerging. Only one alleged individual perpetrator stands accused, 54-year-old Alexander M. from Berlin. He is charged by the public prosecutor with issuing threats, coercion and insults. The question of the background to the case and any accomplicesespecially from the ranks of the policeis being hushed up. As in the Munich trial of the NSU, which had murdered nine immigrants and a policewoman between 2000 and 2007, the numerous clues and evidence pointing to the state apparatus, the police and the secret service are being ignored.

Lawyer Seda Basay-Yldz (right) with Abdulkerim Simsek on the day of the verdict in the NSU trial (Image: Henning Schlottmann/CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons)

A look at the current facts clearly shows that (1) it could not have been a single perpetrator, and (2) at least one police officer must have helped suspect Alexander M. retrieve data from a police computer in Frankfurt. Despite this, the public prosecutors office is not bringing charges against any police officers and remains silent about the reasons for this. The indictment does not even attempt to explain who was responsible for querying the database in the Frankfurt police station. It is claimed the investigations had simply led to no result.

On the first day of the trial, the 124-page indictment was read out. The defendant Alexander M. is accused of having written and sent a total of 116 threatening letters. People such as lawyer Seda Basay-Yldz, cabaret artist Idil Baydar and the then chairwoman of the Left Party parliamentary group in the Hesse state parliament, Janine Wissler, were written to via email, fax and SMS with the signoff NSU-2.0.

Others affected were satirists and comedians Jan Bohmermann, Christian Erich, Caroline Kebekus, politicians Martina Renner (Left Party), Jutta Dithfurt (Okolinx), Sawsan Chebli (Social Democratic Party, SPD), Bundestag Vice President Claudia Roth (Green Party), Katja Kipping (Left Party), Katrin Goring-Eckardt (Green Party), Karamba Diaby (SPD), as well as taz columnist Hengameh Yaghoobifarah, journalists Deniz Yucel and Anja Reschke, and publicist Michel Friedman.

Alexander M. is alleged to have committed 85 criminal offences, including 67 extreme libels, public incitement to commit crimes, incitement of the people, possession of child and youth pornographic writings and a violation of the Weapons Act.

It all began on August 2, 2018, when Basay-Yldz received an initial threatening letter, citing her correct address and the name of her young daughter: In retaliation for 10,000 euros in fines, well slaughter your daughter. The lawyer had represented the family of the NSUs first murder victim, Enver Simsek, in the NSU trial from 2013 to 2018. All the letters are written in this vile tone.

The defendant faces five years in prison. He was arrested in his Berlin apartment on May 3, 2021, after the police had allegedly previously investigated him unsuccessfully for years. During the operation, he allegedly pulled out a blank pistol. Threatening letters were found on the computer of the unemployed computer scientist.

His background fits well with the crimes. In the past, he allegedly posed as a civil servant to get information from his former teacher. He was on right-wing extremist blogs, where he called himself SS-Obersturmbannfuhrer, among other things. His demeanour in the courtroom was also very aggressive: he repeatedly interrupted the judge and the prosecutor and held up two fingers to the press cameras.

The first witnesses to testify were Basay-Yldz and Mehmet Daimaguler, both lawyers for NSU victims. They reported how the threatening letters containing personal information and the possible involvement of police officers had put them under massive psychological pressure.

Over a dozen letters reached Basay-Yldz. Her parents and their dates of birth were also mentioned in them, and her new address, which was classified as secret, was posted on the internet. Unknown people walked around her house and took photos. The identities of these people remain unclear to this day. Basay-Yldz is clear that helpers at the police department were involved in at least the first letter.

Just 90 minutes before the first threatening communication was received on August 2, 2018, her data was queried on a police computer at the 1st Precinct in Frankfurt am Main. In total, 17 requests were made for data on the lawyer without official cause. Experienced investigators say that such extensive queries are very unusual. As a rule, they are made when the identity of the suspect is unknown after an arrest. Such a query, they say, takes about six minutes.

Of the six officers who had access to the police computer during that time, none supposedly remembered who had used it. Nor did anyone remember any supposed calls from outside. Everyone has remained silent ever since.

After a search on September 11, 2018, State Criminal Office (LKA) investigators confiscated a phone from the officer under whose account the query had been made. A right-wing extremist Whatsapp chat group was found on the phone. In it, six police officers and a private person exchanged pictures with Nazi images (including swastikas and Adolf Hitler) and vicious jokes about Jews, people with disabilities and refugees. According to the Suddeutsche Zeitung, the Frankfurt police did not inform the LKA about the chat group.

On October 25, 2018, a house search of Johannes S., one of the officers of the 1st Precinct, found a museum-like room filled with Nazi memorabilia. This officer was the focus of the investigation for a long time; he was suspected of having made the database query on August 2, 2018.

As it turned out, he had falsified his alibi, according to which he was on an operation at the time of the query. However, this took place 48 minutes later, which would also make him a possible sender of the first threatening communication to Basay-Yldz. A phrase that Johannes S. used in the right-wing extremist chat (Ill rip your head off and shit down your neck) is also frequently found in the threatening letters. Police officer S. is also familiar with anonymous surfing and the so-called Tor network, which is needed to access the darknet.

On the same evening that Basay-Yldz received the first threatening letter, an anonymous call for violence against her was also posted on the de.indymedia.org platform, also giving her private address. A later letter even used her new address, which was classified as secret, suggesting that another database query must have occurred later. If there had been another telephone inquiry, the LKA would have been notified, but that never happened.

Martina Renner (Left Party), a member of the Thuringia state parliament active against right-wing extremism, also testified at the trial. She reported the psychological effects that the threats of violence had on her, to the point that you dream about it.

Although Renner received a total of 11 threatening NSU 2.0 letters, as well as numerous other right-wing extremist threats, the LKA in Berlin and Thuringia downplayed the letters and spoke of an abstract threat. Renner had to take private security measures. She said she had not wanted to turn to the Hesse LKA because of their involvement in far-right scandals: They werent the first port of call when it came to confidence-building measures.

Childrens nurseries were also put on alert and courts evacuated because the NSU 2.0 had sent bomb threats.

Basay-Yldz and four other recipients of threatening letters protested on Twitter before the trial began: For us, its a scandal that the investigation was conducted against an alleged lone perpetrator.

Alexander M., who testified on the second day of the trial, denied the allegations against him. Regarding the prosecution theory that he had retrieved the data from the police computers using a false identity, he said, That I obtained any amount of top-secret data from the police computers via phone calls would be a unique nonsense in German legal history.

According to him, the threatening letters came from a far-right chat group on the Darknet, which he had participated in since 2019. I was sure that police officers were also involved there because of the extensive insider knowledge and many official secrets, but I cant prove it, the defendant said. After he had contradicted the claim that there was a Jewish world conspiracy, he was expelled from the group in the summer of 2020, he said. Nevertheless, he said he has the identities of some chat participants, which he could provide to the court. In return, however, he wanted to be included in the witness protection program.

It would appear Alexander M. was involved in issuing the threatening letters, but that he wrote them alone, without any collaborators, is completely unlikely. The central question that the prosecution is avoiding in the trial is: How did the Berlin right-wing extremist (or other perpetrators) obtain protected data from the Frankfurt police? In addition, data was also retrieved from police stations in Wiesbaden, Berlin and Hamburg.

The answer of the police, claiming M. pretended to be an official in telephone calls, is absurd. The public prosecutors office mentions only briefly in passing that there were also investigations against police officers, but it was allegedly not possible to find out who had made the computer query on August 2, 2018.

After the indictment of Alexander M., Hesse Interior Minister Beuth had declared the police exonerated: According to everything we know today, no Hesse police officer was ever responsible for the NSU 2.0 threats. In response to an inquiry from the Deutsche Presse-Agentur, the state Interior Ministry reiterated: Hesse police officers were at no time the senders of or participants in the NSU 2.0 series of threatening emails.
Recent studies of the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron suggest that it is both more transmissible and more lethal than Omicron BA.1, and that it is quickly supplanting the previous variant in country after country. The findings directly contradict the claims of governments around the world that the pandemic is ending, that Omicron is mild, and that public health measures to fight to pandemic can be relaxed or eliminated altogether.

Children and their caregivers arrive for school in New York, Monday, March 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

These findings come as the recent drop in COVID infections worldwide has slowed, and seems to have hit a plateau. All previous such plateaus have been followed by a new and more widespread and deadly upsurge, usually associated with a new variant, such as Alpha (originating in Britain), Delta (first detected in India) and Omicron (first identified in South Africa). A new surge may well be triggered by the spread of BA.2.

For their part, the Biden administration and corporate media have virtually dropped any discussion of the pandemic, focusing all their attention on the war in Ukraine and the frenzied efforts of the NATO countries to intervene in the crisis and prepare for war with Russia. The subject of COVID-19 has virtually disappeared from the news, under conditions where 1,500 people on average are dying each day in the US. The month of February closed with 61,000 total COVID deaths, and January and February were the fourth and fifth worst months of the pandemic, despite nearly three-quarters of the eligible population being vaccinated.

The most alarming report has come in a study at the University of Tokyo, which compared Omicron BA.1 and BA.2, and concluded that BA.2 is so different that it should be classified as a full-fledged new variant, the most dangerous yet to emerge in the COVID-19 pandemic, now in its third year.

Based on our findings, we propose that BA.2 should be recognized as a unique variant of concern, and this SARS-CoV-2 variant should be monitored in depth, said lead scientist Kei Sato.

In an interview conducted after the Tokyo study was made public, and published today on the WSWS, scientist Yaneer Bar-Yam, co-founder of the World Health Network, which advocates a policy of eliminating COVID rather than living with the virus, explained the significance of the findings.

The study found that BA.2 is not only more transmissible than BA.1, it is more vaccine evading and more resistant to previous infection by BA.1. If you were previously infected by BA.1, the level of protection to BA.2 is not the same as BA.1. BA.2 will bypass immunity after infection by BA.1 and lead to [higher risk] of another infection, he told us.

The Tokyo study also found that, in animals, BA.2 caused substantially more damage than BA.1, because it drove the infection deeper into the lungs than the original Omicron sub-variant. Bar-Yam told the WSWS: Now, obviously this is something that we still need to see in people, but if you realize that this is whats happening in hamsters, you should stop assuming that its okay and you should go back and look at whats going on now.

Bar-Yam said the description of BA.2 as a sub-variant of Omicron was likely incorrect. BA.2 is different enough from BA.1 that it should be given its own designationits own Greek letteraccording to the current numbering scheme. But thats politically not very comfortable because people are declaring this to be over and having a new Greek letter would raise questions that require us to reevaluate whats going on.

Other studies have confirmed that BA.2 is displacing BA.1. The new strain of COVID is now found in 8-10 percent of genetic samples in the United States, about where the first Omicron variant was in early December.

Other recent studies confirm that BA.2 is more transmissible than BA.1 by a factor of 50 percent (in Denmark, where BA.2 is now dominant), and in the Tokyo study, which found a 40 percent increase in infectivity.

Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead on COVID-19 for the World Health Organization, said, BA.2 has a growth advantage even over BA.1, and that accordingly, We need to drive transmission down. Because if we dont, we will not only see more cases, more hospitalizations, more deaths, but we will see more people suffering from Long Covid and we will see more opportunities for new variants to emerge.

A study by Michigan State University reviews a range of findings on BA.2 and concludes, We forecast Omicron BA.2 will become another prevailing variant by infecting populations with or without antibody protection.

In particular, BA.2 was found to be 30 percent more vaccine-resistant than BA.1 and 17 times more vaccine-resistant than the Delta variant. It has significantly more mutations than BA.1, including four unique mutations in the receptor binding domain, the key area for attaching the virus to cells in the body and invading them.

A Massachusetts study found, There is increasing evidence that the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among vaccinated individuals is variant-specific, suggesting that protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 may differ by variant. Other research confirms that this applies to the two sub-variants of Omicron: infection with BA.1 does not protect from a subsequent infection with BA.2

The journal Nature published a study Monday involving patients, all over 50, who underwent brain scans both before and after contracting COVID-19. The study found tissue damage primarily in areas related to the sense of smell, but also in some areas connected to other brain functions.

Other reports documented the ongoing toll of the pandemic. According to Michigan Medicines National Poll on Healthy Aging, older adults postponed or canceled 30 percent of their health care appointments, including tests, procedures, and operations, as well as annual check-ups, for pandemic-related reasons. Vaccinated people canceled far more often than the unvaccinated.

A report in the Washington Post Monday highlighted the impact of the pandemic on mental healthnot the bogus claims that remote learning causes mental illness in children, but the real consequences of mass death and suffering on the population, under conditions of a scarcity of resources for mental health care.

The Post noted: The federal governments mental health and substance abuse referral line fielded 833,598 calls in 2020, 27 percent more than in 2019, before the pandemic began. In 2021, the number rose again, to 1.02 million.

Besides a series of harrowing interviews with people desperate for counseling and other services, but unable to access them, the article noted extremely long waiting lists for pediatric health care servicesa 10-month wait at Boston Medical Center, for example. There are only 8,300 child psychiatrists in the United States to serve 15 million young people estimated to need them, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

This avalanche of scientific evidence of the ongoing and worsening danger from COVID-19 cuts across the policies of most capitalist governments (except China), which have largely abandoned any effort to limit the spread of the virus, claiming that the pandemic is ending and that vaccination has effectively ended the risk of hospitalization and death.

The purpose of this propaganda campaign is to enforce the back-to-work, back-to-school policy which is based, not on science or public health, but on the requirements of the capitalist system, which demands workers on the job generating profits for the corporations and the super-rich.
Facing a $125 million budget deficit, San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) has announced layoffs of 264 full-time and up to 100 part-time employees who will receive layoff notices on March 15. Those affected include 151 teachers, counselors and social workers.

Teachers and parent protest school cuts in San Francisco (Source: UESF)

United Educators of San Francisco (UESF), the union that claims to represent teachers, has refused to mobilize educators against these cuts, simply advocating that teachers sign a petition. UESF President Cassondra Curiel issued an empty appeal, stating, There is no financial reason to get rid of these vital educators, who provide essential instruction, services, and programs to students and their families.

Layoff notices became a matter of routine in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis and have once again become a yearly occurrence. Though the 20222023 state budget is $197 billion and the state anticipates a $31 billion surplus, defending public education is of little concern to the states Democratic Party politicians and San Franciscos school board, which instead obsesses over reactionary racialist politics.

The policies of the school board members left them vulnerable to a right-wing campaign to recall three members. This was backed by San Francisco Mayor London Breed, one of the most fervent advocates of in-person learning as the pandemic continues to rage, in order to force parents back to work and increase the wealth of Californias financial elite.

With the recall of the three board members and the announced retirement of current Superintendent Vincent Matthews, Breed will create a compliant school board tasked with further assaults on public education and teachers salaries as part of the Democratic Partys funneling of funding to charter schools.

Two weeks ago, in his Letters From the Desk of the Superintendent, Matthews wrote, Funding for schools and districts is based on the numbers and characteristics of students served. For the past three years, school site budgets have not decreased proportional to the decrease in the number of students they serve.

The justification used by Bay Area school boards and politicians to blame school closures on low attendance is a cynical argument that deliberately ignores the link between the decline in school attendance and the deadly pandemic policies pursued by the ruling class. There has been an explosion in child COVID-19 infections and deaths across the US, fueled by the Omicron variant and exacerbated by the decision to reopen K-12 schools to in-person learning since fall 2021 after endless media propaganda that children are safe from COVID-19 infection.

COVID-19 cases in the San Francisco Bay Area caused massive staffing shortages and student absences, with as much as 20 percent of all staff out sick at Oakland Unified School District in January and many classrooms left empty of students. Many parents see no other option to keep their children safe than to pull them out of school. California as a whole has had over 8,000,000 cases and almost 84,000 deaths during the pandemic. The callous push for in-person teaching has resulted in teacher deaths and fear among students, parents and educators.

The situation in San Francisco will only become worse as UESF has agreed with the district to end the mask mandate for middle and high school students on March 12, with elementary schools joining on April 2. In a basic assault on public health, the union and the district are putting students and their families at risk by making safety measures a matter of individual responsibility and encouraging COVID-19 transmission.

Amanda Hart, a UESF spokesperson, told the San Francisco Standard, Theres enough mixed feelings about this issue that were going to have to find a balance here. Were trying to be respectful of peoples personal choice at this point.

On the other side of San Francisco Bay, the Oakland Education Association (OEA) is following the same path as the UESF. After agreeing to end classroom quarantine measures and calling off a student strike in the middle of the Omicron surge, the union now refuses to wage a fight against massive budget cuts and the resulting impact on students and staff. Both San Francisco and Oakland students have significant poverty rates of 53 percent and 73.8 percent, respectively.

In addition to the acceptance of mass layoffs, the UESF has betrayed its members by signing a tentative agreement for a sellout contract that will expire on June 30, 2023. San Francisco teachers had been working almost two years under an expired contract. The full details of the contract remain hidden, but a $4,000 bonus that has been made public gives a clue to the crumbs being distributed.

Since the expiration of the last contract, the consumer price index has risen 9 percent, and by June of next year it may reach 12 or 15 percent. For the average San Francisco teacher earning $75,846, that will result in a 710 percent salary cut. In addition, sabbaticals and extra preparation periods for Advanced Placement teachers will be suspended or limited in the next two years.

Teachers and students across the region have held sickouts and wildcat strikes over school closures, while the teachers unions have sabotaged an effective strategy to combat the disease. While the pandemic has ushered in record profits for the states 189 billionaires, the economic costs of widespread illness are being paid by teachers, students and the rest of the working class.

Governor Newsom initiated an endemic COVID-19 policy last month, which will enable Californians to live with the virus by turning COVID-19 infections into a yearly routine. Few residents are reassured by this plan, and last week educators in Grass Valley, California, called in sick due to the lifting of mask mandates. No one should have any confidence in the proclamation that COVID-19 has become endemic. Despite the reduction of drastic cases, the BA.2 Omicron subvariant as well as future variants will result in further transmission and death.

Throughout California, students, parents and teachers have opposed the two-pronged assault of in-person schooling and budget cuts. The teachers unions, beholden to the Democratic Party and the capitalist system, have sabotaged every struggle and agreed to every attack on education. We urge educators, parents and students in the Bay Area and throughout the region to organize independently and join the West Coast Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committees to carry out the necessary struggle to fight to defend jobs and education.
Weather Alert

...The National Weather Service in Indianapolis IN has issued a Flood Warning for the following rivers in Indiana... White River at Elliston and Edwardsport. Wabash River at Montezuma. .Multiple rounds of rain over the last few days including today will lead to minor flooding along lower portions of the White River and upper portions on the Wabash River. Additional rainfall later this week should keep portions of the White and Wabash above flood stage through Saturday. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Motorists should not attempt to drive around barricades or drive cars through flooded areas. Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Additional information is available at www.weather.gov/ind. This statement will be updated within the next 12 to 24 hours. && ...FLOOD WARNING IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT TO SUNDAY EVENING... * WHAT...Minor flooding is forecast. * WHERE...Wabash River at Montezuma. * WHEN...From late tonight to Sunday evening. * IMPACTS...At 18.0 feet, Montezuma agricultural levee is overtopped. Fourteen hundred acres of low bottomlands flood. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - At 10:45 AM EDT Tuesday the stage was 9.1 feet. - Forecast...The river will oscillate around flood stage with a maximum value of 16.4 feet early Saturday morning. - Flood stage is 14.0 feet. - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood &&
The COVID-19 antiviral pills Paxlovid and Molnupiravir are already available in the United States.
Gannaway

LUNA COUNTY, N.M.  Over the past several months, Luna County has seen a dramatic increase in traffic related deaths. Most of this seems to involve speed and/or alcohol and appears to be affecting, primarily, young adults.

Over the next several months, the Luna County Sheriff's Office will be focusing its traffic safety programs addressing this problem. They will be ramping up the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program, DWI saturation patrols and roadblocks, focusing on locations that these programs will be more effective toward. "We are also seeking additional funding through the Luna County DWI Prevention Program," said LCSO Sheriff Kelly Gannaway.

"Law enforcement alone cannot prevent such tragedies from occurring. I encourage you to talk with the teenagers and young adults in your family about being responsible when they are driving," Gannaway added. "Speeding has been an obvious problem throughout our community, as we all can see vehicles racing down our streets or hear engines revved up from inside our homes. This may seem fun but it can, and often does, end in tragedy.

"Driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs is something New Mexico has had a problem with for many years. Please, save lives and drive responsibly."

This article originally appeared on Deming Headlight: Luna County Sheriff addresses drinking and driving
Brian K. Gill, 50, of Blissfield, Michigan, was sentenced to 60 days in jail and three years of probation after pleading guilty earlier this year to attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, a fourth-degree felony.

FREMONT  A Michigan man accused of attempting to meet with what he thought was a 15-year-old girl in Fremont for sex has been sentenced to three months in jail.

Brian K. Gill, 50, of Blissfield, Michigan, pleaded guilty earlier this year to attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, a fourth-degree felony. As part of a plea agreement, one count of importuning, also a fourth-degree felony, was dismissed.

Late last week, Judge Jeremiah Ray of Sandusky County Common Pleas Court sentenced Gill to 60 days in jail, three years of community control, or probation, and a $1,000 fine, and ordered him to register as a Tier 2 sex offender.

Gill was initially arrested and charged in September after allegedly contacting an undercover local police officer posing as a 15-year-old girl on a social media platform.

What happened during the undercover operation?

According to a report from the Fremont Police Department, Gill allegedly offered to engage in sexual conduct with the undercover officer, talked about "looking to fulfill a mother/daughter fantasy" and mentioned having a "3-some."

On Sept. 17, Gill then reportedly traveled to a prearranged location in Fremont and was subsequently arrested and taken to the local police department.

During an interview with police, Gill allegedly smirked as if the matter was humorous when reviewing the explicit messages he exchanged with the undercover officer, the report states.

Gill allegedly admitted to having asked who he thought was a 15-year-old girl to engage in sexual conduct with him. When he was later transported to the local county jail, Gill also allegedly told police that he had been speaking for months with a 15-year-old from Louisiana via Snapchat, a popular instant messaging app, according to the report.

jstinchcom@gannett.com

419-680-4897

Twitter: @JonDBN

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Man accused of trying to meet minor for sex gets 60 days in jail
Universal Music Group has suspended all of its operations in Russia, the company has confirmed to Variety.

Effective immediately, we are suspending all operations in Russia and closing our offices there. We urge an end to the violence in Ukraine as soon as possible. We are adhering to international sanctions and, along with our employees and artists, have been working with groups from a range of countries (including the U.S., U.K., Poland, Slovakia, Germany, Czech Republic and Hungary) to support humanitarian relief efforts to bring urgent aid to refugees in the region.

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A source tells Variety that the companys staffers will continue to receive their salaries for an undetermined time, although artists will presumably see most if not all of their recording activity paused.

All three major labels  Universal, Sony and Warner  have local labels and operations in Russia; while reps for Sony and Warner did not immediately have a comment, sources say both companies are likely to announce decisions about their status in the country within 24-48 hours. The three companies all have made donations to Ukraine relief efforts.

Early Tuesday, the U.K.s performing rights organization, PRS for Music, said it has formally and immediately suspended its rights representation relationship with RAO, the Russian collecting society for musical works, pending confirmation of its separation from the Russian Government and those individuals and companies on the sanctions lists. BMI in the U.S. made a similar statement this week: BMI has suspended its copyright representation payments to RAO, the Russian collection society for musical works. Additionally, we are working with CISAC on a broader effort that will help benefit creators in the Ukraine and surrounding areas, while also providing humanitarian aid to those who are so desperately in need.

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While CISAC, which is the governing body of all global collection societies, has made no comment on except for a statement of support toward Ukraine, sources say a meeting will be taking place Wednesday. Many in the publishing and songwriter community, including songwriter Ross Golan, have publicly called for collection societies to stop doing business with Russia.

Sources in the music-publishing community tell Variety that they are largely waiting for CISAC to make its decision and move unilaterally.

SIAE, the Italian performing rights organization, also has suspended payments to RAO. Sources say a number of publishers in the US have unilaterally stopped issuing sync licenses that include Russia

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On a recent frigid late winter afternoon, I met up with Louise McGuane, founder of Irish whiskey bonder J.J. Corry (more about that term later), to discuss all things related to the ever more popular category of brown spirits. In addition to diving deep into her own whiskey, she had some frustrations to air. I walked into a bar in Boston with all these incredible scotches on the back bar, she told me. They had three Irish whiskeys and two of them were on tap. On tap! The fact is that many people still think of Irish whiskey as the shot that goes with your beer. And thats fine, I guess, but its antithetical to the care and detail that goes into many smaller Irish whiskey brands like McGuanes. I dont want you doing picklebacks, she said. Weve gotten ourselves into a trap of growth thats fueled by this kind of thing [e.g. shots and taps], and thats dangerous. For the longevity of the category, we need to elevate it. I hate to say it, but often when I walk into bars I have to tell them, just think of it as a scotch.

Every year those paying attention to such things hear about the explosive growth of Irish whiskey, a category that includes blends, single malts, single grain and single pot still whiskeys. According to the latest data from the Distilled Spirits Council, more than 5.9 million cases were sold in 2021 with revenue of $1.3 billion, much of which is fueled by high-end and super premium expressions. In terms of the growth of Irish whiskey, we see it across the whole range, said Kevin OGorman, master distiller at the Midleton Distillery just outside of Cork, on a recent Zoom call. Jameson is driving the whole category, as it always has done. Other distilleries around Ireland benefit from that. But over the past two years, weve seen an incredible increase in premium whiskeys like Jameson Black Barrel, Redbreast, the Spot range, and Midleton.

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McGuane isnt convinced that these numbers truly represent the state of the spirit, however, with smaller Irish whiskey brands like hers still facing an uphill battle. That stupid statistic comes out every year, and it drives me crazy, she said. According to McGuane, Jameson represents about 88 percent of the Irish whiskey market, then another 10 percent goes to other big brands, leaving about 2 percent for the smaller players. Jameson is to Irish whiskey as Titos is to vodka in the US, she said. You have one dominant player, so you cannot track the category by that. I always remove the Jameson statistics from my data, and look at the super premium section. That is growing by double digits every year But the more Jameson you sell, or the more Proper Twelve you sell at $13 a bottle, the harder it gets for the rest of us.

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Fortunately for the rest of us, there are many new Irish whiskeys to enjoy this St. Patricks Day, and all year long, from distilleries both large and small, and many fall into the super premium category. These range from blends to single malts with interesting cask finishes to high-end ultra-aged expressions. Here are nine of the best Irish whiskeys to try now.

J.J. Corry The Gael

J.J. Corry The Gael Best Irish Whiskey

Louise McGuane has fully embraced the lost practice of whiskey bonding in Ireland with her J.J. Corry brand. This involves both sourcing aged whiskey from various distilleries, as well as procuring barrels of new make spirit to age, finish, and blend in her own facilities. The core expression of the J.J. Corry lineup is called The Gael, which is now in its third batch. The components are 40 percent grain and 60 percent malt whiskey, broken down specifically as follows: 5 percent 26-year-old single malt (ex-sherry cask), 27.5 percent 11-year-old single malt, 27.5 percent 15-year-old single malt and 40 percent 7-year-old single grain. All that comes together in a blend that will give any single malt a run for its money, as deep flavors of fruit, caramel, spice and espresso intermingle and demand another sip.



Buy Now: $70

Lost Irish Whiskey

Lost Irish Whiskey

This brand-new whiskey is an interesting blend of grain, malt and pot still whiskey that was aged in seven different cask types from six different continents: South African brandy, Japanese Mizunara, European sherry, American bourbon, Caribbean rum, Australian tawny and Colombian rum. Tim Herlihy is a co-founder of the brand, and the man certainly knows his stuff having worked as brand ambassador for Tullamore D.E.W. and written a book with the Dead Rabbit founders called From Barley to Blarney: A Whiskey Lovers Guide to Ireland. The whiskey was distilled at Great Northern Distillery and aged for a minimum of four years. Theres a lot going on with this blend, but it seems the producers have come up with a good formula. The nose is creamy and fruity, with apple and orange notes coming through. And the palate is sweet and light, with notes of cantaloupe, lemon, vanilla and toffee followed by just a hint of astringency. This would be a good cocktail whiskey as well as a sipper.



Buy Now: $40

High N Wicked Singular Limited Release No. 2 The Wild Rover

The Wild Rover H N' Wicked Irish Whiskey

This whiskey, distilled by Darryl McNally at the Royal Oak Distillery, is a cask-strength single malt that was aged in ex-bourbon barrels and finished in PX sherry casks. This is the second of three releases distributed by Altamar Brands, a company that imports various types of spirits, and the first of two Irish whiskey releases. This no age statement whiskey was bottled at 58.7 percent ABV, its not chill filtered and no additives are included. For those that enjoy high-proof Irish whiskey, this bottle delivers with a bit of spice, a dollop of fruit and a nice mix of dried fruit, vanilla and dark chocolate notes.



Buy Now: $140

Waterford Biodynamic Luna: Edition 1.1

Waterford Biodynamic Luna: Edition 1.1 Irish Whiskey

While Bruichladdich recently released the first biodynamic scotch whisky this winter, Waterford was ahead of the curve when it launched the first biodynamic single malt whiskey, full stop, in the fall. What that means is the barley used to produce the whiskey was biodynamically farmed by three Irish growers, a process that links soil, animals, people and terroir by using some unconventional practices (burying cow horns filled with manure, for example) and is guided by the lunar calendar. According to CEO Mark Reynier, the benefits can be seen in both the environment and flavor of the whiskey. The whiskey was aged in a combination of casks, including first fill and virgin oak from the US, French oak and vin doux naturel barrels. This is a vibrant whiskey with some underlying spice, verdant fruit notes and a bit of vanilla cream binding it all together.



Buy Now: $101

Egans Legacy Reserve IV

Egans Legacy Reserve IV Irish Whiskey

Egans is a whiskey name with a long history of bottling and bonding in Ireland, which was ultimately discontinued in the 1960s. But the brand was revived nearly a decade ago and has been sourcing and releasing some excellent expressions since then. There are just 1,000 bottles available of this new Irish single malt whiskey, the last in the Legacy Reserve series from Egans. The defining characteristic of this series of whiskeys is initial maturation in bourbon barrels, with a secondary finishing period in another cask type. For the fourth release, an 18-year-old whiskey was transferred to Moscatel de Valencia casks that were used to age this sweet Spanish dessert wine. The fruit, wood, vanilla and tannin of the whiskey are buttressed by notes of sweet and syrupy candied fruit, vanilla, fig, orange and a hint of spice.



Buy Now: $170

Glendalough 7 Year-Old Single Malt Mizunara Finish Irish Whiskey

Glendalough 7 Year-Old Single Malt Mizunara Finish Irish Whiskey

This isnt the first time Glendalough has released a Mizunara oak-finished whiskey, as a 13-year-old version launched a few years ago. But theres a reason for that. The Japanese oak is thought to imbue the whiskey with delicate notes of spice, whiffs of smoke and a bit of floral fragrance, all notes that complement an Irish single malt very nicely. This is a 7-year-old whiskey aged initially in ex-bourbon barrels before being transferred to Mizunara casks made from oak sourced from the Japanese island of Hokkaido. The wood took three years to dry before heading to the cooperage, and while their porousness makes them difficult to turn into barrels it also allows a great deal of interaction between the liquid and the wood. Look for notes of sandalwood (very common with Mizunara oak), dark chocolate, orange and hot cinnamon.



Buy Now: $75

Keepers Heart Irish + American

Keepers Heart Irish + American Irish Whiskey

This actually isnt technically an Irish whiskey, but a blend of Irish and American whiskey. Specifically, this new whiskey is composed of the following: triple distilled pot whiskey from Ireland aged for at least four years in bourbon barrels, Irish grain whiskey also aged for a minimum of four years in bourbon barrels and American 95 percent rye whiskey aged in new charred oak. There is some serious whiskey power behind this brand, as former Midleton master distiller Brian Nation joined the team in Minneapolis at the new OShaughnessy Distillery to spearhead the distilling and blending process. While Keepers Heart whiskey is currently all sourced as it just commenced operations last summer, the whiskey produced there will be made in the Irish style, triple distilled in copper pot stills. In the meantime, give this blend a try to see how the spice from the rye interacts with the fruit and vanilla of the Irish whiskey.



Buy Now: $39

Midleton Very Rare 2022

Midleton Very Rare 2022 Irish Whiskey

This is the 39th installment in the Midleton Very Rare series, and the second that current master distiller Kevin OGorman was in charge of. Its a blend of whiskey aged from 12 to 33 years, the oldest being grain whiskey and the youngest a pot still whiskey. OGorman says he used 12 different parcels of whiskey for this release, and slightly decreased the grain element from the level of the 2021 edition. Ultimately, he came up with three blend prototypes before settling on what is now in the bottle. This is a lovely whiskey, highlighting just how complex and delicate an expertly crafted blend can be. Look for fruit on the nose, with strong candied apple and citrus notes. The palate erupts with red apple, orange zest, toffee, and chocolate, bringing together the best elements of grain and pot still Irish whiskey.



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Teeling 30-Year-Old Single Malt Whiskey

Teeling Single Malt 30 Year Irish Whiskey

Its not very often that youll find an Irish whiskey as old as this single malt, part of Teelings Vintage Reserve Collection. It was distilled in 1991 and initially aged in bourbon barrels for 21 years before being transferred to Sauternes wine casks for another nine. This release continues Teelings stretch of releasing progressively older whiskeys, following previous 24- and 28-year-old expressions, all of which were distilled at Cooley decades ago (Teeling is now actively distilling and bottling whiskey onsite in Dublin as well). Dusty wood, caramel apple and mango open up on the nose, a faint whiff of tropical fruit that you might expect from a similarly aged scotch. Then the palate continues with pineapple rum, spice, pepper, vanilla, honey yogurt and milk chocolate. This pricey bottle is worth sampling if you are lucky enough to find one.



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Lucas County officials have identified the person who was killed in a state park in the county in Saturday's storm.

Jesse Theron Fisher, 40, of Chariton died from injuries sustained as the tornado passed through Red Haw State Park, where he was staying, according to a news release from Mike Lamb, emergency management coordinator for Appanoose, Davis, Lucas and Monroe counties. A second person staying in another part of the park was injured during the storm and remains hospitalized.

Six others were killed Saturday when the storm hit Winterset, about 60 miles northwest of Red Haw State Park.

Four of those victims  two children, their father and their grandmother  died when a tornado hit the grandmothers home.

The children and their parents, from Blue Springs, Missouri, were visiting their grandmother, Melissa Bazley, 63, when the tornado hit. The storm killed Bazley, 37-year-old Michael Bolger and two of his three young children  Kinlee Bolger, 5, and Owen Bolger, 2.

More: 4 of 7 killed in Iowa tornadoes from the same family, according to the sheriff

A GoFundMe page for the family says Kuri Bolger, who is the childrens mother and Bazleys daughter, was hospitalized after being seriously injured. Other members of the family who had sought shelter in the home's pantry also were injured.

Two others killed in the tornado that struck Winterset  Rodney Clark, 64, and Cecilia Lloyd, 72  lived in homes just down the street from Bazley. The National Weather Service rated the tornado an EF-4, with peak wind speeds of 170 mph.

More: Keep track of Iowa storm and tornado damage coverage  from latest updates to how to help

The tornado that hit Red Haw State Park has tentatively been rated an EF-3, with peak winds of 138 mph. The storm caused extensive damage to the park's beach area, damaging the boat docks, bait house, beach shelters and a storage building, according to a news release from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources,

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The park remains closed indefinitely, and the public is asked to stay away from the area until debris cleanup and repairs are completed.

This article has been edited to correct the spelling of Kinlee Bolger's name.

Danielle Gehr is a politics and government reporter for the Ames Tribune. She can be reached by email at dgehr@gannett.com, phone at (515) 663-6925 or on Twitter at @Dani_Gehr.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Chariton man killed in Iowa storm identified as Jesse Theron Fisher
Utopia, I was convinced. At least that is what it felt like as I leisurely biked to a sunrise breakfast from my overwater bungalow, across a winding teak pathway with bright blue ocean on either side. It seemed too good to be true, but at Joalis Maldives properties, pinch-me moments are par for the course.

The new Joali brand includes Joali Maldives, opened in 2018 as the countrys first art-immersive hotel, and its sister resort, Joali Being, a wellness-focused option opened in November 2021. Created by Turkish entrepreneur Esin Gural Argat, the boutique properties were founded in response to the kinds of superlative accommodations that dominate the Maldives. While other resorts in the island nation might contend for offering the largest private villa or the most expensive bottle of Champagne, Joali emphasizes its the joy of living philosophy. But not forgotten are modern-day creature comforts, exceptional accommodations and six-star service.

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The Maldives is a destination everyone dreams to visit once in a lifetime, Argat tells Robb Report. When I first arrived in the Maldives, it was love at first sight. The sea was bluer, the beaches were whiter than I imagined, nature was complete in its harmony and the people and genuine hospitality were what captured my heart.

When conceptualizing the brand, privacy and preserving the natural environment were important to Argat, which is why she chose to develop the first property on Muravandhoo Island in the remote northern Raa Atoll, a 45-minute seaplane from capital Male. The area is so remote, in fact, that there are no other inhabited islands in sight.

Joali Maldives

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Joali Maldives

Despite its 73 accommodations, a mix of sprawling overwater bungalows and serene one-to-four-bedroom beach villas, its hard not to feel like Joali Maldives is a more intimate resort. This is, in part, due to Argats preservation of the islands natural flora, which she built around instead of tearing it down and starting from scratch (as I learned most resorts in the Maldives do). This decision saved more than 1,000 palm trees; walking or biking through the winding sandy pathways feels like youre traversing through a jungle.

To bring the art focus to life, Argat enlisted Istanbul-based curator No LaB to install an impressive collection of experiential, nature-inspired works throughout the property; these include pieces made both on-site and abroad with the Maldives tropical locale in mind. Each piece seamlessly weaves into the landscape, like the suspended Manta Ray Treehouse hideaway (you can book a private romantic dinner here) and Heron Chair from Porky Hefer, who recently partnered with the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation at Art Basel. Sprinkled throughout common areas and villas are sculptural furnishings and wall art, many made with recycled materials. Theres also an artist-in-residence who teaches pottery and painting classes.

The Saoke restaurant - Credit: Joali Maldives

Joali Maldives

Turkish architecture firm Atolye4n and design studio Autoban worked together to create villas and structures that integrate into the landscapebut with a twist. The rounded, biophilic structures have flowing, soft edges and exteriors crafted with natural materials, like local wood and bamboo, and Maldivian-style thatched roofing. But the exteriors give little away about just how spacious each villa is inside.

High ceilings make even the one-bedroom villas feel like private homes, a sense that is bolstered by the pops of color inspired by the sky at sunset, as well as textures like carved-wood headboards, terrazzo flooring, emerald-green marble, teak panels and plush rugs. To ensure youre never too far from nature, theres an ample outdoor lounge area, plunge pool, overwater hammock and steps leading into the ocean that provide access to the shallow waters for your morning snorkel.

A three-bedroom ocean villa - Credit: Joali Maldives

Joali Maldives

Also notable is the service, which is warm and discreet rather than obsequious. Guests at Joali Maldives and Joali Being are assigned a personal butler called a Jadugar, which means magician in Maldivian, who can arrange everything from drawing you a bath in your deep soaking tub each night to delivering snorkel gear to your villa. I was most impressed when my travel clothes were washed, folded and tied with a silk bow by the time I got back from dinner the first night, or when my Jadugar seemed to appear the moment any of my activities ended with a cold glass bottle of Joali-branded water (the water is desalinated and bottled on site) and a golf cart ride back to my villa.

For those who love diverse experiences, its possible that a private island stay might sound monotonous, but you can choose your own adventure here, from scuba diving and snorkeling excursions and myriad non-motorized and motorized water sports at the Marine Center to spa and fitness activities and a comprehensive Muramas Kids Club.

The main pool deck - Credit: Joali Maldives

Joali Maldives

Guests can also meet with the in-house marine biologist who tirelessly works to protect the coral around the island, particularly after the 2016 coral bleaching incident (a natural occurrence that happens when coral experiences elevated ocean temperatures) that resulted in mass coral mortalities. As a response, the team founded the Reef Restoration Project and installed several coral nurseries at both properties in hopes of regenerating it. I saw these nurseries up close and personal during my private snorkeling session, which was made even more special by a friendly visit from a resident sea turtle just off the lagoon. Joali also plays host to a family of nurse sharks that laze near the warm, shallow shores (only by night) along the edge of the overwater Japanese restaurant, Saoke.

Speaking of food, the resort has four restaurants offering different types of cuisine to keep it exciting. Dont miss the breakfast buffet at Mura, which offers Ayurvedic health tonics to boost your energy or gut or liver health.

Because of the many dining and activity options, the resort feels just as perfect for a private, romantic honeymoon as it does for a family getaway with kids of all ages,. In fact, one patron has returned nine times since Joalis doors first opened in 2018a testament to how addicting the experience can be.

Joali Being

Joali Being

So when Joali Being opened in November 2021, Joali loyalists were keen to experience Argats next heavenly creation. The second outpostwhich features 68 private overwater and beach villas and two nutritious restaurantsis located on a separate private island, Bodufushi, just a 15-minute boat ride from Joali Maldives. When I arrived at the shores of Joali Being, I was met on the arrival jetty by an otherworldly, larger-than-life sculpture Id come to learn was called The Gate of Zero, which was inspired by the skirt of a whirling dervish and represents letting go of the ego to cleanse the soul.

Billed as the first-ever private island wellness resort in the world, Joali Being only welcomes guests aged 14 and above to maintain a more calming atmosphere. The place is led by an in-house team of naturopaths, therapists, movement specialists and nutritionists from around the world, who together offer decades of experience in modalities from Traditional Chinese Medicine to Ayurveda. The overall philosophy here is the joy of weightlessness, which only truly resonates after a few days of what I can describe as freedom: freedom from the outside world (WiFi is only available in your private villa), expectations and stress.

Inside one the pool villas - Credit: Joali Being

Joali Being

Upon arrival, each guest is assigned a personal wellbeing consultant to craft a personalized, results-driven program as part of Joali Beings four pillars: mind, energy, microbiome and skin.

The four pillars are like the entry doors to the individual wellbeing journey, says wellbeing manager Susanne Fische at a dinner, where were sipping on a warm, pre-meal elixir of beetroot, fennel and ginger to support the microbiome. You might come with a goal in mind, but our consultants can read you like a book. Once the guests arrive, they have an emotional journey as well.

Facilities include studios for yoga and Pilates, tennis court, soccer pitch, movement center, Technogym-outfitted fitness center, overwater meditation deck and consultation rooms with a Fit3D body scanner and QEST bioenergetic testing system. But the transformation really begins at Areka, the site of wellbeing experiences, scientific and diagnostic services and therapeutic and alternative treatments. There are several tucked-away rooms here offering a seemingly endless array of therapies, from the signature Four Pillars Massage to reiki healing, the latest facial technology and Water Rebirthing sessions.

The hub for herbology sessions - Credit: Joali Being

Joali Being

There are also areas for hydrotherapy and sound therapy; a sensory deprivation room; saunas, salt rooms and Russian-style steams; and an outdoor Discovery Sound Path, My personal highlight, though, was Aktar, the on-site herbology center led by master herbologist Tamara Warner. This feels like the beating heart of Joali Being: Guests can come here at any time of the day to sip on a personalized herbal tea concoction or take an herbology class to learn more about plant-based healing. All of the oils used within the treatments are also made in Aktar.

Unlike other wellness retreats, whether you choose to follow an immersion is up to you, and most consultants allow flexibility to try other treatments during the day if you choose. We meet guests where they are, Argat says.

A Grand Beach Pool Villa - Credit: Joali Being

Joali Being

At the end of the day, you still get all the benefits of being in a sublime destination. As at the original Joali, activities like snorkeling, scuba diving and deep sea fishing are also offered at Joali Being. However, Joali Being is less of a comprehensive resort experience as its sister property. Meals are portioned modestly and made using clean ingredients, and you wont find anything overly indulgent. There are a few different menus, each with calorie and nutrition information underneath the primarily plant-based and pescatarian dishes, and there is an extensive selection of mocktails and natural, organic and biodynamic wine. The vibe is also slow-paced, mindful and quiet, zeroing in on relaxation and individual goals. In lieu of cocktail classes, like those at Joali Maldives, or boozy dinners, there is a tea sommelier offering tea tasting classes, for example.

I was pleased to learn that Argat had future plans for more Joali properties, though future destinations and concepts are yet to be solidified. The last night of my trip, a hazy sunset of orange, light pink and pale purple spilled across the sky as I rode my bike back to my villa. I wasnt ready to leave the paradisiacal island, but I knew I was returning home with a renewed, more mindful, sense of self.

Joali Maldives rates start at $2,040 per night for a Water Villa; $4,794 for a Family Beach Villa; and $18,360 for the Beach Residence. Joali Being rates start at $2,140 per night for an Ocean Pool Villa; $4,820 for a Grand Two Bedroom Ocean Pool Villa; and $21,206 for a Four Bedroom Private Wellbeing Ocean Residence.

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American Queen Ship going down a river in St. Louisville

Courtesy of American Queen Voyages

American Queen Voyages is adding a new itinerary along the Lower Mississippi River to its roster this summer, sailing between Memphis and New Orleans, the company shared with Travel + Leisure.

The new itinerary will include nine days traversing the river on the American Queen, including stops in Vicksburg and Natchez in Mississippi, and St. Francisville and Baton Rouge in Louisiana. The trips will depart on June 5, 12, 19, and 26, according to the cruise line.

Guests staying in a Luxury or Owner's Suite will also receive additional perks like a complimentary cooking class and brunch hosted by famed southern chef Regina Charboneau at her Natchez cooking school as well as a pre-sail biscuit demonstration and champagne toast.

Throughout the itinerary, the best of southern cuisine is represented with dishes including panko-crusted alligator, pork rind-dusted pan-fried trout, blackened redfish and craft beer fried chicken.

"American Queen Voyages takes great pride in bringing a taste of the region to the dining rooms of its paddlewheelers as they churn up and down the Mississippi River," the river cruise line's senior vice president of marketing and sales, Kari Tarnowski, told T+L. "The flavors of the cuisine take inspiration from the river and are recreated with local ingredients and techniques unique to the south."

John Waggoner, the founder and chairman of American Queen Voyages, said in a statement the new offerings "mark the 10th Anniversary of American Queen Voyages," calling the sailings an "iconic itinerary." To celebrate, Waggoner himself will join the June 12 sailing, serving as an onboard host and sharing stories about the history of the company and the making of their newest paddlewheeler, American Countess.

American Queen Ship going under a bridge in Cincinnati

Sean McVeigh/Courtesy of American Queen Voyages

To sail on the voyages, fares start at $2,599 per person, or $7,699 per person for a Luxury or Owner's Suite.

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American Queen Voyages  originally the American Queen Steamboat Company  sails river, lake, and ocean cruises, as well as plans to offer new expedition voyages to Central America and Alaska, including a cruise where guests can listen to the sounds of whales in real time. The company is also offering pre or post-cruise trips through the Canadian Rockies on the Rocky Mountaineer to celebrate the inaugural season of its Ocean Victory ship.

To sail, all guests must be fully vaccinated and show proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test. After March 19, guests will be provided a complimentary antigen test within two days of embarkation, according to the company.

Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. When she's not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram.
Its finally here: Netflix released Inventing Anna, the Shonda Rhimes series which fictionalises the case of socialite scammer, Anna Delvey on Friday 11 February.

The series follows journalist Vivian Kent (played by Anna Chlumsky) as she investigates Delvey (played by Julia Garner), a Russian-born German socialite who scammed banks, hotels and rich acquaintances out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The series shows Delvey during the highest and lowest points of her con artist career. In the series we see Delvey telling Kent her story while wearing prison clothes, juxtaposed against her living lavishly, laying down wads of dollar bills and accusing a friend of being so dramatic when they plead Delvey to pay them back.

Garner, as Delvey, narrated the trailer which dropped in January: People are painting a public picture of me as a criminal. Thats not my story.

The series was inspired by an in-depth feature by journalist Jessica Pressler in New York Magazine, which was published in 2018.

But who is Anna Delvey, and what did she do?

Who is Anna Delvey?

Anna Delvey was the pseudonym used by a German woman named Anna Sorokin who moved to New York in 2013.

Under the fake name, Sorokin pretended to be a wealthy German heiress in order to establish herself in New Yorks social scene.

Julia Garner plays Anna Delvey, whose real name is Anna Sorokin, in a new Netflix series Inventing Anna' (Netflix)

She used the name until 2017, when the Manhattan District Attorneys Office began investigating her for instances of bank fraud.

In reality, Sorokins parents came from humble means. Her father worked as a truck driver, while her mother was a convenience store owner before she became a housewife.

She was born in the town of Domodedovo, near Moscow, in January 1991, and the family moved to Germany in 2007 when she was 16.

Sorokin moved to London in 2011 to attend Central Saint Martins, but quit and returned to Germany. She then relocated to Paris to start an internship with Purple, a French fashion magazine.

It was in Paris that she began using the name Delvey. Her parents said they do not recognise the surname.

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What did Anna Delvey, or Sorokin, do?

Upon her move to New York City, Sorokin attempted to pitch her idea for an Anna Delvey Foundation to wealthy potential investors.

The idea encompassed a private members club and art foundation, which involved leasing the Church Missions House  a historic building in Manhattan  as a multi-purpose events venue and art studio.

She also befriended rich socialites and would ask them to pay for hotels, flights, and lavish meals on the premise she would pay them back, but would later forget to do so.

Fake German heiress Anna Sorokin is led away after being sentenced in Manhattan Supreme Court May 9, 2019 following her conviction last month on multiple counts of grand larceny and theft of services (AFP via Getty Images)

Having failed to get investors for her foundation, Sorokin began creating fake bank statements purporting to show she had access to about 60m (approximately 50m) stored in Swiss bank accounts.

She submitted these documents as part of loan applications. But suspicion mounted over her applications due to discrepancies in her paperwork, and she withdrew it to avoid scrutiny.

Sorokin also checked into hotels without a working credit card on file and racked up tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid bills.

Julia Garner as Anna Delvey in episode 102 of Inventing Anna (AARON EPSTEIN/NETFLIX)

After eventually paying the US$30,000 (22,000) bill she accumulated at the 11 Howard hotel in SoHo using funds she allegedly gained from depositing fraudulent checks, she was evicted and moved to the Beekman Hotel.

But she was also evicted from the Beekman Hotel after failing to pay her US$11,518 (8,450) bill, and again from the W New York Union Square hotel after just two days. Both hotels pressed charges against her for theft of services.

What happened to Anna Delvey, or Sorokin?

Sorokin was eventually indicted on several counts of grand larceny and misdemeanour theft of services.

She was arrested on 3 October 2017 in a sting operation. At the time, she was staying at Passages Malibu, an addiction treatment facility in California.

She appeared in New York City Criminal Court in December 2018, and a trial was set for 20 March 2019. At the end of the trial, Sorokin was found guilty of eight charges, including grand larceny in the second degree, attempted grand larceny and theft of services.

Julia Garner as Anna Delvey, Anna Chlumsky as Vivian Kent in episode 108 of Inventing Anna (NICOLE RIVELLI/NETFLIX)

She was sentenced to four to 12 years in state prison on Rikers Island, fined US$24,000 (17,640) and ordered to pay restitution of around US$199,000 ($146,335).

Speaking about her experience in prison, Sorokin told Pressler: This place is not bad at all actually. People seem to think its horrible, but I see it as like, a sociological experiment.

There are couple of girls who are here for financial crimes as well. This one girl, shes been stealing other peoples identities. I didnt realise it was so easy.

Sorokin was released from prison on 11 February 2021, but was taken back into custody a month later for overstaying her visa. As of February 2022, she is still being held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody awaiting deportation to Germany.

Is Anna Delvey on Instagram?

In Inventing Anna, Kent is seen scrolling through Sorokins Instagram to get more of a glimpse into the supposed socialites life and, in reality, the account is still active today.

From the ICE facilities where she is currently being kept, Sorkin posts to @theannadelvey, and has been posting about the new series.

Sharing a still from the show, Sorokin captioned it: Inventing me. The account dates back to 2013 and documents her travels and interest in art.
A vessel believed to be carrying about 300 Haitian migrants landed in the Florida Keys area over the weekend in what officials are calling a smuggling operation.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection told NBC News in a statement that the agency, along with the U.S. Coast Guard and local law enforcement, "responded to a maritime smuggling event that made landfall in Ocean Reef, Florida," on Sunday.

The investigation is ongoing, according to the statement.

Multiple agencies responded to a call of a wooden vessel carrying more than 300 Haitian migrants in the shallow waters off Ocean Reef Club in north Key Largo on March 6, 2022, according to the U.S. Border Patrol. (@USBPChiefMIP via Twitter / https://twitter.com/USBPChiefMIP/status/1500621824840904709)

Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar said on Twitter that approximately 300 migrants were overloaded onto a wooden vessel, and 163 of them ended up swimming to shore.

Haitian migrants (@USBPChiefMIP via Twitter)

He shared a photo showing migrants wrapped in towels on the shore, noting that many were in need of medical attention.

The U.S. Coast Guard Southeast also shared photos and footage of the incident, saying it was helping coordinate on-shore rescues Sunday.

Initial reports show the people involved in this suspected smuggling venture are Haitian, the agency added.

Multiple agencies responded quickly & worked closely to protect a lot of lives today, Lt. Cmdr. Jason Neiman of Coast Guard District Seven said in a statement on Twitter.

The Coast Guard said "the situation is still evolving."
Editor's note: You've come across an introduction to one of The Tennessean's Daily Briefing newsletters. Subscribers can learn more about Steve Wolf's journey in this exclusive story. Not a subscriber? Sign up today!

Click here to get the Daily Briefing in your inbox every morning for the news you need and the best reads of the day from The Tennessean.

**

Good morning, friends, this is Tennessean columnist Brad Schmitt, with a compelling story from our talented new religion writer, Liam Adams.

Former Catholic priest Steve Wolf is gay. He told most of his seminary classmates he's gay. He told several Nashville parishioners he's gay. In 2008, he told the Nashville bishop he's gay.

Steve Wolf is surrounded by religious artwork in his Nashville home. Wolf, who is gay, is a former Catholic priest who resigned amid furor over his sexual orientation. He and his partner plan to soon enter into a civil union.

But Wolf never had any problems leading Nashville area churches until he was quoted in a 2019 New York Times article about gay priests.

After considerable blowback, Wolf resigned and retired a few months after that story published.

I love the Catholic Church, I do. Im not going to be anything else," he said. "But she is a sick institution."

Check out the full story and more below.

And thank you for reading The Tennessean.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Gay former priest: Catholic church 'is a sick institution'
Mar. 8The 29-year-old man who escaped from Hawaii State Hospital on Sunday was captured in Kaneohe this afternoon, Honolulu police said.

Andrew Schmitke, who was last seen at the Windward Oahu hospital around 12 :30 p.m. Sunday, was arrested for a second-degree escape near Waikalua Road and Kamehameha Highway at about 5 :35 p.m., according to police. No further details were available.

He is also facing two felony charges of second-degree burglary and a charge of third-degree promoting a dangerous drug.

Court records indicate he was found unfit by the court in December and committed to the custody of the state Department of Health.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges in August.

The next court hearing in his case is scheduled for Tuesday at 10 a.m. in First Circuit Court.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.  Gov. Ron DeSantis decision to insert himself into Floridas redistricting process is sending shockwaves through the states final budget negotiations, leading House Republican leaders to punish their GOP rank-and-file members as the governors office lobbied them to vote against their own leadership.

Lawmakers on Friday sent maps to DeSantis he directly said he would veto, a move taken as the governors top staffers were reaching out to House Republicans to sway them to vote against the maps being considered because the governor has ill-defined legal concern over the proposals.

DeSantis' effort to muscle into the generally Legislature-driven process included a tweet Friday as lawmakers were debating the maps saying in blunt-terms they are doomed.

I will veto the congressional reapportionment plan currently being debated by the House. DOA, DeSantis said on Twitter.

He later told reporters during a press conference in Jacksonville that I dont bluff.

The governors lobbying effort failed, and House and Senate legislators easily approved the maps, though seven House Republicans sided with the governors argument that the new lines are unconstitutional.

Some of the budget and legislative priorities for those members who voted to reject the maps have now been bogged down, a signal that defying their own legislative leadership on a high profile vote where House leaders wanted to show a unified front could have consequences.

The redistricting fight between House Republican leaders and the DeSantis put the chambers rank-and-file in the politically perilous position of defying a popular GOP governor with a veto pen and a Republican speaker who can kill their bills and budgets before even getting to the governor.

My first word is to my constituents. Im willing to live with the consequences to do what I think is right, said state Rep. Cord Byrd, a Neptune Beach Republican who voted against the maps both on the floor and in committee.

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You hear things, but no one has said that to me, Byrd continued when asked directly if he thought his vote could hurt his budget priorities or sponsored bills. I take my stand, eyes wide open.

A spokesperson for House Speaker Chris Sprowls did not respond to several requests for comment on Saturday.

The speakers office says the map vote and priorities of defiant members are not connected. But most who have signaled for weeks that they oppose the maps or voted against them in committee have seen budget or legislative priorities stall.

Rep. Brad Drake (R-Eucheeana) voted against the maps in both committee and on the floor. In the original House budget passed Feb. 16, records show he had about $7.8 million in project requests funded. But that number that fell to just over $3.2 million in the Houses first offer during budget negotiations, a number that means the House  not Senate  decided against funding Drakes priorities headed into final budget negotiations, which started after drake voted to reject the map in committee.

Drake declined to comment on this story.

Rep. Jason Fischer (R-Jacksonville) has long signaled he was siding with DeSantis on the congressional maps, and voted against the proposal during Fridays floor session. He has had uncontroversial legislation to create an Advanced Air Mobility Task Force under the Florida Department of Transportation that has been ready for a House floor vote since Feb. 17  but the chamber has not taken it up. The bill has gotten unanimous votes in three House committees and not a single no vote in the Senate, which passed it 37-0 on Feb. 23.

I was elected to do whats right, not what is easy, said Fischer, who would not say if thought the bills stalling was tied to his stance on the House congressional maps. Those maps clearly violate the Constitution, and I plan to continue standing with Governor DeSantis.

Legislation sponsored by Rep. Mike Beltran, a Lithia Republican who voted against the maps on the floor, was temporarily pulled from consideration just before it was set to for final passage Friday after the chamber voted on congressional maps. Beltrans bill would change the process by which legal notices are delivered to someone facing pending legal action. Legislators passed at all three House committee stops with unanimous votes, and the Senate approved it on Feb. 17 on a 37-0 vote.

Beltran did not return a request seeking comment.

During the contentious Friday floor session, top DeSantis staffers were calling House Republicans identified to them as flippable to lobby them to vote against the House-preferred maps.

The calls were made by DeSantis chief of staff James Uthmeier, general counsel Ryan Newman and legislative affairs director Stephanie Kopelousos.

Taryn Fenske, DeSantis communications director, said the top staffers spoke with a handful of legislators this week to answer questions on our underlying legal concerns related to the maps passed today.

Of course, the governors tweet  speaks for itself, she said, referring to DeSantis post declaring that he would veto the maps. We continue to work closely with the Legislature on all issues, which are typical throughout the year and during session, and we are confident we will finish this session together with great success.

DeSantis lobbying effort came up short, but did influence even those who supported the maps.

I did [get a call] and it was not threatening, just reasoned conversation of making one point over the other, said Rep. Chip LaMarca, a Lighthouse Point Republican who voted for the House plan. It gave me a great deal of pause and forced me to think through the process.

Another lawmaker highlighted the impossible situation they found themselves in.

Its a lose, lose, without question. Either youre going to get cut by the House or vetoed by the governor, is what it is, said one House Republican granted anonymity so they could speak freely.

What will be really interesting is whether the governor starts going after the House speaker or the [Senate] presidents priorities, the member continued.
OCALA  A contract carrier out of Lady Lake who delivered mail to The Villages has pleaded guilty to opening about 4,000 pieces of mail in an attempt to steal money and gift cards to support her heroin habit.

Miranda Delee Farleigh, 25, of Ocklawaha, could face up to five years in prison on the charge of being in possession of stolen mail, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

A sentencing date has not been set. She was indicted on Feb. 1.

COVID-19 in Lake, Sumter counties: New infections decrease for seventh consecutive week

Leesburg shooting: Investigation continues into Leesburg shooting that left two dead

Another villager arrested: Charged with voting twice in election

Farleighs supervisor discovered on Nov. 23 that several tubs and bags filled with mail in her possession had been opened. When he confronted her, she confessed that she had been opening outgoing mail to Lake and Sumter Counties for about a month.

Charges were filed after the United States Postal Inspection Service conducted an investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bodnar, Jr. for the Middle District of Florida.

This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Mail carrier charged with opening mail to steal money, gift cards
Philadelphia has ended its indoor mask mandate and vaccine requirement for dining. New Jersey has dropped its mask mandate for schools.

Is this a sign the pandemic is over?

While you shouldn't throw away your facemasks just yet, at least one doctor is saying it's OK to roll back some of the COVID mitigations put in place over the past two years to slow the spread of the virus.

"For now, I do think it's OK for people to take a deep breath, enjoy the warm weather," said Dr. Julia Sammons, a pediatric infectious disease physician and assistant vice president for the Office of Preparedness, Prevention and Response at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "But let's take lessons learned and use them moving forward."

Mullane: Still waiting in Postal Service limbo for free COVID tests

COVID's lasting impact: County jails are in a staffing crisis. Here's how Bucks County Jail is dealing with it

For subscribers: As COVID cases surged, nurses struggled to keep up. Inside one Bucks hospital's 'internal disaster'

Positive COVID cases and COVID-related hospitalizations have plummeted statewide since reaching record highs in January due to the omicron variant's rapid spread.

Pennsylvania reported far fewer coronavirus cases in the week ending Sunday, adding 7,043 new cases. That's down 43.2% from the previous week's tally of 12,401 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Pennsylvania ranked 44th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows.

Bucks County reported 200 cases and 18 deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 417 cases and 15 deaths.

Montgomery County reported 337 cases and 11 deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 541 cases and 12 deaths.

Across Pennsylvania, cases fell in 64 counties, with the best declines in Philadelphia County, with 839 cases from 1,690 a week earlier; in Allegheny County, with 753 cases from 1,294; and in York County, with 193 cases from 588.

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>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases

Within Pennsylvania, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Union County with 151 cases per 100,000 per week; Greene County with 141; and Clearfield County with 130. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.

Adding the most new cases overall were Philadelphia County, with 839 cases; Allegheny County, with 753 cases; and Montgomery County, with 337. Weekly case counts rose in three counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Greene, Snyder and Potter counties.

Just over 3,500 likely COVID patients were admitted in the state, according to a USA TODAY Network analysis. That's down from nearly 3,800 last week, and 5,500 four weeks ago.

Pennsylvania ranked 13th among states in share of people receiving at least one shot, with 83.5% of its residents at least partially vaccinated. The national rate is 76.5%, a USA TODAY analysis of CDC data shows.

Masks may return, but OK to 'thoughtfully lift' restrictions, CHOP doc says

At CHOP, the rate of COVID positivity has fallen from more than 40% at the height of omicron to roughly 2%, Sammons said. That downward trend is expected to continue.

"We're also at a different point as a population now than we were at the start of the pandemic," Sammons said Monday during a media call. "We've achieved a higher level of immunity. And we're seeing differences in the virus."

Omicron, for example, was more contagious, but its symptoms were less serious. While CHOP saw a large number of patients with the omicron variant, their symptoms were similar to what's normally seen with other childhood respiratory illnesses.

"For us, these were all signs of the beginning of moving to another stage of the pandemic," Sammons said.

"With all that taken together, we do believe we are at a point in time where a reduced level of disease activity and hospitalizations, couple with improved immunity as a population, all afford us the opportunity to thoughtfully lift some of the additional mitigation measures that had been placed."

Sammons cautioned, though, that if cases were to rise, masks should return.

"Some places will be moving at different paces," she said. "We may need to be ready to wear masks again. We need to keep in mind that some people may not be ready to take off their masks, even if infections rates are low. That's OK, too."

Mike Stucka of the USA TODAY Network contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Face mask mandates ending as COVID cases fall
Fort Hood is deploying some units to support European operations during the Ukraine and Russian conflict.

Fort Hood this week deployed roughly 160 soldiers to Europe to join 7,000 U.S. military personnel designated to support the NATO Response Force, a multinational unit that will be on standby to protect allies, if needed, during the Ukrainian and Russian conflict.

Fort Hood, the U.S. Army's largest military installation and known over the past two decades as a staging ground for troops deploying to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, said in a statement Monday that all of the soldiers were part of the III Armored Corps at the Central Texas post.

The units deployed included those from the 96th Transportation Company, which specializes in handling heavy equipment transport, and the 297th Inland Cargo Transfer Company, both from the 13th Expeditionary Sustainment Command. Also sent out were members of the 11th Corps Signal Brigade.

Our soldiers are trained and ready, Col. Matthew Ruedi, the 13th Expeditionary Sustainment Command deputy commanding officer at Fort Hood, said in a statement. Elements of our heavy transportation company have deployed to Europe to reassure NATO allies, deter Russian aggression and are prepared to support a range of other operations in the region.

More: Biden takes aim at Putin in State of the Union

Russian troops launched its first attack on Ukraine in late February, first striking the capital, Kyiv, which experienced a series of explosions followed by a full-scale attack that has continued into the second week of March.

In a televised address broadcast when the attacks first began, Russian President Vladimir Putin said any attempt from other countries to interfere would lead to consequences you have never seen in history."

Fort Hood deploys units to support European operations during the Ukraine and Russian conflict.

However, President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced a ban on the U.S. import of Russian oil in the latest effort to ratchet up sanctions over Putin's invasion of Ukraine. The new ban could push gas prices even higher than the record-breaking numbers seen across the country this week.

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"Russian oil will no longer be accepted at U.S. ports and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putin's war machine," Biden said. "We will not be part of subsidizing Putin's war."

More from Fort Hood: Biden backs changes to military sex crime prosecutions

The new ban announced by Biden on Tuesday came as the number of refugees fleeing Ukraine reached 2 million, according to USA TODAY, using the latest information from the United Nations. The refugee crisis is the fastest exodus Europe has seen since World War II, a USA TODAY report confirmed Tuesday.

The U.N. office of human rights has recorded at least 1,335 civilian casualties across Ukraine since the war began, including 474 killed and 861 injured, according to USA TODAY. More than two dozen children are among the fatalities. However, U.S. officials have said the true toll is likely much higher, especially as information is delayed in areas where the war is more intense.

Fort Hood in a statement Monday said families of U.S. Army soldiers are being kept in the loop about their loved ones as they are sent out on deployment to Europe.

It's not just our soldiers that we ensure are ready for this mission, but we do everything we can to make sure families are ready, too, Ruedi said. Things can change rapidly in situations like this. Making sure we communicate with our families not only helps manage expectations, but it also contributes to our overall readiness.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Fort Hood deploys 160 soldiers to back NATO amid Russia war in Ukraine
State Rep. Savannah Maddox-District 61 speaks during a committee meeting in Frankfort in February 2021. The Republican representative is from Dry Ridge, Ky.

FRANKFORT  State and local governments and public colleges would be prohibited from requiring employees or students to disclose their COVID-19 vaccine status under a bill that cleared a House committee Tuesday.

Though House Bill 28 cleared the committee, it was amended from a previous version that would have extended such a ban to private employers, prohibiting businesses from inquiring about the vaccination status of their workers or customers.

Filed by Rep. Savannah Maddox, R-Dry Ridge, HB 28 would ban state government, local governments and state colleges from forcing employees or applicants to disclose whether or not they have received any COVID-19 vaccine shots, or "take adverse action" against those who do not disclose their vaccine status.

For subscribers: Two years since Kentucky's first COVID-19 case, 'long COVID' keeps pandemic fresh for some

If a governmental entity violates the provisions, it would be subject to possible civil action with penalties of up to $1,000 per day, per violation. If public colleges violate the law  inquiring about the vaccine status of their faculty, staff and students  they could be denied state funding or their authority to operate.

The House State Government committee passed HB 28 on a straight party-line vote, with several Democrats agreeing with testimony against it by J.D. Chaney, the executive director of Kentucky League of Cities, who said it violated the home rule rights of local governments to make their own policies.

Background: Kentucky special legislative session wraps up: COVID-19 mask mandates eliminated

While Maddox was glad her bill cleared the committee, she noted she would have preferred her original version of the bill that included such a ban on private employers, which "did not have sufficient support within the (House GOP) caucus to pass that way."

"I felt very strongly that Kentuckians have the ability to make good decisions for themselves and their families when it comes to their health care, when it comes to dealing with a public health crisis," Maddox said. "And I would have preferred to see a version of House Bill 28 that extended those statutory protections to everyone."

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The bill also received another late amendment during the meeting so its provisions would not apply to private colleges, while Maddox acknowledged a "drafting error" within HB 28 that would extend the same prohibitions to nonprofit groups. The amended version of the bill also only referred to COVID-19 vaccines, whereas the original version listed any type of vaccine.

Maddox said nonprofits would be removed from the bill with a floor amendment once HB 28 is up for a vote in the chamber, with several Republican committee members saying they voted for it Tuesday only due to the promise of such an amendment.

Several Republicans acknowledged they would not have supported HB 28 in its original version because of the prohibitions on private businesses, with Rep. Tom Smith, R-Corbin, saying he worried it "was infringing on our private businesses and telling them what to do."

More: Louisville police, firefighters lag on COVID vaccinations. Unions say that's their right

The Kentucky League of Cities sent out an action alert Tuesday morning calling for people to call committee members and urge them to vote against HB 28, as it "would prevent cities from making local decisions regarding the safety and security of their employees and citizens."

Chaney told the committee that "local officials are the best positioned to make local decisions locally," with the bill violating "that tenant and basic principle of home rule."

After its passage, Chaney told The Courier Journal "political issues around this" are what drove the vote, adding "it's disappointing to see legislators willing to abandon that concept that local officials are in the best position to to run their city governments or county governments."

Rep. DJ Johnson, R-Owensboro, said HB 28 tugged at "competing conservative values" of respect for the rights of individuals and the rights on local governments to not have policies imposed on them from the state, but ultimately voted for the bill.

"Although I'm a local rule guy, have been for a long time, I'm going to at this point stand with individual rights, as far as my vote on this bill," Johnson said.

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Derrick Graham of Frankfort said he voted against HB 28 because it "inhibits not only state government, but it will inhibit all divisions of government" if the pandemic takes a turn for the worse and governments need to take more actions for public safety.

The administration of Gov. Andy Beshear currently asks certain state employees who work with at-risk populations to disclose their COVID-19 vaccine status  such as guards in state prisons or those employees in state assisted-living facilities  with those who have not been vaccinated having to submit to more regular testing.

Beshear spokeswoman Scottie Ellis said some state employees are required to be vaccinated under federal law if they dont meet certain exemptions, while for some state agencies dealing with congregate settings, "knowing vaccination status is critical to implement the necessary testing protocols."

Maddox said her bill would still allow governmental entities to require COVID-19 testing for employees, but they couldn't single out those who refuse to disclose their vaccine status for additional testing.

The Kentucky Department of Education has provided $100 bonuses for teachers who are vaccinated, while Louisville Metro Government has given premium pay bonuses ranging from $500 to $1,000 for certain essential workers who are vaccinated.

Ellis told The Courier Journal there was also an option for state employees last year to voluntarily disclose their vaccination status for an extra vacation day as an incentive to boost vaccination efforts.

Louisville Metro Councilman Bill Hollander, D-9th, said HB 28 appears to make the city's bonus incentive illegal, adding that it "hinders our ability to reward employees and serve the public, and it violates bedrock principles of home rule."

Spokespersons for Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer did not immediately return a request for comment on the bill.

University of Louisville spokesman John Karman said HB 28 would be "problematic" for the school, "particularly given the complexities affiliated with our School of Medicine and the U of L Health system."

U of L Health required COVID-19 vaccines for all its workers last year, becoming the first major health care system in Kentucky to declare it will make the vaccine mandatory.

Noting U of L has asked for and tracked the vaccine status of its campus  with 92% currently vaccinated  Karman said they "hope the legislature will consider the issues the university faces when discussing and ultimately acting on the bill.

House passes ban on school mask mandates

In another test for home rule principles, the House voted Tuesday afternoon to pass House Bill 51, which would ban local K-12 schools, colleges and child care centers from mandating masks.

The bill cleared the chamber by a relatively narrow vote of 56-35, as 12 members of the Republican supermajority broke off with every Democrat to vote against HB 51.

Supporters of the measure said the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is now in the rearview mirror and criticized local school boards  such as Jefferson County Public Schools  that still have a mask mandate in place, saying HB 51 would empower parents to make their own decisions.

Katelynn Stamper wears her mask during after school tutoring at Jesse D. Lay Elementary in Barbourville, Ky. Sept. 21, 2021

However, several Republicans suggested the chamber would be hypocritical to take away power from local, elected school boards when they had passed a bill in September in the special session to give these same boards the power to make their own decisions on masks.

While noting he does not personally support keeping mask mandates in schools right now, Rep. Adam Koenig, R-Erlanger, said: "I'm not excited about sending power six months ago to the locals and then saying, 'you know what, you're not doing it right, we're gonna take it back.'"

Rep. Jim DuPlessis, R-Elizabethtown, added HB 51 would take away the ability of local schools to act quickly during any "unforeseen circumstance down the road if another variant comes up."

House Bill 51 now goes to the Senate.

This story may be updated.

Reach reporter Joe Sonka at jsonka@courierjournal.com and follow him on Twitter at @joesonka. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today at the top of this page.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Bill would ban government, colleges from asking about COVID vaccines
Mar. 8Owensboro Downtown LLC, the Matt Hayden company that owns the Alorica Building at 234 Frederica St., has filed suit against Alorica in an effort to get the California-based company to agree to terminate its lease and leave the building so Bell Bank Home Mortgage can move in.

The suit, filed in Daviess Circuit Court and transferred to U.S. District Court, says that the owners and Alorica entered into the lease on Sept. 1, 2016, for the second, third, fourth and fifth floors.

It says that during the COVID-19 pandemic in early- to mid-2020, Alorica's employees began working remotely, leaving the building unoccupied.

In an affidavit filed Monday, Hayden said, "Under the current economic conditions and declining demand for office space in the post-COVID-19 real estate environment, credit-worthy tenants willing to lease tens of thousands of square feet of office space are difficult to come by and even more difficult to retain."

He said that last September, Alorica offered $850,000 to be released from its lease on the building.

Hayden said in a prepared statement that Alorica hired his Gulfstream Commercial Services to find a company to take over the lease and the company found Bell Bank, which he has worked to get into the building.

The affidavit says that Hayden had expected to receive $7 million from Alorica by the time the lease was up.

The suit says that on Feb. 16 of this year, Hayden offered Alorica a buyout of its lease for $925,000

The suit says Alorica counter-offered a buyout of $795,000.

It says that the Hayden accepted that offer, saving Alorica more than $1 million.

The suit says that on Feb. 15, Owensboro Downtown LLC entered into a lease with Bell Bank for part of the space formerly occupied by Alorica.

But, it says, Alorica then said it disagreed with some of the details in the termination agreement.

And since then, the suit says, Alorica has failed to pay the rent due and vacate the premises.

The suit says that action has cost the owners more than $5.5 million and it is asking the court for "fair and reasonable" compensation for its losses.

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Sunny Yu, spokeswoman for Alorica, said in an email, "Our policy is that we do not comment on pending litigation."

A statement from Hayden's companies on Monday said, "Bell Bank is a fantastic organization and its move to Owensboro would truly be a win-win-win-win: a win for Alorica  which would save upwards of $1 million in rent and expenses; a win for the Owensboro community which would have a huge number of new jobs, tax revenue and activity in our downtown; a win for the building owner, OWB Downtown LLC, which would have a new tenant to fill the empty space; and a win for Bell Bank, which will thrive given the talent we have in Owensboro to further the Bank's business plans."

It added, "With office buildings all over the country left empty following the pandemic and current economic conditions, it defies logic as to why Alorica would not honor its agreement with the landlord and openly support a deal that saves Alorica a significant amount of money while simultaneously advancing the best interests of the community where Alorica's home-based employees reside."

Mayor Tom Watson said, "We have a hole downtown (in the Alorica Building) that we need to fill. They aren't in the building and Bell Bank is in a hurry to move in."

He said, "It's almost like they're trying to hold us hostage. I don't understand. It's a chance for them to get out of their lease."

Watson said Alorica never delivered on the promises it made the city about the number of employees it would hire when it came to town.

The company had said it would eventually employ 840 people.

But last year, Alorica said it had 250 Owensboro employees here who were working from home.

"I'm excited about Bell Bank coming," Watson said.

Bell Bank of Fargo, North Dakota, said last month that it will open a mortgage servicing office in the building this summer.

And Owensboro Downtown LLC wants the building to be ready before then.

Bell Bank's plans will create a $50 million impact in the community, Brittaney Johnson, president of the Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corp., said at the time of the announcement.

She said the company will occupy the third, fourth and fifth floors of the building over the next five years.

And she said there's a possibility that the company will need the second floor as well.

Bell Bank expects to have 37 employees by the end of the year and 178 by the end of 2026.

"I'm very excited to have them in the community and filling up the Alorica Building again," Johnson said during the announcement.

Bob Smiley, Bell's senior vice president/mortgage servicing director, said the bank looked at several large cities including Phoenix and St. Louis, but decided to locate the new office in Owensboro.

Keith Lawrence, 270-691-7301 klawrence@messenger-inquirer.com
State Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto, left, wears a face shield while chatting with then-Rep. Linda Trujillo on the House floor in 2020.

SANTA FE - A lobbyist for progressive advocacy groups in New Mexico has accused a leading Democratic state senator of groping her at a hotel reception in 2015, calling on the lawmaker to resign in a public letter.

Marianna Anaya, a registered lobbyist whose recent work involves voting rights legislation, said Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto of Albuquerque grabbed and pinched her buttocks as she stood at a cocktail table during a reception for a teachers union at a Santa Fe hotel. At the time, Anaya worked on the congressional staff for Michelle Lujan Grisham, who left Congress to become governor in 2019.

"I froze and felt an overwhelming sense of embarrassment," Anaya said in a letter released Tuesday on social media and through an attorney. Anaya said she shared her experience after she said Ivey-Soto continued to harass her and others.

Contacted Wednesday, Ivey-Soto said he has no recollection of touching Anaya during the encounter and that he reacted with horror when she raised the issue recently.

"Her recollection is that I reached around and grabbed her behind," Ivey-Soto said. "I was horrified when she told me this. That's not me. I said I don't reach around and unsolicited grab someone's behind. I can just tell you categorically that I didn't do that."

A man walks on the second floor of the New Mexico State Capitol building while emergency medical technicians wait to administer COVID-19 tests on Monday, Feb. 8, 2021, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

An attorney for Anaya said a written complaint against Ivey-Soto will be filed with the Legislature for investigation. Attorney Levi Monagle declined to share the complaint, citing procedural restrictions.

Previous allegations of sexual misconduct by lawmakers in their interactions with female lobbyists in recent years prompted an overhaul of anti-harassment training and investigative procedures at the Legislature, with new standards for what constitutes harassment and outside oversight of some investigations.

So far in 2022, four complaints of misconduct have been filed against New Mexico legislators. Legislative Council Service Director Raul Burciaga, lead attorney to the Legislature, said further information cannot be disclosed without a preliminary investigation and finding of probable cause.

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More: More judges, jail alternatives and expanded surveillance: Here's what's in the New Mexico crime bill

Previously, former State Rep. Carl Trujillo lost the Democratic primary in 2018 after a lobbyist accused him of inappropriately touching and propositioning her  though the lobbyist later declined to testify in a legislative inquiry. Trujillo denied the accusations.

Lobbyist Vanessa Alarid said in 2017 that a former House lawmaker had offered to vote for bill in 2009 if she would have sex with him.

Anaya's letter describes encounters this year with Ivey-Soto over glasses of wine in his office and later at a restaurant to discuss legislation aimed at expanding voting access. She described Ivey-Soto's behavior as aggressive and disrespectful, including shouting and sexual innuendo.

"That is why I decided to speak about this publicly," she wrote. "You have a pattern of sexually abusive behavior and abuse of your power as a legislator, and I want every (woman) who has to work with you to know about your actions and hold you accountable."

Ivey-Soto said he has "no idea" about references to harassment of other women, and that his encounters with Anaya were never sexual. Ivey-Soto acknowledged confronting Anaya about her joining in previous calls for him to resign for badgering a female legislator during a Senate floor debate in 2021.

"I feel like a conversation with me would have been appropriate before publicly calling for my resignation," Ivey-Soto said, highlighting his activism on legislation aimed at protecting victims of domestic violence and ensuring their safe access to voting.

The senator said he keeps wine in his state Capitol office to "de-intensify" conversations.

Anaya in 2017 publicly accused Democratic gubernatorial contender Jeff Apodaca of trying to kiss her on the mouth at a whiffle ball game in Santa Fe that brought together staff from the Democratic Party and a labor union that employed her.

Apodaca's campaign said the accusations were false. There was no official vetting. Apodaca lost in a three-way primary.

Morgan Lee covers New Mexico for the Associated Press.

Read more:

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: New Mexico lobbyist accuses state lawmaker of groping her
After an 11-year run as dean of Minnesotas Carlson School of Management, Sri Zaheer will return to the faculty

After an 11-year stint as dean of the University of Minnesotas Carlson School of Management, Sri Zaheer today (March 8) announced plans to step down from the job and return to the faculty. Highly regarded in the Twin Cities, she continues to chair the Minneapolis Federal Reserve, having served as a director there since 2017.

One of the most prominent Indian-born academics to assume the leadership of a major U.S. business school, Zaheer will stay on in the job until the university finds her successor.

After nine months as interim dean and nearing a decade-long run as permanent dean, the 68-year-old Zaheer says she had begun discussions with the university provost about her departure as dean for the past year. She intends to return to teaching and research at Carlson in her area of expertise, international business. I am not the professional dean who hops from one to another, Zaheer says in an interview with Poets&Quants.

Minnesota Carlson Is In A Very Strong Position

Her career spans service in business, journalism and academia and is nothing less than the quintessential success story for a highly educated immigrant from Chennai in Tamil Nadu, India. Zaheer met her husband, Aks Zaheer, now a professor of strategic management at Carlson, on stage in a play in their first year at business school while earning their MBAs from the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad. After working as a systems analyst at Tata Consultancy Services and an internal auditor at Sandoz India, she took the unusual step into journalism. For a five-year period, beginning in 1981 when she moved to Nigeria, she reported and wrote as a correspondent in Africa and India for Business International.

It was during her time in Nigeria that she caught the bug to teach when she began lecturing as a part-time instructor at a state university in the country. She ultimately moved to Boston to earn her PhD from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and joined Carlson as a teaching specialist nearly 31 years ago in 1991. After serving as interim dean with the departure of Alison Davis-Blake to Michigan Ross in 2011, Zaheer was formally appointed dean exactly ten years ago today on March 8th of 2012.

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Only the second woman to serve as Carlson Dean, Zaheer raised more than $200 million for the school, more than doubled the Carlson Schools endowment to over $305 million from $137 million. Under her leadership, the school brought in more than $106 million for scholarships alone, and roughly $50 million of endowment can be funneled into projects of the deans choosing. She led a major update to Carlsons undergraduate curriculum which debuts this fall, and nearly doubled the number of degree programs to 13 from seven with new masters in business analytics, supply chain management, finance, and marketing. She also led the launch of a successful online MBA program.

With a total of 5,012 students, enrollment is the highest in school history. Most of that growth occurred at the undergraduate level and from the launch of the new specialty masters degrees. The undergraduate population is up more than 37% from 2011 when she assumed the deanship. The latest incoming class of full-time MBAs is up by more than 20% to 90 students.

The school is in a very strong position, she adds. Enrollments are off the charts. Our finances have never been stronger, and our results have never been higher. There are some great things weve accomplished.

A Core Part Of Her Time As Dean: Deep Engagement In The Twin Cities Community

A landmark of her deanship was her embrace of the Twin Cities business and non-profit ecosystem. She has served on the boards of the Greater Twin Cities United Way, the Guthrie Theater, and the Destination Medical Center Economic Development Agency of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. The business communitys engagement with the school has resulted in a wealth of new experiential learning opportunities for students. Her parting advice to current and future deans: I would encourage the deans in large cities to invest in the community. You actually get to build relationships which benefit the school in major ways. It is the same folks who are funding and advising on all the key elements of the community. That connection is huge.

Yet, at the top of her list of accomplishments is how deep and widespread this idea of business as a force for good as gotten embedded in the school based on faculty research, experiential learning for students, and outreach as well. Ever since she used the phrase in a holiday video message in 2012, business as a force for good has become the schools unofficial motto. That themeexpressed long before other schools jumped on the ESG (Environment, Social & Governance) bandwagonhas informed the schools substantial programming in experiential learning as well as the research agenda of some faculty members.

Among other things, the Carlson Analytics Lab and Analytics for Good Institute projects that analyzed how Hazelden Betty Ford could better treat addiction patients and found ways for Second Harvest Heartland to more effectively reach those eligible for SNAP benefits and reduce hunger. During the pandemic, the school also launched a hospitalization tracking project, led by Professor Pinar Karaca Mandic and Associate Professor Soumya Sen that became ione of the most visited pages on the schools website. It resulted in nearly a dozen studies published in peer-reviewed journals and thousands of media mentions.

Carlson: At The Forefront Of Opening The Doors To Military Vets

More than any other business school dean, Zaheer opened the doors of the school to military veterans. Early in her deanship, in 2012, she added an on-staff retired military coordinator, a dedicated pool of scholarship funding for vets, and tailored career counseling, with pre-MBA internship programming, to ease the transition into civilian life. Carlson now boasts 19 specific scholarships for veterans, ranging from $7,500 to full tuition with a stipend for living expenses. The upshot: From just a pair of veterans enrolled 2013, the school now has educated more than 120 vets. Nearly one in four students are veterans. Not surprisingly, Carlson is the number one graduate business school in the country according to the Military Friendly rankings.

She believes the veterans initiative, moreover, has had a beneficial impact on the schools MBA program where one in four students are vets. It has really changed the culture in the classrooms, says Zaheer. The cases get read. The classes are very well prepared.

Dean Zaheer also successfully navigated the school through the challenges of the pandemic, though not without some public controversy. She ended up making an apology that spilled into the local media for what Zaheer conceded were insensitive remarks at a staff committee meeting last September. Some 18 months after the start of the COVID pandemic, Zaheer told committee members you all really need to chill out and get over it50,000 people die from the flu each year but no one talks about that.

Will Focus Carlson School On A Successful Rollout Of A Revamped Undergraduate Program & Fundraising For Building Improvements

Over the nest year or so until the university finds a successor, Zaheer says she will be focused on raising more funds to reimagine the space in the schools flagship building. The improvements will enhance Carlsons delivery of experiential learning projects. She will also manage the roll out this fall of a new undergraduate curriculum which will now be organized around three central themes: people and planet, data and technology, and critical thinking and problem solving.

The revamped curriculum was the result of a review process that included a 14-member committee of stakeholders from across the school. Feedback was gathered, via surveys and interviews, from more than 1,000 faculty, current students, alumni, and employers. The school also benchmarked its offering against the top ten undergraduate business programs in the world, with an additional ten for calibration.

We want to roll that out very significantly into our undergraduate program, she says. Every undergrad will have to go through two experiential projects though something we are calling the Impact Lab. These are real projects. Every single student will have had that experience while an undergraduate, along with the foundations for impact which is critical thinking and problems solving. And they will do all that through a cohort learning community.

In addition to her Fed duties, Zaheer was recently elected to her first corporate board at HB Fuller, and also invited to be among the top editors of the Journal of International Business Studies. As the journals new impact editor, she will evaluate the impact of scholarly research on practice in the real world. I am looking forward to getting into a real company again, says Zaheer, who once worked for Tata Consultancy Services and Sandoz (India) Ltd.

What will she most miss when she turns over the job? Hearing stories of our alumni, says Zaheer. That is not something you get to do very much as a faculty member and that just makes you believe in what you are doing. People have gone on to do such interesting things. Our alumni have led the Los Angeles Symphony; they have started unicorns, and the top librarian in Washington D.C., is a Carlson graduate. And often they are from very humble backgrounds.

In an email to the university community, Provost Rachel T.A. Croson lauded Zaheers deanship and said the university will launch a national search for her successor later this semester. I am delighted that the school and university will continue to benefit from Sris leadership while we conduct the search for a successor, wrote Croson, who added that a search committee will be composed of faculty with staff, student and external representatives. Sris outstanding collaborative leadership as dean, working with all of you, has positioned the school extremely well for the future. Following the completion of the search, Sri will continue to bring distinction to the school and university through her teaching and research.

The post Minnesota Carlson Dean Stepping Down appeared first on Poets&Quants.
FILE PHOTO: A North Korea flag flutters next to concertina wire at the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea's missile launches could be groundwork for a return to intercontinental ballistic missile and nuclear bomb tests this year for the first time since 2017, the U.S. Directorate of National Intelligence (DNI) said in its annual Worldwide Threat Assessment released on Monday.

On Tuesday, U.S.-based analysts said commercial satellite imagery shows construction at North Korea's nuclear testing site for the first time since it was closed in 2018.

International experts have also reported that North Korea's main nuclear reactor facility at Yongbyon appears to be in full swing, potentially creating additional fuel for nuclear weapons.

The DNI report, dated Feb. 7, and released ahead of a congressional hearing on Tuesday, said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un remained strongly committed to expanding his nuclear weapons arsenal and ballistic missile research and development.

It said the North Korea's continued development of ICBMs, intermediate range ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles showed the country's intention to bolster its nuclear delivery capability.

"In January, North Korea began laying the groundwork for an increase in tensions that could include ICBM or possibly a nuclear test this year - actions that Pyongyang has not taken since 2017," the report said.

"Flight tests are part of North Koreas effort to expand the number and type of missile systems capable of delivering nuclear warheads to the entire United States," it added.

The DNI report said it based its assessment on information available as of Jan. 21.

A return by North Korea to ICBM or nuclear testing would be a massive additional headache for the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, even as he grapples with the crisis caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Amid stalled denuclearization talks, North Korea has suggested it could resume testing nuclear weapons or ICBMs.

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It tested a record number of missiles in January, including its largest since 2017, and appears to be preparing to launch a spy satellite.

The United States and 10 other countries on Monday bemoaned the failure of the United Nations Security Council to condemn North Korea's missile launches this year, saying this eroded the credibility both of the council and the global non- proliferation regime.

(Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Patricia Zengerle)
Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022.

Last Friday, a winter storm delayed our connecting flight back home to Cincinnati. We decided to make the most of it. The next day, we had brunch at a favorite New York restaurant. We ate well. Probably too well. Then we browsed at a favorite New York bookstore. While our eldest went off to explore the fiction section, I ascended to the second floor to examine two of my favorite subjects: philosophy and religion. Specifically, my own.

But I was shocked to find that the entire Islam section consisted of only half a shelf. Maybe, I told myself, there wasnt much demand for religion in this neighborhood. But that didnt seem right to me. Id just come from a lecture at Dartmouths very prestigious Tuck School of Business, where I told a group of high-achieving students, most of whom did not come from a Muslim background, that understanding the worlds fastest-growing faith was important.

That one day such understanding might even be urgently necessary.

Before we left that Manhattan bookstore, I took a few pictures of the Islam shelf, sure that at some point the dangers of this relative indifference would reveal themselves. Sadly, Id not be disappointed. Just a few days later, a graduate of another renowned American business school  its in Cambridge and perhaps youve heard of it  made headlines when he callously explained that, in his opinion, Bulgaria would have no problem welcoming Ukrainian refugees, who were after all properly "European," "intelligent" and "educated."

A family fleeing the conflict in Ukraine walks after crossing the Moldova-Ukraine border checkpoint near the town of Palanca, on March 2, 2022, seven days after Russia' military invasion of Ukraine. - Nearly 875,000 people have fled Ukraine in total, the UN refugee agency said on march 2, 2022, with the number expected to rise. (Photo by Nikolay DOYCHINOV / AFP) (Photo by NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV/AFP via Getty Images)

Why did this matter? Well, for one thing, this Harvard alumnus, Kiril Petkov, is the Prime Minister of Bulgaria. He has an impressive resume, to be fair, including an undergraduate degree from the University of British Columbia. He is certainly (superficially) educated. But what does that learning amount to? Clearly, Petkov meant that Ukrainians fleeing Putins brutal war machine are more deserving of our compassion than Syrians who, unfortunately for him, were also fleeing Putins brutal war machine.

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But never mind that.

Perhaps the prime minister's comments were meant to mask religious supremacism: Christians deserve priority. Muslims can go elsewhere. This is a curious thing for the prime minister of the European Union member-state with the highest percentage of Muslim citizens to say. And if youre wondering, those Muslims are largely the descendants of Turks who settled the region centuries ago, or the descendants of Bulgarians who voluntarily converted, and did you know Bulgarians and Turks share an ancient connection anyway?

But maybe he meant some Europeans are more European than other Europeans for entirely made-up reasons.

Or perhaps Petkovs comments betrayed a racial and ethnic hierarchy. But thats also a strange position for the prime minister of a country dependent for its security on a diverse superpower whose vice president is the daughter of immigrants of color, and whose secretary of defense is a retired African American general. Or perhaps his comments just betray what too many of our meritocratic elites think of themselves versus others, though they usually keep their contempt to themselves. (Im not sure if thats better or worse.)

A woman stands in front of a destroyed building after a Russian missile attack in the town of Vasylkiv, near Kyiv, on February 27, 2022. Ukraine's foreign minister said on February 27, that Kyiv would not buckle at talks with Russia over its invasion, accusing President Vladimir Putin of seeking to increase "pressure" by ordering his nuclear forces on high alert.

Like every other American (hopefully, at least), I am horrified by Putins entirely unjustified invasion of Ukraine. Whats happening to Ukrainians is awful without caveats. I also think President Bidens patient response, rallying and rejuvenating the West, is not just right but admirable. But while we confront the very real threat of an authoritarian demagogue, for whom people are means to ends, let us not fear applying some moral rigor to ourselves either. Consider that what allegedly offends us about Putin is his brutish inegalitarianism.

He subordinates Ukraine to Russia, and Russia to himself. For him, all people might have been created by God, but certainly not equally. That contrasts starkly with what we like to think we believe about ourselves, not to mention how we treat others. When I was teaching that class at Dartmouth, the invasion of Ukraine had just started. I made the war part of the class; indeed, I asked each student to think carefully about how the West should respond. Beginning with defining what the West is  and isnt.

One of the answers? "An illusion of meritocracy."

Too many elite Americans think their privileges reflect an innate superiority. We see this in how some white Americans look down on Americans of color. We see this in how some rich Americans look down on poor Americans. Rather than assume an elite education is a mark of some inherent quality, the universe merely formalizing what you knew all along was indisputably true about you, what if we taught people to see their access as a responsibility instead?

That you shouldn't think of your admission to Harvard as proof of your specialness  but as a test of your character.

Here's some privilege. Will it change how you think of yourself? Will it change how you relate to others? What bothered me about the puniness of the Islam section at that bookstore was that it betrayed an abdicated responsibility. Yes, every store must meet the demand of its customers. But education is not just about telling people what they want to know. Its about telling them what they need to know. Thats  theoretically, at least  why someone would pay astronomical sums for an education.

Ukrainian servicemen sit atop armored personnel carriers driving on a road in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday announced a military operation in Ukraine and warned other countries that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action would lead to "consequences you have never seen."

In the belief that theyd be provided insight into the world they couldnt otherwise glean. Not to be reassured that they were right all along.

Islam is the worlds fastest-growing faith. By the end of the century, nearly 1 out of 3 people in the world may be Muslim by faith or ancestry. We cannot navigate a complex, volatile world without knowing about its constituent parts. Just consider Ukraine. If not for the casual Islamophobia modeled by Petkov, and countless others, we would have paid far more attention to Putins other vicious military interventions  in places like Syria, Libya, Chechnya and, of course, his backing of mass murderers in the Balkans.

We would've seen that these were dry runs for theaters closer to home.

But we didnt, because we could hardly bring ourselves to care about the people who we decided were insufficiently like us to matter to us. Until we woke up one day and the worlds other military hyperpower was firing missiles and dropping bombs just miles from NATOs borders. Studying another faith might teach us to regard its adherents with compassion. While studying history might teach us another lesson: Strongmen always start by targeting the weak and the vulnerable. They dont ever stop there, though.

Haroon Moghul lives in Mason and is the author of "Two Billion Caliphs: A Vision of a Muslim Future" (April 2022). He writes about faith and family at his Substack, Sunday Schooled.

Haroon Moghul

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Opinion: Prejudice empowers Putin's military interventions
Russian flag flies outside of the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C.





A Russian official has proposed nationalizing factories in the country shut down by private companies that have come out against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"United Russia proposes nationalising production plants of the companies that announce their exit and the closure of production in Russia during the special operation in Ukraine," said Andrei Turchak, secretary of the ruling party's general council, Reuters reported.

The statement mentions three specific companies that recently announced they would halt business in Russia: Fazer, Valio and Paulig.

"This is an extreme measure, but we will not tolerate being stabbed in the back, and we will protect our people. This is a real war, not against Russia as a whole, but against our citizens," Turchak said, according to Reuters.

"We will take tough retaliatory measures, acting in accordance with the laws of war," Turchak added.

Dozens of private companies, social media platforms and news media outlets have taken action against Russia for invading Ukraine on Feb. 24.

The war has become increasingly deadly as it approaches the two-week mark. Ukraine has accused Russia committing war crimes amid increased bombing of civilian areas.

Ukrainian officials said last week that they had to halt the evacuation of civilians after safe corridors came under fire.

The U.S. and other foreign governments have levied crippling economic sanctions against wealthy Russians, Russian banks and against Russian President Vladimir Putin himself.

Most recently, President Biden announced Tuesday midday that the U.S. would ban Russian oil, natural gas and coal imports.
Tensions between the Russian space agency and those of western nations due to Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine became more personal over the weekend, as Russias space chief attacked a Nasa astronaut on Twitter and likened the Ukrainian president to Adolph Hitler.

In the wake of Russias invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, the European Space Agency and Nasa issued carefully worded statements about the value of international cooperation in space, particularly on the International Space Station, which currently hosts five Nasa and European astronauts and two Russian cosmonauts.

But Dmitry Rogozin, director general of Russias space agency, Roscosmos, took a different tact, issuing defiant and combative statements to the press and on Twitter, some of which have grown increasingly strange and bellicose in recent days.

Former US astronaut and US naval Captain Scott Kelly has taken to Twitter himself, translating and tweeting western media accounts of the war to the Russian people in Russian, such as a Wall Street Journal article suggesting Russian shelling could amount to war crimes.

On Sunday, Mr Rogozin tweeted at Capt Kelly , saying, Get off, you moron! Otherwise the death of the #ISS will be on your conscience.

In other recent tweets and media appearances, Mr Rogozin has suggested they might pull out of the ISS, a collaboration with the US and Europe that dates back to 1993.

Mr Rogozin later deleted his tweet at Capt Kelly, leading Mr Kelly to tweet a screenshot of the deleted tweet saying, Dimon, why did you delete this tweet? Dont want everyone to see what kind of child you are?

,     ?  ,   ,     ? pic.twitter.com/xSScT2cSGu  Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) March 7, 2022

Mr Rogozin ultimately blocked Capt Kelly on Twitter, and turned his attention to president Zelenzkey.

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On Monday, Mr Rogozin tweeted a clip from the 2004 German film Der Untergang , which features Nazi leader Adolph Hitler ranting at his military leadership deep within a bunker. In the film clip in Mr Rogozins tweet , Hitlers face was replaced by that of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The important thing to remember about Mr Rogozin, is that he is a politically appointed official who has connections to Vladimir Putin, so we expect to see this kind of reaction from him, said Laura Forczyk, a physicist, and founder of space analytics firm Astralytical. We also have seen this kind of behaviour from him in the past.

Mr Rogozin, Russias ambassador to Nato from 2008 to 2011, was then Russias deputy prime minister from 2011 until being appointed head of Roscosmos in 2018. After becoming the focus of US sanctions in 2014 over Russias invasion of and annexation of the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine, Mr Rogozin tweeted , After analyzing the sanctions against our space industry, I suggest to the USA to bring their astronauts to the International Space Station using a trampoline.

At the time of Mr Rogozins trampoline comments, however, the US depended on Russian Soyuz spacecraft to carry astronauts and cargo to and from the ISS, with the US space shuttle being retired in 2011. But things have changed since 2014, and Nasa and ESA are no longer dependent on Russia for rides to space.

The recovered first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is transported to the SpaceX hangar at launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida May 14, 2016 (REUTERS/Joe Skipper)

When Mr Rogozin made a similar comment on 3 March, suggesting the US and Europeans ride to space on broomsticks after Russia announced it would stop selling rocket engines to the US. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk responded by tweeting a video of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launching satellites into orbit with the comment, American broomstick.

Astronauts and cargo have flown to the ISS aboard SpaceX Dragon spacecraft since 2020, and SpaceX could potentially pick up where Russia leaves off if the country pulls out of the ISS. Similarly, satellite internet provider OneWeb could potentially contract SpaceX to launch its satellites now that the company and Roscosmos have terminated their relationship .

Virtually every partner with Russia in space has options, in other words, but Russias outlook without those partners is bleak.

They have very limited space activities on their own, Forczyk said. They rely on international partnerships.

Without Europe and the US, Russias remaining main partner would be China, but as Forczyk noted, it could be tough for Russia  and Mr Rogozin to play second fiddle to a China with its own advanced launch capabilities and plans to establish a base on the Moon.

[The Russians] have a lot of pride in their historic space achievements as they should, she said. So they certainly have a lot more to lose than they have to gain by cutting off partnerships internationally.
Guy Reffitt of Texas is among those charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

WASHINGTONA federal court jury delivered guilty verdicts Tuesday against a Texas militia man on all five criminal counts in a case stemming from the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol attack, including interfering with the certification of the 2020 election, in the first jury trial to emerge from the governments far-reaching investigation of the insurrection.

Guy Wesley Reffitt, 49, looked on as the decisions were read, concluding a fast-moving case in which prosecutors portrayed the Wylie, Texas oil industry worker, as a leader of a violent mob that overwhelmed police lines just outside the Senate chamber.

The jury reached its decision after less than three hours of deliberation. Reffitt's sentencing was scheduled for June 8.

Reffitt faces a maximum punishment of 20 years for each of the two obstruction-related offenses; and a maximum of 10 years for entering restricted grounds with a firearm. Each of the two civil disorder convictions carry a maximum of five years in prison.

More: Prosecutors open first Jan. 6 jury trial by casting armed Texas man as assault leader

For the government, the verdicts marked a successful first test of evidence and witnesses before a jury whose members were drawn from neighborhoods in close proximity to the Capitol, which had been transformed into a battlefield on Jan. 6.

And for other Jan. 6 defendants, including 10 members of the extremist Oath Keepers group accused of seditious conspiracy, the Reffitt case will likely be viewed as a template of sorts as those defendants ultimately determine whether to challenge the most serious charges leveled so far before other D.C. juries.

More: A Texas man will be the first Jan. 6 defendant to face a jury. His trial could set the tone for others.

In the case of Reffitt, a member of the paramilitary Three Percenters, prosecutors drew on reels of surveillance video, testimony from Capitol Police officers, a fellow militia member and the defendant's estranged son to portray a rioter described as the "tip of this mob's spear."

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Reffitt, prosecutors said, planned his excursion to D.C. for days and then plunged into the crowd with a handgun holstered to his waist while talking of physically removing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

"Were taking the Capitol before the day is over," Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nestler said, referring to messages the defendant allegedly sent to associates.

"I just want to see Pelosis head hitting every f------ stair on the way out," Reffitt allegedly boasted in another message.

Reffitt's attorney, William Welch, told jurors that his client was merely prone to hyperbole, suggesting that his involvement was more talk than action.

Violent rioters, loyal to President Donald Trump, storm the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021.

"Guy does brag a lot," Welch said, repeating a theme from his opening statement last week. "He uses a lot of hyperbole that upsets people. People say outrageous things."

Welch called no witnesses for the defense, with Reffitt electing not to testify. But the attorney called on jurors to closely scrutinize government witnesses, including another Three Percenter, Rocky Hardie, who is cooperating with the government as part of an immunity agreement. Hardie traveled with Reffitt to Washington and detailed his preparations, including the firearms they brought with them.

"You should doubt Rocky Hardie," Welch said, adding the witness would "say whatever he has to say" to avoid prosecution himself.

Welch also questioned the testimony offered by Reffitt's son, who the attorney claimed was unsure whether his father's threats should be taken seriously.

U.S. Capitol Police officers hold rioters at gun point on Jan. 6, 2021.

Capitol Police officers, meanwhile, painted a damning image of the defendant, repeatedly identifying him as leading a screaming mob up an outside Capitol stairway.

"It was a really bad situation," Sgt. Matthew Flood told jurors, describing his arrival on a landing area as the crowd advanced. He said "hundreds" of rioters had already breached the security perimeter when he and other officers arrived.

Almost immediately, Flood said that a fellow officer identified Reffitt, at the front of the pack, waving rioters forward.

"The person in the blue jacket was the problem," Flood said, referring to his colleague's description of Reffitt, also outfitted in a bullet-proof vest and tactical helmet, who continued to move forward even after officers launched non-lethal projectiles at the defendant.

People shelter in the House gallery as rioters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

"He was in front; he was leading them up the stairs," Flood said.

Fearing for the safety of lawmakers, Flood said he eventually left the front lines to evacuate members of Congress.

Capitol Police Sgt. Adam DesCamp, who joined Flood and another officer, said Reffitt repeatedly ignored commands to stop.

"Don't be a traitor, let us in," Reffitt called out at one point, DesCamp testified Monday. "You can't stop us all."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas man found guilty on five federal charges in first Jan. 6 trial
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Jurors could begin deliberating in Randy Shea Gardners murder trial Monday. Gardner, 48, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Julian Wabinga, whose body was found buried in a barn in Gleed on June 5, 2018.
The court order released Friday morning returns the issue of redistricting to the bipartisan Washington State Redistricting Commission for final steps before sending the maps, which displace one Yakima lawmaker, to the Legislature.
Yakima County on track to beat record high for average price of gas, according to AAA
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Simpkins: Another good example is our work with autonomous vehicle developer Zoox. We just started a collaboration on projects related to A.I., centered around evaluating machine learning algorithms and methods of testing battery technology used in autonomous vehicles. Along those lines, we also work with Toyota Research Institute, Stanford and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on machine learning tools to develop a long-lived electric vehicle battery that can be charged in 10 minutes.

Whats unique about the national lab environment?

Garrett: I think that compared to other environments, such as a university, technologies developed across the DOE national labs are quite mature. Many DOE labs do highly applied research, which includes a lot of testing and developing past a prototype, sometimes to a stage in which a technology can be deployed. Thats obviously a really good value for a company to come in and work with that technology because now they dont have to invest as much in R&D.

I would also say that, generally, national labs dont see tech transfer as a business enterprise for themselves. They are funded by the federal government, so the idea is to get technology out to the marketplace, which is part of the whole process of creating jobs and making the United States economically more competitive.

How do you collaborate with other Bay Area institutions on tech transfer?

Garrett: We work closely with Stanfords Office of Technology Licensing (OTL). When an innovation has been developed at SLAC, OTL reviews that innovation and advises us on how to proceed. For instance, we would discuss if we want to pursue a patent or not. They also help with advertising the innovation. SLAC has a portfolio of 50 to 60 patents right now that the office has out for licensing. Stanford has had quite a few success stories regarding licensing their technology to big-name businesses, so it's a huge advantage for SLAC that we have them as a resource.

Simpkins: We have also teamed up with the other national labs in the Bay Area  Berkeley Lab, Sandia National Laboratories and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory  and formed the Lab Innovation Networking Center (LINC). LINCs focus is on fostering engagement with companies in Silicon Valley that very often dont quite understand what the labs do and what resources we offer that might be interesting to them. The physical office will eventually be at SLAC. Last year we had a series of virtual events to get LINC started, which was very successful. Although we had focused on small businesses in the Bay Area, we also had representatives from all over the country in the audience.

What other initiatives are you pursuing?

Garrett: There are many opportunities for education and training. For instance, end of last year, a first cohort completed SLACs new Energy I-Corps Lite, an 8-week entrepreneurial program. Scientists formed three teams, each choosing an example technology, and developed pitches for why a company might want to work with and invest in that technology. The program teaches scientists to think more broadly about a technology and to develop partnerships outside the laboratory. The SLAC program is a local version of DOEs highly competitive Energy I-Corps program for members of all national labs, and were very happy that two of our researchers have recently also been accepted into that program.

Simpkins: Another focus is on training that introduces our researchers to intellectual property. What is a patent? What are copyrights? What is open source software? What value does a scientist get out of submitting an invention disclosure? This sort of education is very important because some researchers think that protecting intellectual property is a restriction or limitation, while, in reality, it opens up more possibilities for partnerships and funding. When a scientist participates in the tech transfer process, they establish themselves as somebody who not only generates scientific publications, but as someone who contributes to the valuable patent and licensing output from the labs, which is part of the job creation process in the U.S.

What future prospects are you most excited about?

Garrett: SLAC is a place with a lot of innovation, and one of my goals is to get more scientists excited about and engaged with technology transfer. Creating educational opportunities is one way of approaching that; another one is rolling out incentives for folks who participate, like a tech transfer awards program. Im looking forward to working with every scientist who has an interest in engaging with companies and helping them develop a strategic plan for their idea. What exactly is the technology space youre working in and who exactly do you want to engage with? Thats the most exciting thing for me. I basically want to get companies and people from SLAC into the room together and get these conversations going, and usually what comes from these engagements are pretty awesome things.

Support for programs and projects mentioned in this article includes funding from DOEs Office of Technology Transitions, the DOE Office of Science and the DOE Advanced Battery Materials Research Program. SLACs synchrotron (Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource) and X-ray laser (Linac Coherent Light Source) are Office of Science user facilities. To learn more about how to partner with SLAC, please visit https://partnerships.slac.stanford.edu/.

For questions or comments, contact the SLAC Office of Communications at communications@slac.stanford.edu.

SLAC is a vibrant multiprogram laboratory that explores how the universe works at the biggest, smallest and fastest scales and invents powerful tools used by scientists around the globe. With research spanning particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology, materials, chemistry, bio- and energy sciences and scientific computing, we help solve real-world problems and advance the interests of the nation.

SLAC is operated by Stanford University for the U.S. Department of Energys Office of Science. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time.
China can play a key role in preventing an escalation of the war in Ukraine, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Monday.

China is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and can therefore play an important role in preventing an escalation of the war, Szijjarto said on Facebook after a phone call with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.



Szijjarto said he and Wang had discussed the effects of the war on regional security, adding that he had thanked the Chinese minister for Chinas efforts to prevent an escalation and for having offered to mediate between Russia and Ukraine.



Szijjarto said he had told Wang that as a neighbouring country Hungarys interests lay in achieving peace as soon as possible, and that right now our most important task is to ensure that Hungary doesnt get dragged into this war.



Hungary will therefore support every international initiative aimed at dialogue in the interest of establishing peace.



Meanwhile, the minister said that Hungary has taken in 170,000 refugees from Ukraine since the start of the war.



We provide care to all refugees who come to our country while helping all third-country citizens return home, he said.



There are 200 Chinese nationals in Hungary who arrived from Ukraine and will be travelling home to China this week, Szijjarto said, adding that Wang had expressed thanks for the help Hungary is giving them.
Hungarys currency has become a victim of Brusselss sanctions, which have caused substantial damage to the Hungarian economy, Finance Minister Mihaly Varga said on Monday.

Mulling a decision to extend sanctions to the energy sector poses the gravest danger to the forint and to the Hungarian people, the minister said in a video posted on Facebook.



Those who advocate extending the sanctions want Hungarians to pay the price of war, he said.



The Hungarian government will not support a move like this at any international forum, the minister said.



See coverage of this key topic is included in the video report below.
Its a miracle that after 12 years of brainwashing, we have a chance to defeat Fidesz, said Peter Marki-Zay, the opposition coalitions candidate for prime minister, at a demonstration on Sunday evening in front of the headquarters of state broadcaster MTVA.

Entitled Propaganda is a weapon, lies kill, the event was attended by several hundred people who protested what they claim is pro-Russian bias in Hungarys taxpayer-funded public media. Speakers representing different elements of the United for Hungary opposition coalition demanded that Hungarian media be fairer and stop representing Russias interests.



MTVA itself filmed the event from the top of one of its buildings. Addressing these employees, independent MP Akos Hadhazy called for the end of Russian propaganda in public media, and to feature opposition politicians on their programs.



Another independent MP, Bernadett Szel, commented that while Fidesz had demanded a non-partisan public media for 30 years, the party had now made a monster out of MTVA with a director who falsifies the news.



Among other things, Timea Szabo from Dialogue said that Gergely Karacsony had only been invited to MTVA once since becoming mayor of Budapest. Even then, they asked him if he had come by bicycle.



DKs Laszlo Varju said those who had set up cameras on the roof of the MTVA building were traitors, and called their programs cannons that are shot into peoples homes.



Mate Kanasz-Nagy from LMP claimed that the spirit of the Kremlin pervaded the MTVA building, while Miklos Hajnal from Momentum recalled posters from 30 years ago that commemorated the end of Russian occupation of Hungary by making the crowd chant   (Its over, comrades!).



Socialist MEP Istvan Ujhelyi stated that Putinism and the spirit of Gobbels did not just move into the building in the past few weeks, but has been there for a decade.



As the final speaker, Peter Marki-Zay demanded that Viktor Orban debate him in a live broadcast format. Upon hearing this, the crowd began to chant Coward! in reference to the Prime Minister.



Photo: Mate Kanasz-Nagy / Facebook
The popularity of Peter Marki-Zay, the prime ministerial candidate of the united opposition, has fallen further, with 68% of respondents seeing him unfavourably, the Szazadveg Foundation said on Monday.

According to the poll conducted among politically active Hungarians, the ratio of those supporting Marki-Zay fell to 29% from 33% last month, Szazadveg said.



Marki-Zays popularity has fallen constantly since he won the opposition nomination last October, with the ratio of those rejecting him growing from 47% to 68%, the pollster said.



Among those supporting the united opposition, 16% see him unfavourably, as do 26% of leftist voters, it said. Among voters identifying as centrist, 54% reject and 40% support him, it said.



He is popular with 12% of undecided voters, it said.



In Budapest, 61% of respondents said they rejected Marki-Zay, and 37% supported him, a plunge from January when sympathisers were up at 42%, against 52% of voters rejecting the candidate, Szazadveg said.





Chart - courtesy of Szazadveg
British-based retailer Tesco has told the Budapest Business Journal that the Ukraine crisis has not directly affected its business or supplies, adding that it is doing what it can to back humanitarian efforts.

The stocks are at the right level in our stores and warehouses, and we are confident in our supply chain and our ability to serve customers with the products they need, the Tesco press office said in response to questions from budapestbusinessjournal.com.



Our thoughts are with the people affected by the Ukraine crisis and with all those impacted at such a difficult and worrying time. We are committed to supporting humanitarian relief efforts through our partnerships with the Red Cross, food banks and other relief organizations, like Interchurch Aid (Okumenikus Segelyszervezet) in Hungary, the press office told us.



Across the Tesco Group, the retailer has already taken what it calls initial steps. Last week, it donated GBP 1 million (about HUF 477 mln) to the Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal. Red Cross teams at borders such as with Hungary are providing essential aid.



Inside Ukraine, Red Cross volunteers provide first aid, warm clothes, and support in shelters and metro stations. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) focuses on restoring water supplies, supporting medical facilities, and providing food and shelter.



Our first donations of food, hygiene products and clothing left depots in Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia on Feb. 26, 48 hours after the crisis started, Tescos press office noted. We will continue to work closely with official relief organizations in all three countries, as well as local governments.



In Hungary, Tesco is working with its strategic partner, Hungarian Interchurch Aid. To help it provide essential aid to those in need, besides the product donation we have and continue to offer, we have announced a charity coupon fundraising campaign in our stores between March 2-18. Customers can purchase charity coupons in our stores and online, and Tesco will double the customer donations during this period.



The Tesco Angel Foundation is paying immediate support to those colleagues who offered their homes to refugees. We will also hold open roles and continue to pay the salary for the small number of families where Ukrainian colleagues have decided to cross the border and return to Ukraine, very much in line with the support we offered vulnerable colleagues during COVID, the press office explained.



We are exploring the opportunities to provide work to Ukrainian people at Tesco stores in Hungary. Were aware that many of our customers and colleagues want to help; this is why weve launched the charity coupon fundraising campaign in our stores.





MTI Photo: Csaba Krizsan
The leaders of Nebraska's largest hospitals say things are nearly back to normal thanks to the continuing decline in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

There were 191 COVID-19 patients in the state's hospitals as of Sunday night, the lowest level in seven months. That's down about 70% just in the past month.

"That's good news, very good news, for Nebraskans, for our hospitals and for our health care heroes working on the front lines," said Jeremy Nordquist, president of the Nebraska Hospital Association.

It's also allowed hospitals to catch their breath, relieve stress on staff and catch up on delayed care.

"The last two weeks have really been a collective sigh of relief," said Cory Shaw, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Nebraska Medicine.

The hospital is just more than a month removed from exiting its crisis standards of care plan, which was implemented in January for the first time ever because of rising COVID-19 hospitalizations and a staff shortage.

But now, Shaw said Nebraska Medicine will return to fully normal operations next Monday.

Despite the decline in COVID-19 cases, Nebraska Medicine is still very busy, he said, as patients who have delayed necessary care fill the space that's been created.

"We've essentially swapped one patient for another," Shaw said.

Throughout the pandemic, Bryan Health delayed about 1,200 surgeries, said Dr. John Trapp, chief medical officer of the Lincoln-based health system.

Some of those surgeries eventually became urgent or emergent and had to be done, but Bryan is now trying to catch up on the others, Trapp said.

He said it will likely be early April before Bryan is back to what it considers to be normal operations, but he expects there to be an increased caseload of patients "for at least weeks and likely months" as people seek care they delayed because of the pandemic.

Dr. Cary Ward, the chief medical officer for CHI Health, said it was able to increase the number of outpatient surgeries it did while limiting inpatient surgeries during the pandemic and does not have "big backlogs" of patients waiting for surgeries.

Ward said staffing remains an issue, but he hopes nurses who left will come back now that things have settled down.

Another big improvement brought on by the decline in COVID-19 patients is larger hospitals are once again able to accommodate most transfer requests from smaller hospitals.

Ward said that just a few weeks ago, he would see lists of 30 or more patients waiting for transfers from smaller critical-access hospitals, and there were no larger hospitals that could take them.

"Now, we are not denying anybody," he said. "In the last ... 10 days at least, we've not had one denial from a critical-access hospital."

One change that hospitals are not making, even with the decline in COVID-19 patients and changes in public health guidance, is dropping mask requirements.

Trapp said Bryan has loosened requirements regarding mask use by employees in some private areas of the hospital, but staff and visitors are still required to wear them in public and patient-facing areas and will be for the foreseeable future.

He said hospitals care for vulnerable populations and need to protect those people "as much as we can."

"We're simply going to monitor and see how things go over the next few weeks," before reconsidering mask policies, Trapp said.

Ward said that despite the decline, case numbers still remain too high in most counties, including Douglas and Lancaster counties, which still have transmission levels in the "substantial" category.

"Until it gets significantly lower than that, we're not going to change our mask policy," he said.

Reach the writer at 402-473-2647 or molberding@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LincolnBizBuzz.
A loud boom prefaced a streaking fireball spotted in three Southern states. NASA confirmed Thursday that more than 30 people in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi reported seeing the exceptionally bright meteor in the sky around 8 a.m. Wednesday after hearing loud booms in Claiborne County, Mississippi, and surrounding areas. Officials say it was first spotted 54 miles above the Mississippi River, near Alcorn, Mississippi. At its peak, the fireball was more than 10 times brighter than a full moon. NASA says the fireball generated enough energy to create shockwaves that produced booms and vibrations felt by people in the area.
Grand Islands temporary casino might open as early as this fall, Fonner Park Chief Executive Officer Chris Kotulak said.

I would expect a temporary casino facility to be in operation before the end of 2022, but probably not until closer to October, he said.

Its hard to predict which month the casino will open because there are many variables that are out of our control, Kotulak said.

Elite Casino Resorts of Iowa, Fonner Parks gaming operator, will build the temporary casino on the Fonner Park campus.

In the temporary facility, people will be able to play blackjack, roulette and craps, in addition to slot machines. It also will include a small restaurant and bar area.

It will look and feel like a casino, just a small one, Kotulak said. We dont want to shortchange our guests with an inferior environment or experience.

Nebraska voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing casinos at the states horse racetracks in November 2020. Construction on the permanent casino wont begin until after this years Nebraska State Fair.

Having a casino will increase purses at Fonner Park because a percentage of the gross gaming revenue will be allocated toward purse money for the horsemen.

The percentage is included in the agreement between Fonner and Elite Casino Resorts. Every racetrack makes their own deal with the casino operator, Kotulak said.

Im hopeful that in a year or two our purses will have doubled what they are today, Kotulak said.

More revenue will go toward horse racing when the permanent casino opens. Its expected to have more than 600 slot machines. The temporary structure will have close to 200 slots.

The construction of the Grand Island Casino Resort at Fonner Park probably will have to work around two Nebraska State Fairs. It would be nice to have the permanent facility up and running in 2025, Kotulak said.

Baxter Construction of Des Moines, Iowa, will be the general contractor of both the temporary and permanent structures.

The temporary casino will be used for storage after the Grand Island Casino Resort at Fonner Park is built.
Prem Mathur, born in 1910 broke several norms for women at the time, including being the first woman to work as a commercial pilot in the Indian aviation sector. The idea of a woman being allowed to fly commercially was controversial at the time, but when Deccan Airlines hired her at the age of 38 as a co-pilot, she became the first Indian woman to do so.

Mathur began her flying lessons in 1947 at the newly-founded Allahabad Flying Club after completing her college degree. As a result of her hard work and dedication, she quickly obtained her pilot license, making it possible for her to fly commercially.

After getting her pilot license, she participated and won the National Air Race held in Kolkata against all odds. Being the only female competitor in the race, she joined despite being discouraged to do so. Even though she had just a few hundred hours of flight experience, she stunned the nation by winning the race despite more experienced competitors.

Also read: Humiliated and denied boarding, alleges disabled man on Air India flight

Despite her extensive achievements, airlines kept rejecting her application due to her gender. In the end, Deccan Airways accepted Mathur's application, and she was hired as a co-pilot on an unpaid basis for six months. Later, she was denied promotion to Captain by the airline, citing that passengers and crew would be uncomfortable with a female pilot.

Due to the treatment, she received at Deccan Airways, she left the airline and became a private pilot for businessman G.D Birla. In 1953, Prem Mathur joined Indian Airlines as a captain, becoming the first Indian woman to hold this rank. For the rest of her career, Prem Mathur worked for Indian Airlines and retired in 1984. She passed away in 1992.

Over the course of her 30 years in the skies, Prem Mathur inspired a generation of women pilots in India, which resulted in the highest proportion of female pilots in the world.

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In recent months, many countries have taken tentative steps to reopen their borders, easing entry restrictions and allowing international tourists, including Indians, into their countries. 'India-genous Travel' survey by Agoda found that 39 percent of Indians expect to travel internationally by 2022, and the top concern they have about travel is understanding the limitations and requirements for vaccination or quarantine.

However, a negative RT-PCR test is no longer required upon arrival at the airport for fully vaccinated travellers to these select countries. You might find these exciting destinations useful when planning your vacations.

Read also: Meet India's first female commercial pilot Captain Prem Mathur

Egypt

The RT-PCR test is no longer required for travellers vaccinated with Covishield or AstraZeneca. Simply fill out a health declaration form and you're good to go. Visit the Red Sea, the Mediterranean, and the Khan el-Khalili market while you're in the land of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Visitors can also visit Sahara el Beyda, Egypt's white desert national park, or go scuba diving in Hurghada - you can either take a submarine ride or choose to go scuba diving. In Cairo, you should definitely visit the Egyptian Museum if you want to learn more about the intricate culture of the country.

Bahrain

This island nation on the Persian Gulf now allows non-vaccinated tourists to enter without a pre-departure PCR test. Bahrain offers a great deal of attractions for tourists. Enjoy the rich history and civilization of this region by visiting Al Jasra House and Al Bahrain museum. Wander through Manama Souq for some delicious spices, souvenirs, and sweets. Try traditional Bahraini cuisines like Machboos, shredded meat or fish served with fragrant rice cooked in a spicy broth, or Muhammar sweet rice with dates. Visit Dive Bahrain for a dive into the largest underwater theme park in the world, and the Nurana Islands for kayaking and other water sports.

Lebanon

For travellers who have received their second vaccine at least six months before travelling to Lebanon, a pre-departure PCR test is not required. You just need to upload your vaccination certificate to the Ministry of Health's website. The historical and cultural diversity of Lebanon will captivate you with its mesmerizing panoramas, rich architecture, and delectable cuisine that make your stay a memorable one. Explore one of the best-preserved Greco-Roman temples, Baalbek - the temple of Bacchus, the famous cedars of Lebanon in the Chouf, on Mount Barouk, and the Beiteddine Palace that dates back to the eighteenth century.

Go on a boat tour at Byblos to enjoy the sunset in the birthplace of the Phoenician civilization, hike the beautiful QADISHA valley to explore old churches and monasteries and separate yourself from the outside world. Don't miss the Batara Gorge waterfall that drops 255 metres down into the Balaa Pothole, a cave of Jurassic limestone.

Also read: How does travelling with pets work on airplanes ?

France

As of the 12th of February, France will no longer require travellers who have received a full vaccination to undergo a RT-PCR test. While visiting one of the most romantic destinations in the world, you will without a doubt visit the Eiffel Tower, go cruising down the Seine River, pilgrim to Mont-Saint-Michel, or wander around the Old Quarters of Paris. However, there is so much to experience in France beyond this. Run across the Lavender fields in Provence, take a helicopter ride over French Alps, take a stroll in Dijon - a walking city where cars are not allowed, explore vineyards in Burgundy, taste exquisite Champagne in Champagne, and explore Lyon city, recognised for its delightful cuisine.

Turkey

The Turkish government does not require RT-PCR testing for people who have been vaccinated across the globe. Travellers only need to fill out a health form 72 hours prior to their arrival. Turkey is the perfect destination to resume your travel post-pandemic. It has the right blend of cultural influences from Asia, Europe, and the Middle East paired with unforgettable natural wonders throughout the Turkish landscapes.

Relax at the Thermal pools of Pamukkale lake, the pure white travertine terraces cascade down the slope looking like an out-of-place snowfield amid the green landscape; explore one of the oldest cities of the world, Konya, which has been inhabited since the 3rd millennium BC, and Kaymakli - an underground city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey; take a hot air balloon ride to experience the surreal, swooping rock valleys of Cappadocia; and unwind with a traditional Hamam (Turkish bath) experience.

Norway

In Norway, travellers who have been immunized within nine months of arriving do not need an RT-PCR test. Booster shots may be required if the final dose exceeds the period. If you're planning a trip to Norway, chasing the Northern Lights and seeing the Arctic circle will definitely be at the top of your itinerary. Apart from this spectacular sight in the skies, this Scandinavian country houses majestic mountains, glaciers, museums, and a whole bunch of activities to do on your travel.

Travellers can hike to Mount Floyen, a 399-meter summit, which will get you the best view of the city, explore the Geirangerfjord region, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its icy Norwegian scenery, marvel at the beautiful architecture of the Arctic Cathedral, and even visit the world`s most powerful whirlpool, Saltstraumen Maelstrom.

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Russian flag carrier Aeroflot halted all international flights from March 8. Earlier in the week, Russia's Defence Ministry announced a ceasefire to allow civilians in the port city of Mariupol and the town of Volnovakha to facilitate the evacuation of civilians.

Information for passengers of international flights departing after 8 March https://t.co/fURxWXV4UV  Aeroflot_World (@Aeroflot_World) March 5, 2022

Aeroflot said, "To reduce risks for passengers of inability to use return flights to Russia Aeroflot, starting from 6 March, will stop admitting on international flights passengers holding return tickets with the return segment to Russia dated after 8 March 2022. Passengers of international flights holding one-way tickets with departure from Russia will be admitted for carriage until the moment of flights suspension."

It futher said, "Passengers of international flights who are currently abroad and holding return tickets with a flight segment from Russia already used can contact the airline to rebook the return segment to Russia before the suspension of flights. For passengers staying abroad up to the moment when flights are suspended, the airline will exercise maximum effort to organize their return to Russia."

Ukraines Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on March 5 called on the European countries to close all their ports for the Russian ships amid the heightened tensions in Ukraine. Taking to Twitter, Kuleba said, "Help us stop Putin. Close all European ports for Russian ships. The time to act is now."

Earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Turkey has also warned all coastal and non-coastal countries it would not allow warships through its straits Bosporus and the Dardanelles as a part of the Montreux Convention adopted in 1936.

Also read: With Mamata Banerjee onboard, alert pilot averted head-on collision with another plane

Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Moscow recognized Ukraines breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - as independent entities. Amid the Ukraine-Russia crisis raging for over a week now, Ukraine plans to hold the third round of talks with Russian officials to try to end the fighting triggered by Moscows invasion this weekend, said one of Kyivs negotiators.

(With inputs from ANI)

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On March 7, United Airlines announced that it has indefinitely suspended two flights to India after halting flights that flew over Russia last week.

The Chicago-based airline said last week it had stopped service between San Francisco and Delhi and between Newark, New Jersey, and Mumbai. The airline further said it plans to continue flying to Delhi from both Chicago and Newark.

The Biden administration last week joined the European Union and Canada in banning Russian airlines from U.S. airspace. The ban included passenger, cargo flights, and scheduled as well as charter flights "effectively closing U.S. air space to all Russian commercial air carriers and other Russian civil aircraft," the Transportation Department said.

Also read: Russian airline Aeroflot halts all international flights from March 8

Late on March 1, United Airlines said it had temporarily suspended flying over Russian airspace, joining other major U.S. carriers who have taken the step after Russian troops last week poured into Ukraine.

Uniteds last Delhi-to-San Francisco and Mumbai-to-Newark flights were on March 2. The Mumbai flight had to stop in Bangor, Maine, on the way to Newark. United's last U.S. departing legs of those two flights to India were on February 28.

Without access to Russian airspace some international flights to Asia are taking significantly longer routes and some must make a stop. Prior to the current turmoil, about 1,000 U.S. flights a week -- including many cargo flights -- typically flew over Russia, officials said.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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Soon after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees chartered flight experienced "mid-air turbulence" while she was returning to Kolkata from Uttar Pradesh, she admitted that it was the prompt action of the pilot that averted a head-on collision.

The Bengal government had on March 5 sought a report from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) after Banerjee's aircraft encountered turbulence, leaving her back and chest injuries.

The state government also sought to know from the DGCA if approval was accorded for the route taken by Banerjee's chartered flight. She was returning from Uttar Pradesh after winding up her campaign for the Samajwadi Party.

Also read: List of countries easing RT-PCR norms for international travellers from India

"Another plane, all of a sudden, came in front of my aircraft. If the situation had continued for 10 more seconds, there would have been a head-on collision. It was due to the efficiency of the pilot that I survived. The plane climbed down 6,000 feet. I suffered injuries in my back and chest. I still have pain," she told reporters in the Assembly.

Banerjee also claimed that her plane did not fall into any air pocket. On the evening of March 4, a chartered flight carrying Banerjee from Varanasi to the city faced turbulence, causing the plane to rock violently.

The pilot managed to land it safely at Netaji Subhas Chandra International Airport. However, Banerjee suffered injuries caused by the steep climb-down the flight had to make to cope with the turbulence.

The CM was on board a Dassault Falcon 2000, which is a 10.3-tonne lightweight plane with a capacity of carrying a maximum of 19 people, including two flight attendants.

(With inputs from agencies)

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New Delhi: Each year March 8 is celebrated as International Womens Day to commemorate the achievements of women across all age-groups, race and class and caste. Womens Day advocates to recognize, value and respect the immense yet often neglected contribution that women have in society. It also promises to fight against gender biases and all other restrictive and discriminatory practices that women are subjected to in our society on a daily basis. Each year the United Nations, comes out with a specific theme for International Womens Day. This year, UN Women have called for climate action for women, by women under the theme Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow.

The statement by the UN read, "women and girls experience the greatest impacts of the climate crisis as it amplifies existing gender inequalities and puts womens lives and livelihoods at risk. Across the world, women depend more on, yet have less access to, natural resources, and often bear a disproportionate responsibility for securing food, water, and fuel.

On the occasion of Womens Day, here are a few greetings, quotes, wishes and messages that you can share with others.



To all the incredible women in the world, shine on, not just today but every single day. Happy Women's Day.

We all know that this world would mean nothing without a woman or a girl. Women are stronger than anyone can imagine. Let's celebrate their endless power today. Happy Women's day.

Being a woman itself is a superpower. Happy Women's Day to the superhero in my life!

You are the real architect of my life. I admire you for everything you do for our family. Happy Women's Day!

When I think about an empowered woman, no personality comes to mind. For me, you are my superhero. Happy Womens Day!

There are so many times when we dont fully appreciate what women do for us. Heres a big thank you to all the magnificent women! Happy Womens Day!

I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved, said B.R Ambedkar. A very Happy Womens Day to you!

She is a Dreamer, she is a believer, she is a doer, she is an achiever, and that she is You. Happy Womens Day.

"There is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind." - Virginia Woolf

"I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will." - Charlotte Bronte

Feminism isnt about making women strong. Women are already strong. Its about changing the way the world perceives that strength.: - G.D. Anderson

There is nothing stronger than a broken woman who has rebuilt herself. - Hannah Gadsby
Elon Musk and other auto executives' plans to introduce more affordable electric vehicles could be set back by rising raw material costs, caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

According to Gregory Miller, an analyst at industry forecaster Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, rising prices for nickel, lithium, and other EV parts could slow and even reverse the long-term trend of falling costs for batteries, the most expensive part of the cars.

The supply chain is already snarled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the global chip shortage. "Rising raw material prices certainly have the potential to delay the timeline on cost parity between EV and ICE vehicles, which could hamper the wider adoption of EVs," Miller said, referring to internal-combustion engine vehicles that dominate the market.

Read also: Exclusive - Challenges faced by Electric Vehicles to become the next big thing in India

The conflict in Ukraine has only raised the stakes, pushing nickel prices to an 11-year-high on fears that exports from leading producer Russia could be disrupted. Lithium prices also have increased, more than doubling since year end, as supply fell short of rising demand. Russia produces about 7% of the world`s mined nickel. It is also a large provider of aluminium and palladium.

Rising EV prices marked by hikes over the past year by Tesla and start-up Rivian Automotive - matter because mainstream consumers are not going to pay a massive premium for a technology that many do not yet fully embrace.

More than half of consumers are not prepared to pay $500 extra upfront to buy an EV, despite lower operating costs, according to a 2021 study by OC&C Global Speedometer on consumers in the United States, China and other countries.

Tesla raised the price for its least expensive Model 3 sedan by 18% to $44,990 since December 2020, as supply chain woes weigh. Musk also said in January that Tesla is not developing a $25,000 car he promised during 2020 battery day, saying there are too many things on his plate.

The average EV sold for almost $63,000 in January in the United States, about 35% higher than the overall industry average for all vehicles of just over $46,000, according to research firm Cox Automotive.

With inputs from Reuters

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New Delhi: Actress Shilpa Shetty has turned into a chat show host and wellness enthusiast with her new show titled The Shape Of You. In a recently-released promo of the show, actress Jacqueline Fernandez can be seen as the special guest. She broke her silence on the latest controversies affecting her mental health.

Shilpa wrote on her Instagram account: Played many roles, but the one that Im most passionate about is being a Wellness enthusiast Bringing my lifes learnings about making positive and healthy lifestyle changes to the table with my celebrity friends I am going to be in conversation with a lot of my friends; and well be discussing their fitness journeys, their mental and physical struggles, and some secret life mantras that they swear by!"

On the show, Jacqueline said, " I was possibly going through a bit of loneliness." Reacting to controverseies in her own life, Shilpa Shetty tells Jacqueline, "Controversies ho nahi ho, bhaad mein jaaye log, hum apni zindagi jeeyenge. Ek hi zindagi hai."

For the unversed, Jacqueline Fernandez was in news lately for her closeness with conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar whose name has surfaced in Rs 200 crore money-laundering case. Her intimate pictures with the conman leaked online creating a flutter on social media.
Kolkata: Mamata Banerjee has formed a new Trinamool Congress state committee and has packed it mostly with old-timers. While the results for the five state Assembly Polls will be out on March 10 - Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur - opposition parties are also looking to oust BJP in 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

While addressing the state committee meeting, Mamata Banerjee declared open war on BJP. "We have to be active.... we have to give a call for 2024 general elections to remove BJP," the TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister said. Poll analyst Prashant Kishore also present in Mamata's extended state committee meeting.

Meanwhile, a ruckus erupted inside West Bengal Legislative Assembly on Monday (February 7), the first day of the budget session as the opposition protested over the alleged violence in the recently concluded civic elections in the state. BJP leaders along with the Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari marched towards Raj Bhavan to meet West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar after ruckus in the Assembly session.

Dhankhar, who arrived at the assembly to deliver the inaugural address, could not do it as BJP legislators descended to the well-carrying posters of alleged victims of civic poll violence staged a protest in the assembly. During the ruckus, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Speaker Biman Banerjee urged the Governor to go ahead with the speech. When the Governor tried to leave the House without reading his speech, TMC MLAs gathered against his seat and prevented him from leaving the House. Mamata Banerjee termed the uproar "unprecedented" and said that it was a "planned attempt" to create a Constitutional crisis. "BJP is doing this because they miserably failed to win the election", she added.

Addressing the matter at the state committee meet, Mamata said, "BJP is the 'dangabaaz' (rioter) and corrupt party...they want to destroy democracy... thanks to women MLAs of TMC for saving democracy in Vidhan Sabha yesterday." The CM had also visited the Raj Bhawan later on Monday to meet Dhankhar. She thanked him for staying back in the Assembly amid the uproar. The Chief Minister added, "What BJP has done today in the Assembly was a shame on democracy."



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New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is likely to declare Class 10th and Class 12th Term 1 exam results soon.

As per the media reports, the result can be declared this week. However, the CBSE has not made any such official announcement about Class 10th and Class 12th Term 1 exam results yet.

Once released, the students will be able to check their CBSE Class X and Class XII results via different methods.

CBSE Class 10th, 12th Term 1 2022 Results: How to check

Once announced, students need to visit CBSE's official website (cbse.nic.in) to check their CBSE Class 10th and Class 12th results. On the homepage of the CBSE website, students need to click on the 'results' link. Students will be redirected to a new page (http://cbseresults.nic.in) where they need to click on the 'CBSE Class 10th Result 2022' or the 'CBSE Class 12th Result 2022' link. Students will then have to enter their credentials including their roll numbers and click on the 'submit' option. Students can check their CBSE Class 10th or Class 12th Term 1 Result 2022 displayed on their screens.

Other ways to check CBSE Class 10th, Class 12th Term 1 2022 Results?

CBSE Class X and Class XII students can also check their Term 1 2022 results via the DigiLocker app and the Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance (UMANG) app.

A few days back, CBSE had announced that the practical exams for Term 2 examinations for class 10th and class 12th will begin on March 2 and the board exams will be conducted in offline mode from April 26.

"The board after discussion with various stakeholders and taking into consideration the COVID-19 situation in the country has decided to conduct second-term board exams in offline mode only. The theory exams will begin from April 26, 2022. The datesheet for classes 10 and 12 will be released soon," CBSE Examination Controller Sanyam Bhardwaj had said on February 9.

"The pattern of the question papers will be same as that of sample question papers hosted on the board's website. The students will appear in the examinations from the allotted examination centres as done during the preceding years," he had added.

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New Delhi: Former Congress MP Sandeep Dikshit on Monday filed a complaint against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with Nizamuddin Police Station charging him with making false claims about his government saving huge amounts of money on construction of flyovers and cheating voters for political gain.

Dikshit accused Kejriwal of lying and spreading ill will against other political leaders with an intention to influence voters in the recently held Assembly elections in the five states and for upcoming MCD elections. He said that Kejriwal cheated voters for political gain.

"Mr Kejriwal in an interview said that due to his honesty, his government was able to save a considerable amount of money, which was spent on social services and welfare programmes. By this claim, he indirectly made a claim that the previous government was dishonest," read the complaint.

The chief minister, he said, made another false claim that a few of the projects were completed in lesser amounts due to his honesty while the estimated cost of the projects were very high. Dikshit said that nothing like that happened, it was just another lie of his.

"Kejriwal has also misused public funds for advertisement in newspapers and TV channels," said Mr Dikshit in his complaint.

Police said that they have received his complaint and are looking into the allegations.

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New Delhi: The Congress party is toying with the idea of joining forces with other opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh in order to push the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) out of power. Congress is building up a new strategy to defeat Yogi Adithyanaths government in UP and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has hinted that alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP) might also be a part of it.

During her latest visit to Rajasthans Jaipur, Priyanka interacted with the reporters and implied that Congress might not shy away from the idea of forming an alliance with SP in order to win this years Assembly election.

When the media questioned Congress General Secretary about Rajasthan's budget, which is getting laurels across the nation, she said, "I have not seen the budget. I have been busy in the UP elections. So I can't say anything about it."

Priyanka said, "In the Uttar Pradesh (UP) assembly elections, the public must have given a lot of thought before voting. Hope people have made the right decision."

The Congress leader informed that the decision to extend support to the SP will be taken based on the emerging situation.

"Let the results of the election come first. Only then can something be said," she said.

Meanwhile, Zee News conducted the exit polls to check the mood of the voters in the poll-bound state. According to the projections for Uttar Pradesh, the ruling BJP is likely to emerge as a big winner by winning between 223- 248 seats. The ruling party is projected to win much fewer seats this time as compared to the 2017 polls.

Even though the Zee News exit poll predicts a thumping victory for BJP in Uttar Pradesh, there are chances that the opposition parties, Congress and SP, might join forces to defeat the ruling party. The exit polls also predicted that the Samajwadi Party-led alliance is expected to win between 138-157 seats this time. Hence, if Congress extends support to SP in the state polls, it can act as a hurdle for BJP in Uttar Pradesh.

When asked if Congress will bring new MLAs to Rajasthan to stop poaching?, Priyanka Gandhi said, "It is a question of the future. The conditions will get clear only after the results are out."

Priyanka Gandhi was accompanied with senior leader Rajeev Shukla on her Jaipur visit and reached Sanganer airport on Monday afternoon. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, PCC Chief Govind Singh Dotasara, Gujarat in-charge Raghu Sharma also reached the airport to receive Priyanka. From here Priyanka proceeded to the Chief Minister's residence.

According to sources, Priyanka Gandhi is here to discuss the issue of poaching of MLAs of the five states which went to the polls. The results will be announced on March 10.

Priyanka Gandhi will participate in a private event related to an NGO in a hotel in Jaipur and shall return to Lucknow on Tuesday morning at 8.30 a.m.

Meanwhile, on the occasion of International Women's Day today, Priyanka Gandhi will take out a women's march in Lucknow. Apart from women leaders of the Congress, many film personalities will also participate in this march. Women MLAs and ministers of Rajasthan have also been invited.

(With agency inputs)

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The biggest news at this time is that the Indian government has evacuated all the students trapped in Ukraines Sumy. These students have been taken in 12 buses to the city of Poltava, which is in central Ukraine. Indian Embassy officials and people from the Red Cross were also in these buses. The Russian soldiers gave safe passage to these buses.

Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary on Tuesday (March 08) raised and analysed the issue of lack of gratitude shown by Indian students on being safely brought to India from war-torn Ukraine.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in every conversation with Russian President Putin and Ukraine President Zelensky had raised the issue of safety of the stranded Indians and repeatedly urged them that their forces should help the Indians get out, and this happened today.

The Government of India today also evacuated citizens of 17 more countries from Sumi. These include countries like Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Tunisia. Today these students and their families would be praying for India. But the big question is- Are the thousands of our students evacuated from Ukraine under Operation Ganga also thanking the Indian government?

This war also revealed to the whole world the real character of the Indian youth. India's 18,000 young students were living in Ukraine, and about 96 percent of them have been safely brought back to the country by the Indian government.

The first thing the youth of our country said during this crisis was that they wanted to flee to India as soon as possible and the second thing they showed was that they had the least patience compared to the students of other countries living in Ukraine. But it were our students who made the most noise.

The Indian government carried out the biggest operation for the evacuation of these students by sending four of its senior ministers to the neighbouring countries of Ukraine. But when these students landed at the airport, different ministers of the Government of India were welcoming them with roses in their hands, bowing their heads and folding their hands. But these students didnt look at them, and did not even respond to his namaste.

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New Delhi: The Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan welcomed new members to the tiger family after Tigress ST17 gave birth to new cubs.

Expressing his joy over the increased number of tigers Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday (March 8) shared the good news on Twitter with the caption, "Good news from Sariska Tiger Reserve as Tigress ST17s newborn cubs have been captured in trap cameras."

Good news from Sariska Tiger Reserve as Tigress ST17s newborn cubs have been captured in trap cameras. Now the tiger reserve has 27 total tigers including 9 tigers, 11 tigresses and 7 cubs. Their rising numbers is a matter of joy! pic.twitter.com/45s7oedQE4  Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) March 8, 2022

With the new addition in the streak now there are a total of 27 tigers in the Sariska including 9 tigers, 11 tigresses, and 7 cubs.

Sariska Tiger Reserve which is located in the Alwar district of Rajasthan also harbours many wildlife species including Indian leopard, jungle cat, caracal, striped hyena, golden jackal, chital, sambar deer, nilgai, wild boar, small Indian civet, Javan mongoose, ruddy mongoose, honey badger, Rhesus macaque and Northern plains gray langur and Indian hare.

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New Delhi: India and China will hold the 15th round of high-level military talks on Friday to resolve issues related to remaining friction areas in eastern Ladakh, sources in the defence establishment said on Tuesday.

The talks till now have resulted in the resolution of issues in the North and South Bank of Pangong Tso, Galwan and Gogra Hot Spring areas. There was, however, no fresh breakthrough in the 14th round of the dialogue that took place on January 12 this year.

The two sides will hold the next round at the Chushul Moldo meeting point in Ladakh on Friday to end the 22-month standoff at the remaining friction areas, according to the sources.

Recent statements by both sides to find a mutually acceptable solution have been encouraging and positive in nature, they noted. The eastern Ladakh border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area.

Both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry.

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Indian Army today celebrated women's day in Jammu and Kashmir's Gurez district. The event, held with an aim to felicitate women achievers from various fields, witnessed the overwhelming participation of 47 women Sarpanchs, Deputy Sarpanch and Panch from all nearby villages.

The event saw speeches of many achievers, highlighting the importance of women in society. The event also showcased handicrafts and dresses made by woman folks during the winters at various Stitching Centres run by the Army. Certificates were also awarded to 13 ladies who participated in the winter computer classes organised by the Army from 10 Jan to 01 Mar 2022 at the Army Goodwill School in Gurez.
New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi at a seminar on International Women's Day in Kutch, praised the women of Kutch recognising their role in the war of 1971. Addressing the virtual seminar of women saints at Dhordo in Kutch district of Gujarat PM said, "In the war of 1971, our airfield in Bhuj was destroyed by enemies; then the women of Kutch made an airstrip overnight without caring about their lives, for the convenience of the Indian Army's fight. It's historic."

PM Modi asserted that the country's top priority is to improve the lives of women and ensure their full participation in India's development journey. He said in India, which considers the Earth as mother, progress of women will further empower and strengthen the nation.

"In a nation which considers this Earth as mother, the progress of women always gives strength to the empowerment of the nation. Today, the priority of the country is on improving the lives of women. The priority of the country today is to ensure full participation of women in India's development journey," he said. Over 500 women saints attended the seminar.

(With agency inputs)

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Imphal: The repolling in six polling stations under Tadubi, Ukhrul, Chingai, Karong (all reserved for ST), and Wangjing Tentha Assembly constituencies will be held on Tuesday (March 8, 2022).

The Election Commission on Monday ordered re-polling in six polling stations under five Assembly constituencies in Manipur, Chief Electoral Officer Rajesh Agrawal said. Voting would be open from 7 am to 4 pm on Tuesday.

The assembly polls will decide the electoral fate of 92 candidates, including 12 from the BJP, followed by Congress (18), National People's Party (11), Janata Dal (United) and Naga People's Front (10 each).

Over 77 per cent of the 8,38,730 voters exercised their franchise in 22 of the 60 constituencies on Saturday while 88.63 per cent of 12,09,439 voters cast their votes in 38 seats in the first phase of polling on February 28.

One of the main reasons for consideration of re-polling was connected to damage of Electronic Voting Machines by miscreants during and after the second and final phase of polling on March 5, said the Chief Electoral Officer.

ALSO READ | Zee Exit Poll 2022: BJP may form govt in Manipur with 39% vote share

According to the earlier reports, 12 incidents of damage to EVMs by miscreants were reported on Saturday and FIRs have been registered in each case.

"Voting in these polling stations in Ukhrul and Senapati were declared to be void following violence on March 5 during the second and final phase of the assembly polls in the state," said the officials.

These kind of incidents lead to major discomfort to the electors of the polling stations as their right to franchise gets infringed on the poll day and they will now need to come out again to exercise their rightful franchise on the day of re-poll, Agrawal said.

Two persons were killed in a police firing and an attack by the rival party workers and several others were injured in separate incidents in Senapati and Thoubal districts in Manipur in the second phase of elections.

The counting of votes will take place on March 10, along with four other states- Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Uttar Pradesh, where Assembly polls were held.

(With agency inputs)

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In what's being seen as a show of strength, former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia today addressed a large public meeting attended by several MPs, MLAs and ministers.

Several MPs, MLAs and former legislators were reported to be present at the event on the banks of the Charmanyawati River in Kesoraipatan. Supporters of the BJP national vice president often project her as the future chief minister of Rajasthan.

The BJP will win the 2023 assembly elections, Raje said, claiming that the number '3' has always been auspicious for the party in the state.

In 2003, the party with 120 seats in the state assembly registered a historic win, followed by another win in 2013 with 163 seats, the BJP leader, who was chief minister in 2003-2008 and 2013-2018, said.

The next chance to form government is in 2023 and all past records will be broken, Raje told the gathering after offering a 500 meters long 'chunri' at the Mata Chambal temple and a 'Deep Dan'.

The Raje camp claimed that MPs Ramcharn Bohra, Sukhbir Singh Jaunpuria and Dushyant Singh were present on the occasion.

MLAs Kalicharan Saraf, Ashok Lahoti, Pratap Singh Singhvi, Chandrakanta Meghwal, Kalpna Singh, Anita Bhadel, Ramswroop Lamba and Narendra Nagar were also at the meeting, it claimed.

Besides them, former ministers of the previous Raje-led governments like Yunus Khan, Babulal Verma and Srichand Kripalani along with former legislators Prahlad Gunjal and Bhawani Singh Rajawat attend the event, the camp claimed.

Former state BJP president Ashok Parnami, former NCW chairman Mamta Sharma, former Bundi party president Mahipat Singh Hada and former state executive member Rupesh Sharma were there at Raje's birthday event, it claimed.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's slogan 'Saab ka Saath, Saab Ka Vikas', Raje said there is harmony among all communities in the state and the BJP embraces all.

"Politics is not work of two days. One has to work hard. One has to add his heart only then a big family (like the BJP) develops," she said.

"I have witnessed several ups and downs in my political career, I had to face several challenges and troubles but all of you supported me," she said.

Slamming the Congress government in the state, Raje said the present government is a government that only makes announcements, but never fulfils them.

It is yet to fulfil the promise of waving farmers' loan up to Rs 2 lakhs. It had promised to do so within 10 days after assuming power, Raje said

"Development was registered but in sectors of crime, woman harassment, atrocities against Dalits, in corruption and unemployment," she said attacking the Gehlot government

"(Ashok) Gehlotji is more concerned about votes while I am concerned of wellbeing of the public," Raje said and added he only wakes up at the time of elections.

A former Bundi district BJP office bearer said members of the party, including present and former legislators, from across Rajasthan attended the event.
New Delhi: Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday (March 8) said that all 694 Indian students stranded in Ukraine`s Sumy have left for Poltava today. Answering queries of reporters about Indians stranded in Ukraine, he said, "Last night, I checked with the control room, 694 Indian students remain stranded in Sumy. Today, they have all left in buses for Poltava."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and suggested that a direct conversation between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine may greatly assist the ongoing peace efforts to deal with the ongoing conflict.

Prime Minister Modi conveyed his deep concern for the safety and security of the Indian students still remaining in Sumy. President Putin briefed Prime Minister about the ongoing measures related to humanitarian corridors for facilitating the evacuation of civilians including Indian students.

The Prime Minister welcomed the ongoing negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and expressed hope that they would lead to the cessation of the conflict. Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Kyiv evacuated 75 Indian sailors stranded in Mykolaiv Port on Tuesday.

"Mission intervened to evacuate 75 Indian sailors stranded in Mykolaiv Port. Yesterday buses arranged by Mission evacuated a total of 57 sailors including 2 Lebanese & 3 Syrians. Route constraints precluded the evacuation of balance 23 sailors. The mission is attempting their evacuation today," tweeted the Embassy of India in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Russia on Tuesday declared a ceasefire amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine from 10 am (Moscow time) to provide humanitarian corridors in the cities of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol.

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New Delhi: On the occasion of International Women`s Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (March 8, 2022) extended his greetings and said that the government will keep its focus on women empowerment through various schemes with an "emphasis on dignity as well as opportunity."

"On Women`s Day, I salute our Nari Shakti and their accomplishments in diverse fields. The Government of India will keep focusing on women empowerment through its various schemes with an emphasis on dignity as well as opportunity," said PM Modi in a tweet.

From financial inclusion to social security, quality healthcare to housing, education to entrepreneurship, many efforts have been made to put our Nari Shakti at the forefront of Indias development journey. These efforts will continue with even greater vigour in the coming times.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 8, 2022

The prime minister in a series of tweets also assured that the government is making a lot of efforts to bring women to the forefront of India`s development journey.

"From financial inclusion to social security, quality healthcare to housing, education to entrepreneurship, many efforts have been made to put our Nari Shakti at the forefront of India`s development journey. These efforts will continue with even greater vigour in the coming times," the Prime Minister said in a tweet.

To celebrate International Women`s Day, PM Modi is also scheduled to address a seminar the occasion, at women saint`s camp at Dhordo, Kutch at 6 pm through video conferencing.

According to a release issued by the Prime Minister Office (PMO), the seminar is being organized to recognise the role of women saints in society and their contribution towards women empowerment.

Over 500 women saints will attend the seminar in Dhordo, said PMO. The seminar will include sessions on culture, religion, female upliftment, security, social status and the role of women in Indian culture. The welfare schemes of central and state Governments benefiting women along with achievements of women will also be discussed.

The seminar will also witness the participation of Union Minister Smriti Zubin Irani, Union Ministers of State Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti and Bharati Pravin Pawar. The event will be graced by Sadhvi Rithambara, Maha Mandleshwar Kankeshwari Devi among others.

Earlier on Monday evening, PM Modi also interacted with winners of the Nari Shakti Puraskar.`Nari Shakti Puraskar` is an initiative of the Ministry of Women and Child Development to acknowledge the exceptional contribution made by individuals and institutions, to celebrate women as game changers and catalysts of positive change in society.

International Women`s Day is celebrated worldwide every year on March 8 to recognise the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women across the globe.

(With ANI inputs)

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New Delhi: Indian Army Chief General M M Naravane said on Tuesday that the biggest lesson that we can learn from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war is that India needs to be ready to fight future wars with indigenous weapons.

General Naravane said that the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia shows that a conventional war could happen. In response to a question on the sidelines of an event here, he underlined that the war between Russia and the eastern European country was being fought in a physical domain.

Is the war being fought in cyberspace or through air-conditioned chambers, he rhetorically asked, adding that this war shows that a "conventional war could happen". "The war we are seeing is being fought physically on the ground," the Army chief said.

"So, a conventional war could happen. And, we have to be operationally ready," Naravane said when asked what the biggest lesson from the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war was.

There are many lessons that can be learnt from the ongoing Ukraine-Russian War. The crisis shows that wars can happen any time & we've to remain prepared for them. The wars wouldn't just be non-kinetic and would be fought in the physical domain also, the Army Chief said.

Biggest lesson is we've to be ready to fight future wars with indigenous weapons.Steps towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat in defence have to be taken more urgently. Wars of future should be fought with own weapon systems: Army chief to ANI on lessons for India from #UkraineRussianCrisis pic.twitter.com/XUMLO91zCm  ANI (@ANI) March 8, 2022

Russia started a military offensive against Ukraine on February 24 this year. According to United Nations' estimate, around 2 million refugees have sought shelter in neighbouring countries of Ukraine over the last 12 days.

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New Delhi: From first woman snake rescuer to Down syndrome affected Kathak dancer, 29 outstanding women achievers were conferred with the Nari Shakti award on Tuesday on the occasion of International Women's Day. President Ram Nath Kovind conferred the Nari Shakti Puraskars to 29 outstanding women for 2020 and 2021 on the occasion of International Women's Day.

President Ram Nath Kovind confers 'Nari Shakti Puruskar' to women from various fields earlier today on the occasion of International Women's Day pic.twitter.com/8eQpwRlaJo  ANI (@ANI) March 8, 2022

Twenty-eight awards (14 each for 2020 and 2021) were presented to 29 women in recognition of their exceptional work towards the empowerment of women, especially the vulnerable and marginalised.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also interacted with these awardees on the occasion of International Womens Day and said that the success of government efforts, like vocal for local, is dependent on the contribution of women.

PM Modi also said that it is important to ensure that all women become part of decision-making at a family level which will follow as a result of their economic empowerment.

Among the awardees are Vanita Jagdeo Borade, the first woman snake rescuer, who founded 'Soyre Vanchare Multipurpose Foundation' for nature and wildlife protection and promoting a pollution-free environment.

Delhi | President Ram Nath Kovind presented the #NaariShakti award to the first woman snake rescuer, Vanita Jagdev Borade today. She hails from Buldhana of Maharashtra. pic.twitter.com/mGEP7zNOSd  ANI (@ANI) March 8, 2022

She has rescued and released over 50,000 snakes to their natural habitat. She also conducted snake awareness programmes that included topics such as first aid for snakebite victims, safety considerations, among others. She is known as "Snake Friend" and the Indian postal department honoured her by releasing a postal stamp.

Down syndrome affected Kathak Dancer Saylee Nandkishor Agavane has performed in more than 100 events. At the Global Olympiad Dance competition, she received a bronze medal.

She has been awarded for promoting Indian classical dance internationally despite facing hardship. Visually challenged social activist Tiffany Brar was awarded for her exemplary work for visually impaired rural women.

Organic farmer Ushaben Dineshbhai Vasava was awarded for her outstanding contribution to organic farming and assistance in educating women farmers at the ground level.

Nivruti Rai, Country Head, Intel India has been awarded for excellence in the field of technology, truly representing the 21st-century women and empowering students to build Artificial Intelligence enabled Hi-Tech future for India.

Shobha Gasti, who started Mahilla Abhivrudhi Mattu Samrakshana Samasthe (MASS) that works in 360 villages across three talukas in Belgaum, Karnataka, has been awarded for her exemplary contribution to the cause of empowerment of women and girls.

The next awardee is Tage Rita Takhe, an entrepreneur who produces 'Naara Aalba', India's first organic kiwi wine, with an annual capacity of approximately 60,000 litres and a turnover of Rs 4.5 crore.

An engineer by qualification, she left her job to become an entrepreneur. She founded 'Lambu Subu Food and Beverages', Naara-Aaba "wine' in 2016 in Lower Subansiri, Arunachal Pradesh. She was also awarded the United Nations Women Transforming India Award. The Nari Shakti Puraskar is given to her for excellence in promoting women's entrepreneurship and local product internationally.

The Nari Shakti Puraskar is an initiative of the Ministry of Women and Child Development to acknowledge the exceptional contribution made by individuals and institutions and celebrate women as game-changers and catalysts of positive change in society.

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SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Police has claimed to have busted a grenade-throwing module which was being operated by terrorists lodged in Srinagar Central Jail.

The module is said to be linked to banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT). The J&K Police issued a statement in which it said that they have arrested four terror associates of LeT who were running the grenade throwing module.

Police have identified them as - Aqib Manzoor Bhat, Mudasir Ahmed Bhat, Ghulam Muhammad Ahanger, all residents of Haffu Tral and Waris Bashir Najar of Sheikh Mohalla Chewa Uller, Tral.

The J&K Police also recovered three-hand grenades from their possession, the statement said. Police said that Waris Bashir Najar was involved in a grenade attack on the Army camp at Mandoora on the evening of 1st March.



Police said that during the preliminary investigation, it came to fore that they were throwing grenades on specific targets on the directions of Hizb slain militants son Irshad Ahmed Bhat, a resident of Wailoo Pattan who is currently lodged in Central Jail Srinagar in connection with a murder case and Mustakeem Ahmed Ahangar alias Waheed.

Ahangar is a resident of Haffu Tral who too is lodged at Central Jail Srinagar in connection with a case lodged against him under the Arms Act. Both Mustakeem and Irshad are coordinating militant activities even from Central Jail Srinagar, the police said.

Police said an investigation has been launched in this regard and more arrests are expected in the coming days.

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New Delhi: Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt has announced her maiden Hollywood debut. She is all set to join the cast of the Netflix thriller 'Heart of Stone', as she makes her global debut opposite Gal Gadot. Alia Bhatt's recent outing, Gangubai Kathiawadi, by the legendary Sanjay Leela Bhansali secured the third biggest opening last weekend and the biggest non-holiday opening for a Bollywood film since the start of the pandemic.

The film will release globally on Netflix this spring and has received great reviews singling out her performance in the title role.

Her 2019 film Gully Boy, directed by Zoya Akhtar, premiered that years Berlin Film Festival and has become an international hit, grossing over $25M worldwide to date. The film is available to stream now on Amazon Prime and it was Indias official submission for Best Foreign Language Film for the 2020 Oscars.

Recognizing her international appeal (including over 60M followers on Instagram), the Academy inducted her into its 2020 class.

Alia Bhatt will be joining Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan in the Heart of Stone.

Heart of Stone will be produced by Skydance's David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger with Mockingbirds Bonnie Curtis and Julie Lynn. Gadot will also be producing with her husband Jaron Varsano through their production company Pilot Wave.
NEW DELHI: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has shared a video on his Instagram handle where he can be seen promoting Dubai tourism through a new commercial ad.

Sharing the video on his social media handle, he wrote, Every experience becomes a special memory in Dubai. Explore the city with me! #DubaiPresents @visit.dubai #visitdubai

The ad starts with SRK doing his signature pose infront of The Atlantis Palm Hotel and soon he gets a call from his daughter Suhana who asks him whether he has reached home or still in shoot. He tells her that he is still in the middle of a shoot, to which Suhana advices him to look around and have fun as he is in Dubai.

And so after talking to his daughter, he decides to enjoy his stay in Dubai and so he goes out freely, plays volleyball at the beach, clicks selfies with fans, visits a mall and later was seen on a cruise grooving and enjoying with his fans and later realizes that how happy he is after doing all this.

At the end of the day, Suhana calls him again and asks him about his day. Thanks to you, had the best day of my life, he replies to her.

Throughout the video, SRK was seen in his long hair look.

For the unversed, Shah Rukh is currently in Spain where he is shooting for his film Pathaan.
New Delhi: Many Bollywood celebrities own several luxurious properties to their name and needless to say that Shah Rukh Khan's Mannat tops the list. We have seen SRK and is little one AbRam Khan wave to the crowd waiting outside their palatial house but have you seen what it looks like from the inside?

Well, many interior design magazines have done professional photoshoots covering SRK and Gauri Khan's beautiful Mannat. But daughter Suhana Khan recently teased a sneak-peek picture of her younger sibling AbRam busy playing on the iPad in the sea-facing room. Do not miss the furry friend lazying around on the couch.

SRK and Gauri Khan's darling daughter Suhana Khan headed to New York University in 2019 where she is studying acting. She completed her graduation from Ardingly College in England.

Speculation of her making her starry entry into the movie business has always been around and now that she is studying acting as a course, looks like very soon the pretty girl will be making her big-screen debut. However, no announcement has been made so far.

She has acted in several plays and also in a short movie.

Meanwhile, SRK has flown to Spain reportedly a few days back to complete another shooting leg of his upcoming YRF venture Pathaan. The film stars Deepika Padukone and John Abraham opposite SRK in the lead.
New Delhi: Amitabh Bachchan's granddaughter Navya Naveli Nanda made headlines a few days back with her statement on how sexism begins early at home with only girls asked to do domestic duties. Now, mom Shweta Bachchan Nanda reacted to her statement and how she checked on what she said.

Hindustan Times quoted Shweta Bachchan as telling a noted journalist during a LIVE session that how her daughter's remark was totally not true. She said it's always her (Shweta) who is doing all the work while the kids (Navya and Agastya) sit in a corner looking 'cute'.

We had a big argument with her. Navya, Agastya and myself. We said, how could you say this about us? This is not how our house works," Shweta clarified.

Navya, however, had added that mom Shweta was fair to her and her brother Agastya, as they are given an equal amount of home duties.

For the unversed, speaking to SheThePeople, Navya Naveli Nanda had earlier said, "Ive seen it happen at home where if we have any guests over, my mother will always say just go and get this or go and get that and I have to play the host as opposed to my brother, who could also be doing the same thing."

"So I think especially in homes where you live with joint families, that responsibility of learning how to run the house or learning how to take care of guests or learning how to play host is always somehow put on the daughter. And I have never seen that importance being given to my brother or a younger boy in the house. I think that itself is ingraining women into believing that its our responsibility to look after the house," she added.

Navya Naveli Nanda is Shweta Bachchan and businessman Nikhil Nanda's daughter. She has a younger brother named Agastya Nanda.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan's granddaughter, Navya Naveli Nanda turned entrepreneur from a young age. When people were assuming her to join the glamour world of Bollywood, she rather talked about the importance of mental health through her venture Aara Health.

Aara Health is an organisation co-founded by Navya along with Mallika Sahney, Pragya Saboo and Ahilya Mehta in 2020.
New Delhi: 7th pay commission latest update --The dearness allowance of central government employees could increase by an additional 3% to 34%. According to previous media reports, the government was to make an official statement any time before Holi.

However a fresh report in Zeebiz is stating that a big decision on the same could infact come on March 16 i.e before Holi itself.

Based on the AICPI Index year 2001, in the Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers, there has been a decrease of one point in the index for December 2021. With this, the index has gone up to 361 points. The 12-month index average for dearness allowance stands at 351.33. So, based on this average index, the Dearness allowance stands at 34.04%. But since dearness allowance is calculated in round figure only, a total of 34% dearness allowance is what the central government might be getting for payment starting January 2022.

The central employees are also waiting for the Modi government to announce a hike in the fitment factor which will in turn push the minimum wages of central employees higher. The central government employees unions have long been demanding for hiking minimum pay of Rs 18,000 to Rs 26,000 and fitment factor be raised from 2.57 times to 3.68 times. According to media reports, the fitment factor of central employees can be decided soon. This means that there will be a big increase in the basic salary of the government employees.

If the government makes announcement regarding the hike in fitment factor of central employees, then their salary will consequently increase. In fact, with the increase in fitment factor, the minimum wage will also increase. Employees are currently getting salary under fitment factor on the basis of 2.57 percent, which if increased to 3.68 percent, there will be an increase of Rs 8,000 in the minimum salary of the employees. This means the minimum pay of the central government employees will be hiked from Rs 18,000 to Rs 26,000.

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New Delhi: RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das on Tuesday launched the most awaited Unified Payments Interface (UPI) facility for feature smartphones.

This new service -- UPI 123PAY --will enable over 40 crore feature phone users to access the popular digital transactions platform, without having an internet connection.

Launch event and inaugural address by RBI Governor-UPI for feature phones & 24*7 helpline https://t.co/lziWBh0BzR  ReserveBankOfIndia (@RBI) March 8, 2022

"The launch of UPI 123PAY makes facilities under UPI accessible to that section of society which was so far been excluded from the digital payments landscape. In that way, it is promoting great amount of financial inclusion in our economy," Das said at a launch event at the central bank attended by officials from NPCI and banks.

Using UPI 123PAY, you will require only three-step process to initiate and execute a payment.

Feature phone users will now be able to undertake a host of transactions based on four technology alternatives. They include calling an IVR (interactive voice response) number, app functionality in feature phones, missed call-based approach and also proximity sound-based payments.

Such users can initiate payments to friends and family, pay utility bills, recharge the FAST Tags of their vehicles, pay mobile bills and also allow users to check account balances, it said, adding customers will also be able to link bank accounts, set or change UPI PINs.

The RBI Governor also launched a 24x7 helpline for digital payments on Tuesday, which has also been set up by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). The helpline christened 'Digisaathi' will assist the callers/users with all their queries on digital payments via website and chatbot.

Users can visit www.Digisaathi.Info or call on 14431 and 1800 891 3333 from their phones for their queries on digital payments and grievances.

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New Delhi: Just as the release of the romantic magnum opus Radhe Shyam starring megastar Prabhas and Pooja Hegde is around the corner, the anticipation has surmounted to an all-new level. To add to the excitement, fans will now get a chance to lay their hands on an eclectic and limited collection of Radhe Shyam NFTs launching on March 8, 2022 - International Women's Day.

This collection includes unseen pictures of Prabhas with his digital autograph, 3D animated digital art from the movie and exclusive 3D animated assets including Prabhas in the swanky car he drove in the movie.

These NFTs not only make for the perfect memorabilia but will also allow fans to own a piece of their favourite actors legacy.

If that wasnt all, the Top 100 Radhe Shyam NFT collectors will get a once in a lifetime chance to meet and greet with the superstar himself. The collection will go live for sale on March 8, 2022, on the NgageN platform and the more NFTs one collects the more their chances of being the super fans and meeting their favourite superstar.

Taking on the role of a palmist for the first time in his career, Prabhas is all set to impress in Radhe Shyam, for which legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan has lent his voice as the sutradhar. The film promises cutting-edge visual effects on a larger-than-life canvas coupled with the electric chemistry between Prabhas and Pooja Hegde.

Taking to social media, UV creations shared "Get ready for an epic launch!

Own a part of #RadheShyamNFTs in just 1 Minute & 100 lucky winners will get a chance to meet our superstar #Prabhas.

Gulshan Kumar and T-Series present Radhe Shyam a UV Creations production. Directed by Radha Krishna Kumar and edited by Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao. The film is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Vamsi and Pramod, the movie releases on March 11, 2022.
New Delhi: Apple may possibly release a new colour variation of the iPhone 13. According to speculations, the Cupertino-based iPhone maker may include a Green colour version in its 2021 iPhone 13. The base variant of the iPhone 13 is 128GB, and there is no 64GB variant in this generation. The iPhone 13 is currently available in five different colours: Product Red, Starlight, Midnight, Blue, and Pink. The anticipated Green variation will be its sixth colour. The Apple event begins at 11:30 p.m. IST.

It is also speculated that Apple may release a Purple colour option of the iPad Air. Tonight's event will witness the launch of the 'cheap' iPhone SE 3.

During its 'Peek Performance' event tonight, Apple may possibly unveil the low-cost Macbook Mini and a new iPad Air.

The Apple iPhone 13 comes with a 6.1-inch screen, dual 12MP rear cameras, and a single 12MP selfie camera. It is powered by the A15 Bionic technology, which is expected to debut in the iPhone SE 3 tonight. Because the 4nm CPU supports 5G, the low-cost iPhone SE 3 2022 could be the first phone in its class to acquire a 5G chipset.

Meanwhile, the design and cameras of the iPhone SE 3 may not change significantly. Although Apple is a cautious company when it comes to improvements and new features, we anticipate that it will surprise us all.

iPhone SE 3 will have a better selfie camera and, at the very least, a longer battery life. Let's wait a few more hours to find out what the iPhone SE 3 has in store for us.
New Delhi: Apple might lose at least $3 million in iPhone sales revenue daily or $1.14 billion annually as it announced to pull out from the Russian market in the wake of Ukraine invasion.

According to estimates by Lithuania-based online shopping portal Burga, the amount is based on Apple`s latest recorded Russian market share and the company`s revenue from sales as of 2021.

"Apple`s exit in Russia puts a close to the rocky relationship between the two entities. Notably, Russia has in the past enacted questionable policies for companies like Apple to comply with. Apple had only recently adhered with a government mandate to open offices in Russia to offer online services there," said the report.

Although Russia does not account for a significant revenue share for Apple products, the tech giant`s exit will likely leave a mark on its smartphone sales that have been growing in the country.

Data presented by Burga indicates that based on vendor, Apple accounts for 15 per cent of the Russian smartphone sales to rank third overall.

South Korea`s Samsung occupies the top position with 34 per cent followed by Xiaomi at the third spot at 26 per cent.

Realme has a share of 8 per cent, followed by Poco at 3 per cent, while other smaller brands account for 14 per cent, the Burga report mentioned.

Elsewhere, as of 2021, Russia`s smartphone sales stood at ?730 billion ($7.6 billion).

The Apple`s revenue lost might be higher considering that Russia`s general smartphone sales income has risen steadily in the last few years.

As of 2020, the revenue stood at $5.93 billion, while in 2019, the figure was at $5.2 billion.

Overall, between 2014 and 2021, the figure has spiked almost 200 per cent.

After Apple`s decision on Russia, the move has placed pressure on other brands like Samsung that have also stopped shipping products to the country.

"Consequently, the exit by the two manufacturers might be a window of expansion for Chinese operators that are likely to stay put. However, such firms might suffer the impact of any follow-up sanctions that can bar companies from operating in Russia using U.S. origin technology," the report noted.

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New Delhi: Meta (formerly known as Facebook) on Monday announced two initiatives to support empowerment of women, and enable women entrepreneurship, ahead of the International Women's Day.

International Women's Day is celebrated annually on March 8.

While 'She Champions Her' on Instagram will celebrate women-led communities, Pragati, the second edition of Meta's CSR initiative, will incubate and accelerate women-led nonprofits that are working to support women entrepreneurs in India, the company said.

"At Meta, we are making efforts to bring gender parity to the internet by not only giving access to more women but also giving growth opportunities and platforms to women change-makers and women-led businesses," said Rajiv Aggarwal, Director and Head of Public Policy, Facebook India (Meta), in a statement.

'She Champions Her' from Instagram, will be launching in partnership with Yuvaa, which is a youth media and insights company.

The campaign is rooted in the insight that safety enables free expression, and several women have pursued their interests to help other women, by being change agents on topics such as bullying, body positivity and even entrepreneurship.

The campaign will celebrate such women through a month-long content series on @weareyuvaa, featuring 10 women changemakers such as Avanti Nagral, an international pop artist and content creator, Manasi Chaudhari, founder and CEO of Pink Legal, a platform dedicated to women's rights and women's law, Mansi Zaveri, founder of the parenting community Kidsstoppress, and Navya Naveli Nanda, Co-founder of Aara Health and Founder of Project Naveli.

The movement will be taken further through open-mic events in five cities across India -- Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kolkata.

Pragati, Meta's CSR initiative, was first launched in 2020. It is aimed at boosting women empowerment by supporting women entrepreneurship, in partnership with N/Core (The/Nudge Centre for Social Innovation).

In the latest edition, six women-led nonprofits have been selected who will be granted support for fundraising, building organisational capacity and strategic mentoring to drive awareness and adoption of technology among women in India at the last mile

These are Mother & Child Health (FMCH), Esther, Sajhe Sapne, Svatanya India Foundation, Tisser Artisan Trust and Ekibeki.

As part of the Pragati initiative, each organisation will receive monetary grants of upto Rs 50 lakh.

FMCH is under the 12-month accelerator programme to receive mentoring and networking support from industry experts.

Other five organisations are part of the nine-month incubation programme and will receive mentoring from industry-experts and networking support from Meta and the/Nudge Foundation.

The first edition of Pragati incubated four women-led nonprofit organisations to receive grants, mentorship and network support which further enabled them to positively impact more than 16 million lives. These nonprofits also helped in digital capacity building for over 700 nonprofits.

According to Aggarwal, the two initiatives will "hopefully be a movement that inspires change amongst others too, both as an ally in the enablement of women, as also serve as a paradigm of women-led successful businesses".

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New Delhi: Samsung Galaxy F23 has been formally unveiled in India. A 5G chipset, a huge battery, a high-refresh-rate display, and a triple-camera configuration are all included in the Galaxy F42. The Samsung Galaxy F23 5G will go up against the Realme 9 Pro 5G, iQOO Z3, Moto G71 5G, and Redmi Note 11T 5G, among others.

The Samsung Galaxy F23 5G is priced at Rs 17,499 for the base 4GB/128GB model, and Rs 18,499 for the 6GB/128GB model. The Galaxy F23, on the other hand, will be available for Rs 15,999 (4GB/128GB) and Rs 16,999 (6GB/128GB) upon launch. Samsung hasn't said when the limited-time offer will finish.

Customers who pay with ICICI Bank cards will receive an instant reward of Rs 1,000. On March 16, at 12:00 p.m., the Samsung Galaxy F23 5G will be available for purchase on Samsung.com, Flipkart, and other shops across India (noon). The Galaxy F23 comes in two colours: Aqua Blue and Forest Green.

The Snapdragon 750G SoC is combined with up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of expandable storage in the Samsung Galaxy F23. The phone also has 6GB of virtual RAM that can be used to increase memory capacity. The Galaxy F23 has a 5,000 mAh battery with capability for 25W rapid charging.

The Galaxy F23 has a 120Hz refresh rate and a 6.6-inch FHD+ Infinity-U LCD panel with Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The Galaxy F23 has a 50 megapixel Samsung ISOCELL JN1 primary sensor, an 8 megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 2 megapixel macro camera. A selfie camera with an aperture of 8 megapixels is housed in the notch on the front.

5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a USB Type-C port, a headphone jack, and other connectivity choices are available. The Samsung Galaxy F23 5G runs Android 12 on top of One UI 4.1. Samsung has promised OS upgrades for two years and security patches for four years.

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Hong Kong: China has announced its defence budget for 2022 on the opening day of its fifth annual session of the 13th National People`s Congress (NPC). Usually these annual announcements of Chinese military spending grab headlines, but in 2022 the 7.1 per cent rise in Beijing`s defence expenditure is overshadowed by the Russia-Ukraine war.

In monetary terms, China`s 2022 defence spending is CNY1.45045 trillion (USD229.39 billion). Indeed, the budget revealed on 5 March confirms a continuing rebound in expenditure. Last year, China increased spending by 6.8 per cent to CNY1.355 trillion (USD209.4 billion).

The overall increase of approximately USD20 billion this year is actually the largest ever (the second largest was USD13.4 billion in 2021, and the largest was USD13.6 billion in 2014). Two years ago, China approved just a 6.6 per cent increase in defence spending, which represented a dip due to the onset of COVID-19. In preceding years, the budget had risen 7.5 per cent (2019) and 8.1 per cent (2018) annually.

This is the seventh year in a row where the defence budget has risen in only single-digit percentages, underscoring that the halcyon days of double-digit growth are long gone. The pretty consistent year-to-year gains for defence expenditure also underscore that the PLA is at heart a political entity.

Threat perceptions may change over time, but China continues to prioritize spending on the People`s Liberation Army (PLA) no matter what reason it ascribes to the growth. Typically it paints a narrative that China is merely reacting to events around it, rather than the fact that Chinese spending is ringing alarm bells across the world.

Anonymous "analysts" quoted by China`s parochial Global Times said the budget was "steady and reasonable at a time when China needs to modernize its military capabilities to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity amid severe external threats and an unstable security environment".

Chinese commentators also quoted "provocative" US actions such as sailing warships - entirely legally, it must be added - through the Taiwan Strait or the South China Sea. The border stand-off with India has not been solved either, even after nearly two years, and this requires money to sustain.

Chinese analysts asserted that, despite "military threats posed by the US and others, China is not interested in joining an arms race, and the country`s defence policy is defensive in nature".Such an argument is not sustainable, however.

Putting it in perspective, this year`s USD20 billion lump-sum increase eclipses Taiwan`s total defence budget of USD15.4 billion. To compare further, current Chinese spending is greater than that of India (USD64.8 billion), Japan (USD55 billion), Russia (USD66.8 billion), South Korea (USD48 billion) and Taiwan combined.

CCP's expectations from PLA to maintain pressure on neighbours

In future, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will expect more from the PLA in terms of military capabilities, so it can maintain pressure on neighbours like India, South China Sea claimants and the USA. Chinese leaders affirm they are willing to use violence to maintain (i.e. extend) their territory, so the PLA must be a credible tool and deterrent.

The PLA must be ready to achieve the CCP`s political objectives, plus it will demand ever greater political loyalty and commitment. There is a stark difference between the PLA and the quality of confused Russian conscripts who now find themselves in Ukraine.

It is drummed into the PLA that they must serve Xi Jinping, the CCP and the nation. With such strong ideological indoctrination, there will be no hesitation among Chinese soldiers if ordered to attack Taiwan, for example.

Incidentally, Chinese central government spending on public security will increase 4.7 per cent to CNY194.993 billion in 2022. However, this figure does not incorporate considerable provincial spending on public security and policing.

If regional spending is included, the internal-security budget would overtake total PLA spending.The defence budget is yet to be approved by Chinese lawmakers, but this will be a mere formality for a rubber-stamp Congress that has no real power.

China possesses 2nd highest defence budget after USA

China possesses the second-highest defence budget in the world behind the USA, though Beijing still spends less than a third of what the USA does. President Joe Biden is seeking a budget of some USD770 billion for the forthcoming fiscal year.

In fact, the USA spends more than the rest of the ten highest countries combined, which is a sign that the USA remains the only true superpower. Of course, it is difficult to directly compare China and the USA.

The PLA benefits from a non-market economy, where equipment is cheaper and the military has greater purchasing power than in competitive markets like the USA. Consider that the USA also deploys troops and assets globally, whereas China primarily remain at home.

China gives no details on money allocation

Shrouded in secrecy, China gave no details as to how the money will be allocated. It is estimated that approximately 40 per cent goes on equipment, both new material and to sustain existing inventories.

Total secrecy makes it impossible to accurately guess what China`s actual defence budget is. Many areas such as China`s space program, extra-budgetary revenues from military-owned commercial enterprises, defence mobilization funds and provincial military base operating costs are not reported in its defence budget.

Supplemental funding like military pensions and benefits, civilian/dual-use research and development, and Central Military Commission responsibilities like the People`s Armed Police and China Coast Guard are not part of the defence budget either. Both the latter paramilitary organizations would support the PLA in time of war.

Foreign analysts agree that the true budget is much higher than the declared amount, though there is debate as to how much. Some estimate the real budget is 25 per cent more than claimed, while others argue it could be nearly 40 per cent. Undoubtedly, the difference between Chinese and American spending is a lot less than appears on paper.

Russia-Ukraine conflict had no bearing on China`s budget

The Russia-Ukraine conflict had no bearing on China`s budget, for it was drafted before Putin invaded Ukraine. In fact, China`s financial year starts on 1 January, so the defence budget was decided well in advance of the NPC session.

Beijing stated in its Government Work Report: "In 2021, China made major strides in strengthening national defence and the armed forces, getting off to a good start in this endeavor in the 14th Five-Year Plan period, and in 2022, China will work toward the goals for the centenary of the PLA in 2027, enhance military training and combat readiness, stay firm and flexible in carrying out military struggle, and safeguardChina`s sovereignty, security and development interests."

That work report added that the PLA would move faster to modernize military logistics and asset management systems; build a modern weaponry and equipment management system; continue to reform national defence and the military; step up innovations in defence science and technology; implement a strategy of strengthening the military by training competent personnel in the new era; run the military in accordance with the law and strict discipline; promote high-quality development of the military; and improve the layout of defence science, technology and industry. Fruit to be seen this year will be the launch of the PLA Navy`s next-generation aircraft carrier, the Type 003, currently under construction.

It differs from two in-service carriers in that it dispenses with a ski-jump ramp and instead uses catapults to launch aircraft.

Other 2022 priorities are increased production of J-20 stealth fighters and modernization of the PLA Rocket Force`s nuclear arsenal. The PLA and its political masters will be watching the war in Ukraine with acute attention.

Just as China carefully studied lessons from two US-led wars against Iraq in 1990-91 and 2003, so too for years it will be combing over the results of this bitter war between two near-peer adversaries.

President Xi not happy with the way communism crumbled in Russia

President Xi already looked down on Russia for the way communism succumbed and crumbled there. The CCP will probably view with disdain the Russian military and how it has atrophied through low morale, lack of political purpose and underinvestment.

On paper, the Russian armed forces look strong, but in fact, the military`s capability has been somewhat hollowed out. CCP buzzwords are mechanization, informationization and intelligentization, three prongs of the PLA`s modernization as it seeks to dominate the digital, cyber and networked world of military operations.

These are some of the areas where Russia is falling down, particularly in terms of joint warfare. The latter is a priority for the PLA, even if it still has a long way to go to coordinate land, sea and air forces into a coherent and integrated force.

In other lessons, Russian logistics have performed poorly, with vehicles bogging down off main roads, supply columns ambushed and vehicles running out of fuel. This is despite the fact that the Russian Army was able to launch its invasion by simply driving across land borders. This is far different for China in any operation against Taiwan, where the 180km-wide Taiwan Strait must first be crossed by air or water.

Poor use of Russian airborne troops has ended in ignominious defeats, which will be another lesson closely observed by the PLA. Russia is yet to launch a concerted amphibious invasion, something that China will be keen to observe, even if it comes at steep Russian expense.

Putin`s choice of strategy will also be questioned. He did not set the prerequisite political and social conditions for an invasion of Ukraine, as evinced by mass protests by the Russian populace. China certainly will not make that mistake, as for years it has been warmongering and shaping Chinese people`s acceptance of the need to subjugate Taiwan militarily if necessary.

Nor did Russia kick off its campaign with "shock and awe" operations, which means Ukrainian aircraft and air defences are still active days into the war.

Inadequate stocks of cruise missiles and air-to-ground precision-guided munitions are also evident, along with a need for airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Ukraine is 16 times Taiwan`s size, yet Russia fired only 600 or so cruise or short-range ballistic missiles in the first ten days.

China's mighty PLA Air Force

China would be able to concentrate against Taiwan this amount of missiles in a first attack wave alone. The PLA has prioritized airborne command and control over the past couple of decades with platforms like the KJ-500 aircraft, plus it is introducing electronic warfare aircraft like the J-16D and various Y-8/Y-9 types.

The PLA Air Force has more than 700 modern fighters in service already. China has many air-launched cruise missiles and ballistic missiles but, significantly, its stocks of precision-guided munitions are limited. It has only one type of 500kg laser-guided bomb in service, for example.

For many tasks, a 500kg bomb is overkill, and China is yet to commit to a line of 250kg and 100kg precision-guided munitions so it would have to rely on dumb bombs and unguided rockets. Therefore, smaller bombs mounted on racks are a desirable package for Chinese strike aircraft, with the advantage that more individual bombs can be carried per sortie, and leaving larger and expensive missiles for more important targets.

Perhaps we will see China boost its precision-guided munitions stocks in the wake of Russian failings, especially since the Chinese industry already has smaller precision-guided munitions available for export.

The PLA has plenty of strike aircraft to carry such precision-guided weapons, including nearly 100 J-20, 200 J-16, 250+ J-10B/C and 300+ J-10A fighters; 200+ JH-7A fighter-bombers; and 120 H-6J/K/N bombers, many with targeting pods. Add to this, drones like the WZ-7 and Wing Loong 1/ 2 family, and one can see that China could deliver a deluge of weapons on Taiwan early on in a future conflict.

Another surprise for Russia and China is the severity of international opprobrium at an unprovoked war, and how NATO and Europe have closed ranks in support of Ukraine. This goes somewhat against the Chinese and Russian narrative that the West is in decline, and that the East is inexorably rising.

(With ANI Inputs)

Live TV
Kyiv: Indian Embassy in Ukraine on Tuesday issued an advisory for Indian nationals stranded in Ukraine urging them to leave the conflict-ridden country using the humanitarian corridors using trains or any other means of transport from 10 am on Tuesday (local time).

"The Humanitarian Corridor for evacuation of stranded people has been announced in various parts of Ukraine from 1000 hrs on 8 March 2022," the advisory said.

It added that considering the security situation, the establishment of the next humanitarian corridor is uncertain. "All stranded Indian nationals are urged to make use of this opportunity and evacuate using trains/vehicles or any other available means of transport giving due consideration to safety," it added.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs today announced that it had evacuated all Indian students from Ukraine`s Sumy. "Happy to inform that we have been able to move out all Indian students from Sumy. They are currently en route to Poltava, from where they will board trains to western Ukraine. Flights under #OperationGanga are being prepared to bring them home," tweeted MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.

Under `Operation Ganga` to rescue Indian citizens from Ukraine`s neighbouring countries, 410 Indians have been airlifted today by 2 special civilian flights from Suceava. About 18 thousand Indians have been brought back by special flights so far from the war-hit Ukraine.

The number of Indians airlifted by 75 special civilian flights goes up to 15521. IAF had flown 12 missions to bring back 2467 passengers, as part of Operation Ganga, and carried over 32-tonne relief material.

Among the civilian flights, 4575 passengers have been brought from Bucharest by 21 flights, 1820 from Suceava by 9 flights, 5571 from Budapest by 28 flights, 909 passengers by 5 flights from Kosice, 2404 Indians from Rzeszow by 11 flights, and 242 persons by a flight from Kyiv.

Notably, the Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Moscow recognized Ukraine`s breakaway regions, Donetsk and Luhansk as independent republics followed by the announcement of a "special military operation" to "demilitarize" and "denazify" Ukraine.

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Kyiv: Safe corridors intended to let civilians escape the Russian onslaught in Ukraine could open on Tuesday, officials from both sides said, though previous efforts to establish evacuation routes crumbled amid renewed attacks and it was not clear how large the operation would be if it happened.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Tuesday that both sides agreed to a cease-fire from 9 am-9 pm Ukraine time (0700-1900 GMT) for the evacuation of civilians from the eastern city of Sumy.

The first convoy with evacuated civilians in buses or private cars is to leave at 10 am (0800 GMT), on a single route toward the Ukrainian city of Poltava.

She said Russia's Defence Ministry agreed to this in a letter to the International Red Cross. Those being evacuated from Sumy include foreign students from India and China, she said.

The corridor will also be used to bring humanitarian aid into Sumy, she said. She reiterated that Russian proposals to evacuate civilians to Russia and Belarus were unacceptable. She didn't elaborate on the possibility of evacuating Ukrainians toward western Ukraine.

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Minsk: The third round of peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators has failed to achieve significant results in Belarus on Monday. The meeting lasted nearly three hours at the Belovezhskaya Pushcha on the Belarus-Poland border.

According to reports, both sides addressed the issue of civilian evacuation, while the Ukrainian side assured Russia that the humanitarian corridors will start working on Tuesday.

Mykhailo Podolyak, a member of the Ukrainian delegation, reportedly said that there was some small progress in improving the logistics of humanitarian corridors in Ukraine.

According to Podolyak, who is also an advisor to the head of Volodymyr Zelenskyy`s office, intensive consultations continued on the main political block of the settlement along with a ceasefire and security guarantees.

Podolyak tweeted, "The third round of negotiations has ended. There are small positive subductions in improving the logistics of humanitarian corridors... Intensive consultations have continued on the basic political block of the regulations, along with a ceasefire and security guarantees."

Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, who headed the Russian delegation, is quoted as saying, "The discussions continued on political and military aspects. However, it remains difficult. It is too early to talk about something positive."

Russian negotiators brought a large set of documents, including specific agreements, but the Ukrainian side could not sign them on the spot and took all these documents back home for study, he was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

"To be honest, our expectations from the talks were not met. But we hope that next time we will be able to take a more significant step forward," Medinsky reportedly said after the meeting.

(With Agency Inputs)

Live TV
Press Release

March 8, 2022 De Lima hails signing into law of bill raising age of sexual consent from 12 to 16 Re-electionist Senator Leila M. de Lima expressed elation over the recent signing into law of a measure raising the age of sexual consent from 12 to 16. De Lima, co-author of the said bill in the Senate, said the signing of Republic Act (RA) No. 116481 on March 4 is a move that ensures the youth's innocence will never be used against them. "With the passage of the law increasing the age of consent to 16 years old, the State is sending an unequivocal message that the youth will be protected by all means and at all costs," she said. "Now, the State could better safeguard the innocence of the youth, prevent sexual predators from violating them, and further ensure that their best interests are protected and promoted," she added. Malacanang reportedly released last March 7 the signed RA No. 116481, an Act "providing for stronger protection against rape and sexual exploitation and abuse, increasing the age for determining the commission of statutory rape." Under the law, any adult who engages in sexual activity with a minor aged below 16 is automatically guilty of rape. The said law exempts individuals having carnal knowledge with minors under 16 years from criminal liability as long as "the age difference between the parties is not more than three years." The sexual act must also be non-abusive and non-exploitative. De Lima, a staunch defender of children's and women's rights, also filed Senate Resolution (SR) No. 745 on June 2021 urging the Congress to investigate the reported surge of online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC) during the COVID-19 pandemic to hold perpetrators accountable and address the aggravating factors and root causes of child abuse in the Philippines.
Washington: While the Russia-Ukraine situation continues to remain tense, no decision has been made by the Joe Biden administration about a ban on importing oil from Russia, the United States said. After Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the "special military operation" in Ukraine in February, a series of sanctions have been imposed by the US and other western nations on Russia.

But when it comes to Russian energy imports, they have so far been left out of punitive measures because of the concerns over how the energy gap would impact the energy supplies. "No decision has been made at this point by the President about a ban on importing oil from Russia, and those discussions are ongoing internally and also with our counterparts and partners in Europe and around the world," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said during a press briefing. She said that US President Joe Biden is focused on ensuring economic consequences on Putin while taking action necessary to limit the impact on prices.

Also Read: WHO says at least nine killed in 16 attacks on Ukraine health care

"And as you noted, yes, it is true that there has obviously been an impact of the invasion on the level of import to the United States into other parts of the world," the press secretary added. Psaki said the US over the next year will produce more oil than ever before.

"The US produced more oil this past year than in President Trump's first year. Next year, according to the Department of Energy, we will produce more oil than ever before," she said. Earlier, the White House had said that a ban on Russian energy. On Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the US was looking at a potential ban in a "coordinated way" with European allies.

(With ANI inputs)

Live TV
Reunion con altos funcionarios del Gobierno estadounidense sobre cooperacion en materia de control de drogas confirma el excelente nivel de la relacion bilateral en la lucha conjunta contra el flagelo global del narcotrafico y sus delitos conexos.https://t.co/iqY4dsZogJ
?? En vivo | El presidente @PedroCastilloTe sostiene un encuentro con la poblacion de Catache, region Cajamarca.https://t.co/NbUx0ftihX
17:14 | Lima, Mar. 8.





Likewise, the Cabinet chief indicated that in the face of differences and tensions that "we are experiencing, coordination does not annul our understandable differences, but it does call on us to put dialogue first so as to build consensus for our people."





"Ladies and gentlemen of Congress, I call on you, then, to turn political coordination into a working tool for well-being and social justice," Torres expressed.





"The economic and health panorama, already quite difficult, can look much better if, in the times ahead, we work together to show citizens that it is indeed possible to govern democratically," he stated.





At the beginning of his presentation of the Government's general policy, he said this is not the first time that consensus has been discussed in this chamber, adding that "this surely seems like a familiar story for the citizens who are listening to us today."





"We must accept that it has been difficult for the Executive and Legislative Branches to work together; in the end, political instability hits those who are not sitting here," Torres said.





"Therefore, I, on behalf of the Government presided over by teacher Pedro Castillo Terrones , stand before the national representation, convinced that if we want to do things right for our people, we have an obligation to listen, rectify, and work together," he stated.





Furthermore, the Prime Minister indicated that from his position as minister, he was accompanied by a "transparent and coherent stance over time, the same from which I speak to you today."





Finally, he asked parliamentarians to listen to the Executive Branch, since the Government was elected by citizens, "as were you."





"Let's make this moment an opportunity to do things better, to prioritize the country and correspond to the hope that millions have placed in us," he added.









According to the Constitution, a Prime Minister must attend Congress to present the Government's general policy and request a vote of confidence from lawmakers within the first 30 days of the Cabinet in office.





(END) JCC/CVC/MVB
Press Release

March 8, 2022 De Lima expresses support for EO protecting refugees, stateless persons Re-electionist Senator Leila M. de Lima welcomed the issuance of Executive Order (EO) No. 163 relative to access to protection services for refugees, stateless persons, and asylum seekers. De Lima, a social justice and human rights champion, said the signing of the EO is signifies to the world that the Philippines is a safe haven for refugees who leave their homes in hopes to live a more dignified and peaceful life abroad. "EO 163 on the protection of refugees, stateless persons, and asylum seekers is a laudable issuance of the Duterte Administration, considering that it has otherwise regularly attacked international human rights instruments and principles," she said. "It signifies the country's dedication to helping and providing sanctuary to those forced to flee other countries due to war, persecution, or other involuntary causes," she added. President Duterte signed EO No. 163 last Feb. 28 mandating efforts to protect refugees, stateless persons and asylum seekers to comply with the Philippines' obligations under international agreements. Under the order, the Philippines acknowledges the importance and enduring relevance of the 1951 United Nations (UN) Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, 1954 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Person, and 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness While the issuance of the EO is much welcome, De Lima maintained that "a law is still needed to further institutionalize and give stronger teeth to the protection mechanisms for refugees and stateless persons." "I am still hopeful that before we move to the next Congress, the Committee on Justice and Human Rights Chairperson Sen. Richard Gordon can calendar my proposed Senate Bill (SB) No. 1854 or the 'Refugees and Stateless Persons Protection Act of 2019' to make sure that we have a head start for it when Congress convenes after the elections," she added Last July 11, 2019, De Lima filed SB No. 379 to strengthen and promote the rights of refugees and stateless persons and create the Refugees and Stateless Persons Protection Board. These measures aim to facilitate a fair and efficient procedure for status determination and eligibility for protection and strengthen the government's cooperation and coordination with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and other relevant institutions and agencies. Likewise, SB No. 379 defines the rights of refugees and stateless persons, which are geared towards allowing them to live a life consistent with the dignity of all persons, as well as the obligations of the State to protect them and their reciprocal obligation to respect Philippine laws in exchange for such protection.
The third round of Russian-Ukrainian talks, held in Belarus on Monday evening, failed to yield the expected results, as both Moscow and Kiev delegates acknowledged, Tass informs.

March 8, 2022, 11:01 Russia-Ukraine talks, 3rd round: expectations fail, continuation due soon

STEPANAKERT, MARCH 8, ARTSAKHPRESS: Russias chief negotiator, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, said that the expectations pinned on the talks failed to come true, while Ukrainian presidential office adviser Mikhail Podolyak acknowledged that there were no results for the time being that might considerably improve the situation.

Both sides agreed to go ahead with negotiations and noted positive shifts on the issue of humanitarian corridors that remained inoperational on Monday.

The Russian-Ukrainian negotiations will be continued and Moscow hopes that "more tangible steps forward will be made," Medinsky said.

Neither side has mentioned any specific dates or venues, but Slutsky remarked that the next round would be held in Belarus in the near future.

Slutsky warned that the negotiating process would be no easy and take time. "Let us not succumb to the illusion that a final result is just one or two steps away from us. There is laborious, systematic work ahead.".
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said the people who elected him president are not ready for capitulation or ultimatums.

March 8, 2022, 14:39 Zelensky says people who elected him arent ready for capitulation

STEPANAKERT, MARCH 8, ARTSAKHPRESS: The people who elected me arent ready for capitulation, we are not ready for ultimatums, Zelensky told the American ABC in an interview.

According to Zelensky, they are heavily outnumbered. He said that 10 Russian soldiers are fighting against 1 Ukrainian soldier, while 50 Russian tanks are fighting against 1 Ukrainian tank. Despite this difference, he said, the Ukrainian forces are fighting but the question is how long they will be able to withstand. In this context Zelensky again raised the issue of a no-fly zone over Ukraine and more active military support from the West.

Establishing a no-fly zone in Ukraine is necessary for downing Russian missiles, Ive said this to Biden. I think the US President can do more, the Ukrainian president said.
Ukraine has a possible solution to the issue of recognizing the territories of Crimea and the Donetsk and Lugansk Peoples Republics (DPR and LPR), as Tass informs, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky told ABC on Tuesday.

March 8, 2022, 17:31 Ukraine has possible solution on recognition of Crimea, DPR, LPR  Zelensky

STEPANAKERT, MARCH 8, ARTSAKHPRESS: "This is another ultimatum and we are not prepared for ultimatums. But we have the possible solution resolution for these <...> key items," Zelensky said responding to a question of whether Kiev continues to reject Moscows demands - recognition of Crimea, the DPR and the LPR, as well as Ukraines refusal to join NATO. "What needs to be done is for [Russian] President Putin to start talking," the Ukrainian leader added.

Focusing on the question over the possibility of Kiev recognizing Crimea as part of Russia and the independence of two self-proclaimed Peoples Republics, Zelensky pointed out that "it is more difficult than simply acknowledging them."
We are getting closer to Mercury Retro on May 10th and things will be shifting. Let's take a look and see what this means for you:
Ukraine claims it has killed another Russian general during fighting in the city of Kharkiv.

The embattled countrys Ministry of Defence claimed that its forces had killed Major General Vitaly Gerasimov, first deputy commander of the 41st Army of the Central Military District of Russia.

Another loss among the senior command staff of the occupying army, the department claimed on Monday.

During the fighting near Kharkiv, Vitaly Gerasimov, a Russian military leader, major general, chief of staff and first deputy commander of the 41st Army of the Central Military District of Russia, was killed. A number of senior Russian army officers were also killed and wounded.

Vitaly Gerasimov took part in the second Chechen war and the Russian military operation in Syria. He received a medal for the return of the Crimea, they added.

The data obtained also indicate significant problems with communication in the occupiers army and with the evacuation of their broken units.

The latest high-profile killing, comes after Andrei Sukhovetsky, the commanding general of the Russian 7th Airborne Division and a deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army, was shot and killed by a sniper.

Mr Putin confirmed that a general had been killed in a speech updating the Russian people on the progress of the conflict, eight days into the deadly invasion.

Russia claims 498 of its soldiers have been killed in Ukraine and another 1,597 have been wounded.

However, British officials say the actual number of those killed and wounded will almost certainly be considerably higher and will continue to rise.

The Ukrainian army said on Monday that Russia was preparing to storm the countrys capital.

The general staff of Ukraines armed forces said Russian troops were beginning to accumulate resources for the storming of Kyiv after they had failed to seize the capital for more than a week after the full-scale invasion was launched.

The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, some in the Cayuga County community are collecting donations to help those affected by the conflict, and showing support for them:

 Checks can be mailed or brought to SS. Peter & Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church, 136 Washington St., Auburn. Other means of donating are available at facebook.com/peterpaulucc. The church is also hosting a citywide prayer service at 6 each evening, and is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily for people who want to pray for Ukraine. For more information, call the church at (315) 252-5573.

 A relief truck donation drive will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, March 10, in the parking lot of Holy Family Church, 85 North St., Auburn. The drive-thru will begin on the Holiday Inn side of the church, and cars can exit onto North Street. Suggested supplies include aspirin, Tylenol, Motrin, large Band-Aids, sterile wipes, nutrition bars, Tums, baby formula and blankets, coats, sweaters, sweatshirts and heavy socks and for men and women of all ages. Supplies will go to St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Syracuse to be forwarded to people in Ukraine.

 Another supply drive will be held from 8 a.m. to noon Sunday, March 13, during the monthly pancake breakfast of the Owasco Fire Department at 7174 Owasco Road, Owasco. Scout Troop 21 will collect medical supplies (analgesics, antiseptic wipes, saline solution, bandages, gauze, medical gloves and tape, and topical treatments) at the breakfast, and financial donations will also be accepted.

 SS. Peter & Paul will host a gathering to support the people of Ukraine at noon Sunday, March 13, at Memorial City Hall, 24 South St., Auburn. Flags and signs of support will be welcome.

'It's just a tragedy': Auburn's Ukrainian community reacts to invasion Nataliia Shynkarenko went to bed Wednesday night wondering how she would break the news to her daughters.

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FLEMING  A Cayuga County mobile home park will be auctioned off after its owner failed to pay more than $55,000 in fines for not providing drinking water to residents and numerous other violations.

Locust Meadows, a 7.8-acre property in the town of Fleming, will be sold to the highest bidder at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Cayuga County Courthouse, according to Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck. The sheriff's office seized the property after a judgment was issued in September due the mobile home park's failure to pay the fines.

The auction is the latest chapter in a years-long ordeal that began in 2018. The Cayuga County Health Department found that Locust Meadows violated several state laws by not properly monitoring the water supply and not providing adequate water pressure and drinking water. The mobile home park also lost electricity after the owner, Sharon Hitchings, did not pay the energy bill.

The health department issued boil water orders in June and November 2018 due to the loss of pressure, but Locust Meadows never submitted results of samples to determine if the water was not contaminated.

Eileen O'Connor, who heads the health department's environmental health division, told The Citizen that a boil water order has been renewed every quarter because no one is monitoring the water. A resident, Louise Bonilla, confirmed that they have been under a boil water order for more than three years. Bonilla said she buys bottled water every other day.

"We take it off the rent," said Bonilla, who has lived at Locust Meadows for more than 25 years.

In June 2019, the health department issued a complaint outlining the violations. A hearing was held in July 2019. Hitchings, who bought Locust Meadows in 2015 months after she won an $816,000 lottery prize, did not respond to the complaint and did not attend the hearing. The hearing officer found that Hitchings was guilty of the violations and ordered her to pay $55,000 in fines.

The Cayuga County Board of Health met in September 2019 to adopt the hearing officer's findings. Hitchings did not attend the meeting.

The Citizen's attempts to contact Hitchings were unsuccessful.

With Hitchings failing to acknowledge the violations and pay the fines, the county sought a judgement against her. The judgement was signed in September 2021 and allowed for the seizure of the property due to nonpayment of fines, which now total $63,668 due to interest and additional fees.

"The county has really tried to resolve this issue and has assisted but we can't continue to do this," O'Connor said. "The park needs to be brought into compliance with the rules and regulations of the state of New York."

She continued, "We're hopeful that a person who is interested and willing to do what is necessary to bring this park back into compliance and to provide the residents with safe drinking water and to make sure the septic system is functioning properly."

But O'Connor acknowledged that anyone could buy the mobile home park. They could continue to operate it as a residential property, or it could be transformed into something else.

That worries Bonilla, who fears that they will be evicted if the buyer wants to repurpose the park.

"We're not looking forward to this," she said. "Hopefully we don't have to move if we get a good landlord. I don't know. We don't have high hopes."

The terms of sale for the auction note that "the interest of the judgment debtor being sold may be subject to liens, mortgages, taxes or other encumbrances." The highest bidder can pay by cash, check or attorney check. At least 10% of the winning bid must be paid by 4 p.m. Friday.

Online producer Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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HIT: To the abundance of Cayuga County-area support for the people of Ukraine.

The humanitarian crisis in Ukraine as a result of Russia's invasion may be playing out more than 4,600 miles away, but local residents have been deeply affected by the suffering they are seeing and reading about, and they are trying to do what they can to help Ukrainians.

The SS. Peter & Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in Auburn is accepting donations to help those affected by the conflict. Checks can be mailed or brought to the church, 136 Washington St., Auburn. Other means of donating are available at facebook.com/peterpaulucc. The church is hosting a citywide prayer service at 6 each evening, and is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily for people who want to pray for Ukraine. In addition, it worked with the city of Auburn to plan a "Support Ukraine" gathering at noon Sunday, March 13, at Memorial City Hall, 24 South St., Auburn.

There's also a Ukraine relief truck donation drive from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, March 8, at Holy Family Church parking lot, 85 North St., Auburn. Accepting medical supplies (aspirin, Band-Aids, sterile wipes, nutrition bars, Tums, baby formula) and other supplies (blankets, coats, sweaters, heavy socks and more for all ages).

MISS: To a disruption in water service for some residents in Moravia and Sennett.

The municipal water systems in the town of Sennett and the village of Moravia were under separate boil water orders from Friday through Sunday morning as a result of issues that made tap water susceptible to potentially harmful microbes.

Fortunately, the Cayuga County Health Department and municipal officials got the word out quickly about the need to boil the water for it to be safe, and when two straight days of clean tests came back, the orders were lifted.

HIT: To a nice tease of spring weather.

While it was certainly extra windy on Sunday, it was still delightful to have temperatures climb into the upper 60s and lower 70s with sunny skies. Conditions return to more normal on Monday, but for a few hours on a weekend, it was an enjoyable reminder of what's coming in the spring.

The Citizen Editorial board includes president and director of local sales and marketing Michelle Bowers, executive editor Jeremy Boyer and managing editor Mike Dowd.

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Press Release

March 8, 2022 Bong Go pushes for the creation of super health centers to improve access to public health services in the provinces Senator Christopher "Bong" Go once again called for the establishment of super health centers across the country to improve the access of Filipinos to government health services, particularly in rural areas. "Isinulong ko po ang pagkakaroon ng mga super health centers sa iba't ibang parte ng buong bansa. Layunin po ng mga centers na ito na mas ilapit pa sa ating mga kababayan ang mga serbisyong medikal ng gobyerno, lalo na sa mga nasa liblib na lugar at pinakanangangailangan ng mga ito," said Go. "Sa pamamagitan nito, hindi na nila kailangang pumunta sa mga malalaking ospital na kadalasan ay nasa mga siyudad," he added. The super health center is a medium version of a polyclinic and an improved version of the rural health unit. It will have a land area of 514.3 square meters as initially planned. The proposed centers will have the following services: lab facilities, pharmacy, birthing facilities, out-patient department, dental services, comprehensive PhilHealth out-patient department, and other minor services. The senator also suggested that these super health centers be used as satellite vaccination sites for those Filipinos who live far from the urban centers. "As chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, I continue to look for solutions to problems in the delivery of effective healthcare to our people. One of the pressing issues that needs to be addressed is the lack of accessible medical services in the countryside," Go explained. "It is for this reason that I proposed the establishment of Super Health Centers. The aim of these centers is to give Filipinos better access to the healthcare services provided by the government, most especially in faraway places where it is needed the most. Through this, Filipinos will not have the need to go to big hospitals in towns or city centers. Through this, we are nearer to our goal of a healthier, more resilient nation," he added. Go reiterated the need to establish the said medical facilities, noting that the public needs convenient access to quality healthcare services with or without a pandemic. "Napakahalagang maisakatuparan natin ito, may pandemya man o wala, dahil hindi naman po nawawala ang pangangailangan ng mga Pilipino pagdating sa aspeto ng kanilang kalusugan," stressed Go. The senator added that the budget for the creation of some of the centers has already been allotted, saying, "Mayroong PhP3.587 billion budget para sa construction ng 305 Super Health Centers sa 2022 budget under the Health Facilities Enhancement Program. PhP2.031 billion dito ay para sa infrastructure at P1.556 billion ay para sa equipment." The construction and equipping of these centers will be under the Health Facilities Enhancement Program of the Department of Health. "It is critical to reinforce our current health centers not just to meet health requirements of individuals or families, but also to tackle public health issues and the demands of the community," said Go. "People in their communities are entitled to the best possible treatment. These centers will be able to meet their healthcare needs, which include the prevention of diseases, provision of treatment, as well as palliative care and health promotion," he continued. Go, who heads the Senate Committee on Health, has been persistently pushing for measures that would improve the country's healthcare system. He filed Senate Bill No. 2155 which seeks to establish the Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines (VIP) for a more proactive approach in dealing with future pandemics. He also filed SBN 2158 which establishes the Philippine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC shall serve as the lead agency for developing communicable disease control and prevention initiatives. It will be primarily responsible for controlling the introduction and spread of infectious diseases in the Philippines. "These efforts are intended to avoid similar situations where poorer nations are left with fewer medical resources, such as vaccines and other essential drugs, to address pandemics as compared to more developed countries that have early on invested in health sciences and medical research," Go previously stated. "Katulad ng polisiya ng Administrasyong Duterte na dapat one-step ahead tayo kung mayro'ng paparating na mga kalamidad at sakuna, nais nating mas pagbutihin pa ang hakbang ng gobyerno upang mas maging ligtas ang buhay at kalusugan ng mga Pilipino mula sa mga banta ng nakakahawang mga sakit," he ended.
Beijing (Gasgoo)- In February, Dongfeng Motor Corporation (DFMC) saw its wholly-owned sub-brand, AEOLUS, refresh its same-month sales record, the auto group announced on March 7th.

Photo credit: AEOLUS



In the second month of 2022, DFMC sold a total of 240,700 vehicles. During the first two months of this year, the automakers cumulative sales volume amounted to 582,400 vehicles, up 16.4% from a year ago.

The passenger vehicle sector of DFMC sold 203,800 vehicles in February. With 39,800 vehicles sold, sales of the groups wholly-owned brands accounted for 20% of the groups PV sales in the month.

The groups AEOLUS brand sold 11,617 vehicles in February, skyrocketing 204% from the earlier year. The cumulative sales volume of the brand summed up to 30,200 vehicles in the past two months of 2022, nearly tripled from the same period last year.

As to DFMCs jointly owned brands, Dongfeng Nissans Venucia brand managed to sell over 10,000 vehicles again in February. For the first two months of 2022, the automaker sold 24,000 Venucia vehicles, soaring 182.9% year over year.

Meanwhile, the groups other Japanese joint venture, Dongfeng Honda, sold 54,907 vehicles in February, amounting to a cumulative sales volume of 136,800 vehicles in the year, up 15% from a year ago.

Lastly, Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen sold 7,633 vehicles in February, surging 154% year on year.

Notably, sales of Dongfeng Motor's high-end EV brand, VOYAH, which usually releases its sales record at the beginning of each month, are not released yet.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- MARELLI, a global automotive supplier, celebrated on March 5 the inauguration of a Guangzhou-based R&D center and the completion of the expansion project for its Guangzhou plant, according to a post on MARELLI's WeChat account.

Base of Marelli Automotive Electronics (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd., photo credit: MARELLI



As the China R&D hub of MARELLI's automotive electronics business unit, the newly-unveiled facility is leading the R&D of the companys most innovative products. According to MARELLI, such products as Dyna-View display, Horizon-HUD, and R-Touch cockpit domain controller, whose R&D works were led by the Guangzhou R&D center, were well regarded by OEMs at the CES 2022.

Notably, the Guangzhou plant of MARELLI's automotive business unit was founded in 1996 as the global supplier's first manufacturing base in China.

The unveiling of the China R&D center and the completion of Guangzhou plant's new assembly lines signify a milestone for MARELLI's joint development with Guangzhou's automotive industry. They also represent a powerful evidence of the company's continuous endeavor to further develop smart cockpit technologies and boost the development of ICV (intelligent-connected vehicle) business in China, said David Fan, Global Executive Vice President and President China of MARELLI.

With a strong and established track record in innovation and manufacturing excellence, MARELLI is dedicated to transforming the future of mobility through working with customers and partners to create a safer, greener, and better-connected world. With around 58,000 employees worldwide, the MARELLI footprint includes 170 facilities and R&D centers across Asia, the Americas, Europe, and Africa, generating revenues of 1,266 billion JPY (10.4 billion EUR) in 2020.
With Gasgoo Daily, we will offer daily important automotive news in China. For those we have reported, the title of the piece will include a hyperlink, which will provide detailed information.



Geely Auto intends to use alternative supply chain solution in Q2





Photo credit: Geely



Chinese automaker Geely Auto intends to apply an alternative supply chain scheme in the second quarter this year to ease the pressure of limited production capacity led by the shortage of automotive chips, according to a local media, citing a person with knowledge of the matter.

Wang Chuanfu resigns as chairman of Hangzhou BYD Automobile Co., Ltd.

According to the business database Tianyancha, Wang Chuanfu, chairman of BYD Company Limited (BYD), has resigned as Chairman of Hangzhou BYD Automobile Co., Ltd. (Hangzhou BYD). BYD replied that the personnel change is to simplify administrative processes, so as to facilitate corporate operations.

TGOOD to list EV charging subsidiary TELD on sci-tech board

Qingdao TGOOD Electric Co., Ltd. (TGOOD) announced on Mar. 7 it plans to spin off its subsidiary dedicated to EV charging network operation, TELD New Energy Co., Ltd. (TELD), and list it on the technology-focused sci-tech innovation board. After the business separation, TGOOD will still be the majority shareholder of TELD.

2022 HiPhi X hits market

The 2022 HiPhi X went on sale on March 8 with prices starting from 570,000 yuan ($90,260) to 800,000 yuan (126,680).

General Motors said to build independent sales channels for new imported models

General Motors (GM) attempts to introduce more imported models in China and build for them a new sales channel separate from that of the joint venture SAIC-GM, according to a local media outlet.

China's homegrown PV retail sales rise 4.7% YoY in Feb. 2022

In February 2022, the retail sales of locally-made PVs (referring to cars, MPVs, SUVs and minibuses) in China amounted to around 1.272 million units, growing 4.7% from the previous year, while plunging 39.4% compared to the previous month, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

JAC Group exports 16,000 vehicles overseas from Jan. to Feb.

JAC Group celebrated positive growth in its new energy passenger vehicle sales and export volume, according to its February sales report released on March 7th.

MARELLI unveils China R&D center for auto electronics unit

MARELLI, a global automotive supplier, celebrated on March 5 the inauguration of a Guangzhou-based R&D center and the completion of the expansion project for its Guangzhou plant, according to a post on MARELLI's WeChat account.

Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Feb. sales soar 154% YoY

In February, Dongfeng Motor Corporation (DFMC) saw its wholly-owned sub-brand, AEOLUS, refresh its same-month sales record, the auto group announced on March 7th.
On March 2, Brooklyn man Phillip Vasto, 28, called 911 when he became lost on Humphreys Peak. On March 3, he did it again.

Vasto, an independent contractor and self-described experienced hiker, was visiting Phoenix on business when he decided that he would attempt to summit Humphreys Peak in Flagstaff. Standing at 12,633 feet, Humphreys Peak is the tallest in Arizona. The trail to its summit runs over 10 miles roundtrip with over 3,000 feet of elevation gain. To Vasto, who completed his first major hike two years prior at the Grand Canyon, the Humphreys Trail was just another challenge that he wanted to attempt.

Using YouTube and the popular trail guide app AllTrails, Vasto conducted some research that suggested the summit of Humphreys Peak could be reached in two to three hours. However, most of his research pertained to trail conditions in milder seasons and did not accurately reflect the snowy conditions that Vasto encountered. When he began his first attempt at about 2:30 p.m. on March 2, Vasto struggled for about an hour to find the trailhead underneath the snowpack. He eventually located the trail but struggled to keep his bearing in the heavy snow.

It was very easy to get off the trail and fall into the snow, Vasto said.

Unequipped with a light source, when night began to fall Vasto became increasingly concerned about his direction. At approximately 6:50 p.m. he called 911 and reported that he was lost on the trail but would try to navigate his way back. The Coconino County Sheriffs Office Search and Rescue Unit was dispatched to respond to the incident and determined that Vasto was located near the Humphreys Trail at around 10,600 feet in elevation. Upon finding Vasto, Search and Rescue personnel spoke to him about the dangers of hiking without proper equipment and planning. They encouraged Vasto to wait a couple months and revisit the trail in a better season, said responding officer Sgt. Aaron Dick.

But less than 24 hours later, Vasto attempted to summit Humphreys Peak again. This time, he started the trail at about 9 a.m.

I was thinking if I start early in the morning, I'll have all the time in the world to reach the summit, Vasto said.

On the way up, Vasto met two hikers: husband and wife team Jonathan and Alberta Oneill. Together, the three relied on Vastos AllTraills phone app to navigate up the trail. When they reached the saddle at about 2:30 p.m., a passing hiker informed them that they still had at least an hour of hiking before the summit. They continued up the ridgeline, but when they still hadnt reached the summit at around 3:30 p.m., the Oneills decided to turn around.

I definitely did not want to get caught on the mountain past dark, Jonathan Oneill said. I decided that we had to put ego aside, respect the mountain and get down safe.

Vasto decided to continue on. But about 15 minutes after the Oneills' departure, he turned around as well.

The reason why I turned back, what was slowing me down so much, was just how powerful the wind was blowing, Vasto said, estimating gusts of about 25 mph. It was an incredibly, incredibly violent gust.

While he navigated the rocky, snow-covered ridgeline, Vasto slipped off the trail and sustained minor abrasions to his leg. As he recuperated from his fall, he began to feel lightheaded and numb all over. When he checked his phone he found that only 5% of its battery life remained, ostensibly drained from its use as a primary navigational tool. At about 5 p.m Vasto called Search and Rescue -- again.

I did not know just how cold it would be to be up there at that time of year, Vasto said. I decided, at the very minimum, let me call somebody because that way they can at least know that I'm out here.

Around that time another hiker, Phillip Wyatt, came across Vasto and recognized his state of peril.

It was very apparent that he wasn't prepared for the climate that he had gotten himself into, Wyatt said, noting that Vasto appeared utterly exhausted. I don't think he was physically capable of getting back down before sunset.

Wyatt decided to stay with Vasto and provided his number to the Search and Rescue team so that they could make contact in the likely scenario that Vastos phone ran out of battery life.

Meanwhile, Coconino County Search and Rescue, having received Vastos second call in two days, decided that his location, alongside increasing winds in the overnight forecast, warranted immediate extraction. They requested assistance from the Arizona Department of Public Safety Northern Air Rescue Unit and a helicopter was sent to retrieve Vasto and Wyatt.

Once safely delivered to the Arizona Snowbowl parking lot, a Search and Rescue team provided Vasto with a preventative education. He was then encouraged to not attempt the hike again.

Incidents like Vastos are not as uncommon as one might think, said Dick, who has nearly 30 years of experience. In the San Francisco Peaks Wilderness area, which contains Humphreys Trail, 62 search and rescue missions have been conducted in the past 10 years. Over that time, Dick has noted the impact made by the proliferation of cellphones, social media, and trail finding apps. Ironically, he estimates that as trail information has become more easily available, people have felt less need to research trails with diligence. Hikers may also be soothed into a false sense of security by the knowledge that help is just a phone call away.

One of the potential pitfalls of the technology is that people take a shortcut and don't spend as much time preparing, gathering info or building up their skills to be sufficient in these kind of austere environments, Dick said. They know that if things don't go well, or they're not enjoying themselves and it's not working out the way they wanted to, they can push a button, make a call and summon assistance quickly.

On the other hand, the ability to communicate through cell phones makes search operations safer and a lot less complex for both rescuers and those in need.

I dont think the technology is all bad, Dick said. Responsible use of the technology is the thing we want to get across.

For Dick, that means going back to offline basics, making sure hikers carry and learn proper use of paper maps and compasses as part of their essential equipment. He also recommends researching trails through agency sites, such as the Forest Service, and checking weather forecasts before engaging in any wilderness activity. And most importantly, if things dont look good, change your plans.

The nice thing about mountains and canyons is that they will be here next week, next month, next year, Dick said. Incidents like Vastos most commonly occur when people demonstrate an unwillingness to back down.

After two humbling hikes, Vasto also recognized the need for humility in the wilderness. The day after his second rescue, Vasto took to Instagram to post about his experience. He uploaded several pictures of himself smiling and appearing triumphant on the snow-capped mountain and included a caption that noted he failed to reach the summit and had to turn around near the top.

I highly advise NOT attempting Humphreys Peak in the winter, he wrote. It was arguably scarier and more dangerous than Kilamanjaro at this time of year. I'm not ashamed of turning back. After all, life isn't worth losing for a cool Instagram picture. Part of being a hiker is realizing your own human limitations and respecting the mountain and the climate.

Vasto didnt include that on his path toward realizing his limitations, he had to call for Search and Rescue, twice. Thats an expensive lesson, but Vasto wont have to foot the bill -- in Arizona, search and rescue operations cost about $1,000 an hour and are funded by state taxpayer dollars.

When asked about the omission, Vasto told the Daily Sun that he could adequately tell his story on social media without the full details.

We make posts on social media about how we want others to see us, he said, and added that he feared the full story would incur judgement over Instagram.

To his credit, Vasto has done his part to help other hikers not repeat his mistakes. On the AllTrails app he left a review strongly encouraging hikers to take the advice he ignored and wait for warmer months before attempting the Humphreys Trail.

Vasto plans to return to the trail with Wyatt in May.

I really respect Phils perseverance, Wyatt said. I hope that hes able to make it to the top sometime.

Sean Golightly can be reached at sgolightly@azdailysun.com

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Dr. Dale Hallberg, DDS, was named the Northern Arizona Oral Health Coalitions 2022 Oral Health Hero for his work in providing access to dental care.

In addition to owning and operating Hallberg Family Dentistry with his wife Terri, Hallberg is also a co-dental director and volunteer dentist for the Sid Davis DDS Memorial Dental Clinic, the dental division of the Poore Medical Clinic (he also serves as board president for Poore Clinic).

Working with the Poore Clinic has been a way to increase the range of people receiving dental care in Flagstaff, Hallberg said. The Davis Memorial clinic now has 13 volunteers providing dental care.

We've always been looking for a way of providing care for people that really needed it financially and that was always hard to do in a private practice, he said.

His nomination mentioned his involvement in several dental programs, including Give Kids a Smile, Arizona Mission of Mercy, the Global Denture Alliance, Smiles for Domestic Women, the Back to School Resource Fair and the Veteran Stand Down.

Every dental office provides free and reduced payment treatment to select people, Hallberg said after explaining some of his volunteer work. I think we all try to help out where we can, when we can. I think as a profession, we can all be included in trying to help out where we can.

Hallberg has been practicing dentistry in Flagstaff since he moved here in 1987. His two sons have recently joined his dental practice and are volunteers at the Davis Memorial Clinic. He said he had always wanted to be a dentist.

I liked being able to have my own practice, caring for people, Hallberg said. I wanted to be in the health services. Personal interaction with everybody involved and wanting to build things and do things with my hands so that fit right in and luckily it all panned out."

He was nominated by last year's Oral Health Hero winner, Jenny Zamora- Garcia.

The two met over 30 years ago on the Dental Committee for American Cancer Societys over the line softball fundraiser. They went on to work together on several public health events, one time driving to Cottonwood for the school-based cavity-free sealant program.

What Dr. Hallberg has done to give back to the community regarding oral health is voluminous, Zamora-Garcia said. ...Anytime I needed a dentist to volunteer at one of my dental committee events, Dr. Hallberg was always the first to volunteer.

Maureen Pisano, the director of dental services at the memorial clinic, has known Hallberg for 23 years. She said she was honored to work with him and the clinics volunteer dentists, as theyre absolutely super."

The Northern Arizona Oral Health Coalitions mission is to support the value and importance of good oral health for everybody, volunteer co-chair Sandi Perez said.

Our coalition really felt that it was important to recognize the community members that go above and beyond their jobs to really make a difference in the community, she said.

Im obviously very honored and very humbled by the award, Hallberg said. Im just a small cog in this whole wheel. ...There are so many good people out there putting in a lot of valuable time. Im humbled more than anythingthis award could go to so many people and Jenny certainly was a hard act to follow.

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On the afternoon of March 7, the Italian Government, Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University and partners held a memorial ceremony and awarded the Italy Star to the late doctor Carlo Urbani.

The knighting ceremony for the late doctor Carlo Urbani

Attending the ceremony, on the side of the Italian Government were Mr. Antonio Alessandro, Ambassador of the Italian Republic to Vietnam, leaders of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University. Attending the ceremony online were the World Health Organization representatives and the late doctor Carlo Urbanis wife.

Dr. Carlo Urbani is an outstanding Italian doctor and a medical expert of the World Health Organization in Vietnam. He was the first to document the first cases of an entirely new infectious disease, later named severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and which claimed the life of Dr. Carlo Urbani.

To recognize and honor the heroic sacrifice of Dr. Carlo Urbani, the Italian Government has decided to sponsor the Carlo Urbani project focusing on improving the capacity of epidemiological surveillance, diagnosis and treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome and other emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases in Vietnam, conducted from 2007 to 2012.

The knighting ceremony for Dr. Carlo Urbani is an occasion to honor his tremendous dedication and noble sacrifice in the detection, identification, and rapid response to emerging diseases, contributing to global health security.

In the late 1990s, Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University began to establish cooperative relationships with universities and university hospitals in the Italian Republic. The cooperation relationship between Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University, and the University of Sassari was raised to a new level when the Carlo Urbani Center Project, funded by the Italian Government, was constructed, focusing on improving epidemiological surveillance, diagnosis, and treatment of acute respiratory failure and emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases in Vietnam. The results achieved have maximized their effectiveness during the past 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Bach Chau
China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday stressed that the Taiwan question differs in nature from the Ukraine issue and the two are not comparable at all.

The biggest difference lies in the fact that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory and the Taiwan question is entirely China's internal affairs while the Ukraine issue arose from contention between two countries, namely Russia and Ukraine, Wang said at a press conference.

It is a blatant act of double standards that some people, while being vocal about the principle of sovereignty on the Ukraine issue, have kept undermining China's sovereignty and territorial integrity on the Taiwan question, he said.

The current cross-Strait tension was caused by Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority who denied the one-China principle and attempted to change the status quo that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same China, he said, warning that these moves will ruin Taiwan's future.

Meanwhile, some forces in the United States have abetted the growth of separatist forces for "Taiwan independence" and tried to challenge and hollow out the one-China principle, he said, adding that such actions will not only push Taiwan into a precarious situation, but also bring unbearable consequences for the US side.

The future of Taiwan lies in the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and the country's reunification, rather than "empty promises" made by external forces, he said.

"Seeking foreign support to gain dependence is a dead end. The scheme to use Taiwan to contain China is doomed to fail," he said.
A petition was filed last week attempting to recall a member of the Gage County Board of Supervisors.

The petition was filed with the Gage County Clerk by Lacey Stevens, of Firth, seeking the recall of board member Don Schuller.

Documents state Stevens filed the petition because Schuller voted against protecting second amendment rights, voted in favor of the 30 by 30 plan and his stance on the Kansas Nebraska Heritage Act and commercial wind turbines.

Schuller, a Democrat, said he does support the Second Amendment, but felt its a national issue that the county had no business taking a stance on.

He added that while the petition stated Schuller isnt representing his constituents, the person who filed it does not live in his district.

Its baffling to me how someone from Firth can know what the majority of my constituents want when my district is on the southeast portion of the county, for the most part, he said. Even after reaching out to my constituents and being transparent about how I vote and why I vote the way I do, she knows more about what my voters and constituents want than I do.

Stevens complaint alleges Schuller voted on the issues against the majority of his constituents wishes and that Schuller feels he has the authority to override the public, a direct violation of his oath of office.

Schuller said the oath of office he took was to support the Constitution, which also gave us a republic.

Its working, that's what were supposed to be able to do as elected officials, he said. When the election comes about at the end of a term, constituents have the chance to vote you out What does concern me is how easily a recall can come about, that apparently the reasoning for a recall can be anything the person wants it to be and we have to go through with it. I think it's an intimidation method that can be used and will possibly influence votes of our elected officials. Thats very concerning.

The last recall election in Gage County was in 2011 for a Wymore City Council member.

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Two Banner County officials and a county employee face charges after allegedly engaging in sexual acts and drinking alcohol at the Banner County Courthouse.

Harrisburg residents Monty Stoddard, 58; Bernice Huffman, 47; and Caily Reece, 32, each have been charged with public indecency, a Class II misdemeanor, and consuming alcohol on public property, a Class IV misdemeanor. Stoddard and Huffman are both elected officials with Stoddard serving as the county treasurer and Huffman as the county assessor.

According to the complaints, each has been accused with incidents that occurred on Dec. 28, 2021. On the public indecency charge, the complaint indicates the defendants did perform, procure or assist any other person, in a public place and where the conduct may reasonably be expected to be viewed by members of the public, an act of sexual penetration or a lewd fondling or caressing of the body of another person of the same or opposite sex. The alcohol consumption charge alleges the incidents occurred at the Banner County Courthouse.

Probable cause affidavits werent filed in any of the three cases. The attorney generals director of communications, Suzanne Gage, said the office would not comment.

Stoddard, Huffman and Reece all appeared for arraignment on the charges Wednesday. Attorneys for each of the defendants indicated that they were requesting a jury trial, and Doug Warner, assistant attorney general for the Nebraska Attorney Generals Office, already had provided discovery materials at the Wednesday hearing.

Reece, represented by attorney Stacy Bach, is scheduled to appear in court on April 4. Huffman, represented by attorney Jonas Longoria, and Stoddard, represented by attorney Sterling Huff, are both scheduled to appear April 5.

The Star-Herald reviewed agendas and minutes from Banner County commission meetings for any discussion, whether in open or executive session, on the alleged incidents by the county commissioners. It has not been a topic in any meeting in January, February or the March 1 meeting.

Banner County Clerk Lisa Cross advised that there have been no emergency meetings of commissioners officially called between Dec. 28 and the regular March 1 meeting. Any meeting of the three commissioners to consider county business or action would need to be advertised or posted.

The county has a personnel committee, of which Huffman and Reece are both members, that has not been convened since the alleged incident.

Stoddard and Huffman are unchallenged in the upcoming election. No other candidates filed to be considered for the two posts by the March 1 filing deadline.

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Press Release

March 8, 2022 Bong Go commends signing of new law promoting foreign investments and amending the Foreign Investments Act of 1991 Senator Christopher "Bong" Go has commended President Rodrigo Duterte for signing Republic Act No. 11647 which introduces amendments to the Foreign Investments Act of 1991 that would further encourage and promote foreign direct investments in the Philippine economy. "Nagpapasalamat po tayo kay Pangulong Duterte sa pagpirma ng batas na ito na layuning pasiglahin ang business at investment climate sa bansa, lalo na ngayong napakalaki ng epekto ng pandemya sa ating ekonomiya," Go said. Go noted that the new law will attract more investments in the country, resulting in the creation of additional jobs and other business opportunities, and ultimately a comfortable life for all Filipinos. "Kaakibat sa ating muling pagbangon ang paglutas sa gutom, kahirapan at kabuhayan ng mga Pilipino," said Go. "Makakatulong ang mga polisiyang ganito upang masuportahan ang mga negosyo, makapag-engganyo ng mga mamumuhunan, at makapagbigay ng mas maraming oportunidad sa mga Pilipino na manumbalik ang sigla ng kanilang pamumuhay," he added. The new law lowers the minimum paid-in capital for foreign investors to establish small or medium-sized enterprises in the country from US$200,000 to US$100,000 if they employ 15 direct employees. The law also provides for the creation of the Inter-Agency Investment Promotion Coordination Committee which will integrate all promotion and facilitation efforts to encourage foreign investments in the country and establish a one-stop shop for foreign investors. The amendments allow enhanced transparency in monitoring foreign investments and liberalizes the practice of professions not regulated by special laws, thereby attracting foreign investors that would otherwise be unable to do business in the country. Additionally, the law provides safeguards such as the review of investments that are of particular interest to national security. The enactment of the bill will help harmonize foreign investment plans throughout the country to accelerate the country's global competitiveness and foster an inclusive and sustainable form of development. This will hopefully result in more unified, responsive, and proactive foreign investment promotion programs and policies that would ensure the country's regional and global competitiveness. Earlier, the government's economic team, including the Department of Finance, Department of Budget and Management, Department of Trade and Industry, and the National Economic and Development Authority, has requested the certification of the measure, among other bills, as urgent to accelerate economic recovery amid the pandemic. Go also earlier urged the government to prioritize the implementation of an investment plan which will ensure equitable distribution of wealth, and accelerate socio-economic development in rural areas. This approach, he said, will help communities recover from the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and provide more economic opportunities to those who wish to start a new life in the countryside. "Iba po ang panahon ngayon, kailangang tulungan at mas maengganyo ang mga investors na gustong pumasok dito sa atin. 'Pag maraming investors, mas maraming trabaho," Go said. "Siguraduhin rin nating makabenepisyo rito ang mga kababayan natin sa malalayong komunidad. Marami na pong gustong umuwi sa kanilang probinsya kaya gawan natin ng paraan na may kabuhayan silang uuwian doon," he added.
Haji Ali was teaching English at a high school in northern Iraq when the United States launched an invasion in 2003.

Like hundreds of other Yazidis living in the region who had been targeted by the regime of Saddam Hussein, Ali became an interpreter for the U.S. Army, a service that earned his family a special visa to emigrate to America.

When he arrived July 25, 2012  he recalls the exact day  Ali continued interpreting, first at the Center for People in Need and in various roles as other Yazidis settled into their new home in Lincoln, the largest community for the religious minority in the U.S.

I havent done any other job since, he said in a phone interview in February.

More recently, following a new influx of Yazidi immigrants to Lincoln after the so-called Islamic State launched a genocide in 2014, Ali has taken on more specialized work as an interpreter.

He helps Yazidis who suffered tragedy and trauma connect with mental and behavioral health professionals, bridging language and culture gaps, and establishing trust between doctor and patient.

Meaning can be lost in translation if the wrong words are used, and a patient who is already having a difficult time navigating everyday life amid trauma and grief can begin to spiral.

Its important to have someone they feel safe with in the room, said Mark Hankla, a licensed independent mental health practitioner who often works with members of Lincolns Yazidi population.

But since January, Alis work has been put on hold.

Last fall, Nebraska Optum Behavioral Health, a subsidiary of UnitedHealthCare, notified providers it was no longer reimbursing in-person language interpretation services through Medicaid, the last of the plans offered through Nebraska Medicaid to do so.

The change has interrupted mental and behavioral health services for dozens of Yazidis, as well as other individuals in Lincoln who have limited English language proficiency.

It just came out of nowhere, said Megan Watson, a licensed psychologist whose caseload includes as many as 30 patients requiring interpreting services from a stable of four interpreters, including members of Lincolns Yazidi population.

Nobody said anything to us, there was no communication that this was going to happen, she added.

The change in service was discovered in early January when the billing company Watson uses reached out to Nebraska Optum Behavioral Health after the billing code for interpreters  T1013  was still listed but wasnt being paid.

Are you certain this is accurate  that T1013 is not covered? the billing company wrote to Optum on Jan. 3, according to an email shared with the Journal Star.

(T)he State of Nebraska notified us in October that T1013 is not covered, the provider relations advocate responded the next day. So it was removed from the covered list, the fee schedule you received did not have the code removed yet. It will be taken off the fee schedule so there is no further confusion.

Hankla said the reimbursements for the interpreters he relies upon to work with his clients stopped temporarily in 2021, but were later resolved  something he chalked up to a bureaucratic snafu.

Then, in October, the reimbursement requests from the interpreters he used stopped being paid out once more.

Our accounts person would be calling and trying to find out why they werent paying, Hankla said. First, they were talking about the codes being wrong. Then, a few weeks ago, said Were not responsible for paying interpreters.

The explanation Hankla received pointed to a 2017 bulletin from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to providers participating in the Nebraska Medicaid program.

The bulletin said while providers who receive federal funds are obligated to make language services available to those with limited English language proficiency, (n)either the Heritage Health plans nor Medicaid is responsible for providing or reimbursing this service for provider interaction.

The Heritage Health plans may choose to provide interpretation services for a member to interact with a provider, but that service would be a value-added service offered solely at the individual health plans discretion, the bulletin said.

A senior director of external communications for UnitedHealthCare directed questions to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

In response to questions from the Journal Star, a spokeswoman for DHHS said while Nebraska Medicaid does not pay claims for interpretation services, the managed care plans available under Medicaid do offer those services.

Each of the plans have different resources available in this area, so we would recommend looking into each one if you have particular questions on what a specific health plan covers, wrote Barb Tyler, a marketing and communications specialist at DHHS.

Dr. Les Spry, a kidney specialist and board member of the Nebraska Medical Association, said the U.S. Justice Departments Office of Civil Rights requires any contractor receiving federal funds to provide translation services.

Theres no federal dollars tied to that requirement, he explained, making it an unfunded mandate.

The federal government is usually willing to cost-share reimbursing interpreter services with states  often a 60% federal-40% state split  but has been unwilling to increase that share, Spry said.

There are real-world problems we feel we have to pay for, but the federal government is providing us with no sympathy in this regard, he said.

Medicaid has provided reimbursement for interpreters until recently, said James Goddard, a program senior director at Nebraska Appleseed, a nonprofit based in Lincoln that advocates for affordable health care and programs for immigrants.

The state could, if it chose to, cover these services under Medicaid so it is not just borne by the provider, Goddard said.

But, the state and DHHS have chosen not to do so, he said.

I think its ill-advised to not cover interpretation services for behavioral health, as thats going to further erode access to these services for a population that already has severely limited access, Goddard said. It would put the burden on providers to pay for interpretation, or not provide the service for those with limited English proficiency.

Providers such as Hankla and Watson say the uncertainty of whether or not interpreting services will be covered has put them  and their patients  in a difficult situation.

Hankla continued to see his patients needing interpreter services after he was told Medicaid was no longer reimbursing the service, believing the issue would be smoothed out once more.

The interpreters he works with racked up thousands of dollars in unpaid bills, until he was forced to suspend working with them.

Its a mess, he said. Above all, I feel like the worst thing is these people who were brought here and want to function as productive citizens and good neighbors but were so traumatized they have a tough time dealing with the stresses of everyday life.

I feel terrible, I feel like Im abandoning these people, but we cant afford to pay an interpreter out of what they pay us and keep our lights on.

Watson said she has seen some patients on an emergency basis and has paid interpreters out of her own pocket.

Its very worrisome to me, she said. A lot of my clients, when they arent getting the treatments and the medications they need, end up in hospitals. Its just a matter of time.

Ali said patients he has interpreted for have called him angry about not being able to access services.

One man in particular who was held captive by Islamic militants and has since dealt with anxiety and depression took out his frustration on the interpreter, his only connection to the services he desperately needs.

Its not your fault, or our fault, Ali told him. A promise made to the men and women that gave aid to the U.S. military at great risk to themselves and their families was broken, he said.

They are not keeping their promise to their friends.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7120 or cdunker@journalstar.com. On Twitter @ChrisDunkerLJS

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NEW YORK  U.S. regulators on Monday cleared the way for the sale of beef from gene-edited cattle in coming years after the Food and Drug Administration concluded the animals do not raise any safety concerns.

The cattle, created by St. Paul, Minnesota-based bio-engineering firm Recombinetics, are the third genetically altered animals given the green light for human consumption in the U.S. after salmon and pigs. Many other foods already are made with genetically modified ingredients from crops like soybeans and corn.

The cattle reviewed by the FDA had genes altered with a technology called CRISPR to have short, slick coats that let them more easily withstand hot weather. Cattle that aren't stressed by heat might pack on weight more easily, making for more efficient meat production.

The company did not say when home cooks or restaurants might be able to buy the beef, but the FDA said it could reach the market in as early as two years.

Unlike the salmon and pigs, the cattle did not have to go through a yearslong approval process. The FDA said the cattle were exempt from that because their genetic makeup is similar to other existing cattle and the trait can be found naturally in some breeds.

Dr. Steven Solomon, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, said the agency's review of Recombinetics' cattle took several months. He said there's no reason meat from the animals or their offspring would need to be labeled differently.

Solomon said a genetically altered animal marketed as having a special advantage  such a higher than normal ability to withstand heat  might need to go through the full approval process.

"This opens up a completely different pathway," he said, noting the decision could be encouraging for other biotech companies, many of which are small startups.

The gene-edited trait in the Recombinetics cattle can be passed down so semen and embryos from them could be used to produce offspring with the same shorter coats.

The trait will make beef production more sustainable and to improve animal welfare in warmer climates, Recombinetics said in a statement without providing further details.

Greg Jaffe, who specializes in biotechnology at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said the FDA's announcement made clear it wasn't exempting all gene-edited animals from the longer approval process.

"They reinforce the idea that this is a case-by-case review," Jaffe said.

He said the agency should be more transparent about the review process so people know what's in the works. That could lead to better public acceptance and minimize any potential economic disruptions from global trade, since other countries might consider the animals genetically modified foods that need to be labeled, he said.

Jaydee Hanson, of the Center for Food Safety, said the agency should keep track of the animals for several generations to ensure there aren't any unintended issues.

The genetically modified pig is intended mainly for medical purposes, not meat, according to the company that developed it. The firm recently provided a pig heart that was transplanted into a dying man in an experimental surgery.

The company behind the modified salmon said the fish are being sold to distributors in the Midwest and Northeast.

Alison Van Eenennaam, an animal geneticist at University of California, Davis who has worked with Recombinetics, said requiring all companies to go through the lengthy approval process could end the possibility of commercializing gene-edited animals in the U.S.

For the gene-edited cattle cleared by the FDA, she said it could take about two years for beef from the offspring to reach the market.

Once the semen is used to create embryos, she said gestation would take about nine months and the resulting calves might be slaughtered after about 10 months. She noted the market isn't limited to the U.S., given the way cattle are bred.

"Let's face it, bull semen goes all over the world," she said.

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Kids at the Boys & Girls Club of Yellowstone County are gearing up to explore careers with virtual reality.

The club recently received 20 pairs of headsets and hand-held controllers, thanks to education-related funding from the state governors office.

Were very excited about using this as kind of the sprinkles or the sugar to get the kids excited [about jobs], said Brian Dennis, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Yellowstone County.

At least 10 clubs across the state received 75 VR headsets wherein TRANSFR, a private company, has programmed 23 job-related simulations.

Regional employees from the non-profit recently attended a training in Billings to become certified to teach with the tool. A gym full of adults waved their hands and focused on their screens  oblivious to the reality around them as they extinguished fires, welded, and painted, among 23 other programmed tasks.

Its totally wild in there, said Grant Christiensen, a program coordinator in Sidney. It looks like youre working there.

Video game experience helps, he added, and that the simulation is easy to follow but hard to use for the first time. Christiensen plans to bring the headsets to job fairs around Sidney to help students explore their interests.

One simulation is changing oil on a vehicle. A character on the screen first instructs the user to pick up safety goggles and put them on  prompting the user to move their hand towards the tool box and physically move the item to their face, for example.

The ability to attempt potentially dangerous tasks without risk is among several reasons that attracts students and educators to the concept.

With COVID and everything, its tougher to do some things like we used to do, Dennis said, adding that the clubs previously took field trips to local businesses.

Those are great, but not everyone is interested so it can be a distraction. Here, we can eliminate some of that, he said.

A staff member at each participating club is also required to have a whats next person who coordinates with local businesses or community organizations to expand on an interest.

Middle and high schoolers will mainly play the simulations.

Were going to get kids really excited to learn about careers because we have technology, said Cindy Luoma, counselor at Red Lodge Senior high school. She laughed about it, but said in seriousness that young people are more drawn to technology like this than speakers or presenters.

Red Lodge recently built a new career technical education center and officials are making efforts to expand its reach by offering certifications for adults, or prep for adults to certify elsewhere  using this technology or something similar to it, she said.

The headset is manufactured by Oculus. Consumers are able to play whatever game or program is installed on the headset, but these headsets are only programmed with TRANSFRs simulations.

The tasks offered range from manufacturing, automotive, public safety, skilled trades, warehouse and storage, and hospitality and tourism.

Not all schools offer trade classes, particularly in rural communities.

We used to have a really good Agriculture teacher who left, so everything is online for them, said Tena Three Irons, a liaison at Lodge Grass Public Schools. Our vocational classes are non-existent.

Funding comes from the Governors Emergency Education Relief Fund. Dennis said he and others demonstrated the tool to Gov. Greg Gianfortes staff last week.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen, posted images of herself using the virtual reality on her Facebook page, calling it innovative.

In other Boys & Girls Club news, the location at Castle Rock Middle School remains closed due to low staffing, Dennis said.

Its gotten a little bit better but we still dont have enough manpower to reopen Castle Rock. We hope were getting close, he said, adding that its always challenging to find part-time staff.

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Officials in Billings worry the tight housing market will short-circuit the region's ability to attract and retain workers, and will keep first-time home buyers out of the market completely.

Local real estate broker Bob Leach has been telling any group that will give him an audience that if Billings and Yellowstone County don't take action quickly, it could take a generation for the region to recover.

"When you don't have housing for your workers, we all suffer," Leach said.

Leach and others in the county believe a publicly-owned land trust on which developers build might be the smartest way to create affordable workforce housing while the overall housing market rages.

Billings consistently ranked among the top emerging housing markets in the country last year. The Wall Street Journal and Realtor.com ranked Billings as the No. 1 emerging housing market last summer.

Just in the last year, the median home price in Billings has risen 6% to $347,000. In order to afford a house at that price, a person or couple would need to make roughly $75,000 a year. But the median household income for Yellowstone County is $61,000, meaning home ownership is increasingly out of reach for working class city and county residents.

"Even with two-income households, it's becoming a stretch," said Steve Simonson, a senior project manager with Big Sky Economic Development and one of Leach's housing market experts.

In the Billings area, the percentage of individuals or families owning a home has dropped from 63% to 58% over the last three years, Leach said. He then pointed to other hot real estate markets across the country where hedge funds now own 30% of some housing markets, further squeezing out individual home buyers.

Regions around Bozeman and Kalispell have struggled for the last decade to preserve or create affordable worker housing as home prices have exploded. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the problem and now Billings is starting to see similar housing shortages and rapidly increasing house prices.

To illustrate the heat coming off Montana's housing market, Leach pointed out that last year, 24% of all real estate transactions here were paid in cash. Most buyers are coming from out of state as folks leave high-priced urban markets and buy relatively cheap in Montana.

In 2021 for every Montanan that moved out of state, four out-of-staters moved in, he said. Montana saw 70,000 transplants from California alone, he added.

Leach, Simonson and others see the formation of a land trust as one way to create quality, affordable worker housing.

"With a land trust, we can take land somewhat out of the equation," Leach said.

A land trust works by having a city, county or state place land it owns in a public trust that it then leases out for a nominal fee to home builders for development. Developers then build homes that don't bear the cost of the land on which they are built; 200-300 properties are needed to make it self-sustaining.

The homes are then sold to a specific demographic. It's similar to buying a condo, Leach said. Other communities in the state have found success doing it, like Red Lodge and Missoula.

The land trust system also allows the city or county to place restrictions on the property and hold its appreciation to 1.5% a year. It means the new owner can build equity in the home and sell at a profit, but the price doesn't skyrocket in a hot market.

In all, about six in 10 of those who own a home on one of these specialized land trusts at some point move on into the regular housing market, Simonson said.

"It's a stepping stone to (regular) home ownership," he said.

Leach's group has pitched its idea to the Billings City Council and to Yellowstone County Commissioners. They plan to meet with the state land board later this spring, where they'll talk about the possibility of using Department of Natural Resources and Conservation land for land trusts.

When Leach and Simonson met with council and commissioners, the groups talked about the 250 acres of DNRC land on Governors Boulevard in the Billings Heights. The state has tried for years to sell the land for development with little success. Leach's group sees it as a viable option.

In the meantime, the region is seeing a significant shortage of construction workers and backlog of building materials. Both Leach and Simonson are working with School District 2 to expand the district's Career Center home building courses to other high schools.

The region has to start producing builders and specialized construction workers on a much larger scale, Leach said.

Similarly, builders need to start looking at non-traditional building materials and the region needs to work on attracting manufacturers and companies to the region that produce non-traditional building materials to speed up construction, Simonson said.

Unless that happens, "I don't think we can build our way out of it," he said.

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Whether you realize it or not, mathematical equations are part of just about every area of your life, from architecture and cooking to tomorrows weather forecast.
North Dakota's longest continuously serving current state lawmaker is not seeking reelection, bringing another high-profile retirement to the Legislature.

Sen. Ray Holmberg, R-Grand Forks, was first elected in 1976. He chairs the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, which writes state agency budgets.

Holmberg in a statement Monday said, "This difficult decision is primarily based on medical issues which, after consultation with family and the medical community, do not afford me the cognitive ability to accurately perform the work required and expected of a senator representing the people of Grand Forks in the 2023 legislative session.

"At age 79, the stress of a session and a campaign will only exacerbate a weakened ability to concentrate on the matters at hand and effectively recall events," he said.

Holmberg's departure will coincide with those of other longtime, influential lawmakers not running, including Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner, R-Dickinson, and House Majority Leader Chet Pollert, R-Carrington.

The next Senate majority leader will name a new Senate Appropriations Committee chairman after the November general election.

North Dakota leaders issued statements commending Holmberg's leadership.

Wardner said, "Ray cared deeply for the people of North Dakota. His institutional memory and ability to bring people together will be greatly missed in the chamber."

Gov. Doug Burgum said Holmberg "has conservatively steered state and federal dollars to some of North Dakotas most impactful programs and infrastructure projects. He has been a true statesman of the Legislature, with his eloquent floor speeches, his razor wit and his willingness to work together to solve our biggest challenges and seize our greatest opportunities."

U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said the longtime state senator "leveraged his role on the Senate Appropriations Committee to strengthen our institutions of higher education to benefit students and the broader economy, while also working to help our state overcome a variety of challenges, seize new opportunities for growth and improve our quality of life."

U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., called Holmberg "both thoughtful and tenacious in his work on behalf of the Grand Forks region. He has the rare ability to amass friends while amassing power."

U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D., a former state senator, said Holmberg "has been a champion for North Dakota, Grand Forks, and District 17 for more than 45 years. He has been a constant force in the state Senate. I had the opportunity to serve with him and was always in awe of his institutional knowledge."

North Dakota GOP Chairman Perrie Schafer thanked Holmberg for his service: "He has the rare combination of being both a passionate and incomparable advocate for the people and development of Grand Forks while also serving as an example for all of us as a true statesman and civic leader."

Holmberg also leads a panel of lawmakers that guides the Legislature's work between regular sessions. In that role and as the top Senate budget writer, he helped prepare the Legislature for its five-day special session last fall to decide how to spend North Dakota's $1 billion of federal American Rescue Plan coronavirus aid, and to reapportion the Legislature with new census data.

He is tied as the longest-serving state senator in the U.S. with Democratic South Carolina state Sen. Nikki Setzler, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

He is retired from many years as a teacher and counselor in the Grand Forks school district.

Reach Jack Dura at 701-250-8225 or jack.dura@bismarcktribune.com.

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It is unclear what the Russian space corporation would like the world to make of this video, but prior insinuations by agency head Dmitry Rogozin have been sure to remind the West to play nice or else.

Russian gov't-controlled RIA Novosti @rianru posted a video on Telegram made by @Roscosmos where cosmonauts say goodbye to Mark Vande Hei on #ISS , depart, and then the Russian segment detaches from the rest of ISS. @Rogozin is clearly threatening the ISS program. #NASA #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/fj2coK1xR1

Futurism.com:

We're not exactly sure what Russia's space agency head Dmitry Rogozin is threatening the US with, but he certainly seems to be alluding to something. A bizarre new video posted by state controlled media RIA Novosti showed the International Space Station breaking apart in an artist rendering after Russian cosmonauts bid adieu.

NASA Watch, a space news blog, tweeted the video with some important context earlier today. It's accompanied by some kind of ironic classical singing?
A Brooklyn man ventured out of the safe confines of New York to hike a mountain trail in Arizona  where he thereupon called 911 twice in two days to be rescued.

His bad luck in the great outdoors started last Wednesday during a hike in the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff, according to ABC15. After getting lost, he called to be rescued at 7pm.

The very next day at 5pm, while on a different hike, the man called 911 again  this time because he fell and injured himself. The Arizona Department of Public Safety had to send out a rescue helicopter to pick him up  along with another hiker who was trying to help, according to CBS.

From ABC15:

Coconino County Sheriff's officials say the Brooklyn man first called 911 on Wednesday at about 7 p.m. to say he got lost while hiking in the San Francisco Peaks, north of Flagstaff. Humphreys Trail runs through miles of steep, rocky terrain. It is near Humphreys Peak, the state's highest point with an elevation of more than 12,600 feet. Snowcat vehicles from the ski resort drove the man off the mountain and he declined medical attention. The next day, the hiker called 911 to say he needed help after injuring himself in a fall near the saddle area of Humphreys Trail.

After the second call, Sheriff's officials said they kindly offered the man "preventative search-and-rescue education about the conditions on the trail and the approaching winter storm." And, more importantly, the man was "encouraged to not attempt the hike again."
On the Possible Shift to Alert Level 1 Nationwide

More at: https://pinglacson.net/article/on-the-possible-nationwide-shift-to-alert-level-1

I support the recommendation of the economic managers to shift the entire country to Alert Level 1 as well as prepare for the transition from pandemic to endemic.

Our economy has taken a bad beating from the lockdowns and imposed alert levels over the past two years and needs to recover - especially at this time.

That said, our government authorities must also be prepared for the next pandemic or any variant that might again endanger the health situation in the country.

As I always say, there is no trade-off between health and economy. We must always be prepared to confront the problems affecting both. We cannot afford a repeat of 2020 when the government was caught unprepared.
Several weeks ago I was disturbed by someone ringing my doorbell late at night and looking for the rental property they had arranged before traveling to Venice Beach, California. Living in Venice certainly involves a bit of random doorbell ringing in the dead of night, and while it was weird it was significantly less weird than other shit that goes on around here. I told the guy he'd clearly been scammed and went back inside intending to look my address up online and see what I got.

I was stoned, thus distracted easily, and forgot to check my address online. A week or so later, another person showed up looking to stay in my house. This time I was alert and aware enough to ask some questions and look at their paperwork. We were able to determine the person running the 'fake' rental was using my address to get people close by and then had then poorly authored directions to their actual vacation spot  a rent-controlled 1 bedroom apartment across the alley that was being illegally converted to short term use.

Now Los Angeles in general and Venice Beach, in particular, have terrible housing and homelessness problems. Illegally removing some of our 'affordable' rental stock and profiteering is one of the City of Los Angeles pet peeves. Someone was hiding their illegal bullshit behind my home address. This went from random doorbell ringing annoyance to "god damn it" pretty quickly. I took the contact information of the person fraudulently using my home address to try and get around the law from one of their 'lost' tenants and reached out. I kindly asked them to stop. I also searched and found my home listed on Booking.com, a low-end AirBNB like service.

Booking.com really wants to avoid your external complaints about their service. My first attempts to contact them went unanswered. I did not want to make an account and list my property with them to then file a complaint someone else had taken it, but their policy seems to demand this kind of hoop-jumping. They seemed designed to help scammers scam. Odd, huh? I settled on an email.

Contacting the illegal rental person, however, got a response. The person on the other side of the texts expected me to believe this was all a big mistake and they'd change the address instantly. All I could do was trust in my fellow human.

A week later someone rang my doorbell looking for their rental unit.

After explaining the situation to the poor lost soul, I checked online and the listing was unchanged.

Texting the person responsible, once again, got stupid answers about how they had created a new listing and were only using my address to give better directions to their unit, and this couldn't be inconveniencing me. Seeing as I was texting because it was inconveniencing me, we seemed to have reached an impasse.

I also sent a super angry email to Booking.com. I got a customer service response this time telling me to create an account and try via that channel. I responded that I owned the property in question, it was not for rent and they were perpetuating a scam. The customer service person apologized and told me they would forward the email to their fraud people.

The listing came down less than 24 hours later. I suspect Booking.com handled it.

I provided all the information to the City of Los Angeles, as they were also now seeking a permitting fee from me for my home having been listed as a short-term rental. You can only communicate with the City department that watches this stuff via email, however, so who knows what will be next.

Another neighbor, 2 doors down, frequently has folks show up thinking they rented the home she lives in. Her renters are usually scammed on Craigslist.

I understand this is pretty common in my neighborhood.
Robert RJ Regan, the Michigan GOP Candidate for the House of Representatives, said on a Facebook Live broadcast, "Having three daughters, I tell my daughters, 'Well, if rape is inevitable, you should just lie back and enjoy it.'" (See video below.)

Regan later tried to explain away his abhorrent comment by saying it was meant to show that "nothing is inevitable." If his words were taken out of context, they were still words that should not have been said.

This is the same Robert Regan, by the way, whose own daughter, Stephanie Regan, tweeted in 2020, "If you're in Michigan and 18+ pls for the love of god do not vote for my dad for state rep. Tell everyone," according to The Hill. (And it looks like her followers listened  he lost that race.) The next day she added, "I don't feel safe rn sharing further information regarding his beliefs, but please look him up and just read for yourself." It appears that her Twitter account no longer exists.

One of the women on the Facebook panel, Amber Harris, later responded to his outrageous rape remark saying, "That was a shameful comment," and the panel's host, Adam de Angeli, joked that they might not be streaming "for much longer after what Robert said." But for the most part, the panelists just sat there and acted like it was just another day discussing GOP politics.

"I tell my daughters, 'if rape is inevitable, you should just lay back and enjoy it," says RJ Regan, the GOP candidate for #mileg's 74th statehouse district. This man is disgusting. This is the kind of candidate the GOP has embraced in Michigan.pic.twitter.com/lvosF5h2XC  Mari Manoogian (@MariManoogian) March 7, 2022

For the full Facebook video, which includes Harris and Angeli's remarks, click here.

Via Yahoo!
Feelings of intense duality have come to define Putin's invasion of Ukraine. It's impossible to watch Russian tanks plow through Ukrainian streets without feeling a deep sense of sorrow for the victims of Putin's unjust incursion, as well as elevated feelings of apprehension about how this event could potentially impact the planet. At the same time, the strength and resolve of the Ukrainian citizens are more than enough to reaffirm one's dwindling faith in humanity. However, despite the feelings of global solidarity we all have with Ukraine, that doesn't mean we should ignore the array of awful news pertaining to racism inside the country.

Since the beginning of the invasion, there have been countless reports of Ukrainian trains barring citizens of color from evacuating the country in favor of their white counterparts. In addition to the blatantly discriminatory practices surrounding the Ukrainian evacuation, the thinly veiled racism employed by the media to denigrate Middle Eastern refugees isn't any better. Complaints from viewers have pilloried several news outlets for framing the struggles of European refugees as more heartbreaking than those from the Middle East.

Choosing to turn these absurd details into comedy, Munya Chawawawinner of 2021 national comedy awards in the category of breakthrough comediancrafted a perfect sketch to encapsulate the situation. Check it out in the video embedded above.
Sorry, People Inc., but you're spending too much. Try again.

That was the verdict by state regulators, who declined to fund the nonprofit agency's proposed Mt. Olive Senior Manor project last year, next to the Mt. Olive Baptist Church.

People Inc. had sought low-income housing tax credits and a Housing Trust Fund loan from the state agency to help pay for the $24 million project, but "it was deemed too expensive," according to Stephanie Hunt of Silvestri Architects, who is working on the project.

So the social-services agency and its architects "value-engineered" the plan to cut the costs, primarily by eliminating the exterior patios and balconies, and reducing the amount of brick.

Otherwise, the affordable senior housing project would remain a three-story U-shaped building, with 61 one-bedroom and four two-bedroom apartments, aimed at those age 55 and up with household incomes of no more than 50% to 60% of the area median income.

The building shape, overall size and footprint are the same as before, including an interior courtyard. It would be located in the church's parking lot at 703 E. Delavan Ave.

The Buffalo Planning Board will review the changes later this month, but extended its previous approval for another year, so that the agency can apply for state funding again by the end of the month.

"Youre caught in the funding dilemma but its unfortunate that the balconies were removed," said Planning Board Vice Chair Cynthia Schwartz. "Its going to be a more pedestrian-looking building than your original facade."

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Chicken wing appreciation did not start in Buffalo, but it was perfected here.

John Youngs mumbo wings set the table. Then Teressa Bellissimos genius repurposing of salad bar ingredients brought the world the Buffalo wing, resplendent in its finishing coat of Franks Red Hot and butter.

In the decades since those blessed events, the Buffalo wing has circled the globe. Meanwhile, in its birthplace, divers strains of wings have evolved from the original.

Here are my favorite Buffalo wing subgenres, presented in alphabetical order. To qualify, the wing had to be rethought to some extent, not just painted with a new mix of the usual suspects. Which is to say that honey-mustard or loganberry barbecue are sauces, not styles.

As ever, please tell me what I missed and where I went wrong, at agalarneau@buffnews.com.

Alibaba Kebab's tandoori wings

900 William St.; alibaba-kebab.com; 716-800-2222.

This East Side Indian takeout specialist offers wings tenderized by a long soak in yogurt-ginger-garlic marinade, then skewered and roasted in the intense heat of a tandoor oven. That gives the edges a charcoaled crisp character, without being deep-fried. Besides blue cheese dressing, dip choices include Alibabas garlicky mayonnaise.

. . .

Elmos Cajun double-dipped wings

2349 Millersport Highway, Amherst; 716-688-7237.

In less persnickety establishments, Cajun wings mean application of a sauce or dry rub of Cajun spices. At Elmos, that definition extends to a post-spice sojourn on a char-broiler. That chars the dried spices, flavoring the wings with smoke like the recipes original inspiration, Cajun blackened seafood. Double-dip adds another sauce as a topcoat, making my usual order Cajun double-dip medium.

. . .

La Nova Pizzeria's pit wings

371 W. Ferry St.; lanova.com; 716-881-3303.

Theres no better place for pit wings than the original La Nova location. It takes 20 minutes, time well spent appreciating the historic surroundings and wall-mounted clippings collection. In that time, fried wings tossed in barbecue sauce will be carefully rolled across the char-griller, judiciously caramelized into chicken wing brulee. A dining room handwashing station makes cleanup a snap.

. . .

Falafel Bar's green wings

3545 Sheridan Drive, Amherst; thefalafelbar.com; 716-436-7000.

For a decidedly fresh take on the subject of chicken wing preparations, abandon your bottled solutions and consider a bracingly verdant condiment largely made of jalapenos, garlic and cilantro. The raw warming powers of the green wings application  more a pesto than a puree  takes chicken wings to new heights.

. . .

Mammosers dry, hot wings

16 S. Buffalo St., Hamburg; 716-648-1390.

If you appreciate a drier, hotter wing than the Buffalo norm, consider experiencing the custom wing sauce at this Hamburg institution. Its backed with more cayenne than Franks, and other spices, too, resulting in layers of flavor and a finish thats just shy of pain. If you get hooked, you can buy a jug to repeat the experience at home.

. . .

The Mansard's Hilltop wings

3290 California Road, Orchard Park; mansardinn.com; 716-828-1115.

Chicken wings cast as protagonists in a saucy salad alive with arugula and feta make this offering a worthy diversion from the wing routine. "Hilltop wings" are never fried, just rubbed with herbed salt, then run over the char-griller before being sauced to order. One of the only wing experiences Ive had that made me want to clean my plate.

. . .

Wingnutz's coated wings

1530 Kenmore Ave. (inside Knights of Columbus); wingnutzbuffalo.com; 716-990-5438.

If youre headed there for the first time, dont be surprised when you arrive at a Knights of Columbus hall. These wings get their character from a toss in powdered starch, which means they cook up with a crust just shy of fried chicken. The coating causes sauces to get extra clingy, resulting in a jackpot that has nothing to do with bingo.

. . .

Yelling Goat's berbere wings

205 Central Ave., Lancaster; theyellinggoat.com; 716-683-0462.

For all the exotic ingredients explorers have applied to chicken digits in their pursuit of a worthy wing varietal, the Ethiopian spice mixture called berbere is the glow-up I cant forget. Fenugreek, allspice, chiles and more flavor components are roasted, pulverized and crisped into chicken skin. Presented dry, with a tahini dipping sauce, they are distinctly delicious.

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A judge on Monday dismissed a disorderly conduct charge against a demonstrator levied in connection with a June 2020 protest on Bailey Avenue that came in the wake of the choking death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Buffalo City Court Judge Diane Wray dismissed the charge about two hours and 15 minutes into Myles L. Carter's bench trial.

Myles Carter and the moment that became a movement Myles Carter held his hands up and started to explain to a news camera why he was protesting. Nine seconds later, police tackled him to the pavement.

Wray, acting on a motion made by defense attorney Frank LoTempio III following testimony from two state troopers, ruled that prosecutors failed to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.

It was the second time a case against Carter for the same incident has ended in his favor.

Carter, 32, said prosecutors never offered any kind of plea deal to resolve the violation in the year and eight months since the second case was filed.

"I didn't really understand what was going on, specifically because I kind of felt like I was being targeted," Carter said.

Disorderly conduct is a violation, a step below a misdemeanor in New York.

The Black Lives Matter demonstrations around that time in Buffalo and across the country stemmed from the killing of Floyd by police.

Police and prosecutors here accused Carter of failing to follow an order to disperse from the area and encouraged others not to leave. Troopers advanced, tackled and arrested Carter in the middle of Bailey, while he was being interviewed by a local television news photographer.

About 13 minutes of raw footage from the incident taken by WIVB-TV was played in court twice Monday, once each during the testimony of a trooper and a state police sergeant. Video taken from a police helicopter also was shown.

'Buffalo, you got problems,' says man tackled from behind by police Myles Carter was protesting Monday evening on Bailey Avenue when he was tackled from behind by police. He was being interviewed by WIVB at the time, and the incident was caught on camera. My name is Myles Carter, he said to the camera. His hands were in the air and commotion was audible around him. Carter was there to

The case was dismissed because prosecutors failed to prove some essential elements of the case, including that police issued a lawful order to disperse, LoTempio said following the dismissal.

The dismissal came just after prosecutors rested their case.

Carter was arrested about 9:45 p.m. June 1, 2020, not far from the Buffalo Police Department's Northeast District station.

Orders by state police to disperse were broadcast by police over a public address system multiple times during the course of the hours-long protest, Trooper Michael O'Bryan and Sgt. Joseph Krywalski testified.

Under cross-examination by LoTempio, neither O'Bryan or Krywalski could say about how long it had been before Carter's arrest that police last delivered the message to the crowd. They also couldn't specify what the message said or whether Carter was present at the time to hear the order. LoTempio argued state police failed to follow their own protocol for dispersing crowds.

Charges dismissed against Myles Carter, arrested in Bailey Ave. protest Myles Carter, the man arrested after being tackled from behind by police while being intervi

Both said members of the crowd had, at points, thrown rocks and bottles at them. O'Bryan, who was part of the squad that arrested Carter, said he was hit several times. But neither O'Bryan or Krywalski could say how long it had been between those acts and when they were ordered to arrest Carter.

Hundreds of people had been in the crowd on Bailey, but many had left after police issued the dispersal order, fired pepper balls and deployed tear gas, Krywalski said.

On July 17, 2020, Erie County prosecutors dropped charges against Carter of obstruction of governmental administration, a misdemeanor, as well as disorderly conduct. At the time, Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said the charges were dismissed because they "were unsupported by the information provided by law enforcement. Specifically, the conduct alleged in the complaints was not supported by defendant's actual described conduct."

Protester tackled by police on camera announces run for Erie County sheriff Myles Carter, who while marching in last summer's protests against police brutality was tackled by officers as television cameras rolled, unveiled a platform built on attacking poverty, which he labeled the "root cause" of most local crime.

Flynn said prosecutors would review the matter if state police filed charges. A week later, troopers did.

Protests that day had been largely peaceful, but the night eventually turned chaotic. Not long after Carter was arrested, a woman drove her SUV through the line of troopers and police in riot gear standing across Bailey. The trooper who was run over, Ronald L. Ensminger, suffered a shattered pelvis and broken leg.

The case against the driver, Deyanna Davis, is pending. Members of her family attended Carter's bench trial.

After his arrest, Carter led demonstrations and protests around Buffalo. He ran for Erie County Sheriff last year.

Reach Aaron at abesecker[at]buffnews.com or 716-849-4602.

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It's probably never a good idea to smuggle explosives aboard an airplane  even less so now.

State-of-the-art scanners featuring three-dimensional imaging and based on "computed tomography" (CT) technology are operating at Niagara Falls International Airport, adding another layer of protection for local air travelers following their installation by the Transportation Security Administration.

It might make your passage through security a little easier, too.

The new units provide critical explosives detection capabilities at the checkpoint, said Bart R. Johnson, the TSA federal security director for upstate New York.

The new technology, which compares to those long CT tubes for people, is slated for Buffalo Niagara International Airport within a few weeks and at all upstate airports soon after, TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said. She said a laptop computer inside luggage would previously have to be removed because the old technology provided only two-dimensional pictures.

"Now the TSA officer, instead of looking at 2D pictures, can rotate from top to bottom and get a better understanding of whether something has been tampered with or concealed, and can say 'that's a laptop,' " she said.

The result, Farbstein said, should be smoother passage through the checkpoint because fewer passengers will be asked to remove laptops from their luggage.

According to TSA officials, the $198 million system will be installed nationwide and applies algorithms for explosive detection by creating a 3-D image that can be viewed and rotated on three axes by a security officer. If a bag requires further screening, they said, TSA officers will inspect to ensure no threats are contained inside.

"Our officers use of CT technology substantially improves our threat detection capability at the checkpoint, Johnson said in a statement announcing the technology. TSAs current screening technology for carry-on bags uses 2-D images."

The new system creates such a clear image of a bags contents that explosives  including liquid explosives  are clearly detected. The images result after shooting hundreds of pictures with an X-ray camera spinning around the conveyor belt to provide TSA officers with the three-dimensional views of the contents of a carry-on bag, TSA officials said.

The agency said it confiscated 5,972 firearms around the nation last year, an all time high since it began compiling statistics in 2008.

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The pandemic-era cancellation of most Regents exams the past two years appears to have had an effect on graduation rates across New York State.

How much of an effect it had, and how previous exemptions will affect this June's graduation rates, are open to debate. But most students graduated with exemptions last year.

Graduation rates for 2021 remained the same or increased in more than half the districts in Erie and Niagara counties over the previous year, while the statewide graduation rate went up 1 percentage point to 86%. That was part of a steady increase over the past 10 years, according to State Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa. The statewide graduation rate for students with disabilities increased more than 2 percentage points to 64.5%.

Usually students must pass four Regents exams to earn a high school diploma in New York. But the exams were canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the disruption to learning caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Students who passed the course were given an exemption from the requirement of passing the Regents exam at the end of their course of study.

Of those who graduated in New York, 80% did so with exemptions to the requirement they pass the exams to earn a diploma.

Rosa said the cancellation had an effect on graduation rates, but she did not know the extent of the impact. And they will affect the graduation rates for future students as well, according to the state. 

She said part of the difficulty in determining the effect stems from the fact that many students would have passed the exams.

To earn a New York State diploma is a comprehensive composite over the lifespan of a students career, Rosa said, adding that the Regents exam is just one of many ways a students progress is assessed.

The waivers enabled students who otherwise would have been deprived of an opportunity to earn a diploma to demonstrate they met the standards in other ways, Deputy Education Commissioner Jim Baldwin said.

Niagara Falls saw its graduation rate increase 10 percentage points over the last two years.

Were thrilled, Superintendent Mark Laurrie said.

He said the rate increased in part because of how well students with disabilities did, and he attributed some of their increase in diplomas to the exemptions.

The special education rate jumped, Laurrie said. We put a lot of emphasis on our special education rate.

The rate for Niagara Falls special education students increased 16 percentage points.

The relief from some of the mandates helped there, Laurrie said. The waiver helped our special ed rate immensely.

But he did not attribute the entire increase to the exemptions from passing Regents exams. He said the district also worked on decreasing its dropout rate.

We made them stay and did everything that we could to keep engaging them, Laurrie said.

Niagara Falls High School also got more students into the business world, including the trades and hospitality.

Were really letting seniors earn their credits in work-based learning situations, he said.

The district also created a pupil assistance support center with a counselor and three teaching assistants who keep track of students, even making home visits to keep them on track to graduate.

Laurrie said most students dont graduate because they dont have enough course credits, not because they failed a Regents exam. But the Regents exams can be difficult for students with disabilities, and the exemptions helped them this year, he said.

Those were the rules, we used them, Laurrie said.

Buffalo has made a similar push to improve its graduation rate, which has increased 22% since 2019, the year before the pandemic started.

You can't wait until students are in the 12th grade to begin working with that senior class, you have to work when they come in in ninth grade, former Superintendent Kriner Cash said last month.

Cash said he was concerned with how poor attendance might affect students ability to pass the exams. He said he thought attendance would improve once in-person learning returned.

We all know that the Regents exams have been postponed those two years. Those will resume again this June, he said. We do believe those will present a challenge for our students.

Education Trust-New York, a nonprofit organization dedicated to closing opportunity and equity gaps, said that districts relied more significantly on exemptions to graduate students in 2021.

This approach does a disservice to students who have worked hard to earn a diploma and want to leave high school prepared for college or the workforce, Executive Director Dia Bryant said in a statement.

Thirteen percent of students statewide graduated with one or more exemptions in 2020, much less than the 80% who received exemptions in 2021. But that was to be expected, State Education Department spokeswoman Emily DeSantis said.

She said most students take the Regents exams in their junior year, and the second year of exemptions was their senior year.

They have had exemptions during most of their high school career when they would have Regents exams, DeSantis said.

News staff reporter Mary Pasciak contributed to this report.

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The way James Pugh tells it, he had a crime-filled day on Feb. 17, 1993.

A home burglary in South Buffalo. Selling stolen goods in the afternoon. Telling accomplices where to find a drug dealer to rob and then waiting nearby in a car for them to return that evening with cash and drugs.

Pointing finger at infamous inmate, pair convicted in 1993 murder say DNA tests prove they're innocent Lawyers allege that the real murderer of Deborah Meindl may be Richard W. Matt, the convicted killer who famously escaped from prison in 2015.

But he testified Monday that he did not murder Deborah Meindl on that February afternoon.

"I did 26 and a half years for a crime I didn't commit," Pugh said under questioning from his lawyer, Zachary Margulis-Ohnuma.

And he said he does not know who murdered her.

On day Deborah Meindl was killed, mail carrier 'saw a figure, a shadow' in her doorway Nancy Rolando was delivering mail on a cold February day 28 years ago on Franklin Street in the City of Tonawanda when she saw someone who wasn't Deborah Meindl standing in the doorway of her home.

Meindl was discovered by her 10-year-old daughter in her home, handcuffed and stabbed 11 times and strangled with a necktie.

Adjourned since January, a State Supreme Court hearing resumed Monday to consider new evidence that could exonerate Pugh and Brian S. Lorenzo, who were convicted in 1994 of murdering the mother of two in the City of Tonawanda the year before. Both men are seeking to have their convictions vacated.

Much of Pugh's testimony Monday dealt with his criminal history and what he initially told police after he said Lorenzo falsely implicated him in the murder.

Pugh, 59, was a fugitive on the day Meindl was killed  on the run after his arrest over an Elma burglary  and doing what he often did as a then-30-year-old: stealing from people.

He admitted on Monday that he had committed "hundreds of burglaries" up until he was sent to prison for murder. He burglarized homes, businesses and bars.

Judge grants hearing on bid to vacate convictions in 1993 slaying of City of Tonawanda mother An attorney for Brian Scott Lorenzo said new DNA evidence excludes both Lorenzo and James Pugh from the crime scene.

He's hoping his burglary history actually helps him now. There's no evidence he ever hurt anyone during a burglary, and he fled from the Elma house when the homeowner surprised him by showing up.

He said he targeted bigger houses, or, as he put it, a home "had to be something that looks like it's worth something." And a targeted home had to be far from neighboring homes, the kind usually found in suburbs. The Meindl home did not fit the description of a home Pugh would select to burglarize, especially given the presence of workers that February day at a construction job near the home.

But noting his South Buffalo burglaries, Colleen Curtin Gable, a senior prosecutor in the Erie County District Attorney's Office, asked Pugh, "In South Buffalo, the houses are pretty close together, right?"

Pugh's testimony also included what he initially told detectives after his arrest for the murder, although it wasn't used in his trial.

"Most of it I just made up," he testified.

Former prosecutor testifies in support of two men convicted of 1993 murder "They were not involved in the murder," David Heraty said of Brian S. Lorenzo and James Pugh, both convicted of murdering City of Tonawanda resident Deborah Meindl.

Lorenzo, in a confession he offered in a bid to return to Buffalo after his arrest in Iowa, implicated Pugh in the crime.

When detectives read to Pugh a purported statement they said Lorenzo had made, Pugh said he felt "accused of something I had absolutely nothing to do with."

So he testified Monday that he signed a police statement at the time that was not true, to help authorities make their case against Lorenzo.

David Sweat testifies Richard Matt told him he killed Tonawanda woman in '93 While plotting his prison escape six years ago, Richard W. Matt said he killed a woman in the City of Tonawanda in 1993, Sweat testified Tuesday.

Lawyers for the men have alleged that the real murderer may be Richard W. Matt, the convicted killer who famously escaped from prison in 2015 with another prisoner and was gunned down in a shootout with police, and that it may have been done at the direction of a now long-retired City of Tonawanda detective, David Bentley, who was the lead investigator in the murder case.

Bentley has described the claims against him as ridiculous and ludicrous. He said David Sweat, who escaped with Matt from the states Clinton Correctional Facility in 2015, is telling lies in an attempt to curry favor with law enforcement to somehow benefit himself. Bentley has told The Buffalo News he offered to voluntarily submit to a lie detector test before representatives of the District Attorney's Office to prove he had no involvement in Meindl's killing.

Tonawanda detective attacks credibility of convicted killers blaming him for murder For the long-retired David Bentley, this latest turn of events defies logic and contradicts who he was as a cop.

It was Bentley who was interviewing Pugh in 1993 that led to the false statement to police, Pugh said.

"I had a good sense of what he wanted to hear," Pugh said. "I just made up statements."

But Pugh said that just before he was sentenced for the murder, he refused to go along with prosecutors who he said sought his testimony to implicate Meindl's husband in the murder. He was offered a lighter sentence if he did so.

"I couldn't do it," Pugh said. "I didn't want to do what people did to me."

Attorneys for Lorenzo and Pugh have pressed for the hearing to overturn the convictions because they say new DNA evidence excludes both Lorenzo and Pugh from the crime scene. Lorenzo remains incarcerated in state prison, while Pugh is out on parole.

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IMEE: INCREASING FUEL SUBSIDIES QUICKER THAN SUSPENDING FUEL TAXES

Senator Imee Marcos said cash for welfare aid needs to be increased for local governments soon, as fuel prices continued to spiral upward.

Marcos, who chairs the Senate committee on economic affairs, said existing fuel subsidies and calamity funds may not last long, with no end in sight to the Russia-Ukraine war and the recent U.S. threat to impose an embargo on Russian oil exports.

"Runaway oil prices are setting us back to Day One of the Covid-19 pandemic. We're again in a mad scramble to identify other sources of subsidies and 'ayuda,' " Marcos said.

Oil prices on Monday hit their highest this year at $139 per barrel, with forecasts by U.S. analysts and even Russia's deputy prime minister painting a grimmer picture of $150 to over $200 per barrel.

Marcos said some Php18 billion in programs earmarked in the Php20-billion Calamity Fund can still be "re-prioritized" in favor of increasing fuel subsidies and 'ayuda.'

"This can be done more quickly than suspending fuel excise taxes, which will have to go through a long legislative process," Marcos said.

The government's economic managers have so far rejected the call for tax suspensions and insisted that the loss of about Php131 billion in revenue collections will delay national economic recovery.

The senator cautioned, however, that the temptation to misuse additional welfare aid will be high, as election campaigns for local government posts begin on March 25.

"What is essential now is for the government to make a comprehensive analysis, reconcile its conflicting statements, and propose the best solutions. The people are still waiting for urgent action," Marcos said.

Marcos added that lawmakers are ready to forego the remainder of their recess if President Duterte calls for a special session of Congress to amend or create new laws amid the global oil crisis.
Well, that was a mess.

The planned-for gradual return of students to McKinley High School in Buffalo was, at the last minute, discarded in favor of bringing all students back to the troubled building on Monday. The reason wasnt explained, though it seems likely that the departure of former Superintendent Kriner Cash played a part.

Those with an understanding disposition might ascribe the sudden and potentially vexing change to administrative confusion as a swirl of events overtook the ability  or the willingness  to control them. That may make the decision understandable, if not acceptable, but it calls for the district to get its act together quickly. It's not encouraging confidence.

Students at McKinley have been learning remotely since last months outbreak of violence in which a 14-year-old student was stabbed and gravely injured and a security guard shot in the leg. Two 17-year-old students have been charged with attempted murder.

Since then, the school has reverted to remote learning as district officials planned for the students safe returns. That was to have begun Monday, in a phased approach. But it all went out the window on Saturday when Principal Moustafa Khalil abruptly announced that all students would be expected to return on Monday. His email to parents suggests that even he was caught off guard.

Unfortunately, we have another change in our plans by the district, Khalil said in the message. We are now bringing everyone back to the building on Monday, March 7.  I know this isnt what we discussed, but its now the new plan. Then, putting the best face on a the districts about-face, he wrote, No matter whats thrown our way, well deal with it. Itll make for an even better comeback story!

It was a nice try, but making so significant a change with so little notice after so dangerous and disruptive event isnt a time to be making lemonade out of lemons. These are just lemons.

Among the issues that students, parents and teachers need to be comfortable with is that security updates are fully in place and familiar to those who must implement them.

Those measures call for students to be wanded for weapons by security guards and to have their bags searched until new metal detectors arrive. The plan also calls for peacemakers from within the community, as well as administrators and security guards, to be strategically distributed on the property.

Buffalo Teachers Federation President Phil Rumore said teachers are skeptical that the school is adequately prepared to welcome all its students back. Among the concerns are doors that dont lock and other that lack alarms, allowing students to let authorized people into the building.

Nevertheless, Rumore conditionally supported the decision to bring all students back. I think its a good thing so that if things are not ready and the security is not adequate, then we can take a step back, Rumore said.

Its obvious the security was given too little consideration before Februarys violence and that some level of confusion now besets the districts response. It needs to do better, especially given the documented costs of failure.

  

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.
U.S. politicians could learn about courage from Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyys actions which make me proud to be a human being and ashamed of our elected officials. He is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for his nation and give his life. He walks among his people and takes risks that no other leader of the free world, other than Churchill, ever took during a military crisis.

Our nation used to do great things such as send astronauts to the moon, create wonderful vaccines, and stand up for violations of human rights around the world. Today, our officials put politics, reelection and votes before justice and doing what is morally right. We are hoarding our military might that could make a difference to a small nation that is getting slaughtered by a schoolyard bully. Our politicians radiate the collective fear of taking on Putin while one man  Zelenskyy  teaches the world how to fight this bully.

Greatness comes from taking risks that may appear insurmountable at their inception. Our politicians are trying to play like a paper tiger with a madman. There is no evidence Vladimir Putin stops at Ukraine  except to reload. Repeated statements by our president that we are united with our NATO partners and will seize some assets owned by oligarchs is of no consequence to the bullets and missiles landing on hospitals and schools in the Ukraine. Ukrainians need our full support, not lip service. Shame on the U.S. politicians.

Mike Taheri

Williamsville
Oliver Stone is well-known for taking contrarian stands both onscreen and off.

Stone went to Russia and interviewed its president for a documentary called The Putin Interviews, which aired on Showtime in 2017. Now, with Putin and Russia driving the 24-hour news cycle, the director has been offering his perspective on his Facebook page and in interviews.

More from Deadline

Early last month, Stone told KCRWs Robert Scheer: The United States and its allies in NATO have been provoking Russia for, since two years now  actually three years  over the Ukraine

In the same interview, the director decried bloodthirsty media coverage saying, they have no proof that Russia intends to invade Ukraine; I doubt that they would. I think Russia is concerned only with the Donbass region.

After the invasion, Stone  who had also criticized the media for using the term invasion to characterize Russias plans  came around.

Although the United States has many wars of aggression on its conscience, it doesnt justify Mr. Putins aggression in Ukraine. A dozen wrongs dont make a right. Russia was wrong to invade.

Stone, who served in the Vietnam War, has long made films critical of U.S. politicians (W., JFK and Nixon) the media (Natural Born Killers, Talk Radio) and American intervention abroad (Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July). Hes also made a string of documentaries featuring controversial world leaders such as Putin, Fidel Castro and Lula da Silva.

Taking a plot point from one of his more popular films, Stone contended, Now is the time, as JFK and Khrushchev faced down the perilous situation in Cuba in October 1962, for the two nuclear powers to walk this back from the abyss.

Story continues

Here is the full text of Stones most recent Facebook post:

Although the United States has many wars of aggression on its conscience, it doesnt justify Mr. Putins aggression in Ukraine. A dozen wrongs dont make a right. Russia was wrong to invade. It has made too many mistakes  1) underestimating Ukrainian resistance, 2) overestimating the militarys ability to achieve its objective, 3) underestimating Europes reaction, especially Germany upping its military contribution to NATO, which theyve resisted for some 20 years; even Switzerland has joined the cause. Russia will be more isolated than ever from the West. 4) underestimating the enhanced power of NATO, which will now put more pressure on Russias borders, 5) probably putting Ukraine into NATO, 6) underestimating the damage to its own economy and certainly creating more internal resistance in Russia, 7) creating a major readjustment of power in its oligarch class, 8 ) putting cluster and vacuum bombs into play, 9) and underestimating the power of social media worldwide.

But we must wonder, how could Putin have saved the Russian-speaking people of Donetsk and Luhansk? No doubt his Government couldve done a better job of showing the world the eight years of suffering of those people and their refugees  as well as highlighting the Ukrainian buildup of 110,000 soldiers on the Donetsk-Luhansk borders, which was occurring essentially before the Russian buildup. But the West has far stronger public relations than the Russians.

Or perhaps Putin shouldve surrendered the two holdout provinces and offered 1-3 million people help to relocate in Russia. The world mightve understood better the aggression of the Ukrainian Government. But then again, Im not sure.

But now, its too late. Putin has allowed himself to be baited and fallen into the trap set by the U.S. and has committed his military, empowering the worst conclusions the West can make. He probably, I think, has given up on the West, and this brings us closer than ever to a Final Confrontation. There seems to be no road back. The only ones happy about this are Russian nationalists and the legion of Russian haters, who finally got what theyve been dreaming of for years, i.e. Biden, Pentagon, CIA, EU, NATO, mainstream media  and dont overlook Nuland and her sinister neocon gang in D.C. This will significantly vindicate the uber hawks in public eyes. Pointing out the toxicity of their policies (Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, NATO expansion, breaking nuclear treaties, censoring and omitting crucial facts from the news, etc.) will be next to impossible. Pointing out Western double standards, including Kyiv and Zelenskyys bad behavior, will likewise fall on deaf ears as we again draw the wrong conclusions.

Its easier now to smear those of us who tried to understand the Russian position through these last two decades. We tried. But now is the time, as JFK and Khrushchev faced down the perilous situation in Cuba in October 1962, for the two nuclear powers to walk this back from the abyss. Both sides need to save face.

This isnt a moment for the U.S. to gloat. As a Vietnam War veteran and as a man whos witnessed the endless antagonism of the Cold War, demonizing and humiliating foreign leaders is not a policy that can succeed. It only makes the situation worse. Back-channel negotiations are necessary, because whatever happens in the next few days or weeks, the specter of a final war must be realistically accepted and brokered. Who can do that? Are there real statesmen among us? Perhaps, I pray, Macron. Bring us the likes of Metternich, Talleyrand, Averell Harriman, George Shultz, James Baker, and Mikhail Gorbachev.

The great unseen tragedy at the heart of this history of our times is the loss of a true peaceful partnership between Russia and the U.S.  with, yes, potentially China, no reason why not except Americas desire for dominance. The idiots who kept provoking Russia after the Cold War ended in 1991 have committed a terrible crime against humanity and the future. Together, our countries couldve been natural allies in the biggest battle of all against climate change. In its technical achievements alone, in large scale science, in its rocketry, heavy industries, and its most modern, clean nuclear energy reactors, Russia has been a great friend to man. Alas, in our century so far, man has failed to see or reach for the stars.

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Michael Gableman, the head of the taxpayer-funded Wisconsin election probe ordered by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight, Fox News' top-rated show, on Monday night.

In under four minutes, Gableman and Carlson shared multiple inaccuracies and unsubstantiated claims about the 2020 presidential election.

Here's a rundown of three of them:

Carlson: "100 percent voting rates in many nursing homes in Brown, Dane, Kenosha, Milwaukee and Racine counties."

Carlson was quoting from the "Second Interim Investigative Report" released last week by the Office of the Special Counsel, which is led by Gableman.

A fuller reading of the report shows that the OSC is only claiming there was 100% voting in 30 Milwaukee County nursing homes, 12 Racine County nursing homes and 24 Dane County nursing homes. The report alleges 97% turnout in nine Kenosha County nursing homes and 95% turnout in 16 Brown County nursing homes, not 100%.

And those claims were wholly unsubstantiated in the interim report itself. No evidence was provided to support those claims of 100% turnout, other than stating the supposed 100% turnouts themselves.

The report also fails to directly state how the OSC is defining "nursing home." The report does not list the nursing homes for which the investigators claim to have turnout data, nor does it cite where the Office of Special Counsel is getting its turnout rates from.

Milwaukee officials have already countered the nursing home claims with data of their own, indicating the reports assertions are wholly inaccurate.

In Milwaukee County, Gablemans report claims there were 1,084 votes cast out of 1,084 registered voters in 30 nursing homes.

But Milwaukee elections officials disclosed data that contradicts this. In an email Thursday morning, Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Claire Woodall-Vogg said that in the November 2020 election, there were 579 ballots issued to SVD (special voting deputy) voters; 389 ballots returned; 67.2% return rate, in the City of Milwaukee.

Asked about the discrepancy between Gablemans numbers and Milwaukees election data, Woodall-Vogg said: It is not clear if Mr. Gableman understands this, but SVD voters are those who have requested an absentee ballot and are in nursing or assisted living. Voters in independent living  which comprises quite a large number  can vote via mail or with the SVDs. It is their preference.

It's also impossible for the public to pin down what nursing homes Gableman's assertions are based on.

Depending on your definition, Racine County has six nursing homes, or somewhere between 14 and 17, or dozens, or more than 200. But not 12.

The report does not deny this, saying that its assertion of 100% voter turnout (reportedly 348 votes cast out of 348 registered voters in 12 unidentified Racine County nursing homes) reflects voting at the nursing homes that the OSC has been able to vet to this juncture. There are more facilities in these counties, and after auditing the votes from other facilities, the above percentages may change.

Gableman noted last week, regarding turnout rates at nursing homes, I havent fully investigated that yet.

Gableman: We had a wave of massive election bribery.

Several Wisconsinites have alleged that cities taking money from Center for Tech and Civil Life, the nonprofit heavily funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, amounted to bribery.

No courts have seen it that way. Multiple courts found the acceptance of the donations was legal prior to Election Day 2020, as no laws prohibit these donations. It is not uncommon, and often encouraged, for municipalities to seek out private grants.

City leaders in Racine and elsewhere have asserted that accepting these donations was necessary to prevent budget crises, since the state Legislature did not provide extra money to communities ahead of the presidential election even though their election budgets had been largely spent because of the unexpected costs that came with running elections in the early days of the pandemic in spring 2020.

One complaint, filed with the Wisconsin Elections Commission by former Racine alderman Sandy Weidner, alleged that the City of Racine accepting a grant from CTCL constituted an "election bribery scheme," in part because CTCL provided money to Racine in order to apply for their own grant." Weidner claimed "That just does not happen."

Regardless, there is no law against it.

Gableman called Green Bay one of the five cities to receive Zuckerberg money.

This is not true.

More than 200 Wisconsin communities took money from CTCL to help fund their 2020 presidential election efforts. Five cities, Wisconsin's five most-populous including Green Bay, received the lion's share of the money  but they were far from being the only five to receive money via CTCL.
Press Release

March 8, 2022 Pangilinan: Leni-Kiko tandem to end smuggling of agriculture products SURIGAO DEL SUR, MARCH 8, 2022 -- Vice-presidential candidate and Senator Francis Pangilinan today said only the Robredo-Pangilinan administration will end the smuggling of agriculture products that has dampened the incomes of Filipino food producers. "Dahil inuuna ng TROPA, ng TEAM Robredo-Pangilinan, ang mga Pilipino, tatapusin natin ang smuggling ng mga pagkain na lason sa ating sariling magsasaka at mangingisda. Ginawa na natin yan dahil ganyan tayo magtrabaho. Gobyernong tapat, angat buhay lahat dahil smuggling wasak," he said in a statement. "Pagnanakaw ang smuggling. Ninanakawan ng hanapbuhay ang mga Pilipinong magsasaka at mangingisda," he added. Pangilinan said the unabated smuggling of imported vegetables and the continuous spike in oil prices are dealing Filipino farmers and fishers more hardships that they can hurdle. "Tunganga na lang ba ang gobyerno at panoorin na lang na unti-unting malanta at maglaho ang mga magsasakang Pilipino? Kailangan listo naman. Dapat galaw-galaw laban sa smuggling," Pangilinan said. "Ayon sa mga magsasaka at nagtitinda sa palengke, lantaran na ang smuggling ng mga gulay. Bakit walang nahuhuli? O ayaw lang ba talagang kumilos ng mga ahensya dahil nakikinabang sila rito?" he added. Pangilinan got a personal glimpse of the situation of Filipino farmers in his recent visit to Benguet. As one of the vegetable bowls of the country, farmers told the senator that they have plentiful harvest of almost all vegetables whole year round. "Simula nung dumating ang imported na carrots, nabawasan ng halos kalahati ang order sa amin," one of the vendors said. Because of this, she said farmers are incurring at least P2.5 million in daily income losses. Farmers are also hurting from the high oil prices, which they said are part of their expenses in hauling their crops to Metro Manila and other places. Reports have said that aside from carrots, cabbage, ginger and even strawberries are being smuggled into the country's borders and flooding markets. Pangilinan said the country is not without laws to stop smuggling, citing in particular Republic Act No. 10845 which declared large-scale smuggling of agricultural products as "economic sabotage." The law said illegal importation significantly impacts production, stock availability and stability of prices. Last year, the government formed the Sub-Task Group on Economic Intelligence, chaired by the Department of Agriculture and Department of Trade and Industry, purportedly to curb rampant entry of contraband agriculture products in the country. "What has this body accomplished so far? And if it says it's doing something, then definitely, it's not enough because rabid smuggling of vegetables still happens," Pangilinan said. Pangilinan, who is running in tandem with Vice President Leni Robredo, said curbing smuggling will be one of the priorities of their administration if they succeed in the elections. Earlier, Pangilinan also asked the Senate to convene into a committee of the whole to look into the illegal entry of vegetables and assess government efforts in stopping it. He also said that the Agriculture department should tap farmers and vendors as deputies in reporting about smuggled vegetables to help the government curb it. ### https://fb.watch/bCxVkHVjgt/
Editor's note: This story first published in the March 2, 2022, edition of The Columbus Telegram.

Area high school students had the opportunity to test their knowledge in natural resources during the Central Region Nebraska Envirothon contest held March 1 at Central Community College-Columbus.

Hosted by the Lower Loup and Central Platte Natural Resources Districts, the event tested students in the areas of soils, aquatics, forestry, policy, range and wildlife.

What the kids are doing is showing proficiency in each area. And then the team that scores the highest among all seven of the competitions, will get to go to the state contest and represent the central region for that, said Lower Loup NRD Information and Education Coordinator Larry Schultz.

Envirothon is a national event for which competitions are conducted in almost every state in the country, as well as China and Canada, Schultz said. Nationals were held virtually in Nebraska last year. The natural resources districts in Nebraska sponsor the state contests.

Fourteen teams from seven schools competed at the March 1 event, including Humphrey. Up to five students could be on one team. The winners from the contest will go onto the state competition, while the winner of the state contest will represent Nebraska at the national Envirothon.

Upon arriving to the event, the teams completed tests in each natural resources subject. The purpose is for students to demonstrate their knowledge, Schultz said.

When they see the policy questions, we have a series of maps that they'll look at that identify different areas of the state that may be underground water control, something like that. The forestry section has different photographs, they have to identify an instrument, they have to identify what kind of tree might be involved with the cone or needles or something like that, Schultz said.

One of the tests was based on soil and included tubs containing different types of soil. Students had to identify the different soil types based on their attributes.

The state contest will actually have a pit dug, so the kids can go in  and see the soil profiles and all that kind of stuff, Schultz added.

Humphreys team consisted of Jeff Spier, Addison Schneider, Jason Sjuts, Mollie Groteluschen and Abilyn Schneider. Overall the kids thought they probably did well, said Humphrey ag teacher and FFA adviser Robyn Graham.

We don't know how we scored because they have some additional scoring and then they'll send that out. But they felt like hopefully they did well, Graham said on March 1. There are some areas that are more of a struggle, like we don't know a lot about range. We know the basics, but not a whole bunch.

Humphrey typically sends a team or two to Envirothon each year, she added. The students prepare for contests by taking a natural resources class and studying on the competitions topics.

It's a good test of their knowledge of what they know, Graham said, noting that when there is an answer the kids dont know, they look it up so learning takes place no matter how well they do.

Some students like Envirothon because its a team effort, she added.

For some of them that don't like individual tests, this is a great time to work with your friends and for you to use all of your expertise, Graham said. They tend to be more successful because they can work together on that test.

We love that the NRD is willing to invest in the youth and give them this opportunity and hopefully encourage them to look at natural resources careers and gain some knowledge on natural resources.

Schultz said Envirothon allows students the opportunity to look at the overall scope of natural resources.

This gives them the chance to take all the concepts and understand the natural world around them better, Schultz said. When they get to the state level, we actually provide them with a real world problem (such as) housing development has cropped up in the outside of a city and they're running into this issue and that issue  maybe (an) endangered species or poor soil type or something. Then kids have to do a presentation on what they might propose to a local zoning board or a local city council.

Most often, Envirothon team members are involved in FFA, such as Humphrey. But, as noted by Schultz, theres been a trend of urban schools bringing in their science students.

Especially in the Lincoln and Omaha areas, it's more science teachers that are bringing them in, added Marcia Lee of Central Platte NRD.

Loup City was one school present Tuesday that had teams comprised of science students. Loup City science teacher Teresa Walters said she had a large group competing this year  four teams made up of 20 students in total.

I just kind of open it up to whoever I have in class and say, 'Who wants to do this?' If they want to come, they volunteer and then we form teams, Walters said. I have an environmental science class and that one we do a little bit of studying in that class and reviewing and things along that line.

Other schools present included Aurora, Brainard, Ord, St. Paul and Waverly.

Hannah Schrodt is the news editor of The Columbus Telegram. Reach her via email at hannah.schrodt@lee.net.

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Japanese Regulator Wants to Amend the Nations Crypto Law

Source: AdobeStock / soraneko

A batch of new crypto regulations is incoming in Japan  where the nations top financial and crypto regulator has put forward legal amendments to payments-related legislation.

The proposals were made by the Financial Services Agency (FSA), which has proposed making alterations to two existing acts of law as part of a bid to build a stable and efficient settlements system for the era of digital finance.

CoinPost reported that the regulations make mention of stablecoin-related issues, as well as new protocols designed to improve the effectiveness of [crypto] transaction monitoring at banks and other financial institutions.

The FSA explained that certain stablecoins and stablecoin issuances lack adequate user protection, although comprehensive proposals for the regulation of these assets are likely to come at a later date.

It also proposed the creation of a registration system for brokers and intermediaries that provide buying, selling, and management services for crypto and other electronic methods of payment.

Like crypto exchanges, brokers will be obliged to submit regular reports to regulators. The latter will also have the power to issue document submission orders, conduct on-site inspections, issue business improvement orders, and even wind up businesses that fail to comply or meet standards.

However, the package of measures is not only compliance-based. The FSA spoke of fostering the national blockchain and crypto sector and will seek to add legally binding definitions of cryptoassets in the acts definitions of electronic methods of payment.

The measures also seek to bolster the effectiveness of transaction monitoring by establishing a platform for overseas-based crypto exchanges to collaborate with domestic trading platforms on anti-money laundering (AML) measures that involve in the banking industry.

The FSA wants to cultivate a network of exchange transaction analysts who jointly carry out the analysis of suspicious-looking transactions for both the forex and crypto markets.

Further measures were put forward to identify suspicious-looking prepay transactions  for account top-ups and gift card purchases that could present AML violation risks.

The government will need to sign off on the amendments, which will also need to be green-lighted in parliament. However, thus far all of the FSAs previous legislation-related requests have been approved  and are likely to be bundled with other non-controversial legal amendments. As such, they will likely be enshrined into law in the coming weeks, and could promulgate later this year.

____

Learn more:

- Three Predictions for Crypto Regulations in 2022

- How to Buy Bitcoin Without an ID in 2022

- US Regulator Launches Probe Into NFT Sales
A Lebanon man pleaded guilty Monday to threatening to murder Democratic members of the U.S. Senate, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

Kenelm L. Shirk, 72, pleaded guilty for his Jan. 21, 2021, threat that was allegedly made over retaliation of the senators duties on Jan. 6, 2021. Shirk had been arrested that same day at a gas station near Shippensburg as he was en route to Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Attorneys Office said during a search of his vehicle, law enforcement recovered two handguns, an AR-15 rifle with loaded magazines, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

A Harrisburg federal grand jury on Feb. 3, 2021, returned an indictment charging Shirk with one count of threatening to murder Democratic senators with the intent to impede and retaliate against them regarding performance of their duties. Shirk has been detained in federal custody since his arrest.

The maximum penalty under federal law for the offense is 10 years imprisonment, followed by a term of supervised release, as well as a fine.

The case was investigated by the FBI, Pennsylvania State Police, Franklin County District Attorneys Office, Cornwall Police Department and Washington D.C. Capitol Police.
The Pennsylvania Congressional map may officially be in place for this years election, but Cumberland County on Tuesday said a quick decision on the legislative maps is needed for local election bureaus to do the work necessary ahead of a May primary.

The deadline for appealing the proposed House and Senate maps was Monday, and Cumberland County officials said they hope the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will make a quick ruling on the issue.

We need a decision, and we need it now, County Commissioner Jean Foschi said. Our county election bureau needs time to prepare for the election, they need to perform their duties with clear and concise deadlines.

Commissioner Vince DiFilippo echoed those concerns and voiced additional worries should the Pennsylvania Supreme Court decide to have two election dates  one for Congressional and U.S. Senate seats and the other for General Assembly seats.

Additional primaries will confuse voters, be more costly and will stretch already strained resources at the county and state level, he said. We need time to be able to prepare for an election so we can serve our residents in a timely, and secure manner.

According to Bethany Salzarulo, the county director of elections, two primaries would strain election staff in its duties to conduct post-election activities, such as canvassing results, examining provisional ballots, conducting recounts and certifying the results, in addition to preparing for the November general election. The county also generally needs time to prepare ballots for absentee, mail-in, military and overseas voters as well as program machines. The county argues such tasks cant be completed since it doesnt currently know which candidates are running in each district.

We are committed as always to ensuring a free, fair, accessible, and accurate primary election. But to do that, we need answers, Salzarulo said.

The county noted that the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania filed an amicus brief with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to request the court expedite its decision and offer counties the time it needs to prepare for a May primary or multiple primaries should that be the courts ruling.

Pennsylvania counties have and will always administer accurate, fair and successful elections, but the longer it takes to achieve clarity around our Primary Election process, the more likely they will be forced to consider spending property taxpayer dollars on emergency assistance such as additional workers, printing needs and supply chain shortages, said CCAP President Daryl Miller. We can minimize this if counties just have clear, direct guidance on election protocol, as quickly as possible, and even more importantly, eliminate confusion and give our voters the utmost confidence in the integrity of the election process.

Franklin County Commissioners also issued a plea Tuesday to urge the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to expedite its decision on the Commonwealths legislative maps.

Email Naomi Creason at ncreason@cumberlink.com or follow her on Twitter @SentinelCreason

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With Russia intensifying its war on Ukraine, killing civilians and triggering a mass refugee crisis, President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced a U.S. ban on imported Russian oil. Critics of Russia have said that sanctioning its energy exports would be the best  perhaps only  way to force Moscow to pull back.

A full embargo would be most effective if it included European allies, which are also desperate to stop the violence in Ukraine and the danger Moscow poses to the continent. Yet its far from clear that all of Europe would take part in an embargo, though Britain announced Tuesday that it would phase out Russian oil imports by years end.

Unlike the United States, Europe is deeply reliant on energy it imports from Russia, the worlds second-largest crude oil exporter behind Saudi Arabia. While the U.S. could replace the relatively small amount of fuel it receives from Moscow, Europe could not, at least not anytime soon.

Whats more, any curbs on Russian oil exports could send already skyrocketing oil and gasoline prices ever higher on both continents and further squeeze consumers, businesses, financial markets and the global economy.

Here is a deeper look:

WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH A U.S. BAN ON RUSSIAN OIL?

With gasoline prices in the U.S. surging ever higher, the Biden administration has faced growing pressure to impose further sanctions on Russia, including a ban on oil imports.

For now, a broad U.S.-European ban appears elusive. On Monday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made clear that his country, Europes largest consumer of Russian energy, has no plans to join in any ban. In response, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman hinted that the U.S. could act alone or with a smaller group of allies.

Not every country has done exactly the same thing, Sherman said, but we have all reached a threshold that is necessary to impose the severe costs that we have all agreed to.

DOES THE U.S. BAN ON RUSSIAN OIL HURT MOSCOW?

The impact on Russia would likely be minimal. The United States imports a small share of Russias oil exports and doesnt buy any of its natural gas.

Last year, roughly 8% of U.S. imports of oil and petroleum products came from Russia. Together, the imports totaled the equivalent of 245 million barrels in 2021, which was roughly 672,000 barrels of oil and petroleum products a day. But imports of Russian oil have been declining rapidly as buyers shunned the fuel.

Because the amount of oil the U.S. imports from Russia is modest, Russia could potentially sell that oil elsewhere, perhaps in China or India. Still, it would probably have to sell it at a steep discount, because fewer and fewer buyers are accepting Russian oil.

If Russia were eventually shut off from the global market, rogue countries such as Iran and Venezuela might be welcomed back as sources of oil, said Claudio Galimberti, an analyst at Rystad Energy. Such additional sources could, in turn, potentially stabilize prices.

A team of Biden administration officials were in Venezuela over the weekend to discuss energy and other issues, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. She said officials discussed a range of issues, including energy security.

By eliminating some of the demand, were forcing the price of Russian oil down, and that does reduce revenue to Russia, said Kevin Book, managing director at Clearview Energy Partners. In theory, it is a way of reducing how much Russia earns on every barrel it sells, maybe not by a lot, but by some. The most important question is whether theres going to be more pressure on the other side of the Atlantic.

HOW COULD A RUSSIAN OIL BAN AFFECT PRICES?

The news of the looming U.S. oil ban sent gasoline prices to their highest level ever recorded, with a gallon of regular selling for an average of $4.17 Tuesday.

A month ago, oil was selling for about $90 a barrel. Now, prices are surging around $130 a barrel as buyers shun Russian crude. Refiners had already feared being left with oil they couldnt resell if sanctions were imposed.

Shell said Tuesday that it would stop buying Russian oil and natural gas and shut down its service stations, aviation fuels and other operations there, days after Ukraines foreign minister criticized the energy giant for continuing to buy Russian oil.

Energy analysts warn that prices could go as high to $160 or even $200 a barrel if buyers continue shunning Russian crude. That trend could send U.S. gasoline prices past $5 a gallon, a scenario that Biden and other political figures are desperate to avoid.

ARE RUSSIAN IMPORTS ALREADY FALLING?

The U.S. oil industry has said it shares the goal of reducing reliance on foreign energy sources and is committed to working with the Biden administration and Congress. Even without sanctions, some U.S. refiners have severed contracts with Russian companies. Imports of Russian crude oil and products have tumbled.

Our industry has taken significant and meaningful steps to unwind relationships with Russia and voluntarily limit Russian imports, said Frank Macchiarola, senior vice president of the American Petroleum Institute, the oil and gas industrys largest lobbying group.

Preliminary data from the U.S. Energy Department shows that imports of Russian crude dropped to zero in the last week in February.

WILL EUROPE GO ALONG?

A ban on Russian oil and natural gas would be painful for Europe. Russia provides about 40% of Europes natural gas for home heating, electricity and industry uses and about a quarter of Europes oil. European officials are seeking ways to reduce their dependence, but it will take time.

Britains business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, said his country will use the rest of the year to phase out its imports of oil and petroleum products to give the market, businesses and supply chains more than enough time to replace Russian imports, which account for 8% of U.K. demand.

Germanys economy minister, Robert Habeck, on Tuesday defended the European decision so far to exempt Russian energy from sanctions.

The sanctions have been chosen deliberately so that they impact the Russian economy and the Putin regime seriously, but they also have been chosen deliberately so that we as an economy and a nation can keep them up for a long time, Habeck said. Ill-considered behavior could lead to exactly the opposite.

We have maneuvered ourselves into an ever-greater dependency on fossil energy imports from Russia in the last 20 years, Habeck said. That is not a good state of affairs.

Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak of Russia underscored that urgency, saying Moscow would have every right to halt natural gas shipments to Europe through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to retaliate against Germany for halting the parallel Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which wasnt yet operating. Novak added that we have not taken this decision and that no one would benefit from this. His statement marked a shift from Russias earlier assurances that it had no intention of cutting off gas to Europe.

Oil is easier to replace than natural gas. Other countries could increase production of oil and ship it to Europe. But much oil would have to be replaced, and this would drive up prices even more because the oil would likely have to travel farther.

Replacing the natural gas that Russia provides to Europe is likely impossible in the short term. Most of the natural gas Russia provides to Europe travels through pipelines. To replace it, Europe would mostly import liquefied natural gas, known as LNG. The continent doesnt have enough pipelines to distribute gas from coastal import facilities to farther reaches of the continent.

In January, two-thirds of American LNG exports went to Europe, according to S&P Global Platts.

While U.S. oil and gas producers could drill for more natural gas, its export facilities are already operating at capacity. Expanding those facilities would take years and billions of dollars.

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My music library consists of mostly ogg/vorbis files, and I wanted to store the text that is sung directly in the files. 

This is mostly uncharted territory - at least for .ogg files. It took three weeks of research to learn about the possibilities, solutions in other file formats and problems. 

Lyrics formats

Lyrics can be synchronized or unsynchronized: 

unsynchronized lyrics is just the song text as you see it in the booklet of a CD  It's plain text with newlines .  

 synchronized lyrics is the text plus timing information, which allows media players to show the exact line that is currently being sung. Karaoke depends on this.  In addition to the text lines, timing information is needed - be it for lines or even single words or syllables.  

Standalone lyrics file formats

There is a huge number of different formats that allow you to store lyrics/subtitles in separate files. 

LRC Easy to read and easy to write text-only format: One line of text per lyrics line. Seems to be standard today for music.  srt Very popular for movies. More verbose than LRC, but still plaintext.  MP3+G Binary format used in Karaoke CDs. The karaoke text is ripped into .cdg files which must have the same name as the audio files. 

Let's have a look at MP3 first because tool support is better and there is an official standard for both synchronized and unsynchronized lyrics. 

"Official" is not really correct here; the MP3 standard does not define how to store meta data in a file: 

The MP3 standards do not define tag formats for MP3 files, nor is there a standard container format that would support metadata and obviate the need for tags.  However, several de facto standards for tag formats exist. As of 2010, the most widespread are ID3v1 and ID3v2, and the more recently introduced APEv2.  Wikipedia: MP3 Metadata  

Data storage

The ID3v2 standard has meta tags for both synced and unsynced lyrics: 

USLT  Contains the encoding of the text, the language, a description and the actual song text. Multiple entries allowed, which means you can have lyrics in several language.  SYLT  Also contains encoding, language, the time stamp format (MPEG frames or milliseconds), type and time-stamped text in a defined format. 

Tools to add lyrics

On Linux, there is kid3 and SYLTeditor (which did not install on Ubuntu 14.04). 

For Windows, you have MiniLyrics, SYLTeditor and there once was Window Media Player 11 which could add synchronized lyrics to mp3 files. 

kid3-cli can be used on the shell to add lyrics stored in .lrc files to mp3: 

$ kid3-cli -c "set SYLT='countdown.lrc' ''" countdown.mp3

Extracting the lyrics via CLI is also possible: 

$ kid3-cli -c "get SYLT:/dev/stdout" countdown.mp3

Displaying lyrics

On Linux, there is not a single application that displays synchronized lyrics stored in the file when playing an music track. 

As of 2021, only Lollypop supports displaying synchronized lyrics stored in the file when playing an music track. All other players that claim lyrics support either rely on local .lrc files or try to download the lyrics from somewhere on the internet. 

On Windows you may use MiniLyrics which reads and displays SYLT data in mp3 files without problems. 

Musique and Rhythmbox at least show embedded unsynchronized lyrics. 

ogg/vorbis is a patent-free audio codec and thus my preferred choice over mp3. 

Tool support for lyrics is nearly non-existent. 

Data storage

A small list of meta data tags for ogg/vorbis is listed in Vorbis I specification: 5.2.2. Content vector format and standalone in comment field and header specification. In addition, the xiph wiki lists proposed field names and links to three websites that propose some additional ones ( 1, 2, 3). Neither of them mentions lyrics. 

The topic was mentioned on the vorbis mailing list in 2006 and 2008 with the conclusion that there is no standard, one should try CMML. I did not find any tools, example files or supporting clients for it, though. 

OggKate can be used for synchronized lyrics, and kid3 uses the LYRICS tag to store unsyced lyrics in ogg files. 

OggText was brainstormed in 2008 as well, but was never brought any further. 

In 2008 OggKate, a format for synchronized lyrics in ogg/vorbis files, was invented and implemented. 

Kate is an overlay codec, originally designed for karaoke and text, that can be multiplexed in Ogg. 

It does not only provide plain text lyrics but also animations, different colors, fonts and other styles. 

It is not some data in a meta data tag field, but a separate stream inside an .ogg file, accompanying the music stream (just like movie files have both video and audio streams): 

Lyrics in meta data

+----------+--------------------------+ | Metadata | Audio stream | +----------+--------------------------+

Lyrics as stream

+----------+--------------------------+ | Metadata | A u d i o s t r e a m | | | L y r i c s s r e a m | +----------+--------------------------+

This has several implications: 

 When playing the file, the text is available when it needs to be displayed.  No need to allocate extra memory for the lyrics, and no need for additional timing information in the lyrics data.    Interweaving the audio and lyrics data makes it suitable for live audio streams that simply cannot have all the lyrics available at the beginning.    Adding lyrics is not simply setting a tag but breaking up the whole file and re-assembling the whole file.    Extracting lyrics requires reading the whole file and re-assembling the single pieces.  Players will need to do this if they not only want to display the current line or syllable, but provide a glimpse to the following ones.  

The 99% standard use case - lyrics for music files of max. 10 minutes length - does not benefit from this format. Even operas with a length of several hours only have about 100kiB data of timed lyrics (LRC), which is nothing for yesterday's hardware. 

Another argument for streaming was made on the Xiph MIME Types and File Extensions talk page: 

If you want it without the timing, you have to store it in headers, as streaming it will get you the text only as its presentation time is reached.  You could do that if you were loading from a file, but that's only a special case, so it's best to leave that text interleaved with other streams.  A player wanting to display the entirety of the lyrics at once would have to, if possible (eg, if not streaming), scan the entire file to recover the text. Parsing Ogg packets is relatively fast, so a threaded player could do this while starting streaming a file and have the text ready in under a second for a typical song I suppose.  

I don't believe the "special case" argument; even when you're playing the middle of a ogg/vorbis file via HTTP you still have to fetch the beginning of the file to get information about the header and general structure. 

Creating OggKate streams

kateenc from libkate-tools on Ubuntu 14.04 allows one to convert .lrc and .srt into kate streams, which then can be muxed into ogg audio files with oggz : 

$ kateenc -o lyrics.ogg -t lrc -l en countdown.lrc $ oggz-merge -o countdown-with-lyrics.ogg countdown.ogg lyrics.ogg

Extracting the lyrics as LRC is possible with katedec : 

$ katedec -t lrc oggz-kateenc-countdown.ogg

Playing files with Kate streams

Playing kate'd ogg/vorbis files works fine on VLC, mplayer, armarok, xine, audacious and ogg123 (even if they do not show the lyrics). 

GStreamer-based applications like Rhythmbox and Totem open a new window that looks for extensions that understand "Kate decoder", but fail. Totem plays the file nontheless, but Rhythmbox does not. Amarok 2.8 sometimes opened that window, but also plays the file. 

The OggKate author - who never left his name anywhere by the way - provided OggKate patches for several media players: 

Unsynced lyrics in .ogg

There is no officially endorsed vorbis tag/field for unsynchronized lyrics. The only tag in the wild I found was LYRICS which is created by the kid3 editor and lyrico. 

$ vorbiscomment -a file.ogg -t LYRICS = " $(cat lyrics.txt) " $ vorbiscomment --list countdown-unsync-vorbiscomment.ogg title =Countdown aligned artist =cweiske date = 2016 genre =Speech encoder =Lavf53.21.1 LYRICS =ten nine eight seven six 5 4 3 2 1 0

oggz-comment can also be used to add unsynchronized lyrics to .ogg files: 

$ oggz-comment file.ogg -o file-with-lyrics.ogg LYRICS = " $(cat lyrics.txt) " $ oggz-comment -l file-with-lyrics.ogg Vorbis: serialno 0033215013 Vendor: Lavf53.21.1 title: Countdown aligned artist: cweiske date: 2016 genre: Speech encoder: Lavf53.21.1 LYRICS: ten nine eight seven six 5 4 3 2 1 0

Both Lollypop and Rhythmbox display them.

Windows Media Audio files support synced and unsynced lyrics in their meta tags. The ASF specification unfortunately does not define meta data tag names and thus also no meta data lyrics formats. 

kid3 shows the synchronized lyrics in the .wma file with a tag name of WM/Lyrics_Synchronized . 

Tools to add lyrics

Windows explorer on Windows XP is able to add unsychronised lyrics, Windows Media Player 11 could write both synchronized and unsynchronized lyrics. 

Displaying lyrics

No tool I tested is able to display the lyrics embedded in .wma files while playing music. 

exiftool at least shows them on cli, and kid3 notices that there are synchronized lyrics inside - but does not show them. 

The Advanced Audio Coding format is mostly used by Apple's iTunes. I saw screenshots of the iTunes meta data editor that had a (unsynchronized) lyrics field. I did not follow this any further. 

MiniLyrics claims to support lyrics in .m4a/.aac files. 

Clementine is a music player that is able to show unsynchronized lyrics from mp3 files. Does neither support ogg lyrics nor synchronized text.

eyeD3 is a linux command line application that reads and writes mp3 tags, supporting ID3v1, 2.3 and 2.4. 

Unfortunately it is not able to extract a single tag in a way that's readable by other programs, and is also not able to extract synchronized lyrics: 

$ eyeD3 --verbose countdown-sync-minilyrics.mp3 countdown-sync-minilyrics.mp3 [ 258.24 KB ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Time: 00: 10 MPEG1, Layer III [ ~ 0 kb / s @ 44100 Hz - Mono ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ID3 v2.4: title: Countdown aligned artist: cweiske album: year: 2016 boo track: genre: Speech ( id 101 ) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ID3 Frames: < Title /> songname / content description ( TIT2 ) : Countdown aligned > < Lead performer ( s ) / Soloist ( s ) ( TPE1 ) : cweiske > < Release time ( TDRL ) : 2016 > < Content type ( TCON ) : Speech > < Software /> Hardware and settings used for encoding ( TSSE ) : Lavf53.21.1 > < Synchronised lyric / text Frame ( SYLT ) >

It is able to add unsynchronized lyrics to mp3 files: 

$ eyeD3 --lyrics = "eng::ten nine eight seven six 5 4 3 2 1 0" countdown.mp3

exiftool is the swiss army knife of meta tags. It's able to extract data from most image, document and audio file types. 

It shows synchronized lyrics from mp3 and wma files, and unsynchronized from mp3, ogg and wma: 

$ exiftool countdown-sync-kid3-id3v2.4.mp3 | grep -i lyr Synchronized Lyrics Type : Lyrics Synchronized Lyrics Description : Synchronized Lyrics Text : [ 00: 00.00 ] .ten, [ 00: 01.00 ] .nine, [ 00: 02.00 ] .eight, [ 00: 03.00 ] .seven, [ 00: 04.00 ] .six, [ 00: 05.00 ] .5, [ 00: 06.00 ] .4, [ 00: 07.00 ] .3, [ 00: 08.00 ] .2, [ 00: 09.00 ] .1, [ 00: 10.00 ] .0, [ 00: 11.00 ] . $ exiftool countdown-sync-wmp11.wma | grep -i lyr Lyrics : ten..nine..eight..seven..six.. 5 .. 4 .. 3 .. 2 .. 1 .. 0 Lyrics Synchronised : ..vsynchronized lyricstennine.eight.seven.six.5.4.3p.2X.1 @ .0 ( #

It does not show OggKate texts. 

Foobar2000: show lyrics 3 plugin

The windows-only Foobar2000 supports plugins, and one of the plugins/"components" is Lyrics Show Panel 3 (foo_uie_lyrics3). 

While it claims to be able to read both synced and unsynced lyrics from ogg and mp3 files, it does so by using its own (configurable) meta tag, storing LRC in the tag for synced text. It does not support SYLT/USLT tags. 



The meta data editor kid3 runs on Linux and supports mp3, ogg and wma. 

It has a usable synced lyrics editor and documentation for it. Importing LRC is supported. 

kid3-qt was the only software that actually supported storing unsynced lyrics inside ogg/vorbis files by setting the LYRICS tag. 

kid3-cli is a command line tool that can be used to read and write .lrc files from and to mp3 files. 



Gnome application Lollypop supports SYLT in mp3 files, at least those that have been added by SYLT Editor, but not those by kid3.

It also reads .lrc files.

lyrico automatically finds and downloads unsynchronized lyrics and is able to embed them into mp3, ogg, wma and m4a files.

It does not support synchronized text.

MiniLyrics is not available for Linux. 

It reads synchronized and unsynchronized lyrics from mp3 meta data, but does not support the WMP11 generated lyrics in wma files, nor does it support .ogg . It claims to support M4A (AAC) files, but I did not test that. 

It includes an editor for synchronized lyrics and can import LRC files. 



Musique version 1.4 is able to read and display unsynchronized lyrics from mp3 files. 



Gnome's Rhythmbox displays unsynchronized lyrics in .ogg files because I made a patch for it.

SYLT Editor

SYLT editor is Freeware for Windows and Linux, but it did not install on Ubuntu 14.04 correctly. 

On windows it worked, but proved to not support SYLT lyrics embedded by other editors. It even once did not read SYLT from a file that it wrote itself previously.. 

I can't recommend it. 



VLC - VideoLan Client

VLC was the only application I found able to display OggKate lyrics in .ogg files - when enabling audio visualization, the text is printed on top of that. (version 2.2.2 worked, 2.1.6 did not) 

It does not support SYLT, but you can load .srt subtitle files when playing music with audio visualization enabled. 



Windows Explorer

Windows XP's Explorer is able to show and edit meta data of .wma files - and it allows you to add unsynchronized lyrics. You cannot set the lyrics language as you could with Windows Media Player 11, though. 



Windows Media Player 11

Windows Media Player 11 was available on Window XP and Windows Vista. To my knowledge it is the only application able to add synchronized lyrics to .wma files via its Advanced Tag Editor. 

This tag editing capabilities were removed in Windows Media Player 12, much to the dismay of users. 

Windows Media Player was not able to actually display the synchronized lyrics, which maybe was the reason for its removal. But the removal of the lyrics editing feature from WMP means that Microsoft officially has given up on lyrics in .wma, and maybe even on .wma itself. 



If you ever try to install Windows Media Player 11 on an old copy of Windows XP, you'll notice that it will fail because it cannot prove the XP installation as "genuine" anymore.  You can work around this by manually extracting wmp11-windowsxp-x86-DE-DE.exe with 7-zip and manually executing all the wm*.exe files. 

List of hardware music players with lyrics support:

iPod classic iPod nano (4th gen) Clicking 3 times on the wheel button shows the lyrics. source

Demo files

During the course of my research I created a number of audio files with the various tools. As base I used countdown.ogg from Corsica_S's countdown.wav but had to align it to the exact full seconds with Audacity. Then I created a lyrics .lrc file and used the various tools to add lyrics to it. 

Apps missing embedded lyrics support

The following applications miss support for embedded lyrics: 

I'm dissatisfied with the state of embedded lyrics support on Linux. 

For ogg/vorbis files - of which my music library consists mostly - I did not find a satisfying solution. OggKate is too complex for most needs; something like SYLT for vorbis would be better suited - or even simply embedding LRC into a SYNCLYRICS tag. 

The ID3v2 SYLT format is binary and would have to be base64 encoded, as it is done with album art in vorbis files, too. 

And then, tool support would again be missing :( 
In a few weeks the total solar eclipse of April 8, 2024, will be exactly two years away. While that may still feel like a long time, that day suddenly now seems within reach.

Those who saw the historic 2017 total solar eclipse in Farmington and the Parkland, as well as across the rest of the country, knew they would have to endure an agonizing seven-year wait for totality to return to the United States. But now, with only a little over two years to go, were approaching ever closer to the finish line.

According to NationalEclipse.com, if you thought the 2017 eclipse was something special, get ready for a real treat in 2024. With eclipse fever once again heating up, the website said it seemed like a good time to highlight some of the reasons why the 2024 eclipse shouldnt be missed, and why 2024 promises to be even more spectacular than 2017.

Reason 1  The path of totality crosses over more major cities

The 2017 path of totality  the narrow strip of land within which a total solar eclipse is total  crossed the United States from west to east, starting in Oregon and ending in South Carolina. Although it did cross over the Parkland, as well as several major cities  including Kansas City, St. Louis, Nashville, and Charleston  much of the cross-country path consisted of inaccessible wilderness in the American West, sparsely populated prairies in the Great Plains, and remote mountain areas in the East. Still, millions of Americans and visitors from around the world found a suitable viewing site.

The 2024 eclipse isnt a coast-to-coast event. But thats a good thing. Instead of crossing over all of that difficult-to-access terrain across the width of the country, the 2024 path of totality races from southwest to northeast, entering the country in Texas and exiting in Maine. In the process, it crosses a plethora of major American cities, including Farmington, and population centers in Texas and up through the Rust Belt of America.

Along its roughly 2,000-mile trek across the country, the 2024 path of totality crosses over San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Buffalo, and many other large northern cities and state capitals. At the same time, the path also comes tantalizingly close to a profusion of other major cities from which the path can easily be reached by car  Houston, Oklahoma City, Memphis, St. Louis, Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus, Detroit, Pittsburgh.

The fact that the 2024 eclipse crosses over or comes close to more major cities than in 2017 means that more people than ever will have a chance to experience natures greatest show. The eclipse will happen, literally, in the backyards of millions of Americans. And millions more who live outside the path of totality can easily drive into it on eclipse day or take advantage of the wealth of lodging options offered by the cities located inside the totality zone. On April 8, 2024, this eclipse will supplant the 2017 eclipse as the most widely viewed in human history.

Reason 2  The duration of totality is almost two minutes longer

For a total solar eclipse, the duration of totality is the amount of time during which the Sun is totally eclipsed by the Moon. This total phase can only happen inside the narrow path of totality, with the longest durations occurring along the centerline of the path. In addition, along every eclipse path centerline is a single point of greatest duration where the duration of totality is longer than anywhere else along the path for that eclipse. Simply put, totality is the main attraction during a total solar eclipse, and the duration of totality dictates for how long youll enjoy the show.

In 2017, the point of greatest duration was located in Southern Illinois. At that singular spot along the centerline, the Sun went dark for exactly 2 minutes and 40 seconds. In terms of duration, this was considered an average total solar eclipse. As opposed to an eclipse measured in mere seconds, it offered enough time for spectators to observe totality in detail, but it didnt come anywhere close to the theoretical maximum duration of totality for a total solar eclipse on Earth: 7 minutes and 30 seconds.

Its a far different story in 2024. On April 8, the longest duration of totality will clock in at a whopping 4 minutes and 28 seconds  almost two minutes longer than in 2017! This time, the point of greatest duration will be located in Mexico. But even hundreds of miles north of the border, the duration of totality along the centerline will only be a few seconds short of the eclipse maximum in Mexico.

Therefore, if you want the longest durations of totality in the U.S., Texas is the place to be, with the duration gradually decreasing along the centerline as the path travels up through the nation. By the time the path enters Maine, the duration of totality will have decreased to about 3 minutes and 28 seconds on the centerline. But even in Maine, totality will last almost a minute longer than anywhere in 2017.

A four-minute eclipse is special. They dont happen often. In fact, the 2024 eclipse marks the first time a four-minute eclipse will occur over what constitutes the present-day contiguous U.S. since 1806. And this time, by sheer luck, it happens along a path of totality thats easily accessible by millions of Americans.

Reason 3  The fear of missing out

If the 2017 total solar eclipse was the most widely viewed eclipse in human history, the 2024 eclipse will be the most anticipated. After experiencing the shock and awe of a total solar eclipse for the first time in 2017, millions of Americans declared their intention to see another one. And they told their friends and families about it. If cities and towns along the path of totality were packed in 2017, theyll be absolutely bursting in 2024.

This is the third reason why the 2024 eclipse will outshine the 2017 eclipse. People will not want to miss it. This time around, the eclipse wont be considered a novelty, an interesting event that might be worth checking out. After youve seen a total solar eclipse, you must see another one. And youll encourage everyone you know to see one too.

The buzz and hype preceding this eclipse will be unprecedented. Whats more, this will be the last total solar eclipse visible from the lower 48 states for 20 years. If you missed the 2017 eclipse, you knew there would be another opportunity in seven short years. If you dont see the 2024 eclipse, youre out of luck in America until 2044.

Any veteran eclipse chaser will tell you that part of the fun is in the excitement that surrounds an upcoming eclipse. In the days leading up to a total solar eclipse, theres a festival atmosphere all along the path of totality. In small towns and large cities, eclipse-related events and activities are planned for both locals and visitors. On eclipse day itself, viewing parties of all shapes and sizes pop up all over the place  at science museums, in town squares, at wineries and breweries, during sporting events, even on boats and planes

The 2024 eclipse already promises to be extra special. With a path of totality that crosses over or comes close to more major cities and with a maximum duration of totality thats almost two minutes longer than in 2017, it will be the must-see attraction of the year. When you combine that with the FOMO factor and the influx of eclipse tourists it will generate and all of the hoopla they will bring with them, the 2024 eclipse will be a celebration for the ages.

And now for some bad news

In most ways, the 2024 eclipse will surpass the 2017 experience, but theres one aspect of the 2024 event that falls short by comparison. In 2017, the eclipse occurred on Aug. 21, in the middle of summer. Setting aside the potential threat of summertime storms, the weather was warm, people were enjoying summer vacations, and the risk of weather-related travel delays was minimal.

The 2024 eclipse occurs in April  and in the beginning of the month to boot. If a spring thaw doesnt come early, many northern cities may still be experiencing chilly temperatures on April 8 and snow is still a possibility. The 2024 eclipse traces a path that takes it across Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.

Under ideal conditions, these lakes would be the perfect place for an eclipse viewing, either on or off the water. In early April, however, both air and water temperatures will be frigid. In New York, the Adirondack Mountains promise to be one of the most scenic places to see an eclipse, but the weather in early April is unpredictable in this part of the country. Many of the beautiful mountain lakes might still be frozen on April 8.

The wise eclipse chaser knows how important it is to monitor short-term weather reports in the days leading up to an eclipse. Even a single stray cloud can spoil years of planning. For the 2024 eclipse, this vigilance is even more critical, especially in the North. Keep close tabs on weather forecasts for your planned viewing location and remain mobile if you can. In 2017, many people found clear skies just a short drive away from their original clouded-out locations.

But on the bright side

The potential for bad or unpleasant weather notwithstanding, the nature of the 2024 eclipse all but guarantees that it will, well, eclipse the excitement and majesty of the 2017 eclipse. It will be the longest total solar eclipse in America in over 200 years. It will be seen by more people and attract more attention than any total solar eclipse in world history.

Already, excitement is building. All along the path of totality, cities and towns are starting to get ready. All over the world, people are starting to make travel plans, or at least thinking about them. Its never too early to start planning for a total solar eclipse, especially one as monumental as this. Take a moment, right now, to mark your calendar for April 8, 2024. Youll be glad you did.

Visit NationalEclipse.com for more about eclipses, including information on the next total solar eclipse coming to America on April 8, 2024.

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An area woman faces felony child abuse charges this week after a teenager reported multiple instances of alleged abuse reportedly taking place while living with the woman.

Tammi Reneigh Sawtelle, 55, of Park Hills, was charged this week in St. Francois County with two counts of abuse or neglect of a child.

According to a probable cause statement, from Dec. 25 through Feb. 16, several incidents of abuse reportedly occurred between a male and his guardian, Sawtelle, while they were staying at the Holiday Inn in Farmington after their Park Hills house burned down Dec. 23.

The report states the teen was washing clothes from the burnt residence at the hotel laundry facility. While cleaning the clothes, Sawtelle reportedly did not believe that the boy had used laundry detergent and made him rewash the clothes.

The teen reportedly told investigators that Sawtelle still didn't believe that he had used laundry detergent after washing the laundry a second time. Sawtelle allegedly became angry and started screaming that the "Holy Spirit" told her the boy did not use laundry detergent.

Sawtelle reportedly became enraged and started slapping and punching the teen in the face with a closed fist, causing him physical pain, according to the statement.

On a separate occasion, the boy told investigators that Sawtelle began slapping him on the back several times because he forgot to hang up his towel, and that caused him physical pain as well.

Another time, while they were still residing in their Park Hills home, the teen reported that Sawtelle slapped him in the face, causing his lip to bleed.

Sawtelle was taken into custody at the St. Francois County Jail on Friday, where she is currently being held without bond.

The police report filed in the case states that there are multiple additional reports currently under review in which Sawtelle is accused of abusing several other victims. The filing indicates that law enforcement is interviewing other individuals who have continued coming forward to report on the abuse allegedly suffered at the hands of Sawtelle.

Criminal records show that Sawtelle was convicted in 2019 of third-degree domestic assault in St. Francois County. The case was suspended, and she was placed on five years of supervised probation. The court records indicate that a probation violation in the case was filed on Monday.

Sawtelle is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday for an initial hearing in the newly filed case.

The charges against the woman come just weeks after her husband, 54-year-old Jeffrey Sawtelle, was charged in St. Francois County with two counts of first-degree statutory rape involving a person less than 14 years of age.

According to a probable cause statement filed in the case against the man, on or between Aug. 1-31, 2019, a female less than 14 years old told police she was in a bedroom upstairs when Jeffrey Sawtelle entered the room and began forcing himself onto her.

The man allegedly performed two sex acts on the child, who later reportedly recalled to police that the acts lasted about two minutes but felt like they lasted forever. She said Jeffrey Sawtelle then threatened to kill her if she told anyone.

Jeffrey Sawtelle was booked at the St. Francois County Jail on Feb. 18, where he remains in custody without bond.

The police report noted that the man has two minor children residing within his household.

Court records show that Jeffrey Sawtelle pleaded guilty in St. Francois County in September 2018 to first-degree endangering the welfare of a child creating substantial risk (first offense - no sexual conduct). The man received a four-year suspended prison sentence and was placed on five years of supervised probation. A probation violation in the case was filed in court on Feb. 22, according to records.

Jeffrey Sawtelle is scheduled to appear in court on April 5 for a preliminary hearing in the case.

Bobby Radford is a reporter for the Daily Journal. He can be reached at bradford@dailyjournalonline.com

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In a unanimous decision, the Bismarck Board of Education recently approved Dr. Michael Silvy as district superintendent for the 2022-2023 school year.

Silvy will be replacing Jason King, who has taken a position with Windsor C-1 Schools, after serving 19 total years with Bismarck.

The school board met for a special meeting on Wednesday where they approved hiring Silvy with a vote of 6-0.

Silvy comes to Bismarck after serving as the superintendent of the Valley School District in Caledonia for the past four years. During Silvy's 20-year educational career, he served 11 years as an English teacher and five years as a building-level administrator.

Silvy earned his doctorate in Education from Maryville University. He holds a master's in Education from Lindenwood University, as well as a Bachelor of Arts Degree from College of the Ozarks.

Silvy said he is grateful for the opportunity to join the school district this coming school year.

"[I'm] honored to have been chosen for this position," Silvy said. "The Bismarck School District is already doing great things for students, and I look forward to building upon the tradition of impacting students' lives in powerful and positive ways."

Outgoing Bismarck Superintendent King said that while his time with the district has been rewarding over the years, he will be pursuing new opportunities.

"It's bittersweet to be leaving Bismarck," said King. "I've spent most of my professional life here, and I have absolutely loved every second of working at Bismarck R-5. I did not graduate from Bismarck, but I feel like I did. Everybody has seemed like my family, and they have treated me that way as well.

"I'm looking forward to new opportunities, but it is bittersweet."

King said he is confident in the school board's decision in hiring Silvy to fill the position.

"I know they've chosen the right person in choosing Dr. Silvy to come to Bismarck," King explained. "He's highly respected in the area, and I have no doubt that he's going to do a fantastic job of taking the reins and moving the district forward.

"I really feel good about the fact that the district is going to be in good hands with Dr. Silvy; There's no question about that," said King.

Board President Matthew Dunn said he and the entire board agreed that Silvy would be an excellent fit for the school.

"After our applicant search and interview process, Michael was a clear choice to our entire board of education," said Dunn. "He is a very genuine, down-to-earth man with a clear understanding of our small school values and shares the same goals.

"He is definitely someone that can work well with our teachers, administration, students, and community," the board president noted.

Board of Education member Terry Skinner said he felt Silvy would be a valuable part of continuing growth within the school district.

"[He is] the best candidate to fit our district's needs," said Skinner. "He has a firm grasp of our culture, values, and long-term goals.

"We are confident that he can take us from where we are to further growth, with minimal transition issues," he explained. "I am excited that he has decided to join our educational family."

Silvy is a 1996 graduate of Clearwater High School and has been married to his wife, Kelly, since 2000. Michael and Kelly have three sons: Noah, Elijah, and Josiah.

The new superintendent will begin his duties on July 1.

Bobby Radford is a reporter for the Daily Journal. He can be reached at bradford@dailyjournalonline.com

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The news coming out of the Eastern European country of Ukraine in recent days has been both heartbreaking and alarming as Russian soldiers have invaded the country in an attempt by Russian President Vladimir Putin to forcibly bring the Ukrainian nation back under Russia's authoritarian control.

The world has watched in amazement as the people of Ukraine have bravely fought back against the much larger and powerful armed invaders. And while the conflict is 5,633 miles away from the Parkland, that doesn't mean the conflict has no effect on people living in southeast Missouri. One has only to look at the way gas prices shot up over $3.50 a gallon overnight to know that it most certainly does.

Bobby Upchurch, the pastor of Providence Baptist Church in Bonne Terre and an English teacher at Farmington High School, spent much of his life growing up in the countries of Belarus and Ukraine as the son of Southern Baptist foreign missionaries, Dan and Lori Upchurch. His parents, who were recently evacuated from their home in Ukraine, are remaining in the region to help other refugees escape the Russian Army. Upchurch offered his perspective on the violent invasion as someone who has great love and concern for the people of Ukraine.

On the Ukraine mission field

"My parents have lived in that part of the world for the last 22 years," Upchurch said. "We became international missionaries in 2000 and spent the first part of that time in Kyiv, and so we were in Ukraine for language school. For most of the time I was there  and I was there for all of my junior high and high school  we lived in Belarus.

"We served there working as church planters. Essentially what we were doing was helping start new churches all across the lower region of Belarus, which is ironically where all those troops are set up right now  just outside the city where I grew up, so its crazy even thinking about that.

According to Upchurch, Mogilyov is the lowest region in Belarus where people can live safely before entering the area that was made uninhabitable after the Chernobyl nuclear power station released massive amounts of radioactive material into the environment in April 1986.

"It was considered the safe zone," Upchurch said. "I guess we were pretty safe  I dont glow in the dark or anything. I guess I turned out OK.

"After I moved back to the states, my two younger brothers moved to Ukraine. My dad took over a seminary program where for the last 12 years or so, he has worked with two seminary programs training pastors to go out all over Eastern Europe and start churches. Because of that, both he and my mom have worked with people all over Ukraine and that whole eastern block."

The city where Upchurch's parents made their home before being evacuated is a hive of activity as Ukrainians make an attempt to get out of the country.

"Theyre in Belarus sometimes, in Armenia sometimes, but they live in Lviv," he said. "Its become Grand Central Station right now because its where everybody is evacuating from. They had a stint in Kyiv and then theyve been in Lviv for the last six years. Theyve started churches. The church they just started, the only building that they could find to do this church, they could only get the basement of that building. Theyve been using the basement for the last little bit.

"They didnt know why that happened. They have a little fellowship room and the only couches that they could find to buy were all pullout couches. At the time they were asking, Why do we have these heavy couches to take down to this place? And now their church has been converted into a bomb shelter. They are like, God obviously knew what he was doing because we were just thinking that its kind of inconvenient that we have this basement and now its been a huge blessing that its there. So, its just absolutely wild!"

Helping other evacuees

Asked where his parents are now, Upchurch said, "My parents are in Poland right now. Three weeks ago, they were evacuated. The mission board they work for evacuated all of the missionaries from Ukraine. They didnt really have a choice in the matter. Having been there the longest, my dad ended up leading that. They had three days to get everybody out of the country, so they evacuated to Budapest at that point. They are now in Poland helping the refugees.

"When the war broke out, they were in Armenia with some friends trying to help with a church plant there. They just cant sit still! After the war broke out, they were either going to be sent home or sent to Poland. They were like, We know were called to help these people. They and two other missionaries that also live in Lviv are all working with the Polish pastors and leaders to organize humanitarian aid and provide spiritual help all across Poland.

Despite being refugees themselves, Upchurch's parents are spending all of their time and energy trying to help others find their way to safety.

"As of this morning, my mom was in the furthest west you can get in Poland, so she was almost in the Czech Republic," he said. "My dad was driving across Poland. They didnt bring anything with them to Poland. They just went to see if they could help, so he had to go back into Budapest and get some clothes, and hes driving across Poland trying to organize with other pastors and leaders so they can have different places for people to go all across the country.

"Theyre all fleeing into Poland, and theyre jammed there right after you cross the border. Once they get across, theyre trying to get as far away as they can. They went to the end of the line and now theyre working their way back asking, How can we get you here and keep you safe? Theyre right there on the front lines trying to help."

Caught by surprise

Upchurch explained that, while the Ukrainian people were always aware that there was the possibility of a Russian invasion, most were very surprised when it actually happened.

"From the perspective of actually being there, it was always one of those things of, Yes, he could do this at some point, but I dont think anyone actually thought it was going to happen," he said. "Even coming up to the last weeks leading to the war breaking out, I was talking to friends that were in Russia and they all saw it as political maneuvering. No one really thought that he was actually going to attack.

"Even when my parents were first pulled out, my dad was saying, I dont think hes going to do anything right now, and if he does, well probably be in a safer zone because hes not going to want to come this close to Poland. I dont think many people expected it to happen the way it did happen. They didnt live with that fear."

Upchurch was also surprised when Putin announced that Belarusian troops were going to be joining forces with the Russian Army in the invasion of Ukraine.

"Belarusians, Ukrainians, and Russians get along very well," he said. "They have a shared culture and history. Its heartbreaking to see the role Belarus is playing in this because having lived there, almost everyone that I knew that was in Belarus had family in Ukraine. They would vacation there. It was almost like living in Missouri and having someone in Nebraska or Tennessee.

"You dont think of them as different people, theyre just people in a different place. Theyve always had good relations and it seems like  from the people that Ive talked to and the coverage that I follow  a lot of the Russians dont want to do this because theres no animosity between the people."

According to Upchurch, Ukrainians have a unique culture that has survived over many centuries and has left them a very united and unique people.

"Ukraine has been around for so long  its one of the oldest empires in Europe and the Ukrainian people are incredibly nationalistic and very proud to be Ukrainians," he said. "In Belarus, every 200 years somebody takes them over so theyre kind of whoever, whatever, it doesnt matter.

"But Ukrainians arent like that at all. Theyre incredibly proud people, so Im not surprised they have taken the stance that they have, but, man, its heartbreaking to watch. Ive been very surprised at how well they have held their own. I definitely see Gods grace in that, for sure."

Prayers for Ukraine

Upchurch is praying for the Ukrainian people as they fight an army of almost unimaginable strength. Asked what things he is specifically praying for, he said, "The big one, obviously, is an end to the conflict altogether because lives are being lost. Ukraine is doing well holding its own, but when it really comes down to it, theyre drastically outnumbered and drastically outmatched. Aside from Gods intervention, they cant go on forever.

"Im also praying for the morale of the people and the gospel being spread even while this is happening. So many of the people who are in the country right now are separated from their families. The men have stayed because they have to, and from what Ive heard, the majority want to, but the women and children are on their own trying to cross the border.

Theres a family we know that lives in Lviv. They are right there at the Polish border, and theyve been on the border for five days trying to get out of the country. So, even evacuating, is not a fast process. Its taking time. Not only is there that fear but also the exhaustion of constantly being on the run and not being sure of whats going to happen.

"Were definitely praying for that and all the people who are trying to step in and help them, support them, and be there for them. Were definitely praying that they are able to reach out and remind them that theres hope  even though it all looks pretty hopeless to a lot of them right now."

How you can help

While there are many ways to contribute to the Ukrainian refugees, this is the method Upchurch suggests to donate money directly to them:

1. Go to [imb.org/give-now]

2. A box will appear in the middle of the screen that says "Choose an amount to give"

3. Choose One-Time Donation and enter the amount you would like to give.

4. In the middle of the screen there is a drop-down box that says, "Where do you want this to go?"

5. Scroll down and click "Missionary or Team"

6. In the box that says "Missionary name or Team" put: G11WUkraineRelief - Dan Upchurch

7. In the box that says "Affinity or Country" put: European Peoples

8. Hit give and then put in your financial information.

Kevin R. Jenkins is the managing editor of the Farmington Press and can be reached at 573-783-9667 or kjenkins@farmingtonpressonline.com

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The General Federation of Womens Clubs Monday Club of Farmington is in the process of applying for the National Register of Historic Places for the Long House in Farmington.

Karen Kleinberg, president of the Monday Club, is asking the public for information on the Long House as part of the application process.

To provide information on the history of Long House for the application that will be submitted to the National Register of Historic Places, contact Karen Kleinberg at kdkleinberg@yahoo.com or Jessie Williams at JessieWilliamsEO@yahoo.com.

They are focusing on how the Long House has been used since the 1950s when the ladies from the Monday Club kind of saved it from being torn down, she said. Theyre going in under social history as to how they want the house to be put on the register. In order for that to happen, I need to learn more about how the house has been used."

People have told the club about several different types of events held at Long House, including a daycare or nursery school.

We have been told that it was used as a daycare during World War II, but Im finding out from people whove responded  I did put something out on Facebook  that it was more during the 1950s when it was a nursery school, Kleinberg said. That was during the Korean War. Our thinking has been that those children who attended the daycare or nursery school during World War II may no longer be alive.

Kleinberg mentioned that the Long House was also used at one time by the Beta Sigma Phi sorority that packaged bandages for the American Red Cross.

We still have a big cabinet of all those bandages, she said.

The group needs as much information as possible about any type of event held at Long House. For instance, one woman told Kleinberg that she attended 4-H group meetings at the historical home.

We are wondering if there are other groups that used the Long House, she said. Were there weddings or wedding showers there? Were there baby showers or family reunions? What else was the house used for back in the 1950s until now? There are a lot of questions that a lot of us members dont know because we werent around or involved at that time.

The Long House is named after the Long Family, one of Farmington's founding families. The original section of the house was built in 1833 and had several additions over the years.

The Courthouse Square Historic District, East Columbia Historic District, Farmington State Hospital No. 4 Cemetery, James Robinson McCormick House, Presbyterian Orphanage of Missouri, and St. Francois County Jail and Sheriff's Residence are already listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Mark Marberry is a reporter for the Farmington Press and Daily Journal. He can be reached at 573-518-3629, or at mmarberry@farmingtonpressonline.com

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John J. Pershing VA Medical Center, in partnership with other medical centers in Missouri and Illinois, will host a town hall meeting for women veterans at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Any woman veteran can attend the virtual event by telephone, 1-855-962-1127. Participants also may join the discussion via video at access.live/womenveteranstownhall. However, neither the video link nor telephone number will be active until just before the town hall meeting begins.

We want all women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces to join us for this very important town hall meeting, said Chandra Miller, MSN, RN, CNL, interim medical center director of the Poplar Bluff VA and U.S. Air Force Veteran. For women Veterans who qualify for VA health benefits, we offer a full continuum of services that includes pelvic floor therapy and much more.

Miller explained the medical center has a dedicated women Veterans program manager, a women Veterans health director, a womens behavioral health champion, a womens primary care champion, a pelvic floor therapist, and a maternity/mammogram coordinator  for a total of 11 designated womens health providers. About 1,700 women Veterans are enrolled and receive care at John J. Pershing VA each year.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs VISN 15, also known as the VA Heartland Network, is comprised of the following VA medical centers:

Eastern Kansas Health Care System (Leavenworth/Topeka, Kansas)

Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans Hospital (Columbia, Missouri)

John J. Pershing VA Medical Center (Poplar Bluff, Missouri)

Kansas City VA Medical Center (Kansas City, Missouri)

St. Louis VA Health Care Systems (St. Louis, Missouri)

Marion VA Medical Center (Marion, Illinois)

Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center (Wichita, Kansas)

"During the town hall meeting, we will provide an overview of services the Veterans Health Administration has to offer our women Veterans, Miller said "We'll then open up the lines for questions and discussions. If you have served in the armed forces and you are interested in VA health care services for women, I hope you join us"

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Each year, Greene Countys American Legion Post 128 flies flags as a fundraiser supporting disabled vets in Virginia.

You can fly an American flag in memory of a veteran who gave all in serving our country or in honor of a veteran who serves/has served in our military. These flags are displayed surrounding the memorial statue in front of the American Legion Post 128 building located at 636 Madison Road in Stanardsville.

These American flags will fly on each of these important dates in 2022:

Memorial Day (Monday, May 30)

(Monday, May 30) Independence Day (Monday, July 4)

(Monday, July 4) Veterans Day (Friday, Nov. 11)

The cost to fly a flag is $25 and these funds support Operation Holiday Spirit, which provides gifts for veterans living at the VA Veterans Care Center.

To schedule a flag to fly for this ministry in honor or memory of your loved one, mail a check by May 16 to American Legion Post 128, P.O. Box 424, Ruckersville, Va. 22968.

Make checks out to American Legion Post 128 and put Flag Ministry 2022 in the memo line. Please include your contact information along with the veterans name, rank, branch of service and conflict they participated in. Additionally, you may provide a three- to four-line paragraph about the nature of the service experience of the veteran for whom the flag will fly.

Contact Legion Chaplain Doug Fargo at (434) 242-0146 or dougfargo123@gmail.com with questions.
The National Socialist Movement and its former leader Jeff Schoep have joined a growing list of rally lawsuit defendants seeking to reduce the hundreds of thousands of dollars in punitive damages directed at them through a federal lawsuit.

The prolific Sines v. Kessler federal lawsuit that sought to hold organizers and key participants responsible for the 2017 violence in Charlottesville has stretched past its November end date, prolonging the yearslong case.

The plaintiffs claimed victory after an 11-person jury found that the defendants engaged in a conspiracy, as defined by Virginia law, and imposed more than $26 million in fines.

However, several defendants are seeking either a new trial or reduced damages, citing the jurys lack of a verdict on a more specific federal conspiracy law that alleged racially motivated violence, and a disparity between punitive damages and compensatory damages.

In addition to Schoep and the National Socialist Movement, which filed motions Thursday, defendants Chris Cantwell, Jason Kessler, Nathan Damigo and Identity Evropa have filed motions to reconsider.

Schoep and the movements motions both argue that the court should alter its judgment granting damages of $500,000 and $1 million, respectively, due to the manifest injustice which would result from the implementation of such order as written.

In both motions, the parties attorney William E. ReBrook argues that ratio of punitive damages to compensatory damages violates the Constitutions due process clause and cites a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance case. In that case, ReBrook quoted that the SCOTUS ruled few awards exceeding a single-digit ratio between punitive and compensatory damages will satisfy due process.

Throughout both motions, ReBrook cites a variety of cases as both precedent and supporting evidence for why he believes the punitive damages, levied to punish his clients for their actions, should be reduced. The arguments are familiar. Other defendants have argued that punitive damages should be proportional to the compensatory damages, which the jury ordered to compensate plaintiffs for costs they suffered as a result of the plaintiffs actions.

But a charitable estimate of plaintiffs [Natalie Romero, April Muniz, Thomas Baker, Marissa Blair, Marcus Martin, Chelsea Alvarado and Devin Willis], actual harm caused by a civil conspiracy was $1, ReBrook wrote. The punishment ratios in this case, using these estimates of actual harm, would be 500,000 to 1 which is well above the single-, double-, or, rarely, triple-digit multiples that the courts have approved.

In Schoeps motion, ReBrook argues that plaintiffs counsel was relentless in their efforts to strike any mention of defendant Schoeps renunciation of white supremacist beliefs, and that this could have influenced the jurys decision.

Following the deadly Unite the Right rally, Schoep left the National Socialist Movement and has claimed to have abandoned his white supremacist views. He also founded the nonprofit Beyond Barriers, which purports to be a new approach of countering and preventing extremism.

Had plaintiffs counsel allowed testimony of the defendants current work to be heard, the jury would have been better equipped to determine the proper amount of punitive damage, if any, only against Defendant Schoep, ReBrook wrote. This prejudice is evidenced by the blanket judgment of $500,000 punitive damages award against all individual defendants.

Though Schoeps motion to amend or alter the judgment came recently, a month ago a motion was filed on behalf of Schoep that differed significantly from the others in that it was not filed by the defendant or his attorney.

Bearing the name of petitioner Daryl Davis, the motion for reconsideration is a collection of testimonials from Davis and others that argue Schoep has changed his ways since the deadly 2017 Unite the Right rally.

It was the influence and work of me (a Black Christian man) and my friend Deeyah Khan (a Brown-skinned Muslim woman) that was the impetus for [Schoep] to not only denounce his supremacist/nationalist ideology, but to dedicate his life towards deradicalizing those who remain in these movements and to prevent, especially young people, from being caught up and brainwashed into joining these movements, Davis wrote.

Included in Davis petition are more than a dozen testimonials from other people advocating for Schoeps change in character, including several people of the Jewish faith and self-purported far-right researchers.

According to Schoep, the filing was done by Davis without his input or prior knowledge.

It remains to be seen how the court will respond to Davis petition, which will likely hold little sway procedurally since he is not party to the lawsuit.

According to a post-trial scheduling order, defendants have until March 9 to file motions and supporting memoranda. According to the timeline, it appears unlikely that the federal court will rule on any of the post-trial motions until May, at the earliest.

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Former vice president Mike Pence will speak at the University of Virginia on April 12, the Young Americas Foundation announced Monday.

The event will be hosted by the University of Virginia Young Americans for Freedom chapter. Pence has been giving a series of talks through the national Young Americas Foundation.

Pence has recently spoken at University of Iowa, Texas A&M University, and Stanford University. At Stanford, students organized a walk-out and protest in response to Pences visit.

Organizers of the lecture series said in the announcement that Pence would share a pro-freedom, pro-America message.

Pence will speak at 7:00 p.m. in Old Cabell Hall at UVa. The free event will be open to the public.

Nick Cabrera, with UVas YAF chapter, said in the announcement that the political climate at UVa has become nearly inhospitable towards conservatives.

Bringing the 48th Vice President, Mike Pence, will allow for a reinvigorated sense of intellectual diversity across Jeffersons Campus, Cabrera said.

UVas Board of Visitors adopted a statement of free speech principals last June to outline the universitys commitment to free expression and free inquiry, affirming that all views, beliefs and perspectives deserve to be spoken and heard without interference.

Pence has had more than 30 years in politics, including losing bids for a congressional seat in 1988 and 1990. He was a conservative radio and television talk show host in the 1990s and elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000 in Indiana.

He was elected governor of Indiana in 2013 and Vice President in 2016 with President Donald Trump.

The pair lost the 2020 election and, despite Trumps urging him to overturn the election results, Pence, as sitting vice president, certified the election.
University of Virginia leadership has extended the contract of President Jim Ryan for another three years.

The UVA Board of Visitors last week voted unanimously to keep Ryan around until 2028. The decision came after a closed-door meeting of the board, during which members discussed the schools top administrators and the upcoming departure of Provost Liz Magill, who will take over as president of the University of Pennsylvania.

Jim Ryan has been a strong and focused leader for this community under extraordinary circumstances, UVa Rector Whitt Clement said. We are pleased that he has agreed to this extension and look forward to what the institution will accomplish under his leadership in the coming years.

Ryan joined UVa in August 2018, the ninth president the university has had since it was founded in 1819.

The school was originally designed to not have a president but to have administrative duties shared by the Board of Visitors. By the 20th century that proved too cumbersome and the decision was made to hire Edwin Alderman as UVas first president. He served from 1904 to 1931.

Clement noted Ryans effort to create and implement the schools strategic plan, built around the concept of the university being great and good in all of its efforts, from education and equity to being a member of the broader community.

Ryan and his team also kicked off Honor the Future, a $5 billion capital campaign for the school that has raised about $3.9 billion so far.

During his tenure, Ryan has been involved in the hiring of eight school deans, numerous administrators and the executive team that includes Magill. The university also boosted wages in pursuit of a living wage for all employees and contractors.

Ryans tenure has also seen the founding of the School of Data Science, the Karsh Institute of Democracy, and many others. The school has begun redeveloping the Emmet Street-Ivy Road Corridor to include the new schools and a new hotel and conference center.

Ryan and his team led the schools effort at enduring the pandemic, transitioning to online learning in the spring of 2020 and then developing programs to allow students to return to classes despite the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

The board also approved a three-year contract extension for UVa Chief Operating Officer J.J. Davis until 2028.

In addition, the board approved the appointment of current College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Dean Ian Baucom to replace Magill when she leaves. Magill begins her role as Penns president on July 1.

Ryan named Baucom as Magills successor in January, but the appointment required Board of Visitors approval.

With the departure of Provost Magill and our desire to retain top leadership as we come out of the pandemic, the success of the $5 billion capital campaign and as we continue to implement the 2030 Strategic Plan, the board considered whether it was an appropriate time to discuss President Ryan and an extension of his employment with the university, UVa Rector Whitt Clement said. His proven leadership is important for these next few years.

Ryan, a first-generation college student, earned a law degree at UVa and taught as a faculty member of law school. His current base salary of $750,000 annually was not changed.

Im grateful to the board for their trust, and Im excited to continue to move forward on the strategic plan and to work alongside some of the most talented leaders and scholars in all of higher education, Ryan said. Theres more to do, and as we return to more normal operations, Im optimistic that UVa will emerge stronger than ever and well prepared to serve the commonwealth, our nation and the world.

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The small ceremony held last Thursday in downtown Charlottesville recalled the slave auctions once held in that part of the city. In a time when Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin purges what he calls divisive concepts involving race from public schools, the observance showed why he and other Republicans are on the wrong side of history and education.

The Reclaimed Roots Descendants Alliance, a group whose relatives were enslaved, struck the right balance of beauty and brutality that provoked respect and regret. Above all, it empowered understanding.

The event took place on March 3, the date Union troops entered Charlottesville in 1865, confirming the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery.

Last weeks celebration of liberation offered a powerful speech by alliance president Myra Anderson, who is descended from people enslaved by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello. A soloist sang the spiritual Oh Freedom. Other participants read the names of enslaved relatives, followed by a group blessing using an African saying. It was all quite moving and comfortable.

Then, a young Black man stepped to the microphone and read from a narrative of a slave auction written by a child who had been sold as chattel. The descriptions of a grown man of 40 being referred to as a boy and people of all ages and genders referred to with the N-word struck the conscience like an overseers lash. The order for those being sold to bare their flesh so buyers could see that they were like compliant animals who bore no scars for resisting their fate left a lump in the throat. The emotions of a chjld being sold and separated from his family crushed the spirit.

The auctioneer in this recounting of inhuman savagery is White. So are the buyers of human beings who pay a few hundred dollars to own a person. Is this the kind of honesty that Youngkin and his ilk fear so much? Must this reality be repressed and its legacy removed from school curricula like pages torn from a history book and thrown in a fire?

Determining where learning ends and grotesque fascination with torture begins might be a worthy topic of discussion for educators. As a society, America seems titillated by violence rather than repelled. Context, not censorship, is the answer. The descendants alliance set out to honor people who endured horrific abuse that made many of them martyrs on a road to freedom for future generations. Anderson said the group needed to understand the extent of their tribulations to acknowledge the debt they owed their forebears.

Others may need to understand somebody elses struggles to find the motivation to change. For instance, if every American had watched the entire nine-minute video of the police killing George Floyd, we believe the nations basic goodness would have forged a much more unified reaction to his death.

Anderson, who is Black, told The Daily Progress that she worries most about those who dont want to know what their ancestors did. Her celebration of Liberation Day was a chance to let a Black perspective drive the story.

This is hard to do that without making some White folks feel guilty or at least embarrassed. That was not Andersons mission last week. Nor was it the mission of those divisive concepts being purged from school curricula.

Hiding the ugly past from school children will not produce a more enlightened generation of future leaders. It will only distort their vision.

I am comfortable with people being uncomfortable, Anderson said. You cant pay tribute [to enslaved people] without first acknowledging their pain.

Myra Anderson and others in the Reclaimed Roots Descendants Alliance knew they could not truly honor enslaved relatives without first confronting their suffering. In the same way, a country that wants to move beyond race cannot do so by embracing policies that ignore it.

The lyrics of Oh Freedom, which sound so sweet when sung, actually tell a sad story about life and death that drives this point home.

Oh, freedom!

Oh, freedom!

Oh, freedom over me!

And before Id be a slave

Ill be buried in my grave

And go home to my Lord and be free
A $2.9 million contract to restore the Shimanek Covered Bridge on Thomas Creek was approved by Linn County Commissioners on Tuesday, March 8.

The contract was awarded to the construction company Marcum & Sons LLC based in Redmond.

Marcum made the lowest qualifying bid for the project back in February, or about $100,000 more than its competitor, who failed to clear state bidding criteria.

Around 90% of the restoration project's costs will be funded through grant money from the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Linn County Engineer Daineal Malone said in an interview after the meeting the restoration will close the surrounding area on Richardson Gap Road from April 18 through Oct. 26.

Residents in the region  like Paulina Weintraub, who owns Lacomb Lavender Farm with her husband  said in an interview the road closure should be uneventful for businesses like theirs.

"I imagine we should be fine," Weintraub said. "We might have some trucks coming and going, but there are workarounds."

The Shimanek Covered Bridge is among 50 historic bridges left standing in Oregon and a half-dozen in Linn County.

Built in 1966, the Shimanek Covered Bridge is the fifth bridge to overlook Thomas Creek on Richardson Gap Road.

A federally-recognized historical landmark, the bridge is in need of new paint and a new wooden truss, among other repairs.

The restoration work on the covered bridge is expected to begin on Apr. 18.

Tim Gruver covers the city of Albany and Linn County. He can be contacted at 541-812-6114 or Tim.Gruver@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter via @T_TimeForce.

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Ukraines three major operators Kyivstar, Lifecell and Vodafone Ukraine have enabled free roaming between their networks in a bid to ensure continued communications as Russia continues to pursue a war in the nation.

The operators are prompting users to try connecting to one of the other networks if they are unable to connect to their own. Doing so involves switching off automatic network selection on the device, with users advised to try connecting to each network until they are able to obtain a signal. If none of the networks connect, users are advised to restart their devices and try again. Customers are also asked to attempt reconnecting to their usual network daily.

CommsUpdate reports that the roaming service is currently being offered in the regions of Kharkiv, Kherson, Sumy, Poltava, Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kirovohrad and Mykolaiv, but will soon be expanded nationwide.

The Ukrainian News Agency quoted Vodafone Ukraines press secretary Viktoriya Pavlovska as saying: We united and launch national roaming. You can switch to the network of other Ukrainian operators if your own network is temporarily unavailable. It will be possible to make calls and send SMS  We are launching gradually, we look at how it works. We start from the war zone, then the geography of the service will expand throughout Ukraine.

The United Kingdoms Ministry of Defence recently stated that Russia appeared to be targeting communications networks as it continues its invasion of Ukraine. Kyivstar and Vodafone Ukraines networks have reportedly been disrupted in the city of Kherson following its occupation by Russian forces.
Liberia has a telecom market which is mainly based on mobile networks, largely due to the protracted civil war which destroyed much of the fixed-line infrastructure.

The fixed-line incumbent telco rebranded as LTC Mobile in January 2022has struggled with mismanagement and government neglect. Its revenue is inadequate to allow it to invest in network infrastructure, and it has failed to make inroads in the market.

In an attempt to rectify this dire situation, the government in late 2020 awarded LTC Mobile a GSM licence, thereby hoping that the company could branch into mobile voice and data services and thus generate revenue. However, the process is a gamble since it will compete with the two established operators MTN Liberia and Orange Liberia, both of which have considerably greater resources and experience. To facilitate LTC Mobiles market entry, the government in January 2022 set in train amendments to telecom legislation though it is uncertain what results these may have in the long term.

Internet services are available from a number of wireless ISPs as well as the mobile operators. The high cost and limited bandwidth of connections means that internet access is expensive and penetration rates are very low. Although additional bandwidth is available from an international submarine cable, considerable investment is still needed in domestic fixed-line infrastructure before end-users can make full use of the cable.

The harmonisation of a disorderly mobile licensing and spectrum allocation regime has caused some difficulties, and market penetration remains low compared to other countries in the region. Penetration has also been affected by SIM card registration requirements imposed in recent years.

The market is ineffectively monitored by the telecom regulator, which lacks the resources, technical expertise, and documentation to enforce its orders. As a result, a number of operators are able to avoid paying fees to the government and have continued to operate despite the regulators rulings that they must close down their services.

Key developments:

National carrier Libtelco is rebranded as LTC Mobile ahead of its launch of GSM services;

CSquared is approved to deploy fibre infrastructure covering all of Liberia;

Regulator tightens SIM card registration scheme;

MNOs again investigated for poor QoS;

Global Voice Group (GVG) delivers International Gateway Management System;

Regulator to receive portion of operator revenue under new payment regime;

Report update includes telcos operating data to Q3 2021, updated Telecom Maturity Index charts and analyses, assessment of the global impact of the pandemic on the telecoms sector, recent market developments.

Get a Full Copy of this Report

Developing Telecoms market report summaries are produced in partnership with BuddeComm, the worlds largest continually updated online telecommunications research service.

The above article is a summary of the following BuddeComm report:

Report title: Liberia - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Edition: February 2022

Analysts: Henry Lancaster, Peter Lange

Number of pages: 100

Companies mentioned in this report: LTC Mobile (Liberia Telecommunications Corporation, Libtelco), MTN Liberia (LoneStar), Cellcom, Comium (Novafone), LiberCell, Globacom, West Africa Telecom (WAT)

Single User PDF Licence Price: US$890

For more information or to purchase a copy of the full report please use the following link: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Liberia-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?r=83
Vodafone Oman commemorated the official launch of its operations on Sunday (March 6) at the Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM).

In his speech during the ceremony, Bader al Zidi, CEO of Vodafone in Oman said the launch of Vodafone in Oman would mark a revolution in the technology sector. "We will do things differently and digitally from the start and, we are exactly that different and we are truly digital, he claimed.

"We strive to be a major contributor to enhancing the in-country value, whether by enhancing the percentage of national competencies in our local team, which today reaches 95% or by providing work contracts to local Omani companies that are leading in their field of various sizes," Bader said.

According to local media reports, Vodafone launched its operations with the opening of its Experience Hub in the Mall of Oman, late last year, alongside an exclusive launch offer for its subscribers. Customers looking to join the Vodafone network can simply register and receive the service, quickly and easily.

Jan Holzberg, commercial director of Vodafone Oman claimed that the operator received tens of thousands of download requests during the first initial days of the offer. "This is a positive indicator for the future of Vodafone and we look forward to providing a state-of-the-art and digitalised experience for telecommunication subscribers here in Oman, in the upcoming period, Jan added.
Despite a setback from the EU, the Czech Telecommunication (CTU) Office is drafting new measures to spur competition and designating incumbent MNOs as having significant market power.

Last month the EUs executive branch the European Commission blocked the regulators move to force operators to give favourable wholesale prices to MVNO looking to enter the Czech market, stating this was incompatible with European law.

Regulated wholesale prices were reported to have doubled in 2020 making it near impossible for MVNOs to turn a profit.

The CTU stated there was unfavourable conditions for new entrants to the market meaning they would not be able to produce competitive offerings. The regulator designated O2, T-Mobile and Vodafone as having significant market power (SMP),

CommsUpdate reported, under the CTU's new temporary measures operators that are SMPs will have the obligation to offer two mobile service regulatory packages in all its existing mobile network access agreements across 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G.

The CTU will also ban margin squeezing by setting a maximum wholesale price, and force operators to allow access on wholesale packages to non-discriminatory terms even when striking a deal for an MVNO play. The regulation will come in for 18 months when activated.

Chair of the CTO Council, Hana Toverkova, said prices for consumers in the country is one of the highest in Europe, calling for the regulator to be steadfast and continue to sway EU law.

The law gives us that opportunity. The Council did not consider it justifiable to ignore it. We hope that the specific proposed regulatory packages will contribute to lower prices on the retail market, said Toverkova.
Indian multinational telecommunications services company Bharti Airtel and compatriot banking and financial services company Axis Bank have announced a strategic partnership to bring to market a range of financial offerings and digital services exclusively for Airtels more than 340 million customers.

The tie-up will also cover future collaboration on cyber security and data and cloud centres, said a statement from the Indian ICT service provider operating in 18 countries across South Asia and Africa, as well as the Channel Islands.

Financial offerings will include co-branded credit cards, pre-approved instant loans and buy now pay later offerings among others. The alliance, with its significant reach across the country, will help penetrate tier-2 and tier-3 markets by enabling higher adoption of digitised payments, said the statement.

The credit card will be available for eligible Airtel customers via the Airtel Thanks app.

Additionally, Axis Bank will leverage Airtels suite of digital services such as its C-PaaS platform - Airtel IQ which spans voice, messaging, video, streaming, call masking, and virtual contact centre solutions, to enhance digital capabilities. Axis Bank will also use various cyber security services from Airtel. Going forward, the companies will further explore collaborating across Cloud and Data Centre services.

Gopal Vittal, MD and CEO (India and South Asia), Bharti Airtel said:  Through this win-win telco-bank partnership, Airtel customers will get access to Axis Banks world-class financial services portfolio and exclusive benefits, while Axis Bank will benefit from Airtels strong digital capabilities and deep distribution reach.

Amitabh Chaudhry, MD, and CEO, Axis Bank said, This one of its kind collaboration will help widen the access to credit and various digital financial offerings from Axis Bank for Airtels 340 million customers. On the other hand, we will leverage Airtels widespread reach and services ranging from mobility and DTH to utility bill payments offering our customers the opportunity to maximise value, while also aiding the digital economy exponentially.
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The Auburn University College of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, in partnership with other academic colleges and administrative offices, will host the first international cross-laminated timber, or CLT, conference to be held in the southern United States next month at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center.

The three-day event titled The Sustainable Future of CLT in the South: Grow. Design. Build. will be held April 27-29 and will feature renowned experts in forestry, building sciences, engineering and architecture and design who will share the latest CLT research, trends and developments in the South.

CLT is a prefabricated wood panel made from wood stacked and glued crosswise in alternating directions to create pressed layers. This unique engineering gives the panel exceptional strength and strong fire protection, while remaining lighter and creating less waste during installation than conventional alternatives, such as concrete and steel.

It is considered a sustainable material that is safe and cost-effective for commercial construction while offering structural simplicity and design versatility.

Because of its relative structural strength, appearance, ability to sequester carbon and numerous other benefits, the growing use of CLT in the South benefits developers, contractors, architects, engineers, foresters and landowners.

Following a design and theme centered on the CLT supply chain, plenary and concurrent sessions will explore diverse topics, including current and future implications for forest management, the wood products sector, mass timber markets and economies. Presenters also will discuss the importance of certified, sustainable wood materials and products in the green building industry and the structural design, construction, performance and operation of CLT buildings.

The conference will feature experts from Auburn, Clemson University, the University of Miami, Mississippi State University, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, or SFI, the Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials, or CORRIM, WoodWorks Wood Products Council, TimberLab Inc., SmartLam North America, Cooper Carry Architects and RDH Building Science.

This is an amazing opportunity for a variety of stakeholders to come together to network, learn about and share the latest advancements within the CLT and sustainable wood products industries, said conference planner Adam Maggard, assistant professor and Alabama Extension specialist in the College of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences. This synergy makes this conference a truly one-of-a-kind premier event.

Among the keynote speakers is Jeff Peters, regional director of WoodWorks in Alabama, Florida and Louisiana. Peters, whose role is to provide education and free technical support to help project teams realize successful wood buildings, is seeing tremendous interest in CLT for its sustainability and performance.

This conference reflects the wonderful confluence of growing demand and significant effort on the part of landowners and manufacturers to bring innovative wood products to market, Peters said. Its also especially well-timed, given the tall wood options now available to designers in Birmingham. Its a great opportunity for design professionals to learn more about CLT and hear a variety of perspectives.

Two concurrent sessions will focus on forestry, mills, manufacturing and markets and architecture, building construction and engineering. Both sessions will also include presentations on sustainability related to each sessions theme.

We have designed the concurrent sessions to address the unique needs of multiple audiences, including designers, builders, contractors, academia, landowners, producers and suppliers, Maggard said.

Additionally, participants may choose from one of two tours that showcase CLT manufacturing and construction in Alabama. The first tour will visit the SmartLam North America CLT manufacturing plant in Dothan, the first of its kind in the region. At this facility, participants will learn how CLT is engineered and prefabricated to a building project's exact specifications and requirements.

Attendees who choose the second tour will visit Auburns recently completed 41,500-square-foot Advanced Structural Engineering Lab to learn about CLT structural testing research. Partially designed using CLT, this laboratory features a 4,700-cubic-foot geotechnical test chamber and a wind testing facility.

Following the lab, the tour will continue to the Hey Day Market located at the Tony and Libba Rane Culinary Science Center at Auburn University. The 9,000-square-foot building houses a dining hall and business center and was constructed using CLT and glue-laminated timber, or GLT.

In addition to the various CLT building projects underway at Auburn, the College of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences actively works to increase awareness of the many benefits of CLT and to promote its use for construction in Alabama and beyond through its innovative research and outreach initiatives.

Given the widespread economic impact of CLT in the state and region, we feel it is important that Auburn should host this conference with its partners in the College of Architecture, Design and Construction, Samuel Ginn College of Engineering and the offices of Sustainability and Planning, Design and Construction, Maggard said.

Accommodations will be available at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center. More information about registration, sponsorship and exhibit opportunities is available on the conference website.
Zain KSA and Huawei announced the launch of the Middle East and Norther Africa's first 5G LAN network in the country, as the operator aims to tap into the growing B2B demand for 5G services.

In a press statement, Huawei said Zain is now capable of commercial deployment and "large scale replication" of 5G private networks and bringing new products to the MENA B2B market.

The equipment vendor explained 5G is now a vital component in global ICT infrastructure which accelerates digital transformation for multiple industries. Through 5G LAN, businesses are enabled to simplify their network architecture, efficient deployment, and centralized network operations and maintenance.

Going forward, Zain and Huawei will develop solutions based on scenarios that are relevant to enterprises.

Zain KSAs CTO Abdulrahman bin Hamad AlMufadda said: "We will focus on exploring the new technology capability, such as 5G LAN, backed by our partnerships with the tech leader Huawei, to achieve our objectives in promoting economic growth and sustainable development, in line with Saudi Vision 2030.
The wait for reliable connectivity is not going to be over for Tonga for some while. Recent reports suggest that the cable connecting the Tongan islands, which was ripped apart by January's devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami, could take a year to fix.

Although the Southern Cross Cable, connecting Tonga to the world, was repaired just over a week ago, up to 110 km of submarine cable may be needed before the country can repair the damage to its domestic system.

The Radio New Zealand website quotes Tonga Cable chief executive James Panuve as saying that this is a special cable that may have to be manufactured in France. It is not easily sourced locally; no neighbouring cable operators have any of this cable type.

We are looking worldwide for anyone with spare cable of this type, failing which, we will need to order it from Alcatel in France, which could take six to nine months to manufacture and deliver, he said.

The cable ship Reliance departed the cable site on Monday after successfully recovering both ends of the domestic cable. However, the middle section could be more problematic as it may have been deeply buried under debris from the volcano eruption of 15 January. Without proper survey equipment it is hard to tell what has happened to the cable system. Water depth in this area is between 1.6 to 1.8 km," Panuve said.

The upshot is that a year is the repair estimate at the moment.
Altan Redes, the Mexican public-private initiative that seeks to expand mobile communications coverage in remote areas of Mexico, has been granted an extension of its coverage target timescale.

The countrys telecoms regulator, the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT), has said that Altan will now have until 24 January 2028 to meet its commitment to achieve coverage of 92.2% of the population.

The extension is, says IFT, because Altan currently faces what are described as material and economic impediments. The new timescale means that Altan, which is currently going through a commercial bankruptcy process, now has another four years to meet the coverage target. Altan was declared insolvent in November 2021, a process that allows it to continue operating while negotiating with its creditors.

IFT also gave Altan more time to cover at least 70% of the population. It should have done so this January. It now has until 20 November.

By 17 December last year, the Altan Shared Network reached 69.58% of the population with its 4.5G coverage, according to a company statement.

Altan's infrastructure allows MVNOs to offer their services directly to their clients and compete with other companies in the sector, such as America Movil or AT&T. According to the Bloomberg Linea news service, as of December, Altan had 112 clients offering services to five million end users.

However, as we reported last week, one Altan partner, Megacable, recently decided that, as well as running services on Altan, it would improve its service through an alliance with AT&T Mexico, which both has greater coverage and allows the customer to use an iPhone and other cellular models that are not approved for the Altan network.
OZARKAn animal hospital here is closed after it cut ties with a veterinarian accused of cruelty to animals in his care.

Dr. Timothy Richard Logan, 57, was arrested and charged with two counts of cruelty to animals on April 8 of last year.

The investigation began days earlier when a viral video showed Logans handling of a cat in an exam room at the Andrews Avenue Animal Clinic.

Several pictures showing the cat bloodied with a swollen mouth.

The video and attached post stoked public outrage. Animal activists set up shop outside the veterinary clinic for days with posters decrying Logans treatment of the elderly cat, calling for his license to be revoked.

Business at the clinic waned after many social media users publicized themselves going to the clinic to retrieve their pets medical records.

On Jan. 10 of this year, a letter was posted outside of the clinic saying that Logan was no longer practicing at the clinic and management was trying to find a veterinarian to fill the position. Apparently there were no takers and the clinic closed for veterinary business on Jan. 31.

I regret the inconvenience and timing of this decision, the letter posted outside the business stated. I want to express my gratitude for all of the dedication from my current and former employees, eight of whom went on to veterinary school.

Truly this has been a practice where the people I served were friends and not clients. I appreciate everyones support, kindness, and friendship for the last 40 years. You will be missed.

Its unclear who wrote the letter but Logan and Dr. Sara Bray were penned on the letterhead.

The animal hospitals phone service has been disconnected.

Logans case is in the Ozark Municipal Court, but his lawyer David Harrison previously told media he was trying to get the case moved to Dale County Circuit Court where Harrison could receive a jury trial.

Harrison did not respond to calls on Monday for comment.

Cruelty to animals is a Class A misdemeanor and punishable by a fine of not more than $3,000 and/or imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year.

Sable Riley is a Dothan Eagle staff writer and can be reached at sriley@dothaneagle.com or 334.712.7915. Support her work and that of other Eagle journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at dothaneagle.com .
When her daughter was diagnosed with cancer, Tetiana Shatokhina didn't hesitate to make the trip back to Ukraine to help her recover from surgery and care for her 14-year-old grandson. But the 75-year-old disabled American citizen found herself trapped alongside her family in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city.
Containers stuck near the Vietnam-China border in Lang Son Province in December 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh

China has blocked entry to vehicles through Vietnams Huu Nghi Border Gate in Lang Son Province after finding some drivers infected with Covid-19.

The border has been closed since Sunday to test officials and people on the Chinese side, and it is not known when it would reopen, Lang Son customs officials said.

As of Monday over 1,700 container trucks were stuck at the border in Lang Son Province, including 1,097 carrying fresh agricultural produce.

Huu Nghi accounted for 54 percent of the total number.

Lang Son has said it would stop allowing trucks carrying fresh fruits to the border until March 15, extending a previous deadline by 10 days.

Vietnam earned $1.75 billion from exporting fruits and vegetables to China in the first 11 months of 2021, up 3.6 percent year-on-year despite Covid-19, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.
With drug stores requiring doctor prescriptions to sell Covid-19 drugs containing molnupiravir, patients are turning to get them in the black market.

Hanoi resident Quang, 35, was asked by relatives in Bac Giang Province, which borders the capital city, if he could help buy a box of the molnupiravir drug.

On Sunday, he checked with several groups on social media to see if he could buy the drug online.

Shortly after, he received dozens of offers to sell the drug.

Some left a phone number for him to contact, some advertised 96 made-in-Vietnam pills for VND1 million ($44). Others sent him photos of drugs, including those imported from India, for VND1 million and more.

"There are too many sellers, too many prices. Some even offered me wholesale deals, but all transactions are made online and I could not tell which one was credible," Quang said.

Finally, he decided to buy a box of Molnupiravir Stella as "it was the one on the newspaper."

His relative in Bac Giang had contracted Covid-19 four days earlier and been experiencing symptoms of fatigue, chills and fever. While the patient was already registered with the communes medical center, buying molnupiravir was not possible without a doctor's prescription.

The Ministry of Health approved three anti-Covid-19 drugs containing molnupiravir for emergency use last month and several drug stores have started selling them.

However, many people have not been able to buy them because drug stores will only sell molnupiravir drugs to Covid-19 patients with documents to confirm their infection and a valid doctor's prescription.

Last week, Khue, 40, another Hanoi resident, visited many drug stores to get the medicine for her husband, but no one agreed to sell it to her without a prescription with a stamp from doctors.

Her husband got Covid-19 for the first time in January and as he was struggling with long Covid, he got infected again, recently. He wants to take the drug and get the virus out his system as soon as possible.

The family cannot reach out to the medical center in their ward for needed documents as it is overloaded with patients.

On her friends advice, Khue bought two boxes of molnupiravir at VND300,000 each from an online seller named Phuong Anh.

"The more I get the drug the more I can sell as the demand is so high," said Phuong Anh.

Anh is selling Vietnam-made drug at VND750,000 per box of 100 pills and VND250,000-300,000 per box of 20 pills. The Indian drug will cost three times higher as it is more effective, she added.

In HCMC, Huy, who advertises himself as a pharmacist with 20 years of experience, is selling molnupiravir to whoever wants it.

He said he has been selling out repeatedly. Huy is offering different brands, with product prices ranging from VND250,000 to VND1.2 million.

Public health risk

Drug manufacturers, including Boston Pharmaceutical JSC Vietnam and Sellapharm J.V. Co. Ltd, have confirmed that they will only supply drugs under contract to pharmacies and not retail them in the market.

On March 5, the Ministry of Health proposed that the prime minister allows people to use video recording of a patient taking the rapid test and showing the positive result for buying molnupiravir from drug stores in order to avoid further overloading of the healthcare system.

"Its very dangerous when people turn to the black market for this drug as they could end up buying counterfeit products, not to mention pay high prices," said medical expert Tran Si Tuan, former editor-in-chief of Suc Khoe & Doi Song, a publication of the Health Ministry.

Doctor Do Van Dung, head of the Public Health Department of the HCMC University of Medicine and Pharmacy, said "in taking the drugs sold online without guidance from doctors, both the quality and quantity of the drugs are not guaranteed and this could lead to drug resistance, creating a public health risk."
An American fugitive wanted since 2012 for sexual abuse of a minor has been arrested and returned to the U.S. in a joint effort with Vietnamese government agencies.

The U.S. Consulate General in HCMC said in a press release Tuesday that Michael Pierre Boumal, a 65-year-old fugitive, was taken to the U.S. on Jan 19 this year.

Boumal, who had been wanted since 2012, by the Forks Township Police Department in Easton, Pennsylvania, for sexual assault of a minor under 11, was arrested by U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Michael Boumal is wanted in the U.S. for sexual abuse of a minor. Photo courtesy of Forks Township Police Department

After learning that Boumal had overstayed his Vietnam visa by two years, U.S. officials had located him in Hanoi. Then the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), Assistant Regional Security Officer - Investigations worked with Vietnamese immigration authorities, the Hanoi police and the Forks Township Police Department to have Boumal arrested and returned to the U.S.

DSS special agents at the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi and in Washington, D.C., along with the USMS and host-nation law enforcement agencies, were all instrumental in the return of Boumal, the press release said.

"Boumal's arrest serves as a reminder that U.S. law enforcement will never stop seeking criminals who improperly attempt to use other countries as sanctuaries," it said.
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Two officials at the Military Medical Academy in Hanoi were arrested Tuesday for their involvement in the test kit fraud of Viet A Technology Corporation.

Colonel Ho Anh Son, deputy director of the academys Military Medical Research Institute, is being investigated for "embezzlement" and "abuse of power and official position" in line with the Penal Code while Senior Colonel Nguyen Van Hieu, head of the Equipment and Supplies Department, is under investigation for "violating regulations on bidding, causing serious consequences."

Son was head of the research project to study and produce Covid-19 test kits in collaboration with Ho Chi Minh City-based medical tech firm Viet A Technology Corporation.

Phan Quoc Viet, general director of Viet A, admitted in January that he had inflated the price of a Covid-19 test kit by 45 percent and sent around VND800 billion ($35.2 million) as "bonuses" to company partners.

Viet said he had bribed certain individuals to earn over VND500 billion.

The police said he had conspired with leaders of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in several localities to win bids for his companys Covid-19 test kits, and bribed Director of the Hai Duong CDC Pham Duy Tien with VND27 billion.

Ho Anh Son, Deputy Director of the Military Medical Research Institute at the Military Medical Academy, December 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Gia Chinh

Colonel Son told VnExpress last December, shortly after Viet was arrested, that Viet A had joined the research team to produce the test kit from the beginning because of the urgent demand for domestic use.

"The test kit produces high accuracy and Viet A's violations have nothing to do with the research project," he said.

Last Friday, the Communist Party's Central Inspection Committee, the Partys top watchdog, concluded that the Standing Committee of Military Medical Academys Party Committee had violated the principle of democratic centralism and the working regulations of the Party aside from being irresponsible and loosening leadership and supervision to allow officials at the academy to violate regulations when proposing and performing national-level scientific and technological tasks, which are studying and manufacturing the test kit in collaboration with Viet A.

Related to the Viet A scam, 21 people are now under investigation and assets worth VND1.6 trillion in total have been seized.

Among them are Nguyen Nam Lien, head of the Financial Planning Department under the Ministry of Health, Nguyen Minh Tuan, former head of ministrys Department of Medical Equipment and Construction, and Trinh Thanh Hung, deputy head of the Department of Science and Technology for Economic-Technical Branches under the Ministry of Science and Technology. They are being probed for "abuse of power and official position."

Directors of several CDCs, including those of Nghe An, Binh Duong, Bac Giang and Hai Duong provinces have been arrested for "violating regulations on bidding, causing serious consequences."
Families say goodbye to each other before parting for their hometowns.

On March 10 and March 12, two more special flights will head to Poland and Romania to bring Vietnamese citizens home.

Russia began a "special military operation" on Ukraine on Feb 24. Over 3,500 ethnic Vietnamese residents have evacuated Ukraine since Russia began its attack.

Before the conflict broke out, around 7,000 Vietnamese were living in Ukraine, mostly in major cities like Kyiv (around 800 people), Kharkiv (around 3,000) and Odessa (around 3,000).
The DPRK launched its 10th ballistic missile this year on February 27, once again violating multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions. The United States, along with 10 other nations, condemned in the strongest terms the DPRKs actions as unlawful and destabilizing.



Japanese and the Republic of Korea authorities reported that the DPRK missile flew over 300 kilometers and reached 600 kilometers in altitude before landing in the waters between Korea and Japan.



This activity is prohibited by multiple Security Council resolutions.



In delivering the joint statement from the 11 countries on the DPRKs action, Ambassador Jeff DeLaurentis, Senior Advisor for Political Affairs at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, called on all UN Security Council members to speak with one voice in condemning these dangerous and unlawful acts. Albania, Brazil, France, Ireland, Japan, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States have previously expressed our concerns clearly and unequivocally. The chorus of voices condemning the DPRKs action grows, he said, as today we are joined by Australia, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea.



We urge all Member States to implement fully all Security Council resolutions relating to the DPRK, he continued. These Security Council resolutions also obligate the DPRK to abandon its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner. The international sanctions regime is an important tool for addressing this threat to international peace and security.



The United States and the DPRK have not held formal talks in more than two years, but the United States has repeatedly made clear its readiness to engage in serious and sustained diplomacy with Pyongyang.



Ambassador DeLaurentis again urged the DPRK to choose the path of diplomacy to ease regional tensions and promote international peace and security. We stand ready to engage in dialogue, he declared, and we will not waver in our pursuit of peace and stability.
ISIS, and those inspired by it, continue to engage in heinous attacks wherever and however they can, declared U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis, Senior Advisor for Special Political Affairs at the United Nations. The group attempts to exploit humanitarian crises, and recruit and radicalize to violence members of vulnerable populations and attack civilians.

Recently, U.S. troops conducted an operation in Syria against ISIS that resulted in the death of the leader of ISIS, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, also known as Amir Muhammad Said Abdal-Rahman al-Mawla or Hajji Abdallah. Under Abdallahs leadership, ISIS provided material support to its Afghanistan branch, ISIS-Khorasan, which was responsible for the heinous attack on the Hamid Karzai International Airport that killed more than 130 civilians and 18 U.S. service members.

The high cost of ISIS brutality is borne out in the human tragedy of the over 40,000 foreign nationals, including tens of thousands of innocent children, currently residing in displaced persons camps.

This situation is unacceptable, and is a humanitarian, human rights, and security crisis, said Ambassador DeLaurentis. The United States is repatriating its citizens and calling on other nations to do likewise.

Financing continues to be the lifeblood for terrorists, warned Ambassador DeLaurentis. We must bolster our efforts to go after terrorist financiers and financial facilitators, and stymie vital resource streams that exploit weak regulatory oversight in vulnerable jurisdictions.

The United States is especially concerned about the increasing terrorism threat in areas of Africa. ISIS and its branches and networks have metastasized in pockets across Africa and grafted extremist ideology onto long-simmering conflicts, providing them new volatility and lethality. ISIS-West Africa has grown into one of the most lethal ISIS branches outside Iraq and Syria. The United States continues to work with African partners on counterterrorism programs.

It is vital that the international community continue to deny safe haven for terrorist groups, including those in Afghanistan. As President Biden has stressed, Well hold the Taliban accountable for its commitment not to allow any terrorists to threaten the United States or its allies from Afghan soil.

Globally, promoting good governance, rule of law and accountability, inclusive democracy, and respect for human rights mitigates the conditions and grievances conducive to violent extremism and terrorism used to recruit, said Ambassador DeLaurentis.

The international community must remain united in its commitment to stamp out the scourge of terrorist organizations such as ISIS and its extremist ideology, wherever it exists.
The Russian governments propaganda machine is making every effort to prevent its own citizens, the Russian people, from learning the true nature and scope of Vladimir Putins senseless and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. In the days and weeks prior to the attack, Russian state media, social media platforms and news outlets across the country were filled with outrageous disinformation, spreading wild claims with the goal of convincing the Russian people that Russias armed forces needed to invade Ukraine to demilitarize and de-nazify Ukraine, both blatant lies.



Since the beginning of the invasion on February 24, the Russian government has turned its efforts to preventing Russian citizens from finding out whats really going on in Ukraine, including outlawing the use of the term war in this context.



The Kremlin is engaged in a full assault on media freedom and the truth, and Moscows efforts to mislead and suppress the truth of the brutal invasion are intensifying, said State Department Spokesperson Ned Price in a written statement.



On March 1, Russias Prosecutor General ordered RosKomNadzor, the government media and communications censorship agency, to restrict access to the well-respected, independent outlets Ekho Moskvy Radio and TV Dozhd , blocking their websites and ability to broadcast. Russias Federation Council has since enacted a law threatening prison sentences of up to 15 years for the spread of false information about Russian military operations.



Russias government is also throttling Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram platforms that tens of millions of Russias citizens rely on to access independent information and opinions and to connect with each other and the outside world, said Spokesperson Price. This is yet another way by which the government limit[s] where and how Russian citizens can see and share evidence of the truth of Russias invasion of Ukraine.



The people of Russia did not choose this war. Putin did. They have a right to know about the death, suffering, and destruction being inflicted by their government on the people of Ukraine, said Spokesperson Price.



The people of Russia also have a right to know about the human costs of this senseless war to their own soldiers. We call upon Putin and his government to honor Russias international obligations and commitments, to immediately cease this bloodshed, withdraw its troops from Ukraines territory, and to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of their own citizens.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russias military forces and intelligence services to invade Ukraine. Putin calculated that Russias army could once again breach Ukraines borders with little more repercussion than condemnation by the world, despite the United States and its Allies and partners promises of swift and severe consequences, and following extensive diplomatic efforts to discuss Russias security concerns. Putin calculated wrong.



Vladimir Putin sought to shake the foundations of the free world, thinking he could make it bend to his menacing ways. But he badly miscalculated. He thought he could roll into Ukraine and the world would roll over, said President Joe Biden in his State of the Union Address on March 1. He thought the West and NATO wouldnt respond. And he thought he could divide us at home. Putin was wrong. We were ready.



We prepared extensively and carefully. We spent months building a coalition of other freedom-loving nations from Europe and the Americas to Asia and Africa to confront Putin.



We shared with the world in advance what we knew Putin was planning and precisely how he would try to falsely justify his aggression, said President Biden. We countered Russias lies with truth. And now that he has acted, the free world is holding him accountable.



We are cutting off Russias largest banks from the international financial system. Preventing Russias central bank from defending the Russian Ruble making Putins $630 Billion war fund worthless. We are choking off Russias access to technology that will sap its economic strength and weaken its military for years to come.



We are closing off American air space to all Russian flights, further isolating Russia, and further squeezing their economy. We are targeting Russian oligarchs and corrupt leaders, coming after their ill-gotten gains. And at the same time, we are boosting the Ukrainian people as they heroically fight back against the Russian invasion.



Together with our allies we are providing support to the Ukrainians in their fight for freedom. Military assistance. Economic assistance. Humanitarian assistance. We are giving more than $1 Billion in direct assistance to Ukraine. And we will continue to aid the Ukrainian people as they defend their country and to help ease their suffering.

Throughout our history weve learned this lesson-- when dictators do not pay a price for their aggression they cause more chaos, said President Biden. Putin has unleashed violence and chaos. But while he may make gains on the battlefield  he will pay a continuing high price over the long run.
ELKO  A wave of incumbents filed for elected office on Monday, the first day of filing for the upcoming election.

Twelve candidates  three in the City of Elko and nine for Elko County offices  tossed their hat into the ring for both judicial and non-judicial offices.

Among those filing were newcomers Bryan Drake running for Elko Justice of the Peace, Department B; and Brandy Holbrook for Carlin Justice of the Peace.

Drake, who has served as an officer with the Elko Police Department, is a longtime resident of Elko, moving to the area as a child in 1980.

Im running for office because Ive been in law enforcement for the past 19 years and I believe this is the next evolution in being able to serve my community, Drake said.

As a police officer, Drake said I have investigated every conceivable criminal offense. I have seen how these criminal acts hurt people, families and our community as a whole.

If elected, Drake said he would work tirelessly to make sure that defendants who are found guilty are held responsible for their conduct ... that victims are made whole through payment of restitution and that victims are given a voice in the process.

Explaining why shes running for office in Carlin, Holbrook said, I have a lot of passion for the community of Carlin, as well as justice and safety.

Carlin Justice of the Peace Dee Burton-Primeaux, who was appointed on Dec. 1 by Elko County Commissioners to replace Teri Feasel who retired, said this is the next step for me to serve Carlin in another way.

Im excited to bring to Carlin my experience, Burton-Primeaux said. Im the kind of person that does whatever it takes to get the job done.

Incumbent Justice of the Peace Randall Soderquist filed to retain his seat after being appointed to Department A after Mason Simons was elected as Elko District Judge for Department 3.

Soderquist is running to fulfill the last two years of Simons term, and said Ive been very fortunate to be able to fill that position and Im hoping that I can continue to finish up that six-year term.

Another newcomer is Charles Schaer of Ryndon, who is running for the District A seat on the Elko TV District Board.

The people of Ryndon could use some representation on the TV District Board, Schaer said, adding his experience could help his neighbors.

There has been a lot of years where their TV hasnt been that great, Schaer continued. With my 30 years of experience in RF transmission systems, I think I would be a good fit for the board, and maybe help them do things better than has been going on lately.

Incumbents Elko County Commissioner Delmo Andreozzi and Elko County District Attorney Tyler Ingram also filed for re-election on Monday.

The first to file for Elko County School District Board of Trustees was Matt McCarty, who was appointed to fill the vacated District 3 seat in October.

McCarty, who is the executive director of the Elko Senior Center, said he wanted to continue serving as trustee for the children of the school district.

I think the kids need support. They need people up there that dont have an agenda and that are looking at what is best for them and the district, McCarty explained.

Among the Elko County incumbents filing on Monday was Sheriff Aitor Narvaiza. He called his first term successful. People are being very supportive, Narvaiza said. Hopefully we get back in again.

Treasurer Cheryl Paul also filed for re-election, crediting her office for saving the County thousands of dollars.

Paul listed saving $7,500 in banking fees by discontinuing unnecessary services for various departments and reducing printing costs for tax bills by $1,500 among her departments achievements last year. The Treasurers Office also reported a 99% collection rate for $44 million billed property taxes for fiscal year 2021.

Elko County Assessor Janet Iribarne filed for office, two years after she was appointed as Assessor by the Elko County Board of Commissioners following the retirement of Katrinka Russell.

Iribarne said her 28 years of experience working as a real property and personal property appraiser helped her to run the office efficiently, providing fair and equitable property values according to Nevada Revised Statutes.

Elko City Council

Mayor Reece Keener and City Councilmen Giovanni Puccinelli and Chip Stone filed to run for their seats Monday morning.

Keener filed for a second term as mayor, explaining that he saw many important issues coming up in the future for the City.

Among those are the disbursement and investment of the American Rescue Plan Act, the proposed Elko Recreation and Events Center, broadband internet and the possible acquisition of the Union Pacific Railroad property, with an appraisal on the horizon.

The purchase of the property will beautify Downtown, clean up a lot of the blight, and will also help with traffic circulation, Keener explained. A lot of that property is in the redevelopment zone as well, so it will be good for a property tax increment.

Stone said the pandemic limited his ability to accomplish some things on the City Council during his first term, prompting him to run for another four years.

When I was voted in the first time, I had no idea that all of our lives would change due to the coronavirus situation in such a drastic way, Stone said. I am very grateful for the time we each have now to do many things getting back to normal.

He listed growth for new and existing businesses, recreation, and continuing to be a voice for Elko citizens. I have always had an open-door policy to listen to everyones desires and needs.

Puccinelli, who was appointed to fill the vacancy left by Councilman Bill Hance who died in July, also filed to stay on the city council.

The Elko native said being on the council was an opportunity to do what is best for this town, for the community and everybody that I know here.

Basically, Ive always wanted to serve Elko, Puccinelli said.

Campaign filing continues at Elko City Hall in the Clerks office and at the Elko County Courthouse Annex in the Clerks office on the third floor until March 18.

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ELKO  Nevada governor candidate Joey Gilbert emerged as the favorite Republican contender in a straw poll of Elko County Republican Party members over the weekend, while Adam Laxalt was narrowly favored for U.S. Senate.

The voting took place during precinct meetings and the county convention on Saturday. Party Chairman Lee Hoffman said about 100 people attended but not all voted in the polls.

We had a pretty good turnout for a non-presidential year, he said, thanks to interest in the governors race. Incumbent Democrat Steve Sisolak is considered one of the most vulnerable governors in the nation in this years midterm elections.

Gilbert, a former professional boxer and now a Reno attorney, won 40% of the straw poll vote.

Fred Simon, a medical doctor and small businessman from Gardnerville, came in second at 17%. Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo and Guy Norha, who cofounded a life sciences venture capital firm, tied for third place with 12% each.

North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee took 9% of the vote, former U.S. senator Dean Heller 6%, and Las Vegas Councilwoman Michele Fiore 1%.

The U.S. Senate poll was much closer, with former Nevada Attorney General Laxalt defeating political newcomer Sam Brown by only two votes.

Hoffman noted that Brown attended a meet and greet event in Elko the night before the vote. The retired U.S. Army captain said Nevada was shortchanged in the latest infrastructure package, the federal government should return good portions of land back to the state, and he would push for voter ID if elected.

Local Republicans also updated their platform and resolutions on Saturday, and elected delegates to the state convention.

New resolutions included opposing federal intervention in local zoning and planning matters; requesting the Legislature to provide fair and reasonable funding for judicial mandates; petitioning the President to cease the catch and release policy for illegal immigrants; and urging responsible agencies to meet the legal mandates of the Wild and Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971.

Hoffman said the county partys platform was amended to include opposition to vaccine mandates.

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The Elko City Council meets at 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 8, at Elko City Hall. The council will hear a presentation from Airplanners LLC regarding air service issues at Elko Regional Airport and possibly take action on a revised transportation services agreement with Skywest Airlines Inc.

The City will also consider approving a non-binding Letter of Intent to convey the National Guard Armory located at 1375 13th St. to the Nevada System of Higher Education for the purpose of establishing a proposed Nevada Mining Center for Excellence.

The council may also authorize an evaluation of the old Wells Fargo building at 405 Idaho St. for possible use by the City. The building is currently owned by 405 LLC.

The Elko County School District board of trustees meets at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the board room at 850 Elm St. Action items include the interim school superintendents evaluation and possibly moving the districts credit card program from Wells Fargo to Nevada State Bank.

The Elko County Roads Committee meets at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the Nannini Administration Building, 540 Court St. The board will discuss an amendment to the Infrastructure Tax Allocation Road Plan, and potential repairs on Delaware Road in Kittridge Canyon.

The Elko County Budget Committee meets at 3 p.m. Wednesday in the Nannini Administration Building. Discussion will include replacing two inoperable washing machines at the Sheriffs Office at a cost of $36,522.

The Elko County Fair Board meets at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Nannini Administration Building. Discussion will include plans for the 2022 Elko County Fair, including Having a band at the cowboy bar and additional events like the t-rex races.

The Elko Convention & Visitors Authority will conduct a special session at 8:30 a.m. Thursday in the Elko Conference Center. The board will discuss and possibly approve a tentative timeline for the ECVA Executive Directors departure and appointment of two board members to lead recruitment, negotiations and transition planning for the position.

The Elko County Recreation Board meets at 10 a.m. Thursday at Elko City Hall. Discussion will include a short presentation from the Western Folklife Center regarding the Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

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RENO  Victims of domestic violence at high risk of fatality in Elko and Clark counties are getting more comprehensive assistance to keep them safe and set them on a path to a secure, self-sufficient life, thanks to a new University of Nevada, Reno Extension program. Teams will be assembled to follow up with domestic violence victims after initial contact with law enforcement to provide them with resources and support to help them with recovery moving forward.

Extensions Domestic Violence High Risk Team Program was funded last July by a $173,207 grant from the STOP Violence Against Women Act Program, administered here in Nevada by the Office of the Attorney General. Extension has been working with the issue of domestic violence since 2004, through its Heart and Shield Program that evolved into the Heart & Hope Program, which has worked with law enforcement to develop and provide law enforcement training on how to respond to domestic violence calls, as well as worked with victims on recovery. Extension Educator Emeritus Pam Powell began the work in Churchill County, and then expanded it to other areas of the state, including Elko County, where current Extension Educator Jill Baker-Tingey has played an active role growing Extensions work with domestic violence.

According to the Violence Policy Center, Nevada ranked in the top five states in the nation for the number of domestic violence fatalities for the fifth year in a row in 2019. The Nevada Department of Public Safety reported that there is one domestic violence offense every 17 minutes and 18 seconds. In addition, recent reports by the National Domestic Violence Hotline indicate that the rates have increased even more during the pandemic.

With domestic violence being a critical issue in Nevada, Extensions grant proposal included four primary components:

Identifying and analyzing gaps in existing services,

Revising preexisting law enforcement training developed by Extensions Heart & Hope Program and law enforcement partners,

Implementing a high-risk team model to provide wrap-around services to victims, and

Family violence prevention programming to teach youth and adult survivors how to break the cycle of violence.

When a call to law enforcement pertains to domestic violence, Extensions newly established high-risk teams will provide the victim with information on a variety of necessary services, including counseling and legal assistance, as well as basic necessities, such as shelter and food. Pamela Payne, assistant professor and the principal investigator for the grant, and her team are partnering with the Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center to develop these teams. The teams will work with the Crisis Center to ensure theyre working with appropriate community resources to best serve the local area.

The Domestic Violence High Risk Team Program is an innovative approach that brings multiple agencies together to save lives in Nevada, Attorney General Aaron Ford said. Reducing domestic violence and its impacts on Nevada families is a critical priority at the Office of the Attorney General, and I am proud to support this program.

Payne and her team are focusing specifically on calls that have a high risk for fatality. While the team would like to expand enough to respond to every domestic violence call, their immediate goal is to assist on calls with the highest risks for the victims.

Were excited to be able to work with some great community partners, especially those with established services who are already helping to support victims of domestic violence Payne said. Our hope is to learn more about each county and area specifically so that we can tailor our resources to their needs.

The first teams being established in Elko County and North Las Vegas are being managed by new team coordinators that will work with local agencies and community partners to ensure victims are receiving the help they need.

Assistance in Elko County

Brenda Brace, the domestic violence high-risk team coordinator in Elko County, is working to identify what is needed most in rural communities. Her goal is to work with local law enforcement to follow up with the victims of domestic violence to ensure they are not only given necessary resources, but are also able to support themselves long term.

Brace is also working with local law enforcement on training and resources so that prosecutors and officers better understand the safety model that the domestic violence high-risk teams are using and are able to connect victims with the team and its resources. Brace also plans to work with counselors and doctors offices so that these professionals can introduce victims to the team as well.

Brace previously worked for the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services Division of Child and Family Services for almost three years and decided that her experiences there would lend well to the work shes doing with the domestic violence high-risk team. She also volunteered with Extensions Heart & Hope Program, which already works to spread awareness about and prevent domestic violence in Elko County by providing education for surviving families and others in the community, and training for law enforcement.

We want everyone in the community to know what we do so that they can get the help they need, or they can get help for somebody else, Brace said. We want people in the community met with open arms and to know that theyre not alone.

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With a horizon goal to send humans to Mars, NASA continues to develop technologies needed to send humans farther into the solar system than ever before.

One area ripe for innovation that could have benefits in space and on Earth is waste management.

Missions to Mars and back are expected to take two to three years. During these long trips, astronauts will generate a lot of waste, and unlike our crews aboard the International Space Station, they will not have the benefit of on-demand resupply missions to deliver supplies or remove trash. Some waste products may be repurposed into useful materials, or turned into a gas which the crew could either use or vent into space, while others will need to be safely jettisoned, or ejected from the spacecraft. With a goal of making giant leaps in sustainability, NASA is seeking input from the public to help develop new and innovative ideas to convert waste into useful materials or safely eject it away from a spacecraft.

The Waste to Base Materials Challenge: Sustainable Reprocessing in Space launched in January 2022 and seeks ideas to convert waste into useful resources, like propellant or raw materials for 3D printing. Participants are asked to share their ideas for managing, converting or processing a few specific categories of waste, including trash, fecal waste, foam packaging, and carbon dioxide.

"Mars crews will need to be able to recycle, repurpose, or reprocess things and make what they need from raw materials," said Steve Sepka, project manager for the Trash Compaction and Processing System at NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley, and a challenge manager for the Waste to Base Materials Challenge. "We are calling on the global community to provide us with the most creative, thoughtful, and impactful approaches to spacecraft waste management solutions."

One sustainable trash management approach is called Trash-to-Gas. Trash-to-Gas uses a thermal degradation process to convert waste items into a gas that the crew could either reuse onboard or dispose of via gas venting overboard the spacecraft. NASA has demonstrated this concept in microgravity on two suborbital flights. The gasification process also creates some ash residue in the reactor. The Trash-to-Gas Ash Management Challenge , launched in March, seeks design concepts for an effective method of removing the ash from a full-scale Trash-to-Gas reactor in microgravity for later use or disposal. Handling ash on Earth is a messy process, and microgravity further complicates ash handling. Finding solutions that protect crew health, automate or minimize crew time spent on this task, and seamlessly remove the ash will benefit the next phase of Trash-to-Gas technology development.

And while NASA has made gains in creating a sustainable "circular economy" aboard crewed spacecraft, a portion of the waste generated cannot be recycled. This non-recyclable waste could take up critical crew habitat volume and mass, and some waste products may pose risks to the spacecraft and crew. Controlled jettison operations could effectively mitigate these risks and avoid creating hazards or contaminants, while maximizing livable volume and increasing fuel efficiency for the spacecraft. The Waste Jettison Mechanism Challenge, launched in February 2022, seeks concepts from the public for ways to safely eject materials from a crewed spacecraft. Jettisoned objects would safely orbit the Sun so as not to contaminate celestial bodies or interfere with future space missions.

"We will need to dispose of items that can't be recycled or reused in a manner that is safe for the spacecraft, crew, and future missions as well," said Mike Ewert, life support and thermal systems analyst at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "A jettison mechanism would lighten the spacecraft, save fuel, and most importantly, could help long-term missions be successful."

HeroX administers all three challenges for NASA. The submission deadline for the Waste to Base Materials Challenge is March 15, 2022, and the top 24 ideas will share a prize purse of $24,000. The submission deadline for the Waste Jettison Mechanism Challenge is April 12, 2022. The challenge is offering a total of $30,000 in cash prizes and the potential to work and collaborate with NASA. The top five submissions will be invited to pitch their designs online to a NASA panel. In addition, three finalists will be given the opportunity to attend a virtual workshop with NASA to explore their concepts in more detail. The submission deadline for the Trash-to-Gas Ash Management Challenge is May 12, 2022, and the top three ideas will share a prize purse of $30,000.

The NASA Tournament Lab, part of the Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program in the Space Technology Mission Directorate, manages the challenges. The program supports public competitions and crowdsourcing as tools to advance NASA research and development and other mission needs.

Learn more about opportunities to participate in your space program via NASA prizes and challenges at: http://www.nasa.gov/solve



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RENO  The American Red Cross of Northern Nevada is seeking volunteers to join its Disaster Action Team to serve throughout Elko County.

According to Lacey Costanza, Recruitment Specialist, there is a great need for volunteers in Elko and throughout the rest of the county. The goal is to ensure that we have a strong volunteer base to meet the critical needs of area residents who may be affected by disasters.

Members of Red Cross disaster teams respond to local home fires, which can destroy nearly everything a family owns in a matter of minutes. Partnering with local fire departments, disaster volunteers connect with families to provide emotional support and emergency financial assistance, along with information and resources to help families begin to recover.

Personal disasters, such as home fires, may not make the news, but they are nonetheless devastating to those affected, Costanza added. This is why the work of our volunteers is so important. And we have a particular need for them throughout Elko County.

Disaster volunteers receive training and are given the opportunity to increase their knowledge and experience through participation in other Red Cross training and volunteer programs. Red Cross volunteers keep our communities strong. Without their energy, flexibility, and deep commitment, we would not be able to carry out our mission, Costanza added.

To learn more about volunteering for the Disaster Action Team in the Elko area and Elko County, contact Lacey Costanza, Volunteer Recruitment Specialist: 775-225-3392 or lacey.costanza@redcross.org.

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When larger telescopes became available in the late 19th century, the observation of water was confirmed on the surface of Mars. This led to the speculation that life may exist on the Red Planet as it does on Earth.

Early observers had correctly assumed that the white polar caps were indications of both water and carbon dioxide, taking a hint more or less from our own planet keeping in mind the surface must be much colder there being the fourth from the Sun. Sometimes blue clouds were visible in the thin Martian atmosphere implying that rain must sprinkle the surface as well adding to the abundant water theory.

Then maps, drawn by the famous Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli in 1877, called the scientific worlds attention to a vast canal system of green summer waterways that dotted the planet. They even turned brown in the autumn as they should naturally, strengthening the theory. Popularizing still further this notion was the scientist Percival Lowell, who working in Flagstaff, suggested a race of Martians collectively constructed these courses to bring the precious water from the poles to the cities scattered along the equator, regions that he dutifully named on his maps.

Most Americans were so sure of a civilization there that they took it for fact Martians were invading New Jersey October 1938 when Orson Welles presented the War of the Worlds on his live Mercury Theater radio show. It wasnt until Mariner 4 passed within 6,118 miles of the planets surface on July 15, 1965, taking 22 close-up pictures that we knew for sure there were no cities, there were no watery canals, and there were no Martians.

We know today from the many orbiters and rovers that have mapped the surface of Mars there once was a great amount of water flowing, cutting channels, moving sediment, but that was billions of years ago in the past when Mars was active. It is now a dead world, a desert, and whatever water remains is trapped underground. There are no lakes, no flowing streams, only sun baked rocks and dry dust, looking, sometimes, like parts of Nevada. So where did the rivers go? Where is the water? More importantly, could that happen here?

The limited amount of erosion found on Mars shows liquid water has not played a large role in the planets geomorphology for a long, long time. Because the atmosphere has a pressure less than 1% that of Earth, liquid water cannot exist on the surface, it would simply boil away when the surface temperature reaches 70 Fahrenheit in the summer heat and it would certainly freeze when the temperature drops to minus 220 in the winter. This is a puzzle and shows Mars must have been very different in its heyday.

Scientists believe that the flowing water that carved gullies and arroyos were runoffs from rivers and glacial melt bringing with them sediment and filling giant canyons along the way. Many places such as these have been found over the years contained within the planets northern lowlands. It was the water preserved in these canyon sediments that was later released as great floods carving the landscape.

The facts remain that Mars was once a wet planet and has lost most of its water into outer space. That can be the only place it has gone. To understand the mechanism scientists used data from NASAs Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft. Launched almost nine years ago, the probe was designed to study the loss of Mars atmosphere and provide insight into the history of the planets climate and water.

Dr. Shane Stone, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona, says We know that billions of years ago, there was liquid water on the surface of Mars. ... There must have been a thicker atmosphere, so we know that Mars somehow lost the majority of its atmosphere to space. MAVEN is trying to characterize the processes responsible for this loss.

In analyzing data from the spacecraft, Stone and his team found that when Mars is nearest the sun, the planet warms, and whatever water found on the surface, even in the form of ice, moves to the upper atmosphere where it is lost to space. This happens once every Martian year or about every two Earth years.

The regional dust storms that occur on Mars every Martian year and the global dust storms that occur across the planet about once every 10 years lead to further heating of the atmosphere and a surge in the upward movement of water. All planets with an atmosphere, including Earth, have this outer region of the atmosphere called the exosphere where particles are still gravitationally bound and follow in the journey around the Sun. When the water molecules reach the exosphere on Mars, solar radiation splits them into their components, hydrogen and oxygen. Because the gravity of Mars is about a third that of Earth, the hydrogen, being a light gas, just floats away, forever lost to the planet.

Gary Hanington is Professor Emeritus of physical science at Great Basin College and Vice President of Engineering at AHV. He can be reached at garyh@ahv.com or gary.hanington@gbcnv.edu.

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With the war in Ukraine still raging, tensions have been high between Russia and plenty of other nations around the world. Old enemies, Russia and the United States are at each others throats once again.

The latest spat concerns the position of Russian diplomats in the US. Namely, another expulsion. The US claimed that the diplomats were being expelled from the country for national security concerns. Last Monday it was demanded that 12 members of the Russian diplomatic service be expelled, and the only flight allowed from Russia since the ban took them home.

"The US government approved a flight chartered by the Russian government to facilitate the departure of Russian UN Mission personnel who were expelled for abuse of their privileges of residence," a State Department spokesperson told AFP.

Russia, for their part, denies this claim and says it will respond in kind. Nothing has yet been announced for what retaliation they may take. Using data from FlightTracker, CNN suggests that the plane was then used to take diplomats to Belarus to meet Ukrainian counterparts in face-to-face negotiations.

What diplomatic discussions are happening?

The United Nations had a vote last week to criticise the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in which 141 of the 193 member states voted to condemn. 35 abstained and five voted against the motion: Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea, Syria and of course Russia. Both China and India abstained, underlying some support for Russia without open admittance of fault.

Between Russia and Ukraine there are fresh negotiations happening on Monday with the aim of securing humanitarian corridors for civilians to flee the fighting. Russia has been accused of deliberately attacking previous routes, as well as proposing routes that would take civilians into Russia, a move Ukraine's deputy prime minister called "completely immoral."

The US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan is still in Moscow, and as of yet there is no public discussion of his expelling or retreat from Russia.
International Womens Day (IWD) is being celebrated around the world today, the 8 March. It's a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. Held every year on the same day for over 100 years, IWD is also an opportunity to reflect on and further the push towards gender parity.

Gender discrimination negatively impacts girls and women every day in almost every society. In some countries they cannot dress as they like, drive, work at night, inherit property and they also suffer a raft of oppressive laws including controlling who they can marry or obliging them to marry in the case of forced marriages.

And even in countries, such as the US, where many women's rights are protected by law, 42% of working women say they have faced discrimination at work based on their gender, while women are regularly paid less for doing the same job as their male counterparts.

Sadly, despite the many years of struggle for a fairer world, the need for International Women's Day remains as important as ever.

What is the 2022 theme for International Women's Day?

Each year IWD is given a theme, which often relates to contemporary events, trends and struggles. This year the focus is on 'breaking the bias', as explained on the official website.

'Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women's equality. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.

Celebrate women's achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality.'

What is the origin of International Womens Day?

The earliest version of IWD began in 1908 when 15,000 women took part in a New York City march, calling for shorter working hours, better pay and the vote. A year later, the Socialist Party of America marked the anniversary of the march by declaring it the first National Womans Day.

At this stage it was only an American celebration but in 1910 Clara Zetkin addressed the International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen and suggested that they make the event international.

The 100 women in attendance unanimously supported the idea and in 1911 the first International Womens Day was celebrated in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, as well as in the United States.

IWD remained a stand-alone event until 1975, when the United Nations began marking the day and organised celebrations. In 1996 the UN began issuing a theme for each years celebration, the first of which was "Celebrating the past, Planning for the Future".

What to expect from International Womens Day 2022

Following last year's covid pandemic impacted edition, the 111th International Womens Day will be marked with the symbol of the crossed arms. And you can show your support in a simple way.

Bias, whether deliberate or unconscious, makes it difficult for women to move ahead, however, being aware that this bias exists isnt enough, action is needed to level the playing field. This is why this year's focus is about actively calling out gender bias, discrimination and stereotyping each time you see it.

Join in by getting a snap of you and others crossing your arms to show your solidarity.

Strike the IWD 2022 pose and share your #BreakTheBias image, video, resources, presentation or articles on social media using #IWD2022 #BreakTheBias to encourage further people to commit to helping forge an inclusive world.

You can also register in the IWD Community and access their resources.

Across the world there are many, many events, often these are online so you can join them easily no matter where you are. Check out what's on.
Russia "has built itself a trap" - UK defence secretary

The UKs defence secretary, Ben Wallace, says Russian troops are dying in large scales and getting more desperate due to appalling leaders, appalling leadership and appalling plans.

Russia has "built itself a trap" with its invasion of Ukraine, Wallace added.

Its not going particularly well for the Russians, Wallace told Sky News on Tuesday. Its day 13, way off their timetable. There are a lot of casualties - weve seen the indiscriminate shelling, which has obviously killed numerous civilians.

Weve also recognised that probably the biggest single casualty so far in the war are Russian military soldiers, who are being let down by appalling leaders, appalling leadership and appalling plans. And now you see them literally at large scales, dying.

And thats something that will be interesting in the Kremlin. Whether they will admit to each other the failure of their aggressive and illegal invasion of Ukraine. Weve seen the column is still stuck north of Kyiv. There are reports of overnight of Ukrainian special forces destroying over 20 Russian helicopters on the ground.

And I think we can see that the Russians are having real logistic problems. So that affects morale, theyre not getting through, theyre getting more desperate and you can see theyre getting more desperate because theyre shelling more and more innocent people just trying to even get out of humanitarian corridors, as we saw yesterday.

I think this goes right to the heart of the challenge for Russia, which is Russia has built itself a trap and its sent itself in, the international community is uniting against them and now we see the devastation that theyre leaving behind.
As Russian attacks on major Ukrainian cities continue, Moscow has announced the introduction of limited humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to leave.

Moscow has refused to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine during the three peace negotiations that have taken place in the 12 days since the invasion began. Even after the safe corridors were announced the Russian military continues to bombard cities and slaughter civilians.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians are attempting to flee to safety but have seen their passage disrupted by sustained shelling from Russian forces and there is uncertainty about what awaits them at the end of their journey.

What are humanitarian corridors?

On Monday the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine worsened as Moscow intensified the military action on Ukraine, targeting major cities with prolonged and indiscriminate bombings. The situation on the ground is becoming increasingly bleak with supplies of food, water and medicine reportedly running out in certain areas.

In this context officials from Russia and Ukraine attended a third round of talks on Monday but were unable to agree to any significant ceasefire. Instead Russia agreed to establish humanitarian corridors, also known as safe corridors, to allow civilians to escape the conflict and head to neighbouring countries.

However many of the evacuation routes for Ukrainians actually lead towards Russia or its Moscow-allied Belarus, meaning that there has been understandable reluctance to utilise them. Ukraine has criticised the move as an immoral stunt on the part of the Kremlin.

Humanitarian corridors are not easy to enforce during conflict

The notion of humanitarian corridors was first publicised in the 1990s during the Bosnian War when the United Nations set up specific safe areas for civilians. Facing a European conflict on a scale not seen since World War Two, the UN now estimates that more than two million people have been forced to leave Ukraine during the first 12 days of the invasion.

However in the Bosnian conflict the UN struggled to protect the safe zones and that appears to be again. Reports suggest that Russian forces are not respecting the humanitarian corridors.

At The Hague, Netherlands a legal team representing Ukraine has pleaded with the International Court of Justice to order an end to Russias invasion, claiming that the Kremlin is committing war crimes for its sustained attack on civilian targets.

Jonathan Gimblett, a member of Ukraines legal team, said that Russia is resorting to tactics reminiscent of medieval siege warfare, encircling cities, cutting off escape routes and pounding the civilian population with heavy ordnance.
Green development has become a hot topic at the ongoing annual "two sessions", as China is advancing the green transition of its economy on an unprecedented scale.

The country should take proactive and prudent steps to achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, President Xi Jinping said during a joint deliberation with fellow lawmakers from Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Saturday.

"In light of China's energy endowment which is rich in coal and poor in oil and gas, we should strengthen our systemic thinking and meet carbon targets step by step," said Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission.

As a solid step to tackle climate change, China announced in September 2020 that it aims to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.

To meet the goals, China has shut down a number of high-polluting and high energy-consuming factories, boosted the development of high-tech industries and encouraged the use of electric vehicles, among others.

China's energy consumption per unit of GDP, or energy intensity, declined by 28.7 percent from 2011 to 2020. The proportion of coal in the total energy consumption was reduced from 69.2 percent to 56.8 percent during the 2010-2020 period.

Apart from cutting emissions, China has also taken concrete steps to improve the environment and promote green and low-carbon growth over the past decade.

The country has built a national park-based system of nature reserves, moved forward with large-scale afforestation, and better protected and improved the ecosystems of major rivers, lakes and wetlands, and coastlines.

By the end of 2020, China's forest coverage rate had risen to 23.04 percent from 21.63 percent at the end of 2013.

Through its resolute efforts, China has achieved initial success in the critical battle against pollution. Three major action plans on addressing air, water and soil pollution have been fully implemented. Besides, the country has imposed a complete ban on solid waste imports.

In today's China, Xi's hallmark "Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" has turned into a maxim, and the entire nation has become more conscious and active in pursuing green development.

China vowed to work harder to address pollution and protect and restore ecosystems, according to this year's government work report.

China will promote development while also reducing emissions, and ensure greater harmony between humanity and nature, the report said.




Photo for illustration (Source: VTC)

This comes after the Saigon Gold and Jewelry Company at 11 a.m. on March 7 listed each tael of SJC gold at VND70.3 million per tael for buying and VND71.7 million per tael for selling in Ho Chi Minh City, with prices at VND70.3 million per tael for buying and VND71.72 million per tael for selling in Hanoi, according to the Voice of Vietnam.

Simultaneously, DOJI Gold and Gems Group reported its buying and selling prices of SJC gold bar at VND70.4 million and VND72 million per tael in Hanoi and VND70.4 million and VND72.5 million per tael in Ho Chi Minh City, respectively.

Elsewhere, Phu Nhuan Jewelry Joint Stock Company (PNJ) was trading gold at VND69.7 million per tael for buying and VND71.3 million for selling per tael.

Each tael of SJC gold has increased by approximately VND1.4 million for buying and VND1.3 million for selling compared to the prices recorded on March 6.

The latest figures broke a record of VND69 million per tael which was set on the afternoon of March 5.

In terms of the global market, the precious metals price rose by US$5 per ounce to US$2,003 per ounce, with this figure forecast to continue increasing in the future.

Vietnam sends first flight to evacuate citizens in Ukraine

National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has sent the first flight bound for Bucharest (Romania) to evacuate Vietnamese people in Ukraine from conflict zones.

Photo for illustration (Source: NDO)

The flight left Hanois Noi Bai Airport on the morning of March 7 and is scheduled to return the following day with 283 passengers onboard, said the Nhan Dan Online Newspaper.

A second evacuation, flight operated by Bamboo Airways, will arrive in Poland on March 9.

At the request of the Foreign Ministrys Department of Consular Affairs, a third flight to Bucharest is expected to take off from Hanoi on March 10 and return the following day.

The evacuees are not required to be tested for COVID-19 if they can show vaccination certificates or have recovered from the disease prior to boarding the aircraft bound for Vietnam.

Under a plan by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, Vietnamese citizens in Ukraine will travel by road to neighbouring countries and flights will then be organised to bring them home from those countries.

Tan Son Nhat airport reopens international terminal services

Shopping and dining service counters at Tan Son Nhat Airports international terminal are getting ready to welcome foreign visitors after a two-year pandemic inflicted hiatus.

Tan Son Nhat International Airport (Photo: VTV)

According to the Vietnam News Agenc, with Vietnam fully resuming international tourism on March 15, many non-aviation businesses at the airport are preparing to reopen services.

Many duty free shops at the airport, for instance, are rearranging their wares to welcome tourists

The number of international tourists visiting Vietnam has gone up by over 71 percent after the partial reopening of the countrys borders with several mandatory measures designed to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Under new rules, with negative COVID-19 results, fully vaccinated foreign tourists may freely travel in Vietnam after just one day of isolation following entry.

In the first 24 hours after arrival, tourists are required to remain at their accommodations and have a COVID-19 test. It is also recommended that they stay put for 72 hours, but if they want to leave after one day, they will need to have a negative COVID-19 test result every day for three days before they set out.

Passengers at Tan Son Nhat International Airport (Photo: nld.com.vn)

Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, Director of the citys Department of Tourism, said that several preparatory steps have been taken to implement specific programmes in line with the Governments directions.

Currently, the city has 34 hotels with 6,800 rooms meeting requirements of the pilot plan on welcoming international tourists this year. There are five local businesses  Saigontourist, Vinasun Travel, Hai Van Cat Travel, TSTourist and Blue Sky Travel  allowed to offer tour packages to foreign visitors.



Nearly 24 million USD to be invested in modernising Quang Ngais irrigation system

The Prime Minister has given in-principle approval to a project modernising the central province of Quang Ngai's irrigation system for better climate change adaptation, which has total investment of 23.86 million USD.

Of the total capital, 19.2 million USD comes from the Asian Development Bank (ADB)s Ordinary Capital Resources (OCR).

Thach Nham Dam - Photo for illustration (Photo: VTV)

The project covers Binh Son, Son Tinh, Tu Nghia, Nghia Hanh, Mo Duc, Ba To districts, Duc Pho township, and Quang Ngai city. It will be implemented from June 2022 to June 2026, reported the Vietnam News Agency.

It aims to modernise 28 cannals of the Thach Nham irrigation work which has a total length of 94.153km, while building a new pumping station and reparing seven others. The valves of Nui Ngang reservoir will also be upgraded.

The project also included the application of measures for effective management of internal field water.

Once completed, the project will help strengthen local capacity to adapt to climate change, and enhance the efficiency of its irrigation system serving the provinces agricultural restructuring./.
At the reception (Photo: VGP)

At the meeting, on behalf of the Vietnamese Government, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son thanked the Polish Government for supporting and facilitating the evacuation of nearly 2,000 Vietnamese people from Ukraine to Poland, and at the same time providing accommodation, medicine and essential necessities. The Minister emphasized that this noble and respectful gesture of the Government and people of Poland, along with the recent provision of 1.4 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine, 8 tons of medical equipment and supplies valued at USD4 million for COVID-19 prevention and control, are vivid evidence of the traditional friendship and attachment between the two peoples of Vietnam and Poland throughout more than the past 70 years.

Noting that on March 9, Vietnam will conduct the first evacuation flight to bring home nearly 300 Vietnamese citizens and their families from Ukraine who are currently in Poland and will continue to arrange flights in the coming days, he suggested the Polish side support and provide temporary shelter for nearly 1,000 Vietnamese citizens who are continuing to come to Poland from Ukraine, as well as facilitate the arrangement of repatriation flights, including early issuance of flight permits and assistance with exit procedures; and consider allowing Vietnamese people who have long-term settlement in Ukraine to continue to stay in Poland until they can return to Ukraine when conditions permit.

The Vietnamese Foreign Minister handed over a letter to Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau requesting coordination and support in citizen protection for Vietnamese evacuated to Poland from Ukraine, and invited the Polish Foreign Minister to visit Vietnam soon to discuss measures to further promote the traditional friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

Charge d'affaires Maciej Duszynski of the Polish Embassy highly appreciated the efforts of the Vietnamese Government in the work of protecting Vietnamese citizens who are taking refuge in Poland, including quickly organizing the first flight to bring citizens home. He welcomed the presence of officials from the Vietnamese Embassy in Poland at the Poland-Ukraine border to direct citizen protection activities. He underscored that the Polish Government is giving favorable conditions for citizens from other countries, including those from Vietnam, to enter Poland from Ukraine. He also affirmed that his country will help with procedures related to the operation of flights to bring Vietnamese people home from Poland./.
Venezuelan Ambassador to Vietnam Tatiana Pugh Moreno (L) grants an interview to the Vietnam News Agency. (Photo: VNA)



Speaking to Vietnam News Agency on the threshold of the 13th National Women Congress that will take place from March 9-11, the diplomat highlighted the important role women have been playing throughout the national construction and defence of Vietnam.



She said that while women in many countries around the world are still struggling to protect their own rights, in Vietnam the Government has worked hard to build policies to ensure gender equality, considering it as a demand and part of the human rights that need protecting and promoting. This shows that Vietnam has recognised the significance of the role of women in all areas of the political, economic and social life, she stressed.

Women delegates at the 13th National Party Congress. (Photo: VNA)



The ambassador held that the upcoming 13th National Women Congress has an important meaning to Vietnam, which is a chance to evaluate the achievements that they have gained in the past five years and challenges facing them in the future.



She underlined that the role of women and the gender quality issues was mentioned by President Ho Chi Minh right from 1930 when the Communist Party of Vietnam was founded. Throughout the struggles for national independence and liberalisation, Vietnamese women became a long-hair army. Today, during the countrys Doi Moi (Renewal) cause and economic development process, women are still affirming their role by actively engaging in and taking more and more leading positions in the political system, she noted.

Doctors at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases show optimism during fight against COVID-19. (Photo: VNA)



Women take 9.5 percent of total seats at the 13th Party Central Committee, and 30.26 percent at the National Assembly of Vietnam, she noted, adding than many women are leaders and owners of businesses and are making positive contributions to the national economic development.



The Venezuelan ambassador expressed her belief that in the future, Vietnamese women will continue to take more important positions in political, cultural and economic activities and further affirm their role in the society.



Tatiana Pugh also expressed her strong impression at the hardworking of Vietnamese women. They can be seen working in offices, streets, at home, and in schools, she said, adding that Vietnamese women always work hard with constructive spirit and creativity.



Despite the long distance, women in Vietnam and their sisters in Venezuela have shared many similar values, especially the confidence in solidarity, tradition, love and work. Vietnamese women always work to build their families and develop their own hobbies, and so do Venezuelan women, stated the ambassador.

Female traffic police officers (Photo: VNA)



On the occasion, she recalled the story about the meeting 57 years ago in Hanoi between President Ho Chi Minh and Venezuelan revolutionary leader Elizabeth Tortosa, the wife of Jesus Faria Tortosa - the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Venezuela (1910 - 1995). Elizabeth Tortosa then wrote about the meeting with her deep impressions at the brainpower of President Ho Chi Minh, a great leader, she said.



The Venezuelas Ministry of Women and Gender Equality has worked to add a subject named Elizabeth Tortosa with gender equality promotion contents into the curriculum in universities. This not only aims to honour Venezuelan but also Vietnamese women, as Elizabeth Tortosa is a symbol of the solidarity between Vietnam and Venezuela, she said.



On behalf of Venezuelan people and women, Ambassador Tatiana Pugh wished that the 13th National Women Congress of Vietnam will be a great success, and Vietnamese women will continue to accompany the nation during the national cause of construction and defence./.
The dusty faces of the Moon and Mars conceal unseen hazards for future explorers.

Areas of highly oxidising material could be sufficiently reactive that they would produce chemical burns on astronauts' unprotected skin or lungs. Taking inspiration from a pioneering search for Martian life, a Greek team is developing a device to detect these 'reactive oxygen species' - as well as harvest sufficient oxygen from them to keep astronauts breathing indefinitely.

The US Viking landers that touched down on Mars in 1976 carried experiments looking for Martian life whose results are still debated more than four decades later.

Viking's 'Labeled Release' experiment applied micro-nutrient liquid to a Martian soil sample, which released copious amounts of oxygen in response. Some authorities interpreted this result as evidence of microbial life on Mars - except that even after the sample was sterilised with 160C heat this oxygen production continued. Meanwhile other Viking experiments found no traces of organic chemicals.

"The leading interpretation today is that the results were due to an abiotic chemical reaction," notes Prof. Elias Chatzitheodoridis of the Geological Sciences Department of the National Technical University of Athens.

"The oxygen production was caused by a reactive oxygen species reacting with water in the nutrient liquid. Such reactive species may originate from metal salts of superoxides, peroxides or perchlorates - the latter of which was indeed detected by NASA's Mars Phoenix lander in the Martian Arctic in 2008", notes Prof. Christos Georgiou of the Biology Department at the University of Patras.

"Charting such highly reactive species will be important for Martian and lunar settlers, not only because their presence will be inimical to human settlement and crop growth but also because they will erase any trace of possible Martian bio-fossils, so these areas can be ruled out of the search for life on Mars."

The Biology Department of the University of Patras has already performed soil experiments on the generation of reactive oxygen species in soil samples from the arid, Mars-like Mojave and Atacama Deserts, as well as from perchlorate salts exposed to radiation.

"These reactive oxygen species are created by intense ultraviolet irradiation of the surface, especially of fractured minerals broken up by temperature extremes and micrometeorites, resulting in a surface with a lot of free chemical bonds,' explains Prof. Georgiou.

The combined university teams realised that the Viking liquid micro-nutrient experiment would be a workable model for a detector of these reactive oxgen species. Soil samples would be placed in a microfluidic device, producing detectable oxygen through wetting with water plus the action of catalysts. They proposed the idea to ESA through the Open Space Innovation Platform, seeking out promising ideas for research and development.

"The exciting aspect is that this technique can be used for more than just superoxide detection," explains ESA materials and processes engineer Malgorzata Holynska.

"The project, supported through ESA's Technology Development Element, will include the initial design of a large scale reactor device to periodically extract oxygen from soil, what we term 'oxygen farming'. Solar UV irradiation will then replenish their oxygen supply within a matter of hours. The estimate is that a 1.2 hectare (3 acre) area would yield enough oxygen to keep a single astronaut alive."

"Commercially available Moon and Mars regolith, chemically altered by contact with Earth's oxygen-rich atmosphere, is not suitable for testing, says Prof. Chatzitheodoridis. "Accordingly the project team is looking into creating their own simulants in controlled environments. We will additionally use lunar and Martian meteorites to test the instrument, but also plan to apply to NASA for actual lunar samples for testing."

"The aim is that the prospecting detector should be smaller than a paperback book", says Dr Ioannis Markopoulos, heading the 01 Mechatronics company, planning to produce a prototype detector. "It is likely that astronauts would find it useful across the entire span of any mission to the Moon and Mars."

"Reactive oxygen species are produced in our own bodies, hence our bodies produce antioxidants in response," adds Prof. Georgiou. "They can also be produced through radiation-exposed arid terrestrial soils and during mining activities. In space they will be produced by cosmic radiation interacting with metal surfaces, such as on water and food tanks, and the cabin oxygen, so such a detector will certainly be useful to monitor the spacecraft environment."

Dr Markopoulos adds: "We certainly see the potential for a terrestrial spin-off as well; with these harmful reactive oxygen species widespread on Earth, the potential is there for a very good tool for commercialisation."

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Deputies arrive for the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

Deputies arrive for the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

Editor: JYZ
BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- China has imposed strict punishment on corruption-related crimes in accordance with laws, according to a work report of the country's top court made public Tuesday.

Chinese courts concluded 23,000 cases related to corruption, bribery and dereliction of duty in 2021, involving 27,000 people, according to the report of the Supreme People's Court (SPC) submitted to the ongoing session of the national legislature for deliberation.

Efforts were made to bring back illicit money and goods related to duty crimes and over 59 billion yuan (about 9.3 billion U.S. dollars) were recovered, read the SPC report. 

Editor: JYZ
Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, attends a deliberation of Hong Kong delegation at the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The top priority for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) at the moment is to make all-out efforts to prevent and control the COVID-19 epidemic, Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng said Monday.

Relevant departments of the central authorities and localities should give full support to the Hong Kong SAR, ensure the supply of daily necessities, strengthen manpower and material support in medical aid, and ensure the stability of people's lives and the society, Han said when attending deliberations of Hong Kong and Macao delegations at the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress.

Han, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the Macao SAR should consolidate its achievements in epidemic control.

He noted that in the past year, with the strong support of the central government and under the leadership of the chief executives and the SAR governments, Hong Kong and Macao have maintained overall social stability and made new progress in their democratic practices.

The vice premier called for building Hong Kong into an international financial center and an international technology and innovation center, making good use of the opportunity of building the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao Deep Cooperation Zone, and actively integrating the two SARs into the overall national development.

Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, attends a deliberation of Macao delegation at the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

Editor: gsy
A lorry drives out of the Hong Leng Huor Dry Port on the western suburb of Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Jan. 13, 2022. (Photo by Phearum/Xinhua)

RCEP has signaled the Asia Pacific's collective commitment to mutual prosperity, peaceful co-existence, and a comprehensive post-pandemic recovery grounded on free and rules-based trade, the official said.

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) free trade agreement, which took effect on Jan. 1, has affirmed the resurgence of multilateralism, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said.

He made the remarks during the opening of a two-day virtual seminar on RCEP on Thursday, which was attended physically by the leaders of the foreign ministry and via video conference by heads of Cambodia's diplomatic mission and consular office abroad, according to a ministry's press statement released on Friday.

"He (Sokhonn) further highlighted that its entry into force has signaled the Asia Pacific's collective commitment to mutual prosperity, peaceful co-existence, and a comprehensive post-pandemic recovery grounded on free and rules-based trade," the statement said.

The signing ceremony of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement is held via video conference in Hanoi, Vietnam, Nov. 15, 2020. (VNA via Xinhua)

The seminar aimed to support the realization of RCEP's full potential by strengthening the knowledge and understanding among the ministry's leaders, officials and diplomats vis-a-vis the agreement.

Sokhonn also underlined the important roles of Cambodia's missions abroad in leveraging and supporting the successful implementation of Cambodia's new Investment Law, RCEP, the Cambodia-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA), and the Cambodia-Korea FTA to facilitate the promotion and diversification of trade, attract foreign direct investment, and enhance national economic potential.

RCEP was signed on Nov. 15, 2020 by the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the bloc's five FTA partners, namely China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, making it the world's biggest trade deal, according to the statement.

RCEP covers approximately 30 percent of the world's population, accounts for about 30 percent of global gross domestic product, and represents some 28 percent of global trade, it added.

Editor: WXL
A lorry drives out of the Hong Leng Huor Dry Port on the western suburb of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Jan. 13, 2022. (Photo by Phearum/Xinhua)

Paul Kim, deputy chief of Hong Leng Huor Transportation, dubbed the RCEP "a huge New Year gift for businesses and peoples in the region and the world at large," saying that the agreement will "serve as a driving force for regional and global economic recovery in the post-COVID-19 pandemic."

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) free trade agreement, which entered into force on Jan. 1, is a huge New Year gift for the regional and global economy, business people in Cambodia said.

The RCEP is a mega trade agreement signed by 10 ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member states Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, and its five free trade agreements partners, namely China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

Paul Kim, deputy chief of Hong Leng Huor Transportation, said the RCEP would eventually eliminate up to 90 percent of regional trade tariff and non-tariff barriers, which will further promote the flows of goods and services, deepen regional economic integration and increase regional competitiveness.

"With preferential tariff rates under the RCEP, I believe that people in the member countries will enjoy buying products and other necessities at a competitive price during the Spring Festival season this year," Paul said.

He dubbed the RCEP "a huge New Year gift for businesses and peoples in the region and the world at large," saying that the agreement will "serve as a driving force for regional and global economic recovery in the post-COVID-19 pandemic."

Collectively covering about one-third of the world's population with 30 percent of the global gross domestic product, the RCEP will increase the member economies' incomes by 0.6 percent by 2030, adding 245 billion U.S. dollars annually to regional income and 2.8 million jobs to regional employment, according to an Asian Development Bank's study.

A crane truck lifts a container at the Hong Leng Huor Dry Port on the western suburb of Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Jan. 13, 2022. (Photo by Phearum/Xinhua)

Focused on trade in goods and services, investment, intellectual property, e-commerce, competition and dispute settlement, Paul said the deal offers opportunities for regional countries to defend multilateralism, trade liberalization and promote economic cooperation.

Hong Leng Huor Transportation specializes in various services ranging from freight forwarding, dry port operations, customs clearance, road transportation, warehousing and distribution to e-commerce and last-mile delivery.

"RCEP will facilitate logistics, distribution and supply chain resilience as it simplifies customs processes, shipment clearances and other provisions," he said. "Despite the pandemic, trade has remained surprisingly strong during the past two years, and we're excited to witness how RCEP would further facilitate trade and, thus, regional economic growth, in the years to come."

He is confident that the RCEP will further boost cross-border trade and investment among the member countries in the long run.

"For Cambodia, with tariff concessions, the deal will definitely further boost goods traded between Cambodia and other RCEP member states, especially with China," he said.

Ly Eng, an assistant to the general manager of Hualong Investment Group (Cambodia) Co., Ltd, said her company had recently imported mandarin oranges to Cambodia from South China's Guangdong province for the first time under the RCEP.

Photo taken on Jan. 13, 2022 shows containers at the Hong Leng Huor Dry Port on the western suburb of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (Photo by Phearum/Xinhua)

She hopes that Cambodian consumers will have more options in buying vegetables and fruits with products from China such as mandarin oranges, apples and crown pears.

"It will make China and other RCEP member countries easy to exchange goods faster," Ly Eng said, adding that the prices would also be lower.

"We also hope that more and more Cambodian tropical fruits and other potential agricultural products will be exported to the Chinese market in the future," she said.

Ny Ratana, a 28-year-old vendor of Lunar New Year decorations at the Chbar Ampov Market in Phnom Penh, said 2022 is a special year for Cambodia and other 14 Asia-Pacific countries now that the RCEP took effect.

"I'm confident that this agreement will boost trade and investment and create new jobs as well as benefit consumers in all 15 participating countries due to preferential tariff rates," he told Xinhua.

"It will definitely facilitate regional economic integration, enhance regional trade flows and bring about economic prosperity for the region and the world," he added.

Editor: WXL
HEFEI, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Chopping pork meat, hollowing out green peppers, and then stuffing the meat into them, Adrien Brill was learning to make a Chinese delicacy at a local household in a small village in east China's Anhui Province.

The whole process was filmed as well. Brill, an American expat living in Huangshan City of Anhui, was making yet another culinary video to cater to the tastes of his 100,000 followers on the short-video platform Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.

"I started making short videos on Douyin last September. I make all kinds of delicacies, including Chinese and Western delicacies. I think it's meaningful because this gives me an opportunity to share my cultural experiences and learn about the cultural experiences of others," said the 32-year-old.

In 2014, Brill met his then-girlfriend Qiu Tong in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, when he was learning Chinese at Sichuan University. He followed Qiu to her hometown of Huangshan after graduation, and they got married in 2019.

Brill's relationship with China goes back to his infancy when he was babysat by a Chinese nanny.

"The nanny didn't speak much English, so I was exposed to many Chinese words every day. The first sentence I spoke, being an infant, was Chinese, not English, according to my parents," he recalled.

His interest in China and Chinese culture grew stronger after he spent a month in China during the summer of 2006 with his mother, a language teacher who got a summer job there.

"That was my first time in China. Since then, the idea of coming to China was rooted deeply in my mind. The idea was like a little fire at first, but it gradually lit up my whole world," said Brill, who finally decided to come to China in 2009 to volunteer at a kindergarten in Chengdu.

Brill had a good time savoring different Chinese delicacies in Chengdu, and he also cooked for himself when he missed the food in America.

In order to satisfy his stomach, Brill had to cook more often after he resided in Huangshan with his wife Qiu, as it is difficult to find authentic Western food in a small city like Huangshan. He has called his parents multiple times for the recipes of different foods he used to have during his childhood, such as lasagna, strawberry tart and pumpkin pie.

As a result, his Western culinary skills improved quickly despite residing in China.

Brill also learned how to make Chinese food, including moon cakes, fried rice and braised pork with brown sauce, to please his wife and mother-in-law, and of course himself, as well.

He has posted 54 culinary videos so far on his Douyin account, with one episode receiving over 158,000 likes alone. Besides showing people how to make food, Brill also shares the cultural background and his personal story behind each food, which adds more flavor to his show. It only took him five months to attract more than 100,000 followers on his account.

"Food is a big part of the culture. I look forward to exploring more places in China and learning to cook more dishes. I really enjoy my life here in China. It has become my second home," said Brill.

Editor: WXL
By Zhang Zhou

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended a plenary meeting of the delegation of the People's Liberation Army and People's Armed Police Force, at the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2022. Xi delivered an important speech at the meeting.

Xi lauded the major progress achieved in the practice of running the military in accordance with the law after years of unremitting efforts since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012.

Calling for a comprehensive understanding of the strategy of running the military in accordance with the law, Xi said focus should be placed on fully building revolutionary, modernized and standardized armed forces, and building a Chinese system for law-based administration of military affairs.

Xi stressed upholding the Party's absolute leadership over the military, taking combat effectiveness as the criterion, governing the military with strict discipline, and upholding the principal position of officers and soldiers.

He underlined advancing military legislation, stepping up enforcement of laws and regulations, strengthening the management of troops in strict accordance with the law, and enhancing the oversight of the enforcement.

Xi said foreign-related laws and regulations in the military field should be improved to better safeguard national interests with legal means. (Source: Xinhua)

Editor: WRX
The photo captures a beautiful ecological landscape of the Yangtze River in Susong, Anhui Province, on March 7, 2022 . The cargo vessles are passing the banks covered by plants. (Photo by Li Long/Guangming)

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's, GMW.cn makes no representations as to accuracy, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information.
Some 18 civilians, including two children, killed in airstrike in Sumy  Gerashchenko

As a result of an air strike by Russian troops on March 7, some 18 civilians, including two children, were killed in Sumy, Adviser to the Interior Minister Anton Gerashchenko said.

"The rubble is still being cleared. But the fact of the death of 18 civilians has already been established. Including two children," he said in a Telegram channel on Tuesday.

It is noted that the bombs were dropped on residential buildings on Romenska and Spartaka Streets.

Earlier, the State Emergency Service reported nine dead from the airstrike, including two children.
The World Bank Board of Executive Directors has approved a supplemental budget support package for Ukraine, called Financing of Recovery from Economic Emergency in Ukraine  or FREE Ukraine  for $489 million.

"The package approved by the board consists of a supplemental loan for $350 million and guarantees in the amount of $139 million and is also mobilizing grant financing of $134 million and parallel financing of $100 million, resulting in total mobilized support of $723 million. The fast-disbursing support will help the government provide critical services to Ukrainian people, including wages for hospital workers, pensions for the elderly, and social programs for the vulnerable," the bank said on its website.

As reported, a joint statement by the IMF and the World Bank on March 2 said that the World Bank group is preparing a $3 billion support package for Ukraine in the coming months, starting with an accelerated provision of at least $350 million in budget support, which will be submitted to the Board of Directors for approval this week, followed by $200 million in rapid health care and education support.
By Trend

The 18th agricultural exhibition in the Turkish city of Konya may be an opportunity for Azerbaijani businessmen, the head of MUSIAD Azerbaijan Rashad Jabirli told Trend.

"About 400 companies from around the world take part in the exhibition, which is being held on March 8-12. A delegation of MUSIAD Azerbaijan, consisting of 11 people, will also take part in the exhibition, Jabirli said.

Our delegation will visit the representative office of Turkeys Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MUSIAD) in Konya and discuss joint work both in Turkey and Azerbaijan, he noted.

Businessmen and companies being members of MUSIAD work in various fields. Our goal is to attract to Azerbaijani businessmen working in various sectors of the Turkish economy, including agriculture," Jabirli further said.

According to him, strengthening ties between Azerbaijani and Turkish businessmen is in the interests of MUSIAD Azerbaijan.

"The delegation of MUSIAD Azerbaijan will visit the city of Isparta after the exhibition in Konya. The main purpose of the visit to Isparta is to hold a meeting here and at the representative office of MUSIAD, Jabirli said.

We believe that the result of these meetings will be the influx of investors to Azerbaijan, which is one of the main goals of the association," he added.

MUSIAD was established in 1990 in Istanbul.
UN sends experts to Russia to discuss humanitarian corridors in Ukraine with Russian Defense Ministry - official

UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths said that the world organization has sent a group of experts to Moscow for a meeting at the Russian Defense Ministry on the issues of corridors in Ukraine for the population to leave and the supply of humanitarian aid there.

The official told reporters that he would work with the Russian military "to improve civilian-military coordination" to be able to scale up UN humanitarian operations. The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday.

According to media reports, Griffiths called on all parties to ensure the protection of the population in general, civilian homes and infrastructure during the fighting in Ukraine.

According to the deputy secretary general, the UN also urgently needs a system of "permanent communication" with all parties, as well as "guarantees to deliver humanitarian assistance."
The leaders of France, the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom agreed during a joint video call that they would continue to put pressure on Russia in connection with the invasion of Ukraine, the White House reported on Monday.

"The leaders affirmed their determination to continue raising the costs on Russia for its unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine," the White House said in a statement following the four leaders' conversation.

The White House also said in the statement the heads of France, the United States, Germany and Great Britain "discussed their respective recent engagements with the Ukrainian and Russian presidents."
The humanitarian corridor for the city of Sumy should set to work on Tuesday, the first convoy with evacuees should start moving at 10:00, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk said.

"Today [March 8] a humanitarian corridor for the city of Sumy should be launched. This fact was officially approved by the Russian Ministry of Defense in a relevant letter to the International Committee of the Red Cross. That is, both the Red Cross and we, as the party with which the opening of the humanitarian corridor was coordinated, have documentary evidence. There is only one route for the humanitarian corridor for the evacuation of people: Sumy-Holubivka-Lokhvytsia-Lubny-Poltava," Vereschuk said in her video statement.

She said the sides did not agree on any other routes of the humanitarian corridor. At the same time, the minister said Ukraine has information that the Russian side has planned to disrupt the work of humanitarian corridors and intends to manipulate the route in order to force people to take a different route  Inconsistent and unsafe.

"We call on the Russian side not to resort to manipulative actions and to fulfill the documented promise. We are talking about the evacuation of civilians from the city of Sumy to the city of Poltava, including foreign students, in particular citizens of the Republic of India and the People's Republic of China. We are also talking about the delivery of relevant humanitarian goods, namely food and urgently needed medicines, by a humanitarian corridor to the city of Sumy," she said.

According to Vereschuk, Ukraine is ready to fully ensure the entire journey along the agreed route, which it informed both the Red Cross and the Russian side.

She also said the sides agreed to start the ceasefire along the route at 09:00 (Kyiv time), and the time frame for the humanitarian corridor is indicated from 09:00 to 21:00.

Along the entire route, any obstacles should be removed for the movement of the corresponding convoys both with people who leave the city of Sumy and humanitarian cargo that is delivered to the city of Sumy. The convoy with humanitarian cargo will move to the city of Sumy along the route Lokhvitsa-Andriyashchevka-Romny-Nedrigailov-Sumy. A real ceasefire within the framework of the movement of the humanitarian corridor will be the basis for alerting the population about the possibility of evacuation. It was agreed that at 10:00 the first column should start moving from the city of Sumy. Also, after the column, the civilian population will move in their own vehicles," the minister said.

In addition, Vereschuk said Ukraine sent the Russian side and the Red Cross developed routes for humanitarian corridors: Volnovakha-Zaporizhia, Mariupol-Zaporizhia, Kyiv and Kyiv region, as well as Kharkiv and Kharkiv region in the direction of Western Ukraine.

"We call on Russia to immediately agree on these routes, inform the International Committee of the Red Cross and ensure a permanent ceasefire along these routes," she said.
Zelensky: I am ready for dialogue, but we are not ready for capitulation

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has again called on Russian President Vladimir Putin for a dialogue, stressing that Ukraine is ready to talk and seek compromises, but is not ready to capitulate.

"First of all, I'm ready for a dialogue, but we're not ready for surrender," Zelensky said in an interview with the American television channel ABC News, asked whether Ukraine is ready to comply with the demands of the Russian Federation for a ceasefire: to change the Constitution and refuse to join NATO, recognize Crimea as Russian, recognize the independence of the so-called LPR/DPR.

"Because it's not about me, it's about the people who elected me. Regarding NATO, I lost interest in this issue after we realized that NATO is not ready to accept Ukraine. The alliance is afraid of contradictory things and confrontation with the Russian Federation," he added.

He also noted that Ukraine does not want to be a country that "begs for something on its knees, and we are not going to be such a country, I do not want to be such a president."

"I'm talking about security guarantees. I think that we can discuss and find a compromise on the points about the temporarily occupied territories and unrecognized republics, which are not recognized by anyone except the Russian Federation," Zelensky said.

At the same time, he stressed that the key issue is how people in these territories will live, who want to be part of Ukraine.

"What needs to be done is Putin needs to start talking, start a dialogue, instead of living in an information balloon without oxygen. I think that's where he is," he said.
Azov Regiment says that Russian troops have started shelling Mariupol in the direction of the civilian evacuation route.

"Special for the evacuation of civilians of Mariupol along a single route, the defenders of the city took a number of measures: clearing the road from mines, removing engineering barriers, and more. Right now, without letting Mariupol residents out of the city, the enemy launched an attack on Mariupol in this direction," Azov (Mariupol) said in the Telegram channel.
Ukraine's MFA calls on Russia to fulfill ceasefire obligations in area of humanitarian corridor from Sumy to Poltava

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine calls on Russia to fulfill its obligations to cease fire in the area of operation of the humanitarian corridor from Sumy to Poltava, spokesperson of the department Oleh Nikolenko has said.

"Today, a humanitarian corridor has been agreed for the evacuation of civilians, including foreign students, from Sumy to Poltava. We call on Russia to fulfill its ceasefire obligations, refrain from actions that endanger people's lives, and allow the delivery of humanitarian aid," Nikolenko said on Twitter on Tuesday.
12:43 08.03.2022

About 132,000 people cross state border of Ukraine in western section, 14,000 return to Ukraine over past day - Border Service
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed Maria Chorna from the post of chairman of Kirovohrad Regional State Administration and appointed Andriy Raikovych, who previously held the post of mayor of the administrative center of the region, Kropyvnytsky, to this post.

Relevant decrees No. 115/2022 and No. 116/2022 of March 7 were posted on the website of the head of the Ukrainian state.

Chorna was appointed head of the regional administration on May 28, 2021, and has been working in the structures of the regional administration since 2011.

Raikovych, born in 1956, the ex-entrepreneur, politician, was a deputy of Kirovohrad Regional Council, in 2015 he was elected mayor of Kropyvnytsky, he ran from Petro Poroshenko's Solidarity Bloc.
Russia's military offensive against Ukraine led to the destruction of civilian infrastructure and civilian casualties, and forced over 2.011 million people to leave the country in 12 days of war in search of safety, protection and assistance, according to information on the website Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) at 12:00 on Tuesday.

According to it, most of the refugees from Ukraine arrived in Poland, namely 1.204 million people.

Hungary received 191,350 refugees from Ukraine; Slovakia some 140,750; Moldova some 82,760; Romania some 82,060; other European countries some 210,240 people.

According to the UN OHCHR, some 99,300 arrived in Russia from Ukraine, and 450 people arrived in Belarus.

According to the organization, as the situation continues to evolve, about 4 million people may leave Ukraine.

The organization said the right to free movement within the Schengen area means that there are very few border controls in the European Union, so arrival data for Hungary, Poland and Slovakia only reflect border crossings in these countries, but the UN estimates that a large number of people moved to other countries.

In addition, UNHCHR does not take into account persons from border countries who leave Ukraine and return home.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky thanked World Bank President David Malpass for supporting our country in its fight against Russian aggression.

"I am grateful to President of WorldBank Group David Malpass for his strong support of Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression," Zelensky said on Twitter on Tuesday.

Earlier it became known that the Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank on Tuesday night approved a package of additional budgetary support "Funding for Recovery in a Difficult Economic Situation in Ukraine (FREE Ukraine)," and taking into account other assistance, its total amount will exceed $700 million.
By Vafa Ismayilova

Baku has dismissed Armenian media allegations saying that Azerbaijani soldiers violated a truce in Khojaly region of Karabakh.

"The information published in the Armenian media that the Azerbaijani army reportedly opened fire in the direction of Pirler settlement in Khojaly region is false and provocative, the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry said on March 7.

The ministry ruled out any actual basis for releasing such provocative material on the activities of Azerbaijani rmy forces.

Earlier, the ministry said that illegal Armenian armed groups operating in Azerbaijani territory temporarily controlled by Russian peacekeepers had shelled Azerbaijani army positions 23 times a day with various caliber firearms.

The national army positions came under Armenian fire in Goranboy, Tartar, Aghdam and Khojaly regions.

About 2,000 Russian peacekeepers have been deployed for five years in Karabakh under the trilateral cease-fire deal signed by Baku, Moscow and Yerevan on November 10, 2020. The signed agreement obliged Armenia to withdraw all its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it had occupied since the early 1990s.

The trilateral ceasefire deal signed by the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders on November 10, 2020, ended the three-decade conflict over Azerbaijans Karabakh region which along with the seven adjacent regions came under the occupation of Armenian armed forces in the war in the early 1990s.

The deal also stipulated the return of Azerbaijan's Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin regions. Before the signing of the peace deal, Azerbaijan liberated 300 villages, settlements, city centers, and historic Shusha city that had been under Armenian occupation for about 30 years.

On January 11, 2021, the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders signed the second statement since the end of the 44-day war. The newly-signed statement was set to implement clause 9 of the November 2020 statement related to the unblocking of all economic and transport communications in the region.

On November 26, 2021, the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders signed a statement and agreed on a number of issues, including the demarcation and delimitation of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border by late 2021, some points related to humanitarian issues and the issue of unblocking of transport corridors which applies to the railway and to automobile communications.

On December 14, 2021, during the Brussels meeting, organized between Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders at the initiative of European Council President Charles Michel, the sides reaffirmed their commitment to the conditions agreed in the Sochi meeting.

Both sides agreed to establish a temporary working group on the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

The issue of demining the liberated territories of Azerbaijan was also brought up on the agenda, and the European Union's readiness to provide technical assistance to Azerbaijan in this regard was underlined at the meeting.






Ukraine is asking ethically and socially responsible global businesses to stop or suspend operations with or in Russia, thereby refusing to finance its violence, murders and crimes against humanity, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.

"Ukraine requests the ethically and socially responsible global businesses to stop or suspend operations with or in Russia, therefore refusing to finance its violence, murders, and crimes against humanity," he said on Twitter.

The minister stressed that as soon as Ukraine wins this war, the government will start rebuilding the infrastructure and economy, continuing the path of reforms to become a full member of the EU.

"In this regard, I would like to invite your company to express solidarity with Ukraine and join other multinational companies that have already publicly expressed their willingness to start or resume business in my country," Kuleba said.

In addition, he asked relevant companies to provide support to Ukraine and its people in a financial, humanitarian or any other meaningful way.
The report about seizure of Izium by Russian invaders in Kharkiv region is not true, adviser to the head of the President's Office Oleksiy Arestovych said.

"The report that the enemy allegedly captured the city of Izyum does not correspond to reality. There are fights going on right now. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are defeating the enemy," Arestovych said at a briefing on Tuesday.

He said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue the defensive operation to hold the enemy in the operational directions - Kyiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhia.
German Prosecutor General Peter Frank has launched an investigation into alleged war crimes by Russian troops in Ukraine, Der Spiegel reported.

"According to judicial circles, this is a so-called structural procedure. Such a procedure serves to provide extensive evidence and circumstantial evidence in order to be able to later, if necessary, take action against individual criminals," Der Spiegel wrote in an article on Tuesday.

It is indicated that the investigation of the German prosecutor's office will concern reports of cluster bombs, attacks on residential areas and civilian infrastructure, a gas pipeline, a nuclear waste dump and a thermal power plant, as well as reports on the so-called lists of targets of Russian and Chechen units stationed in Ukraine.

The publication notes that, according to available data, these lists contain the names of high-ranking Ukrainian politicians who are planned to be killed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week that he was the "number one target" of these units.

Under the International Criminal Code, a federal prosecutor can prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity throughout the world.
The Mariupol City Council asks to unblock the city and open a humanitarian corridor.

"While at a distance of 1,500 kilometers from Mariupol in Warsaw or Budapest, in Munich or Paris, children go to school, in our city they are deprived of such an opportunity. More precisely, they were ruthlessly and cynically deprived of it. Deprived of a peaceful childhood. But we can still save their peaceful future. Mariupol must be released. It is urgently necessary to open a humanitarian corridor and save half a million Mariupol residents," the Mariupol City Council said in a Telegram on Tuesday.

The city council recalled that as a result of the blockade in the city, a six-year-old girl Tanya, who was taken out from under the ruins of a destroyed house, died of dehydration.

"Occupiers from Russia cynically deprived half a million Mariupol residents of water, light, heat and communications. Blocked all exits and entrances to the city. They left people cut off from the outside world. Because of these scoundrels, our native Mariupol fell into the trap of a humanitarian catastrophe. All attempts to deliver food and medicine to our countrymen were blocked by the Russian army. Just like attempts to evacuate Mariupol residents were blocked," the message says.

The City Council asks the world community to close the sky over Ukraine.

"We also shout that there are forces for the world community to make a decision to close the sky over Ukraine. This will not return our dear Tanya, but it will let us protect thousands of children's lives in Ukraine," the Mariupol City Council said.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced NATO's readiness for collective defense against any threat.

He said at a press conference in Tallinn on Tuesday that President Biden gave permission to send another 7,000 troops to Europe and deploy additional troops on the eastern flank of NATO. This included sending fighter jets to guard the airspace of the Baltic countries.

According to Blinken, as President Biden said, they defend every inch of NATO territory with all our collective defense forces. Our commitment to Article 5 (NATO Charter) is unwavering: an attack on one is an attack on all. Together with NATO allies, we are ready to confront any threat, he said.

Promising more aid to Ukraine, the Secretary of State expressed concern over the plight of the civilian population. There are more and more dead and wounded. To date, 1.7 million people have fled Ukraine, 700,000 people are internal refugees, Blinken said.

He said that the possibility of establishing an oil embargo against Russia is being discussed. President Biden talked about this with the British Prime Minister and with the President of France. At the same time, everything must be done not to be energy dependent on Russia. Now the ground is being created for such changes. This means moving towards renewable energy and taking other green turn measures, the Secretary of State said.
Since the beginning of the hostilities of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine, 41 children have died, and 76 children have been injured, Liudmyla Denisova, Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, said.

"As of 12:00 on March 8, 2022, since the beginning of the invasion of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, 41 children were killed, and 76 children were injured," Denisova said in a message on her Telegram channel.

According to the Ombudsperson, law enforcement officers in Dnipropetrovsk region evacuated another 300 people from Kharkiv.

"Among those rescued is a mother with three children who came under fire from Russian artillery at night. As a result of the shelling, one of her babies was injured by the shock wave. Also, during a conversation with the police, the woman said that a neighbor's child died in front of them," Denisova's message says.

The report also states that during the shelling of the Russian army, Derhachi Lyceum No. 3 and residential areas of the city were attacked in the city of Derhachi, Kharkiv region.

"At least three dead and 15 injured, including a four-year-old child," the Ombudsperson emphasizes.

In addition, according to her, on Tuesday morning it became known about four more wounded civilians in Donetsk region, including a 14-year-old boy.

"It is still impossible to establish the number of dead and wounded in Mariupol and Volnovakha. These cities remain blocked by Russian occupation forces," the Ukrainian Ombudsperson informs.

According to Denisova, once again the invader fired at the civilian population of the city of Mykolaiv.

"This time, the invaders covered the Balabanivka residential area in the southern part of the city with artillery: 60 houses were damaged. Most of the bombs were cluster ones, banned by the 1949 Geneva Convention for use throughout the world," the Ombudsperson emphasizes.

In Kharkiv, according to Denisova, about 30 secondary schools, 27 kindergartens, five institutions of higher education, and children's boarding schools were attacked.

"The actions of Russian occupation troops are a direct violation of the Hague and Geneva conventions! I appeal to the international community and international human rights organizations with a request to take all possible measures to stop the military attack of the Russian Federation. I insist, NATO countries  close the sky!" the Ombudsperson said in a statement.
Head of Zaporozhia regional military administration Oleksandr Starukh says that the necessary evacuation model has been put into operation in the region.

"Today I held a meeting with the heads of structural divisions of the region military administration, at which they discussed a number of important issues. The main ones are humanitarian aid and evacuation from the hot spots of the region. I am sure that the necessary evacuation model has been fully operational. We will try to evacuate women and children, the elderly," Starukh wrote in the Telegram channel.

According to him, about 100 children were evacuated from Huliaipole to Zaporizhia, and they are being provided with all the necessary assistance.

"Now the issue of evacuating children from boarding schools and orphanages in Berdyansk is being urgently resolved. The issue of medicines is still open. The regional authorities are waiting for 'green corridors' to safely deliver everything they need," he said.

As for Zaporizhia, according to the head of the Regional Military Administration, the situation here is stable, the city is actively preparing to repulse the enemy, fortifications are being built.
Putin's plan to recruit fighters from Syria dumb move to inspire fear  retired U.S. general, military analyst Hertling

Retired U.S. Army General Mark Herting, current military analyst on national security and military affairs, believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin's plan to recruit militants from Syria for the war with Ukraine is a "dumb move to inspire fear."

Earlier, information about this intention of Putin appeared in the media with reference to the U.S. Pentagon.

"Fighters who don't know the terrain, the situation, or the type of fight they would be thrown into. It's a propaganda ploy to instill fear. And another dumb move. Shows he's losing big," the American general wrote on his Twitter page.

According to him, this is how he answered the relevant question put to him by CNN.

Hertling commanded the United States Army in Europe and the Seventh Army. He served in planning, operations, and training positions, and commanded all organizations from platoon to field army. He commanded the first Armored Division in Iraq.
The Security Service of Ukraine notes that messages from Ukrainians about the movement of the enemy through the official chatbot bring results and call for sending clear structured data with time and geolocation.

"Your messages about the movement of the enemy through the official chatbot @stop_russian_war_bot bring new trophies every day. This time we received the coordinates of enemy equipment marked V in Kyiv region. They were checked and handed over to the military. The result is in the photo: fiery 'greetings' to the invaders' [neutralized Russian equipment]", the SBU said in a telegram channel.

The message emphasizes: "Keep informing via the chatbot about the movement of enemy vehicles and sabotage groups!"

The SBU asks to send data clearly and structured with the most accurate designations of time and geolocation.
The process of synchronizing the Ukrainian power system with European ENTSO-E is at its final stage and should be completed in the next few days, the Ministry of Energy reported on Tuesday, citing Energy Minister Herman Haluschenko.

"Now the technical preparation of synchronization is being completed. It should be completed within the next few days. We expect our accession to take place next week," the minister said.

As he stressed, Ukraine is confidently moving towards strengthening its energy independence. The minister expressed hope that Europe will also follow the appropriate path and refuse, in particular, Russian gas.

"We warned that Russia was using gas as a weapon. And today this weapon is already in our streets. The Europeans just have to make a decision. They just have to refuse to buy Russian gas and oil. There are opportunities for diversification," he added.

As Haluschenko summarized, European countries should be guided in their policies by the new realities that the whole world faced on February 24, a military incursion into the territory of Ukraine.
By Sabina Mammadli

International Womens Day is celebrated in many countries around the world on March 8.

What later got known as a day of spring, flowers, and femininity is actually the day dedicated to the fight for womens rights and emancipation against systematic oppression.

The holiday's origins may be traced back to the labor revolutions that swept North America and Europe at the start of the 20th century.

Clara Zetkin, a German activist and the chairman of the Social Democratic Party's Women's Office, proposed an International Women's Day during the second International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen in 1910. Over one hundred women from 17 nations unanimously supported the proposal.

On March 19 of the following year, the first International Women's Day was marked. Meetings and protests were held around Europe to mark the day, with the largest public rally drawing 30,000 women. The holiday was changed to March 8 in 1913 and has been marked on that date ever since.

Since 1917, March 8 has been observed as an official holiday in Azerbaijan.

Furthermore, Azerbaijan was the first country in the Middle East to provide women the right to vote.

Azerbaijani women are becoming increasingly active in sociopolitical, socioeconomic, scientific-cultural, and other aspects of life with each passing year.

Azerbaijan formed the State Committee on Family, Women, and Children's Problems in 1998.

Azerbaijan is also represented in the Council of Europe's women's bureau and is a full member of the United Nations Commission on Women's Issues.

In close collaboration with the NGO Alliance for Children Rights, the committee has worked on combating domestic violence in a democratic society, an education campaign among children in special care for the prevention of violence, human trafficking, exploitation of children labor, early marriages, and so on.

Women are now represented in practically every important field of Azerbaijani society, and in certain cases hold leadership roles. 48.2 percent of women actively engage in the country's social and economic life.

As of 2020, women make up 80.7 percent of general education instructors, 78.9 percent of specialized secondary school teachers, 54.7 percent of university professors, and 48.8 percent of university students.

Furthermore, women constitute 66 percent of doctors and 64.9 percent of judges in the country.

Women make up 58.2 percent of all researchers in Azerbaijan. Over the previous decade, the number of women receiving PhDs has climbed by 2.5 times, while the number of those with a PhD in philosophy has increased by 2.2 times. At the same time, women make up 28.5 percent of government officials, 21.7 percent of entrepreneurs, and 42.6 percent of athletes.

Some 16 percent of the deputies of the Parliament, including the Speaker, are also women.




Over half a million internally displaced persons arrived in Zakarpattia, fleeing the war and the occupier, head of Zakarpattia regional military administration Viktor Mykyta said on his Telegram channel.

According to him, part of the migrants went to European countries, while others received asylum in the region.

"No one was left on the street, everyone was fed, warmed, provided with medical and psychological assistance, and guaranteed security," Mykyta said.

He said that at present all available sites in the region are used to help the IDPs.

"Effective management at all levels, the titanic work of thousands of people throughout the region ensures the fulfillment of tasks that the state and circumstances have set for us today. Thank you to everyone for their personal and collective contribution to this enormous work," the head of Zakarpattia wrote.
Kuleba thanks Shell for its intention to withdraw from all Russian oil and gas projects

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba expressed his gratitude to Anglo-Dutch company Shell plc for the announced intention to phase out participation in all Russian hydrocarbon projects, including oil, petroleum products, gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

"Grateful to Shell for taking this moral and responsible step and encourage other world businesses to follow suit," Kuleba said on Twitter on Tuesday.

As reported, Shell on Tuesday announced its intention to withdraw from Russian oil and gas companies in accordance with new government guidelines. "As an immediate first step, we will stop all spot purchases of Russian crude oil, shut service stations, aviation fuels & lubricants operations in Russia," the company said in a statement.
Some 24 railcars of humanitarian aid (food and children's products) have arrived in Kharkiv on March 8, Ukrainian MP Pavlo Yakymenko said.

"We managed to organize a better logistics in order to receive another batch of humanitarian aid. There are more than 500 tonnes of food and children's products in the railcars. There are meat, many fruit and vegetables, cereals, baby food, diapers," the MP said on his Telegram channel.

Several volunteer organizations will distribute the products among the city and region districts that are facing the most critical situation.

"Every day we work to provide Kharkiv and Kharkiv region residents with everything necessary for life," Yakymenko said.
Ukraine does not intend to rebuild its territory or give up any parts at the request of Russia, and also calls on the guarantor states to provide for a specific security treaty before granting NATO membership to Ukraine, the Servant of the People political party says.

"Ukraine's territorial integrity is beyond doubt. We do not even theoretically consider the possibility of revising our territory or giving up any pieces of our territory. It is unacceptable. Our Ukraine is Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea. We do not accept ultimatums. We do not give up territories. But at the same time, we take a sober look at reality. Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk have been occupied for eight years. On the other part of the territory of Ukraine there is a full-scale war. We hear Russia's demand to recognize the so-called 'DPR' and 'LPR,' to recognize the occupation of Crimea. It is clear that we will not do this," the political force said in a statement.

At the same time, the Servant of the People emphasizes that Ukraine should decide in the future how the life of people in these territories will be regulated within the boundaries of an integral state.

At the same time, the party drew attention to the need for the guarantor countries to develop a specific security treaty for Ukraine, which would differ from the Budapest Memorandum.

"About NATO and guarantees for Ukraine. The Alliance is not ready to accept Ukraine over the next 15 years, and clearly says so. We do not even have support in an absolutely just war from the Alliance  only from separate states. Since joining NATO is impossible in the coming years, we cannot use only the lines in the Constitution about the course towards the Alliance to protect our state. The course is politics. But not a weapon. Not planes. Not state protection. But they should talk about specific things. About a specific treaty that can provide Ukraine with complete security as long as NATO is not ready to accept us. It should differ from the Budapest Memorandum  it should provide for specific political, economic and military steps of the states-guarantors of Ukraine's security," the Servant of the People clarifies.

Such guarantor states, according to the statement of the party, can be the United States, Turkey, neighboring states of Ukraine, and Russia, for its part, must also legally fix that it recognizes Ukrainian statehood and guarantees that it will not threaten our state.

"It is clear that in today's conditions it sounds absurd, given the Russian invasion. But our Armed Forces will repel the enemy, and it will be necessary to guarantee the further peaceful development of Ukraine. Then it will be important that Russia puts its signature under the guarantees for our sovereignty, along with other guarantors," the political force says.
18:12 08.03.2022

Around 2,000 people evacuated from Irpin on Tuesday  National Police
Estonia simplifies the procedure for obtaining a residence permit for refugees from Ukraine, from March 9, they can apply for a residence permit in one day. The corresponding order was adopted on Tuesday by the government of the republic.

"Today's government decision will help reduce the bureaucracy for traumatized military refugees from Ukraine. This will allow them to more easily and quickly adapt to life in Estonia," Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said.

According to the order, a refugee from Ukraine can apply for temporary protection in the form of a residence permit for a year, and then extend this period, the government explained.

Persons under temporary protection, as well as those close to them, are provided with services such as accommodation and meals, health insurance, they are granted the right to work in Estonia, and children are provided with access to pre-school and basic education.

Refugees are entitled to a living allowance, other cash benefits, such as family benefits. All those in need of assistance are entitled to emergency social assistance, they can participate in language learning and adaptation programs free of charge.

Since February 27, more than 7,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Estonia, including 2,610 children. Until now, most of the refugees came to Estonia to stay with their relatives or friends. Earlier it was reported that Estonia is ready to accept up to 10,000 refugees.
Speakers of Baltic countries' parliaments in favor of admitting Ukraine to EU

The chairpersons of the parliaments of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia issued a statement on Tuesday in support of Ukraine's accession to the European Union.

"We welcome Ukraine's formal application to join the European Union as a full member," the statement said.

"A quick response to Ukraine's application for membership in the European Union will also mean support for the European Union's own vitality, security and stability," the speakers said.

They called on the leaders of their countries and other EU states "to take practical steps to grant Ukraine membership in the EU."

On February 28, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the EU with a request to admit the country to the European Union in an expedited manner. Later, the authorities of Moldova and Georgia also made a similar request.
Three employees of an orphanage were killed in Mykolaiv region during a shelling attack on the minibus marked with red crosses, Chairman of Mykolaiv Regional Council Hanna Zamazeyeva has said on her Telegram channel.

The minibus was attacked on the Kirovohrad highway while heading to the orphanage with the employees on board. The women were going to change their colleagues at work.

"After the shelling, the minibus, which was marked with red crosses, burst into flames," Zamazeyeva said.

"According to preliminary information, at least three our employees were killed as a result of the attack. Two more were injured, but together with their other colleagues managed to reach the positions of our military where they received aid," she said.
Warehouses of manufactured goods, household chemicals on fire as result of missile hit in Kalynivka, Kyiv region  police

The police in Kyiv region report that a missile fired by the Russian military hit warehouses with industrial goods and household chemicals, causing a fire, information about the victims is being specified.

"Airstrike on Kalynivka! A missile hit warehouses with industrial goods and household chemicals. A fire broke out! Police and rescuers are already working on the spot. Information on the victims is being specified!" the police of Kyiv region said on Twitter.

The report does not indicate the district, most likely, it is about Brovary one.

Advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Anton Gerashchenko wrote on his Telegram channel: "Half an hour ago, our valiant air defense shot down another Caliber cruise missile over the village of Kalynivka, Brovarsky district. Missile fragments fell into a customs warehouse."
The Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations is calling on NATO, the UN, the European Union, the OSCE and the Council of Europe to introduce a no-fly zone over Ukraine, the council said in a statement released on Tuesday.

"Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale military invasion of the sovereign territory of Ukraine, we are seeing firsthand how Russian invaders resort to the most cynical and prohibited by international humanitarian law methods of warfare. In fact, Russia is waging a war against the civilian population of Ukraine, as it purposefully fires ballistic missiles, including from the territory of Belarus, and conducts air raids at residential areas, schools, kindergartens, maternity hospitals, hospitals, and critical infrastructure facilities that are necessary to ensure the life of the civilian population, sometimes with the use of prohibited cluster and vacuum ammunition," the statement reads.

It clarifies that blatant examples of unjustified cruelty and unrestrained aggression of Russian invaders are the shelling of humanitarian corridors, evacuation buses and even ambulances.

"The disdainful attitude of the Russian leadership towards human life, which we see in regard to Russian soldiers who were thrown into the jaws of the war of conquest, is now manifested in relation to the civilian population of Ukraine, which is forced to escape from Russian missiles and occupiers, migrating to safer regions of our country and to neighboring states of the European Union," the Council said.

They add that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is accompanied not only by shelling and bombing of civilian infrastructure and residential buildings, but also churches.

"From various fronts of the Russian invasion, there are reports of shelling of churches, even those where refugees have been sheltering," clergy emphasize.

According to them, even the largest spiritual shrine of Ukraine, the Cathedral of St. Sophia of Kyiv, was under the threat of attack.

"With this in mind, the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations once again calls on NATO, as a security partner of Ukraine, the UN, the European Union, the OSCE and the Council of Europe to take urgent measures to introduce a no-fly zone over Ukraine and to provide the Armed Forces of Ukraine with modern air defense equipment, including fighter planes, in order to protect our greatest value  human lives and civilian infrastructure  from barbaric shelling and bombing by Russian invaders," the Council said.
By Trend

Azerbaijani diplomats moved from the Ukraine's capital Kyiv to Lviv due to the situation in the country, the press service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said, Trend reports.

According to the press service, the diplomats, who will temporarily work in Lviv, will continue their activities to consider the appeals of compatriots in Ukraine, including the appeals on the issue of evacuation from the country.

The press service advised the compatriots to contact the Embassy of Azerbaijan on the following hotlines:

+380 73 505 00 00;

+380 99 408 99 43
U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday a ban on the import of Russian oil into the United States. In a press statement in Washington on Tuesday, he stated: "Today I am announcing new sanctions. We ban all oil imports. The measure has strong bipartisan support. We made this decision in close consultation with allies in Europe."

At the same time, Biden noted that "our European allies may not be in a position to join us."

The U.S. President called on Congress to pass a $12 billion aid package for Ukraine. He noted that the United States has already provided Ukraine with a $1 billion security assistance package and is coordinating actions in this area with European allies.

Speaking about the impact of sanctions on Russia, Biden noted that "the Russian economy has cracked." "The Central Bank of Russia is trying to support the ruble, but cannot do it now. We are restricting Russians' access to technology, which will weaken its military for many years to come." "If we don't confront Putin now, the situation will get even worse," he said.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine firmly hold the defense of Kharkiv, the enemy forces do not attempt an active offensive, with the exception of individual shelling of the outskirts of the city, head of the region military administration Oleh Synehubov said.

"According to Kharkiv Defense Headquarters, the land part of the city is completely controlled by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. There are no groups of regular enemy troops in the city, there are no sabotage and reconnaissance groups either," Synehubov wrote in his telegram channel on March 8 in the evening.

According to him, individual saboteurs are quickly identified and eliminated. So, on March 8 at 7 am, a female intelligence officer was detained, who was collecting data on military facilities.

Synehubov also reported on the failure that the Russians suffered in the Vovchansky district of the region.

"The Russian enemy landed an air assault group on three helicopters. 120 people wanted to move to the city of Kharkiv. But our territorial defense and ground forces units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed most of the landing force right on the spot. The rest fled to the territory of the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation," Synehubov said.

"We do not relax and do not lose readiness for further defense! Ukrainian fighters are invincible," the head of the region military administration said.
Kuleba calls on UN to respond to reports that staff prohibited from using words 'war' and 'invasion' to describe Russia's actions in Ukraine

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba calls on the UN to respond to information that the United Nations prohibits its employees from using the words "war" and "invasion" to describe events in Ukraine.

"It's hard to believe that the UN could essentially impose the same kind of censorship as the Kremlin imposes inside Russia now by banning the use of words 'war' and 'invasion' among UN staff. I urge the UN to swiftly refute such reports if they are false. UN reputation at stake," Kuleba said on Twitter on Tuesday.

Earlier, The Irish Times reported that the United Nations prohibits its employees from using the words "war" and "invasion" when describing the actions of the Russian Federation in Ukraine.
As of 18:00 on March 8, 170 civilians were killed in Kharkiv and the region, five of them were children, head of the investigative department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in the region Serhiy Bolvinov reported on his Facebook page.

He noted that only in the last 24 hours, 27 civilians were killed in Kharkiv.
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) continued to gradually loosen and clarify the restrictions on the foreign exchange market, introduced on February 24, in order to ensure the reliable and stable functioning of the country's financial system in connection with the introduction of martial law, the regulator said on its website on Tuesday.

According to it, from March 8, 2022, the National Bank allowed clients in territories under the threat of occupation by Russia to withdraw cash in national and foreign currency from accounts without limits on the amount, as well as to purchase cash currency and bank metals with physical delivery if they are available in bank branch.

The NBU clarified that the decision to carry out such transactions is made by the head of the bank and can be delegated to the head of the branch of the bank.

The National Bank noted that the issuance of bank metals from the accounts of bank customers is carried out without restrictions within their balance on the account and if they are available at the cash desk of a branch.

The regulator also again expanded the exceptions to the ban on transactions from the accounts of residents of Russia or Belarus and legal entities which ultimate beneficiaries are residents of the Russian Federation or the Republic of Belarus. If earlier it was possible to pay from them in support of the Ukrainian army to the account of the National Bank and to the accounts of the Cabinet of Ministers and ministries, now social payments, salary payments, utilities, taxes, fees and other obligatory payments.

In addition, the NBU has expanded the opportunity for residents and non-residents to make transfers to the accounts of charitable foundations not only in hryvnia, but also in foreign currency. This applies to charitable foundations created to promote the country's defense capability and mobilization readiness, support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and territorial defense, social protection, healthcare and other topical issues of protecting the population under martial law.

The National Bank also provided an opportunity for banks to open accounts for military personnel and carry out their identification and verification using a military ID.

In addition, it was clarified that settlements under documentary and standby letters of credit/guarantees/counter-guarantees opened (confirmed, granted) since February 24, 2022 are prohibited. An exception is made only for cases when such settlements are made to pay for critical import goods, settlements with IFOs and other special operations of bank customers permitted by the NBU.

The National Bank emphasized that this ban does not apply to settlements under documentary and standby letters of credit/guarantees/counter-guarantees opened (confirmed, provided) until February 23, 2022 inclusive.

The National Bank also determined that in case of receipt of funds from abroad in Russian or Belarusian rubles for export/import of goods, banks are allowed to exchange these funds on the international currency market for another currency for its subsequent crediting to the client's accounts.

The relevant changes were made by Resolution of the National Bank Board of March 8, No. 44 on amendments to Resolution of the NBU Board of February 24, 2022, No. 18, which comes into force on March 8, 2022.
The UK will gradually stop importing Russian oil by the end of 2022 in response to Vladimir Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine, the British government said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The UK is working closely with the US, the EU and other partners to end our dependence on Russian hydrocarbons in response to Russian aggression in Ukraine, recognising the different circumstances and transition timelines. This significant move will increase the growing pressure on Russia's economy by choking off a valuable source of income," the document says.

According to it, the refusal of imports will not be immediate: the UK, which covers 8% of its oil demand from Russia, will have more than enough time to adjust supply chains, support industry and consumers. The government will work with companies through a specially created Taskforce on Oil to help them use this period to find alternative sources.

London notes that oil accounts for 44% of Russian exports, which provides 17% of federal budget revenues.

According to the British government, in a competitive global market for oil and petroleum products, demand can be met by alternative suppliers. The UK has various reliable suppliers outside of Russia, including the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia and the United States.

"In another economic blow to the Putin regime following their illegal invasion of Ukraine, the UK will move away from dependence on Russian oil throughout this year, building on our severe package of international economic sanctions," UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.

According to London, Russian oil is already being ostracised by the market, with nearly 70% of Russian oil currently struggling to find a buyer, and in a competitive global market demand will quickly be met by alternative suppliers. On March 1, Russian ships were banned from UK ports and authorities were granted new powers to detain Russian vessels.

The statement notes that the UK is not dependent on Russian natural gas, making up less than 4% of our supply. Ministers are also exploring options to reduce this further.

The Prime Minister confirmed that the government will set out an energy strategy to set out the UK's long term plans for greater energy security, including both renewable and domestic oil and gas supplies.

As reported earlier on Tuesday, the United States announced a complete renunciation of Russian oil imports.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky called on the UK to recognize Russia as a "terrorist state". He announced this on Tuesday, speaking via video link in the British House of Commons.

"Strengthen sanctions against the terrorist state. Recognize it [Russia] a terrorist state. Find a way to make our Ukrainian sky safe. Do what you can. What you should. What does the greatness of your state and your people oblige you to do?" he said.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the implementation of agreements on humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of the civilian population of Ukraine.

"I maintain a constant dialogue with Emmanuel Macron. We discussed the implementation of agreements on humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of the population and delivery of necessary goods," Zelensky wrote on Twitter.
In Kyiv direction, Russia plans to transfer up to 1,000 militants from PMC Liga to strengthen troops  ministry

The Russian Federation is carrying out covert mobilization under the guise of training camps, and to strengthen its troops in the direction of Kyiv, they plan to transfer up to 1,000 militants from the private military company Liga (former PMC Wagner), the Ukrainian Defense Ministry reports.

"In order to strengthen the grouping of troops in the direction of Kyiv, the occupiers plan to transfer up to a thousand militants from the private military company Liga [former PMC Wagner] ... As of this time, the enemy has significantly reduced the pace of advancement, its personnel were demoralized," the ministry said on Facebook.

The Ministry of Defense emphasized that the grouping of forces and means of defense of the city of Kyiv continues to repulse the offensive and deters the enemy, and maintains defense lines around the city.

At the same time, according to available information, the enemy is carrying out covert mobilization under the guise of training camps. Also, in order to stop the outflow of personnel, the military leadership of the Russian Armed Forces decided to ban the termination of contracts for military service.

It is noted that the Ukrainian army is conducting a defensive operation in Donetsk, Slobozhanske and part of the Tavriysk operational area, and Mariupol is being defended all-round. Also, the defense operation continues in the Poliske, Volyn and Siverske operational areas, the defense of Chernihiv continues.

The ministry also added that in the south, the sea coast is being covered, and nearby settlements are also being defended.

"The grouping of the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine repels concentrated missile and air strikes and means of air attack of the enemy, air defense of critical infrastructure facilities of Ukraine and groupings of troops," the statement said.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte claims he did not tell Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he supports Ukraine's accession to the European Union.

He told reporters about this on Tuesday, broadcaster NOS (Nederlandse Omroep Stichting) reports.

Earlier, on his Twitter page, Zelensky wrote: "I spoke with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte. Told about the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, casualties among civilians, the course of evacuation and delivery of humanitarian aid. Thanked the Netherlands for its uncompromising stance on sanctions pressure on Russia and support for Ukraine's accession to the EU."

"According to Prime Minister Rutte, the latter is not the message he conveyed. 'I said that I fully understand that Ukraine has such a desire. I also said that we stand shoulder to shoulder to do everything we can for Ukraine in the short term. But now it is premature to talk about EU membership.' When asked by journalists if he would ask Zelensky to remove the tweet, he replied: 'No, I won't ask for that,'" according to NOS.
On March 8, President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic Mario Draghi made a phone call to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

During the phone conversation, the sides noted that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Italian Republic. They hailed the fact that during this period relations between the two countries have reached the level of strategic partnership.

During the conversation, the sides noted that Azerbaijan and Italy established fruitful cooperation in economic, trade and energy spheres. They stressed the importance of the Southern Gas Corridor and its integral part Trans Adriatic natural gas pipeline in energy cooperation. It was noted that Azerbaijan ranks first in oil supply and third in gas supply of Italy.

During the phone conversation, the sides discussed successful cooperation projects implemented in the fields of culture and education, and underlined the significance of establishing an Italy-Azerbaijan University in Baku.

The sides agreed to continue high-level political dialogue and exchange of reciprocal visits in order to strengthen strategic partnership between the two countries.

During the phone conversation, the sides exchanged views on regional issues, including the ongoing developments in Ukraine.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky called on the UK to recognize Russia as a "terrorist state". He announced this on Tuesday, speaking via video link in the British House of Commons.

"Increase sanctions against the terrorist state. Recognize it [Russia] as a terrorist state. Find a way to make our Ukrainian sky safe. Do what you can. What you should. What the greatness of your state and your people oblige you to do," he said.

"How can I not remind you of the words that the UK has already heard, but they are relevant again," Zelensky said.

"We won't give up and we won't lose. We will go to the end, we will fight on the seas, we will fight in the air, we will defend our land, whatever the cost. We will fight in the woods, in the fields, on the coast, in the forests and villages, in the streets, we will fight in the hills," he said, paraphrasing Winston Churchills famous speech delivered by him on June 4, 1940 in the House of Commons.

"I want to add on my own: we will fight everywhere  on the slagheaps, on the banks of the Kalmius and the Dnieper, but we will not give up," he said.

He also expressed gratitude for the support of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. "I am grateful to you, Boris," Zelensky said.
President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Maurer assured Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal that the ICRC is making every possible effort to organize humanitarian corridors from Mariupol.

"Had a telephone conversation with the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Maurer. He assured of making all effort to organize humanitarian corridors to and from Mariupol," Shmyhal said on Twitter.

The Prime Minister stressed that on March 9 the government expects concrete support from the International Committee of the Red Cross.

"People in Mariupol and other cities of Ukraine surrounded by enemy, need food, water and medical help! We need to arrange evacuation of civilians together," he said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba discussed with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock ways to protect the civilian population of Ukraine from war crimes of the Russian Federation and ensure humanitarian corridors.

"Spoke with Annalena Baerbock on ways to protect Ukrainian civilians amid Russian war crimes, ensure humanitarian corridors. Pressure on Russia must further increase, Ukraine's defenses strengthened. Ukraine's EU membership will fortify the EU and encourage the heroic Ukrainian people," Kuleba said on Twitter on Tuesday.
Zelensky thanks USA for ban on imports of Russian oil, gas and coal, urges other countries to follow this example

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky thanked U.S. President Joe Biden for the decision to ban the import of Russian oil, gas and coal, and also called on other countries to follow this example.

"Thankful for U.S. and Joe Biden personal leadership in striking in the heart of Putin's war machine and banning oil, gas and coal from US market. Encourage other countries and leaders to follow," Zelensky said on Twitter.
An extraordinary meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of defense ministers will be held on March 16.

According to NATO headquarters on Tuesday, the meeting will be chaired by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

The agenda has not been announced, however, based on the war waged by Russia against Ukraine, the heads of the defense departments of the member countries of the alliance will discuss the security situation in the light of recent events. The discussion will take place via teleconference.

This will be the fifth extraordinary meeting of the North Atlantic Council this year, convened due to Russian aggression against Ukraine: on March 4, a meeting of the Council at the level of foreign ministers was held, in which Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba took part via video link. Prior to that, on February 25, on the second day of the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the leaders of states and governments gathered for an extraordinary meeting. A few days earlier, on February 22, an extraordinary meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Commission was held at the headquarters, on February 16-17, a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of defense ministers with the virtual participation of the head of the Ukrainian defense department Oleksiy Reznikov, and on January 7 - an extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers.
Russian prisoners in Ukraine will be treated in accordance with the norms of international humanitarian law, subsequently they will work to restore the Ukrainian economy, First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Yevhen Enin said.

According to the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, during the All-Ukrainian telethon, Enin said that Ukraine would strictly comply with all norms of international humanitarian law.

"And this is what distinguishes us from the Russian aggressor shooting at the civilian population, who inflicts missile and bomb attacks on houses. Let alone treatment of our servicemen," he said.

The first deputy head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs noted that Ukraine will use all the opportunities provided by the Geneva Conventions on prisoners of war, "all these people will work to restore the economy of Ukraine."
By Trend

The evacuation of Azerbaijani citizens from Ukraine through the territory of neighboring states due to the situation in the country continues, Trend reports via Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry.

According to the ministry, 4,375 people have been evacuated to Azerbaijan from Ukraine so far (1,237 in the last 24 hours).

Of these, 2,298 people were evacuated by charter flights, and 2,077 by land transport.

For the evacuation of citizens, the Azerbaijani government organized 12 charter flights, most of which were from Romania and Poland.

The evacuation of compatriots continues both by charter flights and by buses through the territory of countries neighboring Ukraine, added the ministry.
By Trend

Phone talks have been held between Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and his Iranian counterpart Hussein Amir Abdollahian, Trend reports referring to the ministry.

The diplomats exchanged congratulations on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Iran.

The foreign ministers also noted the importance of the meeting of the intergovernmental commission on cooperation in the economic, trade and humanitarian spheres between the two countries, which will be held in Azerbaijan on March 9-10.

The parties stressed with satisfaction that a group of businessmen arrived in Azerbaijan along with the official delegation of Iran, and discussed regional issues and the situation in Ukraine.

Besides, the ministers exchanged views on the course of the talks in Vienna on the Iranian nuclear program, as well as on other issues of mutual interest.
Al-Azhar condemned Friday terrorist attack on a mosque in Afghanistans capital Kabul that left dozens of worshippers dead and injured.
MFO mentions eight peacekeepers dead, one injured in the deadly crash which occurred during a routine mission

Egypt extended its deep sympathy and condolences to the governments of the United States, France, Czech Republic, and the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) command in Sinai over a helicopter crash in Red Seas Tiran, that killed eight members of the peacekeeper force.

According to an official statement released late Thursday, the Egyptian foreign ministry expressed its condolences over the tragic accident, which the statement also said occurred due to a technical failure when flying over the island.

The MFO stated that eight of its peacekeepers died, with one injured in the deadly crash which occurred during a routine mission. The injured peacekeeper was then medically evacuated.

A full investigation of the cause of the crash, which appears to be mechanical in nature, has been launched, the MFO added.

The MFO was installed to monitor the demilitarisation of Sinai under the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace accord.

According to its website, the MFO has 1,154 military personnel from the United States and 12 other countries covering an area of more than 10,000 square kilometres (3,860 square miles) in Sinai. Some 452 of the personnel are American.

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The General Assembly designated 29 May as the International Day of UN Peacekeepers in commemoration of the day in 1948 when the UNs first peacekeeping mission began operations in Palestine

Among the fallen peacekeepers to be honoured Thursday during the United Nations ceremony on the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, are five Egyptians.

The five Egyptians are: Sgt Ahmed Mohsen, Cpl Islam Mahmoud Ismail, Pvt Mohammed Elamir, Sgt Ahmed Mahmoud Rizk who served with the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), and Police WO Abdelwanis Rahoma who was with the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).

Egypt, which is 7th largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN Peacekeeping, currently deploys nearly 3,100 military and police personnel to the UN peace operations in Abyei, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Sudan, South Sudan and the Western Sahara.

The International Day of UN Peacekeepers  29 May  was established by the General Assembly in 2002. Its purpose is to pay tribute to all men and women serving in peacekeeping, and to honour the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace, according to a statement put out by the intergovernmental organisation on Tuesday.

The date was initially chosen to commemorate the day in 1948 when the UNs first peacekeeping mission, the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), began operations in Palestine.

The statement also said that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will lay a wreath to honour the more than 4,000 UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives since 1948. He will also preside over a ceremony at which the Dag Hammarskjold Medal will be awarded posthumously to 129 military, police and civilian peacekeepers who lost their life serving under the UN flag last year and in the first month of this year.

In commemoration of the event, Guterres said of the fallen peacekeepers: Their service and sacrifices will never be forgotten. I express my deep gratitude to the 85,000 civilian, police and military personnel currently deployed in some of the worlds most challenging hotspots to protect the vulnerable and help to build peace.

In spite of the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, as well as the risk of infection, the Secretary-General said that those men and women had pursued their mission while also supporting local authorities in the fight against COVID-19, offering sincere condolences to the families of peacekeepers who had fallen victim to the terrible disease.

We salute the dedication and bravery of our peacekeepers, who serve and perform admirably in challenging environments only compounded by the ongoing pandemic, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, said.

Referring to the theme for the 2021s observance  The road to a lasting peace: Leveraging the power of youth for peace and security  Lacroix also honoured young peacekeepers for bringing energy and innovation, and serving as role models to youth populations working tirelessly to ensure meaningful representation and participation in political processes.

UN Peacekeeping, which has deployed more than 1 million peacekeepers since 1984, currently has around 89,000 military, police and civilian personnel serving in 12 operations.

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Ten unarmed Egyptian peacekeepers from the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) were shot and wounded on Monday afternoon in the capital Bangui by members of the countrys presidential guard, MINUSCA said on Tuesday in a statement.

An Egyptian police unit that is part of MINUSCA  which includes 139 staff members, 14 of which are women  came under heavy fire from the Central African Presidential Guard without prior warning as they travelled by bus on their way from Banguis MPoko International Airport to Fidel Camp.

The attack left ten of the officers wounded with two sustaining serious injuries.

The Egyptian unit was deployed in the Central African Republic as part of the periodic rotation and deployment of MINUSCAs UN Police.

As it attempted to flee from the attack, the bus carrying the Egyptian unit ran over and killed a woman, the statement read.

MINUSCA strongly condemns what appears to be a deliberate and unspeakable attack that there is no justification for, said the statement, expressing the missions condolences to the families of the victims during a meeting at the end of the day.

MINUSCAs leadership and members of the Central African Republics government will be starting an investigation in order to legally address the ramifications of the incident in accordance with the Agreement between the United Nations and the Government of the Central African Republic, the statement noted.

Egypt  which is the 7th largest contributor of uniformed personnel to the UN Peacekeeping Corps  has deployed nearly 3,100 military and police personnel to the UN peace operations in the Abyei Area, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Sudan, South Sudan, and the Western Sahara region, according to the latest UN figures.

Deputy head of MINUSCA Lizbeth Cullity said in August that Egypts military personnel contribution is the fourth largest in the mission, which is a demonstration of its ongoing commitment to peacekeeping.

Since 2016, a 1,130-strong Egyptian contingent has supported peacekeeping efforts in the Central African Republic through its police and military units.

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Russian officials said they planned to carry out a limited cease-fire on Tuesday to allow civilians to safely flee besieged Ukrainian cities, something Ukrainian officials said they would believe only after safe evacuations begin, after two earlier attempts at cease-fires failed.

The humanitarian crisis in Ukraine grew Monday amid intensified shelling by Russian forces. Food, water, heat and medicine grew increasingly scarce in some areas, including the port city of Mariupol.

Russian and Ukrainian delegations held a third round of talks, and a top Ukrainian official said minor, unspecified progress was made toward establishing safe corridors for civilians to escape.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged his people to keep resisting the assault, which UN officials say has forced more than 1.7 million people from Ukraine. Zelenskyy also called for a global boycott of all Russian products, including oil.

Here's a look at key things to know about the war:

Has There Been Progress On Safe Evacuations?

Weekend attempts to establish safe passages failed amid continued shelling _ with each side blaming the other. On Monday, a top Russian official said civilians would be allowed to leave Mariupol, Sumy and the nation's capital of Kyiv, but the proposed evacuation routes would have led mostly to Russia and its ally Belarus, which Ukraine rejected.

Later, Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the UN Security Council that Russia would carry out a cease-fire Tuesday morning, and he and appeared to suggest that humanitarian corridors from Mariupol, Sumy, Kyiv and Chernigov could give people options on where to go.

The UN humanitarian chief, Undersecretary-General Martin Griffiths, urged safe passage for people to go ``in the direction they choose.''

Zelenskyy's office said those plans can be believed only if a safe evacuation begins.

Russia and Ukraine foreign ministers are scheduled to meet for a fourth round of talks Thursday in Turkey.

What Else Is Happening On The Ground?

Ukrainian officials said Russian forces bombed cities in eastern and central Ukraine, and stepped up shelling of suburbs of Kyiv.

``We can't even gather up the bodies because the shelling from heavy weapons doesn't stop day or night,'' said Anatol Fedoruk, the mayor of Bucha, a Kyiv suburb. ``Dogs are pulling apart the bodies on the city streets. It's a nightmare.''

In Kyiv, soldiers and volunteers have built hundreds of checkpoints to protect the city of nearly 4 million, often using sandbags, stacked tires and spiked cables.

``Every house, every street, every checkpoint, we will fight to the death if necessary,'' said Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

Mykolaiv in the south and Kharkiv, the country's second-largest city, were also shelled. Video footage from Mykolaiv showed the interior of an apartment building that was hit _ there were gaping holes where exterior windows were blown out; an older woman, her arm trembling, sat in a hallway as blood streamed down her face.

Ukrainian officials said Russian forces carried out airstrikes after dark Monday on oil depots in Zhytomyr and Cherniakhiv, two towns west of Kyiv. Officials said the strikes blew up 26 oil tanks and nearby residents were being evacuated.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's foreign minister said more than 20,000 people from 52 countries have volunteered to fight in Ukraine's new international legion.

What Has Been Directly Witnessed Or Confirmed By The Associated Press?

In Mariupol, the situation has become increasingly desperate, with shortages of food, water, and power, and some looting that police have ignored. There is no mobile phone service, so accurate news has become a valuable commodity and rumors abound.

Even hospitals have shortages of antibiotics and painkillers, and doctors have been performing some emergency procedures without them.

Police were advising people to remain in shelters until they hear official messages broadcast over loudspeakers telling them to evacuate.

In the northern city of Kharkiv, Dmitry Sedorenko described the desperate scramble after his apartment block was struck Monday amid heavy shelling.

``I think it struck the fourth floor under us,'' Sedorenko said. ``Immediately, everything started burning and falling apart. It became smoky and difficult to see and then the floor fell through. We crawled out of the third floor. There were dead people. We got lucky.''

In Kyiv, the central train station remained crowded with people desperate to leave, and frequent shelling could be heard from the city's center. Elsewhere in the city, volunteers chopped peppers and boiled potatoes at a field kitchen at a makeshift camp.

What Is Happening With Diplomatic Efforts?

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Lithuania and Latvia on Monday to calm any fears that they and Estonia, which he'll visit Tuesday, have about their security.

The three Baltic countries, which endured decades of Soviet occupation before regaining their independence in 1991, are members of the EU and NATO.

Blinken stressed that the U.S. commitment to NATO's mutual defense pact is ``sacrosanct'' and that NATO and the U.S. were discussing stationing troops in the Baltics permanently.

French President Emmanuel Macron, one of the few world leaders who has kept an open line of communication with Putin, criticized Moscow's offer to allow besieged Ukrainians safe passage into Russia and Belarus. ``This is cynicism'' that is ``unbearable,'' he told French news broadcaster LCI.

Meanwhile, Russian lawyers snubbed a hearing at the United Nations' top court about Ukraine's effort to halt the invasion.

How Many People Have Been Killed?

The death toll of the conflict has been difficult to measure. The UN human rights office confirmed 406 civilians had been killed and 801 wounded, but said the real figures are likely higher.

The World Health Organization said it verified at least six attacks that have killed six health care workers and injured 11 others.

Ukrainian refugees continue to pour into neighboring countries, including Poland, Romania and Moldova. Among them are an unknown number of people with U.S. citizenship, though some haven't been able to flee Ukraine yet.

Is Russia Facing More Sanctions?

A growing number of multinational businesses have cut Russia off from vital financial services, technology and a variety of consumer products in response to Western economic sanctions and global outrage over the war.

Japanese automaker Nissan was the latest to say it is planning to halt production at its Russia plant.

More countries were also issuing sanctions. On Tuesday, the Australian government said it was placing sanctions on Moscow's ``propagandists and purveyors of disinformation'' who legitimatize Russia's invasion as the ``de-Nazification'' of Ukraine.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in a statement that Australia was sanctioning 10 ``people of strategic interest to Russia'' for their role in encouraging hostility toward Ukraine.

The New Zealand government also said it plans to fast track legislation that will allow it to impose economic sanctions against Russia.

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Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard launched a second satellite into space, state media reported Monday, just as world powers awaited Tehran's decision in negotiations over the country's tattered nuclear deal.

State television identified the launch as taking place in its northeastern Shahroud Desert, without specifying when.

However, it came as Iran's top diplomat at the monthslong talks suddenly flew home late Monday for consultations, a sign of the growing pressure on Tehran as the negotiations appear to be nearing their end.

The Guard said the Noor-2 satellite reached a low orbit of 500 kilometers (310 miles) above the Earth's surface on the Ghased satellite carrier, IRNA reported. It described the Ghased as a three-phase, mixed fuel satellite carrier.

The Guard did not immediately release photos or video of the launch.

US officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment and an American-maintained catalogue of space objects did not note a new Iranian launch this month. The launch comes days after satellite pictures suggested Iran's civilian program suffered another failed launch.

Noor means ``light'' in Farsi. The Guard launched its first Noor satellite in 2020, revealing to the world it ran its own space program.

The head of the US Space Command later dismissed that satellite as ``a tumbling webcam in space'' that wouldn't provide Iran vital intelligence _ though it showed Tehran's ability to successfully get into orbit after a series of setbacks.

The US has alleged Iran's satellite launches defy a U.N. Security Council resolution and has called on Tehran to undertake no activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

Iran, which long has said it does not seek nuclear weapons, previously maintained that its satellite launches and rocket tests do not have a military component.

US intelligence agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency say Iran abandoned an organized military nuclear program in 2003.

Meanwhile, Iran's state-run IRNA news agency described negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani's trip home as being ``within the framework of the usual consultations during the talks.'' However, the top negotiator for the European Union seemed to suggest whether the talks succeeded or failed now rested with the Islamic Republic.

``There are no longer `expert level talks.' Nor `formal meetings,''' Enrique Mora wrote on Twitter, responding to comments by an Iranian analyst. ``It is time, in the next few days, for political decisions to end the (hashtag)ViennaTalks. The rest is noise.''

Mora's comments mirror those of British and French negotiators at the Vienna talks, which has been working to find a way to get America back into the accord it unilaterally abandoned in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump. It also hopes to get Iran to again agree to measures that drastically scaled back its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

They also appear to push back against a constant Iranian refrain in the last weeks of talks that tried to blame any delay on America, which hasn't been in the room for talks since Trump's withdrawal.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday said he believed ``we're close'' on reaching a deal, though there were ``a couple of very challenging remaining issues.''

The latest wrinkle, however, is a demand Saturday from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that Blinken offer written guarantees over Moscow's ability to continue trade with Iran as it faces sanctions over its war on Ukraine.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian spoke Monday by phone with Lavrov, with the sanctions threat apparently discussed, according to a statement from his office.

``We are against war and imposition of sanctions, and it is clear that cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and any country, including Russia, should not be affected by the atmosphere of sanctions,'' Amirabdollahian said in the statement.

The 2015 nuclear deal saw Iran put advanced centrifuges into storage under the watch of the International Atomic Energy Agency, while keeping its enrichment at 3.67% purity and its stockpile at only 300 kilograms (661 pounds) of uranium.

As of Feb. 19, the IAEA says Iran's stockpile of all enriched uranium was nearly 3200 kilograms (7,055 pounds). Some has been enriched up to 60% purity - a short technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

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Egypt's House of Representatives  the lower house of parliament  gave Tuesday final approval to government-drafted amendments to three laws on fighting irregular migration, prison regulation and agrarian reform.

The House approved amended articles to the law on fighting irregular migration and human trafficking (Law 82/2016).

Speaker of Parliament Hanafy El-Gebaly said since all the amended articles were approved, he would put up the law as a whole for a final vote in a later session.

A report prepared by the House's Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee said the amendments are meant to impose tougher penalties on irregular migration.

"Egypt is committed to fighting the phenomenon of irregular migration by toughening penalties and raising public awareness of the dangers of this crime," said the report, adding that "a national coordination committee was set up to implement the state's national strategy for fighting irregular migration (2016-2026)."

The report indicated that Article Six will be amended to toughen penalties on the crime of irregular migration by land, sea and air. The amended article states that "those who commit the crime of smuggling, or meditating in the smuggling of migrants, will be punished with strict prison and forced to pay a fine between EGP 200,000 and EGP 500,000, not to mention that they will be also forced to pay a fine equal to the value of the amount they profited from the irregular migration operation."

The report added that Article 15 now states "those who took note of irregular migration crimes and chose not to report them to authorities will be sentenced to one year in prison and forced to pay EGP 50,000-200,000 in fines." Public servants who fail in their assigned responsibilities fighting irregular migration will be sentenced to between three to five years in prison.

Article Seven states that "those who helped or facilitated the crime of irregular migration will be forced to pay between EGP one million (instead of EGP 200,000) and EGP five million (instead of EGP 500,000) in addition to a prison sentence."

The House's agenda on Tuesday also saw MPs giving final approval to the amendments to the prison regulation law (Law 396/1956).

El-Gebaly said the amendments are meant to reflect Egypt's new national strategy for human rights. "This strategy, which was declared by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi last September, aims to uphold the rule of law, respect the principle of citizenship, and reinforce equality and basic freedoms," said El-Gebaly, indicating that "the amendment of the prison regulation legislation is the first of laws to be modified to go in line with Egypt's 2021 national strategy for human rights and in a way that will promote the social, economic, political and cultural rights of all citizens."

Ibrahim El-Masry, deputy chairman of the House's National Security and Defence Committee, explained that the amendments seek to give greater care to prison inmates by rehabilitating them to be later integrated into society.

El-Masry said articles one, two, 31 and 81 will be amended to state that "freedom-restricting penalties will be served in rehabilitation centres  instead of prisons." The minister of interior will release an order listing the names of rehabilitation centres that will accommodate prisoners.

MPs also gave final approval to amendments to the agrarian reform law (Law 178/1952). The amended law opens the door for building national projects on land affiliated with the Agrarian Reform Authority. A parliamentary report said "the existing law does not make it possible to implement national projects  such as hospitals and schools  on lands owned by the Agrarian Reform Authority, and so the law was amended to make this possible."

Meanwhile, the House passed one foreign agreement on Tuesday. It gives the green light for Egypt to contribute $3 million in financial allocation to the International Fund on Agricultural Development (IFAD).

El-Gebaly said the House's next plenary sessions will be held on 29 March.

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By Trend

Russia is recruiting Syrians for urban combat in Ukraine, US data said, Trend reports citing the Wall Street Journal.

Russia, which has been operating inside Syria since 2015, has in recent days been recruiting fighters from there, hoping their expertise in urban combat can help take Kyiv and deal a devastating blow to the Ukrainian government, according to the US.

As for American officials, the move points to a potential escalation of fighting in Ukraine.

As stated, it is unclear how many fighters have been identified, but some are already in Russia preparing to enter the conflict. The article said that other data on the deployment of Syrian fighters to Ukraine is unknown.

The Wall Street Journal noted that Russia had offered volunteers from the country between $200 and $300 to go to Ukraine and operate as guards for six months at a time.

In turn, according to a Reuters report citing Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of the Chechen Republic, Chechen forces have also been deployed to Ukraine.

The article also noted that the militants are also pouring into the country to fight on the side of the Kyiv-based government. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that 16,000 foreigners have volunteered to fight for Ukraine, part of what he described as an "international legion".

With volunteers from other countries flowing into Ukraine, the conflict there could become a new center of gravity for foreign fighters, said Jennifer Cafarella, a national security fellow at the Institute for the Study of War in Washington, D.C.

The Russia deployment of foreign fighters from Syria into Ukraine internationalizes the Ukraine war, and therefore could link the war in Ukraine to broader cross-regional dynamics, particularly in the Middle East, she said.
Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, accompanied by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, on Tuesday toured the first edition of the World Defence Show (WDS) in Riyadh, the Egyptian presidency said.

The WDS is organized by the Saudi General Authority for Military industries featuring the latest technologies in defence industries from 6-9 March.

During the tour, President El-Sisi toured the Egyptian pavilion which featured several military products made by the Military Production Ministry and Arab Organization for Industrialization.

Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi arrived in Riyadh earlier Tuesday in a short visit to Saudi Arabia where he met and discussed bilateral relations and recent regional as well as international developments with King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman.

During the talks, El-Sisi stressed the importance of uniting Arabs to face the challenges in the region, and said that Egypt will not allow the security and stability of the Gulf states to be comprised and that security in the Gulf is part of Egypts own security, according to the Egyptian presidency.

El-Sisi and Salman agreed on the necessity of boosting joint efforts to fight terrorism as well as supporting the international communitys effort to reach political settlements to the crises in the region in a way that maintains the unity of these countries territories and their peoples wealth.

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The last century saw people waking up to the possibility that ancient Egypt was a reservoir of a richer and deeper knowledge than most observers had previously thought, writes Tarek Osman

A hundred years ago, British Egyptologist Howard Carter unveiled the tomb of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun. Within days, its contents had become world famous. Egyptomania, in Britain, France, and the US was born.

On the surface, the fascination seemed to be with this ancient civilisations richness, aesthetics, and refined artistry. On the deeper level, however, there was a mystery about what the drawings, the burial methods, and the symbols of it could mean.

The discovery of the tomb seemed to be a treasure, literally and metaphorically, from which new understandings could emerge.

But this was hardly the beginning of the interest in ancient Egypt. By 1922, this had already been going on for a century since Champollions deciphering of the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs on the Rosetta Stone in 1822.

Perhaps the first of these new understandings was the identification of order. Since the mid-19th century, Egyptologists had recognised patterns in Egyptian hieroglyphics that transcended ways of recording names and numbers. Some observers  especially those with artistic backgrounds such as the British orientalist Edward Lane  spoke of ancient Egyptian patterns of telling stories. He thought that stories carry meaning not merely in a literary sense, but also in terms of thought.

In this view, ancient Egypt had a worldview that went beyond simplistic myths about the origins of the universe and the existence of life. The idea was that inherent in the theology and science of ancient Egypt were deeply held convictions about the universe, humanity, and what connects them.

The findings in Tutankhamuns tomb directed observers to the same line of thinking. Behind the immense displays of gold and jewels, there were exact and exacting patterns according to which the site was structured, the burial was undertaken, and the artefacts were organised.

The most fascinating of these patterns was numerical. At first, and a decade or two after the discovery of the tomb, the only people paying real attention were those interested in numerology. But as explorers with the help of mathematicians from France began to report on the bewildering measurements of several ancient Egyptian sites and how they corresponded to physical and astronomical measurements, the notion that there lay behind the sites, the tombs, and the arrangements of objects a pattern that indicated a thought-order began to gain ground.

Some scholars started to invoke Pythagoras in their writings about ancient Egypt. The fact that this towering figure in ancient Greek philosophy and science had come to Egypt was known. But few before the 1930s and 1940s had linked Pythagorass mathematical understanding of the world (as much as they had been able to piece it together) to an earlier worldview.

The primary idea was that mathematical concepts expressed in the material world influence if not govern the patterns we see in the observed universe from cosmology to sound (hence, Pythagorass contributions to the science of music). The fact that Pythagoras might have learnt some of these ideas in the period he spent in Egypt prompted many to associate his observations with the numerical patterns that Egyptologists were discovering in the remains of ancient Egypt.

For many, this indicated tremendous prowess. And as the media began to gain power in the 1950s and 1960s, the wonders  including bewildering mathematical marvels at ancient Egyptian sites from the Great Pyramid to the Karnak Temple  began to raise wider interest. Public consciousness was waking up to the possibility that ancient Egypt was a reservoir of a richer and deeper knowledge than most observers, and scholars of Egyptology, had thought.

For some, this knowledge transcended Egypt. In this view, it had been there before ancient Egypt became what it was and remained there after it ceased to be. In this school of thought, ancient Egypt was a continuation of an earlier civilisation whose remains had been lost, in the same way that ancient Greece was a continuation of ancient Egypt. In both cases  and others  that continuing knowledge took a shape that corresponded to the culture, temperament, and geography of the place and society it was in during that era.

Many historians dismiss this view, primarily on the grounds that the evidence supporting it is largely anecdotal. Others entertain it because it explains how Egypts advanced civilisation appeared with a sophistication unrivalled in the world at the time without having a clear growth and development trajectory.

Perhaps the latter are drawn to this view because it is quite Platonic. The idea that there exists a continuing body of knowledge  of truth  moving throughout human history from one location to another and being moulded in one culture after another echoes Platos view that higher ideas inform, inspire, illuminate, and guide humanity towards moral advancement.

It was a view that also solved dilemmas in early Egyptological work. This put forward rather simplistic explanations of ancient Egypts view of the world, the universe, and the place of humanity in it that were hardly commensurate with the mathematical and engineering prowess that ancient Egypts architecture demonstrated.

This led to new narratives that tried to see symbolism in many of the stories that early Egyptologists had translated from drawings and inscriptions on temples and sites all over Egypt.

Deciphering symbols is all about connecting dots, and as a result there started new narratives about ancient Egyptian mythology that connected observations at sites to mathematical facts revealed by studies of architecture and comments attributed to ancient Greek authors, most notably the historian Herodotus.

These narratives indeed followed a Platonic view of the world. According to them, there were two bodies of knowledge in ancient Egypt. One was simple and aimed at the masses and explained life and existence and the role of humans in it in a binary way as a fight between good and evil. It presented temptations and tests to humans, seeing their responses and actions as being rewarded or punished in the afterlife.

The other was a deeper body of knowledge. In this, no binaries existed, and instead it rested on a sophisticated conception of the unity that encompasses the universe. Humanity exists in this and through this, and it is a unity that evolves all of its constituents, universe and man combined.

There was a bit of Goethe in this approach or at least of the characteristic thinking of this early 19th-century German writer. Such narratives could only be perceived through an active imagination, a mind that finds, if not creates, the image out of which a bigger fabric takes shape.

Interestingly, such ways of looking at ancient Egypt prospered and found major audiences far away from Egypt itself, particularly in Britain, France, and the US. There, many writers wanted to anchor their Platonic-Goethite narratives on ancient Egypt. In their writings, ancient Egypt became not merely a place in which this continuing knowledge had manifested and advanced that civilisation at a particular moment in time, but also the centre of that continuing knowledge.

The next article in this series will explain the particular focus on Egypt.

* The writer is the author of Islamism: A History of Political Islam (2017) and Egypt on the Brink (2010).

*A version of this article appears in print in the 10 March, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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Egypt and Saudi Arabia issued a joint statement emphasising their shared stances on a number of regional issues including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the Middle East peace process and the situation in Yemen, Sudan and Lebanon.

The statement was released following a short visit by Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to Riyadh on Tuesday where he met with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD)

Saudi Arabia asserts its full support for Egyptian water security as part of Arab water security. They also encourage Ethiopia to abandon its uniliteral policies in accordance with the international laws and agreements including the 2015 Nile Declaration of Principles.

The statement added that Ethiopia should cooperate with Egypt and Sudan without any delay to reach a legally binding agreement concerning the filling and operation policies of the GERD in accordance with the presidential statement issued by the UN Security Council in September of last year.

Yemen

Both Egypt and Saudi Arabia are committed to continuing their efforts to find a comprehensive political solution to the Yemeni crisis based on the Gulf initiative, the outcomes of the Comprehensive National Dialogue Conference and UN Security Council Resolution 2216.

Both countries welcomed the resolution which characterised the Houthi militia as a terrorist group and expanded the embargo on the delivery of weapons to Yemen to encompass all Houthi militias.

Palestine

Both Egypt and Saudi Arabia continue to support reaching a comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in accordance with international laws, related international resolutions and the Arab Peace initiative that includes a two-state solution with an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

They also stressed the importance of international efforts in providing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people.

Freedom of maritime navigation in Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea

Egypt and Saudi Arabia condemned the attempts by Houthi militias to threaten the security and safety of navigation in the Arabian Gulf, Bab Al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea, stressing the importance of freedom of maritime navigation in those areas.

Both counties say that there is a need to address any threats in those areas as they considered a threat to regional and international security and stability.

The two countries agreed that the Houthi militia's possession of substantial military capabilities cannot be overlooked, as it is a direct threat to the security of Saudi Arabia and the countries of the region.

Libya

Both Egypt and Saudi Arabia agree on the necessity of safeguarding Libyas unity and stability while supporting efforts to reach a political solution that is agreeable to all parties. The statement also encouraged Libyan parties to work together and move towards the future without any outside interference.

Both countries appreciate the role of the Libyan House of Representatives as being the elected legislative body, representing Libyan people, and entrusted with enacting laws, granting legitimacy to the executive authority and exercising its oversight role.

The two countries also stress the need for foreign forces, mercenaries and foreign fighters to leave Libya within a specific time frame in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2570 and the outcomes of the Paris Summit and the Second Berlin Conference.

They also stressed the need for the 5 + 5 Joint Military Committee to continue its work and called on all parties to stop military actions in order to preserve the countrys security and stability.

Lebanon

Egypt and Saudi Arabia are keen to maintain the Arab identity, security, stability and unity of Lebanon. They also stress their continuing efforts aimed at supporting Lebanese state institutions. Egypt and Saudi Arabia support Lebanon carrying out necessary reforms to ensure that it overcomes its crisis and does not serve as a haven for terrorist groups or drug trafficking.

Syria

Egypt and Saudi Arabia reiterated the importance of reaching a political solution to the crisis in Syria that fulfils the aspirations of the Syrian people and safeguard Syrias unity and territories.

Both countries believe there is a need to limit intervention in Syria and support the efforts of the UN special envoy for Syria.

Iraq

Egypt and Saudi Arabia expressed their aspiration for the formation of an Iraqi government that will continue working for the security, stability and development of the country while eliminating terrorism and stopping foreign interference in its internal affairs.

Sudan

Egypt and Saudi Arabia affirm their continuing support for the success of the transition process in a way that contributes to the safeguarding of the political and economic gains in Sudan. Both countries asserted the importance of dialogue between Sudanese parties and praised at the same time the role of the UN and the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) to facilitate the dialogue.

Afghanistan

Egypt and Saudi Arabia stated there is a need to support security and stability in Afghanistan and not to let it turn into a safe haven for terrorists and extremists, stressing the need to continue international efforts to combat terrorism.

The two countries expressed the importance of supporting relief efforts and humanitarian work in Afghanistan.

Expo 2030 in Saudi Arabia

Egypt declares its full support to Saudi Arabia in its quest to host Expo 2030, the proposed worlds fair whose location has yet to be chosen.

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A beauty contest for dogs is more than a catwalk and is an opportunity to improve the physical and psychological health of future breeds, writes Khaled El-Ghamri

Jina was my first furry friend. She was a German Shepherd I had bought for a meagre LE50 back in 1987 for protection purposes. I didnt know Jina was capable of giving so much love. She was a loyal and true friend.

Jina became family, and throughout the years she taught me about commitment, caring for others, and patience. I became dedicated to her feeding time, cleanliness, psychological and physical health, and daily walks. She would wait impatiently for my return from college every day to receive me with a wagging tail and endless enthusiasm and joy.

From then on, I grew to learn that dogs are family and not security guards.

Two weeks ago, I was happy to receive an invitation from Khaled Ramadan, head of the Egyptian Organisation for Dog Pedigree Preservation, to attend one of its shows. I was surprised by the large turnout, with the attendees including dog breeders who are now close friends and honest competitors. They cooperated in a professional manner to show off the best qualities of their dogs. Before I knew it, eight hours had passed in watching the magnificent pooches.

Ramadan said the pageant was attended by 200 contestants, ranging from breeders of dogs of all kinds, breeds and ages, to about 500 people who love these beautiful beasts. The organisation aims to improve dog breeding in Egypt through proper arbitration and the clarification of the proper specifications for each breed, thus preparing contestants for international competitions, he added.

Contests of the sort I attended double as exhibitions for dog breeders where they can showcase their work on improving pedigrees, Ramadan said. The more dog pageants are held, the more breeders form a community and increase cooperation. The contests enrich knowledge about the qualities of each breed and help new buyers to understand that dogs are not a commodity for sale. They can pick the dog breed that best suits their lifestyle, he noted.

The organisation is also working on trying to register breeds of Egyptian origin, such as the Armant herding dog which has its roots in the city of Armant in Upper Egypt, as well as the Pharaonic dog. Its endeavours have not always been plain sailing, however, as Egypt is new to the field while many European countries have long experience in this arena, Ramadan said.

Russia and Germany export pure breeds in large numbers, for example, while some Egyptian dog breeders export to some of the Arab countries, albeit on a small scale. This is because it was only recently that dedicated associations were established on a professional and scientific basis in Egypt, Ramadan said.

Moataz Ibrahim, a veteran German Shepherd breeder and member of the organisation, said he referees in competitions and that the selection of the winning dogs is not based on their features, size, or weight, but rather on the character, health, and specifications of each breed.

Each breed has different specifications regarding the shape, physical composition, and hair colour and length of the dogs in question. There are physical defects that may appear in each breed. The fewer such defects and the more a dog exhibits self-confidence, courage, and non-aggression towards other dogs and people, the more likely it is to land one of the top three spots in competitions, Ibrahim added.

Refereeing in such pageants requires extensive knowledge of each breeds defects and the specifications of pure breeds, he noted. Although Ibrahim specialises in German Shepherds, he is also knowledgeable about other breeds, including their physical competition and character traits. There are about 360 internationally registered dog breeds.

Al-Ahram employee Sameh Kamel is a regular participant at such contests, and in the show I attended his American Akita snatched second place. Kamel said that despite his dogs physical superiority, it had been violent with the judges and other dogs, dropping it from first to second rank.

Kamel said he takes part regularly in the organisations pageants because they allow him to see new breeds, compare them with his own, and benefit from the judges comments. The contests also help Kamel to promote his farm among pageant attendees, get to know other farm owners, and introduce his dog to pedigree females to have better new-generation pups.

He noted that the dog trade has flourished in Egypt in recent years and that the majority of international breeds are now either imported or bred in the country. This multi-million-dollar trade has paved the way for other businesses to boom, such as those involved in contests, exhibitions, accessories, and dog food, in addition to veterinary equipment and pet medicines, whether locally produced or imported.

The new awareness about healthy pedigrees has made people appreciate the high price of certain breeds more, and these can sell for up to LE40,000, especially smaller breeds such as the Pomeranian, mini Poodle, and Beagle, that do not require strenuous care or large spaces, Kamel said.

One of the things that can be learned at such contests is that improving breeds is not meant as a way of boasting about a dogs specifications. Instead, it is about raising a physically and psychologically healthy friend with strong immunity in a problem-free environment.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 10 March, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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Thanks to Egypts strategic reserves, the international hike in corn prices will not affect the country in the short term.

The prices of many commodities the world over have hiked as a result of the Russian incursion into Ukraine, sending tremors across economies and fears among peoples of an impending crunch.

Corn is one such commodity, with Egypt, which imports 75 per cent of its needs of the crop, preparing to embrace the impact of shortages or rising prices. Besides being an alternative to wheat in some products, corn is also an essential ingredient for protein production, such as poultry, meat, eggs, and dairy products.

Russia and Ukraine produce one fifth of the worlds production of corn, and this has led to a rise in the price of the crop with the beginning of the war between the two countries.

Ukraine is the worlds sixth-largest producer of corn and one of the leading exporters to Egypt thanks to its location on the Black Sea that ensures that cargos can reach Egypt in less than a week. This translates into lower freight costs, rendering Ukrainian corn the best option at the best value.

Abdel-Aziz Al-Sayed, head of the Poultry Division at the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce, said the price of a ton of corn had increased by LE1,000 and the price of a ton of feed by LE1,500 since the crisis began.

Feed consists of corn (70 per cent) and soy (30 per cent). At present a ton of feed is sold for LE10,500, up from LE9,000, he added.

Al-Sayed, also a member of the Commodities Committee in the cabinet, said Egypt has a seven-month reserve of corn after President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi had instructed an increase in the reserves of staple foods in 2020 following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

He said there was no reason why corn prices should have risen in the domestic market, adding that corn shipments that have yet to arrive in Egypt were contracted at the old price.

Egypt imports the majority of its corn needs from Argentina, Brazil, the US, and Ukraine, he said, adding that Ukrainian corn imports account for 30 per cent of Egypts needs. The country also plants a million feddans of corn and produces 3.1 million tons. The domestic market consumes about 15 million tons.

Abdel-Aziz said that Egypt should plant another million feddans with other types of corn that have higher productivity and that can yield six million tons of corn per million feddans. He added that in this case Egypt would be able to produce 12 million tons, or 80 per cent of its consumption.

Minimising the need to import corn would mean that Egypt would not be at the mercy of international price fluctuations, he stated.

Producing two kg of poultry requires 3.5 kg of feed, he noted.

Abdel-Aziz stressed that the market should be closely monitored to prevent unnecessary price hikes, warning that these could result in a crisis with the advent of the holy month of Ramadan.

Egypt has been importing increasing amounts of corn in recent years. In 2014, it imported 4.3 million tons, increasing to 10 million tons in 2021 for more than $2 billion.

The price of corn has been rising since the beginning of the year. A ton of corn was being sold for $231, a 22 per cent increase on last year, even before the war broke out. After the Russian invasion, a ton of corn recorded $294, and it is likely to increase further as fears rise of decreased production in Argentina and Brazil due to lower rain levels.

Mohamed Al-Gammal, a marketing and grain consultant at the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), expects an increase in Egypts consumption of corn, especially yellow corn, due to the resumption of poultry exports after years of hiatus.

Egypt produces 1.4 billion poultry annually, of which 3.3 million were exported in 2021, Al-Gammal said at the Middle East International Conference on Cereals and Oils held in October.

He added that higher exports of poultry will prompt an increase in the consumption of corn, especially the yellow corn that is used in the manufacture of feed.

Hussein Abdel-Rahman, head of the Farmers Syndicate, said the problem was not that Ukraine is the largest exporter to Egypt, but that there are risks that the other exporting countries are facing with regards to transportation and the increase in freight prices.

He said that the war between Ukraine and Russia had led to an increase in prices by about five per cent, and in Egypt they had risen by about 10 per cent, adding that the war would lead to Egypts importing more from more distant countries such as Brazil and Argentina, inevitably leading to an increase in transport costs and thus a higher final price.

Recent efforts to increase the crop will limit corn imports. They include the expansion of other crops that can be used as fodder. Abdel-Rahman gave the example of the cotton crop, since cotton seeds when pressed can be used as fodder.

The expansion of corn cultivation might be difficult in Egypt due to limited land, especially since corn is a summer crop when there is limited water for cultivation.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 10 March, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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The European Union says it is willing to play a greater role in pushing for an agreement on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Minister of Water Resources Mohamed Abdel-Ati, and EU Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Annette Weber linked regional integration and cooperation to resolving the ongoing dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Last week, Abdel-Ati said that an agreement on GERD between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia would pave the way for future cooperation and regional integration, though he added, during his meeting with Weber in Cairo, that finalising any agreement on the filling and operation of the dam would require Ethiopia to exhibit the necessary political will.

He stressed that unilateral operation of the dam could only lead to disruptions in water management that will harm Egypt and Sudan.

Weber called for a tripartite agreement that would enhance regional integration, and in a meeting with the press during her visit, expressed the EUs readiness to play a greater role in resolving the dispute between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia over GERD.

The EUs present role is to follow and observe the African Union (AU)-sponsored talks that ground to a halt in April 2021, explained a diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity.

Now the bloc is saying it wants to engage more to help reach an agreement. What it needs to clarify is whether that will be under the umbrella of the AU or not, and how the EUs role might differ from that in previous negotiations. Whatever happens, it needs to be done quickly, and within a set time frame, because time is tight, he said.

Abbas Sharaki, professor of geology and water resources at Cairo University, agreed with the diplomat that time is running short, and there is an urgent need to reach an agreement before Addis Ababa takes further steps towards a third filling of the dam.

Ethiopia has already started generating electricity from the dam, with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declaring last month that GERDs first turbine was now operational. The Ethiopian News Agency has reported that preparations for the operation of the second turbine are currently underway.

In response, Egypt sent a letter to the UN Security Council describing the operation of the turbine as another fundamental breach of the Declaration of Principles (DoP) signed in 2015 in the Sudanese capital Khartoum by the then leaders of the three countries.

The letter, which was handed last month to Vassily Nebenzia  Russia is the current president of the UNSC  stated that Cairo categorically rejects Ethiopias unilateral decision to begin operating the dam, and pointed out that Ethiopia has consistently failed to conduct studies assessing GERDs hydrological, social, economic, and environmental impacts.

The letter is an attempt to remind the world of Addis Ababas unilateral actions, including the filling of the dam in 2020 and 2021, said the anonymous diplomat. These have now been followed by the pilot operation of the first turbine, yet another breach of the DoP which stipulates clearly that a legally binding agreement must be reached ahead of any filling and operation of the dam.

Sudan characterised Ethiopias unilateral action in operating the turbine as incompatible with the spirit of cooperation and a fundamental breach of Addis Ababas international commitments.

In the absence of any corroborating evidence, Addis Ababa continues to insist that GERD will cause zero harm to downstream states. Dina Mufti, spokesperson of Ethiopias Foreign Ministry, described Egypt and Sudans criticism of the operation of the first turbine as absolutely absurd.

But is the turbine actually working? Satellite images taken two weeks after Ahmeds announcement, says Sharaki, show no sign that the turbine is operating. Instead, they reveal that water is still running through the central passage of the dam, and the basin that is supposed to receive water from the turbine appears to be empty.

It would appear that Ahmeds announcement was directed towards appeasing domestic opinion, Sharaki told Al-Ahram Weekly. If anything was done during the supposed test run, it was for far too short a duration to have produced any electricity, he added.

Whatever the substance of Ahmeds announcement, Sharaki warns that it is yet another sign that Ethiopia has no intention of abandoning its unilateral actions, and that restarting the negotiation and reaching a deal are urgently required to avoid more unilateral steps.

Egypt and Sudan, that do not oppose the construction of the dam, have been engaged in on/off negotiations with Ethiopia for a decade in an attempt to agree rules for the filling and operation of GERD, only for their every suggestion to be rejected by Addis Ababa.

Egypt fears that the continued filling of the dam in the absence of an agreement will reduce the flow of Nile water on which Egypt depends. Sudan is worried Ethiopias unilateral actions will endanger its own dams.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 10 March, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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Israel has launched mediation efforts between Russia and Ukraine in an attempt to make domestic and overseas gains, writes Mohamed Abu Shaar in Gaza

Israel has become involved in the global crisis triggered by Russias invasion of Ukraine by attempting to mediate between the two sides after shuttle diplomacy carried out by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

Bennett met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an unannounced visit earlier this week and communicated with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Israeli moves, which Tel Aviv says are in coordination with the US, France, and Germany, were followed by Bennetts meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Latvia to brief them about the outcome of his meeting with Putin in Moscow.

However, the US has not praised Israel for taking such action, raising questions about Bennetts motives. His bid to mediate parallels the mediation efforts by Belarus, which hosted talks between Russia and Ukraine, and the Turkish mediation that wants to hold a meeting between the two sides. Washington is also unhappy at the ambiguity of Israels position on the Ukraine crisis.

Several Israeli analysts say that Bennetts move to mediate in the crisis stems from personal motives because he wants to boost his popularity at home and gain international recognition for playing a mediating role in one of the worlds most serious international crises since World War II.

They believe Bennetts efforts in this crisis are an uncalculated gamble.

Israeli concerns over Bennetts mediation are also due to uncertainties about whether Washington supports it, which could further add to tensions between the two countries on the Ukrainian crisis. His attempts are unlikely to succeed due to Tel Avivs inability to put pressure on Moscow and Kyiv.

Israel needs good relations with Russia in order that it can move freely against Iran and Hizbullah in Syria. Israels relationship with Ukraine is also intricate because tens of thousands of Jews live in Ukraine.

Israel does not want to anger the Ukrainian regime and its allies, in order to protect these Jews. As a result, Israel was forced to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine but without joining the anti-Russia camp.

Israeli Jews of Ukrainian origin have left their mark on the Israeli state since its establishment in 1948. Most notably, former Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, who signed the Oslo Peace Agreement with the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), and Israels most famous prime minister, Golda Meir, were of Ukrainian origin.

Former Israeli defence minister Moshe Dayan, whom Israel views as one of the most influential figures in the first 30 years of Israels creation, was also of Ukrainian origin. Dayan played a key role in formulating the Camp David Peace Agreement between Israel and Egypt when he was minister of foreign affairs.

Zelensky, who often says that Judaism is his religion, has adopted policies that extend the special relationship between Kyiv and Tel Aviv. He was one of the first world leaders who expressed willingness to recognize Occupied Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to eventually relocate the Ukrainian embassy there, once former US president Donald Trump had taken a similar step. At the time, Ukraines Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk said his country was hoping to open a branch in Jerusalem in 2022.

Zelensky has gone beyond showing support for Israel by asserting that the challenges facing his country and Israel are similar. He has compared the suffering of the people of Israel and Ukraine.

At the Kyiv Jewish Forum last year when the US and Western countries were warning about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, Zelensky said that we know what its like not to have our own state. We know what it means to defend ones own state and land with weapons in hand at the cost of our own lives.

Both Ukrainians and Jews value freedom, and they work equally for the future of their states to become to their liking and not the future that others want for them. Israel is often an example for Ukraine, he said.

When in early March Russian planes bombed the Ukrainian television tower in the capital Kyiv located near the Babi Yar Holocaust Memorial, Zelensky immediately tweeted in Hebrew urging Jews around the world to show support for his country.

He stated that he has family in Israel and has visited there many times, adding that I am now addressing all Jews of the world. Do you not see what is happening? For this reason, it is very important that millions of Jews around the world do not remain silent now.

The special relationship between Israel and Ukraine was disrupted when Israel refused to provide Ukraine with defence systems to avoid antagonising Moscow. Israel again refused to provide these systems before and during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, Israel has stepped up humanitarian aid to Ukraine and established a field hospital there in an effort to defuse Kyivs anger.

Israel has also taken advantage of the Ukraine crisis to step up the pace of bringing Jews of Ukrainian origin to Israel, and it has established settlements on Palestinian land to house them.

Israel has announced that it has received some 2,000 Ukrainian Jews, and Israeli Minister of the Interior Ayelet Shaked said there are 200,000 Ukrainians who are eligible to emigrate to Israel under Israels law of return for Jews around the world.

Shaked stressed, however, that Israel does not want to receive Ukrainian citizens since Europe is open to them and Israel would have trouble receiving the millions of Ukrainians who are fleeing the war.

A Palestinian report issued by an institution affiliated with the PLO said that Israel is building 1,000 settlement housing units to accommodate Jews from Ukraine. The report said that Israel aims to accommodate them in residential buildings of various sizes in compounds for new Jewish immigrants. They will be located near the northern border in the Negev, Wadi Araba, and Wadi Yanabie near Beisan areas and in the Jordan Valley.

Observers believe that the Ukraine crisis is a serious challenge to Israeli policy since Tel Aviv is trying to take positions that satisfy all the parties, despite the sharp polarisation around the world on the Ukraine war.

Israel wants to make the greatest gains it can from the crisis by playing the peace-broker on the global stage and focusing attention at home on the strength of the incumbent government.

It also wants to create a demographic advantage at the expense of the Palestinians by receiving hundreds of thousands of Jews from Ukraine, persuading them to live in Israel and promoting the notion of a national home for Jews of different nationalities around the world.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 10 March, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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The military campaign in Ukraine is proceeding as planned in its third week, according to official Russian sources. Many observers had predicted the war would be over quickly. The government statement appears pitched to deny that impression and assert that military planners in Moscow were aware of the challenges from the outset. In fact, the actual nature of the Russian plan remains a mystery. Before the war, Russia had prepared a large theatre of operations, amassing forces and staging exercises in Russia, Belarus, Donbas and Crimea. It even conducted strategic deterrent manoeuvres in Syria. As we now know, all this activity was a warm-up for the campaign as the Russian claim that there was no intention of invading Ukraine turned out to be a form of political camouflage.

The purpose of this campaign appears to be to turn the Ukrainian clock back to before 2014 and the overthrow of the pro-Russian Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych in February that year. On a higher level, the aim is to turn the global geopolitical clock back to before the end of the Cold War in 1991 and enter into competition with NATOs open door policy towards Eastern European nations which now form the Western alliances eastern flank. Moscow is saying that it can regain former Soviet republics that lie within its vital sphere, especially Ukraine which is a strategic cornerstone in this concept. Any chance of mutual trust in this rivalry is non-existent. While Russian President Vladimir Putin is determined to neutralise Ukraine militarily, NATO is determined to reinforce its front lines in the east. So even if Russia gains control over Ukraine, this will not end the confrontation. On the contrary, the two sides will be standing face to face while arms races, which the Cold War had quelled somewhat, will resume, especially in the nuclear sphere.

The outbreak of hostilities was a wakeup call to European powers which had never foreseen that normalisation with Russia after the Cold War would have led to a deterioration in the European security structure and left defence almost entirely up to NATO. This meant relying on the US to draw up defence policies which, in turn, proved to fluctuate with every new administration in Washington and in accordance with the USs national security priorities and world outlook which lumped China and Russia in the same basket as the biggest threat to the US outside its borders. In all events, the exposure of European security vulnerability with NATOs hands tied by its article five, in accordance with which the alliance can only come to the defence of its own members, while the sight of the Russian military bulldozer in the middle of Ukraine has galvanised many European countries into re-evaluating their defence policies. A prime example is Germany, which has decided to up its defence spending and totally overhaul its armed forces.

On the ground in Ukraine, there is no comparison between the relative strengths of Russian and Ukrainian military capacities. Russia has the second largest conventional army in the world and it is one of the foremost nuclear powers. Ukraine, according to international defence reports, ranks in the third decile of military forces. It has a fourth of the personnel of Russian forces (255,000 in service as opposed to a million in the Russian service). Indeed, the number of Russian reserve personnel is as large as the entire Ukrainian army. Russia possesses more than 13,000 tanks and 27,000 armoured vehicles compared to Ukraines 2,430 tanks and 11,000 armoured vehicles. The Russian fleet strength is 603 plus one aircraft carrier compared the Ukraines fleet strength of 316. In like manner, there is no comparison in artillery strength: Russia has 6,540 Self-Propelled Artillery, Ukraine 785; Russia has 4,465 field artillery, Ukraine 2,040; Russia has 3,860 rocket projectors, Ukraine 550.

Two other critical factors come into play. First, Russia is more prepared to take a military initiative to attain its goals than the West, which is hampered by NATO rules such as the above-mentioned Article 5 and by the US which, just a couple of months before this war, was withdrawing its forces from Iraq and Afghanistan. The training that Ukrainian forces have received during the past seven years was not tactically focussed on repelling a Russian offensive of a conventional or modern combined nature. That is why Western powers rushed in reinforcements such as antitank artillery and Stinger missiles (of which Germany announced it would send 1,000 and 500 respectively) and other types of antitank weaponry (of which the US sent in 10,700).

Russia, on the other hand, has disabled the Ukrainian aerial defence system, much of which was from the Soviet era and may not have been upgraded much. Russia also has a large naval intervention force which had been deployed in Crimea since 2014 and ready to act as tensions mounted. It was therefore relatively easy for it to dominate the air and seize control of the ports of Mariupol and Odessa. In general, despite such obstacles as blown-up bridges and bombardment of Russian tank columns, the massive Russian advance appears to have overcome Ukrainian resistance in many areas and gained control over strategic locations. For example, its capture of Antonov International Airport, a few kilometres outside of Kyiv, enabled Russia to double its build-up before laying siege to the capital. By the third week of fighting, Russia had taken control of much of the Donbas and the entire southern coastal region. Its forces have destroyed 3,296 military facilities so far, penetrating deep into the north, laying siege to the capital, Kyiv. In the process, Russia has displayed its new air force capacities, including the hypersonic MiG-31BM, the 3M22 Tsirkon anti-ship hypersonic cruise missile Tsirkon and other advanced missilery. Thus, the military balance and the nature of the engagement, so far, are such that the Russian military operation may well succeed, albeit at a considerable cost. However, if so, how would Russia henceforth manage Ukraine politically? It is believed that this is why Russia has opened six humanitarian corridors to allow civilians out of the country, after which it will deal with those who remain as military targets.

The second factor relates to the future of NATO defence policies on Ukraines borders. Without a doubt, the massive reinforcements NATO sent to Europes eastern borders are to the alliances advantage in any engagement beyond Ukraine. For example, Denmark has deployed a frigate in the Baltic Sea and will send four F-16 fighter jets to Lithuania to support the long-term NATO air policing mission in the region. Spain has sent ships to join the NATO naval forces and is considering sending fighter planes to Bulgaria. The Netherlands will send two F-35 fighters to Bulgaria in April to support NATO air policing in that region, and it is putting naval and ground force units on standby for the NATO Response Force. France has offered to send troops to Romania under the command of NATO and the US is also considering increasing its military presence in the eastern part of the alliance territory.

Already, four multinational battle groups have been deployed in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland and are led by Britain, Canada, Germany and the United States respectively. Another multinational brigade has been deployed to the southeast in Romania. These forces, drawn from 20 NATO members, work with the national armies of those countries. Albania, the Czech Republic, Iceland, Italy, Montenegro, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain have contributed to the Canadian-led fighting group in Latvia. Belgium, the Czech Republic, Iceland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Norway have contributed to the German-led battle group in Lithuania. Denmark, France and Iceland contribute to the UK-led battle group in Estonia, and Croatia, Romania and the UK are part of the US-led battle group in Poland. The four battle groups in the Baltic states are under the command of NATOs Multinational Corps Northeast which is headquartered in Szczecin, Poland.

An air reconnaissance force, operating out of Ramstein Air Base in Germany, has also been deployed in the northern area of the eastern flank. Britain has sent a 1,000-strong logistical and humanitarian relief support force to support Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Poland. Germany and France are jointly leading the Very High Joint Readiness Task Force (VJTF), known as the NATO spearhead, which can be operational on very short notice. It includes 5000 soldiers from the army, air force, navy and special forces which need to be at the ready. This is in addition to the main deterrent force that can reach up to 40,000 troops. Four permanent multinational naval forces patrol allied and international waters, including the Baltic Sea. In this regard, 120 ships have been added to the main NATO force which has 34 operations command centres, two naval deployment ports, five naval facilities, six bases, six armoured brigades, 30 training centres, 57 air bases, five multinational battalions and six missile shield and air defence battalions.

To the foregoing we should add the capacities of the American Sixth Fleet, which has enhanced its presence in the European theatre and works in coordination with NATO. The fleet currently includes 40 warships, 175 aircraft and 21,000 personnel. In particular, it boasts the command ship the USS Mount Whitney and the nuclear powered aircraft carrier the USS Harry Truman, 175 aircraft, four nuclear submarines including the USS Georgia which is equipped with 154 Tomahawk missiles. In February the fleet was bolstered with four more destroyers, The Sullivans (DDG-68), USS Gonzalez (DDG-66), USS Donald Cook (DDG-75) and USS Mitscher (DDG-57), that have joined the US Navys four Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMD) destroyers in Spain (USS Ross (DDG-71), USS Roosevelt (DDG-80), USS Porter (DDG-78) and USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51).

This is not to mention the host of logistical support ships (fuel tankers and rescue, maintenance and food supply ships) and other logistical and command facilities. At the start of the war, the US deployed an additional force of 2,000 troops (the 18th Airborne Corps) as an emergency backup force for NATO. The US currently has an estimated 90,000 military personnel in Europe.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 10 March, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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Cairo International Airport received on Monday an Air Cairo plane carrying 174 Egyptian nationals from Poland after they fled the war inUkraine.

Their repatriation comes in accordance with President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisis directives to bring Egyptians who fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries in the wake of the war home.

Since the start of the Russian invasion on 24 February, hundreds of Egyptian expats have entered the neighbouring countries of Romania, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland, and the Egyptian authorities are now coordinating their return, launching an air bridge for the mission.

Over the past week, Egypt has repatriated 177 nationals from Poland, 175 from Romania, and 30 from Hungary, most of whom are students.

The Egyptian embassies in the neighbouring countries  which are providing temporary residences for the evacuees  are currently pressing with efforts to repatriate additional groups of Egyptians.

The Egyptian Embassy in Vienna also said on Sunday it was arranging the return of the last group of Egyptian citizens fleeing the war.

Egypt is set to send an aircraft in the coming days to the Slovakian capital of Bratislava to repatriate nationals who crossed Ukraine's borders, the Egyptian embassy in Kyiv announced on Sunday.

Prior to the Russian invasion, the number of Egyptian in Ukraine stood at around 6,000, including 3,000 students studying at the country's universities, especially in medicine.

The invasion has forced more than 1.7 million Ukrainians and thousands of nationals of various countries to flee.

Last week, Egypt joined 140 countries in voting for a UN resolution calling for a halt to the Russian invasion and an immediate withdrawal of Russian forces from its western neighbour.

Immediately after the start of the invasion, Egypt called for upholding dialogue and adopting diplomatic and political means to resolve the crisis.

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Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi El-Sisi was received by Crown Prince Mohamemed Bin Salman at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh in the start of official visit to discuss bilateral relations and international crises with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the crown prince .

Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said the president will consult and coordinate with the king and crown prince on bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues and crises, which require concerted efforts to protect Arab national security.

This visit comes within the framework of the deep Egyptian-Saudi relations and the brotherly ties and cooperation at all levels between the two sisterly countries, the spokesman said.

El-Sisis visit to Saudi Arabia, the world's largest producer of crude oil, comes while the ongoing two-week-old Russian invasion of Ukraine is threatening to severely impact the global economy, with oil and gas prices already soaring.

Close relationship

Egypt and Saudi Arabia have closely coordinated on regional and international issues since El-Sisi took office in 2014, with the two sides regularly holding top-level meetings.

El-Sisi last visited Saudi Arabia in May 2019, where he took part in an emergency Arab Summit in Mecca after attacks by the Houthi militia in Yemen including on Saudi oil tankers off the UAE coast earlier in the same month.

Egypt has strongly condemn scores of attacks launched by the Houthi militia from Yemen against Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia also repeatedly voiced support to Egypts water rights amid a dispute between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) the latter is building on the Blue Nile.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia also held several joint military drills over the past years, and the Arab Organisation for Industrialisation (AOI) is currently taking part in the first edition of the World Defence Show (WDS) held in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, from 6 to 9 March.

Economic, development cooperation

Egypt and Saudi Arabia are bound by solid economic and investment partnerships, with both sides has signed many MoUs on digital transformation over the past years, the last of which was earlier in March.

In December, they signed an MoU on fostering international cooperation to combat corruption and exchanging expertise and information on corruption crimes.

In October, Egypt and Saudi Arabia awarded contracts for the implementation of a project to link their power grids and allow the exchange of up to 3,000 MW of electricity at a value of $1.8 billion.

In light of the two countries ambitions to expand reliance on renewable energy, this linkage will constitute a safety valve for their two power grids to tackle the general unstable nature of renewable energy, Saudi Electricity Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman said.

Last July, El-Sisi received Saudi Minister of Commerce of Saudi Arabia Majid bin Abdullah Al-Kassabi, where they discussed promoting intra-trade and boosting joint investments between the two countries in various development fields.

El-Sisi also stressed the importance of boosting coordination and overcoming obstacles facing mutual investments carried out by the public and private sectors of both countries as he met with Turki Al-Sheikh, adviser at the Saudi Royal Court and chairman of the General Authority for Entertainment in May last year.

During Bin Salmans visit to Cairo in March 2018, Egypt and Saudi Arabia announced launching a joint fund worth $10 billion to develop a megacity in Egypts Sinai Peninsula. Both countries have committed around 1,000 kilometres of land to the project.

This is part of the kingdoms mammoth $500 billion project to develop the futuristic city of Neom, which will cover thousands of square miles of Saudi Arabia's Tabuk province.

El-Sisi and Saudi King witnessed in April 2016 the signing of numerous agreements, MoUs, and cooperation programs worth $590 million, according to Egypts international cooperation ministry.

The agreements covered various fields, including electricity and development in Sinai.

Largest trade partner

Saudi Arabia is the biggest trade partner of Egypt in the Middle East, with the trade exchange between both countries in 2021 recorded 4.3 billion dollars against 3.2 billion dollars in 2020, Egyptian states news agency MENA reported on Tuesday, citing a report by the Egyptian Ministry of Trade.

The report, which MENA received, showed that Egyptian exports to the Saudi market witnessed a 17 percent increase in 2021 recording 1.995 billion dollars compared to 1.699 billion in 2020.

Building materials, engineering commodities, electronics, food industries, agricultural products, medical industries, ready-made clothes and furniture are among the most prominent Egyptian products exported to the Saudi market.

Both countries have strong historical and strategic relations, member of the Egyptian side of the Egyptian-Saudi Business Council Fatahallah Fawzy told MENA, adding that Saudi Arabia is the second Arab investor in Egypt.

There are promising opportunities for the Egyptian companies to cooperate with their Saudi counterparts in the different domains especially the field of building, construction, real-estate development and tourism, he said.

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By Trend

Irans national flag carrier, Iran Air, has resumed once-weekly roundtrip Tehran-Baku flights after a suspension that was prolonged for 2 years due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, Trend reports citing IRNA.

Iran's national flag carrier, Iran Air, has resumed once-weekly roundtrip Tehran-Baku flights after a suspension that was prolonged for 2 years due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.

According to an announcement by the airline, the flight departs from Imam Khomeini International Airport at 2:00 p.m. on Monday. The return flight leaves Heydar Aliyev International Airport the same day at 4:55 p.m. local time.

Iran Air has suspended its flights since February 27, 2020, to prevent the outbreak of coronavirus and decided to resume them on March 7, 2021.
Minister of Emigration and Expatriate Affairs Nabila Makram urged all Egyptian students who were studying in Ukraine to register on a standardised form that aims to survey their needs and demands, pointing out that 1,900 Egyptians have registered so far.

The form, which was created in cooperation with Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, will allow all concerned authorities and bodies to coordinate accordingly, as per a statement by the emigration ministry on Tuesday.

This came in a Zoom meeting with a number of community representatives and a group of students in Ukrainian cities, in the presence of Amr Abbas  the assistant minister for community affairs  where she stressed the importance of the unified form to follow up on the status of students in Ukraine.

Makram explained that the form includes all the details of students academic year, the city in which they reside, and whether they have proof of enrolment from their academic institution or not.

She also emphasised the importance of completing and submitting it right away while paying close attention to the accuracy of the data given.

The minister also followed up on the conditions of the Egyptian community in Ukraine, especially in the cities of Sumy and Kherson.

Last week, Makram urged Egyptian nationals in the eastern cities of the war-torn country to careful while heading from Kharkiv to Cossack Lopan village, and from Sumy city to Sutga city in the direction of Russia, stressing that all nationals heading to these areas should provide their info to the Egyptian Embassy in Moscow on the e-mail: [email protected].

Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, the Ministries of Emigration and Expatriate Affairs and Foreign Affairs have been working around the clock to coordinate with Ukrainian authorities to facilitate the exit of Egyptian nationals from the country.

In the past several days, Makram held more than one meeting via video conference with the Egyptian expat community in Ukraine to coordinate exit strategies.

On Friday, Egyptian authorities launched an air bridge to repatriate nationals who evacuated Ukraine to neighbouring countries.

In the past several days, hundreds of Egyptian expats have entered the neighbouring countries of Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland.

Egyptian airlines have also repatriated more than 550 nationals from Romania, Poland, and Hungary over the weekend, in addition to 71 from Slovakia on Tuesday, with more flights planned in the near future.

Before the Russian invasion, around 6,000 Egyptians lived in Ukraine, including 3,000 students.

The government has instructed the Egyptian Embassy in Kyiv to provide all the necessary support and care to injured nationals and other expats in Ukraine, adding that stranded Egyptians in the Ukrainian capital and eastern cities  which are under heavy Russian attack  should stay at home and shelters.

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An Air Cairo flight repatriated on Tuesday 71 Egyptian nationals from Bratislava, Slovakia after they had fled the conflict in Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The ministry added that Egypt is continuing its intensive efforts to bring home hundreds of nationals who fled to Ukraines neighbouring states. Prior to the Russian invasion, around 6,000 Egyptians lived in Ukraine, including 3,000 students.

Related Egypt repatriates 177 nationals from Ukraine via Poland

Since the Russian invasion, Egypt has repatriated more than 550 of citizens who had fled to Romania, Poland, and Hungary. On Friday, Egypt launched an air bridge to bring nationals fleeing Ukraine home.

Over the weekend, Cairo International Airport received an Air Cairo plane carrying 174 Egyptian nationals and another two planes carrying 177 nationals.

Also, Egypt has repatriated over the past week 175 expats from Romania and 30 from Hungary, most of whom are students.

The majority of Egyptians who were in Ukraine prior to the invasion have been evacuated to these four European countries, head of the Egyptian Expat Community in Ukraine Ali Farouk told the media on Saturday, noting that the evacuation is still continuing.

However, Farouk said the exact number of Egyptians who have left the country is almost impossible to determine, since many did not inform the embassies before departing and did so across several border crossings.

Egypts Minister of Emigration and Expatriate Affairs Mona Makram has denied rumours that civilians have been taken hostage in Ukraine, including 90 Egyptians.

That is another rumour that shakes the hearts of the [students] families in Egypt and worries our students who are in the cities of eastern and central Ukraine, Makram said in a Facebook post.

Makram also urged on Tuesday all Egyptian students in Ukraine to register on a standardised form to list their needs and demands, pointing out that so far 1,900 Egyptian students have done so.

The form, which was created in cooperation with Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, will allow all concerned authorities and bodies to coordinate accordingly, according to a statement by the emigration ministry.

On Saturday, Egypts embassy in Budapest said Egyptian authorities will send two daily flights to Hungary until Friday to repatriate citizens.

Nationals who are fleeing Ukraine and wish to return to Egypt should contact the Budapest embassy at +36307083220 or +36303404811 and send a soft copy of their passports via WhatsApp to the same numbers, the embassy said.

Egyptian nationals will also have to submit proof of coronavirus vaccination with a QR code or negative PCR or antigen test results before travelling.

Furthermore, Egyptian nationals who lived in Ukraine and are married to non-Egyptian women will be allowed to bring their spouses to Egypt after submitting marriage certificates and relevant travel document to the Egyptian embassy in Kyiv or at the airport, the embassy said.

The Russian invasion of Ukrainian territories has killed hundreds of Ukrainian civilians and forced 2 million people to flee the country as of Tuesday.

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Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met on Monday with Saudi Arabias King Salman in Riyadh, where they discussed boosting military and security cooperation and coordination between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the Egyptian presidency said.

President El-Sisi stressed the importance of uniting Arabs to face the challenges in the region, and said that Egypt will not allow the security and stability of the Gulf states to be comprised and that security in the Gulf is part of Egypts own security, according to the Egyptian presidency.

El-Sisi last visited Saudi Arabia in May 2019, where he took part in an emergency Arab summit in Mecca after attacks by the Houthi militia in Yemen, including on Saudi oil tankers off the UAE coast earlier in the same month.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia have also held several joint military drills in recent years, and the Arab Organisation for Industrialisation is currently taking part in the first edition of the World Defence Show held in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, from 6 to 9 March.

El-Sisi and Salman also agreed on the necessity of boosting joint efforts to fight terrorism as well as supporting the international communitys effort to reach political settlements to the crises in the region in a way that maintains the unity of these countries territories and their peoples wealth.

Following the visit, the Saudi cabinet announced that it had authorised its minister of finance to discuss with his Egyptian counterpart a draft MoU on establishing a high-level financial dialogue.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia have signed several MoUs on digital transformation in recent years, the last of which was earlier this month.

For his part, King Salman expressed his appreciation for Egypts support on different issues and that Saudi Arabia is keen to boost bilateral relations between the two countries.

President El-Sisi arrived on Tuesday in Riyadh, where he met with Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman.

El-Sisis visit to Saudi Arabia, the world's largest producer of crude oil, comes while the ongoing two-week-old Russian invasion of Ukraine is threatening to severely impact the global economy, with oil and gas prices already soaring.

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Daily coronavirus cases recorded in Egypt fell below 1,000 for the first time since 13 January, with the country reporting 923 new cases on Monday.

This brings the total number of cases since the outbreak began in February 2020 to 491,892 according to the daily update of the country's Ministry of Health and Population.

The ministry also recorded 25 coronavirus-related fatalities, bringing the total tally of deaths to 24,222.

The ministry added that 1,008 patients have been discharged from hospitals after recovering from the virus, bringing the total number of recoveries to 422,223.

Egypt recently achieved the highest recovery rates at isolation hospitals, which exceeded 85 percent on Sunday, Presidential Advisor for Health Affairs Mohamed Awad Tag El-Din said.

On Monday, Tag El-Din said that Egypt has passed the difficult phase of the latest wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Egypt plans to vaccinate 70 percent of citizens in two months, Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, the acting health minister, told media on Monday.

Egypt has fully vaccinated more than 50 percent of the target groups of citizens aged above 18 years of age and has administered first vaccine shots to 65 percent of them, Abdel-Ghaffar added.

More than 30.5 million citizens have been fully vaccinated to date, and over 40.7 million citizens have received their first dose, according to the ministry figures.

Moreover, over 1.2 million citizens have received their booster shots.

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Two members of the Egyptian peacekeeping forces in Mali were killed and four others were injured on Monday in an IED explosion while carrying out a mission, the Egyptian Armed Forces announced on Tuesday.

According to the Egyptian army, all necessary measures are being taken in coordination with the United Nations.

The Egyptian Armed Forces affirm that their role in maintaining international peace and security comes from its full belief in the importance of peace, coexistence and the elimination of terrorism, the Armed Forces statement said.

On Monday, the UN Security Council issued a statement condemning the attack against the Egyptian peacekeeping mission in Mali.

The Security Council called on the transitional government of Mali to swiftly investigate the attack against peacekeepers and bring the perpetrators to justice, adding that the attacks targeting peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law.

The Malian state has struggled to regain control of territory from a jihadist insurgency that began in the country's north in 2012 and has since spread to neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso.

The fighting has claimed thousands of lives and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.

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Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said on Monday during a meeting with Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund Yannick Glemarec that Egypt is paying great attention to hosting the upcoming UN Climate Summit COP27, and that the country intends to build on the outcomes of the Glasgow Climate Change Conference.

The meeting between Madbouly and Glemarec was attended by Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad and Director of the Environment and Sustainable Development Department at the Foreign Ministry Mohamed Nasr.

The Egyptian PM lauded the Green Climate Fund for offering funds to finance four projects in Egypt worth $297 million to protect the northern coasts and implement the Benban Solar Plant, hailing its role in supporting climate issues globally, especially in African countries.

Located in Aswan, the Benban Solar Park houses more than 32 solar energy projects from photovoltaic cells with a total capacity of about 1,465 megawatts. It is considered one of the worlds biggest solar parks.

Egypt is ready to establish projects in priority areas in renewable energy, green transport, agriculture, protecting the Nile Delta and the northern coast, and water desalination, the PM said.

For his part, Glemarec stressed Egypt's importance for the fund's work domains, reviewing outcomes of his talks with Egyptian officials on projects that serve the goals of green transformation, including replacing old power plants with new ones that rely on renewable energy.

Glemarec also briefed Madbouly on his discussions with a group of representatives of Egyptian banks on the strategy for providing financing for green projects.

He also asserted the importance of turning initiatives and pledges into reality during COP27, saying the conference is an opportunity for Egypt to showcase its green projects to obtain the required funding for them.

Also during the meeting, Fouad reviewed cooperation proposals with the Fund and efforts exerted with Egyptian banks to increase the financing portfolio for green transformation projects.

Egypt has been engaged in talks with a host of international partners amid preparations for COP27, which will be held in the city of Sharm El-Sheikh next November.

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has stressed that the COP27 summit will support efforts to reduce carbon emissions and provide funding for developing countries to deal with the repercussions of climate change.

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The United Nations Population Fund in Egypt (UNFPA Egypt) and the National Council For Women (NCW) thanked on Tuesday Egypts First Lady Entissar El-Sisi for sponsoring two initiatives empowering girls.

During a celebration held on Tuesday to mark International Womens Day under the slogan The Egyptian woman is an icon of success, the UNFPA Egypt and NCW announced the launch of Noura initiative under the auspices of the first lady.

Aiming to empower girls in Egypt, the Noura initiative was launched by the NCW with the support of the UNFPA and in partnership with the ministries of planning, international cooperation, emigration and The National Council For Childhood & Motherhood.

UNFPA is proud of her Excellencys endorsement of Noura, which prioritises building girls health and social assets as well as their educational skills and empowers them economically to achieve a better future for themselves and for Egypt, the UNFPA said in its statement thanking Entissar El-Sisi.

NCW also announced the launch of the Dawwie initiative, also under the auspices of the first lady, during the event.

The Dawwie initiative also aims to empower girls in Egypt and was launched in partnership with UNICEF, The National Council For Childhood & Motherhood and the ministries of education, health, youth and sports, telecommunication and social solidarity.

NCW, headed by Dr Maya, and its members expressed their huge gratitude and appreciation to Egypts First Lady Entissar El-Sisi for sponsoring Dawwie and Noura initiatives that were launched by the council to empower Egyptian girls as part of the national project to support Egyptian families in the Decent Life projects villages, the NCW said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

The Decent Life national project (Hayah Karima) was initiated experimentally in 2019 by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and its first phase was officially launched in July 2021. The project aims to improve standards of living, infrastructure, and basic services including health care across the countryside.

The project covers 4,658 villages across the country, which are home to 58 percent of Egypts 102 million population, with an estimated budget of EGP 700 billion (about $44.6 billion). Its first phase, whose budget is estimated at EGP 250 billion and covers 1,500 villages, is due to be completed by the end of the 2021-22 fiscal year.

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The House of Representatives this week discussed the strategy of the newly-reconstituted National Council for Human Rights.

On Sunday, parliaments Human Rights Committee met to review the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) 15th report. Released this week, the report covers 2019-20. The committee also invited NCHR President Moushira Khattab to discuss the future strategy of the council.

Noting that the new make-up of the 27-member NCHR was ratified by President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi in December, committee head Tarek Radwan said it is now time to assess the councils strategy and vision.

Khattab told committee members that Egypt, like every other country of the world, faces criticism of its human rights record, but had nothing to either fear or hide.

She drew attention to the National Strategy for Human Rights 2021-26, launched in September, insisting we were not under any pressure to launch the ambitious strategy which can be described as the first integrated strategy in the area of human rights in Egypt.

Khattab said the NCHRs immediate priority is to review legislation in coordination with the states relevant authorities, particularly the House of Representatives and the Senate, to ensure it protects human rights.

She also stressed that 2022 has been announced as the year of civil society in Egypt, and the NCHR would be working to enable civil society organisations to join forces with the Egyptian state in implementing national development objectives. In addition, the councils complaints office will play a greater role in implementing the human rights.

We have restructured the office so it is more effective in registering human rights violations filed by citizens, and complaints can now be sent online, said Khattab.

The NCHR currently has branches in 11 governorates, but is seeking to expand its offices nationwide.

It is very important for us to be available everywhere in Egypt. We need to be in direct contact with ordinary citizens to receive their complaints and listen to their concerns, said Khattab.

Two weeks ago, Khattab told the Senate that in the coming stage the council aims to focus on tackling the phenomena of child marriage and reducing school dropout, and recommended that the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood be given greater powers to address the two issues.

Meanwhile, Khattab is scheduled to meet with US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman this week. Sherman, who will be in Cairo on Thursday and Friday, is also slated to meet with Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri and other senior officials.

According to a statement released by the US State Department, Sherman intends to host a discussion with human rights advocates while in Cairo.

Senior figures within the Joe Biden administration, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have repeatedly said they regularly raise human rights concerns in discussions with Egyptian officials, and the US recently suspended $130 million in military aid to Egypt, citing human rights reasons.

In a recorded address to the 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council on 3 March, Foreign Minister Shoukri said Egypt has adopted a comprehensive approach to promoting human and political rights.

We have been able to develop a real partnership with civil society with the aim of founding a new republic that upholds the values of democracy, the principles of human rights, and the rule of law; a republic in which all citizens enjoy their basic rights and freedoms without discrimination, said Shoukri.

Egypts foreign minister also reviewed the steps Egypt has taken to support freedom of worship and belief and uphold the values of citizenship, tolerance and dialogue. He explained that under the law regulating the construction and restoration of churches, 2,162 churches and places of worship had received legal recognition, and 74 new churches built.

Shoukri stressed that, when President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi launched the 2021-26 National Strategy for Human Rights in the New Administrative Capital in September 2021, the aim was to enhance and respect all civilian, political, social, economic, and cultural rights.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 10 March, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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Egypt stated its priority projects to mitigate the effects of climate change during the visit of the Green Climate Funds executive director to the country this week.

Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Yannick Glemarec was in Cairo from 6 to 9 March as part of Egypts preparations to host the COP27 UN Climate Change Conference in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh in November.

The GCF is the leading financier of projects meant to mitigate the repercussions of climate change. This is Glemarecs first visit to an African country in 2022.

The trip came within the framework of cooperation between the GCF and the Ministry of Environment in the run-up to COP27, especially in finalising Egypts national strategy for climate change and the list of projects it will present for financing. The projects are prepared according to Egypts priorities.

The Ministry of Environment is Egypts link with the GCF. It coordinates with the GCF secretariat and affiliated bodies and studies project proposals before submitting them to the National Council for Climate Change in preparation for submission to the GCF.

Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad said that cooperation between the GCF and the ministry was focused on new and renewable energy and projects guaranteeing the optimum use of energy. These projects make room for the participation of the private sector, and Egypts portfolio with the GCF amounts to $500 million.

Fouad added that the GCF and the ministry are also cooperating on other projects such as the national project for the protection of the Nile Delta and a programme funded by the GCF to protect the northwest coast at a cost of $32 million.

At COP27, Egypt will focus on the need to speed up financing for developing countries, especially in Africa. International initiatives will be selected that can help to combat the effects of climate change and improve peoples lives either by mitigation or adaptation, Fouad said.

She added that she had discussed projects for coastal protection, energy, and waste disposal with Glemarec during his visit to Cairo, along with the Decent Life initiative. She also discussed cooperation with the GCF in order to present projects at COP27 for immediate implementation.

Fouad stressed Egypts determination to make COP27 a turning point in climate change mitigation and transforming pledges into action on the ground.

Meetings held in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on climate change had helped push forward multilateral environmental action in getting rid of plastic and chemical waste and problems pertaining to water surfaces, Fouad noted.

Glemarec said that the GCF sees eye-to-eye with Egypt in wanting to use COP27 to turn commitments into tangible actions, adding that it is the largest financing tool in the world on climate change, focusing on energy, climate, infrastructure, and improving living standards.

He explained that the main aim of his visit had been to discuss how the GCF can support Egypt at COP27 and to understand Egypts priorities.

He said that the North Coast and Delta are the most vulnerable areas in Egypt to climate change, adding that the GCF has provided a $31.4 million grant to boost adaptation in these areas.

Egypt has designed an ambitious programme to deal with climate change, he stated, adding that ignoring the threats posed by climate change could increase the cost of dealing with them later.

On the North Coast, one project is raising sand dunes to combat rises in the sea level, with this being a natural solution to combating the repercussions of climate change.

The GCF was established by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2010 and oversees the financing mechanism of the Climate Change Convention and Paris Agreement.

It is meant to support developing countries in financing programmes, policies, and projects to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and enhance their ability to adapt to the negative effects of climate change.

It also aims to achieve a balance between the funding provided for adaptation and mitigation projects and to allocate at least 50 per cent of the financing for adaptation to countries particularly vulnerable to climate-change risks, including the least-developed countries.

The GCF provides capacity building and technical support for developing countries to enhance access to climate finance through the Readiness Support Programme to strengthen institutional capacities and governance mechanisms and planning and programming frameworks to define and implement a long-term climate action agenda.

It also provides support for the preparation of national plans for adaptation and the accurate assessment of climate-change risks.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 10 March, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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By Trend

Minister of Transport and Communications of Kyrgyzstan Erkinbek Osoev held a meeting with Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Kyrgyzstan Abdullah bin Ahmad Al Sulaiti, during which the sides discussed issues of bilateral cooperation in the field of civil aviation, Trend reports citing Kabar.

In particular, Osoev raised the issue of implementation of the Agreement between the Governments of the Kyrgyz Republic and Qatar on air communication, signed on Jan. 21, 2018 in Doha, Qatar, the press service of the Kyrgyz Transport Ministry reported.

Given the gradual easing of restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, both in the region and in the world as a whole, the Kyrgyz minister suggested considering the possibility of intensifying negotiations to open a direct flight Doha-Bishkek-Doha by QatarAirways.

In addition, the minister and the ambassador debated the issue of signing a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Kyrgyz Aviation Institute and the Qatar Aviation Academy in the near future, the implementation of which involves mutual cooperation and exchange of experience in training specialists in the field of aviation.

Ahmad Al Sulaiti supported the initiative of the Kyrgyz Transport Ministry to intensify cooperation between the parties in the field of civil aviation, assured of his intention to bring the discussion to minister of transport of Qatar and invited his interlocutor to visit Qatar to discuss the development of the industry.
As the war in Ukraine rages on and the Western allies lock horns with Russia, a deal to end Irans nuclear deadlock may be stalling.

Only a few days ago, a watershed moment in the 11-month talks on Irans nuclear programme was said to be edging closer as the negotiating teams were putting the final touches to a new deal that would allow the crippling economic sanctions on Iran to be lifted.

News reports quoting negotiators in the Vienna talks grabbed the headlines by saying that a deal on reviving the accord between Tehran and the world powers could come soon.

Tehran also said on Saturday that it had agreed to a roadmap with the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to resolve outstanding issues that could help secure the nuclear pact.

The 2015 agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was signed by Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US, together with Iran, and granted the latter sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme.

The deal was left on life support when former US president Donald Trump pulled out of it in 2018 and re-imposed heavy economic sanctions on Tehran, prompting Iran to start ramping up its nuclear activities.

After his inauguration in 2021, US President Joe Biden decided the US would return to the deal if Iran came back into compliance. But Washington has only participated indirectly in the Vienna talks because Tehran has declined to talk directly to it.

Now escalating tension between the US and its Western allies with Russia over Ukraine is casting a heavy shadow over the talks in Vienna amid signs that Iran is hardening its position in the negotiations.

However, fears that nuclear plants in Ukraine could be affected by the Russian onslaught have underlined the need for a settlement with Tehran. Ukraine has 15 nuclear sites, and Russias attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant highlighted the possible dangers of radioactivity.

Fears about Irans nuclear programme also resurfaced following Russian President Vladimir Putins announcement that he has put his countrys nuclear forces on heightened alert, citing aggressive statements by NATO leaders on Ukraine.

The wave of optimism about a possible agreement with Tehran came as negotiators resumed the talks last week after world leaders including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said an agreement might be in sight.

The reports had also suggested that Irans leaders hoped to sign a new agreement ahead of Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, on 20 March, to give their people who are suffering from the devastating sanctions, further reasons for celebration.

A draft agreement between Iran and the world powers reported by Reuters said it would involve a phased return to the 2015 nuclear deal, with both sides initially taking interim steps to curb enrichment and lift some sanctions.

The draft reportedly outlined a series of steps for all the parties to take following its final approval, starting with Iran suspending the enrichment of uranium above five per cent. In exchange, the US will unfreeze some $7 billion in Iranian funds stuck in South Korean banks under sanctions.

Other terms include the release of Western prisoners held in Iran and Tehrans return at a later stage to core nuclear limits like a 3.67 per cent cap on enrichment purity. The sanctions will begin to be relieved, beginning with those against Irans oil sector.

But optimism about a breakthrough began to fade away as the conflict in Ukraine began to get worse and Tehran hardened its position seeking to take advantage of the global tension.

Tehran has started talking about a new roadmap it has reached with the UN nuclear watchdog to resolve outstanding questions about its nuclear programme by late June, a timetable aimed to put deadlines pressure on the negotiation in Vienna.

The new announcement came after a visit to Tehran on Saturday by IAEA head Rafael Grossi, who held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami on Saturday.

Before returning to Vienna, Grossi said that there are still matters that need to be addressed by Iran. He was referring to answers sought by the IAEA from Iran on uranium traces, a topic often referred to as outstanding safeguards issues.

It would be difficult to imagine that such an important return to such a comprehensive agreement as the JCPOA would be possible if the agency and Iran would not see eye-to-eye on how to resolve these important safeguards issues, Grossi said.

The hiccup in the nuclear negotiations came following a Reuters report that Russia is demanding written US guarantees that Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over the conflict in Ukraine will not damage its cooperation with Iran in any agreement to revive the 2015 deal.

The Islamic Republics official news agency IRNA dismissed the report about the Russian demands as incorrect and false, however, and denied that any Iranian official had been in contact with Reuters.

Yet, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said limitations had become a stumbling block for the Iran nuclear deal, warning the West that Russian national interests would have to be taken into account.

Lavrov said the sanctions on Russia over the conflict in Ukraine had created a problem from Moscows perspective. Moscow was given special status in implementing the JCPOA, and it is already involved in Tehrans civilian nuclear programme as well as arms sales to Iran.

Both Iran and Russia are trying to take advantage of the turbulence in Ukraine to influence the nuclear talks in Vienna, which the US and its Western allies had hoped to be wrapped up by the end of February.

While Russias threat may just be part of its brinkmanship in the Ukraine crisis, deepening its fallout, Irans delaying tactics are clearly an attempt to push for a better deal in the Vienna talks.

With hopes for a quick deal in Vienna dampened and the war in Ukraine pushing Russia into deeper isolation, Iran is caught between a rock and hard place.

Counting on the conflict in Europe to lengthen the list of woes in the western camp, especially energy shortages and soaring prices, Iran is trying to press for more concessions from the US in the potential nuclear deal.

Yet, assessing the conflict in Ukraine from different vantage points in terms of Irans interests shows that the stakes will be high if Tehran bets on exploiting the collapse of relations between the US and Russia for a better bargain.

Iran could sign a deal now and have most of the sanctions lifted to benefit from the sky-rocketing oil prices triggered by Russias invasion of Ukraine, or it could decline an agreement and remain under an embargo.

The war in Ukraine has also alerted the world to the nuclear danger and raised the spectre of a nuclear conflict, both of which will embolden the US and its allies in the future if the Vienna talks collapse.

Clearly, Iran has geopolitical interests to weigh in view of a wide array of domestic and foreign factors at work, and it could be hard to predict its course of action before it sees what changes the Ukraine crisis produces.

The choice for Iran is a dramatic one. In Tehrans current worldview, backing down or making concessions would be a huge gamble, balancing the pros and cons against an unknown future.

With dramatic changes expected in the global geopolitical landscape after the Ukraine crisis, the US and its European allies, meanwhile, may also find a new nuclear deal with Iran not worthwhile on Tehrans terms, and they may prefer to walk away if there is no agreement soon.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 10 March, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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Contrary to overly optimistic assessments in several Arab capitals that the war in Ukraine would be short, the two-week conflict seems to be in danger of dragging on and may not end with the possible Russian siege of Kyiv.

Tension, or at least apprehension, is starting to find a place in ruling quarters across the Arab world, including in those capitals that thought that Russian President Vladimir Putin would be able to block Ukraines NATO aspirations without having to send troops into Russias largest neighbouring state.

We did not anticipate a war or a long war, and we are not sure what will come out of it, commented one Arab diplomat who declined to be identified.

According to this and other diplomatic sources who spoke from more than one Arab capital, the realisation that the war on Ukraine will drag on has been looming since late last week. It was this realisation, according to one source, that prompted a sense of pragmatism to prevail in the Arab vote in last weeks UN General Assembly Resolution against the invasion of Ukraine.

There was a lot of determination, for lack of a better word, from the key Western countries. But there was also a realisation that things are not going to be easy for the Russians, commented the same diplomatic source.

Ultimately, despite the fact that for many Arab capitals Russia has come to be a partner of choice over the last decade due to its transactional approach to relations, none of these capitals would wish to undermine their consequential ties with the US and other Western allies, the source said.

Today, Arab diplomatic sources say that the Arab capitals are not willing to give up on the ability of Russia to find a way to fix things in Ukraine. However, the same diplomatic sources admit that it looks quite challenging.

The tough and escalating economic sanctions against Russia, they argue, are not their worst fear about the ability of Russia to recalibrate, especially as long as these sanctions do not affect oil and gas exports, as seems to be the case for some leading European capitals, including Berlin.

What seems to be worrying for the Arab capitals, the same sources say, is rather a Ukraine quagmire of sorts into which Russia will have to send mercenaries to fight a long guerilla war with determined Ukrainian forces and possibly also funding from the West.

The overall Arab assessment is that unlike in the performance of Russias military in some of its previous wars, either in Grozny in the 1990s or Aleppo a little over five years ago, the challenge in Ukraine is going to be very different given the nature of the military or paramilitary assistance the West is offering to Ukraine.

Russia, the same sources say, is not going to be defeated in Ukraine. However, it could be overwhelmed in a long and frustrating war that will not bring good news back home to people suffering as a result of economic sanctions.

Unlike the largely toothless economic sanctions imposed on Russia in 2014 over the annexation of Crimea, the same sources argue, this time the sanctions will have an impact, even if in the longer rather than the shorter term.

The question of Russias ability to continue to play the same role it has been playing in the region, especially as a supporter of leaders frustrated by the US Biden administration, is only one of many questions being contemplated in the Arab capitals.

In the words of one Cairo-based foreign diplomat, clearly there are concerns, and clearly there are constant recalculations.

In the view of this and other foreign diplomatic sources in Cairo and other regional capitals, these recalculations do not suggest the possibility of any of the Arab capitals compromising on the investments they and the Russians have been putting into the transactional alliances of the past decade or so.

Joint interests have been established, and nobody, not even in Europe, is planning to cut relations with Russia, said another Cairo-based foreign diplomat.

What the West is expecting of its partners in the Arab countries, several foreign diplomats say, is a position of no hesitation on denouncing the war in Ukraine.

CRITICISM: The vote in last weeks UN meeting, the same diplomats say, came as an encouraging sign in this direction.

It was, they say, much better than the position expressed in the extraordinary Arab League Council meeting that convened earlier last week. They add that it was also better than the position of the UAE, the current Arab member of the UN Security Council and chair of the council for the month of March, in its vote on a council resolution that was put to the vote earlier in the conflict.

All eyes now are on the Arab foreign ministers meeting that was scheduled to open this week at the Cairo headquarters of the Arab League. An Arab League source said that a draft resolution that will be considered by Arab diplomats will not go as far as to explicitly condemn the invasion of Ukraine, despite the wishes of some member states to do so.

Kuwait and Qatar think it is the right thing to do, but not Saudi Arabia or the UAE, he explained. The language, the source said, would be middle of the road, something quite similar to what Egypt said at the UN meeting following its vote for the resolution.

I think we are talking about language that will stress the need to address the root causes of the crisis in Ukraine and the need to pursue a peaceful settlement with an eye on the humanitarian situation, the source said.

The issue, however, is not about a resolution that would somehow be agreed on. Instead, it is about possible scenarios for the conflict and its impact on key issues in this part of the world. This is what the real worry or the real hope is based on, depending on who we are talking about, he explained.

One top question in this respect, several Arab and foreign diplomatic sources agree, is Syria. It was the heavy-handed Russian military intervention in Syria that reversed the situation on the ground in favour of the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad in 2015.

Relations between Moscow and Damascus have had a few hiccups since then. However, informed diplomatic sources say that Al-Assad was never unaware of what the presence of Russia means. Syria was the one Arab country that voted against the UN General Assembly Resolution, along with four other states.

Today, according to sources in Damascus, the Syrian regime is keeping a close watch on the situation in Ukraine and hoping that Russia will be victorious. The sources argue that there is no immediate worry that Putin will need to downsize his military presence in Syria.

Regional diplomatic sources agree that it is unlikely that Putin will come under pressure to compromise on the investment he has made to be present in the Mediterranean and in a country as crucial for the region as Syria.

Meanwhile, the same sources anticipate that Syria might have to live with the fact that Russia might not be as resilient in stopping the recent increases in the Israeli attacks on Iranian and Syrian targets around Damascus and elsewhere in the country.

In the words of one of these sources, I dont think that the West is keen to shake the situation for Al-Assad or elsewhere in the region. It is not a priority for anyone now. But the possible distraction of Russia, he added, might slow down an already unhurried process of normalisation of the Al-Assad regime within the Arab framework.

It is Syrias economy, which is quite dependent on trade with Russia and Ukraine, that might suffer added pressure. However, regional diplomatic sources agree that these pressures, even if they lead to food riots, will not shake Al-Assad.

There is also the possible breakthrough in the nuclear deal between the West and Iran, despite some Russian attempts to put hurdles before the finish line of the deal. If Iran is freed from the sanctions and is back on the oil market, as would be most in the interest of the West, Tehran will have enough financial flexibility to support some regional allies  always in return for favours  including Al-Assad and Hizbullah, he explained.

In addition to the Iranian and Israeli roles, the same regional sources argue, short-term developments in Syria will also be a function of the Turkish role.

Turkey, currently joining the initiatives that have so far included France, China and Israel, is hoping to host the first high-level meeting between the foreign ministers of Ukraine and Russia on 10 March. The meeting will come only a couple of days after a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog in Ankara.

But neither Arab nor foreign diplomats seem to be anticipating any immediate shift on Syria, apart from shifting a few lines that could eventually bring Al-Assad to give in to political concessions down the road if only to help with Arab re-integration.

By comparison, there are increasing question marks on the impact of the war in Ukraine on Libya and the Sahel and Sahara. It is in this part of Africa that Moscow has installed its Wagner Group mercenaries in cooperation with several Arab capitals that have been eying oil and other interests.

Unlike the mercenaries posted in Syria, well-versed sources note, those in Libya and Mali are mostly of Russian or East European descent. Unlike the mostly Arab fighters in Syria who would be mostly alien to the cultural topography of Ukraine, those in North Africa and the Sahel and Sahara are more likely to be pulled out to Ukraine in the event of a long guerilla war.

Already, the political situation in Libya has been going through a period of unease with the current rivalry between the UN-supported Libyan Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbeibah and his rival prime minister Fathi Bashaghah selected by the Libyan House of Representatives.

The latter, who has the support of several regional and international capitals, including both Paris and Moscow, might have to worry about the way forward, especially in case of the breakdown of the talks between Moscow and Paris on the details of the political map.

A security hiccup in Libya, Egyptian sources say, would be the last thing that Cairo would hope for, especially if it ended up being in favour of Dbeibah, who is closer to Turkey, than to Bashaghah who is closer to Egypt.

Security and stability in Libya, the same sources say, is not just about the security of the over 1,000 km western border of the country. It is also about the business deals and job opportunities that Libya has been set to offer at a moment of unmistakable economic pressure.

THE GULF: Meanwhile, the same Egyptian sources argue that what Egypt has to worry about in the current state of affairs goes beyond the management of Libya, something that one well-informed source suggested was not always something that Cairo and Moscow saw eye-to-eye on.

Like the UAE, and to lesser extent Saudi Arabia, Egypt has seen in Putin a partner who can focus on what is mutually beneficial without bringing to the table questions about internal affairs.

Egypt, the same sources say, has managed to a great extent to dispel Russian concerns that Cairo only sees Moscow as an alternative at times of tension with Washington.

There has been a great deal of cooperation on many fronts. The nuclear reactor in Dabaa might be considered the possible gem of this cooperation, despite the fact that it has been coming along slowly. However, there has also been a wide range of other forms of cooperation, ranging from trade to industry and not excluding military agreements.

The profile of this cooperation, according to one government source in Cairo, has never been to the liking of the US, but Egypt has insisted on pushing it forward, with the occasional accommodation of the concerns of the US, which remains for Egypt a key partner on the military front.

Today, according to the same government source, Egypt is far from wanting to give up on that cooperation. However, he added, the question is rather one of how to do it in view of the current and possible future economic sanctions Russia is facing.

A great deal will depend on how the next episode of the war unfolds. However, there is also a realisation in Cairo that there is reason to worry about the pace of cooperation.

Still, Egypt, the same source said, is not all negative. He argued that despite concerns over increasing grain prices for a country that imports close to 80 per cent of its grains from Russia and Ukraine, and worries over the impacts of soaring oil prices, Egypt is set to make a few gains with extra shipments of LNG (liquefied natural gas) that will be sent to Europe to help manage the northern continents worries over energy supplies.

Egypt has been working hard to expand its status as an energy hub, and there is an opportunity for sure, though this is not a very big one because we dont have the gas resources of a country like Qatar, said an insider in the energy industry in Egypt.

Meanwhile, according to a Washington-based diplomatic source, the US is encouraging its Gulf allies, especially in Riyadh, to introduce a short-term increase in oil production to prevent prices from jumping beyond the $150 a barrel mark. As the week was coming to an end, prices were already at $140.

Saudi Arabia had declined this request earlier in the conflict, but it is now, according to the source in Washington and another in Riyadh, more willing to show flexibility.

This is not just about the calculations that Riyadh has to do as it sees Tehran coming back in from the cold, but also about the calculations it has to do as it sees Putin, its new partner, at a moment of testing, said the Riyadh-based source.

Moreover, according to a source in Abu Dhabi, the fact that the US, in a very transactional deal, agreed to pass new UN sanctions against the Houthis in Yemen will contribute to a possible detente between Washington and both Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, notwithstanding the disagreement between these two Gulf capitals on the management of the war in Yemen.

Ultimately, he said, a new reality in Russia and a new reality in Iran will introduce new thinking in the Gulf. Kuwait, he added, is playing an important role in calling for consultations to spare the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) from any hiccups.

The basis of the Kuwaiti diplomatic line, he explained, is to relaunch the US-GCC alliance in a fashion that will give more space to mutual economic and security interests over mutual disagreements on issues of governance and so on.

The US, he said, seems to be open to this. After all, with no signs of plans for Washington to reconsider its withdrawal from the region, it would not wish for tension in the Middle East to prevail in parallel with tension in Europe.

For the next weeks and months, Arab diplomatic sources agree, the US is likely to wish to preserve its cards for use against the presence of Russia, and maybe also of China, in the region rather than spend them on the dossier of governance.

This scheme, they add, could shift if China were to turn its back on Russia or if Russia were to paint itself into a worse corner in the conflict in Ukraine.

In the words of one Egyptian diplomatic source, certainly it is a moment of constant recalculation for everyone.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 10 March, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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Russia and the West have been accusing each other of spreading misinformation and fake news about the Russian military campaign in Ukraine.

Recent weeks have seen a crackdown on independent local media outlets operating in Russia due to coverage of the Russia-Ukraine crisis, with Kremlin-backed media outlets acting as propaganda tools for Moscow.

The local media in Russia has received orders not to use terms implying Russian aggression in Ukraine, including war, attacks, and invasion, according to reports, and to use instead military operation or offensive to describe the situation.

Russia has blocked access to Facebook and Twitter in recent days, shut down several independent media outlets, and threatened to block others that publish reports against the war in Ukraine, including the investigative newspaper Novaya Gazeta.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed into law a bill punishing the publishing of fake news with up to 15 years in prison, leading a number of major Western media outlets, including the BBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, CBC, and Bloomberg, to suspend broadcasting in Russia.

Following the passing of the bill, Novaya Gazeta, known for its critical coverage of Russian political and other affairs, also announced it was removing articles on Russias military actions in Ukraine due to censorship.

Last week, Russian forces shelled the TV tower in Ukraines capital Kyiv, killing five people, according to media reports.

Media outlets in Russia are no doubt currently under Moscows control, Amr Al-Shobaki, a political scientist at the Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo, told Al-Ahram Weekly.

Al-Shobaki said he believes that the harsh prison sentences included in the recently passed bill in Russia mainly address local media and anti-war activists rather than Western media offices in Russia.

On Sunday, the White House deplored Russias crackdown and closure of independent media outlets, allowing Moscows disinformation campaigns to run unchecked, as well as the passing of the fake news bill.

In a statement, the White House accused Russia of attempting to hide the truth from Russian citizens by shuttering independent platforms and restricting access to international news outlets.

It also called for holding propaganda media and disinformation proxies accountable, saying Russian disinformation efforts aimed at dividing the global community and concealing the Kremlins responsibility for the crisis.

Russia has blamed Western media organisations for their what it calls their one-sided and anti-Russian view of international political issues, and it has sought to justify the recent measures it has taken on the media.

Russias telecommunications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, said the country had blocked Facebook and Twitter over alleged discrimination against state media outlets.

Roskomnadzor cited 26 cases of Facebooks discrimination against the Russian state media since late 2020, as Meta, the parent organisation of Facebook, has restricted access to state-backed news outlets over the past few days, including the state-run RIA Novosti news agency and the TV channel RT.

Russias closure of the German Deutsche Welle bureau in Moscow came in response to the ban placed on Russias RT DE TV channel in Germany, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The Russian and Western sides have exchanged restrictive measures on the media, media expert Yasser Abdel-Aziz said, noting that each had spared no effort to control the media amid the crisis.

The restrictive measures taken by the Russian and Western sides on the media have caused much news about the Ukraine crisis to be fake or incomplete, Abdel-Aziz said.

The freedom of the media has been called into question by the Ukraine crisis, Abdel-Aziz stressed, noting that audiences may not be able to form a correct understanding of the crisis as a result of the lack of objectivity and restrictions.

Truth is the first casualty in war, the late US senator Hiram Johnson once said. And at times of war, the perspective adopted by media platforms is critical and decisive, Abdel-Aziz said. Those who win the battle are those who win the media, not those who win on the ground, he added.

Russia and the Western nations are paying great attention to the effects of the media during the crisis, Al-Shobaki said, as the world can only be informed through it.

People have long been evaluating wars through images, and the effects of the media have become bigger as a result, he said. What is reported in the media is what the world sees, he added.

The Russian media have in the past been blamed for misrepresentation and being a tool of propaganda, including during Russias annexation of Crimea in 2014.

But Russians has long accused the West of launching a media war against Moscow.

Russian journalist Galina Sidorova, chair of the Vienna-based International Press Institute, called the Russian medias coverage of the Crimea unacceptable and said it was propaganda rather than journalism.

The political system in Russia is hostile to Western hegemony, wants to see a multipolar world, and lacks concepts of democracy and the freedom of the media, Al-Shobaki said.

The current crisis has seen a multi-dimensional media war between Russia and the West, he added, arguing that many Western media outlets did not present full coverage of the crisis before the war started on 24 February.

The Western media is limited to condemning the Russian invasion, and it rarely talks about the Russian demands that preceded the war and the reasons for not finding a political understanding, Al-Shobaki said, asserting that more balanced coverage could have helped to avoid the current crisis.

Although the Western media has suspended services in Russia, they have tools that enable them to cover the crisis without putting their correspondents lives in danger, Al-Shobaki said, pointing to citizen journalism and hosting guests adopting Moscows viewpoint by some Western channels.

Al-Shobaki and Abdel-Aziz said people worldwide should check different sources of information in order to avoid being misled. Sputnik, RIA Novosti, and RT say only what the Russian side is willing to say, and the Western media reports only what the Western side is willing to say, Abdel-Aziz said, noting that diversity should neutralise bias.

But he warned about depending on social media, as troll-like accounts could be present misleading people about the war.

Shortly before the Russian invasion, Microsoft detected malware called FoxBlade that targets Ukraines digital infrastructure. There have been reported attempts at hacking the social media accounts of Ukrainian officials, public figures, and private institutions, according to CBS News.

Twitter has also banned accounts that spread the hashtags I stand with Putin and I stand with Russia. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced late in February the launch of an IT army to direct cyberattacks against Moscow. Ukrainian officials estimate that 400,000 underground hackers have joined this so far.

Russian and Ukrainian websites going down as a result of cyberattacks have resulted in soaring demand for Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) in both countries. VPNs can also be used to circumvent Russian blocks of foreign media outlets.

From 27 February, VPN demand increased by 668 per cent in Russia until 3 March and by 609 per cent in Ukraine until 2 March, according to data published by the monitoring firm Top10VPN.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 10 March, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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While most UN members voted in favour of the US-sponsored resolution condemning Russian military intervention in Ukraine, the number of countries that abstained should not be ignored. It means there is a considerable body of opinion among the international community that has concerns regarding both sides of the conflict, and these concerns kept these countries from supporting either side.

Most of the abstainers belong to the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) whose time - contrary to some peoples opinion - has not passed. The importance of this movement emerges whenever an international crisis erupts and most countries rush to take sides with one world power against the other: those that do not stand for the hope of compromise and mutual understanding as a means to resolve the conflict.

The Russian-Ukrainian crisis reconfirms this.

In last weeks UN vote, while only five countries voted against the Western camp and its sympathisers, 35 countries remained neutral. This is not an insignificant number especially when we consider that many countries that voted in favour of the resolution did so due to enormous US pressures as was remarked on in many news reports from the UN. If the non-aligned nations can help resolve the crisis by playing a role as credible mediator, they could demonstrate the importance of their movement, revive it and stimulate a growth in its ranks.

India was among the countries to abstain while Egypt, the second cornerstone of NAM, voted in favour of the resolution but issued a statement explaining that Cairo opposed the use of force to resolve disputes and appealed to all sides to abide by international legitimacy. Surely the positions of these two founding members of NAM call for a mediating initiative which, in turn, would revive the importance of this movement and its crucial role.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 10 March, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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Emmanuel Oyedele's dream of getting a business degree in Ukraine lies shattered in the rubble of Russia's sudden fierce military assault, but right now the 28-year-old Nigerian says he feels blessed.

After hastily escaping Kyiv as Russian forces advanced, Oyedele, his brother and two young female friends spent days trying to flee Ukraine by train and on foot before eventually making it to Berlin, where they were welcomed into a stranger's home.

``The stress, it's all gone,`` Oyedele said Monday from the lake-side house an hour outside the German capital where the Vollmann family says he and his group can stay until the end of April.

``The only stress I have right now is the sympathy, the sadness in me to see my brothers who are stuck in Kyiv or other regions of Ukraine,'' Oyedele told The Associated Press.

Aside from the threat of being caught in the fighting, lack of electricity means those left behind are now sleeping in cold apartments, without warm water or any way to cook, he said.

According to the UN refugee agency, more than 1.7 million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the conflict, and many more are still trying to get out.

Among them are tens of thousands of foreigners, including many students from Asia and Africa who, like Oyedele, had hoped to get a foothold in Europe with a degree in Ukraine.

Reports of non-white people being turned back at the border as they tried to enter Poland prompted Oyedele and his friends to make a lengthy detour via Hungary, from where they were eventually able to get to Berlin.

Christian Vollmann, a tech entrepreneur in his mid-40s, was among hundreds of Germans waiting at the train station Friday night with a sign saying how many people he could take in and for how long.

``I felt helpless and wanted to do something,'' Vollmann told AP after he and Oyedele had been paired up by volunteers trying to find homes for trainloads of weary refugees, many of whom were carrying little more than a bag each containing their most precious belongings and documents.

``We are so privileged here,'' he said.

Germany took in almost 900,000 refugees in 2015, many of them fleeing wars in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. The influx was accompanied by a deliberate effort on the part of many Germans to help the new arrivals integrate, but also led to social tensions and the rise of a new far-right party in the country.

So far, Berlin's welcome to those fleeing the war in Ukraine has been big-hearted, but the sudden strain is beginning to show.

``It's very important that people don't just arrive in Berlin, but also are accommodated in other states so that we can manage it,'' Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffey said Monday.

Of the more than 10,000 people arriving in the German capital each day since Friday, the overwhelming majority have found shelter in private accommodation _ with friends or volunteer hosts.

Giffey praised the goodwill of Berliners but warned that it likely won't be a long-term solution.

``If someone clears out their children's room, they can do that for a while, for one or two or perhaps a few weeks,'' she said, but warned that eventually people might need long-term accommodation elsewhere.

Vollmann is convinced he made the right choice taking in Oyedele and his friends. The Nigerians and their German hosts have already spent a night around a campfire drinking beer and getting to know each other.

``It was great to see how grateful they were, how much joy they had and how many plans they're already making,`` Vollmann said.

He hopes the wave of support many Europeans are showing toward those fleeing Ukraine will continue.

``In my view this sends a very strong signal,'' Vollmann said. ``The more aggression there is, the more solidarity has to come from our side.''

Oyedele, too, has his hopes pinned on Europe.

``I think Germany has a space for me,`` he said.

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Britain said Tuesday it would phase out Russian oil imports by the end of this year, in line with new sanctions announced by the United States following the invasion of Ukraine.

"This transition will give the market, businesses and supply chains more than enough time to replace Russian imports -- which make up 8.0 percent of UK demand," Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng tweeted.

The oil sanction does not apply to Russian natural gas, which accounts for some four percent of UK supply. But Kwarteng said he was "exploring options to end this altogether".

NEW  the UK will phase out the import of Russian oil and oil products by the end of 2022.



This transition will give the market, businesses and supply chains more than enough time to replace Russian imports  which make up 8% of UK demand.



(1/4)  Kwasi Kwarteng (@KwasiKwarteng) March 8, 2022

The announcement came in coordination with an embargo on Russian oil announced by US President Joe Biden.

It risks exacerbating a cost-of-living crisis in Britain, with prices of petrol and diesel already surging amid market turmoil following energy-rich Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

But Kwarteng said most of Britain's crude oil imports come from "reliable partners" such as the United States, the Netherlands and Gulf states.

"We'll work with them this year to secure further supplies," he said.

"The market has already begun to ostracise Russian oil, with nearly 70 percent of it currently unable to find a buyer," the business minister added.

Kwarteng announced a new government taskforce on oil to help companies transition away from Russian oil.

British dockers at a facility in northwest England on Saturday refused to unload Russian oil from a tanker, calling for the government to close a "loophole" in sanctions allowing deliveries from foreign-flagged ships.

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With Russia intensifying its war on Ukraine, killing civilians and triggering a mass refugee crisis, President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced a U.S. ban on imported Russian oil. Critics of Russia have said that sanctioning its energy exports would be the best, perhaps only, way to force Moscow to pull back.

A full embargo would be most effective if it included European allies, which are also desperate to stop the violence in Ukraine and the danger Moscow poses to the continent. Yet it's far from clear that all of Europe would take part in an embargo, though Britain announced Tuesday that it would phase out Russian oil imports by year's end.

Unlike the United States, Europe is deeply reliant on energy it imports from Russia, the world's second-largest crude oil exporter behind Saudi Arabia. While the U.S. could replace the relatively small amount of fuel it receives from Moscow, Europe could not, at least not anytime soon.

What's more, any curbs on Russian oil exports could send already skyrocketing oil and gasoline prices ever higher on both continents and further squeeze consumers, businesses, financial markets and the global economy.

Here is a deeper look:

WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH A U.S. BAN ON RUSSIAN OIL?

With gasoline prices in the U.S. surging ever higher, the Biden administration has faced growing pressure to impose further sanctions on Russia, including a ban on oil imports.

For now, a broad U.S.-European ban appears elusive. On Monday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made clear that his country, Europe's largest consumer of Russian energy, has no plans to join in any ban. In response, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman hinted that the U.S. could act alone or with a smaller group of allies.

Not every country has done exactly the same thing, Sherman said, but we have all reached a threshold that is necessary to impose the severe costs that we have all agreed to.''

DOES THE U.S. BAN ON RUSSIAN OIL HURT MOSCOW?

The impact on Russia would likely be minimal. The United States imports a small share of Russia's oil exports and doesn't buy any of its natural gas.

Last year, roughly 8% of U.S. imports of oil and petroleum products came from Russia. Together, the imports totaled the equivalent of 245 million barrels in 2021, which was roughly 672,000 barrels of oil and petroleum products a day. But imports of Russian oil have been declining rapidly as buyers shunned the fuel.

Because the amount of oil the U.S. imports from Russia is modest, Russia could potentially sell that oil elsewhere, perhaps in China or India. Still, it would probably have to sell it at a steep discount, because fewer and fewer buyers are accepting Russian oil.

If Russia were eventually shut off from the global market, rogue countries such as Iran and Venezuela might be welcomed back as sources of oil, said Claudio Galimberti, an analyst at Rystad Energy. Such additional sources could, in turn, potentially stabilize prices.

A team of Biden administration officials were in Venezuela over the weekend to discuss energy and other issues, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. She said officials discussed a range of issues, including energy security.

By eliminating some of the demand, we're forcing the price of Russian oil down, and that does reduce revenue to Russia,'' said Kevin Book, managing director at Clearview Energy Partners. In theory, it is a way of reducing how much Russia earns on every barrel it sells, maybe not by a lot, but by some. The most important question is whether there's going to be more pressure on the other side of the Atlantic.

HOW COULD A RUSSIAN OIL BAN AFFECT PRICES?

The news of the looming U.S. oil ban sent gasoline prices to their highest level ever recorded, with a gallon of regular selling for an average of $4.17 Tuesday.

A month ago, oil was selling for about $90 a barrel. Now, prices are surging around $130 a barrel as buyers shun Russian crude. Refiners had already feared being left with oil they couldn't resell if sanctions were imposed.

Shell said Tuesday that it would stop buying Russian oil and natural gas and shut down its service stations, aviation fuels and other operations there, days after Ukraine's foreign minister criticized the energy giant for continuing to buy Russian oil.

Energy analysts warn that prices could go as high to $160 or even $200 a barrel if buyers continue shunning Russian crude. That trend could send U.S. gasoline prices past $5 a gallon, a scenario that Biden and other political figures are desperate to avoid.

ARE RUSSIAN IMPORTS ALREADY FALLING?

The U.S. oil industry has said it shares the goal of reducing reliance on foreign energy sources and is committed to working with the Biden administration and Congress. Even without sanctions, some U.S. refiners have severed contracts with Russian companies. Imports of Russian crude oil and products have tumbled.

Our industry has taken significant and meaningful steps to unwind relationships'' with Russia and voluntarily limit Russian imports, said Frank Macchiarola, senior vice president of the American Petroleum Institute, the oil and gas industry's largest lobbying group.

Preliminary data from the U.S. Energy Department shows that imports of Russian crude dropped to zero in the last week in February.

WILL EUROPE GO ALONG?

A ban on Russian oil and natural gas would be painful for Europe. Russia provides about 40% of Europe's natural gas for home heating, electricity and industry uses and about a quarter of Europe's oil. European officials are seeking ways to reduce their dependence, but it will take time.

Britain's business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, said his country will use the rest of the year to phase out its imports of oil and petroleum products to give the market, businesses and supply chains more than enough time to replace Russian imports,'' which account for 8% of U.K. demand.

Germany's economy minister, Robert Habeck, on Tuesday defended the European decision so far to exempt Russian energy from sanctions.

The sanctions have been chosen deliberately so that they impact the Russian economy and the Putin regime seriously, but they also have been chosen deliberately so that we as an economy and a nation can keep them up for a long time,'' Habeck said. Ill-considered behavior could lead to exactly the opposite.''

We have maneuvered ourselves into an ever-greater dependency on fossil energy imports from Russia in the last 20 years,'' Habeck said. That is not a good state of affairs.

Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak of Russia underscored that urgency, saying Moscow would have every right'' to halt natural gas shipments to Europe through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to retaliate against Germany for halting the parallel Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which wasn't yet operating. Novak added that we have not taken this decision'' and that no one would benefit from this.'' His statement marked a shift from Russia's earlier assurances that it had no intention of cutting off gas to Europe.

Oil is easier to replace than natural gas. Other countries could increase production of oil and ship it to Europe. But much oil would have to be replaced, and this would drive up prices even more because the oil would likely have to travel farther.

Replacing the natural gas that Russia provides to Europe is likely impossible in the short term. Most of the natural gas Russia provides to Europe travels through pipelines. To replace it, Europe would mostly import liquefied natural gas, known as LNG. The continent doesn't have enough pipelines to distribute gas from coastal import facilities to farther reaches of the continent.

In January, two-thirds of American LNG exports went to Europe, according to S&P Global Platts.

While U.S. oil and gas producers could drill for more natural gas, its export facilities are already operating at capacity. Expanding those facilities would take years and billions of dollars.

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A panel of private sector and academic stakeholders in Egypt marked World Obesity Day  celebrated on 4 March every year  with a press conference under the title Obesity: The real pandemic.

The conference addressed the problem of obesity based on statistics made in 2021 and shed light on the latest breakthroughs in treatments and methods of curbing weight gain, especially among women and children.

The conference also reviewed recent studies on the impacts of the disease on Egyptian societys health, economy, and social well-being.

One of the main highlights of the conference was a discussion on the prevalence and causes of overweight among Egyptian adolescents and the effects of obesity on womens health

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the definition of obesity is the accumulation of excess fat that may impair health.

At the onset of the discussion, Dr. Rasha Tarif  the head of the Pediatric Obesity Unit at Ain Shams University  shed light on studies in Egypt regarding obesity that stated that more than a third of children and adolescents surveyed were overweight or obese, with roughly two million adolescents expected to be morbidly obese within the next three years.

Tarif added that this leads to further complications, like type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, and fatty liver diseases.

The prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents reached 185 million and is expected to reach 254 million by 2030, as per the statistics from the World Obesity Federation in 2021, putting into consideration that the percentages are higher in those with a family history of obesity, she added.

Dr. Amr Abdel-Moneim  a professor of anaesthesia at the Faculty of Medicine of Cairo University  stated that one of the causes of obesity is an unhealthy lifestyle that includes eating at the wrong time, insufficient sleeping, eating high carbohydrates, and living a sedentary life.

Abdel-Moneim noted that Egypt has set nine national goals to combat non-communicable diseases, which include obesity.

He added that these goals aim to encourage people to eat less and move more, urging healthcare providers to focus on a patients comprehensive health management rather than simply their weight in order to address the fundamental causes of obesity.

The problem of obesity among Egyptian women was addressed by Dr. Ines Shaltout, a professor of internal medicine and diabetes at Cairo University.

Being overweight or obese raises the relative risk of diabetes and coronary artery disease in females. Females living with obesity are more prone to suffering from lower back discomfort and osteoporosis, and it has a detrimental impact on all contraceptive techniques and fertility, Shaltout said.

The most recent statistics indicate a relationship between obesity and depression in females and that 26% of non-pregnant women between the ages of 20 and 39 are overweight, and 29 percent are obese. The 100 Million Health Initiative revealed that 49.5% of Egyptian females are suffering from obesity.

During the conference, Novo Nordisk Egypt, a subsidiary of the multinational pharmaceutical company, discussed its efforts to raise awareness among 10,000 people living with obesity in 2021.

Moreover, they outlined the current months strategy, which aims to raise the awareness of 5,000 additional obese individuals as well as increase the number of awareness initiatives to reach 20,000 people by the end of 2022.

Dr. Ibrahim El-Ebrashy, a professor of internal medicine, diabetes, and endocrinology at Cairo University, further elaborated on the economic cost of the problem on society.

The latest studies done in Egypt confirm that the cost of treating obesity related problems in 2020 was EGP 62 billion. Moreover, mortality rates have reached 19 percent, which is considered a real risk to peoples lives. According to global surveys, obesity accounts for 41 million deaths annually, El-Ebrashy concluded.

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The Centre for Arab Unity Studies (CAUS) held a webinar last week on the Russian-NATO confrontation in Ukraine and related international developments. Among the issues addressed first was how to frame the events that led to this point. Was this a Western devised scheme to wreak attrition on Russia by luring it into a protracted conflict, as occurred to the Soviet Union in Afghanistan? Or was the invasion a preemptive Russian strike to stop NATO expansion into Ukraine  a direct threat to Russian national security?

Many believe that the analogy with Afghanistan was part of Western propaganda intended to cast Moscow as the reactive player, a characterisation enhanced by the Western media emphasis on the slowness of the Russian military advance. Proponents of this view argue that the comparison between Ukraine and Afghanistan does not hold in terms of either scope or, more importantly, results. They predict that where Russia failed in Afghanistan, it would succeed in Ukraine. It would be only a matter of days before Russias specialised counter guerrilla forces prepared the ground for the Russian armys entry into Kyiv to impose Moscows two main demands, the disarmament of Ukraine and the ouster of extreme right-wing political elites. Any delay in achieving these objectives would be primarily the product of Russian calculations, which are focused on targeting the adversarys military capacities not on destroying Ukrainian infrastructure.

The opposing view, which subscribes to the theory of a conspiracy to ensnare Russia in a Ukrainian trap, held that the Western aim is to strengthen NATO by forcing Russia into such an international stranglehold that its leaders would be driven to go to war for geostrategic purposes regardless of the enormous economic cost. This invites debate on the extent to which Russia and its people have coped with economic sanctions since 2014.

The seminar also addressed the impact of the Ukrainian war on the world order. Much will be contingent on the outcome of the war, but that is not the only factor. Even supposing that Russia fails to accomplish its military and political objectives in Ukraine and NATO grows stronger as a result, Washingtons continued leadership of NATO is not a foregone conclusion especially in light of its allies experience with that leadership in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is no accident that Germany has embarked on an ambitious programme to overhaul its military and radically upgrade its defence strategy, or that some European powers that have remained neutral, reconsidering their stance. To the east is the emergent Chinese giant. If the war in Ukraine has distracted Washington momentarily, ultimately the US  originally an imperialist project defended and advanced through a series of wars  will not tolerate rivalry at the international helm. One of the speakers put it this way: if the United States does not remain at the top of the world order, it will not remain united.

This invites questions about the relationship between history and change. One opinion holds that leaders who have made major changes in the world order were good readers of history. Another view voiced doubts over the extent to which history could be relied on as an agent of change in any particular direction. Global geopolitical realities were extremely complex. At the level of Eurasian-Atlantic interactions, alone, their trajectories and impacts on the future of the world order was too multifaceted a question to make solid forecasts.

The third issue was of a moral nature. How can one express sympathy with Russias legitimate need to safeguard its national security while simultaneously opposing recourse to force to realise its demands? Many participants observed that a large segment of Arab public opinion was inclined to support Russias grievance against NATO expansions into countries that had once been part of the Eastern Bloc and the larger Soviet Empire. More crucially, some asked how one can reconcile support for the Russian action in Ukraine while opposing the US behaviour in Iraq and Afghanistan and, more importantly, Israels behaviour in Palestine under the rubric of defending national security? One view holds that if Russia had restricted its operation to the Donbas region with the aim of driving out Ukrainian forces to enable the Donetsk and Luhansk republics to hold a referendum on the right to self determination, the Russian stance would have greater legitimacy since the two republics have predominantly ethnically Russian populations. Others argue that this view does not resolve the legitimacy question since it encourages secessionist movements which, if left unchecked, would lead to a proliferation of small states. After all, no country is without minority populations.

Turning to the position of Arab states on the Ukraine question, it was observed how Syria was the only Arab country whose support for Russia went beyond the diplomatic level, as expressed in its vote against the recent UN Security Council resolution on Ukraine, to the logistic level. The facilities that Russia has in Syrian ports epitomise how intertwined Russia and Syria are. Just as the Russian intervention in Syria rescued that country from falling into the hands of terrorists, Syria is one of the regions that will be most affected by developments in the conflict in Ukraine.

* The writer is professor of political science at Cairo University.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 10 March, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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It will link used-car dealers and individual sellers and buyers online.

Hyundai said it will allow only authorized dealers to use the service to prevent fraud. Real-time data on the latest used-car prices and other information will be provided.

The company has engaged in the used-car auction business since 2001, buying used cars and selling them to dealers.
By Trend

The EU has launched a written procedure in connection with the request of Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova to accept them into the organization, the French Presidency of the Council of the EU wrote on its Twitter page, Trend reports citing TASS.

"The EU has launched a written procedure to prepare the responses of the European Commission to the requests of Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova applying for admission to the EU," noted in the report.

According to experts, the European Commission should express an official opinion on these appeals. Then the 27 countries must agree on whether they agree to give Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova the candidate status needed to start lengthy and complex negotiations.
A delegation of senior U.S. officials visited Venezuela Saturday for talks with members of President Nicolas Maduro's government to explore the possibility of easing U.S. sanctions against the major oil producer.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday the U.S. delegation discussed a range of issues, including energy security, as well as the health and welfare of detained U.S. citizens. She said those two issues were "separate paths and conversations."

Sources who participated in the talks told media outlets the discussions had been in the works behind the scenes for months but took on new urgency with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Venezuela's oil production has plummeted over the last two decades, down from roughly 3 million barrels per day in 2002 to fewer than 800,000 barrels per day at the start of this year, according to OPEC. Even so, the country's crude exports could offset the fallout from a possible oil embargo against Russia. The South American country is also Russian President Vladimir Putin's strongest ally in the Western Hemisphere.


The price of oil jumped more than $10 a barrel and shares were sharply lower Monday as the conflict in Ukraine deepened amid mounting calls for harsher sanctions against Russia. Brent crude oil surged over $10 early Monday. Benchmark U.S. crude was up nearly $9 at more than $124 a barrel.

The surge followed a warning from Russian President Vladimir Putin that Ukrainian statehood was imperiled as Russian forces battered strategic locations. A temporary cease-fire in two Ukrainian cities failed over the weekend -- and both sides blamed each other.

Oil prices came under additional pressure after Libya's national oil company said an armed group had shut down two crucial oil fields. The move caused the country's daily oil output to drop by 330,000.

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, meanwhile, said the House was exploring legislation to further isolate Russia from the global economy, including banning the import of its oil and energy products into the U.S.

By late morning in Tokyo, U.S. crude had jumped $9.08 to $124.74 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The all-time high was marked in July 2008, when the price per barrel of U.S. crude climbed to $145.29, pushing the average price for gasoline in the U.S. above $4 a gallon, a milestone already reached again this year.

Brent crude, the international standard, hit $139.13 per barrel before falling back. It was trading up $10.56 at $128.67 a barrel.

U.S. futures fell, with the contract for the benchmark S&P 500 down 1.6 percent and that for the Dow industrials falling 1.3 percent.

Higher fuel costs are devastating for Japan, which imports almost all its energy. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 dipped 3.5 percent in morning trading to 25,091.93. Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 4.0 percent to 21,021.38, while Korea's KOSPI dived 2.5 percent to 2,648.48. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 shed 1.2 percent to 7,023.10. while the Shanghai Composite lost nearly 0.8 percent to 3,421.81.

"The Ukraine-Russia conflict will continue to dominate market sentiments and no signs of conflict resolution thus far may likely put a cap on risk sentiments into the new week," said Yeap Jun Rong, market strategist at IG in Singapore.

"It should be clear by now that economic sanctions will not deter any aggression from the Russians, but will serve more as a punitive measure at the expense of implication on global economic growth. Elevated oil prices may pose a threat to firms margins and consumer spending outlook."


Actor Lee Jung-jae has won another award in the U.S. for his role in Netflix's hit Korean series "Squid Game," just about a week after being honored at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Lee won the gong for Best Male Performance in a New Scripted Series at this year's Film Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, California on Sunday.

Lee could not attend the event in person and delivered his acceptance speech in a video message. "Thank you so much for giving me this meaningful award. I wish I could be there in person, but [couldn't attend] due to my work schedule. I'm so sorry about that. Thank you so much for loving 'Squid Game,'" he said.


Hyundai on Monday laid out plans for its own online used-car business.

The idea is that Hyundai will only sell its own brands and the cars are no more than five years old and driven no more than 100,000 km.

But the Ministry of SMEs and Start-ups still has to review whether the auto giant's entry into the second-hand business will hurt small businesses.

"We will certify vehicles for second-hand sale after checking and repairing them using our expertise as a manufacturer," Hyundai said. It will establish a dedicated certification center.

The entire sales process will be done online using virtual reality to let customers view vehicles from all angles.


The International Atomic Energy Agency has detected activities at a 5-megawatt reactor at North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear complex, the agency said Monday.

The reactor is capable of producing weapons-grade plutonium.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said it has spotted the activities recently. But no activities to separate plutonium from nuclear waste have been detected since July last year, he added.
"We feel that we're voting for the lesser evil. That's not what an election is supposed to be," said Lee So-jeong, who is in her 30s. "Ideally, you have a lot of options, and you can think, 'I like his or her campaign. I feel like this is a person who could change the future of Korea, so I'm going to vote for him or her.' But these candidates, either one, there will be no real change."

The two presidential frontrunners have been courting young voters, who are considered swing voters critical for victory in the March 9 election. But many young voters who face critical issues such as high unemployment, soaring housing prices, and rising inequality say they are frustrated with the candidates' approaches, and the candidates prioritize flashy proposals and mudslinging over serious engagement with the issues.

But neither Lee or Yoon have put forward substantive policies to address these issues, according to Park Sang-in, a professor at Seoul National University. "They are focusing on very small, specific policies," he said, citing Lee's proposed policy of government-funded hair loss treatments and Yoon's pledge to abolish the Ministry of Family and Gender Equality. "These are not helpful for fundamental structural problems," Park said. "But if you address the structural issues in which many of Korea's social and economic problems are rooted, you have to contradict the interests of the establishment, and they don't want to confront those issues."

And as the cost of living continues to rise, Korea's birthrate is dropping steeply. In 2020, the birthrate was 0.81 births per woman, its lowest level in Korea's history and the lowest birthrate worldwide.

Unemployment among Koreans aged 15-29 is nearly 25 percent, and the average price of an apartment in Seoul has doubled over the last five years. In light of these economic troubles, many young people feel uncertain about their futures. From 2016 to 2020, while the overall number of suicides dropped from 13,020 to 12,776, the number of suicides in their 20s jumped 32 percent, from 1,137 to 1,501.

Lee Soo-jin, who is in her 20s, said, "In this election, the candidates are really focused on gaining support from people in their 20s and 30s, which is good for drawing attention to young people's issues. But sometimes I feel that it goes a little too far and becomes populist -- they say they will do this or that just because it will be popular among young voters."

To win the favor of young people, who make up about 34 percent of all eligible voters, Lee and Yoon have made pledges such as raising the salaries of conscripted soldiers, but some young voters see these promises as quick-fix solutions rather than policies that deal with the fundamental problems young people are facing.

The two leading candidates -- Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Minjoo Party and Yoon Seok-youl of the opposition People Power Party -- have been polling in a dead heat in the week leading up to the election.

Some young voters also feel that the candidates' proposals encourage polarization. A graduate student in Seoul said she thinks that many of these proposals are not just targeted toward young people but toward young men.

"I worry about both candidates, because I think both of them are excluding young women from the election," said the student, who requested anonymity. "There are so many policies from candidates who say: 'If I become president, I will do this for young men's sake.' But no one talks about what we are going to do for young women."

The election has also been characterized by scandals, personal attacks, and allegations of corruption. Young voters say they are frustrated with the scandals because they distract from serious consideration of the issues they are facing.

"When I was watching the presidential debate, I couldn't tell how much the candidates knew about the issues and assess their ideas for fixing them, because instead of talking about the issues, they were talking about -- 'your wife did this,' and so on," said a college student. "I couldn't understand why they were fighting like that on TV, in front of the whole world."

The negativity and personal attacks have made the two candidates some of the most unpopular in the history of Korea's democracy. Throughout the campaign, surveys have showed both Lee and Yoon drawing disapproval ratings of around 60 percent.

With the two major parties offering wildly unpopular candidates, minor party candidates have become more attractive. But since they have little chance of winning the election, some young voters are struggling to decide if voting for them is worth it.

"For my short-term benefit, I know I should vote for Lee or Yoon, since they have a chance of winning," Lee So-jeong said. "But if I think in the long term, do I really have to vote for these people? Or do I vote for a better future?"

Korea's party system is ill-equipped to represent the interests of young voters, said Lee Sook-jong, a professor at Sungkyunkwan University.

Many young voters are driven less by ideology, Lee said, and have diverse opinions that fall on both sides of party lines. "There is some confusion about what exactly the younger voters want, so the candidates are promising things like money and cheaper housing, trying to ease the disappointment and disillusionment of younger generations," she said. "But younger generations don't care about ideology as much. Instead, they want secure jobs and better wages, and a fair and just system."

The graduate student, for example, said her opinions on economic and social issues are aligned with two different parties. "I still don't know who to vote for because it depends on what issues I care more about and prioritize," she said.

Certain reforms could allow the electoral system to better represent voters who are dissatisfied with the two major parties, Lee Sook-jong said. For example, 253 out of the total 300 seats in the National Assembly are elected by simple majority rule, which gives an advantage to the two major parties. Changing this policy could help minor parties to win seats so that more diverse voters are represented.

But beyond that, candidates of future elections should discourage the polarization and division that have characterized this election, said Shin Gi-wook, a professor at Stanford University. "I expect a lot of tension and fighting after the election, whoever wins," Shin said. "This has become a time of a lot of polarization along ideology, gender, generation. We can't continue like this. No matter who wins, you have to stop diving into 'us' and 'them.'"

Dissatisfaction with the candidates is not stopping voters from participating in the election. With over 36.93 percent of eligible voters casting their ballots over last Friday and Saturday, early voting has seen record turnout.

Even though young voters may struggle to pick their candidate this year, they will still vote while hoping that the choice is easier next time, many said.

"I wish a candidate in a future election could stand for the whole population, not only for males, or only for the old or young generations, or only for conservatives or liberals," said the graduate student. "In Korea, we tend to switch administrations from conservative to liberal -- it goes back and forth. But I wish there could be a president from a neutral position. I wish that kind of thing could happen in Korea."
KYODO NEWS - Mar 8, 2022 - 23:08 | All, Japan

Japan's justice minister said Tuesday the government has accepted into the country eight people displaced by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, following an earlier announcement by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to do so as Tokyo ramps up its humanitarian support.

"We will work together with the relevant ministries and agencies so that we can proactively and swiftly accept" evacuees from Ukraine, Justice Minister Yoshihisa Furukawa said at a parliament session.

The eight people are Ukrainian nationals who have relatives or acquaintances in Japan and were granted short-term residency for 90 days, according to the Immigration Services Agency of Japan.

All the evacuees had arrived in Japan by Tuesday after fleeing from Ukraine to neighboring countries such as Poland, it said.

The agency said it is taking a flexible approach to the evacuees in principle and is considering allowing them to extend their visa and permit them to work by granting a "designated activities" status of residence.

Those who apply for refugee status will have their claims considered on the merits, the agency said.

But Japan accepts very few refugees annually, certifying only around 1 percent of applications it receives. In 2020, it certified just 47 people as refugees out of the 3,936 applications lodged.

Kishida said last Wednesday the government will also be open to accepting Ukrainian evacuees who do not have relatives or acquaintances in Japan, given the severe humanitarian situation.

"Japan will allow in people who have fled Ukraine to third countries as we wish to show our solidarity with the people of Ukraine when the world is at a critical juncture," Kishida told reporters in announcing the policy.

While easing its border controls introduced amid the coronavirus pandemic, Japan still maintains a cap on the number of people arriving from overseas, including Japanese nationals, at 5,000 a day. Evacuees from Ukraine do not count toward the daily limit, according to Kishida.

On Tuesday, Yokohama, the second most populous Japanese city near Tokyo, said it is ready to accept people fleeing from the East European country, with 79 rooms at public housing already secured.

While some 122 Ukrainians live in the capital of Kanagawa Prefecture, Yokohama, also a sister city of Odessa, a port city in southern Ukraine, said it will also raise relief donations for the war-torn country.

Related coverage:

Japan imposes more sanctions on Russia, Belarus over Ukraine invasion

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Japan to accept people displaced by Russian invasion of Ukraine
KYODO NEWS - Mar 8, 2022 - 19:48 | All, Japan

ANA Holdings Inc. said Tuesday it will launch a new lower-cost airline brand called AirJapan focusing on medium-range international flights in fiscal 2023 as it bets on a recovery in travel demand in a post-coronavirus era.

The new service will use Boeing 787-8 aircraft, providing "comfortable" space between seats, and the fares will be at "an affordable price range similar to low cost carriers," the company said.

Although details such as exact routes and the date of the first flight are not finalized yet, an ANA official said it plans to connect Japan's Narita airport, near Tokyo, with Asian and Oceanian cities.

The announcement comes as the Japanese major airline is propelling a structural reform to better counter fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the restructuring plan released in October 2020, the company said it would create a new brand designed to meet demand for travel that its flagship subsidiary All Nippon Airways Co. and low-cost carrier Peach Aviation Ltd. cannot cover, while cutting costs and shrinking the size of its fleet.

The new service will combine the strengths of both full-service and low-cost carriers, while featuring Japanese-style hospitality, it said.

"We can operate routes that may not be profitable in All Nippon Airways' cost structure," Hideki Mineguchi, president of Air Japan Co. said at a news conference in Tokyo.

Meanwhile, the holding company, which is projecting a net loss for a second straight year for the year ending this month, is ramping up efforts to improve its balance sheet hit by a demand slump due to the pandemic.

All Nippon Airways is set to raise prices for domestic flights that allow rebooking by 3 percent on average from fiscal 2022, according to a corporate source familiar with the matter.

Profits from the price hike will be used to maintain its route network including unprofitable ones, the source said.
KYODO NEWS - Mar 8, 2022 - 21:28 | World, All

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday voiced opposition to punitive sanctions on Russia by Western countries over its attack on Ukraine during a trilateral video summit with his French and German counterparts, state-run media reported.

Xi also told French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that China is willing to "play an active role" in settling the ongoing crisis "according to the needs of all parties concerned," the media said without elaborating.

The Western sanctions "will deal a blow to the stability of global finance, energy, transportation and supply chain, dragging down the world economy amid the pandemic," Xi was quoted as telling Macron and Scholz by the official China Central Television.

During the conversation, Xi said the top priority is to prevent tensions from "getting out of control," adding China will be happy to see "equal dialogue" among Europe, Russia, the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, according to CCTV.

Xi, meanwhile, reiterated China's mantra that the sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as legitimate security concerns of all nations, including Russia and Ukraine, should be respected.

Beijing has shown its understanding of Moscow's security concerns related to an expansion of NATO. Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded that the U.S.-led military alliance pull back troops and weapons from Eastern Europe.

With the conflict between Russia and Ukraine intensifying, China has been urged by the international community to work to mediate a cease-fire while it refrains from criticizing Moscow's attack, launched in late February.

The French and German leaders told Xi that the two countries are "willing to strengthen communication and coordination with China to promote peace and talks to avoid further escalation of the situation and a more serious humanitarian crisis," CCTV said.

China and the Soviet Union, Russia's predecessor state, were competitors during the Cold War. They were at loggerheads over interpretations and practical applications of Marxism-Leninism, the ideology of 20th-century communism.

But the two nations, which have criticized the post-Cold War international order dominated by the United States, have been reinforcing relations in recent years, as their ties with Washington sharply deteriorate.

China is believed to be reluctant to join hands with Western countries to punish Russia as it could benefit from Russia being shunned from business and trade activities with the United States and its allies, foreign affairs experts said.

Related coverage:

FOCUS: China may remain "strategically" mum about Russia's attack on Ukraine

China vows to maintain partnership with Russia despite war in Ukraine
By Maricar Cinco, KYODO NEWS - Mar 8, 2022 - 13:09 | World, All

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is leading in the May 9 Philippine presidential election campaign, supported by voters under the mid-50s who were not mature enough to understand the 1986 pro-democracy "people power" revolution that overthrew his father's authoritarian regime.

Public records show the Marcos administration from 1965 to 1986 embezzled as much as $10 billion and committed thousands of rights abuses including torture and killings.

But experts say propagandists of Marcos Jr. are using social media to sanitize history, leading to the present generation's "renewed appreciation" of the senior Marcos and support for his son in alliance with Sara Duterte-Carpio, the daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte who is limited to a single six-year term under the Constitution.

Victims of the Marcos administration's atrocities during its martial law era are unhappy about the popularity of Marcos' son and namesake, as well as the lower support for opposition candidate and Vice President Leni Robredo, a human rights lawyer and a vocal critic of Duterte who led war on drugs in which thousands of innocent people were reportedly killed.

The victims voice concerns that Marcos Jr., 64, may follow in his father's footsteps and stifle dissent if elected as the successor to Duterte, a Marcos fan.

Filipinos aged 18 to 41 make up 56 percent of the 65.7 million voters, the "prime movers" of this election, the Commission on Elections said. In the latest Pulse Asia survey in January, Marcos Jr. had the highest lead over Robredo at 53 points among 18- to 24-year-olds including first-time voters.

The same poll showed that Marcos Jr. beat Robredo by 45 points in the 35-to-44 age range and by 47 points in the 45-to-54 group.

Marcos Jr.'s lead is lowest at 23 points among senior citizens, aged 65 and up, the survey showed.

A supporter of Marcos Jr., Ann Nunez, was not born yet when the senior Marcos introduced martial law to the Philippines in 1972 under the pretense of suppressing insurgency.

"But I have watched different documentaries about how good Ferdinand Marcos was. He built many schools, universities and roads," said the 20-year-old college student in Cavite province, south of Manila.

On Feb. 22 to 25 in 1986, millions of people went to Manila's Epifanio de los Santos Ave (EDSA) to protest Marcos' tyranny. But Nunez said the people committed the "biggest mistake" of overthrowing "a leader that could have made the Philippines better."

Young voters like Nunez are the "dominant users" of the internet that make them "susceptible or vulnerable to alternative or revisionist history that is pushed on social media platforms, like Facebook and YouTube," said political strategist Victor Andres Manhit of the Philippine Stratbase Consultancy Inc.

This adds to the fact that half of the voters "have no recollection" of martial law, he said, in that a 54-year-old voter was barely an adult in 1986.

These alternative "narratives" project Marcos Jr. to be the most qualified candidate, saying that the martial law era from 1972 to 1981 saw the best of the Philippine economy and that reports on the era by mainstream media are biased, Manhit said, adding that the Marcos-Duterte tandem is perceived as strong and unstoppable.

Manhit points to social media as shaping public perception of Marcos Jr. in this election, while the 2016 presidential race gave a "glimpse" of the internet's power when Duterte's campaign relied on bloggers and influencers.

Marcos Jr. has shunned interviews and debates that tackled his father's dictatorship since the campaign started Feb. 8. But observers pointed to the polo shirt similar to the dictator's that he constantly wore and the "Bagong Lipunan" (New Society), a martial law propaganda song revived into a rock version, played in campaign rallies, as referencing the strongman's image.

In the 2016 election when Marcos Jr. ran but lost for vice president, he said, "There are many positive things to talk about from during that time," rejecting common narratives of oppression and failed government in his father's rule, according to a Reuters report. A 2017 interview quoted him as saying that he wanted to "fix" history in favor of his family.

"The Marcoses have been demonized for (36) years," Herdy Yumul, a sociology and public administration professor at Mariano Marcos State University in Batac, Ilocos Norte, said, but added that this is being changed as people began to realize overthrowing the senior Marcos in 1986 did not really help people's lives to improve.

Ilocos Norte province, where the family is from and Marcos Jr. held various local posts between 1981 to 2010, boasts a number of road and energy infrastructures as the achievements of the senior Marcos and his family members, said Yumul, although local media have said the construction includes many projects done by the private sector.

Journalists and data analysts have reported on false and misleading content across social media platforms to whitewash past atrocities. In January, Twitter flagged for manipulation hundreds of accounts supportive of the Marcoses, which Marcos Jr. later disowned.

"What the Marcos regime was is not a matter of opinion. It is a matter of reality and fact. We know very well the corruption, the theft of public money, the privatization of national patrimony," said Ninotchka Rosca, a novelist based in New York.

Rosca was a journalist in Manila when she was imprisoned for six months in 1972 for subversion.

Like her, activist and martial law torture victim Loretta Rosales finds herself in the same battle against the Marcoses half a century later.

"(I) may be not as strong as I used to be, but it's so strange. It's all about distortion of history for the self-interest of a family and their friends," the 82-year-old Rosales said.

Rosales said the Marcoses have "never really left" and rather, kept their influence on the political and military structure intact through cronies and government allies.

Rights watchdog Amnesty International has reported that some 70,000 people were imprisoned, 34,000 tortured and over 3,200 killed during the martial law era. But the government has acknowledged only 11,103 victims, though in 2013 it passed the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act, an unprecedented law in Asia to hold the state accountable for its abuses.

On the 36th EDSA revolution anniversary on Feb. 25, Robredo said the "people power" recalls a story of "standing up and fighting for our democracy...whether (through) a peaceful revolt or a very crucial election."

Rosca said the Philippines faces another "historic juncture" in the May election that, "if...we make a mistake, the country will disappear. We, as a people, will disappear," referring to the nation's identity as one that once toppled a dictator.

Related coverage:

Philippines kicks off campaign for May 9 presidential election

Philippine presidential candidate Domagoso eyes naval buildup

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By Trend

Political decisions must be taken within days to end the indirect talks between Iran and the United States on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal after 11 months, the talks' coordinator, Enrique Mora of the European Union, said on Monday, Trend reports citing Reuters.

After intensive talks between Tehran and world powers in Vienna, all parties involved in the negotiations have said an agreement was close, but there are still some significant differences to overcome between Washington and Tehran and the war in Ukraine has also begun to impact the negotiations.

"Just to clarify. There are no longer "expert level talks". Nor 'formal meetings.' It is time, in the next few days, for political decisions to end the #ViennaTalks . The rest is noise."
KYODO NEWS - Mar 8, 2022 - 22:47 | All, Japan, World

Senior foreign and defense officials from Japan and the United States plan to meet in Tokyo this week to coordinate their responses to the Ukraine crisis, diplomatic sources said Tuesday.

The director-general level meeting is also intended to bolster the bilateral alliance to better cope with closer defense cooperation between China and Russia in East Asia, the sources said.

Japan has underscored the importance of coordination with its longtime ally, the United States, and other Group of Seven nations, in implementing punitive measures against Russia's aggression in the neighboring country.

Russia's use of force has drawn a sharp rebuke from the West, which sees it as a violation of international law, though China has refrained from condemning the attack.

The aggression has heightened concerns about the implications for other regions beyond Europe. Japan has explicitly said that any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force should not be tolerated in the Indo-Pacific region, where China is expanding its clout.

Keiichi Ichikawa, director general of the North American Affairs Bureau of the Foreign Ministry, and Kazuo Masuda, director general of the Defense Policy Bureau at the Defense Ministry, will represent Japan in the coming meeting.

The U.S. side will be led by Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, and Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, the sources said.

Japan on Tuesday decided to implement further sanctions against Russia and Belarus over Moscow's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, freezing assets held by their government officials and other entities.

As Russia escalates its attack on Ukraine with Belarus "clearly involved," Japan will ban exports of oil refining equipment to Russia and dual-use products to Belarus, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a press conference.

According to the Japanese government, 32 Russian and Belarusian individuals, such as government officials and business magnates, along with 12 entities, including military-related companies, were added to the list of those facing asset freezes in Japan.

Tokyo also designated the Belarusian Defense Ministry and a Minsk-based military semiconductor maker as subject to sanctions, banning the receipt of payments from them by Japanese exporters from March 15.

"Our nation will continue to collaborate with the Group of Seven (nations) and the international community toward an improvement in the situation," Matsuno said.

Japan has joined Western countries that have imposed a series of economic sanctions on Russia and Belarus, including asset freezes on Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

They have also excluded seven of Russia's banks from the SWIFT global payments network to disrupt its trade and money transfers.

As for Russia's release on Monday of a list of "unfriendly" countries that included Japan, Matsuno said Tokyo had lodged a protest with Moscow, saying, "It is regrettable that a measure which could work to the detriment of (Japan's) citizens and firms was announced."

The list allows the Russian government, firms and individuals to pay foreign currency debts owed to creditors from the unfriendly countries in Russian rubles, and obligates all business deals with companies and individuals from the listed nations to secure government approval.

Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said Japan will continue working with other nations to beef up countermeasures against illicit money transfers, such as those using cryptocurrencies, amid concern that such transactions could be employed to bypass sanctions on Russia.

The government will promote efforts to ensure the effectiveness of the sanctions to "impose maximum costs on Russia," Suzuki told a separate news conference.

Related coverage:

No major progress after 3rd round of Ukraine-Russia talks: reports

U.S. lawmakers unveil bipartisan plan to ban Russian energy imports

Japan to freeze assets of 4 more Russian banks to align with EU
KYODO NEWS - Mar 8, 2022 - 23:16 | All, World, Japan

Japan on Tuesday sent bulletproof vests and helmets from its Self-Defense Forces to Ukraine in a rare delivery of such equipment to a country under armed attack.

The delivery of SDF supplies reflects Japan's increased commitment to helping Ukraine amid the Russian aggression and comes after the government revised its guidelines on the transfer of defense equipment to make the shipment possible.

A KC-767 aerial refueling and transport aircraft carrying the supplies left the Air Self-Defense Force's Komaki base in central Japan on Tuesday night for Poland.

Other nonlethal items, including tents, winter clothing, emergency food items, hygiene products, cameras and power generators, will be delivered as soon as they are ready, according to the Defense Ministry.

"We will deliver the goods by SDF aircraft and via other means as soon as possible," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a press briefing.

Japan does not plan to provide lethal weapons, Matsuno said, drawing a clear line with the United States and European nations that are moving to help Ukraine bolster its defenses.

The top government spokesman said it is "critically important" for Japan and its national security to extend support to Ukraine and respond resolutely with other nations to the Russian aggression. He said the Russian onslaught violates international law and has "shaken the international order to its core."

Japan has strongly criticized Russia's invasion, saying it has undermined Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity as the attack has entered its second week despite an international outcry and sanctions. Besides delivering defense supplies, the government has pledged to take in people fleeing Ukraine.

Within the limits of the pacifist Constitution, Japan has three overarching principles specifying when the overseas transfer of its defense equipment should be prohibited and allowed. Recipient countries are obliged to ensure proper control over equipment delivered by Japan.

Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said the delivery of goods is to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine who continue to resist the Russian invasion and Japan will extend "as much support as possible."

"The provision is part of efforts to bring peace and security to the world and serves the purpose of the three principles," Kishi told reporters.

The guidelines state how the principles should be applied in practice, and an updated version, approved Tuesday, says equipment assigned by the defense minister based on the SDF law can be provided to "Ukraine, which has been invaded in violation of international law."

Some lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party had wanted the guideline revision to leave open the possibility for future shipments of defense equipment to other "nations and regions," given the heightened tensions between Taiwan and China.

The Ukrainian crisis has reverberated beyond Europe, prompting Japan to say any unilateral change to the status quo by force should not be allowed in East Asia. Beijing regards self-ruled Taiwan as a renegade province to be reunified with the mainland by force if necessary.

Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reviewed Japan's embargo on arms exports in 2014 and adopted the current principles on the transfer of defense equipment.

The shipment of defense supplies to a country "party to a conflict" is banned under the rules.

The Japanese government has taken the view that the term, meaning "a country against which the U.N. Security Council is taking measures to maintain or restore international peace and security in the event of an armed attack," does not apply to Ukraine.
KYODO NEWS - Mar 8, 2022 - 21:32 | All, World, Japan

Japanese credit card giant JCB Co. said Tuesday it will suspend its operations in Russia over the country's invasion of Ukraine from next Monday.

JCB cards issued in Russia will no longer be supported outside the country, while JCB cards issued outside of Russia will be unusable in the country.

The Japanese company said in a release that the measures will be taken "in light of the sanctions in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine."

JCB follows other major credit card companies such as American Express Co. and Visa Inc. in halting operations in Russia.

"Together with the global community, we hope that peace and stability will be restored in Ukraine soon," JCB said in the release.
MOGADISHU, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations' top envoy in Somalia on Tuesday praised Somali women for their tireless efforts and immense contributions to promoting peace, political stability and development in the country.

"Somali women have shown bravery, resilience and unwavering resolve to ensure gender equality and full participation of women in all spheres of life," said UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia James Swan in a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, to mark the International Women's Day.

Swan also called for concerted efforts to advance Somali women's political participation and leadership.

The theme of this year's International Women's Day is "Gender Equality Today For a Sustainable Tomorrow" and the day marks a call to action for accelerating gender equality. He commended Somali women's active role and advocacy in the ongoing federal electoral process to achieve the minimum 30 percent quota for women.

"Women's representation can change the political landscape in Somalia, making it more inclusive and pluralist," said Swan.

The UN in Somalia acknowledged the tremendous efforts and contribution of Somali women over the years and urged all Somali stakeholders, particularly the country's leaders, to ensure greater inclusion, voice and participation of women in all national and state-level bodies to realize and sustain peace and development in Somalia.

Swan said there is an opportunity to advance gender equality and women's political empowerment and leadership for sustainable peace and development as the country prepares for a new government. "It is important that their contributions are recognized together with their rightful place in leadership and decision-making in peace and political processes."

International Women's Day has been observed around the world since 1975, to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. 
CHONGLI, Zhangjiakou, March 8 (Xinhua) -- China's Paralympic debutant Liu Mengtao, 20, claimed the Para biathlon men's middle distance sitting title at Beijing 2022 here on Tuesday.

This is the eighth gold for host China at the ongoing Beijing Winter Paralympics.

Liu, who took a bronze in the Para biathlon men's sprint sitting last Saturday, finished the 10km race in 30 minutes and 30.7 seconds, missing three shots in the four rounds of prone shooting.

32-year-old Martin Fleig from Germany, the Para biathlon men's 15km individual sitting champion at PyeongChang 2018, missed targets twice and settled for the silver at Beijing 2022 with a gap of 46 seconds.

22-year-old Taras Rad from Ukraine, the Para biathlon men's 12.5km sitting champion at PyeongChang 2018, missed four shots and got the bronze, 49.2 seconds adrift of the winner.

24-year-old Liu Zixu, who grabbed the first-ever Paralympic individual gold for China in the Para biathlon men's sprint sitting last Saturday, missed five shots and finished fifth. 
TEHRAN, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi stressed on Tuesday that Iran has not backed down on any of its red lines in the talks on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal and will never do so.

Making the remarks in a meeting held in the Iranian capital Tehran, Raisi added that his administration pursued the strategy of "neutralizing the sanctions" with seriousness in the first step, according to the Iranian presidency's website.

In the second step, Raisi said, Iran seeks to remove the U.S. sanctions through negotiations, in which full respect for the country has been guaranteed.

He noted that his administration is continuing the talks in the Austrian capital of Vienna completely on the principles and framework established by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, sticking to its declared red lines.

Iran signed the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with the world powers in July 2015. However, former U.S. President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Tehran.

Since April 2021, eight rounds of talks have been held in Vienna between Iran and major parties to the JCPOA, namely Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany, in a bid to revive the deal. The U.S. has been indirectly involved in the talks. 
RABAT, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The Moroccan and Singaporean foreign ministers agreed on Tuesday to enhance the bilateral relationship, on the occasion of celebrating the 25th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties.

During the online meeting, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and his Singaporean counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan reiterated their willingness to further strengthen the political dialogue and emphasize their partnership in the fields of economy, finance and investment, said a statement issued by the Moroccan Foreign Ministry.

They pledged to develop triangular partnership for their respective regions, while hailing mutual support within regional and international organizations, it said.

Bourita expressed his gratitude for Singapore's support to the candidacy of the Moroccan parliament to the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), the statement added.

For his part, Balakrishnan reiterated Singapore's support for Morocco's application for the status of Sectoral Dialogue Partner (SDP) within the ASEAN, or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

He invited the North African country to get closer to the economic and political groupings being built or enlarged in South Asia as well as the Indo-Pacific region. 
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks to the press after the Security Council emergency meeting on Ukraine concluded at the UN headquarters in New York, Feb. 23, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

"We cannot emerge from the pandemic with the clock spinning backwards on gender equality," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. "We need to turn the clock forward on women's rights. The time is now."

UNITED NATIONS, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations marked the International Women's Day on Tuesday, celebrating women's leadership across all walks of life and calling for general equality.

The day, observed every year on March 8, was celebrated online by senior UN officials, activists, artists, politicians and others from around the globe.

In recognizing women's leadership, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the clock on women's rights is ticking backwards in too many areas, with COVID-19 a prime example.

As a result of the crisis, girls and women have been kept out of school and at work, contributing to poverty and violence.

"We cannot emerge from the pandemic with the clock spinning backwards on gender equality," Guterres said in a video message played at the event. "We need to turn the clock forward on women's rights. The time is now."

Progress toward a more gender-equal world is being undermined by multiple interlocking and compounding crises, according to Sima Bahous, Executive Director at UN Women.

Women holding flowers walk on the main square in Skopje, North Macedonia, on March 8, 2022, on the occasion of International Women's Day. (Photo by Tomislav Georgiev/Xinhua)

She said that the international community is witnessing the horrifying situation in many countries.

As a result of climate change and environmental degradation, insecurity is increasing for individuals and countries, with women and girls being disproportionately affected.

The international community can put them at the center of planning and action, as well as integrating gender perspectives into global and national legislation and policies, Bahous said.

"We have the opportunity to re-think, re-frame and re-allocate resources. We have the opportunity to benefit from the leadership of women and girl environmental defenders and climate activists to guide our planet's conservation. We need indigenous women's inter-generational knowledge, practices and skills," she added.

President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Abdulla Shahid noted that a sustainable future is possible because governments have adopted frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Earlier, Shahid had pointed out how despite their contributions, women remain "under-represented, under-supported, and unrecognized" in the social, economic and political fields needed for sustainable recovery.

People take part in a gathering celebrating the International Women's Day in Lagos, Nigeria, March 8, 2022. (Photo by Emma Houston/Xinhua)

"We must strengthen mechanisms that provide pathways and support for ingenuity, ambition, and creativity, from all people who have the skill and the drive. And we must remove the barriers that prevent women from engaging," said the UNGA president.

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) will begin its annual session next week, which will also examine gender equality within climate change, environmental, and disaster risk reduction policies and programs.

"For a sustainable tomorrow, the gendered impacts of climate change must be confronted decisively and urgently," said commission chair Mathu Joyini, the permanent representative of South Africa to the UN.

She underlined commitment toward realizing "a robust set of agreed conclusions which will place women and girls firmly at the center of climate and sustainability solutions."

One of the artists who participated in the UN commemoration was Amanda Gorman, an American poet and activist.

In her poem "Earthrise," played at the UN event, Gorman emphasizes that "climate change is the single greatest challenge of our time," and everyone has a role in protecting the planet. 
Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a video summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping had a virtual summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday.

Xi pointed out that the combined impact of major global changes and the pandemic, both unseen in a century, has brought multiple global challenges that need to be addressed through global cooperation.

Noting that China and the EU share much common understanding on promoting peace, seeking development and advancing cooperation, Xi said that we need to shoulder our responsibility to bring more stability and certainty to a turbulent and fluid world.

Xi said it is important for the two sides to enhance dialogue, stay committed to cooperation, and promote steady and sustained progress of China-EU relations.

China's development will create broader space for China-EU cooperation, Xi said, adding that the two sides must, under the principle of mutual benefit and win-win, further deepen green and digital partnerships as well as practical cooperation in various fields.

The two sides need to continue upholding multilateralism and advancing major global agenda, he added.

Macron and Scholz congratulated China on its successful hosting of the Beijing Olympic Winter Games, saying that the world faces many challenges, and each country acting on its own will only make things worse.

The European side values the important and positive role of China in global affairs, and is willing to engage in close cooperation with China to jointly tackle climate change, public health and other major global challenges, they said.

The two leaders said the European side is ready to work with China for a successful EU-China summit, and to move forward France-China, Germany-China and EU-China relations.

The leaders exchanged views on the key issue of the current situation in Ukraine.

Macron and Scholz shared their assessment and positions on the current situation in Ukraine, saying that Europe is facing the worst crisis since World War II.

France and Germany support reaching a settlement through negotiation and giving peace a chance, they noted.

The two leaders thanked China for its initiative on the humanitarian situation and said the two countries are ready to strengthen communication and coordination with China to promote talks for peace, and prevent further escalation of the situation that may worsen the humanitarian crisis.

Xi stressed that the current situation in Ukraine is worrisome, and the Chinese side is deeply grieved by the outbreak of war again on the European continent.

China maintains that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter must be fully observed, the legitimate security concerns of all countries must be taken seriously, and all efforts that are conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis must be supported, he said.

The pressing task at the moment is to prevent the tense situation from escalating or even running out of control, Xi stressed.

China commends the mediation efforts by France and Germany on Ukraine, he said, adding that China will stay in communication and coordination with France, Germany and the EU and, in light of the needs of the parties involved, work actively together with the international community.

Xi emphasized that we need to jointly support the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, and encourage the two sides to keep the momentum of negotiations, overcome difficulties, keep the talks going and bring about peaceful outcomes.

We need to call for maximum restraint to prevent a massive humanitarian crisis, Xi said, adding that China has put forward a six-point initiative on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, and stands ready to provide Ukraine with further humanitarian aid supplies.

We need to work together to reduce the negative impact of the crisis, Xi said, adding that relevant sanctions will affect global finance, energy, transportation and stability of supply chains, and dampen the global economy that is already ravaged by the pandemic. And this is in the interest of no one.

We need to actively advocate a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, Xi said.

China supports France and Germany in promoting a balanced, effective and sustainable European security framework for the interests and lasting security of Europe, and by upholding its strategic autonomy, he said.

China will be pleased to see equal-footed dialogue among the EU, Russia, the United States and NATO, Xi added.

The leaders also exchanged views on the Iranian nuclear issue.



Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a video summit with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Xiang)
NAIROBI, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Kenya marked International Women's Day on Tuesday with senior officials renewing a pledge to advance gender parity as a means to achieve inclusive growth, cohesion and stability.

President Uhuru Kenyatta who led the celebrations in the capital, Nairobi, said his government was committed to eliminating institutional, policy and cultural barriers that were derailing progress towards achieving the universal goal of gender parity.

"We are committed to accelerating progress towards gender equality in the country as part of our socio-economic transformation," Kenyatta remarked.

Kenyatta said that Kenya has in the last decade achieved significant progress towards gender parity as evidenced by rising girls' enrollment at all levels of schooling in addition to free maternity services and vocational training for women.

He said women had occupied strategic positions in the public and private sectors, thanks to the enactment of affirmative action legislation and policies.

Kenyatta said that elimination of harmful cultural practices that hinder women's progress including female genital cut and childhood marriages was on course thanks to political goodwill and citizens' support.

He said the theme of this year's International Women's Day "Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow" dovetailed with Kenya's quest to leverage gender parity and realize green and resilient future.

According to the president, the government had enacted progressive legislation to ensure women's land rights were not violated besides providing them with training, mentorship and seed capital to enable them to venture into entrepreneurship.

First Lady Margaret Kenyatta said that investments in girl-child education, elimination of user fees at maternity facilities and access to contraceptives had boosted the health of women and girls.

On her part, visiting First Lady of Rwanda, Jeannette Kagame stressed that closing the gender gap was key to attaining the sustainability agenda across the East African region.

Jeannette called on governments to enact gender-sensitive policies and legislation to ensure that women play a major role in climate action and the quest to transform livelihoods. 
By Trend

Two US citizens of Armenian origin who attacked people at a Turkish restaurant in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, on Nov. 20, 2020, were sentenced to federal prison, Trend reports referring to AP.

William Stepanyan, 23, of Glendale, was sentenced to five years, and Harutyun Chalikyan, 24, of Los Angeles - to 15 months in prison. Besides, the court ordered them to pay a total of $21,200 in restitution.

They pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy and committing a hate crime.

Stepanyan and Chalikyan stormed into the Turkish restaurant , and attacked five people, including four who are of Turkish descent.

They hurled wooden chairs, smashed glass and shouted derogatory slurs about Turkish people. The attackers caused $20,000 in damage to the restaurant.
UNITED NATIONS, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopia-Somalia drought has uprooted 845,000 people from their homes and killed more than 1.5 million head of livestock in Ethiopia alone, a UN spokesman said on Tuesday.

"We and our (humanitarian) partners are scaling up assistance to people affected by the drought and have reached more than 2.7 million people with food assistance" in Ethiopia, said Stephane Dujarric, the chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "Some 175,000 people have now been displaced from their homes."

More than 120 metric tons of medicine and other supplies were dispatched last month to the drought-affected areas of Ethiopia, Dujarric said. Humanitarians are distributing therapeutic food to treat malnourished children.

He said that in Somalia, 4.5 million people are affected, and about 670,000 fled their homes. In some of the worst affected areas, water prices spiked at a 72 percent increase over November 2021.

The spokesman said nearly half of the children under 5 years of age, more than 1.4 million children, are likely to suffer from acute malnutrition due to the continuing drought.

"Despite support from donors and others, additional funding is urgently needed since needs are expected to further increase," he said. The Humanitarian Response Plan for Somalia, seeking nearly 1.5 billion U.S. dollars to help 5.5 million of the most vulnerable Somalis, is only 3.3 percent funded. 
KABUL, March 8 (Xinhua) -- International and national organizations, as well as the Afghan caretaker government have extended greetings and shown support for Afghan women on the International Women's Day.

The United Nations stands by Afghan women and girls as they face the consequences of multiple crises in the Asian country, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on Tuesday.

"On International Women's Day, the United Nations in Afghanistan stands by Afghan women and girls as they face the consequences of multiple crises, combined with entrenched gender inequality and discrimination, with courage and perseverance," UNAMA said in a statement.

The statement added that women in Afghanistan "were disproportionately impacted by a legacy of conflict, in addition to drought and the collapsing economy, which has plunged millions in Afghanistan into debt and humanitarian need."

"We remain firm in our belief that no durable peace, recovery, or stability is possible without women's active engagement and participation in the social, economic, and political life of their country." it said.

"What we are witnessing today in Afghanistan is a crisis of catastrophic proportions. Everyone in the country is affected by the current crises, but the situation for women and girls is particularly concerning as their rights and access to opportunities have become increasingly challenged," Deborah Lyons, special UN envoy and head of UNAMA, was quoted in the statement as saying.

"In our conversations with Afghan women, they have spoken of the importance of girls' education, as well as the need of subsequent opportunities to pursue higher education and gain employment. More needs to be done to promote equality of opportunity for women and girls in all areas of their lives," she said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Afghan caretaker government extended greetings to women for the International Women's Day, which falls on March 8 every year.

"May the 8th of March, International Women's Day, be auspicious for all women," the ministry said.

The caretaker government was committed "to addressing the plight of Afghan women, and providing facilities for an honorable and beneficial life in light of the noble religion of Islam and our accepted traditions," the ministry added.

A number of non-governmental organizations also held gatherings around the country to mark the women's day.

On Tuesday, Afghan Women's Peace and Freedom Organization, a women association, held a rally in Kabul to mark the day. The organization called on the Afghan caretaker government to ensure the women's education, employment, political participation, and their right to having a prosperous life.

"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan must provide a safe educational and professional environment for women so that they can play their valuable role in nurturing the peaceful generation and comprehensive development without any harassment, and find their place in the current government according to their capacities," Jamila Safi, executive director of the organization, told Xinhua.

Since the Taliban's takeover of the country in August last year, thousands of female civil service employees had remained at home, but the staff of ministries' of public health and education returned to their jobs.

According to officials, female employees of the former government continue to receive their salaries while they are at home.

In February, Afghanistan's state-run universities reopened, with female students taking classes in the morning while male students in the afternoon. 
ISLAMABAD, March 8 (Xinhua) -- At least three people were killed and 28 others injured when a bomb went off in Sibi district of Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province on Tuesday, hospital and police sources said.

The incident happened on a road near a busy market of the district when some unknown militants blew up roadside-planted explosives and fled the scene, police told media.

The injured have been shifted to Civil Hospital Sibi for medical treatment where Medical Superintendent Sarwar Hashmi confirmed that they have received three bodies and 28 injured people out of whom several are in critical condition.

A heavy contingent of police reached the blast site following the incident, and cordoned off the area for investigations.

No group or individual has claimed the blast.

Chief Minister of Balochistan Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo condemned the attack and directed the hospital administration to provide the best possible medical treatment to the injured.

He said that the blast is an attempt to sabotage the annual Sibi cultural festival going on in the area where dignitaries from across the country are coming to attend. 
KABUL, March 8 (Xinhua) -- A well-known Afghan expert on international development has returned to Afghanistan, the Afghan caretaker government said on Tuesday.

"Sultan Massoud Daqiq, an Afghan expert on international development, returned home following 37 years in exile and was welcomed by a delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Kabul airport," the government said in a statement.

Daqiq is a leading expert in the implementation of international humanitarian projects in Asia, Europe and Africa, and has been awarded the Medal of Merit by the president of Germany in 2006, according to the statement.

Many Afghan security forces and civil servants left Afghanistan following the takeover by the Taliban in August last year.

In recent months, Abdul Salam Rahimi, state minister for peace of the former Afghan government, several pilots of the Afghan airforce and a female mayor have returned to the country.

Efforts are underway to ensure that all Afghans who left the country return to Afghanistan, according to the statement. 
ANKARA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police on Tuesday detained at least 105 suspects over their alleged links to a network accused of orchestrating a coup attempt in 2016, semi-official Anadolu Agency reported.

Izmir's prosecutor issued a warrant for the arrest of 101 suspects who were allegedly linked to the Gulen movement "structure" in the Turkish Armed Forces, including 28 soldiers and 73 cadets that were dismissed after the coup attempt, according to the report.

The security forces detained 87 of the suspects in simultaneous operations across 38 cities of Turkey.

In a separate operation based in capital Ankara, the police detained at least 18 suspects for being affiliated to the group's "structure" in the Land Forces Command.

The Turkish government accuses Gulen movement, a community of people named after Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, of infiltrating into the state bureaucracy and then attempting a coup on July 15, 2016.

Ankara accuses U.S.-based Fethullah Gulen of masterminding the attempted coup, in which at least 250 people were killed.

The Turkish government has launched a massive crackdown on suspects with links to the network in the aftermath of the coup attempt. 
DUBLIN, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Electric vehicles (EVs) accounted for more than one-fifth of all the new cars sold in Ireland in February, up nearly 123 percent year-on-year, according to the figures released by the country's Central Statistics Office (CSO) on Tuesday.

In February, 2,861 EVs, including 1,829 electric-only vehicles and 1,032 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), were sold in Ireland, accounting for 20.97 percent of all the new cars sold in the country.

A total of 13,643 new cars were sold in Ireland in February, up 16.9 percent year-on-year. The growth was mainly driven by the sales of EVs and hybrid vehicles.

In February, 2,930 hybrid vehicles were sold in Ireland, up 28.96 percent year-on-year, and the country's EV sales increased by 122.64 percent when compared with the February 2021 figure of 1,285.

The sales growth rate of electric-only vehicles was even stronger, up nearly 221 percent to 1,829 in February 2022 from 570 in February 2021.

In contrast, the sales of fossil fuel vehicles in the country declined by 5.89 percent to 7,637 in February.

Of all the fossil fuel vehicles sold in February, petrol vehicles accounted for 3,544, down 1.82 percent over a year ago, and diesel vehicles accounted for 4,093, down 9.14 percent on an annual basis.

Late last year, the Irish government unveiled a plan aiming to increase the number of EVs in the country to 945,000 in 2030 from the current 45,000 or so.

Ireland also plans to ban the sales of fossil fuel vehicles in 2030 and the use of such vehicles in 2045. 
New Delhi:

Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon has asked Chief Minister Kamal Nath to conduct floor test on Tuesday. The fresh directive came two days after the Governor first asked the chief minister to face a floor test on Monday, after the commencement of the budget session of the Assembly. Conduct the floor test on 17th March otherwise it will be considered that you actually don't have the majority in the state assembly, the Governor said in a letter to Kamal Nath.

Earlier, the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh got a 10-day breather on Monday as the assembly session was adjourned without an anticipated trust vote until March 26 over coronavirus. The Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon had directed the chief minister to seek a trust vote in the assembly. In his letter to Nath, Tandon stated, "I came to know that 22 MLAs have sent their resignations to the MP Assembly Speaker and they have also informed about it on electronic and print media. I have seen the coverage on both media. They have also sent the letter to me separately on 10 March, 2020 and the same MLAs have requested for the central security to present these resignation letters to the Vidhan Sabha speaker on 13 March".

ALSO READ | Madhya Pradesh: BJP Moves To Supreme Court After Kamal Nath Gets 10-Day Break | Top Developments

"Under Article 174 and 175(2) of the Constitution, I am empowered to direct that the Madhya Pradesh Assembly session will begin on 16 March at 11 am with my address. Soon after that, the only work to be done is voting on trust vote," the Governor said.

The Congress party, on the other hand, is confident of proving majority in the house. We will not allow the BJP to succeed in its design. I am confident about the government proving its majority, Kamal Nath said.

Also Read | Madhya Pradesh: BJP Issues Whip, Asks MLAs To Be Present During Assembly

However, he added, BJP wants the (22) Congress MLAs are held captive in Bangalore when a floor test is held here. Voting has a meaning when all are free to vote in a free atmosphere.

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New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the birth centenary celebrations of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman via video conference on Tuesday. The Prime Ministers office made the announcement about PM Modi's participation in the birth centenary celebrations of Jatir Pita Bangabandhu, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman via video link on Monday. This comes after PM Modis Bangladesh visit was cancelled in the wake of novel coronavirus pandemic.

PM to participate in the birth centenary celebrations of Jatir Pita Bangabandhu, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, tomorrow via video conferencing. https://t.co/x2aonzifQk



via NaMo App pic.twitter.com/abziTnkrUn  PMO India (@PMOIndia) March 16, 2020

The year-long celebrations were scheduled to start at the National Parade Ground in Dhaka on March 17 and was expected to be attended by several foreign dignitaries, including PM Modi. However, it will now be without any public gatherings due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier, Bangladesh had also invited former President Pranab Mukherjee and Nepals President Bidhya Devi Bhandari to address an parliamentary session to mark the celebrations.

Also Read: Coronavirus: PM Modis Bangladesh Visit Cancelled After Dhaka Postpones Mujibur Rahmans Birth Centenary

Moreover, PM Modis visit to Brussels had been also postponed over COVID-19. The PM was slated to hold a summit meeting with the European Union in his visit to Brussels.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who is considered to be the driving force behind the independence of Bangladesh, served as nation's first President and later went on to hold the post of Prime Minister from April 17, 1971 until his assassination on August 15, 1975.

Rahman is widely known as "Bangabandhu" (Friend of Bengal) by the people of Bangladesh. His daughter Sheikh Hasina is the current Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

According to the latest updates, Bangladesh has ordered the closure of all education institutions till March-end and has also imposed a ban on the entry of Europeans and travellers from several countries, including India, as part of measures to combat the deadly COVID-19.

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi:

With Maharashtra topping the list of coronavirus cases in India, Udhhav Thackeray government has come up with a unique initiative to curb the surge and spread awareness about the COVID-19 disease. The Maharashtra government will stamp those who are under home quarantine. News Nation has learnt that indelible ink will be used to stamp the individuals on their land hand. 'Proud to protect', says the stamp. It also has the region and the date till which the person will be told to stay in home quarantine. The measure is seen as an effort to spread awareness and inspire people to stay as much inside their homes as possible. Maharashtra has already banned large gatherings and announced the closure of schools, colleges, gyms, spas and swimming pools to minimise the community movement. (Coronavirus Pandemic: LIVE UPDATES)

The Bombay High Court has also decided to change the day-to-day functioning due to coronavirus. In a notice, a copy of which is with News Nation, the High Court administration has decided that till March 20, all courts will function only between 12 and 2 pm to take up urgent matters only. A similar directive has already been issued by the Supreme Court of India. Only six benches are functioning in the top court.

Delhi has so far reported seven positive cases while Uttar Pradesh has recorded 15 cases including one foreigner. Karnataka has 8 coronavirus patients while Maharashtra 39 including 3 foreigners. Ladakh has reported four cases while Jammu and Kashmir three. Telangana has reported four cases. Rajasthan has also reported four cases including that of two foreigners.

Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab have reported one case each. Odhisha reported its first case on Monday. In Haryana all the fourteen infected with the virus are foreigners while Uttarakhand has reported one case. Kerala has recorded 24 cases including two foreign nationals. The number also includes three patients who were discharged last month after they recovered from the contagious infection with flu-like symptoms. According to the ministry's data, 13 people have been discharged so far, including the three Kerala patients.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi:

Chandigarh joined the growing list of Indian cities with coronavirus cases after a 23-year-old woman tested positive for COVID-19 disease on Thursday. A resident of Sector 21, the Chandigarh woman had returned to India on March 15. Soon after landing at the Amritsar Airport, she developed flu-like symptoms. On Wednesday, she self-reported at a government-run hospital in Chandigarh's Sector 32. After running tests, the woman has now been confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus. She and her mother have been kept in quarantine at the Government Medical College and Hospital, latest media reports say. India has so far reported 156 confirmed cases of coronavirus. Three deaths have been registered from Karnataka, Delhi and Maharashtra. The Centre has already issued stringent measures to curb the viral spread. Most of teh states in India are under partial lockdown with major commercial activities coming to a grinding halt. (COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES)

Meanwhile, Punjab government has rejected the reports about 167 coronavirus suspects gone missing. The 167 missing persons referred to by the Ludhiana civil surgeon were not COVID-19 suspected cases but were merely people with foreign travel history who could not be traced due to incomplete contact details shared by the Government of India, said Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, amid reports suggesting that they were suspected coronavirus cases who had absconded or gone missing.

All these persons had already been screened at the airports in Delhi, said the minister, adding that since the coronavirus outbreak, the government of India is sharing reports of passengers with international travel with all the States, including Punjab. While those found symptomatic are admitted in hospital and kept in isolation, as per protocol, the lists of asymptomatic passengers lists are shared with the concerned State, he elaborated. As a matter of precaution, the Punjab government contacts these passengers to re-verify their history and medical condition, he added.

In this case, the contact details of 335 passengers shared by the Government of India were incomplete, and lists of these passengers were shared with the district administration and the central government was also duly informed, Mr Sidhu said. Subsequently, 191 of these passengers were successfully contacted, and they all were found asymptomatic and had crossed 14 days period of observation, he added.

On March 14, Punjab government had announced the closure of gyms, big party halls, clubs, cinema halls and shopping malls till March 31st as a precautionary measure to prevent spread of coronavirus. Earlier on Friday, Punjab Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla announced closing of all schools in the state till March 31. Keeping public health in view, we are contemplating closure of cinemas, restaurants, gyms, clubs till March 31. Besides, we are also thinking to impose ban till the end of this month on all such public functions which attract big crowds, new agency PTI quotes Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu as saying over phone.

To counter the transmission of deadly virus, the Punjab government under Captain Amarinder Singh has formed a seven-member group of ministers to review the situation triggered by the coronavirus scare on a daily basis. Moreover, hospitals have been kept on high alert, with specialized arrangements to tackle any exigency arising out of COVID-19.

(With agency inputs)
Saudi Arabias Ministry of Energy has awarded contracts for Ar Rass and Saad Solar renewable energy projects with a total capacity of 1000 MW.

The Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC), the principal buyer, signed all the project-related agreements including the power purchase agreements (PPAs) with the winning consortia, said a Saudi Press Agency report.

The first PPA was signed for the 700MW Ar Rass Solar PV IPP with Ar Rass Solar Energy Company (with Acwa Power as the managing and technical member, SPIC and WEHC as consortium members). The project, located in Qassim region, is valued at SR1.7 billion ($453.1 million) with an LCOE (levelized cost of energy) of 5.62 HH/kWh.

The second PPA was for the 300MW Saad Solar PV IPP with a consortium led by Jinko Power (HK) Company as the managing and technical member, Jinko Power Middle East Holding Company and Jinko Power Dhafra Holding Company as consortium members. The project is valued at around SR800 million and located in Saad within the Riyadh region. It has an LCOE of 5.56 HH/kWh.

Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz announced that the energy ecosystem, in its endeavour to reach the optimal energy mix, aims to release additional renewable energy projects with a total capacity of around 15,000 MW in 2022 and 2023.

Prince Abdulaziz said the award of these projects represents another successful milestone to deliver the National Renewable Energy Program targets and is a testament to the commitment of the Kingdom to reduce energy related emissions while building a holistic and results-oriented Circular Carbon Economy.

The Minister of Energy added that harnessing renewable energy is an essential part of the endeavour to reach the optimal energy mix used in power production, which aims to have the share of each gas and renewables at 50% by 2030, displacing around one million barrel equivalents of liquid fuel per day used in electricity production, desalination and other sectors.

The two projects will supply enough energy to power over 180,000 households, while avoiding over 1.75 million tons of carbon emissions per year.

The Ministry of Energy tenders renewable energy projects based on Independent Power Producer (IPP) scheme, supported by 25-year-long power purchase agreements with the Saudi Power Purchasing Company.
New Delhi:

Mumbai's famous Siddhivinayak Temple, Ajanta and Ellora caves in Maharashtra will remain shut devotees and tourists respectively till further orders amid the novel coronavirus pandemic which has claimed more than 6,000 lives globally and infected over 100 people in India so far. The decision was taken after the Maharashtra government's appeal to the Siddhivinayak Temple Board.

Earlier, the temple administration of Siddhivinayak were taking precautions to avoid the disease. The Siddhivinayak temple located in Prabhadevi has instructed all its employees to wear masks, while hand sanitizers have been provided to everyone inside the Siddhivinayak temple.

Speaking to ANI Siddhivinayak Temple Trust Chairman, Adesh Bandekar said, "We are providing sanitizers to all the devotees in the temple and where they stand in a queue holding the railings, are being cleaned in every 30 minutes."

"We have provided masks to every security guard who comes in contact with people the most and we have taken all the important measures to prevent coronavirus," he added. The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the coronavirus outbreak a 'pandemic'.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday asked district collectors to ensure there is no crowding at religious sites in view of the novel coronavirus threat, though worship there may continue. Announcing several measures to stop the spread of the virus after a review meeting, Thackeray directed that political events, meetings etc not take place.



He said foreign tours have been banned and gram panchayat and other local body meetings have been postponed. From Tuesday, measures will be in place to stop the flow of people into Mantralaya, the state's secretariat in south Mumbai, the CM informed.



Thackeray also ordered the closure of schools in rural areas, and instructed officials to place sanitisers and soaps in public toilets, as part of measures to tackle the coronavirus threat. Maharashtra has 37 Covid-19 patients as on Monday.

(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi:

A Delhi court on Monday sent suspended AAP councillor Tahir Hussain to four-day police custody in connection with the alleged killing of Intelligence Bureau official Ankit Sharma during the recent communal violence in northeast Delhi. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pawan Singh Rajawat sent Hussain for interrogation after police sought his custody for five days.

Hussain was booked for his alleged role in the murder of the IB staffer during the communal riots that rocked the city last month.

The ruling AAP had then suspended him for alleged involvement in the violence which has left at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured.

The family of Sharma (26), who was found dead in a drain near his home in riot-hit Chand Bagh area, has accused Hussain of being behind the killing. On the complaint of Sharma's father, the police registered an FIR against Hussain.

The suspended AAP councillor has rejected the charge.

Communal clashes had broken out in northeast Delhi on February 24 after violence between citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled out of control. Frenzied mobs torched houses, shops, vehicles, a petrol pump and pelted stones at residents and police personnel.
Earlier this month, GoAir said it will not charge any fee on cancellation or rescheduling of tickets booked till April 30 amid the coronavirus scare. (Photo Credit: Representative image)

New Delhi:

Budget carrier GoAir on Tuesday announced suspending international operations and offering leave without pay programme for its staff on a rotational basis, amid sharp decline in air travel due to the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement to PTI, the airline said the sharp decline in air travel that it was experiencing was "unprecedented".

Against this backdrop, the carrier said it was temporarily suspending all international operations, starting March 17 until April 15.

"GoAir has also initiated a short term and temporary rotational leave without pay programme that will not only help the company counter the short-term reduction in capacity, but will also ensure that a cross section of our employees stay away from the workplace to ensure business continuity," the statement said.

Also Read | Coronavirus Pandemic | Gurugram Private Companies Advised To Allow Employees To Work From Home Till March 31

Earlier this month, GoAir said it will not charge any fee on cancellation or rescheduling of tickets booked till April 30 amid the coronavirus scare. This applies for all bookings made between March 8 and April 30 and for the travel period between March 8 and September 30, the airline said in a statement.

The zero cancellation and rebooking fee offer can be availed if done up to 14 days before departure, GoAir said in the statement.

The airline's move came a day after IndiGo announced waiving of rescheduling charges on tickets booked between March 12 and March 31 for its domestic and international flights on similar concerns.

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An official in Bhubaneswar said a researcher who recently returned from Italy tested positive for the coronavirus. (Photo Credit: IANS)

New Delhi:

Coronavirus has extended its footprint in India with the number of total confirmed cases rising to 114 as the eastern state of Odisha has reported its first coronavirus patient, Health Ministry officials said on Monday. One new case each in Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Kerala has also been reported. The Maharashtra government also reported four more patients of the infection, as concerns over the pandemic steered decisions across all sectors and states, including in politically volatile Madhya Pradesh.

The tally of 114 includes 17 foreigners. While two coronavirus positive patients have died, 13 people were discharged after they recovered from the infection, which according to the WHO has infected 1,53,517 people in 135 countries and territories and claimed more than 5,700 lives.

With the four new patients, Odisha has a count of one, Kerala 23, Ladakh four and Jammu and Kashmir three, according to the ministry.

As many states virtually shut down to stem the spread of COVID-19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the contribution of doctors, nurses and healthcare workers in fighting the virus. He said there was a coordinated response to the outbreak, showing the strong spirit of the nation in such situations.

In a series of tweets with the hashtag 'India Fights Corona', Modi said the encouragement from people highlighting the steps being taken to combat the virus is boosting the morale of all the "remarkable people" at the forefront of the fight.

A Maharashtra government official said four patients were detected for the novel coronavirus infection, taking the state tally to 37.

Giving details of the Odisha case, an official in Bhubaneswar said a researcher who recently returned from Italy tested positive for the coronavirus.

The 33-year-old patient who reached Delhi from Italy on March 6 and travelled to Bhubaneswar by train on March 12 is being treated at the Capital Hospital in the Odisha capital.

"His condition is stable and he is not showing any other complications," the state government's chief spokesperson on coronavirus cases Subroto Bagchi told reporters.

The man consulted a doctor on March 13, complaining of fever and headache, and was admitted to the hospital's isolation ward the next day.

As he travelled by train from Delhi to Bhubaneswar, the state government has launched a "contact tracing exercise", Bagchi said.

ALSO READ | Coronavirus: Government Prohibits Entry Of Passengers From European Countries, Turkey, UK From March 18

His family members have been quarantined and kept under observation.

In Madhya Pradesh, where the future of the Congress-led Kamal Nath government hangs in balance, there was no floor test as was being speculated and the assembly was adjourned in view of the state government's concerns over the coronavirus.

BJP MLAs demanded a floor test as directed by Governor Lalji Tandon - after 22 Congress MLAs of the Congress resigned from the party.

With PTI Inputs

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New Delhi:

The RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Tuesday alleged that the Left-led JNU Students Union (JNUSU) has defaced the V D Savarkar Marg signboard inside the campus. The students union had objected to a road inside the campus being named after Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar.

JNU vice-chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar said they have filed a police complaint regarding the defacement, but the police said they have not yet received it. "The JNU administration last year took the decision to name the roads inside the campus and as a result the road at the Subansir Hostel was named after V D Savarkar, but the Left-wing students defaced it by pasting a Mohammad Ali Jinnah Marg poster," president of ABVP-JNU Shivam Chaurasia alleged.

But former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) president N Sai Balaji claimed that the photo of the signboard with Jinnah being circulated by ABVP is photoshopped. For all the propaganda that is happening about renaming the roads... the images what ABVP ares circulating is fake & photoshopped just like their patron Savarkars role in freedom struggle of India!, he posted on Twitter.

He said JNU students renamed it after B R Ambedkar, who gave us Constitution of India which RSS-BJP-ABVP hate. Vice-chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar said the incident was highly regrettable and they have filed a police complaint regarding the defacement.

The naming of different roads in JNU campus, which is more than 1000 acres, has been approved by the Executive Council based on the recommendations of the campus development committee in 2016.

During the last two years, several roads have been named after great personalities. But last night some miscreants indulged in defacing the road signage in our campus. This is highly regrettable. In an educational institution, one can disagree intellectually but stooping down to such acts is unwarranted, he said.

The administration on Monday had said that the decision to name the road after Savarkar was taken at the Executive Council held in November last year.

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The police continues to search for the two suspects based on his description of the incident. (Photo Credit: Representative Image/ IANS)

Jerusalem:

An Indian-origin Jew was badly beaten by two persons who called him a Chinese and yelled Corona! Corona' in Israels Tiberias city, in an apparent racist assault linked to the virus outbreak. Am-Shalem Singson, 28, from the Bnei Menashe community, hailing from the north-eastern states of Manipur and Mizoram, was admitted to the Poriya hospital with severe chest injuries, Channel 13 reported.

The police continues to search for the two suspects based on his description of the incident, the leading Israeli TV channel reported. Singson told the police that he tried very hard to explain to the attackers that he was not Chinese and was not infected by the coronavirus, but it did not help.

The incident happened on Saturday. Singson is a resident of the Maalot area and immigrated to Israel from India with his family three years ago, the report said. There were no witnesses to the incident and the police search is primarily based on the security footage in the area.

"We were shocked to receive the report of the vicious and racist attack in Tiberias," Michael Freund, Chairman and Founder of Shavei Israel, the organisation that has been working on the immigration of Bnei Menashe to Israel, was quoted by the Channel as saying. I demand that the Israeli police investigate the incident immediately and prosecute those who committed this heinous act, Freund said.

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New Delhi:

As novel coronavirus spreads in various countries leading to almost 7,000 deaths worldwide, American multinational technology company, Microsoft, has launched a web portal to track its transmission. The website provides updated information regarding the progress of coronavirus pandemic for each country. The website has an interactive map which allows users to click on any country in order to visit the specific data and read related articles on the state of COVID-19.

The site created by Microsoft is accessible at www.bing.com/covid. (Photo Credit: bing.com/covid)

Microsoft made the announcement about the website two days after US President Donald Trump announced that Google had started working on a portal related to COVID-19-related for US citizens.

The Microsoft generated website aggregates data from international institutions like World Health Organization (WHO), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), say reports.

Also Read: Microsoft Pledges To Be 'Carbon Negative' By 2030

Moreover, the number of deaths worldwide due to coronavirus has crossed the 7000-mark with China, Italy, Iran, Spain, South Korea and France becoming the worst-affected nations. China has recorded the highest number of fatalities with number of casualties rising up to 3,213, followed by Italy with 2,158 deaths.

In India, 3 people so far have lost their lives and the number of confirmed coronavirus cases gone up to 125, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Affairs. Government of India has adopted various measures including travel restrictions for visitors from EU countries and UK from March 18.

Also Read: Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates: Covid-19 Cases Up To 126 In India As Maharashtra Reports First Death

The coronavirus scare has also necessitated the cancellation of major world events including UN Security Councils meetings slated for this week. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters that a positive COVID-19 case had been identified among staff at the organization's Secretariat in New York. Moreover, it also led to the postponement of PM Modis visit to Brussels and Bagladesh's Dhaka for birth centenary celebrations of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
New Delhi:

The Income Tax Department has appealed PAN card holders to link their 10-digit alphanumeric number with Aadhaar card before March 31. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) had extended the deadline for linking PAN card with Aadhaar for the eighth time on December 30, 2019. Income Tax Department has warned that all Permanent Account Numbers (PAN) not linked to Aadhaar will be declared as "inoperative" after the deadline. "Don't miss the deadline! It is mandatory to link your PAN and Aadhaar before 31st March, 2020. You can do it through Biometric Aadhaar authentication & also by visiting the PAN service centers of NSDL and UTITSL," @IncomeTaxIndia tweeted recently.

Don't miss the deadline!



It is mandatory to link your PAN and Aadhaar before 31st March, 2020.

You can do it through Biometric Aadhaar authentication & also by visiting the PAN service centers of NSDL and UTITSL #PANAadhaarLinking



Link: https://t.co/JudH8IqpQb pic.twitter.com/igAfV8vJUi  Income Tax India (@IncomeTaxIndia) March 16, 2020

According to, section 139 AA (2) of the Income Tax Act, every person having PAN as on July 1, 2017, and is eligible to obtain Aadhaar, must intimate his Aadhaar number to tax authorities.

Here's How You can Link Your PAN And Aadhaar:

Send SMS to 567678 or 56161 in the format: UIDPAN12digit Aadhaar>10digitPAN> Through e-filing portal of the department: www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in. Visiting the PAN service centers of NSDL and UTITSL.

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New Delhi:

What can be termed as a precautionary measure to avoid the spread of COVID-19 virus, the Gurugram administration has asked private companies including MNC, IT Firms, Industries, BPO and Corporate Offices to allow their employees to work from their home till 31st March. Earlier, a health official had said that a 29-year-old woman from Haryana's Gurugram district tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The woman is an employee of a Gurgaon-based company and had recently travelled to Malaysia and Indonesia, the official said.

Gurugram Administration issues advisory to MNC,IT Firms,Industries,BPO and Corporate Offices to allow their employees to work from their home till 31st March 2020. pic.twitter.com/qmLRMS3HpH  Haryana BJP (@BJP4Haryana) March 17, 2020

"This is the first positive case of the coronavirus in Haryana," state Director General of Health Suraj Bhan Kamboj said. She has been admitted to a hospital and her condition is stable, he said. Samples taken from her after she returned from abroad were sent to the Pune-based National Institute of Virology, which confirmed her to be positive of Covid-19 (coronavirus disease), Kamboj said. So far, samples of 66 persons have been taken in Haryana, he said.

Also Read | Coronavirus LIVE: Total Number Of Confirmed COVID19 Cases In India Rises To 137, Says Health Ministry

Out these, one was positive and reports of 54 persons were negative. In rest of the cases, reports are awaited, the health official said. Of 2,992 passengers, 2,957 with travel history to coronavirus-hit countries have been put under home isolation, as per a bulletin.

The state government had already ordered closure of all schools, colleges and universities in the state till March 31. It has also ordered closure of cinema halls, gyms, clubs, night clubs and all schools till March 31 as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection.

(With Agency Inputs)
Islamabad: Pakistan's face has once again been exposed in the case of harbouring most wanted terrorists. Dreaded terrorist and ic-814 hijacker Zahoor Mistri alias Zahid Akhund has been killed in Karachi. He was among the five hijackers of IC-814 in 1999. He was murdered on March 1. Several Pakistani intelligence sources have given this information, but the Pakistani media refrained from giving any information on it.

Let us know that Mistry had been living in Karachi for the past many years with a fake identity by becoming Zahid Akhund. Akhund was the owner of Crescent furniture which was inside The Akhtar Colony in Karachi. According to the report, two armed bike riders were doing a recce of the area where Mistry had a furniture shop. After roaming the streets of Akhtar Colony, an unidentified bike rider entered the furniture godown and targeted Mistry. However, local news agency Geo News reported the attack, but without his name. The report neither mentioned Mistry's name nor was there any information about his terror activities. His murder was reported as the murder of just one businessman.

What was the Kandahar hijack?

On December 24, 1999, Indian Airlines flight IC-814, which was taking off from Kathmandu, Nepal's capital, to Delhi, was hijacked. At 5.30 pm, terrorists of the terrorist organization Harkat-ul-Mujahideen hijack it. By evening, everyone knows, a flight to India has been hijacked. Landing in Amritsar, Lahore and Dubai, the terrorists take the plane to Kandahar in Afghanistan. There were 176 passengers on board, of which 27 were abandoned in Dubai. But a passenger named Rupin Katyal was stabbed to death and many were injured. The passengers had started protesting on the plane. The Taliban deployed their armed fighters near the hijacked aircraft in an attempt to prevent Indian special forces from attacking the aircraft. The kidnapping continued for eight days and ended after India released three terrorists  Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh (who was later arrested for the murder of Daniel Pearl) and Maulana Masood Azhar (who later founded Jaish-e-Muhammad). Now the Mistry Zahoor Ibrahim, who has been killed in Karachi, was involved in this plane hijack.

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Vietnamese health ministry, UNICEF, WHO launch campaign on COVID prevention

The Ministry of Health (MoH), UNICEF and WHO have launched the Safe Journeys campaign, aiming at redoubling and reinforcing the importance of complying with COVID-19 preventive practices, including vaccination.













A student receives a COVID-19 vaccine in Hanoi.  Photo qdnd.vn

The campaign calls on all people across the country to maintain key preventive practices  the 5K practices and strongly encourages ongoing COVID-19 vaccination.



The campaign, running over the next six months, will contribute to Vietnam's plan of "Safe adaptation, flexible and effective control of the pandemic.



Vietnam has successfully implemented its vaccine strategy through the largest vaccination campaign ever, becoming one of the six countries which achieved the highest COVID-19 vaccination coverage rates in the world, said o Xuan Tuyen, deputy minister of Health.



From March 8, 2021, to March 6, 2022, Vietnam has received more than 219 million doses of vaccine and has administered more than 197.5 million doses.



100 per cent of the population over 18 has received the first dose, 98.7 per cent the second dose, and 38.4 per cent the third.



The rate of children aged 12-17 years who received the first dose is 99 per cent, and the second dose is 93.8 per cent.



Vietnam is planning to vaccinate children aged 5 to 11 years old and has plans to deploy the fourth dose of vaccine," said Tuyen.



"However, since the pandemic remains unpredictable, the Ministry of Health urges every Vietnamese person to join hands in the prevention and control of COVID-19 by getting fully vaccinated as recommended by the health sector and maintaining 5K preventive practices, especially hand sanitizing, wearing masks and avoiding large gatherings."



Key messages of the campaign will be amplified through TV and radio talk shows, newspaper articles and social media activations. Ensuring information is as accessible as possible, the information will also be translated into the main ethnic languages and sign language.



Media, communities and several influencers who reach more vulnerable populations, such as Miss Universe Vienam 2017 HHen Nie, are supporting the information campaign. Other influencers who are raising their voice in support include Chao Thi Yen, Khang A Tua, and MC Le Huong Giang.



The Australian Government supports the campaign as part of its assistance to the COVID-19 prevention in Vietnam, which is provided through UNICEF and includes vaccine rollout, support to vulnerable communities, communication outreach and cold chain reinforcement.



TikTok Vietnam will offer crucial support by spreading the campaign across its channels. In addition, Facebook fan pages of UNICEF, MOH, WHO will support the dissemination of the campaign to more than a million combined followers.



Our current spike in COVID-19 cases tells us that the pandemic is not yet over. We need to continue adhering to the preventive measures, including ensuring all are completely vaccinated against COVID-19," said Dr Kidong Park, WHO Representative in Vietnam.



Through the Safe Journeys campaign, we continue providing accurate and reliable information to maintain this journey of saving lives, preventing hospitalizations and staying healthy while the pandemic ensues."



Rana Flowers, UNICEF Representative in Vietnam, said: UNICEF, along with our partners in the Ministry of Health and WHO, recognizes that vaccination combined with preventative practices has proven successful in dramatically reducing the death toll, as well as the number of severe cases."



"The Safe Journeys campaign will extend important information to every corner of Vietnam, particularly to the more vulnerable populations, building confidence in the safety for all ages of the COVID-19 vaccines.



Our goal is to ensure that no one is missed in these efforts, including children aged 5 and above. UNICEF, strongly supported by the Australian Government, will continue to work hand in hand with the MOH to make this happen.



Two years of COVID-19 pandemic have created unprecedented challenges, proving devastating for the economy and society worldwide.



As of March 7, 2022, a total of 4,582,058 people have been infected, placing Vietnam at 21st out of 225 countries and territories in the number of cases worldwide, and 137th of 225 countries and territories number of cases per million people.



The MoH reports that 40,891 people have died of the virus.
Saudi Arabia plans to build about 300,000 houses in the next four years at an estimated cost of SR200 billion ($53.3 billion) as part of its plan to increase citizens home ownership to nearly 70 per cent, according to a senior official.

The kingdom has already spent more than SR500 billion ($133.3 billion) in the housing sector over the past few years as part of its Vision 2030 programme, Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Butti, CEO of the National Housing Company (NHC), was quoted as saying by Zawya.

Butti told a real estate conference in Riyadh that NHC, an affiliate off the Housing Ministry, has contributed to increasing house supply in the Kingdom by more than 146,000 units over the past four years.
Nepal is a patriarchal society; this is a known fact. Yet, there have been some moments in history when the women of Nepal have witnessed revolution and changes in their status in society. These revolutions included many womens rights movements that have restated the image of women or made their lives better for good.

Women and men are always called the two wheels of the chariot, yet patriarchal society deems women as second-class citizens, always behind their male counterparts. But, with many womens rights movements, the women have seen a ray of hope and changed their status and revolutionised the ways of life.

Here are 10 milestones of the womens rights movement in Nepals history so far:

1. Abolishment of the Sati system

A graphical representation of the ancient practice of Sati in which the wife sacrifices herself after the death of her husband. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Sati pratha is no longer in practice today, but it was one of the cruel practices of society that kept women devoid of their willingness to live. If a husband died before the wife, the latter would have to burn together in the pyre too to serve the husband even in the afterlife.

Jung Bahadur Rana first made efforts to discourage the practice when he banned any woman (actually, a girl) of age 16 and below from committing self-immolation. But, the practice was brought to an end on July 8, 1920, by Rana Prime Minister Chandra Shamsher, and it became a milestone in Nepals womens rights movement.

2. First feminist organisation

On August 8, 1947, Nepal got its first feminist organisation, Nepal Womens Association. Its establishment is credited to a strong Nepali Congress leader, Mangala Devi Singh. Singh is still remembered as an audacious womens leader who fought valiantly for womens rights and their freedom since the age of 16. Her faction under the NC and the organisation also gave a conducive environment for further movement in right to education and womens rights, through democratic reforms.

3. Chhaupadi criminalisation

Chhaugoth. File Photo

Another social evil that has been discriminatory against women is the chhaupadi. It is a social practice where menstruating women are exiled from their own house during their menstruation. The practice is still can be witnessed in far-western regions of Nepal, but its abolishment was an encouraging step for menstruating women.

After multiple efforts, in 2005, the Supreme Court finally issued a verdict against the practice. In 2017, Nepal passed a law, according to which, if anyone is found guilty of chhaupadi, one could be penalised with a jail time of three months or a fine of Rs 3,000, making it another milestone in the womens rights movement in Nepal.

4. Citizenship with the mothers name

As the result of patriarchal practices, Nepali citizens could acquire citizenship only based on the fathers citizenship (under descent). But, the Citizenship Act, 2006, said that a child can acquire Nepali citizenship if either of her/his parents has Nepali citizenship too. Further, if a child of a Nepali woman married to a foreigner wishes to get citizenship, they can get naturalised citizenship provided they do not have another citizenship and/or has permanent residency in Nepal.

This opened many possibilities for womens rights and also marked a milestone in the movement. Many children who were yet to acquire citizenship because of the absence of their father could now get their citizenship.

Nonetheless, there are some problems in implementing the provision.

5. Reservation

Photo: Pexels/ Ryutaro Tsukata

Nepal is still a patriarchal society with men in the leading positions of all key political and decision-making roles. But, following the Interim Constitution of 2007, a 33 per cent quota was reserved for women in the political system. Following this, in the 2008 elections, women secured 191 of 575 seats (33.2 per cent) in the Constituent Assembly and six out of 26 seats in the then cabinet. This gave women a lot of opportunities and a much-needed platform at the policy-making level. Political parties also followed suit.

After the inclusion of the reservation policy, Nepals constitution became the most progressive constitution in South Asia for womens rights, in particular, their participation in parliament. Recently, in 2017 also, the local elections gave a platform to women in either the positions of either the chief or a deputy in a local government.

6. Domestic violence law

Another key event in the history of the womens rights movement is the introduction of the Domestic Violence (Offence and Punishment) Act, 2009. According to the act, the domestic violence survivors got the platform to report the abuse. Domestic Violence (Offence and Punishment) Rules, 2010, further directs the need for prompt health checkups and protection of survivors.

The act helped the survivors come forward, report the violence and get help in getting the compensation as well as punish the guilty.

7. Jail term for marital rape

Whereas rape has already been accepted as a crime, people still are grasping the idea of marital rape. Women in abusive marriages are prone to marital rape and suffer in silence.

But, on October 29, 2017, Nepal introduced a new law defined marital rape as a crime and also set a five-year jail term for marital rape. This allowed women suffering in an abusive relationship to get out of it and even get alimony or compensation

Meanwhile, as per the law, rape dictates a jail term of 20 years, so many have argued that the difference in a jail term of marital rape makes the latter a lesser crime and it is not fair. Nevertheless, the new act has given a way out to women and contributed heavily to the womens rights movement.

8. Balatkari Hos Ta campaign

On October 10, 2020, a group of women gathered at Maitighar Mandala and staged a flash mob to draw attention to the rising number of rape and sexual violence cases. The movement also aimed to make people aware of the larger definition of rape, rape-related punishment and how it is not the solution to increasing cases.

Similar performances were held in many parts of the country, like Dang, Nawalpur, Sindhuli, Hetaunda, Biratnagar, Dhangadhi, Birtamode and Mahendranagar. Meanwhile, the activists also have organised Ajhai Kati Sahane (How long shall we tolerate?) campaign to redefine social movement and their approaches against sexual violence in Nepal.

9. Protest against the travel ban

Activists staged a protest outside the Department of Immigration after the news of a proposed regulation, which would restrict women under the age of 40 in Nepal from Travelling freely that would require familys consent and ward offices approval to travel abroad independently in Kathmandu, Nepal on Thursday, February 11, 2021.

The Department of Immigration proposed a new amendment in the Immigration Procedure, 2008, according to which the first-time women travellers, who were under the age of 40, needed a permission letter from their family members and their respective ward offices for the visit. As soon as the news broke out, women poured out to the streets and raised their disagreement over the matter on February 12, 2021.

This was one of the key protests for the womens rights movement in which young women demanded their right to freedom of movement Those on the streets as well as others on the internet questioned the man-led departments demeaning decision that branded women as second-class citizens.

10. Rato Kar Maaf Gar Campaign

Another campaign for womens rights also based itself on another fundamental right issue. In the announcement of the annual budget 2021/22, the House of Representatives approved a replacement bill with an added tax on sanitary pads, increasing its pricing altogether.

Against the move, on September 23, 2021, a group of women poured down on the streets at Maitighar Mandala and protested demanding the pardon of tax on sanitary pads as a part of their basic needs. With red paint on their pants and placards, the women laid down on the ground to make their demands. Before that, on March 8, 2021, on the occasion of International Womens Day, women protested demanding the same.
Kathmandu, March 8

In the international valuation, the Nepali rupee, the currency of Nepal, has hit a record low on Tuesday.

According to the central banks foreign exchange rate fixed for today, a US dollar is equivalent to NPR 122.84 for buying and NPR 123.44 for selling. Of late, the USD is continuously growing stronger against the Nepali rupee.

In the international market, the Nepali rupee is calculated as per the rate of the Indian rupee as Nepal and India have pegged their currencies with the 1:1.6 exchange rate. Therefore, whenever the Indian currency gets weaker, the Nepali currency follows suit.

A weak Nepali currency means Nepalis are required to pay higher for anything that comes from other countries. Therefore, it has an impact on all sectors of the economy.

However, it will benefit the countrys tourism industry as most tourists visiting Nepal pay in dollars. Likewise, Nepalis working for foreign companies also receive higher pay.
Up to 1,800 doctors to benefit from changes to immigration rules

Doctors who have been working here for more than two years will immediately be able to access a Stamp 4 permit and spousal work rights. Stamp 4 offers the right to work without preconditions. Changes will significantly reduce administrative burden for affected doctors and make Ireland a more attractive place for doctors to relocate to, helping fill posts in hospitals around the country.

Major changes to working arrangements and immigration permissions for most non-EEA doctors have been announced today (Tuesday, 8 March) by the Tanaiste Leo Varadkar TD, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee TD and Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly TD.

The changes will give most doctors with General Employment Permits the same rights as doctors on the Critical Skills Employment Permit scheme and make Ireland a much more attractive location for doctors to come to. It will help our health service to attract and retain medical staff and increase the number of applications for vacant posts. It will also reduce the administrative burden placed on doctors and their employers by the State.

From now on, most non-EEA doctors already in the State for between 2-5 years with a General Employment Permit may apply for a new permission granting them the right to work without a permit. Their spouses or partners will also receive a permission allowing them to work. Currently these doctors must have been present and working in the State for five years to qualify.

The Tanaiste said:

For decades, doctors from outside Europe have made an enormous contribution to the Irish health service. Among them was my father, Dr Ashok Varadkar, who came to Ireland in the 1970s. The value of the contribution made by non-EEA nation doctors was particularly evident during the pandemic. Having worked with many non-EEA doctors, I understand their frustrations with our migration system. They are not given the same opportunities and it is hard for them to get on specialist training schemes and then apply for consultant posts. Many want to stay in Ireland and build their careers and raise their families here. We make it too hard for them and many move on to other Western countries. We have already changed the system to allow for a two-year employment permit so a doctor does not need to change his or her work permit every time he or she moves hospital. Today Im delighted to announce further changes that will make it easier for doctors to get on the pathway to residency and to give their spouse an unlimited right to work. I believe it will make Ireland a more attractive place for doctors to move to and remove many time-consuming interactions with multiple departments, including my own. The work of these doctors is an example of how migration has enriched Ireland and infused our country with new knowledge, new ideas, culture and energy. Our health service simply would not function without doctors, nurses and support staff from outside the EU. This change will be good for the health service and lead to efficiencies in the employment permit and visa system.

Minister McEntee said:

Improving the immigration conditions for non-EEA doctors and their partners and spouses is something I welcome and is in line with my commitment to create a more fair and efficient immigration system. Migrant doctors have long played a crucial role in our health service and these changes go some way towards recognising that contribution.

Minister Donnelly said:

Our health workforce is expanding, and we need to make our health service an attractive place to work for doctors from outside of Europe. I have held a number of meetings with non-EEA doctors and am aware of their frustration with our migration system. These changes announced today provide non-EEA doctors with greater certainty regarding their immigration status. They will also provide enhanced career opportunities and greater access to postgraduate specialist training programmes. These changes, including spousal work rights, make it more attractive for doctors to come to work in Ireland and stay here. I would like to acknowledge the significant contribution of non-EEA doctors and all frontline healthcare workers for their tireless work, over the past two years especially.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment began issuing two-year multi-site general employment permits to doctors in the public health system in December 2021.

The Department of Justice is announcing that doctors will in future only need to renew their permission annually instead of every six months. The changes mean doctors can avail of an immigration permission that allows them to remain in the State and work without the need to apply for additional employment permits, in most cases. Their spouses or partners also become eligible to work.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment will accept applications from these doctors during a six-week period from mid-March until the end of April 2022. The Department of Justice will then process the applications and issue new IRP (Irish residence permit) cards to those who qualify directly.

It is estimated that some 1,800 non-EEA doctors will benefit from this new arrangement.

Notes for Editor

Prior to December 2021, all general employment permit holders, including doctors, had to complete five years residence and work before becoming eligible for a Stamp 4, which offers the right to work without preconditions.

In December 2021, Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, in agreement with the Department of Justice and the Department of Health, introduced a new two-year multi-site general employment permit for non-EEA doctors working in the public health system. Currently, the Department of Justice is issuing these doctors with a Stamp 1 upon proof of a valid employment contract from the HSE. However, Stamp 1 does not give automatic work rights for partners and spouses.

A) New Stamp 1H for Doctors

The Department of Justice is now creating a new stamp category called Stamp 1H for doctors in HSE and HSE funded agencies (ie the Section 38s/voluntary hospitals) and private hospitals. This includes those who have recently received a two-year multi-site General Employment Permit from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

Spouses of these doctors who currently have a Stamp that does not allow them to engage in employment will be able to apply for a Stamp 1G as part of this new system, which will give them unlimited work rights.

Doctors who complete two years service under Stamp 1H will then become eligible for a Stamp 4 support letter from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. A Stamp 4 offers the right to work without preconditions.

For doctors in HSE and HSE funded agencies (ie the Section 38s/voluntary hospitals) and private hospitals on a General Employment Permit, but not a two-year multi-site General Employment Permit, arrangements will be made to allow them to transition to a Stamp 1H in the coming months.

B) The Stamp 4 waiting period is reduced to two years, from five year, for doctors who already have over 24 months service in Ireland

Doctors in HSE and HSE funded agencies (ie the Section 38s/voluntary hospitals) and private hospitals who had already completed 24 months service in Ireland will be entitled to apply for a Stamp 4 support letter from The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. It is estimated that up to 1,800 doctors are in this cohort. Their spouses will become eligible for Stamp 1G, allowing labour market access, once the Stamp 4 is granted to the doctor.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment will soon open an application process, available until the end of April only, for these doctors to apply for a Stamp 4 support letter. Once assessed the information will be electronically shared with the Department of Justice, who will then issue the Stamp 4, with a target date of completion by end May.

Taken together, the changes will provide the following benefits:

1) These changes will provide equal benefits to doctors coming to work in Ireland

Under the current system only a limited number of doctors can apply for a Critical Skills Employment Permit (CSEP). This permit gives doctors access to a Stamp 4 after two years and gives their spouses full access to the labour market immediately.

Currently, most doctors who come here are not eligible for a CSEP as they dont secure the necessary two-year contracts.

These changes will immediately give doctors who have been working here for more than two years access to a Stamp 4 and spousal work rights. It will also ensure that in future most doctors will be eligible for these benefits once they have completed two years employment in Ireland.

2) It will make Ireland a more attractive location for mobile talent

Many countries seek to supplement their healthcare workforces with personnel from other countries. It is a competitive global market where competition is not just based on salary but also on other immigration features such as pathways to residency and spousal work rights. These changes will make Ireland a more attractive place for doctors to relocate to. In particular, this will help with the struggle to staff smaller hospitals and increase the number of applications for posts.

3) Reduced administrative burden on doctors and their employers

These changes will massively reduce the number of times a doctor, and their employers, have to interact with Department of Justice and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The removal of these multiple interactions will provide an improved customer experience for all parties.

Summary of proposed changes

Doctors with General Employment Permit who are new applicants or less than 2 years in the State Doctors who have completed more than 2 years and less than 5 years Type of Stamp Receive Stamp 1H if new applicant or if currently in the State for less than 2 years, then eligible to transfer from Stamp 1 to new Stamp 1H Can move to Stamp 4 from Stamp 1 Eligibility for Stamp 4  timeframe Eligible for Stamp 4 after 2 years instead of 5 Eligible for Stamp 4 after 2 years instead of 5 Type of stamp spouse/partner may receive Partners/spouses eligible for Stamp 1G allowing labour market access once Stamp 1H is granted to doctor Partners/spouses eligible for Stamp 1G allowing labour market access once Stamp 4 is granted to doctor Frequency of stamp renewal Move to annual renewal instead of every 6 months

Back to Department News
(Recasts, adds details, background)

BEIJING, March 8 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for "maximum restraint" in Ukraine and said China is "pained to see the flames of war reignited in Europe," state media reported, in his strongest statement to date on the conflict.

Xi, speaking at a virtual meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, said the three countries should jointly support peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Xi described the situation in Ukraine as "worrying" and said the priority should be preventing it from escalating or "spinning out of control", CCTV cited him as saying.

He also said France and Germany should make efforts to reduce negative impacts of the crisis, and expressed concern about the impact of sanctions on the stability of global finance, energy supplies, transportation and supply chains.

China, which has refused to condemn Russia's actions in Ukraine or to call them an invasion, has repeatedly expressed its opposition to what it describes as illegal sanctions on Russia.

China's friendship with Russia, strengthened last month when President Vladimir Putin attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics on the same day that the countries declared a "no limits" strategic partnership, has become awkward for China as the war in Ukraine escalates.

Moscow describes its actions in Ukraine as a "special operation" to disarm its neighbour and unseat leaders it calls neo-Nazis. Ukraine and its Western allies call this a baseless pretext for an invasion to conquer a country of 44 million people. (Reporting by Yew Lun Tian and Tony Munroe; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
(Adds details, background)

KHARTOUM, March 8 (Reuters) - Sudanese banks were selling dollars at a rate of 530 pounds on Tuesday, a drop of about 19% from the previous rate, after authorities moved to counter a slide in the value of the pound on a resurgent black market.

The central bank said on Monday that banks and currency exchanges would set their own exchange rates without central bank intervention. An emergency economic committee under Sudan's ruling council had said official and black market exchange rates would be unified.

Both the Bank of Khartoum, Sudan's largest bank, and the Saudi Sudanese Bank, had set a rate of 530 pounds to the dollar on Tuesday morning, from about 445 pounds previously, a Reuters reporter said. Other banks set similar rates.

The dollar was trading at around 560 pounds on the parallel market.

Sudan's economy has come under renewed pressure since substantial international support was suspended following a military coup in late October.

The military dissolved a civilian government that had carried out rapid economic reforms, including a sharp devaluation of the pound under a "managed float" policy in February 2021.

After that devaluation, the exchange rate had held steady for several months, and the black market had all but disappeared before it began to resurface in recent weeks.

(Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz Writing by Aidan Lewis Editing by Catherine Evans and Carmel Crimmins)
Solution closes 89% of knowledge gaps and boosts learning effectiveness by more than 300%

Training for product and service consistency as foodpanda onboards thousands of new restaurant partners each year

Immersive, interactive training program deployed in seven countries and in multiple languages

Training results in enhanced consistency in kitchen protocols and customer contact skills

OSLO, Norway, March 08, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a powerful sign of how advanced training solutions can support the e-commerce industry, Attensi has successfully deployed a cutting-edge, gamified simulation training solution internationally for foodpanda to deliver deeper knowledge, reduce time to competence and drive consistency.

Across seven countries and in multiple languages, foodpanda is using the Attensi solution to train its restaurant partners on best practices in dish preparation and operating protocols. In addition, foodpanda has also deployed Attensis solutions to train its contact center employees to ensure system adoption and best practices in customer service.

"Service quality is a priority for our team, as customers look to foodpanda for fuss-free deliveries wherever they are. Our job is to deliver a consistently positive experience to millions of users across the region every day, regardless of which country or city theyre located in," said Rohit Appadurai, Head of Quality Assurance, Training & Knowledge at foodpanda. "Attensis training has proved critical in ensuring consistency in our service quality, so we are able to provide high-quality customer interactions at our service centres across Asia."

Only months into Attensis collaboration with foodpanda, the initiative has already reaped impressive results: The Attensi solution is closing 89% of identified knowledge gaps, with 93% of trainees feeling confident in their knowledge after completing the curriculum. As just one example of learning effectiveness, a module training foodpanda workers on a key software program needed to process orders increased their score from 23% on their first attempt to 95% on their best attempt  a 313% increase. Overall, the program has led to increased scores on key KPIs assessing customer experience, business accuracy and compliance  with some territories showing a 10% increase of "Perfect Interaction" cases (where combined KPI scores are 100%).

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Training Supports Initiatives to Scale Product Quality and Staff Onboarding

For its engagement with Attensi, foodpanda chose a subset of seven countries to deploy a training solution focused on delivering reliable, high-quality products and customer experience. Given that product quality should be consistent regardless of origin, kitchen staff must be provided with standardized training across the partner network to ensure food items are prepared in the same way. Attensi delivered an engaging, consistent and scalable training to these multiple kitchens in multiple languages. In addition, Attensi is supporting foodpanda in onboarding new staff to its contact centers by improving competency and skill sets to deliver outstanding customer service.

For both the kitchen and customer contact technology trainings, the Attensi platform combines concepts of interactive gaming, scenario-based learning and behavioral psychology into a compelling and effective training experience that has helped foodpanda grow as the largest food delivery service in Asia, including onboarding 30,000 restaurants and suppliers just in the last year. Partner restaurants benefit from foodpandas ability to create a frictionless, technology-enabled and interconnected customer experience without the hassle and heavy costs of building and running their own delivery platform.

The engaging, digital learning environment allows any errors or learning curves to happen safely away from customer-facing environments. Meanwhile, the Attensi training curriculum for the customer contact system is already closing knowledge gaps. Trainees are also giving positive feedback on the Attensi interfaces; they are particularly enjoying the gamification elements that make the learning experience itself more engaging and fun and stimulate a desire to train.

"foodpanda is playing a vital role providing customers with home food delivery," said Greg Hull, Attensis Global Head of Hospitality and Leisure. "The question was always how does foodpanda solve the logistical hurdle of training staff that are not employed directly by them and are operating their own kitchens? By deploying our digital game-based-training, we are starting to solve that problem. Attensi is proud to support foodpandas rapid growth."

In a sign of the benefits Attensi training can bring to the broader e-commerce industry, DX Ventures  the venture arm of foodpanda owner DeliveryHero  has also invested directly in Attensi as part of an overall strategy to support founder-led companies that are innovating in the food and grocery ecosystem around the world.

"Were proud to support Attensi as part of our mission to foster growth at companies that can drive innovation in the food and grocery industry," said Miguel Suarez Gallo, Principal at DX Ventures. "Training is a key component of scaling up any companys operations, and Attensi has proven itself as a global leader in providing the advanced training solutions that allow rapidly growing companies to effectively upskill their front-line staff. Were glad to have played a small part in helping to bring Attensis cutting-edge solutions to foodpanda."

About Attensi

Attensi is the worlds leading provider of high impact gamified training  the most effective way to upskill your people with significant improvements in your KPIs. Engage your staff with immersive 3D training, powered by the best insights from human psychology, learning, and gaming.

Whether on mobile, desktop, or VR, empower your people to master new skills with training they will want to complete and repeat. Recreate their working environments with immersive 3D graphics, realistic scenarios, and interactive dialogues with voice-acted avatars to test their knowledge. All in a safe, learning-by-doing environment.

Attensi has delivered gamified simulation training in over 140 countries, in more than 30 languages. Our customers include Circle K, Bosch Siemens Home Appliances, Accenture, Hiscox, Scatec Solarand many more. Attensi is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with offices in London, Koln, Boston and Palo Alto.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220307006028/en/

Contacts

Allison Knight

Attensi@10fold.com

806-570-9819
<legend role="h2"><span>Report Highlights $2.6 Million in Funding and 515 Grants to Expand Access to Veterinary Care, Resources and Medical Equipment to Reach</span>Underserved<span>and Diverse Communities</span></legend>

VANCOUVER, WASH., March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Banfield Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the charitable arm of Banfield Pet Hospital, today released its 2021 annual Impact Report detailing how it helped make veterinary care, disaster relief and temporary shelter possible for nearly 1.4 million pets during an unpredictable year.

Banfield Foundation Logo (PRNewsfoto/Banfield Foundation)

The 2021 report looks at the transformational impact Foundation-supported initiatives and programs had on communities in need, including quality-of-life improvements for millions of pets across the United States and Puerto Rico. Throughout 2021, the Banfield Foundation deepened relationships with local shelter partners, universities, government agencies and nonprofit organizations to meaningfully deliver on its mission of making preventive care possible for the pets that need it most.

"Access to, and affordability of, veterinary care continues to be a significant issue for countless pets and families and is core to the mission that drives us every day," said Kim Van Syoc, executive director, Banfield Foundation. "As we reflect on another challenging year, we are struck by the generosity of our supporters and the resiliency of our partners. Together, we've enabled care and shelter for pets in the wake of disasters, provided preventive care to pets in underserved communities, and supported self-sustaining initiatives and programs across Tribal communities."

Highlights from the Foundation's 2021 Impact Report include:

A New Texas A&M University Disaster Response Vehicle

The Foundation's support of the Texas A&M University's Veterinary Emergency Team (VET) continued in 2021 with a new disaster response vehiclethe second VET vehicle funded by the Foundation. The 28-foot trailer was designed and outfitted specifically for heavy use in the evacuation phase of hurricanes and flooding, and will enable faster, safer transportation of animals to areas where they can receive veterinary care and shelter.

Access to Veterinary Care and Education for Native American Communities

In South Dakota, the Foundation launched a multi-year initiativethanks in part to generous support from the IDEXX Foundationto bring financially sustainable, Tribally directed preventive veterinary care and critical veterinary resources to the 20 communities within the Rosebud Lakota Sioux Tribal community. The initiative also provides education opportunities that support veterinary care on the Reservation and full scholarships for Tribal members seeking careers in veterinary medicine.

Nationwide Disaster Response and Expanded Resources Across Louisiana

Banfield Foundation Disaster Relief Grants improved preparedness among communities in Louisiana by evacuating pets from at-risk shelters days before Hurricane Ida made landfalladditional support also allowed rescue trips to Mississippi and Louisiana both during and after the storm. In total, more than 11,000 pets impacted by Ida received veterinary care, shelter or transport. The growing need for disaster response across Louisiana resulted in a new grant to Louisiana State Animal Response Team (LSART) for an Animal Disaster Response Trailer.

600 Days of Low-Cost or Free Preventive Care for Owned Pets

In 2021, the Foundation significantly increased its commitment to making preventive care possible for the pets that need it most. Through partnerships with nonprofit organizations across the United States and Puerto Rico, the Foundation funded more than 600 days of low-cost or free preventive care. Through these clinics, as well as other preventive care initiatives, 90,517 pets received access to wellness checks, vaccines, flea/tick and heartworm preventives and more.

A 38-Foot Transport Vehicle and Preventive Care for Shelter Pets

At the tail-end of the year, the Foundation granted a new transport trailer and disaster response vehicle to the Humane Society of Tulsa (HST)an organization that transports thousands of pets annually from overcrowded shelters to areas where they are more likely to be adopted. Thanks to the HST transport program, since October 2020 and through 2021, the Foundation helped more than 5,000 shelter pets receive access to preventive care and help enable safe transport into shelters with space and resources and, ultimately, into loving homes.

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"The positive impact made possible by the Foundation and our partners in 2021 underscores how we continue to help pets receive access to preventive veterinary care, whether they have a home or are waiting for one," said Anthony Guerrieri, president and chairman of the board for the Banfield Foundation and senior vice president, corporate affairs at Banfield Pet Hospital. "Making preventive care possible for the pets that need it most is our passion, our focus, and our missionand most importantly, it helps us deliver on our collective purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS."

Banfield Foundation 2021 Impact by the Numbers:

600 days of free or low-cost preventive care for pets across the United States

90,517 pets received preventive care such as wellness checks, flea and tick preventives, essential vaccines, spay and neuter and more

1,395,148 pets helped across the United States and Puerto Rico

$2,601,379 awarded in support of: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS

To read the Foundation's 2021 Impact Reportor make a donationvisit BanfieldFoundation.org.

About the Banfield Foundation

Since 2015, Banfield Foundation has been making preventive care possible for the pets that need it most. Through grants and partnerships, we provide medical supplies and resources to nonprofit partners in need; support pets, people and communities in crisis; and enable veterinary professionals to deliver compassionate and inclusive preventive veterinary care in underserved and diverse areas across the United States and around the world. We also leverage the expertise and passion of Banfield Pet Hospital, part of Mars Veterinary Health, and its Associates to care for pets in need. At the Banfield Foundation, we are committed to living our collective purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS. For more information, visit BanfieldFoundation.org.

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SOURCE Banfield Foundation
File photo: Ukrainian women and children are seen after crossing the Slovak-Ukrainian border to leave Ukraine in Ubla, eastern Slovakia, 25 February 2022 (AFP via Getty Images)

A right-wing Brazilian politician is being urged to step down after leaked recordings revealed him saying Ukrainian women fleeing war are easy due to being impoverished among other offensive and sexist remarks.

Arthur do Val, a congressman from Sao Paulo in southeast Brazil, visited western Ukraine last week and was heard saying displaced women he saw on the border with Slovakia were beautiful and better looking than those outside Brazils best nightclub.

The politician, who previously supported Brazils far right populist president Jair Bolsonaro, made the remarks during a three-day trip to Uzhhorod last week which was billed as a humanitarian visit carried out in the wake of Russias invasion.

In the leaked audio recordings published by Brazilian media, Mr do Val says: Ive just crossed the border on foot between Ukraine and Slovakia.

Bro, I swear to you  Ive never seen anything like it in terms of beautiful girls. The refugee queue  its like 200 metres-long or more of just total goddesses  its some incredible shit  the queue outside Brazils best nightclub  doesnt come close to the refugee queue here.

In the second clip, the congressman can be heard saying: Let me tell you, theyre easy because theyre poor.

While in the third recording, he makes derogatory comments about female security officials at the border between Ukraine and Slovakia, before he chips in: Just unbelievable, dude. As soon as this wars over, Im coming back.

It comes after Mr do Val shared an image of himself surrounded by crates of Molotov cocktails in the border city of Uzhhorod on Thursday last week. While Renan Santos, a Conservative activist who was also on the trip with him, said they supported refugees to cross the border and filmed the reality of a country at war as well as giving away thousands of dollars.

Mr do Vals remarks about Ukrainian women have been fiercely criticised - causing more than 40,000 people to pen an online petition calling for the politician to be expelled from parliament in Sao Paulo.

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More than 1.7 Ukrainian million refugees have fled into nearby nations in the wake of Russias full-scale invasion. The United Nations has branded the situation the fastest-growing refugee crisis to engulf Europe since the Second World War.

Ukraines emergency services have warned hundreds of structures, such as hospitals, transport facilities, peoples houses, and nurseries have been wiped out since Russias invasion. The number of civilian deaths was estimated to be more than 2,000 by the emergency services on Wednesday last week.

The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here
HONG KONG, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- According to estimates in The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2021, by 2030, around 660 million people will remain hungry. To address the living dilemma facing the poor, and to speed up the building of a bright new world with zero hunger, equal access to education, and fair healthcare, CoinEx Charity, a charitable organization under CoinEx, has launched a $10 million charity fund while pursuing its mission of "Via Blockchain, Making the World a Better Place".

Focusing on humanistic care, CoinEx Charity has launched charitable events all over the world starting from 2021. The organization provided living supplies and medical aids for people in poverty-stricken areas and helped kids in different countries gain equal access to education. When disasters hit, it offered immediate emergency aids to the affected areas.

Over the past year, CoinEx Charity sponsored many soccer games in Belarus, giving out free tickets and training sessions to local children. Empowering these dreamers, CoinEx Charity enabled the promotion of human development.

In December 2021, CoinEx Charity donated 700 care packages to children in Uniuyo Teaching Hospital in Nigeria. For the kids, these were heart-warming gifts.

CoinEx Charity in Nigeria (PRNewsfoto/CoinEx Global Limited)

After Typhoon Rai hit the Philippines in January 2022, CoinEx spared no effort in supporting disaster relief in the country and immediately dispatched support teams to the three worst-hit areas to offer emergency aids, including a total of 300 supply packages. Apart from the provision of emergency supplies, CoinEx also donated funds to the local government to assist in disaster relief and reconstruction.

CoinEx Charity in the Philippines (PRNewsfoto/CoinEx Global Limited)

In 2022, during the Iranian New Year, CoinEx Charity visited remote villages in Isfahan that suffer from poor living conditions and distributed food packages to 100 poor families.

CoinEx Charity has hosted charitable events in regions that include Belarus, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Iran and will continue to convey the message of love and charity to every corner of the planet.

Leading by its deeds, CoinEx Charity improves global public welfare through real actions. While fulfilling its social responsibilities, the organization expands the public awareness of charity through its social influence. CoinEx Charity calls on more companies to work for charitable causes and contribute to global public welfare.

SOURCE CoinEx Global Limited
The Riyadh Region Municipality has banned construction or demolition activities in the city from the Maghrib call to prayer (5 to 6 pm) until 7 am, reported Arab News.

Violators of the prohibition will be fined SR10,000 ($2,662), said the report citing a tweet from the municipality.

The regulation is aimed at keeping neighbourhoods and residents free from disturbances, it added.
SEOUL, South Korea, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Dable, the world's leading content discovery and native advertising platform, announced it has recently appointed a Head of Business Development in Mainland China and Hong Kong to speed up its business expansion in Greater China.

Dable, based in South Korea, is a media-tech company that provides a personalized content recommendation solution and native ad platform to 11 markets by partnering with over 3000 premium media. Dable is currently the No.1 content discovery platform in Korea, Vietnam, and Indonesia. It also ranked first in market share in Taiwan last year. Dable plans to accelerate its expansion in Greater China by appointing Tianxi Sun (mainland China) and Jan Cheng (Hong Kong), who bring extensive experience from the digital marketing and media tech sector in mainland China and Hong Kong, as the Head of Business Development.

Tianxi Sun and Jan Cheng, Head of Business Development at Dable Mainland China(left) and Hong Kong(Right)

Tianxi Sun, Head of Business Development at Dable Mainland China, has been working in the advertising industry for over 12 years. He started his career as a planner in the 4A's and jumped into the ad-tech world after receiving his MBA degree in 2012. Tianxi has previously worked for Miaozhen Systems, the leading third-party technology company in China as a pre-sale team leader and Tencent advertising platform as a senior sales manager. In the recent four years, Tianxi noticed that Chinese brands were starting to enter the overseas markets at an unprecedented scale. In regard to this trend, he helped many successful advertising campaigns of top Chinese brands to reach their target markets.

"As the team director of Dable Mainland China, I am in charge of strategizing the overall business expansion in the Chinese market. I'm also looking forward to finding out how brands in China can leverage Dable's native ad platform and AI technology to achieve exponential growth in the overseas markets." said Tianxi, Head of Business Development at Dable Mainland China.

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Jan Cheng, Head of Business Development at Dable Hong Kong, has 13 years of experience working in the media and ad-tech industry. He led publishers to switch to programmatic advertising. Jan developed key accounts to explore incremental investment opportunities via digital media planning and buying on different channels and led to monetizing the unsold inventory programmatically for the press such as the Asia City Media Group and the New York Times. In addition, he established a tailor-made programmatic solution and designed commitment packages for clients to secure sales volume and develop sustainable business relationships at Vpon Big Data Group, a leading big data company in Asia.

"Our business is based on monetizing inventories of publishers as well as contributing to the advertiser's profit through planning strategies. I will use my all-round business development and operational experience with solid digital knowledge to contribute to clients' growth by driving revenue and productivity." said Jan Cheng, Head of Business Development at Dable Hong Kong.

"Despite the fierce competition among global companies, Dable ranked first in market share in Taiwan last year following Korea, Vietnam, and Indonesia based on its excellent technology. Tianxi Sun and Jan Cheng are top experts who are recognized in the industry. I trust that their experience, insight, and global business experience will play a major role in helping Dable establish and solidify its business in Greater China," said Chaehyun Lee, Dable's CEO. "We will establish ourselves as the No.1 content discovery and native advertising platform in Greater China while continuing to recruit professional talents from local industries to lead technological innovation."

About Dable

Dable is the world's leading content discovery and native advertising platform. Dable analyzes the interests of website visitors by using world-class big data processing and personalization technologies. It recommends personalized content and ads that visitors may find interesting. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Seoul, Dable is partnered with over 3,000 premium media worldwide including South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong and mainland China. For more detailed information about Dable, visit http://dable.io/en/ .

SOURCE Dable
By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 80 environmental groups and other organizations on Monday urged California Governor Gavin Newsom to impose tougher rules promoting electric vehicles even as the state is moving faster than President Joe Biden's administration.

"Californians being punished by high gas prices and climate disasters deserve the fastest all-electric future Gov. Newsom can deliver," said Scott Hochberg of the Center for Biological Diversitys Climate Law Institute, one of the groups signing the letter.

The groups want Newsom and California air regulators to back requiring more electric vehicles faster than the current plans and to set more stringent annual emissions reductions for gasoline-powered vehicles. They called for 7% annual increases in emissions reductions for gasoline vehicles compared with 5% on average under standards adopted under President Barack Obama.

Hochberg said Newsom "needs to prove the states climate leadership with a much faster electrification timeline.

Newsom is set to deliver his State of the State address on Tuesday. In 2020, Newsom said the state planned to phaseout the sale of new light duty internal combustion vehicles by 2035.

California accounts for about 11% of all U.S. vehicle sales, the biggest individual state market, and many states adopt its green vehicle mandates.

California aims to reach 61% zero emission electric vehicle (EV) sales by 2030, the groups noted. President Joe Biden has set a goal of 50% of new vehicle sales being electric or plug-in electric, but has not endorsed a date to phaseout gasoline-vehicle sales.

The letter https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/climate_law_institute/transportation_and_global_warming/fuel_economy_standards/pdfs/Clean-Cars-Letter-to-Gov-Newsom-March-2022.pdf, also signed by Greenpeace USA, the California Democratic Party Environmental Caucus and Friends of the Earth, want Newsom to consider requiring 80% or more zero emission vehicles by 2030.

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Newsom's office did not immediately comment.

In April, the EPA said it was moving to restore legal authority to California to set tough vehicle emission rules and zero-emission vehicle mandates. In 2013, the EPA granted California a waiver to set vehicle rules. Under former President Donald Trump, it revoked the waiver in 2019.

EPA spokesman Nick Conger said Monday the agency is "working to finalize a decision on the California waiver and expects to issue a decision in the near future."

Some automakers have raised concerns if the EPA makes the waiver retroactive and the impact it could have on emissions requirements.

The EPA in December finalized new vehicle emissions rules restoring targets undone by Trump and require a 28.3% reduction in vehicle emissions through 2026.

Biden's push in Congress to boost EV tax credits to up to $12,500 per vehicle and reinstate them for General Motors and Tesla remains stalled along with other provisions to boost EVs.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
GATINEAU, QC, March 8, 2022 /CNW/ - Through the National Shipbuilding Strategy, the Government of Canada is providing members of the Canadian Coast Guard with the equipment they need to safely and effectively do their important work to serve Canadians.

On behalf of the Canadian Coast Guard, Public Services and Procurement Canada has awarded a $14.36 million contract ($16.5 million including taxes) to Chantier Davie of Levis, Quebec, for vessel life extension (VLE) work on the Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Louis S. St-Laurent, Canada's largest icebreaker.

This follows an Advance Contract Award Notice issued on October 29, 2020, in which Canada signalled its intention to enter into a contract with Chantier Davie. The shipyard was identified as the only facility in Eastern Canada with a dry dock large enough to perform this work.

Work will begin in the spring of 2022 and will include inspections, regulatory maintenance and equipment upgrades to extend the operational life of the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent until a new ship comes into service. The scheduled VLE work will take place over a 3-month dry-docking period in 2022.

Through the National Shipbuilding Strategy, the Government of Canada is delivering important benefits for Canadian shipyards and suppliers across Canada. This contract was awarded under the repair, refit and maintenance component of the strategy, which continues to provide opportunities for the Canadian marine sector. It will help to create or maintain approximately 50 jobs at Chantier Davie.

Quotes

"The National Shipbuilding Strategy continues to provide important economic opportunities for shipyards right across Canada. Canada's skilled shipbuilding workforce is helping us repair and maintain our fleets, while supporting economic growth across the country."

The Honourable Filomena Tassi

Minister of Public Services and Procurement

"Members of the Coast Guard have the critical responsibility of ensuring mariners' safety and that of the marine environment. The Louis S. St-Laurent has helped keep Canadian waters safe for navigation for more than 50 years, and this work will ensure the Coast Guard can continue this important work, season after season, in dangerous and icy conditions."

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The Honourable Joyce Murray

Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

"This announcement is another testament to the invaluable expertise of Davie's workers. Once restored, the Louis S. St-Laurent will continue to proudly serve Canada, ensuring the safety of maritime traffic, the delivery of essential supplies, and the transportation of our Coast Guard members to remote areas of Canada for decades to come."

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos

Minister of Health and Member of Parliament for Quebec

Quick facts

The CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent provides critical icebreaking and emergency response services in Canadian waters. Its home port is in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.

This work on the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent is part of the Canadian Coast Guard's VLE program. The VLE program prolongs the operations of the Coast Guard fleet, including the Louis S. StLaurent, in order to maintain existing service levels before new ships come into service.

Work on the vessel could include inspections, auxiliary equipment renewals, propeller renewal, exhaust lagging renewal, piping renewal, and hull and superstructure painting.

Additional VLE work is planned over the next few years, so that the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent can continue to deliver critical icebreaking services and serve Canada throughout the next decade.

In May 2021, the Government of Canada announced it will move forward with the construction of 2 polar icebreakers under the National Shipbuilding Strategy. This procurement approach will ensure at least 1 polar icebreaker is delivered by 2030 when the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent is expected to retire from service.

As of September 2021, the Government of Canada has awarded approximately $20.87 billion of National Shipbuilding Strategy-related contracts across the country. Of this value, approximately $2.59 billion, or 12.42%, has been awarded to companies in Quebec.

Associated links

National Shipbuilding Strategy

Canadian Coast Guard Ship Louis S. St-Laurent

Chantier Davie

Buy&Sell

Advance Contract Award Notice

Government of Canada issues Advance Contract Award Notice for vessel life extension of Canada's largest icebreaker

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SOURCE Public Services and Procurement Canada

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Nearly $40M for innovative green projects in Quebec: Woman-owned start-up in Riviere-du-Loup receives $54,720 from CED.

RIVIERE-DU-LOUP, QC, March 8, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ -



Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED)

Supporting innovative SMEs led by women who are committed to reducing our ecological footprint fosters inclusive economic development in Quebec's regions. The Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for CED, took advantage of International Women's Day today to announce a repayable contribution of $54,720 for Malterre (9423-9704 Quebec inc.). This CED support will enable the business to acquire equipment that is better suited to the semi-industrial manufacturing of its spent grain crackers.

As such, to improve its production capacity and productivity, the family-run SME will purchase an automated rolling mill, ovens, and an automated divider. It will also be able to make leasehold improvements to its new facilities.

Malterre specializes in manufacturing traditional crackers from spent microbrewery grain. The business recovers waste malt grain from beer manufacturing, transforming it into an eco-friendly product that is high in fibre and vegetable protein. Its project will lead to the creation of two jobs and to the development of skills and a distinctive know-how in the region.

The Government of Canada recognizes and supports businesses and organizations that are a source of pride in their communities. Quebec's economic recovery relies on the adoption of green technologies and the fight against climate change. Businesses that leverage clean technologies are major contributors to growth with a smaller ecological footprint, as well as key assets in rebuilding a greener, stronger, more resilient, and more just economy for all.

Quotes

"The ingenuity and know-how of our women entrepreneurs gradually leads to the development and marketing of greener productsI witnessed this recently when I met Malterre's founders. On this International Women's Day, I am delighted to highlight the contribution being made by an SME led by three women entrepreneurs who are committed to the environment and health. Our contribution will enable them to develop their innovative nutrition-focused project fostering a circular economy. There is no doubt the success and spin-offs from this business will have an impact on the BasSaintLaurent region's food self-sufficiency. All my congratulations to the Malterre team!"

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The Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Member of Parliament for BromeMissisquoi, Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for CED

"Making use of spent microbrewery grain is a healthy, ecological choice. It is important for us to have a business that aligns with our values. Using this co-product enables us to offer crackers that are much higher in fibre and protein than those currently on the market. In addition to fostering short channels, working with local artisans and their products makes for delicious crackers!"

Annick Bachand, Co-owner, Malterre

Quick facts

The funds have been granted under CED's Regional Economic Growth through Innovation program. This program targets entrepreneurs leveraging innovation to grow their businesses and enhance their competitiveness, as well as regional economic stakeholders helping to create an entrepreneurial environment conducive to innovation and growth for all, across all regions.

SMEs account for 99.7% of Quebec's businesses and contribute to 50% of the province's GDP.

Today's announcement is part of a series of CED announcements that have been taking place since the start of February confirming a total of nearly $40 million in investments in over 20 innovative projects by Quebec businesses and organizations that will contribute to the economy of tomorrow. These are strategic investments in projects that will make it possible to reduce Canada's environmental impact and foster a green, resilient economy.

CED is a key federal partner in Quebec's regional economic development. With its 12 regional business offices, CED accompanies businesses, supporting organizations and all regions across Quebec into tomorrow's economy.

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SOURCE Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions

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View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2022/08/c3656.html
ST. JOHN'S, NL, March 8, 2022 /CNW/ - As Canada works towards recovery, investments in our airport infrastructure continue to be crucial to maintain safety, security, and connectivity for travellers, workers, and communities. Government of Canada investments also help ensure Canada's aviation industry is well-positioned to recover from the impacts of the pandemic.

Today, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, the Minister of Labour, the Honourable Seamus O'Regan, and Member of Parliament for St. John's East, Joanne Thompson, announced new funding of more than $22.5 million to help the St. John's International Airport recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and to support continued air services and important transportation infrastructure projects at the airport.

The airport will receive over $18 million from Transport Canada's Airport Critical Infrastructure Program to support the rehabilitation of the asphalt on multiple runways, taxiways, and aprons, improvements to lighting, signage and drainage systems, and the replacement of heavy airside mobile equipment including aircraft rescue firefighting vehicles, runway snow plows and ice sweepers.

These investments will help maintain safe airport operations for aircraft, passengers, crews, and airport workers. In addition to the funding for the critical infrastructure projects, the Government of Canada also provided the St. John's International Airport with $3.6 million from Transport Canada's Airport Relief Fund to help it maintain continued airport operations and essential air services for residents and workers in St. John's and surrounding communities.

Quotes

"As we move forward with the safe and gradual return of activity in the aviation sector, in a way that continues to support the health, safety, and security of all Canadians, it will be imperative that we continue to ensure a vibrant and competitive Canadian air sector. These critical investments will allow the St. John's International Airport to invest in the infrastructure and tools needed to help re-invigorate the aviation industry and allow Canadians to feel safe and secure when they travel."

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The Honourable Omar Alghabra

Minister of Transport

"A vibrant and financially strong airport in St. John's is important for our economy and our recovery. The St. John's International Airport has worked hard to provide safe and reliable travel during the pandemic for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, and our government's investment will help it return to pre-pandemic levels and grow for the future."

The Honourable Seamus O'Regan

Minister of Labour

"St John's International Airport is indeed a gateway to Canada and the world. Today's announcement provides critical support to continued airport operations. As we begin to emerge from the COVID-19 travel restrictions, this support will strengthen capacity and enhance our competitive advantage as a business and vacation destination."

Joanne Thompson

Member of Parliament for St. John's East

"This investment allows us to replace key pieces of our aging heavy vehicle fleet and also rehabilitate many of our airfield surfaces. These projects will help ensure safe and efficient airport operations for all of our stakeholders for many years to come. While the pandemic has caused our Airport immense financial challenges, the ability to progress this work and replace critical infrastructure means that we can focus on air service recovery and development and continue to provide much needed connectivity for our province."

Peter Avery

Chief Executive Officer

St. John's International Airport Authority

Quick Facts

The Airport Critical Infrastructure Program, launched in May 2021, will provide $571.2 million in funding over five years to airports for eligible infrastructure projects related to safety, security, connectivity to mass transit systems, or testing and screening related to COVID-19 and its variants.

The Airport Relief Fund, launched in May 2021, provided $64.8 million in funding in 2021-2022 for targeted airports whose 2019 revenues were less than $250 million.

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Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to e-news or stay connected through Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram to keep up to date on the latest from Transport Canada.

This news release may be made available in alternative formats for persons living with visual disabilities.

SOURCE Transport Canada

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View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2022/08/c8342.html
Rating Action: Moody's changes Jiangsu Zhongnan's outlook to negative; affirms B2/B3 ratingsGlobal Credit Research - 07 Mar 2022Hong Kong, March 07, 2022 -- Moody's Investors Service has changed Jiangsu Zhongnan Construction Grp Co., Ltd.'s (Jiangsu Zhongnan) and Haimen Zhongnan Investment Development (International) Co., Ltd.'s (Haimen Zhongnan) rating outlooks to negative from stable.At the same time, Moody's has affirmed Jiangsu Zhongnan's B2 corporate family rating (CFR) and the B3 senior unsecured rating on the bonds issued by Haimen Zhongnan and guaranteed by Jiangsu Zhongnan."The change in outlook to negative reflects Jiangsu Zhongnan's weakening sales and credit, which will weakly position the company at the B2 level," says Daniel Zhou, a Moody's Analyst.Moody's also expects the company's tight access to funding and use of internal cash for debt repayment will reduce its liquidity buffer."However, the rating affirmation reflects our expectation that Jiangsu Zhongnan will maintain adequate liquidity to address its refinancing needs over the next 6-12 months," adds Zhou.RATINGS RATIONALEMoody's expects Jiangsu Zhongnan's operating and credit metrics to weaken over the next 6-12 months due to difficult operating and funding conditions.Specifically, Zhongnan's contracted sales will decline 20%-25% over the next 6-12 months, after a 12% fall in 2021. This weak performance will reduce the company's operating cash flow and, in turn, pressure the company's profit margins, credit metrics and liquidity.In 2021, the company's contracted sales decreased 12% to RMB197.4 billion, with a considerable 46% year-over-year reduction in the fourth quarter. This performance is weaker than many of its Chinese property peers'.Moody's also estimates Jiangsu Zhongnan's gross profit margin will drop to around 10% over the next 12-18 months from 17% in 2020 because the rating agency expects the company to offer price discounts to boost sales and due to rising material costs for its construction business.As a result, its EBIT/interest will reduce to 1.5x-1.6x over the next 12-18 months from 2.4x for the 12 months ended June 2021. This ratio weakly positions the company at the B2 level.Moody's expects Jiangsu Zhongnan's liquidity to remain adequate and enable the company to utilize internal cash to repay its maturing debt over the next 12 months. Specifically, the company will have RMB5.7 billion bonds maturing or becoming puttable before the end of June 2023, including USD223 million of offshore bonds maturing in June 2022 and USD240 million of offshore bonds becoming puttable in April 2023.However, the company's continued usage of internal resources to repay debt will deplete its liquidity buffer if it is unable to secure other funding channels over the next 6-12 months.Jiangsu Zhongnan's total cash balance declined to RMB23 billion as of the end of September 2021, from RMB33 billion as of the end of 2020. Moody's estimates that the company's cash balance would likely reduce at a similar pace as of the end of 2021. Meanwhile, its adjusted debt fell to RMB82 billion as of the end of September 2021, from RMB93 billion as of the end of 2020.Jiangsu Zhongnan's B2 CFR also reflects its sizable operating scale and track record in the Yangtze River Delta region.However, Jiangsu Zhongnan's B2 rating is constrained by its high exposure to trust borrowings, significant exposure to lower-tier cities, the low profitability of its construction and property development businesses, and its high exposure to joint ventures (JV).The B3 senior unsecured debt rating is one notch lower than Jiangsu Zhongnan's B2 CFR due to structural subordination risk. The subordination risk refers to the fact that the majority of Jiangsu Zhongnan's claims are at its operating subsidiaries and, in the event of a bankruptcy, have priority over claims at the holding company. In addition, the holding company lacks significant mitigating factors for structural subordination. Consequently, the expected recovery rate for claims at the holding company will be lower.In terms of environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations, Moody's has considered the company's concentrated ownership by Zhongnan Urban Construction Investment Co., Ltd., which had a 54.12% stake in the company as of 29 January 2022, and the risks posed by its shareholder's share pledge financing.FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGSAn upgrade of the rating is unlikely in the near term, given the negative rating outlook.However, the rating outlook could return to stable if the company (1) improves its liquidity and demonstrates its ability to access funding by refinancing its onshore and offshore debt maturing over the next 6-12 months, as well as (2) increases its profit margin and EBIT interest coverage, with the latter staying above 1.5x-1.75x consistently.On the other hand, Moody's could downgrade Jiangsu Zhongnan's rating if the company suffers further declines in contracted sales, or if its liquidity or access to funding further deteriorates.Credit metrics indicative of a downgrade include EBIT/interest coverage falling below 1.5x and unrestricted cash/short-term debt dropping below 1.0x, both on a sustained basis.The rating could also be downgraded if the contingent liabilities associated with the company's JVs or the likelihood of it providing funding support to the JVs increases significantly. This could arise from a substantial increase in the company's investments in new JV projects.The principal methodology used in these ratings was Homebuilding And Property Development Industry published in January 2018 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1108031. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.Jiangsu Zhongnan is based in China's Jiangsu Province and principally engages in property development and construction services. The company had a total land bank of around 47.4 million square meters as of June 2021.Jiangsu Zhongnan was founded by Chen Jinshi, who has been in China's construction business since 1988 when he established the company. The company was listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 2009.REGULATORY DISCLOSURESFor further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found at: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_79004.For ratings issued on a program, series, category/class of debt or security this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series, category/class of debt, security or pursuant to a program for which the ratings are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's rating practices. 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For further information please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the respective issuer on www.moodys.com.For any affected securities or rated entities receiving direct credit support from the primary entity(ies) of this credit rating action, and whose ratings may change as a result of this credit rating action, the associated regulatory disclosures will be those of the guarantor entity. Exceptions to this approach exist for the following disclosures, if applicable to jurisdiction: Ancillary Services, Disclosure to rated entity, Disclosure from rated entity.The ratings have been disclosed to the rated entity or its designated agent(s) and issued with no amendment resulting from that disclosure.These ratings are solicited. Please refer to Moody's Policy for Designating and Assigning Unsolicited Credit Ratings available on its website www.moodys.com.Moody's considers a rated entity or its agent(s) to be participating when it maintains an overall relationship with Moody's. Unless noted in the Regulatory Disclosures as a Non-Participating Entity, the rated entities are participating and the rated entities or their agent(s) generally provide Moody's with information for the purposes of its ratings process. Please refer to www.moodys.com for the Regulatory Disclosures for each credit rating action under the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page and for details of Moody's Policy for Designating Non-Participating Rated Entities.Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review.Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at http://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1288235.The Global Scale Credit Rating on this Credit Rating Announcement was issued by one of Moody's affiliates outside the EU and is endorsed by Moody's Deutschland GmbH, An der Welle 5, Frankfurt am Main 60322, Germany, in accordance with Art.4 paragraph 3 of the Regulation (EC) No 1060/2009 on Credit Rating Agencies. Further information on the EU endorsement status and on the Moody's office that issued the credit rating is available on www.moodys.com.The Global Scale Credit Rating on this Credit Rating Announcement was issued by one of Moody's affiliates outside the UK and is endorsed by Moody's Investors Service Limited, One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5FA under the law applicable to credit rating agencies in the UK. Further information on the UK endorsement status and on the Moody's office that issued the credit rating is available on www.moodys.com.Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating.Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating.The first name below is the lead rating analyst for this Credit Rating and the last name below is the person primarily responsible for approving this Credit Rating. 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Capital Will Strengthen Halo's Balance Sheet to Accelerate U.S. West Coast Expansion Strategy

All Figures in Canadian Dollars unless otherwise stated

TORONTO, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Halo Collective Inc. ("Halo" or the "Company") (NEO: HALO) (OTCQB: HCANF) (Germany: A9KN) today announced that it has entered into a subscription agreement (the "Subscription Agreement") with Global Tech Opportunities 6 (the "Subscriber"), that provides for the issuance of convertible debentures (each, a "Convertible Debenture"). The Company intends to use the proceeds for general working capital purposes as well as to fund various organic and acquisition growth initiatives. The Subscriber is an investment fund managed by Alpha Blue Ocean ("ABO"). Halo is expecting that approximately $15-20 million principal amount of Convertible Debentures will be issued pursuant to the Subscription Agreement through the balance of 2022 to fulfill the Company's business plan, including the opening of Halo's three planned dispensaries in the Los Angeles area.

www.haloco.com (CNW Group/Halo Collective Inc.)

"The U.S. west coast cannabis landscape is under-going massive disruption just as the opportunity for stronger players is as great as ever," commented Kiran Sidhu, Halo's CEO. "This new capital will allow us to focus on shareholder value creation through strategic investments in retail and indoor grow opportunities in California, new products and increased distribution in Oregon and California, and packaging up and building out our functional mushroom and CBD businesses."

"Halo intends to open three marquee dispensaries in Los Angeles which will further augment the Company's valuation. The Alpha Blue Ocean team has confidence in Halo's senior management team and is providing Halo with access to capital to implement the Company's business plan in 2022 and beyond. We are excited to be Halo's financial partner to help increase value for all stakeholders", said Amine Nedjai, ABO's CEO.

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The Subscription Agreement provides for the issuance of up to 24 Convertible Debentures with an aggregate principal amount of up to $65.0 million (including the Debenture Commitment Fee (as defined below)). In addition to the Debenture Commitment Fee, each Convertible Debenture will be issued for proceeds equal to 92% of the face value of the principal amount. The Convertible Debentures will mature on the date that is 24 months from the date of issuance and are convertible: (i) at any time at the option of the holder; and (ii) automatically at maturity. The conversion price of the Convertible Debentures (the "Conversion Price") is equal to the lower of: (i) $1.00; and (ii) the closing price of the common shares in the capital of the Company (the "Common Shares") on the NEO Exchange on the date immediately preceding the date on which a conversion notice is delivered to the Company (or, in the event of the automatic conversion of the outstanding principal upon the maturity of the Convertible Debenture, the maturity date).

In the event that the Conversion Price is greater than the average of the three lowest daily volume-weighted average prices observed over a period of fifteen (15) trading days immediately preceding the date of the relevant conversion notice (or, where no conversion notice is given, the relevant maturity date of the Convertible Debentures) (the "Theoretical Conversion Price"), the Company will be required to pay the Subscriber a make whole amount to compensate the Subscriber for the difference between the actual conversion price and the Theoretical Conversion Price (each, a "Make-Whole Amount").

In connection with the Subscription Agreement, the Company has agreed to pay the Subscriber a commitment fee of $5.0 million (the "Debenture Commitment Fee"), which amount will be added in instalments of $2.5 million to the principal amount of the first two Convertible Debentures issued pursuant to the Subscription Agreement.

Upon the occurrence of certain events of default or a change of control, as set forth in the Subscription Agreement, the Convertible Debentures may, at the discretion of the Subscriber, be redeemed in cash prior to the maturity at price equal to 105% of the principal amount then outstanding. The Subscription Agreement also contains provisions preventing the Company from issuing Convertible Debentures if (i) the issuance of such Convertible Debentures would result in the Subscriber holding beneficial ownership or control of greater than 19.9% of the Common Shares (on a partially diluted basis), and (ii) the issuance of such Convertible Debentures would result in the Subscriber (and certain affiliates thereof) holding greater than an aggregate of $10.0 million principal amount of indebtedness under the Convertible Debentures and pursuant to the amended and restated loan agreement dated February 8, 2022 between Halo and the Subscriber and any convertible debentures issued in connection therewith.

ABO was created in 2017 by Pierre Vannineuse, Hugo Pingray and Amaury Mamou-Mani. ABO is a young and dynamic investment fund manager with the mission of revolutionizing the financial industry by offering innovative financing solutions. ABO implements a direct, rational and efficient approach by offering alternative financing solutions. In other words, flexible solutions for listed companies also referred to as PIPEs (Private Investment in Public Equity). ABO has executed more than 75 transactions since its inception with financial engagements of more than 1.5 billion.

Further information regarding the financing can be found in the Subscription Agreement, which will be posted to Halo's SEDAR profile on www.sedar.com.

About Halo Collective Inc.

Halo is a leading, vertically integrated cannabis company focused on the West Coast of the United States and operates other emerging businesses in CBD and non-psychotropic mushroom functional beverages. In its cannabis operations, the Company cultivates, extracts, manufactures, and distributes quality cannabis flower, oils, and concentrates and has sold hundreds of millions of grams of cannabis in the form of flower, pre-rolls, vape carts, edibles, and concentrates since inception. The Company sells a portfolio of branded cannabis products including its proprietary Hush, Winberry Farms, Williams Wonder Farms, and Budega brands, and under license agreements with Papa's Herb, DNA Genetics, Terphogz, and FlowerShop*.

In Oregon, Halo has a combined 14 acres of owned and contracted outdoor and greenhouse cultivation. The Company also operates Food Concepts LLC, a master tenant of a 55,000 square foot indoor cannabis cultivation, processing, and wholesaling facility in Portland.

In California, Halo maintains licenses for extraction, manufacturing, and distribution. The Company has partnered with Green Matter to purchase the Bar X Farm in Lake County and plans to develop up to 63 acres of cultivation, comprising one of the largest licensed single-site grows in California. Halo is opening three retail dispensaries in Los Angeles under the Budega brand in North Hollywood, Hollywood, and Westwood.

Halo is also expanding into other consumer health and wellness categories expected to experience rapid growth in consumer demand, including functional supplements such as nootropic nutraceuticals. The Company has recently agreed to acquire H2C Beverages, a company focused on cannabinoids and non-psychotropic mushroom functional beverages, and entered into a distribution and manufacturing agreement with Elegance Brands Inc., to propel the national distribution of beverages, capsules, and topical supplements under H2C and Halo's functional mushroom brand, Hushrooms.

Halo has acquired a range of software development assets, including CannPOS, Cannalift, CannaFeels, and a discrete sublingual dosing technology, Accudab. The Company intends to reorganize these entities (including their intellectual property and patent applications) into a subsidiary called Halo Tek Inc., and to complete a distribution of the shares of Halo Tek Inc. to shareholders on record, at date to be determined.

Outside of North America, Halo is the largest shareholder of Akanda Corp. ("Akanda"), an international medical cannabis company whose mission is to be the world's leading platform for medical cannabis and wellness products. Led by an experienced global leadership team and guided by the highest ethical standards, Akanda is building a unique seed-to-patient model that leverages the competitive advantages of its cultivation campus in the Kingdom of Lesotho and a distribution marketplace and other innovative solutions designed to maximize patient access and choice. Halo also operates three Kushbar retail cannabis stores located in Alberta, Canada, leveraging its Oregon and California brands.

For further information regarding Halo, see Halo's disclosure documents on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information and Statements

This press release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and may also contain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only Halo's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of Halo's control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". Forward-looking information may relate to anticipated events or results including, but not limited to the issuance of Convertible Debentures, the payment of any Make-Whole Amount, the future payment of the Debenture Commitment Fee, the filing of the Subscription Agreement, the initial public offering and listing of Akanda Corp., management's plans regarding its portfolio of cannabis businesses, the size of Halo's planned cultivation facility in Northern California, and the proposed spin-off by Halo Tek Inc.

By identifying such information and statements in this manner, Halo is alerting the reader that such information and statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such information and statements. In addition, in connection with the forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release, Halo has made certain assumptions. Although Halo believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. Among others, the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information and statements are the following: inability of management to successfully integrate the operations of acquired businesses, changes in the consumer market for cannabis products, changes in the expected outcomes of the proposed changes to Halo's operations, delays in obtaining required licenses or approvals necessary for the build-out of Oregon operations, dispensaries or Canadian operations, the proposed spin-out with Halo Tek Inc., delays or unforeseen costs incurred in connection with construction, the ability of competitors to scale operations in Northern California, delays or unforeseen difficulties in connection with the cultivation and harvest of Halo's raw material, changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; and the other risks disclosed in the Company's annual information form dated March 31, 2021 and other disclosure documents available on the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information or statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.

The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and Halo does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking information and statements attributable to Halo or persons acting on its behalf is expressly qualified in its entirety by this notice.

Non-Solicitation

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

Cision

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SOURCE Halo Collective Inc.
Harvest Trading Cap

Jairo Gonzales at one of his important meetings in El Salvador.

Harvest Trading Cap seeks that El Salvador can have access and people can benefit from all the services and studies offered by the financial and educational entity.

The first instance Jairo Gonzalez the CEO of Harvest Trading Cap accompanied by the Executive Director Lic. Gregorix Polanco and entourage are well received in El Salvador.

The representatives of Harvest Trading Cap make their presence known in El Salvador on February 28, 2022, the country that has been a promoter of the Bitcoin Law in that country.

To teach the management of technologies and digital assets such as Bitcoin, with such training the Salvadoran population will be able to receive the benefits provided by their country in approval of their financial laws.

MIAMI, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Representatives of Harvest Trading Cap will be present in El Salvador on February 28th, 2022, the country that has been a proponent of the Bitcoin Law in that country. The President MR Nayib Bukele delivered the bill to the Legislative Assembly, through the Minister of Economy, Maria Luisa Hayem.



The executives of Harvest Trading Cap were received by the Deputy for the Department of Santa Ana Mr. Jose Safie and the Rector of Andragogy Autonomous University, Guatemala Dr. Roberto Torres.

The first instance Jairo Gonzalez the MA CEO of Harvest Trading Cap accompanied by the Executive Director of Harvest Trading Cap Academy Lic. Gregorix Polanco and entourage, held a meeting with the mayor of Tepecoyo Mrs. Janneth Gonzalez. Where Gonzalez developed the projection of the educational department Harvest Trading Cap Academy , also expressed his commitment to benefit the people living in the community. He added "that its purpose is to educate and impact every person in the community, making it easy for them to understand the usefulness of new financial technologies (FINTECH)."

They also held a meeting with the president and legal representative of the Jerusalem Foundation, Mrs. Laura Ventura, guests present; the Alternate Deputy of the Department of Santa Ana, Mr. Jose Safie and the Rector of Andragogy Autonomous University, Dr. Roberto Torres.

In this meeting they discussed the enactment of educational services, where the main idea of the meeting is to create sources of employment with the scholarships that will be provided through the Jerusalem Foundation and, that they can have access to all the services that represent Harvest Trading Cap : such as consulting, business management with new financial technology, token development, computer security, NFT and new FINTECH products.

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The Bitcoin Law is a law approved on June 8, 2021 by the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador, with 62 votes in favor and 19 votes against. The law meant the adoption of Bitcoin in El Salvador, becoming the first country in the world to approve the use of the cryptocurrency.

The educational proposals by Harvest Trading Cap and its educational department Harvest Trading Cap Academy is to teach the management of technologies and digital assets such as Bitcoin, with such training the Salvadoran population will be able to receive the benefits provided by their country in approval of its financial laws.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/49bcd8ba-614e-4a7f-a83c-4ddb7a42d206

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/73466363-ebae-457a-a71a-48753059294d

A video accompanying this announcement is available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f68996a1-69a3-4929-94b9-8e5150e607f7

CONTACT: Contact: 213-805-6970




BEIJING, March 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Moviebook, a leading AI-powered infrastructure and service provider of intelligent video production, seeks to provide women with equal access to employment and promotion opportunities, under the leadership of its female CEO Ji Xiaochen. Moviebook is also creating a positive work environment to protect female employees' physical and mental health.

The continuous development of science and technology has created favorable conditions for women to be a part of emerging industries. The promotion of the fields of AI, 5G, semiconductors, and healthcare have created a system in which versatility and innovation are celebrated. Although predominantly male-dominated industries, success in tech increasingly requires individuals to possess a diverse range of hard and soft skills as each area finds itself at a cross-section of other areas, and talented women are able to thrive in these conditions.

Ji Xiaochen, the founder and CEO of Moviebook, is the epitome of female entrepreneurship. She founded Moviebook in 2009 and, since then, has grown the company to be an emerging industry leader in the field of smart video production. Over the past few years, Ji Xiaochen has received a number of prestigious awards for her achievements at Moviebook and within the industry in general. She was named in the 2021 Forbes China Up-and-coming Businesswomen List, China Entrepreneur's Top 30 Most Influential Businesswomen, 2021 Fortune China Most Influential Businesswomen, and as one of China's Innovation Leaders in the New Economy.

In order to be successful, modern business leaders  especially those working in tech  must adopt a fundamentally broad perspective and knowledge-base. True leaders are people who can surround themselves with quality advisors and talents and then delegate accordingly. Ji Xiaochen is exactly one of such leaders. She recognizes women's gift for communication, cooperation and innovation and calls for more contribution to technological innovation from female workers.

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However, women in science and technology fields often feel pressured by fertility, family building, and a pay imbalance. Moviebook is therefore committed to ensuring women in the workplace are provided with equal opportunity in employment and promotions, and that both mental and physical health are integral parts of personal development. Moviebook intends to set an industry standard for positive working conditions that foster a healthy company culture and happy, supported employees.

Throughout China and much of the rest of the world, female entrepreneurs are finding their place. As Ji Xiaochen has shown through her work in building Moviebook, the whole of humanity stands to benefit much from the innovative spirit and unique talents that come from having diversity amongst business leaders. Moving forward, Moviebook intends to be the change they wish to see in the world and inspire other companies to take a similar approach to female entrepreneurship.

About Moviebook

Moviebook, a leading AI-powered infrastructure and service provider of intelligent video production, aims at empowering monetization capacity for clients from new retail, media, education, and culture through intelligent vision. Building on technological advantages in fields of computer vision, computer graphics, among others, Moviebook significantly improves the production efficiency of visual content and innovates ways of presenting and interacting with such content. By applying AI technologies to videos, Moviebook is pioneering a wide variety of application scenarios for intelligent video production technologies.

For more information, please visit: http://www.moviebook.cn/about/index.

Cision

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SOURCE Moviebook
Dhaka, Bangladesh--(Newsfile Corp. - March 7, 2022) - Jayed Corp. has rebranded into "NEXT Ventures", a digital business group operating from Dhaka, Bangladesh, with registered offices in multiple countries, including UAE, USA, and the UK. They are currently in the process of extensive rebranding, in response to accelerated company growth and a long-term company vision. This announcement comes while they are preparing to launch their new digital proprietary trading platform, FundedNext, by the end of March 2022.





Jayed Corp. is now NEXT Ventures

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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Jayed Corp. started its journey from a rooftop single room with 2 team members in January 2016 and currently employs a team of 100+ members across their 5 global offices along with a large number of virtual team members. With multiple successful ventures under its belt, Jayed Corp. is heavily involved in the fin-tech industry. By rebranding to "NEXT Ventures", they aim to scale up and expand their reach to a new height.

"The name 'Jayed Corp.' is rooted in all of our success and everything that we are today as an organization. However, after a period of sustainable growth, in order to transcend to the next level, we need to embrace big changes to welcome further growth and acceleration. As we move forward and aim for blitz-scaling, we decided that it was the time we rebrand to a name that not only represents our journey to the next level but also magnifies our goals and vision for the long term." shared by Syed Abdullah Jayed, CEO of NEXT Ventures.

Through its multiple products and services, NEXT Ventures is already serving 20,000+ clients from 100+ countries. With FundedNext coming this March, the company is projecting a huge surge of clients and expecting to expand its reach into more countries. NEXT Ventures is also aggressively recruiting a lot of new and enthusiastic members into different functional departments to enhance their support and sustain their long-term vision.

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Through this extensive rebranding process, NEXT Ventures has entered into the next phase of business growth. The company is planning to launch several experiences & services in order to solve various obstacles that retail traders face on a day-to-day basis. NEXT Ventures' goal is to be a prominent influence and an authoritative organization in the retail trading industry. Keep an eye on their website (www.wearenext.io) and social media profiles to get the latest updates.

Media Contact:

Company Name - NEXT Ventures

Email - pr@wearenext.io

Phone - (880) 164-890-3948

Website - www.wearenext.io

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/115797
Wipro Limited, a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, has appointed Turki Bin Nader as General Manager and Country Head for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

Nader will focus on Wipros vision for business growth, revenue expansion, client and influencer relationships, talent development and brand building in the region. He will also strengthen Wipros presence across the key industry sectors in KSA, one of Wipros key focus markets in the Middle East region, through strategic transformational engagements.

Nader is an industry veteran with over two decades of experience in technology-led market development initiatives across various industry sectors in the Middle East. He has a strong track record of leading large digital transformation programs and building high-performing teams.

Prior to joining Wipro, Nader was the Regional Head for Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain at Tech Mahindra. He has held various leadership roles in Saudi Markets across enterprises like Saudi Aramco, Saudi Telecom and Saudi Arabia Transportation company (SAPTCO).

I am pleased to welcome Turki Bin Nader as the General Manager and Country Head of Wipros business in KSA. This region is a strategic focus market for us. I am confident that Turkis leadership and deep understanding of the market will help us meet the growing demands for digital transformation solutions, drive innovation and accelerate our clients success, said Mohammed Areff, Country Head and Managing Director, Middle East, Wipro Limited.

I am excited to join Wipro at a time when the company is strengthening its leadership in the Middle East and setting new benchmarks in technology and innovation through marquee client engagements. Wipros strong commitment and alignment to the Saudi Vision 2030 has been a key driver for its growth in the kingdom. I am truly appreciative of the investments that Wipro has made in KSA over the years, especially, our joint venture with Princess Nourah Bint Abdul Rahman University to establish the Womens Business Park in Riyadh. I look forward to leading Wipro's regional expansion as we continue to amplify our investments to be a game-changer in the Saudi IT+ITES industry, said Nader.

Nader holds a Masters degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Miami, Florida, US. He also holds distinguished certifications in the fields of ICT, Leadership and Strategic Planning. He is based in Riyadh.

Wipros presence in the Middle East region spans over two decades now. Through these years, the company has collaborated with several leading public and private sector enterprises in UAE and KSA as a strategic partner in their digital transformation journeys.

Recognising the regions enormous growth potential, Wipro has been investing in various technology development initiatives, building local presence with a diverse and tech-savvy workforce, establishing strategic partnerships and setting up innovation hubs and offices in key economic zones. Specifically, KSA (where Wipro operates as Wipro Arabia Limited) is a top priority for technology investments and talent development  to align with the KSA Vision 2030, and contribute to the in-Kingdom Total Value Add (iKTVA) programme through focused localisation activities.-- TradeArabia News Service
SINGAPORE, March 08, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Prestige BioPharma Limited (950210: KRX), a Singapore-based biopharmaceutical with operations in USA and South Korea, announced that the preclinical data of their First-in-Class pancreatic cancer treatment, PBP1510 (INN-Ulenistamab), has been shared in a poster presentation at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Targeted Anticancer Therapies (TAT) Congress 2022 held virtually on March 7-8, 2022.

ESMO is one of the leading professional organisations for medical oncology, together with American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Preclinical data of PBP1510 presented in the poster shows notable regression in tumour volume and weight in subcutaneous as well as orthotopic patient derived cancer xenograft (PDX) mouse models treated with PBP1510 compared to gemcitabine and IgG controls. In the orthotopic PDX model, tumour cells derived from pancreatic cancer patients are surgically implanted into the pancreas of mice. Such models are of high clinical relevance as they aid in establishing organ-specific tumour microenvironment with great accuracy.

In repeated dose toxicity studies, no notable systemic or local toxicity was observed for up to 40 mg/kg of PBP1510. Absence of anti-drug antibodies was noted in all animals receiving PBP1510 indicating low immunogenic potential.

Based on the efficacy and safety demonstrated in the preclinical study, PBP1510 is currently in Phase 1/2a clinical trial in France and Spain.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Korean MFDS granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) to PBP1510 in 2020. ODD is granted to investigational drugs intended for the safe and effective treatment of rare diseases with an unmet medical need that affect very few individuals but cause great suffering. This designation provides companies with certain benefits and incentives including clinical protocol assistance, differentiated evaluation procedures for health technology assessments in certain countries, and if approved, marketing exclusivity in the EU and the U.S. for certain years.

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Prestige has strong pipeline portfolio comprising innovative antibody drugs and biosimilars including the frontrunning Herceptin biosimilar HD201 (Tuznue) filed to EMA, Health Canada and MFDS, an Avastin biosimilar HD204 (Vasforda) in global Phase 3, and a Humira biosimilar PBP1502 in Phase 1 clinical trial in Europe. The companys second First-in-Class antibody PBP1710 targeting CTHRC1, a ubiquitous protein overexpressed in many types of cancer, is currently in preclinical stage.

Lisa S. Park, CEO of Prestige BioPharma, commented: "We will identify an optimal dose of PBP1510 in combination with gemcitabine through Phase 1 study and continue on Phase 2a to investigate clinical efficacy," and "Prestige will accelerate the development of PBP1510 that has demonstrated solid evidence and potential as the new cure for pancreatic cancer".

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220307006123/en/

Contacts

Media enquiries:

Global Communication Team

Prestige BioPharma Ltd.

www.prestigebiopharma.com

Yujin Suh

Tel: +65-6924-6535

info@pbpsg.com
Prime Mining Corp.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Prime Mining Corp. (Prime or the Company) (TSX-V: PRYM, OTCQB: PRMNF, Frankfurt: 04V3) announces continuing positive drill results from a key drill hole at Guadalupe East, one of eight known gold-silver deposits, at its wholly owned Los Reyes gold-silver project in Sinaloa State, Mexico (Los Reyes or the Project).



Drill hole 22GE-33, located on the west side of the Guadalupe East conceptual open pit (see Figure 1), struck a 41.6-metre-long mineralized intercept within the high-grade Estaca vein that includes a 4.5 metre (m) cavity of a historic mining stope (old mine opening) (see Figure 2). A 1.5 m mineralized intercept in the hanging wall, the 4.5 m mining stope, and a 35.6 m etw mineralized interval in the footwall reveal that considerable mineralization remains in place despite previous small-scale underground mining of the high-grade Estaca structure.

Estaca vein with historical stope intercept (22GE-33)

11.60 grams per tonne (gpt) gold (Au) and 219.0 gpt silver (Ag) over 1.5 m (1.2 m estimated true width etw);

4.5 m (3.7 m etw) cavity from historic underground small-scale mining; and,

3.67 gpt Au and 120.5 gpt Ag over 35.6 m (29.2 m etw) including 6.57 gpt Au and 137.2 gpt Ag over 9.0 m (7.4 m etw) and including 8.39 gpt Au and 321.0 gpt Ag over 2.6 m (2.1 m etw).



Drill hole 22GE-32, drilled east of the current Guadalupe East conceptual open pit boundary (see Figure 3), intercepted a 3.8 m cavity followed by a 10.3 m intercept of high-grade mineralization. Final assay results for this drill hole, and several others from Guadalupe East, are expected shortly and will be released upon receipt.

Chief Executive Officer, Daniel Kunz commented, We do not normally release a single drill hole, but these results provide important information. Wide mineralized intercepts alongside historic stopes are confirming that underground mining at Guadalupe East did not extract much of the major mineralization. Further, these new drill holes are located within our conceptual open pit. We have reviewed all the cavities encountered in our drilling and believe that previous historical underground mining will not materially impact the resource potential at Los Reyes.

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Eight drill rigs are currently operating at Los Reyes in the Phase 2 program with four drill rigs now at Guadalupe East. Drilling at Guadalupe East is testing the San Nicholas, San Manuel and Estaca veins along strike and at depth and targeting the known extensions of current open pit resources. Phase 2 drilling also includes additional shallow drilling to determine the extent and alignment of near-surface resources from the San Nicolas and San Manuel veins that could potentially be mined in conjunction with the main Guadalupe East pit-constrained resource.

There are currently 15 pending drill holes at Guadalupe East out of a total of 49 completed Project drill holes pending release subject to completion of additional drilling nearby, receipt of assay results, and/or receipt of QA/QC checks.

Link 1 - PDF Figures

Link 2 - PDF Drill Hole Table

QA/QC Protocols and Sampling Procedures

Drill core at the Los Reyes project is drilled in predominately HQ size (63.5 millimetre mm), reducing to NQ or BQ size ranges (47.6 mm and 36.5 mm respectively) when required. Drill core samples are generally 1.50 m long along the core axis with allowance for shorter or longer intervals if required to suit geological constraints. Each entire hole is split, and one half is submitted for assay. RC drilling returns rock chips and fines from a 133.35 mm diametre tricone bit. The returns are homogenized and split into 2 halves, one submitted for analysis and the other stored.

Sample QA/QC measures of unmarked certified reference materials, blanks, and field duplicates as well as preparation duplicates are inserted into the sample sequence and make up approximately 8% of the samples submitted to the lab for each drill hole.

Samples are picked up from the Project by the laboratory personnel and transported to their facilities in Durango or Hermosillo Mexico, for sample preparation. Sample analysis is carried out by Bureau Veritas and ALS Labs, with fire assay, including over limits fire assay reanalysis, completed at their respective Hermosillo, Mexico laboratories and multi-element analysis in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Drill core sample preparation includes fine crushing of the sample to at least 70% passing less than 2 mm, sample splitting using a riffle splitter, and pulverizing a 250-gram split to at least 85% passing 75 microns.

Gold in diamond drill core is analyzed by fire assay and atomic absorption spectroscopy of a 30 g sample (code FA430 or Au-AA23). Multi-element chemistry is analyzed by 4-Acid digestion of a 0.25-gram sample split (code MA300 or ME-ICP61) with detection by inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometer for a full suite of elements.

Gold assay techniques FA430 and Au-AA23 have an upper detection limit of 10 ppm. Any sample that produces an over-limit gold value via the initial assay technique is sent for gravimetric finish via method FA-530 or Au-GRA21. Silver analyses by MA300 and ME-ICP61 have an upper limit of 200 ppm and 100 ppm, respectively. Samples with over-limit silver values are reanalyzed by fire assay with gravimetric finish FA530 or Au-GRA21.

Both Bureau Veritas and ALS Labs are ISO/IEC accredited assay laboratories. Drill core assay results range from below detection to 93.80 gpt gold and 4,955.0 gpt silver. Composite intervals use a cut-off grade of 0.20 gpt gold.

Qualified Person

Scott Smith, P.Geo., Executive Vice President of Exploration, is a qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical content in this news release.

Los Reyes Gold and Silver Project

Los Reyes is a rapidly evolving high-grade, low sulphidation epithermal gold-silver project located in Sinaloa, Mexico, within the prolific Sierra Madre mining region. Historic operating results indicate that an estimated 1 million ounces of gold and 60 million ounces of silver were recovered from five separate operations at Los Reyes between 1770 and 1990. Prior to Primes acquisition, recent operators of Los Reyes had spent approximately USD 20 million on exploration, engineering, and prefeasibility studies. The Project remains underexplored as only 40% of the known structures have been systematically drilled, leaving 10 kilometres of untested strike length. Los Reyes holds potential for additional discovery and resource expansion.

Prime Mining acquired Los Reyes is 2019, completed initial data compilation that included 51,000 metres of historical drilling, field mapping and trenching in 2020, and in 2021, executed a Phase 1 exploration program that included 25,650 metres of drilling. Results suggest the eight known deposits are much larger than previously reported and potential exists for new discoveries outside of current defined resource areas. The Company is currently undertaking a 50,000 metre Phase 2 exploration program.

About Prime Mining

Prime Mining is an ideal mix of successful mining executives, strong capital markets personnel and experienced local operators who have united to undertake exploration drilling to expand the known gold-silver resource at the historically productive Los Reyes project in Mexico. Prime Mining has a well-planned capital structure with significant team and insider ownership.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Daniel Kunz

Chief Executive Officer

For further information, please contact:

Daniel Kunz

Chief Executive Officer and Director

Prime Mining Corp.

1307 S. Colorado Ave.

Boise, Idaho 83706

Telephone: 1-208-926-6379 office

email: daniel@primeminingcorp.ca

Andrew Bowering

Executive Vice President and Director

Prime Mining Corp.

710  1030 West Georgia Street

Vancouver, BC, V6E 2Y3

Telephone: (604) 428-6128

Facsimile: (604) 428-6430

E: andy@primeminingcorp.ca

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Information

This news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation as may be amended from time to time, including, without limitation, statements regarding the perceived merit of the Companys properties, including additional exploration potential of Los Reyes, potential quantity and/or grade of minerals, the potential size of the mineralized zone, metallurgical recoveries, the timing and results of permitting and the Companys exploration and development plans in Mexico and expectations on the potential extension of the expired mineral concessions and granting of new mineral concessions with respect to El Rey. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts which address events, results, outcomes or developments that the Company expects to occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Companys management on the date the statements are made, and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Certain material assumptions regarding such forward-looking statements were made, including without limitation, assumptions regarding the price of gold, silver and copper; the accuracy of mineral resource estimations; that there will be no material adverse change affecting the Company or its properties; that all required approvals will be obtained, including concession renewals and permitting; that political and legal developments will be consistent with current expectations; that currency and exchange rates will be consistent with current levels; and that there will be no significant disruptions affecting the Company or its properties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements involve significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These risks include, but are not limited to: risks related to uncertainties inherent in the preparation of mineral resource estimates, including but not limited to changes to the cost assumptions, variations in quantity of mineralized material, grade or recovery rates, changes to geotechnical or hydrogeological considerations, failure of plant, equipment or processes, changes to availability of power or the power rates, ability to maintain social license, changes to interest or tax rates, changes in project parameters, delays and costs inherent to consulting and accommodating rights of local communities, environmental risks, title risks, including concession renewal, commodity price and exchange rate fluctuations, risks relating to COVID-19, delays in or failure to receive access agreements or amended permits, risks inherent in the estimation of mineral resources; and risks associated with executing the Companys objectives and strategies, including costs and expenses, as well as those risk factors discussed in the Company's most recently filed management's discussion and analysis, as well as its annual information form dated August 31, 2021, available on www.sedar.com. Except as required by the securities disclosure laws and regulations applicable to the Company, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if managements beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.




MELBOURNE, Australia & ST. GALLEN, Switzerland, March 08, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News:

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AD HOC ANNOUNCEMENT PURSUANT TO ART. 53 LR

CSL Behring AG, Berne, Switzerland, a wholly-owned subsidiary of global biotechnology leader CSL Limited (ASX: CSL; USOTC: CSLLY), today announced the definitive notice of the Interim Result of its public tender offer to acquire all publicly held shares of Vifor Pharma Ltd. (SIX:VIFN; ISIN:CH0364749348) for USD 179.25 per share as indicated in the offer prospectus of 18 January 2022.

Taking into account the Vifor Pharma shares held by the offeror and the persons acting in concert with the offeror at the end of the main offer period and the Vifor Pharma shares tendered during the main offer period, CSL's participation at the end of the main offer period on 2 March 2022 amounts to a total of 74 percent of all listed Vifor Pharma shares as of 2 March 2022, subject to the completion of the offer.

CSL highly appreciates this strong support of the combination with CSL by the Vifor Pharma shareholders and has waived the 80% acceptance rate condition set forth in the offer prospectus and declared the tender offer successful. The definitive notice of the Interim Result is available at www.csltransaction.com.

The additional acceptance period of 10 trading days for the subsequent acceptance of the tender offer will commence on 9 March 2022 and is expected to expire on 22 March 2022, 4 p.m. Swiss time.

The tender offer remains subject to certain offer conditions set forth in the offer prospectus, as described in detail in the definitive notice of the Interim Result. As described in the offer prospectus, following closing, CSL plans among other things to pursue an application to SIX Exchange Regulation for the delisting of the Vifor Pharma shares.

About Vifor Pharma Group

Vifor Pharma Group is a global pharmaceuticals company. It aims to become the global leader in iron deficiency and nephrology. The company is a partner of choice for pharmaceuticals and innovative patient-focused solutions across iron, dialysis, nephrology and rare conditions. Vifor Pharma Group strives to help patients around the world with severe, chronic and rare diseases lead better, healthier lives. It specializes in strategic global partnering, in-licensing and developing, manufacturing and marketing pharmaceutical products for precision patient care. Vifor Pharma Group holds a leading position in all its core business activities and includes the companies: Vifor Pharma, Sanifit Therapeutics, and Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma (a joint company with Fresenius Medical Care). Vifor Pharma Group is headquartered in Switzerland and listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange (SIX Swiss Exchange, VIFN, ISIN: CH0364749348). For more information, please visit viforpharma.com.

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About CSL

CSL (ASX: CSL; USOTC: CSLLY) is a leading global biotechnology company with a dynamic portfolio of life-saving medicines, including those that treat hemophilia and immune deficiencies, as well as vaccines to prevent influenza. Since our start in 1916, we have been driven by our promise to save lives using the latest technologies. Today, CSL  including our two businesses, CSL Behring and Seqirus  provides life-saving products to more than 100 countries and employs more than 25,000 people. Our unique combination of commercial strength, R&D focus and operational excellence enables us to identify, develop and deliver innovations so our patients can live life to the fullest. For more information visit csl.com.

Legal Disclaimers

Important Additional Information

This release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute, or form part of, any offer or invitation to purchase, sell or issue, or any solicitation of any offer to sell, purchase or subscribe for any registered shares or other equity securities in Vifor Pharma Ltd., nor shall it form the basis of, or be relied on in connection with, any contract therefor. This release is not part of the offer documentation relating to the tender offer. Terms and conditions of the tender offer have been published in CSL's offer prospectus regarding the tender offer. Shareholders of Vifor Pharma Ltd. are urged to read the tender offer documents, including the offer prospectus, which are or will be available at www.CSLtransaction.com.

Certain Offer Restrictions

The tender offer is not made, directly or indirectly, in any country or jurisdiction in which it would be considered unlawful or otherwise violate any applicable laws or regulations, or which would require CSL or any of its subsidiaries to change or amend the terms or conditions of the tender offer in any material way, to make an additional filing with any governmental, regulatory or other authority or take additional action in relation to the tender offer. It is not intended to extend the tender offer to any such country or jurisdiction. Any documents relating to the tender offer must neither be distributed in any such country or jurisdiction nor be sent into such country or jurisdiction, and must not be used for the purpose of soliciting the sale or purchase of securities of Vifor Pharma Ltd. by any person or entity resident or incorporated in any such country or jurisdiction.

The tender offer is made in the United States pursuant to Section 14(e) of, and Regulation 14E under, the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "U.S. Exchange Act"), subject to the applicable exemptions provided by Rule 14d-1 under the U.S. Exchange Act and Rule 14e-5(b) under the U.S. Exchange Act and any exemptions that may be granted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and otherwise in accordance with the requirements of Swiss law. Accordingly, the tender offer is subject to disclosure and other procedural requirements, including with respect to withdrawal rights, settlement procedures and timing of payments that are different from those applicable under U.S. domestic tender offer procedures and laws. Neither the SEC nor any securities commission of any State of the United States has (a) approved or dis-approved of the tender offer; (b) passed upon the merits or fairness of the tender offer; or (c) passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of the disclosure in the offer prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offence in the United States.

The communication is not being made by, and has not been approved by, an "authorised person" for the purposes of Section 21 of the U.K. Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

Reference is made to the offer prospectus for full offer restrictions.

Other Important Additional Information

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement may contain statements that constitute forward-looking statements. The words "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "estimate", "aim", "project", "forecast", "estimate", "risk", "likely", "intend", "outlook", "should", "could", "would", "may", "will", "continue", "plan", "probability", "indicative", "seek", "target", "plan" and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

Any such statements, opinions and estimates in this announcement speak only as of the date hereof and are based on assumptions and contingencies subject to change without notice, as are statements about market and industry trends, projections, guidance and estimates. Forward-looking statements are provided as a general guide only. The forward-looking statements in this announcement are not indications, guarantees or predictions of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of CSL, its officers, employees, agents and advisors, and may involve significant elements of subjective judgement and assumptions as to future events which may or may not be correct, and may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. You are strongly cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

This announcement is not financial product or investment advice, a recommendation to acquire or sell securities or accounting, legal or tax advice. It does not constitute an invitation or offer to apply for securities. It has been prepared without taking into account the objectives, financial or tax situation or needs of individuals. Before making an investment decision, prospective investors should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to their own objectives, financial and tax situation and needs and seek legal and taxation advice appropriate for their jurisdiction. CSL is not licensed to provide financial product advice in respect of an investment in securities.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220307005938/en/

Contacts

Media Relations

Nathalie Ponnier

Global Head Corporate Communications

+41 79 957 96 73

media@viforpharma.com

Investor Relations

Laurent de Weck

Investor Relations & Treasury Senior Manager

+41 58 851 85 95

investors@viforpharma.com

CSL

Australia / Asia Pacific

Jemimah Brennan

+61 412 635 483

Jemimah.Brennan@csl.com.au

Switzerland / Europe

Martin Meier-Pfister (IRF)

+41 432 448 140

meier-pfister@irf-reputation.ch

United States / Rest of World

Tom Hushen

267-769-6728

Thomas.Hushen@cslbehring.com
Ring Energy, Inc.

THE WOODLANDS, Texas, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ring Energy, Inc. (NYSE American: REI) (Ring or the Company) today announced that the Company is scheduled to participate in the 34th Annual Roth Conference to be held in in Dana Point, California on March 13-15, 2022. Paul McKinney, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Alex Dyes, Executive Vice President of Engineering and Corporate Strategy will host in-person one-on-one meetings with investors during the Conference. A pre-recorded virtual presentation done by Mr. McKinney and an accompanying slide deck prepared in conjunction with the Roth event will be posted on Rings web site, www.ringenergy.com in the News, Presentations & Events section of the site on Monday, March 14, 2022.



Ring will also participate in the 50th Annual Scotia Howard Weil Energy Conference to be held in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 21-23, 2022, where Messrs. McKinney and Dyes will also host one-on-one meetings with investors. An updated investor deck prepared in conjunction with the Howard Weil Conference will be posted on the Companys web site, www.ringenergy.com on Tuesday, March 22, 2022.

About Ring Energy, Inc.

Ring Energy, Inc. is an oil and gas exploration, development, and production company with current operations focused on the conventional development of its Permian Basin assets in West Texas and New Mexico. For additional information, please visit www.ringenergy.com.

Contact Information

Al Petrie Advisors

Al Petrie, Senior Partner

Phone: 281-975-2146

Email: apetrie@ringenergy.com




ReportLinker

Major companies in the search engine optimization services market include Axel Springer SE, Google, Bing, Baidu, Ask and Yahoo. The global search engine optimization services market is expected to grow from $51.

New York, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Search Engine Optimization Services Global Market Report 2022" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06243804/?utm_source=GNW

74 billion in 2021 to $63.19 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.1%. The growth is mainly due to the companies rearranging their operations and recovering from the COVID-19 impact, which had earlier led to restrictive containment measures involving social distancing, remote working, and the closure of commercial activities that resulted in operational challenges. The market is expected to reach $134.26 billion in 2026 at a CAGR of 20.7%.



The search engine optimization services market consists of the revenues generated from sales of SEO advisory services by entities (organizations, sole traders, or partnerships) that provide advisory services for businesses to optimize their websites. Search engine optimization companies advise their clients in optimizing their websites and their content to enhance the websites visibility in search results.



The main types of search engine optimization services are agency SEO services and freelancer SEO services.An SEO agency is a business that specializes in search engine optimization.



It benefits companies by increasing their web visibility. The different organizations include small and medium enterprises (SMEs), large enterprises and are used by various sectors such as professional services, IT services, e-commerce, hospitality, recreation, real estate, others.



Asia Pacific was the largest region in the search engine optimization services market in 2021.Africa is expected to be the fastest growing region in the forecast period.



The regions covered in this report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa.



Rising penetration of mobile, tablet and other electronics and rising data consumption will drive the web content, search portals, and social media market.Rising sales of electronics lead to an increased number of people that own internet-accessible devices and increasing access to digital platforms.



For example, the average time spent on the internet by each person in the US is increased to 282 minutes per day in 2021, giving companies the opportunity to generate more revenue per user. This rising average internet use is expected to drive the search engine optimization services market.



Government regulations may restrain the search engine optimization markets growth.For instance, the concept of net neutrality means internet service providers (ISPs) cannot block content based on its source or destination discriminate against certain applications (such as BitTorrent), or impose special access fees that would make it harder for small websites to reach their users.



Regulations such as net neutrality arguably stop the market from acting freely and give preferential treatment to websites that pay internet service providers.



The competition for search traffic is significant amongst major players like Google, Yahoo, and Bing.Strategic partnerships are seen amongst the major competitors, contributing a large share to their revenues.



For instance, Apple uses Google as its default search engine which has contributed as much as $8.8 billion to the annual revenues of Google, and Yahoo switched to Microsoft Bing.



The countries covered in the social media market report are Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, UK, USA, Venezuela and Vietnam.





Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06243804/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




ReportLinker

Major players in the social commerce market are Facebook, Pinterest, Etsy Inc. , Poshmark Inc. , Paypal Payments Private Limited, iQIYI, Sina Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Twitter Inc. , Alibaba China Co.

New York, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Social Commerce Global Market Report 2022" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06243822/?utm_source=GNW

Ltd., Fabulous, Renren Inc., Tencent Holdings Ltd., Weibo Corporation and Yahoo!.



The global social commerce market is expected to grow from $501.04 billion in 2021 to $560.51 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.9%. The change in growth trend is mainly due to the companies stabilizing their output after catering to the demand that grew exponentially during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The market is expected to reach $916.84 billion in 2026 at a CAGR of 13.1%.



The social commerce market consists of sales of social commerce services by entities (organizations, sole traders, and partnerships) that are used for promoting and selling products or services. Social commerce is the incorporation of e-commerce and social media which is used for buying or selling goods or services directly within a social media platform such as Facebook and Instagram.



The main types of products in social commerce are personal and beauty care, apparel, accessories, home products, health supplements, food and beverages, and others. The customers can purchase the beauty and personal care products or services directly through social commerce app. social commerce websites are accessible through different device types such as laptops and PCs, mobiles, others and applied to different business models such as B2C, B2B, and C2C. Social commerce is used by both individuals and commercials.



North America was the largest region in the social commerce market in 2020.Europe was the second-largest region in the social commerce market.



The regions covered in this report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa.



The increase in social media usage is expected to propel the growth of the social commerce market in the forecast period.People are increasingly using social media platforms including Youtube, Facebook, and Instagram for multiple purposes.



There is an increase in the usage of social media during COVID-19 times as people are not allowed to go out and even shopping and other marketing is done through social media. For instance, according to the Social Network Usage & Growth Statistics report in 2021, the number of people using social media worldwide has increased from 3.48 billion in 2019 to 3.96 billion in 2020. An increase in social media usage increased the demand for the market. Therefore, the increase in social media usage drives the growth of the social commerce market.



Big data technology is a key trend gaining popularity in the social commerce market.Big data is used as a software tool for processing, analyzing, and extracting large data.



Big data technology in social commerce helps e-commerce companies in improving decision-making and enhancing their performance in operational processes.Big data resources are becoming more accessible to people and this also helps to detect fraudulent behavior in businesses.



For example, in 2020, Amazon, a social commerce company based in the United States is using big data technology to transform operational processes and to monitor shipping details and personal information of the customers.



In July 2021, Klarna, a Sweden-based financial company acquired APPRL for a deal amount of $1 billion.With this acquisition, Klarna expects to expand its portfolio in the social commerce market and to create a unique shopping experience for the customers.



APPRL is a Sweden-based social commerce company.



The countries covered in the social commerce market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK and USA.





Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06243822/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




ReportLinker

Major companies in the social media market include Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. The global social media market is expected to grow from $159. 68 billion in 2021 to $223.

New York, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Social Media Global Market Report 2022" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06243803/?utm_source=GNW

11 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 39.7%. The growth is mainly due to the companies rearranging their operations and recovering from the COVID-19 impact, which had earlier led to restrictive containment measures involving social distancing, remote working, and the closure of commercial activities that resulted in operational challenges. The market is expected to reach $833.50 billion in 2026 at a CAGR of 39%.



The social media market consists of sales by entities (organizations, sole traders or partnerships) that enable customers to interact, create and share content and information.Social media enables users to share pictures, videos, and audio files.



This market includes revenues from sales from advertisements and other services offered on social media platforms.



The main types of social media are social media advertisement and social media subscription.Social media advertising is a type of digital advertising which uses social media platforms including Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to provide sponsored adverts to the target audience.



The different services include social networking, microblogging and instant messaging, photo sharing networks and is used by various sectors such as retail and wholesale, transportation manufacturing, food and beverages, financial services, information technology, electrical and electronics manufacturing, media and recreation, transportation services, healthcare, others.



Asia Pacific was the largest region in the social media market in 2021.Africa is expected to be the fastest growing region in the forecast period.



The regions covered in this report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa.



Rising penetration of mobile, tablet, and other electronics and rising data consumption will drive the social media market.An increase in sales of internet-accessible electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets leads to an increase in time spent on social media websites.



For example, the total number of smartphone devices across the world reached 6 billion in 2020, that is eight people out of 10 owned a smartphone in 2020, eventually driving the revenues of social media companies. This increasing use of smartphones is expected to increase internet usage, hence driving the social media market.



The outbreak of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has acted as a significant restraint on some of the social media markets in 2020 as businesses were disrupted due to lockdowns imposed by governments globally.COVID 19 is an infectious disease with flu-like symptoms including fever, cough, and difficulty in breathing.



The virus was first identified in 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei province of the Peoples Republic of China, and spread globally including Western Europe, North America and Asia.Steps by national governments to contain the transmission have resulted in a decline in economic activity and restricted movement of goods and services with countries entering a state of lock down.



The outbreak had a negative impact on businesses throughout 2020 and into 2021.However, many media markets have been unaffected or benefited from this as they transmit their content remotely through digital channels.



It is expected that the social media market will recover from the shock across the forecast period as it is a black swan event and not related to ongoing or fundamental weaknesses in the market or the global economy.



Social media companies are offering their social media platforms for electronic commerce of goods and services to drive revenues.This can be attributed to the increasing adoption of e-commerce and online shopping among consumers owing to the growing internet and smartphone penetration.



For instance, according to e-commerce information source Internet Retailer data 2020, U.S. e-commerce sales, increasing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, grew 44% and represented more than 21% of total retail sales. Social media platforms allow for targeted advertising based on consumers social behaviors, geographic locations, and demographics. Instagram, a photo and video-sharing social networking service, has added a Shopping tab to the Explore page in its app. According to an Instagram for Business survey data 2022, 44% of people use Instagram weekly to shop using features including the Shop tag. Other social media companies such as Snapchat and Twitter have also integrated shopping advertisements to facilitate direct purchases within their platforms.



The countries covered in the social media market report are Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, UK, USA, Venezuela and Vietnam.





Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06243803/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




SPLASH BEVERAGE GROUP INC.

Splash Beverage Group to Launch TapouT in 485 Winn Dixie Locations Across Five Southeastern States

TapouT - High-Performance Energy Drink

Fort Lauderdale, Florida, March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Splash Beverage Group, Inc. (NYSE American: SBEV) ("Splash" or the "Company"), a portfolio company of leading beverage brands, today announced Winn Dixie will carry TapouT, its high-performance energy drink in 485 stores located in Alabama, Georgia, parts of Florida and extending into Mississippi and Louisiana.

Founded in 1925, Winn-Dixie grocery stores, liquor stores and in-store pharmacies operate over 529 stores serving communities throughout five southeastern states - Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. is a subsidiary of Southeastern Grocers, which is one of the largest supermarket chains based in the Southeast.

Commenting on the new agreement, Robert Nistico, Splash Beverage Groups Chairman and CEO, said, We are VERY excited to partner with Winn-Dixie and Southeastern Grocers. This authorization is a key strategic placement as we build out retail distribution throughout the southeast U.S. Winn-Dixie is a premier grocery store chain in the southeast US. TapouT is now being distributed and sold at retail by some of the largest names in the consumer business, including Walmart, Ralphs Stores Budweiser owner AB-ONE, and now Winn-Dixie. This is another important point of retail distribution as we continue to work our distribution and sales strategy  the more shelves we are on the higher our sales are, its that simple.

The launch of TapouT in Winn-Dixie is expected to begin in early Q2, and will include TapouTs newest sugar-free flavors, Cherry Lemonade and Orange.

Nistico continued, Splash now has an impressive distribution footprint across the Southeastern portion of the United States as we continue to execute our business plan of expanding distribution depth and availability while constantly innovating and growing SKU count.

Story continues

Follow Splash Beverage Group on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SplashBev

About Splash Beverage Group, Inc.

Splash Beverage Group, an innovator in the beverage industry, owns a growing portfolio of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage brands including Copa di Vino wine by the glass, SALT flavored tequilas, Pulpoloco sangria, and TapouT performance hydration and recovery drink. Splashs strategy is to rapidly develop early stage brands already in its portfolio as well as acquire and then accelerate brands that have high visibility or are innovators in their categories. Led by a management team that has built and managed some of the top brands in the beverage industry and led sales from product launch into the billions, Splash is rapidly expanding its brand portfolio and global distribution.

For more information visit:

www.SplashBeverageGroup.com

www.copadivino.com

www.drinksalttequila.com

www.pulpo-loco.com

www.tapoutdrinks.com

Forward-Looking Statement

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of U.S. federal securities laws. Words such as expect, estimate, project, budget, forecast, anticipate, intend, plan, may, will, could, should, believes, predicts, potential, continue and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results and, consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. These forward-looking statements and factors that may cause such differences include, without limitation, the risks disclosed in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 8, 2021, and in the Companys other filings with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any obligation to update or publicly announce any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.

Contact Information:

Splash Beverage Group

Info@SplashBeverageGroup.com

954-745-5815





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ORLANDO, Fla., March 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- UCP of Central Florida will honor Universal Orlando and the Universal Orlando Foundation at their 29th Annual Gala with their Jack Holloway Star of Gratitude Award for their generous support of UCP's families and programs. The event takes place March 26th at the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace in Disney Springs.

UCP Annual Gala Award Recipients

Thanks to Universal Orlando and the Universal Orlando Foundation, UCP established a Pathway to Teacher Program which provides professional development opportunities for staff members to earn their teaching degree and continue to enrich the lives of UCP's students and their families. Since 1998, the Universal Orlando Foundation has awarded and pledged over $27 million to organizations and programs, like UCP, that take a proactive approach to community needs in the areas of education, children and families, and basic needs.

The award is named for entrepreneur and philanthropist Jack Holloway. Holloway, the founder of ABC Fine Wine and Spirits, was committed to serving children with special needs through service and generosity. Recipients of this award demonstrate similar support of worthwhile causes in the Orlando community.

The Annual Gala will be hosted by celebrity guests Cheryl Hines of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," Rachael Harris of "Lucifer," and RJ Mitte of "Breaking Bad" and "Triumph." For more information, contact Tammie Cooper at 407-752-0743 or visit ucpcfl.org.

About UCP of Central Florida

For more than 60 years, UCP of Central Florida has provided vital services for children and families touched by disabilities. UCP is a national leader in inclusive education, support and therapy by creating a consortium of charter schools for children with and without disabilities. For more information about UCP of Central Florida, visit www.ucpcfl.org.

UCP's 29th Annual Gala

Cision

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SOURCE UCP of Central Florida
LONDON (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will address British lawmakers via videolink in the House of Commons on Tuesday, the first time a president of another country has addressed the main Westminster chamber.

Zelenskiy, who has spoken to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on several occasions since Russia invaded his country, has made a number of impassioned speeches to Western leaders in the last week, asking for supplies and military support.

He will address the chamber at 1700 GMT when formal parliamentary business will be suspended. Lawmakers will be able to watch the speech on screens installed overnight, with 500 headsets providing a simultaneous translation in English.

Former world leaders including U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, and Germany's Angela Merkel, have previously made speeches in other parts of the parliamentary estate on the banks of the River Thames, including in the ornate Royal Gallery or vast Westminster Hall.

"Every parliamentarian wants to hear directly from the president, who will be speaking to us live from Ukraine, so this is an important opportunity for the House," Speaker Lindsay Hoyle said in a statement.

"Thanks again to our incredible staff for working at pace to make this historic address possible."

Ben Wallace, Britain's defence minister, told Sky News he expected the address to be "incredibly powerful".

"President Zelenskiy is the spirit of Ukraine, which is young, which is liberal thinking, which is outward facing, which is European, and that's what Russia or President (Vladimir) Putin just doesn't understand," he said.

Ukraine's ambassador to London was given a very rare standing ovation when he appeared in the chamber to observe Johnson answering lawmakers' questions last week.

(Reporting by Kate Holton; editing by Michael Holden)
EDGE Group entity, Al Taif, the UAEs leading provider of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services for military equipment, today (March 8) announced that it has signed a contract to develop 413 enhanced power distribution units (PDU) for NIMR and install them into their vehicles.

Designed to distribute power from a military vehicles auxiliary battery to various electrical systems, the PDUs are manufactured in-house by the companys skilled Emirati engineers and are tailored to meet customer specifications. To ensure short lead times, Al Taif established a dedicated assembly line for their rapid production, delivery and installation.

Saif Al Dahbashi, CEO, Al Taif said: We are proud to build productive synergies with NIMR under EDGE Group by installing our enhanced PDUs into their combat-proven vehicles. Our uniquely designed PDU leverages our industry experience and electrical expertise to ensure complete power protection with upgraded vehicle performance and efficiency.

Abri du Plessis, CEO, NIMR said: As power demands in military vehicles continue to increase, the capabilities of PDUs must also increase. We are pleased to benefit from Al Taifs wide-ranging expertise in this area while also leveraging the benefits of interoperability within EDGE Group.

Al Taif provides essential lifecycle services and technical capability development to guarantee the ultimate asset performance and mission readiness for its customers. Its nine state-of-the-art workshops are geographically distributed to offer seamless convenience and flexibility, while a mobile unit can quickly and efficiently address all types of MRO needs.

Al Taif is part of the Platforms & Systems cluster within EDGE, an advanced technology group which ranks among the top 25 military suppliers in the world.

NIMR is a leading manufacturer of combat-proven wheeled military vehicles and part of the EDGE Group, as well.TradeArabia News Service
The new fund is the largest one focused on early-stage enterprise, deep tech, and sustainability startups in Southeast Asia

SINGAPORE, March 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wavemaker Partners today announced that it just closed its fourth fund at US$136 million, making it the largest fund focused on early-stage (Seed/Pre-A) enterprise, deep tech, and sustainability startups in Southeast Asia.

Wavemaker Partners logo

Surpassing its US$120 million fundraising goal, Wavemaker's Fund 4 is 22% bigger than the previous fund (US$111 million) that closed in October 2020. Fund 4 brings the Southeast Asian firm's total assets under management to over US$300 million.

Wavemaker secured commitments from a diverse investor group, comprising institutional investors, university endowment funds, funds of funds, family offices, corporates, and high net worth individuals.

The fund is anchored by returning investors Pavilion Capital, Temasek Holdings, the International Finance Corporation, and Vulcan Capital.

"We are grateful to our limited partners who have believed in us and stayed with us over the past 10 years, and we welcome the new investors who have decided to take the leap with us. We hope to validate their trust as we continue to back high-growth startups that solve meaningful problems in enterprise, deep tech, and sustainability," said Paul Santos, Managing Partner at Wavemaker.

Wavemaker has trained its sights on enterprise, deep tech and sustainability startups  a rare focus for a venture capital firm in Southeast Asia. Out of the 170-plus companies it has invested in since 2012, about 150 (85%) are in enterprise, deep tech and/or sustainability. The firm remains steadfast in its goal of finding solutions to pertinent issues in the region. Today, 75% of its active portfolio startups contribute to at least one of the United Nations Development Programme's Sustainable Development Goals.

The firm also recently launched a climate tech venture co-builder called Wavemaker Impact , which aims to co-found '100 x 100' companies or those with the potential to deliver US$100 million in revenue while abating 100 million metric tons of carbon emissions on an annual basis.

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Wavemaker's investment strategy has led to the creation of a differentiated portfolio which has started to bear fruit. The firm has delivered more than 10 exits so far with an aggregate enterprise value of over US$700 million. These exits include mobile point-of-sale system Moka (acquired by Gojek), cloud communications software company Wavecell (acquired by 8x8) , inventory and order management platform TradeGecko (acquired by Intuit) , and online payment solutions provider Red Dot Payment (acquired by PayU/Naspers)  all among the Top 10 M&A deals in Southeast Asia for all time.

The firm has also seen significant up-rounds for a wide range of portfolio companies, such as agritech startup eFishery, B2B e-commerce platforms Growsari and GudangAda, financial crime-detecting AI company Silent Eight, and Iterative Scopes , which developed AI-powered precision-based technology for gastroenterology.

New appointments

As Wavemaker continues to grow its investment impact, it also strengthens its organization. The firm today announced the appointments of Melissa Ho to Principal and Phuong Tran to VP for Investments and Country Head for Vietnam. Ho will lead the firm's whole investment team, as well as sit on the boards of portfolio companies, while Tran will lead Vietnam investments for Wavemaker and solidify the VC firm's efforts in the country.

Ho joined the VC firm in September 2018 and most recently served as Vice President for Investments, covering the markets of Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Australia. She started her career at Singapore Airlines, where she held various roles, from corporate strategy, fuel procurement and hedging, to product innovation and management. Subsequently, she joined Shopee and led its regional marketing team, sourcing and nurturing strategic platform-wide partnerships across synergistic industries. Ho graduated Summa Cum Laude from New York University, with a double major in International Relations and Economics.

On the other hand, Tran previously held the role of Senior Associate at Wavemaker. Before joining the firm in March 2020, she was one of the early members of Vietnamese VC VinaCapital Ventures, where she sourced and executed Seed and Series A deals. She also worked as a project coordinator to develop a joint venture project between a Singaporean petrochemical firm and Vietnam's largest refinery Dung Quat.

"Mel and Phuong are both smart, analytical, and tireless in everything they do. Mel has a wealth of experience investing in promising companies across a range of industries, geographies, and technologies, including GudangAda (B2B marketplace), Musiio (AI for music industry), and ecoSPIRITS (smart circular spirits distribution). For Fund 4, she's done Shikho (edtech), Poladrone (agritech), Bitfrost (AI & data), and STACS (blockchain & fintech). She has stepped up as a leader, helping nurture and develop members of the investment team. We're confident that she'll only do better as she takes leadership of the whole investment team," said Gavin Lee, General Partner at Wavemaker.

"For her part, Phuong helped us establish our Vietnam portfolio. She's identified opportunities for us and led us to invest in exciting Vietnamese companies like Foodmap (B2B/B2C agritech platform) and Dat Bike (electric motorbike startup), which have since raised follow-on investment. For Fund 4, she brought in Medici (medtech), MindX (edtech), and Vigo (B2B marketplace), which are showing significant progress. We look forward to further growing our Vietnam efforts under Phuong's guidance. We're grateful to have exemplary women leaders like Mel and Phuong who greatly contribute to Wavemaker's success," Lee added.

About Wavemaker Partners

Wavemaker Partners is Southeast Asia's go-to VC firm investing in early-stage enterprise, deep tech, and sustainability startups. Since 2012, it has backed 170+ companies, of which about 150 (85%) are in enterprise or deep tech. The firm has over US$300 million in AUM across four funds in the region, and has seen more than 10 exits with an aggregate enterprise value of over US$700 million. Today, 75% of Wavemaker's active portfolio startups in Southeast Asia are aligned with at least one UNDP Sustainable Development Goal. Stay connected: Website | LinkedIn

SOURCE Wavemaker Partners
West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite has welcomed the large number of visiting England fans in Antigua, sensing that his players thrive off the excitement.

As many as 5,000 supporters are believed to have made the trip, with fans eager to follow the team after two years of Covid travel restrictions.

Those numbers will spike even further in Barbados, where the Kensington Oval often starts to feel like an away venue for the Windies, but Brathwaite is more than happy to welcome a bumper crowd.

Massed ranks of England flags on the grass banks have not helped the tourists much over the years, with just one series win on these shores in the last 53 years.

WI continue preparation for the upcoming Apex Test Series in Antigua #MenInMaroon #WIvENG  pic.twitter.com/SjtSSxt0SR  Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) March 7, 2022

Were really looking forward to it, we always look forward to this series, he said.

It means a lot, obviously the Barmy Army comes down and gives you a nice atmosphere and we look forward to the challenge.

This series itself is always different to every other series we have. This series always has a lot of energy and at times that can inspire guys. You know, I think at home were generally good.

As a team were ready and we know what we can do. The stats are there and the record shows we do well throughout history, but weve still got to look ahead.

Brathwaites predecessor Jason Holder was able to carry the proud tradition on, sealing a 2-1 win over England when they last visited in 2019. He has since passed on the reins, leaving him to focus on his own all-rounders battle with Ben Stokes.

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Jason Holder (Jon Super/NMC Pool/PA)

Holder has been a thorn in Englands side previously  averaging 62.83 with the bat and 24.93 with the ball in five home games against them  and is being backed to rise to the occasion again.

Jason looks forward to each challenge and obviously Stokesy is a world class all-rounder, said Brathwaite.

Those two guys will possibly be at it, but Jason is a quality cricketer and I guarantee hell continue to show that for us. At times it can be motivating, because those guys are world class both with the bat and the ball and then sometimes in the field, you know, doing something special too.

So for us it inspires us and we always look forward to seeing it to be honest.
The National Socialist Movement and its former leader Jeff Schoep have joined a growing list of rally lawsuit defendants seeking to reduce the hundreds of thousands of dollars in punitive damages directed at them through a federal lawsuit.

The prolific Sines v. Kessler federal lawsuit that sought to hold organizers and key participants responsible for the 2017 violence in Charlottesville has stretched past its November end date, prolonging the yearslong case.

The plaintiffs claimed victory after an 11-person jury found that the defendants engaged in a conspiracy, as defined by Virginia law, and imposed more than $26 million in fines.

However, several defendants are seeking either a new trial or reduced damages, citing the jurys lack of a verdict on a more specific federal conspiracy law that alleged racially motivated violence, and a disparity between punitive damages and compensatory damages.

In addition to Schoep and the National Socialist Movement, which filed motions Thursday, defendants Chris Cantwell, Jason Kessler, Nathan Damigo and Identity Evropa have filed motions to reconsider.

Schoep and the movements motions both argue that the court should alter its judgment granting damages of $500,000 and $1 million, respectively, due to the manifest injustice which would result from the implementation of such order as written.

In both motions, the parties attorney William E. ReBrook argues that ratio of punitive damages to compensatory damages violates the Constitutions due process clause and cites a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance case. In that case, ReBrook quoted that the SCOTUS ruled few awards exceeding a single-digit ratio between punitive and compensatory damages will satisfy due process.

Throughout both motions, ReBrook cites a variety of cases as both precedent and supporting evidence for why he believes the punitive damages, levied to punish his clients for their actions, should be reduced. The arguments are familiar. Other defendants have argued that punitive damages should be proportional to the compensatory damages, which the jury ordered to compensate plaintiffs for costs they suffered as a result of the plaintiffs actions.

But a charitable estimate of plaintiffs [Natalie Romero, April Muniz, Thomas Baker, Marissa Blair, Marcus Martin, Chelsea Alvarado and Devin Willis], actual harm caused by a civil conspiracy was $1, ReBrook wrote. The punishment ratios in this case, using these estimates of actual harm, would be 500,000 to 1 which is well above the single-, double-, or, rarely, triple-digit multiples that the courts have approved.

In Schoeps motion, ReBrook argues that plaintiffs counsel was relentless in their efforts to strike any mention of defendant Schoeps renunciation of white supremacist beliefs, and that this could have influenced the jurys decision.

Following the deadly Unite the Right rally, Schoep left the National Socialist Movement and has claimed to have abandoned his white supremacist views. He also founded the nonprofit Beyond Barriers, which purports to be a new approach of countering and preventing extremism.

Had plaintiffs counsel allowed testimony of the defendants current work to be heard, the jury would have been better equipped to determine the proper amount of punitive damage, if any, only against Defendant Schoep, ReBrook wrote. This prejudice is evidenced by the blanket judgment of $500,000 punitive damages award against all individual defendants.

Though Schoeps motion to amend or alter the judgment came recently, a month ago a motion was filed on behalf of Schoep that differed significantly from the others in that it was not filed by the defendant or his attorney.

Bearing the name of petitioner Daryl Davis, the motion for reconsideration is a collection of testimonials from Davis and others that argue Schoep has changed his ways since the deadly 2017 Unite the Right rally.

It was the influence and work of me (a Black Christian man) and my friend Deeyah Khan (a Brown-skinned Muslim woman) that was the impetus for [Schoep] to not only denounce his supremacist/nationalist ideology, but to dedicate his life towards deradicalizing those who remain in these movements and to prevent, especially young people, from being caught up and brainwashed into joining these movements, Davis wrote.

Included in Davis petition are more than a dozen testimonials from other people advocating for Schoeps change in character, including several people of the Jewish faith and self-purported far-right researchers.

According to Schoep, the filing was done by Davis without his input or prior knowledge.

It remains to be seen how the court will respond to Davis petition, which will likely hold little sway procedurally since he is not party to the lawsuit.

According to a post-trial scheduling order, defendants have until March 9 to file motions and supporting memoranda. According to the timeline, it appears unlikely that the federal court will rule on any of the post-trial motions until May, at the earliest.

Charlottesville community begins reimagining Lee statue at Swords Into Plowshares kickoff The journey to reinvent Charlottesvilles statue of Robert E. Lee has begun. The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center kicked off the process at a community engagement session Saturday, held at the museum.
The Fremont Christian Womens Connection will be having its noon meeting on March 14 in the Midland University Dining Hall at Ninth and Pebble streets in Fremont.

Ed Volpi will be giving a presentation on prison ministry. Myra Pruss will provide music.

Andrea McClellon of Salina, Colorado, will speak on Letting It Go. She is a mom, homework director, cook, room mom, taxi driver, driving instructor and more.

Cost of the noon luncheon is $15. Call Sue at 402-721-4522 by March 8 to make your reservation. Honoring your reservation is necessary.

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Jane Petersen was just 17 years old when she signed on to teach at District 35 School near Scribner.

It was 1954 and Petersen would teach 13 students in grades kindergarten through eighth  all in a one-room, country schoolhouse.

Almost seven decades have passed since then, but on Monday the Fremont woman was in a schoolroom once again.

This time, Petersen was telling fourth-graders about an era when students brought their lunches to school in syrup cans with handles. If they were thirsty, these long-ago students got their water by dipping in a ladle into a large metal bucket.

Unlike todays students, accustomed to Smart phones and texting, those of yesteryear got paper copies of information printed via a hectograph.

Petersen shared such experiences during A Day in the Past at May Museum in Fremont. The annual event gives area schoolkids a glimpse of how people lived many years ago, while providing an inside look at the historical museum.

Presenter Deanna Wolf of North Bend cited benefits of the event.

Many times, A Day in the Past, is an introduction to fourth-graders to the museum and they are fascinated, Wolf said. They bring their parents back. Weve had a couple of events at Christmastime and we hear them say something about what they saw or learned when they were here at A Day in the Past.

Fourth-graders from Fremont Public Schools, Bergan Catholic and Logan View attended a session Monday. Students took turns visiting a downstairs room transformed into an old-time schoolroom.

They made a stop in the kitchen where Kerstin OConnor told what it was like for a Swedish immigrant to come overseas to work in Fremont long ago.

In the parlor, students learned how a house became a museum.

Petersen stood behind a wooden desk as she told fourth-graders  albeit brieflywhat school was like for students in earlier times.

Good afternoon, Im Mrs. Petersen and Im your country school teacher for the next 15 minutes, she told one class.

Petersen provided an overview, saying most country schools were built so students didnt have to walk more than 2 miles to school.

Dodge County once had 91 country schools.

Petersen was paid $125 a month to teach.

Gas was 24.9 cents a gallon, she said.

When Petersen started teaching, students brought their lunches to school in metal syrup cans. The metal cans kept small rodents, which would have chewed through a paper sack, from nibbling on a students sandwich.

Mice  I discovered  loved grape jelly, Petersen said.

The mice werent as keen on tomato jelly.

Tomato jelly? one student asked aloud.

Petersen also said the school didnt have drinking water that could be pumped from a well. So Petersen brought water to school.

I had two metal cans  called cream cans _ in the back of my car, she said. Every morning before I left for school, I had to fill those cans with water and that was our water for the day

It was an early day lesson on water conservation.

We had 10 gallons of water and I had 13 students so we didnt waste water, Petersen said.

The water was poured into a bucket. Each student could pour water into a paper cup. That was the students water for the day.

We didnt have milk, she said. We didnt have a refrigerator, but we made it.

At the museum, students learned about a hectograph, a device used to make copies.

This is the original copy machine, Petersen said.

Hectograph fluid (a gelatin substance) was poured into what looks like a frame. The gelatin set up.

Petersen used a special pencil to write on a piece of paper, which became the master copy and was placed face-side down on the gelatin.

The ink transferred to the gelatin and the master copy was removed. Other pieces of paper, placed on the gelatin substance, picked up the written words and became copies.

When it came to discipline, Petersen had few behavior problems among students, whose siblings shared the same room.

If you got into trouble and had to sit in the corner, your younger brother or sister couldnt wait to get home and tell mom that you got in trouble  so I had a whole room full of tattletales, she said.

Petersen told of a time when eighth-graders had to take a test before they could go to high school. If they didnt pass, they could forget about going to any more school or could return for one more year and study for the eighth-grade exam.

Many times, students didnt go to high school, because they were needed to help on the farm. Petersens eighth-grade graduating class had 19 students  five of whom never went to high school.

Attending high school and graduating from college were special things. Petersen saved money and for $150 went to Wayne State Teachers College one summer.

She taught in a country school from 1954 to 1971 and then at Arlington Public Schools from 1971 to 1995.

Petersens talk ended when a school bell rang, signaling that it was time for students to go to another room.

McKinley Pieper said she learned a lot of kids didnt get to go to college years ago.

Ketter Nelson was surprised to learn that 13 students only had 10 gallons of water to drink.

You couldnt drink that much water and youd have to save it, he said.

Ketter liked Petersens talk.

It was real fun, the Bergan student said.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen upstairs, OConnor played the role of a Swedish maid during the time when Theron Nye needed someone to work in a large, stately house built in Fremont in 1874.

OConnor described a woman, named Anna, who left Sweden where people were very poor. She faced seasickness during a six-week trip aboard a ship, arriving at Ellis Island in New York harbor. Those coming to Ellis Island underwent health checks.

If you were sick, you had to go back home, OConnor said.

Anna, who was healthy, came to Fremont, never seeing her family again.

Using a globe, OConnor  a much more recent immigrantshowed students where in Sweden she came from before arriving in the U.S.

Judy Ekeler could be found in the parlor, telling students about the history of the May Museum building, formerly the Theron Nye home.

There had been plans to demolish the building and construct apartments on that site.

But the late attorney Arthur Sidner used funds from the (Louis) May Trust to buy the house, saving the building from demolition.

Ekeler said Sidner gave the house to Dodge County, which allows the historical society to use it as a museum.

Volunteers believe the historical event is important for students.

It gets that age group interested in the past, because they have little bright faces and want to tell you something that they saw, Loretta Meistrell said.

Ekeler agreed.

I think its important for them to understand that there are interesting historical things right here in their own backyard, Ekeler said. We try to teach them a little bit about the history of the museum and how it went from being a house that somebody lived in to a museum.

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Citing a desire to bring stability back to the office, Pamela Hopkins, a longtime Fremont attorney, has filed to run for Dodge County Attorney.

Hopkins, originally from Omaha, moved to Dodge County 30 years ago,

Previously, she attended high school at Benson earning a GED.

After high school, Hopkins attended Metropolitan Community College and the University of Nebraska at Omaha as a Regents Scholar. She graduated magna cum laude from UNO in 1995 with a political science degree.

Hopkins later received her juris doctorate at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 1997.

During this time, Hopkins began a love of community service that continues to this day.

Many years ago, I was actually a CASA volunteer while I was in law school. It fell apart and it restarted a couple years ago and I was brought on as a founding board member, Hopkins said.

CASAs (Court Appointed Special Advocates) are trained volunteers that advocate for the interest of abused and neglected children in the legal system.

Hopkins was previously on board of directors for Uniquely Yours Stability Support, a homeless prevention organization that provides services designed to help people gain and maintain housing stability.

She is also a representative for the Nebraska Court Improvement Project, and has received numerous awards from the Nebraska Supreme Court for her participation in improving the legal system.

Recently, Hopkins was involved in the decision to roll back tax-increasing provisions made by Fremonts Business Improvement District.

Several months back, the business improvement district proposed raising their property tax assessment by 50%, Hopkins said. It was approved by the city council for a five-year term.

Hopkins said she worked with others to gather signatures to protest the increase and the five-year extension.

The city council eventually compromised on that, Hopkins said. It kept the property tax assessment at the same rate and only extended it for two years, with an eye for the business improvement district coming up with more long-term solutions for improving the downtown district.

Hopkins said shes running for the position of county attorney, because she wants a return to basics.

At this point, I just want stability and consistency with the office, Hopkins said. Obviously, there has been a lot of turmoil and turnover in that office over the last several years. I think its important to bring back some stability with someone who has been a part of the Fremont community for a long time.

Hopkins said her main goals as county attorney would be to increase efficiency, address concerns with law enforcement and increase the level of respect for the office.

We want to make sure that the county attorneys office is doing everything that it can do to make sure the community is safe, Hopkins said.

Hopkins will be running under the Republican ticket.

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The Fremont Tribuneand its sister Lee Enterprises media companies across Nebraskanow will offer a daily regional weather forecast.

The Tribune understands the role weather plays in central Nebraskans lives.

Matt Holiner, Lees meteorologist for the Midwest, will provide video weather forecasts Monday through Friday at fremonttribune.com, the Tribunes Facebook page and directly to Tribune readers via email alerts. (Dont forget to sign up for email alerts at fremonttribune.com.)

The forecasts will hit all of the Tribunes platforms by 7 a.m. each weekday so you can plan accordingly for that days weather.

Weekday forecasts encompass the expected weather for those specific days. Fridays forecast will be for Friday and a look ahead at the weekend.

Holiner will be using the latest technology from the IBM subsidiary Weather Company, blending proprietary digital and graphic technology available to provide a broadcast-quality weather forecast relevant to the readers local markets. This is the same software that powers the Weather Channel.

Readers also will begin seeing Holiner weighing in on breaking weather news and patterns, via columns he writes and interviews he gives to local reporters.

In the future, Holiner sometimes break-in live on the digital sites  via streaming video and through news articles  to address urgent weather news and patterns and how they affect the readers.

Holiner is a veteran meteorologist who joined our Midwest news teams in late 2021. He most recently worked as a television broadcast meteorologist for ABC in the Rio Grande valley in Texas.

Rest assured central Nebraskans will have someoneMatt Holinerwatching the skies for weather that affects their lives.

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Fremont High School foreign exchange student Liana Sendetska wants others to know that the people in her home country of Ukraine wont give up in fighting back against Russia.

The 17-year-old hails from Kramatorsk, located in the eastern part of Ukraine. Shes been in Fremont since the beginning of this school year.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Sendetska noted the shock she felt upon hearing the news.

I was getting really nervous and worried about this whole building up troops on the borders of Ukraine, she said. Everybody hoped that it would be just solved somehow in a diplomatic way. But when I heard it, I was really stressed and I was shaking and I was calling my family.

Fremont High School English teacher Stacey Smith said Sendetska did not come to school on the day of the invasion and told her to let her know if any inappropriate jokes were being made.

The next day she came to see me first thing in the morning, I gave her a hug and asked how her family was doing, Smith said. She informed me that her family was still safe and then proceeded to ask how I was doing. I think she wanted to talk about anything else.

Later that night, the school made an announcement that a local church would be having a meeting to show support for Ukraine.

I went to the meeting where we were introduced to two other Ukrainian foreign exchange students, Smith said. They shared their family members names with us so we could lift them in prayer and we prayed for each of them, their loved ones and their country. We also prayed for the Russian people and for the leaders of Russia to have a change of heart.

Smith noted that Sendetska is one of the best students she has ever had.

She volunteers to read aloud, she gives thorough and complete answers and she writes with such beautiful word choice that it amazes me English is not her first language, Smith added. At lunch time she typically calls her mother because it is a good time of day for the two of them to communicate based on the time zone differences.

Upon hearing the news of Ukraines invasion, Smith said she immediately starting praying for her students family.

She is such a special person, who has so much to offer to the world, and I really want the very best for her, Smith said. I cannot imagine being so far from my family in a stressful time such as this, and yet as a mother, Im sure her mother is so relieved that she is safely tucked away in America. Her belief that Ukraine can defeat the Russians is strong, and if her countrymen have the same strength of character that she does, I believe there is nothing they cannot do.

Sendetska said on March 3 that when she last spoke to her family they were still safe.

I try speaking to them every day, so I know whats going on and how are they feeling because I get really worried, she added.

People are attempting to flee the country, but its not feasible for everyone to do so, such as her family, Sendetska said.

If they want to get to the western parts to go to, for instance Poland or Slovakia, its a long, long way on the train and its not safe, Sendetska said. And other than that, my family just doesnt want to leave because its their house, their home.

Sendetska said she receives support from those around her, and she often gets people asking about her wellbeing.

I have some friends at school who helped me to spread information and talk about it, she added. And we had a meeting at church where we just many people came and we kind of gave a speech and we had a prayer session for Ukraine and Ukrainian people.

She said shes also been utilizing social media to help spread information and awareness on the situation.

Its important for her to do something proactive because of the helplessness she feels about it, she noted.

I feel guilty because Im not there with my family and friends, Sendetska said. Im trying to be helpful in at least some way like make donations, cheer up people from here and just show my support. Im just trying to do something.

Sendetska said its important for people to know that Russian media isnt portraying the situation in the Ukraine accurately.

They dont really know what theyre doing in Ukraine, (the) Russian soldiers, she said. They are exhausted, theyre tired. Theyre disoriented, and our people fight for their territory for their families. Even though we have casualties, unfortunately, we are not giving up.

Keep praying for Ukraine, keep standing up, speaking up.

Hannah Schrodt is the news editor of The Columbus Telegram. Reach her via email at hannah.schrodt@lee.net.

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An hourlong gun battle erupted between the Taliban and Iranian border guards in the frontier area of Afghanistan's Nimroz Province, local sources told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi.

A Taliban source said the clash started on March 7 when Afghan farmers began digging a canal in the Sekhsar area of Nimroz's Kang district in the border area, prompting Iranian border guards to cross into Afghanistan to try and stop them.

According to the source, who declined to be named given the sensitivity of the issue, the Taliban responded to the incursion of the Iranian border guards, which led to a gun fight during which a Taliban vehicle caught fire.

Unconfirmed reports said four Iranian border guards were killed in the clash. No Taliban casualties were reported.

Similar clashes have taken place in the past in the Afghan-Iranian border region.

With reporting by AIP
Etihad Etisalat Company (Mobily) has become part of the Southeast Asia - Middle East - Western Europe 6 (SEA-ME-WE 6) consortium to build a 19,200 km-long undersea cable system linking Saudi Arabia with 10 other countries.

This new system will enhance Mobilys global network connectivity and offer one of the lowest latencies available between Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Western Europe, transferring more than 100 terabits per second.

Furthermore, it will create an additional layer of network diversity and resiliency for the heavily loaded traffic from the Middle East toward Europe and Asia.

This announcement comes in line with Mobily's effort to enable the digital transformation journey of the Kingdoms Vision 2030 by empowering businesses with reliable infrastructure and stronger, far-reaching connectivity to provide digital services that are on par with international standards.

Our investment in SEA-ME-WE-6 is a pivotal step toward achieving unparalleled global connectivity to Saudi Arabias digital ecosystem and to support the kingdom's vision of becoming an international hub of telecommunications services and traffic. This new state-of-art system will bring faster and more reliable connectivity to all of our users in the kingdom, and the region, as the demand for high-speed data is rising due to the digital transformation and development of emerging technologies such as 5G, IoT, artificial intelligence and virtual reality, says Eng Thamer Alfadda, Mobilys Senior Vice President of Carriers, Operators, and Wholesale Services.

In addition to Mobily, the SEA-ME-WE (6) consortium includes Singtel (Singapore), Telekom Malaysia, Telin (Indonesia), Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company, Bharti Airtel Ltd. (India), Sri Lanka Telecom, Dhiraagu (Maldives), Trans World Associates (Pakistan), Djibouti Telecom, Telecom Egypt, and Orange (France).

The SEA-ME-WE 6 submarine cable will land at Mobilys new international cable landing station in the city of Yanbu. Its strategic red sea location, nearby Data Centres and Saudi Vision 2030 projects, positions it as one of the key cable landing sites for Saudi Arabia and the region.-- TradeArabia News Service
Matt Riviere can hear his sons voices in his head saying, That was really stupid, Dad. But Andrew and Stephen Riviere arent around anymore to talk to their father about the worst decision they ever made, let alone watch a movie, toss a football or do lunch together.
The Fremont County Sheriffs Office is looking for two women in connection with a recent double homicide, according to a news release.

Investigators are seeking to question Toni Gurule and Suzzette Salyer, both 41, and are also looking to execute a court order to obtain DNA samples from both women.

The bodies of two men were found in a ravine along Phantom Canyon Road in February, but the sheriff's office has not confirmed a connection.

Gurule stands 5 feet 6 and weighs about 165 pounds, with blonde hair and hazel eyes, according to the release. Salyer is 5 feet, 7 inches tall and 175 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes.

Both subjects should be considered armed and dangerous, the release stated.

Police said Salyer and Gurule have been known to drive:

A white Dodge pickup, Colorado license plate BWK-635;

An orange Ford Mustang, Colorado license plate HGQ-757; and

A blue Ford F150 pickup with Colorado license plate HAQ-491.

Anyone knowing the whereabouts of either Gurule or Salyer is asked to call the Fremont County Sheriffs Office at 719-276-5555 and select option 8 for dispatch. Tipsters who wish to remain anonymous may call CrimeStoppers at 719-275-STOP (7867).
A man wanted for attempted murder in Mississippi was killed by police in a shootout Monday morning at a shopping center east of downtown Colorado Springs.

Officers first made contact with the man about 9:30 a.m. on the 200 block of North Circle Drive, just south of Platte Avenue, after being tipped off about his whereabouts, said police spokesman Lt. James Sokolik.

He drew a firearm and aimed at officers, with at least one of them returning fire at the man, Sokolik added.

The man fled north for about two blocks on Circle Drive before he encountered additional officers, Sokolik said. The man drew his weapon and exchanged gunfire with at least one officer.

The man died at the scene. No officers were injured in the shooting, according to police.

Joshua White, an owner of Midnight Games LLC, said he heard "several" gunshots after an officer pulled up to the scene.

He said some bullets struck his building, but that neither he nor anyone inside were hurt.

Per department policy, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office will take over the investigation of the officer-involved shooting.
The World Government Summit (WGS), the largest global platform for shaping the future of governments, will host this year 15 forums to explore the critical global trends defining the next decade.

For the first time, WGS, which will be organised at the Expo 2020 Dubai at the Dubai Exhibition Centre from March 29 to 30, will host the Global Crypto Forum, in recognition of the growth of cryptocurrencies and the shift they have effected in the financial sector, said Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, the UAEs Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the Summit.

The Summit will also discuss the rise of the Internets next world, Web 3.0, in the Global Metaverse Forum that will become one of the most important global markets, blending elements of virtual and augmented reality technologies to enable individuals to live a new life in an integrated digital world in which they share everything.

The eighth Summit will also organise the first Arab Meeting for Young Leaders, a platform for the Arab youth to explore future prospects, and the Arab Government Administration Forum, which discusses ways to advance Arab government work and move it to future horizons.

WGS 2022 will host the Cybersecurity in Aviation Forum to explore the future of safe, digitally enhanced and cyber-secure aviation, and discuss the future of investment in the Investopia Investment Summit, which provides a platform for launching new economic ideas.

The Summit, in partnership with international organisations, will also host forums that bring together the world's most prominent talents to discuss vital sectors and develop ideas and visions for a new future, mainly: the TIME 100 Gala, and the Forbes 30 Under 30 Forum.

In addition, WGS continues to host major forums that comprise key pillars for global communities and their future, namely: the Climate Change Forum, which focuses on the UAE hosting of the (COP28), and the Global Energy Forum, the Global Health Forum, the SDGs in Action, the Government Services Forum, the Women in Government Forum, and the Gender Balance Forum.

Al Gergawi pointed out that WGS has signed partnerships with more than 80 strategic, knowledge and media partners, and this year it will issue 20 reports in partnership and cooperation with key global research institutions.

Al Gergawi was speaking at the World Government Summit Dialogue, held at the Museum of the Future in Dubai, where he outlined the themes of the upcoming eighth edition (WGS 2022).

The Dialogue hosted Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Special Envoy for Climate Chang; Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy; Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of State for Government Development and the Future, Vice Chair of the World Government Summit Organisation; Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications and Director of the World Government Summit Organisation.

The UAEs ministers endorsed the pivotal role WGS has played  and will continue to play  in defining the trends that will shape the future of vital sectors. They also noted that the global forums WGS will host this year cover an array of topics that will be critical to accelerating global economic recovery efforts in the wake of the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Al Gergawi said that since the inception of WGS, it has helped shape the way governments have adapted to build a better future for humanity.

Al Gergawi said the Summit  which will soon complete its first decade of operations  has evolved into an incubator of innovative solutions at the decision and policymaking level, where ideas, knowledge and success stories are shared and transferred by pioneering government officials, thought leaders and industry experts.

The World Government Summit continues to support the development of exceptional ideas such as the launch of the Museum of the Future, which anticipates the services humanity will need in the future, he said.

It is fitting, Al Gergawi added, that we are hosting the first Summit Dialogue since the pandemic, at the Museum of the Future". Since 2014, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai, has announced the conception of the Museum of the Future, and the first exhibition took place in the WGS 2015.

The idea that a Museum of the Future could exist, where people could come together to design solutions to tomorrows world, was born at the WGS. And today, the most beautiful building on earth is not only a reality, but that place where the worlds most creative and innovative minds connect and collaborate to solve future challenges, he said.

Al Gergawi went on to note that hosting the Summit at Expo 2020 Dubai is symbolic of the UAEs connected, forward-looking philosophy.

Organising WGS 2022 at Expo 2020 Dubai will make for an exceptional event, he said. It will build on the achievements of this incredible expo which overcame unprecedented challenges and disruption to bring people together in the most challenging of times.

The missions of WGS and Expo 2020 Dubai are seamlessly aligned. We seek to enhance the participation of countries around the world to shape a future of shared prosperity and opportunity. We are seeking to build better governmental, economic, social and technological structures that support our global ambitions. We are connecting the worlds greatest minds to create the future we all want.

BEST MINISTER IN THE WORLD AWARD

Al Gergawi revealed that WGS will organise this year The Best Minister in the World Award to honour the minister who has excelled and turned challenges into opportunities through the adoption of digitisation and advanced technology solutions in government services.

Now in its fifth edition, the Best Minister in the World Award is organised in cooperation with the global consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

The award is based on several main criteria, based on the design and implementation of successful, scalable and applicable initiatives that aim to have a positive impact across society, enhancing government flexibility, readiness, innovation and future foresight capabilities, in addition to enhancing governance and transparency to improve people's lives.-- TradeArabia News Service
A few Colorado Springs City Council members expressed some skepticism Monday about a proposed rule that would limit the size of high water use lawns for newly constructed homes.

"I just have a hard time telling American citizens what and when and how they are able to do something on their own property," Councilman Randy Helms said.

The new rule would limit how much high water use turf grass, like Kentucky bluegrass, could be planted when a new home is built to 25% of the property that is open to landscaping and not covered by the home, sidewalk and driveway. The rule would also require high water use lawns be no less than 100 square feet in size, Planner Supervisor Morgan Hester said. No existing homes would be subject to the new rule.

For example, if a home had 1,000 square feet of ground available for landscaping, under the new rule 250 square feet of it could be planted with high water use grass, she said.

The goal of the rule is to help ensure the city can sustain its rapid growth with the water resources available. The Pikes Peak Regional Building Department issued 2,861 permits for single family homes in 2021, a presentation to city council on Monday showed. The city is also expecting many thousands of new homes to go in over the coming decades as the population grows from about 470,000 to 723,000 over the next 50 years, according to Colorado Springs Utilities projections.

"I want to make sure we have regulations that can support and sustain that growth," Director of Planning and Development Peter Wysocki told the council during the presentation. As someone who loves lush grass and trees himself, he said, it's a fine balance.

The discussion about lawns followed an announcement by the Bureau of Reclamation on Friday that Lake Powell's water level is expected to temporarily drop below 3,525 feet in elevation soon. The elevation is set to help protect electric generators at the lake. The lake's elevation reflects an abnormally dry winter season on the Colorado River basin, the bureau said. Colorado Springs relies on water from the basin for some of its water supplies.

The rule would allow new homeowners to plant other native grasses that could cover more area in their yards, such as buffalo grass, blue grama grass and shady fescue, Hester said.

Councilman Dave Donelson questioned whether those native grasses could provide the same playing spaces residents are accustomed to enjoying.

"You can go out and walk barefoot in your backyard in blue grass. I dont know if that's the same with these low water use grasses," he said.

Councilwoman Nancy Henjum and Councilman Wayne Williams both seemed open to the new rules, although Williams was interested in greater detail about how the rules would be enforced if someone made additions to their home that changed the amount of land available for landscaping.

If the city doesn't take some steps around regulating landscaping and water use and the community experienced an extended drought, drastic steps might be necessary, Williams said.
After weeks of legal wrangling and appeals over the way they bid the Marshall fire cleanup work, Boulder County Commissioners are going to stick with the company they originally chose for their Private Property Debris Removal Program.
High-achieving women from around the world, including political advisors, investors, entrepreneurs and media personalities, are speaking about their achievements, experiences and ideas at the 30/50 Summit in Abu Dhabi, which opened yesterday (March 7).

Coinciding with the International Womens Day, the three-day summit is organised by Forbes and is taking place until March 9 with talks, panel sessions and networking events taking place at multiple locations across Abu Dhabi, including Louvre Abu Dhabi and Zayed University, as well as virtually.

Attendees and speakers at the event include UAE Minister of Youth and Culture Noura Al Kaabi, Lamia bint Majed Al Saud, Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, celebrity and TV media personality Tyra Banks, ARK Invest founder and CEO Cathie Woods, and beauty influencer and entrepreneur Huda Kattan.

Noura Bint Mohammed Al Kaabi said: The UAE prides itself on an impressive list of outstanding women and female leaders whose work has been praised globally. Thanks to our leadership, Emirati women are advancing with confidence and strength, and the government is driving this through systematic policy changes to achieve tangible results.

Moira Forbes, Executive Vice President, Forbes Media and Publisher, ForbesWomen, said: As women stand at a critical inflection point globally, the first-ever 30/50 Summit in Abu Dhabi brings together a community of powerful women and visionaries who are architecting a better future that can move the world forward.

The summit will take place in Abu Dhabi annually until 2024 and continue to provide a platform for successful and extraordinary women to share their stories, highlighting the citys efforts in fostering an environment that is empowering to all.  TradeArabia News Service
The fate of the city-owned Westside Community Center continues to be uncertain, after the preferred operator a selection committee identified in December withdrew its application last week.

Contract negotiations failed between officials from the city of Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department and the Center for Strategic Ministry, a community outreach program of Woodmen Valley Chapel, said Stu Davis, board president of the ministry and pastor of city impact for Woodmen Valley Chapel.

Several factors were involved, he said Monday, including the ongoing costs of running the center, along with opposition from some neighbors and another group that also had submitted a bid in this latest call for proposals  the city's third attempt to find a new operator since August 2020.

We felt really sad about having to make this decision, Davis said. We felt proud of the work weve done and our partnership with the city, and its sad to be walking away.

The ministry realized its presence was a source of contention or even division among the neighbors, Davis said.

Three community groups launched public resistance campaigns for what they want to see happen to the large former elementary school campus at 1628 W. Bijou St. during the nearly two-year period that the future of the community center has been in limbo.

What some did not want is a religious group running the show for another 15 years, opponents told Colorado Springs City Council members last month.

Woodmen Valley Chapel planned to move the offices and weekly services of its south satellite location to the community center, which Davis said also houses offices and provides meeting space for other churches.

Davis said many mistruths were spread, and people who objected to the Center for Strategic Ministrys plans became antagonistic in their zealousness to stop the contract from being signed.

I was disappointed at the approach some of the neighbors took to not help the process move forward, he said.

Residents such as Welling Clark, who was president of the Organization of Westside Neighbors in 2010 when the city initially hired the Center for Strategic Ministry to operate the community center, said in recent years citizen input on programs and attention to concerns have not been considered. The center hosts a variety of events, educational programs and activities and provides space for numerous services, from a food pantry to recreational classes.

Its a very eclectic neighborhood, and we want everybody to be a good neighbor, which they were, Clark said. In 2018, the information flow stopped, citizens couldnt get answers, the focus changed  its more of a senior center than a community center for all ages.

In a news release, the city said after the Center for Strategic Ministry revoked its proposal, officials reviewed other bids and cancelled its request for proposal solicitation and will not make an award for an operator.

Davis said his organization asked to continue operating the center through May 31, at no further cost to the city.

What happens on June 1 is the question of the day.

Theyre evaluating the feasible next steps for the property, said city spokeswoman Vanessa Zink. This has been out to bid several times, and they unfortunately have not been able to get a successful candidate through the process.

Neighbors are frustrated, said Cully Radvillas, current president of the Organization of Westside Neighbors, which represents 8,500 households from west of Interstate 25 to Manitou Springs.

The biggest worry is if and how the current programs at the Westside Community Center might be continued, he said. What will happen in the long-term? There are more questions than answers.

The Save the Westside Community Center coalition, which has collected more than 4,000 signatures on an online petition and meets every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at the center, will be at City Council Tuesday, asking for a public town hall on the issue, said Kathy Perry, one of the organizers.

Its our fourth time calling for a work session so all interested parties can have a dialogue on how we can proceed and solve this, she said.

The Westside needs a community center that identifies the wants and needs of the community and puts those into place, so that we have connections and a gathering space thats inclusive and intergenerational, which is what it used to be.

The city sought an external operator for the community center after the Great Recession, citing a lack of city funds to keep it going.

But the city still has committed limited funding  about $100,000 annually, Clark said, compared to its three other centers, which receive between $450,000 to $600,000 yearly.

City leaders said they have set aside $1.375 million in federal COVID-relief funding toward making capital improvements at the Westside Community Center.

Davis said he was glad to hear that, since one of the buildings is 111 years old, and many repairs are needed. But ongoing costs must be addressed, he said.

Other top applicants the city considered in previous cycles included a local charter school and the YMCA but added neighborhood benefit requirements after neighbors started complaining.

The citys recent goals have been to secure a financially stable entity that will effectively manage, operate and maintain the center; ensure the center supports and fosters activities that will provide beneficial services to the westside neighborhood and the community as a whole; and reduce maintenance and capital demands on the city by supporting improvement efforts for the facility.

Id love to see the city, the community and the neighborhood roll up their sleeves and get together to find a solution to make it work, Clark said. If you really care about the community, we can make it happen. If you have ulterior motives, maybe not.
The second edition of Smart City Expo Doha will focus on the main challenges facing the cities of tomorrow and the solutions technology can offer to those who live in them.

With the theme "Sustaining a Future of Resilience," the region's leading urban innovation event will be held on March 29 and 30 at Msheireb Downtown Doha.

Over 70 speakers, both international and local, are expected to take part, sharing ideas and solutions in terms of how to create a better and more sustainable future for cities and the people who live in them. Notably, keynote speeches will be given by Peter Hirshberg and Jonas Kjellberg.

Hirshberg is an expert innovation advisor for cities and businesses, CEO of Lighthouse.one, Venture Partner at Catalyst Opportunity Zone Impact Fund and founding president of the Maker City urban innovation centre. Kjellberg is a co-author of the Gear Up books used in Stanford University's MBA executive programme, and chairman of Nornorm, a company that promotes a circular model of consumption.

In addition to the conference, the event will also have an exhibition area with over 50 participating companies, representing 20 different countries. These include technology companies such as Ooredoo, Huawei, Microsoft, QNB, Vodafone or Meeza which will offer visitors the most cutting-edge solutions in urban innovation.

Organised by the Government of Qatar's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology; with the support of its innovation laboratory, TASMU, hosted by Msheireb Downtown Doha, and bought by Fira de Barcelona, Smart City Expo Doha will offer a full programme of talks centred on five topics: sustainable cities, global economy and digital readiness, sporting events and connected society, the city as a platform, and reshaping digital public services.

Smart City Expo Doha is part of the internationalisation strategy of Smart City Expo World Congress, the leading international summit on smart cities and urban solutions organised by Fira de Barcelona, which will hold its 12th edition from November 15 to 17, 2022 in Barcelona, Spain.-- TradeArabia News Service
The House on Saturday wrapped up more than 23 hours of debate  likely a state record  on a proposal to enshrine the unequivocal right to an abortion in state law.
Jarvis Caldwell is the Executive Aide to the Assistant Minority Leader of the Colorado House of Representatives. He's also an elected Bonus Member to the El Paso County GOP Executive Committee, USAF veteran, and a Political Science major at American Military University.
WEST LIBERTY  A West Liberty School District guidance counselor has been charged with sexually abusing a minor student.

Emily Erin Resendiz, 27, of West Liberty, allegedly sexually abused a boy under the age of 14, on at least two occasions, according to a news release from West Liberty Police.

Resendiz was arrested Monday morning and has been charged with two counts of second-degree sexual abuse; sexual exploitation by a counselor, therapist or school employee; criminal trespass; and violation of a no-contact order.

Police say they received a report on Jan. 24 of Resendiz having an inappropriate relationship with a student. The investigation found Resendiz had allegedly sexually abused the student at least twice while she worked as a guidance counselor at the middle school.

The charges allege the abuse took place in her home, and photos of her kissing the victim were found on his phone.

The student allegedly told officers he had sexual intercourse with Resendiz on Dec. 6, 2021, and Dec. 25, 2021.

Resendiz had been told verbally by police and in writing by the school district that she was not to be on any school property without prior permission, according to the charges. But at 12:25 p.m. Feb. 22, an eye-witness saw her in her vehicle at West Liberty High School, where a juvenile got into her vehicle and they drove off.

The juvenile was identified as an immediate family member of a girl who has a no-contact order against Resendiz related to an investigation of sexual exploitation.

The booking sheet said Resendiz had not received permission to be on school property.

In Iowa, second-degree sexual abuse is a Class B felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison. Sexual exploitation by a counselor, therapist or school employee is a Class D felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Resendiz is scheduled to be arraigned March 11 on earlier charges of witness tampering, contempt of court and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She was arrested Feb. 6 and waived an initial appearance and preliminary hearing and had been freed on a $2,300 bond prior to the new charges.

The earlier charges stemmed from January, when West Liberty police interviewed a witness in an ongoing investigation regarding sexual exploitation by a counselor, therapist or school employee. The girl showed police messages from Resendiz, who asked her to contact the alleged victim to find out what he had told officers about the investigation.

In the messages, Resendiz allegedly also mentioned the victims father is undocumented, which police say is not relevant to the investigation. Resendiz also allegedly acknowledged officers told her to cease all contact with the boy.

The girl talked to the victim at a sporting event later and inquired of him what he told police, the charging document says. The girl claims she questioned him out of her own curiosity, not because she was asked to do so. The girl's mother requested the no-contact order and told police she worried Resendiz would continue to manipulate the girl to learn more about the investigation.

Resendiz listed jobs at The Childrens Place, a childrens clothing store in Coralville, and West Liberty Middle School in her application for a public defender.

Police documents list Resendiz as a former West Liberty School District employee; however, her name was still listed on the district's website as an employee as of Tuesday morning. A school district official on Tuesday said Resendiz was still employed by the district and had been placed on leave.

Muscatine County Sheriffs Office and the JFACT Lab in Johnson County assisted in the investigation.

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Step 1: Identify the Question



The words most strengthens in the question indicate that this is a Strengthen the Argument question.



Step 2: Deconstruct the Argument



 Ed shouldnt let reporters write own HL



Clever HL have info not in story



Step 3: Pause and State the Goal



On Strengthen questions, the goal is to find an answer that will make the conclusion more likely. In this case, you are looking to support the idea that reporters should not write headlines for their own stories .



Step 4: Work from Wrong to Right



(A) This answer weakens the argument, suggesting that the reporter who wrote the story would be in a better position to write the headline because he knows what is newsworthy in the story.



(B) This information weakens the conclusion. A reporter is very likely to have sufficient understanding of the story, so he would be able to write the headline.



(C) It is unclear if this information relates to whether reporters should write their own headlines. Research about other reporters methods might help a reporter if those methods were better, but could also hurt story and headline quality if the other reporters also made errors, such as writing headlines that were too clever.



(D) In the context of this argument, knowledge about the story is actually bad because it results in writing headlines that include information not in the story. This answer suggests that people beyond the reporter may actually have this problem as well. If anything, this answer slightly weakens the argument because it suggests that even if a reporter does not write his own headline, the headline could still suffer the same problems if the person chosen to write it knows too much.



(E) CORRECT . The argument states that reporters write headlines with information not in the story. Although you might have recognized the problem with this type of headline (how would the average reader see it was clever or understand?), it is not clearly stated that this type of a headline is a problem. Maybe newspapers like having such headlines to attract clever readers or encourage readers to think more deeply about the subject. This answer establishes that the kind of headlines reporters were writing are, in fact, not desired, at least from the perspective of the editor, supporting the idea that the reporters should not write their own headlines.



Argument Evaluation



Situation

The headlines newspaper reporters write for their own stories are often clever only because they allude to little-known information that never appears explicitly in the stories themselves.



Reasoning

What would most help the argument support the conclusion that newspaper editors should not allow reporters to write headlines for their own stories? The argument's only explicit premise is that the headlines newspaper reporters write for their own stories are often clever only because they allude to little-known information that never appears explicitly in the stories themselves. In order for this premise to support the conclusion that newspaper editors should not allow reporters to write their own headlines, it would be helpful to be given a reason why editors should avoid headlines alluding to such little-known information.



(A) This suggests that reporters are likely to write better headlines for their stories than editors are, so it weakens the argument that editors should not allow reporters to write their own headlines.



(B) Since a reporter who wrote a story is likely to understand that story well, this does not provide a reason why editors should not allow reporters to write their own headlines.



(C) If most reporters did what is suggested, they could perhaps hone their headline-writing skillsunless almost all reporters are weak in such skills, as suggested in the given information. The fact that they do not bother to do so may help explain why reporters' headline-writing skills are weak. An explanation of why this is so does not provide additional support for the argument's conclusion.



(D) The people who know more about a story's subject matter than the reporter writing the story might be just as likely to see the cleverness of allusions to little-known information as the reporters are. So, to the extent that this is relevant at all, it slightly weakens the argument by suggesting that obscurely clever headlines sometimes function as intended.



(E) Correct . The argument's explicit premise suggests that typically a reporter's headline for his or her own story cannot be recognized as clever by a reader who has read the whole story. So, if editors want headlines that anyone who has read the accompanying stories would recognize as clever, they have a reason not to let reporters write the headlines.
Aramco, through its Saudi Aramco Asia Company Limited (SAAC) subsidiary, today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) for potential downstream collaboration in China.

SAAC and Sinopec also aim to support Fujian Refining and Petrochemical Company (FREP) in conducting a feasibility study into the optimisation and expansion of capacity.

This MoU provides a basis for continued downstream collaboration between Aramco and Sinopec, capitalising on each companys strengths and their long-term relationship through existing joint ventures, namely FREP and Sinopec Senmei (Fujian) Petroleum Company (SSPC) in China, and Yanbu Aramco Sinopec Refining Company in Saudi Arabia, said a statement.

Mohammed Y Al Qahtani, Aramco Senior Vice President of Downstream, said: This MoU represents an exciting new chapter in our long-standing relationship with Sinopec. Such collaborations promote our downstream integration and expansion strategy in Asia and support our broader objectives of becoming a global leader in liquids-to-chemicals and a resilient and reliable supplier of one of the lowest upstream carbon intensity oils to meet Chinas growing demand.

Yu Baocai, President of Sinopec Corporation, said: Sinopec and Aramco enjoy a long history bookmarked by numerous examples of successful cooperation which continues to strengthen our strategic relationship. Both companies cooperate in mutually beneficial crude trading, refining and chemical joint ventures, engineering services as well as science and technology research and development. Together such collaboration represents a model of energy cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia. The signing of this MoU will support our refinery feedstock optimisation and downstream petrochemical development, while offering new opportunities to deepen and expand activity amid an accelerating global energy transition. -TradeArabia News Service
Re: The Jamaican authorities flew officers from Scotland Yard to Kingston, [ #permalink

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AmeriCorps Week 2022 is March 13-19, an opportunity to recognize the service of the 250,000 Americans engaged in AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors programs annually.

These citizens help communities across the nation, ensuring students stay on track to graduate, combatting hunger and homelessness, responding to natural disasters, fighting the opioid epidemic, helping seniors live independently, supporting veterans and military families and more.

Kate Dooley, of Danville, is currently serving with the National Civilian Community Corps, a 10-month, full-time AmeriCorps program. Founded in 1994, AmeriCorps NCCC strengthens communities and develops its young adult members into leaders.

AmeriCorps NCCC operates out of four campuses, which serve as regional administrative hubs and training facilities. These campuses, located in Sacramento, California; Aurora, Colorado; Vinton, Iowa; and Vicksburg, Mississippi, train and deploy new classes of members several times each year. Dooley began her term of service last summer at the Southern Region campus in Vicksburg, Mississippi and will graduate from the program in May.

As a Corps Member, Dooley is completing a series of different six- to 12-week-long service projects in different places across her assigned region as part of a five- to 12-person team. Projects support disaster relief, the environment, infrastructure improvement, energy conservation and urban and rural development.

Before joining the NCCC, Dooley attended Waynesville High School and College of William & Mary, which she graduated from in May with a degree in psychology and theatre.

I wanted to take a gap year between undergrad and grad school, and service seemed like the best way to spend it, she said.

AmeriCorps NCCC members complete at least 1,700 hours of service during the 10-month program. Corps Members are all 18 to 26 years old; there is no upper age limit for team leaders.

In exchange for their service, all program participants receive $6,495 to help pay for college. Other benefits include a small living stipend, room and board, leadership development, team building skills and the knowledge that, through active citizenship, they can indeed make a difference.

AmeriCorps NCCC is one of hundreds of programs administered by the larger AmeriCorps agency.

For more information about AmeriCorps NCCC, visit the website at www.americorps.gov/nccc.
Blairs resident Jack Gery enjoys grabbing breakfast at Heartline Restaurant on South Boston Road six days a week. The treat is 40 miles roundtrip for him.

But with gas prices rocketing past $4 a gallon in the Dan River Region, Gery says he will have to forgo Heartline.

Im going to have to start cooking at home, Gery said Tuesday morning while filling up his vehicle at Valero on South Boston Road across from Danville Regional Airport. I dont want to do it.

Gas prices in Danville reached a high of $4.29 a gallon at some convenience stores Tuesday morning, with the lowest price  $3.98  spotted at Walmart Neighborhood Market at Nor-Dan Shopping Center.

A gallon of regular unleaded was, for a brief time, $3.89 a gallon at BP on South Boston Road before an employee could be seen changing the price to $4.29 on its sign.

Gas was also $4.29 at Speedway and $4.15 at Pilot gas station on South Boston Road and at Sheetz on Riverside Drive. Exxon River Street Mart was at $4.09 a gallon Tuesday morning.

The average price for a gallon of gas in Virginia reached a record high of $4.10 overnight Monday and Tuesday, according to a news release from AAA. The states average shot up 66 cents in a week, 82 cents in a month and $1.45 in a year.

The national average was $4.17 a gallon, up 56 cents from a week ago, according to AAA.

As the war between Russia and Ukraine continues, the price of crude oil continues to soar, leading to record high prices at the pump, the news release states.

The effects of geopolitical tension between Russia and Ukraine, coupled with tight worldwide oil supplies and increased demand, continue to impact the upward climb of crude oil and, in turn, gas prices, AAA Mid-Atlantic region spokesperson Moran Dean said in the news release.

Also, the start of the peak summer driving season is still months away, Dean pointed out.

Back over at Valero on South Boston Road, Ringgold resident Gidget Rodgers provided a blunt assessment of gas prices: They suck.

The increase, however, has not changed her daily driving routine.

Ive got to go to work and Ive got to go to the store, Rodgers said.

But it has affected her budget for investing in her side businesses of selling crafts, she said.

Gery, who said he had recently filled up the gas tanks in his two cars and a truck, spent hundred of dollars on fuel.

It cost me $250 to fill up this week, Gery said.

He spent $100 to buy 21 gallons of gas for his 2017 Chevrolet 2500 pick-up truck, he said.

At Exxon on Riverside Drive, gas attendant Manwell Fitzgerald has seen a difference in customers fuel-buying habits.

Its really affected a lot of senior citizens, Fitzgerald said while pumping gas and taking payments from drivers. A lot of older people who usually come out every day to get $10 to $15 worth of gas, I havent seen them.

The amount of fuel customers could previously buy for $10 now costs $20, Fitzgerald said.

The people who usually come get $5 [worth of gas], now theyre getting $15, he said.

However, he said business is still booming at Exxon because of customers getting their income-tax returns.

At $3.99 a gallon Tuesday morning, Exxon was one of the cheaper places in town to purchase gas.

One customer from Northern Virginia was not letting the astronomical prices deter her travel plans. Woodridge resident Florence Pullo was headed to Florida.

This is the first trip Ive taken in a long time, she said.

While the escalating gas prices are distressing, she said, theyre nothing compared to the suffering Ukrainians are enduring following Russias invasion of their country.

Its definitely a burden, Pullo said of fuel prices. But its definitely not as much of a burden as what the Ukrainians are going through.

Blairs resident Frank Grimes, who was getting ready to pump gas into his vehicle at Walmart Neighborhood Market, said he doesnt travel much.

It costs too much to leave the house, said Grimes, 83, adding that the price of everything is going up. I try to cut down on costs. Ive got more canned goods in the house.

As for Gery, 72, he also plans to focus more on his home in the face of surging gas prices.

Ive got some projects to take care of, Gery said. Its a good time to do it.

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A University of Virginia student wrote an editorial in the New York Times that published Monday, triggering debate about intellectual conformity and self-censorship.

In her piece, senior Emma Camp wrote that a broad spectrum of opinions is no longer valued on college campuses. Students conform to one side of an issue and often don't voice their opinion in fear of the backlash.

"Students of all political persuasions hold back  in class discussions, in friendly conversations, on social media  from saying what we really think," Camp wrote. "Even as a liberal who has attended abortion rights protests and written about standing up to racism, I sometimes feel afraid to fully speak my mind."

Camp wrote that she voiced an opinion about a ritual suicide of Indian widows, triggering anger from her classmates and awkwardness in the classroom.

"I became a little less likely to speak up again and a little less trusting of my own thoughts," she wrote. "We need more classrooms full of energetic debate, not fewer."

Camp's piece  perhaps unsurprisingly  sparked argument on social media.

"I don't even recognize the place being described in that essay," UVA politics professor Larry Sabato tweeted. "Since I've been associated with the University for 52 years, perhaps my observation will help you sort fact from fiction."

Atima Omara, a UVA alumna and political strategist wrote on Twitter: "I guess folks haven't heard about how Black and other students of color censor themselves daily at that school."

Nicole Hannah Jones, a former New York Times journalist and creator The 1619 Project, said on Twitter: "I have to say its rich to see conservatives talking about campus intolerance when right wing publications consistently put student 'journalists' on the beat of drumming up outrage over speakers and speeches of people with political views they dislike."

The backlash on social media seemed to reinforce Camp's argument.

"The response to the NYT article is really telling!" writer and podcaster Jesse Singal wrote.

In a memoir written last year, former University of Richmond president Ronald Crutcher wrote how conservative opinions are often shut down on college campuses.

The politics and rhetoric now inflaming the nation have spilled over to foment a climate of campus unrest at such a decibel level that even the most innocent inquiry becomes suspect, Crutcher wrote.

In an interview, Crutcher said cancel culture exists, though it is overblown to some extent. Social media perpetuates it by allowing people to self-select the opinions they want to hear. If you don't like a friend's opinion, he said, you can unfriend the person.
REIDSVILLE  Federal authorities with the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives joined Reidsville police on March 4 to arrest a 19-year-old here on a federal warrant for possession of a firearm by a felon, Reidsville officials said in a news release.

Isaiah Ogunyemi of 8 Circle Drive will likely face indictments for possession of narcotics and drug paraphernalia, according to the release. Authorities said they discovered drugs and related items during a search of Ogunyemis home.

Ogunyemi was arrested on similar charges last summer at 20 Circle Drive, police reports showed. Investigators with the Reidsville Police Department arrested him on June 28 after discovering 1.5 pounds of marijuana, a stolen AR-15 with a 50-round magazine, a Glock pistol, and cash at the address.

In June, Ogunyemi was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of a stolen firearm, maintaining a dwelling for controlled substances, possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana, possession of marijuana paraphernalia and driving while license revoked.

Information about the disposition of those charges was not immediately available.

ATF agents on March 4 transported Ogunyemi to Guilford County, where he will be held until his first appearance in federal court, the release said. The court date was not immediately available.

Search still on for suspected shooters

Two men suspected of firing guns near a mobile home park here eluded sheriffs deputies early Saturday after a high speed chase, according to a news release from the Rockingham County Sheriffs Office.

Deputies got a call at around 1:42 a.m. that residents of Stone-Eden Mobile Home Park had heard gunshots along Bob Trail. Witnesses said shots came from a silver Ford Focus as the car drove through the area.

No injuries were reported.

Soon after, deputies spotted the sedan and followed it in a high-speed chase. Officers with the Eden Police Department placed tire deflation devices along Thomas Harrington Highway and NC 14 and were able to deflate the suspects tires.

The Focus came to a stop on nearby Town Creek Road and two men fled on foot into the surrounding wooded area, the release said. Deputies, using K-9 teams, searched but were unable to locate the suspects.

The sheriffs office asks that anyone with information about the investigation or possible suspects call the Rockingham County Sheriffs Office at 336-634-3232 or Rockingham County Crime Stoppers at 336-349-9683.

Contact Susie C. Spear at sspear@rockinghamnow.com, (336) 349-4331, ext. 6140 and follow @SpearSusie_RCN on Twitter.

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RALEIGH  Duke Energy officials told the N.C. Utilities Commission on Monday that they will provide the technical information used by company analysts to shape a carbon reduction plan shortly after providing a draft of the plan to regulators.

That has raised concern among many who are tracking the process, particularly because they will have 60 days once the plan is filed to offer comments and other feedback. Nadia Luhr of North Carolinas Public Staff, said inputs and assumptions Duke is using to shape its plan should be made available on a rolling basis as they become available.

This is especially important as the 60-day window for comments and alternate carbon plans provide little time for intervenors and public staff to do their own modeling and prepare comments, Luhr said.

Public Staff is an independent state agency that represents ratepayers in front of the Utilities Commission.

The details of when Dukes assumptions and models will be made available were among the concerns voiced Monday by a wide range of interested parties including the North Carolina attorney generals office, environmental groups and industry trade groups. During a regular update provided to the Utilities Commission, other concerns included whether Duke could make some information available immediately and whether the company should offer additional small groups to discuss targeted technical topics.

Under last years House Bill 951, Duke must submit a plan describing how it intends to slash greenhouse gas emissions 70% from 2005 levels by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. Greenhouse gases are responsible for warming the planet, causing a broad range of climate impacts from warmer nights to wetter storms.

An N.C. Department of Environmental Quality greenhouse gas inventory showed that energy generation caused 32.8% of the states greenhouse gases in 2018, the last year for which information is available. Between 2005 and 2018, the sector cut 34.7% of its greenhouse gases, about halfway to the goal set out in last years law.

Timeline for emissions plan

A draft plan describing how Duke plans to generate power while achieving lower emissions needs to be submitted to the N.C. Utilities Commission by May 16.

From there, interested parties including individuals, environmental organizations, energy advocates and industrial customer groups will have 60 days to comment on the plan. Those groups can also submit alternative carbon plans, taking Dukes assumptions and analyses about the costs of energy sources, applying different costs that they feel are more appropriate and feeding the information into a model that could result in different energy sources than those the company suggests.

Duke plans to create an online reading room where interested parties will be able to access data and alter inputs before running them through models. Monday, Jack Jirak, a deputy general counsel for Duke Energy, told the Utilities Commission that the information would be available within a week after the May 16 filing deadline.

Every single piece of data input, final input, assumptions and modeling data, the entire EnCompass modeling database will be made available to all intervenors according to the normal commission process, Jirak said.

Duke has held two stakeholder meetings, with a third planned for March 22. The company also set up and held meetings for technical committees on connecting solar to the grid; the technical assumptions and operating costs of solar and wind energy; and energy storage operations and costs.

Jirak also said Duke doesnt have the staff to respond to detailed discovery requests while also creating the carbon plan. While Duke was creating a 2020 plan outlining how it would generate power, Jirak said the company received 3,500 requests for information that took thousands of hours to compile.

Its not only impractical to respond to discovery at this stage of the process given we dont have a final carbon plan process and we dont have finalized inputs and assumptions, its also just untenable from a work perspective and a resource perspective to be asked to do that in parallel with this process, Jirak said.

Gudrun Thompson, a senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, agreed with Luhr that Duke should provide details on a rolling basis. Thompson is representing the Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.

By the time Duke files the carbon plan, Thompson noted, its analysts will have had about eight months to work with models and inputs from the time HB 951 was passed, significantly longer than the 60 days those responding to the draft plan will have to offer alternatives.

It sounds like (inputs are) not ready yet, Thompson said, but once it is and theyre ready to press Go on the model, they should be sharing that database with stakeholders that ask for it.

This story was produced with financial support from 1Earth Fund, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work.
Enoc Group, the Official Integrated Energy Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, is on track to increase its UAE retail footprint from 162 fully operational service stations at the end of 2021 to 186 service stations in 2022. Enoc concluded 2021 with the opening of four new service stations in Sharjah.

Throughout 2021, Enoc opened 15 new service stations including its Service Station of the Future at the Expo 2020 Dubai site and new stations in Fujairah and Dragon Mart 2. Since announcing its build plan in 2016, Enoc has opened 55 service stations.

Saif Humaid Al Falasi, Group CEO, Enoc, said: We are strengthening the infrastructure of the UAE to meet the growing demand of our customers, which is aligned to the UAE governments long-term plans to provide the highest quality of life to its people. By adding 24 new service stations to our existing network in 2022, we are demonstrating our commitment to serving the community.

In Q1 2022, Enocs Dubai South and Dafza service stations are set to open. Throughout the year, a number of service stations are expected to open including stations in Warsan, International City, Wadi al Amardi, Wadi Al Safa, Al Karama and DIP in Dubai. And in Al Sajaa, Al Ramtha, Al Riqqa, Al Falaj, and Al Rahmania in Sharjah.

By the end of the year, Enoc plans to open 24 service stations across the UAE including 10 in Dubai, nine in Sharjah, four in Umm Al Quwain and one in Fujairah. Seven of the 24 stations Enoc plans to build will be compact service stations in Dubai and Umm Al Quwain and one will be a marine station in the Hamriya Port in Dubai.

Enoc Group offers customers a variety of payment options across all its service stations, including EnocPay, its contactless payment platform. Other accepted forms of payment include ViP, Dubai Now and e-wallet. Customers can also benefit from the Yes rewards programme by earning points and rewards when paying for fuel, automotive services or for purchasing convenience store products, groceries and F&B at all stations.-- TradeArabia News Service
SYLVA  Its been two weeks since 25-year-old Aaron Fortner disappeared from western North Carolina  leaving few clues other than a disheveled trailer and a string of unexplained phone calls to his grandparents.

Fortner was last believed to be at his camper in the Jackson County town of Sylva. His wallet, keys and phone charger were found in his home.

There has not been any activity on his phone  which has not been found  or on his social media accounts since he went missing.

Fortners mom, Kristina Biddix, said the camper had been upended with all the lights and his electric blanket still on. She said it looked completely different than the last time she saw it the day before he disappeared in late February.

Aaron didnt just run off, family friend Mindy Lassiter said in a Facebook post.

Lassiter reiterated the condition of the camper, saying it was turned upside down. She said he left everything behind that he would normally take with him and that he never left his place in a mess  ever. A hat was also found in the driveway that Fortner was wearing the night before he disappeared, Lassiter said.

She added he called his grandparents intermittently until 1 or 2 a.m. that night talking strange. In fact, Lassiter said Fortner routinely talked to his mom or grandparents.

Search parties combed the area surrounding Fortners home in the week after he went missing, according to the Jackson County Sheriffs Office. More than a 100 people participated, including a swift-water team from Cherokee, members of several local fire departments and the State Bureau of Investigation.

Kristina Biddix said she will not stop looking for my baby boy.

If it takes the rest of my life I will look for you till my last breath, she said in a Facebook post. I ask God to take me and bring my son home. I have experienced pain in my life and thought I couldnt break, but this is breaking me.
WASHINGTON  In a victory for Democrats, the Supreme Court has turned away efforts from Republicans in North Carolina and Pennsylvania to block state court-ordered congressional districting plans.

In separate orders late Monday, the justices are allowing maps selected by each state's Supreme Court to be in effect for the 2022 elections. Those maps are more favorable to Democrats than the ones drawn by the states' legislatures.

In North Carolina, the map most likely will give Democrats an additional House seat in 2023.

The Pennsylvania map also probably will lead to the election of more Democrats, the Republicans say, as the two parties battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the midterm elections in November.

The justices provided no explanation for their actions, as is common in emergency applications on what is known as the shadow docket.

While the high court did not stop the state court-ordered plans from being used in this year's elections, four conservative justices indicated they want it to confront the issue that could dramatically limit the power of state courts over federal elections in the future. The Republicans argued that state courts lack the authority to second-guess legislatures' decisions about the conduct of elections for Congress and the presidency.

"We will have to resolve this question sooner or later, and the sooner we do so, the better. This case presented a good opportunity to consider the issue, but unfortunately the court has again found the occasion inopportune," Justice Samuel Alito wrote in a dissent from the Supreme Court's order, joined by Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh made a similar point, but said he didn't want to interfere in this year's electoral process, which already is underway. The filing deadline in North Carolina was last Friday.

The state courts were involved because of partisan wrangling and lawsuits over congressional redistricting in both states, where the legislatures are controlled by Republicans, the governors are Democrats and the state Supreme Courts have Democratic majorities.

In Pennsylvania, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed the plan the Republican-controlled Legislature approved, saying it was the result of a partisan political process.

The state, with a delegation of nine Democrats and nine Republicans, is losing a seat in the House following the 2020 Census.

Republicans said the map they came up with would elect nine Democrats and eight Republicans. State courts eventually stepped in and approved a map that probably will elect 10 Democrats, the GOP argued.

North Carolina is picking up a seat in the House because of population gains. Republican majorities in the Legislature produced an initial plan most likely to result in 10 seats for Republicans and four for Democrats. The governor does not have veto power over redistricting plans in North Carolina.

After Democrats sued, the state's high court selected a map that likely will elect at least six Democrats.

Lawsuits are continuing in both states, but the Supreme Court signaled in Monday's orders that this year's elections for Congress in North Carolina and Pennsylvania would take place under the maps approved by the states' top courts.
March has arrived with gentler temperatures, and blessed relief from high heating-oil bills  for a while, at least.

But like the man who couldnt repair his roof when it was raining, but didnt want to when it stopped  because it wasnt raining  we should keep in mind that the prices of oil and gas will continue to rise and fall for as long we use oil and gas . Thats one among many reasons we should be doing everything we can to move to renewable energy  in our homes, offices and vehicles.

Mondays high temperatures, near 80, were expected to set a record. Average daily temperatures statewide and for the Triad in December, January and February were about 3 degrees above normal, the Winston-Salem Journals John Deem recently reported, relying on information from the National Weather Service and preliminary data from the National Centers for Environmental Information in Asheville. Thats in keeping with what weve come to expect as more carbon in the atmosphere triggers more extremes in temperatures.

While winter temperatures are rising fastest, continued year-round warming is expected, predicts the North Carolina Climate Science Report, authored by 15 climate scientists.

Indeed, every indication is that the problem of climate change is getting worse  and climate scientists are running out of ways to get the point across without sounding hysterical.

A new U.N. climate report, to which more than 200 climate scientists contributed, is even more worrisome than previous reports, calling global warming a threat to human well-being and planetary health. Among other findings, the report says that half of the worlds population is highly vulnerable to the impacts of the climate crisis and if we dont act now, parts of several nations may become uninhabitable  either because theyll be underwater or because theyll be too hot for people to work outdoors.

More people are going to die each year from heat waves, air pollution, starvation and diseases, the report says.

In fact, its happening already. Climate change is killing people, co-author Helen Adams of Kings College London said.

The report also notes  as if we need to be told  that misinformation and political divisions in North America have hindered needed solutions.

In the midst of this existential crisis, the last thing we should do is drill for more oil. In the long run, cheaper gas at the pump will make matters worse.

The situation can seem hopeless. But even if we cant stop rising temperatures entirely, we can mitigate its effects and save lives. Every 10th of a degree matters, and everything we do can have a positive effect  if we work together.

But individual volunteer efforts alone wont save us. Like it or not, regulation is required.

That shouldnt be surprising, considering that this is a global problem.

A case argued before the U.S. Supreme Court last week is likely to have serious ramifications. Jacob Roth, arguing on behalf of The North America Coal Corp., wants the court to eliminate the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants, which produce nearly 20% of the electricity in the U.S.

The agency is asking questions like: Should we phase out the coal industry? Should we build more solar farms in this country? Should we restrict how consumers use electricity in order to bring down emissions? Roth said. Those are not the types of questions we expect the agency to be answering.

The court has ruled before that these are precisely the types of questions the agency should be answering. In 2007, the court ruled that the EPA has the power to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants under the Clean Air Act of 1970.

But the court has changed. Nevertheless, as Justice Sonia Sotomayor reminded her colleagues, This agency is doing greenhouse gas regulation. This is in, you know, exactly in its wheelhouse.

We appreciate the individual liberties inherent in the Constitution. And we appreciate that many are opposed to government regulatory authority as a matter of principle.

But the Constitution shouldnt be a suicide pact that hands our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness over to commercial interests that would in the long run harm us. Its the American peoples air  not the coal industrys.
Kevin Merrill of Mesa Vineyard Management is a board member of the Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau and a director on the Santa Barbara County Fair Board. He can be reached at kmerrill@mesavineyard.com
This came in a statement delivered by the platform of the joint activities of women's movements and organizations in north and east Syria, followed by Ibtisam Al-Hussein, in the administrator Qamishlo in the Kongra Star in Qamishlo canton.

This statement is scheduled to be recited in all celebrations held in north and east Syria under the slogan "Together we protect our revolution and liberate our lands", on the occasion of International Women's Day.

The statement saluted all the women of the world, Syria, north and east Syria, on the occasion of International Womens Day, and recalled all the pioneering female martyrs who made great sacrifices on the path to freedom and shown the heroic epics in their resistance against male domination and tyrannical mentality and broke the chains of slavery and servitude in order to obtain their legitimate rights to freedom, justice and equality and democracy.

It added, "On this occasion, we salute the leader Abdullah Ocalan, the first and true companion of women, who has a philosophy of free life based on women's freedom, which is the freedom of society." It recalled the words of the leader Ocalan: "The twenty-first century will be the century of women's freedom."

The platform congratulated all the women of north and east Syria, the mothers of the martyrs, the women imprisoned in the prisons of authoritarian regimes, the fighters in all political and social fields and arenas, the women stationed in the trenches of resistance in order to protect women and society.

The platform affirmed that International Womens Day was the fruit of great struggles and resistances of millions of toiling women and the leadership of womens movements and organizations around the world, from Rosa Luxemburg to Clara Zetkin, Zenobia Zarifa, Sakine Cansiz, Mina Khan, Suhaila Abdul Qad, Ivana Hoffman, Sawsan Berhat, Nujeen Amed, Tolhildan Raman, Laila Qassem, Laila Akri, Hevrin Khalaf, Zahra Barkal, Hind and Saad, Mother Aqeeda, Uwaz Urmia.

The statement noted women's resistance against the occupier and authoritarian attacks of dominant countries, adding: "The strengthening and escalation of the struggle led by women for freedom against all fascist and occupation attacks, the hegemonic patriarchal authority, and the genocidal policy targeting women, raises our revolution to the level of a women's revolution that adopts on the strength of work and thought and the reality of the resistance shown by all the pioneering female fighters throughout history in all political, social, economic, cultural and organizational fields, and that all women join hands to escalate the struggle can achieve a free and dignified life for all social segments.

He explained: We live in an era of systematic wars in all its forms, and through various means of private war policy, genocide, murder, rape, displacement, poverty, massacres and economic wars in all areas of life. world domination, this was manifested in the fabrication of wars in the Middle East in general, but this brings with it many strategic opportunities for women and peoples in general, but it carries with it many risks for peoples.

"North and East Syria is experiencing a societal revolution led by women in all merit"

The statement stressed the need to continue the tireless struggle, and that every day for women should be the 8th of March, in order to change the authoritarian mentality and oppose the outdated customs and traditions that have become a scourge on the societal structure and its historical reality requires all women to struggle and work to arm themselves with awareness and democratic thought through consolidating a life of equal partnership, achieving justice and equality, and arming with ecological, health and moral awareness that would protect man and nature.

The statement referred to the struggle of women in the north and east of Syria within the institutions of the Autonomous Administration, and added: "We in the north and east of Syria are living a societal revolution led by women with merit and established a democratic system represented by the Democratic Autonomous Administration (DAA) in which women take a leading role through the joint presidency system in all institutions which has become a role model and a source of inspiration for all women, thanks to the historical gains made by womens resistance in the Womens Protection Units (YPJ) in defeating the global terrorism represented by ISIS and its continuous resistance to the Turkish occupation forces and its mercenary factions. This revolution was called the Womens Revolution.

Building a democratic society in which the values of justice and equality prevail.

It stressed: "The Women's Revolution in North and East Syria is the revolution of all women. Therefore, all of us, as feminist organizations and women's movements, must unite and cohesion in order to achieve our legitimate goals and build a democratic society in which the values of justice, equality and freedom prevail, embodying the slogan of our campaign (Together we protect our revolution and liberate our lands)."

The platform of the joint activities of women's movements and organizations in north and east Syria saluted during its statement "the heroic resistance of women in Afrin, Serekaniye, Tal Abyad, and we salute the resistance and steadfastness of women in the camps and the resistance of Afghan women in the face of extremist obscurantist ideology and the women of the whole world and we salute their struggle against all policies of extermination, killing and displacement.

T/S

ANHA
For Paige Plancich, its all about empowering the patient.

A student in Carroll Colleges inaugural 15-month Accelerated Nursing track, Plancich, 26, understands the feelings of vulnerability associated with being ill.

Vulnerability as a whole is not comfortable for any of us. Most of the people we see and treat on a daily basis are really sick and not feeling their best, she said. Its a difficult time in their lives. But as nurses, we have the opportunity to help empower them by using the skills we have learned in school to help our patients get back on their feet and return home in a healthier frame of mind.

Now accepting applications

The colleges intensive accelerated track  now accepting applications for its second cohort class  is designed for students who have already completed a bachelors degree in a non-nursing field and are looking for new opportunities. Students in this track build on their previous degree, undergoing the additional coursework and clinical experiences that are required to become a registered nurse. Unlike a regular semester-based nursing program, students in the accelerated track work in six- to eight-week increments, doubling down on class and lab times and clinical hours.

Most recently, with support from Montana Governor Greg Gianforte and Accelerate Montana, Carroll College will be able to award 16 scholarships for students who intend to work as nurses in Montana after graduation. Full-time students who are new to the program will be eligible to apply, with scholarships awarded based on incoming GPA and financial need. Interested applicants are encouraged to reach out to the Carroll Admissions team and the Financial Aid Office for more information.

Highly focused curriculum

The accelerated track is basically a traditional semester-track program, but at hyper-speed, Plancich said. When students in the regular programs are typically taking midterms, we are taking our final exams, since semesters are split into two sessions. Its very focused. Because of that, the students who enroll and are accepted know this is exactly what they want to do.

The Carroll College nursing curriculum focuses on a holistic approach to healthcare, allowing us to incorporate the students' previous non-medical knowledge into the science of nursing care. Lauren Swant, Associate Professor and Program Director/Department Chair of Carroll Colleges Nursing Program explains, "Our students begin their clinical experiences in the 200-level nursing courses and have access to a broad range of clinical settings. Additionally, the new state-of-the-art E.L.Wiegand Simulation Center at Carroll College is a fundamental resource that allows us to incorporate high-fidelity simulations throughout the nursing curriculum as a strategy to provide students interactive, practice-based instruction.

It is not required that students have previous medical experience to apply to Carroll Colleges Accelerated Nursing track. However, Plancich said most of the students already have some sort of medical background upon entering the program, having worked as emergency medical technicians in emergency rooms or in pain clinics, for example. She herself had worked for five years as a mental health technician at a childrens hospital, followed by a year at a Helena area orthopedic clinic. With a bachelors degree in biology from the schools undergrad program, Plancich had always assumed she would become a doctor, but she decided nursing was more her calling.

After graduating with a bachelors in health science, fellow student Emily Mihalic, 32, worked for two years as an EMT, five years as a phlebotomist at a community medical center in Missoula and two years in triage at a pain clinic before applying and being accepted into the program.

Its fast. Its all there in the name  accelerated, Mihalic said. You have to make sure that you are in a spot in your life where you can put everything on hold for 15 months because you will have to be completely, 100% devoted to the work. The big reward at the end is that you are graduating from a prestigious nursing program and can have your pick of jobs.

Where passion meets experience

Since weve been in the field for a few years, weve seen it up close and have really come to know this is our passion, Plancich said. We truly know in our hearts this is what we were called to do.

Mihalic couldnt agree more.

Im so grateful for my previous experience because each position prepared me for the intensity of the program, the familiarity with some of the work and the effort required in caring for patients, Mihalic said.

Nurses make an impact

After working at the childrens hospital, Plancich saw the impact that the nurses made not only on their patients lives, but on the lives of the patients families and members of the community.

Its the nurses who get to spend the most time with a patient and as a result, its the nurses who have the opportunity to build a more meaningful relationship with the patient. And thats what makes nursing so special, she said.

Mihalic, the recipient of a Veterans Affairs scholarship, is looking forward to graduation to find out where in the U.S. she will be placed.

It could be anywhere, she said, and I couldnt be more excited about the opportunity to practice nursing and start my life again with an incredible new skill set that allows me to care for patients.

For more information about Carroll Colleges Accelerated Nursing track, visit carroll.edu/nursing/accelerated-nursing.

This content was produced by Brand Ave. Studios. The news and editorial departments had no role in its creation or display. Brand Ave. Studios connects advertisers with a targeted audience through compelling content programs, from concept to production and distribution. For more information contact sales@brandavestudios.com.

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The Montana Board of Public Education has received a substantial number of public comments about proposed revisions to state teaching licensing rules.

There's about a month left to submit comments before the record closes on April 8, according to McCall Flynn, executive director of the Board of Public Education.

In general, the proposed revisions seek to reduce certain requirements and expand opportunities to obtain a teaching license in Montana. Most of the changes are meant to address the ongoing teacher shortage issue across the state, the Office of Public Instruction said.

At a public hearing in late February, seven heavy hitters in the Montana education community were overwhelmingly critical of the proposed revisions. Some commenters expressed their wariness concerning broad terminology, while others were unsure that revisions would actually address the challenge of recruiting and retaining teachers in rural schools.

Its the breadth and speed with which these proposed changes have been brought forward, said state Rep. Moffie Funk at the hearing. Just makes me a little uneasy that they havent been delved into with quite the depth that would be appropriate.

Tricia Seifert, the head of the Department of Education at Montana State University, spoke at the hearing on behalf of the Montana Council of Deans of Education and was not optimistic that expanding alternative pathways to teaching careers would have the impact they intend.

Generally, a person who has completed an alternative pathway to obtain a teaching license in Montana has not completed a traditional teacher certification program, like those offered at MSU or the University of Montana. Teach for America is one example of an alternative certification opportunity.

The proposed change regarding alternative pathways would cut back on the required time to earn a teaching license from five years down to none. Presently, teachers who have completed an alternative educator preparation program outside of Montana must provide proof of five years' experience before they are eligible for a license in most cases.

The evidence indicates that there is great variation in the variety and in the quality of alternative preparation programs and thus, it would be irresponsible to treat all of those programs as equal, Seifert said.

She added that while overall enrollment at MSU has been on the rise in recent years, most of that growth is due to out-of-state students, not undergraduate students from Montana.

The decline of Montana high school seniors' pursuit of postsecondary education is concerning because all pathways to teacher licensure begin with a baccalaureate degree, Seifert said. If students are not seeing themselves as college material, then theyre likely not seeing themselves as teachers either.

Kristi Steinberg, the licensure and assessment manager at the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education at UM, noted the lack of clarity of many of the definitions in the proposed revisions.

Whats keeping me kind of awake at night is thinking about how these changes will impact my daughter, who is in sixth grade, and her classmates. We have a responsibility as (educator preparation programs) to train teachers who have a positive impact on PK-12 learning and the state has an obligation to set strong quality control measures that are clear within districts exercising local control and hiring educators who meet these quality standards, Steinberg said. Our kids deserve this.

Dr. Stevie Schmitz, director of education and education leadership at Rocky Mountain College, was the last commenter to speak at the hearing. She noted that revising these rules is important, but agreed with the critiques of those before her.

She challenged the board to ask themselves if they are going to augment the problem or help solve it.

Those children there deserve the best as well, but this problem is not going to be solved by the number of people we bring into the field and the way we bring them in, Schmitz said. But instead, of how we prepare them for the world theyre going to be facing.

The board will meet at a special meeting in Helena on April 28, then come to a final decision at its meeting May 12-13 in Great Falls.

Written comments can be submitted to P.O. Box 200601, Helena, MT 59620, faxed to 406-444-0847 or emailed to bpe@mt.gov.

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